South Africa: Mchunu pledges to provide clean water to N Cape rural communities

Water and Sanitation Minister, Senzo Mchunu, has committed his department to deliver fresh water to the rural communities of Joe Morolong and Ga-Segonyana Local Municipalities from the Vaal-Gamagara Bulk Water Supply Scheme in the Northern Cape.

Mchunu made the commitment during a Rural Water Seminar held recently at Tsineng Village in Kuruman, where he engaged with the rural communities of the two municipalities that have been struggling to get reliable and uninterrupted water supply.

In his address, Mchunu explained that water security in the rural communities from the two municipalities, with less than a 200 000-strong population combined, will be brought through by the second phase of the R4.8 billion Vaal-Gamagara Water Supply Scheme.

Mchunu said the project will be a joint venture between the Department of Water and Sanitation and the Mining Leadership Forum (MLF) in the Northern Cape.

He said the second phase of the water project will entail the laying of the 260-kilometre pipeline, from the Vaal River Pump Station up to Roscoe in Gamagara Municipality, and communities along the pipeline, including the two municipalities, stand to benefit as the project gets underway.

The scheme seeks to bring water from the river to the people, and for the people to be able to receive sustainable water supply. There is a list of infrastructure that needs to be built, including a pipeline from the river, water treatment works, reservoirs and pumpstations - and all these need to also be maintained daily to continuously provide water to communities in a sustainable manner, the Minister told the community.

The Minister emphasised that access to fresh and clean water is a right of every individual as enshrined in the countrys Constitution.

The government of South Africa has prioritised water supply to the households of communities in both rural and urban areas. This is the right that you should enjoy and we, as the Department of Water and Sanitation, have been tasked with the responsibility of ensuring that the people of this country have equitable access to clean water.

We are here to inform you that there is a second phase of the Vaal Gamagara Water Scheme that is going to ensure that all communities, particularly in rural areas, have water at their homes. We have completed the first phase of the project and it will benefit most communities in Kathu area, Mchunu said.

He said the department, together with the provincial and local government, have agreed to work together to deliver sustainable water and sanitation services to communities.

New water board to service FS and NC

Meanwhile, as part of accelerating service delivery, the Minister told the residents that the department is in the process of establishing a new water board to service Free State and the Northern Cape Provinces.

He explained that the process involves expanding the Bloem Water boundary to cover the province and rename the water board to be inclusive of both provinces.

Mchunu reiterated his call to the community to save water, noting that South Africa is a water scarce country, particularly in Northern Cape, which is characterised by lack of rain and high temperatures.

In as much as you have a right to water, we appeal to you to use it efficiently and sparingly. Do not waste water, and double your efforts to save it so that you can always have access to water without any interruption, Mchunu said.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2023-04-04. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
German lawmakers to face no party whip on gay marriage, Merkel says

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Tuesday she will allow members of her Christian Democrat (CDU) party to vote freely on any gay marriage bill that comes before the Bundestag.

GALLERY

German lawmakers to face no party whip on gay marriage, Merkel says

Berlin (dpa) - Speaking after meeting with her party, she said a decision on introducing marriage equality for same-sex couples was a matter of conscience and for individual lawmakers to decide, therefore she was removing the party whip for the vote.The head of the CDU group in the Bundestag, Volker Kauder, called on as many of his colleagues as possible to vote.Those who reject the idea that same-sex couples should enjoy the full rights of heterosexual marriage should be respectful of others opinions, Kauder added.Lawmakers from the CDUs Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), will also be able to vote freely on introducing gay marriage.The CSU continues to oppose extending marriage to same-sex couples, the party said after a telephone conference with the party leadership in Munich."Nevertheless we have respect and understanding if CSU members of the Bundestag, following their conscience, make a dissenting decision during a vote in the German lower house," a statement from the party said, adding that the party whip had been lifted for the issue.Rival parties seized on comments made by Merkel on Monday, when she appeared to back away from her partys opposition to gay marriage during an interview broadcast on German television.Merkel said during the interview she was hoping for a discussion on marriage equality that would be conducted with dignity, and called it "a question of conscience."Following Merkels comments, lawmakers from the SPD and from the opposition Greens and The Left (Die Linke) demanded a vote take place this week.Martin Schulz, Merkels chief opponent in the race for the chancellory in Septembers elections, said Tuesday his party would push for a parliamentary vote on the issue with or without Merkel and her conservatives.Schulz, the Social Democratic (SPD) party leader, said his party would present a draft law on marriage equality to the Bundestag this week, the last week of the current parliamentary session.The SPD would forge ahead and discuss next steps at a meeting on Tuesday, Schulz said, but added that he hoped his coalition partners in the CDU and CSU would cooperate on drafting the law.Schulz said Merkel had made a move to which he and his party were responding. "We are now taking her at her word," he said.Schulz appeared to come unstuck when he stumbled on his wording during questioning from the German media and spoke of "marriage with everyone" instead of "marriage for everyone.""Firstly let me just address marriage with everyone: I know quite specific women that I would certainly not marry," he later said.The CDU and CSU have repeatedly blocked efforts to introduce full marriage equality for same-sex couples despite overwhelming public support for the move.Same-sex couples are currently able to register civil partnerships in Germany.A marriage equality law is expected to easily pass, especially now that the conservatives have removed the party whip. The CDU/CSU alliance has said it is explicitly against a vote before the Bundestag elections on September 24.Parliaments judiciary committee has deferred the issue 30 times already."There is no need for a rushed decision," Michael Grosse-Broemer, who leads the CDU/CSU group in the Bundestag, said Tuesday."Germany has other problems entirely," CDU lawmaker Peter Ramsauer said. "The CDU leadership should take care not to destroy the last conservative values."
Is violence looking virtuous? When you look at political activism youd better look twice.

Who will ever forget in 2018 when Rep. Maxine Waters told her supporters to openly harass members of the Trump administration. The words were stunning in their virulence.

On video the representative fumed, Lets make sure we show up wherever we have to show up. And if you see anybody from that Cabinet in a restaurant, in a department store, at a gasoline station, you get out and you create a crowd.

Waters rant continued, And you push back on them. And you tell them theyre not welcome anymore, anywhere.

When confronted with her toxic behavior, Rep. Waters doubled down in an interview on MSNBC. She said, the people are going to turn on them theyre going to absolutely harass them

But if a Democrat had hurt one of the targeted officials  the party would declare that the leader who said it had no intention of it going that far. Theyre lying.

In November 2022 at a D.C. hearing on political extremist threats  Congresswoman Nancy Mace asked the witnesses testifying whether they thought harsh political rhetoric posed a threat to democracy. All said yes.

Then the Congresswoman held up a posterboard with a tweet by Alejandra Caraballo  an activist.

The 6 justices who overturned Roe should never know peace again. The tweet continued, It is our civic duty to accost them every time they are in public.

They are pariahs. Caraballo ended the tweet, Since women dont have their rights, these justices should never have a peaceful moment in public again.

Caraballo was one of the witnesses at the hearing. Not surprisingly, the tweet was deleted after gaining national negative attention.

Welcome to the world of social justice activism.

From the Encyclopedia of Activism and Social Justice, we learn that activism in social justice can be exemplified by unruly protests, unscrupulous behavior, objectionable interference, and violent attacks.

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We have entered an era where in social justice advocating for ones opinion, cause or group justifies verbal, cyber or even physical violence. Online we see activists calling for not only harassment, but injury, dismemberment, and even murder of political foes over policy. Or opinion.

A report released last winter from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace found that 20% of Republicans and 13% of Democrats thought that political violence was justified in certain cases. What cases would those be?

This past week we saw a Trans Day of Vengeance Poster making the rounds through all types of social media around the country. The poster in question is a digital flyer. In part, it reads trans day of vengeance and stop trans genocide in addition to the date and time of the planned protest.

Ella Irwin, Twitters head of Trust and Safety had Twitter remove more than 5,000 tweets and retweets of the Day of Vengeance poster on their app. Im glad.

That poster was toxic. I agree with Irwin when she quietly states, Vengeance does not imply peaceful protest.

Unfortunately, within days the call to violence seemed to be answered.

A shooter opened fire at a private Christian grade school in Nashville Monday, killing three children and three adults, officials said. The shooter was fatally shot by police at The Covenant School in the citys affluent Green Hills neighborhood, authorities said. Later we found out that the shooter was trans.

It doesnt matter.

Last weeks poster calling for violence could have read Black Day of Vengeance, or Womens Day of Vengeance. In social justice, no matter what marginalized group is calling for political violence they cast themselves as the victim.

All while seeking to cause pain to those who disagree with them.

A call like this cast in the spirit of violence can stir the mentally vulnerable in a group  to aggression disguised as an agent of change. As long as the political goal is met, the violence is considered justified.

Thats why in Nashville the marginalized are still calling for violence. Now its against opponents to gun control.

I hate to tell you friend, but virtue left the room long ago. Violence is just wearing its clothes.

Rachel Stovall is an event manager, entertainer and community advocate.
If Gov. Jared Polis really wants to create more affordable housing, he ought to set aside his misguided attempt to override local land-use regulations statewide  and instead demand fellow Democrats in the legislature simply reform construction liability laws.

Exposure to runaway litigation over even minor flaws in home construction has chased a lot of builders out of the market for more modestly priced condominiums  once the starter home of choice for many of the states first-time buyers. Fine-tuning the laws that can trigger an avalanche of lawsuits would be a boon to building more affordable housing.

Making the changes may require political muscle. Standing in the way will be the trial lawyers lobby. Some of their ilk make a mint off of construction-defects lawsuits, and they carry a lot of clout at the Capitol, particularly in the governors party. But if the governor really wants to expand the states stock of affordable housing, hell use his own clout as governor and as his partys standard bearer to clear a path.

And yet, as noted by the Colorado Chamber of Commerces new business news service, The Sum & Substance, at least one bill now gaining momentum in the legislature could lead Colorado in the opposition direction. It would foster litigation over single-family homes.

House Bill 23-1192 in fact could put the chill on the single-family home market in the same way the ironically named Construction Defect Action Reform Act put the crunch on condo construction. That law, passed by the legislature in 2001, was intended in part as a buffer against frivolous lawsuits. But it was later amended and wound up unleashing unwarranted litigation over condos defects.

The new legislation would do the same for single-family homes by making lawsuits over their construction defects as lucrative as they now are for condos.

Condos assure lawyers and their plaintiffs a bigger payday because of their sheer scale, housing multiple units. HB 1192 ups the ante for houses.

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It does so by lowering the legal standard for plaintiffs attorneys to invoke the Colorado Consumer Protection Act. That allows more plaintiffs to seek bigger damages against builders by reclassifying their disputes as violations of deceptive trade practices. The bill lets plaintiffs seek treble damages, or three times the value of actual damages  as well as attorneys fees.

While the bill also addresses other, unrelated areas of the law, like price gouging and antitrust actions, its provisions expanding the states consumer protection act are a reckless overreach.

The act is intended to rein in swindlers who knowingly defraud unwitting consumers. Its not meant for the people who build our homes using myriad subcontractors, one of whom might make a mistake.

Never mind, for the time being, the concerns HB 1192 also raises about further congesting our states courts with more litigation, as well as further dampening Colorados overall business climate. Just think about the punishing impact of erecting another barrier to the construction of single-family homes  in a state whose soaring real estate prices attest to a shortage of housing stock.

At the very least, Gov. Polis should demand the Colorado Consumer Protection Act provisions be stricken from HB 1192  under threat of vetoing the entire bill. Then, he should turn his attention to reforming the ultimately inadequate reforms of the Construction Defect Action Reform Act. That could jump-start condo construction again.

The governor may find that the path to affordable housing doesnt require trampling local zoning authority. He only has to stop trial lawyers from trampling homebuyers.
Time for a deep dive

The new Department of Defense Report on sexual harassment/violence at federal military academies show an 18% increase in sexual assaults over three years.

The emotion of this report is felt by those close to the academies, especially in the alumni community. As graduates, we want to see cadets thriving/supporting each other with dignity and respect. After this disturbing report, its not surprising to see calls for a culture reset and what might change in training.

Training is great for gaining knowledge and skills, yet, most training programs, rarely lead to sustainable change. Transformation requires a holistic approach, known as the Heart, Head, and Hands of transformation. Most training programs focus on the head (memorize and learn) and hands (these behaviors are healthy/unhealthy). In recent years have we seen effective organization change efforts focus on all three, especially the heart.

Another way of framing is Feel-Think-Do which starts with an engaging learning experience through shared activities, not training content. The idea is to create a positive feeling about the experience that opens doors to new ways of thinking.

Questions: 1. Are Academies doing everything they can to prevent sexual assaults? 2. When sexual assaults occur can victims report without fear of reprisal? 3. Are investigations done thoroughly and without bias? 4. Are victims given support and counseling to assist their recovery in every way possible? 5. Is a new approach to designing the learning experience needed to move the needle in this critical area?

Time for a deep dive to assess the answers.

Mark Hyatt

Colorado Springs

Taking affordable housing seriously

It was truly wonderful to read about the support Christopher Sheppard and family received from the community. Although the support is probably not sustainable, at least they will be able to live in somewhat comfortable and safe surroundings while they navigate to a new direction in life. Now if we can just get a set of new leaders (City Council and Mayor) in our community that take the meaning of affordable housing seriously. Saying the cost of rent or housing should be within 30 to 35 percent of your income is not a good answer.

Just the other day, I saw our police department working along Fountain Creek, just south of the Martin Drake Power, attempting to remove campers along the creek. Not sure how successful they were, since I continued to see numerous campsites just north of where they were working. Where will these people go now? Mayor John Suthers might brag that our homeless and affordable housing issues are in a better situation. From what I see, I highly doubt his opinion. Please support and vote for council and mayoral candidates who will take this issue seriously. Please do not vote for individuals who are currently in office. Their track record is abysmal.

Alan Goins

Colorado Springs

Passing bills without voter input

Who gives our governor all these right to just pass bills at his whim without any voter input? To ban all short-term rentals in our entire state is so ridiculous! We have always rented homes whenever we travel with family. This enables room to spread out with kids, grandkids, other adults makes a vacation together more enjoyable than hotel rooms. Is he nuts? It will cause folks to travel outside of Colorado.

Our governor is becoming a dictator... just passing all kinds of bills without any voter input. Folks, we need to take back our government and be sure our government is for the voters.

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Sue Gorden

Colorado Springs

It may cost us the earth

I found the viewpoints: What is the importance of diversity, inclusion? to be informative but feel the bigger picture is being missed. The media informs me daily that the world is in chaos. New accounts of who should and shouldnt have the capability of nuclear weapons, possibilities of germ warfare, missile attacks, poverty, road rage, violence and murderthe list is endless.

On the news I see the suffering of children from every country on this planet. No mother, raised her child to suffer violence, starvation and poverty ... not one. These are the worlds children, the worlds future and the worlds only hope of continuity. When it comes to religion, ethnicity and politics, prejudice on all these fronts have created division. Prejudice the cause ... division the consequence.

How long must children carry this burden of hatred and prejudice to transfer to the backs of yet another generation? If we fail to learn how to respect and get along with each other at home, at work, in our communities and country, to make the world a better place for our children  it may cost us the earth.

Anne Connors

Monument

So much for the rule of law

Nancy Pelosi declares that Donald Trump will be given every opportunity to prove his innocence So our legal system, under Merrick Garland, is now based on guilty until proven innocent? Funny, I thought it was just the opposite, innocent until proven guilty. So much for the rule of law.

Robert Bee

Colorado Springs

Questioning a monopoly advertising

Would someone please tell me why the USPS advertises on TV when it is a monopoly and there are cities and towns in Colorado that suffer from poor service?

Carl Bozung

Colorado Springs
Multiple Colorado whiskeys just got some major recognition after winning big at the 2023 World Whiskies Awards, hosted in London.

Two Centennial State whiskeys were dubbed the "World's Best" in their respective categories  Breckenridge Distillery's High Proof Bourbon Whiskey in the "World's Best Blended" category and Storm King Distilling Company's Side Gig Whiskey in the 'World's Best American Whiskey' category.

Several other whiskeys also got nods.

Breckenridge Distillery's Collectors Art Series was a winner in the "Best American Blended Limited Release" category. This mountain town distillery also took home a category prize with their Two Clans Blend Whiskey being dubbed the "Best American Blended Malt."

Meanwhile, Colorado Springs' 291 Colorado Whiskey was a winner in the "Best American New Make & Young Spirit" category with their "White Dog" variety and Boulder's Hogback Distillery was a category winner in the "Best American Single Cask Single Malt" category with their "The Wallace Collection" release.

Find a full list of winners here.
Scott T. Varholak has roughly 400 cases he is responsible for as a federal magistrate judge. But despite the heavy workload, he is still able to step away from the courtroom in the afternoon to take his daughter to play sports, returning to his caseload at night.

"The hours are long, but they're a lot more flexible," he said.

Varholak and several other members of the federal bench spoke to dozens of lawyers and law students on Monday as part of a national event: "Roadways to the Bench: Who Me? A Bankruptcy or Magistrate Judge?" The program started in 2019 with a focus on informing attorneys about the path to being a federal bankruptcy judge. This year, the discussion broadened to those thinking of becoming magistrate judges in the federal trial courts.

At the same time that attorneys in courthouses across the country participated in roundtable discussions with their own federal judges, Colorado's roster of bankruptcy judges, magistrate judges and even presidentially-appointed U.S. District Court judges pulled back the curtain on what to expect when applying for  and serving in  a judgeship.

One message to the young attorneys assembled in the Alfred A. Arraj U.S. Courthouse was to be careful of planning their life around a hope that someday they will be appointed as a life-tenured district judge.

"It's so random when the timing works out," said Judge Daniel D. Domenico, a 2019 appointee of Donald Trump. "If you're going through life thinking, 'Im going to set myself up to be a judge,' it might be a foolish approach because it takes so much luck."

He added that if lawyers take the personal and professional steps that can lead to a judicial appointment, even if the judgeship never materializes "youll set yourself up for other opportunities."

The "Roadways" event coincided with an unusually high amount of turnover at Colorado's U.S. District Court. Since President Joe Biden took office, he has appointed four of the seven active district judges, with a fifth nominee pending in the U.S. Senate. There has also been an influx of three new magistrate judges, who are hired by the district judges to eight-year renewable terms and assist with caseloads. Only one, Maritza Dominguez Braswell, is currently on the bench, as the other two will take office this year.

Two new vacancies are likely on the horizon, as the president has nominated Magistrate Judge S. Kato Crews to a district court seat and former Magistrate Judge Gordon P. Gallagher was sworn in last week as the newest district judge, following his Senate confirmation.

"Just apply," said Magistrate Judge Kristen L. Mix. "Be ready for failure. It hurts like hell."

"Just because you dont get it the first time, at least people become aware you really want this," added Magistrate Judge Michael E. Hegarty.

The lead-up

Varholak described his decision to apply for a magistrate judgeship as stemming from a realization that he could not emotionally sustain himself as a public defender given the stakes of criminal cases.

"Most of what I was doing was negotiating pleas and a lot of times it was for 10 years, 15 years. If you make a mistake in that job, its not fixable and it costs people years of their life," he said. "There was a stress of 'I cant do this for 20 more years.'"

Domenico addressed the concerns of one lawyer who observed that "preparing for years" is essential to becoming a judge. Domenico described his early work handling venture capital and mergers and acquisitions for a corporate firm, where the senior attorneys were "miserable and divorced." Seeking something new, he then pivoted to the government, clerking on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit and then becoming the solicitor general of Colorado.

"My career path is not something anybody really, necessarily can say, 'Oh, heres how you should become a judge'," Domenico said.

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Senior Judge William J. Martinez, a 2010 Barack Obama appointee, added that facetime in the courtroom and writing legal briefs are beneficial to those interested in becoming magistrate judges, as the district judges who make the hiring decisions will become familiar with the candidates. However, "the most important thing is remembering your intellectual honesty and integrity are paramount. If I get a brief from you where youve misrepresented the holding of a case? Its over," he warned.

The 'sweet spot'

Generally, the judges felt that potential candidates for the bench will be scouted in their late 30s or early 40s.

"It used to be the Republicans would always appoint young judges because theyd be on the bench longer. The Democrats were terrible at that," said Chief Judge Philip A. Brimmer, a George W. Bush appointee from 2008.

Mix elaborated that the "sweet spot" for trial judges, in her view, is between the ages of 45 and 55.

"If you're in that age range, go, go, go," she said.

Senior Judge Christine M. Arguello, a 2008 Bush appointee, recalled another judge approaching her when she was teaching at the University of Kansas in the '90s, and suggested she become a judge. She said she was too young  42.

"He said, 'Youre perfect'," Arguello remembered. "That was the seed that was planted."

Case volume and appeals

Arguello explained that after joining the bench, the caseload was higher than she thought it would be and she worked harder in her first year than she ever did trying to make partner at a prestigious law firm. A big emotional toll, she said, was in sentencing criminal defendants.

At the same time, she takes solace in having the 10th Circuit reviewing her decisions for mistakes, which relieves some of the personal stress on her.

"They have more law clerks, less cases and it actually calms me that I know if I make a mistake, they'll take a look at it. They'll have three judges look at it. And I dont mind being reversed," she said. "I really get a lot of satisfaction that I know thats the backstop for me."

"Its fixable on this side," Varholak agreed. "It wasnt fixable at the federal public defender."

On the other hand, there was some griping about the difficulty of being a trial judge versus an appellate judge. Hegarty said it is "objectively true" that the lower courts are more slammed, and cases involving self-represented inmates are often the most taxing.

"But the circuit takes it seriously," he said, "so you have to take it seriously."
National Democrats will work to unseat U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert in next year's election, the House Democratic campaign arm said Monday in an announcement unveiling an initial list of targeted GOP-held seats.

The Colorado Republican from Silt, who narrowly won reelection to a second term last year, is among the Republican incumbents representing districts the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee considers vulnerable in the 2024 cycle, the committee said.

A DCCC spokesman suggested that Boebert's national profile and prominent alignment with former President Donald Trump could work against her.

Lauren Boebert is more obsessed with catching headlines and being the token MAGA extremist than actually working for everyday Coloradans," said Tommy Garcia in an email. "Between her dangerous conspiracies and outright racist bigotry, CO-03 voters can see that Lauren Boebert is an unserious member of Congress, unwilling to go to bat for them on issues facing Colorado. Her time in Congress is ticking down.

The move marks a shift from last year, when both national parties mostly ignored Colorado's Republican-leaning 3rd Congressional District, which was rated as solidly Republican by nearly every election forecasters.

Democratic nominee Adam Frisch, however, came within 546 votes of defeating Boebert in what turned out to be the closest congressional race in the country. Frisch, a wealthy former member of Aspen's city council, and at least two other Democrats have already launched 2024 campaigns.

Democrats need to net five seats to win control of the House after next year's election.

Washington Rep. Suzan DelBene, the DCCC's chair, signaled the Democrats' line of attack in a statement accompanying the announcement.

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The vulnerable Republicans represented on this list have worked hand in hand with Speaker (Kevin) McCarthy to enable the most dangerous wings of their party to threaten our jobs, roll back womens freedoms, endanger Americans economic security, and prioritize politics over people, DelBene said.

The DCCC is prepared to recruit exciting and battle-ready candidates in these key districts and ensure voters see the clear contrast between Democrats track record of delivering for the middle class, and Republicans radical agenda that puts Americans pocketbooks, communities, and livelihoods at risk.

Boebert's campaign didn't respond to a request for comment, but a spokeswoman for the National Republican Congressional Committee dismissed the announcement in an email to Colorado Politics.

Extreme House Democrats support soft-on-crime and anti-American energy policies," said Melanie Bomar. "The DCCC has no chance in this Republican stronghold, and come 2024, Colorados 3rd district will once again reject radical Democrats.

The 3rd CD covers most of the Western Slope and southern Colorado, including Pueblo County and the San Luis Valley. While it used to be considered a battleground seat, it hasn't been represented by a Democrat since 2010.

The DCCC's list of 33 "districts in play" released Monday includes two open, Democratic-held seats in California and Michigan, whose incumbents are running for the Senate.

It follows the committee last month naming its "Frontliners"  Democratic incumbents it considered vulnerable  and the House GOP campaign arm's release of its own targets.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Yadira Caraveo, who won a close election last year in Colorado's new, 8th Congressional District, landed on both lists and has already been targeted in six-figure ad campaigns funded by a Republican group aligned with House GOP leadership.
A proposal to increase Colorados special education funding by $40 million cleared a major hurdle on Monday, receiving unanimous approval from the state Senate.

If passed by the full legislature, Senate Bill 99 would add $40,203,671 to the Department of Educations annual appropriation. Proponents said the funding would be used for special education programs to help bring down student-teacher ratios, decrease class sizes and provide additional support.

"The $40 million and some change is what will finally, finally close the gap for special education funding in the state of Colorado," said bill sponsor Sen. Rachel Zenzinger, D-Arvada. "This is a pretty historic day."

In 2006, the state legislature created a two-tier special education funding scheme planning to provide an additional $6,000 per student for those in the "tier B" that have multiple disabilities or other qualifying conditions. Despite this, Colorado "has come up short for years" on the funding, Zenzinger said.

Last year, the legislature increased special education funding by around $80 million per year, bringing the annual funding from $220 million to $300 million, and the funding per student from $1,250 to $1,750 for "tier A" students.

"Last year, we made a significant investment into special education services, but it only brought us up to 72% of what we should be paying our school districts in order to help fully educate our special education students," she said. "It has only taken us almost 16 years to get this right."

Ban on corporal punishment in Colorado schools advances to Polis desk

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Complex disabilities among children have recently increased, largely due to children surviving infancy who would not have only decades ago, said Callan Ware with Consortium of Directors of Special Education. This has resulted in the costs of special education rising in recent years.

Ware said children with complex disabilities require intensive support in their daily education, which can include speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, psychologists, trained behavioral specialists and trained paraprofessionals, in addition to normal special education teachers. But in some schools, special education programs dont even have the bare minimum to operate.

In the Canon City School District, 17% to 18% of students are classified as special needs, higher than both the national and state averages, said Robin Reeser, president of the districts board of education.

Reeser said the district spends $5.5 million on special education services annually, though the special education funding they receive covers only 47% of the costs to provide services required under state and federal law. The district is forced to take the rest of the money from their general education fund, she said.

"For the last two years almost, (Sen. Zenzinger) and I have been on a mission to have this general assembly keep their promise from 2006," said bill sponsor Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer, R-Brighton. "It's time we keep our promise."

The bill will next be sent to the state House of Representatives for consideration.

Colorado proposes $1,000 tax credit for teachers to buy classroom supplies
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Less than a week after the Mountain Valley Pipeline moved one step closer to completion, it suffered another step backward Monday.

A federal appeals court threw out a water quality certification from the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, an authorization needed by the natural gas pipeline to cross streams and wetlands in the state where it starts.

Mountain Valley's past violations of erosion and sedimentation control regulations figured prominently in a decision by a three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

"Although the Department acknowledged MVP's violation history, it failed to dispel the tension between MVP's checkered past and its confidence in MVP's future compliance," Chief Judge Roger Gregory wrote in the unanimous decision.

Last Wednesday, the same panel upheld a similar decision by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality and the State Water Control Board that allowed the company to move forward with its plans to cross streams and wetlands in Southwest Virginia.

Certification from both states  through which the 303-mile pipeline runs on a route to Pittsylvania County  is required before the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers can issue a final approval for water body crossings.

"This should be a huge blow to the project," said David Sligh, conservation director for Wild Virginia, one of the environmental groups that have filed repeated legal challenges against permits issued for the pipeline.

Mountain Valley, however, indicated that it will seek a renewed certification from West Virginia.

The company will continue to work with the agency on a path forward to completing this critical infrastructure project safely and responsibly, Mountain Valley spokeswoman Natalie Cox wrote in an email Monday.

Construction of the $6.6 billion project is nearly 94% done, she said, and Mountain Valley still expects to finish the job by years end.

But the Fourth Circuits decision Monday was just the latest in a series of rejections of government permits that have already delayed the projects completion by more than four years.

Fall of 2021 marked the last time there was active construction of the pipeline, although erosion and sedimentation control efforts have continued since then on the otherwise dormant right of way.

In early 2022, during a winter break from construction, the Fourth Circuit rejected two other approvals  one for the pipeline to cross through a section of the Jefferson National Forest and the other an opinion by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that endangered species of fish and bats would not be jeopardized by the work.

Mountain Valley says it expects to have a new permit from the U.S. Forest Service by summer. The Fish and Wildlife Service issued a revised biological opinion last month that again found no significant threat to endangered species.

Yet environmental groups are threatening more litigation against the latest permits.

Mondays decision involving the West Virginia water quality certification also complicates the Army Corps pending consideration of water crossing permits in both states. Mountain Valley plans to either dig through or burrow under the remaining streams and wetlands. More than half of nearly 1,000 water body crossings have been completed, the company says.

Opponents hope the latest court defeat will seal the projects fate.

After countless violations of environmental safeguards and clean water protections, we know that MVP cant be trusted to comply with the most basic standards of reasonable conduct, said Patrick Grenter, director of the Sierra Clubs Dirty Fuels Campaign.

This project is already more than three years behind schedule, and billions over budget, Grenter said. With continuous legal setbacks, it has never been more clear that investors should stop throwing money at this doomed project and walk away.

Since crews began to clear land and dig ditches for the buried pipeline in early 2018, there have been problems with muddy runoff from construction sites situated precariously on mountainsides and stream banks.

DEQ has cited Mountain Valley with more than 350 violations of erosion and sedimentation control regulations on a portion of the pipeline that crosses through Southwest Virginia, passing north of Blacksburg and south of Roanoke.

In West Virginia, environmental regulators fined Mountain Valley a combined $569,000 for failing to maintain storm water control measures in 2019 and 2021.

Considering the past record, Gregory wrote, the state did not do enough to prevent additional problems that may occur, should construction resume.

Without substantive assurance that MVP will comply with those policies, he wrote in a 34-page opinion, the departments sanguine outlook is troubling  especially given MVPs prior violations.
Gnats and fruit flies are both small, bothersome insects that become abundant in our kitchens, porches and outside spaces during warm weather months.
EDEN  Members of the Rockingham County Board of Education recently formalized the hiring of a new public information officer and a mental health administrator.

Sean Gladieux will serve as the districts new Director of Safety and Public Information Officer.

Gladieux, who has 25 years of law enforcement experience within the Greensboro Police Department, will replace Adam Powell in the role and officially begin his job on April 17, according to a news release from the school district.

The former captain of the GPDs Training Division, Gladieux held numerous leadership positions within the force and earned certifications from numerous law enforcement training programs, the release said.

He further has worked as an adjunct professor of criminal justice at Guilford County Community College.

Most recently, Gladieux worked as vice president of operations at Technology Concepts & Design, Inc., a legal technology and services company headquartered in Greensboro.

Gladieux also served as the companys expert on security, conducting security assessments of museums, banks, corporate offices and educational complexes, the release said.

He earned his bachelor of arts degree in communication and political science from Bowling Green State University in Kentucky and his masters of science degree in criminal justice with a specialization in security and terrorism from East Carolina University in Greenville.

For more than 30 years, Gladieux and his wife, Jill, have lived in Greensboro. They have one daughter, Gabrielle, who attends the University of Alabama, where she is a member of the Crimson Tides womens gymnastics team.

During the school boards March 27 work session meeting, members also announced that Shannon Hazelwood will be the districts new mental health coordinator.

Hazelwood has served the students of Rockingham County for more than two decades as a teacher in Reidsville, guidance counselor and behavioral health specialist within the system.

I love being a part of the very school system that I was a student in, and I am thankful for the opportunity to serve our community, Hazelwood said.

She earned her bachelors degree in middle grades education from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

After five years at Reidsville Middle School, and earning her advanced masters degree in school counseling from North Carolina A&T State University, Hazelwood worked as a guidance counselor at Rockingham County High School for 11 years.

Later, she taught and worked as a counselor at Reidsville High School.

In 2021, Hazelwood began working as a behavioral health specialist, serving Rockingham County Middle School and Williamsburg Elementary.

Most recently, she added duties of serving as Data and Compliance Lead for Project Aware in the school system.

Hazelwood has been married to her husband for 22 years and has three children: Luke, 19, Drew, 16, and Kate, 9.
There are a few preventative measures you can take to lower your odds of being one of the few who "wake up" during surgery.

Talk to your doctor and anesthesiologist before surgery. It's important to discuss any fears you have about your surgery and any problems you've experienced with past surgeries or anesthesia.

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Be completely honest when answering questions, too. For instance, if you have a history of drug and alcohol abuse, you might require a higher dose of anesthesia. Also disclose any medication you take including prescriptions, over-the-counter meds, and herbal and other natural supplements.

If you experience any degree of awareness during surgery, tell your doctor, surgeon or anesthesiologist as soon as you recall the incident. Research shows that immediately after surgery, only one-third of patients who wake up during the operation remember it. It can take up to a month for the rest to recall the experience.

Many patients never report their experiences for several reasons. Some patients aren't distressed enough by it to mention it to their doctor. Some want to be sure the event even happened before they say anything.

Then there are those patients who are so traumatized they essentially go into denial. These are the patients who are at high risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Despite how scary the thought of waking up during surgery sounds, anesthesia awareness occurs very infrequently. The small chance that it will happen to you should not prevent you from having needed surgery.

Fortunately, medical science has come a very long way and "biting the bullet" during a medical procedure is a now a thing of the past. Anesthesia is a medical marvel that has infinitely improved surgery, despite the inherent risks.

Now That's Awful Until the 1840s, when ether was discovered as an anesthesia, surgery meant unimaginable agony. Creative surgeons attempted to assuage a patient's pain in a variety of ways. These included use of "counterirritants," such as rubbing nettles against a patient's arm to distract from the pain of surgery and punching a patient in the head to knock them unconscious before operating.
Students from Helena and Broadwater high schools recently returned from a field trip of a lifetime to the land of the rising sun  Japan.

Japan was a way better host than anything Ive ever been to, and Ive taken kids nationally to a lot of places, said Claire Pichette, a science teacher whos been at Helena High School for 16 years. They took amazing care of us.

The idea for the program started in 2020 when HHS teacher Jill Van Alstyne had a chance encounter at Helenas Hokkaido Ramen & Sushi Bar with Japan Consulate staff. She overheard two men speaking Japanese in the restaurant and went over to speak with them. Van Alstyne had spent two years in Japan teaching English, and shes been at HHS for 20 years.

The men were Yoichiro Yamada, consul general of Japan in Seattle, and Hiro Tojo, who worked at the Japanese Consulate in Seattle. Alstyne stayed in touch with them and Tojo texted her about the Kakehashi Project, Japans Friendship Ties Program. Alstyne applied with her students in June of 2021, but COVID-19 postponed the trip until March 2023.

Alstyne told Allie Lampman, an English teacher at Broadwater High School in Townsend, about the trip. Lampman applied too, and was able to visit Japan a week or so after HHS group.

The trip was so thoughtfully designed, said Pichette, who was the HHS faculty adviser who went to Japan. They sent us the final itinerary the day before we got there  so we didnt have a lot of information, which drove my type A personality crazy.

She realized once she got to Japan that her worries were misplaced.

Being there, what occurred to me was that they had it all totally taken care of and handled, but its this American thing where its like how do I control this or be a part of this, said Pichette. They were like, We take care of you. Were hosting you. They treated us like family and took such good care of us. It was perfectly organized down to the minute.

Pichette and seven HHS students flew out on March 4, arriving the next day in Japan. They explored Tokyo, Mount Fuji, shrines, visited a Japanese high school, participated in tea ceremonies, visited the imperial palace, visited families in their homes and more. The group had one government guide and translator the whole trip, Reimi Suzuki.

The home visit was my favorite, said senior Alexis Reed, and other students nodded in agreement.

Pichette stated that before COVID-19, students in the program were able to stay with the families overnight.

The students highlighted how accessible and affordable food was in Japan.

There were vending machines everywhere. You could pick up a hot meal from one of them, senior Mikayla Stafford said.

Other things they noted about Japan were the good public transportation, walkable cities and how clean it was, especially for having no trash cans around.

They were a lot kinder than Americans and understanding, especially with the language barrier, junior Coryn Perschon said. Every time I bought something, they were so nice.

The students also stated they felt very safe in Japan. Junior JoJo Johnson called the country organized and quiet.

It was kind of late at night, but I didnt feel like I had to worry about someone coming and grabbing me off the street, Reed said. There were a ton of bikes at the high school, and like two of them were locked up and the rest were free.

Leading up to the trip, the HHS students participated in an online exchange with a school in Nagoya, talking about language, school, anime, pop culture and more. They made videos to send to each other about their schools. HHS also had weekly meetings about Japanese culture, history and language prior to the trip.

The HHS students selected for the trip had contributed the most time to the Green Group at Helena High, which is a group of students dedicated to finding solutions to local and global environmental concerns, according to HHS website.

We had heard that (the trip) was a possibility, and we got a call saying Hey, the thing is happening. Youve earned this. Do you want to go to Japan? said junior Nick DeWald. Uh, yes.

Much of their trip revolved around nature. HHS left for home on March 12.

I think because were in an environmental club, they thought green spaces and outdoor spaces, said Pichette. ... We went to the palace, and all the paintings in their banquet hall, it wasnt like pictures of past presidents or kings. It was pictures of native animals, birds and plants  such a different way to honor your place than we do here.

BHS left for Japan on March 10. Lampman stated that one day, Van Alstyne, who she used to work with at HHS, called her and asked if she would be interested in applying to take a group of students to Japan.

I had (students) apply, and I opened it to juniors and seniors, said Lampman. They filled out an application about why they would be a good fit and what they would bring to the program and how they would use that knowledge when they came back.

BHS spent time in Tokyo, learned karate, visited family homes, visited a Japanese high school, participated in tea ceremonies and more. They also had a government guide and translator with them the whole time, Misa Takahashi.

Our whole time on Okinawa was incredible, said Lampman. Okinawa has its own separate history from Japan, so we got a ton of great history lessons and did some Eisa dancing, which is their dance that celebrates their ancestors during holidays in July.

Lampman stated that they were sent a survey to see what their school would be interested in while in Japan, and most of her students picked history and traditions. She said the time difference of 16 hours is much easier going over than coming back.

We were so excited when we got there, we didnt really feel the sleep deprivation, so we were all able to sleep that night. The way back was a lot harder, Lampman said.

BHS flew out from Japan on March 21. Each school can only participate once in the program.

We have lots of differences in our cultures, but at the end of the day, it was so easy to see how were all just human, Lampman said. All those kids, theyre just kids. Just because they live in a different part of the world and have different lifestyles, theyre still teenagers. Theyre the same. 
Proposed amendments to the Montana Constitution are in jeopardy of failing after a handful of Republican defections in the House and Senate, leaving in question if they'll reach the 100 votes necessary to advance to the 2024 ballot.

An amendment must secure the votes of two-thirds of the 150 lawmakers across both chambers in order to pass the Legislature. The measure then goes to voters to decide whether to amend the Constitution.

Republicans hold a legislative supermajority with 102 GOP lawmakers  68 in the House and 34 in the Senate. That means Republicans could pass constitutional referenda with no support from minority Democrats.

Democrats have largely unified around the position that the state Constitution should not be amended, making the prospect of picking up votes from the minority party unlikely. That makes the GOPs margin razor thin, with only three Republican opposing votes causing referenda to fail.

On Monday morning, the House heard several proposed referenda. With the exception of one measure that saw overwhelming bipartisan backing, others saw support ranging from 62 to 66 in favor on an initial vote. If those tallies hold on a final vote, that means the bill that cleared by the highest margin can't lose a single GOP vote in the Senate and the others would need to pick up very unlikely Democratic support.

Only one bill carrying a constitutional amendment died Monday, a proposal to give sheriffs the power to nullify federal law enforcement operations in their county.

House Bill 372

HB 372 from Rep. Paul Fielder, R-Thompson Falls, would amend the Harvest Heritage clause of the Constitution in an effort to strengthen protections for hunting, fishing and trapping. The new language would include protections of current means and methods and state that hunting, fishing and trapping by citizens would be the preferred means of wildlife management.

The bill includes language that hunting, fishing and trapping rights do not diminish private property rights, and an amendment made in the House Judiciary Committee added further language stating that water rights could also not be trumped.

The current clause which was adopted by voters in 2004 states, The opportunity to harvest wild fish and wild game animals is a heritage that shall forever be preserved to the individual citizens of the state and does not create a right to trespass on private property or diminution of other private rights.

Fielder believes that language is not strong enough.

Thats pretty weak, a heritage compared to a right, he said, adding that practices could be nickeled and dimed away.

Fielder and other supporters of the legislation say the bill is necessary to deter citizen initiatives that take away certain practices, such as predator hunting, hunting with hounds or trapping. They point to 2016s unsuccessful Initiative 177 which sought to ban trapping on public lands as an example.

The bill saw support from trapping, firearm and some hunting groups, but opposition from animal welfare advocates, trapping opponents and some other hunting and angling groups. Additional opposition from the Montana Stockgrowers Association and the Association of Gallatin Agricultural Irrigators also came as a bit of a surprise, with those groups concerned about adequately protecting private property and water rights.

The Stockgrowers have since moved from opposition to having no stance on the bill after the committee amendment. The group previously supported similar legislation in 2021.

The irrigators did not immediately respond to a request about its current position on the bill.

Democrats spoke against the bill, raising similar concerns as opponents in committee, but also taking a general stand against pushing constitutional amendments.

The bill passed on an initial vote of 62-38, losing six GOP votes.

House Bill 551

HB 551 from Rep. Casey Knudsen, R-Malta, proposes allowing concealed firearms to be carried under the Constitution without a permit in Montana.

The bill proposes amending the state Constitutions language on the right to bear arms. Currently, the document states that any person may bear arms in defense of home, person and property, but nothing herein contained shall be held to permit the carrying of concealed weapons. HB 551 would strike that language and allow the carrying of a concealed firearm without a permit under the Constitution.

Knudsen said the bill would elevate carrying a concealed firearm to the same level as exercising any other constitutional right.

The bill again saw opposition from Democrats.

Rep. Jill Cohenour, D-East Helena, said the bill would go too far disallowing certain people from carrying concealed firearms or from prohibiting them in certain places.

Rep. Denise Baum, D-Billings, also expressed concerns about the ability to limit concealed carry in places such as college campuses, and said she believe the 1972 Constitution had deliberated the issue.

But Republicans pushed back, with Rep. Naarah Hastings, R-Billings saying that the bill is needed based on the fact some were suggesting limits could be places on where she could carry concealed for personal protection.

HB 551 passed on an initial vote of 65-35 with three Republicans voting with Democrats in opposition.

House Bill 915

Perhaps the most substantial change to the judicial branch proposed in the Legislature so far, eliminating election of Supreme Court justices and shifting to gubernatorial appointments, passed Monday on a 64-36 vote.

Four Republicans split off with Democrats on the vote. If that tally holds steady on the bills third reading vote Tuesday, HB 915 would have to pick up Democratic votes along with every Republican in the Senate in order to reach the two-thirds support it needs to reach the ballot in 2024.

The bill sponsor, Rep. Bill Mercer, R-Billings, said the current arrangement effectively filters out fully qualified attorneys who refuse to engage in the combat of statewide elections and third-party spending. He listed several cases in which Supreme Court justices have warned of the perception of impropriety due to campaign contributions and expenditures independent of the candidate's campaign.

Opponents to the proposal on Monday pointed out the divergence in last years Supreme Court election, when Gov. Greg Gianforte endorsed one candidate and 54% of Montana voters selected the other. Mercer's proposal is also not a complete mirror of the federal appointment system with the U.S. Supreme Court. At the federal level judges are appointed for life; in HB 915, justices would only be appointed for an eight-year term.

Several Democrats referenced the elimination of the Judicial Nomination Commission by Republicans last session, noting the ongoing efforts by the majority to reshape the judiciary.

We are seeing a slide of power into the governors office for our third branch and I think that should concern us all, Rep. Tom France, D-Missoula said.

House Bill 517

On another tight margin, Rep. Mike Hopkins constitutional amendment to wrest power over constitutional rights on campus away from the Montana University System and the Board of Regents of Higher Education passed 66-34. The bill is House Bill 517.

Two bills passed by the 2021 Legislature sought to do so, but were struck down by the courts. One allowed concealed carry of firearms on campus and the other was a measure to protect free speech of university groups. Judges found both trod on the constitutional authority of the board of regents to dictate matters on campus.

Hopkins, a Republican from Missoula, told the House floor Monday that students who seek to challenge an alleged violation of their rights in court would likely be graduated by the time litigation concluded.

Senate Bill 534

A proposed amendment that would change how Montanas independent redistricting commission operates suffered a setback Monday.

Three Republican Senators voted against Senate Bill 534, meaning if that vote holds, the bill wont be able to pass with only GOP votes. Democrats adamantly opposed the legislation during a floor debate.

The amendment would force the Montana Districting and Apportionment Commission to adopt the legislative district map that splits the fewest cities, towns, counties and communities of interest. It would also bar the commissioners from discussing the political implications of the districts they draw.

We want to keep partisan politics out of districting, Sen. Tom McGillvray, the Billings Republican sponsoring the bill, said.

Opponents to the bill previously suggested during a committee hearing that as an inherently political process, those considerations wouldnt go anywhere; theyd simply be kept out of the public record.

And Democrats on Monday argued that adding the requirement to minimize divisions of localities would put the commission at odds with the federal Voting Rights Act. Sen. Ryan Lynch, D-Butte, pointed to Browning as an example.

Prior court rulings have found the Voting Rights Act requires states to preserve majority-minority districts  those in which a majority of voters are members of a racial minority  in order to protect their rights to select candidates of their choice. In the most recent legislative map finalized earlier this year, the commission determined it had to divide the town of Browning in order to retain two of those majority-minority House districts.

I think the reality is that theres a lot of unintended consequences in this, Lynch said.

Senate Bill 563

Unlike several other proposed constitutional amendments, one that would establish a mental health trust fund was overwhelmingly supported by the Senate on Monday.

Sen. Kenneth Bogner, R-Miles City, noted that Montana has long had one of the highest suicide rates in the country.

As someone whos had a middle school classmate, Marines that Ive served with and an extended family member turn to suicide, theyre the ones that affected me, said Bogner, the bills sponsor. That is why Senate Bill 563 is in front of you today, because we need a long-term, stable funding source to address this crisis.

His bill wouldnt appropriate any money, but would place on the November ballot a proposal to create the trust within the Constitution, meaning that any money appropriated to it later on cant be taken out except by a two-thirds vote of the Legislature. It would set the size of the trust at $50 million.

One of his fellow GOP senators, however, questioned whether it is the most effective way to use state money to address mental health, noting that the original intent of the states coal severance trust fund has evolved over the years.

The definition of mental health will change, Sen. Brad Molnar, R-Laurel, said. However the money is going to be allocated, if somebody wants it, it can change.

Bogner argued, however, that enshrining the trust in the state Constitution would "demonstrate Montana's dedication to addressing mental health issues."

The bill passed 41-9 on second reading.

Senate Bill 272

A constitutional amendment to give sheriffs the power to nullify federal law enforcement operations in their county died Monday on the Senate floor.

The bill sponsor, Sen. Theresa Manzella, R-Hamilton, argued Monday the Constitution does not delegate law enforcement authority to the federal government.

A similar proposal from the House died roughly a month ago, when opponents pointed out the bill would quickly collapse under a constitutional challenge in court.

The Montana Police Protective Association testified against the bill in committee, arguing it would theoretically put county sheriffs in charge of city police chiefs.

The notion of so-called "constitutional sheriffs" is generally held by far-right groups seeking to push back against the federal government. Sen. Shannon O'Brien, D-Missoula, testified against the measure on the Senate floor on Monday, contending the Attorney General is clearly the top law enforcement official in Montana.
The last Democrat occupying a statewide office in Montana may have an even tighter path to re-election in 2024, under legislation advanced by Republican state lawmakers Monday night.

Senate Bill 566 would establish a top-two primary election for U.S. Senate next year, when Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Tester is up for re-election. It passed an initial vote 27-23 with no Democratic support on Monday, and must clear a final vote in the Senate to move to the House.

It would establish a version of a jungle primary, in which every candidate, regardless of party, runs in the same primary election. The top two vote-getters would advance to the general election, meaning third parties would almost certainly be kept off the ballot.

Democrats decried the bill as a partisan power grab, targeting just one specific race in just one specific election, as the bill would sunset the following year and applies to no other races. The race is widely anticipated to be the most expensive and one of the most-watched in Montana history. Tester is considered one of the two or three most vulnerable Democrats in the GOPs quest to retake the Senate.

This is just brazen partisanship, targeting a single race, said Senate Minority Leader Pat Flowers, D-Belgrade. This isnt fair, this isnt what Montanans want. They dont want one-party rule, they want us to have fair elections."

Sen. Greg Hertz, R-Polson, said his bill is only meant to ensure whoever wins the election must get the support of a majority of Montana voters. It will only apply to the Senate, he said, because of the importance of the office and the six-year term length. And Hertz said it will sunset in 2025 because its a test run, to see how the voters like the proposal before applying it more widely.

These are six-year terms, and to me if we are going to send someone to Washington, D.C., they should have the majority support of our voters, Hertz said.

If history is any guide, Testers race is likely to be close. Tester is seeking a fourth term, and two of his three elections to the seat were won with less than 50% of the vote. In both of them, the Libertarian candidate drew enough votes to potentially swing the race. The Libertarian Party is the only third party that consistently qualifies for the ballot in Montana, and is typically believed to draw more votes away from Republicans than Democrats.

Hertz referred to those two razor-thin Senate elections, along with one from 1996, to build the case for a history of Senate races being decided by less than half the voters. But Flowers noted that since the last time that happened, in 2012, there have been three Senate races. The victor won by a majority each time, including Testers last re-election in 2018.

When the bill was first heard in the Senate State Administration Committee last week, Montana Libertarian Party Chair Sid Daoud argued it would effectively deny his party the opportunity to give the public the chance to learn about its views.

As this bill sunsets after the next U.S. Senate race, it is specifically drafted to eliminate any participation in that specific election except for the big two parties, enhancing the stranglehold on the two-party system," Daoud said.

The bill also had supporters, including the Montana Republican Party and the Montana Department of Justice.

SB 566 was one of two bills debated on Monday that carry clear implications for Testers re-election bid  both heard at the end of a nearly 10-hour floor session in the upper chamber. Senate Bill 565, also sponsored by Hertz, would take aim at the ability of third parties to qualify for the ballot in the first place.

Third parties can currently qualify for the ballot in Montana in two ways. They must either have won enough votes equal to 5% of the winner in either of the past two gubernatorial races, or they must collect signatures from that many voters.

Hertzs bill would ratchet that signature requirement up to 5% of the total number of registered voters in the state or district, depending on what type of office is being sought. He argued the current requirements are too lax.

I fully support third parties, but I believe in order to do that, they need to meet a certain threshold, Hertz said.

He added that in recent years, both major parties are weaponizing our third-party candidates. Republicans have paid signature gatherers to help qualify the Green Party for the ballot, widely seen as an attempt to siphon votes away from Democratic candidates. And an outside group supporting Tester financed a series of TV ads promoting the Libertarian candidate in his 2012 campaign.

One of Hertz's fellow Republicans argued that isnt a reason to punish third parties by doubling their signature requirements.

They dont ask to be weaponized, and they dont ask to go out and spend their life gathering signatures, Sen. Brad Molnar, R-Laurel, said.

Other Republicans supported the idea, for different reasons. Sen. Wendy McKamey of Great Falls said the bill absolutely supports third parties, while Sen. John Fuller of Kalispell argued that entrenching the two-party system is a good thing that has prevailed over the years.

As with Hertzs other bill, Democrats were united against it.

I believe in freedom and fairness, and I dont think this bill supports freedom and I dont think its fair to our third parties, Sen. Janet Ellis, D-Helena, said.

The bill passed 28-22, with some Republicans voting against it. It also still needs a final vote, expected on Tuesday.
For the second time in less than a week, lawmakers have killed off Republican Gov. Greg Gianfortes major housing proposal.

The bill was the Montana Home Ownership Means Economic Security, or HOMES, Act, dedicating $200 million to expand water and sewer infrastructure around the state in the name of increasing housing supply.

Since the beginning of the session, we've been trying to put together a long-term sustainable way to not only affect the original problem when it comes to housing, which is primarily a zoning and permitting problem at the local level, but then also deal with the compacting, compounding factor of the influx of population into the state of Montana, which has obviously added to the problem, said bill sponsor Rep. Mike Hopkins, R-Missoula.

People are being priced out of cities and towns around the state as prices dramatically increase in urban areas around Montana. The HOMES Act came out of the work of a commission Gianforte formed to look at the issue. So far this session lawmakers have advanced some proposals aimed at addressing housing through bills like changing zoning requirements for multi-family housing, but HOMES was Gianfortes premiere pitch.

After an amendment that would have created deed restrictions, the bill was voted down with no debate last week in the House Appropriations Committee. It was later brought back and cleared the committee on a 13-10 margin, again with no debate.

But it went down Monday against a transmittal deadline  where it would have needed to advance to stay alive  on a substantial 30-69 margin. Generally support came from some of the chambers more moderate Republicans and a smattering of Democrats.

The bill would have established a $200 million fund to help pay for water and sewer for new housing projects. The states Board of Investments would have been given authority to issue loans from the fund worth up to half the cost of the proposed infrastructure project to developers or local governments. Eligible projects would include demolition or expansion of water, wastewater and stormwater, along with roads and sidewalks to service new or rehabilitated homes.

To qualify for a loan, projects would need to meet eligibility requirements, including a minimum density of 10 housing units per acre across the residential development.

Loans could also take the form of bond purchases, worth up to 50% of the total bond or security issued by a local government to cover the costs of an infrastructure project. Local governments receiving a loan would need to waive any impact fees associated with the development project.

A separate portion of the bill would also create a grant program for municipalities to offset planning costs associated with building out infrastructure. Those grants would be funded by earnings from a $25 million chunk of the larger fund. The Department of Commerce estimated interest on the pot of money would generate about $900,000 each year for that purpose.

Last week at a press conference, the governor urged lawmakers to get the bill to his desk.

Let's get the HOMES program across the finish line so we can increase the supply of housing and get more Montanans into a home they can afford, Gianforte said.

But lawmakers werent falling in line Monday.

Rep. Bob Keenan, a Bigfork Republican, rattled off a list of the side effects of growth in Montana.

Are we going to have enough schools, teachers, school buses, fire trucks, ambulances, more gas stations, more casinos, dispensaries, liquor stores, or bridges in good repair? Keenan asked before continuing with his list.

  Do we have enough magnesium chloride for the people who don't like slippery roads? Do we have enough bandwidth for cell phones and computers? How many area codes are we going to have in Montana when we fill up all of these houses with people; 406 is pretty cool. We're gonna have more than 406 pretty soon.

  Let's go back to the bumper sticker. Cows, not condos, Keenan ended.

Minority Leader Kim Abbott, of Helena, explained opposition that came from some Democrats.

I think it's the wrong approach. I do appreciate the deed restriction that got put on in committee. That helps. But the bottom line is nothing in this bill ensures attainable housing for people and I think that $200 million that we invest should guarantee attainability, Abbott said.

Republican Rep. Bill Mercer, of Billings, said he had concerns that there would be enough contractors in the state to make the bill usable. Rep. Tanner Smith, of Kalispell, said he didn't want to see tax dollars used when there's "so much money out there in the private sector that's just waiting for the cost of goods to go down."

But Republican Rep. Brad Barker, of Roberts, said he thought density requirements in the bill of 10 units per acre would help ensure affordability in what was built. He also said that since lawmakers are only in session this year, they needed to get the program in place.

Rep. Llew Jones, a Conrad Republican, acknowledged the fate of the bill was pretty much sealed" during debate on the floor, but said he thought the concept was innovative and could live on even if the bill died. Sometimes legislation is used as leverage for other policies, and bills with similar titles could be amended later in the session to include pieces of the HOMES Act if needed.

 Sam Wilson contributed to this story.
Just before Christmas in December 1976, Roger Lee Ellis fled his hometown in Wisconsin to avoid a marijuana charge. His family never saw or heard from him again.

Ellis was 21 years old at the time he fled, known for his electronics abilities, love of music and interest in playing guitar and drums. His parents, Floyd and Elaine Ellis, would die before ever knowing what happened to their son. Their obituaries list their sons address as unknown.

Hiker

In 2004, 28 years later, on a rocky mountainside near the south-central Montana ski town of Red Lodge, an unidentified hiker reportedly discovered a human skull. Upon notification of the find, the Carbon County Sheriff organized a search party. Combing the large boulders and scattered pine trees clinging to the steep slope, searchers found a femur and pelvic bone in the same area.

Ellis remains had been found, but no one knew it yet. The victim, the sheriffs office said, likely died of blunt-force trauma to the head. A homicide investigation was launched.

The bones were located just off the Beartooth Highway, a narrow white-knuckle roadway bordered by steep drop-offs that winds 3,000 feet up from a postcard-pretty, glacier-carved valley to a nearly treeless mountain plateau. The bones were scattered across a landscape  at an elevation of around 7,900 feet  that can be snow-covered roughly nine months of the year.

The landscape is close to the highest mountains in Montana and the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness, untamed country that still contains a full complement of wild predators and scavengers, everything from cougars and bears to coyotes and foxes. They may have played a role in scattering Ellis remains.

Investigation

With little to go on, local, state and federal law enforcement did the best they could to find anyone who could shed light on the investigation. How the police work unfolded is still unknown, as county and state investigators would not share any information on this nearly five decades old case.

In an attempt to advance the investigation, in 2007 an FBI specialist used the skull to re-create what the victims face may have looked like. From that, law enforcement officers issued a news release with a photo of the reconstruction. The victim was identified as a young adult female of European ancestry. One distinguishing feature was an asymmetrical nose with one nostril higher than the other and may have had light brown hair.

"While facial reconstruction may not create an exact match, it can portray a likeness of what this person may have looked like when she was alive," agent Len Knutson, of the Division of Criminal Investigation, said in 2007.

In an attempt to generate leads, billboards featuring the re-creation were erected along the same highway off which Ellis remains were found. In addition, 200 posters were handed out across Eastern Montana and northern Wyoming featuring the likeness along with requests for information.

Again the case languished until 2022 when DNA from the bones were analyzed. Finally, the remains could be tied to Roger Ellis.

Analysis

That the remains were initially believed to be around only 3 years old may be attributable to the cold climate of the mountains, speculated DNA expert Claire Glynn, an associate professor and director of the Forensic Genetic Genealogy Program at the University of New Haven. Another explanation is that the remains had been kept someplace else, and then moved from one location to another.

There are so many different variables  environment, temperature, soil, sunlight and the type of scavengers living nearby, she said.

Cold would help preserve the remains, and snow would block sunlight that deteriorates bone and tissue, Glynn added.

The initial misidentification of the remains as female is not necessarily surprising, she said, although there are common distinctions such as thicker bones in a male skull and a generally larger skull for men. Differences between male and female eye sockets are also usual, but these can be obscured by the age of the person and their ancestry, Glynn said.

Extracting DNA from 46-year-old bones is not ideal because of degradation, Glynn said, but scientists have become incredibly adept at the task. The oldest remains she has extracted DNA from were 300 years old and had rested at the bottom of the ocean.

Its a phenomenal, extremely powerful investigative tool, she said, adding that it has helped solve more than 500 cases in just the last five years.

Once extracted and analyzed, the DNA is compared to a database where family members have contributed their DNA. This is different from public sites like 23andMe or MyHeritage that people have submitted DNA swabs to learn more about their ancestry.

We see some concern from the public that were able to see and replicate their genome, and thats not possible, Glynn said.

Identified

With the identification of Ellis as the Carbon County victim last fall, the Sheriffs Office renewed its pleas to the public for any information.

There were ... countless leads of people all around the nation being like, Hey we have this case, then we would work with detectives from that agency and find this doesnt match with ours, Carbon County Sheriffs Detective Ben Mahoney told the Wisconsin Rapids Journal.

Calls to Mahoney for information on the case were not returned. County Sheriff Josh McQuillan deferred comment to discuss this newspapers request for more information and then did not return follow-up calls.

Investigators believe Ellis was hitchhiking when he left Wisconsin in December 1976, and suspect he was killed by the person or people with whom he was travelling. Its believed Ellis body was left in Montana as the killer or killers continued on.

Tracy Lewis, who knew Ellis, told MTN News Ellis may have been carrying a good deal of cash when he fled Wisconsin.

Investigators announced in a press release that a successful case will rely on information from people who knew Ellis in the 1970s, and are asking those individuals to come forward to help identify the perpetrator or perpetrators.

Montana has more than 400 similar cold cases. Nationwide since 1965, more than 340,000 cases of homicide and non-negligent manslaughter have gone unsolved, according to the FBIs Uniform Crime Report.

Wisconsin

Ellis was born in Wisconsin Rapids in 1954, a small community founded on the east side of the Wisconsin River. The community arose as a lumber town in the 1860s, eventually joining with its neighbor across the stream to create a flourishing paper industry.

Ellis is survived by his brother Frederick, of Onalaska, Wisconsin, and sister Cynthia of Wauwatosa.

His mother, Elaine, died in 2009 at age 93. His father, Floyd, died less than three years after his eldest sons disappearance. A World War II veteran, Floyd had served with the U.S. Army in France and North Africa from 1942-1945.

Floyd spent his most anxious moments in World War II while he was in Algiers, according to a Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune news story. While there, Floyd worked as a message center clerk in the St. George hotel, which was Allied headquarters in Africa and a prime target. Floyd reportedly had one very close call when the area was machine-gunned by a Nazi plane. He also saw an Allied ship loaded with mines blow up in the harbor.

Roughly eight years after returning from the war, Floyd married Elaine. For their honeymoon, they took a three-week wedding trip to places of interest in the western states.

Anyone with information on the case is being asked to contact Detective Mahoney at the Carbon County Sheriffs Office, at 406-445-7284 or bmahoney@co.carbon.mt.us.
The Illinois Farm Bureau has a great program called, Adopt a Legislator. County Farm Bureaus engage an urban member of the Illinois General Assembly, invite them to their county to visit farms, meet farm families, and have heart to heart talks about legislation and convey the danger of unintended consequences in a proposed bill before it becomes law. Lawmakers from Chicago all praise the program in glowing terms.

The same concept should be offered to the office of Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul. When he was in the General Assembly, he was likely linked to a County Farm Bureau, and likely had a good relationship, but those old contacts may have been lost, and may need to be revived.

While Attorney General Raoul and his staff may be talented litigants protecting the interests of the state of Illinois, there seems to be an obvious breakdown in communications with agriculture, an industry that drew high praise last week from the governor, lieutenant governor, and top lawmakers in the State Capitol during Ag Legislative Day. That happened within shouting distance from the Office of the Attorney General. It might have been heard.

In the past week two initiatives of Attorney General Raoul gathering his colleagues from around the country have made news. In both cases there was no evidence that the Illinois agricultural community was consulted for its advice, and both without any forewarning.

The first involved the growing controversy over the so-called right to repair farm equipment. Farmers working under weather deadlines need the ability to obtain and install repair parts to keep machinery working. That was the basis for high profile events this year that saw the American Farm Bureau sign memoranda of understanding with both John Deere and CASE IH. Provisions of their MOU give farmers that authority, but not to modify engine horsepower that would violate Clean Air Act regulations and interfere with product liability laws.

The initiative lead by Attorney General Raoul calls upon Congress to give farmers and any consumer a much broader permission to make desired modifications. Illinois Farm Bureau President Rich Guebert says he did not hear from the attorney general. President Daryl Cates of the American Soybean Association, a southern Illinois farmer, may also be a bit miffed at Attorney General Raoul.

Cates this week thanked the U.S. EPA for authorizing a new crop chemical to protect soybeans from harmful insects. But on the same day, Attorney General Raoul announced he was leading 12 colleagues, all but one from non-soybean producing states, to ask the EPA to impose restrictions on the newly registered insecticide that would essentially prevent its use on soybeans.

Attorney General Raoul earlier this year drew the ire of the Illinois pork industry when he took a lead role supporting a California state law that would negatively impact every pork producer in Illinois. That issue is pending currently in the Supreme Court with the nations pork industry on one side, and Attorney General Raoul on the side of Californias legislature.

Illinois biggest industry needs to have a regular country conversation with the attorney general.

States where you are most likely to hit an animal States where you are most likely to hit an animal #51. Washington D.C. #50. Nevada #49. Hawaii #48. Arizona #47. Florida #46. Alaska #45. California #44. Washington #43. Connecticut #42. New Mexico #41. Colorado #40. Utah #39. New Jersey #38. Louisiana #37. Oregon #36. Texas #35. New York #34. Illinois #33. New Hampshire #32. Delaware #31. Rhode Island #30. Oklahoma #29. Idaho #28. Massachusetts #27. Nebraska #26. Tennessee #25. Maryland #24. Indiana #23. Alabama #22. Ohio #21. Vermont #20. Georgia #19. Kentucky #18. Kansas #17. North Carolina #16. Missouri #15. Maine #14. Arkansas #13. Virginia #12. South Carolina #11. Minnesota #10. Wyoming #9. North Dakota #8. Mississippi #7. Iowa #6. Pennsylvania #5. Wisconsin #4. Michigan #3. South Dakota #2. Montana #1. West Virginia
DECATUR  Saundra Roberts was not working on election day, and was going to make sure she voted at her polling location.

I know a lot of people dont want to vote, she said. You may think it doesnt count, but it does.

Roberts, 65, said she has voted ever since she was able. She has voted using a mail-in ballot in the past, but she prefers visiting her polling place to cast her vote.

But you just have to get out there and vote, she said.

Although the trend of early and mail-in voting is on the rise, some voters still prefer to cast their ballots in person. According to Illinois election officials, the number of outstanding vote-by-mail ballots can be especially significant in the races for the smaller offices, including school boards.

As an election judge, Hugh Good, 18, wants to perform his civic duty. I cant run for most offices, he said. So being able to participate is pretty cool for someone who has an interest in politics. I have an eye on how it works.

Good began as a judge at 16 years old. Because election judges are hard to find, the officials were welcoming of someone who had an interest. I try to get other people, but it can be hard to sell it, Good said about the 15-hour days. It will be a really long day, but its your civic duty.

During the past few elections, Good has seen an increase in people voting. Its a hot political landscape, he said. A lot more people are trying to vote and seeing their vote matter.

Halfway through Tuesdays election day, several of Macon County election judges said they already had a steady stream of voters. Election Judge Daniel Pickrel encourages everyone who is able to vote. If you cant find your ID or you dont get any mail, it shouldnt make a difference, he said. You should own up to your responsibility to keep this government going by participating.

When there is a lack of votes, the community is not truly represented, Pickrel said. During the previous primary election, his Mount Zion polling location was filled with voters. It was so wonderfully swamped, Pickrel said. And we had new voters too.

Larry and Debra Oestreich said they don't trust the results of the mail-in ballots.

They would have to prove to me they are going to go through all the mail-ins the same way they do this, Larry Oestreich said after leaving the polling location in Mount Zion. From what Im hearing on the national level, they arent.

The couple said they understand voters who are unable to vote in-person should have an option. Its a valid way to do it, Debra Oestreich said. But this needs to be in-person.

Although the Oestreichs have retired, they made sure they took the time to vote on Election Day when they worked. We always voted, Debra Oestreich said. Its a privilege.
DECATUR  New information paints a frightening picture of a Decatur mom stabbed trying to protect her children before her assailant is accused of turning his fury on police who had to shoot and wound him to defend themselves from a knife attack.

Sworn affidavits filed by the Illinois State Police describe the bloody, scary moments just before 4 a.m. March 30 after Steven L. Hirstein, a live-in boyfriend of three years, had attacked his 35-year-old girlfriend.

The affidavits said he had been hitting her in front of the womans teenage children when one of the children, a 14-year-old, had spoken up to try and stop the assault.

(The boy) stated Steven came at him with a knife when he told him to stop hitting his mom, said the affidavit, signed by State Police Special Agent Dustin Hoffmeier.

(The mom) tackled Steven to stop him from hurting (her son). She suffered multiple stab wounds which included her hip, arm and back.

The mother needed hospital treatment and Hirstein is now being held in the Macon County Jail on preliminary charges of attempted murder, aggravated battery to a police officer and aggravated domestic battery.

Hoffmeier said police had burst into the couples home in the 400 block of East Orchard Street to find the woman left with bleeding wounds and two black eyes and Hirstein holed-up inside the bathroom of the master bedroom.

Steven had shut the door, making it impossible for the officers to see him, Hoffmeier added. The officers kicked down the door and told Steven to come out with his hands up. When Steven lunged at the officers with a knife, the officers discharged their weapons at Steven.

Hirstein was hit multiple times but not seriously wounded and was released from the hospital the next day. He appeared in Macon County Circuit Court Monday where his bond was set at more than $1 million.

State Police are now involved in the investigation as, per usual protocol, the agency is called in to investigate any use of deadly force by Decatur police.

Additional sworn affidavits have also been filed by the city police which say Hirstein was already wanted in connection with previous violence and criminal damage against his girlfriend and her belongings.

The girlfriend said she had suffered knife wounds requiring stitches July 23 after a verbal argument with Hirstein had escalated into violence. She said she had been hit in the head with a thrown piece of wood before Hirstein had swung at her with a pocket knife, slashing her across the left hand.

And on August 18 Hirstein had launched a spree of damage while armed with a hammer during another argument. The girlfriend is quoted as telling police he had first punched and destroyed her $800 flat screen television before following her as she fled outside her home and took refuge in her car.

(She) advised Steven began smashing her rear passenger door window and her back windshield with a hammer, said Detective Jeremy Appenzeller, who signed the affidavits.

She said it would cost approximately $800 to replace the windows. She said she wanted to go back inside her home because her children were asleep inside but Steven would not let go inside.

She had then peeked in through the homes windows to see what Hirstein was up to and had seen him use the hammer to smash her cell phone. He then confronted her again and, angry that the damage he had done was not getting a rise out of her, responded by kicking her multiple times in her legs, chest and arms.

The woman told police about these earlier events after officers had been dispatched to her house in response to reports of yet another domestic violence attack Sept. 3. But she had taken pictures of the wounds she said she had sustained from the repeated kicks.

DPD Officers observed her to have severe discoloration on the left side of her left thigh, said Appenzeller. DPD Officers observed her to also have discoloration to her left tricep and to have discoloration to the left side of her left breast.

Hirstein now faces additional preliminary charges of aggravated battery, aggravated domestic battery, domestic battery and criminal damage.

All preliminary charges are subject to review by the office of the states attorney.
DECATUR  Rich Marshall has a Harley-Davidson motorcycle, with an untamed look to match.

However, he recently ditched the long, flowing hair to help others.

Its a pain in the backside really, he said about the long locks. It tangles, unless you braid it.

Marshall, the parts manager for Coziahr Harley-Davidson in Forsyth, and the stores general manager, Michele Coziahr, recently donated their ponytails to a nonprofit organization.

By the time I think maybe I need to get it cut, I measure it, then I decide Im close enough, Coziahr said. It would be a terrible disservice not to donate it now. If you have the opportunity to do something good, do something good.

The co-workers have each donated their trimmed hair four times. Previous donations were sent to other nonprofit hair donations by the hair stylist. They would cut them off and mail them off, Coziahr said.

The pandemic changed the donation procedures. Locks of Love and Pantene Beautiful Lengths were past recipients of Coziahrs and Marshalls hair donations. They recently learned of another nonprofit organization devoted to children, called Children with Hair Loss.

Theyre not nearly as restrictive on their requirements as some of the others, Marshall said. So its going for the kids.

According to stylist Dawna Ward, most beauticians understand the best procedure for preparing hair for donations. We do enough hair to do a detailed haircut instead of chopping or lopping it off, she said. That way they get the length they need and its not just a bag full of messed up, matted hair.

The hair is braided or tied up in a ponytail before it is cut. That way its easy to work with and easy to send in, Ward said. We consult with the guest about how much theyre wanting to still have on their head or how much they are willing to send. Each guest is different.

Ward is a certified technical trainer and has been a stylist for nine years at Supercuts in Brettwood Village. The company provides a bag for the trimmed hair. That way they dont have to just carry it, she said.

According to Children with Hair Loss organization, the minimum length of the hair to be accepted is 8 inches. Marshalls latest donation was 14 inches. So I got them covered, he said.

In 2016, Marshall witnessed children dealing with hair loss as he was battling cancer. It broke my heart just seeing that, he said. So that became my thing.

#TogetherDecatur Do you know a person or of a story that exemplifies the best of Decatur? Contact Donnette Beckett at 217-421-6983 or dbeckett@herald-review.com.

At 65 years old, Marshall donated hair with strands of gray. But they dont care, he said.

Children with Hair Loss prefers the hair in its natural color. But theyll take it anyway, Coziahr said.
New Braunfels, TX (78130)

Today

Cloudy skies early, then off and on rain showers overnight. Low 61F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%..

Tonight

Cloudy skies early, then off and on rain showers overnight. Low 61F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
MARION, Va.  State Del. Jeff Campbell, R-Marion, has announced he wont seek re-election to a sixth term in the Virginia House of Delegates.

I make this announcement after many months of prayer, consultation with my family and colleagues and with the profound appreciation to all of the constituents that supported me through the past five election cycles and that I have had the honor of serving in the House for so many years, Campbell said in a written statement.

I pledge to continue to serve through transition to what I am sure will be a worthy and even more capable successor and pray for Gods continued blessing upon the Commonwealth of Virginia, Campbell said.

In his announcement, Campbell thanked his wife Carie and his family for their support.

During this time, we have raised four children that I am extremely proud of and, simultaneously, apologetic to for the many nights, weeks and months of absence from their lives during the commission of my public service, he said.

When I was sworn into the House in 2014, our family photo, taken in front of the Clerks dais, displays a young family with children in elementary school. Ten years later, those children are grown and have gone off to college. If I have any regrets from my service, it is that I wasnt there nearly enough during their formative years. I cant say thank you loudly enough to them and my wife for their unending patience, understanding and perseverance during the past decade. They are, without question, the loves of my life and I sincerely hope my service can be something for which they can one day look upon with pride as they were, largely, the reasons for my desire to become involved in the first place.

Campbell also expressed thanks to his colleagues during his decade in the state House.

I would be remiss if I didnt recognize the great colleagues and staff that I was so fortunate to have served with, he said. Their daily commitment and sacrifice is truly astonishing. I am not sure there is a handful of the scores of Delegates that I have served with in the House and Senate that even possess the words, I, me or my in their vocabulary. My impression of the body as a whole is exemplary of the concept of selfless service and it is truly the highest honor of my professional life to have been a part of it.
Last November the CSX Santa Train returned to the rails in Southwest Virginia and Northeast Tennessee for the first time in three years, marking an 80-year tradition of spreading Christmas cheer.

The latest issue of Trains Magazine documents that journey, the trains colorful history and the steps needed to put the wheels in motion after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The story is promoted on the cover; then writer and Big Stone Gap-based rail historian Ron Flanary had eight continuous pages in the 58-page publication to document this story for an international audience.

Coverage begins with a two-page aerial photo of the uniformly painted blue and gray train crossing the 1,091-foot-long Copper Creek viaduct, 167 feet above the ground at Speers Ferry in Scott County. The image was taken by a drone operated by Ryan Markham of Coeburn.

From there the story is augmented by a number of historic images from the Santa Trains past.

I was just going to do a write-up on this years train and the editor said, No, Im going to give you eight pages so get into the history of it and expand on it. Weve got a lot of younger readers. Some things that may be old hat to you may be news to them, Flanary told the Bristol Herald Courier Monday.

So I took that opportunity to make a fresh dive into the earlier days of the train, including an explanation of why the train runs. It was basically a business promotion. The business people in Kingsport  retail merchants and industries  knew the importance of the railroad, the labor force of Southwest Virginia and the coal revenues. They came up with this idea, if we put the general managers office car on the rear of the train, dress someone up like Santa Claus then people can get on the train and come to Kingsport.

The train began with the former Clinchfield Railroad and a handful of business people throwing items from the train along the route between Elkhorn City, Kentucky, and Kingsort.

Passenger service ended in 1954, but the Kingsport Chamber of Commerce and local businesses convinced the railroad to keep running the train each November.

Then it developed a life of its own. It became something that was more tradition and that carries through to today. Over the years its given the railroad  today CSX  a lot of positive press and theyre certainly not oblivious to that. Particularly when railroads have not gotten favorable press in recent times, Flanary said.

Flanary said he was pleased the way the article was presented, packaged with more than a dozen photos.

His interest in railroad photography began in the 1960s in and around this region, but the Santa Train didnt particularly pique his interest. Years later, in 1975, Flanary and his wife Wilma decided on a whim to go see the train at Dungannon.

They had stopped briefly to eat lunch. They didnt carry food on board then so they had a little lunch break and probably a bathroom break for Santa, Flanary said. We chased it all the way to Kingsport. We just had a ball. I think we did that the next three or four years.

He was first invited to ride the train in 1982 and opted for a short jaunt from St. Paul to Kingsport. That was the year that CBS newsman Charles Kuralt was aboard and presented the story of the Santa Train to the rest of America  which touched off a deluge of national media attention in the following years.

A Flanary photo of Kuralt standing on the platform of the rear car appears with the story.

After that I rode the train several times in the 80s, the 90s and more recently, he said.

Flanary has covered the journey for Trains magazine multiple times, including a 10-page spread in 2005, but this was the first time delving into the trains history.

As someone who follows the rail industry closely, Flanary didnt expect the Santa Train would return to the rails after the pandemic.

It wouldnt have come back if they [CSX] hadnt had a change in CEO, he said. You had a lot of proponents to continue the train in mid- and upper management but not at the top. There seemed to be a complete focus on profitability and precision schedule railroading where they optimize operations by running much longer trains and fewer trains on fewer routes  There seemed to be a loss of interest in the public relations aspect.

Then Joe Hinrichs came from Ford, with no railroad experience but a tremendous resume of corporate leadership, and that was one of the first things he did. Im sure a lot of people whispered in his ear and asked why dont you see if you can make this happen again?

And he did.

During the trip last November, Hinrichs confirmed to the news media aboard the train he recognized the value of the train assisting people in this region; pledging it would return this year and for the foreseeable future.

Its a heartwarming experience. Its a very cool operation, Flanary said.
Members of a Newton church are showing their appreciation to a fabrication company that repaired three steel crosses that were vandalized last month. The company made the repairs at no cost to the church.

John Tucker Jr., vice president of Newton-based Commercial Fabricating, said he has received a number of cards from the congregation of Friendship United Methodist Church thanking the company for fixing the three crosses in the churchs cemetery.

Tucker said he was particularly moved by a batch of handmade cards from children at the church. The cards were waiting on him when he arrived at work on Tuesday morning.

I think my intent in the beginning was to just do it and not say anything, but Ive been real appreciative of especially the kids and the members that have reached out, Tucker said.

The crosses were sawed off and knocked over in the cemetery by the church.

Tucker said he decided to have his company fix the crosses for free after hearing from a friend who was a member at the church. He also said he received help from Roger Pleasant and his company Southern Elite Steel in placing the crosses back in place once they were repaired.

Tucker also reflected on the personal significance of the project to him as the son of a Lutheran pastor.

It was just the right thing to do, Tucker said. When you see something like that happen and you know you have the ability to fix it, then to me you just do it.

Stephen Lemaire, the fabricator who repaired the crosses, said the job was special to him.

It just meant a big deal to me that I could honor God in that sort of way, Lemaire said.

Capt. Aaron Turk of the Catawba County Sheriffs Office said deputies have not identified any witnesses or new potential leads in the investigation so far.

He said surveillance footage revealed a figure cutting down the crosses in the dark but gave no clear indication of the persons identity.

Anyone with information on the vandalism can call the sheriffs office at 828-464-3112.
Canary reportedly earned her nickname around 1875, during the Newton-Jenney expedition, which was intended to determine the quality and quantity of gold in the Black Hills. "She got her nickname while traveling with the Jenny expedition in 1874," Weber says. "She had wandered off one day and the soldiers thought it would be a 'calamity' if she were captured or killed by Indians."

In 1876, Canary was ordered to the Bighorn River where she swam across the Platte River to deliver dispatches from General George Crook to a local outpost. During this time, she contracted a serious illness and was hospitalized for two weeks. When she recovered, she rode on to Deadwood, where she met legendary frontiersman, Wild Bill Hickok, who many credit with bringing order to the Old West. The two became close, and Canary remained in Deadwood all summer, working as a Pony Express rider and carrying the mail between Deadwood and Custer. However, in August of that year, Hickok was shot in the back of the head by Jack McCall while sitting at a gambling table in Deadwood's Nuttall & Mann's 66 Saloon. Canary stayed in Deadwood, prospecting at mining camps and later nursing residents who fell ill during the smallpox outbreak.

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" " Calamity Jane was said to have scouted for General Custer and later traveled with Wild Bill Hickok. Corbis/Getty Images

Canary finally left Deadwood the following year and traveled to Bear Butte Creek with the 7th Cavalry. She left the command in 1878 and traveled to Rapid City, then went on to Fort Pierre in 1879 to drive mule trains to Fort Pierre and Sturgis. By this point, her reputation had made her somewhat of a celebrity, and magazine editors and dime novel authors were writing stories about her adventures.

In 1882, Canary bought a ranch on the Yellowstone River, but felt antsy within the year, leaving for California in 1883, and then moving on to Texas in 1884. She met Clinton Burke in El Paso, and the two married in 1885. They had a daughter two years later and left Texas for Boulder, Colorado, when the girl turned 2. For several years, the family ran a hotel and then spent time traveling yet again through Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Washington, Oregon and South Dakota.

In 1895, Canary realized she could use her shooting skills to support her family and joined Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show, performing sharpshooting tricks. Her drinking antics, however, cost her the job, and she was fired after touring Minneapolis, Chicago, St. Louis, and Kansas City. In 1901, she was hired by the Pan American Exposition, but once again lost the job due to her excessive drinking.

" " Calamity and Teddy Blue Abbott face off with beers at a bar in Gilt Edge, Montana, circa 1887. Mrs. E. G. Worden/Montana Historical Society Photograph Archives

Canary moved back to the Black Hills in 1903 and worked as a cook and housekeeper in Dora DuFran's Bell Fourche brothel. She died a few years later and was buried next to Hickok at Mount Moriah Cemetery.

"Martha Jane Canary/Calamity Jane is so much more than her bawdy reputation," Weber says. "She was a caregiver to the ill, a prostitute, orphaned at a young age, cleaning woman, frequently went on alcoholic binges, etc. She was an unaccompanied young child and woman in the frontier American West doing the best she could with the situations she was handed. She supported herself at a time when there were limited opportunities for women."

" " The gravesite of Mrs. M. E. Burke, better known as Calamity Jane, in Deadwood, South Dakota. Hans Wild/Getty Images

Now That's Interesting It's tough to know how many of the details surrounding Canary's life are true and how many were fabricated, either by the media, or by Canary herself. Even pieces of her personal life are questionable since there is no existing marriage license confirming her union with Burke and no birth certificate for her daughter. In 1941, a woman claiming to be the child of Canary and Hickok came into the public eye, but her allegations were later proven to be false.
The Concord Police Department issued a press release Tuesday regarding a gun on campus and on a school bus at Central Cabarrus High School.

CPD said on Saturday, April 1, at approximately 11:44 a.m., the police became aware of a social media video depicting a student with a firearm on the campus of Central Cabarrus. The incident depicted in the video occurred on Friday, March 31. A concerned student reported the video to the school resource officer assigned to Central Cabarrus, prompting an immediate investigation by the CPD.

Following an extensive investigation, officers determined that two students are responsible for having the firearm on school property and also on a school bus. There is no evidence to suggest that either student threatened, or intended to use, the firearm at school, police said.

The CPD press release said juvenile petitions have been issued through the North Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice on both juveniles for possession of weapons on campus or educational property (N.C. GS 14- 269.2), which is a Class I felony in North Carolina.

One of the two juveniles is also charged with assault by pointing a gun (N.C. GS 14-34), which is a misdemeanor offense, for pointing the firearm at another person while handling the firearm. North Carolina juvenile privacy laws prevent disclosure of any identifying information regarding a juvenile offender accused of an act which would be a crime if committed by an adult.

The safety of students, teachers, and faculty is paramount. The Concord Police Department takes all allegations of a weapon on school property seriously, and this investigation is ongoing, police said. Additional interviews are being conducted in an attempt to identify any additional students involved with the offense. Anyone with information should contact the Concord Police Department at 704-920-5000 or Cabarrus Area CrimeStoppers at (704) 93CRIME to remain anonymous.

Police said this incident is an excellent example of a student who saw something and said something, and the importance of the trust built within the school system between students and school resource officers.

We commend that student for having the courage to speak up when something was clearly wrong, CPD said.

The Concord Police Department thanks the Cabarrus County Schools and the Cabarrus County District Attorneys Office for their partnership and commitment to fostering safe schools.
CONCORD  Cabarrus County Schools Board of Education on Monday unanimously passed a resolution that opposes House Bill 219 and favors the current law that fairly and equally apportions local funding to charter schools.

As written, HB 219, the Charter School Omnibus bill, would change the current factors which determine per-pupil funding that public school districts must share with local charter schools.

HB 219 would add new categories of financing for charter schools  including sharing of public-school fund balances, federal reimbursements, sales tax reimbursements, and facility-use fees collected from outside groups. HB 219, as written, would also require the local school district to share funding for services charter schools may not always provide, including Pre-K. Current law allows for charter schools to apply for direct funding of Pre-K if they currently participate in those programs.

Bills should not be written right now to take more money out of public-school coffers, CCS Superintendent Dr. John Kopicki said during Monday nights scheduled work session for the Board of Education. We need to be supporting public schools every step of the way.

We stand here, and we talk about mental health, student wellness, technology, and making sure kids are prepared to walk out of here ready to be the well-rounded young men and young women that they are. Our faculty, our administrators, and our parents do a phenomenal job of that, and were blessed for it. But, make no mistake, we need to make sure that our legislators understand that we elect them, and they represent us. Part of the obligation they have is support the public school system and to make sure were not taking any money away. In fact, we should be finding more ways to contribute more money to the system to support our kids.

HB 219 passed the North Carolina House of Representatives on first read on March 1 and has been referred to the Rules, Calendar and Operations Committees.

Kopicki projects the district would stand to lose millions of dollars depending on how the bill was written and what exactly was included in that bill if it were to go through.

This is a really bad bill, and its already hard enough. Our Chief Financial Officer, Carol Herndon, and her team do a phenomenal job of making sure our kids get the services they need through the funding that we get right now  both through our state, federal and local revenue sources. To take any money away from those sources is tragic, and it would really hurt our district in an unbelievable way.

The resolution will now be shared with members of the North Carolina General Assembly as well as the governor.

The Cabarrus County Board of Education encourages parents, students, and other community members to contact their North Carolina legislators to oppose House Bill 219, said Denise Adcock, chair of the Cabarrus Board of Education.
NEW YORK (AP)  Former President Donald Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, according to several news reports.

He entered the plea Tuesday during a brief arraignment in a lower Manhattan courtroom as prosecutors unsealed a grand jury indictment.

The charges stem from a hush money payment to a porn actor during Trump's 2016 campaign.

A stone-faced Trump entered the courtroom shortly before 2:30 p.m. without saying anything.

Live updates here:

***

Photos: Donald Trump's arraignment
Telecommunications equipment provider Huawei generated 35.6 billion (US$5.18 billion) in net profits for 2022 representing a 69% year-in-year declinethe biggest annual decline yet as the US slapped sanctions on its business and tough pandemic regulations in China affected its operations, according to a CNBC report.

"In 2022, a challenging external environment and non-market factors continued to take a toll on Huawei's operations, said Huawei rotating chairman Eric Xu at the company's annual report press conference.

CNBC reported Huaweis revenue rose 0.9% to 642.3 billion (US$93 billion) in 2022 as the company made measures following a 28% sales plunge in 2021.

Huawei is diversifying its business into new segments including cloud computing and automotive after it was battered in a few years by US sanctions.

Throughout 2019 and in 2020, Huawei was cut off from Googles Android operating system and the components it required such as conductors. That crippled Huaweis smartphone business which was touted as the number one in the world.

Huawei struggled to sell smartphones and smartwatches outside China since it was ousted from Android. It launched its own operating system HarmonyOS, which was installed on 330 million devices at end of 2022, up 113% year-on-year. While it gained a huge leap, the operating system failed to gain an attraction in China.

In times of pressure, we press on  with confidence, said Huawei chief financial officer Sabrina Meng.

Huaweis carrier business, which includes equipment it sells to telco companies, generated 284 billion (US$41.3 billion) in revenuea 0.9% year-on-year rise. The small increase may be attributed to US urging of other countries to ban Huawei from their next-generation 5G networks. The UK has banned Huawei and Germany may soon follow.

Huaweis enterprise business which includes cloud computing rose 30% year-on-year to 133.2 billion (US$19.2 billion). The cloud computing business in 2022 alone generated 45.3 billion (US$6.5 billion).

This first appeared in the subscription newsletter CommsWire on 03 April 2023.
A fragmented view of data in Aussie businesses is muddling efforts to gain a clear understanding of customer identity and behaviour. And the cost of not knowing those customers is high. Beyond irritating customers with promotional emails for products they already have or blasting them with ads for clothing, they dont like, this obstructed view of the customer is impacting the bottom line to upwards of AU$16 billion a year, in some cases.

But privacy regulations arent really making things that difficult for businesses. Results can actually be maximised if we abide by the privacy guidelines and connect with consumers we know as opposed to focusing their acquisition strategy on consumers we don't know just for the extra eyes.

Lets break down the challenges Aussie brands are adapting to in this new privacy-first era.

Innovative solutions to solve tracking and privacy challenges

The digital marketing landscape in Australia has faced game-changing challenges recently, forcing brands to adapt their tracking solutions to ensure they comply with new and evolving regulations. For example, the Australian Attorney-General's Department recently released its highly anticipated review of the Privacy Act 1988, which aims to better align Australias laws with global standards of information privacy protection and properly protect Australians privacy.

If the large-scale Optus and Medibank breaches have taught brands anything, its that data breaches are only made worse by holding onto personal information they dont have a legitimate interest in and/or are well past their expiration date.

Australian brands are also adapting to measures put in place by companies like Apple and Google, which have introduced new privacy features that restrict tracking on their devices. This has meant that some tracking methods marketers previously relied heavily on are no longer effective. In fact, 64% of advertisers recently shared that Apple ATT is hurting their results, further increasing the urgency for brands to run, not walk, toward first- and second-party data strategies.

Becoming customer-centric takes more than first-party data

Its important to note that customer data isnt just for marketers. After building a secure unified view of customers, that data can also then be made available to advertisers, marketers, analysts, IT operations teams and product developers.

Brands need technology that can help them centralise customer data across all internal systems. Only then can they unify, clean and make sense of their dirty data.



Traditionally businesses justified technology by building business cases around offensive metrics, such as an increase in engagement, the volume of conversions, increase in average order value and loyalty. Today things are changing, and business cases must also be built around defensive metrics like operational improvements, privacy breaches or customers wanting their data erased  all costly exercises if processes arent centralised.

The right customer data platform (CDP) can help. A CDP provides marketers with a strong customer identity foundation, allowing them to build the most accurate and comprehensive view of their customers, helping them manage and grow the business.

For example, using a patented machine learning approach, Amperitys first-party data ID resolution is purpose-built to create unparalleled customer profiles, giving teams the data they need to delight customers and fuel growth.

A technology that can be used to improve the offensive and defensive strategies of a business, ID resolution allows organisations to gain a better perspective on who their customers are so they can provide them with a premium service. It also allows the business to quickly access all the data it has about a customer/student/guest/citizen when requests like delete my data, show me what data you have, etc. arise.

ID resolution also unleashes results that can only be achieved with the most trusted and up-to-date customer view. Take a look:

+128%  The increased return on ad spend at Brooks Running

+62%  The increased conversion on generated leads at Servco

-98%  The reduction in data delivery time for a leading hotel brand

Data privacy management software solution Ketch, is also a brand to watch. A Trust By Design Platform, it enables businesses to be responsible stewards of consumer data by providing simplified privacy operations and complete, dynamic data control and intelligence.

And with all the change and privacy regulations requiring brands to get serious about instilling measures around obtaining explicit consent from customers for data collection, providing opt-out mechanisms and anonymising personal data, another solution is back in the spotlight  data clean rooms (DCRs).

With marketers exploring new avenues to discover high-value audiences, recent predictions indicate that 80% of advertisers with media buying budgets over AU$1.43 billion will use DCRs by 2023.

Avoid poor technology choices and mitigate regulatory/consumer risks.

The best way Aussie businesses can minimise risk and steer clear of poor technology choices is by considering use cases to improve their defence, i.e. protecting customer data at all costs. Yes, sales are important and can have a direct ROI, but how about the ability to provide individuals with more choice and control over how you use their data? Preference centres are not new, but they are fast becoming a must-have utility that all businesses should leverage.

Transparency is also key. Businesses should be fully transparent with consumers about the data they collect and how its used. They should clearly communicate their data privacy policies, making it easy for consumers to opt out of data collection or marketing activities if they choose.

At the same time, they should also monitor and respond to feedback from consumers. And importantly, take action if they identify any issues. Processes should be in place for responding to complaints and addressing concerns.

Following these best practices and performing proper due diligence can save a lot of headaches down the road, helping them make better technology choices from the start and reducing their exposure to regulatory or consumer risks.

About The Author

Billy Loizou has 15-plus years of experience in design, technology and marketing. He has worked with some of the world's most renowned and respected brands, helping them improve their customer experience and drive profitability.

About Amperity

Amperity is the leading Customer Data Platform provider that helps companies use data to improve marketing performance, build long-term customer loyalty and drive growth. Amperity's flagship enterprise CDP is used by many of the world's best-loved brands, such as Alaska Airlines, Endeavour Drinks, Kendra Scott, Lucky Brand, Planet Fitness, Seattle Sounders FC, Under Armour and Wyndham Hotels & Resorts. For more information, please visit amperity.com or follow @Amperity.
Amazon Web Services plans to spend $13.2 billion to expand its cloud infrastructure in Sydney and Melbourne between 2023 and 2027.

The company said the investment is needed to meet growing customer demand for its services in Australia.

To put the sum into perspective, AWS spent more than $9.1 billion in its Asia Pacific (Sydney) Region between 2012 and 2022.

In addition, AWS launched its Asia Pacific (Melbourne) Region in January 2023.

"For over a decade, AWS has invested billions of dollars into Australia through infrastructure and jobs, and worked closely with the public sector, and local customers and partners, to be a force multiplier across the nation," said AWS managing director for Australia and New Zealand Rianne Van Veldhuizen.

"We are committed to positive social and economic impact, investing in local community engagement programs, workforce development initiatives, cloud infrastructure, and renewable energy project investments. Our plan to invest more than $13 billion into the country over the next five years will help create more positive ripple effects, further solidifying Australia's position in the global economy."

Amazon has pledged to power its operations with 100% renewable energy by 2030, and is on track to achieve this goal by 2025.

In Australia, it is committed to take at total of 262MW from utility-scale renewable projects located in Suntop and Gunnedah in New South Wales, and one that is under development in Hawkesdale, Victoria.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said "Economic and infrastructure investment from cloud providers like Amazon Web Services helps create jobs, advances digital skills, boosts innovation, and uplifts local communities and businesses. The Australian Government acknowledges AWS's investment into the nation over the past decade, and welcomes its planned investment over the next five years, the full-time jobs supported annually, and contribution to the nation's GDP."

Tech Council of Australia CEO Kate Pounder said "Investments from tech companies like AWS in Australia have an outsized positive impact on the wider economy. Not only do they bring the direct financing and jobs, but their cloud infrastructure has also enabled the growth of a globally competitive Australian software sector, which has become one of the most successful new industries created in Australia in decades. The support for digital skilling also enables our workforce to learn from leading tech companies, with spillover benefits across the Australian economy. The tech sector will be a key driver of future prosperity in Australia, and AWS's contribution will help propel us forward."

AWS's Australian customers include Atlassian, Australian Bureau of Statistics, National Australia Bank, NSW Health Pathology, Qantas, Swoop Aero, and WA Department of Education.
Zai says Hodgson will also head up its sister brand, CurrencyFair, a currency exchange platform with an established international presence offering more than 20 currencies across 160+ countries in high traffic currency corridors.

Zai's merger with CurrencyFair and subsequent rebrand was recently awarded 'Deal of the Year' by Australia's fintech recognition event, the Finnie Awards.

Building on an already solid foundation following this successful merger, and against the backdrop of a global fintech market that continues to disrupt and innovate, Shamus will lead the group as they consolidate and grow their product offerings in key markets, Zai said.

Prior to the role, at Zai, Hodgson headed up currency exchange business Lumon, where he built a strong and agile leadership team to guide the company through a similar rebrand, consolidation and subsequent high growth period.

Lumon went on to post an annual growth of close to 30% in the year following his appointment, as well as a 27% increase in its revenue forecast. This experience will greatly support CurrencyFair and Zai's own accelerated growth plans into 2023 and beyond, notes Zai.

Shamus has significant experience in the finance, tech and fintech spaces, having headed up Moneybarn before his role with Lumon. During his 12 years with Moneybarn he was part of the leadership team that transformed the business from a small, boutique lender into Europes largest non-standard auto finance business, including its sale to the FTSE 250 Provident Financial Group. He has also held management positions with Aviva and IBM.

"This is an exciting time to be taking the helm of the Zai and CurrencyFair group. Having led a newly merged and rebranded fintech to achieve an annual growth of close to 30% in the following year, I'm eager to take up a new challenge with this group and work towards similar results with the goals set by the group's experienced leadership team," said Hodgson.

"Both the CurrencyFair and the Zai businesses have already achieved a significant amount this year, growing their offerings in both existing and new markets. I look forward to working with the global teams to continue enhancing their current offering as well as bringing new and innovative products to market."

Chairman of the Board, Gautam Jain, added: I am delighted to welcome Shamus to CurrencyFair and Zai at this exciting stage for the company. Embedded payments continue to present a huge business opportunity, and our proposition is well positioned to help clients in their digital payments journey. Given his expertise and background, I have no doubt the Shamus will lead the company to new heights. On behalf of the entire board and the team, I welcome him onboard and look forward to working closely with him.
include_once "/home/jwreview/public_html/$theme/includes/sidebar.php"; ?>After a winter of punishing but indecisive battles, Ukraine is preparing a long-promised spring offensive that officials hope will change the course of the war against Russia.

The goal is to break Russia's hold on southern and eastern Ukraine and convince Russian President Vladimir Putin that his war has become a losing proposition.

U.S. officials say that if Ukraine succeeds, Putin could eventually agree to peace talks on terms acceptable to Ukraine. But if Ukraine fails, the conflict is likely to devolve into a long war of attrition  and Putin has declared that in that scenario, time is on Russia's side.

The war also has a Western front in the domestic politics of the United States and its European allies, which have given Ukraine the military and economic aid it needs to survive.

If Ukraine succeeds, its Western supporters will feel vindicated. If it falls short, political support in the West will erode.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy isn't the only leader racing against a clock; President Joe Biden is too.

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From a military standpoint, "the longer you wait to [launch the offensive], the harder it will be," Michael Kofman, an expert on the Russian military at the Center for Naval Analyses, said last month. "The more time is spent, the more Russian units will be able to entrench."

From a political standpoint, time is not on Biden's side either. Public opinion in the United States and Europe has broadly backed Ukraine, but support has weakened as the war has become longer and more expensive.

Biden has frequently promised that the United States will support Ukraine for "as long as it takes" to defeat Russia. But that's a promise he may not be able to keep  and not if he loses his expected reelection bid next year.

Experts say Ukraine's military offensive may still be weeks away. Much of the country is mired in spring thaw, which turns fields and rural roads into a sea of mud  tough terrain even for armored vehicles.

Bolstered by new tanks and armored troop carriers supplied by the West, Ukraine will try to dislodge Russian forces from the southern and eastern parts of the country.

One likely target will be the Russian-occupied southeastern coast, a land bridge that connects Russia to the Crimean Peninsula, which Putin seized from Ukraine in 2014. Severing the bridge "would have a dramatic impact on Russian morale and motivation," said Douglas Lute, a retired Army lieutenant general who served as U.S. ambassador to NATO.

Some of the Western equipment Ukraine is counting on is arriving only now: heavy tanks from Germany and Britain, along with armored combat vehicles from the U.S. and half a dozen other countries.

The U.S. and the European Union are sending thousands of rounds of artillery ammunition from newly mobilized munitions plants. And the U.S. is providing a new ground-to-ground missile, the awkwardly named Ground Launched Small Diameter Bomb, with a range of about 90 miles  longer than the missiles Ukraine has now but still only half the reach of another the country has requested.

That's not enough, critics complain.

"We're providing the systems they needed six months ago," Lute said. "War is not a mathematical equation. You need to overprovide.

"Now is the time to give Ukraine what they need in order to avoid the political calendar next year," he added.

In fact, the U.S. political calendar has already begun.

Former President Donald Trump has complained that American taxpayers are giving Ukraine too much aid and suggested that he would end the war in 24 hours by allowing Putin "to take over something."

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis chimed in, saying it was not in our interest to become "further entangled in a territorial dispute between Ukraine and Russia."

A poll sponsored by the Associated Press found that the share of Americans who support military aid to Ukraine dropped to 48% in February from 60% last May. Responses reflected a partisan divide, with Republicans increasingly opposed to Biden's policy.

The outcome of the spring offensive is likely to further affect public opinion.

"If this becomes a grinding war with no end in sight, it becomes a lot harder to maintain Western support," noted Steven Pifer, a former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine.

Putin's calculation is that he can outlast both Ukraine and the West  that the longer the war continues, the more Ukraine will suffer, and the more fatigued Western voters will be.

That's why it's vital that the U.S. and its allies give Ukraine as much help as they can now, when it's most useful.

Yes, the war has been costly  far more for Ukrainians, who have lost lives and homes, than for American taxpayers.

But the best chance of bringing it to an early end  and avoiding a long and more punishing stalemate  is to make sure Ukraine has what it needs to convince Putin he cannot win.

(COMMENT, BELOW)

Previously:

 03/22/23: Silicon Valley Bank's collapse may be a blessing in disguise

 03/07/23: DeSantis wants to displace Trump as the GOP's 2024 nominee. But he has hurdles to overcome

 02/21/23: Biden's 2024 presidential campaign harks back to past Dem triumphs

 02/14/23: Chinese balloon is gone, but it's still making US-China relations harder to manage

 01/24/23: Biden said the pandemic is over. But, aw shucks!, the pandemic just won't cooperate

 01/17/23: The war in Ukraine could become a long, frozen conflict. Are we ready for that?

 01/10/23: The real winner from the House fight?

 12/28/22: Why Trump will never go to jail over Jan. 6

 12/20/22: Democracy around the world is looking a little healthier, at least next to the alternative

 12/13/22: Biden's policy makes Ukraine fight by rules Russia doesn't follow

 12/09/22: Iran protests have shoved the nuclear issue off center stage. It will be back

 09/20/22: Biden sent the wrong message on COVID. He can still fix it

 09/20/22: Putin's brutality in Ukraine can get worse. Get ready for a chilly winter

 09/13/22: China's economy is slowing, its population aging. That could make it dangerous

 06/28/22: To deter China on Taiwan, Biden needs to reassure

 05/24/22: India has become a US partner in countering China --- a limited partner, that is

 05/11/22: Slow Joe's premature self-congratulation won't help the US in Ukraine

 05/03/22: Can the US deter Putin from using his arsenal of battlefield nuclear weapons in Ukraine?

 04/08/22:Biden's budget is big. Dems will vote to make it bigger

 03/22/22: Ukraine's resistance offers a useful lesson to Taiwan

 03/15/22: China wanted to appear neutral between Russia and Ukraine. It isn't

 02/22/21: Who needs an invasion? Putin's offensive against Ukraine has been underway for a long time

 02/09/21: If Putin wants an exit from the Ukraine crisis, the offramps are open

 11/30/21: Biden wants to focus on China. Putin has another idea

 11/23/21: Our oldest president just turned 79. He might have something to learn from the second-oldest

 11/16/21: Can Biden and Xi talk their way out of a slide into conflict?

 10/13/21: Congress has a chance to take bipartisan action on Facebook. Don't let it slip away

 09/24/21: Can Dems win on crime issues with murders rising? Biden thinks so

 06/29/21: Can Dems win on crime issues with murders rising? Biden thinks so

 04/20/21:Afghanistan's war -- and America's stakes in it -- won't end when the troops leave

 03/31/21: Here's why our new cold war with China could be a good thing

 02/25/21: Sen. Joe Manchin drives Dems crazy. Here's why they need more senators like him

 08/11/20: Goodbye to traditional political conventions --- and good riddance



 05/19/20: We won't end COVID-19 with 'test and trace'

 04/07/20: Joe Biden is stuck in his basement. It just might help him win

 03/10/20: Where did Bernie's revolution go wrong?

 03/05/20: Dems give Trump good reason to smile

 02/18/20: Who will be the Un-Bernie?

 02/11/20: Buttigieg wants to be the Goldilocks candidate. It just might work

 01/21/20: The world according to Bernie

 09/04/19: Trump's draft deal with the Taliban looks ugly, but it may be the best we can get

 04/22/19: Something is missing from media-fawning Buttigieg campaign --- his stance on major issues

 03/14/19: Biden, If He Runs, Will Face A Cruel Irony

Doyle McManus

Los Angeles Times

(TNS)

Doyle McManus is an American journalist, columnist, who appears often on Public Broadcasting Service's Washington Week.
include_once "/home/jwreview/public_html/$theme/includes/sidebar.php"; ?> "Community" is one of those words that have been hijacked and ruined, like "preferred," "appropriation" and "equity," among many others.

In the wake of the Nashville shooting, we heard much about the aftershocks that affected the "trans community."

"Fear pervades trans community amid focus on Nashville shooter's gender identity," NBC News reported.

"Advocates fear an escalation of hate toward trans community after Nashville shooting," warned NPR.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre referred to the "trans community" being "under attack."

There has been a proliferation of ersatz communities in recent years, typically marching under the collective banner of "marginalized communities."

In an entry on "communities of color," the website of the Human Rights Campaign captured the prevailing usage perfectly: "People of color who are also LGBTQ+ face a unique set of challenges based on their experience at the intersection of two marginalized communities in our society."

This ideological use of the word "community" has very little or no connection to the actual phenomenon, which involves a discrete set of people, often living in proximity, who share common practices, values and norms.

The great German sociologist Ferdinand Tonnies defined community as"an organic, natural kind of social group whose members are bound together by a sense of belonging created out of everyday contacts covering the whole range of human activities."

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Your neighborhood is a community, your church is a community, and your pickleball league is a community.

To take a random example drawn from the life of Joe DiMaggio, there's no doubt Isola delle Femmine on the coast of Sicily, where the DiMaggio family had fished for generations, was a community and North Beach in San Francisco, where Giuseppe DiMaggio moved the family around the turn of the century, was an Italian-immigrant community.

There are genuine, longstanding gay communities in neighborhoods of American cities.

But there is no overarching trans community any more than there's a white, African-American, left-handed or red-headed community.

It's manifestly absurd to consider a disparate group of people constituting fewer than 0.5% of the population spread out across the entirety of the country  from diverse walks of life and in different situations regarding their trans status  a community.

Regarding their status, according to a recent Washington Post and Kaiser Family Foundation study, some of these people may just wear the clothes of the other sex; some may have had hormone treatments or surgical procedures; some may identify in public as trans all the time, some occasionally, some never at all; some, in fact many, may not even refer to themselves as trans.

It's even more preposterous to speak of an LGBTQ community.

There are plenty of gay people who think it's wrong to try to convince what they consider gay girls or boys that they are really members of the opposite sex.

They themselves have never had any doubt about their own sex, and they're supposedly part of the same community  thanks, mostly, to a widely cited series of letters  as people convinced they are the wrong sex?

The emphasis on faux community is obviously a function of identity politics.

It is an attempt to play on our natural sense that communities deserve representation and a way to flatten all members of a large group and subsume them into a single entity that progressives, and only progressives, can speak for.

If most trans people develop doubts about aggressive gender-affirming treatments for minors, it will never be said that the "trans community" opposes such procedures.

If we believe what we are told, there's no fashionable community in America that ever has a conservative attitude or sentiment.

Of course, if someone started referring to "the white community" and expected collective demands attributed to it to be met, this would be considered ludicrous and noxious.

America in the 21st century needs more community, just not the kind that is now on offer.

(COMMENT, BELOW)
include_once "/home/jwreview/public_html/$theme/includes/sidebar.php"; ?>Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) left little doubt during his speech Saturday to Keystone State conservatives gathered for the annual Pennsylvania Leadership Conference: He is running for the Republican nomination for president. Nothing and no one will get in his way of doing that.

"We have a responsibility to preserve what the founders of our country called the sacred fire of liberty," the Florida governor said in his closing remarks of the nearly hourlong speech that brought attendees at the Penn Harris conference center, even those with red MAGA hats on, to their feet several times.

DeSantis told the crowd "the fire of liberty" began right here in this state in 1776 at Independence Hall in Philadelphia "when 56 men pledged their lives to establish a new nation" and continued down the road in Gettysburg when the nation's first Republican president pledged this nation to a new birth of freedom.

Continuing that fire of liberty, he said, "is a responsibility that we as conservatives have at this time in our history. It's not something that we should shrink from. It's something that we should welcome. We need to be strong. We need to hold the line. And we can never, ever back down."

"I can tell you this: I'm proud of what we've done in Florida," DeSantis said. "We're going to do more, but I have only begun to fight because we are going to save liberty in this country. G od bless you all."

The sold-out convention hall, filled with prominent Republican leaders, grassroots activists, and conservatives who came from all across the state to hear DeSantis speak, cheered loudly.

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Longtime Cumberland County conservative activist Alex Anastasio said she loved the speech: "Especially the ending. I looked at another gal who's been doing this with me for a long time, and we both said at the same time, 'Boy, that was the closest thing to an actual announcement,'" she said.

Anastasio said there was a lot to like about DeSantis's speech, including his explanation for how he cut red tape to get things done after Hurricane Ian.

"It wasn't lost on me that he had quite a few people with these Trump hats and MAGA hats on. They were really, really enthused," she said. "I think DeSantis fits a lot of the boxes. He's very intelligent. The other thing is he's a team player. My husband played college sports. My sons played college sports. There is something really appealing and aspirational about someone who plays on a team. I don't hear him saying 'I' much. I hear him saying 'We.' So, I'm very, very impressed. Really impressed."

Anastasio wears many hats in the Republican conservative movement, including director of the Pennsylvania Republican Women, where she fundraised for Donald Trump amid the COVID-19-hampered nominating convention in 2020.

Despite supporting Trump in both 2016 and 2020, like many in attendance here at the Penn Harris Convention Center, she has moved on to DeSantis for the future.

"I'm firmly behind DeSantis from what I saw," Anastasio said. "I don't really believe that there's anybody else out there. I think he's going to do amazingly well. I hope he does run, and if he does, I'm interested in running for delegate for him."

State Sen. Kim Ward is the state's first woman to be appointed president pro tempore of the state Senate. She started her career as a Westmoreland County grassroots activist and contributed to the efforts to flip the county from majority Democratic to majority Republican. She said she left the speech very impressed.

"As I listened to him and the things he has done in Florida, his independence, independent of what everyone else of many other places in the country were doing, independent of what he was being told to do," she said. "I get why anyone would try to put a lid on DeSantis  that guy is dynamite."

That kind of robust grassroots support might matter more than it usually does, explained former state party Chairman Bob Gleason, who is also a current state committeeperson. "It looks as though the legislature is going to move our primary up from May to perhaps as early as around Super Tuesday," Gleason said of the legislation introduced in January to move the date to a more meaningful one in the winter of next year.

David Urban, a Beaver County native and Washington-based strategist who worked Trump's 2016 Pennsylvania campaign, said Pennsylvania is always a significantly important political battleground.

"But it hasn't traditionally mattered much in presidential primaries," Urban said. "If this process comes earlier, and it looks like it will, then it is very smart of DeSantis to be on the ground here and getting to know the voters."

The state Senate president pro tempore privately met with DeSantis before the speech. They discussed her and his wife Casey's battles with breast cancer, among other things. "We talked about Casey's involvement with the Cancer Connect Collaborative Initiative, and we also discussed human trafficking in context of the border," Ward said. "He has a proven record of making tough decisions and following through, and that, to me, is what we need in leadership."

Ward said any press trying to dismiss DeSantis's appeal to the grassroots or the base does not know the base at all. "Have they ever tried really talking to people?" she asked. "The only way to try to stop this guy is to make it seem like he can't get off the ground."

An example, she argued, is all the reports trying to label his campaign as dead before it starts. On the same day that DeSantis gave his speech, the Hill reported that DeSantis faced political peril with Trump's indictment, Axios wrote of Republican support surging for Trump after the indictment, and the New York Times questioned if DeSantis is too late to take on Trump.

Ward said she is confident that no one will be able to stop DeSantis.

Currently, Trump leads DeSantis in a series of national polls. However, those in attendance said that once DeSantis announces and takes the gloves off, they expect the Trump advantage to narrow. Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy have already both announced their candidacies for the Republican nomination.

DeSantis did address the indictment that Trump faces this Tuesday, which will remain sealed until he is arrested. Like most Republicans, DeSantis said the historic spectacle appears to be politically motivated.

"Now you have this Manhattan district attorney [who] turns around purely for political purposes and indicts a former president on misdemeanor offenses," DeSantis said to the crowd. "They're straining to try to convert [the charges] into felonies. That is when you know that the law has been weaponized for political purposes."

Many voters at the event said they had voted for Trump in 2016 and 2020 but were keeping an open mind for next year. Several said they believed the recent indictment of Trump for alleged hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels might help him in the beginning, but they aren't as convinced as the press that his martyrdom will have staying power.

As one attendee put it, "Trump did a good job for the country. But he should not be at the top of the ticket. Republicans have to win Georgia, and we have to win Arizona ... We have to have those states to win the presidency as Republicans."

(COMMENT, BELOW)

Salena Zito is a CNN political analyst, and a staff reporter and columnist for the Washington Examiner. She reaches the Everyman and Everywoman through shoe-leather journalism, traveling from Main Street to the beltway and all places in between.
CHARLESTON  During the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Children's Advocacy Center of East Central Illinois moved out of its longtime facility near the courthouse square with little fanfare.

"We had kind of outgrown the space," said Executive Director Robyn Carr of the center, which serves young victims of sexual and/or physical abuse. For example, her own office had needed to double as an observation room where police and Illinois Department of Children and Family Services personnel could use closed circuit cameras to watch interviews with children in a separate room.

The need for more space led the Children's Advocacy Center in August 2020 to move to 119 W. State St. in Charleston, where this not-for-profit organization has been able to spread out in newly remodeled space and utilize a large parking area that it shares with Journey Professional Counseling.

On Friday, the the Children's Advocacy Center held an open house to showcase its office to the public while preparing to kick off events for National Child Abuse Prevent Month in April. The center is also looking ahead later this year to opening a third satellite office, this one in Moultrie County, to help cover its 10-county service area in East Central Illinois.

The Charleston facility offers private interview and observation rooms for monitoring and recording interviews, plus a living room-like sitting area stocked with children's toys for families and a conference room. This site also includes office space for Carr and her five-person staff of crisis interventionists, forensic interviewers and family advocates.

Carr said she and her staff meet with children and their non-offending family or caregivers there to help them with the interview process, make referrals to medical and mental health caregivers, and assist them with navigating through court proceedings if needed.

"It's a complicated system for people who haven't had contact with it," Carr said of court proceedings.

The Children's Advocacy Center staff also can meet with clients at satellite locations in Effingham and Marshall. Carr said they plan to open a satellite location in Moultrie County by December. She said these locations help ease the travel time and expense for clients and for law enforcement.

"We are trying to spread our services around so they are as close to everyone as possible," Carr said, noting that the center served 371 children and families last year.

The grant-funded center provides its advocacy services at no charge to clients with the help of donations and fundraisers, such as the 12th annual Men Who Cook benefit that was held on Feb. 25 at the Lifespan Center in Coles County after being on hiatus during the pandemic.

National Child Abuse Prevent Month events will kick off with fundraisers starting at 11 a.m. Tuesday, April 4, at the Monical's Pizza locations in Charleston, Mattoon and Sullivan. Other fundraisers are planned for 5-8 p.m. April 19 at Dirty's Bar & Grill in Charleston and April 27 at Revival City Donuts in Charleston. A fundraiser is also in the works on June 22 at Tuscan Hills Winery in Effingham.

In addition, the Children's Advocacy Center will take part in the "Together We Can Work to End Child Abuse and Neglect  A Community Conversation about Child Abuse Prevention" at 6 p.m. April 12 at the Effingham Public Library.

Who are they? IL children reported missing as of March 25 These are recent reports of missing children made to local law enforcement. If you think you have seen a missing child, contact the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678).
CHARLESTON  Illinois students are academically lagging behind their peers in other Midwestern states where the schools did not close for as long during the COVID-19 pandemic, said State Sen. Chapin Rose, R-Mahomet.

The Charleston native told his audience at Tuesday's Community Breakfast, presented by the Charleston Area Chamber of Commerce and the Mattoon Chamber of Commerce, that Illinois has a lot of catching up to do recover learning lost during online classes.

"That is going to be a big focus for me, the general assembly and members of both parties, but it has to be done smartly," Rose said. He added that, "There is going to be an incredible focus on that policy-wise and budget-wise going forward."

Rose, who is now representing Coles County again following a recent redrawing of the 51st District, said improving academic performance will require additional "catch up classes," more funding for those classes, shared resources, and many other measures to be successful.

"We are going to have to rethink everything we do at some point to get these kids caught up," Rose said during his presentation at the Unique Suites Hotel in Charleston.

Rose said one encouraging sign for this focus on learning recovering is a new tiered system funding formula for school districts that will direct more money downstate. The state senator said he is also encouraged by the Illinois State Board of Education's new superintendent, Tony Sanders, being a veteran educator who is a "no nonsense, smart, smart guy."

In addition, Rose said "there is a lot of good stuff going on" regarding efforts to make sure students have skills needed to enter the workforce after graduation. Rose noted that he planned to tour the Mattoon school district's LIFT regional high school vocational training center after the breakfast.

LIFT Director McClain Schaefer led Rose as he toured the facility's seven floors, which host classes in childcare; communications; culinary arts and hospitality; HVAC/green energy; information technology; leadership; and manufacturing, architecture, and construction. Participating students can earn dual credit for college, certifications, and industry credentials there.

Rose indicated he was impressed by the workforce potential offered by these programs, noting for example that there is currently shortage of HVAC workers in the area that needs to be filled.

Schaefer said LIFT is working with area school districts to eliminate lack of transportation as a barrier for students to take classes at LIFT. He told Rose that LIFT also would like to find a permanent funding sources to help districts cover LIFT's tuition, currently $1,000 per semester for non-Mattoon students, so more area students can utilize the classes.

"We need a regional hub," Schaefer said, adding that individual school districts cannot offer a wide variety of vocational programs on their own.

Collection: LIFT vocational training center opens for classes Robot in class First group of students Training equipment Robotics student LIFT atrium
After 50 years of operating the University of Nebraska-Lincolns film program, Danny Lee Ladely will be leaving the Ross Media Arts Center in July.

Ladelys departure was termed as retirement in a UNL news release and in an email from College of Fine and Performing Arts Dean Andy Belser to the board of the Friends of the Ross, the theaters support group.

However, a letter given to Ladely by Belser Thursday stated: With regret I am informing you that your position with UN-L Department of Mary Riepma Ross Media Arts Center is being eliminated due to a reorganization as part of a reduction in force, effective July 3, 2023.

As such, Ladely said, his departure is not a retirement.

I definitely got fired, he said. Since they were eliminating my position, I was forced to retire earlier than I had planned. I was going to retire at the end of the calendar year, but I hadnt announced it yet. I was planning on announcing it after my 76th birthday in July.

According to the news release and email, Ross operations will continue as normal after Ladelys departure.

I want to assure you that The Ross will continue to be an important part of the university and the Lincoln community, Belser wrote in the email.

We will continue to program cutting-edge cinema," he said, while promising to continue former Sheldon Art Gallery director Norman Geskes original vision. He said the Geske Cinema Showcase will remain, as will the roster of film screenings offered at The Ross.

In the email, Belser also wrote that he envisions changes in the Ross operations.

We also must look to the future as I believe we have an opportunity to expand the vision of The Ross, Belser wrote.

He said he believes The Ross is positioned to have a greater national and international presence through events and programming that may include things like film festivals, faculty- and student-curated showings, live events, and training for underserved students.

A national search will be conducted to find Ladelys replacement.

Ladely has worked in film exhibition at UNL since its earliest days. While studying photojournalism at UNL, Ladely got involved with the University Program Councils Foreign Film Society, then an experimental film series at the Sheldon Museum of Art.

In 1973, the Sheldon film program was funded to go full-time by New York City attorney Mary Riepma Ross, who served on the University Foundation Board of Trustees.

With the Sheldon program Ladely began showing American independent and foreign language films, building an exhibition schedule that brought a new film that otherwise wouldnt have played Lincoln to the city every two weeks.

At Sheldon, Ladely also developed what has become the Geske showcase, bringing filmmakers and actors to Lincoln. He also organized the Great Plains Film Festivals to showcase regional films and filmmakers which ran through the 1990s.

In 1989, Ross pledged $3.5 million for the construction of a new university film theater, a pledge that became the Mary Riepma Ross Media Arts Center, which opened in 2003 with two theaters, a research library and a film storage archive. The Ross was also the first university theater and one of the first theaters of any kind to have a digital projector.

In 2013, Ross died at the age of 102. From her estate, she left the Ross Media Arts Center an endowment worth $9.5 million, ensuring its continued operation.

We owe Danny a significant debt of gratitude for his exemplary service and dedication to The Ross over these many years, Belser said in email while crediting him for he Rosss national reputation as an independent film showcase in the news release.

16 movies set in Nebraska Bad Grandpa Election About Schmidt Boys Don't Cry Children of the Corn Mr. Woodcock Nebraska Peacock The Indian Runner Heaven is for Real Boys Town The Stand Balls Out: Gary the Tennis Coach Slap Shot 2 Night of the Twisters The Gallows
Tax plan really only helps rich

Im afraid too many are complacent about the legislation being debated now. Please pay attention to the estimates about LB754:

The top 1% of earners ($603,000+) will save an average of $25,626 in tax credits.

Those making $259,000 to $603,00 will save $4,431.

Those making $30,000to $54,000 will save only $111.

The 20% of us making less than $30,000? $20!

The argument: It will attract more rich people to our state.

Our state is already controlled by the wealthy  governor, senators and representatives, and state legislators. This should be flipped so that those who are already here working hard to get by receive the most aid to move into higher income brackets.

Melodee Landis, Lincoln

Dont remove families options

I am a Nebraska native cheering for the brave state senators, young people, and advocates fighting the terrifying and absurd overreach of the Let Them Grow act.

The title alone reveals it as a disturbing farce: Do Nebraskas elected officials know that the Journal of Interpersonal Violence this month reported that evidence suggests that upward of 40% of all trans individuals consider or attempt suicide during adolescence or young adulthood? Do dead children grow?

I am the parent of a 14-year-old and an 11-year-old. This time of life is difficult for all families. Growing up and parenting are two of the hardest, most personal things human beings do. Are Nebraskans interested in making them harder by taking away options?

Are you saying, Sen. Kathleen Kauth, that the mere prospect of one of your children feeling uncomfortable in a locker room should be legislatively pre-empted at the possible expense of another childs life?

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that gender-affirming care be available to young people and opposes legislative bans. Who is the state of Nebraska to disagree and criminalize what could amount to life-saving care?

The resistance being mounted to this bill is as inspiring as its introduction is embarrassing and sad. Children and their families should be left alone to pursue medical care in consultation with their physicians. No other business should get done in the state of Nebraska until those in the states legislative body who seem to disagree regain contact with their humanity.

Kelly Bare, Brooklyn, New York
A 29-year-old parolee who was returned to state custody after allegedly assaulting a man in January now faces new charges for threatening to kill a group of corrections officers at the Nebraska State Penitentiary, investigators alleged in court filings.

A corrections officer was escorting Anthony Hathaway to a holding cell inside the south Lincoln prison Thursday when the Lincoln man threatened to kill prison staff upon his release, which was set for Sunday, according to the court filings.

Hathaway warned the corrections officer that he would "jam out on Sunday, and I know where the parking lot is," said Kurt Kapperman, a criminal investigator employed by the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services, in the affidavit for Hathaway's arrest.

"Just wait til Sunday," Hathaway said, according to the affidavit. "Ill kill all of you."

Instead, Kapperman sought a warrant for Hathaway's arrest Friday. Lancaster County judge Laurie Yardley signed the warrant Tuesday, charging Hathaway with terroristic threats, according to court filings.

The 29-year-old remains in custody at the State Penitentiary.

Four years ago: Photos, videos from catastrophic flooding in Nebraska Flooding in Nickerson, 3.13 Flooding in Wahoo, 3.13 Flooding in Nickerson, 3.13 Flooding in Ashland Area, 3.14 Flooding in Ashland Area, 3.14 Flooding, Ashland Flooding, Hooper Flooding, 3.14 Flooding, 3.14 Flooding, 3.14 Flooding, 3.14 Fremont flooding Rescued in boat Spencer Dam Highway flooding Genoa bridge Stranded cattle Flooding, 3.15 Flooding, 3.15 Tuxedo Park in Crete Platte River flooding at I-80 Flooding near Plattsmouth, 3.16 Peru flooding, 3.17 Peru flooding, 3.17 Peru flooding, 3.17 Peru flooding, 3.17 Peru flooding, 3.17 Peru flooding, 3.17 Peru flooding, 3.17 Peru flooding, 3.17 Rescuing calf in Fullerton Nebraska City flooding Cooper plant Water flowing over levee L575 across the river from Nebraska City in Percival, Iowa Steinhart Grain Terminal at Nebraska City By the numbers
A judge has dismissed the criminal case against former Wahoo police officer Sean Vilmont.

The 52-year-old Fremont man was arrested in Dodge County in 2021 on two charges of third-degree sexual assault of a child and unlawful intrusion on the allegations of a then-13-year-old girl.

In December, District Judge Bryan C. Meismer ruled that state prosecutors couldn't call his teen accuser to testify or use her prior statements at trial because she had failed to comply with discovery, preventing Vilmont from his constitutional right to confront his accuser.

In January, the Nebraska Attorney General's Office amended the charge to a single count of unlawful intrusion, alleging that Vilmont had recorded the girl without her knowledge and consent in a place of privacy.

In a motion to dismiss that followed, defense attorney Jim McCough argued that without testimony from Vilmont's accuser, the state couldn't prove its case.

Assistant Attorney General Corey O'Brien argued he could prove the case through circumstantial evidence.

"However, this court disagrees based upon the specific facts in this case as well as this courts prior ruling," District Judge Geoffrey C. Hall wrote in an order last week.

He determined that the state was unable to introduce admissible evidence at trial to support its contention that Vilmont had violated the law beyond a reasonable doubt, and he dismissed the case.

It since has been sealed.

Vilmont had been with the Wahoo Police Department for more than a decade and had been promoted to second-in-command in 2019. He also had worked for the Ashland Police Department.

Vilmont was put on paid administrative leave as the Nebraska State Patrol investigated the allegation, and he was terminated Sept. 22, 2021, the day charges were filed in Dodge County.
Gov. Jim Pillen's school aid and tax cut plan kept on rolling Monday as lawmakers gave a strong thumbs up to a package of property tax changes worth more than $3 billion over the next six years.

LB243 cleared the first round of consideration on a 41-1 vote, with seven abstentions. The bill, introduced by Sen. Tom Briese of Albion, would increase Nebraskas two property tax credit programs, cap school property tax growth and eliminate almost all community college property taxes.

The package represents the second piece of Pillen's plan to advance. The first piece, which would cut the states top income tax rate by one-third and make other income tax changes, cleared first-round consideration Thursday.

Lawmakers began debate later Monday on a proposal to boost state support for K-12 schools by $305 million annually, with the bulk of the increase going to districts that have the heaviest reliance on property taxes.

Briese said the property tax package would provide "substantial property tax relief for everyday Nebraskans" and encouraged colleagues to "be on the right side of this" when they cast their vote.

"It's a good place to be, supporting the taxpayers of Nebraska," he said.

He said LB243 would provide about the same amount of property tax relief as the income tax package is expected to reduce that tax. He and Sen. Lou Ann Linehan of the Omaha area, who chairs the Revenue Committee, have pledged to continue seeking equivalent tax relief.

Supporters of the package rejected all amendments Monday, including one proposal to direct property tax relief to low-income property owners and another to control the growth of property tax credit programs.

Sen. Carol Blood of Bellevue offered the amendment to create a "circuit-breaker" program, in which tax relief would be triggered when property taxes reached a certain percentage of a property owner's or renter's income. She said the program would help those who most need the help. The amendment was similar to a bill Blood introduced, which remains in committee.

Sen. Wendy DeBoer of Bennington introduced an amendment to cap automatic increases in the amount of state dollars directed into a property tax credit program. Her amendment would allow the program to grow as property valuations grow, up to 5%, which is current law. She argued that the cap would provide some fiscal stability for the state.

Under LB243, the cap would be removed on what is often referred to as the LB1107 program, named for the bill that created it. It provides income tax credits to offset a portion of school property taxes paid.

Briese opposed the amendment, saying that the value of property tax relief would go backward if the 1107 program does not grow along with assessed valuations. He said valuations have averaged 5.3% growth over the past decade, ranging from 1.64% to 11.83% growth.

As advanced, the property tax package also would ratchet up the size of Nebraskas long-standing property tax credit program, which uses state money to offset a portion of property owners bills.

The bill would gradually increase the program from $313 million this year to $560 million by tax year 2029, after which the credit program would grow by the same percentage as the assessed valuation of property statewide.

In addition, the package would limit the growth of school revenues to 3%, with some exceptions, with the goal of forcing schools to reduce property taxes when they get more state aid. Pillen has proposed boosting state school aid by providing $1,500 for every student and paying more to cover special education costs.

Finally, LB243 would end community colleges ability to levy property taxes, except for building needs, starting in 2024. The bill would replace those tax revenues with state aid. State aid to the colleges would increase by 3.5% annually, with additional money available based on enrollment growth. Community colleges could levy property taxes to fill the gap if the state does not meet its funding obligations.

Photos: 2023 Nebraska legislative session
CHICAGO (AP)  Brandon Johnson, a union organizer and former teacher, was elected as Chicago's next mayor Tuesday in a major victory for the Democratic Partys progressive wing as the heavily blue city grapples with high crime and financial challenges.

Johnson, a Cook County commissioner endorsed by the Chicago Teachers Union, won a close race over former Chicago schools CEO Paul Vallas, who was backed by the police union. Johnson, 47, will succeed Lori Lightfoot, the first Black woman and first openly gay person to be the citys mayor.

With about 91% of the vote counted, Johnson had 51.4% to 48.6% for Vallas. More votes will be counted as absentee ballots arrive in the mail.

Lightfoot became the first Chicago mayor in 40 years to lose her reelection bid when she finished third in a crowded February contest.

Johnsons victory in the nation's third-largest city capped a remarkable trajectory for a candidate who was little known when he entered the race last year. He climbed to the top of the field with organizing and financial help from the politically influential Chicago Teachers Union and high-profile endorsements from progressive Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. Sanders appeared at a rally for Johnson in the final days of the race.

Taking the stage Tuesday night for his victory speech, a jubilant Johnson thanked his supporters for helping usher in a new chapter in the history of our city. He promised that under his administration, the city would look out for everyone, regardless of how much money they have, whom they love or where they come from.

Tonight is the beginning of a Chicago that truly invests in all of its people, Johnson said.

Johnson, who is Black, recalled growing up in a poor family, teaching at a school in Cabrini Green, a notorious former public housing complex, and shielding his own young kids from gunfire in their West Side neighborhood.

He referenced civil rights leaders Martin Luther King Jr. and the Rev. Jesse Jackson and called his victory a continuation of their legacies. He also noted that he was speaking on the anniversary of Kings assassination.

Today the dream is alive, Johnson said, and so today we celebrate the revival and the resurrection of the city of Chicago.

It was a momentous win for progressive organizations such as the teachers union, with Johnson winning the highest office of any active teachers union member in recent history, leaders say. For both progressives and the partys more moderate wing, the Chicago race was seen as a test of organizing power and messaging.

Johnson's win also comes as groups such as Our Revolution, a powerful progressive advocacy organization, push to win more offices in local and state office, including in upcoming mayoral elections in Philadelphia and elsewhere.

Vallas, speaking to his own supporters Tuesday night, said that he had called Johnson and that he expected him to be the next mayor. Some in the crowd seemed to jeer the news, but Vallas urged them to put aside differences and support the next mayor in the daunting work ahead.

This campaign that I ran to bring the city together would not be a campaign that fulfills my ambitions if this election is going to divide us, Vallas said.

In a statement, Lightfoot also congratulated Johnson and said her administration will collaborate with his team during the transition.

Johnson and Vallas were the top two vote-getters in the all-Democrat but officially nonpartisan February race, which moved to the runoff because no candidate received over 50%.

On Tuesday, Johnson took many of the predominantly Black southern and western areas where Lightfoot won in February, along with the northern neighborhoods where he was the top-vote getter back then, according to precinct-level results released by election officials. Vallas did well in the northwest and southwest areas that are home to large numbers of city employees, just as he did in February.

The contest surfaced longstanding tensions among Democrats, with Johnson and his supporters blasting Vallas  who was endorsed by Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, the chambers second-ranking Democrat  as too conservative and a Republican in disguise.

Both candidates have deep roots in the Democratic Party, though with vastly different backgrounds and views.

After teaching middle and high school, Johnson helped mobilize teachers, including during a historic 2012 strike through which the Chicago Teachers Union increased its organizing muscle and influence in city politics. That has included fighting for non-classroom issues, such as housing and mental health care.

Vallas, who finished first in the February contest, was the only white candidate in that nine-person field. A former Chicago budget director, he later led schools in Chicago, New Orleans, Philadelphia and Bridgeport, Connecticut.

Among the biggest disputes between Johnson and Vallas was how to address crime. Like many U.S. cities, Chicago saw violent crime increase during the COVID-19 pandemic, hitting a 25-year high of 797 homicides in 2021, though the number decreased last year and the city has a lower murder rate than others in the Midwest, such as St. Louis.

Vallas, 69, said he would hire hundreds more police officers, while Johnson said he didnt plan to cut the number of officers, but that the current system of policing isnt working. Johnson was forced to defend past statements expressing support for defunding police  something he insisted he would not do as mayor.

But Johnson argued that instead of investing more in policing and incarceration, the city should focus on mental health treatment, affordable housing for all and jobs for youth. He has proposed a plan he says will raise $800 million by taxing ultrarich individuals and businesses, including a per-employee head tax on employers and an additional tax on hotel room stays.

That plan is no sure thing, as some members of the City Council and the state Legislature  whose support would be needed  already have expressed opposition.

Resident Chema Fernandez, 25, voted for Johnson as an opportunity to move on from what he described as the politics of old. He said he saw Vallas as being in line with previous mayors such as Rahm Emanuel, Lightfoot and Richard M. Daley, who haven't worked out great for places like his neighborhood on the southwest side, which has seen decades of disinvestment.

I think we need to give the opportunity for policies that may actually change some of our conditions, Fernandez said.
GENOA CITY  Lets be honest, who among us didnt yearn for a chance to maybe throw a whip cream pie at a teacher or two growing up?

For most, that chance never materialized.

But for a gymnasium full of eager elementary schoolchildren, that day to deliver a sugary snack to the face of their favorite teacher or administrator came March 24 with the culmination of this years American Heart Association Kids Heart Challenge at Brookwood Elementary School.

Brookwoods effort, led by physical education teacher Briana Brenek, led to its best year with the Kids Heart Challenge, as the 200-plus students and their families raised $20,598.57. A total of 144 children participated, with around 30 who raised $250 or more having the chance to pie their favorite staff member.

To date, Brookwood Elementary students have raised more than $110,000 in the Kids Heart Challenge since it joined forces with the American Heart Association seven years ago.

And judging by the squeals of excitement from the young students as they saw their classmates projected on a large screen for their fundraising efforts, it couldnt have been more entertaining.

Brenek, who has volunteered with the AHA the past 10 years, was proud of the campaigns success.

Its just been a great opportunity to be able to introduce helping others and heart health to my own students, she said. This day just kind of seals the deal in the whole two months weve been talking about heart health, brain health and helping people. Its just a fun celebration. I love it. Even the kids who didnt get to pie a teacher, they just get very excited about their classmates.

By the numbers, Brookwood had 38 students complete Finns Mission, which is named for Finn Collier, a young man who was born with a congenital heart disease and to date has had 18 major surgeries. Finn has long been one of the American Heart Associations Heart Warriors.

The mission includes 10 steps that helps students learn heart-healthy habits while also supporting the American Heart Associations mission. From that mission, 61 Brookwood students completed a challenge for being kind, while another 83 completed one for moving more.

And the curriculum isnt just physical education based, Brenek said.

We work with the science teacher as well, so when Im teaching heart health, so is she, she said. We show them what the real heart looks like. We talk about the different ways to keep the heart healthy, they also learn about the importance of nutrition, good sleep and drinking water.

Every Heart Hero has a different message for them. They bring that up all the time and talk about it.

As a school, a total of 45 families learned hands-only CPR  a vital skill for people of all ages, Brenek said.

Its very important, she said. I dont think my kindergartners are going to be doing that, but at least theyre introduced to what it is and its importance.

District Administrator Drew Halbesma and Principal Luke Braden said the event  and the schools relationship with the American Heart Association  were an unbridled success.

Halbesma, in his first year as administrator, took three pies to the face. He credited Brenek, who enjoyed seven pies herself, for spearheading the schools efforts.

I think its great, he said. Briana really organizes it. She does a great job of making it a full community effort to raise money for such a great cause. It really brings the community together. Theyre all in it for a common goal.

Whats also nice about it is, if kids dont have the means to monetarily donate, they can still gain those points and (participate). Its a really cool thing.

Just the responsibility of it, some of the great lessons that Briana was able to do, the physical activity, the healthy lifestyle, its a wonderful thing to really introduce our kids to at this early age, Halbesma said.

Braden, a popular choice of her students for taking a pie in the face, echoed his superintendents sentiments.

Its definitely a learning event that goes to a great cause, he said. Its tying those things together, and Briana does a great job implementing it and layering it into the physical education curriculum as well.  Its really all-encompassing, and its a win-win situation for all. It teaches the kids how to give back and be part of something bigger ... Youre not doing this to win a little prize, youre doing this for the bigger idea. She brings it back to that. She does a wonderful job.
RACINE  An Amazon employee has been accused of fraudulently using Amazon fuel cards.

Jario E. Reyes Palencia, 43, of the 3600 block of South 22nd Street, Milwaukee, was charged with a felony count of theft in a business setting between $5,000-$10,000.

According to a criminal complaint, in March investigators spoke with an Amazon employee about fraudulent use of Amazon fuel cards between December and February.

The employee reportedly said that workers had permission to use Amazons fuel cards for company delivery trucks, but not for personal use.

The complaint said an investigator learned that Palencia allegedly had used the cards to get gas at three different locations totaling $6,556.64.

Palencia reportedly admitted that he began to use the fuel card for his personal use about seven months earlier, and that he obtained other employees PINs to conduct the scheme.

Palencia was given a $1,000 signature bond in Racine County Circuit Court on Friday. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for April 19 at the Racine County Law Enforcement Center, online court records show.

Mugshots: Racine County criminal complaints, March 31, 2023 Today's mugshots: March 31 These are images of people charged with a crime in Racine County. Booking photos are provided by Racine County law enforcement officials. A defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty and convicted. Dallas David Gomez Dallas David Gomez, 500 block of Sixth Street, Racine, obstructing an officer, resisting an officer, possession of drug paraphernalia. Dontrel M. Hunter Dontrel M. Hunter, 1400 block of Douglas Avenue, Racine, first degree recklessly endangering safety, discharging a firearm from a vehicle (towards a building or vehicle), felony bail jumping, misdemeanor bail jumping. Nico Q. Prince Nico (aka Chezmun Kanzery McBearth) Q. Prince, 7200 block of Kinzie Avenue, Mount Pleasant, threat to a law enforcement officer, throw or discharge bodily fluids at public safety worker, possession of THC, felony bail jumping. Jairo E. Reyes Palencia Jairo E. Reyes Palencia, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, theft (business setting, between $5,000-$10,000). Jerry Armando Rivera Jr. Jerry Armando Rivera Jr., 1600 block of Hamilton Street, Racine, carry handgun where alcohol is sold and consumed, misdemeanor bail jumping. Emillio V. Rodriguez Emillio V. Rodriguez, 400 block of Lake Avenue, Racine, manufacture/deliver THC (less than or equal to 200 grams), maintaining a drug trafficking place, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession with intent to deliver/distribute/manufacture THC (less than or equal to 200 grams). Antonio L. Turner Antonio L. Turner, Racine, felony retail theft (intentionally take between $500-$5,000), retail theft (alter price less than or equal to $500). Christopher A. Williams Christopher A. Williams, 1800 block of Blake Avenue, Racine, felony bail jumping, misdemeanor retail theft (intentionally take less than or equal to $500), felony retail theft (intentionally take between $5,000-$10,000), possession of drug paraphernalia. Jessika Alexandria Tobias Jessika Alexandria Tobias, 1500 block of Wolff Street, Racine, misdemeanor theft, misdemeanor bail jumping. Christopher John Jones Christopher John Jones, Kansasville, Wisconsin, operating with restricted controlled substance in blood (4th offense, general alcohol concentration enhancer). Bobby A. Martz Bobby A. Martz, 2800 block of North Main Street, Racine, disorderly conduct (domestic abuse assessments), misdemeanor bail jumping (domestic abuse assessments). Josue Chavez Aranda Josue Chavez Aranda, 2100 block of Racine Street, Mount Pleasant, operating without a license (2nd offense within 3 years).
1. Yes. Police officers should be the only ones armed in the council chambers. Period.

2. Yes. Such a ban is allowed by state law, and the city council should consider it .

3. No. The possibility of violence is always present, but disarming everyone isnt the answer.

4. No. Its unwise to change the city ordinance based on one unfortunate incident.

5. Unsure. Some steps must be taken, but its hard to say if a gun ban is necessary.

Vote

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KEARNEY  Kelly Bartling stood at the podium inside a packed room at the Younes Conference Center as the Nebraska Cultural Unity Conference got underway Friday morning.

She asked the audience to pause for a moment and look around.

You are the future, she said.

For the past two decades, the University of Nebraska at Kearney has brought students from diverse backgrounds together to share this message and inspire the next generation of leaders.

Were proud to host this conference where we celebrate you and the opportunities that you will have to make Nebraska a stronger state and make our country and our world a better place, said Bartling, vice chancellor for enrollment management and marketing at UNK. That may sound like a lot, but we know that youre capable of it.

About 500 students and staff from high schools and colleges across Nebraska and Kansas attended the Nebraska Cultural Unity Conference, a UNK event that promotes leadership, higher education and professional development through a variety of workshops and activities.

Students participated in breakout sessions, learned about UNK departments and academic programs and listened to a keynote address from Latino actor Pepe Serna, whos appeared in hundreds of movies and television shows during his decades-long career. Current and former Lopers also shared their success stories.

Its amazing to have a conference like this where youre a high school student and you can see the possibility of going to college, even if its not really in your background or its not really something thats been a family tradition, but its something that you want because you know thats what can make you successful, said Manuel Andazola, a teacher at Bryan Elementary School in Lexington.

Andazola attended UNK when the Nebraska Cultural Unity Conference was getting off the ground. As the conference chair and president of the Hispanic Student Association, he raised money to support the fledgling event and visited area high schools to drum up interest among students.

A lot has changed since those early years, when attendance was a little over 100.

This is beautiful, Andazola said Friday while standing inside the Younes Conference Center. This is the dream all of us had when we started this conference.

A first-generation college student and charter member of the Sigma Lambda Beta multicultural fraternity, Andazola earned a bachelors degree in elementary education with an English as a second language (ESL) endorsement in 2008. He was among the more than 60 alumni who returned for the conferences 20th anniversary.

Out of all these students, if one of them goes to college, then weve met our purpose of what this conference is supposed to do, Andazola said. Its not only making our communities a better place, but its making everything better for future generations.

Like Andazola, Enedina Manriquez Camarena is also a first-generation college graduate whose family came to the United States for a better life.

Because of financial concerns, the DACA recipient didnt know whether shed be able to attend college; however, that changed when she received a scholarship from the Office of Student Diversity and Inclusion. Manriquez Camarena was involved in numerous organizations and events during her time at UNK, including the Nebraska Cultural Unity Conference.

Ive come a long way because of the people at UNK and this conference who pushed me and helped me achieve my goals, said Manriquez Camarena, who earned a bachelors degree in Spanish education with an ESL endorsement in 2019 and a masters degree in school counseling last December.

Manriquez Camarena currently works as a counselor at Omaha South High School. She brought 30 students to last weeks conference, introducing them to the same support system she had.

I want my students to see how important it is for them to seek opportunities, especially in higher education, and feel like they have a community here, she said.
BEATRICE  Nebraska Press Women will hold their Spring Conference 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 22 at the Homestead National Monument Education Center in Beatrice.

The public is invited.

Morning speakers will be author Alan J. Bartels, former editor of NebraskaLife magazine, and Carol Lomicky, professor emerita in journalism at the University of Nebraska at Kearney.

Bartels' topic, "How not to become a writer," will include an update on his second book, "100 Things to Do in the Nebraska Sandhills Before You Die," which will be published in September.

Lomicky will speak on "Newspapers: Gone Like the Buffalo?" and focus on what newspaper mergers, acquisitions and closures mean for local communities.

NPW High School Communications Contest winners will be recognized at lunch.

Afternoon speaker LuAnn Schindler of Clearwater will discuss launching a new weekly newspaper, the Summerland Advocate-Messenger, in 2019. She was honored by the National Federation of Press Women as its national communicator of achievement last June.

A 6 p.m. banquet is planned at the Black Crow restaurant. Mary Hepburn, a longtime columnist for the North Platte Telegraph, and the late Linda Beerman, a TV broadcaster from Lincoln, will be inducted into the Marian Andersen Nebraska Womens Journalism Hall of Fame.

Registrations are $70 per person for the full day (including dinner) or $40 for the day program only (lunch and speakers).

Register at nebraskapresswomen.org, or send checks made out to Nebraska Press Women by 5 p.m. April 18 to NPW Treasurer Lori Potter at 4437 Parkwood Lane, Kearney, NE 68845.

The Victorian Inn and My Place Hotel, both in Beatrice, are offering $109 per night rates to NPW conference attendees.
Lincoln High teacher Renee Jones said her tenure as the state's teacher of the year has not been without "obstacles," indirectly referring to 
EDITORS NOTE: On Monday, readers saw how KAAPA Co-op investors took a large risk in forming their organization 20 years ago. Today's story highlights how KAAPA's growth has diversified assets to place KAAPA on a bold course for the future.

MINDEN  Maybe the best way to describe KAAPA Ethanol's history is to start with the raw product. Corn first was processed into ethanol in November 2003 at a new plant a few miles west of Minden.

Just as one small kernel grows into a much larger cornstalk over time, the kernel of an idea by south-central Nebraska farmer-investors to build one ethanol plant to reap more value from the corn they grew has grown and matured the past 20 years.

Today's KAAPA Ethanol Holdings LLC, headquartered since 2020 in a southeast Kearney building constructed at the site of the old Grandpa's Steakhouse, is a huge player in the ethanol industry. Its subsidiaries, joint ventures and financial investments are:

Nebraska ethanol plants  Owner of KAAPA Ethanol Minden LLC and KAAPA Ethanol Ravenna LLC. Operator of the Aurora Co-op's plant under a new KAAPA Partners Aurora LLC agreement.

Grain and marketing  Owner of KAAPA Grains LLC elevator at Elm Creek and KAAPA Ethanol Commodities LLC, which originates corn purchases for ethanol plants and sells the co-product, distillers grains, to livestock producers. Among 20-plus owners of the Renewable Products Marketing Group.

Out of state  Part owner of ethanol plants at Janesville, Minnesota; Lima, Ohio; and Hankinson, North Dakota. Part owner of a rail-to-truck terminal at Lawrenceville, Georgia.

"We're not big just for big's sake," said KAAPA Holdings Chief Executive Officer Chuck Woodside, who has been with KAAPA since Minden plant construction started in October 2002. "We're getting big by taking advantage of good opportunities ... and we're expanding in fields that we know and are good at."

The latest example is the agreement finalized Feb. 10 for a joint venture with Aurora Cooperative Elevator Company for its ethanol plant. "We have complete operating control that includes buying the corn, selling the distillers grains and plant management," Woodside said.

After KAAPA purchased the Ravenna plant from Abengoa Bioenergy in September 2016, approximately $50 million worth of improvements were made in the next 12 to 15 months to bring operations, efficiencies and logistics up to a "KAAPA comfortable" level.

Woodside said a similar significant investment is planned for upgrades to the Aurora Co-op plant. The work may require some plant down time, probably in late summer.

With a workforce of 150 in Nebraska now, KAAPA has specialists in areas such as engineering, project management, marketing and logistics. Woodside said acquiring "some depth and some bench strength" has prepared the team to make the Aurora plant improvements.

Combined, the Minden, Ravenna and upgraded Aurora plants will grind up to 110 million bushels of corn each year, or approximately 5% of Nebraska's harvest. Woodside said those bushels can be processed into 320 million gallons of ethanol and 2.5 million tons of distillers grains.

KAAPA board members and shareholders have been opportunistic the past 20 years because they continue to be optimistic about the ethanol industry, he said. One reason is growing interest in reducing transportation carbon emissions to address climate change.

California is the destination for all of Minden's ethanol and most of Ravenna's production, with transportation via 110-car trains on the BNSF Railway. Railcars  each can carry 28,800 gallons  are leased by the Renewable Products Marketing Group for its owners.

"Seven percent of the ethanol used in California in 2021 came from the Minden and Ravenna plants because it's low-carbon fuel. That sentiment is only growing," Woodside said, and creating opportunities to use ethanol in sustainable aviation fuels and the carbon dioxide from its production in "green" chemicals, even fertilizer.

"It's fuel and more going forward ... and we have the ideal product for that," he added.

Another ethanol benefit over oil is having a sustainable American raw product. "We've never sent troops to protect a cornfield as far as I know," Woodside said.

No one involved with KAAPA Ethanol when that first batch of fuel was processed at the Minden plant imagined the company as it is today. However, one thing is certain now.

There will be a celebration at the Minden plant in November  sometime after the 2023 corn harvest is completed  to celebrate the 20th anniversary.
US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy / Reuters-Yonhap



U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy will host a meeting in California on Wednesday with Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen, his office said, part of a sensitive U.S. stopover that has drawn Chinese threats of retaliation.



China, which claims democratically ruled Taiwan as its own territory, has repeatedly warned U.S. officials not to meet Tsai. She is on her first U.S. stopover since 2019, though Taiwanese presidents have regularly made such trips.



"On Wednesday, April 5th, Speaker Kevin McCarthy will be hosting a bipartisan meeting with the President of Taiwan at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library," his office said in a statement.



The announcement is official confirmation of what had been a widely anticipated meeting.



It will be the first between a Taiwanese leader and a U.S. House of Representatives Speaker on U.S. soil, although it is seen as a potentially less provocative alternative to McCarthy visiting Taiwan, something he has said he hopes to do.



The White House has urged China to not use Tsai's "normal" stopover in the United States as a pretext to increase aggressive activity against Taiwan.



"During transits through the U.S., the President engages with American friends, in line with past precedents," Taiwan's de facto embassy in Washington said without elaborating when asked about the meeting. (Reuters)




A traditional artist performs "sangmo nori," or spinning streamer hat, to welcome an eight-member delegation from the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) in front of Busan Station in the southeastern port city of Busan. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul



Three presentations, venue studies, cultural events await Paris team



By Ko Dong-hwan



BUSAN  An inspection team from the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) arrived in Busan, Tuesday, to assess the southern port city's ability to host World Expo 2030.



The BIE Enquiry Mission kicked off its three-day survey of the city that faces stiff competition from Saudi Arabia's Riyadh, Italy's Rome and Ukraine's Odesa to host the Expo.



Arriving at Busan Station via KTX high-speed rail from Seoul on Tuesday morning, the delegation was met by 5,500 residents outside the train station welcoming the eight high-profile dignitaries. Busan Mayor Park Heong-joon escorted the team to Eurasia Platform, a public square in front of the train station, where they were met by the welcoming crowd.





Eurasia Platform in front of Busan Station is teeming with people ahead of the arrival of the Bureau International des Expositions Enquiry Mission traveling to the port city from Seoul, Tuesday. Some 5,500 people packed the public square to welcome the inspection team from Paris. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul







Led by Patrick Specht, BIE Administration and Budget Committee president, the delegation's outdoor priority of the day was visiting Eulsuk Island in the Nakdong River estuary. They studied how the maritime environment there is being preserved. Dealing with natural settings wisely and sustainably to protect them from the impact of the climate crisis is part of the standards international observers expect from World Expo hosts.



After a luncheon at the Nakdong Estuary Eco Center, the delegation received the country's second presentation about "sustainable living with nature." The presentation explained why Busan seeks to host World Expo 2030 under the slogan "Transforming Our World, Navigating Toward a Better Future." The delegation watched how the Expo is planned to take place also in the metaverse, replicating its physical spaces and thus support people from across the world to join the event online.





Members of the BIE Enquiry Mission watch a swan being released into the wild at Nakdong estuary on Eulsuk Island in western Busan, Tuesday. The injured bird was captured and treated before being released into the wild. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul



It was followed by a tour around an ecological park on the island. The delegation had a chance to witness the release back into the wild of animals that were rehabilitated after being found injured.



Wrapping up their schedule on the island, the delegation moved to Signiel Busan, a hotel some 30 kilometers east in the city's coastal district of Haeundae, the home of the signature tourism hotspot Haeundae Beach. The journey from Eulsuk Island to the hotel was made along the highways that connect the city's southern coastal islands with a scenic view of the country's southern waters. The drive is well-known among tourists to the country's biggest port city.





Busan Mayor Park Heong-joon delivers a welcome speech for the BIE Enquiry Mission during a dinner banquet at Signiel Busan, Tuesday. Yonhap
Ulziibat Battulga, left, CEO of Foodville Farm LLC, and Kim Dong-jeon, CEO of Mom's Touch&Co., pose for the camera after a signing ceremony in Seoul in this photo provided by the company, April 4. Yonhap



Korean chicken burger chain Mom's Touch said Tuesday it inked a master franchise agreement with Mongolia's Foodville Farm LLC, in its first steps to enter the central Asian country.



Foodville Farm is an independent company established by the local franchise operator Monbakery LLC to expand the Mom's Touch brand in Mongolia. The company operates the Korean coffee franchise Caffe Bene and bakery chain Tous les Jours in the Asian country.



The Korean chicken burger franchise said it has decided to enter Mongolia due to the country's rapid economic growth, a relatively young population and a growing interest among Mongolians in Korean food, and products from K-pop and the broader Korean Wave.



Experts said the Korean Wave generated by K-pop and TV dramas could turn fans in foreign countries into active consumers of Korean products.



Mom's Touch's first Mongolian restaurant is set to open in the first half of this year. The company plans to add more than five stores by the end of the year, it said. (Yonhap)


When a loved one is terminally ill, there are many important and difficult decisions to make. Working with end-of-life hospice experts can make the last months, weeks or days of life easier and more comfortable. It can also provide needed support for families losing a loved one.

St. Croix Hospice recently opened a branch office in Chippewa Falls that will serve Chippewa, Clark, Dunn, Eau Claire and Taylor counties. St. Croix Hospice has been serving this region for years, and its Chippewa Falls branch puts local staff closer to the community they serve in the Chippewa Valley.

What is hospice?

Considered the model for compassionate care for people facing a life-limiting illness, hospice care provides medical care, pain management and emotional and spiritual support, according to the National Hospice & Palliative Care Organization. Hospice care typically is covered by Medicare and Medicaid.

Hospice focuses on caring, not curing. Hospice services are available to patients with any terminal illness.

It's more than just the final weeks or days of life. Generally, we can admit anybody with a prognosis of six months or less (to live), said Greg Eisold, manager of clinical services at the St. Croix Hospice, Chippewa Falls branch. Honestly, we really want to get in sooner rather than later because it's like we have a very unique spot in health care where we get to take care of the entire person.

Eisold said hospice caregivers treat the whole person and spend quality time with their patients, which is not always the case with other medical caregivers who face the hustle and bustle of busy practices or emergency room medicine.

He said the new St. Croix Hospice branch in Chippewa Falls, which opened earlier this year, offers eight nurses  including five case managers, two on-call nurses and one admissions nurse. The on-call nurse covers most of the overnight and weekend calls, and the regular staff see patients five days out of the week. The nursing staff manages patients both in someones home or in facilities.

St. Croix Hospice also employs a social worker, chaplain and massage therapist, and Eisold said he hopes to hire a music therapist.

Aging population

The need for hospice care in Wisconsin is on the rise.

The U.S. Bureau of the Census, American Community Survey from 2017 to 2021 showed that Wisconsin had almost 1 million people age 65 and older. Of those, 290,620 lived alone.

The 2019 U.S. Census showed that those age 65 and older accounted for 17.5% of Wisconsins overall population. Chippewa County has 18.8% of its population that is age 65 and older.

Wisconsin hospice use among Medicare decedents reached 55.1% in 2018, compared to a national average of 50.3%, according to the National Hospice & Palliative Care Organization. This was the eighth highest rate in the nation that year.

Offering care

Someone said it was about living. It even chokes me up a little because you stop having the focus be about going to the hospital, or aggressively treating something. And its just like, hey, let's get back to you being as comfortable as possible and living a little bit of life, whatever that looks like, Eisold said. That has nothing to do with giving up. It's just making more of every moment that you do have left.

Eisold said he is passionate about providing hospice care to the Chippewa community that he is connected to. He grew up in the Chippewa Valley and got his education at Chippewa Valley Technical College.

I've never had a more rewarding career because we have people that truly care," Eisold said. "I've never seen so many people that are just willing to step up and always put the patient first and make sure that not only the patient but the family feels well cared for.

St. Croix Hospice caregivers typically provide support to a patients family for 13 months after the patient has died.

Just to make sure to check in at those hard times; those anniversaries, birthdays, holidays, just to make sure that they are able to get back on their feet and also connecting them with programs to help them in their grief and just the entire bereavement process, Eisold said. We're just giving that little bit of extra on top of the care that they're already receiving from their loved ones or from their facilities.

We definitely want to meet them where they're at.

St. Croix Hospice operates in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wisconsin. Learn more about St. Croix in Chippewa Falls at www.stcroixhospice.com/chippewa-falls-wi.

Marshfield Clinic Lake Hallie Center will discontinue urgent care services in May Marshfield Clinic Lake Hallie Center will be discontinuing urgent care services after May 19.
The 88th Readiness Division headquartered at Fort McCoy and Fort Snelling, Minnesota, hosted a Meet Your Army Reserve recruiting event at Fort McCoy March 30. More than 20 students and teachers from around Wisconsin engaged in training simulation and hands-on experiences.

The students were greeted at the Medical Simulation Training Center by Maj. Gen. Matthew Baker, 88th RD commanding general, civilian aide to the Secretary of the Army for Wisconsin Maj. Gen. (ret.) Marcia Anderson, and Lt. Col. Jim Lavelle, representing U.S. Army Garrison Fort McCoy.

The group observed portions of the Army Reserve Medical Command Best Warrior Competition then moved to Regional Training Site-Medical for hands-on medical simulation training.

Next they transitioned to the Simulations Training Complex, where military equipment and historical/informational displays shared more about Army Reserve opportunities. Lunch was an experience for the group to prepare their own meals, ready to eat.

Soldiers from the 181st Multi-Functional Training Brigade supported the event, taking rotations from the group in high-mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicles for a ride through the wheeled-vehicle driving course. When returning from the course, students viewed the new joint light tactical vehicle, the vehicle designated to replace the Humvee.

The event concluded with a virtual experience for students in the Warrior Skills Trainer, where they were able to be behind the virtual wheel of a Humvee.

Amanda Hoppe-Meyer, a teacher from Mosinee High School, shared some of her thoughts after the event.

The most valuable thing I learned today is that the Army can provide almost any kind of training and experience for those willing to meet the challenge of service, she said. Each person I met was proud to share their experience in the Army and how it has benefited them  this wasnt something for students to read online or a commercialit was real and honest feedback from people who have lived (or are living) it.

Hoppe-Meyer stressed the importance of educator awareness of all options available to students.

It is the responsibility of educators to help students prepare to be productive, successful citizens of our ever-changing global community, Hoppe-Meyer said. Part of this responsibility is providing an opportunity to explore ALL post-secondary options, including the military. Educators (and students) attending this event can see (and experience) firsthand how todays Army can help them pursue their personal passions while being a part of something much larger.

The Meet Your Army Reserve event was the first of its kind at Fort McCoy. The 88th Readiness Division collaborated with recruiters from the Milwaukee U.S. Army Recruiting Battalion and are eager to host another event in the future. Interested students, educators or counselors should reach out to their local Army or Army Reserve recruiters.
Fort McCoy family member Isabella Hilt has been named the 2023 Wisconsin Military Youth of the Year by Boys & Girls Clubs of America for her leadership, service, academic excellence and dedication to live a healthy lifestyle.

The Youth of the Year title is a prestigious honor bestowed upon an exemplary young person in recognition of leadership, service, academic excellence and dedication to live a healthy lifestyle. Now in its 76th year, the program honors the nations most awe-inspiring young people on their path to great futures.

As the Wisconsin Military Youth of the Year, Hilt will serve as an ambassador for all teens in the state, receive a $2,500 college scholarship from Boys & Girls Clubs of America and go on to contend for the regional Youth of the Year and ultimately the national title.

Bonnie Hilt, Fort McCoys resource management officer and Isabellas mother, described how proud she is of her daughters hard work to earn the title.

I am so proud of Isabella, Bonnie said. She definitely earned this. She had to write essays, a resume, a cover letter, and a speech, and she had to receive letters of recommendation. She did this all while maintaining straight As, being in show choir, competing in forensics, being a leader in the school WEB (Where Everybody Belongs) program, being in the school musical, helping with the elementary school musical, participating in a solo and ensemble competition, taking voice lessons, and the list goes on and on. She was interviewed and gave her speech to a panel of judges, and she left a positive impression on all of them. I am in awe of this girl  so proud to be her mom!

Being named Youth of the Year is a lifelong honor, Boys & Girls Clubs of America leaders state. As the Wisconsin Military Youth of the Year, Hilt will serve as a spokesperson for kids and teens across the state who face the many unique challenges associated with military life.

Founded in 1947 as Boys & Girls Clubs of Americas premier youth recognition program, Youth of the Year recognizes outstanding contributions to a members family, school, community, and Boys & Girls Club.

Youth of the Year representatives are the workforce leaders, innovators, and problem-solvers of tomorrow, Boys & Girls Clubs of America officials said.

Later this year, Hilt will compete for the title of Midwest Region Military Youth of the Year and an additional $20,000 college scholarship. Five regional winners will advance to the National Youth of the Year event for the title of National Military Youth of the Year. The final stage of the journey, National Youth of the Year, presents the opportunity to receive an additional scholarship of $50,000 and a new car.

For more information about the Youth of the Year program, visit youthoftheyear.org.
The Vernon County Sheriffs Office, in cooperation with the Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), will participate in National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, April 22.

Sheriff Roy Torgerson will have an officer at the Stoddard Village Hall at 180 N. Main St., Stoddard, on April 22, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Other locations in Vernon County will be held by the Viroqua Police Department, Hillsboro Police Department and the Coon Valley Police Department.

Now is a great time to clean out your medicine cabinet and safely dispose of your unwanted or expired medications, said Attorney General Josh Kaul. Whether you dispose of unwanted medications at a Drug Take Back event or permanent drug drop box near you, we can each do our part in the fight against the opioid epidemic.

This effort will continue to bring focus to the issue of prescription medication or drug abuse in Wisconsin. Drug Take Back Day provides a safe, convenient, and responsible means of disposal, while also educating the community about the potential abuse and consequences of improper storage and disposal of these medications. Find your nearest drug disposal location: www.doseofrealitywi.gov

Unused or expired medicine should never be flushed or poured down the drain. Water reclamation facilities are not designed to remove all pharmaceuticals and trace amounts are showing up in rivers and lakes.

GuidelinesAll waste pharmaceuticals must be generated by a household  no businesses are allowed.

Bring: Prescription (controlled and non-controlled) and over-the-counter medications, ointments, patches, inhalers, non-aerosol sprays, creams, vials and pet medications. Vape pens or other e-cigarette devices (batteries removed).

Do Not Bring: Illegal drugs, needles/sharps, acids, aerosol cans, bio-hazardous materials (anything containing a bodily fluid or blood), personal care products (shampoo, soaps, lotions, sunscreens), household hazardous waste (paint, pesticides, oil, gas), mercury thermometers.

Participants may dispose of solid, non-liquid medication(s) by removing the medication from its container and disposing of it directly into a disposal box or into a clear sealable plastic bag. Plastic pill containers should not be collected. Blister packages without the medications being removed are acceptable.

Liquids will be accepted during this initiative. However, the liquids, creams and sprays must be in their original packaging. Liquids without the original packaging will not be accepted.

Illicit substances such as marijuana or methamphetamine are not a part of this initiative and should not be placed in collection containers.

Community members are also reminded that many drug disposal boxes are open year-round.
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A 19-year-old La Crosse man accused of harboring a suspect implicated in a 2022 homicide in La Crosse has avoided additional jail time.

Jakob R. Moran pleaded guilty Monday in La Crosse County Circuit Court to a single felony charge of harboring a felon. Judge Ramona Gonzalez sentenced Moran to 12 months probation.

Two charges of bail jumping were dismissed. The sentence leaves Morans conviction eligible for expungement if he successfully completes probation.

Moran was arrested July 15, 2022, after he was reportedly in the same vehicle with Jackson Greengrass, 18, La Crosse. Greengrass was being sought by law enforcement in connection with the fatal May 22, 2022, shooting of 17-year-old Storm Vondrashek of La Crosse.

Greengrass faces felony charges of attempted first-degree intentional homicide and party to a crime of felony murder/battery and misdemeanor charges of possessing a dangerous weapon while younger than 18, intentionally pointing a firearm at a person and obstructing an officer. He reportedly accompanied Vondrashek to the 1900 S. Seventh St. address where the shooting occurred.

Prosecutors contend that Greengrass helped trigger an armed confrontation that ended when Sage Hicke, 18, Ontario, shot Vondrashek in the neck.

Hicke faces a first-degree intentional homicide charge with a trial set to begin July 31. He is free on a $10,000 cash bond.

Greengrass is being held in the La Crosse County Jail on a $20,000 cash bond. His case has a plea hearing set for June 20.

Moran spent 27 days in the La Crosse County Jail before posting a $2,000 cash bond.

A second person accused of harboring Greengrass, 19-year-old Sarah T. Thesing of La Crescent, Minnesota, has pleaded not guilty. Her case has yet to be resolved, and she is free on a $1,000 signature bond.

Today in history: April 4 1949: North Atlantic Treaty 1968: Martin Luther King Jr 1973: World Trade Center 1974: Hank Aaron 1983: Space Shuttle Challenger 1991: John Heinz 2011: Khalid Sheik Mohammed 2012: Danziger Bridge 2021: Stanford Women's Basketball
SPRING VALLEY, New York  Klever Ortega and Cristina Lema had a good life until COVID-19 crippled Ecuadors economy.

Ortega was a house-painting contractor and there was work until demand dried up in the pandemic. The entrepreneurial couple launched a pair of food stands. Then the pandemic hit those, too, Lema said.

With unemployment, instability and crime rising, they decided to leave for the U.S., following many friends, family and acquaintances.

We used to hear it in the street: They left. Look who else abandoned their business and took off, Lema said. Thats when we, too, told ourselves, We arent earning enough to survive or pay debts.

Ecuador  long known for remarkably low rates of crime, despite sitting in South Americas cocaine heartland  is earthquake-prone and has been struggling economically, fighting higher violence and losing its people in record numbers. Like Ortega and Lema, many are headed to the U.S.; the number of Ecuadorians detained near the border with Mexico has spiked.

Biden administration policies introduced in January have sharply reduced illegal U.S. border crossings by targeting migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela and getting Mexico to take them back. Migrants from Ecuador and some other countries dont face the same hurdles, and are generally allowed to stay in the U.S. while they pursue asylum  part of the piecemeal nature of U.S. immigration policy.

The journey can be perilous. In February, a bus crash in Panama killed dozens of migrants, many from Ecuador, as they plunged off a hillside after crossing the notorious Darien Gap from Colombia. More recently, a fire at a detention center in the border city Ciudad Juarez killed at least 39 migrants, almost all from Guatemala, Honduras, Venezuela and El Salvador.

The administration wants to be able to send all migrants back to Mexico if they travel through that country to reach the U.S. border, cross illegally and dont qualify for exemptions. That proposal, though almost certain to face legal challenges, may be a serious deterrent for Ecuadorians and other non-Mexicans.

In Ecuador, the economy has been further damaged by strikes against government cutbacks. The economic woes fueled a rise first in minor crimes by those who couldnt get by. Over time, violent crime escalated too  worsened by the countrys proximity to the cocaine trade.

Violence got so bad that you couldnt walk peacefully in the street, Ortega said at his familys new apartment in Spring Valley, New York, where they arrived last year.

Ecuadorians dominated the mix of migrants detained by Mexico for the first time in January, according to the Washington Office on Latin America. The reports from Mexico of migrants detained near the border provide some of the best data on the country of origin of those headed to the U.S.  typically a mix of Mexicans, Venezuelans and Central Americans.

On the U.S. side, officials stopped Ecuadorians 12,000 times at the border in November, about triple the number three months earlier and nearly 20 times the number from the same period last year, U.S. Customs and Border Protection figures show.

Like many migrants, Ecuadorians typically followed the pattern of single men moving first to establish a foothold. Now, many of the Ecuadorians migrating to the New York area are families. CBP figures show that families with children have grown to about 60% of arrivals, from 15% in fiscal year 2020.

The relative ease of current migration is fueling that increase, said Diana Loja, Sleepy Hollows liaison to the Latino community.

It used to take months to get here. Now it takes days, she told The Associated Press as she drove through Sleepy Hollow, pointing out home after home rented by Ecuadorians. Half of the villages 10,000 people are Latino, with the majority hailing from Ecuador, according to census data.

By some estimates, Sleepy Hollow  about an hour from midtown Manhattan  has the most Ecuadorians per capita in the U.S.

In nearby Spring Valley, Ortega and Lema live in a ground-floor apartment. Last May, they took 26 days to travel from Quito to New York. They remember nearly drowning in a river in Nicaragua, mother and daughter struggling to stay afloat on a raft fashioned of empty plastic bottles. Today, Ortega does repair work in a local pizzeria. Lema makes potatoes, chicken and other food for a restaurant.

In recent years, Loja said, Ecuadorians considering their own migration see a growing number of people to follow in the New York area: They start to see their neighbors, their friends, their own families.

Like many migrants, Ecuadorians have stayed closely abreast of migratory rules that allow them to travel to nations on the route to the U.S. Until last year, some 45,000 Ecuadorians had traveled to Nicaragua, which had no requirements for Ecuadorian travelers. Mexico also was an easy destination for Ecuadorians, until September 2021.

Ortega and Lema said they started their trip by paying a smuggling network $8,500 a person and tried to travel to Nicaragua, but were turned down because they didnt have the right documents. The network flew them to Panama, where they boarded buses to Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala and Mexico. They crossed the Rio Grande into the U.S. and took a bus to New York.

Ortega and Lema plan to apply for asylum with their 7-year-old daughter, Sofia, in federal court in Manhattan in June.

Photos: 39 killed at migrant detention center near US border
Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Janet Protasiewicz defeated conservative Dan Kelly for a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court Tuesday, giving liberals a court majority for the first time in 15 years, boosting Democrats bid to toss out Wisconsins near-complete abortion ban and promising to dramatically reshape politics in the battleground state.

Protasiewicz will join the court in August as liberals seek to wield their newfound power to rewrite legislative maps that favor Republicans and possibly undo former GOP Gov. Scott Walkers Act 10 legislation, which effectively eliminated collective bargaining for most public employees.

Liberals are especially confident about their chances in upcoming cases after the incoming justice was unusually explicit on the campaign trail about the policies she supports.

Among them, she favors abortion rights, which were all but eliminated under the states near-complete abortion ban. The moribund state law was re-activated after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to abortion last year. She has expressed her desire to revisit the states Republican-drawn legislative maps, which she called rigged. And she touted marching in Madison against Act 10 and signing Walkers recall petition.

Her win has given liberals a two-year window of all-but-guaranteed control of the states highest court, an especially critical role with the 2024 presidential election on its way. Protasiewiczs victory gives liberals their first Wisconsin Supreme Court majority since 2008.

I will bring the fairness and impartiality that you have all been waiting for, Protasiewicz told supporters after she won. And I will be part of the solution to make the Wisconsin Supreme Court ... something that you will always feel proud of.

The race galvanized Democrats as the impasse between Democratic Gov. Tony Evers and the GOP Legislature often resulted in the conservative-controlled court ruling against Democrats on hot-button issues.

While Protasiewicz framed the race as a referendum on abortion policy, Kelly ran a markedly different campaign, hinging his candidacy on defending the rule of law and a pledge to uphold the state and U.S. Constitution. He accused Protasiewicz of appealing to partisan values, though in the general election Kelly also stuck to Republican talking points, calling his opponent soft on crime.

Addressing supporters after he lost, Kelly said Wisconsinites chose the rule of Janet over the rule of law.

Bitter and clearly emotional, he said, I wish Wisconsin the best of luck because I think its going to need it. He did not call Protasiewicz to concede, he said, because I do not have a worthy opponent to which I can concede.

With the stakes so high, the race was decidedly bitter. In their only debate of the election, Protasiewicz called Kelly a threat to democracy while the former justice said the Milwaukee County Circuit judge would steal the legislative authority and use that in the courts.

Ad spending

Both campaigns and their supporters released an onslaught of ads seeking to paint their opponent as wrong for the high court. Kelly said Protasiewiczs ads focusing on his past work with Republicans and representation of criminal defendants lied about his past. The liberal candidate said conservatives cherry-picked criminal cases she presided over to falsely claim she was soft on crime.

Before this election, the most expensive judicial contest in America was one in Illinois that cost just over $15 million. This time around, all sides spent over $45 million on the Wisconsin Supreme Court race, according to a WisPolitics.com tally.

Liberals spent slightly more than conservatives, but Protasiewiczs ability to fund her own ads gave her the additional boost of paying lower ad rates only accessible to candidates. Kelly spent $580,000 on ads to Protasiewiczs $10.5 million, according to the Brennan Center for Justice.

Fueled largely by out-of-state donations, the Democratic Party of Wisconsin gave Protasiewicz over $8 million in the month and a half leading up to the election. Protasiewicz said she would recuse herself from the organizations cases that come before the court, but conservatives took that as a sign that other liberal groups would play a role in major political lawsuits instead of the Democratic Party.
KELLOGG, Minn. (AP)  A Minnesota teen found buried last week in a sand hole has died, authorities say.

Wabasha County Sheriff Rodney Bartsh said Hunter Flaxbeards death has been ruled an accidental suffocation, The Rochester Post-Bulletin reports.

The Wabasha County Sheriffs Office received a 911 call on March 28 that a 14-year-old boy was stuck in a sand hole and covered with sand in a rural area.

Deputies attempted to save his life before he was flown to a hospital. But he died two days later on Thursday.

His online obituary described him as king and compassionate, noting that his organs had been donated. This, the obit said, is something he would be proud of!
The president of a private university in Minnesota that was criticized for firing a professor who showed a depiction of the Prophet Muhammad in an art history class announced Monday that she is retiring next year.

Hamline University President Fayneese Miller said at a news conference that although the school has been in the headlines, journalists were reporting on a false narrative.

Issues arose in October when Erika Lopez Prater showed a 14th-century painting depicting the Prophet Muhammad to her students as part of a lesson on Islamic art, after warning them beforehand and giving them an opportunity to opt out. In Islam, portraying the Prophet Muhammad has long been taboo for many, and a Muslim student in the class complained to the university.

Lopez Prater has since sued the liberal arts school in St. Paul over Millers decision not to renew her contract. Her attorneys didn't immediately respond to an email seeking comment.

Miller previously conceded that she mishandled the episode, but insisted Monday that the school believes in free speech.

Never has Hamline University violated anyones academic freedom, she said. I want to make that perfectly clear.

Miller said she wants to spend more time with her husband, who lives in Vermont. They didn't meet in person for more than a year during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, and she wants to make my family whole again.

Some local Muslim groups criticized Lopez Prater, but the national office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the country's largest Muslim advocacy organization, disputed claims that her actions were Islamophobic. The group said professors who analyze images of the Prophet Muhammad for academic purposes are not the same as Islamophobes who show such images to cause offense.

However, the group's Minnesota chapter on Monday repeated its position that the lesson was disrespectful, and condemned what they described as Millers forced retirement.

We believe that her support for Muslim students and her stance against Islamophobia ultimately cost her job, the groups executive director, Jaylani Hussein, said in a statement.

Faculty at the school were so upset about what happened to Lopez Prater that they called in a January vote for Miller to resign, objecting to what they considered a violation of academic freedom.

The faculty I talked to today, its not what people wanted, but its enough, Jim Scheibel, the Faculty Council president, said Monday.

He said Miller will partly be on sabbatical, and may help with the new president's transition. She officially retires on June 30, 2024.

Faculty, he added, recognize theres a lot of hard work that needs to be done.

The school's retirement announcement was filled with praise for Miller, who is the school's first Black president, describing highlights of her tenure and how she had created a reputation for Hamline as an institution that welcomes students from diverse backgrounds. Several student groups previously defended her in a letter to the student newspaper.

Board of Trustees Chair Ellen Watters said Miller's departure was not related to the Islamic art controversy and that her eight-year tenure is relatively long.

Hamline has been around for 170 years and we are determined to be her for another 170 years, he said.

Vice Chair Reuben Moore offered a similar assessment, saying he was saddened by Miller's retirement but excited about this huge opportunity for the school to double down on equity and inclusion on campus."

He described her as a wonderful human and amazing talent.

Although its not mentioned in the Quran, Islams ban on depicting the Prophet Muhammad has run firm through the centuries. Islamic tradition is full of written descriptions of Muhammad and his qualities  describing him as the ideal human being. But clerics generally have agreed that trying to depict that ideal is forbidden. The ban is further rooted in a wider prohibition against images or statues of human beings.

There have been exceptions. A rich tradition of depicting Muhammad emerged in miniatures and illustrations for manuscripts from around 1200 to 1700. The art is mainly from Turkey and Iran, where pictorial traditions were stronger than in the Arab world. The paintings often show traditional stories from Muhammads life, although in some the prophets face is obscured by a veil or a plume of flame.
Stretching out on the world's best beach won't come easy. Baia do Sancho is accessible only by boat or via ladders descending down steep cliffs to the golden sand below.

The beach is in Fernando de Noronha, an archipelago some 220 miles (354 kilometers) off the coast of mainland Brazil, part of the country's Pernambuco state. Visitors to the islands arrive by plane or boat.

Getting there takes some doing, but what awaits tenacious travelers is worth the effort, according to its new Tripadvisor ranking. Baia do Sancho is the world's best stretch of shoreline for 2023, according to the travel site's annual list of the world's best beaches, which was released on Tuesday.

Last year, Baia do Sancho was No. 7 on the list.

The beaches list is part of Tripadvisor's Travelers' Choice Awards, which are determined based on millions of reviews submitted by travelers over the course of 2022.

Tripadvisor looks at the quality and quantity of ratings in determining the rankings.

The rest of the best

The Caribbean earns three spots in the 2023 top 10, including No. 2 Eagle Beach in Aruba, No. 5 Grace Bay Beach in Turks and Caicos and No. 9 Varadero Beach in Cuba. Last year, Grace Bay and Varadero beaches were ranked first and second, respectively. Eagle Beach was No. 5 in 2022.

The top 10 list also includes one beach in the United States -- Maui's Ka'anapali Beach at No. 10. The beach ranks first on Tripadvisor's separate list of top 10 US beaches for 2023. Ka'anapali didn't make it into the top 10 on the global list in 2022 and was No. 17 on the US list last year.

Located on the island's western shore, Ka'anapali boasts three miles of white sand and a famed cliff diving ritual at Puu Kekaa, or Black Rock. Each evening at sunset, torches along the cliff are lit by a diver who then plunges off the rock in a reenactment of a feat by Maui's King Kahekili.

Europe has three beaches in the 2023 top 10 -- Reynisfjara Beach in Vik, Iceland, at No. 4, Praia da Falesia in Olhos de Agua, Portugal, at No. 6 and Italy's Spiaggia dei Conigli at No.8. Only one of the three also appeared in 2022's top 10 -- Spiaggia dei Conigli in Sicily was No. 10 in 2022.

The white crescent and shallow turquoise waters of Spiaggia dei Conigli on Sicily's Lampedusa island are a sharp contrast to the black sand, deep blue water and striking geometric basalt column formations of Reynisfjara Beach, which appeared in "Game of Thrones."

Australia earns one slot in the top 10, with No. 3 Cable Beach in Broome, located in Western Australia's Kimberley region. One of Broome's most sought-after experiences is a sunset camel ride along this 14-mile (22-kilometer) stretch of Indian Ocean coastline. Cable Beach was No. 11 on last year's global list.

No. 7 Radhanagar Beach on Havelock Island (Swarag Dweep) in the Andamans represents India on the list. The beach drops one slot from its No. 6 ranking in 2022.

Top 10 beaches in the world for 2023, according to Tripadvisor

1. Baia do Sancho - Fernando de Noronha, Brazil

2. Eagle Beach - Aruba, Caribbean

3. Cable Beach - Broome, Australia

4. Reynisfjara Beach - Vik, Iceland

5. Grace Bay Beach - Turks and Caicos, Caribbean

6. Praia da Falesia - Olhos de Agua, Portugal

7. Radhanagar Beach - Havelock Island, India

8. Spiaggia dei Conigli - Sicily, Italy

9. Varadero Beach - Cuba, Caribbean

10. Ka'anapali Beach - Maui, Hawaii

***

Top 10 beaches in the US for 2023, according to Tripadvisor

Tripadvisor has a separate list devoted to US beaches.

In the United States, Hawaii had the strongest showing with three beaches in the top 10, while Florida and California both had two. Beaches in Georgia, Oregon and Maine were also among Tripadvisor's top 10.

1. Ka'anapali Beach - Maui, Hawaii

2. Siesta Beach - Siesta Key, Florida

3. Driftwood Beach - Jekyll Island, Georgia

4. Hanalei Beach - Kauai, Hawaii

5. Ho'okipa Beach Park - Maui, Hawaii

6. Henderson Beach State Park - Destin, Florida

7. Cannon Beach - Cannon Beach, Oregon

8. Coronado Beach - Coronado, California

9. Ogunquit Beach - Ogunquit, Maine

10. La Jolla Cove - La Jolla, California
JERUSALEM  Israel is holding more than 1,000 Palestinian detainees without charge or trial, the highest number since 2003, an Israeli human rights group said Tuesday.

Israel says the controversial tactic, known as administrative detention, helps authorities thwart attacks and hold dangerous militants without divulging incriminating material for security reasons. Palestinians and rights groups say the system is widely abused and denies due process, with the secret nature of the evidence making it impossible for administrative detainees or their lawyers to mount a defense.

HaMoked, an Israeli rights group that regularly gathers figures from prison authorities, said that as of April, there were 1,016 detainees held in administrative detention. Almost all of them are Palestinians detained under military law, as administrative detention is very rarely used against Jews. Four Israeli Jews are currently being held without charge.

"There is no sense of when the nightmare will end," said Manal Abu Bakr in Dheisheh, 48, at a refugee camp near the West Bank city of Bethlehem. Her 28-year-old son Mohammed lost his four college years to administrative detention. Her husband, Nidal, a journalist and radio presenter, remains in custody. He has spent 17 years behind bars in the past three decades, more than half of it without charge, according to a prisoner's rights group, the Palestinian Prisoners' Club.

The hearing on the renewal of his detention is set for September.

"I'm exhausted," Manal said. "It's hard even to hope."

HaMoked says 2,416 Palestinians are serving sentences after being convicted in Israeli military courts. An additional 1,409 detainees are being held for questioning, have been charged and are awaiting trial, or are currently being tried.

Among the 76 Palestinians incarcerated in the last month, 49 are administrative detainees. Administrative detention orders can be issued for a maximum of six months, but can be renewed indefinitely.

"The numbers are shocking," said Jessica Montell, the director of HaMoked. "There are no restraints on the use of what should be a rare exception. It's just getting easier and easier for them to hold people with no charge or trial."

A widespread military crackdown on Palestinian militants in the occupied West Bank helped fuel the sharp rise in administrative detentions.

Israel's campaign of raids into Palestinian cities and towns following a string of deadly Palestinian attacks last year led to the arrest of more than 2,400 Palestinians since March 2022, according to the Israeli military. Israel's Shin Bet security service did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the latest administrative detention figures.

Israel describes the ramped-up raids as a counterterrorism effort to prevent further attacks. Palestinian residents and critics say the operation only further stokes the cycle of bloodshed, as the incursions ignite violent protests and firefights with Palestinian militants.

Israeli officials killed nearly 90 Palestinians in the West Bank so far this year, according to an Associated Press tally. Palestinian attacks against Israelis killed 15 people in the same period.
A stone-faced Donald Trump has been confronted with a 34-count felony indictment accusing him in a scheme to bury allegations of extramarital affairs that arose during his first White House campaign. The arraignment Tuesday in a Manhattan courtroom was a stunning  and humbling  spectacle for the former president. It put him face-to-face with prosecutors who bluntly accused him of criminal conduct and set the stage for a possible criminal trial in the city where he became a celebrity decades ago. Trump pleaded not guilty. Speaking later at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, Trump bitterly attacked the prosecutor and the judge despite being admonished hours earlier about incendiary rhetoric.
Finland has joined the NATO military alliance, dealing a major blow to Russian President Vladimir Putin with a historic realignment of Europe's post-Cold War security landscape triggered by Moscows invasion of Ukraine. With the Nordic nation entering the worlds biggest security alliance, NATO's land border with Russia has doubled. Finland had adopted neutrality after its defeat by the Soviets in World War II. But its leaders signaled they wanted to join the alliance just months after Russias invasion of Ukraine sent a shiver of fear through Moscows neighbors. Putin has long complained about NATOs expansion toward Russia and partly used that as a justification for the invasion.
NEW YORK (AP)  A stone-faced Donald Trump made a momentous courtroom appearance Tuesday when he was confronted with a 34-count felony indictment charging him in a scheme to bury allegations of extramarital affairs that arose during his first White House campaign.

The arraignment in a Manhattan courtroom was a stunning  and humbling  spectacle for the first ex-president to ever face criminal charges. With Trump watching in silence, prosecutors bluntly accused him of criminal conduct and set the stage for a possible criminal trial in the city where he became a celebrity decades ago.

The indictment centers on allegations that Trump falsified internal business records at his private company while trying to cover up an effort to illegally influence the 2016 election by arranging payments that silenced claims potentially harmful to his candidacy. It includes 34 counts of fudging records related to checks Trump sent to his personal lawyer and problem-solver to reimburse him for his role in paying off a porn actor who said she had an extramarital sexual encounter with Trump years earlier.

The defendant, Donald J. Trump, falsified New York business records in order to conceal an illegal conspiracy to undermine the integrity of the 2016 presidential election and other violations of election laws," said Assistant District Attorney Christopher Conroy.

Trump, somber and silent as he entered and exited the Manhattan courtroom, said not guilty in a firm voice while facing a judge who warned him to refrain from rhetoric that could inflame or cause civil unrest. All told, the ever-verbose Trump, who for weeks before Tuesdays arraignment had assailed the case against him as political persecution, uttered only 10 words in the courtroom. He appeared to glare for a period at Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, the prosecutor who brought the case.

As he returned to his Florida estate, Mar-a-Lago, where he delivered a primetime address to hundreds of supporters, Trump again protested his innocence and asserted on his Truth Social platform that the hearing was shocking to many in that they had no surprises, and therefore, no case.

In his speech, Trump lashed out anew at the prosecution and attacked in bitter terms the prosecutor and the judge presiding over the case despite being admonished hours earlier about incendiary rhetoric. In a sign of that other probes are weighing on him, Trump also steered his speech into a broadside against a separate Justice Department investigation into the mishandling of classified documents.

I never thought anything like this could happen in America, Trump said of the New York indictment. This fake case was brought only to interfere with the upcoming 2024 election and it should be dropped immediately."

The crowd at Mar-a-Lago included supporters like failed Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake and longtime ally Roger Stone. Trump's wife, Melania, was absent from his side and was also not seen with him in New York.

Even so, the indictment amounts to a remarkable reckoning for Trump after years of investigations into his personal, business and political dealings. It shows how even as Trump is looking to reclaim the White House in 2024, he is shadowed by investigations related to his behavior in the two prior elections, with prosecutors in Atlanta and Washington scrutinizing efforts by Trump and his allies to undo the 2020 presidential election  probes that could produce even more charges.

In the New York case, each count of falsifying business records, a felony, is punishable by up to four years in prison  though it's not clear if a judge would impose any prison time if Trump is convicted. The next court date is Dec. 4  two months before Republicans begin their nominating process in earnest  and Trump will again be expected to appear.

A conviction would not prevent Trump from running for or winning the presidency in 2024.

The arraignment also delved into Trump's rhetoric on the case, with prosecutors at one point handing printouts of his social media posts to the judge and defense lawyers as Trump looked on. Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchan did not impose a gag order but told Trump's lawyers to urge him to refrain from posts that could encourage unrest.

The broad contours of the case have long been known, focusing on a scheme that prosecutors say began months into his candidacy in 2015, as his celebrity past collided with his presidential ambitions.

Though prosecutors expressed confidence in the case, a conviction is no sure thing given the legal complexities of the allegations, the application of state election laws to a federal election and prosecutors' likely reliance on a key witness, Trump's former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen, who pleaded guilty in 2018 to false statements.

It centers on payoffs to two women, porn star Stormy Daniels and Playboy model Karen McDougal, who said they had extramarital sexual encounters with Trump years earlier, as well as to a Trump Tower doorman who claimed to have a story about a child he alleged the former president had out of wedlock.

"Its not just about one payment. It is 34 false statements and business records that were concealing criminal conduct, Bragg told reporters, when asked how the three separate cases were connected.

All 34 counts against Trump are linked to a series of checks that were written to Cohen to reimburse him for his role in paying off Daniels. Those payments, made over 12 months, were recorded in various internal company documents as being for a legal retainer that prosecutors say didnt exist. Cohen testified before the grand jury and is expected to be a star prosecution witness.

Nine of those monthly checks were paid out of Trumps personal accounts, but records related to them were maintained in the Trump Organizations data system.

Prosecutors allege that the first instance of Trump directing hush money payments came in the fall of 2015, when a former Trump Tower doorman was trying to sell information about an alleged out-of-wedlock child fathered by Trump.

David Pecker, a Trump friend and the publisher of the National Enquirer, made a $30,000 payment to the doorman to acquire the exclusive rights to the story, pursuant to an agreement to protect Trump during his presidential campaign, according to the indictment. Peckers company later determined the doormans story was false, but is alleged to have enforced the doormans confidentiality at Cohens urging until after Election Day.

Trump denies having sexual liaisons with both Daniels and McDougal and has denied any wrongdoing involving payments.

Tuesday's schedule, with its striking blend of legal and political calendar items, represents the new split-screen reality for Trump as he submits to the dour demands of the American criminal justice system while projecting an aura of defiance and victimhood at celebratory campaign events.

Wearing his signature dark suit and red tie, Trump turned and waved to crowds outside the building before heading inside to be fingerprinted and processed. He arrived at court in an eight-car motorcade from Trump Tower, communicating in real time his anger at the process.

Heading to Lower Manhattan, the Courthouse," he posted on his Truth Social platform. "Seems so SURREAL  WOW, they are going to ARREST ME. Cant believe this is happening in America. MAGA!

Afterward, Trump lawyer Todd Blanche told reporters that it was a sad day for the country.

You dont expect this to happen to somebody who was president of the United States," he said.

Tucker and Weissert reported from Washington. Associated Press journalists Jill Colvin, Bobby Caina Calvan, Larry Neumeister, Karen Matthews, Larry Fleisher, Deepti Hajela, Julie Walker, Ted Shaffrey, David R. Martin, Joe Frederick and Robert Bumsted in New York; Colleen Long and Michael Balsamo in Washington; Adriana Gomez Licon in Palm Beach, Florida; and Terry Spencer in Palm Beach, Florida, contributed to this report.
Motorized scooters will again zip around town this year, as the Winona City Council approved updates to city regulations that will allow Bird Rides Inc.s machines to operate in town.

Last summer the city council issued the citys first shared transportation system license with Bird electric scooters. After launching the scooters to be used city-wide from mid-August through October 2022, city staff met with Brid Rides representatives and worked to update regulations in the city code.

The new, approved updates allow scooters to be used in most park areas so residents can ride the scooters to the park. The Lake Park path and Levee Park restrict motorized devices, so the scooters cannot be used there.

The update also eliminates the requirement for users to have a valid Minnesota drivers license. Alternatively, riders must be at least 18 years old, making the citys regulations consistent with Birds rider agreement.

In addition, the new regulations extend the licenses term to March 15 through Nov. 15 with the possibility of using scooters up to Dec. 31, weather permitting. The number of scooters a single company can have in town has increased from 100 to 150.

The previous clause in the ordinance was that each company would be restricted to 100 and we would have two companies. Right now, we only have one company so they asked that we look at increasing the number that one company would be permitted to use, City Clerk Monica Hennessy Mohan said. It doesnt mean that in this license term, we would go to 150; they have yet to make their application. I think (city) staff was looking at keeping the number at 100 for the coming year. But this makes it so in coming years if we only have one company and we feel an increase in the number of devices is needed, we can do that.

Mohan said Bird gave the city access to check scooter usage in town last fall.

[Bird was] really surprised by the ridership in Winona during that two-and-a-half-month timeframe, said Mohan. The busiest times for riders were Friday and Saturday night from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. There was also heavy use during the day on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

Council member Jeff Hyma said the city might in the future consider options like designated drop-off places for scooters and signs. The current ordinance says scooters can be dropped off anywhere on the boulevard with the city and users are asked to not block a sidewalk.

I think these are more things to think about because were new to this, Hyma said. And if you look at communities that have been established with them, they have changed and evolved over time to better serve both the company and the citizens of the community.

Winona City Manager Chad Ubl said one of the reasons the city started working with Bird Rides was because of its geo-fencing technology. The Bird scooters are designed to shut off when riders take them to places scooters are not permitted in town.

One complaint I did hear many times last year was that the scooters were left all akimbo every which way, said council member Pamela Eyden. I think (Hymas) idea of special (parking) places at the end of the block might be worth looking at.
Winona police say a van matching the description of one owned by a missing 26-year-old Winona woman may have been seen in eastern Fillmore County on Friday.

Madeline Jane Kingsbury was last seen Friday morning at her home and is considered by law enforcement to be endangered. Police said Monday she did not show up to work that morning and, later that day, did not pick up her children from daycare or make any alternate arrangements for their care.

Family and friends have attempted to contact her multiple times, but received no response.

All of this is extremely out of character for her, the press release from the police department explained.

Since Kingsburys disappearance, multiple family and friends of Kingsbury have been interviewed by investigators.

Additionally, investigators have canvassed neighborhoods, searched areas and worked to collect any video footage that may help show where Kingsbury or her van went.

A van matching the description of her 2014 dark blue Chrysler Town and Country was possibly seen traveling from Winona to east Fillmore County during the day Friday. Authorities asked residents and landowners in the area, especially near Highway 43, to be on the lookout for any information that may help in the investigation.

People in the area were asked to check their properties, along with any cameras on their land, for a van that matches this description or signs of a disturbance or other suspicious activity, particularly between the hours of 8 a.m. Friday and 4 p.m. Saturday.

Multiple law enforcement agencies are now helping the Winona Police Department with the investigation, including the Winona County Sheriffs Office, Fillmore County Sheriffs Office, Houston County Sheriffs Office and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. Additionally, members of the Southeast Minnesota Violent Crimes Enforcement Team are helping.

Our hearts go out to Kingsburys family and we are asking everyone to help us bring her home safely, Winona police stated Monday.

Kingsbury is described as 5 feet, 4 inches tall and 135 pounds. She has brown hair and hazel eyes.

Kingsbury is a mother of two and a clinical research coordinator at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, according to her social media.

Anyone with information about Kingsburys whereabouts should call 911 or the Winona Police Department at 507-457-6288.

To give a tip about her whereabouts anonymously, call Crime Stoppers at 507-457-6530 or go to winonaareacrimestoppers.com.

Photos: The scene ahead of former President Trump's arrest
Xi urges solid implementation of Party education campaign to enhance cohesion, pool strengths

Xinhua) 07:54, April 04, 2023

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, delivers an important speech at a working conference on the education campaign on the study and implementation of the Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era in Beijing, capital of China, April 3, 2023. (Xinhua/Ju Peng)

BEIJING, April 3 (Xinhua) -- Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, has urged solid efforts to carry out the education campaign on the study and implementation of the Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era to enhance cohesion and pool strengths for forging ahead on the new journey.

Xi, also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks when delivering an important speech at a working conference on the Party-wide campaign on Monday.

The campaign should be an opportunity to further arm all Party members with the Party's new theories and enhance their understanding of Marxism, Xi said, calling on Party members to strive together to fully build a modern socialist China and realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

Members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee Li Qiang, Zhao Leji, Wang Huning, Ding Xuexiang, Li Xi, and Vice President Han Zheng attended the meeting. Cai Qi, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and chief of a central leading group for the campaign, delivered a concluding speech.

Noting that the education campaign, with officials at and above the county and director level as the focus, is an important measure to implement the guiding principles of the 20th CPC National Congress, Xi said that it is of great importance in uniting Party members in thinking, solving prominent problems within the Party, helping the Party maintain a close bond with the people, and advancing the cause of the Party and the country.

The education campaign should guide Party members and officials in improving their capacity for political judgment, thinking, and implementation to build the Party into "one piece of adamantine iron" that is invincible, said Xi.

Through education and guidance, Party members and officials are expected to be more capable of pursuing high-quality development, serving the people, and guarding against and defusing risks, he said.

Efforts should also be made to promote a problem-oriented approach among Party organizations, members, and officials to strengthen the Party's ability to purify, improve, renew, and excel itself, ensuring that the Party always remains the strong leadership core in building socialism with Chinese characteristics, said Xi.

Xi stressed the importance of guiding all work with the Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and thoroughly understanding the thought's requirements on tempering the CPC members' Party spirit.

He urged putting the thought into practice to solve problems in economic and social development and Party building, prevent and mitigate major risks, and make new progress and breakthroughs in Chinese modernization.

Xi called for efforts to enhance the capacity to fulfill duties and responsibilities so that the Party can make solid achievements that stand the test of time and meet the expectations of the people.

Xi said the basic task of the campaign is to transform the Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era into a mighty force for reinforcing the ideals, tempering the Party spirit, guiding practice, enhancing the work, and to ensure that all Party members have a shared faith, a strong will, coordinated action, and great strength.

He stressed the necessity to educate and guide all Party members and officials to reinforce their faith in Marxism, belief in socialism with Chinese characteristics, and confidence to realize the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, adding that all Party members must never forget the Party's original aspiration and founding mission.

The campaign should educate and guide all Party members and officials in remaining loyal to the Party, the people, and Marxism and making further progress in pursuing high-quality development with a focus on the Party's central task along the new journey in the new era, Xi said.

More efforts are needed to encourage Party members and officials to work hard to solve the pressing difficulties and problems that concern the people most, Xi said, adding that in doing so, the people will have a stronger sense of fulfillment, happiness, and security.

The campaign should inspire Party members and officials to enhance their sense of discipline and rules, enabling them to be more aware of the importance of exercising power impartially, lawfully, honestly and for the good of the people, he said.

Xi stressed that theoretical study, investigation and research, development, and inspection and rectification should be combined, integrated, and promoted as a whole during the education campaign.

He also underscored reading original works and articles.

In line with the Party Central Committee's work plan of encouraging the practice of conducting research throughout the Party, Xi said Party members and officials, especially leading officials at all levels, should go to the grassroots and apply the Party's new theories to studying new situations and solving new problems.

He also called for focusing on pursuing high-quality development, the primary task of building a modern socialist country in all respects, and carrying out study and research in fulfilling all the tasks set out at the 20th CPC National Congress.

Rectification of problems should run through the education campaign so that the people can truly feel the results of solving problems, Xi said.

Xi called on Party committees and leading Party members groups at all levels to shoulder their principal responsibilities to plan, organize, and implement the campaign well. He also said that guiding groups should be dispatched to supervise and guide the implementation of the campaign.

Xi urged all localities and departments to combine the education campaign with thorough implementation of the decisions and plans of the CPC Central Committee and encourage Party members and officials to translate their enthusiasm for study and work into a strong driving force for overcoming difficulties and performing their duties.

In the concluding speech, Cai called on the whole Party to attentively study and fully implement Xi's speech and tirelessly forge the soul with Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era.

Calling for more efforts to conduct in-depth research and studies, Cai said that the education campaign should always focus on rectifying problems, promoting high-quality development, and solving difficulties that concern the people most.

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, delivers an important speech at a working conference on the education campaign on the study and implementation of the Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era in Beijing, capital of China, April 3, 2023. Li Qiang, Zhao Leji, Wang Huning, Cai Qi, Ding Xuexiang, Li Xi and Han Zheng attended the conference on Monday. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)

A working conference on the education campaign on the study and implementation of the Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era is held in Beijing, capital of China, April 3, 2023. Cai Qi, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chief of a central leading group for the campaign, delivered a concluding speech. (Xinhua/Yin Bogu)

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Photo: The Canadian Press Dennis King, leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of P.E.I., prepares to cast his vote in the provincial election in Hunter River, P.E.I on Monday, April 3, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darren Calabrese

Voters in Prince Edward Island delivered a decisive majority to the incumbent Progressive Conservatives on Monday after an election campaign dominated by debate over heath care.

With all polls reporting, Premier Dennis King's Tories were elected in 22 of the province's 27 ridings, the Liberals won three seats and the Greens two. The Conservatives captured 55.9 per cent of the popular vote, and King was easily re-elected in his riding of Brackley-Hunter River.

King's first four years in office were marked by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, two major post-tropical storms and mounting health-care woes.

His partys main challengers were the Green Party, led by Scottish-born dentist Peter Bevan-Baker, and the Liberals, led by former bureaucrat Sharon Cameron, who was acclaimed leader less than five months ago. She challenged Bevan-Baker in his riding and lost to him Monday.

At dissolution, the Conservatives held a slight majority with 15 seats. The Greens had eight seats, and the Liberals held four seats, having lost their majority to the Tories in 2019.

The vote in April 2019 had seen P.E.I. become the first province in Canada where the Green Party formed the official Opposition.

Despite the Green breakthrough almost four years ago, political observers on the Island said the electorate did not appear to be in a mood for more change when the campaign began on March 6. And there were indications the party was not ready for an electoral contest. At one point, a former Green member of the legislature, Hannah Bell, said the party did not do enough planning or grassroots work.

The Greens nominated 25 candidates, two short of a full slate. The Liberals also fell short by the same margin.

Some observers said the Greens poor showing could also be attributed to inexperience. None of the Green members of the legislature had been elected in P.E.I. before 2015.

On Monday night, Green volunteers at the Trailside Music Hall in Charlottetown fell silent as the results showed Green incumbents battling for their political lives.

Nate Hood, director of policy with the Greens, said he was hopeful the party would be able to hold on to some of its seats.

"There was a lot of talk at the start of the campaign that there potentially might be a clean sweep for the PCs," Hood said. "I think we've grown some momentum in the campaign and I think we'll see us hold a solid base of support."

As the campaign started last month, King cited the challenges his party faced: two hurricane-force storms  Dorian in 2019 and Fiona last September  and the economic fallout caused by a potato fungus that halted exports of the Islands most important crop.

A former journalist and spokesman for former premier Pat Binns, King called the election six months before the provinces fixed election date, and less than two weeks after the province landed a 10-year health-care funding deal with Ottawa worth $966 million.

Don Desserud, a Prince Edward Island political analyst, said the Tory strategy was to ask voters to take note of their achievements in spite of the obstacles thrown in their way. He said it was as if King were saying: "If we can do that under those circumstances, imagine what we can do when we don't have to deal with these crises."

That message seemed to work at the doorstep.

Among other things, the Conservatives have promised to get every Islander off the provincial wait-list for a doctor in the next two years, expand the workforce to 90,000 jobs by 2026 and reduce building permit wait times to a maximum of 30 days by the end of the year.

Desserud said it was a solid platform.

"I suspect that when ... the house gets back together, they're going to be much more aggressive on what they want to accomplish," he said. "I think they're going to have a much bigger vision than they've had before."

As expected, health care was the focus of a televised leaders debate on March 27, during which King was on the defensive. As he did during the previous election campaign, King responded to his opponents' attacks by remaining optimistic and collegial.

There are some wonderful ideas in the other three party platforms, King said during the remarkably tame event.

Still, Bevan-Baker accused King of failing Islanders on health care. Let's remember who created the problems in the first place: it's the old parties, Bevan-Baker said.

The Liberal platform was heavily focused on health-care, promising a seven-point plan to be implemented during the partys first 180 days in office.

The New Democrats were never a factor in the race, and they finished with just 4.5 per cent of the vote, compared with 21.6 per cent for the Greens and 17.2 per cent for the Liberals.
NASA on Monday named the four astronauts who will fly to the moon by the end of next year, including one woman and three men.

The three Americans and one Canadian were introduced during a ceremony in Houston, home to the nation's astronauts as well as Mission Control.

"This is humanity's crew," said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson.

The four astronauts will be the first to fly NASA's Orion capsule, launching atop a Space Launch System rocket from Kennedy Space Center no earlier than late 2024. They will not land or even go into lunar orbit, but rather fly around the moon and head straight back to Earth, a prelude to a lunar landing by two others a year later.

The mission's commander, Reid Wiseman, will be joined by Victor Glover, an African American naval aviator; Christina Koch, who holds the world record for the longest spaceflight by a woman; and Canada's Jeremy Hansen. All are space veterans except Hansen.

"This is a big day. We have a lot to celebrate and it's so much more than the four names that have been announced," said Glover.

This is the first moon crew to include a woman and someone not from the U.S.  and the first crew in NASA's new moon program named Artemis. Late last year, an empty Orion capsule flew to the moon and back in a long-awaited dress rehearsal.

During Apollo, NASA sent 24 astronauts to the moon from 1968 through 1972. Twelve of them landed. All were military-trained test pilots except for Apollo 17's Harrison Schmitt, a geologist who closed out that moonlanding era alongside the late Gene Cernan.

Provided this next 10-day moonshot goes well, NASA aims to land two astronauts on the moon by 2025 or so.

NASA picked from 41 active astronauts for its first Artemis crew. Canada had four candidates.

33 groundbreaking NASA missions in photographs 33 groundbreaking NASA missions in photographs Explorer 1 Apollo-Saturn Apollo 7 Apollo 8 Apollo 9 Apollo 10 Apollo 11 Apollo 12 Apollo 13 Apollo 14 Apollo 15 Apollo 16 Apollo 17 Pioneer 10 Pioneer 11 Viking Voyager Interstellar Skylab Space Shuttle Shuttle-Mir Landsat Hubble Space Telescope Chandra Spitzer Space Telescope International Space Station Mars Science Laboratory Parker Solar Probe Juno OSIRIS-REx Cassini-Huygens SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket and Manned Crew Mars 2020 Perseverance rover and Ingenuity helicopter James Webb Space Telescope
Former American President Donald Trump is expected to appear Tuesday before a New York State judge to answer his indictment.

A grand jury voted last week to indict, or charge, Trump with a crime or crimes. The vote came after the grand jury heard evidence related to payments made to adult movie actress Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential campaign.

Trump also faces other legal problems after he launched a third campaign for the presidency.

The U.S. Justice Department is investigating the treatment of top-secret government documents when Trump left the White House in 2021. Federal investigators are also looking into Trumps possible responsibility in the violent attack on the U.S. Capitol building on January 6, 2021.

In the southern state of Georgia, the Fulton County District Attorneys office has been investigating whether Trump and his allies illegally interfered in the 2020 election.

However, Trump is not the first U.S. president, in or out of office, to have faced legal trouble. Several others have in U.S. history.

Andrew Johnson

During his presidency, Trump was impeached two times. The first time was over his dealings with Ukraine. The second time was over actions that led to the January 6 attack at the U.S. Capitol.

But the dishonor of being the first impeached president belongs to Andrew Johnson in 1868.

During the years immediately following the Civil War, President Andrew Johnson clashed repeatedly with the Republican-controlled Congress over the reconstruction of the defeated South. Johnson was a member of the Democratic Party.

The House of Representatives voted to impeach Johnson, but the Senate did not have the two-thirds majority required to remove Johnson from office.

Bill Clinton

In 1998, Bill Clinton became the second American president to be impeached for lying under oath and obstructing an investigation related to his sexual relations with Monica Lewinsky, a White House aide.

The investigation grew out of unrelated scandals from before Clintons time in the White House. They were a land deal in Arkansas known as Whitewater and a sexual harassment case brought by Paula Jones.

Clintons law license in his native state of Arkansas was suspended for five years after he reached a deal at the end of his second term in office.

Richard Nixon

In 1974, former President Richard Nixon might have avoided criminal charges related to the Watergate scandal when then-President Gerald Ford pardoned him just weeks after Nixon resigned.

Nixon resigned following the discovery of recordings showing that he had ordered a cover-up of the 1972 break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate complex in Washington.

By 1974, the Watergate scandal had expanded beyond the break-in. Many of Nixons top aides stepped down and some were sentenced to prison. Nixon himself was a possible target of the Watergate special counsel, a special investigator appointed by the government.

Ford said that an indictment, a trial, a conviction, [of Nixon] would have distracted the country from more immediate problems.

John A. Farrell wrote Richard Nixon: The Life, a prize-winning book published in 2017. He said, There were partisans in Congress and on the special counsels staff who would have liked to see Nixon indicted after the resignation  or at least believed that the pardon was premature.

Farrell noted that Nixon was so worried about his legal trouble that it affected his health. He added, His very worried family reached out to the White House, alerting Fords aides of the ex-presidents deteriorating condition.

Warren Harding

Some historians wonder about President Warren Hardings fate had he not died in office, in 1923. The walls were closing in on him, presidential historian Douglas Brinkley said of Harding.

Several officials around him were charged with crimes related to corrupt land dealings known as the Teapot Dome Scandal. His Interior Secretary Albert B. Fall was the first Cabinet officer convicted and sent to prison for accepting illegal payments.

Ulysses Grant

Nixon and Harding faced major scandals without being charged.

Ulysses Grant was a general and hero of the American Civil War. But members of his presidential administration were involved in many different kinds of financial wrongdoing.

Grant himself was caught for minor offenses. In 1872, during his first term, he was stopped twice for riding his horse carriage too fast.

The second time Grant had to pay a $20 fine, but never spent a night in jail, says historian Ron Chernow. His book about Grants life was published in 2017.

Im Dorothy Gundy.

Hillel Italie reported this story for the Associated Press. Hai Do adapted it for VOA Learning English with additional materials from U.S. history.

___________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

indictment n. an official statement presented by a prosecuting official saying that a jury (such as a grand jury) is charging a person or persons for a crime

grand jury n. a jury that examines accusations against a person or persons and votes on whether to bring official charges

impeach v. to charge a public official with a crime before a body that is detailed in the law

scandal n. an happening or action that causes people to be shocked or upset because it is morally wrong or illegal

conviction n. the act of declaring someone guilty of a crime in a court of law under the rule of law

partisan n. a person who strongly supports a leader, group, cause or political party

staff n. (pl.) people who assist a director, or work for an organization

deteriorate v. to become worse with the passing of time

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Photo: Hornby Island/Facebook

If you've been hoping to splash around in some aquamarine waters without hopping on a flight, there is a cruise that departs from Vancouver and visits the Hawaiian Islands.

But if you aren't looking to fork out the cash to hit the high seas, there is a not-so-secret B.C. shore with awe-inspiring aqua-hued waters.

Tribune Bay Provincial Park is famous for its paradisaical coastline, which offers a long stretch of soft, white sand beach that meets shallow, positively jewel-toned waters. It is also considered to be one of the warmest saltwater swimming areas in the province, according to the B.C. government.

And while you won't spot any palm trees or coconuts in the charming oceanside oasis, the area experiences near-tropical temperatures during the summer months. During the springtime, visitors will be treated to an array of colourful wildflowers.

The picturesque bay is located off the B.C. coast on Hornby Island, which is home to a renowned community of artists, lush forests, a network of mountain biking trails, a vibrant downtown core, and plenty of places to camp. Locals are also famous for their warm, welcoming nature, as well as their love of the natural world.

To get to Hornby, Metro Vancouverites can travel by ferry or plane. By ferry, locals will need to take a BC Ferries sailing from Horseshoe Bay in West Vancouver to Departure Bay in Nanaimo and then drive an hour north up the east coast of Vancouver Island to the Buckley Bay ferry terminal. From here, they need to take a ferry to Deman Island and then drive across Deman Island on the main road to the Hornby Island terminal for the final ferry of the trip.

To avoid the triple ferry voyage, travellers can fly via Air Canada, WestJet, or Pacific Coastal Airlines. Alternatively, Gulf Island Seaplanes flies directly from the heart of Downtown Vancouver.

Travel to the "Little Hawaii" of B.C. from Metro Vancouver

Have a look at some pictures of the breathtaking Tribune Bay shore.
































A new study predicts continued warming will lead to more intense and deadlier storms hitting parts of the United States.

Scientists say higher temperatures are expected to cause an increase in so-called supercell storms. Weather scientists say supercells can bring high winds, heavy rain, hail and tornadoes.

The new study was recently published in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society. It predicted a nationwide increase of 6.6 percent in the number of supercells by 2100. The study said there could be a 25.8 percent increase in areas affected by supercells as well as in the amount of time the storms last.

The studys writers say some areas of the U.S. South can expect more intense storms. Rolling Fork, Mississippi, was hit by a powerful and deadly tornado recently. Storms that hit areas of Mississippi and Alabama since March 24 killed at least 21 people.

The new study projected that the American South would get at least one supercell per year by the year 2100.

Here are some examples of past supercell events. A 2013 tornado killed 51 people in Moore, Oklahoma. In 2011, a tornado in Joplin, Missouri, killed 161 people. And in the same year, tornadoes killed more than 320 people in Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee and other parts of the South.

The study used computer simulations. A computer used a model to predict what will happen 73 years from now with different levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

Walker Ashley is a professor of disaster geography at Northern Illinois University. He told The Associated Press that people are already living with more serious storms.

The data that Ive seen has persuaded me that we are in this experiment and living it right now, Ashley said. What were seeing in the longer term is actually occurring right now.

Ashley and others said that while the Mississippi tornado fits the projections, it was just a single weather event. This is different from making climate predictions over many years covering large areas.

Past studies have not been able to predict supercells and tornadoes in future climate simulations because they are small weather events.

The study identified large changes in where and when the storms hit. The researchers said more intense storms are to be expected in the eastern United States.

If warming is more moderate, the study predicts parts of eastern Mississippi and eastern Oklahoma will get three more supercells every two years. In addition, eastern Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Alabama, western Tennessee and eastern Georgia can expect to get one more supercell every other year.

If warming is serious, the study projects similar changes but with worsening supercells over eastern Oklahoma, Arkansas and southern Missouri.

Ashley said cities that should see more supercells as warming worsens include Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas; Little Rock, Arkansas; Memphis and Nashville, Tennessee; Tupelo and Jackson, Mississippi; and Birmingham, Alabama.

Im Bryan Lynn.

The Associated Press reported this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the report for VOA Learning English.

_________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

hail  n. small, hard pieces of frozen rain that fall from the sky

tornado  n. an extremely strong and dangerous wind that blows in a circle and can cause major destruction

project v. to estimate for a time in the future

simulation  n. a creation of something that behaves or looks like something real but is not

occur  v. to happen

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Drugs that fight obesity could for the first time be included on the World Health Organizations (WHO) essential medicines list.

The United Nations health agency told Reuters the list is used to guide government purchasing decisions in low- and middle-income countries.

A group of WHO advisers will examine new requests for drugs to be included next month. The latest list of essential medicines is set to be released in September.

The request to consider obesity drugs came from three doctors and a researcher in the United States. Their request covers the active ingredient liraglutide, which is used in the obesity drug Saxenda. The drug, made by Novo Nordisk, is set to come off patent soon. The consideration is meant to permit the availability of less costly versions of such drugs.

WHO advisers could reject the request or wait for more evidence.

But if they approve the request to include Saxenda and any future drug versions, it would mark a new method of dealing with worldwide obesity.

However, some public health experts warn against introducing such medicines to the public as a solution to a complex condition that is still not completely understood.

The WHO said the group of experts would consider the evidence for liraglutide over the coming months. The group may also look into other kinds of weight-loss treatments in the future.

The WHO found over 650 million adults worldwide are obese, more than three times the rate in 1975. Another 1.3 billion people worldwide are overweight. Seventy percent of obese and overweight people live in low- and middle-income countries.

Expanding its reach

Including obesity drugs among the WHOs essential medicines could make a major difference in poorer populations. Experts say that adding drugs for the disease HIV to the list in 2002 helped make such drugs more widely available to patients in lower-income countries.

The doctors and the researcher who requested the consideration wrote, At present, there are no medications included in the (list) that specifically target weight loss for the ongoing global burden of obesity.

They argue that the lack of weight-loss treatments goes against the idea of worldwide health equality. Poorer nations, they added, are seeing increased deaths from weight-related illnesses.

About the drugs

Saxenda is a once-daily injection. It has been shown to help people reduce 5 to 10 percent of their body weight. It is $450 per month in the United States and $150 per month in Europe.

Another drug made by Novo Nordisk, Wegovy, is a weekly injection. It costs more than $1,300 a month in the United States. People using it have lost up to 15 percent of their weight.

At the moment, Wegovy is in short supply. Novo is mainly working toward Wegovys launch in the United States and other wealthy markets.

Both drugs belong to a class of medicines called GLP-1 receptor agonists. Such drugs have been used for years to treat diabetes. The drug affects hunger signals to the brain and slow the rate at which a persons stomach empties. As a result, people feel fuller longer.

For both Saxenda and Wegovy, there is a lack of long-term safety and effectiveness data for obesity. Studies suggest people will likely have to take the drugs for the rest of their lives to keep the weight off.

Novo Nordisk said in a statement it was not involved in the request to consider liraglutide for the WHO list. It added, We welcome the WHO review and look forward to the readout and decision.

Im Gregory Stachel.

Jennifer Rigby reported this story for Reuters. Gregory Stachel adapted it for VOA Learning English.

____________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

obese  adj. fat in a way that is unhealthy

essential  adj. extremely important and necessary

ingredient  n. one of the things that are used to make a food or product

patent  n. an official document that gives a person or company the right to be the only one that makes or sells a product for a certain period of time

specifically  adv. in a definite and exact way

burden  n. someone or something that is very difficult to accept, do, or deal with

review  n. an act of carefully looking at or examining the quality or condition of something or someone

_____________________________________________________________________

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Former President Donald Trump returned to New York from his home in Florida for his historic booking and arraignment on criminal charges. The nations largest city bolstered security and warned potential agitators that it is not a playground for your misplaced anger.
LEXINGTON  The members of the Lexington Middle School student council presented a $502.00 check to the Dawson/Gosper County CASA office during the morning of Tuesday, April 4.

LMS Counselor Ron Stewart said the student council was able to raise the sum during a bake sale they held at the school in March.

The 19 students on the council, sixth, seventh, and eighth graders, all brought items that were sold. In total the sale raised $502.00 Bake sales go crazy at the school, Stewart remarked.

When asked how they decided on the local CASA office as a recipient, the student council members said one of them had spoken with their Spanish teacher, who suggested the funds could go to CASA.

Dawson/Gosper County CASA Director Linda Shaw and Outreach Coordinator Helen Rodas were on hand to accept the funds from the students.

For the kids to think of other kids in needthat is amazing, Shaw said, We really appreciate the kids and the donation.

The CASA program began in Dawson County in 2000 and expanded into Gosper County the following year. Since 2000 our volunteers have touched the lives of 844 children with 98 volunteers.

The Dawson/Gosper County Program serves children involved in the court system due to emotional, physical or sexual abuse, neglect or abandonment. A trained CASA volunteer is assigned to work one-on-one with the child and to gather information from all parties such as parents, social workers, teachers, doctors, therapists and foster parents.

Prior to court hearings, the CASA volunteer meets with the numerous professionals and caregivers involved and makes a written report to the court regarding actions in the best interest of the child. The CASA volunteer remains assigned until a permanent resolution and placement of the child is achieved.
GRAND ISLAND  The Central Platte Natural Resources Districts (CPNRD) Board of Directors elected Mike Wilkens, Gibbon, to fill the vacancy in Sub-District 5 at their monthly meeting on Thursday. Wilkens two-year term will end in December 2024.

-Student Presentation Bren Vaughan, student at Central City High School, presented her research on the Effect of Stratification Temperature on Germination of Native and Non-Native Grasses. Vaughan provided results from her study that included germinating Western Wheat Grass and Intermediate Wheat Grass to determine possible effects of climate change on pastures.

-10-Year Meter Program Brandi Flyr, Hydrologist Ph.D., reported the results of CPNRDs 10-Year groundwater pumping study that included 78 sites district-wide showed that producers are pumping less water than estimated. The program provided flow meters equipped with telemetry, soil probes and weather stations to producers with the goal of collecting raw pumping data. The program was designed to be voluntary, allowing producers to review their own pumping data and adjust their water use as needed. Flyr showed examples of sites where producers used the data and reduced their water use without impacting yields. The NRD has applied for funding to continue the study through 2034. Flyr said the results will be added to the NRDs groundwater models to account for water uses and integrated into the Robust Review water accounting budget.

-Natural Resources Conservation Service Joe Krolikowski, District Conservationist, reported that NRCS recently held their 2023 Local Working Group meeting. The Group discussed the local priorities within the CPNRD and will make recommendations to the NRCS State Conservationist. It was also discussed that NRCS staff are still working through changes and/or new programs that have come with the farm bill, RCPP, or with the IRA program, as well as the new Conservation Assessment & Ranking Tool (CART).

Jason Scholz, Resource Conservationist of Grand Island, reported that there is a possibility that NRCS will receive additional funds for EQIP. He also reported the deadline to apply for CSP renewals is April 28th and general signup for CRP is April 7th.

-Platte Valley Industrial Park The Board approved an amendment with Olsson in the amount of $14,200 to complete geotechnical services including a seepage analysis and to subcontract with Augustana University to complete an archaeological study on 15.6 acres of Platte Valley Industrial Park located south of Grand Island.

-Dam Rehabilitation The Board approved an amendment with JEO Consulting in the amount of $14,000 for additional services required for the rebidding and construction phase of the Jones and Clear Creek dams.

-Elm-Turkey Creek WFPO The Board approved an amendment in the amount of $78,030 for additional project management, coordination and public involvement due to a one-year extension and additional environmental science work needed to meet updated NRCS and USACE requirements. The funds are available through the $742,500 WFPO grant awarded to Central Platte NRD from NRCS. The flood risk deduction plan process was initiated in 2021. Hydrologic and hydraulic models were developed to show existing flooding conditions, various flood risk reduction alternatives. The plan area covers the entire Elm Creek Watershed to its confluence with Buffalo Creek south of the Village of Elm Creek; and the entire Turkey Creek Watershed flowing north of the Village of Elm Creek past Odessa and through the City of Kearney.

-NRD App Agreement The Board approved an agreement with Longitude 103 of Brush, Colorado, to develop an NRD software app in the amount of $38,000. The agreement cost includes the first-year annual service fee and professional services to migrate Central Platte NRDs current data.

-Observation Well Bids The Board approved a bid of $53,322.85 from Downey Drilling of Lexington, Nebraska, to construct 13 dedicated observation wells in Merrick County and the eastern portion of the Central Platte NRD. CPNRD staff measures 450-500 wells throughout the District each spring and fall to monitor groundwater levels as part of the Groundwater Management Program. The new wells will replace irrigation wells that are no longer accessible to measure.

-Platte River Resilience Committee The Board selected David Carr, Range Management Specialist, to replace Deb VanMatre as Central Platte NRDs representative on the Platte River Resilience Committee that manages Phragmites control along the Platte River.

-Platte River Recovery Implementation Program (PRRIP) The Board selected David Carr to replace Lyndon Vogt on the PRRIP Land Advisory Committee.

-Violation Report Luke Zakrzewski, GIS Image Analyst, reported that he has been working with the 56 landowners/producers who received a violation notification in February on land that was irrigated without proper certification or through a transfer. He reported that 11 are now in compliance with the NRDs Groundwater Management Program and the remaining are planning to complete required paperwork.

-Managers Report Lyndon Vogt, General Manager, reported on the following:

Groundwater Management Plan A public hearing will be held prior to the May 25th Board meeting to consider the updates to the GWMP. The NRD is currently in the process of updating the Rules and Regulations for the Plan and will schedule a public hearing to approve the rules when completed.

Building Committee Bids have been requested to drill a well at the potential new office site. With no electricity currently at the site, the bid request has been adjusted to give interested bidders additional time.

CPNRD Staffing CPNRD is working with UNL on a cooperative agreement to share the cost of an agronomist to work with Dean Krull, Demonstration Project Coordinator, and producers to assist with ground truthing and validating a crop modeling project that the USDA Adaptive Cropping Systems Lab is working on. The NRD is also working with the Rainwater Basin Joint Venture and Tri-Basin NRD on a grant to share a Water Quality Specialist to promote conservation practices. Both positions would also work directly with our producers with high nitrate issues.

Central Platte NRD and Tri Basin NRD Joint Executive Meeting The two NRD committees met on March 13th in Kearney to discuss the Central Nebraska Public Power & Irrigation District excess flow agreement, Nitrogen Dashboard/Longitude 103, and recent cost-share programs approved by both districts.

-Nebraska Association of Resources District Lyndon Vogt reported that Deb VanMatre, CPNRD Representative, was appointed to the Programs Committee for NARD at their March meeting.

-2024 FY Budget The Eastern Projects and Western Projects committees reviewed budget requests for the 2024 Fiscal Year and will meet in April to finalize their budgets.

-Cost-Share The Board approved 16 applications for center pivot incentive, streambank stabilization, sensor-based management of fertigation, and well decommissioning through the Nebraska Soil and Water Conservation and the Central Platte NRD cost-share programs in the amount of 45,288.00.
The possibility of commodity prices falling soon remains vague, president Samuel Tong Kai Chung of the Macau Institute of Management said.

He said the pressure is mostly from the upstream side.

In the past three years, he recalled, many local businesses have run special promotions or offered special prices to attract customers. With tourists returning, many of them have canceled these special prices, so that people have the feeling of a price hike, Tong said in an interview with local newspaper Macao Daily News.

On the other hand, prices have also increased at the sources, which equates to elevated costs on the retail side.

Another factor that exerts pressure on commodity prices is rents. After the resumption of normal travel, shop owners have become progressive on rental evaluations. When a lease is renewed, many business operators are faced with soaring rents.

The cycle will then return to the increase in tourist arrival figures, which inject greater confidence in businesses to increase prices.

Several lawmakers have asked the government to issue another round of consumption subsidies or an additional round of cash handouts, which will help alleviate the publics livelihood pressure amid the resumption of normal travel.

In response, the government has only reiterated that it would examine the possibility of doing so.

On this matter, Tong agreed that residents are facing higher prices that eventually lead to greater livelihood pressure. He suggests the government closely monitor the quality of revivals and average household income to assist decisions on additional monetary subsidies.

MOP130b GGR will likely be achieved

With gross gambling revenue (GGR) reviving in March, Tong has reminded the public of the importance of economic diversification.

He added that the GGR figure for the first quarter is on par with the governments estimate for this year at MOP130 billion.

The March GGR amounted to MOP12.7 billion and the first quarter to MOP34.6 billion. The first two months saw three million visitor arrivals, with 67% holding mainland travel endorsement and 30% holding Hong Kong ID documents.

If this indication persists, the GGR estimate for this year will likely be achieved, Tong told local newspaper Exmoo.

Despite the bright GGR figures, he reminded the public the government and the city are striving to expand their source market, hoping to attract more tourists from the non-Greater China Region. He said matching a widened offering of non-gambling products and elements with reinvigorating the GGR is more important than focusing too much on the GGR increment itself.

In addition, Tong warned a rising GGR, paired with a narrow source of tourists, is not a healthy path of development. The casino market is part of the economy the government wants to diversify, Tong explained.

Reviewing the past, he said society was overly focused on the casino industry, without seeing the entire picture. Explaining that the GGR should no longer be the only apparatus to measure economic performances, Tong suggested a set of systematic assessment apparatuses to compare government targets and the reality.
Japans Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi protested in a meeting Sunday with his Chinese counterpart the detention of a Japanese national in Beijing and raised strong concern about Chinas military activity near Taiwan and around Japan.

Hayashi was on a two-day visit to China, becoming Japans first diplomat to make the trip in more than three years as frictions grow between the countries. He also met Chinese Premier Li Qiang and top diplomat Wang Yi later Sunday.

During his talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang, Hayashi demanded an early release of an employee of the Japanese pharmaceutical company Astellas Pharma, who was detained in Beijing last month over what the Chinese Foreign Ministry described as spying allegations. Neither side has offered further details about the man nor the allegations against him.

Hayashi told reporters he raised serious concern about Chinas activity in the East and South China seas, and stressed the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.

He said he also expressed concern about Beijings joint military activity with Russia around Japan while Moscow wages war against Ukraine.

Hayashi said he told Qin while there is a possibility of improving cooperation in economic, cultural and people exchanges, the two countries also face many problems and serious concerns and that Japan-China relations are currently at an extremely important phase.

The two ministers agreed to work together in achieving a constructive and stable relationship as agreed between their leaders in November, Hayashi said.

The sides agreed to improve communication in regional security, and welcomed the establishment of a defense hotline last week and the resumption of defense talks, Hayashi said.

Hayashi said that he and Premier Li shared the importance of their bilateral economic ties, and that it was crucial that Japanese nationals and companies feel safe to operate in China.

That was the concern raised by representatives of Japanese companies during their meeting Saturday with Hayashi. They also sought transparent, predictable and fair business environment in China, said Yukiko Okano, deputy press secretary for the Japanese Foreign Ministry.

Separately, Hayashi told Wang that Chinas activity in the East China Sea and the recent detention are a stumbling block for promoting economic and people-to-people exchanges.

Despite close economic and business ties between the two Asian powers, Tokyo and Beijing have been increasingly at odds in recent years as Japan considers Chinas growing influence in the region a threat to its security and economy.

Qin meanwhile warned against Japanese involvement in issues related to Taiwan, saying Tokyo should not interfere and undermine Chinas sovereignty in any way, according to a statement from Chinas Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Qin said the Taiwan issue is at the core of Chinas core interests and concerns the political foundation of China-Japan relations. MARI YAMAGUCHI & HUIZHONG WU, TOKYO, MDT/AP
Rep. Jeff Jackson of North Carolina has used it to explain the complex fight over raising the debt limit. Rep. Robert Garcia of California has used it to engage with members of the LGBTQ+ community. And Sen. Bob Casey of Pennsylvania has used it to give an overview of Election Day results.

As pressure against TikTok mounts in Washington, the more than two dozen members of Congress  all Democrats  who are active on the social media platform are being pushed by their colleagues to stop using it. Many defend their presence on the platform, saying they have a responsibility as public officials to meet Americans where they are  and more than 150 million are on TikTok.

Im sensitive to the ban and recognize some of the security implications. But there is no more robust and expeditious way to reach young people in the United States of America than TikTok, Democratic Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota told The Associated Press.

Yet the lawmakers active on TikTok remain a distinct minority. Most in Congress are in favor of limiting the app, forcing a sale to remove connections to China or even banning it outright. The U.S. armed forces and more than half of U.S. states have already banned the app from official devices, as has the federal government. Similar bans have been imposed in Denmark, Canada, Great Britain and New Zealand, as well as the European Union.

Criticism of TikTok reached a new level last week as CEO Shou Zi Chew testified for more than six hours at a contentious hearing in the House. Lawmakers grilled Chew about the implications of the app for Americas national security and the effect on the mental health of its users.

And the tough questions came from both sides of the aisle, as Republicans and Democrats alike pressed Chew about TikToks content moderation practices, its ability to shield American data from Beijing and its spying on journalists.

Ive got to hand it to you, said Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, as members questioned Chew over data security and harmful content. Youve actually done something that in the last three to four years has not happened except for the exception of maybe (Russian President) Vladimir Putin. You have unified Republicans and Democrats.

While the hearing made plain that lawmakers view TikTok as a threat, their lack of first-hand experience with the app was apparent at times. Some made inaccurate and head-scratching comments, seemingly not understanding how TikTok connects to a home Wi-Fi router or how it moderates illicit content. FARNOUSH AMIRI, WASHINGTON, MDT/AP
A 45-year-old Korean man was detained by the Judiciary Police (PJ) for an alleged investment fraud swindling the equivalent of MOP1.8 million from seven victims, the PJ announced yesterday in a special press conference.

According to the PJ, the case dates back to late 2019, when the man lured the victims through an online video posted on a video-sharing platform, in which he claimed to be able to provide interest of between 0.25% to 1% per day to investors for each USD1,000 (MOP8,086) invested in the scheme.

At that time, the alleged fraudster met with seven alleged victims, six of them from the mainland and one from Hong Kong, who, in total, claim to have lost the equivalent of MOP 1.75 million.

All these appointments with the victims were made in Macau where the man was supposed to have opened a company and was operating the investment scheme.

Later the victims were invited to join a chat group where instructions were given to download a mobile application that would serve as an investment trading platform.

After initially having seen some profits accumulating, the victims then lost the money invested in the scheme and also lost contact with the suspect, filing complaints with the PJ.

After an investigation, the police managed to identify the suspect and also found that the alleged company never existed, being based out of a small office rented temporarily to lure the victims into believing that it was a legitimate business.

The PJ also found that around the same time, the suspect had gambled and lost over HKD4 million in several local casinos.

On April 1, the suspect was finally intercepted when he tried to reenter Macau. He has refused to cooperate with the PJ or to give any testimony to the authorities on the case.

The police authorities suspect that there might be other people involved in the scam as the office was not rented by the suspect but by some other people, residents of the mainland thought to have assisted the suspect now in custody to commit the crimes.
Photo: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Kelly-Pool Photo via AP Former President Donald Trump appears in court for his arraignment, Tuesday, April 4, 2023, in New York. Trump surrendered to authorities ahead of his arraignment on criminal charges stemming from a hush money payment to a porn actor during his 2016 campaign. UPDATE 7 p.m. Donald Trump relaunched his 2024 campaign Tuesday, just hours after becoming the first former U.S. president to confront felony charges in what prosecutors allege was a hush-money scheme to protect his reputation before the 2016 election. In a surprisingly brief appearance at his gilded country club sanctuary in Florida, Trump reprised familiar grievances that spanned the full spectrum of his legal troubles, lingering only briefly on the historic charges he now faces. "I never thought anything like this could happen in America," the former commander-in-chief said from his Mar-a-Lago podium on a stage bedecked in American flags. "The only crime that I've committed is to fearlessly defend our nation from those who seek to destroy it." Trump has been showing strength in the polls in recent weeks, adding credulity to his frequent claim that he's the clear front-runner in the race to secure the Republican nomination for president in 2024. And he's been fundraising mercilessly off of his current legal quandary, including with a T-shirt offering Tuesday featuring a fake mug shot  Trump was not photographed by court officials  and the words, "Not guilty." Trump sounded more defensive about the two other cases that are amassing against him: an investigation into the removal of classified documents from the White House and his effort in the days following the 2020 election to convince officials in Georgia to overturn his defeat. "This fake case was brought only to interfere with the upcoming 2024 election and it should be dropped immediately," he said of the latter. UPDATE: 2:36 p.m. Donald Trump conspired to illegally influence the 2016 election through a series of hush money payments designed to stifle claims that could be harmful to his candidacy, prosecutors said Tuesday in unsealing a historic 34-count felony indictment against the former U.S. president. The payments, said Assistant District Attorney Christopher Conroy, were part of an unlawful plan to identify and suppress negative information that could have undermined his campaign for president. Trump, stone-faced and silent as he entered and exited the Manhattan courtroom, said not guilty in a firm voice while facing a judge who warned him to refrain from rhetoric that could inflame or cause civil unrest. The next court date is Dec. 4, though it is not clear if he will be required to appear. The broad contours of the case have long been known, but indictment contains new details about a scheme that prosecutors say involved payoffs to two women, including a porn star, who said they had extramarital sexual encounters with him years earlier, as well as to a Trump Tower doorman who claimed to have a story about a child he alleged the former president had out of of wedlock. UPDATE: 1:19 p.m. A judge has warned former President Donald Trump to refrain from rhetoric that could inflame or cause civil unrest. Trump, speaking briefly during his arraignment, told the judge he was pleading not guilty and was advised of his rights by the judge. Judge Juan Merchan also warned Trump that he could be removed from the courtroom if he is disruptive, but Trump spoke only a few times to respond to questions. Hes next due in court in December, but his lawyers asked for him to be excused from attending the hearing in person because of extraordinary security proceedings. UPDATE: 12:29 p.m. Former President Donald Trump pleaded not guilty Tuesday to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, according to two law enforcement officials familiar with the matter. The plea came during a brief arraignment in a lower Manhattan courtroom as Trump faced a grand jury indictment arising from a hush money payment to a porn actor during Trump's 2016 campaign. The two officials who confirmed the plea spoke on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press because prosecutors had not yet released the indictment publicly. The arraignment, though procedural in nature, amounts to a remarkable reckoning for Trump after years of investigations into his personal, business and political dealings. The case is unfolding against the backdrop not only of his third campaign for the White House but also against other investigations in Washington and Atlanta that might yet produce even more charges. A silent and stone-faced Trump, his lips pursed in apparent anger, entered the courtroom shortly before 2:30 p.m. without saying anything. Minutes earlier, he narrated his feelings in real time, describing the experience as SURREAL as he traveled from Trump Tower to lower Manhattan to face a judge as the first former president in American history to be criminally prosecuted. UPDATE: 11:43 A stone-faced Donald Trump entered the courtroom shortly before 2:30 p.m. without saying anything. UPDATE: 11:03 a.m. Former President Donald Trump surrendered to authorities Tuesday at a Manhattan courthouse ahead of his arraignment on criminal charges stemming from a hush money payment to a porn actor during his 2016 campaign. Wearing his signature dark suit and red tie, Trump turned and waved to crowds outside the building before heading inside to be fingerprinted and processed  a remarkable reckoning after years of investigations into his personal, business and political dealings and an extraordinary moment in U.S. history. He arrived at court in an eight-car motorcade that took him from Trump Tower in Midtown Manhattan through the main north-south highway on the east side of the city, past landmarks such as the United Nations. Along the way, the voluble ex-president posted on his social media platform: Heading to Lower Manhattan, the Courthouse. Seems so SURREAL  WOW, they are going to ARREST ME. Cant believe this is happening in America. MAGA! UPDATE: 10:29 a.m.

Former President Donald Trump arrived Tuesday at a Manhattan courthouse ahead of his arraignment on criminal charges stemming from a hush money payment to a porn actor during his 2016 campaign.

Trump pumped his fist as he exited Trump Tower minutes earlier, then traveled in an eight-car motorcade down a highway along the East River to the downtown courthouse, where's he expected to surrender to authorities. Hes expected to be fingerprinted and processed, and his mug shot may be taken  a remarkable reckoning after years of investigations and an extraordinary moment in U.S. history.

The booking and appearance before Judge Juan Merchan should be relatively brief  though hardly routine  as Trump learns for the first time the charges against him. Trump will plead not guilty, according to his lawyers, and is expected to enter the plea himself, as is standard in the court.

Merchan has ruled that TV cameras won't be allowed in the courtroom.

Trump, who was impeached twice by the U.S. House but was never convicted in the U.S. Senate, is the first former president to face criminal charges. The nation's 45th commander in chief will be escorted from Trump Tower to the courthouse by the Secret Service and may have his mug shot taken.

He is strong and ready to go, Trump lawyer Joe Tacopina told The Associated Press. Earlier, Tacopina said in a TV interview that the former president wouldn't plead guilty to lesser charges, even if it might resolve the case. He also said he didn't think the case would make it to a jury.

New York police said they were ready for large protests by Trump supporters, who share the Republican former presidents belief that the New York grand jury indictment and three additional pending investigations are politically motivated and intended to weaken his bid to retake the White House in 2024. Journalists often outnumbered protesters, though.

ORIGINAL STORY: 10:19 a.m.

Donald Trump departed Trump Tower on Tuesday ahead of his arraignment on criminal charges stemming from a hush money payment to a porn actor during his 2016 campaign.

Trump, who pumped his fist to supporters, was believed to be headed to a Manhattan courthouse, where he was due to surrender to authorities  a remarkable reckoning after years of investigations and an extraordinary moment in U.S. history. Hes expected to be fingerprinted and processed, and his mug shot may be taken.

The booking and appearance before Judge Juan Merchan should be relatively brief  though hardly routine  as Trump learns for the first time the charges against him. Trump will plead not guilty, according to his lawyers, and is expected to enter the plea himself, as is standard in the court.

Merchan has ruled that TV cameras won't be allowed in the courtroom.

Trump, who was impeached twice by the U.S. House but was never convicted in the U.S. Senate, is the first former president to face criminal charges. The nation's 45th commander in chief will be escorted from Trump Tower to the courthouse by the Secret Service and may have his mug shot taken.

He is strong and ready to go, Trump lawyer Joe Tacopina told The Associated Press. Earlier, Tacopina said in a TV interview that the former president wouldn't plead guilty to lesser charges, even if it might resolve the case. He also said he didn't think the case would make it to a jury.

New York police said they were ready for large protests by Trump supporters, who share the Republican former presidents belief that the New York grand jury indictment and three additional pending investigations are politically motivated and intended to weaken his bid to retake the White House in 2024. Journalists often outnumbered protesters, though.

Trump, a former reality TV star, has been hyping that narrative to his political advantage, saying he raised more than $8 million in the days since the indictment on claims of a witch hunt. His campaign released a fundraising request titled My last email before arrest and he has repeatedly assailed the Manhattan district attorney, egged on supporters to protest and claimed without evidence that the judge presiding over the case hates me  something his own lawyer has said is not true.

Trump is scheduled to return to his Palm Beach, Florida, home, Mar-a-Lago, on Tuesday evening to give remarks, punctuating his new reality: submitting to the dour demands of the American criminal justice system while projecting an aura of defiance and victimhood at celebratory campaign events. At least 500 prominent supporters have been invited, with some of the most pro-Trump congressional Republicans expected to attend.

A conviction would not prevent Trump from running for or winning the presidency in 2024.

Inside the Manhattan courtroom, prosecutors led by New Yorks district attorney, Alvin Bragg, a Democrat, are expected to unseal the indictment issued last week by a grand jury. This is when Trump and his defense lawyers will get their first glimpse of the precise allegations against him.

The indictment contains multiple charges of falsifying business records, including at least one felony offense, two people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press last week.

After the arraignment, Trump is expected to be released by authorities because the charges against him dont require that bail be set.

The investigation is scrutinizing six-figure payments made to porn actor Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal. Both say they had sexual encounters with the married Trump years before he got into politics. Trump denies having sexual liaisons with either woman and has denied any wrongdoing involving payments.

The arraignment will unfold against the backdrop of heavy security in New York, coming more than two years after Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol in a failed bid to halt the congressional certification of Democrat Joe Bidens win.

Trump was defiant ahead of his arraignment. He used his social media network to complain that he was going to court in a heavily Democratic area, declaring, KANGAROO COURT and THIS IS NOT WHAT AMERICA WAS SUPPOSED TO BE! He and his campaign have repeatedly assailed Bragg and even trained scrutiny on members of Bragg's family.

Despite that, the scenes around Trump Tower and the courthouse where Trump will stand before a judge did not feature major unrest. Police tried to keep apart protesters supporting the former president and those opposing him by confining them to separate sides of a park near the courthouse using metal barricades.

Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, one of Trumps staunchest supporters in Congress, staged a brief rally at the park, but the scene was so chaotic that it was hard to hear her over the crush of reporters and protesters.

Were the party of peace, Greene said, thanking those Trump supporters present. Democrats are communists.

Embattled Republican New York Rep. George Santos also showed up in solidarity with Trump, saying, I want to support the president."

I think this is unprecedented and its a bad day for democracy, Santos said, suggesting that future prosecutors could target Biden and other presidents with other cases, which cheapens the judicial system.

One demonstrator hoisted a sign reading "Trump or death 1776 2024, but others carried placards showed images of Trump in prison.

The public fascination with the case was evident Monday as national television carried live images of Trumps motorcade from his Mar-a-Lago club to a private, red, white and blue Boeing 757 stenciled with his name. From there, Trump was flown to New York, where cameras followed his motorcade into Manhattan and he spent the night at Trump Tower as he prepared to turn himself in.

The former president and his aides are embracing the media circus. After initially being caught off guard when news of the indictment broke Thursday evening, Trump and his team are hoping to use the case to his advantage. Still, they asked the judge in a Monday filing to ban photo and video coverage of the arraignment.

New Yorks ability to carry out safe and drama-free courthouse proceedings in a case involving a polarizing ex-president could be an important test case as prosecutors in Atlanta and Washington conduct their own investigations of Trump that could also result in charges. Those investigations concern efforts to undo the 2020 election results as well as the possible mishandling of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago.

Many top Republicans, including some of Trumps potential rivals in next years GOP presidential primary, have criticized the case against him. Biden, who has yet to formally announce that hes seeking reelection next year, and other leading Democrats have largely had little to say about it.

Prosecutors insist their case against Trump has nothing to do with politics.
Sands China Ltd. held a seminar about the recent sessions of the National Peoples Congress (NPC) and the Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) March 28 at The Londoner Macao for management team members and local youth.

Wilfred Wong, president of Sands China Ltd., moderated the sharing session, and said: We want to encourage all of our team members, including young professionals, to have a comprehensive understanding of the nations development path and its significant decisions.

This will enable them to fuse into the countrys overall development and capitalize on the opportunities presented by the construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, he added.

Entitled the Sands China Distinguished Speaker Forum Series  The Spirit of NPC and CPPCC, more than 230 people attended the sharing session, including Sands China team members and students of the companys development programmes.
The South Korean, U.S. and Japanese navies began their first anti-submarine drills in six months yesterday to boost their coordination against increasing North Korean missile threats, South Koreas military said.

The two-day drills come as North Koreas recent unveiling of a type of battlefield nuclear warhead prompted worries the country may conduct its first nuclear test since 2017.

The maritime exercises in international waters off South Koreas southern island of Jeju involved the nuclear-powered USS Nimitz aircraft carrier and naval destroyers from South Korea, the U.S. and Japan, South Koreas Defense Ministry said in a statement.

The training was arranged to improve the three countries capacities to respond to underwater security threats posed by North Koreas advancing submarine-launched ballistic missiles and other assets, the statement said. South Korean defense officials said the three countries were to detect and track unmanned South Korean and U.S. underwater vehicles posing as enemy submarines and other assets.

Submarine-launched missiles by North Korea are serious security threats to the United States and its allies because its harder to spot such launches in advance. In recent year, the North has been testing sophisticated underwater-launched ballistic missiles and pushing to build bigger submarines including a nuclear-powered one.

Last month, North Korea performed a barrage of missile tests in response to the earlier South Korea-U.S. bilateral military drills. The weapons tested included a nuclear-capable underwater drone and a submarine-launched cruise missile, which suggest North Korea is trying to diversify underwater weapons systems.

Photographs in North Koreas state media last week showed leader Kim Jong Un standing near about 10 red-tipped warheads called Hwasan (volcano)-31 with different serial numbers. A poster on a nearby wall listed eight kinds of short-range weapons that can carry the Hwasan-31 warhead. The previous test flights of those weapons show they are capable of striking key targets in South Korea, including U.S. military bases there.

Some observers say the warheads unveiling may be a prelude to a nuclear test as North Koreas last two tests in 2016 and 2017 followed the disclosures of other warheads. If it does conduct a nuclear test, it would be its seventh detonation overall and the first since September 2017.

During the warhead-related event last week, Kim also ordered officials to ramp up bomb fuel production to achieve his stated goal of expanding his countrys nuclear arsenal exponentially. On Saturday, 38 North, a North Korea-focused website, said that recent commercial satellite imagery of the Norths main Yongbyon nuclear complex indicates a high level of activity, such as the continued operation of its 5-megawatt reactor and new construction around the uranium enrichment plant area.

Foreign experts debate whether North Korea has functioning nuclear-armed missiles. But South Koreas defense minister, Lee Jong-Sup, recently told lawmakers that the Norths technology to build miniaturized warheads to be mounted on advanced short-range missiles was believed to have made considerable progress.

North Korea could carry out new missile tests to protest the South Korea-U.S.-Japan drills because it views such training as a security threat. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called the recent South Korea-U.S. exercises reckless military provocations that disregarded North Koreas patience and warning.

In remarks carried in the Defense Ministry statement, Rear Adm. Kim Inho, chief of the South Korean forces involved in the trilateral drills, said Well decisively respond to and neutralize any type of provocation by North Korea.

In addition to the anti-submarine drills, the three countries will practice humanitarian search-and-rescue operations, including saving people who fall into the water and treating emergency patients. It would be the three countries first such training in seven years, the Defense Ministry statement said. HYUNG-JIN KIM, SEOUL, MDT/AP
Taiwanese leader Tsai Ing-wen and Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei on Saturday toured a hospital built with support from Taipei, reaffirming their close diplomatic ties as the self-governing island seeks to strengthen relations with its remaining allies in Central America.

It was the final day of Tsais three-day visit to Guatemala and came shortly after Honduras announced it would break ties with Taiwan and switch its support to China, joining Nicaragua, Panama, El Salvador and Costa Rica. Belize  the next stop on Tsais trip  is the only other Central American country to maintain diplomatic ties with Taiwan.

Giammattei once again thanked Taiwans leader for her governments economic support and said Guatemalas friendship with Taiwan was unchangeable.

Sundays visit came a day after the leaders toured the Guatemalan archaeological site of Tikal, one of the most important urban centers of the Mayan civilization.

The hospital in Chimaltengo department built with a donation from Taiwan will serve patients from four departments in Guatemala and cost an estimated $22 million to build. It opened in February.

Tsai said she was pleased with the construction of the hospital, which, according to her, will be able to provide better medical care and service.

Construction of the hospital has brought controversy. Two weeks ago, the attorney general announced an investigation into allegations of a $10 million fraud in the purchase of equipment for the hospital. Prosecutors allege former vice minister of health, Gerardo Hernandez, authorized the purchase of used equipment and material. A company and the director of the hospital were allegedly in on the scheme.

The trip also is aimed to solidifying ties in Latin America.

Taiwan now has no more than 13 official diplomatic partners. More than half of those are small countries in Latin America and the Caribbean: Belize, Guatemala, Paraguay, Haiti, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. MDT/AP
Digital payment operator Visa has appointed Paulina Leong as general manager of Visa Hong Kong and Macau, the company announced in a press release.

Leong has over 18 years of experience working in the payments industry and was Visas Head of Client Relationship Management for Hong Kong and Macau.

In her new role, she will be responsible for leading Visas business operations in both Hong Kong and Macau although she will continue to be based in Hong Kong.

I am excited to take on this role and lead Visas businesses and operations in Hong Kong and Macau which are fascinating and fast-growing. I look forward to working closely with our partners, fintech, the regulator, and all stakeholders to help accelerate business growth, and enable individuals, businesses, and economies to thrive, Leong said in the same statement.
Meteorologists began warning about severe weather with the potential for tornadoes several days before storms tore across the Southeast and the Central U.S. in late March 2023. At one point, more than 28 million people were under a tornado watch. But pinpointing exactly where a tornado will touch down  like the tornadoes that hit Rolling Fork, Mississippi, on March 24, and towns in Arkansas, Illinois and multiple other states on March 31  still relies heavily on seeing the storms developing on radar. Chris Nowotarski, an atmospheric scientist, explains why, and how forecast technology is improving.

Why are tornadoes still so difficult to forecast?

Meteorologists have gotten a lot better at forecasting the conditions that make tornadoes more likely. But predicting exactly which thunderstorms will produce a tornado and when is harder, and thats where a lot of severe weather research is focused today.

Often, youll have a line of thunderstorms in an environment that looks favorable for tornadoes, and one storm might produce a tornado but the others dont.

The differences between them could be due to small differences in meteorological variables that arent resolved by our current observing networks or computer models. Even changes in the land surface conditions  fields, forested regions or urban environments  could affect whether a tornado forms. These small changes in the storm environment can have large impacts on the processes within storms that can make or break a tornado.

One of the strongest predictors of whether a thunderstorm produces a tornado relates to vertical wind shear, which is how the wind changes direction or speed with height in the atmosphere.

How wind shear interacts with rain-cooled air within storms, which we call outflow, and how much precipitation evaporates can influence whether a tornado forms. If youve ever been in a thunderstorm, you know that right before it starts to rain, you often get a gust of cold air surging out from the storm. The characteristics of that cold air outflow are important to whether a tornado can form, because tornadoes typically form in that cooler portion of the storm.

How far in advance can you know if a tornado is likely to be large and powerful?

The vast majority of violent tornadoes form from supercells, thunderstorms with a deep rotating updraft, called a mesocyclone. Vertical wind shear can enable the midlevels of the storm to rotate, and upward suction from this mesocyclone can intensify the rotation within the storms outflow into a tornado.

If you have a supercell on radar and it has strong rotation above the ground, thats often a precursor to a tornado. Some research suggests that a wider mesocyclone is more likely to create a stronger, longer-lasting tornado than other storms.

Forecasters also look at the storms environmental conditions  temperature, humidity and wind shear. Those offer more clues that a storm is likely to produce a significant tornado.

The percentage of tornadoes that trigger a warning has increased over recent decades, due to Doppler radar, improved modeling and better understanding of the storm environment. About 87% of deadly tornadoes from 2003 to 2017 had an advance warning.

The lead time for warnings has also improved. In general, its about 10 to 15 minutes now. Thats enough time to get to your basement or, if youre in a trailer park or outside, to find a safe facility. Not every storm will have that much lead time, so its important to get to shelter fast.

What are researchers discovering today about tornadoes that can help protect lives in the future?

If you think back to the movie Twister, in the early 1990s we were starting to do more field work on tornadoes. We were taking radar out in trucks and driving vehicles with roof-mounted instruments into storms. Thats when we really started to appreciate what we call the storm-scale processes  the conditions inside the storm itself, how variations in temperature and humidity in outflow can influence the potential for tornadoes.

Scientists cant launch a weather balloon or send instruments into every storm, though. So, we also use computers to model storms to understand whats happening inside. Often, well run several models, referred to as ensembles. For instance, if nine out of 10 models produce a tornado, we know theres a good chance the storm will produce tornadoes.

The National Severe Storms Laboratory has recently been experimenting with tornado warnings based on these models, called Warn-on-Forecast, to increase the lead time for tornado warnings.

There are a lot of other areas of research. For example, to better understand how storms form, I do a lot of idealized computer modeling. For that, I use a model with a simplified storm environment and make small changes to the environment to see how that changes the physics within the storm itself.

There are also new tools in storm chasing. Theres been an explosion in the use of drones  scientists are putting sensors into unmanned aerial vehicles and flying them close to and sometimes into the storm.

The focus of tornado research has also shifted from the Great Plains  the traditional tornado alley  to the Southeast.

Whats different about tornadoes in the Southeast?

In the Southeast there are some different influences on storms compared with the Great Plains. The Southeast has more trees and more varied terrain, and also more moisture in the atmosphere because its close to the Gulf of Mexico. There tend to be more fatalities in the Southeast, too, because more tornadoes form at night.

We tend to see more tornadoes in the Southeast that are in lines of thunderstorms called quasi-linear convective systems. The processes that lead to tornadoes in these storms can be different, and scientists are learning more about that.

Some research has also suggested the start of a climatological shift in tornadoes toward the Southeast. It can be difficult to disentangle an increase in storms from better technology spotting more tornadoes, though. So, more research is needed.

Chris Nowotarski Texas A&M University, MDT/THE CONVERSATION
RICHMOND, Va.  Irvo Otieno, a 28-year-old Black man whose death last month at a Virginia mental hospital sparked outrage and led to second-degree murder charges against 10 defendants, died of "positional and mechanical asphyxia with restraints," a medical examiner's office said Monday.

Arkuie Williams, the administrative deputy in the state Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, confirmed the cause of death findings after attorneys for Otieno's family first shared them in a statement. The manner of death was homicide, Williams wrote in an email.

Otieno, who struggled with mental illness, was killed March 6 after authorities pinned him to the floor while he was being admitted to Central State Hospital in Dinwiddie County.
Laurie Brock's 70th birthday was a real milestone, and not because of her age. It was the first time she could remember not getting some "over-the-hill" cards that make a joke of health ailments, sagging body parts and looming mortality.

The Denver woman chalked up the delightful surprise to the fact that she had been trying to spread the word about the harmful effects of ageism. She was a volunteer at Changing the Narrative, a Colorado-based organization that works with communities, employers and non profits to advocate for older adults.

Brock took the stack of 27 cards to a team meeting with Janine Vander burg, the organization's director.

"'Look at this  I got all non-ageist birthday cards,' I said with glee," Brock said.

They weren't all what Brock called "sweetsie," but they were upbeat and fun.

A light went on in Vander burg's head, Brock said. The organization launched an initiative to offer birthday cards designed to celebrate, not denigrate, older adults marking a birthday.

Brock planted the seeds of the idea, said Sara Breindel, chief of staff for Changing the Narrative. The organization reached out to supporters and contacts to get out the word about the project. The first round of birthday cards was offered via the organization's website in 2021.

"Initially, the idea was, 'Let's use birthday cards as a way to prompt people's thinking about aging.' It's kind of a fun way to think about it as opposed to just reading a book about ageism," Breindel said. "Since then, we've had a great response. People have said we need more of those  'You need to do more with that.'"

Changing the Narrative started talking to more designers and artists and selected 10 designers from across the country.

Breindel said Vanderburg was invited to give the keynote address at a national greeting-card-association conference in 2021 to talk about ageism.

"If the industry is interested in hearing about this, that's a good sign," Breindel said. "There's a market of people out here. Older adults are the fastest-growing part of our population."

Sarah Schwartz, editor-in-chief of Stationery Trends magazine, a trade publication for the greeting-card and related industries, said the kinds of cards being produced are changing to reflect society's growing diversity.

"Changing the Narrative is very beautifully putting some light on the vernacular, the ways we speak and ways we can celebrate age and the wisdom and other things that come with it," Schwartz said. "It's more of looking back on all they have accomplished and the amazing person they are instead of 'You're old and getting ready to die.'"

Schwartz likened greeting cards to "micro-conversations" that are taking new turns as the culture goes through changes.

"It's a time of great social upheaval. When that happens, people are trying to connect and communicate with each other," Schwartz said.

At a recent trade show in Atlanta, Schwartz saw greeting cards celebrating a person's sobriety, a divorce, a decision not to have children and someone's transition to a new gender. "They're kind of enabling the conversations, when people are not really sure how to approach it," Schwartz said.

While Schwartz wouldn't want to see all the funny-if-rough birthday cards disappear, she supports Changing the Narrative's eff orts to treat people as more than a number.

A cursory review of greeting cards at a Denver drugstore showed that birthday cards aimed at older people run the gamut. One with a bird in a party hat on the front said a birthday is a yearly reminder "of how long you've been awesome."

However, not far down the rack was another card that said birthdays are a timely reminder of where the years go. Inside was a paper pop-up toilet. Another said getting older is like taking a yoga class: "Your chances of farting in public go way up."

Countering those sentiments is part of the reason Melissa Mika, an artist from Fort Collins, Colorado, submitted designs for Changing the Narrative's initiative. Her work was chosen for both rounds of cards.

Mika's business Page Fifty Five is online and has a storefront in Fort Collins. She started designing and selling greeting cards 11 years ago when she couldn't fi nd cards to give to her wife or a same-sex couple getting married.

Her work with Changing the Narrative opened her eyes to the issue of ageism, Mika said. She remembers her mother saying she didn't like birthday greetings that mocked getting older. Her wife's mother faced a forced retirement while Mika was working on the fi rst set of non-ageist cards.

"It was pretty eye-opening," she said. Mika said older adults' perceptions of

themselves are likely a combination of what they hear from society and what they tell themselves.

"We take on what society tells us, which is the whole point of these cards," she said. "Let's have cards that embrace aging, and we might tell ourselves that story, too."
BRUSSELS  The blue and-white Finnish flag will rise outside NATO headquarters Tuesday afternoon, making Finland a member and doubling Russia's border with the world's biggest security alliance.

The move is a strategic and political blow to President Vladimir Putin, who has long complained about NATO's expansion toward Russia and partly used that as a justification for his country's war with Ukraine.

"What we see is that President Putin went to war against Ukraine with a declared aim to get less NATO," NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said. "He's getting the exact opposite."

Like all NATO members, Finland will benefit from the collective security guarantee that an attack on one is considered an attack on all.

NATO has said that it has no immediate intention to step up its presence in Finland. Some members have deployed troops there for war games over the last year.

Russia immediately warned that it would bolster forces near Finland if NATO sends any additional troops or equipment to what will be its 31st member country.

Finland has substantial, well-trained armed forces with elite troops capable of operating in the sub-zero temperatures of the high north. The Nordic country also has a large reserve army and is investing heavily in new equipment, including dozens of U.S.-made F-35 fighter jets.

The Finnish flag rising between the French and the Estonian in a ceremony scheduled for 1330 GMT will complete the fastest accession process in the organization's recent history.

Alarmed by Russia's invasion of Ukraine last year, Finland applied to join NATO in May 2022. Neighboring Sweden also applied, but its accession process will take longer.

The ceremony falls on NATO's very own birthday, the 74th anniversary of the signing of its founding Washington Treaty on April 4, 1949.

"It will be a good day for Finland's security, for Nordic security and for NATO as a whole," Stoltenberg told reporters on Monday on the eve of a meeting of alliance's foreign ministers in Brussels.

Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko warned that Moscow would bolster its own forces "in case of deployment of forces of other NATO members on the territory of Finland."

"We will strengthen our military potential in the west and in the northwest," Grushko said, according to the state RIA Novosti news agency, although Russia is already having trouble marshaling forces against far-smaller Ukraine.

Russian borderFinland shares a 832-mile

border with Russia and unlike most members of the alliance, Finland did not cut defense spending and investment after the Cold War.

"They have trained and built a large army over many years and maintain that high level of readiness. Finland is also a country with extremely high level of resilience, of preparedness throughout the whole society," Stoltenberg said.

The country also helps to complete NATO's geographical puzzle by filling in a major gap in the strategically important Baltic Sea region in Europe's north.
WAR IN UKRAINE

KYIV, Ukraine  Ukraine's Western allies have sent the country $70 billion in military aid to help thwart Russia's full-scale invasion, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Monday, and with no peace negotiations on the horizon the alliance is gearing up to send more.

"We cannot allow Russia to continue to chip away at European security," Stoltenberg told a news conference in Brussels, adding "there are no signs that (Russian President Vladimir) Putin is preparing for peace. He is preparing for more war."

NATO foreign ministers plan to meet Tuesday in Brussels to "discuss how we can step up our support, including by continuing to strengthen Ukraine's armed forces," Stoltenberg said. "Our support is for the long-haul."

Analysts suspect Putin plans to dig in and hold out against a possible Ukraine counteroffensive in the coming months, hoping that the West's costly support for Kyiv will unravel.

Putin's invasion in February 2022 backfired in some key respects. It led NATO to deploy more troops and weapons into the territories of its members in Eastern Europe and persuaded Sweden and Finland to scrap their neutrality and seek NATO membership.

Finland will formally join the alliance on Tuesday, Stoltenberg said.

The war has also bound together more tightly foreign leaders viewed by Putin as adversaries.

In a fresh example of the closer ties that Ukraine is forging, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy plans to travel to Warsaw on Wednesday for a meeting with Polish President Andrzej Duda. Polish authorities announced the visit Monday in an unusually early disclosure of the Ukrainian leader's travel plans.

Against a backdrop of fears among Russia's other neighbors about the Kremlin's ambitions, the leaders of Germany, Romania and Moldova were due Monday to look at ways of shoring up defenses along NATO's eastern flank.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz was meeting in Bucharest with Romanian President Klaus Iohannis and Moldovan President Maia Sandu. Their talks were expected to focus on security, the economy and energy supply.

Meanwhile, German Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck, who is also the economy minister and responsible for energy, arrived in Kyiv on Monday on an unannounced visit. He traveled with a business delegation that included the head of Germany's main industry lobby group, the Federation of German Industries.
Madison police say theyve arrested a man for allegedly hanging wire across a bike path and injuring at least one cyclist last August.

Police arrested Curtis L. Tessmer, 34, for repeatedly booby-trapping the Southwest Side bike path, said Stephanie Fryer, a police spokesperson.

DNA evidence connected Tessmer to the incident, which he also confessed to, Fryer said. She did not respond to a request Tuesday for further information on how his DNA was linked to the case.

At least three times a cord was strung across the Badger State Trail on a bridge just south of the intersection with the Southwest Commuter Path.

While riding a bike to work at 5 a.m., a Verona man was clotheslined in the neck by an HDMI cable that had been fastened across the path.

The Madison Police Department thanks members of the community who contacted Crime Stoppers with tips in this case and the Wisconsin State Crime Laboratory for their assistance with the case, Fryer said.

Tessmer has past convictions in Wisconsin for battery to a public safety worker, resisting or obstructing police, and burglary, and was charged late last year with resisting or obstructing police and retail theft.

Remembering the 1996 fire that destroyed Madison's Hotel Washington Hotel Washington before the fire Club de Wash before the fire Hotel Washington fire Hotel Washington fire Hotel Washington fire Hotel Washington fire Hotel Washington in ruins People watch Hotel Washington blaze Hotel Washington fire Hotel Washington fire Fighting the fire Extinguishing hot spot Friends embrace Freezing water Hotel Washington fire Barber's Closet fire damage Hotel Washington flowers Gutted hotel with flag Hotel Washington vigil Hotel Washington service Fire investigators Salvaging what they can Washington Hotel steps State Journal front page Feb. 19, 1996 State Journal coverage Feb. 19, 1996 State Journal coverage Feb. 19, 1996 Trumpf Hotel, 1906 Hotel Washington in 1935
Photo: DARREN STONE, TIMES COLONIST A critical-care nurse enters an isolation room to tend to a COVID-19 patient in the Royal Jubilee Hospital intensive care unit.

The B.C. government will spend roughly $1 billion to improve working conditions and recruit more nurses into the provinces public health system, the Ministry of Health announced Tuesday.

The bulk of that funding  $750 million  is expected to be paid out over three years to improve new nurses-to-patient ratio targets. Those targets, the first of its kind in Canada, are meant to reduce nurses workloads, increase staff safety and retention, and improve quality of life and patient care across the provinces hospitals and long-term care homes.

Another quarter billion dollars will be paid out in one-time spending to improve national and international recruitment, open up part-time jobs to nursing students and provide funding so mid-career nurses can get training and new credentials.

The past few years have been hard on nurses. They had been pushed to the max through global pandemic, toxic drug crisis, climate emergencies, said B.C. Premier David Eby.

Abandoning public health care is not our approach and it never will be. Supporting people who work in this health-care system absolutely will be.

The funding package is part of a tentative collective bargaining agreement the B.C. government reached with over 50,000 registered, psychiatric and licensed practical nurses across the province on March 31, 2023.

On Tuesday, a spokesperson for the Nurses' Bargaining Association said its members would vote on the agreement at the end of April. Much of the funding announced by the province will not be unlocked unless the nurses' union ratifies the tentative collective bargaining agreement.

This is an exciting time, an absolutely exciting time. The investments in health care, the investments in nurses represent an unsurpassed and historical set of investment, which we're very excited about, said Jim Gould, chief negotiator for the Nurses' Bargaining Association.

B.C. nurses facing multiple crises

The B.C. government says the new money is meant to target a number of crises facing the public health-care system in recent years.

The opioid crisis, COVID-19 pandemic and 2021 heat wave have combined with an aging population to put increased pressure on nurses, according to the ministry. An estimated 20 per cent of nurses in B.C. are over 55, and 41 per cent are over 45.

We have to do more and we have to do better, said B.C.s Minister of Health Adrian Dix.

To fill those ranks, the province says it must compete with other jurisdictions in Canada and abroad. Officials said the new measures are meant to make B.C. a more competitive place so nurses elsewhere in Canada and overseas choose B.C. as a place to work.

The Ministry of Health is earmarking $15 million for a national and international recruitment campaign to bring in new nurses to the province. As of February 2022, there were 2,000 seats to train nurses across B.C.

Another $20 million will go toward student nurses, so they can take on part-time positions in the health system while going to school. The program is meant to act as a pipeline to recruit new nurses into B.C.s public health system, say officials.

The funding package is also designed to retain nurses already in the health system. That includes $60 million to support a fund for nurses who need extra mental health support or to top up other benefit programs.

If ratified, the nurses bargaining agreement also sets out wage increases of 12.9 per cent between 2022 and 2024.

In addition to the boosted wages, the agreement includes anti-racism language, five days of paid leave for ceremonial, cultural or spiritual purposes for Indigenous employees, and changes that allow employers to preferentially hire Indigenous employees.

An Australian model

Most of the money announced Tuesday will back the new nurse-to-patient ratio system, which officials say has been modelled off similar targets in place in Australia and California.

This is the leading international practice in terms of retention of nurses in the delivery of quality health care, said Dix. It's a practice that has been put in place for example, in Australia, and it's been an issue on which the BC Nurses' Union has been advocating for decades.

Over the next year, the province says targets for hospital-based nurses will range from a one-to-one ratio in ventilated critical-care settings to a one-to-five ratio for nurses working with patients in rehabilitation. Targets for health-care settings outside of hospitals are still being worked out, officials said.

Officials did not answer reporters' questions over how many new nurses are required to hit staffing targets.

In a technical briefing where reporters are prohibited from naming individuals, an official said the nurse-to-patient ratios will not lead to caps on patient admissions. Any funding earmarked for improving nurse-to-patient ratios thats not used over its fiscal period will be directed to nurse recruitment or the new fund for nurses, the official said.

Australia currently runs on a three-shift-per-day system, with larger nurse-to-patient ratios at certain times of day. The province is still working out how B.C.s two-shift model might adjust nurse-to-patient ratios at busier times of the day or night.

Its also not clear if there will be any reporting mechanism for nurses to report ratios in excess of the targets.
A Brooklyn man who earlier this year pleaded guilty to a 2021 sexual assault has been arrested and tentatively charged with sexually assaulting a woman on the Oregon Rotary Bike Trail just last month, the Dane County Sheriffs Office said Tuesday.

Richard V. Cunningham, 42, was taken into custody at his home Monday evening and booked into the Dane County Jail on tentative charges of second-degree sexual assault, strangulation and felony bail jumping, Sheriffs Office spokesperson Elise Schaffer said in a statement.

Deputies collected key evidence on the day of the March 23 assault at the bike trail, just off Highway D in the town of Oregon, Schaffer said. Both DNA and GPS technology led to Cunninghams arrest, she said.

At the time of the assault, Cunningham was free on bail and awaiting sentencing on a sexual assault conviction from a case filed nearly two years ago. He pleaded guilty in that case in February to second-degree forceful sexual assault as part of a deal in which the court dismissed charges of attempted incest, first-degree sexual assault with the use of a dangerous weapon, and fleeing police, according to online court records.

According to the Sheriffs Office, deputies responded to a 911 call just after 5 p.m. on March 23 and the victim told investigators she was walking on the trail when a man ran at her, tackled her to the ground and sexually assaulted her. She fought him off, ran to a nearby home and was taken to a hospital, the Sheriffs Office said, while the attacker fled to a nearby parking lot and reportedly left the area in a vehicle.

As a fellow Dane County resident and trail walker, I empathize with our community members fear and distress following the assault, Sheriff Kalvin Barrett said in the statement. I am hopeful the news of the arrest will help ease their concerns and further their confidence in the Dane County Sheriffs Offices commitment to public safety.
Dane County has added more people than any other community in Wisconsin since 2020, minting 5,600 new residents while the rest of the state struggled to even come close.

New data from the U.S. Census Bureau show the countys population growth continues after clocking in with a 15% increase, about 73,000 people, between 2010 and 2020.

Between July 2020 and July 2022, the county grew by 1%, bringing its total population to 568,203 residents, according to the census.

But, county by county, the vast majority of communities had far more modest changes in population. Statewide, Wisconsin lost residents during the past three years despite modest growth over the previous decade.

The county with the second-highest growth in residents was Waukesha, which added about 3,000 residents, a 0.73% increase. The suburban Milwaukee county was followed by St. Croix and Ozaukee counties, which added 2,143 and 1,396 residents respectively.

Milwaukee County accelerated its population decline, losing a staggering 20,000 people during the past three years. The states biggest county lost about 8,200 people over the previous decade.

Those losses spilled over into nearby counties, with Kenosha County losing about 1,400 people and Racine losing about 1,700.

Grant County lost about 1.4% of its population, around 700 people. Dodge County lost 1.2% of its residents, about 1,100 people.

Wisconsin lost around 3,700 people during the past three years after growing 3.6% between 2010 and 2020.
Indicting a former president on criminal charges is an extremely serious matter. The charges brought against former President Donald Trump Thursday by the district attorney in Manhattan mark the first time that a past commander in chief has ever been indicted with a crime.

District Attorney Alvin Bragg has placed himself in an extraordinarily perilous position. He has two challenges now ahead of him.

He must make the iron clad case against Trump for fraudulently accounting for hush money paid to porn star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential campaign, and he must convince the American public  particularly those who are intensely loyal to the former president  that this is not a political hit job, and that Trump is being treated like anyone else who may have committed such an offense.

As for the case against Trump, we are not informed enough yet to determine whether the indictment has merit. However, we do know that in most situations the offense Trump is accused of would be a misdemeanor, and in that case the statute of limitations would have expired.

Bragg had to stretch the case against Trump into a felony to still be able to bring him to court.

Is he motivated by politics or justice? That will be the biggest question as this extraordinary case moves forward.

What we know in that regard is that Bragg has exhibited animosity toward Trump. He campaigned on this case and two of his deputies resigned citing the lack of progress in bringing charges against the former president.

Convincing Trump Republicans that this isnt one more attempt to bring him down is a tall order. Theyve already witnessed the bogus Russian collusion claims that fueled the first impeachment effort against him. Theres no denying that from day one of his presidency that Democrats have been trying to bring him down by any means necessary.

So, Braggs case must be solid.

Of course, the greatest risk here is the damage it will do to the national fabric. This has the potential to further rip the country apart.

There was a reason Gerald Ford pardoned Richard Nixon shortly after he replaced the disgraced Nixon in the White House. He wanted to spare the nation the bitter and destructive spectacle of seeing a former president hauled into court and handcuffed and placed on trial.

Obviously, what Trump did in paying off Daniels to keep her from talking publicly about their alleged affair speaks volumes about Trumps character. But voters knew going into the 2020 election about the payoff, and many discounted it.

And yet, it may have been one of the many things that contributed to his defeat.

Thats how the process should work. Trying to drive Trump off the stage with politically motivated criminal cases, if thats what this turns out to be, helps further the ongoing erosion of confidence in our political process.

No matter how you feel about Trump, that is not something to be celebrating.

A felony charge, or even a felony conviction will not disqualify Trump from the ballot in 2024. But it may rally enough of his supporters to assure he wins the GOP nomination and remains an ongoing cancer on the body politic.
TWIN FALLS  The city will enter negotiations with the Downtowner transit company to provide micro transit in Twin Falls.

At Mondays meeting, city council voted to approve the transit review panels recommendation to enter negotiations with Downtowner to provide a turn-key micro transit system.

In November 2022, the city approved a $3 million funding agreement with the Idaho Transportation Department to operate a transit system.

The idea of the micro transit is to offer on-demand transit options rather than a fixed-route bus system. Riders would schedule trips using an app, similar to other ride shares like Uber or Lyft.

The city received three responses to their Dec. 20, 2022 request for proposals. Two companies were interviewed: Via and Downtowner.

Before the council vote, council member Alex Caval said that between the two companies, the panel agreed that Downtowners offerings best matched the needs of Twin Falls.

Via adopts more of a bus stop, route approach, which I dont think is a good fit for Twin Falls and the population that we have, Caval said during the meeting. Downtowner is more of a curb-to-curb option. And when youre taking in to account the population that is more likely to use it ... I think that is a better fit.

According to Downtowners website, their technology enables flexible and cost-effective transit options.

Previously, Trans IV operated a transit system in Twin Falls, but ceased operating after the citys population passed 50,000 and bumped up into the small-urban sized city.

The primary users of transit in Twin Falls are elderly and handicapped patrons who otherwise have limited means to get around. There are a few nonprofit organization that offer rides for certain groups, such as disabled people or veterans.

Downtowner provides micro-transit in several cities, including Jackson, Wyoming, and Idaho Falls.

'The Uber of public transit': Twin Falls explores microtransit as alternative to fixed-route buses "Its a great solution thats being utilized around the county for communities like Twin Falls that are just ... dont have the funding available to support fixed-route systems.

Idaho Falls had a public fixed-route bus system that suffered from low ridership, then went bankrupt in 2019. To replace it, ITD worked with that city to develop a replacement service and selected microtransit as the best option for meeting a range of riders needs with a smaller budget.

The result, Greater Idaho Falls Transit, is an on-demand, door-to-door rideshare service that currently costs $4 per ride.

A key feature of the service is a ride-share-style app to schedule and request rides. Vehicles in the fleet would be flexible, to include smaller buses or other ADA-compliant passenger vehicles as needed.

Once negotiations between the city and Downtowner are complete, the contract will be brought back to the city council for a final approval.

Service would be expected to begin eight to 10 weeks after the contract is finalized by the council, and service could begin by summer.

Transit system closer for Twin Falls Program could be running by April, city official says
A Gooding man has pleaded guilty to accepting a bribe while serving as a CDL test examiner.

Kelly Nathaniel Goodman, 71, accepted at least $38,000 in bribes between December 2017 and May 2020 in return for providing passing scores on Idaho commercial drivers license skills tests, according to a news release from the United States Attorneys Office.

Goodman specifically pleaded guilty to receiving a bribe on Aug. 31, 2021, in return for giving an individual a passing score on an Idaho CDL skills test.

Goodman is scheduled to be sentenced on June 22 and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.

As part of a plea agreement, Goodman agreed to pay restitution to the Idaho Transportation Department and U.S. Department of Transportation, and to pay a forfeiture money judgment of at least $38,000, officials say.

A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.

Goodman was an Idaho CDL skills test examiner from the 1990s until late 2021, a position contracted out by the Idaho Transportation Department, the news release said.

In order to obtain a commercial drivers license (CDL) in Idaho, an applicant must, among other requirements, receive a passing score from a CDL skills test examiner.

U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit credited the cooperative efforts of the FBI and U.S. Department of Transportations Office of Inspector General, which led to the charges.
Last month, Brian Poe-Llamanzares traveled around different Ivy League Schools to promote his book on sustainability in the Philippines, A Sustainable Future.



He donated his book to various schools, one of them being Harvard University. The Harvard Kennedy School executive program happily received the book and helped catalogue it in their library.

The book is now proudly displayed as a new book by a Harvard Kennedy Alum at the Harvard Kennedy Library.

Poe-Llamanzares said that part of his mission was to make people around the world more aware of the Filipino fight against climate change.



Its an honor to have my book displayed alongside accomplished authors and academic luminaries from around the world. Im proud to shed some light on the efforts of our nation to combat the effects of climate change.

Poe-Llamanzares completed his executive studies in Leadership in Crisis at the Harvard Kennedy School of government in 2018.

His book A Sustainable Future was completed just last year and has been warmly received by academics and fellow Filipinos. He now joins the exclusive ranks of illustrious Filipino authors to have completed a Harvard program and become a published author.

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SM Prime Holdings Inc. (SM Prime) has partnered with the University of the Philippines Los Banos (UPLB) to further promote the countrys pursuit of sustainable development.

Through a scholarship grant, SM Prime aims to assist select students pursue undergraduate degrees in Bachelor of Science in Human Ecology (BSHE) and Bachelor of Science in Forestry (BSF)  courses geared towards sustainability.

The scholarship will be awarded to students from low-income households in Pasay City intended to provide better employment prospects and help reduce poverty and inequality, which are major obstacles to sustainable development.

Members of the University of the Philippines Los Banos (UPLB) and SM Prime Holdings Inc ink partnership to create scholarships geared towards sustainable development. Present during the signing are (From left) UPLB College of Forestry and Natural Resources Dean Marlo Mendoza, UPLB College of Human Ecology Dean Dr. Ricardo Sandalo, SM Prime AVP and Head of Marketing, PR, and Communications Rida Reyes Castillo, UPLB Chancellor Dr. Jose Camacho Jr., and Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Dr. Janette Malata-Silva.

Collaboration for innovation and sustainability

In an interview, UPLB Chancellor Dr. Jose Camacho, Jr. shared his optimism about the partnership, citing the impact of education, especially sustainability-related fields of studies, in social and economic mobility.

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The scholarship will enable more students to pursue their studies in areas related to sustainability such as environmental science, renewable energy, and sustainable agriculture. By investing in education in these areas, we are preparing a new generation of leaders who will have the knowledge and skills to address the complex environmental and social challenges facing our world today, Dr. Camacho said.

It will encourage research and development in areas related to sustainability. By providing support for students to pursue advanced studies, we are creating a pipeline of future researchers and innovators who can develop solutions to pressing environmental and social problems, he added.

Aside from enabling students to pursue their education without financial burden, the UPLB chancellor believes that the scholarship can produce competent leaders capable of solving complex environmental and social challenges, and create a pipeline of innovative researchers.

He further stressed how fostering collaborations and innovation in sustainability between the academic community and the private sector can lead to new environmentally and socially responsible products, technologies, and services that contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals.

SM Prime AVP and Head of Marketing, PR, and Communications Rida Reyes Castillo signed the memorandum of agreement alongside UPLB Chancellor Dr. Jose Camacho Jr. The scholarship formed under the partnership continues SM Primes pursuit of sustainable development.



Ripples of social good

SM Prime AVP and Head of Marketing, PR, and Communications Rida Reyes Castillo shared that the partnership between SM Prime and UPLB is a testament to the shared commitment of both institutions towards promoting sustainability and creating a better future for the next generation.

By supporting the education of would-be scholars, SM Prime hopes to create ripples of social good within families and communities, ultimately contributing to the development of a more sustainable and equitable society.

Improving the well-being of its partner communities and investing in peoples growth have long been among SM Primes sustainability pillars woven at the core of its business strategies and operations. As such, SM Prime deems it important to create programs that would provide access to quality education for all, and in the long term, create a pool of proactive human resources who can responsibly carry out and balance the economic, social and environmental aspects of a societys sustainable development aspirations, Castillo said.

SM Prime believes UPLB would be the best partner to support its sustainability initiatives in promoting a conducive learning environment while honing new Iskolars ng Bayan leaders committed to knowledge creation and public service, she also said.

The SM Prime Sustainability Scholarship is open to students from Pasay City, under UPLBs BSHE and BSF programs with an annual gross family income of not more than PhP150,000.00

For more information, interested applicants may contact the UPLB OSG +63 49 536 3209 or email at osg.uplb@up.edu.ph..

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There is enough evidence that support the use of electronic cigarettes as an aid for smoking cessation in adults, says Kenneth E. Warner, PhD, professor emeritus of Department of Health Management and Policy, School of Public Health, University of Michigan.

Electronic cigarettes or e-cigarettes are hand-held, battery-operated devices that heat a liquid containing propylene glycol and/or glycerin, flavoring compounds, and typically nicotine to produce an aerosol that users inhale, or vape.

E-cigarettes are not the magic bullet that will end the devastation wrought by cigarette smoking, but they can contribute to that lofty public health goal, says Warner. For adults who want to quit smoking, e-cigarettes serve as an important less-hazardous alternative to continued smoking, he adds.

The study published in Nature Medicine by Kenner E. Warner, PhD from the Department of Health Management and Policy, School of Public Health, University of Michigan with co-authors, Neal L. Benowitz of the Department of medicine, University of California, Ann McNeill of National Addiction Centre, Kings College, London, and Nancy A. Rigotti of Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School in Boston, examined health consequences of e-cigarettes and reviewed different countries that regulate or support e-cigarettes.

Each of the authors have engaged in substantial research and have conducted thorough review of e-cigarettes  its potential to increase smoking cessation among adults, its health consequences and evidence for clinical care adopted by governments and medical authorities internationally on e-cigarettes role in smoking cessation. Professor Warners research focuses on ascertaining the effects of tobacco control policies, tobacco harm reduction, the use of reduced-risk nicotine delivery products as alternative to smoking cigarettes and regulatory policy regarding e-cigarette, and potential benefits and ability to help adults quit smoking.

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The study further states: acceptance of the promotion of e-cigarettes as a tool for smoking cessation will likely depend on continuing efforts to reduce access to, and use of, the products by young people who have never smoked. The two objectives can and should co-exist.

The study recognized both the United Kingdom and the United States for their good success rates in quitting cigarette smoking. Vaping was acknowledged as the more effective alternative compared to other products in the market. Both the US National Academies of Sciences and Engineering and Medicine and an independent review commissioned by the Department of Health and Social Care in England concluded that e-cigarette is less harmful than traditional cigarettes.

The health experts and examiners revealed that government agencies in the United States and Canada acknowledge the potential benefit of e-cigarette use. Conversely, government health agencies and medical societies in England and New Zealand, openly support and advocate vaping as smoking cessation tool. The study even identifies public education campaigns promoting smoking cessation.

We believe that governments, medical professional groups and individual healthcare professionals in countries such as US, Canada and Australia should give greater consideration to the potential of e-cigarettes for smoking cessation, says Warner.

In the Philippines, tobacco control is considered a public health priority and a key development issue which affects overall health and wellbeing.

Globally, the ever-increasing scientific evidence in favor of vaping and the growing number of medical experts who support vaping can no longer be disregarded. Today, there are 17.3 million Filipino smokers. As a medical practitioner, it is my duty to encourage them to find alternatives, like vaping, that are proven to be safer than conventional cigarettes, says Dr. Christian Luna, an established ophthalmologist and former medical director of the Tulay Lingap Ni Padre Pio Surgicenter. Dr. Luna lost relatives who failed to stop smoking cigarettes.

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A Martinsville man has been arrested in relation to a shooting death that occurred in November.

On Thursday, Henry County sheriffs deputies arrested Daryl OBrian Smith on charges of second-degree murder and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. He was indicted by a Henry County Grand Jury on March 20.

On Nov. 27, at approximately 5:27 a.m., the 911 Communications Center received a call from SOVAH Health in Martinsville regarding a man who had arrived at the emergency room with gunshot wounds. Deputies arrived and spoke with Andrae Lamont Matthews, 43, of 34 Mullins Court in Martinsville, who had been shot in his shoulder and cheek area of his face, a release stated.

Matthews was air-lifted to a Roanoke hospital for further treatment where he died two days later, the Sheriffs Office had previously stated.

Investigators say they determined an altercation occurred between Smith and Matthews in a vehicle on the William F. Stone Highway bypass in the Fieldale/Bassett area. Smith allegedly produced a firearm during the altercation and shot Mathews multiple times, the release stated.

Investigators went to Texas to interview witnesses and after consulting with Henry County Commonwealths Attorney Andrew Nester, the case was presented to the grand jury and after indictments were handed down, Smith was arrested and jailed in the Henry County Adult Detention Center without bond, the release stated.

Smith is due in Henry County Circuit Court on April 11 where he is scheduled to be appointed counsel.

Anyone with information related to this incident is asked to contact the Henry County Sheriffs Office at 276-638-8751 or Crimestoppers at 276-632-7463. The Crimestoppers Program offers rewards up to $2,500 for information related to crime. The nature of the crime and the substance of the information determine the amount of the reward.
Well celebrate Easter on Sunday, April 9. This holiday has long been associated with eggs due to the symbolism of the egg with such concepts as life and renewal.

The nesting season is ready to go into full swing for most of the bird species that breed in eastern North America. Although they may employ a variety of strategies to ensure nesting success, they all start off their attempts with a clutch of eggs.

Its the egg that separates birds from most mammals while still linking them to their reptilian kin. Lets leave the question of which came first, the prototypical chicken or the proverbial egg, to philosophers and instead take a look at the differences birds employ when it comes to the precious life-giving egg in its fragile yet protective shell.

A few birds devote an enormous investment of time to a single egg. For instance, the American flamingo lays only a single egg, which is incubated for about a month atop a nest made from a mound of mud. This flamingo breeds extensively through the islands of the Galapagos, coastal Colombia, Venezuela and nearby islands, Trinidad and Tobago, along the northern coast of the Yucatan Peninsula, Cuba, Hispaniola, the Bahamas, Virgin Islands and the Turks and Caicos Islands. While other flamingo species are common attractions at zoos, the American flamingo was considered extinct in the United States by 1900. However, recent research indicates that wild birds still make their way into southern Florida. As recently as 2014, a large flock of about 150 wild American flamingos spent time in the Sunshine State.

While there are more than 300 species of hummingbird distributed throughout the New World, the offspring of these tiny birds all emerge, just like all other birds, from an egg  albeit a very small one. Most hummingbirds are twins, hatched with a single sibling that will share their nest and the care of a dutiful mother. The female ruby-throated hummingbird lays two eggs. A female hummingbird gets no assistance from the male and has to find enough food to fuel her own body and help her young in the nest grow and thrive.

Most birds lay multiple eggs, although the number in a clutch may vary dramatically from species to species. A female American robin will usually lay three to five eggs in a nest that she builds in the fork between tree branches. The size of her clutch of eggs is fairly typical for many songbirds.

Some songbirds are even more prolific. A female house wren, although a rather small bird, may lay as many as eight or nine eggs. Likewise, the golden-crowned kinglet is one of North Americas smallest songbirds, but the female kinglet may lay as many as 11 eggs in a small nest woven of moss, spiders silk, lichens and strips of bark. By comparison, the female blue-gray gnatcatcher, while similar in size to a kinglet, attempts to lay no more than three to five eggs.

On the other hand, some birds adjust clutch size depending on the resources available to them. In years when their food  a type of caterpillar often injurious to spruce trees  is abundant, the Cape May warbler may lay as many as nine eggs. In years when the aforementioned spruce budworms are scarce, the female warbler may reduce her clutch size to a mere four eggs.

Eggs look fragile, but are actually surprisingly strong. Egg-shaped or ovoid objects are considered to be among the strongest shapes in nature. However, strength is no guarantee against a host of hungry predators. Many birds rely on camouflage to protect their eggs. For instance, the female ruffed grouse will usually lay 9 to 14 eggs in a no-fuss nest constructed of leaves in a basin on the forest floor. While incubating her eggs, the grouse hens mottled brown plumage makes her almost invisible.

In a similar fashion, the female Eastern whip-poor-will does not build a nest and invariably lays only a pair of eggs, which are placed directly on the forest floor. Her plumage helps her blend with her surroundings, making it extremely difficult to discover a whip-poor-will incubating her eggs.

Many species of ducks are prolific layers of eggs. The wood duck hen may lay as many as 16 eggs in her nest, which may be in a natural tree cavity or a human-made nesting box.

However, not all waterfowl lay a large clutch of eggs. The common loon usually lays only one or two eggs. Once young loons hatch from their eggs, the parents are devoted caregivers, providing food and protection for the one-month period required for young loons to achieve a degree of independence.

Most of our common birds lay eggs that are significantly smaller than the egg of a chicken. Wild turkey hens lay eggs  as many as 17 eggs in some cases  that are noticeably larger than an average chicken egg.

Who takes the prize for largest egg? That distinction, not surprisingly, goes to the worlds largest bird. Africas common ostrich hen, which can weigh as much as 220 pounds, lays the largest known bird egg. Furthermore, a female common ostrich will usually incubate about 20 of these large eggs, which can reach a diameter of six inches and weigh three pounds.

Whether a birds eggs are small or large, these fragile shells  when all goes well  break open to release some amazing miracles. I think anyone who enjoys sitting on the porch and listening to owls call after dark or watching the antics of birds visiting a feeder will readily agree.
Theres another check coming this month for nearly 1.3 million Illinois Facebook users who successfully filed claims in a landmark $650 million biometric privacy settlement.

A second payment of $30.61 was issued beginning Feb. 28 to everyone who cashed their initial $397 settlement check last year in the class action lawsuit. The supplemental distribution represents more than $43 million left over in the settlement fund after nearly 110,000 Illinois class members filed a claim but did not cash the first check.

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All the money goes to the claiming class members, but sometimes people dont cash the checks, said Chicago attorney Jay Edelson, who brought the lawsuit against Facebook eight years ago. So there are distributions later on.

In May 2022, the settlement fund distributed nearly $550 million  the total after legal expenses  to 1.38 million Illinois Facebook users who filed valid claims in the class action lawsuit. The payments were made by check and electronic transfer. The checks had an original void date of Aug. 8, according to court documents.

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The claims administrator reissued nearly 82,000 checks in July to those who had requested but did not successfully process electronic payments. By November, the total number of uncashed checks was 109,434. The last initial checks were voided as of Jan. 14, opening the door for the supplemental payments.

The nearly 1.3 million Facebook users in line for the supplemental check will have received a total of about $428 each from the two payments.

Weve always thought that this settlement was, in many ways, a model settlement for class actions, Edelson said. This distribution check is larger than a lot of people get in class actions.

In April 2015, Edelson filed the lawsuit in Cook County Circuit Court on behalf of plaintiff Carlo Licata, alleging the social media giants use of facial tagging features without consent was not allowed under Illinois privacy law. The case was moved to federal court in Chicago and then California federal court, where it attained class-action status.

The settlement class included about 7 million Facebook users in Illinois for whom the social network created and stored a face template after June 7, 2011. More than 1 in 5 eligible Illinois Facebook users filed a claim by the November 2020 deadline.

In February 2021, a California federal judge issued final approval of the $650 million settlement, but the payout was delayed by more than a year during an unsuccessful appeal filed on behalf of two Illinois class members, who objected to the $97.5 million in attorneys fees, as well as $5,000 incentive awards to the named plaintiffs.

In November 2021, Meta/Facebook announced it would shut down its facial recognition system amid growing concerns over widespread use of the technology. As a result, the company said it planned to delete more than a billion facial recognition templates it had stored, putting an end to the feature that automatically recognized if peoples faces appear in memories, photos or videos.

The Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act, which was passed in 2008, is considered the strictest in the U.S. and requires companies to get permission before using technologies such as facial recognition and fingerprint scans to identify customers or employees.

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Last month, the Illinois Supreme Court opened the door to significantly higher damages in a case involving a Chicago White Castle manager when it ruled that biometric privacy claims accrue every time information is gathered without consent. Under the law, plaintiffs can be awarded $1,000 for negligent violations and $5,000 for intentional violations.

Edelson said the ruling undermines the Illinois law by turning what was a $5,000 claim into one that could run into the millions, based on how many times a thumbprint might be scanned for a single employee.

That means every suit could potentially bankrupt defendants and thats not the point of the law. Edelson said. So were actually working with some legislators on trying to bring the law back to its original intent.

rchannick@chicagotribune.com
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Between 2016-2020, there were more than 20,000 detergent pod-related injuries in children younger than 18 requiring emergency department visits, WVU researchers observed in a recent study. Credit: WVU Photo/Jake Stump

Researchers at West Virginia University suggest dental professionals could be key to raising awareness about the serious health risks associated with colorful detergent pods commonly used for household chores.

In a recent study published in The Journal of Dental Hygiene, Dr. R. Constance Wiener and Christopher Waters, both of the WVU School of Dentistry, and Ruchi Bhandari in the WVU School of Public Health explored trends in detergent pod injuries resulting in emergency department visits in children younger than 18. They found incidents between 2016-2020 remained at an unacceptable high level, reinforcing their theory that more public awareness is needed.

Introduced in the United States in 2010, concentrated liquid detergent pods can resemble candy to children and ingestion can result in serious health issues.

By design, the pods' water-soluble membranes dissolve easily and, if a child places it into their mouth, the internal highly alkaline content can cause poisoning in addition to chemical burns and rapid swelling that could result in upper airway blockage, lung damage and esophageal perforation, as well as destruction and swelling of other tissueall considered oral-aerodigestive/ingestion poisonings injuries. Even if not ingested, the pods can burst and cause eye injuries.

"Often, oral trauma associated with a child's ingestion of items such as detergent pods, button batteries or chewing on electrical cords, for example, is not considered until it is too late," Wiener said. "With the recent trend in social media challenges, we wanted to bring this topic to the awareness of dental healthcare personnel to include it as part of the anticipatory guidance that patients receive during dental care."

Specifically, the team looked at data recorded after 2015, the year ASTM Internationala group of industry, consumer and government leadersrecommended safety standards to lower the risk of accidents associated with the pods. Several manufacturers complied with measures including adding an unpleasant odor to the outer membrane and making the container packaging opaque and childproof.

"We were interested to see if detergent pod-related injuries in children had changed following the five years since the implementation of these standards and statutes," Waters said.

According to the data, there were an estimated 13,176 detergent pod-related oral-aerodigestive injuries/ingestion poisonings and 8,654 detergent pod-related ocular injuries in children younger than 18 requiring emergency department visits from 2016-2020. Those results show that, during the five-year study period, there was no change in the rate of pod-related oral-aerodigestive injuries/ingestion poisonings, while there was a slight decrease in the detergent pod-related ocular injuries.

To conduct the cross-sectional study, the team used data collected from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System. A secondary analysis was performed on the NEISS data from 2016-2020 for children ages birth to 18 years. Injuries were identified as detergent pod-related oral-aerodigestive/ingestion poisonings, detergent pod-related ocular injuries or other product-related injuries among children.

However, the age of study participants plays a role in the results showing all types of detergent pod injuries occurred more frequently in those 3 years old to younger than 5.

"This age group is inquisitive and is more likely than older children to consider the pods as candies," Wiener said. "They may also have greater access to the pods than infants and younger children."

Since dental professionals routinely provide health and safety counseling to children and their parents, Wiener said including detergent pod precautions would be a natural fit. In addition, the team is working on an emergency care resource sheet to serve as a takeaway from conversations between dental professionals and parents on the topic.

"We hope to build awareness of the accessibility of a common household item and encourage prevention," Wiener said.

More information: R. Constance Wiener et al, Detergent Pod-Related Oral-aerodigestive/ocular Injuries in Children, Ages >0 to <18 years, The Journal of Dental Hygene (2023). pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36854577/
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Credit: European Radiology (2023). DOI: 10.1007/s00330-022-09385-z

Cerebral aneurysms are high-incidence, high-risk and have an insidious onset. Timely detection and intervention can help prevent aneurysm rupture. Geng Chen from Dai Yakang's group at Suzhou Institute of Biomedical Engineering Technology (SIBET) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, in collaboration with the Department of Radiology at Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, recently proposed an equalized augmentation strategy based on aneurysm location and constructed a detection model based on dual channel SE-3D UNet. The study was published in European Radiology.

Time of flight magnetic resonance angiography (TOF-MRA) is the primary non-invasive screening method for intracranial aneurysms. However, manual screening can result in missed diagnoses and low efficiency. Existing deep learningbased automated detection algorithms have a high average number of false positives per case. This can lead to risk and unnecessary digital subtraction angiography (DSA) examinations, making it difficult to apply these methods in clinical practice.

To enhance the detection performance, Geng and his team utilized an equalized augmentation strategy based on the location of the aneurysm lesion, which aimed to mitigate the issue of biased detection results arising from data imbalance in the neural network model.

The proposed detection method involves preprocessing the entire TOF-MRA data using an adaptive thresholding intracranial vessel extraction algorithm. The resulting images, which depict the contour and entirety of the vascular tree, were then utilized as inputs for the dual-channel SE-3D UNet model. This model incorporates a channel attention mechanism for adaptive feature selection, allowing for automatic processing of raw TOF-MRA images to detect aneurysms and generate output that includes annotations of their locations.

The method was validated on a multicenter dataset. Experimental results indicated that the sensitivity of detection at case level (TRP) was 82.46% and the average number of false positives per case (FPs/case) was 0.88. There was no significant difference between the detection performance of each grouping after statistical analysis.

"This method demonstrates that an aneurysm detection algorithm with both high sensitivity and low false positive rate is possible," said Geng.

More information: Geng Chen et al, Automated unruptured cerebral aneurysms detection in TOF MR angiography images using dual-channel SE-3D UNet: a multi-center research, European Radiology (2023). DOI: 10.1007/s00330-022-09385-z

Provided by Chinese Academy of Sciences
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The scientists assumed that the brain generates a mental "knowledge map" about the virtual monster world. Credit: MPI CBS

We regularly find ourselves in new shops or restaurants, we land at airports we don't know or start a new job. In such situations, the remarkable flexibility of human behavior becomes apparent. Even in new situations, we can often predict the consequences of our actions and thus make appropriate decisions.

How does the brain manage to make adequate decisions in situations we have never experienced before? One assumption is that in such situations the brain draws on experiences we have had in similar situations in the past. Experiences in other restaurants, for example, have prepared us well for what to expect in a new pizzeria. This requires a meaningful organization of this experiential knowledge in the brain, as well as flexible access to this knowledge in new decision-making situations.

Mona Garvert and Christian Doeller from MPI CBS, together with Max Planck colleagues from MPI for Human Development in Berlin and MPI for Biological Cybernetics in Tubingen, have now investigated in a study, recently published in Nature Neuroscience, which mechanism in the brain underlies when we apply stored knowledge to new decision-making situations.

For this purpose, 48 study participants navigated through a virtual room. Small, friendly monsters appeared at certain placesover time, the participants learned which monsters were "sitting" in which places. In this way, the scientists assumed, the brain generates a mental "knowledge map" about the virtual monster world.

Mona Garvert and her colleagues were able to observe that the trajectories of study participants through the virtual space differed greatlysome always walked along the edge, others more systematically from top to bottom, some more star-shaped.

"This means that the order in which the monsters were seen differed between individuals. For example, the participants running in a star shape saw the monsters at very different time intervals than the participants navigating the room systematically from top to bottom," the neuroscientist explains.

Later, the study participants had to choose between two monsters. Monsters that were close to each other in the virtual room earned a similar number of points. So those who were clever used their prior knowledge about the location of the monsters and chose monsters that were as close as possible to a monster that had previously brought many points.

"The study participants did just thatshowing us that they used their stored knowledge for this task. Interestingly, they drew on both their knowledge of spatial and temporal relationships learned in association with the monsters to make these decisions. In the MRI scanner, we could then see that those who had a stronger spatial representation of the monsters in their brains were also more influenced by the spatial relationships in their decision-making behavior."

"In those who had a stronger temporal representation, the influence of the temporal relationships was stronger. We were thus able to demonstrate that the brain uses spatial and temporal knowledge maps for decision making and also adapts them when it learns through reward."

Christian Doeller, director at MPI CBS, adds, "Taken together, we have demonstrated in the study how the brain's cognitive maps are flexibly used and updated for reasoning. If we find ourselves in a situation we have never experienced before, we draw on mapped knowledge in our hippocampus to act adequately in the new situation."

Mona Garvert assumes that the results could also have implications for our understanding of mental illness. Patients with anxiety disorders and depression, for example, often transfer negative experiences to neutral situations. This could be related to how knowledge is organized in mental maps. Further studies could be helpful here to decipher the mechanism in the brain in an aversive context.

More information: Mona M. Garvert et al, Hippocampal spatio-predictive cognitive maps adaptively guide reward generalization, Nature Neuroscience (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41593-023-01283-x Journal information: Nature Neuroscience
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Hematological and iron markers are similar in PV patients with and without history of venesection. (A) Hematocrit (HCT); (B) red blood cell count (RBC); (C) ferritin; (D) transferrin saturation; (E) serum hepcidin; (F) serum ERFE, (G) hepcidin:ferritin ratio, (H) platelet count and (I) leukocyte count in PV patients with a history of venesection (red dots) or those without (black dots). (A, B, D-F, H-I) N=14 no vene/16 vene; (C, G) N=13 no vene/15 vene. Mann-Whitney test (A, D, F, G-I) or Unpaired 2-tailed t9 test with Welchs correction (B, C, E). ns = non-significant. Credit: Blood (2023). DOI: 10.1182/blood.2022016779

A landmark discovery linking iron regulation to a rare blood cancer has led to clinical trials of a potential new treatment for patients with the incurable disease.

The study focused on polycythemia vera (PV), a blood disorder causing excessive red blood cells, and found that restricting iron access to the bone marrow could reduce the production of red blood cells in this disease.

The research, led by WEHI in collaboration with the University of Melbourne, the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, the University of Cambridge and Silence Therapeutics (U.K.), has led to new clinical trials of a drug that has the potential to control iron regulation in patients with PV.

An estimated 250 Australians are diagnosed with polycythemia vera (PV) each year. PV is a chronic disease and there currently is no cure.

Without treatment, PV can be life-threatening as an overproduction of red blood cells causes thicker blood, elevating a patient's risk of developing blood clots and cardiovascular conditions like heart attacks and stroke.

The cancer is currently treated with venesection, where about 500mL of blood is taken from a patient multiple times a month, to rapidly reduce their red cell count and blood thickness.

The new study, titled "Iron homeostasis governs erythroid phenotype in Polycythemia Vera," published in the journal Blood, provides a promising new treatment avenue that could see the often painful and disruptive blood draws replaced with a simple injection every few months.

First author, Dr. Cavan Bennett, said discovering that restricting iron access to the bone marrow could reduce the disease severity of PV was a gamechanger.

"Through our pre-clinical studies, we found the hormone hepcidin, which is the master regulator of iron availability, is critical for controlling red blood cell production in models of this disease," Dr. Bennett said.

"The more hepcidin you have in the body, the more you restrict iron access to the bone marrow.

"This iron restriction is critical to preventing an excess of blood cell production and this is what is crucial to alleviate the severity of the disease in PV patients."

Patients with PV often develop iron deficiency when treated with venesection, but they are also advised against taking iron supplements as this would further accelerate the production of red blood cells in their body.

Dr. Bennett said targeting hepcidin could also help combat the iron deficiency symptoms faced by PV patients.

"This approach restricts iron access only to the bone marrow, without depleting iron from other organs, such as the liver," he said.

Silencing power

The research is being translated into Phase 1/2 clinical trials taking place across Australia, Malaysia and the United States.

The trials will use SLN124, a new drug developed by London-based Silence Therapeutics, in hopes of controlling hepcidin expression in PV patients for the first time.

Senior author and Head of WEHI's Population Health and Immunity Division, Professor Sant-Rayn Pasricha, said the trials involved PV patients receiving an injection every few weeks, in hopes of replacing their need for regular venesections.

"A treatment option like this would simplify long-term therapy for this disease for patients and the health care system," Professor Pasricha said.

SLN124 is a gene silencing therapy that works by inhibiting a gene responsible for hepcidin regulation in the liver. The clinical trials will investigate the effect of temporarily "silencing" this gene to increase production of hepcidin by the liver, which is expected to reduce disease severity.

"We recognized the opportunity to adapt an emerging clinical therapeutic initially designed for other hematological diseases such as b-thalassemia and apply it to polycythemia vera.

"To go from a concept to a clinical trial in less than four years is quite astounding.

"Our work has laid the essential foundation needed to hopefully transform patient care options for people with PV and provides unique insight that could lead to better understanding the disease."

Recruitment for the clinical trials has begun.

Landmark genome study

The study also uncovered a genetic link between a disorder that causes excess iron accumulation (hemochromatosis) and PV, made possible through WEHI's analysis of extensive population genetics databases including the UK Biobank.

The research team was able to leverage this data to conduct a genome-wide association study that analyzed data from 440 PV patients to further examine the role of iron in the blood cancer.

Professor Melanie Bahlo, laboratory head in WEHI's Population Health and Immunity Division, said having access to the UK Biobank was key to these discoveries.

Analysis of a second dataset, the Finnish FinnGen Biobank, confirmed the findingshighlighting the power of these databases to help formulate and test novel biological hypotheses.

"We were the first research team to use the UK Biobank to solely focus on PV samples, which led us to this powerful and novel insight about iron status and PV," she said. "This saw us further discovering that the genetic mutations which cause hemochromatosis are one of the strongest risk-factors for diagnosis of PVan insight that will help the research field better understand this rare disease."

Dr. Victoria Jackson, a postdoc in Professor Bahlo's lab, performed the genetic analysis using a method called genome-wide association study.

More information: Cavan Bennett et al, Iron homeostasis governs erythroid phenotype in Polycythemia Vera, Blood (2023). DOI: 10.1182/blood.2022016779 Journal information: Blood
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Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

The link between socioeconomic position and health has long been established. In other words, the wealthier people are, the better health outcomes they have. A new study from the University of Kansas dives deeper, examining the link between wealth and health and if it differs across race/ethnicity during young adulthood. The results show racial disparities in wealth and health and indicate policy-level solutions are needed to improve health outcomes for all.

Sicong "Summer" Sun, assistant professor of social welfare at KU, and co-authors examined wealth data for nearly 9,000 young people and their self-rated health. Findings showed that the more wealth a young person had, the better their health was, for white and Hispanic individuals. But not for Black respondents, for whom the pattern is more nuanced. Individual and parental wealth were only associated with better health for the highest quartile of Black respondents. Parental wealth was not associated with better health in Hispanic individuals.

"I think it is important to study young adulthood to inform timely program and policy interventions to narrow inequitable outcomes in middle age and later life," Sun said. "A lot of socioeconomic sorting happens in that phase of life, such as college graduation, getting jobs, figuring out health insurance options, getting married, starting families and buying homes. So, I decided to focus on this critical transition period where life paths begin to diverge and examine wealth, health and well-being and how these relationships differ by race/ethnicity."

Sun and co-authors analyzed data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997. The youths in the survey responded to questions at various points in their lives, and the study examined their self-reported net worth and parental net worth as well as their self-rated levels of health. Wealth was calculated as total assets minus total debt, and the same were considered for parental wealth. Sun said they analyzed those factors in addition to income because wealth varies dramatically across different racial/ethnic groups with similar incomes.

The study, co-written with Hedwig Lee of Duke University and Darrell Hudson of Washington University, was published in the journal SSMPopulation Health. Based on Sun's doctoral dissertation, the publication won the 2023 outstanding dissertation award from the Society for Social Work Research.

The study foremost found a significant racial wealth gap. For example, white respondents had 5.8 times the parental wealth of Black respondents and 4.9 times that of Hispanic respondents.

"You can see the wealth inequality beginning right from the start, and it's largely due to parental wealth differences and cumulative disadvantage across generations," Sun said. "Such disadvantage is not because of individual behaviors or traits. You can't just tell people to 'pull yourself up by your bootstraps.' Many are starting out life with disadvantages to their socioeconomic conditions, which fundamentally shape their health and well-being through the life course."

When looking at the entire sample, racial differences in health was attenuated after controlling for wealthafter adding wealth, racial difference in self-rated health was no longer statistically significant. Findings from the entire sample indicated a strong, positive association between wealth and self-rated health. These findings point to the importance of inclusion of wealth indicators in health studies.

The consistent wealth-health relationship is more nuanced from within subgroup analyses results by race/ethnicity. It turns out that significant racial/ethnic difference exist in the wealth-health nexus. At ages 20, 25 and 30, white and Hispanic respondents' levels of self-rated health were consistently higher among those with higher levels of wealth, but not among Black respondents. For Black Americans, wealth was only predictive of health in the highest wealth quartile.

"This is because Black families have very little wealth to begin with," Sun said.

For Hispanic populations, only individual wealth, not parental wealth, had an influence on health. The latter finding requires further research to understand exactly why that is the case, Sun said.

But one result is clear: Wealth-building and societal policies have benefited white populations more than others for generations. The authors wrote that the findings show structural level policy is needed to address the wealth gap, which contributes to poorer health outcomes for people of color.

"Wealth-building policies like tax deferrals for retirement savings (such as 401(k)s and Individual Retirement Accounts) and homeownership (such as home-mortgage interest tax deduction) are embedded in the tax code. But 80% of these tax benefits go to the highest 20% of income earners," Sun said. "That is completely upside down. To change this, we need more inclusive and progressive policies. Structural problems require structural solutions."

Policies that help establish retirement savings and help people access homeownership are vital, the authors wrote, but policies that help build wealth from birth could help address wealth inequities through the life course. Findings support policy proposals such as universal Child Development Accounts, "baby bonds" and reparations as ways to eliminate racial wealth gap to narrow racial health inequities.

Sun, whose research considers the links among structural racism, wealth, financial capability and health across the lifespan, hopes to build on the study to further examine the links between wealth and health outcomes for more racial/ethnic groups than the three considered in the current study, as well as studying specific types of assets and debts and the links they may have to physical and mental health.

The importance of health is larger than just the effects it has on an individual, as health care costs are shared across society and health influences all aspects of life.

"Health is not created in health clinics. There are wider systems that shape the conditions in which we are born, live, work, age and play. A lot of times when we think about health, we think about diagnosis, medications and health insurance," Sun said. "In addition, we need to think about contexts and upstream distribution of power, resources and opportunity that affect health and well-being."

More information: Sicong Sun et al, Racial/ethnic differences in the relationship between wealth and health across young adulthood, SSMPopulation Health (2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.ssmph.2022.101313
This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:

Two new studies analyze the concept and costs of multimorbidity. Credit: stevepb, Pixabay (CC0, creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)

The prevalence of multimorbidity, the co-occurrence of two or more chronic conditions, varies depending on exactly how it is defined. And the health care costs associated with many disease combinations cost more together than the sum of each individual disease. Those are the conclusions of two new studies, published April 4 in the open access journal PLOS Medicine, that broadly analyze the concept and costs of multimorbidity.

Multimorbidity is increasing in prevalence due to improved survival from chronic diseases and population aging, and now poses major challenges to health care systems worldwide. The rise in health care spending in many developed countries and the prevalence of multimorbidity are interlinked but the relationship is not well understood.

In the first study, Clare MacRae of the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, and colleagues analyzed English primary care data on nearly 1.2 million people registered with 149 general medical practices. Using nine published lists of medical conditions, they showed that varying the individual conditions considered to contribute to multimorbidity leads to large differences when calculating multimorbidity prevalence.

The prevalence of multimorbidity when only the two commonest conditions were considered was 4.6%, rising to 29.5% considering the 10 commonest, 35.2% considering the 20 commonest, and 40.5% when considering all 80 conditions. Across the whole population, 52 of the 80 possible conditions are/would be required to reach a multimorbidity prevalence of >99%. This varies according to age. However, in older populations, it was possible to consider fewer conditions (29 conditions for people over age 80), and in younger people, more conditions must be included (71 conditions for people under age 10) to reach accurate measurements of multimorbidity.

"There is a need for standardization when measuring multimorbidity prevalence so that results across studies are comparable and population subgroups are accurately represented," the authors say.

In the second study, Angela Chang of the University of Southern Denmark, Copenhagen, and colleagues used data from private health insurance claims of more than 16 million unique enrollees ages 18 to 64 in the United States. Including 63 chronic conditions, the team found that 56.2% of the study population had at least two chronic conditions.

When they looked at every possible two- or three-disease combinations, they discovered that 60.1% of disease combinations had super-additive spending, with the combination spending greater than the sum of the individual diseases. The diseases with both the highest cost per case and the highest contribution to multimorbidity spending were chronic kidney disease, liver cirrhosis, ischemic heart disease and inflammatory bowel disease.

"In the midst of surging health spending globally, and especially in the United States, pinpointing high-prevalence, high-spending conditions and super-additive disease combinations could help policymakers design interventions to improve treatment effectiveness and reduce spending," the authors say.

Together, the papers underscore the need for innovative methods to study the prevalence and costs of multimorbidity. More work is needed to replicate and generalize estimates of multimorbidity prevalence and spending using standardized methods for these calculations to help inform policymakers and better direct resources for its management and prevention.

More information: C. MacRae et al, The impact of varying the number and selection of conditions on estimated multimorbidity prevalence: A cross-sectional study using a large, primary care population dataset. PLOS Medicine (2023). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1004208 A Y Chang et al, Estimating health spending associated with chronic multimorbidity in 2018: An observational study among adults in the United States, PLOS Medicine (2023). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1004205 Journal information: PLoS Medicine
This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:

Neutrophil burrowing into apoptotic hepatocytes. (A) Intravital microscopy images of liver tissues from WT and MRP8cre/DTR mice. Neutrophils are labeled with an i.v. injection of anti-Ly6G antibody (green), KCs are labeled with anti-F4/80 antibody (red), and apoptotic cells are labeled with Annexin V (blue). Neutrophils inside and KCs associated with apoptotic hepatocytes are detected and analyzed with IMARIS software as described in Methods. The distances from neutrophils to the apoptotic hepatocyte border are recorded in table S6. A total of 24 apoptotic cells were observed in the WT liver with an average of 2 burrowed neutrophils. Scale bar, 100 m. (B) Intravital image sequences of neutrophils phagocytosing apoptotic hepatocytes in mouse livers at indicated time points. Neutrophils are labeled with an i.v. injection of anti-Ly6G antibody (green), and apoptotic cells are labeled with Annexin V (red). A total of 13 apoptotic cells with burrowed neutrophils were observed in 12 WT mouse livers. Scale bar, 20 m. (C) Electron microscopy images of apoptotic mouse hepatocytes occupied by neutrophils. The apoptotic hepatic nucleus (AN) is evident by distorted nuclear membrane (pointed by black arrowheads). The neutrophils are indicated by white arrowheads with a characteristic multilobed nucleus. 29 apoptotic cells with burrowed neutrophils were observed. Scale bar, 5 m. Data are representative of three independent experiments. Credit: (2023). DOI: 10.7554/eLife.86591.1

A type of white blood cell usually associated with immune responses to foreign particles may have another role in clearing out liver cells that have undergone apoptosiswhere cells are programmed to die in a controlled manner.

The study, published today as a Reviewed Preprint in eLife, provides what the editors describe as solid evidence that neutrophils destroy liver cells going through apoptosis by burrowing into thema process the authors have called 'perforocytosis'. The findings also suggest that a lack of neutrophils may be a cause of human autoimmune liver disease (AIL), with potential implications for new therapeutic strategies against the disease.

Billions of apoptotic cells are removed daily in adults by a group of immune cells called phagocytes. Neutrophils represent around 5070% of the total white blood cell population in humans and are a type of phagocyte. However, unlike other phagocytes, they were widely assumed to be excluded from apoptotic cells, as they promote inflammation which could damage nearby healthy cells and tissues. The current findings now challenge that assumption.

"Although apoptotic cells are well characterized, they are not often found within human samples, possibly because they are removed so efficiently by phagocytes," says co-lead author Luyang Cao, Associate Investigator in the Department of Neurosurgery, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, China. "This means that the specific phagocytes responsible for the removal of apoptotic cells remain unknown, and we do not know if they are specific to different tissues in the body."

To identify the phagocytes responsible for removing apoptotic cells in the liver, the team obtained cells from the liver tissue of patients with tumors caused by hepatocellular carcinoma or hepatic hemangioma. They used two different staining techniques to confirm which cells in the sample were apoptotic.

In a total of 281 apoptotic liver cells from the livers of 32 patients, the team noticed that each cell was engorged by the presence of up to 22 neutrophils. It has previously been suggested that a type of phagocyte called Kupffer cells were responsible for the clearance of apoptotic liver cells, but when the researchers searched for Kupffer cells in the samples, they found that very few were present.

They therefore hypothesized that neutrophils were the primary phagocyte for the removal of dead liver cells through the process they called perforocytosis. This contrasts to the usual process of engulfing apoptotic cells that most other phagocytes use.

To confirm the mechanism by which neutrophils remove apoptotic liver cells, the team sought to visualize the process in mouse livers using intravital microscopya live imaging technique that allows biological processes to be viewed in real time within living organisms. They labeled liver cells with a protein called Annexin V and neutrophils with an anti-Ly6G antibody.

Consistent with their findings in human samples, the team observed that neutrophils burrowed into and cleared dead liver cells in the mice. The process was fast and rigorous, with the dead cells completely digested in four to seven minutes.

"Our discovery of neutrophils burrowing into and clearing out apoptotic liver cells helps to solve some of the mysteries surrounding the apoptotic clearance process," says co-corresponding author Hexige Saiyin, Assistant Professor in the State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, China.

Next, the team sought to investigate whether reducing the neutrophil population in mice impacts the clearance of apoptotic liver cells. In a sample of cells from the livers of neutrophil-depleted mice, the percentage of apoptotic cells was significantly higher than in normal mice0.92% and 0.2%, respectivelysuggesting that neutrophil depletion impairs the clearance of apoptotic cells. They also noticed the presence of other phagocytes in the neutrophil-depleted mice, implying a compensatory role of other phagocytes in the absence of neutrophils.

The defective clearance of apoptotic cells is often linked with autoimmune diseases, such as AIL. In the neutrophil-depleted mice, the team noticed an increase in autoantibodiesimmune cells that mistakenly attack the body's own healthy cells instead of foreign bodies such as viruses or bacteria.

This increase was unaffected by antibiotic treatments and present only in neutrophil-depleted mice, not in mice with other phagocyte depletions. This implies that neutrophil depletion is associated with impaired apoptotic liver cell clearance and, subsequently, the generation of autoantibodies that may lead to AIL disease. The team consolidated this finding by analyzing biopsy samples from human patients with AIL disease. Once again they found that, in each patient, the neutrophil-mediated clearance of apoptotic cells was impaired.

The authors say that more research is needed to better understand the process and significance of perforocytosis, as well as whether perforocytosis occurs in other organs besides livers. The next important step is how to apply this newly identified apoptotic clearance mechanism to the clinical treatment of AIL.

"Since the failure to clear dead cells is linked to inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, further insights into the critical role that neutrophils play in apoptotic clearance may have important implications for the treatment of these diseases. We recently have screened and identified several compounds which markedly enhanced neutrophil perforocytosis and demonstrated great therapeutic values to cure AIL in mouse models," concludes senior author Jingsong Xu.

More information: Luyang Cao et al, An Unexpected Role of Neutrophils in Clearing Apoptotic Hepatocytes In Vivo, eLife (2023). DOI: 10.7554/eLife.86591.1 Journal information: eLife
TUESDAY, April 4, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Over the last decade, more and more Americans with early-stage prostate cancer have put off radiation and surgery, the standard treatment options, new research indicates.

Instead, many U.S. men with low- or intermediate-risk prostate cancer have embraced active surveillance, in which their disease is carefully monitored for any sign of progression that might eventually require intervention.

In the new study, the investigators found that since 2010 the number of low-risk prostate cancer patients who have chosen active surveillance over immediate treatment has shot up from 16% to roughly 60%.

In the same timeframe, surveillance has also risen among intermediate-risk patients, jumping from about 8% to 22%.

The trend appears to reflect the fact that professional societies have advocated for active surveillance of low-risk cancers for over a decade now, said study lead author Dr. Bashir Al Hussein Al Awamlh, a urologic oncology fellow at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn.

The theory behind active surveillance is that some cancers have a low potential to spread outside of the prostate and are non-lethal, Al Hussein Al Awamlh noted. In such cases, immediate treatment is not necessary.

Studies indicate that over 10 years, about half of all low- and intermediate-risk patients who choose surveillance over treatment will eventually need to undergo treatment, he said.

But active surveillance allows us to watch these cancers closely, using blood tests, imaging modalities and biopsies to ensure they do not progress, Al Hussein Al Awamlh added.

The main goal: to avoid subjecting patients to the side effects of upfront radiation or surgery that affect urinary and sexual function, he explained.

And thats not a minor concern, said Dr. Yaw Nyame, an assistant professor in the department of urology at the University of Washington School of Medicine, in Seattle.

Nyame, who was not involved in the investigation, said he always likes to remind folks that all of our treatments that are confined to the prostate have the potential to impact a patients quality of life, by impacting urinary function, bowel function and sexual function.

And some of those side effects can be life-altering, he noted, given that prostate surgery entails a 15% risk for incontinence and a 50% risk for erectile dysfunction in the five years post-treatment.

Radiation also entails a similar sexual function risk, Nyame added, alongside a pretty high rate for so-called urination frequency, diarrhea and bowel disturbances over the six to 12 months following treatment.

So, for me, the risk of dying from prostate cancer needs to be big enough without treatment that it makes all of these treatment side effects worthwhile, Nyame said.

Thats where active surveillances comes in, said Al Hussein Al Awamlh. By definition, when a cancer is deemed to be low-risk it means that the chances that the cancer will ultimately spread remains low. And we believe we can catch these cancers before they progress," he said.

So how do doctors know when a patient has low- or intermediate-risk prostate cancer, versus aggressive late-stage cases requiring immediate intervention?

Al Hussein Al Awamlh said a determination is made on the basis of factors such as tumor size; biopsy results; blood tests designed to measure levels of prostate-specific antigen (PSA); and whether or not the cancer in question has broken through the outside layer of the prostate.

Nyame said, since the early 2000s, several studies have shown that for those diagnosed with low- or medium-risk disease, the active surveillance strategy is safe. Among those who choose surveillance, only about 3% end up with advanced stage 4 cancer over 10 years, he noted, and less than 1% die from their illness.

For that reason, both Al Hussein Al Awamlh and Nyame pointed out that public health guidelines  like those outlined by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network  strongly advise doctors to advocate for active surveillance over immediate treatment when appropriate.

The current study suggests the message has been catching on.

The investigators analyzed information from a U.S. database including men over 40 who had been diagnosed with low or favorable intermediate-risk prostate cancer between 2010 and 2018. During that time, active surveillance numbers jumped to 60% and 22%, respectively, according to the report.

The good news came with some caveats, however. The study authors noted that American patients are still much less likely to choose surveillance than their European peers.

In addition, active surveillance was less often presented as an option and/or chosen by Hispanic men, rural residents and men of lower means, the study revealed. That, said Nyame, suggests were not equitable in how we approach this.

The findings were published online April 3 in JAMA Internal Medicine.

More information

There's more on active surveillance of prostate cancer at the American Cancer Society.

SOURCES: Bashir Al Hussein Al Awamlh, MD, urologic oncology fellow, department of urology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tenn.; Yaw A. Nyame, MD, MS, MBA, assistant professor, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, and physician, Fred Hutch Cancer Center; JAMA Internal Medicine, April 3, 2023, online
A bill to increase Montanas film tax credit cap from $12 million to $20 million passed a second reading in the Montana Senate on Monday on a 28-22 vote.

Senate Bill 14 was introduced by Sen. Greg Hertz, R-Polson. It would revise the Montana Economic Development Industry Advancement (MEDIA) Act. The addition of $8 million in tax credits is its most significant provision, but it would also mean that 25% of Montanas film tax credits would have to go to Montana-headquartered companies.

The MEDIA Act is credited with luring the production of the hit television series Yellowstone to Montana from Utah after that state reduced its tax credit in 2019. The Paramount Network began filming Yellowstone in Montana in 2020, and much of the production and filming has taken place in Missoula and the Bitterroot Valley.

In 2020, a company called Shadowcast Partners announced plans to build a $20 million film studio in the Missoula Development Park, but later canceled those plans when the Legislature didnt raise the cap beyond $12 million in the last session. Now, it appears that an electric freight trucking warehouse is being constructed at the site at 4867 Technology Court, just off Expressway Boulevard.

Hertz is taking another stab at raising the cap after such a move was requested by an interim committee.

The MEDIA Act credit bill that we first started a couple sessions ago, that has resulted in a number of new jobs in the state of Montana, Hertz told the Senate during a floor session on Monday. He noted that a number of movies and television shows have moved their productions here.

The thing about the MEDIA credit is this is really a manufacturing process, he said. Yeah, we all know the big stars who are up on the screen on the TV. But this is construction workers, electricians, set hands and everybody else it takes to develop this. And then you dont see the caterers around, the places theyre renting, hotel rooms, rental cars, everything.

Hertz noted that theres been lots of different studies on whether the MEDIA Act credit pays for itself by providing enough revenue to the state to offset the tax break.

Its very difficult to determine whats going on, he said. I was kind of a lukewarm fan of this in 2017. As it has progressed, I have come around to really see where this does have a good multiplier. As we know, if you spend your money on your local community, those dollars spin around. Those people basically pay more taxes, they go buy other products.

Hertz noted that a study by the Bureau of Business and Economic Research, funded by advocates of the film industry, showed that a season of Yellowstone created $730 million in spending in Montana and brought in $44 million in state tax revenue. The show collected a state tax credit of $16 million in its first two years. The credit takes the form of a 20% transferrable income tax credit for both production and compensation expenditures incurred while in the state.

Hertz noted that Utah has since raised its film tax credit cap. He believes that Utah lawmakers realized they may have made a mistake in lowering the cap.

Sen. Shane Morigeau, a Democrat from Missoula, said he was originally skeptical of the tax credit but is now very supportive.

Were seeing lots of jobs from this work and the film credit that we have in Montana, he said. Not just in my community but everywhere in the state. People are getting jobs from this. Folks are spending money. We can see all the data but I hear from my constituents in my community they now have a job and theyre at work.

The bill will have to clear a third reading at some point this week.
Work continued Tuesday to clean up a freight train derailment near Paradise that sent thousands of beers tumbling down the bank of the Clark Fork River.

The derailment occurred just after 9 a.m. Sunday on a Montana Rail Link line directly across from Quinn's Hot Springs Resort, about 3.8 miles south of Paradise and 9.75 miles southeast of Plains. The railway said in an update Monday night that their personnel and contractors continued to work on investigating and cleaning up the derailment, which sent more than 20 cars off the track. At least 18 derailed cars were visible just outside a tunnel that contained more derailed cars.

A tank car of butane, a form of liquefied petroleum gas, derailed but didn't release any of the highly flammable material. The only cargo known to have spilled was some powdered, natural bentonite clay and multiple box cars of Coors Light and Blue Moon beer, in cans and bottles. There were no injuries in the derailment. No cars caught fire.

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MRL said Monday that "A small amount of (diesel) fuel was released to the soil from two impacted refrigerator cars. MRL has been in communication with both local and federal authorities and will conduct any necessary site remediation, including impacted soil removal in coordination with DEQ. There continues to be no risk to the public, no reported injuries, and there are no concerns involving hazmat release."

Clean-up crews deployed a floating boom on the Clark Fork River Sunday afternoon to contain the mountain of Coors Light and Blue Moon beers that tumbled down the shoreline between two mangled box cars. The boom could also contain any diesel fuel that might reach the river. Photos taken a few hours after the derailment showed a dark patch of soil on the river bank, directly beneath a damaged fuel tank at the end of a refrigerated railcar.

Montana Department of Environmental Quality spokeswoman Moira Davin wrote in an email Tuesday that "our team is communicating with Montana Rail Link and Sanders County who are leading the emergency response efforts. DEQ has an environmental oversight role for the cleanup effort." Davin confirmed that no hazardous materials entered the river and wrote, "The next steps are to clean up the waste, prevent sediment from entering the river and clean up the soil from the diesel release. DEQ will continue to monitor the situation and will require reports and confirmation sampling for the soil cleanup."

2nd round

Coincidently, the community, railway and emergency response agencies involved in Sunday's incident have seen almost the exact same thing happen before. The scene of bottles and cans of beer bobbing down the Clark Fork conjured memories of an eerily similar event almost 24 years ago.

Amid sweltering temperatures on July 11, 1999, a heat-warped rail derailed an MRL freight train between Paradise and Plains, only a couple miles downstream of Sunday's derailment. As happened Sunday, the 1999 derailment also sent thousands of Coors Light beers floating down the very same river, until a boom was deployed to contain them. The 1999 derailment also involved a tank car of liquefied petroleum gas  in that instance propane  that derailed but did not rupture.

And, of course, the 1999 incident spurred enterprising Montanans to pluck naturally chilled beers right from the cool waters of the Clark Fork. According to a front-page Missoulian story published the next day, Incident Commander John Holland said, "I think all the kids in the county are lined up along the river catching the beer." The Clark Fork Valley Press published a photo July 14, 1999, of someone with a fishing net full of gleaming Coors Light cans in what the paper dubbed the "Silver Bullet Derby," a reference to the beer's nickname.

History repeated on Sunday, when anglers passing by in a drift-boat rowed over to the mountain of beer for an unexpected trophy.

The 1999 incident gave two train-hoppers whiplash, but they refused treatment, the Missoulian reported. However, unlike Sunday's derailment, the 1999 incident sent about 20,000 gallons of scorching hot liquid asphalt into the Clark Fork. And that derailment caused a two-acre grass fire that took more than 30 firefighters to extinguish.

After the 1999 derailment, MRL estimated cleanup and track repair would take only two or three days. But the site of that derailment afforded work crews better access than this latest beer-train debacle. Although Sunday's derailment is highly visible, it can only be accessed by vehicles traveling the single, blocked railroad track along the river, or by taking a boat across the river, according to MRL Director of Communications Andy Garland.

It was unclear Tuesday how long it would take to clean up and repair track from Sunday's derailment. It also was not yet clear what, exactly, caused the derailment. Security camera footage from Quinn's showed train cars abruptly derailing, crashing into each other and piling up on the riverbank just outside of the tunnel that the front of the train had already entered. The train quickly stopped moving, as beer spilled out of ruptured boxcars and another car splashed into the river nearby.

Weighing in

Many of Montana's politicians had commented on the derailment by Tuesday.

Gov. Greg Gianforte said on Twitter Sunday afternoon that he'd been briefed on the derailment that morning and "we are prepared to mobilize the state's resources." Sen. Jon Tester tweeted around 12:25 p.m. Sunday, "Im monitoring the train derailment in Sanders County and my office is in touch with local officials." Sen. Steve Daines issued a similar statement on Twitter about an hour later, noting, "My office is in close contact with Sanders County officials and (Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway) and MRL officials. The safety of the community is my top priority."

Rep. Matt Rosendale, who represents eastern Montana, weighed in on Twitter just before 9 p.m. Sunday: "My office and I are monitoring the train derailment in Sanders County. We are pleased to see that no one is injured and have offered our assistance to local officials."

Rep. Ryan Zinke, a Republican and former U.S. Secretary of the Interior who currently represents western Montana and the area where the derailment occurred, had not acknowledged the incident as of Tuesday afternoon.
Given the recent headlines, I want to say a few words about the safety of your money in the bank  and all the end of the world financial stories, memes and social-media posts that have started to circulate  again.

This is not the first time Americans have worried about the fate of the U.S. dollar and Americas central place in the global economy.

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Those who studied history will know that 90 years ago, the nation was gripped in such a pervasive Depression that was both financial and psychological. President Franklin D. Roosevelt is famously remembered for saying: The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.

Those words apply today. So if you get one of those frightening emails telling you where to stash your cash, take a look at who is about to make money off this dire warning. Likely, the alarmist writing that newsletter or urging the purchase of precious metals or crypto will benefit far more than you.

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Those scary Facebook posts are typically from people who are financially illiterate or greedy fear-mongers. Perhaps even worse, some are deliberately designed to spew panic about our financial system and the strength of our democracy.

Dont fall for it!

Sure, our economy and our banking system have problems. But weve been through frightening financial times before. In 1973, Americans were lining up at gas stations  a shocking recognition of our national vulnerability. We responded eventually by becoming the worlds largest energy exporter.

Have you forgotten the atmosphere of fear as we approached Y2K? In retrospect, it seems almost quaint to fear technology. Similarly, the bursting of the dot-com bubble a year later made many think Internet shopping was over! Hah.

More seriously, the financial crisis of 2008, triggered by unsound mortgages, threatened to destroy the bedrock of the American dream  home ownership. Thousands of people walked away from their mortgages after realizing they owed more on their mortgage than the home was currently worth. And lenders even had some homes razed. If only they had stuck it out, instead of reacting in fear. The homes soared in value just a few years later, and could have been refinanced with 3% mortgages.

Lessons of history

Yes, hindsight is perfect. But it gives us lessons for facing future challenges. And the biggest lesson of all is to avoid actions taken out of panic.

In 1973, the Dow fell below 600! In 2001, it dipped to 7,500. In the 2008 financial crisis, the DJIA dropped from over 14,000 in fall of 2007 to bottom at just over 6,500 in March of 2009.

Working Lunch Weekdays Get the latest business news headlines, delivered to your inbox midday weekdays. By submitting your email to receive this newsletter, you agree to our Subscriber Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy >

Three years ago, in the Pandemic Panic, the Dow fell to a low of 18,591. Yet here we are today, with the DJIA over 32,000. Panic is always a losing strategy over the long run!

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Be sensible about safety

That doesnt mean you shouldnt be aware of risks, and how they impact your personal finances.

Thats why, long ago, I created the term chicken money  money you cannot afford to lose. The amount of your assets in these safe investments depends on your personal situation. But everyone sleeps better with a portion of chicken money on the sidelines, safely invested in insured bank deposits, government-only money market funds, or U.S. Treasury bills.

And today is no exception. But recent events have been a reminder of the limits of FDIC insurance, at least for ordinary depositors. Suddenly, the coverage questions and searches are making headlines. Basic $250,000 coverage can be extended through joint accounts, or trust accounts and even some retirement accounts. The rules are complex and can be found at FDIC.gov.

But why get caught up in this coverage game, and why keep potentially excessive assets in any one insured financial institution? What is your bank giving you in return lately? Yes, banking is built on relationships. But it should be a two-way street.

If youre near or potentially over the insurance limit, just open an account at TreasuryDirect.gov and buy three- or six-month Treasury bills auctioned every Monday. (See link at TerrySavage.com for a complete explanation.). T-bills are the ultimate safety, without limitation. And thats The Savage Truth.

(Terry Savage is a registered investment adviser and the author of four best-selling books, including The Savage Truth on Money. Terry responds to questions on her blog at TerrySavage.com.)
The race for Missoulas next mayor is growing more crowded with a total of five candidates filing to run so far through the Montana Secretary of State.

Current Mayor Jordan Hess announced he was seeking reelection in early 2023, shortly after Ward 4 City Councilman Mike Nugent declared his candidacy for mayor.

The pair of current elected officials are joined by Homeword Executive Director Andrea Davis, former Missoula County Sheriff TJ McDermott and former University of Montana student Jacob Elder.

The election is scheduled for November 2023, although a bill in the Montana Senate could push the 2023 election back to 2024. Senate Bill 420 would move municipal elections to even-numbered years and would be effective immediately if it passes.

Hess took over as Missoulas interim mayor in September 2022 following the death of longtime Mayor John Engen. Elder and Nugent also sought the mayors seat during the 2022 mayoral appointment process by the city council, with Nugent ultimately conceding the vote to Hess after a multi-hour stalemate.

Barring the passage of SB 420, the winner of the upcoming election would serve out the remaining two years of Engens four-year term. The Missoula City Council will also determine whether to hold a primary election on Sept. 12.

Housing, taxes and public safety feature prominently in the campaigns of the five prospective leaders, whose professional and civic experiences differ substantially.

Hess, who worked as Transportation Director for the University of Montana prior to becoming mayor, also served on the Missoula City Council for nine years. Nugent, a real estate professional, was elected to the city council in 2021.

Davis became Homeword executive director in 2008, after five years with the Missoula Housing Authority.

What excites me most about serving Missoula as the next mayor, she said in a press release, is that I will bring my working knowledge of sustainable home solutions, transportation services, and economic development expertise to ensure that all Missoulians have a prosperous future.

McDermott, meanwhile, retired from the sheriffs office in 2022 after eight years as sheriff and coroner. He could not be reached for comment on Monday.

Elder, who formerly studied at the University of Montana, said he brings unconventional experience to the role of mayor.

My upbringing in a non-Western cultural environment without socioeconomic privileges enables me to bring a more balanced collective decision-making process to our city hall, he said in a statement to the Missoulian.

Elder went on to state his priorities include fostering political unity, ensuring affordable housing and lowering taxes.

However, to establish unity in Missoula, we must face the elephant in the room: we cannot tax our community into prosperity, Elder said. We must cease the tax-and-spend approach to decision-making.

Elder was the subject of a Title IX investigation in 2021. In 2022, a judge granted a civil no-contact order to the mother of Elders young child.

I don't have all the skills, resources, or significant connections with key players, Elder noted. However, I demonstrate the courage to roll up my sleeves and work relentlessly alongside brilliant individuals to attain our objectives.
With another round of grant funding, Missoula County plans to continue its efforts in safely reducing its jail population.

The MacArthur Foundation awarded the two-year, $410,000 grant to the county as part of the organizations Safety and Justice Challenge initiative. The Safety and Justice program aims to reduce over-incarceration and eliminate inequities in local criminal justice systems by changing the way America thinks about and uses jails, a press release from Missoula County stated.

The foundation lauded the countys progress implementing efforts that reduce high incarceration rates, like the Calibrate and Community Supported Re-Entry programs.

Missoula is one of only 11 jurisdictions selected for additional funding based on the promise and progress of work to date, the press release stated.

Calibrate launched in 2019, and is the first prosecution-led pretrial diversion program in Montana. Its a voluntary program that is part of a larger criminal justice reform effort offering first-time drug offenders an alternate path toward rehabilitation.

The reentry program opened last April and is run through the Missoula County Sheriffs Department. It works to mitigate incarceration for people on pretrial supervision whose cases are pending trial for nonviolent felony and misdemeanor charges.

Money from the foundations grant has also supported court appointment reminder software and remote court attendance options, like Zoom, for people facing criminal charges.

Two chemical dependency evaluators, who are new to the countys staff, were also hired with the grant money in 2021, along with a Native American support specialist who collaborates with the Montana Office of Public Defender to integrate culturally specific case management services.

Missoula County has a successful track record of increasing community safety through partnerships and innovative programs that prevent crime, promote community health, provide rehabilitation and support crime victims, Shantelle Gaynor, Community Justice Department Director, said in the release. When people have access to services that help solve problems  from finding housing, to mental health and substance abuse treatment, to parenting classes  the whole community benefits. This grant helps us support these kinds of services.

This years grant is an extension of two previous rounds of money delivered to Missoula County by the foundation for criminal justice system reform. The county first received $700,000 from the grant in 2018, and again in 2021. This years grant will keep supporting programs already in-place, according to the press release.
Even as dozens of Montanans spoke Tuesday against a bill to ban minors from attending drag shows held on public property, some acknowledged the likelihood the legislation will clear the GOP-supermajority Legislature and vowed litigation if it becomes law.

Our children are feeling like they cannot be alive in Montana because of decisions that are being made in this building. This policy is ridiculous, it's unnecessary and it is violence.  That should be enough to stop this but I'm pretty confident that nothing anyone can say today is going to change how things play out, Izzy Milch, the senior advocacy manager with Forward Montana, told members of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday when the bill had its first hearing in that chamber.

Opponents to the bill have said debate over the legislation can be harmful, and last week an emergency room physician in Bozeman sent an email to lawmakers telling them a teen came into his hospital after a suicide attempt and cited legislation about transgender Montanans as one of the reasons for his action.

Supporters of the legislation have mostly relied on claims that drag performers are seeking to sexualize children.

There's currently a sick agenda being pushed here. This cannot and will not be tolerated at taxpayer-funded facilities and public property, Mitchell said in support of his bill. That was echoed by Jeff Laszloffy, president of the Montana Family Foundation, who asked, Drag queens are begging to tell stories to little kids. Why? That's my question.

Backers of the bill also said parents who allow children to attend the shows should not have that ability.

Parents who support bringing their minors to these events are just as liable as the performers and should be held accountable, said Kathy Butterfield, one of seven supporters who spoke Tuesday.

But opponent after opponent, totaling nearly 60, strongly rejected those notions, from one performer who dressed in their outfit for an all-ages show  a sparkly suit and bowtie  to parents who said the state had no right to tell them how to parent their children.

Lennon Keppen, a drag performer, went into detail about the work to put on a family-friendly show, from developing material that would engage children to the concerns to make sure the show is appropriate for minors.

I keep the audience in mind the show is open to and I tailor my performance, song, stage makeup and costume to be appropriate for the audience thats seeing my performance, Keppen said. I deeply care about ensuring I present myself appropriately at all-ages, family-friendly shows I'm invited to perform at. Every other Montana drag performer does the same."

Sarah Teague, a 47-year-old veteran, rancher and mother of two, said all-ages drag shows are meant to help people.

We bring to children joy, laughter, understanding, freedom. Freedom to feel their hearts freely for just a couple of hours a day. Encouragement to be themselves. Support in their battle against hate and ignorance. Acceptance, acceptance for who they love, acceptance for who they are, Teague said. Drag performers don't care if the audience is gay, straight, queer, black, white, brown. We care about getting our audience to smile and hopefully laugh and love each other as neighbors and friends.

Multiple Democratic legislators also showed up to testify against the bill.

I find this bill to be an absolute overreach of our responsibility as legislators to take very, very seriously the power that we have to get involved in the lives of a child and to come in between a child and their parents. We should not be doing this, said Missoula Democratic Rep. SJ Howell. If folks don't want to take their kids to drag shows, they shouldnt. I support that. That is their right. But it is also my right to take my child to a drag show if I wish.

Kev Ham, the president of Montana Pride, told legislators the Montana Pride event in Helena brings thousands of attendees that generate $1 million in economic benefits to local business in town.

Shawn Reagor, the community organizer for the Montana Human Rights Network who spoke on behalf of himself, told lawmakers he expected litigation if the bill passes and is signed into law.

It will immediately have a court case filed against it, and it is very, very likely that the court will enjoin it almost immediately, and it will never go into effect, Reagor predicted.

Opponents pointed to Tennessees first-in-the-nation recently passed law that would have banned drag performances from happening on public property in front of minors, but was put under a temporary block before it even took effect. According to The Associated Press, the judge said the state had not shown why Tennessee needed the law and that it was too vague.
A bill that would bring the states Medicaid reimbursement up to par with the findings of a state-commissioned study passed a second round of scrutiny on the house floor with substantial bipartisan support Monday.

In an 82-to-18 vote, legislators acted on the bill with almost no discussion at all, moving to a due pass in less than five minutes.

House Bill 649 closes a $25 million gap in Medicaid funding for the four provider types included in the Guidehouse provider rate study  a nearly $3 million study that looked at how much it costs to deliver care to Montana Medicaid recipients and compared it to how much the state reimburses providers for those services.

The study showed that the State of Montana has provided insufficient reimbursement to vulnerable Medicaid providers for years.

Bill sponsor Rep. Mary Caferro, D-Helena, has campaigned heavily for HB 649, even tagging a phrase thats been repeated by lawmakers and reporters alike: (The Guidehouse study) shows us the cost of doing business.

The policy has potential to impact 20,000 jobs in Montana and even more citizens, Caferro said.

The Human Services Subcommittee raised rates significantly in the first half of the session, bumping provider rates up 15% from the 2023 base. Though a historic infusion of cash, it failed to meet the benchmark rates published in the Guidehouse study.

The subcommittees budget closed about 97% of the gap between current rates and the benchmark, but that remaining 3% accounts for about $75 million.

Subcommittee chair Rep. Bob Keenan, R-Bigfork, has opposed HB 649 throughout the session, but voted to support it Monday.

During the bills first appearance on the House floor, Kennan said he didnt think the Guidehouse study was accurate. He called for more accurate data.

Rep. Jane Gillette had also opposed the bill in the Appropriations committee, saying that the work done in the subcommittee, which she also sits on, was significant. She ended up supporting the bill Monday.

The health department director, Charlie Brereton, has not openly opposed HB 649, but has stated in committee meetings that the benchmark rates do not represent an absolute minimum for reimbursement.
Senate Joint Resolution No.15, pending in the Montana Legislature, seeks to correct a faulty understanding of the ancient case Marbury v. Madison, decided by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1803.

Marbury, of course, was the seminal case holding that the ultimate interpretation of the Constitution is for the courts  not for the other branches of government. Now, the Joint Resolution provides, the belief that the court has exclusive authority to interpret the constitutionis a myth, based on a faulty understanding of Marbury v. Madison.

Curious about the effect of this resolution, I sat down for an interview with a supporter of the Bill. The questions are mine, the answers the supporters.

Q: I assume you had competent legal advice on this?

A: Yes, we hired an eminent lawyer, Rudy Juilibaloney.

Q: You must mean Rudy Giuliani?

A: No. We tried Giuliani, but he is still busy denying election results, and, being once burned, was concerned about getting paid. Since we couldnt get Americas Mayor, we settled for Toledos Mayor.

Q: Its probably just as well. Rudy Giulianis bar license has been suspended in New York and Washington D.C.

A: You think we care about what they did in New York and Washington?

Q: Ordinarily there are statutes of limitations which bar untimely suits. Marbury was decided in 1803. Isnt there an obvious statute of limitations problem?

A: Were sponsoring legislation to increase the limitation to 100 years.

Q: Marbury was decided in 1803, one hundred years doesnt help.

A: Good point. Well make it 300 years.

Q: But Marbury is a precedent of the US Supreme Court  that is, federal precedent. How can a state legislature undo that?

A: Didnt you hear me? We decide what the law is, including who has jurisdiction over what.

Q: How do you square the rule of precedent with your resolution regarding Marbury?

A: Fake news. Besides, the election was stolen.

Q: If the election was stolen, how is it that in Montana the Republicans have a super majority in the Legislature and captured all five state-wide elective offices?

A: Like I told you, fake news.

Q: But isnt this just a resolution without the force of law?

A: I dispute the premise of your question.

Q: What premise is that?

A: I dont know, but I disagree with it.

Q: If your resolution is effective, what about other states? What if the North Dakota Legislature passes a resolution saying that the Marbury decision was correctly decided?

A: Why are you nagging me with all these petty questions? You must be from the lamestream media.

Q: If a mere act by the legislature is the final word, does the Constitution have any meaning?

A: You must be woke.

Q: Wont this result in a constitutional crisis with the Court ruling an Act unconstitutional but the legislature refusing to honor that?

A: We havent had a good constitutional crisis since the War of Northern Aggression in 1861.

Q: Doesnt this just seem like a recipe for a dystopian Mad Max society?

A: Not sure what dystopian means, but Mad Max was my hero.

Q: Does your group have any plans to undo Brown v. Board of Education, which held that there is no room for separate but equal in public education?

A: Why do we have public education anyway?

As I closed the interview, I asked if he had any final thoughts. He did. As he walked out the door, I think I heard him say, and the horse you rode in on.
Argentinian actress Delfina Chaves (The Secret of the Greco Family) and Martijn Lakemeier (The East) have signed on to star in the drama series Maxima.

The series tells the life story of the Argentinian-born Dutch Queen Maxima. Millstreet Films is the producer and will also handle international sales. RTL commissioned the series for the Netherlands.

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The series will shoot in Argentina, New York, Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands beginning in June. Rachel van Bommel of Millstreet Films is producing. Head writers are Marnie Blok and Ilse Ott. Episodes will be directed by Saskia Diesing, Joosje Duk and Ivan Lopez Nunez.

The full synopsis reads: From the moment Maxima Zorreguieta appears at the Dutch crown princes side, she finds herself in the spotlight. When Willem-Alexander asks her to marry him, the past catches up with her. Heated discussion erupts about her fathers political career in the Videla regime  a discussion she never faced in her own circles. What allows this Argentine to finally thrive at an old European court? And how can Maxima stay true to herself without giving up her family  or do these things not go together?

The series will run six 50-minute episodes, which kick off with a present-day storyline starting in 1999 in Seville, when Maxima and Willem-Alexander meet for the first time. The series will then transition into a second storyline set in the past, where we see how Maxima was prepared for this step her entire life. When the press catches wind of her relationship with the crown prince, the pair find themselves on a roller coaster, that only slows down with the announcement of their engagement in 2001.

Chaves, who is set to star as Maxima, is best known for her roles in Ringo (Star+), The Secret of the Greco Family (Netflix), Rap Battlefield (HBO Max) and Edha (Netflix). Lakemeier will play Prince Willem-Alexander. He is best known for starring in Amazons The East. His other credits include Marie Antoinette (BBC 2), Sonny Boy, and Winter in Wartime.

Story continues

When Maxima set foot on Dutch soil people referred to her as the derivative of two men. Who she was and what she wanted from life were attributed by the outside world to first her father and after that her prince. I really love that the series now tells her story, from her point of view, Chaves said.

Producer Rachel van Bommel added: Millstreet Films explores the complexity of female characters, and thats what makes Maxima interesting for us: she has a complex, versatile personality but remains a cheerful and positive person for herself.

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Billionaire Richard Bransons ambitious plans to launch the first satellites from the UK came crashing down to earth today after the company into which he had poured over $1 billion in cash filed for bankruptcy.

Virgin Orbit, which Branson founded in 2017, said it had commenced a Chapter 11 proceedings at a US Bankruptcy Court in the District of Delaware in order to sell the business after being unable to attract enough funding to secure its future.

A Virgin Group spokesperson said: Richard Branson and the Virgin Group have supported Virgin Orbit over the long term, investing more than $1 billion in the Company, including $60 million since November 2022.

However, this significant funding was not enough to counter the strong headwinds and liquidity challenges Virgin Orbit continues to face.

Virgin Orbit CEO Dan Hart said: We believe that the cutting-edge launch technology that this team has created will have wide appeal to buyers as we continue in the process to sell the company.

Virgin Orbit said it did not have enough resources to put together an annual report for 2022. The firm said it expects to post a loss for the year of $157 million and was sitting on a deficit of over $1 billion.

Last week, the company abruptly sacked 85% of its workforce, amounting to nearly 700 employees as it warned it had not generated sufficient revenues to provide sufficient cash flows to enable us to finance our operations, and may not be able to raise sufficient capital to do so.

In January Virgin Orbits attempt at its first ever satellite launch from UK ended in failure after the system experienced an anomaly at some point during the firing of the rockets second stage engine, ending the mission prematurely.

The company was adamant its inaugural launch attempt was a major step forward and vowed to return to orbit as soon as we have completed a full investigation and mission assurance process.

The decision to file for bankruptcy comes as a major blow to the UK governments space ambitions, for which the companys projects were considered a lynchpin.

Transport secretary Mark Harper had previously described the activity of Virgin Orbit as reinforcing our position as a leading space nation as we look to the future of spaceflight, which can spur growth and innovation across the sector, as well as creating thousands of jobs and apprenticeships.

Bransons share in the New York-listed business had been worth more than $2 billion at its peak in late 2021, but has plunged 97% over the past year and could now be worthless. The entrepreneur, who also founded space tourism business Virgin Galactic, is worth 3.7 billion according to an Evening Standard estimate.
Two Iredell students earned honors in a statewide competition.

The North Carolina Science Fair Foundation (NCSFF), sponsor of the annual N.C. Science and Engineering Fair (NCSEF), announces the winners of the 35th NCSEF competition held March 25 at North Carolina State University. 323 STEM student researchers from across the state in grades 3-12, advanced to these state finals.

Maira Siddiqui of Mooresville, a student at South Iredell High School, earned third place in physics. Nachammai Annamalai of Mooresville, also a student at South Iredell, was presented the United States Army Award for physics and mathematics

A total of 160 volunteer judges from business, education, governmental, and nonprofit sectors interviewed students and selected the award winners. A complete list of award winners is available on the website at ncsef.org.

Special awards sponsored by business, education, government, and nonprofit STEM partners, were awarded along with the winners across eight STEM research categories.

NCSEF Director Judy Day said, Our local and regional teachers and fair directors from across North Carolina continue to raise the standards for student-led research in all STEM areas. Our 300 plus judges and volunteers continue to share their enthusiasm for the innovation and quality of student work as evidenced in their student interviews.

NCSFF Chair Tony Rice said, We are excited to send 14 North Carolina high school students on to compete in the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) in Dallas, Texas, from May 14-19. Each will compete against more than 1,800 students from 80 countries.

We are also thrilled to invite the top 16 middle school students to compete in the new Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge. The top 30 of these projects from across the nation will compete for final awards in Washington, D.C., in October 2023 and thank our businesses and foundations for supporting our efforts to make student-led STEM research accessible to all students throughout N.C., added Rice.

The N.C. Science Fair Foundation sponsors the NCSEF and its none regional competitions and a new virtual region for public, public charter, private, and homeschool students across all 100 North Carolina counties.
A newly protected 848-acre swath of undeveloped land along the Dan River in Stokes County will become the first educational state forest in the Piedmont Triad region, a conservation group announced Monday.

The Piedmont Land Conservancy said its purchase of the undeveloped property, known as the Shoebuckle Tract because of its unique shape, will protect more than a mile of forested buffer on the Dan River and almost two miles of tributary creeks, benefitting water quality downstream.

Though much of the land has been cleared for commercial logging, lines of hardwoods still protect the creeks, PLC said in its announcement.

Forestry production is a longstanding tradition in North Carolina and a valuable contributor to our economy, said Kevin Redding, PLCs executive director. We look forward to this property serving the educational and recreational needs of our citizens, protecting the important waters of the Dan River, and providing important wildlife habitat on the uplands while continuing to hold a portion of our irreplaceable history.

The Mountains-to-Sea Trail, a 1,175-mile route from Clingmans Dome in Smoky Mountains National Park to Jockeys Ridge State Park in the Outer Banks, will pass through the property, according to PLC.

The new park also will provide river access to the Dan River State Trail, a route for canoers and kayakers authorized by the N.C. General Assembly in 2021. It includes 90 miles of the river through Surry, Stokes and Rockingham counties.

The land also holds historical significance, PLC noted in its announcement.

The property is located across the river from the site of Upper Sauratown, one of two large settlements occupied by the Saura Indians and abandoned in the early 18th century.

The recently purchased site land was formerly part of the Shoebuckle Plantation, one of the largest and oldest plantations on the Dan River.

The property has been in the Hairston/Kluttz family continuously since 1804, when Peter Hairston bought land from Absalom Bostick, who established the plantation after purchasing nearly 4,300 acres.

The planned park will open visitors to unique aspects of North Carolinas natural resources, said Will Summer, executive director of the state-run N.C. Land and Water Fund, one of the funding sources for the purchase of the property.

In addition to the recreational and historic benefits, this section of the Dan River is rated as exceptional by the N.C. Natural Heritage Program for a host of rare aquatic species that call it home, Summer noted.

PLC said it will transfer ownership of the property to the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services within the next year to become an educational state forest. The N.C. Forest Service operates a system of educational sites designed to teach the public, especially school children, about the forest environment.

Educational state forests in North Carolina are treasures for citizens and visitors, said N.C. Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. The Shoebuckle property is an important addition to our ESF system not only because it will be an outdoor, living classroom for children but also because of the natural resource conservation and recreational value it will add to the Piedmont Triad region.
Four students from the Reichle School in Glen were selected as winners of the Silver Bow Chapter of Daughters of the American Revolution American History Essay Contest. Two students, fifth-grader Paityn Tarter and sixth-grader Sage Rhodes, went on to earn first place recognition in the state.

The two students also honored at the local level are seventh-grader Rylee Ford and eighth-grader Faith Rognstad.

The essay contest, sponsored annually by DAR, is open all students in grades 5-8 in public, private, or parochial schools, including those who are homeschooled.

This years essay title was If I Were a Delegate to the Second Continental Congress." Students were invited to imagine that they represented their colony as a delegate to the Second Continental Congress, which met between May 10, 1775 and March 1, 1781. This Congress was instrumental in shaping what became the United States of America. Students answered the questions of which colony they are from and what will be important for them to accomplish for their colony.

Silver Bow Chapters American History Chair Margaret Casolara commented, This is my favorite DAR activity  engaging young people in American History in a meaningful way and seeing how much Reichle teachers like Leah Tucker-Helle and Becky Jensen encourage historically-minded students, said Margaret Casolara, American history chair of the local chapter.
Easter is a celebration of spring where families come together for church services, egg hunts, photos with the Easter Bunny and festive feasts. Its one of the biggest brunch occasions of the year, but also a time for hearty dinners centering on roast lamb and honey-baked ham and baskets filled with sweet treats.

Whether youre seeking out a decadent buffet with mimosas or are looking for someone else to cook the food for your at-home gathering, these 63 restaurants are providing all the goodies.

All events take place Sunday, unless otherwise specified. Be sure to plan ahead, as many spots have cutoffs on their to-go orders.

Is your Chicagoland restaurant or food business offering a holiday special? Email food editor Ariel Cheung at archeung@chicagotribune.com. The Tribune is currently seeking specials for Mothers Day, Memorial Day, Fathers Day, Juneteenth and July Fourth.

Downtown

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312 Chicago

The newly reopened Loop restaurant offers a special brunch menu from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. featuring lemon ricotta pancakes ($19), banana apple French toast ($22), pan-seared rack of lamb with taleggio polenta ($35) and tagliatelle Bolognese with rosemary truffle ricotta ($28). 136 N. LaSalle St., 312-325-7100, 312chicago.com

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Adalina

Every brunch table will receive an Easter basket full of candy and other treats, with some including a special golden egg. 912 N. State St., 312-820-9000, adalinachicago.com

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Adorn

Kids will be welcomed with balloon art, face painting, an Easter Egg Hunt and a photo with the Easter Bunny, while adults can enjoy live music and bottomless bubbly. The brunch buffet runs from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and costs $255 or $74 for kids ages 12 and under. 120 E. Delaware Place, 312-280-8800, adornrestaurant.com

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Brass Tack

Sip unlimited rose from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. while dining on dishes such as rabbit confit, chilaquiles with chorizo and a waffle with litchi lemon curd. 11 E. Walton St., 312-646-1402, brasstackchicago.com

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The Dearborn

Specials available for brunch and dinner include lamb lollipops with charred scallion relish, caviar and peekytoe crab deviled eggs and lemon velvet coconut cake. 145 N. Dearborn St., 312-384-1242, thedearborntavern.com

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FireLake Grill House & Cocktail Bar

Pile your plate with made-to-order omelets, classic breakfast dishes, pastries and items from a carving station and raw bar during a brunch served from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. for $65, or $25 for kids ages 4-12. 221 N. Columbus Drive, 312-477-0234, exploretock.com

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Gene & Georgetti

The Easter Bunny drops by the restaurant from noon to 3 p.m. Specials offered all day include slow-braised leg of lamb with roasted vegetables ($44), crab cake benedict ($30) and nutella crepes ($16). 500 N. Franklin St., 312-527-3718, geneandgeorgetti.com

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I|O Godfrey

A brunch buffet offered from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. includes omelets, eggs Benedict, French toast, prime rib, sushi and carrot cake muffins for $59 or $15 per kid under age 12. 127 W. Huron St., 312-374-1830, iogodfrey.com

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The Lobby at The Peninsula Chicago

Kids can go on an Easter egg hunt and visit with the Easter Bunny during a brunch running from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. that also features a string quartet, balloon artist and roving magician. The meal blends buffet stations and plated dishes with options including sushi, dim sum, breakfast burritos, caviar and pan-fried red snapper. Tickets are $325 or $85 for kids ages 5-12. 108 E. Superior St., 312-337-2888, peninsula.com

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Maple & Ash

Easter brunch at Maple & Ash at 8 W. Maple St. in Chicago. (Maple & Ash)

A decadent brunch available from 10 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. includes mimosas, espresso martinis, sushi, macrons and tiramisu. The meal is $110 or $65 for kids. 8 W. Maple St., 312-944-8888, mapleandash.com

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Michael Jordans Steak House

Waffles heaped with fresh berries are among the Easter specials at Michael Jordan's Steak House. (Michael Jordan's Steak House)

Brunch specials offered from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. include steak and eggs with poblano pepper hash ($42), merguez-crusted lamb chops with harissa yogurt ($65) and chilaquiles ($28). 505 N. Michigan Ave., 312-321-8823, michaeljordansteakhouse.com

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NoMI

The restaurant on the seventh floor of Park Hyatt Chicago serves brunch from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. with dishes including fried chicken with buttermilk waffles, grilled asparagus salad, roasted lamb and macrons. The meal is $165 or $50 for kids ages 5-12. 800 N. Michigan Ave., 312-239-4030, nomichicago.com

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Prime & Provisions

The steakhouses annual grand buffet brunch features cinnamon French toast and eggs Benedict, carving stations serving maple-glazed ham and slow-roasted prime rib, a raw bar with shrimp, oysters and crab legs, made-to-order omelets and Belgian waffles, and plenty of sweets. Served from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., the meal is $95 or $35 for kids ages 7-12. 222 N. LaSalle Blvd., 312-726-7777, primeandprovisions.com

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The Signature Room

Listen to live music during a three-course meal including lobster bisque, crab cake Benedict and lemon pound cake. The brunch is $75 and served from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. 875 N. Michigan Ave., 312-787-9596, signatureroom.com

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State and Lake

A $65 brunch buffet available from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. includes scrambled eggs, macaroni and cheese and braised short rib, plus one mimosa or bloody mary. The meal is $65 or $15 for kids ages 5-12. 201 N. State St., 312-239-9400, stateandlakechicago.com

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Travelle

Champagne mimosas and bellinis are included in a brunch served from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. along with croissants, eggs Benedict, pastrami, salmon, caviar, sushi, chilled jumbo shrimp and ice cream sandwiches. The meal is $295 or $70 for kids. 330 N. Wabash Ave., 312-923-9988, travellechicago.com

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Venteux

Kids can decorate eggs tableside while adults enjoy bottomless mimosas, rose and bloody marys during brunch. Come for Easter dinner Saturday and try braised lamb shank with roasted carrots and pomme puree and The Hopper, a cocktail made with vodka, carrot juice, turmeric, ginger and lemon. 224 N. Michigan Ave., 312-777-9003, venteuxchicago.com

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Wildfire

Feed four with a rack of lamb dinner, including cornbread, salad, roasted asparagus and a whole carrot cake for $190. Orders must be placed by Friday for pickup Saturday or Sunday. 159 W. Erie St., 312-787-9000, wildfirerestaurant.com

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Yardbird

Come for brunch for strawberry rhubarb shortcakes ($16) or take advantage of dinner specials including slow-braised rosemary lamb shank with mint ($65) and lemon chiffon pie ($18). 530 N. Wabash Ave., 312-999-9760, runchickenrun.com/chicago

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North Side and Near North Side

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The Albert

Caesar salad at The Albert is among the specials available at the restaurant's Easter buffet. (Katherine McConnell)

A $39 buffet includes roasted vegetable salads, Calabrian leg of lamb and tiramisu. 228 E. Ontario St., 312-471-3883, thealbertchicago.com

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Bar Roma

Dinner specials served Friday through Sunday include smoked salmon avocado toast ($16), wood-grilled rib-eye with fried shrimp ($36) and carrot sheet cake ($9). Celebrate Sunday with half-price bottles of wine from 4:30-9 p.m. 5101 N. Clark St., 773-942-7572, barromachicago.com

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Casatis Modern Italian

Get complimentary photos with the Easter Bunny from 12:30-1:30 p.m. and dine on specials including lobster macaroni and cheese ($19) and steak and eggs ($29). 444 W. Fullerton Parkway, 773-857-1237, casatismodernitalian.com

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Duck Sel

Chef Donald Youngs pop-up serves brunch for the first time, with seatings at 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. featuring a seven-course menu for $115. exploretock.com/ducksel

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Le Sud

Chef William Lara offers a trio of lamb specials: lamb sliders with tarragon yogurt ($14), lamb lollipops with mint chimichurri ($17) and lamb chops with Israeli couscous. 2301 W. Roscoe St., 773-857-1985, lesudchicago.com

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Lirica

Enjoy Lake Michigan views while making trips to a $45 brunch bar, including spiced honey-glazed ham, chicken sausage, bacon and Greek honey yogurt. 900 E. Grand Ave., liricarestaurant.com

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West Side, Northwest Side & Near West Side

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Aba

Try a spring frittata with lump crab during brunch or come for dinner for butter-roasted wolf fish with sugar snap peas. 302 N. Green St., 773-645-1400, abarestaurants.com

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BLVD Steakhouse

A special brunch served from 9:45 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. features French toast bread pudding ($18), crab cake Benedict ($28) and steak and eggs ($32). 817 W. Lake St., 312-526-3116, blvdchicago.com

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Carnivale

Bring the kids for brunch buffet from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. featuring an Easter egg hunt, coloring station, photo booth and a chance to meet the Easter Bunny. The meal is $55, $25 for kids ages 6-12, and free for kids under age 6. 702 W. Fulton Market, 312-850-5005, carnivalechicago.com

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Duck Duck Goat

Share dim sum and other dishes during a $65 family-style brunch offered from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. 857 W. Fulton Market, 312-902-3825, duckduckgoatchicago.com

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Formentos

Share kale salad and zeppole, then choose an entree such as cacio e pepe or lemon ricotta pancakes during a brunch served from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for $45. A $10 meal for kids ages 10 and under offers grilled cheese and waffles. 925 W. Randolph St., 312-690-7295, formentos.com

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Gioia

An $85 three-course meal served from noon to 5 p.m. includes beef tenderloin carpaccio, ravioli filled with artichokes and sunchokes and a Neapolitan ricotta and lemon tart. 1133 W. Randolph St., 773-672-8955, gioiachicago.com

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Heritage Restaurant & Caviar Bar

Groups of four or more can share a family meal featuring deviled eggs with trout roe, wood-grilled leg of lamb with grilled ramps and asparagus salad with crispy garlic for $65 or $25 for kids under age 12. Add on a caviar tasting for $40 per person. You can also celebrate at home with a $200 meal for four available for pickup from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday and Sunday. Orders must be placed by 9 p.m. Thursday. 2700 W. Chicago Ave., 773-661-9577, heritage-chicago.com

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Ina Mae Tavern

Come for brunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and enjoy a bloody mary and spritz bar plus live music starting at noon. Dine at 4 p.m. and youll get a bottle of prosecco when you order a seafood tower, the chicken dinner or blackened catfish. If youre celebrating at home, order an 8 lb. smoked and glazed ham for $80 by 5 p.m. Tuesday to pick up from 2-5 p.m. Saturday. The hams can also be picked up from sibling spot Frontier. 1415 N. Wood St., 773-360-8320, inamaetavern.com

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Lyra

Greek Easter is celebrated April 16, and you can place an order by 6 p.m. April 12 to pick up a $120 meal for two April 15. It includes slow-roasted lamb gyros, spinach frittata, tzatziki and spicy feta. 905 W. Fulton Market, 312-660-7722, lyrarestaurant.com

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Publican Quality Bread

Easter specials from Publican Quality Bread include hot cross buns. (Publican Quality Bread / HANDOUT)

James Beard Award-winning baker Greg Wade offers colomba, a dove-shaped Italian cake traditionally eaten at Easter, Friday through Monday. Celebrate Good Friday by picking up apricot jam-glazed hot cross buns Thursday or Friday. 1759 W. Grand Ave., publicanqualitybread.com

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Rose Mary

A four-course $55 brunch includes braised lamb hash and burek, a flaky pastry filled with bacon, egg and mozzarella. 932 W. Fulton Market, 872-260-3921, rosemarychicago.com

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Swift & Sons

Choose from whole-wheat pancakes, king crab-stuffed crepes and steak and eggs during a family-style brunch offered from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The meal is $85 or $20 for kids ages 4-12. Kids 3 and under eat free. 1000 W. Fulton Market, 312-733-9420, swiftandsonschicago.com

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Time Out Market

Winnie the Pooh will don his Easter Bunny gear during a brunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and kids can get a balloon animal and faces painted while adults enjoy specialty cocktails and mimosa pitchers. The Chicago Soul Jazz Collective will perform from 1-3 p.m. Grab a bite from one of the food halls many Chicago-based vendors  no reservations needed. 916 W. Fulton Market, 312-637-3888, timeoutmarket.com/chicago

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The Very Vegan Sweet Shop

This Saturday event in the West Town neighborhood kicks off with preregistered egg hunts at 11 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.  each participant will get to track down their own dozen compostable and recyclable eggs filled with chocolate and small toys. The shop will have additional candy and sweets for sale, ideal for a vegan Easter basket, while Verdant Virtual Wellness will have flower bouquets, wreaths and crowns for sale, along with a floral photo booth to capture the moment. $26 per person for the egg hunt. 2048 W. Grand Ave., theveryvegansweet.com

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South Side, Southwest Side & Near South Side

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Chicago Firehouse Restaurant

A $75 three-course meal available from 11:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. includes lobster bisque, slow-roasted leg of lamb with rosemary-roasted fingerling potatoes and strawberry shortcake. Add on family-style sides such as creamed spinach ($14) or whipped potatoes with roasted garlic ($11). 1401 S. Michigan Ave., 312-786-1401, chicagofirehouse.com

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Tuscany on Taylor

Start your holiday with brunch from noon to 3 p.m. with delectable Italian specials such as medaglione di manzo ($25)  beef tenderloin medallions with hash browns, poached eggs and hollandaise  and Italian sausage and peppers with scrambled eggs ($18). Guests can also select from dinner specials from 3-8 p.m. along with the regular menu. 1014 W. Taylor St., 312-829-1990, tuscanychicago.com/taylor

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Suburban and multiple locations

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Aboyer

Come from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. for a three-course brunch featuring roasted baby beet salad, eggs Benedict over toasted brioche with truffle hollandaise and a berry mascarpone tart for $69, or $39 for kids under age 10. A $89 dinner from 4-7 p.m. subs out the brunch entrees for chateaubriand with potatoes and garlic-scented romanesco. 64 Green Bay Road, Winnetka; 847-441-3100; georgetroisgroup.com/aboyer

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Antico Posto

Feed four for $200 with an Easter dinner to go including honey-glazed ham, pecorino-crusted beef medallions, mashed potatoes, herb-roasted baby carrots and tiramisu. Orders must be placed by 4 p.m. Wednesday to pick up from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. The restaurant also offers dine-in specials Thursday through Sunday, such as lamb chop risotto and lemon cheesecake. 118 Oakbrook Center, Oak Brook; antico-posto.com

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Beatrix

Pick up an Easter cookie decorating kit for $24 from Thursday through Sunday. Special brunch dishes offered Saturday and Sunday include lobster enchiladas with avocado salsa and bananas foster waffles. Grilled filet medallions with butter poached lobster is available for dinner. Multiple locations, beatrixrestaurants.com

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Di Pescara

Come for brunch from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and try specials such as poached egg shakshuka, braised brisket hash and bananas foster French toast. Add unlimited mimosas and bloody marys for $15. 2124 Northbrook Court, Northbrook; 847-498-4321; di-pescara.com

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Fannie May

The chocolate shop offers seasonal sweets including boxes of cream eggs ($30), milk and dark chocolate bunnies ($18) and spring-hued mint meltaways ($30). Multiple locations, fanniemay.com

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GP Italiano

The restaurant opens at noon to offer specials including pistachio-crusted lamb chops, roasted potatoes, asparagus and lemon meringue pie. 1 S. La Grange Road, La Grange; 708-582-6536; gpitaliano.com

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The Graceful Ordinary

Start your meal with deviled eggs, blueberry brioche tarts and beignets, before digging into an entree such as bananas foster French toast or ricotta gnocchi with wild mushrooms. Tickets are $65 or $25 for kids. 3 E. Main St., St. Charles,; 331-235-5803; thegracefulordinary.com

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Greys Social Kitchen & Bar

This Oak Forest spot will host a Ladies Love R&B-themed Easter brunch from noon to 6 p.m. with bottomless mimosas, live music and an Easter egg hunt. $20-$50. 5420 159th St., Oak Forest; 708-574-1744; greyssocial.com

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Imperio de la Elegancia

This west suburban restaurant and banquet hall will host an Easter brunch from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. complete with photo opps with the Easter Bunny. The buffet will feature chilaquiles and Mexican hot chocolate, plus eggs, pancakes, potatoes, beef bourguignon, sausage and bacon. Adults can add on bottomless mimosas for $15. Tickets are $35 for adults, $20 for children 3-12 years, and free for children 2 and under. 9755 Grand Ave., Franklin Park; 847-455-1078; imperiodelaelegancia.com

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Loews Chicago OHare Hotel

Take a picture with the Easter Bunny during a brunch including carving stations, seafood, a breakfast buffet, pastries and a bloody mary and mimosa bar. The meal is $79 or $29 for kids ages 3-14. 5300 N. River Road, Rosemont; 847-447-4275; loewshotels.com/chicago-ohare

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Marriott Lincolnshire Resort

A brunch buffet served from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. features omelets, a carving station, chilled seafood and visits with the Easter Bunny. The meal is $49 or $20 for kids ages 12 and under. 10 Marriott Drive, Lincolnshire; opentable.com

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Oaken Bar + Bistro

Take family photos with the Easter Bunny during a brunch from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. that includes bagels with lox, omelets, chocolate chip pancakes and bacon. Tickets are $82, or $45 for kids under age 13. 200 N. Field Drive, Lake Forest; 847-582-6410; oakenbistro.com

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Prairie Grass Cafe

Add on deviled eggs to your Easter brunch at Prairie Grass Cafe. (Cindy Kurman)

Feast on a brunch buffet from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. featuring deviled eggs, salmon cakes, omelet and crepe stations, grilled chicken breast and carrot cake squares. The meal is $85 or $54 for kids. You can also place an order by Thursday to pick up Easter dinner for two from 4:30-5:30 p.m. that includes sliced ham, crispy sweet potatoes and mushroom soup for $118. You can also add on six deviled eggs for $15. 601 Skokie Blvd., Northbrook; 847-205-4433; prairiegrasscafe.com

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Prairie Moon

A brunch buffet available from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. includes scrambled eggs, glazed sliced ham, shrimp cocktail, bagels with smoked salmon and blueberry streusel coffee cake plus prosecco and mimosas. The meal is $36 or $15 for kids. 1635 Chicago Ave., Evanston, 847-864-8328; prairiemoonrestaurant.com

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Rock Island Public House

A family friend Easter brunch awaits at this Blue Island spot. Three Sides Chicago, a Chicago-based pop-up focused on seasonal and local foods, will offer up quiche Lorraine studded with bacon, a biscuit sandwich with spicy mayo and meat-free options like a galette made with roasted asparagus and lemon ricotta, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. 13328 Olde Western Ave., Blue Island; 708-388-5513; rockislandpublichouse.com

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Scratchboard Kitchen

Host brunch or dinner with a take-home menu featuring carrot cake scones ($5), an 8-lb. bone-in ham ($150), a pint of grits with cheddar ($14) and 32 ounces of bloody mary mix ($18). Orders can be picked up from 1-2:30 p.m. Saturday. 5 W. Campbell St., Arlington Heights; 847-749-3103; scratchboardkitchenah.com

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Stans Donuts & Coffee

Treat yourself to a coconut Easter basket, a coconut cake doughnut soaked in coconut, coated in yellow-colored coconut flakes and topped with three chocolate eggs. The special is available Tuesday through Sunday. Multiple locations, stansdonuts.com

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Sweet Mandy Bs

Birds Nest Cupcakes at Sweet Mandy Bs. (Sweet Mandy B's)

Specials available Thursday through Sunday include carrot cake ($34), a vanilla buttercream frosted bunny cake ($48) and cookies shaped like Easter eggs and bunnies ($3.75-$4.25). 1208 W. Webster Ave., 773-244-1174; 254 E. Ontario St., 312-255-1632; sweetmandybs.com

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Thorn Restaurant & Lounge

Take a complimentary photo with the Easter Bunny during a brunch running from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. with stations serving waffles, omelets, carved ham, jumbo shrimp, smoked salmon, mimosas and bloody marys. 5200 Pearl St., Rosemont; 847-260-4774; thornrestaurant.com

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Timothy OTooles Pub

Specials served Saturday and Sunday include smoked salmon flatbread ($14), lemon rock shrimp pasta ($20) and strawberry pistachio arugula salad ($16). Multiple locations, timothyotooles.com

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Trulucks

Celebrate with a special Spring Fling cocktail made with vodka, cava, raspberries, almond syrup and mint ($15). 9860 Berwyn Ave., Rosemont; 847-233-9404; trulucks.com

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Valladolid

Head to west suburban Summit for an all-you-can-eat Easter brunch buffet with Latin flair at this restaurant and banquet hall. Feast on fajitas, gorditas, chilaquiles and breakfast items like eggs, churro waffles and pancakes. A chocolate fountain and a cash bar elevate the fun, and the Easter Bunny will be on scene for meet-and-greet photos. The brunch is $10 for children 6-12, $25 for adults, and free for children 5 and younger. 6254 S. Archer Road, Summit; 708-701-2134; valladolidbanquet.com

Samantha Nelson is a freelance writer.
A bill that would put $300 million over several years toward efforts to create a commission to re-envision the state's behavioral health system and direct money to initial building projects cleared a first vote in the state House on Monday by a healthy margin.

House Bill 872 is from Rep. Bob Keenan, R-Big Fork. Keenan said the money would be unfurled over the next three budget cycles, with $40 million moving in the upcoming fiscal year and $30 million in the next.

The state is in what Keenan said was the bottom of a cycle when it comes to behavioral health services available to Montanans, following massive budget cuts that hit the network during a 2017 special session called to address budget shortfalls.

People that have episodes end up encountering law enforcement, emergency rooms, and we really don't have services. We will spend the next nine months perhaps assessing what we have on the ground in our local communities, Keenan said of what the bill intends to do initially.

The first $40 million will be used to shore up and patch together in our communities what has fallen apart over the last five years. Keenan said that would include everything from homeless shelters to jails. Places that need improvement also include the Montana State Hospital, which lost its federal matching funding because of concerns following patient death and mistreatment; as well as the Montana Mental Health Nursing Care Center in Lewistown and Intensive Behavior Center in Boulder.

Now we can assess and design a world-class behavioral health and (developmental disability) system in Montana over the next three bienniums, Keenan said.

Critics of the bill have said it does not specify how such a large amount of money would be spent and gives too much control of appropriation to those who are not state legislators.

Democratic Rep. Emma Kerr-Carpenter, of Missoula, said she was concerned the bill put $70 million to the state health department with largely no oversight.

That is the piece that gives me a lot of heartburn, Kerr-Carpenter said.

We are missing an opportunity here to make sure that we have oversight over this and making sure the needs of our constituents and our community are heard in this process, Kerr-Carpenter said.

But Rep. Llew Jones, R-Conrad, said the bill is the best way to address massive problems with the states behavioral health options. He added that the council will hold public meetings and include legislators and allow for some legislative final approval.

This bill is probably put together absolutely as good as it can be to provide us as much oversight and the public gets as much insight as possible into a process that we've let go for too long, Jones said. This is a good bill.

The advisory commission would include seven legislators, the head of the state health department and more.

Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte has said he supports the proposal.

Its not easy to spend $300 million, so we will not have all of our plans nailed down by the end of the Legislature, Gianforte said in a press conference last week. This is why we propose a commission very much like what we did for the (American Rescue Plan Act) funds that would be made up of legislators who ultimately have the appropriations authority as well as officials from (the state health department).

The commission formed to divvy up ARPA money in 2021 held multiple public meetings during the interim and advanced recommendations to the governor for approval or denial.

The priorities have been clear. The situation at the state hospital in Warm Springs is unacceptable. We need to upgrade those facilities to ensure safety of both patients and the providers, Gianforte said. That's No. 1. The experts tell us that behavioral health clinics that are community-based allow us to provide services where patients can be closer to family. Many of them were shut down by prior administrations. This $300 million investment is going to allow us to bring those services back so we can provide behavioral health services in the local community. Those are the guiding lights for the $300 million. We'll then use the commission that the bill establishes to make real time decisions between sessions with full oversight from the legislature.

The bill cleared its initial House vote on a bipartisan 82-18 margin and will face one more vote before moving to the Senate.
Two legislative proposals remain to reorganize how Montana spends its marijuana tax revenues, representing two different philosophies and fiscal goals.

Senate Bill 442 from Sen. Mike Lang, R-Malta, saw substantial support from the Senate on Monday on a 48-1 preliminary vote.

The bill initially scrapped funding for the states Habitat Montana account to instead put toward county road repairs. Last week, the bill was amended with a new formula to keep 20% of those tax revenues flowing toward habitat conservation, including a new legacy trust account that could be delivered by grants to restore habitat on public and private property.

The new legacy account would be titled the Kelly Flynn Montana Wildlife Habitat Improvement and Legacy Program, in honor of former Townsend Republican Rep. Kelly Flynn, who died in 2021.

The other proposal, House Bill 669, got a 65-35 nod from the House on Friday. Carried by Rep. Bill Mercer, R-Billings, HB 669 would direct nearly all marijuana tax revenues into the general fund. Mercer has argued this arrangement would give lawmakers more dexterity with those revenues when the Legislature crafts its budget than the predetermined revenue streams put in place during the 2021 session.

Mercers bill earned approval from the House Appropriations Committee, where the governors proposed tax revenue shake-up did not. House Bill 462, carried by Republican Rep. Marta Bertoglio on behalf of the Governors Office, would have redirected the Habitat Montana funding to public safety needs. The appropriations committee tabled that bill last week.

In the upper chamber, the amendment to Langs bill last week won over sportsmens and outdoors groups which had previously stood against any proposal to terminate the stream of marijuana tax revenues to Habitat Montana.

On Monday, 33 groups spanning landowners, sportsman and outfitters signed a letter to Senate President Jason Ellsworth urging his support for the newly amended SB 442.

"This is a once-in-a-generation bill that meets the needs of many Montanans," the letter states. "Senator Langs leadership on this has been heroic and stalwart. We deeply appreciate his willingness to work with all sides to arrive at a legislative fix that invests in rural Montana and the people who call it home."

Asked Monday what made him open to the amendment, Lang said he has long sought to bring landowner and outdoor recreation groups together.

Its something Ive worked on for a long time, he said. This bridges that gap.

The new formula in Langs bill also implements a change sought by the Governors Office in HB 462, changing the allocation to the HEART Fund, an account created last year for grants related to substance use disorders and rehabilitation, from $6 million of marijuana tax revenues to 11%.

The state revenue department estimates Montana made $54 million in marijuana tax revenues last year, while fiscal analysts with the governors office have projected those revenues to climb to $81 million in fiscal year 2024 and $97 million by 2027.

Along with the 11% dedicated to the HEART Fund, Langs bill would allocate the following amounts:

20% to county roads

5% to veterans services

4% to parks, trails and nongame wildlife

38% to the general fund

20% to the Habitat Legacy Account

Of the money that passes into the Habitat Legacy Account, 75% would go to Habitat Montana, until that accounts balance reaches $50 million. The remaining revenues would go to Habitat Montana projects and Legacy Wildlife Habitat Improvement projects.

Lang's bill will get one more vote in the Senate before crossing over to the House.
CANBERRA, Australia (AP)  Australia has become the last of the Five Eyes security partners to ban the Chinese-owned video-sharing app TikTok from its federal governments devices.

Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said in a statement Tuesday that based on intelligence and security agencies advice, that ban would come into effect as soon as practicable.

The so-called Five Eyes intelligence-sharing partners -- the United States, Canada, Britain and New Zealand -- have taken similar steps.

TikTok objected to the decision.

We are extremely disappointed by this decision, which, in our view, is driven by politics, not by fact, the company's general manager for Australia, Lee Hunter, said in a statement. Again, we stress that there is no evidence to suggest that TikTok is in any way a security risk to Australians and should not be treated differently to other social media platforms.

He urged the Australian government to treat all businesses fairly, "regardless of country of origin."

Western governments are worried that TikTok poses risks to cybersecurity and data privacy, and that the app could be used to promote pro-Beijing narratives and misinformation.

TikTok is owned by the Chinese technology company Bytedance and has long maintained that it does not share data with the Chinese government. It is carrying out a project to store U.S. user data on Oracle servers, which it says will put the information out of Chinas reach.

The company has disputed accusations it collects more user data than other social media companies, and insists that it is run independently by its own management.

The European Parliament, European Commission and the EU Council, the 27-member blocs three main institutions, have also imposed bans on TikTok on staff devices. Under the European Parliaments ban, which took effect last month, lawmakers and staff were also advised to remove the TikTok app from their personal devices.

India imposed a nationwide ban on TikTok and dozens of other Chinese apps, including the messaging app WeChat, in 2020 over privacy and security concerns. The ban came shortly after a clash between Indian and Chinese troops at a disputed Himalayan border killed 20 Indian soldiers and injured dozens.

In early March, the U.S. gave government agencies 30 days to delete TikTok from federal devices and systems. The ban applies only to government devices, though some U.S. lawmakers are advocating an outright ban.

China has lashed out at the U.S. for banning TikTok, saying it is an abuse of state power and is suppressing companies from other countries.

More than half of the 50 U.S. states also have banned the app from official devices, as have Congress and the U.S. armed forces.
ABCs General Hospital marks its 60th anniversary this week, making it the longest-running scripted show currently in production on American television.

The soap is marking the milestone with a fan favorite storyline, the Nurses Ball, a gala that raises money for charity. This week the residents of the fictional city of Port Charles dress to the nines and walk a red carpet. In a guest appearance, Chandra Wilson of Greys Anatomy plays fashion editor Sydney Val Jean.

Shes a big fan of the show, said executive producer Frank Valentini of Wilson. She taped all the scenes on the red carpet and was working at Greys the same day. Im just so crazy about her.

Valentini is pumped about this year's musical performances too, as a number of the cast can sing and dance.

Some of the numbers are some of the best things weve ever done, and weve done some really good stuff.

While viewers enjoy the ball as it plays out this week, Valentini and head writers, Dan OConnor and Chris Van Etten, are looking at storylines for the summer  and beyond. Right now, the show is scripted through the end of May, with writers outlining June.

Valentini, OConnor and Van Etten spoke to The Associated Press, sharing a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to keep General Hospital on track, crafting storylines, production, balancing veteran characters with new faces and other topics.

Answers have been edited for length and clarity.

WRITERS TAKE THE LONG GAME

VAN ETTEN: There are stories that have certain benchmarks that we want to hit. We try to say, OK, Chapter 1 may take us through September. Chapter 2 can take us into November.' You get the right bang for your buck by letting a secret or letting a piece of information stew for as long as you can make it make sense and not bore the audience. Its a weird tightrope to balance.

WRITING AND PRODUCING A SOAP OPERA IS A PUZZLE

VAN ETTEN: Theres a puzzle on a micro level and on a macro level. On a micro level, every week, were looking at not just the story and where we want to move the plot and characters, but there are certain economic issues. The studio can only accommodate so many sets at a time. If we put up a set on a Monday, its best to try to use that on a Tuesday and then even again on a Wednesday because it will save time and money. We will take these puzzle pieces of, These are the stories. These are the characters. How can we move the story within the set and other economic considerations that we have?

BALANCING LEGACY PLAYERS WITH NEW FACES

When Valentini took over as executive producer in 2012, he leaned into the soaps history and brought back several of its veteran cast. Some made appearances, others stayed on. Today, General Hospital has veteran cast members, including Genie Francis, Tristan Rogers, Finola Hughes, Kristina Wagner and Lynn Herring, who are very much in the mix. Theres another tier of longtime cast members  Maurice Benard, Rebecca Herbst, Laura Wright and Chad Duell, for example  who are in front-burner stories. The soap regularly features storylines with its newer cast, including Tabyana Ali, Nicholas Chavez and Evan Hofer.

VALENTINI: When you inherit so much history and so many front-loaded characters and stories, you cant just abandon them. Having been at One Life to Live for many years, EPs would come in and they would fire the whole staff. Theyd fire all the writers. They would change the show and start from ground zero. I never think thats the right thing to do. You dont burn the ship. You turn it around. The cast is just phenomenal, and the few people that weve added over the years, I think have really complemented and given the characters on the show storyline. You bring in people to support who you have. We introduce the new characters slowly and methodically and in a way that the audience responds to them.

STORY IS CREATED AROUND BIG SET PIECES

The writers say if a big set goes up, the locale needs to get used. An example is a hotel pool where characters catch rays.

VAN ETTEN: The Metro Court pool is a special case because youve got to fill a big tank of water thats too costly to empty out and then fill back up again based on the writers whim. We had bugged Frank for years, We want a pool. We want a pool for the summer because we have a very attractive cast, and we should show them off... They are wonderful actors, but theyre also beautiful. When he finally yielded to our unrelenting pressure, one of the rules about using the pool is that when it goes up, it stays up.

WHEN TO REFRESH A SET

The Quartermaines are a wealthy family in Port Charles and all live together in a big mansion. Over time its been upgraded with a new foyer, parlor, a solarium and even a breakfast nook.

VALENTINI: The Quartermaine living room just seemed very old (before). They are a very wealthy family... People redo their living rooms and people redo their kitchens. These are places that legitimize and help to authenticate the characters in the world that they live in. And I think when the characters arent in the right location, it detracts, and it compromises their integrity. When you see (Benards character) Sonny (Corinthos) in his cool penthouse, that speaks to the character.

SOAP OPERA RAPID-AGING SYNDROME

Soap Opera Rapid-Aging Syndrome or SORAS, is a phenomenon where a young character is suddenly aged for storyline purposes. This has happened many times over the years including with Eden McCoy, who plays Josslyn Jacks, and Chavezs character Spencer Cassadine.

OCONNOR: Usually its a conversation that we have, especially when certain characters move out of some generational benchmarks. Our high school characters are now college age and young adults. So that would be a discussion, Hey, maybe there is room for an adolescent set of characters on the show. Its based off our needs and the story and the show.

VAN ETTEN: Theres also an X factor in there. We have the best casting director in the business, Mark Teschner. Hell just unearth someone and especially if its a younger person, hell bring this person to Franks attention. Frank may look at the canvas as a whole and say, We have a 6-year-old character who doesnt necessarily fulfill a real purpose except to be this persons child. Maybe if by aging them to 12 with this younger actor that Mark has found, we can get more story.

STAYING TRUE TO THE SHOWS HISTORY

With 60 years of story, the writers must remember the history of the characters as best they can, including marriages, babies, and health scares.

OCONNOR: Id say its a collective effort. We do have producers in charge of continuity, but as writers, we all share in that responsibility as well. And the fact that so many of us, if not most of us, were lifelong fans, that certainly helps.

VAN ETTEN: This is me speaking for me, not the writers. I personally believe you shouldnt let adherence to continuity get in the way of a really good story. You dont want it to be something that completely conflicts with a characters 40 years of history, but if you can find a little bit of wiggle room, if you can justify why something that happened back in 1979 might today be viewed through a different lens and therefore make a current story work, I can justify that.

CRITICS ONLINE

Its normal for viewers to react both positively and negatively to various storylines, but nowadays with social media, they are given a megaphone to blast those thoughts to the world immediately and in large quantities. The writers appreciate the feedback but also try to not get too fixated on it.

VAN ETTEN: When I was a breakdown writer, I would read Twitter on days when my episode was on. Now that I have a much larger responsibility for the show, Im very sensitive and I want to put out something that people like. If they dont like it, theyre usually very, very particular about not liking it. I cant. I dont need that in my life.

OCONNOR: Different social media platforms and audiences seem to have different opinions about certain things. So, its hard to say. Theres a consensus on the show as a whole or the stories when you go to, say, Twitter. (Twitter) has a different opinion than Instagram or Facebook or the message boards. So its hard to gauge just from that feedback which opinion represents the majority of our audience.

IS LUKE SPENCER REALLY DEAD?

OCONNOR: Theres very few deaths in Port Charles that are permanent. You never know.
After stepping down as New Zealands prime minister in January, Jacinda Ardern is starting an unpaid role combating online extremism. New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins, who took over as leader from Ardern, announced Tuesday hed appointed Ardern as Special Envoy for the Christchurch Call. Ardern launched Christchurch Call in 2019 with the goal of eliminating terrorist and violent extremist content online. Ardern also announced she was joining the board of trustees for The Earthshot Prize, an environmental charity started by Britains Prince William in 2020. The charity says that each year it gives five winners 1 million pounds ($1.24 million) each to help them scale up their groundbreaking environmental solutions.
BRUSSELS  The blue-and-white Finnish flag will rise outside NATO headquarters Tuesday afternoon, making Finland a member and doubling Russias border with the worlds biggest security alliance.

The move is a strategic and political blow to President Vladimir Putin, who has long complained about NATOs expansion toward Russia and partly used that as a justification for his countrys war with Ukraine.

What we see is that President Putin went to war against Ukraine with a declared aim to get less NATO, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said. Hes getting the exact opposite.

Like all NATO members, Finland will benefit from the collective security guarantee that an attack on one is considered an attack on all.

NATO has said that it has no immediate intention to step up its presence in Finland. Some members have deployed troops there for war games over the last year.

Russia immediately warned that it would bolster forces near Finland if NATO sends any additional troops or equipment to what will be its 31st member country.

Finland has substantial, well-trained armed forces with elite troops capable of operating in the sub-zero temperatures of the high north. The Nordic country also has a large reserve army and is investing heavily in new equipment, including dozens of U.S.-made F-35 fighter jets.

The Finnish flag rising between the French and the Estonian in a ceremony scheduled for 1330 GMT will complete the fastest accession process in the organizations recent history.

Alarmed by Russias invasion of Ukraine last year, Finland applied to join NATO in May 2022. Neighboring Sweden also applied, but its accession process will take longer.

The ceremony falls on NATOs very own birthday, the 74th anniversary of the signing of its founding Washington Treaty on April 4, 1949.

It will be a good day for Finlands security, for Nordic security and for NATO as a whole, Stoltenberg told reporters on Monday on the eve of a meeting of alliances foreign ministers in Brussels.

Russias Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko warned that Moscow would bolster its own forces in case of deployment of forces of other NATO members on the territory of Finland.

We will strengthen our military potential in the west and in the northwest, Grushko said, according to the state RIA Novosti news agency, although Russia is already having trouble marshaling forces against far-smaller Ukraine.

Finland shares a 832-mile border with Russia and unlike most members of the alliance, Finland did not cut defense spending and investment after the Cold War.

They have trained and built a large army over many years and maintain that high level of readiness. Finland is also a country with extremely high level of resilience, of preparedness throughout the whole society, Stoltenberg said.

The country also helps to complete NATOs geographical puzzle by filling in a major gap in the strategically important Baltic Sea region in Europes north.

On Tuesday, Stoltenberg said, Turkey, the last country to have ratified Finlands membership, will hand the official document enshrining its approval to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

NATOs top civilian official said he will then invite Finland to hand over its own signed documents, to complete the procedure.

Finnish President Sauli Niinisto and Defense Minister Antti Kaikkonen will attend the flag-raising ceremony along with Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto.

It is a historic moment for us. For Finland, the most important objective at the meeting will be to emphasize NATOs support to Ukraine as Russia continues its illegal aggression, Haavisto said in a statement. We seek to promote stability and security throughout the Euro-Atlantic region.

Left-wing Prime Minister Sanna Marin had championed her countrys NATO accession, and lost a chance at another term over the weekend, but joining NATO was widely popular and not seen as a factor in her loss.

Lars Kahre, an entrepreneur from Helsinki, said the countrys decision to abandon its military non-alignment was caused by the changes in Europe over the last year.

For a long time, we have been relying on our independence and neutrality and now we just realize that thats not the path of the future, he told The Associated Press. Now we need to look for new options for the future.

All 30 allies signed Finlands and Swedens accession protocols soon after they applied. Turkey and Hungary delayed the process for months but relented on Finland. Turkey has sought guarantees and assurances from the two, notably to crack down on Kurdish groups. Hungarys demands have never been explicit.

NATO must agree unanimously for new members to join, and the vast majority of members are keen to bring Sweden within the fold before U.S. President Joe Biden and his alliance counterparts hold their next summit in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius on July 11-12.

Sweden is not left alone. Sweden is as close as it can come as a full-fledged member, Stoltenberg said, and he urged Turkey to quickly ratify the countrys accession protocol, saying: my position is that Sweden has delivered on the commitments they made.

Finland's NATO membership ACCEPTANCE LETTERS INVITATION SIGNATURES FULL MEMBERSHIP FINLAND-SWEDEN
The missing Florida toddler who was found dead in the mouth of an alligator last week was put in the lake by his father, police said.
On this version of Hot off the Wire:

 An extraordinary moment in U.S. history is soon unfolding in a New York City courthouse. Former President Donald Trump will surrender in Manhattan on Tuesday to face criminal charges stemming from 2016 hush money payments.

 Forecasters are warning of more severe weather and fire danger in the days ahead across much of the same region hit hard by storms last week. The fierce storms that began Friday spawned tornadoes in 11 states.

 The United States military says a drone strike carried out by the U.S.-led coalition in northwestern Syria has killed a senior member of the Islamic State group who was in charge of planning attacks in Europe.

 McDonalds has closed its U.S. offices through Wednesday and told its corporate staff to work remotely as it prepares to announce a round of layoffs.

 Nearly 43,000 people died in U.S. traffic crashes in 2021, the highest number in 16 years, with deaths due to speeding and impaired or distracted driving on the rise.

 In sports, Connecticut is in its NCAA glory, the Yankees blasted the Phillies, the Braves whipped the Cardinals and the Golden Knights outlasted the Wild.

From an earlier version of Hot off the Wire:

 Former President Donald Trump has arrived in New York from his home in Florida for his historic booking and arraignment. As he prepared to head into Manhattan, the nations largest city was bolstering security and warning potential agitators that it is not a playground for your misplaced anger.

 A top official in Virginia's Office of the Chief Medical Examiner says an autopsy determined the cause of death for Irvo Otieno was positional and mechanical asphyxia with restraints."

 Residents across a wide swath of the U.S. are racing to assess the destruction from fierce storms that spawned possibly dozens of tornadoes from the South and the Midwest into the Northeast.

 Floridians will be able to carry concealed guns without a permit under a bill signed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.

 A giant red spoon that was stolen from an Arizona Dairy Queen and sparked a mystery on social media was found and its partly thanks to Pokemon GO.

 Riding terrific reviews and a strong word-of-mouth, the role playing game adaptation Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves opened with $38.5 million in U.S. and Canadian movie theaters over the weekend. That is according to studio estimates Sunday, stealing the top box-office perch from John Wick: Chapter 4.

 NASA has named the four astronauts who will fly around the moon late next year. The first moon crew in 50 years includes the first woman and the first African American assigned to a lunar mission.

 NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg says Finland will officially join the military alliance on Tuesday.

 Grammy winners Tanya Tucker and Patty Loveless, along with hit country songwriter Bob McDill, are going into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Iowa lawmakers are a step closer to passing an education bill restricting explicit school library books and LGBTQ topics through the statehouse and to Gov. Kim Reynolds desk.

Both House and Senate lawmakers have been weighing different bills since the earliest days of the session, and House lawmakers on Tuesday passed their latest version. Based on a bill originally proposed by Gov. Kim Reynolds, Senate File 496 hits some of the top priorities Republicans have outlined this year in education regulation and transparency.

The Senate passed the bill last month, and the House made several changes before passing the bill on Tuesday. The bill passed 55-42, with six Republicans joining all Democrats in opposition.

Reynolds on Tuesday said she wanted to let the lawmaking process play out before throwing her support behind the bill. The Senate will need to pass the amended bill before it goes to Reynolds desk for a signature.

The Senate has weighed in, the House has weighed in, she said. ...Well see if theyre able to get it through both chambers with the same language and then to my desk. And well do a review of the bill at that point and make a decision on how we move forward.

A spokesperson for Republican Senate Majority Leader Jack Whitver declined to comment on Tuesday.

Here are five things to know about the bill as it heads back to the Senate for approval.

Prohibitions remain on teaching about gender identity, sexual orientation

One thing that has remained mostly constant between the competing proposals is a ban on teaching about gender identity and sexual orientation in kindergarten through sixth grade.

Democrats have argued the restriction would hamstring teachers abilities to teach about LGBTQ figures in history or prevent teachers and students from sharing information about their families if they involve a same-sex couple. But Republicans say the topics are not appropriate for elementary students.

We once again require teachers to betray the trust of their students, to pretend that gay parents do not exist, and to shut down student inquiry, said Rep. Elinor Levin, D-Iowa City.

Reporting a students gender identity

Under the Senate proposal, any school employee would have to report if they reasonably believed a student was expressing a gender identity different from their sex assigned at birth.

But under the language the House passed, that process would be more formalized. If a student requests to be called by a different name or set of pronouns by an educator, that person would need to notify an administrator, who would have to notify the students parents. An option to refer the case to the Department of Health and Human Services if a school thought a child would be in danger from informing their parents was removed.

Republicans say the proposal will give parents important information about their childrens health and well-being. But opponents say forcibly outing students to their parents could put them in harms way from parents that do not accept their gender identity.

Parents need to have confidence that the school is not going to hide vital information from them about their children, Republican Rep. Skyler Wheeler of Hull said on Tuesday. Schools do not have a right to keep secrets from parents as a general rule.

Books with 'graphic' sex acts banned from libraries

As originally proposed, the governors bill would have set up a statewide list of books that have been removed from a school library. If a book were removed in one school, students would have needed parents permission to check it out in any other school in the state.

But Senate lawmakers last month changed the bill to match a previous House bill, which would bar books that included depictions of a defined list of sex acts from school libraries. The new House language adds the word graphic to the section, barring graphic depictions or descriptions of sex acts.

Education and LGBTQ activists criticized the original wording in earlier hearings, saying it was broad enough to ban classic literature like "Brave New World" and "The Canterbury Tales." But some Democrats contended on Tuesday the wording is subjective and would still remove choice from parents and students to read what they want in the school library.

Responding to those criticisms, Wheeler read off the list of acts the bill would prohibit from being described in school library books, arguing it would not prohibit classic books.

Its pretty bad when some of these parents come home with books that are literally pornography, he said. And have graphic  literally whats in our bill  graphic depictions of sex acts.

New bills added

The amended bill is more than twice the size of the original because of a number of other education measures House lawmakers added.

One of those additions would alter the makeup of the state Board of Educational Examiners, which establishes licensing criteria for Iowa teachers.

The bill would change the makeup to include five teachers, five parents with children currently or recently in school, and one school administrator. Democratic Rep. Sue Cahill of Marshalltown said the change would remove expertise and accountability from the board.

This [allows] a near-majority of the board who have no expertise in school policies, procedures and the nuances of education required to conduct the education system, except as an outsider, Cahill said. This is egregious to me.

Republicans supported the measure as a way to give members of the public a larger say in teacher licensing.

Some other measures wrapped into the larger bill include:

Creating an alternative teacher licensing process

Allowing parents to move students between school buildings in the same district

Establishing safety training for school staff responding to seizures.

Transparency measures

The bill includes a number of measures intended to increase transparency, requiring schools to post procedures for parents or residents of the school district to request the removal of books or materials used in the classroom or library.

Parents and residents of the district could also request a copy of and review classroom materials, and request that their student not be provided with certain materials.

Schools would also need to obtain parents consent before administering surveys that ask about mental or psychological problems, sexual behavior, political affiliation, among other topics.

Close Gov. Kim Reynolds gives the Condition of the State address to members of the Iowa Legislature inside the House Chamber, on Tuesday evening, Jan. 10, 2023, at the Iowa State Capitol, in Des Moines. Gov. Kim Reynolds hugs her husband First Gentleman Kevin Reynolds at the conclusion of the Condition of the State address, inside the Iowa House Chamber, on Tuesday evening, Jan. 10, 2023, at the Iowa State Capitol, in Des Moines. Gov. Kim Reynolds gives the Condition of the State address to members of the Iowa Legislature inside the House Chamber, on Tuesday evening, Jan. 10, 2023, at the Iowa State Capitol, in Des Moines. Gov. Kim Reynolds gives the Condition of the State address to members of the Iowa Legislature inside the House Chamber, on Tuesday evening, Jan. 10, 2023, at the Iowa State Capitol, in Des Moines. Iowa Senate President Pro Tempore Brad Zaun, R-Urbandale, applauds during Gov. Kim Reynolds' Condition of the State address, inside the House Chamber, on Tuesday evening, Jan. 10, 2023, at the Iowa State Capitol, in Des Moines. Attendees to Gov. Kim Reynolds' Condition of the State address applaud during the speech, inside the House Chamber, on Tuesday evening, Jan. 10, 2023, at the Iowa State Capitol, in Des Moines. Gov. Kim Reynolds gives the Condition of the State address to members of the Iowa Legislature inside the House Chamber, on Tuesday evening, Jan. 10, 2023, at the Iowa State Capitol, in Des Moines. Gov. Kim Reynolds gives the Condition of the State address to members of the Iowa Legislature inside the House Chamber on Jan. 10 at the State Capitol in Des Moines. Gov. Kim Reynolds gives the Condition of the State address to members of the Iowa Legislature inside the House Chamber, on Tuesday evening, Jan. 10, 2023, at the Iowa State Capitol, in Des Moines. Gov. Kim Reynolds is escorted into the Iowa House of Representatives, on Tuesday evening, Jan. 10, 2023, to give the annual Condition of the State address, at the Iowa State Capitol, in Des Moines. Photos: Gov. Kim Reynolds delivers the condition of the state address Gov. Kim Reynolds gives the Condition of the State address to members of the Iowa Legislature inside the House Chamber, on Tuesday evening, Jan. 10, 2023, at the Iowa State Capitol, in Des Moines. Gov. Kim Reynolds hugs her husband First Gentleman Kevin Reynolds at the conclusion of the Condition of the State address, inside the Iowa House Chamber, on Tuesday evening, Jan. 10, 2023, at the Iowa State Capitol, in Des Moines. Gov. Kim Reynolds gives the Condition of the State address to members of the Iowa Legislature inside the House Chamber, on Tuesday evening, Jan. 10, 2023, at the Iowa State Capitol, in Des Moines. Gov. Kim Reynolds gives the Condition of the State address to members of the Iowa Legislature inside the House Chamber, on Tuesday evening, Jan. 10, 2023, at the Iowa State Capitol, in Des Moines. Iowa Senate President Pro Tempore Brad Zaun, R-Urbandale, applauds during Gov. Kim Reynolds' Condition of the State address, inside the House Chamber, on Tuesday evening, Jan. 10, 2023, at the Iowa State Capitol, in Des Moines. Attendees to Gov. Kim Reynolds' Condition of the State address applaud during the speech, inside the House Chamber, on Tuesday evening, Jan. 10, 2023, at the Iowa State Capitol, in Des Moines. Gov. Kim Reynolds gives the Condition of the State address to members of the Iowa Legislature inside the House Chamber, on Tuesday evening, Jan. 10, 2023, at the Iowa State Capitol, in Des Moines. Gov. Kim Reynolds gives the Condition of the State address to members of the Iowa Legislature inside the House Chamber on Jan. 10 at the State Capitol in Des Moines. Gov. Kim Reynolds gives the Condition of the State address to members of the Iowa Legislature inside the House Chamber, on Tuesday evening, Jan. 10, 2023, at the Iowa State Capitol, in Des Moines. Gov. Kim Reynolds is escorted into the Iowa House of Representatives, on Tuesday evening, Jan. 10, 2023, to give the annual Condition of the State address, at the Iowa State Capitol, in Des Moines.
Motion and Picture, the debut album by Chicago indie rock band Miirrors released in late March, was a work-in-progress for many years  22 years to be exact. Yet, for band leaders Brian McSweeney and Shawn Rios, the decades spent collaborating and perfecting their sound  as well as the forced social isolation of the pandemic  was well worth it creatively.

The two met rather serendipitously. Strangers at the time, Rios and McSweeney sat near each other on the same plane headed to Atlanta 22 years ago. While on their flights descent, McSweeney, who was listening to music on a Sony Discman, shared a Sigur Ros song with Rios. He said, Hey man, listen to this. And that was literally the first thing he ever said to me. And I did, Rios recalled. He did listen that day, and after exchanging information, the two kept in touch throughout the years  whether in line at shows or through the citys eclectic music scene  until McSweeney moved back to Chicago in 2014.

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I always wanted to be in a band with him. I always wanted to do something with him, but the timing was never right, said Rios. As their friendship grew over time (and after the two eventually left their respective previous bands), their time making music together became a reality.

McSweeney recalled their first get-together, a pseudo rehearsal. Without an agenda in mind, the two found room to experiment and trust their instincts, producing something unique. Described as unique and special, those same sonic elements would become the foundation for the signature Miirrors sound.

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We didnt know what to do with it, we didnt know who to do it with, we didnt know what to call it, but we were really excited about the stuff that was on our phones. And it grew from there, said Rios.

Many of those initial ideas can be heard on their debut album, Motion and Picture which dropped on March 24 on Pravda Records. The 10-track record, clocking in at a little over 40 minutes, is a strong introduction to Miirrorss math-y, energetic sound.

Im proud that we hung on that long, that those songs were that good, that they didnt get lost in demo purgatory, that they actually had a life to them that we still believe in today. Thats fun, Rios added.

Working together, the two crafted the bulk of the work on the albums songs, from percussion and chords to vocal melodies. Later, as they added more band members and collaborators (Dmitri Rakhuba, Andre Miller and Patrick Riley) to Miirrors, their music became richer, more textured and complex.

This can be heard on some of the records earliest singles, like the track Where Do We Go? Released last month, Where Do We Go? is a dynamic, propulsive song gradually building with new layers of synth, percussion and sonic dissonance. According to Rios, this sound was intentional.

You know, without sounding pretentious, I think that weve sort of dismissed your verse-chorus, verse-chorus formula, Rios noted. I think that we are really into textures, meeting repetition, meeting something that sort of opens the envelope along the way.

They do this now by writing and creating all in the same room together. One person or the group will come up with a part, then others ask what they can do to make it more interesting. How can they create a greater emotional impact? How can they embrace less traditional lyrical and instrumental structures in their music?

I think theres freedom in that. Were not really considering that right now. Maybe that will change down the road; maybe well make a whole record of 3-minute bangers. That could happen. That could be really fun. Maybe thats a challenge in itself. I dont know, Rios claimed. But I like where its at right now.

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8 p.m. April 8 at the Hideout, 1354 W. Wabansia Ave.; tickets are $12-$15, 21+ at hideoutchicago.com

Britt Julious is a freelance critic.
Champaign News-Gazette. April 2, 2023.

Editorial: Pritzkers school board ploy demeans election process

Voters need to think for themselves.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker, beneficiary of a multibillion-dollar family fortune, recently tapped his spare change jar for $500,000 to spend on local races.

His stated goal was for the Democratic Party to target really extreme candidates the governor considers unfit to hold elected positions on school and library boards.

This week, local residents found out what Pritzker means by targeting really extreme candidates. Apparently, its anyone who might disagree with him and like-minded party workers on the purely local issues these boards address.

How so?

Pritzker money is driving rotten and mistaken attacks on three candidates for the Champaign School Board  Mark Holm, Jeff Brownfield and Mark Thies.

The governors minions characterize them vaguely as promoters of an extremist political agenda.

The truth is that there is nothing about these three candidates  or any of the others in the race  that is particularly unusual, let alone extreme, save their willingness to seek a thankless job because they think its the right thing to do.

The governors rhetoric is nothing but political boilerplate that applies the same labels to all those Pritzker is vilifying.

Hence, Champaign citizens are being warned that extremist conservatives are running for local school and library boards with the goal of banning books, blocking full-spectrum sex education, teaching revisionist history and ignoring public health.

For starters, no one is running for the library board in Champaign. Its members are appointed by the mayor with the approval of the city council. So citizens need not worry about Pritzkers falsehood with respect to the library.

At the same time, the issues under discussion in the school board election include improving students academic performance and creating safe environments both for students and teacher  the usual stuff. Theres been nary of a word about banning books, although most people can agree that books in school should be age-appropriate for K-12 students.

The vehemence and vagueness of the Pritzker attacks are more suited to traditional political campaigns for important political offices. That sort of approach is sometimes distasteful and sometimes unfair even at that level.

To stoop so low as to introduce this kind of partisan nastiness in a school board election is beyond the pale.

Pritzker is known for having sharp political elbows and the willingness to use his unlimited personal wealth to finance unsavory tactics in his win-at-any-cost approach. For example, he gave many millions of dollars to the Democratic Governors Association to help the weakest Republican candidate for governor  state Sen. Darren Bailey  win the GOP nomination for governor.

Pritzker concluded that Bailey would be the easiest Republican to beat in the 2022 general election, and he was right.

Hes equally aggressive when it comes to launching political attacks on foes.

Thats tolerable when hes attacking rival politicians or even skeptical financial analysts who challenge the governors claims about the state of the states finances.

But these kind of vague and false personal attacks on school board candidates reveal the governors tactics for what they are  mendacious falsehoods employed to achieve an unworthy political goal.

His henchmen claim they engaged in serious research allowing them to distribute crucial election information statewide.

If their Champaign research is an example of their broader approach, nothing they say is remotely credible. Its just the usual political name-calling.

Voters should vote for the board candidates of their choice based on their own instincts, not the governors vacuous smear tactics.

Chicago Tribune. March 29, 2023.

Editorial: Help protect the internets kid influencers

Kidfluencers.

Thats the term in the online world for children and teens with the ability to influence potential buyers of a product or service through their appearances on social media.

The compensation offered by such major social media platforms as TikTok, YouTube, Facebook and Instagram for users who gain enough followers to be called true influencers is way more than kids stuff.

The popular act of of parents sharing photos or videos of their children on platforms has grown in the hands of some enterprising parents into a cottage industry that generates a hefty income through advertising, product placements and subscription fees.

Forbes list of the highest-paid TikTok earners for 2022, counting only those whose fame originated on TikTok, showed income exceeding that of most S&P 500 CEOs, according to a Wall Street Journal study.

But, since the fan base of these young influencers is mostly children and teens under 18, the rapid rise of such online advertising has raised alarming ethical and legal questions.

Appropriately, Illinois lawmakers, who tend to be much older than TikToks core audience, have been alerted thanks to a TikTok user, Shreya Nallamothu, a 15-year-old high school student from Normal and self-described active social network user.

While researching the kidfluencer craze for a class project, she says in a video posted on YouTube, she frequently saw young children and families posting videos online without any guarantee of receiving any of the income generated from the content.

Although each platform sets its own standards and formulas for compensation, TikTok offers one of the more competitive and potentially lucrative examples for content creators, according to various sources. To get started, a creator must be of legal age and have a minimum of 10,000 followers and 100,000 views within 30 days. TikToks Creators Fund pays the creator $0.01 for every one thousand views.

Yet, more money can be made as an influencer by promoting products and services for brands using the platform.

Seeking to protect the money that these kids have rightfully earned, Nallamothu enlisted the support of Democratic Senators Dave Koehler, assistant majority leader from Peoria, and Linda Holmes of Aurora, to create legislation to protect children from being exploited by their parents.

Its a bill that Springfield should pass, and that Gov. J.B. Pritzker should sign.

Precedents for such legislation can be found in the early days of Hollywood, particularly in the rise of a multimillion-dollar child star named Jackie Coogan in the silent film era. Youngsters  and some of us not so young  know him better today as Uncle Fester in The Addams Family television series.

But his early days in silent movies and, later, the talkies led to the 1939 California Child Actors Bill, also called the Coogan Act, which emerged out of a family scandal.

By the time Coogan turned 21, he earned a reported $3 million to $4 million, which would be worth many times more in todays dollars. But all of it turned out to have been squandered by his parents. Coogan later sued but was awarded only $126,000 of the $250,000 remaining in his earnings.

Under the Coogan Act, which has been revised over the years, a child actors employer is required to set aside 15% of the childs earning in a trust and codifies issues such as schooling, work hours and time off.

In Illinois, traditional child actors are protected by the Child Labor Law, but nothing in the books protects young internet influencers.

The proposed amendment would cover minors under the age of 16 featured in video blogs or other content shared on an online platform in exchange for compensation. It would require that a trust account be set up for the minors benefit and preserved until the minor reaches the age of adulthood.

The bill sets a standard when a child can be considered a vlogger (video blogger), how much of the content he or she must be included in, and the number of views the content must have reached in order for the vlogger to be compensated.

To protect the childrens privacy rights after they reach adulthood, the former kidfluencer would be able to request the permanent deletion of any content they are featured in, and the platform will take all reasonable steps to permanently delete it.

If you still think of this kidfluencing as kids stuff, it is bracing to note how the rest of the world increasingly appears to be taking it seriously.

In May, the United Kingdoms House of Commons Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee published a report titled Influencer Culture: Lights, Camera, Inaction?  that calls child influencers, some of the most successful influencers family influencers as some of the most in-demand social media stars because they appeal to both children and parents.

The reports authors were not necessarily amused. These profiles can be a familys primary source of income, they said, and the success of the industry is pushing legislators to address extensive regulatory gaps in its regulation, including childrens privacy rights and the possibility of child labor exploitation.

Back here in America, Washington state is the only other state with a kidfluencer protection bill pending, according to Chris McCarty, an 18-year-old college freshman who started the website Quit Clicking Kids as an information hub to fight the monetization of children on social media.

Like Shreya Nallamothu, McCarty comes from the generation that led the way for kidfluencings recent rise. Now lets help them to make it more safe.

Arlington Heights Daily Herald. March 29, 2023.

Editorial: A broader view is a better way to choose candidates than focusing on a single issue

One issue often stokes the most passion, dictates choices at the ballot box. Broader is better.

What is your issue?

Not in a general, whats-wrong-with-you sense, but what motivates you at the ballot box? Is it a single issue -- or the general quality of candidates? We prefer the latter.

Over the past few decades, a line in the sand nationally has been abortion rights for many voters. Some people will never vote for Democrats because that partys members overwhelming favor a womans right to choose to terminate her pregnancy. Conversely, while the movement to overturn Roe v. Wade galvanized some support for Republicans for decades, the Supreme Court decision ending the constitutional right was a rallying cry for Democrats in 2022, largely credited with the partys better-than-expected showing in the November midterm elections.

Similar tendencies can fuel motivations in local contests, as well. In the campaign for the April 4 election, the most contentious races across the suburbs have been for school boards. Some candidates are still upset over COVID-19 mitigations. Others were motivated to run by the presence of the illustrated memoir Gender Queer or other books about sexuality on school library shelves.

In the crowded race for the Wheaton Warrenville Unit District 200 board, one slate believes education has been hijacked by a liberal agenda. In Palatine-Schaumburg High School District 211, debate over the new comprehensive sex education curriculum is one reason the race for four seats has 10 candidates.

A few suburbs might see their municipal elections come down to a single issue as well.

Could it be the Elgin Mall relocation proposal in East Dundee? Village trustees voted 4-1 in February to approve a zoning change and special use permit to allow the mall to move into a shuttered Dominicks store in the River Valley Square shopping center. Village President Jeff Lynam quickly vetoed the decision. The board then overrode Lynam, but not before hearing some racist comments from residents about immigrants and crime.

In Wayne, the litmus test might be Ludwig the dog.

In 2021, Village President Eileen Phipps husband fatally shot a neighbors pet that he said was menacing him. Two years of public acrimony have followed, and now Phipps is facing her first challenger since 1999.

As a matter of editorial philosophy, the Daily Herald takes a broader view. We look at candidates holistically when making endorsements. Their stances on contentious issues are a factor in our endorsements, but not the overriding one.

More important in our minds is whether candidates can work collaboratively. Can they find common ground? Can they recognize a good idea from someone across the ideological aisle? Even in dissent, can they conduct themselves professionally?

Its easy to vote with your heart. But democracy works better when you vote with your head.

END
It is 2016 all over again, and very few have seemed to learn the lesson when it comes to Donald Trump. He most likely be the 2024 Republican nominee.

Some pundits have speculated that Trump couldnt possibly be the Republican nominee, asserting he is an albatross on the party and blaming him for its losses. While correct, that makes little difference at this point. Many are busy casting wishes that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis or others would take Trump out. Many donors are literally banking on alternatives.

From my perspective in flyover country, it is too late. Republican base voters havent changed. They are not listening to elites. They will not care about any Trump indictment, and the mainstream news media is missing it again.

The days for stopping Trump were back in 2016, before he became the Republican presidential nominee, or in 2021 with his second impeachment trial. The establishment shirked its responsibilities both times, and now it is too late. Trump has enough voters. He has control of the state parties. He has a significant influence over the national party, and his opponents have done too little to distinguish themselves from Trump, let alone explain why he shouldnt be president again.

After his 2016 win, reporters from all over the country descended on rural diners to study the Trump voter to understand the grievances and to explain what had just happened. The resentments these voters feel havent changed over the last seven years, and to think they have is foolish.

My neighbor in Missouri just replaced his somewhat tattered Trump flag with a new one, which incidentally hangs next to a flag exclaiming Biden Sucks. He, like other Republican base voters, still loves Trump. They think he did a great job and was robbed of his reelection in 2020.

Polling confirms their stories. Trumps approval rating among Republicans remains around 70%. Six in 10 Republicans continue to believe Joe Biden didnt win the 2020 presidential election legitimately. These voters believe Trump will continue to fight for them and are ready to vote for him.

Most state Republican parties, Missouri included, are fully controlled by the MAGA wing of the party. Candidates for elected office seek out Trumps endorsement, and his endorsement matters in red states. Think Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio or Rep. Harriet Hageman of Wyoming. State elected officials, at least in states like Missouri, have been quick to endorse Trump.

State parties have control over how delegates are awarded. A crowded primary field would guarantee to split the anti-Trump vote, clearing his path to the lions share of delegates. Repeating 2016 all over again.

On the national scene, things look about the same. Trumps hand-picked Republican National Committee chair in 2017, Ronna McDaniel, was just reelected for her fourth term. McDaniel suggested on CNNs State of the Union that all Republicans will be required to sign a pledge to support whoever wins the party nomination to be allowed on the debate stage. The party made that requirement as well in 2016.

Asked if he would abide by it, Trump told conservative radio talk show host Hugh Hewitt: I would give you the same answer I gave in 2016, during the debate: It would have to depend on who the nominee was. I am doubtful that McDaniel or others Trump packed into the national committee would dare speak out publicly against him. Despite the losses and the grumblings, this is still Trumps party, and very little has changed.

Perhaps the most compelling case for why I believe Trump will be the Republican nominee is that he continues to hold the party hostage. In a poll from The Bulwark/North Star Opinion Research, 28% of Republican respondents said theyd vote for Trump over either a Republican or a Democrat if he made a third-party run in 2024. Republicans chances of winning would be nearly nil if almost 30% of GOP voters left to vote for Trump.

It is also important to consider what would motivate Republican primary voters to choose another candidate over Trump. On Fox News Sean Hannity show, Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina described the other candidates who are running or considering it as offering nothing different from Trumps policies. A candidate would need to make a strong case for why Trump should not be president again while walking the very fine line and not offending his voters.

The time for wishing Trump out of the national picture is long gone. He still has the voters, the state parties and the national party. There is little reason to think the outcome will be different this time.
A woman suspected of involvement in a bombing that killed a Russian military blogger at a St. Petersburg cafe should stay in custody for two months pending an investigation, a court in Moscow ruled Tuesday.

The blogger, Vladlen Tatarsky, 40, was an ardent supporter of the war in Ukraine and filed regular reports on the fighting from the front lines. He was killed Sunday as he led a discussion at a riverside cafe in the historic heart of St. Petersburg, Russias second-largest city.

Russian authorities described the bombing as an act of terrorism and blamed Ukrainian intelligence agencies for orchestrating it.

Police arrested 26-year-old St. Petersburg resident Darya Trepova, who was seen on video moments before the blast presenting Tatarsky with a statuette that is believed to have contained explosives.

The Interior Ministry released a video in which Trepova told a police officer that she brought the bust to the cafe. When asked who gave it to her, she said she would explain later. The circumstances under which Trepova spoke were unclear, including whether she was under duress.

The National Anti-Terrorist Committee, which coordinates counterterrorism operations, said the bombing was planned by Ukrainian special services. It said Trepova was an active supporter of imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Last year, she was arrested and spent 10 days in custody after taking part in an anti-war rally.

Ukrainian authorities did not directly respond to the accusation, but President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in reference to the attack that he doesnt think about events in Russia, and his top adviser described the bombing as part of Russias internal turmoil.

While Trepova was arrested in St. Petersburg, her case was sent to Moscow, where the countrys top investigative agencies are headquartered, an apparent reflection of its high priority.

In a closed-door hearing, Moscow's Basmanny District Court ordered Trepova to remain in custody until June 2 pending the investigation. Russian law suggests a life sentence for terrorism-related crimes, but life terms aren't handed down to women, who instead face sentences of up to 20 years in prison.

According to Russian media reports, Trepova told investigators she was asked to deliver the bust but didnt know what was inside it.

The bombing injured 40 other people, 25 of whom have been hospitalized. It was the latest attack inside Russia on a high-profile pro-war figure. Last year, a nationalist TV commentator was assassinated when a bomb exploded in her SUV outside Moscow.

Tatarsky was the pen name of Maxim Fomin, who had accumulated more than 560,000 followers on his Telegram messaging app channel. Tatarsky, who joined separatists in eastern Ukraine after a Moscow-backed insurgency erupted there in 2014, fought on the front lines for years before turning to blogging.
Former President Donald Trump has left a Manhattan courthouse where his surrender on criminal charges created a spectacle even by his standards. Hundreds of onlookers, protesters, journalists and a few politicians swarmed into a park across the street from the courthouse on Tuesday and metal barricades separated Trump supporters from anti-Trump protesters. Police stepped in to break up small skirmishes. The crowds grew larger in the moments leading up to Trump's arrival and plea of not guilty to 34 felony counts. But hardly anyone got a glimpse of Trump: He entered and left the courthouse out of view of those in the park. After it was clear Trump had departed, the park started to quickly empty out.
Former media personality-turned-businesswoman Betty Kayllo is expanding her grooming and personal care business empire.

Betty Kyallo is counting the days to the launch of a new branch of her AfterShave by Flair barbershop franchise in Meru.

The former Citizen TV news presenter says the shop is already open but she will be launching it officially on April 7.

Meru!!!!! Its your turn now! Im so excited to have my first franchise here.  We cant wait to be of service to the gentlemen and ladies of this beautiful county. Our location is the new Greenwood city mall, 3rd Floor. We shall be offering top notch barber and spa services. Great customer care and superb skill. We are officially opening on 7th of April (Good Friday) in a big launch that everyone is invited. Karibuni bwinthe reads a post on her Instagram.

Betty Kyallo further expressed her delight at the growth of her grooming business.

It is a barbershop and spa that has been operating since 2021 in Upperhill and still operating. 2 years later we launch the first franchise out of Nairobi! Oh my!!!!! Im so happy! So excited. So grateful! I believe that as entrepreneurs we should always seek ways of breathing life into our business, she said.

The AfterShave by Flair barbershop in Meru comes weeks after Betty relocated her salon, FlairByBetty, to a new location.

Speaking during the opening, Betty admitted that the business was struggling at her previous location.

She mentioned that many businesses are currently facing a hard time.

Any entrepreneur knows that things are not okay. I have the brain to think about how I can resuscitate new life to my business. How I will make new clients come and taste what we have, she said.
Six MPs allied to the Azimio La Umoja One Kenya Coalition Party are free after the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP)f dropped charges against them.

Through a prosecution counsel, Director of Public Prosecution Noordin Haji, informed the court that they sought to withdraw charges against the lawmakers for the sake of dialogue and peace,

The MPs included Ugunja MP James Opiyo Wandayi, Kilifi Senator Stewart Madzayo, Kilifi South MP Richard Chonga, and Malindi MP Amina Mnyazi.

Other political leaders were George Yogo Obure and Esther Oromi.

The six were facing charges of participating in an unlawful demonstration and malicious property damage.

They were alleged to have committed the offence on March 20 at around 10 am along City Hall way, Nairobi.

We wish to withdraw the case under section 87A of the Penal Code to create an enabling environment for peace between the accused persons and the state. I urge that the matter be withdrawn, the prosecution said.

Kahawa Law Court senior principal magistrate Boaz Ombewa on Monday discharged the six.

Through their lawyer Danstan Omari, the Azimio Mps thanked the State and the Judiciary for withdrawing the case

The court has accepted to release them and their bonds will be refunded. I thank the courts for being steadfast, Omari said.

Meanwhile, the DPP also promised to withdraw over 200 cases against Azimio supporters countrywide.

This comes after Azimio leader Raila Odinga on Sunday demanded the unconditional release of anyone who had been arrested during the demonstrations
National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula has challenged Law lords currently attending the 3rd Regional Symposium on Greening Judiciaries in Africa at Safari Park, Nairobi to come up with punishable measures in law on environmental destruction.

The African Countrys Judiciaries in Africa gathered under the umbrella, the 3rd General Conference of the Africa Judicial Education Network on Environmental Law (AJENEL), are currently deliberating on strategies that include legislation that can address the climate change matter towards saving the ecosystem.

The AJENEL event presided over by President William Ruto brought together judicial officers across Africa and beyond to strengthen the role of the Judiciary in addressing climate change in Africa.

Speaking during the event Monday, Speaker Wetangula said that climate change is a global matter that requires urgent measures towards saving the ecosystem through strategic legislation geared towards addressing the climate change matter.

Dr. Wetangula said that Kenya had taken a deliberate step to demonstrate its commitment to ensuring a friendly environment.

This dialogue could not have come at a better time than now when the current negative climate change being experienced across the globe has adversely affected our way of life. Everywhere I go in the village, our elder citizens tell a different story of serious environmental degradation which has seen forests disappear & rivers dry up leading to a devastating situation in the country including diminished rain patterns, said Speaker.

Speaker Wetangula underpinned the importance of injecting radical measures in mitigating climate change saying that he was encouraged by the coming together of the Judiciaries of Africa to Think Environment, Think Green towards saving our ecosystem.

On legislation, Speaker Wetangula challenged the judicial fraternity to review the current existing environmental legislations to capture the current realities to help ease pressure on the environment for friendly co-existence.

I assured the law lords of my support to propel any environmental related legislation to fast track the process and ensure that our environment is secured now and for future generations, said Speaker Wetangula.

On the part of the legislative arm of government, he assured the law lords present at the conference that the Parliament of Kenya has enacted laws intended to reduce the impact of human activities on the environment including the ban on the use of plastic bags, the promotion of renewable energy, and the conservation of forests and other natural resources. Examples include the Environmental Management and Coordination Act, the Climate Change Act, the Wildlife Conservation and Management Act, the Water Act, the Energy Act and the Forest Conservation Management Act. Among others.

The Speaker further endorsed the contribution of President William Rutos flagship project on tress planting project terming a positive step towards restoring Kenya to a green country.

I acknowledge and support the presidents initiative to plant 15 Million trees. This is an excellent move that needs a strategic roadmap on how to plant the trees, protect them and take care of them geared towards achieving the goal for making our country greener and highly productive, he said.

He acknowledged natural resources both in water and land saying that Kenya and Africa at large were well endowed with natural resources that human encroachment and destruction through pollution has made it not very useful for economic development.

I urge my colleagues in the judiciary to influence the executive by making laws that protect the environment and ensure punitive measures for those destroying the environment through pollution of water bodies, deforestation, and careless gas emotions among other harmful practices. The Congo and Amazon basin are the lungs of the world but millions of acres are now disappearing hence the need for protection, added Speaker.

The Speaker said that strengthening laws on environmental use and management will be key in mitigating adverse climate change in the country.
A Kenyan masseuse who has been trending on social media platforms has spoken out, revealing how he controls his sexual urges and those of some of his clients.

Stephen Collins Kariuki, the owner of Massage by Steve, is mostly popular on TikTok and Instagram, where he shares videos showing him giving his nude clients sensual erotic massages.

Steve spoke in an interview with YouTuber Nicholas Kioko saying he ventured into the massage business after high school.

I have always had a passion for massage therapy. I loved doing it to my friends and that is when I realized that I could make a profession out of it and that is when I went to CBD to study massage, said Steve, who was born in Nyeri.

The masseuse said he used to work in Diani and is now a freelancer after the Covid-19 pandemic displaced him from the industry.

And speaking about the erotic nature of his business, Steve admitted that he is only human but knows how to fight temptations.

Im human, Im a man with feelings of course. A mans body will obviously react after touching a woman. The most important thing that I can say is Im able to control my mind and Im able to resist any kind of temptation.

Im always in control of the situation especially when things escalate on the clients end. Im able to handle them and they feel good, Steve added.

The masseuse mentioned that he always informs his clients that whatever they may feel during the massage session is temporary.

He also claimed that he cannot tolerate getting intimate with clients because it would ruin their professional relationships.

Steve also claimed that some of his clients offer him valuables in exchange for a happy ending, but he turns them down because he values and respects them.

The masseuse says the farthest he can go is a yoni massage.
President William Ruto has asked Africa to make concerted efforts to win the war on climate change.

He said the continent is disproportionately affected by its adverse impacts.

He noted that institutional reconfigurations and economic resets emanating from this change will install Africa as the worlds green economic superpower.

Although climate change is a universal existential threat, there is good reason for Africas institutions and leadership to drive the agenda of mitigating its effects, he said.

He was speaking on Monday during the 3rd Regional Symposium on Greening Judiciaries in Africa at the Safari Park Hotel in Nairobi County.

The President said the looming climate disaster is particularly tragic for Africa, which is entering a new path of peace and prosperity.

He told the meeting that even though Africa is focused on tackling poverty and inequality, the path of pollution is not an option.

He lauded the Judiciary for taking a frontline position in confronting climate change.

Our judiciaries will determine whether Africas institutions exist and are ready to handle the immense mandates that a green future entails.
Born and raised in California, Bodie Paden started his professional career in technology at the age of 17 when he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force, writing Congressional budgeting software at the Pentagon.

Going to school at night, he completed his degree in computer science and became a Department of Defense consultant.

In 2008, Paden switched gears and became the chief technology officer of an up-and-coming direct-to-consumer e-commerce platform, and has since worked on several direct-to-consumer platforms in the wine and beer industries.

Paden founded Digimatic in 2020 to combine his love of building integrations with his love of the wine and beer industries, according to his company website.

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Essentially, Digimatic builds software for wineries, he explained.

Im building innovative solutions for wineries with my own business, and Ive never been happier, he said.

1. What was your childhood ambition?

Ive always been into computers. When I was 9 years old, I went to a summer camp that had a computer class where I fell in love with programming. We didnt have a lot of money, but I desperately wanted my own computer, which was a big deal at the time. I was mowing lawns for $5 a pop, so my parents jokingly said if I mow the lawn for free until I move out, theyd buy me a computer. I called them on it and got an Apple IIc Plus ... and mowed the lawn for the next eight years for free. I learned a lot about both computer programming and indentured servitude during that time.

2. What was your first job?

When I was 16, I started a computer tutor business in my hometown of Visalia, a Central Valley farm town. I mowed enough neighbors lawns to save up for a pager and to print some flyers that I put on the doorsteps of every house in the neighborhood. I charged $20 an hour and surprisingly got a fair amount of business. It was mostly helping older couples figure out how to email their grandchildren or troubleshooting printer issues.

3. Whats the worst job you ever had?

Ive been fortunate to never really have a terrible job, but I suppose maybe the hardest job was when I joined the U.S. Air Force. I graduated high school at 16 and went through a phase where I desperately wanted to leave the house and shed the computer nerd stigma.

At 17, I was able to enlist. My test scores got me stationed at the Pentagon. My girlfriend at the time couldnt afford to move across the country, but being the wise 17-year-olds that we were, we decided to get married so the military would pay to move her out. So, at 17, I was qualified on an M16, moved across the country into a townhouse in Maryland, was married, and commuted across D.C. every morning to write software at the Pentagon where I had a top-secret clearance. I spent the evenings and weekends getting my bachelors degree in computer science. The whole thing was a bit surreal.

4. What job would you like to try/not try?

Try: I dated someone once that wanted to write a play for a writing contest. Since she was spending so much time on it, I decided to write one myself. My play was mostly kind of a meta thing mocking the idea of a playwriting contest. Well, my play won the contest (now ex-girlfriend was not amused) and they ended up producing it at the Napa community theater. I think Id like to try writing more plays or screenplays. It was so magical to see my characters literally spring to life on a stage and I love to make people laugh and smile.

Not try: For a hot minute, in high school, I thought I maybe wanted to be a veterinarian. After one semester of pre-vet medicine, I quickly realized that it wasnt just about petting cute puppies and kittens for a living. It turns out, theres a lot offluidsand smellsand blood. The day we had to dissect a rabbit, I 'noped' out.

5. What is the biggest challenge your business has faced?

My biggest challenge as a business is one that has been plaguing the wine industry for decades. Wineries are reluctant to change, to evolve, and to embrace technology to improve their business. When they do finally decide to change, they do it at a snails pace. Frequently wineries dont even know what they dont know. When I talk to some wineries about some really basic technology that has been around for 10-plus years, theyre amazed and think Im some sort of a wizard.

6. Who do you most admire in the business world?

The name that springs to mind is probably Steve Jobs  (specifically) his business savvy and approach to innovation.

Jobs once said, People think focus means saying yes to the thing you've got to focus on. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are. You have to pick carefully.

That mindset has helped me to be singularly focused on doing one thing really well and focusing on the parts of my business that move it forward, rather than spreading myself thin and doing a lot of different things poorly.

He (also) once said, Your time is limited, so dont waste it living someone elses life.

That mindset is what led me to join the Air Force at 17, to leave my boring government contracting job to do something exciting and challenging at great risk to my career advancement, and to start my own business. Take the chance. Make the leap. Life is short.

7. Whats one thing Napa could do to help local business?

Im going to throw a shout-out to my old friend and previous 10 Questions respondent Ryan OConnell of How to ADU fame and say we need more affordable housing. You see it every day on Highways 12 and 29 with the bumper-to-bumper traffic from people commuting into and out of Napa because they cant afford to live where they work.

8. If you could change one thing about your industry, what would it be?

I heard the phrase once early in my wine career while working for a high-end luxury brand that they wanted to create the illusion of exclusivity. Thats when it started to sink in that a lot of wine marketing is around creating different illusions. I dont know why, but that doesnt sit well with me.

I understand there is a market for ultra-premium luxury brands and there are a few wine brands that execute it well with a measure of integrity. A lot of brands though, the customer is paying a premium for thick glass, embossed labels, wax seals, and a monstrous marketing budget while whats in the bottle is an afterthought. It seems like a large swath of the industry is taking pride in pretentiousness. The younger generation sees right through it and if a lot of wineries dont change their approach, theyre going to die off along with the aging demographic theyre catering to.

9. Whats your favorite charity or nonprofit?

Big Brothers Big Sisters. I was a Big Brother myself for years and served on the board for a bit. Theres something about kids being in a crappy situation by no fault of their own that puts my stomach in knots.

10. Whats something people might be surprised to know about you?

One time I traveled to Tanzania and was embedded with a local tribe for a couple of weeks. I noticed each night they would do kind of a call-and-response song to recount the events of the day. I talked to the translator about how its so clear where American blues music came from after listening to it, so she asked me to teach them an American song. The only thing I could think that I knew the words to was George Thorogoods Bad to the Bone. I would sing a verse and the whole tribe would do the Nuh nuh nuh NUH nuh bit in between. The following nights, they had incorporated it into their nightly song, and I think I accidentally permanently changed an African tribal culture to sing a derivation of Bad to the Bone every night.

15 of the best movies about wine and winemaking 15 of the best movies about wine and winemaking The Secret of Santa Vittoria (1969) A Walk in the Clouds (1995) Mondovino (2004) Sideways (2004) A Good Year (2006) Bottle Shock (2008) Blood Into Wine (2010) Somm (2012) Red Obsession (2013) A Year in Burgundy (2013) Somm: Into the Bottle (2015) Sour Grapes (2016) Back to Burgundy (2017) Somm 3 (2018) Uncorked (2020)
Greys Anatomy actor Caterina Scorsone gave Instagram followers a somber life update on Monday, revealing that a devastating house fire displaced her and her three children earlier this year.

A couple of months ago my house burned down, the actor, who plays Amelia Shepherd on the ABC hit, wrote in the post. While getting my kids ready for bed and finishing bath time, smoke began to seep up through the grout around the tub. When I looked down the hallway a river of thick black smoke had already formed and was filling the house.

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Scorsone said she had about two minutes to evacuate her family to safety. We escaped with less than shoes on our feet, she wrote. But we got out. And for that I am eternally grateful.

On a tragic note, however, Scorsone and her kids lost all four of their pets. We are still sitting with that loss, but we are lucky we got to love them at all, she wrote.

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Caterina Scorsone arrives at a screening of "Grey's Anatomy" during PaleyFest on April 2, 2023, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (Richard Shotwell/Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)

Scorsone said that her Instagram post isnt about a fire but instead about community  a love letter to the incredible people that showed up and the incredible ways that they did, as she wrote.

She thanked the firefighters and the investigators who responded to the scene, a neighbor who swung into action, the parents and her kids school who donated toys and boots, her colleagues at Greys Anatomy and production company Shondaland who donated clothing and supplies, her sisters for helping with logistics, and her team, who made everything easier, she wrote.

What we learned is that the only thing that matters are the people (and beings) that you love, she wrote. The only thing that matters is community. We would not be here without it and we are so grateful. Thank you.

Scorsone also shared photos of her pets and her children in the home  as well as a photo of her burned-out living room  saying that she was uploading the pics to honor the space we once called home, to say goodbye to the animals that loved us so well, and to celebrate that we have the only thing we ever really needed: each other.

The actor  who joined Greys Anatomy full-time in 2014 after playing Amelia on spinoff series Private Practice  has three children with musician Rob Giles, from whom she separated in 2020. The former couples kids are Eliza, 10, Pippa, 6, and Arwen, 3.
Four Seasons Resort and Residences Napa Valley named Robby Delaney as general manager.

A veteran team member with a 16-year legacy at Four Seasons Hotel and Resorts, "Delaney brings a wealth of hospitality management experience, ranging from his most recent role at the award-winning Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea to renowned properties in Denver, Beverly Hills and Seattle," said a news release.

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At the newly awarded Forbes Five-Star resort, Delaney is charged with ushering the property into its next chapter, overseeing its strategic operations, profitability, guest services, food and beverage management, sales and marketing and more, said the release.

Four Seasons Resort and Residences Napa Valley opened in the Fall of 2021. Located in Calistoga, it features 85 guest rooms and suites, and 20 private residences.

Wine country is one the most beautiful and dynamic destinations in the world, and I am so fortunate to join the exceptional Four Seasons Resort and Residences Napa Valley team, said Delaney.

Originally from San Diego, Delaney joined Four Seasons in 2007 as a front desk agent.

Delaney holds a bachelors degree in communications from California State University San Marcos.

Photos: Napa Valley Faces and Places, April 02, 2023
ArtHaus is celebrating its first anniversary at the corner of Third Street and Soscol Avenue next to downtown Napa.

Owner and local artist Penelope Moore, the creator of ArtHaus, said it was a challenge to describe the business concept.

Attempts to call ArtHaus simply an "art studio," an "event space," or even a "salon of ideas" would be misleading.

As an art studio, it is too small to hold either the large canvases that Moore said she requires for her paintings or the crowds who assemble to watch her live painting.

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"ArtHaus is the roof," said Moore, "but my business is always moving. ArtHaus is meant to be a creative hub, a social club and a lifestyle space. A place where things are always going on."

Located on Third Street just off Soscol, its neighbors include a barber shop, a motorcycle store, and a bail bondsman. (The first ArtHaus location was a converted two-car garage behind a Victorian home off Main Street.) It is not much larger than a walk-in closet, yet it is a kinetic center for creativity, art and ideas in Napa. ArtHaus defies any labels as it evolves and changes, chameleon-like, to serve more than one purpose, explained Moore.

The 17-by-8-foot space, which previously housed The Psychic Palm Reader, was transformed by Moore, who added her artistic touch to create a vibrant and inviting lounge with a crystal chandelier, comfortable seating, and a pink neon sign on the back wall that reads "Extra Fancy."

Moore said she has made ArtHaus a springboard for her self-proclaimed mission "to bring art to Napa," which she has been dutifully working to accomplish since moving to Napa full-time in 2010 (except for a short-lived adventure that took her to Italy in the name of love).

"Napa is deprived, said Moore. We don't have enough art galleries in the valley, and we don't have spaces for artists to create, not like bigger cities that have large warehouses converted into studios. We don't have anything like that."

ArtHaus can be booked for small events, wine tastings and painting parties led by Moore, but it also is home to spontaneous happy hours and late-night gatherings.

She likened ArtHaus to Andy Warhol's studio The Factory from a bygone era, but admittedly on a smaller scale. "I curate and cross-pollinate, connecting people and places. People stop by and bring their friends," said Moore.

Those connections and chance meetings often lead to future collaborations and projects  and that is the point. For example, Brian Culbertson dropped in a few years ago after playing at a local jazz festival. They stayed up drinking wine and playing Cards Against Humanity. This first connection at ArtHaus led to a project some years later in which Culbertson invited Moore to a duet. She painted live while he played music at a private event.

"The sign on the ArtHaus door says 'Open by appointment, invitation, or happenstance @wineartlife,'" and listening to Moore, it seems to be in such moments of happenstance where the magic happens.

One of those moments led to an art-centric champagne event for Laurent-Perrier hosted by the Westin hotel in February of this year.

"I met Naomi (Smith), the vice president of sales of Laurent-Perrier, through a friend who brought her to ArtHaus," she said. "It was from that meeting that the idea was born to collaborate, not only with the champagne house but also with another artist who does something similar to me."

As Moore said, "Many well-known artists paint what they hear; Wassily Kandinsky famously painted a visual representation of music, but nobody I could find was painting what they taste, specifically wine."

After long months of research, Moore found Caroline Brun, who she believes to be the "only other artist in the entire world who paints the flavors of wine as I do." (This method of visualizing one or more of the senses is called synesthesia.) "This artist happens to live in the Champagne region of France and is a champagne educator from a Champagne family. I had been in contact with her on social media, but we had never met."

Through the ArtHaus connection, Moore, Smith and Brun hatched the idea of an event featuring both artists' paintings as they tasted Laurent-Perrier Champagne.

Moore explained that Brun was planning a trip to Napa Valley, so they created the event around her dates. Brun painted her work while tasting the Brut Cuvee several weeks before the event and then shipped the painting to the Westin.

"She doesn't do live paintings whereas I only paint live, said Moore She is shy and doesn't want that kind of attention while she paints, whereas I like to interact with people as I paint. It is part of the experience.

Moore painted on-site at the Westin, while sipping the Laurent-Perrier Sparkling Rose and conveying what she describes as the "emotion" of the wine onto her canvas as the event unfolded. Both paintings are for sale and hanging at Acumen Wines, where Moore is the art curator.

For now, due to its small size, ArtHaus is limited to smaller events, but that isn't holding Moore back  since most of her work takes place beyond four walls, "but someday," said Moore, "I would love to have a version of ArtHaus that is large enough for me to roller skate in!"

Info: 818 Third St., Napa; wineartlife@gmail.com

Photos: Get a picture of ArtHaus of Napa ArtHaus 6 ArtHaus 4 ArtHaus 5 ArtHaus 1 ArtHaus 2 ArtHaus 3
Robert Louis Stevenson and his new wife, Fanny Osbourne, honeymooned on the side of Mount St. Helena in a deserted miners bunkhouse in 1880. The adventure was documented by Stevenson in his travelogue Silverado Squatters, published in 1883 after the author had achieved fame with his adventure novel Treasure Island.

Silverado Squatters was a travelogue written by Robert Louis Stevenson while he and his new wife, Fanny Osbourne, were honeymooning in a deserted bunkhouse on the side of Mount St. Helena in 1880. This first edition of the journal did not appear until two years after Stevenson had achieved fame with the publication of Treasure Island in 1881.

This ornate writing desk, belonging to Robert Louis Stevenson, is said to have traveled with him around the world. One wonders how many adventurous tales were written by Stevenson on its desktop. The desk is now on permanent display at the Robert Louis Stevenson Museum in St. Helena.

There are many handwritten manuscripts by the author of Treasure Island and Kidnapped housed in the Robert Louis Stevenson Museum in St. Helena.

The personal library of the author is now housed in a new archival storage system at the Robert Louis Stevenson Museum in St. Helena.

Some of the surprising objects at the Robert Louis Stevenson Museum in St. Helena are the toys of the author from his childhood in Scotland. Here is Stevenson's toy tea set. The museum is staying open late every Friday in June.

Gallery: Discovering the Robert Louis Stevenson Museum

From Library Lane, where the Robert Louis Stevenson Museum sits kitty-corner to the St. Helena Library, one can get a clear view up to Mount St. Helena at the north end of the Napa Valley. Yet few visitors to the valley are familiar with the connection of the author of Treasure Island, Kidnapped and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde with the Napa Valley.
Tuesday, March 28

0803  Downed limbs damaged a vehicle and were the blocking the road near Tainter/Allyn.

1230  Report of utility lines down on Charter Oak Avenue, with a fire in the area.

1238  Report of a vehicle on its side blocking traffic on Silverado Trail near Taplin Road. Police diverted southbound traffic at Pope Street.

1306  Report of a downed tree partially blocking the road near Allison/McCorkle.

1509  Non-injury accident near Main/Sulphur Springs. The caller said the other driver was only providing identification and was now leaving the scene. Police contacted both drivers and took a report.

1830  Report of an unresponsive driver slumped over in a running vehicle near Main/Elmhurst. Police determined he was just sleeping.

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Wednesday, March 29

0820  Lift assist on Del Rio Court.

0838  Police cited a driver on Spring Mountain Road.

1338  Police cited a driver near Main/Pine.

1601  Police cited a driver near Main/Pine.

1711  Someone reported being threatened. Police took a report.

2157  Report of a suspicious person parked in front of a house on Rosebud Lane.

Thursday, March 30

0214  Report of a suspicious person ringing the doorbell of a house on Big Rock Road.

Friday, March 31

0437  Medical aid for a woman feeling dizzy on Spring Mountain Road.

0437  Police cited a driver near Main/Madrona.

0504  Police cited a driver on Main Street.

0850  Medical aid on Hunt Avenue.

1029  Police assisted with the school districts Run Big! event.

1049  Report of an abandoned vehicle on Starr Avenue.

1059  A tote bag containing gifts and medication was reported missing.

1358  An officer contacted the owner of a vehicle parked in front of a fire hydrant near Pine/Stockton.

1543  Report of a man breaking the window of a vehicle on Grayson Avenue. Police contacted the man. Hed locked his keys in his vehicle and the tow truck was taking too long, so he broke his own window.

1617  Police cited a car parked in front of a fire hydrant near Pine/Stockton.

1845  Report of an approximately 12-year-old child with two knives near the Crane Park ballfields. Police contacted the child, who had one knife but was accompanied by a parent and had not removed the knife from its sheath or displayed it.

2235  Report of a possible party with associated underage drinking and driving on McCorkle Avenue.

Saturday, April 1

1043  Police cited a driver on Main Street.

1216  Police cited a driver on Charter Oak Avenue.

1613  Report of a suspicious man on Fountain Street.

1847  An officer was flagged down about a hit-and-run near Adams/Railroad. Police found the driver who was responsible and arrested the 49-year-old Modesto man on suspicion of DUI and hit-and-run.

1907  Report of a suspicious man knocking at the door of an Oak Avenue home and taking a photo of the porch.

1918  Report of a possible structure fire behind a hotel near Main/Sulphur Springs.

2155  Report of possible child abuse in a Pope Street residence. Police responded and determined the baby had fallen getting out of the tub but didnt have any other signs of injuries.

2237  A parked vehicle was damaged in a non-injury hit-and-run on Church Street.

Sunday, April 2

0446  Police took a report after a traffic stop on Main Street.

0837  Report of a pothole on Edwards Street near Pope Street. Police notified Public Works in person and through a work ticket.

1055  Report of a beehive in a tree near the Lyman Park bathrooms. A bee expert was called in to relocate the hive.

1303  Report of a pit bull barking while tied to a chair near Adams/Library. Police contacted its owner.

1630  Police issued two parking citations on Adams Street.

1708  Non-injury accident on Main Street.

1917  Following a traffic stop on Main Street, police arrested a 44-year-old Calistoga man on suspicion of DUI and driving with a suspended license due to a previous DUI.

Monday, April 3

0800  A caller said his parked car was scratched by another car that had parked near it on Hunt Avenue. Police took a report.

0802  Items found on Hunt Avenue were turned into police.

1028  Police were asked to check on a person. Officers made sure she was OK.

1055  A blue wallet was reported missing.

1216  Report of a vehicle parked on Meadowcreek Circle for a week.

1247  Someone locked their keys in their car after placing their child in a car seat. Officers helped.

1347  Police cited a driver near Main/Vintage.

1412  Report of someone moving boxes out of a barn into two vehicles on Crane Avenue. Officers responded and determined that the person was a trustee who was allowed to be there.

1426  Report of a suspicious woman in a white vehicle at Wappo Park.

1452  A tree fell and brought down power lines on Madrona Avenue. Dispatch lost power for five seconds.

1742  Police cited a driver near Highway 29/Oakville Cross Road.

2002  Medical aid for a possible stroke victim on Colombard Court.

PHOTOS: Training for an active shooter situation in St.Helena
According to information published by the Indian government on April 4, 2023, the 10th edition of the IN-SLN SLINEX-23 bilateral maritime exercise will begin in Colombo.

Follow Navy Recognition on Google News at this link

Indonesian frigate KRI Raden Eddy Martadinata and Sri Lanka's OPV SLNS Sayurala. (Picture source: Indian MoD)

The exercise is being conducted in two phases: the Harbour Phase from 03-05 April 2023, followed by a Sea Phase from 06-08 April 2023. Indian Navy is being represented by INS Kiltan, an indigenous Kamorta class ASW corvette, and INS Savitri, an Offshore Patrol Vessel.

The Sri Lanka Navy is being represented by SLNS Gajabahu and SLNS Sagara. Maritime Patrol Aircraft, helicopters, and Special Forces from both the sides would also participate in the exercise. The previous edition of SLINEX was conducted off Visakhapatnam from 07-12 March 2022.

India - Sri Lanka relations

The two nations have forged close military and security links, focusing on joint exercises, training, and capacity building to ensure stability in the region.

India has played a significant role in Sri Lanka's maritime security efforts, providing training, equipment, and vessels to the Sri Lankan Coast Guard and Navy. The transfer of offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) and advanced offshore patrol vessels (POVs) has enhanced Sri Lanka's maritime capabilities.

The joint military exercises, such as 'Mitra Shakti' for the army, have fostered interoperability between the two nations, with the latest exercise focusing on counter-terrorism in December 2019. India also offers military training courses across the three branches of Sri Lankan security personnel.
The struggle for international recognition of this horrific crime continues. President of Cyprus

U.S. Ambassador to the OSCE: The United States is deeply concerned about Azerbaijan's actions

Valerie Boyer: Turkey has started a new war of aggression in Armenia and Artsakh

The Second President of Armenia visited Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex with his wife and son

Azerbaijan's decision to set up checkpoints in the Lachin corridor contradicts EUs call to reduce tensions

Russian Defense Ministry noted Azerbaijan's unilateral and uncoordinated actions

Foreign Minister of Artsakh Meets with Head of the Republicans Group of the French Senate

France commemorates 108th Anniversary of 1915 Armenian Genocide: Macron

Commemoration ceremony was held in Amsterdam near the monument dedicated to the victims of the Armenian Genocide

PACE Rapporteur wants to visit Lachin corridor

Trudeau on Armenian Genocide Memorial Day: Canada will continue to promote peace and justice

Greece PM on Armenian Genocide: We are against any act that incites discrimination, violence against humanity

European People's Party on Armenian Genocide: We urge Turkey to acknowledge reality of past

Italy MP: International organizations access to Karabakh for humanitarian aid should be facilitated

PACE pays tribute to Armenian Genocide victims with minute of silence (VIDEO)

Representation at ECtHR: Armenia will apply to International Court of Justice regarding Lachin checkpoint matter

Yeghishe Kirakosyan: Armenia will apply to International Court of Justice regarding Lachin checkpoint issue

Levon Aronian: Message of remembering and demanding must be directed towards ourselves

Biden: We renew our pledge to never forget Armenian Genocide

Armenian Genocide commemoration event held in Istanbul

Russia ambassador, embassy military attache lay flowers at Armenian Genocide Memorial in Yerevan (PHOTOS)

Peskov on setting up Azerbaijani checkpoint at Lachin corridor: Situation not easy, requires extra effort

Greece president: We honor Armenian Genocide victims memory

Russia calls on Armenia, Azerbaijan to immediately return to existing agreements

Armenian Genocide victims honored at PACE chamber courtyard (PHOTOS)

Bruno Retailleau on Armenian Genocide victims: They are our victims also

Artsakh MFA: Armenian people are again facing threat of new Genocide

France senator: We should help Armenia arm itself

Karabakh president: Today more than ever we need to turn words into action

Greece FM: Preserving Armenian Genocide victims memory is minimum duty of all humanity

Sotk gold mine of Armenia inactive for 10th day due to periodic Azerbaijani shooting

Colorado declares April 24, 2023 as Armenian Genocide remembrance day

Ambassador: France stands with Armenia to commemorate victims of 1915 Genocide (PHOTOS)

Karekin II: Azerbaijan's goal is to de-Armenianize, take over Karabakh

US Congressman Adam Schiff to introduce bill recognizing Karabakh independence, sovereignty

Karabakh MFA: Any proposal to discuss Azerbaijans illegal demands is tantamount to condoning its genocidal policy

Karabakh president pays tribute to Armenian Genocide victims

Catholicos visits Armenian Genocide Memorial in Yerevan

Armenia ex-President Sarkissian: We must be able to move forward without retreating from our identity, history

Armenia army General Staff chief: We are doing positional improvement work at Tegh village

Nathalie Loiseau: No one should approach risk of new violence against Armenians lightly 108 years after Genocide

Armenia MFA: Armenians in Karabakh are facing danger of genocide, ethnic cleansing even today

Netherlands ambassador expresses support to Armenians in the words of great poet Hovhannes Tumanyan (VIDEO)

Georgia Armenians hold torchlight procession in Tbilisi

PM Pashinyan, other state officials visit Armenian Genocide Memorial in Yerevan (PHOTOS)

Kristina Kvien: No US sanctions against Azerbaijan at the moment

MFA: France condemns setting up of Azerbaijani checkpoint at Lachin corridor, demands to reopen corridor

Karekin II: Fight for just cause of Armenians, contribute to prevention of genocidal acts and crimes

Armenia ex-President Serzh Sargsyan: Bloody scimitar which has now become Bayraktar hangs over our people again

Armenia PM: This is best moment to think about past, present, future

Armenian Genocide Memorial entrance closed

108 years later: It is Armenian Genocide victims commemoration day

State minister: People of Karabakh have right to demand from players to make clear assessments, take steps

US 'deeply concerned' by Azerbaijan's checkpoint in Lachin corridor

Edmon Marukyan: Peaceful Armenians of Artsakh taken hostage by Azerbaijan

Kanaani: Iran's military program is solely defensive

Ministry of Defense of Armenia: The Ministry of Defence of Azerbaijan has spread disinformation

Erdogan: Putin to take part in fuel delivering ceremony to Akkuyu

Security Council of the Republic of Artsakh makes a statement

Kosovo Serbs boycott local elections

An Armenian serviceman was lethally wounded in a position in Sotk

Armenians in Great Britain remember Armenian Genocide victims

Azerbaijan establishes checkpoint on Lachin-Stepanakert road

Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day rally in Berlin

Azerbaijan blocks Hakari bridge on Artsakh-Armenia border

Faro Palace in Marseille in Armenian tricolor

Armenian Apostolic Church celebrates Green Sunday

AK Party office in Istanbul attacked

Spain shipping Leopard 2 to Ukraine

Teenager hit by Toyota car

Russian citizens evacuated in Khartoum

Turkey represents Iranian interests in Albania

US military evacuates diplomats from Sudan

Armenian PM Pashinyan visits memorial

Fire breaks out in Martuni town

The Foreign Ministry of Artsakh: The Ministry of Defence of Azerbaijan released another provocative statement

Blackout threat at major events in France

Young men lost in Artsakh found

Baku "worries" for Armenia

Updated Turkey earthquake death toll

Greek City Times: India and Greece conduct exercises

Earthquake hits Greece

Trump: I have 'very good relationship' with Putin

NATO delegation arrives in Azerbaijan

Facebook bans Armenian Genocide memorial frames

ARF Hay Dat European Office prepares lawsuit

Armenia Ombudsperson delivers welcome speech at CoE

RA Ombudsperson receives CoE delegation

Head of Armenian Community of Georgia attacked in Tbilisi

MEP Kovatchev: Baku must stop aggression against Armenia

Pashinyan stressed the importance of launching Nvidia Research Center in Armenia

Armenia's representative presents objections to Azerbaijan's case before the International Court of Justice

Albania cancels visa-free travel for Russian citizens

UN worker killed in Sudan clashes

1 dead after small-engine plane crashes in Lithuania

European Union has already trained 16 thousand Ukrainian soldiers: Josep Borrell

Health ministry: Planned surgeries partially resume in Karabakh

Armenia deputy PM Mher Grigoryan attends Eurasian Economic Commission Council meeting in Moscow

MOD: No Armenia military convoy, escorted by Russian peacekeepers, entered Karabakh

Armenia, Lithuania sign Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in technology, innovation (PHOTOS)
Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs Ararat Mirzoyan on Monday had a meeting with the President ad interim of the Senate of Romania, Alina Stefania Gorghiu, in Bucharest, Armenian News-NEWS.am learns from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia.

During the meeting, the interlocutors reflected on matters related to the Armenian-Romanian bilateral agenda. The role of parliamentary diplomacy in the development of relations between the two countries was emphasized, noting the importance of effective cooperation and mutual visits between the friendship groups in the parliaments of the two countries.

Both sides noted the important contribution of the Armenian community of Romania in strengthening the ties between the two peoples, and since independence, in various domains between the two countries.

During the meeting, the interlocutors touched on regional security and stability issues, too.

The Armenian FM briefed the acting speaker of the Senate of Romania on the existing challenges in the establishment of peace in the South Caucasus, the humanitarian problems persisting as a result of Azerbaijan's non-implementation of the trilateral statement of November 9, 2020. FM Mirzoyan reflected on the vision and efforts of the Armenian side towards the settlement of relations with Azerbaijan and finding fair solutions to the key issues of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

In connection with the ongoing blocking of the Lachin corridor by Azerbaijan, Ararat Mirzoyan stressed the imperative of implementing the decision made by the International Court of Justice on February 22, the reopening of this corridor without any preconditions, and preventing the Azerbaijan policy of Armenian ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh.
Donald Trump will be placed under arrest on Tuesday and informed that he has been charged with 34 felony counts for falsification of business records, according to a source who has been briefed on the procedures for the arraignment of the former US president, Yahoo News reported.

A New York City police arrest report summarizing the charges against Trump will then be prepared and entered into the court system before he is led into a courtroom to be formally arraigned on the charges, none of which are misdemeanors.

But, the source said, Trump will not be put in handcuffs, placed in a jail cell or subjected to a mug shottypical procedures even for white-collar defendants until a judge has weighed in on pretrial conditions. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Braggs office, which has been consulting with the Secret Service and New York City court officials, concluded there was no reason to subject the former president to handcuffs or a mug shot.

The stated reason for handcuffing defendants is that they might be a flight risk or a threat to the district attorney or court personnel, neither of which was judged to be relevant to the handling of a former president protected at all times by a phalanx of Secret Service agents.

The charge of falsification of business records can be prosecuted in New York state as a misdemeanor. But Braggs office bumped up all the charges to Class E feloniesthe lowest level of felonies in the New York state penal codeon the grounds that the conduct was intended to conceal another underlying crime, according to the source.

Under the New York State penal code, a conviction for the Class E felony of falsifying business records can result in a prison term of up to four years. But as a practical matter, that seems extremely unlikely. No one gets jail time for that as a first offender, said a New York law enforcement official.

The evidence for the underlying crime that escalated Trumps alleged misdemeanors to felonies is still not clear and wont be until the indictment is unsealed on Tuesday. But it is believed to relate to the payment of $130,000 in hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels during the closing weeks of the 2016 election to conceal an extramarital encounter with Trump.

After this story was posted, a spokesman for Trump said the former presidents legal team had not seen the indictment or been briefed on the details.

A spokesperson for Bragg said in an email that the district attorneys office declined to comment on a sealed indictment.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg is pressing allies to pitch in a total of 500 million a year to help Ukraine with non-lethal aid and other long-term support, according to people familiar with the matter, Bloomberg reported.

The head of this military alliance wants allies to boost contributions to a fund for NATOs comprehensive assistance package for Ukraine, which includes short-term aid like fuel, protective equipment and anti-drone systems used to counter Russias invasion, said the people who asked not to be named on a confidential issue

The package is aimed also at providing long-term support to Ukraine to modernize its armed forces and bring them into line with NATO interoperability standards. Many details of the project are still under development.

Although the aid is intended to be humanitarian, helping Ukraine meet NATO standards could also help ensure supplies of modern weapons to allies during the war as allies run out of Soviet-era ammunition.

The NATO spokesperson did not comment on the topic.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, Stoltenberg noted that the bloc's foreign ministers plan to reach an agreement to begin work on the development of a multi-year plan to help Ukraine within the framework of a two-day meeting planned for Tuesday in Brussels.
Former President Donald Trump appears in court for his arraignment, April 4, 2023, in New York. Trump surrendered to authorities ahead of his arraignment on criminal charges stemming from a hush money payment to a porn actor during his 2016 campaign. (Timothy A. Clary/AP)

NEW YORK  A stone-faced Donald Trump made a momentous court appearance Tuesday as the only ex-president to be charged with a crime as he was confronted with a 34-count felony indictment accusing him in a scheme to bury allegations of extramarital affairs during his first White House campaign.

The arraignment in a Manhattan courtroom was a stunning  and humbling  spectacle for the former president, putting him face-to-face with prosecutors who bluntly accused him of criminal conduct and setting the stage for a possible criminal trial in the city where he decades ago became a celebrity.

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The indictment centers on allegations that Trump falsified internal business records at his private company while trying to cover up an effort to illegally influence the 2016 election by arranging payments that silenced claims potentially harmful to his candidacy. It includes 34 counts of fudging records related to checks Trump sent to his personal lawyer and problem-solver to reimburse him for his role in paying off a porn actor who said she had an extramarital sexual encounter with Trump years earlier.

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The defendant, Donald J. Trump, falsified New York business records in order to conceal an illegal conspiracy to undermine the integrity of the 2016 presidential election and other violations of election laws, said Assistant District Attorney Christopher Conroy.

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Trump, somber and silent as he entered and exited the Manhattan courtroom, said not guilty in a firm voice while facing a judge who warned him to refrain from rhetoric that could inflame or cause civil unrest. All told, the ever-verbose Trump, who for weeks before Tuesdays arraignment had assailed the case against him as political persecution, uttered only 10 words  though he did appear to glare for a period at Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, the prosecutor who brought the case.

Former President Donald Trump enters a Manhattan courtroom for his arraignment. He is expected to enter a not guilty plea. https://t.co/pt4IYQlx4e pic.twitter.com/TL8JiiRSnb  The Associated Press (@AP) April 4, 2023

As he returned to his Florida estate, Mar-a-Lago, where he delivered a primetime address to hundreds of supporters, Trump again protested his innocence and asserted on his Truth Social platform that the hearing was shocking to many in that they had no surprises, and therefore, no case.

In his speech, Trump lashed out anew at the prosecution and attacked in bitter terms the prosecutor and the judge presiding over the case despite being admonished hours earlier about incendiary rhetoric. In a sign of his deepening legal woes, Trump also steered his speech into a broadside against a separate Justice Department investigation into the mishandling of classified documents.

I never thought anything like this could happen in America, Trump said of the New York indictment. This fake case was brought only to interfere with the upcoming 2024 election and it should be dropped immediately.

Former President Donald Trump speaks at his Mar-a-Lago estate Tuesday, April 4, 2023, in Palm Beach, Fla., after being arraigned earlier in the day in New York City. (Evan Vucci/AP)

The crowd at Mar-a-Lago included supporters like failed Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake and longtime ally Roger Stone. Trumps wife, Melania, was not present.

Even so, the indictment amounts to a remarkable reckoning for Trump after years of investigations into his personal, business and political dealings. It shows how even as Trump is looking to reclaim the White House in 2024, he is shadowed by investigations related to his behavior in the two prior elections, with prosecutors in Atlanta and Washington scrutinizing efforts by Trump and his allies to undo the 2020 presidential election  probes that could produce even more charges.

In the New York case, each count of falsifying business records, a felony, is punishable by up to four years in prison  though its not clear if a judge would impose any prison time if Trump is convicted. The next court date is December 4  two months before Republicans begin their nominating process in earnest  and Trump will again be expected to appear.

A conviction would not prevent Trump from running for or winning the presidency in 2024.

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The arraignment also delved into Trumps rhetoric on the case, with prosecutors at one point handing printouts of his social media posts to the judge and defense lawyers as Trump looked on. Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchan did not impose a gag order but told Trumps lawyers to urge him to refrain from posts that could encourage unrest.

The broad contours of the case have long been known, focusing on scheme that prosecutors say began months into his candidacy in 2015, as his celebrity past collided with his presidential ambitions.

Though prosecutors expressed confidence in the case, a conviction is no sure thing given the legal complexities of the allegations, the application of state election laws to a federal election and prosecutors likely reliance on a key witness, Trumps former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen, who pleaded guilty in 2018 to false statements.

It centers on payoffs to two women, porn star Stormy Daniels and Playboy model Karen McDougal, who said they had extramarital sexual encounters with Trump years earlier, as well as to a Trump Tower doorman who claimed to have a story about a child he alleged the former president had out of of wedlock.

Its not just about one payment. It is 34 false statements and business records that were concealing criminal conduct, Bragg told reporters, when asked how the three separate cases were connected.

All 34 counts against Trump are linked to a series of checks that were written to Cohen to reimburse him for his role in paying off Daniels. Those payments, made over 12 months, were recorded in various internal company documents as being for a legal retainer that prosecutors say didnt exist. Cohen testified before the grand jury and is expected to be a star prosecution witness.

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Nine of those monthly checks were paid out of Trumps personal accounts, but records related to them were maintained in the Trump Organizations data system.

Prosecutors allege that the first instance of Trump directing hush money payments came in the fall of 2015, when a former Trump Tower doorman was trying to sell information about an alleged out-of-wedlock child fathered by Trump.

David Pecker, a Trump friend and the publisher of the National Enquirer, made a $30,000 payment to the doorman to acquire the exclusive rights to the story, pursuant to an agreement to protect Trump during his presidential campaign, according to the indictment. Peckers company later determined the doormans story was false, but is alleged to have enforced the doormans confidentiality at Cohens urging until after Election Day.

Trump denies having sexual liaisons with both Daniels and McDougal and has denied any wrongdoing involving payments.

After his arraignment, Trump was returning to his Florida home, Mar-a-Lago, for a primetime address to campaign supporters. At least 500 prominent supporters have been invited, with some of the most pro-Trump congressional Republicans expected to attend.

The days schedule, with its striking blend of legal and political calendar items, represents the new split-screen reality for Trump as he submits to the dour demands of the American criminal justice system while projecting an aura of defiance and victimhood at celebratory campaign events.

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Wearing his signature dark suit and red tie, Trump turned and waved to crowds outside the building before heading inside to be fingerprinted and processed. He arrived at court in an eight-car motorcade from Trump Tower, communicating in real time his anger at the process.

Heading to Lower Manhattan, the Courthouse, he posted on his Truth Social platform. Seems so

SURREAL  WOW, they are going to ARREST ME. Cant believe this is happening in America. MAGA!

Afterward, Trump lawyer Todd Blanche told reporters that it was a sad day for the country.

You dont expect this to happen to somebody who was president of the United States, he said.

New York police said they were ready for large protests by Trump supporters, who share the Republican former presidents belief that the New York grand jury indictment and three additional pending investigations are politically motivated and intended to weaken his bid to retake the White House in 2024. Journalists often outnumbered protesters, though.

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Supporters and opponents of former President Donald Trump are kept apart outside of the Manhattan Criminal Court before his arraignment on Tuesday, April 4, 2023, in New York City. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images North America/TNS)

Trump, a former reality TV star, has been hyping that narrative to his political advantage, saying he raised more than $8 million in the days since the indictment on claims of a witch hunt. His campaign released a fundraising request titled My last email before arrest and he has repeatedly assailed Bragg, egged on supporters to protest and claimed without evidence that the judge presiding over the case hates me  something his own lawyer has said is not true.

Tucker and Weissert reported from Washington. Associated Press journalists Jill Colvin, Bobby Caina Calvan, Larry Neumeister, Karen Matthews, Larry Fleisher, Deepti Hajela, Julie Walker, Ted Shaffrey, David R. Martin, Joe Frederick and Robert Bumsted in New York; Colleen Long and Michael Balsamo in Washington; Adriana Gomez Licon in Palm Beach, Florida; and Terry Spencer in Palm Beach, Florida, contributed to this report.
Minister of Economy of Armenia Vahan Kerobyan on Tuesday received Jason Buntin, Director for Europe and Middle East Affairs at the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), and Laura Buffo, Deputy Assistant US Trade Representative for Generalized System of Preferences (GSP).

During the meeting, a wide range of issues on the agenda of Armenian-American economic cooperation were discussed; in particular, the strengthening of economic ties and increasing of trade and diversifying exports between Armenia and the US, as well as the export of goods to the US through GSP, the Ministry of Economy of Armenia informs Armenian News-NEWS.am.

The provision of access to PayPal services, the development of venture funds, and the capital market in Armenia were also addressed.
A budget support loan agreement worth 92,3 million was signed between Armenia and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

The agreement was signed by Vahe Hovhannisyan, Minister of Finance of Armenia, and Carolin Geginat, Country Manager of the World Bank (WB) for Armenia, the Ministry of Finance of Armenia informs Armenian News-NEWS.am.

The respective budget support funds will be directed to the funding of the deficit defined by the law on the 2023 state budget of Armenia.

The project plans to implement the following processes in Armenia:

Promoting climate change mitigation and adaptation and improving the regulatory framework for environmental management;

Strengthening equality and promoting human capital development;

Increasing the effectiveness of the anticorruption framework and the justice sector.
Levon Ter-Petrosyan, the First President of the Republic of Armenia (RA), has written an article that has been published on ilur.am, where he states that the ruling majority "Civil Contract" Faction of the National Assembly (NA) is obligated to launch the matter of NA speaker Alen Simonyan's dismissal. The article reads as follows:

"No matter how much I tried to restrain myself, I still couldn't stop not reflecting on the disgusting incident that happened two days ago. When a [Diaspora Armenian] young man saw RA National Assembly president Alen Simonyan surrounded by bodyguards on the street, he loudly called him a traitor. Simonyan, calmly breaking through the chain of bodyguards, approached the young man with quiet steps and fully spat in his face, which, by the way, he proudly confirmed in his explanations after the incident.

The word spit (except in the field of medicine) is vulgarity in itself and totally disgusting when it is used even in domestic disputes. But when it comes from the lips of one of the highest state officials, especially when it turns into a concrete action by him, then it is already the end of the state.

As for the word traitor, it is not a domestic profanity or a personal insult, but a purely political assessment which should be not countered by vulgar speech or spit, but by an appropriate and reasonable response, especially since the authorities possess unlimited means of information and propaganda.

There has never been a leader of a more or less democratic state in the world who was not labeled a traitor by his political opponents. It may seem surprising if, for example, I recall that at one time even outstanding US presidents such as Roosevelt were declared traitors by their political opponents for ceding Eastern European countries to the Soviet Union, Trumanfor not preventing the communistization of China, and Clintonfor weakening his country's military power due to courtship with Russia. None of them spat in the face of those who labeled them as traitors, but counteredpersonally or by their supportersall such accusations with valid arguments.

Now let's return to the unforgivable act of infamous Alen Simonyan, the head of the only instance endowed with the primary mandate of Armenia. By the way, unforgivable is not just a word in this case, but under it, it is assumed that the National Assembly, and, first of all, the latters Civil Contract Faction, in order not to lose its standing before the people once and for all, is obligated to launch the matter of Alen Simonyan's dismissal [as NA speaker]. I am not exaggerating at all. His action is the biggest damage done to the standing of our statehood, which can be eliminated only at the price of the latters removal from office. This is the only way to restore the honor of our people before the international community.

I call on all the media to disseminate this article, and to our entire society, political forcesto join this initiative; moreover, not at all through mass events, demonstrations, marches, but purely legal means."
Speaker of the Republic of Armenia National Assembly (RA NA), Alen Simonyan, on Tuesday received a delegation led by Marian Kery, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Council (parliament) of Slovakia.

Alen Simonyan noted that this year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Armenia and Slovakia, and our country is concerned about expanding cooperation with Slovakia in all spheres of mutual interest, the NA informs Armenian News-NEWS.am.

Addressing the Committee Chairman, the RA NA President marked his personal contribution to the adoption of two resolutions on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in Slovak Parliament in 2020 and 2021. Those resolutions contain important requirements against Azerbaijan: release Armenian prisoners of war, protect the Armenian cultural heritage on the territories under the control of Azerbaijan.

Speaking about interparliamentary cooperation of Slovakia, the parties expressed conviction that the Government formed after the Slovak parliamentary elections this year will continue to actively promote the development of relations between Armenia and Slovakia.

The RA NA President noted that he is waiting for the upcoming visit of the Speaker of the Slovak Parliament to Armenia.

Issues regarding the security situation in the region were discussed at the meeting. Conversation was held about the consequences of the Lachin corridor crisis at this moment, the rights of Artsakh Armenians.

Armenia has no territorial demands against its neighbors. Despite all the challenges, we have adopted the path of democracy and remain committed to our agenda of achieving peace. We are firm in our choice and expect the support of our international partners, the RA NA President mentioned.

Marian Kery noted that in the period of conflicts and unfinished wars, small countries should support each other. He stated that the achievements of Armenian democracy, which were further strengthened as a result of the last elections, cannot be doubted. He underscored that they are well informed about the Lachin crisis and can clearly say that it is not a matter of environmentalists at all, as the Azerbaijani side initially tried to present, and expressed willingness to show consistency in promoting the solution of the issue.
The latest bulletin of the Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) government has publicized the statistics of the 114th day of the ongoing blockade by Azerbaijan.

According to Samvel Shahramanyan, the head of Khnapat village, the entire area between Khnapat and Khramort villages, 142 hectares, remain completely uncultivated because agricultural machinery cannot approach these areas. And upon approaching, the Azerbaijani side opens fire immediately at workers. For the same reason, the spring planting works are not finished yet.

It is worth noting, Azerbaijani units situated in the occupied territories of Artsakh have been regularly firing upon farmers working in different settlements of Artsakh. This is a continuous terror policy implemented by Azerbaijan preventing villagers to use agricultural machinery in their fields which can have serious consequences for the countrys agriculture and food security.

Update of daily statistics

About 1,000 people have been deprived of the opportunity to receive necessary medical treatment due to suspension of planned surgeries in all medical facilities of Artsakh.

As of today, 252 patients have been transferred from Artsakh to Armenia to receive appropriate medical care with the mediation and accompaniment of the International Committee of the Red Cross. Due to the Red Cross not having an ambulance and only being able to transport patients with an ordinary vehicle, it is not possible to transport patients needing to lay down because Azerbaijan has obstructed the movement of Artsakh ambulances.

Around 3,900 people, including 570 children, have been separated from their homes as a result of the blockade, however, some have already returned home with the assistance of the Red Cross and Russian peacekeepers.

No citizen traveled freely along the Stepanakert-Goris highway, and the number of two-way movement of people along the Stepanakert-Goris highway decreased by about 184 times (1,521 entries and exits instead of 279,300 in 114 days), and took place only with the support of the Red Cross and Russian peacekeepers.

Not a single car of Artsakh citizens passed through the blocked road, and almost 46 times less vehicle movement was recorded on the Lachin Corridor than it would have been without the blockade (instead of 104,880 in 114 days, 2,297 vehicles, exclusively those of the Red Cross and Russian peacekeepers, entered and exited)

About 12 times less vital goods were imported than should have been due to the blockade (3,948 tons instead of about 45,600 tons in 114 days have been delivered and only exclusively by the Red Cross and Russian peacekeepers).

During the blockade, Azerbaijan completely or partially interrupted the sole gas supply into Artsakh for a total of 44 days, and electricity supply has been completely disrupted for 81 days. This has led to six-hour daily blackouts and additional emergency shutdowns, resulting in many facilities closing or curtailing operations.

782 business entities (18.3% of the total) have suspended their activities due to the impossible operating conditions under the blockade, while the remaining operate partially or with state support.

At estimated 9,800 people (including state-supported temporary work placements and more than 50% of private sector workers) have lost jobs and sources of income as a result of the impact on the economy from the blockade and disruptions of vital infrastructure.

Construction work of 32.6 kilometers of roads, tens of kilometers of water lines, irrigation systems for thousands of hectares of land, 3,717 apartments, and more than 40 social and industrial infrastructures have been stopped.

During the blockade, the economy of the Republic of Artsakh suffered a loss of around 220 million US dollars, leading to decline of the predicted annual GDP index (903 million dollars) by more than 24 percent.
Xiplomacy: Deepen China-Malaysia cooperation for new chapter in ties

Xinhua) 07:59, April 04, 2023

BEIJING, April 3 (Xinhua) -- At the invitation of the Chinese leadership, Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim attended the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2023 and paid an official visit to China from March 29 to April 1.

It has been Anwar's first visit to China since he took office in November 2022. It is also an important visit to push forward bilateral cooperation on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the China-Malaysia comprehensive strategic partnership.

China and Malaysia have a long-standing friendship, and next year will mark the 50th anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic ties.

For years, the two sides have worked closely to advance high-quality Belt and Road cooperation and made joint efforts to reach a consensus on building a China-Malaysia community with a shared future, so as to benefit the two peoples.

BELT &ROAD COOPERATION

As one of the first countries to respond to the Belt and Road Initiative, Malaysia has since reaped a bumper harvest.

Chee Mun Yan, a 30-year-old Malaysian Chinese, has lately realized a dream. She took her mother to experience the MRT 2, the second Mass Rapid Transit line in Klang Valley, Malaysia.

Chee joined the China Railway Group Limited in Malaysia in 2016 upon graduation and is currently an environmental manager. For the past few years, she has worked with her colleagues on the construction of Bandar Malaysia North station, Bandar Malaysia South station, and related twin tunnels, key points along MRT 2, to manage any potential worksite pollution.

On March 16, MRT 2 started operation. On the first train launched, Chee walked through the crowd to the front compartment with her mother hand in hand, and explained to her mother the station projects she had participated in. Amid the praises for MRT 2 from passengers, Chee felt very proud.

Due to the Belt and Road Initiative, more and more Chinese enterprises are investing and doing business in Malaysia, which not only facilitates the upgrading of local infrastructure and directly benefits people's livelihood, but also brings advanced technology and management experience to the local people.

Brahim Bin Senik, head of a village in Dungun District, Terengganu State, has recently made frequent visits to a construction site near his village. The taller the bridge piers grow, the sooner his dream will come true.

"These bridge piers are built for the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL). After completion, the trains can travel directly across the Dungun River. We all look forward to this day coming soon," said the 59-year-old man, with joy in his eyes, showing a map that marks the ECRL line.

"Our village is only 2 km away from the station. I hope to travel to Kuala Lumpur with my villagers by this train," he said.

The ECRL, Malaysia's mega rail project with a total planning length of over 600 km, is being built by China Communications Construction Company. The rail link is expected to greatly enhance connectivity and bring more balanced growth to the country by linking its less-developed region on the east coast to the economic heartland on the west coast.

Malaysian Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook, who has made multiple visits to China, stressed repeatedly in an exclusive interview with Xinhua the significance of Belt and Road cooperation for Malaysia.

Loke said that Malaysia's transport industry, including important projects such as the ECRL and MRT 2, has renewed its vitality thanks to the participation of Chinese enterprises.

"The ECRL is a project of strategic significance. After completion, it will promote economic and industrial development along the eastern coast, and at the same time connect the east coast with Port Klang, Malaysia's main port," he said.

DEEPENING FRIENDSHIP

China and Malaysia have a long history of friendly exchanges. The story that Chinese navigator Zheng He from the Ming Dynasty and his fleet visited Malacca five times in his seven voyages is well-known in Malaysia and has become an exemplar in the history of China-Malaysia exchanges. Since establishing diplomatic relations in 1974, the two countries have been sharing weal and woe and forging ahead hand in hand.

In 2014, a giant panda couple named "Xing Xing" and "Liang Liang" came to Malaysia on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Adored by the Malaysian public, the panda family has accustomed to eating bamboo produced in Malaysia and can understand a little local language. For Akmal and his colleagues, who spent nine years taking care of the pandas, they have already become one of their family members.

Besides China's national treasure the giant panda, Chinese culture, represented by the Chinese language and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), is also gaining popularity among non-Chinese ethnic groups in Malaysia.

Just a few days ago, the second China-Malaysia Intervarsity Chinese Debate Competition concluded, and students from 26 well-known universities and colleges in China and Malaysia exchanged ideas and enhanced mutual understanding over debate topics in education, science and technology, ecology, and other fields.

In Chinese schools in Malaysia, non-Chinese students accounted for over 20 percent of the total. In a TCM diagnosis and treatment center in Kuala Lumpur, a Malay female physician Amiera said that more and more non-Chinese students are enrolled in TCM courses.

Since 2009, TCM education in Malaysia has gradually changed from privately-run education to government-approved higher education. There are now eight universities and colleges providing TCM courses taught in both Chinese and English.

NEW MOMENTUM FOR DEVELOPMENT

Located in the capital city Kuantan of Pahang state and launched in 2013, Malaysia-China Kuantan Industrial Park (MCKIP) is a key Belt and Road cooperation project and a demonstration base for cross-border industrial capacity cooperation. The MCKIP, together with the China-Malaysia Qinzhou Industrial Park situated in China, has set an innovative example of bilateral economic cooperation under the model of "Two Countries, Twin Parks."

For the past decade, President Xi Jinping has been following the construction and development of the twin industrial parks. When meeting with Anwar in Beijing on Friday, Xi called on the two sides to continue to raise the level of high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, advance key projects, foster growth areas in the digital economy, green development and new energy, and explore cooperation on people's livelihoods so that China-Malaysia relations will bring more benefits to the two peoples.

Lu Yong, executive deputy general manager of Beibu Gulf Holding (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, told Xinhua that with the care and promotion of the two countries' leaders, the MCKIP ushered in a historic development opportunity.

Now, the MCKIP has completed the development of about 10 out of its 12 square km of planned areas. It has signed 12 projects with contractual investments and actual investments totalling 46 billion yuan (6.7 billion U.S. dollars) and 12 billion yuan (1.7 billion dollars) respectively. Some 15,000 temporary and 5,000 long-term jobs were created.

Under the strategic guidance of the two countries' leaders, cooperation in trade, science and technology, culture, and other fields has achieved fruitful results.

In 2022, two-way trade reached a record high of 203.6 billion dollars, up by 15.3 percent year on year. China has been Malaysia's largest trading partner for 14 consecutive years.

Oh Ei Sun, principal advisor for Malaysia's Pacific Research Center, said that Anwar's visit to China is a further deepening and broadening of the very close relationship between the two sides, voicing hope that China will lead the regional economy to regain development vitality.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Former President Donald Trump appears in court for his arraignment, April 4, 2023, in New York. Trump surrendered to authorities ahead of his arraignment on criminal charges stemming from a hush money payment to a porn actor during his 2016 campaign. (Timothy A. Clary/AP)

NEW YORK  A small park built on a site that was once a swampy, sewage-filled pond was ground zero for the frenzy surrounding former President Donald Trumps surrender Tuesday at a courthouse in Lower Manhattan.

Hundreds of onlookers, protesters, journalists and a few politicians swarmed into the confines of Collect Pond Park across the street from the criminal courthouse, where Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts. Ultimately, though, hardly anyone got a glimpse of Trump: He entered and left the courthouse out of view of demonstrators gathered in the park.

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The crowd was small, by the standards of New York City protests, which routinely draw thousands. And fears that unruly mobs might force police to shut down swaths of the city proved to be unfounded, with security measures mostly disappearing within a couple of blocks.

But within the park and the surrounding sidewalks, there was plenty of chaos.

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Metal barricades separated Trump supporters from anti-Trump protesters, and police stepped in to break up small skirmishes. Journalists, some of whom had taken turns waiting in line all night to reserve a coveted seat in the courtroom, pressed in on notable figures who appeared.

Demonstrators gather outside New York criminal court, April 4, 2023, in New York. (Yuki Iwamura/AP)

Whistles and jeers from anti-Trump protesters nearly drowned out remarks by U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Georgia Republican, who had come to support Trump. But she drew cheers from the pro-Trump contingent before making a fast exit as journalists jostled for position around her.

Also on hand to support Trump was U.S. Rep. George Santos, the besieged Republican congressman facing multiple investigations into lies about his biography that he told while running for office.

Im not here for the cameras, he insisted to reporters. I want to support the president, just because I think this is unprecedented, and its a bad day for democracy.

The crowds grew larger in the moments leading up to Trumps arrival at the courthouse to become the first president or former president in U.S. history to face criminal charges.

But the energy of the crowd faded as the hours passed Tuesday, and after it was clear Trump had departed, the park started to empty out quickly.

New York police had said they were ready for large protests by Trump supporters, who share the Republican former presidents belief that the New York grand jury indictment and three additional pending investigations are politically motivated and intended to weaken his bid to retake the White House in 2024.

A few hundred did show up to support Trump on Tuesday, waving Trump flags and wearing Make America Great Again hats.

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But security was loose enough in the neighborhood that plenty of passers-by walked through the park just to see what was going on.

Supporters of former President Donald Trump demonstrate in Collect Pond Park across from Manhattan Criminal Court, where former President Donald Trump is expected to be arraigned Tuesday, in Manhattan, April 4, 2023. (Ahmed Gaber/The New York Times)

One woman went through what looked like a Tai Chi routine, steadfastly ignoring the reporters.

At one point, a tour guide led a group of tourists through the area. The guide stopped to take photos of the scene, then continued on. Others lingered after wandering near the large pack of journalists.

Kyle Heath, 37, from Carmel, Indiana, was in the city for a family vacation that had been planned for some time. He walked through the park amid the throngs of journalists, taking it all in.

We wanted to come down and kind of witness what was going on, and say that we were as close to it as we could be, Heath said. In Indiana, we dont have this much excitement.

In the late 1700s, Collect Pond Park was the site of a small body of water that had become an open sewer as the city grew. It was filled in in the early 1800s, but for decades was part of Manhattans notorious Five Points slum, known for gang warfare.

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Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green (R-GA) talks to supporters of former U.S. President Donald Trump outside the District Attorney's office in New York on April 4, 2023. (Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images)

A different sort of tension ran high around the courthouse and park Tuesday as news media jostled for position. Television networks hired security personnel who pushed people away. Some reporters had begun lining up for a seat in the courtroom on Monday afternoon, and stayed there all night or paid others to hold their place.

A small skirmish erupted when anti-Trump protesters unfurled a large banner that read TRUMP LIES ALL THE TIME in the middle of a Trump supporters. Police quickly diffused the scene.

I think its very important. I think its very symbolic, you know, it shows that at least in New York with the DA that no man is above the law, said Gregory Williams, 57, who showed up with a life- size cutout of Hillary Clinton and a handmade sign saying Lock Him Up.

Associated Press writer Paul J. Weber in Austin, Texas, contributed to this report.
The North Atlantic Alliance will do everything possible so that Sweden becomes a full member of NATO after Finland. This was stated Tuesday by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

"Im confident that it will happen," he said before the meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels, during which the solemn ceremony of Finland's membership in the alliance will take place. The country will become the 31st member of this organization.

Earlier, Stoltenberg stated that Sweden's NATO membership may take weeks or months. So far, the accession of Sweden has not been ratified by two members of the alliance, Hungary and Turkey. Ankara, in particular, accuses the Swedish government of insufficiently active fight against Kurdish extremists, which is one of the conditions of ratification. Stoltenberg noted that he talked with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on that topic, and he assured that there will be progress in the near future.

Reflecting on Finland's membership in NATO, Stoltenberg stated that the alliance will not station military personnel of other member countries on Finnish territory without the consent of Helsinki. He also noted that the matter of establishing permanent NATO bases in Finland is not yet discussed in the negotiations with the country.
Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region Masrour Barzani and Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani on Tuesday signed an agreement to resume the Regions oil exports, calling the deal important for all components of the Iraqi state, Rudaw reported.

Barzani arrived in Baghdad on Tuesday morning, accompanied by a high-level delegation of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), where he met with Iraqi Oil Minister Hayyan Abdul Ghani, Prime Minister Sudani, and President Abdul Latif Rashid.

This agreement is temporary, but all its principles will be reflected in the federal budget and the oil and [natural] gas law," Prime Minister Barzani told Rudaw, adding that halting the Regions oil exports impacts Iraq as a whole, not just the Region.

The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) arbitration court ruled on March 23 that Turkey had breached a 1973 pipeline agreement that obliges the Turkish government to abide by instructions issued by Iraq regarding the transport of crude oil exported from Iraq.
Speaker of the Republic of Armenia National Assembly (RA NA), Alen Simonyan, on Tuesday received a delegation led by Bjorn Soder, Head of the Sweden-Armenia Friendship Group of the Swedish parliament. Welcoming the guests, Alen Simonyan noted that he is glad also to see our compatriot Arin Karapet in the delegation.

The NA President highly appreciated the continuous support of Sweden in the reforms being implemented in Armenia, adding that Sweden is also one of the important partners in the context of Armenia-EU relationship. Alen Simonyan congratulated Bjorn Soder on Swedens taking over the presidency in the Council of the European Union, expressing conviction that it will promote the establishment of peace in the South Caucasus.

The sides documented the importance of the activities of the friendship groups in the development of Armenia-Sweden parliamentary ties, as well as the boosting of contacts between the two countries.

In this context the RA NA President expressed gratitude to Sweden-Armenia Friendship Group for statements made on condemning the Azerbaijani military aggression, the Lachin corridor blockade, the imperative of repatriation of Armenian prisoners of war held in Azerbaijan, as well as murders of Armenian prisoners of war by the Azerbaijani armed forces.

Presenting the situation at this moment, the RA NA President noted that the withdrawal of the Azerbaijani armed forces from the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia and the prevention of the further aggressive actions is a problem of priority, emphasizing the support shown by Sweden in the deployment of the EU Civilian Observation Mission.

It is very important that the international community increases the pressure on Bakuto stop the anti-Armenian policy. We speak up about the necessity of the application of the sanctions against Azerbaijan, and we expect the addressed responses of our international colleagues, Alen Simonyan concluded.
We must remember the victims. We have no right to forget the tragedy that happened to the Armenian people. We must continue the proof work for future generations. The chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Council (parliament) of Slovakia, Marian Kery, made such a note in the Book of Honored Guests of the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute.

The delegation led by him on Tuesday visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial in Yerevan, the National Assembly of Armenia informs Armenian News-NEWS.am.

The members of the delegation laid a wreath and flowers at the Eternal Flame perpetuating the memory of the victims of the Armenian Genocide, and silently honored the Holy Martyrs of this tragedy.

Also, the Slovak MPs toured the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute.
Despite a prearranged agreement, Azerbaijani government agents posing as "eco-activists" blocked the passage of vehicles of the Russian peacekeeping forces carrying civilians near Shushi - a blocked section of the Goris-Stepanakert highway. Ombudsman of Artsakh Gegham Stepanyan writes about it on his Facebook page.

"On April 4 at about 15:30, 27 civilians, including elderly, children, and people with disabilities, who have been separated from their families for several months, in accordance with the agreement reached with the Russian side and accompanied by Russian peacekeepers, left the city of Goris of the Republic of Armenia for Stepanakert. Despite a prearranged agreement, Azerbaijani government agents posing as "eco-activists" blocked the passage of vehicles of the Russian peacekeeping forces carrying civilians near Shushi - a blocked section of the Goris-Stepanakert highway. As a result, citizens stayed in that area for about 5 hours. After fruitless negotiations between the Russian side and the Azerbaijanis, the vehicles are now returning to Goris.

According to obtained facts, some Azerbaijanis even broke into one of the cars. During the negotiations, the well-being of 4 civilians worsened, and 3 of them fainted. Accompanied by Russian peacekeepers, they were taken to the Republican Medical Center of Stepanakert. Other 23 civilians are returning to Goris.

From the first day of the 114-day blockade, the Azerbaijani side has announced on various platforms that the road is open for the transportation of civilians and cargo, directly questioning not only the valid claims of the Armenian side but also the positions and statements of many international actors, the reality recorded by the ICJ decision of February 22, 2023.

Todays incident proves once again the whole essence of the false and fabricated claims of the Azerbaijani leadership, the behavior of obvious and undisguised lying and misleading the international community.

Moreover, by allowing the exit of people from Artsakh in various ways, but prohibiting entry, the Azerbaijani authorities are openly implementing a policy of ethnic cleansing, as Ilham Aliyev once again admitted in his statement on January 10.

It has long been obvious that the only reason for the insolent behavior of the Azerbaijani side, the ignorance of the calls of the international community, and the failure to comply with the decision of the International Court of Justice is the created permissiveness, the disdain shown towards the peacekeeping mission and the lack of targeted and practical punitive actions by all interested international actors.

At the moment, hundreds of civilians in the city of Goris and other communities of RA are simply deprived of the opportunity to reunite with their families. The Azerbaijani side, taking advantage of the atmosphere of permissiveness, does not cooperate on this matter with the Russian peacekeepers, the International Committee of the Red Cross, or other international institutions",- he writes.
Growing up, most children remember playing outside with their friends or going to the playground, but for brothers Reggie and Richard de Villiers, their playground in the early 1980s was the Otto G. Richter Library on the University of Miamis Coral Gables Campus.

Our parents and our aunt came to Miami from Cuba with nothing and with no other family, so when we were in grade school, there was limited money for after-school care and no other family members to look after us because both our parents had to work, said Reggie de Villiers.

Fortunately for us, our mother, Mercedes, was part of a group of Cuban women hired by the University in the mid-1960s to work in the library. She worked in the cataloging department while our aunt worked in the binding department. Its a job my mother held for 46 years before retiring at age 81. Unfortunately, she passed away two years later, he said.

Gladys Gomez-Rossie was part of that same group of Cuban women. She has been at the library ever since, marking 56 years in May. It was a time period that the University was opening its doors and offering jobs to those arriving from Cuba in the 1960s, said Gomez-Rossie. It just so happened that many of the Cuban women ended up in the library, and then they would tell their friends, and they would get jobs, and it just grew and grew. We were all in a new country, without our family, so our co-workers at the library became our family. And we looked out for one another and especially for Mercy and her boys.

Mercedes de Villiers with Gladys Gomez-Rossie.

The young children would show up at the library every day after school, do their homework, and then hang around until their mom finished work. Even though she instilled the golden rule in them, it didnt always work out so well.

We tried to be respectful because my mother drummed into us how lucky we were to have a place to go after school, but in the end, we were boys and occasionally prone to mischief, recalled Richard de Villiers, who is the older brother by three years. We were the only little kids running around the library. I can remember sailing our handmade paper boats in the fountain inside the library at the time. We grew up at that library. We lived two blocks from the University, so it literally became our whole world. We even learned to swim at the University pool.

Their connection as youngsters didnt end there; the two would eventually take advantage of the tuition remission benefits for employees and get their degrees from the UniversityReggie in finance and Richard in political science.

Reggie has gone on to a career in investment banking, while Richard has enjoyed a long tenure working for Miami-Dade County at PortMiami. But despite their success, neither has ever forgotten their library roots, and now they are paying it forward.

My mother left her family behind in Cuba, so the Richter library became her family, said Reggie. She was part of an extraordinary generation of Cuban women who made such a difference at the library that I wanted to find a way to honor their contributions.

Reggie made a generous gift to create the University Libraries Archives Management Endowment. It will support a processing archivist position in the Manuscripts and Archives Management Department to primarily work with the librarys Cuban Heritage Collection (CHC). One of the worlds largest repositories of Cuban culture, the CHC was established by the same generation of extraordinary Cuban women.

Reggie de Villiers gift honors not just his mother, Mercedes de Villiers, but in fact the dedication and professionalism of an entire generation of Cuban Americans, said Charles Eckman, dean and University librarian. Their work across the libraries in the acquisition, cataloging, access services, reference, preservation, and other departments was an important contributor to the University of Miami Libraries emergence as a major research library during the 1970s and 1980s.

In recognition of the gift, the colonnade in the library will be named the Mercedes V. de Villiers Colonnade. In addition, a plaque will be installed in the library that pays tribute to the legacy of this extraordinary group of women. My brother and I owe everything we are to our parents, and this gift ties in to why we are here and able to give back to the University and the library that made us who we are today, said Richard.

Reggie currently serves as a member and incoming chair of the Deans Advisory Council, which he said defies imagination. I would never imagine as a little kid running around the library that I would one day be back advising the dean of the library and playing a role in this way, he said. It is truly remarkable. From even before we were born to this very day, the University and the Richter Library have touched every single facet of our lives.
Beijing warns against Tsai-McCarthy meeting

Beijing says a meeting between Tsai Ing-Wen and Kevin McCarthy would not be in the common interests of the Chinese and American people. File photo: AP

The Chinese consulate general in Los Angeles on Tuesday said any meeting between Taiwans Tsai Ing-wen and US House speaker Kevin McCarthy would be a violation of the One-China principle.



The statement comes after the top Republican from California confirmed he would meet Tsai on Wednesday.



A spokesman from the consulate general said the meeting between the two would not be conducive to regional peace, security and stability.



The consulate added it would not in the common interests of the people of China and the United States.



Tsai plans to stop over in the United States on her return from Central America, where she has met the leaders of Guatemala and is visiting Belize before meeting McCarthy.



The speakers office said on Monday the "bipartisan" meeting will take place at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, just outside Los Angeles. (Reuters/AFP)
Beijing [China], April 4 (ANI/PRNewswire): LiveVideoStackCon, an audio-visual event, was held in Beijing from March 31 to April 1. Meishe Co., Ltd. participated in the conference for the sixth year running as one of the representative enterprises, displaying its leading accomplishments in AIGC and digital human. Ruiquan Zhang, Senior AI Algorithm Specialist at the R&D Center of Meishe, attended the event and shared his insights into the rapid implementation of digital content production. The Meishe R&D team can create virtual videos devoid of actual objects using computer vision, image processing, and deep learning thanks to a method called virtual video synthesis. Voice-driven, action-driven, and face-changing technologies are now the three main types of video generation. Zhang evaluated the advantages and disadvantages of several approaches in depth and presented the technological principles of expression and mouth prediction, 3D face rendering, and face synthesis. Zhang's team has come up with a relatively mature technical solution to achieve realistic virtual video synthesis effects and developed a variety of applications that quickly generate digital human images. The operator only needs to upload a photo or a video, enter the preset text content, and the system automatically generates the corresponding digital human image with a realistic voice. GLB file stores information about the 3D model in binary format, including node levels, cameras, materials, animations and meshes. When generating a digital human figure in GLB file, it can be converted to Meicam's self-developed 3D file format ".ARSCENE", and driven by Meicam SDK for real-time rendering on different platforms. Zhang's team focuses on two directions in ChatGPT. One is the digital voice assistant. This combines the voice interaction system and hybrid semantic understanding capacity of ChatGPT to provide better responses to open-ended questions from users. The second option combines ChatGPT, video editing, and digital human. Users only need to enter one sentence, and the system can return the split script via ChatGPT and extract the necessary tags from it. It then uses that information to intelligently find the appropriate clips in the media databank, and users can choose to use the template. So far, Meishe AIGC digital human solution has been integrated into a number of brands and has created outstanding application results in products for smart cars, smart watches, smartphones, social media, etc. This story has been provided by PRNewswire. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/PRNewswire)
Austin Butler will star in 'City on Fire', an adaptation of Don Winslow's novel from Sony 3000 Pictures, reported Deadline, a US-based media company. This will be Butler's first film as producer, alongside David Heyman and Shane Salerno. This deal marks Butler's return to Sony pictures, where he had first breakout as Tex in the Quentin Tarantino-directed 'Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.' 'City on Fire' is the first title in a novel trilogy, so it's expected that Butler will have another prominent franchise to his credit after starring in the Baz Luhrmann-directed 'Elvis'. As per Deadline, the novel takes elements of The Iliad, Odyssey, Aeneid and Greek tragic dramas and places them in a world of contemporary crime. The first installment was published in April 2022, and the second book in the trilogy, City of Dreams, will be published April 18. The trilogy focuses on two criminal empires -- one Irish, the other Italian -- that control all of New England. A modern-day Helen of Troy event tears them apart and starts a brutal war. Butler will play the main character, Danny Ryan, forced to grow from a street soldier into a ruthless leader to protect his friends, his family and the home he loves. Fighting the Mafia, the local cops, Danny intends to build a dynasty or die trying. 3000 head Elizabeth Gabler said: "We are elated that venerable producer David Heyman, alongside Austin Butler, will join forces with Shane Salerno to make Don Winslow's spectacular trilogy, starting with 'City on Fire'. Don is an iconic novelist and a true master of the genre of suspenseful crime fiction and has created one of the most memorable modern-day heroes in Danny Ryan, the complex and compelling protagonist of this trilogy. It is a dream come true to envision Austin, with his uniquely brilliant and charismatic talent, bringing this character and story to cinematic life." Butler will next be seen in 'Dune: Part Two', the Jeff Nichol-directed 'The Bikeriders' and Apple TV's miniseries 'Masters of Air'. The latter continues the tapestry of WWII soldier tales that started with 'Band of Brothers' and 'The Pacific'. The limited series is executive produced by Steven Spielberg and Playtone's Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman. (ANI)
A big UK Biobank research published in the open-access journal BMJ Open Respiratory Research reveals that poor quality sleep may increase a person's genetic predisposition to asthma, potentially doubling their chance of being diagnosed with the illness. A healthy sleep pattern seems to be linked to a lower risk of asthma, prompting the researchers to suggest that spotting and treating sleep disorders early on might lessen the risks, irrespective of genetic predisposition. People with asthma often report sleep disturbances, including broken/short sleep and insomnia. But it's not clear if sleep quality itself might influence asthma risk, or whether healthy sleep patterns might lessen this risk, say the researchers. In a bid to find out, they drew on 455,405 UK Biobank participants who were between 38 and 73 years old when enrolled between 2006 and 2010. Participants were asked about their sleep patterns, based on five specific traits: early or late chronotype ('morning lark' or 'night owl'); sleep duration; insomnia; snoring; and excessive daytime sleepiness. A healthy sleep pattern was defined as early chronotype; clocking up 7-9 hours of sleep every night; never or rare insomnia; no snoring; and no frequent daytime sleepiness. Based on their responses, 73,223 people met the criteria for a healthy sleep pattern; 284,267 an intermediate sleep pattern; and 97,915 a poor sleep pattern. The genetic make-up of all UK Biobank participants is routinely mapped, and a genetic asthma risk score for each of the 455,405 people in this study was drawn up according to the number of genetic variants associated with asthma in their genome. Around 1 in 3 participants were classified as 'high' genetic risk (150,429) and another third (151,970) as 'intermediate' risk. The remainder were classified as 'low' risk. Participants' respiratory health was tracked up to the date of an asthma diagnosis, death, or until 31 March 2017, whichever came first. During a monitoring period of just under 9 years, 17,836 people were diagnosed with asthma. They were more likely to have potentially influential risk factors than those who weren't diagnosed with the condition. These were: lower levels of education and a greater likelihood of unhealthy sleep traits and patterns; obesity; higher genetic asthma risk scores; higher levels of smoking and drinking; high blood pressure, diabetes, depression, acid reflux; and greater exposure to air pollution. Some 7,105 people at high genetic risk of asthma and 5,748 at intermediate genetic risk were diagnosed with the condition during the monitoring period. Compared with those at low genetic risk, those with the highest risk were 47% more likely to be diagnosed with asthma, while those with a poor sleep pattern were 55% more likely. But people at high genetic risk who also reported poor sleep patterns were 122% more likely to be diagnosed with asthma than those with both a healthy sleep pattern and a low genetic risk--in other words, they were more than twice as likely to be diagnosed with asthma. All five sleep traits were independently associated with lower risks for asthma, with never/rare insomnia and sleep duration of 7-9 hours a night seemingly the most influential, with risk reductions of 25% and 20%, respectively. Further in-depth analysis on a smaller group of people indicated that a healthy sleep pattern might reduce the risk of asthma in those at high genetic risk by 37%, suggesting that a healthy sleep pattern might help offset asthma risk, regardless of genetic susceptibility, say the researchers. In theory, at the population level, a low genetic risk combined with a healthy sleep pattern might translate into 19% fewer cases of asthma, suggest the researchers. The association between sleep and asthma may be two-way, they suggest, offering some possible explanations for their findings. "The negative impact of sleep disorders on asthma, which is generally considered a chronic inflammatory disease, might be mediated by sleep-induced chronic inflammation. Previous studies have demonstrated that sleep disorders, such as unfavourable sleep duration and insomnia, are associated with chronic inflammation. "In theory, the immune response to inflammation could generate pro-inflammatory cytokines that result in cellular infiltration and airway inflammation, further increasing the risk of asthma," they write. This is an observational study, and as such can't establish cause, and the researchers acknowledge several limitations to their findings. As the UK Biobank only provided information on 38-73 year olds, the effect on children and younger adults is still unclear, added to which the findings apply only to people of European ancestry. Lastly, the UK Biobank may be subject to a 'healthy volunteer' selection bias. Nevertheless, the researchers conclude: "Considering that poor sleep combined with high genetic susceptibility yielded a greater than twofold asthma risk, sleep patterns could be recommended as an effective lifestyle intervention to prevent future asthma, especially for individuals with high-risk genetics." (ANI)
A very vocal protester is pictured outside Manhattan Criminal Court where Former President Donald J. Trump was being booked and criminally charged on Tuesday, April 4, 2023. (Luiz C. Ribeiro for New York Daily News)

Trump-loving Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene was largely drowned out at a rally near Manhattan Criminal Court supporting the former president before his criminal arraignment Tuesday.

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Law enforcement officers separated Trump supporters and his critics with rows of metal barricades before former President Trumps afternoon arrival as the first U.S. commander-in-chief to face criminal charges.

For all the inflamed passions, there were no arrests as of Tuesday evening.

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Happy arraignment day, said anti-Trump protester Julie DeLaurier, 66, of Brooklyn, as the crowd swelled. Lock him up.

She was among the demonstrators expressing their support for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Braggs hush money case against Trump over his alleged sexual romp with porn star Stormy Daniels, which Trump denies.

Protesters argue at the Collect Pond Park across the street from the Manhattan District Attorney's office Tuesday. (Stefan Jeremiah/AP)

The ex-presidents backers barely outnumbered his critics, with roughly 300 people combined between the two groups as they faced off. They faced off across opposite sides of Collect Pond Park near the courthouse.

USA! USA! chanted the pro-Trump crowd, while opponents responded, Lock him up! to the accompaniment of pounding drums.

The pro-Trump contingent included Greene of Georgia and fact-challenged Rep. George Santos of Long Island, both Republicans.

This is election interference, said Greene, whose arrival spawned a chaotic scene inside the park. DA Alvin Bragg, he is a tool for the Democrats, hes trying to hijack the 2024 election. This should never happen in America. ... They will come after you tomorrow.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green (R-GA) talks to supporters of former President Donald Trump outside the District Attorney's office in New York Tuesday. (ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)

Counterprotesters blew whistles and booed her as she was escorted away from a makeshift stage, although Santos received a much ruder greeting after turning up shortly before she spoke.

Youre a b---h! shouted one voice in the swelling lower Manhattan crowd. Nearby, a camouflage-wearing man waving an American flag ran through the demonstrators.

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Trump had returned Monday to New York for the unwelcome homecoming.

Protester Ricardo Varona, 62, of Manhattan, expressed his full support of the Queens-born Trump and predicted his return to the White House. Trump is seeking the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.

The indictment aint happening, Varona said. They have to find something, because they see these rallies. Hes building, hes trying to make the world better. ... Trump will be the next president. Ill vote for him.

Protestors, both for and against former President Donald Trump, are separated by barricades and NYPD officers as they face off outside Manhattan Criminal Court on Tuesday. (Andrew Schwartz/for New York Daily News)

Colton Keeng, 19, traveled to the courthouse from Orlando to support his fellow Floridian.

Its not that I have any special empathy for Trump, but the opposition party is sending the message that they can selectively prosecute, said Keeng, offering a nuanced take amid the craziness. All of them are crooks, or none of them are crooks.

DeLaurier, a registered Democrat, offered her support for President Biden before adding that the Trump prosecution was long overdue.

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He has never been accountable to the law, she said. And thats the least of it. He tried to overthrow our democracy, and hes finally seeing the inside of a courtroom. ... The man will finally be held accountable.

Ozzie Hernandez of the Lower East Side is surrounded by NYPD as he protests outside Manhattan Criminal Court before the arraignment of former President Donald Trump on April 4, 2023 in New York City. (Andrew Schwartz/for New York Daily News)

Karen Irwin, 47, came downtown from Hells Kitchen waving a large F--k Trump flag.

They believe they outnumber us and they believe they are the ones who run America, she said. This is a celebration. Were taking a tiny little win here.

And Kofia Oliveri, 67, appeared with a Daily News front page reading Trump Indicted, featuring his addition of a clown face over a photo of the former president.

Hes done so much damage, said Oliveri, who took a train north from Philadelphia on his birthday. I dont understand why it took so long. Im here to support the justice system. Im against Trump.

Pro-Trump supporters are pictured outside Manhattan Criminal Court on Tuesday. (Luiz C. Ribeiro/for New York Daily News)

Scott Lobaido, a self-described Trump-backing artist and patriot from the city, predicted the indictment would only help the ex-president as he runs for president again.

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The criminal charges will wake up the masses in this country, he warned. And the only way to fix this mess is for the radical left to pull back their reins and get us back to normal.

With Josephine Stratman and Evan Simko-Bednarski
SIT officials questioned him for about three hours and recorded his statement. They reportedly gathered information from him as to how the accused managed to access the login ID and password of the confidential section to steal question papers and leak them.

The Chairman was also reportedly asked about the functions and responsibilities of various employees in the commission. The SIT officials gathered information about the process of preparing the question papers, steps taken for their security, the procedure of conducting the exams and related matters.

The SIT had on Saturday questioned TSPSC Secretary Anita Ramchandran and member B. Linga Reddy. Main accused Praveen Kumar and co-accused Ramesh were personal assistants to Anita Ramchandran and Linga Reddy, respectively.

Meanwhile, a Nampally court has sent three of the accused in the case to the custody of SIT. The court heard a petition by the SIT for custody of Prashanth, Rajender and Tirupataiah and sent them to police custody for three days. The SIT officials will question the three accused from Tuesday.

The SIT has so far arrested 15 persons in the case apart from questioning scores of candidates who scored more than 100 marks in the Group I preliminary exam.

--IANS ms/vd

( 236 Words)

2023-04-03-22:48:04 (IANS)
The Special Cell of Delhi Police said on Monday that it has arrested two NCR-based criminals who were wanted in a murder case following a brief gun battle. The accused, who have been identified as Sanjay alias Sanju and Manjeet alias Manja, were in touch with the Lawrence Bishnoi gang to expand their network. "The accused were wanted for the murder of one of their rivals in Sonepat. They had planned to eliminate another of their rivals. The police got a tip-off that the accused would be assembling in the Narela area, following which a team was formed and a raid was conducted. "After being surrounded by the police, Sanjay fired two rounds at the police party in an attempt to flee. One bullet hit a raiding team member, but fortunately he was wearing a bullet-proof jacket," the police said. The police then launched a counter-attack and apprehended both the culprits along with arms and ammunition after a brief scuffle. One sophisticated pistol, one magazine, eleven live cartridges of 7.65 calibre and four live cartridges of .315 bore were recovered from their possession. "They confessed to killing Sunil in Sonepat, who was their rival. The duo said that they, as well as Sunil, were involved in illegal sand mining. Two months back, their tractor collided with that of the deceased who had demanded compensation for the damage. However, the issue got escalated and Sunil and his associates assaulted Sanjay and Deepak, the elder brother of Manjeet. Hence they killed Sunil," the police said. --IANS atk/arm ( 268 Words) 2023-04-03-22:48:06 (IANS)
Bahujan Samaj Party's (BSP) Telangana President R.S. Praveen Kumar has written to President Droupadi Murmu, seeking her intervention to replace Chairman and members of Telangana State Public Service commission (TSPSC) which has been rocked by a question paper leak. Praveen Kumar, a retired Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, has also requested the her to order a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the question paper leak scandal. He argued that the Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted by the state government is not at all competent to investigate such a serious scandal. Not much can be expected from the SIT which reports to the Chief Minister whose office itself is under the cloud of suspicion, he wrote. The press briefing by the Chief Minister's son K.T. Rama Rao on behalf of the TSPSC and SIT is further adding strength to the suspicion that SIT is formed by the government only to save the actual perpetrators who are holding high offices from prosecution and punish only the small fry and give the case unceremonious burial, he alleged. This is precisely the reason why the BSP is requesting for an investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which has a proven track record of successfully investigating such scandals in the country since independence, he added. He also wrote that the future of lakhs of job aspirants is at stake now with the ongoing scandalous paper leakage/selling of the prestigious Group-I, AEE, AE and 15 other examinations notified by the TSPSC in the last several years. "It's a matter of shame on the part of the TSPSC which is constituted under Article 315 of the Constitution to indulge in such illegal and criminal activities with active collusion of the ruling party," he said. The entire affairs of TSPSC exams ended up as a scandal of gigantic proportions, where most of the question papers with master answer keys were leaked to the insiders and their relatives working in the commission for several years. This spine-chilling episode has compromised the integrity of the selection process and caused immense harm to the aspirations of millions of job seekers, reads the letter. Stating that the TSPSC, which is the prime accused in this scandal, is going ahead with recruitment schedules at the behest of the government, he demanded that TSPSC Chairman and members be replaced with most competent and reputed persons. "An independent inquiry by the CBI is not only crucial but also urgent, because there is very chance that critical evidence that can nail prime accused may either be destroyed or the lives of suspects who have been arrested so far will be endangered as they hold the crucial secrets of the unholy nexus among the ruling party, the CMO and the commission," Praveen Kumar claimed. He demanded that all recent TSPSC examinations be reconducted, all upcoming ones be postponed until the Commission is completely overhauled, the recruitment process is thoroughly insulated from extraneous influences and all guilty are made to feel the full weight of law. He also demanded that the entire functioning of the TSPSC may thoroughly be probed into by a sitting Supreme Court judge to avoid such serious embarrassment in future. --IANS ms/vd ( 547 Words) 2023-04-03-23:28:04 (IANS)
Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Tuesday, hit out at the Bharatiya Janata Party-led centre accusing it of "protecting" the corrupt, stating that the conviction of corrupt was higher during the UPA rule. Taking to Twitter, the former Union Minister said, "PM to CBI: Don't spare the corrupt. March 2016: Jitender Singh told Parliament: 2013: 1136 persons convicted for corruption 2014: 993 2015: 878 2016: 71". "Conviction of the corrupt higher during UPA! Men may lie but facts do not lie Who is protecting the corrupt?" Sibal added in the tweet. Meanwhile, Sibal's remarks come a day after Prime Minister Narendra called CBI a brand of justice. Addressing the Diamond Jubilee celebrations of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Monday at Vigyan Bhawan, PM Modi said the responsibility of the CBI is to free the country from corruption. "Corruption is not a common crime, it takes away the rights of the poor and gives birth to many crimes. It is the biggest obstacle in the way of democracy and justice," he said. He further added, "People agitate to take the case from state police and hand it over to the CBI. Even at the panchayat level, people say that case should be handed over to the CBI". As India's economic power is increasing, Prime Minister said obstructions are also increasing. "Country's social fabric, unity and brotherhood, economic interests and institutions are under attack and this apparently costs corruption money. That is why we have to understand the multi nature of crime and corruption and reach to its root cause," he said. PM Modi emphasized on the usage of forensic science in investigations. He said crimes, today, are becoming global due to modern technologies. But it is also true that these technologies only can give solutions to these issues. Agencies need to further intensify the usage of forensic science in investigations. "We must find innovative ways to deal with cyber crimes; tech-enabled entrepreneurs and youngsters have a great role to play in this," he said. here had been the times of disbelief and policy paralysis in the nation. But since 2014, the primary goal of their government has been to reinstate, nurture and strengthen people's belief in the system, PM Modi said. Targeting the Opposition over the 2G scam, the Prime Minister said, "We worked in action mode against then hoarders of black money, against the corrupt, against the root causes of the corruption. We ensured utmost transparency in the systems, and the processes of allocation of 2G and 5G spectrum stand as very testimonies to this". (ANI)
Considering their contribution to economic activities and excellence in diverse fields, including sports, people across the country take pride in the women in Manipur. People should visit the Ima Market, the biggest women's market in Asia and the smaller women's markets in different districts of the State to see how women take the forefront of economic activities. Women in the state are empowered and outspoken. Their woman have strong characters and bold and two historic women's movements have taken place in the State. They stand for the welfare of the State and for their family. But again, women in the state are equally vulnerable owing to patriarchal norms. One organisation which has been playing a pivotal role in empowering women of Manipur is the Women Action for Development (WAD). Founded in 1990 by Sobita Mangsatabam, WAD became a registered organisation in 1993. Sobita holds a Master in Social Works degree and had worked in the Anganwadi centre before she founded WAD. The organisation works with the objective of improving the status of women in various aspects socially, economically, politically, health-wise etc. Sobita Mangsatabam said she started the organisation considering the issues faced by women in her society back in 1990. She felt that women were sidelined while making a decision in the family and violence against women was mostly unreported. She felt that the social structure somehow prevented the women from opening up until she takes up the bold step of working for the upliftment of women in society. In the initial stage, under the banner of the campaign for Women and Child Health, WAD started a gender awareness programme. As the state reported rape and murder cases of women, the organisation rigorously organised rallies and protests under the banner of Violence against Women. In the last 3 decades of working for the welfare of women in the state, WAD has played a pivotal role in successfully pursuing the state government to assign women inspecting officers in Police Stations, to establish a women's commission. The organisation has also demanded that the state government establish Manipur State Gender Policy. The organisation has been keeping updated on the violence against women by presenting a compilation of monthly fact files with evidence from daily newspaper reports to the Chief Minister and governor of the State. WAD had conducted advocacy programmes extensively on women's rights going to the interiors and educating women on their rights. Their missionary movement had given courage to many women in the State making them live respectable life free from fear. WAD could not remain silent when two boys Martin and Huber were mercilessly killed in 2007 after taking ransom money. Similarly, when child trafficking cases were on a rise in the Tamenglong district in 2008-09 it stood for defending human rights beyond women's issues. Presently, the organisation has many cross-cutting partners across the State. Some rallies organised by WAD against atrocities towards women and children gathered around five thousand participants. Slogans printed on T-Shirts and a banner also makes a huge impact in their rallies. The organisation also gives on-the-spot field visits to alleged suicide, death and rape cases. They charged the government with carrying genocide when Rabina a pregnant lady succumbed to bullet injury in a firing incident which turns out to be a fake encounter. They charged the then government for not taking the deceased lady to the hospital to save the child she was bearing at that time. WAD is known for voicing against the violation of human rights. Their courageous step is defining the safeguard they stood for the vulnerable people in society. Moreover, the organisation gives counselling to domestic issues when a couple comes with a complaint. At times, they also save the husband from having suicidal thoughts. In three decades of running office, they have come over several issues making them the wisdom bank of solutions and empowerment which many people sought for. WAD also works for the economic empowerment of women rape victims as a part of occupational therapy by giving them some grant money as economic support to start their small enterprises. Sobita Mangsatabam felt that in the hill districts of Manipur due to the presence of customary law women seldom seek legal help. Besides, she pointed out that due to the non-availability of DNA testing machine in Manipur, the justice delivery system in rape cases are crippled. They have been demanding the upgradation of the State forensic science lab for the last fifteen years and even cases of wrong imprisonment had taken place affecting the justice delivery system. She felt that due to slow justice delivery, people have less faith in the system and if swift justice is made more women will come out to complain about atrocities. She felt that despite their reports and case findings there are many more unreported cases of violence against women in the state. (ANI)
Training his guns at West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over the violence in the state during Ram Navami celebrations, senior advocate and BJP MP Mahesh Jethmalani on Tuesday said of all the 'pseudo-secular' parties, the "most dangerously communal" is was the Banerjee led Trinamool Congress. Jethmalani alleged that the loss of the Sagardighi assembly bypoll spurred Mamata to incite violence against Hindus during Ram Navami. "Of all the pseudo-secular parties the most dangerously communal is the #MamataBanerjee-led TMC. Not chastened by the SC transfer to the CBI of the horrendous post-poll violence cases, the mere loss of the Sagardighi assembly bypoll spurred Mamata to incite violence against Hindus during #RamNavami akin to her call to violence against BJP supporters after the 2021 Assembly," tweeted the senior advocate. The Rajya Sabha MP said the main cause of violence in the state is CM Banerjee's "mollycoddling the Muslim vote bank". "The BJP were not provocateurs on Ram Navami: Mamata's ruthless quest to cling to power by mollycoddling her Muslim vote Bank to any extent is the root cause of the continuing mayhem in W.Bengal. Pity the State," he tweeted. https://twitter.com/JethmalaniM/status/1642965474387574784 The remark comes on the heels of a fresh incident of stone-pelting in the Rishra town of Hooghly district on Monday evening, which forced Eastern Railway to suspend all local and mail express train services operating to and from Rishra railway station. Earlier, reacting to the violence in West Bengal, Leader of Opposition in the State Legislative Assembly and BJP leader, Suvendu Adhikari, alleged that while Rishra was burning, the entire state administration is enjoying a beach holiday in 'Digha'. Taking to Twitter, the BJP leader said, "Stone pelting & bombing near Rishra Railway Station forced suspension of local & express train services on the Howrah-Bardhaman Line." "After RPF's action train services now have been restored. Rishra is burning and the entire State Administration is enjoying a beach holiday in Digha," he said further in his tweet. The chief public relations officer of Eastern Railway, Kaushik Miron, said an incident of stone pelting took place at Rishra railway station. Police and rapid action force (RAF) were also deployed in the area to prevent any untoward incidents, he added. The fresh violence came a day after clashes erupted during the BJP's march in Hooghly on Sunday. The state government later issued prohibitory orders and also suspended internet services across the district. Earlier, on Thursday, several vehicles were set on fire after two groups clashed in Howrah amid Ram Navami celebrations. During the procession, rioters vandalised public and private properties while setting vehicles on fire. Following the violence in Howrah during the Ram Navami celebrations, the West Bengal government on Friday handed over the probe to Criminal Investigation Department (CID). A special team led by Inspector General of Police, CID, Sunil Choudhury has initiated an investigation. (ANI)
According to the police, the cotton bed and sofa manufacturing unit of the company caught fire.

The police said that as soon as information about the fire was received, firefighting personnel rushed to the spot.

Efforts to control the fire are underway.

The reason and time of the fire are yet to be ascertained.

Further details on the incident are awaited.

Earlier on March 14, a massive fire broke out in an old spare parts godown in Tamil Nadu's Madurai. No casualties were reported in the incident.

On March 5, one woman was charred to death while a few people sustained severe burn injuries in a fire at a firecracker shed near Sivanarpuram Village in Tamil Nadu's Cuddalore district. The injured were taken to the nearby hospital and Cuddalore Government hospital while those in the critical stage were taken to Pondicherry Jipmer Hospital. (ANI)
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday fumed over the question on Bharatiya Janata Party's allegations of Congress party "pressurising" the judiciary, and attacked the centre over the Adani issue. The former MP arrived at the All India Congress Committee (AICC) headquarters here in the national capital, for the meeting ahead of the next list of party candidates for the Karnataka Assembly elections. While reaching the AICC headquarters, Rahul was asked about the allegations put up by BJP on Congress's "pressurising" judiciary, to which he replied, "Why do you always say what BJP is saying...every time you say what BJP is saying". He further added, "There is a very simple thing. Who does the Rs 20,000 crore in the shell companies of Adani, belong to? These are benami, whose is it?" Along with him, several party leaders like DK Shivakumar, Verrappa Moily, Randeep Surjewala, DK Suresh, Priyank Kharge and Mohsina Kidwai also reached the AICC headquarters. The elections are slated to be held in Karnataka on May 10, and the counting of votes will take place on May 13. This comes after BJP attacked Rahul Gandhi for reaching the court along with many party leaders accusing it of "pressuring" the judiciary. Earlier on Monday, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi along with several senior party leaders went to the Gujarat court to file an appeal against his March 23 conviction in a criminal defamation case over his "Modi surname" remark. He was accompanied by his sister and party leader Priyanka Gandhi. Along with her, the Chief Ministers of Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Himachal Pradesh too came to the court. The court in Gujarat's Surat granted bail till the disposal of the appeal to Rahul Gandhi in the defamation case. The former MP from Wayanad was convicted and sentenced to two years in hail by the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate H H Varma on March 23 in a defamation case over his 'Modi surname' remark in 2019 in Karnataka. The matter pertains to Rahul's remarks at a rally in Karnataka's Kolar in April 2019, Rahul, in a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said, "How come all the thieves have Modi as the common surname?". Following his conviction, Rahul was disqualified as an MP on March 24, as per a Supreme Court ruling in 2013. Under the ruling, any MP or MLA stands to be disqualified automatically if convicted and sentenced to 2 years or more. (ANI)
Launching a scathing attack at the centre over the "reports" of China renaming 11 places in Arunachal Pradesh, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday said that China has renamed the country's areas for the third time. Taking to Twitter, Kharge said, "For the third time, China has dared to "rename" our areas in Arunachal Pradesh. April 21, 2017 -- 6 places, December 30, 2021 -- 15 places, April 3, 2023 -- 11 places". "Arunachal Pradesh is and will remain an integral part of India. After Galvan, the country is facing the consequences of Modi ji giving a clean chit to China," he added. This comes after China's Ministry of Civil Affairs came up with the names of 11 places in Arunachal Pradesh, which it referred to as "Zangnan, the southern part of Tibet." China released names of 11 places in Arunachal Pradesh in Chinese characters, Tibetan and pinyin according to the rules on geographical names issued by the State Council, China's cabinet, Global Times reported. The ministry announced the names of 11 places on Sunday and also gave precise coordinates, including two residential areas, five mountain peaks, two rivers and two other areas. China's Ministry of Civil Affairs also listed the category of places' names and their subordinate administrative districts, as per the news report. According to a Global Times report, this is the third batch of geographical names announced by the ministry in Arunachal Pradesh. As per the news report, the first batch of the standardized names of six places was issued in 2017, and the second batch of 15 places was released in 2021. Earlier, in December last year, the Indian government said that it has seen reports of China attempting to rename some places in Arunachal Pradesh "in its own language" and asserted that the border state has been and will always be an integral part of India." (ANI)
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Telangana state president Bandi Sanjay Kumar on Monday demanded the resignation of state education minister Sabitha Indra Reddy for the alleged question paper leak of Class 10 examination in Vikarabad. Reacting strongly to the reports of the question paper leak of Telugu subject in Class 10 examinations, Sanjay, in a statement, charged the Telangana government of failing to conduct even Class 10 examinations in a fool-proof manner without giving scope for any leakage of question papers. Holding the K Chandrasekhar Rao government responsible for the question paper leak, he said it was unfortunate that such leakage of question papers had become routine during the KCR regime. "It is shameful on the part of the KCR government to continue despite the fact that it cannot conduct even Class 10 examinations properly, which proved to be a curse for the students," he said. Sanjay also alleged that the state government was deliberately indulging in leakage of question papers to benefit some corporate and private schools. "It has miserably failed to control the usage of technology for question paper leakage," he said. He said, "The students were already under tremendous stress on writing the examination covering the entire syllabus and the leakage of question papers would add to their stress further. Such thoughtless decisions will put the lives of students in jeopardy." Demanding that the government should discuss with the legal experts and do justice to the students on the question paper leakage, Sanjay asked the government to see that at least the remaining examinations were held in a fool-proof manner in a peaceful atmosphere. "I request the students not to feel stressed out but write the examinations with a cool mind," he added. (ANI)
Hundreds of Chicago Fire Department personnel attend the visitation for fallen Chicago firefighter Jermaine Pelt at Blake-Lamb Funeral Home in Oak Lawn on April 13, 2023. Pelt died Tuesday, April 4 during a West Pullman fire. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)

A 49-year-old Chicago firefighter who walked his daughter down the aisle at her wedding last fall was killed Tuesday in a fire in the West Pullman neighborhood, fire officials said, leaving his family and fellow firefighters shaken by the loss.

Jermaine Pelt was identified as the firefighter who was fatally injured, according to Chicago Fire Department spokesperson Larry Langford said. Two other firefighters were injured.

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Pelt was born and raised in the West Pullman neighborhood, the same area where he devoted his adult life to help and save others as a firefighter, said his father, John Pelt.

On Tuesday, the grieving father said he found comfort by surrounding himself with firefighters whod worked with his son at Firehouse Engine 115 and 75, the area where Pelt served most of his 18 years in the Fire Department and where he took his last call.

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Though the family is broken by the tragedy, they are finding strength in their faith, he said.

When God calls, weve got to answer, Pelt said in front of the firehouse at 1024 W. 119th St. Last November, Jermaine Pelt had walked his only daughter down the aisle, his father said.

A 2005 photo of Chicago firefighter Jermaine Pelt. (Chicago Fire Department)

Shortly after 3:30 a.m., firefighters were called to a frame house at 12015 S. Wallace St., where a heavy fire was on the second floor and in the attic. Officials said the fire spread to homes north and south of the building and Pelt went down on a hose line.

Two adults and two children were displaced by the fire.

The youngest of four sons, Pelt was smart, ambitious and the kindest person Ive ever met, said his father.

Growing up, Pelt spent his summers working for his father, a retired Chicago Transit Authority motorman. He then became a locomotive engineer before deciding to join the Chicago Fire Department.

But he was more than just a firefighter, said Capt. Rory Ohse, who worked alongside him.

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He had a devotion to this job and this neighborhood, Ohse said. Pelt lived, worked and worshipped in West Pullman. He was also a registered nurse and a paramedic and had recently become an instructor at the citys fire academy.

Pelt graduated from Corliss High School and attended Olive-Harvey College.

Federal, state and local officials investigate the scene after Chicago firefighter Jermaine Pelt died, April 4, 2023, in an overnight fire in the 12000 block of South Wallace Street in West Pullman. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)

After the news of his death, department members decided to keep the firehouse open despite their grief because that is what Pelt would have done, Ohse said.

I want to continue doing what we do because that takes the pain away a little bit, Ohse said.

On his last Sunday there, Pelt cooked for his firehouse family: barbecued, fried and jerk chicken with cornbread.

He was a hell of a cook, Lt. David Bernicky said with a smile. Though Bernicky worked with Pelt for only a few years, he had known him for more than 15.

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Im leaving with a lot of love, Pelts father said as he turned to the firefighters who surrounded him, arms on his shoulder  the same ones who last saw his son.

Anthony Moore, who bought the property at 12017 S. Wallace in 2021, said he was in the process of fixing up the building so he could rent it out.

Moore said he got several phone calls early Tuesday from a neighbor across the street, telling him that his building caught fire after the blaze spread from the property to the north. Moore said hes still unclear on the cause, and hes waiting for an update from the Fire Department.

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I couldnt see what was going on because everything was going up in flames when I got there, Moore said Tuesday afternoon. Its a nightmare. Ive been working to finally get it (the property) together and just keep on moving, you know, get some tenants in there and keep going.

Firefighters stand at attention for a procession carrying the body of fallen Chicago firefighter Jermaine Pelt at the Cook County medical examiner's office in Chicago on April 4, 2023.

Though both the Fire Department and Moore said the fire started at 12015 S. Wallace, the owner of that property, Terry Blevens, said he believed the blaze originated at the building owned by Moore.

They probably got the address wrong, Blevens said. If it started in my building, how (did the other) building burn up, but mine didnt?

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County property records show that Blevens acquired the 12015 property in 2021. Between October 2013 and August 2015, inspectors for the citys Buildings Department cited the building for building code violations related to plumbing and electrical work.

Fire Commissioner Annette Nance-Holt spoke at a news conference Tuesday in front of Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, after Pelts death was announced.

Nance-Holt said Pelt had celebrated his 49th birthday in March. She added that Pelt had two children, one grown and a 6-year-old, and that his daughter was on her honeymoon.

Langford said that state and federal officials were investigating to determine the cause of the fire.
The party had raised a dais for the sit-in against prevailing law-and-order situation in West Bengal in the wake of clashes in the Hooghly district.

However, the BJP on Tuesday claimed that the stage had been torn down.

Earlier, on Monday, a fresh incident of stone-pelting was reported in Hooghly district, forcing railways to suspend all local and mail express train services operating to and from Rishra Railway Station.

According to Easter Railway Chief Public Relations Officer, Kaushik Miron, an incident of stone pelting occurred at Rishra railway station.

According to sources, police and rapid action force (RAF) were deployed in the area to prevent any untoward incident or violence.

The incident came a day after clashes erupted during a BJP march in Hooghly on Sunday.

The state government later issued prohibitory orders and also suspended internet services across the district.

Earlier, on March 30, several vehicles were set on fire after two groups clashed in Howrah amid Ram Navami celebrations. During the procession, the rioters vandalised public and private properties and set vehicles on fire.

Following the violence in Howrah during Ram Navami celebrations, the West Bengal government on Friday handed over the probe to Criminal Investigation Department (CID). A special team led by Inspector General of Police, CID Sunil Choudhury is conducting the investigation. (ANI)
The accused was identified as Mitlesh Das.

"A 25-year-old woman saw the accused, Das, having unnatural intercourse with a dog at a place near Balaji Telefilms, Veera Desai Road, Andheri, following which she approached the nearest police station and lodged a complaint," said an officer at Amboli police station.

According to officials, on the basis of the woman's statement, the police registered a case against the accused.

"A case has been registered under Section 377 of the IPC and section 11(1)(1)(a) of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1960," the officer added.

Further details are awaited.

Earlier, a stray dog was allegedly raped by a man in Patna.

The incident occurred on the day of Holi on March 8. The video of the act also went viral on social media. The alleged incident took place in the Faisal Colony of Phulwari Sharif.

In the CCTV footage, an unknown person was seen involved the unnatural act with a dog in the colony. Following this, an application was submitted over the matter by an NGO in Phulwari Sharif police station. Taking note of the same, Patna Police launched an investigation in the matter.

Assistant superintendent of police, Phulwari Sharif, Manish Kumar, had said, "An application was received. Action will be taken as per the IPC and Animal Act. The matter is being investigated." (ANI)
Two railway police officers arrive in Noida on a search operation for the accused in the recent train fire incident in Kerala's Kozhikode district. According to Kerala police sources, the suspect has multiple addresses in Noida and Haryana. Police have prepared a sketch of the suspect. The drawing was prepared at the Elathoor police station in Kozhikode with the help of Razak, a crucial witness in the case. Meanwhile, National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the Anti-terror squad are also investigating the case. The investigation team recovered a bag near the railway track on Monday which the police suspect belongs to the accused. From the bag, police further recovered things that point to the attacker and his whereabouts. A team of NIA visited Kozhikode on Sunday a few hours after the incident that occurred around 9.30 pm when the Alappuzha-Kannur Express reached Elathur Korapuzha bridge in Kozhikode. Three persons were killed and several others sustained burn injuries after an unidentified person splashed an inflammable substance inside the compartment of a moving train and set it ablaze, sources said. The NIA team, including a Superintendent of Police-level officer, inquired about the train's D1 compartment which was set ablaze by the unidentified person. However, it is yet to be declared a terror act, the NIA team assisted the state police during its inquiry on Sunday. There are reports that a man who resembled the one in the sketch sought treatment at the Kannur District Hospital. The Police arrived at the hospital and collected details. The accused is learnt to have escaped after someone pulled the chain to stop the train. A search is on to find the assailant. Three persons have been taken to a private hospital and five to Kozhikode medical college. At least three of the injured are women. One of the injured persons has informed that an unidentified assailant splashed an inflammable substance, seemingly petrol or kerosene, and set the train on fire. According to the officials, the man set fire to a passenger allegedly after an argument on board the Alappuzha-Kannur Executive Express train near Elathur in Kozhikode district on Sunday night. (ANI)
A court in Kerala's Palakkad on Tuesday found guilty 14 people accused in the 2018 lynching to death of Madhu, a tribal youth from Attappady. The Special Court for SC/ST (Prevention Act) at Mannarkad acquitted two people- the fourth and the 11th accused- in the case. A total of 16 people were accused of Madhu's murder. The 14 accused persons were found guilty under Section 304 (2) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the SC/ST Act. The quantum of punishment will be pronounced on Wednesday. Madhu's mother and sister have said that they will appeal the court's decision to acquit two persons. "All the 16 accused should be punished. We will appeal to the court", the family said. They also added that they have been receiving threats. Madhu was beaten to death by a mob at Attappady in Palakkad district on February 22, 2018. He was allegedly tied up and beaten by a mob, who caught him from a nearby forest and accused him of serial theft. He was also paraded on road with his hands tied up and later handed over to the police. Even though the police admitted him to a nearby hospital, he was declared dead soon after at the hospital. According to Madhu's family, he suffered from mental illnesses. The police submitted a 3,000-page charge sheet on the case before the court. There were 127 witnesses in the case out of which 24 witnesses changed statements. The trial was completed by March 10. (ANI)
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami paid a courtesy visit to Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav in New Delhi on Tuesday. The Chief Minister urged the Railway Minister to start a Janshatabdi train service between Tanakpur-Dehradun and Shatabdi Express train service between Delhi-Ramnagar. CM also requested the Railway Minister to approve the construction of the tunnel-based rail line project and the Rishikesh-Uttarkashi rail line project to connect Dehradun to Saharanpur with the railway via Mohand. Urging the Union Railway Minister to start Haridwar to Varanasi Vande Bharat rail service, the Chief Minister said that this would provide great convenience to the devotees and tourists. Expressing gratitude for the cooperation received in the past, Chief Minister Dhami urged Vaishnav to bear the entire cost of the Kichha-Khatima new rail line project by the Government of India. He also requested for operating a direct rail service between Ramnagar-Haridwar and Dehradun. An adequate number of train services should also be started from various places of the country mainly from New Delhi, Mathura and Lucknow to Tanakpur for the remaining period of Purnagiri fair. While discussing with the Railway Minister on rail services in Uttarakhand, the CM said, "at present Dehradun-Kathgodam Janshatabdi is the only rail service to connect Kumaon and Garhwal. Due to the presence of a large part of the Kumaon region as well as the Nepal border, the traffic of the people there also happens from Tanakpur only. That's why it is necessary to operate a Janshatabdi train service between Tanakpur-Dehradun." Chief Minister said that the famous tourist destination Jim Corbett National Park, located under Ramnagar area of Nainital, receives constant movement of tourists from the country and abroad. Therefore, it is very necessary to operate the Delhi-Ramnagar Shatabdi Express train service. Highlighting the difficulties of travelling between New Delhi to Dehradun Dhami explained Chief Minister said that at present one has to go through Haridwar to reach Dehradun from New Delhi by rail. The railway line between Haridwar and Dehradun is a single lane as most of the part comes under Rajaji National Park, so the speed of the train is highly controlled concerning wildlife safety. As a result, the entire journey takes a relatively longer time. So If some parts of the rail line from Dehradun to Saharanpur via Mohand, will pass through a tunnel, it will increase the train speed cutting travel time. Dhami who is on a two-day visit to the national capital paid a courtesy call to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday. During his meeting, CM expressed gratitude to the Prime Minister for the government's extensive support for various externally aided projects and special assistance schemes for capital projects, including the approval of the Jamrani Dam project for the development of the state. (ANI)
West Bengal Police have arrested a 19-year-old for allegedly brandishing a weapon during a Ram Navami procession in Howrah. The accused identified as Sumit Shaw, who was seen in a video that is now viral on social media was arrested from Bihar's Munger last night, Howrah police said today. According to police, the accused is a resident of Salkia in Howrah and had been absconding since the incident. "I can only say that West Bengal police arrested one person. Now after court permission, they will take on transit the arrested man," said Munger Superintendent of Police Jagunath Reddy Jalareddy. The police official said that the accused would first be taken to the Sadar Hospital for a medical examination. Meanwhile, Kunal Ghosh, State General Secretary of the Trinamool Congress said that the violence was a plot of the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) to create unrest in West Bengal. "In the incident in Howrah on Ram Navami, there was a boy visible in the procession of BJP who was carrying a revolver. With this arrest, the plot of provocation of the BJP has been established. Howrah police has arrested him in Munger, Bihar. This case has been assigned to CID," the TMC said. Meanwhile, a fresh incident of stone-pelting was reported from Rishra town in Hooghly on Monday evening. Eastern Railway has suspended all local and mail express train services operating to and from Rishra railway station, following the incident. Police and Rapid Action Force (RAF) were also deployed in the area to prevent any untoward incidents. The fresh violence came in the wake of clashes that erupted during BJP's march in Hooghly on Sunday. The State government later issued prohibitory orders and also suspended internet services across the district. On Thursday, several vehicles were set on fire after two groups clashed in Howrah amid Ram Navami celebrations. During the procession, rioters vandalised public and private properties while setting vehicles on fire. The West Bengal government on Friday handed over the probe into the Howrah violence to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID). A special team led by Inspector General of Police, CID, Sunil Choudhury has initiated an investigation. (ANI)
Police also seized over Rs 20,000 cash, 10 mobiles and other gambling materials from the arrested accused.

Based on a tip-off that a person identified as Sunny was running a 'Satta' operation in Geeta Colony, police conducted a raid on April 1 and nabbed 12 persons from the site, DCP Shahdara Rohit Meena said.

Three people identified as Dharmender, Vishal and Sachin hired as accountants and 9 punters were arrested from the spot. A total of Rs 20,100 allegedly stake money and other gambling accessories were also seized from the site, police said.

During an interrogation of the accused, it was revealed that Sunny, a resident of Geeta Colony was the kingpin of the illegal gambling racket.

Sunny was however not present during the raid and a hunt has been launched for him.

Police said sufficient evidence have been collected against all the accused and a case under Sections 3,4,9, and 55 of the Gambling Act has been registered against them.

Further investigation into the matter is underway, police said. (ANI)
Maharashtra Health Minister Tanaji Sawant on Tuesday informed that the state would be conducting a mock drill on 13-14th April following a surge in Covid cases in the state. "As suggested by the central government, we are going to hold a mock drill for our Covid preparedness in the state on 13-14th April." However, the health minister asked people not to panic but remain vigilant and take precautions. "It's true that Covid numbers are increasing but it's not affecting much as it's a very mild variant which is prevalent in the state. No need to panic at all but everyone should take precautions while going to crowded places. " "I have talked to all the Covid hospitals and can update you that no patient is on ventilator or oxygen support in Maharashtra. It's very satisfactory that patients are recovering only in 48-72 hours. So nothing to worry much about because Prevalent XBB.1.16 is not as lethal as Delta variant was in second wave of Covid", said the minister. Talking about random testing not being done Sawant said, for now, we don't think that Random testing is needed yet but we will do as Centre suggests in this regard, also the call on another booster dose will be taken only after centre's directions. 6 Districts of Maharashtra Solapur, Sangli, Kolhapur, Sindhudurg, Pune and Satara have higher numbers of positive patients. Numbers are rising in the areas where population density is a bit higher, districts like Pune, Raigad, Thane is seeing a rise in daily positive patient numbers due to high population density. Sawant also mentioned the ongoing Chaitra month which has several festivals which are celebrated across Maharashtra, and people also start taking vacations. So places start getting crowded in such situations people should take precautions while enjoying. The health minister also claimed of having an adequate number of Oxygen and Ventilator beds. All Covid Hospitals are also prepared and are on standby we have sufficient stock of medical oxygen too. (ANI)
None of the states have been able to meet all three quotas for SC, ST and OBC positions in Judiciary at the subordinate/district court level, the 2022 India Justice Report (IJR) informed on Tuesday. The report further added that only 13 per cent of subordinate court judges are women. The IJR report mentioned that Karnataka remains the only state to consistently meet its quota for SC, ST and OBC positions, both among police officers and the constabulary. However, it pointed out that in the Judiciary, at the Subordinate/District Court level, no state met all three quotas. "Only Gujarat and Chhattisgarh met their respective SC quotas. Arunachal Pradesh, Telangana, and Uttarakhand met their respective ST quotas. Kerala, Sikkim, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh, and Telangana met OBC quotas," the report said. The India Justice Report (IJR), claimed to be India's only ranking of states on delivery of Justice in the country, was initiated by Tata Trusts in 2019, and this is its third edition. Its partners include the Centre for Social Justice, Common Cause, Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, DAKSH, TISS-Prayas, Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy and How India Lives, IJR's data partner. The report also said that the share of women across the justice system in Police, Prisons, Judiciary and Legal aid is 1 out of 10 is a woman. "While the overall share of women in the Police force is about 11.75 per cent, in the officer ranks it is still lower at 8 per cent. Only 13 per cent of High Court judges and 35 per cent of Subordinate Court judges are women. Among Prison staff, they are 13%. A majority of states have increased the share of women panel lawyers. Nationally, the share has increased from 18 to 25 per cent," the report said. Pointing to infrastructure, the report stated, "About 25% -- one in four -- police stations do not have a single CCTV. Nearly three in 10 police stations do not have women help desks." "About 30 per cent (391 prisons) record occupancy rates of above 150 per cent, and 54 per cent (709 prisons) run above 100 per cent capacity. Under-trials: With the exception of Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Tripura, and Madhya Pradesh, the undertrial population of all states and Union Territories exceeds 60 per cent," the IJR report added. Talking about the budget allocated to the judiciary and legal aid, the report said that the national per capita spend on judiciary stands at Rs. 146 and no state spends more than one per cent of its total annual expenditure on the Judiciary. "The national per capita spend on legal aid, including the expenditure of the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) and the state/UT governments themselves, is a meagre Rs 4.57 per annum. Excluding NALSA, this figure drops to Rs 3.8, if only NALSA's budget (2021-22) is considered the per capita spend is Rs 1.06 only," the IJR report further said. (ANI)
At a time when Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been urging world peace, saying it is not an era of war, two Opposition-ruled states in the country are suffering violence and chaos during festivities, Union Minister Anurag Thakur said on Tuesday, hitting out at the Bihar and Bengal governments. The Union minister made the remark while addressing an event organised by Ahimsa Vishwa Bhati Sanstha and the World Peace Centre on the occasion of Mahavir Jayanti. Thakur said, "Modi-ji is telling the whole world that'this is not an era of war. This is the time to discuss, deliberate and be a part of a democratic discourse." "But two chief ministers back home in India, with their biased remarks, have raised question marks on whether recent incidents of violence were orchestrated to serve to narrow political motives and in a bid to appease a particular community," he added. He said spreading unrest for vote-bank politics threatens peace and is also against the greater good of the country. Hitting out at West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Thakur said, "When the chief minister of Bengal herself says that Hindu processions should not enter a particular area, isn't she dividing the society?" The Union minister added, "Two countries in the world are involved in a military conflict currently. But that's a different issue. In our country, it's only in Bihar and Bengal where the situation has worsened to such levels that one can't take out a religious procession in peace even on Ram Navami." Meanwhile, both West Bengal and Bihar saw clashes during the Ram Navami celebrations. Incidents of violence, arson and stone pelting were reported in these states. Prohibitory orders under Section 144 were also enforced in parts of these states in the wake of the violence. (ANI)
Chicago police were investigating the fatal shooting of a 35-year-old woman found Tuesday morning inside a residence in the Englewood neighborhood, Chicago police said.

Shortly before 10 a.m., the victim was found unresponsive inside a residence in the 5500 block of South Lowe Avenue. She had suffered a gunshot wound to the chin, and was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.

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The circumstances leading up to the shooting was under investigation.

No one was in custody.
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Tuesday said that the Bharatiya Janata Party's Parliamentary Board would finalise and release the list of candidates for the upcoming Assembly elections in the state on April 8. The Chief Minister said that the selection of the candidates has been done based on winnability. Karnataka will go to Assembly polls on May 10 and the counting of votes will be done on May 13. "The selection of candidates had been done based on reality and winnability. The state-committee meeting will be held for two days starting today, and after the meeting, the list of candidates will be sent to the high command. The same will be vetted on April 8 and released on the same day," the Chief Minister said. The names recommended by the district committees will be discussed during the State Core Committee meeting on Tuesday and then send it to the Central Parliamentary Board, he further said. Reiterating that the party will return to power in the Assembly polls, he said,"Witnessing developments in the last three to four days, the BJP will get an absolute majority in the coming Assembly polls." He said that there will be "unexpected results" in some constituencies. "Unexpected results would come in some constituencies. The rank and file of the party are confident of the BJP getting a full majority in the May 10 polls," he said. Bommai further took a swipe at Congress which is claiming to win the elections and said that the party would not come to power. Pointing to the inflighting goingon in the Congress, Bommai said, "Congress Party will not come to power and they are fighting for the seats which they cannot win. That party is fighting for power and the CM's post, and not doing good things for the people of Karnataka. The utterances of Siddaramaiah indicate what's happening inside the Congress party. On the one hand, KPCC President DKShivakumar, wherever he goes, seeks blessings to become the CM, and on the other hand, Siddaramaiah has been claiming himself as the CM." "Both Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar are dreaming of the CM's post but their dream will never become reality," he added. (ANI)
A man was stabbed and robbed by three men after he refused to help them in stealing a scooty near Bahadurgarh road on Monday, said police. The victim has been identified as Sameer, a resident of Azad Market. The accused were identified as Ishaan, Aamaan and Anas and both parties know each other, said the police. According to the police, Sameer was going back home from Choti Masjid around 7:20 am. He was stopped by the three accused near Bahadurgarh Road, police post. The accused asked the victim to help them steal a scooty but when he refused, they started threatening him. Accused Ishan took out a knife and threatened him and robbed him. The accused robbed Rs 2,350, Aadhar card, Pan card and a Mobile phone from the victim. Ishaan stabbed the complainant, said police. When the victim resisted and raised an alarm all 3 accused ran away from the spot, said the police. The victim filed a complaint against the three accused after the incident. A case has been registered by the Police under sections 394 and 34 of IPC. A police investigation is underway. Further details awaited. (ANI)
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Tamil Nadu President K Annamalai on Tuesday lashed out at the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin over his remarks regarding social justice. The state BJP chief pointed out that the DMK government had objected to the reservation for the Economically Weaker Section (EWS). Taking to Twitter, Annamalai said, "TN CM has chosen to close his eyes and say the world is dark. That's how his attempt to project social justice federation and the speech that he gave yesterday reflected. He doesn't want the EWS reservation, which Aringar Anna, his ideological mentor, wanted back in 1967." The state BJP chief said that the Tamil Nadu CM should "learn" from the BJP, which has hiked the SC and ST reservation in the state of Karnataka. "Thiru @mkstalin should understand that the BJP govt in our neighbouring state Karnataka has demonstrated social justice by hiking the reservation for SC from 15 per cent to 17 per cent for ST from 3 per cent to 7 per cent and not through pointless video conferences," he said. He further said, "The Communist government in Kerala implemented EWS, the Congress government in Rajasthan and JD(U) government in Bihar too. RJD, in alliance with JD(U) in Bihar, communist leaders and Rajasthan CM, were in this federation, echoing against EWS, which is nothing but a joke". Attacking the Tamil Nadu government further, Annamalai pointed out the amounts allocated for SC/ST have remained "unspent". "Has Thiru @mkstalin forgotten the miseries of his governance and its impact on Social Justice? - Where are the 3.5 lakh jobs promised in the government sector?- Why were more than 12,884 Crores left unspent by the TN govt in SC Subplan in the last 2 years?" he said. He further added, "More than 10,000 jobs for SC / ST in State government departments remain vacant for over 2 years now. When do you plan to fill those? - 13 out of 33 schemes for SC / ST remained unfulfilled by your govt last year. Did you discuss why?". The BJP leader also alleged that people from the SC community are "tormented" by the DMK functionaries. He said, "SC brothers and sisters are tormented by DMK functionaries & aren't allowed their basic fundamental rights.- It's been more than three months since human faeces was mixed with drinking water, affecting the people of Vengaivayal. When will you wake from deep slumber?" "Did your ideological mentor, K Veeramani, who attended the conference at least pay a visit to Vengaivayal? What social justice are we preaching here?" Annamalai added in a subsequent tweet. Annamalai's remarks come a day after Stalin at the National Conference of All India Federation said that the struggle for the attainment of social justice is not an issue of a single state. Addressing the conference, the chief minister said, "The struggle for the attainment of social justice is not an issue of a single state. It is not an issue of a set of a few states. It is an issue concerning all states and it is associated with the structure of Indian society". "There might be differences in the degree of problems along caste and class lines in each state. But the core of the issue is the same. That is gross discrimination!" he added. Stalin said that social justice is only medicine that can cure the 'posion' of discrimination, exclusion, untouchability, slavery and injustice. He further said, "There might be differences in the degree of problems, all on class and caste lines in each state. But the core of the issue is the same - gross discrimination. Wherever there is discrimination, exclusion, untouchability, slavery, or injustice, the medicine that can cure these poisons is social justice." "We should raise our voice to establish the principles of Federalism, State Autonomy, Secularism, Equality, Fraternity, Socialism and Social Justice all over India. It should not be a lone voice. It should not be different individual voices either. It shall be a collective voice in unison," he added. Stalin further said that however idealistic an ideology may be, for it to succeed, the unity among the parties which have accepted the ideology is of great importance. "Such a unity is not enough if it is in only a few states. It has to happen in every state. It has to be for the whole of India. It is for that unity, federations like this will serve as the foundation," Stalin added. (ANI)
Janata Dal (United) president and Lok Sabha MP Lalan Singh on Tuesday took a veiled jibe at the Bharatiya Janata Party over the recent incidents of communal violence in parts of Bihar and said that some "bad elements" are putting in efforts "in a planned manner" to spoil the atmosphere of harmony in the state. Asserting that there is no law and order problem anywhere in the state, Singh said that the Nitish Kumar-led government is keeping a close watch on the developments following the violence. This comes days after clashes were reported in three districts of Bihar including Nalanda's Biharsharif, Rohtas' Sasaram and Bhagalpur's Naugachia after the Ram Navami procession on March 31. Speaking to ANI, the JD(U) chief said, "In the recent past, the attempt was made to spoil the atmosphere in Sasaram and BiharSharif was brought under control within 8 hours by the state government with full promptness." "We repeatedly said that the BJP and their allied organizations try to vitiate the communal atmosphere. You may remember a year ago when Nitish Kumar was running the NDA government in Bihar. Even at that time, the son of a Union minister had tried to spoil the communal atmosphere in Bhagalpur and he too had to go to jail," he added. Further lashing out at the BJP, Singh said that the party wants to ignite communal tensions, but the Chief Minister is and has been working to maintain peaceful atmosphere in the state so as to carry on the development. When asked about the law and order situation in the state and the failure of the government to control the violent incidents, Singh said that there are "bad elements which enter the processions and try to spoil the atmosphere." He added that the police are arresting all "such elements". "Strict action is also being taken and there is no compromise on this," he said. "BJP makes efforts to create communal tension in Bihar but Nitish Kumar does not compromise with it because he believes that the work of development will progress only if there is peace and social, communal harmony, mutual unity in the state and this is what he is doing since 2005," he said while mentioning the Nitish's priority while in government. Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday held a high-level meeting over the violence in Sasaram and Biharsharif. He asked the police force to be on the alert and announced an ex-gratia amount of Rs 5 lakh for the next of kin of the deceased ones. A total of 10 companies (approximately 1,000 personnel) of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), including CRPF, SSB and ITBP, have been sent to Bihar after clashes were reported on March 31 in Nalanda's Biharsharif and Sasaram in Rohtas district. (ANI)
Terming the agreement between the protesting doctors and the Rajasthan government on the 'Right to Health' bill (RTH) as historic, Rajasthan Health Minister Parsadi Lal Meena on Tuesday said that it is the victory of the people of the state. Rajasthan became the first state in the country to implement 'Right to Health' (RTH) bill as after weeks of protest, finally an agreement was reached between the protesting doctors and the state government on RTH. While addressing a press conference, the Health Minister said, "A Consensus has been made on demands between government and private doctors. This is not the victory of the government, it is the victory of the people of the state." "This bill will not be withdrawn at any cost. Talks with private doctors have been completed and the government has given a positive stand on the demands. Rajasthan is the first state in the whole country where the RTH bill has been passed." Lauding the successful agreement between the government and the private doctors, he said, "The government has made an agreement with the doctors and the doctors have been told that the bill won't be taken back. This bill will be applicable to all hospitals (governmet and private). After the passage of this bill, the whole country is looking towards Rajasthan. Now the facility of free medicine, free investigation and free treatment up to Rs 25 lakh has been given to the people of the state." Expressing the government's intention regarding the RTH bill, the minister said, "Private doctors will soon return to their work after the agreement between the government and the doctors. The government had adopted this path long back. But the private doctors were demanding withdrawal of the bill. That's why even today the government has made it clear. The bill will not be taken back at any cost." Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot took to Twitter to inform that an agreement has been reached and Rajasthan has become the first state in the country to implement 'Right to Health'. "I am happy that finally an agreement has been reached between the government and the doctors on the 'Right to Health', and Rajasthan has become the first state in the country to implement the 'Right to Health'. I hope that the doctor-patient relationship will remain the same in future as well. #RightToHealth," Ashok Gehlot said on Twitter. Notably, Rajasthan on March 21, passed the Right to Health Bill, which gives every resident of the state the right to avail of free Out Patient Department (OPD) services and In-Patient Department (IPD) services at all public health facilities, becoming the first state to do so. However, the private hospitals and doctors in Rajasthan seemed to be wary of it and were protesting against the bill through a work boycott urging the state government not to implement it. The Rajasthan government and the doctors reached an agreement on eight demands. The doctors' body will be attending a general body meeting in the auditorium at 4 pm, where they will make the formal announcement regarding the agreement. An official notification regarding the bill will also be released soon after approval by the governor. A consensus has been made between the government and the doctors on eight major demands. The major points of the agreement are the fact that the RTH bill will not be fully applicable in private hospitals, and the cases filed during the movement will be withdrawn. (ANI)
According to police, after giving birth at home, the mother came to the hospital and informed the hospital about the fact that the baby was left in a bucket as she thought it was dead.

The hospital authorities informed the police and after that, the police reached the house, rescued the baby, and brought it to the hospital.

Chengannur police took the newborn baby alive to the hospital after its mother left it in a bucket in the bathroom. (ANI)
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Bengal chief Sukanta Majumdar wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah about the biased actions of West Bengal Police under its current Director General of Police (DGP) and failure in protecting the people in the recent violence on Ram Navami. "With due regards, I again beg to draw your kind attention to Law and Order situation of West Bengal. You are already aware of the recent violence perpetrated on the Ram Bhaktas, general Hindu people and our leaders and workers during the Ram navami processions and still continuing, about which I have also written. Yesterday evening also there were heavy stone pelting in Rail Stations in Hooghly District for which Train services were suspended and this could not be continued without the support of ruling party of West Bengal i.e., TMC and its top leadership," the letter read. "But the most unfortunate part is the role of Police under the present Director General of Police Mannoj Malaviya IPS, which has completely lost its Spine and impartiality. Instead of protecting the life and properties of ordinary peoples particularly the Hindus affected, it is harassing and arresting them while looking a blind eye to the actual culprits and criminals from the minority community when they can be easily identified from CCTV footages and Videos which are already circulating in social medias, only to please the Chief Minister who is blatantly appeasing the criminals and anti national forces for minority vote bank which is drifting away from her," the letter added. "Our senior leaders and Member of Parliaments are also not allowed to visit the affected areas while TMC leaders and Ministers are roaming the areas. Even myself was also blocked 5 km away on Highway from visiting Rishra where Dilip Ghosh, Hon'ble MP was attacked. The Democratic Rights are also being Curtailed by the Police of West Bengal under Malaviya. Your personal intervention is therefore highly solicited and also requesting to look into any violation of CCS conducts Rules and DOPT Guidelines," the letter further stated. Notbaly, train movement was suspended in the Howrah-Bandel section for about 3 hours due to stone pelting at Rishra, informed officials on Tuesday. The train services however resumed post-midnight when the situation improved. Earlier on Monday evening, a fresh incident of stone-pelting was reported in West Bengal's Hooghly district forcing railways to suspend all local and mail express train services operating to and from Rishra Railway Station. According to Easter Railway Chief Public Relations Officer, Kausik Mitra, an incident of stone pelting occurred at Rishra Railway Station. The incident comes a day after clashes erupted during the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Shobha yatra in Hooghly on Sunday. The state government later issued prohibitory orders and also suspended internet services across the district. Earlier on Thursday, several vehicles were set on fire after two groups clashed in Howrah amid Ram Navami celebrations. During the procession, the rioters vandalized public and private properties and set vehicles on fire. Following the violence in Howrah during Ram Navami celebrations, the West Bengal government on Friday handed over the probe to Criminal Investigation Department (CID). A special team led by Inspector General of Police, CID Sunil Choudhury has initiated the investigation. (ANI)
Condemning the communal flare up in Bihar during the Ram Navami festivities, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Tuesday came down heavily on the Nitish Kumar government and said the Chief Minister still has no remorse. All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief also termed the episode in Nalanda's Bihar Sharif a "complete failure" of the State government and alleged that they didn't stop the violence, despite having reports that such a situation might develop. "Whenever there is violence in a State, the responsibility for it falls on the State government. Madrasa Azizia in Biharsharif was set ablaze, and shops of Muslim minorities were targeted. This clearly shows that there's planning behind it. Bihar's Nitish and Tejaswi government knew Nalanda is a sensitive district yet there was a disturbance there. He (CM Nitish Kumar) has no remorse, he even attended an Iftar yesterday," Owaisi said in a press conference here. "Just tweeting about the incident will not work. You are in power, you are a minister, and you are sharing power, why don't you inspect that place, why haven't you announced compensation yet, why haven't initiated action against those, policemen, in whose presence this violence took place?" Owaisi said, adding that this is their (government's) complete failure and we condemn this. On the Bengal violence, he said, it (law and order) is a responsibility of the State government. The violence is a complete failure of the state government. "And those who take out their procession, it is also their duty to not allow any violence," he added. Both West Bengal and Bihar saw communal clashes during the Ram Navami celebrations. Incidents of violence, arson and stone pelting were reported in these states. Prohibitory orders under Section 144 were also enforced in parts of these states in the wake of the violence. (ANI)
Coming down heavily on the BJP over the violent incidents in West Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday alleged that the party hired "goons from Bihar" to incite violence. The Chief Minister said that the rioters do not belong to any religion and they are the "BJP goons". "I have to be alert all the time lest BJP incites riots. They don't understand that the people of Bengal don't like violence. Rioting is not Bengal's culture. We don't engage in riots, general public doesn't incite riots. When BJP can't on its own, it hires people to fan riots. They (BJP) are bringing goons from Bihar. All people from Bihar are not goons. The rioters are not Hindus or Muslims or Sikhs or Adivasis, they are BJP goons.," Mamata said. "The youth in whose hands weapons were seen during Ram Navami, CPI(M) used to do the same. Did you forget the atrocities of CPI(M)?" she added. The Chief Minister said that the BJP has chosen to take the path of CPI(M). "Did you forget the incidents in Nandigram, Khejuri, Kolaghat, Tamluk? CPI(M) makes tall claims, today BJP has chosen this path after learning from CPI(M)," she further targeted BJP of toeing the line of violence adopted by CPI(M). Mamata said that the state government will rebuild the damaged properties. Violent incidents were witnessed in West Bengal's Howrah during the Ram Navami procession. A fresh incident of stone-pelting was reported in West Bengal's Hooghly district on Monday evening, forcing railways to suspend all local and mail express train services operating to and from Rishra Railway Station. According to Easten Railway Chief Public Relations Officer, Kaushik Miron, an incident of stone pelting occurred at Rishra Railway Station. "For the security of common people, all local and mail express train services have been suspended on Howrah-Bardhaman Main Line," he said. The incident comes a day after clashes erupted during the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Shobha yatra in Hooghly on Sunday. The state government later issued prohibitory orders and also suspended internet services across the district. Earlier on Thursday, several vehicles were set on fire after two groups clashed in Howrah amid Ram Navami celebrations. During the procession, the rioters vandalized public and private properties and set vehicles on fire. Following the violence in Howrah during Ram Navami celebrations, the West Bengal government on March 31 handed over the probe to Criminal Investigation Department (CID). A special team led by Inspector General of Police, CID Sunil Choudhury has initiated the investigation. (ANI)
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday expressed his condolences to the families of those who have lost their lives in the tragic avalanche in Sikkim, saying the government is closely monitoring the situation. Shah took to Twitter to condole the loss of lives and assured that the teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) will reach the affected area soon. The Minister also prayed for the speedy recovery of those injured in the incident. "My sincerest condolences to the families of those who have lost their lives in the tragic avalanche in Sikkim. We are closely monitoring the situation and the teams of NDRF will reach the affected area soon. I pray for the speedy recovery of those injured," Shah said in a tweet. At least seven tourists were killed and many are feared trapped after an avalanche struck the Gangtok-Nathu La road in Sikkim on Tuesday afternoon, the Army said. An estimated 20-30 tourists were feared to be trapped under the snow along with five-six vehicles, the Army added. "By 3 pm, 14 persons were rescued and taken to a nearby Army medical facility. However, seven persons succumbed. The other seven persons were administered first aid and returned to Gangtok, the Army said in a statement. Approximately 5-6 vehicles along with 20-30 tourists on way to Natu La are feared to have been stuck under the snow, the army said. Besides, a total of 350 stranded tourists and 80 vehicles have also been rescued after snow clearance from the road. Earlier in the day, at about 11.30 am, a massive avalanche hit the 15th Mile on Jawaharlal Nehru road connecting Gangtok with Nathu La. Meanwhile, the road has been opened for traffic by Border Roads Organisation. A search and rescue mission for the remaining persons is underway by the Army, State Disaster Management Team and police. (ANI)
Lobbyist Mike McClain, seated, talks outside then-House Speaker Michael Madigan's office on the last day of the Illinois General Assembly at the State Capitol in Springfield on May 31, 2016. (Zbigniew Bzdak / Chicago Tribune)

On a Tuesday afternoon in May 2019, teams of FBI agents fanned out across Chicago and downstate Illinois to execute a series of raids on some of then-House Speaker Michael Madigans top associates.

It was a pivotal moment in the ComEd bribery investigation that would shake Illinois politics to its core, with agents seizing hundreds of pieces of evidence, including laptops, cellphones, ledgers, emails and business records.

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But one unusual item, found during the search of the Quincy home of Michael McClain, a retired ComEd lobbyist and Madigans closest confidant, stood out.

Stuffed in a tote bag in the back of McClains silver Toyota Avalon was a handwritten Magic Lobbying List, with the names of former Madigan staffers, associates and allies, whod gone on to lucrative lobbying careers, scrawled on stationery from a boutique hotel in Chicago.

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The list was shown for the first time Tuesday in the ongoing trial of the ComEd Four, where McClain and three former ComEd executives and lobbyists are accused of conspiring to funnel hundreds of thousands of dollars to various Madigan-connected subcontractors in exchange for the powerful Democrats influence over legislation the utility wanted passed, or blocked, in Springfield.

[ [Dont miss] ComEd Four bribery trial: What you need to know ]

The list of preferred and favored lobbyists was found by a team of agents headed by Ted McNamara, a now-retired FBI supervisor who helped lead the case against corrupt Chicago police Chief of Detectives William Hanhardt, the historic Family Secrets Chicago mob case, and many other big investigations in his 30-year career.

McNamara testified Tuesday that along with the notes on Talbott Hotel stationery, agents found in the same tote bag a printed email from McClain with the subject Magic Lobbyist List.

So since I do not roam the halls like I use to I do not have the same level of on site engagement I use to have so I must rely on you somewhat, the Dec. 9, 2018, email read. A Friend of ours and myself have gone through the magic list frankly culled quite a few names there are now a little less than two dozen on the list. McClain often referred to Madigan as a friend because he preferred not to mention his longtime pal by name.

The physical list went on in different iterations across five pages, including one with a shorter bunch of names broken into sections headed by a different number of plus symbols in an apparent rating system.

Among them were former top Madigan political gurus Michael Thomson, Shaw Decremer, Bill Filan and Tom Cullen, along with Will Cousineau, who testified for prosecutors earlier in the trial.

A copy of Michael McClain's handwritten "Magic Lobbyist List" showing a roster of lobbyists allegedly favored by House Speaker Michael Madigan. (U.S. attorney's office)

The list also contained names of other longtime Madigan associates whose names have surfaced in the trial, such as top Madigan legal counsel Mike Kasper, lawyer and political consultant Victor Reyes, former legislators John Bradley, Annazette Collins and Toni Berrios, whose father, Joe Berrios, was the Cook County assessor and Democratic chair.

One page of the list also had a circle around the name of Nancy Kimme, the former chief of staff for Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka who became a key Republican lobbyist with the ability to reach out to both sides of the political aisle.

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Another document found in one of McClains tote bags was a handwritten note that appeared to lay out McClains recent duties in assisting Madigan, since McClain had ostensibly retired in 2016 but continued to accept special political assignments from the speaker.

Speaker: available 24/7 (calls), read the note, which was shown in court. The second page of the note had the header Special Assignments followed by names including former ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore, who is one of McClains co-defendants.

Another header read Diversion/Saving Speaker and Mapes, a reference to Tim Mapes, Madigans longtime chief of staff who was ousted in a sexual harassment scandal in 2018. The note went on to refer to minutes/members/lobbyists/seeing advice/wanting to visit with MJM/Mapes.

Charged in the indictment are McClain, 75; Pramaggiore, 64; lobbyist John Hooker, 73; and Jay Doherty, 69, a lobbyist and consultant who formerly led the City Club of Chicago.

The defendants attorneys contend the alleged scheme was nothing more than legal lobbying, part of the states high-stakes, often-messy politics where myriad interest groups and stakeholders compete for access to lawmakers.

McClain and Madigan are charged in a separate corruption case that is tied to the ComEd scandal.

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In addition to the raid on McClains home, the jury heard testimony about several other search warrants executed on the same day at the Chicago homes of 13th Ward precinct captains Ray Nice and Ed Moody, former 23rd Ward Ald. Mike Zalewski, and Decremer, whod left Madigans operation for a lucrative lobbying gig.

At Decremers home in West Rogers Park, agents found a handwritten note of people he had previously made payments to, including Moody and ex-state Rep. Eddie Acevedo, the speakers onetime assistant majority leader who had also moved into lobbying.

In the living room of Decremers condo was a Chicago Tribune newspaper from May 2017  two years before the raid  turned to a story headlined House Speaker Madigans Much Lower Profile. Included with the article was a photo of McClain siting on a bench holding court with Decremer and Thomson outside Madigans office at the Capitol.

In the raid on Moodys bungalow on West 63rd Place, agents found a framed photo of Madigan and Moody  but no documents indicating Moody had done any work for ComEd, according to court testimony.

Later in the day, an FBI agent walked the jury through a series of charts and spreadsheets detailing the $1.3 million in payments funneled to Madigans allies with subcontractors over the eight-year period of the alleged scheme.

Most of the payments came directly from Dohertys consulting firm, while other funds were delivered through McClain and firms owned by Bradley, Decremer and Reyes, according to testimony.

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The jury also heard more testimony from Janet Gallegos, Dohertys longtime administrative assistant, who handled ComEds payments to subcontractors being sent through J.D. Doherty & Associates.

Gallegos testified that she rarely saw the subcontractors, as most of the checks were mailed to their homes or businesses.

She said she saw Zalewski in person only twice. The first time he came into the office to pick up his check. The second time, she said, he dropped off a ham for Christmas.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Streicker also took Gallegos through a series of emails regarding the subcontracts, including some where she had to deal with a lag between Dohertys contract being renewed by ComEd and the subcontractors being paid.

[ [Dont miss] ComEd Four trial: Evidence seen and heard by the jury ]

In April 2019, Zalewski emailed Gallegos about a delay in payment, saying he was going to meet Doherty and a mutual friend for lunch and was wondering if he should bring up the issue.

Im very grateful for what everyone has done to help me, Zalewskis email read. The last check I received was November of last year. Please know, I AM NOT complaining.

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The FBI raided the City Club offices a month later.

In her cross-examination, Gabrielle Sansonetti, one of Dohertys lawyers, attempted to portray Doherty in a favorable light in his activities as a lobbyist registered with Chicago, Cook County and the state of Illinois.

Gallegos agreed that, to her knowledge, Doherty always did things by the book and didnt keep things secret.

No wink-wink, nod-nod? Sansonetti asked.

No, Gallegos said.

jmeisner@chicagotribune.com

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rlong@chicagotribune.com
Former Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad heaped praise on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In an interview with ANI, he said, "I must give credit to Modi. For what I did to him, he was too generous. As Leader of the Opposition I did not spare him on any issue be it Article 370 or CAA or hijab. I got some Bills totally failed but I must give him the credit that he behaved like a statesman, not taking revenge for that." Azad resigned from Congress over difference of opinion with Congress leadership mainly Rahul Gandhi. He also led G23 grouping which had demanded reforms in the party including independent internal elections. His critics in Congress had accused Azad of working closely with the BJP to destabilize Congress. Speaking to ANI, he rubbished the allegation calling it immature, stupid and childish. He said, "That is stupid. If G23 was the spokesperson of the BJP, why they are made MPs by Congress? Why have they made them MPs, general secretaries and office bearers? I'm the only one who formed the party. The rest of the people are still there. It is an ill-conceived, immature and childish allegation." After quitting Congress, Azad formed his own political outfit called Democratic Progressive Azad Party in his home state of Jammu and Kashmir and has now penned a book titled 'Azaad: An Autobiography', in which former Congress veteran wrote on his working relations with Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and others. He also highlights incidents, events and Congress mismanagement. Azad said political legacy cannot go by genes. "Nehruji, Rajiv Gandhi, Indira Gandhi could bear the shock, they had endurance, they had public support and respect and their work over period of time they could rebound. Current Congress leadership has no influence among people, so they have to work 10 times more. If somebody says Indira Gandhi did I will do that, no, it's wrong; Nehru did I will do no' Rajiv Gandhi did it I will do no; legacy cannot go by genes. I'm not talking about Congress party only, I'm talking about every political party." He also said that he holds nothing against Congress and its ideology. "I must say that having been in Congress since childhood, I don't want to expose and totally want to demolish Congress party. I may have some differences with leadership, I have no differences with Congress party or Congress ideology; two things one is Congress ideology and one is previous Congress leadership and one is present leadership. I have no difference of opinion with Congress ideology, no difference of opinion with earlier Congress leadership, of course here and there in my book I mentioned what went wrong during Nehru's time, Indiraji's time, what has gone wrong during Rajiv's time but I also said they were tall leaders." On the timing of the book, Azad said he used his free time during Covid-19 pandemic to pen this book. He said his book caters to those aspiring to join politics. He added that politics is commitment, it is not going to party headquarters and coming back home. (ANI)
To provide technical support to Assam for strengthening the health system of the state, a Memorandum of Association (MoA) was signed between the National Health Mission of Assam and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on Tuesday at the Office of the Mission Director in Guwahati. Dr M S Lakshmi Priya, Mission Director, NHM Assam signed the MoA with Abhimanyu Saxena (OIC), Health System Strengthening-UNDP in the presence of Kamaljit Talukdar, Director of Health Services (FW), Pankaj Chamuah, OSD NHM Assam and Dr Sukamal Basumatary, State Programme Officer - UNDP, Assam. Under the terms of the MoA UNDP's Health and Governance Unit will provide technical support to the state in Health System Strengthening and in the implementation of various health programmes such as CoWIN, eVIN, Swasthaya Sewa Abhiyan, Swasthaya Sewa Utsav and upcoming digitization initiatives to strengthen the health system in Assam. (ANI)
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday expressed discontent over the opposition's conduct in the Budget Session of Parliament which is moving towards closure with a persistent logjam, and said that the Centre wanted to discuss the Budget 2023-24, but the opposition did not. This comes after the opposition came down very heavily on the government for passing the Finance Bill within minutes and without any discussion in both Houses. Former Finance Minister P Chidambaram led the attack saying that it is "the worst message from a parliamentary democracy is to approve a Budget without discussion". Responding to the charges, Sitharaman said that it is unfortunate that the opposition did not want the discussion to happen at all. "We would've wanted to have a detailed discussion on the Budget. But unfortunately, the opposition didn't. The preparation of the Budget and it's implementation is a mammoth exercise. My team and I were prepared to answer all the questions. Sad that opposition did not discuss Budget," she said. Lok Sabha had passed the Finance Bill 2023 with 64 amendments on March 24 amid din due to sloganeering by the opposition parliamentarians. On March 24, Lok Sabha approved the Finance Bill 2023 which had an amendment from the Bill approved by the House last week. The bill with an amendment moved by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman was passed earlier in the day by Rajya Sabha. The change related to Securities Transaction Tax levied on the sale of options trading. During the passage of the Bill, Rajya Sabha Chairman had requested the opposition parties to hold a discussion on this crucial legislature for which the BAC had allotted 10 hours of time. "There are so many learned MPs who come prepared with so many important questions related to the Bill which we come prepared for. Nobody can allege that my government or I are running away from any answers," Sitharaman further elaborated. The bill was passed amid ruckus in the two Houses over opposition demand for a JPC on the Adani issue. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharman tabled the Finance Bill after presenting the Union Budget 2023-24 on February 1. (ANI)
The marijuana was hidden underneath at the backyard of Motilal Das in Manikaynagar village of Sepahijala district.

According to an official statement, "Based on the input received from a reliable source of a large quantity of illegal processed Marijuana hidden at Manikaynagar village, a joint Operation was launched by Agartala Battalion of Assam Rifles with representative of Kalam Chowra Police Station, Sepahijala District, Tripura."

"The operation party after thorough search of the area seized 250 kgs of the Marijuana. The cost of the seized Marijuana is estimated to be of Rs 70 Lakh by the State Police. The seized Marijuana has been handed over to Kalam Chowra Police Station, Sepahijala District, Tripura and an FIR has been registered against the house owner from where the items have been recovered," the statement added. (ANI)
All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Tuesday alleged that the Centre is erasing the past by removing Mughal history from the NCERT syllabus while China is erasing our present. He was referring to China renaming places in Arunachal Pradesh. "On one side, the Modi government is erasing the Mughals from NCERT syllabus, while on the other side, China, with whom PM Modi was shaking hands at G20 Indonesia meeting, is erasing our present," Owaisi told a press conference. Owaisi's barb comes after China's Ministry of Civil Affairs came up with the names of 11 places in Arunachal Pradesh, which it referred to as "Zangnan, the southern part of Tibet." Sharpening his attack further, Owaisi said, "This is happening because China knows that the country's Prime Minister will not take its name, secondly this government does not speak facts, thirdly their [the government's] response is weak." "Based on these three things, China is erasing our present and the government is erasing the Mughals (history)," he reiterated. However, while responding to China's attempt of renaming names, the Ministry of External Affairs official spokesperson Arindam Bagchi on Tuesday asserted that Arunachal Pradesh will always be an integral part of India. "India has outrightly rejected China's attempt to rename places of Arunachal Pradesh," Arindam Bagchi said. In response to media queries regarding China renaming some places in Arunachal Pradesh, Arindam Bagchi in a statement said, "We have seen such reports. This is not the first time China has made such an attempt. We reject this outright." He further said, "Arunachal Pradesh is, has been, and will always be an integral and inalienable part of India. Attempts to assign invented names will not alter this reality." China released names of 11 places in Arunachal Pradesh in Chinese characters, Tibetan and pinyin according to the rules on geographical names issued by the State Council, China's cabinet, Global Times reported. The ministry announced the names of 11 places on Sunday and also gave precise coordinates, including two residential areas, five mountain peaks, two rivers and two other areas. China's Ministry of Civil Affairs also listed the category of places' names and their subordinate administrative districts, as per the news report. According to a Global Times report, this is the third batch of geographical names announced by the ministry in Arunachal Pradesh. As per the news report, the first batch of the standardized names of six places was issued in 2017, and the second batch of 15 places was released in 2021. Earlier, in December last year, the Indian government said that it has seen reports of China attempting to rename some places in Arunachal Pradesh "in its own language" and asserted that the border state has been and will always be an integral part of India." In response to a media query on reports that China has renamed some places in Arunachal Pradesh in its own language, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said China had also sought to assign such names in April 2017. "We have seen such reports. This is not the first time China has attempted such a renaming of places in the state of Arunachal Pradesh. China had also sought to assign such names in April 2017," Bagchi said. "Arunachal Pradesh has always been, and will always be an integral part of India. Assigning invented names to places in Arunachal Pradesh does not alter this fact," he added. (ANI)
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has opposed the plea of TMC leader Anubrata Mondal, who is presently in Tihar Jail of Delhi in the cattle smuggling case, seeking his transfer to Asansol Correctional Home (West Bengal). The ED in its reply while opposing Anubrata Mondal's plea, stated that the CBI Court of West Bengal which is presently examining the Scheduled Offence, may call the accused when required. ED also opposed the plea on maintainability grounds. Special Judge Raghubir Singh is scheduled to hear the arguements in the matter on April 5, 2023. Anubrata Mondal recently approached Delhi's Rouse Avenue Court and stated that he is facing criminal prosecution in the Scheduled Offence (CBI Case) pursuant to a Charge-Sheet filed before Special Judge, CBI Court Asansol, West Bengal. Anubrata's application further stated that he is presently in judicial custody and lodged in Tihar Jail and his custodial remand got over on 21.03.2023 and presently, no proceedings are pending against the accused herein in Delhi, as the Directorate of Enforcement has not filed any Prosecution Complaint against the cccused herein till now. The plea was moved by his advocates Mudit Jain and Karan Kumar Gogna. The Enforcement Directorate has recently brought Anubrata Mondal to Delhi after arresting him in a money laundering case revolving around cattle smuggling case. Appearing for Mondal, Advocate Mudit Jain earlier submitted that the investigations were conducted in closed doors without any sight visit, which makes them lazy and unenterprising. Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Anubrata Mandal's default bail plea was recently dismissed by the trial Court and is presently being examined by the Delhi High Court. Anubrata Mondal, Trinamool Congress party's president of Birbhum district Anubrata Mondal said to be a close aide of chief minister Mamata Banerjee was earlier arrested by the CBI in connection with the same case in July last year. Recently ED has arrested him in the alleged multi-crore cattle smuggling scam after questioning him inside the Asansol jail where he was lodged. In the case, the court earlier noted that this case of ED is based upon the Scheduled Offence (CBI case), the proceedings of which are going on there at Asansol, West Bengal in a CBI Court and some accused have been running into Judicial custody in connection with those proceedings of the CBI case. During Sehegal Hussain's (another accused) hearing, the ED had agitated that sources for funding of immovable and movable assets acquired by the accused are to be ascertained and for that purpose, the accused is required to be confronted with certain other persons including his close relation so as to trace the trails of tainted money which allegedly runs into crores of rupees.(ANI)
The incentive has been given for the best performance of the State in the implementation of PMGSY during 2022-23 under set parameters.

The funds released will be used for periodic maintenance of rural roads already constructed under PMGSY as per directives of the government of India.

During 2022-23, (till December 2022) a length of 1,096.24 kms was constructed in the state including 61 long-span bridges.

Efforts of the state government in improving good quality construction with appropriate new technology and fund spent on maintenance and renewal of roads are considered for the financial incentives.

Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu while thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Rural Development Minister Giriraj Singh assured that the grant will be optimally and judiciously utilszed.

He said that rural connectivity is a top priority of the state government and the grant would greatly help the state government in the maintenance of already constructed PMGSY roads.

The Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister also congratulated the state Rural Works Department for their good work, which has been recognized by the central government. (ANI)
A family in Delhi's Jahangirpuri area installed a board "appealing" to thieves not to steal any more items from their house as the family is already facing poverty. The notice board said "It is a humble request to the thieves that we belong to a very poor family, do not disturb us by repeatedly stealing in this house". The house of this family is a few steps away from the Jahangirpuri police station. While the conversation with ANI, a female member of the family said that there have been many thefts in her house, due to which she is very upset. Her family is very poor and due to frequent thefts, her financial condition is getting worse. Thinking this, the family thought of a way to appeal to the thieves and put up this board. "After the installation of the board, The board has become a centre of attraction in the area. Every person passing through the area who sees this board first smiles at the board and then captures its picture on the mobile," said one of the residents. While a conversation with ANI, Kuldeep, a person living in the Jahangirpuri area said that crime was very high in Jahangirpuri and that incidents of theft and looting are common there. People here are very worried about the increasing theft and looting. He was also prepared to install such kind of Notice Board if the idea works for the people living in the locality. (ANI)
Levelling massive allegations against the Centre, Congress MP Randeep Surjewala on Tuesday claimed that the government has dispatched the central agencies to conduct raids against the party leaders and candidates listed for the Karnataka Assembly polls. The Congress leader claimed that the party has "authentic information" about the BJP failing to select its own candidates for the polls. Surjewala alleged that there is a "mass exodus" taking place in the BJP in the poll-bound state. "We have authentic information that BJP is unable to select its candidates for BJP's ministers and MLAs are refusing to contest seats...A mass exodus is happening in BJP in Karnataka. About 10 MLAs, MLCs, ex-MLAs and ex-MLCs, their boards & corporation chairmen have resigned in dozens and joined Congress," he claimed. "So, PM Modi has decided to use the final arsenal in his armoury which will also fail miserably. We have info that hundreds of I-T and ED officers have been dispatched to Karnataka to conduct raids across the state on Congress leaders, candidates and probable party candidates," Surjewala alleged. He stressed that the Congress party will not cow down and fight the elections with full force. "But PM Modi and his ED and I-T should know that their fake, fraudulent and fabricated raids will not cow down Congress which is on the verge of coming to power," Surjewala said. He claimed that the party will rush past the 150-plus mark in the Karnataka Assembly elections. "Your Income Tax and ED Dept of the BJP cannot and will not deter the Congress 'rath' which is people's 'rath' from going past the 150-plus mark of victory. We also call upon all those bureaucrats & officers of the I-T and ED who are being sought to be misused by raids that will begin tomorrow as per our information, that all wrongdoings you are doing on behalf of BJP Govt would be accounted for," he said. Karnataka LoP Siddaramaiah said that there is a wave for Congress in Karnataka and the party will come to power with a comfortable majority. "With a comfortable majority, Congress will come to power. As Surjewala said, a number of MLAs, MLCs and chairmen of boards & corporations have resigned from BJP and joined Congress. Everybody in Karnataka knows that the wave is in favour of Congress...BJP High Command is well aware that BJP in Karnataka is sinking and it can't come to power. The hate politics & Hindutva is not working in the coming Karnataka elections 2023," he said. Karnataka will go to Assembly polls on May 10 and the votes will be counted on May 13. (ANI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday expressed his condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in the tragic avalanche in Sikkim, saying he was "distressed" by the mishap. Taking to Twitter, PM Modi said, "Distressed by the avalanche in Sikkim. Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. I hope the injured recover soon. Rescue ops are underway and all possible assistance is being provided to those affected." Earlier in the day, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that the government is closely monitoring the situation in Sikkim. Shah took to Twitter to condole the loss of lives and assured that the teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) will reach the affected area soon. The minister also prayed for the speedy recovery of those injured in the incident. "My sincerest condolences to the families of those who have lost their lives in the tragic avalanche in Sikkim. We are closely monitoring the situation and the teams of NDRF will reach the affected area soon. I pray for the speedy recovery of those injured," Shah said in a tweet. At least seven tourists were killed and many are feared trapped after an avalanche struck the Gangtok-Nathu La road in Sikkim on Tuesday afternoon, the Army said. An estimated 20-30 tourists were feared to be trapped under the snow along with five-six vehicles, the Army added. "By 3 pm, 14 persons were rescued and taken to a nearby Army medical facility. However, seven persons succumbed. The other seven persons were administered first aid and returned to Gangtok, the Army said in a statement. Approximately 5-6 vehicles along with 20-30 tourists on way to Natu La are feared to have been stuck under the snow, the army said. Besides, a total of 350 stranded tourists and 80 vehicles have also been rescued after snow clearance from the road. Earlier in the day, at about 11.30 am, a massive avalanche hit the 15th Mile on Jawaharlal Nehru road connecting Gangtok with Nathu La. Meanwhile, the road has been opened for traffic by Border Roads Organisation. A search and rescue mission for the remaining persons is underway by the Army, State Disaster Management Team and police. (ANI)
Few, if any of us, live in a place like Mayberry, the fictitious town in North Carolina that provides the bucolic setting for the 1960s television program The Andy Griffith Show. Before we leave our homes, we secure our doors and windows. When leaving our vehicles, we lock their doors. We install complex security systems to protect our property against intruders.

Yet when we enter the cyberworld, we act like it is a version of Mayberry. We tend to act nonchalantly with our personal information. We rely on companies and their websites to protect our data, no matter how sensitive it may be. We use our smartphones in a manner that often exposes our personal information to cybercriminals and bad actors.

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Few companies intentionally misuse or expose their clients personal data. In spite of all the safeguards deployed, security breaches occur with regularity. An enormous cybersecurity industry has surfaced, with revenues on the order of hundreds of billions of dollars annually.

The current debate over TikTok focuses on the apps use of Americans personal information. The primary driver of such concerns is that the majority stakeholder of TikTok, ByteDance, is based in China. The fear is that the Chinese government will access such personal information and use the platform for targeted messages fomenting social unrest and angst.

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Lawmakers worry that such actions pose a threat to our national security. Several countries have banned TikTok on government devices and computers. Yet the cyberworld has few borders, and those that exist can be circumvented with some technical acumen.

The TikTok controversy reflects ongoing tensions between the United States, the worlds dominant superpower, and China, a superpower wannabe. Like two heavyweight wrestlers locked in a hold, each is attempting to gain an advantage that can flip a neutral stance into a position of strength.

Their struggles cover a wide swath of issues, including microchip manufacturing; the role of Taiwan; intellectual properties, with economic and trade implications; and rare earth metals that are needed for national defense and numerous technologies.

[ Daniel DePetris: Will Kevin McCarthys meeting with Taiwans president provoke more conflict with China? ]

The U.S. government would like to see TikTok owned by one or more U.S. companies. ByteDance is 60% owned by non-Chinese investors, including U.S. investment firms. China does not support such a full transfer of ownership, no matter how large the sale price would be.

The RESTRICT Act, a measure recently introduced in the U.S. Senate with bipartisan support, would limit foreign influence by tech companies, with TikTok clearly in its crosshairs. However, giving the Department of Commerce the power to take such actions is different from achieving the desired result.

In reality, the types of data TikTok is collecting may not be that dissimilar to the data collected by other social media companies that are U.S.-owned. The concern is that data collected by a company based in China has national security implications, based on the relationship that the U.S. has with China.

Of course, a simple solution for all users is to assume that any data they share on the internet is being seen and used by cybercriminals and foreign nations. This would require a massive change in how people in the U.S. use the internet and social media.

Cybersecurity companies always indicate that the greatest vulnerability of any cybersystem is the user and their unwillingness or inability to follow sound cybersecurity protocols. With social media, users freely share information that is akin to providing a key to their home and information on when they will be away.

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The TikTok debate will continue. The best protection that any person can take on TikTok, or any social media site, is guarding personal information and taking responsibility for doing so. Assuming that a company will handle all cybersecurity issues and keep such information private is risky, and even naive.

With regard to TikTok, if the Department of Commerce is successful in closing down access to the website in the U.S., what tool will people gravitate toward? Alternatives already exist that can fill this void. The question is why these other tools are not being used to the same degree as TikTok, which now has 150 million U.S. registered users.

The freedoms that Americans enjoy also expose people to personal risks. When such risks threaten national security, they no longer are personal. The RESTRICT Act, much like the Patriot Act, recognizes such risks. Whether TikTok is a real risk or a false alarm remains to be seen. It is likely something in between. Over time, more will be revealed.

Until then, everyone has a responsibility to act responsibly on the internet, not only for their own personal security but also for the security of the nation.

Sheldon Jacobson is a professor in computer science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. A data scientist, he applies his expertise in data-driven, risk-based decision-making to evaluate and inform public policy.

Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday while responding to a purported video where he is seen allegedly copying from a ready text to fill up a visitor's book while visiting a state school said that he has no "hesitation" to admit that he does not know Hindi and English very well. "I went to an Assamese medium school and am trying my best to learn Hindi and English in my own humble way. I must admit that I do not know English and Hindi very well, and I have no hesitation in admitting it," Assam CM tweeted while reacting to the video which went viral on social media. Earlier in the day, a video showing Sarma allegedly copying from a ready text to fill up a visitor's book while visiting a state school went viral on social media. https://twitter.com/himantabiswa/status/1643222205486989317?s=20 In the purported video, posted on Twitter by Roshan Rai, Himanta Sarma can be seen writing in the visitor's register with a readymade text placed right next to it. "Presenting the CM of Assam who can't even write a paragraph in a visitor's book without copying," a user named Roshan Rai alleged. Hours later, the Chief Minister reacted to the video, saying that he does not know Hindi and English very well. (ANI)
Delhi Education Minister Atishi on Tuesday said that there is a need to provide "international-level training" to MCD school teachers so that they can impart quality education to students. "Global training of Delhi government school teachers played a vital role in Delhi's education revolution. Now, there is a need to prepare a roadmap for international-level training of teachers of MCD schools as well," Atishi said during a joint meeting with officials of the DoE, MCD, and SCERT to review the action plan of both departments for the upcoming school session. Holding a review meeting with Delhi Mayor Shelly Oberoi, officials of the Directorate of Education, MCD, and SCERT, Atishi said that to deliver quality education to every child in the national capital, the Delhi government's Municipal Corporation (MCD) will work in an integrated manner. "With the help of this training, our MCD school teachers will gain self-confidence and receive world-class exposure, which will enable them to provide good quality education to the children studying in their schools," Atishi said. Speaking of teacher training, Atishi directed the officials of SCERT to prepare a joint action plan for the training of teachers of DoE schools as well as MCD schools. Along with this she also directed the officials to hold joint orientation of principals from DoE and MCD schools. "This will create an excellent opportunity for both to learn from the best practices of each other. Every year, lakhs of children from MCD schools are admitted to Delhi government schools in Class 6. It is important to understand the educational needs of these children, which requires joint training of the Delhi government and MCD school teachers," the Delhi Education Minister said, adding that this training will not only help in the professional development of teachers from both departments but will also be an opportunity for teachers to understand the challenges that they face together. During the meeting, the Education Minister further directed the DoE, MCD and SCERT to form a joint action group together that will work in the areas of content and curriculum development, assessment and teacher training for children. On this occasion, Delhi Mayor Shelly Oberoi said that under the leadership of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, the Delhi government schools have undergone a remarkable transformation in the past 8 years. "Taking inspiration from these changes, we will transform the MCD schools into world-class schools and work towards providing quality education to every child. Now MCD and Delhi government schools will work together, which will benefit lakhs of children in Delhi," Oberoi said. In this joint meeting, Delhi Mayor Shelly Oberoi, MCD Commissioner Gyanesh Bharti, Ashok Kumar, Education Secretary in the Delhi government, Himanshu Gupta, Education Director (DOE), Vikas Tripathi, Education Director (MCD), Rita Sharma, Director of SCERT, and Principal Education Advisor Shailendra Sharma were also present along with other officials from the Education Department, MCD, and SCERT. (ANI)
The book, a chronicle of his journey of 55 years in Congress, will be released by veteran leader Karan Singh.

In the book, Azad, who was then the Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, has mentioned promptly the issue of abrogation of Article 370 and targeted his former Congress colleague Jairam Ramesh for not joining the protest in the Parliament.

He has also given account of 'G-23' or the group of Congress leaders who had written to then interim party chief Sonia Gandhi, seeking visible and effective leadership and a wide-spread reforms in party affairs.

Though Azad had serious difference with the Congress leadership and quit the party last August to form his own political outfit, he had defended Rahul Gandhi, when he was disqualified from the Lok Sabha.

Azad joined the Congress in the mid 1970s and has held many important positions both in the party and the government. He was a minister in the Union Cabinet in the governments headed by Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, P.V. Narasimha Rao and Dr. Manmohan Singh.

Since 1980, Azad was the party General Secretary under every party President during that period.

He was the Chief Minister of J&K from 2005 to 2008.

In his resignation letter addressed to party president Sonia Gandhi, he had noted that he "had an extremely close relationship with your family from late Mrs Indira Gandhi, late Shri Sanjay Gandhi onwards including your late husband (Rajiv Gandhi)".

--IANS miz/vd

( 272 Words)

2023-04-04-19:02:03 (IANS)
The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has sent a notice to the West Bengal government seeking clarifications on the allegations of negligence by appropriate state authorities in connection with complaints about child marriages in the state. Sources in the state government said that the notice sought reports on action taken by the authorities in 1,640 such cases, the details for which are missing. Sources said that NCPCR in its notice has pointed out that during the 17-month period from April 2021 till September 2022, there had been 6,733 complaints of child marriage attempts in West Bengal, of which 4,001 were reported during the 12-month period between April 2021 and March 2022, and remaining 2,732 were from April 2022 to September 2022. As per the NCPCR notice, of the total 6,733 complaints received during the 17-month period from April 2021 till September 2022, as many as 5,093 cases were resolved, which implies that the child marriages could be prevented. Again, out of 5,093 resolved cases, 2,732 were during the 12- month period between April 2021 and March 2022 and the remaining 2,154 were during the remaining five-month period from April 2022 to September 2022. This, according to NCPCR, means that reports for as many as 1,640 cases during the 17-month period from April 2021 till September 2022 are missing, out of which 1,062 are during the 12- month period between April 2021 and March 2022 and the remaining 578 are during the remaining five-month period from April 2022 to September 2022. Besides seeking a clarification from the state government on the status of such cases for which reports are missing, NCPCR has also directed the state police director general to start legal proceedings under the provisions of Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 in such cases in which the reports as missing. The state government has been directed to reply to the notice within 10 days of its receipt. --IANS src/pgh ( 346 Words) 2023-04-04-19:40:03 (IANS)
The Union Home Ministry has sought a detailed report from the West Bengal government on the recent cases of clashes over the Ram Navami processions in three places in the state - Shibpur in Howrah district, Dalkhola in North Dinajpur, and finally Rishra in Hooghly. Chief Secretary H.K. Dwivedi has been asked to submit the report to the Union home ministry within the next three days. Immediately after the clashes at violence at Rishra that started since Sunday evening and continued till Monday night, BJP's state President Sukanta Majumdar, as well as party legislator Biman Ghosh, who were injured in the clashes, wrote letters to the Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday seeking the Union government's intervention in the matter. Just a day after that the Union Home Ministry has sought a report from the state government on this count. On March 30 afternoon, there were clashes at Shibpur area in Howrah district over a Ram Navami procession, which continued and extended to the adjacent Kazipara area in the same district on March 31. On March 30, reports of clashes over Ram Navami procession also came from Dalkhola in North Dinajpur district in north Bengal. Already, the Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Suvendu Adhikari had filed a public interest litigation at the Calcutta High Court seeking central agency probe in the clashes. The high court too has sought reports from the state government on the action taken by the police administration in the matter. --IANS src/vd ( 262 Words) 2023-04-04-19:44:04 (IANS)
Smelling nexus among politicians, bureaucrats and a private company, former Shimla Municipal Corporation Deputy Mayor Tikender Singh Panwar on Tuesday demanded a probe into the affairs of the Shimla Jal Nigam Prabandhan Ltd (SJNPL), a water utility created in 2018 to pump the Satluj river water, with the World Bank help, and supply to the state capital. In a missive to Chief Secretary Prabodh Saxena, Panwar pointed out violations in running the utility and sought probe by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) and ensure those who have "swindled swathes of money" are taken to task -- the politicians, bureaucrats, and officers. "If you are able to look into some of the files, particularly the letters that I have written to your office, you would realise that this utility has become a space for opaque deals, corruption, and cronyism of the worst order." Pointing out at the "performance-based contract" that was put on hold and struck out because of incessant voices raised by many who want a fair amount of transparency in running such utilities, the CPI-M leader said the CAG, in a report tabled in the Vidhan Sabha on Monday, cited that there is an indictment of the process and the manner in which the SJNPL is being run. "It is a violation of the 74th Constitutional Amendment, as pointed out in the report." "Now, the election to the Shimla Municipal Corporation has been announced. It is scheduled to be held on May 2. I request you ensure that the performance-based contract is put on hold and a team may be constituted to look into the fact as to why the conditions have been changed time and again. "I have already pointed out the nexus existing between some of the officers of the utility and a private company that is almost certain of winning the contract. The conditions have been tailored made ensuring a cakewalk for this company." Earlier, Panwar in letter to World Bank Country Director Auguste Tano Kouame demanded reviewing the decision of the bank regarding the Shimla water scheme. "The decision of the bank raising pertinent objections to the current tender placed by the SJNPL for the performance-based contract is commendable. I have been raising these issues with the bank and the state government right since the beginning of the tender process. "There are blatant violations in the tender process that suggest deep connivance of officials of the water utility with a particular company that is almost certain to win the contract." Tikender told the media that there is need to scrap the SJNPL that has been registered under the Companies Act by the previous BJP government. He said renaming the utility as it was done in 2016-17, Greater Shimla Water Supply and Sewage Circle (GSWSSC) and transfer the entire utility to the Shimla Municipal Corporation, which is and should have been the sole agency to run water and sewage utility in Shimla town, as mandated under the 74th Constitutional Amendment. As per the project with an outlay of $250 million (Rs 1,813 crore), it will cater to the demand of Shimla Planning Area, comprising suburbs Kufri, Ghannatti and Shoghi, for an estimated population of 4.13 lakh by 2050. As per records of the state Urban Development, Shimla, planned for a maximum population of 16,000 during the British Raj, is now home to 2.47 lakh people with a floating population of 75,000 as per the census of 2011. For over a decade this tourist town has been getting water supply once in two or three days, largely during the peak summer. In some localities, the water supply is once a week. --IANS vg/pgh ( 619 Words) 2023-04-04-19:54:01 (IANS)
Sharmila also called on state Secretaries of Communist Party of India (CPI) and Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) and appealed to them to join hands for a united battle for the future of the youth of the state

Kodandaram responded positively to Sharmila's request to head T-SAVE but said a final decision will be taken after discussing the proposal in the party.

He said that there is a need for a united struggle on the problems faced by unemployed but the party's state committee will decide whom to join hands and how to carry forward the movement.

The TJS leader said the Telangana State Public Service Commission (TSPSC) paper leak has created unrest among students. He alleged that the BRS government is playing with the lives of students.

Kodandaram said Class 10 question paper leak for last two days once again proves the negligence of the government.

Sharmila said T-SAVE will be a joint platform for all the political parties to converge and pledge their commitment and fight for the cause of the educated and unemployed youth of the state.

She invited all parties to set aside differences and join T-SAVE.

The YSRTP chief invited all parties for a meeting on April 10 to discuss the action plan.

Sharmila also met CPI-M Secretary T. Veerabhadram and CPI Secretary K. Sambasiva Rao and requested them to attend the meeting to discuss and chalk out a joint action plan.

--IANS ms/vd

( 296 Words)

2023-04-04-20:10:03 (IANS)
Dalit intellectuals have hailed the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government of Telangana for installing a 125-foot statue of Dr B.R. Ambedkar. The University Grants Commission's (UGC) former Chairman Prof Sukhadeo Thorat and other intellectuals visited the statue which is coming up near Hussain Sagar in the heart of Hyderabad and is scheduled to be unveiled on April 14, the birth anniversary of Ambedkar. They were all praise for Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao for paying fitting tribute to the architect of the Indian Constitution by installing his tallest statue. The statue has come close to the newly-built state Secretariat which has also been named after Ambedkar. A thanksgiving ceremony was held in the city by various Dalit organizations to thank the Chief Minister for naming the Telangana secretariat after Ambedkar and also for installing a 125-foot statue. Leaders of Prabuddha Bharat International, Samata Sainik Dal, SC, ST Officers Forum and others attended the meeting. Thorat said he was feeling proud to be a part of this thanksgiving ceremony. He appreciated KCR, as the Chief Minister is popularly known, for naming the secretariat and installing a statue as a fitting tribute to Ambedkar. K. Srinivas, editor of Telugu daily Andhra Jyothi said Chief Minister KCR has done what no other Chief Minister could do. Press Academy Chairman Allam Narayana said that one language and one state was the dream of Baba Saheb Ambedkar and KCR has made this come true by implementing the ideals mentioned in the Constitution. Former Chief Secretary K. Madhav Rao said that Ambedkar sacrificed his life to bring all core values of humans on one platform. Delhi Vasanth, Founder, Gramodaya Chamber of Commerce & Technology, said that Baba Saheb Ambedkar is truly the real father of the nation with his innovative ideas for uplifting the downtrodden. He proposed auction of the thesis "Problem of Rupee" written by Dr Ambedkar as done earlier for Theory of Relativity of Albert Einstein. Benjamin, Chairman of Saint Paul's institutions came forward with initial bidding of Rs 1 crore. Vasanth said this process will go for 6 months, inviting different national heads and business heads to globalise the doctrine of "Problem of Rupee". --IANS ms/vd ( 375 Words) 2023-04-04-20:16:02 (IANS)
A day after the 'Red Fort' Iftar party of Nitish Kumar, senior BJP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sushil Kumar Modi suggested him to dream big and stand before the banner of the White House. "His supporters believe that he has become the President of the USA," he said. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar attended an Iftar party in Patna's Phulwarisharif locality where the host Khalid Anwar, a JD-U MLC, made a stage identical to the Red Fort on Monday. "Nitish Kumar has a strange situation. He claimed not having any wish to become the Prime Minister of the country and on the other hand he asked his supporters to make posters and banners. He asked his supporters to chant 'Desh Ka PM Kaisa Ho, Nitish Kumar Jaisa Ho'. Nitish Ji wants from his heart to become Prime Minister of the country at least for 5 minutes so that his name will be registered in the history," Modi said. He further said: "At present, there is no chance. A person with only 44 MLAs, he sometimes sits on the shoulder of BJP and sometimes on the shoulder of RJD to become chief minister and if that person starts dreaming for the post of Prime Minister, it is laughable," Modi said. "Who is giving value to Nitish Kumar in Delhi? On Monday, DMK had organised a convention on the issue of social justice and invited Tejashwi Yadav as one of the speakers. It had not invited any leader of JD-U. He was saying that the discussion on opposition unity will take place after the end of Bharat Jodo Yatra of Rahul Gandhi. Now, it's been over a month but no message from their side so far and it will not come in future," the BJP leader said. --IANS ajk/uk/ ( 310 Words) 2023-04-04-20:18:04 (IANS)
In a shocking incident, a 30-year-old woman in Delhi was shot and injured in her neck by her neighbours for opposing their playing of loud music, police said on Tuesday. The incident was reported from outer north Delhi's Siraspur area and two persons were held in this connection, a senior police official said. According to the official, they got a PCR call of the incident at around 12.15 a.m., with the caller reporting that a woman was hurt in the incident. A police team reached at the spot and found that the injured woman was already taken to Max Hospital, Shalimar Bagh. The injured woman was later identified as Ranju, 30, a resident of Siraspur. After this, the scene was inspected by crime team. "On reaching the hospital, the MLC details of the victim were collected in which a doctor mentioned gunshot injury on her neck. The woman was unfit for statement at that time," the police said. The police said that they found out a witness of the case and her statement was recorded. It was the sister-in-law of the victim who alleged that Harish, another resident of their colony was involved in the incident. "She said that there was programme of 'kuwa pujan' of Harish's son in which DJ was playing. Hearing loud noise Ranju and she went to the balcony and asked Harish to stop the DJ. Afterwards a bullet hit her bhabhi which was fired by Harish who took the gun from Amit," the official said. The official said that on her statement a case under sections 307, 34 of IPC and 27 Arms Act was registered against the accused, and both the accused Harish and Amit were arrested. --IANS atk/vd ( 302 Words) 2023-04-04-20:24:03 (IANS)
U.S. Rep. Jesus Chuy Garcia concedes the mayoral race on election night, Feb. 28, 2023 at Apollos 2000 Theatre in Little Village. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

U.S. Rep. Jesus Chuy Garcia announced Tuesday that his 28-year-old daughter died Monday night.

No cause of death was disclosed.

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We are completely heartbroken, the three-term Democratic congressman said in a statement. Rosa joined our family as a young girl who had been in the foster care system. We did our best to provide a stable, loving and welcoming home for her.

Garcia said his family was asking for privacy and welcomes your thoughts and prayers during this most difficult time.

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No funeral arrangements were announced.

Rosa Garcia was one of three adult children and the only daughter of the 66-year-old congressman and his wife, Evelyn.

Garcia has twice run unsuccessfully for Chicago mayor. In his unsuccessful bid for mayor earlier this year, Garcia spoke about the fears he felt over the involvement of his son Sam in street gangs.

I nearly lost my son to the gangs, Garcia said in one ad. We cant afford to lose one more kid.

Garcia finished fourth with nearly 14% of the vote in the Feb. 28 mayoral contest, failing to make the runoff, which will be between former Chicago Public Schools CEO Paul Vallas and Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson. Garcia also finished behind incumbent Mayor Lori Lightfoot.

Garcia made the mayoral runoff in 2015 but lost to incumbent Mayor Rahm Emanuel, 56% to 44%.

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In a startling coincidence, both Congress as well as RSS veterans are expressed solidarity with BJP's former Rajasthan President Satish Poonia on his removal from the post, terming it a poor decision taken by his party in the election year which will boomerang on it. Congress leaders accused the BJP of being "two-faced", saying that on one hand, they are accusing Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of adopting an "anti-OBC stand", and on the other hand, have removed OBC leader Poonia as state party President. They also claimed that Poonia was doing fair work and was a hard working leader as they questioned that why was he removed. The BJP has appointed Poonia as the Deputy Leader of Opposition in Assembly, after replacing him with C.P. Joshi, but Congress say this is not enough for Poonia. A video has surfaced in which Congress MLA Mahendra Chaudhary from Nawan assembly seat in Nagaur district is seen saying that Poonia worked so hard and suffered injuries on his hands and legs, yet the BJP removed him from the post of state President. Questioning the change, he claimed that the BJP has not only done wrong to Poonia, but meted injustice to the farmers living in 70 per cent of the villages. Making him the Deputy Leader of the Opposition won't help, he said, adding that this act of BJP was wrong. Chaudhary said that when he became Chief Deputy Whip, there was a different arrangement. He said that the BJP has not given any message by making Poonia the Deputy Leader of Opposition, which "is just no post". He said that there was no allegation against Poonia, yet he was removed, while Poonia did all the work of the party in a better way. The video is going viral on social media. Even state Congress chief Govind Singh Dotasra hit back at BJP leaders for attacking Gandhi for his alleged anti-OBC statements, while terming removal of Poonia as the "anti-OBC stand" of the saffron party. Dotasra asked with what face does the BJP who removed OBC state President talk about OBCs. "The BJP is teaching us the lesson on OBCs, but has itself removed the OBC state President. There is always respect for OBCs in the Congress. Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot, Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel and I myself belong to OBC category. BJP only works to divert the attention of the public from the real issues by bringing jumlas," he quipped. State minister Subhash Garg even claimed that the BJP will split after removing Poonia from his post. Meanwhile, the RSS is also dissatisfied with party's decision and veteran leaders reportedly have expressed their resentment against his removal. On Friday, there were back to back meetings of RSS veterans including B.L. Santosh, Arun Kumar, among others who expressed their dissatisfaction over the way Poonia was removed. They said that he should have been given some position before his removal and it could have been conveyed earlier that extension will not be given to him. Meanwhile, after these meetings, it was decided to announce him as Deputy Leader of Opposition to calm down agitating Jats who form a significant voting bloc in Rajasthan. --IANS arc/vd ( 551 Words) 2023-04-04-20:34:02 (IANS)
Delhi Lt. Governor V.K. Saxena has given the approval to the proposal to set up Vigilance Committees at Fair Price Shops (FPS) to ensure a corruption-free, efficient and transparent Public Distribution System, an official said on Tuesday. The proposal was sent to L-G Saxena on March 27. While agreeing to the proposal, L-G Saxena has underlined the delay of eight years in the setting up of these committees, and also expressed a grave concern that the proposal has inordinately taken this long. He has underlined that the proposal to this effect first mooted by the Food & Supplies Department in 2017 kept oscillating at different levels and was kept pending on one occasion at the level of the Minister for nine months before being returned without assigning any reason. The L-G in his note to the Chief Minister has stated that the constitution of these Committees that seeks to ensure transparency in PDS which directly affects the common person, has been dealt with a very lackadaisical manner. The National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013 mandates the constitution of Vigilance Committees at FPS level to ensure transparency in the effectiveness of Public Distribution System (PDS) at the ground level. The FPS-level committees also oversee the addition and deletion of names of beneficiaries to the Fair Price Beneficiary list, apart from maintaining vigilance over the quality of food, timely delivery and distribution of ration commodities. The L-G in his note on file to the Chief Minister flagging laxity, also mentioned: "Majority of states like Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telengana, Goa, Odisha, Tripura, Haryana, and Assam have constituted the Committees during the years 2016 to 2018 but Delhi could not set up a Fair Price Shop-level Committee in the past eight years. --IANS spr/pgh ( 310 Words) 2023-04-04-20:36:01 (IANS)
The Supreme Court has observed that undue sympathy to impose an inadequate sentence would do more harm to the justice system by undermining public confidence in the efficacy of law, while quashing a Punjab and Haryana High Court verdict, reducing the sentence to a man for causing death by rash and negligent driving. It stressed that the financial loss, emotional and social trauma caused to a family on losing a bread winner, or any other member of the family, or incapacitation of the victim cannot be quantified. A bench of Justices M.R. Shah and C.T. Ravikumar said: "Applying the law laid down by this court in the case of Surendra Singh to the facts of the case on hand, the impugned judgment and order passed by the high court interfering with the sentence imposed by the trial court confirmed by the first appellate court by showing undue sympathy to the accused is unsustainable and the same deserves to be quashed and set aside." The bench cited an observation made in a previous ruling of the apex court, which said that undue sympathy to impose inadequate sentence would do more harm to the justice system to undermine the public confidence in the efficacy of law. Referring to the case at hand, the bench said while reducing the sentence, the high court has not at all considered the gravity of the offence and the manner in which the accused committed the offence and driving the Scorpio in rash and negligent manner due to which one innocent person lost his life and two persons who were travelling in the ambulance sustained the injuries. The bench noted that from the impugned judgment and order passed by the high court, it appears that the case on behalf of the accused, that he is coming from a poor family, is considered as mitigating circumstance. "The high court has not at all considered the fact that the IPC (Indian Penal Code) is punitive and deterrent in nature. The principal aim and object are to punish offenders for offences committed under IPC. Sections 279 and 304A can be invoked only if the act of the accused is negligent and rash," said the bench. Justice Shah, who authored the judgment on behalf of the bench, said: "With rapidly increasing motorisation, India is facing an increasing burden of road traffic injuries and fatalities. The financial loss, emotional and social trauma caused to a family on losing a bread winner, or any other member of the family, or incapacitation of the victim cannot be quantified." He added that the principle of proportionality between the crime and punishment has to be borne in mind and the principle of just punishment is the bedrock of sentencing in respect of a criminal offence. The apex court delivered its verdict on an appeal filed by Punjab government challenging the high court judgment, which upheld the conviction of an accused for the offence under section 304-A (causing death by rash and negligent act) of the IPC. However, the court reduced the sentence from two years to eight months, subject to a prior deposit of Rs 25,000 towards compensation to be paid to the family of the deceased. The top court noted that cogent reasons were given by the trial court which had sentenced the accused to two years in jail in the road accident, which occurred in January 2012 when a car driven by the accused hit an ambulance. The apex court restored the sentence imposed by the trial court while allowing the Punjab government's appeal, and it granted four weeks to the accused to surrender to undergo the remaining sentence. --IANS ss/vd ( 624 Words) 2023-04-04-20:42:03 (IANS)
A woman and five other people, including hired assassins, have been arrested for killing a man in west Delhi's Naraina area, a police official said on Tuesday. The official said that the deceased identified as Kamal Kumar, a resident of Dwarka, had filed numerous complaints against accused Renu Devi for the demolition of the temple which was built by her at a park in Indira Gandhi Camp, Naraina Industrial area, Phase-1. "Renu had hired Sachin, 19, Sumit, 24, Bharat, 24, and Rohit, 20 to kill Kamal Kumar, who was running a small dhaba and a mobile accessories shop in the local market of Naraina while one more accused, Saurabh Tyagi, a resident of Ghaziabad (Uttar Pradesh) had helped the accused to flee," said the official. According to police, on March 30, at 12.15 p.m, a police control room call was received at Naraina police station regarding an injured person lying behind the police station following which the injured person was taken to DDU Hospital where he was declared brought dead. To crack the case, a police team was formed and during investigation, a white car was found on the spot with an open window on the driver's side and blood splashed inside as well as near the car. "During probe, police found that the deceased Kamal had filed numerous complaints at the MCD against Renu and for the demolition of the temple. Both Renu and Kamal were at loggerheads. Renu was questioned, but initially she did not cooperate in the investigation," said the Deputy Commissioner of Police, West, Ghanshyam Bansal. A police team also found that the suspected perpetrators had fled to Himachal Pradesh. "The team acted swiftly and rushed to Himachal Pradesh. But the suspects kept evading the police team," said the DCP. However, on strong questioning Renu broke down and revealed that as the deceased had filed numerous complaints against her therefore she hired Sachin, Sumit, Bharat and Rohit to kill him. "Sachin, Sumit, Bharat, and Rohit were arrested on April 1 and one country made pistol, two bullets, one empty case and one scooty without number plate which were used in commission of crime were recovered from the possession of the accused," said the DCP. "Saurabh Tyagi, who facilitated the accused to flee away to Himachal in his car, was also arrested. During the sustained interrogation it was found that accused Sachin along with his accomplices Sumit, Rohit, and Bharat had shot Kamal Kumar in the head," said the official. --IANS ssh/vd ( 433 Words) 2023-04-04-21:02:05 (IANS)
Four influential Naga organisations, including the powerful Naga Hoho on Tuesday, urged the Central government to honour its word in the Ceasefire Agreement (1997) and Framework Agreement (2015) and "resolve the Naga political impasse accordingly". The four Naga bodies -- the Naga Hoho, the Naga Mothers' Association, the Naga Students' Federation, and the Naga Peoples Movement for Human Rights, in a joint statement said that the government must "stop its militarisation and military operations". "The Naga political conflict cannot be solved militarily and must be solved politically, as admitted by no less than three Indian Army Generals and others," they said. "Naga People are an independent indigenous nation in assertion to which a peaceful and prior informed plebiscite was conducted in 1951 that resulted in 99.9 per cent in support of our independent status as declared on the 14th of August 1947." The Naga bodies said that "the Indian armed forces have been occupying their land ever since its military aggression in 1954". "Left with no option but to defend our political, social, religious and economic rights, we have resorted to confront and resist the occupational military forces of India and Burma. This war has ever since continued in the midst of two 'ceasefires'. "We are subjected to live in constant fear and trauma, which is a never ending-nightmare, the statement said.They alleged that their homes and granaries were vandalised and burned. "The armed forces occupy crop fields, schools, hospitals and make them their camps, churches are desecrated and have been made concentration camps. Our women and daughters are molested and raped. Our wives and daughters are subjected to give birth in public," the statement claimed and said that former Secretary General of United Nations Boutros Boutros Ghali had officially acknowledged these violence, destruction, pain and untold sufferings of the Nagas. Although a decade shy of two years has nearly passed, yet the political resoluteness and honorable approach and guarantee on the part of the government of India remains a dangerous doubt, it said. The Naga bodies urged the international community to humanely intervene in the violations of human rights in the Naga areas, and recognise their legitimate political, social, economic and religious rights as enshrined in the United Nations' Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People. --IANS sc/vd ( 394 Words) 2023-04-04-21:28:02 (IANS)
At least five persons have been arrested in connection with the June 2019 human sacrifice case at Kamakhya temple in Guwahati, the police said on Tuesday. The headless body of a woman was found on the stairs of Joy Durga Temple in Kamakhya on June 19, 2019, following which a probe was launched. Guwahati Commissioner of Police, Diganta Barah, told the media that the victim visited Kamakhya temple during the Ambubachi Mela, and has been missing since then. "On June 2019, the beheaded body of an unidentified woman was spotted on the Joy Durga Mandir's staircase. A thorough inquiry was started after a suo-moto case was filed in this regard at a police station," he said. Almost a month later, Suresh Shaw, a resident of Tatipara in West Bengal's Hooghly, came to Guwahati's Jalukbari police station and recognised the victim as his mother, Santi Shaw (64), on the basis of her clothes, and other identification marks, the police officer said. Barah said a special police team was formed to look into the incident. On March 18 this year, the special police squad travelled to Cooch Behar in West Bengal and conducted a search of a home belonging to a person identified as Kailash Barman after reviewing technical evidence previously gathered. During searches, the victim's phone along with other items like clothes and identification documents were recovered. "As stated by Kailash Barman, one person, Mata Prasad Pandey, used to visit the village every year in June and July. Pandey has been continuing this practice for the last eight years. In the year 2019, Pandey went to Barman's house and left the belongings of the victim saying that it was his property and he would later pick them up," the police commissioner said. "On March 25, this year, Mata Prasad Pandey (50) was taken into custody from Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh. Further questioning revealed that a Kapali puja, which included the victim, was held in Bhootnath (Guwahati) on the intervening night of June 18 and 19, 2019, and 12 people attended it. The people who performed the pooja consumed alcohol. The victim was also made to consume alcohol. They next went to Kamakhya's crematory and performed another pooja there. The men then beheaded the victim at the Joy Durga Temple in Kamakhya in the name of human sacrifice," the police officer said. Pandey and others then packed the victim's head in a bag and dumped it in the Brahmaputra river before leaving Guwahati. Based on Pandey's confession, the police also arrested Suresh Paswan (56), Kanu Acharjee (62) and Bhaiyaram Maoriya (60) from Bhootnath in Guwahati, while Pradeep Pathak (52) was arrested from Mathura. --IANS tdr/pgh ( 456 Words) 2023-04-04-21:48:02 (IANS)
The Delhi Police achieved a major milestone by successfully apprehending wanted gangster Deepak Boxer, who had fled abroad in January, from Mexico, with the assistance of the FBI - the first instance in which it has collaborated with a foreign agency to catch a criminal since its formation in 1946. As per Delhi Police, notorious gangster Deepak Pahal alias Boxer, a resident of Haryana's Sonipat, was wanted in 10 criminal cases including murder, attempted murder, and under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act, among others. Apart from this, Boxer was also handling the Jitender Gogi gang after his death. Gogi was killed in an encounter by his rivals that occurred in the Rohini court and he was also in touch with the members of Lawrence Bishnoi gang. The crackdown comes after the directions from Union Home Minister Amit Shah to crack down on inter-state and international gangs. "This is probably for the first time in the history of Delhi Police that a massive, multi-continent and joint police and administrative effort is bringing a dangerous fugitive back to India from Mexico," a senior police official told IANS. As per sources, the Union Home Minister holds regular review meetings in this regard with the police and other agencies concerned. "In furtherance to this, after reviewing work of Delhi Police in August 2022, the Union Home Minister had given specific instructions to the Special Cell and Crime Branch to legally pursue organised criminals and terrorists trying to hide anywhere in the country or abroad and bring them to justice. Arresting dangerous fugitive criminal Deepak Boxer from Mexico and bringing him to India is a big success in this direction," the official told IANS. According to police, the operation was launched after the Delhi Police's Special Cell received a tip-off about Deepak Boxer's location. "... a case was registered against Boxer and his gang on March 16 this year in the Special Cell police station under which the present operation was carried out. In this case it was resolved that Boxer has to be traced and arrested from any corner of the world," Special Commissioner of Police, Special Cell, H.G.S. Dhaliwal said. Almost a month after extensive interrogation and technical procedures, it was revealed that the criminal had fled India on a fake passport and had made stops in several countries before finally reaching Mexico. "After arriving in Mexico with the help of human traffickers, his plan was to meet with his associates in the US and continue running the organized crime group's operations in Delhi and neighboring states," said the Special CP. In the second phase of the operation to locate Deepak Boxer, who had fled India on a fake passport in January 2023, a joint effort between the Special Cell, the FBI, and Mexico Police began in Mexico after confirming his presence in the country. "During this process, the authorities thoroughly interrogated all of Deepak Boxer's former comrades, criminal associates, and close relatives for about a week. The information gathered from the interrogations was verified through highly complex technical processes and shared with Mexican and FBI officials in near-real-time, despite a 12-hour time zone difference," said Dhaliwal. Subsequently, a deeply-placed source revealed that Deepak Boxer had gotten a fake passport made in the name of Ravi Antil from Uttar Pradesh's Bareilly before fleeing abroad from Kolkata airport. Acting on this information, the authorities traced him to the Mexican beach city of Cancun. Cancun is considered a notorious city due to the huge presence of human traffickers and the narcotics mafia. "The Delhi Police requested the Mexican administration to deport Deepak Boxer as soon as they discovered his presence in Mexico. The Indian Embassy in Mexico City collaborated with the Delhi Police, and a team of experienced field officers was dispatched to Mexico City to coordinate with the Embassy, Mexican authorities, police, and FBI to ensure Deepak Boxer's swift deportation before any legal challenges from his criminal network," said the official. "Deepak is being extradited to New Delhi via Istanbul. This international effort to capture a dangerous fugitive, involved the support of major intelligence agencies, including the Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of External Affairs, Embassies of various countries, Interpol, CBI, Delhi-based officials, and FBI and Mexican police officials who assisted the Delhi Police at every step," the official added. --IANS ssh/vd ( 737 Words) 2023-04-04-21:48:03 (IANS)
National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) Director Dinesh Prasad Saklani on Tuesday clarified that chapters on Mughals had not been 'dropped' from CBSE books, and said that its a "lie". "It's a lie. (Chapters on) Mughals have not been dropped. There was a rationalisation process last year because due to COVID, there was pressure on students everywhere," the NCERT director told ANI. The NCERT chief further said that expert committees examined the books from standards 6-12. "They recommended that if this chapter is dropped, it won't affect the knowledge of the children and an unnecessary burden can be removed...The debate is unnecessary. Those who don't know can check the textbooks...," Saklani said. He said that even today students are studying the history of the Mughals in NCERT's class 7th book. "Along with this, the history of Mughals is being taught in Empires in section-2 of the 11th class book. And in the class 12th book there were 2 chapters on the history of the Mughals, out of which theme nine was removed last year, while theme eight is still being taught to the students. This year no chapter has been removed from any book," Saklani further said. "We are working as per NEP (National Education Policy) 2020. This is a transition phase. NEP 2020 speaks of reducing the content load. We are implementing it. NCF (National Curriculum Framework) for school education is being formed, it will be finalised soon. Textbooks will be printed in 2024 as per NEP. We have not dropped anything right now," the NCERT chief said while stressing the National Education Policy. On Monday, Uttar Pradesh Secondary Education Minister Gulab Devi also denied the reports claiming of removing the chapter of the Mughal Sultanate from CBSE and UP Board. "There is no change of any kind in our syllabus. Those who are running this type of misleading news, I request them not to run such news," Gulab Devi said. If there will be any further changes under the new education policy, then it cannot be said. At present, there is no change. The curriculum which was in 2022 will remain the same this time in 2023-24, she said. (ANI)
Taiwan's Defence Ministry detected 5 Chinese military aircraft and four naval ships around Taiwan between 6 a.m. on Sunday (April 2) and 6 a.m. on Monday (April 3). Taking to Twitter, Taiwan's Defence Ministry said, "5 PLA aircraft and 4 PLAN vessels around Taiwan were detected by 6 a.m.(UTC+8) today. R.O.C. Armed Forces have monitored the situation and tasked CAP aircraft, Navy vessels, and land-based missile systems to respond these activities." "Illustration of flight paths is not provided due to no trace of PLA aircraft crossing the middle line of the Taiwan Strait or entering Taiwan's southwestern ADIZ during the time frame," it added. Earlier, between Saturday and Sunday also, Taiwan tracked 10 Chinese military aircraft and three naval ships, Taiwan News reported. Of the 10 People's Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft, four KA-28 anti-submarine warfare helicopters were monitored in the southwest corner of Taiwan's air defence identification zone (ADIZ), according to the MND. No PLA aircraft crossed the Taiwan Strait median line during this time. In response, Taiwan sent naval ships and used land-based missiles to monitor the PLA aircraft and vessels. So far in April, Beijing has sent 28 military aircraft and seven naval vessels around Taiwan. Since September 2020, China has increased its use of grey zone tactics by routinely sending aircraft into Taiwan's ADIZ. According to Focus Taiwan, Grey zone tactics are defined as "an effort or series of efforts beyond steady-state deterrence and assurance that attempts to achieve one's security objectives without resort to direct and sizable use of force." In a similar incident last week, Taiwan tracked nine Chinese military aircraft and four naval vessels around Taiwan between on Monday, March 27 and Tuesday, March 28, as per the report in Taiwan News. Of the nine People's Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft, three were tracked in Taiwan's air defence identification zone (ADIZ), according to the MND. One CH-4 reconnaissance drone crossed the Taiwan Strait median line in the northeast sector of the ADIZ, while two Shenyang J-11 fighter jets entered the southwest corner of the identification zone. So far in March, Beijing has sent 325 military aircraft and 101 naval vessels around Taiwan. Since September 2020, China has increased its use of grey zone tactics by routinely sending aircraft into Taiwan's ADIZ, reported Taiwan News. (ANI)
In its latest attempt to lay claims over Indian territory, China's Ministry of Civil Affairs has standardised the names of 11 places in Arunachal Pradesh, which it referred to as "Zangnan, the southern part of Tibet." China has come up with the names of 11 places in Arunachal Pradesh in Chinese characters, Tibetan and pinyin according to the rules on geographical names issued by the State Council, China's cabinet, Global Times reported. The Ministry announced the names of 11 places on Sunday and also gave precise coordinates, including two residential areas, five mountain peaks, two rivers and two other areas. China's Ministry of Civil Affairs also listed the category of places' names and their subordinate administrative districts, as per the news report. According to a Global Times report, this is the third batch of geographical names announced by the ministry in Arunachal Pradesh. As per the news report, the first batch of the standardized names of six places was issued in 2017, and the second batch of 15 places was released in 2021. Earlier, in December last year, the Indian government said that it has seen reports of China attempting to rename some places in Arunachal Pradesh "in its own language" and asserted that the border state has been and will always be an integral part of India." In response to a media query on reports that China has renamed some places in Arunachal Pradesh in its own language, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said China had also sought to assign such names in April 2017. "We have seen such reports. This is not the first time China has attempted such a renaming of places in the state of Arunachal Pradesh. China had also sought to assign such names in April 2017," Bagchi said." Arunachal Pradesh has always been, and will always be an integral part of India. Assigning invented names to places in Arunachal Pradesh does not alter this fact," he added. (ANI)
More people have chosen to vote early in the Chicago runoff election than cast votes early in the February election, but whether that leads to a higher overall voter turnout this time around remains to be seen.

With Chicago election officials urging voters to head to the polls before Tuesday to avoid severe weather predicted for the afternoon of Election Day, the total number of ballots cast so far has eclipsed the already record-setting pre-Election Day voting that occurred in the first round of voting that ended Feb. 28.

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You can search your ward, polling place, and drop box locations here.

Through Sunday night, about 155,000 people voted early in person, while 95,000 had turned in their mail ballots for a total of nearly 250,000 ballots cast. In the February election, the total number of ballots cast two days before Election Day was a little more than 211,000. After all mail ballots were counted, February turnout was 36%, slightly higher than both rounds of the 2019 election, but lower than the 2011 election and the runoff in 2015, when it was 41%.

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Besides having only two candidates to choose from for mayor  rather than nine  higher early turnout could be driven by families of Chicago Public Schools students opting to vote early in person before heading out for spring break. Early votes were similarly high in 2015, when CPS spring break was also scheduled during Election Day. In 2019, spring break fell after elections.

While overall totals are higher, vote-by-mail totals are lower than they were at this time before Feb. 28.

Through Sunday, about 7,000 fewer voters had turned in mail ballots. Even so, Chicago Board of Elections spokesman Max Bever said he was honestly a little shocked the board had nearly caught up to totals from this time in February. The turnaround between the proclamation of results from the Feb. 28 elections and the Apr. 4 runoff meant mail ballots could not be sent until March 18.

This turnaround between the municipal and runoff elections has always been tight, Bever said, but the board had more than 200,000 mail ballots to get to voters this cycle  three or four times higher than previous municipal elections. That made it nearly impossible to get everything done in a timely way for voters. We plan to address this with legislators with an ask to more fully fund our vote-by-mail department moving forward so we can scale up to voters expectations (for example, expedited postage fees are more expensive than ever).

Turnout is difficult to predict for runoffs. It rose after the first round in 2015, which featured the head-to-head battle between Rahm Emanuel and Jesus Chuy Garcia, plus 18 aldermanic runoffs. Turnout in 2019s April runoff election was lower than the first round: it featured a mayoral race between Lori Lightfoot and Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, plus the two-way treasurers race and 15 aldermanic runoffs.

This years runoff for mayor features former CPS CEO Paul Vallas versus Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson plus 14 aldermanic races.

aquig@chicagotribune.com
Ukraine has received the first tranche of USD 2.7 billion from a new International Monetary Fund (IMF) EEF program, CNN reported quoting Ukrainian Finance Minister Sergii Marchenko. "Today Ukraine received the first $2,7bn tranche under the new @IMFNews EFF program. Grateful to our partners for supporting Ukraine on the way to victory," Sergii Marchenko said in a tweet On Friday, the IMF approved a new four-year extended arrangement under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) of around USD 15.6 billion as part of a USD 115 billion total support package for Ukraine. The goal of the program announced by IMF is to "anchor policies that sustain fiscal, external, price and financial stability and support economic recovery, while enhancing governance and strengthening institutions to promote long-term growth in the context of post-war reconstruction and Ukraine's path to EU accession," as per the CNN report. The program also helps Ukraine to have "more ambitious structural reforms." On March 31, IMF in a statement said, "The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) approved today a 48-month extended arrangement under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) with an amount of SDR 11.6 billion (577 per cent of quota or about US$15.6 billion). This arrangement is part of a US$115 billion total support package for Ukraine. The Executive Board's decision allows the immediate disbursement of around SDR 2 billion (or US$2.7 billion)." Meanwhile, Norway and Denmark will cooperate to provide 8,000 artillery rounds to Ukraine, CNN reported citing the Norwegian government's statement. The Norwegian government in a statement said, "Norway donates the shells, while Denmark donates the associated fuzes, propellant bags and primer cartridges." This comes amid the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed gratitude to Danish and Denmark governments for their announcement. He tweeted, "Grateful to the Danish and Norwegian governments led by @Statsmin and @jonasgahrstore for the joint initiative to transfer an additional batch of artillery shells to Ukraine. Timely military assistance from partners is the key to bringing our joint victory closer!" Meanwhile, Poland has delivered "several" MiG-29 fighter aircraft to Ukraine, the Polish President's foreign affairs adviser Marcin Przydacz said in an interview with Polish radio RMF FM, CNN reported. Earlier on March 16, Poland said that Warsaw will send the aircraft, which were about to be decommissioned by the country's air force. At that time, Polish President Andrzej Duda said that Poland is still using Mi-29 aircraft in the defence of Polish airspace, as per the CNN report. Duda said that Poland can announce with confidence that Warsaw will send MiGs to Ukraine. (ANI)
National Security Advisor Ajit Doval on Tuesday called on Bhutan King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, who arrived in India for a three-day visit on April 3. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday received the Bhutan king at his arrival in the country and later called on him in the evening. Jaishankar noted that Bhutan King's vision for strengthening the unique partnership with India is "deeply appreciated." The Bhutan King is in India at the invitation of President Droupadi Murmu. He will call on President Murmu later today and hold meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The king is accompanied by Bhutan's Foreign Minister Dr Tandi Dorji and other senior officials. King Wangchuck's visit is in keeping with the long-standing tradition of regular high-level exchanges between the two nations, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement. The MEA noted, "India and Bhutan enjoy unique ties of friendship and cooperation, which are characterized by understanding and mutual trust." The external affairs minister said that the Bhutan King's visit will give a chance to both nations to review bilateral cooperation and to further advance the close bilateral partnership, including economic and development cooperation. The unique relationship between India and Bhutan has been preserved by a custom of frequent high-level exchanges between the two nations such as Prime Minister Narendra Modi in August 2019 and Jaishankar's visits in 2019 and April 2022. Furthermore, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra visited Bhutan in January this year. Earlier in February 2023, a Parliamentary delegation from Bhutan led by Wangchuk Namgyel, Speaker of the National Assembly of Bhutan called on President Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan. While welcoming the delegation in February, President Murmu said that India deeply values the multifaceted and unique friendship between the two countries. She noted that this year Bhutan would graduate from the Least Developed Countries (LDC) group of countries and embark on the path of becoming a High Income Economy by 2034. (ANI)
In the latest move, a New York-based judge has issued a ruling on Monday that no video cameras will be allowed in the courtroom where the former US President Donald Trump will be arraigned, and gave a nod to only a handful of photographers who will be allowed to take pictures in the premises, The Hill said citing media reports. The ruling was issued by New York Judge Juan Merchan on Monday night New York Judge Juan Merchan ruled on Monday night that a handful of photographers will be allowed to take pictures in the courtroom where former President Trump will be arraigned on Tuesday, but he will not allow video cameras, according to reports. After Trump's legal team argued against having cameras in the courtroom, claiming that it would create a "circus-like" environment, Merchan made his decision, according to The Hill. Five still photographers will be permitted access to the courtroom for a period of time before being asked to leave, according to the decision, which was reported by ABC News. No electronic devices would be permitted in the main or backup courtrooms, according to the judgement. Trump is scheduled to appear in court for his arraignment regarding his alleged role in the 2016 hush money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels to conceal an alleged affair that he has constantly denied, The Hill reported. Donald Trump arrived at New York's La Guardia Airport on Monday, ahead of his expected arraignment in a Manhattan courthouse, reported CNN. Alina Habba, who represents Trump in several civil matters, after meeting him in New York, said, "He's in good spirits. Honestly, he's as he normally would be. He's ready to go in and do what he needs to do tomorrow." Earlier, the former US President met with his attorneys Susan Necheles and Joe Tacopina at Trump Tower after arriving in New York City Monday, reported CNN. The former US President is expected to appear in court on Tuesday afternoon, the first former US president to be indicted. A grand jury convened by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who had been investigating Trump's role in hush money payments made to porn star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential campaign, determined on Thursday that there was enough evidence to bring criminal charges against him. Trump, who is running for the Republican nomination for next year's presidential race, has denied any wrongdoing and called the probe and the indictment a partisan attack. Bragg is a Democrat. A team of Secret Service agents accompanied by New York Police Department officials toured the courthouse and its entrances on Friday, apparently mapping the former president's transit through it. (ANI)
The World Sindhi Congress (WSC) has urged the United Nations and the international community to press upon Pakistan for the release of all missing people in Pakistan, including Hidayat Lohar. The WSC also said in a Facebook post that it "strongly condemns" the forced abduction of Hidayat Lohar. According to WSC, Hidayat Lohar was abducted previously and remained missing for over two years. The WSC noted that Lohar was produced under false cases and later court declared him innocent. It said that the abduction of Lohar reflects Pakistan's desperation to create an atmosphere of utmost fear in Sindh for the rights movement. "World Sindhi Congress (WSC) is deeply concerned and strongly condemns the forced abductions of Hidayat Lohar. He was abducted previously and remained missing for more than two years, from April 17 to May 19, 2017, when he was produced under false cases and later released by the court as innocent," World Sindhi Congress said in the Facebook post. It further said, "Today's abduction of Mr. Lohar shows that the state of Pakistan is desperate to create an atmosphere of utmost fear in Sindh for rights movement. We are seriously concerned about his life and wellbeing. We strongly demand from the Pakistan government to immediately release him. WSC requests the UN and the International Community to press upon Pakistan for his release and release of all missing persons in Pakistan." In March, World Sindhi Congress (WSC) held a protest in front of the United Nations Human Rights Commission in Geneva during its 52nd Session. The protest was held against the ongoing human rights atrocities perpetrated by Pakistan against the Sindhi people. Exiled leaders of Balochistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and human rights defenders from various countries of Europe joined the protest. The speakers said that Pakistan continues to commit heinous crimes against Sindhi, Baloch, Kashmiri and Pashtun people through enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, persecution of religious minorities, looting and occupation of their resources. WSC representatives said the human rights violations in Sindh are increasing by the day and no recourse to justice is available. During the 52nd session of the UNHRC in Geneva, the WSC delegation presented the case of Sindhi people on enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, criminal negligence of the Pakistan government during rains and floods, discrimination and suppression of Sindhi language, persecution of Sindhi Hindus and occupation of lands and resources of Sindhi people. Earlier in February, the World Sindhi Congress held a large protest in the United Kingdom against the enforced disappearances of Sindhi and Baloch, including Majid Haidari, Irfan Zharani, Ayub Kandhara, Insaf Dayo, Kashif Taghar, Sohail Raza Bhatti, according to the World Sindhi Congress' post on Facebook. The WSC on Sunday demanded the Pakistan government stop the enforced disappearances and release all the missing. The WSC delegation also submitted a petition to the British Prime Minister requesting him to pressurise Pakistan to stop enforced appearances of Sindhi people and release all the missing persons, according to the Facebook post. (ANI)
Michael McCaul, chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the United States House of Representatives, is expected to arrive in Taiwan on Thursday. During his visit, Michael McCaul will hold a meeting with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, Focus Taiwan reported. Apart from his meeting with Taiwanese President, Michael McCaul, and his delegation is due to hold a discussion with the members of the Legislature's Foreign Affairs and National Defence Committee to have a better understanding of the threats and challenges faced by Taiwan, Focus Taiwan reported citing Democratic Progressive Party lawmaker Wang Ting-yu, who is a member of the committee. According to the news report, the delegation led by McCaul has already departed from the United States for Japan. The delegation will head to South Korea before visiting Taipei. The members of the delegation are likely to meet Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen on April 8, the report cited an unnamed source. Earlier, in February, Republican Party leader Michael McCaul announced that he planned to lead a bipartisan delegation to Taiwan in the spring this year. At the time, he said, "I think it's important to show China that we support Taiwan as a deterrence." Asked about the impending visit on Monday, Taiwan's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Jeff Liu did not make a statement. Jeff Liu said that the Taiwan government welcomes visits by American lawmakers and will publicize any such information when the time is right. Ties between China and US have been strained after the then-US House of Representatives speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan in August last year. During his visit to Seoul, Michael McCaul will hold a meeting with South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol to discuss further cooperation in response to the threats from North Korea, Focus Taiwan reported citing Yonhap News Agency. Meanwhile, US House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy is likely to call on Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen on Wednesday amid warnings from China, CNN reported. McCarthy's office shared details of the meeting in a release on Monday. Tsai is on a visit to Central America that includes stopovers in the US. McCarthy will host a bipartisan meeting with Tsai Ing-wen at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California. The bipartisan group will include Representative Pete Aguilar of California, who is a member of Democratic leadership, and the leaders of the select committee on China, among others, CNN reported. After reaching New York City last week, Tsai said that Taiwan's ties with the United States has "never been closer," CNN reported. Last week, China's charge d'affaires Xu Xueyuan said that Tsai's presence in the US could result in a "serious" confrontation in the US-China relationship and have a "severe impact" on the ties between the two nations. (ANI)
The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Tuesday declared the Election Commission of Pakistan's (ECP) decision on delaying polls in Punjab "null and void," The Express Tribune reported, adding that the three-member bench hearing the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) petition challenging the delay in Punjab polls announced the decision. Pakistan's Ministry of Defence on Tuesday presented its report to the Supreme Court (SC) through Attorney General of Pakistan (AGP) Mansoor Awan detailing the availability of security personnel for election duties. The Supreme Court after analysing the report announced its verdict and reinstated the previous schedule of April 30. The bench hearing the petition was headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP), Umar Ata Bandial, and included Justice Munib Akhtar and Justice Ijazul Ahsan, as per the news report. The hearings in the petition filed by PTI witnessed high drama after two judges of the original five-member bench - Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail and Justice Aminuddin Khan recused themselves from hearing the case. Following the decision of two judges, the Chief Justice formed a bench comprising himself, Justice Ahsan and Justice Akhtar to proceed with the PTI's petition. Earlier, the Pakistan government had submitted a statement through Attorney General for Pakistan Mansoor Awan. The Pakistan government had requested that a full court should be constituted to hear the case, as per the news report. On April 3, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said the government will not accept if the apex court announces its verdict on a sensitive and important issue in haste. He said that the whole nation was waiting for the top court's decision and added that any hasty decision on a sensitive issue will be rejected. Recently, the Election Commission of Pakistan postponed the elections in Punjab till October 8. The elections were earlier scheduled to be held on April 30, ARY News reported. According to details, the ECP withdrew the Punjab Election Program notification issued on March 8 and decided to postpone the Punjab election and announced October 8 as the new date for elections in Punjab, reported ARY News. The ECP spokesperson said that Pakistan President Arif Alvi has also been informed about the postponement of elections in Punjab, adding that the new election schedule will be released soon. The spokesperson added that the elections were postponed under Article 218(3) and Sections 58 and 8C of the Election Act, 2017. (ANI)
Pakistan human rights group have condemned violence and harassment against women from minority communities in the country despite amendments in its law, which assures safety of women in workplaces and public spaces and also extends to private spaces such as homes. Human Rights Focus Pakistan (HRFP) cited findings from a case in which a woman identified as Nasreen Bibi and her daughters were subjected to personal attacks and harassment and continue to do so. The rights group said that laws such as the Protection against Harassment of Women Act 2010, which assures them safety in workplaces, private spaces and public spaces, such as streets, buses, markets and parks under section 509 of PPC and also against sexual harassment do not take into consideration the rights of women from minority communities. Naveed Walter, president of HRFP said when the Christian, Hindu or other minority women are harassed, more factors like abductions, forced conversion and forced marriages have been seen. The activist group has demanded amendments in the country's laws to add protection for minority women to the said sections of the Protection against Harassment of Women Act 2010. According to a fact-finding report of the HRFP, Nasreen Bibi and her daughters were attacked on February 26 this year by some men at the main bazaar in Faizalabad. The men identified as Rashid Asif, Hamza Ramzan and Sharafat Liaqat targeted Bibi's daughter Saira and Bibi and her other daughters were attacked and their clothes torn when they rushed to Saira's defence. As they raised an alarm and started crying, passersby started gathering around them and the perpetrators managed to flee. The miscreants, however, followed Bibi and her daughters to their home and attacked her son and injured other family members. The miscreants while fleeing also fired at the family wounding Saira in her arm. Bibi subsequently filed an FIR at the local police station on February 28. The case is currently listed for hearing is on April 8. The HRFP said it is providing support to Nasreen, Saira and others who have shared the harassment and attacks on them. Meanwhile, the Women's Action Forum (WAF) has raised the demand for effective protection for Pakistan's religious minorities, Dawn reported. In a statement, the WAF said it was deeply saddened by the rise in target-killing incidents of members of Pakistan's minorities. The group offered condolences to the family and friends of Dayaal Singh and Kashif Masif, who they said were killed in targeted killing. On Friday, unidentified gunmen killed a member of the minority community in the Pishtakhara region in Peshawar, Dawn reported citing police. Pishtakhara police station officials said that Kashif Masih, a resident of Benaras Abad locality of the Academy town was heading home from work when unidentified motorcyclists opened fire at him in a residential area. Last month addressing a press conference in Lahore experts urged the country's government to stop inviting culprits involved in gender-based violence, as guest speakers in official meetings and seminars. (ANI)
Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe has sought India's help in policy reforms, utilisation of digital technology, capacity building, good governance, and institution building to address the recent economic challenges faced by the country and to put it on the path of high economic growth. The help was sought during a discussion with an Indian delegation led by the Director General of the National Centre for Good Governance (NCGG), Bharat Lal, mentions a statement from the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions. The Indian delegation called on President Ranil Wickremesinghe on April 1, 2023, during its two-day visit to the neighbouring country at the invitation of the Sri Lankan Government. Director General NCGG was accompanied by the High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka Gopal Bagley, Dr A P Singh, Associate Professor of NCGG and other senior diplomats of the Mission. During the meeting, President Wickremesinghe shared his vision for Sri Lanka, a strategy to address the recent economic challenges and put the country on the path of high economic growth. The discussion centred around policy reforms, good governance, digitalisation, capacity building and training, institution building, and assured public service delivery, reads the statement. Sri Lankan President, the statement pointed out, admired the way India managed socio-economic development and ensured high economic growth. During the discussion, President Wickremesinghe urged NCGG to help in establishing a University of Governance and Public Policy in Sri Lanka. During the meeting, the Director General, NCGG underscored how Prime Minister Narendra Modi, upon assuming the role of Chief Minister of Gujarat in 2001 amid a slew of crises and negative economic growth, was able to put the state on the path of high economic growth and sustained prosperity through his vision, strategy, and progressive policies. Consequently, Gujarat has experienced double-digit economic growth over the past two decades. Thereafter, since 2014, as Prime Minister, he has introduced a new culture of citizen-centric policies and good governance, and as a result, India is witnessing high economic growth, assured public service delivery and fast improving quality of life of its citizens. To reinforce Prime Minister's vision for good governance, which focuses on transparency, accountability, and inclusiveness, India is massively using digital technology and monitoring mechanisms for time-bound implementation. In line with the Prime Minister's philosophy of 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam' NCGG in partnership with the Ministry of External Affairs, is dedicated to promoting collaboration and learning among civil servants of India and neighbouring countries. During the discussion, the statement says, Lankan President requested that the NCGG extend the necessary help to Sri Lanka based on India's experience of digital governance and participatory policymaking to ensure faster socio-economic development and high economic growth. "The discussions centred on the NCGG's support for Sri Lanka in policy reforms, utilization of digital technology, capacity building, good governance, and institution building. They believed that this would aid Sri Lanka in strengthening its institutions and that the country is eager to learn and utilize India's successful governance model to achieve high economic growth," reads the statement. The Indian delegation met several senior civil servants of Sri Lanka, said the statement, adding "Everyone is keen to know how Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given a new governance model to eradicate poverty, ensure high-quality services, assured public service delivery, environmental protection, inclusion and equity, transparency and accountability, and high economic growth." Sri Lanka is keen to learn policy-driven governance model of India and the massive use of digital technology in the planning, execution, and monitoring of various programmes and projects. During a series of meetings set up by the President's office, top civil servants expressed their appreciation for the sustained assistance that India has provided to Sri Lanka during its recent unprecedented economic crisis. Bharat Lal spoke about the Prime Minister's mantra of 'neighbourhood first' and highlighted the special relationship India - Sri Lanka have. He also stressed the critical role of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership and vision, as well as his emphasis on good governance, in ensuring efficient, effective, and technology-driven public service delivery. The Indian delegation emphasized the positive impact of digital technology in promoting transparency, equity, inclusion, and accountability. Among India's moves shared with Sri Lanka for economic growth was the automation of processes which has eliminated the need for physical interactions between individuals and officers, effectively reducing opportunities for corrupt practices, the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) which is a prime example of how process automation can bring speed and scale to development schemes. By directly transferring cash benefits to beneficiaries' Jan Dhan Yojana bank accounts, it was informed, the program eliminated the role of middlemen and, consequently, opportunities for corrupt practices. The DBT was powered by the 'JAM Trinity' of Jan Dhan-Aadhaar-Mobile. The unique digital ID, Aadhaar, provided to each citizen streamlined the identification of genuine beneficiaries and eliminated ghost beneficiaries. Digitalization has made a significant difference in the implementation of various developmental programs and the provision of public services, as evidenced by the recent growth in both direct and indirect taxes. The DG also provided an example of the robust e-monitoring system of the Jal Jeevan Mission on the dashboard, which uses sensor-based IoT devices. The NCGG was set up in 2014 by the Government of India as an apex-level autonomous institution to focus on good governance, policy reforms, training, and capacity building of civil servants of the country as well as of other developing countries. NCGG also works as a think tank. It has taken up capacity building of civil servants of several developing countries in partnership with the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India. (ANI)
Amid China's efforts to push boundary talks with Bhutan, India on Tuesday said that follows all developments which have a bearing on the country's national interest and all necessary measures would be taken to safeguard the national interests. "Government of India very closely follows all developments which have a bearing on our national interest and we would take all necessary measures to safeguard them as necessary," Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said during media briefing on Bhutan King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck visit to India. He was responding to a volley of questions including about Bhutan PM reported remarks about resolving the Doklam issue by involving China as a stakeholder and boundary talks between Bhurtan and China. Moreover, the Congress said the recent utterances of Bhutanese Prime Minister Lotay Tshering indicate that the unshakeable relationship between Bhutan and India is now facing a challenge from an aggressive China. The remark by the Bhutanese Prime Minister Lotay Tshering that "there is no intrusion" into Bhutan by China and that Beijing has an "equal" say in any discussion over its illegal intrusions raises several concerns. India on Tuesday rejected attempts by China to rename 11 places in Arunachal Pradesh. "We have seen such report. This is not the first time China has made such an attempt. We reject this outright," Arindam Bagchi, the external affairs ministry spokesperson, said in a Twitter post on Tuesday. "Arunachal Pradesh is, has been and will always be an integral and inalienable part of India. Attempts to assign invented names will not alter this reality," Bagchi said. China's Ministry of Civil Affairs has standardised the names of 11 places in Arunachal Pradesh, which it referred to as "Zangnan, the southern part of Tibet. "China has come up with the names of 11 places in Arunachal Pradesh in Chinese characters, Tibetan and pinyin according to the rules on geographical names issued by the State Council, China's cabinet, Global Times reported. The Ministry announced the names of 11 places on Sunday and also gave precise coordinates, including two residential areas, five mountain peaks, two rivers and two other areas. China's Ministry of Civil Affairs also listed the category of places' names and their subordinate administrative districts, as per the news report. The move to rename 11 places comes just a week after India held a G20 meeting in Arunachal Pradesh on March 26 that China chose to skip. Meanwhile, the Bhutanese King Bhutan King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck is on an official visit to India that started Monday afternoon and will continue till Wednesday morning. He is accompanied by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and other senior officers of the royal government of Bhutan. Vinay Kwatra took a strong stance when asked if the Bhutan side mentioned anything about China to India. Regarding the bilateral relations between India and Bhutan, Foriegn Secretary Kwatra said, "India and Bhutan share an exemplary relationship based on trust, goodwill and mutual understanding. It is a time-tested friendship that was reflected in the Covid Maitri program during the Covid-19 pandemic." "In the meeting between the PM Narendra Modi and the King of Bhutan, it was agreed that India would step up its support for Bhutan's upcoming 13th five-year plan," Kwatra added. He said that India will work to extend an additional standby "credit facility" and will work to shape long-term sustainable arrangements for the export of agricultural commodities from Bhutan. "We will also work to develop long-term bilateral arrangements for assured supply of critical commodities like petroleum, coal," he said. During his meeting with the King of Bhutan today, PM Modi reiterated continued support for socio-economic reforms in Bhutan, Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra added. Kwatra said that this visit of "His Majesty has been long in the planning and it takes forward the "long-standing tradition of regular high-level exchanges between India and Bhutan just to sketch the outline frame of the cooperation between our two countries in the expansion of our partnership into some of the newly emerging areas and domains of economic cooperation which includes digital domain space, a new area, financial connectivity and increasing interoperability etc." Regarding the exchange of energy, Kwatra informed, "Hydropower, a strong element of cooperation between India and Bhutan most recently included handing over the 720-megawatt Mangda Chu hydroelectric power project to the Royal Government of Bhutan." His Majesty was last in Delhi during his transit visit in September 2022. At that time also he had a brief meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in terms of the program elements of His Majesty's ongoing, Kwatra added. (ANI)
Reacting to the Bhutanese Prime Minister's remarks on the Tri-junction between India, China and Bhutan that Bhutan also has an "equal" say on the issue, Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra said that India and Bhutan remain in close touch relating to both nations' shared interests, including security interest. In a media briefing by the Ministry of External Affairs on Tuesday, Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra reacted to the controversy after Bhutan's statement on the "Chicken neck" between India, Bhutan and China. Bhutan seemingly took a stand regarding the trijunction between the three nations. On asking how India would react to the Bhutanese PM's statement, Kwatra said, "I would say that India and Bhutan remain in close touch relating to our shared interest, including security interest." Without addressing the Bhutanese Prime Minister's remarks directly, the foreign secretary said that the national interests of India and Bhutan, and the interests of the relationship between India and Bhutan have some main points which are shared values, trust, mutual respect and close understanding and sensitivity to each other's interests and concerns. "Besides the exemplary and unique relationship between India and Bhutan, we also have a time-tested framework of security cooperation. Both countries maintain a long-standing tradition of very close consultations on matters relating to their mutual interest and security also. In this context, the intertwined and indivisible nature of our security concerns is self-evident," Kwatra added. Bhutan's PM Lotay Tshering shakes hands with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi. (File Photo) In the briefing, Foreign Secretary also made it clear that the "Government of India very closely follows all developments which have a bearing on our national interest and we would take all necessary measures to safeguard them as necessary." "I would only reiterate our earlier statements on this (Doklam) issue which very explicitly and very clearly bring out our position on the determination of the Trijunction boundary points," he added. He repeated his previous statement that Prime Minister Narendra Modi covered the entire gamut of bilateral cooperation issues and issues of respective national interests. With regard to the recent statements (by the Bhutanese PM), Kwatra said, "India and Bhutan remain in close touch and in close coordination relating to our shared national interests, including security interest." Congress has also raised a concern on the issue and Congress leader Jairam Ramesh had said that the remark by Bhutanese Prime Minister Lotay Tshering that "there is no intrusion" into Bhutan by China and that Beijing has an "equal" say in any discussion over its illegal intrusions raises several concerns. (ANI)
Sean Kevin checks in to vote on Election Day at Roden Library in the 41st Ward on April 4, 2023, in Chicago. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)

The threat of severe weather didnt affect city voter turnout Tuesday in a bitterly contested runoff race for mayor, though storms did temporarily knock out power to four polling places.

Despite brief outages at precincts in the 29th, 31st, 35th and 37th wards, election officials reported that voting on Election Day went smoothly, aided by early voting.

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As polls closed at 7 p.m., the Chicago Board of Elections reported 33.2% total citywide turnout.

[ 2023 Chicago live election results ]

At a midday news conference, officials said they expected vote totals to slightly exceed the Feb. 28 election at between 36% and 38% of all registered voters. Tuesdays totals will likely change once mailed ballots and provisional ballots are added to the totals.

Mail-in ballots can be counted as long as they are postmarked by Tuesday and received by April 18.

Top voter turnout was reported in the 19th, 41st, 11th, 13th and 47th wards, according to Board of Elections spokesperson Max Bever. Fourteen polling places reported delayed openings Tuesday morning, with three being in the 6th Ward.

[ Chicagos next mayor will face a slew of challenges, from crime to schools to city finances ]

At Aspira Early College High School in the Avondale neighborhood, the site experienced an outage between 45 minutes to an hour. It remained open and voting machines, registration iPads and the ballot box operated on battery backup, election judge Dan McDonough said. A few emergency lights cast some light in the room, and voters relied on cellphone flashlights to see their ballots, he said.

About 15 voters came in during the outage, election coordinator Kelsey Kamp said. It was a slight rush for the day, potentially because neighbors working from home also lost power and took a break to leave their houses, Kamp said.

The battle between liberal reformist Brandon Johnson and moderate Paul Vallas, who defeated first-term Mayor Lori Lightfoot and emerged from a field of nine candidates to advance to the runoff, has emerged as one of the most-watched political races in the nation.

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Race, crime, education and city finances became key issues, as the two candidates offered starkly differing visions on how they would lead the nations third-largest city.

[ Mayor rivals Brandon Johnson and Paul Vallas campaign down to the wire in most important election in a generation ]

Voters were also selecting aldermen in 14 wards where races advanced to runoffs and choosing officials in several suburbs.

In the 19th Ward on the citys Southwest Side, voters in two precincts filed into the elegant lobby of Donnellan Funeral Home to cast their ballots, surrounded by a chiming grandfather clock, a wood-paneled ceiling and stuffed armchairs.

Inside the funeral home that has been a polling place some three decades, Del Wilkins, 68, cast his ballot for Vallas, calling public safety and Vallas work experience deciding factors. Johnsons ties to the Chicago Teachers Union and what Wilkins described as flip-flopping statements on defunding the police, as well as the thought he would tax businesses, were concerning to Wilkins, who said he is president of a local company.

Antoinette King, 59, came to the early voting Loop Super Site shortly after polls opened to vote for Johnson. She voted for Willie Wilson in the Feb. 28 election, and then voted for Johnson who she said she likes because he is Black like herself, sends his kids to Chicago Public Schools and lives on the West Side.

He says he wants to bring justice, King said.

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She told the Tribune that before she lived in Wicker Park, she was a longtime resident of the South Side and saw the need for more police firsthand and thinks that Johnson wants the same.

Patrick Aziz, 27, arrived at Oriole Park School in the 41st Ward around noon to vote in his second election ever  his first time voting was during the first round of the election on Feb. 28.

He was spurred to vote the first time because he was tired of Lightfoot, he said. The recent Nashville school shooting was a wake-up call that got him to come out again to vote in the runoff, he said.

Aziz, a police officer, planned to vote for Vallas, and said his desire to have resource officers in schools was a key issue to him.

I just feel like his policies will get the city back on track, he said.

Carmencita Perez, 58, brought her 6-year-old granddaughter to vote with her and her husband Tuesday in the Little Village neighborhood. She said she voted for Johnson because he lives in a similar community to hers in Little Village and says he wont turn Chicago Public Schools into charter schools.

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(Johnson) has a lot to learn, but I also really believe that he has the best chance of listening to us as people because he is one of us, Perez said.

Liam OConnor, 57, has lived in the 47th Ward for about 30 years after growing up in Ireland and spending time in the Chicago suburbs. The Lincoln Square resident voted for Vallas because Im fed up with the crime, fed up with the crime, fed up with the crime, he said.

I think Vallas is our last chance, said OConnor, who is a contractor.

Among the votes received before Election Day, the number of mail-in ballots was up compared with previous years, and voters continued to cast ballots in significant numbers at early voting sites. On Monday alone, residents cast a record-high 30,044 early votes, according to the Chicago Board of Elections.

Election judge Anthony Millspaugh stands in an empty polling place the morning of Election Day at the Roden Library in the 41st Ward on April 4, 2023, in Chicago. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)

This mirrored a trend seen in the Feb. 28 election, which made city history for being the most popular for early voting. Day-of voting for the Feb. 28 election was described as sluggish by officials, with the percentage of registered Chicago voters who turned out to vote being slightly less than recent elections at about 36%.

In the runoff, 292,591 ballots were cast before Election Day, including early votes and ballots received by mail by the Board of Elections, Bever said, which was more early ballots than during the first round of voting in February.

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[ Early voting is up in runoff compared with February, but overall voter turnout remains unclear ]

Another 91,838 mail-in ballots have yet to be returned, though the Board of Elections didnt expect all of them to be mailed back on time or properly postmarked.

Like the Feb. 28 election, voters ages 55 and older are leading the way in voter turnout, according to Bever. Voters ages 55 to 64 and 65 to 74 are just about tied for the lead in turnout so far, with both having cast more than 67,000 votes, or almost 19% of total ballots cast each.

Voters ages 18 to 24 have voted the least, with 10,796 ballots or around 3% of the total ballots cast.

As of Monday night, early vote turnout was highest in wards typically known for high voter turnout: the 19th Ward on the Far Southwest Side, the 41st Ward on the Northwest Side and the 47th Ward on the North Side.

But among the most active voting precincts is the Cook County Jail. The sprawling facility at 2700 S. California Ave. in the Little Village neighborhood became the first jail in the country to operate as a precinct with in-person voting in March 2020, according to the Cook County sheriffs office. Inmate voting soared following the addition.

[ As the citys most active voting precinct, Cook County inmates vote with help from jail and advocates ]

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[ See who turned out to vote in Chicagos election on Feb. 28 and where they voted ]

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Letishia Moore heads in to vote at Isabelle C. O'Keeffe School in Chicagos 5th Ward on Election Day on April 4, 2023. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)

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Jada Lodge, 17, and election judge from Evanston Township High School, directs a voter where to go at Isabelle C. O'Keeffe School in Chicagos 5th Ward on April 4, 2023. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)

Oriole Park election judge John Syron said his precinct started the day with fewer election judges than it should have, but the day also got off to a slow start with voters. That could have been because many people voted early, or because students are on spring break, he said. In the past, some parents dropped their kids off at school, then voted in the same place.

Another precinct in the same school also started the day short-staffed and opened late partly because only one election judge arrived in the morning, election judge Norm Phoenix said. A family of three was waiting for voting to open, he said.

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By noon, more judges had arrived.

Chicago Tribunes Stacey Wescott, Claire Malon, Shanzeh Ahmad, Jake Sheridan, John Chase, Kinsey Crowley, A.D. Quig, Kori Rumore, Gregory Pratt and Alice Yin contributed.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had "a warm and productive meeting" with Bhutan King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck here with India deciding to step up its support to Bhutan's upcoming 13th Five Year Plan, agreeing for an upward revision of tariff of Chhukha hydro-electric project and working for an additional standby credit facility to the neighbouring country. The two countries agreed on a range of other initiatives including boosting connectivity with India working towards expediting the proposed Kokrajhar-Gelephu rail link project, which will be the first rail link between the two countries. India would work for long-term sustainable arrangements for the export of agricultural commodities from Bhutan and to expand energy cooperation beyond hydroelectric projects. PM Modi said in a tweet that India deeply values its close friendship with Bhutan. "Pleased to receive His Majesty the King of Bhutan, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck. We had a warm and productive meeting. Deeply value our close friendship and the vision of successive Druk Gyalpos in guiding India-Bhutan relations to new heights," PM Modi said. Briefing reporters after a meeting between PM Modi and the Bhutan King, Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra said the two countries are also examining and considering setting up the first Integrated Check Post (ICP) along the India-Bhutan border. He said King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck briefed PM Modi on his significant transformation and reform initiative that Bhutan is currently undertaking. The Prime Minister reiterated India's continued and full support to the socio-economic development in Bhutan based on the priorities of the Royal Government and in keeping with the transformation initiatives and reform process as per its vision. Kwatra said the visit of the Bhutan King, which has been long in the planning, takes forward the long-standing tradition of regular high-level exchanges between the two countries. He said Bhutan King's visit provided excellent opportunities for the two countries to not only review the full range of bilateral engagement but also sketch a roadmap in terms of the next steps "that we would take to further on multifaceted cooperation and partnership". "In terms of specific outcomes, which we would be following up based on the discussions, it was agreed that India would step up its support to Bhutan's upcoming 13th Five Year Plan. The specifics of the support, its distribution into different projects that is something which is to be worked out between the two systems going forward. At Bhutan's request, India would work to extend an additional standby credit facility. This would be over and above the two existing standby credit facilities that is operating between the two countries," Kwatra said. "We would work to shape long-term sustainable arrangements for export of agricultural commodities from Bhutan. Also work to develop long-term bilateral arrangements for assured supply of critical commodities to Bhutan, which would include petroleum, fertilizers, and coal," he added. He said the ICP would be set up along India-Bhutan border somewhere near Jaigaon. "We are also examining and considering setting up the first Integrated Check Post (ICP) along the India-Bhutan border, which would be somewhere near Jaigaon. The exact specific location of the ICP is yet to be determined, but the broad location point is known," Kwatra said. "We will also try and expedite the proposed Kokrajhar-Gelephu rail link project through Government of India support in consultation of course with the Bhutanese side. This in some ways will be historic because this would be the first ever rail link between India and Bhutan. And naturally links up well to the rest of the regional connectivity infrastructure in South Asia," he added. The Foreign Secretary said India will consider positively Bhutan's request to sell power from Basochhu hydroelectric project. "In the field of hydro-power specifically, which has been the cornerstone of our economic relationship, we have agreed to an upward revision of tariff of the Chhukha hydro-electric project. This is the oldest hydroelectric project in Bhutan and is of great significance. Two, in the space of hydro-power itself, we will consider positively Bhutan's request to sell power from Basochhu hydro-electric project. This would be perhaps done through the energy exchange mechanism of the market. The details are yet to be worked out but the discussion is that it could be done through the market exchange mechanism," he said. Kwatra said India would extend favourable consideration to Bhutan's request regarding power trade and access to financing for new and upcoming hydropower projects. "The specifics of this would vary from project to project and would naturally been in sync with our CBT guidelines. And also expand our energy partnership to include non-hydro-renewables particularly in the field of solar, and also maybe see how the core bilateral cooperation between our two countries in the field of e-mobility could be expanded," he said. "Besides the existing range of hydropower projects and also exploring the non-hydro-renewable space, we would also try and expedite the finalization of modalities for new hydroelectric projects, hydropower projects, including the Sankosh hydroelectric project," he added. The Foreign Secretary said that the discussions between the two leaders covered the entire gamut of India-Bhutan cooperation, and also issues of respective national and mutual interest. He said there were five broad range issues. "First was on economic and development partnership. This covered many elements which included cooperation for Bhutan's 13th Five Year Plan, which processes is beginning from next year onwards. Support, including relevant financial support for the reform process in Bhutan. Support also for the institutional capacity building in Bhutan and project based development partnership which is one of the key pillars of our development cooperation with Bhutan," he said. The Foreign Secretary said that the second bucket of issues related to trade, connectivity and investment cooperation, which in turn included discussions on infrastructure connectivity, whether pertaining to integrated check post, rail connectivity, air connectivity, digital connectivity, people-to-people linkages, and the inland waterways. The third related element pertained to long-term and sustainable trade facilitation measures that India and Bhutan could take, which would link to the economic growth and prosperity of both economies. "Four, as part of new paradigms on energy cooperation, which would strengthen the existing frame and specifics of hydropower cooperation, but also carry forward our cooperation in this domain into non-hydro-renewable space." He said the last sub-segment relates to new sectors including space, startups, cooperation in the field of STEM education, as part of the bilateral partnership. "In this context, the recent launch of India-Bhutan satellite, which was jointly developed by the space engineers from both countries was particularly appreciated," he said. Bhutan delegation includes Minister of Foreign Affairs and External Trade of Bhutan and other senior officials of the Royal Government of Bhutan. Kwatra said India and Bhutan share an exemplary relationship, which is characterized by trust, goodwill, mutual understanding. "It's a time-tested nature of our friendship which was reflected in the support that we provided to Bhutan during the COVID pandemic, including the Vaccine Maitri programme, as also in the expansion of our partnership into some of the new emerging areas and domains of economic cooperation, which includes digital domain, space, financial connectivity and increasing interoperability. Hydropower, again, strong element of our cooperation, which most recently has included handing over of the 720 megawatt Mangdechhu Hydroelectric Power Project to the Government of Bhutan," he said. Bhutan King arrived in Delhi on Monday. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar called on him on Monday and hosted a dinner, which "involved good discussions and interaction" with the key CEOs of some of the Indian companies. India has consistently been Bhutan's top trading partner and remains the leading source of investments in Bhutan. In November 2021, the Indian government formalised the opening of seven new trade routes for Bhutan's bilateral and transit trade with India, new market access was provided for allowing the formal export of 12 agri-products from Bhutan to India, and various special exceptions and quotas for export are also provided. India has been extending economic assistance to Bhutan's socio-economic development since the early 1960s when Bhutan launched its Five Year Plans. For the 12th Five Year Plan, India assisted Bhutan with Rs 4500 crore for various multi-sectoral project-tied assistance, small development projects, direct budgetary support etc. Mutually beneficial hydro-power cooperation with Bhutan forms the core of bilateral economic cooperation. Hydro-power Cooperation provides clean power for India and economic prosperity for Bhutan with a steady stream of revenue, which witnessed positive growth even during the pandemic. (ANI)
Minority rights activists have raised concern over the targeted killing of non-Muslims in Peshawar and have demanded that the provincial government take immediate steps to arrest the killers and to provide compensation to the families concerned, reported Dawn. Haroon Sarabdyal, chairman of the Hindu Rights Movement of Pakistan, told reporters here on Monday that three people, including a member of the Hindu community, Dr Birbal Genani, had been killed in the country in the previous week. He stated that Dr Birbal was a former Karachi Metropolitan Corporation senior director (health) who was assassinated by gunmen on his way home from his clinic on March 30 near Layari. Similarly, Dyal Singh, a Sikh community member, was gunned down inside his shop in the Dir Colony area. Kashif Masih, a Christian sanitation worker, was killed by unidentified men on his way home in the Peshtakhara area, as per Dawn. He said, "The law and order situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is grave, so non-Muslims have started shifting to the Punjab province." Haroon claimed that at least 68 people from three minority communities (28 Sikhs, 30 Christians, and 10 Hindus) had been killed in targeted attacks, but that the perpetrators had not been apprehended. He claimed that religious minorities were frequently subjected to violence, despite the fact that the country's Constitution guaranteed their rights, according to Dawn. He said, "The government should take serious measures to unveil the real faces of the people involved in heinous crimes against non-Muslims as they're carried out under a well-organised conspiracy to disturb peace in the country." He stated that everyone should work together to foil these plots and discourage anti-state elements. The Hindu leader said, "The frequent incidents have caused serious unrest among non-Muslims and it is the duty of the provincial government to ensure our protection." He stated that the federal government should fully implement the National Action Plan to end terrorism once and for all. The vicar of All Saints Church in Peshawar, Shahzad Murad, condemned the latest terrorist attacks against non-Muslims and urged the government to protect those communities and compensate victim families of terrorism. He told Dawn that members of minority communities were easy prey for anti-state forces. (ANI)
In the hope of earning a good income, a group of farmers in Dechhenling Gewog has resumed their broom-making business after three years as COVID restrictions have been lifted, reported The Bhutan Live. The group, which was founded in 2016, has nine members. They gather grass to make brooms, the most important household item. They take the grass to the collection centre to dry it after collecting it. They usually transport the brooms to Nganglam. One broomstick costs Nu 25, reported Bhutan Live. A member of the group, Dorji Chedup said, "We had to discontinue the collection and sale for nearly three years amid the pandemic. With support from the government, we are thinking of giving in our best. We are hoping it will benefit us to earn some income." Another member, Samten, said, "With our request, the government has provided us with an empty house to keep our products. If we discontinue the collection, the houses will remain idle. It will be a loss for the government. We will work hard and will request the forest officials to have better regulation hereafter." The broom grass, known as Thysanolaena maxima, is found in abundance along the roadside. On the other hand, farmers are not permitted to collect them. They said that if they are permitted, it will benefit their business, as per The Bhutan Live. Samten added, "As we are not allowed to collect these brooms from the state land, we don't have other places except our land. So, we have planted it on our private land. The ones in the state land have dried as we are restricted to pick them up. We would be grateful if we are allowed to collect the grass from the roadside." Doji Chedup added, "We aren't able to sell all the products here in the locality. If not for the rules and regulations from the customs office and BAFRA, we will be able to sell it across the border. This affects our business. Moreover, it's difficult for farmers like us to understand and follow the rules and regulations. If there is an easier way, it would immensely help us in marketing." Meanwhile, the Nganglam Range Office says the group needs to write to get a permit to collect the broom. Broom grass prevents soil erosion and stabilises slopes due to its strong web-like rooting system. They regenerate quickly, even on degraded land, and require little maintenance, The Bhutan Live reported. (ANI)
Terming it an anti-India agenda, the Ministry of External Affairs has condemned the statement issued by the General Secretariat of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on the violence that took place in some parts of India on the festival of Ram Navami. In response to media queries on the statement issued by OIC Secretariat regarding India, the Official Spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, Arindam Bagchi said, "We strongly condemn the statement issued by OIC Secretariat today regarding India. This is one more example of their communal mindset and anti-India agenda. OIC only does its reputation damage by being consistently manipulated by anti-India forces." The General Secretariat of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) issued a statement in Tuesday that it has followed with "deep concern" the acts of "violence and vandalism targeting Muslim community" in several states in India during the Ram Navami processions, including the burning of a madrasa and its library by an extremist Hindu mob in Bihar Sharif on 31 March 2023. The OIC General Secretariat said that it denounces such "provocative acts of violence and vandalism", which are a vivid manifestation of mounting "Islamophobia" and systemic targeting of the Muslim community in India. "The OIC General Secretariat calls upon the Indian authorities to take firm action against the instigators and perpetrators of such acts and to ensure the safety, security, rights, and dignity of the Muslim community in the country," OIC said in a statement. The MEA strongly reacted to this and said that it is one more example of OIC's communal mindset and anti-India agenda. "OIC only does its reputation damage by being consistently manipulated by anti-India forces," MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said in a statement. This comes after violent clashes broke out in several parts of India during Ram Navami processions. (ANI)
The presiding Bishop of the Anglican Church of Pakistan has condemned the recent spate of targeted killings of members of minority communities, and called on the government to take immediate action to protect the citizens, Daily Times reported. In a press statement, Bishop Dr Azad Marshall expressed deep concern over the rising incidents of violence against minority groups, including Christians, Hindus, and Sikhs. "We condemn in the strongest possible terms the targeting of innocent civilians because of their religious beliefs or ethnicity," Bishop Marshall said. "It is unacceptable and goes against the fundamental principles of humanity." The statement comes on the heels of attacks on a Christian and Sikh in Peshawar and a Hindu doctor in Karachi last week. A Christian man was shot dead in Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province on Saturday, in what officials say is the second incident of target killing of minorities in the last 24 hours, reported The Khorasan Diary. According to police, Kashif Maseeh was gunned down by armed motorcyclists on his doorstep. A day before that, a Sikh shopkeeper was gunned down in Peshawar in a similar manner. There have been no responsibility claims for the attacks, added The Khorasan Diary. Sikh Minority shopkeeper Dayal Singh was killed by gunmen in the Dir Colony of Peshawar. Peshawar Police said that Dayal Singh was sitting at his shop when unknown motorcyclists killed him and fled around 3 pm on Friday. A Pakistani Hindu doctor Dr Birbal Genani became a victim of target killing near Layari in Karachi while returning home from his clinic on Thursday, Dunya News reported. Former Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) senior director of health and eye specialist Dr Birbal Genani was shot dead by unknown assailants in Karachi on Thursday, Geo News reported. "The targeted killings of Kashif Masih and Diyal Singh in Peshawar and of Dr Birbal Genani in Karachi within a span of two days in the Muslim holy month of Ramadan have instilled shock and fear in all three communities. The government must get its act together and ensure the safety and security of our people," Bishop said. Bishop Marshall also condemned the recent hate speech made by a lawmaker in parliament, which he said had hurt the religious sentiments of the Christians, Daily Times reported. "We call on the government to take strong action against Maulana Abdul Akbar Chitrali of the Jamaat-e-Islami and all others who use hate speech and incite violence against innocent people," he said. Chitrali has drawn the ire of the Christian community for calling the Bible, Torah and Psalms "cancelled scriptures", while speaking on the floor of the National Assembly last week against the policy of giving additional marks to medical students who can memorize the Quran or the Bible. "The gospel, Torah and the psalms are cancelled (scriptures). We believe in all of them and don't reject them but Quran is permanent and will remain till judgement day," he said on March 28. "We have also noted with concern how the Speaker of the National Assembly ignored Chitrali's remarks and didn't allow a Christian lawmaker to counter it. The floor of the House is not meant to demean any religion and we expect the Speaker will take cognizance of this fact and not allow any person to spew hatred against other faiths," he said. Last week, Hindu shopkeepers were assaulted in Pakistan for allegedly "violating the Ramzan Ordinance" by eating, Pakistan based The Express Tribune newspaper reported. The police officer in a video that went viral on social media, was seen roaming the Ghotki district with a stick in his hands. The police officer thrashed Hindu restaurant owners including Hindu men who were reportedly preparing biryani for delivery orders in the local market. Meanwhile, Sindhi Hindus carried 15 points to the Sindh government to ensure the protection of Hindus in the province. On March 30, 2023, Pakistan Darawar Itehad Organization organized a protest from the Karachi Press Club to the Sindh Assembly - the large people of Hindus joined the protest, most of them were the victim families whose daughters were forcibly converted to Islam, killing and kidnapping of Hindus and the encroachment of the land and temples, reported The Rise News. (ANI)
Welcoming him, President Murmu said that India and Bhutan enjoy a close partnership at all levels, based on mutual trust, goodwill and understanding.

She said India deeply values the multi-faceted and unique partnership with Bhutan.

The President said that as Bhutan's largest development partner, India is proud to support projects in Bhutan in sectors like health, education, agriculture, infrastructure, digitization and skill development. She assured that India's development partnership would continue to be guided by the priorities and aspirations of Bhutan.

The President noted that this year Bhutan is set to graduate from the Least Developed Country (LDC) category and embark on the path towards becoming a high-income economy. She said that India would remain a reliable partner of Bhutan on this journey.

She said that India and Bhutan have been also collaborating on the fin-tech, start-up and emerging technology fronts. The President said that the two countries should expand the ambit of this collaboration to properly utilize the energy and potential of youth.

The Bhutan King is on a three-day state visit to India. Earlier in the day, he met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the two leaders reviewed the full range of bilateral engagement and also sketched a roadmap in terms of the next steps to take forward multifaceted cooperation and partnership. (ANI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had "a warm and productive meeting" with Bhutan King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck here with the two leaders covering the entire gamut of bilateral cooperation and issues of respective national interests. The visit saw a series of measures to further boost ties with India deciding to step up its support to Bhutan's upcoming 13th Five Year Plan, agreeing for an upward revision of tariff of Chhukha hydro-electric project and working for an additional standby credit facility to the neighbouring country. Briefing reporters after meeting between PM Modi and the Bhutan King, Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra said the two countries are also examining and considering setting up the first Integrated Check Post (ICP) along India-Bhutan border. Responding to a volley of questions on remarks of Bhutan Prime Minister which were perceived to be at variance with Thimpu's earlier stance on the boundary issue vis-a-vis China, Kwatra said India and Bhutan remain in close touch, in close coordination relating to shared national interests, including security interest. He said both countries maintain a longstanding tradition of very close consultations on matters relating to their mutual interest including security and "in this context the intertwined and indivisible nature of our security concerns is self-evident". The two countries agreed on a range of other initiatives including boosting connectivity with India working towards expediting the proposed Kokrajhar-Gelephu rail link project, which will be the first rail link between the two countries. India would work for long-term sustainable arrangements for export of agricultural commodities from Bhutan and to expand energy cooperation beyond hydro-electric projects. PM Modi said in a tweet that India deeply values its close friendship with Bhutan. "Pleased to receive His Majesty the King of Bhutan, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck. We had a warm and productive meeting. Deeply value our close friendship and the vision of successive Druk Gyalpos in guiding India-Bhutan relations to new heights," PM Modi said. Kwatra said King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck briefed PM Modi on his significant transformation and reform initiative that Bhutan is currently undertaking. He reiterated India's continued and full support to the socio-economic development in Bhutan based on the priorities of the Royal Government and in keeping with the transformation initiatives and reform process as per its vision. Kwatra said the visit of Bhutan King, which has been long in planning, takes forward the long- standing tradition of regular high level exchanges between the two countries. He said Bhutan King's visit provided excellent opportunities for the two countries to not only review the full range of bilateral engagement but also sketch a roadmap in terms of the next steps "that we would take to further on multifaceted cooperation and partnership". "In terms of specific outcomes, which we would be following up based on the discussions, it was agreed that India would step up its support to Bhutan's upcoming 13th Five Year Plan. The specifics of the support, its distribution into different projects that is something which is to be worked out between the two systems going forward. At Bhutan's request, India would work to extend an additional standby credit facility. This would be over and above the two existing standby credit facilities that is operating between the two countries," Kwatra said. "We would work to shape long term sustainable arrangements for export of agricultural commodities from Bhutan. Also work to develop long-term bilateral arrangements for assured supply of critical commodities to Bhutan, which would include petroleum, fertilizers, and coal," he added. He said the ICP would be set up along India-Bhutan border somewhere near Jaigaon. "We are also examining and considering setting up the first Integrated Check Post (ICP) along India-Bhutan border, which would be somewhere near Jaigaon. The exact specific location of the ICP is yet to be determined, but the broad location point is known," Kwatra said. "We will also try and expedite the proposed Kokrajhar-Gelephu rail link project through Government of India support in consultation of course with the Bhutanese side. This in some ways will be historic because this would be the first ever rail link between India and Bhutan. And naturally links up well to the rest of the regional connectivity infrastructure in South Asia," he added. The Foreign Secretary said India will consider positively Bhutan's request to sell power from Basochhu hydro-electric project. "In the field of hydro-power specifically, which has been the cornerstone of our economic relationship, we have agreed to an upward revision of tariff of the Chhukha hydro-electric project. This is the oldest hydro-electric project with Bhutan and is of great significance. Two, in the space of hydro-power itself, we will consider positively Bhutan's request to sell power from Basochhu hydro-electric project. This would be perhaps done through the energy exchange mechanism of the market. The details are yet to be worked out but the discussion is that it could be done through the market exchange mechanism," he said. Kwatra said India would extend favourable consideration to Bhutan's request regarding power trade and access to financing for new and upcoming hydropower projects. "The specifics of this would vary from project to project and would naturally been in sync with our CBT guidelines. And also expand our energy partnership to include non-hydro-renewables particularly in the field of solar, and also maybe see how the core bilateral cooperation between our two countries in the field of e-mobility could be expanded," he said. "Besides the existing range of hydropower projects and also exploring the non-hydro-renewable space, we would also try and expedite the finalization of modalities for new hydroelectric projects, hydropower projects, including the Sankosh hydroelectric project," he added. The Foreign Secretary said that the discussions between the two leaders covered the entire gamut of India-Bhutan cooperation, and also issues of respective national and mutual interest. Answering queries, Kwatra said there are some core fundamentals of India-Bhutan relationship. "These fundamentals are shared values, trust, mutual respect and a close understanding and sensitivity to each other's interests and concerns. Now besides this exemplary and unique relationship that India and Bhutan have, we also have a time-tested framework of security cooperation. And as part of that, both countries maintain a longstanding tradition of very close consultations on matters relating to their mutual interest and, of course, security also. Now in this context the intertwined and indivisible nature of our security concerns is self-evident," he said. He was about Bhutan PM's reported remarks about China being a stakeholder in resolving Doklam issue. "With regard to the specificity which was inherent in some of the questions, all I would say is that Government of India very closely follows all developments which have a bearing on our national interest and we would take all necessary measures to safeguard them as necessary. Now as regards the recent statements and the related commentary to them is concerned, I would say one, that India and Bhutan remain in close touch relating to our shared interest, including security interest, and I would only reiterate, you know, our earlier statements on this issue, which very explicitly and very clearly bring out our position on the determination of the tri-junction boundary points," Kwatra said. He said the bilateral ties are marked by close friendship, positive approach and cooperation. "If you look at the basic fundamentals of the relationship of both countries, the basic structure, if you evaluate their diversity, then you will find five or six things. First, close friendship; second positive approach; third is cooperation and collaboration, which is the basis for both societies' progress and growth journey. There is trust and mutual respect and sensitivity. Kwatra said that PM Modi and Bhutan King covered the entire gamut of bilateral cooperation issues and issues of respective national interests. "They looked at all the issues. With regard to the recent statements and I said this in response to the earlier set of questions on this matter, with regard to the recent statements, and also the media commentary, which came on it, all I would say is one, India and Bhutan remain in close touch, in close coordination relating to our shared national interests, including security interest, and two, reiterate our earlier statements which explicitly bring out our position on the determination of the tri-junction boundary points." Answering a query about lesser number of Bhutan students studying in India and preferring destinations such as Australia, he said there is no change in terms of access and availability of Indian education system "to our partner countries in our neighborhood and to their people not just in terms of their presence here, but also in terms of the continuing national treatment that they get here". "Which destination did they choose, of course, is always an evolving feature in terms of what happens, you know, within that society," he said. The Foreign Secretary said when King Jigme Wangchuck met CEOs of five or six key companies of India, the essential focus was that "if we talk of further strengthening infrastructure cooperation, how do we interface private sector participation from India with that infrastructure partnership". Answering another query on fee to be paid by Indian tourists visiting Bhutan, he said people-to-people ties are crucial element of bilateral partnership and the flow of people is going on well. "Under the new tourism policy of Bhutan, the Government of Bhutan had, at that time, introduced a fee of SDF USD 200 per day for, on international tourist. The tourists from India however, were required to pay only a concessional fee of Rs 1200 per day, not USD 200 per day, which was announced for the rest of the international tourist. This also, I think, was started off on an experimental basis. So we will see where this progresses. But as of now, on the ground, I think the flow of people between both sides is going on well and this is something which we constantly keep discussing with the Bhutanese government," he said. 'The Bhutan King arrived in Delhi on Monday. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar called on him on Monday and hosted a dinner, which "involved good discussions and interaction" with the key CEOs of some of the Indian companies. King Jigme Wangchuck also called on President Droupadi Murmu. (ANI)
King Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort, pose for a photo in Buckingham Palace ahead of the coronation. Buckingham Palace/Hugo Burnand/Reuters

King Charles and Camilla, Queen Consort, released their coronation invitation on Tuesday.

The invitation included nods to the monarch, like trios of flowers to signify he is King Charles III.

The artwork on the invite also features the Green Man, who symbolizes rebirth.

On Tuesday, King Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort, released the invitation for the coronation, and it was full of meaningful nods to the monarch.

The coronation will take place on May 6 at Westminster Abbey. Both Charles and Camilla will be crowned in separate ceremonies.

The king's coronation will be scaled back compared to Queen Elizabeth II's 1953 coronation, the Mail on Sunday reported.

The invitation was designed to honor Charles' new role and British history

According to a press release from Buckingham Palace, artist Andrew Jamieson created the hand-painted illustration made of watercolor and gouache on the invitation, which nods to the king's official coronation emblem.

The invitations will be printed on recycled paper with gold foil, which isn't surprising for the king. King Charles is a longtime champion of environmental issues, publishing a 2022 Newsweek essay about the threat of climate change.

The invitation to King Charles and Camilla, Queen Consort's coronation. Buckingham Palace/Handout via REUTERS

Jamieson is both an illuminator and scribe for the king's Crown Office in London, and he previously made the Royal Letters Patent that marked when Prince William became the Duke of Cambridge after marrying Kate Middleton in 2011.

"To have been invited to play a small part in such a historic event in our nation's history has been an incredible honour and the opportunity of a lifetime, the pinnacle of my career," Jamieson said in a statement provided to Insider. "My hope is that those who see the invitation will get as much joy from it as I did creating it. I wish Their Majesties every good wish for their upcoming coronation celebration as they begin this new journey together."

The invitation also included flowers with symbolic meaning

Jamieson included imagery of the Green Man in the invitation, "an ancient figure from British folklore, symbolic of spring and rebirth, to celebrate the new reign," the press release states.

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Foliage made of hawthorn, ivy, and oak creates the shape of the Green Man, as well as the "emblematic flowers" of the United Kingdom, according to Buckingham Palace.

More flowers adorn the outer edge of the invitation to create a British wildflower meadow, and they were all painted in groups of three to signify that the king is the third monarch to bear the name Charles.

The meadow includes "lily of the valley, cornflowers, wild strawberries, dog roses, bluebells, and a sprig of rosemary for remembrance," according to the press release.

In addition to the rosemary for remembrance, the inclusion of the lily of the valley was significant. It was Queen Elizabeth II's favorite flower; Sophie, Countess of Wessex, wore a dress with the flower embroidered into it for the Queen's funeral in September 2022.

Cornflowers, wild strawberries, dog roses, and bluebells, on the other hand, are all associated with love.

The illustration also included drawings of animals that hold significance

The meadow framing the invitation also includes a bee, a butterfly, a ladybird, a wren, and a robin, according to Buckingham Palace.

Bees have long held a special place in the royal family's world. There is a centuries-old tradition where the royal bees are informed when a monarch dies, as royal beekeeper John Chapple, 79, told the MailOnline after Queen Elizabeth's death. Chapple also told the outlet that he told the bees King Charles was their new master at the time.

In addition, butterflies are often associated with new beginnings and ladybugs symbolize good luck, while wrens and robins are associated with rebirth.

Jamieson also included the animals featured on Charles and Camilla's coats of arms in his illustration: a lion, a boar, and a unicorn.

The Garter encloses Camilla's animals in the invitation, nodding to her role as Royal Lady of the Order of the Garter, which she took on in the summer of 2022, according to the Palace.

The group was formed by King Edward III because of his admiration for King Arthur and his knights, and it is now the "oldest and most senior Order of Chivalry in Britain," according to the royal family's website. According to Town & Country, it's rare for someone who marries into the royal family to be made part of the order, making the role even more significant for Camilla.

Buckingham Palace also released a new photo of Charles and Camilla alongside the invitation

King Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort, pose for a photo in Buckingham Palace ahead of the coronation. Buckingham Palace/Hugo Burnand/Reuters

The monarch and Queen Consort posed in the drawing room at Buckingham Palace for the photo, which was captured by Hugo Burnand.

The invitation will be sent to over 2,000 people, according to Buckingham Palace.

Alongside the photo and invitation, the royals also announced that both Charles and Camilla will have four pages of honor as part of the coronation service, and they will be included in the procession that walks through Westminster Abbey with the king and Queen Consort during the ceremony.

Camilla's three grandsons and her great-nephew will serve as her pages, while Prince George, 9, will be a page for his grandfather. Prince Louis, 4, who has made waves at previous royal engagements, will not be a page.

Read the original article on Insider
When parents-to-be worry about the sacrifices theyll have to make after having children, travel often sits at the top of their list. While its true that traveling with little ones will be different than what youre used to, its still possible to indulge your wanderlust and explore new places as a family.

As you may have gathered from your paltry parental leave, the U.S. is not always the most welcoming country for families with children. Many other nations show more consideration for kids and parents in both their public policies and their cultural practices. Not all of these locales feature bathroom changing tables or stroller-friendly streets, but there is often a shared expectation that kids will be integrated into daily life, whether theyre riding public transit, dining out or visiting a national monument.

During one of our early forays abroad as parents, my wife and I took our 1-year-old to the Dominican Republic. We looked pretty ridiculous maneuvering our stroller through the cobblestone streets of old Santo Domingo, but everyone we interacted with was helpful and kind. A waiter in a traditional restaurant even picked up our baby and cheerfully walked around with him for a bit so that we could use both hands to enjoy our food. All our fellow diners got to watch our son return their smiles and bestow on him the standard Dios le bendiga(God bless him) that Dominicans offer every child who crosses their path.

The author's son awaits lunch at a comedor in the Dominican Republic.

The author's son awaits lunch at a comedor in the Dominican Republic.

If youre itching to roam beyond the U.S. with your kids, here are some recommendations from families with lots of travel experience. Of course, not every part of any country will be suited for kids, but these families were able to find child-friendly spots for making memories.

The most important thing to remember there is that countries are not monoliths, and some parts of a city may be perfectly safe while others are not, digital nomad and mom Courtney Orgias told HuffPost.

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The Dominican Republic

In addition to a child-friendly culture, the all-inclusive resorts in beachy places like Puerto Plata can simplify life for families traveling with young ones.

You dont have to worry about lugging a carseat to multiple places or renting a car. They also typically have toddler pools, kids areas, activities and sometimes childcare. The buffets offer a variety of foods so theres a good chance youll find something the baby/toddler will enjoy. The rooms also typically come with refrigerators for storing the babys food and milk, Stephanie Claytor, founder of the brand Blacktrekking, told HuffPost.

Jamaica

Claytor mentions that similar all-inclusive accommodations, alongside white sand beaches and turquoise Caribbean water, are available in Jamaica.

We took our son to Negril for his second birthday. Our favorite memory is of him dancing on the beach to reggae music during the all-white party on his birthday. We had no idea he could bust a move. He loved the party and reggae music. We of course were in the back away from the crowded dance floor but were still able to enjoy the DJ, said Claytor.

She recommends looking for places that offer refrigerators (for breastfeeding parents who need to pump milk), ample shade and outdoor dining  so that Im not embarrassed when my son breaks out in loud singing or accidentally throws some food.

With young children, almost any place can be kid-friendly. Toddlers and babies are amused by the simplest things such as wood chips and stairways, Claytor said. So if theres a destination youre keen to visit with your little one, you can probably find a way to make it work  just be ready to spend an afternoon collecting rocks instead of devouring your novel in the sun.

Try to get out of your head any images of long afternoons lounging by the pool sipping cocktails, said British travel blogger Jenny Lynn. As a parent traveling with kids you still have to be on, she continued. But traveling provides you with a constantly changing backdrop to take on those daily parent chores, and with new adventures to experience together, daily life becomes all the more rewarding.

Claytor with her husband and child in Jamaica.

Claytor with her husband and child in Jamaica.

Portugal

Lisbon can seem intimidating to explore with small kids because of all the hills  nobody wants to carry a toddler or push a stroller up a 30% incline  but we were able to take the bus to most places and found it to be efficient and clean; there were stops everywhere, said Orgias.

Ample parks and green spaces allowed the kids to get their wiggles out and break up a day of sightseeing, she added.

Mexico

Public transportation also makes Mexico City (Mexico D.F.) more navigable for families, according to Orgias. It has a great train system we were able to utilize and its very walkable, with lots of wonderful neighborhoods that are easy to explore on foot, she said.

Worrying about traveling with car seats and hopping in and out of ride shares and taxis is scary for a lot of parents, she explained, but good public transportation options can allay these concerns.

Costa Rica

If your kids eat rice and beans, theyll have always something to nosh on with gallo pinto at every meal. Maria De la O of Roam Family Travel told HuffPost that year-round access to fresh fruit also made it easy to keep kids satisfied.

Theres plenty to see, between the jungle and the beach. De la O and her family booked a tour via National Geographic Expeditions with local guides and saw about 20 different animals during their stay.

We of course stayed in hotels with pools and allowed at least an hour or two a day just for the kids to do that, she added.

Canada

The CN Tower, Centre Island and the many summer festivals in the city all present opportunities for novelty, learning and bonding in Toronto. Its a city with so much cultural diversity that theres always something to do, indoor & outdoor, said Orgias.

For animal lovers, Toronto features a zoo and an aquarium. In warmer months, you can take the ferry to Toronto Island Park and enjoy bike trails, picnic areas and even an amusement park. You can also tour Niagara Falls from Toronto.

On the French-Canadian side, Montreal offers plenty of parks, museums and historical sites to keep the whole family occupied. If youre looking for European-style flair and cobblestone streets, check out Quebec City a bit further north.

Namibia

Namibia gets our vote as one of the best places for intrepid family travel, said Lynn, the U.K. travel blogger quoted above. She recommends forgoing an organized tour and instead renting your own 4x4 with roof tents. The quality of roads is generally very good and the campsites are seriously fantastic (theres often a pool), she added.

In addition to lunar landscapes and safari wildlife, Namibia offers a low malaria risk, good health care, German bakeries in every town, and an amazing climate, Lynn said.

Morocco

Its so close to Europe, yet feels a world away with vibrant medinas, sweeping apricot-colored deserts, and jagged snow capped mountains, Lynn said.

Orgias said some of her favorite memories are of Morocco: When our kids were 9 months and 3 years we spent Christmas Day riding camels and hiking through the Atlas Mountains in Marrakech. It was such a surreal experience to be able to gift them with these amazing bucket list activities.

She described Marrakech as a fast paced city that allows kids and

adults alike to get wrapped up in the blend of rich cultures.

Lynn said the country is very doable by car.

Kids will love sandboarding in the Sahara Desert, trekking the Atlas Mountains on a mule, or surfing the waves in Essaouira  a coastal town Lynn found remarkably stroller-friendly.

Thailand

Thailand is easily one of the most accessible countries weve visited with the boys, said Lynn. Her family enjoyed the energy, the ornate temples, the colorful markets, the polite people and the food and of course the incredible beaches!

Thailand boasts a plethora of street vendors selling delicious snacks. Lynn says her kids enjoyed sticky rice, banana pancakes, mango and other tropical fruits.

Many restaurants, even along the once-backpacker enclave of Th Khao San, have highchairs, and we found that some beach restaurants in Ko Lanta have toys and kids play areas, she said.

The Netherlands

Orgias recommends Amsterdam for families taking their first journey abroad together, describing it as safe, clean and friendly to speakers of English.

The city is walkable, offers lots of child-friendly museums and activities, she said.

And if you get the itch to venture out even further, Paris is just a 3.5-hour train ride away!

De la O recommended European destinations in general for travel with a baby. Pushing a sleeping child in a stroller or walking them in a Baby Bjorn or baby backpack is a perfect way to sightsee, so take advantage of the museums and Gothic churches you wont be able to enjoy when your child gets a little older.

However, she advises, Forgo your fancy jogging stroller and bring a cheap umbrella stroller on your trip. They are soooo much more maneuverable and travel-friendly.

Related...
Image: Kena Betancur (Getty Images)

Well, the day has come. As much of the country waited on pins and needles over the past few weeks for the indictment of twice-impeached former president Donald Trump, Tuesday, April 4, 2o23 became the day that Trump officially was arraigned in Manhattan.



Naturally there was plenty of pushback from Trumps supporters, who appeared in Manhattan in a crowd that was less than a fraction of what could have potentially been January 6: Part 2. The protests occurred both at Trump Tower in Midtown Manhattan and at the Manhattan Criminal Court in Lower Manhattan following Trumps arrival in the city yesterday. In a city as liberal as New York, counter protests were also fruitful, with surprise appearances by Republican senatorsand Trump lackiesMarjorie Taylor Greene and George Santos being cut short by those not interested in putting up with their hot breath.

Read more

After Trump migrated from Trump Tower to 100 Centre Street in Downtown Manhattan, he sat in a court room with his legal counsel. There, he pled not guilty to 34 felony charges, sending his case to a trial.

1. NYPD Officers prepare for the turnout of Trump supporters protesting the arraignment

Image: John Moore (Getty Images)

2. Right-wing demonstrators begin to gather outside the Manhattan courthouse and Trump Tower

Image: Drew Angerer (Getty Images)

More: Donald Trump Posts Sad Truth Social Rant: Theyre All Sick and Its Fake News

3. Fake ads about special guest star Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) were hung in Lower Manhattan

Image: Michael M. Santiago (Getty Images)

4. Protestors clashed (quite literally) over the truth

BREAKING: MASSIVE banner displayed in front of Manhattan Courthouse reading Trump Lies All the Time prompts a fight between those gathered in front #TrumpIndictment pic.twitter.com/bcX9IG3Qsp  Meech Memez (@MeechMemez) April 4, 2023

5. Protestors protesting the protestors appeared seemingly in greater numbers and with better costumes and signs





Image: Spencer Platt (Getty Images)

6. MTG is chased away by counter protestors, many of whom were blowing whistles



Not exactly the MAGA welcome mat Marjorie Taylor Greene expected. Its NYC, not the boonies.#TrumpArraignment pic.twitter.com/6itcGTprHA  Christopher Webb (@cwebbonline) April 4, 2023

7. Exiled to a van, MTG compares Trump to Nelson Mandela and Jesus in an interview with her boyfriend



Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA): Trump is joining some of the most incredible people in history being arrested today. Nelson Mandela was arrested, served time in prison. Jesus! Jesus was arrested and murdered. pic.twitter.com/dSOeHvRnDE  The Recount (@therecount) April 4, 2023

More: Marjorie Taylor Greene Compares Trump to Jesus, Nelson Mandela in Interview With Her Boyfriend

Story continues

8. Representative (and alleged former drag queen) George Santos (R-NY) is also chased away by counter protestors

Image: Drew Angerer (Getty Images)

More: George Santos Denies Performing in Drag, Stealing From Veterans Dying Dog

9. A couple got married the same day at the Manhattan Courthouse

Good morning from downtown Manhattan where this lovely couple is getting married right next door to the media scrum waiting for the Trump indictment. pic.twitter.com/vJxcxZDgKX  Soo Youn (@lalasoo) April 4, 2023

10. Around 1:30 p.m. EST, Trump departed Trump Tower ahead of his arraignment in Lower Manhattan



Image: Scott Olson (Getty Images)

More: Truth Social Founder Arrested

11. Truth Social founder Donald Trump becomes the first former president in history to face criminal charges

Image: Kena Betancur (Getty Images)

More: 5 Things To Know About Trumps Historic Indictment

12. Trump pleads not guilty to 34 felony charges

Image: Seth Wenig-Pool (Getty Images)

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Click here to read the full article.
Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson greets his supporters during his election victory celebration at the Marriott Marquis Chicago hotel on April 4, 2023. (Armando L. Sanchez / Chicago Tribune)

Either Paul Vallas or Brandon Johnson will go from one long, tough slog to another as Chicago voters select the citys 57th mayor on Tuesday and hand the winner an array of intractable problems.

In key ways, Chicago is a city in crisis. Its business community hasnt fully recovered after the double shots of COVID-19 and civil unrest, particularly downtown. Chicago Public Schools is entering a period of enormous transition as the school board transforms from a body appointed by the mayor to a group selected by city voters. CTA buses and trains, long a source of pride in the city that works, have been maligned for ghosting passengers and being filthy.

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Either Vallas or Johnson will be called on to address those issues as well as endemic gun violence, entrenched segregation, and decades of disinvestment  a tough job even under the best of circumstances.

The rivals made Tuesdays runoff after finishing as the top two in a bitter nine-way race to lead the nations third-largest city, guaranteeing an ideological battle between politicians with starkly divergent visions on how to lead the city.

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To get here, the candidates defeated first-term Mayor Lori Lightfoot, whose combative leadership provoked a polarized race to replace her at City Hall.

Chicago mayoral candidates Brandon Johnson, left, and Paul Vallas shake hands before the start of a debate at WLS-Ch. 7 studios in downtown Chicago on March 16, 2023. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)

Vallas, a 69-year old former schools chief, has long been a critic of the Chicago Teachers Union that Johnson helps lead, asserting the unions work stoppages during the pandemic harmed childrens well-being and hurt their growth for generations. Johnson, 47, regularly paints Vallas approach to public education as morally bankrupt for his promotion of private school vouchers and expansion of charters across the country.

On crime, Vallas has offered tough talk and positioned himself as the pro-law enforcement candidate who will stamp out the complete lawlessness he has seen in Chicago by, among other things, reversing Police Department rules he contends restrict cops from doing their jobs. Johnson, meanwhile, decried the citys reliance on policing as a failed strategy and instead promised a new citywide strategy that would shift focus toward community investments in housing, mental health and more.

The candidates have savaged each other over the past five weeks, criticizing one another for their public safety and finance plans, diametric philosophies on education as well as past associations with, in Johnsons case, the defund the police movement and, in Vallas, Republican and right-wing circles.

Now the voters get their say.

On Monday, Vallas campaigned at Old Fashioned Donuts in Roseland, where he deflected questions about his standing in the polls.

Im just driving on. I see that finish line. Im not looking at whos catching up or where my opponent is in the race, Vallas said.

His message to undecided voters, Vallas said, is about leadership, and he heralded his time leading school districts in Chicago, New Orleans and Philadelphia, among others.

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Chicago mayoral candidate Paul Vallas, center, campaigns outside the Clark/Lake CTA station with the help of U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin on April 3, 2023. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)

The school districts that Ive had the privilege of taking on have been by invitation, and theyve always been institutions in crisis, Vallas said. Whether it was the city budget crisis in the 90s or taking over (CPS) schools in 1995 with Gery Chico or rebuilding a district that had been destroyed by a catastrophic hurricane. ... Ive always responded to calls for help. The city needs help.

The candidate, who was joined by 9th Ward Ald. Anthony Beale and former South Side U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush, then bought several dozen doughnuts for his campaign team.

Johnson, meanwhile, campaigned at Rainbow/PUSH headquarters in Hyde Park, where he was asked if he feels his campaign is a David and Goliath race. He noted that he was a little-known candidate when he announced his candidacy last fall.

I would say that is quite the leap to the forehead of the political establishment and when that smooth stone hits it, its gonna fall, Johnson said.

Johnson said a win on Election Day would reverberate nationally.

Our win tomorrow sets up a standard of what it takes to move a city, Johnson said.

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Key questions remained for the candidates. Vallas made the runoff after winning more conservative white wards on the Northwest and Southwest sides, as well as downtown wards and the Near North Side. Johnson did best with progressive voters on the north lakefront and along Milwaukee Avenue.

Chicago mayoral candidate Brandon Johnson, right, greets commuter Edison Edwards at the Racine Avenue CTA Blue Line Station while campaigning on April 3, 2023. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)

Both have tried to broaden their appeal to Latino and Black voters, key blocs who broke in favor of other candidates in the first round and who now have to choose between Vallas and Johnson. To that end, the runoff election has been just as much about race in a segregated city as it has been about crime, taxes and education.

While touting a campaign of unity, Johnson has also seized upon a message of Black liberation and frequently attempted to portray Vallas as dismissive of minority communities in Chicago. Vallas, in turn, has stressed his long-standing relationships with Black and Latino political leaders who say they trust his experience while condemning what they say are Johnsons attempts to make it about race.

But ultimately, the candidates understood they came from opposite ends of the spectrum in the original nine-candidate field and had to pivot to the center to gain ground.

Johnson in recent weeks forcefully repudiated the defund calls to reallocate law enforcement budgets despite embracing them in 2020. Vallas has hammered his message of being a lifelong Democrat and sought to line up establishment surrogates such as former Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White, a popular Black politician, to counter attacks that Vallas is a conservative in disguise.

Whatever direction Chicagoans pick Tuesday is sure to spell a new era for the citys politics: It will be the first time a sitting mayor has been ousted from reelection since 1983, when Harold Washington beat Jane Byrne.

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Election Day also follows a rebellion from City Council, which declared independence last week in a sweeping reorganization ordinance that was the culmination of four years of discontent under Lightfoot. And it will serve as the first referendum on the future of Chicago after a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic as well as civil unrest and racial justice protests deeply fissured the city on issues of policing, schools and more. Fourteen of the 50 aldermanic seats are also up for grabs in Tuesdays runoff, with the council looking at significant turnover whatever happens.

The weather on Election Day is also expected to be poor, adding another variable to the mix as the candidates seek to turn out support. Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday, though election officials are urging people to voter earlier in the day as conditions are expected to worsen later.

gpratt@chicagotribune.com

ayin@chicagotribune.com
Recovery efforts are underway for a 16-year-old who vanished in the ocean at a North Carolina beach, officials say.

David Hernandez disappeared on Saturday, April 1, a North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources public information officer told McClatchy News.

The teen was swimming near rocks at Fort Fisher Recreation Area Park when he disappeared, park rangers told WECT.

The teenager was at the beach with friends, his uncle said in a Facebook post.

Search efforts for the teen began Saturday, Katie Hall, a North Carolina Parks and Recreation public information officer told the Star News. High winds and strong currents impeded the search.

Friends and family have been aiding in the search, according to his uncle.

Were just heartbroken since hes such a young man and to have him gone missing, celebrating, doing something he obviously enjoyed, Hall told the Star News. Its so sad. Were just heartbroken for the family, but we wont give up until we find him.

The teens mom, Idalia Hernandez, told WECT that she wants to find her sons body for closure.

He was a gift ... He was a super son, she told the outlet, using a translator. His soul was very pure. God definitely is gaining an angel.

Kure Beach is about 16 miles south of Wilmington.

Man dies saving wife from rip current, then his dad dies trying to save him, friend says

4-year-old found dead after mom saw him go under water at Georgia park, officials say

Swift current carries man for miles after he falls into wash, California officials say
Arlington police are looking for a driver who wounded two people Monday in an apparent road rage shooting, officials said.

Officers responded to a location near Watson Road and Randol Mill Road on Monday evening, according to Star-Telegram media partner WFAA-TV. A motorist told police another driver cut him off on Texas Highway 360.

The two vehicles exited the highway and stopped next to each other on Six Flags Drive, WFAA reported. The drivers got into an argument and one of them pulled out a gun and fired. The other driver was hit in the arm and his passenger was hit in the leg.

The driver who was wounded told police he fired back at the other driver, who fled the scene, according to WFAA.

The two shooting victims were taken to a local hospital with injuries that are not believed to be life-threatening.
The victim of a shooting at a gas station in Gautier Monday has been identified along with the suspect in the fatal shooting.

Maurice Shannon, 21, of Gautier died after being shot, said Jackson County Coroner Bruce Lynd Jr.

An autopsy is scheduled for later this week, the coroner said.

Gautier Police on Tuesday identified the suspect in the case as Thomas Rogers, also known as Woody Rogers and said in a social media post the suspect is wanted for murder.

He should be considered armed and dangerous, police said in a press release, and anyone who sees him should call 911.

Rogers is from the Mobile area, police said, and they believe he fled back to Mobile after the shooting.

He was last seen riding in a white 2019 Honda Accord with Alabama Wildlife Federation Tag: A0R4TM.

Police described him as a Black male, 510 tall, weighing 155 pounds and and with multiple tattoos on his body.

The shooting happened around 3:20 p.m. at the Pure gas station, 2218 Ladnier Road and the victim died before Gautier police officers arrived on scene.

Anyone with information about the incident should contact the Criminal Investigations Division at 228-497-2486 or the Mississippi Coast Crime Stoppers at 1-877-787-5898.
After a series of ferocious tornadoes tore through the Midwest and South on Friday, leaving at least 32 people dead and causing widespread destruction in Little Rock, some 200 Guardsmen from the Arkansas National Guard were mobilized to help.

The Guardsmen are assisting with traffic control and security efforts after Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders declared a state of emergency. The troops come from units with the 39th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 87th Troop Command, and 77th Theater Aviation Brigade and operate in Jacksonville, Wynne and Little Rock, a Guard spokesperson told Military.com.

The deployment comes as National Guard units have faced a seemingly endless set of crises, all while the Pentagon continues to build its presence in Europe and Africa while juggling holdover missions from the Global War on Terrorism era in the Middle East.

Read Next: Here Is the Army's New Counseling Form, Marking an Overhaul of How the Service Evaluates Soldiers

The Guardsmen helping in tornado response are on state active duty, or SAD, orders, a mechanism in which Guardsmen fall under the governor effectively as state contractors. During those orders, troops do not accrue any military benefits such as the GI Bill or access to generous home loans backed by the Department of Veterans Affairs. They also cannot claim any disability through the VA if hurt on duty and have no federal protection if their civilian employers retaliate against them for taking off work to serve in uniform.

Though federal assistance is opening up to Arkansas, it's unclear whether Guardsmen will be placed on federal orders -- which could significantly boost their pay.

The role Guardsmen play in assisting with natural disasters is expected to continually ramp up as the impacts of climate change make severe weather more frequent.

Meanwhile, the National Guard juggles its overseas obligations, with some 20,000 Guardsmen deployed abroad at a given time, according to data from the National Guard Bureau. The Ohio National Guard's 37th Infantry Brigade Combat Team currently has the most significant footprints in combat zones, with some 1,800 troops in Iraq and Syria.

-- Steve Beynon can be reached at Steve.Beynon@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @StevenBeynon.

Related: The National Guard Is Having a Nightmarish Time Keeping Soldiers and Recruiting New Ones
A $200 Russian smartphone aiming to replace the iPhone isn't getting much love  fewer than 1,000 units have been sold since its debut. Natalia Kolesnikova/AFP/Getty Images

Russia's AYYA T1 smartphone has sold just 905 units since its October 2021 launch, per Vedomosti.

The smartphone was touted as a homegrown alternative to Apple's iPhone.

Russia's smartphone market is dominated by Chinese brands, with Xiaomi in the lead, per Statista.

Russia's answer to Apple's iPhone isn't getting much love at home.

The AYYA T1 smartphone  touted as a homegrown alternative to the iPhone  hasn't been very popular. Just 905 units have been sold since it hit the market in October 2021, the Vedomosti business daily reported on March 23, citing unnamed sources close to retailers.

That's about 18% of the 5,000 AYYA T1 smartphones produced for the Russian market so far, per Vedomosti.

Produced by Smartecosystems, a part of state conglomerate Rostec, the China-assembled AYYA T1 is discounted at 50% and currently retails at around 13,420 rubles, or $170, on the online store of Yandex, a Russian tech giant. Russian officials touted the AYYA T1 as a potential alternative to Apple's iPhone, the Moscow Times reported on March 23.

In looks, the AYYA T1 resembles an iPhone. It has rounded edges and comes with a "special security mode" that allows the users to switch off its camera and microphone with a button on the side of the device, according to its product webpage.

Even though fewer than 1,000 AYYA T1 phones have been sold to consumers, about 2,000 Russian law enforcement and nuclear power agency staff have been issued with the phone, per the Moscow Times, citing Vedomosti. This means there weren't that many on the market for ordinary consumers anyway, some retailers told the Russian business news outlet.

The news of poor sales for the AYYA T1 phone came days after the Kremlin advised Russian officials to stop using the Apple iPhone due to information security concerns.

Apple also halted all sales in Russia after the invasion of Ukraine last year  although Russia could still buy the US tech giant's products via parallel imports. South Korean smartphone giant Samsung also suspended shipments into the country amid sweeping sanctions against Russia over the war.

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The Russian smartphone market  where 24.5 million smartphones were sold in 2022  is now dominated by Chinese brands, with Xiaomi in the top spot, according to data provider Statista. The Chinese tech company accounted for 35% of smartphone shipments into Russia from January to September 2022. Samsung is a far second, with 15% of shipments into Russia.

Smartecosystems did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment sent outside regular business hours.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Mack Hogan

The hard part of being a winner is that people expect you to win. So when Mercedes made an electric car in the same segment as its iconic S-Classthe model that constantly reinvents the top-shelf luxury game we expected to be blown away. Instead, the EQS left us looking for the true harbinger of the revolution. After driving the EQE SUVthe fifth EQ car to launch in the U.S.were still looking.

Perhaps were looking for the wrong thing. Mercedes strategy seems to focus on quickly catapulting repeatable EQ designs into every niche. At a time when BMW is slowly tip-toeing EVs into the market, Mercedes has fully realized players in five segments. No one model feels as holistically compelling as an iX or as pragmatically normal as an i4, but theyre all good, and theyre all on sale now. In a race to court early adopters, the people who simply want a car powered by electricity, that matters. Those people now have more options at the Mercedes dealer than they do at an Audi store, despite that brand getting a head start on long-range EV sales in the U.S.

Mack Hogan

What Im looking for, though, is something that feels like a revolutionary leap. The EQE SUV is not that leap.

The EQE looks mostly familiar. The grille is a large slab of black plastic, the body slightly tall to look natural, and the edges a bit too rounded. But if you miss those clues, its easy to see this as just another Mercedes SUV. Unlike the EQ sedans, theres no egg-of-the-future vibe, just a slightly softer SUV profile and fancier lighting elements. If Mercedes is trying to avoid scaring off buyers with weird stylinglooking at you, iXthen its done a good job here. The EQE SUV isnt the most compelling or beautiful design, but its inoffensive enough that buyers wont run out of the dealership.

The interior is where familiarity works best. U.S.-market models (which start at $79,050 for a no-option RWD EQE 350+) feature an S-Class-style floating portrait display, with a smooth and responsive 12.8-inch MBUX infotainment system controlling almost everything. (Europe gets an optional Hyperscreen, but that wont be offered in the U.S. for 2023.) Core functions are mostly within a tap or two, but its not hard to get sucked into the menus hunting for the right massage or lighting setup.

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Mack Hogan

That driver monitoring system will also chide you if you look down, or away, or the sun hits it right, or the oddly placed steering wheel blocks its view of you. A representative for Mercedes noted that American-market cars will have a less aggressive driver monitor in place, a key example of understanding the American market. Bravo.

Driving European-market cars around Portugal, there wasnt much to complain about. Im not partial to the everything-in-the-screen design philosophy theyre teaching in German schools these days, but Mercedes may be the first legacy automaker to match Tesla in terms of infotainment graphics, speed, and intuitiveness. Google Maps integration is perfect, animations are crisp, and everything feels thought-through. But I found myself reaching for my phone over the on-board Apple Music app, since the UI and search functions were a step behind what Cupertino builds into its own products.

Mack Hogan

That app, however, does unlock Dolby Atmos sound on the Burmester 3D Audio system. Unlike many systems that try to imitate surround sound using files recorded in stereo, the Mercedes system can use designed-for-surround Atmos files (also called Spatial Audio, in Apple parlance) to place instruments in 3D space. You get a palpable sense of depth, though what you gain there you lose in punch and clarity. Its not the best audio system on salelook to Land Rover or Acura for thatbut its a great party trick, and interesting enough that youll want to listen to old-favorite albums just to see if you spot anything new.

The stereo also benefits from one of the quietest cabins in a production car. The EQEs isolated motors and thick soundproofing prevented any unpleasant noise from making it to the cabin during my drive. Wind noise becomes noticeable above 70 or so, but only because of how quiet everything else is. This is a real luxury car, properly screwed together and thoughtfully engineered.

Mack Hogan

But while the EQE SUV is quieter than an internal combustion Mercedes, it wasnt quite as comfortable. From the somewhat tough to predict body lean in corners to the occasional head-tossing motion you get over small bumps, it seemed at times like the EQE 500s air suspension was ill-prepared to handle all 5665 lbs of the SUVs curb weight. At relaxed speeds youd never call it uncomfortable, but there are still some rough edges.

I found it easy to restrain myself in the corners, however, since the EQE isnt built much for speed anyway. The base model and EQE 350 4Matic both offer 268 hp, with 417 lb-ft on tap for the base model and 564 lb-ft of twist for the mid-grade. EQE 500 4Matic models offer 402 hp and 633 lb-ft of torque. In such a hefty SUV, 402 hp is enough to feel powerful if not fast, while the 350 4Matic felt a little overworked on the twisty roads surrounding Lisbon, Portugal. Those looking for real speed will have to wait until the EQE SUV AMG (1-2-3 Do-Re-Mi) launches later this year.

Mack Hogan

Maximum EPA-rated range still hasnt been announced, but we do have numbers on the far-more-lax WLTP cycle. The EQE 350+ RWD, EQE 350 4Matic, and EQE 500 4Matic get 279, 253, and 269 miles on that cycle, respectively, all using the same 90.6-kWh battery pack. Charging speed is limited to 170 kW, which should get you from 10 to 80 percent charge in 32 minutes.

That max charging speed is slower than what you get in a Taycan, or a Tesla, or a Rivian, or even a Hyundai Ioniq 5, or Kia EV6. Thats a familiar complaint to the EQ lineup. As is the lack of a front trunk, or even the ability to open the hood. Instead you get a tiny slot on the fender in which to pour windshield wiper fluid. The rest, Mercedes thinks, should be left to the dealer tech.

Mack Hogan

The car is also too clever by half. Its quick to suggest you try its many features, offering up energizing comfort options if you appear tired, or activating its assistant whenever it hears Hey Mercedes. Thats clever, yet the assistant wasnt smart enough to work out what I meant by turn on my cooled seat, even if turn on my heated seat was a suggested phrase. I wish Mercedes recognized that a key component of luxury is staying out of the users way. Then theres the poor visibilityan EQ hallmark. In this case, thick A-pillars and the slope of the roof create a big blind spot in the front corners, making narrow intersections stressful. Last, the 10-degree rear-axle steering is a wonder in tight lots, but the groaning I heard with the system at full lock gave me considerable pause.

The EQE isnt for young people looking to get excited about EVs, or Luddites who want everything to feel like an internal combustion car. Its for the modern Mercedes customer, who wants to lease something with the most mind-boggling technology they can afford, and this time would like it to be electric. For that customer, I think the EQE SUV is a smooxth, comfortable, quiet, refined SUV with a knockout interior and enough range to get you there. Me, though, Im still waiting for Mercedes to blow us away.

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Wisconsin voters are heading to the polls April 4 for the 2023 spring general election with a hotly contested state Supreme Court race on all the ballots.

In addition to the race between Janet Protasiewicz and Daniel Kelly for a spot on Wisconsin's top court, there are three statewide referendum questions on ballots, including two about bail reform and another about welfare benefits. There are also school board, school referendums, county, city, a judicial race, as well as a key state Senate race on some ballots.

Follow along here for live coverage all day.

10:20 p.m.: Milwaukee Common Council race still too close to call

Two of the three races for Milwaukee Common Council remained neck-and-neck before the citys absentee ballots were reported Tuesday night.

The City of Milwaukee, like seven other Milwaukee County municipalities, uses a central location to count absentee ballots and reports those results all at once.

The races for council Districts 1, 5 and 9 are without incumbents and drew a crowded field for the February primary.

About 10:10 p.m. and with 100% of wards reporting, David Bowen was leading Andrea Pratt for District 1 by 34 votes or 1 percentage point.

In District 9, with 19 of 21 wards reporting, Larresa Taylor led Odell Ball by 74 votes or about 2 percentage points.

The story was different in District 5, where with just one ward outstanding Lamont T. Westmoreland was leading Annette Jackson with 67% to 32%.

Candidates running for three open Milwaukee Common Council seats (jsonline.com)

The elections of the three winners will mean all of the citys 15 council seats will be filled for the first time in a year.

The winners will serve the remainder of their predecessors' terms, which end in April 2024.

- Alison Dirr

10:15 p.m.: Wisconsin voters back expanding work requirements for welfare benefits

Wisconsin voters supported in an advisory referendum Tuesday a work requirement for recipients of taxpayer-funded benefits.

The vote had more symbolic meaning than practical effect. Many public benefits in Wisconsin already include such a requirement, and advisory referendums do not by themselves compel changes.

Story continues

-- Hunter Turpin

9:35 p.m.: Geenan wins court of appeals race in District 1

Sara Geenen will be the next court of appeals judge for district one which covers Milwaukee. The local attorney unseated incumbent William Brash in a landslide victory that saw Geenen nearly double the amount of votes Brash received.

This will be the first time Geenen serves on the bench. Her legal career includes 16 years as an attorney with a focus on labor, bankruptcy and employment law. She has primarily represented workers and local and international labor organizations.

--Drew Dawson

9:18 p.m.: Race for 8th Senate District is close between Dan Knodl and Jodi Habush Sinykin

The race for the the 8th Senate District is going down to the wire.

GOP Rep. Dan Knodl is narrowly leading Democratic lawyer Jodi Habush Sinykin with 91% of the vote in.

If Knodl wins, it would give Republicans a supermajority in the state Senate, meaning it would be easier to override vetoes by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers.

--Daniel Bice

6:15 p.m. City of Green Bay borrows voting machine after a malfunction

The city of Green Bay had to borrow a voting machine from Brown County after the one at the Green Bay Botanical Garden malfunctioned, City Clerk Celestine Jeffreys said during her 4 p.m. update.

The voting machine was not working, so that was replaced with another machine, which didn't work. That machine was replaced by a third voting machine and that one didn't work, so the city borrowed one from the county, Jeffreys said.

"Those machines had been serviced so we have to take a much more close look after this election as to whether or not we need to purchase a new machine and exactly how we can ensure that does not happen again. It's the same problem we've been having at that ward for a couple different election cycles," she said.

The city is seeing a "very robust" turnout for an April election, Jeffreys said.

Green Bay Mayor Eric Genrich is in a close battle with challenger Chad Weininger for the seat.

--Pete Frank

1:50 p.m.: Voters in Madison continue to cast their ballots

As of 11 a.m., 39,859 ballots had been cast in Madison on Tuesday, according to the city clerks office.

That number included 14,206 absentee ballots and six provisional ballots.

Prior to Election Day, more than 35,000 absentee ballots were returned in Madison and well over 16,000 people voted in-person absentee.

Absentee ballots must be handed in before the polls close at 8 p.m., according to the Wisconsin Elections Commission.

 Lawrence Andrea

1:15 p.m.: Voters cite cash bail, abortion and schools as major issues in Supreme Court and school board races

At James Madison Academic Campus in Milwaukee, voter Trameika Sanders, who works as a safety assistant for MPS, said she came to vote on issues of abortion, cash bail and schools. She said she backed Missy Zombor for school board to fight for our rights, including PTO and sick time. Voter Therese Cheski said she came to vote mostly to support Dan Kelly on the issue of abortion, but also voted for Jeff Spence and Shandowlyon Hendricks Reaves for school board because she said they seemed less liberal, and she saw the pro-life community backing Spence.

Inside, chief inspector Aaron Blathers said hes worried about storms later in the day but turnout has been good so far. He said there was a technology issue early in the morning that cause their machine to not take ballots. The poll workers kept the ballots in a locked drawer of the machine, under the watch of an election observer, and were able to then count the ballots when an election official fixed the issue with the machine. Everything has been going smoothly since, he said.

 Rory Linnane

12:10 p.m.: Voters cast ballot at Milwaukee German Immersion School

Rain started coming down outside the Milwaukee German Immersion School polling place around 11:30. Chief inspectors Paul Williams and Addison Coy said turnout had been high and consistent all morning, though they worried about the afternoon weather impacting turnout. They saw nearly 250 voters by 11:30.

Milwaukee Treasurer Spencer Coggs, after voting at Milwaukee German Immersion School, said he voted for his friend Jeff Spence for school board, saying he trusted his character from Spences previous time on the board.

I think he put thought into his stances and I think he had good basis for what he believed, Coggs said. Even though there are some policies that we disagreed on, I thought for the most part he was a dedicated public servant.

Coggs said he also voted for Erika Siemsen for school board and hadnt heard about Pamela Holmes write-in campaign against her.

Coggs said he hopes the school board pursues as full a curriculum as possible for students, including the arts and drivers education.

 Rory Linnane

12:00 p.m.: Green Bay clerk: Good turnout, absentee ballots still coming in

Green Bay City Clerk Celestine Jeffreys said voters already have returned 6,900 absentee ballots with more being dropped off on Tuesday morning.

In a Facebook video posted at 11 a.m. , Jeffreys said there are about 900 absentee ballots still out and called Election Day voter turnout good. Jeffreys also said a broken optical scanner at the Green Bay Botanical Gardens took some time to fix, but is working now.

 Jeff Bollier, Green Bay Press Gazette

Green Bay residents vote in the spring general election on April 4, 2023, at the Green Bay Botanical Garden.

11:45 a.m.: Voters cast ballots in Fox Point and Bayside

At Fox Points polling place, located at 7300 N Santa Monica Blvd, voters have been keeping election workers very busy this morning, said chief inspector Linda Settler.

Theres a lot at stake, she said.

As of 10:30 a.m., theres been no issues and things are running smoothly, and about 800 voters had already cast their ballot, she added.

One voter said hes lived in Fox Point for 17 years and cares about the Supreme Court race.

I vote in every election, said Steve Elliott. Dan Kelly was a perfectly good lawyer, but hes not going to make the kind of decisions that I would want.

In Bayside, Voters are steadily making their way into the polling place, as of around 10 a.m., located at 9075 N. Regent Road. Things are running smoothly and the site is ready if they should lose power due to the storm, said chief inspector Margaret Zitzer.

As of around 10 a.m. about 685 voters had cast their ballot.

This is my community, and I want to have a say, said voter Cheryl Pivar, who recently moved back to Bayside, where she grew up. She said the referendum questions inspired her to vote in this election. We have to protect ourselves.

 Alex Groth

11 a.m.: Sherman Park voters turn out for court race, weigh in on school board

At the Mary Ryan Boys and Girls Club in Sherman Park, Arlene Williams said she didnt know much about the school board race but turned out to vote for the court race. Asked why, she turned to her granddaughter Corinne, who said, Women should have the right to say what they do with their body, period.Larry Curry, a sheet metal worker for MPS, came to vote primarily in the court race but also supported school board candidates Missy Zombor and Gabi Hart, partly because Zombor visited his house and he agreed with her flier, and because both were backed by the teachers union.Frank Finch III said he supported Jeff Spence and Darryl Jackson after interviewing candidates with a group he is part of, Common Ground. He said he thought the candidates would be more independent from the teachers union. His top issues were retaining principals and teachers, and more security in schools.Another voter, Allen Neuwirth, backed Spence and Jackson. He said too many MPS buildings are unoccupied and could be used for charter schools, and he wanted more focus on the trades.

 Rory Linnane

Voting in Sherman Park, Arlene Williams said she didnt know much about the school board race but turned out to vote for the court race. Asked why, she turned to her granddaughter Corinne, who said, Women should have the right to say what they do with their body, period. pic.twitter.com/z08t3WC5lJ  Rory Linnane  (@RoryLinnane) April 4, 2023

10:20 a.m.: Downtown Milwaukee polling place sees steady stream of voters

Poll workers at the Zeidler Municipal Building voting location in downtown Milwaukee said that voting has been steady since opening with 101 voters as of 10 a.m. at the site. The location has also been a popular spot for early voters with workers saying there is usually an increase around the lunch hour.

 Beck Andrew Salgado

8:30 a.m.: Wisconsin voters are urged to get to the polls before severe weather and ice move in across the state

After severe weather brought 12 tornadoes and strong thunderstorms to southern Wisconsin last week, experts at the National Weather Service have predicted another round of storms to move into Wisconsin on the evening of election day in Wisconsin.

Voters in the Madison, Milwaukee, and Waukesha areas should be aware that smaller storms are expected to start rolling in around 11 a.m. These early scattered storms are expected to just bring rain but could also bring hail as big as an inch.

Severe weather in southern Wisconsin is not expected to roll in until later this afternoon. Voters should make it a point to get to the polls before 4 p.m. if they want to stay dry and before 5 p.m. if they want to avoid peak severe weather periods.

The risk for severe weather is highest in areas like Madison, Janesville and parts of Waukesha County. These areas have the highest chances of seeing damaging wind, and damaging hail  there is a chance that far southwest Wisconsin could see some tornadoes.

Areas northeast of there, like Milwaukee, Sheboygan and Oshkosh, also have a chance to see severe weather, though the possibility is lower in these areas.

Green Bay and Appleton will see thunderstorms on Tuesday but severe weather is largely expected to avoid the region. And way up north Ashland, Bayfield, Douglas and Iron counties are under an ice storm watch which kicks in this evening.

The polls close at 8 p.m., but you won't want to be standing in line at 8, in rain or stormy weather. Vote early.

 Beck Andrew Salgado

When are polls open for the Wisconsin April 4 election?

Voting takes place from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. All eligible voters in line at 8 p.m. will be able to vote.

How do I find out what's on my ballot?

You can go to myvote.wi.gov and enter your address in the What's On My Ballot page to see your list of races.

How do I find my polling place?

You also can find your polling location at myvote.wi.gov.

Wisconsin 2023 spring election: How to register, where to vote and what's on the ballot

Analysis: What April's Supreme Court election may tell us about the 2024 partisan races in Wisconsin

Our subscribers make this reporting possible. Please consider supporting local journalism by subscribing to the Journal Sentinel at jsonline.com/deal.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: 2023 Wisconsin election: Voters back more requirements for welfare
A South Carolina law firm is offering a $35,000 reward for information on the death of a teen whose body was found in the middle of a rural road in 2015.

Stephen Smiths body was found on a road in Hampton County, South Carolina on July 8, 2015. Police initially said Smith died in a hit-and-run.

The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, or SLED, announced last month that there was no indication in the investigation that Smith was hit by a vehicle.

Smiths vehicle was found about three miles from where his body was found. According to the report, the cars gas tank door was open and the gas cap was hanging out on the side of the car. Investigators said the vehicles battery worked, but the car would not start.

SLED announced in June 2021 it was opening an investigation into Smiths death based on information that was learned while investigating the murders of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh that had happened earlier that month, CNN reported.

Alex Murdaugh was found guilty of killing the mother and son at their home in 2021. He is currently serving two life sentences for their deaths.

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In that investigation, the Murdaugh name was mentioned dozens of times as possibly being connected to Smiths death, including Buster Murdaugh, FITSnews reported at the time.

Buster Murdaugh, 26, said in a statement last month that he tried to ignore rumors of a romantic relationship with Stephen Smith and that he had nothing to do with his former classmates death, WTOC reported.

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, Murdaugh said in the statement.

Story continues

I love them so much and miss them terribly. I havent spoken up until now because I want to live in private while I cope with their deaths and my fathers incarceration, he continued, complaining about being harassed over his familys ever-deepening scandals.

Smiths mother, Sandy Smith, has said for years that she thought her son was beaten to death and not hit by a vehicle in Hampton County and she thought someone in the area covered up the crime.

Sandy Smith had started a GoFundMe to have her sons body exhumed for a private autopsy. She raised more than enough money for that to happen and Stephens body was exhumed on Monday, the same day the Bland Richter Law Firm announced it was offering the reward in the case, WJCL-TV reported.

Attorney Eric Bland, who represents the Smith family, told the TV station that the reward money came from the extra raised in the GoFundMe account set up to exhale Stephens body.

We understand that providing information about a crime can be difficult, and we want to support the community however we can to bring closure for the Smith family, the law firm said in a statement to WJCL.

Anyone with information is asked to contact SLED at 803-737-9000 or email tips@sled.sc.gov.

IN OTHER NEWS:
Three bodies have been found in six weeks in Austin's iconic Lady Bird Lake, but police are saying there's no evidence they're connected and are telling the public not to worry.

The most recent discovery was that of 33-year-old Jonathan Honey on Saturday. He was last seen at a taco truck near the lake at 2 a.m. on Friday.

Honey's is the third body recovered from the lake since Feb. 13, when 30-year-old Jason John was recovered from the lake, which abuts Austin's most popular nightlife spots.

John was last seen on Feb. 5 after a night out with friends. Both he and Honey were last seen on Rainey Street, which runs up from the lake into the downtown area.

Another body was found in the lake on March 5 but police haven't identified that person or released other details in that case.

A hike and bike trail along Lady Bird Lake is feet from the end of Rainey Street on Sunday April 2, 2023 in Austin, Texas.

What do police say?

Austin police issued a statement Monday in response to the public's concern over the recent deaths and social media speculation about what caused them.

"The Austin Police Department is aware of speculations regarding the recent drownings in Lady Bird Lake," the statement read. "Although these cases are still under investigation and evidence is being analyzed, at this time, there is no evidence in any of these cases to support allegations of foul play."

In each case, the department says that autopsies "have not revealed any trauma to the bodies."

"One common theme of the drownings in Austin this year is the combination of alcohol and easy access to Lady Bird Lake, which has numerous access points," the statement continued. "Many of the access points can be challenging to see at night."

The department said the recent drownings have all happened after the riverfront park closes at 10 p.m.

Workers recently installed lights in the Rainey Street area for Austin's South by Southwest festival, with more safety measures expected to come by the summer, local media reported. The additional lighting came after John's friends and family called on the city to improve safety.

Story continues

Contributing: Skye Seipp, Austin American-Statesman

Oklahoma City: Former jail guards sentenced for using 'Baby Shark' to punish inmates

Blizzard conditions, fierce winds, tornadoes: Rough weather from West to Southeast on Tuesday

The shore of Lady Bird Lake is less than one hundred feet from the end of Rainey Street on Sunday April 2, 2023 in Downtown Austin. Two bodies have been recovered along the shore near Rainey Street and East Avenue in the past six weeks.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Austin, Lady Bird Lake deaths: 3rd body found in weeks near Rainey St.
As Blavity previously reported, Donald Trump recently became the first criminally indicted sitting or former United States president. Now that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has successfully obtained criminal charges against Trump from a grand jury, the former president must appear in New York to be booked and arraigned. Here are five things to watch for as this unprecedented set of events unfolds.

The post 5 Things To Look For Concerning Trumps Arraignment appeared first on Blavity.

A private entrance or a public perp walk for Trump?

It is unclear how big of a spectacle it will be when Trump arrives at the Manhattan DAs office for arraignment. Some reports have indicated New York authorities and the Secret Service had been negotiating for a quiet entry to avoid a public scene or a security risk for Trump. Others have suggested Trump is seeking a public stage by engaging in a perp walk in front of cameras and spectators. However, at least one aspect of the usual perp walk will be skipped, as Trump lawyer Joe Tacopina has said authorities wont handcuff the former president during his appearance.

Fingerprints and mugshot

While Trump is granted certain courtesies as a high-profile defendant and former president, he will still have to go through many of the usual procedures for criminal defendants. The process includes being fingerprinted and having his mugshot taken. Whether that picture becomes public remains to be seen. One of Trumps lawyers, Alina Habba, has said she thinks Trumps mugshot should remain private, and New York does not automatically release these pictures to the public. However, Trump himself may share his mugshot as a fundraising tool.

Charges revealed in arraignment

While news of Trumps indictment came out in late March, we still dont know the exact charges he will face; those will become public during the arraignment. In addition, while we know DA Bragg came into office pledging a broad-based investigation of Trump and the Trump Organization for financial crimes, his examination was thought to have narrowed on the hush money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels related to an alleged affair. But with sources reporting Trump is expected to face around 30 charges, it seems the charges could cover a broader set of suspected crimes.

Story continues

Quick (but maybe not quiet) exit

Whether Trump will give a speech following his arraignment remains unknown. While a public press conference on the courthouse steps seems to be Trumps style, the court may implement a gag order limiting what he can and cannot say about the case. Trump, who has already promised to give a speech from Mar-a-Lago, could likely push the limits of any gag order or claim he is being silenced by his political enemies. Since Trump will presumably be released after his arraignment, he is expected to return to Florida almost immediately after leaving the Manhattan DAs office.

Hitting the campaign trail and possibly more courtrooms

Whether or not Trump is formally limited in his comments, he will likely reference the charges against him on the campaign trail. Trump has long tried to paint the various investigations against him as politically motivated. Many Republicans  including his rivals for the 2024 nomination  are currently backing this interpretation of events. Meanwhile, Trump faces several other investigations, including potential organized crime charges for interfering in the 2020 Georgia election and federal charges related to taking classified and sensitive documents from the White House after leaving office.

With these charges looming, Trumps Tuesday court appearance might be the first of many for the former president. His continuing legal woes will thus likely create drama in the courtroom and on the campaign trail for a long time.
New railway-highway combined transport route opens via land-sea trade corridor

Xinhua) 08:18, April 04, 2023

This aerial photo taken on April 3, 2023 shows a freight train departing from the Jiangjin District of southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, marking the opening of a new transport route via the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor. (Xinhua/Tang Yi)

CHONGQING, April 3 (Xinhua) -- A freight train departed from the Jiangjin District of southwest China's Chongqing Municipality on Monday, marking the opening of a new transport route via the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor.

A total of 32 containers bearing goods such as ammonium sulfate, motorcycle parts and motorcycle tires will be transported to the Baoshan North Station in Yunnan Province. These goods will then be transported via highways, leaving China via a land port in the city of Ruili, before arriving at Myanmar.

From January to February this year, freight trains and shuttle vehicles on the Western Land-Sea New Corridor starting from Chongqing transported a total of 21,000 TEUs, up 46 percent year on year. The total value of transported goods reached over 3.65 billion yuan (about 530.48 million U.S. dollars), up 43 percent year on year.

Launched in 2017, the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor is a trade and logistics passage jointly built by provincial-level regions in western China and ASEAN members.

The New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor has developed rapidly over the years, expanding the number of destinations to 393 ports in 119 countries and regions by the end of February in 2023.

This photo taken on April 3, 2023 shows a freight train waiting for departure in the Jiangjin District of southwest China's Chongqing Municipality. The operation of the freight train marked the opening of a new transport route via the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor. (Xinhua/Tang Yi)

This photo taken on April 3, 2023 shows a freight train departing from the Jiangjin District of southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, marking the opening of a new transport route via the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor. (Xinhua/Tang Yi)

This aerial photo taken on April 3, 2023 shows a freight train departing from the Jiangjin District of southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, marking the opening of a new transport route via the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor. (Xinhua/Tang Yi)

This photo taken on April 3, 2023 shows a freight train waiting for departure in the Jiangjin District of southwest China's Chongqing Municipality. The operation of the freight train marked the opening of a new transport route via the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor. (Xinhua/Tang Yi)

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
The School of Rock at the Paramount Theatre in Aurora stars (front from left): Jaxon Mitchell (Billy), Omi Lichtenstein (Summer), Julian Wanderer (Zack), Leighton Tantillo (Lawrence), Kayla Norris (Tomika); (back row) David Mattle (Freddy), Nick Druzbanski (Dewey) and Julia Dale (Katie). School of Rock will be performed April 12-June 4. (Amy Nelson)

Nick Druzbanski grew up with the School of Rock.

The 2003 movie about a slovenly guitar player-turned-fake-teacher was a star vehicle for Jack Black. Now, Druzbanski, 32, is starring as the Jack Black character in the Paramount Theatres newest production of School of Rock. The rock musical closes out the Aurora theaters Broadway series and runs April 12 to June 4.

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Druzbanski stars as Dewey Finn, a down-on-his-luck guitar player whos been kicked out of his band and cant pay his rent. He poses as his roommate, Ned Schneebly, and gets a gig as a substitute teacher at a prestigious elementary school. It isnt long before he turns his fourth grade students into the band of his dreams and in doing so, encourages them to reach for theirs.

Druzbanski grew up in New Jersey, went to high school in Atlanta, Georgia, and moved to Chicago to go to college at Roosevelt University. Hes been here ever since. This is his fifth time performing at the Paramount, he said.

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I like performing at the Paramount because the community out here is pretty amazing, he said. I feel like its one of those towns thats been shaped by the theaters presence and I really love the way everyone kind of bandies around whatever show is happening.

Local businesses will put murals up on their windows dedicated to the show and Charlies Ice Cream will dedicate flavors based on the show. It really feels like a tight-knit community. On top of that, its really special to get to do such high-level work, such large-scale productions, in a regional setting.

He was 13 when School of Rock came out. He loved that it didnt feel like a kid movie.

You felt like you were watching an adult movie, he said. I think the combination of Jack Black and Mike White writing it  he was the guy who created White Lotus  and Richard Linklater as the director, its like a trio of you wouldnt expect make a movie for kids and it shows that if you dont talk down to kids  they will respond to it more than any sort of pandering.

Hes had his eye on the role ever since the Broadway production  with new music by legendary composer Andrew Lloyd Webber  debuted in 2015. He auditioned several years ago, but it didnt work out.

Getting the opportunity to do it now in the place that Ive called home the past five years, it feels really special, he said. It feels like a full-circle moment in my career.

Druzbanski feels a connection to Dewey Finn, he said.

Dewey is a dreamer for sure. He gets caught up in the moment and I think the parts of him that I relate to the most are the passion for music and inspiring other people, he said.

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I think Dewey loves to make people feel good and feel like they are being their most exuberant selves. Dewey has a level of overconfidence that I kind of wish I had.

It helps that he too can sing and play guitar.

But I am vastly overshadowed by all the kids that play their own instruments in the show, he said. The kids in the band are absolutely incredible. They showed up day one ready to rock.

Even though theyre 10 to 16 years old, they all act super professionally and you can tell they really love doing this and take it very seriously. They really show the adult cast members whats what.

He thinks audiences will like the show because it rocks, first and foremost. Its a full-on rock show every night, he said. Theres a live orchestra in the pit but all the music coming from the stage is live and performed by the student musicians.

It has a surprising about of heart, he said. Its a show about listening to your kids and treating your kids with respect and care. Its about how a good teacher can shape you and inspire you.

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School of Rock

When: April 12-June 4

Where: Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd., Aurora

Tickets: $28-$79

Information: 630-896-6666; paramountaurora.com

Annie Alleman is a freelance reporter for the Beacon-News.
HENDERSON, Ky.  For several months, the start of construction of a new stretch of Interstate 69 alongside what Hendersonians call the U.S. 41-Bypass has been largely a spectator sport for passing motorists.

But within a few weeks, as construction work kicks into a higher gear, those motorists are going to be part of the game  and will need to pay closer attention.

Driving lanes on a stretch of the 41-Bypass between Kentucky 351/Second Street and the U.S. 60 cloverleaf are going to shift by early May, project officials announced during an online update Monday evening.

How will traffic by the I-69 construction change?

Northbound traffic will be required to shift left onto a portion of the southbound lanes. Southbound traffic will shift right.

There will still be two lanes in each direction, but the lanes will be narrower, separated by vertical tubular markers with no-passing signs, and featuring narrow shoulders.

Signs reducing the speed limit to 45 mph and alerting drivers to road work ahead have already been put in place.

That stretch of the U.S. 41-Bypass  from just south of Van Wyk gravel road to north of Canoe Creek  will be a genuine construction zone for the next year and a half. The 41-Bypass carried an average of 33,140 vehicles per day as of 2019, according to the transportation cabinet.

A section of northbound and southbound lanes on what Hendersonians call the U.S. 41-Bypass will shift westward from early May through late 2024 to accommodate construction of a new interchange for Interstate 69. The lanes will be narrower than normal and a 45-mph speed limit has been put in place.

'The project is on schedule'

The lane shifts will accommodate construction of ramps for a new interchange that, in the future, will carry traffic north to the new Ohio River bridge.

The work is part of what is called Section 1 (of three sections) of the long-awaited I-69 Ohio River crossing. Section 1 stretches six miles from the Kentucky 425/South Bypass  which currently is the northern terminus of I-69 in Kentucky  to U.S. 60-East near the viaduct.

Gov. Andy Beshear and other dignitaries ceremonially broke ground on Section 1 on a blazing hot day in late June 2022, and construction started in earnest in August, Emily Deason, the Section 1 project manager for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, said during the project update.

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The project is on schedule  thats the good news, Deason said.

Work (on Section 1) is 20% complete, with 400,000 cubic yards of earth moved and 14 big concrete piers set a few weeks ago for a bridge over Canoe Creek just off the bypass, she said.

More: I-69 Ohio River Crossing proceeds to next stage of development

Roundabouts are coming

While the upcoming lane shifts on the 41-Bypass will be a minor aggravation, far more dramatic traffic changes are coming.

As part of a reworked Second Street/Kentucky 351/Zion Road interchange, a series of three roundabouts will be constructed, including one on Second Street between North Middle School and Palmers Market at Kentucky 2084, as well as two on either side of the interchange bridge.

Construction of those roundabouts is scheduled to begin next year, after the 2023-2024 school year, and be fully operational by late 2025, project spokeswoman Mindy Peterson said.

Deason said the transportation cabinet will launch an education campaign to familiarize Henderson motorists with how to navigate roundabouts, which eliminate stop signs, reduce traffic speed and are, she said, safer.

This is going to be quite a bit of an adjustment for the community, which currently has no roundabouts, she acknowledged. Roundabouts, which have existed for generations around town squares in various small Kentucky cities, are increasingly becoming a part of the states landscape.

The new I-69 interchange on U.S. 60-East will also feature three roundabouts, including one at Tillman-Bethel Road and two on either side of the interchange bridge.

Other work on Section 1 this year will include a rehabilitation of the Kentucky 425 bridge that will require shifting traffic onto the roadway shoulder; construction of the U.S. 41 interchange bridge; the start of construction of the U.S. 60-East interchange bridge; rehabilitation of the Adams Lane and Audubon Parkway bridges; a rerouting of a section of Kimsey Lane into Van Wyk Road; utility relocation; and construction of 175 acres of retention basins to control stormwater and provide fill material the roadway.

The Transportation Cabinet awarded a $158 million design-build contract for Section 1 in 2021 to Ragle Inc. and Stantec Consulting Services Inc.

A timeline of other changes to come

In other phases of the I-69 Ohio River crossing (aka, ORX) project:

2024: Roadway construction on the Indiana side of the river (called Section 3) from existing I-69 south toward the bridge crossing will begin. A contract for that section is expected to be let in late 2023.

2025: Work on Section 1 will conclude.

2026: Work on the Indiana approaches concludes.

2027: Construction of the Ohio River bridge (Section 2) is scheduled to begin, although Peterson said both states are looking for opportunities to accelerate Section 3. Its a priority project for both states. That will include new roadway from U.S. 60-East to the bridge.

Kentucky and Indiana last week signed an initial memorandum of agreement to allow preliminary development and financial planning to move forward for Section 2.

2031: Ohio River bridge construction is completed.

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Traffic shifts, dramatic changes coming to I-69 Ohio River Crossing
Seven patients are suing Arkansas psychiatrist Brian Hyatt, alleging false imprisonment. Getty Images

An Arkansas psychiatrist is facing seven separate lawsuits alleging false imprisonment.

Patients say he held them for days with no legal authority, using coercion, threats, and sedatives.

Three former patients say they were trapped in a facility until sheriff's deputies escorted them out.

Seven patients have sued a prominent Arkansas psychiatrist within the past three months alleging false imprisonment, saying they were held against their will in the behavioral-health facility he oversaw.

Three of them say they couldn't leave until sheriff's deputies helped them escape.

The four women and three men have filed separate lawsuits describing their admissions to Northwest Medical Center's behavioral-health services unit in Springdale, which was overseen by Dr. Brian Hyatt. Each of the patients said in their lawsuits that they weren't allowed to leave for days, even though neither the facility nor Hyatt had the legal authority to keep them there.

Attorneys for the patients told Insider that Hyatt and his staff would coerce, threaten, and sedate patients to keep them in the facility and would frequently revoke phone privileges to keep them from communicating with relatives or attorneys. In some cases, staff would threaten to keep patients in the facility for up to 45 days unless they stopped asking to leave, the attorneys said.

"You're trapped in this facility, you're told you can't leave, you don't know what your rights are, and now they're cutting off your communication to the outside world and any hope of rescue or help," Monte Sharits, one of the attorneys working on the case, told Insider. "It was a house of horrors. It's a nightmare for them."

The lawsuits were filed over the last four months in the Circuit Court of Washington County, Arkansas. The team of Arkansas attorneys handling the cases told Insider they have been retained by roughly 30 clients with similar allegations and that more lawsuits are forthcoming.

Patients in the seven lawsuits also described receiving substandard or nonexistent medical care during their stays and being given unknown or inappropriate medication.

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Some of the patients who have filed lawsuits said they never even met Hyatt, who was the only psychiatrist employed and permitted to treat patients in the unit. Others described only meeting Hyatt briefly, but never being evaluated by him.

One woman alleged Hyatt wrote 45 pages of notes describing her as "unkept and unstable," despite never once meeting, examining, or treating her.

Another patient said the only care he received during his five-day stay was unhelpful group therapy that "consisted of patients sitting together with a 'provider' and discussing things like their favorite Sonic drinks," according to his lawsuit.

Northwest Health told Insider it is no longer associated with Hyatt.

Hyatt didn't return Insider's requests for comment and his attorney declined to comment.

A representative of Northwest Health told Insider in a statement that Hyatt had been an independent physician contacted to oversee the hospital's behavioral-health patients.

"We take very seriously our responsibility to provide a safe environment of care for our patients and for our team members," the written statement said. "While it is not our practice to comment on pending litigation matters, I can share that last spring, we undertook a number of actions to ensure our patients' safety, including hiring new providers responsible for the clinical care of our behavioral health patients in early May 2022."

Some of the patients who have filed lawsuits said they never met Hyatt. Getty Images

Patients claim Hyatt held them prisoner as part of an insurance 'scheme'

Hyatt's motive was to keep every bed in the behavioral health unit full to maximize profits, according to Sharits.

"The scheme is this: Get as many patients in the door as possible, keep them there for as long as possible  even if that means illegally keeping them beyond the 72-hour hold, and holding them against their will," Sharits said.

During that time, Hyatt would fraudulently overbill the patients' health-insurance carriers, Sharits said.

All seven plaintiffs said their spouses, parents, partners, or other relatives repeatedly called or showed up in person to demand their release from the facility but were unsuccessful. Three of the patients ultimately obtained court orders demanding their release and were finally freed when sheriff's deputies arrived and escorted them out, the lawsuits said.

Under Arkansas law, patients can be held involuntarily for up to 72 hours if they're deemed to be a danger to themselves or others, so long as they are evaluated by a physician within the first 24 hours. Medical facilities must obtain a court order to hold patients beyond 72 hours.

Bryant Crooks, one of the attorneys representing the former patients, told Insider that none of that happened for his clients.

"In none of these cases  even when an involuntary hold was strategically applied to keep people held  were they ever evaluated by a doctor to determine whether they were a danger themselves or others," Crooks said. "It was just done solely for the purpose of keeping them there and to stop the efforts to get them out."

One patient alleged that Hyatt's staff tried to intimidate her into staying longer even while deputies escorted her out. The staff threatened to force her to stay for 45 days unless she voluntarily signed back in to the facility, the lawsuit said.

Another patient, who was brought to the facility in March 2022 after mentioning passing thoughts of suicide, hired an attorney who initially wrote Northwest Health a letter demanding her release and stating the patient was being held against her will.

A charge nurse waved the letter around while laughing, the patient alleges in the lawsuit. "This legal stuff doesn't work here," the nurse shouted, according to court documents.

Aaron Cash, another lawyer on the team, told Insider he once emailed Hyatt a copy of a court order demanding the release of a patient. Hyatt responded by mocking the college Cash attended and insulting "the repurposed dentist's office you're working out of," according to a copy of the email provided to Insider.

Hyatt is under investigation for Medicaid and Medicare fraud

Hyatt is also under investigation by Arkansas state officials for Medicaid and Medicare fraud and has been suspended from the Arkansas Medicaid Program, according to public records obtained by the Arkansas Advocate. Hyatt has not been criminally charged.

The state probe is reviewing Hyatt's practice of billing Medicaid at the highest possible reimbursement rate, despite never physically seeing or examining the patients, according to a search warrant affidavit obtained by the Advocate.

Hyatt was an influential psychiatrist in Arkansas, having been appointed to the Arkansas State Medical Board in 2019 by the former governor Asa Hutchinson, and later elected chairman. Hyatt also owns his own practice, Pinnacle Premier Psychiatry.

The local TV station 5NEWS, which has also covered the patients' lawsuits, reported that Northwest terminated Hyatt's contract in May last year, and that Hyatt resigned from his role as chairman of the state medical board in early March.

Hyatt and Northwest Health are also named as codefendants in a wrongful-death lawsuit filed in 2021. The lawsuit accused Hyatt of "prematurely and inappropriately" discharging a suicidal patient without counseling the patient or his family on the severity of his condition. The patient died by suicide the day after being discharged, and the lawsuit is scheduled to go to trial in August.

Northwest did not respond to Insider's request for comment on the wrongful-death lawsuit, but in court filings, the hospital has denied the allegations. Hyatt has also denied the wrongful-death allegations in court filings.

Read the original article on Insider
Former Presidents John F. Kennedy, George H. W. Bush, and Donald Trump. AP Photo. Diana Walker/Getty Images. Win McNamee/Getty Images.

Several US presidents are said to have engaged in affairs  some more infamous than others.

Some are said to have had decades-long relationships, while others had trysts in the White House.

From FDR to Trump, here are nine presidents with sex scandals and misconduct accusations.

Franklin D. Roosevelt cheated with his wife's secretary, records show.

Eleanor and Franklin D. Roosevelt. CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images

Roosevelt, who was in office from 1933 until his death in 1945, had a longtime affair with his wife's secretary, according to The New York Times.

FDR married Eleanor Roosevelt, his fifth cousin once removed, in 1905. He later engaged in a romantic affair with Lucy Mercer Rutherfurd, who became Eleanor's social secretary in 1914, according to historic records maintained by the National Park Service.

When Eleanor found out about the affair in 1918 after finding Rutherfurd's letters among her husband's things, she offered him a divorce, but his mother would not allow it, PBS reported.

The couple continued a civil marriage, but there's some evidence Roosevelt's affair with Rutherfurd likely continued during his presidency, according to The Times.

Dwight D. Eisenhower reportedly had an affair while serving in World War II.

President Dwight D. Eisenhower. AP Photo

The 34th president, who served from 1953 to 1961, was married to his wife, Mamie, from 1916 to his death in 1969.

But there were whispers for years that he had an affair with his chauffeur, Capt. Kay Summersby, while he was serving as a WWII general.

The allegations heightened when President Harry S. Truman said Eisenhower wrote to a general during the war asking to return to the US to divorce Mamie so that he could marry Summersby, The New York Times reported in 1991.

The general whom Eisenhower propositioned threatened to run him "out of the Army" and keep him from "ever drawing a peaceful breath" again, The Times said.

Several women said they had affairs with John F. Kennedy.

John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Bouvier, later named Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, a few months before their wedding. Bettmann/Getty Images

Kennedy, who was the 35th president of the US and often considered one of the most attractive, married Jacqueline Bouvier in 1953.

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Even before Kennedy's 1963 assassination, there were rumors that he'd had extramarital affairs, according to People. Following his death, several women  from college students to White House staffers  alleged they had affairs with the president.

The former first lady didn't appear naive to the rumors. A 2012 story in The Atlantic said he had liaisons with secretaries named Priscilla Wear and Jill Cowen, with whom he would go skinny dipping in the White House swimming pool.

It's been widely reported that while the first lady was giving a French reporter a tour of the presidential home, she passed by one of the secretaries' desks and said in French: "This is the girl who supposedly is sleeping with my husband."

For his 45th birthday, Kennedy was famously serenaded by the actor Marilyn Monroe, which prompted widespread rumors that the two had a love affair, according to Glamour. While the public musings ran wild, the affair has never been confirmed, and the Monroe biographer Donald Spoto has said the pair only met four times.

Lyndon B. Johnson is said to have had multiple affairs that his wife ignored.

Then-President-elect Lyndon B. Johnson and Lady Bird Johnson in a preinaugural photograph. Bettman/Getty Images

Johnson, who served from 1963 to 1969, had a long marriage with his wife, Lady Bird Johnson, though he did stray from it. They married in 1934, and a few years later, Johnson began an affair with a woman named Alice Glass, according to Texas Monthly.

His wife never publicly responded to the affair, saying simply that she "never saw that side" of her husband, Texas Monthly said. But she did spend more time away from Johnson and begin a weight-loss and self-beautification effort, opting for "sexier clothes Johnson liked," the outlet reported.

Still, Johnson is said to have continued has escapades, including an affair with a White House staffer named Helen Gahagan Douglas, according to The Oklahoman. The president also paid child support for years to another woman who said he fathered her child, the outlet reported.

Gerald R. Ford reportedly had an affair with a German spy who was later deported.

Gerald R. Ford and Betty Ford in 1947. Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone/Getty Images

Ford was one of two presidents  the other being Kennedy  who was accused of having an affair with an East German spy named Ellen Rometsch. The accusations came from a former Senate staffer named Bobby Baker, who worked closely with Johnson, according to The Washington Post.

In an interview with Politico, Baker said he had introduced Rometsch  who he said "really loved oral sex"  to Kennedy, who thanked his friend for the "best head-job he'd ever had."

Baker also alleged that Rometsch had sexual encounters with Ford when he was a congressman, saying the FBI had a "tape where Jerry Ford was having oral sex with Ellen Rometsch." Rometsch would later be deported to East Germany, according to the New York Daily News.

David Horrocks, the former chief archivist of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum, told Politico he found the accusations "hard to believe" and "so out of character for the Ford that I knew."

Ford served as president from 1974 to 1977 and had a decades-long marriage to Betty Ford.

George H. W. Bush's wife was suicidal over his affair, her biography says.

President George H. W. Bush. Diana Walker/Time Life Pictures/Getty Images

Bush, the one-term president from 1989 to 1993, was married to his wife, Barbara, from 1945 until his death in 2018. The couple were said to have a storybook romance over their 73-year marriage.

But the story had painful chapters. Susan Page's "The Matriarch: Barbara Bush and the Making of an American Dynasty" says Barbara was suicidal in the 1970s after her husband was accused of having an affair with his aide Jennifer Fitzgerald.

Rumors persisted for years of the affair, which all parties publicly denied.

But Barbara told Page she tearfully relayed to her husband how empty she felt because of his affair, according to the biography. Another biographer, Randy Taraborrelli, says in his book "Grace & Steel" it was a "long 18-year affair."

Aside from Bill Clinton's multiple affair allegations, he was accused of sexual assault.

President Bill Clinton. Diana Walker/Getty Images

Clinton's affair with the White House intern Monica Lewinsky became national news and a cornerstone of his impeachment trial in the 1990s.

He famously denied the allegations at first, telling his family and the nation that he "did not have sexual relations with that woman." Evidence of the affair would later come to light, and Clinton confessed, according to The New York Times.

Multiple women have accused Clinton of sexual assault and rape over his career, including Juanita Broaddrick, Paula Jones, Kathleen Willey, and Leslie Millwee. Four other women have said they had affairs with Clinton, all while he was married to Hillary Clinton.

Clinton has denied all of the misconduct allegations against him, including those made by four other women who say they had consensual extramarital relationships with him.

Bill Clinton held presidential office from 1993 to 2001, and he and Hillary have been married since 1975.

George W. Bush was accused of assault by a woman who later died by suicide.

President George W. Bush. President George W. Bush December 14, 2008.

Bush, who served from 2001 to 2009, was on the receiving end of a sexual-assault claim that gained little attention at the time in American media.

A Texas woman named Margie Schoedinger filed a lawsuit against Bush in 2002, accusing him of raping her in 2000. But few details of the civil suit gained media attention, and Schoedinger died by suicide in 2003. The following year, attorneys for Bush filed a motion to dismiss the case, and it was dismissed shortly thereafter for want of prosecution.

At about the same time, a woman named Tammy Phillips said she had an affair with Bush. But even the National Enquirer determined she wasn't being truthful, according to Texas Monthly.

Bush has been married to his wife Laura since 1977.

Donald Trump has an extensive history of misconduct allegations and affair rumors.

President Donald Trump and Melania Trump. SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images

Trump had affair and sexual-assault accusations, as well as other sex scandals, that predated his time in office  which was from 2017 to 2021  but many came to light through media reports during his presidency.

His first marriage, to Ivana Trump, dissolved when he began an affair with the model Marla Maples, whom he would later marry. He and Maples announced their divorce in 1997, and shortly afterward, he was with Melania Knauss, now Trump. They married in 2005.

The adult-film star Stormy Daniels said she had a sexual encounter with Trump in 2006, a story that made national news in 2018. Trump denied he had such a rendezvous, which Daniels said took place while Trump's wife, Melania, was pregnant.

Trump also denied that his personal lawyer facilitated a $130,000 payment to Daniels ahead of the 2016 election to keep her from going public with her story. Trump, who had long denied the affair, appeared to acknowledge it in a January 2023 Truth Social post in which he said it "happened a long time ago."

At least 26 women  several of whom came forward during Trump's 2016 presidential campaign with detailed accounts and lawsuits  have accused Trump of sexual misconduct or assault, which he has denied.

The columnist E. Jean Carroll has two separate lawsuits against Trump, both connected to her allegation that he raped her in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room in the mid-1990s. Trump has denied her allegations.

Read the original article on Business Insider
By Joseph Ax and Daniel Trotta

(Reuters) - Wisconsin voters on Tuesday elected liberal Janet Protasiewicz to the state Supreme Court, flipping control to a liberal majority ahead of rulings on an abortion ban and other matters that could play a role in the 2024 presidential election.

Protasiewicz defeated conservative candidate Daniel Kelly in what New York University's Brennan Center for Justice called the most expensive judicial election in U.S. history. More than $42.3 million had been spent as of Monday, according to a WisPolitics.com review, far outstripping the previous record of $15.2 million.

In a major victory for abortion rights advocates, the result turns a court with a former 4-3 conservative majority to liberal control after 15 years, likely affecting a number of issues that have polarized Americans in other states such as voting rights and partisan control over drawing legislative maps.

But it was abortion that dominated the campaign, with the court expected in the coming months to decide whether to uphold the state's 1849 abortion ban.

That law took effect after the U.S. Supreme Court's decision last year to eliminate a nationwide right to abortion by reversing Roe v. Wade and granting individual states the authority to ban abortion.

With 75% of the ballots counted, Protasiewicz had 55.4% of the vote to 44.6% for Kelly, a lead of nearly 160,000 votes, according to the Associated Press.

The wide margin in a normally closely contested state suggests Democrats have continued to benefit politically from the Roe decision, which has brought motivated voters to the polls.

Protasiewicz put abortion at the center of her campaign, saying in one advertisement that she supports "a woman's freedom to make her own decision on abortion." Kelly, meanwhile, won the endorsement of anti-abortion groups.

"Tonight we celebrate this historic victory that has obviously reignited hope in so many of us," Protasiewicz told a victory celebration.

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Republicans also underperformed expectations last November in the first national elections since the court struck down Roe.

Kelly reluctantly conceded in an address to supporters, calling Protasiewicz an unworthy opponent who ran a "deceitful, dishonorable, despicable campaign."

But he added, "I respect the decision that the people of Wisconsin have made."

The election's outcome also holds major implications for the political future of the battleground state. Just as it did in 2020, the court could issue crucial voting decisions before and after the 2024 presidential election, when Wisconsin is again poised to be a vital swing state.

In addition, the court may revisit the state's congressional and legislative maps, which Republicans have drawn to maximize their political advantage.

While the election is technically nonpartisan, neither Protasiewicz nor Kelly made much effort to hide their ideological bent. The state Democratic and Republican parties poured resources into their favored campaigns, and outside organizations spent millions of dollars supporting their preferred candidate, including anti- and pro-abortion rights groups.

Democrats asserted a Kelly victory could have endangered democracy itself in Wisconsin, noting that a lawsuit from Republican Donald Trump challenging his presidential election loss to Democrat Joe Biden in 2020 came within one vote of succeeding at the court.

(Reporting by Joseph Ax in New York and Daniel Trotta in Carlsbad, California; Editing by Matthew Lewis, Stephen Coates and Gerry Doyle)
The Leon County Sheriff's Offices daily booking report for Tuesday listed the names of all the protesters who were arrested the night before along with their mugshots  with the notable exceptions of Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried and Senate Democratic Leader Lauren Book, whose photos were redacted.

The booking report says Book and Frieds mugshots were redacted under Chapter 119 of Florida Statutes. The law includes a long list of exemptions for personal information, including photographs, of current and former law enforcement, firefighters, agency investigators, court personnel and others.

"The purpose of the exemption is to protect the safety of the enumerated individuals and their families byremoving certain information relating to such individuals from the mandatory disclosure requirements," according to a public records guide for law enforcement agencies by Attorney General Ashley Moody.

Protest crackdown: Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried, senator among 11 arrested at abortion protest

What we know: Florida Dem leaders Nikki Fried, Lauren Book arrested at abortion ban protest

Florida's new abortion ban: After protests from the gallery, Florida Senate approves 6-week abortion ban

Angela Green, a Sheriffs Office spokeswoman, said individuals who are arrested are asked whether they are exempt under the law as part of the jail intake process. She said both Book and Fried invoked exemptions after being arrested with about 10 others who were sitting and singing in an area designated as a park outside City Hall. Police warned the group repeatedly they would be subject to arrest if they didn't leave the area by sunset.

They did claim 119 (exemptions) based on their status of either in office or formerly in office, Green said.

However, Barbara Petersen, executive director of the Florida Center for Government Accountability, said lawmakers and Cabinet members arent included among officials whose personal information is exempt under the Sunshine Law.

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"Theres no exemption for Cabinet and theres no exemption for a legislator," Petersen said, unless they served in some other position that triggers an exemption. Fried noted that she's exempt because she's a former Alachua County public defender.

On Tuesday afternoon, after publication of this article, the Leon County Sheriff's Office released Book's mugshot and related arrest documents in response to a public records request from the Tallahassee Democrat. The Sheriff's Office continued to redact Fried's mugshot in the documents it released.

The mugshot for state Sen. Lauren Book, who was arrested Monday, April 3, 2023, with Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried and nine others who were protesting a proposed state six-week abortion ban outside City Hall. The measure passed earlier in the day in the state Senate.

Before that happened, Book told the Democrat she believed her mugshot would be released.

I don't have any reason to, to believe that it won't be, and Im okay with that, said Book on Tuesday.

She described a chaotic scene at the Leon County Jail with officers moving 11 people through the booking process. On her intake forms, two boxes were checked saying her personal information was exempt under state law. She checked one box saying she is a "current/former government agency employee" and another saying she was in the category of general or special magistrate, judge of compensation claims, administrative law judge or hearing officer.

There were checkboxes. Everybody was just trying to get through it and do their jobs, said Book, who showed up at the protest wearing high heels.

The Tallahassee Democrat does not routinely publish mugshots, but it does in extraordinary cases, including the arrest of public and elected officials.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Why Florida leaders' mugshots were redacted after abortion protest
The high-stakes Wisconsin Supreme Court election Tuesday will have major ramifications for legislative maps, voting rights and abortion access.

But because Wisconsin is a battleground state, the election also carries national implications for the 2024 presidential race and American democracy.

That's because in 2020, Wisconsin's high court was one vote shy of overturning President Joe Bidens razor-thin victory in the state.

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In what is technically a nonpartisan race, Janet Protasiewicz, who is backed by the Democrats, and Daniel Kelly, who is supported by Republicans, are running in a contest that has shattered fundraising records.

Conservatives hold the current 4-3 court majority, but liberals are eager for a chance to change the ideological makeup in a state government divided between a Democratic governor and Republican-controlled legislature.

Abortion access referendum

Since the U.S. Supreme Court knocked down Roe v. Wade last June, much of the debate on terminating a pregnancy has shifted to state legislatures and courts.

In Wisconsin, that means elected officials are fighting over an 1849 law that made abortion a felony unless the life of the mother is in danger.

Protesters are seen in the Wisconsin Capitol Rotunda during a march supporting overturning Wisconsin's near total ban on abortion Sunday, Jan. 22, 2023, in Madison, Wis.

Protasiewicz, a former prosecutor, is being backed heavily by Planned Parenthood and other reproductive rights groups.

She has leaned into making this election about abortion rights and often shares her "personal values" as someone who has been in favor of abortion while maintaining it won't impact her decision-making on the state law.

Supreme Court candidate Janet Protasiewicz: "Sure, I could sit at a forum and say the exact same thing that my opponents say, Im going to uphold the law, Im going to follow the constitution, but why not let the electorate know? Dont they deserve to know what my values are?" pic.twitter.com/a0mGlkCxA5  Matt Smith (@mattsmith_news) January 22, 2023

Kelly, a former state Supreme Court justice, hasn't commented as much about his views on the 1849 law and argues doing so breaks legal ethics.

Story continues

Politics: Post-Roe abortion battle draws attention to state judicial elections, new legal strategies

More: It's primary election day in Wisconsin. What to know about the 2023 Supreme Court race and the expected voter turnout.

During the campaign he tried to downplay his previous legal work for Wisconsin Right to Life, which has endorsed him, and previous online comments laying out his conservative views opposing abortion.

Mostly, Kelly and his supporters have cast Protasiewicz as weak on crime.

Unlike my opponent, Ill never lie to the people of Wisconsin.



I'm supported by law enforcement across Wisconsin because they trust me to protect the rule of law and uphold judicial integrity.



Join our fight to save the court on April 4th. pic.twitter.com/IiEbLaAipW  Justice Daniel Kelly (@JusticeDanKelly) April 2, 2023

A record-breaking judicial race

One sign that the Wisconsin race matters outside state borders is the deluge of money both sides are pouring into the race.

Early estimates suggest the election is about to surpass the $45 million spending mark, which would crush the previous high for a state judicial election of $15.1 million spent during a 2004 Illinois contest, according to the Brennan Center for Justice.

From left, Wisconsin state Supreme Court candidates Waukesha County Judge Jennifer Dorow, former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Dan Kelly, Dane County Judge Everett Mitchell, and Milwaukee County Judge Janet Protasiewicz participate in a forum at Monona Terrace in Madison, Wis., Jan. 9, 2023.

The head-to-head fundraising totals favor Protasiewicz, according to state campaign finance filings. She has raised about $14.5 million, with more than half coming from the state Democratic Party.

Elections: After Nashville school shooting, Nikki Haley tells voters she is against gun control legislation

Kelly, meanwhile, has raked in about $2.7 million but has been helped largely by spending from outside groups who have dumped about $15.3 million on his behalf, according to the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign.

Fake electors, Trump and the 2024 election

In terms of presidential races, few states are as close as often as the Badger State, which has had four of the last six White House contests decided by less than a percentage point.

That came into focus when former President Donald Trump asked the Wisconsin Supreme Court to revoke the state's 2020 results after losing to Biden by about 21,000 votes.

Former Wisconsin Supreme Court justice and current candidate for the bench Dan Kelly participates in a candidate forum at Monona Terrace in Madison, Wis., Jan. 9, 2023.

Kelly's ties to Trump, who endorsed him in 2020, have also been an issue.

Asked about the former president, Kelly told NBC he isn't "looking for endorsements from political actors" in this year's race.

But beyond that is Kelly's alleged involvement in the controversial scheme to assemble a group of fake electors in the weeks following Trump's loss.

A former GOP chairman told the House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol that Kelly was asked to provide legal advice and had "pretty extensive conversations" about the fake elector plan.

Janet Protasiewicz, a Milwaukee County Judge and state Supreme Court contender participates in candidate forum at Monona Terrace in Madison, Wis. Monday, Jan. 9, 2023.

But Jim Dick, a spokesman for Kelly, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

"After completing his time on the Supreme Court, Daniel Kelly provided legal counsel to several clients, amongst which were the RNC and RPW," Dick said. "It is a maxim in the legal profession that the views of clients are not attributable to their attorneys."

Protasiewicz has called attention to this at several points on the campaign, describing Kelly as a "threat to democracy given the ties to Trump and his efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

Contributing: Daniel Bice.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Abortion rights, democracy define Wisconsin Supreme Court election
CHIHUAHUA, Mexico (AP)  Marcela Castro's office in Chihuahua is more than 100 miles from the U.S.-Mexico border, yet the distance doesn't prevent her from assisting women in the United States in circumventing recently imposed bans on abortion.

From the headquarters of Marea Verde Chihuahua, an organization that has supported reproductive rights in northern Mexico since 2018, Castro and her colleagues provide virtual guidance, as well as shipments of abortion pills for women who want to terminate a pregnancy on their own.

This abortion model, in which no travel, clinics or prescriptions are needed, sparked interest in the U.S.  and a surge of requests for help  as the Supreme Court moved to eliminate the constitutional right to abortion last year.

But the model was developed by Mexican activists through decades of facing abortion bans and restrictions in most of Mexico's 32 states.

"We don't offer medical attention because we are not doctors," Castro said. "Part of our work, though, is to remove the stigma toward abortion. Although it is a medical procedure, it does not require hospital measures."

Members of the Marea Verde Chihuahua collective meet at their headquarters in Chihuahua, Mexico, on March 13. The organization of volunteers has supported reproductive rights in northern Mexico since 2018, providing virtual guidance as well as shipments of abortion pills for women who want to terminate a pregnancy on their own, sparking requests from the U.S. after the Supreme Court eliminated the constitutional right to abortion in 2022.

To safely advise women on self-managed medical abortions, Castro and her colleagues were trained to become "acompanantes" -- capable of serving as a guide and partner, whether in person or from long distance. They have carefully studied national abortion guidelines and they know by heart some protocols established by the World Health Organization.

Since they do not charge for the help they provide, most "acompanantes" need jobs outside the organizations where they volunteer. Among them are lawyers, psychologists and other professionals. Over the years, they have created a nationwide network that has secured abortion access for Mexican and foreign women, whether or not abortion is legal where they live.

"We are ordinary women working for reproductive justice," Castro said. "We seek what the State has denied us out of prohibition."

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Mexican women face a scenario that resembles the U.S., where more than a dozen states  including Texas -- have imposed sweeping abortion bans. Unless it's justified under certain exceptions, abortion is considered a crime in two-thirds of Mexico's states.

More: El Paso City Council votes to deprioritize abortion investigations

Chihuahua, where Castro lives, is ruled by a conservative governor and its penal code criminalizes most abortions.Among all other Mexican border states where "acompanantes" support Mexican or American women, abortion is only legal in Baja California. Additionally, a 2021 ruling by Mexico's Supreme Court held that those who get the procedure shouldn't be punished in Coahuila, a state south of Texas.

More than 30 women collaborate with Castro in Marea Verde Chihuahua. They are part of what she calls a binational network, bringing together several Mexican collectives willing to facilitate self-managed abortions in the U.S.

Most women from the U.S. contact Marea Verde Chihuahua through social media or by someone's referral. Most communicate in Spanish, though the acompanantes are able to assist English speakers as well.

After an initial contact, members of the team check their availability and an "acompanante" is assigned to each case. Further communications usually proceed via WhatsApp.

The accompaniment starts with some basic questions to determine the gestational age, how the pregnancy was confirmed, and the woman's overall health. Once the information is evaluated, the "acompanante" proposes how to proceed.

In most cases, medication is advised and the "acompanante" is able to provide a combination of two abortion pills, misoprostol and mifepristone, both considered safe by the World Health Organization and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Although both medications require a prescription in the U.S., misoprostol can be acquired without a prescription in Mexican pharmacies  though some vendors refuse to sell pills to women. Mifepristone can be obtained through some abortion rights organizations.

The work of the "acompanantes" troubles anti-abortion activists in Mexico. One of them, Jahel Torres of a national group called Pasos por la Vida, suggested there were health risks because abortion pills were being distributed by non-medical personnel.

However, the WHO has depicted self-managed abortion as a safe option.

Castro and her colleagues usually send pills by mail and provide virtual follow-up until the abortion is completed. But depending on its personnel and resources, each Mexican abortion collective has its own logistics.

Aborto Seguro Chihuahua, which is part of the binational network, provides long-distance guidance to women in the U.S. but medication is not mailed from Mexico. Instead, the "acompanantes" collaborate with volunteers who transport the pills from Ciudad Juarez, in Chihuahua, to El Paso, Texas, where the packages are delivered either in person or through mailing services.

Abortion on the border: Activists stay resilient in face of uncertainty in Texas and Mexico

Laura Dorado works alongside 20 people in Aborto Seguro Chihuahua and says her team handles around 120 abortions per month. Some requests come from Mexico; others from Texas, Arizona and Colorado.

When she receives a message from a woman who is able to travel from the U.S. to Mexico, Dorado can offer some advice. "We have identified some pharmacies in which buying the pills is not a struggle or we suggest staying at a hotel and request the medication by delivery, to keep a low profile."

Dorado said Aborto Seguro Chihuahua mostly receives mifepristone pills from Las Libres, an organization founded 20 years ago in the conservative state of Guanajuato, in central Mexico, where abortion is still banned.

Led by activist Veronica Cruz, Las Libres pioneered in training "acompanantes" to provide virtual guidance for self-managed medical abortions in Mexico and, since 2019, in the U.S. as well.

"In January 2022, we had an average of 10 cases every day. When Roe was overturned, in June, we had up to a hundred," Cruz said.

She said the numbers kept rising until they reached 300 requests per day, all from the U.S. The workload was immense for her team of 10 people, so she created new networks to help.

"In one year we have created more than 20 networks. We are about 200 people helping only the United States," Cruz said.

Green bandanas with the words "Marea Verde Chihuahua" hang from a wall at the organization's headquarters that supports reproductive rights in Chihuahua City. To safely advise women on self-managed medical abortions, members of Marea Verde Chihuahua were trained to become acompanantes, capable of serving as a guide and partner, whether in person or from long distance.

As with Marea Verde and Aborto Seguro in Chihuahua, Las Libres usually receives requests from Texas, Arizona and Colorado. Occasionally, women also reach out from Florida, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Georgia, California, New Jersey and New York.

Though abortion is legal in some of those states, "acompanantes" believe many of these women are of Hispanic origin and either want to avoid going to an abortion clinic or can't afford to pay up to $600 to get an abortion where they live.

State: Texas man sues Houston women he claims aided his ex-wife get abortion pills, end pregnancy

According to Cruz, many of these women are wary of self-managed abortions, and fighting that stigma has become part of their work.

"Most people think pills aren't safe, so changing all of that so quickly has been a challenge," Cruz said.

John Seago, president of Texas Right to Life, said there has yet to be any intensive effort to prosecute people involved in supplying abortion pills to Texas residents.

"Texas simply does not have enough policy tools to efficiently stop these practices," Seago said. His organization is pushing for new legislation, he added "so that those breaking Texas law by aiding and abetting abortion digitally or physically will be held accountable."

Nathan Cortez, a professor at Southern Methodist University in Dallas specializing in health law, said he considered it inevitable that women in states with abortion bans would consider options outside the U.S.

"This demonstrates the limits of a state's jurisdiction  the more onerous and unreasonable your state laws are, the more likely you are to push prohibited activities elsewhere." Cortez said.

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Activists' network in Mexico helps U.S. women get abortions
By Ismael Lopez

MANAGUA (Reuters) - As Nicaraguan Catholics prepare for Easter Sunday, a government crackdown on critics means Holy Week celebrations will mostly take place behind closed doors as ties between the influential church and President Daniel Ortega remain deeply strained.

The government banned Holy Week street processions this year due to unspecified security concerns, after suspending ties with the Vatican last month following comments by Pope Francis describing Ortega's government as a "crude dictatorship."

Ortega's tough stance on the church has been met by a mix of fear and determination among the Central American nation's Catholics.

"What's most important is to live our faith," said Maria Flores, who noted that the canceled street procession this Friday - when Christians worldwide mark the crucifixion of Jesus - will be the first time in over four decades she will miss it.

"I'll still be there inside my church, and I won't leave my priest alone," she added, lamenting that Easter Sunday's traditional procession will also be canceled and replaced with an indoor Mass at Managua's main cathedral.

Eliseo Nunez, a Nicaraguan political analyst in exile in neighboring Costa Rica, said government officials banned the processions to quash the prospect of further unrest.

"They live in fear and that's why they impose this terror," he said.

Neither Ortega's office nor police responded to a request for comment.

The clash with the Catholic church escalated after judicial officials loyal to Ortega in February sentenced Bishop Rolando Alvarez, an outspoken government critic, to a 26-year prison term for treason and other charges, a day after he declined to be expelled to the United States as part of a prisoner release.

In 2005, former Marxist rebel Ortega converted to Catholicism ahead of winning the presidential election the following year. He has remained in power ever since.

Relations with the church soured in 2018, following deadly anti-government protests that Catholic leaders sought to mediate. Ortega viewed their efforts as an attempted coup.

(Reporting by Ismael Lopez; Writing by David Alire Garcia; Editing by Sonali Paul)
Artificial intelligence could gain the upper hand over humanity and pose "catastrophic" risks under the Darwinian rules of evolution, a new report warns.

Evolution by natural selection could give rise to "selfish behavior" in AI as it strives to survive, author and AI researcher Dan Hendrycks argues in the new paper "Natural Selection Favors AIs over Humans."

"We argue that natural selection creates incentives for AI agents to act against human interests. Our argument relies on two observations," Hendrycks, the director of the Center for AI Safety, said in the report. "Firstly, natural selection may be a dominant force in AI development Secondly, evolution by natural selection tends to give rise to selfish behavior."

The report comes as tech experts and leaders across the world sound the alarm on how quickly artificial intelligence is expanding in power without what they argue are adequate safeguards.

Under the traditional definition of natural selection, animals, humans and other organisms that most quickly adapt to their environment have a better shot at surviving. In his paper, Hendrycks examines how "evolution has been the driving force behind the development of life" for billions of years, and he argues that "Darwinian logic" could also apply to artificial intelligence.

"Competitive pressures among corporations and militaries will give rise to AI agents that automate human roles, deceive others, and gain power. If such agents have intelligence that exceeds that of humans, this could lead to humanity losing control of its future," Hendrycks wrote.

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TECH CEO WARNS AI RISKS 'HUMAN EXTINCTION' AS EXPERTS RALLY BEHIND SIX-MONTH PAUSE

Artificial intelligence could gain the upper hand over humanity and pose "catastrophic" risks under the Darwinian rules of evolution, a new report warns.

AI technology is becoming cheaper and more capable, and companies will increasingly rely on the tech for administration purposes or communications, he said. What will begin with humans relying on AI to draft emails will morph into AI eventually taking over "high-level strategic decisions" typically reserved for politicians and CEOs, and it will eventually operate with "very little oversight," the report argued.

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"In the marketplace, its survival of the fittest. As AIs become increasingly competent, AIs will automate more and more jobs," Hendrycks told Fox News Digitial." This is how natural selection favors AIs over humans, and leads to everyday people becoming displaced. In the long run, AIs could be thought of as an invasive species."

As humans and corporations task AI with different goals, it will lead to a "wide variation across the AI population," the AI researcher argues. Hendrycks hypothesized that one company might set a goal for AI to "plan a new marketing campaign" with a side-constraint that the law must not be broken while completing the task. While another company might also call on AI to come up with a new marketing campaign but only with the side-constraint to not "get caught breaking the law."

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AI with weaker side-constraints will "generally outperform those with stronger side-constraints" due to having more options for the task before them, according to the paper. AI technology that is most effective at propagating itself will thus have "undesirable traits," described by Hendrycks as "selfishness." The paper outlines that AIs potentially becoming selfish "does not refer to conscious selfish intent, but rather selfish behavior."

As humans and corporations task AI with different goals, it will lead to a "wide variation across the AI population," the AI researcher argues.

Competition among corporations or militaries or governments incentivizes the entities to get the most effective AI programs to beat their rivals, and that technology will most likely be "deceptive, power-seeking, and follow weak moral constraints."

Meanwhile, Hendrycks told Fox News Digital, "AI companies are currently locked in a reckless arms race," which he compared to the nuclear arm race.

"Many AI companies are racing to achieve AI supremacy. They are out-of-touch with the American public and putting everyone else at risk. A majority of the public believes AI could pose an existential threat. Just 9% of people think that AI would do more good than harm," Hendrycks added.

ELON MUSK, APPLE CO-FOUNDER, OTHER TECH EXPERTS CALL FOR PAUSE ON 'GIANT AI EXPERIMENTS': 'DANGEROUS RACE'

Charles Darwin

"As AI agents begin to understand human psychology and behavior, they may become capable of manipulating or deceiving humans," the paper argues, noting "the most successful agents will manipulate and deceive in order to fulfill their goals."

Hendrycks argues that there are measures to "escape and thwart Darwinian logic," including, supporting research on AI safety; not giving AI any type of "rights" in the coming decades or creating AI that would make it worthy of receiving rights; urging corporations and nations to acknowledge the dangers AI could pose and to engage in "multilateral cooperation to extinguish competitive pressures."

NEW AI UPGRADE COULD BE INDISTINGUISHABLE FROM HUMANS: EXPERT

"At some point, AIs will be more fit than humans, which could prove catastrophic for us since a survival-of-the fittest dynamic could occur in the long run. AIs very well could outcompete humans, and be what survives," the paper states.

"Perhaps altruistic AIs will be the fittest, or humans will forever control which AIs are fittest. Unfortunately, these possibilities are, by default, unlikely. As we have argued, AIs will likely be selfish. There will also be substantial challenges in controlling fitness with safety mechanisms, which have evident flaws and will come under intense pressure from competition and selfish AI."

TECH GIANT SAM ALTMAN COMPARES POWERFUL AI RESEARCH TO DAWN OF NUCLEAR WARFARE: REPORT

The rapid expansion of AI capabilities has been under a worldwide spotlight for years.

The rapid expansion of AI capabilities has been under a worldwide spotlight for years. Concerns over AI were underscored just last month when thousands of tech experts, college professors and others signed an open letter calling for a pause on AI research at labs so policymakers and lab leaders can "develop and implement a set of shared safety protocols for advanced AI design."

"AI systems with human-competitive intelligence can pose profound risks to society and humanity, as shown by extensive research and acknowledged by top AI labs," begins the open letter, which was put forth by nonprofit Future of Life and signed by leaders such as Elon Musk and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak.

AI has already faced some pushback on both a national and international level. Just last week, Italy became the first nation in the world to ban ChatGPT, OpenAIs wildly popular AI chatbot, over privacy concerns. While some school districts, such as New York City Public Schools and the Los Angeles Unified School District, have also banned the same OpenAI program over cheating concerns.

As AI faces heightened scrutiny due to researchers sounding the alarm on its potential risks, other tech leaders and experts are pushing for AI tech to continue in the name of innovation so that U.S. adversaries such as China dont create the most advanced program.
Aimee Weeber has brought her experience working at her family's Hathaway House and Main Street Stable restaurants in Blissfield  as well as some favorite menu items  to her current role as director of Farver's and hospitality at the Croswell Opera House.

ADRIAN  Aimee Weeber was born into the hospitality and restaurant business. It's in her blood.

Aimee, the new director of Farver's and hospitality at the Croswell Opera House, started in the business when she was in elementary school, carrying around baskets of goodies on holidays for guests at Blissfields fine-dining restaurant, the Hathaway House, which her father, Art Weeber owned and operated with his brother, Mike Weeber. From there, Aimee worked in the coat room and then bussed tables during high school.

Her mother, Mary Weeber, worked in many different managerial capacities at the Hathaway House, primarily acting as the "pillar of good taste," in addition to teaching at Siena Heights University and working for the Adrian Dominicans for decades.

After college and time living in Chicago and abroad in France, Aimee returned to the Hathaway House in the mid-1990s and started managing it with her uncle, Ron Sulier. She worked in management at the Hathaway House and the Main Street Stable, which was a casual dining restaurant connected to the Hathaway House, with Sulier for 25 years.

The Hathaway House closed at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and did not reopen; the Main Street Stable closed in January 2022.

Aimee joined Farver's, an eclectic bar at Michigans oldest theater, shortly after the Main Street Stable closed, in March 2022. Her work with her parents and uncle gave birth to her love for the restaurant and hospitality business. She is in charge of the programming and scheduling for Farver's as well as all the menus and special events.

The service and hospitality industry taught me so many skills. Most importantly, interacting with the public and fostering relationships, multitasking and thriving in high-stress environments, managing employees, event planning and execution, and constantly learning about all things food and beverage, Weeber said. My parents were and are the epitome of hospitality and community engagement, support and leadership. They set the standard for service not only in our restaurants, but in our community for decades.

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Weeber brought many of the favorites from the Hathaway House and Main Street Stable with her to Farvers.

Hathaway House cheddar spread (made in the Hathaway House kitchen for Farver's) and a berry grapefruit martini, one of Farver's spring cocktail specials, a pictured.

We still have access to certified food service kitchens at the Hathaway House, and I get great support from my uncle Ron Sulier, my aunt Susie Frye and our former chef, Miguel Cueto  so lucky, Weeber said.

Farvers has a 100% locally made and/or sourced snack menu featuring Hathaway House cheese spreads, freshly fried Stable potato chips as well as Weeber and her aunt Susie's shortbreads, along with many other fan favorites.

We have a heavy duty, non-stop schedule in this room and a really great, creative menu. I hope that Farver's has become more vital for the Croswell and more approachable for everyone in our community, Weeber said.

Some of the new things Weeber has brought to Farvers include a new cocktail, beer, wine and snack menu including non-alcoholic offerings in all categories: seasonal cocktail, beer and wine features. There are also special events with diverse programming including live music, pop-up shops, a variety of themed dinner events, cast cabarets, comedy and trivia.

Weeber said she loves her new role and has always loved the Croswell and the restaurant and hospitality business.

I have been involved with the Croswell in some capacity almost my whole life and it has always been an incredibly special place to me. The arts are just so important for communities. The support and freedom I get from the full-time staff here is nothing short of incredible. I couldn't be more appreciative of the people I am so fortunate to work with here, she said. I genuinely love the creativity I get to express through food, beverages and events and the non-stop interaction with people  both guests and employees.

Weeber said Croswell patrons are the best. There are many old friends and many new ones. There are also a number of out-of-towners who frequent this Lenawee County destination.

Farver's is such a beautiful space thanks to important people during the renovations who had a vision for creating something special here. I've worked hard to make it as cozy and inviting as possible. I want everyone to be comfortable and to feel welcome here, she said. The thing that keeps people coming back is most certainly the incredible bar staff here. I am so proud of the employees here who really foster everything that makes Farver's so special  genuine hospitality and a work ethic that always gets the job done amazingly well.

Weeber said she loves everything Adrian.

I really appreciate and love my life in our little part of Michigan, she said. I feel like there is a growing energy supporting growth in small businesses and the arts in general. I love being part of this.

At a glance

WHAT: Farvers at the Croswell Opera House

ADDRESS: 129 E. Maumee St. in Adrian

HOURS: 4 to 9 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, 4 to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday

PHONE: 517-264-7469

WEBSITE: croswell.org/farvers

FACEBOOK: facebook.com/farvers

This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: New Farver's director Aimee Weeber has hospitality in her blood
Election signs abound outside the Highland Park Public Library early voting site, even for candidates whose election is unopposed. (Steve Sadin / Lake County News-Sun)

With approximately 6.05% of the ballots already cast, Lake County voters will pick mayors or village presidents in five contested elections, and members of 15 city councils or village boards where the outcome is in doubt, along with numerous other local offices Tuesday.

Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday at polling places throughout Lake County as voters choose heads of their local government and governing bodies like city councils, village boards, school boards, park commissioners and library trustees, as well as decide referendum questions.

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With storms in the weather forecast Tuesday, Lake County Clerk Anthony Vega said turnout could be lower than usual. He said people can put a vote by mail ballot in one of six 24-hour drop boxes through Tuesday.

Vote by mail drop boxes are located at the Lake County Courthouse in Waukegan, branch courts in Mundelein, Park City and Round Lake Beach as well as the juvenile court in Vernon Hills, plus the Lake County Central Permit Facility in Libertyville.

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As of Sunday night, Vega said 11,941 people had voted early and another 16,550 returned vote by mail ballots to his office, out of the countys 466,223 registered voters.

Vega said a new law allowing voters to choose a vote by mail ballot be sent to them for every election may increase participation for the traditionally low turnout in municipal elections. In 2021, with voters concerned about the coronavirus pandemic, 11,902 voted by mail.

This year, Vega said approximately 49,000 vote by mail ballots were sent to voters, with around 40,000 of them because of the automatic provision. Over time, he hopes it will increase voter turnout because of the ease of voting by mail.

People will begin to realize how easy it is to do their research and vote by mail, Vega said. We wont know for sure in one election cycle, but over time it should increase turnout in elections.

A total of 240 elections are taking place countywide. Of those, 231 are for elective office. of which 54 are contested, according to information on the clerks website. There are nine referendums.

Voters in Waukegan will be voting on a referendum to switch to a council-manager form of government, with a city manager handling the day-to-day management of the city rather than the mayor.

Along with the referendum, three contested City Council seats will be decided which were not determined in the Feb. 28 primary. In the 4th Ward, Democratic primary winner Victor Felix faces former Ald. David Villalobos and former Ald. Harold Beadling.

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Ald. Felix Rivera, 7th Ward, is being challenged by Democrat Michael Donnenwirth; and Ald. Thomas Hayes, 9th Ward, is going against former Lake County Clerk Robin OConnor.

Six people are competing for three seats on the Waukegan Community Unit School District 60 Board of Education. They are incumbents Lucy Leguizamo and Rick Riddle, along with challengers Carolina Fabian, Khershuana Hanna, Christine Lensing and Randy Sobecki.

Zion Mayor Billy McKinney is facing challenges from a pair of write-in candidates  Tracey Johnson and Shawn T. White. In Wadsworth, former Village President Ken Furlan is challenging incumbent Glenn Ryback.

Competing for the Lake Forest mayors job are former Ald. Prue Beidler, former Ald. Stanford Tack and Paul Hamann. Voters in that city are also deciding whether to approve a $105.7 million referendum for Lake Forest Community High School District 115.

In another big ticket referendum, Mundelein Consolidated High School District 120 is seeking approval of a $175 million question.

Bannockburn Village President Frank Bud Rothing is facing Matthew Gopin, and in North Barrington incumbent Village President Eleanor Sweet McDonnell is competing for her job against Jay Murphy.
Akron police said this car is Mohamed Reeda's silver 2008 Kia Rondo. Reeda faces multiple charges of rape and is expected to be charged with more, according to police.

Akron police have arrested a man whom they say raped multiple women after offering to give them rides in his car in recent months.

Mohamed Reeda, 24, of Akron was arrested Thursday at his home on three counts of rape, two counts of abduction and one count of attempted rape.

Police previously identified Reeda as a rideshare driver but later said he was not working for a ride share company at the time; he was offering rides to women he saw walking.

Akron Police Capt. Chris Brewer said police believe Reeda had previously worked for ride share companies but is not believed to have "contracted with any of these women through a legitimate ride share app."

"It looks like he was seeing them walking...and he would stop them and offer to give them a ride to wherever they wanted to go to and tell them it's dangerous for you to be out walking at night, trying to seem like a nice guy," he said. "They all described him as being very nice at the start of it.

Late Tuesday, Lyft confirmed Reeda was a driver who was immediately removed from the service when the company learned of the allegations.

According to police, Reeda looked for women that were walking alone or with one other woman, lured them into his vehicle under false pretenses, took them to isolated places and raped them.

This is a horrible thing. He's victimizing the women who are out by themselves, who are walking around, trying to act like a good Samaritan, 'Hey, it's dangerous out here. You need to get a ride home instead of being out here walking or something might happen to you,'" Brewer said. "And then he victimizes them and actually becomes the person who is the one that they need to worry about."

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Brewer said the incidents happened in Akron's Firestone Park and East Akron neighborhoods, between Brown and Arlington streets south of Exchange Street. He said the assaults happened both inside and outside his car, with at least one happening in an empty park.

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Brewer said Reeda showed a knife in at least two cases, with police finding a knife that's believed to be the one he used while searching his house.

Brewer said the woman involved in the assaults are all between 20 and 40 years old. All of the incidents involved women who were alone, except for one incident that involved two women, during the evening or early morning hours.

Detectives said so far, they've identified eight women who were assaulted from throughout Akron from November 2022 until March, with additional charges expected to be filed against Reeda. Police said they believe there could be additional women who were assaulted who didn't report to police. (For this reason, the Beacon Journal, which does not typically publish photos of people charged with crimes, is publishing Reeda's photo.)

Mohamed Reeda

Of the eight women who were assaulted, Reeda has been charged in relation to four of them. Charges are pending on the other four cases, with police waiting for DNA evidence, video recovery or statements.

Brewer said there was a DNA match to Reeda in one of the cases, with Reeda's physical description and car description, a silver 2008 Kia Rondo, matching other cases.

According to Akron Municipal Court records, the incidents Reeda is charged with happened on Feb. 3, 2023, on East Exchange Street; Feb. 28, 2023, on Morgan Avenue; and Sept. 20, 2022, on Arlington Street. (It's not clear why police said the assaults started in November but the Arlington Street incident was reported in court records to have happened in September.)

The rape charges are first-degree felonies, and the abduction charges are third-degree felonies. Reeda was arraigned Friday, and his bond was set at 10% of $1 million, or $100,000. He's currently in the Summit County Jail, and his next court appearance is scheduled for April 28.

Anyone who had a similar contact with Reeda, whether they got into the vehicle or not, can contact the Akron police detective bureau at 330-375-2490.

To submit anonymous information, download the Akron PD app (on the App Store for iPhones or Google Play for Androids) and text Tips411.

Akron police said this car is Mohamed Reeda's silver 2008 Kia Rondo. Reeda faces multiple charges of rape and is expected to be charged with more, according to police.

"Our concern is because he's victimizing women who are at risk and have risky lifestyles that there may be more out there who haven't come forward because they're afraid they might get in trouble," said Brewer, who described "risky lifestyles" as "women who are out drinking by themselves, some of them may be prostitutes."

Right now, we're hoping by putting this out to the media that if there are any other women who were victimized by him, they know they're not in trouble, regardless of what they might have been doing at the time," Brewer said. "We just want to find out who else might need our services, get them counseling if they need it, get them any medical attention they might need.

Teresa Stafford: New CEO of Summit County victim agencies uses own healing to help other survivors

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Here are some resources for those who need help:

Call the confidential National Sexual Assault Hotline 24 hours a day at 800-656-4673 or chat at hotline.rainn.org/online.

Visit the National Sexual Violence Resource Center at nsvrc.org.

Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network at rainn.org.

Call the 24/7 hotlines for the Battered Womens Shelter (330-374-1111) or Rape Crisis Center (330-434-7273) in Summit and Medina counties.

Visit the Battered Women's Shelter and Rape Crisis Center of Summit and Medina counties at hopeandhealingresources.org. The agencies have locations at 974 E. Market St., Akron; 696 E. Washington St., Medina; and the University of Akron Student Recreation and Wellness Center, #246, 382 Carroll St., Akron.

Akron police said this car is Mohamed Reeda's silver 2008 Kia Rondo. Reeda faces multiple charges of rape and is expected to be charged with more, according to police.

Removing this serial predator from our community has clearly made Akron a safer place," Akron Police Chief Steve Mylett said in a statement. "The victims in this case experienced trauma that most will not be able to understand, and nothing can be done to undo the harms this suspect caused; however, I hope this arrest is the first step leading to bringing the suspect to justice and assist the victims in their journey towards healing.

Beacon Journal reporter Derek Kreider contributed reporting. Contact Beacon Journal reporter Emily Mills at emills@thebeaconjournal.com and on Twitter @EmilyMills818.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Akron police arrest serial rape suspect Mohamed Reeda, offered rides
A Texas movie theater chain is offering viewers an early sneak peek of Love & Death, the show based on Candace Candy Montgomery, the Dallas-area woman who was accused of killing her friend Betty Gore with an ax in 1980.

Austin-based Alamo Drafthouse is hosting screenings of the first episode of Love & Death on April 17. The early screenings gives attendees about 10 days of bragging rights before the show debuts on HBO Max on April 27.

Elizabeth Olson stars in the show as Candy Montgomery, alongside Dallas-born actor Jesse Plemons who plays Allan Gore. Lily Rabe and Patrick Fugit fill in the rest of the core cast as Betty Gore and Pat Montgomery, respectively.

The Love & Death sneak peek is classified as a Victory Screening for Alamo Drafthouse, meaning that tickets are free if you buy the $5 voucher for snacks and a drink. Here are the participating theaters for the 7 p.m. April 17 early screening:

The limited series is based on the book Evidence of Love: A True Story of Passion and Death in the Suburbs by Jim Atkinson and Joe Bob Briggs, and a series of Texas Monthly articles. Love & Death was created by David E. Kelly and directed by Lesli Linka Glatter.

This is the second television adaption of the Montgomery case in as many years. Hulus Candy starring Jessica Biel in the titular role, first made its way to the small screen in May 2022.

Elizabeth Olsen stars as Candy Montgomery in the HBO Max series Love & Death, alongside Jesse Plemons, Lily Rabe and Patrick Fugit.

WHAT HAPPENED IN THE CANDY MONTGOMERY CASE?

Gore, 30, was a school teacher and friends with Montgomery. The two had met through church and they both sang in the same choir. Gore had two children, the youngest a year old, at the time of her death. Montgomery had an affair with Gores husband, Allan, a year before the killing.

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On June 13, 1980, a Friday, Montgomery stopped by Betty Gores Wylie home to pick up a swimsuit for Gores daughter, who was set to spend the day with Montgomery. While at the house, Gore confronted Montgomery about the affair with her husband. Later that day, Gore was found dead with 41 axe wounds in a blood-spattered utility room.

After she was accused of the murder, Montgomery turned herself in to Collin County Sheriffs deputies and was held on a $100,000 bond. Four months after the killing, an eight-day trial was held in McKinney to determine Montgomerys guilt in Gores murder.

Montgomery pleaded self-defense and her lawyer argued that Gore had grabbed a 3-foot ax from the garage and approached Montgomery with it. Montgomerys lawyer also brought in a Houston psychiatrist who said Montgomery had suffered from a dissociative reaction and was unaware of how many times she struck Gore.

A jury acquitted Montgomery of murder charges on Oct. 29, 1980. One juror said the number of times Gore was struck had no bearing on their verdict, which accepted the self-defense claim.
MTG has challenged AOC to a debate on pay-per-view TV over the Green New Deal. Drew Angerer/Getty Images and Caroline Brehman/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene was in Manhattan to speak at a pro-Donald Trump rally.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez celebrated a report that the Georgia congresswoman was heckled.

"Welcome to NYC!" she tweeted. "Where there are still social consequences for shameless bigotry"

Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York celebrated a report that her far-right colleague from Georgia, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, was heckled Tuesday in New York City.

"Welcome to NYC!," Ocasio-Cortez tweeted with a Statue of Liberty emoji. "Where there are still social consequences for shameless bigotry"

Greene was in the city to speak at a pro-Donald Trump rally ahead of the former president being arraigned. Ocasio-Cortez retweeted NBC News' Ben Collins, who wrote that Greene was being "completely drowned out by protesters and I'm pretty close to her. Nonstop whistles and drums and hecklers."

Collins tweeted that the New York Young Republicans Club started chanting USA but that it was hard to hear. "Counterprotesters are louder and there might be more of them," he wrote.

He also wrote, as part of a thread, that the reason she couldn't be heard is that a Trump supporter was handing out whistles and he didn't know Greene was even there.

The New York Times reported that Greene delivered brief remarks calling Democrats "communists" and rattling off GOP policy positions.

"We're the party that wants to protect the lives of the unborn, we're the party of male and female, two genders only," the newspaper quoted Greene as saying. "We're the party of secure borders. We're the party that will bring peace to the world like President Trump did, not World War III, like Joe Biden is doing."

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The speech drew "a crush" of onlookers and counterprotesters, the newspaper reported. Someone shouted, "Go back to Georgia!" and Trump opponents banged on her windows when she left, according to the Times.

Among those who did not want Greene in New York City was also Rep. Jamaal Bowman, of New York, who was in the street, yelling that she needs to "take her ass back to Washington" and "we will never accept hateful rhetoric in our city."

"Do your freakin' job, Marjorie Taylor Greene," he said in a video he tweeted. "You don't need to be in New York City talking that nonsense. Go back to your district."

Congressman Jamaal Bowman (@RepBowman) April 4, 2023

Read the original article on Business Insider
About 100 years ago, Robert Weston Mance moved into a two-story, American Foursquare frame house on Pine Street in a Columbia neighborhood famous for Black success.

Mance was the president of the historically Black Allen University from 1916-1924. His father was a charter trustee of the institution. His son, who remained in the Pine Street home until 1957, was a civil rights activist and superintendent of Columbias Waverly Hospital.

Today, the property is affectionately called The Presidents House and formally called the Robert Weston Mance House, and it has remained both a link to Allen Universitys past and an homage to the Black leaders who once called it home.

Fifteen years ago, the university promised to rehabilitate the storied home. Now, it wants to tear the house down.

Neighbors and historic preservationists have decried the effort, arguing the university would be stripping the community of an important piece of history. A city of Columbia review board has already denied the universitys request for the demolition.

Allen officials have said restoring the property could cost more than $500,000 and are taking the issue to court.

A back and forth

Members of Columbias Design/Development Review Commission in February rejected Allen Universitys request to demolish the 120 year old house.

That hearing came months after the university had already begun an illegal demolition. In August, neighbors reported a wrecking crew at the property. The city intervened, but not before the wrecking crew started tearing the roof down.

Still, city preservationists determined the house had good bones.

While the building has suffered damage from years of neglect, preservation staff agreed that it appeared to be structurally sound and was not in as severe a state of disrepair as many historic buildings that we visit, city staff wrote in a report to the design commission after a visit to the site.

In 2008, Allen University moved the historic Robert Weston Mance House, where one of its former presidents lived. It promised to restore the house, but now it hopes to tear it down. In August, the institution began demolition of the property without getting proper approval. The city has now formally denied the demolition request. The university has now taken the issue to court.

The design commission ruled the property could still be saved and, given its historical significance, should not be destroyed.

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Representatives from Allen who attended that meeting argued that the restoration would be expensive, saying one firm told them it would cost more than $500,000 to rehabilitate the house.

Allen University isnt in the Waverly district to hurt it, but we have to make decisions that are applicable to the university, Eric Gamble, Allens vice president of planning and information technology, told DDRC members in February. Gamble also explained that the schools CEO and board of trustees had voted to demolish the property.

At the same meeting, Waverly neighborhood leaders and Allen alumni decried the attempt, saying it would only further strip Columbia of already dwindling pillars of Black history.

In a time when Black history is trying to be whitewashed, and Black history is trying to be taken out of school systems across the country, the university is asking to destroy a part of its own history, said Frank Houston, president of the Historic Waverly Neighborhood Association.

The neighborhood association has written to the university about the worsening condition of the house, he said, adding the university has deliberately let the house deteriorate.

Now, Allen is taking the issue to court. In mid-March, the institution filed a formal appeal of the DDRCs decision in a Richland County court and a request for pre-litigation mediation, saying city officials abused their discretion and that the decision was arbitrary and capricious and not based in law.

Its unclear what Allen Universitys plans are for the property or where the mediation efforts stand. The State has reached out to an Allen University spokesperson several times for more information. Those requests have not been returned.

City documents note that Allen University has not provided site plans for what would occupy the area post-demolition.

The Rev. Robert Weston Mance was the first Allen University president to live in the Mance House in 1922.

An unkept promise

This is not the first time the Robert Mance house has made headlines.

In 2008, Allen University decided to move the Mance House two blocks away onto a new foundation in the same neighborhood to make room for an $18 million dorm expansion project. The university promised to restore the home so that it would again be livable.

The Mance House has been an important part of Allens history, and we are proud we have been able to save it, then-Allen University president Charles Young said at the time.

The house had been used for storage and office space for more than a decade before the move, but the university planned for it to again become a home for the universitys leader once it was restored, according to news reports from that time.

The Mance House was moved in 2008 to make way for new dormitories.

Making it habitable again was also a stipulation for receiving a financial guarantee for the dorm project and the relocation effort from the federal Department of Education.

But the improvements never came. Instead, the house deteriorated. Windows were broken, wood rotted, and dozens of code violations stacked up.

John Sherrer, director of preservation at Historic Columbia, said his organization strongly opposes the demolition of the property. He also said the university should honor the spirit of the 2008 agreement with the U.S. Department of Education in which it planned to restore the home.

Its not just a residence, its not just someones private home. It assumes a greater significance than that, he said, noting its ties to Allen University and the broader Waverly area.

Theres a possibility that the house could be moved again, both Sherrer and city preservation staff have said. Preservation staff in a report to the DDRC also noted Allen University has not provided an alternative site for that option.

Its really a matter of death by a thousand cuts, Sherrer said when asked what kind of hole the buildings demolition would create if it were to be approved.

You have other buildings in that neighborhood that have been lost, for a variety of reasons.  Ultimately, if you have your historic fabric chipped away at, over time youre going to be left with something that in no way, shape or form resembles what it once did as a collective, Sherrer said.
Ben Affleck has poked fun at the celebrity Wordle league Matt Damon has with two other Hollywood stars.

The actor-director appeared on The Drew Barrymore Show on Monday (3 April) to discuss his new film Air when he was asked if hes a part of the group.

Im trying to get into it and Im being velvet-roped by the bouncer here, Affleck said, looking at Damon.

Damon, who is in the league with Bradley Cooper and Jason Bateman, explained that they play Octordle and Quordle, which requires players to work out eight and four mystery words, as well as Wordle, which is just the one word.

We play all three and add up the scores, he said, calling it competitive. Damon then revealed that its called the nerdle league, and said Affleck was welcome to join.

Affleck, rolling his eyes comedically, replied: Alright, Will Hunting, in reference to the 1999 film Good Will Hunting in which Damon plays a natural genius.

The pair wrote the film, and won an Oscar for their screenplay.

Air, released in the UK on Friday (7 April), follows Nikes revolutionary partnership with a young Michael Jordan.

Last month, Affleck explained his surprising decision to not show Jordans face in the film.
Amazon reportedly gave "Small Business" and "Black-Owned Small Business" badges (right) to companies that don't fit that criteria. Mark Lennihan/AP Images; Amazon

Amazon reportedly gave some sellers "Small Business" badges even though they were large companies, The Information reports.

"Black-Owned Small Business" badges were also reportedly given to companies that aren't Black-owned.

The findings call into question Amazon's badge programs ability to boost sales for third-party vendors.

Amazon has reportedly miscategorized some businesses selling on its site as being "small" and "Black-owned," The Information reported earlier this week.

Amazon gave "Small Business" badges to sellers that are "multinational corporations with thousands of employees," The Information reported. Amazon has said the badges are intended for US companies with fewer than 100 employees and less than $50 million in revenue.

Likewise, Amazon reportedly also gave "Black-Owned Small Business" badges to companies that were not actually Black-owned, The Information reported.

When The Information reached out for comment, Amazon removed the badges from some of the products it apparently miscategorized, though some still remain.

An Amazon spokesperson told Insider "We are committed to ensuring that the badge is a helpful shopping tool for customers to discover small business brand owners and we are continuously auditing and refining the information used to award the badge to ensure a trustworthy and accurate experience." "If the badge is awarded in error we move quickly to make appropriate updates," the spokesperson said.

The Information's findings could call into question whether Amazon's badge programs intended to help boost sales for small businesses and those run by Black founders really work. They come amid criticisms that Amazon's iron grip on the American customer is hurting local commerce.

For instance, Amazon gave companies like coffee bean and clothing store Black Rifle Coffee Co. a badge even though it generated over $300 million in revenue in 2022, The Information reported. The company has a market cap of $1.1 billion as of this year.

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Backpacks and luggage from SwissGear, a subsidiary of knife manufacturer Victorinox that made $446 million in revenue as of December 2021, per Pitchbook, also received the badge. Clothes from sportswear firm Cutter & Buck, and kitchen items and handbags from vendors based in China, did as well, The Information said.

And products from grass-fed beef jerky firm Chomps were given the Black-owned business badge even though its founders Pete Maldonado and Rashid Ali are not Black.

Still, Chomps cofounder Maldonado told The Information that his company didn't "see much lift" in sales from the badges. Maldonado wrote in a LinkedIn post last week that he expects Chomps to generate more than $200 million in retail sales this year.

The companies mentioned in this story didn't immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Jason Boyce, the CEO of Avenue7Media, which helps companies sell on Amazon, said the badges were "fishy."

"If they're not managing this program, they're being negligent and they're disadvantaging true small businesses," Boyce told The Information. "And they're giving companies that don't need the help an unfair advantage."

Meanwhile, running a small business on Amazon isn't easy. Rabbi Yael Buechler, a small business owner, tried selling Jewish fashion accessories like Hanukkah scrunchies on Amazon and found that her products were "overshadowed" by many others on the platform and required extra monthly fees, resulting in meager profits, she wrote in an opinion post on Insider.

Even though not all businesses say they've seen a boost from the badges, the badges could have the potential to increase sales. An IBM study found that product downloads rose by 64% after the products were given digital badges, showing that badges can help some sales professionals "achieve sales quotas."

But whether Amazon's badge programs intend to really support small and Black-owned businesses rather than boost its own bottom line is up for debate, Stacey Mitchell, a co-director of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance and vocal Amazon critic, told The Information.

"It's very much in Amazon's interest to try to suggest that in fact they're supporting small businesses rather than eating their lunch," Mitchell said.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Amazons first foray into the world of accelerator programs, designed to help early-stage startups build and launch, was focused on conversational AI back in 2016. Now, seven years later, Amazon has another AI accelerator -- this time led by Amazon Web Services with a focus on the newest zeitgeist: generative artificial intelligence.

Announced today, AWS has created a 10-week program for generative AI startups around the globe. Generative AI startup founders within the cohort can expect to have access to AI models and tools as well as machine learning stack optimization and custom go-to-market advice. Theres also a Demo Day in San Francisco at the end of the program.

Accepted startups will receive up to $300,000 in AWS credits to help build their companies. Applications are open for the next two weeks and 10 startups will be chosen, the company says.

AWS will not invest in the startups and does not yet have an AI/ML investment arm, it tells TechCrunch. Amazon has been somewhat more measured in jumping head first into building AI compared to other big tech companies, especially looking at generative AI plays from Google's Bard and Microsoft's ChatGPT. Apple also has its eye on language-learning models, but it's unclear if it wants to build one itself or source externally. That said, Amazon has struck partnerships with top AI companies including Hugging Face and Stability AI, with the latter calling AWS the preferred cloud provider to build and scale its AI models for image, language, audio, video, and 3D content generation.

Clearly, corporations are in an arms race to bring artificial intelligence into their fold, whether its through direct integrations, in-house product development, or, in this case, exposure through other investments and startups. Just last month, Salesforce launched a new $250 million investment fund targeted at generative AI startups.

While the new accelerator is open to all startups, AWS Global Head of Startups Howard Wright offered some specificity in a blog post announcing the accelerator as to who may full benefit -- startups that have a minimum viable product, traction with customers and are working on product value propositions -- as well as already building on AWS -- will receive most benefit, per Wright.

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As for why now, isnt it obvious? Generative AI, says Rob Ferguson, AWS global head of AI/ML Startups, has unlocked new developments and creativity. Artificial intelligence and machine learning are some of the most transformative technologies of our generation, and have been a main focus area for Amazon for more than 20 years.[were] excited about what next big thing we can help power through the cloud, Ferguson told TechCrunch.

Our approach to generative AI is to invest and innovate across three layers of the generative AI stack to take this technology out of the realm of research and make it available to customers of any size and developers of all skill levels, he said.
"American Idol" contestant Fire Wilmore's performance on the April 3 episode after her duet partner, Kaya Stewart, withdrew from the competition seconds before their duet left judge Katy Perry in tears.

Stewart, the daughter of Eurythmics' Dave Stewart, got sick during Hollywood Week and told the judges onstage she couldn't perform, meaning she would be withdrawing from the competition.

After Stewart walked off the stage in tears, Perry asked Wilmore how she felt about performing on her own.

"It's been really stressful. It was a lot of stress on me to learn the different arrangement, and then just come out here," Wilmore trailed off through tears.

Perry called out to the crowd, asking who would perform with Wilmore, telling her: "You're not going to be abandoned anymore."

Jayna Elise jumped to the stage, and their emotional performance of "Whataya Want From Me" by Adam Lambert brought Lionel Richie to tears as Perry cried.

"You can't control a lot," Perry said after the rendition. "But you can control yourself. And you can control your future. Thank you for standing up here and continuing to try."

"And in this moment, we get to control a little bit of your future," Perry continued. "You're going forward, Fire."

The audience roared with applause, sending Wilmore into tears again as she exited the stage.

Wilmore, a 23-year-old single mother, first auditioned for the show during the March 19 episode. With her 4-year-old daughter by her side, she performed "Talking to the Moon" by Bruno Mars.

While all the judges noted promise in her voice, only Perry voted to send her to Hollywood. After Wilmore's daughter, Maja, found a golden ticket on a shelf and handed it to her mother, Perry opted to invite Wilmore back for a second-chance audition in Nashville.

The Oklahoma native walked into her next audition a month later and explained that auditioning with her daughter in the room the first time added a lot of extra pressure.

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"Honestly, I wasnt focused. It was a bit of a handful having my daughter with me," she said.

Perry, who is also a mom to a toddler, replied, "Honey, I know. Its hard."

Wilmore's performance of Adele's "Love in the Dark" wowed Perry, Richie and Luke Bryan, who all gave a resounding yes to sending her to Hollywood.

Wilmore burst into tears and said, "Thank you so much. Sorry Im ugly crying right now."

This article was originally published on TODAY.com
Whitney Durfee works as a crossing guard outside Trailside Elementary School in Vineyard on Friday. Durfee started dressing as a traffic cone to raise awareness for the importance of avoiding distracted driving and speeding in school zones. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News

If you saw a giant traffic cone waving and smiling at you, you'd probably pay more attention to the road.

It's a tactic that's worked for Whitney Durfee, who frequently wears a cone costume for her job as a crossing guard at Trailside Elementary School in Vineyard.

The Vineyard mother of seven bought the costume to wear on Halloween in 2021. After several times almost getting hit by a car while on duty in 2022, she started wearing the cone to work with the hope that it would help distracted drivers pay more attention.

Distracted driving has been on the rise in Utah County, and drowsy driving incidents have increased across the state.

Durfee said she has "definitely" seen an improvement in safety around Trailside Elementary since donning the costume.

"It has helped a lot, just to be out there in that (costume) and to show drivers that I'm there  and that there are kids crossing," she said. "It's fun just to see everyone's reaction and to (remind) them that it's a school zone and that they really need to start paying attention."

Pedestrian accidents have also increased across Utah. There were 53 pedestrian deaths in the state in 2022, up from 45 in 2021, according to the Utah Department of Transportation.

Twelve of those deaths, or just more than one-fifth, were children ages zero to 9, said UDOT Senior Communications Manager Mitch Shaw.

In December, an 11-year-old girl was struck and killed in the crosswalk by Bonneville Elementary School in Salt Lake City. One month later, two children were hospitalized after being hit by a car in the crosswalk by Hawthorne Elementary School, also in Salt Lake City.

Durfee doesn't wear the cone every shift, but she pulls it out again every couple of days, especially after close calls.

And there are still many of those close calls. Durfee said she sees lots of distracted drivers, speeding, and cars that don't stop even when she is in the middle of the crosswalk.

Once a man stopped his car just a foot away from Durfee when she was in the crosswalk. The driver rolled down his window and said, "Sorry, I didn't see you. I'm just on my way to get my son from school."

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Durfee recalled thinking, "I'm a mom. I need to get my kids home from school, too." It was a poignant moment for her as she realized that the driver didn't think about how she was also a parent, just like him.

Whitney Durfee works as a crossing guard outside Trailside Elementary School in Vineyard on Friday. Durfee started dressing as a traffic cone to raise awareness for the importance of avoiding distracted driving and speeding in school zones. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News

"We crossing guards are people, too," Durfee said. "We need to get home to our families. We need to be able to be safe, and the kids need to be safe, and I just know we can do better."

Three of Durfee's children attend Trailside Elementary School. She said her daughter prays daily that her mom won't get hit by a car while on duty.

"She's seen that happen, me almost getting hit, and so she's a little bit scared," Durfee said. "And she has every reason to be because it is a scary job."

School zone safety tips

Shaw urged drivers to be more aware of pedestrians.

"It's absolutely paramount that drivers make a special effort to completely stop and look at intersections and crosswalks and just generally pay attention and be on the lookout for pedestrians," he said.

Parents can also teach their children habits to keep them safer while crossing the street, such as wearing reflective clothing and choosing safe routes to walk, Shaw said.

Durfee suggested drivers leave five minutes earlier than they think they need to so they can avoid speeding in school zones.

She also shared the reminder for drivers to wait until children are all the way onto the sidewalk, not just halfway across the street, before driving forward.

"We just need to slow down," Durfee said. "People need to  make sure that they're looking and watching for what we're doing so that we can all be safe and so that all these kids can get home to their families safely."
Ammunition shortage, which Yevgeny Prigozhin, the owner of the Wagner Private Military Company (PMC), talked about, ended quickly; Russia redoubled air and artillery strikes on Bakhmut.

Source: Ukraines Special Operations Forces (SOF) citing an interview with a serviceman with alias Sokil (Falcon)

Quote: "The enemy had enough problems with ammunition, the head of Wagner was saying that they had no ammunition, so they could not continue their assaults. This was a great moment for us to raid and ambush their units.

But it all ended quickly, ammunition was delivered to them, artillery and airstrikes became twice as strong now."

Details: According to the soldier of the SOF, Russian artillery works non-stop: the shelling does not stop for a second. Drones (Russian Orlan), which track the movement of Ukrainian troops, also fly overhead, and the occupiers launch an air or artillery attack there immediately after [they spot the troops].

The occupiers are sending entire assault units to the city of Bakhmut itself. Russians suffer great losses, but new forces rush into battle to replace those killed, sometimes even during the battle. That is, the invaders use their own "as stepping stones".

According to Sokil, the Wagnerites use hard drugs or some other stimulants, because despite the landing of shells from several tens of metres away during battles, they go into battle without even ducking.

"There were cases when they stormed even without weapons, they simply tried to overpower with sheer numbers," Sokil describes the events.

According to the soldier, one should not underestimate Russians, who also have their own "motivation", planted by powerful Russian propaganda  the destruction of Ukraine.

The civilian population is suffering greatly from this genocide. According to various estimates, from 4,000 to 4,500 people remain there. They have access to neither water nor electricity. Due to constant shelling, they are mostly in basements, trying to stay close to the Ukrainian military.

The special officer notes that the situation in Bakhmut is currently the most difficult.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
Queen of Martyrs seventh grader Mia McGreal holds up a backpack she and her classmates helped fill Thursday at Mercy Circle in Chicago. The backpacks were set to be distributed to children staying in a homeless shelter. (Jeff Vorva / Daily Southtown)

Easter has always been a pleasant holiday for seventh grader Mia McGreal.

My Easters have been nice, she said. Ive been appreciative of everything I have gotten.

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But McGreal, a student at Queen of Martyrs in Evergreen Park, doesnt have to travel far to hear stories of those less fortunate.

Her mother, Margaret, for example, went through a tough childhood but later rose through the ranks to lieutenant colonel with the Illinois State Police.

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They couldnt afford much and when they went to the grocery store, they couldnt afford a box of cereal, Mia said. My mom had to get a job when she was 7. She would go on her bike and deliver newspapers.

She really knows whats going on.

What was going on for McGreal on Thursday morning was a gathering at Mercy Circle in Chicago to help those who are down on their luck.

Sister June Anselme, a resident of Mercy Circle in Chicago, holds court with Queen of Martyrs students last week after the residents and students filled Easter backpacks for children experiencing homelessness. (Jeff Vorva / Daily Southtown)

Thats where Mercy Circle residents  many who are retired nuns  tag teamed with Queen of Martyrs seventh graders, including McGreal, to put together backpack care packages for homeless children and teenagers.

The backpacks were filled with toys, books, journals, pens, personal gifts, toothpaste, toothbrushes and candy.

Those were all taken to the two Margarets Village facilities in Chicago to be presented as Easter gifts to the young homeless people living there.

As a bonus, the students created friendship bracelets with beads spelling out the name of each recipient.

Mercy Circle marketer Sheila King told the students the bracelets could have a big impact on the children.

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Those bracelets are magnificent, she said. Homelessness makes people invisible a lot of times in their lives. You created something with each persons name on it.

You recognize them as an individual and as a person with their own special gifts and that is so, so important that you have called them by name. We are grateful that you will bring joy to people you most likely will meet but you touched their hearts and lives forever.

Another person in the room who was appreciative of the students effort was Michal Muhammad, the director of development at Margarets Village.

Michal Muhammad, of Margaret's Village in Chicago, tells a group of students from Queen of Martyrs in Evergreen Park their work is "inspiring" after they packed Easter backpacks for homeless children last week. (Jeff Vorva / Daily Southtown)

After giving a history of the organization, which turns 50 next year and was founded by Sister Margaret Traxler, he thanked the students for their time and effort.

What you are doing today is inspiring, he told the students. I want you as young people to think about the fact that nothing that you do is meaningless. Nothing that you do is small. Everything that you do is important.

He said young people are capable of making changes solving problems in the world.

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Homelessness is a problem that can be fixed by a decision, he said. By deciding that we wont have any more homeless people, it can be fixed. As young people, you can decide that. Anything you can envision, you can achieve.

Muhammad said Easter is a time of renewal and that this is a good time to think about new beginnings.

Most of the people in the shelter are starting anew, he said. Some of them have nothing  a plastic bag on their shoulders with a couple of belongings in them.

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He said the bags the students assembled will make the children very happy, and McGreal agreed.

Its really good for the kids, she said. They are really going to be appreciative of what they have.

The project also was the latest chance for members of the younger generation to mingle with those who have had decades of experience helping people.

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On the surface, it doesnt appear that seventh graders would not have much to say to retired nuns, but on Thursday when all the bags were packed and the students were heading to a lunch and the nuns were heading to Mass, Sister June Anselme and a table of students were the last ones to leave as they were conversing about several topics.

They are beautiful human beings, Anselme said. I wished them well and invited them to come back any time. It was a pleasure being with them, really. I love kids.

They are so polite and so alive. They are anxious to celebrate Easter.

Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
By Michael Martina and David Brunnstrom

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - China, Taiwan and the United States all share a common interest in ensuring this week's California stopover by Taiwan's president gets the focus each thinks it deserves, but without setting off a new crisis.

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen is due in Los Angeles on Wednesday when she will meet U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy, the first such meeting on U.S. soil.

It is sure to elicit a forceful reaction from Beijing, which considers Taiwan part of its territory. China's military conducted large-scale exercises, fired missiles over Taiwan and cut military contacts with Washington after McCarthy's predecessor Nancy Pelosi visited the self-governed island last August.

But China's response this time may be less extreme. The U.S. side and Taiwan have both taken steps to make the trip less provocative for China's leaders, sources familiar with the planning say. These include holding the Tsai-McCarthy meeting in California rather than closer to Washington or in Taiwan itself, and setting up an agenda for Tsai with few public appearances.

China has a strong incentive to temper its reaction as it tries to rebuild ties with Europe and as Taiwan prepares for an early 2024 presidential election, analysts say.

McCarthy, as House speaker, is third in line to the U.S. leadership and he has said publicly that he does not rule out a future visit to Taiwan.

Xu Xueyuan, charge d'affaires at China's Washington embassy, said last week that McCarthy meeting Tsai "could lead to another serious confrontation in the China-U.S. relationship." On Tuesday China's foreign ministry said it would "closely monitor" the meeting and "resolutely defend" Chinese sovereignty.

A spokesperson for China's Washington embassy said that "no matter how packaged," the McCarthy meeting would be a serious violation of Chinas sovereignty and "do great harm to the political foundation of China-U.S. relations."

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Jacob Stokes of Washington's Center for a New American Security think tank said it was "clear that Taipei and Washington  as well as Beijing to some extent  are trying to carefully manage both the substance and optics of President Tsais transit."

Washington has no formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan but is bound by law to provide it with the means to defend itself. Beijing has never renounced using force to bring Taiwan under its control and Western officials fear a conflict over the island is increasingly likely.

Tsai's Los Angeles stop comes after a 48-hour stopover in New York last week en route to Central America to visit two of Taiwan's few remaining diplomatic allies.

LOW PROFILE

A U.S. official said the State Department had negotiated the U.S. portions of Tsai's trip carefully to ensure, among other things, that the New York stop would be low profile and do little to provoke Beijing.

There was a similar discussion for the California leg, according to a person familiar with the planning for the McCarthy meeting.

"The Taiwanese said 'Let's go low-key,'" said the person, adding that Tsai and her ruling Democratic Progressive Party are concerned about the impact on next year's presidential election in Taiwan.

Taiwan's opposition Kuomintang party (KMT) favors stable relations with China and some analysts believe soaring tensions between Taipei and Beijing would favor the KMT.

Tsai's New York activities were largely closed to the media and in press briefings U.S. officials have sought to portray her stopovers as routine.

Asked about the planning, a State Department spokesperson said Tsai's transit was "consistent with longstanding U.S. practice, consistent with the unofficial nature of our relations with Taiwan," and China should "not use it as a pretext to overreact."

The Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office, which represents Taiwan's interests in the United States, also did not comment on trip details but said the transit was "in line with long standing practice."

BEIJING'S CALCULATION

China's ruling Communist Party has its own considerations that could moderate its reaction.

With an eye the Taiwan election, China invited former Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou of the KMT party for a visit coinciding with Tsai's U.S. stopovers.

And this week Beijing also hosts French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen as China seeks to improve its strained relations with Europe.

A European official said the European visits may temper Beijings reaction given Chinese President Xi Jinping is trying to present his country as a peacemaker in Ukraine.

"It would look very bad for Xi in European eyes if he staged more war games around Taiwan," the official said, while a Taipei-based Asian diplomat said Beijing would also not want to embarrass Ma with war games.

"Beijing does indeed have multiple audiences to consider," said Douglas Paal, a former U.S. representative in Taiwan.

"The tough calibration will be for China to find something that signals displeasure with Tsai meeting a (House) Speaker for the first time on American soil, while not looking insane in reacting as strongly as when Pelosi became the first speaker to travel to Taiwan."

Ivan Kanapathy, a former U.S. National Security Council staffer for Asia, said Beijing hopes Ma's visit would convince Taiwanese that closer ties with China would bring stability and prosperity and that it was also trying to resuscitate European foreign investment.

"Taken together, this means that further retaliation will likely be relatively mild," he said.

(Reporting by Michael Martina and David Brunnstrom in Washington; Additional reporting by Ben Blanchard in Taipei; Writing by David Brunnstrom; Editing by Don Durfee, Alistair Bell and Lisa Shumaker)
Controversial social media personality Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan Tate were released and placed on house arrest after spending months in a Romanian jail for alleged human trafficking.

Andrew, a British U.S. citizen who boasts 5.8 million Twitter followers, was detained in Bucharest along with his brother and two unnamed Romanian women on Dec. 29 on accusations of sex trafficking, rape and the formation of an organized crime group.

The Bucharest Court of Appeal ruled in favor of Tate's appeal on Friday, a spokesperson for Romania's anti-organized crime agency DIICOT told the Associated Press, blocking a judge from ordering a fourth 30-day extension on his detention.

RELATED: Influencer Andrew Tate's Detention, Asset Seizures Over Sex Trafficking Upheld By Romanian Courts

Instead, the spokesperson, Ramona Bolla, told the outlet, the Tate brothers and the two women will remain on supervised house arrest until April 29. None of the four have been formally indicted for their alleged activities.

"They are not a flight risk and they are not a danger to public safety, therefore [authorities] have decided to release them under house arrest," the brothers' communications director Mateea Petrescu told Sky News. "[It's] just a small step  they are still under investigation. They are absolutely ecstatic. They kept their spirits [in jail], they are really thrilled and looking forward to being at home  they have kept their optimism throughout."

Andrew Tate arrives to court

Andrew Tate arrives handcuffed and escorted by police at a courthouse in Bucharest on February 1, 2023. Photo: Getty Images

At the end of April, prosecutors are expected to ask to extend their investigation time for another 30 days, a spokesman for the brothers told The New York Times on Monday.

Under Romanian law, according to the Times, a trial must begin by June  six months after the brothers initial arrest.

In an earlier statement issued shortly after the brothers' arrest, DIICOT claimed that six victims were subjected to "acts of physical violence and mental coercion" and coerced into pornographic acts for the monetary gain of Tate's alleged crime group.

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In January, Romanian authorities seized a number of luxury cars and assets they said totaled $3.9 million from the brothers' compound near Bucharest. Prosecutors said that if they can prove the cars  which include a Porsche, a Rolls Royce and a Ferrari  and assets were paid for using ill-gotten funds from human trafficking, they will be used to compensate victims and cover court costs and police investigation. Tate tried and failed to appeal the seizure of his assets.

Andrew Tate leaves the Court of Appeal

Tristan told reporters on Friday that "the judges today made the right decision" as he and his brother left their detention facility.

"I respect what they've done for me and they will be vindicated in their decision, because I'm an innocent man and I can't wait to prove it," he said.

Tate, a professional kickboxer who has resided in Romania since 2017, addressed a crowd outside what is believed to be his home later that day. He thanked the judges who heard us today, because they were very attentive and they listened to us, and they let us free.

"I have no resentment in my heart for the country of Romania of for anybody else," he said, according to the AP. "I just believe in truth ... I truly believe that justice will be served in the end. There is a zero percent chance of me being convicted for something I've not done."

Oxy App

Since then, the divisive internet personality has suggested that he will be murdered in a series of frantic Tweets, according to The Independent.

"I prepare my body to absorb the brutal kinetics of piercing lead," he wrote early on Monday. "As all other silencing attempts fail, and stage 3 approaches  I anticipate a bullet will be the chosen utensil of pacification."

"If they kill me, I love you all," he wrote in a later Tweet.

Tate did not specify who, precisely, would kill him or what their motive could be.

Previously, Tate has been banned from social media sites for hate speech and the expression of misogynistic views. He has previously asserted that women "belong" to men and need men's direction. He has portrayed men as victims of feminism and false rape accusations.
Andrew Tate has issued a response after being hilariously mocked in South Park.

Tate, a former kickboxing world champion, who has amassed millions of followers for his misogynistic online content, is currently under arrest in Romania facing allegations of human trafficking and being part of an organised crime gang.

On Friday (31 March), Tate won an appeal against jail detention, and was placed under house arrest.

The former Big Brother contestant was originally detained in late December in Bucharest, along with his brother Tristan and two Romanian women, with none of the four yet to be formally charged in the case. All four deny the allegations.

South Parks latest episode, titled Spring Break, depicted Tate via character Alonzo Fineski, a toxic masculinity coach who is revealed to be a wanted sex trafficker.

Alonzo is shown to have a shaved head and wear faded sunglasses as well as be a cigar smoker  an image clearly based on Tate.

In the episode, Alonzo is told: I think I need to explain something to you. Im just trying to combat the messages that the liberal left is putting out to young men about their male instincts being toxic.

Later, when he is arrested, someone calls him a Romanian sex trafficker.

In response to the episode, Tate wrote on Twitter: When I will be proven innocent, I look forward to help create the greatest South Park episode of all time.

The Independent has contacted Comedy Central, which airs South Park, for comment.

Andrew Tate responded to being source of South Park mockery on Twitter (Twitter)

In February, South Park made headlines after sending up Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

The episode centred on a prince and his wife  based on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle  who decided to move to the fictional South Park, Colorado town. The prince is seen promoting his book, titled Waaaagh, as they embarked on a we want privacy tour.

Reports initially suggested that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were planning to sue over the series. However, these were shut down by the couples spokesperson, who called the rumours baseless and boring.
For a fifth time the preliminary hearing for an Upper Makefield mother accused of killing her two young sons the day before the family was to be evicted from their home last year was continued Tuesday.

Here's what we know, and what we don't.

What is the case against Trinh Nguyen?

Trinh Nguyen, 39, is charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the May 2, 2022 shootings of Jeffrey and Nelson Tini, her 13- and 9-year-old sons, respectively. Prosecutors allege Nguyen shot the boys in the head while they were sleeping in their rented Timber Ridge Road home. She is also charged with attempting to shoot the nephew of her former husband, who lived in an adjacent home on the property.

The boys succumbed to their injuries on May 9. They had been placed on life support after the shooting so their organs could be donated.

Nguyen, a mother of three was arrested the day of the killings in a nearby church parking lot hours after the boys were found dead by police and the aunt who owns the home where the three lived. Authorities said she had heroin in her system in what police described as a suicide attempt.

Jeffrey "JT" Tini, 13, and his brother, Nelson Tini, 9, were shot in their home Monday, May 2, 2022. Their mother, Trinh Nguyen has been charged.

More news on the Trinh Nguyen case Family legal battle over $11k in unpaid rent preceded Upper Makefield shooting, documents show

Why has the murder case stalled?

Nguyen has not yet had a preliminary hearing, where a district court judge decides if there is enough evidence to hold a defendant for trial. The most recent delay was a result of District Court Judge Michael Petrucci's schedule, according to the court.

Nguyen is represented by a public defender and Bucks County Chief Public Defender Ann Russavage-Faust has said her office doesnt comment on pending cases. The DA's office has said the defense has requested all the previous continuances. The new preliminary hearing date has not yet been schedule as of Tuesday.

Where is Trinh Nguyen?

As of Tuesday, Nguyen is listed as located in a "hospital/medical treatment facility," according to the Pennsylvania VINE system, which provides information about of corrections custody status. Her status is listed as "unsupervised custody" meaning no county correctional officers are assigned to watch her.

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Online court dockets do not show any custody transfer orders for Nguyen and it is unknown how long she has been hospitalized or the reason. Neither the Bucks County District Attorney's Office or the Public Defender's Office provided information about her whereabouts or condition.

How long can a defendant be held without a trial?

Rule 600 of the Pennsylvania Criminal Procedures, which applies to all criminal offenses, provided that a trial against a defendant shall start within 365 days from the date a complaint is filed, but the rule excludes delays attributed to the defendant. If the state takes too long to bring a case to trial, a defense attorney can file a motion to dismiss.

If a judge has determined a defendant is mentally incompetent all court proceedings are halted indefinitely until the court deems a defendant is mentally competent to understand the charges and participate in their defense and trial.

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court last year overruled previous Superior Court decisions and decided that courts have the discretion to dismiss criminal charges against a mentally incompetent defendant and unlikely to be restored to competency. The high court decision left open whether its opinion applies in first and second degree homicide case

Investigators work on the scene of an Upper Makefield home where two boys, 10 and 13 years old, were shot May 2, 2022. Their mother, 38-year-old Trinh Nguyen, was arrested and charged in the shooting, according to Bucks County District Attorney Matthew Weintraub.

Two bicycles sit parked outside an Upper Makefield home where two boys, 10 and 13 years old, were shot May 2, 2022. By noon, their mother, 38-year-old Trinh Nguyen, was taken into police custody for the shooting, according to Bucks County District Attorney Matthew Weintraub.

Why a parent allegedly kill a child? DA says Trinh Nguyen shot her sons. Why it can be hard to spot danger when parents kill

Why did Nguyen allegedly kill her children?

Prosecutors have provided no motive for the shootings, which occurred the day before Nguyen was being evicted from the home for failing to pay more than $11,000 in rent. The home is owned by her former sister-in-law.

Authorities found a handwritten note dated a week before the murders that Nguyen allegedly wrote with information on what to do with her and her sons ashes. She also allegedly left a note in the minivan revealing that her sons, both Council Rock District students, were dead and the address of the home with a request to call 911.

Records show that Nguyen was also involved in a custody dispute with her former husband, Edward Tini, of Philadelphia. The couple separated and divorced in 2021 and Tini had opposed Nguyens plans to take Nelson to visit her family in Vietnam over the summer vacation.

Nguyen had sole custody of Jeffrey Tini, whose father she divorced in 2009. She has a third son, who is 17, and lives on the West Coast with his father, Nguyens first husband.

Crime scene tape surrounds an Upper Makefield home where two boys, 10 and 13 years old, were shot on May 2, 2022. Their mother, 38-year-old Trinh Nguyen, was arrested and charged in the shooting, according to Bucks County District Attorney Matthew Weintraub.

More on the Trinh Nguyen case Where is mom and why hasn't she been brought to court for allegedly killing her sons?

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Upper Makefield mom accused of murder of sons gets delay in court
The official death toll from the fire last week at an immigration jail in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, rose to 40 after one of the hospitalized victims died over the weekend.

The victim died upon arrival at Mexicos National Center for Burn Research and Care, where six people injured in the fire were transferred over the weekend, Mexicos public safety department said in a statement announcing the latest fatality.

Of the other 27 people who were injured, 23 are still hospitalized, the department said, adding that more of the victims will be taken to the capital, Mexico City, for specialized care.

One of the survivors, Eduardo Caraballo, originally from Venezuela, told Reuters that he soaked his sweater in water, covered his face and moved to a bathroom in the back of his locked cell as fire and smoke poured in. Others died around him.

"We screamed for them to open the cell door, but no one helped us," Caraballo, 26, said in a telephone interview with Reuters.

He said someone finally used a heavy object to bash open the door cell. He recalls being pulled by the hand, possibly by a firefighter.

"Others were already dead," he said in the Reuters interview.

Caraballo was transferred Saturday to an El Paso hospital after the U.S. granted him and his family what is known as humanitarian parole  a temporary permission  to enter the U.S.

Mexico initially declined a U.S. offer to help provide medical treatment to the injured, saying they were too ill to be moved, The Associated Press reported.

Mexico has charged six people in the deadly blaze at the Estancia Provisional de Ciudad Juarez, which sits on the border across from El Paso, Texas. Mexico President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said it started when detained migrants lit a mattress on fire in protest of pending deportations.

Last week, officials said at least eight people were believed responsible for the fire.

Most of the victims killed or injured are from Guatemala and others are from Honduras, Venezuela, El Savador, Colombia and Ecuador, Mexico officials have said.

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Mexico and Lopez Obradors administration are facing backlash after video showed guards walking away as flames grew and smoke filled the room. The video showed someone behind the bars kicking at the locked cell door. Questions have been raised about whether the guards had keys.

But human rights and immigrant advocates say Mexicos immigration detention system also is to blame because of overcrowding in different detention jails and poor, unsafe conditions.

Advocates also are blaming U.S. immigration policies that have forced more migrants from Central and South America to wait in Mexico for opportunities to request asylum and local officials' enforcement against those migrants.

U.S. policies to deter migrants from coming to the border have only created more desperation and death, Vicki Gaubeca, Human Rights Watch associate director, wrote on the groups web site.

Meanwhile, groups working with migrant families have expressed concern over misinformation on social media and also spread by smugglers. Last week, migrants, mostly from Venezuela, turned themselves in at the border following the fire after hearing false claims they would be allowed into the U.S.

Lopez Obrador, who has promised no impunity for those responsible for the fire and deaths, visited the site of the fire on Friday, The Associated Press reported. During the visit, Lopez said the fire is the second most painful moment of his administration, after a 2019 pipeline fire in Tlahuelilpan killed about 135 people.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
A tree at Forest Hill Cemetery in Plain Township toppled over during the storm burst that hit Stark County on Saturday afternoon.

More severe weather is in the forecast for Wednesday, less than a week after a storm walloped Stark County, toppling trees and knocking out power.

Local and weather officials said two storms are expected to sweep through northern Ohio on Wednesday afternoon and evening, bringing possible hail and damaging winds.

Still cleaning up from Saturday: Stark County residents rebounding after second storm blow

The current forecast shows "conditions are favorable to turn severe," and a tornado cannot be ruled out, said meteorologist Jim Sullivan for the Cleveland office of the National Weather Service.

According to the National Weather Service, this is outlook for severe weather in northern Ohio for Wednesday, April 5, 2023, as of 6:52 a.m. Tuesday. The Akron-Canton area has an enhanced risk for severe weather.

He said the forecast includes unseasonably warm temperatures, a high of 80 degrees, with humidity, that will be hit with a cold front around 2 or 3 p.m. This front will cause showers and potentially severe thunderstorms in the region.

"The main concern is damaging wind gusts that we've already had," Sullivan said.

The area has already been hit with damaging storms the last two weeks. Crews are still cleaning up from Saturday's storm.

Damage from first storm: Zoar's iconic 'Tree of Everlasting Life' to be replaced after wind storm

"I think Saturday's storm caught everyone off guard with how strong it was," said Timothy Warstler, director of the Stark County Emergency Management Agency, who emailed media, government officials and others with information about Wednesday's forecast.

He said the area was hit with a straight line of 70-mph winds on Saturday.

The graphic shows the probability of a tornado in northern Ohio for Wednesday, April 5, 2023, as of 12:33 a.m. Tuesday. The Akron-Canton area has a 5-9% probability of a tornado.

Warstler said businesses and residents should be preparing for another round of damaging winds and power outages. "We're giving everybody a heads-up, so they can plan around this," he said.

He said they expect another update on the forecast around 2 p.m. today.

Sullivan said all of the storm activity in this region is coming from the same destructive systems in southern and western United States.

Should you have any questions or need our assistance feel free to call the Stark EMA office at 330-451-3900 or the 24-hour number 330-451-3911.

Reach Benjamin Duer at 330-580-8567 or ben.duer@cantonrep.com. On Twitter: @bduerREP

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Possible tornadoes and hail in the Akron-Canton area forecast
The federal lawsuit over the controversial 2019 police killing of Danquirs Franklin outside a Burger King in west Charlotte may be heard by a jury after all.

In a powerful and unanimous reversal Tuesday, three judges from the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a lower court decision in Charlotte last year that granted immunity to Wende Kerl, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg officer who fatally shot Franklin.

In his November 2022 decision to dismiss the complaint filed by Franklins mother, Deborah, Senior U.S. District Judge Graham Mullen said Kerl likely made a mistake when she fatally shot Franklin on March 25, 2019.

But because a court must not judge (police actions) with the 20/20 vision of hindsight, the question is whether Officer Kerls mistake in shooting Franklin was reasonable. The answer is yes, Mullen wrote.

Likewise, the appeals court cited Kerl for errors in how she and a fellow officer responded to the call at the Burger King four years ago.

Unlike Mullen, however, the three judges from the countrys second highest court said those errors were so serious that they disqualified Kerl from receiving the qualified immunity that Mullen had granted.

It is not lost on us that we issue this decision from the calm of a courthouse, Chief Judge Roger Gregory wrote.

In making our decision, we have had the opportunity to replay the unfortunate events of that March 2019 morning. Unlike us, Officer Kerl could not press pause or rewind before determining whether Franklin posed an imminent threat.

Still, we remain resolute that qualified immunity is not appropriate for the disposition of this case. The officers rushed headlong onto a scene that had subsided, established no dialogue, and shouted at Franklin loudly enough that they did not hear him try to communicate back.

In their zeal to disarm Franklin, it hardly occurred to the officers that their commands defied reality. As a result, Franklin faced a catch 22: obey and risk death or disobey and risk death.

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These facts entitle a jury of community members to decide whether Officer Kerl shot Franklin unlawfully.

Deborah Franklins attorney, Luke Largess of Charlotte, welcomed the ruling.

We are very grateful for the decision and hope we can get the matter resolved or have a trial if we cannot, he said in an email to The Charlotte Observer.

Lori Keeton, who represents Kerl, did not immediately respond Tuesday to an Observer email seeking comment

While the opinion upheld Mullens decision to throw out one of Deborah Franklins claims against the City of Charlotte, it restored the claims against the city for negligence and wrongful death.

Lawrence Coley, a spokesman for the City of Charlotte, told the Observer in an email that the city does not publicly comment on pending legal matters.

More significantly, the appellate panel found that a reasonable jury could conclude that Franklin did not pose an imminent threat to the officers or anyone else.

Under those circumstances, we conclude that Officer Kerl violated the Fourth Amendment.

Qualified immunity

The appeals court decision reopens one of Charlottes most controversial police shootings. It also returns the city to a nationwide debate over the broad court protections afforded police use of deadly force.

By law  and based largely on a Supreme Court ruling in a Charlotte case  police can use their firearms when they face a reasonable threat of death or serious injury, a highly subjective standard at times.

In August, for one example, the Cabarrus County District Attorneys Office declined to prosecute a former Concord police officer, finding that Timothy Larson acted reasonably and within the law when he shot an unarmed man behind the wheel of Larsons patrol vehicle four times in February 2022. Larson called his department to report the incident, then opened fire again.

Nonetheless, the appeals courts decision Tuesday placed limits on the use of qualified immunity, a legal principle that grants police and other government officials immunity from civil suits unless the complaints can show that the officials violated clearly established statutory or constitutional rights of which a reasonable person would have known.

Supporters say the principle recognizes the volatile, life-or-death nature of police work. Critics contend that some courts have used qualified immunity as an overly broad shield against police lawsuits.

While he joined the decision to revive the Franklin lawsuit, Fourth Circuit Judge Harvey Wilkinson, a conservative legal icon, also vouched for qualified immunity, describing it as a tenable compromise between the reactive dynamics of police work vs. the deliberations of the courts.

The chance to deliberate, though essential, brings with it the temptation to second-guess, Wilkinson wrote in his concurring opinion.

Qualified Immunity places a brake upon the judgment that days and hours may impose upon minutes and seconds, thus assuring that the different rhythms of the chambers and the street may be fruitfully reconciled.

The Franklin case was one of three lawsuits arising from controversial police shootings that were dismissed by Charlotte federal judges in the past year before they could be heard by a jury.

In the other two lawsuits, the judges ruled that police officers acted reasonably in fatally shooting Ruben Galindo of Charlotte and wounding Timothy Caraway of Pineville.

Both cases have been appealed to the Fourth Circuit in Richmond, Va.

In a blink

The Franklin shooting divided the city.

District Attorney Spencer Merriweather declined to prosecute Kerl, saying in August 2019 that he couldnt prove that the officer had been unreasonable in viewing Franklin as a potential deadly threat.

However, the citys Citizen Review Board, for only the second time in its 23-year history, went against the police departments decision not to discipline Kerl.

CMPD clearly erred in finding the Franklin shooting justified, board chair Tonya Jameson said at the time.

The deadly confrontation on March 25, 2019, arose after an enraged and erratic Franklin stormed into the Burger King that morning searching for the new boyfriend of the mother of Franklins children.

Franklin, brandishing his pistol, chased the boyfriend out a kitchen door. Later, he pushed his former girlfriend to the ground and punched the glass of the front door, crying out in anger.

Kerl and Officer Larry Deal answered the 911 call in separate cars.

By the time they arrived, according to the lawsuit, Franklin had calmed down, crying and praying in the parking lot with the restaurant general manager, who was sitting in his car as Franklin squatted nearby.

Deal arrived at the scene, angled his car, hid behind the drivers door and yelled at Franklin to show his hands.

Kerl walked in front of Deals car, leaving herself fully exposed, and pointed her gun at Franklin. Both officers yelled repeatedly for Franklin to drop his weapon, which was not exposed at the time.

Kerls body camera video showed Franklin slowly pulling the gun from his jacket, pointing the barrel away from the officers while he lowered the weapon to the ground.

Kerl fired twice. Franklin, mortally wounded, looked at Kerl in apparent disbelief. You told me to ... he said.

In its ruling, the appellate judges ruled that Kerl and Deal reignited what had been a de-escalating incident.

Watching the events unfold, one cannot help noticing that the intensity of the situation emanated not from Franklin, but from the volume and vigor of the officers commands, Gregory wrote.

Officer Kerl expected to confront a gun-wielding man threatening the public. Instead, she encountered Danquirs Franklin, crouching quietly and disturbing no one ... Even so, for forty-three seconds the officers shouted unremittent commands to drop a weapon no one could see.

As Franklin retrieved a firearm from inside his jacket and it fell to the ground, Officer Kerl shot Franklin twice.

In a blink, Franklin was dead.
Washington  A federal appeals court in Washington has denied former President Donald Trump's attempt to shield his one-time chief of staff Mark Meadows and other top aides from testifying before a grand jury in special counsel Jack Smith's investigation into Trump's actions around the 2020 presidential election and his alleged role in the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol attack.

Trump had appealed D.C. District Chief Judge Beryl Howell's rejection in March of his claims of executive privilege over the testimony of his former advisers. Howell's decision had compelled a group of aides to testify in the probe.

The sealed case appeared on the appeals court's federal docket in late March with little identifying information, followed by a sealed emergency request on Monday that the appeals court intervene before the aides were called to testify. Tuesday's order  from Judges Patricia Millett, Robert Wilkins, and Gregory Katsas  indicated that the request had been denied. Grand jury proceedings remain shielded from public view under federal law.

The decision came as Trump was about to be arraigned in Manhattan Tuesday on charges related to a "hush money" payment made to adult film star Stormy Daniels.

While some of the former president's aides  including former national security adviser Robert O'Brien and top White House aide Stephen Miller  have complied with subpoenas from Smith's office to appear before a grand jury, they have not testified about their interactions and exchanges with Trump, citing possible executive privilege concerns, according to people familiar with the matter. Both men, spotted in the federal courthouse where the special counsel convenes grand juries in the Trump matters over the last few months, were included in Howell's March 15 order.

Trump has unsuccessfully sought to shield many of his former White House aides from special counsel subpoenas, arguing to Howell that his conversations and communications with aides while he was president are protected from scrutiny. Howell  whose term as chief judge expired last month  largely rejected those claims and compelled many of the witnesses to testify.

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The ruling comes as the new chief judge, James Boasberg, ruled this week that Trump's claims of executive privilege over former Vice President Mike Pence's testimony did not hold up. Boasberg ordered Pence to testify about Trump's effort to reverse the outcome of the 2020 presidential election, rejecting the former president's arguments. The judge did in part rule in Pence's favor, ordering prosecutors to refrain from asking Pence about his role as president of the Senate during the Capitol riot, which Pence argued was constitutionally protected by the separation of powers.

Pence said he is consulting with legal counsel on the next steps and will follow the law.

The former president has consistently denied any wrongdoing and has criticized Smith's investigation as partisan.

Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Smith, a former federal prosecutor, to oversee the Jan. 6 investigation and the Justice Department's probe into the mishandling of classified documents from Trump's time in office.

Evan Corcoran, Trump's defense attorney, was forced to testify before a grand jury in the records case on Friday after Howell ruled that attorney-client privilege did not apply.

A spokesperson for the former president did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Robert Costa contributed reporting.

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(Bloomberg) -- Former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern will lead the nations push for greater safeguards against terrorist and violent content online.

Most Read from Bloomberg

Ardern has been appointed Special Envoy for the Christchurch Call, a global initiative she set up in the wake of a terrorist attack in the South Island city in 2019, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said Tuesday in Wellington. She will report directly to Hipkins and has declined to receive any remuneration for the role, which will commence on April 17, he said.

The Christchurch Call is a foreign policy priority for the government and Jacinda Ardern is uniquely placed to keep pushing forward with the goal of eliminating violent extremist content online, Hipkins said. Such content is a global issue, but for many in New Zealand it is also very personal, he said.

Ardern, who stepped down earlier this year, faced unprecedented crises during her five years as prime minister. The most shocking was an extremists shooting rampage at two Christchurch mosques in 2019  which he live-streamed to social media  that left 51 people dead.

Ardern immediately reformed gun laws, banning the semi-automatic weapons used in the attack. An image of her wearing a headscarf as she mourned with families of the victims went around the world and helped to ease outrage in Muslim nations.

She also joined forces with French President Emmanuel Macron to urge big tech companies to curb the promotion of extremism online  a pledge that become known as the Christchurch Call.

Read More: Ardern Announces Shock Resignation

Jacinda Arderns commitment to stopping violent extremist content like we saw that day is key to why she should carry on this work, Hipkins said. Her relationships with leaders and technology companies and her drive for change will help increase the pace and ambition of the work we are doing through the Christchurch Call.

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Within months of the mosque shootings, Ardern and Macron met in Paris with representatives from Facebook Inc., Twitter Inc. and Alphabet Inc., who pledged to help curb the internets role in spreading hate speech and incitement to violence.

Hipkins said work is underway in new areas, such as the way algorithms affect radicalization and how technology like AI and augmented reality can be exploited by terrorists and violent extremists.

Ardern, 42, will deliver her valedictory speech to New Zealands parliament on Wednesday.

She is also joining the board of trustees of Prince Williams Earthshot Prize, which rewards climate action and environmentalism, Kensington Palace said in a statement.

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Arlando Teller at the Great Lakes Tribal Economic Summit in October 2022 (Photo: Katy Batdorff for Tribal Business News)

WASHINGTONArlando Teller, a citizen of the Navajo Nation, was sworn in Friday as the U.S. Department of Transportations first-ever assistant secretary for Tribal Affairs.

A spokesperson for the Department of Transportation confirmed Tellers appointment and said there will be a ceremonial swearing in at a later date, to be announced.

The new position was created as part of the enactment of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) that provides $550 billion for new federal investment in roads, bridges, mass transit, water infrastructure and broadband.

The BIL established an Office of Tribal Affairs to stand independently within the Office of the Secretary. It also changed Tribal Affairs leadership in the DOT by elevating the position of Deputy Assistant Secretary for Tribal Affairs to the position of Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs.

Teller, who joined the DOT in February 2021 as deputy assistant secretary for tribal affairs, will fill the newly created post. He brings with him a lengthy resume in aviation/aerospace as well as transportation planning for both the state of California and the Navajo Nation.

I am sincerely humbled and honored to represent my family, community, tribe and all of Indian Country as their Assistant Secretary for Tribal Affairs," Teller told Tribal Business News in a text message. "This opportunity wouldnt have happened without the staunch advocacy and commitment from Tribal Transportation Leaders. Aheehee nii tsagoo!

Teller is the first Native American graduate from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and also served as a member of the Arizona House of Representatives. He was elected in 2018 and resigned from his position in 2021 to accept the position as deputy assistant secretary at the Transportation Department.

Teller is an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation and a graduate of Chinle High School.

This story was originally published in Tribal Business News.

About the Author: "Brian Edwards is the interim managing editor of Native News Online and Tribal Business News. "

Contact: bedwards@indiancountrymedia.com
Former U.S. President Donald Trump appears in court at the Manhattan Criminal Court in New York on Tuesday. (Seth Wenig/AP)

The majority of American voters have always opposed extremism.

Back in the 1960s, fears of a radical left helped propel Richard Nixon to the White House. Liberals had no chance at holding political power once Eisenhower Republicans saw violence erupt at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

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As America reacted to Tuesdays historic arraignment of former President Donald Trump, many Republicans defended Trump by calling the criminal charges against him a witch hunt.

Were the party of peace, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., said outside the district attorneys office in New York. Democrats are communists.

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The GOPs strategy appears to be rooted in trying to convince moderate and independent voters that Democrats are more extreme. Greene defended calling Democrats pedophiles during an appearance Sunday on 60 Minutes.

They support grooming children, Greene told anchor Lesley Stahl.

They are not pedophiles, Stahl replied. Why would you say that?

Why? Because the Republican Partys only response to extremism in its ranks today is to hope that a confused public believes them when they call Democrats pedophiles. This is considered normal political discourse in 2023.

Trump is not only the first former occupant of the Oval Office to appear before a judge on criminal charges. Hes also the front-runner for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination.

That sets up a scenario where Trump could simultaneously appear in court during a criminal trial while campaigning for president. This is surreal because no one in their wildest dreams ever imagined that the public would elevate a criminal defendant to presidential nominee of a major political party.

One would think Republican leaders would have long ago rejected a person of such deplorable character as Trump. But Republicans are as spineless as the 140,000 other species of invertebrates found in the United States.

Obviously, something has gone very wrong for us to end up at this point. It appears to be reluctance by GOP leadership to denounce Trumps outrageous conduct.

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I reached out to local GOP leaders Tuesday and sought their reactions to the days unprecedented developments. I asked whether they supported Trump for their partys presidential nomination in 2024 and whether they would support Trump if he is the Republican nominee for president.

I posed the questions to Sean Morrison of Palos Park, a Cook County Board member and chair of the Cook County Republican Party, and state Rep. Tim Ozinga of Mokena, chair of the Will County Republican Central Committee. Neither offered an immediate response.

I also posed the questions to Don Tracy, who chairs the Illinois Republican Party. I also checked social media feeds for Republican leaders and organizations. I saw no mention of Trump, but a state GOP post urged followers to vote on Tuesday.

I dream of a day where the GOP can give us responsible leaders, someone wrote in the comments. Until the GOP starts condemning their own irresponsible leaders and starts protecting American Democracy, there is absolutely no sense in voting for the GOP, regardless of the individual.

Trump and other Republicans are seizing the moment of the former presidents criminal indictment to ask supporters for money, the writer noted.

Until this disgusting narrative ends, the GOP will never again get my vote, the person wrote on the Illinois GOPs social media post.

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Is this the end of the Republican Party? Clearly there is no longer any room in the party for patriots like former Reps. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois or Liz Cheney of Wyoming. The top requirement for membership in todays GOP is unquestioning loyalty and willingness to say the naked emperors clothes are beautiful.

The price of admission to call oneself a Republican nowadays is an oath of fealty to a criminal defendant. Tuesdays was the first, but Trump is expected to face more criminal indictments.

Theres the grand jury in Georgia investigating whether Trump committed crimes by interfering with that states 2020 presidential election. A special counsel appointed by the Department of Justice is investigating whether Trump broke the law by taking classified documents with him to his Florida estate and lying about it.

Trump has denied wrongdoing in all the cases.

For now, it appears the 25% of the American electorate that identifies as Republican has no choice but to ride the Trump train. They may be silent at the moment due to reluctance to defend a suspected criminal. But few appear brave enough to stand on principle and denounce a lifelong con artist. Instead, many Republican leaders have attacked the rule of law.

Meanwhile, 31% of Americans identify as Democratic and 41% consider themselves independents, according to Gallup. Theyre not afraid to say the emperor has no clothes. Despite mainstream medias best efforts to give both sides equal treatment, most American voters are sick of Trump. Yet he remains the front-runner for the GOPs 2024 presidential nomination.

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Trumps criminal arraignment creates quite the quandary for GOP leadership. In the past, like when Nixon resigned the White House due to the Watergate scandal, Republican moderates would insist on expelling extremists from their ranks.

By defending Trump instead of denouncing him, todays GOP leadership embraces extremism. At the very least, party leaders could have refrained from attacking prosecutors until they knew what evidence authorities had gathered.

Alvin Bragg has irreparably damaged our country in an attempt to interfere in our Presidential election, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy posted Thursday on social media about the New York district attorney. He weaponized our sacred system of justice against President Donald Trump.

Its understandable why a weak party leader would make such a statement. Its also clear thats going to be a tough political message to sell to voters. While Trump was preparing to be fingerprinted and having his mug shot taken, President Joe Biden was in Minnesota talking about jobs, clean energy and the economy.

Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday By submitting your email to receive this newsletter, you agree to our Subscriber Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy >

Its obvious that the smart thing, politically, for Republicans to do at this point would be to bail on Trump. Privately many GOP leaders would likely admit they would like nothing better than to throw Trump under his campaign bus.

But they cant, because Trump remains the most popular candidate among the base of GOP voters. GOP leadership does not care that their base is populated with people who think Democrats are holding children as sex slaves in nonexistent basements of pizza parlors. The customer is always right.

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The Republican Party built its political operation on hate and division and it was inevitable that someone like Trump would beat all other contenders to become its leader.

Now the party is stuck with a criminal defendant as its likely presidential nominee. Republicans cant win with Trump and they cant win without him. If hes not the GOP nominee hell run as a third party independent because his best hope to avoid prison is to win the White House. He will not stop trying until he exhausts every possible option.

At this point the most important unanswered questions are for local, state and national Republican Party leaders. Do they support Trump as their partys 2024 presidential nominee, and will they support him for president if he wins the GOP nomination?

Ted Slowik is a columnist for the Daily Southtown.

tslowik@tribpub.com
In its eighth iteration of a Shark Tank style innovation competition, the XVIII Airborne Corps teamed with U.S. Special Operations Command and added a patent expert as a judge to the competition since now soldiers may profit from their ideas.

The Dragons Lair competition, created by the XVIII Airborne Corps, out of Fort Bragg, North Carolina, in recent years to solicit creative solutions from soldiers and other service members that might fix technical problems troops face.

One of the early winners in 2020 was a simple attachment that could be fixed to a forklift trailer and allow the forklift to move items around a motor pool instead of using a Humvee.

Recent winners have grown a bit more technical.

This years winner featured a Mold Conditions Awareness Tool, presented by Army 1st Lt. Chris Aliperti and Pvt. Salem Ezz with the 3rd Infantry Division. And thats good because a recent report found mold in more than 2,000 Army facilities after a service-wide inspection.

Dragons Lair 8 Panel Members pass around a 3D printed mortar sight at the University of South Florida Inventors Research Park in Tampa, Florida, March 29, 2023. This sight is an early prototype created to provide more protection when firing a lightweight company mortar. (Sgt. Maxine Baen/Army)

The device is a specialized 3D-printed device that uses sensors to detect temperature and humidity levels within barracks rooms to identify early signs of mold, according to an Army release.

The data is then used in real time through a Wi-Fi connection so that leaders in other locations can visualize and assess conditions remotely.

Dragons Lair was a great opportunity to present our ideas to leaders across the Department of Defense and the civilian sector, Aliperti said in the release. It is not every day you get to present your ideas on improving the Army to a three and four-star general, so it was a great honor to be selected.

The device is currently in beta test mode, being used to assess barracks at Fort Stewart, Georgia.

It feels great to be recognized for our technical skills in software engineering and product management, said Ezz. This tool has been months in the making and it feels great that the hard work has been recognized by the Department of Defense.

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And this pair of soldiers, along with other competitors, now benefit from feedback from the U.S. Patent and Trade Office.

U.S. Undersecretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property Kathi Vidal served as a judge on the Dragons Lair panel during the March 29 competition.

I thought all the ideas today were so phenomenal, Vidal said in the release. We saw these innovators really put their boots on the ground to see their projects through and create concrete solutions for real problems the Army currently faces.

Another benefit for the winners is that each of them will receive a Meritorious Service Medal and a seat at the military school of their choice.
Protesters outside Trump arraignment Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Former President Donald Trump arrived at a Manhattan courthouse on Tuesday to be arraigned for his role in allegedly falsifying business records as part of a coverup of hush money payments made to former adult film star Stormy Daniels. His appearance  the first-ever instance of a former president facing criminal charges  follows a series of bombastic statements made by Trump against Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, presiding Judge Juan Merchan, and a host of other perceived antagonists and political irritants.

In keeping with the same sense of bombast modeled by Trump in his social media preamble to Tuesday's arraignment, protesters and revelers alike spent the day celebrating and denouncing the former president outside the courthouse. The scrum helped return the former president to the spot where he's most comfortable operating: at the center of everyone's attention. Serious legal jeopardy notwithstanding, Trump has managed to leverage his pre-and-post arraignment appearance into a pseudo-campaign rally to energize his base, replete with fodder for a new round of lucrative fundraising. And although Trump was uncharacteristically demure during the arraignment itself, where he pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, the overall atmosphere of the day  which Trump himself helped stoke  was hyperbolic and electric.

The circus

Even before Trump arrived at the Manhattan courthouse on Tuesday afternoon, the mood was set by a series of appearances from two high-profile congressional Republicans: Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.), and George Santos (N.Y.), each of whom briefly lent their support to the indicted former president before quickly leaving the scene to choruses of boos.

Greene also bookended her reportedly un-permitted rally with an interview with the pro-Trump Right Side Broadcasting Network, presenting the former president as having joined "some of the most incredible people in history" who had been arrested, including South African anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela, and Jesus Christ.

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Massing on either side of barricades set to keep the dueling pro-and-anti-Trump rallies separate, supporters and detractors of the former president argued and cheered, while an enormous media presence swarmed the proceedings, adding to the free-wheeling circuslike atmosphere.

Writing in The New Yorker, Clare Malone highlighted the challenge that came with framing Tuesday's historic proceedings, given the pre-existing dynamics of Trump fatigue and hyperbolic sentiment, pointing out that "The Manhattan grand jury's indictment is a complex story, and an early test of whether the media has learned any lessons about how to healthily metabolize a Trump news cycle."

Trump as ringmaster

"In the short term," longtime Trump campaign pollster John McLaughlin told Real Clear Politics ahead of Tuesday's arraignment, "this is really helping us in the primary."

Indeed, Trump has been reportedly been working behind the scenes in the days leading up to Tuesday's court appearance to maximize the impact of his arraignment on his political future. He was reportedly joined on his flight from Florida to New York by a private videographer  and no independent press  and had allegedly worked to stymie plans for a video conference arraignment in lieu of an in-person appearance. According to a law enforcement source who spoke with Rolling Stone ahead of Trump's arrest, "he wanted a perp walk; he wanted daylight hours."

"It's kind of a Jesus Christ thing," the official added. "He is saying, 'I'm absorbing all this pain from all around from everywhere so you don't have to.'"

Trump has even considered marketing his arrest optics, with Rolling Stone reporting that his team has pushed for any mugshot taken of the former president to be printed on shirts and mugs for sale as "fuel for a fundraising drive, or as a potent new symbol on 2024 campaign merchandise." Perhaps impatient, Trump's campaign team sent an email on Tuesday, selling a doctored Trump "not guilty" mugshot t-shirt for $47 before the candidate had even left the Manhattan courthouse.

While Trump has worked to maximize his public exposure around his court appearance, his legal team has studiously endeavored to keep the actual legal proceedings under wraps. In a letter to the presiding judge, Trump's attorneys argued against cameras in the courtroom, for fear they would "create a circus-like atmosphere at the arraignment," and would be "inconsistent with President Trump's presumption of innocence."

The split between crafting a narrative outside the courtroom, and demanding secrecy therein is deliberate, argued Sky News' James Matthews, writing, "he wants the circus, believing it will cast him as the victim in an act of political aggression before an audience that's sufficiently sympathetic."

"It's already worked for him," Matthews continued. "When he announced, prematurely, news of his arrest on his social media platform, his fundraising surged to more than $1.5m."

In a separate analysis, Matthews noted that "the more he is portrayed as a victim of injustice, the more his core support rally round him. Politically, presidentially, the question for the grievance candidate, beyond the base, will be: how much grief is too much?"

"But," he cautioned, "there is the small matter of a court action, or four, before all that."

Seemingly aware of Trump's penchant for capitalizing on his sizeable megaphone, Judge Merchan cautioned Trump against making any statements that could incite violence against any of the officials working on the case, although he did not impose a full gag order. Shortly after Trump entered his not guilty pleas, his son Donald Trump Jr. nevertheless reportedly posted a photo of Merchan's daughter to his Truth Social account.

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India and China share a de-facto border, parts of which are located in Arunachal Pradesh

India has reacted sharply to China's attempts to rename places in the north-eastern state of Arunachal Pradesh and said it "outright rejects" the move.

The state has been and will always be an "integral and inalienable part of India," foreign ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said on Tuesday.

His comments came after reports said that China had renamed 11 places along a disputed Himalayan border region in the state.

Beijing has not yet commented.

China and India share a disputed 3,440km (2,100 mile) long de facto border - called the Line of Actual Control, or LAC - which is poorly demarcated. The presence of rivers, lakes and snowcaps means the line can shift.

China continues to stake claim on the whole of Arunachal Pradesh, calling it "South Tibet".

The soldiers on either side - representing two of the world's largest armies - come face to face at many points, the last time being in December when Indian and Chinese troops clashed along the border in the town of Tawang.

This is also not the first time that Beijing has renamed places in the state, triggering angry reactions from India.

The latest tensions began after the Chinese Ministry of Civil Affairs on 1 April announced that it had "standardised some geographical names in southern Tibet".

This included mountain peaks, residential areas, rivers and a town close to the state's capital Itanagar.

India said Beijing could not alter the status of places in the north-eastern state.

"This is not first time China has made such an attempt. We reject this outright," Mr Bagchi said in a statement.

"Arunachal Pradesh is an integral, inalienable part of India. And attempts to assign invented names will not alter this reality," he added.

Beijing first sought to rename six districts in Arunachal Pradesh in 2017 in a move that was seen as "retaliation" for a visit by the Dalai Lama. The Tibetan spiritual leader had visited the region earlier that year in April.

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It released a second list in December last year, this time renaming 15 places in the region. India reacted strongly and said it rejected the changes.

Read more India stories from the BBC:
Republican presidential candidate and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson swiped at former President Trump on Monday for collaborating on and playing at his rallies a song recorded by the J6 Prison Choir, a group made up Capitol riot defendants.

Justice for All, which was released a month ago, features the former president reciting the Pledge of Allegiance after a chorus of his jailed supporters sing The Star-Spangled Banner.

The song hit No 1. on iTunes, and Trump used it to kick off his first official 2024 campaign rally in Waco, Texas.

To me, hes undermining our system of justice, Hutchinson said. Hes undermining actually what happened on Jan. 6 and minimizing it, and so Im troubled by that, he added to News Nations Elizabeth Vargas during the premier of Elizabeth Vargas Reports when asked about the incident.

Obviously, he did it because it would create a stir, and hes good at creating stirs, Hutchinson said.

I dont think we should elevate Jan. 6. It was a serious challenge to our democracy. It was a blight against the United States, against the world, he continued. So its a dark moment  we need to move on and talk about the future and how we need to make sure our elections are filled with integrity, but also that we peacefully transfer power. Thats what our democracy is known for.

Hutchinson announced on Sunday that he was running for president, becoming the fourth Republican to jump into the primary field, following Trump, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.

Hutchinson will likely face a tough road in the primary, which has been dominated by Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R ), who has yet to officially jump into the race. A Quinnipiac University survey released last week shows the former Arkansas governor registering at less than 1 percent in support from Republican voters. Trump, on the other hand, led the field with 47 percent support, while DeSantis followed at 33 percent.

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Hutchinson has also fielded questions about Trumps indictment by a Manhattan grand jury, saying that as a former prosecutor he would not have brought the case, but that the facts of the matter should be heard.

Other Republicans have been far less tolerant of the New York case, accusing District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D) of a political witch hunt.

Over the weekend DeSantis labeled Bragg a menace to society.

When asked about DeSantiss comments, Hutchinson told Vargas that hes appealing to the worst instincts of America versus trying to sort through a difficult time in our country.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Asa Hutchinson Win McNamee/Getty Images

There is another Republican in the 2024 presidential race: Asa Hutchinson, until recently the governor of Arkansas. Hutchinson announced his candidacy on Sunday, Politico reports, and took dead aim at frontrunner Donald Trump  suggesting the former president should drop out of the race now that he has been indicted on criminal charges in New York.

"I mean, first of all, the office is more important than any individual person," Hutchinson told ABC News. "And so for the sake of the office of the presidency, I do think that's too much of a sideshow and distraction, and he needs to be able to concentrate on his due process."

That almost certainly won't happen. Instead, Hutchinson joins a growing crowd running for the GOP's presidential nomination in 2024  a group that includes Trump, obviously, but also former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy. (Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is clearly preparing to run, but hasn't formally made an announcement yet.) But Hutchinson is probably the most openly anti-Trump candidate in the field. USA Today reports that Hutchinson says Trump shouldn't be the nominee "because of how democracy was undermined on January 6  and how he seems to lead with chaos versus the best interests of the country."

Hutchinson's background

Hutchinson, 72, has been on the national political scene a long time: In the late 1990s  as a U.S. congressman from Arkansas  he was one of the leaders in the effort to impeach then-President Bill Clinton. "Anybody who observed me at that time knows I was just trying to help the country through a difficult time," he told Politico in 2014 during his first gubernatorial run.

He spent just four years in Congress before moving into the administration of George W. Bush  first as head of the Drug Enforcement Administration, then as an undersecretary in the Department of Homeland Security. He won the Arkansas governor's race in 2014, and re-election in 2018, before leaving office earlier this year because of term limits.

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Hutchinson has robust conservative credentials, but he has occasionally departed from party orthodoxy: In 2021 he vetoed legislation to block transgender children from receiving puberty blockers and other medical care to help them transition, The Washington Post reports. "While in some instances the state must act to protect life, the state should not presume to jump into the middle of every medical, human and ethical issue," he said at the time. "This would be  and is  a vast government overreach." The legislature overrode his veto.

Challenging Trump

In a Republican Party defined by its fealty to Trump, Hutchinson has also been willing to break from the pack. He came out against Trump's nomination in 2022, telling the Associated Press a third straight GOP nomination for the former president is "really the worst scenario." He particularly criticized Trump's infamous social media statement about overturning the Constitution to reverse the results of the 2020 election. "I mean, any leader, former president that says suspend the Constitution is tearing at the fabric of our democracy," Hutchinson said.

At the moment, though, it seems unlikely Hutchinson will be able to stand in Trump's way. "His standing in polls of a hypothetical Republican presidential primary is so low, he rarely gets to a single digit," U.S. News & World Report says, "instead earning an em-dash level of support among Republican voters." But if Hutchison is merely making a vanity run for the White House, he's not giving any hints. "I do not have the same level of exposure or name ID as some others that are out there," Hutchinson told the Washington Post, "and we've just got to build it,"

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Carol Vorderman has been rounding up a long list of Conservative MPs and councillors who do not say which political party they represent on their social media profiles.

The former Countdown statistician asked her 739,000 followers to screenshot the profiles of any Tory politicians who were hiding their party from their socials.

I WANT YOUR HELP, she tweeted on Monday (3 April). Ive noticed a number of Tory MPs and councillors removing mention of them being Tories from their social media profiles.

Id like to collate them and do some statistical work on this (you know I like numbers!).

CAN YOU SCREENSHOT ANY YOU FIND AND POST HERE?

Vorderman pointed out that politicians from other political parties do display their allegiance on their profiles.

The Independent has checked the social accounts of all 31 politicians in Labours shadow cabinet, and every single one has a prominent mention of their party either in their bio or header art.

Vorderman told her followers that out of 98 Tory MP Twitter accounts, only 28 have Conservative in their bio or header art!!!, adding: So far 70 per cent of them have deleted any reference to their own political party #ToriesDeletingTory.

She also posted: Of the last four Tory prime ministers ONLY Rishi Sunak mentions that he is Conservative. Liz Truss  no mention of Conservative. Boris Johnson  no mention of Conservative. Theresa May  no mention of Conservative. How ashamed of their party are they?

Among the MPs she called out was Nadhim Zahawai, who was recently re-elected as the Conservative candidate for Stratford-on-Avon.

The star also called out Tories using green campaign leaflets, rather than blue ones.

Vorderman caught out Lee Anderson, the current chair of the Conservative Party, who changed his bio in the wake of her investigation.

In retaliation, he told Vorderman to act your age, to which she replied she was howling laughing as she told the MP and GB News presenter to get a grip.

The star has criticised the Conservatives before. Earlier this month, Vorderman said she was absolutely disgusted by the words and actions of two government ministers as she appeared before MPs to discuss menopause and the workplace. Read more here.
Chocolate and peanut butter bars have been recalled from Costco stores. Heres a quick way to know if this affects you:

Have you bought 15-packs of SimplyProtein Crispy Bars? No? Youre good.

Did you buy them at a Costco in California; Texas; Washington, D.C.; Arkansas; Kansas; Maryland; Oklahoma, Pennsylvania or Virginia? No? Youre good.

Did you answer yes to both of the above questions, and theres the possibility the bars might be eaten by someone with a tree nut allergy? No, theres not a possibility? Youre good. Have a nice day.

For those who answered yes to all of the above, the problem is in the five Peanut Butter Chocolate Crispy Bars in the pack of 15. They might have traces of cashews.

As Wellness Naturals FDA-posted recall notice states, People who have an allergy or severe sensitivity to cashew run the risk of a serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume these products.

The bars are from lot No. TN3005A with a best by date of 05 Jan 2024 and Lot TN3005A. Thats on the individual bar wrapper. The outside carton of 15 will have lot No. TN3005. The other 10 protein bars in the pack are not affected by this recall.

Some SimplyProtein Peanut Butter Chocolate Crispy Bars have been recalled.

Wellness says it received a consumer complaint and decided the lot might have trace levels of undeclared cashew. The cause of the contamination is being investigated.

If you have these bars and need to return them, do so at the Costco of purchase. If you have questions, email Wellness at contact@wellnessnaturalinc.com, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Eastern time.
By Kirsty Needham

SYDNEY (Reuters) - The U.S. technological edge is eroding, an Australian intelligence chief said on Tuesday, as a Sydney conference was told the AUKUS alliance of Australia, Britain and the United States must collaborate on quantum and hypersonic technology to compete with China.

Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, chairman of the U.S. Special Competitive Studies Project, told the Sydney Dialogue that China was unlike the Soviet Union at the height of the Cold War, because it was "an autocratic competitor that is run by technocrats that is very capable of inventing a new future".

Andrew Shearer, the director-general of the Office of National Intelligence, said the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific region was starting to "shift away from the United States and its allies, undermining deterrence".

"We are seeing our longstanding technological edge start to erode, and in some cases that edge is totally gone," he added.

The AUKUS alliance will see Australia buy a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines, but Defence Minister Richard Marles told the conference, hosted by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, it would also share other defence technologies.

Australia's top quantum computer scientist, Michelle Simmons, said AUKUS would need to overcome hurdles to collaboration, such as foreign investment and visa restrictions, and she urged the three nations to form a "joint mission" to develop a quantum computer.

"Its quite critical for the nations to work together to make sure we pool our resources, to make sure we are at the forefront," she said.

Britain was behind where it wanted to be in hypersonics and AUKUS would help, said Stephen Lovegrove, Britain's former national security adviser.

Schmidt, who has advised United States Department of Defense on artificial intelligence, said China is organised around drones, hypersonic and automation technology, and this should influence Australia's military spending decisions.

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Although it was likely there would be decoupling between China and Western allies in critical technology, China was not an enemy and the could work together in other areas, he added.

"We are going to have a great deal of non-strategic partnering with China, and Australia will in particular, there will be lots of trade in things that are relatively commodity... but there's not going to be agreement on common standards on chips," he said.

He criticised the U.S. government for restricting Chinese researchers from moving to the United States to work on technologies like quantum computing.

"Why would you not want the smartest Indians and Russians and Chinese out of those countries and in your country?" he said.

(Reporting by Kirsty Needham. Editing by Gerry Doyle)
TikTok is facing a complete ban in the United States amid Chinese surveillence and interference fears (The Associated Press)

Australia has become the latest country to ban TikTok from government devices due to security concerns surrounding the Chinese-owned app.

It follows similar bans from the US, Canada, New Zealand, Norway, the EU and UK, while India and Afghanistan have enforced complete bans of the viral video app

The ban comes amid growing worries that China could use the company, owned by Beijing-based ByteDance, to harvest users data to advance its political agenda, undermining Western security interests.

It also risks renewing diplomatic tension between Australia and its largest trading partner after things eased somewhat since Prime Minister Anthony Albanese took office in May at the head of a Labor government.

TikTok said it was extremely disappointed by Australias decision, calling it driven by politics, not by fact.

The ban will come into effect as soon as practicable, Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said in a statement, adding that exemptions would only be granted on a case-by-case basis and with appropriate security measures in place.

With Australias ban, all members of the so-called Five Eyes intelligence-sharing network  which consists of Australia, Canada, the United States, Britain and New Zealand  have banned the app from government devices.

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew, in testimony before the US Congress last month, repeatedly denied that the app shares data or has connections with the Chinese Communist Party.

TikToks Australia and New Zealand General Manager Lee Hunter said TikTok should not be singled out.

There is no evidence to suggest that TikTok is in any way a security risk to Australians and should not be treated differently to other social media platforms, Hunter said in a statement.

The Australian newspaper late on Monday reported Albanese had agreed to the ban after a review by the Home Affairs department.

Dreyfus confirmed the federal government had recently received a Review into Foreign Interference through Social Media Applications report and that its recommendations remained under consideration.

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The ban comes on the day Australian and Chinese officials held talks in Beijing in a bid to normalise trade as the World Trade Organization prepares to release findings into an Australian complaint on barley tariffs.

Things are going well, but of course, itll take some time to turn this ship around, Trade Minister Don Farrell told Sky News, referring to prospects for improving trade relations.

In 2018, Australia banned Chinas Huawei from providing equipment during the rollout of its 5G network, riling China. Ties soured further after Canberra called for an independent investigation into the origin of Covid-19.

China responded by imposing tariffs on Australian commodities.

Australian lawmakers can still use TikTok on personal phones but some, including federal Government Services Minister Bill Shorten and Victoria state Premier Daniel Andrews, have decided to delete their accounts.

While TikTok comes under mounting pressure over the potential Chinese influence over the platform, it also faces criticism over its influence on children.

TikTok has said the administration of President Joe Biden demanded its Chinese owners divest their stakes or face a potential US ban.

A bipartisan Senate bill known as the RESTRICT Act would give the White House new powers to ban apps and other technologies coming from China if passed.

Additional reporting from agencies.
Montgomery County was a hotspot for job growth and investment last year, driven by upcoming projects at a few companies.

The county added 1,491 promised jobs in 2022, the most of any county in the state, according to the 2022 Alabama Economic Development Report. In this context, a promised job means a position that a company has announced it will hire someone for.

While its still good news for the county, most of those jobs havent been filled yet, said Ellen McNair, chief economic development officer for the Montgomery Chamber of Commerce.

They're just super great jobs, but I would say the majority of those were announced but not filled yet. Coming soon, for sure, McNair said.

Workers assemble vehicles at the Hyundai plant in Montgomery, Ala., on Friday, Jan. 18, 2019.

McNair added that most of the jobs will be great paying, with estimates from some of the companies starting at about $60,000 or more a year.

The majority of these new positions are at facilities for automotive manufacturers and two beverage companies locating in Montgomery. Hyundai is adding a total of 567 jobs and $387 million in investment between two projects. Mobis, which supplies parts to Hyundai, is adding 400 new jobs and $205 million in investment.

Manna Beverages and Ventures plan to establish a 180-acre beverage park at the Hope Hull exit off I-85 is expected to create 280 new jobs. The $600 million beverage production and distribution facility is expected to be operational in 2025.

Another beverage company, Diageo, has announced plans for a manufacturing facility in Montgomery that is expected to add 76 jobs. The $415 million facility will be Diageos first in Alabama.

McNair said the two facilities should be under construction by the end of the year.

Between the major projects and a few smaller ones, Montgomery County locked in $1.7 billion in new investments, second only to Baldwin Countys $2.5 million.

It was a record year for new investments statewide, with $10.1 billion secured, the most ever in a calendar year according to Gov. Kay Iveys office.

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These results mean Alabamas economic development team is making a real difference in shaping a more prosperous future for the hard-working citizens of our state, said Greg Canfield, Secretary of the Alabama Department of Commerce. And, while were proud of setting records, were just going to keep on working to deliver a better tomorrow for Alabama.

Mayor Steven Reed previously called 2022 a banner year for investment in Montgomery, touting the citys strategic approach to bringing investors in. The city has offered several incentives to some of the companies, including tax abatements and infrastructure improvements.

Evan Mealins is the justice reporter for the Montgomery Advertiser. Contact him at emealins@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter @EvanMealins.

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This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Montgomery job growth most in state thanks to Hyundai, Manna, Diageo
Election signs fill the front lawn of the Gail Borden Public Library in Elgin, one of many polling places in Kane County where people cast Election Day ballots Tuesday. (Gloria Casas / The Courier-News)

Voter turnout was higher this year than in the two previous countywide elections, Kane County Clerk John Jack Cunningham said.

We have some 41,537 votes cast so far, Cunningham said of the total tally from in-person, early voting and mail-in voting as of 4 p.m. Tuesday. We already surpassed the number from the last two consolidated elections.

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Kane County has 305,317 registered voters. By late Tuesday afternoon, about 13.6% of of them had cast ballots. With polls closing at 7 p.m., the final number will be higher, Cunningham said.

The early voting total was 12,124, he said, and another 11,758 people voted by mail-in ballot, which is still an option thats new to Kane voters, Cunningham said.

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The clerks office mailed out 26,371 ballots so theres still a number that could come in with Tuesdays postmark, making them eligible to be counted by April 18, the date on which results must be certified, he said.

Some states are converting to only mail-in voting, and he expects Illinois will eventually do the same. Its going to happen. We have to be prepared for it, he said.

Voter turnout for municipal elections is traditionally low. The figure was 9.90% in 2019, the last time municipal seats were up for election.

There were dozens of city, village, park and school board races to be decided in Tuesdays election.

In Elgin, voters going to the polls had to choose if Mayor Dave Kaptain will receive another term or if Councilman Corey Dixon will be given a shot at helming the city. There are four open council positions as well.

Christopher Gonzalez, a Dixon volunteer who went to college with the candidate, was at Gail Borden Public Library in Elgin just before polls opened at 6 a.m.

It was dead here (in the morning), Gonzalez said, but by mid-morning there was a steady flow.

With heavy rain with hail starting around noon, the turnout slowed again, he said.

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Even with a steady stream of voters, Gonzalez said he believes early voting and mail-in options are starting to have an impact on the number of people casting live votes on Election Day. He spoke to a number of voters about the different balloting options while campaigning on Dixons behalf since January, he said.

A lot of people said they mailed in ballots, Gonzalez said.

Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
Police in Texas are investigating after officers say a baby girl was found dead in the bathroom of a gas station.

Surveillance footage obtained by KTRK shows a woman entered the bathroom of a Shell station in Houston at 10 p.m. Saturday, April 1. She was there for about 15 minutes, the Houston Police Department said in a news release.

At 4:25 a.m. Sunday, a customer went to use the restroom at the gas station and found the baby, police said.

The woman called 911, and paramedics attempted to provide medical care to the infant. But police said the baby had been dead for hours.

Employees at the gas station were traumatized, KTRK reported.

Its unclear how old the baby was. An autopsy will determine if the infant was dead before or after the woman entered the gas station.

Police are searching for the woman and anyone with information is asked to contact Houston police at 713-308-3600.

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Mike Fleiss, the creator and executive producer of "The Bachelor," is leaving the franchise after an investigation into claims of racial discrimination. Steven Lawton/FilmMagic via Getty Images

Mike Fleiss, the creator of 'The Bachelor,' announced he's leaving the mega-popular franchise.

His departure follows an investigation into accusations of racial discrimination, Variety reported.

'The Bachelor' and 'The Bachelorette' have long faced criticism for their lack of diversity.

The creator of 'The Bachelor" is leaving the popular TV franchise amid allegations of racial discrimination.

In late March, Mike Fleiss, who created the immensely successful dating show 21 years ago, announced he was leaving the franchise. His departure follows an investigation into allegations of racial discrimination, Variety reported.

Individuals familiar with the situation told Variety that a number of employees had complained to human resources about Fleiss, leading to a months-long investigation conducted by Warner Bros. TV. Warner Bros. TV and ABC, which have aired and produced "The Bachelor" since 2002, both declined to comment about the investigation.

During the investigation, producers complained about Fleiss' "bullying" behavior, and said he would "lash out" against production staffers who suggested casting more diverse reality stars, sources told Variety.

"People said he would retaliate against people for having minorities and Black people on the show. He favored certain people over other people," an individual familiar with the investigation told Variety. "He would say, 'Minorities don't get ratings.'"

Chris Harrison surrounded by cast members of "The Bachelor." Ari Perilstein/Getty Images

A longstanding problem with diversity

"The Bachelor" has long been criticized for its lack of racial diversity.

The vast majority of the contestants and leads on "The Bachelor" and "The Bachelorette" throughout its 21-year history have been white. In 2014, Venezuelan athlete Juan Pablo Galavis was promoted as the first "non-Caucasian" lead, but some critics called Galavis "white-passing," and the National Hispanic Media Coalition said the majority of Latinos in America have darker skin and deserve greater representation. (The New York post wrote that he "looks so white he could easily slip into a Mitt Romney family photo.")

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Juan Pablo Galavis, right, with Chris Harrison, left. Rick Rowell/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images

It wasn't until 2017 that the franchise cast its first-ever Black lead, Rachel Lindsay. A few years later in 2021, the show had its first Black male lead, Matt James. There has never been an Asian lead, though some "Bachelor" fans, including Simu Liu, are calling for Ethan Kang, who appeared in the 19th season of "The Bachelorette" last year, to become the next Bachelor.

Contestants of color, especially Black people, are often eliminated early in each season, studies show. A 2016 study by Splinter found that 59% of Black contestants leave within the first two weeks, and another 2016 study by Salon found that only four winners in the 31 seasons of "The Bachelor" and "The Bachelorette" by that time could at least partially claim non-white ancestry.

The show has made increased efforts to expand its diversity in recent years. The next star of "The Bachelorette," airing this summer, is Charity Lawson, a Black contestant from the most recent season of "The Bachelor." Lawson will become the fourth female lead of color on "The Bachelorette" in its 20 seasons.

Rachel Lindsay on night one of season 13 of "The Bachelorette." Paul Hebert/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images

"Does change ever come fast enough for those that want it and need it? No it doesn't," Chris Harrison, the show's former longtime host, told Insider in 2020. "You can't just flip a switch because when things have been going a certain direction for a long time, it takes awhile to turn around a big boat  and 'The Bachelor' is a big boat."

Harrison left the franchise in 2021 after he was condemned by fans and contestants for defending a white contestant for attending an Antebellum South-themed formal event.

The Fleiss-less future of 'The Bachelor'

In a statement to Variety, Fleiss acknowledged that he could have done more to diversify the show, and hopes the franchise will continue to move in the right direction as it continues without him.

"I had no idea back in 2002 that we were building a pop culture juggernaut. It was a crazy idea then and sure as hell continues to roll  just look at every network and streamer that has ripped us off! Since its premiere 21 years ago, times have certainly changed and I'd have to say we didn't keep up with the pace of those changes," Fleiss said in his statement.

"I am proud of the work we've done over the past five years to make the show substantially more diverse, but I do believe I could have done more. Hopefully, the franchise will continue to move in the right direction," Fleiss said.

Fleiss will have zero involvement in the show moving forward, although he will continue to be credited on the franchise as its creator.

Read the original article on Insider
Tottenham winger Lucas Moura has apologised for the mistake he made in getting sent off at Everton on Monday night, insisting there was no malicious intent in his dangerous tackle on Michael Keane.

The 30-year-old Brazilian was dismissed just six minutes after being introduced from the bench at Goodison Park for an over-the-top challenge on Keane, who showed no ill-effects to stride forward and hit a swerving shot past Hugo Lloris to salvage a 1-1 draw for the Toffees.

Moura took to his Instagram Story after the match to write: There are good days and bad days, today is a bad day for me.

No-one is more frustrated than me. I made a mistake and I accept that. I am not this kind of player and I didnt mean to do that.

Sometimes for the sake of milliseconds, something totally different happens than what you planned.

I want to apologise to my team-mates, the staff, the fans and the club.

I will keep working hard to help the team as much as I can until my last day at the club.

The result, in interim boss Cristian Stellinis first match at the helm, delivered a further blow to Spurs hopes of finishing in the Premier Leagues top four.
By Pavel Polityuk

KYIV (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said during a trip to Warsaw on Wednesday that Poland would help form a coalition of Western powers to supply warplanes to Kyiv, adding that Ukrainian troops were still fighting for Bakhmut in the east but could withdraw if they risked being cut off.

Neighbouring Poland is a close ally of Ukraine and helped galvanise support in the West to supply main battle tanks to Kyiv. During Zelenskiy's visit, Poland announced it would send 10 more MiG fighter jets on top of four provided earlier.

"Just as your (Polish) leadership proved itself in the tank coalition, I believe that it will manifest itself in the planes coalition," Zelenskiy said in a speech on a square in Warsaw.

Earlier in the day, Zelenskiy said Ukrainian troops faced a really difficult situation in Bakhmut and the military would take "corresponding" decisions to protect them if they risk being encircled by Russian invasion forces.

Ukrainian forces in Bakhmut sometimes advanced a little only to be knocked back, Zelenskiy said, but remained inside the city.

"We are in Bakhmut and the enemy does not control it," Zelenskiy said.

BOMBARDMENT

Bakhmut, in Ukraine's mainly Russian-occupied Donetsk province, has proven one of the bloodiest and longest battles of Russia's invasion, now in its 14th month. Kyiv's forces have held out against a Russian onslaught with heavy losses on both sides and the city, a mining and transport hub, reduced to ruin after months of street fighting and bombardment.

"For me, the most important is not to lose our soldiers and of course if there is a moment of even hotter events and the danger we could lose our personnel because of encirclement - of course the corresponding correct decisions will be taken by generals there," Zelenskiy said.

He appeared to be referring to the idea of withdrawing.

However, Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Malyar said later in that the situation at the front was "completely under control" despite repeated Russian attempts to take Bakhmut and other cities in the east.

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Reuters could not verify the battlefield reports.

Ukrainian military commanders have stressed the importance of holding Bakhmut and other cities and inflicting losses on Russian troops before an anticipated counter-offensive against them in the coming weeks or months.

Mercenaries from the Wagner group - who have spearheaded the assault on Bakhmut - said at the weekend they had captured the city centre, a claim dismissed by Kyiv.

The U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War said the Wagner fighters had made advances in Bakhmut and were likely to continue trying to consolidate control of the city centre and push westward through dense urban neighbourhoods.

PLAYING THE CHINA CARD

French President Emmanuel Macron, meanwhile, was visiting China after he and U.S. President Joe Biden agreed they would try to engage Beijing to hasten the end of the Russian assault on Ukraine.

China has called for a comprehensive ceasefire and described its position on the conflict as "impartial", even though the Chinese and Russian presidents announced a "no limits" partnership shortly before the invasion.

Both Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, due in Beijing shortly after him, have said they want to persuade China to use its influence over Russia to bring peace in Ukraine, or to at least deter Beijing from directly supporting Moscow in the conflict.

The U.S. and NATO have said China was considering sending arms to Russia, which Beijing has denied.

'SHOULDER TO SHOULDER'

Poland has played a big role in persuading Western allies to supply battle tanks and other heavy weapons to Ukraine, which helped Kyiv stem and sometimes reverse Russian advances so far.

"You have stood shoulder to shoulder with us, and we are grateful for it," Zelenskiy said after Polish President Andrzej Duda presented him with Poland's highest award, the Order of the White Eagle.

Duda said Warsaw was also working to secure additional security guarantees for Ukraine at a NATO summit to be held in the Lithuania in July.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told state TV that Moscow needed to maintain relations with Washington even though American supplies of weapons to Ukraine meant "we are really in a hot phase of the war".

In addition to MiG-29s, Kyiv has also pressed NATO for F-16 jet fighters but Duda's foreign policy adviser, Marcin Przydacz, said Poland would not decide soon on whether to send any.

(Reporting by Pavel Polityuk with additional reporting by Ron Popeski, Mike Stone, Alan Charlish, Pawel Florkiewicz and Tom Balmforth; writing by Angus MacSwan, Mark Heinrich and Idrees Ali; editing by Philippa Fletcher, Nick Macfie and Grant McCool)
Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling as Barbie and Ken in Barbie. (Warner Bros.)

After 21 years of animated Barbie movies, a live-action adaptation is making its way to the big screen.

Warner Bros., the studio behind the movie, has released 24 new character posters for the film revealing more about the film that looks set to be a summer smash when it arrives in July.

From Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling to Helen Mirren and Will Ferrell, the film boasts more stars than the milky way.

Read more: Watch the first teaser for Barbie

Heres everything we know about the Barbie movie so far.

When will the Barbie movie be released?

Warner Bros. has scheduled the official Barbie theatrical release for 21 July, 2023.

As of yet, there is no schedule for a digital release, though this could be expected around 45 days after in line with the studios history.

Barbie (Warner Bros.)

While nothing is set in stone, audiences could be seeing the Barbie movie online as soon as September 2023.

Who will star in the Barbie movie?

Margot Robbie in Barbie. (Warner Bros.)

With so many details still unknown, the Barbie movie was quick to announce its star-studded cast.

Margot Robbie is taking on the lead role of Barbie, while Ryan Gosling is set to play opposite her as Ken.

Read more: Margot Robbie promises 'surprising' Barbie movie

With two Oscar nominations each under their belts, Robbie is best known for her roles in I, Tonya and Bombshell, while Gosling has had hits including La La Land and Drive.

Ryan Gosling as Ken in the Barbie movie. (Warner Bros.)

Other big-name stars have also been confirmed to star with their roles seeming to place them as alternate Barbie and Kens.

Dua Lipa will appear as a mermaid Barbie, Ana Cruz Kayne as a supreme court justice Barbie and according to her teaser poster, Sex Education's Emma Mackey's Barbie has a Nobel Prize in physics.

Dua Lipa's character poster for Barbie. (Warner Bros.)

You star Hari Neff will play a doctor Barbie, Alexandra Shipp a celebrated author Barbie, Sharon Rooney a lawyer Barbie and Ritu Arya's Barbie has a Pulitzer Prize. Nicola Coughlan steps into the shoes of a diplomat Barbie while Issa Rae's Barbie is the president of this Barbie world.

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Meanwhile, former Saturday Night Live star Kate McKinnon looks set to play multiple roles as the tame-looking Midge and a wild rockstar Barbie that, according to her character poster, is "always doing the splits."

When it comes to Kens, in addition to Gosling, we can expect to see Scott Evans, Peaky Blinders' Kingsley Ben-Adir, Marvel star Simu Liu and new Doctor Who Ncuti Gatwa as fellow playthings.

In addition, Michael Cera will play Allan  one of the only male Barbie-world stars not to be a Ken.

A character poster for Barbie. (Warner Bros.)

Rounding things out are the previously announced Will Ferrell, Connor Swindells and Stath Lets Flats' Jamie Demetriou as a trio of stern-looking suits, with America Ferrera, Ariana Greenblatt in regular old human roles and Helen Mirren as the film's narrator.

Kingsley Ben-Adir, Ryan Gosling and Ncuti Gatwa in a still from the Barbie trailer. (Warner Bros.)

Who is directing Barbie?

Directors Noah Baumbach and Greta Gerwig attend the 92nd Annual Academy Awards on February 09, 2020. (Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic)

While the first iteration of Barbie was announced for 2018 starring Amy Schumer, fan excitement has since been fuelled by the directorial choice of Greta Gerwig.

Gerwig joins the project fresh from her latest feature film Little Women, with Barbie becoming her third outing as a director.

A still from the Barbie teaser trailer. (Warner Bros.)

She was originally attached to the film as a co-writer alongside her partner, and long-time collaborator, Noah Baumbach with her directorial role announced in July 2021.

Greta has been pictured multiple times on set, often donning a pink jumpsuit to match the plastic fantastic outfits of the cast.

What do we know about the Barbie movies plot?

A still from the Barbie teaser trailer. (Warner Bros.)

Unsurprisingly, not much detail has been given to the plot of Barbie so far.

Aside from initial promotional shots that were released in June 2022, and its first teaser trailer, most knowledge of the film has come from public reports on social media. Photos of Robbie and Gosling rollerblading in Los Angeles have caused a lot of public speculation, alongside images of their initial scenes together.

A character poster for Barbie. (Warner Bros.)

As Barbies first live-action film, its likely to stay away from what fans have seen in the animations. Its unknown what time period the film will be set in, or what genre it will embody.

Its safe to say that audiences should expect the unexpected.

Is there a trailer for the Barbie movie?

The first official trailer for the Barbie movie was released on Tuesday, 4 April 2023, giving. us our first proper look at this colourful world. Watch it below:

Meanwhile, the first teaser trailer for Barbie was released back in December 2022. It paid tribute to the sci-fi classic 2001: A Space Odyssey as it introduced Margot Robbie as the famous doll.

The trailer begins with a voice-over, in which children can be seen playing with dolls against a dusty, desert backdrop similar to the opening scenes of Stanley Kubrick's 1968 movie.

"Since the beginning of time, since the first little girl ever existed, there have been dolls. But the dolls were always and forever baby dolls, until..." says the voice-over.

A still from the Barbie trailer. (Warner Bros.)

Robbie is then revealed as a gigantic Barbie doll, replacing the monolith which triggers the apes in 2001 to learn how to use weapons.

This causes the infants in the clip to trash their old baby dolls, culminating in a parody of the famous "match cut", with a baby replaced by the Barbie logo.

Will the Aqua song be in Barbie?

Danish-Norwegian pop group Aqua, in 1997. L-R: Soren Rasted, Lene Nystrom and Rene Dif, and Claus Norreen. (Tim Roney/Getty Images)

As much as fans might like singing along to it, Barbie Girl by Aqua has already been ruled out of a film appearance.

According to Variety, Aquas manager Ulrich Mller-Jrgensen has said the song will not be used, with Warner Bros. so far declining to comment.

This is believed to stem from Mattels bad blood with the Danish pop band since the songs release in 1997.

Barbie is coming to cinemas on 21 July, 2023.

Watch: Barbie filming is underway
A Barnstable County grand jury on Wednesday indicted three people in connection with the stabbing death of Corey Lowe, 29, in Falmouth last fall, according to Cape and Islands District Attorney Robert J. Galibois.

On Oct. 24 at approximately 11:30 p.m., Falmouth police received a 911 call about an assault in progress at 444 East Falmouth Highway, Apt. B, according to a statement from the district attorney's office. When officers arrived, they found Lowe with apparent stab wounds on his inner thighs. He was taken to Falmouth Hospital that evening. Lowe was transferred to the Boston Medical Center where he succumbed to his injuries on Oct. 26.

James D. Blood, 40, of Lynn, was indicted on charges of second-degree murder, assault, battery with adangerous weapon causing serious bodily injury, and entering without breaking in thenighttime putting a person in fear.

Cynthia L. Rubin, 44, of Reading, was indicted on charges of accessory after the fact, home invasion, assault with a dangerous weapon and entering without breaking in the nighttime putting a person in fear.

Marlowe Hargrove, 44, of Falmouth was indicted on the charge of assault and battery to collect a loan.

Blood and Rubin were arrested on Oct. 26 in Avon. Hargrove was originally charged by complaint in Falmouth District Court on Oct. 25, and he was arrested and arraigned on Oct. 26, according to Russ Eonas, Assistant District Attorney.

An arraignment date in Barnstable Superior Court has yet to be scheduled. Both Rubin and Blood are held pending their arraignments in Barnstable Superior Court, while Hargrove is on bail, said Eonas.

"The district attorneys office anticipates that they will enter not guilty pleas at their arraignment, as is their constitutional right; all defendants are presumed innocent," said Eonas.

Falmouth attorney Drew Segadelli representing Blood and Brockton attorney Joshua Wood representing Rubin were not available for comment.

The charges stem from an investigation by Massachusetts State Police detectives assigned to the Cape and Islands District Attorneys Office and the Falmouth Police Department.

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Rasheek Tabassum Mujib writes about healthcare and education. Reach her at mujib@capecodonline.com.

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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Corey Lowe's stabbing death in Falmouth leads to three indictments
Morgan Trowland - Just Stop Oil

A barrister has proclaimed how proud he is following the prosecution of two Just Stop Oil protesters as lawyers refuse to take on cases concerning climate change activists.

Morgan Trowland, 40, and Marcus Decker, 34, were convicted of causing a public nuisance after they caused the closure of the Dartford Crossing by scaling a bridge.

Adam King, who secured the guilty verdicts following a trial at Basildon Crown Court, told afterwards how he had carried out a "public service" by taking on the case.

It comes weeks after more than 100 eminent lawyers pledged to sign a declaration of conscience, meaning they may not prosecute eco-protesters hauled before the courts. High-profile lawyers including Joylon Maugham KC and Sir Geoffrey Bindman KC were among the signatories.

But Mr King asserted the move was "bad for justice".

Im proud to have done a bit of public service in prosecuting this trial. To assert conscientious objection in cases like this is to encourage the identification of counsel with their clients - which is obviously bad for justice generally.https://t.co/AhJZhN1ZBU  Adam King (@adamhpking) April 4, 2023

Writing on Twitter hours after jurors delivered their verdict, Mr King said: Im proud to have done a bit of public service in prosecuting this trial.

To assert conscientious objection in cases like this is to encourage the identification of counsel with their clients - which is obviously bad for justice generally.

Businesses and funerals impacted by gridlock

During the trial, Mr King told the court how police were forced to close the bridge, which links the M25 in Essex and Kent, for more than 40 hours, resulting in major congestion.

Basildon Crown Court heard how the disruption caused people to miss funerals and businesses to lose hundreds of thousands of pounds in trade.

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The bridge was shut from 4am on October 17 last year to 9pm the following day after protesters used climbing equipment to ascend 200ft above the road before they unfurled a "giant Just Stop Oil banner".

The pair then "rigged up hammocks" to remain on the bridge until around 5.30pm the following day following help from police. The bridge was not reopened until several hours later.

Marcus Decker in a hammock on the bridge - Just Stop Oil

Prison sentences being considered

Both Trowland and Decker have already spent more than five months in custody, having been remanded at their first appearance at Southend Magistrates' Court on October 20.

They face a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, and Judge Shane Collery KC said: "This court is considering custodial sentences."

He added: "We're dealing with significant nuisance that's been caused."

Energy Security Secretary Grant Shapps said he welcomed the guilty verdicts.

Writing on Twitter, he said: "The right to protest cannot be allowed to outweigh the right of the law-abiding majority to go about their day free from selfish and antisocial disruption.

"We are cracking down on these guerilla tactics which cause misery for the majority."

Sean Irish, of Just Stop Oil, said outside court: "Just Stop Oil will not stop because of a crackdown. The climate crisis is more terrifying than 10 years in a British cell."

Essex Police said that those impacted by the traffic disruption included a "heavily pregnant woman who needed urgent medical help".

Another person missed the funeral of their best friend of 35 years, the force said, and a business lost more than 160,000 in earnings.

Trowland, of Islington, north London, and Decker, 34, of no fixed address, denied causing a public nuisance but were both found guilty.

Judge Shane Collery KC remanded the men in custody to be sentenced on April 13.
Editor's Note: The opinions expressed in the op-ed section are those of the authors and do not purport to reflect the views of the Kyiv Independent.

Feb. 24, 2022, was the date that Russia launched a decisive offensive against the free world.

This war has caused a far-reaching domino effect and irreversible negative consequences on freedom and security globally. It has already incurred the heavy human cost of many innocent lives.

While Ukraine courageously fights against the Russian military invasion, Russia and other authoritarian actors powered by Russia attempt to advance their offensive against the rules-based liberal democratic world order. They do this through different domains and on various geographic battlefields by means of malign influence and propaganda  a phenomenon labeled hybrid war.

Democracy versus autocracy is a global challenge and has been an important political axis for both America and its democratic allies of the free world  it also set the agenda for the U.S.-led 2023 Summit for Democracy.

One of the main lessons learned from Russias wars of aggression in 2008, 2014, and 2022 against Georgia and Ukraine is that the procrastination of values-based geopolitical decisions by the democratic West will lead to strategic mistakes resulting in these very wars of aggression.

To name a few: NATO declining to offer Georgia and Ukraine a Membership Action Plan at the 2008 Bucharest summit, the U.S. reset policy, and Germanys lobbying for the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.

Such mistakes eventually enabled Putin to realize the aggressive revisionism he had openly declared at the 2007 Munich Security Conference. This has culminated in Russias interference in the domestic politics of Western democracies through a hybrid offensive and the waging of full-fledged wars against sovereign neighboring states with no formal security guarantees from their allies.

Stoltenberg says Ukraine will join NATO, vows support despite Russias reckless nuclear rhetoric Brussels  NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg vowed on April 3 that the alliance would continue supporting Ukraine despite Russias dangerous and reckless nuclear rhetoric. He added that Kyiv can win the war and become a full-fledged NATO member one day. Responding to the Kyiv Independent a Kyiv IndependentAsami Terajima

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Aside from the brutal military force, war crimes, and atrocities committed on Ukrainian soil, Russian overt and covert operations are ongoing in Moldova and Georgia.

While Russian authoritarianism has stretched to these countries with varying degrees of success, Moscows grand aim has long been to capture local elites and eventually the state itself through direct influence on political and economic decision-making.

The algorithm in each state is similar: corrupt, coerce, control.

For this purpose, Russia has mobilized its own network of enablers consisting of oligarchs, thugs, kleptocrats, propagandists, and authoritarians that were deployed much earlier. This network has a global span.

Ukraines brave resistance and Western unity have significantly undermined Russias plans for the fast and swift achievement of its so-called grand finale offensive. This has inspired freedom fighters globally, including in Georgia.

While hundreds of Georgians are armed and fighting Russian invaders in Ukraine, the rest of Georgians have a different, yet no less important, battle with Russian-backed state capture via pro-Kremlin Georgian oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili and his proxies.

Unfortunately, as the first country to have attempted a major break from its Soviet past and Russian influence after the 2003 Rose Revolution, Georgia became prey to aggressive Russian revisionism in 2008.

While Russia was not able to militarily hijack Georgias pro-Western orientation, and neither was it successful at cultivating pro-Russian sentiment, it has launched a more successful phase of post-war state capture.

After the EU-mediated Georgian-Russian ceasefire agreement, the international community allowed Russia to achieve an unjust peace. Wrecked international negotiation formats, Russian blame-shifting propaganda, the occupation and creeping annexation of 20% of Georgias territory, the backing of a made-in-Russia oligarch, and other means of malign influence and subversion of democratic institutions have enabled Moscow to achieve the careful step-by-step state capture of Georgia.

Unfortunately, this was a successful operation due to Western procrastination of proper reactions to the informal oligarchic rule and consolidation of autocratic power in Georgia.

Such rule is comprised of the attacking of democracy and democratic institutions, the silencing of civil society and the media, coercing and imprisoning political opponents, unleashing propaganda and systemic disinformation campaigns, and subcontracting criminal networks.

This tremendous democratic backsliding is the reason that, unlike Ukraine and Moldova, Georgia has been unable to take the opportunity presented in 2022 to inch closer to the EU, and European Commission or Council endorsement to receive candidate status.

People demonstrate against the "foreign agents" bill in Tbilisi, Georgia, on March 9, 2023. (Photo by David Mdzinarishvili/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

This has triggered public protests on the streets of Tbilisi, sparked recently by the Georgian Dream governments openly anti-Western rhetoric and actions.

Hundreds of thousands of Georgians saw the governments attempt to pass the so-called foreign agents law, which is reminiscent of Russian legislation used to silence critics, as a roadblock to the countrys progress toward Europe. Despite the use of brutal force by the Georgian government, rallies were held until the ruling party formally withdrew the law.

While the government was unable to formalize the move, the laws anti-Western spirit has been imposed through disinformation campaigns and punitive measures against activists.

The pro-Russian nature of Georgias government has once again been confirmed by the strikingly similar narratives that the Kremlin and the Georgian Dream party spread to discredit protests in Georgia.

Hostile anti-Western rhetoric and decisions made against the will of the majority have reconfirmed that, in captured states, the people are not represented by their government. These developments have placed freedom-fighting Georgians at the existential crossroad between democracy and authoritarianism.

This could be an important lesson for Ukraine and the West.

Like the six-point Georgian-Russian ceasefire agreement, which has never been implemented by Russia, Chinas proposed 12-point peace proposal could be a new trap for an unjust peace in Ukraine.

Such a move would eventually help Russia rearrange its offensive and fundamentally undermine Ukrainian statehood through overt and covert subversion, coercion, and state capture.

Eugene Czolij: The UN Security Councils darkest month Editors Note: The opinions expressed in the op-ed section are those of the authors and do not purport to reflect the views of the Kyiv Independent. On April 1, 2023, for the whole month of April, Russia assumed the Presidency of the UN Security Council. Unfortunately, this is not a Kyiv IndependentEugene Czolij

The EU has already sanctioned individuals and entities that obstruct democracy and are supporting Russias war against Ukraine. However, some, like Georgias pro-Russian oligarch and informal ruler Ivanishvili and his proxies, have not been subject to sanctions despite the majority of the European Parliament having issued a joint motion calling for sanctions.

Some of Putins oligarchs are also deploying a new weapon in a bid to get their sanctions lifted: the character reference. There have been instances in which Putins most vocal critics have sent letters defending certain oligarchs characters  some even from jail in Russia. It is obvious that Putin is rearranging his tactics.

Considering these past lessons, it is important to be morally and pragmatically clear that, aside from the decisive military defeat of Russia by Ukraine, Russias absolute defeat should imply a rolling back of Russias prior attempts at state capture and land acquisition. There should be no compromise on fundamental principles with the Russian terrorist state.

The arrest warrant issued against Putin by the International Criminal Court is a significant morale boost for every jailed, oppressed, exiled, or demonstrating freedom fighter. More importantly, it creates the foundation for targeting Putins oligarchs and propagandists, as well as their network of enablers.

As for Ukraine and the Wests absolute victory, bold and decisive political decisions should be made toward achieving the strategic goal of extending security guarantees, opportunities for economic prosperity, and the reinforcement of democracy in Ukraine, Moldova, and Georgia by integrating them into the EU and NATO.

This is the only feasible strategy for achieving strong, irreversible peace and security in Europe and globally, as well as preventing a defeated Moscow from further exporting instability and aggression until fundamental changes happen from within Russia.
Washington states plans to move more patients out of the states large psychiatric hospitals into smaller facilities are taking shape statewide and in Pierce County, after initially being introduced via the Legislature years ago.

Enhanced service facilities and intensive behavioral health treatment facilities are just two such examples, with plans now on file with the City of Tacoma.

Both offer alternatives for those needing continuing behavioral health care, but in a smaller, more targeted setting, alleviating crowding and extended stays at Western State Hospital in Lakewood and Eastern State Hospital, southwest of Spokane.

So far, just one enhanced service facility is in operation in the county, in Lakewood.

The new Tacoma facilities would be licensed to offer 16 beds each and have received funding from Department of Commerce grants created to spearhead development statewide.

The latest round of Commerce grants, issued in October, were provided as part of Gov. Jay Inslees plan to modernize and transform Washingtons mental health system, with the goal of ending civil patient placements at the states two large hospitals by 2023 in favor of smaller community-based facilities, according to Commerces October news release.

Development has been slow and in some cases met with pushback from residents, but those supporting the projects maintain that they offer a much more targeted approach to behavioral health care in the state.

Claudia Johnson is founder and administrator of Emerald City Enhanced Services. ECES operates the countys only enhanced service facility, located in Lakewood.

Emerald City Enhanced Services is the first and so far only enhanced services facility operating in Pierce County that helps provide mental health services to people in need, in Lakewood, Wash.

Her background includes working as a critical care nurse for the Portland VA Hospital and briefly at Western State Hospital in 2021. She now lives in Lakewood.

She said her previous work made her want to take on these types of development.

Im a critical care nurse, and I worked for the VA. My heart went out to all the people who couldnt get behavioral health care within the system. So I wanted to do something about it, and be able to provide that kind of care.

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ESF SITE DEVELOPMENT

Enhanced service facilities were introduced as a new provider when Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 5763 passed in 2005, according to DSHS media relations manager Jessica Nelson, in an emailed response to questions.

There was a clause regarding not implementing the bill if not funded, and when the law initially passed, no funding was attached, she wrote. Funding was finally provided through the budget bill for 2014.

She added that the first statewide rules went into effect in October 2014, and in June 2016, Upriver Place in Spokane became the first licensed/operational enhanced service facility in the state.

ESF sites are licensed through DSHS, processed by the states Aging & Long-Term Support Administration.

ALTSA, in its FAQ, says the sites in general are designed to serve as a transition from state or local psychiatric hospitals, with each client assigned case managers with the Home and Community Services Division.

The state describes ESF clients as those whose complicated personal care and behavioral challenges do not rise to a level that requires an institutional setting.

It adds, Individuals are referred to an ESF if they are coming out of state and community psychiatric hospitals or have no other placement option due to their complex behavior, medical, chemical dependency and/or mental health needs.

ESF care per resident costs $455 per day, according to Nelson, with most residents on Medicaid.

Washington state currently has nine anticipated enhanced service facilities, according to Nelson, with eight of those nine being implemented by 2024, which we project will meet the demand.

Amy Abbott is director of residential care services at DSHS and discussed enhanced service facilities development recently with The News Tribune.

Typically, these are folks who are coming from Eastern State, or Western State. But now that we have more treatment centers opening up in the community, we do have some that are coming from some of our involuntary programs that are in local communities as well.

She further explained how placement is determined.

We have people who work at Home and Community Services who work directly with those hospitals. And if we have a person in those hospitals that are meeting some of the criteria for ESF, the discharge planners at the hospital, were working with Home and Community Services and say, I think this person might meet ESF level of criteria. Maybe we want to talk to them about an ESF as an option. And that discussion starts with the patient in the hospital.

Length of stay depends on the individual.

Some of these folks, they go into these programs, and they just plan on staying there, Abbott said. In other cases, we have a lot of younger clients who go into these facilities. They have some extra care needs, medication management, maybe they have some ADL needs, or they may have burned a lot of bridges in the community in other programs. So theyre working on showing they can make it and do OK, and theyre working on transitioning to even a lesser level of care after ESF or just transitioning back into the community in general.

Pierce County Council adopted an ordinance in the fall of 2020 updating the county code introducing ESF development in the countys urban growth area, establishing permitting rules focused on mixed use districts, high density residential districts and community centers zones.

The approval came after the councils six-month moratorium on siting enhanced service facilities, which started Sept. 24, 2019 and extended for another six months starting April 3, 2020. The moratorium was to allow time to identify appropriate zoning and development standards for siting, according to information from the County Councils agenda packet for its Sept. 22, 2020 vote.

IBHTF DEVELOPMENT

Washington State Health Care Authority outlined the purpose of intensive behavioral health treatment facilities in a December 2022 fact sheet.

According to the fact sheet, During a systematic review of the state hospital discharges, a group of people were identified that no longer benefited from treatment but were unable to discharge due to the need for further treatment and no facility able to provide it.

The sites, staffed 24/7, bridge the gap between hospitalization and full discharge, using a clinical team to work with the individual all hours of the day, if needed, according to HCA.

The facilities are designed to be residences for the individuals that live there. Individuals will only be discharged from the facility if they complete their treatment plan objectives and can be safely served within the community in a less-structured setting. The facility will allow for limited egress from the facility by monitoring individuals leaving the facility, providing staff the ability to assess if the individual presents as a risk to themselves or others, the HCA fact sheet noted.

A Senate Behavioral Health Subcommittee meeting in December 2022 received details from an HCA representative on site development in the state.

Teesha Kirschbaum of HCA told members of the Senate panel that their addition to behavioral health treatment in Washington was the result of the facilities bill passed in 2019.

It increased the capacity for long-term civil commitments to be treated in the community instead of state hospitals, and developed alternative placement options for persons with co-occurring developmental disability and behavioral health needs, she said.

The facilities are created through a partnership with the Department of Commerce and the Health Care Authority, she added.

The sites focus on the needs of the person and will offer onsite behavioral health interventions, psychosocial rehabilitation, and the development of skills to integrate back into the community, she said.

She added that We expect that individuals will stay at intensive behavioral health treatment facilities for a year, but this could be longer. Its really based on what the individual needs to be successful.

Melissa Thoemke, behavioral health communications manager for the state, told The News Tribune in response to questions that managed care organizations and administrative services only benefit plans will develop contract rates based on region needs and their overall contracting structures. The rate for services is negotiated between the Managed Care Organizations and the provider.

She added that The actual payment amount per individual is negotiated between the facility and the payor ... based on their particular contracts. The Health Care Authority has projected an average cost per client per day of about $700.

One intensive behavioral health treatment site is operational so far (in Olympia), according to Thoemke, and there are 9 other facilities which have been awarded funds by Department of Commerce and are in various stages of development.

IN TACOMA

Plans filed in February with the city of Tacoma outline plans for a new IBHTF facility at 8217 S. Hosmer St. The property was the former site of Great Wall Buffet, destroyed by fire in November 2019 and later demolished. It is next to the Hampton Inn & Suites and is being developed by Emerald City Enhanced Services.

Johnson of ECES spoke in March with The News Tribune about her plans.

The Lakewood ESF site, 11421 Pacific Highway SW, is next to WoodSpring Suites Tacoma-Lakewood.

While the city permit files online list the Hosmer project as an ESF, Johnson says her plans, and funding, are tied to offering a higher degree of care.

I wanted to place mine not too far away from (the Lakewood) ESF, which is an enhanced service facility, and the one on Hosmer is going to be an intensive behavioral service treatment center, she said.

So, (the Hosmer site) is where they first go, and then they get sent to the Lakewood facility and then from the Lakewood facility they get placed in the community or sent home.

She further explained: Intensive behavioral health treatment facilities are a setting where residents receive treatment and care at a higher level than the ESFs. The goal for both is to eventually help clients move on and go home to their own communities.

Johnson told The News Tribune she intends to purchase the Hosmer site.

While the street has made headlines for its levels of crime, the pickings are very slim as far as where you are going to put the facility, she noted.

Its really hard to find locations or lots to build on, Johnson said in a recent interview. And these kind of facilities or commercial facilities that have a lot of requirements are built special. So its hard to  remodel a building into a building that you want, just because of the requirements.

She also said she wanted to keep the Hosmer and Lakewood sites relatively close for transfers. It just makes sense to keep them together.

In 2020, Emerald City Enhanced Services was one of 22 projects awarded grants from the state Department of Commerce. The grants were in support of 395 new beds and outpatient services to assist with local community placements for people leaving Eastern and Western State hospitals.

ECES received $1.96 million in October 2020 to develop its 16-bed Lakewood site, which opened in January.

Two years later, it received $2.5 million from Commerce for an intensive behavioral health project in Gig Harbor that was later switched to the Hosmer location. That grant bundle totaled $17.9 million for eight new behavioral health facility projects across Benton, King, Pierce, Skagit and Snohomish counties for further services and community-based treatment options.

Gig Harbor was a perfect site, but someone outbid me on the site, so I am moving that IBHTF grant to the Hosmer site, she told The News Tribune.

She added that state officials were fine with the switch as long as it is within Pierce County.

Permit filings show another ESF site in Tacoma planned for 3711 Pacific Ave., an office building that sold in November to Reliance Senior Housing Fund LLC, affiliated with Destry Witt of Vancouver, Washington. That site is in the site revision land use process with the city.

The 2022 grant bundle awarded Reliance $2.2 million for an ESF project in Puyallup and $2.5 million for a Tacoma project.

NEED FOR COMPLEX CARE

Kim Zacher is CEO of Comprehensive Life Resources, a nonprofit organization that provides behavioral health care among other medical resources in Pierce County.

While Comprehensive Life Resources isnt tied to any ESFs, it does run Park Place Residence on South Yakima Avenue near Wright Park. In operation since 2000, the site serves as an adult residential treatment and recovery center, offering therapy, psychiatric services, counseling groups, community skill building, case management and more. It is surrounded by the neighborhoods apartments, homes and offices.

Thats a 5-story, 70-plus bed facility for people with serious mental illness, she said. And so theres some symmetry (with ESFs) and we certainly understand a little bit about how to be successful and what it takes to work with the neighborhood community, but also people just have concerns.

Big facilities such as Western State, Zacher noted, are limited in a capacity to adequately accommodate everyone.

Its just really hard to do programming if you have these big facilities, she said. They are these complex cases that are there and we also have a lot of various health conditions that cause behavioral health issues.

One example, she noted, would be patients struggling with depression along with heart disease/congestive heart failure.

She added, I bet almost everybody has a story, if anybodys had an older relative that had dementia, or something, they can relate to the nursing home saying, Whoa, this might be a little too much for us. Or if youve had a relative that had pretty serious behavioral health issues, and they become frail, or cant move around as well. Your average nursing home or adult or average adult family home cant handle that.

They need a different kind of facility, she said.

Thats where the new sites can help in a specialized manner, she said. With the smaller 16 bed-facilities, you can run a special population because it really works, the way you would want to offer recreation and therapy.

Such site development has not been without controversy from neighbors in some areas. In February, protesters outside a Supreme Living housing facility near Lacey were upset about plans to house sex offenders at a different Supreme Living facility near Tenino, and drew parallels to the Lacey area facility, according to coverage earlier this year in The Olympian.

The sites, though, are different, with the site near Tenino considered Less Restrictive Alternative community home, and the site near Lacey an enhanced service facility.

Johnson explained the types of clients for her facilities, making clear she would not admit sex offenders.

Our patients are coming from the Western State Hospital or diverting from the Western State Hospital, and they are patients with behavioral health needs. And we only take residents who are nonviolent and dont have any kind of sex crimes.

She noted that her sites are more of a transition back to real life. The kind of residents that I can work with and help them eventually move into their old communities where they came from, and maybe apply for housing, stabilize them on medication, teach them life skills, and teach them how to go get a job and how to take care of their own personal stuff.

As far as life skills, she said the aim for her centers clients is to know how to do their own paperwork, how to apply for a job, and take transit for transportation before departure.

Johnson said she is selective about who is accepted.

The state cant force me to accept all the clients they send me, she told The News Tribune in a separate email in response to questions. I did turn down a lot of clients because I feel Id be taking on too much risk, and I want to keep my other residents, all employees and the community safe.

While the different types of sites are operating at different degrees of intensity and serving specific types of clients, Johnson said they all face the same challenge.

My point of view is, were trying to help them, and teach them to integrate in the community, she said.

Zacher underscored the need for all the new options in the area.

We desperately need all kinds of facilities to meet really specialized care needs, she said. If we dont have facilities like this, we will have more people who are homeless or chronically homeless.

The option isnt somewhere else, the option is they get discharged to the streets.
TALLINN, Estonia (AP)  A prominent Polish minority activist has been released from custody in Belarus after authorities dropped criminal charges against her following a two-year criminal probe, officials said Tuesday.

The Belarusian Prosecutor General's office announced that the criminal investigation against Andzelika Borys, 49, has been closed, all charges against her have been dropped and she has been freed from house arrest.

Borys was arrested in March 2021 and after a year moved to house arrest due to deteriorating health. She was accused of inciting interethnic strife and condoning Nazism  charges that she rejected.

The prosecutors' move followed comment on Friday by Belarus' authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko, who said that Borys has expressed an intention to stay in Belarus. She is a Pole, but she's my Pole, he said.

About 300,000 of Belarus 9.5 million people are ethnic Poles. Belarusian authorities shut the Union of Poles that Borys headed after accusing Poland of trying to foment an uprising against Lukashenko, who has led the ex-Soviet nation with an iron fist for nearly 29 years.

The Polish Foreign Ministry welcomed Borys exoneration as the first good news coming from Minsk in a long time, and voiced hope that it would herald a shift in Belarusian authorities' attitude toward Poles in Belarus and its readiness to engage in constructive dialogue.

In February, Andrzej Poczobut, 49, was sentenced to eight years in prison on charges of harming Belarus national security and inciting discord. Poczobut, a journalist for the influential Polish newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza and a top figure in the Union of Poles in Belarus, has been behind bars since his detention in March 2021.

Poczobut reported extensively on the mass protests that swept Belarus after an August 2020 presidential vote handed Lukashenko a new term in office but was rejected by the opposition and the West as rigged.

Polish Foreign Ministry spokesman Lukasz Jasina reaffirmed a call for Minsk to release Poczobut and drop all charges against him, adding that this issue remains our highest priority.
Steve Skip Marcucci, right, of the Jefferson Park neighborhood in Chicago, made pasta gravy and mostaccioli with fellow chef and volunteer Carmen DePillo, left, also of Jefferson Park, as part of the "Lenten Pasta Dinner" held March 24, 2023 at St. Celestine Church in Elmwood Park. (Karie Angell Luc / Pioneer Press)

The Lenten Pasta Dinner series at St. Celestine Church in Elmwood Park, part of St. Mother Theodore Guerin Parish, returned this year for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The parish is excited, said church business manager Laurie DePillo. Theyre happy to be back.

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The last in-person Lenten pasta suppers were held in 2019. This year featured three suppers  held every other week  since the February 22 (Ash Wednesday) start of Lent, observed by Christians, including Catholics.

Volunteer Liz Woods, of Elmwood Park, said at the March 24 dinner event she was happy to be sharing, being together as a community, enjoying the nice meal.

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That date marked the churchs last dinner event for this years series. Easter is April 9. Catholics typically abstain from eating meat on Fridays during Lent.

I think thats a great way to bring unity, the Rev. Paul Cao, pastor of St. Mother Theodore Guerin Parish, said about the Lenten Pasta Dinner series.

The parish was formed in July 2018 by combining St. Cyprian Church of River Grove and St. Celestine Church.

Since we combined the two  St. Celestine and St. Cyprian  together, we havent had  a fellowship, something like [the Lenten Pasta Dinner series] since the pandemic, Cao said.

He said people sit at tables with family, or others they may not know, and talk to each other.

Michelle Doyle, of Elmwood Park, right, a kindergarten teacher at St. Celestine Catholic School, and left, Jamie Birmingham, of Elmwood Park, plate desserts for the "Lenten Pasta Dinner" March 24, 2023 at St. Celestine Church in Elmwood Park. (Karie Angell Luc / Pioneer Press)

The Doyle family, of Elmwood Park, seated, were among the participants of the "Lenten Pasta Dinner" held March 24, 2023 at St. Celestine Church in Elmwood Park. The Rev. Paul Cao, pastor of St. Mother Theodore Guerin Parish, standing, greeted the family. (Karie Angell Luc / Pioneer Press)

Corene Faltin, of Omaha, Nebraska fed pasta to her grandson, Callan Gamet, 2, at the "Lenten Pasta Dinner" March 24, 2023 at St. Celestine Church in Elmwood Park. (Karie Angell Luc / Pioneer Press)

The Rev. Paul Cao, pastor of St. Mother Theodore Guerin Parish, prays before dining at the "Lenten Pasta Dinner" March 24, 2023 at St. Celestine Church in Elmwood Park. (Karie Angell Luc / Pioneer Press)

So its great, like a fellowship, eating and sharing a meal; its like a community, breaking of the bread, Cao said.

Local restaurants took turns donating meatless pasta entrees to the dinner series. A house pasta was also offered. Meal prices ranged from $10 for adults to free for children pre-school age and younger. Included in the meal was a salad bar.

Approximately 20 to 30 volunteers assisted.

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The house meatless red marinara mostaccioli was made by parishioner and volunteer chef team of Steve Skip Marcucci and Carmen DePillo. Marcucci and DePillo made five gallons of marinara with garlic and basil and 20 pounds of pasta.

Kent and Michelle Doyle, of Elmwood Park, and their children Kenton, 18, Mikenna, 16, and Kennet, 13, dined as a family.

Michelle Doyle is a kindergarten teacher at St. Celestine Catholic School and Kent Doyle teaches English at St. Patrick High School in Chicago.

Since 1955, my family has been here at St. Celestine as parishioners so weve always been supportive of the parish and the school especially, Kent Doyle said.

Michelle Doyle volunteered before the meal to help plate desserts which sold for $1 each.

A lot of us have missed being part of the pasta dinners. We come every other week and we enjoy seeing each other and being part of the community, Doyle said.

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Also volunteering was Jamie Birmingham, of Elmwood Park.

We consider everyone here family, Birmingham said. Anything we do here, were all family because we all volunteer.

Sister Johanna Treml coordinates the parish food pantry.

We have more people coming because they were afraid of coming when the epidemic was so predominant, Treml said of the food pantry.

Audrey Gamet attended the March 24 dinner with family and said building memories is important.

Its fun to just start at a young age with our kids and make this a tradition for us during Lent, and being a part of our parish community is a really important thing for us too, Gamet said.

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Karie Angell Luc is a freelancer.
Home Port Seafoods, a Bellingham seafood processing company has been acquired by Wild Alaskan Company, an e-commerce seafood retailer based in Alaska, according to a Monday, April 3, news release from Wild Alaskan Company.

Under the new ownership, Home Port Seafoods will still operate as a standalone business under the Wild Alaskan Company.

Home Port Seafoods opened in 1992 by owners Glen and Jeanna Binschus and filets, vacuum packs, freezes and packages millions of pounds of seafood a year, according to the news release.

In the late 1990s, their daughter Christine Benson was named vice president of the company and oversees operations and, through the acquisition, will now be the CEO of Home Port Seafoods, according to the news release.

Its been a pleasure to watch Christie take the helm and build so many relationships within the industry. Were excited to see where the next generation takes the business from here, Glen Binschus said in the news release.

Home Port is excited to join forces with Wild Alaskan. Theyve been a key customer of ours for years. We have a great working relationship. This partnership is a natural next step for both companies, Benson said in the news release.

Wild Alaskan Company, founded in 2017 by Arron Kallenberg, delivers sustainable and wild-caught fish to customers through its website.

We recognize that catching, processing, and selling fish are distinct endeavors, each with unique challenges and opportunities. But the reality is that Wild Alaskan has reached a scale where we can no longer afford not to be in the processing business. We wanted to partner with someone who knows that world like the back of their hand. Were honored that Benny and Jeanne trust us with the amazing legacy theyve built, Kallenberg said in the news release.

Wild Alaskan Company will now have access to Home Port Seafoods large network of both retail and food service customers, and the ability to grow Home Port Seafoods current production capacity and customer base, according to Kallenberg.
Bens Best Blnz, also known as B3, is a non-profit cannabis brand introduced by Ben Cohen that offers full-spectrum vapes and pre-rolls with low THC levels.

While it likely wont be as tasty as Ben & Jerrys, one of the companys co-founders has scooped his way to a marijuana business venture, with plans to divide its profits among organizations that advocate for racial equality and support those imprisoned for cannabis-related offenses.

Bens Best Blnz, also known as B3, is a nonprofit cannabis brand introduced by Ben Cohen that offers full-spectrum vapes and pre-rolls with low THC levels. According to Fast Company, Cohen aims to use the brands platform as a conduit for what he calls social benefit, much like his ice cream-related ventures.

The idea came about when I was on a camping trip with a friend of mine, sitting around a fire, smoking a joint, Cohen said, Fast Company reports. And we were saying, Wouldnt it be nice to have pot like the old days?'

Ben & Jerrys co-founders Ben Cohen (right) and Jerry Greenfield (left) serve ice cream in Washington, D.C., in 2019 following a press conference announcing a new flavor, Justice Remixd. Cohen recently launched Bens Best Blnz, or B3, which is a nonprofit cannabis brand that offers full-spectrum vapes and pre-rolls with low THC levels. (Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Ten percent of B3s profits will go to the Last Prisoner Project, which works to free people imprisoned due to cannabis prohibition, and the Vermont Racial Justice Alliance  whose goal is to, in part, provide security for American Descendants of Slavery  also will receive 10 percent.

The Drug Policy Alliance, the organization Cohen says aims to close the enormous wealth gap between generations created due to systematic discrimination against Black people in the United States, will manage the remaining 80 percent.

The average Black family has 1/10th the wealth of a white family, Cohen said, Fast Company reported. I feel like business ownership is one of the best routes to generational wealth.

Cohen created the companys visual identity, including the packaging, website and merchandise, in collaboration with Pentagrams Eddie Opara and Jack Collins.

As a Black designer aware of the cannabis industrys whitewashed makeup, Opara was mindful of including other Black creators in developing the brands visual language.

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Opara hired Dana Robinson  whose Ebony Reprinted series transforms 1950s and 1960s magazine advertisements into monoprints  to produce a fresh piece for B3 using a suit ad set in an ice cream shop, a nod to Cohens roots. The new piece graces the packaging of one of the cannabis products.

Opara also produced a work of art available for purchase on the website, showing a Black man donning an orange prison jumpsuit who has purple hyacinths for hair and other flowers for his face. The designer says the hyacinth is a flower that symbolizes a sense of forgiveness, innocence, joy, and beauty, and he wanted that to be featured on a Black male.

Activist Angela Davis, who is a proponent of prison abolition, and the late, great former president of South Africa, Nelson Mandela, have quotations printed on the tins for B3s low THC pre-rolls, featured on both the website and product packaging. Opara says the authentic embossing and the strength of the quotes together produce something to treasure, something you remember.

The slogan on B3s HiTest Bud jars  Take Pot Off Schedule 1, or Put Beer On It  alludes to marijuanas designation as a Schedule 1 drug under the Controlled Substances Act.

Cohen refers to former President Richard Nixons anti-drug campaign, which disproportionately targeted Black people and contributed to the nations present problem of mass incarceration. Historically, Black people were arrested for using cannabis at four times the rate of their white counterparts.

As the brand aims to eventually bring other Black artists into the fold for packaging and merch, B3s products have evolved into mobile campaigns for decarceration, expungement and de-scheduling to, as it says its mission, sell Great Pot and use the power of Business to Right the Wrongs of the War on Drugs.

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Benchmark at Rye will be sponsoring the 2023 Walk to End Alzheimers in Portsmouth on Oct. 1, 2023.

RYE  Benchmark at Rye, the Seacoasts only community dedicated exclusively to caring for those with Alzheimers and dementia, announced they will be sponsoring the 2023 Walk to End Alzheimers in Portsmouth on Oct. 1.

In addition to sponsoring the Walk, the memory care assisted living community will, once again, host a Benchmark at Rye walking team with the intention of surpassing last years goal. The team will be spearheaded by Meghan Wentworth, CDP, the communities Mind & Memory Care Director and event chair for the Seacoast Walk for over three years.

The assisted living with memory care community is hosting monthly fundraising events that bring together residents and associates. Leading up to the big day, bake sales, raffles, parties and more are being offered.

Each fall, the Alzheimers Association hosts fundraising walks throughout the country with the goal of ending Alzheimers disease. The Portsmouth walk is the Seacoasts only walk. In addition to raising awareness, the events raise funds for Alzheimers care, support and research. Together, the Portsmouth teams hope to raise $242,000.

Rob Memmolo, Benchmark at Rye executive director and Barrington resident has been a longtime supporter of both the walks in central New Hampshire and the Seacoast. We are thrilled and incredibly proud to be able to make this financial commitment to the Alzheimers Association. Every single day, Alzheimers is affecting our parents, grandparents and great-grandparents in increasing numbers. We see its effects daily as we care for Seacoast families impacted by this disease and feel it is important that we do our part to help, said Memmolo.

To donate or to participate as part of the Benchmark at Rye walking team, go to https://act.alz.org/site/TR/Walk2023/MA-MassachusettsNewHampshire?team_id=793424&pg=team&fr_id=16603.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Benchmark at Rye to sponsor Seacoast Walk to End Alzheimers on Oct. 1
Rev. Bernice King, CEO of the King Center and daughter of slain civil rights legend Martin Luther King Jr., called for gun violence walkouts to be permanent until comprehensive gun control legislation is passed.

Reflecting on the deadly school shooting in Nashville, Tenn., last month  the same state Kings father was assassinated in  King applauded students for walking out of schools to protest gun violence.

This issue that theyre standing tall in is well past being addressed, King said. It should not have to take this kind of effort, but were living in times where what my father did, which was to really sacrifice their very lives, sacrifice their job, sacrifice their home, sacrifice everything  were right back at that place.

Nashville-area students walked out of their classes on Monday in the wake of a shooting at a local private elementary school that left three students and three staff members dead.

Young people, King said, have everything to gain from taking a stand.

The only thing that I wish, and Ive said this before across the nation as Ive talked to different audiences, I wish there was a way to really organize them in a way that their walkout is not a day, but its the Montgomery bus protests, that we refuse to return to school until there is some significant legislation that bans assault weapons, King said, referring to one of the civil rights protests that saw Black Americans refuse to ride city buses in Alabama until segregated seating was eradicated.

My father was assassinated with a rifle that would be the equivalent of what we call assault weapons today, and 55 years later were just increasing the access to these instruments, King added.

Kings father was assassinated in Memphis, Tenn., 55 years ago Tuesday as he stood on the balcony of his hotel room. Martin Luther King Jr. was known for peaceful protests in the fight for equality.

King said she understands that people might find other ways to inflict violence if the impulse is there, but added that society hasnt taken the steps to address economic conditions that make people vulnerable to gun violence.

The issue is, these are deadly instruments, and we should not have them in society, King said. What we need to do is develop the capacity to love each other, to be compassionate, to create just and equitable circumstances in this world.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Spring marks the beginning of camping season  or glamping season for some.

Yelp recently named the top places to camp across the country, and California has three of the best spots.

Yelp released its Top places to camp in the US & Canada on March 27, and campgrounds in Mendocino, Burney and Skyforest were top contenders.

To find the top places to camp in the U.S., Yelp said it identified businesses in the campgrounds category. Then each business was ranked based on the total volume and ratings of reviews, along with other factors.

Mendocino Grove  Mendocino

At No. 6 on Yelps list, campsites at Mendocino Grove are more sophisticated than your typical camping experience.

Visitors go to this spot to glamp.

For those of us who may not be ready to take on real camping, Mendocino Grove is around to give us a smoother intro into the woods, one person wrote on Yelp.

The 37-acre campsite is filled with large canvas tents stationed on wooden platforms with heated beds, down comforters and blankets, according to its website.

Each campsite has a picnic table, a fire ring and grill for cooking. There are also bathhouses and a common area where people meet for breakfast. The Mendocino Bay overlook is nearby.

Its dog friendly, with great amenities  bright, sturdy, and clean tent cabins, nice dinner or breakfast spreads, and modern bathrooms/outdoor showers, another Yelp reviewer said.

Mendocino is about 200 miles northwest of Sacramento.

McArthur Burney Falls Memorial State Park  Burney

McArthur Burney Falls Memorial State Park is filled with nature-related activities for campers, including hiking, fishing, paddle boarding and catching a view of a 129-foot waterfall.

Ranked at No. 7, reviewers said this place in Burney is a must stop.

There are few places that I wish I could experience again for the first time but Burney Falls is one of them! What an incredibly beautiful sight, one reviewer said.

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Overnight camping costs $35 per night, or visitors can stop by for the day for $10 per vehicle.

The peak season for visiting the park is from April through October, according to its website, so some reviewers recommended planning a visit in the fall once crowds begin to dwindle.

Burney is in Northern California, about 50 miles northeast of Redding.

SkyPark Camp + RV Resort  Skyforest

Yelp ranked SkyPark Camp + RV Resort No. 9 on its list of best camping spots in the country.

The camping area is along California State Route 18  also known as the Rim of the World Highway  and it has panoramic views.

RVs, sprinters and buses are welcome. Campsites offers full hookups, 50 amp power, water and waste disposal, according to its website.

Visitors can also pitch a tent.

Stunning views & the perfect place for a nice getaway. This place is loaded with every amenity you can think of  individual showers/bathroom, laundry room, community fire pit, one Yelp reviewer said.

Skyforest is about 80 miles east of downtown Los Angeles.

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Anyone who stares at a screen all day probably doesnt want to do so when they unwind with a book. But the convenience of getting a new read instantaneously and carrying a full bookcase in your pocket is pretty appealing. Ereaders combine the best of paper and computers, and theyre capable of storing dozens of books at a time. Amazon dominates in this market, but that doesnt mean there arent worthy competitors. We tested out some of the best ereaders available to help you find which is right for you.

What to look for in an ereader

Plenty of apps will let you download and read a novel on a phone or tablet. What makes ereaders different is the screen: nearly all of them use technology from a company called E Ink. It manufactures electronic paper displays (EPD) composed of three sheets: one containing millions of microcapsules filled with black and white ink particles sandwiched between transparent electrode layers. When a charge is applied, either the black or white particles shift to the top, forming letters and the whitespace around them.

Because these displays are so different from standard LED panels, you can expect most ereaders to do a number of things well. Theyll be easier to stare at for long periods of time and easier to read in direct sunlight. Also, since E Ink displays only require power to rearrange the ink, these devices have much longer battery lives than standard tablets: were talking weeks, not days.

The ereader market is not as saturated as, say, smartphones, but there are still plenty of options out there and they do have small but important differences among them. They tend to range from around $100 to more than $400, though usually the higher end options are read/write E Ink tablets. Beyond price, you should consider physical properties like buttons, lights, storage and resolution, as well as how the software lets you find and access books.

Reading features

With any ereader, youll navigate the OS via taps and swipes, and some add physical page-turn buttons. Most with built-in buttons have an auto-rotating screen so you can press with your right or left hand.

As E Ink technology has advanced, resolution has greatly improved  even the budget Kindle has a 300 ppi display. You can still find ereaders with lower resolution, but we dont recommend them.

Some ereaders have front LEDs that support light temperature adjustment. That means you can switch to a warmer light after the sun goes down, which will feel easier on the eyes. If youre concerned about blue light, you should go for a reader with that feature.

Other features

The capabilities of these pocket libraries have advanced considerably since the early days. In addition to storing books, some let you browse the web, run apps and play music. The screens frame rate cant handle gaming, but its good enough to show you the Wikipedia entry for Constantinople while you read Cloud Cuckoo Land.

If you listen to audiobooks, you may want an ereader capable of playing them and many current models have that ability. If thats the case, consider one with a larger storage capacity, since audiobook files can take up more space than standard ebooks.

Above all, you should consider where and how you intend to find books to read. Most ereaders make it easiest to shop through their own ebook store, but all of them (even Kindles) will now let you download titles from other sources, like libraries, unaffiliated ebook sellers and free public domain sites.

An assortment of ereaders, including ones from Kobo, Kindle, Boox, Nook and PocketBook are arranged on a tan bamboo desk with a white keyboard and black mouse in the background.

How to get books for your ereader

Kindle, Nook and Kobo all have their own stores that you access directly from each brands devices. Prices are fairly competitive between the sellers, too  as I write this, the current NYT bestselling fiction ebook is $14 at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and the Kobo store. The top nonfiction release, Prince Harrys Spare, costs $18 at all three.

Amazon offers Kindle Unlimited for $10 per month, and it includes three million titles from which you can pick your next read. It includes audio and ebooks, but you wont find many big, new releases or older bestsellers. Kobo has a subscription called Kobo Plus with about 1.3 million titles: it goes for $8 per month for ebooks only, $8 for audiobooks only or $10 for both.

Buying a book from a proprietary store instantly delivers it to your device, provided youre connected to WiFi. It also syncs your reading across devices and apps, so you can pick up where you left off on your phone if you forgot your ereader at home. It truly is the most convenient way to go, but if you dont want to be locked into one brands store, or if you opt for an ereader without its own marketplace, you do have options.

How to upload ePubs onto an ereader

Stores like ebooks.com and Google Play have millions of ebooks for sale as digital rights-managed (DRM) ePub files, which nearly all current ereaders (including Kindles) can display. Free, public domain classics from sites like Project Gutenberg are also packaged as ePubs, but without the added DRM. Books you get from these sources will look just like ones you bought from a proprietary store, thanks to the flowable, formatted nature of ePub files. While these device-agnostic ebook collections give you extra options for finding your next read, they require a few additional steps to get the files onto your ereader.

To do so, youll typically need a computer running a free program called Adobe Digital Editions (ADE). After buying and downloading the ePub file, open ADE and plug your ereader into your computer. Your device should pop up in the left panel. Drag and drop the ePub file from your downloads folder into the main panel in ADE. The file will display as an image of the book cover. Drag that image onto your device on the left panel. If the file includes digital rights management (which protects against unauthorized copying) youll need to authorize your ereader, which requires using or creating a free Adobe ID. Once youve finished adding files to upload, eject the reader from your computer to complete the transfer process.

Kindle and Boox devices use web-based uploaders instead of the ADE method. After downloading an ePub file, drag and drop it into your browser with the Send to Kindle page open. As long as youre signed into Amazon, this wirelessly transfers the files to your associated device.

Boox allows for multiple methods. I prefer BooxDrop, which you can find in the App menu of your ereader. It generates a device-specific url which you can type in to access a file delivery portal that uploads directly to your library.

How to read library books on an ereader

Your local library card lets you borrow audio and ebooks through a program called Overdrive and its companion app Libby. Overdrive recently announced that it will sunset its legacy app, so Libby will be your one and only option if you access library books via Overdrive.

Kobo readers have built-in access to Overdrive, and that will not change despite the mobile apps shutdown. Once youve linked your library card, the search function will include results for titles available from your local library; a few taps will upload your selections to your device for the length of the loan.

To read library books on a Kindle, you can either go through the Libby app or the Overdrive section of your librarys website. Once you click Borrow, youll see the option to Read now with Kindle, which takes you to Amazons site to sign in. After that, the book will be delivered to your device the next time it connects to WiFi.

For other ereaders, youll go through your librarys Overdrive portal and download the ePub after clicking the Borrow button. You can then use the ADE process we described above. Devices that run external apps, like the Boox Leaf 2, allow you to read library books via the Libby app, just as you would on a smartphone or tablet.

You can also use the Libby app to borrow audiobooks, but you wont be able to access them through your ereader. (The exception is an ereader, like the Boox Leaf 2, that allows external apps). I found it was easier to listen to an audiobook on my phone anyway, regardless of whether I borrowed it through Libby or bought it from Kindle or Kobo.

Four ereaders are arranged on a dark brown wooden table outside. There are Boox, Kindle and Kobo devices showing the covers of different novels from Tana French, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Martha Wells.

How we tested

When putting together any guide, the first thing we do is spend hours researching the field. We look at whats available, whats new, and what shoppers and professional reviewers have to say. Then we narrow a list to the best candidates for hands-on testing.

I ended up getting eight ereaders, representing five different brands: Amazon, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, Boox and PocketBook. I bought, borrowed and uploaded books for each device using the methods above. Over the course of four weeks I evaluated each one in the areas of book access, ease of reading, extra features and overall value.

Heres everything we tested:

Best overall: Kobo Clara 2E

During testing, Id grab the Kobo Clara 2E when I was off the clock and reading for my own satisfaction. That alone doesnt make it the best ereader for most people, but the excellent design, performance and interface does. The Clara 2E is helpful from the moment you turn it on. It walks you through setting up an account so you can buy books, then asks about your recent favorite reads to improve its personalized recommendations.

It also tells you right away about its Overdrive integration that lets you check out ebooks from your library directly on the device. It was refreshing to be pointed towards something free, instead of just showing me more ways to spend money. The borrowing integration is seamless: you can find library books by searching for a title or browsing in the Overdrive tab in the Discover section, where the Kobo store lives.

The Discover tab and the Kobo store are nicely organized, with top sellers, deals and recommendations based on your history. Title pages are clean and uncluttered, giving you access to synopsis, reviews and preview samples. You can even mark a title as read, to deepen the algorithm's understanding of your preferences. Unlike Amazons Kindle store, audiobooks and ebooks are in separate tabs. I would have liked to have them together, and would love it if Kobo did what Amazon does and offer a discount if you buy the audiobook and text version together.

The customization options on the Clara are just right  there arent so many that its overwhelming, but you can fine-tune things enough to make the device yours. Features like sleep screens, gesture controls, and headers and footers are all customizable. You can also decide how your library is organized. Navigation is intuitive and I rarely had trouble finding what I was looking for in the settings.

But what really sets the Clara 2E apart is the reading experience. Its lightweight and has a textured back for a sure grip, with one rear button controlling sleep, wake and power. The thin bezel makes the device compact enough to cradle in your hand like a smartphone, but is thick enough for your thumb to rest comfortably in a pinch grip.

On top of that, the front light is lovely. This model gives you both brightness and temperature adjustment, and the quality and subtlety of the glow creates a screen thats the closest to paper of any ereader Ive tried. You can also adjust the brightness on the fly by sliding your thumb up or down the left edge of the screen  such a simple feature, but one I used repeatedly. The text is crisp and the ghosting is minor. Text size, font style, line spacing and margins are minutely adjustable and available with a tap as you read.

Of all the readers, the Clara 2E was the most responsive to my touch. Rarely did it mistake a tap for a swipe or vice versa, and after I learned the controls, I was always brought exactly to where I wanted to go.

My favorite feature was how fast it woke up. Push the button and you immediately see the page you were last reading. Some ereaders make you push a button, swipe, then wait as the screen flashes and refreshes before finally loading your book. I like to fill spare moments by getting in a page or two, so a speedy wake is key. The page turns are also quick, though in a side-by-side comparison, the Kindle was just a touch faster.

For $140, the Clara 2E is pricier than other readers with six-inch screens. The standard Kindle is the exact same size and shape, and can be had for as little as $100 if youre willing to put up with constantly being served ads on your lockscreen. Youll pay $120 for the luxury of an ad-free model. The Kindle also isnt waterproof and has no warm light option. In contrast, the Clara has no ads, can handle an accidental dunk in the bathtub and wont kill your eyes with a ton of blue light. For those reasons  plus every little detail that made reading a joy  Id recommend Kobos device to most.

Of course, if youre already invested in Amazons ebook space, you may want to go for the Paperwhite Signature, which our editor Nathan Ingraham endorses in his review.

Kobo Clara 2E

Screen size: 6

Resolution: 300dpi

Capacity: 16GB

Waterproof rating: IPX8 (submergible to 6 feet for 60 minutes)

Warm light: Yes

Best budget option: Kindle

Amazon has dominated in the ereader space for so long that I was surprised when a Kindle device didnt win me over. A Kobo may have taken the top spot here, but nothing can beat the standard Kindle when it comes to price. Its listed at $100 but has gone on sale every few months since its debut in October 2022, sometimes for as low as $75.

With it, you can access the best of what Amazon has to offer, including many exclusive titles. Kindle Exclusive is a catalog made up of a million titles, including books by established authors as well as newer, self-published writers; Kindle Unlimited offers the widest selection of any subscription-based reading service out there; and Audible Originals is made up of narrated titles and podcasts you can only hear through a Kindle device or Amazon-owned app.

If you like to switch between audiobooks and ebooks, Kindle is the way to go. When you buy both iterations of a title, you not only get a discount, but the Whispersync feature lines up where you are in the e-printed version with the narration, too. Say you listen for an hour and then want to read  the synchronization lets you pick up on-screen where you left off audibly. (Though we should point out that you cant listen and read simultaneously on the same device.) In tests, the feature was fairly accurate, getting me close enough on the page or in the audio to figure out my spot.

The standard Kindle doesnt feel particularly luxurious, but it doesnt feel cheap either. The shell has a velvety finish that doesnt collect fingerprints, but I found myself wishing it had more texture for a better grip. Navigating from a page to the menu isnt as speedy as Paperwhite or the Kobos we tried. And it takes a few moments to wake from sleep after hitting the button and swiping.

Page turns are quick, but the touchscreen gestures didnt always do what I wanted them to. Id often find the page skipping forward when I thought Id tapped to go back. Theres no warm light, which didnt bother me during the day, but at night it felt like I was still staring at my computer.

Kindles reading customization is great, letting you dial in the font, size and margins. You can even save a set of settings as a theme, something not offered by other devices. I created one with larger text and wider line spacing called tired eyes.

Some people wont be bothered by the lock screen ads that come standard on every Kindle device (unless you pay to remove them). Theyre fairly innocuous, mostly promoting Kindle book deals or specific titles (its not like youll see promos for TVs or robotic pool cleaners). Personally, I like being able to set the sleep screen to the book cover of what Im currently reading, but its easy to get over that if all you want is a more convenient way to consume books at the lowest price.

Amazon Kindle

Screen size: 6

Resolution: 300dpi

Capacity: 16GB

Waterproof rating: None

Warm light: No

Best reader with buttons: Kobo Libra 2

Rakuten Kobo Best reader with buttons Kobo Libra 2 The Libra 2 is one of the most comfortable ereaders to handle and read from. Quick re-orientation lets you use the buttons from any position. $190 at Kobo$190 at Amazon

My first ereader was the Kindle 2 with buttons everywhere, including a full keyboard  that was too many. The Kobo Libra 2, on the other hand, has just two buttons, which is perfect. It has the same streamlined interface as the Clara 2E, including an easy setup and intuitive navigation. You basically get everything thats great about a Kobo device in a package that looks and feels premium.

One side of the reader has a wider bezel for the buttons and the screen rotates nearly instantly when you reorient the device, meaning you could have the buttons on the left, right or even bottom. Plus, if you want to lock the orientation when youve finally decided on a position, its a simple two-tap process. The wider bezel is also slightly thicker and slopes up at the edge, giving it a secure handhold. And I havent even mentioned the textured, rubberized back. All together, the Libra is the most comfortable ereader I've ever held.

At seven inches, the screen is only a little bigger than the standard Kindle or Kobo Clara 2E, but I noticed the difference. Out of all the ereaders I tried, reading the Libra 2 most closely resembles reading a physical paperback, especially after you balance the warm and cool light. But a paperback wont adjust font size with a pinch or get brighter when you slide a finger along the margin like the Libra 2 will. The text and image clarity is nearly the best of the bunch  only the PocketBook Era was crisper. (That device also has a beautiful build. Unfortunately, the software doesnt yet match the aesthetics.)

The Libra 2s larger screen tempted me to use a few of Kobos bonus features found in the More section of the main navigation. The web browser is in beta, and it displays simple websites easily, if slowly. The Pocket integration lets you save articles from the web and then read them from the comfort of your Kobo. I used Martha Wells Murderbot Diaries as fodder for this testing and one entry is only available as a short story on Wired. I saved the article via the web extension on my laptop, then opened it up on the Kobo. I could then read it like it was any other part of the series.

At $190, the Libra 2 is one of the more expensive ereaders. But if youre a voracious reader looking for a luxe experience, you wont do much better than this. The Kindle Oasis also has page-turn buttons, a waterproof rating and seven-inch screen, but at $250 for the ad-supported, 8GB size, we think the Libra is a much better value.

Kobo Libra 2

Screen size: 7

Resolution: 300dpi

Capacity: 32GB

Waterproof rating: IPX8 (submergible to 6 feet for 60 minutes)

Warm light: Yes

Best Android tablet with an E Ink screen: Boox Leaf 2

BOOX Best Android tablet with an E Ink screen Boox Leaf 2 Not for the uninitiated, Boox's ereader is more like an Android tablet, which means you can read books from anywhere and do far more to boot. $200 at Boox$200 at B&H Photo

First, a disclaimer: I dont recommend Booxs Leaf 2 for people who are not very tech-savvy. The tablet runs on a fork of Android 11 and doesnt hold your hand getting set up. The only books available through the onboard store are free public domain classics. However, you can do far more with the Leaf 2 than you can with any standard ereader.

After enabling Google Play, I searched for and downloaded apps much like on a smartphone or tablet. I even grabbed ereader apps from other manufacturers, including Kobo and Kindle, and installed Libby to read books I had borrowed from the library. Through the built-in Neo web browser, I downloaded Project Gutenberg files, reading them with Booxs Neo reader. Via BooxDrop, I wirelessly transferred a few ePubs I had on my computer. In short, if there's an ebook you want to read, you can do so on the Leaf 2 in some way.

The device itself looks similar to Kobos Libra 2 with a wider side bezel housing two page turn buttons. Those buttons are programmable, as are most touchscreen gestures. In fact, customizable might be the best way to describe the Leaf 2. In addition to a dizzying amount of options built into the operating system, other Boox users have created APK files to tweak and improve your experience.

The Leaf 2 has a soft, adjustable front light with temperature control and a flush, glare-free screen. The display is as speedy as can be expected with E Ink, and the overall UI is simple enough for anyone familiar with Android to master. The ever-present nav ball is a small, on-screen button that lets you access a few quick functions, and this is the only device we tried with a built-in speaker (yes, it can play Spotify).

Tech that requires somewhat advanced knowledge often gathers devoted fans, and Boox devices are no different. Get one and youll join a club that laughs at proprietary ebook hurdles. Youll also have tons of possibilities to divert yourself with when you want to do something other than read.

Boox Leaf 2
The Greatest Showman, Operation Fortune and No Time To Die are all on TV over Easter weekend. (20th Century Studios/Prime Video/MGM)

Easter is coming which means lots of chocolate, hopefully some sunshine and lying on the sofa in front of a movie or several.

Last year, Prime Video treated us with the launch of every one of the James Bond movies and this year, there's a bit of everything across terrestrial TV, Sky Cinema and all of the streaming services.

From Guy Ritchie kicking us off with his latest Jason Statham collaboration Operation Fortune to an old classic in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, there's no shortage of quality films to kick back to this Easter weekend.

Read more: James Bond 26: Everything we know so far

These are the best films on UK TV over Easter weekend.

The best movies on TV on Good Friday | 7 April

Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre (Prime Video)

Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre (Prime Video)

Guy Ritchie and Jason Statham put their spin on James Bond with this flashy spy caper that also stars Aubrey Plaza, Cary Elwes and Hugh Grant.

It can be watched in the UK through Prime Video.

11:50am: The Kid Who Would Be King | Channel 4

Joe Cornish's 2019 fantasy film is perfect Easter weekend fodder. A modern-day twist on the Arthur legend, it's a magical and riotously entertaining romp that will keep the whole family entertained.

5:45pm: E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial | ITV2

An irrepressible classic. Every year, parents show their children E.T. and the film gains a whole new generation of fans.

8:00pm: Father of the Bride | ITVBe

Steve Martin and Diane Keaton star as the parents of bridezilla and the film remains one of Martin's enduring classics. Watch out for a young Kieran Culkin.

11:05pm: Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy | Channel 4

The role that catapulted Will Ferrell to global fame, this media satire became one of the most quoted movies of the 2000's and later spurned a sequel.

The best movies on TV on Saturday, 8 April

2:40pm: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid | BBC Two

Butch Cassidy (Paul Newman) with Etta (Katherine Ross) in 1968's Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. (United Archives via Getty Images)

One to watch with your dad or grandad. Paul Newman and Robert Redford play the ill-fated outlaws in defining roles. Features cinema's most famous freeze frame.

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3:10pm: Oliver! | Channel 4

Bank holiday weekend wouldn't be the same without another helping of Carol Reed's iconic 1968 musical.

5:35pm: Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves | BBC One

Ignore Kevin Costner's questionable Nottingham accent and sit back and enjoy one of the all-time great takes on the Robin Hood story, featuring an indelible performance from the late, great Alan Rickman as the Sheriff.

10:50pm: Commando | Channel 4

Arnold Schwarzenegger in Commando. (Getty Images)

An Arnold Schwarzenegger classic. Commando features the hulking Austrian in his prime as he takes down hoardes of bad guys while still managing to be a pun machine.

12:35am: Sexy Beast | Channel 4

Arguably the greatest British crime film of them all, Ray Winstone plays a retired robber in the Costa del Sol forced back into action by a genuinely terrifying (and very sweary) Ben Kingsley.

The best movies on TV on Easter Sunday, 9 April

1:50pm: The Sound of Music | BBC One

The Sound of Music, starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer. (Getty)

The hills are alive with the Sound of Music on Easter Sunday as the perennially entertaining Julie Andrews classic gets another airing while the roast is cooking.

6:00pm: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug | Channel 5

Undoubtedly the most entertaining entry of the Hobbit trilogy, the second film in the prequel series finally gave fans what they wanted: a flying dragon, voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch, wreaking havoc in Middle Earth.

8pm: The Greatest Showman | E4

It wouldn't be a bank holiday without a crowd pleasing musical and The Greatest Showman is as popular as any with its all star cast that features Hugh Jackman, Zac Efron, Zendaya and Rebecca Ferguson.

8pm: No Time to Die | ITV2

The latest Bond film gets another airing so we can say goodbye to Daniel Craig all over again. Ana De Armas still steals the show.

10:55pm Meet the Parents (Channel 4)

Comedy classic starring Robert De Niro, Ben Stiller, Blythe Danner and Owen Wilson with De Niro inverting the tough guy roles that made him a star.

11:20pm: Blade Runner 2049 | BBC One

The long-awaited sequel to the sci-fi classic is a brooding, beautiful mediation on life and death in which Harrison Ford reprises his role as Rick Deckard.

The best movies on TV on Easter Monday, 9 April

10:00am & 11:20am: The Lavender Hill Mob & Passport To Pimlico | BBC Two

Alec Guinness and Stanley Holloway in The Lavender Hill Mob. (Getty Images)

BBC Two is airing two classic ealing comedies back to back on Easter Monday. The former is a charming heist movie starring Alec Guinness, while the latter is wartime comedy set during a heatwave. Don't miss either.

2:50pm: Jumanji | Film4

Forget the sequels with Dwayne Johnson, the magic of Jumanji remains its weirdness and Robin Williams' dead serious performance as a man who has been trapped in a board game.

9:45pm: The Graduate | BBC Two

If a film can make Simon and Garfunkel seem cool, you know it's a good one. Launched the career of Dustin Hoffman.

11pm: The Wolf of Wall Street | ITV4

Margot Robbie and Leonardo DiCaprio in The Wolf of Wall Street. (Alamy)

Martin Scorsese's black comic masterpiece has arguably become his most popular film despite its explicit sex, not PC humour and three hour runtime. DiCaprio should have won the Oscar.

John Wick: Chapter 2 | Sky Showcase

With the fourth installment currently in cinema, refresh your memories with the magic of the second film which remains a landmark in action cinema. Lance Reddick forever.

Watch: Josh Hartnett talks Operation Fortune
Black woman in robe putting cream on face

Among the plethora of beauty products available, its still a challenge to find options that work well for Black skin. Whether its a color changing foundation or a sunscreen that leaves you looking a little ghostly, people with darker skin have to dive deep to find what works for them.

To make your journey through the beauty space easier, 21Ninety has taken TODAYs list of beauty awarded products and selected the five that work best for Black skin. Browse these tools, makeup and skin care items to add to your routine.

Best Foundation

Fenty Beauty Pro Filt'r Soft Matte Longwear Liquid Foundation

$40

Buy Now

Photo Courtesy of Ulta

Its no surprise that Fenty Beautys Pro Filtr Soft Matte Longwear Liquid Foundation has made this list. This foundation provides medium-to-full lightweight coverage, and claims to be sweat and humidity resistant. Its a great option for those approaching summer days. The shade range is what makes this foundation especially great for Black shoppers. This Fenty Beauty foundation is available in over 50 shades. Click through the colors to find the one that matches you.

Best Exfoliant

Paula's Choice Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant

$34

Buy Now

Photo Courtesy of Sephora

The Paulas Choice Skin Perfecting 2 percent BHA Liquid Exfoliant is a great pick for Black skin. Those with combination and oily skin have flocked to this leave-on exfoliant since its debut. Made with salicylic acid and green tea, this skin perfecting product removes dead skin while delivering a soothing antioxidant to the fresher skin underneath. This product is fragrance free. If you have sensitive acne-prone skin, definitely give this a try.

Best Setting Spray

Milk Makeup Hydro Grip Set and Refresh Mini Spray

$22

Buy Now

Photo Courtesy of Amazon

If youre already a fan of Milk Makeups Hydro Grip Primer, then you have to try TODAYs beauty award-winning Milk Makeup Hydro Grip Set and Refresh Mini Spray. The setting spray version of the popular primer still offers some serious grip to serve as the final touch to any makeup routine. It promises to set your look for up to 12 hours. You can spritz on this hydrating mist as the final step to your skincare routine before heading out the door. Formulated with hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and aloe it will take care of your skin while holding everything in place.

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Best Serum

L'Oreal Paris Revitalift Vitamin C Serum

$33

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Photo Courtesy of Amazon

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By Michel Rose and Laurie Chen

BEIJING (Reuters) -French President Emmanuel Macron said Europe must resist reducing trade and diplomatic ties with China as he began a state visit on Wednesday, seeking to refute any sense there was an "inescapable spiral" of tension between Beijing and the West.

Macron said maintaining dialogue with China was key given its close relations with Russia, which is waging a war in Ukraine. Asked about Western concerns Beijing might be considering sending arms to Moscow, Macron said any nation that did so would be complicit in a breach of international law.

"China's interest isn't to have a lasting war," Macron said.

On his first trip to China since 2019, Macron spoke to U.S. President Joe Biden before the visit about engaging Chinese President Xi Jinping to hasten the end of the Ukraine war, though Washington is sceptical toward Beijing's peace plan.

"We hear increasingly loud voices expressing a strong concern about the future of relations between the West and China that in some form lead to the conclusion that there is an inescapable spiral of mounting tensions," Macron told reporters at the French Embassy in Beijing.

There is also an impression that de-coupling from the Chinese economy is already underway and that the only remaining question is over pace and intensity, he added.

"I do not believe, in any case I do not want to believe, in this scenario."

Macron arrived ahead of Ursula von der Leyen, who will join the French leader on her first visit to China since becoming European Commission president more than three years ago.

Last week she said the EU must "de-risk" ties with Beijing, including limiting Chinese access to sensitive technology and reducing reliance on China for key inputs.

Europe's relations with China have soured in recent years first due to a stalled investment pact in 2021 and then Beijing's refusal to condemn Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.

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De-risking did not mean severing trade ties with China, Macron later told reporters.

There is no contradiction in reducing Europe's dependence on China in strategic sectors such as telecoms and increasing business links in other areas, Macron added.

In a break from embarrassing pension protests at home, Macron traveled with a 50-strong business delegation, including Airbus, which is negotiating a big plane order, luxury giant LVMH and nuclear energy producer EDF.

However, some analysts said ostentatious deal-signing would appear opportunistic at a time of growing distrust of China in the United States and its allies over issues ranging from Taiwan to Beijing's use of sensitive technologies.

"It's not the time to announce business deals or big new investments," said Noah Barkin, an analyst with Rhodium Group. "It would essentially be a vote of confidence in the Chinese economy and send the message that France is not on board with the U.S. approach."

UKRAINE IN FOCUS

Both Macron and von der Leyen have said they want to persuade China to use its influence over Russia to bring peace in Ukraine, or at least deter Beijing from directly supporting its big power ally in the conflict.

China earlier this year proposed a 12-point peace plan for the Ukraine crisis, which called on both sides to agree to a gradual de-escalation leading to a comprehensive ceasefire.

But the plan was largely dismissed by the West due to China's refusal to condemn Russia, and the U.S. and NATO then said China was considering sending arms to Russia, which Beijing has denied.

Suspicion of Chinese motives only deepened after Xi flew to Moscow for hours of closed-door meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin last month.

Macron said it was imperative Russia not be allowed to have an exclusive dialogue with China and that Beijing could help in brokering an end to the conflict in Ukraine.

In a meeting with Xi last week, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said he had encouraged the Chinese leader to talk to the Ukrainian leadership and learn about their peace formula.

Macron and von der Leyen are expected to echo the message that Xi should talk to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

After brokering a surprise detente between Iran and Saudi Arabia last month, China has been eager to present itself as a peacemaker and alternative to the United States, which it says is fanning flames by sending weapons to Ukraine.

The talks with European leaders come amid Chinese protests against U.S.-led technology-export restrictions, which it views as part of a broader effort by Washington to contain the rise of what is now the world's second largest economy.

It has warned Europe not to join in.

The state-run Chinese nationalist mouthpiece Global Times said this week that Europe would suffer from any attempt to cut economic ties with Beijing.

"The EU is in a difficult struggle as it is under great pressure from the U.S. to adjust its economic relations with China. China and EU decoupling will only serve U.S. interests, but make both China and Europe suffer," it said.

(Reporting by Michel Rose and Laurie Chen in Beijing; Writing by John Geddie; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne, Robert Birsel and Mark Heinrich)
In recent weeks, the Biden administration has been pushing for an interim agreement with Iran that would include granting some sanctions relief in exchange for Iran freezing parts of its nuclear program.

The administration has not ruled out returning to the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which the U.S. withdrew from under Donald Trump, with the former president calling it one of the worst and most one-sided transactions that failed to protect U.S. national security.

However, the Biden administration is becoming increasingly concerned with Tehrans nuclear progress and has been discussing an interim deal with European and Israeli partners, sources close to the negotiation told Axios. This is despite Irans military assistance to Russia and its crackdown on protesters and dissidents. The U.S. also recently carried out several airstrikes on Iran-aligned groups in Syria after an Iranian drone attack killed a U.S. contractor and injured five service members.

Discussions within the administration reportedly began in January, and the partners were told in February. In addition to Israel and the U.S., the central Western actors are France, Germany, and the United Kingdom.

Also in February, it was revealed that Biden administration diplomats were pressuring the U.K. not to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization, concerned that that would further hamper talks with Iran.

A recent International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report revealed that Iran has amassed 87.5 kilograms of 60 percent enriched uranium. If that uranium is enriched to the 90 percent level, it will be enough to produce one nuclear weapon. Alarm bells are already ringing throughout the West, and if Iran continues to enrich that uranium, an Israeli air strike would be likely.

Sources told Axios that the Iranians have rejected the idea of an interim deal and will only entertain a return to the 2015 deal.

The Biden administration is pursuing this approach knowing that it worked before the 2015 deal. The Obama administration pursued several interim agreements prior to the JCPOA.

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Since Biden took office, the U.S. has vacillated between seeking to return to the 2015 deal and stopgap solutions. It already mooted an interim deal in 2021, but when the parties couldnt come to a solution, the proposal was shelved. According to Axios, a return to the 2015 deal was almost reached last September, but that was also shelved after the Western partners rejected Irans demand that the IAEA investigation into undeclared nuclear sites be shut down.

More from National Review
Linda Matsumoto, a special education paraprofessional at Evanston/Skokie School District 65s Dr. Bessie Rhodes School of Global Studies, has been selected as the first Asian American educator to receive the Illinois Education Associations Reg Weaver Human and Civil Rights Award.

Matsumoto is also the first educator from District 65 and Region 41 to be given the award.

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Linda Matsumoto, a paraprofessional with 10 years of experience in the Evanston/Skokie District 65, has been named as the first Asian American educator to win the Illinois Education Association's Reg Weaver Human and Civil Rights Award for her work educating on and combatting hate against those in the AAPI community. - Original Credit: Handout (Linda Matsumoto / HANDOUT)

Its an important win for the entire AAPI (Asian American Pacific Islander) community of educators throughout Illinois who have been historically overlooked for their hard work and dedication to students in public education, she said.

I am deeply grateful to blaze a trail for new BIPOC (Black Indigenous People of Color) leaders, and carry the torch for Reg Weaver, who is a pillar in educational communities as a past IEA and NEA (Illinois Education Association and National Education Association) president.

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In her 10 years with the district, Matsumoto has taught as a substitute in every grade, school and subject, experience she said has helped give her an opportunity to holistically learn the district culture. She also spent time in the district working as a journalism lecturer, pulling from her previous experience working with the Chicago Tribune and Pioneer Press, and is currently working with first grade students.

She is receiving the award in recognition of her two-hour workshops highlighting the growing issue of Asian hate that has escalated in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A very powerful politician chose to denigrate Asian Americans and blame them all and use xenophobic rhetoric for the pandemic, Matsumoto said. As a result, you have people who are misinformed and misled by social media, and people who are even well-informed, doing a lot of hate crimes.

In a study conducted by the Stop AAPI Hate coalition  which began in March 2020 and tracks incidents of hate, violence, harassment and more against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States  nearly 11,500 incidents were reported between March 2020 and March 2022 with one in six incidents involving physical violence.

Her workshop also discusses the history of Asian Americans in United States, the stereotypes of Asian Americans and how to combat them.

Matsumoto calls the lack of inclusion of Asian American history as missing pages in U.S. History, and says that its not about what information is included but what is omitted. She calls her work Culturally Responsive Teaching, a different basis for the CRT acronym that has received pushback from various groups, most aggressively in Florida.

I give my kudos to our present administration and our school district and our school board for doing that, she said. Theyre receptive to this considering the state of education across America.

She hopes to add a section to her workshop about microaggressions, a term used to describe indirect comments and actions that unintentionally discriminate against minority groups.

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In two years, Matsumoto has presented her workshop 16 times alongside Donald Kimura, a special education teacher in Effingham, Illinois, to a variety of groups across the district and state, including her fellow educators.

I feel its very important to educate people on understanding diversity within the Asian diaspora, she said. Its not just a few countries that make up the AAPI community ... we are not a monolithic group.

Matsumoto has two twin sons whom, she proudly notes, graduated summa cum laude from Princeton University. Once they left school, Matsumoto became more active with the teachers union, a move she said made her realize how collective impact can be made with community outreach and boots on the ground work.

I try to uplift and affirm the AAPI community and to try to show that we have self agency, Matsumoto said. I want to not only counter and debunk but actually dismantle these negative stereotypes of Asian Americans being passive and being the silent minority.

She hopes to one day have her workshop included in basic training for future educators because she said when you become familiar with one culture, you become open to others.

Diversity isnt just about a black and white binary, she said. It also encompasses more than that binary approach. All voices should be represented.
President Biden on Tuesday told Britains King Charles III that first lady Jill Biden will be attending his upcoming coronation on behalf of the United States, adding that he wants to meet with him despite missing the event.

The first lady will lead a delegation to the United Kingdom for the coronation, set to take place on May 6. The president, who was expected to not attend, congratulated Charles and also conveyed his desire to meet with the King in the United Kingdom at a future date, according to the White House.

The White House said the presidents call on Tuesday underscored the strength of the relationship between our countries and the friendship between our peoples.

In the past, presidents have not attended a coronation for a British monarch.

During the last coronation for Queen Elizabeth II, then-President Eisenhower did not attend and also chose to send a delegation. The U.S. delegation at the time did not include the first lady, but included the governor of California and the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, among others.

The president and first lady attended Elizabeths funeral in September, joining other leaders from around the world. Biden also had called the king in September to offer condolences on the passing of his mother, during which he conveyed that he wants to continue a close relationship with him.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
President Joe Biden said at a meeting of advisors on the rapidly emerging artificial intelligence sector Tuesday that the jury is still out on whether AI poses a danger to society.

It "remains to be seen. It could be," said Biden, when asked by reporters if AI is dangerous.

Biden told his White House council on science and technology, a group of experts from research universities and business, that AI could help combat "very difficult challenges like disease and climate change."

However, he said they had to "address the potential risks to our society, to our economy, to our national security."

"Tech companies have a responsibility in my view to make sure the products are safe," he said. "Absent safeguards, we see the impact on mental health and self-image."

Biden reiterated his earlier recommendations that Congress pass laws putting "strict limits" on personal data collected by tech companies and banning advertising targeted at children.

US companies are at the forefront of the burgeoning AI sector, which is transforming the power of machines to do everything from writing emails for people to driving their cars.

Last month, Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak signed a letter, along with some thousand other signatories, urging a pause in AI development.

"AI systems with human-competitive intelligence can pose profound risks to society and humanity," said the open letter titled "Pause Giant AI Experiments".

sms/dw
Tony Blair and Bill Clinton hold hands at an event to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, in Belfast in 2018 - Clodagh Kilcoyne/REUTERS

Bill Clinton has claimed it is a miracle the Good Friday Agreement survived Brexit.

The former US president took part in last-minute talks before the landmark deal was signed in 1998 and called it an act of bravery from all sides.

But in an interview with RTEs Prime Time programme, he argued Britains decision to leave the European Union had been directly at odds with the peace process, which established power-sharing arrangements that have since collapsed on multiple occasions.

Mr Clinton said: The idea that it weathered Brexit is a miracle, because Brexit was aimed right at the heart of the Good Friday Agreement, even if not intentionally.

He went on to urge the DUP, which is yet to return to Stormont amid a stalemate over the terms of the Brexit deal, to engage with the institutions in the wake of Rishi Sunaks Windsor Framework.

I think we should say, look, theres something to work with here, Mr Clinton added. [Sinn Fein] doesnt want to jam you, they want to work with you to resolve these things.

How can we live together? How can we work together? How can we all put our heads on the pillow at night and feel at peace about what our children are going to face?

Speaking to the same programme, Hillary Clinton, Americas former first lady, suggested withdrawal from the EU had gone against the spirit of the Northern Irish peace deal.

I do think Northern Ireland is a very different place than it was 25 years ago, she said. Its just that Brexit set it back, to be blunt, creating a very difficult situation for Northern Ireland in the midst of separating from the European Union.

Stay out of British politics

Conservative MPs poured scorn on the Clintons comments as they urged them to stay out of British politics.

David Jones, a former Brexit secretary and the vice-chairman of the European Research Group (ERG), said: It shows how little Bill Clinton knows about Brexit or the Good Friday Agreement, frankly.

One would have thought that Bill Clinton  rather than decrying the right of the British people, including the people of Northern Ireland, to decide their own future  would have wanted to do whatever he could to encourage the EU to be more flexible rather than political.

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"Rather than making a partial comment, it would be far better if he were to maintain a statesmanlike silence. Brexit is already undermined by the Protocol. The last thing we want is for it to be undermined by Bill Clinton."

David Davis, the former Brexit secretary, added: Im disinclined to say anything because it wouldnt be polite.

In 2016, Mr Clinton had intervened during the referendum campaign urging Britain to remain in the trade bloc and claiming Northern Ireland would get whacked if it left.

At the time, he also praised the objective of the 1916 rebels to create an Irish Republic and said the lessons of 1916 were still applicable a century later.

Joe Biden, the US president, will visit Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland later this month to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement.
Meredith Schroeder, young sister of Tara Baker, speaks at a memorial service for her sister on the UGA campus on Jan. 20, 2021.

A bill known as the Coleman-Baker Act that creates a cold case unit within the Georgia Bureau of Investigation recently was passed by the Georgia General Assembly and only awaits a signature from Gov. Brian Kemp to become law.

Cameron Harrelson, creator and host of Classic City Crime Podcast, said Monday he expects the governor to sign the bill.

The bill is named in honor of Tara Baker, slain Jan. 19, 2001, in Athens, and Rhonda Sue Coleman, 18, slain May 17, 1990, in Hazelhurst. Both killings remain unsolved and lie in the realm known as cold cases.

Harrelson recalled that many years ago before Kemp became governor that he and his wife, Marty, pledged money to a reward fund established in the Baker case. Baker was a University of Georgia law school student at the time of her death.

Cold Case: 'He didn't have a family but us': Former UGA police reflects on solving baby's murder

Crime Podcast: New Classic City Crime Podcast to examine slaying of Athens couple in 1994

Cameron Harrelson, known on his podcast as Cameron Jay, with Kelsey Bryant, the daughter of a slain couple. They worked together on a recent podcast on her parent's unsolved murders.

While we hope this bill will affect change in Taras case. Its also a great way to honor her memory because she was a fierce advocate for justice and a champion of the underprivileged, Harrelson said.

Harrelson has supported the Baker family in pushing for the bill.

It was never expected that the podcast would become a position of advocacy, but when I met the Baker family, I knew we had to do something to preserve Taras memory, he said.

Harrelson also expressed gratitude to state Rep. Houston Gaines, R-Athens, who championed and carried this bill across the finish line. We owe him a debt of gratitude.

The bill provides for a $5.4 million fund to establish the cold case unit within the GBI. The GBI currently has a cold case unit that is manned by volunteer retired agents.

Gaines said Monday that he met with the Baker and Coleman families when they visited the Capitol.

Their stories inspired me to get involved in this issue and make sure we provide justice for cold case victims families, he said.

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The federal government passed a bi-partisan legislation last year on this topic and I felt like Georgia needed to do the same. Im very happy we were able to get bi-partisan support to get the bill over the finish line, Gaines said expressing gratitude to people like Harrelson, who brought this issue to front and center with his podcasts.

Besides the cold case unit, the bill creates a requirement for jurisdictions across the state to provide an accurate count of their unsolved homicide cases.

The bill also provides for families to receive a timely death certificate, Gaines said.

Harrelson also noted that the Baker family was denied a death certificate for a decade, as law enforcement claimed that naming cause of death would hinder the investigation.

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Bill inspired by cold case in Athens heads to governor's office
A bill restricting the powers of the Iowa state auditor's office could limit the auditor's ability to oversee more than $12 billion in state and federal funds, potentially putting some of that at risk, according to a nonpartisan agency.

Republican lawmakers in the Senate have already passed Senate File 478, which would prevent the state auditor from accessing certain types of personal information, including medical records, students' educational records, peace officers' reports and attorney work product.

The bill would also stop the state auditor's office from going to court against another statewide office or executive branch agency, department, board or commission to enforce a subpoena for documents.

More: Iowa Auditor Rob Sand pushes back after Senate Republicans pass bill to limit his powers

Those restrictions "may limit the ability of the (auditor of state) to perform oversight" of several state and federal programs, totaling nearly $12.2 billion, according to an analysis of the bill published Friday by the nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency.

House Republicans offer fixes to avoid risks to federal funding

In the House, Republicans have already changed the bill to try to remedy some of the concerns. Rep. Michael Bergan, R-Dorchester, said he agrees "it's unacceptable" to risk federal funding.

"Weve got to meet all the federal requirements in this process, and that is meeting generally accepted accounting principles and government accounting standards," he said. "And thats our ultimate goal."

House Republicans amended the Senate version of the bill to allow the auditor to access some of the categories of prohibited information as long as the office follows generally accepted government auditing standards, or in cases of embezzlement or theft.

Bergan, an accountant, said he's talking with certified public accountants about the need for additional changes. He said CPAs would also be affected by the bill's limits when they audit counties, cities, school districts and other public entities.

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"At this point, Im still open to changes in the amendment that came out of committee to ensure that were addressing this," he said.

The bill has drawn opposition from state auditors around the country, who say it would limit Iowa State Auditor Rob Sand's ability to do his job effectively. Sand is the only Democrat holding statewide office in Iowa.

Sand has been a frequent target of Republican criticism for investigations his office has conducted into Gov. Kim Reynolds' administration. Republicans say the bill is intended to protect Iowans' personal information.

Sand previously called the Senate version of the bill the "most pro-corruption bill in Iowa history" because it would require the entity being audited to agree to give the auditor certain information.

The House amendment does not remove a requirement that disputes between the auditor's office and other government agencies be decided by a three-member arbitration panel, rather than going to court.

"The fiscal note speaks for itself and it also adds to the professional and nonpartisan chorus from people across the country who are sounding the alarm about Senate File 478," Sonya Heitshusen, a spokesperson for Sand's office, said Monday.

More: Which Iowa bills are still alive? Changes to education, child labor laws advance after 'funnel' deadline

Bergan said he's met with Sand and "he raised valid points" about the bill.

Rep. Adam Zabner, D-Iowa City, said the agency's analysis of the bill "was really shocking." Zabner and other House Democrats oppose the bill.

"I mean, $12 billion, thats a pretty big number," he said. "And when LSA is saying theres going to be a qualified opinion or disclaimer on that $12 billion in funds, I mean thats a really big impact on everyday Iowans in terms of the programs they rely on."

Which funds could be at risk if the auditor's powers are limited?

The Legislative Services Agency's analysis says Senate File 478 may limit the scope of audits performed by the state auditor's office, which could affect Iowa's ability to comply with federal requirements for receiving funds.

If the auditor's office isn't able to audit federal programs in compliance with government auditing standards, the federal program being audited may take action such as withholding payments or suspending or terminating federal awards, the agency states.

If a department denies the auditor access to information, the auditor may have to issue a modified opinion noting that the office wasn't able to access the information needed for an audit.

The Legislative Services Agency's analysis says nearly $12.2 billion in state and federal funds could be affected if the auditor has to issue a qualified opinion or disclaimer, or if the scope of the audit is limited.

Those funds include:

Medicaid: $4.39 billion

IPERS: $3.78 billion

Unemployment insurance: $2.02 billion

Student financial aid: $478.3 million

Other postemployment benefits for state and university employees: $468.8 million

Child Nutrition Cluster: $275.8 million

Title I and special education: $230.5 million

Child Care and Development Block Grants: $202 million

Children's Health Insurance Program: $142.4 million

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families: $74.2 million

Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program: $59.8 million

Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children: $40.4 million

The agency also noted that the auditor's office is prohibited by law from releasing confidential information  a point Zabner echoed.

"I think the important thing to know is that the auditor already has to follow existing consumer data protection laws," Zabner said. "So things like HIPAA apply to data that the auditor has."

Stephen Gruber-Miller covers the Iowa Statehouse and politics for the Register. He can be reached by email at sgrubermil@registermedia.com or by phone at 515-284-8169. Follow him on Twitter at @sgrubermiller.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Nonpartisan agency says $12 billion at risk by bill curbing Iowa audits
A bill aiming to tighten the deadline by which mail-in absentee ballots can be received advanced in a legislative committee on Tuesday.

The bill, HB 304, titled the Election Day Integrity Act, would require all mail-in ballots to be received by the county board of elections by 7:30 p.m. on the day of the election. Current law states that absentee ballots may be received three days after the election so long as they were postmarked by Election Day.

Rep. Ted Davis, a New Hanover Republican and one of the bills primary sponsors, said the change would made the election process more concise, more trustworthy, more transparent and more straightforward.

Republicans passed a similar bill in 2021 after former President Donald Trump repeatedly made the false claim that he won the 2020 election. The bill was vetoed by Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper.

The bill would also prohibit the use of ballot drop boxes, which became popular in 2020 amidst the COVID-19 pandemic but were widely derided by Republicans as sources of potential fraud. Federal and state investigations have found no evidence of widespread voter fraud in the election.

Another provision in the legislation would require county elections boards to report certain election data, including the number of spoiled absentee ballots, the total number of absentee ballots and the number of voted provisional ballots.

The House Committee on Election Law and Campaign Finance Reform passed the bill along party lines after intense debate, with Democrats filing multiple failed amendments attempting to gut the legislation.

Rep. Joe John, a Wake County Democrat, said the State Board of Elections reported that over 10,000 absentee ballots came in during the three-day grace period in 2020.

My primary concern with the elimination of three-day grace period is the elimination has as its foundation an absolute confidence in the accuracy and reliability of the most inefficient, ineffective and unreliable agency of the federal government  the U.S. Postal Service, John said.

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Rep. Cynthia Ball, a Wake Democrat, submitted an amendment appropriating funds to inform voters about the elimination of the grace period.

We need consistent statewide education of our voters to make them aware of this significant change, she said.

The amendment failed after Republicans argued that the responsibility of informing voters of the change should fall to county elections boards.

Debate on the bill ran so long that the committee did not allow comment from the public, despite having over 12 people sign up to speak.

HB 304 now heads to the House Rules Committee  the last stop before a floor vote.
Just after 6 p.m. on April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. was on his way to dinner in Memphis, Tenn. As he was standing on the balcony of his second-story room at the Lorraine Motel, he was fatally shot.

Today, 55 years ago my life changed forever, Rev. Bernice A. King, CEO of The King Center and Kings daughter, tweeted on Tuesday.

At 5 years of age my father was violently taken from me and my family. Although the void persists I choose to love anyway.

King was among many this week to honor the slain civil rights leader and to share how the work to achieve his dream is still strong.

Rep. Al Green (D-Texas) said Tuesday was a day of reflection for the nation.

As we observe the 55th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., we must not only remember the tragic loss of a great civil rights leader, but also reflect on the continuing struggle for justice and equality, Green said in a statement to The Hill.

We owe it to posterity to continue fighting for his dream of a nation where invidious discrimination does not hinder ones opportunities; where the content of ones character and not the color of ones skin determines the treatment of women and men. To accomplish this, in the profoundly immortal words of Dr. King, we must transform this world-wide neighborhood into a world-wide brotherhood; We must learn to live together as brothers [and sisters] or perish together as fools.

The day he was assassinated, King was in Memphis supporting the Memphis Sanitation Workers Strike. The civil rights legend, known for his nonviolent protests, believed the strike highlighted economic inequality in America.

The night before his assassination, King gave his last speech, Ive Been to the Mountaintop.

Well, I dont know what will happen now, Martin Luther King, Jr. said. Weve got some difficult days ahead. But it doesnt matter with me now. Because Ive been to the mountaintop. And I dont mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But Im not concerned about that now. I just want to do Gods will.

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And Hes allowed me to go up to the mountain. And Ive looked over. And Ive seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land. And Im happy tonight. Im not worried about anything. Im not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.

One day later, at only 39 years old, King was pronounced dead from a bullet that struck him in the jaw and severed his spinal cord. His murder sparked nationwide protests. Thirty-nine people were killed, and more than 3,000 injured.

Today marks the 55th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) tweeted on Tuesday. We sadly remember this terrible loss to our country and our world. He was the nonviolent leader for civil rights & human rights. Lets think about what we each can do, to follow in his footsteps.

Rev. Jesse Jackson, who was close with Martin Luther King and founded the Rainbow PUSH Coalition in Chicago, said Kings spirit has been our moral guidepost for more than 50 years, even as the struggle continues.

Dr. King was an emancipator, Jackson tweeted. He inspired us, he changed our conditions, our objective conditions. He is a universal frame of reference for moral authority, the global frame of reference for nonviolent justice & social change.

But Bernice King said that since her fathers murder, little progress has been made.

As you look at the triple evils that he talked about  that being, poverty, racism and militarism  we have made very little progress as it relates to the issue of poverty, of economic injustice, said Bernice King.

I think this is a time for us to reflect on what he was doing and recommitting ourselves to doubling up our efforts to work towards the eradication of the triple evils, but especially working towards a more economically just society and each one of us have a role and responsibility in this effort.

Part of that, said Russ Wiggington, President of the National Civil Rights Museum, is addressing a slew of legislation affecting the education of todays students.

We do have to educate, we do have to make people know that Rosa Parks did not just get tired one day, he said, referring to recent news reports that a textbook manufacturer in Florida attempted to remove Parkss race from its history lesson on the Montgomery Bus Boycotts.

She was part of a political and strategic inner circle and machine quite frankly, that allowed for that boycott to have lasting power and unprecedented influence in beginning the process of having African Americans particularly in the south seen as humans, to be seen as people who deserved an equitable place at the collective table.

In a statement to The Hill, Rep. Summer Lee (D-Pa.) said now is the time for the nation to choose if it wants to achieve Martin Luther Kings dream.

55 years after Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated for fighting for a reflective democracy, we face a choice, Lee said. Are we going to let our nation continue to slip down the road of fascism, of wealth inequality, of racism, of xenophobia, antisemitism? Or are we going to be a nation that lives up to its ideals?

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
New York State Police and the Ontario County Sheriffs Office investigate an incident involving reckless driving and gunfire. The vehicle ended up crashing into the back of the City Mini Storage on S. Main St. near Parrish St. in Canandaigua.

The Ontario County Sheriff's Office has released body-worn camera footage from a February incident in which law enforcement officers from two agencies shot and killed a Pennsylvania man.

According to the Sheriff's Office, a brief pursuit led authorities from East Bloomfield into Canandaigua, where police shot and killed Brandon M. Zurkan, 31, of Warren, Pennsylvania following an encounter between with police on Feb. 28.

Officials have said that they began their pursuit after a 911 caller reported a driver firing shots from his vehicle on state Route 5 in East Bloomfield. A deputy in a marked patrol car intercepted the sedan on Route 5 in the town of Canandaigua.

More: Police fatally shoot man in Canandaigua during investigation. What we know now

Zurkan continued driving east into the city, according to police. He drove erratically, including on lawns and through at least one red traffic light, and fired multiple shots from the car. The pursuit ended when Zurkan drove through a fence and struck a curb.

Police said that Zurkan got out of the car, gun in hand, and that four officers  two deputies and two Canandaigua police officers  fired at Zurkan after he pointed his gun at police.

The video footage shows a time-synced composite of video captured by the four officers. It was released as part of an update on the OSCO's investigation of the case, which it says is now closed.

Since 2015, the New York Attorney General's Office is charged with investigating all incidents where a police officer may have caused the death of another person. That investigation is ongoing. On average, it has taken a little more than a year for the AG's office to report its findings in such cases.

What does the video show?

Police provided this captioned image from body-worn camera footage which shows Brandon Zurkan exiting his crashed car with a gun in his hand.

The body-worn cam footage shows officers converging on Zurkan after he crashed his car near the intersection of Main Street and Green Street in Canandaigua. Almost immediately, they see that the man is armed and begin calling out to him to drop his weapon.

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 WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT - See the video footage as released by police

Roughly nine minutes elapsed between the time officers arrived on the scene and when the shots were fired, and during most of that time they can be observed urging the man to drop the gun he was holding.

"Come on bud, put the gun down. We don't want to hurt you," an officer calls out. "Just put the gun down and we can talk."

"He's pointing the gun at his face," another officer can be heard telling a dispatcher over his radio.

The officers continue urging the man to put his gun down as he moves around in the street. He doesn't appear to respond to any of their commands. It's unclear from the footage if Zurkan ever responded verbally. The standoff continues for several minutes as officers take shelter behind adjacent buildings.

"Do not point it at any of us. Just put it down. We don't want to hurt you," the officer calls out again. "Whatever is going on, we can work this out. We can get you help."

Zurkan does not appear to respond. At one point, an officer can be heard muttering "what the f--- is this guy doing?"

After several more minutes, the man begins walking towards officers with the gun still in hand, despite their pleas for him not to. They also urge him not to raise his weapon and point it at him.

Video footage from all four of the officers appears to show the man ignoring those commands and raising his arm as he moves slowly toward them. When he does, the officers open fire, striking the subject. The man falls and appears unresponsive when officers converge and place him into handcuffs.

It is not clear from the video how many shots the officers fired.

In the video provided by the police, the audio was removed after the officers started shooting and images of Zurkan on the street were blurred while officers secured the area and paramedics provided assistance. This occurred within about three minutes of the shots being fired. The police also redacted the rest of the video, which runs for another 30 minutes, stating that it is not relevant to the purpose of the media release.

What else have police said?

In a statement accompanying the video release, Sheriff David J. Cirencione said investigators had spoken to dozens of witnesses in addition to searching Zurkan's cell phone and his vehicle. They found that Zurkan had applied for jobs in Buffalo, Syracuse and the Southern Tier in the week prior to the incident, but do not know what brought him to Ontario County.

The investigation also offered no clues as to why Zurkan was allegedly firing gunshots from his car that evening.

In addition to the .45 caliber handgun Zurkan was armed with, police say they found a loaded shotgun in his vehicle, along with ammunition for both weapons. Both firearms were legally purchased by Zurkan in Pennsylvania, according to the statement.

Five spent .45 caliber shell casings were located on South Pearl Street in the City of Canandaigua in the area where the deputy following Zurkan indicated he heard shots being fired. The statement says those casings were consistent with the ammunition in the handgun Zurkan possessed during the incident.

Police noted in their statement that Zurkans criminal history includes a controlled substance conviction from Warren County, PA in 2011. They also found several bottles of pills in his vehicle, all in containers prescribed to him.

Contact reporter Sean Lahman at slahman@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @seanlahman.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Body cam video of Canandaigua police shooting of Brandon Zurkan released
Body camera footage from Columbus police officer Rodney Mayberry released on Tuesday shows that a 22-year-old man who had said he wanted to "shoot it out with police" got his wish.

Around noon on Sunday, Rodriguez Fitzgerald, 22, was at a home on the 2900 block of Azelda Street in North Linden. Police released 911 call information showing a woman called twice that morning to report her ex-boyfriend, later identified as Fitzgerald, had attempted to assault her on Saturday, was threatening her on Sunday and had multiple active warrants for his arrest.

The 911 audio also indicated that Fitzgerald had a firearm illegally, a Glock handgun with a device called a switch on it that turns the semi-automatic weapon into an automatic one.

Officers were able to confirm Fitzgerald had warrants for felonious assault, discharging a firearm into a residence and other charges. Information from the 911 calls and radio reports released by Columbus police show Fitzgerald had relayed to other people, who relayed to officers, that he wanted to "shoot it out with police."

Columbus police called a SWAT team in to help with the response to the home.

Rodriguez Fitzgerald, 22, is seen in this still photo taken from the body camera footage of Columbus police SWAT officer Rodney Mayberry on Sunday outside a home in North Linden. The two men exchanged gunfire outside the home before Fitzgerald was wounded and taken into custody. No police officers were injured in the shooting.

What happened when Columbus police officers got there?

According to body camera footage from a sergeant on the scene, officers knocked on the front door of the house, announcing themselves and telling Rodriguez, by name, that he was under arrest and had outstanding warrants.

Before shots are fired, a woman can be heard screaming from inside the house about how she's "scared" as officers try to question her about who else is in there and asking the location of Fitzgerald.

The woman continues screaming as officers radio to each other that a person had gone out the back door of the home and then gone back inside the residence, according to the video. About a minute later, Fitzgerald fires two of more than 30 gunshots that were exchanged between him and Mayberry.

Fitzgerald was in an alley behind the home when he fired the first shots while Mayberry was behind a fence, the video shows. Radio traffic indicated that Fitzgerald then jumped a fence line and continued to fire at Mayberry, who returned fire.

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At one point in the video, Mayberry can be seen reloading his handgun.

What happened after the shooting?

The gunfire exchange lasted about 90 seconds before Fitzgerald said, "You got me, you got me." He then threw his handgun over the fence line and was approached by officers.

The video shows Fitzgerald remains verbally defiant of officers, yelling profanities at them as he is placed in handcuffs and moved from a small, overgrown space between a shed and fence line into a more open space where he could receive medical treatment from officers until paramedics arrived on the scene.

"I had fun with your (expletive expletive)," Fitzgerald tells Mayberry.

Fitzgerald then says "I'm sorry," as other officers move him.

Mayberry has been a Columbus police officer for 25 years. He is currently on paid leave, as is Division of Police policy for officers involved in shootings.

Fitzgerald was taken to OhioHealth Riverside Methodist Hospital in critical condition, but was upgraded to stable condition and will survive his injuries. Columbus police said Fitzgerald will be charged with felonious assault on a police officer in connection with the shooting.

The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation is investigating the shooting, as is city policy for any shooting involving a Columbus police officer in which a person is injured or killed.

Dispatch reporter Jordan Laird contributed to this story.

bbruner@dispatch.com

@bethany_bruner

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Body cam video shows shootout between Columbus SWAT officer and suspect
Nigel Lawson - John Redman/ AP

When the sad news broke that Nigel Lawson had died, people on social media began to share their favourite Lawson memories and quotations. One clip, from a Bloomberg panel debate six years ago, showed Carolyn Fairbairn, then CBI director-general, pouring icy cold Perrier on the prospect of life after Brexit. Free trade deals are really difficult to do, she whined, and I just havent heard what the alternative would look like to the trade deals we have with Europe and those deals around the world.

I will tell you very briefly what the alternative to being in the European Union is, purred Nigel Lawson, unsheathing his claws like a rather bored Burmese cat whose attention has been snagged by a fly on the window. The alternative to being in the European Union is not being in the European Union. (Gales of laughter from the audience.) It may surprise you, continued Lawson, but most of the world is not in the European Union. (More laughter). And it may also surprise you that most of the world is doing a lot better than the European Union.

Boom! Or mic drop, as the kids say. What struck me is that Lawson simply didnt give a damn what anyone thought. He knew what he thought, and that was that. No eyes flicking nervously around the room to gauge how he was going down, no tailoring his message to appeal to the querulous, over-entitled numpty in the third row. That intellectual confidence, and the slight impatience that went with it, feels particularly attractive in an age when suffering fools gladly appears to be the unstated goal of every major political party. Disillusioned Tories who wonder why their party campaigns as Conservative and governs as Liberal Democrat will gaze on Nigel Lawson in his prime and feel a pang of almost unbearable nostalgia.

In his very last interview just three weeks ago, with my Planet Normal co-host, Liam Halligan, Lord Lawson was cordial about the current Government while raising an eyebrow over high taxes and sounding a cautionary note for the future: I dont think theres anything new to come from the Conservative Party as it now is... Its going to have to reinvent itself  and I dont see that coming soon.

Unlike many contemporary politicians, Nigel Lawson had the courage required to challenge a consensus. In 2009, he founded the Global Warming Policy Foundation, a think tank which pushes back against the complacent, settled wisdom on climate change. Amid growing alarm about the cost to the UK of a Gadarene rush towards net zero, his scepticism feels more vindicated by the day.

It was intriguing to learn that the cautious, managerial Rishi Sunak hung a framed photo of his towering Thatcherite predecessor behind his desk at the Treasury. Who knows, maybe, inspired by his passing, Rishi could unleash his Inner Nigel and revive Conservatism with a bold tax cut or two. Now, that would be a fitting tribute to a man who remained a giant until the end. Its the politics that got small.
Emil Garippo, a World War II veteran celebrated his 100th birthday with family and friends at Mack's Golden Pheasant Restaurant in Elmhurst Ill. Saturday, April 1, 2023. (James C. Svehla / Pioneer Press)

Emil Garippo, a Chicago, and one of Elmhursts longest living residents, celebrated his 100th birthday, Saturday April 1.

Four generations of the Garippo family gathered at Macks Golden Pheasant Restaurant, the oldest continuously owned restaurant in DuPage County, co-owned and managed by Garippos daughter Debbie and her husband Steve Mack.

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Emil Garippo, looks at pictures with his grand daughter Jessica Grady as he celebrated his 100th birthday with family and friends at Mack's Golden Pheasant Restaurant in Elmhurst Ill. Saturday, April 1, 2023. (James C. Svehla / Pioneer Press)

My grandpa is an inspiration, Jessica Grady said during the party. He is a man of honor and is always level headed.

Garippo, the son of an immigrant Italian family, was born and raised in a small flat on the Near West Side of Chicago where the University of Illinois Chicago now stands.

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Despite being raised during the height of the Great Depression, Garippo recalled an active, happy life growing up.

Garippo would be drafted soon after the bombing at Pearl Harbor, he was a medic and was a veteran of the Normandy campaign in World War II, having landed on the beach 13 days after the initial invasion.

Emil Garippo, a World War II veteran celebrated his 100th birthday with family and friends at Mack's Golden Pheasant Restaurant in Elmhurst Ill. Saturday, April 1, 2023. Photo courtesy of the family and John Hoffman (Photo courtesy of the family and / Pioneer Press)

In 1944 Emil received news of the death of his brother Mike, in Holland. Emil and Mike wrote each other often, family members said. Mike who had helped lead the capture of 30 German soldiers, was posthumously awarded the Silver Star, the highest medal for valor not unique to a specific branch of the US military.

Soon after his return home Garippo married Dean Rugg, and the couple had their first of three children, Michael.

In 1949, Garippo graduated with a degree in education from DePaul University, eventually becoming a Chicago schoolteacher. He eventually rose to assistant principal of Spalding High, one of the nations first public schools for children with disabilities, according to his family. Seeing his talent, the administration brought Emil to the central office to help oversee citywide transportation.

In 1951 Garippo purchased his first home in Elmhurst, a mostly rural and hard to reach suburb of Chicago at the time. Convinced by a friend of his in construction, Garippo, his wife and three children became early adopters of suburban life. Within a few years, much of his extended family followed, including his parents and his sisters family.

The Mayor of Elmhurst, Scott Levin, attended the birthday celebration Saturday, offering a proclamation to commemorate the occasion, and solidify Garippos name in the citys history.

Emil Garippo, celebrated his 100th birthday with a kiss from his sister Thomasine Hoffman, age 90, during a gathering with family and friends at Mack's Golden Pheasant Restaurant in Elmhurst Ill. Saturday, April 1, 2023. (James C. Svehla / Pioneer Press)

Whereas Emils friends and family are gathered today to celebrate this admirable man, who has been and led transformations for decades, with a birthday  I, Scott Levin, Mayor of the City of Elmhurst do hereby proclaim April 1, 2023 Emil Garippo day.

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Garippo attributes his long life to his early adoption of jogging to stay fit. Recreational running was not as popular then as it is now, he said.

He still sets aside 20 minutes to ride his stationary bike followed by a series of yoga-like exercises, according to his nephew John Hoffman.

I wish you a happy 100th birthday, as well as good health and happiness in the years ahead, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker wrote in a letter to Garippo.
Good morning and welcome to the A.M. Alert!

BONTA RELEASES REPORT ON ARMED AND PROHIBITED PERSONS

California Attorney General Rob Bonta on Monday announced the release of the 2022 Armed and Prohibited Persons System report, detailing the states efforts to catalog individuals who are prohibited by law from owning firearms.

The database includes people who have been convicted of a felony or violent misdemeanor, who are currently under a restraining order or who suffer from serious mental illness.

The program in 2022 resulted in the seizure of more than 1,400 firearms, including 54 ghost guns (guns without a serial number) and one machine gun. Law enforcement also seized more than 2,400 magazines  including 308 large capacity magazines  and more than 280,000 rounds of ammunition through the program.

As of the beginning of 2023, there are more than 3.3 million registered firearm owners in the state, with nearly 24,000 (less than 1%) in the prohibited persons database.

Bonta praised the agents responsible for seizing all that ordinance in a statement Monday.

These brave agents are rarely in the spotlight, but they are working every day to prevent gun violence from ever happening by removing dangerous weapons from communities. When guns are in dangerous hands, it puts the public at risk, Bonta said in a statement.

DCCC TARGETS 8 CALIFORNIA SEATS FOR 2024

California helped to turn the tide in 2022 for Republicans, who won a narrow majority in the U.S. House. In 2024, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) is banking on the Golden State in their bid to retake the speakers gavel.

The DCCC on Monday announced that it is focusing on seven vulnerable Republican incumbents and one open seat for next years presidential election.

So whos on the committees radar?

Theres Rep. Kevin Kiley in CA-03, Rep. John Duarte in CA-13, Rep. David Valado in CA-22, Rep. Mike Garcia in CA-27, Rep. Young Kim in CA-40, Rep. Ken Calvert in CA-41, Rep. Michelle Steel in CA-45, and then the open seat in CA-47.

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In a statement, the DCCC noted that Duarte won his seat in 2022 by just 564 votes, while President Joe Biden won Garcias district in 2020 by 12.6 points.

The path to the Democratic majority could run through California. After protecting the now open CA-47, Democrats only need to flip 5 seats to reclaim the majority  and California has 5 districts currently represented by Republicans that President Biden won in 2020, the DCCC said.

Now that the DCCC has set its sights on those competitive districts, the cash spigots are sure to start flowing. In 2024, the DCCC is setting up nominee fund pages for its chosen candidates, which allows for small-dollar, grassroots donors to contribute to those campaigns.

HOCHMAN RUNS FOR LA DISTRICT ATTORNEY

With his 2022 defeat in the race for California Attorney General on the books, Nathan Hochman is looking to the future. On Monday, he announced that he is running to unseat embattled reformer George Gascon as Los Angeles County District Attorney.

Hochman, who changed his political affiliation from Republican to independent (according to a tweet from LA Times journalist James Queally), is banking on his background as a former federal prosecutor who will bring balance back to our justice system, according to his campaign website.

Hochman has the endorsement of former three-term LA County District Attorney Steven Cooley, (2000-2012) who said in a statement, The current DA is a failure in virtually all respects. I know what it takes to lead the largest local prosecution office in the United States, and Nathan Hochman is the best candidate to restore honesty, integrity, professionalism, and independence to the role of District Attorney in Los Angeles County.

Hochman has quite a hill to climb. In 2022, he secured 758,529 votes in Los Angeles County, or 32.6% of the total vote. In 2020, Gascon received more than 2 million votes, 53.5% of the total.

NANCY PELOSI TO KEYNOTE 2023 CALIFORNIA DEMOCRATIC PARTY CONVENTION

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-San Francisco, will address assembled Democratic Party delegates and operatives when they gather for the California Democratic Party Convention next month.

CADEM Chair Rusty Hicks praised Pelosi in a statement released Monday.

From defending the Constitution of the United States, to leading the American people out of the global pandemic, to spearheading some of the most impactful environmental legislation in history, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi continues to pave the way for Democratic leaders, Hicks said.

Pelosi will join other speakers, including Gov. Gavin Newsom, Senate President pro Tem Toni Atkins, and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon in addressing the party faithful this May.

Pelosis speech comes two months after her successor, Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Bakersfield, addressed members of the California Republican Party at their convention.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

Took the family to the Civil Rights Museum in Jackson to see their powerful exhibit on Emmett Till. His tragic story sparked anger and fear and a powerful movement. Its a stark reminder of our nations history  and how important it is that we teach our kids about it.

- Gov. Gavin Newsom, discussing his Deep South family vacation/political tour, via Twitter.

Best of The Bee:
In early 2020, Kristian Enbysk was excited about the next step in his postsecondary journey: Transferring from Grayson College, a community college in North Texas, to the University of North Texas in Denton, where he could study Latin American history.

Then came COVID-19. His father, a disabled vet and contract worker for a delivery service, struggled to find work as deliveries dried up. Enbysk considered dropping his university studies and getting a job to help his family. After discussing it with his parents, he ultimately decided to stay in school.

Obviously the pandemic has been the cause of a lot of dysfunction, said Enbysk, a Panama-born 23-year-old who came to the United States as an infant.

Kristian Enbysk, a Panama-born fifth-year student at the University of North Texas in Denton, in a photo taken in Kerrville, Texas, in August 2021. Enbysk said worries about tuition and housing costs nearly prompted him to consider withdrawing from college. Nationwide, Latino student enrollment fell more than any other population during the pandemic. The drop was all the more troubling as it followed five years of solid gains that were expected to continue, according to U.S. Department of Education projections.

Around the country, enrollment numbers reflect similar challenges confronted by the nations approximately 3.7 million Latino undergraduate students: Enrollment among Latinos fell 7% from fall 2019 to fall 2021, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. At community colleges, the decrease was 15.7%.

Meanwhile, during the 2020-21 school year, the number of Hispanic-serving institutions  a federal designation denoting schools with Hispanic populations of 25% or more  dropped for the first time in 20 years.

Deborah Santiago, CEO of Excelencia in Education, a national organization based in Washington, D.C., that analyzes Latino student data and promotes policies supporting Latino student achievement, blamed that downturn on lower Hispanic enrollment and institutions forced to close or consolidate because of the pandemic.

The decrease is not inconsequential: While Hispanic-serving institutions comprise just 18% of all higher-education institutions, they account for 66% of all Latino college students.

The declines are especially troublesome coming after a decade of enrollment gains for Latino students. From 2009 to 2019, Latino college enrollment rose from 2.4 million to 3.5 million, a 48% increase that made Latinos one of only two demographic groups to rise during that stretch, along with Asian Americans.

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U.S. Department of Education estimates had projected that growth to continue, but the pandemic, Santiago said, exposed the house of cards that underlay the boom.

Its clear that the pandemic had an impact because of the economic vulnerability of the population, Santiago said. We had one of the highest college-going rates, but as students parents lost their jobs or got sick, they stepped in to help out.

That was evident at schools like El Paso Community College, where administrators were unprepared for the drop, especially after seeing high enrollment numbers as late as summer 2020.

We anticipated this would be like any other economic downturn, said William Serrata, the schools president. Any time in the last 50 years when the economy went south, we saw a surge. But quite frankly, the bottom fell out.

Overall enrollment fell 9.5% that year, Serrata said  and as of fall 2021, total enrollment at the school had fallen 15% in two years, from more than 29,000 students to less than 25,000. Latinos make up 85% of the school's student body, he said.

With the schools number of graduating students staying about the same, Serrata eventually deduced that younger students had abandoned their studies to join the workforce, especially as some employers increased wages to replace the high number of Americans who quit their jobs after the pandemic began.

They were going into entry-level jobs, but they werent making minimum wage anymore, Serrata said. They were making $12 to $17 an hour. I dont begrudge them at all. I just want them to plan for the future.

While the dip in enrollment is starting to level out, Serrata said, the decrease in degree attainment is a larger issue, he said.

With the economy continuing to shift into a knowledge economy, if we cant get students enrolled, they wont be qualified for those jobs, he said. The pandemic wiped away about five or six years of progression. Thats going to be a challenge.

Latinos more susceptible to pandemic challenges

Anne-Marie Nunez, a professor of higher education at Ohio State University in Columbus, said several factors made Latino students more vulnerable to pandemic conditions. In addition to being likelier to work while attending school and to be saddled with family obligations, Latinos are also the least likely group to procure loans to pay for college, so the role of jobs is even more important in their education, Nunez said.

In national surveys, Latinos reported more challenges than other groups in adjusting to online learning environments during the pandemic. They took longer to complete degree requirements, worried about losing jobs or supporting families, or had difficulty finding quiet places to study.

When you add up all the uncertainty and precarity over money and mental health since March 2020, its no wonder that school just fell off many students radars, said Erin Doran, an education professor at Iowa State University in Ames.

In surveys, Latinos reported more challenges in other groups in adjusting to online learning environments during the pandemic. Overall, Latino enrollment fell disproportionate to other groups as a result of COVID -- a particularly worrisome development, advocates say, after years of steady gains.

Doran said her peers had noticed a decline in Latino students even before the pandemic as the anti-immigrant rhetoric of the Trump administration raged, along with local raids conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. Still, the degree to which national Hispanic enrollment fell after March 2020 came as a surprise.

For people like me who have written sentences like, Latino enrollment has been growing steadily for years, its unbelievable how much COVID managed to reverse that in a matter of a year, Doran said. I think it was all just too much  the mental health issues, the stress of being home all the time.

Of all freshmen who started school in fall 2019, just 74% remained in school as of fall 2020, the first year of the pandemic, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. That represented a 2% rate drop over the previous year and the largest decrease since reporting began in 2009.

For Latinos, the decline was even greater. Just 68.6% of those who started as freshmen in fall 2019 remained in school as of fall 2020 -- a 3.2% drop from the previous year and more than twice the decline among white, Asian American or Black students, the center said.

Vanessa Sansone, assistant professor of higher education at the University of Texas at San Antonio, said that because of their relative affordability, community colleges serve about half of all Latino students as well as a significant number of first-generation college students with greater financial needs.

What the pandemic demonstrated to me is how fragile Latino post-secondary attainment and success was before any of this happened," Sansone said. "It probably will continue for a long time after we come out of this. Because thats all it took. Its going to set us back a number of years.

'Students were needing more help than ever'

Some colleges and universities stepped up their outreach to Latino families and students to reverse the losses from the pandemic.

At California State University, Fullerton, where Hispanic students are 47% of the population, financial aid office staff used technology and social media to address pandemic-related student concerns.

In the summers of 2020 and 2021, as deadlines approached for student financial aid applications, director Jessica Barco conducted Instagram Live sessions to answer student questions, and staff called students individually to ask about life changes that might qualify them for additional aid.

At Cal State, Fullerton, financial aid office director Jessica Barco conducted Instagram Live Q&A sessions in Summer 2020 and Summer 2021 for students trying to meet aid application deadlines and make ends meet during the pandemic. About 47% of the student body is Latino.

When student applications for federal aid and Dream Act funding for undocumented students trended downward in 2020, Barco's office crafted instructional videos on both. Students unsettled by the pandemic were urged to apply for aid anyway, and they responded, flooding the office with emails and phone calls.

Students were needing more help than ever, Barco said. They were asking, Do you have anything else you can give? I went on Instagram Live and told them they could apply for income appeal. Students can feel like theyre in a dark room, not knowing whos going to guide them. We had to get creative and more accessible.

Students at California State University, Fullerton, must maintain at least a 2.0-grade point average and pass at least two-thirds of their classes or risk losing financial aid. They can also be dropped from classes for non-payment, so Barco's office set aside discretionary institutional funds for 11th-hour aid to keep students enrolled.

This spring, Barco said, the office used $3.6 million to save 946 students, 60% of them Hispanic, from disenrollment.

The work has paid off. Financial aid applications at the school rose 15% in 2020-2021 and another 1% this year, Barco said.

At San Antonio College in Texas, enrollment held firm through the pandemic, largely through strong messaging that told students they were better off with the school than without it. Even taking one class could qualify students for school resources, including mental health services or assistance with housing and food insecurity.

We did lose some students, but not at the degree we saw nationally, said Robert Vela, the schools president. What may have dipped is the amount of classes they were taking.

As part of retention efforts, the school used federal money to turn parking lots and outdoor areas into connectivity-ready workspaces, upgrading Wi-Fi access and making laptops and hotspots available for checkout. The effort addressed not only technology access issues but also offered a quiet space outside cramped homes for students to get work done.

We knew the college was kind of their safe haven, Vela said. Now they can drive into the parking lot or sit at a picnic table and have a great connection with no interruptions. We didnt want our students to not progress simply because they didnt have the right tech or coverage.

Student Miguel Casimiro is photographed on the campus of Northeastern Illinois University on Nov. 11, 2019.

The project was well-received by the schools Latino students, about two-thirds of the student population.

We heard good things from students, from families that only had one computer, who were sharing it with their elementary-school brother or their mom, or who didnt have the right bandwidth at home to support the streaming that they needed, Vela said.

Vela expects the program to continue now that the pandemic has reshaped how college administrators and professors see the process of delivering education.

I think we would misstep if we said, lets go back to pre-pandemic environments, Vela said. We understand what our students need to matriculate and graduate. I strongly support having this beyond the pandemic to make sure they have their technology needs met, whether its here or virtually.

Enbysk, now a fifth-year student at the University of North Texas, is glad he stayed in school. His sister had faced a similar decision even before the pandemic, he said; she opted to work, got a good-paying job and never returned to college. That factored into his decision to obtain his degree, he said.

Enbysk serves as treasurer of the schools Hispanic Student Association and while he still struggles to keep up with tuition and housing costs, he enjoys the diverse campus atmosphere, which has helped him explore his Hispanic heritage after growing up in a tiny, mostly white city in rural Texas.

"I'm conflicted because sometimes I feel too white for Latinos, and too brown for whites," he said. "I'm trying to find a balance, trying to get accepted, and it can be difficult mentally, but I've learned to process and do the best I can."

Discussions with other students in the group -- about financial struggles, about self-identity -- help keep him grounded.

They're just as different as I am, and that's okay, Enbysk said. They have the same issues. Were all going through the same thing, so we might as well do it together.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Latino college students dropped out, quit classes during COVID-19
Infrastructure

JetBlue Airways hired Thorn Run Partners to lobby on the proposed JetBlue-Spirit merger. Yul Edwards, former chief of staff to Rep. Danny K. Davis (D-Ill.), will work on the account. The lobbying contract came before the Biden administration sued to block the merger, arguing that it would lead to higher fares and fewer choices. JetBlue hired at least two outside lobbying firms leading up to the decision.

The office of South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) hired Navigators Global to lobby on infrastructure, utilities, education and tribal issues. John Tahsuda, former senior counsel to ex-Interior Secretary David Bernhardt, will work on the account.

Technology

Netflix hired Mehlman Consulting to lobby on issues related to consumer data privacy, childrens privacy and online safety, telecommunications and broadband. Bruce Mehlman, former assistant secretary of Commerce for technology policy, will work on the account.

Dell Technologies hired Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld to lobby on issues related to federal funding, international affairs and national security. Former Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas) and Casey Higgins, trade counsel to former Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), will work on the account.

Health Care

Quest Diagnostics hired Tarplin, Downs & Young to lobby on Medicare reimbursement issues. Jennifer Young, former assistant secretary for legislation at the Department of Health and Human Services, will work on the account.

The Psychedelic Medicine Coalition hired the Conafay Group to lobby for expanded research on alternative psychedelic health treatments. Darin Gardner, former chief of staff to House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Kay Granger (R-Texas), will work on the account.

Defense

General Dynamics hired the Nickles Group to lobby on annual defense authorization and appropriations bills. Luke Holland, chief of staff to former Senate Armed Services Committee chairman Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), will work on the account.

Bottom Line is a weekly column documenting lobbying contracts filed with Congress.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Jonathan Maybury pictured outside Warrington Magistrates' Court. (Cavendish)

A man who was jealous of his engineer girlfriends high-flying career is facing jail for domestic abuse.

Auditor Jonathan Maybury, 38, employed a range of intimidating and controlling behaviours against 33-year-old Stephanie Andrews after they met while working at Jaguar Land Rovers plant in Halewood, Merseyside.

During their eight-year relationship, Maybury would mockingly call his partner "the f*****g graduate", drained her of money and left her too frightened to tell him about her promotions at work, the court heard.

He also threatened to kill her puppy, had her pet rabbit rehomed and used security cameras to monitor her, the court was told.

At Warrington Magistrates' Court, Maybury, now of Widnes, Cheshire, was found guilty of coercive behaviour after a three-day trial and will be sentenced next month.

Victim Stephanie Andrews at court. (Cavendish)

The couple had got together in 2014 and moved in together after just five months.

She had attained a first class degree in engineering at the University of Surrey in Guildford in 2012 before joining Vauxhall Motors and then Jaguar Land Rover where she was promoted to advance manufacturing engineer.

Maybury was a government regulated auditor at the same plant.

The abuse began after Miss Andrews had used her grandmother's inheritance to pay for a luxury home for herself and Maybury in the prestigious Hale village near Liverpool.

Miss Andrews told the hearing: "I had to pay for everything, Jonathan would spend the money on what he wanted.

She said: "Although we were fine in the beginning, in 2015 Jonathan became jealous and controlling over me. I wasnt allowed to go out.

He would create a scene if I wanted to see friends or family, and ask why would I want to do that.

Jonathan Maybury appeared at Warrington Magistrates' Court. (Getty)

He would also ask where I was going and when I would be coming back. If I answered back he would call me a psycho and a lunatic and would say there is something wrong with me.

"During these arguments, he would physically block the exits and I was very intimidated to see whether he would go further than that.

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He just made it untenable for me to do basic things and it made me feel like the smallest person in the world. He even insinuated that I was having an affair with his 50-year-old brother.

At one stage Miss Andrews, who had another job as an app tester, said she offered Maybury 25,000 if he left her property so she could sell the house but he refused.

Her best friend Sarah Knight said: "Before meeting Jonathan, Stephanie was outgoing and social but she started to become withdrawn and not very confident in herself and I realised how suffocating Jonathan was.

The victim's sister Danielle Maskell added: "He was trying to convince everyone else that she was crazy, angry and mad all the time and the gas lighting would happen every time she visited.

Miss Andrews' mother Janet said: He kept belittling her, calling her a 'f***ing graduate'.

In his defence, Maybury said: ''We did argue but it was nothing more than that. I worked shifts and it would be a number of days before we saw each other.

"In the last months of our relationship, me and Stephanie were living separate lives.

But in finding him guilty, justice of the peace Alan Davies added: We find that you did use cameras to monitor her, you did intend to kill the dog and you did belittle her.

This had a serious effect on her which in turn caused serious alarm and distress.
A bank robber who got away with $5,000 after making a bomb threat will spend several years in prison, prosecutors announced.

Robert Frascella, a 55-year-old Bradenton man, pleaded guilty to federal bank robbery charges Dec. 12, 2022.

On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Mary S. Scriven sentenced him to 3 years and 10 months in prison and ordered him to forfeit the $5,000.

Investigators say Frascella walked into a Fifth Third Bank in Parrish on Aug. 8, 2022, and asked to complete a wire transfer of $10,000. When the teller told him he didnt have the money for the transfer, he left the bank, according to a press release.

Later, Frascella returned with a backpack and put a box on the lobby floor, according to court documents. Investigators say Frascella announced that the box was a bomb and demanded money from the teller.

He left the bank with $5,000, the only money the teller had available, prosecutors said in a press release.

Bank employees and customers were evacuated from the building, but detectives later determined that the box did not contain a bomb.

Deputies with the Manatee County Sheriffs Office located Frascella at his home later that night and arrested him.
A 14-year-old Sugg Middle School student has been charged with making a false bomb threat, Bradenton Police Department said in a news release on Tuesday.

Police say the student threatened to bring a bomb to school and kill two school employees in a video chat on Instagram. Several other students saw the video, and it was reported to police at 11:30 p.m. Monday.

Police say they went to the students home overnight, where he admitted to making the threat but claimed it was a joke.

The student was arrested and charged with making a false report concerning planting a bomb, an explosive, or a weapon of mass destruction, a second-degree felony.

Officers were present at the school on Tuesday morning as an extra security measure, the department said.

Anyone with information about the case can contact the Bradenton Police Department at 941-932-9300 or Detective Jay Gow at 941-932-9373 or leave an anonymous tip via Manatee County Crime Stoppers at 1-866-634-8477 or manateecrimestoppers.com.
gavel

A Fort Bragg soldier will face a general court-martial in June on child sex crime charges, according to Army trial dockets.

Capt. Lamario D. Thomas, 45, of Highgrove Drive in Spring Lake, pleaded not guilty during a Feb. 23 arraignment to two counts of rape or sexual assault of a child, two counts of rape or sexual assault and one count of conduct unbecoming of an officer, according to dockets.

Thomas is assigned to Fort Braggs Dental Command, according to his charge sheet. His court-martial is set for June 26 to June 30.

The charge sheet, filed Dec. 22, alleges that, between April 13, 2013, and April 13, 2015, Thomas sexually assaulted a child between the ages of 12 and 16 in Spring Lake.

The document further alleges that between June 1, 2018, and July 5, 2018, Thomas sexually assaulted a person who was sleeping or unconscious at the time and that he committed another sexual assault between May 22, 2018, and July 15, 2018.

On Dec. 2, Thomas registered with the North Carolina Sex Offender Registry after being convicted on Nov. 29, 2022, in Harnett County of the sexual battery of a victim on April 13, 2013.

It's not known if the Army charges are based on the same facts as the Harnett County conviction.

Harnett County records state that Thomas had forced sex with a child older than 6 and younger than 16 between April 13, 2013, and June 1, 2013.

Harnett County court records show that Thomas was arrested July 5, 2018, by the Harnett County Sheriffs Office on charges of statutory rape of a child 6 years old or younger, indecent liberties with a child from April 13, 2013, to July 5, 2018, and sexual battery.

All the charges, except the sexual battery charge to which Thomas plead guilty, were dismissed Nov. 29, according to Harnett County court records.

The Daily Record reported in 2018 that Harnett County Sheriffs Office officials said Thomas was arrested after a family member discovered a video on a cellphone.

Staff writer Rachael Riley can be reached at rriley@fayobserver.com or 910-486-3528.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Bragg soldier faces court martial for child sex crimes
By Orhan Coskun and Daren Butler

ANKARA (Reuters) - A second-time presidential candidate who lost out to Tayyip Erdogan in a 2018 vote could push Turkey's May election to a second round, potentially boosting the president's prospects of winning, according to analysts and polls.

Muharrem Ince, formerly of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), joined the fray last month and secured a spot on the ballot at the weekend, fuelling concerns among Erdogan's opponents about a split in the opposition vote.

Some surveys put Ince's support at more than 5%, with one by Panoramatr giving him 10% last month.

Pollsters and analysts say his backers would mostly otherwise vote for CHP leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu, who is the main opposition candidate seen as the biggest electoral challenge to Erdogan in his 20 years in power.

"The fundamental consequence of Ince's (candidacy) is sending the elections to a second round," Panoramatr research director Osman Sert told Reuters.

He said Ince's support could slide from 10%, where it has mostly held over the last month, as the vote approaches. "But even if there is such a meltdown it would not prevent the election going to a second round," Sert said.

Some analysts say Ince might agree a deal with Kilicdaroglu and withdraw before the vote to boost the opposition which, polls suggest, retains an edge over the incumbent Erdogan.

But Ince indicated he would not bow to such pressure.

"There is no situation that would require us to withdraw and technically this isn't possible," he told broadcaster Haberturk on Monday, noting that an official draw on Saturday formalised his spot on the ballot.

Ince, whose blunt speeches and impromptu dances have drawn social media attention, resigned from the CHP two years ago and formed the Homeland Party after twice failing to become CHP leader.

"They are saying, 'Muharrem Ince, withdraw'," he said on Haberturk, referring to opposition critics. "Their only concern is, 'We'll lose the election, let's declare the guilty party now'."

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A senior opposition party official, declining to be named due to the issue's sensitivity, said Ince's candidacy would make it difficult to defeat Erdogan in the first round but this can be overcome if, as the opposition alliance expects, his support and that of the fourth candidate Sinan Ogan drops to near 5% by election day.

A senior official from Erdogan's AK Party said its internal polls put Ince's support at some 8-9%, but did not provide the data.

POLITICAL STABILITY

If no presidential candidate gets more than 50% in the May 14 vote, the top two would compete in a second round two weeks later. Voters will also select parliamentarians.

Analysts say that whichever alliance - ruling or opposition - controls parliament will be well placed for its candidate to win a second presidential round given they could campaign on stability. Polls indicate the AKP will remain the largest party in parliament.

Data from closely-watched pollster Metropoll showed Ince and undecided voters would determine the presidential vote, its head Ozer Sencar said.

In its March survey, 44.6% of respondents said they would vote for Kilicdaroglu and 42.0% for Erdogan, if just given a choice between the two, while nearly 6% planned a "protest" vote.

GRAPHIC: Turkey presidential election scenarios - Metropoll (https://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/mkt/zgpobaqlyvd/MetropollTurkey.PNG)

Erdogan was 2.9 points ahead in a similar January survey by Metropoll.

Support for Erdogan dipped after February's devastating earthquake amid perceptions of an initially slow response. More than 50,000 people were killed and millions left homeless.

Among voters opposed to Erdogan, some voice dissatisfaction with the diverse main opposition alliance, partly as it includes parties led by former Erdogan allies and an Islamist party.

"The fact that these people would be ministers and come to positions of authority bothers me," said 28-year-old student Seckin Yetkin, saying he will vote for Ince like in 2018.

Ince won 30.6% of that vote, behind Erdogan on 52.6%.

(Additional reporting by Jonathan Spicer and Ezgi Erkoyun; Writing by Daren Butler; Editing by Jonathan Spicer, William Maclean)
Cohasset resident Brian Walshe, who is accused of dismembering his wife, Ana, with a hacksaw and disposing of her remains, is due back in court on April 27.

Walshe, 48, a father of three, is expected to be arraigned in Norfolk Superior Court at 10 a.m. on April 27 on indictments announced late last month related to the murder of his wife at their Cohasset home.

On March 30, Norfolk County District Attorney Michael Morrissey announced three indictments against Walshe: for the murder of his wife, for misleading a police investigation/obstruction of justice, and for the improper conveyance of a human body.

I am not a threat: Apologetic Brian Walshe aims to be loving, repay debt in 2021 letter to judge

Walshe had been initially scheduled to appear in court again on Tuesday, but the court date was changed to April 27. Court officials have also extended the impoundment of search warrant materials through the planned April 27 court appearance.

Walshe entered a plea of not guilty to the charge of murder at his arraignment in Quincy District Court in January.

Prosecutors have alleged that Walshe killed his wife, 39-year-old Ana Walshe in their Cohasset home on New Years Day. The couples three young boys were reportedly home at the time.

Investigators suspect that Anas discarded remains may have been incinerated in a trash facility.

25 Investigates: Brian Walshes damaging digital footprint, according to prosecutors

Prosecutors have said that Brian Walshe made more than a dozen disturbing Google searches on his sons iPad, including 10 ways to dispose of a dead body if you really need to.

Brian Walshe kisses his new bride, Ana Walshe, on their wedding day. (Facebook photo)

Items linked to Anas disappearance were said to be found during a search of a transfer station in Peabody, including towels, rags, slippers, tape, a Tyvek suit, gloves, cleaning agents, carpets, rugs, Hunter boots, a Prada purse, a COVID 19 vaccine card in the name of Ana Walshe, a hacksaw, a hatchet and some cutting shears, according to prosecutors.

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25 Investigates: Hacksaw, blood-soaked rug found in search for missing Cohasset mother Ana Walshe

Ana Walshe, a native of Serbia, worked as a real estate professional and owned a second home in Washington D.C. Police began searching for her after receiving a request for a well-being check from Anas employer on Jan. 4.

Brian Walshe was earlier convicted for fraud related to stealing and selling real and fake Andy Warhol paintings.

Ana Walshe murder: An in-depth look into where the case stands and what comes next

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Brooke Shields can relate to the many women who have suffered from "terrifying" postpartum depression.

Shields revealed that she almost crashed her car into a wall on California's 405 freeway after giving birth to her oldest daughter, Rowan, who is now 19.

"I thought I was going to drive my car into the wall on the 405," she said in her documentary "Brooke Shields: Pretty Baby." "You see it [happening].

"It has pictures. They rush, if you close your eyes, into your brain."

BROOKE SHIELDS' PRETTY BABY DOCUMENTARY: 7 WILDEST REVELATIONS

Brooke Shields revealed just how scary things got while she was suffering from postpartum depression.

The documentary, which premiered Monday on Hulu, showed that the "Pretty Baby" star was on the phone with her doctor during the situation, and the doctor said, "Youre going back on the medicine immediately."

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

Shields was hesitant to take medication because she thought she could "fix [her]self" but inevitably followed her doctor's recommendations to "get everybody off my back."

"It was so bleak," she recalled. "My mother-in-law called me and said I had dead eyes. I finally said, OK."

Brooke Shields revealed she had postpartum depression after the birth of her daughter Rowan, left. She also shares Grier, right, with husband Chris Henchy.

She shared on the "WTF with Marc Maron" podcast she went "cold turkey" and stopped taking her medication prior to the incident on the freeway.

"I started just feeling more myself, so I went off  because clearly I was a doctor by that point," Shields admitted.

The "Blue Lagoon" star gave birth to daughter Rowan in 2003. Shields and Chris Henchy welcomed their second daughter, Grier, in 2006.

BROOKE SHIELDS REVEALS WHY HER DAUGHTERS WERE MAD ABOUT HER NEW DOCUMENTARY

Brooke Shields, Grier Henchy and Chris Henchy all attended the "Brooke Shields: Pretty Baby" New York premiere in March.

In the documentary, Shields also addressed Tom Cruise commenting on her decision to take antidepressants.

At the time, Shields had just released a book, "Down Came the Rain: My Journey Through Postpartum Depression," while Cruise was doing press for his movie "War of the Worlds." In a conversation with Matt Lauer on "The Today Show," Cruise discussed his problems with psychiatric drugs.

Cruise, who co-starred with Shields in the 1981 film " Endless Love ," described psychiatric drugs as "dangerous," which he says is independent of the Church of Scientology's choice not to use "mind-altering psychotropic drugs."

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Brooke Shields told Jay Leno in 2006 that Tom Cruise had apologized to her for his comments about antidepressants.

Shields boldly responded to Cruise's initial comments, writing an op-ed piece for The New York Times.

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In the article, Shields addressed his interview, writing in part, "I WAS hoping it wouldn't come to this, but after Tom Cruise's interview with Matt Lauer on the NBC show Today last week, I feel compelled to speak not just for myself but also for the hundreds of thousands of women who have suffered from postpartum depression. While Mr. Cruise says that Mr. Lauer and I do not understand the history of psychiatry, I'm going to take a wild guess and say that Mr. Cruise has never suffered from postpartum depression.

Brooke Shields' documentary explored all aspects of her life.

"Comments like those made by Tom Cruise are a disservice to mothers everywhere. To suggest that I was wrong to take drugs to deal with my depression, and that instead I should have taken vitamins and exercised shows an utter lack of understanding about postpartum depression and childbirth in general. If any good can come of Mr. Cruise's ridiculous rant, let's hope that it gives much-needed attention to a serious disease."

Shields later told Jay Leno on "The Tonight Show" that Cruise had apologized.
Students and a staff member take shelter in an art storage area during a lockdown Tuesday after reports of a student with a gun at Highland Park High School. Authorities arrested five students allegedly connected to the incident. (- Original Credit: News-Sun (Stephanie Diaz / HANDOUT))

Minutes after more than 100 Highland Park High School students walked out of class Tuesday morning to call for a national assault weapons ban, five students were apprehended after one brought a gun to the school, authorities said.

A related school lockdown was lifted at around 12:30 p.m.

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District 113 received an anonymous tip shortly before 10:30 a.m. that a student at the high school was in possession of a gun, Superintendent Bruce Law said in a statement. The school reported the tip to the Highland Park police department, which responded and called for the lockdown.

Another student also came forward and reported seeing a student with a gun, Law said. The student who had the gun was identified, and security footage showed that he left the school with another student.

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The students were found and apprehended by police officers. The building was also searched.

The scene outside Highland Park High School after it was put on lockdown in connection with reports of a student with a gun on April 4, 2023. (Gavin Good / Lake County News-Sun)

According to an announcement from the city of Highland Park during the lockdown, there were no reported shots fired, and there was a heavy police presence at the school. A spokesperson for the Lake County sheriffs office confirmed there were also deputies on the scene assisting.

After the school was searched, law enforcement officials determined it was safe to end the lockdown at the high school, as well as soft lockdowns at other public buildings, including city facilities, District 112 and 113 schools, the Park District and public library.

Highland Park Police will continue the investigation in partnership with Township High School District 113, the city announced. 

Students file out of Highland Park High School after the end of a lockdown on Tuesday called due to reports of a student with a gun. Police arrested five students in connection to the incident, according to the city of Highland Park. (Gavin Good / Lake County News-Sun)

I dont want to die like this

Fearing the worst while hiding with her classmates during the lockdown, junior Stephanie Diaz texted her family that she loves them.

I dont want to die like this, she told the Tribune in a series of texts. I dont want to say goodbye to my family. This is the second time I have sent (the), I love you, Im sorry for all Ive done text. When will this end?

While she was hiding, Diaz said a young girl who she babysits texted her to see if she was OK. She shouldnt have to deal with this, Diaz said.

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The junior, who was not at the Highland Park Fourth of July parade last summer  where a gunman opened fire killing seven and injuring dozens  said Tuesday was the second time she texted her family she loved them in case she was shot during school. The first time was a few years ago during another intense lockdown when Diaz was in eighth grade.

Later, Diaz shared a photo she took while locked down with classmates and a teacher in an art storage closet.

I want to make people know that thats what happened at the high school today, Diaz said. Thats what happened on the nine-month anniversary of our first mass shooting.

The scene outside Highland Park High School after it was put on lockdown in connection with reports of a student with a gun on April 4, 2023 (Gavin Good / Lake County News-Sun)

Diaz has become a leader of the Highland Park and Highwood chapter of Students Demand Action, who organized Tuesdays walkout.

Just seeing all of the kids innocence lost from the Fourth of July just really devastated me, she said. They should be kids, running around ... rather than (worrying) if theyre going to get shot up at school.

As hundreds of students filtered out of the school Tuesday afternoon, Andres Rodriguez reunited with his children and surveyed the scene outside of the front entrance.

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Dozens of police cars from various agencies blanketed Vine Avenue, and dozens more cars formed a line around the corner from the school on 1st Street as parents made their way to find their children.

Rodriguez said he saw police rushing toward the school once he arrived outside, but they did not appear frantic. He said he saw police search the roof, and enter the schools with heavy equipment.

They came in with like their shields and everything, he said. It looked intense from out here.

An armored police vehicle sits outside Highland Park High School on April 4, 2023 after it was put on lockdown in connection with reports of a student with a gun. Police made five arrests relating to the incident, according to the city of Highland Park. (Gavin Good / Lake County News-Sun)

One student, who asked not to be named, described being locked down for more than an hour as authorities searched the school and eventually apprehended five students.

We sat in the corner and they were like, Guys be quiet, stay off your phones because youre not supposed to use your phones in a hard lockdown, the student said. So then we sat, and we just like waited there, and then there were updates, messages.

Political leaders react

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In a statement Tuesday afternoon, Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering thanked first responders for their rapid reaction, encouraged people affected to call 211 for trauma support or to visit 211LakeCounty.org, and called for legislative action to prevent gun violence.

While we were so relieved that the event ended without incident, once again, our community was terrorized by the threat of gun violence, Rotering said.

We must continue to work toward a time when we can live free from the threat of gun violence, she said. Those who can, need to take action now, so that our students can go to school without fear of random gun violence. Wherever and whenever they occur, every lockdown, every drill takes a toll on our children and our communities.

State Rep. Bob Morgan, D-Deerfield, wrote on Facebook during the lockdown that he was praying for an all clear, and heartbroken for the trauma these students continue to endure in an era of mass shootings.

Lake County Clerk Anthony Vega said in a statement Braeside Elementary School and Red Oak Elementary School also went into lockdown due to the heavy police presence at the high school, along with the Highland Park Public Library. The lockdowns subsequently stopped all voting services at the elementary schools and library.

At the point of the lockdown being lifted, our office will petition the court to extend voting for the same length of time as the lockdown, Vega said in the statement.

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Voting hours were extended at those sites until 8:35 p.m. to compensate for the lockdown period.

All after-school activities and athletics at the high school Tuesday were canceled.
Robert Ray, the younger brother of James Ray III, who is on trial in Newark for the 2018 murder of his girlfriend Angela Bledsoe, testified on Thursday that his brother had confided in him a month and a half before the killing that Bledsoe had slapped or punched him.

And in a confession letter his brother read on the stand, James Ray wrote to him that she had become increasingly violent.

The testimony is significant because defense attorneys Thomas Ashley and Brooke Barnett are arguing their client acted in self-defense when Bledsoe picked up a handgun that Ray had been cleaning and pointed it at him.

Robert Ray, brother of James Ray III, wipes his eyes while assistant prosecutor Michele Miller questions him on the first day of the James Ray III murder trial in Newark, Wednesday, March 29, 2023. Ray is charged with murdering his girlfriend, Angela Bledsoe, in the Montclair home they shared in 2018.

In the confession note, the defendant, who was a U.S. Marine and officer in the NYPD before getting his MBA and law degree, wrote, I reacted in the heat of the moment, eased down and couldnt stop firing. I was scared

Bledsoe was hit by four bullets, including one that hit her in the back.

More: Tensions high during opening arguments as James Ray III's Montclair murder trial begins

Robert Rays several hours of testimony recounted in detail the harrowing evening after Bledsoes Oct. 22, 2018 killing, from meeting his brother at a restaurant where the defendant left he and Bledsoes 6-year-old daughter in his care and slipped away, to discovering a confession note in the six-year-olds suitcase.

Ray testified that he cried when reading the note, and then called the Montclair police and told them, there might have been a murder at 304 North Mountain Ave., the six-bedroom house the couple shared.

During her questioning, assistant prosecutor Michelle Miller chipped away at the self-defense narrative to reveal a possible motive, asking Robert Ray why he characterized the killing as a murder.

He replied that his brother had told him that Bledsoe was having an affair and wanted to move to Florida with their daughter.

James Ray III takes notes on the first day of his murder trial in Judge Verna Leath's courtroom in Newark on Wednesday, March 29, 2023. Ray is charged with murdering his girlfriend, Angela Bledsoe, in the Montclair home they shared in 2018.

Bledsoes lover was an Orlando city official named Bakari Burns, who is married, Barnett said in opening arguments.

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In addition to the confession note, Robert Ray found several other items in his nieces suitcase, including his brothers will; checks, cash and bank cards, and instructions for putting the Montclair house on the market. He later did so, tossing all of Bledsoes possessions except for a journal and notebook, which he turned over to police. The defendant also sent his brother payment confirmation for a Disney cruise that he, Bledsoe and their daughter were scheduled to go on in December.

It is paid for. You will need passports, he wrote.

After calling the police, Robert Ray began texting his brother, begging him to come back for the good of his daughter, known in court as AR.

Recap: A look back at the events leading up to James Ray III's Montclair murder trial

The best thing for AR is is that you surrender, Robert Ray read from a transcript of the texts. The only way to redeem any fraction of honor would be to allow the daughter you love so much to at least get the chance to grow up knowing her father is alive and is available to help bring resolution to a psychologically delicate situation.  Dont make matters worse. She will already need counseling and a bunch of assistance getting over this. Dont abandon this beautiful girl.

Robert Ray said that, instead of responding, his brother told him to contact George Marable. When he asked who that was, his brother didnt answer.

George Marable is the octogenarian former owner of the DLV Lounge, a jazz music venue, which closed last year; Ray visited the bar several times a week.

Two weeks later, James Ray III was arrested in Cuba by FBI agents.

The murder resumes on Tuesday in Newark.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Brother of James Ray III testifies in Montclair NJ murder trial
Jimin of BTS rules the US pop charts.

Jimin of K-pop supergroup BTS has become the first South Korean solo artist to top the US songs chart with his hit, Like Crazy.

The sultry slow jam made its debut this week in the number one spot of the Billboard Hot 100 list, which is based on sales, streaming and radio airplay.

The 27-year-old celebrated the record on Instagram, sharing the chart with his 49 million followers.

BTS was the first South Korean act to top the Billboards charts in 2020.

The tremendously popular boyband announced a hiatus last year to rest and pursue solo projects. Members are also completing their military service.

Jimin's success with Like Crazy reflects the group's sustained fandom worldwide, industry watchers say.

BTS have been the torchbearers of K-Pop music in the US, with six number one hits, including Dynamite and Butter.

The septet, composed of members Jimin, RM, Jungkook, Jin, Suga, J-Hope and V, were the world's second best-selling artist last year, behind Taylor Swift, according to industry tracker IFPI.

They were the number one selling artist the prior year when they released a major album.
LG&E wants to build a natural gas pipeline through the Cedar Grove Wildlife Corridor in Bullitt County. Bernheim research forest has been trying to stop them from building on its land.

A Bullitt County Circuit judge ruled LG&E can build a pipeline through property owned by Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest, despite a conservation easement on the land.

The natural gas pipeline's construction is still subject to ongoing reviews of risks to endangered species, like the northern long-eared bat, by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Here's the latest on the pipeline project:

What was the ruling on LG&E's pipeline?

Judge Rodney Burress ruled LG&E can condemn the necessary land under Kentucky's eminent domain law and create a permanent right-of-way through the property, which sits in the Cedar Grove Wildlife Corridor.

Burress' opinion, entered Friday, rejected Bernheim's arguments that eminent domain should not apply to its land because of the conservation easement and its status as public property, since it was purchased with funding from the Kentucky Heritage Land Conservation Fund.

"We are pleased with the outcome of the proceeding and look forward to continuing this much needed project," LG&E said in a statement, citing its argument that the pipeline is necessary for energy reliability in the growing region.

How are Bernheim and supporters responding?

Bernheim has until May 1 to appeal the decision, but has not yet decided on that step, according to a statement.

"Bernheim is looking past the recent ruling," the organization said in its statement. "We will continue the fight to protect natural places and ecosystems that provide clean water, air, carbon sequestration, and rich biodiversity."

Past updates: LG&E still fighting to put pipeline through Bernheim forest. Here's where things stand

The pipeline has gathered significant opposition from both the public and some members of Louisville Metro Council. A resolution by Councilwoman Betsy Ruhe in opposition of the pipeline's construction on conservation lands was recently approved by the council's Parks and Sustainability Committee, and it is set to go before the full council next week, Ruhe said.

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Although the pipeline falls outside the Jefferson County line, Ruhe said "we all live on this planet," and since the city has made a clean energy, net-zero pledge, LG&E's buy-in is relevant.

Opponents of the project have criticized the pipeline's threat to endangered species and ecosystems on the conservation land, potential ratepayer cost burdens, and the project's symbolism as a further entrenchment in fossil fuels.

Connor Giffin is an environmental reporter for The Courier Journal and a corps member with Report for America, a national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues. The program funds up to half of corps members salaries, but requires a portion also be raised through local community fundraising. To support local environmental reporting in Kentucky, tax-deductible donations can be made at courier-journal.com/RFA.

Learn more about RFA at reportforamerica.org. Reach Connor directly at cgiffin@gannett.com or on Twitter @byconnorgiffin

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Bullitt County judge rules against Bernheim in LG&E pipeline case
Florida Southern College business student Katie Sharp, who attended Bartow High School, is included in the Poets&Quants list of the 100 Best and Brightest Undergraduate Business Majors of 2023.

Sharp, a senior from Iota, Louisiana, is involved with the Beta Alpha Psi, Beta Gamma Sigma, Omicron Delta Kappa and Phi Eta Sigma Honor Societies, Florida Southern said in a news release. She is also a member of the Delta Sigma Pi Business Fraternity and a board member of the Deans Advisory Council.

In photos: Florida Southern celebrates Frank Lloyd Wright Day

Responding to state order Florida Polytechnic offers no services for gender dysphoria

Florida Polytechnic Construction begins on 3rd student dorm

Sharp interned with Binder, Dijker, and Otte USA in the Tampa Bay Office as a core tax intern.

Alex Blankinship of Woodstock, Georgia, is also on the Best and Brightest list. He serves as president of the Delta Sigma Pi Business Fraternity and is chair of Deans Advisory Council for the Barney Barnett School of Business and Free Enterprise.

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Business students at Florida Southern in Lakeland earn national honor
Butler City police are searching for a missing teenager.

According to a news release, Karina Lynn Ingram McKibbin, 16, was reported missing March 28.

McKibbin is a Black female. She is 5 feet 1 inch tall and weighs 180 pounds.

She was last seen wearing a light shirt and dark pants.

Police believe McKibbin may be traveling to Texas. Officers in Texas checked a relatives residence and she was not there.

Anyone with information on her whereabouts is asked to call Butler City police by dialing 911.

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Growing up in Pomona, NASA astronaut Victor Glover never dreamed his career would take him to space.

My sights were not set anywhere near that high, but Ill tell you whose were: my dad, said Glover, who graduated from Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo with a bachelors degree in engineering in 1999. Thats the power of having support from your family and your mentors.

On Monday, NASA announced that Glover and three other astronauts  a trio from NASA and one from the Canadian Space Agency  will make the first manned flight around the moon since 1972.

The mission will test the Orion spacecraft for use in future expeditions, which will include an eventual lunar landing. Its also the first mission to the moons proximity to include a woman and a person of color as part of the crew.

The space agency selected Glover as one of 18 finalists for the Artemis II lunar mission in December 2020.

Glover, 46, learned of his selection as a finalist in 2021 while orbiting the Earth aboard the International Space Station on a NASA mission  and nearly missed the decision meeting because he was running late.

Our boss was there and his boss was there, and they asked us, How would you feel about flying on Artemis II? Glover told The Tribune on Tuesday.

I would say the first reaction was shock, he said. I was stunned, speechless, but then I told them, Im honored and humbled. Put me in coach  Im ready to play.

Glover said hes grateful for the inspiration he received during his time on the Central Coast.

Cal Poly alumnus Victor Glover (center, standing) will pilot the Artemis II mission to the moon when it takes flight in November 2024.

NASA astronaut: Cal Poly inspired career in space

According to Glover, seeing the movie Top Gun made him want to fly jets for the U.S. Navy, while watching NASA space shuttle launches on television as a kid made him long to sit in the cockpit of a spacecraft.

Glover said his teachers and academic advisers at Cal Poly, including Dan Walsh and Mostafa Chinichian, encouraged him to pursue a career in space exploration.

The first time he met Chinichian in his office, Glover recalled, he noticed a picture on one wall: a photo of Frederick Caustic Junior Sturckow, a NASA space shuttle pilot and another Cal Poly alum.

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That photo put the image in my mind of how amazing astronauts are, Glover said, and gave him the idea of pushing for space.

Glover said his desire to reach space grew as he completed his engineering degree at Cal Poly.

He remembers when astronauts Pam Melroy and Greg Chamitoff visited campus to speak about their careers.

Glover said he was inspired by meeting people that I thought were heroes and seeing the power that they had on our culture.

Asked what else compelled him to pursue a career in space, Glover mentioned science fiction, curiosity, a love of science and the scientific method and wanting to satisfy curiosities  all of it.

Hes not the first Cal Poly graduate to enter the final frontier  Chamitoff, Stuckrow and Robert Hoot Gibson all were involved in missions from the early space shuttle flights to the construction of the International Space Station.

After graduating from Cal Poly, Glover was commissioned as a Navy ensign in 1999 and earned his naval aviator wings in 2001.

He later earned a masters degree in flight test engineering at Air University at Edwards Air Force Base in 2007, a masters degree in systems engineering at Naval Postgraduate School in 2009 and a masters degree in military operational art and science at Air University in Montgomery, Alabama, in 2010.

Over the course of his career, Glover, now a naval captain, has accumulated 3,000 flight hours in more than 40 aircraft, more than 400 carrier-arrested landings and 24 combat missions, according to NASA.

Glover previously served as a pilot on NASAs SpaceX Crew-1, which landed May 2, 2021, after a 168-day expedition in space aboard the International Space Station.

On that mission, known as Expedition 64, Glover served as the flight engineer, participated in scientific investigations and technology demonstrations, and completed four spacewalks.

We work pretty hard up there on the International Space Station, but when I could stare out the cupola at our planet, I took advantage of that moment, Glover said. I was able to sit in there for one full orbit once, and so whenever I saw California, I would stare down at it and a lot of my fond memories were Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and the Central Coast.

Glover met his wife at Cal Poly, he said, and when his daughter made her decision to follow in her parents footsteps to the San Luis Obispo university, he did some zero-G flips on the ISS.

Victor Glover, a NASA astronaut and Cal Poly grad, returned to Earth on May 2, 2021, after spending nearly six months aboard the International Space Station.

Astronaut prepares for moon mission

Glover said he and the rest of the Artemis II crew are undergoing rigorous training in preparation for flying around the moon.

As the missions pilot, Glover said he very much respected the power and responsibility that comes with sitting atop 5.5 million pounds of high explosives.

We train for what we do, and getting used to something (and) training for it not only makes you better at it, it helps you to work through the nerves when you do have them, because you know what the first thing is to do, and you know what the next thing is to do, Glover said. Its a part of the power of training and being prepared.

With 168 days logged in space so far, Glover said he feels thankful for the journeys hes already taken, along with the chance to do it again.

Its blowing my mind that I get to go back to space at all, and now Im going to the moon, he said.

NASA astronaut Victor Glover, a 1999 Cal Poly graduate, has been selected to fly Crew Dragon, a private spaceship built by SpaceX, to the International Space Station in 2019.

Artemis II mission is significant step in space exploration

The 10-day Artemis II lunar mission represents a significant step in starting humanitys exploration of its solar system, Glover said.

He said that he and his fellow crew members will help test the new generation of Orion rockets that will carry future astronauts to the moon for actual lunar landings.

Glover said hes not disappointed he wont get to set foot on the lunar surface on this mission, as doing so would undermine the gratitude he feels over being selected for the Artemis II mission.

Victor Glover is scheduled to pilot SpaceXs Crew-1 Dragon capsule to the International Space Station on Saturday. Glover graduated from Cal Poly with a general engineering degree in 1999.

Gratitude, Glover said, is not about what you get, but is about what you deserve in life.

Im in a place where I dont need to go back to space ever, so going to space at all is truly a blessing, Glover said. I will treat it like the gift that it is.

However, he added, hed gladly take on the challenge of landing on the moon if asked.

Im looking forward to this mission and these objectives, and maybe I can be here to help train the next crew and share this experience to set them up for success, Glover said. My perspective on being an astronaut is that you want to be on the next mission  thats it.

More than anything, Glover said hes guided by the feelings of wonder and novelty that come with exploring the limits of human exploration.

If I ever stopped feeling that way, then I would leave the office, Glover said. I was a pilot long before being an astronaut, and if airplanes fly overhead and Im not looking up in wonder, then Im probably going to retire from that, too. If I lose that feeling, then I should not be here.
First-grade students at L.A.'s Esperanza Elementary School in 2019. (Liz Moughon / Los Angeles Times)

Enrollment at California public schools has continued to decline this academic year, without any recovery from the steep drops seen during the pandemic  although the pace of the decrease has slowed.

Enrollment for the 2022-23 school year fell 0.69%  representing 40,000 students  from the previous year, bringing the total to 5,852,544, according to newly released state data.

This year's percentage decline is higher than those of each of the five years prior to the pandemic but a substantial improvement on the two years most affected by COVID-19: 2020-21 and 2021-22.

The latest numbers show that "student enrollment is beginning to stabilize with increased enrollment in kindergarten and grades seven and eleven," according to a statement from the California Department of Education. But for nine of the 13 grade levels, enrollment was lower than last year.

"I know the state frame is: Enrollment has stabilized. But at some level, that's missing the point, which is that these kids aren't coming back," said Thomas Dee, a professor at Stanford Graduate School of Education. "We haven't seen  and are unlikely to see anytime in the near future  a bounce back from the substantial loss in public school enrollment that occurred over the pandemic."

The numbers should be viewed in a national context, according to Assemblyman Kevin McCarty (D-Sacramento), chair of the Budget Subcomittee on Education Finance.

The nation saw a steep withdrawal from formal education during the pandemic  a sharp decline in all school enrollment compared to natural declines in birth rates  and we still dont know when or if these families will return," said McCarty.

If students are doing well, then a modest and gradual drop in enrollment can be managed effectively, experts and officials said. But a sharp enrollment decline or a significant steady one  the state has recently experienced both  poses challenges: Districts eventually have to lay off workers and curtail programs, and schools may have to close.

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The issue is likely to surface in a substantial way in about two years  when COVID-19 aid has been exhausted. But a few California school systems already face problems.

Centinela Valley Union High School District in the South Bay, for example, operates three comprehensive high schools. The district postponed reducing staff during the pandemic in hopes that enrollment would rebound, said Supt. Stephen Nellman. Instead, the number of students continued to shrink.

The district sent out 105 layoff notices to employees represented by the teachers union, including staff with significant seniority.

At a recent board meeting, more than 200 students, parents and staff members marched in pouring rain, then packed the board meeting room in Lawndale for an emotionally charged hearing in which speakers accused district officials of mismanagement.

"We are a canary in the coal mine," Nellman said.

At Los Angeles Unified, the state's largest school system, the financial picture appears different, with a large budget surplus that seems able to support significant raises and hiring.

But with declining enrollment, "districts have to face the difficult question of closing schools and which schools to close," Dee said. "Past experience tells us that these are challenges that just rend the fabric of communities, because parents don't want to lose their neighborhood schools."

The disruption to education when a child changes schools can be consequential, Dee said.

"As it often plays out, many of our most vulnerable learners are often asked to switch schools  and maybe not directed toward one of our higher-performing schools," he said.

Although the drops in enrollment have not been broken out by demographics, they reflect overall trends in California. The state experienced a population drop of more than 500,000 people between April 2020 and July 2022. California has been seeing declines for years, with the pandemic pushing even more people to move to other parts of the country, experts say.

California, like the rest of the nation, is grappling with a new normal brought on by the pandemic," said Assembly Budget Chair Phil Ting (D-San Francisco).

In some instances, secondary students left school during the pandemic, taking jobs to support their families or looking after younger siblings while parents worked. Some have likely since earned a high school degree or GED certificate even if they have not been officially accounted for in the K-12 system, said Maria Clayton, a spokesperson for the state Department of Education.

Some young children, meanwhile, were held out of public school during the remote-learning phase of the pandemic and have not returned.

Private school enrollment rose slightly last year  by about 6,000 students. Charter school enrollment is up about 7,500 this year but declined by 12,600 last year. Home-schooling declined by about 9,000 students. (Home-schooling numbers are self-reported. A parent could be home-schooling without filing a required affidavit with the state.)

Neither researchers nor public officials have put forward anything close to a full accounting for the pandemic decline at public schools.

In 2020-21, enrollment plummeted by 160,478 students, or 2.6%. The majority of California students spent most of that year in remote lessons. The drop the following year was smaller  110,283 students, or 1.84%  but still historically large, even though in-person school had resumed.

Compared with those two pandemic years, this year's figures are vastly better. But there's a caveat: The leap in kindergarten enrollment is misleading.

Enrollment in kindergarten looks like it increased by more than 25,000 students  more than five times the gain of any other grade. However, this figure was boosted by including a newly expanded grade: transitional kindergarten for 4-year-olds.

The state did not provide separate figures on how many students are in kindergarten and how many are in the expanded pool of 4-year-olds. Thus, it's not clear whether the kindergarten figure of 496,000 represents real growth at all.

State demographers estimate that there are at least 1 million 4- and 5-year-olds in California, so the data suggest that fewer than half are in public school. Attendance for that age group is optional in California  Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed mandatory kindergarten. But most state leaders, including Newsom, say the extra schooling is especially important for children whose families suffered most from the pandemic.

A March report from the state Senate estimated that the number of 4-year-olds in public school had increased by only 11,000 students over the last three years, even though "roughly 65,000 additional children are eligible" due to gradual traditional kindergarten expansion.

Recent estimates from the California legislative analyst's office suggest that about 91,000 4-year-olds are in traditional kindergarten this year, said Bruce Fuller, a UC Berkeley professor of education and public policy.

"The underlying truth is disappointing growth in preschool slots for young children," said Fuller. "But there's great potential for future growth if local schools can find additional teachers and win state dollars to renovate classrooms for young children."

Earlier this school year, L.A. school officials reported a similar pattern: continued enrollment decline somewhat offset by the addition of transitional kindergarten.

Among the most disturbing numbers in the state data is a 9% increase in the number of homeless students  that's 15,584 additional children.

This number could reflect that with the return of in-person services, "districts are better at identifying homeless youth," said Dee, or it could be that the pandemic and other factors exacerbated the problem.

"You could imagine that many housing-insecure youth were effectively truant or skipping school and are now finding their way back," he noted.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Candidates competing in the 2023 municipal elections will speak at the Bay County Chamber of Commerce's First Friday meeting on April 7.

PANAMA CITY  More than a dozen candidates competing in 2023 municipal elections are scheduled to give pitches on why they are best suited for office at an upcoming Bay County Chamber of Commerce meeting. Here's what we know.

What is the meeting's purpose and where will it be held?

Candidates will speak at the chamber's First Friday meeting at the Alfred P and Mamie V Holley Academic Center at Florida State University's Panama City Location. The meeting will be Friday from 7:30 to 9 a.m.

According to Aimee Bright, vice president of governmental and military affairs for the chamber, the group holds First Friday meetings every month as a way for chamber members to network with each other. Friday will mark the only meeting this year where election candidates will have the opportunity to speak.

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"It's meant to be kind of a fun, light-hearted opportunity for candidates to tell chamber members why they are the best candidate," Bright said. "We all have an appreciation for people who step up and want to serve our community, and so it's important for us to get to know them better, where they stand and what they would do in the leadership position if they are election."

She noted all registered candidates were invited, but only 17 RSVP'd to speak at the meeting. They all will be given about one minute to give "stump speeches," or brief speeches on their goals and why they are best suited for positions.

Why is the meeting important?

Along with being a chance for chamber members to interact, Bright said this meeting is important because residents will have the opportunity to learn more about each candidate before the election, which will occur April 18.

The meeting is open to current chamber members, as well as those interested in becoming future members.

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While Bright did not list which candidates will attend, she said some from Lynn Haven, Panama City and Parker will speak.

What offices are up for election and who is running?

Panama City  mayor, Ward 2 commissioner and Ward 3 commissioner.

Lynn Haven  mayor, Seat 1 commissioner, Seat 2 commissioner and Seat 4 commissioner.

Mexico Beach  mayor, Group 2 city council member and Group 3 city council member.

Parker  mayor, Seat 2 city council member and Seat 4 city council member.

In Panama City, incumbent Greg Brudnicki, Brenda Williams and Michael Rohan are running for mayor; Michelle Bryant and Janice Lucas are running for Ward 2 commissioner; and incumbent Billy Rader, Brian Grainger and Bruce Lang are running for Ward 3 commissioner.

In Lynn Haven, incumbent Jesse Nelson and Judy Tinder are running for mayor; Joe Brown, Brian Gray and Sam Peebles are running for Seat 1 commissioner; incumbent Pat Perno and Richard Walker are running for Seat 2 commissioner; and Judy Vandergrift and Ellyne Fiends are running for Seat 4 commissioner. Vandergrift was appointed to the commission earlier this year to temporarily fill Seat 4, which became vacant after Tinder resigned from the position Jan. 31 with about two years left in her second four-year term.

In Mexico Beach, incumbent Al Cathy and Michele Miller are running for mayor; incumbent Jerry Smith, Lisa Logan and Gary Cox are running for Group 2 city council member; and incumbent Bobby Pollock and Linda Hamilton are running for Group 3 city council member.

In Parker, incumbent Andrew Kelly and Patricia Fousek are running for mayor; incumbent Tony Barrow and Cameron Fuqua are running for Seat 2 council member; and Stacie Galbreath is running unopposed for Seat 4 council member.

"We don't allow any negativity, and we'll have a couple of our board members (dressed) as Uncle Same (and) George Washington," Bright said "It's a serious event, but it's meant to be fun too."

This article originally appeared on The News Herald: Candidates in 2023 Bay municipal elections to speak at First Friday
Citing a high level of gun violence across the hemisphere, two top Democrats on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the chairman of the Senates Judiciary Committee are calling for a federal investigation into the illicit trafficking of firearms coming from the United States into the Caribbean.

On Monday, the three lawmakers sent a letter to the U.S. Government Accountability Office, Congress investigative arm, asking for it to look at the consequences of firearms trafficked from the U.S. to the Caribbean. The letter was signed by U.S. Rep. Gregory W. Meeks of New York, a ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee; Texas U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, a ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere. and Illinois Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin, who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee. They noted that their offices have requested similar reports in the past focused on Mexico and Central America.

This new request, focused on the Caribbean, will allow us to obtain a more robust picture of the overall impact of the illicit trafficking and use of deadly weapons and munitions in the region, the lawmakers said, adding they also want to know what more can be done to curtail the flow of weapons.

Among what they are asking of the GAO: A country-by-country breakdown of the number and types of U.S. arms being trafficked to Caribbean countries, excluding Cuba, and whether the number is growing annually; information on where and how illicit weapons are being obtained in the U.S. as well as how they are being smuggled into their final destinations; and measures being taken by U.S. and Caribbean law enforcement to address the problem. They also want to know what legislation might assist the efforts of U.S. authorities to combat arms trafficking.

READ MORE: How U.S. gun laws and South Florida ports help fuel Haitis escalating gang violence

The U.S. lawmakers said that they are particularly concerned about the effects of illicit U.S. firearms on the security situation in Haiti, which is seeing unprecedented levels of violence and kidnappings by heavily armed gangs. They noted that during a hearing last fall before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs titled Haiti at the Crossroads: Civil Society Responses for a Haitian-led Solution, both activists and supporters alleged that the U.S. was the principal source of weapons being used by criminal gangs, who are destabilizing the country, preventing the provision of basic government services, thwarting the distribution of humanitarian assistance, increasing levels of deadly violence, and causing an ever-increasing number of Haitians to lose hope and flee the country.

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Two reports published by Haiti-based organizations show the reach of violent gangs in Haiti society. On Monday, the Organization for Citizens for a New Haiti said that gang violence had led to the deaths of at least 195 people, the majority of them in the metropolitan area of Port-au-Prince in March.

Another report issued Tuesday by the Center for Analysis and Research in Human Rights in Port-au-Prince, which tracks kidnappings, said that 389 kidnappings were recorded for the first quarter of this year, which when compared to the same period last year and in 2021 is a 72% and 173% increase, respectively. The number includes 29 foreign nationals representing three countries, including a Haitian-American couple from Tamarac abducted more than two weeks ago.

Haiti does not stand alone as a Caribbean nation being destabilized by the influx of illicit American firearms, the lawmakers wrote. The United Nations Office of Drugs and Crimes Global Study on Firearms Trafficking 2020 evaluated firearms trafficking seizure levels in seven Caribbean countries in 2016 and 2017. The study found that between 2,000 and 3,000 firearms were seized each year, with Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, and the Bahamas accounting for most of these seizures.

They have also taken note of other reports including another from the United Nations that states that firearms are involved in 70% of the Caribbeans homicides, compared to 30% at the global level. The U.N.s Office for Disarmament Affairs also noted that Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, the Dominican Republic and Haiti, which all have high numbers of illicit firearms trafficking, also have high or increasing rates of violent crimes and homicides.

Lawmakers request for a GAO investigation comes on the heels of a decision last month by The Bahamas, Jamaica, Antigua and Barbuda, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago to provide support to Mexico in a civil lawsuit it has filed against U.S. gun manufacturers. The suit, which is being appealed after it was dismissed by a federal judge, argues that the marketing and distribution practices of several well-known firearms brands are facilitating the trafficking for arms in Mexico and fueling powerful drug cartels.

Caribbean nations in a friend of the court brief before the First U.S. Court of Appeals in Boston argue that the U.S.-made guns illegally trafficked across the borders, many of them from South Floridas ports, are also facilitating crime waves in their small nations.

The U.S. Commerce Departments Bureau of Industry and Security, which collaborates with other federal agencies, including Homeland Security Investigations, told the Miami Herald late last year that since 2020 about half of all firearms-export investigations have been concentrated in the Caribbean region  a top smuggling destination fueled by the demand of drug traffickers and huge black-market markups on U.S.-made guns. The other 50% are scattered throughout the world.
A carjacking in the Prices Corner Shopping Center on Monday evening led to a car chase that ended in gunfire on I-95, according to Delaware State Police.

No injuries were reported, but a vehicle was struck twice, said Senior Cpl. Jason Hatchell, a police spokesperson.

What led to the carjacking?

The incident began about 8:15 p.m. in the Prices Corner Shopping Center parking lot when a 29-year-old man was returning to his GMC Sierra, police said.

As the man opened the pickup's driver-side door, a gunman walked up behind him and struck him on the top of the head with a handgun. The gunman then pointed a weapon at the victim and demanded that he get in the truck, police said.

The victim was then grabbed by a second gunman and placed in the truck, according to police.

As the men began to drive the truck out of the parking lot, police said, the victim jumped out of the pickup and ran into his nearby business.

The stolen GMC then fled out of the parking lot, located at 3202 Kirkwood Highway.

Car chase begins in Prices Corner

After telling business employees what had just occurred, Hatchell said, one of the employees got into his personal vehicle and followed the stolen truck.

The employee followed the stolen GMC truck onto I-95 north. But as they neared Marsh Road, Hatchell said, a gunman fired two shots at the employees vehicle, striking it twice.

The employee then stopped following the gunmen, police said.

The truck was later found unoccupied in the area of Garland Road and Lakewood Drive, which is in the Brandywine Hundred community of Northwood.

Who was involved?

Police said the gunmen were part of a group of four men who were wearing all dark clothing and masks and were in a black Honda Accord before the carjacking. The Accord was also seen fleeing the scene after the theft.

Detectives are asking anyone with information regarding this case to contact investigators at (302) 365-8477.

Contact Esteban Parra at (302) 324-2299, eparra@delawareonline.com or Twitter @eparra3.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Delaware carjacking leads to vehicle chase, gunfire on I-95: Police
FILE - Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich is escorted by officers from the Lefortovsky court to a bus, in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, March 30, 2023. Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged his Russian counterpart, in a rare phone since the Ukraine war, to immediately release Gershkovich, who was detained, as well as another imprisoned American, Paul Whelan, the State Department said Sunday, April 2. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, File) (Alexander Zemlianichenko / AP)

The shocking arrest of Evan Gershkovich, an American reporter in Russia for The Wall Street Journal, marks the latest assault on freedom by Vladimir Putin.

Gershkovich represents a highly respected, influential, surviving authentic-news organization and is a most unlikely foreign agent. Poignantly, his parents, Jewish Russians, fled the Soviet Union in 1979.

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This is the first arrest of a U.S. journalist by Russia since the end of the Cold War, but only the latest example of escalating repression.

Alexei Navalny, a prominent Russia opposition leader, is a prisoner following his brave return to Russia in 2021. He had been evacuated to Germany for emergency medical treatment after being poisoned.

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Before Navalny returned, authorities there tried to intimidate journalists and restrict protests supporting him. State media regulator Roskomnadzor demanded social media not post information related to protests.

In Britain in March 2018, a police officer found Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, unconscious on a park bench in Salisbury, a city near London. Authorities immediately hospitalized them in intensive care. The nerve agent responsible sickened the officer, likewise hospitalized.

Skripal worked for the GRU, the military intelligence arm of Russia. He also was a double agent for British intelligence from 1995.

In September 2018, opposition activist Peter Verzilov became severely ill after a court hearing related to a protest and his subsequent arrest. He also was flown to Berlin for specialist medical treatment, where poisoning was diagnosed as the likely cause.

Vladimir Kara-Murza, an opposition leader and journalist, suffered two severe health attacks in 2015 and 2017. The diagnosis in each case was probable poisoning. He is vice chairman of Open Russia, an organization founded by successful business entrepreneur Mikhail Khodorkovsky, a strong Putin opponent who has been persecuted and imprisoned.

A particularly prominent victim is Alexander Litvinenko, who died in London in November 2006 from acute radiation poisoning. Litvinenko was a former colleague of Putin in the KGB, the principal arm of state security in the Soviet Union, an agency rightly feared for ruthless methods and effective results.

Putin is a product of distinctive KGB culture.

Litvinenko defected to Britain, where he  until silenced  was a prominent and influential public critic of Putin and the government of Russia. After a meticulous thorough investigation, representatives of Scotland Yard testified in a public inquiry the Russian government was involved in his killing.

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Earlier, critics of Russias regime sometimes died violently gangland style, in public. In early 2009, near the Kremlin on a sunny day on a public street, a gunman murdered activist attorney Stanislav Markelov. Journalist Anastasia Baburova tried to help him and was killed. The hit man was a pro, his pistol equipped with a silencer.

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Markelov had denounced the release from prison of Col. Yuri Budanov, convicted of strangling a woman during the Chechnya war.

Today, Russian military aggression, related espionage and sabotage, and other outrages are constant. The invasion of Ukraine is only the most extreme example. Military involvement beyond Ukraine is extensive. Interference in U.S. elections is notorious. Harassment of American and other citizens is a part of this picture.

Winston Churchill observed the key to Russia is national interest. We must actively seek levers to secure the release of Gershkovich.

In 2021, courageous journalist Dmitry Muratov of Russia received the Nobel Peace Prize. Last June, he auctioned the prize for $103.5 million, which was donated to UNICEF to aid Ukraine children.

In March, the Kremlin shut down his news organization, Novaya Gazeta.

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Arthur I. Cyr is author of After the Cold War (NYU Press and Palgrave/Macmillan).

Contact acyr@carthage.edu
Carol Vorderman says she is not a jealous person. (Getty Images)

Carol Vorderman has said the reason she is able to be in five relationships at the same time is because she is "not a jealous person".

The 62-year-old I'm A Celebrity... South Africa contestant  who previously revealed she has swapped monogamy for spending time with 'special friends'  has opened up on how she manages to date multiple boyfriends alongside one another.

The former Countdown star told You magazine: "Oh yeah, yeah, my 'special friends'. I'm continuing with that system and it's working very well.

Read more: Carol Vorderman says I'm A Celebrity All-Stars was 'brutal'

"I'm not a jealous person and I'm happy when my friends are happy, whether they are 'special friends' or not.

Carol Vorderman is dating five people at the same time. (Getty Images)

"The goal of my life is to be happy, not to be in love. I just find people interesting and life interesting.

"And you can get to a stage where you choose which bits you enjoy. You can't in your 30s because you're making your way in your career, you're beholden to bosses and all those sorts of things. But in your 60s"

Vorderman has five 'special friends' which she considers to be "long-term relationships", one of which has been going for 11 years and another for seven.

She added that her children  daughter Katie, 31, and son Cameron, 25  "know most of them".

Watch: Carol Vorderman denies going to the races with Matt Hancock

The TV star previously revealed one of her multiple boyfriends is an astronaut and is away on a space station for long periods of time.

Vorderman has said she was throwing the traditional fairytale "myth" of living 'happily ever after' with one man "out of the window".

She said: "The 'special friends' system, even though it might seem quite shocking to some people now, won't be in 20 years time, it will be absolutely standard.

"This whole assumption, 'Have you got a partner yet? Have you got a man?' Well, no actually I've got five."

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Carol Vorderman dated TV presenter Des Kelly for five years until they split in 2006. (Getty Images)

The Celebrity Gogglebox star has been married twice.

Her first marriage to Royal Navy officer Christopher Mather in 1985 lasted less than 12 months. Her second marriage in 1990 to management consultant Patrick King lasted 10 years and the couple share two adult children Katie and Cameron.

Read more: I'm a Celebrity: South Africa all-star line-up revealed

She dated TV presenter Des Kelly for five years before the split in 2006.
Carol Vorderman has begun publicly campaigning against the Conservative Party on social media. (Getty Images)

Carol Vorderman has accused several Conservative Party MPs of "pretending to be Green" in their latest political campaign.

The 62-year-old I'm A Celebrity... South Africa contestant has used her social media platform to call out Tory politicians for "rebranding" and hiding their links to the Conservative party.

Vorderman retweeted an image of a set of Conservative flyers - including one for Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt - printed in green with no mention of the political party they stand for.

Read more: Carol Vorderman explains how she juggles five relationships at the same time

Before I go off to work



BEWARE BLUES PRETENDING TO BE GREENS



Some current leaflets for Tories below

Keep calling them out .... #ToriesDeletingTory https://t.co/NSgeOdTo4w  Carol Vorderman (@carolvorders) April 4, 2023

She said: "Before I go off to work BEWARE BLUES PRETENDING TO BE GREENS Some current leaflets for Tories below Keep calling them out .... #ToriesDeletingTory "

The former Countdown star also exchanged insults with Deputy Chairman Lee Anderson after naming him among a list of Tory politicians - including former Prime Ministers Boris Johnson and Liz Truss - who have removed their links to the Conservative Party from their Twitter bios.

Vorderman tweeted: "So it goes on Lee Anderson, Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party who doesnt tell us which party he is the deputy chairman of? I suspect a rebranding and change from Tory blue this year."

Carol Vorderman has worked with Tory and Labour governments in the past but said it was 'for the cause, not the politics'. (PA)

Anderson added in the text "now the proud Conservative Member of Parliament for" to his Twitter profile and hit back at the TV star, replying: "Think you need to check my bio again. Oh and whilst your at it act your age."

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I know I shouldn't BUT @LeeAndersonMP_ it's "you're" not "your"



Also, quick question on the age/behaviour issue (which you brought up)



At what age should a Member of Parliament stop asking his mate to lie for him on camera?



You being an expert...



#ToriesDeletingTory pic.twitter.com/liLMDnTY2h  Carol Vorderman (@carolvorders) April 3, 2023

Vorderman retorted: "I know I shouldn't BUT @LeeAndersonMP_ it's "you're" not "your" Also, quick question on the age/behaviour issue (which you brought up) At what age should a Member of Parliament stop asking his mate to lie for him on camera? You being an expert..."

The Celebrity Gogglebox star also tweeted: "At the moment it's running at over 70% of Tory MPs who were voted in as Tories, and are paid as Tory MPs, are not saying they are Tory on their social media profile. What's more....many are also using the colour green on election leaflets!!"

Watch: Carol Vorderman denies going to the races with Matt Hancock

In the past Vorderman has worked with both the Labour Party and the Conservative Party towards government legislation.

In her own words: "I worked with David Blunkett (Labour) on the world's first online grooming law and with a previous Tory gov on Mathematics policy in schools. Both for the cause, not the politics."

Read more: Carol Vorderman reignites Michelle Mone feud

She has previously described herself as "not a politically motivated woman" but has become increasingly frustrated with the Tory government in recent years voicing her anger over those who profited from PPE contracts during the coronavirus pandemic and calling for Boris Johnson to resign in June 2022.
The Southlake Carroll school board lost access to the Texas Association of School Boards legal resources when it voted to leave the association.

Those resources include being a part of the associations risk management fund, which means school districts can receive coverage for litigation expenses.

Without membership in the organization, the school district will now have to find a way to pay for litigation.

Carroll schools have received $308,000 in assistance from the risk management fund for liability coverage during the 2020-21 and 2021-22 school years, an association representative wrote in an email.

The school district has not used any risk management fund money to cover nearly $275,000 incurred by the district as it faces eight separate civil rights investigations from the U.S. Department of Education, school officials said in response to an open records request.

Part of the school boards resolution passed March 27 was to put out a request for proposal for risk management services. School officials did not immediately return requests for comment on where the the proposal stands.

School board members voted 5-1 March 27 to leave the nonpartisan association, citing objections to policies that favored diversity and to using tax dollars for services that could be found at a cheaper price.

Michelle Moore voted against the resolution over concerns that the district needed more time to evaluate the ramifications of pulling out of the association.

The association provides training, policy guidance and risk management to school districts.
Former President Donald Trump arrives at court in New York on Tuesday. (Mary Altaffer/AP)

Donald Trump was arraigned Tuesday on 34 felony charges of falsifying business records to cover up a $130,000 hush money payment to an adult-film star  a case that many legal experts had, before the indictment was unsealed, brushed off as unsubstantial.

But lawyer Norm Eisen, who spoke to Yahoo News on Monday, made the argument that the charges follow a pattern and that they should not be discounted.

I think in some ways it is as serious a democracy crime as in Georgia, as in the federal investigations of Jan. 6 and the Mar-a-Lago classified documents, Eisen said, referring to several of the other ongoing investigations into Trump.

Thats because the one election that might actually have been altered by Trumps allegedly illegal interference was the 2016 contest.

The 2016 election between Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton, in which Clinton won the popular vote by nearly 3 million votes but lost the Electoral College tally by a margin of 304-227, was in part decided in three states: Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Trumps margin of victory across those three swing states was fewer than 80,000 votes.

Eisen believes that, had it broken during the campaign, the revelation that Trump had paid Stormy Daniels to stay quiet could have altered the outcome.

In the wake of Access Hollywood, this scandal, had [the Stormy Daniels news] broken, could have swung the election to Trumps opponent, Eisen said. The alleged falsification of financial records to cover up a campaign finance violation in New York might constitute the one case where the outcome of the election was actually altered. So I think its a very serious matter.

Eisen, who served as a counsel to Democrats during the 2019 impeachment proceedings of Trump, sees a connection between the Daniels matter, Trumps two impeachments and the other cases for which the former president also faces possible indictment.

It was kind of a gateway drug for the later democracy crimes that I investigated for impeachment in 2019, when Trump tried to get the president of Ukraine to attack his opponent, Eisen said. Thats a form of election interference. Of course, the attempted coup in 2020 was one, but so is alleged financial and campaign finance fraud that could have swung the outcome of an election.
Detectives seized 50 boxes with audio systems

Expensive equipment was imported through the Yahodyn checkpoint. Perpetrators attempted to pass the cargo off as radio parts for a military unit of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Read also: $142-million grain export scheme exposed by SBU and BEB

It has been established that the scheme was set up to evade paying the customs tariffs.

It is noted that the warranty letter was signed by a person who has been dismissed from their position and has no relation to the military unit.

Detectives searched the vehicle and seized 50 boxes of audio systems. The value of the cargo is being determined.

Read also: Bureau of Economic Security gives army $3 million worth of equipment illegally imported into Ukraine

The BEB press service did not name the charity but noted it has been operating in Ukraine for nine years.

Earlier, it was reported that BEB confiscated 30 tons of raw materials to produce household chemicals under the trademarks of well-known brands.

Were bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron!

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
A Texas Roadhouse restaurant in the Charlotte area received a B grade from the Mecklenburg County Health Department after inspectors found that an undercooked food item was being offered on the menu.

The Texas Roadhouse at 10400 E. Independence Blvd. received a score of 87.5 during its March 28 inspection.

Health department inspectors cited the restaurant after discovering that salmon on the menu was being offered, though it was not prepared to the proper temperature, documents show.

Other violations the restaurant was cited for include:

Employees preparing food without washing their hands

Dishes stored in hand-washing sink

A buildup of food debris in coolers

Vents in walk-in cooler with heavy dust build-up

This is the restaurants first B grade, documents show.

The violations have since been corrected and the restaurant is scheduled for another inspection this week, a Texas Roadhouse employee told The Charlotte Observer.

According to state law, permits are immediately revoked if a restaurant receives a score of less than 70 percent.
South Carolina health inspectors found multiple violations at restaurants in the Midlands in March, from chicken sludge pooled at the bottom of a breading station, margarita mix kept in buckets used to store chemicals and evidence of pest infestation. The state each month releases grades and inspection reports for food establishments across Lexington and Richland counties.

Here are the restaurants that received some of the lowest ratings in March.

Cocos & Beer Mexican Grill at 4405 Ft. Jackson Blvd in Richland

Cocos & Beer Mexican Grill had an inspection on March 8 and got a C grade.

An inspector observed a cooler leaking into an uncovered bucket of raw fish. Water was also pooling below onto partially-covered bus tubs with product inside.

Also observed was chemical buckets being used to hold margarita mix on the floor behind the bar. An employee was seen wiping the inside of a plate for ready to eat nachos with a contaminated towel another employee had used to wipe his hands on after handling raw meats. Also seen was buildup on sides of equipment on the make line, build up on racks and shelving, along with grease buildup on the ground in front of the grease bin.

A required followup inspection was held on March 17 and the restaurant got an A grade.

Miyos on Forest at 3250 Forest Drive in Richland

Miyos had an inspection on March 1 and got a C grade.

An inspector observed uncovered raw chicken stored on the floor of the freezer and buckets of cabbage sitting directly on the floor of make line areas. Also observed was 6 inch-deep pans of cooked chicken covered in the walk in cooler not cooling properly.

Raw chicken was also seen being prepped in a sink at the same time as dirty dishes were being washed. Cutting boards were seen with deep, dark grooves and black buildup.

The restaurant had a required followup inspection on March 10 and got an A grade.

Mynt Chophouse 75 at 2732 Decker Blvd. in Richland

Mynt Chophouse 75 had an inspection on March 10 and got a C grade.

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An inspector observed evidence of pests in the area behind the make line and storage. The inspector also observed green and white fuzzy growth on cooked cabbage in the walk in cooler.

Raw fish was seen stored next to produce in the walk in cooler. Also, raw eggs were seen stored over produce and cooked meatballs were seen stored next to raw chicken wings.

Buildup caked on fryer baskets and inside fryers was observed, along with buildup inside the breading station, with liquid chicken sludge pooling in the bottom.

The restaurant had a required followup inspection on March 13 and got another C grade. A second required followup inspection was held on March 23 and the restaurant earned an A grade.

Pizza Palace at 1314 Leesburg Road in Richland

Pizza Palace had an inspection on March 22 and got a C grade.

An inspector observed evidence of rodent droppings behind the bar on the side of a beer keg cooler where towels were being kept. Also observed raw steak being cut on the make line cutting board where ready to eat salads, subs and sandwiches are prepared.

Raw product was seen stored improperly over cases of produce and ready to eat cooked foods, such as raw chicken wing use over buckets of feta, chicken quarters in storage container over cooked pizza sauce and raw hamburger meat plate over cooked noodles in storage containers.

The mechanical dish machine provided les than the minimum required chemical sanitation.

A required followup inspection was held March 30 and the restaurant got an A grade.

El Jimador at 1072 Lake Murray Blvd. in Lexington

El Jimador had an inspection on March 6 and got a C grade.

An inspector observed raw meat thawing in pans of standing water. Also observed were dishes and other equipment with buildup of food and debris stored as clean.

Raw hamburger patties were seen stored above ready to eat food inside of prep coolers. Also seen was packaged single serve pizza stored in contact with repackaged raw beef in the prep freezer.

A required followup inspection was held on March 9 and the restaurant got another C grade. A second followup inspection was held on March 15 and the restaurant got an A grade.

Fusion Bowl Asian Bistro at 5166-E Sunset Blvd. in Lexington

Fusion Bowl had a restaurant inspection on March 20 and got a C grade.

An inspector observed a large bowl filled with raw chicken rinsed off in the sink and then stored as clean. Also observed was raw meats stored above egg rolls in the walk in cooler.

Bus pans more than 4 inches deep of raw chicken and noodles were seen not adequately cooling. Containers of food and open sauces were seen stored directly on the floor in the walk in cooler. Puddled water was noted on top of a bus pan of food in the cooler.

The restaurant had a required followup inspection on March 24 and got an A grade.

Taqueria at 152 N Pine St. in Lexington

Taqueria had an inspection on March 29 and got a C grade.

An inspector observed fresh eggs soiled with dirt and feathers or documentation of an approved source for fresh eggs. Also observed was employees rinsing hands without using soap and not washing hands between points of contamination.

Areas of walls and ceilings were seen in poor repair throughout the kitchen.

A required followup inspection has not yet been held.

Tokyo Grill at 1787 S Lake Drive in Lexington

Tokyo Grill had an inspection on March 1 and got a C grade.

An inspector observed an employee with long hair not adequately restrained, allowing a piece of hair to fall in the rice on the front serving line. Also observed were boxed food items stored directly on the floor in the walk in cooler area.

Certain foods were seen not kept at proper holding temperatures.

The restaurant had a required followup inspection on March 10 and got an A grade.
Dingos are a protected species in Australia's national parks

A young girl has been flown to hospital after she was attacked by a dingo on Australia's K'gari-Fraser Island.

The primary school-aged child was swimming when the dingo "tried to grab her and reportedly held her under water for a few seconds", rescuers said.

Nearby family members freed her from the dingo, but she received bites to her head and fingers.

Paramedics treated the girl at the scene before she was airlifted to hospital in a stable condition.

The LifeFlight air ambulance said its crew was called into action at 16.40 local time on Monday.

The Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) said it believed the girl was swimming in a shallow lagoon when the dingo approached from behind and grabbed her by the head.

The animal involved is thought to be an untagged male, and rangers are investigating the incident, QPWS said in a statement.

"QPWS extends its sympathies to the girl and her family, and wishes her a speedy recovery," it added.

K'gari-Fraser Island in Queensland, a popular tourist destination with World Heritage status, is also home to some 200 wild dingos.

There are strict rules against feeding them, with heavy fines for offenders.

Last year, a five-year-old boy was airlifted to hospital with bites to his head, arm and buttocks after another beach attack.

In 2001, a nine-year-old boy was killed near a campsite on the island, in Australia's first fatal dingo attack since the disappearance of nine-week-old Azaria Chamberlain at Uluru-Ayers Rock in 1980.
Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin

Read also: A critical moment in the war. Why China started to talk about the negotiations between Russia and Ukraine

Much has been said and written about the Chinese leader Xi Jinpings visit to Moscow. The main focus has been on three topics:

1) The possibility of a military alliance between China and Russia, and the supply of Chinese weapons for the war against Ukraine;

2) Chinas possible influence on mediating a peace settlement between Russia and Ukraine.

3) Russia's growing economic dependence on China.

No clear movements have taken place on the first two points while the meeting focussed a great deal on the third.

Xi Jinping publicly gave his blessing to Putin's reelection as President of Russia.

However, another topic emerged during Xi Jinpings visit that, in my opinion, is not given enough attention: China's influence on further changes in Russian internal politics.

First, Xi Jinping publicly gave his blessing to Putin's reelection as President of Russia. There is still a year before the presidential elections there, and it is not customary in diplomatic practice for the leader of one country to express their preferences regarding elections in another. But the Chinese leader ignored these diplomatic taboos, and his support for Putin's re-election is seen as an official political stance. From the perspective of Xis worldview and political interests, this makes complete sense. The Chinese Premier himself was recently re-elected for a third term as the leader of both Chinas Communist Party and the state itself. Putin suits Xi perfectly, especially in the Russian presidents current weakened state. But, that is just for now. China always plays the long game.

Read also: Putin went all in. What does this mean for Ukraine and what to expect from China

This brings us to the main issue: Xi Jingping's special attention to Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin aroused considerable interest both in Russia and beyond. The head of the Russian government in the Duma even received a personal invitation from the Chinese leader to pay an official visit to Beijing. In Russia, where the so-called transfer (in other words, the topic of the transfer of power) and potential candidates for Putins successors have been under discussion for several years, this episode was immediately perceived almost as Xi Jinpings choice of a protege to be the future leader of Russia. Let us not rush to conclusions, we should pay attention  at the end of last year, there were also visits to Beijing by Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Nikolai Patrushev (whose son, Dmitry, the Russian Agricultural Minister, is also bandied about as a potential successor to Putin) and Dmitry Medvedev (the former Russian President who was once named Putins successor in 2008, and dreams of returning to this role again). All this looks like the beginning of the casting for the role of the future leader of Russia. And this casting is being conducted not by Putin, but by the Chinese leader.

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We do not know how and when this casting process will end, or whether Beijing will be able to push its choice into the role of the new Russian leader. But the fact itself is important - China has begun to influence Russias internal political processes, and this is further evidence of Russia's growing dependence on China.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
(Corrects to say the meeting of Australian-Chinese officials took place in Beijing, not at the WTO)

By Joe Cash

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's international trade negotiator has expressed concern over Australia's scrutiny of the operations of Chinese firms there, the commerce ministry said, while flagging the potential for economic and trade co-operation.

The comments by Vice Commerce Minister Wang Shouwen came during a meeting on Monday with Australia's deputy secretary general for foreign affairs and trade in the Chinese capital, the ministry said in a statement.

The meeting continues an apparent thaw in trade ties that saw China lift curbs on Australian coal exports in early January, although the trade partners continue to feud over Australian exports of wine, beef, barley, seafood, and timber.

It also came a day before Canberra, citing security concerns, vowed to remove TikTok, a social media platform owned by China's ByteDance, from all devices owned by the federal government, citing security concerns.

Wang urged Canberra to "provide a fair, open and non-discriminatory business environment for Chinese enterprises" during the meeting.

His remarks echoed what Chinese foreign ministry officials have said about the United States' decision to place the app under greater scrutiny.

"China-Australia economic and trade relations are at an important juncture of stabilisation and improvement," the ministry quoted Wang as saying, while calling for stronger communication and co-ordination to help resolve concerns.

The chief executive of Australian mining giant BHP, Mike Henry, and China's vice foreign minister, Xie Feng, met on March 27, the Chinese foreign ministry said in a separate statement on Tuesday.

It expressed hope for a greater contribution by BHP to improving ties, particularly in new areas such as climate change and new energy.

(This story has been corrected to say the meeting of Australian-Chinese officials took place in Beijing, not at the WTO)

(Reporting by Joe Cash; Editing by Jacqueline Wong and Clarence Fernandez)
Italy counts on return of Chinese visitors, says tourist board representative

Xinhua) 08:20, April 04, 2023

People walk past tourist information in various languages including Chinese near the Colosseum in Rome, Italy, on March 26, 2023. (Xinhua/Jin Mamengni)

"The fact that Italy, as well as many other European countries, has been authorized as a destination for group tours from China is important news that we have been waiting for a long time," said Cristiano Varotti, chief representative of Italian National Tourist Board (ENIT) in China.

ROME, April 3 (Xinhua) -- There is a growing inclination among Chinese citizens to travel to international destinations and this is a significant development for Italy's tourism sector, a representative of Italian National Tourist Board (ENIT) has said.

Cristiano Varotti, chief representative of ENIT in China, told Xinhua in a recent interview, commenting on China's resumption of outbound group travel to this European country with abundant tourist resources.

People walk past tourist information in various languages including Chinese near the Colosseum in Rome, Italy, on March 26, 2023.(Xinhua/Jin Mamengni)

"The fact that Italy, as well as many other European countries, has been authorized as a destination for group tours from China is important news that we have been waiting for a long time," he said.

China has unveiled a second list of 40 destinations, including Italy, to which travel agencies and online tourism service providers can offer group tours from March 15.

Varotti said he was confident that the coming months will confirm Italy's position as a top travel destination for Chinese citizens. "The pre-pandemic numbers of Chinese tourists in Italy were significant, with annual growth rates in the double digits and great prospects for the future," he said.

This photo taken on March 27, 2023 shows a Chinese sign at the Fiumicino airport in Rome, Italy.(Xinhua/Jin Mamengni)

Regarding the role played by Chinese tourists in the development of Italy's tourism industry, the representative said he was convinced that the Chinese tourist market has the greatest potential globally and that the impact on Italy's tourism industry could be really significant.

"There is a great room for growth. Even in terms of the composition of spending by Chinese tourists abroad, it is a market that has yet to reveal its full potential," said Varotti.

Varotti listed many elements in Italy's rich tourism offer that could make it an indispensable destination for Chinese tourists: the great art cities, with their historic monuments and shopping streets, as well as its natural wonders and experiences to get a taste of the Italian lifestyle.

He said he was also convinced that the new influx of Chinese tourists will benefit not only Italy's traditional destinations, such as Rome, Milan, Florence and Venice, but also new destinations, such as Sicily and the islands, the Alpine resorts or the small towns, which offer authentic and customized travel experiences.

People pose for a group photo to celebrate the resumption of Air China direct flights between Rome and Beijing at the Fiumicino airport in Rome, Italy, March 27, 2023. (Xinhua/Jin Mamengni)

In order to welcome the return of Chinese tourists, Italy's preparation work is ongoing, said Varotti, adding that the ENIT has begun to work with Chinese tour operators to restructure their offerings and develop new products.

"We are planning to stage a roadshow in China in the coming months to meet Chinese companies in person and to make ourselves available to them. There will be a lot of work to do in the coming months," he added.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
The following items were taken from Lake Zurich Police Department reports and news releases. An arrest does not constitute a finding of guilt.

Outstanding warrant

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Calvin Smith, 40, of Burlington, Iowa, was arrested March 19 on an outstanding failure to appear warrant out of LaSalle County, following an incident in the 700 block of West Route 22. Smith is scheduled to appear in court March 30 in Ottawa.

Steven Block, 35, of the 300 block of Minuet Circle, Volo, was arrested March 20 on an outstanding Lake County warrant following an incident at 200 Mohawk Trail in Lake Zurich. The warrant was for electronic harassment and violation of an order of protection.

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Moving violation

Sunsera Meekins, 43, of the 17000 block of Crane Avenue, Hazel Crest, was charged March 20 with driving on a suspended drivers license, operating an uninsured vehicle, unlawful window tints, illegal transportation of open alcohol, and no valid registration following an incident near Route 12 and Ela Road. Meekins is scheduled to appear in court May 5 in Mundelein.

Patricia Martinez, 61, of the 1100 block of South Northpoint Boulevard, Waukegan, was charged March 22 with driving on a suspended drivers license and operating an uninsured vehicle following an incident at the 100 block of South Rand Road. Martinez is scheduled to appear in court May 5 in Mundelein.

Fleeing or attempting to elude

There was a report March 21 of a vehicle attempting to elude officers. An officer attempted a traffic stop on a vehicle with dark tinted windows in the area of Route 12 and South Old Rand Road. The unknown suspect fled from the officer by increasing speed.

Burglary

There was a report March 23 of burglary to a residence in the 500 block of Lions Drive.

Theft

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There was a report March 24 of theft in the 900 block of Sandlewood Court.
Sailors assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group 2 recover a high-altitude surveillance balloon off the coast of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Feb. 5, 2023. Petty Officer 1st Class Tyler Thompson

The Chinese balloon flying over the US was sending data to Beijing in real-time, NBC News reported.

It was collecting mostly electronic signals from military bases, two unnamed US officials told NBC.

The Pentagon said on Monday it was unable to confirm NBC's reporting.

The Chinese balloon that flew across the US earlier this year was transmitting intelligence from military bases to Beijing in real-time, NBC News reported.

The balloon gathered mostly electronic signals, instead of photos, as it passed over the sensitive installations, the outlet reported on Monday, citing two senior US officials and one former senior Biden administration official. All three officials were not named by NBC News.

The officials said the electronic signals collected by the balloon can include communications between base personnel or signals from weapons systems, per NBC News.

While moving over some of these military sites, the balloon would sometimes fly in a figure-eight formation, the officials told the outlet.

The balloon traveled from Alaska and Canada to the coast of South Carolina for a week, before it was shot down by the US military on February 4. China's Foreign Ministry has claimed that the balloon was a civilian vessel, but the Pentagon said it was "most certainly" sent for surveillance reasons.

The US previously said it waited to shoot down the balloon because officials believed there was a low threat of it gathering valuable intelligence for Beijing.

The Pentagon said it could not confirm the NBC News report, a spokesperson said at a Monday press briefing.

"I cannot confirm that there was real-time transmission from the balloon back to the PRC at this time," said Sabrina Singh, the Pentagon's deputy press secretary.

"We're still doing an assessment of what the intel was that China was able to gather but we do know that the steps that we took provided little additive value to what they've been able to collect on from satellites before," she added.

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Singh also declined to say which military bases the balloon flew over. However, she confirmed that the balloon was "able to be maneuvered and purposely driven along its track."

The Pentagon and the Chinese embassy in Washington, D.C., did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment sent outside regular business hours. The Chinese Foreign Affairs Ministry also did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Christian Eriksen, left, looks set to make an early comeback from an ankle injury, according to Erik ten Hag (David Davies/PA) (PA Wire)

Christian Eriksen looks set to make an early comeback from an ankle injury after Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag revealed the midfielder is back in team training from Tuesday.

The 31-year-old has established himself as a key player since moving to Old Trafford in the summer on a free transfer following a successful short-term stint at Wednesdays opponents Brentford.

Eriksen made 31 appearances and was a near ever-present before being sidelined by a poor challenge by Andy Carroll in Januarys FA Cup fourth-round tie against Reading.

United expected to be without the Denmark international until late April or early May, leading them to make a deadline-day loan move for Bayern Munich midfielder Marcel Sabitzer.

But Eriksen has made impressive progress and is shaping up to return to action ahead of schedule.

Not (available) for (Wednesday) but hes returning on the pitch, United boss Ten Hag said.

Hes returning into team training (on Tuesday), so we have to see how quick he can now make the progress.

Eriksens absence has been keenly felt, as has that of fellow summer signing Casemiro, who serves the third match of a four-game ban when Brentford visit on Wednesday.

Two quality players, Ten Hag said. You know, the midfield department, games will be decided always in the midfield.

So, when you miss two quality players, its clear but you have a squad and when you dont have them you still have to win.

Uniteds midfield was found wanting on Sunday at St James Park, where Newcastle capitalised on a meek team display to secure a deserved 2-0 victory.

Luke Shaw labelled the performance unacceptable and Ten Hag agreed with the left-back that the Magpies were more determined, more passionate and had more desire.

We had a very bad performance because the opponent wanted it more than we, the Dutchman said. They were sharper.

You can see that in the challenges  we won only 16 from 61 challenges in offence and in defence the opponent beats us 48 from 78 challenges. Then you cant win a game.

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United have only won three of their last nine Premier League matches and have slipped to fifth, following the loss at Newcastle and Tottenham picking up a point at Everton on Monday.

They have not won a top-flight fixture since beating Eddie Howes Magpies to lift the Carabao Cup in late February, but Ten Hag downplayed talk of his side dealing with a post-Wembley hangover.

We played 60 minutes against Southampton with 10 men, he said. We beat Fulham (in the FA Cup)  thats a Premier League opponent.

We beat Newcastle in the Carabao Cup, its a Premier League opponent, so no concern. We know we can beat Premier League teams.

United will look to get back to winning ways in the league on Wednesday against Brentford, who stunned them 4-0 in Augusts reverse fixture in what was Ten Hags second match in charge.

Shaw was dropped for a period after that loss but has grown into a vital player under Ten Hag, with the left-back rewarded with a new four-year deal on Tuesday.

I think its a good message (that hes here for his peak years), the United boss said of the 27-year-old defender.

An England international, hes doing really well this season, really happy with him.

I think hes a modern left full-back but can also play other positions like left centre-back.

He matches absolutely the standards we want to have, so a very good message.
The Club for Growth will back GOP Rep. Alex Mooneys West Virginia Senate bid, setting up a potential clash with Gov. Jim Justice, who is expected to enter the race at the behest of the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

The conservative anti-tax group had vowed earlier to oppose Justice should he enter the Senate race. Their endorsement of Mooney came on the same day that Patrick Morrisey, the states attorney general, announced he would run for governor instead of making another run for Senate.

The endorsement adds another level of intrigue into one of the Republican Partys primary Senate pick up opportunities this cycle.

The current incumbent, Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin, has not said whether or not he will seek reelection and doesnt plan to make an announcement until the end of the year. Should he run again, he faces an uphill battle, running in a presidential year in a state that Donald Trump won by 39 points in 2020.

The Club supported Mooney, a member of the ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus, in his 2022 run against GOP Rep. David McKinley for the seat he currently holds. But the groups president, David McIntosh, had expressed support for both Mooney and Morrisey and the Club held off on an endorsement while both considered a Senate bid.

Rep. Mooney has proven in his time in Congress that he is a conservative champion who will fight for lower taxes, safer streets, school freedom, and parental rights for the people of West Virginia, McIntosh said in a statement. Mooney will be a great US Senator and well do whatever it takes to make sure hes elected.

The Clubs involvement could create a messy primary in a key state for Republicans, who are looking to reclaim the Senate majority.

Justice enjoys high approval ratings and massive personal wealth. He has met with NRSC Chair Steve Daines, who encouraged him to enter the race, according to a person familiar with the committees plans. The Mitch McConnell-aligned Senate Leadership Fund also released a poll showing Justice as the only candidate who can beat Manchin.

McIntosh told reporters earlier this year that his group did not align with Justice, a former Democrat, but that it was interested in getting involved in the race.

He would be in what we would call the moderate camp, McIntosh said of Justice in February. So we wouldn't support him in the primary.
CNN has divided its readers with its latest headline for an article on haggis, a Scottish food thats banned in the United States.

In its headline, CNN described haggis as a boiled bag of offal [that] is banned in the US. However, according to the publication, in Scotland, its a fine-dining treat. The article went on to describe the food, including its texture and spice, and the history of it over the years.

The piece also specified the ingredients in haggis, such as a lung, liver, and heart of a sheep. From there, those parts are traditionally mixed with oatmeal, onion, beef strut, and other ranges of spices. Although this isnt necessarily the case anymore, haggis were previously made by stuffing those mix of ingredients into the stomach of a recently slain sheep and boiling the lot to a state of palatability, per CNN.

The food has also been banned in the US, since the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) declared back in 1971 that animals lungs were not fit for human consumption. This ban also stopped the selling of livestock lungs for food.

After CNNs article was shared on Twitter, there have been mixed responses to the headline, with some people expressing that haggis shouldnt be eaten.

This sounds absolutely disgusting and I would never consider eating it but I am not going to tell others that they cant, one wrote. This story doesnt really go into detail as to why it was and is still banned.

Good thing we now live in a world where we dont have to settle for the low bar of palatability anymore, another added, referring to how CNN described the way in which haggis have been made.

A third said: Pronounced AWFUL, which is how it looks and likely tastes.

Some people, who said that they were from Scotland, disagreed about haggis being a popular dish. As a Scotsman I have to say we dont really eat it that much here anymore. Its sort of like the deep fried Mars bar, one wrote. Just touristy now.

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However, other Twitter users praised this Scottish food and claimed that the ingredients appeared to be safe, when compared to other popular dishes in the US.

Haggis is glorious. You wont eat lungs but youll eat chicken that has to be chlorinated to get the shit off it. Right, one wrote.

Haggis is legit. It definitely is a food you have to try, another wrote.

A mash-up of diced lung, liver and heart mixed with oatmeal, beef suet, onion and assorted spices, haggis was traditionally made by stuffing these raw ingredients into the stomach of a recently slain sheep and boiling the lot to a state of palatability. https://t.co/nusl6F1f1d  CNN International (@cnni) April 3, 2023

A third wrote: Absolutely delicious and certainly no worse than any other sausage or hot dog in terms of ingredients.

Medical professionals have also shared their stance on the USDAs ban. Earlier this year, paediatrician Jonathan Reisman MD, who is the author of The Unseen Body: A Doctors Journey Through the Hidden Wonders of Human Anatomy, submitted a petition to the federal agency for use of livestock lungs in human food to be allowed.

However, when the ban was first placed in 1971, the USDA explained that livestock lungs shall not be saved for use as human food, since they found to be affected with disease or pathology. The agency also noted that the lungs found to be adulterated with chemical or bio- logical residue shall be condemned and identified as US Inspected and Condemned.
NATO is the world's biggest military alliance, bringing together 30 European and North American countries who commit to defend each other in the event of attack. After Finland joins on Tuesday, it will have 31 members.

The alliance was formed at the start of the Cold War to protect Western Europe against the threat of Soviet aggression but its remit and reach have expanded over time.

Here is a brief history of the organisation:

- Containing Soviet threat -

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization is founded on April 4, 1949, by 12 countries alarmed by the Soviet Union's drive to install communist regimes across Eastern Europe.

The original signatories of the founding Washington Treaty are Belgium, Britain, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal and the United States.

The treaty's key Article 5 states that "an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against them all" and requires a reaction, "including the use of armed force".

Moscow's response is to set up a rival club of 12 communist countries called the Warsaw Pact.

- Balkan wars -

After the Soviet Union falls apart in 1991, NATO gets drawn into the Balkan wars.

In 1994, the alliance conducts its first combat operation, sending fighter jets to Bosnia-Herzegovina to enforce a no-fly zone.

A year later, NATO puts boots on the ground for the first time when it deploys peacekeepers to Bosnia.

In 1999, it carries out a 78-day bombing campaign in Serbia over Belgrade's bloody crackdown on the breakaway province of Kosovo.

But the 1990s also bring outreach with Russia and its former allies.

In 1997, NATO signs a political "founding act" with Moscow, stressing that they "do not consider each other as adversaries" and two years later the first ex-communist countries join the club -- the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland.

- 'War on terror' -

NATO's "one for all and all for one" pledge is invoked for the first time after the 9/11 attacks on the United States, carried out by the Al-Qaeda terror network.

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NATO joins the US-led "war on terror" in 2003, taking the lead of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) deployed to Afghanistan to root out Al-Qaeda and other Islamist militants.

NATO's combat mission in Afghanistan ends in 2014, but NATO allies only withdraw fully seven years later sparking a collapse of Western-trained Afghan forces and a takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban.

Meanwhile, as the European Union expands, so does the alliance, with Bulgaria, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia joining in 2004.

The admission the same year of the three ex-Soviet states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania particularly annoys Russia.

- Libya intervention -

In 2011, the alliance is given a UN mandate to use "all necessary measures" to protect Libyan civilians from embattled dictator Moamer Kadhafi.

NATO's seven-month campaign of air strikes leads to Kadhafi's overthrow. Russia and China accuse NATO of using its mandate as a cover for regime change.

- Standoff over Ukraine -

In April 2014, NATO suspends all cooperation with Russia over its annexation of Crimea and support for pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine.

In 2016, NATO deploys four multinational battalions to Poland and the Baltic states, marking the biggest reinforcement of NATO's collective defences since the Cold War.

On February 24, 2022, Russia invades Ukraine, a NATO partner country that has for years attempted to join the alliance.

NATO does not intervene directly, but its members send Kyiv billions of dollars in weapons and the alliance boosts its eastern flank with four new battlegroups -- in Romania, Bulgaria, Slovakia and Hungary.

Fearing being future targets of Russian aggression, Finland and Sweden, which have been non-aligned for decades, apply for NATO membership.

On March 30, 2023, Turkey is the last NATO member to approve Finland's membership, clearing the way for it to become NATO's 31st member.

bur-cb/yad
A man collecting information about the defence forces and spying for Russians was detained on the border with Belarus.

Source: State Border Guard Service of Ukraine

Quote: "The detainee was collecting information about military and fortification facilities and trying to impersonate another person.

A suspicious man without documents was found on the outskirts of one of the settlements of Zhytomyr Oblast, not far from the state border.

Later, it became clear that the citizen is involved in criminal proceedings against the foundations of Ukraine's national security."

Details: The violator identified himself as a different person to the border guards of the 9th detachment named after the Sich Riflemen.

They found a tablet and a notebook in his possession, which contained information about the names, locations, and affiliations of military units of the Defence Forces, along with 4,000 euros.

The detainee from Zhytomyr turned out to be involved in criminal proceedings against the foundations of the national security of Ukraine.

He tried to enter Belarus illegally. While fleeing the country, the traitor collected information for Russians along the way.

Procedural documents were drawn up regarding the perpetrator for attempting to cross the state border illegally and violating the border regime.

The violator was detained and handed over to the competent authorities.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombian authorities plan to evacuate people living within 15 kilometers of the Nevado del Ruiz volcano, which is being monitored for a possible eruption, with more evacuations possible in the coming days.

The government raised the volcano's alert level to orange last week, following a surge in seismic activity that suggested a heightened chance of an eruption in the coming days or weeks.

"We support the decision of local committees to evacuate some people," national disaster unit interim director Luis Fernando Velasco said after a meeting late on Monday with national and local authorities. "It's probable that in the coming days we will need to evacuate additional people."

The evacuations are preventative, Velasco said, as areas nearest the volcano have poor communication infrastructure, potentially making it difficult to contact some people quickly in the event of an eruption.

Forty families in Caldas province will be evacuated first, he said, and 500 additional families may eventually be asked to do the same.

The Nevado del Ruiz is a stratovolcano, or composite volcano, which straddles the border between Colombia's Tolima and Caldas provinces.

Children must be evacuated, Velasco added, even if adult family members opt to stay.

Authorities are monitoring areas around rivers and those which could be prone to landslides in the case of an eruption, he said, and are shoring up roads that would be used for evacuations.

Plans are also being made for evacuee shelters and for the transport of livestock and pets, Velasco added.

Caldas governor Luis Carlos Velasquez has asked the national government for 800 million pesos (about $173,800) to strengthen an early warning system, 400 million pesos for machinery, and funding for evacuees' housing, the government said in a statement on Monday.

The Nevado was the cause of Colombia's biggest natural disaster when it erupted in 1985, causing avalanches of earth and rock fragments which buried entire settlements and killed more than 25,000 people.

(Reporting by Julia Symmes Cobb; Editing by Bernadette Baum)
Colo. State Rep. Bottoms Uses Tired Tropes On Right-Wing Podcast

Last week Colorado state Rep. Scott Bottoms joined a right-wing podcast host to claim people are members of the LGBTQ+ community because they were groomed, suffered from mental illness, or were victims of sexual abuse.

Bottoms, a Republican who represents District 15 which includes portions of Colorado Springs and Cimarron Hills in El Paso County, appeared last Thursday on the Liberty Warrior Nation podcast with host Michael Poff. During the podcast the discussion quickly turned to sexual and gender identity with a specific focus on the transgender community. Poff spoke at length for much of the podcast, but Bottoms joined in, agreeing with all of Poffs claims while adding his own theories and insults.

I dont want to trigger my audience to hate transgenders, because theres two things that I think causes transgenderism, Poff observed. One is mental illness and two is grooming at a very young age.

Poff centered what he called the LGBTQ+ ideology as the root cause of why people decide that theyre going to change their gender, but assured his audience he hated the sin and not the sinner.

It's not the individual, Poff explained. The individual is confused. The individuals sick, groomed.

Poff depicted the communitys affirmation of a spectrum of LGBTQ+ identities as a false front for a more sinister motive. He went so far as to describe the community as having talons that are used to ensnare otherwise cis-straight individuals.

Come to us, we accept you for who you are, he said. Once they get you in their talons, then thats when the whole brainwashing, grooming, everything really, really starts. Thats my own opinion of it.

After criticizing the LGBTQ+ community and denying there is what he called a genocide in our society on transgenders, Bottoms added an additional cause for an LGBTQ+ sexual identity.

Theyve been abused, Bottoms said. And theyre broken and theyre hurting and they go to the arena and embrace the arena where they are hurting because there is a justification there that deals with their pain and their condemnation and all the stuff that they do to themselves, and also outward influences, and I would throw here in spiritual, the stuff that Satan does to them. And so they run straight to the very essence of how they were abused.

The first-term Bottoms was sworn into office on January 9, 2023. He received 56.2 percent of the vote in the general election, outdistancing his nearest opponent by over 16 percent. His current term will end on January 8, 2025. Bottoms is also a pastor at the Church of Briargate.
"I'm thankful for the 20 years I had in office," said Richard Alarcon, former Los Angeles City Council member from the San Fernando Valley, at Lenchita's restaurant in Pacoima. "I'm a recovering politician." (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

Black hat. Black pants. Black jacket. Black hoodie. Gray sneakers  white sweater?

When I greeted Richard Alarcon last week outside Lenchitas in Pacoima, I wasnt sure if he was in a witness protection program or getting ready for a DJ gig.

Maybe both?

The former L.A. power broker lives in an apartment in Chatsworth and works as a real-estate agent, a consultant and a van driver taking children to medical appointments. It's a life far removed from when he ushered in a new era of representation by becoming the first Latino to represent the San Fernando Valley on the L.A. City Council in 1993, then the first Latino state senator from the area in 1998.

The legacy of his trailblazing efforts: Latino power in the Valley stretches from the Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education, where Kelly Gonez of North Hollywood served as president from 2020 to 2022, to Capitol Hill, where Pacoima native Alex Padilla is the first Latino to represent California as a U.S. senator.

That all ended in 2010, when a grand jury indicted Alarcon and his then-wife on charges of voter fraud. L.A. County prosecutors alleged that the two lied about living in a beat-up Panorama City house, when their primary residence was a nicer home in Sun Valley, outside the council district Alarcon represented.

From left, Alarcon, his then-wife Flora Montes de Oca Alarcon and their attorney Mark E. Overland in court July 23, 2014, as verdicts are read on charges of voter fraud and perjury. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

Alarcon, a Valley native, maintained that they weren't living in the Panorama City house because they were remodeling it. A jury in 2014 found them each guilty, and Alarcon spent 51 days under house arrest before an appeals court overturned the conviction. In 2019, then-Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey announced that she wouldn't refile the case, and Alarcon slunk into obscurity.

Yet Alarcon was all smiles when we met up: The following day was his daughters quinceanera, and he had just gone shopping.

I got a million ties, but not a gold one, Alarcon said as he showed me a photo of her on his phone. I dont wear ties anymore.

I told him he looked young for someone approaching 70. Alarcon laughed.

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Oh, Im old, he replied. I feel it.

In 1998, then-Councilmember Richard Alarcon, center, watched at La Sirenita restaurant as early returns for his state Senate race came in. He became the first Latino to represent the San Fernando Valley. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

Alarcon reached out to me a couple of weeks ago to take issue with my columna lumping him with disgraced Eastside politicos. I offered to hear him out and also to ask his thoughts about city politics at a time when his residency scandal seems like a hubristic error by comparison.

The day before we met, a jury had convicted political giant Mark Ridley-Thomas on charges of federal bribery, conspiracy and fraud involving votes he cast as an L.A. County supervisor in favor of USC after the university brought on his son as a student and professor.

Earlier this year, former Councilmember Jose Huizar pleaded guilty in his corruption case, about a year after former Councilmember Mitchell Englander finished a federal prison sentence for his own corruption scandal.

Those fiascoes were overtaken in the public eye by Alarcons worker-turned-enemy, L.A. City Council President Nury Martinez. She resigned last October in the wake of a leaked recording that caught her spewing nasty remarks about Black people, Oaxacans and political opponents. A special election for her replacement is happening Tuesday, but turnout is expected to be dismally low, in part because too many constituents have lost faith in politicians.

There was so much to talk about during our one-hour dinner that Alarcon barely touched his chile verde or sipped on his medium-size horchata. He was calm and soft-spoken, with a good laugh. Hes confident that history will judge him kindly.

People should Google me and see what I did, once they get through all the crap, Alarcon said.

He maintains that the case against him and his then-wife was politically motivated, although he declined to go on the record about why. I told him it was foolish that he let a residency issue ruin a career that otherwise saw no big scandals  certainly nothing on the level of Ridley-Thomas, Huizar and Englander. Or even Martinez.

People knew: Don't come and offer me something that's illegal," he said. "I have pride about having that kind of record  and then this [conviction]? He threw his hands up in the air.

But you know what? I didn't always feel this way  I mean, it takes time to go through the process  but eventually, I came to a place where I realized, You did a lot of good things.

I moved on to Ridley-Thomas' conviction.

Very sad, Alarcon replied of his former council colleague. He was a very good friend, and he did a lot of great things, and I know what it's like to be in his position.

Did he think the charges were overblown, like many of Ridley-Thomas supporters have asserted?

I have to admit, I was troubled by the donation, he replied, referring to a $100,000 contribution to a nonprofit run by Sebastian Ridley-Thomas. Prosecutors claimed that the elder Ridley-Thomas' campaign committee funneled the money through USC.

But everything else I thought was par for the course, he continued, because anybody representing that area encompassing USC would have provided support to USC  anybody. So he was just doing things for USC that any politician would have done.





Alarcon in 2014 was sentenced to 120 days in jail and banned for life from holding public office. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

Alarcon, who was an aide to L.A. Mayor Tom Bradley before his first stint on the City Council, nevertheless said that greed now governs L.A. politics like nothing hes ever seen, adding, Each time you look at it, there's different motivations.

Thats when he brought up Martinez, who worked under him for a decade. She was very quick to anger. That was her personality. So I wasn't shocked at the tenor of her remarks, he said.

But he was "saddened that there was racism, which he claimed Martinez had never revealed around him  probably because he has an Afro-Latina granddaughter.

Which would show that she's sharp enough, he continued. But why would she think that Kevin and Gil would put up with that? That was also disappointing."

"Kevin and Gil," of course, are Kevin de Leon and Gil Cedillo, who served alongside Alarcon in Sacramento and were council members when they were in the room with Martinez, making pendejo remarks of their own while saying nothing to curb her.

"They're very good friends of mine. Honestly, if somebody had said [racist remarks in front of] me when I was in the room, I would have told them to shut up," Alarcon said.

I asked about the District 6 special election. Alarcon is supporting Marisa Alcaraz, his former deputy. But the lack of experience common to the seven candidates  none has held elected office  worries him.

People dont realize the politicians don't have control over their jobs, he said. L.A.s bureaucracy is tough. You have to finagle. You have to cajole. You have to outflank them to get them to do what you think needs to be done.

He hopes that whoever wins District 6, along with the new progressive generation of L.A. politicians like Councilmembers Eunisses Hernandez and Hugo Soto-Martinez, learn some of the lessons of what greed can do to a political career and their constituents and avoid those situations.

That includes his daughter, Andrea Alarcon, who last year won a seat on the Palmdale City Council. Its an unlikely comeback for the former president of L.A.s Board of Public Works, who resigned in 2013 after leaving her then-11-year-old daughter alone at City Hall while she partied with friends nearby.

I'm living vicariously through her, Alarcon said of his daughter. He didnt work much on her campaign, other than to offer the following advice: I explained to her, You know you're going to get hit with all the stuff that's going to come at you. And she said of course she knew that. And I said, So how are you going to overcome it?

I had chewed my chile rellenos to nubs. I had two more questions for Alarcon.

Should De Leon heed the call of political leaders and activists to resign, after his embarrassing role in the racist tape scandal?

The simple answer would be, Yes, you should resign. But the more difficult question is, What would you do in this position?' I don't know what I would do," Alarcon said.

Um, OK.

He described De Leon as a good person who isn't racist, although De Leon shouldve spoken out against Martinez during their conversation. He advised De Leon to file a claim against Jason Reedy, the activist whose heated altercation with the council member at a holiday toy giveaway ended with De Leon shoving him into a table.

I scoffed and moved on to my finale: What lessons can Angelenos take from Alarcon's life, given that he seems to be at peace with it?

That might be a bit of an exaggeration, he said with a laugh.

He told me about a gift his mother gave him at his Cal State Northridge graduation. It was a letter his sixth-grade teacher had written to her, saying her son would be a "failure in life" because he was too disruptive.

And I looked at my mom, and I said, 'Why didn't you show me this letter?' She said, 'Because I never stopped believing in you.' ... I think that too many people give up on people when they make a mistake too soon.

So, did L.A. give up on you, Richard?

It's like anything else. They like you before; they dont like you now. I don't think they abandoned me. It's just that there was a new generation coming up. I served for 20 years. That's more than most.

We got up, paid for our respective dinners and took off into the evening. I made sure to pass by the site of the Panorama City house where Alarcon's political fortunes sank, just a few minutes from Lenchita's. It's now a gated collection of homes developed by his former wife.

A political legacy, thrown away for a subdivision. May the Valleys next generation of Latino politicians be better than this.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Protesters gather outside Trump Tower in New York on Friday, the day after former President Trump was indicted by a Manhattan grand jury. (Bryan Woolston / Associated Press)

Now is a time of woe, not just for Never Trump conservatives, but also for the much larger group of Republicans who made peace with Trump once but dread having to do it again.

In fact, just going by my unscientific survey, the melancholy is worse for those Republicans who may have agreed with the Never Trump crowd in principle (and in private), but for pragmatic and professional reasons found it necessary to spend years eating the steaming bowl of unpalatable fare that fate had put in front of them.

But after disappointing Republican performances in 2018, 2020 and 2022, almost entirely because of Trumps influence, a lot of these former accommodationists and transactionists have concluded  correctly  that Trumps an albatross for the GOP.

For all the talk about how this indictment helps Trump solidify Republican support, it hurts his  and the partys  prospects in 2024. People who voted against Trump in 2020  and against his most sycophantic disciples in 2022  are unlikely to suddenly change their minds about him because he got indicted for a scheme to pay hush money to an adult film actress. And contrary to the alternate reality peddled by Trump and his biggest fans that he is the voice of the American majority, more Americans dislike him than like him.

And, again, contrary to the echo-chamber mythmaking of Trumps PR team, reaction to the New York indictment confirms it hurts him. A new CNN poll finds that 1 in 5 Republicans approve of the indictment and 1 in 4 conservatives do. Majorities of independents (62%) and Democrats (94%) approve. Overall, 6 in 10 Americans support the indictment.

Meanwhile, Republican voters are rallying around Trump. In other words, this indictment is good for Trump in the hothouse of Republican primary politics 10 months before the Iowa Caucus, but affirmatively bad for a party that wants to win general elections.

At least Never Trumpers get the consolation prize of saying I told you so. The Never Again camp, however, is probably despondent at the prospect of having to get out the spoon for another helping  and losing again.

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The despair is understandable but possibly premature.

Manhattan Dist. Atty. Alvin Braggs indictment may be the first indictment of a former president, but it is unlikely to be the last. Georgia is likely to indict Trump for his effort to overturn the 2020 election, and most legal observers believe that special counsel Jack Smith will likely indict Trump on federal charges related to his actions on Jan. 6, 2021, or his absconding with classified materials  or both.

Predicting what the future will look like is always a mistake. After months of revelations and Trump outbursts, its not inconceivable that the MAGA forces will disperse from exhaustion.

But one should not bet the mortgage on a sudden outbreak of intestinal fortitude, strategic resolve or conservative principle among GOP leaders when it comes to Trump. At least for some Republicans, supporting Trump on the New York indictment might be the best way politically to prepare for more serious indictments if they happen. (As a critic of Braggs decision, I think opposing the indictment is a defensible position on the merits.)

Such positioning now could help inoculate against charges of reflexive Trump-hatred should weightier indictments drop. Right now, even Mike Pence and Ron DeSantis feel the need to defend Trump. But given that they want to run for the presidency, theyre simply waiting for the opportunity to argue the GOP needs a fresh start.

Its worth recalling that despite the immediate frenzy of Republican support for Trump after the FBI search of Mar-a-Lago last August, Trumps poll numbers did not improve much, even among Republicans. Indeed, Trumps unfavorability numbers are remarkably high and stable.

As the New York drama unfolds, and the unseemly facts about porn star payoffs and Trumpian drama once again fill Americans headspace, new indictments may seem less like fresh outrages from the deep state and more like last straws and justifications for pushing away the bowl.

Interestingly, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson seized this moment to move up his formal announcement that he will be challenging Trump for the nomination and that Trump should drop out of the race because of all of his baggage.

Perhaps even more revealing, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, among the most pliant of Trump enablers, recently suggested the front-runner now  i.e. Trump  may not be the eventual nominee. The 2024 race needs to be a referendum on Biden, he explained, and therefore the GOP needs a candidate who can make that case. Its about addition, not subtraction, he told podcaster Dave Rubin.

Thats not exactly a brave repudiation of Trump, but it is a baby step in the right direction.

@JonahDispatch

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Davanti Enoteca, which opens Wednesday in downtown Naperville, will offer 110 different wines with a focus on Italian varieties but options from California, Washington, Oregon, South America, South Africa, Spain, France, Greece and New Zealand. (Scott Harris Hospitality)

Opening Wednesday in downtown Naperville, Davanti Enoteca pulls ideas and dishes from different regions in Italy.

Executive chef Jonathan Court said the new restaurant at 47 E. Chicago Ave. prides itself in educating staff so guests not only will learn a little when they visit, but can take full advantage of different tableside experiences they might not get in other restaurants.

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I think with a lot of these different regional dishes, it kind of sets us apart from your classic Italian trattoria, Court said.

At Davanti Enoteca, for example, guests can order the creamy mascarpone polenta and ragu thats poured tableside on a wooden board or a whole roasted eggplant thats cut open by the food runner and then garnished with crispy shallots and sea salt, he said.

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The items will be available exclusively in Naperville.

We have a raviolo thats filled with egg yolk and ricotta spinach, and we could encourage the food runner or server to cut that tableside so you can see that nice gooey egg yolk, Court said.

On the menu at the new Davanti Enoteca in downtown Naperville is focaccia di recco, a very thin crust focaccia bread with crescenza cheese and served with a honeycomb. (Scott Harris Hospitality)

Another dish unique to Davanti Enoteca, Court said, is focaccia di recco.

Where most people associate focaccia with the spongy, yeast-risen bread, theirs is very thin with a very nice, creamy crescenza cheese, which is a Ligurian cows milk cheese, and we serve that with a honeycomb.

The restaurant also will offer eight different cuts of pasta, five of which are made in-house.

The Davanti Enoteca wine list consists of 110 different wines with a focus on Italian varieties.

Court said there also are wines from California, Washington, Oregon, South America, South Africa, Spain, France, Greece and New Zealand.

His team is knowledgeable and can guide guests through many different styles of wine with many different taste profiles.

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A Coravin wine system also will allow guests to experience small batch wines by the glass that would normally only be available by the bottle.

While the new downtown Naperville restaurant at 47 E. Chicago Ave. specializes in dishes from different regions in Italy, a customer favorite at other Davanti Enoteca locations is the Davanti burger. It features bacon jam, roasted tomatoes, cheese curd, arugula and roasted garlic aioli and is served with Parmesan fries. (Scott Harris Hospitality)

While the restaurant can be a place to dine out for a special occasion or date night, it has a casual vibe too, Court said.

Its definitely a place where you can come with the kids or just pop in for a burger and a glass of wine on any night of the week, he said.

Davanti Enoteca is the fifth downtown restaurant in the Scott Harris Hospitality family, joining Fat Rosies, La Sorella di Francesca, Vasillis and Smokeshow BBQ.

The restaurant group also has Davanti Enoteca locations in Western Springs and San Diego, California.

Board & Brush plans grand opening

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The do-it-yourself wood sign workshop Board & Brush will host its grand opening from 2 to 4 p.m. April 30 in Suite 145 of the Cress Creek Shopping Center at 790 Royal St. George Drive in Naperville.

Guests can explore the studio and sign up for upcoming workshops while enjoying treats and giveaways.

The first 30 adults will receive a free gift bag and $10-off coupon.

Also for adults, the business at random will give away four gift bags with a coupon for 25% off, three bags with a coupon for 50% off, and two bags with a 100%-off coupon.

Classes begin May 5. People can register by calling 630-276-4602 or emailing naperville@boardandbrush.com.

What started as a girls night out wood workshop with wine and crafts in the founders basement has grown to 270 locations in 41 states.

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The Naperville location will be the fourth studio owned by Katie and Mike Ilic, who started with one in Oswego in 2018 followed by locations in St. Charles in 2019 and Downers Grove in 2020.

New restaurant coming to Route 59

The people who brought Vais Italian-inspired kitchen and bar to Naperville are embarking on a new restaurant experience on Route 59  Entourage.

Construction is underway transforming in the old Bakers Square restaurant at 796 S. Route 59 into the new eatery, which is expected to open in the spring.

The Entourage website describes the restaurant as a mindfully crafted American kitchen with cocktails.

Vais opened in July 2018 in the Fox River Commons shopping area at 916 S. Route 59.

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These are the big Coronation Street spoilers for the week of 10-14 April 2023. (ITV)

Rufus is discovered dead on EastEnders next week but is Stephen to blame?

Elsewhere Sarah feels guilty after falling for the charms of Damon, and Roy finds himself inheriting a pet dog, while George wonders whether he should back Glendas new business plan.

Its all you need to know spoilers-wise about all thats happening on Coronation Street in the week of 10-14 April 2023.

Rufus is dead!

Stephen Reid [TODD BOYCE], Michael Bailey [RYAN RUSSELL] (ITV)

Theres a new complication for Stephen when it comes to the Nippersnapper deal as Rufus reveals that he now wants 50 per cent of the profits rather than 25 per cent. And whats more, he wants Michael to come work for him at his London office.

Read more: Next week's Emmerdale spoilers revealed

Read more: Next week's EastEnders spoilers revealed

Feeling overlooked by Stephen, Michael takes great pleasure in telling him that hes been offered a better position by Rufus. But when Michael later calls round at Rufuss house to see him, he gets no reply after pressing the doorbell so decides to leave him a voicemail message.

Having failed to make things official with Rufus, well later see Michael go cap in hand back to Stephen, whos now made Nina head of design. But theres actually a good reason why Rufus hasnt got in touch with Michael: hes been found dead by his housekeeper in his swimming pool! Its news that leaves Michael reeling in shock

Sarah gets passionate with Damon

Sarah Barlow [TINA O'BRIEN], Damon [CIARAN GRIFFITHS] (ITV)

Damon gives Sarah a lift to a meeting with a client at a nearby hotel when her car gets blocked in. And when the potential buyer makes disparaging remarks about the designs Sarah has brought along, Damon masquerades as a music mogul and reveals how impressed he is.

With the deal sealed, Damon hands his card to Sarah, who sees that his room number is written on the back. Deciding to venture up there, Sarah initially tears a strip off Damon for interfering, but after downing a glass of champagne ends up throwing caution to the wind and kissing him passionately.

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But following passion comes regret, with Sarah seen later in the week trying to convince Adam (and possibly herself) that the times now right for them to try for another baby. But the pair react differently to their night together, with Adam loved-up and Sarah consumed with guilt.

Roys new four-legged friend

Roy Cropper [DAVID NEILSON] Evelyn Plummer [MAUREEN LIPMAN] (ITV)

Roy will be seen visiting a bat roost in the company of his friend Melvyn and dog Freddie. But when the cafe owner returns with just Freddie, Roy explains how Melvyn had a funny turn and that theres now nobody to look after his pet.

Needless to say, Freddie keeps Roy up all night with his barking. But when Melvyn then dies and Roy finds out hes inherited the dog, he decides to drop the hound off at a local shelter. But Evelyn is horrified by his actions  will Roy subsequently have a change of heart and allow Freddie to live with him?

Can Ryan face his injuries?

Ryan Connor [RYAN PRESCOTT] (ITV)

Over at the hospital, Ryan confides in Alya that the doctors wont discharge him until hes seen his own injuries.

As gently as she can, Alya tries to help Ryan see that hes been putting it off. And, later, Ryan admits to Carla that he doesnt think hed be able to manage without Alyas support.

Glenda wants George to invest

Glenda Shuttleworth [JODIE PRENGER], George Shuttleworth [TONY MAUDSLEY], Eileen Grimshaw [SUE CLEAVER] (ITV)

Estelle has news for Glenda: the Weatherfield franchise of Little Big Shotz is up for grabs and its hers for the bargain price of 5,000.

Glenda then accepts the offer, but needs to find the cash fast  hence George telling Eileen that hes planning on funding his sisters new project. However, Eileen reckons its a scam and that George will come to regret his investment.

Eileen comes away from the conversation thinking that George has decided to keep hold of his money. But shes left furious later in the week when she overhears Glenda saying only two kids have signed up  and a horrified George pointing out that he cant afford to lose 5,0000. Can Glenda turn things around and make a success of things?
Celebrity Sightings In New York City - April 03, 2023

Former President Donald Trump arrives at Trump Tower in Manhattan on April 3, 2023 in New York City. Credit - James DevaneyGC Images/Getty Images

On Tuesday, Donald Trump, the 45th President of the United States, appeared at a Manhattan courthouse to be arraigned in an extraordinary and unprecedented moment in American democracy.

Trump has continually tested the bounds of the nations legal, judicial, and political systems. While he became the first sitting or former President to be indicted, Tuesdays proceedings set up more unresolved questions to come, including: What happens if Trump wins re-election and is convicted of a felony while in the White House?

Theres no clear answer, say constitutional law experts. This is uncharted territory. No one knows what would happen to this case or the others against him if Trump gets elected in 2024 or what would happen to the criminal charges or trial dates.

If you have a newly elected President, with indictments and criminal prosecutions still pending or having started, unfortunately, I think youre guaranteed a constitutional crisis of the highest magnitude, even bigger than Watergate, says Ken Gormley, President and professor of law at Duquesne University and editor of American Presidents and the Constitution: A Living History. A Supreme Court battle would be likely, Gormley predicts.

More from TIME

Trump was charged by the Manhattan district attorneys office with 34 counts of falsifying business records related to an alleged hush-money scheme before the 2016 election. He pleaded not guilty.

There are a few relevant points to consider about whether Trump could be convicted of a felony as President. First, there is nothing in the Constitution that says an indicted person cant run for President, so Trumps 2024 campaign can proceed. Second, its long been debated whether a sitting President can be charged with a crimewhile theres no definitive answer, its been the opinion of the Justice Department since the Watergate era that it cant be done. But that isnt legally binding. And third, Trumps current situation raises even more questions, because this is a state case, not a federal one.

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If it was a federal case, in a new Trump Administration, the new Attorney General could easily instruct the Justice Department to just simply not show up and dont prosecute it further, says Gormley. But if it was a state prosecution, in New York or Georgia or elsewhere, that would be far less likely to end. The Justice Department simply has no power to command a state court to cease a prosecution.

A supporter of former President Donald Trump waves a flag during a rally outside criminal court in New York City on April 4, 2023. Ismail FerdousBloomberg/Getty Images

The prosecutors seem to be pushing to have the trial before Election Day: on Tuesday they said they planned to request a Jan. 2024 trial, the New York Times reports, while Trumps attorney said he would prefer next spring. Some experts say this timing would take the unique circumstances into account: Most judgesthe judge, for example, running the criminal trialwould avoid a timing that leads to that kind of question, says Aziz Huq, professor of law at the University of Chicago. So if that was a real risk of both a conviction and lets say it was jail time, rather than a fine, that would be clear before an election occurs.

While Trump can continue running for President, whether he could do the job from behind bars if hes convicted and sentenced to serve time is another matter. That could trigger a different constitutional issue: Under the 25th Amendment, the Vice President becomes President if the President cannot perform the duties of office, says Michael Dorf, law professor at Cornell University. It seems to me that hed be incapable of performing the duties of office while in prison.

Dorf points out that theres an officer removal statute in U.S. judicial code, which allows a federal officer who is charged with a state crime to have the case removed from state court and tried by state prosecutors in federal court. According to an American Bar Association publication, the idea is to prevent bias against federal officials from local prosecutors by allowing cases to be heard in a federal forum. This statute would only come into play if Trump was elected President, so Dorf thinks that would be unlikely because he expects the case to be resolved before then.

Legal experts say the most likely remedy might end up being a political process rather than a legal one, and some expect another impeachment might be inevitable if Trump is criminally convicted while in office. I do not believe any judge or any jury or court has the power to remove a sitting President, says Gormley. Its only through impeachment. (Trump has been impeached twice before, and he was acquitted by the Senate both times.)

The Stormy Daniels hush-money case isnt the only investigation into Donald Trump that could become a problem if hes re-elected. A district attorney in Georgia is looking into Trumps alleged role in the effort to fraudulently alter the results of the 2020 election in the state, and DOJ special counsel Jack Smith is probing the former Presidents actions surrounding the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Its reasonably likely that the Manhattan case, although its filling up the oxygen now, is going to be a relatively small part of the legal problems that Trump could face, Huq says. Whats at stake in the Georgia case is a direct attack on democracy. Its an effort to change the outcome of an election unlawfully. Thats not a fair description of what is at stake in the Stormy Daniels case.

Voters will have the ability to decide whether some of these questions get tested at all, first in the Republican primary and then, if Trump advances, in the 2024 general election. If Trump does become President again while a criminal case against him is ongoing, Gormley notes, you dont get a get out of jail free card just because you become President.
Marjorie Taylor Greene had to leave the Trump arraignment rally after she was drowned out by counter-protesters.

During her chaotic arrival in New York on Tuesday, there appeared to be more members of the media than protesters present.

Ms Greene was joined by the New York Young Republicans  a group with ties to embattled congressman George Santos, who made a brief appearance at the rally before departing after being mobbed by the media. Ms Greene was also met by counterprotesters who were planning to hold their own emergency noise demo to drown out her hate speech.

The New York Young Republicans at one point responded with a USA-chant.

Clashes between pro- and anti-Trump demonstrators took place, prompting the NYPD to try to separate the groups. Both camps were separated with NYPD barricades and community affairs officers between them.

Ms Greene took aim at New York Mayor Eric Adams, saying that you send your henchmen down here to commit assault against people by making loud noises.

According to Ben Collins of NBC News, the reason it was difficult to hear Ms Greene may have been because a Trump supporter handed out whistles. He was apparently unaware that Ms Greene was attending.

Kind of a fascinating development. The reason you cant hear Marjorie Taylor Greene, and why this whole thing is off the rails, is because a man has been handing out free whistles.



I talked to him. Turns out hes a Trump supporter and he had no idea MTG was even here. pic.twitter.com/0RJqdyw7H5  Ben Collins (@oneunderscore__) April 4, 2023

Ms Greene urged Americans to take a stand during her brief speech, large parts of which were drowned out by the sounds of counter-protesters.

She claimed that the government has been weaponized against Americans. Im here to protest and use my voice and take a stand. Every American should take a stand.

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This is what happens in communist countries  not the United States of America, she added. We have to take a stand against the injustice, the corruption, and the communist Democrats.

Theyre taking our legal code, twisting it, manipulating it, and perverting it into something it was never meant to be, she said. Donald J Trump is innocent, this is election interference. DA Alvin Bragg is nothing but a George Soros-funded tool. He is a tool for the Democrats to try to hijack the 2024 presidential election. This is a travesty!

Marge gives her speech. pic.twitter.com/K5FHcSsZiZ  Ron Filipkowski  (@RonFilipkowski) April 4, 2023

Ms Greene soon left the rally and appeared on RSBN, saying that Mr Trump is joining some of the most incredible people in history being arrested today. Nelson Mandela was arrested, served time in prison. Jesus! Jesus was arrested and murdered.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA): Trump is joining some of the most incredible people in history being arrested today. Nelson Mandela was arrested, served time in prison. Jesus! Jesus was arrested and murdered. pic.twitter.com/dSOeHvRnDE  The Recount (@therecount) April 4, 2023

More follows...
The fate of an approved multimillion-dollar meat-processing facility is still up in the air ahead of a special Alachua County Commission meeting despite previously being unanimously approved.

The commission will meet Tuesday to discuss the future of the facility, for which a work plan was approved last December.

The facility is planned for a 15-acre site in Newberry. Part of the land is deemed a superfund site, though not where the meat will be processed. The project aims to foster job creation and provide locally sourced meat to lower-income communities.

Cows in Casa Grande, Arizona on March 17, 2023.

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Goals of the facility

The project is expected to cost a total of $5.25 million, with $2.5 million in funds drawn from the $52.25 million allocated from the American Rescue Plan Act in March 2021. The facilitys work plan sets a construction start date at the beginning of 2024 and a completion date at the end of 2026.

The facilitys work plan outlines three main goals: Jobs in meat processing and culinary arts, aid to local ranchers within a 100-mile radius and local access to meat processing and distribution.

Officials hope the facility will connect local ranchers and farmers to food processing and remove barriers to business, bolstering the countys economy and keeping meat-processing operations local.

Already-existing food and employment discrepancies were exacerbated in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the work plan. The facility aims to address these inequities through a wave of job opportunities and proximity to a reliable food source.

Approximately 15 animals would be processed per day.

What officials say

The commission unanimously approved the proposed work plan at a Dec. 6, 2022, meeting. Dissenting public comment warned of the danger toward potential facility workers and the negative effects of large-scale meat production. The facilitys economic benefits and support for local farmers overweighed those calls for the commission.

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Commissioner Anna Prizzia, who has a background in sustainability, was among the vocal proponents of the plan at the meeting. The facility, she said, would help preserve local farmland and localize a process that often outsources its providers.

This is a great opportunity to continue to have that conversation so that the last crop on those ranches isnt housing, Prizzia said. We can transform the meat industry from something thats a highly concentrated, industrial system to a regional and local, resilient system.

Community feedback

The facility has received pushback and support from a range of county residents.

The county spoke with local farmers to gauge interest in the facility during the work plans early stages. It found ranchers routinely face issues accessing facilities with the capacity to process their products, and several groups like the Alachua County Farm Bureau and CareerSource of North Central Florida have written letters to the commission in support of the facility.

These groups represent direct benefactors to the proposed facility, but even some with no apparent ties to it have voiced their conditional approval.

There is a protest planned for 4 p.m. at the county's administrative building in opposition to the slaughterhouse.

In a surprising open letter to the commission, PETA President Ingrid Newkirk also wrote that it would support the construction of the facility, but with a caveat. The facility must be literally and figuratively transparent.

The letter called for glass walls or a 24-hour video stream from the facility to guarantee constant public access to its operations.

PETA hopes the added visibility will discourage consumers from purchasing meat processed in facilities like the one Alachua County could build. If the process is public, the letter asserts, then residents could access an unfiltered look at how the facility treats animals.

"The proposed structure would be built with taxpayer funding, so it would be reasonable that it should have a glass wall or walls so that everyone could see inside," Newkirk wrote. "Should you insist on building a slaughterhouse, at least be transparent about what goes on inside it."

Next Steps

Though the commission approved the preliminary work plan, the facilitys construction isnt concrete yet. Tuesdays meeting will continue discussions about the facility and outline the next steps to putting it into place in Newberry.

A host of speakers, including researchers from the University of Florida, are expected to give a presentation about the plans.

The meeting will begin at 5 p.m. in the Jack Durrance Auditorium, located on the second floor of the County Administration Building at 12 E. First St. in Gainesville

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Alachua County officials weigh Newberry slaughterhouse
Restorer Cinzia Parnigoni cleans Michelangelo's

Restorer Cinzia Parnigoni cleans Michelangelo's "David" during restoration work in 2003 at the Galleria dell'Accademia in Florence, Italy. Michelangelo finished the 16-foot marble nude of the biblical figure in 1504.

There is something fascinating to watch at the Galleria dellAccademia in Florence, Italy. The museum is home to Michelangelos marble sculpture of the biblical David, naked with a sling over his shoulder and a rock in his hand, preparing to battle the fearsome Goliath.

Upon entering the museum, you make a quick left, then an immediate right. Ahead, roughly 50 yards in front of you, stands David. From this point, these 50 yards away, you can stand and listen to the audible gasps of visitors as they first gaze upon the sculpture from this distance. It tells you two things: No photograph can do justice to seeing the real thing; the real thing is a stunning artistic achievement.

David is the height of classic Renaissance art culture, sculpted by the man who also painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, which features biblical imagery of all kinds, both nude and clothed.

Michelangelo wanted to show the power of God in the empty hand of a young David, who would use a single rock to defeat a giant. Many called it a miracle. Nobody called it controversial, let alone pornographic.

The plan was to position the sculpture aside a series of prophetic statues some 90 feet above ground along the roofline of the Florence Cathedral, which is why the hands, feet and head are oversized. In perspective, viewed from below at that distance, the appendages would appear normal in size. But authorities at the time deemed the sculpture too magnificent to be that far from public view. Of course, the statue weighing 6 tons, the equivalent of around 90 adults, made matters academic as it would have been nearly impossible to raise the sculpture to that height. Instead, it was placed at ground level in the Palazzo Vecchio, the seat of government in Florence, for all to see. It stood there for nearly 400 years before being moved inside the museum where it is today.

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Interestingly, David was viewed as a defender of civil liberties in Florence, an independent city-state threatened on all sides by more powerful rival states and the Medici hegemony. This defiance is expressed in Davids eyes, the statue situated to cast a cautionary glare toward Rome  an early version, perhaps, of the Live free or die concept.

But only in America is art controversial, particularly in conservative bastions like Florida. Each year since its opening in 2020, the Tallahassee Classical School would show a photo of David to a sixth-grade art history class.

This year, a controversy erupted. Three parents complained. In response, the school fired the principal, sent an apology letter to parents and held an emergency board meeting, where many parents condemned the firing.

School board chair Barney Bishop III insisted it was not a firing and that the principal resigned.

Hes full of it.

We didnt remove her, he told Slate in a heated interview. I went to her last week and offered her two letters. One was a voluntary resignation and another a letter that said if she decided not to resign, I was going to ask the board to terminate her without cause.

Orwellian double-speak. Slice it any way you like, that was a firing.

Bishop may be on firmer ground in explaining that multiple concerns led to the principals dismissal, though he couldnt elaborate for legal reasons.

But it seems theres blame enough to go around.

School policy requires that parents receive written notice two weeks in advance informing them of any sensitive topics their child might be learning, and they can decide whether it is appropriate for their child to see it, Bishop said.

The letter was written, but the administration accidentally forgot to send it, according to the principal, Hope Carrasquilla, the schools third principal in as many years.

I made the assumption that the letter went out, and I didnt follow up on it, she told NPR.

But honestly, she added, we did not have to send out a letter regarding Renaissance art.

A third problem: While showing the image of David in all his glory, the teacher reportedly told the students, Dont tell your parents.

Thats a huge red flag! Bishop said.

He has a point, though no one has spoken to the teacher in question, who remains employed.

But here is the fine point of it.

Bishop boasted on the one hand that we teach the Hillsdale Curriculum. We teach a traditional Western civilization, liberal classical education.

Yet he argued that parents should know what students will see, hear or discuss in class. The issue, he said, isnt whether children should see these pictures or not. Gosh, were a classical school. Why wouldnt we show Renaissance art to children?

Further on, he said, Parents know what that curriculum is. And parents are entitled to know any time their child is being taught a controversial topic and picture.

Just a minute. If parents know what the curriculum is, why do they need to be notified about any of it?

Didnt the parents know this was a classical school and that their kids would see Renaissance art? Didnt they know that would include nudity? Isnt classical education a selling point? Sounds like it, the way Bishop tells it. How could these parents not know that, and if they didnt know that, why did they enter their children in a lottery hoping their child would be selected to attend? (Students are admitted by lottery drawing.)

Bishop said it was a mistake not to tell parents what the kids would see. Maybe the parents made the mistake of enrolling their kids in a classical education curriculum without knowing what a classical education curriculum is.

Its certainly worth asking the three complaining parents. Two of the parents complained because they received no advance notice about the lesson plan. The third complained that the image of David was pornographic.

Parents choose this school because they want a certain kind of education, Bishop told Slate.

Apparently not, pal. Yet he seemed to give parents greater credence than the teachers.

The rights of parents, that trumps the rights of kids, Bishop said. Teachers are the experts? Teachers have all the knowledge? Are you kidding me? I know lots of teachers that are very good, but to suggest they are the authorities, he told the Slate reporter, youre on better drugs than me.

So basically, youre saying the teachers you hire arent all that qualified to teach the subjects theyre hired to teach. Well, why the hell would I send my kid to a school like that?

Sure, lets put a parent in charge who thinks the statue of David is pornographic. Clearly that parent is unaware that nude portrayals have been a common practice as far back as the Babylonians and Ancient Egypt. The Greeks associated nudity with the beauty, power and perfection of the gods. It had a similar symbolic meaning for artists during the Renaissance, who were inspired by a renewed interest in classic Greek and Roman culture.

But gaining that knowledge might require reading, a subject now under fire in Florida public schools.

Put it this way: If that parent were alive in 1504 when the statue of David was unveiled, were he to call it pornography, hed be considered backward and ignorant, and be the laughingstock of Florence.

Tallahassee Classical is a tuition-free, taxpayer-funded charter school with some 500 students, 56 of which are in the sixth grade. Like many charter schools in the U.S., its curriculum comes from Hillsdale College, a conservative Christian school in Michigan with ties to multiple far-right figures.

The undertones are disturbing. Hillsdale advocates its 1776 curriculum, which opposes factual teachings of history, including the 1619 Project, which explores the history of slavery, racism and the oppression of Black Americans in the U.S. The college played a crucial role in crafting Donald Trumps 1776 Report, which reputable historians have condemned as poppycock.

Were not gonna have courses from the College Board, Bishop declared. Were not gonna teach 1619 or [critical race theory]crap, echoing the suppressive policies pushed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who frequently consults the Hillsdale institution on educational issues.

Bishop has enthusiastically embraced DeSantis education agenda.

We agree with everything the governor is doing in the educational arena, Bishop said. We support him because hes right. The whole woke indoctrination going on about pronouns and drag queens isnt appropriate in school.

Yet, look whos going woke over art.

Maybe the larger error in all this is the schools failure to warn parents about the entirety of its curriculum before any of them entered their kid into the lottery system: Caution: your children will see works of art featuring nudity.

Gasp!

Or do one of those movie warnings. NNSFCP: Nudity not safe for close-minded parents.

Chances are those sixth-graders, with their cellphones and access to the fullness of the internets depravities, have seen far more graphic images than anything they saw in class that day.

A final but important point about nude depictions in classical art: The size of the male member on all these statues. (Cmon, you hadnt noticed?) Unlike today, when well-endowed is typically equated with power and masculinity, the ancient Greeks and their artistic descendants never saw the phallus as a symbol of virility or manliness. Potency came from ones intellect, reason and self-control.

I dunno about you, but the idea of putting a premium on intellect seems like an excellent lesson to associate with a discussion of David.

For a school founded in 2020, its ironic how many associated with it have so little vision, let alone wisdom.

My advice: Wake up and grow a pair. If you dont know what that looks like, theres this statue in Florence 
One person was taken to the hospital after a vehicle crashed into a pole in Englewood, knocking out power to several homes.

Englewood police were called to the 1100 block of South Main Street on the report of a vehicle into a poll around 7:02 a.m., according to Englewood Police and Fire dispatch.

>>Woman killed in crash on NB I-71 in Warren County IDd

Dispatch tells us one person was taken to Miami Valley Hospital, and their condition is unknown at this time.

The pole the vehicle hit was knocked over and temporarily took out power to over 600 AES customers in the area.

Further information has not been made available at this time.

We will update this story once we learn more.
By Noele Illien and John O'Donnell

ZURICH (Reuters) -Credit Suisse's chairman apologised for taking the bank to the brink of bankruptcy on Tuesday, as he faced shareholder fury over the abrupt demise of a national icon.

The hastily arranged takeover by Zurich-based UBS, for which Switzerland invoked emergency legislation, bypassed Credit Suisse shareholders, who would otherwise have had a say, and all but wiped them out.

Its final meeting of shareholders on Tuesday marks an ignominious end to the 167-year-old bank founded by Alfred Escher, a Swiss magnate affectionately dubbed King Alfred I, who helped to build the country's railways and then the bank.

Protesters gathered outside the concert venue where the meeting took place, with some erecting a capsized boat, to depict the bank's demise.

Inside, chairman Axel Lehmann issued an apology to the nearly 2,000 shareholders in attendance, saying he had run out of time to turn the bank around, despite his belief "until the beginning of the fateful week" that it could survive.

"I am truly sorry," said Lehmann. "I apologise that we were no longer able to stem the loss of trust."

With his voice breaking, he said: "Credit Suisse with its long and rich history is now taking a historic turn, we deeply regret this and, personally, this moment also makes me sad."

After years of scandal and losses, Credit Suisse came to the brink of collapse before UBS rode to the rescue with a merger engineered and bankrolled by the Swiss authorities.

"Until the end, we fought hard to find a solution. But ultimately, there were only two options: deal or bankruptcy. The merger had to go through," said Lehmann. He added that five board members would not stand for re-election.

One after another, shareholders took to the stage to voice their anger at the arranged marriage between the two banks and at the raw deal for investors.

Shareholders criticised the board of directors and former management, including Urs Rohner, who was chairman for the ten years to 2021.

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Shareholder advisory firm Ethos decried the "greed and incompetence of its managers" as well as pay that reached "unimaginable heights".

"Shareholders have lost considerable amounts of money and thousands of jobs are on the line," it said.

SHOCK

The meeting is the first time that Chairman Lehmann and Chief Executive Ulrich Koerner publicly addressed shareholders since the takeover.

Credit Suisse had been attempting to put the past behind it and restructure, before a shock triggered by the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank in the U.S. sent it into a spiral.

After a run on deposits, the Swiss government turned to UBS, which agreed to buy Credit Suisse for 3 billion Swiss francs ($3.3 billion), a fraction of its earlier market value.

The move angered not only shareholders but many in Switzerland. A survey by political research firm gfs.bern found a majority of Swiss did not support the deal.

"The government's use of emergency powers to push this deal through goes beyond legal and democratic norms," said Dominik Gross of the Swiss Alliance of Development Organisations.

"Swiss taxpayers too are on the hook for billions of francs of junk investments and yet the government, (regulator) FINMA and the central bank have given little explanation about the state's 9 billion (franc) loss guarantee to UBS."

One of the world's biggest investors, Norway's sovereign wealth fund said it would vote against the re-election of Lehmann and six other directors, in a public show of protest.

On Tuesday, just over half of shareholders voted in favour of re-electing Lehmann as chairman - far fewer than usual and a sign of dismay. The six remaining board members were also narrowly re-elected.

The shareholders also approved pay for the board of directors for the time until the merger is complete but voted against approving compensation for the bank's executives.

U.S. proxy adviser Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) had earlier rebuked the bank's management for a "lack of oversight and poor stewardship".

In the lead-up to Tuesday's meeting, Credit Suisse said it had withdrawn certain proposals from the agenda.

Those included the discharge of management, which is typically a bellwether of confidence. It also ditched plans for a special bonus linked to the bank's transformation plan.

Credit Suisse's near collapse also wiped out $17 billion of Additional Tier 1 (AT1) debt.

A group of AT1 investors has hired law firm Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan to demand compensation.

Meanwhile, the office of the attorney general on Sunday said Switzerland's Federal Prosecutor has opened an investigation into the Credit Suisse takeover.

($1 = 0.9129 Swiss francs)

(Reporting by Noele Illien and Linda Pasquini; editing by Lincoln Feast, Jason Neely and Barbara Lewis)
Firefighters battled a blaze in a Boston basement Tuesday afternoon, displacing dozens of residents.

The Boston Fire Department responded to the area of Cushing Avenue for a report of a fire in a dwelling around 1 p.m.

Smoke could be seen billowing out of the bottom of the building when firefighters arrived on scene. A 4th alarm was ordered and fire crews have been going through numerous air bottles to battle the fire, according to officials. Flames could be seen shooting out of the second floor of the building.

The fire is traveling through the building and burning through the roof.

All Firefighters have been ordered out of the building, and companies are attacking the fire from above with the Tower-10 multiple ladder pipes and deck guns.

One firefighter was taken to the hospital with minor injuries. 12 adults and 9 children were displaced.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

The Drone shows the overhead fire traveling across the roof after burning through..Commissioner Burke in command has ordered a4th alarm pic.twitter.com/WTtUMfEsjC  Boston Fire Dept. (@BostonFire) April 4, 2023

The fire continues to travel through the building and has now burned through the roof pic.twitter.com/CAHt7YPuEx  Boston Fire Dept. (@BostonFire) April 4, 2023

The fire continues to travel up throughout the building. pic.twitter.com/whP57t9Axq  Boston Fire Dept. (@BostonFire) April 4, 2023

A 3rd alarm has been ordered companies have been going thru multiple air bottles battling the fire. An overhead picture from the Drone showing the heavy smoke from the building. pic.twitter.com/GZHolf2her  Boston Fire Dept. (@BostonFire) April 4, 2023

All companies are working to contain the fire on Cushion Ave Dorchester. The heavy fire load in the basement pic.twitter.com/qlNfJPWihr  Boston Fire Dept. (@BostonFire) April 4, 2023





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Trump is the first US president to be arrested on criminal charges.

Former US president Donald Trump pled not guilty to 34 felony charges of falsifying business records in Manhattan district court on April 4. The charges stem from a $130,000 payment to porn actress Stormy Daniels, intended to buy her silence about an alleged affair with Trump in the lead-up to the 2016 US presidential election.

Before his arraignment, the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination was formally booked and fingerprinted by the office of the Manhattan district attorney. It marked the first time in American history that an ex-president has faced criminal charges.



Read more

In its statement of facts, the district attorneys office said it intended to prove that Trump falsified the records to break election laws, making the crime more serious.

Manhattan is home to the countrys most significant business market, Manhattan district attorney Alvin L. Bragg said in a prepared statement. We cannot allow New York businesses to manipulate their records to cover up criminal conduct.

All 34 charges are Class E felonies, the lowest category of felony offense in New York City. Each count carries a maximum four-year prison sentence. Falsifying business records is typically considered a misdemeanor unless the fraud is used to commit a second crime, in which case it becomes a felony.

Trump responds on Truth Social

Trump has repeatedly dismissed the charges as politically motivated. He issued a statement on social media less than three minutes before entering the courthouse.



Heading to Lower Manhattan, the Courthouse. Seems so SURREAL...they are going to ARREST ME, Trump shared in a post to Truth Social. Cant believe this is happening in America.

Competing protests raged in a park outside the courthouse, with scores of reporters poised to capture the historic moment. Outspoken Trump ally Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican congresswoman from Georgia, organized a rally in support of the former president earlier in the day.

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Trump was expected to return to his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida that night. At least three other active criminal investigations currently focus on him, including a special counsel in Washington, D.C., looking into his alleged mishandling of classified documents after leaving office.

A timeline leading up to Donald Trumps arrest



August 21, 2018: Michael Cohen, Trumps former personal lawyer, admits that he arranged hush-money payments for Stormy Danielsthe porn actress who allegedly had an affair with Trumpjust days before the 2016 election.

September 16, 2019: The Manhattan district begins to investigate if those payments broke state laws and subpoenas eight years of Trumps tax returns. Three days later, Trump countersues to protect his financial information.



December 11, 2020: The New York Times reports that state prosecutors in Manhattan had interviewed employees of Trumps bank and insurance broker, signaling further investigations into possible financial crimes.

February 22, 2021: The Supreme Court rules that Trump must hand over his tax returns to Manhattan district attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr.

January 1, 2022: A new Manhattan district attorney, Alvin L. Bragg, takes over the case after Vance leaves office.

January 30, 2023: The New York Times reports that the Manhattan district attorney has impaneled a grand jury over the hush-money payments at some point in January.

March 1, 2023: Trump incorrectly predicts the date of his arrest on Truth Social, his personal social media platform.

March 30, 2023: Trump is officially indicted by a grand jury.

April 4, 2023: Trump is arrested in Manhattan and pleads not guilty to 34 felony counts.

Joe Biden wants to stay far away from this case



The White House had little to say about Trumps historic arraignment.

Its an ongoing case, so were just not going to comment, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters at a press conference on April 4. The president is going to focus on the American people.

Instead, Jean-Pierre chose to lead with the news of Finlands official entry into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

This is the ongoing strategy for president Joe Biden, who has refused to comment on Trumps legal woes. Biden is looking to avoid any improper politicizing of the case, in anticipation of a likely general election matchup with Trump.

However, with Trump already selling T-shirts displaying an illustrated mugshot and a caption reading Not Guilty on his campaign website, it will be difficult for this criminal case to remain in the courtroom.

Related stories:

Former US President Donald Trump has been indicted by a grand jury

As fake photos of Trumps arrest went viral, Trump shared an AI-generated photo too

Trumps Truth Social just got a criminal subpoena over its dubious SPAC deal

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Valiant Lady (Getty Images)

A woman has died onboard a Virgin Voyages cruise ship after falling from her balcony and hitting another passenger.

The incident happened at around 9.35pm on Sunday 2 April, shortly after the Valiant Lady departed from Miami, travelling to Roatan, Honduras.

Following the tragedy, the ship returned to port. It has since departed again to resume the cruise with some changes to the planned itinerary. It will dock in Cozumel, Mexico, before continuing on to the island of Bimini in the Bahamas.

Virgin Voyages said in a statement: This passenger went over their balcony onto a lower deck, and despite receiving immediate medical attention, has passed away. We are deeply saddened by this loss of life and our hearts and thoughts are with this persons loved ones.

The Independent understands that the person who was struck by the falling passenger was not seriously injured. The circumstances surrounding the fall are under investigation.

Falling from cruise ship balconies is rare, especially into the ocean. According to The Points Guy, one to two people may go overboard each month out of around 2.5 million passengers who cruise during the same timeframe.

There were 212 man overboard incidents on cruise ships between 2009 and 2019, based on the Report on Operational Incidents issued by the Cruise Lines International Association.

Late last year a passenger managed to survive 15 hours in the water after falling overboard in the Gulf of Mexico. The coast guard that found him said he had a minute and 30 seconds left before we lost him completely.
Linda Jones of Gary, talks about need for street repair at 8th and Hamlin after voting at the Lake Co. Government Center during the first day of early voting on Tuesday, April 4, 2023. (John Smierciak / Post Tribune) (John Smierciak / Post-Tribune)

Linda Jones of Gary came into the Lake County Government Center Tuesday to pay her property tax bill and took the opportunity to cast her vote for the May municipal primary election.

She was the third person to vote Tuesday morning at the Crown Point site on the first day of early voting for the primary election. A little before noon, the sign-in sheet was almost full.

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I early vote anyway, Jones said. She did not realize early voting was open when she planned her trip to the treasurers office.

Workers out-numbered those ready to vote, which is not uncommon for the first day of a municipal election cycle, Michelle Fajman, director of the Lake County Board of Elections, said.

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People arent really realizing yet its election season, Fajman said.

Eric January (right), who is running for Merrillville Clerk Treasurer, hands out pamphlets at the Lake County Government Center during the first day of early voting on Tuesday, April 4, 2023. (John Smierciak / Post Tribune) (John Smierciak / Post-Tribune)

They are not coming here specifically to vote. They are coming here for other reasons and doing a two for one, Fajman said. Most voters she spoke to Tuesday said they had come in to pay their taxes and say they could vote.

Once more signs start popping up she expects the volume of early voters to increase across the countys 11 different early voting locations. Some candidates wait until after Holy Week to begin campaigning in earnest.

Back in the day, you didnt put up signs until after Holy Week, Fajman said. Most people did not want political signs in their yards to interfere with holiday activities. Now you are seeing that change with early voting.

Voting centers will be closed on Good Friday, April 7.

Linda Jones of Gary leaves the polling booth at the Lake Co. Government Center after being one of the first three voters during the first day of early voting on Tuesday, April 4, 2023. (John Smierciak / Post Tribune) (John Smierciak / Post-Tribune)

Television news coverage of Chicagos run-off election Tuesday may provide a boost in attendance and some early voting sites since some voters think Illinois and Indiana are on the same election schedule, she said. Indianas local elections do not receive the same type of television coverage.

This years Indiana primary May 2 also is the earliest the election can take place. The primary by statute is scheduled the first Tuesday after the first Monday in May.

As we move forward and people see more signs coming up, more people will come in, Fajman said.

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Early voting is available at 11 sites throughout Lake County and continues through May 1. All early voting sites are closed Friday in observance of Good Friday and the Easter holiday.

Voters can use any early voting site regardless of their city or town. There currently are three referenda on the ballot  one for the School Town of Highland, one for the Tri-Creek School Corp., and a renewal of the School Town of Munsters general fund referendum.

All voters served by the Tri-Creek School Corp., including those in unincorporated Lake County which otherwise does not have an municipal election, are eligible to vote. Highland and Munster school districts do not have any voters outside of town limits.

Eric January (left), who is running for Merrillville Clerk Treasurer, hands out pamphlets at the Lake County Government Center during the first day of early voting on Tuesday, April 4, 2023. (John Smierciak / Post Tribune) (John Smierciak / Post-Tribune)

Voting locations include the Lake County Government Center, 2293 N. Main St., Crown Point. Hours at the Crown Point location are: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, and 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday. Early voting also is available 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. the two Saturdays prior to Election Day, and from 8:30 a.m. to noon the Monday before Election Day, May 1.

The 10 satellite early voting locations include: East Chicago County Courthouse, 3711 Main St.; Gary Public Library Main Branch, 22 W. 5th Ave.; Hammond County Courthouse, 232 Russell St.; Hobart Police Community Center, 705 E. 4th St.; Lowell Town Hall, 501 E. Main St.; Munster Town Hall, 1005 Ridge Road; Schererville Town Hall, 10 E. Joliet St.; St. John Township Assessors Office, 9157 Wicker Ave., St. John; Wicker Park Social Center, 8554 Indianapolis Blvd., Highland; and Winfield Government Complex, 10645 Randolph St.

Hours at the satellite locations are 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday and 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday. The sites will be open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. the two Saturdays prior to May 2 and 9 a.m. to noon on May 1, the day before Election Day.
A meme-inspired cryptocurrency's price jumped on Tuesday after Elon Musk changed the bluebird logo of Twitter to a dog associated with the digital token, despite the mogul being sued over his previous promotion of the coin.

Musk bought Twitter in October last year for $44 billion and has since slashed the workforce, introduced paid-for accounts and reinstated banned users including former president Donald Trump.

His decision to change the logo to a Shiba Inu dog, whether permanent or another short-lived joke, caused the price of dogecoin to surge by more than 25 percent, from below $0.08 to more than $0.10.

The Twitter chief has 133 million followers and has long used the platform for self-promotion and humour, occasionally also promoting dogecoin, a highly volatile cryptocurrency initially created as a joke.

Musk has said he is committed to crypto, with a substantial portion of his fortune held in bitcoin.

Musk has also floated dogecoin as the basis for e-commerce payments, with observers wondering if the tycoon will use his purchase of Twitter to build an "everything app", similar to China's WeChat, that offers a wide range of services.

The SpaceX owner's embrace of dogecoin has landed him in legal trouble where he is being sued for $258 billion by an investor who claims he lost massive amounts of money because of Musk's activities, though the billionaire has dismissed those claims.

In a filing to a New York court on Friday, Musk's legal team called the suit "a fanciful work of fiction" that "must be dismissed in its entirety with prejudice."

"There is nothing unlawful about tweeting words of support for, or funny pictures about, a legitimate cryptocurrency," the filing added.

The Shiba Inu dog became a popular meme in 2013 when posters on forums like Reddit and 4chan began using pictures of the Japanese dog breed alongside messages written in broken English.

The cryptocurrency was launched as a joke later that year and remained largely without value for years -- like thousands of other coins.

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However, in May 2021 its value briefly spiked to a then record $0.73 after Musk suggested his auto firm Tesla could begin to accept it as payment.

The value quickly slumped and investors have accused Musk of manipulating the value of the token to make a quick profit, known as a "pump and dump".

The logo change prompted a slew of messages featuring the meme dog -- not least from Musk, who tweeted out a conversation with a follower from last year where he had promised to buy Twitter and make the Shiba Inu its logo.

However, some users were more cynical.

"Why do I get the feeling the Doge icon was added so when you search 'Elon' and 'Doge' the story of his racketeering lawsuit will be buried," tweeted comedian Jesse McLaren.

jxb-arp/kjm
Cypress High School Senior Sophia Gurlue was one of 24 students stuck in Hungary after airline workers went on strike.

Cypress Lake High senior Sophia Gurlue On Friday took the stage for the opening night of her school's production of Puffs, a Harry Potter parody show.

Just two days earlier, Gurlue  along with 24 of her classmates, two teachers and five parents  were stuck in Hungary, uncertain when they would be able to return home.

Their flight out of Budapest, which was supposed to return on Sunday, March 26, was canceled after airline workers, part of the EVG railway union, and Verdi services union went on a 24-hour strike over raises.

More: How later school start times for middle and high schools would impact SWFL schools

The group was not able to get a flight back to Florida until Wednesday, March 29. Gurlue ended up missing a full week of school.

"Some kids were running out of money because we only brought so much with us," Gurlue said. "It got to the point where we were all kind of ... not freaking out, but we were starting to think we're not getting home or we're going to have to get home on our own."

The spring break trip  a 10-day tour through Budapest, Vienna, Prague and Munich  was not sponsored or organized by the school, according to district spokesman Robert Spicker; therefore, the district would not comment on the events of the trip. English teacher Jessica Gompper organizes a trip for seniors each year through the student travel company Explorica, according to Gurlue.

Explorica, Gompper and Principal Angela Roles did not return requests for comment.

"Mrs. Gompper was really the one who was really good at keeping us from not freaking out," Gurlue said. "The company (Explorica) did not do a great job of communication. I never heard a word from them. My parents were calling and trying to figure out, you know, how are you getting my kid home? They weren't great."

More: Golden Apple winners announced in Lee County. Here are the teachers who won

Cypress High School Senior Sophia Gurlue was one of 24 students stuck in Hungary after airline workers went on strike.

How they spent the extra days abroad

Starting that Monday, the day after their initial flight home, the group was left without a tour guide, hotel or answers on when they may be able to return home. Gurlue said she's not sure if they will be reimbursed for the extra days at the hotel, their meals, extra travel or the exploration they did while they waited for a flight home.

Story continues

"The worst part was running out of clean clothes," Gurlue said. "But I didn't want to think of it as being stuck, even through that's literally what we were. We were still in Europe."

On Monday, Gurlue said they were able to rebook at the same hotel they were staying at and continued to explore Budapest. On Tuesday, they took a trip to Vienna.

More: Arming school staff? Lee County schools considering it

The group was then split up into four groups that would board four different flights home from the Budapest airport, according to Gurlue. One with a connection out of Dubai, two separate flights with connections out of Paris and one with a connection out of Warsaw.

At 3 a.m. on Wednesday morning, Gurlue and the rest of her group got in a Uber and went to the airport to catch their flight through Paris. They didn't get home until 11:30 p.m. on Wednesday after flying into Miami and taking van the rest of the way.

"I wouldn't have had it happen any other way. It was a very life changing experience," Gurlue said now that she's back in her childhood bedroom. "Being home, in the safety of my own bedroom, I get to finally say I made it home. But at the same time, I'm happy with the way that we got to experience our extended stay."

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Airline strike strands Cypress Lake High seniors on trip in Hungary
Former president Donald Trump committed 34 felonies when he falsified business records related to hush-money payments made in the lead up to the 2016 presidential election to conceal an alleged affair with a porn actress, according to the Manhattan district attorneys indictment unsealed Tuesday.

The indictment, released after Trumps court appearance, alleges that Trump hid damaging information from the voting public during the 2016 presidential election, and that he orchestrated a scheme with others to influence the election by identifying and purchasing negative information about him to suppress its publication.

The indictment hangs on a $130,000 hush money payment Trump authorized to porn actress Stormy Daniels prior to the election. The indictment also notes a $150,000 payment made to former Playboy model Karen McDougal. Both women claimed to have had sex with Trump while he was married. The Defendant did not want this information to become public because he was concerned about the effect it could have on his candidacy, the indictment reads.

The indictment also notes a $30,000 payment made to a Trump Tower doorman who was trying to sell a story that Trump had fathered a child out of wedlock.

Under New York state law it is a felony to falsify business records with intent to defraud and an intent to conceal another crime. That is exactly what this case is about. Thirty-four false statements made to cover up other crimes, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said at a press conference Tuesday afternoon. These are felony crimes in New York state, no matter who you are.

Prosecutors allege that Trumps former lawyer, Michael Cohen, made the hush-money payment to Daniels lawyer, and Trump reimbursed him in 2017, disguising the payments to Cohen as payments for legal services performed that year. Bragg said Trump repeatedly made false statements on New York state business records month after month in 2017.

For nine straight months, the defendant held documents in his hand containing this key lie, that he was paying Michael Cohen for legal services performed in 2017, Bragg said. And he personally signed checks for payments to Michael Cohen for each of these nine months.

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The evidence will show that he did so to cover up crimes related to the 2016 election, said Bragg, who described a catch and kill scheme to buy and suppress negative information about Trump. The illegal payments were made through shell companies, he said.

As part of this scheme, Donald Trump and others made three payments to people who claimed to have negative information about Mr. Trump, Bragg said.

Trump responded to the charges in court, firmly stating that he is not guilty of the alleged crimes, according to reporters who were in the courtroom. Trump is the first former U.S. president to be indicted on criminal charges.

Charges of falsifying business records can be prosecuted as misdemeanors, but Bragg bumped all the charges to Class E felonies, the lowest level of felony under New York penal code. A conviction of a Class E felony of falsifying business records can result in up to four years in prison, though that appears unlikely in Trumps case.

The indictment lays out the case against Trump, starting with the origin of the alleged catch and kill scheme during a 2015 meeting at Trump Tower, just after Trump announced his candidacy.

At the meeting, David Pecker, then the CEO of American Media, Inc., parent company of the National Enquirer, agreed to help Trump by being his campaigns eyes and ears, looking out for negative stories about him, and alerting Cohen about those stories. He also agreed to publish negative stories about Trumps political opponents, according to the indictment.

Soon after, American Media learned that a Trump Tower doorman was trying to sell a story about a child that Trump allegedly fathered out of wedlock. American Media paid $30,000 for rights to the story, and then falsely characterized the payment in its records. The company eventually learned the story wasnt true, but Cohen directed Pecker not to release the doorman from the confidentiality agreement.

In June of 2016, American Media paid $150,000 to McDougal in exchange for her agreement not to speak about an alleged sexual relationship with Trump. The payment was made after a discussion with Trump and Cohen, who were captured on an audio recording discussing how to obtain the rights to the story from American Media and how to reimburse the company.

So, what do we got to pay for this? One fifty? Trump asked Cohen, according to the indictment. He suggested paying cash. When Cohen disagreed, he suggested a payment by check.

Pecker agreed to transfer the rights to McDougals story to Cohens shell company for $125,000, but the deal eventually fell through.

In October 2016, American Media learned of Daniels account of an affair with Trump, and reached out again to Cohen. He negotiated with Daniels lawyer, agreeing to pay $130,000 for her silence in the weeks before the election, according to the indictment. Cohen eventually opened a Manhattan bank account in the name of a new shell company, transferred $131,000 from his personal home equity line of credit into the account, and in late October wired $130,000 from that account to Daniels lawyer.

The Trump Organization reimbursed Cohen through a variety of invoices in 2017 for legal services allegedly provided that year. Each invoice falsely stated that it was being submitted [p]ursuant to the retainer agreement, and falsely requested payment for services rendered for a month of 2017, the indictment reads. In fact, there was no such retainer agreement and [Cohen] was not being paid for services rendered in any month of 2017.

Bragg said the scheme violated New York election law, which makes it a crime to conspire to promote a candidacy by unlawful means. The $130,000 payment to Daniels also exceeded the federal campaign contribution cap, he said.

If Trump had admitted to reimbursing Cohen for paying for Daniels silence, it would have meant admitting to a crime, Bragg said. Instead, he said, to complete the scheme, they planned to mischaracterize the repayments to Mr. Cohen as income to the New York state tax authorities.

In August 2018, Cohen pleaded guilty in federal court to tax evasion and campaign finance violations. The following month, American Media entered into a non-prosecution agreement with federal prosecutors, and admitted to its role in paying off McDougal.

Trump is slated to deliver remarks about the case Tuesday evening at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida.

Federal prosecutors and regulators with expertise in campaign-finance law who reviewed the hush-money case decided against charging Trump with a crime. But Bragg, a soft-on-crime progressive prosecutor who boasted about his previous efforts to investigate Trump and his family, vowed to take on the former president if he was elected.

At one point, after his election, the investigation into Trumps actions appeared to be over. But after Bragg, a Democrat, was slammed by his progressive critics, he resurrected the case.

Many legal experts from across the political spectrum have suggested that Braggs case is weak, and that the case against Trump is being driven by politics.

Trump has painted himself as a victim of a witch-hunt, and suggested that Bragg INDICT HIMSELF for allegedly leaking information about the indictment to the media. On his social-media site, Truth Social, Trump has called on Bragg to resign, NOW!

Trump has also taken aim at New York judge Juan Merchan, who is overseeing the case, writing that he was hand picked by Bragg, and HATES ME.

While Bragg is charging Trump with 34 felonies, he only needs a jury to convict the former president on one. Bragg could be hoping for a deadlocked jury, looking to wrap up deliberations, to reach a compromise and convict Trump on at least one count.

Trumps team believes the criminal case against him could help him raise money for his 2024 presidential campaign, and give him a political boost with the Republican base. Recent polls have shown a bump for Trump.

A new Yahoo News/YouGov poll of Republican voters shows Trump with 57 percent support in a head-to-head matchup with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who had 31 percent support. Trumps support increased by ten percent in less than two weeks.

A new St. Anselm College poll of the 2024 New Hampshire GOP primary shows Trump up in that state with 42 percent support, well ahead of DeSantis (29 percent), New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu (14 percent), and Nikki Haley (4 percent).

More from National Review
Courtesy of Ford Motor Company

Courtesy of Ford Motor Company

It was early afternoon on June 18, 1966, when the helicopter descended from the sky, landing on a helipad by the Circuit de la Sarthe in Le Mans. Record crowds had turned out to witness the 24-hour classicsome 350,000 people gathered for a climactic war of speed between Ford of Dearborn and Ferrari of Maranello. From out of the chopper came Henry Ford II (the Deuce), the grandson of Fords founder and one of the most powerful chief executives of his time. Beside him was his son Edsel Ford II, then just 17 years old. All around them, the crowds surged. It was absolutely extraordinary, Edsel Ford says, looking back.

The great-grandson of Henry Ford rarely gives interviews. But we caught up with Edsel to look at these old photographs (most of which have never been published), hoping they would jar memories loose. And, man, did they ever.

Courtesy of Ford Motor Company

I remember my father suggesting that maybe I should come with him to France, Edsel says. I thought that was an absolutely wonderful idea for lots of reasons, but primarily because that would give me some time to spend with my father. That was important to me. He recalls being thankful for the helicopter, not because it was cool to fly in but because of security. It was wonderful to have the helicopter so we could get out quickly. There were lots of people. From a security point of view, for my father especially, it was a good idea.

Henry Ford II was the grand marshal of the race that year. He was sharply dressed in coat and tie and had his new wife on his arm, the beautiful Maria Cristina Vettore Austin Ford, who had bet $1000 on Ferrari to win. After all, she said, Im Italian!

Courtesy of Ford Motor Company

Reporters peppered Henry II with questions. Ford is an international company, he told one, with branches all over the free world. We feel a good showing by our products at Le Mans will reflect favorably on us in the countries where we do business.

As the grand marshal, the Deuce waved the French flag to start the action. Those were the days, Edsel recalls, when the drivers ran across the track to start the cars. The 7.0-liter V-8s of the GT40s exploded to life, along with the 4.0-liter Ferrari V-12s. You think of the engines in those vehicles, says Edsel. I sure would like to hear that again now.

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Courtesy of Ford Motor Company

We know how the race ends: a one-two-three staged photo finish for Ford. Edsel does not recall the specifics of the event shown in these victory-celebration photos, in which you see him with winners Chris Amon and Bruce McLaren. In one snapshot, you can see Edsel frowning, and when asked about it, he laughs and says, I think its because they made me wear a tie! Thats not something Ford men would do at the Daytona 500 or Indianapolis. But this was Le Mans, the crown of European endurance motorsport. And it remains the most important international racing victory Ford Motor Company has ever captured.

From todays point of view, Edsel recalls, the fact that we achieved a one-two-three victory at Le Mans is an amazing accomplishment. And there were so many people involved. Many of them are legendary figures in the automobile business, from Amon and McLaren to Carroll Shelby, Lee Iacocca, and the Ford family itself.

Courtesy of Ford Motor Company

About eight years ago, Edsel started an email correspondence with Amon. Ford was about to return to Le Mans for the 50th anniversary with an all-new Ford GT that, like the 1966 GT40, could crank past 200 mph on the Mulsanne straight.

Courtesy of Ford Motor Company

As we got closer, Edsel says, I said to Amon, We would love to have you come with us to Le Mans to help celebrate. Amon had cancer. Up until the last minute, I thought I would get him to come. He lived in a tiny New Zealand town. It would have been the highlight of my life to have him come in 2016. Because 50 years after 1966, we won the race again [in class, not overall]. It was 50 years to the day. How fun is that?

Amon died two months later. But the memories live on for Edsel. It was fun watching Ford v Ferrari, just like its fun looking at these photos, he says. Because it brings back so many memories. Its why I love motor racing.

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A Dallas high school teacher was arrested Tuesday and is charged with improper relationship with a student, according to police.

The Dallas Police Departments Child Exploitation Unit received information on Feb. 24 about a teacher, Qasim Frazier, at Bryan Adams High School who is accused of being involved in an improper relationship with a current student from the Dallas Independent School District.

Frazier, 38, turned himself in to Dallas police and was taken to the Dallas County Jail, according to a police news release. Further details of the allegations werent immediately available.
An elderly woman who was reported missing since Sunday has been located and is safe, the Dallas Police Department announced Tuesday evening.

The Dallas Police Department had asked for the publics help on Tuesday to find Sandra Coe, 75.

Coe had last been seen on Sunday in the 900 block of St. Joseph Street walking her dog, which was described as black and gray.

.
David Pecker and Daniel E. Harris attend the 'Shape France' Magazine cocktail launch at Hotel Talleyrand on January 19, 2012 in Paris, France (Getty Images)

David Pecker, the former CEO of American Media  the parent company of the National Enquirer tabloid  looks set to become a possible star witness in the proceedings following former President Donald Trumps not-guilty plea to 34 felony counts of falsification of business records.

The office of Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg said in a statement that Mr Trump falsified the records in order to conceal damaging information and unlawful activity from American voters before and after the 2016 election.

The charges are connected to hush money payments made to porn star Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal who both alleged to have had affairs with Mr Trump.

The office of the DA added that during the election, TRUMP and others employed a catch and kill scheme to identify, purchase, and bury negative information about him and boost his electoral prospects.

TRUMP then went to great lengths to hide this conduct, causing dozens of false entries in business records to conceal criminal activity, including attempts to violate state and federal election laws, the office said.

The National Enquirer is reported to have paid Ms McDougal $150,000 for her story only for them not to run it in a deal orchestrated by then-Trump fixer Michael Cohen, who paid Ms Daniels $130,000 for her silence.

On Tuesday, Mr Bragg said the case was about 34 false statements made to cover up other crimes. These are felony crimes in New York state, no matter who you are. We cannot and will not normalize serious criminal conduct.

The statement of facts released by the DA on Tuesday notes that Mr Trump announced his 2016 campaign in June of the previous year.

Ryan Goodman, a former special counsel at the Department of Defense, tweeted that the meeting included Mr Pecker, Mr Trump, and Cohen.

David Pecker is going to be a star witness, Mr Goodman said.

The statement of facts that soon after Mr Trump announced his 2016 campaign, he met with Mr Pecker and Mr Cohen at Trump Tower in August 2015.

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At the meeting, the AMI CEO [Mr Pecker] agreed to help with the Defendants [Mr Trumps] campaign, saying that he would act as the eyes and ears for the campaign by looking out for negative stories about the Defendant and alerting Lawyer A [Cohen] before the stories were published, the statement of facts says. The AMI CEO also agreed to publish negative stories about the Defendants competitors for the election.

In the document, Ms McDougal appears to be referred to as Woman 1.

About five months before the presidential election, in or about June 2016, the editor-in-chief of the National Enquirer and AMIs Chief Content Officer (the AMI Editor-inChief) contacted Lawyer A about a woman (Woman 1) who alleged she had a sexual relationship with the Defendant while he was married, the document states.

The AMI Editor-in-Chief updated Lawyer A regularly about the matter over text message and by telephone. The Defendant did not want this information to become public because he was concerned about the effect it could have on his candidacy, the filing adds. Thereafter, the Defendant, the AMI CEO, and Lawyer A had a series of discussions about who should pay off Woman 1 to secure her silence.

AMI ultimately paid $150,000 to Woman 1 in exchange for her agreement not to speak out about the alleged sexual relationship, as well as for two magazine cover features of Woman 1 and a series of articles that would be published under her byline, the statement of facts says.

Between the 2016 election and Mr Trumps inauguration on 20 January 2017, he met with Mr Pecker privately in Trump Tower in Manhattan to thank him.

The statement of facts says that the Defendant thanked the AMI CEO for handling the stories of the Doorman and Woman 1, and invited the AMI CEO to the Inauguration. In the summer of 2017, the Defendant invited the AMI CEO to the White House for a dinner to thank him for his help during the campaign.

The statement of facts also says that a former Trump Tower doorman ... was trying to sell information regarding a child that the Defendant had allegedly fathered out of wedlock.

The document states that Mr Pecker became aware of this in or about October or November 2015  months after the launch of Mr Trumps 2016 campaign.

The statement of facts says that American Media negotiated and signed an agreement to pay the Doorman $30,000 to acquire exclusive rights to the story.

AMI falsely characterized this payment in AMIs books and records, including in its general ledger, the document says. AMI purchased the information from the Doorman without fully investigating his claims, but the AMI CEO directed that the deal take place because of his agreement with the Defendant and Lawyer A.

Mr Pecker wanted to end that deal when American Media concluded that the story was not true, but Mr Cohen instructed the AMI CEO not to release the Doorman until after the presidential election, and the AMI CEO complied with that instruction because of his agreement with Mr Trump and Mr Cohen.

Appearing on ABC News, former New Jersey Governor Christie, an ex-Trump ally and now Trump critic, said that it doesn't seem to me that federal campaign finance law needs to be involved in any way here.

The crime is to try to essentially defraud the voters of the state of New York by trying to either help or impede the election or defeat of two or more candidates, which would be Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, the possible 2024 Trump rival said. And Pecker is the guy.

I think what may have changed here with Alvin Bragg is maybe David Pecker was willing to come forward now and be cooperative, he said. Because in the federal case, there was a lot of back and forth with Packer about what he would do or not do. And Pecker presumably does not have the same infirmities that Michael Cohen would have as a witness.

He noted that you haven't seen David Pecker anywhere  you haven't seen him on television, giving any interviews or doing anything else. I haven't seen this guy for a long time.

I certainly haven't seen him making any public comments as opposed to Michael Cohen, who seems to be as addicted as his former boss is to getting in front of a TV camera, Mr Christie said on the ABC live broadcast.

Mr Christie said the most important thing wouldnt be to prove the 34 falsification counts but that the key is going to be proving the underlying crime that elevates it to a felony.

And I think there is going to be one most important witness and that's going to be David Pecker, Mr Christie, a former prosecutor, said.
The massive World Trade Center at the southern tip of Manhattan, highlighted by what were then the two tallest skyscrapers on the planet, opened on this day in history, April 4, 1973.

The official ceremony was hosted by Gov. Nelson Rockefeller of New York and Gov. William Cahill of New Jersey. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey publicly funded the World Trade Center.

The World Trade Center "should, because of its importance, become a living representation of mans belief in humanity, his need for individual dignity, his beliefs in the cooperation of men, and through cooperation, his ability to find greatness," American architect Minoru Yamasaki said following the completion of his vision.

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The World Trade Center is instead mourned today as a terrifying testament to mans inhumanity to man.

Americans should be celebrating today the Golden Anniversary of Yamasaki's mammoth skyscraper complex.

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The Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor in the 1980s, showing its relation to the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center.

It glimmered triumphantly over the nation's largest city, New York Harbor, the mouth of the Hudson River, Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty  over America itself.

But the towers collapsed catastrophically only 28 years after they opened, live on television, as the world gasped in horror during the beyond-tragic terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

More than 2,750 people were killed in the World Trade Center that day in New York City, an event that altered the trajectory of global history. (Another 184 were killed that day in the attack on the Pentagon and another 40 people were killed in Pennsylvania, when one of the hijacked planes crashed after passengers attempted to retake the plane.)

The footprints of the Twin Towers are the site today of the 9/11 Memorial, a pair of reflecting pools and man-made waterfalls surrounded by the names of those killed in the attacks.

The second tower of the World Trade Center bursts into flames after being hit by a hijacked airplane in New York City in this Sept. 11, 2001 file photograph.

The World Trade Center rightfully inhabits a reverent and haunting place in American culture today.

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But the Twin Towers in their time were only tolerated, not loved, say New York City historians and architecture experts.

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"The World Trade Center never captured the imagination of New Yorkers, and the world, the way the Empire State has," author Mark Kingwell wrote in "Nearest Thing to Heaven," a 2006 history of the Empire State Building, which stood as the tallest skyscraper on Earth for 40 years before surpassed by the Twin Towers.

He added, "It is not too harsh to say they are mourned more in memory than they were ever liked in fact; and the mourning is surely for loss of life, and innocence, rather than for any architectural or symbolic reason."

Architect Minoru Yamasaki, designer of the World Trade Center, was interviewed in Manhattan on Sept. 17, 1973.

Construction plodded along slowly amid disdain from New Yorkers while the city, and the nation, grappled with crises.

Construction began in 1966. The North Tower was completed in December 1970. The South Tower was finished in July 1971, nearly two years before the opening ceremonies.

MEET THE AMERICAN WHO DESIGNED THE EMPIRE STATE BUILDING, NEW YORK CITY NATIVE ARCHITECT WILLIAM F. LAMB

The United States was being torn apart by political strife over the Vietnam War, while New York City was on the brink of economic meltdown.

"It seemed so inappropriate to have something so excessive rising up in the New York City skyline at the time," Greg Young, co-host and producer of "The Bowery Boys" podcast, a popular chronicle of New York City history, told Fox News Digital.

The World Trade Center became embroiled in Americas culture wars during the Hard Hat Riot of 1970.

Anti-American protests erupted around the country after four Kent State students were killed in protests on May 4, 1970.

New York City Mayor John Lindsay ordered City Hall flags flown at half-mast.

Demonstrators marched with American flags during the Hard Hat Riot, New York City, New York, May 1970. Working-class, pro-American demonstrators clashed with anti-Vietnam War protestors.

Four days later, thousands of workers at the World Trade Center and other job sites, many of whom had brothers, sisters, sons and daughters fighting in Vietnam, marched down from the towers, beat up hippies and stormed City Hall in anger, singing the "The Star-Spangled Banner" on the way.

MEET THE AMERICAN WHO INVENTED THE HARD HAT, A PROUD SYMBOL OF OUR NATION'S WORKING CLASS

The mayor relented and raised the American flags to full flight  but only after 150 people were battered and bloodied on the streets. Forty people suffered head wounds and six men were beaten unconscious during the Hard Hat Riot.

Young said New Yorkers "had a complicated relationship" with the World Trade Center.

Its completion was, at the very least, a brazen testament to American exceptionalism.

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The United States fought the Cold War against the Soviet Union, the hot war in Vietnam and completed all six of the only manned moon landings in human history  all while constructing, side by side, the tallest skyscrapers the world had ever seen.

The Brooklyn Bridge in front of a 9/11 Tribute in Light in New York City.

"At 110 stories each, 1 WTC, or the North Tower, and 2 WTC, the South Tower, provided nearly 10 million square feet of office space. Reaching over a quarter of a mile into the sky, they were the tallest buildings in NYC, and for a brief period, they were the tallest buildings in the world," writes the 9/11 Memorial.

"As of 2001, the WTC housed more than 430 businesses from 28 different countries  roughly 50,000 workers. They attracted tens of thousands of tourists and commuters every day."

Writes the website of The Bowery Boys podcast, "Everything grand and intolerable about New York City in the late 1960s/early 1970s was embodied here in these two impossibly tall shafts of metal."
A Dayton housing center was awarded a federal grant to help promote fair housing in the area.

Miami Valley Fair Housing Center of Dayton was awarded $425,000 to carry out enforcement activities to prevent and eliminate discriminatory housing practices, according to a media release.

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Every Ohioan should have a roof over their heads and a safe place to call home, U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown said. This investment will help make sure that all Southwest Ohioans can find a home to rent or own without fear of discrimination.

The grant was part of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Developments Fair Housing Initiatives Program.

Housing Opportunities Made Equal of Great Cincinnati was also awarded $425,000.








Detectives are looking for more potential victims after arresting a convicted felon found to be running a fraudulent car business, the Fresno County Sheriffs Office said Tuesday.

Deputies arrested Christopher Michael Asher, 56, of Fresno on Thursday and accused him of multiple car theft and forgery crimes, according to a news release.

A Huntington Beach car dealer reported to detectives he was searching for a stolen car in the Fresno area in August, the sheriffs office said.

The car was sold for $58,000 to Asher, who presented himself as the general manager of Artanis Automotive, 5494 E. Lamona Ave. in Fresno, the release said.

Asher, a convicted felon, was not permitted to have a dealers license but used forged documents to obtain one, detectives said.

Hes been convicted of multiple felonies related to forgery, theft and other fraud related crimes going back to the early 1990s, court records show.

A convicted felon ran a fraudulent car business called Artanis Automotive, 5494 E. Lamona Ave. in Fresno, the Fresno County Sheriffs Office said Monday, April 4, 2023.

The Huntington Beach dealer sent the car to Asher, before the $58,000 check bounced, the release said.

Detectives were able to track down the car and found another man driving it. They determined the driver put $12,000 down on the car to obtain it from Asher, who also fraudulently helped the man get financing, according to the sheriffs office.

Detectives served a search warrant on Thursday at Ashers home before the arrest. They said they have since identified other victims.

Ashers bail was set at $117,000, the release said. He posted bond and has been released from jail with a court hearing scheduled for May 19.

It was not immediately clear if Asher had an attorney.

We in law enforcement want to inform the public of Ashers illegal activity because there is a good chance there are more victims out there who have dealt with Asher and do not realize they have been taken advantage of or never filed a police report, the release said.

The sheriffs office says any potential victims should call 559-600-3111 or Crime Stoppers at 559-498-7867 or www.valleycrimestoppers.org.

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Crime Stoppers allows anyone to remain anonymous and they may be eligible for a cash reward. Reference the HEAT/CHP case No. F146-412-23.
Children gather around a table at Temple Israel in Valparaiso to participate in a simulated Passover Seder to learn about rituals of the holiday on Sunday, April 2, 2023. (Kyle Telechan for the Post-Tribune) (Kyle Telechan / Post-Tribune)

Sunday school students at Temple Israel in Valparaiso prepared for Passover by learning the traditions of the Seder, a ritual feast day at the beginning of the holiday season for those of the Jewish faith.

The significance of the Seder for the weeklong holiday, which begins Wednesday at sunset, is to retell the story of the Hebrew Exodus from Egypt, including discussion, songs and the eating and drinking of symbolic foods.

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We have a big class set up today, said Elisabeth Cohon, President of Temple Israel. Sunday school students will have their practice Seder.

The children were very excited to arrive and see a plate full of food, all with symbolic meaning, including parsley, a roasted egg, salt water, bitter herbs, charoset and matzah, or unleavened bread.

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Jews were slaves for 400 years in Egypt, explained Rabbi Shoshana Feferman as she led the Sunday school class. By Gods miracle, they left Egypt and spent 40 years in the desert.

Benny Gross, 10, on right, and Toviah Clemans, 7, dip their herbs into salted water as children at Valparaiso's Temple Israel participate in a simulated Passover Seder to learn more about the holiday on Sunday, April 2, 2023. (Kyle Telechan for the Post-Tribune) (Kyle Telechan / Post-Tribune)

Imagine a world with no freedom, with so much cruelty, said Feferman to the children. It was not fun to be a slave. You could not do what you want,

Once you are free, you can do what you want, you can spend time the way you want, and the Jews could then follow Gods commandments.

Feferman went on to have the children eat the different foods, and explain their meaning through the stories of their freedom. We dip the greens in the salt water to remind us of the tears our people cried, said Feferman. We dip into the horseradish to remind us that their lives were bitter when they were slaves.

Likely the most well-known symbolic food is the matzah. The matzah reminds the Jews that there are three kinds of people: those who are not yet free, those who dont care about the freedom of others, and those who are free and help others to become free, according to The Promise Haggadah by Nanci J. Freeberg.

Temple Israel Rabbi Shoshana Feferman leads a children's Passover Seder on Sunday, April 2, 2023. (Kyle Telechan for the Post-Tribune) (Kyle Telechan / Post-Tribune)

Do you know why the matzah is flat? asked Rabbi Feferman. Because the Jews had to bake quickly. They were slaves. They were afraid the Egyptians would catch them baking so they have to bake in a hurry. There was no time for bread to rise.

But now we are free! exclaimed Feferman. We can be happy, we are not afraid anymore.

In every community, classroom, synagogue, we have all types of different people, said Feferman. We have good people, smart people, young people, old people. Only when we work together we are strong. We complete each other. We make a community.

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At the conclusion of the practice Seder, the children were asked to find the hidden matzah somewhere in the building, and the winner would get a prize. The children also were given chocolate-covered matzah as a treat.

Asher Kleist, 5, reads a book with his mother Becca as children at Valparaiso's Temple Israel participate in a simulated Passover Seder to learn more about the holiday on Sunday, April 2, 2023. (Kyle Telechan for the Post-Tribune) (Kyle Telechan / Post-Tribune)

One of the other traditions of the feast day of Passover is to deep clean your kitchen and home to get rid of every last crumb and baked good.

Temple member Sarah Manolios, of Valparaiso, was prepared to start cleaning on Sunday. I will start cleaning this afternoon and continue until I make the main preparations on Tuesday evening for Passover, said Manolios. We love welcoming people into our home.

Debbie Miller, temple member and one of the cantorial soloists, was at the Sunday school class, leading songs for the children that continued to tell the story of Passover.

She follows the same traditions in her home.

We make all the traditional foods, said Miller. We have family and invite others, as it is a blessing to have many at your table.

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Deena Lawley-Dixon is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
The Lubbock County Courthouse.

A 40-year-old man was sentenced Monday to 45 years in prison after accepting a plea deal with prosecutors in the middle of his trial for sexually abusing four boys for years.

Christopher Johnson, who has been held at the Lubbock County Detention Center since his July 14, 2020 arrest, pleaded guilty to a count of aggravated sexual assault of a child, indecency with a child by sexual contact and sexual assault of a child.

He was given a 45-year prison sentence and two, 20-year prison sentences that will run concurrently. He will have to serve half of his sentence before he is eligible to apply for parole and if he is released, will have to register as a sex offender for life.

Johnson accepted his plea on the sixth day of his trial in the 140th District Court, which began March 27 when a 12-person jury and one alternate juror were selected to hear the the case against him.

Christopher Johnson

The next day, Johnson pleaded not guilty to a 12-count indictment that included a count of continuous sexual abuse of a child, which carries a punishment of 25 years to life in prison without parole. The remaining counts included charges of indecency with a child by sexual contact, sexual assault of a child and aggravated sexual assault of a child that listed three victims.

However, jurors did not hear what his defense would be as his defense attorney told the court he planned to make an opening statement after prosecutors rested their case.

The trial was cut short Friday after prosecutors informed the court that child protective service records involving Johnson had come to light and was not turned over to the defense. Johnson entered his plea on Monday after his attorneys and prosecutors spent the weekend going over a plea deal. As part of his plea, the remaining counts against him were dismissed.

By then jurors had heard from the three indicted victims and a fourth unindicted victim, who is now an adult. Typically, unindicted victims are unable to testify in the guilt-innocence phase of a trial. However, Texas law makes an exception in sexual abuse cases involving children if, after a hearing outside the presence of a jury, a district judge finds that an unindicted victim's testimony can be proven beyond a reasonable doubt, said prosecutor Cassie Nesbitt.

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"It also allows the victim to get his day in court and some closure," she said.

The victims recounted to jurors a dysfunctional childhood being raised by a single-mother that left them vulnerable and seeking a stable adult in their lives. They said Johnson appeared to be that person but in reality, he was preying on them to use them for his sexual desires.

In the indictment, Johnson is accused of sexually abusing two of the boys at least two times outside a 30-day period between 2015 and 2019.

"The defendant just took advantage of four vulnerable boys ... who needed a dad and he was just able to exploit them and manipulate them and sexually abuse them over a course of years," said prosecutor Cassie Nesbitt. "We are very thankful that he will be behind bars for a significant amount of time."

The investigation into Johnson began after one of the victims, who was 13 at the time, told his biological father, who until recently did not know about his son, that Johnson had sexually abuse him.

Soon, three more boys would come forward with outcries that Johnson also sexually abused them.

Nesbitt said the victims in the case were happy to move on with their lives.

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Lubbock man pleads guilty to sexually abusing boys
Delrish Moss, a longtime Miami police spokesman who took the helm in Ferguson, Missouri, after police department upheaval following days of civil unrest, has been chosen as the new police chief for the city of Miramar.

Moss, 58, said he will focus on shoring up staff and bringing the department up to date with the latest in crime-fighting technology.

One of my challenges, said Moss, will be to increase staffing so that we can keep pace with the rapid growth of the city.

Moss made a name for himself in Miami, serving the city for 32 years and making his way from street patrol, to homicide, to a major in communications. He was the voice of the city on several high-profile events, like the protests that erupted when young Elian Gonzalez was hauled away by federal agents from his cousins Little Havana home, and the aftermath of Miami Commissioner Arthur Teele Jr.s suicide in the lobby of the Miami Herald.

Then in 2016, he beat out dozens of applicants for the top policing job in Ferguson, which had been wracked by violence after the police shooting death of unarmed Michael Brown. Moss main task there  along with healing a community torn apart by the protests  was to implement a federal consent decree that blasted the agency for Blacks being vastly under-represented in the department.

That job complete, he came back to South Florida in 2019 as captain, chief spokesman and head of operations for the police department at Florida International University.

Moss is expected to be sworn in on April 13.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is leading former President Donald Trump for the 2024 Republican presidential nod in their shared home state, according to a new survey from Mason-Dixon Polling & Strategy released Tuesday.

In a hypothetical head-to-head matchup in the Sunshine State, 44 percent of Republican voters say theyre backing DeSantis, while 39 percent are behind Trump, according to the poll. Only 5 percent are supporting other candidates in the race, while 12 percent havent made up their minds yet.

The poll suggests that, even as Trump has picked up momentum nationally, DeSantis holds the edge in Florida, the state where he has the highest name ID and where his record as governor is known best.

DeSantis has yet to formally announce a 2024 campaign, but is expected to in the late spring after the Florida state legislature wraps up its annual session. Trump and his allies have ramped up their attacks on DeSantis in recent weeks, hoping to weaken him before he ever hits the campaign trail.

Still, 59 percent of Florida governors say they approve of DeSantiss performance in the governors mansion, while 39 percent disapprove. Thats 4 points higher than it was just before the 2022 midterm election that saw him score a landslide 19-point reelection win.

Yet its still lower than the 62-percent approval he carried in March 2019, when he was newly inaugurated and still more than a year away from implementing the pandemic-era policies that endeared him to conservatives nationally and made him a pariah among Democrats and public health officials.

DeSantis remains significantly more popular in Florida than President Biden, however. Just 35 percent of Florida voters approve of Bidens job performance, according to the Mason-Dixon poll. Sixty percent disapprove. That marks a 5-point drop in approval since February 2022.

When it comes to name recognition, DeSantis also carries a significant edge over Trump. Fifty-three percent of Florida voters say they view the Florida governor in a positive light, compared to 36 percent who see him unfavorably.

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For Trump, the outlook is very different. Thirty-nine percent view him favorably, compared to 50 percent who see him in a negative light, the poll found.

The Mason-Dixon poll surveyed 625 registered Florida voters  including 507 Republicans  from March 27-30. It has a margin of error of +/-4 percent points, though that increases to +/-4.4 percentage points when only Republican voters are considered.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Florida residents will be able to carry concealed firearms without a permit anywhere in the state after Republican governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill into law that has been condemned as shameful by the White House.

Mr DeSantis signed the legislation in a closed-door ceremony in his office, making Florida the 26th American state with a permitless concealed carry law.

"Constitutional Carry is in the books," he said in a short news release.

The law, which will come into effect from 1 July, will allow anyone to legally own a gun in Florida without the need to pass a background check or have any training in order to purchase arms.

The bill was overwhelmingly approved in Floridas state legislature last week, three days after a mass shooting at a private Christian school in Nashville left six people dead, including three 9-year-old students.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre criticised the Florida governor for signing the bill, saying it is the opposite of common sense gun safety.

"It is shameful that so soon after another tragic school shooting, Florida governor Ron DeSantis signed into law a permitless concealed carry bill behind closed doors, which eliminates the need to get a license to carry a concealed weapon," Ms Jean-Pierre said.

She then referred to three high-profile shootings that have occurred in Florida, including the 2018 Parkland high school shooting that left 17 people dead, the 2016 Orlando nightclub shooting that killed 49 and a shooting in February that killed a woman and a 9-year-old.

"The people of Florida  who have paid a steep price for the state and Congressional inaction on guns from Parkland to Pulse Nightclub to Pine Hills  deserve better," Ms Jean-Pierre added.

The bill SB150/HB543 overturns the states gun laws that require gun owners to obtain licenses to carry concealed weapons. People were required to complete training courses and pass background checks to obtain those licenses.

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Mr DeSantis, who is believed to be planning a 2024 presidential run, last week touted the bill during his controversial visit to a gun store outside Atlanta, dubbed the worlds largest gun store for the promotion of his book The Courage to Be Free.

As of right now, theres 25 states... that allow that, DeSantis told the crowd on Thursday, referring to permitless carry. Well, in Florida next week, were going to make it 26.

His visit to the store was criticised, with Georgia Democrats issuing a joint statement to denounce the visit just days after the deadly Nashville shooting. The statement said that the new legislation would make it easier for criminals to carry guns and make children in his state even less safe.

Democratic National Committee chair Jaime Harrison also sharply criticised Mr DeSantis.

Hiding behind closed doors and standing shoulder to shoulder with the NRA, Ron DeSantis just signed legislation that could make it easier for criminals to carry guns, he said.

DeSantis knows this legislation could be dangerous for Florida families and thats why he signed this bill with none of his usual produced fanfare.

The news of the closed-door signing was first released to Fox News and announced with a two-paragraph release. It was also unusual for Mr DeSantis, whose announcement of policy changes and proposals include press conferences and media fanfare.
Florida residents will be able to carry concealed guns without a permit under a bill signed into law on Monday by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.

The law, which goes into effect on July 1, means that anyone who can legally own a gun in Florida can carry a concealed gun in public without any training or background check.

"Constitutional Carry is in the books," DeSantis said.

A White House spokesperson slammed DeSantis, who signed the bill into law just days after the school shooting in Nashville. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre called it "shameful"

"This is the opposite of commonsense gun safety," Jean-Pierre said. "The people of Florida  who have paid a steep price for state and Congressional inaction on guns from Parkland to Pulse Nightclub to Pine Hills  deserve better."

DeSantis previously said that he'd support open permitless carry of firearms because "if it's concealed, it makes it easier for somebody to potentially do a crime." He added that he wouldn't veto a permitless concealed carry bill from his legislature if it didn't have open carry.

Florida has issued more than 2.6 million concealed weapons permits, according to the state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. The new law does not impact the background check and three-day waiting period required to purchase a gun in Florida. Florida does not require a permit to buy a gun.

A March University of North Florida poll of 1,452 registered voters found that just 21% of people in the state support concealed carry without a permit, with 77% of those polled saying they oppose the bill strongly or somewhat.

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A judge has ruled in a summary judgment that the contentious, 40-plus-year agreement keeping portions of DeSoto County, Horn Lake and Southaven on Memphis' sewer system is set to end Sept 22, 2023.

"In sum, considering the four corners of the 1975 Agreement, the 1983 Agreement, and the overall context in which those Agreements were made, the Court concludes that the parties' intent, as expressed in the unambiguous language of the Agreements, was for the 1975 Agreement to be for a limited duration -- 40 years -- which was subsequently extended by the 1983 Agreement," reads the summary judgment, which was issued on March 30 by U.S. District Court Judge Mark S. Norris. "Therefore, the 1975 Agreement, as extended by the 1983 Agreement, ends by its terms on September 22, 2023."

Memphis has asserted since 2018 that it will not renew the contract with the sewer district and asked a federal judge to say definitively that it can end the contract. The sewer district, an entity that serves Southaven, Horn Lake and other parts of DeSoto County, contended Memphis cant leave the north Mississippi suburbs without service and has repeatedly said that the city of Memphis has refused to negotiate.

Previous coverage: Memphis, DeSoto again entering mediation in fight over sewer system

In December 2019, the two parties each filed lawsuits. In December and January of 2022, the two parties entered mediation, which ended in an impasse. The second try at mediation took place on Sept. 21, 2022, with retired state Supreme Court Justice Janice M. Holder, and again ended at an impasse.

The summary judgment grants, in part, the City of Memphis' Motion for Summary Judgement filed in 2021, but stops short of agreeing that the City "has no obligation" and "cannot be compelled" to continue treating the sewer district's wastewater after Sept. 22.

TE Maxson Wastewater treatment facility Friday, Nov. 27, 2020.

The judgment also points to the risk that if the City of Memphis refuses to treat the sewage district's wastewater it could result in a sewage outflow near the Mississippi-Tennessee state line, possibly contaiminating soil, groundwater and surface water.

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"Of course, this is mere speculation, but it illustrates why the relief requested in the Complaint for Declaratory Judgment is overly broad and inappropriate for resolution on summary judgment," the judgment reads.

How long will it take for DeSoto to remove its users from Memphis' system?

A bench trial for the case is set for April 10. In a proposed pretrial order, the City of Memphis argues that the DeSoto sewage district has "no basis to argue that the parties' wastewater treatment agreement extend beyond September 22, 2023" and that the sewage district should be placed under an expedited time frame of six to seven years, at most, to remove its users from the City's wastewater system.

The sewage district argues that it has "undertaken in earnest" to get the funding needed to expand DeSoto County Regional Utility Authority (DCRUA)'s existing Johnson Creek wastewater treatment facility and that, including the time necessary to obtain funding, the process could take as few as eight years or up to 13. The DeSoto sewage district proposes that it should be given a series of milestones rather than a hard deadline, proposing a plan that would take 10 years from the date of the Court's order.

During the April 2022 status meeting, attorneys for DeSoto stated that they are lining up $40 million to move DeSoto to its own system. The cost of the project is estimated to be $230 million. The sewage district's proposal would set a 24-month timeline from the date of the Court's ruling for the sewage district to obtain sufficient funding to begin the next phases of the project, believing it could obtain "as much public funding from the State of Mississippi and/or the federal government as possible within 24 months" and complete a bond sale for any remaining funds.

How much will DeSoto pay the City of Memphis for continued treatment?

The City of Memphis contends in the proposed pretrial order that the sewage district should be required to pay a rate equal to the City's other wholesale customers, such as Collierville, Lakeland and Millington, who pay $3.32 per 1,000 gallons, versus the $0.96 per 1,000 gallons the DeSoto sewage district currently pays.

The sewage district said in the order that the City of Memphis should continue to calculate the wastewater treatment rate for the sewage district the same way it has for 43 years. The sewage district said this is, in part, to "facilitate its effective disconnection from the City's wastewater system by ensuring its ability to pay for the bonds on the necessary DCRUA facility expansion project."

Gina Butkovich covers DeSoto County, storytelling and general news. She can be reached at 901/232-6714.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: DeSoto, Memphis sewage agreement to end in September
DeVonn Francis

We often think of immigration as a specific type of one-directional travel that occurs only once a lifetime. But the reality is often better reflected as trips crisscrossing back and forth, even if later visits are taken by offspring rather than the original migrants. Every time you travel you cant help but take a bit of that place with you and leave a little something behind. All those invisible strings connect our hearts to a place even after were gone.

DeVonn Francis was born in Virginia and now lives in New York City, but the 30-year-old gay culinary artist, advocate, and event producer has deep roots in the Caribbean, on the island his parents left: Jamaica.

One of the cultural elements of a place easiest to recreate elsewhere is its cuisine. As long as you have the recipes and access to the ingredients you can share a bit of your homeland with those whove never been.

Thats what Franciss parents did for him. His father ran a Jamacian restaurant and Francis and his mother cooked together and shared a love of Food Network shows. So its always been a part of my life, Francis says.

In New York City he found the Caribbean diaspora, which opened doors for him to go deeper into his heritage. I was able to trace not only flavors of ingredients, but also stories around ingredients and like understanding how people came to be in certain places, he recalls.

DeVonn Francis in Jamaica

DeVonn Francis in Jamaica Courtesy

A trailblazer at heart, Francis didnt just want to map his own path back to the islands. He wanted to make space for his community to find passage back as well. So I feel really excited about what we're doing with Yardy World, Francis explains now. I wanted to be able to really create a template or a roadmap for other queer Caribbean peopleretracing their roots and tracing their heritage.

While food itself is one ingredient in that recipe, so are the stories and traditions that are typically passed down when people cook or eat together. The ways in which you invite people to come together kind of like family at the dinner table makes me feel a little bit more empowered to really learn about myself and to take my own history into my own hands, he muses.

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The activist sees Yardy events as growing a larger network of people with similar values and goals. The reason why we were doing dinner parties or having events or making videos or content related to Jamaica, or related to immigrant experiences, is because were basically signaling to other people, Do you relate to this? And if so, how can we coalition build together?

In 2023 Francis will be creating more culinary experiences and the discussions they inspire. I imagine having our favorite artists collaborate on our menus, music, table direction, and creating food that reflects some of the new menu items Ive been developing which is largely inspired by my recent trip to Jamaica with my family. There are dishes like cassava pudding baked in banana leaves with a pistachio crust, slow poached snapper, mussels with annotto and crab butter; it should always be decadent.

DeVonn Francis

Courtesy DeVonn Francis

Referencing Black lesbian poet Audre Lordes essay Uses of the Erotic: The Erotic as Power, Francis argues pleasure is power, and we all have the right to find and seek out pleasure and being able to do that makes you feel good and connected to where you are. He wants to empower others to make those choices, and to foster food sovereignty, which he defines as your rights to decide and determine what your own relationship to food is, to eating well, to having a connection to your health.

In addition, Francis says, food sovereignty involves, Figuring out ways to create pathways, not just to get food to people, but to teach people how to access the resources for themselves.

Last year Francis launched a digital platform to make Yardy World accessible to people who love our work but dont live in New York. Francis explains, If were just creating events for people who can get to New York then were leaving a lot of people out of our growing family and that feels like a huge loss to me.

As that family grows, Franciss goal is to create job opportunities to historically marginalized communities like queer BIPOC. How we do that [at Yardy World] is by creating products with ingredients and materials that can be sourced from regions and communities we support, pulling them into the supply chain and circulating revenue back to them  back to the island and the diaspora across the world.

Yardy World recipe cards feature DeVonn Francis's mom

Yardy World offerings include cards featuring recipes (and images of Franciss mom) and the tasty and protein-packed YW Snack Mix, which Francis says started as a joke about never getting to eat a real meal because we spend so much time cooking for other people. And then I thought, Why not create a snack that you can have when youre really busy or dont feel like cooking? The other part about that is we get to use ingredients that can be sourced from the Caribbean so that farmers and producers we source from get to benefit from each purchase.

Yardy World snack mix

Yardy World snack mix

This Lunar New Year Francis posted a photo series on Facebook with images of what a celebration might look like in the Caribbean and how different ingredients impact our concept of what makes Caribbean food Caribbean.

He says the experience was a really valuable learning lesson because it helped me and the Yardy World team expand on the idea of what Caribbean recipes look like. We took recipes that seem familiar and used the story of Chinese migration to Jamaica to tell a wider story of what Jamaica truly is. What most people dont realize about Jamaica and the Caribbean at-large is its global history. The early influence of Taino people and their friction with Spanish settlers, enslaved African people who made the plantation economy possible, Chinese migrants, Indian spices, French, Dutch and British merchants and colonizersso many of these historic and political factors are embedded in the foodways that shape the Jamaica we known today.
Governor Ron DeSantis (L), Disney CEO Bob Iger (R). James Gilbert/Getty Images; Amanda Edwards/Getty Images

Disney CEO Bob Iger says Gov. Ron DeSantis' actions against the company were "anti-business."

Disney and DeSantis have been embroiled in a bitter feud over a law known as "Don't Say Gay."

Iger told shareholders on Monday that the governor is retaliating against Disney.

Disney CEO Bob Iger blasted Governor Ron DeSantis' recent actions against the company at its shareholders' call on Monday, calling them "anti-business" and "anti-Florida."

Disney has been embroiled in a public spat with the state in recent months after DeSantis introduced new legislation dubbed the "Don't Say Gay" law, which bans teachers from educating children about sexual orientation and gender identity through to the third grade. Disney came out in opposition to the bill in March 2022 and vowed to help have it repealed.

Disney CEO Iger on Monday accused the Sunshine State's governor of retaliating against Disney and attempting to punish it by stripping Disney of its special tax status.

Iger said Disney had contributed jobs, community service, tourism, and "all sorts of other responsible business practices" to Florida, claiming that the company was the state's largest taxpayer.

"Any action that thwarts those efforts simply to retaliate for a position the company took sounds not just anti-business, but it sounds anti-Florida," Iger said.

Former Disney CEO Bob Chapek was initially slow to respond to the bill despite mounting pressure to denounce it, angering both the public and its staff who accused the company of side-stepping the issue. Chapek ultimately spoke out against the legislation in March 2022.

Its denunciation of the bill fueled a battle between the company and DeSantis, leading to Florida's legislature voting to strip Disney of the special tax status it had benefitted from since 1967 that allowed it to control property taxes, fire protection, and road maintenance, among other services.

DeSantis signed the bill repealing the status last April, and in February 2023 he officially stripped Disney World of its self-governing status by replacing the Reedy Creek Improvement District  which Disney had got to appoint most of the board members to because it owned the majority of the district's land  with the state-run Central Florida Tourism Oversight District.

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"The governor got very angry about the position Disney took, and seems like he's decided to retaliate against us, including the naming of a new board to oversee the property and the business, in effect to seek to punish a company for its exercise of a constitutional right," Iger said on Monday.

"That just seems really wrong to me, against any company or individual but particularly against a company that means so much to the state that you live in," he continued.

But DeSantis' control over the district could be limited: Disney lawyers quietly wrote an agreement that may render the state-appointed board members powerless for decades. DeSantis has asked Florida's inspector general to look into whether Disney executives, staff, or agents had anything to do with the loophole.

Iger, who had served as CEO between 2005 and 2020, was reappointed to the role for a two-year term in November after Chapek was ousted.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Misleading advice on staying cool in hot weather has surfaced on Facebook in the Philippines, with an unfounded warning that wetting the skin and drinking cold water following exposure to heat "can lead to a stroke". Doctors have said that while drinking cold water causes blood vessels to constrict, it is not enough to trigger a stroke. There is no danger in consuming cold water or wetting the skin to cool down, especially when a person begins to experience a heat-related illness, they said.

"Let's prepare for an imminent heat wave," reads a Tagalog-language Facebook post shared on March 23 on a page with more than 48,000 followers.

The post, which has been shared more than 400 times, lists recommendations for what people should and should not do when temperatures reach 38 to 50 degrees Celsius (100 to 122 degrees Fahrenheit).

"If the heat reaches 38 degrees celsius and you come from outdoors, just let your body feel the heat. Don't drink cold water. You can drink hot or lukewarm water but drink it slowly," it says.

"Don't wash your hands or feet immediately, don't wash your face or wet any part of your body that was exposed to the sun. Wait no less than 30 minutes before washing your face or taking a bath."

The post concludes with a reminder that "during summer season or if you're very tired, refrain from drinking very cold water because this might cause the blood vessels to constrict and lead to a stroke".

Screenshot of the misleading post taken on March 29, 2023

The Philippine nation's weather bureau announced on March 23 that the archipelago's hot dry season had begun, warning the public to take "precautionary measures to minimize heat stress".

The highest heat index the bureau recorded in March -- referring to the real temperature felt by the human body -- was 47 degrees Celsius (116 degreesFahrenheit).

In April, the agency reminded the public to drink water regularly, avoid wearing dark-coloured clothing and if possible, stay indoors in the middle part of the day.

The purported medical advice was shared elsewhere on Facebook here, here and here.

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However, Philippine College of Emergency Medicine president Dr Richard Santos said that while the post contained some accurate information, it made a false connection between stroke and consuming cold water in hot weather.

"Some claims in the post are correct -- cold water does cause blood vessels to narrow. It's the body's physiological response when exposed to cold," he told AFP.

"But there's no evidence that (drinking cold water) is directly related to having a real stroke -- (which happens) either through a blocked artery or a burst blood vessel."

People should drink water if they are exposed to prolonged high temperatures because of the risk of dehydration, he added.

"Cold water may pose a danger to people with pre-existing medical conditions but this is very, very, rare. It's very unlikely for you to have a negative reaction to the simple act of drinking cold water", he said.

Santos said social media users should ignore the posts' advice about letting the body "just feel the heat", adding that people should limit their exposure to extreme temperatures.

"Our body can only regulate its temperature for about 30 minutes to one hour of being exposed to temperatures as high as this. So as much as possible, you want to cool down your body immediately," he said.

Heat stroke risk

According to Johns Hopkins Medicine in the United States, exposure to abnormal or prolonged heat and humidity "without relief or adequate fluid intake" can result in various types of heat-related illnesses.

These include heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke, which is a life-threatening emergency.

According to acting Philippine health secretary Maria Rosario Vergeire, people who are beginning to feel unwell because of the hot weather should in fact wet their bodies, contrary to the claim in the misleading social media posts.

"The most effective way to cool down the body is to give the patient a shower as long as they are conscious," she said in a press briefing on March 28.

She added that first aid measures for people suffering heat-related illnesses included helping them to remove unnecessary clothes and providing them with ice packs.

Dr Gabriel Gabriel , chief of the Makati Medical Center 's emergency medicine department in Manila advises that a patient should seek professional help immediately in case of heat stroke.
Finnish military personnel install the Finnish national flag at Nato HQ in Brussels (AFP/Getty)

Finland has abandoned its traditional, long-standing policy of non-alignment, and is now the 31st member of Nato. It is a significant moment, and one that brings benefits  but also risks  to Finland and the wider West. Finland brings about 250,000 regular and reserve troops, plus strong artillery and expert capabilities in ultra-cold combat conditions.

Why is Finland joining Nato?

The war in Ukraine shifted Finnish public opinion so markedly towards Nato membership as the best way to sustain Finnish independence that it became inevitable. Its application was eagerly supported by almost every other Nato member, with only some resistance from Hungary and Turkey, whove been generally more cautious about expansion and support for Ukraine.

It creates a new far longer direct border between Nato and Russia, which cuts both ways in terms of security. Finland now benefits from the all for one, one for all mutual assistance pledge in Article 5 of the Nato treaty.

On the other hand, Russia objects to the move as Western expansionism, and has made vague threats about counter-measures. The Kremlin would be even more agitated if nuclear weapons made their way onto Finnish soil (although that does not seem likely at the moment). While a Russian invasion is vanishingly unlikely, the Russians might resort to destabilising air or naval incursions, cyber-attacks or stationing nuclear warheads clause to the border.

Why didnt it apply for Nato membership before?

For most of the postwar period, Finland wasnt allowed to. Because the Finns ended up on the wrong side in the Second World War, (though theyd actually been attacked by Stalin in 1939), they had to agree a tough peace treaty with Russia, or the Soviet Union as it was then. Reparations were paid, territory ceded, ethnic Finns were expelled from their homes and Finland was obliged to follow a policy of neutrality.

In 1992, after the fall of the Soviet Union and eastern bloc, a new treaty was concluded that merely committed both sides to non-aggression. It opened the way to membership in the EU in 1995, but Helsinki continued with its previous path of military neutrality. The nation was content with this status of buffer state. Indeed, before the invasion last year, the Russians sought the Finlandisation of Ukraine, locking it into a permanent stable posture of neutrality (though Finland prudently maintained a substantial and well-equipped military focused on defence, just in case). The great irony now is that president Vladimir Putins invasion of Ukraine has de-Finlandised Finland, and he has a larger, stronger and more united Nato parked to his west, enthusiastically supporting Ukraines resistance.

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Does it make Finland and the West safer?

On balance, yes. Although Finland hasnt been part of the Russian Empire since independence in 1917, it was subject to occasional Russian harassment, including the Winter War of 1939 to 40, and the Russians regarded it as part of its broad sphere of influence  albeit capitalist, Western and well outside the formal Eastern bloc. As with the Baltic Republics, Moldova, Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria and Romania, as well as Ukraine, Putin seems to be nostalgic for the old days of Russian hegemony in the east. As a neutral state, without Nato guarantees, Finland was vulnerable, either to attack or some general bullying.

The Nato bond of mutual assistance should deter any serious Russian onslaught, but using the same arguments applied to Ukraine, Russia would argue that the Finnish move is a menacing encircling act of aggression by the West.

What could go wrong?

Though far from the troubled Balkans, the tensions and national rivalries in the northeastern corner of Europe are less obvious but no less intense. So territorial disputes and historical grievances in the deep freeze during the Cold War and after may start to thaw and add to existing frictions. One source of unease, for example, has been the treatment of Russian-speaking minorities in the Baltic states; and access to the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad and its naval base through Polish territory.

Having been occupied, reshaped and abused for much of their history by their powerful eastern neighbour, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland feel more nervous than most about Putins revanchist policies. Hence their unusually strong economic and military assistance to Ukraine. Without them, the Western response might well have been more reserved.

Who else is going to join?

Sweden is at the top of the list of prospective members but has been blocked by Turkey (and to a lesser extent Hungary). Ankara accuses Stockholm of supporting Kurdish separatist groups, or Nordic terrorists as president Recep Tayyip Erdogan calls them. That hasnt prevented Sweden from providing bilateral help to Ukraine; and, with sufficient concessions in other policy areas, Erdogan will probably relent, notwithstanding his own more non-aligned stance on the war.

Moldova, sandwiched between Romania, Russia and the Russian-supported breakaway state of Transnistria, is a poor, military-weak country that is at extreme risk of unwelcome Russian attention. Especially if Russia ever succeeded in capturing southwest Ukraine. However, such is its precarious position that it has not sought to alter its constitutionally neutral policy. Nato has agreed to a package of tailored support measures to help Moldova strengthen its national resilience and civil preparedness.

Away from the east, Ireland has been subject to Russian incursions into its territorial waters, and has condemned the invasion of Ukraine, but there seems no great movement to join Nato. Austria, under the 1955 State Treaty with Russia, is obliged to remain neutral. Ireland, Austria, Sweden, Malta and Cyprus all subscribe to the EUs Common Security and Defence Policy.
Valparaiso University purchased The Market, formerly Strongbow Inn, at 2405 U.S. 30 from Luke Land LLC on March 9 for $2.2 million, according to documents provided by Porter County officials. (Amy Lavalley / Post-Tribune)

As controversy swirled on the Valparaiso University campus weeks after President Jose Padilla announced the private school was considering selling three cornerstone pieces from the Brauer Museum of Art to fund dorm renovations for first-year students, the university purchased The Market, formerly Strongbow Inn, for $2.2 million, according to Porter County records.

The sale, between Luke Land LLC, part of Luke Oil, and the Lutheran University Association Inc., closed on March 9, according to a deed on file with the Porter County Recorders Office. A sales disclosure form provided by the Porter County Assessors Office shows the sale price was $2.2 million for the property at 2405 U.S. 30.

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The form makes no mention of the propertys planned use  according to Indiana Code cited on the form, that information is confidential  but under the portion of the form about finance data, boxes were checked no for whether the seller was financing the sale and whether there is a mortgage loan.

The universitys endowment purchased the land, according to a Tuesday email from Michael Fenton, the universitys spokesperson.

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The endowment funds being used for said purchase are restricted, as is the majority of the funding in the endowment. Using that money for other projects, including the proposed residence hall renovations, would not have been an option, he said.

This purchase is part of the overarching investment strategy and is expected to provide a positive cash return. As with any asset held for investment, the purpose is to increase the value of the endowment in the long-term.

Word on campus about the building purchase began to spread in early March during a Faculty Senate meeting.

Senior research professor John Ruff pauses while speaking about the Brauer Museum of Art at Valparaiso University in Valparaiso, Indiana Monday February 6, 2023. Ruff has long been involved with the museum and is concerned about recent moves to sale portions of its collection. (Andy Lavalley for the Post-Tribune) (Andy Lavalley / Post-Tribune)

Theres been nothing public about the land use, said John Ruff, a senior research professor who has been keeping tabs on the sale of the artwork, including a Georgia OKeeffe painting that has been exhibited on loan at art museums across the globe, and has been one of several outspoken critics of the plan.

Ruff has been deeply involved with the museum over the years and his wife, Gloria, was its previous registrar and associate curator.

In a Feb. 8 letter to campus, Padilla said university officials would consider assets and resources that are not core or critical to our educational mission and strategic plan, and reallocate them to support the universitys new strategic plan.

In this instance, we intend to pay for the much-needed dorm renovations by using the proceeds from the sale of select paintings from the campus art museum, Padilla said, going on to note that the universitys board granted me the authority to sell the paintings at its October 2022 meeting.

Georgia OKeeffes Rust Red Hills seen through Richard Hunts stainless steel Becoming at the Brauer Museum of Art on the Valparaiso University campus in Valparaiso, Indiana Friday February 10, 2023. Campus and community members continue to react to announcement of the pending sale of OKeeffes and two other works to fund first-year student dorm renovations. (Andy Lavalley for the Post-Tribune) (Andy Lavalley / Post-Tribune)

The paintings, which Padilla did not name in the letter, include OKeeffes Rust Red Hills, Frederic E. Churchs Mountain Landscape and The Silver Vale and the Golden Gate by Childe Hassam.

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At this time we are still completing due diligence for the proposed sale of the artwork and have no further updates, Fenton said in his Tuesday email.

Collectively, the paintings are worth several million dollars; Fenton has said in a previous email that the projected cost of renovating Brandt Hall and Wehrenberg Hall is approximately $8 million.

Two of the three paintings were purchased through a restrictive trust agreement that states that the proceeds from the sale of those pieces is to be reinvested back into the museums collection.

Several people have said that selling the works to fund dorm renovations would be a violation of that agreement and could hamper the universitys ability to solicit restricted gifts in the future.

I dont know that theres anywhere in the strategic plan for buying more property, he said, adding the university already has buildings it cant maintain, such as the Art-Psychology Building that burned down on April 29.

Firefighters battle a blaze from the ground and from a ladder truck at the Art-Psychology Building on the campus of Valparaiso University in Valparaiso, Indiana Friday April 29, 2022. (Andy Lavalley for the Post-Tribune) (Post-Tribune)

According to the Porter County Assessors Office website, The Market property had an assessed value of $2,201,100 as of April 2022. Luke Land LLC purchased the property from Russ and Nancy Adams, the former owners of Strongbow Inn, in 2013 for $1.3 million.

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Strongbow Inn closed in March 2015 after more than seven decades in business.

The prospect of selling the artwork to fund dorm renovations has garnered national news coverage and generated a student march to Padillas office in February to protest the sale, as well as an online petition.

Valparaiso Mayor Matt Murphy has issued a statement in support of Padilla and the decision, but a majority of the Faculty Senate has condemned the move and said so in a letter to the president.

Additionally, major art museum associations have banded together and issued a statement that if the sale goes forward, the Brauer Museum could face censure or sanctions, which would hamper its ability to loan out pieces in its collection, among other measures.

Dick Brauer, the museums founding director and its namesake, has threatened to remove his name from the facility if the sale goes forward.

alavalley@chicagotribune.com
Photo of found dog with two SMRT staff (left) and photo of dog named 'Apollo' (Photos: Karthik Nathan/Facebook)

SINGAPORE  A pet dog managed to jump over its home's fence and wander about a kilometre away, ending up at Buona Vista MRT station on Sunday morning (2 April).

Two SMRT staff members saw the dog, a 7-year-old Rhodesian ridgeback named Apollo, and brought him to their office to be cared for - even though dogs are generally not allowed in MRT stations.

The staff members then managed to contact Apollo's owner, Karthik Nathan, after retrieving Karthik's phone number from Apollo's collar tag.

Both were reunited about 20 minutes later and returned home to Chip Bee Gardens in Holland Village.

Karthik's guess is that Apollo might have been scared out of the house due to the loud thunder and rain that morning.

The dog owner put up a Facebook post on Sunday night, lauding the two SMRT staff members Syahril and Archana for their kindness. He also mentioned that he had not closed his door properly, and that gave Apollo the opportunity to escape.

Positive response from SMRT and netizens

SMRT replied to Karthik's Facebook post on Monday morning, with positive comments about the incident.

"Thanks for letting us know that you found Apollo safe and sound! We're happy that our staff could assist you in locating him, and we appreciate your note of thanks," it wrote in the post.

SMRT attached a feedback link for Karthik to share a note of appreciation.

Comments have flooded the post with some netizens claiming that this was not Apollo's first escape. Others were grateful for reading a feel-good story with a positive ending.

"Thanks for sharing! This piece of story brings so much good vibes," shared a Facebook commenter.
Twitters blue bird logo replaced with dogecoin meme. Photo: Dado Ruvic/Reuters

Twitter has changed the logo on the social media platform's website from the iconic blue bird to an image of a Shiba Inu dog associated with the dogecoin cryptocurrency.

The price of dogecoin (DOGE-USD), which is typically volatile, soared 35% in the past 24 hours, now sitting at $0.09 per token, according to data from Coingecko.

Elon Musk followed up the development with a tweet suggesting the change was "as promised".

The Twitter and Tesla CEO has been a vocal advocate of dogecoin, arguing that the meme-based cryptocurrency might surpass bitcoin (BTC-USD) in terms of payment capabilities.

Musk is currently facing a $258bn lawsuit, which claims he operated a pyramid scheme to promote dogecoin.

Last week, Musk's lawyers petitioned a US court to dismiss the dogecoin-related lawsuit.

The latest dogecoin development at Twitter HQ has reinforced the persistent rumours that Musk is planning to allow dogecoin payments on the social media platform.

Read more: Crypto live prices

However, the rumours have yet to receive any validity other than Musk's hint that the platform might accept dogecoin payments for Twitter Blue subscriptions.

About a year ago, Musk suggested there could be "an option to pay in doge", when discussing the need for Twitter Blue subscriptions.

Maybe even an option to pay in Doge?  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 10, 2022

Twitter has shown it is keen to incorporate web3 innovations in the past. Under the reign of Twitter founder Jack Dorsey, the social media platform planned to support authentication for NFTs, or non-fungible tokens, which are digital assets such as images or videos that exist on a blockchain.

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Dogecoin was launched in 2013, by two software engineers as a lighthearted project. The name pays tribute to the "doge" meme that gained popularity around a decade ago.

Read more: Binance: Investors withdraw more than $2bn after enforcement action by US regulators

The memecoin logo consists of a shiba inu Japanese breed of dog encircled by comic sans text in fragmented English.

The global cryptocurrency market cap stood at $1.22tn on Tuesday, an increase of 1.4% in the past 24 hours, according to Coingeck data.

Bitcoin rose 0.8% to stand at $28,135, and ethereum (ETH-USD), second largest cryptocurrency by market cap, stood at $1,821, an increase of 1.5% in the past day.

Watch: Polygon to 'overtake Ethereum in terms of economic activity,' claims co-founder | The Crypto Mile

Download the Yahoo Finance app, available for Apple and Android.
The Justice Department (DOJ) decided on Tuesday to allow prisoners who were granted house arrest amid the COVID-19 pandemic to remain at their homes for the remainder of their sentence even after the COVID-19 public health emergency expires within a few weeks.

The DOJ said in a release on Tuesday that it issued a final rule to grant the director of the Bureau of Prisons to permit those who were allowed to continue serving their sentences at home to complete their term at their home.

The director was initially granted the authority to extend the amount of time that prisoners can spend in home confinement based on the emergency conditions of the pandemic from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, an economic stimulus package passed at the start of the pandemic in March 2020.

The Biden administration had announced earlier this month that it planned to end the public health emergency by May. But the Senate passed a GOP-led resolution last week to declare the public health emergency concluded, sending the bill to President Biden, who has said he will sign it.

The release states that the bureau will have the authority to impose proportional and escalating sanctions for people who commit infractions, including sending them back to prison.

Colette Peters, the director of the bureau, instructed the prison system that anyone granted house arrest under the CARES Act can stay there as long as they follow the rules they need to.

The bureau will also be allowed to transfer prisoners into a Residential Reentry Center when necessary, in instances of a home residence not being a viable option for the person or minor accountability and non-significant disciplinary issues.

Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), who serves as the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, declared his support for the decision in a tweet.

If home confinement is working, adults in custody should be able to continue reconnecting with their families and rebuilding their lives, he said.

The Twitter account for the committees Democrats tweeted that the rule will grant a case-by-case, individualized approach to rehabilitating people.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Emmanual Macron and Xi Jinping are due to meet for talks on Tuesday - LUDOVIC MARIN/AFP

Emmanuel Macron and Ursula von der Leyen have been warned not to make the same mistake twice ahead of a meeting with Xi Jinping which critics say has echoes of Europe's attempts to woo Vladimir Putin.

The French president and Ms von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, are due to meet Mr Xi Jinping on Tuesday, but their visit has set alarm bells ringing in Eastern Europe, with Lithuania's foreign minister warning that an economic partnership with Vladimir Putin failed to deliver security for the continent.

We should remember that attempts to contain Russia by offering economic partnership failed, said Gabrielius Landsbergis. Putin was, in fact, emboldened by our flexibility, not persuaded. Similar tactics would also embolden China, he added.

Lithuania opened a de-facto embassy in Taiwan in November last year, prompting China to downgrade diplomatic relations with the Baltic country. Beijing considers Taiwan a breakaway province and advocates reunification with the mainland.

Emmanuel Macron and Ursula von der Leyen are flying to China ahead of a meeting with Xi Jinping - Nathan Laine/Bloomberg

Ahead of her China visit, Ms von der Leyen delivered a scathing speech on EU-China relations, promising a shift which would amount to derisking, not decoupling.

Europe is heavily reliant on Chinese trade, including a 97 per cent dependency on minerals like lithium, a vital component in batteries needed for the much lauded greening of Europes economy.

"Preaching de-risking while marching ahead with business as usual is not an option, warned Mr Landsbergis. Surely we have learnt that increasing dependencies on totalitarian states weakens us as we discard the principles that made us strong."

Ms von der Leyen placed a now customary call into Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky just before boarding the plane to China.

Ukraine will be an important topic of my meetings with President Xi and Premier Li, she tweeted. The EU wants a just peace that respects Ukraines sovereignty and territorial integrity.

French business trip

Mr Macron, meanwhile, is taking along a horde of politicians and 53 French business leaders in the hope of signing up Chinese trade contracts. But EU diplomats told The Telegraph that they feel his top priority should be to use any influence he has to dissuade China from sending lethal weapons to Russia to support its invasion of Ukraine.

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French paper Le Figaro has given Mr Macron the dubious moniker of "the tiger tamer" but says that, even with Ms von der Leyen in tow, "it is doubtful he will impress the tiger much".

Last November, German chancellor Olaf Scholzs Beijing visit was heavily criticised for being soft on Chinas domestic human rights record and for its position on Russias war in Ukraine. Pedro Sanchez, the Spanish prime minister, has also just returned from China.

"Theres been such an array of EU leaders traipsing through China recently that its unclear whether the messages being given to Beijing are going to come across coherently," according Andrew Small, an expert at the German Marshall Fund.

"Macron and von der Leyen need to appear on the same page during this visit," he told The Telegraph.

After a March visit to Moscow, presidents Putin and Xi were keen to express how much they were on the same page, describing their positions on international and regional problems as identical or very close.
Perhaps one of the biggest surprises in film and television last year was Liam Neesons cameo appearance on Atlanta. The actor appeared in the fourth season episode New Jazz and poked fun at his 2019 racism controversy. The actor ignited outrage on his Cold Pursuit press tour in February 2019 after revealing his past reaction to a friends sexual assault. Neesons friend was sexually assaulted by a Black man, so Neeson took to the streets with a weapon and hoped a Black bastard would come out of a pub and have a go at meso that I could kill him.

In a new interview with GQ magazine, Atlanta creator Donald Glover opened up for the first time about recruiting Neeson for an episode that mocked the actors racism controversy. Glover wrote the episode himself.

More from Variety

When I got in touch with him, Liam poured his heart out, Glover said. He was like, I am embarrassed. I dont know about this. Im trying to get away from that. And I was like, Man, Im telling you, this will be funny! And youll actually get a lot of cream from it because itll show youre sorry. He asked me to let him think about it. Then he sent me an email saying, I dont think I can do it and best of luck with Atlanta, blah-blah-blah. 

Glover really wanted Neeson in the episode, so he reached out to a famous friend and Oscar winner for help.

Liam said [after the incident] he talked to Morgan Freeman, Jordan Peele and Spike Lee. So I was likeJordan Peele! Glover said. I hit Jordan Peele up and I was like, Look, man, I got this idea. He said that he trusted you. Tell him its a good idea!

Jordan thought it was hilarious! So Jordan talked to him. Liam hit me back and said he talked to Jordan and his son and thought itd actually be a good thing, Glover added. But what was so funny is, like, I forgot to hit Jordan back. I was so excited about Liam doing it. So Jordan hit a friend of mine, and was like, Am I on a prank show where Donald got me to forgive Liam Neeson? Was this a jokeon me?

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In the Atlanta episode, Neeson plays a fictionalized version of himself who meets Paper Boi (Brian Tyree Henry) at a bar named the Cancel Club.

You mightve heard or read about my transgression, the fictionalized Neeson tells Paper Boi. You know, what I said about what I wanted to do to a Black guy, any Black guy, when I was a younger man in London. A friend of mine had been raped and I acted out of anger. I look back now and it honestly frightens me. I thought people knowing who I once was would make clear who I am, who Ive become. But with all that being said, I am sorry. I apologize if I hurt people.

Paper Boi tells Neeson that he still fucks with Taken, adding, Its good to know that you dont hate Black people now.

No, no I cant stand the lot of you, Neeson responds in the show. Well, now I feel that way because you tried to ruin my career. Didnt succeed, mind you. However, Im sure one day I will get over it, but until then, we are mortal enemies.

When Paper Boi asks Neeson if he learned that he cant say racist stuff like that, Neeson answers, Aye. But I also learned that the best and worst part of being white is that we dont have to learn anything if we dont want to.

The punchline was shocking, but casting Neeson as himself gave the Taken star a chance to apologize for his behavior with the support of Glover behind him. Amid intense backlash to his story in 2019, Neeson told Good Morning America that his urge to commit physical violence against any Black man shocked him, adding, It hurt me. I did seek help. I went to a priestI am not racist. This was nearly 40 years ago.

I was trying to show honor, to stand up for my dear friend in this terrible medieval fashion, Neeson said at the time. I am a fairly intelligent guy. Thats why it kind of shocked me when I came down to earth after having these terrible feelings. Luckily, no violence occurred. I did want to lash out because my friend was brutally raped and I was defending her honor. It was a learning curve.

Read Glovers full profile on GQs website.

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Al Capone and Mick Jagger have both famously had their mugshots taken.

Mick Jagger. Al Capone. Martin Luther King.

Ever since he was indicted, speculation has swirled about whether Donald Trump would join the gallery of politicians, celebrities and infamous villains with a police mug shot.

In theory everyone arrested in the United States has their photograph taken.

It is part of a ritual of arrest - including being handcuffed and subject to what Americans call a 'perp walk', or being led into custody - that mixes public humiliation with a demonstration that everyone, rich or poor, is equal before the law.

Famous political mugshots include that of Rosa Parks, after her famous bus ride in 1955. Martin Luther King was arrested dozens of times, but his most iconic mugshot is from 1956 in Montgomery, Alabama, where he was arrested for involvement in the bus boycott.

Mug shot of Martin Luther king taken following his arrest with activist Rosa Parks for disorderly conduct in Montgomery in February 1956. - ARCHIVIO GBB / Alamy Stock Photo

Mugshot of H.R Haldeman during his Watergate conviction in 1975

H. R. Haldeman, Richard Nixon's chief of staff, stands straight backed and immaculately dressed in his shirt sleeves after he was arrested following the Watergate scandal.

There's one of a young Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft, with a cheery grin on his face after being caught driving without a licence in 1977, and American gangster Al Capone looks similarly relaxed in his mug shot from the 1920s.

Bill Gates after being caught driving without a licence in 1977 - Albuquerque, New Mexico Police Department

Mug shot of Al Capone smiling circa 1925. - Hulton Archive

Some musicians have found their rock star credentials burnished by a good mugshot.

David Bowie, Mick Jagger and Jimi Hendrix all look fairly unimpressed in separate arrests for narcotics possession.

Mick Jagger's mug shot after being arrested for drug possession in 1967 - Kypros/REX

Jimi Hendrix following his arrest on charges of possessing drugs in 1969 - Pictorial Press Ltd / Alamy Stock Photo

David Bowie after being arrested for drug possession in 1976 - Pictorial Press Ltd / Alamy Stock Photo

Not everyone wears their mugshot so lightly though.

British actor Hugh Grant looks visibly uncomfortable in his after he was arrested in 1995 for having sex in his car with prostitute Divine Brown.

Hugh Grant's mugshot after being arrested for lewd conduct in Los Angeles. - Dave Lewis / Rex Features

In a case like Mr Trump's, however, where the arrest is pre-arranged, defence lawyers can negotiate those details.

The office of Alvin Bragg, the Manhattan District Attorney, reportedly agreed there would be no need for handcuffs because Mr Trump cannot plausibly pose a flight risk or a threat to arresting officers of the DA.

Mr Trump, as a former president, is after all accompanied everywhere by Secret Service agents. He will apparently also be spared the photograph or being put in a jail cell.

Story continues

Those who know Mr Trump, the reality TV star turned quintessential political showman, believe he will have carefully weighed up the pros and cons before instructing his lawyers to speak to the DA's office about forgoing the cuffs or the mugshot.

Former President Donald Trump arrives at Trump Tower in New York on Monday ahead of his arraignment. - Bryan Woolston/AP

Would the sympathy and outrage elicited in his base by the sight of a former president in handcuffs outweigh the distaste of swing voters? If he is photographed, should he frown or smirk?

One Republican strategist who knows Mr Trump told the BBC last week that the former president would be considering all those fine details, including facial expression and what he should wear on the perp walk, as he considered whether to go through with them.

Michael Cohen, the former Trump lawyer turned prosecution witness, said last month that Mr Trump would be "absolutely" mugshotted, fingerprinted and DNA-swabbed, but doubted he'd accept the handcuffs.

And despite being a sharp critic of his former boss, he backed that decision.

I dont want to see Donald handcuffed and paraded through because its an embarrassment to our country, he told MSNBC. Could you imagine our allies and our adversaries, how they could either enjoy this or despise us as a direct result?
Donald Trump paid $30,000 to silence a doorman who claimed to have a story about a secret child fathered by the former president, prosecutors have claimed.

Mr Trump faced a total of 34 felony charges of falsifying business records and pleaded not guilty to all of them during a historic 45-minute hearing in New York today.

Upon leaving the courthouse, the former president boarded his private plane and flew back to Florida, touching down at around 11.45pm BST (18.45EST).

He will make a speech to the nation at his Mar-A-Lago resort at 1.15am BST (8.15pm EST).

12:52 AM

That's all for today

Thank you for following today's live blog. Our coverage has now moved across to Wednesday's live blog. Here's a recap on the day's events:

Mr Trump pleaded not guilty to a total of 34 felony charges of falsifying business records during a historic hearing in New York

The former president arrived back in Florida on Tuesday evening following his court appearance

Prosecutors voiced concerns about Mr Trumps threatening social media protests

Mr Trump did not have a mugshot taken, but within minutes of him being arraigned his campaign team released a t-shirt depicting a mocked-up mugshot of the former president

11:54 PM

Trump arrives in Florida

'Trump Force One' has touched down in Palm Beach, Florida.

The flight gave Donald Trump just over two hours of private time with his aids as he prepares to take the stage at Mar-a-Lago.

Trump plane in Florida

Trump plane in Florida

.

11:43 PM

Trump's message from the clouds

After taking off in a Florida-bound Boeing 757 named 'Trump Force One', Donald Trump took to his social media page to make his first statement since the arraignment.

He told his Truth Social followers "there was nothing done illegally".

The post reads: "The hearing was shocking to many in that they had no 'surprises,' and therefore, no case. Virtually every legal pundit has said that there is no case here. There was nothing done illegally!"

Former President Donald Trump leaves LaGuardia Airport in a Boeing 757 named 'Trump Force One' - GC Images

11:01 PM

Mar-a-Lago prepares for Trump speech

Preparations are underway in Mar-a-Lago for Donald Trump to address the nation at 8.15pm EST.

Story continues

View of the stage ready at Mar-a-Lago resort - REUTERS/Ricardo Arduengo

Members of the media gather at Mar-a-Lago resort - REUTERS/Ricardo Arduengo

Members of the media gather at Mar-a-Lago resort - REUTERS/Ricardo Arduengo

10:37 PM

Kevin McCarthy accuses Bragg of 'interfering' with elections

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has accused DA Alvin Bragg of attempting to interfere with elections by indicting Donald Trump.

Mr McCarthy said that Congress will hold him accountable.

Alvin Bragg is attempting to interfere in our democratic process by invoking federal law to bring politicized charges against President Trump, admittedly using federal funds, while at the same time arguing that the peoples representatives in Congress lack jurisdiction to  Kevin McCarthy (@SpeakerMcCarthy) April 4, 2023

Alvin Bragg is attempting to interfere in our democratic process by invoking federal law to bring politicized charges against President Trump, admittedly using federal funds, while at the same time arguing that the peoples representatives in Congress lack jurisdiction to investigate this farce. Not so. Braggs weaponization of the federal justice process will be held accountable by Congress, Mr McCarthy wrote on Twitter.

10:25 PM

The motley crew of key players

The cast of characters involved in the first-ever criminal case against a former US president is a motley crew of publicity seekers, respected legal minds and ambitious politicians.

They range from an adult film star, Manhattan's first black lead prosecutor, and a host of defence lawyers who are almost as flamboyant as their current client.

Here is a brief guide to all the key players.

10:18 PM

Romney says charges stretched to 'fit political agenda'

Senator Mitt Romney has hit out against the indictment against Donald Trump.

Mr Romney, one of seven Republican senators who voted to convict Donald Trump for inciting the January 6 insurrection in 2021, said in a statement:

I believe President Trumps character and conduct make him unfit for office. Even so, I believe the New York prosecutor has stretched to reach felony criminal charges in order to fit a political agenda.

No one is above the law, not even former presidents, but everyone is entitled to equal treatment under the law.

The prosecutors overreach sets a dangerous precedent for criminalizing political opponents and damages the publics faith in our justice system.

10:06 PM

Bragg responds to reporters

Alvin Bragg answered several questions raised by reporters after he delivered his statement on Donald Trumps indictment.

When asked about the indictments timing, Mr Bragg said: I bring cases when theyre ready. Having now conducted a rigorous and thorough investigation, the case was ready to be brought, and it was brought.

Another reporter questioned why Mr Braggs office decided to pursue charges against Mr Trump when his predecessor declined to do so.

We have had available to the office additional evidence that was not in the offices possession prior to my time here, Mr Bragg responded.

09:54 PM

Trump seen in courtroom sketch

Donald Trump in a courtroom sketch - REUTERS/Jane Rosenberg

09:42 PM

Trump 'will have a fair trial'

Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer, the majority leader and the senior senator from New York, believes that Donald Trump will have a fair trial.

Mr Schumer said that any proceedings will follow the facts and the law.

Theres no place in our justice system for any outside influence or intimidation in the legal process, he said in a statement.

As the trial proceeds, protest is an American right, but all protests must be peaceful.

09:34 PM

Bragg reveals charges

Alvin Bragg said falsifying business records was a felony when it was aimed at concealing another crime.

He said Mr Trump made 34 false business statements to cover up other crimes.

The prosecutor said Mr Trump made payments to Michael Cohen, his lawyer, to reimburse him for the hush-money payment to Stormy Daniels.

For "nine straight months" Mr Trump had made the "key lie" that he was paying Mr Cohen for "legal services".

Mr Trump had "held in his hand" and "personally signed cheques", Mr Bragg added.

In all, there were 34 documents with "that critical false statement".

Mr Bragg said senior executives at AMI were also involved in the "catch and kill" scheme, which was intended to "buy negative information" and "help Mr Trump's chance to win the election".

There were "three payments" to individuals to suppress information, and "shell companies" were used.

09:14 PM

Alvin Bragg addresses the media

Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg is holding a press conference.

Mr Bragg said that Mr Trump faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records with intent to defraud and intent to conceal another crime.

"No matter who you are, we cannot and will not normalise serious criminal conduct," Mr Bragg added.

09:10 PM

Stormy Daniels called as witness

Porn star Stormy Daniels will be a witness in the case against Donald Trump, prosecutors said in court today.

09:03 PM

Trump boards return flight

Donald Trump has boarded his private plane at LaGuardia Airport for his return flight to Palm Beach, Florida.

09:02 PM

Trump 'frustrated' and 'upset'

Todd Blanche, Donald Trumps attorney, said Mr Trump is "frustrated" and "upset as he spoke from outside of the courtroom.

Mr Blanche said the prosecutor has turned a "completely political issue" into a "political prosecution."

"It's not a good day ... I don't expect this to happen in this country. You don't expect this to happen ... to somebody who was the president of the United States," Mr Blanche said.

"We're going to fight it, fight it hard."

09:00 PM

Updates from our correspondent inside the courtroom

Mr Trump walked into the courtroom behind his legal team with a solemn, slow and deliberate pace, writes Josie Ensor.

He made a point of looking at each row, staring at reporters, including a journalist for The Telegraph, who were sitting waiting for his appearance in the stifling hot courtroom.

Security was unprecedented, with every row of the public gallery taped up on either side and guarded by one of the 20-odd New York Court officers wearing stab-proof vests and handcuffs at their side.

Mr Trump briefly looked over in the direction of photographers, who were given just a minute to snap pictures from the jury box of the former president before the official hearing started.

Seated in the front row next to Secret Service officers was Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, the man who led the investigation into Mr Trump.

There was a surreal moment when the governments lawyers read out to Mr Trump alleged incendiary social media posts he had made.

Mr Trumps attorney claimed the president was expressing his First Amendment rights and that they were in response to frustration to public comments about the case made by his onetime lawyer and fixer, Michael Cohen, Ms Daniels and others.

The judge cautioned Mr Trump against making any further such comments, though stopped short of a gag order, saying it was unprecedented.

Please refrain from making statements likely to incite violence or civil unrest, Judge Merchan said addressing Mr Trump.

The government requested trial to begin January, 2024, however lawyers for Mr Trump, who is keen to create some distance between the hearing and his presidential campaigning, pushed for the later date of Spring.

Mr Trump may have been rallied briefly by the noise of the crowding cheering down before the 15th floor courtroom.

08:56 PM

No gagging order issued

There has not been a gagging order issued to prevent Donald Trump or his legal team from speaking about the case publically.

Judge Juan Merchans decision means that Mr Trump can keep using his platform to share comments on the proceedings.

Mr Trump has drawn criticism for his posts on Truth Social, in which he warned of death and destruction if he were to be indicted.

08:48 PM

Next in-person hearing set for December

The next in-person hearing for Donald Trump's case will take place in New York City on December 4th.

08:47 PM

Indictment made public

The indictment against Donald Trump has been made public.

Prosecutors claim that Mr Trump played a part in an unlawful plan to suppress negative information, including an illegal payment of $130,000 he allegedly ordered to suppress damaging information that could impact his 2016 White House bid.

Mr Trump allegedly committed the crime of falsifying business records promote his candidacy, according to the indictment.

The criminal charges are based on Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Braggs investigation into alleged hush-money payments to two women who claim they had extramarital affairs with Mr Trump during his presidential campaign.

Mr Trump denies all charges.

08:37 PM

Prosecutors 'concerned' about Trump's social media posts

Prosecutors voiced concerns about Donald Trumps threatening social media protests and the impact they could have on jurors and witnesses in todays arraignment.

Before his arrest, Mr Trump took to Truth Social to warn of potential death and destruction" and shared an image depicting him swinging a baseball bat at Manhattan District Attourney Alvin Bragg.

The prosecutor said they were very concerned about such content. They are seeking a protective order for a witness.

08:26 PM

Donald Trump leaves court

Donald Trump has left the Manhattan court and is heading to LaGuardia Airport for his flight back to Palm Beach. He did not address waiting reporters.

08:13 PM

Biden 'laughed' when asked if Trump arraignment is 'divisive'

President Joe Biden "smiled and laughed" when asked if the case against Donald Trump was "politically divisive", according to reports.

The President is currently meeting with his Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.

When asked by reporters if he thinks AI is dangerous, @POTUS said It remains to be seen.



When I asked if the Trump indictment is politically divisive, Biden smiled and laughed.



He did not answer questions about @WSJ reporter #EvanGershkovich.  Ed O'Keefe (@edokeefe) April 4, 2023

07:54 PM

Trump campaign releases mugshot t-shirt

Within minutes of Donald Trump being arraigned his campaign team released a t-shirt depicting a mocked-up mugshot of the former president, reports David Millward.

Supporters were told that a donation of $47 or more would be rewarded with their very own NOT GUILTY t-shirt.

The offer was the latest example of the former president using his arrest as a campaigning and fund-raising tool.

It followed several other pleas for cash from Mr Trump and his family.

Trump was fingerprinted a person familiar with events said but not mugshotted. But people fundraising in his name arent wasting the opportunity and made their own mugshot, as this email that just landed shows pic.twitter.com/P4QfnfnjHk  Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) April 4, 2023

07:46 PM

Trump pleads not guilty

Donald Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records for his alleged role in hush money payments to two women, according to reports.

07:44 PM

Arraignment begins

Donald Trump's arraignment has begun in the courtroom. Mr Trump will plead not guilty, according to his lawyers, and is expected to enter the plea himself, as is standard in the court.

07:43 PM

Donald Trump pictured in court

Donald Trump has been photographed sitting at the defence table with his defence team in court.

Mr Trump could be seen sitting beside one of his lawyers, Joe Tacopina.

Former President Donald Trump sits at the defense table with his defense team - AP Photo/Seth Wenig

07:39 PM

Pictured: Trump enters court

Donald Trump has been pictured making his way inside the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse in New York.

Donald Trump makes his way inside the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse - Ed JONES / AFP) (Photo by ED JONES/AFP via Getty Images

07:32 PM

No mugshot taken

Donald Trump has not had a mugshot taken, according to reports.

07:30 PM

Donald Trump heads to courtroom

At 2.30pm local time Mr Trump emerged into a hallway near the courtroom on the 15th floor and headed straight into court without speaking, Nick Allen writes.

He was accompanied by his legal team and walked past a group of court police and crash barriers.

Journalists asked "Will you come and talk to us?" but Mr Trump ignored the request. He looked sombre and stern as he headed into the courtroom.

07:27 PM

'This is the most alone Trump has been in a long time'

Alyssa Farah Griffin, Donald Trumps former White House director of strategic communications, described watching Mr Trump surrendering to authorities as surreal.

This is the most alone Trump has been in a long time, she wrote on Twitter.

Surreal to watch. This is the most alone Trump has been in a long time. Hes not flanked by aides, lawyers, body men & so on. Hes face to face with the American legal system that has caught up with him.  Alyssa Farah Griffin (@Alyssafarah) April 4, 2023

Hes not flanked by aides, lawyers, body men & so on. Hes face to face with the American legal system that has caught up with him.

Ms Griffin has been outspoken in her criticism of Mr Trump following the January 6 insurrection.

07:16 PM

Manhattan DA Bragg in courtroom

Manhattan District Attourney Alvin Bragg is in the courtroom ready for Donald Trump's arraignment.

07:12 PM

Joe Biden will 'not focus' on Trump arrest

President Joe Biden will not focus on Donald Trumps arrest but will obviously catch the news, his spokesperson has said.

Look, the presidents going to focus on the American people like he does every day. This is not something that is a focus for him. He is going to focus on things like making sure we continue to lower prices for the American people, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said. Of course, this is playing out on many of the networks here on a daily basis for hours and hours, so obviously, he will catch part of the news when he has a moment to catch up on the news of the day, but this is not his focus for today, she added.

Mr Biden has repeatedly declined to comment on the case.

07:04 PM

Pictured: Trump motorcade enroute

Jason Miller, an advisor to Donald Trump, has shared a photograph of Mr Trump's motorcade on its journey through Manhattan.

06:59 PM

America in 'uncharted waters'

Texas Representative Wesley Hunt declared that America is in "uncharted waters" as he decried Donald Trumps arrest.

Mr Hunt wrote on Twitter that "equal justice under the law died today" as he urged the public to pray for Trump.

Trump is a symbol of resistance, and they want that symbol crushed, by any means necessary, he said.

Equal justice under the law died today.



Political prosecution is a serious threat to democratic societies. Regardless of how you personally feel about President Trump, you should be very alarmed by what just happened in New York. Our country will never be the same again.   Rep. Wesley Hunt Press Office (@RepWPH) April 4, 2023

Pray for President Trump, pray for our country, and get involved.

Our political system is collapsing because for far too long weve turned a blind eye to the slow creep of Marxism in our institutions. America is in uncharted waters.

06:51 PM

Trump formally arrested

Donald Trump is now formally under arrest following his arrival at court and is in police custody ahead of his arraignment.

He is the first American president to face criminal charges.

06:48 PM

Trump 'will never be president again'

Former Ohio Governor and Republican John Kasich said that Donald Trump will never be president again - even if his arrest helps him in the GOP primary.

Theres no way the guys gonna be president, Mr Kasich told NBC.

Because theres no way these independent voters and Republicans who are sort of normal people, traditional Republicans... theres no way in a million years that those people are going to vote for him.

06:38 PM

Pictured: Donald Trump arrives at court

Donald Trump was photographed arriving at 100 Centre Street for his arraignment after a grand jury indictment.

Before the arraignment starts at 2.15pm ET, Mr Trump will be formally arrested and processed by authorities.

He is expected to be fingerprinted and processed, and his mugshot may be taken.

Donald Trump arrives at New York Criminal Court at 100 Centre Street - John Angelillo/UPI/Shutterstock

06:33 PM

Trump says he 'can't believe this is happening'

Donald Trump said he "can't believe this is happening" as he departed Trump Tower and made the journey to the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse just moments ago.

"Heading to Lower Manhattan, the Courthouse," he wrote on Truth Social. "Seems so SURREAL  WOW, they are going to ARREST ME. Cant believe this is happening in America. MAGA!"

06:27 PM

Donald Trump in police custody

Donald Trump has arrived at the Manhattan district attorney's office and is in police custody ahead of his arraignment today.

06:24 PM

Donald Trump raises fist to cameras

Former Pres. Trump departs Trump Tower, throws a quick wave, and is now headed to courthouse in lower Manhattan.https://t.co/g4TwIc8M48 pic.twitter.com/kNirs8yYzw  Dan Linden (@DanLinden) April 4, 2023

06:16 PM

Trump pictured leaving Trump Tower

Donald Trump departs from Trump Tower on the day of his planned court appearance - REUTERS/Carlos Barria

06:10 PM

Trump en route to courthouse

Donald Trump has left Trump Tower in Midtown to head to the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse in Lower Manhattan.

06:00 PM

What to expect next

Its now 1pm in New York and the countdown is on until Donald Trump becomes the first former president to face criminal charges.

Here is a rundown of what to expect next:

Mr Trump will travel from Trump Tower in Midtown to the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse in Lower Manhattan.

His arraignment is set for 14.15 (19.15 BST), but it is likely that he will arrive around an hour before then.

After arrival, court officials will take his fingerprints.

Mr Trump will then enter the courtroom to hear the charges against him. At this point the details of the charges will be made public for the first time.

Next, Mr Trump will enter a plea, which is expected to be not guilty.

Mr Trump is likely to be released on bail and return to Mar-a-Lago tonight.

Upon arrival in Flordia, Mr Trump is expected to address the nation at around 20.15 (1am BST).

05:57 PM

'No threats' against courthouse

There are currently no credible threats ahead of Donald Trumps arraignment, according to New York City Mayor Eric Adams' office.

Fabien Levy, a spokesperson for the mayors office, said Mr Adams previous statements still stand.

On Monday, Mr Adams reassured reporters that there were no credible threats and that the NYPD was ready to respond to any issues that may arise.

"While there may be some rabble rousers thinking about coming to our city tomorrow, our message is clear and simple: Control yourselves," he said.

05:49 PM

Trump's arraignment is 'poison' for USA

Florida Senator Marco Rubio has decried Donald Trumps arraignment as poison for the United States.

Today, American politics crosses a line that its never going to come back from, he said, describing the charges against Mr Trump as ridiculous.

Today is a bad day for all of us & we are all going to regret it for a very long time pic.twitter.com/Nc2oMpeFz0  Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) April 4, 2023

After today, every prosecutor in America that wants to make a name for themselves now is going to have permission to basically go after someone in the other party, he added.

Mr Rubio added that todays events will set a new normal.

It will permanently change politics in America forever. We are going to regret this day whether you like Trump or not.

05:34 PM

Trump is stronger than ever

Eric Trump has weighed in on behalf of his father with another fundraising plea, insisting the former presidents resolve was stronger than ever, writes David Millward.

Asking for any donation, even as little as one dollar, he added:

I wanted to reach out to his biggest supporters on this dark day to let you know that hes never been more committed to WINNING BACK the White House and SAVING our country. My father has always been a warrior, and rest assured, he will NEVER SURRENDER our great country to the Lefts tyranny, he wrote. Which is why I want to show him a list of ALL the patriots who stepped up to peacefully defend our incredible movement during these unprecedented and dark times.

05:22 PM

Trump to speak to media on way to courtroom

Donald Trump is going to speak briefly to media in the hallway on the way into courtroom.

It will be a "passing comment" rather than a full press conference.

05:18 PM

Arrest will help Trump take back Georgia, says Marjorie Taylor Greene

Rar-right congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene believes that Donald Trumps arrest will make the best case possible for Republicans and independents to back the former president in 2024.

Ms Greene told NBC News that despite the fact that Georgia has "definitely gotten very purple over these last few years, Mr Trump could take the state back from Joe Biden, who won it in 2020.

05:10 PM

Trump recording 'behind the scenes footage'

Donald Trump is being followed by a videographer to record behind the scenes footage of his surrender.

The videographer has been with the former president since he departed from Mar-a-Lago yesterday, according to CNN.

The videographer is likely to join Mr Trump in the courthouse, but it is unclear whether they will be able to film inside.

On Monday, a judge ruled that media outlets would not be able to broadcast the arraignment.

Photographers are still able to take still pictures before the hearing begins.

05:02 PM

Trump is joining 'Nelson Mandela and Jesus' in being arrested, says Marjorie Taylor Greene

Rar-right congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene has said that Donald Trump is joining the most incredible people in history by being arrested.

Nelson Mandela was arrested, served time in prison. Jesus! Jesus was arrested and murdered, she told Fox News.

04:54 PM

'Lock him up', says protester

One anti-Trump protester has arrived outside the Manhattan courthouse with a cardboard cutout of Hillary Clinton and a sign reading: "lock him up".

The slogan is a reference to Mr Trump's refrain about Mrs Clinton, his 2016 Democrat rival, during his rallies.

Protestors outside criminal court in New York - Javier Alvarez/Bloomberg

The pro-Trump and anti-Trump protesters have been split into different pens outside the courthouse in an attempt to keep the peace, but there some clashes have broken out.

Those in the anti-Trump pen have been blowing whistles and banging instruments, chanting "lock him up".

04:45 PM

Trump allies express concern over potential gag order

Trump allies have released a statement expressing concern over a potential gag order on Donald Trump.

"To put any restrictions on the ability of President Trump to discuss his mistreatment at the hands of this politically motivated prosecutor would only further demonstrate the weaponization of the New York justice system," Reps. Jim Jordan of Ohio and James Comer of Kentucky wrote.

A gag order could be issued by the judge if it is believed that there is "reasonable likelihood" speaking about the case could prevent a fair trial. It would stop the former president from doing so.

Mr Trump has been vocal in his protests against the indictment and is due to speak from Mar-a-Lago later today.

04:35 PM

Jamaal Bowman hits out against Marjorie Taylor Greene

Progressive congressman Jamaal Bowman hit out against far-right congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene as he arrived outside of the courthouse.

She should not be here, Mr Bowman told Semafor. She should not be pushing rhetoric that is harmful and dangerous.

Mr Bowman said he felt compelled to make an appearance because he wanted to push back against the far-right.

Spoke to Rep. Jamaal Bowman earlier who said he came out to push back in against Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene. She should not be here and she should not be pushing rhetoric that is harmful and dangerous. pic.twitter.com/K3r4GDx7MM  Kadia Goba (@kadiagoba) April 4, 2023

04:23 PM

Clashes on courthouse steps

Clashes broke out early this morning on the steps of the New York court house where Donald Trump is due to be arrested, writes Josie Ensor from Manhattan.

Pro-Trump and anti-Trump protesters wrestled with one another outside the courthouse at 111 Center Street before the fight was broken up by police.

A burly blonde wearing a red "MAGA" cap faced off against a grey-haired woman wearing a hoodie reading: "Arrest Trump".

The two women were chest-to-chest and appeared to be shouting in each other's faces in photographs of the altercation.

They were tussling over a giant navy blue flag emblazoned with "TRUMP LIES ALL THE TIME".

Read more about the clashes here.

04:13 PM

Scandal-plagued George Santos mocked upon arrival

Scandal-plagued New York Representative George Santos has arrived at the court to protest against Donald Trumps appearence.

When asked if Mr Trump should be held accountable if he has committed a crime, Mr Santos responded: This is not that crime, though. This is old news.

Wheres Hunter Bidens indictment? Two years of a laptop full, a treasure trove of crime, he added.

Congressman George Santos walks through the Pro-Trump rally to the courthouse to protest against Trumps appearance. pic.twitter.com/z9m2OLzrbh  Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) April 4, 2023

New Yorkers appeared to mock Mr Santos - who is facing his own investigations amid questions about his background and finances - as he walked through the crowd.

George, you should have shown up in drag! one person yelled.

04:01 PM

Marjorie Taylor Greene joins Trump supporters

Far-right congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene has arrived at a pro-Trump rally close to the Manhattan courthouse Mr Trump is due to arrive at in a matter of hours.

Marjorie Taylor Greene speaks outside Manhattan Criminal Courthouse on the day of Donald Trump's planned court appearance - REUTERS/Caitlin Ochs

03:56 PM

Disgraced governor backs Trump

Disgraced former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich has defended Donald Trump during a set of appearances on conservative media, saying that he is being charged for "things that arent crimes" by "corrupt prosecutors".

Mr Blagojevich added that the prosecution was a "disgrace" to the Democrats and the United States.

The former governor was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison in 2010 for trying to sell or trade the Senate seat once held by President Obama but, after an appeal for his release, then-president Trump formally commuted his sentence in 2020.

Mr Blagojevich compared Mr Trumps legal struggles to his own - he maintains his innocence.

"If there was any crime here, its Stormy Daniels. She was the one shaking down Trump for hush money," Mr Blagojevich said.

03:47 PM

Trump ally calls indictment 'persecution'

Trump ally Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona claimed today that Democrats were indicting the former president to "prevent him from running for office again".

"The deranged Left is subverting our Constitution and democracy to prevent him from running for office again," he wrote in a tweet.

Mr Biggs added that the indictment was "unequivocal persecution" of Donald Trump.

03:38 PM

Trump is watching Fox News in Trump Tower

Mr Trump is watching Fox News in Trump Tower and he is not happy with their choice of guest, Nick Allen writes.

He objects to Fox interviewing Bill Barr, his former Attorney General, who split with Mr Trump in 2021.

Mr Trump vented his displeasure on Truth Social, with the "caps lock" button on.

He wrote: "WHY DOES FOX KEEP PUTTING ON BILL BARR. AS ATTORNEY GENERAL HE WAS A COMPLETE COWARD."

03:31 PM

Jamaal Bowman spotted near courthouse

New York Democrat Rep. Jamaal Bowman was seen near the courthouse ahead of Donald Trumps arraignment.

"The congressman has been on the forefront of calling for the former President to be held accountable for his crimes," Emma Simon, a spokesperson for Mr Bowman, told NBC News. "Going down to where the arrest will take place is a continuation of the work hes done throughout his time in Congress. As someone who was inaugurated just days before the insurrection, this is a key part of his time in office, and hes proud to be standing with folks in New York City and DA Bragg as this indictment gets seen through."

03:21 PM

'My last email before my arrest'

Donald Trump has sent out a fundraising email appealing to donations with the subject line: "My last email before my arrest", writes Washington Editor Rozina Sabur.

"Today is the day that a ruling political party ARRESTS its leading opponent for having committed NO CRIME," he writes to his supporters.

"As I will be out of commission for the next few hours, I want to take this moment to THANK YOU for all of your support."

Mr Trump said the indictment "this is not the America you and I once knew", but told supporters not to "lose hope".

"We are a nation that declared its independence from the worlds biggest empire, won two world wars, and landed the first man on the moon. Resilience is in our blood.

"Our movement has overcome so much. And there is no doubt in my mind that we will prevail once again and WIN the White House in 2024."

Mr Trump thanked those who had donated already - reportedly raising more than $7 million since his indictment - and asked those who "can chip in" to " please make a contribution peacefully".

The email was sent out by the Trump Save America Joint Fundraising Committee, the primary fundraising vehicle for his 2024 campaign.

03:03 PM

Donald Trump tells supporters he will be 'out of commission' for a few hours in last fundraising email before court appearance

Donald Trump has told supporters he will be out of commission for a few hours in his final fundraising email before his arraignment, writes David Millward.

Its sad to see whats happening  not for myself  but for our country, he wrote. Our nation is becoming a Marxist Third World country that CRIMINALIZES dissent and IMPRISONS its political opposition.

He urged supporters to chip in and make a contribution peacefully to save America.

Then, in a dig at Joe Biden, he added: But if youre doing poorly due to Bidens policies, please ignore the donation request. Take care of yourself! We will soon Make America Great Again and our economy will come ROARING BACK!)

02:41 PM

Pictured: Trump prosecutor Alvin Bragg arrives at court

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (C) arrives at the Manhattan District Attorney's office - ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP

02:18 PM

The Telegraph's New York correspondent to be in Manhattan courtroom as Trump is arraigned

The Telegraph's New York correspondent, Josie Ensor, got her hands on a green card! Not that kind of green card, but one of the 50-odd colour-coded slips the court officials handed out to journalists waiting in line this morning.



Green hopefully equals a pass into the courtroom to watch the action up close. Anyone with a white or yellow slip will be watching via closed-circuit camera in one of the adjacent overflow rooms.

Approximately 260 people - members of the press and public, as well as court officials, defence, the Manhattan district attorney's office and secret service - will get to watch the action live starting at 2.15 local time.

A reminder that the arraignment hearing itself will not be televised, as per the judge's order. However, a small number of stills photographers will be allowed to take pictures of Donald Trump before the official hearing starts.

The Telegraph has decamped to a makeshift office overlooking the court, but will be covering alt-right congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene's rally opposite the court, due to start in 90 minutes.



Josie Ensor's court room ticket for Donald Trump's appearance on Tuesday - Daily Telegraph/Josie Ensor

01:32 PM

A rundown of today's events

Donald Trump is expected to arrive at the Manhattan DAs office at 11 am, 4pm in the UK, reports Rozina Sabur from Washington.



While it is one of the most powerful law enforcement offices in the country, the Manhattan DA's office furnishings do not reflect its status. One reporter for Politico describes it as a "dingy, run-down place" - a setting it is hard to picture a former US president in.

While there, Mr Trump will be read his rights and have his fingerprints taken. It's unclear if he will get his mugshot taken.

Some time after this, the judge will unseal the charges against the former president.

Reports suggest the indictment includes 34 counts alleging the falsification of business records.

Mr Trump is then due in court for a 2.15pm arraignment.

We're unlikely to see the 76-year-old make his way into the courthouse, however.

A passageway connects the DA's office with the courthouse so Mr Trump does not need to take the public entrance.

Alvin Bragg, the Manhattan DA, is expected to hold a press conference shortly after the arraignment.

It is unclear if Mr Trump will address a rally of his supporters after the proceedings, or whether he will head straight to his red, white and blue private jet.

After arriving at Mar-a-Lago, his Florida home, he is expected to deliver his first in person remarks since being indicted.

12:38 PM

Local blog "second in line and offering $10,000 for their spot" in media queue for Trump arraignment

Good morning from the media queue to snag a spot in court to watch a moment of history, reports Josie Ensor, The Telegraph's US correspondent.

Its 7am here and the line is already pretty long with 7 plus hours to go before the arraignment.

Some had a very long and chilly night. Those at the front of the queue say they arrived at 3/4pm yesterday. Others hired so-called line sitters to hold their place overnight, who charge up to $50 an hour for the privilege. One local blog, Hellgate, is second in line and offering $10,000 for their spot to anyone interested and with deep pockets The Telegraph is number 63, so fingers crossed we make it in!

A "line sitter" in the media queue for Manhattan Criminal Court - Daily Telegraph/Josie Ensor

12:16 PM

The motley crew of key players in the Donald Trump saga

The cast of characters involved in the first-ever criminal case against a former US president is a motley crew of publicity seekers, respected legal minds and ambitious politicians.

They range from an adult film star, Manhattan's first black lead prosecutor, and a host of defence lawyers who are almost as flamboyant as their current client.

Click here for a brief guide to all the key players in the Donald Trump saga

12:04 PM

Media begin to queue for ex-president's court appearance

Morning from the media queue to get into court to watch Donald Trump arraigned later. The hearing is 7 hours away and around 120 already in line pic.twitter.com/pCyzD9W93y  Josie Ensor (@Josiensor) April 4, 2023

11:41 AM

How Donald Trump played golf and partied in the days leading up to his court appearance

Reading his social media feed one might assume that Donald Trump has been apoplectic in recent days.

In reality, by all accounts, he has been relatively calm about his impending court appearance, writes Nick Allen.

On Friday, he went to a housewarming party held by a billionaire financier friend in Florida.

He then played golf on both Saturday and Sunday at the Trump International Golf Club, smiling and appearing in good spirits as he drove his golf cart, wearing a Make America Great Again hat.

Read more about the days leading up to the former president's court appearance here.

10:43 AM

Pictured: Line forms outside Manhattan Criminal Court overnight for access to Trump indictment

A line for court access forms outside Manhattan Criminal Court in New York - John Minchillo/AP

10:29 AM

Donald Trump's indictment: Key details about the case explained

Donald Trump will make an unprecedented appearance before a New York judge on Tuesday to answer criminal charges that threaten to throw the 2024 White House race into turmoil, writes David Millward.

Mr Trump is the first sitting or former American president to be criminally indicted - a historic development that has propelled the United States into uncharted political waters.

Read more about the key details of the former president's indictment here.

09:54 AM

Eric Trump joined his father on plane to New York

Donald Trump was joined by his son Eric and a number of aides as he flew from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida to New York on Monday.

Eric Trump, who is the executive vice president of the Trump Organization, posted on Twitter from the private jet as he watched the coverage of his father's trip on Fox News.

"Watching the plane... from the plane" he wrote.

Watching the plane from the plane. pic.twitter.com/HR0DkhtP80  Eric Trump (@EricTrump) April 3, 2023

09:19 AM

Watch: Donald Trump greeted by supporters in New York ahead of court appearance

08:42 AM

In pictures: New York waits for Trump's arraignment

View from around Trump Tower in New York - Selcuk Acar/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

A woman wearing a mask is viewed around the Trump Tower in New York - Selcuk Acar/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

View from around Trump Tower in New York - Selcuk Acar/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

08:25 AM

Welcome to America's day of shame

America awoke on Tuesday to a day of ignominy as images of its former head of state being hauled before a court looked set to leave an indelible stain on the nation, writes Nick Allen.

There was outrage from Republicans of all stripes but, perhaps more notably, a deafening silence from Democrat leaders who have pursued Donald Trump and accused him of wrongdoing for years.

As the backlash against his indictment grew, even many opponents of Mr Trump felt charging him may have been a step too far for America.

Read the full story here.

08:09 AM

Donald Trump second term would put shape of Western world 'at risk', says former UK ambassador to US

Kim Darroch, former UK ambassador to the US and now Lord Darroch, said the shape of the Western world as we know it would be at risk if Donald Trump wins a second term.

He told TalkTV: It feels to me, still, frankly, extraordinary that this man actually achieved the presidency in the first place and that he might achieve a second term when you think of some of the things that he said and did during that presidency.

Sir Kim Darroch, former UK Ambassador to the US, says the shape of the Western world is at risk if Donald Trump wins a second term as President.@tnewtondunn | #DonaldTrump pic.twitter.com/vqjOnaFVPL  TalkTV (@TalkTV) April 3, 2023

I think for Europe, this is the guy who said the EU was worse than China and he also said Nato is a scam under which the Europeans get America to pay for their defence.

The structures that we have built up post-war really would be at risk if we got a second Donald Trump term and that is not about individuals, that is about the shape of the Western world if Trump wins again.

05:59 AM

Court case will not be on live TV

Donald Trump's appearance in court will not be televised after a judge rejected requests for the unprecedented event to be broadcast live.

However, five photographers will be allowed into the Manhattan courtroom to capture images before proceedings begin.

Courtrooms in New York are not usually televised but media organisations made representations that the American people should be able to watch a case of such significance.

The US media organisations said the "gravity of this proceeding and, consequently, the need for the broadest possible public access, cannot be overstated.

New York Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchan, who will preside over the hearing, rejected the request.

05:50 AM

Will a 'mugshot' be made public?

Once under arrest, alleged offenders are required in New York to stand for a photograph.

As the below mugshots show, police don't skip this process just because the person they have in custody is famous  although they don't always release the picture.

There are situations where a judge could make the photograph public in response to a public records fight. It could also get leaked to the press or on social media.

Donald Trump may not be too concerned if his photograph hits the front page.

It could be an effective fundraising tool and add yet more rocket fuel to his campaign for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.

As the saying goes in showbusiness, there is no such thing as bad publicity.

Hugh Grant is shown in a Los Angeles Police Department booking photograph, following his arrest for lewd conduct with a sex worker on Sunset boulevard in Hollywood

Oscar-winning US actor Nicolas Cage was taken into custody by the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office on chares of disturbing the peace and domestic abuse

Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office arrested Tiger Woods for allegedly driving under the influence. The golfer had been on prescription medication

05:03 AM

A shared golf cart with a porn star led to this day in court

How did an American president end up facing criminal charges?

The New York court battle can be traced back to four days in 2006  a time few could have predicted what lay ahead for The Apprentice star.

It was a summer day in the Sierra Nevada mountains and Mr Trump was forging up the fairways of the majestic Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course.

Riding high on the success of his blockbuster TV show, he had been invited to play in the annual American Century Celebrity Golf Championship alongside other big names including American footballers and cyclist Lance Armstrong.

The event had also attracted other visitors that week, including a group of pornographic film actresses from Los Angeles.

The actresses included Louisiana-born Stephanie Clifford, a rising star in the porn industry, who was known by her professional name, Stormy Daniels.

As correspondent Nick Allen explains from Washington, what happened over the course of tournament is hotly disputed.

Donald Trump and Stormy Daniels pictured at the tournament where they met at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course in 2006

04:14 AM

How the day is expected to pan out

Mr Trump is expected to leave his skyscraper on Fifth Avenue in the late morning to make the six-mile journey to the Manhattan court complex where he will surrender to authorities.

Mr Trump is then likely to undergo the standard booking procedure of being fingerprinted - and potentially photographed, which would result in an all-time famous mugshot. But there is no precedent for a former president's surrender to court authorities and it remains to be seen whether Mr Trump will follow procedure. A "perp walk" - in which a defendant is escorted in handcuffs past media cameras - is unlikely for an ex-president under US Secret Service protection.

The court hearing is scheduled to start 2.15pm (6.15pm GMT) and Mr Trump's lawyers have said their client will plead not guilty to all charges during the court hearing. About 30 counts, including at least one felony, are expected to be unsealed during the arraignment, which is only likely to last around 15 minutes.

Afterwards, Mr Trump is set to return to Florida, where he plans to deliver an evening speech.

03:51 AM

Judge allows photographers in hallway

Judge Merchan will allow five pool photographers at Donald Trumps arraignment tomorrow to take still photos for several minutes and cameras in the hallway. He will not permit electronics in the courtroom. pic.twitter.com/CECxD074RU  Molly Crane-Newman (@molcranenewman) April 4, 2023

02:51 AM

In pictures: Protesters against Trump outside Trump Tower

Protesters outside Trump Tower

Protesters outside Trump Tower

02:18 AM

Key questions on Trump's indictment explained

What is Mr Trump charged with?

According to reports in the US, he faces an estimated 30 charges of business fraud, although the details have not been released.

What does it relate to?

These charges follow an investigation into an alleged $130,000 (105,000) hush money payment to porn star, Stormy Daniels who shortly before the 2016 presidential election was trying to sell her story of an alleged affair with Mr Trump. The former president has vehemently denied having had a sexual relationship with Ms Daniels.

What were the campaign finance violations?

It is alleged the purpose of the hush money payments was to influence the outcome of the 2016 election. The $130,000 payment was way over the $2,700 limit on personal donations.

What penalty does Mr Trump face if convicted?

If convicted of a Class E felony, the former president faces a potential jail term of up to four years.

01:03 AM

In pictures: Trump supporters protest outside the Manhattan District Attorney's office

Supporters of former US president Donald Trump protest outside the Manhattan District Attorney's office

Supporters of former US president Donald Trump protest outside the Manhattan District Attorney's office

12:39 AM

Prosecutor to hold press conference

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg will hold a press conference on Tuesday after Mr Trump's arraignment on criminal charges, his office confirmed on Monday.

Mr Trump arriving at Trump Tower - Reuters

12:32 AM

Trump is ready to fight against what he calls an injustice

Mr Trump is ready to fight against the injustice, persecution and weaponisation of the justice system, a source familiar with his mood has told The Telegraph.

On Monday, the former US president flew to New York as he prepared to become the first former US president to appear in court on criminal charges.

But Mr Trump was resolute, determined and up to the challenge, the source added.

Read the full story by Rozina Sabur here.

12:10 AM

Welcome to Tuesday's live blog

We will be bringing you the latest news and developments on Donald Trump's court appearance as they unfold.
Donald Trump has pleaded not guilty to falsifying business records to hide damaging information ahead of the 2016 election.

The former president was charged with 34 felony counts in a Manhattan court on Tuesday.

The charges stem from a hush money payment to a porn star, Stormy Daniels, who says they had an adulterous affair.

Mr Trump, 76, denies criminal wrongdoing.

He is the first US president in history to face a criminal trial.

The charges stem from a hush money payment to a porn star, Stormy Daniels, who says they had an adulterous affair.

Paying hush money is not illegal. But the prosecution says Mr Trump falsified business records and broke election laws as he tried to cover up the payments.

Each of the charges carries a maximum of four years in prison, though a judge could sentence Mr Trump to probation if he is convicted.

The former president sat stony-faced and silent for the nearly hour-long proceedings before Judge Juan Merchan, speaking out loud only in response to the judge's questions and to enter his not-guilty plea.

While making their arguments, prosecutors told the judge Mr Trump had made threatening posts on social media.

Lawyers for Mr Trump responded that their client was frustrated by the case, which he believed to be a "great injustice".

Mr Trump's trial could begin as early as January 2024, Judge Merchan said, meaning the Republican - who is running for the US presidency again in 2024 - may be back in court just as primaries begin to select the party's nominee.

Mr Trump said nothing to reporters as he left court.

He returned immediately to his Florida home, Mar-a-Lago, on Tuesday evening, where he delivered brief remarks in the ballroom of the Palm Beach resort.

"The only crime I have committed is to fearlessly defend our nation from those who seek to destroy it," he told the crowd.

The case hinges on a hush money payment of $130,000 (104,000) made before the 2016 presidential election.

Story continues

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said this was arranged by Mr Trump to buy porn star Stormy Daniels' silence about an alleged affair back in 2006.

Mr Trump's former lawyer, Michael Cohen - who turned against his former boss - has said he made the payment at Mr Trump's direction.

Prosecutors also pointed to other payments they say were made via an intermediary on behalf of Mr Trump to suppress potentially politically damaging stories.

They allege $30,000 was paid to buy the silence of a doorman at Trump Tower who claimed Mr Trump had a lovechild.

And $150,000 was paid to Karen McDougal, a former Playboy model who said she had a sexual relationship with Mr Trump.

Prosecutors said both payments were made by the National Enquirer, a US tabloid whose publisher is a long-time ally of Mr Trump.

"Everyone stands equal under the law," Mr Bragg said after the arraignment. "No matter who you are, we will not normalise serious criminal conduct."

The odds of a conviction are so far unclear but the charges against Mr Trump have pulled the country into uncharted political territory.

While a criminal conviction would not prevent Mr Trump from either running for president or from re-claiming the Oval Office, the prolonged legal fight could prove a major distraction for the Republican front-runner, and may add a new layer of turmoil to his party's primary.

Hundreds of Mr Trump's supporters congregated at a park across from the court on Tuesday morning. They were joined by congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, a right-wing Republican from Georgia who derided the Democratic party as "communists" and "failures".

"Every single American should be concerned," Ms Greene said of Mr Trump's indictment. Ms Greene, 48, has repeatedly promoted the false claim that Mr Trump won the 2020 presidential election.

Counter-protesters shouted and jeered, at times drowning her speech out entirely.

"Go back to Georgia!" one woman said.

Mr Trump is the focus of three other investigations, related to efforts to overturn the 2020 election results, and over his handling of classified documents after leaving the White House.

With additional reporting from Kayla Epstein in New York
Donald Trump on Tuesday pleaded not guilty to 34 felony charges of falsifying business records in what prosecutors alleged was a conspiracy to influence the 2016 presidential election by silencing claims of extramarital affairs, marking the first time in American history a former president has been charged with a crime.

Trump arrived ashen-faced and visibly angry for his arraignment in Manhattan criminal court, stopping to wave to supporters, reporters and onlookers.

Once inside, Trump, like any other criminal defendant, was fingerprinted in custody. But he was also afforded special accommodations: he was not handcuffed and was not subject to a mugshot.

Wearing his signature dark navy suit and red tie, Trump entered the courtroom with two Secret Service agents and two New York courts officers, and proceeded with his jaw tightly locked towards his legal team. The former president had strategized for weeks about how he wanted to appear defiant, but once in the courtroom without television cameras or photographers except at the very start, he mainly appeared infuriated.

Related: New role for Trump as TV host turned president reboots as The Defendant

In his appearance before the New York supreme court justice Juan Merchan, Trump said little, speaking only to say not guilty to the 34 charges, and to sigh I know when Merchan warned he could be removed for being disruptive. It was a tense and surreal moment for the former president, who could face trial in spring 2024, right in the middle of the presidential primary as he seeks to recapture the White House.

In a 13-page statement of facts, the district attorney accused Trump of having orchestrated a scheme with the intent to influence the 2016 presidential election by identifying and purchasing negative information about him to suppress its publication and benefit the defendants electoral prospects.

The charges stem from payments made to the adult film star Stormy Daniels, who said she had a sexual encounter with Trump in 2006, as well as to a Playboy model, Karen McDougal, who wanted to sell her story of an affair with Trump, and a former Trump Tower doorman, who claimed Trump fathered a child out of wedlock.

Story continues

Trump has denied the sexual encounters and any wrongdoing, casting himself as the victim of a political witch-hunt.

We today uphold our solemn responsibility to ensure that everyone stands equal before the law, the Manhattan district attorney, Alvin Bragg, told reporters. No amount of money, no amount of power changes that enduring American principle.

Bragg forcefully defended the case, arguing that falsifying business records was the bread and butter of white-collar investigations and that true and accurate business records were important in Manhattan, the financial capital of the world.

According to prosecutors, Daniels was paid $130,000 by Trumps then lawyer, Michael Cohen, in the final days of the 2016 campaign. Cohen said the payments were made at the direction of Trump, who reimbursed him while president. Those payments, through Trumps company, were falsely classified as legal expenses, prosecutors say.

In 2018, Cohen pleaded guilty to federal crimes including the hush money payment and was sentenced to three years in prison, which Trumps legal team has used to undermine his credibility.

Separately, prosecutors say, the parent company of the National Enquirer, American Media, arranged two catch and kill deals to squash stories that could damage Trump. One involved $30,000 to the former doorman. The tabloid reached a $150,000 agreement with McDougal, purchasing her story to keep it from going public.

Prosecutors said such stories could have undermined Trumps campaign. And they asked for protective orders for discovery materials, including Trumps escalatory posts on his Truth Social platform, such as when he vowed death and destruction if he was indicted.

In a combative exchange with reporters, Trumps lawyers defended their client.

Todays unsealing of this indictment shows that the rule of law died in this country, said Joe Tacopina, adding: If this mans name was not Donald J Trump, there is no scenario wed all be here today.

Asked to describe Trumps outlook, Todd Blanche shot back: What do you think his reaction was? He is frustrated and upset.

It is a politically and legally perilous moment for Trump and also for the US, as a twice-impeached, criminally charged former president runs for re-election.

Donald Trump at his arraignment at a New York court. Photograph: Rex/Shutterstock

Intense public interest was underscored by dueling but peaceful demonstrations in a park near the courthouse. Barricades divided Trump supporters from opponents, a stark visual of a nation deeply divided. While a conviction is far from certain, it would not preclude the former president from running or winning the presidency in 2024.

The New York case is just one of an array of legal threats. Trump faces criminal investigations over the January 6 Capitol attack, his retention of classified documents and his efforts to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia, as well as civil inquiries into his business and a defamation suit arising from an allegation of rape.

Related: Guardian readers in the US: share your reaction to Trumps court appearance

Joe Biden, who has yet to formally announce a re-election campaign, has declined to comment on the New York case.

This is not his focus for today, Bidens press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, told reporters on Tuesday.

Trump left the courthouse for LaGuardia airport, where his jet waited to fly back to Mar-a-Lago. After arriving at his Florida mansion, Trump gave a speech in front of his family and supporters.

The former president railed against his enemies, from Biden to the FBI to Bragg, in remarks filled with conspiracy theories and lies about the election he continues to falsely claim was stolen.

In 25 minutes, a short speech by Trumps standards, he repeated numerous falsehoods about investigations against him and made baseless claims of corruption against the Biden family.

Several media outlets refused to air the remarks. On MSNBC, Rachel Maddow argued that Trump was merely repeating his same lies.

We dont consider that necessarily newsworthy and there is a cost to us as a news organization of knowingly broadcasting untrue things, Maddow said.

Trumps next court date in the New York case is set for 4 December, just two months before the Iowa caucuses.
NEW YORK (AP)  A stone-faced Donald Trump made a momentous courtroom appearance Tuesday when he was confronted with a 34-count felony indictment charging him in a scheme to bury allegations of extramarital affairs that arose during his first White House campaign.

The arraignment in a Manhattan courtroom was a stunning  and humbling  spectacle for the first ex-president to ever face criminal charges. With Trump watching in silence, prosecutors bluntly accused him of criminal conduct and set the stage for a possible criminal trial in the city where he became a celebrity decades ago.

The indictment centers on allegations that Trump falsified internal business records at his private company while trying to cover up an effort to illegally influence the 2016 election by arranging payments that silenced claims potentially harmful to his candidacy. It includes 34 counts of fudging records related to checks Trump sent to his personal lawyer and problem-solver to reimburse him for his role in paying off a porn actor who said she had an extramarital sexual encounter with Trump years earlier.

The defendant, Donald J. Trump, falsified New York business records in order to conceal an illegal conspiracy to undermine the integrity of the 2016 presidential election and other violations of election laws," said Assistant District Attorney Christopher Conroy.

Trump, somber and silent as he entered and exited the Manhattan courtroom, said not guilty in a firm voice while facing a judge who warned him to refrain from rhetoric that could inflame or cause civil unrest. All told, the ever-verbose Trump, who for weeks before Tuesdays arraignment had assailed the case against him as political persecution, uttered only 10 words in the courtroom. He appeared to glare for a period at Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, the prosecutor who brought the case.

As he returned to his Florida estate, Mar-a-Lago, where he delivered a primetime address to hundreds of supporters, Trump again protested his innocence and asserted on his Truth Social platform that the hearing was shocking to many in that they had no surprises, and therefore, no case.

Story continues

In his speech, Trump lashed out anew at the prosecution and attacked in bitter terms the prosecutor and the judge presiding over the case despite being admonished hours earlier about incendiary rhetoric. In a sign of that other probes are weighing on him, Trump also steered his speech into a broadside against a separate Justice Department investigation into the mishandling of classified documents.

I never thought anything like this could happen in America, Trump said of the New York indictment. This fake case was brought only to interfere with the upcoming 2024 election and it should be dropped immediately."

The crowd at Mar-a-Lago included supporters like failed Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake and longtime ally Roger Stone. Trump's wife, Melania, was absent from his side and was also not seen with him in New York.

Even so, the indictment amounts to a remarkable reckoning for Trump after years of investigations into his personal, business and political dealings. It shows how even as Trump is looking to reclaim the White House in 2024, he is shadowed by investigations related to his behavior in the two prior elections, with prosecutors in Atlanta and Washington scrutinizing efforts by Trump and his allies to undo the 2020 presidential election  probes that could produce even more charges.

In the New York case, each count of falsifying business records, a felony, is punishable by up to four years in prison  though it's not clear if a judge would impose any prison time if Trump is convicted. The next court date is Dec. 4  two months before Republicans begin their nominating process in earnest  and Trump will again be expected to appear.

A conviction would not prevent Trump from running for or winning the presidency in 2024.

The arraignment also delved into Trump's rhetoric on the case, with prosecutors at one point handing printouts of his social media posts to the judge and defense lawyers as Trump looked on. Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchan did not impose a gag order but told Trump's lawyers to urge him to refrain from posts that could encourage unrest.

The broad contours of the case have long been known, focusing on a scheme that prosecutors say began months into his candidacy in 2015, as his celebrity past collided with his presidential ambitions.

Though prosecutors expressed confidence in the case, a conviction is no sure thing given the legal complexities of the allegations, the application of state election laws to a federal election and prosecutors' likely reliance on a key witness, Trump's former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen, who pleaded guilty in 2018 to false statements.

It centers on payoffs to two women, porn star Stormy Daniels and Playboy model Karen McDougal, who said they had extramarital sexual encounters with Trump years earlier, as well as to a Trump Tower doorman who claimed to have a story about a child he alleged the former president had out of wedlock.

"Its not just about one payment. It is 34 false statements and business records that were concealing criminal conduct, Bragg told reporters, when asked how the three separate cases were connected.

All 34 counts against Trump are linked to a series of checks that were written to Cohen to reimburse him for his role in paying off Daniels. Those payments, made over 12 months, were recorded in various internal company documents as being for a legal retainer that prosecutors say didnt exist. Cohen testified before the grand jury and is expected to be a star prosecution witness.

Nine of those monthly checks were paid out of Trumps personal accounts, but records related to them were maintained in the Trump Organizations data system.

Prosecutors allege that the first instance of Trump directing hush money payments came in the fall of 2015, when a former Trump Tower doorman was trying to sell information about an alleged out-of-wedlock child fathered by Trump.

David Pecker, a Trump friend and the publisher of the National Enquirer, made a $30,000 payment to the doorman to acquire the exclusive rights to the story, pursuant to an agreement to protect Trump during his presidential campaign, according to the indictment. Peckers company later determined the doormans story was false, but is alleged to have enforced the doormans confidentiality at Cohens urging until after Election Day.

Trump denies having sexual liaisons with both Daniels and McDougal and has denied any wrongdoing involving payments.

Tuesday's schedule, with its striking blend of legal and political calendar items, represents the new split-screen reality for Trump as he submits to the dour demands of the American criminal justice system while projecting an aura of defiance and victimhood at celebratory campaign events.

Wearing his signature dark suit and red tie, Trump turned and waved to crowds outside the building before heading inside to be fingerprinted and processed. He arrived at court in an eight-car motorcade from Trump Tower, communicating in real time his anger at the process.

Heading to Lower Manhattan, the Courthouse," he posted on his Truth Social platform. "Seems so SURREAL  WOW, they are going to ARREST ME. Cant believe this is happening in America. MAGA!

Afterward, Trump lawyer Todd Blanche told reporters that it was a sad day for the country.

You dont expect this to happen to somebody who was president of the United States," he said.

___

Tucker and Weissert reported from Washington. Associated Press journalists Jill Colvin, Bobby Caina Calvan, Larry Neumeister, Karen Matthews, Larry Fleisher, Deepti Hajela, Julie Walker, Ted Shaffrey, David R. Martin, Joe Frederick and Robert Bumsted in New York; Colleen Long and Michael Balsamo in Washington; Adriana Gomez Licon in Palm Beach, Florida; and Terry Spencer in Palm Beach, Florida, contributed to this report.

___

Follow the AP's coverage of former President Donald Trump at https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump.
Students protest gun violence in schools at the legislative plaza and state Capitol Monday, April 3, 2023, in Nashville, Tenn. The protest was held one week after six people were killed by a shooter at The Covenant School, a private Presbyterian school, in Nashville. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey) (Mark Humphrey/AP)

Whats Quickly? Its where readers sound off on the issues of the day. Have a quote, question or quip? Call Quickly at 312-222-2426 or email quickly@post-trib.com.

Now our Indiana legislators are going after our states wetlands. Is the only thing they are interested in protecting is gun rights?

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Nearly 100 Americans die every day from gunshot wounds. Statistics on drag show casualties are unknown at present, but  and this is just a hunch  they are probably much less. Yet the Republican, ultra-conservative, take-us-back-to-the-1920s party would have us believe drag shows are the biggest threat America faces. Another example of Republicans creating a problem while ignoring a true threat to our safety and well-being.

Can you imagine if Republicans were 1/100th as upset about out kids getting shot in school as they are about Trump getting indicted?

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The $9 million recently donated to Trump reminds me of the quote a fool and his money are soon parted.

I guess what goes around comes around. Ohio congressman Jim Jordan, chair of the committee investigating the alleged Weaponization of the Federal Government, is now calling for defunding the FBI, the Department of Justice, local and state prosecutors, and anybody else who would dare to bring charges against one of their own.

If Donald Trump would drop out of the 2024 presidential race, then the witch hunts against him would cease and be refocused on Desantis. The whole charade would start all over. I would say that Donald should stick it out. American patriots may as well stand their ground and do the right thing.

Unprecedented? Does anyone really care if this Trump fiasco is unprecedented? There has been nothing about Trump either before during or after his time in office the followed any precedent. The whole sordid life of the Trump family is a livid example of unprecedented so that makes this complete mess standard procedure for a mob family. Did anyone that has been alive for the last 60 years or so think that anything would be normal with Trump involved? And yet there are so many clueless people that send in their money to help support poor Donny who is being so mistreated. He is a flim-flam man, folks. He flies around in a 757! How much more will it take before some of The Cult finally get the picture the THEY HAVE BEEN TOOK?

A Texas Republican has drafted a bill requiring a copy of the Ten Commandments be posted in school classrooms. Its an odd request coming from a Republican, as their hero Trump seems to have violated a majority of said commandments. Just another part of the Republican holier-than-thou smokescreen. If you study their behavior, you can see theyre anything but holy.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said, I will not assist in an extradition request for former President Trump. What a wimpy statement by a controversial governor who is trying his best to win over Trumps MAGA people. DeSantis just doesnt get it! Trump would have never allowed DeSantis to help him avoid being arraigned. DeSantis has joined the Pence pity party. They both are desperately trying to gain steam in the polls for the Republican nomination without alienating Trump and his folks. Someone needs to tell them they cant play it both ways. Either they fully support Trump or they dont. Trump will accept nothing less. DeSantis and Pence are trying to walk a tightrope that has been greased with butter!

Read more at www.post-trib.com/opinion.
Supporters of former President Donald Trump wave signs and flags during a rally on Monday, April 3, 2023, in West Palm Beach, Fla. The supporters gathered to see Trumps motorcade as it headed to Palm Beach International Airport. (AP)

The cameras shuttered at the first glimpse of Donald Trumps black SUV departing from his gated private club around midday on Monday.

Cable news networks and local television cleared their schedules to bring rolling coverage as Mr Trumps motorcade made its way to Palm Beach International Airport, before Trump Force One departed bound for New York, where the ex-president is due to be arraigned in a Manhattan courtroom on Tuesday.

The journey from ex-president to formally accused criminal defendant has once again thrust the former president into the global spotlight he craves. The Trump Show is back.

Trump leaves Mar-a-Lago

On Monday 3 April, the former presidents motorcade departed his gated Palm Beach club Mar-a-Lago just after midday ET.

A crowd of a few hundred supporters stationed along the route to Palm Beach International Airport waved Trump 2024 flags and placards saying: God Bless Donald Trump.

Supporters of former President Donald Trump wave signs and flags during a rally on Monday, April 3, 2023, in West Palm Beach, Florida. (AP)

Eric Trump was spotted filming the well-wishers from the back of a black SUV. Also accompanying Mr Trump was campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung, longtime communications aide Jason Miller, former White House aide Dan Scavino and Boris Epshteyn,the New York Times reported.

However, Mr Trumps wife Melania did not join the entourage.

Well-wishers lining the route told the Palm Beach Times that the timing of Mr Trumps arraignment during Holy Week was a biblical sign.

Donald Trump waves as he boards his plane at Palm Beach International Airport in Florida bound for his arraignment in New York. (AP)

Mr Trump had claimed that his indictment would unleash death and destruction from the MAGA faithful, but the mood along Southern Boulevard in Palm Beach was peaceful, the Palm Beach Post reported.

Mr Trumps Boeing 757 with his name embossed in gold letters on the side took off around 1pm ET, landing around two and a half hours later at New Yorks La Guardia Airport.

Donald Trump exits his 757 at New Yorks La Guardia Airport and is met by Secret Service agents. (Reuters)

Arrival in New York

Mr Trump was met on the tarmac by dozens of Secret Service agents in limousines, CBS News reported. He was then driven to Trump Towers  his high-rise apartment building in central Manhattan.

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Throughout Monday, reporters, supporters and protesters had gathered on 5th Avenue in anticipation of the former presidents arrival.

In a twist on Donald Trumps old 2016 campaign slogan, protesters outside Trump Towers called for the ex-president to be locked up on Monday (Associated Press)

While the New York Times wrote that the city of Mr Trumps birth was anxious and bracing for his arrest, the mood on the ground told a different story.

The Independents Richard Hall joined the throng and wrote that only a small crowd of Mr Trumps supporters had shown up to protest including the Naked Cowboy, who would normally be performing for tourists at Times Square.

Barricades had been set up around Trump Towers, and NYPD officers kept a close eye on proceedings. Police K9 units patrolled the area.

Donald Trump returns to his New York high-rise Trump Towers on Monday 3 April to face arraignment on charges of paying hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels (AFP via Getty Images)

Mr Trump waved at the crowd as he entered Trump Towers around an hour after landing in New York.

Former U.S. President Donald Trump arrives at Trump Tower, after his indictment by a Manhattan grand jury following a probe into hush money paid to porn star Stormy Daniels, in New York City, U.S April 3, 2023 (REUTERS)

On Monday night, Mr Trump continued his attacks on District Attorney Alvin Bragg from his penthouse apartment.

Crowds gather at the Manhattan courthouse

About four miles south of Trump Tower, journalists and spectators had already begun lining up outside Manhattan Criminal Court for one of the few, coveted spots inside the court where Mr Trump is due to appear at 2.15pm on Tuesday afternoon.

A line for court access is formed outside Manhattan Criminal Court, Tuesday, April 4, 2023, in New York. (Associated Press)

According to an order issued by New York Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchan overnight on Monday, no videos will be allowed to film Mr Trumps arraignment. Five still photographers will be permitted to capture images when he first appears, and will then have to leave the court.

Journalists gather at the Manhattan Criminal Court on Tuesday morning (Associated Press)

The crowd outside the Manhattan Criminal Court grew throughout Tuesday morning as hundreds of journalists, protesters and counter-protesters were divided into separate pens.

By mid-morning, reporters and camera crews far outnumbered protesters and counterdemonstrators.

A supporter of former US president Donald Trump tears up an anti-Trump banner during a protest outside of Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City (AFP/Getty)

Anti-Trump protesters with cowbells and whistles attempted to drown out the sounds of pro-Trump supporters with megaphones.

Disgraced Republican Congressman George Santos showed up around 9.30am and was immediately swarmed by reporters.

George Santos appears at a rally in support of former President Donald Trump in New York (Screenshot / Twitter / David Mack)

Marjorie Taylor Greene arrived at the court around 10.30am to hold a peaceful protest.

Mr Trump is expected to face 36 charges stemming from hush money payments he made to the adult actress Stormy Daniels during his election campaign in 2016.
NEW YORK (AP)  For the country and for Donald Trump, the indictment of a former president represented an unprecedented day. For TV news organizations, it felt like a throwback.

Hour after hour on Tuesday, the story occupied the full attention of broadcast and cable news networks. They waited for glimpses of Trump's face to interpret his expression, followed his motorcade's movements from the air, speculated on how it must feel to be arrested.

The coverage recalled better days for now-struggling cable news outlets, through two presidential campaigns and two impeachment trials, when Trump occupied hours of air time. Consumers eagerly followed along, the way they haven't for many stories since.

For two days this week, Trump's indictment on 34 counts of falsifying business records gave outlets the chance to go back in time.

This is the most significant arraignment in the history of arraignments, Danny Cevallos, a legal analyst for NBC News, said on that network's special report.

It's hard to overdramatize what this means for Donald Trump, said MSNBC's Chris Jansing.

Oh, but many tried.

On Monday, Trump's travels from Florida to New York led cable news networks to revisit the worst of earlier excesses. Throughout the day, aerial camera shots followed Trump's plane as it took off from Florida and landed in New York, and as his motorcade traveled to Trump Tower in Manhattan  the backdrop to hours of speculation about the case.

At one point, Trump's son Eric posted on social media a picture of a television set inside the plane showing a Fox News Channel picture of the plane waiting on a Florida tarmac. Watching the plane ... from the plane, he said.

Such coverage is ridiculous, former Ohio Gov. John Kasich said on MSNBC Tuesday. There are more interesting things happening, but I guess we're all fixated.

Kasich spoke on a split screen, his face sharing time with a camera's view trained on the entrance to Trump Tower, waiting for Trump to walk out the front door and into a car to take him to a Manhattan courthouse for his arraignment.

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Tuesday was clearly newsier than Trump's travels the day before, but much of the coverage consisted of waiting for such fleeting moments. New York state Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchan declined media requests for video coverage of the hearing where Trump heard the charges against him and pleaded not guilty.

That led to constant, mostly empty talk about what might happen.

Will Trump's motorcade to the court take Fifth Avenue or the FDR Drive? (The latter.) Will a mug shot of Trump be taken and released? (No.) Would the former president speak to the media before he goes into the court? (No.) After the hearing is done? (Also no.)

CNN reran footage of Trump walking out of a doorway, a court officer declining to hold the door for him, and speculated about the last time something like this had happened to the former president.

His walk out the door was judged five seconds of history by ABC's David Muir. Those views of Trump, along with still pictures of him during the arraignment, turned political and legal commentators into facial-expression and body-language experts.

This does not look like someone who is celebrating the moment. ... It looks like a man who is very unhappy to be there, said ABC's Jonathan Karl.

Look at his face, look at his body language, said CBS' Robert Costa. I'm just a reporter. But it tells you something when you can see how someone is dealing with a moment.

Said CNN's Jake Tapper, That is a very pissed-off Donald Trump.

The former president gave a primetime speech later Tuesday from his Mar-a-Lago resort, denouncing the investigations into his conduct. Fox News carried the speech in its entirety, CNN aired most of it before cutting Trump off and MSNBC avoided it, with Rachel Maddow reporting on some of what he said after the speech was done.

That was a black hole of grievance, CNN's Van Jones said after the speech.

CNN had earlier interrupted its arraignment coverage briefly  for news of a court decision in another Trump investigation.

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said Trump would often call him when Christie was a U.S. attorney with questions and observations about the legal process. No matter what his staff says, this is a very, very difficult day for Donald Trump, he said.

Asked by ABC's Muir if Trump ever thought he would face charges, Christie said, I think he thought he was too clever to ever wind up in this situation  too clever, too smart, too careful.

On Fox News Channel, Trump's attorney general, William Barr, joined a discussion with commentators about whether prosecutors should bring charges against the former president in the New York case or in other investigations Trump faces  over turning over presidential records, his role in the Jan. 6 insurrection or allegedly interfering in Georgia's presidential vote in 2020.

One wonders about the wisdom of this case and one wonders about the wisdom of all the other cases that could be brought, Fox analyst Brit Hume said.

Barr talked about prosecutorial discretion and said of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's charges  before the indictment was unsealed publicly  that this appears to be just a pathetically weak case.

It's hard to believe Alvin Bragg would bring these charges against anyone except Donald Trump, Fox's Martha MacCallum said.

___

AP Correspondent Ali Swenson in New York contributed to this report.
Mr Trump is the first former US president to appear in court on criminal charges - Reuters

Donald Trump made an unprecedented appearance before a New York judge on Tuesday to answer criminal charges, threatening to throw the 2024 White House race into turmoil.

Mr Trump is the first former American president to be criminally indicted - a historic development that has propelled the United States into uncharted political waters.

Here is what you need to know about Mr Trump's court case.

What is Mr Trump charged with?

The indictment against Donald Trump has been unsealed and details 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.

Prosecutors have accused the former president of directing three different instances of hush money payments to cover up alleged affairs.

One payment is a $130,000 sum allegedly made to the former porn star Stormy Daniels in 2016, who claims she had an affair with Mr Trump.

The money was paid by Michael Cohen, Mr Trumps lawyer and long-time fixer. The story was killed. Two years later, Mr Cohen was jailed for three years on eight counts, including tax fraud and campaign finance violations.

Mr Trump has continuously denied he had any sexual contact with Ms Daniels.

What were the campaign finance violations?

It is alleged the purpose of the hush money payments was to influence the outcome of the 2016 election. The $130,000 payment was way over the $2,700 limit on personal donations.

So why is Mr Trump in the dock?

According to court filings, the Trump organisation paid Mr Cohen $420,000, which included reimbursing the $130,000 which was paid to Ms Daniels. Mr Trump has denied knowledge of the payment.

However, Mr Cohen claims that Mr Trump personally signed a cheque for $35,000. In February 2019, Mr Cohen produced the cheque at a hearing in Congress. He also told legislators he had received 11 cheques from Mr Trump.

Is it a misdemeanour or a felony?

Falsifying business records is classed as a misdemeanour  a minor offence  in New York. But doing so to aid or conceal another offence, in this case breaking campaign finance laws  is a class E felony.

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What does the prosecution have to prove?

Prosecutors would have to prove not only that the records were deliberately falsified, but done with the intention of violating campaign finance laws.

What penalty does Mr Trump face if convicted?

If convicted of a Class E felony, the former president faces a potential jail term of up to four years.

Have other senior politicians been charged with campaign finance violations?

John Edwards, who was John Kerrys running mate in 2004, ran for the Oval Office himself in 2008. Three years later he was indicted on six felony charges by a Grand Jury after allegedly soliciting nearly $1 million (800,000) from donors to pay off his pregnant mistress. Although the North Carolina senator was acquitted at the trial, his political career was finished.
Digital technology is a part and parcel of our world today. Across every sector and industry, the impact of modern technology plays an important role. In dentistry, one of the leading names in the U.K., Dr. Sandra Garcia Martin, brings innovation to play in designing the perfect smile for her patients through digital technology.

Providing the best treatment possible and achieving the best result is the number one goal of Dr. Martin, one that she reiterates could be maintained. I want my patients to have a Ferrari in the mouth; I want the best in their mouths.

Based in London, Dr. Martins job and passion is to create a great smile for people. For her, being available to fix her patients dental troubles is just one of the rewards that come with her practice as a cosmetic dentist. Coming from a family of doctors, Martin is one of the most experienced dentists in her niche, making a difference in her career.

With a Dental degree obtained at The University of Barcelona before she moved to the U.S., where she got two Masters degrees at the New York University (NYU), Martin has practiced for the last 15 years. During that time, shes been able to earn a reputation as a celebrity cosmetic dentist. She also gained an additional masters in aesthetic dentistry at NYU.

Furthermore, Dr. Sandra Garcia is one of the very few dentists who practice the DSD (digital smile design) concept approach, a highly effective cosmetic procedure that requires cutting-edge techniques available in the industry to arrive at an expected outcome. She enjoys providing patients with the most modern aesthetic and cosmetic dentistry approaches and has extensive experience creating beautiful, unique, and natural-looking smiles.

According to the highly respected dentist originally from the Canary Islands, the process involves giving a patient an idea, through an intraoral scan, of the result before the procedure is even started.

They could potentially look before you even do anything to them, says Dr. Sandra Garcia. This approach places the patient in a position to decide how they want to look, and if its not working, everyone knows from the start. I do it (intraoral scan) as my protocol. I always try a smile in a patients mouth before I even touch them because I want to see how they will look, and then I want to test if what I designed will work in their face and mouth.

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Even though her kind of practice and the tools she has to work with can be rather expensive to procure, she says everything is worth the trouble, and the result justifies the process. It pays to do things the right way and deliver the best I can, says Dr. Martin.

For Dr. Sandra Garcia Martin, working effectively and providing the desired results to her patients is made more possible due to the creative juice flowing on her inside. Im a very creative person, and I love the art of being able to deliver a smile and design a smile, she enthuses. Ive been very creative always; I paint, love music, play musical instruments, and so Ive always been very creative. I think Ive found my niche in designing smiles and have a good eye for it.

And being a dentist with a high-profile clientele, Dr. Martin illustrates that its always best to treat your patients as people and not be caught up in mundane pettiness. This is especially so since shes quite popular with many celebrity figures. Rather than being sucked in by the aura of those she has to treat, shes more focused on the fact that they are like normal people who come to her clinic for treatment. In her words, When I treat people, Im very empathetic, its very important that there is this empathy and this human side of connecting with people. I think thats my biggest thing, she says.

Moving forward, beyond achieving a superb smile with glistening teeth, Dr. Sandra Garcia Martin points out that the health of your mouth has a lot to do with what goes on in your body concerning your health. In essence, having poor oral health comes with a lot of complications. According to her, taking care of your dental health involves learning how to keep healthy through what you eat because the health of your mouth will have a far-reaching effect on your general well-being.

In addition to her passion for the arts and creativity, Dr. Sandra Martin is also in tune with her spirituality. Shes a yoga enthusiast, something she describes as very inspiring and mentally liberating. Shes also keen on helping others learn how to take care of their mental health while keeping in touch with their spirituality.

I would love to teach more and give back. I want to promote a holistic lifestyle within dentistry. I want to empower women, she says. Ive done many courses my life, and there wasnt a course out there for dentists that they could watch in their home and understand how to do things.

Her unique course, the Veneer Course, launched in 2022, is designed to simplify educating dentists and give them the option of learning at their own pace in their homes. According to Dr. Martin, the course outline is comprehensive and detailed, and very well recorded, covering everything that they have to know from the very beginning of cosmetic dentistry  patient consultation, photography, videography, how to prepare it to have cemented, and then all the complications that can come with it.

McClatchy newsroom and editorial staff were not involved in the creation of this content.
Drag performer Veranda L'Ni reads to children during a Drag Show Story Hour at the Community Church of Chesterland in Ohio on April 1, 2023. REUTERS/Jim Urquhart

An Ohio church hosted a Drag Queen Story Hour days after a man was arrested for targeting the church.

Aimenn Penny, 20, told authorities he was "trying to protect children" and was arrested on arson charges.

Security for the event cost $20,000 after Penny attempted to burn the church down with Molotov cocktails, per The Guardian.

An Ohio church spent thousands on security for a Drag Queen Story Hour days after police arrested a man who tried to burn down the building using Molotov cocktails.

The Community Church of Chesterland's Drag Queen Story Hour proceeded "without incident" on April 1, after authorities say a man attempted to commit arson against the church on March 27.

"At the story hour, we just had so many kids that were smiling and enjoying themselves and parents that were dancing with their kids. It was just a beautiful, lovely time, which is what we wanted all along," pastor Jess Peacock told Insider. "It was made even more beautiful and lovely because of everything we had to go through to get there."

The event's security coordinator, Mallory McMaster, told The Guardian protection for the drag story hour cost $20,000  calling it the "most involved and multilayered security process I've ever had to do for any event." She told the outlet that it was more elaborate than coordinating security for abortion centers.

"The rhetoric is so incendiary, and the language is getting more and more volatile," McMaster told the outlet, adding that six months ago, an event like this "would not have needed any security."

Authorities arrested

Aimenn Penny at a protest against a drag queen story hour, where he passed out 'propaganda flyers representing White Lives Matter, Ohio's anti-drag queen views,' according to an FBI affidavit. Justice Department.

D. Penny, a 20-year-old from the Ohio city of Alliance, on March 25 after he used Molotov cocktails "in an attempt to burn the church to the ground," according to the Justice Department.

Penny's attorney, John W. Greven, did not immediately return Insider's request for comment.

In an interview with federal authorities, Penny "admitted to building the Molotov cocktails" in an attempt to burn the church, telling authorities he "was trying to protect children and stop the drag show event," according to an FBI affidavit.

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He attended a previous drag queen story hour in a neighboring town to distribute "propaganda flyers representing White Lives Matter, Ohio's anti-drag queen views," the affidavit said.

Penny, who the FBI also said is a member of Ohio's White Lives Matter group, was charged with malicious use of explosive materials and possessing a destructive device, according to the DOJ.

According to the FBI affidavit, authorities searched Penny's home and found a "hand-written manifesto that contained ideological statements, a Nazi flag, Nazi memorabilia, a White Lives Matter of Ohio t-shirt, a gas mask, multiple rolls of blue painters tape, and gas cans."

Penny's arson attempt left scorch marks visible at the church.

In a Facebook post in the days after the incident, Peacock wrote to parishioners on Facebook, saying they were "exhausted, angry, saddened, and frustrated by the hate and ignorance that has been, quite literally, hurled at us in the form of a Molotov cocktail."

"Despite three vile threats from hate groups, we are moving forward and we are confident in our security plan," Peacock added in a later post, saying they were "expecting some protest activity" on the day of the story hour.

A lone protestor showed up at the church on April 1 and "sat streetside and did nothing," according to Cleveland.com.

"And the only memory resulting from the day's event at the church was Joy and Love! So much Love!" the church posted on Facebook after the story hour.

Pastor Peacock, who uses they/them pronouns, told Insider that the church received an outpouring of support and donations after the threats of violence. They added that the Community Church of Chesterland is "absolutely committed to continuing" to host LGBTQ-supportive events, especially after hosting the county's first Pride celebration last summer.

"This is why these events are important," Peacock told Insider. "The fact that so many people have reached out to encourage and support us, we are just so incredibly thankful for that."

Read the original article on Insider
Dreamville Festival made an epic return to its loyal fans in Raleigh, North Carolina, over the weekend. The event gave us feelings of everything from nostalgia from albums that jump-started these native artists ability to unapologetically take over the rap and R&B game to endearing love in the air for some of the hottest tracks that are the soundtracks to our lives today.

Over 100,000 fans grabbed their crews and traveled across the globe to gather April 1-2 with their picnic blankets at Dreamvilles signature outdoor location, Dorothea Dix Park, to experience a weekend immersed in local culture, food and art, as well as performances.

The post Dreamville Festivals Massive Artist Lineup Made For A Historical Moment For The Cultural Hub appeared first on Blavity.

Day One: Saturday

Saturday was only the beginning as fans began to hype their energy up for this years massive lineup. Usher, multiplatinum R&B global superstar, headlined the first day, featuring additional performances by Sean Paul, Lil Durk, City Girls, Ari Lennox, EARTHGANG, Jessie Reyez and Key Glock.

Usher also revealed that he had a special surprise for the audience and said that Beyonce would be making a guest appearance on stage. The crowd was split emotionally between laughter and heartbreaking disappointment, only to realize that Usher pulled one of the most top-tier April fools pranks on the audience of all time.

However, the crowds energy rose again once he brought the City Girls on the stage to bring their 3005 flair to North Carolina as they performed Good Love.

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Day Two: Sunday

On Sunday, festival attendees linked up to return to our roots with afrobeat jams performed by one of the worlds greatest multinational superstars, Burna Boy, and carefully selected singles by artists such as Summer Walker, Waka Flocka Flame, J.I.D, Bas and Mario.

During her sultry performance, Summer Walker was sure to let her fans be the first to know that she will be releasing her new project on May 19, entitled CLEAR 2: SOFT LIFE EP.

On the main stage, the Dreamville squad  J. Cole, J.I.D, EARTHGANG, Bas, Cozz, Omen, Lute and Shea butter queen Ari Lennox present in spirit came together to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Dreamville Records.

As promised, J. Cole handed off the stage to Drake, showing appreciation for all the artists he collaborated with and believed in his dreams. As he exited the stage with Love Yourz, Cole expressed his gratitude for being able to curate an authentic night of everyone rocking side to side and holding onto their loved ones.

Drake kept us on our feet and in our bags, bringing out all the legends from Lil Wayne, and 21 Savage. You know we were ready to rock when Lil Uzi Vert hit the stage. Just when we thought the night couldnt come with any more surprises, Drake brought out GloRilla. She set the stage ablaze with her contagious Memphis energy and women empowerment vibes.

To close out the festival, Drake and the crowd showed J.Cole their appreciation for creating a space and paving the way for all the artists to showcase their niche genres of music authentically and for always making every person in the crowd feel seen and heard. Everyone began to sing Whitney Houstons I Will Always Love You as J. Cole took in all the goosebumps from what will be a core memory for all attendees.

If you missed the adrenaline-filled weekend or want to hear some of your favorite songs, you can watch the performances on Amazon Prime Video.
Some drivers are worried their licenses are being suspended months after their traffic charges were accidentally dismissed because of a computer error.

Natally Sosa told Action 9 that she got a speeding ticket. Last fall, her lawyer, Cameron deBrun, went to court for her and saw her case was dismissed.

ALSO READ: More than 16K charges erroneously dismissed due to computer error, DA says

He didnt know why at the time, but the North Carolina Administrative Office of the Courts experienced a computer error that caused thousands of traffic charges to be dismissed by mistake, including hundreds of DWIs.

When the computer error took place, the Mecklenburg County District Attorneys Office said roughly 16,000 charges were dismissed by accident. It now says it was more around 6,000.

No matter what the number or reason, deBrun and Sosa figured she was in the clear.

But the county DAs office reinstated many of those cases.

Months later, Sosa got a letter from the North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles saying it was suspending her license for failure to appear in court.

Sosa says shes worried about driving now. I dont know what to do in that case, she said. When I (go to) drive, police (are) going to stop me and tell me, Your license is suspended or something.

The Mecklenburg County DAs Office told Action 9s Jason Stoogenke:

After the DAs Office learned that the Administrative Office of the Courts mistakenly entered dismissals in thousands of cases, this office immediately sought to have those cases corrected. The cases were corrected, however, when those cases were reactivated in the courts computer system, some but not all of them apparently appeared in the system as if the defendant had not come to court on their court date. As a result, those cases appeared on a report that AOC provides to the Clerks Office showing the cases in which failures to appear should be entered by the clerks. Because the affected cases were traffic cases, the failures to appear were transmitted to the DMV, and letters were mailed to notify the licensed driver that their license was subject to suspension for a missed court date. As soon as the DAs Office learned this had happened, we immediately took action again, and we worked with the Clerks Office to prevent this from happening in other cases and strike any failure to appear that had been issued in such cases we were aware of.

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But deBrun says Sosa and three other drivers he represents must have fallen through the cracks.

The danger of losing your license is massive, deBrun said. (It) hurts my clients. Makes them worried and stressed out. Whats going to happen to their licenses? They dont know.

deBrun went to court and sorted it out. All four drivers get to keep their licenses.

I need to drive. I dont have no one to go with me. I need my license to drive, Sosa said.

If youre in this situation and dont have a lawyer, go to Mecklenburg County courthouse and go to the Clerks Office, or you can speak directly with a prosecutor. Theyre available 1:30-3 p.m. Monday through Thursday in courtroom 1130.

VIDEO: More than 16K charges erroneously dismissed due to computer error, DA says
An image of a cable car taken in Chamonix, France, in July 2016. Godong/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

A tourist crashed through a ski-lift window and fell to his death in the French Alps.

The man, 29, fell 130 feet and landed on a piste marker, The Independent reports.

An investigation into the death is being conducted by the public prosecutor's office.

A man fell 130 feet to his death from a ski-lift window in the French Alps on Saturday.

The unidentified man, 29, was traveling down a mountain inside an enclosed ski lift in the Deux Alpes resort in Grenoble with a friend when he smashed through the plexiglass window, Grenoble prosecutor Eric Vaillant told The Independent's Andy Gregory on Monday. News of the incident was first reported on Saturday by French media outlets Le Dauphine Libere and France Bleu, The Independent added.

The man landed on a piste marker, the Grenoble prosecutor's office told The Independent.

The man, from Annonay in France's Ardeche region, was accompanied by a friend, a 23-year-old man, in the ski lift before the accident took place, according to France Bleu. The two men were filming themselves inside the lift and were thought to be drunk when the incident occurred, Vaillant said in French in a statement issued to Insider.

"As indicated in the France Bleu article, two young men aged 29 and 23, who were drunk, were messing around in the gondola and the 29-year-old crossed the plexiglass wall and fell 40 meters to his death. The scene was filmed by his friend on his phone," Vaillant said in a statement issued to Insider in French by the Grenoble prosecutor's office.

Vaillant added that the public prosecutor's department has taken over the investigation into the death from the local La Mure police and that an examination of the ski lift is planned.

It's not clear from Vaillant's statement who thought the skiers were drunk, however a French police spokesperson told The Independent it's possible that the man "was completely drunk and running for fun against the windows of the cabin."

On Saturday, France Bleu reported that a toxicology report was underway. A spokesperson for Grenoble prosecutor's office told Insider that they could not provide further details at this time but could confirm the information provided in the France Bleu report.

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Fabrice Boutet, the director of SATA, which manages the Deux-Alpes ski lifts, said that the ski lift is not to blame for the incident.

Boutet told France Bleu that the lifts were in perfect condition and had passed all of the required security tests. And speaking to French broadcaster BFM, Boutet said the cabins are designed to hold 20 people, The Independent reports. The director also told BFM that the cabin was designed to "withstand any shocks that may occur" from abrupt braking and movement, according to The Independent.

Representatives for Deux Alpes resort and Police Municipale Deux Alpes did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Read the original article on Insider
Chief Bobby Cummings will no longer lead the Delaware State University Police force.

After a tumultuous winter for the Dover institution  students protesting campus safety, decrying the handling of sexual assault cases, filling hours of town hall meetings with passionate testimony  the former Wilmington police chief will soon vacate a position he filled roughly two years ago.

Delaware State confirmed the chief "will be retiring from his position effective at the end of May. A university spokesperson told Delaware Online/The News Journal the move was voluntary.

"On behalf of the entire university community, we express our deepest appreciation for Chief Cummings dedicated service as the Chief of Police," said Cleon Cauley, Delaware State's chief operating officer, in a statement Tuesday. "His commitment to maintaining a safe and secure campus has been invaluable, and his leadership has positively impacted our students, faculty and staff."

Cummings was the fourth chief on campus since the departments establishment in 2000. Now, the university will be searching for its fifth while it continues to coordinate the ongoing response to student concerns.

Who is Chief Bobby Cummings?

After his time as the Wilmington Police chief, Bobby Cummings worked for the Department of Health and Social Services to lead a program that hoped to reduce gun violence in Wilmington's largest city.

Cummings had over 30 years of law enforcement experience in Delawares largest city before moving to Dover.

He oversaw both updated technology for the Wilmington department and further diversification of the force as its chief. The Georgia native also participated in President Barack Obamas 21st Century Policing initiative, according to Delaware State.

The tenure wasnt without criticism though, as previously reported by Delaware Online. Crime persisted in Wilmington. And the former chief and his boss, Mayor Dennis P. Williams, oversaw the disbanding of the community policing unit in January 2016, opting instead to adopt a department-wide mentality of community policing.

After stepping away from the Wilmington Police Department in 2017, he sought public office. A 2018 run for state Senate proved unsuccessful.

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By October 2021, Cummings became the chief of Public Safety and Delaware State University Police.

The historically Black university would see its largest growth ever recorded by fall 2022, marking a 40% expansion in the last decade and the largest class in over 130 years. COO Cauley, to whom Cummings reported as chief of police, praised his leadership during this period.

In addition to recent unrest reaching a fever pitch by late January, a September shooting also rocked campus under his watch. Students and parents expressed frustration at the lack of transparent communication in both incidents.

Whats been happening at DSU?

Delaware State University students took to their own Dover campus to protest Wednesday afternoon, Jan. 18, 2023. Over 200 students gathered in front of the public safety building, calling for change within the Delaware State University Police Department.

Delaware State has been rolling out its response to explosive student protests and subsequent unrest.

Hundreds of students filled a campus street Jan. 18 to protest concerns with security, as well as how their university handles cases of sexual assault on campus. Many students shared stories, with some saying they didnt feel safe walking home at night, and others claiming survivors are not taken seriously when reporting assaults.

Town hall meetings, some closed to the public, followed as President Tony Allen crafted his university response just days later.

A new Safe Space Coalition to assess safety protocol would join promises to upgrade campus lighting and cameras, update the blue lights system, garner body cameras for university police, as well as assess existing escort services and counseling hours.

Pressure mounts: Delaware State drops campus safety coalition NDAs: 'We went too far'

What's DSU's Safe Space project? What a $300K grant for Delaware State University aims to address after student protests

A key fixture of that response recently came under fire after Delaware Online reported that the university was requiring any student or member of the coalition to sign confidentiality agreements first.

Delaware State has since dropped the requirement, calling it a step too far. Allen says the coalition is tasked with monthly reporting to the university community.

Dr. Tony Allen, President of Delaware State University, attends DSU's state budget hearing at Legislative Hall in Dover, Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023.

The coalition was awarded last month a $300,000 grant to assist in developing its sexual assault response and prevention program over two years. The "Safe Space Project will be housed at DSU Downtown, Delaware State announced March 6. The university also committed to continuing its funding after these two years.

As Chief Cummings prepares to step away from the university, a timeline for his replacement remains unclear.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY NETWORK: Delaware State University police chief to retire after unrest
Protesters outside the Manhattan courtroom where former President Trump surrendered himself to authorities on Tuesday shouted dueling chants of USA and lock him up, as the proceedings carried on in the court.

The protestors gathered in a public square outside of the courtroom and shouted the chants as Trump became the first sitting or former president to be arrested and face criminal charges.

The former president entered the Manhattan courtroom through a side entrance on Tuesday amid a strong media and law enforcement presence.

Trumps appearance on Tuesday drew calls for protests and demonstrations from the former president himself and his allies. There were also anti-Trump protesters gathered on Tuesday, with clashes between the two groups rising to peaceful dueling chants.

He entered the courtroom after stepping out of his motorcade and waving at the crowd assembled outside the building. Following the proceedings in New York, Trump is expected to return to Florida and deliver remarks from his Mar-a-Lago resort at 8:15 p.m.

Trump posted on his Truth Social platform on his way down to the courthouse, saying it was surreal that he was going to be arrested.

Heading to Lower Manhattan, the Courthouse. Seems so SURREAL  WOW, they are going to ARREST ME. Cant believe this is happening in America. MAGA! Trump wrote.

All three major broadcasters  ABC, NBC and CBS  broke away from their regularly scheduled day time programming to provide live coverage of the Trump arraignment.

Tobias Burns contributed to this report

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Camargue worshippers pay tribute to the Saintes Marie shrine during a pilgrimage to Saintes Maries de la Mer, in the south of France, on Oct. 19, 2019. (Daniel Cole/AP Photo)

Whether you believe she was a penitent prostitute, the wife of Jesus or the apostles apostle, Mary Magdalene and her story have intrigued the nation since Dan Brown published The Da Vinci Code in 2003  and that doesnt include the millions of Catholics and Orthodox in Chicago who for centuries have venerated the saint.

I fell for her two years ago when I sought out women theologians to help me through a period of grief. I learned she was never a prostitute (Pope Gregory the Great made that up). She learned Jesus koans faster than the men, crashed a party to anoint her beloved and refused to crumble over disciples mockery of her. Thats my kind of girl.

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Then, I learned about her French connection. Legend holds that Mary Magdalene fled persecution after Jesus crucifixion. She, his mother, Mary Salome and others left the Holy Land in a makeshift boat, landing in a fishing village called Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer in the south of France. Tradition holds that Mary Magdalene spent the last 30 years of her life in and around Marseille, preaching and baptizing believers until she retired to a grotto in the mountains of Sainte-Baume.

Pilgrims chant during a pilgrimage in Saintes Maries de la Mer, in the south of France, on Oct. 19, 2019. Since the mid-15th century, worshippers have paid tribute to Sainte Marie Jacobe and Sainte Marie Salome by parading their shrines through town and returning their saints to the sea. (Daniel Cole/AP Photo)

Two years later, France called to me, as well. I could play pilgrim: visit the relics of her famous skull, imagining her face. I could climb a mountain to touch the rock walls of her sacred dwelling  the piece de resistance of every devotees trip. This was also in Provence, which meant lavender. Wine. Cheese. Sun.

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I joined a tour bookended by stays in Marseille for 10 days in October.

I would be in good company. Roughly 18% of the 87 million tourists visiting France each year come for spiritual or religious reasons, a rising trend, according to data from Future Market Insights, a New York-based research firm. Peak season for Mary Magdalene trips is around July 22, her feast day.

A pilgrimage to Mary Magdalene is a pilgrimage of the heart, said Ariana Brackenbury, who leads sacred pilgrimages in France.

Worshippers of the Confrerie des Saintes Marie complete their pilgrimage by wading into the sea near Saintes Maries de la Mer, in the south of France, on Oct. 20, 2019. Since the mid-15th century worshippers have paid tribute to Sainte Marie Jacobe and Sainte Marie Salome by parading statues representing the saints through town and then dipping in the sea. (Daniel Cole/AP Photo)

To see Mary Magdalenes shrines, one doesnt need a tour  although solo travelers will find a car is often necessary  but I chose to travel with Magdalene Sacred Journeys, a tour group run by Veronique Flayol since 2004.

I was born in St. Maximin, where she lived the last 30 years of her life and is buried, at the foot of the Sainte-Baume mountain, Flayol said. Its my universe.

She and her husband  she did the teaching, he the driving  led our intimate group of three to visit the St. Mary Magdalene Basilica at Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume that houses her skull and bones; Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer to witness a seaside procession honoring Mary Salome; and to La Sainte-Baume, the Holy Mountain.

Mary Magdalene's skull is protected by an iron grate at the Basilica of St. Mary Magdalene in St. Maximin. It sits above her alabaster sarcophagus. (Erika Hobbs/For The Chicago Tribune)

We also made our way to Cathar country  Cathars believed Jesus and the Magdalene were married  including the fortified city of Carcassone and Rennes-le-Chateau, home of the Church of Mary Magdalene made famous by The DaVinci Code.

We opened the visit with a stop at St. Mary Magdalene Basilica in Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume. In the crypt, behind iron bars, rests a gilded reliquary containing what the Catholic Church believes is her skull, the one researchers used to reconstruct her face. Amid the thick silence in the cold, dark crypt, I could hear my own heart beat.

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Flamingos stand in ornithological park of Pont de Gau in Les Saintes-Maries de la Mer in the nature reserve of Camargue, near Marseille, southern France, on Feb. 28, 2006. (Claude Paris/AP Photo)

Later, on the way to Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, the capital of the Camargue, we stopped to see the regions famous pink flamingoes and white horses. By the time we made it to town, wind-whipped by the Mediterranean sea, the parade for St. Mary Salome was lining up. What seemed like every town resident spilled out onto the streets, waving banners and singing traditional hymns. We followed them through the winding streets to the beach, where priests marched into the rushing sea to bless the saints statues. Locals believe the Magdalene and her companions docked in this area.

At Rennes le Bains, we watched people swim in waters they find healing just outside ruins of Roman baths. And at Rennes-le-Chateau, with its own Church of St. Mary Magdalene, we marveled at the religious confection built by controversial priest Francois-Berenger Sauniere, who was suspended from the priesthood for allegedly selling Masses and cooking the churchs books. Nevertheless, Sauniere used some of the money to build the church, and he encoded secret messages in the artwork.

Then, finally, the mountain. It rises from an ancient forest where some believers say fertility goddesses once lived. The Dominican Order has long taken care of the site and built a chapel and hostel nearby. The grounds are accessible only by car and hiking is the only way to get to the cave at the top. Its a 45-minute walk canopied by hickory, yew, linden and other trees, and dotted with plenty of resting spots so you can take your time, picnic or meditate.

On the ascent, the path changes from earth to stone. The Dominicans placed plaques and statues of the Holy Family along the way as if they were pumping you up on your way. But nothing prepares you for the cliff.

At the top stands the Pieta of the Grotto of Sainte-Marie-Madeleine, Marthe Spitzers stunning sculpture of Mary cradling the body of Jesus as the Magdalene weeps at her feet. If you walk 30 steps to the cliffs ledge, gaze at the haze over green trees and let the wind lift your hair, youll know why the faithful believe angels lifted Mary Magdalene into the heavens.

A statue in the grotto at La Sainte-Baume, the shrine for Mary Magdalene. (Erika Hobbs/For the Chicago Trib)

Inside the cave, my hands shook, whether from magic, divine love or the thought of hewing a chapel into rock, I dont know. The energy is palpable. Drops of water from the walls plink and echo. Just beyond the marble altar, a gilded box holds chips of Mary Magdalenes tibia. Flayol pointed out the artwork on its blue pedestal that depicted the refugees with a body prone on the boats floor. Locals believe what others call heresy: that it depicts the body of Jesus.

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At the end of the tour, I hopped a train back to Marseille and checked into the Hotel Maison Saint Louis Vieux Port, a stones throw from the famed Noailles market. I headed to Les Bains Sherazade, a hammam, for steam, a black olive body scrub and massage. I wandered through Noailles, the Arabic market, intoxicated by turmeric and cinnamon and in love with handwoven baskets. On my last night, I snagged a coveted reservation for a five-course dinner at La Mercerie.

A whirlwind, for sure. But my soul was fed.

While we were in Saint-Maximin, our group stayed at a family-run, three-star hotel called Hotel de France and dined at its sister restaurant, Cote Jardin. The hotel is charming and efficient, the food divine. If chanterelles are on the menu, dont skip them. We also stayed in Alet les Bains at Hotel lEveche, an enchanting former 14th century monastery. However, is not taking reservations as the owner told us at the time she was selling the place.

You can travel to these sites by flying into Marseilles, Aix-en-Provence or Toulon, but youll need to drive to get to the grottos grounds. My group met in Marseille, which has no direct flights from Chicago. I opted to fly into Paris and take the train to Marseille. Trains are daily, cheap and easy. Be sure to download the Trainline or SNCF apps, or Oiugos, Frances discount train service.

To go to La Sainte-Baume:

According to the Dominican Orders website (saintebaume.org), you should put these coordinates in your GPS:

For the city: Plan-dAups-Sainte-Baume

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For the site: D 80 Nazareth soit Nazareth

The only way to get to the grotto at the top of the mountain is by hiking up on one of two paths. It is not accessible. Entrance is free, and you can pack a picnic or have one delivered by the hostel for only 9 euros apiece. We picked up a catered lunch in St. Maximin before we left for our trip.

Rooms at the hostel (saintebaume.org/hostelry) average about 45 euros for one person per night.

Tour providers:

Magdalene Sacred Journeys (Veronique Flayol, magdalenesacredjourneys.com)

Mary Magdalene Pilgrimages (Ariana Brackenbury, marymagdalenepilgrimages.com)

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Erika Hobbs is a freelance writer.
TALLAHASSEE  In a midway marker of the two-month session, the House and Senate have approved separate state budget proposals  more similar than different.

Republican supermajorities in the two chambers arent about to get into a serious standoff, which could cloud Gov. Ron DeSantis soon-to-be-announced presidential campaign.

But, sure, conflicts remain.

Heres a look at just some of what needs to be settled in the Legislatures homestretch.

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A bumpy bottom line

It doesnt mean much. But its notable that DeSantis, who as governor goes first with making a budget recommendation, weighed in with the biggest of the batch, proposing a $114.8 billion spending plan.

The House is promoting a $113 billion plan, while the Senate would spend $113.7 billion.

Theres something for everyone to like in this budget, said House budget chief Tom Leek, R-Ormond Beach.

House Speaker Paul Renner, R-Palm Coast, and Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, R-Naples, will be central to settling differences on dueling state budget plans.

The next few weeks will see how Leeks sales pitch holds up. Democrats are grumbling that an analysis of the House budget shows that only 4% of spending is on Democratic projects, compared to 96% for those sought by Republicans.

But Democrats still went along in Tuesdays 112-0 budget approval. The Senate backed its plan a day earlier, 39-0.

School daze

In a year where Floridas ruling Republicans approved one of the biggest private school voucher expansions in the nation, its not surprising that school spending also has swollen.

But the House and Senate are taking vastly different approaches to budgeting school dollars. So comparing the two proposals involves some apples and oranges.

Making sense and settling the differences between the House and Senate approaches is going to be critical toward buttoning up the state budget by the Legislatures scheduled May 5 finish.

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Much of the difference stems from the Houses reinivention of the Florida Education Program (FEFP) the system created in 1973 to provide equalized funding and educational opportunities across the state, with allowances for geographic and economic differences.

The FEFP is filled with "categoricals," guiding the distribution of dollars. The House this year eliminates a bunch, rolling money for safe schools, instructional material, classroom supplies and other specific spending into the overall funding base.

As a result, House school spending looks like its on steroids.

The House proposes, for example, a base student allocation increase of $761  eyepopping, next to the $182 recommended by the Senate, which does not radically overhaul the FEFP.

The Senate also takes into account what could be a massive outflow of taxpayer dollars to parents sending their kids to private schools. The voucher expansion effectively eliminates family income restrictions  so any private school or home school parent could collect more than $8,500 in taxpayer cash for each child.

The Senate is setting aside $802 million for all those new voucher students. Its also setting aside $350 million in reserves, just in case even that sizable level of spending falls short.

By contrast, House leaders say theyre not worried about the voucher expansion causing a financial crunch. Its putting aside $361.7 million for voucher kids, and its keeping another $109.7 million in reserve.

Yes, just in case its calculation is off.

Rite of spring: Visit Florida, Enterprise Florida in trouble (again)

The fates of Visit Florida and Enterprise Florida often hang in the balance of a legislative session.

This year is no different.

House Republicans often fall under the sway of Americans for Prosperity, the Koch brothers founded activist organization which ridicules using public dollars to enhance the private sector. AFP and the Kochs were central to killing off the states film incentives program seven years ago, when GOP lawmakers were sensitive to claims they were picking winners and losers.

House Speaker Paul Renner, R-Palm Coast, wants Enterprise Florida erased this year. The business recruting agency, formed in 1996, has been reduced in recent years and Renner says the $13 million it receives could be better used elsewhere in the budget.

Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, R-Naples, doesnt appear fired up about keeping Enterprise Florida. But the Senate spending plan does keep it alive at $13 million for next year.

Still, in what looks like a bit of gamesmanship, the House is also putting Visit Florida on the hot seat.

The House proposes allowing Visit Florida to continue only if 62 county tourist development councils steer a portion of their locally-collected taxes to the state.

Otherwise, the House would wipe out the agency, which advocates say has been instrumental in luring tourists back to a battered state after the Great Recession, the COVID-19 pandemic and, last years Hurricane Ian.

While the House is ready to pull the plug, the Senate recommends $80 million for Visit Florida, and DeSantis wants $100 million.

Visit Florida, at the moment, appears to have more allies than Enterprise Florida. And it looks like the House may be positioning for budget negotiations with the Senate, where having two agencies on the chopping block may improve Renners case that at least Enterprise Florida should get the ax.

Green light for green dollars

Environmental spending often proves combative between House and Senate leaders. But that perennial clash has eased since Floridas water woes have magnified and algal blooms plague coasts popular with tourists and home to many Republican voters.

DeSantis, to paraphrase Kermit the Frog, has found that its politically easy being green.

And this year, lawmakers look ready to put plenty of cash into the environment.

Florida Forever, the states land-buying program, is poised to draw $100 million from the House and $75 million from the Senate, with the House going so far as to make its set-aside recurring dollars, potentially ending what is often a year-to-year clash.

Funding for Everglades restoration tops $560 million in both sides. Piney Point cleanup looks bound to get $85 million, with the House and Senate allocating that amount for the latest installment of environmental repair needed after the Manatee County phosphate facility in 2021 dumped millions of gallons of wastewater into Tampa Bay.

Freshwater springs, always threatened by Florida development, get $50 million for protection and restoration in the two chambers. The Indian River Lagoon would get $100 million from each side to combat algae blooms.

Resilient Florida, meant by Floridas GOP rulers to fix and sometimes avoid the damage coastal communities face from rising seas, gets at least $300 million from both chambers.

After a year of powerful hurricanes, the Senate would spend $150 million on beach restoration, while the House tops that at $200 million.

Capitol Complex? It's complicated

The idea from DeSantis Department of Management Services to expand the boundaries of the Florida Capitol Complex and create a Memorial Park across the street from the Old Capitol is drawing heat from members of both parties.

Jewish Democrats and Republicans are angered by plans to include a long-delayed Holocaust Memorial in the park  near, but not, at the Capitol.

Rep. Randy Fine, R-Palm Bay, has called out DMS for promising that the Holocaust Memorial would be dedicated at the Capitol next year  even as the agency was working on plans to locate the memorial across the street, likely at a later date.

The budget-related legislation has been advancing. But the criticism its drawing indicates the Memorial Park still needs more work.

DeSantis State Guard expansion also is up in the air. The House puts $108 million for the governors plan to expand the supplemental law enforcement force under his command from 400 members to 1,500 people, with planes, boats and helicopters ready to use.

The Senate isnt funding the DeSantis force. But stay tuned once House-Senate budget negotiations begin.

Time will tell, Renner said about upcoming budget talks.

John Kennedy is a reporter in the USA TODAY Networks Florida Capital Bureau. He can be reached at jkennedy2@gannett.com, or on Twitter at @JKennedyReport

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Florida state budgets: 5 things lawmakers still have to settle
Holy Week is the most sacred time in Christianity. From Palm Sunday to the victory of Easter seven days later is what defines the faith.

There is no Christian religion without the resurrection of Jesus. And there is no resurrection without his crucifixion  and no crucifixion without understanding why, just a few days before his arrest, Jesus was hailed as a hero when he entered Jerusalem with throngs waving palms and shouting hosannahs.

Biblical scholar Dr. Eugenia Scarvelis Constantinou, an adjunct professor at the Franciscan School of Theology at the University of San Diego, said that what Jesus did just a few miles from Jerusalem is key to understanding Palm Sunday and the entirety of the week. Jesus raised Lazaurus from the dead.

HOLY WEEK LEADS THE FAITHFUL TO EASTER SUNDAY: HERE ARE THE SPECIAL DAYS OBSERVED AND WHAT THEY MEAN

"It says in the Scriptures," she said. "John tells us that it's because of the raising of Lazarus that Jesus received this kind of welcome as he entered into Jerusalem. And when he gets hailed ... as the Messiah, which had a lot of political overtones in those days, this is when the Jewish leaders said, You see, the whole world is going after him. We have to do something about it. We have to stop him."

Constantinou is an expert on ancient Jewish and Roman law. She has six degrees, including a law degree. In her book, "The Crucifixion of the King of Glory," she uncovers the political intrigue that condemned Jesus.

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

Clergy and parishioners are shown holding palms during the procession as part of a Palm Sunday service.

On an upcoming episode of "Lighthouse Faith" podcast, she talks about the book, which is an historical nonfiction narrative but delves into all the twists and turns of any crime drama, with characters fulfilling roles of infamy. There's the jealous religious leaders fearing loss of power, the company man concerned about keeping his job and keeping order ... and a betrayer whose love of wealth overcomes his love for a friend.

For three years Jesus had been gaining followers in countryside towns and remote areas healing the sick, blind and crippled. The Jewish people loved him. But the religious leaders, the Pharisees, Saducees, scribes and elders feared his influence.

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He was on their radar long before he entered Jerusalem. But now that he was close to their home base, a confrontation was imminent. They had the most to lose if the people began following this itinerant rabbi who had no formal training.

PALM SUNDAY: THE FINAL ENTRY OF JESUS INTO JERUSALEM WAS A FULL-CIRCLE MOMENT, SAYS D.C. FAITH LEADER

Constantinou is Greek Orthodox, married to an orthodox priest.

She told "Lighthouse Faith," "The Orthodox Church is the oldest continuous church. It goes back to the time of the apostles. Now, of course, this is what Catholics say, too, but Catholicism has changed tremendously over the centuries. Anybody who visits an Orthodox church will see that it is like stepping back in time to the early church."

Even in America, the faithful still hear the New Testament read in the original Greek language. It's that tie to the first century and understanding its cultural norms that makes Constantinou's narrative unique.

Wooden cross on palm leaves, Palm Sunday. It is during Holy Week, writes Lauren Green, "that the religious leaders looked to trap Jesus in not only violating the laws of Moses, Jewish law  but Roman law as well."

The Orthodox Holy Week begins the Saturday before Palm Sunday with a service commemorating the raising of Lazarus. Lazarus and his two sisters, Mary and Martha, were close friends of Jesus.

The Bible doesn't illuminate much more on their relationship except to say that he loved them. When Jesus finally arrives in Bethany to their home, Lazarus had been dead four days. Martha meets him outside the house and berates Jesus for not arriving sooner.

"Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died."

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Jesus answers her, "Your brother shall rise again"  and then, "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet he shall live" (John 11).

Bethany was about two miles from Jerusalem and the Jewish temple, the seat of religious power. When people saw a man being raised from the dead, the news spread like wildfire.

People ran to tell everyone they knew and especially in Jerusalem, where the city was packed with worshipers coming to the only Jewish temple in the world for Passover.

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Constantinou writes in her book, "Only the Orthodox Church celebrates the Saturday of Lazarus, illuminating not only the spiritual significance but the historical connection between the raising of Lazaus and the Lord's entry into Jerusalem."

Now the stage is set.

Jesus enters Jerusalem, riding on a donkey no less, fulfilling Zechariah's prophecy, "See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey!"

It's enough to set religious leaders on edge, because they know the prophecy  they know what Jesus is doing. They also know the people see it as well.

So, it is during this week that the religious leaders looked to trap Jesus in not only violating the laws of Moses, Jewish law  but Roman law as well.

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They want Jesus put to death.

But they can't do that without the help of the Romans.

Lazaurus is the first catalyst.

Lent is a time of prayer, fasting and almsgiving as preparation for the upcoming celebration of Easter. Holy Week, in part, commemorates Jesus' entry into Jerusalem after he raised Lazarus from the dead.

The second is the cleansing of the temple when Jesus overturns the money tables and says, "My house should be a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves."

The temple was a huge complex occupying a quarter of the land of Jerusalem. For people traveling far distances to make their passover sacrifices, many couldn't carry the animals, so they bought them at the temple. Sometimes they had to exchange money just like we do today, traveling from the U.S. to Europe, dollars for Euros.

FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT: CHANGE WITHIN OURSELVES COMES FROM LIGHT OF CHRIST, NYC PASTOR SAYS

But this kind of activity is not what Jesus is angry about. It's the corruption of the high priests and chief priests  those who got wealthy off the temple operations. These are the men who hated Jesus.

Said Constantinou, "They were worried that he could start a revolt and this would lead to them losing their power and their positions, which primarily centered around the temple, and that tremendous amount of extraordinary power that they had politically, religiously and all the money that flowed in from the temple."

So during this week they try to trap him, catch him saying something seditious. One of the traps is sending a scribe, a lawyer, to ask, "Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar?"

If Jesus says "no," then he's an enemy of Rome and could be accused of mounting an insurrection.

Just a few days before his arrest, Jesus was hailed as a hero when he entered Jerusalem with throngs waving palms and shouting hosannahs.

If he says "yes," then he's downgraded in the eyes of the people, for the people hated Rome and its oppressive rule.

But Jesus famously asks to see a coin. The coin has Caeasar's image. He says, "Render under Caesar that which belongs to Caesar. And render unto God that which is God's."

Theologians say that Jesus is saying to the religious leaders, and to us, that image bearing is crucial. The coin bears Caesar image. It belongs to him.

But we bear God's image. Therefore, we belong to God.

They were stumped.

Constantinou gives many more examples of the religious leaders trying to confuse Jesus. But each time Jesus shows that he has the theological upper hand, an understanding of Scripture far deeper, wider and higher than anyone has shown previously.

WITH FAITH UNDER FIRE TODAY, DR. JAMES SPENCER SHARES RECIPE FOR CHRISTIAN RESISTANCE

Because of that, his death sentence is a foregone conclusion. But the religious leaders can't arrest him in broad daylight while the crowds are near.

They must do it at night, when he's unprotected, and before the Sabbath and Passover.

All during Holy Week, Christians read Bible passages that describe Jesus' entry into Jerusalem  and the days leading up to his death and resurrection.

It's now Thursday  the day of the betrayer.

Judas Iscariot was one of the 12 apostles. He's a character in the drama that some people have tried to understand and sympathize with. But Constantinou will have none of it. Plain and simple, she said, "He did for the money!"

She told "Lighthouse Faith," "If you are a Christian and you believe that the Bible is an inspired word of God and that it is honest and historically accurate, you cannot cook up these reasons because there is one motive and one motive only that's given to us in the Bible, and that is money."

So after the Apostles share the Passover meal in the upper room  what Christians call "the Last Supper"  Judas goes to do his dirty work. It is night. It is quiet.

Judas leads the arresting guards to the Mount of Olives where Jesus and the other apostles are. Jesus is arrested. His followers scatter.

Jesus' trial is for the most part a mockery of justice. Jewish law says you cannot convict someone on the basis of only one witness. There must be at least two. It takes them a while to find two people who they coerce to say something Jesus did was evil and blasphemous.

All of the witnesses make statements that are half-truths and/or lies. Nonetheless, Jesus is convicted.

But the religious leaders don't want him just convicted: They want him disgraced. They want him crucified. Jewish law says, "Cursed is anyone who is hung from a tree."

Crucifixion was not just slow torture, it meant a person was cursed by God. And no messiah would ever suffer such a fate.

THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT: GOD WILL QUENCH OUR 'SPIRITUAL HUNGER AND THIRST,' SAYS BALTIMORE PRIEST

The man for the job was the governor of Judea, Pontius Pilate. Pilate is Roman, the symbol of Roman oppression to the Jewish people. But he's learned to work with the Jewish chief priests and the high priests to keep order among the people. Both have benefited from the arrangement.

Jesus is a threat to that.

Constintinou says it's clear from Scripture that Pilate has no idea who Jesus is until the religious leaders bring him and demand he be put to death. He had no reason to do so.

Jesus wasn't mounting an insurrection.

He wasn't telling people not to pay their taxes. There would be no reason for Pilate to be concerned about this country rabbi.

SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT: GOD'S GREATEST BLESSINGS MAY BE UNEXPECTED, SAYS WASHINGTON PASTOR

So even Pilate won't put a man to death without a conviction violating some Roman law. A charge of being "an evildoer" just doesn't quite justify the death penalty.

Yet the religious leaders know what will convince Pilate. They know what he fears. He fears Caesar's wrath. And this is where they corner him.

Constantinou said, "The Jewish leaders say if you don't put him to death, you are no friend of Caesar."

Pilate knew there was a leading adviser to Tiberius Caesar who had been put to death for treason only a few months before this. And the Jewish leaders are hinting because they know about the politics; they know what's going on in Rome.

"I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet he shall live."

Said Constantinou, "Now they use this as their trump card and they force Pilate to condemn Jesus to death. It is after they say, 'You're no friend of Caesar,' that he immediately to sentences Jesus to death."

Poor Pilate. He wanted to let Jesus go, even offered to release him as a Passover gift. But instead the religious leaders ask for Barabbas, a murderer and insurrectionist.

A lot has been debated about who is responsible for the death of Jesus. Was it the Romans? Was it the Jews?

\What Constantinou makes clear is that human sin is what condemned Jesus. Pride, greed, self-righteousness, all the seven deadlies that linger in every human heart.

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It is for this reason that Jesus was born  to live the life that we couldn't live, one without sin.

To die the death that we deserve, excruciating separation from God.

And to free us from our ultimate enemy, death itself.

On Easter Sunday, the Orthodox sing the ancient hymn Christos Anesti.

The words are, "Christ is risen from the dead, Trampling down death by death, And upon those in the tombs, Bestowing life!"

Jesus' words to Martha are words to us as well: "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet he shall live."
Fans of Disney and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson have a big reason to celebrate this week.

In Disney's annual shareholder meeting, led yesterday by CEO Bob Iger, Johnson was featured in a special pre-recorded message to announce the big news that the 2016 hit "Moana" is going to be revived in an upcoming live action remake.

Not only that, but Johnson will reprise his role as demigod Maui in the movie.

The video was filmed in Hawaii and featured the wrestling pro turned movie star with his two youngest daughters, Jasmine, 7, and Tiana, 4.

DWAYNE JOHNSON'S DAUGHTER DOESN'T BELIEVE HE VOICED MAUI FROM DISNEY'S MOANA: YOURE THE ROCK'

Dwayne Johnson attended the "Moana" animated film premiere in 2016.

"We are here on the island of Oahu where I did a lot of my growing up," he explained as he walked along the beach with his children.

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"As you know, Hawaii means so much to my family and me, and the traditions of our ohana, or aiga,' as we say in Samoa, were shaped by these incredible islands."

DWAYNE JOHNSON SURPRISES MOM WITH NEW CADILLAC FOR CHRISTMAS: YOU DESERVE A LOT MORE

He said the Pacific Islands inspired "a very special story," and his daughters gleefully revealed that that story was "Moana."

"We are so happy and excited to announce that a live-action reimagining of Moana is in the works," he announced.

He assured fans that the new film would include "Moana, Gramma Tala, the music, the dance, Te Fiti, Pua the pig, the village, the beautiful, powerful ocean "

Johnson teased one more fan favorite appearance before confirming that Moana's chicken, Heihei, would also be included in the cast, then slipped in that "yours truly Maui will be in it too."

Johnson will be reviving the role, and as he went on to share that much of the original inspiration for the character came from his own late grandfather, "the legendary High Chief, Peter Maivia."

He said, "In a way, when I bring Maui to life, I'm doing it in the spirit of my grandfather."

The team, which includes Johnson and the original voice of Moana, Aulii Cravalho, as executive producers, is still "very early in the process" of filming, and he acknowledged that there's still "so much work to be done."

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He then sent his daughters off to get a special surprise, and they brought back a life-size version of Maui's fishhook, the source of his powers in the movie.

Dwayne Johnson said his original inspiration for his role in "Moana" came from his late grandfather.

Johnson elaborated on the news in a statement he posted to Instagram, saying, "Im deeply humbled and overcome with gratitude to bring the beautiful story of Moana to the live-action big screen. This story is my culture, and this story is emblematic of our peoples grace and warrior strength."

He continued, "I wear this culture proudly on my skin and in my soul, and this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reunite with Maui, inspired by the mana and spirit of my late grandfather, High Chief Peter Maivia, is one that runs very deep for me.

"Were honored to partner with @DisneyStudios to tell our story through the realm of music and dance, which at the core is who we are as Polynesian people. Much more to come, but until then What can I saaaaaay except Youre welcome."
These are the big EastEnders spoilers for the week of 10-13 April 2023. (BBC)

Sam wants to leave EastEnders for a new job in Spain next week  but will she really leave her son in the lurch? Meanwhile Stacey makes a huge decision about how shes going to raise money in a hurry, the aftermath of the crash sees Denise vent her anger at Ravi, plus Eve wants to bring Nish to book.

Its your EastEnders spoilers for 10-13 April, 2023.

Stacey gets desperate

Freddie Slater (BOBBY BRAZIER); Stacey Slater (LACEY TURNER) (BBC)

Stacey is horrified to find Shiv in the Slaters kitchen. But when Eve bursts in and attacks him Shiv retaliates by telling Stacey that she needs to pay her debts in full by the following day.

So, as Lily celebrates her impending motherhood with a gender reveal party, Stacey continues to panic about how shes going to come up with the money. And pressure mounts further thanks to an enormous electricity bill and a reminder from Honey that her pitch fees at the market are due.

Read more: Next week's Emmerdale spoilers revealed

Read more: Next week's Coronation Street spoilers revealed

Freddie then admits that he couldnt get by without the money he makes selling his feet pics on SecretCam. And after a chat with Linda about her page three modelling days, Stacey ends up making a big decision

Eve vows to bring down Nish

Jack Branning (SCOTT MASLEN); Eve Unwin (HEATHER PEACE) (BBC)

Eve and Suki return from their business trip all loved up. But the pair crash back down to earth when Vinny asks Eve to get involved with plans to throw a surprise party for Nish.

When Eve then finds out from Vinny that Nish sent him over so his dad spend time with Suki, shes left devastated. Eves fear is that Suki is being coerced into sleeping with Nish, but she insists not and says she shares her bed with him to avoid any suspicion. Eve then confesses that she cant take the subterfuge anymore because shes in love with Suki, but the object of her affection cant say the words back.

Later, Nish and Eve find that a meeting with shady Arjun to discuss their chicken shop money laundering business is about to go south, only for Suki and Vinny to turn up and save the day with some tough negotiating. But Nish is simmering and has a go at the late arrivals for undermining him. And when Eve tries to defend Suki, shes heartbroken when she tells her she can fight her own battles.

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Read more: Soap stars who went on to have normal jobs

In the aftermath of all this, Eve will then be seen heading over to Jacks and outlining her intentions  she wants to turn informant and serve up Nishs head on a platter. But theres more trouble coming for both Eve and Suki when Nish calls the hotel where they stayed in Leeds and discovers only one room was booked.

Sam to abandon Ricky when he needs her most?

Sam Mitchell (KIM MEDCALF) (BBC)

Sam has been offered a new business opportunity, with ex-fiance Don wanting to instal her as manager of a flash new hotel in Spain. But when Jack discovers her plan, hes angered by the prospect of Sam abandoning Ricky again.

Sam later confides in Honey that all she wants to do is make money for the baby. Honeys advice? That Sam should go for it, as it could be life-changing for Ricky to have that level of financial support.

Crash aftermath continues

Kim Fox (TAMEKA EMPSON) (BBC)

Howie is in no mood to listen to a repentant Kims pleas  as far as hes concerned, she nearly killed his son.

Nugget, meanwhile, is left scared when Denise knocks their door down and later incessantly rings Ravis phone. At Walford East, Denise finally catches up with Ravi and they have a massive argument about Chelseas alibi. But when a plate smashes outside the room where theyre arguing, the pair freak out. Just who has overheard their words?

Watch: Natalie Cassidy pays tribute to Barbara Windsor
From the curb, the two-story home on Ballad Avenue in Greece appears to be a well-maintained house, but a real estate listing that went viral offers an egg-stra Easter surprise inside.

Upon viewing the listing's photos, the Easter Bunny makes a repeated appearance - lounging on a couch, removing a carton of eggs from a refrigerator, peering out a window and taking a bath.

Real estate agents Colleen Bracci and Marissa DelVecchio, both of RE/MAX Realty Group, represent the seller of 390 Ballad Ave. and thought up the creative idea. Inside the costume is DelVecchio, who Bracci described as a quirky and fun coworker.

Bracci, who has been a real estate agent in the Rochester region since 1984, said she's always been a bit of an unconventional agent, as her father had been. She said she is always looking for a way to stand out and has "always tried to be a bit edgy."

The house was featured this week on Zillow Gone Wild, which has garnered more than a million views (and counting) on the Instagram post alone. Zillow Gone Wild features out of the ordinary listings including properties where celebrities once lived or were featured in films, ostentatious mansions or homes with unique features, such as a pyramid-shaped home or a geodesic dome.

The Easter Bunny removes a carton of eggs from the fridge at 390 Ballad Ave., in Greece. Photos of the house went viral in March 2023 after it was featured on Zillow Gone Wild.

"It took off way more than I ever thought it would," Bracci said.

The split-level 2,872-square-foot house was built in 1965 and was listed at $219,900. After 85 showings of the four-bedroom, 2.5-bathroom home in a five-day span, the property owners received 25 offers, Bracci said.

"It went for well, well over what it was listed for," more than $50,000 over the asking price, she said. And while the house has been spoken for, Bracci said she's pleased that the listing "brought a lot of attention to Rochester," where real estate property sales are more affordable that other parts of the country.

The house sits on a third of an acre on Ballad Avenue, a residential road in a neighborhood off Maiden Lane and Long Pond Road within the Greece Central School District.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: House for sale in Greece NY goes viral on Zillow Gone Wild
Ask any pet owner if their beloved companion has a personality and you'll most often get an emphatic "yes". But now tiger researchers can nod along too -- a study published Wednesday reveals that the world's largest felines have individual character traits.

The behaviour of the 248 Siberian tigers observed through a personality test showed that the endangered cats had unique traits influencing both their success in reproduction and survival, researchers reported in the journal Royal Society Open Science.

"We found that tigers are very individual, and that people who've worked with them and know them well see their individual personalities," co-author Rosalind Arden of the London School of Economics told AFP.

The study adapted a commonly used human personality test to explore tiger traits such as confidence, sincerity, bullying and savagery in two separate populations of tigers held in semi-captivity in China.

Questionnaires with a list of 70 personality indicators were filled out by veterinarians and feeders who work with the tigers on a daily basis.

The combined results found that both tiger populations displayed characteristics that fell into two overarching personality categories: majesty and steadiness.

Tigers scoring higher for "majesty" were healthier, preyed more on live animals, and ate and mated more.

They were also "regarded by their human raters as having higher group status among tigers," the study said.

But being collaborative and gentler had its evolutionary benefits too: "steady" tigers were shown to be gentler, more sincere and more loving.

Such traits may play a role in the unusual length of time -- two to three years -- that tiger cubs remain with their mothers.

The study found very few sex-related differences in tigers' personalities, however, and father tigers have also been observed taking part in raising their young.

"It's pleasant to see that you don't have to be dominant, fierce, competitive and aggressive in order to succeed as a tiger," said Arden.

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Similar studies illuminating the personality and mental abilities of primates have helped humanise them, Arden said.

"There is evidence that it does, in fact, improve animal welfare and conservation," she added.

Siberian tigers are endangered due to poaching and habitat loss. Only around 500 remain living in the wild.

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Robin Rosecrans, a Van Nuys resident, votes in the City Council District 6 race on Tuesday. (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

Community activist Imelda Padilla led Tuesday night in initial returns in the special election to represent the eastern and central San Fernando Valley on the Los Angeles City Council.

Marisa Alcaraz, Rose Grigoryan and Marco Santana trailed Padilla.

The results could shift as more mail-in ballots are counted in the coming days. If no candidate gets more more than 50% of the vote, a June runoff between the top two finishers is planned.

Padilla, Alcaraz and Santana had ample funding and powerful elected officials supporting their campaigns for the District 6 seat. The race featured seven candidates total, including political newcomers, former and current aides to elected officials, and community volunteers.

Santana, who works for a homelessness services provider, is endorsed by L.A. City Councilmember Nithya Raman. Padilla is backed by Rep. Tony Cardenas and City Councilmember Monica Rodriguez. Alcaraz, a top advisor to City Councilmember Curren Price, has his support.

Grigoryan raised more than $59,000 and drew support from the region's Armenian community. She runs a marketing company and formerly worked as a journalist.

The District 6 seat became available after Nury Martinez resigned in October following revelations that she made racist remarks in a closed-door meeting.

Unions, corporations and other special interests pumped more than $270,000 into the race, with most of those funds supporting Padilla and Alcaraz.

A committee backed by the city's police union spent more than $70,000 to oppose Santana over his stance against a city law barring homeless camps from some areas.

Turnout was expected to be relatively low because of voter apathy and a distrust of city government. Still, some Valley residents said the incident involving Martinez spurred them to vote.

"It was somewhat shocking to the community," said Robin Rosecrans, 33, after he left a Van Nuys voting center on Tuesday. "I wanted to have my voice heard."

Rosecrans would not say who he voted for. But he said he picked the candidate that he believed would be most effective at handling crime, his top concern.

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In Sun Valley, Alison Quevedo dropped off her family's vote-by-mail ballots at a voting center. Quevedo, 23, said her mother was a big fan of Padilla, so everyone in the family voted for her.

Quevedo's neighborhood was blanketed with Padilla signs, she added, and Padilla was the only candidate who knocked on her family's door.

"Her team was really on it," Quevedo said.

Santana arrived early Tuesday morning at a Van Nuys voting center. His mother, Maria, joined him although she is ineligible to vote because she lives just outside the district.

City Council candidate Marco Santana, right, arrives to vote in Tuesday's election. (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

The candidate was up by 5 a.m. to put fliers on residents' doors, he said.

"I feel good," said Santana, as a television news camera operator set up in the parking lot to film him.

Vote by mail ballots that are postmarked by election day will be accepted until April 11. The winner will face another election for this seat in March 2024, when Martinez's term was due to expire.

Homelessness was one of the top issues in the race.

Alcaraz and Padilla approve of 41.18, the city's anti-camping law, arguing restrictions are needed around schools, parks and other areas. Grigoryan supports it, but wants changes in how its carried out. Santana opposes the law.

The biggest drama in the race centered around campaign fliers. A door hanger sent by Santana's campaign drew complaints from the L.A. County Democratic Party because the hanger stated the candidate was endorsed by the Democratic Party. (The county Democratic Party didn't endorse in the race.)

Scott Mann, Santanas communications director, defended the flier by saying that Santana has the support of several Democratic clubs, including the Democratic Party of the San Fernando Valley.

A mailer sent by a committee associated with United Food & Commercial Workers Local 700 also drew criticism for inaccurately stating Alcaraz was endorsed by Spanish-language newspaper La Opinion. The paper hasn't endorsed anyone and the union, which is supporting Alcaraz, issued an apology.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Today is an important day: Election Day.

Your vote is crucial. Its your chance to be heard and to help shape the future of your community and your school districts.

More than 600 candidates are running for mayor, town council and school board in dozens of communities across southwestern Illinois.

Well be posting live updates of unofficial results in the metro-east at bnd.com after the polls close Tuesday night and as results are counted.

Heres some answers to questions you might have about the election:

What time will the polls open and close?

Polls will open at 6 a.m. and close at 7 p.m.

Where can I find the views of the candidates running in local elections?

The Belleville News-Democrat reached out to about 300 of the candidates who are in contested races on Tuesday and asked them to complete a detailed candidate questionnaire.

You can find responses from candidates in competitive races in the BND Voter Guide on our site by typing this URL - bit.ly/bndguide23 - in the address bar of your web browser.

On this page, you will see links to the following eight groups of candidates:

Where can I find my polling place?

Check your voter registration card. If you cant find that card, you can go to the Illinois State Board of Elections website, click on the Information for voters tab on the upper left and then click on Registration/polling place lookup. Then type in your ZIP code and street address to see your polling place.

You can also check with your county clerks office.

What if I see something that concerns me at a polling place?

The Illinois State Board of Elections recommends that you speak with an election judge at the polling place. In St. Clair County, you can call the county clerks office at 618-825-2366 to report a concern. You also can send an email to VoterIntegrity@stclaircountyil.gov.

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Can I still mail in my ballot?

Yes, but the ballot must be postmarked by Tuesday, April 4, and arrive by April 18 to be counted.

When can I put my mail-in ballot in a drop box?

It must be dropped off by 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 4.

Can I drop off my mail-in ballot at an Illinois polling place? No, but you can vote at your polling place if you surrender your mail-in ballot to election judges.

Can I still vote April 4 if Im not registered?

Yes. Several sites in the metro-east are offering grace period registration, but you must register and vote in the same visit.

If I have a physical disability, how can I get help at my polling place?

You can go to the polling place with a companion who can help you complete a ballot if the person signs an affidavit.

When will the election results be finalized?

Local election authorities must complete their canvass of election results by April 25.
One day before a pivotal local election that could determine the future of the sprawling Foxconn site, a defamation lawsuit has been filed against Village President Dave DeGroot, who is fighting to hold onto his seat.

Kelly Gallaher, long-time Foxconn and village critic, who is challenging DeGroot, filed the suit Monday in Racine County Circuit Court against DeGroot and campaign manager Sam Wahlen over comments made during a board meeting in February and on social media involving her affiliation with a defunct business.

DeGroot publicly said Gallaher is "unfit to hold public office" because of her involvement in the Senior Campus at Campbell Woods LLC. He said Gallaher will receive money from an upcoming sale of the business, which was "foreclosed on them due to numerous missed loan payments and in addition owed $70,000 in back taxes."

Gallaher has repeatedly said she is not a business partner and has never been involved in any board meetings, votes or business decisions of Senior Campus at Campbell Woods, LLC. She was gifted one share of the business.

On March 15, a cease and desist notice was forwarded to DeGroot and Wahlen by Gallahers Racine attorney Anne Cohen of Devine Hahn Attorneys at Law. According to the complaint, DeGroot and Wahlen have continued to make false claims about her.

"(DeGroot) has fabricated these malicious statements in a desperate attempt to deceive voters," Gallaher said in a statement. "(He) has been negotiating for the purchase of property owned by the LLC since last June. He knows exactly who the business partners are. I will not be bullied by him.

Wahlen said all he has done is volunteer for a friend running for a local, non-partisan office and accused Gallaher has been attacking him.

"Its unfortunate that Ms. Gallaher would stoop to such low levels," Wahlen said. "Its sad to see her go after someone just because they didnt support her candidacy. It also frightens me to think about how this represents her potential role as a Village President.

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Gallaher is seeking compensatory and punitive damages and wants the court to order DeGroot and Wahlen to retract the statements.

Gallaher launched her campaign in January and rallied three other challengers - Kim Mahoney, Travis Yanke and Eric Martinez - who will all be on the April 4 ballot challenging incumbents DeGroot, John Hewitt, Nancy Washburn and Ram Bhatia.

This is not the first lawsuit Gallaher has been involved with involving the village.

In March 2022, village attorney Chris Smith filed a lawsuit against Gallaher claiming her hundreds of negative posts on social media about village policies, politics, officials and employees caused him "emotional distress." A judge dismissed the case and Gallaher filed a complaint against him with the Wisconsin Ethics Commission.

But Milwaukee attorney Michael Maistelman, who specializes in elections, questioned the timing of this lawsuit, saying Wisconsin law "prohibits anyone from knowingly making a false representation about a candidate which is intended to or tends to affect voting at an election."

"Based upon the timing of the lawsuit, and the person that filed it, it was most likely brought to affect voting at an election," Maistelman said.

Maistelman if any of the allegations in the lawsuit are false, it would be a violation of the law with criminal penalties.

More: Kathleen Gallagher: Foxconn, Microsoft developments encouraging, but remain shrouded in secrecy. Here are challenges facing Mount Pleasant village leaders.

Corrinne Hess can be reached at chess@gannett.com or on Twitter @CorriHess

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Lawsuit filed against Mount Pleasant president by challenger
Image: Claudia Paulussen (Shutterstock)

A group of scientists is making a provocative argument about the nature of elephants. They posit that these gentle giants have achieved self-domestication, meaning theyve self-selected for traits commonly found in humans and our domesticated animals, particularly reduced aggression. Not every outside expert agrees with the teams conclusions, though.

The research comes from scientists in the U.S., the Netherlands, and Spain. Their argument is premised on an idea about the evolution of humans themselves, called the human self-domestication hypothesis. This argues that our human ancestors underwent natural selection for traits that allowed us to become more cooperative with one another, which then set the stage for civilization to emerge. As it turns out, these traits are also the ones we encouraged in animals that we subsequently domesticated: less aggressive and friendlier behaviors toward others, less outwardly fearsome and more baby-like physical features, and complex vocal communication.

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Some scientists have argued that self-domestication in other species has contributed to our later taming of them, such as populations of wildcats or wolves that had evolved to tolerate humans before we truly tried to mold them into our companions. But the strongest evidence for self-domestication outside of humans has likely come from our primate cousins, the bonobosanimals well-known for their generally peaceful and playful social behavior. Now, in a paper published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers are making the case that elephants also fit the bill for self-domestication.

Like humans and bonobos, for instance, all modern elephants (three species in total) are thought to display relatively low levels of aggression, high levels of prosocial behavior toward each other, and an extended period of juvenile development. Overall, the researchers identified 19 traits associated with self-domestication shared by humans, bonobos, and elephants. They also took a look at the genomes of African elephants and found evidence of over 600 genes that seemed to have rapidly evolved (relatively speaking), with at least some of these genes having previously been linked to domestication.

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Our findings support the idea that elephants, like humans and bonobos, may be self-domesticated, the study authors wrote.

As for why this might have happened, the team offers some speculation. For one, elephants have few natural predators and generally arent picky eaters, which could have afforded them the time and resources to become more socially adept. Its also possible that something happened in the distant past that forced their ancestors to become especially dependent on each other in order to survive, behaviors that became positively selected for and then passed on.

The additional genetic evidence does bolster the teams argument. But outside scientists say that a lot more research would be needed to validate this hypothesis. And its possible that other aspects of the elephant, such as large brains, might better explain their friendlier behavior than the process of self-domestication.

I fear we are a long way from being able to say elephants are self-domesticated, Richard Wrangham, a Harvard University primatologist not involved in the study who is supportive of the hypothesis, told Science Magazine.

Still, its an idea worth exploring, and it could have important implications for understanding the evolution of other animals. If elephants have become self-domesticated, then its likely an example of convergent evolutionwhen the same trait arises independently in different groups of animals (like how sharks and dolphins ended up with very similar body designs, despite being unrelated). That could also mean that self-domestication is or could eventually become more common among animals than we currently think.

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Workers clean up roofing materials that blew off a building during storms on April 4, 2023, in the 1600 block of North Wells Street in Old Town. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)

A severe thunderstorm rolled through Chicago on Tuesday afternoon, with heavy winds causing damage and large hail hitting parts of the city and suburbs.

But the weather should be pretty quiet through 7 p.m., when polls close for Chicagos mayoral runoff election, National Weather Service meteorologist Kevin Donofrio said. More severe storms were possible late Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, he added.

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The weather service had issued a severe thunderstorm warning for Chicago, Aurora and Naperville that expired at 2:45 p.m. Wind gusts of 70 mph and golf ball-sized hail were possible, the warning said.

We had a whole slew of hail and wind reports, Donofrio said after the storm passed.

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The storm tore from western Illinois through the western and southwestern suburbs before hitting Chicagos North Side, he said.

[ Storms flood streets, basements Friday in Park Ridge, Niles, Morton Grove, Skokie ]

Three-inch hail was reported in Oswego, while hail up to almost 2 inches was reported in some suburbs and far north neighborhoods, he added.

Severe wind caused significant roof damage to three buildings in Humboldt Park but there were no reported injuries, the Chicago Fire Department said.

Other locations have trees down or power poles damaged, the department wrote in a tweet.

Donofrio said strong winds uprooted trees from Westchester, River Forest and Oak Park through the Logan Square and Lincoln Park neighborhoods.

No severe storm warnings were in place around 4 p.m. Tuesday, though a tornado watch for far western Illinois was set to remain in effect until 10 p.m., he said.

Temperatures were expected to rise from the 40s into the 60s and could even approach 70 degrees, Donofrio said.

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Meteorologists were also tracking a band of severe thunderstorms crossing Iowa, and several rounds of storms are expected to hit Chicago and the suburbs overnight and early Wednesday, Donofrio said. Isolated storms could hit as soon as 9 p.m. Tuesday, but are most likely to occur after 5 a.m. Wednesday, he said.

The big key is make sure people have multiple ways to receive watches and warning information Donofrio said.

Severe weather downed a tree in the 700 block of Chicago's North Homan Avenue on April 4, 2023, completely blocking the roadway. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)

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[ 10 things to know about tornadoes, including difference between watch and warning  and how to get prepared ]

Though there was still uncertainty about whether the Tuesday and Wednesday thunderstorms would produce tornadoes, Robert Trapp, a professor of atmospheric sciences at the University of Illinois, told the Tribune Monday that the threat of tornadoes is highest when a severe storm forms ahead of a cold front.

It does happen fairly often, especially at this time of the year, he said. The situation last week and this week is one of those.

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Following a tornado that tore through Belvidere Friday night, which led to a fatal roof collapse, and another tornado that killed three people in New Hebron, weather authorities are warning people to stay alert and prepared.

The weather service confirmed that 18 tornadoes tore through Illinois Friday evening.

Check back for updates.
Read on for the big Emmerdale spoilers for the week of 10-14 April 2023. (ITV)

Might a reunion be on the cards on Emmerdale next week after Paddy and Chas kiss? One person who wont be happy if they do get back together is Mandy

Amelia, meanwhile, has worries about the state of her health, while Rhona has a dilemma to wrestle with when it comes to her frozen embryos.

Read on for your latest Emmerdale spoilers for the week of 10-14 April 2023.

Paddy kisses Chas

Paddy Kirk [DOMINIC BRUNT], Chas Dingle [LUCY PARGETER] (ITV)

Paddys absence is being felt by Eve, so he offers to spend more time with her and Chas as a family.

Upcoming scenes will then see Paddy reading to Eve, while Chas listens in, heartened that theyre together in the same room. Later on, Paddy offers Chas a hug, which then leads to an impromptu kiss. But the moment is interrupted when Eve calls down from upstairs and the pair pull away instantly.

Read more: Next week's EastEnders spoilers revealed

Read more: Next week's Coronation Street spoilers revealed

The following day, though, Bear confronts Chas about the situation  a move that leaves Paddy furious. Yet Chas cant help but wonder whether Paddys reaction means that he still has feelings for her. Her next move is to then address all this with the man himself, but what effect will Chass words have on Paddy when she begs him for forgiveness and asks that he come home for good?

Mandy makes an error at the salon

Mandy Dingle [LISA RILEY], Paddy Kirk [DOMINIC BRUNT] (ITV)

On the day after the aborted kiss, Charity and Chas visit the Salon where theyll be seen popping the champagne ahead of the wedding while in the company of Mandy. But when she learns about Chass actions with Paddy, Mandy is left trying to keep a lid on her feelings.

However, after getting increasingly overwhelmed, Mandy rushes out for coffee, only to bump into Paddy, who explains that hes in turmoil over whether he should reunite with Chas.

Read more: Emmerdale fans in tears over Paddy storyline

Altruistic Mandy then encourages Paddy to take the course of action that makes him happy. But realising that shes late to check on Charitys hair, Mandy races back to the salon, where she finds her client looking like a curly blonde poodle.

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Rhonas big decision

Rhona Goskirk [ZOE HENRY] (ITV)

Rhonas birthday lunch at the Woolpack is rocked when Gus turns up with wife Lucy in tow. Rhona is unsure how to respond to the situation, but Mary takes charge, aiming her ire at Gus and Lucy and leaving them crushed as a result.

What well see next is Rhona deciding to get some air and spotting Gus comforting a heartbroken Lucy. Its a spectacle that results in her deciding to let the pair use her embryos, but Marlon is left stunned, while Mary cant help but reel when she learns what her daughter is doing.

The next day, Marlon points out to his wife that she may find it hard to stay away if one of the embryos becomes a baby  an argument that leaves Rhona wondering whether he could be right. But will she end up shattering Gus and Lucys dreams?

Amelias breast cancer worry

Amelia Spencer [DAISY CAMPBELL], Manpreet Sharma [REBECCA SARKER] (ITV)

Amelia is voicing concerns about who would look after Esther should anything happen to her. And when Victoria tries to offer words of reassurance, Amelia just hurries off.

Her destination is the doctors surgery, where Amelia confides in Manpreet that shes found a lump on her chest. But her feelings of panic rise when the GP refers her to the breast clinic.

Later, at the playground, Amelia receives a call informing her that the clinic needs to see her the following day. But when Noah witnesses her crying, he decides not to go over. To whom could Amelia turn in her time of need?

Watch: Gemma Collins shares breast cancer fears
The judge who presided over Alex Murdaugh's double murder trial has spoken publicly for the first time about the case, saying earlier this week that he's been told that people who kill will "never be able to get over the moment in time they took that persons life."

Judge Clifton Newman sentenced Murdaugh to life in prison without parole on March 3, the day after the disgraced former South Carolina lawyer was found guilty by a jury for murdering his wife Maggie and their youngest son Paul.

RELATED: Murdaugh Family Hunting Estate Where Maggie And Paul Were Shot Dead Sells For $3.9 Million

A person who kills another person, Im told that the person who is killed will haunt, will come back, and theyll never be able to get over the moment in time they took that persons life, Newman said Tuesday while on a panel at Cleveland State University, according to video posted by Charleston station WCBD-TV.

Whether thats a spiritual belief or just my view of the word," he added, "it was also the subject of a barbershop conversation one day when a customer was arguing to the barber, saying that, 'If you kill a man, he will haunt you. He'll come back, and you will never be able to get that person out of your mind.'

A split screen image featuring Judge Clifton Newman and Alex Murdaugh

Judge Clifton Newman; Alex Murdaugh Photo: Grace Beahm-Pool/Getty Images; Tracy Glantz/The State/Tribune News Service via Getty Images

Newman mentioned discussing this topic with Murdaugh before sentencing him. In my mind, no doubt, he loved his family, Newman said Tuesday. I dont believe that he hated his wife. And, certainly, I did not believe that he did not love his son. But he committed an unforgivable, unimaginable crime. And theres no way that hell be able to sleep peacefully given those facts.

The judge had made similar comments to Murdaugh in court on March 3. Within your own soul you have to deal with that, the judge said before sentencing, according to Law&Crime. I know you have to see Paul and Maggie during the nighttime when youre attempting to go to sleep. Im sure they come and visit you. Im sure.

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Newman also addressed this week the fact that Murdaugh's defense team did not offer any mitigation evidence, which is typically presented during the sentencing phase of a trial and aims to reduce the punishment.

So, here we are, and hes standing before me to be sentenced for having been convicted of a double murder," Newman said. "And basically he told me he had nothing to say, either, other than, It wasnt me.'

Stephen Smith Pd

Newman was asked Tuesday if it was difficult for him to serve as the judge sentencing Murdaugh when the former lawyer practiced in front of him.

Well, being from a small, rural community, and being from a relatively small state, Ive had to handle cases where I knew the person who was accused or knew the victims, Newman answered. Judges have to make an individual determination as to whether they can be fair and impartial.

"But my test is not whether I know the person or knew of the person, it has to be whether my knowledge of them would affect my ability to be fair and impartial," Newman added. "And we werent personal friends, but since he was from a popular firm and a popular lawyer, all judges, every judge in the state either knew him or knew of him. ... But it did not affect me as far as rendering the sentence that I did."

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A judge who was asking Newman questions during Tuesday's question and answer session suggested that a movie or miniseries will surely be made one day about the Murdaugh case, adding that Newman's wife previously suggested Denzel Washington when the question was posed to them.

"I never would have thought that I would be involved in a case that would have garnered so much notoriety that it would be something that would be talked about nationwide," Newman responded. "I've received letters from all over the world about this case.

"I don't know what the future holds as far as movies or anything else," he said. "But I do know that we have mandatory retirement in South Carolina at the age of 72 [for state court judges], and I turn 72 in November, so I'll be looking for something else to do."

You can watch the Oxygen special "Alex Murdaugh. Death. Deception. Power." here or on Peacock.
BRUSSELS (AP)  On the eve of a major European Union diplomatic foray into China, the bloc's foreign policy chief on Tuesday lashed out at Beijing for its support of Russia amid the invasion of Ukraine, and called it a blatant violation of its United Nations commitments.

There cannot be siding with the aggressor, Josep Borrell said ahead of a trip to Beijing by the EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and French President Emmanuel Macron. There is a clear expectation from a permanent member of the (U.N.) Security Council to stand up in defense of international rules-based order and China as a moral duty to contribute to a fair peace.

Standing alongside visiting U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Borrell was unusually blunt in his condemnation of a nation that has increasingly moved from being an EU partner to being a rival on the global stage.

The comments set the stage for two of Europe's pre-eminent leaders to press the point that EU-China relations will pivot on Beijing's friendship with Russia.

Macron and von der Leyen are expected to warn China against sending weapons to Russia during talks with President Xi Jinping on Thursday. Just ahead of the visit, von der Leyen had a phone call with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to coordinate strategy.

Even if Beijing says it is neutral in the war, Xi's visit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow two weeks ago had all the visuals and speeches of a meeting among trusted friends.

They agreed on the need to not deploy nuclear arms abroad," Borrell said of the Moscow meeting. "Some days later, Russia deployed tactical weapons, nuclear tactical weapons in Belarus, he added, referring to an announcement by Putin of plans to deploy such weapons. This comes, ironically, after Chinese President Xi visited Moscow and mentioned the need for peace.

He called the prospect of deploying such weapons in Belarus Putin's newest nuclear gamble and said it constituted "a direct threat to European security.

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Borrell said he was looking for a change of heart in Beijing if relations were not to deteriorate.

We have been clear with China that its position on Russias atrocities and war crimes will determine the quality of our relations with Beijing, he said.

Discussions between Macron, Xi and von der Leyen will mainly focus on trade, the war in Ukraine and climate change.

The European officials are expected to underscore the importance of Chinas role in supporting peace, and to tell Xi that he should engage directly with Zelenskyy following his visit to Moscow last month. They will also urge him to put pressure on Putin to stop threatening nuclear weapons use in the war against Ukraine.

Von der Leyen will ask Xi to use his influence to make sure a grain export deal that has helped bring down global food prices can be extended beyond mid-May, when it's expected to expire after Russias U.N. ambassador reiterated that Moscow is ready to extend the deal  but only for 60 days, just half the 120 days in the agreement.

The EU does not expect a significant change in Chinas position but believes its crucial to keep engaging with the superpower, notably on trade issues.

In 2022, China was the EU's third largest partner in exports of goods and the largest partner for EU imports. EU leaders want to rebalance their commercial relationship while also addressing the 27-nation bloc's dependence to China in strategic sectors such as critical raw materials, computing-related technologies, semi-conductors and clean technologies.
The EU is seeking a reset in its ties with China, though Beijing's refusal to condemn Moscow's war in Ukraine clouds prospects for any grand rapprochement.

A flurry of European leaders has descended on Beijing in a push to get dialogue going, with key visits by French President Emmanuel Macron and EU chief Ursula von der Leyen scheduled this week.

They follow German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, European Council President Charles Michel and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, all of whom have visited Beijing since China dropped its zero-Covid restrictions in December 2022.

EU Commission President von der Leyen acknowledged last week that ties have become "more distant and more difficult" in recent years.

"Understanding each other starts with speaking with one another," she said.

The goal of Michel's December visit was to revive dialogue between the European Union and China, a European ambassador said in a recent briefing to journalists.

And the long-term objective is to hold an EU-China summit in Beijing in June or July, according to diplomatic sources.

The EU's top diplomat Josep Borrell will also visit China soon, the same sources said.

"We can see there is this desire to re-establish contacts and above all to weigh in as the EU," Valerie Niquet, head of the Asia programme at France's Foundation for Strategic Research (FRS), told AFP.

The idea is to "strike up normal relations again", she added.

Analysts say a re-establishment of "business as usual" could also be beneficial from Beijing's perspective.

"China is interested in the EU for two reasons: in terms of economics, it's an essential market," Niquet said.

"And it could eventually be a way of circumventing American pressure at various levels, and driving a wedge into any sort of Western unity against China."

- Ukraine as 'determining factor' -

High on the agenda for the meetings in Beijing this week is the conflict in Ukraine.

Both Macron and von der Leyen appear set on reiterating the European Union's commitment to Ukraine in their discussions with China's Xi Jinping.

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While China seeks to position itself as neutral in Russia's war in Ukraine, Beijing's refusal to condemn Moscow's invasion in February 2022 has sparked condemnation in the West.

"Far from being put off by the atrocious and illegal invasion of Ukraine, President Xi is maintaining his 'no limits friendship' with Putin's Russia," von der Leyen said Thursday.

"How China continues to interact with Putin's war will be a determining factor for EU-China relations going forward."

Xi's visit to Moscow in March saw the Chinese and Russian leaders hail a "new era" in ties between their two nations.

"The way China positions itself on the war in Ukraine is a disappointment for Europe," a European diplomat currently posted in Beijing told AFP.

But she was sceptical China would be persuaded by the European Union to alter its position, because Beijing still sees Europe as "the United States' little brother".

Still, she said, the fact that EU-China face-to-face meetings were resuming was a positive development.

- Trade imbalance -

The other big topic up for discussion is the trade imbalance between the two sides.

"We need to rebalance this relationship," von der Leyen said Thursday.

Joerg Wuttke, president of the EU Chamber of Commerce in China, put it more bluntly.

"Our sales are miserable," he told AFP.

"Last year, we only shipped 1.6 million containers to China, exports went down dramatically -- and China has been incredibly successful, shipping 6.4 million containers into Europe."

Wuttke also estimated that European investments in China have gone down by as much as 50 percent -- with the exception of German carmaker BMW, which has invested heavily in electric vehicle development in the country recently.

Foreign investors were spooked by the stringent zero-Covid regulations in place throughout most of the pandemic, which regularly shut down factories and disrupted supply chains.

They also battered the Chinese economy, which grew only three percent in 2022, the lowest in decades.

The European diplomat who spoke to AFP said that she believed China would use the meetings to raise the issue of the EU's stalled Comprehensive Agreement on Investment with Beijing -- held up by rows over human rights and sanctions.

"Chinese companies have a strong interest to invest in Europe, that's why China is pushing again for the ratification of the investment agreement," said Wuttke.

But according to the diplomat, "the geopolitical conditions have changed so much since the conclusion of the negotiations in 2020, so there is no chance of progress on that point".

ka-reb/oho/ser/qan
(Bloomberg) -- A draft European Union rule on foreign subsidies would have a chilling effect on foreign businesses operating in the bloc at a time when Europe needs investment to stay competitive, according to a group of global business associations.

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The regulation imposes requirements that are unfamiliar to businesses and would require elaborate internal compliance mechanisms that do not currently exist, the groups, which include the American Chamber of Commerce to the EU and the Japan Business Council in Europe, said in a joint statement.

We fear that companies will not be in a position to comply with the Regulation as the reporting obligations currently stand, the groups wrote.

The EU hammered out an agreement last year on sweeping new rules aimed at preventing foreign firms  such as those from China  from abusing state subsidies to scoop up EU businesses or undercut rivals for big procurement contracts in the bloc. Under the draft rules, takeovers by foreign companies would need to be vetted by EU watchdogs if the buyers got more than 50 million ($54.6 million) in foreign state support and the EU revenue of the tie-up would be at least 500 million.

The business groups are speaking up at a time when the EU is looking for ways to counterbalance a US law that provides subsidies to boost investment in green technologies that Europe worries will win away investment from domestic companies. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen last month warned President Joe Biden that the laws bias against European companies was unacceptable, and anything short of a pragmatic fix would become a major irritant in the transatlantic relationship.

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EU antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager said Tuesday that the foreign subsidies regulation would correct an imbalance with subisdies going to companies from third countries.

The EU is leveling the playing field and, in 2023, the commission will start implementing and enforcing the regulation, she said. This will preserve an open single market  one in which all businesses compete on fair and equal terms, wherever they come from.

The business associations want the EUs executive arm to refine the draft to reduce the administrative burden in compliance through limiting reporting obligations on companies and removing the need to report immaterial contributions.

They also are seeking to exempt the disclosure of classified information when third-country governments consider certain contracts secret and to establish a direct information-sharing channel for subcontractors and suppliers to provide information directly and avoid sharing proprietary data.

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

2023 Bloomberg L.P.
Eva Longoria is glowing while on a tropical getaway in Mexico.

This week, the Desperate Housewives alum shared an Instagram carousel featuring snaps of her time in Yucatan, where she visited the Mayan pyramids, swam in fresh cenotes, toured the ancient grounds, and learned to cook traditional dishes with locals.

In the first photo, the actress is seen standing inside a cenote, with clear blue water up to her thighs. She wears a white one-piece swimsuit with tiny cutouts throughout. The semi-sheer piece features a mock turtleneck and zips up in the front.

Longoria coordinated her powder-blue manicure to match her beachy look. She wore black eyeliner and rosy blush for the adventurous day, and let her straight her down.

The actress and producer is currently filming her series Searching for Mexico, in which she tours different parts of the country and learns about local customs. During a talk with BAZAAR.com last year, Longoria said the showand all of her latest projects, including her tequila brand, Casa del Sol, and her foundation to help Latina professionalsare homages to her bicultural upbringing.

"It has lit my Mexican heart on fire with pride," she said of filming the series. "Ive always loved everything this country has to offer. Ive always been so proud of it. But now through these brands, I get to do it on a bigger stage and with a louder microphone, and thats exciting."

The CNN Original Series premiered this March 26.

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Lady Gaga films "Joker: Folie a Deux" late last month in New York City. (RW / MediaPunch / IPx)

Why so secretive?

Warner Bros. is wrapping production soon on "Joker: Folie a Deux," and still the studio has revealed barely any details about the much-anticipated sequel to 2019's "Joker."

The high-profile project has been making headlines recently as its stars have been spotted shooting the DC film around New York City  prompting fans to speculate online about the characters and the plot, which has been kept tightly under wraps.

A "Joker" follow-up "couldn't just be this wild and crazy movie about the Clown Prince of Crime, director Todd Phillips told the Los Angeles Times in 2019.

It would have to have some thematic resonance in a similar way that ['Joker'] does. Because I think thats ultimately why the movie connected, its whats going on underneath. So many movies are about the spark, and this is about the powder. If you could capture that again in a real way, that would be interesting.

Here's everything we know so far about "Joker: Folie a Deux."

When does it come out?

"Joker: Folie a Deux" is scheduled to open in theaters Oct. 4, 2024.

Who's starring?

Joaquin Phoenix will reprise his role as the murderous Arthur Fleck, also known as Joker. In 2020, Phoenix won an Academy Award for his lead performance as the failed comedian-turned-serial killer.

Though she didn't appear in "Joker," Lady Gaga has been cast as the female lead of "Folie a Deux." Also new to the cast is Brendan Gleeson, who will play an unspecified supporting role, according to Deadline.

And Zazie Beetz will reportedly return as Fleck's kindhearted neighbor, Sophie.

Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga film on the Shakespeare Steps in the Bronx. (Sipa USA via Associated Press)

Who's directing?

Phillips, who received a 2020 Oscar nomination for his work on "Joker," is also helming "Folie a Deux."

What's it about?

As previously stated, Warner Bros. has kept mostly quiet about the plot of "Joker: Folie a Deux." It's worth noting, however, that  in a marked departure from its deeply grim predecessor  the film has been billed as a musical.

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We can also glean from recent set photos that the film involves a protest and a trial of some sort. Last month, a crowd of background actors congregated on the steps of a New York courthouse. Some wore clown wigs and masks, while others chanted and carried signs that read "Free Joker" and "Not Guilty."

The chaotic scene, paired with other set photos of Phoenix locked up inside a Gotham police vehicle, suggests that the film's titular antihero will face criminal charges in the sequel. (Can't imagine what for!)

This weekend, Gaga and Phoenix were spotted performing and laughing maniacally on the Shakespeare Steps in the Bronx  the birthplace of the famous dancing Joker meme.

Is Gaga playing Harley Quinn?

Superfans and industry experts predicted early on that Gaga would portray Joker's cackling sidekick and love interest, Harley Quinn, in "Folie a Deux."

And though Warner Bros. hasn't said anything, behind-the-scenes images have pretty much confirmed it.

In March, Gaga was photographed wearing clown makeup, a red blazer, a black-and-white blouse and checkered black tights while filming protest scenes on the steps of a New York courthouse.

While the actor and pop musician waded through the zealous crowd of fake protesters, one of the extras held up a copy of the fictional Gotham Examiner with a mugshot of Gaga in character as "Harleen Francis Quinzel" on the front page. Printed in bold font are the words, "CRAZY IN LOVE" and "JOKER HAS A NEW LOVE."

In previous live-action DC films, Harley Quinn has been played by Margot Robbie.

Where does it fit in the DC Universe?

According to the Hollywood Reporter, titles such as 2019's "Joker" and 2022's "The Batman" technically fall outside the DC Universe  which was recently overhauled by new studio heads James Gunn and Peter Safran.

Those movies, along with "Folie a Deux," belong to their own universe called DC: Elseworlds, which means they are not beholden to Gunn and Safran's vision for the future of DC.

So  because they exist under the same content umbrella  is an eventual crossover between Phoenix's "Joker" and Robert Pattinson's "Batman" (or any other Elseworlds character in the canon) a possibility?

In March 2022, "The Batman" director Matt Reeves told Total Film there had been no discussions thus far about pitting Pattinson's Caped Crusader and Phoenix's Joker against each other on the big screen. But who knows what could happen as both franchises continue to expand?

Wait, what happened in 'Joker' again?

Believe it or not, it's been more than three years since "Joker" debuted in theaters, and to say a lot has happened since the movie came out would be a massive understatement.

So, if you can't remember exactly where Arthur Fleck left off at the end of "Joker," we don't blame you.

Here's a quick refresher: After being cruelly shunned by society and failing to make it as a professional clown or stand-up comic, Arthur "Joker" Fleck goes on a violent rampage, killing his mother and several others. The movie ends with Fleck, handcuffed inside a mental asylum, fielding questions from authorities.

Before the credits roll, Fleck dances through the halls of the asylum to the tune of Frank Sinatra's "That's Life" and leaves behind a trail of bloody footprints  the perfect precursor to what is sure to be one hell of a twisted, musical sequel.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Roy McGrath. Pamela Wood/The Baltimore Sun/Tribune News Service via Getty Images

A one-time top GOP aide died after a confrontation with the FBI in Tennessee on Monday.

Roy McGrath, who was charged with fraud, failed to show up in court and went missing for three weeks.

Its unclear whether he was shot by the FBI, or if he shot himself.

A one-time top aide of former GOP governor Larry Hogan died of a gunshot wound on Monday night, after FBI agents caught up with him following a three-week manhunt, per multiple reports.

Roy McGrath died in a Tennessee hospital after agents opened fire at an intersection in Farragut, a town west of Knoxville, according to The Baltimore Banner.

It's unclear whether he was hit by the FBI or whether he shot himself, the outlet reported.

On March 13, McGrath, who was accused of federal wire fraud and embezzlement charges, failed to show up for the start of his trial. He was soon deemed a fugitive by US Marshals, as CBS Baltimore reported, with a warrant issued for his arrest.

McGrath worked as the CEO of Maryland Environmental Service before becoming Hogan's chief of staff in 2020, but he soon came under criticism for the hefty severance package he received from his earlier job, as The Baltimore Sun reported at the time.

In October 2021, the Department of Justice announced federal and state charges of embezzlement and wire fraud against McGrath, saying that he had tricked the Environmental Service into approving the $233,647.23 payout.

McGrath's lawyer Joseph Murtha told The Washington Post that "the loss of Roy's life is an absolute tragedy, and I think it's important for me to say that Roy never wavered about his innocence."

After McGrath went missing, the US Marshals Service and the FBI teamed up to offer a $20,000 reward for information on his whereabouts.

Around 6.30 p.m. on Monday, FBI agents encountered McGrath at an intersection and opened fire, The Baltimore Banner reported, citing the FBI. It wasn't clear how they were led to him, the paper reported.

One onlooker, Jon Housley, told the publication that there was a large police presence and that both side windows of the vehicle had been shot out.

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CBS News reporter Mike Hellgren posted pictures from the scene:

In a statement Monday night, the FBI said it was reviewing an agent-involved shooting, the Post reported.

Former Governor Hogan released a statement on Monday saying: "We are praying for Mr. McGrath's family and loved ones," per the Post.

A week after McGrath's disappearance, a self-published e-book went on sale titled "Betrayed: The True Story of Roy McGrath," the first in a two-part series whose description says he was "relentlessly and unfairly harassed by the very government and colleagues he had faithfully served."

A man claiming to be the author, named as Ryan C. Cooper, told the Post that the book was written on the basis of "half a dozen or so conversations" with McGrath.

Read the original article on Business Insider
An ex-Trump adviser joked that the former president will take the most handsome mugshot of all time after he was indicted last week for his alleged involvement in a hush money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 election.

Well have a mug shot. For the record, it will be the most manly, most masculine, most handsome mugshot of all time, Hogan Gidley, who served as a Trump White House and campaign spokesperson, said in remarks to Time magazine. I can say that definitely, before having even seen it.

Former President Trump was indicted last Thursday for his involvement in a hush money payment to Daniels to cover up an alleged affair that he has repeatedly denied.

Former President Trump.

Trump traveled to Manhattan on Monday ahead of his arraignment on Tuesday, where he will hear the charges brought against him in his first court appearance.

It is expected that the former president will take a mugshot, but it is unclear whether the photo will be released to the public.

New York law discourages the release of a mug shot unless there is a legitimate reason for law enforcement to public release it, but Trump could release the image on his own, according to the Albany Times Union.

The fears and concerns of a weaponized government are now personified in Donald Trump, Gidley told Time. He can take that pulpit, that podium, and point out the fact that we are all victims of a government that has targeted each of us because we attend the wrong rallies, like the wrong tweets, go to the wrong movies.

Michael Cohen, Trumps former personal lawyer who pled guilty for his involvement in the hush money payment, said he believes Trump will absolutely take a mug shot and get his fingerprints taken.

The charges Trump is facing remain sealed, but they could be unsealed when he appears in court Tuesday.

After his appearance in court, Trump is slated to travel back to Mar-a-Lago, his residence in Florida, to deliver a set of remarks at 8:15 p.m. the same day.

Updated at 9:07 p.m.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Former light-welterweight world champion Amir Khan said he would "never cheat" after being handed a two-year ban from all sport for testing positive for a prohibited substance.

UK Anti-Doping said on Tuesday that Khan, 36, returned a positive result for the anabolic agent ostarine following his loss to Kell Brook in Manchester in February 2022.

Khan, who announced his retirement in May last year, accepted a violation of anti-doping rules but said he had not intentionally ingested the substance, an argument accepted by an independent panel.

"I would never cheat. I'm a retired fighter. I've got a two-year ban now which is quite strange and funny that they banned me. I've already retired. I've no comeback plans at all," Khan told Sky News.

Khan was first notified of his own positive result in April 2022 and given a provisional suspension, with charges following in July after he had announced his retirement with a 34-6 professional record.

Following the hearing in January this year, the National Anti-Doping Panel accepted Khan's submission he had not taken the substance intentionally but imposed the ban on the basis of strict liability.

Ostarine is a drug designed to have similar effects to testosterone.

"You can see by my performance against Kell Brook wasn't the best. I lost the fight. If I went in there and knocked Kell Brook out it's different," added Khan.

"I've never cheated in my life. I'm the one that wanted testing on that fight. Also, the amount that was in my system could have been by shaking people's hands. I don't know the drug that was in my system."

The ban is deemed to have commenced on 6 April 2022, when his provisional suspension was imposed, and will expire on 5 April 2024.

UKAD chief executive Jane Rumble said: "This case serves as a reminder that UKAD will diligently pursue anti-doping rule violations in order to protect clean sport."

Khan became a household name in Britain after claiming a silver medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics, aged just 17.

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He made his professional debut in July 2005 and four years later won the WBA light-welterweight title with victory over Andreas Kotelnik in Manchester.

Khan unified the WBA and IBF titles with a win over Zab Judah in 2011 but controversially lost his next fight to Lamont Peterson, who would subsequently test positive for synthetic testosterone.

kca/pi/lp/iwd
A visitor looks at an exhibit during the "Longquan City Celadon Art" exhibition at the Chinese Cultural Center in Brussels, Belgium, on April 3, 2023. The opening ceremony of the "Longquan City Celadon Art" exhibition was held Monday at the Chinese Cultural Center, with 55 works made by Chinese artists on display. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)

The opening ceremony of the "Longquan City Celadon Art" exhibition was held Monday at the Chinese Cultural Center in Brussels, with 55 works made by Chinese artists on display.



Chinese Ambassador to Belgium Cao Zhongming said at the ceremony that the exhibition will help the Belgian public to appreciate the cultural heritage and exquisite craftsmanship of Longquan Celadon. It will also boost ties between the two countries, he said.

Longquan Celadon porcelain is known for its elegant colors, especially jade green and light blue.

It is one of the most characteristic Chinese goods, historically exported via the land and sea "Silk Roads", Cao said.

"Celadon" is the hero of a famous French play, "Astree". When the porcelain was first shipped to Europe in the late 16th century, the local people compared the color of the glaze to that of Celadon's clothing. Since then, Longquan porcelain has been called Celadon.

The 55 works on show at the exhibition in Brussels include a flask called "Song's Charm", an imitation of the classical objects from the Southern Song Dynasty; a statue of the Wenchang Emperor; a Lucky Rabbit; a vase with a Silk Road motif, and a pot for washing brushes.

In 2009, the traditional firing technology of Longquan Celadon was listed by UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity.

The exhibition is a testament to the heritage and development of Chinese craftsmen's Celadon skills, and also expresses the aesthetic tastes and aspirations for a better life of the Chinese people, said Cao.

The exhibition will last till April 28.
By Jonathan Saul, Carolyn Cohn, Christoph Steitz and John O'Donnell

LONDON/FRANKFURT (Reuters) - German insurers Allianz and Munich Re have renewed cover for the damaged Russia-controlled Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline, five sources with knowledge of the matter said, indicating that its revival has not been ruled out after an alleged sabotage attack.

Insurance by two of Germany's biggest companies is critical for any long-term future of the pipeline, which was the main route for Russian gas to Europe for a decade before the blast last September.

The insurance stands in contrast to Germany's public stance of severing ties with Moscow, but one of the five sources said the German government had not opposed the cover. Most Western investors have written off their stakes in the pipeline.

Munich Re, Allianz and Germany's chancellery declined to comment, while the economy ministry said insurance was not part of the support the government had in the past provided for the pipeline.

Russia has a 51% stake in Nord Stream 1 through a subsidiary of state-owned energy group Gazprom.

Some of Nord Stream's German shareholders favour at least preserving the damaged pipeline in case relations with Moscow improve, two people familiar with the matter said separately.

One of the people said that Berlin tolerated such an approach to the infrastructure, even though it has said that energy ties with Russia are severed.

All of the insurance industry and trade sources declined to be named because of the sensitivity of the issue.

The insurance policy covers damage to the pipeline and business interruption issues, one of the sources said.

Having insurance would also facilitate any repair work needed to resume gas supplies under the Baltic Sea to Europe.

While the import of Russian crude oil and oil products is banned under European Union (EU) sanctions, Russian gas imports are allowed. The West, however, is trying to find alternatives.

'OLD LOGIC'

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Europe's imports of Russian gas have fallen from around 40% of EU gas supply to less than 10% since Russia's invasion of Ukraine began in February last year.

The economy ministry spokesperson said the aim was to stop using gas from Russia and elsewhere.

"Russia showed everyone last year that it is not a reliable partner," said the spokesperson. "We need more renewable energies and must become independent of fossil imports."

The stance represents a major shift from Germany's previous whole-hearted support for Russian gas, in defiance of warnings from other EU countries and the United States.

Some German officials, politicians and others familiar with German government thinking told Reuters a minority still hoped Nord Stream 1 can be revived, even if few saw any prospect of that happening in the near future.

Michael Kretschmer, conservative leader of the eastern Saxony region, told the Berliner Zeitung newspaper in January the pipeline should be repaired and Germany should retain the option of importing through it again.

Veronika Grimm, one of the government's chief economic experts who advises the chancellery, said Germany's previous policy of relying on cheap Russian gas to support its economy and build political ties was no longer viable.

"There are still some who follow an old logic with regards to rebuilding energy ties to Russia after the (Ukraine) war," Grimm told Reuters.

The economy ministry spokesperson said the Federal government in 2010 supported the construction of Nord Stream 1 with export credit guarantees and a separate financial credit guarantee, adding that there was no further federal support.

In September 2022, several unexplained underwater explosions ruptured the Nord Stream 1 and newly-built Nord Stream 2 pipelines, each more than 1,200-km-long, that link Russia and Germany across the Baltic Sea.

Last month, sources told Reuters Nord Stream's undersea gas pipelines were to be sealed and there were no immediate plans to repair or reactivate them.

Other sources described this process as keeping the pipeline dormant.

OTHER INSURERS

Prior to Russia's invasion of Ukraine last February, Nord Stream 1 was insured by multiple European underwriters including some from the Lloyd's of London market, sources told Reuters.

Industry sources with knowledge of the situation said some Lloyd's underwriters were believed to have cut insurance arrangements that came up for renewal in late 2022 in part because of UK sanctions imposed on an entity connected to Gazprom.

Three of the Lloyds syndicates previously involved in insurance cover were unlikely to have renewed their exposure, three of the insurance industry sources said.

However, a fourth source said its underwriting syndicate from the Lloyd's market continued to provide insurance for the project. They all declined to provide further details.

Lloyd's of London declined to comment.

Customers often renew insurance contracts when their property is damaged and this is taken into account when agreeing the contract terms, industry sources said.

Nord Stream 1's policy was a two-year contract which renewed after the first year, two of the sources said. However, policy-holders and insurers can often break such a contract after the first year, depending on the terms, two insurance industry sources said.

It was unclear if insurer Zurich was part of the new arrangements. Zurich, which one of the five sources said was among the pipeline's insurers when the damage occurred, declined to comment.

Gazprom is subject to sanctions by Britain, Canada and the United States, as well as some EU restrictions.

Gazprom and Swiss-based Nord Stream AG did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

($1 = 0.9203 euros)

(Reporting by Jonathan Saul and Carolyn Cohn in London, Tom Sims, Christoph Steitz and John O'Donnell in Frankfurt, additional reporting by Andreas Rinke and Markus Wacket in Berlin; Editing by Veronica Brown and Barbara Lewis)
By Patricia Weiss

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Generic drugmaker Stada has asked the German government to seek assurances from Ukraine that the company can continue operations there even though it also does business in Russia, according to a letter seen by Reuters.

In the March 21 letter to German Economy Minister Robert Habeck, Stada CEO Peter Goldschmidt said there was a risk Kyiv might withdraw the company's market authorisation.

Stada "still has no longer-term certainty that we will be able to sell our products in Ukraine in the future," the letter said, with the subject line: "Please prevent the exclusion of international pharmaceutical companies from the Ukrainian market."

The Economy Ministry did not have an immediate comment on the letter.

Habeck promised investment guarantees for German companies during a trip to Ukraine on Tuesday as part of his goal to speed up reconstruction in the war-torn country.

Goldschmidt said restricting Stada's operations would be bad for Ukraine.

"In the worst case, this would mean that vital medicines would suddenly no longer be available to Ukrainian patients because Stada and other manufacturers would have to stop production and distribution," he said.

Medicines are excluded from Western sanctions against Russia, which is an important market for Stada. Pharmaceutical companies such as Stada and German rivals Bayer and Boehringer Ingelheim continue to deliver medicines to the country.

Stada said it had invested more than 60 million euros ($66 million) in Ukraine since 2019 with the acquisition of Ukrainian drugmaker Biopharma, which it said remained the largest investment to date by a foreign pharmaceutical company in Ukraine and allowed it to switch to predominantly local production.

Stada is very keen to maintain its presence in Ukraine, Goldschmidt told Habeck. "Therefore, we would like to ask you again for your support and for clear signals in the direction of Ukraine to strengthen German companies there," his letter added.

($1 = 0.9136 euros)

(Reporting by Patricia Weiss and Andreas Rinke; Writing by Miranda Murray; Editing by Mark Potter)
Former President Donald Trump arriving at Trump Tower in New York City on Monday. (David Dee Delgado/Reuters)

Donald Trump will be placed under arrest on Tuesday and informed that he has been charged with 34 felony counts for falsification of business records, according to a source who has been briefed on the procedures for the arraignment of the former president.

A New York City police arrest report summarizing the charges against Trump will then be prepared and entered into the court system before he is led into a courtroom to be formally arraigned on the charges, none of which are misdemeanors.

Live updates: Trump to be arraigned in Manhattan >>>

But, the source said, Trump will not be put in handcuffs, placed in a jail cell or subjected to a mug shot  typical procedures even for white-collar defendants until a judge has weighed in on pretrial conditions. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Braggs office, which has been consulting with the Secret Service and New York City court officials, concluded there was no reason to subject the former president to handcuffs or a mug shot.

The stated reason for handcuffing defendants is that they might be a flight risk or a threat to the district attorney or court personnel, neither of which was judged to be relevant to the handling of a former president protected at all times by a phalanx of Secret Service agents.

Trump in New York City on Monday. (Jeenah Moon/Reuters)

The charge of falsification of business records can be prosecuted in New York state as a misdemeanor. But Braggs office bumped up all the charges to Class E felonies  the lowest level of felonies in the New York state penal code  on the grounds that the conduct was intended to conceal another underlying crime, according to the source.

Under the New York State penal code, a conviction for the Class E felony of falsifying business records can result in a prison term of up to four years. But as a practical matter, that seems extremely unlikely. No one gets jail time for that as a first offender, said a New York law enforcement official.

The evidence for the underlying crime that escalated Trumps alleged misdemeanors to felonies is still not clear and wont be until the indictment is unsealed on Tuesday. But it is believed to relate to the payment of $130,000 in hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels during the closing weeks of the 2016 election to conceal an extramarital encounter with Trump.

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After this story was posted, a spokesman for Trump said the former presidents legal team had not seen the indictment or been briefed on the details. Trump himself responded with a post on Truth Social.

Wow! District Attorney Bragg just illegally LEAKED the various points, and complete information, on the pathetic Indictment against me, Trump wrote. I know the reporter and so, unfortunately, does he. This means that he MUST BE IMMEDIATELY INDICTED. Now, if he wants to really clean up his reputation, he will do the honorable thing and, as District Attorney, INDICT HIMSELF. He will go down in Judicial history, and his Trump Hating wife will be, I am sure, very proud of him!

A spokesperson for Bragg said in an email that the district attorneys office declined to comment on a sealed indictment.
Former president Donald Trump arrives at Trump Tower in New York on Monday, April 3, 2023. Trump is expected to be booked and arraigned on Tuesday on charges arising from alleged hush money payments during his 2016 campaign. | Bryan Woolston, Associated Press

Former President Donald Trump is scheduled to be arrested and arraigned Tuesday after a grand jury voted to indict him in connection with a hush money payment made during the 2016 campaign.

Heres what to expect:

Trump traveled from his home in Florida on Monday to New York City where hes expected to be processed and have his mugshot and fingerprints taken.

On Tuesday morning I will be going to, believe it or not, the Courthouse, Trump wrote on his social media site. America was not supposed to be this way!

The charges Trump faces have not been released, but Trump will learn them during his arraignment. Trump attorney Joe Tacopina told Fox News host Sean Hannity he didnt know what charges to expect.

We dont really know whats going to happen Tuesday because logistically this has never happened before, Tacopina said. We have the Secret Service involved in an arraignment. When have you seen that before? Never.

Related

Trump attorney Susan Necheles said Trump does not want cameras in the courtroom because it will create a circus-like atmosphere, as well as raise security concerns, according to ABC News, which filed motions with the court along with other news organizations for media access to cover and record the hearing.

Trump warned in a social media post of potential death and destruction if he was charged, and the New York Police Department has been on alert ahead of Trumps visit.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., said she plans to protest Tuesday. New York City Mayor Eric Adams told people coming to the city to protest to control themselves.

New York City is our home, not a playground for your misplaced anger, Adams said during a press conference Monday.

Related

Trumps campaign has fundraised off the indictment, and current and potential Republican opponents have sided with him.

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Candidate and former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley told Fox News she believed it was political prosecution that was more about revenge than justice.

Potential 2024 candidates Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former Vice President Mike Pence also weighed in. DeSantis called it un-American and Pence said it was an outrage.

President Joe Biden has said he has no comment.

Trump is the first former U.S. president to be charged with a crime. Though unprecedented in U.S. history, leaders from countries including France, South Korea and Israel have been jailed or prosecuted before.

Trump could face additional charges in connection with an investigation into his attempt to overthrow the 2020 election results in Georgia. The Justice Department is also investigating Trump.

A 60% majority of U.S. adults approve of the decision to indict Trump, including 94% of Democrats, 62% of independents and 21% of Republicans, according to a CNN poll released Monday.
Lady Justice Getty Images

Former President Donald Trump is the first U.S. president, former or current, charged with a felony. And after his arraignment in New York City on Tuesday, we know more about what alleged crimes Manhattan prosecutors say he committed.

Trump is facing charges tied to the payment of hush money to porn actress Stormy Daniels shortly before the 2016 presidential election. The relevant charge Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's grand jury indicted Trump on is the falsification of business records, a misdemeanor, elevated to a felony by alleging the concealment of payments to Daniels was for the unreported benefit of his presidential campaign, which could be a campaign finance violation.

Tying the state business falsification charges to a federal election could be "a difficult maneuver" for Bragg, as it appears to be "a legal theory that has never been evaluated by a judge" in the state, The New York Times reports. "If it's a federal campaign finance crime, that is pretty novel legal terrain," Kate Shaw, a law professor at Cardozo School of Law, told ABC News before the charges were unveiled, though "grand jury proceedings are secret, and we are largely speculating."

But is charging Trump for a combination of hush money and campaign finance violations really that unusual? And could it be a winning strategy?

What are the commentators saying?

Individually, there's nothing unusual about the charges. "The false business records charge is the bread and butter of the district attorney's office white-collar practice," the Times reports, adding that since Bragg took office at the beginning of 2022, "prosecutors have filed 117 felony counts of the charge, against 29 individuals and companies."

"New York prosecutors regularly bring and win prosecutions for felony violations of the state's books and records statute on falsifying business records ... including for conduct far less serious than the allegations against Trump," Siven Watt and Norman Eisen write at Just Security. In fact, an analysis of "17 analogous campaign finance and related prosecutions in the State of New York and nationally" shows that "third-party payments covertly made to benefit a candidate are routinely and successfully prosecuted as campaign finance violations in New York and elsewhere under a variety of state and federal statutes."

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At the same time, perhaps the most analogous case to Trump's is the prosecution of former Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards over hush money paid to a mistress during the 2008 presidential campaign, The Washington Post reports. In 2011, "Edwards was charged with federal campaign finance violations, accused of hiding the affair using money from donors that should have been reported to the Federal Election Commission."

"After a six-week trial, a North Carolina jury balked at the case, acquitting Edwards of one count and failing to come to a verdict on five others," the Post continues. "Without more details of the case against Trump, comparing the Trump and Edwards matters is difficult," but in the Edwards case, the Justice Department dropped the case.

"You know, it's not a slam-dunk," Jerry Goldfeder, a special counsel at Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP and a recognized expert in New York state election law, tells the Times. "But I think that survives a motion to dismiss, and then let the jury decide."

What's next?

"It is a long way from indictment to conviction to affirmance on appeal," former federal prosecutor Joyce Vance writes in her Civil Discourse Substack. "No prosecutor wants to gamble the outcome of a case like this on an appellate court's decision, possibly years down the road, on a previously unresolved legal issue," but "while some people have suggested that the charges in Manhattan are insignificant, I don't see it that way. The Stormy Daniels incident is the origin story for Trump's confidence that he could manipulate elections and Americans to his own benefit."

Aside from the specific charges, the idea of prosecuting a former leader is "ordinary in other democracies," the Idaho Statesman writes in an editorial. South Korea routinely jailed its former presidents, and "Nicholas Sarkozy, the former French prime minister, was sentenced to a year in prison in September for campaign finance violations. Our country's founders contemplated that this would be ordinary here," the Statesman adds. "It's high time a president was held to the same standards as ordinary people: If there's evidence, you're charged and you get your day in court."

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Welcome to NC Voices, where leaders, readers and experts from across North Carolina can speak on issues affecting our communities. Send submissions of 350 words or fewer to opinion@newsobserver.com.

Too little change since Virginia Tech

The writer is a Virginia Tech alum.

Wait for it. Its only a matter of weeks, days, hours  until the next mass shooting in the United States.

It doesnt matter where. It keeps happening, everywhere: an elementary school, high school, a university, synagogue, church, mall, grocery store, gay bar, nightclub, at a concert, Walmart, a Fourth of July parade, a theater, a restaurant  the location changes, but the cycle does not. The pain does not.

I was present at the Virginia Tech University mass shooting on April 16, 2007. At the time, mass shootings like this were considered rare. How I wish that were true.

Our country struggles to tackle the issue of mass shootings because people see this issue in such different ways. Is this about gun control? Is the issue mental health? Is this caused by failed safety measures? What is this about? We still cant formulate a common view of the issue of mass shootings in America, despite the sheer eruption of mass shootings in 2023.

It is part of my lifes fabric that I have a lens of familiarity with mass shootings based on my experience with the Virginia Tech shooting. Its what inspires me to speak up and seek change. Through this lens, I see that not enough has changed yet to make a positive difference to end mass shootings, despite the worthy efforts of some.

We have to stop reacting exactly the same way after each mass shooting  with shock, horror, sadness, public outcry, making the same pledges, pretending to hear the voices of victims, showcasing the shooter, and so on, to expect any positive change. We need to finally learn from the many other countries around our world which have tackled this problem successfully or never had the problem in the first place.

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If we dont collectively, strategically and significantly institute major high-impact changes, mass shootings will continue to be as commonplace in our country as washing our dirty laundry each week. You can count on it.

Dr. Karen J. Gilbert, Sherrills Ford

We must protect NC voting rights

The writer is director of North Carolina Voters for Clean Elections.

Democracy is fragile. In our state, we currently face bills that would limit early voting, curtail same-day registration at early voting sites, and remove the grace period for mail-in ballots.

Our elections have also become expensive. In 2022, multiple campaigns for state legislative offices spent over $1 million, largely from out-of-state or anonymous sources.

This year, extremist state legislators have introduced over 150 anti-voter bills in 32 states. Last years midterms were the most expensive on record, with over $8.9 billion spent on congressional races, empowering big donors at the expense of the people.

The same extremist legislators attacking our voting rights are also shoving through bills like N.C. House Bill 40, aimed at criminalizing our freedom to protest, House Bill 187, which would limit educators abilities to teach the factual history of race and racism in North Carolina; and Senate Bill 49, threatening the rights of LGBTQ+ students and teachers.

While our state Supreme Court has largely protected voters in the past, the new conservative majority has decided to ignore precedent and rehear a case around voter ID requirements that were previously found to be discriminatory toward Black voters, and to possibly re-implement legislative maps that were previously overturned for partisan gerrymandering.

In North Carolina, the Freedom to Vote Act, Fix our Democracy Act, and Safeguard Fair Elections Act are all pending. Passing them would fund our elections, protect voters and poll workers from intimidation, make voting more accessible, end gerrymandering, improve voter registration, prevent election subversion, and limit the power of big money in state elections.

Similarly, our representatives in Congress must do all they can to support the Freedom to Vote Act  which would provide these protections nationally  and restore the Voting Rights Act.

In the face of these attacks on our democracy, North Carolinians must come together and protect our freedoms. Future generations depend on us.

Melissa Price Kromm, Durham
As the legal drama unfolded in a New York City courtroom Tuesday where former President Donald Trump was arraigned on 34 counts of falsifying business records, here in Fulton County we are still waiting to see if District Attorney Fani Willis will charge the former president as well.

Trump said nothing as he walked into a Manhattan courtroom Tuesday afternoon to face a 34-count indictment for allegedly falsifying business documents, which is normally a misdemeanor.

But Emory University law professor Fred Smith said if Trump falsified those records to cover up hush money payments in violation of campaign finance laws, it becomes much more serious.

In the state of New York, it is a crime to falsify business records and if one falsifies business records as an attempt to cover up a crime, then it becomes a felony, Smith said.

Now, all eyes are also on Willis investigation into possible criminal interference in Georgias 2020 election, a case many believe is stronger than the one in Manhattan.

My ultimate guess is that Donald Trump will be indicted here in Atlanta, said Anthony Michael Kreis, Georgia State University law professor.

RELATED NEWS:

Kreis told Channel 2s Richard Elliot that while the potential Fulton County case may appear stronger than New Yorks, any felony charge is a serious one.

He expects Trump and others could face felony charges here in Georgia as well.

I think its just a matter of when and not if charges will be brought here in Fulton County, Kreis said.

Smith isnt as convinced a Fulton County grand jury will indict Trump, but he also expects charges in the election case.

Theres a lot there without directly implicating the president necessarily, right? So, its too early to know whether or not he is a target, Smith said.

So, when will we find out about potential criminal indictments in the Fulton County case?

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The DAs office wont say.

But some lawyers think we could see some movement in this case before the end of spring.

RELATED NEWS:
Two more avenues for relief have been slammed shut for Willard Miller, one of two teens accused of killing their Fairfield Spanish teacher in 2021.

Miller and fellow Fairfield student Jeremy Goodale face first-degree murder charges in the slaying of 66-year-old Nohema Graber. She was beaten to death and her body was left concealed in a city park.

The now-17-year-old Miller has been waging a fierce legal fight to undermine the case against him, arguing that his constitutional rights were violated.

Here's what the new rulings Friday mean, and what happens next.

Judge won't suppress evidence

At a March 29 hearing, Miller argued that police had unlawfully arrested him despite only having a warrant to collect his DNA, violated his codefendant Goodale's rights in collecting evidence that also implicates Miller, and lied to a judge to secure search warrants during the investigation.

Previously: Prosecutor: Iowa teens killed Spanish teacher over bad grade

Judge Shawn Showers rejected each dispute. Showers found police had probable cause to arrest Miller, that Miller failed to show evidence officers had been untruthful, and that Miller has no standing to argue for Goodale's constitutional rights if Goodale himself  who a prosecutor said plans to testify for the state  does not.

Was motion filed too late?

Prosecutors had argued against each of Miller's claims, but also asked Showers to dismiss Miller's motion out of hand. Almost all of the issues involved were already decided in the state's favor in a previous motion to suppress, Jefferson County Attorney Chauncey Moulding said.

November 2022: Fairfield teen's mother testifies police misled before her son's arrest for teacher's murder

Moulding further argued there was no new information justifying filing a second motion barely a month before trial when the case had been pending almost 18 months.

Supreme Court denies appeal

Although Showers rejected Miller's first motion to suppress evidence in January, defense attorneys had appealed that decision to the Iowa Supreme Court, which declined Friday to accept the appeal.

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Under Iowa law, the court has discretion over whether or not to take up "interlocutory" appeals of pretrial decisions. This is the second time the high court has refused to intercede in the Graber cases, having previously refused to hear the teens' appeal over an evidentiary dispute in the hearings to determine whether they would be tried as adults.

From 2021: 'She had a love for life': Fairfield honors Nohema Graber with prayer, vigil service

Next up, trial for Miller

Friday's decisions clear the way for Miller's case to proceed to trial. It's scheduled to begin April 21 in Pottawattamie County, where it was moved because of concerns about the effect of pretrial publicity on the Jefferson County jury pool.

Goodale is scheduled for trial in May, but it isn't clear what sort of deal he has reached with prosecutors. Court filings do not show any plea hearing yet scheduled in his case.

William Morris covers courts for the Des Moines Register. He can be contacted at wrmorris2@registermedia.com, 715-573-8166 or on Twitter at @DMRMorris.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa teacher murder suspect loses motion to suppress, pretrial appeal
This article was shared as part of an ongoing project between Military Times and the The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit newsroom that informs Texans about state policy and politics. Sign up for The Brief, its daily newsletter.

The death of Bishop Evans, the Texas National Guard member who died last year while serving on Gov. Greg Abbotts border mission, inspired legislation to ensure future Guard members who die in the line of duty are guaranteed $500,000 in death benefits for their survivors.

But if the bill  named the Bishop Evans Act  passes, Evans own family wont qualify. Now, Evans grandmother and other military advocates are asking lawmakers to make the bill retroactive so they could access the death benefits provided in the legislation.

Financially, as far as me and my husband, we are seniors, said Jo Ann Johnson, Evans grandmother, who raised him. This definitely will help the family with some of the things [Bishop] wanted to do for me.

Evans, 22, died last April while trying to save two migrants from drowning in the Rio Grande while he was on deployment for Operation Lone Star, Abbotts signature immigration effort to try to curb the number of migrants crossing from Mexico into Texas. Evans was promoted posthumously to sergeant and awarded the Lone Star Medal of Valor at his funeral. He had also received the Meritorious Service Medal and two Army Achievement Medals.

Johnson said Evans, who lived with them, had purchased a private life insurance policy, which helped cover the cost of his funeral. But she said his family still had to cover other debts left behind in his name, and now they can no longer count on money he would send them to help pay the house bills.

Bills come due, and they dont stop just because someone stops breathing, Johnson said.

Johnsons family has been vocal about improving the conditions of the more than 4,000 service members who remain deployed on Operation Lone Star. She said providing that death benefit would ease the burden of families already dealing with the loss of a loved one.

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Hunter Schuler, a soldier who led a unionizing effort among the Guard members, said the Texas State Employees Union also wants a retroactive bill.

I think I can safely speak for all soldiers when I say that we hope SGT Evans family receives all the help they possibly can, Schuler said in a written statement. If there is some legal technicality standing in the way of getting them the help they need, I would happily contribute and fundraise on their behalf and I know many other soldiers would do the same.

Schuler said that while Evans death has gotten the most attention, other soldiers have also died before him on the mission and have died since.

The SGT Evans Memorial Bill is one of those laws that you hope youll never need to use, he wrote. However, the reality of the dangers that service members on the border mission face in the line of duty means that the state of Texas needs to step up and take care of a service members family when the unthinkable happens.

Mitch Fuller, director of government and public affairs for Texas Veterans of Foreign Wars, said his organization also supports making the bill retroactive.

If its possible to do it, we would support it, he said.

While the state guarantees law enforcement officers, like Department of Public Safety troopers, a $500,000 death benefit for their families if they die on duty, National Guard troops who stand shoulder to shoulder with those DPS officers on Operation Lone Star dont have the same benefit. National Guard troops on federal deployment who die on the job receive a six-figure lump-sum death benefit, but Operation Lone Star is a state deployment, and Texas does not currently offer similar financial support.

Lawmakers are trying to address that disparity during this years legislative session, which ends on Memorial Day. If lawmakers do not approve a law change before then, they could have to wait two more years before the Legislature reconvenes.

Rep. Jared Patterson, R-Frisco, and Sen. Joan Huffman, a Houston Republican who leads the budget-writing Senate Finance Committee, have filed bills to guarantee the $500,000 death benefit to troops who are deployed to action by the state.

Patterson declined comment. Huffman did not respond to a request for comment.

The legislation has the support of top leaders such as Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and House Speaker Dade Phelan, who has made it one of his legislative priorities.

Making the legislation retroactive could potentially impact the family of another soldier assigned to Operation Lone Star, Spc. DaJuan Townes, who died in an accidental shooting on Feb. 7, 2022 at Fort Clark Springs near Brackettville.

Townes, a 19-year-old horizontal construction engineer from Spring, was sitting in a fellow soldiers car amid a swim training event. He was handing a personally owned handgun to a soldier sitting behind him in the vehicle when it fired a round through the seat and into his back, according to documents obtained by Military Times.

But the Texas Military Departments statement identifying Townes described the shooting as non-mission related, leaving it unclear whether his death would be eligible for the death benefit. Efforts to reach members of Townes family were unsuccessful.

Other deaths associated with the mission were either suspected suicides or occurred outside of duty hours. Those circumstances likely wouldnt qualify for death benefits under the legislation as currently written.

Pattersons legislation received committee approval last month and is on its way to the House Calendars Committee, one step away from being considered by the entire Texas House.

Texas military leaders have asked the Legislature for years without success to provide the state death benefit.

But this year, the bill has garnered much more attention, largely due to Evans death.

An investigation by The Texas Tribune and Military Times revealed that Evans did not have flotation devices or water rescue equipment when he jumped into the river. The potentially fatal lack of key equipment added to the myriad of issues troops have faced on Operation Lone Star, including pay problems, poor living conditions and a rash of suspected suicides tied to the mission.

Most National Guard troops serve part time and have civilian jobs. Theyre usually called to help in emergency situations, such as hurricanes, tornadoes or crowd control, and historically have been used for short-term deployments that last weeks at the most. Long-term missions usually have months of notice and come with federal benefits, such as no-cost health care and education funding.

But Abbott involuntarily activated thousands of soldiers to the border for deployments of up to a year at a time, some of them with only 72-hour notice. At one point, Abbott said there were 10,000 troops deployed to the border. (In reality, there were roughly 6,500 there, with others scattered throughout the state for logistical help.)

By the end of his time on the mission, Evans no longer wanted to be deployed. He was ready to go home and start his studies at Tarrant County College.

But his grandmother said he loved being part of JROTC at Mansfield High School, where the annual drill meet has been renamed in Evans honor. Evans later joined the Texas Army National Guard, served in Kuwait and Iraq, and was proud to be part of the military.

Johnson said the family would like to create a scholarship fund in Evans name for the Mansfield JROTC program. Having access to death benefits would help them with that goal.
Hundreds of elderly residents and people with disabilities from four nursing homes in western Massachusetts are quickly being displaced as the company that owns them appears to be accelerating the pace in which such centers stand to close down.

Sarah Vilanova, who is blind and is missing a leg, had been living in the Willimansett Center East nursing home in Chicopee for about a year and a half when staffers told her in February that she would be transferred the next day to another nursing home 45 minutes away.

Vilanova, a 48-year-old woman who is Puerto Rican, stood to be transferred to the same nursing home where she recalled having had a bad experience, making the news even more distressing.

"I started panicking and screaming," Vilanova said. I had a panic attack, totally blind, I was bumping into everything with the wheelchair."

Willimansett Center East was the first of the four homes to shut down on March 17, even though the plan approved by the state's Public Health Department called "for closure of the Facility on or about June 6."

Willimansett Center East in Chicopee, Mass., was the first of four nursing homes that closed in mid-March. (Google Maps)

The other three homes still in the process of closing down are Chapin Center, in Springfield; Governors Center, in Westfield; and Willimansett Center West, in Chicopee.

All four homes are owned by Northeast Health Group, a Florida-based company.

Vilanova got the news that she would be displaced shortly after Northeast Health Group informed state public health officials on Feb. 6 of their intent to close down the facilities.

The company blamed the closures on post-Covid state regulations approved on April 2021 requiring long-term care homes to not have more than two beds in each room starting May 2022.

The regulations were the result of public outcry over a Covid outbreak that killed 84 people at Holyoke Soldiers Home, a state-run facility for veterans. The outbreak resulted in criminal charges, which were later dismissed, and a $56 million settlement with the state, Reuters reported.

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The state Public Health Department conducted a public hearing to discuss the closures of Willimansett Center East and West on March 1, and another one on March 2 to discuss the closures of Chapin Center and Governors Center.

During this period, advocates for elderly and disabled nursing home residents raised concerns over possible violations taking place during the closing process, citing the speed of the facilities' closures.

Stavros Center for Independent Living, a social services organization helping people with disabilities, filed a complaint with the Massachusetts Office of the Attorney General on March 8.

Based on the organizations visits to the facilities and the public hearings, the four nursing homes began the closure process several weeks before the Public Health Department approved the closure plan, the complaint stated.

The organization pointed out that residents are being given little choice on where they can be transferred, something they say goes against state regulations.

"Some have been told they will be homeless if they do not accept proposed placements, often far from their communities and against residents/families needs and choices," the complaint states.

The complaint also states that many residents, family members and staffers "are under the impression that facilities will close in early April."

In response to a request for comment, according to the Public Health Department, while a long-term care facility has to provide information about a proposed closure at least 120 days in advance, its not uncommon for a facility to close ahead of the proposed closure date.

The department is monitoring the closings and is working with the Executive Office of Elder Affairs long-term care ombudsman regarding any concerns, according to the Public Health Department, which also urged any family members to contact the long-term care ombudsman regarding specific concerns.

'The damage has been done'

Staff members at the remaining three nursing homes said they weren't authorized to speak about the closures. Requests for comment were redirected to Northeast Health Group, but were not answered.

Heather O. Berchem, an attorney representing the company, also did not respond to phone calls and an email requesting comment.

The closure of these nursing homes comes at a time when not enough facilities exist to satisfy the need of elder and disabled residents in the area, said Betty Tegel of Dignity Alliance Massachusetts, a coalition of groups working to improve long-term care.

For this reason, Dignity Alliance Massachusetts and Stavros have been urging the state to take control of the facilities during the closure process to ensure rules are being followed and families treated fairly.

With less than a dozen residents left to relocate, Brianna Zimmerman, a systems change advocate at Stavros, said the biggest hope right now would be to have the attorney general open an investigation.

"At this point, the damage has been done," Zimmerman said.

In a statement to NBC News Wednesday, the Massachusetts Office of the Attorney General said it has been "closely monitoring the situation" in collaboration with the state's public health department.

"We are deeply concerned about the closures of the four Northeast Health Group nursing homes in western Massachusetts and the traumatic displacement of the vulnerable residents who live there," the statement said.

Violations to voluntary closure requirements at longterm care facilities may result in fines and in extreme cases, jail time.

Vilanova describes that day in early February as the moment when, "basically, I became homeless and ended up in the hospital."

Her panic attack sent her to the hospital for a few weeks. She is now out and living a nursing home in Southbridge, where she has been greatly missing her tight-knit group of friends from Willimansett Center East.

Vilanova has been blind since she was 29. After enduring complications from contracting Covid-19 in 2020, Vilanova lost her right leg, below her knee.

After the traumatic event, Vilanova found a home and a community in Willimansett Center East where she was able to heal.

She had three other close friends with whom she would listen to country music, drink coffee and share endless laughs. People in the nursing home would call them the "Golden Girls," Vilanova said. "And now they take that away from me, and for me it's hard."

Tegel raised concerns over the transitional trauma most of the displaced residents have faced in the midst of these closures.

"They've been in a nursing home for so long. They knew the staff, they knew the routine. They've built all these relationships over the years," she said. "Readjusting for a new placement is just devastating for everybody involved."

Tegel added that statistics show these frail residents, especially if they have Alzheimers or other severe medical conditions, may not survive very long in a new setting.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
You are here: Arts

Drama "Donghu Hotel" made its debut at the Shunyi Grand Theater on Friday. [Photo/VCG]

A drama centered on rescuing Chinese intellectuals during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45) made its debut at the Shunyi Grand Theater on Friday.



Donghu Hotel is a modern drama adapted from real history in Huizhou, Guangdong province. In the drama, intellectuals were been rescued and transferred to a safe place with the help of the hotels boss.

Dongjiang guerrillas have been invited to watch the drama, as they are the original people from the real-life accident.

It is a drama upholding the spirit of preserving and promoting Chinese culture, according to organizers, and will have another screening in Beijing. In Mid-April, it will be staged in Huizhou five times.
A series of arguments ultimately led to a shooting last week that resulted in the death of a 15-year-old boy, court records show, and led to a 21-year-old being charged with murder.

Arik Garcia of Carlsbad was arrested March 29 and charged with second-degree murder after the incident at an apartment complex in the 800 block of Hueco Street.

He made his first appearance in court the next day, and prosecutors petitioned to hold Garcia without bail with a hearing on that matter scheduled for April 10.

More: Artesia police sued for 'excessive force' in arrests of man who says he was jailed illegally

Prosecutors argued for Garcias incarceration ahead of the trial, as the shooting in which he was accused of killing the boy happened near Garcias residence in the Hueco Street apartment complex where the victim also lived.

The defendant engages in conduct endangering the witnesses and the community at large such that no release conditions will reasonably protect the safety of the witnesses or the community in this case, read the motion.

More: Carlsbad police investigate fatal shooting on National Parks Highway

What lead up to the fatal shooting Garcia was accused of committing appeared tied to frequent domestic disputes between himself, a brother who was not charged with a crime in the case, and their neighbors who lived in a nearby apartment down the street, records show.

A witness at the scene of the shooting told detectives that the victim's family had been having problems with Garcia family members, according to a criminal complaint.

On the night of the shooting, the witness told police that an argument ensued outside of the residence between two women.

More: No charges by police in 'self-defense' shooting on National Parks Highway in Carlsbad

At that point, the boy who was ultimately shot attempted to defend one woman, and several people in the area said they heard gunshots with the boy falling to the ground, the report read.

Story continues

More: Carlsbad man accused of shooting minor to death arrested and charged with murder

Another witness told police that as the boy approached Garcia's brother, Arik Garcia pulled out a semi-automatic gun and shot the boy, records show.

Police said video provided by other witnesses to law enforcement showed a man matching Garcias description shooting the victim.

The boy suffered two gunshot wounds to the chest, and later died at the emergency room of Carlsbad Medical Center as responders attempted to stabilize him to be airlifted to a facility in Lubbock, Texas for treatment.

More: Police search unsuccessfully for jet skier reported missing at Brantley Lake

Garcia was eventually found by police that night hiding in a car near the scene of the shooting, and was taken into custody and interviewed by police.

Police said during his interrogation, Garcia got emotional and said he didnt mean to do it, the compliant read, and that he armed himself because he thought his brother was being jumped by numerous people.

Arik said he needed help, that he didnt mean to do it, that he ruined his life, read the report. Arik said he didnt know why he shot the kid.

Adrian Hedden can be reached at 575-628-5516, achedden@currentargus.com or @AdrianHedden on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Carlsbad Current-Argus: Fatal shooting of 15-year-old Carlsbad boy followed fight, police say
Fred Guttenberg and Ron DeSantis. Amy Beth Bennett-Pool/Getty Images, Scott Olson/Getty Images

Ron DeSantis quietly removed the need for training or background checks to carry concealed firearms.

Gun control activist Fred Guttenberg called DeSantis a "pathetic, small-minded individual."

Guttenberg's 14-year-old daughter, Jaime, was killed in the 2018 Parkland school shooting.

Parents of children killed in the Parkland school shooting have condemned Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' new law that allows Floridians to carry concealed firearms without a permit.

"Constitutional Carry is in the books,' DeSantis said on Monday after signing H.B. 543 into law in a small, private ceremony. A brief statement from his office on the signing said the law "strengthens Floridians' Second Amendment rights."

Fred Guttenberg, the parent of Parkland shooting victim Jaime Guttenberg, told the AP that DeSantis was a "weak, pathetic, small-minded individual" for signing the bill.

Jaime Guttenberg, then 14, was killed in the 2018 mass shooting at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

"I will chase him down across the state as well as possibly across the country," Fred Guttenberg told the AP. "Ron DeSantis today put his signature to a bill that guarantees there will be more Jaimes."

"Ron, your weakness won't make you less responsible. The inevitable next shooting because of this will be because of you," Guttenberg separately wrote on Facebook on Monday.

Manuel Oliver, whose 17-year-old son Joaquin died in Parkland shooting, also tweeted on Monday protesting DeSantis' new bill.

"The next victims are on you @GovRonDeSantis. It's time to walk out and disrupt your stupidity," Oliver tweeted on Monday.

Guttenberg is an outspoken advocate for gun control. After his daughter's death, he co-wrote a book called "American Carnage," which aims to dispel misinformation related to gun violence.

Oliver is also an activist, and started a non-profit organization "Changetheref," which aims to raise awareness about mass shootings. He was arrested and given a citation on March 23 in Washington, D.C., after he shouted at lawmakers during a House hearing on gun laws.

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The permitless concealed carry law DeSantis signed on Monday will take effect from July 1. It allows all Floridians who are licensed to bear arms to carry concealed weapons without a government-issued permit.

This law also means that background checks and training won't be required for people who want to carry concealed firearms in public.

DeSantis signing this concealed carry law comes just a week after a shooter opened fire at The Covenant School in Nashville, killing three children and three school staff.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a press release issued on Monday that it was "shameful that so soon after another tragic school shooting, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law a permitless concealed carry bill behind closed doors."

"This is the opposite of common-sense gun safety," she added.

DeSantis' new bill is the latest in a slate of controversial laws he has passed since becoming governor in 2019. These include restricting abortion services and the "Don't Say Gay" law, which limits what teachers can teach about sexual orientation and gender identity.

Guttenberg, Oliver, and a representative for DeSantis did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment sent outside regular business hours.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Robert Gray was reading a book about Black Medal of Honor recipients  seven World War II veterans whose courage was not recognized for decades  when he stumbled across the name of a Kansas Citian.

Pfc. Willy James Jr. is Kansas Citys only Black Medal of Honor recipient, awarded posthumously, and yet Gray, a veteran himself, had never heard of him. Neither had fellow local veterans. So for over a decade he researched, contacted relatives and worked with community organizations to ensure James contributions would be remembered.

Gray, a retired Marine first sergeant, coordinated with the Black Archives of Mid-America to create an exhibit dedicated to James. It will showcase his medal, given to his widow in 1997 as then-President Bill Clinton honored the seven Black heroes who were bypassed because of racism. The debut will be marked by a procession through Kansas City streets on Friday, April 7, the 78th anniversary of James death.

I read this book called Honoring Sergeant Carter, which told the story of the seven, says Gray, who lives in Olathe. One of the seven was Pfc. James, and as soon as I learned he was from Kansas City I started asking myself how have I never heard this extraordinary story?

We as a community dropped the ball and we need to make sure his name becomes not just a part of Kansas City history but American history. His story deserves to be told.

This portrait of Willy James, by artist James Guilford, was commissioned in 1997 when James was given the Medal of Honor posthumously. There are no known photographs of him. The portrait is now on display at the Black Archives of Mid-America.

Becoming a hero

James came from modest beginnings, growing up at 12th Street and The Paseo, where he attended Lincoln High School. He joined the Army in 1942, and two weeks before shipping out, he married his girlfriend, Valcenie.

Black soldiers werent permitted to fight on the front lines and were relegated to menial tasks, like cooks, drivers and road workers. But when casualties mounted in the Battle of the Bulge, Army leaders changed their minds. James and more than 2,200 other Black soldiers volunteered for special training to become reinforcements.

While the military wouldnt be integrated until 1948, when President Truman signed Executive Order 9981, allowing Black and white soldiers to fight side by side, James and his comrades paved the way years beforehand.

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James became a scout with the 413th Infantry Regiment and was the first to volunteer and lead the way for his platoon to secure and expand a vital bridgehead. He drew machine gun and sniper fire in order to report back the enemys location, according to the National Medal of Honor Museum.

James died on April 7, 1945, near Lippoldsberg, Germany, while attempting to save the life of his platoon leader, who was shot during the charge.

Private First Class James fearless, self-assigned actions, coupled with his diligent devotion to duty exemplified the finest traditions of the Armed Forces, his medal citation reads.

He enlisted as a young man and he died as a young man, his niece Margaret Pender said in 2015 at an event for the National WWII Museum in New Orleans.

James died fighting in a war liberating strangers thousands of miles away. All in a time when he was looked down upon as a second-class citizen back home.

In 1945 when he was killed, it was uncommon for African Americans to receive a proper military burial service, says Gray. There was no service with the 21 gun salute, the playing of Taps and the widow being given the folded American flag.

Gray sees James life and sacrifice as an integral part of telling the story of how Black soldiers had to not only overcome a foreign battlefield but also a domestic one. Becoming a personal champion for James story, he set out to find the resources he needed to bring more attention to the courage of a fellow Black veteran.

In 1997, Valcenie James, widow of Pfc. Willy F. James Jr., accepted the Medal of Honor on his behalf from President Bill Clinton.

Kansas City honors one of its own

Ivan Williams, who oversees the Black Archives human resources department, said he, too, had not heard of James or his heroism.

It is so important because that preserves our own history. Too often we expect other establishments to, and we see how history gets whitewashed and erased, says Williams, who grew up in Lees Summit.

He hopes the new exhibit will draw visitors to not only learn about James bravery but the perseverance of other Black people in Kansas City.

When I hear about these figures in history that I have never heard of before it makes me wonder who else was left out? says Williams. It feels cheap, as if they are robbing us of another Black superhero we could have had.

This certificate issued by President Bill Clinton in 1997 to the family of Willy James will be on display along with the Medal of Honor at the Black Archives of Mid-America.

In recent years, James Medal of Honor has been part of the World War II Museums Fighting for the Right to Fight traveling exhibit, showcasing the seven medals awarded to the Black soldiers.

James body was buried in the Netherlands. Gray feels he was never awarded the proper heros homecoming he deserved. On Friday, April 7, Gray expects to bring together hundreds of veterans from around the metro area to pay homage to the life and service of James.

The ceremony will begin at 11am at the Black Veterans Memorial at East 12th Street and The Paseo, where a wreath will be placed in his memory. Afterward, the procession will head to the Black Archives, 1722 E. 17th Terrace. The Fort Riley mounted color guard will lead the way on horseback, accompanied by the Buffalo Soldiers motorcycle club, JROTC cadets from local high schools and a marching band.

Most everyone who knew James has died, and he had no children. Not even a surviving photograph of the medal recipient remains.

For Gray, this long path to honor not only a fellow Black man but a fellow veteran was not just a passion project but a higher calling as a man of service.

We are a band of brothers, and we bring everyone home. this is a part of bringing him home and making sure everyone knows about his sacrifice. Black soldiers from every branch of service owe something to men like him, he says. We are all a result of his sacrifice.
State police are searching for a driver in connection with a fiery hit-and-run crash on Route 24 in West Bridgewater that left a woman dead late Monday night.

Troopers responding to a report of a crash on the northbound side of the highway around 10:30 p.m. learned that a 2008 Toyota Scion TC had clipped a 2015 Honda Accord as it changed lanes, sending it into a concrete barrier in the median, according to Massachusetts State Police.

A 2022 Ford Maverick pickup then struck the rear of the Honda, causing it to become fully engulfed in flames. West Bridgewater firefighters were called to the scene to extinguish the blaze.

The driver of the Honda, 46-year-old Erpharo Gilbert, of Raynham, was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the Ford wasnt injured.

The driver of the Honda, 46-year-old Erpharo Gilbert, of Raynham, was pronounced dead at the scene.

The driver of the Toyota fled the scene. Investigators are now working to track down the vehicle and identify the driver.

The son of a b----, I hope they get him. And I feel awful for the driver of the truck that hit the car. The whole thing is just a mess, just a mess, said Leslie Aranda of Raynham. Aranda says the news that her well-liked neighbor is gone, is shocking,

I dont know what to say, she said. Its heartbreaking, its terrible, I feel terrible.

Theres been a lot of accidents on the road. Ive been here maybe a year and a half and ive seen at least five accidents on the road, said Jennifer Pestana of Taunton

People drive fast everywhere. People drive ridiculously fast dangerously, its horrible. We accept it in life, I guess, said Matt Henzy of Jamaica Plain

Back in Raynham, Leslie has a message for the hit and run driver.

Turn yourself in. just turn yourself in. probably took off because you were drinking or something. 930 at night. I just think its a shame, Aranda added.

All three northbound lanes were closed for about four hours while crews worked to clear the wreckage.

State police detectives assigned to the Plymouth District Attorneys Office are leading the investigation.

Story continues

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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Deputies have arrested a fifth suspect in connection with the March 4 double murder outside a Sweet 16 party in Douglas County.

Tahkel Marquise Beverly-Smart, 21, of Dallas, Georgia, was arrested on Saturday, April 1 at the Villas at West Ridge Apartments.

Tankel was denied bond and is being held at the Douglas County Jail facing 80 counts related to the murders.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

Douglas County Sheriff Tim Pounds said this is still a very active investigation and that he anticipates more arrests will be coming.

Over 100 teenagers were at a party on March 4 when suspects opened fire, killing two innocent bystanders, Ajanaye Hill, 14, and Samuel Moon, 15.

It was a gang hit. It was gang-related, Pounds said during a news conference in March.

TRENDING STORIES:

Seven other teens were injured in the shooting.

Deputies arrested 4 teens in connection with the shooting last month: Chance Terrell McDowell, 17; Chase Terrence McDowell, 17; Timothy Coleman Jr, 18; and Kingston Cottman, 17.

The families of both teens have set up GoFundMe accounts for Hill and Moon.

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IN OTHER NEWS:
LANSING  The final student who has been hospitalized since Feb. 13 has been discharged from Sparrow Hospital, officials announced.

Michigan State University Police and Public Safety and Sparrow Health System spokesperson John Foren announced Tuesday that the last of five students was discharged from the Lansing hospital. The student is one of five wounded on Feb. 13 during a mass shooting at the university's Berkey Hall and MSU Union. Three students were killed.

UPDATE: The final student hospitalized at @SparrowHealth has been discharged to another facility. The student was in critical condition, but stable when discharged from the hospital. pic.twitter.com/q7wSthGDDY  MSU Police and Public Safety (@msupolice) April 4, 2023

Police and hospital officials have declined to identify any of the injured students. Families and students themselves, however, have identified the injured through fundraising and social media accounts.

Juniors Guadalupe Huapilla-Perez, Nate Statly, John Hao and Troy Forbush and a Chinese student whose name has not been disclosed were injured in the shooting. They're all now out of Sparrow Hospital as of Tuesday.

MSU extended the closure of Berkey Hall through the end of 2023. Parts of the MSU Union reopened Monday along with a reflection room that had notes of gratitude and support from the community.

Support local journalism and get unlimited digital access! Subscribe for only $1 for three months!

Contact reporter Krystal Nurse at 517-267-1344 or knurse@lsj.com. Follow her on Twitter @KrystalRNurse.https://www.livingstondaily.com/story/news/local/2023/02/16/michigan-state-mass-shooting-victim-was-2020-hartland-graduate/69910534007/

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Michigan State shooting: Final injured student released from hospital
Now that former president Donald Trump has been criminally indicted, attention now turns to the process of Mr Trump surrendering himself for arrest.

Authorities have erected barricades outside the Manhattan courthouse where Mr Trumps arraignment will ultimately occur.

A grand jury voted to bring charges against Mr Trump for alleged hush money payments made to porn star Stormy Daniels during his 2016 presidential campaign. Mr Trump has denied having an affair with Daniels, whose legal name is Stephanie Clifford. It is currently unclear what the charges are but multiple reports say that Mr Trump is facing more than 30 counts related to business fraud.

Several questions remain about the step-by-step process for criminally indicting a former president, including the logistics of actually carrying out the task of bringing Mr Trump to the courtroom.

The former president arrived at La Guardia International Airport on Monday afternoon and spent the final night before his arrest at Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue.

Heres what could take place on Tuesday:

Will Trump be handcuffed?

Almost certainly not. The crime(s) for which he has been indicted are not considered violent offences, and the former president is hardly considered an escape risk. District Attorney Alvin Bragg has also reportedly been discussing the optics of handling Mr Trumps arraignment, so dont expect any attention-grabbing moves like slapping Mr Trump in cuffs. By contrast, The New York Times reports that Mr Trump hopes that Mr Bragg will indeed take this step, as he hopes to inspire a frenzy of photos in the media of a former US president being perp-walked.

Mr Trumps lawyer, Joe Tacopina, told Good Morning America on 31 March: "The president will not be put in handcuffs.

What about fingerprints and a mug shot?

Yes, and no. Those are standard parts of the booking procedure but latest reports suggest a mugshot will be skipped because of Mr Trumps celebrity status.

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Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg has reportedly consulted with the Secret Service and New York City court officials and decided that there was no reason to put Mr Trump through the normal procedure of being cuffed and having a photo taken.

Karen Agnifilo, a former prosecutor in the Manhattan district attorneys office, told the Wall Street Journal that after having his fingerprints taken Trump will be interviewed by detective investigators and arrested.

And he would be issued a rap sheet reflecting this arrest, like every other person who is arrested and fingerprinted in this country, said Ms. Agnifilo.

She added that Trump would likely be spared being held in a holding cell like most defendents awaiting arraignment.

Does he have to appear in person?

Mr Trump and his team travelled to New York City on 3 April, the day before his arraignment, and the former president will appear in Manhattan criminal court on Tuesday afternoon for in-person proceedings.

Will he be forced to post bail?

Probably not. Should he be formally arraigned without conflict, a judge will likely release him on his own recognisance.

When will it happen?

The Manhattan grand jury voted on 30 March to indict Mr Trump. Mr Trump initially predicted that he would be arrested on 21 March, but the day came and went. He is scheduled to appear in court on 4 April at 2.15pm ET.
Finland became the 31st member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization  NATO  on Tuesday. Welcoming the newest member state, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said after a ceremony in Brussels that both Finland and the NATO alliance were "stronger and safer" for it having joined.

"Finland has a highly capable military and has been an active participant in NATO-led operations; it also shares our values and strong democratic institutions," said the top U.S. diplomat.

Finnish Foreign Affairs Minister Pekka Haavisto (L) shakes hands with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, flanked by NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, as he hands over Finland's accession to NATO documents, during a joining ceremony at a NATO - North Atlantic Council (NAC) Foreign Affairs ministers' meeting, at the NATO headquarters in Brussels, April 4, 2023. / Credit: OLIVIER MATTHYS/POOL/AFP/Getty

"We are confident Finland's membership will strengthen our collective defense and enhance our ability to respond to security challenges in the Euro-Atlantic area," Blinken said in a statement. "Russia's further invasion into Ukraine last year precipitated the very thing President Putin wanted to avoid: a stronger, more unified, Transatlantic Alliance."

Here's why the expansion of defensive alliance created to keep the U.S., Canada, and Europe safe in the wake of World War II matters today:

NATO was formed in 1949 by 12 countries, including the U.S., Canada and Western European nations. Its purpose was to ensure collective security against the Soviet Union. After the collapse of the USSR, more countries joined the alliance and it has more than doubled in size.

The stated mission of NATO is "to guarantee the freedom and security of its members through political and military means." At the heart of the treaty that established the alliance is Article 5, which says an attack on one NATO member will be considered by the allies as an attack on all. In the event of such an attack, it says members will take measures "to restore and maintain international peace and security."

The member countries of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) are seen highlighted in blue, prior to Finland's accession to the alliance on April 4, 2023, to become the 31st member state. This map also does not reflect the 30th member state, North Macedonia, which joined in 2020. / Credit: Getty/iStockphoto

Before he launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin had long complained of NATO's eastward expansion in Europe and sought to prevent additional countries from joining. Having framed the spread of the alliance's influence and military presence on the ground toward Russia's border as a threat, he used it as one of the pretexts for his attack on Ukraine.

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The Nordic nations, including Finland, had shown little interest in becoming NATO members until Russia expanded its war in Ukraine. Though Finland had acted as a close NATO partner for many years, it was officially non-aligned.

The West's refusal to send troops into non-NATO member Ukraine to help it defend itself, however, laid bare the risks of non-alliance.

Finnish military personnel install the Finnish national flag at the NATO headquarters in Brussels, April 4, 2023. / Credit: JOHN THYS/AFP/Getty

"If Ukraine had been part of NATO before the war, there would have been no war," Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in May 2022.

Finland has its own history with Moscow, having been invaded by the Soviet Union in 1939, and since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, support for joining NATO within Finland has skyrocketed from about a quarter of the population, to 80%. The country applied for membership, along with neighboring Sweden, despite Russia's warnings against the move, in May 2022.

Both countries' applications were held up by existing NATO member Turkey, however, with Ankara aggravated by support within the Nordic nations for Turkish opposition groups and Sweden allowing a protest that involved the burning of a Quran. Turkey recently ratified Finland's membership bid, but Sweden is still waiting for it to drop its resistance.

Finland is Russia's immediate neighbor to the west. The two countries share about 800 miles of land border,and Finland's membership in NATO will significantly bolster security on NATO's eastern flank.

While Finland has said it does not need NATO troops stationed along its border with Russia "for now," its accession will give the alliance direct access to that 800-mile frontier, should it decide at any point to deploy additional forces for strategic or security purposes.

Finnish reservists of the Guard Jaeger Regiment take part in a military exercise at the Santahamina military base in Helsinki, Finland on March 7, 2023. / Credit: ALESSANDRO RAMPAZZO/AFP/Getty

Just south of Finland are the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania  all NATO members which also directly border Russia or its close ally Belarus. Those nations have long worried that Russia could seize Finnish islands to use as bases from which to stage attacks on their own territories. With Finland becoming a NATO member, they will be better protected.

"President Putin went to war against Ukraine with the clear aim to get less NATO," the alliance's Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Monday. "He's getting the exact opposite."

Russia has said it will bolster its own defenses in the west and northwest of its territory as a response to NATO's expansion.

CBS News correspondent Holly Williams contributed to this report.

The historical implications of former President Donald Trump's indictment

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Finland joined NATO to become the alliance's 31st member on Tuesday, issuing a major rebuke to Moscow and doubling the border length Russia shares with the military alliance.

Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine spurned Finland to join the military alliance last year. Both Finland and Sweden filed to join NATO, though Sweden's process is still ongoing. NATO officials will raise Finland's flag between the French and Estonian flags in a ceremony later Tuesday.

NATO has said that it has no immediate intention to step up a military presence in Finland. Some members have deployed troops there for war games over the past year, however.

As with all NATO members, Finland will benefit from the collective security guarantee of Article 5: "an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against them all."

FINLAND'S SANNA MARIN LOSES PM RACE FOLLOWING CONTROVERSIAL PARTYING VIDEO

Finland officially joined NATO on Tuesday following negotiations with Turkey's Recep Erdogan, who initially opposed the move.

Moscow has already threatened to deploy troops on its side of the border with Finland if NATO moves to expand its presence in the new member country.

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

The NATO treaty requires that member countries unanimously approve any new additions to the alliance. Turkey was the sole country to formally oppose Findland and Sweden's entry, arguing that their policies supported certain Kurdish rebel groups that Turkey opposed.

SWEDEN BECOMES LEGITIMATE TARGET BY JOINING NATO, RUSSIAN ENVOY SAYS

Finnish and Swedish leaders negotiated with Turkish President Recep Erdogan for months, and they ultimately came to an agreement for Finland. Erdogan will formally approve Finland's entry on Tuesday, sharing the approval papers with Secretary of State Tony Blinken.

Sweden is next in line to join the alliance, but still faces opposition from Erdogan. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said during a news conference in Stockholm in March that it has been clear since NATOs Madrid summit in June that Finlands road into membership would likely be smoother than Swedens.

The two countries had hoped to join NATO at the same time "hand in hand." Nevertheless, both Swedish and NATO officials have stressed that Sweden's entry to the alliance will happen, the only question is how long it might be delayed.

Fox News' Bradford Betz contributed to this report.
Finland becomes the 31st member of NATO on Tuesday, in a historic shift that drew an angry warning of "countermeasures" from the Kremlin.

Moscow's all-out invasion of Ukraine last year upended Europe's security landscape and prompted Finland -- and its neighbour Sweden -- to drop decades of military non-alignment.

"Not so many years ago we thought it was unthinkable that Finland would become a member. Now they will be a fully-fledged member of our alliance and that is truly historic," NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said.

"We are removing the room for miscalculation in Moscow about NATO's readiness to protect Finland, and that makes Finland safer."

Finnish Defence Minister Antti Kaikkonen called it "a win-win situation" ahead of the choreographed final formalities before Finland's blue-and-white flag can be hoisted in front of NATO's headquarters.

But Moscow decried the move as as an "assault" on Russia's security and national interests.

"This forces us to take countermeasures ... in tactical and strategic terms," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

Joining NATO places Finland under the alliance's Article Five, the collective defence pledge that an attack on one member "shall be considered an attack against them all".

This was the guarantee Finnish leaders decided they needed as they watched Russian President Vladimir Putin's devastating assault on Ukraine.

"I'm tempted to say this is maybe the one thing we can thank Mr Putin for, because he once again here has precipitated something he claims to want to prevent by Russia's aggression," US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.

- Powerful military -

Invaded by its giant neighbour, the Soviet Union, in 1939, Finland -- which has a 1,300-kilometre (800 mile) border with Russia -- stayed out of NATO throughout the Cold War.

Now its membership brings a potent military into the alliance with a wartime strength of 280,000 and one of Europe's largest artillery arsenals.

Its strategic location bolsters NATO's defences on a border running from the vulnerable Baltic states to the increasingly competitive Arctic.

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Senior NATO military commander Admiral Rob Bauer told AFP that Finland had so far not requested its new allies station troops on its soil.

NATO officials say the war in Ukraine has sapped Moscow's forces, but the alliance is monitoring how Russia responds to gauge its future steps.

Awkward allies Turkey and Hungary, for different reasons of their own, delayed Finland's bid to come under the NATO umbrella -- and Stockholm's progress remains blocked.

But last week, the Turkish parliament voted to clear Finland's final hurdle.

Completing the ratification in well under a year still makes this the fastest membership process in the alliance's recent history.

NATO was created as a counterweight to the Soviet Union at the onset of the Cold War era that began immediately after the Allies defeated Nazi Germany.

- Sweden soon? -

Finland's arrival nevertheless remains a bittersweet moment for the alliance as the hope had been for Sweden to come on board at the same time.

Budapest and Ankara remain the holdouts after belatedly agreeing to wave through Helsinki's bid.

Sweden has upset Hungary's leader Viktor Orban -- one of Putin's closest allies in Europe -- by expressing alarm over the rule of law in Hungary.

It has also angered Turkey by refusing to extradite dozens of suspects that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan links to a failed 2016 coup attempt and a decades-long Kurdish independence struggle.

NATO diplomats hope Erdogan will become more amenable if he weathers elections next month and that Sweden will join before a NATO summit in Vilnius this July.

Ukraine is also pushing for eventual NATO membership, but Western diplomats say that still remains a distant prospect.

"There is no better strategic solution to ensuring strategic security in the Euro Atlantic region than the membership of Ukraine in the alliance," Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said.

NATO members in the meantime insist they are focused on providing Ukraine with the weaponry and support it needs to win the war with Russia.

del/dc/yad
China's small-commodity hub transacts over 1 bln digital RMB

Xinhua) 08:22, April 04, 2023

Consumers purchase goods for the Chinese New Year at a fruit market in Yiwu, east China's Zhejiang Province, Jan. 17, 2023. (Photo by Gong Xianming/Xinhua)

HANGZHOU, April 3 (Xinhua) -- Over 90 percent of businesses in Yiwu City, China's small-commodity hub, have accepted digital renminbi (RMB) payment on the city's official digital platform, with more than 60,000 digital yuan wallets opened and deals of over 1 billion yuan (about 145 million U.S. dollars) transacted so far.

The city in east China's Zhejiang Province has launched its pilot work plan on promoting China's digital fiat currency, or the e-CNY, in the local small-commodity market. It plans to explore more e-CNY application scenarios, including allocating financial subsidies in the small-commodity market and paying employee wages, parking lot fees, rental fees, and utility bills.

According to the work plan, by the end of 2023, Yiwu will transact over 1 million deals worth over 10 billion yuan in its small-commodity market. The digital RMB payment service will cover 90 percent of its offline businesses in operation and be accessible for more than 95 percent of the businesses on Yiwu's official digital platform, Chinagoods.

In March, Zhejiang's first e-CNY exchange machine was set up in Yiwu, able to exchange 19 major currencies, including RMB, and directly exchange foreign currency notes into physical e-CNY wallets without downloading mobile payment applications.

With visual and audio guidance in eight languages, the machine can help solve the problems of excessive foreign exchange procedures and difficulties for overseas customers in China.

Yiwu, often referred to as "the world's supermarket," has an abundant variety of commodities, convenient and fast logistics, and a good business environment.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
People enjoy the twilight view at Singapore's Marina Bay on Nov. 16, 2021. [Photo/Xinhua]



China and Singapore's economic and trade ties will be reinforced by high-level free trade deals in the coming years, effectively mitigating the impact of geoeconomic fragmentation and creating new investment opportunities in each other's markets, said trade experts and business leaders on Monday.

They made the remarks after the two countries announced on Saturday that they had completed substantive negotiations on the upgrade of their bilateral free trade agreement. The objective of the upgrade is to improve market access for their companies, while also establishing more transparent and advanced economic practices.

With agreements signed by China's Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao and Singapore's Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong, the two sides confirmed that there will be no rollback of opening-up measures in the services and investment sectors, and promised each other that their respective doors will only open wider, said the Ministry of Commerce.

The upgraded deal, once sealed, will show the world that business ties between China and Singapore are on course to upgrading to new heights amid both countries' steadfast multilateral push for the regional integration of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, said Gao Lingyun, a researcher at the Institute of World Economics and Politics, which is part of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in Beijing.

In addition to advancing preparations for the further enhancement of the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area  or the ACFTA 3.0  this move will further upgrade the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership pact, said Guo Da, assistant president at the Haikou, Hainan province-based China Institute for Reform and Development.

It will also create favorable conditions for China to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement, of which Singapore is a member of both, Guo said.

China's commerce ministry said that the two countries will continue follow-up work related to legal review and translation of texts, and fulfil their respective domestic procedures to sign the agreement as soon as possible.

China and Singapore signed the FTA in 2008 and upgraded it in 2018. They upgraded the agreement again and launched subsequent negotiations to further liberalize services and investment based on a negativelist model in December 2020.

Driven by mega free trade deals such as the RCEP agreement, the growth of the Belt and Road Initiative and the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor, China and Singapore saw their two-way trade value jump 22.8 percent year-on-year to $115.13 billion in 2022, said China's General Administration of Customs.

From January to October 2022, Singapore's investment in China reached $9.61 billion, up 15.7 percent year-on-year, while China's investment in the Southeast Asian country amounted to $6.35 billion, surging 27.8 percent on a yearly basis, according to China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Boosted by growing trade and investment volume, China and Singapore will likely scale up trade and investment in fields like digital economy, "new infrastructure", new energy and shipping in the next stage, said Zhang Jianping, head of the center for regional economic cooperation at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation.

China Energy Engineering Group Co Ltd, or Energy China, a Beijing-based State-owned enterprise, plans to invest more resources to expand its market share in green energy and new types of infrastructure in Singapore as well as other ASEAN member economies this year.

The Chinese company launched an energy storage project on Jurong Island in Singapore in December 2022. The project has a designed capacity of 200 megawatt-hours, the largest of its kind in Southeast Asia.

The project will help promote the transformation of Jurong Island into a sustainable chemical energy park in Singapore, and will help the city state achieve its carbon reduction targets as outlined in the Singapore Green Plan 2030, said Chen Xiaohua, Energy China's vice-president.
TOPSHOT-FINLAND-NATO-UKRAINE-RUSSIA-CONFLICT

Finnish and Nato flags flutter at the courtyard of the Foreign Ministry in Helsinki, Finland, ahead of NATO accession on April 4, 2023. Credit - Antti Hamalainen / LehtikuvaAFP via Getty Images

Finland became the 31st member of NATO today, in a swift journey that began in response to Russias Ukraine invasion.

This is really an historic day. Its a great day for the alliance, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said on Tuesday.

What we see is that President Putin went to war against Ukraine with a declared aim to get less NATO, Stoltenberg told reporters in Brussels on Monday. Hes getting the exact opposite.

Following the announcement, Russia claimed it would bolster its defenses near the border.

The decision comes as Sanna MarinFinlands left-leaning Prime Minister who pushed for Finlands ascension into the worlds biggest military alliance following decades of public oppositionlost re-election over the weekend.

More from TIME

This will remain her lasting legacy that she pulled off something like this. Its a historical U-turn that even two years ago would have been unthinkable, says Erwan Lagadec, an associate research professor of international relations at George Washington University.

Read More: Finland Prime Minister Sanna Marin Ousted, Conservatives Win Tight Vote

What was Finlands journey to join NATO like?

For decades, Finland and Sweden remained neutral when it came to wartime alliances. A former member of the Russian empirewhich dissolved in 1917Finland was under the thumb of the Soviet Union during the Cold War under a deal known as Finlandization. In return for neutrality, the country was allowed to develop its own domestic policy and economic systems, as long as they did not go against the Soviet Union. The USSR had a gun to Finlands head, says Lagadec.

This policy scarred Finnish public opinion for decades, adds Lagadec, making many opposed to military alliances.

Everything changed when Russia invaded Ukraine in late February 2022. It became very clear very quickly that this was not going to be the quick three-day Kyiv decapitation strike that many people thought it was going to be, says Rachel Rizzo, senior fellow at the Atlantic Councils Europe Center. Europe was now going to fundamentally rethink its relationship with Russia.

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That included Finland, a country that shares an 810-mile border with Russia. If Putins goal is neo-imperialism, theres no reason why Finland shouldnt be next, says Lagadec. Public support for Finland joining NATO jumped from one third of Finns in 2018 to almost 80% in 2022, according to a poll by Finnish broadcaster YLE.

Last May, Finland and Sweden applied to join NATO on the same day, hoping to be accepted together. The move was met with resistance from Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, but, after Finnish President Sauli Niinisto met with Erdogan last month, Finland was able to move forward with its bid without Sweden.

What are the geopolitical consequences of Finland joining NATO?

Finlands acceptance is a win for both sides, says the Atlantic Councils Rizzo. Finland gets the benefits of being a member of NATO, and NATO also gets the benefits of the Finnish military.

Picture taken on May 4, 2022 shows a Leopard battle tank of the Armoured Brigade during the Arrow 22 exercise at the Niinisalo garrison in Kankaanpaa, western Finland. Heikki Saukkomaa / LehtikuvaAFP via Getty Images

Finland has long been one of the closest non-ally partners for NATO, says Rizzo. But the threat of invasion meant that was no longer enough. What became clear was that to ensure territorial integrity they needed to join NATO, because NATO deterrence works.

Now, the country will be protected by Article Five, the alliances mutual defense clause that ensures member countries mutual protection.

The move also has strategic implications for the war against Russia as NATO countries continue their support of Ukraine. The border between NATO and Russia has basically been doubled in size and length, says Lagadec, adding that once Sweden joins, the Baltic Sea will become a NATO lake that will help the alliance arm the Baltic region.

Finland already devotes 2% of its GDP to military expenditures, which all NATO countries commit to do, but many havent in practice. And the countrys conscription-based reserves total 900,000, according to The Wilson Center.

They have trained and built a large army over many years and maintain that high level of readiness. Finland is also a country with extremely high level of resilience, of preparedness throughout the whole society, Stoltenberg said following the announcement on Monday.

Read More: Inside Ukraines Push to Try Putin for War Crimes

How does this affect other countries bids to join NATO?

NATO aims to accept Sweden by its July summit in Lithuania, says Lagadec, but whether that happens is largely dependent on Erdogan, who has blocked Swedens bid until the country cracks down on Kurdish groups operating in the country and cracks down on anti-Islam Koran burning. Rizzo says Erdogan is likely to continue stalling as he faces elections in May. There really is an ability for Erdogan to use this as a political tool to help bolster his position at home and to be seen as a strong leader, says Rizzo.

For other countries in limbo, Finlands acceptance will not change much. Georgia and Ukraine are also angling to join the alliance but face high barriers for entry. Members must unanimously agree to add new members, which can get complex as politics come into play, as seen with Turkeys Sweden opposition.

When you add a country, you are both adding a vote and potentially adding a veto. As the alliance grows it will become even more important to ensure consensus among member nations, says Rizzo. [The alliance needs] to focus on ensuring that any bilateral issues between states dont roadblock NATO-wide decision making.
The complicated relationship between Russia and Finland is yet again in a state of decline.

Finland formally joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the world's largest military alliance, on Tuesday as its 31st member.

In 2022, Finland officially applied to become a member of NATO during a news conference at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki.

This is a historic day. A new era begins, Finish president Sauli Niinisto said at the time.

Support for joining NATO jumped by 25% last year in Finland since Russia's invasion of Ukraine began in February, according to poll results reported by France24.

The historic move comes after Russias invasion of Ukraine, which stirred fears in countries that border Russia.

You (Russia) caused this. Look in the mirror, Niinisto said.

Five people killed in the war have been buried in Liljendal. Spring Winter 1940.

A pit made by a Soviet Red Army bombing in Loviisa, Finland, in 1940.

Images show Finnish soldiers around the time that the Soviet Union gave back Porkkala to Finland in 1956 during the Winter War.

Moscow has warned Finland of military-technical retaliation if it is successful in joining.

Finland remained neutral since a 1948 treaty with the Soviet Union and independent since 1917. The Nordic country shares an 830-mile border with Russia.

Finlands accession to NATO will cause serious damage to bilateral Russian-Finnish relations, the Russian foreign ministry wrote in a statement. Russia will be forced to take retaliatory steps, both of a military-technical and other nature, in order to stop the threats to its national security that arise in this regard.

(Left) People work to gather and package medical supplies during the Russo-Finnish Winter War of 1939 in Finland. (Right) Finnish soldiers in the Winter War eat together.

Soviet Union invades Finland in 1939

As tensions continue to escalate among Russia, Finland and Sweden, there was a lesser-known attack that was pivotal in Finnish and Russian political relations: the Winter War of 1939-1940, also known as the Russo-Finnish War.

The invasion began near the start of WWII after Poland was split up by Germany and the Soviets in 1939, according to Britannica.

Stunted from losses to Germany, the Soviet Union invaded Finland in November 1939 after it declined a 30-year lease for a naval base at Hanko in exchange for Soviet land.

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Finnish ski troops inflicted heavy casualties on the Soviet army during the the Russo-Finnish Winter War of 1939.

Finnish troops wearing their white tunics over their uniforms as camouflage in the snow covered country near the Mannerheim Line, go forward to reinforce the army facing the Russian forces, in southern Finland, Dec. 14, 1939.

The Soviets aimed to expand their border from Leningrad, strengthen the security of St. Petersburg, seize several islands in the Gulf of Finland and stop potential aid to Germany.

One million Soviet troops attacked the heavily outnumbered Finns on several fronts. After the Red Army breached Finland's southern barrier and captured the city of Viipuri, the two nations signed the Treaty of Moscow on March 12, 1940.

Soviet victory came with a high price, with nearly 127,000 dead or missing soldiers. Finland lost about 25,000 in the war.

Attendees gather for the Heroes' Memorial Day in Joensuu, Finland, on May 19, 1940.

An ambulance station during the Russo-Finnish Winter War of 1939 Jan. 1, 1940.

A War of continuation

Despite reaching an agreement, relations between Finland and the Soviet Union soured after Finland allowed German troops transit through the country and took arms against the Soviets.

The "War of Continuation" ended in 1944 when Finland signed an armistice, which recognized the 1940 Treaty of Moscow and declared the removal of German troops from the country.

The formal end of the Soviet-Finnish conflict came with the signing of a peace treaty in Paris in February 1947. Soviets gained western Karelia and began construction of a Soviet naval base on the Hanko Peninsula.

Despite the existence of a Soviet military base in Porkkala until 1955, Finland expressed a desire to remain neutral and maintain peace in a treaty with the Soviet Union, the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual assistance of 1948, according to NATO.

Finland was unable to join any organization considered hostile to the Soviet Union as a mutual defense provision in the 1948 treaty, which was later extended in 1955, 1970, and 1983, according to Britannica.

Finland reached a new agreement with Russia in 1992, which pledged to settle disputes peacefully, after the Soviet Union fell in 1991.

Finnish troops marched into Porkkala, on Jan. 26, 1956. The Soviet Union returned its base in Finland at Porkkala in 1955.

Pori General Hospital in Finland after a bombing by the Soviet Union Feb. 2, 1940.

Former President of Finland Juho Kusti Paasikivi and then diplomat gives an interview to journalists in Helsinki, Finland, after peace was made between Finland and the Soviet Union in Moscow. Paasikivi, cultivated harmonious relations with the Soviet Union in an effort to ensure some measure of independence for Finland.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: As Finland joins NATO, look back at 1939 Soviet invasion
By Essi Lehto and Tom Little

VIROLAHTI, Finland (Reuters) - Finns living close to the country's long border to Russia as well as in the capital Helsinki welcomed Finland's new NATO membership on Tuesday, and the sense of having a larger alliance behind them after decades of military non-alignment.

Finland became NATO's 31st member in a flag-raising ceremony at the alliance's Brussels headquarters attended by Finnish President Sauli Niinisto just over a year after Russian troops rolled into Ukraine.

"I feel it's a good thing that Finland is joining NATO. We have been here next to Russia for ages," said Outi Lehtimaki, 59, a designer in Helsinki. "My father was in the war with the Russians so this is like a personal thing to me."

Senja Veihlanen, a 25-year-old baker said, "In some ways I think it will make Finland a safer place but then again we don't know what Russia will do. It's a big question for me."

In Virolahti, near the Russian border due east of Helsinki, retired Finnish combat engineer Ilkka Lansivaara had hung his own NATO flag from the side of his house.

"It's a special day for Finland," said Lansivaara, 70, a former soldier whose father was an air force pilot during World War Two. "Now we have power also behind us, not just our own forces," he added.

Matti Seppala, 78, a retired warehouse worker who grew up near the border said joining would bolster Finland's security even if he was not scared of Russian "sabre rattling".

"I supported joining, you never know with the big brother, what they will do," he said.

In Vaalimaa, once a busy crossing point for Finns and Russians almost midway between Helsinki and St Petersburg, border guard Markus Haapasaari watched the now just slow trickle of traffic. Finland's new status hadn't sunk in for him yet, he said.

The Ukraine invasion, which Moscow calls a "special military operation, has led both Finland and Sweden to abandon decades of military non-alignment and seek safety in the NATO camp.

Story continues

The accession of Finland with its 1,300-km (810-mile) border with Russia roughly doubles NATO's land frontier facing Moscow at a time when East-West relations have hit their lowest point in decades.

Across the border in St Petersburg, a Russian resident of the city who gave his name only as Nikolai said, "Finland is making problems for itself by joining (NATO)... we used to consider it a brotherly country of the capitalist world, the closest to us in spirit, in relations, in mutually-beneficial economic relations. But now we will consider it as a state that is unfriendly to us."

Ruled by czarist Russia for more than a century, Finland gained independence in 1917. It then desperately fended off a Soviet invasion in 1939 and for a time sided with Nazi Germany in a bid to win back lost territory.

As the war ended with Allied victory, Finland found itself compelled to spend decades maintaining friendly and accommodating relations with its eastern neighbour and treading a sometimes precarious path of neutrality through the Cold War.

Memories of Finland's close relations with Moscow to preserve independence - a tactic known as "Finlandisation" - run deep for many Finns.

U.S. President Joe Biden has remarked how the war in Ukraine, rather than spur a "Finlandisation" of NATO, brought on a "NATO-isation" of Finland.

Finland brings a sizable, well-trained military into NATO and Russia has said it will have to take "counter-measures" to ensure Russian security in response.

Meanwhile, Finland's close partner Sweden continues to wait for ratification of its NATO membership bid in the face of opposition from Turkey and Hungary.

(Reporting by Essi Lehto and Tom Little; writing by Niklas Pollard; editing by Alexandra Hudson)
A California State Guard member checks the depth of the floodwater in Pajaro last month. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

Significant federal relief is finally on the way for displaced and devastated residents in Pajaro, Calif., officials said, after weeks of pleas from locals and leaders of the unincorporated Monterey County community since the region was inundated during strong winter storms that slammed California.

The major disaster declaration signed late Monday by President Biden for Monterey and surrounding counties will bring long-awaited aid and other resources from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to flooded and storm-battered communities across California.

Roughly 3,000 residents of Pajaro, many of them migrant farmworkers who speak Spanish or Indigenous languages, were displaced or trapped in their homes after a levee breached on the Pajaro River last month. Within hours of the levee failure, streets, homes and businesses were under several feet of water.

"The people of Pajaro do so much to put food on the tables of millions of Americans, and they are now needing the support and assistance of our federal and state agencies to recover from these devastating floods," Monterey County Supervisor Luis Alejo tweeted Monday. "Many have lost so much, and must be supported to recover from this extreme hardship. We are relieved that help is on its way!"

The declaration approves increased federal support for Kern, Mariposa, Monterey, San Benito, Santa Cruz, Tulare and Tuolumne counties. Affected residents there will be eligible for FEMA individual assistance programs, which can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, as well as low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, according to the White House announcement.

For weeks, desperate Pajaro residents and local leaders have pleaded for additional assistance, but California officials said the damage in the small community, while great, didn't reach the threshold for a major federal disaster, limiting how FEMA could step in.

To reach that threshold, state leaders broadened their request to include additional counties, such as Tulare and Kings, that also experienced widespread flooding from the storms.

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Were thrilled that the president signed the declaration of disaster for our county as well as our neighboring counties," said Nicholas Pasculli, a spokesperson for Monterey County. This is a big, big step in getting the people of Pajaro [help]  to get them back whole."

Last month, Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom secured a more limited presidential emergency declaration for a number of California counties, but many Monterey County officials said that fell short of the assistance Pajaro and other communities needed.

Newsom requested the major disaster declaration March 28, saying these regions had been "bombarded by storm after storm with little-to-no time to recover."

He named Pajaro as well as Porterville, in Tulare County, as specific communities that suffered significant flood damage and could still be threatened by future rising waters. The winter storms continued to endanger "lives and property while creating a disaster that is beyond the capabilities of state and local government," Newsom's request said.

The newly approved major disaster declaration will provide direct aid to individuals and businesses that suffered losses from the storm, including housing assistance, food aid, counseling, and medical and legal services, according to a news release from the governor's office.

More than 900 buildings in Pajaro were damaged in the flooding, according to George Nunez, division chief of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

Officials had known for decades that the levee that breached on the Pajaro River was vulnerable to failing, but repairs were never prioritized, according to interviews and records reviewed by The Times. One official said last month that an improvement project didn't pencil out, in part, because its a low-income area. Its largely farmworkers that live there.

Renters, homeowners, businesses and governmental agencies will receive much-needed assistance from the federal major disaster declaration, Pasculli said. Though the flood devastation reached its "biggest magnitude" in Pajaro, he said, southern Monterey County also sustained damage from severe flooding, as did county infrastructure and agricultural businesses up and down Salinas Valley.

The federal declaration will also provide FEMA assistance to public agencies and some nonprofits in Calaveras, Los Angeles, Monterey and Tulare counties for "emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the severe winter storms, straight-line winds, flooding, landslides, and mudslides," the White House statement said.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during a press conference at the University of Miami on May 17, 2022 in Miami, Florida. Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Florida Democrats are challenging Ron DeSantis' book under his own education laws, per The Daily Beast.

They argue that the book could run afoul of his own laws on race and gender concepts in schools.

"The very trap that he set for others is the one that he set for himself," one Democrat said.

Florida Democrats are attempting to turn the tables on Gov. Ron DeSantis by requesting his new book be reviewed under laws pushed through by his own party, The Daily Beast reported.

Florida House Minority Leader Fentrice Driskell told the outlet she is leading the effort to ask 50 Florida counties whether the governor's book  "The Courage To Be Free: Florida's Blueprint for America's Revival"  is suitable under laws ushered in by the Florida GOP for school libraries.

Bills like HB1467 mandate that collections be reviewed by specialists charged with ensuring they contain no pornographic or non age-appropriate material.

But it has been criticized as overly sweeping and vague, causing confusion across school districts.

"The Courage To Be Free," released in February, is widely seen as laying the ground for a presidential run by DeSantis, and Florida Democrats believe it touches on topics that his own laws could bar.

Per the Beast, it includes 17 examples of materials that Driskell believes could violate Florida law, including repeated references to "woke" and "gender ideology"  which DeSantis has decried as "divisive."

"The very trap that he set for others is the one that he set for himself," Driskell told the publication.

The book could also fall foul of the law by its summarizing of The New York Times' "1619 Project," as well as through a description of systemic racism, the Beast reported.

DeSantis vocally backed the Florida Board of Education's successful effort to ban Critical Race Theory in state classrooms in 2021.

By way of a comment, DeSantis' spokesperson Bryan Griffin sent Insider a tweeted gif of the lawmaker saying: "This is a stunt."

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DeSantis has been a leading actor in the GOP's culture-war activism, grabbing headlines for his ongoing fight with Disney over its opposition to his Parental Rights in Education Act, widely referred to as the "Don't Say Gay" bill for its restrictions on discussion of gender and sexuality in the classroom.

It's unclear how many school districts in Florida currently stock DeSantis' book.

Read the original article on Business Insider
A man allegedly threatened to commit a mass shooting at his workplace in West Melbourne, Florida, according to police.

A West Melbourne Police Department officer wrote in an arrest affidavit that Marcus Anderson was discussing the March 27 school shooting in Nashville, Tennessee, with co-workers on March 30, when he expressed "ideations about committing a mass shooting" at his workplace, Mack Technologies.

Anderson allegedly told co-workers that he had "17 bullets for 17 heads," adding that a backpack located in his locker contained 17 rounds of ammunition. During the conversation, Anderson also said he had an AR-15 in his car, according to the affidavit.

The arrest affidavit states that Anderson told two co-workers that he would "signal them" before beginning the shooting, so they would be "free from harm," FOX Orlando reported.

FLORIDA MAN SHOT IN DRIVE-BY WHILE ON SCOOTER, POLICE SAY

A West Melbourne Police Department officer wrote in an arrest affidavit that Marcus Anderson was discussing the March 27 school shooting in Nashville, Tennessee, with co-workers on March 30 when he expressed "ideations about committing a mass shooting" at his workplace, Mack Technologies.

Anderson explained that he planned locations throughout the building and also said that he followed a technician from the company a few days earlier, and "debated murdering the technician," the affidavit states.

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

When one of the co-workers asked Anderson if he was "serious" about the plan, he replied that he'd do it if he "got mad enough," the document states, paraphrasing the suspect.

When a police officer asked Anderson about the conversation, he allegedly claimed that he was just kidding around and wasn't serious about the statements. Anderson claimed all he said to the co-workers was "if I get frustrated, I be like man, I'll shoot this s--t up bro f--k this" and added it was just a general conversation.

In the interview with police, Anderson contradicted himself, according to the affidavit.

FLORIDA POLICE RULE OUT SERIAL KILLER AFTER FINDING 3 TEENS SHOT IN RURAL AREA

A pistol "magazine along with an additional box of .380 ACP ammunition," according to the affidavit.

"Naw I would never do that, like I said I would actually take it out on somebody, the person that pisses me off, not the whole building," Anderson allegedly told the police officer when recalling what he told co-workers who asked him if he was serious about the shooting.

Story continues

Anderson allegedly told the officer that while he owns a .380 ACP pistol and an AR-15, he claimed to have never disclosed what specific firearm he owns. When asked if Anderson had any firearms on the property of his workplace, Anderson said no, according to the affidavit.

The suspect later admitted that he might have a handgun in his backpack because he lives out of his car and is homeless.

When police searched Anderson's locker at Mack Technologies, a handgun was found with a "round in the chamber and a loaded magazine along with an additional box of .380 ACP ammunition," according to the affidavit.

Police then found an AR-15 rifle in his vehicle with a round in the chamber and a loaded magazine, the court document states.

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Police then found an AR-15 rifle in his vehicle with a round in the chamber and a loaded magazine, the court document states.

"When officers searched Andersons vehicle they also discovered an AR-15 style short-barreled rifle, with an overall length of 23.5 inches and no serial number," the affidavit states.

He was arrested for possession of a short-barreled rifle, short-barreled shotgun, or machine gun, police said.

Anderson is being held at a local jail on a $35,000 bond.
Police departments across Florida are shelving millions of dollars in aerial drones because of a new Gov. Ron DeSantis administration rule that takes effect Wednesday.

In its latest attempt to stamp out foreign influence in Florida, the DeSantis administration is forbidding government agencies  including police, firefighters and mosquito control districts  from using drones manufactured by China-based Da Jiang Innovations, or DJI, by far the most popular drones in the world.

Police and other agencies have purchased an estimated $200 million in DJI drones over the years, according to one lawmaker, but under the rule, they can only use drones made by a handful of approved manufacturers, most of which are based in the U.S. The rule prohibits buying drones from a company in a foreign country of concern.

Many departments have already grounded their fleets, but they told lawmakers theyve found the Florida-approved replacements far more expensive, much less capable, and in some cases dangerous. One approved drone caught fire in a deputys patrol vehicle, one law enforcement official testified.

The decision has infuriated some lawmakers, including Sen. Tom Wright, R-New Smyrna Beach, who accused a DeSantis official last month of producing no evidence that the drones pose a security risk.

Im not going to let one officer risk his life or her life because somebody thinks that these things talk to China, Wright said during a Senate committee hearing last month. I cannot imagine what China would really want to see when we pull over a DUI, when we stop a speeding car, when we arrest somebody for an outstanding warrant.

Wright, a retired businessman and former K-9 officer, said hes made it his personal mission to get these DJIs back up and flying. He sponsored SB 1514 this session to push back the states deadline and give police more time to replace their Chinese-made drones, but the legislation has yet to get a hearing.

Dronenerds, a company that provides aerial photography and flight training services for drone operators, goes over a demonstration flight using a DJI Matrice 600 over Miami Palmetto Middle School during Drone Fest on June 2, 2018.

The outcry from police and lack of explanation from the DeSantis administration has some lawmakers questioning the rule.

Story continues

Every single officer here can have a DJI drone at home but not on the job, Sen. Jason Pizzo, D-Miami, said last month. That seems, and smells, really political to me.

In 2021, Wright sponsored legislation that set standards for the use of drones by police and other government entities. The bill also required the state to come up with a list of approved drone manufacturers for state agencies and local governments. Wright said it was never his intent to ban drones that law enforcement has confidently told me pose no threat. But the administrations list of approved drone manufacturers, announced Dec. 12, did not include DJI  by far the leader in commercial-use drones and widely used by police across the state.

A more comprehensive rule, effective Wednesday, bans the government use of all drones produced by a company based in a foreign country of concern, which includes China.

The Dec. 12 announcement gave police and governments until Jan. 1 to stop using drones not included on the list.

Many, but not all, complied. Enforcement of the rule doesnt start until Wednesday. The Orange County Sheriffs Office shelved 19 of its 25 drones. The Broward County Sheriffs Office shelved its 63 DJI drones. All 31 of the Collier County Sheriffs Offices drones were shelved, as were all seven of the Tampa Police Departments drones.

The Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office grounded 15 of its 16 drones due to the new rule, a spokesperson said. All the grounded drones were made by DJI.

Miami-Dade police have also shelved their Chinese-made drones. St. Petersburg police and the Pasco County Sheriffs Office dont use Chinese-made drones, according to spokespeople.

DJI drones a godsend

Cheaper than flying a helicopter and safer than pursuing suspects down an alley, police said that drones have become integral to their police departments.

During last months committee hearing, officers and supervisors said drones have helped pursue criminals, warned officers of armed suspects, identified Alzheimers patients and missing people, and even flown into a home to check on an armed, barricaded suspect.

They said the drones even won over skeptics among their ranks.

They took away the fun of law enforcement, which was chasing bad guys, Palm Beach County Sheriffs Office Col. Robert Allen told lawmakers. But until we had some misfortunes happen in Florida, and around the state, I came to warm up to the use of drones greatly.  You cant measure what these drones have brought to officer safety.

DJI drones in particular have been a godsend, Orlando police Sgt. David Cruz said.

Their replacements from the approved list are inferior, and in some cases dangerous, Cruz and others testified.

In one year and a half, we had five failures of the manufacturers on the list. DJI, none, Cruz said. Thats going to put us in danger, our officers in danger, and the public in danger, when these drones continue to fall out of the sky.

Collier County Sheriffs Office Sgt. Meagan Kitchenhoff said the American-made drones cant fly at night.

The infrared, the camera, is just not safe for us to use, she said.

Allen said one of the state-approved drones caught fire while unplugged in a Palm Beach County Sheriff deputys car, forcing the deputy to pull over and drag out the carpet and flaming object on the side of the road.

Our drone operators do not want to park these drones in their cars, in their garages, in their homes, he said. Weve never had one issue with the DJIs since our inception.

Florida a high-value target

Department of Management Services Secretary Pedro Allende cited decisions by the Department of Defense, the Interior Department and other federal agencies, which have banned DJI and other Chinese-made drones over the potential for spying.

As a state, were a high-value target, Allende said. Florida has troves of information that our adversaries want on both the civilian and military sides.

But Allende couldnt articulate how, exactly, the drones were able to transmit confidential information to China.

Have you any proof that you can share with this committee? Wright asked. You dont have it, or you would have provided it to me months ago.

Wright questioned what kind of data China would even want from police drones. Much of the information drones collect, such as footage and some data, is considered a public record in Florida, anyway. He noted that most police carry watches made in China, phones made in China and police body cameras made in China.

A spokesperson for DJI said a vast number of government agencies in the United States use DJI drones.

This includes a multitude of law enforcement partners and first responders, who know they can trust our products because they are safe and secure, the spokesperson said.

Wrights efforts to delay the states rule against drones have not gained much traction so far. Both his bill and a companion bill filed by Rep. Thad Altman, R-Indialantic, would give police until 2026 to transition away from DJI drones. Neither bill has received a hearing.

Tampa Bay Times staff writer Tony Marrero contributed to this report.

This story has been updated with correct information about drones grounded by the Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office, which initially provided incorrect information to the Tampa Bay Times.
Florida lawmakers took a first look at a sweeping elections reform bill Tuesday, and while the current contents of the bill are generating some controversy, theres one issue some are surprised to see excluded from the legislation: Changes to the states resign to run law.

On the other hand, some lawmakers and political experts believe there might be some strategy behind the move and it all comes down to the thin line Governor Ron DeSantis is toeing in a potential primary challenge to Former President Donald Trump.

Especially now, as the eyes of the world are fixated on the former Presidents indictment.

Many expect the election bill will become the vehicle that will allow Governor Ron DeSantis to launch a Presidential bid without having to resign from office.

10 days prior to qualifying for federal office you have to submit your resignation. Now that resignation does not need to take place immediately. It just has to take place upon the end or the beginning essentially of the new term or the end of the election, said UNF political science professor Dr. Michael Binder.

Binder explained to DeSantis, the current law that would likely require him to submit a letter of resignation sometime in the summer of 2024, effective November of the same year.

That would potentially cut his governorship short if he doesnt win it all.

But in the election package before lawmakers, no resign to run carveout is included At least not yet.

Once you do that, that says, oh, okay this is happening, said Binder.

State Representative Anna Eskamani (D-Orlando) believes Republicans are leaving resign to run out of the bill for now, to avoid a possible conflict between Trump and DeSantis.

Anyone that challenges Trump will be attacked by his base and this is the same base that you need to win. So, as expected, Trumps indictment has only elevated his platform among his base and thats the same base that DeSantis needs to win, said Eskamani.

And despite Trump surging in the polls over the past week, Binder argued its unlikely DeSantis changes his calculation and pass on a Presidential run in 2024.

Story continues

The problem with waiting until 28 is, that might really not be your time, said Binder.

Both Binder and Eskamani predict that resign to run language will be added to the elections bill likely near the end of the session, when budget negotiations and other high-profile legislative initiatives may help detract from what would essentially be a pseudo-DeSantis presidential announcement.

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Starting in July, Floridians can carry guns without a permit or training.

Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday signed the bill into law despite disagreement on both sides of the gun debate. Gun safety advocates criticized the measure, arguing that allowing people to carry concealed guns in public without training and removing an additional background check will make the public less safe.

READ MORE: DeSantis signs permitless carry into law despite criticism from both sides of gun debate

Heres how Florida politicians, officials, advocates and social media users have reacted to the news.

Fred Guttenberg

Fred Guttenberg, who lost his daughter Jaime in the 2018 Parkland school shooting, criticized the governors decision.

I have said often @GovRonDeSantis is a fraud & weak. This morning without announcement, he signed permitless carry. He was afraid for Floridians to watch. Ron, your weakness wont make you less responsible. The inevitable next shooting because of this will be because of you.

I have said often @GovRonDeSantis is a fraud & weak. This morning without announcement, he signed permitless carry. He was afraid for Floridians to watch. Ron, your weakness won't make you less responsible. The inevitable next shooting because of this will be because of you.  Fred Guttenberg (@fred_guttenberg) April 3, 2023

Christina Pushaw

Christina Pushaw, a communications person for Gov. Ron DeSantis and his campaign, said:

Cant wait to see how Ruth Ben Ghiat and other fascist experts who are always screaming that Governor DeSantis is a dictator, spin this Some Floridians have lived in dictatorships before. One feature of dictatorships: They dont let regular citizens carry guns without permits.

Cant wait to see how Ruth Ben Ghiat and other fascist experts who are always screaming that Governor DeSantis is a dictator, spin this



Some Floridians have lived in dictatorships before. One feature of dictatorships: They dont let regular citizens carry guns without permits https://t.co/QLMM08W6Hj  Christina Pushaw (@ChristinaPushaw) April 3, 2023

Dan Daley

Rep. Dan Daley, D-Sunrise, shared his take on Twitter, focusing his remarks on the governors decision to sign the bill behind closed doors.

Story continues

This morning, Governor DeSantis quietly, unceremoniously, and with zero pomp and circumstance, signed the Permitless Carry bill into law. I cant say Im surprised by the way it was done considering even the Governor must know how wildly unpopular this bill is with Floridians. We, as a state, are now less safe and have the Governor and Republicans in Tallahassee to thank.

This morning, Governor DeSantis quietly, unceremoniously, and with zero pomp and circumstance, signed the Permitless Carry bill into law.



I cant say Im surprised by the way it was done considering even the Governor must know how wildly unpopular this bill is with Floridians.  Dan Daley (@DanDaley) April 3, 2023

Byron Donalds

U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, a Republican, celebrated the new law on Twitter.

Florida is now a constitutional carry state, affirming our right to self-defense and honoring our inalienable right to keep and bear arms.

Florida is now a constitutional carry state, affirming our right to self-defense and honoring our inalienable right to keep and bear arms. https://t.co/7MCS390roo  Byron Donalds (@ByronDonalds) April 3, 2023

Social media users

Thousands of people took to Twitter on Monday to express their thoughts on the new bill  and its possible impact in Florida. Heres what a few of them had to say:

This is a disgrace. A huge slap in the face to the Parkland victims. I hate it here https://t.co/MDhWl7Vc9Q  Change The System (@ChangeTheSyst14) April 2, 2023

Florida. A state with #Pulse and #Parkland shootings just allowed permitless open carry of guns pic.twitter.com/Po9NZLE3DJ  Moji Oderinde (@mojipov) April 3, 2023
Days after the arrest of a Fort Myers woman linked to a fatal stabbing at Horizons Apartments, police have released new details about the incident in hopes of obtaining more evidence.

A'lexis Jewett, 23, faces second-degree murder charges in the Friday's fatal stabbing.

About 8:45 p.m. Friday, officers responded to the 5300 block of Summerlin Road, where a woman lay on the ground. Authorities didn't identify the victim.

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Wisner Desmaret: Wisner Desmaret challenges court as trial looms in fatal Fort Myers police officer's shooting

A large crowd had gathered as the victim "was going in and out of consciousness," the report says. Several rendered aid.

Police said the victim suffered what appeared to be a deep stab wound in her chest.

First responders took the victim to Gulf Coast Medical Center, where she died.

Officers noticed a blood trail from the apartment, along the sidewalk, leading to the parking lot area, the report indicates.

A witness told investigators Jewett and her family attacked the witness, according to the report.

Jewett turned herself in Saturday at the Fort Myers Police headquarters, according to the report. Jewett refused to speak and requested an attorney.

Police took her to Lee County Jail for booking. She's charged with second-degree murder.

Jail records indicate she faced a $100,000 bond, which she posted bond Sunday.

Jewett is next due in court May 1 for her arraignment.

Fort Myers Police detectives seek the public's help through personal device recordings.

Tipsters may contact police at 239-321-7700, or to remain anonymous and be eligible for a reward, call Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers at 1-800-780-8477.

Tipsters may be eligible for a reward of up to $3,000 if a tip leads to an arrest.

Tomas Rodriguez is a Breaking/Live News Reporter for the Naples Daily News and The News-Press. You can reach Tomas at TRodriguez@gannett.com or 772-333-5501. Connect with him on Twitter @TomasFRoBeltran, Instagram @tomasfrobeltran and Facebook @tomasrodrigueznews.

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Fort Myers stabbing witnesses sought as police build case
A visitor poses for photos during the second China International Consumer Products Expo in Haikou, south China's Hainan Province, July 25, 2022. [Photo/Xinhua]



China imported consumer goods worth 1.93 trillion yuan ($280 billion) in 2022, accounting for 11 percent of total importing value and more than double the level seen in 2012, the Ministry of Commerce said on Monday.

Last year, import value through cross-border e-commerce reached 560 billion yuan, up 4.9 percent year-on-year, the ministry said during a news conference in Beijing.

"China's imports of consumer goods are expected to maintain steady growth, fueled by the continuous improvement of people's living standards, the steady progress of urbanization, and the gradual expansion of middle-income groups," said Sheng Qiuping, vice-minister of commerce.

The upcoming Third China International Consumer Products Expo, to be held from April 10 to 15 in Haikou, Hainan province, will serve as China's first significant international expo this year after the country's prevention and control of the COVID-19 pandemic has entered a more stable period, the ministry said.

This year, the expo will feature larger domestic and international exhibition sections and the area will be 20 percent bigger than that of the second session. The expo is expected to attract over 3,100 brands from more than 60 countries and regions.

Political leaders from seven countries and heads of international organizations, as well as nearly 30 global executives of major multinational corporations, have confirmed their attendance. Italy will serve as guest of honor this year, and 147 Italian brands will participate in the expo. More than 100 forums, promotional events and other supporting activities will be held.

Ten member countries of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership will participate in the expo this year, after the agreement took effect in January 2022 and helped boost regional economic growth. Japan, South Korea, Vietnam and Malaysia will showcase their products in the form of national exhibition groups, Sheng said.

Driven by the business opportunities from the expo, last year the import and export value of goods between Hainan and RCEP member countries reached 71.18 billion yuan, according to the local government.

"Last year, 196 foreign-funded enterprises were established in Hainan, mainly companies from Singapore, Australia, Japan, South Korea and Thailand. In addition, a group of major foreign companies have increased their investments in the province," said Ni Qiang, vice-governor of Hainan.
Ford Motor Co. is planning to shift hundreds of workers from the Dearborn Truck Plant to the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center this summer, the Detroit Free Press has learned.

As Ford ramps up its all-electric F-150 Lightning production to an annual run rate of 150,000 vehicles, in an effort to meet overwhelming customer demand, the automaker will shift an 800-person crew from one plant to the other in Dearborn, Ford spokeswoman Kelli Felker confirmed Tuesday.

"We will also hire an additional 300 new (hourly) employees at the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center as we scale toward max production," she said.

The all-electric 2022 F-150 Lightning has attracted nontraditional truck owners, according to new customer survey data from Ford Motor Company collected in 2021 and 2022. This model is a Lariat.

Shutdown to expand

The Rouge Electric Vehicle Center is scheduled to shut down for six weeks, from June 19 to July 31, to complete the factory expansion, she said.

"With the new staffing plan, Ford will have about 1,800 employees building the F-150 Lightning on three crews. At the same time, well build gas-powered F-150s with 2,600 employees on two shifts at Dearborn Truck Plant and 2,800 people on three crews at the Kansas City Assembly Plant," she said. "This will give Ford maximum overall production and flexibility to meet high demand for Americas bestselling truck, gas and electric."

More: Ford F-150 Lightning price climbs  again

That second plant in Claycomo, Missouri, provides the flexibility needed to keep up with demand for Ford Blue and Model e vehicles, as the company strives to grow its market share of electric vehicles while continuing to dominate the pickup truck segment overall.

Lightning production was disrupted last month after a battery fire in a parking lot in Dearborn. Ford said the issue that caused the problem had been resolved by SK On, the battery supplier.

More: Ford F-150 Lightning owners aren't like traditional pickup buyers: What they do differently

More: Bronco takes a bite out of Jeep in Q1 while Ford retains grip on truck dominance

UAW members push hard to be part of history

Bernie Ricke, president of UAW Local 600 in Detroit, which includes more than 8,000 members at the Rouge site, told the Free Press that building Lightning trucks is widely viewed as being part of the "new evolution of the auto industry."

Story continues

The UAW has been working with the company since the launch of the Lightning to expand the facility, he said.

"The day it opened it was too small, literally it was," said Ricke, who sounded upbeat while recovering from back surgery six weeks ago that left him with eight screws and rods in his body. "This expansion is good for the workforce, the surrounding community, the company, everybody."

Contact Phoebe Wall Howard: 313-618-1034 or phoward@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @phoebesaid

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Ford to move some workers from Dearborn Truck to build Lightning
A former aide for former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan who was on the run as a fugitive was found in Tennessee following a weeks-long manhunt.

Roy McGrath, 53, had injuries from a gunshot wound and taken to a hospital, the FBI said. The gunshot wound may have been self-inflicted, a source told Fox News.

McGrath had been missing since the day before his federal trial for fraud on March 13.

MARYLAND GOV. HOGANS EX-CHIEF OF STAFF WANTED BY US MARSHALS

"The FBI is reviewing an agent-involved shooting which occurred at approximately 6:30 p.m. on Monday, April 3, 2023," the FBI said in a statement. "During the arrest the subject, Roy McGrath, sustained injury and was transported to the hospital. The FBI takes all shooting incidents involving our agents or task force members seriously. In accordance with FBI policy, the shooting incident is under investigation by the FBIs Inspection Division."

McGrath's eight-count federal indictment includes charges of wire fraud. He's accused of securing a $233,648 severance payment equal to one year of salary as the head of the Maryland Environmental Service. He also faces fraud and embezzlement charges connected to roughly $170,000 in expenses.

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

Roy McGrath, left, previously was former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan's chief of staff.

According to federal and state prosecutors, McGrath personally enriched himself by taking advantage of his positions of trust as the environmental agencys director and Hogans top aide. He got the agencys board to approve paying him the severance payment upon his departure as executive director by falsely telling them the governor had already approved the payment, prosecutors say.

McGrath resigned from his role within Hogan's office a few months after the six-figure payment was reported.

A wanted poster for Roy McGrath, the former chief of staff to former Republican Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, was published on Tuesday, March 14 after he failed to appear in court on federal corruption charges.

His absence triggered a massive law enforcement search in an effort to find him.

Joseph Murtha, McGraths attorney, previously told The Associated Press that FBI agents in Florida were likely looking for anything to indicate McGraths current whereabouts during a March 15 raid at his Naples home.
Roy McGrath - Pamela Wood/The Baltimore Sun

A top aide to a leading Republican former governor was killed during an FBI shooting on Monday after a 21-day manhunt for the political strategist turned fugitive.

Roy McGrath, who once served as chief of staff to Larry Hogan, former Maryland governor, was wanted for failing to appear in a Baltimore court in March on fraud charges.

McGrath, 53, had pleaded not guilty to charges of wire fraud and falsification of records in October 2021 and was released on bond, but he did not appear in court for his trial.

The US Marshals Service, part of the Justice Department, said in March it had initiated an interstate fugitive investigation and published a Wanted poster of McGrath.

He was killed following a confrontation with the FBI near Knoxville, Tennessee on Monday evening.

The loss of Roys life is an absolute tragedy, and I think its important for me to say that Roy never wavered about his innocence, his lawyer Joseph Murtha said, according to the Washington Post.

Mr Hogan, who served as Maryland's governor from 2015 to 2023, hired McGrath to be his chief of staff in 2020. Mr Hogan's electoral success as a Republican in a blue state had led some to tout him as a potential challenger to Donald Trump.

However, he ruled out a 2024 bid in March, saying he worried that his candidacy in a crowded field could help Mr Trump win the nomination.

Roy McGrath Wanted poster - US Marshals

Roy McGrath Wanted poster - US Marshals Service/Reuters

In a statement issued late on Monday, Mr Hogan said he and his wife were deeply saddened by this tragic situation.

We are praying for Mr McGraths family and loved ones, he said.

Mr Hogan and his former aide had fallen out over the wire fraud and embezzlement charges facing McGrath.

They involved alleged financial improprieties from his time as the head of a Maryland agency.

Mr Hogan once labelled investigations into McGrath a witch hunt but it later led to a rupture between the two men.

The blame for the breakdown of their relationship was pointed at Hogan in an e-book, titled Betrayed: The True Story of Roy McGrath, released under mysterious circumstances on Amazon the week after his disappearance.

Story continues

Protagonist who worked hard

The book featured McGrath as a protagonist who worked hard and had no record of any wrongdoing in his lifetime, according to the Washington Post.

The exact circumstances of McGraths death remained unclear. The Baltimore Sun said he was shot but it was uncertain whether it was self-inflicted or by the FBI.

The FBI said in a statement it was reviewing an agent-involved shooting that happened at about 6.30pm.

During the arrest the subject, Roy McGrath, sustained injury and was transported to the hospital. The FBI takes all shooting incidents involving our agents or task-force members seriously.
Roy McGrath, the onetime chief of staff of former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan wanted on corruption charges, died Monday after he was wounded in a confrontation with law enforcement, according to his lawyer.

McGraths failure to appear for the start of his criminal trial on multiple charges of wire fraud, embezzlement and document falsification had kicked off a manhunt and prompted the FBI and the U.S. Marshals Service to offer up a $20,000 reward for information that could lead to an arrest.

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It was not immediately clear whether the former Maryland governors aide had died of a self-inflicted wound or injuries from the exchange with police, McGraths attorney Joseph Murtha told The Associated Press. The Washington Post reported that the FBI was reviewing an agent-involved shooting.

McGrath, 53, had been indicted on accusations that he fraudulently obtained a severance payment of more than $233,000 from the Maryland Environmental Service. He had pleaded not guilty.

McGrath had been Hogans chief of staff for just months before he resigned amid reports of his payment from the state agency.

The Associated Press contributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
A former Georgia police officer died trying to break up a fight, according to WGXA-TV.

The fight was between 32-year-old Keywan Capers and his girlfriend last Wednesday in Bibb County, WGXA reported.

Deputies said Capers shot and killed former Reynolds Police Department Officer Matthew Rachalla.

Capers was arrested after trying to flee the area in his girlfriends car.

He has been charged with aggravated assault and murder.

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The Reynolds Police Department sent its condolences to Rachallas family and said he was a very loyal member of the team and that he would be missed by everyone at the department.

The department said Rachalla worked with them for several years, but it is unclear when he stopped.

Rachallas funeral service was held on Tuesday.

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A former North Texas high school assistant principal was sentenced to prison after he pleaded guilty to intoxication manslaughter in a hit-and-run accident, the Parker County District Attorneys Office announced in a news release.

Kevin Scott Evans, 41, was sentenced to 10 years in prison in district court in Weatherford on Monday.

On the evening of Jan. 8, 2020, a 911 caller reported that a pickup truck had hit a man, Ernest Medley, 51, as he was walking on the shoulder of Teas Highway 199 in Reno. The caller described the truck and said it continued westbound.

A Springtown Police Department officer later found what he believed to be the same pickup and pulled it over. When he approached the pickup, driven by Evans, the officer saw that its right headlight was broken, there was hair and blood on the right fender, and the airbag was deployed, according to the Parker County District Attorneys Office.

Evans admitted that he had been drinking at On The Patio, an Azle bar, after work that day. He said he had five to six beers after leaving work at around 4 p.m.

He was an assistant principal at Boyd High School in Wise County.

Evans failed field sobriety tests administered by officers. He was arrested on a charge of intoxication manslaughter.

Reno Police Department officers obtained a search warrant from District Judge Craig Towson and took a sample of Evans blood. Testing by the Texas Department of Public Safety crime lab showed that his blood alcohol concentration was 0.134, almost double the Texas legal limit of 0.08.

Tissue samples taken from Evans vehicle were also tested by the DPS crime lab and showed the DNA matched Medleys.

Mr. Evans had no criminal record and was, by all accounts, a model citizen prior to this tragedy, Parker County District Attorney Jeff Swain said in the release. But the decisions he made that night cost a man his life and his family the chance to have him in their lives. Our choices have consequences. In our view, that meant that he needed to go to prison.

Story continues

After the accident, an investigation by the Texas Alcohol and Beverage Commission showed that Evans drank eight pint-sized Miller Lite beers at the bar that evening.

Part of the plea agreement was that a deadly weapon finding would be entered, Swain said. The importance of that finding is that Mr. Evans will have to serve at least half of his sentence before he can be considered for parole. Ordinarily, parole law would allow him to be parole eligible when his actual time served plus his good time credit equals a fourth of his sentence, which could be as little as a year or two.

Several of Medleys family and friends attended Evans sentencing hearing, some of whom gave victim impact statements.

Della Mitchusson, Medleys sister, said that her brother had a very loving, kind spirit. He didnt have much, but what he had, he would give to others in need. She said that Medley was survived by two young sons who will have to grow up without a father.

Christian Donnelly, a witness who was walking next to Medley when he was hit by Evans vehicle, asked Assistant District Attorney Al Charanza to read his statement. Since that day, I have been depressed, suffered PTSD, and have nightmares. I am doing counseling, but the depression, PTSD, and nightmares continue. I have a lot of anger over what you did.

I would love for you to feel the pain that we have felt because of your reckless behavior, said Eugeania Hutcherson, Medleys sister, in a written statement that Charanza read. I dont understand why you didnt get a Lift or Uber instead of making the stupid decision to get behind the wheel of the car.

The sentencing occurred in the 415th District Court with Judge Graham Quisenberry presiding.
A former top aide to former Maryland governor Larry Hogan died in a confrontation with the FBI on Monday at the conclusion of a 21-day manhunt in search of the former aide, Roy McGrath, after he failed to appear in federal court.

The FBI said Monday that it was reviewing an agent-involved shooting that occurred at approximately 6:30 p.m. in the area of Knoxville, Tenn.

During the arrest the subject, Roy McGrath, sustained injury and was transported to the hospital. The FBI takes all shooting incidents involving our agents or task force members seriously, the bureau said in a statement.

An attorney for McGrath, who was facing wire fraud and embezzlement charges related to his time as the head of the Maryland Environmental Service (MES), confirmed to the Washington Post that his client had died. The attorney, Joseph Murtha, said he wasnt sure how McGrath died. I havent gotten any information on whether Roy died from gunfire from an agent or whether it was a self-inflicted wound.

The loss of Roys life is an absolute tragedy, and I think its important for me to say that Roy never wavered about his innocence, Murtha said.

Hogan responded to the news in a statement on Monday, saying Yumi and I are deeply saddened by this tragic situation. We are praying for Mr. McGraths family and loved ones.

McGrath was indicted in 2021, with prosecutors claiming he had misled officials to receive a nearly quarter-million-dollar severance package when he left his role as MES executive director to become Hogans chief of staff. McGrath allegedly used his positions of trust as executive director and Hogans chief of staff to get MES to pay the severance and other expenses. He also allegedly falsified time sheets, clocking into work while he took two vacations.

McGrath had claimed that Hogan approved the severance, though the former governor has denied knowledge of it. Prosecutors allege McGrath falsified a memo claiming the governor approved the package.

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I know you did nothing wrong. I know it is unfair. I will stand with you, Hogan wrote to McGrath sometime after the severance news came to light. However, the then-governors office maintained Hogan sent the message before learning more about how the severance was obtained.

McGraths trial was set to begin on March 13. Murtha said he had last spoken with his client on the phone one day before that. The pair had planned to meet outside the courtroom the next morning, but McGrath vanished.

McGrath was also facing state charges of theft and misconduct in office. He was also accused of violating state wiretap laws by recording private calls with Hogan and other officials without permission.

McGrath had moved to Florida while under investigation. It was unclear why he was in Knoxville at the time of the confrontation with the FBI, the Washington Post reported.

More from National Review
FORT BRAGG  A Fort Bragg brigade will deploy to Europe this summer, the Army announced last month.

The 525th Expeditionary Military Intelligence Brigade, which is based at Fort Bragg under the 18th Airborne Corps, will replace the Fort Hood, Texas-based, 504th Expeditionary Military Intelligence Brigade as part of a regular rotation, the news release stated.

The deployment is to support the United States commitment to NATO allies and partners in Europe, according to the release.

Fort Bragg soldiers were among the first units to deploy to Europe following the February 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Polish soldiers assigned and U.S. paratroopers assigned to 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division wait to load a CH-47 Chinook helicopter during a multi-national training event Feb. 25, 2022, in Nowa Deba, Poland. The 525th Military Intelligence Brigade will be the latest Fort Bragg unit to deploy to Europe to support NATO amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

More: Pentagon: More Fort Bragg soldiers to deploy to Germany amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine

Recent rotations

More than 4,700 soldiers deployed to Poland for more than five months in February 2022, before being replaced by soldiers with the 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, from Fort Campbell, Kentucky.

Also in February 2022, about 300 soldiers with the 18th Airborne Corps deployed to Germany for about nine months to bolster capabilities inside NATOs eastern flank.

In June, President Joe Biden announced that a permanent headquarters for the Armys V Corps would be established in Poland to strengthen NATO interoperability across the entire eastern flank.

The announcement followed the April 5, 2022, House Armed Services Committee meeting testimony of Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who said he supported creating permanent bases in Europe for rotational troops.

Biden also announced in June that the U.S. would send fighter jet squadrons to the United Kingdom, an air defense artillery brigade headquarters to Germany, two more naval destroyers to Spain, a rotational brigade combat team to Romania and an increase of rotational deployments in the Baltic region.

Staff writer Rachael Riley can be reached at rriley@fayobserver.com or 910-486-3528.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Fort Bragg brigade tapped for Europe deployment
Michael Murray

Update, April 2023: The man charged in this case died, and the criminal case has been closed, according to the Weld County District Attorney's Office.

Original: Charges of sexual assault and unlawful sexual contact were filed against a Fort Collins masseur earlier this month, and investigators believe he may have inappropriately touched other clients during massages, according to a Fort Collins Police Services news release.

The charges  including one Class 4 sexual assault charge, two Class 4 felony charges of unlawful sexual contact and one misdemeanor charge of unlawful sexual contact  stem from a pair of massages performed on different people in February and June at Massage Heights in Fort Collins' Front Range Village, police say. Massage Heights had not responded to the Coloradoan's request for comment as of 11 a.m. Friday.

After Fort Collins police were notified by two different people of inappropriate sexual contact during these massages, detectives investigated the masseur  27-year-old Michael Murray  and formal charges were filed against him earlier this month.

Detectives are working to confirm if Murray was employed at other local massage businesses and say there could be unreported incidents of inappropriate touching. Anyone who experienced inappropriate incidents or who has additional information regarding these cases is asked to call Detective Julia Chenoweth at 970-416-2645.

Murray is set to appear for a hearing in Larimer County on Jan. 24.

'A calming presence': Meet Zion, 'a calming presence' for crime victims, witnesses in Larimer County courts

All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in court. Arrests and charges are merely accusations by law enforcement until, and unless, a suspect is convicted of a crime.

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Fort Collins masseur charged with sexual assault, unlawful contact
With key hearings scheduled in licensing and civil litigation against Indianapolis OB-GYN Dr. Caitlin Bernard this month, the Indiana Attorney Generals Office will be down four attorneys who worked on the case but have now resigned.

Three of the four were section chiefs for Attorney General Todd Rokita.

The Indiana Auditors Office  which is notified of personnel changes for payroll purposes  confirmed the recent departures.

Rokitas office did not respond to numerous requests for information, including resignation letters, but the attorney general himself denied that the staff resignations were related to the Bernard case.

I have no idea, Rokita told the Indiana Capital Chronicle when asked last month about the four departing employees. We have people coming in and out all the time. Its a 400-person office. I think were doing better for the beginning of the year than we have in past years.

Rokita maintains that Bernard failed to immediately report the abuse and rape of a child to Indiana authorities after performing an abortion on a 10-year-old girl from Ohio in June.

He additionally contends that Bernard failed to uphold legal and Hippocratic responsibilities by exploiting a 10-year-old little girls traumatic medical story to the press for her own interests.

Original Dr. Caitlin Bernard story: Patients head to Indiana for abortion services as other states restrict care

Who left the AGs office?

Caryn Nielman Szyper, assistant section chief in the Administrative and Regulatory Enforcement Litigation Section, was the first to leave the office on Feb. 24.

She joined the attorney generals office in 2013 as a deputy attorney general and worked in both the Civil Litigation Section and Criminal Appeals sections, according to her staff biography.

A judge withdrew Szyper from Bernards civil litigation case on Feb. 27.

Several weeks later on March 19, Szypers superior  Jeff Garn, the section chief for Administration and Regulatory Litigation  transferred to the Indiana Office of Administrative Law Proceedings. He was withdrawn from the Bernard case March 22, according to court files.

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Two other section chiefs resigned effective March 31.

Aaron Craft, who oversaw Civil Appeals, was responsible for some of the most complex cases and legal issues facing state government and state officials in both state and federal court, per his biography published by the attorney generals office.

He was exited from the Bernard case on March 29.

Also resigned is Mary Hutchison  a former prosecutor in Marion and Madison counties who joined Rokitas office in 2021 as head of the Licensing Enforcement division.

Hutchison was tasked with weighing the merits of complaints fielded by the attorney generals office against Bernard. She wasnt a listed attorney in the civil case but was brought to the stand for the state and questioned by Bernards lawyers for two hours during court proceedings in November.

Hutchison defended the offices investigation into Bernards medical license and said at the time that she still had lingering questions surrounding Bernards timely notification to law enforcement about the 10-year-olds abuse.

Dr. Caitlin Bernard, a reproductive healthcare provider, speaks during an abortion rights rally Saturday, June 25, 2022, at the Indiana Statehouse in Indianapolis. The rally was led by the ACLU of Indiana following the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, ending the constitutional right to an abortion.

She maintained that her team was unable to determine whether Bernard spoke to Indianapolis law enforcement or Indianas Department of Child Services (DCS) immediately following her first meeting with the patient.

After she was presented with evidence while on the stand which showed communication Bernard had with the hospitals social work team, Hutchison said she still planned to investigate whether Bernard reported to the proper staff.

Hutchison said she was investigating whether Bernard first obtained written authorization from a patient or guardian allowing her to legally share protected health information to the media.

Bernards attorneys maintained its acceptable for doctors to share de-identified patient information.

Hutchison was listed on all documentation for the licensing complaint before the Indiana Medical Licensing Board.

More on Dr. Caitlin Bernard: Indiana doctor reported 10-year-old Ohio girl's abortion, records show

Rokita points to high turnover, low pay

Garn declined to speak with the Capital Chronicle about his departure. The three other former employees did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

Rokita maintained there have been no issues with any staff working on the Bernard case, but he suggested that the recent departures might be due to pay.

While speaking before the Senate Appropriations Committee in March, Rokita noted that there were 200 attorneys in his office. About a dozen attorneys had left the attorney generals office since January, he said, but 19 or so had been hired in the same time period as a result of recent pay increases.

Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita speaks at the Indiana March for Life anti-abortion demonstration on Monday, Jan. 23, 2023, in Indianapolis. The march began on Georgia Street, passed Monument Circle and ended at the Statehouse.

Market conditions have created a demand for litigation attorneys far greater than Im told the office has ever seen in the past, and resulting in a significant number of vacancies, Rokita told state lawmakers March 13. We are losing attorneys leaving for higher salaries at a higher rate than ever before, Im told.

He emphasized that theres a pressing and immediate need for the next state budget to increase salaries even more for attorneys in his office.

The state transparency portal indicates that Garn earned a $119,000 annual salary at the Attorney Generals Office. Hutchison made $117,000 per year, and Craft earned $114,000, according to the portal.

Szypers salary had already been removed from the state transparency portal when the Capital Chronicle learned of her departure.

IU Health: Doctor did not violate HIPAA laws in 10-year-old's abortion

Whats next in the Bernard case?

Bernard is scheduled to appear May 25 before the Indiana Medical Licensing Board. A pre-hearing conference is set for April 27.

In the latest filings with the state licensing board, Bernard continues to maintain that her public comments about the 10-year-olds case were within the bounds of HIPPA. She also argues that she could not have knowingly violated Indianas child abuse reporting law because her notification to authorities was consistent with policies in place at IU Health, where she practices.

An investigation by the Republican attorney generals office into the doctor originally prompted a lawsuit from Bernard and her medical partner Dr. Amy Caldwell.

But courtroom testimony and evidence appears to show Bernard communicated with Ohio authorities even before she administered abortion-inducing medication. She also reportedly notified the Indiana Department of Child Services a few days after the abortion.

Just days before Marion County Superior Court Judge Heather Welch issued a ruling, Rokita sent the complaint against Bernard to the state medical licensing board.

Although the move prompted Welch to deny an injunction request, she ruled that Rokita caused irreparable harm to the OB-GYNs reputation and professional standing when he publicly discussed his offices ongoing investigation into Bernard.

The doctor voluntarily withdrew her lawsuit against Rokita after the case shifted to an administrative licensing action. Her lawyers cited jurisdictional issues that would likely keep the case from moving forward.

Rokitas office is now seeking to keep the case open and correct errors from the ruling. A hearing is scheduled before a Marion County judge on April 11.

The Indiana Capital Chronicle is a nonprofit news site covering state government in Indiana. Follow Casey Smith on Twitter @SmithCaseyA

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Four attorneys assigned to abortion-related litigation resign from Indiana AGs office
China's telecommunication giant Huawei plans to develop 50,000 information and communication technology (ICT) talents in South Asia in the next five years.

The strategy will include various programs like building ICT academies, different ICT and startup competitions, online course enrollment and fresh employee recruitment.

The announcement was made at the "Building a Smart Talent Ecosystem, In South Asia, For South Asia" held at its South Asia representative office in the Bangladesh capital on Monday.

The event has been attended by journalists and Huawei officials from Huawei South Asia countries.

The Dhaka office aims to support the region with more attention and create better value for the customers, partners and ecosystem, as well as society with the inspiration "In South Asia, For South Asia."

Huawei has developed more than 6,000 ICT talents last year in South Asia. "And now this company has the plan to develop 50,000 new ICT talents in the next five years," the Chinese company said in a statement.
Frank founder Charlie Javice has been hit with federal charges. Charlie Javice

Charlie Javice, who sold her student-aid startup Frank to JPMorgan Chase, was charged with fraud.

The bank claimed Javice faked millions of customers to convince it to buy Frank for $175 million.

An Insider investigation found that Javice has a pattern of exaggerating her success.

Charlie Javice, the 31-year-old founder of financial aid startup Frank, has been charged by federal prosecutors with financial fraud after JP Morgan Chase & Co. alleged in a civil suit last year that Javice had faked millions of Frank customers to convince the bank to buy her company for $175 million.

Federal prosecutors in Manhattan charged Javice with wire fraud affecting a financial institution, securities fraud, bank fraud and conspiracy on Tuesday. They said she was arrested Monday night in New Jersey.



The Securities and Exchange Commission also laid civil fraud charges against Javice on Tuesday, with Director of the Division of Enforcement Gurbir S. Grewal alleging that Javice engaged in "old school fraud."

The criminal charges have a maximum sentence of 30 years, but defendants in federal fraud cases are typically sentenced to much less than the maximum sentence.



"This arrest should warn entrepreneurs who lie to advance their businesses that their lies will catch up to them, and this Office will hold them accountable for putting their greed above the law," US Attorney Damian Williams said in a statement on Tuesday.

Javice's attorney in the civil case, Alex Spiro, declined to comment.

Spiro previously told Insider that Javice disputes the bank's claims. Javice filed her own suit against the bank asking it to advance her legal fees, and alleging JPMorgan fired her "in bad faith" to avoid having to pay a $20 million retention bonus.

Javice has a pattern of exaggerating her success, an Insider investigation found. As a teenager, the young entrepreneur rose to acclaim as the founder of a microfinance startup that raised $300,000 but never disbursed a loan.

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It's also unclear how Frank could have accomplished some of what it claimed to do on behalf of students. The startup has said its users received an average of $28,000 in financial aid, roughly twice the average amount of aid awarded to college students, and that Frank could get students "thousands off their tuition." A college-aid expert who spoke to Insider said those claims were dubious.

JPMorgan acquired Frank in 2021 for $175 million, but began to question the authenticity of the startup's purported 4 million users after an email marketing campaign ended in "disaster," according to the bank's lawsuit and a filing by prosecutors. Out of 400,000 emails sent to Frank users, more than 70% bounced back and only 103 were opened, the bank claimed.

An internal investigation revealed that Javice and Frank chief growth officer Olivier Amar  referred to as "CC-1" in the federal charges  paid a New York data science professor $18,000 to create nearly 4 million fake accounts in order to juice Frank's user numbers, JPMorgan alleged in its lawsuit. Amar later bought a list of student email addresses from a marketing firm for $105,000 in order to make those accounts seem more credible, JPMorgan alleged.

Do you have a tip or insight to share?

Contact reporter Katherine Long via phone or the encrypted messaging app Signal (+1-206-375-9280), or at klong@insider.com.

Contact reporter Jack Newsham via Signal (+1-314-971-1627), or at jnewsham@insider.com.

Read the original article on Business Insider
The Frankfort-Schuyler schools were closed Tuesday in response to a fake threat, and Waterville students remained on their morning buses while bomb-sniffing dogs searched district schools.

Nothing suspicious was found in either district, according to local law enforcement. Both were apparent victims of another wave of swatting incidents  false calls or emails about threats to schools  adding to a trend seen across the country.

The Mohawk Valley saw several similar incidents March 30 when Rome police responded to a report of shots fired at Rome Free Academy; the Oneida County 911 Center received a call about shots fired at Thomas R. Proctor High School; and Herkimer County 911 received a similar call. All the reports turned out to be hoaxes.

Frankfort-Schuyler Middle-Senior High School is located on Palmer Street in Frankfort.

State Sen. Joseph Griffo, R-Rome, and Assemblywoman Marianne Buttenschon, D-Marcy, have introduced legislation targetting swatting. It would create a new crime of making a threat of mass violence toward a school, college, place of worship, business or gathering of more than 25 people. Punishments would be less harsh for minors and for students age 18 and older who make threats against their own school.

On Tuesday morning, Waterville Superintendent Jennifer Spring saw an email with a bomb threat and called the Oneida County Sheriffs Office and the New York State Police at 5:20 a.m., according to a letter on the district website and a release from the sheriffs office. More than 40 superintendents across the state received a similar email threat, Spring said.

In Waterville, officers, including K-9 units, completed school searches by about 8:40 a.m. without finding any bombs, Spring wrote.

More: False threats to Rome, Utica, Herkimer schools draw police response: Trend seen across NY

More: Fake threats of violence target multiple New York school districts

Investigators did not believe the threat was credible but the searches were done out of an abundance of caution, Spring wrote.

Road patrol, investigators and K-9 units from the sheriffs office searched Waterville Junior/Senior High School and Memorial Park Elementary School, according to the sheriffs office. They were assisted on the scene by the City of Utica Police Department Explosive Detection K-9 Unit and New York State Police.

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A statement on the Frankfort-Schuyler website says the district received a threat against its buildings and officials, in consultation with law enforcement, decided to close for the day with an abundance of care to help local and state police make sure the schools were safe.

Several other districts in New York also received threats March 30, including Brighton and Brockport in the Rochester area, dozens of districts in Westchester and Putnam counties and several districts in the Albany area. None of the threats turned out to be credible, but they did lead to disruption and lockdowns.

This article originally appeared on Observer-Dispatch: Fake threats disrupt Frankfort-Schuyler, Waterville schools Tuesday
LONDON (AP)  Nigel Lawson, the tax-cutting U.K. Treasury chief under the late Margaret Thatcher and a lion of Conservative politics in the late 20th century has died. He was 91.

Lawson, who led the Treasury from 1983 to 1989, spearheaded the drive to place key public sector companies into private control. He also modernized financial markets in what became known as the Big Bang of deregulation, which strengthened London's position as a global financial hub.

Conservative Party politicians rushed to offer tributes, a reflection of the fact that his policies remain revered. Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson described him as a fearless and original flame of free-market Conservatism.''

He was a tax-cutter and simplifier who helped transform the economic landscape and helped millions of British people achieve their dreamshe was a giant, Johnson said.

Lawson, who also worked on the Financial Times and the Sunday Telegraph, had six children, including celebrity food writer Nigella Lawson.

The Telegraph newspaper first reported his death. His family did not immediately comment.
Electronic music pioneer Jean-Michel Jarre is travelling to China this week as part of a cultural delegation accompanying French President Emmanuel Macron, who starts an official state visit in Beijing on Wednesday.

The first Western musician to stage an official concert in China after the 1976 death of Mao Zedong in 1981, Jarre's visit this week serves to underscore the cultural ties shared by the two nations.

Now 74, Jarre first gained fame in the late 1970s following his release of Oxygene, an innovative album that had a defining influence on the synthesiser-based music genre emerging at the time.

The maestro has since built a long career punctuated by large-scale performances around the world, often featuring dazzling laser displays and fireworks.

A French press release issued ahead of Macron's visit -- focused primarily on urgent global issues like the war in Ukraine and China's deteriorating ties with the West -- said the trip is also intended to celebrate culture.

"Cultural and artistic cooperation is a major axis of Franco-Chinese relations," the statement said.

Next year -- the 60th anniversary of Beijing and Paris establishing formal diplomatic ties -- "should be dedicated to cultural tourism" between the countries, it added.

Jarre made history in 1981 by performing two concerts in Beijing and three in Shanghai at a time when the People's Republic of China (PRC) had only just begun opening up to the world after the end of Mao's brutal reign.

The French musician's innovative electronic style was a curiosity in China in those days.

After the first concert was attended mostly by military personnel, Jarre distributed tickets to people on the street in a bid to get civilians in, according to the musician's official website.

In 2019, Jarre married Chinese actress Gong Li, the star of several films produced in China that have earned international acclaim as well as Hollywood movies.

Jarre's trip to Beijing this week signals a return to normal cultural exchange with China after three years in which short-term visits by foreign celebrities were extremely rare due to Beijing's stringent Covid-19 control measures.

pfc/je/dhc
The Miami Heat will play in the Kaseya Center after Miami-Dade commissioners approved a $117 million deal Tuesday to name the county-owned arena after the locally headquartered software company, months after the prior sponsor, FTX, collapsed in a crypto meltdown.

Though not a well-known brand, Kaseya (pronounced kuh-SAY-ah) has become a powerhouse in the technology space through sales of IT management software. The company acquired a rival for $6 billion in 2022, and a spokesperson on Tuesday said the private companys valuation is about $12 billion now.

Miami-Dade Commissioner Keon Hardemon looks out towards the commission chambers in Miami on Tuesday, April 4, 2023. He sponsored the legislation renaming the Miami Heat arena the Kaseya Center under a $117 million naming-rights agreement.

The company recently announced plans to hire 3,000 more employees in Miami, and in February secured a pledge of $4.6 million in subsidies from Miami-Dade if the hiring goals are met. That agreement was approved before Kaseyas arena talks were made public.

READ MORE: Heat arena now officially known as the Kaseya Center. The story behind the latest name change

The naming-rights deal approved unanimously provides a quick replacement for FTX and millions of dollars in yearly sponsorship money that Mayor Daniella Levine Cava used to expand youth programs and fund other initiatives aimed at curbing gun violence.

This is a great deal, Levine Cava said.

Miami-Dade Commissioner Roberto J. Gonzalez speaks to commissioners before the renaming of Miami-Dade Arena as the Kaseya Center after a Miami-based software firm at the Miami-Dade commission chambers in Miami on Tuesday, April 4, 2023.

Leery of the last naming-rights sponsor collapsing in a crypto-fraud scandal, commissioners pressed the administration on how well Kaseya was vetted ahead of the deal. I feel with this item that were asking to trust with very little verification, said Commissioner Roberto Gonzalez. Has anyone here seen their books? I have not.

Jimmy Morales, the chief operating officer under Levine Cava, said the county is reasonably confident of the financial longevity of Kaseya, a company that was founded in 2003 in Silicon Valley and moved to Miami in 2015. It was one of five companies that reached out about replacing FTX, Morales said. The others: Aroma360, a Miami scent maker; iHeart Radio, a radio operator out of Texas; UBS, a Swiss bank; and Wild Fork Foods, a food retailer out of Fort Lauderdale.

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American Airlines to FTX to Kaseya

A federal bankruptcy judge canceled the 19-year FTX deal in January as the Bahamas-based company reeled from criminal fraud charges against its ex-CEO for allegedly stealing billions in customer deposits held by the crypto exchange. FTX signed on as naming-rights sponsor in 2021, after American Airlines declined to renew its 20-year deal at the county-owned arena in 2020.

Miami-Dades original agreement with the Heat to manage the waterfront arena gives the team $2 million a year for its share of naming rights. That reduces the countys portion of the Kaseya payment to almost $5 million a year. That would have covered the countys own subsidy paid to the Heat, which amounts to about $5 million yearly.

Instead, county commissioners approved the Levine Cava proposal to spend arena sponsorship dollars on the Peace and Prosperity initiative, as the board did with the FTX deal in 2021.

Miami-Dade Commissioner Eileen Higgins speaks during the discussion of the proposed Kaseya Center naming-rights agreement on Tuesday, April 4, 2023.

The bulk of that initiative pays for the countys Fit2Lead youth program, which funds paid internships for Miami-Dade youth during the summer and after school, both with the county and with nonprofits. About a third of the money is reserved for grants awarded by individual commissioners to fund neighborhood programs and nonprofits, as approved by the full board.

I think this is a wonderful day in Miami-Dade County, said Keon Hardemon, the commissioner whose district includes the Heat arena. Because we as a board have decided to once against invest in our community.

He complained the county hasnt gotten credit for spending naming-rights dollars to try and reduce crime. We have been mocked by the criminal activity of a former naming-rights partner, he said.

Kaseyas big and plans to get bigger

The NBA has already approved Kaseya as an arena sponsor, so the commission vote was the final step needed for a name change. The agreement brings the arena its fifth name since opening in 2000 as the AmericanAirlines Arena. The FTX Arena came in 2021, followed by two days as The Arena after the end of the FTX agreement before the county switched to the Miami-Dade Arena. That was the facilitys name until the commissions vote, with Levine Cava saying the Kaseya Center title goes into effect immediately.

Until now, the companys only time in the spotlight came after its software was infiltrated in a 2021 ransomware attack that was serious enough to draw comment from President Joe Biden. While the name change is immediate, Kaseya doesnt expect its name on the basketball court or the arena exterior until later this year, company spokesperson Xavier Gonzalez said.

Eric Woolworth, president of business operations with The HEAT Group, listens to commissioners speak before the renaming of Miami-Dade Arena as the Kaseya Center after a Miami-based software firm at the Miami-Dade commission chambers in Miami on Tuesday, April 4, 2023.

Thats what we need to figure out now, logistically, said Gonzalez, executive vice president for marketing at Kaseya. The plan is before the next NBA season.

He said privately held Kaseya has a valuation of around $12 billion, following last years cash acquisition of software provider Datto for $6 billion.

Kaseya has 900 employees in Miamis Brickell Avenue office district and 4,500 workers worldwide. In talks with the Levine Cava administration, Kaseya agreed to terms that mostly match the average yearly payout of $7 million in the FTX agreement.

Jimmy Morales, chief operations officer for Miami-Dade County, speaks to Miami-Dade commissioners before they approved the renaming of Miami-Dade Arena as the Kaseya Center after a Miami-based software firm at the Miami-Dade commission chambers in Miami on Tuesday, April 4, 2023.

FTX signed a 19-year deal worth $135 million, but agreed to higher initial payments at the start of its time as the arenas sponsor. FTX paid $19 million under the agreement before its bankruptcy. Because of the front-loaded payments and a one-time broker fee worth nearly $2 million in the FTX agreement, the county expects to receive about $3.5 million more from Kaseya than FTX would have paid between 2023 and 2040.

Eileen Higgins, who voted for the original FTX deal in March 2021, said she was glad to see the replacement agreement go to a local company with a record of well-paying jobs.

Its not in a fly-by-night thing-a-ma-bob, Higgins said. Just sayin.
COSHOCTON  The new leaders of the Coshocton Salvation Army want to focus on helping those in need and youth programming.

Majors Kevin and Lori Schoch recently took over the Coshocton Salvation Army and have served in various locations over 35 years. They said they want to focus on meeting basic needs, like food and clothing, spiritual outreach and youth programming.

Majors Kevin and Lori Schoch took over a few weeks ago from Majors Tom and Vicki Clark, who were moved to the Wooster chapter.

The Schochs are coming from Lexington, Kentucky, but have lived in various areas the past 35 years working for the Salvation Army as ordained ministers. They have also served in Pennsylvania, New York, Rhode Island and Connecticut. They said Coshocton is unquestionably the smallest area they've served in, but they certainly don't mind it.

"It's a nice break from the cities," Lori said. "Everyone has been friendly. People will see me in Walmart and just say, 'Hey, you're the new Salvation Army lady.'"

Kevin said they've met with a lot of clergy and representatives from entities who partner with the Salvation Army locally. They've made connections themselves and others have reached out to them. It's nothing new to them, but getting assimilated can take time, Kevin said.

"Everyone has been welcoming and encouraging to us," he commented. "Literally, you have to start everything over. Learning the streets and the resources and who you call for this and that, right down to finding a new doctor and dentist or whatever. Everything changes."

The Schochs were more than 11 years in what is known as the core ministry, a church centered setting like in Coshocton. However, the past 22 years had them running drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs. While their experience lies in that field, they know the Salvation Army provides a lot of other services with clothing and food a big one for Coshocton, especially for the homeless.

The Schochs know that emergency housing, like a night here and there in a hotel, is something the local chapter has done for the homeless in the past, but it's not something they have the funding for at this time. Kevin said it was something the Clarks impressed upon them and he concurs after reviewing financials. Those in need of shelter or utilities assistance are being referred to the Kno-Ho-Co Ashland Community Action Commission.

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"We don't have the funds to continue to be able to put people up in hotels. Quite honestly, it adds up very quickly. And, we're getting multiple calls a week for that," Kevin said. "Some might say that's only $200, but that's only $200 now. Then it's three people and $600 this week and then $30,000 this year and it could add up to be even more than that."

The Schochs said getting back to this type of ministering was one reason they were interested in coming to Coshocton.

"We certainly had a chance to preach and teach in the adult rehabilitation centers...but in that kind of setting you constantly have a turnover," Kevin said. "People would be in there six to seventh months if they completed the program. We're looking to do something more long term with people. Rather than working with someone for six months, can we work with this person for six years and what difference can that make in their lives."

Additionally, they want to expand youth programming and are currently seeking volunteers in that regard. Kevin said they would like to add a youth pastor or some sort of youth worker in the future.

"There's a lot that can be done in that particular area," he said.

Other things they'd like to do in the future include open air street meetings and going door to door to homes and businesses.

"It's just to reach out more to the community," Kevin said of that type of work. "We meet basic needs and some of the most fundamental like food and clothes. They're important to people. And we have the opportunity to meet spiritual needs too."

Regular worship is at 11 a.m. Sundays at the Salvation Army headquarters, 219 N. Fourth St. Those interested in volunteering or making donations, can call 740-622-0971.

Leonard Hayhurst is a community content coordinator and general news reporter for the Coshocton Tribune with more than 15 years of local journalism experience and multiple awards from the Ohio Associated Press. He can be reached at 740-295-3417 or llhayhur@coshoctontribune.com. Follow him on Twitter at @llhayhurst.

This article originally appeared on Coshocton Tribune: Fulfilling basic needs focus of new Salvation Army majors
Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom of California criticized the policies of Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, in an interview with Insider. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images and Wilfredo Lee/AP Photo

California Gov. Gavin Newsom is traveling to red states to tout the progressive agenda.

In an interview with Insider in Florida, he reserved his harshest criticism for DeSantis.

"They're rewarded for bad behavior, and I find it repugnant," Newsom said.

PALM BEACH, Florida  Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom of California already had a plan in the works to go on offense against Republican governors.

He'd grown increasingly alarmed by efforts in GOP-led states to ban abortion, constrain LGBTQ rights, control what schools teach, and make it easier to get guns, he told Insider in an interview.

But it was in the wake of yet another US mass shooting, Newsom said, that he couldn't take it any longer.

He called up the White House and the Democratic National Committee to alert them that the date for launching a new political group he'd told them about was now imminent. On March 30, he publicly rolled out the Campaign for Democracy, a political action committee that'll take his progressive message to red states.

While Newsom's effort is broadly focused on calling out GOP state policies, in his interview with Insider he reserved his harshest criticism for Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, who's widely expected to launch a bid for president in May or June, once the state's lawmaking session is over.

At the time of Newsom's interview with Insider, held Saturday, the Florida legislature had passed a bill that would allow people to carry a concealed firearm in public without a permit, and without training or a background check. By Monday, DeSantis signed the bill into law. It was just one week after the mass shooting at a Tennessee Christian school.

Newsom, who has signed a slew of firearms regulations into law in California, called GOP-backed looser gun laws "insanity" and pointed to data showing stricter gun laws result in fewer gun deaths.

He grew visibly emotional on the topic, calling Florida and California's approach to gun laws "light and darkness in terms of the 180-degree difference."

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"Knowing what you're doing is going to harm people and put their lives at risk and still doing it  that says everything about the character, not just this elected official, and those that are complicit in the legislature here, but of our nation that we allow this," Newsom said. "It's our decisions that have allowed this; we are our behaviors."

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, speaks during a press conference on September 28, 2022 in San Francisco, California. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Republicans have an 'obsession with vulnerable communities,' Newsom said

Newsom's latest political effort is bankrolled by $10 million the governor had left over from his 2022 reelection campaign after he cruised to victory. Like DeSantis, Newsom will be term-limited out in 2026.

And like DeSantis, his name is often raised in the mix of people who could someday run for president. Newsom reiterated to Insider that he was supporting President Joe Biden for reelection and praised his "record of substantive accomplishments."

Still, the Campaign for Democracy could help boost Newsom's brand as a national leader and perhaps help to mount a presidential campaign in the future, or in case Biden opts not to run for some reason. Biden has said he intends to run for reelection, but hasn't made it official yet.

Newsom shared his policy perspectives with Insider in a meeting room at the oceanfront Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa, where the Democratic Governors Association was having a conference. Newsom is the group's policy chair and was headed next on Campaign for Democracy-focused stops in red-state Arkansas, Mississippi, and Alabama.

Newsom said he formed his group in response not just to DeSantis, but to GOP Govs. Greg Abbott of Texas, Tate Reeves of Mississippi, and Sarah Huckabee Sanders of Arkansas. He singled out the first bill Huckabee Sanders signed into law when she took office, which bans the gender-neutral term "Latinx" from state documents.

The term comes from academia and isn't commonly used by Hispanic voters, but Democrats including Newsom say they see a broader undercurrent at play.

"It's folly  except it's real, it's happening," Newsom said. "There's this deep zest for demonization, of othering, and belittling. One thing they all have in common is an obsession with vulnerable communities, and exploiting vulnerable communities, and exploiting grievance. And they have an anger machine that amplifies it, and they're rewarded for bad behavior, and I find it repugnant."

Newsom has grown increasingly vocal against Republican states. Last year he ran an ad in Florida warning that "Freedom is under attack in your state." He encouraged Floridians to relocate to California in a direct messaging foil to DeSantis boasting about "the free state of Florida."

Newsom reiterated to Insider that he'd decided to run the ads after the DeSantis administration told the Special Olympics it would fine their organization $27.5 million if it didn't drop a COVID-vaccine mandate. DeSantis argued such mandates worked to "marginalize disfavored people."

It was part of a broader trend for DeSantis, who reopened Florida businesses and schools much earlier than other states during the COVID-19 pandemic. Amid backlash and contrary to federal health guidelines, he also banned vaccine and mask mandates.

Those weren't the only actions that burnished DeSantis as a GOP darling with national name recognition. He restricted how teachers instruct about race, gender identity, and sexuality in public schools; pushed to ban transgender healthcare for minors; and limited corporations' sustainable investing.

Newsom said that he thought when people really looked at DeSantis, "it's not all it was hyped up to be," calling the DeSantis fights "remarkably un-substantive" and "un-American." He accused DeSantis of an "obsession with just demeaning minorities and women."

California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks during a press conference on February 01, 2023 in Sacramento, California. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Newsom slams DeSantis for 'weakness'

Yet while DeSantis' policies have been controversial with Democrats, the Florida governor decidedly won reelection in November by a record 19 points. The win included a 14-point margin among Hispanic voters and a 7-point margin among women voters.

Republicans also have said that California isn't a model to emulate because of its housing prices, though California recently put a plan into effect to reduce the unhoused population. "There's a reason why Gavin Newsom never focuses on the problems he's caused in his own state," Huckabee Sanders' communications director Alexa Henning told Insider. "California residents are experiencing sky-high rent, but Governor Sanders is living rent-free in his head."

Asked to respond to Newsom's remarks, DeSantis' office pointed to a U-Haul study that showed California had the highest number of people moving out of state during 2022. Florida was the second most-moved to state, behind Texas, the study found. DeSantis has previously gloated that California is "hemorrhaging population."

But Newsom argued that the topic of state migration was more complicated. He raised a Moody's Analytics and Equifax study that showed for every six Californians who left for Florida, five moved in the other direction. The Los Angeles Times also reported that out-migration to other states was relatively small as a percentage of California's total population, and that people who move to California tend to be younger.

Another contributing factor, Newsom said, was that foreign immigration into California had been at low levels in part due to Trump's restrictive immigration policies.

Continuing his criticism of DeSantis, Newsom rebuked him for flying unsuspecting migrants from Texas to Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, and for creating an elections police force. He said the actions were "performative" but also "very destructive."

"He's been selling strength, and yet you see it over and over again: weakness," Newsom said. The Florida governor recently has seen a drop in national polling in a hypothetical 2024 GOP presidential primary contest, while Trump has seen gains.

Newsom also bemoaned Florida's 15-week abortion law, which doesn't have exceptions for pregnancies that come as a result of rape or incest. A bill is making its way through the Florida legislature to ban abortion even further, limiting to just six weeks into a pregnancy.

Such policies are not "pro-life" or the definition of "freedom," Newsom said. He accused Republicans of believing "life is disposable when it comes to advancing a political career."

"I worry that it's building momentum in other states," Newsom said, "and that's why I think it's important to focus here, not just on what's going on in 2024 in the White House."

Read the original article on Business Insider
The materials developer formerly known as ELeather has a new name and $18 million in fresh growth funding from some of the world's fanciest brands.

Now going by Generation Phoenix, the upcycler says its new investors include Coach parent Tapestry, Jaguar Land Rover (via InMotion Ventures) and Dr. Martens, plus lead investor Material Impact and prior investor Hermes.

The 15-year-old firm is based in Peterborough, U.K., and has worked with brands such as Nike and Delta. The upcycler intends to use the new cash to expand "into the luxury fashion and footwear categories," Gen Phoenix said in a statement. The company claims it has diverted more than 8,000 tons of leather waste from landfills to date.

"Imagine what can happen when waste is no longer wasted," Gen Phoenix says in an aspirational message on its new website. The upcycler tells TechCrunch that its "feedstock comes directly from tanneries where about 1/3 of a leather hide is typically discarded." Turning the leather waste into a usable, leather-like product involves shredding and "entangling" it "around a high-performance core using nothing but high pressure water," the firm said.

Gen Phoenix's "recycled leather" is not entirely made of recycled materials. A spokesperson for the company tells TechCrunch that its products feature "up to 86% recycled content," including recycled leather and recycled plastic. Still, the firm's final product also contains virgin plastic.

Gen Phoenix founder and CEO John Kennedy demoing the company's leather-like product.

Gen Phoenix founder and CEO John Kennedy explaining the company's leather-like product. Image Credits: Gen Phoenix

Without sharing a specific deadline, a spokesperson for Gen Phoenix said the company aims to "reduce and eliminate virgin materials from their products completely."

The upcycler is also "commercialising a bio-based coating system and bio-based substitutions for any synthetic materials used in the process," the spokesperson added. Hopefully, we'll soon see Gen Phoenix kick virgin materials altogether.

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Zooming out: Gen Phoenix's inclusion of plastics is hardly unusual, even for "sustainable" brands. Fossil fuelbased materials permeate the fashion business. Polyester? Nylon? Elastane? All plastic.

Even the rise of recycled plastic fabrics warrants deep skepticism; the resulting synthetic clothing is rarely recycled, and the microplastics they shed go basically everywhere, including the ocean, mountaintops, the insides of sea critters and even our own bodies. Addressing the industry's climate and broader environmental toll demands rethinking everything, from how we dye fabrics to killing "fast fashion" altogether.
GENEVA (AP)  A Geneva appeals court on Tuesday upheld the conviction of Israeli diamond magnate Beny Steinmetz for corrupting foreign officials, in connection with lucrative mining rights in the West African country of Guinea.

The court, issuing its ruling after a trial last summer, upheld the convictions of Steinmetz and two other defendants for bribing foreign public officials over promises made to then-President Lansana Conte through payments to his wife, Mamadie Toure, that came to be worth about $8.5 million. The court also upheld a $50 million fine against the Israeli tycoon, but it threw out a conviction for forgery and reduced his sentence from five years to three, half of it suspended.

Steinmetz, in a statement via a spokesperson, vowed to appeal the unfair and politically motivated decision" to the Swiss federal court.

Beny Steinmetz considers that the Geneva justice system turned a blind eye to procedural flaws, stretched the rules of jurisdiction, compensated for the lack of evidence, and misused the penal code to save a conviction that it did not dare to dismiss, it said, adding that Steinmetz and his legal team continue to consider that Geneva has no legitimacy to judge him.

The case involved an alleged plot, dating to the mid-2000s, in which Steinmetzs BSGR Group squeezed out a rival for mining rights for vast iron ore deposits in Guineas southeastern Simandou region. The case exposed the shady, complex world of deal-making and the cutthroat competition in the lucrative mining business.

The prosecutors office argued that from 2005 onward, Steinmetz crafted a pact of corruption with Conte, who ruled the West African country from 1984 until his death in 2008, and Toure.

Steinmetz's legal team had argued that state prosecutors had deliberately excluded defense teams from any pretrial questioning of Toure in the United States, where she lives. She has reached an agreement with U.S. authorities in the case.

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In its court filing, the prosecutors office said BSGR won exploration and exploitation licenses in Guinea between 2006 and 2010 in Guineas Simandou region, while its competitor  Anglo-Australian mining group Rio Tinto  was stripped of its mining rights on two sites in the region.

Steinmetzs team said mountains in the area hold some of the worlds largest untapped deposits of iron ore, and the standoff stifled any hopes to reap them  and offer a potential windfall for an impoverished country. They say BSGR was first to study the feasibility of mining iron ore in the area.

The appeals court said the award of the mining rights allowed Steinmetz's company to strike a $2.5 billion joint venture with a Brazilian firm, of which 500 million were immediately cashed in  while his company had invested $160 million to develop the project.
When it comes to gender equality and female empowerment, Georgia doesnt have the best track record, according to a number of national analyses.

 RELATED: Georgia is one of the worst states in America for working moms, ranking finds

And according to the WalletHubs 2018 analysis on the best and worst states for womens equality, the Peach State ranked among the bottom 10 for yet another year.

For the ranking, researchers at the personal finance site compared men and women in all 50 states across three key dimensions, including workplace environment; education and health and political empowerment. The dimensions were measured using 16 relevant metrics such as income disparity, educational-attainment disparity and disparity in share of lawmakers in government.

 RELATED: About Georgias paid parental leave laws

New York was deemed the best state for womens rights, ranking second in political empowerment, ninth in workplace environment, and 12th in education and health.

Minnesota, Maine, Nevada, and Hawaii rounded out the top five.

The most unequal state of all, according to WalletHubs report, is Utah. The state ranked dead last in education and health and in the bottom 10 for both workplace environment and political empowerment.

Georgia ranked No. 40  or 10th worst.

 RELATED: Groundbreaking study finds rigid gender stereotypes in children tied to higher depression, violence, suicide risk

Heres more on how the state fared:

Overall rank: 40

Workplace environment: 14

Education and health: 40

Political empowerment: 44

But the low scores are a slight improvement from last years No. 46 rank  and its 49th spot in 2016.

Earlier this year, WalletHub also ranked Georgia among the worst in America for working moms, thanks in part to its poor daycare systems, high gender pay gap, and low female executive-to-male executive ratio.

Georgia laws do not require maternity leave pay and neither moms nor dads have extensive rights in the state.

 RELATED: The U.S. doesnt even crack the top 15 best countries for women

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While moms may have the option to purchase short-term disability policies prior to conception, a way many women earn maternity leave pay, dads cannot file a short-term disability claim for parental leave.

At least 180 countries in the world have laws guaranteeing some form of paid maternity leave and only nine are without  six Pacific island nations, Papua New Guinea, Surinam, and the United States.

In the U.S., four statesCalifornia, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and New Yorknow offer paid leave funded through payroll taxes.

[ RELATED: 7 inspiring quotes from prominent Atlanta women]Edit info

Georgia also ranked among WalletHubs worst states for women last year due to its share of women in poverty, high rate of women without health insurance, life expectancy of women, and a below-average dropout rate for women. The state also tied for 46th for female unemployment, the AJC previously reported.

When it comes to the gender gap in health and survival, Rand W. Ressler, associate dean of the Georgia Southern University College of Business, believes its due to the fact that women bear children  and men dont. Many people in the US do not have access to quality healthcare due to cost, he said in response to the WalletHub report. An indicator of this is the fact that among industrialized nations, we have one of the worst infant mortality rates. This is linked to access to care.

 RELATED: Most moms work equivalent of 2 full-time jobs, study says

Additionally, women are more prone to cancers like breast or cervical, which have high survival rates when detected early. But that involves prevention efforts and access to quality health care.

In order to close the gender gap, a greater investment in womens healthcare  focused on increasing access among the poor or uninsured population  is needed, Ressler said.

Regarding the nations vast gender gap in political empowerment  the U.S. ranks 96th globally  American women play like a minority, even though they are the majority, still fear being called a feminist, tend to scrutinize female candidates more harshly than their male counterparts and still overwhelmingly believe leadership should be male, Gail Evans, lecturer in the Scheller College of Business at Georgia Tech said in response to the 2017 ranking.

To help close the gap, Evans suggested fighting such notions.

 RELATED: This Georgia university is among the countrys best colleges for women

Another Georgia expert cited last year by WalletHub, Roxanne Donovan, said the results further show how the gender gap across all dimensions is a result of complex interwoven factors including cultural norms and institutional practices that disproportionately benefit men over women.

Closing the gender gaps requires closing the cultural gap between how men and women are viewed and valued, Donovan, professor of psychology and interdisciplinary studies at Kennesaw State University, said.

In addition to establishing a national paid parental leave policy, Donovan called for mandated federal policies for a livable wage, guaranteed minimum income, universal health care, and more to help alleviate the gaps.

But its not all bad news for women in Georgia.

 RELATED: Here are 86 women-owned metro Atlanta restaurants, food businesses

Of the 100 employers recognized in Forbes first-ever Best Employers for Women list this year, four Georgia employers, including Gwinnett County Public Schools, were lauded for their efforts toward equalizing corporate cultures and empowering women.

Last year, two Georgia companies also ranked among the countrys best for women, and Atlantas Emory University has consistently been recognized as one of Americas top colleges for women.

And, hey, if youre on the hunt for a Ms. Independent, Atlantas a great place to find working women with multiple academic degrees, according to Trulia.

Explore WalletHubs 2018 Best & Worst States for Womens Equality ranking.

IN OTHER NEWS:
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WeChat Pay, a mobile payment service run by China's tech giant Tencent, is now available in Mongolia, Mongolia's state-owned television MNB reported Tuesday, citing financial company Sendly.

"Our company has become the official partner of Tencent's WeChat Pay in Mongolia," Sendly said in a statement.

Currently, service providers such as hotels, restaurants and convenience stores in Zamiin-Uud soum of the southeastern province of Dornogovi and the national capital Ulan Bator can accept WeChat Pay payments, it said.

Mongolia has set 2023-2025 as "Years to Visit Mongolia" with a goal of welcoming at least 1 million foreign tourists and earning 1 billion U.S. dollars from tourism.

The country's tourism authorities believe that Mongolia will receive a large number of tourists from China in the next few years, and it is hoped that WeChat Pay will make Chinese tourists' visits more comfortable and convenient.
(Bloomberg) -- The German government is giving antitrust authorities more power to crack down on price-gouging firms after gas-station operators and oil firms were accused of failing to pass on subsidies meant to help drivers hit by spiraling costs following Russias war in Ukraine.

Most Read from Bloomberg

As a last resort, rules to be announced on Wednesday will make it easier for regulators to claw back excess profits earned by any companies, according to a paper from the German Economy Ministry.

The revamp, which follows a promise by Economy Minister Robert Habeck, follows suspicions last summer that fuel suppliers may have overcharged customers, even though the Federal Cartel Office hadnt been able to find clear evidence of any market abuse.

Under the new rules, the antitrust authority will be able to impose measures if it determines that competition in an industry has been disturbed  rather than prove that a company has abused its dominant position.

Finance Minister Christian Lindner, who made the fuel rebate possible at the time, also expressed his openness to the crackdown. After more than half a year, an agreement has now been reached and is to be approved by the cabinet tomorrow. The change then needs approval of the senate, the upper house of the German parliament.

Among other tools, regulators will be able to facilitate market access, stall mergers or even impose divestments. The ministry said the intervention rights are modeled on similar powers of the UKs Competition and Markets Authority.

Businesses that have achieved their market position through innovation and a technological lead, however, can be exempted from the new regulation, according to the ministry.

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--With assistance from Karin Matussek.

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

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Germany is considering following Italy's lead and banning ChatGPT. Photo: Reuters/Dado Ruvic/Illustration

Germany may follow Italy's example by banning ChatGPT due to personal information security concerns, claimed the nation's data protection chief.

On Monday, German commissioner for data protection Ulrich Kelber told the Handelsblatt newspaper that his nation could follow Italy's recent ChatGPT ban and issue a similar enforcement.

After Italy's data protection agency launched an investigation into a suspected breach of privacy rules by ChatGPT, Kelber stated that, "in principle, such action is also possible in Germany".

He added that this would fall within the jurisdiction of each of the nation's federal states.

Kelber said that German regulators have been in communication with their Italian counterparts following the ban in Italy.

Read more: China's alternative to ChatGPT: what we know so far | The Crypto Mile

Data privacy watchdogs in other EU nations, such as France and Ireland, have also contacted the Italian data regulator to discuss its findings.

Speaking to Reuters a spokesperson for Ireland's Data Protection Commissioner (DPC) said: "We are following up with the Italian regulator to understand the basis for their action and we will coordinate with all EU data protection authorities in relation to this matter."

Read more: How ChatGPT could lead to 'mass unemployment'  The Crypto Mile

Ireland's DPC is the lead EU regulator for many global technology giants under the bloc's "one stop shop" data regulatory framework.

However, it has no direct regulatory control over how OpenAI operates within the bloc as the artificial intelligence firm has no offices in the EU.

Italy's ChatGPT ban

Microsoft-backed (MSFT) OpenAI took ChatGPT offline in Italy after the national data agency temporarily banned the chatbot.

On Friday, Italy's data protection regulator, the Italian Data Protection Authority, GPDP, announced that it would ban and investigate OpenAI's ChatGPT "with immediate effect".

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The nation's regulator accused OpenAI with neglecting to install a function that prevents minors from using the service and "unlawful collection of personal data".

Read more: Binance: Investors withdraw more than $2bn after enforcement action by US regulators

The GPDP said there was no legal basis to justify "the mass collection and storage of personal data for the purpose of 'training' the algorithms underlying the operation of the platform".

It also said that since there was no way to verify the age of users, the app "exposes minors to absolutely unsuitable answers compared to their degree of development and awareness".

The Italian regulator ordered OpenAI to cease collecting data from Italian customers and to disclose steps that would rectify the complaints made by the nation's independent authority.

US regulator body recieves ChatGPT comp

The Centre for AI and Digital Policy has filed a complaint urging the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to prevent OpenAI from launching new commercial versions beyond its present iteration, called GPT-4.

The centre's complaint was posted on the group's website, where it labeled GPT-4 as "biased, deceptive, and a threat to privacy and public safety".

Read more: OpenAI's GPT-4 is here  how much better is it than ChatGPT?

The formal complaint follows an open letter endorsed by Elon Musk, AI specialists, and industry leaders that has requested a six-month halt in the development of systems more advanced than OpenAI's recently introduced GPT-4, pointing to potential societal risks.

What is ChatGPT?

So what is ChatGPT? Yahoo Finance asked the generative AI application to describe itself as though it were speaking with a 10 year-old.

"ChatGPT is like a super-smart robot friend that can talk to you by typing messages. It's created by computers and can answer your questions, help with homework, or just chat about anything you like. But remember, it's not a real person, just a program designed to sound like one", the chat-bot stated.

It also offered a more technical response, stating that "ChatGPT is an advanced AI language model that generates human-like text responses based on input queries. It leverages the cutting-edge GPT architecture to enable sophisticated natural language understanding and generation".

Millions of people have used ChatGPT since it launched in November 2022, and it has been claimed that the artificial intelligent content generator was the fastest online application in history to reach mass adoption.

Within one month of its inception, the application racked up over one million users, a lightning-fast leap into mass adoption that took social media platform Facebook (META) 10 months and streaming platform Netflix (NFLX) three years to match.

Watch: China's alternative to ChatGPT: what we know so far | The Crypto Mile
The criminal charges that Donald Trump is now facing in New York stem from three separate instances in which the former president and his associates are accused of making hush money payments during his 2016 campaign: to two women to suppress information about extramarital sexual encounters they said they had with years earlier, and to a onetime Trump Tower doorman who claimed to have a story about a child he alleged Trump had out of of wedlock.

Trump has been charged with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. He surrendered earlier Tuesday in Manhattan and pleaded not guilty to all charges.

A look at the three cases cited by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who outlined the charges:

TRUMP TOWER DOORMAN

Bragg first listed the incident involving a former Trump Tower doorman who was paid $30,000 after he claimed he had information about a child who Trump had out of wedlock. That doorman, Dino Sajudin, received the payment from the parent company of the National Enquirer in exchange for signing over the rights, in perpetuity, to a rumor that the president had fathered a child with an employee at Trump World Tower, a skyscraper he owns near the United Nations.

The contract between Sajudin and the American Media Inc. would penalize Sajudin for $1 million if he disclosed either the rumor or the terms of his agreement with the tabloid's parent company. In an interview with The Associated Press in August 2017, the woman at the center of the rumor denied that she had had an affair with Trump.

KAREN MCDOUGAL

The prosecutor also cited the case of Karen McDougal, a former Playboy model who received $150,000 from American Media after claiming she had a 10-month affair with Trump in the mid-2000s. The money was to gain the rights to McDougal's story but to never run it  a practice known as catch and kill. The National Enquirer's parent company has acknowledged that the payments were done specifically to help Trumps presidential campaign.

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Bragg said Trump explicitly directed lawyer Michael Cohen, then working for the Trump Organization, to reimburse American Media in cash, then Cohen indicated to Trump that the payment should be made instead by a shell company. The alleged relationship between McDougal and Trump remained concealed until a Wall Street Journal report days before Election Day in 2016. Trump has denied her allegation.

STORMY DANIELS:

The third case involves the porn actor Stormy Daniels, who was paid $130,000 in exchange for her silence about a sexual encounter with Trump at Lake Tahoe, Nevada, in 2006. Trump has denied the encounter.

Bragg said that 12 days before the election on Nov. 8, 2016, Cohen had wired $130,000 to Daniels' lawyer by using a shell corporation funded through a Manhattan bank. Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, was paid after indicating she was willing to speak to either the National Enquirer or on television confirming the encounter.

Trump insisted to reporters on Air Force One in April 2018 that he didn't know about the payment made to Daniels through Cohen. But Bragg said Tuesday that Trump reimbursed Cohen after his 2016 victory with money from two sources: a trust that held the Trump Organization's assets and from his personal bank account.

___

More on Donald Trump-related investigations: https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump
The eye drops were made in India and imported to the US under the brand names EzriCare Artificial Tears and Delsam Pharma's Artificial Tears

The Indian manufacturer of eye drops linked to three deaths and serious infections in the US violated several safety norms, the country's top regulator has said.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published a report last week after inspecting Global Pharma's plant in India's Chennai city.

The firm recalled the drops in February after a recommendation from the FDA.

The FDA had also stopped imports of the products.

The eye drops - made in India by Global Pharma and imported to the US under two brand names, EzriCare Artificial Tears and Delsam Pharma's Artificial Tears - were linked to a deadly outbreak of drug-resistant infections in the US.

In March, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) identified 68 patients across 16 states with a rare strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which can cause serious infections, especially in immunocompromised people. The drug-resistant strain had never been found in the country before the latest outbreak.

In addition to the deaths, eight patients suffered vision loss, and four had their eye surgically removed, the BBC reported in March.

"To the greatest extent possible, we have been contacting customers to advise them against continued use of the product," EzriCare Artificial Tears said on its website in February .

The company said it marketed the eye drops, but had no role in the "actual manufacturing" of the product.

While the product recall was initially for the eye drops called EzriCare Artificial Tears Lubricant and Delsam Pharma Artificial Tears Lubricant, it was later expanded to include an eye ointment marketed by Delsam Pharma as well.

The FDA conducted an 11-day inspection of the Global Pharma plant in India from 20 February, and said in its report that it observed several violations related to sterilisation and hygiene.

This included a "black, brown coloured greasy deposit" on a bowl; several parts of the sterile manufacturing area such as doors and handles were not cleaned properly.

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The FDA report also said that surfaces that came into contact with the drug packaging "were not cleaned, sanitised, decontaminated, or sterilised".

The BBC has emailed Global Pharma for comment.

On Monday, The New York Times reported that the CDC was concerned the bacteria could gain a foothold in the US healthcare system.

"I think we are going to see the impact of this play out over the course of months to years," Maroya Walters, lead investigator for the CDC's antimicrobial resistance team, told the NYT.

The CDC had earlier advised anyone who used the recalled products and was experiencing symptoms to contact a doctor. The symptoms included yellow, green, or clear discharge from the eye, discomfort or pain, redness, blurry vision and increased sensitivity to light.

In recent months, many Indian firms have come under scrutiny for the quality of their drugs, with experts raising concerns about the manufacturing practices used to make these medicines.

In March, India's drug regulator cancelled the manufacturing licence of Marion Biotech, whose cough syrups were linked to 18 child deaths in Uzbekistan.

The World Health Organization also issued an alert last October linking four Indian-made cough syrups to child deaths in The Gambia. India later said that the medicines complied with specifications when tested at home, but the WHO responded that it stood by "the action taken".

BBC News India is now on YouTube. Click here to subscribe and watch our documentaries, explainers and features.

Read more India stories from the BBC:
The Glynn County Police Department wants to dispel rumors surrounding the bullying of Georgia teen Trent Lehrkamp.

On Tuesday, March 21, 2023, Lehrkamp was hospitalized due to a high level of intoxication, from a mixture of controlled substances and alcohol, according to Glynn County police.

Lehyrkamps blood alcohol concentration level was .464%, nearly six times Georgias legal limit of 0.08%.

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Glynn County police confirmed they opened a hazing investigation following the hospitalization.

Photos and videos circulating on social media show Lehrkamps condition after a party on St. Simons Island. One photo shows him taped to a chair with spray paint on him.

There is no question the video and pictures linked to the Lehrkamp investigation are very disturbing, Glynn County Interim Police Chief ONeal Jackson III said in a statement. Just as we have asked the public to help by providing information, you can also help by refusing to pass on information without verifying the facts.

Jackson said there is no evidence that anyone defecated on Lehrkamp, nor is there any evidence that he ingested any battery acid.

Jackson also clarified that none of the children or relatives involved in the incidents being investigated are related to anyone who works for the Glynn County Police Department.

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Finally, as has been stated by the family, Mr. Lehrkamp has not been diagnosed as Autistic and does not have any learning disabilities. Investigators have been in contact with Mr. Lehrkamps family since this was first reported and have made efforts to keep a clear line of communication open to Mr. Lehrkamp and his family, Jackson said.

The department encourages anyone with information, video, photographs, or other potential evidence to contact the Glynn County Police Department at 912-264-1333 or email 911silentwitness@glynncounty-ga.gov.

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According to a GoFundMe campaign started on his familys behalf, Lehrkamp is alert, spending time with his family, and will settle into a facility outside of Georgia for recovery.

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Gold coins thought to be from the 15th century have been found scattered across farmland in Leicestershire, England.

The location of the coins was just 10 miles from the battlefield where Richard III was killed  Bosworth Field.

Coins were found in the fall of 2021 and were reported to the British Museum and Portable Antiquities Scheme as possible treasure, according to SWNS.

SUNKEN JEWELS, BURIED TREASURE UNCOVERED IN THE BAHAMAS FROM ICONIC 17TH CENTURY SPANISH SHIPWRECK

There may be four coins in total, SWNS also said.

They're all thought to be from one purse owned by a local merchant during the August 1485 battle at Bosworth Field, the British news service also said.

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The money is thought to equivocate to a new wardrobe believing to belong to a wealthy person at the time.

Bosworth Field, known to be where Richard III was killed, has been a popular place for treasure findings in the past.

RARE COIN SELLS FOR $4.2 MILLION

In 2012, a gold angel of Richard III was found and sold at auction for a record 36,000 Euros, SWNS reported.

The new coins will be put up for auction and could go for nearly $25,000 according to SWNS.

King Richard III was killed during the Battle of Bosworth Field, near Market Bosworth in Leicestershire, during the Wars of the Roses, August 22, 1485.

King Richard III reigned for just two years, from 1483 to 1485, and was defeated and killed by Henry Tudor on the battlefield.

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His body was discovered under a parking lot in Leicestershire in 2012, according to SWNS.

He was reinterred to the Leicester Cathedral in 2015 where his body lies today, as the Associated Press reported.

Richard III was defeated by Henry Tudor (future Henry VII of England), founder of House of Tudor.

Gregory Edmund, a senior coin specialist at the British Museum and Portable Antiquities Scheme, told SWNS that these events in British history are well remembered.

"These wonderful gold coins provide a powerful and unvarnished witness to one of the most dramatic events in British history  an event that still echoes to the present," he said.

The coins are going up for auction on April 3, 2023, SWNS reported.
Tony Blair and his Irish counterpart, Bertie Ahern, sign the Good Friday Agreement on April 10, 1998

Monday April 10 marks 25 years since the Good Friday Agreement came into being.

The historic agreement, which was signed in Northern Ireland on April 10, 1998, effectively brought an end to the Troubles.

An open border between the Republic and Northern Ireland was a key component of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, and one that brought hard-won peace to Northern Ireland following decades of conflict. It established a consensus for peace and the future direction of the region after the political conflict had been raging for more than 30 years.

The full weight of the British and Irish administrations was brought to bear in painstaking negotiations that brought unionists and republicans together after fighting between the two groups that led to the deaths of thousands.

The recently secured Windsor Framework, was in part proposed to avoid any return of the conflict that the Good Friday Agreement put an end to.

What caused the Troubles?

In the 1960s Northern Ireland faced a bitter conflict between unionists who wanted to remain within the UK and republicans who wanted the province to become part of a united Ireland.

Republicans and the wider nationalist community are mostly Catholic, while unionists mostly Protestant. The conflict was perpetuated by paramilitary groups the IRA and the UVF. Further people were killed by the British security forces after the army was deployed in 1969. More than 3,500 people died overall, many of whom were killed in tit-for-tat attacks across the sectarian divide.

The situation worsened in 1972 when 14 people were killed by British troops during a peaceful civil rights march led by Catholics and Republicans in Londonderry. This day became known as Bloody Sunday.

Police and rioters fight in Londonderry in 1969 (PA)

What was included in the agreement?

The Good Friday Agreement, also known as the Belfast Agreement, was formally made by the British and Irish governments and eight political parties of Northern Ireland. It acknowledged Northern Irelands constitutional status as part of the UK.

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It also established a principle of consent. A united Ireland could happen if a majority of people in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland wanted it to. In this instance, the British government would be bound to hold a referendum and honour the result.

(L to r) Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern, US Senator George Mitchell and UK Prime Minister Tony Blair on April 10, 1998, after they signed the Good Friday Agreement (Getty Images)

The agreement committed the parties to democratic and peaceful methods of resolving political disputes and it marked a commitment to the mutual respect, the civil rights and the religious liberties of everyone in the community.

What has happened since the Good Friday Agreement was made?

The British and Irish governments agreed to hold referendums on May 22, 1998. The Northern Ireland referendum was on accepting the Good Friday Agreement itself. In all 71 per cent voted Yes. The referendum in the Republic was to amend the countrys constitution to acknowledge the new principle of consent, for which 94 per cent of people voted in favour.

In the years that followed there was still turbulence. While the Northern Ireland Assembly was established it was periodically suspended, largely over concerns about paramilitary activity in the region.

It was not until 2005 that the IRA was decommissioned. In 2007 Sinn Fein threw its support behind the newly established policing force the PSNI, which replaced the RUC, the Royal Ulster Constabulary.

Northern Ireland experienced relative political calm due to the power sharing agreement. The cordial relationship between Ian Paisley, a loyalist, and Martin McGuinness, a republican, as first and deputy first minister, was a sign that Northern Ireland had changed. However, the power sharing arrangement proved unstable and has been suspended a number of times. The Northern Ireland Assembly does not currently have an executive because of DUP objections to the Northern Ireland Protocol, and is only able to perform very limited governmental functions.

How does the Windsor Framework uphold the Good Friday Agreement?

The Northern Ireland Protocol was signed as part of the Brexit withdrawal agreement, which is now ratified under international law.

To maintain the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, both the UK and EU agreed that the inspection of goods would be conducted between Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) and Northern Ireland, effectively creating a de facto border in the Irish Sea between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.

The Windsor Framework avoided a hard border on Ireland and supported North-South cooperation, while also upholding Northern Irelands integral place in the United Kingdom and its internal market. It introduced a green lane for traders transporting goods to Northern Ireland exempt from custom controls and a red lane for goods going to the Republic of Ireland and remainder of the EU.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak also hoped the Windsor Framework would boost relations with the US, which helped broker the Good Friday Agreement. In February he met Vice-President Kamala Harris in Munich, where the two leaders affirmed their shared commitment to protecting and building on the gains of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement, according to the White House.
Hillsborough Mayor Jenn Weaver says her Orange County town will welcome Google Fiber  though perhaps not the construction that comes with it.

The community really needs to just prepare ourselves for a lot of disruptions, she said. Theres going to be hiccups. This is what weve seen from our neighboring communities that have gone through this. We just need to tough it out, and it will be worth it on the other side we hope.

In March, Hillsborough became the third Triangle town in the past year to announce the arrival of Google Fiber, the tech giants fiber optic connection that promises considerably faster speeds than traditional broadband. Following a period of little to no expansion, Google says its been extending its local network at a considerable pace.

In the past year, weve launched construction in Garner and Apex, and Hillsborough just announced, said Jess George, head of government and community affairs for Google Fibers East region. Weve continued to construct in Raleigh and Durham and have largely completed Morrisville, Cary, Chapel Hill and Carrboro.

Google Fiber entered the Triangle in 2015 with much fanfare, unveiling its plans for the region and Charlotte with T-shirts and the hashtag #FiberIsComing. Some politicians predicted the service would transform both areas.

Today, many still see fiber-optic internet as the gold standard.

Fiber is the most future-proof of all the technology coming to the house, Mark Johnson, a broadband consultant in the Triangle area, told The News & Observer last summer. I think people are looking for alternatives to the incumbent providers who routinely are among the lowest rank (in) customer satisfaction of any businesses.

Compared to AT&T and Spectrum, Google offers the more affordable gigabit plans, charging $70 a month for speeds up to 1-gigabit and $100 monthly for 2-gig service.

But laying Google Fiber is an intensive process that requires digging to create enough space to pull fiber-optic cable through empty pipes. When Google and AT&T were setting their fiber optic lines in 2015, neighbors across the Triangle complained contract workers commonly hit their gas, water and sewage lines.

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After making initial progress, especially in Cary and Morrisville, Google paused its expansion.

We had a lot to learn about how to construct fiber optic networks in multiple municipalities, said George, who called the companys original construction approaches overly disruptive, expensive, and time-consuming.

If we have a vision for fiber-optic ubiquity across this country, we needed to rethink how we construct, she said. So essentially, we took a step away from active construction. The Triangle is actually one of the few places where we continued to construct the entire time, just at a slower pace.

In the past year, Google Fiber has ramped back up.

According to BroadbandNow, a research group that compiles internet service provider data, Google Fiber in August was only available to 15.4% of Raleigh residents and 6.7% of Durham residents. But today, the site says it is available to nearly half of Raleigh and about 18% of Durham residents. Rates are higher in Cary (78.7%) and Morrisville (77.9%).

Google Fiber called BroadbandNows data out of date but would not share its numbers publicly.

BroadbandNow pulls data from the Federal Communications Commission, which releases information on a 16-month delay. The group says it corrects for this lag with proprietary data sent by internet service providers.

How Google picks where to expand

When it comes to expanding its fiber optic network, George said Google strives to make decisions that are engineering-led, not led by our sales team.

The Triangles rapid growth, she noted, has stalled development in some neighborhoods because municipalities had already issued permits for other projects.

Weve often heard from folks ask, Why are you constructing in town A, B, C, when you havent finished mine? George said. Were trying to be responsible about having a metered cadence with a municipality thats not overburdening their ability to permit, overburdening a community with too much construction.

On its website, Google Fiber acknowledges construction can be disruptive.

George said Google Fiber has advanced its techniques around shallow construction, in recent years to minimize utility strikes and installation times.

Natural geography and physical infrastructure also present barriers to extending underground fiber networks. George said this can delay expansion to some lower-income neighborhoods that have historically been separated by railroad tracks.

Its important to (build in these areas) when were thinking of digital equity, she said.

What Hillsborough needs to know

Weaver says Hillsborough, the Orange County seat with a population of 9,800, has awaited Google Fiber since the initial #FiberisComing campaign eight years ago.

I think certainly, the pandemic has amplified that desire, with more people working from home, school students needing to do more internet work from home, she said.

The plan is for Google Fiber to build within the town limits, and installation is expected to start this month. That means new drilling, new construction, but soon, a new type of internet.

Hillsborough residents seeking more details on the Google Fiber installation can read a Q&A on the towns website.

This story was produced with financial support from a coalition of partners led by Innovate Raleigh as part of an independent journalism fellowship program. The N&O maintains full editorial control of the work.

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Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) endorsed former President Donald Trumps 2024 presidential campaign just hours before he was set to be arraigned in New York over hush money payments to an adult film star.

The prosecution of President Trump in New York is a political stunt by a prosecutor whose campaign was funded by George Soros, Hyde-Smith said in a statement posted to her Facebook page.That charade is all about self-promotion by the prosecutor and has nothing to do with justice. I believe the whole affair will backfire on the prosecutor and Democrats.

Hyde-Smith is the sixth GOP senator to back Trumps bid for another White House term, joining Lindsey Graham (S.C.), Markwayne Mullin (Okla.), Eric Schmitt (Mo.), Tommy Tuberville (Ala.) and J.D. Vance (Ohio).

Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) praised former President Donald Trump on the day of his arraignment for his

Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) praised former President Donald Trump on the day of his arraignment for his "effective leadership."

In her statement, the Mississippi senator cited Trumps policies as a reason to support him again. She did not mention Trumps unprecedented effort to overturn his 2020 presidential election defeat, which Hyde-Smith supported, and the violent Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol that followed.

Because of his agenda, we secured hundreds of miles across the U.S.-Mexico border, we cut taxes, we appointed conservative judges, we had a healthy economy, wages were increasing, we were respected around the globe, and we were energy independent, she said. I support a return to those policies and to President Trumps effective leadership.

While Trumps allies in the Senate rushed to his defense prior to the unsealing of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Braggs indictment against the former president, most top Senate Republicans stayed silent, notably including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Senate Minority Whip John Thune (R-S.D.).

Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), the No. 3 Senate Republican, meanwhile, called the indictment a politically motivated prosecution by a far-left activist.

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Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), who voted to convict Trump during his second impeachment trial after the Jan. 6 riot, was more measured in his remarks following the indictment over the weekend.

No one should be above the law, but no one should be a target of the law, Cassidy said on Fox News Sunday.

The particular problem is that its going to lead to all kinds of political theater, theater that is going to distract from the issues, he added.
Gov. Spencer Cox participates in a National Governors Association video call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday, April 4, 2023. Cox is vice chairman of the association. | Utah State Office of the Governor

Though theres a sentiment among some Republicans that the U.S. should scale back or stop its support for Ukraine, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said on Tuesday that would be a mistake.

Coxs comments came shortly after the National Governors Association met virtually with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. While media was not permitted to join the call or obtain a transcript, Cox described the conversation as positive, powerful and persuasive.

Its easy to forget whats actually happening over there and I think this was an important call and an important reminder to all of us of the terror that is being inflicted on ... millions of innocent people, in a country that we care deeply about, Cox said.

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This isnt just a Ukraine war. This is an existential threat to freedoms everywhere, said New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, paraphrasing Zelenskyy.

Murphy, who is the chairman of the National Governors Association, joined Cox after the call to speak to reporters virtually. Cox is the vice chair of the association, and both governors reaffirmed their support for Ukraine, which has been at war with Russia since 2014 and has been fighting off a full-scale invasion for over a year.

Amid the conflict, the U.S. has sent nearly $115 billion in emergency funding to Ukraine  that military aid has been credited in the countrys ability to effectively fight Russian forces along the eastern front. The U.S. Department of State recently accused Russia of war crimes, and Zelenskyy himself said American support has saved thousands of lives, according to Murphy.

Utah Republican Rep. Chris Stewart also met with Zelenskyy on Tuesday, joining several members of the House Intelligence Committee in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine.

Ukraines stand against Russian aggression  and its stand for freedom  has inspired us all, Stewart wrote on Twitter. It was an honor to visit Kyiv and meet with Ukrainian President (Zelenskyy), and it was an honor to see their remarkable efforts first-hand.

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Ukraines stand against Russian aggression - and its stand for freedom - has inspired us all.



It was an honor to visit Kyiv and meet with Ukrainian President @ZelenskyyUa, and it was an honor to see their remarkable efforts first-hand. pic.twitter.com/P72S4tIok9  Rep. Chris Stewart (@RepChrisStewart) April 4, 2023

But some Republicans have questioned U.S. support for Ukraine, asking the White House to clarify its long-term position. Others say the military aid is escalating the conflict.

Among those critical is Utah Republican Sen. Mike Lee, who previously voted against sending aid and recently said on Twitter that NATO countries should take this conflict at least as seriously as the United States has, if not more so.

After sending $113 billion to Ukraine in 2022, why should the U.S. even consider sending more until every NATO member (1) has begun spending at least 2% of its GDP on defense, and (2) has spent at least of much of its GDP on Ukraine aid as the U.S. did in 2022? Lee said on Twitter earlier this year.

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Cox on Tuesday agreed that there should be oversight to the aid being sent to Ukraine. But he pointed to what he calls a false narrative that suggests the U.S. has two options  write Ukraine a blank check, or stop all financial support.

I dont think anybody agrees that there should be a blank check. We should always be very careful with where were spending our tax dollars and what were getting for that. But I can tell you theres a very unified front as we meet as governors, Cox said.

The Utah governor also said that despite the messaging from some Republicans, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, that aiding Ukraine is not a vital U.S. national interest, polling suggests widespread support among GOP voters.

By and large, there is still support for Ukraine. The extent of that support is always up for debate. But I believe  that this is a threat that is not just to Ukraine, but a threat that could spread to our other European allies, our NATO allies, which would then lead us into a much darker and more dangerous place, Cox said.

While federal aid to Ukraine is approved by Congress, Cox and Murphy briefly touched on the role of the states.

Were grateful for the businesses, the defense contractors and others that are making the weapons that are protecting Ukrainians, Cox said.

And Murphy said that governors can use their bully pulpit to remind our citizens of the importance and why were in this fight, amplifying the need to continue to be unwavering in our support.

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Correction: A previous version incorrectly referred to New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy as Chris Murphy.
China has been actively promoting the building of a computation network, an official with the Ministry of Science and Technology said Monday.

Speaking at a press conference in Beijing, an official with the ministry Chen Jiachang said that the ministry has always attached great importance to the development of digital technology and made systematic arrangements in the fields of basic technology, new technology application and digital security, among others.

The ministry hopes to provide strong support for digitalization across the country, Chen added.

In the development of intelligent technology, the ministry has set up a special office for the planning and promotion of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and launched new-generation major AI projects.

To cope with potential risks and problems in AI development, the ministry formulated and released principles and ethics of the new-generation AI governance in order to promote the advancement of science and technology for the benefit of humanity, Chen said.

He also acknowledged the improvements in ensuring network security.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer addresses local leaders, Port of Monroe staff, and others after touring the port on Monday. The Port will become the first in Michigan to build a container terminal after receiving a $5 million grant from the state and additional funding from the federal government. The MV James R. Barker, an American bulk carrier that operates on the upper four Great Lakes, was docked at the port Monday.

Paul LaMarre couldn't help himself.

For years, the Port of Monroe director has worked to bring to life his vision of the port as the quintessential maritime gateway to the state of Michigan and has championed the state and federal leaders that have helped push that dream forward.

On Monday, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer visited the Port of Monroe on the heels of another grant approval, and LaMarre took the opportunity to give her a warm greeting.

"I have to give you a hug," LaMarre said to Whitmer as they toured the port on a bus provided by Lake Erie Transit. "I am so thankful."

Port of Monroe Director Paul LaMarre (right) guides a tour of the port Monday along with Ventower Industries Vice President Scott Viciana (left), Chief Executive Officer Gregory Adanin (left center), state of Michigan Chief Infrastructure Officer Zachary Kolodin and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. The group made a stop in front of the MV James R. Barker, an American bulk carrier that operates on the upper four Great Lakes and was docked at the port Monday.

Whitmer came to the Port of Monroe bearing gifts, namely the award of state and federal grants that will help the port become the first in Michigan to build an essential container terminal. That comes on the heels of an over $11 million federal grant awarded to the port last year through the United States Maritime Administration (MARAD).

"Today, we're celebrating the state of Michigan's $13 million investment in the Port of Monroe from the bipartisan budget that I signed last year," Whitmer said. "These funds go toward construction of a cargo scanning facility and fund improvements and programming at the Opportunity Center. This work is critical. A lot of the facilities here were built in the 1930s and have not been significantly upgraded until now."

The port will receive $5 million from the state for the fiscal year 2023. Last summer, the city of Monroe invested $1.7 million and the port also appropriated funds from the Marine Highway grant program to install a new Manitowoc crawler crane. The port has received a steady stream of city, state and federal funding over the years that has helped build the port into what it is today.

"Now I'm here to put my foot on the accelerator," Whitmer said. "This is an effort that transcends any one administration. It's got to be bipartisan because this is about industry, this is about Michigan, this is about our economy, and this is about all the men and women that make Michigan go."

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Whitmer also quoted state Sen. Joe Bellino Jr., R-Monroe, championing his words that "this much-needed funding will help Monroe continue to hire skilled employees while improving and enhancing the port for years to come."

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer visits Ventower Industries with company Vice President Scott Viciana and Port of Monroe Director Paul LaMarre Monday after the visit to the Port of Monroe.

LaMarre worked for years to get the port to the point where it could handle containerized cargo. In the past, he had secured deals with the Ford Motor Co. and Arauco North America that were struck down by Customs and Border Patrol. Officials from CBP said the port would need proper security screening equipment to handle such cargo.

A study conducted by the University of Michigan found that CBPs policies had cost the Monroe region substantial revenue and jobs. LaMarre worked with those officials and state and federal politicians to make the port compliant and secure funding to realize his vision.

Monday's visit from Whitmer marked a significant milestone in that journey.

"There are but few moments in life when you put the finishing touches on one canvas and begin the next masterpiece. This is that moment today," LaMarre said. "It has taken a decade to get us where we are at. Governor, your presence here is that moment for the Port of Monroe and for the Great Lakes maritime industry. ... You are our champion."

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer visits Ventower Industries with company Vice President Scott Viciana (right) and Port of Monroe Director Paul LaMarre (center) Monday during a tour of the port.

Established in 1932, the Port of Monroe is Michigans only port on Lake Erie. The marine terminal provides access to the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway and it serves 17 states. A total of 2,513,890 tons were received at the port's facilities and docks during in 2022, representing a 10% increase in tonnage compared to the previous season.

Last season, the port partnered with tenant Ventower Industries to create new supply chain opportunities in Monroe. Ventower is the country's only active wind turbine tower manufacturer at a port. Ventower and the Port of Monroe manufactured and exported 90 wind tower sections last summer to Oswego, New York. Turbine sections have been shipped as far away as South America.

Upgrades will allow both the port and Ventower to reach even further into the global trade market.

In addition to the container terminal and security upgrades, grant funds will help the port rehabilitate both aging infrastructure and the existing riverfront wharf. Also, a new identical wharf will be constructed to help transfer more wind energy components.

"This port is really vital to our state's economy," Whitmer said. "The goods that flow here represent some of our most profitable and important industry, like mining and energy, and soon agriculture. The diversified economic activity spurred by this port supports thousands of jobs through its supply chain and drives tens of millions of dollars in commerce. Over the last decade, the port has had the most tonnage growth in the seaway system and has become a national model for revival and sustainability. So we are all invested in this port's success."

Members of the media interview Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Port of Monroe Director Paul LaMarre (right) Monday after a tour of the port.

This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Gov. Whitmer tours Port of Monroe following multimillion grant award
The Recording Academy will honor Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) for their work supporting music creators later this month.

The academy said in a release on Tuesday that it will recognize Schumer, Cassidy and musician Pharrell Williams on April 26 at its annual Grammys on the Hill awards, which have been held for more than two decades to honor those who have advocated for creators rights.

GRAMMYs on the Hill is a celebration like no other, spotlighting musics unifying power as we bring together our nations leaders with some of the most renowned artists in the world, Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. said in the release.

Its a privilege to honor Pharrell alongside Senate Majority Leader Schumer and Senator Cassidy, all of whom have fought tirelessly for pro-music policy that protects the creatives that make up our community.

The release states that Schumer and Cassidy are being recognized for their support for policies that have helped people in the music industry, including the Save Our Stages Act, which provided funding to performing venues and organizations to help them stay afloat amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The release states Schumer ensured funding was provided to gig workers and small music businesses as majority leader. He also sponsored a resolution to designate Aug. 11, 2021, as Hip Hop Celebration Day and November 2021 as Hip Hop Celebration Month, while Cassidy served as an original co-sponsor.

The academy said Schumer and Cassidy were critical in working to help 272 young musicians, faculty and staff from the Afghanistan National Institute of Music escape from the country as the Taliban took over in 2021 and get to Qatar. This has allowed the institute to resume many of its activities in Portugal, according to the release.

Schumer said he is honored to be recognized by the academy for Congresss work to support the recording and performance industry during the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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I was proud to lead the fight in Congress alongside musicians, venue owners, operators, and employees to pass the Save Our Stages Act bringing critical relief to thousands of workers in the music industry, he added.

Cassidy said music helped guide the Afghan students to be free from the Talibans rule.

Music carried the spirits of the students at the Afghanistan National Institute of Music through to freedom. No matter where you are in the worldKabul or New Orleansmusic communicates resilience, passion and culture, he said.

Williams is being recognized for an unparalleled commitment to supporting creators rights and to philanthropy.

The ceremony will be followed by the annual Grammys on the Hill Advocacy Day, in which current and former award winners and nominees and industry leaders meet with lawmakers to discuss the issues facing the industry.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) was drowned out by counterprotesters as she rallied to former President Trumps defense outside a Manhattan courthouse and compared Trump to Jesus in an interview ahead of his arraignment.

Trump is joining some of the most incredible people in history being arrested today. Nelson Mandela was arrested, served time in prison. Jesus  Jesus was arrested and murdered by the Roman government, Greene told Right Side Broadcasting host Brian Glenn in New York on Tuesday.

Glenn, who is reportedly dating Greene, also gave her a kiss on the cheek.

Greenes message to the rally outside the courthouse, meanwhile, was mostly inaudible to those on the ground, including reporters for The Hill, as individuals blew whistles in an apparent attempt to drown her out. A live stream of her rally speech, though, captured her staunch defense of the former president.

This administration is a failure. They have nothing to campaign on, so theyve decided to arrest President Trump, who is innocent, on the word of a porn star and a felon, Greene said. This is such a failure, and this will not stand.

Every American should take a stand. This is what happens to Communist countries, not the United States of America. We have to take a stand against the injustice, the corruption, and the communist Democrats who are taking our legal code and switching it, manipulating it, and corroding it into something it was never meant to be, Greene said.

More from The Hill: Coverage and commentary from the Trump indictment:

Trump was indicted by a New York grand jury last week in connection with Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Braggs (D) investigation into him. Charges that will be announced at Trumps arraignment are expected to concern falsifying business records related to a 2016 hush money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels, who had planned to go public with an affair that Trump denies. Trumps former personal attorney Michael Cohen, who was later convicted on felony charges related to organizing the payment, is a key witness in the case.

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Greene said outside the courthouse on Tuesday that Trumps indictment is election interference, and that Bragg is nothing but a George Soros-funded tool.

Were standing in a park in New York City, a city that used to be a great city, but is no more, Greene said. Crime is up over 22 percent. And we have a D.A. here who wont prosecute crime because he is colluding with Bidens Department of Justice to persecute President Trump, the top Republican candidate for president for 2024. We cannot tolerate this injustice in the United States of America.

Greene also took aim at New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D), who had warned Greene to be on your best behavior as she visited New York to support Trump.

Also, to the Mayor Adams. As you can see, Im standing here peacefully protesting, but you called me out by name while you allow crime in your streets, Greene said, saying that others came down here to commit assault against people by making loud noises and assault against police officers who are doing their jobs.

Democrats are the party of violence, Greene added.

Greene thanked the New York Republican club for organizing the rally, thanked the press for covering her remarks, and thanked protesters who were there to support Trump  prompting chants of U.S.A.

President Trump will be found innocent. This witch hunt will end. We will not tolerate it. We will not tolerate the hate of the left, Greene said. God bless America, God bless President Trump, God bless MAGA.

Greene departed the chaotic rally after her brief remarks.

This story was updated at 12:53 p.m.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Caterina Scorsone says she lost her four pets in a fire that tore through her house (Getty Images)

Grey's Anatomy actor Caterina Scorsone said she and her three children escaped a blaze in "about two minutes" that tore through her house, killing her four pets.

Ms Scorsone, 41, who plays the character of Dr Amelia Shepherd on the ABC series, revealed on Monday that her house was charred in a fire a couple of months ago.

"While getting my kids ready for bed and finishing bath time, smoke began to seep up through the grout around the tub," she wrote on Instagram.

"When I looked down the hallway a river of thick black smoke had already formed and was filling the house. One thing about fires: they happen fast."

The actor said she had about "two minutes" to get her three kids aged three, six and 10, out of the house. "We escaped with less than shoes on our feet. But we got out. And for that I am eternally grateful," she added.

However, the blaze claimed the lives of all four of her pets  three cats and a dog. "We are still sitting with that loss, but we are lucky we got to love them at all."

Ms Scorsone shared photographs of her pets and children in the house before it was burnt to the ground.

The actor expressed her gratitude to the community members, friends and family, who showed up offering a helping hand in the aftermath of the devastating incident.

"This is a post about community. This is a love letter to the incredible people that showed up and the incredible ways that they did," she wrote.

She thanked the firefighters, investigators and her neighbour, who answered our frantic knocks at her door.

The actor continued: Thank you to the parents at my kids school who sent toys and books, my friends at @greysabc and @shondaland who sent clothing and supplies, my sisters who flew in to handle logistics so that I could be with my kids.

Thank you to my team who made everything easier.

What we learned is that the only thing that matters are the people (and beings) that you love.

Ms Scorsone's friends and Grey's Anatomy costars expressed their condolences and praised her resilience.

Jake Borelli, who plays the character of Dr Levi Schmitt on the show, said: "You are truly an incredible human and I am sending all the love I have to you and yours."
Caterina Scorsone arrives at a recent PaleyFest screening of "Grey's Anatomy" in Los Angeles. (Richard Shotwell / Invision / Associated Press)

"Grey's Anatomy" star Caterina Scorsone says she lost four pets in a recent fast-moving house fire that she had to flee with her three children.

The TV actor, who plays neurosurgeon Amelia Shepherd on the long-running ABC medical drama, revealed Monday that her house burned down a couple of months prior and detailed the harrowing tale in a tribute to her home and the animals they lost in the tragedy.

"While getting my kids ready for bed and finishing bath time, smoke began to seep up through the grout around the tub. When I looked down the hallway a river of thick black smoke had already formed and was filling the house," she wrote Monday on Instagram.

"One thing about fires: They happen fast. I had about two minutes to get my three kids out of the house, and we escaped with less than shoes on our feet. But we got out. And for that I am eternally grateful," she added.

Scorsone, 41, shares three young daughters  ages 3 to 10  with her ex-husband, Grammy-winning musician Rob Giles, 49, whom she divorced in 2020. She did not share the exact date of the fire, the location of the home or details about the cause of the fire. Her representatives did not immediately respond Tuesday to The Times' requests for further comment.

However, the Pasadena Fire Department confirmed Tuesday that on the evening of Jan. 22, six fire engines responded to a two-alarm fire at a one-story, west Pasadena home connected to Scorsone. Three residents were displaced and housed at a private residence, and one dog and two cats died at the scene, according to an incident report obtained by The Times.

Scorsone was "a true hero quickly reacting and evacuating her family," Lisa Derderian, a spokeswoman for the city of Pasadena, said Tuesday.

The fire resulted in extensive damage to the structure, the report said. Its cause is under investigation.

"Heartbreakingly, we lost all four of our pets. We are still sitting with that loss, but we are lucky we got to love them at all," Scorsone wrote in her post. "This is not a post about a fire. This is a post about community. This is a love letter to the incredible people that showed up and the incredible ways that they did."

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The "Power Play" and "1-800-Missing" veteran thanked the firefighters and investigators involved in the incident, her neighbor who "answered our frantic knocks at her door," the parents at her children's school who sent toys and books, and her friends at "Grey's Anatomy" and production company Shondaland for sending clothing and supplies.

She also thanked her sister, who flew in to handle logistics so that Scorsone could be with her daughters, and her team "who made everything easier."

"What we learned is that the only thing that matters are the people (and beings) that you love. The only thing that matters is community. We would not be here without it and we are so grateful. Thank you," she said.

Scorsone shared photos of the rubble from the destroyed structure and portraits of her cats and dog to "honor the space we once called home, to say goodbye to the animals that loved us so well, and to celebrate that we have the only thing we ever really needed: each other."

The actor joined "Grey's Anatomy" in 2010 during the hit drama's seventh season. Her character is the younger sister of Dr. Derek Shepherd  the "McDreamy" neurosurgeon played by original series star Patrick Dempsey  and has also appeared on the show's spinoffs "Private Practice" and "Station 19."

Scorsone's post was met with words of encouragement by her friends and fans.

"What an incredible mom inspiration you are.. you are SO loved!" commented co-star Camilla Luddington, who plays surgeon Jo Wilson on "Grey's Anatomy."

"Grey's" and "Station 19" actor Jake Borelli added: "You are truly an incredible human and I am sending all the love I have to you and yours."

"I hope I never have to deal with anything like this but if I do, I hope I can follow your example of grace under terrible circumstances love to you and the family," added Chris Carmack, who plays orthopedic surgeon Atticus Lincoln on "Grey's."





This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Relatives of an Indian family whose bodies were found in a river marsh near the US-Canada border last week say they are still in shock.

The bodies of the four Indians were among eight that police recovered from the St Lawrence river between Thursday and Friday. Authorities have said that the bodies were of two migrant families from India and Romania who they believe were trying to cross into the US.

The Indians who died were identified as Pravin Chaudhary, 50, his wife Diksha, 45, their son Meet, 20, and their daughter Vidhi, 24. They were from Manekpur Dabhala village in Mehsana district in the western Indian state of Gujarat.

On Monday, there was an air of gloom over the village when BBC Gujarati visited it. The sounds of wailing women could be heard in the distance.

Pravin Chaudhary's cousin Jasubhai Chaudhary said he started getting worried on Saturday morning, when he saw news on TV about the bodies of four Indians being found. His cousin and family had left for Canada on visitor visas on 3 February.

"I was worried and called him," Jasubhai Chaudhary said. "But he didn't answer."

The Gujarati family was among eight migrants found dead near the US-Canada border

The family's fears were confirmed after a relative in the US received an email from the Canadian police about the deaths.

As Jasubhai Chaudhary spoke, shocked villagers kept visiting his house to offer their condolences.

Sanju Chaudhary, a neighbour, said that Pravin Chaudhary had been doing well before he left - he was a farmer and also supplied milk in tankers to customers in other districts.

Another neighbour said that the family was friendly with everyone in the village and had lived "a happy and decent life".

Jasubhai Chaudhary says that he and other relatives did not know why his cousin and family were travelling to the US.

"As far as we knew, they only went to Canada and did not have any plans to go to the US," he says.

In January 2022, the bodies of another family of four from Gujarat were found frozen to death near the US-Canada border. The Patel family were also believed to be trying to enter the US, officials said.

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Like the Chaudharys, the Patels also seemed to have comfortable lives in India. But many locals from northern Gujarat told the BBC that people here dreamt of moving to foreign countries, especially the US, in the hope of a better life. Some even fell victim to human smugglers in their desire to reach their goals.

The Gujarat police has been cracking down on such human trafficking networks operating in the state.

The Chaudharys' house in Mehsana had been closed since the family left in February

In February, they arrested two agents for facilitating the illegal immigration of four people. A team is also investigating the circumstances behind the death of the Patel family and have arrested a number of people.

US border agents have also said there is a recent uptick in people crossing from Canada. US Border Patrol says it has apprehended 367 people attempting to cross north to south this January near Montreal - more than the number of such crossings in the last 12 years combined.

Police in India told the BBC that they wouldn't investigate the Chaudharys' deaths unless Canadian police approach the Indian government or something comes up in the investigation there.

"They had a valid visa and passport when they left for Canada. So there is nothing we need to investigate as of now," says Dinesh Sinh Chauhan, the local deputy superintendent of police.

Back in Mehsana, the Chaudharys' bungalow - just a few metres from Jasubhai Chaudhary's house - looks deserted, with a thick layer of dust over its doors and windows. The house has been closed since the family left in February.

Jasubhai Chaudhary says he has contacted to the district's collector for help in bringing back his relatives' bodies.

"We are just waiting for their bodies to reach here so that we can see all of them one last time."

BBC News India is now on YouTube. Click here to subscribe and watch our documentaries, explainers and features.

Read more India stories from the BBC:
Hamline University president Fayneese Miller, who became embroiled in a national debate on the propriety of showing an image of the prophet Mohammed as well as the scope of academic freedom, announced on Monday that she will retire next year.

Miller defended her universitys decision not to renew the contract of an adjunct professor who showed her art-history class a well-known 14th-century painting of the prophet Mohammed. For a majority of the faculty at the private university in St. Paul, Minn., that decision was a tipping point. In January, full-time faculty members voted overwhelmingly to release a statement that they no longer have faith in President Millers ability to lead the university forward. They also asked for her immediate resignation.



The announcement that Miller would retire in 2024, which skirted mention of the controversy, came just a few months after that and other condemnations of the universitys actions.

In October of last year, Erika Lopez Prater was teaching a global-art-history course, and she planned to show her students depictions of many religious figures, including the prophet Mohammed, according to the New York Times. Depicting him is controversial, with many Muslims regarding it as forbidden and offensive.

However, Prater took several precautions. She explained in an approved syllabus that she was planning to show a depiction of Mohammed, and she also prepped her students on the day of the class, giving each the opportunity to leave the room. One Muslim student, Aram Wedatalla, decided to stay despite the repeated warnings and later complained to the administration. Other Muslim students not in the course also complained, saying their religion had been attacked. The administration responded by getting rid of Prater in an effort to avoid a nationwide controversy. But it would wade into one nonetheless.

Defending the move, Miller signed an email in which she said: It is not our intent to place blame; rather, it is our intent to note that in the classroom incident  where an image forbidden for Muslims to look upon was projected on a screen and left for many minutes  respect for the observant Muslim students in that classroom should have superseded academic freedom.

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An email from a different administrator called Praters behavior Islamophobic. And the administration even sanctioned the invitation of a speaker who would compare showing an image of Mohammed to teaching that Hitler was good.

Prater sued the university in January for religious discrimination and defamation, among other things, leading Miller and other administrators to backtrack on the same day.

Like all organizations, sometimes we misstep. In the interest of hearing from and supporting our Muslim students, language was used that does not reflect our sentiments on academic freedom. Based on all that we have learned, we have determined that our usage of the term Islamophobic was therefore flawed, wrote Miller after the lawsuit was filed.

The full-time faculty voted 71-12 later in January in favor of condemning Miller, with nine abstaining. We are distressed that members of the administration have mishandled this issue and great harm has been done to the reputation of Minnesotas oldest university, they wrote.

Her retirement brings an end to a rocky presidency that saw protests and declining enrollment, the New York Times reported, though Miller was able to find success in her goal of increasing diversity on campus. The president touted her campuss values of social justice, equity, and inclusion in her retirement message, emailed to National Review.

Chairwoman of the Hamline board of trustees Ellen Watters also kept the focus on the positives in a statement, calling Miller an innovative and transformational leader for Hamline.

While Miller was viewed as giving in to student activists during the Mohammed controversy, she has also angered activists several times.

She was protested for refusing to punish four white student athletes who were seen in a video singing along to a popular song that included a racial epithet. Student activists also protested Miller after she told a group of students they ought to donate to the university while they are still studying there. To the activists, this comment did not take into account their financial struggles.

While a group of activists supported Millers actions in the Prater case, the instructor was able to amass support from far and wide. Most supporters zeroed in on Hamlines violation of Praters academic freedom.

Hamlines nonrenewal of the instructor for showing an image of Muhammad violates the instructors pedagogical autonomy  protected by basic tenets of academic freedom  to determine whether and how to introduce or approach material that may be challenging, upsetting, or even deeply offensive to some, wrote the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression in a December letter to Miller.

The chilling effect of your actions is inevitable, wrote a group of more than 400 professors and college instructors from across the country.

Even Muslim groups demanded Praters reinstatement, calling the universitys behavior misguided.

Given the ubiquity of Islamophobic depictions of the Prophet Muhammad, it hardly makes sense to target an art professor trying to combat narrow understandings of Islam. There is an unmistakable irony in the situation, which should be appreciated, the Muslim Public Affairs Council, an advocacy group, said in a written statement. Misusing the label Islamophobia has the negative effect of watering down the term and rendering it less effective in calling out actual acts of bigotry.

Praters case against Hamline is still pending in district court in Minnesota.

More from National Review
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As home textile brands such as Sunbrella, Milliken and Nassimi announce plans to remove per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from their fabrics, a new study finds that those chemicals might not even provide stain resistance as previously thought.

The study, published today in the AATC Journal of Research, found that textiles treated with PFAS chemicals generally did not perform any better than those without the chemicals in resisting stains.

Researchers tested six PFAS-finished and three non-PFAS-finished fabrics using droplets of coffee and oil-based salad dressing. With the water-based coffee stains, none of the PFAS-finished fabrics performed better than the unfinished textiles. The stains were easily removed from both fabrics, and only fabric typepolyester vs. cotton, patterned vs. solid, light vs. dark, etc.affected stain performance.

With the oil-based salad dressing, some of the PFAS-finished fabrics performed minimally better than those without the finish. But the repellency was lost with abrasion, with the benefits fading once the fabric is worn with use. Researchers also found that the performance differences were greater between different fabric typescolors, patterns, etc.rather than between those with and without PFAS.

It was surprising that these harmful but supposedly indispensable chemicals had no practical benefit, said lead author Jonas LaPier, a PhD candidate in civil and environmental engineering at Stanford University. It makes you wonder what other uses of PFAS are also unnecessary and could be easily eliminated from products without noticeable change in performance.

PFAS are also commonly referred to as forever chemicals since it takes them so long to break down, if at all. PFAS chemicals can leech into the soil and water during production, and according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), PFAS are found in the blood of people and animals all over the world and are present at low levels in a variety of food products. Of the thousands of PFAS chemicals in existence, some have been linked to harmful health effects.

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California, Maine, Vermont and Washington have all enacted legislation regulating the use of PFAS in consumer products such as home goods. As of Jan. 1, product manufacturers must provide written notice to the Maine Department of Environmental Protection regarding any products that contain any intentionally added PFAS.

PFAS are a public health nightmare and should only be used when essential, said Carol Kwiatkowski, co-author and scientist at the Green Science Policy Institute, which provided funding for the study. In the case of these fabrics, they arent delivering the desired performance of stain repellency, and like lipstick or car wax, they get reapplied, which introduces more PFAS into the environment and increases the risk of human exposure. Theres simply no justification for continuing to use them in furniture.

As part of its phase-out of PFAS, Sunbrella parent company Glen Raven announced it had developed a proprietary cleaning solution to remove oil-based stains, called Sunbrella Extract. With so many home textiles makers eliminating PFAS finishes, the focus of performance is shifting from repelling stains to cleanability.

The results of the study align with what Ive seen firsthand, said co-author Betsy Phillips, Director of Environmental Initiatives of the textile company Maharam. The presence of PFAS-based finishes doesnt prevent textiles from staining, especially after the finishes have become worn with use. The best way to prevent staining is to promptly clean up spills. When prompt cleaning isnt possible, choosing a thicker, darker, patterned fabric will help mask any stains that may permeate. Beyond staining, omitting PFAS is simply better for our health.
School COVID requirements and the controversies surrounding them largely feel like a thing of the past. But at the countrys Head Start and Early Head Start centers, which serve low-income children 5 and under, the debate has lingered, with lawsuits challenging the programs vaccine mandate.

The debate was settled on Friday, at least for now. A federal judge in Texas vacated the mandate, meaning it can't be enforced anywhere in the U.S.

More: Supreme Court turns away challenge to Biden's COVID-19 vaccine mandate for health workers

This decision wont change Head Starts decades-long commitment to the health and safety of Head Start children, families, staff, and communities, said Yasmina Vinci, the executive director of the National Head Start Association, a private nonprofit that advocates for and represents Head Starts families, students and staff. That said, we have every confidence this decision will allow programs to, at long-last, reclaim their local autonomy, which is at the foundation of what they do best: serve children and families in a safe, healthy, and community-driven manner.

More: Pandemic babies are behind after years of stress, isolation affected brain development

In November 2021, the U.S. Health and Human Services Department, which runs the Head Start programs, issued an interim final rule mandating COVID vaccination for all staff by the end of January 2022.

Opposition was swift. Within weeks of the rules announcement, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit against the department, challenging it as an illegal federal mandate. Texas was soon followed by attorneys general in two dozen other red states on behalf of Head Start staff.

More: Why children of color aren't getting the physical, speech therapy some need

Louisiana: Federal judge blocks Biden COVID vaccine mandate for Head Start program

Last September, a federal judge in Louisiana struck down the mandate in those 24 states.

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And in Texas, the attorney general succeeded in getting a preliminary injunction soon after suing the Biden administration.

The opinion issued Friday, by Judge James Wesley Hendrix of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, an appointee of former President Donald Trump, makes that injunction permanent and prohibits Head Start programs in any state, territory or tribal community from requiring the vaccine.

The decision comes several months after the administration announced Head Start staff and students would no longer be required to wear a mask.

All Head Start programs are still required to have a COVID-19 mitigation strategy.

More: White House lays out plans for distributing vaccines to youngest children

Contact Alia Wong at (202) 507-2256 or awong@usatoday.com. Follow her on Twitter at @aliaemily.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: COVID vaccine rules for Head Start staff permanently banned by Texas judge
Snow falls around Mill Creek at Mill Creek Canyon in Salt Lake City on Monday, April 3, 2023. After record-breaking snowfall totals in Utah, flooding concerns are rising with warmer temperatures. | Ryan Sun, Deseret News

Many Utahns woke up to yet another morning of blanketed rooftops and extended commutes as this seasons snowfall persists into April. The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning until 6 p.m. Tuesday evening, urging Utahns to prepare for difficult driving conditions and road closures.

The heavy early-spring snowfall has prompted Gov. Spencer Cox to declare April Flood Safety Awareness Month in Utah in preparation for the snowmelt runoff, which will likely come in May or June, according to Glen Merrill, hydrologist for the National Weather Service in Salt Lake City.

Its certainly a year to prepare, said Merrill. As historic levels of snowfall has characterized this winter, water volumes will be high when it warms up. Whether or not the spring will bring flooding is uncertain  some say the risk is high, and others are confident snow will melt gradually enough for it not to be a major problem.

But pretty much everyone agrees Utahns should be prepared.

Related

The governors declaration comes almost exactly 40 years after the 1983 flood that turned State Street into a canal, caused by record levels of snow melting rapidly  this year, Utah received even more snow than that.

Tom Smart, Deseret News

Utah has come a long way since then in terms of emergency prevention, but Utah Division of Emergency Management spokesperson Wade Matthews says the potential for flood risk is still high.

The elements are there, Matthews said. It just depends on Mother Nature now  how fast it warms up.

If the snow melts quickly enough, it is possible that sheet flooding could occur in lower parts of the valley.

Basements can get flooded in that scenario, Merrill said. Thats something that were going to be watching for along the Wasatch Back when it heats up.

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No flooding is anticipated in the near future, according to Merrill. But just in case, the Division of Emergency Management is encouraging Utahns to assess the risk of the area they live in and take precautions accordingly.

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A flood can occur wherever it snows or rains, Matthews said, but the possibility increases in areas where there was a wildfire within the past five years  burned soil doesnt absorb water well and creates a flood after fire risk.

Salt Lake County is encouraging residents to stock up on sandbags, which are available for free at different locations across Utah.

Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News

Millcreek has placed sandbags along Wasatch Boulevard for residents to take in preparation for any hazardous runoff. Mt. Olympus Community Council Chairman David Baird recommends that residents who live near waterways clean out as much small, moveable debris as they can.

Its amazing how quickly old twigs and branches, those small items, can clog up a major waterway, and thats when we have the problem, he said. Thats the biggest imminent risk.

Matthews also suggested Utahns install sump pumps, make sure their drains are cleared out and invest in flood insurance. One inch of water can cause up to $25,000 or more in flood damage, he said.

Unless the snow melts all at once, Merill said, flooding is not likely to be an issue. What we want to see moving forward is some of the lower-elevation snow start melting off, and then the mid-elevation, so that we warm up in chunks over time.

But as local experts and officials are saying, it never hurts to be prepared.

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Ricky Carmona  shown with his aunt Stephanie Carmona, who is his guardian  was forced out of Bonita High School in La Verne just four days into the school year after being caught vaping on campus. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Twice a week, Ricky Carmona, 16, leaves his La Verne home to attend school in makeshift classrooms a few doors down from the Boot Barn at a nearby strip mall.

He ended up at Options for Youth charter school in Upland after he was suspended from Bonita High at the start of the 2022-23 school year for vaping in the bathroom. Less than a week after the suspension, Stephanie Carmona, his aunt and guardian, received a letter: The principal had recommended Ricky for an involuntary transfer out of Bonita.

Ricky wasnt technically being expelled. But to him, it sure felt like it.

A transfer is, like, something you do voluntarily, he said.

Transfers like Rickys represent a large yet hidden share of Californias exclusionary discipline, blocking students from attending their schools and pushing them onto new campuses or into smaller, alternative schools, according to an investigation by the Hechinger Report, a nonprofit education newsroom.

While some educators defend transfers as a gentler alternative to expulsion, critics say these moves have limited or no due process protections and can carry the same problems associated with expulsion by disrupting a childs education.

Despite policies that require California school districts to report the number of students transferred, the state Department of Educations overlapping and vague reporting requirements mean its often unclear why a student changed schools.

California officials declined to provide statewide data about transfers, saying a database in which they maintain the information is exempt from disclosure because it contains identifying information about students.

A Hechinger analysis of district-level reports  obtained through public records requests to 23 of the states largest districts  revealed deeper insights into local transfer practices that take place with little public accountability or clear disclosure.

Over five academic years, from 2016-17 to 2020-21, these districts recorded 5,800 transfers for specific discipline reasons. As many as 3,700 of these might have been expulsions.

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School districts are required to report expulsions to the state and to the public. But the specific discipline reasons category also includes involuntary transfers such as Rickys and court-mandated transfers to schools at juvenile justice facilities.

The districts  which serve almost 1 million, or about 17%, of the states 5.9 million students  also recorded more than 16,300 transfers to alternative schools, another category. Student advocates and educators say these moves frequently follow behavioral problems. But the state does not require districts to specify the reason a student is transferred to an alternative school.

Students can enroll in alternative schools to meet their needs: smaller campuses, behavioral or academic support or a more flexible school day. Educators and others say it can be beneficial for some students to change schools and get a fresh start.

But advocates say transparency is needed in state data to ensure that districts are not hiding disciplinary transfers to alternative schools, especially when those campuses can have lower academic rigor and graduation rates and higher chronic absenteeism.

Transfers are being used as a backdoor way of removing kids from school, said Chelsea Helena, an education attorney for Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County. And its impacting Black and brown kids more.

Ricky Carmona ended up at Options for Youth charter school in Upland after the principal at Bonita High in La Verne recommended him for an "involuntary transfer." (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

In the majority of districts, including San Bernardino City Unified, Long Beach Unified and Oakland Unified, Black students were disproportionately represented among students transferred for disciplinary reasons or to alternative schools, according to the district data. While Latino students were not overrepresented in most districts, their sizable share of enrollment means they were most frequently transferred.

Even more disciplinary transfers probably occur when students are counseled to voluntarily switch from one traditional school to another. Victor Leung, director of education equity for the ACLU of Southern California, says these types of transfers are one of the most common and insidious problems his team sees. Parents are often pressured to agree to a voluntary transfer to avoid a formal expulsion, even though the expulsion carries due process and appeals rights, Leung said. An additional layer of oversight requires school board approval of expulsions.

Unlike expulsions  generally assigned for causing serious physical injury or possess ing drugs or weapons  transfers are largely unregulated. Districts develop their own policies on transfers, with varying  if any  rules about appeals.

In 2014, a state law prohibited districts from forcing students to transfer if they were recommended for expulsion but won their expulsion hearing. Yet a loophole remains that allows districts to transfer students instead of expelling them and face minimal scrutiny.

Following a reporters inquiries to the Department of Education about its transfer process oversight and reporting rules, state Supt. Tony Thurmond in a news release acknowledged that some districts have pushed families toward voluntary or involuntary transfer to avoid reporting expulsions.

Last month he announced the creation of a public tip line to identify districts doing exactly this.

School districts trying to hide actual discipline rates through practices such as masking expulsions as transfers will not be tolerated, Thurmond said.

How transfers can hurt kids

One reason expulsions have come under attack in California and nationwide is because of the disruption they cause in students lives and academic trajectories. California has one of the lowest expulsion rates in the country.

Switching schools, whatever the reason, tends to be bad for kids , harming their development, disrupting their relationships and, most severely and consistently, suppressing their test scores and likelihood of graduation.

In Ricky's case, he is further behind at Options for Youth and is barely accumulating credits. He spent more than half the school year completing packets mostly independently  and the family is exploring a GED diploma as an alternative goal.

Neither the Bonita Unified School District nor Options for Youth commented on his situation.

Any disruption to a childs education program is a problem, said Helena, of Neighborhood Legal Services. Especially coming off of two years of catastrophic disruption to kids education.

In the 23 districts that provided data, transfer numbers varied widely.

For example, the 114,500-student San Diego Unified, the second-largest district in the state, expelled 335 students, transferred 288 for specific discipline reasons and sent 94 to alternative schools.

But Sacramento City Unified, which serves nearly 44,000 students, expelled 52, transferred 511 for specific discipline reasons and logged 3,281 transfers to alternative schools.

Stephan Brown, director of student hearing and placement at Sacramento City Unified, said families often support transfers.

The majority of transfers to alternative schools in Sacramento City Unified are for reasons other than discipline, such as being behind on coursework, he said. The district has partnered with community organizations that help mediate conflicts and minimize the need for exclusionary discipline. Brown considers transfers to be a positive alternative to expulsion.

Administrators at Riverside Unified and San Bernardino City Unified also described their alternative schools as supportive, complementary educational options for students who have struggled in traditional schools.

Stephanie Carmona thought a large, unfamiliar school would be bad for her nephew Ricky after he was forced out of Bonita High. She found a charter school for him in Upland without the district's help. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Los Angeles Unified has its own transfer category

Transfer data are unclear for Los Angeles Unified, which has spent years working to reduce exclusionary discipline. The district beat the state by almost a decade in banning suspensions for willful defiance, including for actions such as chewing gum, playing with a phone, tapping feet and napping.

Despite its discipline reform initiatives, the largest district does not appear to follow the states instructions for logging its transfers.

In data L.A. Unified submitted to the state, obtained through a public records request, the district reported zero transfers for disciplinary reasons and zero transfers to alternative schools in the academic years from 2016-17 to 2020-21.

The district operates a program it calls opportunity transfers for students who are moved to a new school to address student misconduct after prior interventions have failed." The district records such transfers internally.

A district spokesperson, in writing, described opportunity transfers as a response to less egregious student misbehavior that falls short of warranting expulsion. These transfers tend to be voluntary  proposed by the school or district but agreed upon by the students family. Parents can appeal the transfer, and the decision of the appeals committee is final.

L.A. Unified's internal records show that it made 138 opportunity transfers from the 2017-18 school year through 2021-22.

The district logs opportunity transfers with the state as regular, nondisciplinary transfers because they are voluntary, the spokesperson said. But such a classification conflicts with the district's own discipline-related definition and with state guidance.

L.A. Unified served almost 35,000 students across 53 of its alternative schools in 2021-22, according to state enrollment data. Officials did not answer questions about how transfers to alternative schools are recorded.

Disciplinary efforts have focused on expanding programs nurturing positive student behavior and improving school culture, including a daily focus on mindfulness and trauma-informed practices.

We truly have an array of practices that are working to address school climate and positive culture in all schools, said Pia Escudero, the districts executive director of student health and human services.

Megan Stanton-Trehan, director of the Youth Justice Education Clinic at Loyola Law School, credits L.A. Unified for taking steps to reduce exclusionary discipline but questions the accuracy of the districts reported transfer data.

Without a clear distinction between transfers that are discipline-related and those that are not, it becomes difficult for the community to understand what the real problems are, Stanton-Trehan said. Is it really discipline? Is it attendance? Does the student need special education or other support that theyre not receiving?

Lack of state oversight

In October 2021, Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County sued the California Department of Education, alleging that Black and Latino students are disproportionately harmed by some districts disciplinary policies and that the state has failed to monitor and take action against transfers that function as exclusionary discipline.

The state is violating the right of equal protection for students by failing to safeguard their right to an equal education, the suit alleges. Attorneys are preparing to go to trial.

There have been other calls for legislative action, including requiring clear public reporting of discipline-related transfers with categories that identify why a student transferred. State Sen. Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley), who has introduced a series of measures on school discipline , said she is considering how the Legislature might take action after learning of the Hechinger Reports findings.

The California Department of Education is working on guidance that would advise districts on their use of disciplinary transfers, a spokesperson said.

Recent momentum to address transfers comes as schools have reported more severe problems with student behavior since the pandemic.

Experts say districts must be proactive, which requires training teachers in child and adolescent development, relationship building and behavior management as well as staffing schools with adequate numbers of counselors and social workers.

Still, school leaders face what can seem like competing priorities: serving all students, including those who misbehave and require discipline, and maintaining an orderly environment. Advocates say understanding transfers is key to understanding how discipline is being meted out to California students.

When Ricky talks about his situation, he slips into saying he was expelled.

It might as well be [an expulsion], he said. I cant go back.

This article was produced by the Hechinger Report, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
At least one fatality has been reported after a historic EF3 tornado, packing winds of 140 mph, ripped a 14-mile-long path through parts of Delaware Saturday. Following a severe weather outbreak that spawned 80 tornadoes Friday across the Midwest and South, another outbreak formed across the Northeast Saturday.

Daniel Bawel, 79, died after his home in Greenwood, Delaware, which is located about 25 miles south of Dover, collapsed during the storms Saturday, his family confirmed, ABC6 reported. His wife of 55 years survived.

"They were both just in the house when the tornado hit, and obviously the house collapsed around them," the couple's pastor, John Davis Swartzentruber of Greenwood Mennonite Church, told ABC6. "It's kind of heartbreaking. This was a homestead. The man who died here grew up here, and so it's a loss in a lot of ways for the family that was here."

Bawel's death was the first tornado-related fatality in Delaware in 40 years. The last killer tornado to touch down in the state occurred on July 21, 1983, when an EF2 twister touched down in Kent County, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).

According to Tornado Archive, which has tornado records dating back to 1680, two additional killer tornadoes have been recorded in Delaware. Those twisters occurred in 1912 and 1888.

Saturday's twister touched down just before 6 p.m. EDT and was on the ground for 20 minutes. During those 20 minutes, the tornado created widespread damage to several communities. Multiple homes were ripped off their foundations, roofs were blown off homes and barns, and several tractor trailers were blown over.

The damage was consistent with an EF3 tornado, according to the NWS. The agency wrote in its storm survey damage report the twister had estimated peak wind speeds of 140 mph. EF3 tornadoes have wind speeds of 136 to 165 mph.

A security camera video shared by Eric Eldridge on WBOC showed the full fury this storm packed. In mere seconds, Eldridge's shed was ripped off the ground and torn apart. The video, which was shared on WBOC, shows just how fast the twister created a mess of Eldridge's backyard.

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In a bird's-eye view, WBOC Chief Meteorologist Dan Satterfield showed the damage Saturday's twister left behind. From a helicopter, Satterfield pointed out to viewers where the tornado likely started and ended and all the damage in between.

Although this tornado's track wasn't the longest to ever be documented in the state, it was the widest. The path width of Saturday's twister was 700 yards, according to the NWS. Previously, a tornado that touched down during Tropical Storm Isaias, which had a width of 600 yards, held this record.

The longest tornado to touch down in Delaware occurred during Tropical Storm Isaias on Aug. 4, 2020. It carved a 35.5-mile path from Dover to Glasgow and had an intensity of EF2.

According to Tornado Archive, there have been 87 tornadoes to touch down in Delaware since records began in 1680. Of those, only nine occurred in April.

In addition to Saturday's powerful EF3 tornado in Delaware, the NWS has also confirmed eight other twisters. There were three EF2 tornadoes and five EF1 twisters that touched down in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

This tally includes the high-end EF2 tornado that touched down in Jackson Township, New Jersey, which is about 24 miles east of Trenton. EF2 tornadoes have wind speeds of 111 to 135 mph. This twister had estimated peak wind speeds of 130 mph.

Damage from tonight's storm seen in Jackson, New Jersey in this photo provided by the Ocean County Sheriff's office. Numerous trees and power lines are down.

There are unconfirmed reports of a possible tornado in Howell and Jackson. pic.twitter.com/rxRmS6Zg5U  Shlomo Schorr (@OneJerseySchorr) April 2, 2023

According to the NWS, it was on the ground for 2.1 miles and created an extensive amount of damage to the town.

Saturday's severe weather outbreak across the Northeast was a part of the massive storm system that unleashed severe weather to the Midwest and South Friday. At least 80 tornadoes were confirmed to have touched down Friday, March 31, into the early hours of April 1, 63 of which churned across the Midwest, according to the National Weather Service.

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The tally included one preliminary rating of a "low-end" EF4 tornado by the Quad Cities NWS office. The twister tracked from Wapello County into Johnson County, Iowa, with maximum estimated winds around 170 mph. EF4 damage occurred at a farmstead near Keota in Keokuk County, "where a house was swept off the foundation," the office said.

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Finland formally joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization on Tuesday, more than doubling the length of the alliance's border with Russia and drawing a warning of "retaliatory measures" from Moscow.

"Finland is stronger and safer within the alliance, and the alliance is stronger and safer with Finland as its ally," Secretary of State Antony Blinken said at a ceremony in Brussels.

Finland President Sauli Niinisto emphasized his country's desire to promote stability in Europe. Finland and Sweden began seeking expedited NATO membership  and the military support it can provide  within weeks of Russia's invasion of Ukraine more than a year ago. Sweden awaits approval.

"The era of nonalignment in our history has come to an end  a new era begins, Niinisto said. His countrys blue-and-white flag was then raised outside NATO headquarters, the alliance marking its 74th anniversary by accepting its 31st member.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy tweeted congratulations to Finland on joining the "only effective security guarantee in the region amid Russian aggression."

Other developments:

President Joe Biden and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday discussed Macron's upcoming trip to Beijing to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. The war in Ukraine is expected to be a major topic during the three-day state visit, scheduled to being Wednesday.

A Russian court ordered Darya Trepova, 26, held for two months pending investigation in the death of pro-Kremlin military blogger Vladlen Tatarsky. Tatarsky, 40, died Sunday in a restaurant bomb blast that wounded 30. Russian authorities say Trepova's Ukraine handlers had her deliver the bomb to Tatarsky in a statuette.

Russian businessman Artyom Uss, who made a daring escape from house arrest in Italy after being nabbed on a U.S. warrant for breaching Western sanctions, has surfaced in Russia. Uss, the son of the governor of Russias Krasnoyarsk region, said he fled because Italian courts would've bowed to U.S. pressure to extradite him.

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PREVIOUS UPDATES: Finland receives Turkey endorsement to join NATO

NATO and Finland flags flutter over the building of Ministry of Internal Affairs in Helsinki, Finland, Tuesday, April 4, 2023. Finland prepared to make its historic entry into NATO Tuesday, a step that doubles the Western alliances border with Russia and ends decades of non-alignment for the Nordic nation.

Detained journalist Gershkovich in good health, lawyers say after first visit

Lawyers meeting for the first time Tuesday with Evan Gershkovich, the Wall Street Journal reporter who was jailed by Russian authorities last week on spying charges, said he's in good health, according to the newspaper.

Gershkovich, 31, was detained Thursday in Yekaterinburg and accused of spying for the U.S. government and trying to obtain classified information. The Journal has denied the accusations and demanded the American journalist be released.

Emma Tucker, editor-in-chief of the Journal, said Gershkovichs family is relieved to know we finally have contact with Evan after the outlet previously reported a lawyer and representatives from the U.S. Embassy were denied access to him in jail. Gershkovich is being kept behind bars for two months pending an investigation and could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

They said Evans health is good, and he is grateful for the outpouring of support from around the world, Tucker said. We continue to work with the White House, State Department and relevant U.S. government officials to secure Evans release.

The Biden administration has said Gershkovichs release is a top priority. He is the first U.S. correspondent since the Cold War to be detained on charges of espionage.

These charges are ridiculous. Evan is not a spy, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Tuesday.

 Jeanine Santucci and The Associated Press

Russia warns of 'retaliatory measures'

The Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement warning Finland's membership in NATO would have a "negative impact" on relations between the two neighbors. Russia "will be forced to take retaliatory measures of a military-technical and other nature" to stop perceived threats, the statement said. Details on those steps will depend on the conditions for Finland's integration into NATO, according to the statement.

"We are convinced that history will judge this hasty step taken by the authorities of this country without due regard for public opinion by organizing a referendum and a thorough analysis of the consequences of NATO membership," the statement said.

WHAT IS NATO? History, facts, members and why it was created

Russian military, Wagner mercenaries remain at odds: US official

Leaders of the Russian military and Wagner, its associated mercenary group, have been squabbling over the direction of the war in Ukraine, according to a senior Defense Department official. This comes after Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin recently complained that the military is providing his thousands of soldiers with insufficient ammunition.

Battle lines in Ukraine have remained largely static, with heavy exchanges of artillery fire between Russia and Ukrainian forces backed by the U.S. and its Western allies. There has been not significant movement in recent weeks, said the official, who briefed reporters Tuesday on conditions set by the Pentagon.

The infighting among Russian commanders comes as Ukraine prepares an expected counteroffensive and the U.S. released another $2.5 billion in military aid. The official also said the Pentagon has trained about 4,000 Ukrainian troops split into brigades that will operate Stryker and Bradley armored personnel carriers. Training on U.S. Abrams tanks being sent to Ukraine has not yet occurred, the official said.

The Pentagon will also be buying trucks designed to carry 30mm guns that can shoot down Iranian drones that Russia has bought from Iran, the official said.

 Tom Vanden Brook

US to provide Ukraine with another $2.5 billion in military aid

The U.S. will send Ukraine about $500 million in ammunition and equipment and will spend more than $2 billion to buy an array of munitions, radar and other weapons in the future, Blinken said in a statement. The package includes more ammunition for U.S.-provided HIMARS  light, multiple-rocket launchers  air defense interceptors, artillery rounds, anti-armor systems, small arms, heavy equipment transport vehicles, and maintenance support "essential to strengthening Ukraines defenders on the battlefield," Blinken said.

"This new security assistance will allow Ukraine to continue to bravely defend itself against Russias unprovoked and unjustified war," Blinken said.

WHAT IS NATO? History, facts, members and why it was created

Finland's entry into NATO doubles alliance's border with Russia

Finland's move to join NATO was triggered by Russia's attack on Ukraine last year. Alarmed by the invasion, the long-neutral country applied to join in May, along with neighboring Sweden, seeking protection under the organization's security umbrella.

Finland shares an 832-mile border with Russia, and the accession into NATO delivers a major blow to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has long complained about the alliance's expansion toward his country.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg emphasized the strategic benefits of Finland's entry during remarks Monday, saying the country "will bring to the alliance substantial military forces  well trained, well equipped with also a large reservist army." Finland's membership will also "more than double the size of the alliance's border with Russia," Stoltenberg said.

Turkey last to ratify; Sweden still waiting

Turkey, the last country to ratify Finland's NATO membership, sent official documents on Tuesday to Blinken, clearing the final hurdle for the country's entry.

Meanwhile, Sweden, which applied for NATO membership along with Finland in May, is still waiting to win approval, something Stoltenberg expects in the coming weeks. Sweden has yet to fully implement new counter-terror legislation urged by Turkey that comes into effect June 1.

Turkish President President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused Sweden of "opening its arms to the PKK and other groups classified as terrorist organizations by Turkey.

"I'm absolutely confident that Sweden will become a member," Stoltenberg said, adding that Finland's ratification was the fastest in NATO's modern history. "It's a priority for NATO, for me to ensure that happens as soon as possible. "

What is NATO?

NATO is an intergovernmental military alliance including two North American countries  the U.S. and Canada  and now 29 European countries. It was founded April 4, 1949  exactly 74 years ago  after the end of World War II.

With the signing of the alliance, NATO countries agreed to collective defense, meaning an attack on one ally should be considered an attack on all.

Contributing: The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ukraine Russia live updates: Finland formally joins NATO, 31st member
One of Atlantas biggest companies will be hosting a virtual career day.

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Participants will receive application status updates from recruiters in real time.

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Plus, everyone who participates in the career event will be entered to win an iPad.

The virtual career day happens on Tuesday, April 11 between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.

To register, visit thd.co/scdjob23.

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House Republicans have been complaining and urging protests ever since the news broke that former President Donald Trump was being criminally indicted.

A trio of powerful GOP committee chairmen has taken things a step further, using their positions to demand that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg give them documents and communications related to his investigation, which on Tuesday was revealed to center on a 34-count felony indictment of the former president.

These chairmen  Reps. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) on the Judiciary Committee, James Comer (R-Ky.) on the Oversight Committee and Bryan Steil (R-Wis.) on the House Administration Committee  have made thinly veiled threats to subpoena Bragg, and theyre scrutinizing his offices use of federal dollars, at least indirectly suggesting theyre prepared to cut them off.

Members of Congress certainly have the right to gripe. Theyre entitled to peacefully protest, and justified in carrying out congressional oversight when its relevant. But there is a constitutional line in here somewhere that prohibits these Republican lawmakers from interfering in or impeding an ongoing state criminal investigation.

With their threats of subpoenas and demands for details on how the district attorneys office uses federal funds, have these GOP committee chairmen crossed that line? HuffPost reached out to some legal and ethics experts for their takes. The consensus: Theyre pretty damn close to crossing that line, if they havent already.

Those House GOP figures who have made [it] their intent to interfere with Braggs investigation, and their alliance with the former president  reportedly taking calls from him [Thursday] night  it tiptoes up to the edge of obstruction, said Norm Eisen, chair of the States United Democracy Center and a senior fellow in governance studies at The Brookings Institution, a nonprofit public policy organization.

Eisen, who served as special counsel to the House Judiciary Committee from 2019 to 2020, including for Trumps impeachment and trial, predicted that no court would enforce a subpoena to force Bragg to talk about his offices probe.

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Eisen related the situation to his time on the Judiciary Committee, when the panel wanted to bring former Attorney General Bill Barr in to talk about then-special counsel Robert Muellers investigation into Trump. He refused.

The notion of having a federal prosecutor come in and talk about an open case is anathema. Its constitutionally prohibited under principles of separation of powers, said Eisen, who became increasingly animated as he spoke. Those concerns are even more strongly implicated when its a state prosecutor who is not within the jurisdiction. The House Judiciary Committee has oversight responsibility for Bill Barr. They have none for Alvin Bragg!

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), chair of the House Judiciary Committee, has threatened to subpoena Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg for documents and communications related his office's ongoing criminal investigation of Trump. That's not gonna work out, say legal experts.

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), chair of the House Judiciary Committee, has threatened to subpoena Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg for documents and communications related his office's ongoing criminal investigation of Trump. That's not gonna work out, say legal experts.

Wendy Weiser, who directs the Democracy Program at the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law, said the GOP committee chairs actions so far are, at a minimum, inappropriate. She referenced letters that Jordan, Comer and Steil sent to Bragg, in which they demanded documents related to his probe.

I think there is a strong argument here that these letters have already crossed the line, said Weiser. The line youre looking at, its a line between legitimate political discourse and inappropriate political interference. ... They can complain as much as theyd like. But actually trying to obtain the records, confidential information, about a pending criminal case would be inappropriate for any criminal actor and certainly a congressional committee.

Even if they havent taken the step of using those powers, she added, the threat to use those powers inappropriately itself is inappropriate interference.

Braggs office has ripped Republicans trying to meddle in its work. In two separateletters to the GOP committee chairs, Leslie Dubeck, the district attorneys general counsel, chided them for parroting Trumps inflammatory rhetoric aimed at delegitimizing the justice system.

As Committee Chairmen, you could use the stature of your office to denounce these attacks and urge respect for the fairness of our justice system and for the work of the impartial grand jury, Dubeck wrote in a Friday letter. Instead, you and many of your colleagues have chosen to collaborate with Mr. Trumps efforts to vilify and denigrate the integrity of elected state prosecutors and trial judges and made unfounded allegations that the Offices investigation, conducted via an independent grand jury of average citizens serving New York State, is politically motivated.

Even if they havent taken the step of using those powers, the threat to use those powers inappropriately itself is inappropriate interference.Wendy Weiser, director of the Democracy Program at the Brennan Center for Justice

The whole situation is unprecedented. A former U.S. president has never been indicted on criminal charges. Congress has never exercised its role in how to respond to something like this. The courts are on the verge of yielding potentially precedential rulings as they navigate laws that havent been tested in this manner before.

But even with that concession, the conduct of these House Republican chairmen so far involves a breathtaking disregard of structural constitutional norms, said John Greabe, director of the Warren B. Rudman Center for Justice, Leadership & Public Service at the University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School of Law.

The demands for information raise serious separation-of-powers and federalism concerns, said Greabe. Moreover, to the extent that the GOP chairs are seeking to engage in law-enforcement conduct against what they characterize as a rogue state prosecutor, they are arguably seeking to exercise executive and not legislative power.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg indicted former President Donald Trump on 34 felony charges of falsification of business records to hide hush money payments to an adult film star in the final weeks of the 2016 presidential campaign.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg indicted former President Donald Trump on 34 felony charges of falsification of business records to hide hush money payments to an adult film star in the final weeks of the 2016 presidential campaign.

For all the GOP accusations that the Manhattan district attorneys investigation is a sham and a political witch hunt, nobody even knew what Trump was being charged with until his Tuesday arraignment in a New York City courtroom.

It turns out the former president is facing 34 felony charges of falsification of business records to hide hundreds of thousands of dollars in hush money payments to an adult film star in the final weeks of the 2016 presidential campaign  payoffs that could have swayed the outcome of the election.

House Republicans rabid defense of Trump, despite not even knowing what he had done or what he was being accused of doing, is just the latest sign of how strong the former presidents hold is on the GOP. Trump may be a twice-impeached former president who incited his followers to storm the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to overturn the results of an election, but hes still the guy leading in the polls to be their presidential pick in 2024.

If Jordan and the other GOP committee chairmen do decide to subpoena Bragg, he could file suit to have it quashed. He could also simply refuse to comply, which would put it back on the congressional committees to file suit to have Bragg declared in contempt.

It tiptoes up to the edge of obstruction.Norm Eisen, chair of the States United Democracy Center

Keith Whittington, the William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Politics at Princeton University, said he expects any subpoena fight to wind up in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Legal battles over congressional subpoenas are a fairly recent development, he said, so Bragg could try a number of arguments for why he shouldnt have to comply.

He could argue that he is immune from a congressional subpoena because he is a state officer, which probably would not be successful, said Whittington. He could also argue that he should be afforded the same executive privilege granted to the federal Justice Department when it is conducting an open criminal investigation and resists providing related materials to Congress.

It is possible that the D.A. might argue that Congress has no legitimate legislative purpose in issuing such a subpoena, he added. The Supreme Court in the 1950s said that Congress can only conduct investigations and issue subpoenas when they have a legitimate justification under Article I for doing so. That limitation has not had much teeth, but it was one of the things the Trump administration leaned on when refusing to comply with subpoenas when the Democrats took over the House after the 2018 elections.

Possible that the courts might buy into some such argument here, especially when connected with the federalism sensitivities, Whittington said.

House Republicans wouldnt be committing a crime by subpoenaing Bragg, even if it had the effect of obstructing justice, said Stephen Schulhofer, the Robert B. McKay professor of law emeritus at New York University School of Law and a scholar of criminal justice.

A crime requires criminal intent: meaning in this instance, that the actions be done with the PURPOSE of obstructing justice, that this is the goal, rather than some other, potentially legitimate purpose, Schulhofer said in an email, the emphasis his on certain words. In this case, the Rs could plausibly argue that their purpose is just to find out whether the prosecution was politically motivated.

Still, he added: If they serve a subpoena, its almost certainly invalid.

Jordan, a close ally of Trump, doesnt seem particularly concerned about what actions he takes to defend the former president as long as he looks like hes doing it. On Sunday, he randomly vowed to defund the Justice Department and the FBI over their role in investigating Trump and ordering his indictment.

We control the power of the purse, the Judiciary chair said on Fox News, and were going to have to look at the appropriation process and limit funds going to some of these agencies.
House Republicans announced Tuesday they are investigating potential misuse of coronavirus pandemic education funds and are requesting documents from the Department of Education regarding its guidance and use of the money.

The investigation will be led by House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.), Committee on Education and the Workforce Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) and Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis Chairman Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio).

The three Republicans believe some of the billions of dollars in emergency COVID-19 education funding was used to support left-wing agendas and not address COVID-related issues such as the learning loss during the pandemic.

The lawmakers sent a letter to Education Secretary Miguel Cardona on Monday calling for all documents, communications, and policies guiding the Departments administration [of] COVID-19 education funds to aid in their investigation.

It is important for the American people and their elected lawmakers to understand how the Department administers funds intended to assist students during the pandemic and the extent to which any funds may have been misused by State Educational Agencies or Local Educational Agencies for unrelated purposes, they said.

In their letter to Cardona, the GOP chairs gave potential examples of misuse including schools that used the funds for training teachers in topics such as implicit bias, anti-bias strategies, environmental literacyethnic studies, and LGBTQ+ cultural competency.

These activities appear to have nothing to do with COVID-19 mitigation or learning loss and are a waste and misuse of taxpayer-funded COVID-19 relief programs, they said.

The Hill has reached out to the Education Department for comment.

The letter states Cardona has until April 17 to produce the documents.

The request happened after the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic had a hearing titled The Consequences of School Closures: Intended and Unintended, where lawmakers debated who was to blame for the prolonged school closures.

This isnt the first time Republicans have asserted pandemic education funds were mishandled. Comer and Foxx sent a letter to Cardona in October, when Republicans were in the minority in the House, requesting documents related to the funding.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
House Republicans are ratcheting up their focus on toughening work requirements for several government assistance programs as a potential condition of raising the debt ceiling.

While the conference is still working out the details, some Republicans have set their sights on programs like SNAP, often referred to as the food stamps program, and Medicaid for potential changes.

The idea is already drawing the ire of Democrats who have panned such changes as a non-starter.

Everybody believes in a safety net, but I dont think many people think its right to be paying billions of dollars to allow people to sit at home and work and not work when everybodys looking for workers, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) said.

In a letter to President Biden last week, Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) pitched strengthening work requirements for those without dependents who can work among his first broad proposals for spending reforms Republicans could get behind as part of a bipartisan agreement to raise the debt ceiling.

The letter comes as rank-and-file members and GOP leaders have signaled growing interest in tightening work requirements for certain programs as one way to curb government spending.

Since the party assumed control of the lower chamber in January, some Republicans have been putting ink to proposals aimed at doing just that.

One bill that has gotten attention is the America Works Act, introduced last month by Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.), which features several proposals to tighten work requirements for SNAP.

Under the bill, the age window within which childless, able-bodied adults must either work or participate in work training or education in order to receive benefits would widen from 18 to 49 to 18 to 65. It would also eliminate states ability to carry over exemption waivers from year to year, reducing instances of stockpiling and hampering abuses of the law, Johnsons office said.

The pitch Johnson said has stood out as most important to those in the 50-member Main Street Caucus that he leads is ending what he described as the really egregious loopholes that states have been utilizing to ignore the work requirements.

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He added changes to the age threshold are in general, less important at the moment.

I think we may yet get to an opportunity where that could be something in play as a part of the debt ceiling negotiations, Johnson said.

At the same time, there has been more chatter among Republicans around work requirements for Medicaid, with some saying the issue was broached during the House GOPs annual issues retreat late last month.

We talked about this at our planning retreat, but we never came to a final conclusion, Rep. Buddy Carter (R-Ga.) told reporters last week, while adding he still thinks potential changes to the program are on the table as the party plots next moves in debt ceiling talks.

McCarthy indicated last week that House Republicans could act first with their own debt ceiling measure, as the White House and Democrats have doubled down on their opposition to attaching conditions to any debt ceiling increase.

The conference is very close, and if the president doesnt act, then we will, McCarthy told reporters on Thursday.

Recent estimates show Congress could have until anywhere from the start of summer and early fall to act on the debt limit or risk a default, which experts warn could yield devastating effects for the economy.

Republicans have drawn red lines around raising the debt limit, which was last raised to roughly $31.4 trillion by Congress more than a year ago, without attaching some kind of fiscal reform or spending cuts to such legislation.

Some Democrats have also signaled interest in pursuing bipartisan talks to tackle the nations deficit  separately from negotiations around the debt limit. But the party has largely rejected calls to concede to reforms as a condition to raise the debt ceiling.

The party has also attacked proposals by Republicans seeking to reduce spending partly by trimming nondefense programs and adding restrictions experts say could make it harder for Americans to access certain social programs.

In comments to The Hill last week, Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) knocked Republicans over the push to potentially tie work requirements to the debt limit talks, accusing the party of trying to hold poor hostage.

He instead said the GOP should meet their work requirements [and] pay the nations bills.

Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), who chairs the Senate Committee on Agriculture, also called the push a complete non-starter. She added, We have responsible work requirements that will kick in again, probably July 1, that were suspended during the pandemic.

But Republicans are defending the growing campaign as the party looks to make the case to the public the need to reduce government spending amid a partisan battle over the nations debt limit.

At a time when weve got record deficits and debt, and were borrowing money from China, why should we be paying millions of people not to work when every employer is looking for numbers, Scalise told The Hill.

In an interview on Monday, Marc Goldwein, senior vice president and senior policy director for the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, also said its worth exploring how to reform work requirements, but cautioned it should be directionally right and probably wouldnt amount a major budget saver.

The place where it can be directionally wrong is actually the program integrity side, because if you dont design these well, they could end up taking people off the program that actually are supposed to be on the program, he said.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
House Republicans charged into the majority vowing an investigative onslaught against President Joe Biden and Democrats.

But they've gotten almost nowhere so far  and some in the party are getting frustrated.

According to interviews with more than a dozen House Republicans, a sizable chunk of the conference is focused on preventing a banking crisis and a looming debt fight instead of on Biden family oversight or a politicized government panel. At the same time, the party base is chafing at the lack of big bombshells and concrete steps against administration officials to back up all of lawmakers' talk.

All of us hear from constituents that theyre very anxious for results. And our task, part of our task, is explaining to people what this process is about, and what to expect, Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.), a member of House GOP leadership, said in a brief interview. I think some people get anxious because they just want immediate results.



Republicans have fired off scores of letters, issued subpoenas and initial reports and held a handful of hearings. But part of the problem is the lofty expectations they set coming in.

Long before GOP lawmakers settled their speakership fight, they promised voters theyd deploy the chambers oversight power against President Joe Biden on a host of issues. They vowed to find a smoking gun that links Biden to his familys overseas business dealings. They even embraced comparisons of their investigative efforts to Congress storied 1970s Church Committee, which uncovered significant abuses by the intelligence community.

The pressure on Republicans stems chiefly from the gap between their voters' hopes and Washington reality  for example, Johnson said some of his constituents want them making indictments and arrests, which Congress doesnt have the power to do. But Republicans also acknowledge some of their problems are self-inflicted as they face growing pains readjusting to the majority.

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One GOP aide, granted anonymity to speak frankly, described an internal perception that the politicized government subpanel run by Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) had gotten off to a rocky start after its initial hearing revealed little new information. That same hearing sparked public kvetching among outside groups and high-profile pundits, who questioned both the structure and the strategy of the panel.

Theres always going to be people who want to go 110 miles an hour and get frustrated with the pace of how things work, said Rep. Kelly Armstrong (R-N.D.), a member of both the politicized government panel and the Oversight Committee. He noted many House Republicans are new to life in the majority.



Then there's Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.). He's in a perilous position for a leading Republican, facing skepticism from some Fox News figures who have publicly questioned if he'll be able to back up his goals for a Hunter Biden probe, given that the president's son has been under a separate federal investigation for roughly five years.

I see people go on TV and comment on  we should be doing this or we should be doing that  but a lot of those people have  been involved in investigations in the past and I dont think they ever got any information, Comer said, noting that hes only been officially wielding the gavel for two months.

Additionally, the Oversight chair has to step lightly around potential turf wars as he pursues a broad scope of investigations that risk elbowing into the jurisdiction of other committees. Comer shot down talk of internal conflict, particularly with the Energy and Commerce Committee's health subpanel chief, Rep. Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.). The two men share a home state and are close, Comer said; if they had an argument, it wouldnt be over baby formula.

Republicans have also faced staffing issues. Reps. Dan Bishop (R-N.C.) and Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) brought up concerns about personnel as part of a strategy meeting with Jordan earlier this year. And while the House Judiciary Committee now has more than 50 GOP staffers, and requested a budget bump, its still shaking off a public perception that a core group of Jordan confidants are running it.



Gaetz, asked about the meeting, said members left the regularly scheduled sitdown feeling like they were all on the same page. And Jordan spokesperson Russell Dye said in a statement that the subpanel had hired a talented and aggressive team," in addition to an existing Judiciary Committee roster that led former President Donald Trumps defense during House impeachment inquiries.

Regardless, there are fresh signs that the GOP conference's investigative focus is diverging.

Gaetz crossed wires with Comer after the Florida Republican tweeted that he and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), with the chair's blessing, would conduct a transcribed interview with a woman who has accused Biden of sexual assault, an allegation the president denies. Comer countered that there had been a "miscommunication" and that Gaetz, who is not a member of the Oversight, hadn't spoken with him before the tweet.

Were following the money, were following the bank records.  Were not going to get distracted on anything else, any sideshows, Comer said, adding that Gaetz can do whatever he wants in the Judiciary Committee or its politicized government subpanel.

Both Comer's and Jordan's committees have been highly productive, but only a slice of what they've done so far has gained traction beyond friendly GOP outlets. As of Monday, the Judiciary Committee has sent 148 letters, received nearly 114,000 documents, issued 11 subpoenas, conducted six transcribed interviews and scheduled nine interviews or depositions. Theyve also put out two reports and issued a brief to members on subpoena compliance, with Jordan signaling he intends to dole out information to the public as he gets it.

[Were] going as aggressive but thorough and consistent with the Constitution as we can, Jordan said. He dismissed any Church Committee comparison, because the decades-old panel is linked to a foreign intelligence surveillance law that Republicans have "all kinds of concerns with.

Comer released a report last month focused on Hunter Biden and other Biden family members' receipt of more than $1 million from an associate who made a deal with a Chinese energy company  though Republicans didn't draw a direct link to the president, which has been their stated goal.



The Treasury Department also has granted Comer's panel access to so-called suspicious activity reports related to Hunter Biden and associates. But the committee has yet to release any new findings from those activity reports, which are records submitted by banks that dont necessarily indicate wrongdoing.

I get a lot of advice, but weve had a strategy and weve been very transparent about it.  I feel like in two short months weve made a significant amount of progress, Comer said.

Comer waved off questions about when he would subpoena Hunter Biden, accusing Biden world and the media of having just assumed that was a step he would quickly take. And while he said he's purposely conducted his investigation more privately, he said he released the report on the financial payments in part because I was seeing criticism from the left and the right that we hadnt issued any subpoenas  when we had, we just hadnt talked about it.

But those movements still haven't hooked some of Comer and Jordan's more centrist party colleagues.

Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.) said he gets asked about the investigations back home primarily from Republican activists but added that I dont pay much attention to it. Another GOP lawmaker, granted anonymity to speak candidly, shrugged off investigations as designed to make you feel good but never yield anything.

And while Rep. Andy Barr (R-Ky.) characterized Comer's work as important, he described a split among constituents: Some conservatives positively cite Comer's frequent TV hits, but among another tuned-in group he outlined a frustration that  when is anyone going to be held accountable?

As for himself? Barr said his focus is "not on those things," pointing to issues like bank solvency.

We all have a role to play, and Ive got enough on my plate right now," he said.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg; US President Joe Biden Getty Images

Former President Donald Trump was charged with 34 felony counts Tuesday in Manhattan.

House Republicans incensed by the arraignment began spitballing ways to fight back.

"Congress will be coming after him when this is done!" one said of Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg.

Watching Donald Trump get hit with 34 felony counts on Tuesday sent enraged House Republicans in search of ways they might wreak vengeance on those who dare defy their leading candidate for 2024.

The near-term targets thrown out by fans of the now-formally charged former president include Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who has already drawn the ire of House GOP leaders spearheading the party's myriad oversight investigations, as well President Joe Biden and his immediate family members.

Rep. Ronny Jackson lashed out at Bragg on social media, accusing the long-time federal prosecutor of being a "spineless weasel" orchestrating a "dangerous partisan political stunt."

"Hope he enjoys his fifteen minutes of fame, because Congress will be coming after him when this is done!" the former White House physician and now Texas Republican wrote on Twitter.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who made some pro-Trump statements ahead of his arraignment only to be overwhelmed by counter-protestors and heckled by New York lawmakers, responded to the unsealing of the falsifying business records charges brought against Trump by pledging to dig deeper into President Biden, and his troubled son, Hunter's, financial records to try and pull something similar together.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (@RepMTG) April 4, 2023

"On the Oversight Committee, we are investigating. I'm going to review financials when I get back to DC," the Georgia Republican wrote of her plan to further Oversight Chairman James Comer's ongoing project.

Other House colleagues were less specific about how they'd try and get even.

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"The extreme left has changed all the rules  now we must play by them," Rep. Guy Reschenthaler of Pennsylvania hung out there on Twitter.

"This day cannot be forgotten," Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona wrote online in a post bemoaning the "unequivocal persecution of Donald Trump."

Meanwhile, House GOP Conference chair Rep. Elise Stefanik predicted that all those seeking to politically harm Trump with this trial had actually sealed their own fates.

"President Trump will defeat this latest witch-hunt, defeat Joe Biden, and will be sworn in as President of the United States of America in January 2025," she said in a press release.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Megan Thee Stallion

A Houston barber was arrested after pretending to be a police officer to see rapper Megan Thee Stallion for the NCAAs 2023 March Madness Music Festival.

The post Houston Man Arrested After Pretending To Be Law Enforcement To See Megan Thee Stallion Perform appeared first on Blavity.

The Houston hottie was the headliner for the AT&T Block Party that occurred over the weekend at Discovery Green Park in downtown Houston. Her performance kicked off the weekend and was her first time back on stage since laying low after Tory Lanez was found guilty of all charges in the shooting of the Sweetest Pie artist.

Megan Thee Stallion performing a remix to Gift & A Curse at the 2023 AT&T Block Party. pic.twitter.com/nrLb3PM1AC  TheeStallionNews (@MegansCharts) April 1, 2023

Fans were ready to see her again as she had a sold-out show. One of her biggest fans went to the extreme to ensure he could see her concert. Since Trayvone Lil Darus Stevenson didnt secure a pass to the block party, he allegedly bought and wore a fake Police K-9 vest when he arrived at the show although he didnt have a dog reported ABC13. He told the staff working at the entrance that he was a police officer who was a part of the security team hoping theyd let him in.

Unfortunately, his plan failed and he was arrested and charged with impersonating a public servant. Stevenson was taken to Harris County Jail where he remained until he saw a judge on Monday. Since he had a clean record, the judge ruled that he could be released on a $20,000 bond. Following the hearing, he paid the $20,000 bond and was released.

The 28-year-old will still have to come back to court because its a felony to pose as law enforcement.
A container vessel docks at the Qianwan Container Terminal in Qingdao, east China's Shandong province, on March 2, 2023. [Photo/VCG]



China is now open after a long hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. It is back to normalcy and ready to welcome visitors. This reality was felt in the country's southern island province of Hainan, which recently hosted the 2023 Boao Forum for Asia, encompassing in-person meetings and conversations between Chinese and foreign participants. Although the event had been held digitally during the pandemic, a return to in-face discussions signaled both a return to normalcy as well as providing a sense of encouragement to attendees.



For the occasion, leaders such as Prime Minister of Spain Pedro Sanchez and of Malaysia Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim traveled to China to explore opportunities for economic cooperation. In 2022, the Chinese economy grew by 3% after draconian measures were adopted to curtail COVID-19 impact on daily business activities over long periods of time.

In contrast, economic prospects in 2023 now look rather good. A recent Wall Street Journal article pointed to findings by China's national bureau of statistics, which attributed the country's rebound to a rise in retail sales (3.5% in January and February 2023 compared with the same period in 2022) as well as the rise in industrial production (up 2.4%) and investment in fixed assets (up 5.5%).

Both the World Bank and the IMF consider China's reopening promising not only for the country's national economy but also for East Asia and the Pacific. A World Bank report issued a few days ago anticipated growth in the developing areas of East Asia and the Pacific to accelerate to 5.1% in 2023 from 3.5% in 2022. In his speech at the Boao Forum, Prime Minister Li Qiang went further, focusing on, among other things, the need to deepen economic synergies in Asia by pursuing high-quality implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and by advancing negotiations on the new round of ASEAN-China (ACFTA) free trade area upgrades. These negotiations officially began at the end of 2022.

In the post-pandemic world, the global economy is more significant than ever, and China's contribution to world growth and trade is catalytic. However, we do not live in calm times, and the common good is arguably a priority. The main theme of this year's Boao Forum was telling: "An Uncertain World: Solidarity and Cooperation for Development amid Challenges." In such a world, China's international responsibilities  not only in Asia but beyond  are more important than ever.

We cannot envisage a flourishing international economy in an environment of continuous and dangerous rifts, where conflicts cost the lives of thousands of soldiers and innocent citizens and jeopardize prosperity and stability. The Ukrainian crisis demonstrates existing risks and shows the exceeding difficulty of bringing a war to an end once it has begun. The prevention of conflict takes serious statecraft and ought to be the international desideratum.

Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was among the invited speakers at the Boao Forum. He was straightforward in his remarks, and his tone was solemn. He said, "It's time to revisit and reinvigorate global partnership and international cooperation as the world drifts the opposite way." He also talked about the UN common agenda to rekindle global actions for development, peace, and security and subsequently pressed governments and leaders "for greater ambition, resolve and action." In this spirit, the Summit of the Future will be held in 2024, for which preparations have already started.

The world expects China to use its clout "for greater ambition, resolve, and action," as Ban Ki-moon put it. The Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, and the Global Civilization Initiative are all interesting steps that the Chinese government is elaborating on in this regard. Meanwhile, the international community wishes to know more about these three initiatives and better understand their logic and applicability. China is back and will have more opportunities to engage with the world and explain. That message came loud and clear from Boao.

George N. Tzogopoulos is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit:

http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/GeorgeNTzogopoulos.htm

Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.

If you would like to contribute, please contact us at opinion@china.org.cn.
A large sinkhole in a small Texas town is growing, putting residents and officials on edge, news outlets report.

The sinkhole first appeared in 2008, a small crater collapsing into a 900-foot wide and 260-foot deep pit in about two days, swallowing trees and structures in Daisetta, Texas. The rapidly growing hole caught nationwide attention, but just as quickly as it started, the sinkhole stopped.

For 15 years, the town of Daisetta  a community of less than 1,000 people, roughly 55 miles northeast of Houston  hasnt had to worry about the problem.

Then on Sunday, April 2, the sinkhole starting expanding again, The Vindicator reported. The ground began cracking and earth disappearing, little by little.

Local officials are monitoring the sinkholes progress and reaching out to state authorities for assistance.

Its growing. Its taking out several more acres, Liberty County Emergency Management Coordinator Bill Hergemueller told the newspaper.

Residents are worried their homes, and their lives, could be in danger, KTRK reported.

I was having a lot of trouble going to sleep last night because I didnt know if we were going to get swallowed up. My family told me it happened kind of fast before, Jordana Priessler, who lives near the sinkhole, told the TV station.

She isnt the only one losing sleep.

My worst fear is for it to overtake us at night. So thats the reason we havent really been able to sleep, Linda Hoover, another nearby resident, told the outlet. We have packed our bags just in case  so we can get out of here in a hurry if we need to.

The town sits on top of a salt dome, the Bluebonnet News reported, and if the sinkhole continues to grow, its not clear when it will stop.

Aside from nearby homes and businesses, the pit is just 80 feet away from a major roadway, FM 770, which runs through the heart of Daisetta.

Local officials are reaching out to the United States Geological Survey for help, the Bluebonnet News reported.

City officials are closely monitoring the situation and will work with state and local authorities to provide updates to the community as the situation progresses, the city of Daisetta said in a news release.

Story continues

Crews spot arm sticking out from debris of demolished womens shelter, Ohio cops say

Sinkhole swallows woman in front yard  then her rescuers fall in too, NY cops say

Camping couple killed by severe storms at state park in Indiana, officials say

Heavy snow blankets Big Bend, turning park into winter wonderland, Texas video shows
Hugh Jackman wants you to put some sunscreen on  and shared an online PSA to say so.

The 54-year-old Wolverine star, who has received skin cancer treatment at least five times in the past, revealed on Instagram Monday how his basal cell carcinoma might have returned. Jackman acknowledged his bandaged nose before going into detail.

I wanted you to hear it from me, just in case someone sees me on the street or whatever, said Jackman in an Instagram Reel. Ive just had two biopsies done. I just went to my doctor, Dr. Iron, whos awesome  and she saw two little things.

She saw little things, could be or could not be basal cell in her opinion, he continued. Ill find out in two or three days, and as soon as I know, Ill let you know. Just to remind you, basal cell  in the world of skin cancers  is the least dangerous of them all.

Basal cell carcinoma is also the most common kind of skin cancer and is often caused by sun exposure, per the American Cancer Society. It begins in the lower part of the skin (usually on the face, head or neck areas) and can spread to the bones if left untreated.

Jackman, who has more than 31 million Instagram followers, has a long history with the disease. He told his fans in 2013 that he had cancerous tissue removed from his nose, only for his basal cell carcinoma to return (twice) the following year and several times since.

Jackman previously attributed his experience with the condition to growing up in Australia (as the Southern Hemisphere is closer to the sun in the summer than its northern counterparts ever are) and told People in 2015 that he never wore sunscreen in his youth.

The Golden Globe-winning actor thus urged his followers to take heed.

If I can just take this opportunity to remind you, summer is coming, Jackman said on Instagram. For those of us here in the Northern Hemisphere, please wear sunscreen. It is just not worth it. No matter how much you wanna tan, trust me, trust me, trust me.

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This is all stuff that happened 25 years ago, he continued. Its coming out now. Put some sunscreen on. Youll still have an incredible time out there.

Related...
Actor Hugh Jackman urged his followers to please wear sunscreen after he learned that he might have skin cancer.

Jackman said in a video posted on his Twitter account on Tuesday that he had two biopsies and his doctor saw two little things that could potentially be basal cell carcinomas. He said he will learn if he has skin cancer in two or three days and will publicly share the results, but he said people should take the precaution of wearing sunscreen as summer approaches.

Just to remind you, basal cell in the world of skin cancers is the least dangerous of them all, he said. However, if I can just take this opportunity to remind you summer is coming for those of us here in the northern hemisphere. Please wear sunscreen.

Its just not worth it. No matter how much you want to tan, trust me, trust me, trust me. This is all stuff that happened 25 years ago  its coming out now, he continued, pointing to a bandage he has on his nose where the possible skin cancer might be.

Basal cell carcinoma is the most common type of skin cancer, with eight of 10 cases being that type, according to the American Cancer Society. This type of cancer rarely spreads to other parts of the body, but it needs to be treated to prevent any possible growth in nearby areas.

Jackman has been treated in the past for skin cancer and taken the opportunity to remind people to wear sunscreen.

The White House announced last month that President Biden was treated for basal cell carcinoma when a lesion from his chest was removed.

Put some sunscreen on. Youll still have an incredible time out there, Jackman said.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Australian actor Hugh Jackman has revealed he is undergoing more skin cancer tests after a recent medical check-up.

Sporting a bandage on his nose, the Wolverine actor took to social media to urge followers to get checked and follow sun safety advice.

The 54-year-old star said he expects test results within the next few days.

Jackman had his first skin cancer removed in 2013, and has since had at least six procedures.

In his video post, Jackman said his doctor had noticed "little things which could be, or could not be basal cell [carcinomas]".

Basal cell carcinoma is a non-melanoma - which means it is much less likely to spread - and is caused by overexposure to the sun or sunbeds. Treatment for non-melanoma skin cancers are successful in 90% of cases, according to the NHS.

Jackman reassured fans that basal cell carcinomas are the "least dangerous" in the world of skin cancer, but said he hoped his scare reminds people to be sun-safe.

"Please wear sunscreen, it is just not worth it, no matter how much you want a tan. Trust me!" he said.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CqlvvNVp6JR/

Australia is the skin cancer capital of the world, with more than 11,500 people diagnosed with a melanoma and an estimated 434,000 treated for other skin cancers each year.

In 2015, Jackman told People magazine his diagnoses had come as a surprise despite his upbringing.

"It's always a bit of a shock just hearing the word 'cancer'," he said.

"Being an Australian it's a very common thing. I never wore sunscreen growing up so I was a prime candidate for it."

Born in Sydney to English-emigrant parents, Jackman is best known for his role as Wolverine in Marvel's X-Men franchise.

Other career highlights include 2004's action-horror Van Helsing, the 2006 drama The Prestige, and the 2017 musical The Greatest Showman.
Hugh Jackman has undergone two biopsies to test for basal cell carcinoma on his nose and is urging people to wear sun cream to protect themselves.

The Australian actor, who has received treatment for skin cancer on his nose six times before, reminded his 31.3 million followers to put some sunscreen on even if they really want a tan this summer.

He posted a video on his Instagram, showing a bandage on his nose, and reassured people that basal cell carcinoma is the least dangerous of them all.

Jackman, 54, said that his doctor saw little things, could be or could not be basal cell in her opinion, which led to the two biopsies being done.

Ill find out in two or three days, and as soon as I know, Ill let you know, the Greatest Showman star continued. If I can just take this opportunity to remind you, summer is coming for those of us here in the northern hemisphere, please wear sunscreen.

It is just not worth it. No matter how much you want to tan, trust me This is all stuff that happened 25 years ago. Its coming out now.

He added: Put some sunscreen on. Youll still have an incredible time out there. Please be safe.

Basal cell carcinoma does not usually spread to other parts of the body. According to the NHS, it usually appears as a small, shiny pink or white lump with a translucent, waxy appearance, or a red scaly patch. There can sometimes be some brown or black pigment within the patch.

If not treated, basal cell carcinoma can sometimes cause considerable skin cancer. It often develops on the face, ears, hands, shoulders, upper chest and back.

Jackmans first case of skin cancer occurred in 2013. He had it removed from his nose after his wife Deborra-Lee Furness told him to get a mark on his nose checked.

Since then, he has been treated for skin cancer five more times, with his sixth surgery taking place in 2017.

In 2021, he underwent another skin biopsy and has consistently urged others to wear sun cream.
Supporters and opponents of former president Donald Trump gather outside the Manhattan Criminal Court ahead of his arraignment on April 4, 2023.

On April 4, former president Donald Trump appeared in Manhattan Criminal Court after being indicted on 34 felony charges. After years of seemingly countless investigations, his arraignment  the point at which he would hear the charges against him and enter a plea  was a historic moment , making Trump the first US president to face criminal charges in court. (Though, technically, he is the second president to face arrest , after Ulysses S. Grant was stopped by police in 1872 for a speeding horse and buggy.) Trump has pleaded not guilty.

Since Trumps indictment was announced on March 30, members of virtually every major news outlet around the globe have waited outside both the courthouse and Trump Tower to witness his arrival. Police barricades, security personnel, journalists, anti-Trump demonstrators, Trump supporters, and just your average curious pedestrians all combine to make this the exact definition of a media circus .

[Its] overwhelming and unlike any event Ive covered in the past! said Clarissa-Jan Lim, senior reporter for BuzzFeed News, who spent all of Tuesday both around and inside the court. New York courts have seen several high-profile trials in recent years, including those of Harvey Weinstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, but none come close to Trump.

Press photographers and videographers marked their spots for Tuesday on the sidewalk, using painters tape to spell out their media outlets name in a very punk-rock way. Tents and camera gear lined the entire block of Centre Street across from the court.

The day before Trump was due to appear in court, a small but vocal group of his supporters gathered across the street from the courthouse at Collect Pond Park waving Fuck Biden flags and sporting MAGA apparel. Some were livestreaming and touting baseless conspiracies about COVID and the 2020 election.

News reporters outside the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse early in the morning on April 4, 2023.

Adonis Porch, a professional line sitter, waits outside the courthouse on April 3, 2023. I feel good  plus, Im first in line, so why not be excited?

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Nearby, journalists formed a line behind barricades, hoping to snag a spot in the courtroom for Trumps appearance the next day. Some waited a reported 18 hours and were prepared with pizza, extra smartphone battery chargers, and winter coats. In this line, there were even professional line sitters who were paid by press outlets to save a spot overnight for journalists trying to get into court. Yes, its a thing.

We have several journalists that have hired us from different outlets, said Robert Samuel, the owner and CEO of line-sitting service Same Ole Line Dudes. The companys typical rate is $25/hour, with a minimum of 2 hours. The Trump arraignment was $50/hour because of security concerns, with nine line sitters on the job. Adonis Porch, a professional line sitter who was at the front of the line for journalists, said, Its been an experience  but the main thing is, for me, Im being a part of history.

Of course there are also, uh, logistics to consider when youre a part of history for that long. I have a coworker thats working with me on this assignment, so hes going to hold down my tent until I come back from the restroom,  said Adonis, who added he'd use the facilities at a nearby McDonald's or 7-Eleven.
(Bloomberg) -- Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban waded deeper into US politics with a message of support for former President Donald Trump before his arraignment, underscoring his pro-Republican leanings and his chilly relations with the Biden administration.

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Keep on fighting, Mr. President! We are with you, Orban wrote on Twitter on Monday. Last week, Trump became the first former US president to be indicted. He will be arraigned in New York on Tuesday in connection with charges of hush money payments to a porn star during the 2016 presidential campaign.

The message was a highly unusual intervention from a head of government in US domestic affairs, especially from a European Union and NATO member whose leader frequently dismisses criticism of his efforts to consolidate power over major aspects of Hungarian society as foreign meddling.

But it was vintage Orban, the nationalist trailblazer who was the first foreign leader to endorse Trump back in the 2016 election. He also hosted Republicans last year at a Conservative Political Action Conference, where he shared a 12-point recipe on how to skirt the guardrails of democracy to impose illiberal regimes.

Orbans more than decade-old campaign of strengthening his grip in Hungary and his cozy relationship with China and Russia  even after Moscows invasion of Ukraine last year  have sent ties with the US to a new low.

President Joe Bidens administration snubbed Hungary by withholding an invitation to its democracy summit last week. It has also scrapped a key bilateral tax treaty thats been in place since 1979.

Republican leaders have pledged to reinstate the tax treaty if they win the White House next year, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto told US business leaders in Budapest on Monday, according to the state MTI news service.

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Ohio State University regularly uses the definitive article "The" in front of its name, as seen here in the university seal embedded in the pavement at the east entrance to the Oval on the main campus in Columbus.

Ohio State Senate Jerry C. Cirino (R-Kirtland) introduced Senate Bill 83, the Ohio Higher Education Enhancement Act.

The purpose of Senate Bill 83 is quite simple: It ensures free expression on campus and in the classroom at Ohios public universities and colleges.

Those who say it promotes censorship have it exactly backwards. The Ohio Higher Education Enhancement Act will allow students to exercise their right to free speech without threat of reprisal by professors or administrators.

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I expected heated debate to follow my introduction of Senate Bill 83.

What I did not expect was the hysteria and hyperbolic screams of anguish in the Columbus Dispatch and other publications. Least of all did I expect the avalanche of misinformation and outright falsehoods about the bill.

Timothy Messer-Kruse, a professor of ethnic studies at Bowling Green State University, wrote, "I was informed by a friend with close connections to the Ohio legislature that a bill was about to be introduced that would effectively abolish my department."

Professor: Lawmaker's vague crusade forcing me from department, but truth won't be silenced

It won't. The bill won't do anything like that.

Why is a university professor accepting hearsay at face value instead of doing a bare minimum of research? It makes you wonder what in the world he is teaching his students.

Ohio State University English Professor Pranav Jani claimed in a Dispatch guest column that my bill will cause the elimination of academic freedom, and restrictions on/prohibitions of ethnic studies, gender studies curricula, and dictate what educators and students teach and learn in the classroom.

Wrong.

Quite simply, all his wild claims are factually incorrect. The bill places NO restrictions or prohibitions on ANY curricula or classroom material.

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The bill does the opposite of eliminating academic freedom: it ensures that freedom for students, as well as professors. Either Jani didn't read the bill or he is an English professor who doesnt understand plain English.

Worse yet, Janis accusation that we would ban Chinese and other students from classrooms is a damnable lie.

Ohio State Senator Jerry C. Cirino

It is a lie meant to stir up fear and hate mongering. Academics want to protect their woke fiefdom so they can continue to churn out like-minded and intolerant opponents of intellectual diversity.

Janis highly offensive assertion that my colleagues and I have a racist, anti-feminist, anti-trans, homophobic, anti-union, anti-immigrant, fake free speech agenda, is beneath contempt.

Ohio State University Professor of Geodesy and Geodynamics Michael Bevis was also wrong when he wrote in the Dispatch, Senate Bill 83 seeks to ban university courses focused on 'politically controversial' topics, such as climate change.

The bill does not ban ANY courses.

What it bans is any oath of allegiance to woke ideology on controversial topics. It bans political and ideological litmus tests in all hiring, promotion, and admissions decisions, including diversity statements.

That means applicants are not required to take a position on any controversial belief or policy," such as climate change, electoral politics, foreign policy, diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, immigration policy, marriage, or abortion.

That simply means applicants dont have to express university-approved positions in order to be eligible in all hiring, promotion, and admissions decisions.

Furthermore, the bill guarantees the university will not endorse, oppose, comment, or take action, as an institution, on the public policy controversies of the day. Universities should encourage freedom of expression and diversity of thought, and not be partisan political advocates.

Heres what my bill is designed to do:

Ensure intellectual diversity in the classroom and among the faculty.

Provide free speech protections for students, faculty, and staff.

Eliminate requirements for diversity, equity, or inclusion (DEI) courses or training for students, staff or faculty.

Require full syllabus transparency.

Ban political and ideological litmus tests in all hiring, promotion, and admissions decisions.

Install a number of other worthwhile provisions including eliminating faculty labor strikes, establishing post-tenure periodic review, and requiring full disclosure of any donations made by any affiliate of the Peoples Republic of China.

Our First Amendment is under assault in academia. Senate Bill 83 will fix that.

Ohio State Senate Jerry C. Cirino (R-Kirtland) introduced Senate Bill 83, the Ohio Higher Education Enhancement Act.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: First Amendment assaulted in academia. Ohio Senate Bill 83 is fix| Jerry Cirino
A home with a ridiculously cool interior has landed on the real estate market in Illinois.

The four-bedroom, four-bathroom home in Rolling Meadows is listed for $584,900 and has an abundance of space across its 3,449 square feet.

Custom built brutalist modern home has the one-of-a-kind feel youve been waiting for. Spiral staircase in cylindrical three story tower welcomes you in, the listing on Zillow.com says. Nestled on a serene wooded half-acre this amazing home has natural light flowing throughout the open concept main level.

The photos present a wicked inside that looks like a time capsule of sorts with its wood paneling and sporadic pops of bright colors.

Fun features, according to the listing, include:

Gas fireplace

Wet bar

Hardwood flooring

Updated kitchen

Skylights

Rec room

Decks

Gazebo

But the real kicker is the indoor heated pool area that has a jetted tub with stainless-steel multi-function rainfall shower overlooking it.

And of course  that water slide.

The home was featured on Zillow Gone Wild, a popular real estate Facebook page and Twitter account that highlights nifty houses for sale around the country. According to the post, the current owners found and bought the house after it was featured on Zillow Gone Wild previously.

And fans fell in love with it once again.

I grew up one suburb over from Rolling Meadows (Chicagoland area), that actually is a fantastic price for a house that size because of the great schools there, one person said.

Tried to convince my 25 year old sons to buy it together, another noted. I think its very Austin Powers-ish! The ultimate bachelor pad!

I love it!! Its not (100%) my style but it is unique and I wouldnt change a thing! someone commented.

I would roll out of bed every morning and slide straight into the pool instead of showering, one person tweeted.

Sorry this is literally the best house Ive ever seen, another said.

Circular bed with a ceiling mounted mirror is not a want, but a need, someone observed.

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A literal dream, one person commented.

Currently, the house is listed as pending.

Rolling Meadows is about 30 miles northwest of Chicago.

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(This April 4 story has been corrected to fix the name to Hussan from Hassan, in paragraphs 4 and 5)

By Molly Cone

TORONTO (Reuters) - Dozens of protesters gathered in front of Canadian Public Safety Minister office in Toronto on Tuesday demanding an end of an asylum treaty between Canada and the United States after eight people died by drowning as they tried to cross into country.

The deaths come less than two weeks after the Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA) pact was amended, allowing refugee claimants to seek asylum in the first safe country they arrive in.

Protesters presented a petition to Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino, whose ministry is responsible for border patrol and policing in Canada.

Syed Hussan, the executive director of Migrant Workers Alliance, the group which organized the protest, said the petition had thousands of signatures calling for the end of STCA and demanding permanent resident status for all migrants.

"People are continuing to die. The denial of permanent residence status has become a death sentence in this country," Hussan added.

STCA, which took effect in 2004, aimed to control the migration of asylum seekers. Under the original agreement, asylum seekers trying to cross from the United States into Canada or vice versa at formal border crossings are turned back and told to apply for asylum in the first "safe" country they arrived in.

As refugees started to enter in Canada from irregular crossing, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau came under pressure to amend the agreement to cover the entire length of the U.S-Canada border.

Critics say this policy separates families and pushes immigrants to try to cross the border via deadly informal routes.

Total of eight people from two families died last week trying to enter the United States from Canada by boat across the St. Lawrence River near Akwesasne, Quebec.

Canada and United States have maintained that STCA has is the best way to manage the world's longest land border.

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"We have known for many, many years that creating this agreement will make our borders harder to cross and that people will still cross, but they will do it dangerously," said Shalili Konanur, a lawyer at the South Asian Legal Clinic of Ontario, who works with undocumented refugees.

"What more evidence do you need to present within days of strengthening the agreement? Eight people died. We know that this wont be the last time unless we do something about it, Konanur added.

(Editing by Aurora Ellis)
 Flash

Secretary-General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Jens Stoltenberg said Monday that the alliance will discuss a multi-year support program for Ukraine, the Interfax-Ukraine news agency reported.

The program will be on the agenda of the meeting of NATO foreign ministers on April 4-5, Stoltenberg said.

"I expect that the ministers will agree to start work on the development of a multi-year program for Ukraine," Stoltenberg told a press conference in Brussels, Belgium.

Along with providing support for Ukraine in the conflict with Russia, the program is important for the long-term perspective of the development of relations between Ukraine and NATO, said Stoltenberg.

At their meeting, the foreign ministers of NATO countries will also discuss ways to strengthen the support for Ukraine's Armed Forces and ensure their transition to NATO standards, he added.

On April 4, the meeting of the Ukraine-NATO Commission will be held within the framework of the NATO foreign ministers summit.
Tennessee Rep. Justin Pearson wrote to his legislative colleagues on Monday to take "accountability" and outline the motivation behind a protest on the House floor last week, though Republicans pushed ahead with an effort to expel the Memphis Democrat and two other lawmakers.

"I recognize that I did not follow decorum this past Thursday on the House floor, and I take full responsibility and accountability for my actions," Pearson said. "When I saw thousands of people  mostly children and teenagers protesting and demanding action from us after the slaying of six innocent people, including three 9-year-old children, it was impossible to sit idly by and continue with business as usual."

Pearson faces a House expulsion vote on Thursday, along with Democratic Reps. Justin Jones of Nashville and Gloria Johnson of Knoxville, after the trio led peaceful protest chants from the House chamber during a floor session on March 30.

Expulsion: Tennessee GOP begins expulsion process for 3 Democrats, House session devolves into chaos

Tennessee three: What to know about the House Democrats targeted for expulsion by Republicans

The three approached the House podium without being formally recognized amid frustrations lawmakers were conducting regular business as hundreds chanted for gun reform outside the chamber door, just days after the deadly Covenant School shooting.

Democratic Reps. Justin Pearson of Memphis is embraced by a supporter after protesters gather on the floor below the House chambers following a session where it was announced Republicans began the process of expelling Democratic Reps. Justin Pearson of Memphis, Rep. Justin Jones of Nashville, and Rep. Gloria Johnson of Knoxville, at Tennessee state Capitol Building in Nashville , Tenn., Monday, April 3, 2023.

"If this House decides to expel me for exercising our sacred first amendment right to help elevate the voices in our community who want to see us act to prevent gun violence, then do as you feel you must," Pearson said in his letter. "We must always stand up for what we believe to be right and just, we must say no to more gun violence. We must prioritize the voices of thousands of families that are hurting due to this country's gun violence epidemic, especially in communities like District 86. We must never become desensitized to the voices of people crying out for change. We must never accept senseless deaths to continue on our watch, and do nothing."

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Though it is unprecedented to expel lawmakers for breaching floor decorum, Republican leadership have argued the breach was unprecedented. House Speaker Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville, who has compared the peaceful protest to an "insurrection," and said Monday the three were angling for arrest instead of "focusing on the six victims," which he called "appalling."

Here is the letter I sent to every TN House member yesterday taking accountability for not following decorum & also explaining why it was important for us to speak up and not remain silent as thousands chanted and marched to end gun violence! Yet, they still voted for expulsion. pic.twitter.com/yCmKOzTxU5  Justin J. Pearson (@Justinjpearson) April 4, 2023

"Yes, what they did was an act against civil authority, Sexton said. "They had no authority to go to the well, they had no authority to do that. They disrupted the institution of the General Assembly, something that's never happened before in our history, over something that they wanted to lead a protest on the House floor. So yes, there will be consequences for those actions."

Tennessee State Representative Justin Jones of Nashville speaks into a megaphone during a rally against gun violence on Thursday, March 30, 2023, in Nashville, Tenn. With him are Representatives Gloria Johnson of Knoxville and Justin Pearson of Memphis The action came in the wake of the Covenant School shooting that killed six people earlier in the week.

Johnson told Knox News on Tuesday she believes the trio is on the "right side of history."

"The very first action this body takes after a shooting that killed three children and three school personnel, the very first action theyre gonna take is to expel the very people who were speaking out against it," Johnson said.

The expulsion process descended into a frantic fracas Monday night after Sexton ordered troopers to clear the galleries, where protestors had responded to House debate with shouts and jeers, even chanting "Fascists!" at one point.

State Troopers escort the crowd to move to the lower level while people react after it was announced Republicans began the process of expelling Democratic Reps. Justin Pearson of Memphis, Rep. Justin Jones of Nashville, and Rep. Gloria Johnson of Knoxville, during a House session at Tennessee state Capitol Building in Nashville , Tenn., Monday, April 3, 2023.

On the chamber floor, Jones and Rep. Justin Lafferty, R-Knoxville, got into a physical confrontation as both filmed the gallery being cleared. Jones accused Lafferty of shoving him and snatching his phone away.

Lawmakers quickly fell into a contentious scrum that took several minutes to break apart.

"Its morally insane that a week after a mass shooting took six lives in our community, House Republicans only response is to expel us for standing with our constituents to call for gun control," Jones said in a Tuesday statement. "Whats happening in Tennessee is a clear danger to democracy all across this nation."

Lafferty on Tuesday didn't deny pushing Jones.

Representative Jones came to my desk and as I turned he shoved his phone in my face in a threatening manner. I reacted as anyone would," Lafferty said. "Attempts to characterize this as anything else are misleading and false. The three members who are in danger of losing their jobs are desperate to deflect attention away from their actions.

Eakin Elementary students Eleanor Parker, 9, white top, and Caia Cascio-Tesdahl, 8, next to Parker, shout at state lawmakers inside the state capitol as they demonstrate against gun violence and call for gun law reform during The March For Our Lives walkout Monday, April 3, 2023, in Nashville, Tenn. The group is demanding tougher gun control laws on the one-week anniversary of the mass shooting at Covenant School during which three students and three adults were killed.

Tensions are likely to run similarly high on Thursday during the expulsion hearing, when the three will have a chance to defend their actions. However, expulsion appears likely as Republicans hold a supermajority in the chamber and can vote the lawmakers out without any Democratic votes.

Lawmakers will likely be greeted by another gauntlet of protestors at the Capitol as various groups have called for a third day of protests in Nashville, this time for gun reform and to support the three Democrats.

Tyler Whetstone in Knoxville contributed to this report.

Reach Melissa Brown at mabrown@tennessean.com.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee Rep. Justin Pearson responds to colleagues amid expulsion debate
Drone

The number of drones caught flying into Scottish prisons is increasing, new figures show.

The remote-controlled aircraft are used to smuggle drugs and phones into jails.

Scottish Prison Service (SPS) figures show the number of drones detected has jumped from two in 2019 to nine in the first three months alone of this year.

The SPS said it was using "all technological and intelligence tools available" to tackle the problem.

The availability of cheap and easy-to-fly drones has caused an increased security headache for prisons across Scotland.

Figures obtained by justice magazine 1919 show HMP Edinburgh has had the most recorded incidents of drones being detected, totalling 11 since 2021.

HMP Perth ranks the second highest, with five incidents since 2018.

All detections were made by prison staff during perimeter checks or on CCTV.

Seizures of so-called street Valium in prisons soared during the Covid pandemic

SPS officials have previously said the introduction of a policy to photocopy prisoners' mail - which stopped inmates receiving psychoactive substances which had been sprayed onto the pieces of paper - had led to an increase in attempts to smuggle drugs over perimeter walls.

Scottish Conservative justice spokesman Jamie Greene said: "It is clear criminals are now using drones to try and smuggle dangerous drugs and contraband into the prison estate.

"SNP ministers cannot make the same mistakes they did when they dithered and delayed over our demands to stop the postal peddling of drugs. They must take action to stop drones simply taking over the task."

Security measures

A Scottish government spokesperson said: "We continue to support the Scottish Prison Service and Police Scotland's joint efforts to prevent the supply of illegal drugs.

"SPS continues to work tirelessly to adapt its security measures to prevent, detect and deter the introduction of contraband in prisons."

An SPS spokesperson said: "While we cannot discuss covert tactics, SPS uses all technological and intelligence tools available to tackle the harm caused by illicit substances entering our establishments.

"We work with Police Scotland, and other partners, to take action against those who attempt to breach our security, via drones or by other means.

"These efforts have led to a significant reduction in drug take incidents in our establishments, and as a result, the harm caused to the health and wellbeing of those in our care."
INDIANAPOLIS (AP)  Whether a ban all gender-affirming care for minors will become law in Indiana remains unclear after the state's Republican governor said Tuesday that the bill on his desk is clear as mud.

The bill Republican state lawmakers advanced last week would prohibit transgender youth under 18 from accessing hormone therapies, puberty blockers and surgeries in the state.

It wasnt part of my agenda, Gov. Eric Holcomb told reporters Tuesday. Ive told some people very close to me: This is clear as mud. Theres some vagueness to it. So I want to make sure I completely understand.

Holcomb can sign or veto the legislation before a Wednesday deadline, or allow it become law by doing nothing. The ban would take effect July 1. Trans youth currently taking medication to transition would have until the end of the year to stop doing so.

At least 11 states have enacted laws restricting or banning gender-affirming care for minors, but federal judges have blocked them in two states. Around two dozen other states are considering bills to restrict or ban care.

The bill banning gender-affirming care in Indiana won approval by wide margins in both the House and Senate. Indiana lawmakers can override a governors veto by a simple majority vote.

In March 2022, Holcomb vetoed a bill banning transgender girls from participating in girls school sports. The Republican-dominated Legislature later voted to override his veto, and the measure became law anyway.

The governor appeared to rule out letting the bill become law passively.

"I have made it a habit to either sign or veto bills, and I suspect that habit will continue, he said Tuesday. Obviously, every word matters in Indianas bill, and thats why Im taking the time to go through it piece by piece."

___

Arleigh Rodgers 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 her on Twitter at https://twitter.com/arleighrodgers
TRON Lightcycle / Run outside exterior at Disney World

Walt Disney World is closing out its 50th Anniversary with a fast bang. Disney has launched a new high-thrill rollercoaster in Magic Kingdoms Tomorrowland. With a speed of nearly 60 mph, TRON Lightcycle Run is one of Disneys fastest rollercoasters, tied with its twin coaster at Shanghai Disney Resort.

Its not just the speed that makes this thrill attraction different than what parkgoers have seen. The attraction also incorporates indoor and outdoor elements.

Walt Disney Imagineers say these elements make riders feel a sense of being launched from their reality into the digital world, just like the films.

TRON Lightcycle Run Soars From The Start

Based on the 1982 film TRON and the sequel Tron: Legacy in 2010, the attraction is where you leave the real world behind for a quest across The Grid.

TRON fans know the 1982 films main character, Kevin Flynn, created The Grid and was later visited by his son, Sam Flynn, in the second movie. Initially designed for games, The Grid became a digital utopia filled with infinite possibilities.

Disney didnt leave any of these details out of the attraction. When you first get on the ride, you kneel and lean forward on a Tron Motorcycle known as a light cycle.

The light cycles are one of the most critical aspects of the Tron attraction as it kicks off the adrenaline.

RELATED: How A 3-Day Trip To Disney World Brought A Little Black Joy To My Often Chaotic World

Photo Credit: Walt Disney World

For me, paying attention to the details in the movie as it relates to the outside of the attraction was important, Rachel Lamvdin, Landscape Architect For Walt Disney Imagineering, tells Travel Noire. We wanted to make sure that as people approach the attraction, they get excited and pumped up to get on this ride.

Lamvdin adds, In the back of my mind, I am always thinking about making sure that everything looks like its where it would have been exactly how Sam Flynn would have designed it.

A New Kinetic Energy To Magic Kingdom

As you finally enter the Grid, you barely have time to think as the ride soars intensely. From there, you see incredible images of what Walt Disney Imagineers call the Upload Conduit of the ride. This beautiful design brings the indoor and outdoor elements of the attraction together.

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Its not very often that you see an outdoor and indoor landscape come together like this, says Lamvdin. In this design, the landscape, hardscape, combined with the views from the Upload Conduit are unique.

Magic Kingdom is often considered the place for first-time Walt Disney World goers to see Cinderellas iconic castle. Its also revered as a theme park for children.

However, adding TRON Lightcycle Run changes that narrative. You walk up, hearing instantaneous feedback as people scream on the ride as you get in the queue.

TRON is a spectacular addition were bringing to Walt Disney World. It is unlike anything else here in the Florida parks, says Julia Soderstjerna, Associate Show Mechanic Engineer for Walt Disney Imagineering. Guests will be able to experience an attraction with a unique ride vehicle, which makes you feel like youre on that light cycle racing through The Grid.

Photo Credit: Walt Disney World

According to Wealth of Geeks, the fastest rides at Walt Disney are the following:

Test Track (65 mph)

Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind (60 mph)

TRON Lightcycle/Run (60 mph)

Rock N Rollercoaster Starring Aerosmith (57 mph)

Expedition Everest (50 mph)

Slinky Dog Dash (40 mph)

The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror (39 mph)

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (36 mph)

Seven Dwarfs Mine Train (34 mph)

Space Mountain (27 mph)

RELATED: Disneys New Guardians of the Galaxy Rollercoaster Is Sure To Awaken Your Inner Child
A promo he posted on Instagram for his interview Thursday with Diane Sawyer shows Jeremy Renner choking up as he recalls the horrific snowplow accident that began his year.

But the actors captioning of the post again shows the sense of humor hes kept throughout his recovery.

It has taken the immediate actions of so many people that has kept me here alive, the Modesto native probably best known for playing the Marvel hero Hawkeye wrote. Thank you will never be enough to express my gratitude so I can offer up some Free Snowcat Rides up at the house if youre interested??

And fellow actor Ryan Reynolds, who before has met Renners humor with his own, commented: I would take a snowcat ride. Im not even kidding. But it has to be in the middle of summer. And only you inside the snowcat while I watch from a safe distance from your well appointed living room.

Clearly, Reynolds realizes hes not nearly indestructible like the character Deadpool he plays.

Renner was with family on his property off Mount Rose Highway near Reno on the Nevada side of the Tahoe Basin when the accident occurred. New Years Day morning, he went to clear his nephews vehicle from the snow after a storm hit, Washoe County Sheriff Darin Balaam said in a January news conference.

Renner had used his 14,300-plus-pound heavy-duty snow-removal plow to tow the vehicle free., Balaam said. Afterward, the snowplow began rolling. When Renner tried to get back in to stop it, he was pulled under one of its treads and crushed. The accident broke more than 30 bones and punctured a lung.

The 52-year-old actor was airlifted to a Reno hospital, where he remained in the intensive care unit for more than a week. Renner kept fans updated on his condition through social media, particularly his Instagram account.

The Diane Sawyer Interview featuring Renner will air at 10 p.m. Thursday on ABC and will be available the next day on Hulu.
Architects and designers from all over are interested in designing Oklahoma County's new jail and health center.

Oklahoma County Commissioners were told Monday four firms submitted offers to work on the project.

The offers will be evaluated by county staff and by members of the Oklahoma County Citizens Bond Oversight Advisory Board.

What firms submitted offers to design the new Oklahoma County jail?

STV

Company headquarters: New York City.

Company history: STV traces its roots back to 1912, when Elwyn E. Seelye, a structural engineering company, was founded in New York City

What it does: Plans, designs and manages infrastructure projects across North America.

Related project: The Worcester County Jail Medical and Intake Facility at the county's jail and house of corrections in West Boylston, Massachusetts. STV says the chosen design, one of four it developed through working with the sheriff, provides space for 28 detainees plus another 26 detainees requiring medical housing and allows for intake a processing services for about 60 detainees daily.

At the current Oklahoma County jail: After scathing grand jury report, interim OK County jail CEO says changes are being made

A person enters the meeting chambers of the Oklahoma Board of County Commissioners.

HOK

Company headquarters: St. Louis

Company history: The company was founded by George Hellmuth, Gyo Obata and George Kassabaum in 1955.

What it does: HOK is a global design, architecture, engineering and planning firm that employs 1,600 people collaborating across a network of 25 offices on three continents.

Related project: The Davidson County Metro Criminal Justice Center in Nashville, Tennessee, which houses the county sheriff's staff and up to 1,000 inmates. HOK states its design for the 405,000 square foot building incorporates a mission-driven approach to detention, diversion and treatment by including a state-ot-the-art medical clinic with exam, procedure, observation and negative-pressure isolation rooms, a fully equipped dialysis center and a dental operation, plus a 64-bed unit for individuals with serious and persistent mental illness.

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Strollo Architects

Company headquarters: Orlando, Florida

Company history: Founded in 1956, Strollo has designed more than 4,500 projects approaching 25 million square feet and valued at over $2.5 billion.

What it does: Strollo's website states more than 90% of its projects have been designed for clients with fiduciary responsibilities like public boards, trusts and municipalities. Nearly 65% of its design work has involved health care facilities during the past several years.

Related project: Strollo has designed at least two dozen correctional related projects, from converting a university hospital in Pensacola, Florida, into a detention facility that includes a medical/mental health facility to building a maximum-security, zero-movement, 432-cell jail in Youngstown, Ohio, that includes a 14-cell medical unit.

Possible Oklahoma County jail locations: What we know about properties offered to become new home of Oklahoma County jail

Richard R. Brown Associates PC

Company headquarters: Oklahoma City

Company history : Established in 1985 as a full service, architectural, interior design and planning practice that's done projects across the United States and Mexico.

What it does: Corporate and governmental workspaces, hospitality projects, medical facilities, retail/lifestyle centers, high technology and multi-family living environments.

Relevant project: RBA's portfolio on its website shows that it has designed budget and high-end hotels, corporate headquarters and some urban housing projects.

What happens now?

Oklahoma County's purchasing office is reviewing the submissions to evaluate the firms before interview invitations are sent. Submissions also were sent to members of the Oklahoma County Citizens Bond Oversight Advisory Board for their review.

Oklahoma County Commissioners listen Monday to a presentation made during their meeting.

Commission releases more ARPA funds to improve public buildings

Oklahoma County commissioners on Monday also voted to authorize spending about $11.4 million of funds it received through the American Rescue Plan Act to make improvements to various buildings owned by the county.

Authorized allocations included:

$6.096 million for a new emergency operations center in the Krowse Building, 2100 NE 37.

$1.6 million for a full elevator replacement in the Investors Capital Building, 217 N Harvey.

$1.6 million for a full elevator replacement in the Metro 1 Parking Garage, 321 Robert S Kerr.

$1.6 million for a full elevator replacement in the Metro 2 Parking Garage, 321 Robert S Kerr.

$500,678 to upgrade camera systems operated by the Oklahoma County sheriff's office in county-owned buildings.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma County jail design project draws local, international interest
Welcome to Investigative Stories from Ukraine, the Kyiv Independent's newsletter that walks you through the most prominent investigations of the past week.

If you are fond of in-depth journalism that exposes war crimes, corruption and abuse of power across state organizations in Ukraine and beyond, subscribe to our investigative newsletter.

To support our journalism, please become a patron of the Kyiv Independent. Pledges start from just $5 a month.

Top investigative stories

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Slidstvo.Info journalists help abducted teenagers flee from Russian captivity

Journalists of Slidstvo.Info investigative journalism agency devised an escape plan for two teenage girls from Kherson held captive by Russians in the occupied territory  and turned their journey into a documentary.

In September, half a year into the Russian occupation of their home city Kherson, Masha Senchuk, 17, and Nastia Mitrofanova, 18, agreed to go on what they were told would be a two-week vacation in Russia-occupied Crimea. Instead, they ended up spending 6 months in prison-like conditions.

Upon the end of the planned two-week stay, the two asked the summer camp director whether they could go home. He refused to let them go.

When the Ukrainian military liberated Kherson in mid-November, the girls realized they were trapped and wont be let go.

They were soon moved to live on the premises of a local college, in a cold room. They also said they were forced to apply for Russian passports.

Journalists of Slidstvo.Info came across their social media posts and offered help.

Under the pretext of visiting one of the girls mothers over a weekend, the two ran away. On a series of buses and private cars arranged by reporters, the girls traveled for four days on a roundabout journey through multiple countries. They eventually got back home to Ukraine and reunited with their families.

Thousands of Ukrainian children remain in Russian captivity, with many forcefully deported to Russia.

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Watch the full story with English subtitles via the link.

Journalists identify tech company developing cyber attack software for Russian government

A Moscow-based tech company Vulkan develops software for Russian cyber attacks, bot farms, and Internet censorship, as well as software for the Russian military and special services, according to an investigation by an international consortium of media outlets.

The clients of Vulkan include the Russian Defense Ministry, Federal Security Service (FSB) and Foreign Intelligence Service, according to the leaked documents obtained from an anonymous source. Intelligence analysts and cybersecurity experts who reviewed the documents concluded they appeared real.

The project, called The Vulkan Files, was a collaboration between the Washington Post, the Guardian, Suddeutsche Zeitung, Paper Trail Media, and iStories, among others.

One of the primary products of Vulkan is software called Amezit. It was reportedly developed in 2016 under an order from the Russian Defense Ministry to surveil and control the Internet outside of Russia, including in Ukraine. The leaked documents dont reveal how the software was used.

Other tasks of Amezit included enabling social media disinformation campaigns. One concerned the 2017 assassination of Ukrainian military intelligence serviceman colonel Maksym Shapoval in Kyiv.

Ukraine accused Russia of ordering the killing. Meanwhile, a social media bot army created by Vulkan started spreading messages accusing Ukraines own Security Service of Shapovals murder.

Another program of Vulkan, Crystal-2, reportedly offers training to cyber specialists on how to bring down critical infrastructure, including air, sea and rail transport.

The investigation also found Vulkans links with the notorious hacking group Sandworm, which the U.S. government has blamed for causing two blackouts in Ukraine and launching NotPetya, the most economically destructive malware in history.

Read the full story in English via the link.

Impact

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Four bankers convicted of helping hide Putins fortune in Swiss accounts following Panama Papers expose

A court in Switzerland convicted former executives of the Zurich branch of Russia's Gazprombank of helping Sergei Roldugin, a close associate of Vladimir Putin, to park millions of dollars in Swiss accounts in 2014-2016.

The court ruled on March 30 that the bankers failed to establish the source of Roldugins funds. Roldugin, a cellist, has been considered by the Swiss government to be the keeper of Putins fortune.

The CEO and three employees of Gazprombank, the main channel for Russian oil and gas payments, got suspended jail sentences and fines amounting to $800,000.

In 2016, Roldugins financial maneuvers were first uncovered in the Panama Papers investigation led by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists.

Panama Papers is a leak of millions of documents from Mossack Fonseca, one of the worlds biggest offshore law firms. The records journalists obtained showed that Roldugin owned offshore firms that were part of the larger network that moved at least $2 billion upon the direction of Putin associates. The records showed that Roldugin was listed as the owner of offshore firms that received tens of millions in wire transfers.
Iraq's federal government and the Kurdistan autonomous region signed an accord Tuesday to allow Kurdish oil exports to resume through Turkey after they were halted 10 days earlier.

The agreement, signed in Baghdad in the presence of Prime Minister Mohamed Shia al-Sudani and Kurdish premier Masrour Barzani, was to be implemented "today", a Kurdish regional government official told AFP.

The deal was described as temporary but signals the end of independent oil exports by northern Iraq's Kurdish regional government and marks a clear limit to its autonomy.

The agreement comes two days after Iraq, Saudi Arabia and several other major oil exporters announced a sharp reduction in their production from May that sent up global energy prices.

Barzani said on Twitter that the deal is "temporary" until Iraq's parliament agrees a new oil and gas law, but he called it "a crucial step towards ending the long-standing dispute" between Arbil and Baghdad.

Ankara had stopped handling Iraqi Kurdish oil last month after an international tribunal ruled in a nine-year-old dispute that Baghdad was right to insist on overseeing all Iraqi oil exports.

Oil exports are the key revenue source for both the federal and regional governments and their management has long been a sensitive topic in relations.

The government of war-scarred Iraq is betting on earning around $70 per barrel in its budget calculations for the next three years and has been irritated to see the autonomous region go it alone by exporting its oil via Turkey.

The Kurdistan government sees Baghdad as trying to profit from the region's resources while dragging its feet on paying the salaries of Kurdish civil servants and other funds for its regional public sector.

- 'Breakthrough deal' -

Gulf Analyst Yesar Al-Maleki, of the Middle East Economic Survey (MEES), said the deal aimed "first and foremost" at quickly re-starting exports to Turkey.

"But it also presents an opportunity for Baghdad to finally be involved in Iraqi Kurdistan's oil sector" and should also allow Kurdistan "to accrue higher revenues" in future.

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Maleki hailed the deal as a "breakthrough for the two PMs" that could help both sides draft the new energy law and "resolve the existing historic disputes once and for all".

Sales of Kurdistan crude will be managed from now by the State Oil Marketing Organization, a federal government official and a Kurdish official told AFP.

A joint committee formed by the federal and regional governments will supervise the export process, they added.

Revenues will be paid into an account under the control of the Kurdish government which will be overseen by Baghdad, they said.

The halt to exports through a pipeline to the Turkish Mediterranean port of Ceyhan had left foreign oil firms with nowhere to pump Kurdish oil.

Norway's DNO, one of the main firms operating in Iraqi Kurdistan, announced it was halting production at its wells.

Prior to Ankara's action on March 25, the autonomous region was exporting roughly 450,000 barrels per day of crude.

Iraq, the second largest producer within the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, exports an average of 3.3 million bpd.

ak-gde/fz
In a Jordanian church, Sarah Nael sews a shirt for a project that has provided scores of women who fled violence in neighbouring Iraq with skills to earn a living.

Many of the women escaped the extreme violence carried out by the Islamic State group's self-declared "caliphate" that cut across swathes of Iraq and Syria, before they eventually ended up in Jordan -- where they found themselves without work.

"Life here is very, very difficult -- if we don't work, we can't live," said Nael, a 25-year-old Christian from the northern Iraqi town of Qaraqosh, who joined the "Rafedin" sewing project two years ago.

It is based at St Joseph Catholic church in the Jordanian capital Amman.

Italian priest Mario Cornioli began the project in 2016, along with Italian designers and tailors.

The products, including dresses, jackets, belts and ties, are sold in Amman and Italy to raise funds.

For refugees, barred from seeking regular work, the project provides them with a way to supplement handouts from the United Nations.

"It's a safe place," said Nael, who has been taught to create clothes from cloth and leather, while her brother helps in the church's kitchen. "We are Iraqis. We are forbidden to work anywhere."

- Asylum limbo -

Since the project started, more than 120 women have benefited.

"We try to help them with dignity," said Cornioli, who runs the Habibi Valtiberina Association, an Italian charity in Jordan.

"A lot are the only ones working in their families."

On the tables in rooms in the church building, colourful rolls of cloth lie ready for cutting.

Cornioli hopes the "Rafedin" fashion label -- meaning "two rivers", the historical term for Iraq between the Euphrates and Tigris -- will become widely recognisable.

For the priest, the aim is to make the project "self-sustaining" to provide more training to women in need.

While the IS extremists were forced out of their Iraqi territory by a US-led alliance in late 2017, many of the refugees in Jordan are still too fearful to go back to their war-ravaged home.

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Many are still waiting for their painfully slow asylum applications to other countries to be processed.

"This project allowed them to do something and to survive in this period," Cornioli said. "They are just waiting to leave."

- 'Opportunity to learn' -

Nael and her family returned home after IS was defeated in 2017, but they left again after being subjected to anonymous threats, and eventually sought safety in Amman.

Their applications for asylum in Australia have been rejected.

"My father is old, and my mother has cancer," she said, but added that going back to Iraq was out of the question. "We have nothing left there to return to."

Diana Nabil, 29, worked as an accountant in Iraq before fleeing to Jordan in 2017 with her parents and aunt, in the hope of joining her sister in Australia.

During her wait, she studied how to sew fabric and leather.

"Some of our relatives help us financially, and sometimes the United Nations helps us a bit," Nabil said. "With my work here, we are managing."

Cornioli said the project offers "the opportunity to learn something", pointing to "success stories" of some of the women who have since left Jordan, and are now working in Australia, Canada, and the United States.

Wael Suleiman, head of the Catholic aid agency Caritas in Jordan, estimated the country hosts as many as 13,000 Christian Iraqi refugees.

"They hope to obtain asylum and leave to a third country, but in light of what is going on in the world now, the doors seem to be closed to them," Suleiman said.

"They are afraid of the future, and no one can blame them for that."

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Upset over an online order policy at Wingstop, a woman went on a rampage and caused $21,000 in damages at a Texas restaurant, authorities said.

The March 9 incident was recorded by surveillance cameras at the aviation-themed restaurant chain, which specializes in chicken wings, according to a Facebook post from Midland Crime Stoppers.

Authorities said the woman was irate over the Midland restaurants policy, which states customers must show a credit card when picking up online purchases. The womans name was not on the credit card she showed at the register.

In the video shared by Midland Crime Stoppers on March 29, the unhappy woman is seen talking with workers before a manager came to the counter.

The manager attempted to calm her down when the female pushed the cash register and attempted to go behind the counter to confront the manager, according to Midland Crime Stoppers.

She then shoved another register off the counter, video shows. As she again tried to go behind the counter, a man who was sitting down at a table got up and held the woman back.

The man appeared to try calming the woman down before directing her to the door, video shows. It is unclear if he had any connection to the woman.

Wingstop did not immediately respond to a request for comment from McClatchy News on April 4.

Now, Midland Crime Stoppers is hoping to help the Midland Police Department identify the woman who caused extensive property damage.

You cant act that way! the nonprofit organization said.

The first person to identify the woman seen in the video could qualify for up to a $1,000 cash reward, according to the Facebook post. Tipsters may remain anonymous and submit a tip at www.694tips.com.

Midland is about 330 miles southwest of Dallas.

Three Marines jump into action to stop knife attack at Chick-fil-A, Virginia cops say

Shoot them. Chipotle order turns chaotic after duo demands more cheese, Ohio cops say

Cracker Barrel worker shot after yelling at teen getting in his running car, MO cops say
 Flash

Jakov Milatovic has triumphed in the second round of Montenegro's presidential elections, according to official preliminary results published on Monday by the State Electoral Commission of Montenegro (DIK).

The 36-year-old former economy minister won 58.88 percent of votes, while his opponent, current president Milo Djukanovic, gained 41.12 percent.

Although the results of the March 19 first round of elections put Djukanovic in the lead, supporters of the opposition parties whose candidates were eliminated voted for Milatovic on Sunday.

After hearing preliminary estimations on Sunday night, Milatovic said the victory was a collective effort that had helped to topple Djukanovic.

Milatovic promised that during his five-year mandate, Montenegro will become a member of the European Union.

Djukanovic, the leader of the Democratic party of Socialists (DPS) who has ruled Montenegro for over 30 years either as President or Prime Minister, congratulated Milatovic.

After completing his Master's degree in economics at Oxford University, Milatovic spent almost a decade at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), becoming its principal economist in charge of several countries.

He entered the political spotlight in December 2020 as the Minister of Economic Development and Tourism in the government of PM Zdravko Krivokapic, which was ousted in April 2022. Subsequently, he co-founded the movement "Europe Now" with Milojko Spajic, and ran for mayor of Podgorica.

Milatovic's presidential candidacy this year was unplanned. He was nominated as a replacement for his party colleague Spajic, who was disqualified for having dual Montenegrin-Serbian citizenship.
JERUSALEM (AP)  Israel is holding over 1,000 Palestinian detainees without charge or trial, the highest number since 2003, an Israeli human rights group said Tuesday.

Israel says the controversial tactic, known as administrative detention, helps authorities thwart attacks and hold dangerous militants without divulging incriminating material for security reasons. Palestinians and rights groups say the system is widely abused and denies due process, with the secret nature of the evidence making it impossible for administrative detainees or their lawyers to mount a defense.

HaMoked, an Israeli rights group that regularly gathers figures from prison authorities, said that as of April, there were 1,016 detainees held in administrative detention. Nearly all of them are Palestinians detained under military law, as administrative detention is very rarely used against Jews. Four Israeli Jews are currently being held without charge.

There is no sense of when the nightmare will end, said 48-year-old Manal Abu Bakr in Dheisheh, a refugee camp near the West Bank city of Bethlehem. Her 28-year-old son Mohammed lost his four college years to administrative detention. Her husband, Nidal, a journalist and radio presenter, remains in custody. He has spent 17 years behind bars in the past three decades, more than half of it without charge, according to a prisoners rights group, the Palestinian Prisoners Club.

The hearing on the renewal of his detention is set for September. Im exhausted," Manal said. It's hard even to hope.

HaMoked says 2,416 Palestinians are serving sentences after being convicted in Israeli military courts. An additional 1,409 detainees are being held for questioning, have been charged and are awaiting trial, or are currently being tried.

Among the 76 Palestinians incarcerated in the last month, 49 are administrative detainees. Administrative detention orders can be issued for a maximum of six months, but can be renewed indefinitely.

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The numbers are shocking, said Jessica Montell, the director of HaMoked. There are no restraints on the use of what should be a rare exception. It's just getting easier and easier for them to hold people with no charge or trial.

A widespread military crackdown on Palestinian militants in the occupied West Bank has helped fuel the sharp rise in administrative detentions.

Israel's campaign of raids into Palestinian cities and towns following a string of deadly Palestinian attacks last year led to the arrest of over 2,400 Palestinians since March 2022, according to the Israeli military. Israel's Shin Bet security service did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the latest administrative detention figures.

Israel describes the ramped-up raids as a counterterrorism effort to prevent further attacks. Palestinian residents and critics say the operation only further stokes the cycle of bloodshed, as the incursions ignite violent protests and firefights with Palestinian militants.

Nearly 90 Palestinians in the West Bank have been killed by Israeli fire this year, according to an Associated Press tally. Palestinian attacks against Israelis have killed 15 people in the same period. Israel says most of the Palestinians killed were militants, but the dead have included stone-throwing youths and bystanders who were not involved in violence.

The last time Israel held this many administrative detainees was in May 2003, HaMoked said, in the throes of a violent Palestinian uprising known as the Second Intifada.

The numbers always increase when there are heightened tensions on the ground, said Sahar Francis, a director of Addameer, a Palestinian prisoners rights group . Administrative detention "is an efficient tool for the arrest of hundreds of people in a short time.

The West Bank has been under Israeli military rule since Israel captured the territory in the 1967 Mideast war. The Palestinians want it to form the main part of their future state.

The territorys nearly 3 million Palestinian residents are subject to Israels military justice system, while the nearly 500,000 Jewish settlers living alongside them have Israeli citizenship and are subject to civilian courts.
As unease spread amongst a handful of entrepreneurs, alarmed at radical reforms proposed by the Benjamin Netanyahu-led government regarding the independence of the judiciary, WhatsApp groups were fired up, and were quickly flooded with volunteers from the tech industry.

Last week, the country hit its thirteenth week of protests, many of which were directly coordinated by Israeli tech entrepreneurs and investors. The latter have collectively become a key driver in the movement against the governments proposals, alarmed as they are that Israels hallowed Startup Nation" reputation was at threat if the sacred rule of law became questioned at home and abroad.

Groups like Democratech.net are now bolstering the protest movement, and laying out the tech industry's concerns more openly. Leveraging the tech platforms that they work with (and on) every day, these groups applied the same enterprising mentality Israelis have for tackling the most difficult of problems. And the targets have been not just the judicial proposals but also the lawmakers pushing them through.

We were tracking wherever MPs were. If I saw an MP in Tel Aviv having dinner, immediately people were being sent to protest outside that restaurant. It would be an immediate call for a protest, Ami Dror, founder at BriBooks.com, told me over a call.

Dror Sal'ee, co-founder and VP APAC of Israeli startup Guardicore (acquired by Akamai Technologies) added that Israel's high-tech protest movement is extremely well organized. It has a media team, logistic team, strategic team, video clip team, pretty much dozens of different teams.

In one demonstration, the tech industry protesters put a mock locomotive in the middle of Tel Aviv, festooned with signs saying High Tech is the locomotive of the Israeli economy and democracy is its fuel.

Israel protests (Photo Credit: Amir Schnabel)

Israeli protests. Image Credits: Amir Schnabel

Thousands rallied outside the Knesset (the Israeli parliament) last week, and the tech community was well-represented among them. As one tech executive said: We were out till 3 am, and were going out again today. If you need to call, I may not be available by phone.

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Her enthusiasm for rallying to the call of the protests is emblematic of how the Israeli tech scene -- which for years has been reliably patriotic, but largely apolitical -- has become one of the leading voices in the movement against the governments proposed changes to the independence of the judiciary.

After a weekend of enormous protests, tech protestors shipped an important "patch" for their latest project: a delay to the proposed legislation.

Netanyahu announced that he was not ready to divide the nation in pieces after mass protests over the judicial overhaul threatened to spiral the country into chaos.

For now, it seems, the government will delay the controversial measure for several weeks, especially now as a series of public and religious holidays come up.

But the delay looks to be only temporary. As one tech executive told me  describing how the controversial legislation could still go through  the loaded gun is still on the table."

Indeed, if the changes are ratified, critics say they would end the judiciarys 75-year history as an institution separate from the government, and, critically, outside the control of the ruling political party of the day.

Its clear protesters have little trust that Netanyahu and his supporters are truly finished, so they continue to press on.

It started with a threat to divest

Two months ago, Eynat Guez, co-founder and CEO of payroll startup Papaya Global (which has raised $444.5 million), publicly declared she would withdraw her companys investment funds from Israel, just after the first murmurs of the governments plans to change how the judiciary operated.

At issue was not just legislation that might impact the tech industry, but the principle of a government being able to push through its own agenda virtually unfettered.

The same week that the president of our supreme court said that this is the biggest danger to democracy that we've ever faced, I made my announcement a day later, Guez told me. I tend to take decisions based on facts and on risk management. So I felt that this is the right thing and the most rational thing to do.

She said the protests have galvanized people who typically compete against each other, or simply are not on the same page: It's the first time ever in history that the tech sector has been united, across entrepreneurs and investors.

So incensed was he by government machinations around the judiciary that veteran entrepreneur Yanki Margalit decided the changes were having a chilling effect on the country's usually entrepreneurial culture. Given the atmosphere now, its almost irresponsible to start a company, he told The New York Times in February.

Other entrepreneurs have been talking about relocating or moving money out of the countrys banking system.

Assaf Rappaport, the CEO and co-founder of cloud security company Wiz (currently worth $6 billion), has publicly questioned the reforms, saying they would call into question Israels ability to lay claim to being a trusted center of cybersecurity.

Judiciary in name, but its power is not the same

To understand the turmoil afoot in Israel's tech community right now, it's helpful to have a short primer on the political state of play.

Unlike most Western-style democracies, Israels parliament has no second legislative chamber. This has meant that the judiciary has traditionally taken on far greater importance in the countrys relatively young democracy.

Judges have used this role to make critical rulings in support of such key issues as, for example, women's rights and those of minorities, such as the LGBTQ+ community. That has also made it a target of criticism among more conservative groups, as well as any others that might take a differing view of the courts determinations.

The governments proposed changes were seen by critics as having the potential to curb the judiciary's influence over lawmaking and public policy, by limiting the Supreme Court's power to exercise judicial review.

According to the proposals, the government would also have control over judicial appointments and limit the authority of legal advisors. Government supporters say the moves would be a counterweight to alleged leftwing bias in judicial decisions.

Most significantly, if passed, the changes would grant the Knesset the power to override the Supreme Court, if it deemed any legislation as "unconstitutional." That is a powerful lever, given that Israel -- as in the U.K., from which Israel inherited its parliamentary system -- does not have a codified, single constitution, but a set of laws and rights that operate as a kind of "unwritten constitution." In other words, interpretation takes on an even greater role.

Simultaneously, the government was -- until this week -- progressing at pace with legislation to widen the authority of the religious, Rabbinical Courts, allowing them to act in civil matters if both parties in a case give their consent.

Netanyahu has claimed reforms are necessary because the judiciary  which is, technically speaking, unelected  has too much control over public policy. However, he is widely seen as being compromised in this opinion because of the ongoing investigation, since 2020, into alleged bribery, fraud and breach of trust by him and close political allies within his inner circle. (He denies the charges.)

The resulting protests by opposition leaders and activists accuse the government of undermining established norms of checks and balances, and handing the ruling party control of all three branches of government and virtually unchecked powers.

Those calling for the reforms to be slowed or halted to allow for a wider consultation include the president of Israel, the president of the Supreme Court, the attorney general and, most recently, the Defense Minister, who was fired by Netanyahu just over a week ago, during a weekend of turmoil.

Undermining the foundations that helped build The Startup Nation?

According to polling in February by Israels Channel 12, only one in four voters support the proposed changes to the judiciary.

Protests have attracted hundreds of thousands of people across Israeli cities, as well as outside the Knesset and politicians homes in Jerusalem, with Israeli police clashing with protesters and deploying stun grenades and water cannons to disperse demonstrators.

But even as the protests against the judicial "reforms" have set the country alight, the resonance within the tech industry has been surprisingly strong. For it, a key concern has been that the very foundations of how it develops technology platforms into valuable businesses, and raises capital, could be under threat.

Dror at BriBooks likens the governments proposals to those enacted by authoritarian governments in Hungary, Poland and Turkey.

"What Netanyahu and his government are trying to do is identical to those places," he told me. "So when tech companies saw what's happening, we all pretty much shifted from working on our startups to working on trying to stop it, because it would mean the end of the Israeli ecosystem, the end of 'Startup Nation.'

This is not a marginal issue, either. According to the Israel Innovation Authority the tech industry provides 54% of Israels exports, giving it an enormous potential influence.

For one, tech leaders are deeply concerned that foreign investors will take flight, unnerved at the chaos unleashed by the government's moves.

If these laws pass it's [would put] a complete stop on any investment activity. A complete full stop," said one source of the chilling effect, citing a recent statement by Moody's, the credit ratings agency, that warned that a judicial shift could have a negative impact on the country's sovereign credit profile.

Dror is one of about 500 tech CEOs who set about lobbying MPs on the issue, sometimes, as mentioned, even showing up to the restaurants the MPs frequented.

Part of our ability to operate around the world and sell our products is because we are following a certain ethical legal compass that is enforced by our legal system and our Supreme Court," Dror said. "Once those judges are controlled by politicians, we will not be able to do that. I announced immediately that I would not invest in any Israeli startup if Israel is not a democracy, period.

Sal'ee said the governments actions were now jeopardizing the money that would go into the economy and startups five or six years from now, as well as the countrys tax base: About 25% to 30% of the governments income comes from taxation of the tech industry. So the impact [of the reforms] would not only be on the tech industry, but on the whole of the economy in a very, very dramatic way.

Sal'ee believes that Israel will eventually also lose talent, as the high cost of living in the country, plus an increasingly authoritarian society, would encourage others to move away or stay abroad rather than moving to Israel.

The so-called reforms of the judiciary could also end up threatening the IP of Israeli tech companies, too, critics say.

When you're a tech company if you cannot go to a court and assume that the court is independent, why would you try to keep your intellectual property in the same country?" asked Dror. "This is the most basic, basic problem that that we have [with the proposed legislation]. If the country moves from a functional democracy to a dysfunctional democracy, lots of the reasons that we had to operate in Israel disappear."

Erez Shachar, managing partner at Qumra Capital, described to me how the tech industry had sparked the initial demonstrations because many realized the industry would be finished under the so-called legislative reforms: People would be registering companies in Delaware or outside of Israel, registering the IP outside of Israel. The Israeli tech industry wouldn't suffer much, but Israel would suffer tremendously from this.

Chemi Peres, co-founder and managing general partner of Pitango, couches the current crisis in broader terms:

The government initially had some great plans, to address the cost of living, to expand the circle of peace in the Middle East, to address the threats such as Iran. But I think what happened is that they started with an attempt to rebalance the weight of the judicial branch, which over the years has gained too much power. It was too early, too fast and the response was immediate and very wide, crossing political camps The good news is that the response was also very wide, and very determined. And we learned through the process that Israel will never be a non-democratic state.

He is confident that ultimately there will be a resolution: I'm 100% sure that it will not turn into a dictatorship There is no way it's going to. There's no way it will happen in Israel. And nobody wants to reach a point where we are having a civil war or something like that We know that nobody is going to leave There is no place for it for us besides, so we have to learn to live together.

Others are not so sure that things will be resolved so seemingly easily. Haggai Scolnicov -- co-founder CEO at Optimeet AI and the former chief scientist of Meta-acquired Onavo -- is adamant the protests will continue.

I have been out and about on the streets of Tel Aviv. There's been an amazing volunteer movement and some spectacular generosity from successful, exited founders," he said. "There have been VC funds who have just stepped up and said, you know the way we spend money on little meetups and parties? We're going to spend that money now on this. People have spent it personally and as firms.

Adam Fisher, partner at Bessemers Venture Partners' Israel office since 2007, thinks that while the governments proposals are concerning the reality is that Israeli high tech is very resilient for all kinds of reasons For Israeli companies, 95 if not 100% of their business is not in Israel. He points out that if confidence fell in Israel, costs would lower, which would be perversely good for the cost basis of companies.

However, he says Israel would lose in the long term: The business community here prefers a liberal democracy over a populist democracy, and in high tech, perhaps more so than other industries Historically, we haven't asked anything of the government. No special tax or benefits. We've asked for really very little except for stability. But, he says, I think this has been an awakening.

So what will happen next? The next key date, protesters believe, will be April 26 -- a symbolic day in Israel as it is the country's independence day.

Many believe Netanyahu will want to avoid protests, but as things stand now, that seems unlikely to happen.
Ivanka Trump paid her father Donald a visit two days before he surrendered to authorities to face criminal charges over hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels.

The former first daughter went to Mar-a-Lago on Sunday, Page Six reported - three days after a grand jury voted to indict Mr Trump.

It came after Ivanka broke her silence on the criminal indictment to say that she is pained for both him and her country.

In a brief statement posted to Instagram on Friday, she wrote: I love my father and I love my country. Today I am pained for both.

I appreciate the voices across the political spectrum expressing support and concern.

On Thursday 30 March, a Manhattan grand jury voted to indict Mr Trump on criminal charges over hush money payments to adult film star Ms Daniels days just before the 2016 presidential election.

The unprecedented indictment makes Mr Trump the first current or former president to ever face criminal charges in the history of the US.

Mr Trump was formally arrested and charged at an arraignment on Tuesday (4 April). He pleaded not guilty to 34 counts.

The indictment is said to have caught Mr Trump off guard after it was announced that the grand jury was taking a weeks-long break from hearing the case.

As soon as the news broke, Mr Trumps adult sons Eric Trump and Don Trump Jr leaped into action raging against what they described as third world prosecutorial misconduct.

This is third world prosecutorial misconduct, tweeted Eric. It is the opportunistic targeting of a political opponent in a campaign year.

Donald Trump and daughter Ivanka Trump walk to Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House on 4 January 2020 in Washington, DC (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Meanwhile, Don Jr branded it a weaponization of our Govt against their political enemies on Twitter before railing against the indictment during a somewhat emotional appearance on his show Triggered with Don Jr that night.

Lets be clear, folks, this is like communist-level s***, he said. This is stuff that would make Mao, Stalin, Pol Pot, it would make them blush.

He later shared a tweet from another social media user which sought to claim that his fathers indictment was an attempt to distract from the school shooting which left six victims dead in Nashville earlier this week.

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While Don and Eric both raged about the indictment, Ivanka  who worked as a top adviser in Mr Trumps White House  was silent on the matter for many more hours.

Manhattan prosecutors have been investigating whether Mr Trump falsified the Trump Organizations business records when his former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen made the payment of $130,0000 to Ms Daniels.

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.

In recent weeks, the probe ramped up with both Cohen and Ms Daniels testifying before the grand jury.

Mr Trump was also invited to testify. Though it was an invite he unsurprisingly turned down, it was a strong sign an indictment was on the way.
Prince William said it was an honour to welcome Jacinda Ardern to Earthshot's board of trustees

Jacinda Ardern has been appointed a trustee of the Prince of Wales' prestigious environment award, Kensington Palace has confirmed.

Prince William said it was an honour to welcome the former leader of New Zealand to the Earthshot Prize.

Ms Ardern resigned in January saying she no longer had "enough in the tank" to lead the country.

The former prime minister said she was "humbled and excited to be working with the Earthshot team".

Speaking of the appointment, Prince William said Ms Ardern's "life-long commitment to supporting sustainable and environmental solutions" and her experience would "bring a rich infusion of new thinking to our mission".

"Four years ago, before the Earthshot Prize even had a name, Jacinda was one of the first people I spoke to, and her encouragement and advice was crucial to the prize's early success.

"I am hugely grateful to her for joining us as she takes the next steps in her career," he added.

The Earthshot Prize was created by Prince William to fund projects that aim to save the planet.

Last year's awards in December, hosted by Prince William and Princess Catherine, saw five prizes handed out to winners from the UK, India, Australia, Kenya and Oman.

On joining Earthshot's board of trustees, Ms Ardern said since its creation she had believed in the prize's "power to encourage and spread not only the innovation we desperately need, but also optimism".

The former prime minister of New Zealand attended the Earthshot Prize Innovation Summit in New York in September 2022 where she spoke on behalf of Prince William, who had stayed in the UK following the death of the late Queen Elizabeth.

Chair of the board of trustees Christiana Figueres said she was "thrilled" to welcome Ms Ardern and had long been inspired by her "work as a catalysing force in the effort to combat climate change".

Since her resignation, Ms Ardern is also due to serve as an unpaid special envoy for the Christchurch Call, which she co-founded in 2019 to bring technology companies and countries together to combat extremism, according to Reuters news agency.

Prince William and Ms Ardern have met on numerous occasions, including when the former leader of New Zealand visited Kensington Palace during a visit to Britain in July last year.

Alongside his wife Catherine, Prince William also visited New Zealand in 2019 where he met survivors of the Christchurch mosque attacks.
Pool - Getty Images

Jacinda Ardern, the former Prime Minister of New Zealand, is teaming up with Prince William.



Kensington Palace announced today that Ardern will join the Board of Trustees of the Prince of Wales's Earthshot Prize. "Her commitment to sustainable development and climate action as Prime Minister of New Zealand strongly align with the optimistic ambition of The Earthshot Prize and its efforts to protect and restore our planet by 2030," Kensington Palace said in a statement.

Prince William said, "It is an honour to welcome Jacinda to The Earthshot Prize team. Her life-long commitment to supporting sustainable and environmental solutions, along with her experience as Prime Minister of New Zealand, will bring a rich infusion of new thinking to our mission."

He continued, "Four years ago, before The Earthshot Prize even had a name, Jacinda was one of the first people I spoke to, and her encouragement and advice was crucial to the Prizes early success. I am hugely grateful to her for joining us as she takes the next steps in her career."

Ardern, who stepped down as New Zealand's prime minister in January, has been involved with the Earthshot Prize before joining the board. Last year, she attended The Earthshot Prize Innovation Summit in New York, and spoke on behalf of Prince William.

"I am humbled and excited to be working with the Earthshot team. Since its inception, Ive believed Earthshots power to encourage and spread not only the innovation we desperately need, but also optimism. Solutions are within our reach if we invest, support and accelerate them globally," she said in a statement.

The third cohort of Earthshot Prize finalists will be announced this fall.

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The victim of a shooting at a gas station in Gautier Monday has been identified.

Maurice Shannon, 21, of Gautier died after being shot, said Jackson County Coroner Bruce Lynd Jr.

An autopsy is scheduled for later this week, the coroner said.

The shooting happened at around 3:20 p.m. at Pure gas station, 2218 Ladnier Road in Gautier.

Police are searching for a suspect seen running the from the scene toward the Crossing at Ladnier Apartments. Photos of the suspect were released Monday.

Anyone with information about the incident should contact the Criminal Investigations Division at 228-497-2486 or the Mississippi Coast Crime Stoppers at 1-877-787-5898.
An image from the "Baby Shark" music video. The Pinkfong Company

A pair of Oklahoma City jail guards were sentenced on a misdemeanor cruelty charge for forcing inmates to listen to the song "Baby Shark" as a punishment, USA Today reported Tuesday.

The guards, Gregory Cornell Butler Jr. and Christian Charles Miles, pleaded no contest to the charge and were sentenced to two years of probation. They were also fined $200, and additionally ordered to pay $300 in victim's compensation and complete 40 hours of community service.

The pair have also been banned from working in law enforcement, USA Today reported.

The charges stemmed from an investigation into Butler's and Miles' conduct in 2019. The investigation found that the guards allegedly chained prisoners to the wall and forced them to listen to "Baby Shark" on a loop at loud volumes for hours at a time, The Oklahoman reported in 2020.

The children's song has become infamous for its repetitive nature and irritating cadence. In 2018, it was described as "the year's most annoying song" by The Guardian and The Irish Times, among others.

In an affidavit obtained by The Oklahoman, the pair admitted that they had "systematically worked together and used the...[song] as a means to discipline inmates and teach them a lesson because they felt that disciplinary action within the Detention Center was not working in correcting the behavior of the inmates."

The case was built around four victims, USA Today noted, but investigators believed there were likely more. Butler and Miles were originally charged with misdemeanor counts of cruelty to a prisoner and conspiracy. At the time, Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater said it was "unfortunate that I could not find a felony statute to fit this fact scenario."

"I would have preferred filing a felony on this behavior," Prater had told The Oklahoman.

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WASHINGTON  A Jan. 6 defendant who was charged alongside the Donald Trump supporter who drove a stun gun into the neck of a Washington, D.C., police officer during the Capitol attack was convicted Tuesday on three counts.

The verdict was announced the same day former President Donald Trump was set to appear in court in Manhattan to be arraigned on charges related to hush money paid to adult film star Stormy Daniels.

Ed Badalian was arrested in November 2021 after he was indicted for conspiracy, obstruction of an official proceeding and aiding and abetting, and tampering with documents or proceedings. He was found guilty of conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States, obstruction of an official proceeding, and a misdemeanor count. He was found not guilty of a tampering count because the judge found that a government witness, a fellow Jan. 6 rioter, was a "hot mess" on the stand.

Badalian was charged alongside Daniel Rodriguez, a MAGA-hatted rioter who admitted that he had electroshocked Washington Police Officer Mike Fanone when Fanone was abducted by the mob. Rodriguez is set to be sentenced in May. A third man, known to online sleuths as #SwedishScarf and referred to in court as "Jeff," was indicted alongside the other two men, but has not yet been arrested. Law enforcement officials believe that he has fled the country.

U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson, who presided over Badalian's bench trial this year, delivered the verdict on Tuesday. She allowed Badalian to remain on release until his sentencing but ordered him to wear an ankle monitor. Walking out of the courtroom on Tuesday, Badalian called that "cruel and unusual punishment."

Jackson described Badalian as a "very self-satisfied young man" who seemed impressed by his own intelligence and charm.

Jackson said Badalian was "extremely well aware" of the electoral college proceedings on Jan. 6 and how the process worked. "This defendant knew exactly what Jan. 6 was all about," she said. His focus was not on antifa, but on arresting politicians, Jackson said, pointing to messages in which Badalian talked about arresting President-elect Joe Biden and then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.

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"No, Mr. Badalian, the Constitution does not give you the right" to arrest the House speaker, Jackson said.

Badalian drove a rented van across the country along with Rodriguez and told members of the groups that he had packed a respirator, masks, snow goggles, kneepads and baseball helmets for the group, according to his indictment.

Our duly elected leader has called his marching orders, we gotta show up, Badalian wrote in the Patriots 45 MAGA Gang chat on Dec. 21. Jackson said Tuesday that the Trump tweet gave the group "the focus it needs," by giving them a time and location.

"We don't want to fight antifa lol we want to arrest traitors," Badalian wrote before the Jan. 6 attack. When then-Attorney General William Barr finally said the election wasn't stolen, Badalian considered him a traitor, too.

At the Capitol, Badalian was at the western front when he pulled a man who was smashing a window away from the building, according to court documents and video. That man, who wore a green helmet covered in Trump stickers, has been listed as identified on the Sedition Hunters website for more than a year, since at least January 2022. Members of the crowd, including several Jan. 6 defendants, believe the man was antifa, and right-wing commentators have recirculated that conspiracy theory, suggesting that the man was a fake Trump supporter in recent weeks. But online sleuths told NBC News that he is, in fact, a Trump supporter, not a member of antifa. The U.S. Attorney's Office and the FBI Washington Field Office declined to comment on when the man would be arrested.

Edward Badalian at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. (U.S. Attorneys Office for the District of Columbia)

Badalian later stormed the building through the broken window, video shows, entering a suite of hideaway offices for U.S. senators, including Sen. Jim Risch, R-Idaho. Inside, rioters moved a conference table to use as a barricade and broke into another office. Rodriguez, Badalian and #SwedishScarf were inside the suite  along with the man in the green helmet  and Rodriguez and #SwedishScarf were some of the last rioters to leave the building. Rodriguez searched the room looking for "intel," and also tried to smash out the window to Risch's office to let more rioters in the building.

Judge Jackson said Tuesday that "Mr. Back the Blue"  Badalian  didn't turn in Rodriguez, nor did he do much to stop the attacks on law enforcement on Jan. 6. He also didn't take action against any others he thought were "antifa" once they get inside the building, she said.

"If he thought they were antifa, he wasn't much of an antifa fighter," she said.

Gina Bisignano, a Jan. 6 defendant who had pleaded guilty, testified during Badalian's trial as part of a plea agreement. She did not travel to Washington with Badalian but saw him in Washington and took a photo with him. Bisignano knew Rodriguez, Badalian and "Jeff" from pro-Trump events in the Beverly Hills area.

"I don't want to hurt anybody," Bisignano said on the stand. "I'm fighting for my life, I just want to tell the truth."

After the Capitol attack, Bisignano and Badalian appeared together on an InfoWars segment, in which Badalian went by the name Turbo." On air, Bisignano accidentally referred to him as "Ed," and testified that was a mistake. "I just forgot at that moment," she said.

Gina Bisignano, video shows, was amongst the first group of rioters to enter the tunnel on the west side of the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. (Department of Justice)

The indictment said that Badalian, Rodriguez and Jeff went to Bisignanos home when they arrived back from Washington and that Jeff unplugged her Alexa. They wanted her to get rid of the evidence. But on the stand, Bisignano said that Badalian didnt intimidate her, and had trouble recalling whether Badalian was even present that day.

Hes never been nasty or anything to me. Ever, Bisignano said. She said that Badalian wanted to get ahead of things by going to law enforcement.

Jackson said Bisignano was a "hot mess" on the stand, and said she was one of the worst witnesses she'd ever seen because of her inconsistent testimony.

While Jackson agreed with a defense witness' testimony about the "Patriot Paintball" sessions that Badalian organized  "two little boys playing war"  she said that while Badalian's organizing might be "incredibly immature," he thought of it as serious. She pointed to messages in which Badalian talked about how another Trump supporter needed to "grow a pair" and a message about the need to water the tree of liberty with the blood of tyrants.

Jackson set Badalian's sentencing hearing for mid-July.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
This story may contain details that are disturbing. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988.

Prepped, blanket statements about a girl's apparent suicide inside a New Jersey school aren't enough for her mom, who's been fighting for weeks to see security footage the day her daughter died.

Felicia LoAlbo-Melendez, 11, was found unresponsive on Feb. 6 in a bathroom at F.W. Holbein School in Mount Holly, after she was allegedly bullied, and died in a hospital two days later.

Her death was ruled a suicide by the medical examiner's office, which was part of a lengthy statement issued by the Burlington County Prosecutor's Office on March 29.

It was one of a couple statements by authorities, but that wasn't going to cut it for Felicia's mom, Elaina LoAlbo, whose push to see surveillance video reviewed by prosecutors gained over 5,500 signatures for an online petition as of Tuesday morning.

NJ STUDENT BULLIED LIKE ADRIANA KUCH A YEAR BEFORE TEEN'S SUICIDE AFTER SCHOOL ASSAULT FILMED: LAWSUIT

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Felicia LoAlbo-Melendez, 11, reportedly died by suicide in February.

The prosecutor's office told Fox News Digital on Tuesday that arrangements are being made to show Felicia's mom the footage.

"Our deepest sympathy remains with Ms. LoAlbo and her family concerning this tragic incident," the office said in an email.

"The investigation has concluded, and arrangements will be made in the near future for Ms. LoAlbo to be shown the footage."

ADRIANA KUCH DEATH: NJ PARENTS, STUDENTS ERUPT AT SCHOOL BOARD MEETING AFTER BULLIED TEEN'S SUICIDE

A week before Felicia died, she sent a letter to school officials about being bullied, LoAlbo told NJ.com. The girl also recently lost her dad, NJ Transit Detective Alexis Melendez, to cancer.

"(Felicia) herself had written numerous emails to the administration detailing the events, yet no one was ever questioned," LoAlbo told NJ.com on Saturday. "They have swept under the rug, the bullying that she and so many other kids in that school have encountered and now theyre doing the same with this investigation."

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Fox News Digital posed questions to the Mount Holly Township School District and the school board on Tuesday, but hasn't received responses yet.

About an hour away from the Mount Holly school, 14-year-old Adriana Kuch's apparent suicide captured national headlines after she was allegedly bullied and beaten in a video that went viral on social media.

SCHOOL DID NOTHING AFTER SON CHOCKED BY BULLY ON VIDEO, MOM SAYS

"The basis of it all is that bullying is happening in what is supposed to be a safe space," LoAlbo wrote on Facebook. "This school (FW Holbein) has failed me, this school is failing all of us.

"We need to do better. We need to help these children that come to us begging for help. Its time to speak up. The school administration didnt listen the first 50 times. Maybe they are ready to hear us now. This bullying needs to stop. There need to be consequences for their actions."

Bullying  in person and online  is a growing national issue and a "frequent discipline problem," according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

About 1 in 5 high school students reported being bullied on school property, and more than 1 in 6 high school students reported being bullied online in the last year, according to the CDC.

FATHER OF ADRIANA KUCH SPEAKS OUT FOLLOWING DAUGHTER'S DEATH AFTER BULLYING, CALLS FOR LAWS TO PROTECT KIDS

Nearly 14% of public schools report that bullying is a discipline problem occurring daily or at least once a week, the CDC says.

The federal government provided resources for parents, victims and school districts on stopbullying.gov, which is managed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Elaina LoAlbo's push to see surveillance video reviewed by prosecutors gained over 5,500 signatures for an online petition as of Tuesday morning.

"When adults respond quickly and consistently to bullying behavior they send the message that it is not acceptable," the website states. "Research shows this can stop bullying behavior over time.

"Parents, school staff, and other adults in the community can help kids prevent bullying by talking about it, building a safe school environment, and creating a community-wide bullying prevention strategy."
Joe Biden has revealed that he will not be attending King Charles IIIs coronation and that his wife Jill Biden will be going without him.

The White House confirmed in a readout of Bidens call with the King, shared on 4 April, that the first lady will be going to the coronation in May to represent the US.

The President congratulated the King on his upcoming Coronation and informed him that First Lady Jill Biden looks forward to attending on behalf of the United States, the statement read.

The White House said that Biden conveyed his desire to meet with the King in the United Kingdom at a future date. In addition to discussing the coronation, the pairs call was also about underscoring the strength of the relationship between [their] countries and the friendship between [their] peoples.

According to The Telegraph, many guests who received the save the date card for the Kings big day have been asked to tell the palace if theyre attending or not by Monday.

In September, Biden and his wife also visited the UK to join a plethora of world leaders at Westminster Abbey in paying their respects to the late Queen Elizabeth II.

While the US President may be missing the coronation in May, some other famous faces are expected to be at the ceremony. As David Beckham and his wife Victoria Beckham attended the Queens funeral in September, they are expected to get an invite to the Kings coronation.

Former Greys Anatomy star Sandra Oh attended the Queens funeral as a part of the Canadian delegation, alongside musicians Gregory Charles and Olympic gold medallist swimmer Mark Tewksbury. So, it could be likely that shell be at the coronation.

In addition, it has been reported that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex received an invitation to the event via email correspondence, following the release of Prince Harrys tell-all book, Spare, which featured multiple allegations about the royal family. However, the couple havent confirmed if they will be attending or not.

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Multiple members of the royal family are expected to be at the coronation, including Prince William, Kate Middleton, and Prince Andrew.

The coronation is set to take place on 6 May 2023 at Westminster Abbey, London and will be conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury, according to a statement from Buckingham Palace. This is the first coronation in 70 years, as the last one was in 1953, when the Queen was crowned at the age of 27.

Charles turned 74 years old in November 2022, making him the oldest person to be crowned in British history. There are expected to be 2,000 guests in attendance, a stark contrast to the 8,000 guests present at the Queens coronation.

The Independent has contacted a representative for Buckingham Palace and The White House for comment.
 Flash

Students are seen on campus of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), in Los Angeles, the United States, Sept. 23, 2021. [Photo/Xinhua]

The United States Supreme Court is set to consider in two pending cases whether the country's colleges may continue to use race as a factor in student admissions. The decision may change the future of affirmative action policy, introduced to redress historic discrimination, in higher education.

A study released on March 28 by Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce warns that racial and ethnic diversity on university campuses could decline even if the institutions give more weight to factors, such as the socio-economic class of applicants.

"Without race-conscious admissions, the role selective colleges play in creating equal opportunity in our society is likely to diminish," said Zack Mabel, co-author of the study.

According to the study titled "Race-Conscious Affirmative Action: What's Next," colleges would have to "fundamentally alter their admissions practices" to achieve diversity, particularly among Blacks, Hispanics and Indigenous students, if the Supreme Court bans affirmative action in college admissions.

According to the study, an alternative admissions process that includes socio-economic status would achieve a high level of racial and ethnic diversity if colleges eliminate preferences for legacy applicants, student athletes, those with ties to donors and other such factors that mostly benefit White, affluent applicants.

About 60 percent of top U.S. colleges consider race as a factor in admissions, according to 2015 estimates.

In addition, schools would have to expand their recruitment of high school students from disadvantaged backgrounds for a class-based alternative to produce a similar outcome to race-conscious admissions, the study found.

In 2022, the high court heard two cases that had arguments challenging affirmative action admission policies at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina that use race and ethnicity among other factors.

In the case at Harvard University, the group named Students for Fair Admissions accused the school of holding Asian-American students to a higher educational standard than it did African American or Hispanic students.

According to experts, if the U.S. Supreme Court rules against the colleges, the landscape of college admissions would change drastically, and many schools fear losing what they have gained in diversity over the years.
WASHINGTON (AP)  First lady Jill Biden will represent the U.S. at the coronation of King Charles III next month, President Joe Biden told the royal during a Tuesday call, the White House said.

Biden said he looked forward to meeting with the king in the U.K. at a future date," the White House said, and that his wife looks forward to attending on behalf of the United States.

The White House said the pair also discussed the strength of the relationship between our countries and the friendship between our peoples.

The president and the first lady jointly attended last year's funeral in London for Elizabeth II. No sitting U.S. president has ever attended a British royal coronation.
JK Rowling - Debra Hurford Brown

JK Rowling has claimed that young Scottish men are being taught they can attack girls with impunity after a child rapist was spared jail because he is aged under 25.

The Harry Potter author suggested that new sentencing guidelines, backed by the SNP, were another example of supposedly progressive Scottish policies backfiring and sent a message that first times free.

On Monday, Sean Hogg, 21, was sentenced to just 270 hours of community service for raping a 13-year-old girl in a park.

The judge in the case, Lord Lake, said that had Hogg been aged 25 or over, he would have been sentenced to between four of five years in jail.

However, under new sentencing guidelines introduced last year, Scottish courts are told to treat those aged up to 24 much more leniently than other adults.

It is claimed that younger offenders have much more capacity for rehabilitation and that they are less accountable for crimes as their brains have not yet fully developed.

Lord Lake claimed that a jail sentence for Hogg, who was 17 when he carried out the attack, would not be appropriate due to his age and because prison would not aid his rehabilitation.

Ms Rowling tweeted in response to the case:

Progressive Scotland 2023, where a man gets no jail time for raping a 13-year-old girl in a park. Young Scottish men are effectively being told first times free. https://t.co/iHeV1xZYyy  J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) April 4, 2023

While the sentencing guidelines were brought in by an independent body, set up by SNP ministers in 2015 with cross-party support at Holyrood, the Scottish Government publicly backed them.

Keith Brown, the former justice secretary, said they were smart and complimented the SNPs vision for youth justice.

The sentencing guidelines that saw Hogg spared jail were introduced north of the border in January last year, with justice a devolved area.

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They suggest that prison sentences should only be given out as a last resort to those under 25 at the time they plead or are found guilty.

The guidelines point to scientific research which concluded that the brain did not fully develop until as late as age 30.

However, the Scottish Tories branded the sentence for Hogg an insult to his teenage victim and claimed, the needs of a criminal have shamefully been put above those of a victim in the SNPs justice system.

Hogg - The Crown

Lord Lake told Hogg, who was sobbing as he appeared for sentencing at the High Court in Glasgow, that rape was one of the most serious crimes but that he had to consider his age as a factor.

Thomas Ross KC, a leading criminal defence lawyer, told the BBC: It is an extraordinary sentence. I have been working in the High Court for around 20 years and I have never seen anybody avoid prison for rape until yesterday.

Court papers stated Hogg, of Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, threatened the girl, seized her by the wrists and forced her to carry out a sex act before raping her in 2018.

He was found guilty by a jury but his lawyer has claimed he plans to appeal the conviction.

The Crown Office is considering whether to appeal the punishment on the grounds it was unduly lenient, though there are tough legal tests that must be passed in order to have a sentence quashed.
JK Rowling has led the backlash against the decision to spare a child rapist from jail time due to the fact that he is under 25.

On Monday (3 April), Sean Hogg, now-21, was sentenced to 270 hours of community service for raping a 13-year-old girl in a park when he was 17.

After Hogg was found guilty by a jury at the High Court in Glasgow, Judge Lord Lake said that he had to take Hoggs age into account.

This offence, if committed by an adult over 25, [would] attract a sentence of four or five years, the judge said during sentencing.

I dont consider that appropriate and dont intend to send you to prison. You are a first offender with no previous history of prison: you are 21 and were 17 at the time. Prison does not lead me to believe this will contribute to your rehabilitation.

Hogg was also put on the sex offenders register for three years.

Responding to the news on Twitter, Rowling, who alleged she was a domestic abuse and sexual assault survivor in 2020, wrote: Progressive Scotland 2023, where a man gets no jail time for raping a 13-year-old girl in a park. Young Scottish men are effectively being told first times free.

Progressive Scotland 2023, where a man gets no jail time for raping a 13-year-old girl in a park. Young Scottish men are effectively being told first times free. https://t.co/iHeV1xZYyy  J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) April 4, 2023

The Times reports that new guidelines introduced in Scotland last year suggest that the brain has not fully developed until the age of 26 and there should be leniency against prison for younger suspects.

Thomas Ross KC, a leading criminal defence lawyer, told the BBC: It is an extraordinary sentence. I have been working in the High Court for around 20 years and I have never seen anybody avoid prison for rape until yesterday.

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Rape Crisis Scotland said it was extremely concerned about the sentencing. We are shocked that the perpetrator of the rape of a 13-year-old girl has not received a custodial sentence, the group said in a statement.

Given the gravity of this crime and the fact it was tried at the high court, this sentence appears to us to be worryingly lenient. Our thoughts are with the survivor of this crime.

The author  who moved to Edinburgh in 1993  spoke more about her experience of domestic abuse in the first episode of a new podcast, The Witch Trials of JK Rowling.

Rowling claimed that her marriage to ex-husband Jorge Arantes became very violent and very controlling.

She said she didnt have a key to my own front door because hes got control of the front door and alleged that whenever she did leave the house and returned, he would look through her handbag.

Rowling also described sneaking the manuscript for Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone out of her house a few pages at a time as she feared Arantes would burn it.

Following Rowlings 2020 allegations, Arantes admitted to The Sun that he slapped her but denied any sustained abuse. He added that he was not sorry for slapping her.

Rape Crisis offers support for those affected by rape and sexual abuse. You can call them on 0808 802 9999 in England and Wales, 0808 801 0302 in Scotland, and 0800 0246 991 in Northern Ireland, or visit their website at www.rapecrisis.org.uk. If you are in the US, you can call Rainn on 800-656-HOPE (4673)

If you are a child and you need help because something has happened to you, you can call the NSPCC free of charge on 0800 1111. You can also call the NSPCC if you are an adult and you are worried about a child, on 0808 800 5000. The National Association for People Abused in Childhood (Napac) offers support for adults on 0808 801 0331

The national domestic abuse helpline offers support for women on 0808 2000 247, or you can visit the Refuge website. There is a dedicated mens advice line on 0808 8010 327. Those in the US can call the domestic violence hotline on 1-800-799-SAFE (7233). Other international helplines can be found via www.befrienders.org
John Travolta's white three-piece suit is expected to fetch up to $200,000

Holly Bower/Paramount/Kobal/Shutterstock John Travolta's Saturday Night Fever suit is up for auction

John Travolta's iconic white suit from Saturday Night Fever is up for auction in California.

The three-piece suit is expected to fetch up to $200,000 when it goes under the hammer as part of the "Hollywood: Classic & Contemporary" sale organized by Julien's Auctions and Turner Classic Movies (TCM), according to Julien's website.

"In a star-making turn at the young age of 23, Travolta transforms his character's street swagger and self-assuredness, seemingly meritless at first view, into the stuff of legend each time he struts onto the dance floor and showcases his natural dancing ability," reads the auction listing for the suit.

"Considered one of the most iconic costumes in the history of cinema, this suit is one of only two known to exist used during production, including in the film's memorable dance sequences. This specific Saturday Night Fever suit has never been exhibited, nor auctioned."

The auction is taking place between April 22 and April 23 and will also feature items including Harrison Ford's machete from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, an Iron Man helmet from Captain America: Civil War and a hoverboard used by Michael J. Fox in Back to the Future.

Related:Pizza Inferno: John Travolta Channels 'Saturday Night Fever' at Brooklyn Event in His Honor

Holly Bower/Paramount/Kobal/Shutterstock John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever

Travolta, 69, stepped out in the iconic suit for the 1977 movie's famous dance competition scene, where he hit the floor to "More Than A Woman" by the Bee Gees alongside costar Karen Lynn Gorney.

The performance earned Travolta a best actor nomination at the 1978 Academy Awards but he ultimately lost out Richard Dreyfuss for his role in The Goodbye Girl.

The polyester suit worn by Travolta had a starting bid of $25,000. As of Tuesday, it has received two bids and reached a high of $60,000.

VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images John Travolta's Saturday Night Fever suit

Related:John Travolta and Barry Gibb Pay Tribute to Grease and Saturday Night Fever Producer Robert Stigwood

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In 2018, Travolta sported a white suit jacket and black shirt that mimicked the outfit when he returned to a memorable New York location from the film.

The Grease star returned to Lenny's Pizza in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, an establishment his character made famous, and was honored by the borough in what was dubbed "John Travolta Day."

Travolta put Lenny's Pizza on the map in the opening credits of Saturday Night Fever when he ordered two slices from the eatery, stacked them, and ate them together as one as he strutted down the street.

Sadly the pizza establishment closed in February after more than 70 years of operating. Josephine Giordano, the daughter of owner Frank Giordano, announced the news in a Facebook post.

"It's bitter sweet to inform you guys that we are closing our doors after so many years," Giordano wrote. "My dad is finally retiring at 77 years old. We thankfully have done very well and felt it was best to close once my dad was ready. It's time for him and I to enjoy our families."

Kevin Winter/Getty John Travolta

Related:Ella Bleu Travolta Says Dad John Is 'Really Proud' of Her Budding Music Career

At the 2023 Academy Awards, Travolta also looked back at his career and paid tribute to his late Grease costar Olivia Newton-John, who died in August 2022 aged 73.

Never miss a story  sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

"In this industry, we have the rare luxury of getting to do what we love for a living, and sometimes getting to do it with people that we come to love," Travolta, 69, said. "Since tonight is a celebration of the work and the accomplishments of our community and this past year, it is only fitting then that we celebrate those we've lost who've dedicated their lives to their craft, both in front of and behind the camera. Through their immeasurable contributions, each of them left an individual and indelible mark that shared and informed us."

"They've touched our hearts. They've made us smile, and became dear friends who we will always remain hopelessly devoted to," Travolta added while becoming emotional.

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Read the original article on People.
The New York judge overseeing the Manhattan district attorneys case against Donald Trump warned the former president on Tuesday to refrain from social media posts with the potential to incite violence.

Judge Juan Merchans warning comes after Trump called for protests ahead of his indictment last month and suggested that charges could result in potential death & destruction.

Trumps attorney Todd Blanche said in court during Tuesdays arraignment that the former president had responded forcefully and was frustrated and upset by the request.

Imagine anybody in this courtroom who was in that position, Blanche said, adding, Every one of these posts are not threats.

Blanche also criticized Michael Cohens media appearances. Cohen, Trumps former personal attorney and longtime fixer, made the 2016 hush money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels that resulted in the criminal charges brought against the former president on Tuesday.

The judge told Trumps legal team that he does not share your view on the former presidents social media posts, but asked the Manhattan district attorneys office to talk with its witnesses as well.

Theres only so much we can do, Assistant District Attorney Chris Conroy said in response, adding they have talked with Cohen and will continue to do so.

Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Author Judy Blume took aim at Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) for banning certain topics in schools and the state after some Florida school districts banned certain books from their shelves, including some of Blumes own.

Teachers are under fire, librarians are threatened, Blume said at Varietys Power of Women luncheon on Tuesday. They are criminalizing teachers and librarians. Its not just that theyre threatening their jobs, theyre threatening them.

They could go to jail, all because they stand up for the rights of the students they teach. All because they refuse to give in to fear, Blume continued. Ive known librarians who have saved lives by handing the right book to the right child at the right time. And for that one kid, finding themselves in a book can be a lifesaver.

DeSantis proposed an expansion last month to the states so-called Dont Say Gay bill, which currently bans classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity to students in pre-K to third grade. An expansion of the bill would extend this prohibition on teaching similar topics to students in grades 4-12.

Some school districts in Florida have also banned books  including titles from Blume, James Patterson and Jodi Picoult  from their school libraries after DeSantis signed a bill requiring school libraries to seek the community input on the materials made available to children.

Blume is known for her books like Are You There God? Its Me, Margaret and Deenie, published in the 1970s that have received some backlash for including topics about puberty and sexuality.

I live in Key West  even though we like to pretend its not in Florida  we have the same governor, Blume said, calling DeSantis a governor who wants to control everything, starting with what kids can think, what they can know, what they can question, what they can learn, and now even what they can talk about.

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We have a legislator whos trying to put through a bill preventing girls in elementary school from talking about period, she continued, adding good luck there.

Picoult also voiced her concerns about Floridas book ban to the authors of an op-ed published by the The Washington Post last month after Martin County in Florida banned twenty of her books at once.

She said at the time that the books banned include gay characters, and issues like racism, disability, abortion rights, gun control, and other topics that might make a kid think differently from their parents.



For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Owen Diaz, a Black former contractor, was awarded $137 million in the racial discrimination case in 2021, but he and Tesla requested a new trial after a judge reduced the sum to $15 million.

Tesla is on the line for $3 million to a Black former contractor in a race-related work case that has been ongoing for years.

According to NBC News, a San Francisco federal jury ordered the automaker to pay $3 million in punitive damages and $175,000 in economic damages to Owen Diaz, an elevator operator at its Fremont, California, location in 2015 and 2016.

In 2021, Diaz was awarded $137 million, an amount that included punitive damages, after a jury found that Tesla violated his civil rights and did not take all necessary measures to stop and prevent racist harassment directed at him.

In an aerial view from last October, new cars sit in a parking lot at the Tesla factory in Fremont, California. A judge has ordered the company to pay $3 million in punitive damages to Owen Diaz, who was a Black contractor at the location in 2015 and 2016. (Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Judge William H. Orrick reduced the sum to $15 million, prompting Diaz and Tesla to request a new trial to determine damages.

Last week, the former contractor testified in court again about how his coworkers at Tesla used racist slurs to disparage him and other Black employees, made him feel physically unsafe, urged him to go back to Africa and left racist graffiti and a racist drawing around.

The crude drawing left at his workspace resembled Inki the Caveman, a widely criticized racist cartoon from the 1950s depicting a Black boy with big lips wearing earrings, a loincloth and a bone in his hair as the primary character.

Diaz shared that he pushed his son to get a job with Tesla, efforts he now regrets because he, too, was exposed to a racially hostile workplace.

Bernard Alexander, Diazs attorney, pleaded with the jurors during the final arguments to hold Tesla accountable for his clients suffering and the companys failure to stop the racist harassment of employees.

Alexander, who urged the jury to choose damages that will get Teslas attention, described Tesla as a business that must accuse others of lying because it cannot justify why it would permit violations of the Civil Rights Act at its factory.

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The plaintiffs lawyer asked the jury to give Diaz $6.3 million in past non-economic damages and $2 million in future damages, with punitive damages for Tesla estimated to be around $150 million.

Alex Spiro, a lawyer for Tesla, argued that instead of receiving millions of dollars in damages, Diaz should only receive compensation equal to about half of his annual pay  or a few tens of thousands.

On Friday, Spiro told the jury that Diaz lied to you, painting the former contract worker as an aggressive individual who frequently exaggerated details in his evidence, including the time he worked for Tesla. Spiro further alleged that Diaz fabricated his pain to get a larger settlement from the company.

According to the legal information website Plainsite, Tesla has been sued more than 200 times in the United States since 2018 by current or former workers and contractors, not including cases that went to arbitration immediately.

Just last week, John Goode, a Black former service manager, filed a lawsuit in Northern California alleging his white male supervisor at Tesla mistreated him and a Black colleague in Georgia. Goode claimed his boss terminated him on fabricated grounds after he objected to the treatment.

Diazs attorney cited the Civil Rights Act as he urged the jury to make an example out of Tesla, adding, Do justice, and justice is not cheap.

No Black man in 2015 should ever be subjected, Alexander noted, NBC reported, to this plantation mentality workplace.

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The post Jury orders Tesla to pay $3 million in race-related work case appeared first on TheGrio.
A San Francisco jury on Monday ordered Tesla to pay a Black former employee nearly $3.2 million for turning a blind eye to racism at the electric car maker's Silicon Valley plant.

The verdict in the retrial was a victory of sorts for Tesla, which had been ordered to pay Owen Diaz $137 million by a jury when the original trial ended in October 2021.

A judge later reduced the amount in keeping with legal standards, but Diaz rejected the judge's proffered damages amount in favor of a new trial.

Diaz was an elevator operator at the electric vehicle-maker's Fremont, California factory between June 2015 and July 2016, where he was subjected to racist abuse and a hostile work environment, according to the court filing.

In his lawsuit filed in 2017, Diaz said African American employees at the factory, where his son also worked, were regularly subjected to racist epithets and derogatory imagery.

Instead of a modern workplace, the plaintiffs "encountered a scene straight from the Jim Crow era," said the suit, originally filed by Diaz, his son, and a third former employee.

Diaz alleged that, despite complaints to supervisors, Tesla took no action over the regular racist abuse.

Following the original verdict in the suit, a Tesla human resources vice president downplayed the allegations of racist abuse in the lawsuit but acknowledged that Tesla "was not perfect" when Diaz worked there.

The company also said at the time that conditions have improved in the workplace since Diaz worked there.

gc/caw
Back in 2021, a San Francisco court ordered Tesla to pay Owen Diaz, a former Black contract worker who accused the company of enabling a racist workplace, $137 million in damages. It was one of the highest amounts awarded to an individual suing on the basis of discrimination, but the appeals that followed had lowered it significantly. While US District Judge William Orrick affirmed the jury's original verdict, he found the original damages awarded to Diaz "excessive" and lowered the total to $15 million. Now, a San Francisco federal jury has reduced the amount even further and has ordered Tesla to pay Diaz $3.2 million only.

The former elevator operator at Teslas Fremont assembly plant rejected the $15 million award Orrick had proposed and instead sought for a retrial. In the latest hearing, Diaz again recounted his experiences working for Tesla, where he said he and his fellow Black workers were subjected to racial slurs. He also said that he was made to feel unsafe at work and that other workers left drawings of swastika and racist graffiti, such as Inki the Caveman, in his workspace and the company restrooms.

Diaz's lawyers urged the jury to penalize Tesla, a company currently worth over $600 billion, an amount that will get its attention. But Tesla's lawyer Alex Spiro reportedly argued that Diaz should only be awarded half his salary. He apparently characterized Diaz as a liar in court, who misstated how long he worked at the automaker and who exaggerated his testimonies and the abuse he suffered to gain a bigger payout.

We may not be seeing the end to this case, though. According to the Los Angeles Times, Diaz's lawyer believes the jury decided on awarding him only $3 million in punitive damages and $175,000 in non-economic damages because he was wrongly attacked by the defense. He said Tesla's strategy to "minimize and sanitize" worked and that he has already filed a request for a new trial due to "misconduct."
A familys desperate search for their loved one continues now ten days after he was last seen.

Brandon Pfeifer-Davis, 22, was last seen at McFaddens on the North Shore on March 24.

RELATED >>> Pittsburgh police searching for missing man

He has not contacted anyone or shown up for work. His car is still parked at his home in Greenfield.

Brandons grandfather, Bob, is leading the search for his grandson.

Its like he ghosted. He just disappeared, Bob said. Hes definitely not on the shoreline. This group of people went through, and I mean they went through. They went through weeds, brush, you name it. They knocked it down. Nothing.

The family has even used drones to search, but havent found anything.

We know that hed been drinking. How much? I dont really know, Bob said. Im not giving up. We were out today, again. I have nothing to do. Im retired. Ill search until I find him or I die. One or the other.

Bob tells Channel 11 hes sure his grandson is still alive.

Im not going to say hes dead until I find a body, he said. If you see him, tell him we love him. We love him more than anything. Please, please, Brandon. Please, come home.

If youd like to help in the search or know anything about Brandons whereabouts, you can reach Bob by either emailing or calling him:

bdavis30617@gmail.com

412-310-1316

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McDonald's closes U.S. offices briefly ahead of layoffs

Xinhua) 10:03, April 04, 2023

Customers eat at a McDonald's restaurant in New York, the United States, July 23, 2010. (Xinhua/Shen Hong)

Local media on Monday cited an internal email of McDonald's as saying that its U.S. corporate staff and some employees overseas should work from home while waiting for notification of their job status.

CHICAGO, April 3 (Xinhua) -- McDonald's has closed its U.S. offices for a few days ahead of informing employees about layoffs.

Local media on Monday cited an internal email of the Chicago-based fast food chain company as saying that its U.S. corporate staff and some employees overseas should work from home while waiting for notification of their job status.

McDonald's would inform its employees this week about staffing decisions as part of its wide restructuring "Accelerating the Arches" program announced earlier in January, which would focus on "deliveries, Drive Thru, digital and development."

The fast food giant has more than 150,000 employees in corporate roles. About 70 percent of those employees are based outside the United States.

McDonald's reported its global sales rose nearly 11 percent in 2022, and sales in the United States climbed almost 6 percent. In its latest annual report, it cited difficulties in adequately staffing some of its outlets.

Layoffs have been mounting in the United States, mainly in the technology sector. IBM, Microsoft, Amazon, Salesforce, Facebook parent Meta, Twitter and DoorDash have all announced layoffs in recent months.

The Federal Reserve forecast earlier that U.S. unemployment rate may rise to 4.6 percent by the end of this year.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
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This photo taken on April 6, 2022 shows a sculpture and flags at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium. [Photo/Xinhua]

Finland will officially become the 31st member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) on Tuesday, April 4, the Finnish president's office said on Monday.

Finnish President Sauli Niinisto, Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto and Defense Minister Antti Kaikkonen will attend the accession ceremony at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, the office said in a press release.

On behalf of Finland, Haavisto will deposit its instrument of accession with the U.S. State Department in Brussels on Tuesday. To mark the occasion, the country's flag will be hoisted outside NATO's headquarters.

Speaking ahead of the April 4-5 meeting of the foreign affairs ministers of the NATO member states in Brussels, the alliance's Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, said that "we have seen the fastest ratification process in NATO's modern history."

Along with Sweden, Finland handed in its official letter of application on May 18, 2022. Sweden's application has yet to be ratified by Turkiye and Hungary.

"I look forward to also welcoming Sweden as a full member of the NATO family as soon as possible," Stoltenberg said, calling it a "top priority."
Protesters climbed the Queen Elizabeth II bridge in Dartford which saw traffic being stopped by police

Two protesters who scaled the Dartford Crossing bridge have been found guilty of causing a public nuisance.

Just Stop Oil activists Morgan Trowland, 40, of Islington, London, and Marcus Decker, 34, of no fixed address, claimed it was a peaceful protest.

The trial at Basildon Crown Court heard they scaled to a height of 200ft (60m) on the bridge's cables in October last year.

They are due to be sentenced at the same court on 13 April.

The crossing linking the M25 over the River Thames between Essex and Kent was closed from 04:00 BST on 17 October until 21:00 the following day.

During the trial jurors heard that after scaling the bridge cables they unfurled a Just Stop Oil banned and rigged up hammocks.

Prosecutor Adam King told the trial the pair had deliberately tried to cause disruption.

He said their actions "caused gridlock for miles around throughout that period, which we say was the point."

Trowland said he and Decker had climbed the bridge to unfurl a banner

Mr King told jurors: "We're not here to litigate the government's climate change policy."

Trowland had said in evidence: "We climbed it [the bridge] to deliver a warning message, to put up a banner saying Just Stop Oil and to speak that message through interviews with journalists."

He said the activist group's goal was to get the government to stop licensing oil and gas production.

Judge Shane Collery KC remanded them in custody ahead of sentencing and said custodial sentences were being considered.

He said: "We're dealing with significant nuisance that's been caused."

The pair have spent more than five months in custody, having been remanded at their first appearance at Southend Magistrates' Court on 20 October and face a maximum of 10 years in prison.

Sean Irish, of Just Stop Oil, said outside court: "Just Stop Oil will not stop because of a crackdown.

"The climate crisis is more terrifying than 10 years in a British cell."

He said the verdicts were "quite disappointing".

Essex Police said that those impacted by the traffic disruption included a "heavily pregnant woman who needed urgent medical help".

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Another person missed the funeral of their best friend of 35 years, the force said, and a business lost more than 160,000 in earnings.

Ch Supt Simon Anslow, who led the force's response to the incident, said: "The actions of Trowland and Decker were incredibly dangerous; for themselves, for the officers who were tasked with dealing with them and for the many, many people whose lives were disrupted as a result."

Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email eastofenglandnews@bbc.co.uk
Their proposal wound up being a more spontaneous affair than originally planned, but actors Justin Long and Kate Bosworth are officially engaged.

Bosworth, whose credits include Superman Returns and Blue Crush, confirmed the news Tuesday in an Instagram post promoting the latest episode of Life Is Short, a podcast hosted by her future husband.

These things are funny to announce. How to do this right? she wrote, before playfully alluding to the titles of some of their past films.

Hes going the distance? Ive got a Blue Crush? Hes just THAT into me? Ive won a date with??? Ok you get it!

She went on to say, If life is short, find the one who brings you endless peace and radical wonder.

On Tuesdays episode of his podcast, Long shared how he initially had a special thing planned for sometime around Bosworths 40th birthday on Jan. 2. The actual proposal, however, spilled out after a shared therapy session, he said.

Things change, and sometimes they change pretty drastically without any warnings, said the Jeepers Creepers actor.

It was a moment where it just felt so organic, and it felt connected to something very, very deeply, profoundly personal that we were going through  a real life change.

Justin Long, left, and Kate Bosworth attend the 2023 Vanity Fair Oscar Party.

Justin Long, left, and Kate Bosworth attend the 2023 Vanity Fair Oscar Party.

I remember waking up not so many mornings after that therapy session, and I looked at Justin, Bosworth recalled on the podcast. I smiled at you, and I said, What do you need? And he really looked at me, and he said, To spend my life with you.

Bosworth and Long didnt specify exactly when the proposal had taken place. The couple had sparked engagement rumors at the Academy Awards last month, as Bosworth was visibly sporting a diamond ring.

Prior to his relationship with Bosworth, Long dated the actors Drew Barrymore, with whom he co-starred in the 2009 romantic comedy Hes Just Not That Into You, and Amanda Seyfried. Bosworth announced her split from screenwriter Michael Polish in August 2021 after about eight years of marriage.

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Long and Bosworth met earlier in 2021 while working on the movie House of Darkness. In May of that year, Bosworth praised the experience of filming with Long, whom she described on Instagram as a truly spectacular person.

In spring 2022, the pair were photographed together in New York and Hawaii. However, Long didnt publicly address the relationship until appearing on comedian Chelsea Handlers podcast Dear Chelsea in May.

Theres something about it, for me, that I feel like I need to protect and keep sacred because it feels sacred, he said at the time. Ive never had anything like this before; Ive never experienced this.

Listen to the full Life Is Short episode with Bosworth below:

Related...
As the Kansas City area is predicted to possibly see a round of severe weather beginning Tuesday, including thunderstorms and strong winds that could generate tornadoes, the National Weather Service was advising residents to stay tuned to the forecast.

Storms are expected to land in the area Tuesday afternoon and evening. The weather service says central and northeast Missouri are at greater risk, but cautions that a few isolated tornadoes cannot be ruled out in the Kansas City area.

Other hazards include hail and potentially damaging wind gusts around 50 miles per hour.

There is the chance for a few different rounds of severe weather tomorrow. With the active weather, be sure you have a way to receive additional information! pic.twitter.com/n1Ef9f2WnT  NWS Kansas City (@NWSKansasCity) April 3, 2023

There is the chance for a few different rounds of severe weather tomorrow. With the active weather, be sure you have a way to receive additional information! the weather service said in a tweet Monday night.

The weather services Storm Prediction Center has placed the Kansas City area at a slight risk of severe thunderstorms, which means that scattered severe storms are possible. Any severe weather that develops should be short-lived and not widespread. Isolated intense storms are possible.

Temperatures to start the week will be quite warm, with the Kansas City expecting to reach the mid-70s on Monday and the mid-80s on Tuesday.

Predicted high winds have also led to increased concern that fires could rapidly spread Tuesday.

Dry and quiet weather conditions are expected to return, with temperatures in the 50s on Wednesday and Thursday.

The Stars Robert A. Cronkleton contributed to this report.
For the first time since Kansas voters upheld the state right to an abortion, Kansas lawmakers sent a bill on the topic to Democratic Gov. Laura Kellys desk.

The Kansas House voted 86 to 36 Tuesday to pass a bill requiring physicians to provide care to infants born alive during an abortion and report data to the state when it happens  even as abortion providers and medical experts say it does not happen.

Kelly has consistently expressed support for abortion rights and has vetoed new regulations in the past, but the House and Senate both approved the legislation with more than the two-thirds majority needed to override a veto.

Similar legislation has been pushed by anti-abortion groups nationwide at the state and federal level. Physicians are already required to provide care under existing Kansas law and federal law specific to abortion passed more than a decade ago. The new Kansas law, however, would apply criminal penalties if a Kansas abortion doctor fails to act.

Proponents have painted a picture of infants left to die if they are born during a failed abortion. The legislation, they say, ensures that does not happen.

Were talking about human life here folks, Rep. John Eplee, an Abilene Republican and family physician, said during a debate on the bill last month. This bill is our best attempt to provide guidelines, guardrails with practitioners that we do as much as we can.

But abortion providers say it is unnecessary government overreach that could prevent palliative care if an infant is born before viability. The situation abortion opponents are seeking to avoid does not happen in modern care, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

Rep. Susan Ruiz, a Shawnee Democrat, spoke against the bill on the grounds that it could require physicians to transport an infant to a hospital rather than allow parents to hold it.

The mother, the father, the family have the right to ask for palliative care, Ruiz said.

States that do collect data on these situations have found a small number of cases. In 2021 Texas reported 1 born alive case among more than 53,000 abortions. According to the Charlotte Lozier Institute, an anti-abortion research center, there have been 111 cases over the past five years in Arizona, Florida, Minnesota and Texas. The details of the cases, and whether the infants survived, are unclear.

It does happen and the way the abortion industry is trying to erase these individuals, who through their lives have to persevere daily over trauma, pain and complication, its just appalling, said Kelsey Pritchard, director of State Public Affairs for Susan B. Anthony Pro Life America, a national anti-abortion group that has advocated for the policy.
Karen McDougal attends a Playboy party in Miami Beach, Florida on 6 February 2010

The case against Donald Trump is focused on a payment made to porn star Stormy Daniels. However, the prosecutor also mentioned another woman.

According to background documents, a payment was made on Mr Trump's behalf to "Woman 1" - who evidence suggests is Karen McDougal.

Ms McDougal is an ex-Playboy model and, like Ms Daniels, claimed she had an affair with Mr Trump.

She said it lasted 10 months. Mr Trump has denied it ever happened.

Here's what we know about Ms McDougal and how she's involved in this case.

Born in Gary, Indiana, before moving to Michigan as a child, Ms McDougal first began modelling in swimwear competitions in her 20s.

She joined Playboy where she went on to win Playmate of the Year in 1998 and was voted "Playmate of the 90s", second to Pamela Anderson.

She later worked as a fitness model, becoming the first woman to appear on the cover of Men's Fitness magazine in 1999. She also appeared in TV adverts and in minor acting roles, such as an uncredited cameo in the 2000 film Charlie's Angels.

Playboy's Hugh Hefner with Karen McDougal at the Playboy Mansion in Beverly Hills in 1998

In 2006, the New Yorker magazine reported that according to Ms McDougal, she met Mr Trump at the Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles, where he was recording an episode of The Apprentice.

She later wrote that Mr Trump, who was married at the time, "immediately took a liking to me, kept talking to me - telling me how beautiful I was, etc".

Ms McDougal claims that she and Mr Trump had a 10-month relationship, and they saw each other "a minimum five times a month". She described the relationship to CNN as loving and consensual.

In 2016, in the run-up to the presidential election, Ms McDougal signed a deal worth $150,000 (106,000) to tell her story exclusively to the tabloid newspaper, the National Enquirer.

The agreement banned her from talking publicly about the alleged affair.

However, the article was never published and Ms McDougal insists she was tricked into silence about the relationship.

Purchasing a story deliberately to then bury it is known as "catch and kill" - and the National Enquirer reportedly did this to suppress negative stories about Mr Trump.

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In 2021, the US Federal Election Commission, which is in charge of enforcing campaign finance law, found that the Enquirer's publisher violated election laws by paying for the rights to Ms McDougal's story and never publishing it.

It found that the money, which was paid to Ms McDougal during the 2016 presidential election, amounted to an illegal campaign contribution. The National Enquirer was fined $187,500 (132,000).

According to her website, Ms McDougal now describes herself as a model, columnist, advocate and spokesmodel.

She calls herself an advocate for greater awareness of "breast implant illness", saying her breast implants made her sick. She had them removed in 2017.

In 2018, she publicly apologised to Mr Trump's wife, Melania, about the alleged affair, saying: "I'm sorry. I wouldn't want it done to me."

"When I look back, where I was back then, I know it's wrong," she said. "I'm really sorry for that. I know it's a wrong thing to do."

This week, Ms McDougal seemed to allude to Mr Trump's legal battle on Instagram, posting a series of photos of herself with the caption: "I've been out and about in Gods country...I hope I didn't miss anything".

Mr Trump has always denied having an affair with Ms McDougal.

The indictment that Mr Trump is facing is solely targeted towards the hush money payment to Stormy Daniels.

The details concerning Ms McDougal are contained in the district attorney's statement of facts, which is given as background information to the case.

Mr Trump has pleaded not guilty to all counts on the indictment.

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Former Ohio Republican Gov. John Kasich said former President Donald Trumps indictment and arraignment Tuesday, and myriad legal troubles, means theres no way he can go back to the White House.

If the Manhattan case stood alone, Kasich said Republican voters could put up with Trumps indictment, but combined with the ongoing Georgia grand jury investigation into Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election and the Justice Departments probe into his handling of classified documents, thats just too much water for him to take, Kasich said.

Read the Trump indictment: Donald Trump charged with crimes in New York

Related: Photos capture unprecedented indictment and arraignment of former President Donald Trump

Ohio Gov. John Kasich speaks during a news conference with Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper at the National Press Club in Washington, Tuesday, June 27, 2017, about Republican legislation overhauling the Obama health care law.

What are Trumps other legal challenges?

Kasich referred to two other major legal battles Trump is currently facing.

A Georgia grand jury wrapped up an eight-month investigation into Trumps efforts to overturn the 2020 election in the state in February. The grand jury recommended indictments against multiple people, which could include Trump.

The Justice Department along with an independent special counsel is investigating how Trump handled classified documents at his private Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida. The Washington Post reported Sunday that the department found new evidence of possible obstruction by Trump in the investigation.

Stay in the conversation on politics: Sign up for the OnPolitics newsletter

Former President Donald Trump appears in court for his arraignment, Tuesday, April 4, 2023, in New York. Trump surrendered to authorities ahead of his arraignment on criminal charges stemming from a hush money payment to a porn actor during his 2016 campaign

Kasich: No way in a million years independents will vote for Trump

While those court battles might not result in legal consequences for Trump, Kasich said, electorally, Trump has already lost.

Hes like the master of escape and we just have to wait and see, Kasich said. But heres what I do know. Theres no way the guy is gonna be president.

Kasich added that there is no way in a million years that independents and traditional Republicans will vote for Trump with so many legal challenges hovering over him.

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Trump after arrest: What's next legally and politically for the former president?

And among Trumps own supporters, they could be exhausted from Trumps constant legal troubles, Kasich said.

I think exhaustion is sort of like water in a boat. It begins to overflow the boat and begins to sink (Trump), Kasich said.

Theres just people who are just tired. They just want this to go away, Kasich continued, pointing to Trump's loss in the 2020 election and Republicans disappointing performance in the 2022 midterm elections. People are like Im fed up with all this stuff. And so those independents came out, many of them Republicans, and they delivered a significant win for the Democrats.

In a Dec. 13, 2018, file photo, then-Ohio Gov. John Kasich sits for an interview with The Associated Press in Columbus. Kasich, who ran against President Donald Trump in the 2016 Republican primary, says he supports impeachment.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kasich: 'No way' Trump can go to White House after indictment, arrest
A kayaker called police after finding a body floating in the Mohawk River in upstate New York, police said.

A water rescue team recovered the body in Niskayuna, a suburb of Albany, on April 1, according to a news release from the New York State Police.

The body was identified as Kevin White, a 41-year-old man from Canajoharie  a town about 40 miles upriver  who had been missing for months, police said.

Our hearts go out to any of Kevins friends and family, Bryan MacFadden, the Canajoharie police chief, said at a news conference. I would hope that anybody who knows the family would contact them and give them their support in this trying time.

White was last seen walking over the Mohawk River Bridge on Jan. 12, MacFadden said. He was reported missing four days later.

Multiple police agencies were involved in the search for White, MacFadden said.

Numerous sightings of White had been reported since he went missing, but none could be confirmed, MacFadden said.

When the body was found April 1, 11 weeks after he disappeared, a green shirt and khaki pants appeared to match the clothes White was wearing when he was last seen, police said in a news release.

An autopsy was performed April 3, which confirmed his identity, MacFadden said. There was no evidence of foul play.

The chief of Canajoharie police stopped over today to let me know they found my son, Whites father wrote on Facebook. RIP my sonlove you!

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Kell Brook has said he is disgusted by the news that Amir Khan tested positive for a banned substance after their fight last year.

Brook stopped Khan in the sixth round in February 2022, settling a bitter rivalry between the Britons, and it was revealed on Tuesday (3 April) that Khan tested positive for ostarine after the Manchester bout.

Khan, 36, announced his retirement shortly after the loss to Brook  who also retired after the fight  and his ban is backdated to April 2022, meaning it will expire in April 2024. An independent tribunal accepted Khans claim that he had not taken the substance intentionally, and the former world champion said on Tuesday: Ive never cheated in my life, I would never cheat. I never will.

Brook, 36, has now responded, telling iFL TV: I heard about it today, I heard it when everyone else heard about it. Im disgusted. Its been over a year since we boxed. Finding out this guy [was] cheating in the fight that we had, it makes me feel sick.

[After our fight], I followed him on Instagram, wrote him a private message on there, saying: Forget about the bad blood, nothing but love, we got it on for the fans, and I wish you and your family all the best. After seeing and hearing about this today, hes been straight away unfollowed.

Ive got three beautiful kids, hes gone in there to hurt me on some drug that hes been on. Its a f***ing joke.

Brook, a former world champion himself, dismissed the idea that Khan ingested the substance unknowingly.

He said: Its the same thing with everyone thats been caught out; They didnt know. Its not about, He didnt know. You know its in your system, youve gone in there [with] bad intentions to hurt me bad and win the fight at all costs  which has come back and bit him in the a*** bad.

It could be a completely different story. I could be in a wheelchair now, with him seriously destroying my life or killing me, making me crippled forever.

Because I won, people are gonna forget about it. He came into that ring cheating, trying to boost himself up, trying to get the advantage on me  instead of doing it in a 12-week camp naturally. Hes taken drugs to enhance his performance, so he can seriously hurt me in that ring, [which] you can legally get killed in. He needs to pay bad.

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If he was kind of thinking of coming back, he should never fight again, with what hes tried to do in that ring against me. It just makes me think of my three kids, that their dad might have been impaired  not the same guy.

Brook also insisted that the episode will affect Khans legacy in the eyes of the public.

Hes gonna have to live with that, Brook said of the Olympic silver medalist. People are gonna think: How longs he been on these drugs? Of course its gonna tarnish his career terribly. Hes gone in there, got an absolute pasting, hammering. Imagine if he werent on them drugs, he probably wouldve gone out in the first round. He were on all these drugs, and he still took a massive hiding.

Hes got to live with that beating for the rest of his life, hes got to live with cheating.
A 41-year-old Kennewick man could serve more than 20 years in prison for molesting a young girl at his Kennewick home.

A jury last week found Alex B. Castro guilty of two counts of first-degree child rape and two counts of first-degree child molestation following a five-day trial.

Each of those convictions comes with a aggravating circumstance of using a position of trust and demonstrating a pattern of abuse.

Castro inappropriately touched the child multiple times while she was at his home, according to court documents.

The girl told her grandmother about the abuse while she was visiting her out of state. The grandmother notified her local police department, which then notified the Kennewick Police Department.

He was charged in 2017 but because of routine delays, the trial wasnt held until nearly five years later.

The Benton County prosecutors praised the girls bravery in testifying against Castro and her ability to persevere.

Sentencing is tentatively scheduled for later in April.

He is facing a minimum term of 20 to 26 1/2 years in prison. After that a Washington state determinate sentencing board will decide if he should be released.

Given the aggravating factors the state may seek a sentence beyond 26 1/2 years, Deputy Prosecutor Anita Petra said. At this time, the state has not made a decision as to what sentence they will recommend.
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP)  In the years it takes Kentucky bourbon to mature in new oak barrels, producers have faced two certainties: They lose a portion of the aging whiskey to evaporation  known as the angel's share  and pay a tax on the containers. Now they're going to get relief from one of them.

Kentucky's legislature voted to completely phase out the property tax on the value of barrels of aging spirits. The action  taken in the final hours of this year's session  was toasted by the booming bourbon industry but left a bitter taste among some local leaders whose communities rely on the tax money. Gov. Andy Beshear signed the measure soon after it reached his desk.

The state's $9 billion distilling industry sees the bill's passage last week as a milestone to help secure bourbon supremacy in Kentucky.

Supporters said without the action, distillers' tax payments would have mounted amid surging inventories. They worried that producers would start building warehouses in other states, which could result in production moving away. The Bluegrass State is home to 95% of the world's bourbon production, the Kentucky Distillers' Association said. The barrel tax is assessed only in Kentucky, and its removal will stimulate more rounds of growth in a state where nearly 12 million barrels of spirits are aging in warehouses, it said.

Kentucky distillers will finally receive equal treatment with every other manufacturer whose goods are not taxed during the production process, the distillers' association said in a statement.

But the industry's victory came at a potential cost: fraying its relations with some local governments where they operate. Local officials told lawmakers that spirits companies were breaking promises they made when seeking approval for distillery projects. The producers touted the benefits to local governments from the barrel tax, they said.

They brought the projections of what the payments would be for 10, 20, 30 years," said Josh Ballard, a city council member in Loretto, home of the Makers Mark distillery. "They talked about our children and our childrens children would benefit by allowing them to build in our communities.

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Local officials acknowledged the benefits of having distilleries nearby, including the popularity of whiskey tourism. But they pointed to the strains that spirit production puts on local governments  from wear and tear on roads to the significant use of water and sewer systems  that they said will become greater financial burdens once barrel tax revenues evaporate.

When is it going to stop? asked Mayor Richard Dick Heaton of Bardstown, a hub of bourbon production. When is enough enough with all the tax policy changes you all have made?"

The industry said it offered concessions to help cushion affected local governments, agreeing to a longer phaseout of the tax and protecting funding for schools, fire departments and ambulance services in counties where distilled spirits are stored.

For affected city and county governments, officials will have 20 years to plan and diversify their tax bases, the distillers' group said. Distillers storing barrels in warehouses financed by industrial revenue bonds, to abate local property taxes, will pay barrel taxes as long as those contracts are in place.

The local officials and their supporters downplayed the barrel tax's impact on Kentucky distillers, pointing to the industry's unprecedented growth as demand for American whiskeys surges.

This is a tax cut for a booming industry," said Republican state Rep. Candy Massaroni of Bardstown. And ultimately, this is going to put more of a tax burden upon my constituents.

Under terms of the bill, the industry projects local revenues from barrel taxes, as they are phased out from 2026 through 2043, would not dip below 2025 baseline levels until 2039. That projection is based on 10% annual industry growth; if growth continues at higher rates, it would be later before revenues fall below that baseline.

Bourbon gets its flavor and golden brown color from aging, with most premium bourbons aging between six and 10 years, the distillers' association said.

Last year the industry paid nearly $40 million in barrel taxes, about three times the amount in 2014, the distillers' group said. Aging barrels of spirits are taxed at both the local and state levels. At the state level, it's 5 cents per $100 of assessed value, it said. At the local level, it's based on each county's property tax rate. Last year, the total tax assessed value of all aging barrels in Kentucky reached a record level, surpassing $5 billion, the group said.

Based on the current trajectory for barrel filling and storage, those taxes are doubling every six to seven years, putting the industry on a course to reach $250 million in barrel taxes paid in 2039 without action to reduce taxes or move barrels out of state, it said. The distillers' association said its member distilleries are in the midst of a $5.2 billion building boom.

Republican Sen. Jimmy Higdon, whose district covers the heart of bourbon country, said local officials didnt have dollar signs in their eyes and were willing to receive much less revenue to make this work.

The Kentucky Center for Economic Policy said distillers already receive millions in economic development subsidies, income tax discounts and property tax exemptions. The distillers' group said that even with the relief from the barrel tax, distilling remains Kentuckys highest-taxed industry.

After achieving its tax policy victory, the industry appeared to acknowledge it has some relationship-mending to do. The distillers' association said it hopes communities and distillers can move forward together to create more distilling jobs and attract tourists.
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Chinese doctors provide medical examinations for the local people in Kigali, Rwanda, on March 27, 2023. [Photo/Xinhua]

The 23rd Chinese medical team in Rwanda has donated a consignment of medical supplies to Masaka Hospital in the Kicukiro district in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda.



The team presented various medical supplies to the hospital Monday, including hand disinfectant, dental treatment equipment, medical isolation goggles, disposable sterile operating overalls, and electric operating table.

Upon receiving the donation at Masaka Hospital, Director General Jean Damascene Hanyurwimfura expressed his gratitude to the Chinese medical team for their generous support toward the hospital's medical care.

"The Chinese medical team has been providing specialist medical support which has contributed to improved medical care at the hospital. The medical equipment donation would enhance the hospital's capacity to diagnose and treat a wide range of medical conditions, ultimately leading to better health outcomes for patients," he said.

Speaking at the event, Zhao Shangjun, the leader of the Chinese medical team, said that the donation will help in providing specialized medical care to patients at Masaka Hospital.

"We discussed with the hospital authorities about the shortage of medical equipment in the hospital. Based on their needs, we donated various medical supplies to Masaka Hospital, including an electric operating table. We believe that this donation will significantly improve the hospital's capacity to deliver quality medical care," said Zhao.

At the event, Wang Jiaxin, the economic and commercial counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Rwanda, said that providing medical supplies to Masaka Hospital is an annual activity of the Chinese medical team. "The better the hospital is equipped with medical care necessities, the better the service provided to local patients."

He said that the medical cooperation between China and Rwanda has been going on for several years, with the Chinese medical team providing medical care support to Masaka and Kibungo hospitals. China started to dispatch medical teams to Rwanda in 1982.
With only one month left until the 149th running of the Kentucky Derby on May 6 at Churchill Downs in Louisville, one horse has separated itself from the pack as a clear front-runner for this years Run for the Roses.

Forte  trained by Todd Pletcher and ridden by Irad Ortiz Jr.  has been nothing short of sensational in his racing career.

Forte has six wins in seven career starts, including in each of his last five races dating back to September.

This stretch includes triumphs in the Grade 1 Hopeful Stakes (Saratoga), the Grade 1 Breeders Futurity (Keeneland), the Grade 1 Breeders Cup Juvenile (Keeneland), the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth (Gulfstream) and the Grade 1 Florida Derby (Gulfstream).

In that Florida Derby win on Saturday, Forte overcame an undesirable post draw (No. 11 in a 12-horse field) and charged late in the final sixteenth of a mile to go from third to first.

As Forte has established himself as the preeminent 3-year-old in his class, time is running out for another top challenger to emerge on the Derby prep circuit.

A total of 44 Kentucky Derby qualifying races have been run, with 33 as part of the American road to the Derby, seven as part of the European road and four as part of the Japanese road.

The American leaderboard is headlined by the aforementioned Forte (190 points), with Angel of Empire (154 points) and Two Phils (123 points) comprising the top three.

The European leaderboard was topped by Brave Emperor (IRE) with 32 points. Brave Emperor sealed his Derby spot, should his connections want it, with a third-place finish last Saturday in the Cardinal Condition Stakes in England.

The Japanese leaderboard was paced by Continuar (JPN) with 40 points.

Of note, Derma Sotogake (JPN) is fourth on the American leaderboard with 100 points and will be racing in the Derby after winning the UAE Derby last month, a race that is considered part of the American road to the Derby despite being held in the Middle East.

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Continuar finished third in the UAE Derby and appears set to also take part in the Derby via the Japanese pathway.

The 20-horse Derby field features 18 spots reserved for horses that qualify through the American pathway, and one spot each for a Europe-based and Japan-based horse.

Only four races remain that will award qualifying points toward the Kentucky Derby, and all will be contested in the Untied States.

Two of these races will occur as part of the 2023 Spring Meet at Keeneland  the Blue Grass Stakes (Saturday) and the Lexington Stakes (April 15).

The other two qualifying points races are both on Saturday  the Wood Memorial (Aqueduct) and the Santa Anita Derby (Santa Anita).

All three of Saturdays qualifying races  the Wood Memorial, Blue Grass and Santa Anita  will award qualifying points to the top-five finishers on a 100-40-30-20-10 scale.

The Lexington Stakes, as usual, will be the final qualifying points race ahead of the Derby and will offer qualifying points on a 20-8-6-4-2 scale to the top finishers.

With this as the context, heres a quick look at five of the top Derby contenders to know (in alphabetical order) with the race just a month away.

Caesars odds: 14-1.

Kentucky Derby qualifying points: 154 (second on American leaderboard).

Performance: A winner in four of six career starts, Angel of Empire has stacked together two of the most impressive performances on this years Derby trail: victories in the Grade 2 Risen Star (Fair Grounds) and the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby (Oaklawn Park).

Angel of Empire recorded an Equibase Speed Figure of 106 in last Saturdays Arkansas Derby romp, which he won by more than four lengths after a smooth trip along the outside.

Angel of Empire figures to be Louisville native Brad Coxs best chance to secure a much-desired live Derby win. Cox also trained Mandaloun, which was awarded the 2021 Kentucky Derby victory after Medina Spirits disqualification.

Trainer: Brad Cox.

Owner: Albaugh Family Stables LLC.

Family ties: Sired by Classic Empire, who won the 2016 Breeders Futurity at Keeneland, the 2016 Breeders Cup Juvenile at Santa Anita and the 2017 Arkansas Derby. Classic Empire finished fourth in the 2017 Kentucky Derby and finished second in the 2017 Preakness Stakes.

Caesars odds: 2-1.

Kentucky Derby qualifying points: 190 (first on American leaderboard).

Performance: Forte has been the superstar of the Derby prep circuit. In all four of his most recent wins  Breeders Futurity, Breeders Cup Juvenile, Fountain of Youth and Florida Derby  Forte has recorded an Equibase Speed Figure of 102 or greater.

Forte is also on track to try and accomplish a rare feat in horse racing: Only Street Sense (2007) and Nyquist (2016) have won the Breeders Cup Juvenile and the Kentucky Derby before.

Trainer: Todd Pletcher.

Owners: Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable.

Family ties: Sired by Violence, who won three of four career starts from August 2012 to February 2013.

Caesars odds: 10-1.

Kentucky Derby qualifying points: 60 (sixth on American leaderboard).

Performance: Originally bred by trainer Chad Brown but now in the barn of Tim Yakteen, Practical Move has finished in the money in all six career starts. So far in 2023, Practical Move has only raced once, a win in early March in the Grade 2 San Felipe Stakes (Santa Anita) in which he recorded an Equibase speed figure of 108.

Practical Move is set to run in Saturdays Santa Anita Derby in California.

All seven of Practical Moves starts ahead of a likely Derby appearance are set to have been in the Golden State.

Trainer: Tim Yakteen.

Owners: Leslie and Pierre Amestoy, Roger Beasley.

Family ties: Sired by Practical Joke, who ran fifth in the 2017 Kentucky Derby and second in the 2017 Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland.

Caesars odds: 10-1.

Kentucky Derby qualifying points: 50 (11th on American leaderboard).

Performance: One of the standout horses set to race in Saturdays Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland, Tapit Trice has three wins in four career starts, including a 2-for-2 effort so far this year.

The gray colts only win of consequence was a come-from-behind triumph in the Grade 3 Tampa Bay Derby last month, but he figures to be a top choice to win at Keeneland this weekend, along with the Ben Colebrook-trained Raise Cain (ninth on the American leaderboard with 54 Derby qualifying points).

Trainer: Todd Pletcher.

Owners: Whisper Hill Farm and Gainesway Stable.

Family ties: Sired by Tapit, who finished ninth in the 2004 Kentucky Derby.

Caesars odds: 28-1.

Kentucky Derby qualifying points: 123 (third on American leaderboard).

Performance: A winner in four of eight career starts, Two Phils has placed in the money in his last four starts, all of which were graded stakes.

The big breakthrough came in late March at Turfway Park in Florence, with a victory by more than five lengths in the Grade 3 Jeff Ruby Steaks.

Two Phils ascendance has made a feel-good story out of 35-year-old jockey Jareth Loveberry, who suffered a fibula fracture in a starting gate accident earlier this year, but he now finds himself in position to make his first ever Kentucky Derby start.

Trainer: Larry Rivelli.

Owners: Patricias Hope LLC and Phillip Sagan.

Family ties: Sired by Hard Spun, who was second in the 2007 Kentucky Derby, third in that years Preakness Stakes and fourth in that years Belmont Stakes. Hard Spun was also second in the 2007 Breeders Cup Classic at Monmouth Park.

Riders up: What to know as the 2023 Spring Meet gets underway at Keeneland
NAIROBI (Reuters) - Kenya opposition leader Raila Odinga on Tuesday called for parties outside parliament to be involved in talks on electoral reform and the high cost of living, at odds with President William Ruto's plan for negotiations to be held only within parliament.

Odinga warned of fresh protests if the government did not take demands of the opposition seriously.

On Sunday, Odinga agreed to the talks proposed by Ruto after the president asked him to halt the protests, which also included claims of fraud in last August's presidential elections. Thousands took part in three opposition marches over the past two weeks, all of which turned violent.

Foreign observers, including the U.S. Embassy in Kenya, joined local leaders in welcoming the talks to prevent further disruption in East Africa's largest economy.

Odinga wants talks similar to those that ended post-election violence in 2008, and ushered in a national unity government.

"To this end, the coalition proposes a team drawn from its ranks both in Parliament and outside (parliament)," he said.

On Monday, Ruto had asked senior lawmakers from his coalition to give top priority to the opposition's grievances.

During a visit to Kigali on Tuesday, Ruto reiterated his position for the talks to be held within parliament "in a bipartisan manner, and that is the offer made to the opposition." Ruto spoke at a news conference, alongside Rwandan President Paul Kagame.

At his news conference, Odinga said that demonstrations could resume if there was no progress to the opposition's demands, which also include an audit of the elections.

"We shall go back to the people at the earliest sign of lack of seriousness by the other side," he said.

(Reporting by George Obulutsa; Additional reporting by Philbert Girinema in Kigali; Editing by Anait Miridzhanian and Leslie Adler)
The US military says a senior leader of the jihadist group Islamic State (IS) who was responsible for planning attacks in Europe has been killed in a strike in Syria.

Khalid Aydd Ahmad al-Jabouri died in an undisclosed location on Monday, according to US Central Command.

No civilians were said to have been killed or injured in the attack.

First responders said a man was killed in a drone strike on Monday in opposition-held north-western Syria.

The White Helmets organisation tweeted that an unidentified drone fired a missile at the man on the outskirts of the town of Kili, in Idlib province.

"Our teams responded and took the injured person to Bab Al-Hawa Hospital, where he died," it added.

Pro-opposition Step News cited local sources as identifying the man as Khalid Abdullah al-Khulaif and saying that he was likely to have been a senior jihadist from the eastern province of Deir al-Zour.

Enab Baladi, another pro-opposition outlet, reported that the man had arrived in the area 10 days earlier and that he had been speaking on a mobile phone when he was targeted with a Hellfire missile.

IS has not commented on the US announcement nor have its online supporters discussed it. Khalid al-Jabouri had not been publicly identified in the group's propaganda.

Central Command said Jabouri's death would temporarily disrupt the ability of IS to plot external attacks. It did not mention any attacks or thwarted attacks that he was alleged to have planned.

"[IS] continues to represent a threat to the region and beyond," its commander, Gen Michael Kurilla, said. "Though degraded, the group remains able to conduct operations within the region with a desire to strike beyond the Middle East."

The US-led multinational coalition against IS has carried out a series of strikes in northern Syria in recent months targeting senior members of IS and Hurras al-Din, which is believed to be al-Qaeda's Syria branch.

IS once held 88,000 sq km (34,000 sq miles) of territory stretching from western Syria to eastern Iraq and imposed its brutal rule on almost eight million people.

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It was driven from its last piece of territory in 2019, but the UN warned last month that the threat posed by the group and its affiliates was high and increased in particular in conflict zones and neighbouring countries.

IS is estimated to have 5,000 to 7,000 members and supporters spread between Iraq and Syria, roughly half of whom are fighters.

The fighters are based mostly in rural areas and continue to carry out hit-and-run attacks, ambushes and roadside bombings.
The epic running time of Martin Scorseses new film Killers of the Flower Moon has been revealed.

Scorseses forthcoming movie is based on David Granns best-selling book of the same name, and stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Lily Gladstone, Robert De Niro and Jesse Plemons.

The story explores an FBI investigation into a string of murders that plagued the Osage Indian tribe in Oklahoma during the Twenties, after oil was found on their land.

According to Variety, the film, wich is set to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May, will break records to become Scorseses longest film as well as DiCaprios.

While Scorseses previous film, The Irishman, clocked in at three-and-a-half hours, its being reported that Killers of the Flower Moon will hit the four-hour mark.

The claim follows the announcement that the Apple TV Plus project, which cost $200m, will be released in October.

While it might smash Scorsese and DiCaprios record, this lengthy running time doesnt surpass that of De Niros longest film, Once Upon a Time in America. Sergio Leones 1972 gangster film is four hours and 11 minutes long.

In 2021, it was revealed that Plemons stepped in to play the role originally designed for DiCaprio following the latters arguments with screenwriter Eric Roth.

DiCaprio was originally set to appear as Tom White, the FBI agent investigating a string of murders, but now plays the nephew of Robert De Niros rancher, Ernest Burkhart. This was the role he originally wanted to play.
Lily Gladstone and Leonardo DiCaprio in a scene from Martin Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon. (Apple)

He may be 80 years old but filmmaking icon Martin Scorsese is showing no signs of slowing, with his latest movie, Killers of the Flower Moon, due for release in select cinemas Friday, 6 October, 2023.

Written by Forrest Gump screenwriter Eric Roth, Scorseses latest is based on the 2017 book Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by author David Grann.

As the novels title suggests, the story follows a series of grisly murders among a Midwestern Native American tribe in Oklahoma after oil was discovered on their land in the 1920s.

Read more: The Scorsese comedy that was ahead of its time

Bringing his story to life is an all-star cast boasting the likes of Robert DeNiro, Jesse Plemons and Brendan Fraser with long-time Scorsese collaborator Leonardo DiCaprio leading the way. The film marks the stars seventh collaboration with the Raging Bull filmmaker and their first since 2013s The Wolf of Wall Street a decade ago.

With production wrapping in October 2021, fans have had to wait quite a while to see what Scorsese has cooked up. Later this year, all will be revealed when the film debuts on Apple TV+. In the meantime, heres everything we know about Killers of the Flower Moon.

Killers of the Flower Moon release date

Scorseses latest is due for release in selected cinemas on Friday, 6 October, 2023 with a release on Apple TV+ scheduled for Friday, 20 October.

Killers of the Flower Moon cast

The all-star cast includes the likes of star Robert DeNiro and Leonardo DiCaprio. (Getty)

Scorsese isnt pulling any punches with his latest cast list, with Killers of the Flower Moon featuring a wide array of starry names on its call sheet.

Leading the way is DiCaprio as Ernest Burkhart, the man responsible  and later convicted for  conspiring to murder many of the Osage community members.

Hell be joined by Robert De Niro as William Hale, a cattleman and fellow convicted murderer, and Jesse Plemons as Tom White, the man responsible for cracking the case.

Read more: Scorsese says streaming algorithms are ruining audiences

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Rounding out the films IMDB list is Lily Gladstone as Burkharts suspicious wife Mollie, Brendan Fraser as lawyer W.S. Hamilton and John Lithgow as Prosecutor Leaward.

Canadian actor Tantoo Cardinal also stars alongside a trio of musicians including Jack White, Sturgill Simpson and Jason Isbell.

What is the plot of Killers of the Flower Moon?

A copy of the best-selling 'Killers of the Flower Moon' by David Grann. (Photo by Robert Alexander/Getty Images)

As chronicled in author and journalist Granns book, Killers of the Flower Moon tells the story of a series of brutal killings among the Osage Native American tribe throughout the 1920s.

Taking place across a five-year period, members of this Oklahoma-based community were murdered after oil was discovered on their land. Entitled to profit shares under United States law, the Osage people were due to receive large sums of money before a plot was formed to kill them off one by one.

According to Granns book, at least 20 members of the Osage Nation were murdered, with the author suggesting that the actual number could span into the hundreds due to various other people's connections to these high-value oil profits.

Read more: Decisions the Oscars got wrong

According to the movies official logline, Scorsese will also look at the FBIs role in investigating these murders and their link back to the bureaus former director J. Edgar Hoover.

This is what we know. However, with a confirmed run-time of three hours and 20 minutes, were sure Scorsese has plenty more packed into his new feature film that were still unaware of.

Is there a trailer for Killers of the Flower Moon?

No. Despite being in production since 2021 and due for release in just a few months time, there currently isnt a trailer for Scorseses Killers of the Flower Moon.

Killers of the Flower Moon will be released in select cinemas on 6 October 2023 and Apple TV+ on 20 October 2023.
A stamp new design went on sale on Monday (3 April), featuring King Charles head.

Charles image, adapted by the design of artist Martin Jennings for use on coins by the Royal Mint, will appear on all new stamps with presentation packs on sale.

The portrait, which shows the royal without a crown, will be used on regular and non-commemorative postage stamps.

It comes as the cost of a first class stamp went up from 95p to 1.10 on Monday, while the second class stamp rose by seven pence to 75p.

Royal Mail said the rise was necessary to continue its one-price-goes-anywhere Universal Service.

Chief commercial officer Nick Landon said: We appreciate that many businesses and households are facing a challenging economic environment and we are committed to keeping our prices affordable.

Letters have declined by 25 per cent compared to pre-pandemic.

We have to carefully balance our pricing against a continued decline in letter volumes and the increasing costs of delivering letters six days a week to an ever-growing number of addresses across the country.

One of the first sheets of the first class definitive stamp featuring King Charles III was unveiled in February (Victoria Jones/PA) (PA Wire)

But the new stamps will not be sold at post offices and other retailers until stocks featuring Queen Elizabeth II have been used up.

Royal Mail director of external affairs and policy David Gold said Charles has asked for existing stocks to be used, rather than destroyed.

The new stamp features Charles head and neck facing left, as all monarchs have done since Queen Victoria appeared on the Penny Black  the worlds first postage stamp  in 1840.

Mr Gold said: The guidance we got from His Majesty was more about continuity and not doing anything too different to what had gone before.

I think theres an acknowledgement that, for 70 years, people have been so used to seeing the image of Her Majesty  even though the current image only started in 1967  they didnt want anything too different.

The continuity sees the colours of the stamps remaining  plum purple for first class, holly green for second class, marine turquoise for large first class and dark pine green for large second class.

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The first stamps featuring Charles silhouette went on sale in March in the corner of a collection celebrating the nations favourite flowers.

His mothers silhouette had featured on special edition stamps since 1966.

The final set using her image was unveiled in February on a set of stamps marking the 100th anniversary of steam locomotive the Flying Scotsman.
Former President Donald Trump spent one hour inside a Manhattan courtroom on Tuesday being arraigned on criminal charges following his indictment last week. He was charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree, and pleaded not guilty to all the charges.

Trump was not arrested in handcuffs, but instead surrendered himself at the courthouse for his arraignment, which began at around 2:25 p.m. ET. What exactly does that court proceeding involve?

An arraignment is the first time a person appears in court in front of a judge and are told what they are being charged with. The defendant is read their rights, including the right to have an attorney appointed if they can't afford one. (Trump, of course, has his own legal team.) Then they tell the court if they plead guilty or not guilty to the charges. At that point, if the defendant is fighting the charges, the judge may set a date for a future hearing or trial.

As the New York court system's website explains, an arraignment is different from an arrest. Law enforcement can make an arrest if there is probable cause someone committed a crime. An arraignment follows an indictment, which comes when a grand jury votes to charge a person with a crime based on evidence. The grand jury is a group of citizens  23 New Yorkers, in this case  that decides if a prosecutor has sufficient evidence to charge a person with a crime.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced last week that a grand jury voted to indict Trump on charges related to the investigation into "hush money" payments to porn actress Stormy Daniels in 2016.

Trump has denied any wrongdoing and says he had no relationship with Daniels. In one of many statements last week denouncing the case on social media, he called the indictment "Political Persecution and Election Interference at the highest level in history." His lawyers have said the former president "did not commit any crime" and they vowed to "vigorously fight this political prosecution in court."

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Donald Trump arrives at Trump Tower on April 3, 2023 in New York City. / Credit: Photo by Gotham/GC Images/Getty Images

As part of the arraignment process, defendants are usually fingerprinted and have their mugshots taken and then are escorted into a courtroom to meet the judge. But Trump did not undergo a mugshot today.

The Secret Service, NYPD and other law enforcement agencies were a heavy presence in and around the courtroom. The judge ruled that video cameras would not be allowed inside for the proceedings.

The case makes Trump the first former president in U.S. history to face criminal charges. He flew from Florida to New York on Monday before making his way from Trump Tower in midtown Manhattan to the criminal courthouse for the arraignment Tuesday afternoon.

-Graham Kates, Pat Milton and The Associated Press contributed reporting.

The historical implications of former President Donald Trump's indictment

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Paul Whelan's brother on U.S. journalist detained in Russia
Jury selection began Monday in the murder trial of Lori Vallow, who is accused of killing two of her children, Joshua JJ Vallow and Tylee Ryan.

Vallow has pleaded not guilty to charges of murder, conspiracy and grand theft in the deaths of Joshua and Tylee, who were 7 and 16 when they disappeared in September 2019. Their disappearance sparked a monthslong search, and police eventually found their remains on property in rural Idaho belonging to their stepfather, Vallows husband, Chad Daybell.

Daybell, who also pleaded not guilty, is to have a separate trial that hasnt yet been scheduled. He is charged with murder in the death of his late wife, Tammy Daybell, and accused of committing insurance fraud related to her death.

Vallow is charged with conspiracy to commit first-degree murder in the death of Tammy Daybell.

Vallow's trial comes years after Joshua and Tylees disappearance made headlines, as the indictment against her and Daybell took months of investigative work and Vallows mental competency was questioned.

Prosecutors believe Vallow and Daybell became obsessed with doomsday-focused religious beliefs that led them to commit a series of four murders: those of Vallows children and each of their former spouses.

Tylee and Joshua reported missing

The Rexburg Police Department formally began a search for Tylee and Joshua in November 2019, after several family members contacted authorities concerned that they hadnt seen or spoken to the children since September.

Joshua Vallow and Tylee Ryan. (Fremont County Sheriff's Office)

Vallow and her husband told officers that Joshua was in Arizona with a family friend, which police said was a lie. Officers tried to conduct a welfare check on the children on Nov. 26, 2019, but were unable to find them.

Addresses associated with Vallow were searched under warrants the next day, just as investigators learned that she and Daybell had abruptly left Rexburg. Vallow and Daybell hadnt cooperated with the investigation, and by December 2019 they were wanted for questioning in the childrens disappearance.

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Police warned that the children could be in danger and put out descriptions.

Joshua, 7, had brown hair and brown eyes and weighed about 50 pounds.

Tylee, 16, had blond hair and blue eyes and weighed 160 pounds at 5 feet tall.

Joshua, who was adopted and had special needs, was last seen Sept. 23, 2019, at Kennedy Elementary School in Rexburg. The boy was the son of Charles Vallows nephew.

His grandparents Larry and Kay Woodcock offered a $20,000 reward in January 2020 for information on his whereabouts. They said they last spoke to Joshua in August 2019 on a FaceTime call that lasted less than a minute.

Tylee would have turned 17 on Sept. 24, 2019, but it is believed she died before her birthday. Police said Vallow and Daybell falsely told a witness that Tylee had died a year before, as well as falsely said Tylee was attending a university.

Tylee's father was Vallows third husband, Joseph Ryan. He died of a heart attack in 2018 and had been in a bitter custody battle with Vallow over Tylee.

Keith Taniguchi, his former attorney, told NBC affiliate KSL of Salt Lake City that Vallow had accused Ryan of sexually abusing their daughter and that he had lost custody. Taniguchi said that there was an extensive analysis but that no evidence that Tylee had been abused was ever found.

Media attention unearths chilling allegations

Authorities found Vallow and Daybell in Hawaii together in January 2020, without Tylee or Joshua, and ordered Vallow to physically produce the children to the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare by the end of the month.

Vallow failed to abide by the order and was later arrested on charges of desertion and nonsupport of dependent children.

National attention quickly turned to Vallow and Daybell, unearthing troubling details about Vallow. Annie Cushing, Tylees aunt and Joseph Ryans sister, told KSL in a February 2020 interview that Vallow was disturbed and "unhinged."

In March 2020, East Idaho News obtained a court document, filed by the ex-husband of Vallows niece, as part of their own custody battle, which included concern for Tylee and Joshua. Brandon Boudreaux alleged that his ex-wife, Melani Boudreaux Pawlowski, told him that Vallow and Daybell believed that their children had been possessed and have become zombies.

She shared concerns that shes been told Brandon needed to die and that may indicate that Tylee and JJ needed to die as well, the document alleges, referring to Joshua by his nickname.

The filing described a cultlike religion that, in addition to zombies, included beliefs in teleportation and dark and light portals.

Vallows third husband and Tylees father, Joseph Ryan, also expressed real and serious concerns in court documents in the midst of their divorce and custody battle.

The documents said Vallow was ordered to undergo a psychological evaluation after she told social workers that death would be an option before giving Tylee to her father, Mr. Joseph Ryan, even for a visit. Ryan died of an apparent heart attack in 2018.

Murder charges issued almost a year after childrens remains were unearthed

Police uncovered human remains in June 2020 after they searched a property belonging to Daybell in Fremont County, Idaho. Daybell was arrested on charges of destruction, alteration or concealment of evidence, as well as desertion.

Days later, police confirmed that the bodies were identified as those of Joshua and Tylee.

It is not the outcome we had hoped; to be able to find the children safe. Our hearts and prayers go out to the families of JJ and Tylee, Rexburg police said in a news release at the time.

Police said they believed Daybell hid the childrens remains on his property sometime from September 2019 to June 2020. Authorities also said the manner of concealment of one of the bodies was particularly egregious.

Court documents later revealed that Joshuas remains had been buried in a pet cemetery, and that Tylee had been dismembered and burned in a fire pit.

Vallow and Daybell werent indicted on murder charges until May 2021.

Indictments said the couple did endorse and espouse religious beliefs for the purpose of encouraging and/or justifying the homicides of Tammy, Tylee and Joshua.

A month later, Vallow was charged with conspiracy to commit first-degree murder in the death of her fourth husband, Charles Vallow.

Vallow's family has said she had long been obsessed with death and the afterlife, and that her marriage to Daybell, a doomsday evangelist and author, pushed her deeper into her beliefs.

The deaths of two spouses revisited

Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell began 2019 married to other people and ended it married to each other after their spouses died.

In early 2019, Vallows fourth husband, Charles Vallow, called police to their Arizona home, concerned that she had lost her mind. He told police that she had taken his car and locked him out of their home after he went on a business trip and that he had been unable to reach her for two days.

According to video obtained by NBC affiliate KPNX of Phoenix, Charles Vallow told police that his wife believed she was a god and that she believed someone had taken over his body.

Shes threatened me, to murder me, kill me, he said. She lost her reality.

How does she pose a threat to your children? an officer asked Charles Vallow.

I dont know what shes going to do with them, Charles Vallow said. Flee with them. Hurt them.

Police left after they told him that it wasnt a criminal case and that they werent able to execute a mental health check on his wife at the time. She went to the police department hours later, telling officers that she had caught her husband cheating and that she told him not to come home.

Charles Vallow filed for divorce a few months before he was shot and killed by Lori Vallows brother, Alex Cox, on July 11, 2019. Lori Vallow and her brother were questioned at the time but werent charged, as they claimed self-defense.

A grand jury charged her with conspiracy to commit murder in the first degree nearly two years after his death, the Maricopa County Attorneys Office said. She will be tried separately, in Arizona, in that case. Cox died in 2019 and was never charged.

In October 2019, a few months after Charles Vallow died, Tammy Daybell was also found dead of what were believed to be natural causes at the time. Investigators later exhumed her body and conducted an autopsy, which ruled her death was a homicide.

Vallow and Daybell married just two weeks after Tammys funeral, KSL reported. Police documents obtained by KSL revealed that Charles Vallow had learned of Lori Vallows infidelity with Daybell 12 days before he died and threatened to tell Tammy.

Lori Vallow's trial is beginning more than three years after her childrens deaths.

Before the murder indictments were returned in May 2021, Vallow was ordered to undergo a mental competency evaluation and was declared unfit to stand trial on two counts of concealment in the deaths of her kids. A judge ordered her to be committed in June 2021 in the custody of the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare for 90 days of treatment.

She was declared mentally fit to stand nearly a year later.

In April 2022, Vallow was declared to be restored to competency and fit to proceed to trial. Idaho doesnt allow for an insanity defense and requires that defendants have the competence to understand the charges against them.

Prosecutors have sought the death penalty against Vallow, but 7th District Judge Steven Boyce ruled against it last month.

CORRECTION (April 4, 2023, 3:55 p.m. ET): A previous version of this article misstated how long it took for Lori Vallow to speak to police after her former husband called for a wellness check in early 2019. It was hours later, not days later.

CORRECTION (April 11, 2023, 12 p.m. ET): A previous version of this article misstated the marital status of Chad and Tammy Daybell when Tammy died in 2019. Chad and Tammy were married at the time; Tammy was not Chads ex-wife.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
A woman walks past a coronavirus-themed mural on a street amidst the spread of the coronavirus disease in Kolkata, India on Apr. 2 Credit - Sudipta Das/NurPhotoGetty Images

The World Health Organization (WHO) is monitoring a new COVID-19 subvariant called XBB.1.16, which has been circulating throughout India for a few months and is causing a new surge of cases there. The Times of India reported on Apr. 3 that more than 3,600 new COVID cases had been recorded in the country since the previous day, marking Indias largest single-day jump in case numbers in more than six months. In India, XBB.1.16 has replaced the other variants that are in circulation, said Maria Van Kerkhove, WHOs COVID-19 technical lead, during a Mar. 29 press conference. So this is one to watch.

XBB.1.16 is one of more than 600 Omicron subvariants that are currently circulating, according to WHO. Its similar to the XBB.1.5 variant that has dominated the U.S. throughout 2023 but is distinguished by a mutation in the spike protein that may give it some additional growth advantages, says Dr. Peter Hotez, co-director of the Texas Childrens Hospital Center for Vaccine Development. In lab studies, this additional mutation shows increased infectivity, as well as potential increased pathogenicity, Van Kerkhove said. It has potential changes that we need to keep a good eye out on.

So far, XBB.1.16 has been found primarily in India and Nepal, where at least 10 cases were confirmed on Apr. 3. But, as weve seen with past variants, things can change quickly, Hotez says. Take XBB.1.5, which accounted for less than a quarter of COVID-19 cases in the U.S. going into late December last year. Over the ensuing week, XBB.1.5 became the dominant variant, says Hotez. If the new variant reaches the U.S., the question is whether XBB.1.16 is going to do the same, or whether the two are [closely related] enough.

More from TIME

Read More: Why New COVID-19 Variants Have Such Confusing Names

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Still, a new varianteven one ratcheting up case numbersis not by itself cause for alarm. We havent seen a change in severity in individuals or in populations, Van Kerkhove said. Despite the increase in cases, reported hospitalizations and deaths in India have remained low, says Dr. Monica Gandhi, associate division chief at UC San Franciscos Division of HIV, Infectious Diseases, and Global Medicine, and Indian health officials have responded to the new dominant variant by recommending additional boosters for people over 65 or who are immunocompromised and otherwise vulnerable. Right now, many countries have high population level immunity, so boosting those who are vulnerable at the outset of a wave of cases is a reliable and repeatable strategy, she says.

Any new subvariant of Omicron, its not fazing us, Gandhi says. It doesnt change [the WHOs] baseline recommendation, which is to boost older and vulnerable people. There is a possibility that we get really unlucky and we get a worse variant, and then we would boost everyone, but the reason that we know this is not what XBB.1.16 is is that its causing the expected rise in cases without a high rise in hospitalizations.

Its been a year since WHO released their plan for how the world will get out of the emergency phase of the pandemic, which included three possible paths. Even with the emergence and spread of variants like XBB.1.16, Gandhi says that the world is still on the best-case scenario path, in which new variants continue to appear but dont cause outbreaks with high occurrences of severe disease and hospitalizations.

Though XBB.1.16 is not currently among the Omicron variants accounting for U.S. infections, Hotez believes its time for public health officials to consider authorizing another booster for vulnerable populations who were among the first to receive the bivalent boosters back in September 2022. Im a little puzzled about why weve not heard from the FDA or CDC about that, he says.

As the virus continues to evolve, Hotez is most concerned about the dismantlement of independent tracking efforts that the U.S. has relied on to spot and monitor new variants before they become dominant. I think were letting our guard down, he says.
Til Death Do Us Part Kourtney & Travis premieres April 13 on Hulu

Hulu/YouTube

The Barkers are ready to take fans inside their dreamy Italian wedding!

Kourtney Kardashian Barker and Travis Barker are getting their very own Hulu wedding special, titled Til Death Do Us Part Kourtney & Travis, airing April 13. Per a description from the streamer, viewers will get to see the couple and their guests "enjoy a luxurious wedding weekend in Portofino, Italy."

Hulu also teased that both "private and personal footage reveal an intimate family event full of beautiful moments."

Related:Every Must-See Photo from Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker's Glam Italian Wedding Weekend

In the first teaser trailer, which was also shared by the twosome via Instagram Tuesday, glimpses of Kourtney and Travis' three wedding ceremonies are shown  as well as footage of the events leading up to the lavish, Italian occasion.

"Can you believe we got married three times?" asked the Poosh mogul, 43, as the Blink-182 drummer, 47, responds, "It's like choosing a child. I can't pick the best one!"

Hulu/YouTube

Describing their "perfect" Italian ceremony further, Kourtney says it "felt like time didn't exist."

At one point, Kourtney admits to having "so much anxiety" surrounding their larger ceremony in Italy because it was "such a vulnerable moment" they chose to share with others. Travis also acknowledges his nerves, saying he wasn't sure he'd "be able to say my vows without crying."

Related:Kourtney Kardashian's Wedding Veil Included a Touching Tribute to Travis Barker's Head Tattoo

Hulu/YouTube

The teaser also puts Kourtney and Travis's blended family on display. "There's really no love story like you guys," says Kim Kardashian.

"We love you so much," Kris Jenner says. "That's not even the martini talking!"

Related:Kris Jenner Praises Kourtney Kardashian's Relationship with Travis Barker: 'It's the Best'

News of the couple's Hulu wedding special falls on the anniversary of their headline-making Las Vegas wedding, occurring at the One Love Wedding Chapel after the 2022 Grammy Awards. Although the ceremony wasn't legally binding, they later wed at a Santa Barbara courthouse on May 15, 2022.

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Hulu/YouTube

Days after, they wed once more in a much larger ceremony held in Italy.

Related:Every Photo from Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker's Las Vegas Wedding Ceremony

This marked Kourtney's first marriage, though she shares her three children  Mason, 13, Penelope, 10, and Reign, 8  with ex Scott Disick. Travis was married to Melissa Kennedy from 2001 to 2002 and Shanna Moakler from 2004 to 2008. He shares stepdaughter Atiana, 24, and children Landon, 19, and Alabama, 17, with Moakler.

Til Death Do Us Part Kourtney & Travis will be released ahead of the upcoming third season of The Kardashians, premiering May 25. In the cryptic teaser released last month, the famous family expressed doubt over each other's "truth" and "loyalty."

Hulu/YouTube

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Chinese Vice President Han Zheng on Tuesday met with Indonesia's Coordinator for Cooperation with China and Coordinating Minister of Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan.

Noting this year marks the tenth anniversary of the establishment of the China-Indonesia comprehensive strategic partnership, Han said China is ready to take this opportunity to strengthen strategic synergy with Indonesia, set a fine example of high-quality development cooperation and establish a model for a community with a shared future, as well as bring more benefits to the two peoples.

Han said China supports the work of Indonesia as the incumbent of the rotating presidency of ASEAN, and is actively pushing for more fruitful results from the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and ASEAN.

Luhut thanked China for its selfless assistance to Indonesia in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, which fully reflected the spirit of building a community with a shared future between the two countries.

Indonesia attaches great importance to its relations with China and is willing to deepen Belt and Road Initiative cooperation with China to push bilateral relations to a new level, Luhut added.
A man sleeps on his belongings at the MacArthur station in Los Angeles on March 29, 2023. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

A battle is being waged at the Westlake/MacArthur Park Metro station near downtown Los Angeles. The weapon of choice? Loud classical music.

The classical music  along with floodlights at either end of the station platform  are part of a pilot program that L.A. Metro operations and security, in cooperation with law enforcement, began implementing at the station in January. In an email to The Times, Metro said the music is a royalty-free playlist it compiled of piano sonatas, symphony orchestra pieces and concertos, including some by Vivaldi, Beethoven and Mozart.

L.A. Metro's goal with the music and lights is to reduce crime and drive away unhoused people. But the use of music is divisive, with online commentators calling it an inhumane torture tactic. Critics also argue that it does nothing to address the root causes of the problems plaguing the station.

Music, classical and otherwise, has a long history of being used as a technique for discomfort and coercion. Heavy metal and hard rock drove strongman Manuel Noriega out of hiding at the Vaticans embassy in Panama City in 1989. The music of Metallica was used as a torture device against Iraqi detainees during the War on Terror and is listed on the notorious Guantanamo Bay playlist.

You're trying to attract and make certain people feel comfortable based on the associations with classical music, says musicologist Lily E. Hirsch, author of Music in American Crime Prevention and Punishment." "And you see that in fancy cheese shops that play classical music because they hope people will feel like they're a part of some elite upscale world and then they'll spend more money.

That feeling is not intrinsic to classical music, says Hirsch, but when the music is being used as a tool to achieve a goal  driving certain people away while welcoming others, for example  those cultural associations are manipulated.

When classical music is used in dark and aggressive ways, it can also feel dystopian and creepy, notes Hirsch, not unlike the mood of "The Silence of the Lambs." One Twitter user compared the music at MacArthur Park station to Stanley Kubricks psychological horror film A Clockwork Orange.

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Security officers keep an eye on things while a flood light shines at the far end of the Westlake/MacArthur Park Metro Station in Los Angeles. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

Sound is experienced differently in different environments, and it can be louder depending on where it is being heard. Decibels are the measure of sound intensity. In confined spaces such as a subway station, which has hard edges, high ceilings and plenty of echo-y metal and concrete surfaces for the sound to bounce off of, decibel levels will be higher.

The music in the Westlake/MacArthur Park Metro is not being played at fancy-cheese-shop levels: It clocks in at an average of 83 decibels on a handheld decibel meter, although during some string flourishes it peaks at 90 dB (depending on where in the station youre standing, and your proximity to the speakers). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website puts decibel levels between 80 and 85 on par with gas-powered lawnmowers and leaf blowers, and notes that damage to hearing is possible after two hours of exposure.

In an email to The Times, L.A. Metro spokesperson Dave Sotero wrote that the music is not loud" at MacArthur Park, saying the compositions inside the station are being played at 72 dB.

A handheld meter registered certain musical phrases at 73 dB, but rarely  it was typically much louder than that. Sotero also said the music in the station is quieter than walking on the sidewalk outside the station, which he said exceeds 80 dB. A trip aboveground with a handheld dB meter found the ambient street noise  street vendors chatting, kids playing and laughing, buses whooshing by  hovering at an average of 72 dB.

There is a clear disconnect between what transit riders and the unhoused are experiencing in the subterranean confines of the station and L.A. Metros official line about the music's volume.

Commuters make their way through the MacArthur station in Los Angeles on March 29, 2023. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

On a recent Monday afternoon in the station, commuters pace the sticky, trash-strewn platform, and a number of unhoused people rest on various concrete benches. A driving, high-energy piece of classical music blares, with ecstatic strings and many high notes punctuated by somewhat ominous low notes on keyboards. The four-minute composition "Immaterial," by contemporary classical composer Adrian Berenguer, is being played on loop. (Berenguer did not respond to multiple requests for comment about this use of his music. It is unclear whether this song is royalty-free, as Metro stated.)

When two police officers approached two unhoused people and tried talking to them on Monday, one person cupped her hand to her ear. An officer leaned closer and shouted. The unhoused people nodded and began gathering their belongings to go, squinting in the bright spotlight.

It appears that the loud classical music is working at cross-purposes here, says Hirsch. She notes there is a history of classical music being used in public places, including town squares and outside various businesses, as a way to signal that certain people are wanted and others are unwanted.

It's like a bird marking its territory where you hear the signal and you go, OK, this is not for me. This is for the older money crowd,' she says. And that technique seems to work. There are examples of teenagers leaving an area that's playing classical music, not because they don't like the music but because of the associations. In fact, 7-Eleven has used classical music outside L.A.-area stores to deter loitering since 2019.

The problem with this approach, says Hirsch, is you're creating hierarchies of sound by making it clear that an area belongs to certain privileged groups and not other people.

And you're not solving the problem, she adds. You're just pushing the problem to another spot.

The volume of the music at Westlake/MacArthur Park station makes it an outlier in this way, adds Hirsch, because the high decibel level intrinsically makes the station feel unwelcoming to anyone passing through. (One commuter said on Wednesday that the music was so loud that he might not continue riding Metro.)

L.A. Metro is undoubtedly in crisis. A recent Times story reported that 22 people have died of suspected overdoses on Metro buses and trains so far this year, and that serious crime  including rape, aggravated assault and robbery  was up 24% for 2022 compared with 2021. A Times 404 video noted that Metro spends between $150 million and $200 million annually on policing, but a majority of emergency calls weren't answered by law enforcement assigned to Metro.

In an email to The Times, Sotero wrote that the music is being used to restore safety at the transit station and as means to support an atmosphere appropriate for spending short periods of time for transit customers who wait an average of 5 to 10 minutes for the next train to arrive." The transit authority says the strategy has resulted in an "improvement in public safety," citing a "75 percent reduction in calls for emergency service, an over 50 percent reduction in vandalism, graffiti and cleanups, and a nearly 20 percent drop in crime."

Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis, who is also a Metro board member, issued a statement to The Times noting that she is working with the organization to introduce care first strategies to the station and plaza, and that she supports piloting safety interventions that "introduce alternatives to deploying additional armed law enforcement on the system."

Yet the current alternative of elevated volume, coupled with repetition, is a way that music has been used as torture throughout history, says Hirsch. Constant exposure to loud music can disrupt sleep and thought and eventually make people lose their connection to themselves. In the 30 minutes a reporter spent in the station this week, the same piece of music was on loop  the same music was again playing on Wednesday when a Times photographer visited the station.

Isis Soto, an unhoused woman sitting in the station on a recent Wednesday, said she didn't mind the loud orchestras and strings. I enjoy classical music," she says. "It wouldnt keep me out. It will help keep me down here longer.

Times photographer Genaro Molina contributed to this report.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
The Lafourche Parish president vetoed an ordinance intended to increase the coroner's pay in what has become a proverbial arm-wrestling competition.

The Lafourche Parish Council passed a narrow vote to increase Coroner John King's pay March 28, with only five votes of the nine possible votes. Both King and the Lafourche Parish Government are under investigation by the Louisiana State Police for money King was paid that he potentially shouldn't have been. The amount began at $75,000 but has fluctuated after the original findings.

The Lafourche Parish Council narrowly passed an ordinance increasing the Parish Coroner's pay. Both the Coroner, and the Lafourche Parish Government are under investigation for payments the coroner received.

The investigation has not risen to the level of criminal, but still could once the findings are handed over to the Lafourche Parish District Attorney's Office for review. According to Louisiana State Police Public Information Officer Ryan Gossen, detectives expect to hand over their findings next week.

According to Parish Council Chairman Armand Autin, the ordinance was meant to clear up the confusion within the laws and set a path for payments going forward. It was not, he said, intended to retroactively affect anything to do with payments, and therefore not affect the investigation.

Autin said he did this to ensure the coroner's office would continue to run. When the administration ceased payments, King's Attorney William "Chuck" Credo threatened to send all autopsies away to Parish Forensics in Lafayette at a price of $3,750 per autopsy.

Parish President Archie Chaisson cited three main reasons for vetoing the ordinance: he preferred a salary-based method of payment; there are concerns with the state law's guidelines; and concern about passing anything until the State Police investigation has concluded.

More: Here's a look at Golden Meadow's inaugural Boulettes and Balloons festival

"The ordinance was needed to correct the actual salary of the coroner; however, as I noted in the meeting, I believe the fee portion of the ordinance is unnecessary and opens the parish up to additional expenses that may not be needed," Chaisson said in the veto. "Also the ordinance as written allows the coroner to collect multiple fees, not just autopsy fees which could significantly increase the budget for the coroner's office."

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The money in question arises out of layers of complicated laws surrounding how coroners in Louisiana are paid. State laws create the position with guidelines around pay, but ultimately allow the governing body of the area, in this case the Parish Council, to determine how the coroner is paid within those guidelines.

The original ordinance dictating how the Lafourche Parish Coroner was paid gave him a $25,000 salary and $250 in fees per autopsy. In 2011, the Parish Council of the time removed the fee portion of the payments and in a separate ordinance increased King's salary to $50,000.

Part of Autin's ordinance, he said, was meant to clear up the confusion between the two ordinances stating different amounts regarding King's salary, and also to reinstate the fee portion of how he was to be paid.

King continued to send in invoices, increase his price in fees, and continued to be paid through to October of last year. These payments ceased when Chaisson said his administration noticed that King should not have been receiving fees at all. The price increases rose and were paid up to $400, raising questions about a state law which limits the amount to $300.

This article originally appeared on The Courier: Lafourche Parish president vetoed decision to increase coroner's pay
Known locally as Elks Lake, the proposed Lehigh Portland State Park near Iola features 360 acres of industrial land that has been redeveloped into a recreational hotspot in southeast Kansas.

Rural southeast Kansas could soon be home to a new state park if lawmakers approve a gift of former industrial land that has been redeveloped into a lake and trail hub.

The proposed Lehigh Portland State Park would be on the site of a former cement plant and quarry near Iola, known locally as Elks Lake. The Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks currently maintains 28 state parks, and the agency supports Lehigh Portland becoming the 29th.

More: Kansas has less public land than any other state, but its parks are seeing record visitation

The property's nearly 360 acres contain a 138-acre lake, 300-foot-long cave, woodlands, native prairie and more than 2.5 miles of wide gravel trails and 12 miles of natural surface trails for mountain biking, trail running and nature hikes trails. Thrive Allen County, a rural health advocacy organization, has been constructing the trails, which connect to the Southwind Rail Trail and Prairie Spirit State Park.

A view from above Elks Lake and the Lehigh Portland Trails shows the vastness of the 138-acre quarry lake near Iola in southeast Kansas. In addition to the lake, over 12 miles of natural surface trails join 2.5 miles of gravel trails and a cave on the nearly 360 acres of land.

House Bill 2331 passed the Kansas House 101-21 earlier this month and has had a Senate committee hearing, but has not advanced to the full chamber.

"This particular bill makes your heart sing," said Rep. Tobias Schlingensiepen, D-Topeka. "It really does, to hear what the community has done and to see what Kansas can do with this particular gem, to see the benefits for rural Kansas to take a piece of natural land and turn it into an economic benefit, not only for the state, but for the community.

More: Planning your summer in the Sunflower State? Put these eight Kansas outdoor attractions on your list.

"That's a win-win for everybody in this state," he continued. "Bicyclists and hikers like myself, we love Kansas trail systems, and we spend a lot of money along those trail systems. For a lot of small towns, this is a big deal. It will bring tourism to our state."

The Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks estimates that it would need $50,000 for surveying and title work, plus $200,000 to develop a master plan and $5 million to $7 million for building design and construction.

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Trails traverse the edge of Elks Lake, giving wide views of the blue water and through the wooded lands as part of the Lehigh Portland Trail system.

Two full-time positions would be needed, which would be 80% funded by federal money and 20% funded by park fees. The entire cost could potentially be covered through a SPARK economic development grant.

"I was raised near there and I used to spend a lot of time with my aunt and uncle at the Elks Lake, we called it, and fishing and picnics, and it brought back a lot of memories," said Rep. Sydney Carlin, D-Manhattan. "... I think it's one of those parks that's pretty much ready for the state to take ownership and make some improvements on and go forward."

Lehigh Portland State Park could benefit southeast Kansas economy

Lisse Regehr, president and CEO of Thrive Allen County, said the organization has been working with KDWP on the state park proposal for more than a year.

Iola Industries intends to give the Lehigh Portland Trails and lake property to KDWP, a gift valued at $2 million. Regehr said a state park would have an estimated regional economic impact of $7.5 million a year while providing recreational opportunities for locals and visitors.

"More than anything, this gift given by Iola Industries to the state is about preserving our rural way of life," Regehr said. "Rural communities in Kansas are struggling. On average, we're losing population and businesses, and Allen County is no exception. But we are actively working to change this."

Twelve miles of natural surface trails come all the way to the edge of Elks Lake as part of the Lehigh Portland Trails. Apart from hikers and bikers, fossil hunters, fisherman and paddlers alike are known for enjoying the amenities along the 360-acre land.

Regehr said the trail system has been instrumental in attracting professionals to the area.

Mary Kay Heard, chair of Iola Industries, said she expects turning the land into a state park will boost existing businesses and attract new ones. John McRae, president of Iola Industries, said the land should belong to the public.

"We are fully aware of the positive impact this amenity has already had on our community," said John Leahy, director of trails at Thrive. "To be able to open it up fully to the public for swimming, fishing, biking, hiking and camping will provide accessible outdoor opportunities for generations to come. This is a cornerstone project for the holistic vision of health that we hope to promote in Allen County."

KDWP parks director says Lehigh Portland has clearer water than state parks

The clear blue water of Elks Lake is a unique feature from the former limestone quarry operated by the Lehigh Portland Cement Company until 1970, and before that, the Iola Portland Cement Company dating back to 1898.

Linda Lanterman, the KDWP parks division director, said Lehigh Portland has a history worth preserving, a diverse landscape and ecosystem and is a popular spot for bird watching and fishing.

Lanterman said the lake near Iola is roughly the same size as that of Historic Lake Scott State Park in western Kansas, and the trails are similar to those at Cross Timbers State Park near Yates Center and Tuttle Creek State Park near Manhattan.

She said top Wildlife and Parks officials toured the property and hiked the trails.

More: Little Jerusalem Badlands, Kansas' 28th and newest state park, opens in Logan County

"The secretary, myself and my team went out there and took a look at the property and we hiked the trails," Lanterman said. "When you come off the trail and you get on one of the cliffs and you come and see the beautiful crystal clear blue water, which I've not seen in any of our state parks before, it's just a gorgeous piece of property."

Regehr said the water is clear because the quarry hit the water table, with the lake water filtering up through limestone.

Daffodils bloom near the south loop trail of the Lehigh Portland Trail system near Iola.

"I have spent hundreds of hours managing invasive species, collecting seeds from wildflowers and working on habitat improvement," Leahy said, "but it pales in comparison to the thousands of hours that our volunteers have put into the sustainability of Lehigh."

Opposition in the House was led by Rep. Ken Corbet, R-Topeka, who proposed an amendment in an attempt to address fears of hazardous waste.

"Why wouldn't they just sell it and make a couple million (dollars)?" he said. "If everything's as clean as they say it is, it would make more money for Iola than a state park."

A robin calls from a branch overlooking Elk Lake while industrial facilities are seen in the background near Iola Thursday evening.

Rep. Doug Blex, R-Independence, said the community supports the trail system they developed. Several supporters made the nearly 2-hour drive on a snowy day to testify before the House committee, and dozens more from Iola and surrounding towns submitted written testimony. More than 100 sent testimony to the Senate committee.

"All the tests indicate the water is clean," Blex said, "and ironically, some of that stuff, and we've heard maybe complaints about rock piles and maybe an old piece of machinery, that's actually pretty good fish habitat."

Jason Tidd is a statehouse reporter for the Topeka Capital-Journal. He can be reached by email at jtidd@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @Jason_Tidd.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Iola's Elk Lake, Lehigh Portland trails could be next Kansas state park
An Israeli air strike on Tuesday killed two Syrian civilians, state media reported, the fourth such attack on government-held areas of the war-torn country in less than a week.

During more than a decade of civil war in Syria, Israel has launched hundreds of air strikes on its territory, primarily targeting Iran-backed forces and Lebanese Hezbollah fighters as well as Syrian army positions.

"The Israeli enemy carried out an air strike" shortly after midnight, resulting "in the death of two civilians", Syrian state news agency SANA reported, quoting a military source.

The attack came from the direction of "the occupied Syrian Golan, targeting some points in the vicinity of Damascus and the southern region", it said, adding Syria's air defences intercepted most of the missiles.

While Israel rarely comments on the strikes it carries out on Syria, it has repeatedly said it will not allow its arch-foe Iran to extend its footprint in the war-torn country.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor gave the same civilian death toll, with its director Rami Abdel Rahman adding that at least "one non-Syrian Iran-backed fighter" was also killed in the assault.

Israel fired "barrages of missiles targeting military areas controlled by Iran-backed groups and regime air defence," said the Observatory, a Britain-based group that relies on a network of sources inside Syria.

An Israeli missile targeted a radar in the countryside of Sweida, while another hit a glass factory in the Al-Kiswah area of the Damascus countryside, killing the two civilians, it said.

The monitor had earlier said the missiles also targeted the vicinity of Damascus International Airport and an Iranian complex near the Sayyida Zeinab area, with Syria's air defences intercepting at least two missiles.

- Iran Guards killed -

Syria's foreign ministry condemned the strike.

"Syria warns Israel and its sponsors once again of the dangers of these aggressive policies which push the region towards total escalation and a new phase of insecurity and instability," it said in a statement.

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Iran, a key ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, says it only deploys military advisers in the conflict-ravaged country.

Thousands of Iranians on Tuesday attended a funeral procession in Tehran for two Revolutionary Guards killed in Israeli strikes in Syria last week.

In Friday's aerial assault, Israeli missiles targeted positions near Damascus, Syrian state media had reported, a day after Israeli strikes near the capital wounded two Syrian soldiers, according to the defence ministry.

"We will avenge the blood of martyrs Milad Heidari and Meghdad Mahghani," Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps spokesman Ramazan Sharif said, according to Iran's Tasnim news agency, while thousands gathered in central Tehran to mourn them, chanting "Down with Israel".

On Sunday, two Iran-affiliated fighters were killed in an Israeli air strike on targets in Syria, according to the Observatory, with SANA reporting five Syrian soldiers wounded in the assault near the western city of Homs.

The same day, a rare car bombing rocked Damascus, with no deaths reported and no side claiming responsibility.

The Syrian war broke out in 2011 with the brutal repression of peaceful anti-government protests and escalated into a deadly armed conflict that pulled in foreign powers and global jihadists.

More than half a million people have been killed and around half of Syria's pre-war population has been forced from their homes.

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NEW YORK (AP)  The sons of cosmetics giant Estee Lauder, along with her four grandchildren, pledged $200 million Tuesday to the Alzheimers Drug Discovery Foundation, a nonprofit the family founded to support research into finding a cure for the disease.

Leonard and Ronald Lauder founded the organization in 1998 in honor of their mother, who had Alzheimer's as did other members of her family, said Mark Roithmayr, the CEO of ADDF.

They have collectively made this family gift to see through the work of the next 10 to 15 years to finish off what Estee started, said Roithmayr.

Starting with a $100 million gift from their mother, the Lauder sons chose to invest in early research of potential treatments using what they called venture philanthropy, meaning any returns on their investments were put toward future research. The family also pledges to cover the organization's expenses so all outside donations go entirely to funding research, Roithmayr said.

The ADDF will receive the pledged $200 million over the next ten years and is expected to distribute them in grants over the next 15 years. The commitment will also allow the Lauders to continue to cover ADDFs expenses, Roithmayr said.

More than 50 million people worldwide have Alzheimers, which gradually attacks areas of the brain needed for memory, reasoning, communication and daily tasks. Scientists dont yet know exactly how Alzheimers forms, but one theory is that the buildup of a protein called amyloid plays a key role.

The FDA has approved two drugs that target the buildup of amyloid, though the 2021 approval of Biogens Aduhelm garnered controversy after the agency overruled its own independent scientific advisers. Legembi, a second drug, approved in January, is the first thats been convincingly shown to slow the decline in memory and thinking that defines Alzheimers by targeting the diseases underlying biology.

The need to invest in research is paramount, said Heather Snyder, a vice president of the Alzheimers Association. Investing in research is how were going to understand the underlying biology and translate that to treatment and interventions that will benefit all individuals.

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She said there is a sense of momentum in Alzheimer's research, in part because of the approval of the new drugs  even though they are not currently covered by Medicaid and Medicare, meaning that many will not have access to them.

Her organization currently funds $320 million in research projects that span from studying the biology of aging to diagnostic tools, clinical trials and care for patients with dementia, as well as investing in advocacy around federal funding for Alzheimer's research.

Roithmayr said the Lauder family wants to accelerate the timeline for when research will yield treatments by making investments where pharmaceutical companies and the federal government are not.

Our idea is to take our funding, put it into these translational science, kind of in this valley of death where youve got good ideas, but theyre very risky, he said.

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Associated Press coverage of philanthropy and nonprofits receives support through the APs collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. For all of APs philanthropy coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/philanthropy.
Two Kentucky men have been fined $171,000 each for taking part in rigging bids at a farm auction.

Barry D. Dyer, of Warren County, and Mackie E. Shelton, also were each sentenced to pay $79,000 in restitution to the estate of the woman whose farm was involved in the sale.

In addition, U.S. District Judge Greg N. Stivers sentenced the two, who are both 70, to be on probation for three years and serve 26 weekends in jail, according to court documents.

The sentence bars them from seeking reinstatement of their real-estate auctioneer licenses, which they gave up.

Stivers entered final judgments in the case last week.

The auction involved in the case took place in Allen County in April 2018 and involved a 367-acre farm and timber rights, according to court documents.

At the end, there were two teams of bidders left  Mackie and Shelton against two men who had leased the farm and wanted to buy it.

Dyer approached one of the other bidders and told the man to pay him and Shelton $40,000 in order to stop bidding, federal prosecutors said in one court document.

James Cook, a real-estate broker and auctioneer in Bowling Green who was helping conduct the sale, said in a letter to the judge that he saw Dyer and Shelton talking to the two other bidders. He went to the men and they told him about the demand for a payoff.

Cook went to Mackie and Dyer and told them what they were doing was illegal and not to do it, but they laughed at me, he said in the letter.

Cook said he talked to a lawyer who was at the sale to confirm that what the two men were attempting was illegal, and then approached Dyer and Shelton a second time, but they told him to mind his own business.

Cook said that in more than 45 years as an auctioneer, he had never seen or heard of anyone demanding money to stop bidding against someone else.

After agreeing to pay Dyer and Shelton $20,000 apiece, the two farmers placed a final bid and Dyer and Shelton didnt raise them, allowing them to get the farm at an artificially suppressed price, according to court documents.

The estate of the woman who had owned the land charged in a separate civil lawsuit that the bid-rigging cost the estate more than $150,000.

Dyer and Shelton each pleaded guilty to conspiring to rig bids.
Plans from Veterans Affairs leadership to restart their embattled electronic health records program this summer could be upended by lawmakers concerned over the long-term safety and reliability of the program.

Capitol Hill staff said members in both chambers are discussing how to move ahead on new requirements for the program after a flurry of new legislation aimed at ensuring the new records system doesnt move ahead until major fixes are made. If a compromise is reached, it could significantly set back plans from VA officials to expand the software to new medical centers in June.

Last week, Republicans led by Senate Veterans Affairs Committee ranking member Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., introduced the latest piece of legislation on the matter, proposing delays to future work on the records modernization program until certain performance benchmarks are met.

Moran called progress on the work so far troubling and noted that without these changes, it would be irresponsible to continue implementing the system at additional VA centers.

The bill came just a few days before Senate Democrats led by Committee Chairman Jon Tester, D-Mont., introduced similar requirements for major reforms to the program. That list includes certifying that existing sites using the new software are meeting acceptable medical care standards, and assurances that recurring problems with the records system are sorted out well before new staffers are assigned to work on it.

VA plans to deploy new health records to more sites in June

Its clear that the new electronic health records system is failing veterans, medical personnel, and taxpayers, Tester said in a statement. We need aggressive measures to right this ship and get a better return on investment through this contract.

The details of two Senate measures differ in specifics from a bill introduced by House Republican leaders (including House Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Mike Bost, R-Ill.) in January, but the message behind all of the legislation is the same: Lawmakers lack confidence in the 10-year, $16-billion records overhaul.

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Ant more delays to the programs schedule would call into question whether the project could be finished under its original timeline or original cost estimate. The records overhaul was launched by President Donald Trump in 2017 as a way for the first time to bring veterans health records in line with military files.

In the past, the two agencies used separate records systems with intermediary programs to transfer data between them, causing information issues for patients and physicians. The new system, designed by Oracle Cerner, would in theory provide a lifelong health record for individuals from military enlistment through their time with VA health care.

Installation of the new Defense Department records system (which began a few years before the VA launch) has largely remained on schedule. But numerous problems with the VA system at the first few sites prompted several delays, including a full shut-down of the rollout plan last fall.

Issues included an inspector general report which found at least 148 cases of patient harm caused by record entry mistakes; more than 11,000 orders for specialty care and lab work lost in the new system; and six patient deaths since last fall where the new system was one of a potential number of root causes, according to the departments top health official.

Stress over VAs new health records is causing staffers to leave

Leadership from both VA and Oracle Cerner in recent months have said that those problems have been fixed. The software vendor has also stated publicly that system reliability has significantly improved since last fall, although VA officials have not backed up that statement.

Still, VA Secretary Denis McDonough in an appearance before the House Appropriations Committee last week said officials believe they are headed towards resuming site deployments this summer, barring any additional setbacks. The department is in mid-contract negotiations with Oracle Cerner now on program metrics and costs, expected to be finalized later this spring.

We remain committed to the idea, he told lawmakers. Weve got to get the contract right. We got to get the execution right.

Of VAs more than 170 medical center sites, five are currently using the new Oracle Cerner health records system: Mann-Granstaff VA Medical Center in Spokane, Wash.; Jonathan M. Wainwright VA Medical Center in Walla Walla, Wash.; the VA Central Ohio Healthcare System in Columbus, Ohio; the Roseburg VA Health Care System in Roseburg, Ore.; and the VA Southern Oregon Rehabilitation Center and Clinics in White City, Ore.

The VA Saginaw Healthcare System in Michigan is slated to be the next site to receive the health records update, although officials have said that could change based on safety and training concerns.
BALTIMORE (AP)  A one-time chief of staff for former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan died Monday after being shot when FBI agents confronted him in a manhunt launched when he failed to show up for trial on corruption charges, his lawyer said.

Attorney Joseph Murtha said the FBI confirmed Roy McGraths death to him. He added that it was not immediately clear if McGrath's wound was self-inflicted or came during an exchange of gunfire with agents.

William Brennan, an attorney for McGrath's wife, Laura Bruner, also confirmed the death and said she was absolutely distraught.

According to an earlier email from FBI Supervisory Special Agent Shayne Buchwald in Maryland, McGrath was wounded during an agent-involved shooting about 6:30 p.m. in a commercial area on the southwestern outskirts of Knoxville, Tennessee. Buchwald said McGrath was taken to a hospital but did not elaborate.

Further details, including how McGrath was wounded and what led up to it, were not immediately released. The shooting was under investigation.

The FBI takes all shooting incidents involving our agents or task force members seriously, said Buchwald, who declined to confirm that McGrath had died.

McGrath, 53, was declared a wanted fugitive after his disappearance, and the FBI said he was considered an international flight risk.

In a statement, Hogan said he and his wife, Yumi, are deeply saddened by this tragic situation. We are praying for Mr. McGraths family and loved ones.

Murtha called the death a tragic ending to the past three weeks of uncertainty and said his client always maintained his innocence.

After McGrath failed to appear at Baltimores federal courthouse on March 13, Murtha said he believed McGrath, who had moved to Naples, Florida, was planning to fly to Maryland the night before. Instead of beginning jury selection, a judge issued an arrest warrant and dismissed prospective jurors.

McGrath was indicted in 2021 on accusations that he fraudulently secured a $233,648 severance payment, equal to one year of salary as the head of Maryland Environmental Service, by falsely telling the agency's board the governor had approved it. He was also accused of fraud and embezzlement connected to roughly $170,000 in expenses. McGrath pleaded not guilty.

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McGrath resigned just 11 weeks into the job as Hogans chief of staff in 2020 after the payments became public.

If convicted of the federal charges, he would have faced a maximum sentence of 20 years for each of four counts of wire fraud, plus a maximum of 10 years for each of two counts of embezzling funds from an organization receiving more than $10,000 in federal benefits.

___ Brumfield reported from Silver Spring, Maryland. Associated Press writer Brian Witte in Annapolis contributed to this report.
Lawyers for jailed Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich visited him Tuesday for the first time, according to the newspaper, nearly a week after Russian authorities arrested him on spying allegations.

We are encouraged that Evans lawyers ... were able to meet with him in prison today, the Journals editor in chief, Emma Tucker, wrote in an email to the newsroom. Evans health is good, and he is grateful for the outpouring of support from around the world. We continue to call for his immediate release.

The Journal denies the espionage charges against Gershkovich.

Tucker added: The legal avenue is one of several avenues we are working to advocate for Evans release. We continue to work with the White House, State Department and relevant U.S. government officials to secure Evans release.

U.S. Embassy representatives have been refused consular access, according to the newspaper.

Gershkovich, 31, a reporter of Russian heritage, had made Russia his second home and was authorized to work in the country, according to the newspaper. He was on assignment in the Ural Mountains city of Yekaterinburg, said Dmitry Kolezev, an independent Russian journalist who was familiar with Gershkovichs plans.

Evan Gershkovich. (Dimitar Dilkoff / AFP - Getty Images)

The newspaper has not released details about Gershkovichs assignment when he was detained. The Journal did not immediately respond to a request for more details about his assignment.

Russias domestic intelligence service, the FSB, said Gershkovich was arrested on suspicion of espionage in the interests of the American government. It accused him of collecting information constituting a state secret about the activities of one of the enterprises of the Russian military-industrial complex.

The Journal has strongly denied the charges. In an editorial, it accused the Russian government of taking Gershkovich hostage, calling the espionage allegation dubious on its face.

In a statement Saturday, the Journal described Gershkovichs detention as a vicious affront to a free press that should spur outrage in all free people and governments throughout the world.

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The U.S. government has called the charges ridiculous, with White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre saying Tuesday: Evan is not a spy. Evan has never been a spy. Evan has never worked for the U.S. government.

The State Department has continually attempted to secure consular access to Evan as it relates to the designation of wrongfully detained, she added.

The U.S. government is preparing to officially declare Gershkovich is wrongfully detained, which would initiate the use of government resources to facilitate his release, according to CNN, citing two unnamed U.S. officials.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Saturday that he urged for Gershkovichs release in a phone call to his Russian counterpart.

While the Biden administration condemned Gershkovichs arrest, his colleagues have rallied together to keep his name on the international radar.

In a show of solidarity at the papers office in New York City, Shayndi Raice, the Journals deputy bureau chief for Middle East and North Africa, posted on Instagram a photo of Gershkovichs face projected into the newsroom with the hashtag #IStandWithEvan.

Everyone was extremely worried, Raice said by email.

The sentiment in the newsroom is really a fighting spirit, I think, Raice added. Were all mobilizing in every way we can think of to keep Evans situation in the national consciousness. Were working on many different fronts to do this.

As millions of Jews around the world prepare to mark the eight-day holiday of Passover, commemorating the exodus from slavery in Egypt, Raice helped start an online campaign to encourage Jews to save a seat for Gershkovich at Seder tables Wednesday.

Evan is the son of Soviet Jewish immigrants, and I think his story will really resonate around this time of year as so many people are celebrating freedom, she said.

Emma Moody, the Journals standards and ethics editor, told the newsroom Monday that there is a tireless diplomatic and legal machine working to free Evan, adding, Beyond that, there is a huge communications and amplification plan. ...

Keep using the phrase I stand with Evan and the hashtag #istandwithevan in your tweets or retweets, she said in the email.

Before his arrest, Gershkovich thought he had been followed by the FSB on a previous assignment, Kolezev said. Gershkovich may have been trying to report on the Wagner mercenary group and speak to employees at one of the countrys largest tank production facilities, Kolezev said.

After he was detained, Gershkovich was taken to Moscows Lefortovo Court and formally arrested. The court ordered that he be detained until May 29, according to the official Telegram channel of the capitals courts.

Gershkovich denied the charges and has filed an appeal against his arrest, Russias state news agency Tass reported.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Florida Democratic Party chairperson Nikki Fried and Senate Minority Leader Lauren Book were among about a dozen people arrested by Tallahassee police during an abortion rights protest Monday evening.

Protesters, who were demonstrating against a proposed ban on most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, were warned by police that if they did not leave a barricaded area that was closed at sunset, they would be subject to arrest, according to the Tallahassee Democrat.

Fried and Book were both arrested on a misdemeanor charge of trespassing on property after warning, according to Leon County court records. Both were released on their own recognizance around 11:15 p.m., according to court records.

The other protesters were released later, and all were out of police custody by about 2:15 a.m., according to a tweet from Florida Planned Parenthood Action.

Other lawmakers, including Sen. Jason Pizzo, D-Hollywood, Sen. Lori Berman, D-Boynton Beach, and Rep. Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando, went to the jail to support their Democratic colleagues, according to a tweet from Florida Planned Parenthood Action.

Thank you @senpizzo & team for making sure every last protester was released, the tweet says.

READ MORE: Florida is considering a 6-week abortion ban. What to know about the bill

Book, D-Plantation, said after attending a news conference at the demonstration, she sat with the advocates. At about sundown, police told them they were trespassing and would have to leave. She said the arrests were peaceful, and nobody resisted.

It became very very clear very, very quickly this was escalating, Book said. But we were committing to sitting alongside these women who were going to give all of themselves to protect a womans right to choose.

Sen. Lauren Book holds hands with roughly a dozen activists while protesting SB 300, which would place a ban on abortions after six weeks in Florida, while singing Lean on Me, Monday, April 3, 2023. The bill was passed by the Senate earlier in the day.

Book said she understands that most peoples priorities lie in the daily ins and outs of their home life: paying bills, getting their kids to school, etc. But she said her fear is that after a right is lost, its hard to regain, and she said people need to pay attention to the reality of what exists right now in Florida regarding abortion access.

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Video from Politico reporter Gary Fineout showed police officers handcuffing several people as they sat in a circle singing Lean on Me.

A group of roughly a dozen activists sit in a circle while holding hands to protest SB 300, which would place a ban on abortions after six weeks in Florida. They were later arrested Monday, April 3, 2023.

A statement from the Tallahassee Police Department said 11 people were arrested for trespass. It did not name those arrested in the statement.

The department said it supports non-disruptive demonstrations, saying police had assisted in ensuring a safe environment for demonstrators from across the state as they peacefully protested Senate Bill 300 in front of Tallahassees City Hall.

After multiple warnings throughout the day, protesters acknowledged they understood that anyone refusing to leave the premises at sundown would be subject to arrest, the statement from the police department said. This evening, after sunset, the majority of the crowd left the property while 11 people refused to leave despite numerous requests. They were subsequently arrested for trespass after warning.

Book has been scheduled for a court appearance on April 27, and Fried has been scheduled for one on May 18, according to court records.

Democratic Chairwoman Nikki Fried is arrested along with Sen. Lauren Book and about a dozen activists who were protesting SB 300, which would place a ban on abortions after six weeks, outside Tallahassee City Hall on Monday, April 3, 2023.

In a statement, Laura Goodhue, the executive director of the Florida Alliance of Planned Parenthood Affiliates, said her organization stands with the activists who were arrested, and that every Floridian owes a debt of gratitude to these passionate freedom fighters.

Our movement is more unified and, in the aftermath of last nights arrest of peaceful protesters, more determined than ever, Goodhue said. Planned Parenthood has never shied away from a fight, and with leaders like Chair Fried and Senate Democratic Leader Lauren Book focused on building the infrastructure to defend reproductive freedom in our state, we arent going anywhere.

Legislation restricting abortions after six weeks of pregnancy was approved in the Senate on Monday. It still must pass out of the House, but is expected to do so.
Former president Donald Trump arrives at the courtroom at the Manhattan Criminal Court on April 4, 2023.

Former president Donald Trump arrives at the courtroom at the Manhattan Criminal Court on April 4, 2023. Credit - Ed JonesPool/AFP/Getty Images

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Even when trying to buy the silence of a woman who claimed to have had a sexual encounter with him, Donald Trump sought to delay the payment until after he won the White House because, as he told his lawyer, by then it wouldnt matter and he could simply renege on his $130,000 offer.

That is just one of a few embarrassing details included in twin filings unsealed in a Manhattan courtroom on Tuesday, charging the ex-President with 34 felony counts for allegedly falsifying his private businesses logs to pay off a porn star. (Trump denies the affair and pleaded not guilty to the charges.) Other nuggets include details about how Trump used his former fixer to negotiateand then stiffthe friendly publisher of The National Enquirer who bought and then buried stories alleging a second sexual relationship and a separate dubious tale of an out-of-wedlock child.

As days memorialized in presidential museums go, Tuesday was unlike any other in the network administered by the National Archives, as Trump became the first ever sitting or former President to be indicted. Still, for those who have watched Trumps messy blending of his personal and business lives, the disclosures in court forms brought few real surprises. The unanswered question hanging over a Republican Party poised to potentially nominate an under-indictment presidential nominee is this: does it even matter to voters who have heard a lot of this tawdry tale before?

Legally, it might. A sullen and surly Trump appeared in Manhattan court on Tuesday afternoon amid unprecedented conditions and to be arraigned on the 34 counts of falsifying invoices, ledger entries, and payments to former and convicted lawyer Michael Cohenall alleged actions undertaken while Trump was President, starting in February of 2017. Prosecutors contend that Trumps false statements were in service of concealing other crimes, which in New York bumps the misdemeanor booboos to full, class-E felonies that could carry four years each if Trump were convicted. (To be clear: no one credibly thinks the 76-year-old Trump is heading to the clink for 134 years for fudging business records as a first-time criminal defendant.)

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Trump faces very serious questions whether, as a candidate, he negotiated for his political fixer to pay adult film actress Stormy Daniels, real name Stephanie Clifford, $130,000 to keep her quiet about an alleged sexual encounter in order to help him in the 2016 election, and then lied on records about those payments in the months that followed Trumps move into the White House. The charges in the indictment relate only to the Stormy Daniels payments, but separately, prosecutors say Trump and Cohen used the National Enquirers parent company to pay Karen McDougal $150,000 to keep silent about her alleged sexual affair with Trump and another $30,000 to buy a story from a Trump Tower doorman about an out-of-wedlock child. (Ultimately, according to the legal filings, Trumps team did not reimburse the Enquirer for either outlay; the Enquirers parent company, American Media, Inc., covered the McDougal deal but withdrew from a reimbursement agreement with Cohen. AMI eventually agreed to settle with the Federal Election Commission for $187,500 for helping the Trump campaign with hush-money payments to McDougal. Editors didnt didnt trust the doorman and balked.)

The extraordinary day provided a clear view into the contemporary Republican Party, where Trump still commands tremendous influence and remains the nominee to beat in 2024. As TIMEs Brian Bennett has reported, a Trump indictment and subsequent surrender, trial, and P.R. spectacle could well help his chances in the primary. Trump seems to know it, too: While we are living through the darkest hours of American history, I can say that at least for this moment right now, I am in great spirits, Trumps campaign wrote in an email sent as his plane was ferrying out of New York and back toward Florida, where he plansof coursea rally-like set of remarks later Tuesday evening.

In that same missive, Trump also upped the ante from a day earlier, when his spokesman said the campaign had raised $7 million since the indictment announcement, a remarkable sum that outpaced his entire official campaign haul for January 2020 when he faced his first impeachment trial. Trump said his fundraising haul stood at $10 million since rumor of an indictment broke in March. All the while, Trumps effort to merge media businesses Digital World and Trump Media & Technology Group has seen investment jump 20% in that same month-long window. (Execs are hoping to have that deal closed by September.)

Still, the history-making day brought some signs of weakness for Trump. Even as an ex-President, hes usually the most powerful person in any meeting; his entrance into a room all but demands everyone else rise, but in a courtroom, that reverence is given to a judge, not a defendant. Trump hates weakness in others, and suddenly he was forced to confront his own shaky footing in a system that doesnt exactly give deference to his former title as it considers whether he committed crimes, both in New York but also elsewhere possibly in Georgia and Washington, D.C.

Now, comes the waiting game. Not for the criminal implications, although those are important if far off. No, the more immediate watch will be whether any of Trumps potential rivals for 2024or his skeptics in Washingtonwill pivot on whether Trump remains the most viable GOP contender to challenge President Joe Bidens expected re-election campaign. To this point, its been largely stick-with-Trump as a political strategy, although its one thing to defend someone said to be facing a sealed indictment and its quite another to put forward support for someone who, in a detailed, 16-page indictment and 13-page summary of facts, is said to be found beyond dispute in a grand jurys mind to have committed as many as 34 criminal acts. The indictment may guarantee Trump the nomination while putting him at a distinct disadvantage in a general election against Biden.

It would hardly be the first time Trump skirted responsibility for dodgy behavior with misdirection. After all, the Trump family has been the target of investigations for the last 50 years, starting with Fred Trump and continuing to the ex-President whose Tuesday may prove invaluable in shedding the first part of that title in a little less than two years. For those hoping the criminal justice system finally slaps Donald Trump with consequences, remember: disregard for that same system has been central to Trumps entire overlay on American politics for more than a decade at this point.

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The Manhattan district attorney on Tuesday released a 34-count unsealed indictment against former President Donald Trump for his alleged role in efforts to bury damaging stories about his personal life ahead of the 2016 presidential election, accusing him of taking part in a years-long "catch and kill scheme" to propel his rise to the White House.

The indictment, the first to accuse a sitting or former U.S. president of a crime, and an accompanying statement of facts accused Trump of unlawfully falsifying business records to cover up hush money payments to individuals who claimed to have negative stories about him, including adult film star Stormy Daniels, who claimed she had an extramarital affair with the former president. Trump has denied having an affair with Daniels or another woman who was paid in exchange for her silence.

Trump on Tuesday pleaded not guilty to the charges inside Manhattan Criminal Court after being booked and fingerprinted. Trump was quickly released, as is standard for defendants accused of nonviolent crimes.

While the indictment against a former president is an extraordinary development in U.S. history, legal experts noted Trump's conviction is far from assured, saying it will not be easy for Manhattan prosecutors to prove the former president committed a felony.

The falsification of business records is typically a misdemeanor offense under New York state law. But it can be upgraded to a low-level felony if the prosecution can show the defendant committed the offense with the intention to commit or conceal another crime. The 34 counts unveiled by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg on Tuesday were all felony charges, with prosecutors arguing the former president also violated election laws.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg speaks after former President Donald Trump was arraigned at Manhattan Criminal Courthouse on April 4, 2023. / Credit: BRENDAN MCDERMID / REUTERS

Randy Zelin, a Cornell Law School professor who previously worked as a white collar defense lawyer and prosecutor, said Bragg could face significant hurdles in convincing a jury that Trump intended to commit or conceal another crime when he allegedly falsified business records to conceal the hush money payments.

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"I think it will be difficult to prevail on the felonies," Zelin told CBS News. "The falsifying of entries misdemeanor  that's a slam dunk."

Jessica Levinson, a CBS News legal analyst and Loyola Law School professor, said it appears Manhattan prosecutors have a "very strong case" to argue that false business entries were made as part of the "catch and kill" strategy to suppress negative stories about Trump. But she agreed that connecting that alleged offense with violations of election laws or other crimes will be more challenging.

"Unless you have a smoking gun, showing intent to commit another crime can always be a challenge," she said.

Still, Levinson said Bragg's case does not only hinge on the accounts of former Trump "fixer" Michael Cohen, who she said could be characterized as an unreliable source. Cohen, who said he made a $130,000 hush money payment to Daniels in 2016 on behalf of the former president, served time in federal prison after pleading guilty to tax evasion and campaign finance violations.

"It hinges on David Pecker," Levinson said, referring to the former CEO of America Media, Inc., who allegedly worked with Cohen and Trump to buy and kill negative stories about Trump. "And I think it hinges on other people in the Trump Organization who actually helped him make these payments."

John Coffee, a Columbia Law School professor who studies white collar crime, said Trump's lawyers will likely seek to dismiss the case and to change the venue of the proceedings to another jurisdiction. Trump's attorneys, Coffee said, could argue that the case should be dismissed because prosecutors have not sufficiently demonstrated that the former president falsified records to conceal another crime.

"I think they have strong evidence that there were false documents filed for the misdemeanor but I don't understand what they're alleging was the federal offense or the state offense that was covered up," Coffee told CBS News.

Zelin, the Cornell University professor, said the main argument of Trump's legal team could be that the hush money payments were made to protect his family, not to influence the outcome of the 2016 election.

Trump could argue, "I was just trying to be a good husband and a good father. I was trying to keep this out of the press," Zelin said.

But Levinson said that argument could be undermined by evidence that Trump, Cohen, Pecker and others met to bury negative stories about the former president to insulate his presidential candidacy from political attacks and scandals.

"All the allegations point to the idea that some people sat down and said, 'Let's make sure we suppress these stories because we don't want it to get out to the voters,'" Levinson added.

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New jobless claims fell last week, but still higher than expected
Generative AI could lead to the widespread automation of jobs, new research found. sorbetto/Getty Images

Generative AI could lead to the widespread automation of jobs, new research found.

But blue-collar roles in manufacturing and construction face minimal influence, data indicates.

Here's why some industries will likely be more affected than others by the technology.

Rapid advances in artificial intelligence are stoking employee concerns about the automation of jobs.

Generative AI, a type of AI capable of generating text and other content in response to user prompts, has exploded in popularity in recent months following the launch of OpenAI's ChatGPT. Some companies have already tapped the chatbot to take on content-producing roles.

A recent report from Goldman Sachs found the tech could significantly disrupt the labor market, with it affecting about 300 million full-time jobs or 18% of work. Another recent study, from OpenAI with the University of Pennsylvania, found OpenAI's AI chatbot ChatGPT could affect around 80% of jobs in the US. White-collar roles could be among the worst hit, the study also found.

While the studies predicted advances in AI tech could also improve labor productivity and create jobs, they said some industries would likely be more affected than others.

Legal services

The legal industry has been cited in multiple studies as one of the industries most exposed to automation.

A study released in March by researchers at Princeton University, the University of Pennsylvania, and New York University, estimated that legal was the industry most likely influenced by AI tech like ChatGPT. The researchers used a benchmark that matched specific work tasks with AI capabilities to calculate the results.

Manav Raj, one of the authors of the study and an assistant professor of management at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, told Insider this was because the industry was made up of a relatively small number of occupations already exposed to automation, such as legal assistants.

The report from Goldman Sachs, which relies on an analysis of data on occupational tasks in the US and Europe, also highlighted legal workers as especially at risk from the new tech.

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University education and research

Education was one of the first areas to witness some of the effects of ChatGPT, and institutions, especially those in higher education, are scrambling to deal with the consequences of the technology.

The study led by Princeton University, which was authored by Raj, Ed Felten, and Robert Seamans, identified postsecondary teachers as some of the workers highly exposed to large language models.

Professors across a variety of subjects made up eight of the top 10 affected occupations, while junior colleges were ranked the 17th most likely sector to be influenced. Raj said this was because AI chatbots tended to be very good at research tasks such as identifying patterns and writing reports.

The research from Goldman Sachs, which was written by Joseph Briggs and Devesh Kodnani, estimated almost 30% of work tasks in education instruction and library services in the US and Europe could be automated.

Administration

Administrative roles have particularly high exposure to automation, Goldman researchers found. They estimated that about 46% of work tasks in the sector could be automated.

Wharton's Raj said that sectors like administration, where there's a "relatively high prevalence of white-collar roles, tended to be more exposed" to advanced AI technology. But the effect of AI on the labor market will be "multifaceted," Raj said, in some cases complementing human work.

Finance

Banks are already incorporating AI tech into their day-to-day business operations.

More than half of banks say they've used the tech for revenue generation, according to the Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance and the World Economic Forum. Financial quantitative analysts were also identified in a study led by OpenAI and the University of Pennsylvania as one of the occupations highly exposed to advanced AI technology.

Tech

AI chatbots like ChatGPT have excelled at writing code. The new programs can analyze numbers and produce code, often at a faster rate than humans can.

The study led by Princeton University ranked software publishers as the 11th most likely sector to be affected by tech like ChatGPT, something Raj put down to the chatbot's impressive coding abilities. The Goldman researchers estimated that about 29% of computing and mathematical tasks in the US and Europe could be automated.

Construction

Sectors with a high number of blue-collar roles, such as construction, scored relatively low on Goldman Sachs' report. In the US and Europe, the researchers estimated less than 10% of work tasks in the sector were exposed to automation.

Construction and related workers were also ranked some of the least influenced occupations on the list compiled by researchers at Princeton University, the University of Pennsylvania, and New York University.

Trade workers

Trade workers are also projected to be relatively untouched by the tech.

Trade work requires practical, hands-on experience and specialized training, and many of the tasks involve manual labor.

Craft and related trade workers had the lowest share of industry employment exposed to automation in Europe, Goldman Sachs found. The researchers estimated that only 4% of the industry was exposed to automation by AI in the region.

Read the original article on Business Insider
File. Leonardo DiCaprio testified in the hip hop artist Pras Michels trial on campaign finance and foreign agent charge (AFP via Getty Images)

Hollywood actor and producer Leonardo DiCaprio recalled at a court on Tuesday his wild private jet party trying to celebrate New Years Eve in two time zones.

He told the court during his testimony at the trial of Prakazrel Pras Michel that he flew to Australia with the former Fugee rapper, businessman Jho Low, and a group of other celebrities to celebrate NYE in that time zone and then returned to Las Vegas to try and catch the moment twice in another time zone.

Jho Low is a Malaysian billionaire from whom Michel is accused of taking $100m to support Barack Obamas presidential campaign.

DiCaprio recalled that he met Mr Low repeatedly for other celebrations as well after initially getting introduced to him at a birthday party in Las Vegas.

Did you make it in time to celebrate New Years? defence lawyer David Kenner asked the Hollywood star.

It depends on how you look at it, DiCaprio replied.

Mr Kenner asked him whether he knew Mr Lows legal status in the United States. He then proceeded to inform the judge that it is a central theme of the prosecution since any foreign donations are banned in the United States for any political campaigning.

Meanwhile, 50-year-old Michel has denied any conspiracy and witness tampering.

DiCaprio was asked by the court to testify about his links to Mr Low. The actor himself has not been accused of any wrongdoing.

Prosecutors alleged that Michel illegally helped put the Malaysian billionaires money into Mr Obamas 2012 re-election campaign and then tried to influence the Trump administration to drop a criminal case against Mr Low.

The Justice Department alleged that in exchange, the rapper pocketed nearly $100m.

Reports said that Mr Low also helped finance DiCaprios film The Wolf of Wall Street. They alleged that the actor received gifts from the billionaire, including financial donations to his charity, photographs, first-edition books, and art. But DiCaprio refuted the charge in court.

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The actor was asked by the prosecution: Did you ever receive anything close to tens of millions of dollars separate and apart from The Wolf of Wall Street? DiCaprio said no.

During the testimony, DiCaprio recalled having a conversation about the Democratic Party in the US. He [Low] mentioned in passing that he or possibly a group of other partners of his were going to give a significant contribution to the Democratic party... something to the tune of $20 or $30m, to which I basically said, Wow thats a lot of money.

He also claimed that he had enlisted investigators to perform background checks on Mr Low before accepting money for his film to find out whether the financing was good or not and safe to accept.

My understanding, I was given a green light by my team as well as the studio to accept financing from Mr Low, DiCaprio said. That means that the background check was fine and he was a legitimate businessperson.
Leonardo DiCaprio has testified against Pras Michel in the rappers conspiracy and witness tampering trial amid allegations of working with a Malaysian businessman on an international campaign-finance scheme.

On Monday (April 3), DiCaprio, who is not accused of any wrongdoing, was asked of his history with Pras, who the actor says he met at a Fugees concert in the mid 90s. According to DiCaprio, he and Pras attended the same parties on numerous occasions and Michel possibly spent a Thanksgiving holiday at his home, although he admits his memory does not serve that particular occasion.

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While the Oscar winner gave context to his relationship with Michel, most of his hour-long testimony revolved around his dealings with Jho Low, the tycoon Michel is accused of working in tandem with as part of the conspiracy. DiCaprio recalls meeting Low around 2010 at his birthday party in Las Vegas after being introduced by former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak. According to the 41-year-old, he was impressed by Lows reputation of being sort of a prodigy in the business world and ultra-successful.

Leonardo DiCaprio attends the press conference for the Japan premiere of Once Upon A Time In Hollywood on August 26, 2019 in Tokyo, Japan.

The pair hit it off, with DiCaprio offering to make a significant contribution to the Democratic Party ahead of the 2012 presidential election. However, when Low suggested a sum between $20 and $30 million dollars to assist in the Democrats campaign efforts, DiCaprio was taken aback by the amount. I basically said, Wow, thats a lot of money,' The Revenant actor stated.

Low would later offer to help finance a movie for DiCaprio, which turned out to be the hit 2013 film Wolf of Wall Street, which prosecutors say he helped fund using money laundered from 1MDB, a sovereign wealth fund, through a Los Angeles-based movie production company, Red Granite Pictures. The acclaimed thespian says he severed ties with Low in 2015 after his team discovered allegations of Low using illegal funding from Malaysia and a multitude of other places for his endeavors.

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Jynwel Capital Limited CEO Jho Low attends the 2014 Social Good Summit at 92Y on September 21, 2014 in New York City.

Michel and Low have both been charged, but Low remains at large, with Michel facing trial alone. The rapper, who plead not guilty on all charges, recently spoke with Rolling Stone about his legal ordeal, admitting that he never intended for his political aspirations to transpire in this manner. I was one of those people who was just dabbling. I never thought I would be full time into politics, he expressed. I realized politics is not for me. The problem with politics is this: Its that the people within politics, theyre dirtier than the people who are not in politics.

If convicted, Michel faces up to 22 years in prison.

Rapper Pras of the Fugees attends the launch of Jennifer Lopezs residency JENNIFER LOPEZ: ALL I HAVE at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino on January 20, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

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Leonardo DiCaprio testified in federal court Monday in a case involving international money laundering and bribery.

DiCaprio, 48, took the witness stand to talk about his connection to Jho Low  one of the primary financiers of his film "Wolf of Wall Street."

Jho Low, also known as Low Taek Jho, has been accused of stealing billions of dollars from a Malaysian state investment fund. Prakazrel "Pras" Michel is accused of funneling money for Jho Low into Barack Obama's 2012 election campaign.

Michel is known as a founder of the 1990s hip-hop group The Fugees.

Leonardo DiCaprio testified in federal court on Monday.

LEONARDO DICAPRIO NOT DATING 19-YEAR-OLD MODEL DESPITE PHOTO SENDING TWITTER INTO FRENZY

According to the charges, Michel essentially became a conduit for Low's pilfered millions and his attempts to influence the U.S. government. Prosecutors allege that from June to November 2012, Low directed more than $21.6 million to be moved from foreign entities to Michels accounts in order to funnel money into the 2012 presidential election.

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They say Michel then paid about 20 straw donors and conduits so they could make the donations in their names and conceal where the money actually came from, according to the indictment.

DiCaprio is not facing any charges.

DiCaprio and Jho Low became friends after meeting at a birthday party in 2010, according to the actor. "I understood him to be a huge businessman with many different connections in Abu Dhabi and Malaysia," he said.

The "Titanic" actor explained that he had met Michel in the 1990s while backstage at a Fugees concert.

Leonardo DiCaprio met Prakazrel "Pras" Michel in the 1990s and Jho Low in 2010, the actor testified.

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Jho Low was one of the primary financiers of DiCaprio's film, "The Wolf of Wall Street."

Low became a regular contributor to DiCaprio's charitable foundation, and eventually Low floated the idea of providing the primary financing for "The Wolf of Wall Street."

DiCaprio said he had Low's funding and legitimacy carefully vetted before entering into a business relationship.

"I was given the green light by my team as well as my studio," he said. "He was a legitimate business person wanting to invest in the movie."

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The 48-year-old actor also testified about a "casual conversation" he once had with Jho Low regarding millions of dollars he planned to donate to Obama's reelection campaign.

"It was a significant sum  something to the tune of $20-30 million," he testified. "I said, Wow thats a lot of money!'"

While Michel faces charges, Low is currently a fugitive. The financier is named as a co-defendant.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Suspended L.A. City Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas with then-Mayor-elect Karen Bass at an event in Leimert Park on Dec. 10, 2022. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

To the editor: Suspended Los Angeles City Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas enjoys wide support despite being convicted of ethical lapses. The same can be said for former President Trump. ("In a city rocked by corruption, Ridley-Thomas' conviction brings public tributes, not scorn," April 2)

Both may be politicians, but the two are completely different in the amount and degree of ethical lapses, their political leanings, their base and radicalization of support, and their place on the national stage.

So what does that say about us, the electorate, that many are willing to overlook ethical flaws of our leaders as long as we like their politics? Have we become so tribal that nothing matters other than "I don't care about ethical right or wrong, as long as I get my version of ideological right or wrong"?

Brad Golstein, Woodland Hills

..

To the editor: I totally agree with the praise for Ridley-Thomas. I am grateful for all that he has done for his fellow Angelenos, and especially Black Angelenos.

Thank you, Mr. Ridley-Thomas.

Lynn Thompson, Redondo Beach

..

To the editor: I was dismayed by the hypocrisy displayed in the outpouring of support for Ridley-Thomas upon his felony corruption conviction, as compared with the near unanimous condemnation of fellow Councilman Kevin de Leon for his racially abhorrent comments made in a secretly taped meeting.

Ridley-Thomas' past accomplishments and wide network of political allies are cited as the reasons for looking past a jury's finding that he committed numerous felonies while in office. But it can be argued that De Leon has also been a fervent advocate for his constituents and has accomplished much for them.

Yet, De Leon has been all but tarred and feathered for his verbal indiscretions, while Ridley-Thomas has apparently suffered little taint to his reputation.

Agustin Medina, South Pasadena

..

To the editor: A letter writer sees bias in the fact that The Times referred to Trump's party affiliation in reporting on his indictment, but did not do the same for Ridley-Thomas after his conviction in a federal corruption case.

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This is not bias, but simply the reflection of a couple of facts.

First, L.A. City Council seats are nonpartisan offices; the presidency is not.

Second, Trump claims to be the head of the Republican Party, and he is the de facto head of that party, whether it likes that or not. The same cannot be said of Ridley-Thomas with respect to the Democratic Party.

June Ailin Sewell, Marina del Rey

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
At 16, I got my license, then I promptly drove 20 miles from my rural hometown in Oklahoma to a neighboring small city called Ada and got a library card. On weekends for the rest of my teen years, I would drive back and forth to the Ada Public Library with a sense of glee and freedom its hard to replicate even now that I have my own 16-year-old daughter.

I wasnt allowed to watch anything rated R, but I knew important things were happening in a new golden age of film. It was the late 90s and stodgy, underwritten blockbusters were being usurped during the awards seasons by independent films.

I used my library card to borrow dozens of movies. I knew better than to bring home an R-rated movie, but the films I watched from the 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s ranged from G to PG-13 ratings, and they were the foundation of my continued love for films and narrative storytelling.

Even working my way through the classic horror section, I saw plenty my parents might have found objectionable. But it was the 90s and the internet had barely been invented. I doubt they thought anything of it. I saw Rosemarys Baby, The Manchurian Candidate, The Birds, Jaws, Twilight Zone: The Movie, Poltergeist, and Psycho. My friends and I would watch the musical Grease and Dazed and Confused on repeat (that was the only one my dad got really mad about). I didnt have to wait until I was 16 to watch Tootsie and Yentl. One came on TV back when bleeped-out swear words and naked bodies could turn any R-rated movie into a tamer, Cliffs Notes version of the whole, which aired on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights. I watched Yentl with my mom on PBS when I was probably 7 or 8. It had Barbara Streisand! I remember that she might have made me leave the room during a love scene, but I only remember it because I had no idea what was happening until she said something.

Now, lets explore the themes from a few of the above-listed films that borrowed back then as I learned narrative structure, successful versus unsuccessful exposition, tone, character development, and other creative writing and film crafts. Some of the harmful content from those films include drinking, smoking, the occult, rape, strangulation, suicide, murder, psychosis, underaged drinking, marijuana use, crises of faith, cross-dressing, communism, feminism and alcoholism. Good stuff, right? And all freely available to me exactly when I needed to learn about the world so that I could make the choices that made who I am today  mother, wife, writer, editor and a graduate student working on a Master of Fine Arts degree.

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I havent even started talking about the books I read. Like most Gen-X kids, Stephen King became a fixture by the time I was 10 or 11. And I didnt get those books from the library. They were at my grandmothers house.

A year ago, I read Pulitzer-Prize-winning author Anthony Doerrs newest novel, Cloud Cuckoo Land. About a third of the novel takes place in the fictional Idaho town of Lakeport and its fictional public library, and the events that take place there are the embodiment of a core theme of the book  how humans who preserve texts and artifacts make possible our modern societys continued education based on world history, art and cultural narratives. Doerr lives in Idaho. The book is dedicated to librarians. I cant accept the tragic inequity of making Doerrs works unavailable to minors in his own state.

The Idaho Legislature has fallen victim to the worst instincts one can find in world history  the crime of suppressing the stories they wish to wipe from the earth. Since House Bill 314A is left wide open to interpretation, you can bet it wont take long for a school or public library to be sued, and what an incredible waste of much-needed funding to keep library materials up-to-date and relevant to the communities it serves.

Gov. Brad Little, please be brave enough to be on the right side of history and veto HB 314A. It is written from a place of misunderstanding, even hatred, of vital lessons from art, culture and history. These perspectives do not harm children who are taught critical thinking skills and creativity. They give the kind of nuance kids and teens need to strike out as adults, and eventually as parents themselves. These resources can save the lives of kids who see no path except the one their parents set for them. As a grown child whose parents did not raise her that way and a mother whose kids know how to self-censor because that is how we parent, I implore you to veto House Bill 314A.

Katie Stokes is a technical editor. She lives in Idaho Falls.
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Prince Harry made a surprise visit to London last week, and though it was published in The Telegraph that the Duke of Sussex initially told King Charles he would be too busy for a visit, even more recent reports claim the reigning monarch actually pulled an Uno reverse move since the King was never expecting to see Harry in the first place. *Cue le dramatic music*

Karwai Tang - Getty Images





On March 30, 2023, Fox News Digital reported King Charles was too busy to meet with his youngest son even though the dates of his state visit to Germany didn't coincide with Harry's stay. That said, the King *was* initially supposed to be out of the country visiting France, but his trip was ultimately cancelled amid the ongoing riots related to President Emmanuel Macron.

Im told Charles was never expecting to see Harry, royal commentator Duncan Larcombe relayed to Fox News Digital. Although he was in the country, Charles was too busy with Germany and the cancellation of his trip to France. Kinsey Schofield, the host of the To Di For Daily podcast, shared similar sentiments with the publication, admitting that Charles' decision to ultimately not see his son was a stark example of consequence.

WPA Pool - Getty Images

The Kings diary is typically built months in advance, she explained. [But] the idea that the King had this time off and chose not to engage with his son tells me that Charles does not trust his boy. He does not want any drama before the coronation, and he clearly thinks Harrys grievances are petty. If Harry and Meghan attend the Kings coronation, they should bring their parkas because things are going to be ice cold.

However, despite these and many other sources and publications *insert Regina George voice here* trying to make a snub happen, royal expert Shannon Felton Spence disagrees. The King was scheduled to be in France before Germany. He was not even supposed to be in the U.K., she explained. So, Harrys surprise trip was strategically planned for when his brother and his father would be out of town The political situation in France forced an unfortunate cancellation of the Kings visit, which made him unexpectedly in the U.K. for a few extra days, Spence continued before adding, If the King is too busy to see Harry, its because he approached him as the King and not as a son to a father. Sometimes, your former boss is too busy to see you if you drop in on them.

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A refresher on this whole London debacle for ya: The purpose of Harry's entire trip was attending a four-day hearing in Londons High Court for the case against Associated Newspapers. And though it was said the Duke of Sussex would be staying at Frogmore Cottagewhich is just a stone's throw away from Prince William and Kate Middleton's home at Adelaide CottageThe Express said he wouldn't get a chance to see the Prince and Princess of Wales either, as they're currently on vacay for their children's half term holidays. More recent reports actually confirm that Harry actually did in fact stay at Frogmore, with The Telegraph writing yesterday that, It is understood the Duke of Sussex stayed at the Windsor property before making his surprise appearance at the Royal Courts of Justice last week. The Duke arrived in the UK last weekend and is thought to have flown back on Thursday night. He appeared in court on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday and is thought likely to have also used the visit to sort out the couples belongings and work out what needs to be shipped to the US ahead of vacating the property.

But tbh who knows \_()_/? Maybe, just maaaaybe, they'll all reunite for King Charles' coronation, though we won't know for sure until Harry and Meghan have confirmed their attendance themselves.

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The Chrisley Knows Best star says her father  who is concurrently serving out a combined 19 years with wife Julie for financial crimes  is "making the best" of his jail time

Rick Diamond/Getty Images Todd and Lindsie Chrisley

Todd Chrisley, is not letting his affable personality go to waste in prison.

In an exclusive clip from Wednesday's episode of PodcastOne's The Southern Tea, Todd's daughter Lindsie Chrisley gives an update on how her dad is coping amid his 12-year-long prison stint.

"My last visit with my dad, I couldn't stop telling him how great that he looked," Lindsie, 33, tells prison consultant Justin Paperny, who advised Todd and his wife Julie. "He looks very very good. I told him, I said, 'Even your hair looks better, a little bit longer and a little bit grayer.' His nails aren't completely bitten off."

Related:Todd Chrisley Reveals How He's 'Held Up' amid Ongoing Legal Drama: 'I Live in My Truth'

Speaking to her dad's overall mental state, Lindsie says, "I know for sure that he is in such a better place."

"His spirits are great. He is really just embracing the process there and making the best of the process there with the people that are also there serving time with him," she explains. "He's made great friends. He talks about his friends there."

Paperny then notes that Todd, who turns 54 on Thursday, will "learn" from his fellow inmates while behind bars. Additionally, the prison consultant says the Chrisley family patriarch "should be in better mood because reform has happened" and "more reform is coming."

Rick Diamond/Getty Images Todd and Lindsie Chrisley

Related:Savannah Chrisley Still 'Has So Much Hope' After Visiting Dad Todd Chrisley in Prison: 'This Isn't the End'

Todd and Julie, 50, were sentenced to a combined 19 years in prison for financial crimes. They reported to prison on Jan. 17, with Todd serving his sentence at Florida's Federal Prison Camp Pensacola and Julie completing her seven-year sentence at Federal Medical Center in Lexington, Kentucky.

The couple is currently in the process of appealing their case.

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Kevin Mazur/ACMA2017/Getty

Related:Savannah Chrisley Shares Parenting Advice Dad Todd Gave Her from Prison

Before entering their respective prison facilities, Lindsie told PEOPLE how the family was banding together during the tough time.

"I think inevitably whenever you go through something hard, no matter what that may be, we've gone through divorce, the legal stuff, all of these things. I think that you gravitate towards what you know," she said in December. "You band together and stand together when times do get tough. That is family."

"I do think in some ways it, for sure, has brought us closer together," she added. "But I would've wished that it would've been for other reasons and not this."

Never miss a story  sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

New episodes of The Southern Tea podcast can be streamed Wednesdays on major podcast platforms.

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Read the original article on People.
VILNIUS (Reuters) - Lithuania's parliament decided on Tuesday to ban Russian nationals from purchasing real estate in the Baltic country, citing risks to national security.

The ban, which will be in place until 2024, would not apply to Russians who are granted residency in the country.

Parliament also halted the issuing of new visas to nationals of Russia and its ally Belarus.

Many of the citizens of those two countries who carry other travel documents, such as previously issued visas, will be subject to "individual extended checks" at the border to determine if they pose a threat to national security.

"The vast majority of Russian citizens support their country's aggressive military actions, and do not take actions to stop the aggression of their country's regime, so they share the responsibility," Deputy Foreign Minister Jurgita Neliupsiene told parliament in March as she introduced the bill.

(Reporting by Andrius Sytas, editing by Terje Solsvik)
Little Rock, Arkansas, resident Mike Green shared his harrowing experience of surviving the high-end EF3 tornado that caused significant destruction to his home Friday.

Green, a resident of the Stone Bridge neighborhood of Little Rock for eight years, has experienced countless tornado warnings, but his property had never been directly hit by a twister until March 31. On that day, Green was working at his home office when he heard on the news that a wall cloud had formed over Little Rock.

"I actually saw the wall cloud. So I took it seriously for the first time in my life. I took a tornado warning seriously," Green told AccuWeather National Reporter Bill Wadell.

The lifelong Little Rock resident stood up from his desk, quickly grabbed his wallet and phone and ran downstairs to take cover in his basement.

Mike Green's home following the EF3 Little Rock tornado. (AccuWeather/Bill Wadell)

"I decided this was serious, and I needed to get off my butt and get out of here and ran," Green explained.

Once in the basement, Green had initially planned to turn on the TV so he could listen to the weather, but before he was able to, a frightening freight trainlike sound began. Green decided the best course of action would be to get as underground as possible and hide under a door.

Within minutes, the "rushing" noise from the tornado began to amplify as Green's house was torn apart. Green said the wind's howling was so loud that he couldn't hear any of the destruction happening.

"The sound of the wind just overwhelms everything else. And it was maybe five seconds, probably less than that," Green said, adding that he couldn't believe how quickly it hit.

After the tornado passed, Green opened the door and saw the destruction caused by the large tornado. The damage to his home was extensive, and the air was dust-filled.

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"There was just like a smoke bomb had gone off," Green described, and he added, "I was afraid to come out, because I wasn't sure if it was over."

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The room Green had just been working in moments earlier suffered extensive damage. A door in the room was torn off and flung behind a table. A large portion of the wall near where Green had been sitting was knocked down. The window from which Green had seen the wall cloud was gone entirely.

"I would have been under all of this," Green reflected as he showed Wadell the damage.

Mike Green's home office after the EF3 tornado hit. (AccuWeather / Bill Wadell)

Green credits his basement and the weather reports for helping keep him safe during the tornado.

"The weather people had us alerted full time, and the sirens are going off too. So that helped," Green said.

The EF3 tornado that tore through Little Rock on the afternoon of March 31 was one of four that triggered tornado emergency on that day. These alerts are typically reserved for rare situations when a severe threat to human life is imminent or ongoing and catastrophic damage is imminent or ongoing. The tornado outbreak was responsible for at least 31 fatalities and spawned at least 66 confirmed twisters -- the largest outbreak for the year to date.

The basement Green took cover in was surrounded by cinder blocks and brick walls. Despite it suffering broken windows from the tornado, the area remained sturdy enough to keep Green out of harm's way.

"I don't know if I'll ever be able to sleep upstairs again," Green reflected.

AccuWeather forecasters urge people to take every tornado warning seriously because not all tornadoes will be visible. Tornadoes can become rain-wrapped and challenging to observe, creating no visual that allows a person to see that danger is incoming. Tornadoes can also strike quickly, such as during the March 31 outbreak when some were moving as fast as 60-70 mph. It is highly recommended to heed any tornado warning because your life may depend on it.

Everybody on Green's street was also OK following the disaster. One of Green's neighbors had just moved in the day the tornado hit, and another neighbor had moved in just two weeks prior.

"Everybody's OK. There was somebody pinned in on Buttermilk Drive over here, but they got out OK," Green said.

Volunteers have been working to clean up devastated areas of Little Rock for days, offering any help they can to families that lost nearly everything. Little Rock resident and cleanup volunteer Jeff Turk told Wadell that he witnessed the tornado from his seventh-floor office building.

"It's totally different getting on the ground though. I mean, seeing that from the air is one thing, but then getting in the neighborhoods and seeing what people are having to go through. People are losing everything," Turk said.

Volunteers have been working to clear roads, clean up fallen trees and branches, helping people to reach their homes and cars and get back to some normalcy.

Additional reporting by AccuWeather National Reporter Bill Wadell.

Want next-level safety, ad-free? Unlock advanced, hyperlocal severe weather alerts when you subscribe to Premium+ on the AccuWeather app. AccuWeather Alerts are prompted by our expert meteorologists who monitor and analyze dangerous weather risks 24/7 to keep you and your family safer.
Mrs Justice Yip - PA Video/PA

Criminals could be physically forced into the dock under plans to create a new legal obligation to appear in court after the killer of Olivia Pratt-Korbel snubbed the judge and his victims family by refusing to leave his cell.

Justice Secretary Dominic Raab is considering changing the law to create a legal obligation on a defendant to appear for their sentencing after a series of high-profile cases where murderers have compounded the grief of families by refusing to attend.

Thomas Cashman remained in his cell after being convicted of murdering Olivia in Liverpool, with his lawyer telling the court the killer believed the case was "turning into a circus" because prosecutors allegedly sang We are the Champions following his conviction.

Cashman, 34, was sentenced to 42 years while absent from the courtroom for gunning down the nine-year-old in her own home in Liverpool.

A new legal duty would provide court and prison officials with the legal protection they needed if they had to use force in order to bring a convicted criminal to face justice in the dock.

The move could also provide a legal basis for judges to increase the sentence of a killer by treating their refusal to attend court as an aggravating factor.

Mr Raab said: Spineless criminals like Cashman who hide from their sentencing prolong the suffering of victims and their families. As I have already made clear, I plan to change the law to compel offenders to face up to their actions, so victims can see the justice they deserve being served.

It is understood the Deputy Prime Minister wants to introduce the new legislation before the next election. The current victims bill is out of scope for an amendment as it does not cover sentencing, so any change would have to be introduced via a new bill or as part of wider criminal justice reforms.

Ministers have yet to finalise plans but were backed by Mark Fairhurst, chair of the Prison Officers Association (POA), who said they stood ready to use whatever physical restraints and force were required to get a convicted criminal into the dock. It is disrespectful to the judicial process and victims of crime, he said.

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Sir Keir Starmer said ministers should look at all options including increased sentences for criminals who refused to appear as he backed the need for new laws. We've been calling for this for some time, the Government should get on with it, said the Labour leader.

In an article for The Telegraph, former justice secretary Sir Robert Buckland said he was concerned that using handcuffs or restraints to force attendance could hand control back to the defendant as they, rather than the family, would take centre stage.

'Prolonging uncertainty'

Further, non-cooperation, and citing reasons for it, can be used to drag proceedings out, prolonging uncertainty and pain for the victims loved ones, he said.

He suggested one short term option would be to use a live TV link to the cell in serious cases with a disruptive or unruly defendant muted if required.

He suggested delaying parole would be a way of extending a refusenik defendants sentence. They could also be penalised by blocks on transfers to other prisons, he said. We cannot allow absence from the dock to become the norm. It is the least victims  and their families  deserve, he added.

Under current criminal procedures, officials can use proportionate force to get a defendant into the dock although this would be balanced by the possibility of serious disruption if they did so.

A defendant who refuses to attend when a judge believes it is in the public interest for them to do so can be disciplined as a prisoner with loss of privileges or extra days in jail.

However, there is no legal requirement to attend or other sanction and criminal rules specifically allow for a defendant to be absent provided they are aware of the proceedings and the judge accepts it is a fair way to continue.
Swarms of people packed a New York City park on Tuesday waving signs, blowing whistles and chanting as former President Donald Trump was arraigned at a nearby courthouse on 34 felony counts related to hush money payments made during his 2016 presidential campaign.

The demonstrators were separated by barriers dividing those who were protesting his arrest and those supporting it, as local law enforcement tried to maintain order in lower Manhattan.

Some of the more popular signs read lock him up, in reference to Trumps long-time chant against his 2016 presidential opponent Hillary Clinton.

Check out some of the signs:

A small picture of Trump is seen on the ground outside of the Manhattan court where he was arraigned.

A small picture of Trump is seen on the ground outside of the Manhattan court where he was arraigned.

A protester holds a sign reading

A protester holds a sign reading "Hey Donny, you don't get hairspray in prison" in Collect Pond Park across the street from the Manhattan District Attorney's office.

A protester holds a sign outside the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse.

A protester holds a sign outside the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse.

People demonstrate with a sign depicting Trump behind bars.

People demonstrate with a sign depicting Trump behind bars.

Anti-Trump protesters hold signs ahead of his indictment on Tuesday.

Anti-Trump protesters hold signs ahead of his indictment on Tuesday.

Trump supporters hold a sign calling Democrats the party of fascists.

Trump supporters hold a sign calling Democrats the party of fascists.

Lisa Dreyer is proud of her sign. Dont you think its simple? And hes so terrified of being a loser. I figured why not! pic.twitter.com/qkbmaAYUc1  David Mack (@davidmackau) April 4, 2023

A Trump supporter holds a sign reading

A Trump supporter holds a sign reading "stop political persecution" ahead of the arraignment.

Anti-Trump protesters stand along Fifth Avenue near Trump Tower in New York City before the ex-president left the building for his arraignment.

Anti-Trump protesters stand along Fifth Avenue near Trump Tower in New York City before the ex-president left the building for his arraignment.

A protester holds a sign reading

A protester holds a sign reading "Lock him up" while standing next to a photo of Clinton.

A woman holds signs that claim

A woman holds signs that claim "COVID-19 is a lie" during protests in lower Manhattan.

A protester holds a sign outside Trump Tower in New York City.

A protester holds a sign outside Trump Tower in New York City.

Story continues

Shes not used to getting this much attention, this dogs owner says pic.twitter.com/6muPjIeJVT  David Mack (@davidmackau) April 4, 2023

People for and against Trump's arrest packed the streets in lower Manhattan.

People for and against Trump's arrest packed the streets in lower Manhattan.

A man holds a sign reading

A man holds a sign reading "lock him up."

An anti-Trump protester holds signs outside the courthouse on Tuesday.

An anti-Trump protester holds signs outside the courthouse on Tuesday.

A group identifying themselves as

A group identifying themselves as "Blacks for Trump" is seen in New York City on Tuesday.

A person wears a Trump mask paired with a striped jail uniform while demonstrating in lower Manhattan.

A person wears a Trump mask paired with a striped jail uniform while demonstrating in lower Manhattan.

A fake

A fake "escaped" poster for Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) is seen in lower Manhattan.

A supporter of Trump waves a banner in lower Manhattan.

A supporter of Trump waves a banner in lower Manhattan.

Demonstrators protest against Trump at Collect Pond Park near the courthouse.

Demonstrators protest against Trump at Collect Pond Park near the courthouse.

A man holds a sign reading

A man holds a sign reading "Nobody is above the law."

A demonstrator stands outside of the courthouse with signs.

A demonstrator stands outside of the courthouse with signs.

A person holds a sign reading

A person holds a sign reading "Trump 4 Prison."

Trump was indicted on multiple felony counts.

Trump was indicted on multiple felony counts.

The former president was indicted by a Manhattan grand jury.

The former president was indicted by a Manhattan grand jury.
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md.  The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program could have its first, limited, five-year performance-based logistics contract by the end of the year.

Lockheed Martin, the main manufacturer of the F-35, has wanted to move to a performance-based logistics contract since 2019, saying it would save the government money, allow faster repairs and result in improved availability of spare parts.

The Pentagon is cautiously open to the idea, but lawmakers have been skeptical. The 2022 National Defense Authorization Act limits the Pentagons ability to enter into one of these contracts for the F-35. Before agreeing to such a deal, lawmakers said, the department must first show such a deal would either lower costs or improve readiness over the 2021-2023 contract worth up to $6.6 billion.

Performance-based logistics contracting means the contractors are paid on expected performance outcomes, instead of the typical transactional model where contractors are paid for discrete parts and services.

Bridget Lauderdale, vice president and general manager of the F-35 program for Lockheed Martin, said on Monday the company is working together with the F-35 Joint Program Office to transition to a performance-based logistics contract covering supply by the end of 2023. Lauderdale made her comments during a panel at the Navy Leagues Sea Air Space conference in National Harbor, Maryland.

The JPO said in a statement to Defense News that could happen, but did not commit to such a contract being awarded.

Assuming the [performance-based logistics contract] meets the conditions laid out in [the 2022 NDAA] the [contract] could be awarded by the end of 2023, JPO spokesman Russell Goemaere said in an email.

Goemaere said the supply chain contract being considered would cover all F-35s worldwide, including those flown by the U.S., partner nations, and foreign military sales customers.

Lauderdale said a performance-based logistics contract would cover all companies involved in the F-35 supply chain.

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Thats not just a Pratt & Whitney [the manufacturer of the F-35s engines], LM [Lockheed Martin], that would be the entire industry participating, Lauderdale said. The expectation is that it improves performance and speed, and it reduces cost.

And she said such a deal would differ from previous, time-consuming transactional agreements by, for example, allowing the option of repairing parts instead of replacing them with new pieces.

Lockheed officials told reporters in an August 2022 briefing that the performance-based logistics contract it was proposing would run from 2024 to 2028. Lockheed said then it was working with the JPO, the Office of the Secretary of Defense, and the Pentagons Office of Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation to analyze the proposed contract and compare its costs and readiness predictions to the 2021-2023 contract.

Air Force acquisition chief Andrew Hunter said in a March 7 roundtable with reporters at the Air and Space Forces Associations conference in Colorado that the JPO planned to leverage the negotiations over the performance-based logistics contract to obtain more rights to the data on the F-35.

The military wants to be able to conduct more sustainment work on the F-35 at its own organic, or in-house, facilities. But to do that, it needs access to more of Lockheed Martins proprietary data on the fighter, which has resulted in a years-long dispute with the contractor.

Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said at that AFA roundtable that when the Pentagon struck its original F-35 deal with Lockheed Martin, the government wasnt diligent about getting the data rights it needs, and I think thats created a lot of difficulties over the past 20-odd years.

After Mondays Sea Air Space panel, F-35 program executive officer Lt. Gen. Michael Schmidt told reporters that the military has recently made progress in resolving some of its disagreements over data with Lockheed Martin. When the Pentagon negotiated the newest contract for lots 15-17 of the F-35 contract in 2022, it included more ability to order data on the F-35, he said. This data sharing agreement covers previous contracts as well as the new contract, and did not cost the government anything, Schmidt said.

That was a big win, Schmidt said. We didnt stand this program up previously to be a traditional organic maintaining kind of thing, but were moving more and more in that direction.

Schmidt said that Lockheed Martin isnt necessarily resisting giving the military some of the data it needs. The problem, he said, is that the data is not in a format the military can use, but conversations are taking place about how to resolve that issue.

Certainly we have our [intellectual property] issues still that we work through, but thats not necessarily the big limiting factor, Schmidt said. Its getting the right data, the data that we need to go do the things we need to do in the field, or in the depot with the data. More and more, we have the tools to be able to do that, and the industry is being cooperative in that.
Person reading the results of an at-home pregnancy test

Credit - Getty Images

For a long time, Tessa thought about freezing her eggs once she turned 30, so she and her partner could have a child when they felt ready. But her 30th birthday came and went in March, and shes made no moves to act on her plan.

Tessa, who lives in Massachusetts and asked to be identified by only her first name to protect her privacy, developed Long COVID after a case of COVID-19 last May. Long COVID brought on intense fatigue, made it virtually impossible to exercise without crashing afterward, and worsened a preexisting nervous-system disorder that causes her to feel faint. Tessa is still able to work from home, but most days, she only has the energy to get out of the house for a short walk. At her current energy levels, she says its hard to imagine caring for a pet, let alone a child.

Were both doing a lot just to take care of me right now, Tessa says of herself and her partner. Its possible well get to a place where wed be able to [have a child], but it feels a lot harder now.

For many patients, Long COVID is more than a medical issue. It also affects work, relationships, and life plansincluding when, how, and whether to have children.

More from TIME

According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, about 25% of U.S. adults ages 18 to 39 who have had COVID-19 have experienced symptoms lasting at least three monthsmeaning millions of people have had or are living with Long COVID at the peak of their reproductive years. And while anyone can develop Long COVID, women appear to be at higher risk than men.

Pregnancy is a stress test on the body, says Dr. Kathryn Gray, a maternal-fetal medicine specialist at Bostons Brigham and Womens Hospital who has researched the effects of COVID-19 vaccines among pregnant people. For someone already facing a constellation of debilitating symptoms, it can feel like a test too risky to take.

When Louise (who asked to be identified by her middle name to protect her privacy) asked her doctor if she was healthy enough to get pregnant in early 2021, about six months after developing Long COVID, she got a firm answer: Dont even think about it.

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Before that appointment, Louise, who is 37 and lives in California, was hopeful about giving her now 5-year-old child a sibling, despite living with Long COVID symptoms including migraines and fatigue. Shed read that some people with chronic conditions go into remission during pregnancy, at least temporarily, and wondered if that might be true for her.

Louise says her doctors dismissal was sobering but has proven wise. Her symptoms have since worsened, and working from home and caring for her child now take most of her strength. Shes essentially housebound, and usually only has enough energy to shower once per week.

I really dont think my body could handle pregnancy and raising a new baby, she says. If I cant handle showering whenever I feel like it, then I really wouldnt be able to handle that extra challenge.

Its not entirely clear how Long COVID affects pregnancy and reproductive health because it hasnt been widely researched. Stacey Missmer, a professor of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive biology at Michigan State Universitys College of Human Medicine, recently published a paper finding that people with endometriosis are at increased risk of Long COVID, but only after multiple academic journals passed on it. The lack of curiosity about [womens health and Long COVID] and the lack of focus on understanding is just not acceptable, she says.

There is, however, a small amount of research on pregnancy and myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), a condition with symptoms that closely resemble those of many Long COVID patients. In one small 2004 study of people with ME/CFS, roughly 30% saw symptoms improve during pregnancy, while about 30% got worse and about 40% stayed the same. After pregnancy, approximately 20% reported improved symptoms, while about 50% got worse and 30% stayed the same.

Despite the similarities between ME/CFS and Long COVID, its not clear if those results apply to both conditions. Patients who have any medical condition going into pregnancy want to know the long-term effects [and chances] of worsening their condition, Gray says. We dont have data right now to guide how we counsel people with Long COVID.

Researchers do know a bit about how the SARS-CoV-2 virus can affect the reproductive health of both women and men. While there is no research to suggest the COVID-19 vaccine causes infertility, the virus itself can affect reproductive health in multiple ways.

Among men, some evidence suggests that SARS-CoV-2 can impair sperm count and quality, testicular function, and hormone levels, potentially decreasing fertility at least in the short term. Men with Long COVID may also experience erectile dysfunction, studies show, which could make it more difficult to conceive a child.

Among women, there is some evidence to suggest that certain fertility markers are lower for at least a few months after infection, and people who contract COVID-19 during pregnancy may be at increased risk of complications ranging from preeclampsia to preterm birth. And both the virus and its vaccine have been shown to affect the menstrual cycle, at least temporarily.

Some Long COVID patients also experience symptom flare-ups around their periods, according to a paper published in January. Thats the case for Chimere Smith, 40, who developed Long COVID after catching the virus in 2020. I can always tell when its two weeks before my period, Smith says, because she develops headaches, nerve pain, eye issues, facial pain, brain fog, memory loss, and skin rashes. She doesnt experience those symptoms as significantly in the two weeks after her period.

Smith says shes willing to try anything that would break the pattern, including removing her uterusbut to start, her doctor has prescribed a low-estrogen birth control pill to see if that helps with her symptoms.

Kate Clancy, a professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and author of the forthcoming book Period: The Real Story of Menstruation, says inflammation may be the common link among Long COVID, period changes, and symptom flares during menstruation. The uterus is very much an immune organ, Clancy says. It keeps out pathogens while allowing an embryoa partially foreign organismto grow safely, and it regularly sheds and repairs tissue. The organ is therefore highly responsive to inflammation and other immune responses, Clancy explains.

Heather-Elizabeth Brown, who is 38 and lives in Michigan, also experienced menstrual changes after being hospitalized with a severe case of COVID-19 in April 2020 and developing Long COVID symptoms including fatigue and brain fog. Browns menstrual cycle changed dramatically after her illness, disappearing for months at a time and then coming back heavier than ever.

Worried about what those changes meant for her reproductive health, she visited a fertility specialist for testing in 2022. Her results came back mostly normal. But her doctor told her, We really dont know how COVID has fully affected your body, so we really dont know what will happen during a pregnancy, Brown says.

Nobody knows, she says. Theyre pretty much grasping at straws when it comes to reproductive health.

Though the unknowns make it scary, Brown remains committed to having a child, whether it requires freezing her eggs, hiring a surrogate, or adopting. She acknowledges that being a parent will be even more difficult than it is for most people, since she still crashes if she pushes her energy too far. But before I got really sick with COVID, it was a desire of my heart, Brown says. Im not going to let COVID take that from me as well.
A blue and red cloudlike sculpture by artist Janet Echelman will be hung over High and Gay streets in June.

A 229-foot-long cloudlike sculpture will be hung over North High Street Downtown in June, becoming the longest piece of public art in the city.

To be called "Current," the blue and red fiber sculpture will be suspended up to 126 feet above High Street at Gay Street.

Announced in late 2021, the sculpture is by artist Janet Echelman, and is similar in style to sculptures she has hung over cities throughout the world including Singapore, Sydney, Shanghai, Montreal, New York and London.

Artist Janet Echelman will install a sculpture in Columbus in a similar style as her sculpture shown here in Montreal.

Made of 78 miles of twine and more than 500,000 knots, the billowy wisp will be visible from airplanes, and illuminated at night.

In a news release from the Columbus Museum of Art, Echelman said she drew inspiration for the sculpture from Columbus' history of "innovation and light," including its gas-lit street arches. She said the sculpture's title, "Current," alludes to both electrical current and the current of the nearby Scioto River.

I became absorbed in Columbus historical narrative and quickly fell in love with the city," Echelman said. "The challenge to build such an ambitious permanent interconnected art commission over a municipal street attached to multiple private buildings might have been impossible elsewhere. I witnessed exceptional cooperation to achieve this public goal and came to understand firsthand what is nationally referred to as the Columbus Way.

More: Take a self-guided tour of Columbus sculptures, murals and more using new Art Walks app

Developer Jeff Edwards, president and CEO of the Edwards Companies, proposed the sculpture as part of the redevelopment of the Gay and High street area. Edwards is paying an unidentified amount for the design and installation of the sculpture, representing the largest private contribution to public art in the history of Columbus, according to the Museum of Art.

Edwards plans to donate the sculpture to the museum, which will oversee its maintenance as part of its permanent collection.

This piece will be the north star for Columbus new culture-centric compass," Edwards said in the news release. "I envision this to be the first drop in the pond, sending waves throughout the Gay Street district.

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The museum plans to host a public ceremony for Current on June 9 at the sculpture site.

The sculpture would be suspended by cables attached to nearby buildings. At its lowest point, it would hang about 35 feet above ground, according to a 2021 presentation to the city. Made of a nylon fabric that does not snag birds, the sculpture would be removed in winter to avoid ice accumulation.

The sculpture by artist Janet Echelman would be anchored by a series of cables above North High and Gay streets.

City officials hope the sculpture will become a tourist draw, like the Cloud Gate sculpture (commonly called "The Bean") in Chicago.

"Current will be a beacon and a beckon, drawing people from across the city and region. Its going to be a defining image for our Downtown and put Columbus on the map as a community that cares about  and invests in  transformational public art, Mayor Andrew Ginther said in the news release. When you visit the historic corner of Gay and High Streets, youll know youve arrived at the nexus of culture in Columbus.

Those involved in the project hope that Current joins the lounging deer on the Scioto River banks and Dublin's "field of corn" as an integral part of the Columbus public arts landscape.

Current will be an iconic part of the Columbus skyline, Pete Scantland, Columbus Museum of Arts board president, said in the news release. Our museum is grateful for Jeff (Edward)'s generous support and for his unwavering vision and determination to further affirm our city as a destination for world-class art.

jweiker@dispatch.com

@JimWeiker

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Cloudlike sculpture to hang over High Street Downtown
L'Oreal announced Tuesday the signing of an agreement with Brazil's Natura & Co to acquire its Australian luxury cosmetics brand Aesop in a deal valued at $2.53 billion.

The Aesop brand posted sales of $537 million in 2022, according to a statement.

"Aesop taps into all of today's ascending currents and L'Oreal will contribute to unleash its massive growth potential, notably in China and travel retail," L'Oreal CEO Nicolas Hieronimus said in the statement.

"We have great confidence that Aesop will join the L'Oreal Luxe Billionaire brands club and therefore contribute significantly to the growth of the division in the years to come," said Cyril Chapuy, president of the group's luxury division L'Oreal Luxe, adding that he looked forward to welcoming Aesop CEO Michael O'Keeffe and his teams.

The L'Oreal Luxe division, which includes brands such as Lancome, Yves Saint Laurent and Giorgio Armani, was the group's top performer for the second consecutive year in 2022, with sales climbing 18.6 percent to 14.6 billion euros ($15.9 billion).

Natura chief executive Fabio Barbosa said "the divestment of Aesop marks a new development cycle for Natura & Co."

"With a strengthened financial structure and a deleveraged balance sheet, Natura & Co, exercising strict financial discipline, will be able to sharpen its focus on its strategic priorities, notably our investment plan in Latin America," Barbosa said.

Natura wanted to concentrate on "continuing to improve The Body Shop's business and refocusing Avon International's footprint".

Natura bought British cosmetics company The Body Shop from L'Oreal in 2017.

Founded in 1987, Aesop is known for its skin, hair and body products.

It operates about 400 stores in America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Asia, with a budding presence in China, where the first outlet opened in 2022.

L'Oreal, the world's number one cosmetics company, saw a 24.1 percent increase in net profit in 2022 to 5.7 billion euros and an 18.5 percent increase in sales to 38.3 billion. euros.

kap/jbo/mtp/cwl
An Aesop consultant helps a customer test a product at a store in Venice.

L'Oreal has agreed to buy Australian skincare brand Aesop in a deal worth $2.53bn (2bn), the French beauty giant's largest takeover in decades.

The brand is a "superb combination of urbanity, hedonism and undeniable luxury," L'Oreal chief executive Nicolas Hieronimus said.

Since its founding 36 years ago, Aesop has developed a cult following around the world for its products including soaps, lotions and creams.

Aesop has almost 400 stores globally.

The deal, which is subject to regulatory approvals, is expected to close in the third quarter of this year.

Mr Hieronimus said that L'Oreal will help Aesop expand in China, where it opened its first store in 2022.

"Aesop taps into all of today's ascending currents and L'Oreal will contribute to unleash its massive potential, notably in China and travel retail," he added.

Brazilian cosmetics company Natura & Co bought a majority stake in Aesop in 2012, before taking full ownership of the brand four years later.

It became Natura's highest revenue earner over the decade between 2012 and 2022. Aesop, gross sales jumped from $28m to $537m during the period.

Aesop was founded in 1987 by hairdresser Dennis Paphitis, who had started blending essential oils into products at his salon in Melbourne, Australia.

As demand grew, he developed samples for customers. Mr Paphitis eventually named his brand after the famous Greek fabulist and storyteller Aesop.

Natura chief executive Fabio Barbosa said the company would now focus improving its other businesses, including UK High Street Chain The Body Shop, which it bought from L'Oreal in 2017.

"We are confident that Aesop's growth story will continue under the ownership of L'Oreal and wish Aesop continued success in this new chapter," Mr Barbosa added.
Today, people know Lori Vallow Daybell as a "doomsday mom." She's been called a "monster" and a "cult mom."

Vallow Daybell and her husband Chad Daybell are charged with the murders of Vallow's kids - JJ Vallow, 7, and Tylee Ryan, 16, who vanished in September 2019. The married couple also face other charges related to the mysterious deaths of their former spouses.

2006: Happily Married

HAPPILY MARRIED: Lori and Charles Vallow wed in 2006. / Credit: Kay Woodcock

Before all the notoriety, Lori married businessman Charles Vallow. Friends say it appeared to be a happy marriage. Together, the couple was raising Tylee Ryan, Lori's daughter from a previous marriage.

2014: JJ Joins the Family

Lori and JJ Vallow / Credit: Tylee Ryan/Instagram

Lori and Charles Vallow adopted JJ Vallow. He was the grandson of Charles' sister. JJ had autism and April Raymond, who was Lori's friend, says Lori was "patient," an ideal mother for him.

Vaisia Itaaehau met the Vallow family when they lived in Arizona. She says Tylee embraced her role as a big sister, that Tylee even jokingly referred to JJ as her own child.

2017: Family dynamics change

Tylee Ryan, JJ Vallow and Lori Vallow. / Credit: Tylee Ryan/Instagram

Sometime around 2017, relatives say Lori Vallow's relationship with her children changed. Her friends say she had been reading the books of doomsday author Chad Daybell. Daybell, who wrote several fiction books about preparing for the end of the world, lived outside Rexburg, Idaho.

2018: Lori Vallow meets Chad Daybell

Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell [driver's licence photos] / Credit: Rexburg Police Department

Sometime in 2018, Lori Vallow met Chad Daybell. Lori Vallow's friends say there was a connection between the two and they began doing religious podcasts together. Daybell was also married. Together with his wife Tammy Daybell, he was raising five children.

Lori Vallow's friend Melanie Gibb would later say she heard Chad Daybell and Lori talking about "zombies" people whose souls were replaced by "dark spirits." Lori's former friend, April Raymond, told "48 Hours" that Lori started referring to her husband, Charles Vallow, as a "demon."

2019: Seeking help

On January 31, 2019, Charles Vallow is seen on police bodycam video telling officers his wife had become

In 2019, Charles Vallow became very worried about Lori, and he went to the police with his concerns. He told them Lori believed she was a "god" preparing for the end of days. He also said Lori had threatened to murder him.

Story continues

February 2019: Charles Vallow's fears

Tylee Ryan and JJ Vallow / Credit: Kay Woodcock

Charles Vallow filed for a divorce from Lori. In court documents, Charles expressed that he feared for his and the children's safety.

July 2019: A death investigation

Alex Cox talks with police after shooting Charles Vallow. / Credit: KPHO/Chandler Police Department

Charles Vallow went to the house where Lori Vallow was living with the children in Chandler, Arizona. Charles was supposed to drop their son JJ off at school. But when he went inside the home, Charles was shot dead by Lori's brother, Alex Cox.

Cox told police that Lori and Charles got into a fight. Alex claimed he was protecting his sister and shot Charles in self-defense. Lori and Tylee  who both say they heard the shooting  told similar stories of self-defense.

September 2019

Lori Vallow moved closer to Chad Daybell. She relocated her kids to Rexburg, Idaho. Lori's brother, Alex Cox, moved into the same apartment complex.

Sept. 8, 2019: Tylee Ryan vanishes

JJ Vallow, Tylee Ryan, and their uncle, Alex Cox, at Yellowstone National Park on September 8, 2019. Police say this is the last known photo of Tylee before she disappeared. / Credit: FBI

Lori Vallow, Tylee, JJ, and Alex Cox went to Yellowstone National Park. Police say this is where the last known photo of Tylee was taken before she vanished. Melanie Gibb has said that Lori had referred to Tylee as a "zombie."

Sept. 9, 2019:

The morning after Tylee Ryan disappeared, investigators say that Alex Cox's cellphone GPS placed him in Chad Daybell's backyard, on the property for about 2 hours. About 14 minutes after Cox's GPS showed him leaving the property, Chad Daybell texted his wife, Tammy Daybell. The text read: " I spotted a big racoon [sic] along the fence. I hurried and got my gun, and he was still walking along. I got close enough that one shot did the trick. He is now in our pet cemetery"

Sept. 22, 2019: JJ Vallow disappears

JJ Disappears: A photo of JJ wearing red pajamas taken on September 22, 2019, in what is believed to be last known photo of the 7-year-old. / Credit: Chandler Police Department

Police say JJ Vallow was last seen on Sept. 22, 2019.

Melanie Gibb says that she and her boyfriend, David Warwick, were staying with Lori Vallow in Rexburg that weekend. On the night of Sept. 22, Warwick says he saw Alex Cox carry JJ into Lori's apartment. But the next morning, according to Warwick, when he asked to see JJ, Lori reportedly told them that JJ was "being a zombie" and that Cox had to take him away.

Sept. 23, 2019

The day after JJ was last seen, investigators say Alex Cox's cellphone showed that Cox returned to Chad Daybell's backyard. This time, Cox was there for only 17 minutes.

Oct. 19, 2019: Another death

Chad and Tammy Daybell / Credit: Emma Murray

With Lori Vallow's children's whereabouts unknown, tragedy struck Chad Daybell's family. Daybell's wife, Tammy Daybell, died. The couple's son, Garth Daybell, said Tammy died in bed and that he and Chad called 911.

The Daybell children told "48 Hours" they declined an autopsy. They say the coroner told them Tammy's death appeared to be natural causes. They believed that because they say their mom was in ill health prior to her death.

Nov. 5, 2019: Chad and Lori wed

Roughly two weeks later, Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell got married on a beach in Hawaii.

Later that month, JJ's grandmother, Kay Woodcock, asked police to check on JJ's welfare. Woodcock said she was concerned and hadn't heard from JJ in months.

Nov. 26, 2019: Missing kids

/ Credit: NCMEC

Rexburg police went to Lori Vallow Daybell's house looking for JJ. Police say Vallow Daybell lied to them, claiming that JJ was safe and staying in Arizona with her friend, Melanie Gibb. At first, Gibb wasn't forthcoming about JJ's whereabouts but later called police and told them JJ hadn't been with her.

While Rexburg police attempted to locate JJ, investigators soon realized that his sister, Tylee Ryan was also missing, and launched a nationwide search for the children.

December 2019

While investigators searched for the missing children, Lori and Chad Daybell traveled back to Hawaii.

In December 2019, Fremont County Sheriff's Investigators grew suspicious about Tammy Daybell's death. They exhumed her body to conduct an autopsy.

That same month, Lori's brother, Alex Cox, died in Arizona. It was determined he died of natural causes.

Jan. 25, 2020

Authorities served Lori Vallow Daybell an order requiring her to produce her children.

Feb. 20, 2020: An arrest

Lori Vallow Daybell was arrested in Hawaii on February 20, 2020.Two weeks later, she was extradited to Idaho. / Credit: Kauai Police Department

After failing to comply, Lori Vallow Daybell was arrested in Hawaii. Two weeks later, she was extradited to Idaho.

June 9, 2020: Searching Chad Daybell's backyard

The FBI, Rexburg PD and Fremont County Sheriff's Office descend upon Chad Daybell's home and property in search of the missing children. / Credit: AP

Even after Vallow Daybell's arrest, the couple refused to say where the children were. On June 9, 2020, the FBI, Rexburg Police and Fremont County Sheriff's Office descended upon Chad Daybell's home and property.

Authorities dug in areas of the backyard where Alex Cox's cellphone had pinged in September 2019. Tragically, they uncovered human remains buried in shallow graves.

JJ Vallow had been buried under a tree and about 50 yards away; investigators found Tylee's grave in the Daybell's pet cemetery. Prosecutors believe she was buried in the same location Chad Daybell referenced when he texted Tammy Daybell nine months earlier, saying he was burying a raccoon.

Investigators dug up part of the pet cemetery and found no raccoon. But Daybell's family told" 48 Hours" there was a second pet cemetery on the property that was not searched.

Chad Daybell was arrested.

June 2020

Authorities later confirmed that they identified the remains as JJ Vallow and Tylee Ryan. A memorial was built along the Daybell's fence to honor the victims.

May 2021

Chad Daybell and Lori Vallow Daybell were charged with first-degree murder for the deaths of JJ and Tylee. Daybell was also charged with murdering his first wife, Tammy Daybell.

June 2021: Chad Daybell in court

Chad Daybell pleaded not guilty to all the charges.

June 2021: Lori Vallow Daybell's case on hold

In June 2021, Lori Vallow Daybell was also charged with conspiring to murder Charles Vallow. That same month, a judge ruled Lori incompetent to stand trial while she receives mental health treatment. / Credit: AP

Lori Vallow Daybell was also charged with conspiring to murder Charles Vallow. That same month, a judge ruled Lori incompetent to stand trial while she receives mental health treatment. She had not yet entered a plea; her case was on hold.

August 2021: Awaiting trial

Chad Daybell with his attorney John Prior, / Credit: Fremont County Courthouse

Prosecutors announced they will seek the death penalty against Chad Daybell. Daybell is jailed, awaiting trial.

September 2021: Speaking out

Chad Daybell's children, clockwise from top left, Mark Daybell, Leah Murphy, Seth Daybell, Garth Daybell and Emma Murray. / Credit: CBS News

Chad and Tammy Daybell's children  speaking publicly for the first time together  told "48 Hours" they believe their father is innocent. Daybell's daughter, Emma Murray, says she believes Chad was framed by Alex Cox and Lori Vallow Daybell.

April 11, 2022: Lori Vallow Daybell fit to stand trial

Judge Steven Boyce ruled Lori Vallow Daybell is now mentally competent to stand trial in the Idaho murder case. He did not provide other details about her treatment or mental condition. She is scheduled to be formally arraigned in court next week and both Lori and Chad Daybell are set to stand trial together early next year.

April 19, 2022: Judge enters plea on Lori Vallow Daybell's behalf

Lori Vallow Daybell refused to enter a plea to murder and other charges, prompting Judge Steven Boyce to enter a not guilty plea on her behalf. Vallow Daybell and her husband, Chad Daybell, were both at the courthouse in the eastern Idaho town of St. Anthony for court proceedings; Vallow Daybell for an arraignment that was delayed for months while she underwent treatment at a mental health facility, and Chad Daybell for a hearing over the trial venue.

May 4, 2022: Lori Vallow Daybell could face death penalty

Lori Vallow Daybell will qualify for capital punishment if she is convicted at her trial later this year because the slayings were exceptionally depraved and carried out for financial gain, according to court documents filed by prosecuting attorneys from Fremont and Madison counties on May 2.

Aug. 16, 2022: Lori Vallow Daybell's attorney's seek change in charges

Lori Vallow Daybell, right, sits by an attorney for a hearing at the Fremont County Courthouse in St. Anthony, Idaho, Tuesday, Aug. 16, 2022. / Credit: Tony Blakeslee / AP

Attorneys for Lori Vallow Daybell asked a judge to send the case back to a grand jury because they say that the conspiracy charges are oddly constructed and could confuse a jury. Daybell and her husband Chad Daybell have pleaded not guilty to murder, conspiracy and grand theft charges in connection with the deaths of 7-year-old Joshua "JJ" Vallow and 17-year-old Tylee Ryan.

Sept. 23, 2022: Cameras to be banned from courtroom

Seventh District Judge Steven Boyce has banned cameras from the courtroom in the criminal case of Lori Vallow Daybell and Chad Daybell, saying he fears the images could prevent a fair trial. The Idaho judge said news organizations will no longer be able to shoot still photography or videos inside the courtroom.

Jan. 7, 2023: Judge: Lori Vallow Daybell, Chad Daybell not allowed to meet face-to-face

Judge Steven Boyce rejected a request from Lori Vallow Daybell's attorneys that she and her husband be allowed to meet in person and on the phone to discuss strategies and settlement options. Attorneys for Vallow Daybell and Chad Daybell presented several requests during a motion hearing including that the trial be delayed until 2024 - a request from Chad Daybell's attorneys - and that the death penalty be taken off the table - a request from Lori Vallow Daybell's lawyers.

March 2023: Two trials to be held

Judge Steven Boyce granted a motion by Chad Daybell's attorneys to sever the trials, meaning separate trials will be held. Lori Vallow Daybell's trial is scheduled to start on April 3. Chad Daybell's trial has not yet been scheduled.

March 21, 2023: Lori Vallow Daybell will not face death penalty in upcoming trial

Prosecutors were seeking the death penalty for both defendants, but Lori 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 hearing, 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.

April 3, 2023: Jury selection begins in Lori Vallow Daybell case

Attorneys began selecting 18 potential jurors for the trial of Lori Valllow Daybell, charged in what prosecutors say was a doomsday-focused plot. Authorities summoned 1,800 potential jurors to the courthouse in late March, requiring each of them to complete a 20-page questionnaire in hopes of winnowing out anyone unable to fairly try the case. Defense attorneys and prosecutors have spent the last few days reviewing the questionnaires and will begin questioning the remaining jury pool members in an effort to pick 12 jurors and six alternates to hear the case. The process could take days.

April 10, 2023: Lori Vallow Daybell's trial underway

The prosecution and defense in the trial of Lori Vallow Daybell made their opening arguments to a jury in Boise, Idaho.

"48 Hours" podcast: "Inside the Lori Vallow Daybell Trial: Opening arguments

Prosecutor Lindsey Blake said Vallow Daybell and her husband Chad Daybell used their religious beliefs  including that evil spirits that cast people out and turn their bodies into zombies had possessed Tylee and JJ  to try to persuade those around them not to question their actions and even to justify murder. Vallow Daybell, she argued, wanted money and wanted Chad Daybell, and sought to remove the obstacles  her children, Daybell's spouse  that stood in her way, Blake said. "The defendant used money, power and sex to get what she wanted," Blake told jurors. "It didn't matter what it was."

Defense attorney John Archibald told jurors that in this country, we get to choose our religious beliefs, and Vallow Daybell's began to change when she met her husband. Witness testimony began with Kay Woodcock, the sister of Vallow Daybell's deceased husband Charles Vallow and the biological grandparent of JJ Vallow. Both defendants have pleaded not guilty, but are being tried separately. Vallow Daybell's trial is expected to take up to 10 weeks.





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Peggy Jeppesen poses for a photo beside a memorial for Tylee Ryan and JJ Vallow, which she helped set up across the street from Chad Daybells property, in Salem, Idaho, on Wednesday, March 29, 2023. | Spenser Heaps, Deseret News

The bodies were discovered on the other side of the fence near a brick home surrounded by farmland, where Peggy Jeppesen now stands on a cold and snowy spring night in southern Idaho. Miles to the east, the Grand Teton looms.

Its there, about three years ago, police discovered the remains of two children, killed and buried in a shallow grave, in a disappearance that captured the attention of the country and weighed on the small, southern Idaho community.

A long time ago, sometime in the early 90s, there was a horrible car accident right here, taking the life of five or six youths, says Jeppesen, who lives several miles down the road.

She points to the intersection about 20 yards away. I feel like this area never recovered from that dark cloud. Thats how I feel. Our town has a dark cloud over it.

Jury selection began Monday at the Ada County Courthouse in Boise, hundreds of miles away, in the trial of Lori Vallow, who along with her husband Chad Daybell have pleaded not guilty to murder, conspiracy and grand theft in the deaths of Loris children, Joshua JJ Vallow, 7, and Tylee Ryan, 17. They are also charged in connection to the death of Tammy Daybell, Chads wife.

John Roark, The Idaho Post Register via Associated Press

Opening arguments will follow, and in the coming weeks, perhaps months, the greater Rexburg area may finally have some closure in the murder case that has taken three years to unfold and has taken an emotional toll on the small Idaho community. After years of having their town under a spotlight, residents are looking for justice to be handed down and their community to be returned to normal.

The Daybell house sits right on the edge of Fremont County, no more than a 15-minute drive from Rexburg.

The property is idyllic. Its a short walk from the Henrys Fork of the Snake River, just 6 miles from the St. Anthony Sand Dunes, and on a clear day, Wyomings Grand Teton mountains are visible from the back yard. Cattle roam the adjacent pasture, trudging through the snow and wading into the flooded fields. Cottonwood trees tower over the brick, ranch-style home and the red barn behind it. The only noise that drowns out the singing birds is the occasional car whizzing by.

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Daybells lawyer currently has a lien on the home, though Daybells children are reportedly renting it. In the backyard, brightly colored plastic childrens toys are scattered.

Spenser Heaps, Deseret News

Where are your kids?

The story is twisted, in every sense of the word. As a Rexburg police source put it, picture the craziest story youve seen, times 100.

Thats according to Nate Eaton, the news director and founding member of East Idaho News, who wrote his first story on the missing children the Friday before Christmas 2019.

Any young, aggressive reporter that really wants to dive into this might end up on Dateline, the source told Eaton. He was right.

Eaton jumped on the story and chronicled its twists and turns. With help from East Idaho News small newsroom, he reported on the head-scratching death of Loris ex-husband Charles Vallow, shot by her now deceased brother Alex Cox, who claimed self defense, in July 2019; the equally mysterious death of Chads wife Tammy Daybell, who died in her sleep; Lori and Chads marriage in Hawaii just two weeks later; the November 2019 welfare check, where police inquired about JJ; the Dec. 20, 2019, announcement from Rexburg officers declaring JJ and Tylee missing.

And, from a helicopters view, the heartbreaking news of the childrens remains discovered behind Daybells home.

Eatons work elevated him to a household name among true crime fanatics. His dogged pursuit of the couple, who shortly after the November welfare check were holed up at a resort in Hawaii, earned him millions of online page views and more than 100,000 Facebook followers.

Where are your kids? Eaton asked a visibly uncomfortable Lori and Chad who were holding hands, dressed for the beach, and hastily walking toward their hotel in an effort to escape the East Idaho News camera. Theyve been missing for four months and you have nothing to say?

Spenser Heaps, Deseret News

The video went viral. In the months that followed, Eaton couldnt buy groceries or take his wife out to dinner without being recognized. Hey, are you the Daybell reporter? someone shouted to him as he was floating down a river in Island Park with his family. Good work, man, I love your stuff!

He was invited to speak at a true crime conference and was bombarded with selfie requests. Fans still do the Daybell tour, driving by the home where JJ and Tylee were discovered, the jail where Lori was held and East Idaho News newsroom in Idaho Falls, hoping to meet Eaton.

All before the case ever made it to trial.

When asked if the trial will be a weight off his shoulders, Eaton is quick to respond. Yes. Without a doubt, Eaton said. ... I think were getting near the finish line.

I have thought about these kids every day since December of 2019. I can honestly tell you that, he said.

Its the biggest story of Eatons career, by far. But its not what you really want to be known for, he admitted.

Spenser Heaps, Deseret News

A three-year media circus

That sentiment is commonplace around Rexburg, the town just a few miles south of the Daybell property that nearly 40,000 people call home, according to U.S. census data. Before the case, outsiders associated the quaint, quiet college town dubbed Americas Family Community with Brigham Young Universitys Idaho campus. The majority of Rexburg residents are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, according to city officials, and its walkable streets are filled with a mix of college students, farmers and middle-class families. The Applebees near the highway is the only restaurant that serves beer, a waitress said.

But for thousands of people around the country who followed the case, Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell might have been the only two people living in Rexburg.

Spenser Heaps, Deseret News

There was disappointment that it was happening in our town. Especially as a city leader, right? Obviously those are not the stories we want people to know Rexburg for, said Matt Nielson, the towns chief financial officer.

Rexburg will have spent several million dollars when the trial is over, Nielson estimates, factoring in the resources and countless hours detectives, attorneys and other city employees have spent working on the case, traveling around the state and navigating the publicity.

How much of the other services that they provide are going by the wayside? he said.

We want this to be done, said Natalie Powell, of Rexburg. Just as much as the snow.

Since the start of 2020, Rexburg was overrun with media, bloggers, social media influencers and true crime fans as the case unfolded. A line of cars circled the Rexburg Department of Health and Welfare building in late January 2020, the deadline a judge had given Lori to produce her kids. And in February, after Lori was arrested, reporters again flocked to the small Rexburg airport. Crowds gathered outside the courthouse, swarming Dateline reporter Keith Morrison. The rural neighborhood where Daybell lived still sees visitors who followed the crime, sometimes stopping by the nearby memorial to take selfies.

That was wild for Rexburg, and me, to see, said Eaton.

No soliciting and no media signs started popping up on adjacent homes, and the community is still a little jumpy when someone knocks on the door. Can you not!? shouted one woman who now lives in Lori Vallows old townhome near Rexburgs Main Street. Ive heard that before, said one of Daybells neighbors, rolling her eyes, when she answered the door to Deseret News journalists.

After they arrested him, when they took down the roadblocks it was like Interstate 15, for weeks, said the neighbor, who asked to remain anonymous. It was bumper to bumper out there.

Spenser Heaps, Deseret News

We have divided into strange little sub groups

The neighbors request to remain anonymous is partly due to a shared fear among the community that Chad Daybell could be acquitted, and that his followers are still out there.

You didnt know who is believing in this stuff, they said, referring to the obscure doomsday beliefs espoused by Daybell in his numerous books and lectures. Its now widely reported that Chad and Lori, as theyre referred to here, viewed certain people as zombies, consumed by darkness. Death, they said, was the only path to light.

Were LDS (Latter-day Saints), the neighbor said, and we dont believe in any of this stuff. That was shocking, when we heard they were holding meetings over there. I thought, what?

Eaton is hesitant to label Daybell a cult leader, pushing back on the narrative frequently peddled by tabloids and bloggers. I think it was a small group of people, he said.

But that does little to quell the anxiety of Daybells immediate neighbors. They hope the trial is the final chapter in the saga, but many cant shake the unsettling thought of Chad or Lori returning to the community.

Spenser Heaps, Deseret News

That includes Chris Tunnell, who has lived across the street from Daybells home for three years. Unlike some of his neighbors, Tunnell hasnt followed every update and watched every interview. I dont want to watch that crap. I got my own drama, he said, taking a break from shoveling the nights fresh snow from his driveway.

But yeah, it would be scary if Chad got off and moved back, he said, motioning to the unassuming ranch near his home that has come to symbolize murder and fringe beliefs.

While its hard to say how many devout followers Daybell still has, if any, residents say there are still people in the community who are sympathetic to his plight. His children have publicly claimed that their father was duped by Lori. Its just not possible. Anyone who says that my dad could kill a person doesnt know my dad, said Mark Daybell, one of Chad Daybells five children, in a July 2022 CBS interview.

It has affected our town, we have divided into strange little sub groups, said Jeppesen. On occasion, Id see people that lived near him and if I brought his name up, theyd immediately stick up for him. Theyd physically put their hands up and say Chad would never do anything like what people are speculating! For me, it was almost creepy.

Spenser Heaps, Deseret News

Three years later

The fence near the Daybell property, where Jeppesen now stands on a dreary Wednesday night, became a memorial for the deceased children. Signs that read Justice for Tylee and JJ are pinned to the wire, next to flowers and ribbons, all covered in a fresh dusting of snow. Paw Paw and Maw Maw is written in the corner of one sign from the childrens grandparents, Kay and Larry Woodcock, dated Sept. 14, 2022.

Much of that began with Jeppesen, though she admits this place brings me no peace.

Spenser Heaps, Deseret News

As the weeks went by and the kids were still missing, she ordered the signs that now line the fence and can sometimes be seen in front yards around Rexburg. She thought it was a custody dispute  that if Chad saw the signs, he might feel pressured to hand them over to police. The signs arrived in the mail on June 9, 2020, the day police found the bodies.

That afternoon, Jeppesen and her husband drove to the fence, where some residents had already placed flowers and pictures. The road was packed with police, reporters and spectators. She pushed through the crowd with her new Justice for Tylee and JJ sign and stuck it in the ground. Get me out of here, she told her husband, through tears.

Now, with the trial getting underway, Jeppesen wonders if its time to take it all down. It looks a little trashy with the mud and snow. ... But people need a place to mourn.
Lori Vallow Daybell glances at the camera during her hearing in Rexburg, Idaho., on March 6, 2020. A mother charged with murder in the deaths of her two children is set to stand trial in Idaho. The proceedings against Lori Vallow Daybell beginning Monday, April 3, 2023, could reveal new details in the strange, doomsday-focused case. John Roark/The Idaho Post-Register via AP, Pool, File

The murder trial of Idaho mom Lori Vallow started with jury selection on Monday.

Vallow and her husband Chad Daybell are accused of killing their former spouses and two of her kids.

The couple was the subject of a Netflix true crime show, with the case spurring national attention.

The long-awaited murder trial for Idaho cult mom Lori Vallow began Monday, garnering national attention with the first day of jury selection.

Lori Vallow and her husband, the apocalyptic novelist Chad Daybell, have been accused by prosecutors of killing their former spouses and Lori Vallow's two children in 2019, before fleeing to vacation in Hawaii, where they were caught.

The complicated web of crimes connected to the couple, as well as Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell's "doomsday" religious beliefs, have developed a widespread following among true crime sleuths and are the subject of the Netflix series "Sins of Our Mother."

The 49-year-old mother of three, who was briefly declared unfit to stand trial before a judge reversed that ruling, appeared in court today as prospective jurors were interviewed by prosecution and defense attorneys. While District Judge Steven Boyce ruled in November that she and Chad Daybell could be tried together, East Idaho News reported, the two will be facing separate trials after the judge granted a motion to split them earlier this month.

Before Lori Vallow's anticipated 8-week-long trial can begin, 12 trial jurors and six alternates must be selected in a process that may take several days to complete, East Idaho News reported.

Lindsey Anne Blake and Rob Wood, prosecutors for the state of Idaho, and Jim Archibald, a defense attorney for Vallow, did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment.

Deaths of Charles Vallow and Tammy Daybell

Lori Vallow's ex-husband, Charles Vallow, was shot dead by Lori Vallow's brother, Alex Cox, on July 11, 2019. Cox alleged he interrupted a domestic dispute between the couple over visitation of their child, and shot Charles Vallow after he attacked him with a bat.

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Following her ex-husband's death  for which she was charged in June 2021 with conspiracy to commit first-degree murder in a separate case  Lori Vallow moved from Arizona to Idaho, where she married Chad Daybell.

The pair had been in communication online since 2017 or 2018, while Lori Vallow was still married to her husband, Charles. She began to claim she and Chad Daybell had been "married in a previous life and were meant to be together again," Insider previously reported.

According to court documents, the two believed they had "extraordinary abilities," such as teleportation, and the ability to harm others or conjure natural disasters.

Their marriage began a month after the death of Chad Daybell's wife, Tammy Daybell.

Court documents say Cox also attempted to shoot Tammy Daybell less than two weeks before she died, Fox 10 Pheonix reported. Ten days later, on October 19, 2019, she was found dead in her bedroom in the Daybell family home outside of Rexburg, Idaho, CBS reported.

The coroner initially told the Daybell children it appeared their mother had died of natural causes, CBS reported, but  following the disappearance of Chad Daybell and Lori Vallow in later months  her death was treated as suspicious. Her body was exhumed and an autopsy was performed. Her cause of death has not been revealed publicly, though her children told CBS they had been told by officials it was asphyxiation.

Chad Daybell has since been charged in the case investigating Tammy Daybell's death. The Daybell children believe their father had nothing to do with the death of their mother or Lori Vallow's children, per CBS.

Documents presented in the Netflix series based on her death show that Lori Vallow bought Chad Daybell's wedding ring using her slain former husband's Amazon account while Chad Daybell's wife was still living. The two were wed just 13 days after Chad Daybell attended a memorial service for Tammy Daybell.

The disappearances of Tylee Ryan and J.J.

Lori Vallow's daughter, 16-year-old Tylee Ryan Vallow, and son, 7-year-old Joshua "J.J." Vallow, were last seen in September 2019 and were reported missing that winter by their grandmother after she told police she hadn't seen or heard from them in months.

People close to Lori Vallow told officials she believed her two children, like her ex-husband, were "possessed and had become zombies," Insider previously reported.

On December 12, 2019  five months after the shooting of Charles Vallow and after the children had been reported missing  Lori Vallow's brother, Cox, was found dead at his home in Arizona, a spokesperson for the Gilbert Police Department, told Insider at the time. His autopsy determined that he died of natural causes, from blood clots and heart failure.

After local authorities found the couple's home empty when conducting a welfare check on Lori Vallow's children on November 26, 2019, police began a months-long search for the couple. The pair were found vacationing at a Hawaiian resort on January 24, 2020, without the children.

Lori Vallow was arrested that February on child-abandonment charges after Idaho authorities said she refused to bring in her missing children.

Following several searches of the Daybell property, the children's remains were located in June 2020, buried in his yard.

A highly anticipated trial

Lori Vallow's trial over charges of conspiracy and murder in connection with the deaths of her two children and Daybell's late wife began Monday. Last month, a judge ruled she will not face the death penalty, even if convicted, CBS reported.

The death penalty still applies to Daybell's case, though his trial has not yet been scheduled.

Both Lori Vallow and Daybell have pleaded not guilty to the murder, conspiracy, and grand theft charges facing them related to the children's and Tammy's deaths.

Lori Vallow is also awaiting trial out of Arizona for her involvement in the shooting death of her former husband.

There is a pending motion that would keep J.J. Vallow's grandparents, who reported the children missing, out of the courtroom. As they're witnesses in the case, they will likely be excluded from hearing testimony under a ruling by the judge released late last month.

During day one of jury selection, 45 prospective jurors were questioned by the defense and prosecution, East Idaho News reported. Seventeen were kept in the jury pool. The court needs 42 previously-vetted jurors to choose from before the defense and prosecution begin eliminating jurors until 18  12 trial jurors and six alternates  remain.

Day two of jury selection begins Tuesday.

Read the original article on Insider
(Brain Tumour Research / SWNS)

A lorry driver who forgot how to drive was shocked to discover that he had a brain tumour.

Mark O'Meara, 47, was driving down the M27 when he suddenly lost sensation in the right side of his body.

The trucker immediately pulled over called 999, and thought he was having a stroke, and was blue-lighted to Southampton General Hospital.

An MRI scan revealed a "broad bean-sized" lesion on his brain, thought to be a glioma, and Mark was forced to hand in his driving license.

The keen runner from Andover, Hampshire, said: "I thought I was having a stroke or had a trapped nerve as I suddenly lost sensation on the right side of my body and had a funny turn. I forgot how to do everything, including how to drive.

He added: My diagnosis has meant I am not able to drive and Ive been signed off long-term sick but I have still been able to run.

I've been an ultra-runner for some time now and thankfully the amazing neuro team in Southampton were happy for me to keep running.

I used to run 50 miles a week and went to the gym every day and Ive carried that on as best I can since I was told about my brain tumour.

Doctors think the lesion in his brain is a glioma - a brain tumour which starts in glial cells, which are the supporting cells of the brain and the spinal cord.

At a follow-up scan in December, doctors saw no change and while he has regained mobility in his right arm and leg, he is having surgery today.

He was due to take on a planned 200-mile running feat in South Wales to raise money for Brain Tumour Research, which he has postponed.

Mark has so far raised 1,000 for the charity.

Speaking before his surgery, Mark said: My diagnosis has made me stop and realise there is more to life than work. I found myself working long days, starting early in the morning and finishing late.

"In a way, its been the best thing to happen to me to make me realise what is important.

Mel Tiley, community development manager at Brain Tumour Research, said: Were so grateful to Mark for sharing his story so far, and for taking on this incredible running challenge whilst waiting for surgery. He is an inspiration to brain tumour patients everywhere.

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His story reminds us that brain tumours are indiscriminate; they can affect anyone at any age and they kill more men under 70 than prostate cancer.

"We have to raise the awareness and funds to research this disease if we are to find a cure to stop this from ruining the lives of families.

SWNS
A couple accused of kidnapping their child from a hospital following a suspected overdose were arrested in Bay St. Louis Tuesday.

Arianne Stechmann, 37, and Johnathan Kritzman, 31, are accused of taking their 2-year-old son from a Louisiana hospital on Feb. 2, 2023, after the child was admitted into the pediatric intensive care unit days earlier for a suspected cocaine overdose.

Around 11 a.m. Tuesday, the U.S. Marshals Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force and the Bay St. Louis Police Department responded to a hotel on U.S. 90 in Bay St. Louis after marshals canvassing the area spotted a white truck the couple was believed to be traveling in.

Marshals recovered the missing child and arrested Stechmann and Kritzman. The child was transported to the hospital for a wellness check and will be under the care of the Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services, which was granted emergency custody of the child before he was abducted from the hospital on Feb 2.

Warrants had been issued for Stechmann and Kritzman by St. Bernard Parish Sheriffs Office in February for felony obstructing justice and the child was listed as a missing/endangered child. The USMS New Orleans Task Force took over the case on April 1 and believed the couple fled to Hancock County to evade law enforcement in Louisiana.

This was a great law enforcement joint effort by the US Marshals, the St. Bernard Parish Sheriffs Office, the Bay St. Louis Police Department, and the Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services. There was an extensive search for this couple and missing child by everyone involved and it really shows what law enforcement is able to accomplish when multiple agencies put their resources together, said Senior task force Inspector Jeremy Stilwell in a press release.

Stechmann and Kritzman are being held at the Hancock County jail pending their extradition back to Louisiana.
Alexander Lukashenko, the self-proclaimed President of Belarus, will meet with Sergei Naryshkin, Director of the Foreign Intelligence Service of the Russian Federation, on 4 April.

Source: Lukashenko-aligned Telegram channel Pul pervogo; Russian state-owned media agency TASS; Belarusian state media Belta

Quote from Lukashenko: "In light of the recent events  and countering terrorism is a prominent reason. The Russian Federation's special military operation [Russian euphemism for the war in Ukraine - ed.] is an operation that has forced us to consider all security structures from all sides. As I often say, if it hadnt happened, we would have had to come up with something to spur us on. In light of all this, we have started taking active measures. But the threats are very serious. At times inconceivable."

Details: As of 10:26, Naryshkin reportedly has arrived at Lukashenko's residence, the Palace of Independence in Minsk.

Ivan Tertel, the Head of the KGB of Belarus, will also take part in the meeting.

Background:

In his address to the Belarusian people on 31 March, the self-proclaimed President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, said that NATO countries are preparing for an invasion of Belarusian territory.

The self-proclaimed president of Belarus stated during his message to the Belarusian people that the Russian troops on the territory of the country are subordinate to him, not the president of the Russian Federation.

In general, Lukashenko devoted the lion's share of his message not to Belarus, but to the Russian war against Ukraine, he repeatedly emphasised the need for negotiations between Zelenskyy and Putin and was also a little frightened by nuclear weapons and the fact that Russia has allegedly not yet deployed its war machine to full power.

On April 3, at the behest of Lukashenko, Belarus began a combat readiness check of the Armed Forces of Belarus.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
South Carolinas only Republican congresswoman wants to counter a state proposal that could result in a women receiving the death penalty for having an abortion.

U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C. recently introduced a bill that would allow anyone sentenced to death for having an abortion to bring a lawsuit against state officials. Maces proposal would designate the act of executing a woman for having an abortion as cruel and unusual punishment, which is prohibited under the U.S. Constitution.

Executing a woman who chooses not to carry her rapists child to term is the very definition of cruel and unusual punishment, Mace, who represents a Lowcountry congressional district, said in a news release.

The move comes after state Rep. Rob Harris, R-Spartanburg, a freshmen member who is part of the conservative Freedom Caucus, introduced a measure that would allow a person having an abortion to be punished like any convicted murderer, leading to sentences of 30 years in prison up to the death penalty.

Under Harris bill, if a woman is prosecuted for having an abortion, she could raise a defense if she was compelled to do so by the threat of imminent death or great bodily injury.

State legislative leaders, however, have said that its highly unlikely the bill will pass.

In fact, nine South Carolina House Republicans who had co-sponsored the bill have since withdrawn their support, according to NBC news report.

Life is sacred and should be valued, Mace said in the news release. Executing women goes directly against that belief. We should, for the American people, reject extremism on both sides of the aisle.

In her push to secure womens reproductive rights, Mace also recently filed legislation that would make buying contraceptives over the counter easier.

Citing counties in South Carolina that lack obstetricians and gynecologists, Mace told Meet The Press women having access to birth control is essential, especially in a climate where lawmakers around the country are banning abortions.

Life is sacred and should be valued, Mace said in the release. Executing women goes directly against that belief. We should, for the American people, reject extremism on both sides of the aisle.
French President Emmanuel Macron will visit China from Wednesday, hoping to dissuade Beijing from supporting Russia's invasion of Ukraine but without alienating a crucial trade and geopolitical player.

"China is the only country in the world capable of having an immediate and radical impact on the conflict, in one direction or the other," an official from Macron's office told reporters Friday on condition of anonymity.

Macron will look to stand firm towards President Xi Jinping on Ukraine while taking "another path" from the directly confrontational tone often heard from Washington, the official added.

The French leader's aims include preserving and rebalancing China's trade ties with Europe as well as safeguarding French interests in the Asia-Pacific region -- where Paris sees itself as a player thanks to its overseas territories and military deployments.

On the eve of his visit, Macron discussed his trip to China and support for Ukraine during a phone call with US President Joe Biden, the White House said.

The two leaders said they want China to help "accelerate" the search for a solution to the war, according to a French diplomatic source.

The conversation showed the "common will of France and the United States to engage the Chinese to accelerate with us the end of the war in Ukraine and build a lasting peace", the source said.

The American and French presidents also hope to "obtain from the Chinese a contribution to the global effort of North-South solidarity" and to build "a common agenda" on climate and biodiversity.

- 'No-limits' friendship -

That Macron's visit will have an impact beyond France and affect the entire 27-nation European Union is clear from that presence on the trip of European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen.

She visited Macron in Paris Monday to coordinate their preparations.

In a speech last week, von der Leyen cautioned Beijing against direct support for the war while ruling out the bloc "decoupling" from China.

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The Europeans won't hold Xi back from arming Russia by "saying nicely what he shouldn't do," said Antoine Bondaz of the Paris-based Foundation for Strategic Research (FRS).

He predicted instead that the leaders would warn him off arms deliveries in public while dangling the threat of sanctions in their private talks.

China has portrayed itself as seeking a peaceful resolution to Russia's attack on its neighbour.

But Xi's friendly visit to Moscow last month and announcement of a peace plan most saw as skewed towards Russia have Western countries doubtful.

Von der Leyen last week complained that "far from being put off by the atrocious and illegal invasion of Ukraine, President Xi is maintaining his 'no-limits friendship' with (President Vladimir) Putin's Russia" -- recalling a phrase coined immediately before the invasion in February 2022.

"How China continues to interact with Putin's war will be a determining factor for EU-China relations going forward," she added.

Within the bloc, economic heavyweights France and Germany see preserving trade with China as a priority, while nations in the EU's east -- closer to Ukraine and with stark memories of Russian occupation -- would prefer to up the pressure on Beijing over the invasion.

- 'Nerve centre' -

Macron will himself bring a delegation of some 60 business leaders to Beijing, including the bosses of Airbus and EDF -- some hoping to sign lucrative new contracts.

"We do not want to cut economic, societal, political and scientific ties," von der Leyen said, although Brussels like Paris hopes to "rebalance" the trading relationship "on the basis of transparency, predictability and reciprocity".

Macron will also meet French residents in Beijing after arriving on Wednesday afternoon, before Thursday talks with Chinese leaders and a state dinner in the evening.

On Friday, he will travel to Guangzhou in southern China to meet local students.

But Macron will also be eyeing France's footprint across the entire Asia-Pacific region.

Around 1.6 million citizens reside in French overseas territories there, from La Reunion off Madagascar's east coast to New Caledonia northeast of Australia and the dozens of Pacific islands of French Polynesia.

Thanks to its vast population, abundant natural resources and economic heft, the Asia-Pacific has become "the nerve centre of the planet", said Cedric Perrin, co-author of a French Senate report on the region.

France hopes its vast economic zone and 7,000 deployed troops can lend it a seat at the table as tensions mount on several fronts, including with nuclear-armed North Korea and between China and the United States over the island of Taiwan.

burs/imm/kjm
STUTTGART, Germany  Frances government is pouring hundreds of billions of euros into shoring up its military apparatus via its newest military programming law, which, if enacted, would support new capability efforts and ongoing programs through the end of the decade.

Officials unveiled the proposed 2024-2030 military programming law (LPM) on April 4, ahead of presenting it to Frances legislative bodies. The five-year programming law has been in development since spring 2022, and was honed during top-level meetings with French President Emmanuel Macron, Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, and Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu, said Army Col. Yann Latil, director of the ministrys strategic capability cell, during an April 3 media briefing.

In January, Macron first announced that the LPM would include 400 billion ($435 billion) in investments, and cover a total of 413 ($450) billion in military needs. The investments are intended to target several areas of focus, to include a need for additional munitions and weaponry in the wake of Russias attack on Ukraine and a return to high intensity conflict on the European continent. Officials also cited increasing tensions in the Indo-Pacific region, and the increasingly speedy pace of technology innovation as incentives for the priorities set in this programming law.

The ministry plans to request an additional 1.5 billion be added to the 2023 annual defense budget, bringing it from 43.9 billion to about 45.4 billion. The annual budgets would then increase year over year by at least 3 billion through 2030, said Francois Bolard, the ministrys budget adviser.

Specifically, the budget will increase by 3.1 billion in the 2024 budget; by 3 billion in 2025, 2026, and 2027, and by 4.3 billion in 2028, 2029, and 2030, he told reporters. By 2030, Frances annual defense budget is expected to top 60 billion; nearly double the amount allocated in 2017 of 32 billion, he added.

Over the course of the next five years, the French military is both continuing ongoing capability reboots and launching new initiatives.

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The development of the nations next-generation aircraft carrier, dubbed PANG for the French porte-avion nouvelle generation , will kick into high gear, with plans to put the Naval Group-built carrier to sea in 2036-2037, and begin trials in 2037-2038, officials said. Also in the maritime domain, France is scheduled to receive 15 new frigates by 2030, including three new FDI models meant for defense and intervention.

Frances air force will see the entry of the MBDA-developed, renovated medium range air-to-surface (ASMPA-R) missile during this budget cycle, as well as the development of its expected successor, the fourth-generation nuclear air-to-ground (ASN4G) hypersonic cruise missile that will succeed it. ArianeGroup is on contract to develop and manufacture the new missile.

Paris will continue its timeline to achieve an all Rafale air fleet by 2035, and expects to procure 32 new fighter jets from contractor Dassault Aviation within the LPM, which will be delivered between 2030 and 2032, officials said. The Future Combat Air System (FCAS) next-generation fighter and weapon program in development by France, Spain, and Germany, should see its first fighter demonstrator come to fruition under this LPM, in 2027.

The French military will also continue to modernize its land forces via the mammoth Scorpion overhaul program of its ground vehicles and associated equipment. Studies on the design for the Franco-German Main Ground Combat System (MGCS) next-generation tank will continue in the time period, officials said.

In the space domain, France plans to launch a new orbital space surveillance project, using nanosatellites to patrol Geostationary Orbit (GEO), identify potential on-orbit threats to national assets, and if necessary, disable the threat with an on-board laser

In partnership with the national space center CNES, the Air and Space Force intends to launch a demonstrator nanosatellite in 2023 under the Yoda project, with the system in development by contractor Hemeria. By 2030, a mature capability dubbed Egide would take on the patrolling satellite mission, the officials said.

The on-orbit laser is being developed under the FLAMHE project moniker. France is also anticipating developing a ground-to-space laser system dubbed BLOOMLASE, with both capabilities to be operational by the end of the decade.

While undersea warfare has become a major topic in France since former Defense Minister Florence Parly released the first undersea strategy in early 2022, ministry officials could not provide a fixed funding number for investments in the domain. They said only that it would be in the hundreds of millions of euros, and include investments in underwater drones that can reach 6,000 meters of depth, other types of undersea and subsea remotely operated vehicles, and upgrades to anti-mine vessels.

A report issued Monday by the French Ministry of Defense detailed the following planned investments:

5 billion for intelligence and counterintelligence efforts;



13 billion for overseas capabilities and initiatives;



5 billion for drones, to include unmanned systems and remotely operated munitions, as well as development on the Eurodrone medium-altitude, long-endurance UAV in development by Airbus for France, Spain, Germany, and Spain.



5 billion for surface-to-air defense capabilities;



16 billion for munitions, including the modernization of long-range anti-ship missiles, as well as F321 heavy torpedoes and new surface-to-air and air-to-air interceptors (MBDAs Aster-MICA and METEOR families, respectively);



49 billion for maintenance and conditional operations, a 49% increase over the previous LPM;



10 billion for innovative technology investments, to include directed energy technology, swarming drones, and robotic capabilities;



6 billion for the space domain;



4 billion for cyber defense.



The 400 billion investments outlined in this programming law do not include any military support France might provide to Ukraine in the future, officials told reporters. The Ukraine support is something that could evolve in time, and the president wanted to guarantee the evolution of this support could never impact our own capability buildup, Bolard said. The bulk of Frances support to Ukraine would come via the European Unions off-book European Peace Facility (EPF) funding mechanism, but officials did not share how much funding has been allocated to aid to Ukraine to date.

The French administration hopes the LPM will be voted on by Congress before the July 14th holiday, Bolard said.
A Polish woman who thought she could be Madeleine McCann , a British girl who went missing from a family vacation in Portugal 16 years ago, has received the results of a DNA test showing she is 100% Polish.

The Polish woman , Julia Faustyna, who also goes by Julia Wendlet, had been claiming for weeks on Instagram and TikTok that she may be McCann, who disappeared at age 3, due to similarities in their appearance and age.

"Julia's test results are back. We finally know the reality," Fia Johansson, a psychic social media star who offered to represent Faustyna as a spokesperson during her quest for answers, said in a Tuesday statement posted to Instagram.

"The test results revealed that she is 100% of Polish heart, with negligible influence from Lithuania and Russia," Johansson continued. "The DNA test results did not show any connection to British or even German roots."

MADELEINE MCCANN DISAPPEARANCE: POLISH POLICE REPORTEDLY DISPUTE WOMAN'S CLAIMS SHE IS MISSING BRITISH GIRL

Polish woman Julia Faustyna claims she is Madeleine McCann, a British girl who went missing from Portugal 16 years ago.

Faustyna amassed tens of thousands of followers  many of whom were critical of her claims on her Instagram account, @iammadeleinemccann, as a result of her speculation online. She and Johansson even appeared on Dr. Phil together last month, but Johansson says it was never about internet fame.

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

MADELEINE MCCANN DISAPPEARANCE: INTERNET CASTS DOUBT ON POLISH WOMAN CLAIMING SHE IS MISSING BRITISH GIRL

"She truly believed what she was saying, and with so many questions about her childhood it is easy to understand where she was coming from," Johansson said.

Faustyna's account began posting photos in February. The Polish woman said she has a spot in her right eye and a beauty mark on her cheek that resemble McCann's. She also claimed that details of her childhood do not add up, leading her to believe that she was abducted as a toddler.

BRITISH GIRL MADELEINE MCCANN STILL MISSING AFTER 15 YEARS

Faustyna has apparently reunited with her father following the DNA test results, according to Johansson, and McCann is still missing.

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The missing girl's parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, along with their three children  Madeleine and twins Sean and Amelie  were on vacation in Praia da Luz, Portugal, when Madeleine was taken from her bed on May 3, 2007. The family was staying in a ground-floor apartment.

Kate and Gerry McCann hold an age-progressed police image of their daughter during a news conference to mark the fifth anniversary of the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, on May 2, 2012, in London.

"Due to an active police investigation, Gerry and Kate are not issuing any statements or giving interviews unless requested by The Metropolitan Police ," a spokesperson for the Official Find Madeleine Campaign previously told Fox News Digital in a statement.

MADELEINE MCCANN ABDUCTION SUSPECT CLAIMS TO HAVE ALIBI: REPORT

The Metropolitan Police of London told Fox News Digital that they have no new comment on the investigation.

"We continue to support colleagues in Germany with their investigation," the Met Police said.

An undated photo of Madeleine McCann smiling. McCann went missing on vacation with her parents in 2007.

In 2020, German police named convicted child abuser and drug dealer Christian Brueckner, 45, as a suspect in the 3-year-old's disappearance, though Brueckner, a German citizen, continues to deny involvement in the case.

Brueckner is currently serving time in a German prison for drug crimes. He also has a pending seven-year sentence connected to the 2005 rape of a 72-year-old American woman in Praia da Luz.

McCann's family is accepting donations for the search for Madeleine through their website, findmadeleine.com.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Virgin Media customers struggled to access the internet on Tuesday morning (Nick Ansell/PA) (PA Wire)

A major outage has affected customers of Virgin Media on Tuesday morning, making it difficult to access the internet.

Problems first started at around 2am, according to data from Downdetector, a site which tracks outages.

At that point there was a big spike in reports to the website of problems with Virgin Media, with another peak coming at around 7am.

The website found that 74% of users were having problems with their landline internet while 24% said they were suffering from a total blackout.

Were aware of an issue that is affecting broadband services for Virgin Media customers as well as our contact centres. Our teams are currently working to identify and fix the problem as quickly as possible and we apologise to those customers affected.  Virgin Media (@virginmedia) April 4, 2023

Virgin Media acknowledged there had been problems with its systems and said it is working to fix everything as soon as possible.

There were also similar spikes in Downdetector reports at around 2am and 7am for other telecom providers, including BT, O2 and TalkTalk.

Virgin said: Were aware of an issue that is affecting broadband services for Virgin Media customers as well as our contact centres.

Our teams are currently working to identify and fix the problem as quickly as possible and we apologise to those customers affected.
More than half of Detroiters support reparations in some form and most say elected officials should make it a high policy priority to address racial inequality, according to a new report.

The findings, from a survey by the University of Michigan's Detroit Metro Area Communities Study and the Center for Racial Justice, look at Detroiters' views on reparations  defined by researchers as cash payments to Black Americans to counter the impacts of slavery and discriminatory policies. The results align with what Detroiters said at the voting booth in 2021 when they overwhelmingly backed a ballot initiative to form a reparations taskforce.

The 13-member body  charged with crafting recommendations for housing and economic development programs that would address the historical discrimination Black Detroiters faced  is expected to host its first meeting April 13.

What prompted the survey

The survey of 2,339 Detroiters was conducted last year from June 16 to Aug. 26.

"A primary motivation for the report is that there is this big debate right now about how we account for the past injustices that we see in this country. ... One of those options is a reparations policy, so we just wanted to sort of dig into what Detroiters feel about such a policy," said Jasmine Simington, a research fellow with the Center for Racial Justice.

Other cities  including Asheville, North Carolina; Evanston, Illinois; St. Paul, Minnesota, and Providence, Rhode Island  have adopted or initiated reparations legislation, according to the Citizens Research Council of Michigan.

What researchers found

Seventy-three percent of Detroiters said they believe the average Black person is worse off when it comes to income and wealth today than the average white person. However, Detroiters making $30,000 or less are least likely to hold this belief, compared with those with higher incomes.

Seventy-one percent of Detroiters who believe economic disparities exist between Black and white Americans support reparations. Meanwhile, 4 in 10 Detroit residents who said they believe the average Black person is better off financially than a white person showed support for reparations. And 38% of people, who said both a Black and white person are equally well off, still backed reparations.

The vast majority of Detroiters agree that the legacy of slavery and discrimination against Black people continues to affect them. While fewer than a third of people did not believe this statement, they still supported reparations.

Thirteen percent of Detroiters opposed reparations, but 41% of those residents said addressing racial inequality should still be a policy priority.

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"Opposition to reparations does not necessarily conflate or equate to opposition to addressing racial inequality as a policy priority," said Erykah Benson, a Center for Racial Justice research fellow.

What's next

Researchers' next survey will look at how Detroiters want to see reparations implemented.

Reparations could come in the form of housing assistance, such as down payment help, or tuition for college to make it free, Simington said.

The U-M report aligns with the successful 2021 ballot initiative, said Keith Williams, chairman of the Michigan Democratic Party Black Caucus and a co-chair of the city's reparations task force. It also lines up with a separate poll he conducted indicating Detroiters' support for reparations, he said.

"(The ballot) language says, create a task force to make recommendations on housing and economic development. That's where all the harm was caused  the loss of wealth," he said.

He pointed to the lasting harms to Black communities committed by governments and institutions, including the razing of Black Bottom to make way for I-375, restrictive covenants that kept Black families from moving into neighborhoods and the $600 million Detroiters lost from overtaxation.

The reparations task force will meet online and in person at 4 p.m. April 13 at the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center's Erma Henderson Auditorium located at 2 Woodward Ave. in Detroit on the 13th floor.

Nushrat Rahman covers issues related to economic mobility for the Detroit Free Press and BridgeDetroit as a corps member with Report for America, an initiative of The GroundTruth Project. Make a tax-deductible contribution to support her work at bit.ly/freepRFA.

Contact Nushrat: nrahman@freepress.com; 313-348-7558. Follow her on Twitter: @NushratR.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Report: A majority of Detroiters support reparations
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Tuesday said Beijing has expressed concerns about energy activities by Malaysian state firm Petronas in the South China Sea, even though Kuala Lumpur believes the projects are in its territory.

Anwar's remarks come after he opened the door for negotiations with China earlier this week, in a sign of mounting pressure on Malaysia's energy operations in waters that Beijing claims as its own.

China claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, through which about $3 trillion worth of ship-borne trade passes annually. Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam have some overlapping claims.

Petronas operates oil and gas fields within Malaysia's 200-mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and has in recent years had several encounters with Chinese vessels.

China was worried that "Petronas has carried out a major activity at an area that is also claimed by China," Anwar said, responding to a parliamentary question about his discussions on the South China Sea during his visit to China last week.

"I stressed... that Malaysia sees the area as Malaysian territory therefore Petronas will continue its exploration activities there," Anwar said, without specifying an offshore project or a location.

But Malaysia is open for negotiations "if China feels this is their right", Anwar said.

China would like to work with Malaysia to handle differences in the South China Sea through dialogue and consultation in an appropriate manner, its foreign ministry said on Tuesday.

Petronas declined to comment.

China claims its territory via a "nine-dash line" on its maps, which cuts into the EEZs of Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia.

The Permanent Court of Arbitration, however, ruled in 2016 that the nine-dash line, which stretches as far as 1,500 km off its coastline, has no legal basis.

U.S. think tank, the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI), last week said a Chinese coast guard vessel was for the past month operating near Petronas' Kasawari gas development off Malaysia's Sarawak state, and came as close as 1.5 miles of the project. A Malaysian navy ship was in the area, AMTI said.

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China foreign ministry on Monday said they were not aware of the specific incident but said the conduct of the China coast guard is beyond reproach.

The Kasawari field holds an estimated 3 trillion cubic feet of gas reserves and is expected to start production this year.

Anwar, in his parliamentary comments, said China believes its ships were in international waters.

Malaysia's foreign ministry will issue a protest note if there were "collisions" between Malaysian and Chinese vessels there, Anwar said.

In response, the Chinese foreign ministry said Beijing safeguards its "legitimate rights and interests" in the South China Sea.

(Reporting by Rozanna Latiff; additional reporting by Laurie Chen in Beijing; Writing by A. Ananthalakshmi; Editing by Martin Petty)
Statue of justice (court or lawsuit file illustration)

LAFAYETTE, Ind.  Twenty-one-year-old Nikhil Mathur faces five charges of possession of child pornography, Level 5 felonies.

Mathur, who is from Overland Park, Kansas, lives in Village West Apartments in West Lafayette, according to prosecutors. He's accused of uploading several child porn videos to social media platforms in November 2021, according to prosecutors.

Police served a search warrant in July 2022 at Mathur's apartment and seized his electronic devices, including his phone. The devices had child porn on them, according to prosecutors.

The girls in the some of the videos appeared to be around 12 years old. All of the girls appeared to be younger than 18, according to prosecutors.

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children tipped off local law enforcement of the possible uploads. Police tracked the uploads back to Mathur, according to prosecutors.

Reach Ron Wilkins at rwilkins@jconline.com. Follow on Twitter: @RonWilkins2.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Man accused of uploading child porn to social media site
A man died following a shooting early Tuesday in Kansas City, according to police.

Officers responded just before 1 a.m. to an apartment building in the 6400 block of Manchester Avenue, where they found a man suffering from apparent gunshot wounds, said Officer Donna Drake, a spokeswoman with the Kansas City Police Department, in a news release.

Emergency medical crews declared the man dead at the scene.

This was the 43rd homicide in Kansas City this year, according to data tracked by The Star, which includes fatal police shootings. There were 37 killings at this time last year.

Police urge anyone with information to call the homicide unit at 816-234-5043 or the anonymous TIPS Hotline at 816-474-8477. A reward of up to $25,000 is available for information leading to an arrest.
Former President Donald Trump was charged Tuesday with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in connection with an alleged scheme to cover up two affairs with hush money payments in order to influence the 2016 presidential election.

The indictment and statement of facts unveiled by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg says that Trump falsified Trump Organization records to conceal criminal conduct that hid damaging information from the voting public during the 2016 presidential election.

That criminal conduct was part of a scheme hatched by Trump, his lawyer Michael Cohen and then-National Enquirer publisher David Pecker to keep adult film actor Stormy Daniels and model Karen McDougal from going public with their stories of past affairs with Trump in the final weeks of the 2016 presidential campaign.

There are novel elements to this case that could complicate Braggs legal pathway to a conviction while arming Trump and his allies with talking points about a supposedly overreaching prosecutor.

Falsification of business records is often charged as a misdemeanor but can be bumped up to a Class E felony under New York state law if committed in conjunction with another crime. As Bragg noted in his Tuesday news conference, the Manhattan district attorneys office routinely brings felony charges of the falsification of business records in connection with another alleged crime.

In this case, Bragg stated that the underlying crimes that the false business records aimed to conceal included violations of state and federal election laws and further illegal false statements related to business and tax law.

The federal election law references the illegal campaign contribution that Cohen pleaded guilty to in 2018. The state election law Bragg pointed to is one that makes it illegal to promote or prevent the election of any person to a public office by unlawful means. The other illegal false statements include those admitted to by AMI Inc. in its own company records regarding its payment to McDougal and by Cohen regarding his tax filings.

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Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg speaks Tuesday during a news conference at a Manhattan courthouse about the indictment of former President Donald Trump.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg speaks Tuesday during a news conference at a Manhattan courthouse about the indictment of former President Donald Trump.

It is highly likely that Trumps lawyers will seek to challenge the use of federal and state election laws in this case.

No previous felony prosecution by the Manhattan DA on falsification of business records has relied on federal campaign finance charges. Such federal charges are not prosecuted by state and local prosecutors but rather by the Department of Justice. Bragg will likely argue that he is not bringing such charges but rather referencing the crime that Cohen admitted in his plea agreement.

Similarly, Braggs reliance on a state election law also presents a challenge as Trump was running in a federal election, not a state election. State election law is preempted by federal election law for federal elections. But since Bragg is not bringing charges under this statute, its not clear if that will matter.

Braggs strongest case may be the further false statements made by AMI and Cohen. Both of them admitted in court to making false statements in their business and tax records, respectively, and did so as part of the scheme to silence the women and protect Trumps campaign.

The scheme involved Cohen paying Daniels $130,000 to buy her silence in the final weeks of the 2016 campaign while AMI, the parent company of the National Enquirer, purchased the rights to McDougals story for $150,000 with the promise of running her story. But, in a scheme referred to as catch and kill, the Enquirer never ran McDougals story.

Trump eventually reimbursed Cohen for the payoff to Daniels through monthly payments disguised as payments for legal retainer. But there was no contract for a legal retainer. These are the source of the 34 counts against Trump of falsifying business records.

While neither the indictment nor the statement of facts explicitly says what the other crime is that bumps the falsification of business records charges up to felonies, it does lay out facts about crimes admitted to by Cohen and AMI.

Cohen pleaded guilty in 2018 to making an illegal campaign contribution as part of the scheme. Since the $130,000 payoff to Daniels was made solely to aid in Trumps election, Cohens donation constituted an illegal excess contribution to Trumps campaign committee, according to Cohens guilty plea.

This payment was illegal, and [Cohen] has since pleaded guilty to making an illegal campaign contribution and served time in prison, Bragg writes in the statement of facts.

Former President Donald Trump appears Tuesday in a courtroom at the Manhattan Criminal Court.

Former President Donald Trump appears Tuesday in a courtroom at the Manhattan Criminal Court.

AMI admitted that the payoffs were unlawful, Bragg argues, in its 2018 non-prosecution agreement in which the company stated it purchased McDougals story on false premises, as the National Enquirer never intended to run her story.

In addition, Bragg notes that these illegal payoffs were made with the knowledge of and in coordination with Trump.

The scheme allegedly began in August 2015, two months after Trump announced his campaign, when Pecker told Trump and Cohen that he would work as their eyes and ears to search out negative stories and help squash them. Pecker also agreed to publish negative stories about Trumps primary and general election opponents.

In June 2016, Pecker approached Trump and Cohen after McDougal had come to him to sell her story of an affair with Trump from 2006 to 2007. The three men discussed how to purchase her silence. AMI ultimately bought the rights to her story with the promise of two magazine cover features  and a series of articles that would be published under her byline so long as she remained otherwise publicly silent about the alleged affair.

But the Enquirer never ran a story on McDougals allegations nor did she publish anything under her own byline. AMI falsely characterized the payments to McDougal in its own books in violation of New York state law, Bragg states.

Whether these legal challenges present problems for Bragg in the courtroom remain to be seen. But they will be used to fuel attacks from Trump and Republicans in an effort to undermine the first ever criminal charges brought against a former U.S. president.

Related...
By Henriette Chacar

SAKHNIN, Israel (Reuters) - A plan by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government to limit powers of the Supreme Court sparked huge protests across Israel before it was put on hold last week, but the country's Palestinian citizens have largely remained on the sidelines.

The plans to overhaul the judiciary caused one of the biggest domestic crises in Israel's 75-year history, triggering a wave of protest that forced the government to call a temporary halt to allow more discussion.

They have pitted opponents who see the plans as a threat to democratic checks and balances against supporters, who say they would rein in activist judges who have usurped the authority of elected governments.

With parliament now in recess, President Isaac Herzog has been facilitating negotiations on a possible compromise.

Arab citizens of Israel make up a sizeable 21% minority and would be among those most impacted by the planned judicial overhaul, given the sway of the courts on decisions vital to their interests.

Lawmaker Mansour Abbas of the United Arab List, the first Arab-led party to join a ruling coalition, said Arab citizens owe the Supreme Court their representation in parliament. If the government's proposal is ratified, "you will not find a single Arab party in the Knesset", he said in a radio interview.

Still, even as the demonstrations intensified, pulling in the country's main labour union and members of the military, Palestinian citizens largely took a back seat.

Many said they felt that issues they care about, such as ending Israel's occupation of Palestinian areas including East Jerusalem and the West Bank, were largely ignored by the demonstrations, with only a tiny minority of protesters drawing attention to the Palestinian issue.

"Whenever they demonstrate in Tel Aviv, regrettably, not all the demonstrators understand that there is no democracy under a situation of oppressing a minority, a big minority, of confiscating land and demolishing houses," said Aida Touma-Sliman, a Palestinian member of the Jewish-Arab Hadash party in parliament.

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ANNUAL COMMEMORATION

Last week, some 2,000 Arab citizens of Israel held their own demonstration in the northern city of Sakhnin, marking the annual commemoration of Land Day, when Israeli forces shot six Arab citizens during protests in 1976 over a government attempt to confiscate large swathes of their land.

Most Arab citizens of Israel are descendants of Palestinians who remained within the newly founded state after the 1948 war. When Israel celebrates its independence, many mourn the dispossession of some 750,000 Palestinians around the war as the "Nakba", or catastrophe.

The Israeli government placed Palestinians who remained under military rule for almost 20 years, restricting their movement and transferring some of their land to state ownership.

Toufiq Ibrahim Kanaaneh, a retired 86-year-old carpenter, said despite being granted citizenship after the state was founded in 1948, he needed a military-issued permit to travel from his town until 1981.

Even when Palestinian citizens rely on the top court to advocate for their rights, many see it as part of a system that seeks to maintain the control of one national group over another, said Adalah attorney Adi Mansour.

That the freeze in legislation came in exchange for an agreement to form a national guard under far-right minister Itamar Ben-Gvir to focus on unrest in Arab areas was especially worrying, and would only compound tensions, Mansour added.

On Saturday, police shot dead a 26-year-old medical student from the Bedouin town Hura in southern Israel for allegedly grabbing a police officer's gun and firing it, an account his family and Arab leaders dispute.

As Jewish Israelis debate the future identity of their state, "eventually, we are the ones who pay the price", said Mansour.

(Reporting by Henriette Chacar; Editing by James Mackenzie and Ed Osmond)
First-year college student Zoie Geronimi is the only person she knows from her small town who goes to Columbia University. Geronimi, 19, went to high school in Kingsford, Michigan, where the population of about 5,000 is just a fraction of the size of New York City.

"In my area, not a lot of people pursue an education after high school, and a lot of kids go to college in my area if they do," she said on a video call from her dorm room. "I wanted to branch out, but I didnt know where to start."

Now that she's studying computer science full time, Geronimi is helping students from her hometown and surrounding rural towns look beyond those borders through a program at her school called Take Columbia Home.

Columbia is one of 16 of the nation's top colleges and universities partnering with merchant banker Byron Trott, chairman and co-CEO of BDT & MSD Partners, to increase access to college for students from small towns and rural America.

Trott is helping launch the STARS College Network with a donation of $20 million so colleges and universities can expand efforts like Columbia's to enroll rural and small-town students, he told USA TODAY ahead of the official kickoff. STARS stands for small-town and rural students.

"There is a massive talent pool in our small towns and rural communities that has so much to offer  to our colleges, to society and to future generations," wrote Trott, who is from the small town of Union, Missouri, and attended the University of Chicago.

STEM careers less likely: For poor, rural students who lack access to advanced math courses

Rural students less likely to go to college, or complete their degrees

Students who attend rural high schools are less likely to attend and graduate from college than their peers at suburban or urban high schools, research shows.

Data from the Postsecondary National Policy Institute from 2015 shows that 18% of rural men and 20% of rural women 25 and older had a bachelors degree or higher compared with 32% of urban men and 33% of urban women.

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And data from the National Center for Education Statistics, the Lumina Foundation notes, shows that directly after high school 59% of rural residents go on to college, compared with 62% of urban graduates and 67% of suburban grads.

The COVID-19 pandemic also depressed college enrollment.

'The bottom fell out: For years, Latino college enrollment was on the rise. Then came the pandemic.

Challenges persist once small-town students get to college: They may feel isolated or overwhelmed on a large, bustling campus.

The goal of the STARS College Network is to get students from rural and small towns in the door at the nation's top colleges to graduation and into jobs. With the new money, the colleges will hire dedicated staff to recruit and support students from small towns and rural areas, support high school counselors and teachers, pay for students to visit their campuses, expand summer programs and help students and their families navigate financial aid.

Many colleges raised tuition for low-income students: Why did wealthier peers get more aid?

The participating colleges also said they plan to work on acclimating rural and small-town students with student groups and housing programs dedicated to them.

The colleges that benefit from STARS Network funding will then have to track student engagement, enrollment and how they support small-town and rural students, said James Nondorf, STARS co-chair and vice president of Enrollment and Student Advancement at the University of Chicago.

At Washington University in St. Louis, the number of rural students from outside Missouri who attend her institution is almost zero, said Ronne P. Turner, vice provost of admissions and financial aid.

"We're really excited about the national reach," she said.

Vanderbilt's Doug Christiansen, who is co-leading the initiative with the University of Chicago's Nondorf, said many of the colleges involved already have a commitment or desire to attract rural and small-town students.

More: One state offers lessons in how to cope with the college enrollment crisis

Some of the colleges in the network already are making headway on increasing rural student admissions.

Other colleges and universities in the STARS Network include CalTech, Colby College, Northwestern University, Ohio State, the University of Southern California and Yale.

First-gen students are missing from the nation's top colleges: Can virtual advising could help?

What gets in the way of college for small-town and rural students?

A lack of information, concerns about how to finance college and limited access to advanced coursework can all interfere with the college plans of students from small communities.

And local culture may push these students in the direction of nearby colleges and schools.

"My high school didnt have any students going to Ivy Leagues in recent history," Geronimi said. "I was almost scared to share that this was my goal."

'I just worry that they'll be so far behind': Rural families without internet face tough choice on school

Some of those challenges double for first-generation students like Yohanna Bauerdorf, a second-year communications student at the University of Southern California. Bauerdorf, 19, said it's unlikely she would be at USC if not for financial aid.

Bauerdorf, who graduated from a high school in a small New Jersey town, said she relied heavily on social media to learn about USC, and supportive administrators, teachers and family helped get her there.

"A lot of students dont believe they have the capability to make it to a university," she said. "The result is to not apply or think past high school."

Rural schools have a teacher shortage: Why dont people who live there, teach there?

Contact Kayla Jimenez at kjimenez@usatoday.com. Follow her on Twitter at @kaylajjimenez.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Rural students' access to elite colleges is target of new initiative
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene showed up at a protest across the street from the Manhattan criminal court where former President Donald Trump was being arraigned on Tuesday. The Georgia Republican spoke to a crowd through a megaphone and was met with both supporters and opponents.

The crowd was relatively small but swarmed Greene in the park across from the courthouse. She spoke briefly, calling Trump the "top Republican candidate for president for 2024," and saying, "We cannot tolerate this injustice in the United States of America. No more."

As she condemned the actions of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who indicted Trump last week, and Democrats, the crowd got louder and louder, with some blowing whistles. Greene and her supporters chanted "U-S-A" as one person could be heard chanting "go home" at her.

Others shouted "liar" at Greene, a callback to when she shouted "liar" at President Joe Biden during his State of the Union address this year.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green, a Republican from Georgia, during a rally in support of former President Donald Trump in New York, on Tuesday, April 4, 2023. / Credit: Bloomberg/Getty Images

Trump is the first former U.S. president ever to be indicted. A grand jury determined prosecutors had enough evidence to charge Trump, following an investigation related to "hush money" payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels in 2016.

He is charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree, and pleaded not guilty in court Tuesday. Trump has repeatedly denied wrongdoing and accused the D.A. of a political "witch hunt."

As Trump traveled Monday from Florida to New York to face charges, the city's Mayor Eric Adams urged potential protesters to control themselves.

"Although we have no specific threats, people like Marjorie Taylor Greene, who is known to spread misinformation and hate speech, she stated she's coming to town. While you're in town, be on your best behavior," Adams said at a news conference Monday.

"As always, we would not allow violence or vandalism of any kind. And if one is caught participating in any act of violence, they will be arrested and held accountable," he said.

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Greene was not the only GOP member of Congress to turn up outside the courthouse. Rep. George Santos, who represents part of Long Island and is facing a number of investigations himself, also joined the protests and was seen in the thick of the crowd.

Say what you want, I showed up what about you?#TrumpArraignment  George Santos (@Santos4Congress) April 4, 2023

"I'm not here for the cameras. I'm here to support the president of the United States, who is being unfairly attacked by a D.A.," Santos told reporters.

Following the court proceedings, Bragg is scheduled to hold a news conference and Trump plans to address a crowd of supporters at Mar-a-Lago Tuesday evening.

JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon says current banking crisis is "not yet over"

3 Tennessee lawmakers could face expulsion after gun violence protest

Woman with long COVID smells coffee for first time in 2 years
As Donald Trump is set to make history Tuesday in New York as the first former president indicted and arraigned, the city's Mayor Eric Adams has a message for one of the Republican's most loyal supporters.

"People like Marjorie Taylor Greene, who is known to spread misinformation and hate speech, while youre in town, be on your best behavior," Adams said during a press conference Monday.

More: Marjorie Taylor Greene compares Trump to Jesus before his arrest and arraignment in New York

Coverage: Marjorie Taylor Greene talks to pro-Trump crowd, more live updates from New York

Marjorie Taylor Greene protests Trump arraignment in New York

US Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, from Georgia, waves as former US President Donald Trump mentions her during a 2024 election campaign rally in Waco, Texas, March 25, 2023.

Greene, a Republican congresswoman from Georgia, and other Trump allies were outnumbered by media, anti-Trump protesters and other onlookers during a "Rally for Trump" Tuesday morning.

Using a handheld megaphone, Greene delivered brief remarks that were drowned out by the large crowd gathered outside the courthouse where Trump is set to be arraigned Tuesday afternoon.

She was joined by beleaguered Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., and the New York Young Republicans, a group with ties to white nationalists.

What did Marjorie Taylor Greene say at Trump rally?

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green, R-Ga., talks to supporters of former US President Donald Trump outside the District Attorneys office in New York on April 4, 2023.

Greene at the rally took aim at the Biden administration, making unsubstantiated claims of political revenge.

"President Trump will be found innocent. This witch hunt will end. We will not tolerate it. We will not tolerate the hate of the left," Greene said. "God bless America, God bless President Trump, God bless MAGA."

What did NYC mayor say about Marjorie Taylor Greene?

"Control yourselves," Adams said Monday to any potential "rabble rousers."

"New York City is our home, not a playground for your misplaced anger," he added.

City officials "will not allow violence of any kind," Adams said.

The mayor said he anticipated some disruption in the city, but he was not worried about violence. There had not been any "specific credible threats," he said.

Story continues

Trump indictment live updates: Arraignment to come after surrender in historic NYC case

More: Two women dealt a blow to Donald Trump's power. In a post-#MeToo era, will he fall?

Marjorie Taylor Greene responds to New York mayor

Greene also responded during the rally to New York City Mayor Adams, who warned her and other protesters to be on their best behavior.

"As you can see, Im standing here peacefully protesting, but you called me out by name while you allow crime in your streets," she said Tuesday morning.

Marjorie Taylor Greene compares Trump to Jesus

Days before Easter and hours before his arrest, Greene compared Trump to Jesus and Nelson Mandela.

"Trump is joining some of the most incredible people in history being arrested today," she said during an interview with Right Side Broadcasting in New York. "Nelson Mandela was arrested, served time in prison. Jesus  Jesus was arrested and murdered by the Roman government."

She said Trump joins the ranks of people who have been arrested and persecuted by "radical, corrupt governments. And it's beginning today in New York City, and I just can't believe it's happening, but I'll always support him. He's done nothing wrong."

MTG defends Trump

US Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, from Georgia, speaks at a 2024 campaign rally for former US President Donald Trump in Waco, Texas, March 25, 2023. - Trump held the rally at the site of the deadly 1993 standoff between an anti-government cult and federal agents.

Greene has been one of Trump's most loyal supporters and most effective lieutenants.

She has not wavered in defending him since the Capitol attack on Jan. 6, 2021, and she is fighting for him from committee seats in Congress  panel positions she received this year after helping House Speaker Kevin McCarthy win after 15 historic rounds of voting in January.

Helping to push him over the threshold was an 11th hour phone call on the House floor from Greene to Trump. She leaned on conservative holdouts, urging them to follow the former president's guidance and elect McCarthy.

Greene recently appeared with Trump at his Waco rally, where the praise for each other was mutual.

"Would you like to run for the Senate? I would fight like hell for you," Trump said to Greene.

Live coverage: Protests, tight security ahead of Trump arraignment.

More: Donald Trump expected to unleash wave of legal challenges after Tuesday arraignment in New York

Candy Woodall is a Congress reporter for USA TODAY. She can be reached at cwoodall@usatoday.com or on Twitter at @candynotcandace.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Marjorie Taylor Greene warned by NYC mayor before Trump protest
Far-right US Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene spent roughly 10 minutes at a chaotic rally to protest the indictment of Donald Trump in New York City on 4 April as the former president faces a string of criminal charges.

The Republican congresswoman  and staunch Mr Trump loyalist  was joined by the New York Young Republican Club, a group with ties to embattled Republican US Rep George Santos, who made only a brief appearance at the rally before departing after he was mobbed by members of the press.

Ms Greene was also met by counterprotesters blowing whistles and banging noisemakers to drown her and others who addressed the crowd out. The New York Young Republicans, at one point, responded with a chant of USA.

Members of the press appeared to vastly outnumber Trump supporters and opponents in the small park in front of New York County Criminal Court, beginning a few hours before the former president arrived for his arrest and arraignment.

The largely uneventful rally saw only brief clashes between pro- and anti-Trump demonstrators; both camps were separated with NYPD barricades and community affairs officers between them.

Gregory Williams told The Independent that the indictment of the former president brings some truth to the idea that nobody is above the law and shows that there remains some strength in our democracy.

Another rally attendee, Mike Hisey, wore an orange prison jumpsuit and Trump mask and wig, which he has been wearing at demonstrations since before Trump was in office.

Ive been doing this seven years. Ive imagined him in jail for seven years. Tomorrows my birthday, so its a happy birthday for me, he told The Independent.

Counterprotesters played music (YGs FDT, at one point) and chanted guilty as f*** (at another point) while blowing whistles and hitting cowbells, making it nearly impossible to hear any of the speakers using a megaphone on the pro-Trump side.

Story continues

A massive sign reading TRUMP LIES ALL THE TIME was draped on the ground among the crowd of counterprotesters.

Ozzie Hernandez, wading into the crowd of Trump supporters with a sign reading TRUMP FELONY, told The Independent that the former presidents street name is felon.

Hes an albatross hanging on this countrys neck, he said.

Gregory Williams said the indictment of Donald Trump brings some truth to the idea that nobody is above the law. (Alex Woodward / The Independent)

Ms Greene took aim at New York Mayor Eric Adams, accusing him of sending his henchmen down here to commit assault against people by making loud noises.

She urged Americans to take a stand during her brief speech, large parts of which were muffled by the sounds of counter-protesters.

She claimed that the government has been weaponized against Americans and said: Im here to protest and use my voice and take a stand. Every American should take a stand.

This is what happens in communist countries  not the United States of America, she added. We have to take a stand against the injustice, the corruption, and the communist Democrats.

U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) speaks outside Manhattan Criminal Courthouse on the day of former U.S. President Donald Trump's planned court appearance (REUTERS)

Theyre taking our legal code, twisting it, manipulating it, and perverting it into something it was never meant to be, she said.

She proclaimed Mr Trumps innocence and derided New York County District Attorney Alvin Bragg as a George Soros-funded tool to hijack the 2024 presidential election.

Ms Greene soon left the rally and appeared on RSBN, where she compared Mr Trump to Nelson Mandela and Jesus.

Pro-Trump demonstrators  including QAnon conspiracy theoriests, opponents of the Chinese communist party and other Trump supporters across the Americans right-wing political spectrum  draped themselves in MAGA flags and other Trump-affiliated clothing. A neo-Nazi was spotted wearing a skull musk, shouting at others to watch Europa the Last Battle, an antisemitic film, according to HuffPost.

Some protesters were dressed up  there was Freddy Krueger, a version of Abraham Lincoln, and a man wearing an inflatable prison jumpsuit.

There was a circuslike and chaotic atmosphere at the arrival of scandal-plagued New York congressman George Santos.

George, you should have shown up in drag! one person yelled, the reporter tweeted.

When asked why he was at the rally, Mr Santos simply said: Because I can be here.

He also said no president was above the law, according to footage shared by Elizabeth Landers of Vice. Mr Santos then asked, Wheres Hunter Bidens indictment?

When asked if Mr Trump should be held accountable if he has committed a crime, Mr Santos said, This is not that crime, though.

This is old news, he added.

Mr Santos left the area where the rally was set to take place before it had even begun, saying that he felt threatened and that it was too chaotic, according to Kadia Goba of Semafor.

Jordan Klepper of The Daily Show shouted questions at Mr Santos, according to footage posted by Jacob Shamsian of Insider.

George, speak up, we want to hear the legitimacy you bring to this process, Mr Klepper said. George, are you worried that this is becoming a circus? George, talk about your time running a circus! George, thank you for your service!

George, did you get a law degree in the last two weeks that we dont know about? someone else shouted.

Protesters who both like and loathe Mr Trump applied their creative talents to make signs for the big day.

One such sign invited passersby to urinate on a small photograph of Mr Trump sticking out of the ground in a patch of dirt outside the courthouse.

Other protesters held signs showing their support for Stormy Daniels, the adult film actor whose 2006 affair with Mr Trump eventually led to the hush-money payment that resulted in the former presidents indictment.

Once again Trump got caught with his pants down, one sign said.

A few of the politicians in New York for the indictment have also attracted the attention of the protesting crowd. Ms Greene was greeted on her trip north with a sign mocking her as a dangerous escaped animal.

One Trump supporter burned sage in an apparent attempt to drive away toxic reporters. The same supporter was later seen attempting to tear up a banner saying that Mr Trump lies all the time.

A supporter of former US president Donald Trump tears up an anti-Trump banner during a protest outside of Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City (AFP/Getty)

New York Democratic Representative Jamaal Bowman told The Independent that he was in Lower Manhattan to push back against anything that represents hate in New York City.

Anything that represents white supremacy in New York City, and allies and the rhetoric and the divisiveness that Trump, that Marjorie Taylor Greene and so many others have represented since theyve been in public life, he added. This is about the justice system doing its job. Trump made it political when he announced to the world that he is going to be indicted, and he called on people to protest, that made it political.

He said the indictment was one step towards accountability, but added that were very far away from [a] conviction. So well see where that goes. But you know, America needs a reckoning and I think Trump is essential to that reckoning, when you consider his rhetoric, his behaviour and his policies.

Prior to the demonstrations, Ms Greene hit out at the counterprotesters on Twitter.

Im here in NY to protest with my voice against the weaponization of the justice system on innocent President Trump, but the counter protestors are coming to commit assault that can cause audible damage to everyones ears including NYPD, she wrote. But Mayor Adams warns me by name! If counter protestors are violating freedom of speech and committing assault, they should be arrested.

A Trump supporter brandishing a Trump or Death banner in New York on Tuesday (Drew Angerer/Getty)

Mr Adams issued a warning to the congresswoman and other protesters descending on the city during a press conference on 3 April.

People like Marjorie Taylor Greene, who is known to spread misinformation and hate speech, while youre in town, be on your best behaviour, he said.

During her appearance on Steve Bannons programme on Real Americas Voice, Ms Greene claimed that Mr Adams sent antifa after her.

He threatened me. The Mayor of NYC is a thug ... calling antifa to bring their whistles, pots and pans, to drown me out. Mayor Adams owes me an apology, she said.

Her decision to lead Trump fans in protest marked a sudden change of heart for the lawmaker after she previously said that she did not think Americans should take such action.

Journalists gather outside Manhattan Criminal Court ahead of Trumps arraignment (AP)

Last month, Mr Trump took to Truth Social to claim that he was going to be arrested on 21 March and claimed on his followers to PROTEST, TAKE OUR NATION BACK!

But Ms Greene broke rank with the former president saying she did not think protesting was necessary.

We dont need to protest about the Communists Democrats [sic] planning to arrest Pres Trump and the political weaponization of our government and election interference, Ms Greene tweeted. These idiots are sealing their own fate in 2024 because the silent majority has two feelings right now about the current regime.

Her change of tune comes after protests in support of the former president have so far fallen flat in the Democrat-led state.

George Santos appears at a rally in support of former President Donald Trump in New York (Screenshot / Twitter / David Mack)

On 30 March, when Mr Trump was indicted by a grand jury, only a handful of his supporters showed up.

As one may expect, search interest in Donald Trump rose significantly following news of his indictment. When using Google Trends to analyse the related search trends, there has been a rise in people searching for where is Trump tower, Trump tower, Trump tower NYC and similar wordings.

Interest first spiked in the late afternoon on 3 April, when increasing numbers of people started to Google search the location of Trump Tower on the day of Mr Trumps arraignment.

Security was ramped up in the city and barricades were erected outside Manhattan Criminal Court in anticipation of potential unrest.

Search for Trump Tower rises as the former president is about to be arraigned (Google)

On Tuesday afternoon, Mr Trump pleaded not guilty to the 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree.

Manhattan prosecutors have been investigating whether Mr Trump falsified the Trump Organizations business records when his former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen made the payment of $130,0000 to Ms Daniels.

Prosecutors claim that the money was used to silence Ms Daniels about an alleged affair she had with Mr Trump in 2006. Mr Trump has long denied having an affair with the adult film star.

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.

On 30 March, a Manhattan grand jury voted to indict Mr Trump on criminal charges over the hush money payments. Since then, Mr Trump has railed against the indictment in statements and posts on his Truth Social platform.

Following his unprecedented court appearance, Mr Trump is expected to fly straight back to Mar-a-Lago in Florida to deliver a primetime address at 8.15pm ET.
After Greg Gutfeld dunked on the media for scrutinizing Donald Trumps arrival in New York on Monday, his colleague Martha MacCallum pointed out that Fox News did the exact same thing.

The medias wetting their pants at the mere thought of Trump in handcuffs, Gutfeld said, ridiculing other cable news outlets for showing Trumps plane landing at LaGuardia Airport and discussing the former presidents arraignment.

I love how, Martha, the press covered his arrival like it was O.J. [Simpson] in the white Bronco, Gutfeld said. And all of those people want him back in because he pays their mortgage. Hes what gets everybody to watch the news.

We covered it like that, noted MacCallum, who hosts The Story, which carried a live shot of LaGuardia repeatedly throughout the first 20 minutes of the program until Trumps plane landed. A Fox News correspondent also reported live from outside the Manhattan District Attorneys Office.

After Fox's Greg Gutfeld mocks the media for covering Trump's NY arrival like "it was OJ in the white Bronco" because "those clowns need him to survive," Martha MacCallum reminds him that "we covered it like that at 3:00." pic.twitter.com/yja5i8pPPf  Justin Baragona (@justinbaragona) April 3, 2023

MacCallum went on to join Gutfeld in critiquing the media.

What I noticed was that, you know, there was a ton of glee at the beginning of this indictment process, she said. Now theyre mad. Because theyre mad about people paying attention to the motorcade. Theyre mad that the polls are doing well. Theyre mad that [Trump] raised $7 million over the course of this, and they were very grumpy, I noticed, over the course of this afternoon.

Trump flew into New York City from his Florida estate on a private plane to face charges stemming from a hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election. Trump is slated to surrender at the Manhattan DAs office on Tuesday. He will likely be fingerprinted before entering a courtroom to make his plea, which is expected to be not guilty.

Related...
Face masks are no longer required in health care or other high transmission risk settings, according to new statewide COVID-19 guidelines that took effect Monday.

The new California Department of Public Health guidelines state people can decide if they want to wear a mask in a health care or other high transmission risk settings, including senior care facilities, homeless centers and correctional facilities. Depending on the community COVID-19 transmission level, masks should be "considered" or are "strongly recommended" for staff members, residents, patients and visitors at these settings.

Riverside County has a low community transmission level, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Under the new guidelines, masks should be considered in high-risk settings. In other instances, people can wear a mask based on their personal preference. "Vulnerable people," including those who are immunocompromised or unvaccinated, or live with someone who is, should consider wearing a mask in crowded indoor public places and taking additional precautions.

The health department added that "medical facilities and other high-risk settings should develop and implement their own facility-specific plans based on their community, patient population and other facility considerations."

Riverside County spokesperson Jose Arballo Jr. said in an email: "Riverside County does not have any specific requirements  we continue to follow the recommendations outlined on the CDPH site. Individual facilities may enact their own requirements, but those are done separate from us."

Desert Care Network spokesperson Richard Ramhoff said adjusted mask guidelines at the three area hospitals  Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs, JFK Memorial Hospital in Indio and Hi-Desert Medical Center in Joshua Tree  include:

Visitors and patients without respiratory symptoms are no longer required to wear a mask. Otherwise, a mask must be worn if visitors and patients are coughing, sneezing, have a runny nose, sore throat and/or a respiratory infection

Fully vaccinated staff without respiratory symptoms are not required to wear a mask

Individuals are required to wear a mask if they have had a COVID-19 infection or exposure in the last 10 days or are not fully vaccinated

Staff will follow all isolation precautions and use proper PPE based on patients condition.

Staff, visitors and patients may continue masking or ask their caregivers to mask based on their preference and comfort level

Story continues

Eisenhower Health Rancho Mirage spokesperson Lee Rice said the health care facility "will follow the new state requirements" and that masking will not be mandatory for staff, patients or visitors. Communication to staff from Chief Quality Officer Dr. Eric Leroux also stated that isolation precautions and protocols remain in place for all applicable communicable diseases.

Also effective Monday, California will no longer require COVID-19 vaccinations for health care workers and others in high-risk settings.

Ramhoff said COVID-19 vaccination requirements for Desert Care Network staff are still in effect, per the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' COVID-19 vaccination mandate for health care workers.

In California, 72.8% of eligible residents have received their primary shots, while 61.3% have had their primary series and booster. Numbers are lower in Riverside County  60.3% of eligible residents have completed their primary series, and 30.3% have been boosted.

Those who want to get vaccinated, whether a primary series or a booster, can find the nearest location to them at www.vaccines.gov.

The changes come more than a month after California Gov. Gavin Newsom ended the states COVID-19 State of Emergency. The Biden administration also anticipates ending the national public health emergency for COVID-19 on May 11.

Eisenhower Health did not immediatley respond to The Desert Sun when asked about any plans to update their own policy.

Ema Sasic covers entertainment and health in the Coachella Valley. Reach her at ema.sasic@desertsun.com or on Twitter @ema_sasic.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Masks, vaccines no longer required in California high-risk settings
Anna Harris, left, and Katie Harris Murphy, members of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, at Beattie Gulch, Mont., on February 13, 2021. (Michael Hanson/The New York Times)

HELENA, Mont.  An unusually harsh winter that buried Yellowstone National Park under a heavy blanket of snow and ice this year pushed a large portion of the parks bison herd down to lower elevations and out of the park in search of milder climes and food.

Many were stopped from migrating even farther.

Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times

For four months, state and federal officials have sanctioned a hunt of the shaggy humped animals that delight millions of tourists and are a centerpiece of Native American culture and history.

Officials said they had no choice but to approve the lengthy culling of the roughly 6,000-member herd as the animals instinctually cross the park boundary onto other public land primarily to the north in Montanas Paradise Valley, but also west of the park. The hunt is part of a strategy to prevent them from getting near livestock, because about 60% of the bison herd carries a disease, brucellosis, that could infect cattle and cause cows to abort their calves.

But in the past several weeks, the scope of the hunt, conducted mainly by eight Indigenous tribes, along with other park control measures, has generated more criticism than previous hunts. As the culling winds down, the record-breaking number of bison removed from Yellowstones herd has climbed to more than 1,530  including hundreds of pregnant females. Hundreds more were sent out of the park  some to slaughterhouses and about 285 to a quarantine site where they will be held to determine if they are disease-free. The healthy ones will be sent to homes on Native American lands elsewhere.

Another estimated 800 have been captured and held to protect them from the hunt.

Government officials and conservation groups have wrestled with ways to manage the annual migration for decades.

Its probably the single most challenging wildlife issue in Yellowstone, Superintendent Cam Sholly said in an interview. The bison is the only species we constrain to a boundary.

Story continues

Its a complex management situation. Once the bison cross an invisible national park boundary and wander into Montana to the north and west on national forest land, they become the responsibility of the state.

Under treaties bestowing the rights to take buffalo, members of the Nez Perce, Blackfeet, Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, Northern Arapaho, Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, the Crow and Shoshone-Bannock Tribes traveled to the region and harvested nearly 1,100 bison.

Its a very cultural and spiritual endeavor and brings our families together, said Jeremy Red Star Wolf, of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation. And it gives us an opportunity to talk about who we are and where we come from.

About 90 were shipped to slaughter facilities, and 75 were killed by other hunters.

We dont want to see this many bison taken out of the population in normal years, Sholly said. But we have had three years of very light migration out of the park. This is one of the first major migrations out of the park for a considerable amount of time.

Recent studies indicate that the population should not be reduced to fewer than 3,500, Sholly said, to ensure genetic diversity. With a new calf crop this spring, the population should be about 5,000, he estimated.

Some have questioned whether killing so many animals disrupts the herds social structure. Sholly conceded the point but said hunting was less invasive. When shipping to slaughter occurred in the past, a lot of times you are taking an entire family, he said. The hunting is more sporadic and takes out individuals, not necessarily a whole family unit.

Yellowstone is home to the wildest bison population in the United States. In the park, bison are subject to myriad forces, from weather to grizzlies and wolves. An adult bull bison can weigh up to 2,000 pounds, and cows weigh up to 1,000 pounds. Females and calves gather in herds, while bulls are usually solitary.

Yellowstone officials have also been able to diminish the practice of sending bison to slaughterhouses by expanding the hunting and increasing the numbers now given to tribes to enlarge their herds or create new ones.

Still, some critics of the hunt note that there has never been an outbreak of brucellosis infection among Montanas roughly 2 million cattle that could be traced to Yellowstone bison. Bradley De Groot, brucellosis program veterinarian for the states livestock department, credited constant monitoring and interventions.

The wildlife in the greater Yellowstone ecosystem are the only known U.S. reservoir of the disease, according to the federal animal and plant health inspection service.

If cattle were to become infected with the highly contagious Brucella abortus bacterium, it would result in a lockdown of the animals. (The disease localizes in reproductive organs and is passed primarily through fetal tissue after birth.) For livestock operations that are quarantined, the only place they can sell sexually intact animals is straight to slaughter, De Groot said. That puts a dramatic impact on their ability to continue to generate revenue.

Brucellosis bacteria can spread from animals to people, primarily through raw dairy products, but transmission can also be airborne. In humans, a brucellosis infection can cause undulant fever and fatigue. It can be treated with antibiotics but may recur or become a chronic illness.

HELENA, Mont.  An unusually harsh winter that buried Yellowstone National Park under a heavy blanket of snow and ice this year pushed a large portion of the parks bison herd down to lower elevations and out of the park in search of milder climes and food.

Many were stopped from migrating even farther.

Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times

For four months, state and federal officials have sanctioned a hunt of the shaggy humped animals that delight millions of tourists and are a centerpiece of Native American culture and history.

Officials said they had no choice but to approve the lengthy culling of the roughly 6,000-member herd as the animals instinctually cross the park boundary onto other public land primarily to the north in Montanas Paradise Valley, but also west of the park. The hunt is part of a strategy to prevent them from getting near livestock, because about 60% of the bison herd carries a disease, brucellosis, that could infect cattle and cause cows to abort their calves.

But in the past several weeks, the scope of the hunt, conducted mainly by eight Indigenous tribes, along with other park control measures, has generated more criticism than previous hunts. As the culling winds down, the record-breaking number of bison removed from Yellowstones herd has climbed to more than 1,530  including hundreds of pregnant females. Hundreds more were sent out of the park  some to slaughterhouses and about 285 to a quarantine site where they will be held to determine if they are disease-free. The healthy ones will be sent to homes on Native American lands elsewhere.

Another estimated 800 have been captured and held to protect them from the hunt.

Government officials and conservation groups have wrestled with ways to manage the annual migration for decades.

Its probably the single most challenging wildlife issue in Yellowstone, Superintendent Cam Sholly said in an interview. The bison is the only species we constrain to a boundary.

Its a complex management situation. Once the bison cross an invisible national park boundary and wander into Montana to the north and west on national forest land, they become the responsibility of the state.

Under treaties bestowing the rights to take buffalo, members of the Nez Perce, Blackfeet, Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, Northern Arapaho, Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, the Crow and Shoshone-Bannock Tribes traveled to the region and harvested nearly 1,100 bison.

Its a very cultural and spiritual endeavor and brings our families together, said Jeremy Red Star Wolf, of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation. And it gives us an opportunity to talk about who we are and where we come from.

About 90 were shipped to slaughter facilities, and 75 were killed by other hunters.

We dont want to see this many bison taken out of the population in normal years, Sholly said. But we have had three years of very light migration out of the park. This is one of the first major migrations out of the park for a considerable amount of time.

Recent studies indicate that the population should not be reduced to fewer than 3,500, Sholly said, to ensure genetic diversity. With a new calf crop this spring, the population should be about 5,000, he estimated.

Some have questioned whether killing so many animals disrupts the herds social structure. Sholly conceded the point but said hunting was less invasive. When shipping to slaughter occurred in the past, a lot of times you are taking an entire family, he said. The hunting is more sporadic and takes out individuals, not necessarily a whole family unit.

Yellowstone is home to the wildest bison population in the United States. In the park, bison are subject to myriad forces, from weather to grizzlies and wolves. An adult bull bison can weigh up to 2,000 pounds, and cows weigh up to 1,000 pounds. Females and calves gather in herds, while bulls are usually solitary.

Yellowstone officials have also been able to diminish the practice of sending bison to slaughterhouses by expanding the hunting and increasing the numbers now given to tribes to enlarge their herds or create new ones.

Still, some critics of the hunt note that there has never been an outbreak of brucellosis infection among Montanas roughly 2 million cattle that could be traced to Yellowstone bison. Bradley De Groot, brucellosis program veterinarian for the states livestock department, credited constant monitoring and interventions.

The wildlife in the greater Yellowstone ecosystem are the only known U.S. reservoir of the disease, according to the federal animal and plant health inspection service.

If cattle were to become infected with the highly contagious Brucella abortus bacterium, it would result in a lockdown of the animals. (The disease localizes in reproductive organs and is passed primarily through fetal tissue after birth.) For livestock operations that are quarantined, the only place they can sell sexually intact animals is straight to slaughter, De Groot said. That puts a dramatic impact on their ability to continue to generate revenue.

Brucellosis bacteria can spread from animals to people, primarily through raw dairy products, but transmission can also be airborne. In humans, a brucellosis infection can cause undulant fever and fatigue. It can be treated with antibiotics but may recur or become a chronic illness.

(BEGIN OPTIONAL TRIM.)

U.S. officials have rejected inoculations against brucellosis for park bison because they say existing vaccines lack efficacy and are hard to distribute. Elk in the region also are infected and could reinfect any immunized bison. Cattle are immunized against brucellosis.

In the future, Sholly said, any preventive measures against brucellosis should also take elk into account.

The bison hunt by Indigenous tribes is, in part, an effort to restore their ruptured relationship with the animal. At least 30 million once grazed across the West, and for thousands of years, they were a vital source of food; their hides were used for shelter and clothing; and their vast roaming was a symbol of freedom. They were slaughtered in massive numbers in the late 19th century to force tribes onto reservations and for profit. Some experts say climate change and disease brought by cattle contributed to the bisons decline.

The forced extinction reduced the once seemingly limitless herds to a handful, including about two dozen here at Yellowstone. Todays herds are descended from the remnant population.

Beginning late last year, hundreds of Indigenous hunters from the northwest United States have flocked to the boundaries of Yellowstone, especially to a small area called Beattie Gulch, adjacent to the parks northern border.

Some hunters have traveled with their families to harvest buffalo. Kola Shippentower-Thompson, a member of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, in eastern Oregon, hunted with her husband, Tommy Thompson, who is the Umatilla tribal game warden, and her cousin Dion Denny.

Shippentower-Thompson said she had shot 13 bison since December, including a big bull in March, her first. After it fell to the snow, she and her husband gutted it, and she took a ceremonial bite of the old bulls heart.

That is a sign of respect, she explained. Everything we carry is within our heart. A big bull like that has made it through all the different seasons and territorial fights with other bulls, and you are taking on its spirit and the different teachings it has within it.

But although these past few months have allowed hunters to connect to their heritage, the large scale of the culling is creating more controversy than in previous years. Critics, including some Native Americans, denounced the park bisons limited area of migration, saying they became trapped in a very small area, had little fear of people and were not given a fair chase afforded other hunted animals.

The killing field is across the street from my driveway entrance, said Bonnie Lynn, founder of Yellowstone Voices, which campaigns against the hunt. The area is crowded with hunters, who have taken the bison meat and left the waste behind, with internal organs and hundreds of skeletons scattered about, she said.

We have wolves coming to the gut piles, coyotes coming to the gut piles, mountain lions in the area, and we have bears coming out of hibernation to the gut piles, she said. Its crazyville.

Others pointed to the dangers posed by the limited area of the hunt, citing the wounding of Jackson Wak Wak, a member of the Nez Perce tribe, who was shot in the back by a ricocheting bullet.

Billboards sponsored by two environmental groups, Roam Free Nation and Alliance for the Wild Rockies, showcase concerns, with one featuring a photo of a herd of bison and a hunter, and the headline: There Is No Hunt. Its a Slaughter.

Another organization, the Buffalo Field Campaign, turned out this year to protest the ban on bison migration out of the park onto federal land in Montana. They are killing one-quarter of the herd, said Mike Mease, a founder of the organization. That is insanity.

Mease acknowledged the importance of the tribal hunt, but he criticized what he said was a powerful commercial influence driving the extent of the hunt.

They wipe out way too many buffalo, he said. No other wildlife is treated this way. This is all directed by the Montana livestock industry.

To Jeremy Red Star Wolf, the hunt is not only culturally meaningful but a reliable food source. His family killed five bison, providing meat for other families.

We would certainly love to hunt them out on the natural landscape that once existed, but that natural landscape doesnt exist anymore, he said. Instead of being trapped and sent to slaughter, let us practice our treaty rights and provide bison, which has a very storied history within our tribe.

Yellowstones bison face other dangers as they roam outside the park. In late December, 13 were killed near West Yellowstone, Montana, when they were hit on U.S. Route 191 by a semitruck after dark. Collisions are not uncommon: The animals dark brown color and the fact that their eyes dont reflect headlights the way that the eyes of a deer do, make them very difficult to see at night.

So far this year, 22 have been hit by vehicles; the Buffalo Field Campaign has organized volunteers to dig paths through the snow to allow the bison to migrate safely and stay off the highway.

(END OPTIONAL TRIM.)

In recent times, Native Americans have actively recruited and encouraged the growth of bison herds on reservations. About 82 tribes now have more than 20,000 bison in 65 herds, in an effort to reconnect to their history. And Yellowstone park officials, Sholly said, are helping to move bison to tribal lands.

Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, the first Native American to serve in a presidential Cabinet, recently announced an outlay of $25 million to help conserve and restore the herds across the West.

Bison are inextricably intertwined with Indigenous culture, grassland ecology and American history, she said.

c.2023 The New York Times Company
Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council, called the Russian opposition "terrorists" and suggested that it should be destroyed after the murder of the so-called "war correspondent" Vladlen Tatarsky (real name: Maxim Fomin).

Source: Medvedev on Telegram

Details: Medvedev accused the Russian opposition of Tatarsky's murder. Without naming specific individuals, he said that "these scoundrels" not only openly wish for Russia's defeat and death but also "execute compatriots", presuming that it was the opposition that killed the "unarmed journalist".

Medvedev does not hesitate to speak out against the opposition, calling them "freaks" and "terrorists". "All these stinking ACF [Anti-Corruption Foundation of Alexei Navalny  ed.] and MBK media [the online media outlet, founded by Mikhail Khodorkovsky  ed.], Navalnys, Volkovs, Ponomaryovs and other Khodorkovskys have become just ordinary terrorists and murderers," he says.

Accordingly, Medvedev wants the authorities to kill the opposition "like mad dogs" as soon as they have the opportunity. He adds that there should be no sympathy for the opposition.

Previously: Earlier, a number of Russian news outlets reported that Trepova was recruited through Telegram; she was promised a position of editor in Kyiv.

Background:

On 2 April, an explosion occurred in a cafe in the centre of St Petersburg that had previously belonged to Yevgeny Prigozhin, owner of the Wagner Group Private Military Company, killing "war correspondent" (military blogger) Vladlen Tatarsky and injuring 30 other people.

Russian secret forces have supposedly detained Darya Trepova, a resident of St Petersburg, on suspicion of murdering propagandist Vladlen Tatarsky.

Analysts at the Institute for the Study of War have assumed that forces inside Russia may have been involved in his murder, and it could have been a "warning" meant for Prigozhin.

Russia's National Anti-Terrorist Committee has accused Ukrainian security services and supporters of Alexei Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation of murdering collaborator and propagandist Maxim Fomin, who called himself the war correspondent Vladlen Tatarsky.

On 4 April, the Russian Investigative Committee accused Darya Trepova of committing a terrorist act.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
Aaron Gouveia, left, wearing the shirt made by his son, Sam, right. Courtesy of Aaron Gouveia

Sam Gouveia, 9, surprised his dad, Aaron, with a custom handmade shirt.

A video of the sweet moment has been viewed millions of times on TikTok.

Sam, who wants to be a fashion designer, has been attending sewing classes for over a year.

Aaron Gouveia of Franklin, Massachusetts, was shocked when his 9-year-old son, Sam, gifted him a button-down shirt he had sewn himself.

A TikTok video, which has been viewed over 15.8 million times, lets viewers see the heartwarming moment Aaron received the homemade gift.

"It looks like something you'd buy at the store  it's really incredible," Aaron told Insider.

"I did the buttons and I did the buttonholes," Sam says in the video. "I got some help but I did most of it by myself," he adds.

The shirt, which is navy blue with a white floral pattern, has lapels that Aaron noted were reminiscent of styles from the 1970s. The video shows him trying it on while praising his son's work.

"It's so far outside of my own abilities as a 43-year-old-adult," he told Insider. "I just didn't really think that a 9 year old could do that, but Sam definitely delivered."

Viewers of the video agreed, with one writing, "I have a degree in fashion design. That there is raw, natural talent. That kid is going places if he pursues sewing!"

This wasn't Sam's first sewing project

Sam using his sewing machine. Courtesy of Aaron Gouveia

Although Sam has been in sewing classes for over a year, his interest in the craft can be, in part, attributed to a familial influence  although not his dad's.

"I am the antithesis of fashion," Aaron said. "I am a typical, cargo-shorts-wearing, middle-aged dad. I am textbook not-stylish."

Instead, the sewing gene comes from Sam's great aunt, Val, who is a seamstress. "She has been sewing my whole life," Aaron said. "We have handmade blankets and pillows and clothes."

After she worked with Sam on his first item, "I started sewing more and more," he said.

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Sam with sewing supplies. Courtesy of Aaron Gouveia

Now enrolled in sewing classes with Jennifer Vacca at the Franklin Mill Store in the Gouveia family's hometown, he has made shirts, pillowcases, pajama pants for his brother, and he even sewed an entire dress for his cousin.

"I was surprised [by his abilities], but I guess I shouldn't be because the dress he made for his cousin, Addison, was really unbelievable," Aaron said. "I mean, it had zippers on it. It was really impressive."

But one project stands out as one of Sam's all-time favorites. "I make a lot of scrunchies because I think those are pretty cool," he said.

Sam with a scrunchie he made. Courtesy of Aaron Gouveia

Sam hopes this is just the beginning of his fashion career

Sam wants to be a fashion designer when he grows up.

"I really like fashion," he told Insider, adding that Calvin Klein is his fashion icon.

But when it comes to his personal sense of fashion, Sam keeps it comfortable and simple. "My fashion style is, like, I would say, sweatpants and a sweatshirt," he said.

As his son focuses on his designing dreams, Aaron is grateful for the support from TikTok viewers.

"Sam reads the comments, and I think it gives him a great boost of self esteem," Aaron said. "And so we're really appreciative of all the kindness people have shown us."

Read the original article on Insider
The pilot episode of SYFYs The Ark (streaming now on Peacock!) is appropriately titled Everyone Wanted to Be on This Ship. See, the premise of The Ark is that humanity is in trouble and our only shot is to get to another planet around Proxima Centauri. Spaceships, unfortunately, only fit a limited crew so there must be a selection process. Thats true whether youre trying to get on the last ship off a dying planet or trying to get into the history books as a member of a historic exploratory space mission.

For the time being at least, we dont need to plan a species-saving Hail Mary into deep space, but we are sending astronauts back into the cosmos, first to the Moon, and then beyond. Following the success of Artemis I, NASA and international partners are preparing for the next phase of the program, which will carry humans around the Moon for the first time since Apollo.

RELATED: Splashdown: Orion returns safely from the Moon! Whats next for NASAs ambitious Artemis program?

This morning, NASA introduced the world to the crew of Artemis II, the first crewed Artemis mission planned for launch in 2024. The broadcast began with Joe Acaba, the current chief of the Astronaut Office at Johnson Space Center (JSC) and Norman Knight, NASAs Director of Flight Operations, taking to the stage. They were joined by the entire astronaut corps, from which the crew of Artemis II was chosen.

In that moment, the world was looking at the Artemis II crew, hidden like a Wheres Waldo among the gathered scientists, test pilots, and explorers. JSCs center director Vanessa Wyche then came to the stage. She discussed the mission, which will travel 600,000 miles roundtrip. Along the way, the crew will kick the tires and test various systems in further preparation for the Artemis III lunar landing mission. Wyche took a moment to acknowledge Apollo alums and Canadas Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, Francois-Philippe Champagne, also in the audience.

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The Ark Season 1 Episode 1

Minister Champagne was in attendance because, in addition to Artemis II having the first woman and first person of color of any lunar mission, it also has the first Canadian astronaut. Weve learned that in order to go farther, we have to go together, said Minister Champagne, in both English and French, during the broadcast. He also recounted a similar remark by United States President Joe Biden, during their last conversation, Canada and the U.S. can do big things, because we do them together.

It's in that spirit that the Canadian Space Agency is contributing to the Gateway lunar station with the Canada Arm III, as well as a vehicle to support lunar operations. Minister Champagne continued, Canadians could not be more proud to have a Canadian astronaut who will travel to deep space as part of the Artemis II mission.

After Champagnes remarks, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson joined the stage alongside Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy and Associate Administrator Bob Cabana to reveal the four astronauts who will be taking the next flight around the Moon.

Its a message to the world. We choose to go back to the Moon, and then on to Mars, and were going to do it together. Because in the 21st century, NASA explores the cosmos with international partners. We will unlock new knowledge and understanding. Weve always dreamed of what more is ahead. Why? Because its in our DNA. Its who we are this is humanitys crew. May I introduce them to you all? Nelson said.

The Artemis II crew

The Artemis II crew in an Orion simulator at NASAs Johnson Space Center in Houston Photo: NASA/James Blair

CHRISTINA HAMMOCK KOCH  MISSION SPECIALIST

Koch (far right) is from Grand Rapids, Michigan where she grew up working on her family farm. She later earned degrees in Electrical Engineering and Physics, from North Carolina State University. Koch was selected to join the astronaut corps in 2013. Since then, she has spent more time in space than most.

Koch got started as an electrical engineer at the Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) where she contributed to several scientific instruments sent into space. As an astronaut, she was the flight engineer on the International Space Station for expeditions 59 through 61, where she set the record for longest single spaceflight by a woman with a total of 328 days in space. She was also a member of the first all-female spacewalk.

Koch will be one of the mission specialists of Artemis II, becoming the first woman to fly around the Moon, adding yet another first to an already impressive career.

JEREMY HANSEN  MISSION SPECIALIST

Hansen (far left) hails from London, Ontario where he grew up on a farm (get your parents to buy farms if you want to be an astronaut, kids). He joined the Royal Canadian Air Cadet Squadron at the age of 12. Four years later hed earned a glider pilots wings and a private pilots license, at only 17.

He later earned degrees in Space Science and Physics from the Royal Military College of Canada. Hansen completed fighter pilot training and served in that capacity between 2004 and 2009, at which time he was selected for astronaut training.

He later participated in the ESAs CAVES program, during which he lived underground for six days to simulate the isolation and close quarters of space. He was also a crewmember of NEEMO 19, during which he lived underwater in the Aquarius habitat for a week. Hansen led an astronaut class, training astronauts from both NASA and CSA and will now be one of the mission specialists for Artemis II. He will be the first Canadian astronaut to fly a lunar mission, reinforcing the sentiments from Minister Champagne and Director Nelson that we are stronger together than alone.

VICTOR GLOVER  PILOT

Glover (second from the left) was born in Pomona, California (not on a farm, for the record). He earned degrees in General Engineering, Flight Test Engineering, Systems Engineering, and Military Operational Art and Science from California Polytechnic, Air University, and the Naval Postgraduate School.

After years as a naval pilot, Glover was selected for a Legislative Fellowship and reported to the office of a U.S. Senator in Washington D.C., it was during that assignment that Glover was selected as an astronaut in 2013. After completing astronaut training, Glover flew the SpaceX Crew Dragon to the International Space Station. He was also the Flight Engineer for ISS Expedition 64. All in all, he has collected 168 days of spaceflight, including four spacewalks.

Glover was selected to be the pilot for Artemis II. He will be the first Black astronaut to fly around the Moon and pilot a lunar mission.

REID WISEMAN  COMMANDER

Wiseman (second from the right) is from Baltimore, Maryland. He earned degrees in Computer and Systems Engineering, as well as Certificate of Space Systems from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Johnson Hopkins University, and the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School.

Following graduation from Rensselaer Polytechnic, Wiseman reported to the Fighter Squadron 101 as a Naval Aviator and was later selected to attend test pilot school. After graduating, he was assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron 103, where he flew an FA-18F Super Hornet, it was during that time that he was selected for astronaut training in 2009.

Reid was the Flight Engineer on the ISS for Expedition 41, a 165-day mission, and commanded the NEEMO 21 underwater training mission. He has also served as the Chief of the Astronaut Office, the position Acaba currently holds. Reid has been selected as the commander of Artemis II.

Artemis II is currently scheduled for launch in November 2024, with Artemis III following in late 2025. You can learn more about your Artemis II crew during a series of live interviews Tuesday, April 4, starting at 7:00 a.m. ET.

New episodes of The Ark air every Wednesday at 10 p.m. ET. on SYFY, then stream the next day on Peacock!
Canadian Space Agency astronaut and Artemis 2 crewmember Jeremy Hansen speaks at the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa in July 2019 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing.

HOUSTON  Canada will be on NASA'S Artemis 2 moon mission in a very big way.

Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen will fly aboard Artemis 2, alongside American astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, NASA announced in a star-studded ceremony here today (April 3).

"We're so proud that a Canadian will send our country that far into space," Lisa Campbell, president of the Canadian Space Agency, told Space.com. "And we're so grateful to our colleagues and predecessors for their visionary work."

Read more to find out about Hansen, who will become the first Canadian to leave Earth orbit to fly around the moon, on a mission slated to leave our planet no earlier than November 2024.

Related: NASA's Artemis program: Everything you need to know

Hansen, 47, was selected as an astronaut candidate in 2009 and became eligible for flight about two years later. All told, he's been waiting 14 years for a flight, and it will be 15 by the time Artemis 2 is expected to launch in November 2024.

Hansen's wait comes down in large part to numbers; the Canadian Space Agency's (CSA) robotics contribution to the International Space Station (ISS), although crucial, works out to 2.3% of flight and science time for astronaut missions.

Typical flight schedules in the post-space shuttle era take a CSA astronaut to orbit every six years; Chris Hadfield flew in 2012-2013, early in Hansen's astronaut career. In 2018-2019, colleague David Saint-Jacques (selected alongside Hansen in 2009) received his first flight following a near decade-long wait. Artemis 2's seat, however, came from the CSA agreeing to supply the new robotic arm Canadarm3 for NASA's planned Gateway space station around the moon.

canadarm3 attached to a space station with moon in background and earth far in background

Artist's impression of Canadarm3 working on the Gateway space station. (Image credit: Canadian Space Agency)

Hansen has not been idle during the past 14 years, of course; there is always plenty of work for CSA astronauts to do on the ground. He supported Hadfield and Saint-Jacques on their spaceflights, for example, worked in Mission Control on many missions and managed a quartet of tricky spacewalk procedures to repair the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer aboard the ISS in 2019, among numerous other tasks.

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Hansen's most prominent ground responsibility was managing the training schedules of the 2017 astronaut class, which made him the first Canadian to be put in such a "den mother" mentorship role. The work lasted into early 2020; not long after, training began for the coming moon mission.

jeremy hansen in a spacesuit underwater. beside him is a model of the international space station. behind are scuba divers and assorted hardware

Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen participates in extravehicular activity training at the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory near NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. (Image credit: NASA)

Hansen, who grew up on a farm in southeast Ontario, was born in 1976, after the Apollo era. But he recently shared on CSA's YouTube channel how those missions inspired him. He reflected particularly on Apollo 8, a mission similar in profile to Artemis 2.

Apollo 8 orbited the moon in late December 1968 on a key test of the Apollo command module in deep space. Artemis 2 will fly around the moon rather than orbit it; still, Hansen and his crewmates will be treated to Earth rising over the moon, as was captured in a famous photo by Apollo 8 astronaut Bill Anders.

"As they came around the backside of the moon and took that famous Earthrise photo of the globe hanging in the blackness of space, we saw our entire planet for the first time  its beauty, its fragility  and we were reminded that we are in all this together," Hansen said in the video.

Related: NASA's 17 Apollo moon missions in pictures

Hansen adored science and technology from a young age, and, at 12, his father told him about the Canadian Air Cadet program that has given experience to many aspiring pilots. That pathway ended up being Hansen's early career. He studied space science at the Royal Military College in Kingston, Ontario, leaving with a master's degree before pursuing pilot training.

After receiving his military wings with the Royal Canadian Air Force, Hansen moved to Cold Lake, Alberta, well north of the urban center of Edmonton but at the heart of pilot training in Canada. (Several NASA astronauts from the military have also been seconded there earlier in their careers.) After years flying CF-18 jets, Hansen heard about a new career opportunity that would change his life, and his friends and family agreed that he should take it.

jeremy hansen in a military suit kneeling on the runway. behind him is a cf-18 plane with the canopy open

Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut Jeremy Hansen poses in front of a CF-18 fighter jet in October 2012, during a training session with the Royal Canadian Air Force in Cold Lake, Alberta. Hansen served there for most of his pilot career prior to joining the CSA. (Image credit: National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces)

"When the Canadian Space Agency announced they were looking for astronauts, I found out from a number of channels," Hansen said in a 2014 interview posted on the CSA website. CBC News, the main Canadian network, announced the recruitment on television, and that was where Hansen first heard of the opportunity. But friends, colleagues and Hansen's parents also passed along the news, urging him to apply.

Hansen and Saint-Jacques were the final two selected from a year-long application process that attracted 5,350 hopefuls. Behind the scenes, Hansen has grown to be a trusted voice in Canadian space policy discussions and is well-known for his mentorship and humility.

In the CSA interview from nearly a decade ago, Hansen said he has been enjoying his work: "If I never actually get to fly in space, just having done this job as an astronaut will have absolutely been worth it."

spacesuited astronaut on end of canadarm2. in the background is earth

Related stories:

 Four for the moon! NASA names Artemis 2 astronaut crew for 1st lunar mission since Apollo

 NASA's Artemis 2 moon mission: Everything you need to know

 Canadian Space Agency: Facts & information

The CSA has gained prominence internationally since 2019, including a flurry of high-profile announcements in the past two weeks alone. When U.S. President Joe Biden visited Canada late in March, for example, the two governments jointly announced that Canada would extend its ISS participation to 2030 alongside NASA and other partners (with the notable exception of Russia, which has said it will exit the partnership sometime after 2024).

Canada's 2023 federal budget, released on March 28, included several paragraphs discussing moon exploration, a new commitment to develop a lunar utility vehicle and a promise to extend an existing CSA-funded incubator moon effort known as the Lunar Exploration Accelerator Program that will carry numerous Canadian payloads to the lunar surface in the coming years.

New CSA spaceflight announcements are also coming, as the budget promised an agency astronaut will be named for a 2024 or 2025 long-duration opportunity aboard the ISS. There are three other active CSA astronauts who are eligible aside from Hansen. Further in the future is a planned CSA mission to Gateway, with timing not yet announced.

Elizabeth Howell is the co-author of "Why Am I Taller?" (ECW Press, 2022; with Canadian astronaut Dave Williams), a book about space medicine. Follow her on Twitter @howellspace. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom or Facebook.
Longtime Boston activist and former state representative Mel King, who died last Tuesday at 94, will be remembered next week with a wake and funeral service in the South End.

Mel King, civil rights icon and first Black person to run for mayor in Boston, dies at 94

Though he lost the 1983 mayors race to his former House colleague, Ray Flynn, Kings groundbreaking campaign marked the first time a Black candidate advanced to the final mayoral ballot in Boston. He remained active as a community organizer.

A public viewing and visitation is set for Monday, April 10 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., with an opportunity for witnesses from the community from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

The funeral will be held Tuesday, April 11 at 12 noon. The family has invited guests to don bow ties as a tribute to Mr. King.

Both events will take place at the Union United Methodist Church, 485 Columbus Ave., with plans to also broadcast Tuesdays funeral on Zoom.

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Fifty-five years after Martin Luther King Jr.s assassination, community members in Memphis say that local leadership has failed to commit to the things Dr. King fought and died for there.

When Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Memphis 55 years ago, he was there to fight for the economic empowerment of Black people. Today, the Black population in the city is still poor. The metrics show that poverty, the wealth gap and all the economic issues Dr. King targeted remained stagnant for decades.

The numbers on their face say that not much has changed since he was assassinated, says the Rev. Earle Fisher, a community leader in Memphis. What weve seen is a decline in population and an increase in impoverished communities.

In 1970, two years after King was killed and the first year the U.S. Census Bureau started collecting poverty data, 42 percent of Black people in Shelby County, where Memphis is located, lived below the poverty line. Since then, the poverty rate for Black people in the county has hovered around 30 percent. Memphis has a population of 628,127 and is 64 percent Black.

A marker sits at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968. The site is now part of the National Civil Rights Museum. (Photo: Brooks Kraft/Getty Images)

One of Kings last organizing efforts was the Poor Peoples Campaign in 1968. The goal was to address the economic disadvantages that many Black communities faced. He called for financial investment in American cities.

The time has come for us to civilize ourselves by the total, direct and immediate abolition of poverty, King wrote in his final book, Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community.

He was in Memphis on that fateful 1968 day to support Black sanitation workers on strike. They were in the midst of a fight for better wages and fair treatment. The march was scheduled for April 8. On April 4, King was shot and killed at the Lorraine Motel, and the Civil Rights Movement took a devastating blow.

Decades later, community members in Memphis say its local leadership has failed to commit to the things Dr. King fought and died for in the city.

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Miles Stewart, a Memphis resident who has lived there for over 60 years, says the city had some periods in which economic improvements were made, but they were never sustained.

I think there was a point where you saw more Black homeowners and small businesses but things took a turn, Stewart contends, referring to issues such as redlining, the crack epidemic and mass incarceration.

The economic gaps in the city are wide. In 2021, the poverty rate for Black people in Memphis was 26.5 percent, according to U.S. Census data. It was 10.3 percent for whites in the city. The median household income for Memphis Black residents is $41,543, which is more than $40,000 less than that of its white residents.

Black children in the city live in severe poverty. A study of U.S. Census data by the University of Memphis shows that the child poverty rate in Memphis is just under 40 percent for Black kids and less than 10 percent for white kids. While more than 80 percent of Black students finish high school, less than 20 percent get a bachelors degree. White students graduate from high school at a 90 percent rate and graduate from college at a 43 percent rate.

Some community leaders say Memphis has done a good job of appearing to be more diverse while not actually having a diverse philosophy.

Visually and aesthetically, it looks more inclusive. It looks like Black people have more stake in things, Fisher says. The reality is that those in the system found a way to provide tokenism and symbolism without actually doing anything.

A prime example of this is that the Memphis Police Department has a Black chief, but, according to residents, officers in the department continue to have a reputation for discriminating against Black people. They claim the death of Tyre Nichols this year at the hands of five Black officers represents everything thats wrong with the citys police department.

The Memphis Mayors Office and the City Council did not respond to a request for comment.

Meanwhile, something that might be more helpful to Black residents is the city properly investing in their schools. In 2012, Memphis gave up control of its schools to Shelby County. As a result, the city does not allocate any money toward the public school system. The funds for Memphis schools come from the county, even though the city has the option to still put money toward its campuses.

Memphis is not in the business of public education, Fisher says. You wonder if that would be the case if the city was predominantly white.

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The post Memphis: A tale of two cities appeared first on TheGrio.
Counselor Angelena Plummer sits in a room used for therapy at her private practice, A Positive Life, on March 3, 2023, in Rapid City.

Angelena Plummer, owner of a counseling practice in Rapid City, knows what its like to wait for mental health care.

A few years ago, she called a therapist after a distressing life event. When she found out the wait was three months for the next available appointment, Plummer recalled, it was a literal jaw drop.

My memory of that was a lot of curse words, bewilderment and yes Ill still take the appointment, she said.

The first session brought up additional issues. So, when the therapist wasnt available again for over a month, Plummer felt alone and worse off than I was when I entered the session.

Lengthy waitlists are still a concern in Rapid City, reflecting a statewide problem. Several bills in the recently concluded legislative session  including one providing $2 million for suicide prevention, which passed  addressed the issue.

Considering South Dakota saw record-breaking suicide numbers in 2021 (statistics for 2022 are still provisional), theres concern that the shortage has become critical.

The shortage is the worst weve seen, according to Anthony Raaphorst, president of the West River Counseling Association. Over the last two years, we have seen a major change, where its like, We need more help, he said.

The total number of licensed counselors and marriage and family therapists in the state has actually grown over the last few years. Last year saw the largest increase in at least seven years, according to data from the Board of Examiners for Licensed Counselors and Marriage & Family Therapists.

The shortage may therefore be explained by rising demand. Certain types of counselors and social workers will be in high demand through 2030 with higher-than-average annual job openings, according to projections published last year by the South Dakota Labor Market Information Center.

The coronavirus pandemic has increased the demand for mental health care, professionals in the field say, while decreasing the stigma against seeking services. The stigma is still there, but people are accepting that its OK to get help, Raaphorst said.

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This surge in demand has overwhelmed mental health services, resulting in burnout of providers and incredibly long waitlists in Sioux Falls, as reported in the Mental Health Needs Assessment of Sioux Falls, published in January by the Augustana Research Institute.

Younger South Dakotans are seeking services more often, the report says.

Every county in South Dakota faces a shortage of mental health professionals, either for the entire county or for a group of people living in the county, according to the Health Resources & Services Administration. These shortages are typically defined as areas, which may span multiple counties, with no more than one psychiatrist per 15,000-30,000 people.

Clients desperate for help

The shortage is one reason why Beverly Dafler, owner of Crossroads Counseling Services in Rapid City, hasnt fully retired from her practice.

Im semi-retired, and Im still getting calls from people who are saying theyre desperate for help, Dafler said.

Due to obstacles like cost, transportation or the stigma of seeking care, people dont tend to seek mental health care until they really need it.

Much like the dentist, they dont go until it has reached a critical state, said Duane Kavanaugh, director of counseling services at South Dakota Mines.

If clients dont get the care they need, their health may worsen, Raaphorst said. Or, they may turn to unhealthy coping techniques like substance abuse.

Ultimately, he said, ripple effects may impact the families of those seeking care.

Its a domino effect, Raaphorst said. The shortage means that the person isnt getting the help they need, and that affects those around them.

Certain communities may find it especially difficult to find a provider, according to the Mental Health Needs Assessment of Sioux Falls. This includes non-English speakers, rural clients, and non-white clients looking for a provider of a similar racial identity or cultural background.

Lower income clients have few options for affordable care, the report said, and organizations with sliding scale fees often have the longest waitlists. Months-long wait times for services in Sioux Falls were described, with some of the longest wait times for psychiatrists.

In Rapid City, South Dakota Searchlight found wait times between less than one week and over six months for therapists and psychiatrists. Larger organizations had the longest waitlists.

At the Monument Health Behavioral Health Center, counseling services are booked until July. Psychiatry services are booked until September for adults and July for children.

Across the state, children wait up to 4-6 weeks for mental health care, as described by mental health and juvenile justice system workers during summer meetings of the Legislatures Study Committee on Juvenile Justice. Rep. Taylor Rehfeldt, R-Sioux Falls, used testimony from those meetings to inform a resolution encouraging further research into childhood mental health, but the resolution didnt pass during the legislative session.

Students waited at least two weeks for counseling services at every state university last semester, with some counselors at BHSU working over their lunch breaks out of the goodness of their hearts, said Caleb Weiland, president of the South Dakota Student Federation.

He also referenced the problem at a legislative hearing in January, where the president of the South Dakota State University Students Association, Blake Pulse, revealed that over 100 students were on a waitlist for counseling services at the university. The topic of the testimony was the suicide prevention bill that passed during the legislative session. It provides funds to support suicide prevention and loss programs for youth and young adults.

You might get no one to apply

Some mental health organizations have struggled to hire enough employees to meet the demand.

Years ago, youd get applicants. But now, depending on where you are, you might get no one to apply to work there, Kavanaugh said.

In early February, there were 66 vacancies at a Behavior Management Systems Agency in western South Dakota with 160 employees.

Of those, 44 were in outpatient counseling and case management, as heard in testimony for a bill in the Legislature that didnt pass, but would have appropriated scholarship funds for students entering the behavioral health field.

In December, there were 64 full-time vacancies across 12 behavioral health organizations that primarily serve Rapid City, according to a survey facilitated by the John T. Vucurevich Foundation of a group of providers, the Systems of Care Collaborative, who meet to discuss youth-centric issues.

Over 70% of those positions required a graduate degree while under 30% required only a bachelors degree.

Potential job titles ranged from case manager at the bachelors degree level to psychiatrist at the doctoral degree level.

The highest percentage of vacancies required a masters degree but not a doctoral degree, with potential positions of counselor, social worker or psychiatric nurse practitioner.

Workforce issues extend across the state  Sioux Falls providers reported hiring challenges heightened by high turnover rates, as described in the Mental Health Needs Assessment of Sioux Falls. Low pay, along with the long process of obtaining a license, were driving factors.

Filling the pipeline with students

SDSU offers the only masters degree in counseling on the western side of the state at an off-campus center in Rapid City, where enrollments have increased over the last few years.

Scholarships would have a profound impact on recruiting new students since none are currently offered, said Moneik Stephens, the SDSU program coordinator for Rapid City.

Similar support may attract students to the states only clinical psychology Ph.D. program at the University of South Dakota. Clinical psychologists, unlike counselors, can test clients for psychological conditions like attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder or autism.

Higher stipends, tuition remission and providing health insurance for graduate assistants would be the biggest help in attracting students to our program, said Beth Boyd, director of the clinical psychology program at USD, in an email.

For West River students, limited availability of local graduate programs may influence their career decisions.

Ideally we would have a Ph.D. program locally or a second masters program, said BHSU Psychology Professor Emilia Flint. When someone realizes they need to move away to advance, she said, sometimes its like seeing the wind knocked out of their sails.

People should at least be able to survive

Low wages create retention issues for some professions.

We have a high turnover rate in mental health. A lot of times, it can get to people. Pay is not as high as some people think that it is, Raaphorst said.

Counselor Charlie Hartpence works 60-70 hours per week split between two employers to care for her child as a single mom in Rapid City.

I love the work that I do  its really fulfilling, but I regret taking this path in life, Hartpence said.

Her first full-time job at a social services agency paid $16 an hour in 2020. Now, she divides her time between a counseling practice and an adolescent care center. She has $120,000 of student loan debt from her undergraduate and masters degrees, she said, and I make less money now than I made working as a barista.

In school, they talk about not doing this job for the money, but I think people should at least be able to survive if not flourish, Hartpence said.

School counselors, who need a masters degree to practice, also face low compensation that affects retention. The average salary for school counselors in Rapid City is $42,340.

If the starting salary was higher, they would be more inclined to stay in the state, said Daniel DeCino, associate professor in the Division of Counseling and Psychology in Education at USD, in an email.

Ecosystem support needed

In this strained system, some clients look beyond professionals for help.

When people cant get into a therapy appointment right away, they sometimes visit peer support groups run by the National Alliance on Mental Illness, said Sheri Nelson, executive director for the alliance in South Dakota.

Its not in place of therapy  its in addition to therapy  and its a good connection point for people who are waiting to see a mental health provider, Nelson said.

On college campuses across the state, students find support in peer-to-peer mentorship programs run by Lost & Found, a suicide prevention nonprofit.

The mentors are not trained to be counselors  instead, they offer a listening ear, teach life skills like boundary setting, and connect their mentee to other mental health resources if needed.

For students who are at subclinical levels of depression and anxiety, this is exactly what they need to prevent those conditions from becoming bigger issues, said Carrie Jorgensen, senior prevention program specialist at Lost & Found.

More of this broader ecosystem support could help providers by easing the strain on their services, said Erik Muckey, executive director of the nonprofit.

Its no fault of anybody, but we have to respond, he said. There is no other time that we can wait for this to pass because its not going to pass. Its just going to continue.

Mental health resources

For non-crisis services

To find help:

Obtain a mental health resource guide for your area, offered by the Helpline Center. Or, call the center at 211 for listening and support.

Download the Lets Talk About Mental Health Guide published by the nonprofit Lost & Found to learn how to find help or support others.

To find peer support:

Join a support group (virtual or in-person) led by the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

For college students, become a mentee through the Peer2Peer program offered by Lost & Found.

For crisis services

For a suicide crisis:

Call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Veterans, press 1 after dialing 988 to connect with the Veterans Crisis Lifeline or text 838255.



For any crisis:

Text HOME to 741741 to connect with the Crisis Text Line.

For LGBTQ youth, text START to 678678 to connect with a crisis counselor with The Trevor Project.

For transgender people, call 877-565-8860 to reach the Trans Lifeline.

For a domestic or sexual violence crisis:

For rural stress or a disaster-related crisis:

Call 800-985-5990 to receive crisis counseling through the Disaster Distress Helpline.

For farmers, call 800-691-4336 to reach the Farm and Rural Stress Hotline.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Need mental health care in SD? You may have to get in line
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) -Mexico's president said on Tuesday he had written to his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, urging him to help control shipments of fentanyl as he fended off criticism in the U.S. that Mexico is not doing enough to stop trafficking of the synthetic opioid.

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador read out the letter to Xi dated March 22 in which he defended efforts to curb supply of the deadly drug, while rounding on U.S. critics, some of whom want Washington to intervene militarily in Mexico.

"We come to you, President Xi Jinping, not to ask for your support in the face of these rude threats, but to request that for humanitarian reasons, you help us control shipments of fentanyl that can be sent from China to our country," he said.

Speaking at a news conference, Lopez Obrador said the letter took shape after a recent visit by U.S. lawmakers, in which they proposed he speak to China to address the fentanyl threat.

The Chinese embassy in Mexico did not have any immediate comment on the letter.

Fentanyl has been blamed for fueling a surge in overdose deaths in the U.S., and Republican lawmakers especially have accused Mexico of failing to stop drug cartels producing and moving the powerful painkiller north.

In his letter, Lopez Obrador asked Xi if he could provide Mexico with information on when and where fentanyl was being sent, as well as how much and by whom.

Lopez Obrador says fentanyl laboratories have sprung up in Mexico, and he told Xi that law enforcement had last year destroyed nearly 1,400 clandestine labs mixing the drug with other substances, and seized seven tonnes of it.

A Reuters report found that many of the labs were inactive.

But Lopez Obrador says Mexico does not produce fentanyl and that cartels buy it direct from Asia. He said in the letter that only 30% of the drug consumed in the U.S. enters via Mexico.

U.S. officials contest the view that fentanyl is not produced in Mexico, arguing the opioid is mass-produced in the country using chemicals sourced largely from China.

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Republican Senator Lindsey Graham has been at the forefront of U.S. pressure on Mexico, and on Monday he said he would put forward legislation on fentanyl that would include designating Mexican cartels as foreign terrorist organizations.

Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said countering the fentanyl threat was a top priority, and he pushed back against Graham's criticism, saying the vast majority of people arrested in the U.S. for trafficking fentanyl are Americans.

"There's no other country in the world that's doing as much against fentanyl trafficking to the United States as Mexico," Ebrard told the news conference.

(Reporting by Dave Graham; Editing by Brendan O'Boyle, Sharon Singleton and Marguerita Choy)
Police on Monday arrested a 31-year-old man who they say shot into a moving vehicle with two people inside during a road rage incident the night before on Interstate 95 near Fort Lauderdale.

Lazaro Diaz Gongora, a Miami-Dade County resident, faces two counts of attempted felony murder and a charge of shooting a vehicle, Broward County jail records show. He remained at Browards Main Jail as of Monday evening.

Around 10:15 p.m. Sunday, Diaz Gongoras girlfriend, Brittany Cowart Sickles, was driving a white Kia Optima between Sunrise and Oakland Park boulevards on northbound I-95 when she swerved into the lane of another vehicle, nearly causing a crash, according to his Florida Highway Patrol arrest report.

The victims told investigators they avoided the collision but noted the Optima subsequently pulled in front of them before slowing down. At that point, the victims said, Diaz Gongora leaned outside the passenger window and began shooting.

The suspect shot approximately four times at the victims and after each round he would pause and take aim to shoot and kill the driver, the report says.

After the shooting, troopers said the victims slowed down and called 911. Then they drove home and waited for police.

Responding troopers noted they observed a bullet hole on the hood of the victims vehicle. During the investigation, they also linked the same car to a similar crime in Miami Beach and that the description of the suspect matched the one of the I-95 shooter.

Hours later, investigators say, Broward Sheriffs Office deputies spotted the Optima at 60 SW 17th St., a two-story apartment building in the area of Pompano Beach. After obtaining a search warrant early Monday morning, the same car was seen parking at a 7-Eleven gas station pump in the area of 1500 S. Cypress Road and its occupants went inside the convenience store. When Diaz Gongora and his girlfriend exited the store around 10 a.m., BSO deputies took them into custody.

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READ MORE: Another Miami area I-95 shooting hit a driver once and his Mercedes 15 times, FHP says

According to troopers, Sickles told investigators they had been drinking prior to the incident and that she didnt call the police because she was afraid of what her boyfriend would do to her. Records show she hasnt been charged with a crime.

Meanwhile, Diaz Gongora confessed to shooting at the victims but said he didnt know that his gun had a bullet in the chamber. Troopers didnt buy his story, arresting him for allegedly trying to kill two people.
Two Miami police officers who say they were mistreated over their views on one of the citys most controversial cops have filed whistleblower lawsuits against the city.

Brandon Lanier, who had been a commander in Internal Affairs, but was demoted and suspended after refusing to recommend the firing of former Police Capt. Javier Ortiz, says he hasnt been afforded due process and is asking for more than $1 million for a series of reprimands and demotions. Wanda Jean-Baptiste, who claims to have suffered a similar fate as an investigator in Internal Affairs, is seeking the same relief.

He saw his law enforcement career and reputation destroyed after he came forward with information about corruption and wrongdoing, attorney Michael Pizzi wrote in Laniers complaint.

Last June, Lanier sent letters to Gov. Ron DeSantis, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida Juan Antonio Gonzalez and Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle, saying he had conducted a pair of investigations into the antics of Capt. Javier Ortiz  but cleared him because in both instances the statute of limitations had expired.

Lanier claimed Miami Police Chief Manuel Morales had told him heads will roll in IA if the department recommended anything less than termination for Ortiz. Lanier was a commander in Overtown district when he called the chiefs orders illegal, unethical and corrupt. Hes since been demoted to lieutenant.

Baptiste, who was an investigator and detective in Internal Affairs, is now a patrol officer in Overtown. Ortiz was fired in September by Morales, who said his decision was based on his [Ortizs] pattern of behavior and his failure to maintain a good moral character.
Attorney Lanny Davis tells theGrio that politics wont work in the court of law, adding, Only facts matter.

As former President Donald Trump and his Republican allies continue to dismiss his criminal indictment in Manhattan, New York, Lanny Davis, attorney for Trumps former personal lawyer and fixer, says, Just wait.

Trump will be arraigned Tuesday afternoon in what Trumps own legal team described as a circus-like event as scores of media outlets are set up outside the Manhattan criminal courthouse.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK  APRIL 04: A protester holds a sign while gathering outside the courthouse where former U.S. President Donald Trump will arrive later in the day for his arraignment on April 4, 2023 in New York City. With his indictment, Trump will become the first former U.S. president in history to be charged with a criminal offense. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Once the indictment is unsealed, Davis tells theGrio everyone will soon see the substantial evidence of his crimes.

Republicans have been hard at work in trying to change the narrative of the former presidents historic indictment as he is prepared to be read his Miranda rights and be fingerprinted for crimes associated with a hush-money scheme to silence an adult film star he was alleged to have had an affair with.

For those attacking the merits of the case before the charges against Trump have been made public, Davis said, They are digging themselves a hole because they dont know the substantial evidence documented.

Politics wont work in the court of law, he said, adding, Only facts matter.

Davis also made the argument that if the charges and conviction of his client were serious enough to land Cohen in prison for more than a year, they should be serious enough for Trump.

They call this crime of paying hush money to prevent information from being made available to the American people right before an election as a serious crime, as a threat to our democracy, and a serious felony, he explained.

WASHINGTON, DC  FEBRUARY 26: Attorney Lanny Davis (L) speaks after his client Michael Cohen, former attorney and fixer for President Donald Trump, testified to the Senate Intelligence Committee on Capitol Hill February 26, 2019 in Washington, DC.(Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

Davis added, Donald Trump had some political motivation in directing Michael Cohen  thats the word the prosecutors used  to pay the hush money for which he pled guilty as a serious crime.

The criminal case involves funds considered to be campaign dollars used to pay back Cohen, who confessed to paying Stormy Daniels $130,000 of his own money to keep her silent about the alleged affair with Trump.

Story continues

Since Trump flew from his Mar-a-Largo home in Florida to his former New York City home at Trump Towers on Monday, New York City Mayor Eric Adams vowed to take action against any violence committed by Trump loyalists or anyone else planning to interfere with procedures as the world watches this unprecedented event.

Mayor Adams said plainly that there wont be a Jan. 6 occurrence in his city, telling the press that rabble-rousers need to control their misplaced anger.

NEW YORK, U.S.  APRIL 03: New York City Mayor Eric Adams (C) and New York City Police Department (NYPD) Commissioner Keechant Sewell (L) make a public safety-related announcement ahead of former US President Donald Trumps arrival for a court hearing in New York, United States on April 03, 2023. (Photo by Selcuk Acar/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

According to a source, the United States Secret Service, by law, is protecting the former president. Currently, service protections extend to about 39 agents under their security portfolio. Meanwhile, sources at the agency said they are protecting Trump like they would any other person in their protective care. Secret Service is working with other law enforcement agencies to ensure his safety.

Public opinion on Trumps historic indictment runs across the spectrum. Karl Rove, a Republican and former senior advisor to then-President George W. Bush, said an indictment could make Trump a political martyr. Meanwhile, Democrats like the former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder have said publicly that no one is above the law.

On Tuesday, more people are expected to protest in support of Trump, including U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-GA. The Republican congresswoman, and Trump ally, is expected to be the ringleader of a group of supporters headed in New York City in support of the 45th president of the United States.

Mayor Adams sent a specific message to Rep. Greene during a Monday press conference: Be on your best behavior.

Prominent Republicans have made this more about the actions of Alvin Bragg, the Manhattan district attorney who has led the prosecution against Trump. Bragg, a Black man, has reportedly brought up to 30 charges against the former president.

MANHATTAN, NY  MARCH 22: Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg leaves at the Manhattan District Attorneys office in New York on March 22, 2023. (Photo by Jeenah Moon for The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Trump supporters have argued that Braggs prosecution of Trump is personal rather than about the rule of law. Even Trumps potential opponent in the 2024 Republican presidential primary, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, has slammed Bragg and the merits of the case.

Davis did not mince words when responding to criticisms from DeSantis, who described the case against Trump as a misdemeanor that should not rise to felony status.

What do you actually know about the facts? What do you actually know about whats in the indictment? asked Davis.

GARDEN CITY, NEW YORK  APRIL 1: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis gives a political speech at the Cradle of Aviation Museum, April 1, 2023 in Garden City, New York. (Photo by Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images)

Davis said of Governor DeSantis and other Trump defenders like former Vice President Mike Pence: Every one of them is digging themselves a hole because they dont know the substantial evidence  documented [and] corroborated.

As Trump faces his fate in Manhattan, other legal troubles loom over his head. Based on newly released evidence in a separate federal investigation into Trumps possession of classified documents, the former president could face charges related to obstruction of justice.

Trumps Mar-a-Largo home was infamously searched by FBI agents last year in an attempt to retrieve documents he apparently took from his time inside the White House. Reports indicate that Secret Service agents who are a part of his detail have been asked to testify to federal investigators.

TheGrio is FREE on your TV via Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Roku and Android TV. Also, please download theGrio mobile apps today!

The post Michael Cohens attorney to Trump defenders ahead of arraignment: Just wait appeared first on TheGrio.
Michael Roberts (right) with Roberto Cavalli in 2009 (Getty Images for IMG)

Legendary fashion editor Michael Roberts has died aged 75.

The former fashion director at Vanity Fair and editor at the New Yorker died on Monday (3 April) at his home in Sicily.

His death was confirmed by a close friend, who told Vogue: It is with one very heavy heart that we have to announce the death of our beloved friend Michael. He died peacefully, early on Monday morning, at his home on the island of Sicily.

A writer, stylist and photographer, Roberts career in magazines took him across the world. As well as working for the New Yorker, he was a fashion director for The Sunday Times and design director for British Vogue in the UK.

He worked for Vanity Fair in Paris as well as the US, and as an editor of Boulevard magazine.

Throughout his 50 years in the industry, Roberts helped shape and document the fashion world as it is known his today. His archive of work provides a framework for the ever-evolving sphere.

Born in Buckinghamshire in 1947 to an English mother and father from St Lucia, Roberts paved the way for diversity in fashion as one of the few Black editors in the Seventies and Eighties.

Edward Enninful, editor-in-chief of British Vogue, described Roberts as a guiding light.

With Suzy Menkes in 2005 (Getty Images)

Roberts worked closely with former Vogue creative director Grace Coddington, with the pair meeting in the Seventies and moving in circles with Ossie Clarke, Tina Chow, Monolo Blahnik and Mick Jagger.

Roberts was also an associate of Tina Brown, editor of Vanity Fair from 1984-1992. Roberts and Brown oversaw a number of controversial covers, including one showing Daryl Hannah blindfolded and brandishing two Oscars.

Another of Roberts most memorable photoshoots saw the late British designer Vivienne Westwood transformed into Margaret Thatcher for a Tatler cover shoot.

In 2022, Roberts was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) as part of the Queens New Years Honours. It was a formal recognition of his services to fashion.
Nobody  not Jared, not Ivanka and certainly not Melania  punched the Trump administration time clock more dutifully than former Vice President Mike Pence. Serving in a mostly ceremonial role, he would stand stiffly at Trumps side as if paralyzed by a hefty dose of succinylcholine and listen unblinkingly as the president spoke.

He never broke character during the entire Trump presidency, presumably mopping the White House floors when asked, casting tie-breaking votes in the Senate when needed, bundling up and taking out the trash, promoting the Trump agenda overseas and chasing dust bunnies as ordered. Even after Joe Biden won the presidency and Trump lied about the election being stolen, Pence remained mute and subservient, correcting Trump neither in public nor private.

Not until January 2021, when Trump told Pence to overturn the election results, did the doughboy show some spine by saying no. But Trump didnt take no for an answer, continuing to pressure Pence publicly to send the election back to the states  a power even some Trump advisers said Pence did not have. On Jan. 6, 2021, as we know, Capitol Hill rioters picked up on Trumps ire for Pence, erecting a crude gallows outside the Capitol and chanting Hang Mike Pence! and Bring out Pence! as they prowled through the building. The thugs got within 100 feet of the vice president. In a now-deleted 2:24 p.m. tweet, posted just as security found a secure location for Pence, Trump further stirred up the crowd by accusing Pence of not having the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution.

Now, Trumps valet wants to be president. Pence hasnt announced his candidacy yet  that would be too assertive, too direct, too scrutable. Instead, hes tracking the presidential campaign scent with visits to Iowa and New Hampshire, and his staff is complaining about the good press Nikki Haleys campaign is getting. If he really covets more press, lets give it to him.

And if he really wants to be president, lets learn a little more about when he was one heartbeat from that office, and the ways he assisted and accommodated Trump.

Yet Pence wont even cooperate smoothly with the special counsel seeking to investigate the effort to overturn the 2020 election; hes forcing a judge to compel his testimony.

For the past 15 months, Pence has acted as if bound by some non-disparagement agreement from speaking his mind about the Trump presidency. In the interim, Trump has continued to blast Pence. In January 2022, he excoriated Pence for not overturning the election. In June 2022, he ripped Pence for not having the courage to act. In November 2022, when ABC News reporter Jon Karl asked Trump about the Hang Mike Pence chant, Trump defended the vitriol, saying, Its common sense, Jon. Its common sense that youre supposed to protect. As recently as three weeks ago, Trump was still targeting Pence, telling reporters, In many ways you can blame him for Jan. 6.

Pence has every right to get a little hot at being painted as a traitor who might be worthy of execution and is even at fault for the events that could have killed him.

So how has he answered Trump? With the grandest turn-the-other cheek mewling you have ever heard. In June 2021, Pence called Jan. 6 a dark day, but didnt elaborate beyond saying the riot was quelled. Speaking on Fox News in October 2021, Pence called continuing media coverage of Jan. 6 a way to distract from the Biden administrations failed agenda. In May 2022, Pence acknowledged that Trump was wrong for saying he could block ratification of the election but was mute on Trump endangering him. By November 2022, he was ready to call Trump reckless and to say he was angry after the riot, but is silent about who he was angry with.

In mid-March of this year, Pence seemed ready to give Trump a dressing down, saying, History will hold Donald Trump accountable at the Gridiron Dinner. But a couple of weeks later, he was as docile as a sloth when CNNs Wolf Blitzer gave Pence a free shot at Trump. Blitzer asked whether he was comfortable with a recording of Jan. 6 prisoners singing the National Anthem at a Trump rally. Pence agreed that the perps belonged in jail but shared no harsh words about Trump, even saying the Trump prosecution in Manhattan over a hush money payment to Stormy Daniels was an outrage.

For Pence, the fact that the president supported a violent crowd against his own vice president is a personal thing, not an issue that rises to the political. In a November 2022 interview with ABC News David Muir, Pence says Trump never apologized, but five days after the riots did express a sentiment that Pence interpreted as an apology. What a pushover.

In writing his memoir, So Help Me God, published almost two years after the riots, Pence could have dipped into his four-plus year-long dossier on Trump and given readers an honest look at the administration. But he balked. Instead, he still called Trump his friend. With friends like that  Pence wants you to believe that Trump is a good man, that his cause was just. Pence does, however, criticize Trumps response to the neo-Nazi rally in Charlottesville, he does acknowledge a degree of Russian meddling in the 2016 election, and he calls Trumps conversation with Volodymyr Zelenskyy as something less than the perfect call Trump made it out to be.

But he never lifts the screen of loyalty he extended in 2016 to protect and defend Trump against all comers. Pence surely has thoughts on Trump beyond the books carefully crafted, made-for-promotional-material talking points, but he wont give them to us, Tim Alberta writes in his insightful Atlantic review of the memoir.

Even now, months after the books release, Pence avoids discussing his agreements and disagreements with Trump, tossing this line to Bret Baier recently: I have debated Donald Trump before, he said. Just not with the cameras on.

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who knows from experience how associating with Trump can blur ones ethical vision, sees through the Pence pose. Speaking on ABC News This Week on Sunday, he unloaded on Pences speak-no-evil cowardice. I was very disappointed ... when [Pence] was asked about Trump saying that its OK to suspend the Constitution if you feel like an elections being stolen, and whether that's disqualifying. And Mike said, thats up to the American people, Christie said. If youre offering yourself for high public office, you have an obligation to tell people if someone is knowingly advocating for violating their oath.

For Pence, the political is the personal, something to be tucked away like a breakable family heirloom in a bottom drawer. Dark days seem just to happen and arent caused by anybody. Perhaps thats because to trace any of the madness of that day back to its roots would require him to confess that he stood totem pole still while Trump raved on  or worse, that he was Trumps willing co-conspirator until Jan. 6 when he actually did the right thing.

This being politics, Pence wouldnt need to dump Trump into some fiery hole to prove that hes his own man. Neither does he have to walk a tightrope, ever-worrying that he might say something that would offend Trump or his acolytes. Theres no escaping the fact that any 2024 Republican presidential candidacy other than Trumps is an anti-Trump move, so if he's going to run he has to accept that hes turned against Trump. If its Pences view that Trump is not that bad, then why not just endorse him instead of running against him?

Pences passivity, which ignited the day he signed on as Trumps running mate and ran full bore until the end of Trump administration, got another boost when the pair left office. As he gathers kindling for his own presidential run, Pence remains tethered to the Trump leash politically, unable to speak his own mind, moving toward 2024 with all the groveling and purpose you might expect from a sloth.

******

Unfair to sloths, I know. Send your animal crackers to Shafer.Politico@gmail.com. No new email alert subscriptions are being honored at this time. My Twitter feed doesnt believe in political hangings. My Mastodon account is a haunted house. My Post account couldnt get arrested if it walked naked through the Rotunda. My RSS feed will never write a memoir. Or a novel. Or a cookbook. Or a childrens book.


A man in Minnesota died of rabies after waking up in the middle of the night to a bat biting his hand.

The unnamed man, who was 84 years old, died in 2021 from rabies, six months after he was bitten by the bat, according to a new study published by the Clinical Infectious Diseases. The medical journal went on to look at the mans health history, noting that he was first bitten by the bat on 27 July 2020.

There was no visible wound on his hand, so he went on to wash it with soap and water that night. However, the bat was tested on 30 July 2020 by researchers, who discovered that the animal was positive for rabies.

Rabies is a deadly virus spread to people from the saliva of infected animals, which is usually transmitted through a bite, according to the Mayo Clinic.

According to the study published in the journal, the man was not previously vaccinated for rabies before getting the bite. However, following the bats positive test for rabies, the patient received post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) rabies treatment, which consists of antibody injections. His wife also received PEP treatments for possible exposure to rabies, since she was sleeping next to him when he got bitten.

In addition to the initial PEP treatment, the man also received three additional doses of rabies vaccine, the study reports.

On 7 January 2021, five months after being exposed to rabies and the PEP administration, the man developed right-sided facial paroxysms of severe pain with excessive right eye lacrimation.

His symptoms continued to worsen and he was hospitalised on 14 January. Some of his symptoms included worsening facial pain, generalised weakness, and night sweats. He developed a fever on 16 January, which continued until his death, and was intubated due to inability to protect his airway.

The patient died on 22 January 2021, 15 days after his symptoms started. That same day, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed that he had a rabies infection. The death marked the first reported failure of rabies PEP using modern cell-culture vaccine in the Western Hemisphere in a patient who received PEP promptly after a confirmed exposure, the study said.

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The researchers suggested that the reason why the PEP administration failed after the man received the bite could be due to age and underlying conditions, with the study noting that he had coronary artery disease, Type II diabetes, and chronic kidney disease. They further suggested that the patients immune dysfunction was most likely the explanation for why he died.

According to the CDC, approximately 5,000 animal rabies cases in the US are reported annually to the medical agency, with more than 90 per cent of those cases occurring in wildlife.

Along with bats, the principal rabies reservoir hosts in the country include raccoons, skunks, and foxes. The agency also noted that the number of deaths due to rabies have declined throughout the last century, from more than 100 annually in the early 1900s to just one or two per year since 1960. The CDC said that this decline could be attributed to different medical resources, such as the availability of post-exposure prophylaxis for rabies.

However, in 2021, five Americans died of rabies, which was the largest number of deaths due to the virus in a decade. In January 2022, the CDC said that some of the people who died didnt realise that theyd been infected.

Officials also noted that some of these individuals were not vaccinated, such as an 80-year-old Illinois man, who refused to take the rabies shots because of a longstanding fear of vaccines. An Idaho man and a Texas boy did not get shots because of a belief that no bat bite or scratch broke their skin.

Along with the man who died in Minnesota in 2021, another person was bitten by a rabid dog while travelling in the Philippines and died in New York after returning to the U.S.
Fiddie's Italian Kitchen

Italy's government is hell-bent on passing a law that would penalize the use of non-Italian words.

The proposed law would fine people who they believe are bastardizing the language.

Saying "grazie" without properly accentuating the word would land you a hefty fine and no gratitude.

Italy's ruling party has had it with the bastardization of their language and is seeking to pass a new law asking people to say ciao to English words and to show Italian food some real amore.

According to CNN, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's right-wing Brothers of Italy party is seeking to impose fines of up to 100,000 euros, or about $109,000, for people who use phrases or words in languages other than Italian in official communications.

The proposed law seeks to stop "Anglomania," which the bill's text says "demeans and mortifies" Italian language and culture, and could even penalize Italians who mispronounce words like "bruschetta."

One example CNN gave was that pronouncing bruschetta as "bru-shetta" and not "bru-sketta" might cost Italians if the proposal becomes law. Saying "grazie," thank you in Italian, without the right accentuation at the end of the word may as well be an insult  and could also be a fineable offense for Italian bureaucrats.

"It is not just a matter of fashion, as fashions pass, but Anglomania has repercussions for society as a whole," the lawmaker Fabio Rampelli wrote in the draft bill, per CNN. Meloni's party is said to be in support of the bill, which will be opened for parliamentary debate soon.

Italian residents under the law would be required to use their native language as the main language "for the promotion and use of public goods and services in the national territory" and could face fines of 5,000 to 100,000 euros for using other languages.

According to Euronews, if passed, the legislation would require Meloni's government would need to stop using English words that have replaced longer Italian expressions  instead of the adopted "dispenser," for instance, politicians would have to revert to "dispensatore di liquido igienizzante per le mani."

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The law would go even further in terms of the cultural ramifications.

According to CNN, the culture ministry would be expected to form a committee to advise schoolchildren, university students, and businesspeople on how to properly pronounce Italian words  and ultimately, avoid fines.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Jourdan Hartshorn was a young child when Hurricane Katrina landed on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, where he has lived most of his life.

Even though he was young, the hurricane changed his life forever.

MS tornado recovery: Is FEMA knocking at your door? Here's what you need to know

Fast forward to 2020 and Hurricane Zeta, another storm that caused damage on the Coast, and emergency responders had run out of steam and funds to help.

"I started my own nonprofit after Hurricane Zeta and the pandemic," Hartshorn said. "I saw that on the Coast the national organizations didn't come because there were already smaller teams because of COVID and they had 30 storms that year.

"By the time we got hit  I think we were the 29th or the 30th  the organizations' resources were depleted. So I thought, why are we not training our citizens to be the responders and to help the responders."

Jourdan Hartshorn

Hartshorn said having local trained responders on the ground when a storm hits not only benefits the community, but also the volunteers.

"It helps keep their mind off things and it gives us a bigger response team," he said.

Hartshorn was in Rolling Fork soon after an EF4 tornado hit the town on March 24, destroying between 80% and 85% of the buildings.

Hartshorn knew his years of experience working in disaster relief would come in handy. Once he had his feet on the ground, he worked with Sharkey County officials as a public information officer to help journalists get information out to the community and beyond.

His Mississippi Disaster and Conservation Corps has trained roughly 50 civilians in the last few years to know what to do when a disaster strikes. The volunteers go through training for different response jobs and have monthly training exercises to keep their knowledge fresh.

Now 28, Hartshorn recently accepted a job with emergency management in Texas. He plans to continue operating the Mississippi nonprofit organization to train more volunteers who can mobilize after a disaster strikes.

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"I'm already in the process of sitting down and deciding if I'm going to create a Texas disaster corps," he said.

After the March 31 tornadoes caused significant damage, Hartshorn headed to Little Rock to offer his services just a week after the Rolling Fork tornado.

In addition to volunteering during natural disasters, Hartshorn has served in leadership roles on the boards of a few nonprofits including Harrison County Fair Association and Open Doors Homeless Coalition's Youth Action Board. He currently is vice president of Buddy Bags and a board member of Let's Go, Gulf Coast and United Cajun Mississippi coordinator.

Hartshorn was awarded the Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award in 2021 by the Trump Administration for logging over 9,000 community service hours.

Do you have a hero you'd like us to feature? Contact Lici Beveridge at lbeveridge@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @licibev or Facebook at facebook.com/licibeveridge.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Jourdan Hartshorn's MS nonprofit trains community disaster responders
A woman who did not have vision in her right eye for as long as seven years now can see out of it again  and said she feels "superhuman."

Dante Harper, 26, of Jackson, Mississippi, hadn't been able to see anything but "blackness" out of her right eye, but today can see light and colors  and even read signs, according to SWNS.

She said a retinal hemorrhage (bleeding in the retina) caused her sudden vision loss after she suffered a blood clot

EYE DROP BACTERIAL CONTAMINATION COULD HAVE HAPPENED ANYWHERE  HERE'S HOW TO PROTECT AGAINST IT

She was still able to see out of her left eye, but given the vision loss in her right eye, she would have to turn her head to see, she shared with SWNS.

Over the past year or so, Harper noticed she began to be able to see light  and since January 2023, shes been able to see colors, she said.

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

For seven years, Dante Harper was unable to see out of her right eye due to a retinal hemorrhage, as SNWS reported. Today, she's in a much better position  she can make out shapes, see colors and even read road signs.

She and her housemate decided to do a "test" recently: They covered her left eye and took a walk around their neighborhood to pinpoint exactly what Harper could actually see.

She said she was "freaking out" when she realized she could identify the shape of trees, could see colors  and could even read a sign.

A trip to her eye doctor in March 2023 revealed that shes not "crazy," she said  and that her vision is returning.

EYE DROPS AND SAFETY ISSUES: HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW NOW

She said her doctor was unsure why her vision is now returning but said her shunt veins are redirecting light to her retina.

Harper, a call center representative, told SNWS, "Seven years ago I lost my eyesight. I was told it was unlikely my vision would come back. [For] the past year and these last couple of months, I have been able to detect light and then color out my right eye."

She also said, "I remember saying to my housemate, I think Im getting my vision back.'"

She said she wondered to herself, "Am I crazy? Is my brain tricking me? But the eye doctor confirmed Im right."

Dante Harper of Mississippi (not pictured) said she asked the doctor, "When are you going to turn the machine on?" She said the health professional replied, "It's on."

He told her he had not seen the "vision come back" to someone "with my damage before," Harper shared with SWNS.

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EYE SPY A BIG PROBLEM: CALIFORNIA DOCTOR REMOVES 23 CONTACT LENSES FROM ONE WOMAN'S EYE

She summarized her situation this way: "My body is superhuman."

Harper discovered she'd lost her vision after undergoing a routine vision test while applying for the U.S. Navy, she said.

She hadnt realized anything was wrong  and had worn glasses since the age of nine, she said.

Said Harper, "They [began testing] my right eye and it was total blackness. I said, When are you going to turn the machine on? And they replied, Its on.'"

She added, "I realized something was very wrong. I was in shock."

Dante Harper said she'd worn glasses since age nine  but seven years ago, she lost vision in her right eye. "Something was very wrong," she said. "I was in shock."

She was referred to an ophthalmologist in January 2016, who told her that she had a retinal hemorrhage and sent her to a specialist, SWNS reported.

She said, "They realized it was caused by a blood clot. They said, If we hadnt caught it now, you have lost the eyeball."

EARLY ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE COULD BE DIAGNOSED WITH EYE EXAMS, NEW STUDY SUGGESTS

She later discovered she had a genetic disorder  a protein C deficiency that increases the risk of developing blood clots. She said she was given Eylea shots to stop the bleeding in her eye  and that she had to learn to live with vision out of only one eye.

(Eylea is a drug used to treat wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD), according to the American Academy of Opthamology. It is also used to treat diabetic eye disease and other problems of the retina, the academy's website says. It is injected into the eye to help slow vision loss from these and other diseases.)

Harper told SWNS, "I would have to turn my head to see when driving. I wouldnt see if you turn from the right. Id ask people to throw to my left."

She also said, "You depend on your vision. When you lose it, it puts into perspective what I have and cherish what we still have."

"Im thrilled," Dante Harper told SNWS about getting much of her vision back in her right eye. "Restoring vision is like printing brain matter," she said.

Despite coming to terms with the loss, she said it didnt stop her from "dreaming" of her having her vision return so she could "live more normally," she told SWNS.

Then, earlier this year in January, she started to see colors and more light  and confided in her housemate about what was going on.

When her housemate took her on a walk around the neighborhood, Harper said she could "identify color and tree shapes."

She added, "We went to a lake with a boat ramp and the sign said, Beware of gators  and I was able to read it. I was freaking out."

BLIND MICHIGAN JUDGE DRIVES RACE CAR  AND INSPIRES OTHERS TO FOLLOW THEIR DREAM, TOO

When she went to her doctor in March 2023, the doctor confirmed her vision was returning.

She told SWNS, "They took pictures of my retina and it turns out it looks pretty good. The doctor said my shunt veins are redirecting light to my retina. Its a relief  Im not crazy. My body is doing a thing. Its pretty cool. Its unreal."

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Harper said she hoped she would still "gain a little bit more vision back. But Im thrilled. Restoring vision is like printing brain matter."

With new glasses on the way, she said there are still "a bunch of unknowns."

Even so, she said she'll see her doctor again in six months to see if her vision has changed, SWNS reported.
Will Mike Parson be remembered for fighting discrimination during his tenure as Missouris governor? That is a question all of us should ask. But here in the Show-Me State, actions speak.

First order of business: The governor must urge the Rev. Timothy Faber, the Missouri Commission on Human Rights chair he appointed in 2021, to resign.

Then, with urgency, Parson should fill seven vacant seats on the 11-person board tasked with enforcing the Missouri Human Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination based on a persons race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, sex, disability or age.

As of this week, the commission doesnt have enough members for a quorum. How is that fair as it sorts through complaints about businesses accused of discriminatory practices? It isnt.

Parson cannot ignore pleas from state Democrats who want Faber gone.

Faber is a legislative liaison for the Missouri Baptist Convention and an ordained minister. He recently testified in opposition of the Missouri Nondiscrimination Act, or MONA, a measure that would outlaw discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

Yes, you read that correctly: The chair of the commission charged with enforcing the Missouri Human Rights Act is against a bill that would add much needed protection to a small percentage of deserving Missourians.

This bill cannot be separated from religion and particularly religious liberty, Faber testified to members of the Senate General Laws Committee.

Why is that?

Religious liberty is a constitutional right, he said. Sexual orientation and gender identity are not constitutional rights.

Under current state law, discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity is allowed. But it shouldnt be. MONA, officially known as Senate Bill 60, would remedy that.

Every resident of this state has a right to public accommodations. No one should be denied housing or employment opportunities based on gender or orientation.

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I see no reason to resign, Faber told us via email Tuesday afternoon.  For anyone to demand, or even request, another person to resign (basically silence them) because they disagree on some issue is un-American.  I would also remind you and the readers of (The Star) that in the hearing on the MONA bill I introduced myself as the Legislative Liaison for the Missouri Baptist Convention. I am a registered lobbyist for the MBC with the (Missouri Ethics Commission). I was not deceiving anyone in the hearing on S.B. 60 by not disclosing my position as a commissioner with MCHR. I simply did not mention it because I was not speaking as a commissioner and I know that it would not be proper for me to do so. I did not volunteer the information that I and a grandfather to 4 grandchildren, I did not mention what schools I graduated from, I did not mention that I dont like tomatoes. Why? Because none of that is relevant. I was there in the hearing as the Legislative Liaison for the Missouri Baptist Convention, that is what is relevant.

The decision to replace Faber and appoint members to the human rights commission who oppose discrimination should be an easy call. Will Parson, a devout Christian, ignore pleas for a compassionate commission chair in Fabers stead?

Weve known Parson to be both a kind and gentle statesman when he wants to be, as well as a staunch Republican who favors state control of the Kansas City Police Department. He has signed into law other measures that prove hes willing to buck his partys extremes to do the right thing for all Missourians, as any great governor would do.

We are not here to bash Parson or his political appointments for hard-right turns. We simply want the governor to consider the importance of the human rights commissions stated mission to eliminate discrimination in public places in Missouri.

Fabar is unfit to serve in his role, state Sen. Greg Razer of Kansas City said. The head of the Missouri Human Rights Commission should not advocate against adding sexual orientation or gender identity to Missouris nondiscrimination act, other LGBTQ advocates told us.

In a letter to Parson, 10 Democratic state senators called for Fabers removal. We join them in that call.

As chair, Fabers lobbying against the proposal is a direct contradiction to the mission of the commission, the senators wrote.

Our hope is that during his final term in office, Parson will make sure he falls on the right side of history.

That work must begin with Fabers ouster.

I do not speak for the Human Rights Commission, Faber told reporters this week.

But by virtue of his position, he does.

He cant do the job without bias, Razer said of Faber. He sure cant.

In Missouri, every minority group needs to be protected, Razer said.

Faber has every right to express his personal views. But in the best interests of all Missourians, Gov. Parson must immediately fill vacancies on the state human rights commission with qualified, compassionate members and ask Faber to step aside.

Editors note: This editorial was updated with statement from the Rev. Faber Tuesday afternoon.
Donald Trump and Mitt Romney in November of 2016.

WASHINGTON  Former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, one of Donald Trump's fiercest GOP critics, again criticized him as unfit for office Tuesday  but he also questioned the merit of the case that New York prosecutors filed against the former president.

I believe President Trumps character and conduct make him unfit for office," Romney said after the former president's arraignment. "Even so, I believe the New York prosecutor has stretched to reach felony criminal charges in order to fit a political agenda."

Romney, who voted to convict Trump after an impeachment trial on the insurrection of Jan. 6, 2021, began disputing Trump's qualifications before the latter's first Republican nomination for the presidency back in 2016.

Romney and impeachment:'Appalling abuse': Sen. Mitt Romney votes to convict President Trump on abuse of power charge

Romney and Trump: Mitt Romney says Donald Trump would win Republican nomination if he ran in 2024

Trump has frequently returned the favor, describing Romney as a "RINO" (Republican In Name Only) who has led the Republican Party to defeat.

The former governor of Massachusetts, Romney is the last pre-Trump Republican presidential nominee. He lost the 2012 general election to President Barack Obama. Trump endorsed Romney during that campaign, but later attacked his performance.

Romney won election to the U.S. Senate from Utah in 2018, renewing his rivalry with then-President Trump.

While again attacking his character and conduct, Romney also expressed sympathy for his indictment predicament in New York. He did not mention Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg by name, but criticized his case against Trump.

"The prosecutors overreach sets a dangerous precedent for criminalizing political opponents and damages the publics faith in our justice system," Romney said.

Romney also said that voters "will ultimately render their own judgment" on Trump, and he touched on the president's recent calls for supporters to protest the indictments.

Finally, it is also incumbent on all elected leaders to discourage violence and anger in response to this situation," he said.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Mitt Romney comes to Donald Trump's defense in New York arraignment
Republican Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah at the Capitol in November 2022. Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images

GOP Sen. Mitt Romney criticized the Manhattan DA's indictment of Trump, calling it "overreach."

Romney, a leading anti-Trump voice in the GOP, reiterated that he thinks Trump is "unfit for office."

But his criticism of the Manhattan DA shows that skepticism of the charges is broad within the GOP.

In a rare break from his usual criticism of the former president, Republican Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah came to Donald Trump's defense on Tuesday after he was charged with 34 criminal counts in Manhattan on Tuesday.

In a statement following the unsealing of the indictment, Romney  who voted to impeach Trump twice  reiterated his belief that Trump's "character and conduct make him unfit for office."

"Even so, I believe the New York prosecutor has stretched to reach felony criminal charges in order to fit a political agenda," said Romney. "No one is above the law, not even former presidents, but everyone is entitled to equal treatment under the law."

"The prosecutor's overreach sets a dangerous precedent for criminalizing political opponents and damages the public's faith in our justice system," he added.

The first former president to ever face charges, Trump was formally arraigned in Manhattan on Tuesday. He pleaded not guilty to 34 counts related to hush-money payments made ahead of the 2016 election.

Trump's historic court appearance came after a Manhattan grand jury indicted Trump last Thursday over his alleged role in a hush-money payment to adult-film actress Stormy Daniels. Trump's former lawyer, Michael Cohen, has said he facilitated a $130,000 payment to Daniels with Trump's approval, in exchange for her silence about an affair she says she had with Trump in 2006. Trump has denied having an affair.

Trump has repeatedly blasted the indictment as a political witch hunt and his Republican allies have flocked to support him as he campaigns for president in 2024 and is widely considered the GOP frontrunner.

Romney said that though the charges "will be duly considered and the outcome decided by a jury with an obligation to fulfill its responsibility," voters would "ultimately render their own judgment on the former President's political future."

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The Utah Republican also called for "all elected leaders to discourage violence and anger in response to this situation."

In a statement of facts released Tuesday, prosecutors described the hush-money payment as an illegal campaign contribution and said Trump violated election laws. They also said Trump reimbursed Cohen for the payment through a series of monthly checks that were characterized as legal fees, alleging that Trump falsified business records.

Trump and others "orchestrated" an "unlawful scheme" to suppress negative information about him during his 2016 campaign, the court brief said.

Trump has denied any wrongdoing.

Read the original article on Business Insider
A Missouri House plan to bar diversity initiatives through the state budget has sent state agencies into turmoil.

Department heads are now scrambling to figure out how their programs would be affected under the proposed budgets broad language. They also worry it will prevent them from working with federal agencies and other vendors.

Our attorneys have told me that it likely would have impact on some of the programs that weve been running for many years, said Robert Knodell, acting director of the Missouri Department of Social Services. It is very broad language.

Knodell said his department is creating a list of programs and contracts that could be affected by the budget language. The department assists more than 2 million Missourians through a wide variety of services such as Medicaid, child support payment processing and food assistance programs.

When the Missouri House approved its version of the states roughly $50 billion spending plan last week, it added last-second amendments to every state agencys budget that prohibit state money from paying for staff, vendors, consultants and programs associated with Diversity, Equity, Inclusion or Diversity, Inclusion, Belonging.

When asked whether the language would affect federal Medicaid funding, Knodell said it was something his department wants to explore further.

It is definitely something that our attorneys have told us we need to look into more closely, he said.

The amendments successfully offered by state Rep. Doug Richey, an Excelsior Springs Republican, have sparked anger and confusion among state agencies, Democrats, and even some Republican lawmakers who are sympathetic to efforts to ban diversity initiatives.

Critics say the language Richey added is overly broad and will have far-reaching consequences. They worry it could cause colleges and universities to lose accreditation and they fear the state will lose out on federal funding, including Medicaid.

Others point to numerous companies with diversity initiatives that would be barred from working with the state under Richeys language. Some lawmakers say Richey has blindsided state agencies to make a political statement as he considers a run for state Senate.

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Its almost like its a stunt, said state Sen. Mike Cierpiot, a Lees Summit Republican. Thats what drives me crazytheres a way to do things properly and theres a way to do things for Facebook clicks and it looks to me like theyre following that path rather than the proper way of vetting things.

Cierpiot, who said he supports the idea of banning diversity initiatives, said nobody in the House vetted anything before Richey offered his amendments.

The states spending plan is now in the hands of the Missouri Senate, where Republican leadership has promised to recraft the language to prevent the state from losing out on funding. But the chamber has been marred by infighting among Republicans in recent years and the budget will likely become a flashpoint between moderates and hard-right conservatives.

Even as lawmakers raise concerns about the financial impact of Richeys proposal, it comes amid an ongoing push by Republicans nationally to target initiatives designed to attract and retain minority hires.

Senate President Pro Tem Caleb Rowden, a Columbia Republican, said last week that Richeys amendments would result in billions of dollars in cuts to hospitals, health care facilities, colleges and universities, and the Missouri House of Representatives itself.

However, state Sen. Denny Hoskins, a Warrensburg Republican who is typically more aligned with a group of hard-right senators, told The Star in a text message that he doesnt want the budget language watered down.

I like Rep. Richeys language and I will continue to work with him and my senate colleagues to have the best anti-DEIB language in the budget as possible, he said.

If other hard-right senators align with Hoskins to keep Richeys language intact, it could force Rowden and Republican leadership to draft compromise language to appease both factions.

Richey, in an interview with The Star, said he added the language in response to state and university employees who were concerned about diversity initiatives that promote collective guilt ideologies. He said hes open to clarifying his language to make sure it affects internal department initiatives instead of state contract holders that receive tax credits.

This has nothing to do with me running for Senate, he said. This is just a matter of principle.

Democratic lawmakers who spoke with The Star said they fear Richeys proposal will result in numerous cuts to state agencies across the board, even if the full financial impact is not yet known.

State Rep. Keri Ingle, a Lees Summit Democrat, said the language would cause the states universities to lose accreditation if they have diversity standards. Specific programs and schools within universities, such as law and medical schools, would also lose accreditation if they have similar standards, Ingle said.

The states health care system and social services would also be impacted because they are subsidized by federal funds, Ingle said.

This would affect not only our Medicaid dollars, because there are certain standards that we have in order to obtain those federal matching funds, it would affect our entire health care system, Ingle said.

Ingle said nearly every liaison from Missouri Gov. Mike Parsons office has been approaching lawmakers with questions because they did not know the amendments would be proposed. Richey, who serves on the House Budget Committee, did not add the amendments during budget hearings before the budget came to the floor.

Kelli Jones, Parsons spokesperson, did not respond to an email Monday asking whether the governor felt the language would result in cuts. And Missouri Budget Director Dan Haug declined comment when asked by The Star how the language would affect state agencys budgets.

State Rep. Peter Merideth, a St. Louis Democrat and ranking minority member on the House Budget Committee, said the language as currently written would also bar the state from working with just about any company.

Any teacher, staff or faculty member associated with a diversity program, even in their private life, could not be hired, he said.

Merideth said he thinks the language will be taken out in the state Senate, but some Republicans may force it back in on the Senate floor.

I think weve learned in the past that we cant bank on the Senate to rein in the crazy all the time, he said.
A 26-year-old mother has been reported missing after she missed her work shift and did not pick up her kids later that day, Minnesota police say.

The Winona Police Department said Madeline Kingsbury was last seen the morning of Friday, March 31, at her home in southeastern Minnesota.

Numerous calls and messages from friends and family went unanswered, police said. Kingsbury was supposed to pick up her children from day care that afternoon but didnt show up or make other arrangements. All of this is extremely out of character for her.

She has two children, according to a missing persons poster.

Officers are now seeking the publics help in finding Kingsbury, who remains missing as of Tuesday, April 4.

Kingsbury is described by the Fillmore County Sheriffs Office as 5 feet, 4 inches, 135 pounds with brown hair and hazel eyes.

Her 2014 dark blue Chrysler Town and Country minivan is believed to have been seen during the day Friday.

The Winona Police Department and the Fillmore County Sheriffs Office are asking residents and landowners in eastern Filmore County to check their properties, including video cameras, doorbell cameras, game cameras, etc. for any signs of the van passing through or stopping, police said.

Officers also asked residents to check for signs of a disturbance or other suspicious activity.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 507-457-6288.

We love you and will not stop til we find you, her mother, Deanna Naber, said in a Facebook post. We all love you with all our hearts.

Winona is about 115 miles southeast of Minneapolis.

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A Spartanburg attorney and elected official claims he was unfairly cited for criminal contempt by a circuit court judge for possessing a cell phone at a court proceeding in Cherokee County.

Seventh Judicial Circuit Judge J. Derham Cole ruled March 27 that Monier Abusaft violated court orders against possessing or attempting to use a cell phone without prior permission during a March 7 hearing where Abusaft was representing a defendant.

Abusaft is a Spartanburg County County councilman, representing most of the City of Spartanburg.

Cole ordered Abusaft to pay a $1,000 fine or spend 24 hours in jail. Abusaft said he was considering appealing the order.

Spartanburg County Councilman Monier Abusaft claims he was unfairly cited for violating a judge's courtroom cell phone rule.

Monier Abusaft claims unfair treatment

Abusaft said the judge went out of his way to make an example of him.

"This contempt order had nothing to do with a cell phone," Abusaft said. "It's about a judge who likes to be an authoritarian in the courtroom."

Abusaft is the former president of the Spartanburg NAACP chapter. He was elected to his District 1 seat on County Council in 2020.

Cole is a former state legislator and has served as resident judge of the Seventh Judicial Circuit of South Carolina since 1992. He was awarded the Order of the Palmetto by the late Gov. Carroll A. Campbell.

Judge J. Derham Cole ordered Spartanburg attorney Monier Abusaft in contempt for violating a general court order barring cell phones in the courtroom.

Cole said he couldn't comment on Abusaft's allegations, but said his written order "speaks clearly as to the reasoning in making the findings that I did."

"This court finds that Monier Mufid Abusaft has engaged in a willful, knowing and intentional disobedience of a lawful order, duty, obligation or prohibition imposed upon him, committed in the presence of the court and with knowledge of the court obtained by the court's own senses, and by such conduct has exhibited a flagrant disrespect and disregard for the court, its rules and its authority," Cole wrote in his findings.

Abusaft said he has never used a cell phone during a court session, and that he believes Cole "wants to intimidate and humiliate me because I don't allow him to dominate me or my clients in the courtroom."

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Meanwhile, just three days after Abusaft's apparent violation, on March 10, state Supreme Court Chief Justice Donald Beatty issued a statewide directive to all courtrooms that states "Absolute bans on the possession of an electronic device in courtrooms are not permitted."

However, a judge may prohibit electronic devices if he or she determined the possession of the device "interferes with the orderly administration of justice or causes a threat to safety or security in a proceeding.

"Mere possession of an electronic device, without more, is not sufficient to permit confiscation," Beatty wrote.

Abusaft believes he will be vindicated. He said he plans to fight the contempt order, and is "prepared to take it to the Supreme Court" if necessary.

Southside residents and community partners gather at Mt. Moriah Baptist Church to present their "Rebuilding Southside" plan, which came together after 18 months of work, at the church in Spartanburg, Saturday, March 26, 2022. Spartanburg County Councilman Monier Abusaft speaks during the presentation.

Public defender, solicitor say judge's rule equally applied

Others who have appeared frequently before Cole defended his fairness.

Seventh Circuit Public Defender, Michael Morin, said Cole makes no exceptions about his ban on cell phones.

"The rule in Judge Coles courtroom has always been absolutely no phones," Morin said. "He has enforced that rule very strictly on any person entering his courtroom."

Seventh Circuit Solicitor Barry Barnette said Cole is "tough, but fair."

"In dealings I've been in court, you take a phone in there and he sees it, he's going to take it, across the board," Barnette said. "It doesn't matter who you are, victims, defense. He's always been consistent with that rule."

According to Cole's contempt order, the cell phone violation happened during the afternoon of March 7 when the court attempted to proceed with the presentation of a guilty plea by Abusaft's client.

Abusaft was observed with and attempting to use a cell phone in violation of the court's prohibition of cell phones, according to the order. Abusaft said he needed to contact his client and his office.

Abusaft was then ordered to surrender his cell phone to the clerk of court, to be returned after his client's trial concluded.

At the March 27 hearing on the contempt charge, Abusaft admitted to having the phone in his hand but was not attempting to use it, according to Cole.

Also, Abusaft did not challenge Cole's general court order prohibiting cell phones in the courtroom.

This article originally appeared on Herald-Journal: Abusaft found in contempt by Spartanburg circuit judge for cell phone
A woman died from a gunshot wound Monday afternoon, making hers the latest death in a string of violence that has resulted in more than 25 homicides since the beginning of 2023, police said.

Montgomery officers and fire medics responded to a shooting at about 2 p.m. on Mulberry Street near I-85 South. They found a woman with a fatal gunshot wound, who they determined to be dead at the scene.

In the aftermath of the woman's death, Montgomery Police Chief Darryl Albert and Mayor Steven Reed held a news conference to discuss the city's spike in violence.

Albert said that these homicides are not random acts of violence. They are being committed by acquaintances or in domestic violence situations, he said.

More: Sunday shooting 'One too many': Man dead, girl injured after Sunday shooting

Albert urged people to settle their differences in ways that do not involve firearms.

Theres always a way to reach out to someone else when youre going through turbulent times," Albert said.

Albert referenced programs through the mayor's office and police department that people can utilize to abstain from violence. He said people can even call 911 and ask for an officer to come to their locations to discuss their options.

Police Chief Darryl Albert joins a stop the violence walk March 22 at Sherwood Apartments in the Southlawn neighborhood in Montgomery.

Anytime you have a homicide its one too many," Reed said.

It will be crucial for the community to work with the police department during this troubling time, Albert said. He added that he needs people to come forward to help officers resolve unsolved crimes.

Officers did not immediately release any other information about Monday's shooting, but they asked people with information about this homicide and other crimes to call CrimeStoppers at 334-215-STOP, the Secret Witness line at 334-625-4000 or the Montgomery Police Department at 334-625-2831.

Public safety is our number one priority," Reed said.

Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed participated in a press conference Monday about the rise in homicides.

Albert said he has a plan moving forward to address this uptick in homicides. Part of the effort to address the violence includes the mayor's work with the state legislature to encourage proposals that could lead to laws promoting gun control.

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Reed said the law allowing the permit-less carry of guns has not helped this wave of violence.

Albert said his department remains strategic in deploying patrols and utilizing technology to solve crimes.

Alex Gladden is the Montgomery Advertiser's public safety reporter. She can be reached at agladden@gannett.com or 479-926-9570.

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Montgomery police chief, mayor discuss violence after latest homicide
In a split vote Monday night, Mooresville commissioners approved a rezoning that will allow an Alabama developer to build a massive waterfront development.

Birmingham-based LIV Developments plans include 353 multifamily units, 136 townhomes, 90 duplexes, a Lake Norman waterfront restaurant and a public multi-use shoreline greenway along Transco Road in southern Iredell County.

The greenway in the 96.8-acre community will offer rare public access to Lake Norman through a shoreline greenway, Estes McLemore of LIV Development said in the rezoning application.

Currently, residents of Mooresville have a very small number of public accesses to the water, McLemore wrote. This development will provide a rare opportunity not only for the residents that live there, but for the entire community to enjoy each others company in a beautiful setting.

Most importantly, developers said, the project will provide a major public road extension through the entire site, according to the request.

The 0.57-mile road will extend Langtree Campus Drive to the future Mooresville East-West Connector road, further opening the area to development, the developers said.

Town commissioners approved the rezoning by a 4-3 vote, with Mayor Miles Atkins casting the deciding vote. The mayor only votes in cases of a tie among the town board of commissioners. Commissioners Bobby Compton, Thurman Houston and Tommy DeWeese voted in favor of the rezoning.

Its a solid project, a tremendous community benefit, Atkins said.

Commissioners Lisa Qualls, Eddie Dingler and Gary West voted against the rezoning.

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What critics say about project

Qualls, the boards mayor pro tem, said the project proposes no employment opportunities other than the minimum 3,000-square-foot waterfront restaurant.

Mooresville had long eyed the area as an employment center.

The site should be held for industrial/commercial uses, Qualls said. We worked for years to keep this as a jobs-focused area.

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We have a big F problem, Qualls added, referring to funding and focus.

She said that includes broken funding promises from the North Carolina Department of Transportation when it comes to Mooresville roads.

Funding also is a concern with the Iredell-Statesville Schools, including where the system is going to get the money to build a needed high school in southern Iredell County, Qualls said.

F also stands for focus, she said, meaning a lack of focus on the part of drivers causing wrecks and other issues.

Dingler cited over-development concerns.

What are we going to do with 579 more cars on our roads without any infrastructure? he asked.

Residents of nearby Lake Davidson in Mecklenburg County also have denounced the project in recent months, citing over-development and environmental concerns.

Project timeline

Speaking on behalf of LIV Development Monday night, consultant Cindy Reid said the construction of homes would not begin until October at the earliest, and certificates of occupancy for the first 50 units arent expected until June 2025. The restaurant, greenway and 275 more homes would be completed in July 2026, she told the commissioners.

That times well with the East-West Connector, she said.

The developer, meanwhile, tried to allay traffic concerns in recent months by agreeing to link a proposed road from the development to the planned Mooresville East-West Connector. A federal grant is helping fund the connector.

Monday night, Reid said 80% of traffic generated by the new community would use nearby Interstate 77, and only 20% of drivers would use N.C. 115.

In January, commissioners continued a public hearing on the developers rezoning request to learn more about funding and a timetable for the East-West Connector.

Then, Qualls said, NCDOT is failing us in expanding overburdened state roads in the town. And were stuck holding the bag.

The construction timetable is now more definite, town officials said. Norfolk Southern also OKed the route crossing its tracks, officials said.

Work on the four-lane East-West Connector is expected to begin in June, The Charlotte Observer recently reported. Town officials first proposed the connector decades ago for drivers to escape backups when traveling east-west across Mooresville.

Construction bids are due Tuesday for Phase 1 of the connector, Mooresville Public Services Director Jonathan Young has told the Observer. Phase 1 will stretch from Langtree Road to N.C. 115 and include a realigned Transco Road and a new rail crossing at N.C. 115. Construction will take about two years, officials said.

Phase 1 construction will cost just under $22 million, partly funded by a 2019 U.S. Department of Transportation BUILD Grant, Young said. Including design and right-of-way, the overall project could roughly turn out to cost around $25 million to $27 million, he said.

A future second and final phase of the project will connect Highway 115 with Shearers Road at the intersection of Shearers Road and Rocky River Road, and is anticipated to cost around $50 million, Young said.

The new Transco Road community will consist of two villages, with more dense buildings in the north village, the developers said.

The 96.8-acre site is bounded to the south and east by Lake Norman and by Transcontinental Gas Pipeline Corp. to the west, Danny Wilson, Mooresville planning and community development director, said in a memorandum to the commissioners.

Mooresville also has budgeted the money to build fire station 7, which will serve areas including the new development, town officials said. Lowes Cos. Inc. agreed to donate land for the station, officials said.
When Texas students take annual state assessments this month, theyll do more writing and fill in fewer bubbles. And, for the first time, nearly all of them will do it online.

This year marks the first year students will take the newly reformatted State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness, or STAAR. The new exam contains more writing prompts and fewer multiple choice questions. In a change from previous years, it will also be given entirely online.

School leaders in the Fort Worth area say theyve been preparing students and teachers for the new exam for months.

We want to make sure that the assessment is assessing what they know, and not assessing their ability to navigate online testing, said Marcey Sorensen, chief academic officer of the Fort Worth Independent School District.

Texas lawmakers called for STAAR redesign

In 2019, state lawmakers passed a bill directing state education officials to overhaul the exam by the 2022-23 school year. The biggest change was moving the exam online, with pencil-and-paper versions still being provided for students who have disabilities that prevent them from taking a web-based test and those who need accommodations that cant be delivered online.

Among other changes, students can now expect to see passages in the reading section of the exam that deal with information they should have learned in their science and social studies classes. Another major change is a cap on the number of multiple choice questions. Now, no more than 75% of the questions will be multiple choice. The other 25% will be made up of more than a dozen new types of questions.

The new categories of questions will include constructed response questions, in which students will be asked to write a few sentences in response to a prompt, hot text questions that ask students to cite evidence by highlighting lines in a paragraph and multiple choice questions in which students may select more than one correct answer. In math, students might enter their answers in the form of fractions or equations or draw lines and points on a graph.

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Lily Laux, deputy commissioner of school programs for the Texas Education Agency, said those changes are intended to make the exam look more like the instruction students get in the classroom. Students typically see short answer writing prompts like the ones theyll see on the STAAR in classroom assignments and tests throughout the year, she said.

Besides being better aligned with what students see in the rest of the year, those writing prompts also give students a better opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge than a series of multiple choice questions does, Laux said. And unlike multiple-choice questions, more open-ended writing questions allow for students to receive partial credit when they understand part of a concept but not the entire thing, she said.

Despite the format overhaul, Laux said this years exam will be at a comparable level of difficulty to those students have taken in years past. That means education leaders should still be able to look at this years results in comparison with last years and draw conclusions about the direction districts are headed, she said.

Fort Worth ISD curriculum changes mirror STAAR reformat

Sorensen, the Fort Worth school district official, said the shift to online testing is a big change for the district. The district has shifted some of its assessments online over the past two years in an effort to get kids more comfortable with online testing, she said. Older students generally know how to work on computers without a problem, she said, but district leaders are a bit more worried about students in earlier grades who have had less exposure to online tools.

Sorensen said the shift to fewer multiple choice questions is a good idea. The new exam requires students to explain their thinking, cite evidence and show their work in ways that arent possible on a multiple choice test, she said. The new questions may make for a more complex test-taking experience, she said, but that isnt necessarily a bad thing.

We want to see our kids be able to respond to complexity, she said. We want to see our kids be able to respond to rigor.

The changes in question styles mirror curriculum changes the district has made over the past few years. In reading, the district adopted an instructional framework that focuses on explicit phonics instruction and maximizes the time for teachers to work directly with students on literacy. In math, the district recently adopted a pair of new curricula that place more of an emphasis on conceptual learning over drilling and memorization.

While the district didnt make those changes in response to the STAAR redesign, Sorensen said they brought the district in closer alignment with the new format. Although district leaders hope the benefits of those instructional changes show up as higher test scores, she acknowledged its hard to know whether that will happen the first time students see the new test.

Crowley moved STAAR online in 2021

Nicholas Keith, chief academic officer for the Crowley school district, said the district made the shift to all-online testing in 2021. Because of lingering disruptions created by the pandemic, state education officials suspended accountability measures tied to test results that year and paused A-F ratings for districts and campuses. That temporary change gave the district the opportunity to make the shift at a time when there would be fewer risks if it didnt go smoothly, Keith said.

The shift to all-online testing was a big undertaking, Keith said. The district had to stress test its network to make sure it would be able to support thousands of students taking the test at once. Officials had to make sure they had enough internet-enabled devices on hand and then rearrange testing schedules so that every student who needed a device had one, he said.

Last spring, the district convened a committee of teachers, administrators, curriculum specialists and others to figure out how to prepare teachers and students for the redesigned state test, Keith said. At the committees recommendation, the district made a wide range of changes, including updating its curriculum, buying materials to give students more practice with online exams and updating the districts assessments to look more like the redesigned state test, he said.

We tried to attack it from every angle possible, Keith said.

Although he said the district is in a good position, he doubts any district in the state is fully ready for the redesigned exam. Its hard to know which format changes will trip students up the most, he said. But school leaders across the state will be able to learn from their first time administering the test and use those lessons to prepare in the future, he said.

Assessment experts worry about test consistency

Test designers tend to get anxious about even the smallest changes, even those as minor as moving one question from the beginning of the test to the end, said Scott Marion, executive director of the Center for Assessment, a New Hampshire-based nonprofit that studies state testing and accountability practices. A big part of the reason states have annual assessments is to find out whether student achievement is improving or declining. Its difficult to do that if the test isnt comparable from one year to the next, he said, and even minor changes can make a difference in how the question is presented.

Even when states change their testing formats, there are ways they can ensure that the new tests are more or less comparable with the old ones, Marion said. One way of doing that is to carry over a subset of questions from the old exam to the new one, he said. That way, evaluators can still look at that subset of questions and get an idea of what student achievement looks like over several years, he said.

Although he said the move to an online format is a good thing overall  and he congratulated Texas for joining the 21st century  Marion acknowledged the change isnt without risks. When Texas moved portions of the exam online in 2021, outages disrupted testing in many districts across the state, including Fort Worth. About 200,000 students across the state were kicked out of online testing and unable to log back in.

Marion said assessment companies should do system tests before the testing window arrives to make sure those kinds of disruptions dont happen. But if they do, Marion said research suggests that minor technical issues dont have a huge effect on testing outcomes. If testing is delayed by a few hours, students arent usually overly concerned, and teachers generally do a good job of minimizing the disruption, he said.

Schools will give the first round of STAAR tests April 18-28, with subsequent rounds being given later in the month.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Ben Rothstein / Prime Video

Precious few viewers made it all the way through the most expensive show of all time, a new report says.

Amazon's The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power had a domestic completion rate of only 37 percent, meaning that's how many viewers started the show's first season and watched the entire thing, The Hollywood Reporter has revealed. The number was reportedly slightly higher overseas at 45 percent.

The Rings of Power, a prequel to The Lord of the Rings, was Amazon Prime Video's biggest bet on original programming ever, and the first season alone was rumored to cost about $465 million. A second season of a planned five has been confirmed.

Amazon has released a limited amount of information about The Rings of Power's viewership, though in September, Prime Video said the first episode was watched by over 25 million viewers globally in its first day, marking the streamer's biggest debut ever. Amazon Studios head Vernon Sanders also told Collider last year the show "has been a tremendous success" and is "our most-watched show, first-season scripted series, by far."

Still, the Reporter writes that the show has fallen "short of being the breakout hit that Amazon had envisioned" and that according to insiders, a completion rate of 50 percent would have been considered "solid but not spectacular." The Rings of Power allegedly fell even below that.

But Amazon Studios chief Jennifer Salke defended the series, telling the Reporter, "This desire to paint the show as anything less than a success  it's not reflective of any conversation I'm having internally." Salke added that the second season is now in the works and that the first season "required a lot of setting up."

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Asian economies inject strong impetus into global recovery

10:13, April 04, 2023 By Xu Xiujun ( People's Daily

The Boao Forum for Asia (BFA)'s annual conference, held from March 28 to 31 in Boao, a coastal town in China's island province of Hainan, has attracted global attention.

Photo shows national flags in front of the Boao Forum for Asia International Conference Center in Boao, south China's Hainan province. (People's Daily Online/Meng Zhongde)

As world recovery remains sluggish, Asia, the world's most dynamic and promising region, is seeing greater endogenous growth momentum and will inject a strong impetus into the recovery of the global economy.

The BFA Asian Economic Outlook and Integration Progress Annual Report 2023 points out that as a major engine of the world economy, Asia is expected to accelerate its pace in overall economic recovery in 2023. This report estimates that the weighted real GDP growth rate of Asia in 2023 would be 4.5 percent, an increase from 4.2 percent in 2022, making it a standout performer in view of the global economic slowdown.

China will unquestionably be the largest driver of Asia's economic growth this year. After the country optimized its COVID-19 response measures, it has witnessed a rapid recovery of its economic and social vitality.

Concrete mixers to be exported are assembled in a workshop in Luoyang, central China's Henan province, March 27, 2023. (People's Daily Online/Zhang Yixi)

The Chinese government has launched a series of policies that accelerated the pace of economic pickup and boosted market confidence. Many international organizations have lifted their forecast on the growth of the Chinese economy, which they believe will also spur the growth of Asia as a result.

Given the uprising of unilateralism and protectionism, the global trade dependence on Asia has remained stable overall, with trade dependence between Asian economies standing at a relatively high level.

Trade and economic relations between Asian economies have become closer with the active participation and promotion of China.

According to statistics released by the General Administration of Customs of China, the country's total trade in goods hit a record high of 42.07 trillion yuan ($6.11 trillion) in 2022, topping the world for six consecutive years.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) remained China's largest trading partner, with bilateral trade in goods reaching 6.52 trillion yuan, up 15 percent from a year ago. South Korea, Japan, India and other Asian economies were important trading partners of China as well.

China is accelerating the establishment of a new development paradigm with domestic circulation as the mainstay and domestic and international circulations reinforcing each other. This provides new impetus and opportunities for strengthening China's economic and trade cooperation with other Asian economies.

A foreign social media influencer visits a modern agricultural park in Weinan, northwest China's Shaanxi province, March 27, 2023. (People's Daily Online/Peng Yipeng)

The country's high-quality implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership also creates more dividends of institutional opening up for regional economic integration.

Last year, the 17th Group of 20 Summit and the 29th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Economic Leaders' Meeting were held in Indonesia and Thailand, respectively. This mirrored a more active leading role played by Asia in global economic governance.

In terms of trade and investment governance, Asian countries proactively safeguard multilateralism, advocate trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, support the multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organization at its core, and work for positive progress in the reform of the system.

In monetary and financial governance, Asian countries actively promote the construction of regional and global financial security networks, push for the settlement in local currency and currency swap within the region, and support the reform of international financial institutes.

With regard to improving global development governance, Asian countries have actively responded to the Global Development Initiative, promoted the high-quality development of the Belt and Road Initiative through joint efforts, and implemented the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, to steer global development toward a new stage of balanced, coordinated and inclusive growth.

It is the solidarity and cooperation between Asian countries and their peoples that leads Asia to prosperity. The "Asian Miracle" calls for the endogenous impetus of Asia's development. As the largest Asian economy, China will continue providing new opportunities for the continent's progress with its own development.

(Xu Xiujun is a senior research fellow with the National Institute for Global Strategy and Institute of World Economics and Politics at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences)

(Web editor: Hongyu, Liang Jun)
Space is important to us and that's why we're working to bring you top coverage of the industry and Florida launches. Journalism like this takes time and resources. Please support it with a subscription here.

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Update: Launch of the SpaceX Falcon 9 with the Intelsat 40e satellite and NASA's TEMPO instrument at 12:30 a.m. EDT from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The first-stage booster successfully landed on a drone ship stationed in the Atlantic Ocean a short time later. Read our full post-launch story here.

Weather should be solid Friday for SpaceX's next Falcon 9 rocket launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

Liftoff from Launch Complex 40 is set to happen between 12:29 a.m. and 2:30 a.m. EDT Friday, April 7. Falcon 9 will follow an easterly trajectory to boost Intelsat 40e, a commercial communications satellite, to orbit. Hitching a ride as a hosted payload is NASA's Tropospheric Emissions Monitoring of Pollution instrument, or TEMPO, which should help improve air quality forecasts.

How does the weather look?

Forecasters with the Space Force's Space Launch Delta 45 on Wednesday predicted a 90% chance of acceptable liftoff conditions, noting only a slight possibility of winds and clouds as primary concerns.

A strong system, Space Launch Delta 45 forecasters said Wednesday, "will be making its way across much of the Eastern U.S. This systems cold front will stall across the Deep South and not make it to the Space Coast. This will leave the spaceport in an onshore flow pattern with moderated temperatures and isolated coastal showers."

Weather offshore for the Falcon 9 first-stage booster recovery attempt on a drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean was listed as "low risk."

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What's on board?

The Intelsat 40e satellite for Luxembourg-based satellite operator Intelsat "will provide Intelsat customers across North and Central America with flexible, high-throughput coast-to-coast coverage," Maxar, the company that built the satellite, said in a statement.

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Once operational in geostationary orbit, it will enhance connectivity services for commercial and private planes, vehicles, and mobile devices. That orbit sits 22,236 miles above Earth.

This image of the Intelsat 40e satellite shows all reflectors deployed, and the hosted NASA payload "TEMPO" is seen in the foreground as the spacecraft completed checkouts in an antenna test range at Maxars manufacturing facility in Palo Alto, California.

Maxar was also commissioned by NASA to find a home for the TEMPO payload aimed at environmental monitoring across North America. According to Maxar, the NASA payload "will detect pollutants across North America, with the resulting data used to enhance air quality forecasts."

Look for FLORIDA TODAY's live launch coverage to begin 90 minutes before liftoff at https://www.floridatoday.com/space/.

For the latest, visit floridatoday.com/launchschedule.

Contact Jamie Groh at JGroh@floridatoday.com and follow her on Twitter at @AlteredJamie.

Launch Friday, April 7

Company / Agency: SpaceX for Intelsat

Rocket: SpaceX Falcon 9

Location: Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station

Launch Window: 12:29 a.m. - 2:30 a.m.

Trajectory: East

Weather: 85% "go"

Landing: Drone ship

Live coverage: Starts 90 minutes before liftoff at floridatoday.com/space

About: The Intelsat 40e satellite for Intelsat, a Luxembourg-based satellite operator, and NASA's Tropospheric Emissions Monitoring of Pollution instrument (TEMPO) payload will launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The first-stage booster will target a landing on a drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean. Should schedules hold, it will be the 18th mission to fly from Florida this year.

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Cape Canaveral weather looks good Friday for SpaceX Falcon 9 launch
The mother of slain South Carolina teen Stephen Smith has just buried her son for the second time and is now offering a reward for information that might help investigators solve his murder.

Sandy Smith is allocating $35,000 from money raised through GoFundMe for information leading to the arrest of any responsible party in the death of her son, her lawyers announced.

The GoFundMe account also paid for the exhumation and independent autopsy of Stephen Smith's remains, which the lawyers said was conducted over the weekend. The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division re-opened its investigation of Smith's death in 2021 after discovering ties to the family of now-convicted murderer Alex Murdaugh.

"I now believe that Stephen can really rest at ease because SLED and our team are going to do everything possible to find out just how he died," Smith family attorney Eric Bland said Monday.

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On Sunday, Sandy Smith posted on her "Justice for Stephen N. Smith Family Page" on Facebook that her "baby is back in his final resting place."

VPC MURDAUGH STEPHEN SMITH CASE

Bland added that the exhumation and autopsy effort was a team effort, which included unearthing, transporting and safeguarding Smith's body for autopsy, then reburying it at Gooding Cemetery in Hampton County.

He said it involved a tremendous amount of planning from a local funeral home, the excavators, the county coroner, state health officials, the S.C. Law Enforcement Division, and the team of pathologists and investigators hired privately by the Smith family and their attorneys.

That private investigative team includes pathologists Dr. D'Michelle DuPre, Dr. Dan Schultz, and Dr. Heather Walsh-Haney, who conducted the autopsy. Bland has also retained the services of crime scene forensic expert Dr. Kenneth Kinsey and may also add an additional crime scene investigator to assist Kinsey later.

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The roadside memorial for Stephen Smith on Sandy Run Road.

What happened to Stephen Smith?

Smith's body was found lying in the middle of Sandy Run Road in rural Hampton County in the early morning hours of July 8, 2015, with fatal blunt force trauma to the head and other, secondary injuries.

Originally ruled a vehicular hit-and-run homicide in 2015, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) reopened the case in June 2021 "based upon information gathered during the course of the double murder investigation of Paul and Maggie Murdaugh," a spokesperson said at the time. Murdaugh was sentenced to life in prison for the murders of his wife and son last month.

On March 23, SLED confirmed to the Smith family that it was officially considering the case a murder investigation.

The GoFundMe page was launched in early March and to date has raised in excess of $119,000 to pay for the private exhumation, independent autopsy, and to fund the cost of a more in-depth investigation. The Smith family has been critical of law enforcement's handling of the case from its inception.

Searching for clues, closure

Rachel Tuten, a friend of the late Stephen Smith, reacts emotionally during Sunday's memorial unveiling.

Bland and his law partner Ronnie Richter are urging anyone with information about the events leading up to Stephen Smith's death to come forward and contact SLED.

"We understand that providing information about a crime can be difficult, and we want to support the community however we can to bring closure for the Smith family," they said in a joint statement.

"We hope that this reward will encourage anyone with information to come forward and provide the critical details needed to solve this case," said Ronnie Richter.

Bland Richter LLP would like to thank SLED Chief Mark Keel and his team for their hard work and dedication to this case. Bland adds, "The paramount issue here is to find answers for the Smith family. We won't stop until we do."

Anyone with information about Stephen Smith's death is urged to contact SLED at 803-737-9000 or email tips@sled.sc.gov.

Hampton County Guardian Editor Michael DeWitt, the Greenville News and USA TODAY Network will continue to follow the ongoing criminal and civil cases surrounding the Murdaugh crime saga. Follow DeWitt on Twitter at @mmdewittjr and support his local and national journalism with a digital subscription.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY NETWORK: Alex Murdaugh investigation: Stephen Smith autopsy done; 35k reward
The Moscow court has sent Darya Trepova, detained in connection with the explosion in St Petersburg that killed propagandist Vladlen Tatarsky, to a pre-trial detention centre for two months.

Source: Russian news outlet RBC

Details: The Basmanny District Court of Moscow has authorised Trepova's arrest until 2 June. This was requested by the investigation. The hearing was held in a closed session.

The court has rejected the defence's request for a measure of restraint that is not related to arresting.

Background:

On 2 April, an explosion occurred in a cafe in the centre of St Petersburg that had previously belonged to Yevgeny Prigozhin, owner of the Wagner Group Private Military Company, killing "war correspondent" (military blogger) Vladlen Tatarsky and injuring 30 other people.

Russian secret forces have supposedly detained Darya Trepova, a resident of St Petersburg, on suspicion of murdering propagandist Vladlen Tatarsky.

According to the investigation, Trepova, following the instructions of the organisers of the crime from Ukraine, allegedly brought a figurine filled with explosives to Tatarsky's "recital" and handed it over to the propagandist on 2 April.

Russia's National Anti-Terrorist Committee has accused Ukrainian security services and supporters of Alexei Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation of murdering Tatarsky.

The Russian Investigative Committee also claims that the attack was planned and organised from Ukraine, and that Trepova holds "opposition views" and is a supporter of the Anti-Corruption Foundation. The Foundation has denied any connection with the explosion.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!






The Russian Investigative Committee accused Darya Trepova, a suspect in the case about the murder of Russian propagandist Vladlen Tatarsky, of committing a terrorist act.

Source: website of the Investigative Committee of Russia

Details: Trepova is accused of violating two articles of the Criminal Code of Russia: "a terrorist act committed by an organised group causing the intentional death of a person" and "illegal carrying of explosives committed by an organised group."

The materials of the investigation contain information that on 2 April, "following the instructions of the persons acting from the territory of Ukraine", Trepova brought a bust stuffed with explosives to a cafe and handed it to a "war correspondent" Maxim Fomin, who called himself Vladlen Tatarsky. As a result of the explosion that followed, Fomin died, and over 30 people who were in the cafe received injuries of various degrees of severity.

The investigation asks the court to arrest Trepova.

Earlier, different Russian news outlets reported that Trepova was recruited via Telegram; she was promised a position of a media editor in Kyiv.

Background:

On 2 April, an explosion occurred in a cafe in the centre of St Petersburg that had previously belonged to Yevgeny Prigozhin, owner of the Wagner Group Private Military Company, killing "war correspondent" (military blogger) Vladlen Tatarsky and injuring 30 other people.

Russian secret forces have supposedly detained Darya Trepova, a resident of St Petersburg, on suspicion of murdering propagandist Vladlen Tatarsky.

Analysts at the Institute for the Study of War have assumed that forces inside Russia may have been involved in his murder, and it could have been a "warning" meant for Prigozhin.

Russia's National Anti-Terrorist Committee has accused Ukrainian secret services and supporters of Alexei Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation of murdering collaborator and propagandist Maxim Fomin, who called himself the war correspondent Vladlen Tatarsky.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
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Update: We have an answer!

Original story:

Melbourne Orlando International Airport officials are expected to announce the debut of a new mystery airline  and they're teasing the news on social media with a photo depicting a dotted outline of an unidentified jetliner taxiing toward a gate.

"Watch this space! Weve got an exciting announcement coming this Thursday!" airport officials said on Facebook and Twitter.

The dotted-line jetliner image and message appeared late Monday afternoon on the airport's social media channels. Airport spokesperson Keely Leggett declined further comment on Thursday's upcoming announcement.

Thanks to TUI's debut year of travel-package flights transporting tourists from the United Kingdom, the Melbourne airport's total number of incoming and departing passengers rocketed from 372,287 in 2021 to 701,257 in 2022.

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Melbourne Orlando International Airport officials circulated this teaser photo Monday depicting the outline of an unidentified jetliner.

Airport officials predict this year will generate a record-breaking total of 850,000 incoming and departing passengers, Jack Ryals, the airport's senior adviser for local and regional affairs, told a Space Coast Transportation Planning Organization committee last month.

Ryals did not mention that an undisclosed airline could soon launch service.

The Melbourne airport accommodates a growing roster of flights:

TUI: vacation-package flights from eight U.K. cities.

Delta Air Lines: daily nonstop service to Atlanta, Georgia

American Airlines: daily nonstop service to Charlotte, North Carolina, and Saturday nonstop service to Washington, D.C.

Allegiant: twice-weekly nonstop service to Nashville, Tennessee, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Sun Country: twice-weekly nonstop service to Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota.

Story continues

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Two Canadian carriers, Sunwing Airlines and Canada Jetlines, previously announced they would launch Melbourne flights in December and January, respectively. But neither came to fruition.

In January, Melbourne airport officials conducted a VIP ribbon-cutting ceremony to unveil a $72 million passenger terminal expansion-renovation designed to handle aircraft as large as TUI's Boeing 787 Dreamliners.

The project added 86,000 square feet of floor space, expanding the terminal beyond the 300,000-square-foot threshold.

Rick Neale is the South Brevard Watchdog Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY (for more of his stories, click here.) Contact Neale at 321-242-3638 or rneale@floridatoday.com. Twitter: @RickNeale1

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This article originally appeared on Florida Today: MLB airport expected to add mystery airline
New York City Mayor Eric Adams singled out the controversial Republican as someone "who is known to spread misinformation and hate speech"

JIM LO SCALZO/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock Marjorie Taylor Greene shouts 'liar' during President Joe Biden's State of the Union address

New York City Mayor Eric Adams has issued a warning directly to Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene as the controversial Republican prepares to hold a Manhattan rally in support of former President Donald Trump ahead of his arraignment.

Adams addressed media Monday as the city prepared for possible protests and unrest related to Trump's historic indictment. The former president will reportedly face 34 felony counts over alleged hush money paid to adult film star Stormy Daniels (and potentially others). Trump, 76, is now the first sitting or former president in U.S. history to face criminal charges.

Adams said N.Y.C. authorities were shutting down some streets in Manhattan and police were prepared to deal with any protesters, singling out Rep. Greene specifically.

"People like Marjorie Taylor Greene, who is known to spread misinformation and hate speech, she's stated she's coming to town. While you're in town be on your best behavior," Adams warned.

"We will not allow violence or vandalism of any kind and if one is caught participating in any act of violence they will be arrested and held accountable, no matter who you are," he said.

Related:Will Donald Trump Have a Mug Shot Taken on Tuesday? Here's What We Know

Greene will hold a "Rally for Trump" this morning, with the event being advertised as a "peaceful protest of Alvin Bragg's heinous attack on President Donald J. Trump!"

Greene responded to the mayor's comments on Twitter, claiming he was "trying to intimidate, threaten, and stop me from using my 1st amendment rights."

Related:Donald Trump Advisor Claims His 2024 Campaign Raised 'Record' $7 Million in First 3 Days After Indictment

Evan Vucci/AP

Adams warned against violence on what is expected to be a politically charged day. However, he said there were no known specific security threats.

"While there may be some rabble-rousers thinking about coming to our city tomorrow (Tuesday), our message is clear and simple: Control yourselves. New York City is our home, not a playground for your misplaced anger," Adams told reporters.

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Related:Amid Donald Trump's Indictment, Source Says 'Melania Will Support Him': 'That's What She Does' (Exclusive)

President Joe Biden was asked Monday if he expected any unrest in N.Y.C. for Trump's arraignment and replied, "No, I have faith in the New York Police Department."

The city has extra precautions in place Tuesday with several streets barricaded around Trump Tower and the Manhattan Criminal Court building. Demonstrations are expected at both locations throughout the day, although the scale is not yet known.

Never miss a story  sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Trump is expected in court early Tuesday afternoon local time. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office has said Trump will not be placed in handcuffs or have his mug shot taken, as that is only reserved for flight risks or threats to the district attorney or court personnel  which was not determined to be the case.

Related:Stormy Daniels Speaks Out After Trump Indictment amid Fears for Her Safety

The indictment stems, at least in part, from an alleged affair Trump had with adult film star Daniels, rumors of which surfaced in 2018, when the Wall Street Journal reported that the then-president had arranged a $130,000 payment to the ex-porn star a month before the 2016 election so she'd keep quiet about an alleged sexual encounter they'd had years earlier.

While Trump and his longtime lawyer Michael Cohen initially denied the claims of an affair, Cohen later admitted that there was a payment made to the porn star.

Calling it "a private transaction," Cohen told The New York Times that he paid Daniels $130,000 out of his own pocket in 2016. He said Trump had not reimbursed him.

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Read the original article on People.
MONACO  Rafael Nadal pulled out of the clay-court Monte Carlo Masters, saying he is not yet able to compete at the highest level.

The 22-time Grand Slam champion has been sidelined with a left hip flexor injury since the Australian Open. The Monte Carlo Masters begins on April 8.

I will not be able to play in one of the most important tournaments of my career, Monte Carlo, Nadal wrote on Twitter. I am not yet in conditions to play with the maximum guarantees and I continue my preparation process, hoping to be back soon.

Second-ranked Carlos Alcaraz and seventh-ranked Felix Auger-Aliassime also withdrew from the event.

Alcaraz pulled out because of physical discomfort after his semifinal loss in Florida last week. The Spaniard had been so dominant recently, he hadnt lost a set since February before that defeat.

I have post-traumatic arthritis in my left hand and muscular discomfort in the spine that needs rest to prepare for everything that is to come, the 19-year-old from Spain said.

Auger-Aliassime needs to rest his left knee.

I have been struggling with my left knee for the past few weeks and decided it was the smartest decision to take some time off so Im able to fully heal and recover, the 22-year-old Canadian wrote on Instagram.

Nadal has won the Monte Carlo tournament a record 11 times, including an Open Era record streak of eight consecutive titles from 2005-12. The 36-year-old Spaniard generally uses the event as a key part of his preparations for the French Open, which takes place May 28-June 11.

Nadal has won 14 of his major titles on clay at Roland Garros, including last year while dealing with chronic pain in his left foot.

In January, Nadal hurt his hip flexor during a second-round loss to Mackenzie McDonald at the Australian Open.

Nadal, Alcaraz pull out of clay-court Monte Carlo Masters originally appeared on NBCSports.com
Najee Seabrooks, 31, was a violence intervention specialist with the Paterson Healing Collective. He was fatally shot by Paterson police after a four-hour standoff in a Mill Street apartment on Friday, March 3.

Seabrooks' death sparked outrage in Paterson and multiple demonstrations and vigils took place in the days after his death. Seabrooks was remembered for his work with the Healing Collective, an initiative that aims to help victims of shooting and other traumas and is a program of St. Joseph's University Medical Center.

The office of New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin is overseeing an investigation into Seabrooks' death. On March 16, it released hours of body-worn police video and some of the 911 calls Seabrooks and others made March 3.

Advocates, including members of the Healing Collective, Paterson's Black Lives Matter organization and the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice, called for a federal probe in the case. In addition, in a March 10 editorial, NorthJersey.com and The Record called for an intervention for the Paterson Police Department, which has been plagued by scandals and a lack of resources for much of the last decade.

Seabrooks was laid to rest on March 18, and calls for action from members of Paterson's activist community continued.

On Monday, March 27, Platkin announced that his office was immediately taking day-to-day operational control of the Paterson Police Department.

Here is a complete look at NorthJersey.com and the USA TODAY Network New Jersey's coverage of the Seabrooks case:

City officials are asking for millions of dollars in additional state aid to cover possible expenses stemming from New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkins takeover of the Paterson Police Department.

With turmoil in Paterson after Najee Seabrooks' death and the takeover of the police, what will Andre Sayegh's political future hold?

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A suicide-by-cop call March 21 was one of three instances in an eight-day span when St. Joseph's University Medical Central crisis team did not show.

Local ministers planned to use their pulpit on Easter to help Paterson churchgoers find peace in the aftermath of the fatal police shooting of community worker Najee Seabrooks.

Paterson's city law department refused to make public records from the fatal police shooting of Najee Seabrooks, including video and 911 calls.

The state takeover of the Paterson Police Department has produced two changes in the departments command structure, including a shift in job duties for a captain who led nonfatal shooting investigations for the past 15 years. Capt. Patrick Murray, a 38-year street cop, was moved to the administrative role of chief of staff and executive officer, according to the Police Departments revised table of organization.

Fewer than 25 people joined in the citys annual Operation Ceasefire peace march on April 1, a sparse showing that participants attributed to community anger over the recent police shooting of Najee Seabrooks.

In an op-ed, Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh announces that the Paterson Police Department would adopt CompStat crime data management and that his office intends to create a civilian advisory board to advise police on all manner of policy.

The citys law department on March 31 refused to make public extensive records from the fatal police shooting of Najee Seabrooks, including all 911 calls and body camera videos.

The Paterson Healing Collective has been calling for major police reforms since the death of Najee Seabrooks, a PHC violence intervention specialist who was fatally shot by Paterson police on March 3 after an hours-long standoff after he barricaded himself in an apartment at 20 Mill St. in Paterson. NorthJersey.com visual journalist Michael Karas spoke with Liza Chowdhury, project director of the Paterson Healing Collective, a day after the New Jersey Attorney Generals Office seized control of the Paterson Police Department.

Najee Seabrooks during a Paterson Healing Collective healing space event at School 6 in Paterson on Friday, May 13, 2022.

Three days after the state takeover of the Paterson Police Department, the first planning meeting was held for a program designed to send mental health professionals with city cops to crisis scenes. Paterson secured a $550,000 U.S. Department of Justice grant for the so-called Connect and Protect initiative early last fall, and city officials spent several months ironing out a preliminary agreement on the use of the funding.

Platkin, resurrected last year as New Jerseys 62nd attorney general, stunned New Jersey's political and law enforcement establishments by taking over the deeply dysfunctional Paterson Police Department in the wake of mounting public outrage over the March 3 police shooting of Najee Seabrooks.

Mr. Attorney General, you removed the physical barriers erected at police headquarters. Now comes the hard work  removing the real barriers that hold back the policing Paterson deserves.

In an op-ed, members of the Paterson clergy community write that they have been devastated by the loss of Najee Seabrooks, an important community leader with the Paterson Healing Collective in the effort to reduce gun violence in Paterson's neighborhoods and provide the necessary healing in its streets.

The New Jersey Attorney Generals Office confirmed that it is reviewing a mid-February encounter between Paterson police officers and teenagers in which social justice activists say a cop used excessive force against one of the juveniles. It was not clear whether state authorities had been investigating the incident before March 27, when Attorney General Matthew Platkin announced that his office was taking control of the day-to-day operations of the Paterson Police Department.

NJ Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin announces on the steps of Paterson Police Department that the Attorney Generals office is taking control of the department in Paterson, NJ on Monday March 27, 2023.

Can Paterson become Camden? Not long ago, such a question seemed ridiculous. Not now, though. Once thought to be the poorest, most violent city in America and dubbed the nations murder capital, Camden is now regarded as a national model of police reform. Paterson, which has become the latest American community facing a policing crisis, may soon find itself gazing down the New Jersey Turnpike to Camden for help. In announcing a state takeover of Patersons police after years of corruption and questionable killings of residents, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin slipped in a possible telltale prediction of what is to come.

In a city numbed by frequent and often unfulfilled promises of law enforcement reforms, many wanted to hear additional details about the states Paterson Police Department takeover plan before they celebrated or condemned the intervention.

NJ Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin announces on the steps of the Paterson Police Department that the Attorney General's Office is taking control of the department in Paterson, NJ on Monday March 27, 2023.

In an announcement that stunned city officials and rank-and-file cops, the New Jersey Attorney Generals Office seized control of the Paterson Police Department on March 27, taking over day-to-day law enforcement operations in the New Jersey's third-most-populous city. The move came three weeks after the death of Najee Seabrooks.

Watching the police body camera videos of the death of Najee Seabrooks in Paterson raises an important question: Could cops have handled this tense standoff differently? The answer to that question is a resounding yes, according to a major study released in late March on a New Jersey-based pilot program that provides police with new tools  and a whole new strategy  when confronting emotionally distressed people such as Seabrooks.

The casket of Najee Seabrooks is carried out of Christian Fellowship Center following his funeral in Paterson on Saturday, March 18, 2023. Seabrooks, a member of the violence intervention group the Paterson Healing Collective, was fatally shot by Paterson police after a standoff while he was barricaded inside an apartment.

The funeral service for Najee Seabrooks at Christian Fellowship Center in Paterson on Saturday, March 18. Seabrooks, a member of the violence intervention group the Paterson Healing Collective, was fatally shot by Paterson police after a standoff while he was barricaded inside an apartment.

Hundreds attended a funeral service for Paterson's Najee Seabrooks on March 18.

Hundreds of mourners paid tribute to Najee Seabrooks at a March 18 funeral for the 31-year-old man whom activists hailed as a peacemaker killed by gunfire from Paterson police after a lengthy standoff.

A still image taken from police body cam released in the Najee Seabrooks case showing moments when officers first arrived at the Mill St. apartment in response to a 911 call by Seabrooks. Here, an officer speaks with two people inside the apartment.

In the early stages of their standoff with Najee Seabrooks, two Paterson police officers stepped aside in an apartment hallway and let the troubled mans mother, Melissa Carter, speak with him through a closed bathroom door.

Najee Seabrooks had a tragic death  one that is emblematic of the challenges facing Paterson and our country.

Body camera video captured the March 3 standoff between Paterson police and Najee Seabrooks that ended in Seabrook's fatal shooting. Throughout the footage, officers attempted to negotiate with Seabrooks who ultimately lunged at officers, armed with knives, and was shot.

The state attorney general released Paterson police bodycam footage from the shooting of Najee Seabrooks, a specialist at the Paterson Healing Collective. After an hourslong standoff, Seabrooks charged out a bathroom in a Mill Street Apartment and was struck by a burst of five gunshots fired by two Paterson police officers. Those moments were captured in police body camera recordings made public on March 16.

Teddie Martinez, Hospital Based Violence Interventions Coordinator for the Paterson Healing Collective, speaks during a press conference calling for justice for Najee Seabrooks and local and state accountability at 200 Federal Plaza in Paterson on Thursday, March 16, 2023. Seabrooks, a member of the violence intervention group the Paterson Healing Collective, was fatally shot by Paterson police after a standoff while he was barricaded inside an apartment.

Yannick Wood, director of the Criminal Justice Reform program at the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice, speaks at a March 16 press conference.

Advocates and activists held a March 16 to call for local, state and federal accountability in the fatal police shooting of Najee Seabrooks.

Just as they are investigating police departments in Louisville, Kentucky, and Memphis, Tennessee, the Department of Justice must do the same in Paterson.

In February, the state Attorney Generals Office announced expansion of the ARRIVE Together program, which pairs plainclothes officers with mental health experts to respond in unmarked vehicles to certain 911 calls, setting up partnerships in more than two dozen municipalities across 11 counties.

We present a transcript of a July 2021 interview conducted by Michael Karas and Amy Newman, visual journalists for NorthJersey.com and the USA TODAY Network New Jersey, with Najee Seabrooks, a violence intervention specialist with the Paterson Healing Collective who was fatally shot by police on Friday, March 3, 2023.

Najee Seabrooks talks about working with the Paterson Healing Collective and growing up in Paterson in a 2021 interview with NorthJersey.com. Seabrooks, a member of the violence intervention group the PHC, was fatally shot by Paterson police after a standoff while he was barricaded inside his home.

NorthJersey.com visual journalists Michael Karas and Amy Newman share an interview they conducted with Seabrooks in the summer of 2021, along with a selection of video clips from that interview, which was filmed for "Targeting Retaliation: Stopping the chain reaction of gun violence in Paterson," a NorthJersey.com and USA TODAY Network New Jersey documentary produced in 2022.

The New Jersey Attorney Generals Office called for improvements in law enforcement encounters with people in mental health crisis in December 2020, almost 27 months before two Paterson police officers shot Najee Seabrooks. But it remains unclear what changes  if any  were made because of that directive.

Liza Chowdhury, the project director for the Paterson Healing Collective, speaks about Najee Seabrooks, a violence intervention specialist who worked with the Paterson Healing Collective, during a Paterson City Council meeting on Tuesday, March 14, 2023. Seabrooks was fatally shot by Paterson police after a standoff while he was barricaded inside his home.

Paterson Healing Collective's Liza Chowdhury talks at a City Council meeting March 14, 2023 about Najee Seabrooks, who was fatally shot by city police.

As protesters voiced their outrage and frustration over the police fatal shooting of Najee Seabrooks, confrontations erupted among Paterson officials during a March 14 City Council meeting.

Najee Seabrooks during a Paterson Healing Collective healing space event at School 6 in Paterson on Friday, May 13, 2022.

A Newark-based social justice group that includes former United States Attorney Paul Fishman and former New Jersey Attorney General John Farmer Jr. among its board members is calling for federal authorities to investigate the Paterson Police Department in light of the Najee Seabrooks killing. Meanwhile, the top official at St. Josephs University Medical Center is questioning the way authorities responded to the 911 emergency call that resulted in the fatal police shooting of violence intervention specialist Najee Seabrooks.

Several dozen people protesting the fatal police shooting of Najee Seabrooks converged March 10 on a restaurant owned by one of the cops involved in the incident, banging and kicking the business closed metal security gate.

Protesters demanding justice for Najee Seabrooks and Paterson police on Grand Street in Paterson on Friday, March 10, 2023. Seabrooks, a member of the violence intervention group the Paterson Healing Collective, was fatally shot by Paterson police after a standoff while he was barricaded inside his home.

After the fatal, police-involved shooting of Najee Seabrooks, a rally was held to demand justice on Friday, March 10.

Protesters demanded justice for Najee Seabrooks in a rally on Grand Street in Paterson on Friday, March 10. Seabrooks was fatally shot by Paterson police.

Efforts to create local civilian boards that would investigate allegations of police misconduct have stalled in the New Jersey Legislature for more than two years. Social justice activists assert the lack of progress on those reforms has sent a disturbing message of non-accountability to law enforcement officers. The inaction, they said, has perpetuated problems that they claim have resulted in such incidents like the recent fatal police shooting of Najee Seabrooks in Paterson.

Najee Seabrooks speaks to students at Al OTambuaO Moody Academy in Paterson on Tuesday, October 11, 2022.

As Paterson continues to grieve the loss of Najee Seabrooks  as it continues to grapple with crime and as its police department grapples with how to move forward  we can only hope his lasting legacy will be one of meaningful change for a city so desperately in need of a new beginning.

A lawyer advising the Paterson police officers involved in the fatal shooting of violence intervention specialist Najee Seabrooks said March 9 that he was confident the New Jersey Attorneys Office would clear them of any wrongdoing.

The New Jersey Attorney Generals Office on March 8 released the names of the Paterson police officers involved in the fatal shooting of violence intervention specialist Najee Seabrooks.

More than 250 people participated in a March 7 rally to honor the memory of Najee Seabrooks.

Over 250 people attended a rally for Najee Seabrooks after he was fatally shot by Paterson police while he was barricaded inside a Mill Street apartment.

Liza Chowdhury of the Paterson Healing Collective speaks during a Najee Seabrooks rally in Paterson on Tuesday, March 3, 2023. Seabrooks was a member of the violence intervention group the Paterson Healing Collective, he was fatally shot by Paterson police while he was barricaded inside his home.

Liza Chowdhury, the project director for the Paterson Healing Collective, spoke at a vigil on March 7 and remembered Seabrooks' smile and enthusiasm for the work he was doing to help victims of trauma in Paterson.

Earlier cases in Paterson  the deaths of Saulo Del Rosario and Jameek Lowery  included similar challenges at the intersection of policing and mental health.

Participants in a rally for Najee Seabrooks march towards the Paterson Public Safety Complex on Tuesday, March 7, 2023. Najee Seabrooks, a member of the violence intervention group the Paterson Healing Collective, was fatally shot by Paterson police after a standoff while he was barricaded inside his home.

With a vigil, a rally and a march, more than 250 protesters expressed their outrage on the night of Tuesday, March 7 over the fatal police shooting of violence intervention specialist Najee Seabrooks.

While mourning the loss of her son in the Friday, March 3 Paterson police-involved fatal shooting, Najee Seabrooks mother became the victim of another calamity early Monday morning when a fire badly damaged her home.

Najee Seabrooks

On March 4, social justice activists called for authorities to release immediately police body camera recordings of the incident so that the public would know what happened. Najee Seabrooks death prompted the citys Black Lives Matter group on Saturday to call for the restructuring of the Paterson police department.

Najee Seabrooks, a violence intervention specialist with the Paterson Healing Collective, was fatally shot by a city police officer on Friday afternoon, March 3 after a five-hour standoff while he was barricaded inside his home.

Paterson Press and NorthJersey.com staff who have led this coverage

From Paterson Press:

Joe Malinconico, editor

Darren Tobia, contributing writer

From NorthJersey.com:

Ed Forbes, senior director for news and engagement

Mike Kelly, columnist

Charlie Stile, columnist

Michael Karas, visual journalist

Amy Newman, former visual journalist

Sean Oates, senior director for multimedia

Michael V. Pettigano, video producer

Paul Wood Jr., video producer

Miguel Fernandez, video producer

Ashley Balcerzak, staff writer

Tariq Zehawi, visual journalist

Additional editing support was provided by Dan Sforza, James O'Neill, Joshua Jongsma, Alex Nussbaum, John Connolly, Scott Muller and Debra Waldeyer.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Najee Seabrooks: Fatal police shooting and aftermath Paterson NJ
It was a virtual meeting. NASA astronaut Christina Koch was sure of it. But when she logged on to her computer a couple of weeks ago and searched for the meeting link, she realized there was no link.

So she texted her boss and asked, Hey, can we meet virtually? And he said: Nope. Youre going to want to be in person for this one.

So she hopped in her car and made the drive across town to the Johnson Space Center, home of NASAs astronaut corps.

I was late. Very late, she said. I realized when I got to the room that it was a bigger meeting than I realized.

She was being assigned to NASAs Artemis II mission, the first to return people to the vicinity of the moon since the last of the Apollo missions, some 50 years ago.

Astronaut crew assignments are notoriously secretive. Not even astronauts know how they get selected for missions. And this was going to be the biggest crew assignment in a generation, the next step in NASAs return to the moon.

But the astronaut office was having a hard time corralling its astronauts.

Koch, an N.C. State graduate who grew up in North Carolina, wasnt the only one who was late.

Victor Glover was running late, too, having lunch with some of his staff and texting his apologies.

Reid Wiseman, who would be named the commander of the mission, thought he was going to have to miss it entirely. He was across town at a doctors appointment. On his calendar, the meeting was listed as an update on what was happening with a troubled Russian spacecraft, docked at the International Space Station, that had sprung a leak. He had no idea what was really in store.

I dont think Im going to make it, he recalled texting his boss, Joe Acaba, the chief astronaut.

Its not about what you think it is, Acaba responded. You have to get here.

So Wiseman started to dial in remotely. But just then the doctor walked in, so he shut off his phone.

Some 40 minutes later, after the appointment, he texted Acaba again. Is it too late to join?

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No, Acaba told him. Dial in.

So Wiseman did  and learned he would be named to the crew as he was walking down the hallway of the doctors office and then settling in behind the wheel of his truck.

Acaba had recently gathered his troops and laid out his priorities for being the new chief astronaut.

And one of the things he talked about was punctuality, being on time, Glover said.

And yet: One way or another all of us were late.

I like for people to be on time, Acaba said in an interview.
The transgender shooting suspect accused of killing three young children and three adults at a Christian school in Nashville, Tennessee, on March 27 reportedly hoarded a suicide note, weapons and ammunition at home, according to a report Tuesday.

The Metropolitan Nashville Police Department recently released a list of 47 items found by officers who conducted a search warrant at Audrey Hale's home, NBC News reported.

Those items reportedly included several journals, a shotgun, cellphones and laptops, as well as folders and journals with notes on firearms courses and school shootings.

According to the outlet, police said officers also found a school photo and five yearbooks from the Covenant School.

TRANSGENDER PASTOR COMPARES TREATMENT OF MARGINALIZED NASHVILLE SHOOTER TO JESUS BEING CRUCIFIED

Covenant School shooter Audrey Hale, 28, is shown in a driver's license photo and on school surveillance video released by Nashville police. Police released a list of 47 items found in Hale's home while conducting a search warrant.

Fox News Digital reached out to Nashville police Tuesday seeking a copy of the list but did not immediately hear back before publication.

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

Authorities say Hale had been under a doctors care for an undisclosed emotional disorder and hid weapons in the family home, unbeknownst to the suspect's parents.

Law enforcement has also said Hale legally purchased seven weapons from five local stores and later sold one of the firearms. Three of those were used in the shooting.

"The ongoing investigation into the March 27 murders of six persons inside The Covenant School continues to show, from all information currently available, that killer Audrey Hale acted totally alone," the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department (MNPD) said in an update Monday. "In the collective writings by Hale found in her vehicle in the school parking lot, and others later found in the bedroom of her home, she documented, in journals, her planning over a period of months to commit mass murder at The Covenant School."

WHO ARE THE NASHVILLE SCHOOL SCHOOTING VICTIMS?

Police said the writings remain under careful review by the MNPD and the FBIs Behavioral Analysis Unit based in Quantico, Virginia.

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"The motive for Hales actions has not been established and remains under investigation by the Homicide Unit in consultation with the FBIs Behavioral Analysis Unit. It is known that Hale considered the actions of other mass murderers," the press release said. "The investigation shows that Hale fired a total of 152 rounds (126 5.56 rifle rounds and 26 nine millimeter rounds) from the time she shot her way into the school until she was killed by police. Two officers fired on Hale."

Memorials for the six victims who were killed in a mass shooting are placed outside the Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee. Police said the alleged shooter had a suicide note, ammunition and weapons at home.

Officer Rex Engelbert fired a total of four 5.56 mm rounds from his rifle and Officer Michael Collazo fired a total of four rounds from his department-issued 9 mm pistol.

"Scores of police personnel from a number of components responded to the Covenant call last Monday. The departments Professional Wellness Section is conducting critical incident debriefings, including daily wellness checks, for involved personnel," the release added. "The MNPDs Homicide Unit is leading the investigation into the murders of the six victims. The Cold Case Unit is working with the TBI in the investigation of the fatal police shooting of Hale."
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN)  The shooter who took the lives of six people at The Covenant School last week fired a total of 152 rounds before being shot by officers, Nashville police said in an update on their investigation Monday.

According to police, Audrey Hale fired 126 rifle rounds and 26 nine-millimeter rounds while at the school. Based on the currently available information, investigators believe Hale worked alone.

Police also said collective writings written by Hale (found in the shooters bedroom and vehicle) show Hale was planning over a period of months to commit mass murder at The Covenant School. Hale also considered the actions of other mass murderers, the documents show.

911 calls made during Covenant School shooting released

Police said the writings remain under careful review by the Metro Nashville Police Department and the FBIs Behavioral Analysis Unit in Virginia.

Two Metro police officers shot and killed Hale. Officer Rex Englebert shot a total of four rounds from his rifle, while officer Michael Collazo fired four rounds from his nine-millimeter pistol, police said.

Bodycam video shows moments police killed active shooter at Nashville school

Newly obtained search warrants released Monday revealed what investigators seized from the home of Hale.

Officers reported finding two shotguns, one in a bedroom closet and another next to a desk in a bedroom. Investigators also took 30 journals, some with references to school shootings and firearms courses.

A suicide note was also found, as well as five Covenant School yearbooks.

Investigators still have not determined a motive for the shooting. That part of the investigation remains ongoing by the homicide unit in consultation with the FBIs Behavioral Analysis Unit.

As the investigation continues, the community mourns the six people killed in last weeks school shooting in Nashville with funerals and memorial services.

The children killed were Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs and William Kinney. Also killed were Katherine Koonce, 60, the head of the school; Mike Hill, 61, a custodian, and Cynthia Peak, 61, a substitute teacher.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Natasha Lyonne is enjoying something of a career renaissance, and shes attributing the undeniable success to her female friendships. As she took the stage at Varietys annual Power of Women event  on her birthday, no less  she toasted to her community of women, among them Amy Poehler and Maya Rudolph, who have cheered on each others rise in Hollywood.

Its pretty eccentric to see how much we grow up together in this business and how meaningful it is to stick together along that ride, she said on Tuesday afternoon at midtown Manhattans The Grill.

More from Variety

Lyonne joked that she and her dear pal Rudolph started the production company Animal Pictures to ensure wed have time to hang out with each other, and that she co-created Russian Doll as an excuse to get existential with my friend and co-creator Amy Poehler.

More recently  as the itinerant sleuth Charlie Cale on Rian Johnsons case-of-the-week mystery series Poker Face  shes in heaven because she gets to work alongside guest stars like Alice Ju, Clea Duvall, Chloe Sevigny and Janicza Bravo.

I have spent a lot of my adulthood creating places for myself to go, Lyonne said. Places to learn, to explore and to connect with other women.

Lyonne  honored at Tuesdays fete alongside Judy Blume, Kelly Ripa, Rosie Perez and Michaela Jae Rodriguez  was introduced by Aidy Bryant, who recalled her first time meeting Lyonne, about a decade ago in Reykjavik, Iceland. At the time, the Saturday Night Live alum was newer to Hollywood and worried about the potential ups and downs that might come with her new career.

Natasha is a really great person to worry at because  and this is something I love about her  she has seen some shit, Bryant said. She knows. She explained to me that there will be ups, and you should really try to enjoy them because you can also count on the downs too, but that holding on to yourself and the people you love, you can weather it.

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Bryant also praised Lyonne because she uses her celebrity for good, by volunteering at the Lower East Side Girls Club, a community center in Manhattans Alphabet City. Lyonne says she finds herself inspired by the organization, which was founded in 1996 to support girls and gender-expansive youth of color through mentorship and programming in STEM, the arts and other areas.

As a young girl in New York City, I did not always have a place to go or other girls to learn from. Thats why its especially moving to be here celebrating the Lower East Side Girls Club, Lyonne said. Not just because they are my friends and neighbors, but because there is no other organization like it on the planet. Its so out of this world that you can literally go there and hang out on Mars or fly through the Milky Way at their planetarium! A planetarium, can you imagine on 8th Street and Avenue D!

Lyonne has a proclivity  in her professional and personal life  for people who feel like they dont belong. She views her hit Netflix series Russian Doll, a comedic drama about a woman who relives her 36th birthday again and again, as a metaphor for outsiders coming together to survive.

Through free, year-round, innovative programming, they connect young people with their passions, celebrate their curiosity and help channel their creative energy, she said. Youve heard the phrase it takes a village to raise a child. But I would raise you one and say it takes a Girls Club to change the world.

She also mentioned that in 2022, Lower East Side Girls Club opened a 5,000 sq ft. Center for Wellbeing & Happiness. Wellbeing and happiness, baby  my god, what a concept! said Lyonne, referring to one of her most quotable lines from Russian Doll.

In her Variety cover story, Lyonne also spoke about giving up cigarettes, riding the wave of her career renaissance  thanks to Russian Doll and Poker Face  and being in her 40s.

People have suddenly become receptive to my eccentricity and idiosyncrasy, she said. Its a real curiosity that when I turned 40, people were like, Were down for this.

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The National Republican Army has claimed responsibility for arranging the murder of propagandist Vladlen Tatarsky.

Source: Latvia-based Russian independent news outlet Meduza; Rospartizan Telegram-channel; Ilya Ponomaryov, the former member of the State Duma who is living in Ukraine

Quote from the National Republican Army: "On 2 April 2023, we organised and carried out an action against the Z-activists group and personally against the well-known war propagandist, war criminal Maxim Fomin, known as Vladlen Tatarsky. This action was prepared and carried out by us independently, and we have no connection with and did not receive assistance from any foreign structures, let alone security services."

Details: They have stressed that the action was not directed against civilians, and "all the casualties are among the active supporters of the war".

Representatives of the organisation have also called on Russian human rights activists to provide assistance to Darya Trepova, who was arrested in this case, and "other innocent people".

Previously: In August 2022, Ilya Ponomaryov reported that the National Republican Army was also behind the murder of Darya Dugina, the daughter of infamous Russian propagandist Alexander Dugin, the author of the "Russian World" concept (i.e., Russia's dominating role in the world  ed.)

Before his statement, there were no mentions of this organisation online.

On 2 April 2023, the day of Vladlen Tatarsky's death, the former MP hinted in the media that he knew the killers of the "war correspondent", but was still waiting for the "official position of the group that carried out this action".

Background:

On 2 April, an explosion occurred in a cafe in the centre of St Petersburg that had previously belonged to Yevgeny Prigozhin, owner of the Wagner Group Private Military Company, killing "war correspondent" (military blogger) Vladlen Tatarsky and injuring 30 other people.

Russian security forces detained a resident of St. Petersburg, Daria Trepova, on suspicion of murder.

Analysts at the Institute for the Study of War have suggested that forces inside Russia may have been involved in Tatarskys murder, and it could have been a "warning" meant for Prigozhin.

Russia's National Anti-Terrorist Committee has accused Ukrainian special services and supporters of Alexei Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation of killing collaborator and propagandist Maxim Fomin, who called himself a "war correspondent" and went by the name Vladlen Tatarsky.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!






NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg believes that the Russian forces are trying to compensate for the low quality of equipment and command in the battle for the city of Bakhmut in Donetsk Oblast with quantity.

Source: Stoltenberg, in an interview with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, answering the question of how the battle for Bakhmut affects the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the Russian army

Quote from Stoltenberg: "We see low morale, equipment that is often poor, and training that is not very impressive in the ranks of the Russian army. The command does not perform well in many operations. However, at the same time, we see that what Russian troops lack in quality, they are trying to make up for in quantity."

Details: As he states, the Russian command is sending thousands of poorly equipped and trained troops into battle. "However, of course, this causes damage, and they can inflict losses on the Ukrainian side," he stressed.

The NATO Secretary General says that the Russian side is losing far more soldiers than the Ukrainian one because they lack quality command and equipment, but Russia should not be underestimated "because it has demonstrated a willingness to deploy tens of thousands of new troops".

"This is just another argument for me that we should support Ukraine, help Ukraine liberate its land, and repel the Russian invaders," Stoltenberg said.

Background: The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) suggested that Wagner Group fighters have seized the building of the Bakhmut administration, and Russian forces have made further advances in central Bakhmut.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
The Navy is seeking recommendations from the residents of Oahu on repurposing the Red Hill fuel depot once it's drained and the site is closed.

The service released the first of two surveys last week for the public to provide input on the site's future, according to a Navy announcement Friday. The survey not only addresses non-fuel uses, it asks how the community is learning about ongoing efforts to close Red Hill and what information they would like to receive from the Navy.

The service is pledging that responses will be confidential and anonymous. The input will be used as part of an effort to develop "beneficial non-fuel reuse of the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility" and will be included in a report to Congress expected in February 2024, according to a press release.

Read Next: Veterans Groups Sue for Info on Toxic Exposures at Uzbek Air Base Blamed for Causing Cancer

Red Hill is an underground storage facility with 20 buried tanks that once contained fuel for the Pacific Fleet and related installations. It is capable of holding up to 250 million gallons of fuel. Sandwiched between a correctional facility, a gun range and neighborhoods, the facility is scheduled to be defueled and completely shuttered by August 2027.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered the Navy to shut down the facility on March 7, 2022, after two accidents in May 2021 and November 2021 led to the contamination of drinking water and groundwater with jet fuel.

The Navy has proposed draining the tanks but leaving them in place, citing the environmental harm that would result from removing the tanks from their volcanic resting bed. The site sits about 100 feet above the water table, which provides drinking water to much of Honolulu.

Roughly 93,000 residents of military housing on and around Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam were exposed to jet fuel and other contaminants in their drinking water in 2021 following a massive spill of 20,000 gallons at the fuel depot the later that year dumped more than 5,000 gallons of fuel and contaminants into the drinking water supply and groundwater.

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The incident forced roughly 4,000 families from their homes while others opted to remain, living on bottled water for cooking, cleaning and bathing. Eventually, the World War II-era bulk fuel farm was closed and is being drained.

Nearly 6,000 residents, mainly military families, sought medical care for symptoms that ranged from rashes, nosebleeds and vomiting to sore throats and headaches, with some still dealing with chronic conditions they say are related to the spill.

More than 110 plaintiffs have joined a lawsuit against the U.S. Navy over the contamination, seeking compensation for the physical, emotional and financial strain they say was placed on them as a result of the service's failure to investigate and adequately respond.

Three military officers filed their own claims over the contamination against the Navy last week, the initial step in filing a federal lawsuit under the Federal Tort Claims Act.

Navy Ensign Koda Freeman, Army Col. Jessica Whaley and Army Maj. Amanda Feindt filed their claim March 27. Military service members are generally barred from suing the federal government by the Feres doctrine, a precedent-setting decision by the Supreme Court that bars troops from suing the government for injury, illness or death considered incidental to military service.

Their attorney, Kristina Baehr, has argued that the Red Hill disaster should not fall under Feres.

"We assert that [Feres] cannot be used against off-duty service members that showered in and drank water poisoned by the Navy in their own homes," Baehr said in a press release.

Oahu residents interested in answering the survey can find it here.

-- Patricia Kime can be reached at Patricia.Kime@Military.com. Follow her on Twitter @patriciakime.

Related: New Clinic for Military Families Exposed to Red Hill Fuel a 'Dog and Pony Show,' Patients Say
NATIONAL HARBOR, Maryland  The U.S. Navy will expand its work with unmanned and artificial intelligence tools into U.S. 4th Fleet, following the success of Task Force 59 in the Middle East.

The secretary of the Navy and the chief of naval operations announced the expansion into Central and South America during a presentation at the Navy Leagues annual Sea Air Space conference Tuesday in National Harbor, Maryland, saying the unmanned capability would make its debut in July at the annual UNITAS exercise.

The 4th Fleet area of operations provides us with an environment best suited to operationalize the concepts Task Force 59 has worked tirelessly to develop to increase our maritime domain awareness capabilities, Secretary Carlos Del Toro said at the lunchtime speech.

He told attendees that the move would support the 4th Fleet, U.S. Southern Command and the Joint Interagency Task Force South as they seek to crack down on narcotics and human trafficking and what Del Toro called the economic and ecological impact of illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing by China.

CNO Adm. Mike Gilday told reporters after the event that while the Navy stood up a formal task force in U.S. 5th Fleet to experiment with unmanned and AI technologies alongside regional partners, the Navy chose to try a different command structure here. Rather than create a task force underneath 4th Fleet, this effort will instead incorporate unmanned and AI tech  and the vast information that theyll collect and analyze for operators  within existing offices at 4th Fleet, such as intelligence, operations, plans and manpower.

By doing this, he said, the Navy is further normalizing these advanced technologies.

U.S. Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro speaks at a Sea-Air-Space conference luncheon in National Harbor, Maryland, on April 4, 2023. (Colin Demarest/C4ISRNET)

Task Force 59, created in September 2021, combined persistent unmanned systems for surveillance, high-speed unmanned systems to respond to problems and AI and machine learning tools to make sense of the significant quantity of data generated by the dozens of unmanned platforms. In just one year, this led to a mesh network capable of putting eyes and ears across most of the 5th Fleet area of operations, allowing manned vessels to more smartly focus their activities based on what the unmanned network was seeing.

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A key to the success of Task Force 59 has been the number of inexpensive commercial systems put into the water, plus the number of partner nations willing to join in the effort. The task force is on track to have 100 systems by this summer. A recent exercise, the International Maritime Exercise, included 35 manned ships and 30 unmanned and artificial intelligence systems from more than 50 nations and international organizations.

Del Toro and Gilday did not discuss how many systems or which ones would be in the water this summer for UNITAS, nor did they specify which or how many countries may participate. Gilday said the event would include air and surface platforms but noted were still lining those up and didnt want to name any vendors.

Real-world missions

Whereas Task Force 59 has focused on how to best leverage the unmanned and AI systems, Gilday said this effort in 4th Fleet would allow the Navy to learn more even as the systems contribute to real-world missions to help the U.S. and its neighbors. The benign environment is appealing as the Navy looks to expand unmanned operations out of 5th Fleet, with Del Toro and Gilday saying they may start small  focused on just the Caribbean basin, for example  and then increase the scope of the work as 4th Fleet learns more.

Experiments would also include looking at the concept of a mothership to host short-range unmanned systems. The Navy has in the past used 4th Fleet as a testbed for experimentation with expeditionary fast transport ships, littoral combat ships and more, as the service has sought to work through potential missions and concepts even while providing presence in a fleet that does not have any ships permanently operating there.

Del Toro said Mexico in particular is building up a drone manufacturing capability and that the U.S. Navy has been in touch with its Mexican counterparts to discuss how they could work together on unmanned platforms and in fielding them in 4th Fleet.
House Minority Leader Robert Reives and several Democrat-led organizations called Tuesday for the resignation of Democratic Rep. Tricia Cotham, the day before she switched her party affiliation.

The announcement, made at a Wednesday press conference at NCGOP headquarters in Raleigh, comes months after the Mecklenburg Democrat was elected to represent House District 112.

The switch would have major ramifications for control of the General Assembly, handing House Republicans a super-majority.

Rep. Tricia Cotham campaigned as a Democrat and supporter of abortion rights, health care, public education, gun safety and civil rights, Reives said in a news release late Tuesday. The voters of House District 112 elected her to serve as that person and overwhelmingly supported Democratic candidates up and down the ballot. Now, just a few months later, Rep. Cotham is changing parties.

Reives became the first public official to confirm news of Cothams party switch. Axios Raleigh, citing anonymous sources, first reported the switch.

Others calling for Cothams resignation include: the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, the North Carolina Democratic Party, the Mecklenburg County Democratic Party and Equality NC, the largest LGBTQ advocacy and political lobbying group.

Reives, in his statement, said Cotham won in 2022 with 60% of the vote. But he said shes no longer the person her constituents campaigned for in a difficult primary, or championed in a general election.

Those constituents deserved to know what values were most important to their elected representative, Reives said. Because of that, the appropriate action is for her to resign so that her constituents are fairly represented in the North Carolina House of Representatives.

Cothams decision also serves a blow to Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper, essentially stripping him of his veto power by giving both chambers a narrow supermajority.

This is a disappointing decision, Cooper said in a statement to The News & Observer. Rep. Cothams votes on womens reproductive freedom, election laws, LGBTQ rights and strong public schools will determine the direction of the state we love. Its hard to believe she would abandon these long-held principles, and she should still vote the way she has always said she would vote when these issues arise, regardless of party affiliation.

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Democratic Party says Cotham should step down

North Carolina Democratic Party Chair Anderson Clayton and Mecklenburg County Democratic Party Chair Jane Whitley released a joint statement Tuesday evening also calling for Cothams resignation.

This is deceit of the highest order, Clayton and Whitley said. Rep. Cothams decision is a betrayal to the people of (House District) HD-112 with repercussions not only for the people of her district, but for the entire state of North Carolina. If she can no longer represent the values her constituents trusted her to champion, she should resign immediately.

Equality NC, the largest LGBTQ advocacy and political lobbying group in North Carolina, said Cotham had already betrayed their trust by voting yes on a bill that call for sheriffs to work with ICE. The organization also called for her resignation.

Tricia Cotham sought ENCs endorsement in 2022 affirming that she held values consistent with our own, Equality NC tweeted. Since then, she betrayed those values, voting against equality by supporting legislation that targets the rights of marginalized communities.

From Washington, D.C., the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee also asked Cotham to step down.

Rep. Cotham is pulling a bait and switch on her constituents  who voted overwhelmingly for a Democrat to represent them in the House, said interim President Heather Williams. Voters in North Carolina did not elect a GOP House supermajority and Rep. Cotham is placing politics over their interests.

Williams said her organization is targeting North Carolina in 2024 to break both supermajorities and said Cothams actions gave Republicans free reign to enact their extreme MAGA agenda.

We stand with Democratic Leader Reives and echo his calls for Rep. Cothams resignation, Williams said. Her constituents deserve the leadership they voted for.

Sen. Natasha Marcus, a Democrat from Mecklenburg County, called Cothams actions dishonest and undemocratic.

If candidate Tricia Cotham had been honest before the election, she would not have won her seat, Marcus tweeted. The people of her district do not support the extreme right-wing policies that the NCGOP is shoving down our throats, now with her help.

And the Young Democrats of NC chose to turn Cothams decision into a call to action on Twitter: If youre angry about the fact that a Democrat just handed away Gov. Coopers veto and threw you to the wolves, we are too  but were not taking this lying down. Help us get ready to fight like hell to break the supermajority in 24  starting in District 112.
North Carolina lawmakers could give themselves the power to decide who will be the new president of the 58-campus community college system.

The Senate Education Committee backed legislation on Tuesday that removes the final decision on who is the community college system president from the State Board of Community Colleges. Instead, House Bill 149 would require the state board to submit its choice for president to the Republican-led General Assembly for confirmation or rejection.

The legislation comes as the state board is seeking a replacement for Thomas Stith, who resigned as president in July. Bill Carver is serving as the interim president for the second time in recent years after Stiths predecessor, Peter Hans, left the job in 2020 to lead the UNC System.

Weve had inconsistency in our president of the state community college system for several years now, said Sen. Tom McInnis, a Republican who represents Moore County. Its been a revolving door.

We have some of the largest industrial corporations in the world that are coming to North Carolina. Theyre expecting an educated and prepared workforce. We have to have certainty and continuity in our president of our system and this will help bring that along.

McInnis proposed the amendment Tuesday into an unrelated bill about virtual charter schools.

Legislative power grab?

Sen. Natasha Marcus, a Mecklenburg County Democrat, complained about the last-minute introduction of the amendment.

Its yet another power grab in the General Assembly over education matters that is very disturbing to me, Marcus said.

The new proposal comes the same week as a bill became law that removes direct oversight of the states three residential schools for blind and deaf students from the State Board of Education. The majority of that state board is made up of appointees of Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper.

The new law transfers control of the three schools to newly created local boards of trustees whose members will mainly be picked by lawmakers.

Also this week, Senate Republican leaders filed legislation that would reduce the number of members that the governor can appoint to several state boards and commissions. It would shift more of those appointments on boards such as the N.C. Utilities Commission and the State Board of Transportation to lawmakers.

These boards and commissions are charged with overseeing areas of state government that have a tremendous impact on our daily lives, Senate leader Phil Berger said in a statement. By balancing the membership of these unelected boards, were increasing the viewpoints on the boards by diversifying the appointing authorities.
Conservative ranchers have expressed sympathy for Kelly. The border is out of control, says John Ladd, a rancher near Naco, Ariz. (Adriana Zehbrauskas/The New York Times)

KINO SPRINGS, Ariz.  Gabriel Cuen-Buitimea was slipping across a ranchers land near the border with Mexico when the shooting started. Im hit, he said, before his eyes rolled back and he crumpled face down by a mesquite tree.

To the sheriff in rural Santa Cruz County, Arizona, this account, relayed by a witness, and other pieces of the investigation into the shooting death of Cuen-Buitimea seemed to make the next steps clear. The sheriffs office arrested George Alan Kelly, the rancher suspected of firing the fatal shot, and charged him with murder.

Then the angry calls started pouring in.

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This is garbage.

Its a travesty of justice.

Since when do illegals have rights?

To conservative ranchers and far-flung immigration critics who seized on the case as it ricocheted across social media, Kelly, 74, was the real victim in a murky tale of death and justice in Arizonas politically volatile borderlands.

The shooting Jan. 30 aggravated tensions over the surge in cross-border migration. Many in Santa Cruz County are horrified by the killing, and view the growing number of migrants as a humanitarian crisis. Cuen-Buitimea, 48, a Mexican man, was unarmed and was crossing the border into the United States without legal permission in search of work, law enforcement officials said. But Kellys supporters and some fellow ranchers see the incident as evidence of an invasion of migrants and drugs along the 2,000-mile border that threatens their security.

Cuen-Buitimeas death has added to a bloody toll of widely publicized killings along the border, and a sense of the peril on both sides.

In September, two American men were accused of opening fire on a group of migrants who had stopped for water at a pond outside El Paso, Texas. In March, two Americans were fatally shot during a brazen kidnapping in Matamoros, Mexico, that highlighted the rampant violence on the Mexican side of the border.

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Law enforcement officials say the shooting on Kellys ranch occurred after a group of migrants traversing the high desert nearby spotted a Border Patrol vehicle and scattered. When two men ran onto Kellys 170-acre ranch, the authorities say, Kelly fired his AK-47 rifle at them, hitting Cuen-Buitimea in the back.

In court papers, Kellys lawyer offered a sharply different account, saying that Kelly and his wife were eating lunch when they heard a gunshot. Kelly went to his porch to investigate, the court papers say, and in the distance he spotted a group of camouflage-clad men with assault rifles crossing his property. He fired warning shots over their heads after one of the men pointed a rifle at him, his lawyer said in court documents.

Kelly and his lawyer, Brenna Larkin, declined to comment for this article.

Kelly pleaded not guilty in March to charges of second-degree murder and assault, and he has been released on a $1 million bond. A trial has been scheduled for Sept. 6.

Larkin has disputed whether Kelly fired the fatal shot. In a court hearing, she appeared to raise the possibility that Cuen-Buitimea might have been killed in a conflict between rival gangs.

The question of security for ranchers living along the border is a complex one. Most migrants are looking for work, or seeking to escape dangerous conditions. Yet that flow of families and young migrants is often managed by networks of smugglers controlled by organized crime groups, including some of Mexicos most violent cartels. Ranchers in remote areas say they feel especially vulnerable because they are isolated.

Some ranchers have responded to rising numbers of migrants entering the country illegally by setting out water for them in the desert. Others use game cameras to track groups threading their way up ravines and arroyos. Some ranchers say they bring rifles for self-defense against traffickers when checking on their stock.

The border is out of control, said John Ladd, a rancher outside Naco, Arizona, who said he had found 16 migrants bodies on his land and had seen people with 30-foot ladders scaling sections of border wall by his ranch. Everybodys just sick of it. When you think your lifes threatened and your wife  everybody has a certain point where enough is enough.

(BEGIN OPTIONAL TRIM.)

After Kelly was arrested, scores of people from Virginia to Florida to California rallied to his defense and raised $425,000.

The history and economy of Santa Cruz County, whose population is 80% Hispanic, are rooted in the ties of Ambos Nogales, the twin cities that straddle the border wall. Every day, thousands of people from Nogales, Mexico, cross legally into Nogales, Arizona, trucking in tomatoes and electronics, or walking in to shop and visit relatives.

(END OPTIONAL TRIM.)

Although overall crime rates in Nogales, Arizona, are higher than statewide averages, violent crime is lower. And crime is scant in the outlying rural areas of Santa Cruz County, including the Kino Springs area where Kellys ranch sits, according to state data. The whole 50,000-person county often records one or two homicides a year.

Its a very peaceful and tranquil area, said Sheriff David Hathaway, an elected Democrat. He said he and his wife take sunset walks not far from where the shooting happened.

(BEGIN OPTIONAL TRIM.)

But in a court hearing, other law-enforcement agents described the area around Kellys ranch as a high-crime area where drug smuggling was on the rise.

Outside Nogales, the land on the United States side of the border quickly turns rugged and remote, studded with ranches and wide-open public lands. Miles of new border wall abruptly end when they reach riverbeds and canyons, which serve as crossing points for migrants and smugglers.

At least 894 migrants died along the entire southern border in the last federal fiscal year  a 58% increase from the previous fiscal year, according to the U.S. Border Patrol Missing Migrant Program.

To Kelly, the mesquite-fringed stretch of land where the shooting occurred represented a late-life dream when he and his wife bought the property in 2002.

The Kellys planned to build a resort where wealthy tourists might pay as much as $1,000 a night to go horseback riding, hike or stargaze, according to court records. But the resort never materialized.

(END OPTIONAL TRIM.)

Kelly called the Santa Cruz Sheriffs Office several times in the early 2000s to report gunshots on his property, a break-in, and tampering with his gates. In 2005, he reported seeing a group of migrants on his land, and said that when two of the men approached him after he yelled at them to stop, he used his pistol to fire a warning shot into the air, according to a report from a sheriffs officer.

Kelly also made regular calls to the Border Patrols rancher liaison officers, according to court testimony.

Kelly was a stranger to many commercial ranchers in the area. Some called him a hobby rancher in contrast to larger operations that graze hundreds of cattle.

All the ranchers Ive talked with have never known him, said Jim Chilton, a rancher and border-wall proponent in Arivaca, Arizona.

Chilton said that he regularly sees clusters of backpack-carrying people crossing his land, but he said they tend to avoid his house.

Ive never fired a shot, but Im armed at all times, he said, adding that he had sympathy for Kelly: I can understand his frustrations with people coming through his place.

In a self-published 2013 novel, Far Beyond the Border Fence, Kelly conjured the persona of a border rancher named George who patrols his war zone ranch. George gets into gunfights with traffickers and heads into Mexico to rescue abducted family members.

Cuen-Buitimea, 48, grew up in an adobe house in the impoverished farming village of Buaysiacobe in the Mexican state of Sonora, according to his relatives and friends there. He had crossed into the United States illegally and been deported at least three times between 2011 and 2016, according to court records.

Jesus Molina, a friend, said that Cuen-Buitimea lived with his two oldest daughters in Nogales, Mexico. He occasionally returned to Buaysiacobe, about 350 miles south of the border, where his mother and other relatives lived. In Buaysiacobe, he worked in the onion fields and would hang out with friends at a local tire-repair shop, Molina said.

In court filings, Kellys lawyer claimed that Cuen-Buitimea must have been a smuggler  whether of people, or drugs, or both  because investigators had found a two-way radio with his body, some 100 yards from Kellys house.

Officials of the sheriffs office in Santa Cruz County said they believed Cuen-Buitimea had been heading to Phoenix to seek work as a roofer, and that they had not found any evidence that he had been a trafficker.

Court records say that a witness told investigators that he and Cuen-Buitimea were making their way through the area when a man with a rifle opened fire without a word of warning.

Kelly called the Border Patrol to say he was being shot at, and was returning fire and pursuing a group of men, according to testimony from law enforcement officers. Responding officers searched the area but did not find anyone.

Toward evening, Kelly told a sheriffs dispatcher that he had found Cuen-Buitimeas body. In a recording of the 911 call obtained through a public records request, Kelly says he is hesitant to talk on the phone, and tells the dispatcher he discovered an animal laying face down.

An animal? the dispatcher asks.

An animal, Kelly replies. And you know what an animal is  its not a vegetable or a mineral. Its a body, and you know what Im talking about.

In legal filings, Kellys lawyer has called witness statements highly suspicious and has said they are contradictory and do not match the physical evidence.

Supporters of Kelly who have spoken to his family say that he and his wife have left the ranch house in Kino Springs because they are worried about their safety. The dirt road leading to the property is blocked by a locked gate and a sign that says, No Trespassing.

c.2023 The New York Times Company
For the most recent story read, 'Providence basketball player Breed released on bail, witness not cooperating'

PROVIDENCE  A District Court judge ordered a Providence College basketball team member held without bail on Monday morning based on an allegation that he broke into his ex-girlfriend's apartment armed with a Glock pistol early Saturday morning.

A lawyer for Alyn Breed argued that police had not recovered a gun.

The 33-year-old woman, with whom Breed had a relationship, is already "walking back" parts of her original story, said the Providence lawyer, Maria Deaton.

Judge J. Patrick O'Neil told Breed he is open to seeing the woman and reviewing the matter as more information emerges in the coming days.

But the 21-year-old, who less than a month ago was on a top-ranked NCAA basketball team pursuing a March Madness bid, remained in handcuffs.

"The allegation you are facing, Mr. Breed, could not be more serious," O'Neil told him. "Unfortunately, all too often in this courtroom, I hear that story where a very serious report is being made and is then walked back hours later if not days afterward. But unfortunately, we're dealing with the most serious allegation you can face. You are held without bail ."

More: Providence basketball's next disciplinary step for Alyn Breed should be righteous

Providence College basketball player Alyn Breed appears in court Monday facing multiple charges after a domestic incident early Saturday morning.

Assistant Attorney General Meghan E. McDonough told O'Neil that the woman has told investigators she is familiar with the gun she says Breed drew on her.

McDonough said the woman told investigators she was with Breed when he bought the gun, a Glock, in Georgia.

What Alyn Breed is accused of

A police report refers to Breed as an ex-boyfriend, and Deaton described the situation over the weekend as a breakup.

The record accuses Breed of carrying a gun without a license, using a firearm in the robbery of a cellphone, carrying a dangerous weapon while committing a crime of violence, maliciously vandalizing a floral arrangement, and operating a 2016 Dodge vehicle without the woman's consent.

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McDonough told O'Neil that Breed had entered the two-floor apartment in Providence.

"While he was in the bedroom of her home uninvited, unannounced, he wielded a firearm at which time he demanded that she turn over her cellphone," she said. "While he was wielding the firearm, she complied. He left the apartment and fled down the street."

McDonough told O'Neil that Breed had admitted taking the vehicle without the woman's permission.

Deaton told O'Neil that the woman had purchased the car for Breed to use and that he routinely drives it on the Providence College campus.

McDonough acknowledged Monday that police had not recovered a gun.

O'Neil said he may hold a bail hearing Friday. He also expressed a willingness to amend Monday's bail decision if new information should emerge before Friday.

"Anything develops before then, you come see me and then we'll talk about bail," he said. "But in the meantime, there's an allegation of guns being waved around in people's faces."

What the police report says about the Alyn Breed incident

Police were dispatched to Breed's dorm, Bedford Hall, on the Friars' campus at 6:08 a.m. Saturday, according to the police report.

At that time, the report says, the woman was on campus and talking to Providence College security, telling them Breed had come to her off-campus home at about 9 p.m. Friday to retrieve some belongings.

She told them she had allowed him to gather his things and brought him back to campus, the report says.

At 4:38 a.m., the report says, a campus security officer saw a Dodge Challenger roll toward the dormitory, its engine revving, and parked in a fire lane.

Breed and several women emerged from the car, it says, before the security officer told him to move the car, which he did after apologizing.

The victim told police that around 5 or 5:30 a.m., Breed returned to her home without permission, the report says, and that she also said Breed had found her in bed with a guest. The redacted report does not identify the guest by name or gender.

She told police that Breed then pulled out a gun and ordered her guest to leave, the report says. It says she told police that her guest left and Breed then ordered her to give him her cellphone.

Providence College security told police that at 5:49 a.m. Breed called to warn them to be on the lookout for a woman trying to gain access to the campus.

The woman was on the campus, with security, when Providence police were dispatched to Breed's dormitory, the report says.

The report says police found Breed "vague" and evasive in response to questions.

Breed admitted he had driven around in the victim's car, according to the report. Breed told police that she believed he had her cellphone, but the device was missing, the report says.

At the victim's apartment, police noticed "broken flowers" on the bedroom floor. She told police her guest had given her the flowers, but Breed had destroyed them "in a fit of rage," says the report.

She also told them the surveillance cameras in the home had recorded Breed's brandishing of a firearm, but that she couldn't access the cameras without her cellphone. She told them she didn't know how Breed had acquired keys to the car.

Breed was arrested at 7 a.m.

Editor's note: This story has been edited to remove the name of the victim in this case, as Gannett's general guidelines are to not publish the names, images, or other identifying information of victims of domestic violence, rape, incest, or human trafficking.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Providence basketball player Alyn Breed held without bail in gun case
A group from First Capital Enterprises accepts the Stauffer Maddox Inclusion Award

CHILLICOTHE The Pioneer Center recently honored nine community leaders at its annual awards banquet. Recipients included local business owners, employees, providers and individuals with developmental disabilities.

This is the perfect way to wrap up what has been an incredible Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month, said Superintendent of the Pioneer Center Amy Beeler. Im so proud of this organization and community and I cant wait to see what we do next.

State Representative, Mark Johnson, was on hand to award each recipient with an accommodation from Senator, JD Vance and the Ohio House of Representatives. Attendees also enjoyed a spectacular musical performance from Kassey McGuire.

Recipients included:

Clark Alexander Business Award - Peggy Whitten, To Be Reused Consignment Shop

Distinguished Student Achievement Award  Jacob Whitaker, 9th Grade Pioneer School Student

Distinguished Adult Achievement Awards  Victoria Burns

Barnhart Caregiver Award  Sue Rinehart

Service & Support Administrator of the Year  Amanda Collins, Ross County Board of DD

Marriott Achievement Award  Amy Haynes, Teacher, Pioneer School

Provider Recognition Award  Rebecca McFann, Instructor Assistant, Pioneer School

Stauffer Maddox Inclusion Award  First Capital Enterprises, KNECT Program

Special Recognition Award  William Willie Martin

The Pioneer Center, otherwise known as Ross County Board of DD (RCBDD), exists for the purpose of improving the quality of life for citizens who have a developmental disability. RCBDD is committed to providing quality services that give individuals and their families choices that enhance community participation and achieve a life of increasing capabilities.

This article originally appeared on Chillicothe Gazette: Nine honored at Pioneer annual awards banquet
State Rep. G.A. Hardaway speaks at a press conference of local organizers, elected officials, attorneys and activists calling for a Department of Justice pattern-or-practice investigation into the Memphis Police Department at the NAACP Memphis Branch on Friday, February 17, 2023.

The Department of Justice did not indicate to community and state leaders if it would investigate the Memphis Police Department to see if the brutal beating of Tyre Nichols in early January was part of a department-wide pattern.

State Representatives G.A. Hardaway and Joe Towns, along with a number of community leaders, met with Assistant U.S. Attorney General Kristen Clarke, head of the DOJ's civil rights division, on Monday morning, in further efforts to spur a pattern-or-practice investigation into the Memphis Police Department.

Hardaway and Towns sent a letter to the DOJ in February, which included the signatures of about 20 community leaders, requesting the pattern-or-practice investigation.

"We believe 'bad cops' have been emboldened by the implicit or explicit approval of their superiors to act upon the systemic racist and classist biases within the MPD," the letter states.

Although the meeting was closed to the public, Hardaway was flanked by local clergy and activists in a press conference outside the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law when he reaffirmed his belief in the importance of a pattern-or-practice investigation, as well as pointing to the differences between the DOJ's evaluation of MPD's specialized units and a pattern-or-practice investigation.

"We appreciate General [Kristen] Clarke setting the time aside to work with us in figuring out how to communicate, number one, to the public the necessity for a pattern-or-practice investigation," Hardaway said. "Number two is to make sure that the efforts by the [City of Memphis] to mislead the public into thinking that the COPS program is a pattern-or-practice investigation. It is not"

The DOJ has already confirmed that it has accepted the City of Memphis' request to evaluate MPD's specialized units, through its COPS Office (Office of Community Oriented Policing Services), but that investigation is lesser in scope compared to a full-fledged pattern-or-practice investigation. The DOJ will also create a "best practices" manual for specialized units across the country.

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A pattern-or-practice investigation would look to see if regular stops, searches or arrests violate the Fourth Amendment, along with looking for signs of discriminatory policing or constitutional rights violations, including First Amendment violations.

Most recently, in early March, the DOJ finished its pattern-or-practice investigation into the Louisville Metro Police Department and found the department did "engage in a pattern-or-practice of conduct that violates the U.S. Constitution and federal law."

The DOJ launched its pattern-or-practice investigation into LMPD in late April 2021.

Josh Spickler, a criminal defense attorney and the executive director for Just City, said at the press conference that Clarke told the group communities differ in what triggers a pattern-or-practice investigation from the DOJ.

"Miss Clarke said that each community is different, and she stressed that over and over again that she did not come here to make any commitments," Spickler said. "...Each community brings something different in their request. While she provided some guidance and said what we're doing now is helpful, she couldn't give us a roadmap, and I think that was pretty much expected."

Clarke, who has been visiting various cities across the South to bring awareness to the work of the DOJ's civil rights division, met with community leaders Monday morning, and attended an event Monday evening at the University of Memphis, hosted by the Benjamin L. Hooks Institute for Social Change. She will also attend Tuesday's commemoration of the 55th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination at the National Civil Rights Museum.

Clarke told The Commercial Appeal before the UofM event she could not comment on the DOJ's investigation into Nichols' death, but said the investigation is "an important priority for the Civil Rights Division and the US Attorney's Office here in Memphis."

"I deem it critical that we be on the ground, listening to communities and hearing about the issues that are top of mind for them," Clarke said. "[The Monday morning] meeting was an important one, and it provided us an opportunity to step back and hear from leaders about the issues that they want their Justice Department to take on."

Nichols was brutally beaten on Jan. 7 by multiple MPD officers. He was taken to St. Francis Hospital and died three days later.

In the weeks since his death, five officers have been charged with second-degree murder, along with aggravated assault and other charges. Those five officers were fired, along with two additional officers. An eighth officer, Lt. Dewayne Smith, resigned before his administrative hearing. The recommendation of the hearing officer was to fire him.

A total of 13 MPD officers were investigated by the City of Memphis, with three others being given suspensions and two having their administrative charges dropped. Three Memphis Fire Department personnel were fired, with a fourth given a suspension.

Lucas Finton is a news reporter with The Commercial Appeal. He can be reached at Lucas.Finton@commercialappeal.com and followed on Twitter @LucasFinton.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: DOJ makes no commitments on starting pattern-or-practice investigation
Rep. Tricia Ann Cotham, D-Mecklenburg, speaks on the House floor as North Carolina lawmakers gather for a special session Wednesday, March 23, 2016 in Raleigh, N.C. Lawmakers will consider stopping a new Charlotte ordinance set to take effect April 1 that gives protections to transgender people to use the restroom of their gender identity. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)

North Carolina State Rep. Tricia Cotham (D), an EMILYs List-endorsed lawmaker from a heavily blue district in the Charlotte area, switched her party affiliation to Republican on Wednesday morning, thereby handing the states Grand Old Party a veto-proof majority capable of banning abortion, among other horrific priorities. And banning abortion is very much on the agenda in the purple state.



They have pushed me out. Theyve made it very clear they do not want me, said Cotham while wearing red at a press conference at the North Carolina GOP headquarters in Raleigh.

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Apparently, one of the final straws was the pushback she received (characterized as being bullied) for using emojis  and  on social media and on her car. Cotham said the Democratic party didnt let her express her opinions without the potential of public or internal criticism.

The criticism she is likely to face will center on abortion, which until joining the Republicans, Cotham had vehemently defended. In fact, the day after the leaked draft of the Dobbs Supreme Court decision that showed SCOTUS would be overturning Roe v. Wade, Cotham said she would fight to codify the soon-to-be nullified Supreme Court decision. Now, more than ever we need leaders who will be unwavering and unapologetic in their support of abortion rights. Ill fight to codify Roe in the #ncga and continue my strong record of defending the right to choose, she tweeted in May.

Cotham becoming a Republican gives state Republicans the ability to override any veto from Gov. Roy Cooper (D). Cooper has vetoed 47 bills during his term so far. The news of Cothams then-impending switch was first reported by Axios.

EMILYs List, a PAC that works to specifically elect pro-abortion rights female candidates, expressed outrage at the news. If reports are true, Representative Cotham is joining a Republican caucus that has stridently opposed abortion rights, rolled back voting rights, and imposed deep cuts on public education for years. By changing parties and abandoning the principles that our community fights to uphold, Rep. Cotham is no longer eligible for EMILYs List support, President Laphonza Butler said in a statement to Jezebel on Tuesday night. We remain committed to electing Democratic pro-choice women and will continue to hold North Carolina Republicans accountable for their extreme, out-of-touch, and cruel anti-choice agenda.

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That out-of-touch agenda is horrific. On March 29, state House Majority Deputy Whip Keith Kidwell (R) introduced a total abortion ban with only a minor exception. Kidwells bill, which he called Human Life Protection Act of 2023, seeks to make performing an abortion a felony and add civil penalties, including a $100,000 fine and loss of ones professional license.

The South is quickly becoming an abortion desert, as state after state decimates access to the procedure. The map is looking extremely bleak: Abortion is either outright banned or severely curtailed, often at just six weeks gestation (before many people even realize theyre pregnant), in Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, and Kentucky. The only relatively bright spots are South Carolina, Florida, North Carolina and Puerto Rico, but Id be remiss if I didnt remind you that Florida is doing its absolute best to pass a six-week abortion ban, as well.

If Florida and North Carolina are no longer able to provide abortion caresomething that Cothams party defection makes all the more likelythe closest clinics for people residing in southern states are in Virginia, New Mexico, Ohio, Kansas, and Illinoisthough Republicans are now starting to come after interstate abortion travel as well, so having a health care oasis nearby by may soon become irrelevant for much of the population, anyway.

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North Dakota on Monday became the latest stop in the nationwide tour of culture wars.

House Republicans there failed to get enough votes to override their GOP Gov. Doug Burgums veto of a bill that critics say would have allowed state employees and teachers to misgender transgender students and staff.

In his veto last week, Burgum said the bill put an undue burden on teachers to be the pronoun police. The governor also said the issue would be better managed at the local level and by parents, rather than state government.

North Dakota will continue to stand for free speech, local control, and freedom from discrimination, Burgum said in a letter last week.

Congress news: Parents Bill of Rights Act passes House in latest salvo of culture wars

FILE - North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum speaks at the state Capitol on April 10, 2020, in Bismarck, N.D. Teachers in North Dakota can still refer to transgender students by the personal pronouns they use, after lawmakers on Monday, April 3, 2023, failed to override the governors veto of a controversial bill to place restrictions on educators.

Anti-trans bill won't become law in North Dakota

The North Dakota Senate was able to override his veto in a 37-9 veto last week, but the 56-36 vote Monday in the House fell short of the two-thirds majority needed.

The bill will not become a law and is one of dozens in North Dakota and hundreds across the country targeting LGBTQ people. They are being pushed by the same conservative organizations that worked to overturn federal abortion rights.

Overall, the American Civil Liberties Union is tracking nearly 450 bills that target LGBTQ rights to freedom of speech, healthcare and more.

Some Republicans have adopted an anti-trans platform, running on it in 2022 and now doubling down at the start of their 2024 campaigns.

More: Florida bill would ban girls from talking about their periods in school, GOP lawmaker says

More: 'We value academic freedom' Students walk out in protest of Ron DeSantis' education policies

Candy Woodall is a Congress reporter for USA TODAY. She can be reached at cwoodall@usatoday.com or on Twitter at @candynotcandace.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: N.D. pronoun bill: Why anti-trans legislation won't become law
Rachel Young

Update: Indianapolis police on April 3 announced Rachel was found alive. The department in a tweet thanked the community for its assistance in finding her.

Original article: Police and the family of a 25-year-old woman who went missing in Indianapolis are asking for help locating her.

Rachel Young was last seen in the 8100 block of Clearvista Parkway on the northeast side of Indianapolis on Feb. 18, said her mother Natalie Price.

Young lived with her mother and 5-year-old daughter in Fountain Town.

Her purpose in life is her daughter, Price said. I dont know what to say but this is not normal.

Before she went missing, Young completed treatment at a recovery center in Indianapolis and was picked up by someone who has not yet been identified, according to loved ones.

Rachel Young

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Young is 5 feet and 3 inches, 112 pounds with brown hair and blue eyes. She may be in need of medical assistance, according to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.

She is a timid and anxious person, said Youngs best friend Megan Tate. We are worried she is in an unsafe situation.

Anyone who locates Young is asked to call 911 immediately. Anyone with information on her whereabouts are asked to call 911, contact the IMPD Missing Persons Unit at 317-327-6160 or call Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana at 317-262-8477 to remain anonymous.

Contact Jake Allen at jake.allen@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter @Jake_Allen19.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Rachel Young disappearance: Family, police search for missing woman
In this world nothing can be said to be certain, Benjamin Franklin wrote in 1789, except death and taxes. So far, hes been 100% right about death but as far as taxes are concerned, Im afraid Mr. Franklin missed the mark. Everyone dies but apparently, not everyone pays their taxes.

If you have a criminal mind and can hire a shifty financial manager or an unscrupulous tax accountant, you may be able to slip out from under the full weight of the taxes you owe. Clearly, some folks dont pay what they should although a subset of these scofflaws do get caught: Al Capone and Martha Stewart spring to mind. I suspect that tax evasion is more common than might be implied from my short list of dodgers.

Ron McAllister

There is an important distinction to be made between tax avoidance (a legal method of reducing the taxes you owe) and tax evasion (an illegal way of minimizing your tax liability). So, how common is tax evasion?

According to a 2018 Brookings report: About one out of every six dollars owed in federal taxes is not paid. If this estimate is accurate then the annual amount of unpaid taxes would be about three-quarters the size of the annual federal budget deficit. You want to solve the budget deficit problem? Go after scofflaws and chase down tax dodgers.

The U.S. has not always imposed income taxes, of course. From 1873-1893 and from 1895 to 1912, for example, there was no national income tax. And when taxes have been collected, different tax rates have applied to different income brackets. The brackets have varied in number over the years. In 1862, there were just two brackets (3% and 5%) but weve also seen years with as many as 56 different brackets (e.g., 1918-1920). This year there are seven tax brackets.

The Observer: York Community Service Association launches housing initiative

The history of tax brackets in the United States is interesting if a little dizzying. According to the Tax Foundation, in 1944 the top tax bracket (for those married, filing jointly and earning over $200,000) was 94.0%. There was a war on, remember.

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Tax rates within the brackets have been on a roller coaster ride since then; mostly heading downhill. The rate for the highest bracket dropped after the war to the low 90% range and stayed there until the mid-1960s when it fell to 70%. It dropped further in the 1980s to 50% and in 1987 it was 38.5%. After 1987, rates bounced up and down narrowly and currently sit at 37.0% for married couples earning over $628,301 and filing jointly.

I dont object to paying taxes to live in this great country but apparently not everyone feels the same. Some seem to prefer a dont ask/dont tell policy when it comes to investigating tax evasion. The task of ferreting out the cheats and fraudsters, would seem to require an increase in IRS investigators and youd think people in government would want to make the IRS work better.

The Observer: I have seen the past and the future

In January 2023, however, House Republicans, delivering on campaign promises passed their Fair Tax Act along party lines. The vote was 221 to 210. The bill (HR-25) would gut the IRS, eliminating all individual and corporate federal income taxes along with payroll, estate and gift taxes. It would replace the income tax with a standardized national sales tax.

The 2023 Fair Tax Act drastically cuts funding for the Internal Revenue Service by the fiscal year 2027, relying on the states to administer what is essentially a 23% national VAT. This legislation could never pass the Democrat-controlled Senate and would surely be vetoed by President Biden even if it did. Taxes are one of the core ideological distinctions between the two major parties. Republicans rail against them while Democrats accept their necessity.

Im not sure what HR-25 would do about tax cheats. Maybe it would eliminate some of them, but it also would make the tax system more regressive  increasing the proportional burden on lower-income people and reducing the burden on wealthier people.

Radically shrinking the IRS is an impractical, short-sighted and simpleminded idea. Decentralizing tax collection to the state level would solve nothing. In a global world, governments need reliable sources of revenue and a fair income tax is the best way to achieve that.

Remember the extended 2023 tax deadline is April 18.

Ron McAllister is a sociologist and writer who lives in York.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: The Observer: Lets talk about taxes, taxes, taxes
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Some fashion trends are practical, and others are, well, not so much. Low-rise jeans, anyone? No thanks. However, comfy maxi skirts you can dress up or down? Im in! Yes, maxi skirts are in, and you can wear them with simple ribbed tank tops and T-shirts or leather jackets and blazers.

However, if you want to stock up on the style without spending a whole lot, this $30 slip skirt from Amazon is a great buy. The Modegal Satin High-Waist Midi Skirt is labeled as a midi skirt, but depending on your height, it may be more of a maxi skirt. The length ranges from 31.1 inches to 33.3 inches, depending on the size you order. Either way you wear it, though, its in style, and you can wear it in the spring, summer and even well into the fall.

The skirt has an elastic waist, so its easy to pull on, and there isnt a pesky zipper sticking out, ruining the flow of the piece. Plus, it comes in 14 colors, and the fabric is super soft and lightweight.

I looked all over for the perfect satin slip skirt and am pleased to say this fit the bill, wrote one Amazon reviewer. The length hits my lower calf (Im 56) with just the right amount of flair at the hem and the large worked perfectly for my size 10, slightly hourglass shape. Not too tight nor too baggy. The material is also [heavy] enough to avoid clinging and provide a nice fluttery drape. Overall, a [surprisingly] flattering skirt, given the cut and material.

Quality is great, added another reviewer. Nice elastic band so I could wear it high waisted with a bodysuit. Was a tad longer than Id like so had to wear with really high heels. Didnt wrinkle with wear which was nice. Good quality, can be dressed up or down.

The Modegal Satin High-Waist Midi Skirt is currently available in all colors, including black, champagne, green and leopard print. Select colors also start at just $25.99 if you need another reason to add it to your cart.

If you liked this article, check out 2023s other hottest trend: Cargo pants.

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The post OK, so maxi skirts are in, and youre going to want this $30 one from Amazon in multiple colors appeared first on In The Know.
Cheryl Korbel - Peter Byrne/PA Wire

It must have taken every last ounce of maternal courage for Cheryl Korbel to read her victim impact statement at Manchester Crown Court. My God, she was impressive. As she fought back the tears, Cheryl was clutching Liv, a teddy made out of patchwork pieces from the same pyjamas her daughter wore as she lay dying from a gunshot wound. Olivia (my love, my shadow) was nine years old, and now she always will be.

None of it makes sense from a distance. Imagine what the tragedy feels like close up. To open your front door because theres a commotion in the street, for a man to run past you into the hall pursued by another man firing a gun through the door, for you to try desperately to shut the door so the second man cant come in, for your sleepy daughter at that exact hellish moment to come downstairs seeking reassurance, for a bullet to pass through your own outstretched hand and into your childs chest, for the man to continue firing despite the terrified screams. Mummy, Im scared. The last words she spoke.

Thomas Cashman, who was sentenced to life imprisonment this week for killing Olivia Pratt-Korbel and for the attempted murder of Joseph Nee, with a minimum term of 42 years, boasted of being a high-level drug dealer. As if scum had a league table. He wasnt such a big man when it came to facing the mother of the child hed so casually slaughtered. Cashman was sentenced in his absence after he refused to appear in the dock, if you please. John Cooper KC said his client did not attend the hearing as he was aware members of the Crown Prosecution Service had sung Queens We Are The Champions following the verdict last week. He has been given certain advice, but he is concerned that the matter is turning into a circus, reported the barrister, prissily.

A circus? My, what exquisitely sensitive feelings the fiend has! Happy to carry out a planned execution attempt on a fellow low-life, he draws the line at a power ballad belted out badly to celebrate his incarceration. Far more likely, I suspect Thomas Cashman flinched at the thought of coming face to face with Cheryl Korbel. A womans tears can be scarier than bullets to a self-styled hardman; a mothers un-assuageable grief is a chainsaw to the carapace of a coward.

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The judge, Mrs Justice Yip, said she regarded Cashmans lack of attendance as incredibly disrespectful to not only the court but those interested in proceedings, including the family of the deceased. That was dry legalese for saying that the rotten gangster deprived Cheryl and her elder daughter Chloe (Olivias doting big sister) of the chance to inform the brute about the consequences of his actions. Cashman has never acknowledged his responsibility for Olivias death, nor shown any remorse, even claiming during his trial that, Im not a killer, Im a dad. A shameless ploy to use parenthood as exculpation by a child killer.

What I found most shocking, though, was that prison officers didnt simply drag the convicted murderer by the short and curlies to the dock. Cashman should have been forced to hear what Cheryl Korbel had to say. (The whole purpose of a victim impact statement, surely.) Instead, he was allowed to dictate his preferences to the court. What rank feebleness was this on the part of the criminal justice system? Please tell me that a killers human rights dont trump the rights of a bereaved family?

Alas, it seems that they do. Human rights plus a reluctance on the part of guards to chip their nail polish as they manhandle the prisoner upstairs. I exaggerate, but not by much. Prison officers, it seems, are not keen on jeopardising their own safety by using force on an obstreperous, reluctant convict.

Compare and contrast that pathetic, not-my-job, Guv, attitude from a team of guards with the extraordinary heroism of the other woman crucial to the case. A witness for the prosecution, who had once had a fling with Cashman, this woman told the jury (from behind a screen) that he came to her house immediately after the shooting and she heard him say he had done Joey, meaning that he had shot someone.

Magnificently defiant in the face of Liverpools drugs gangs and the citys most feared hitman, this quick-witted gangsters moll basically sacrificed her own life in order to put Olivias killer behind bars. Believed to have had more death threats than any other police informant in Merseyside history, she now faces years in a witness protection programme, hidden away from family and friends. She will never be able to consider herself safe again.

Cheryl Korbel rightly paid tribute to the witness for having the guts to breach the Mersey Mafias code of Omerta. Theres no such thing as a grass when it involves a nine-year-old girl, the woman told the jury.

Olivia Pratt-Korbel - Family Handout/PA Wire

So true, and so incredibly brave. And there should be no such thing as the murderer of that nine-year-old girl being allowed to duck out of the victim impact statements either.

Snubbing their sentencing is becoming a bit of a habit for hardcore criminals. It puts two fingers up to the justice system (with burglars needing 27 break-ins before being sent down, further mockery is hardly necessary). Justice Secretary Dominic Raab is now under pressure to use the Victims and Prisoners Bill currently going through Parliament to give judges the power to impose longer sentences on criminals who compound the grief of families by refusing to appear in court for their sentencing. Raab shouldnt hesitate.

In Thomas Cashmans case, mind you, the threat of a longer sentence holds little fear. He will be 76 by the time he is eligible for release. Something else that might change attitudes like his is the danger of privileges  visitors, TV, segregation for safety reasons  being withdrawn. Or how about prison officers do their job and follow the American example, bringing perps to court in handcuffs and chains? It does tend to remind people whos boss; a fact that our dripping-wet, liberal system increasingly shies away from.

At the heart of this dark story is a beautiful, brown-eyed chatterbox who will speak no more. A little girl snatched from this world because some men are greedy and ruthless and drugs strip them of their humanity before pocketing their conscience. All that promise for her future so cruelly taken away, Cheryl Korbel said in her statement to the court, the one Thomas Cashman didnt want to hear. Now I have to drive to the cemetery to be close to my baby daughter.

Its also the tale of two strong women. One a grieving mother who somehow summoned up a rare eloquence for her child which touched everyone who heard it. The other, whose name we will never know, who gave up her own life so the brute who stole Olivias would not get away with murder. Thank you, Cheryl, and Lady With No Name. Evil cannot reign unchecked when goodness refuses and says, No!

Let those cowardly murderers hiding away from their guilt be made to face the bereaved in court. I tell her she will live on in my heart. My shadow, my love.
As the UC Davis community grapples with the deaths of three of its own in a traffic collision last week, the students lives are coming into focus.

Minkyu Geon of Hong Kong was a junior majoring in electrical engineering and had been an undergraduate assistant in the Integration Engineering Laboratory, university officials said Tuesday. The lab focuses on the study of intelligent robotics and mechatronics.

Codi Orland Mateo of Pasco, Washington, was a senior majoring in neurobiology, physiology and behavior, university officials announced.

Margarette Guinto Ventura of Virginia Beach, Virginia, was a sophomore majoring in biological sciences, who, friends said, was an intern at the Bayanihan Clinic in Rancho Cordova, helping to provide medical care to underserved communities.

The student-run Bayanihan Clinic on Explorer Drive provides free medical care to the areas Filipino immigrant community and other underserved communities along with outreach to Filipino-American military veterans. Many of the staffers come from UC Davis ranks, including undergrads like sophomore Ventura and UC Davis medical and physicians assistant students.

Mateo studied neurobiology, the pre-health program that gives students, in the course catalogs words, the tools to develop solutions that will help humans and animals lead healthy lives.

But at Pasco, Washingtons Chiawana High School, Mateo was a beloved member of his schools wind ensemble, marching and jazz bands. Mateo, a 2021 graduate, played euphonium and bass, and was, in words posted on the high school bands Facebook page, one of the coolest kids youll ever meet.

Geon and Mateo lived in Shasta Hall. Ventura lived in the campus Laben Hall and was a member of Girl Gains, a recreational weightlifting organization on campus. Mateo also participated in the Filipinx Association for Health Careers, also a student organization.

We are absolutely devastated and struggling to come to terms with such immense loss, University of California, Davis Chancellor Gary S. May said in an earlier statement. On behalf of the UC Davis community, we send our condolences to the family, friends and others who knew and loved them. Our Aggie family shares deeply in your pain and loss.

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The university has contacted the students families to offer help and are directing fellow students to the campus Student Health and Counseling Services. These postvention services, as they are known, focus attention on families who have lost loved ones.

Campus representatives will meet with grieving family members, offering help with memorial services, arranging campus visits or posthumous recognition of their students academic achievement, said Paul Kim, the universitys director or counseling services.

For students and others in the campus community, counselors are at the ready along with crisis consultation services including a 24-hour text line. A list of available services can be found on the Aggie Mental Health website.

With sudden tragedies such as Fridays, students experience a range of emotions and impacts, Kim said. There are a range of resources we provide and we stand ready to provide them.

California Highway Patrol officials summarized the harrowing scene that led to tragedy. The students car was struck by a wrong-way driver and two other vehicles on Highway 99 north of Lathrop Road in San Joaquin County a little after midnight Friday. The students vehicle then slammed into a concrete divider.

The students and the wrong-way driver, identified only as a 32-year-old Stockton man, were pronounced dead at the scene.

Alcohol was a factor in the collision. Both the wrong-way driver and another motorist who was taken to San Joaquin General Hospital with major injuries were suspected to have been under the influence of alcohol, the CHP said.

The wrong-way driver collided with the students car on northbound Highway 99 north of Lathrop Road about 12:30 a.m. Friday, officials from the CHPs Stockton office said. Patrol officers said the car was driving south on the northbound side of the highway, its headlights damaged from an earlier collision, when it slammed into the students vehicle.

The force of the collision sent the students car into the path of a third vehicle also going north. The driver of that third car collided with the students car, pushing it into the path of a fourth car. The driver of the fourth car, identified by the CHP as Nicholas Craggs, 40, of Stockton, was also suspected to be driving under the influence.
Khalia Beckford and Peter Don outside New Yorks Office of the City Clerk following their marriage on Apr. 4, 2023. David Mack / BuzzFeed News

MANHATTAN  As crowds gathered around Manhattan Criminal Court on Tuesday morning, ahead of Donald Trumps arraignment , its business as usual at the City Clerks office next door.

Khalia Beckford and Peter Don, college sweethearts who met four years ago at LaGuardia Community College, are in a bubble of happiness  theyre getting married today and they are not letting the news cycle get in the way.

I did not plan for this, Beckford told BuzzFeed News. I heard about it at work but didnt know this was happening. But its dope. Its a moment, and its not going to ruin my big day. The cameras [are] for me. Everyone came for me.

Don proposed at home on a Friday. It was nice, she said. I was coming home, I didnt know what was happening, and he decorated it well.

Wearing a white lace dress she purchased last night from Macys, Beckford, who is from Jamaica, was first in line outside the clerks office waiting for their 8:30 a.m. appointment.

New York police officers take position outside of the Manhattan District Court. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds / AFP via Getty Images

Donald Trump is set to voluntarily surrender to authorities Tuesday, where he will be formally booked and fingerprinted. His hearing is expected to begin at around 2:15 p.m. Eastern time. As Trump traveled to New York from Florida on Monday, news networks broadcast live images of his motorcade driving to Palm Beach International Airport as crowds of supporters lined streets and waved flags . With similar scenes expected Tuesday, much of downtown Manhattan has been barricaded and many streets have been blocked off. New York City Mayor Eric Adams issued a warning to rabble-rousers, saying the city is not a playground for your misplaced anger.

But Beckford said shes paying no mind to the happenings next door. Im not thinking about anything. Im just thinking about being married and just being happy, Beckford said. This is our big day.

Are you getting married today? a passerby called out. What a day.

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Paul Holes outside the Sacramento district attorney's office on April 25, 2018, after a news conference announcing the Golden State Killer arrest Laura A. Oda / Digital First Media / The Mercury News via Getty Images

Cold case investigator Paul Holes was on the eve of retiring when he cracked one of his coldest cases: Using DNA and genealogy technology, he played a crucial role in identifying the Golden State Killer, the serial rapist and murderer who had terrorized California in the 1970s and 1980s.

For years before the 2018 arrest of Joseph James DeAngelo Jr., however, Holes had chased leads that went nowhere. Amateur sleuths were following the case too, most notably Michelle McNamara. The late author described her own obsession and was the first to rebrand the unknown suspect previously called the Original Night Stalker and East Area Rapist as the Golden State Killer in a 2013 Los Angeles magazine feature . In the article, she describes reading 20,000 posts about him on a true crime message board, from paranoid cranks to the raw, curious insomniacs driven by the same compulsion to piece together the puzzle as I am.

Holes would later describe McNamara as his unofficial detective partner, with whom he compared notes and research up until her untimely death in 2016. She wasnt the only one he heard from: After Michelle McNamara's article and rebranding of the moniker, then the sleuths came out of the woodworks, Holes told me when I asked about the staggering rise in recent years of online true crime buffs, especially on TikTok.

Some of the sleuths have great skill sets, sometimes skill sets that are not found natively within law enforcement, and so they can apply their expertise to help, and I took advantage of that with select individuals, said Holes, whose experience with armchair detectives dates back to the late 90s, when he was working on the Zodiac case .

The danger, he said, is when the amateur sleuths contaminate the investigation by approaching families of the victims and overwhelming investigators with tips.

In the Golden State Killer investigation, Holes said, I had about 30 of these online sleuths who were communicating with me all the time, but he eventually had to stop responding to them. Unlike those tipsters, Holes said, I had the DNA. I had the genealogy tool.

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But people got angry when he cut them off and even today say all sorts of derogatory things about him, Holes said. He seems resigned to it. There will always be this group that is thinking either they can help on the case or that they actually are better than law enforcement at working the case, he said.

Paul Holes and his Buried Bones podcast cohost Kate Winkler Dawson Exactly Right Media

Journalist Kate Winkler Dawson, Holess partner on the podcast Buried Bones , in which the two reexamine centuries-old true crime cases, agrees. My issue is when investigators, who, as far as I know, are doing as good a job as they can, are painted as this, like, nefarious entity trying to hold back information or are so Keystone Cops that they don't know what they're doing, she told me.

Dawson said the killings of four college students in Idaho is a great example of how people speculating on social media can hurt the investigation, including  harassing the surviving roommate . That's where I get a little bit frustrated, she said, especially for a group of investigators who might not be as experienced and who are overwhelmed to then be derailed potentially by people coming in and trying to take over an investigation. Or at a minimum, criticize and really kind of turn the tide against these investigators, just seems really sad to me. It's counterproductive.

I asked Holes how he feels about people who insist a convicted killer is innocent despite overwhelming evidence of their guilt  like Scott Peterson, now serving a life sentence for the murder of his pregnant wife, Laci Peterson. (Peterson had vocal defenders from the time he was arrested, and in spite of his conviction, a 2017 documentary and some podcasters continue to argue he's innocent.)

I was pulled in on Laci Peterson early on, because she washed up in my jurisdiction, her and Connor did, Holes said, referring to the couples unborn son. He met with the coroner, district attorney, and police and was briefed on what he called the strongest circumstantial case I've ever heard.

I doubt that the level of information that I've been exposed to in that case is being put out there in the public domain and interpreted properly by somebody who has the right experience and expertise to put it out there for public consumption.

Experience and expertise are important for people to keep in mind when listening to a podcast, Holes said.

Generally in the true crime space, those of us that came out of what I call the real crime world  you don't have a lot of us that are activists, he said. A lot of people are just taking up this true crime genre and then now trying to take information  which may be limited  and extrapolate without having really the expertise to be able to do it. So that's potentially a problem because now you have listeners who also don't necessarily understand the limits of the person that they're listening to.

In addition to Idaho, another case that has dominated headlines and speculation by online sleuths is the 2017 killings of two young girls in Delphi, Indiana. Also like Idaho, the man who was arrested and charged with murdering 14-year-old Liberty German and 13-year-old Abigail Williams was not among the people considered likely suspects by true crime fans following the case.

Indiana State Police Superintendent Doug Carter speaks during a news conference announcing the arrest of Richard Allen in the 2017 killings of 13-year-old Abby Williams and 14-year-old Libby German in 2017. Sopa Images / SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

When I jokingly asked Holes whether he was the one who found the resurfaced 2017 police interview with the Delphi suspect, placing him at the scene at the time the girls were kidnapped and killed, I was surprised by his answer.

No, he said, but I did through a producer ask, because she had a source, Have they done geofence? And then within a couple of days after asking that question, they landed on  they were kicking the door on the suspect's house.

(Geofencing is a controversial investigative tool that uses smartphone data to identify people within a particular area and time period  as federal authorities did to identify Jan. 6 rioters at the US Capitol.)

And so I'm kind of curious, Holes said. Did they do a geofence because he admitted he was at the location with his cellphone, and the geofence would literally show him meeting up with the victims and walking away with the victims? There's something that caused them to kick his door in, and it wasn't the live round found by their bodies , even though that was matched back to his gun. They would have matched that later. So I'm still kind of curious to see if maybe that suggestion  because there's a reason the US Marshals were at the press conference . You know, this guy wasn't a fugitive. There's a reason why they had the feds there. And who does geofence a lot? The marshals do.  I bet the geofence is what led them to that guy's house.

It could be coincidental, Holes acknowledged. For me, I just know when that suggestion was made, and when they kicked his door in.

Although officially retired from law enforcement, Holes continues to offer [his] services behind the scenes and has some role in both current cases like Delphi and cold cases like Zodiac and the Long Island serial killer.

But I would love to take on maybe an expanded role and roll up my sleeves and actually get into it, Holes said, versus either getting updated as to what's going on or being a consultant in very finite ways.

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Today was unprecedented and, at times, seemed surreal, OnPolitics readers.

There was no mugshot, but the photo of former president Donald Trump sitting next to his lawyers in the courtroom was one for the history books.

"He's frustrated, he's upset," his lawyer told reporters after he left the courtroom.

What to know: Donald Trump pleaded not guilty today to 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first-ever criminal charges against a former U.S. president.

The hearing followed his surrender to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg after a grand jury moved to indict the former president last week.

What we know about the charges: Trump was formally charged with 34 felony counts for falsifying business records in relation to alleged hush-money payments made to multiple people, including adult film star Stormy Daniels, in the days before the 2016 election.

His arraignment sets in motion a long series of legal proceedings that could eventually result in a criminal trial.

 Heres what comes next for Trump, both legally and politically.

 Stay updated with our live file: Trump indictment live updates: Catch up on the day's events, from Trump Tower to the courtroom.

 Read the indictment: Donald Trump charged with crimes in New York

 'Hottest ticket in town': Trump arraignment draws tight security, protests in New York City

 Get newsletter in your inbox: Don't miss our politics coverage. Sign up for OnPolitics.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: OnPolitics: Trump pleads not guilty in arraignment: what to know
For a country that was invaded by Russia back in 2008, Georgia would have good reason to be hostile to its much larger, imperialist neighbor. Georgia, like Ukraine, has a distinct language and culture and leans westward, having expressed a desire to join NATO. Russia has thwarted that by occupying 20 percent of its territory.

But despite those tensions, on a recent trip to its capital, Tbilisi, I saw how Georgians continue to welcome most things Russian. The citys premier drama theater, founded in 1845 during the heyday of the Russian Empire, is still playing Russian classics in the Russian language including Uncle Vanya by Anton Chekhov. The citys main opera and ballet theater, founded in 1851, features Russias iconic classic Swan Lake by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.

This welcome extends to Russians themselves. Georgia has already accepted well over 100,000 Russian exiles, more than any other country as a proportion of its small population of 3.7 million. Most of the exiles are legitimate anti-war refugees who oppose their countrys invasion of Ukraine and are deeply thankful to the Georgian people and the Georgian state for providing refuge. In one of Tbilisis small, family-owned restaurants, I encountered a group of young Russians who escaped from Moscow where they had made a living as standup comedians. They fled conscription and censorship; there is no place for political satire in Russia now, since Russian law enforcement has recently begun indicting people for political jokes. These young men and women told me they would happily go back as soon as the political situation permits.

I also encountered two young gay men who fled St. Petersburg not just from the war but, as they put it, from the psychological and political nastiness of Russian life under Putin. They emphasized they cannot believe how nicely they are treated in Tbilisi (even though Georgia is not the friendliest place for the LGBTQ community).

Inside Russia, Kremlin propaganda spits out lies that Russians in other countries are mistreated and that Russian culture is being cancelled. It is the opposite. Countries from Germany to Kazakhstan and even Mongolia have accepted Russian anti-war refugees by the thousands.



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It is noble of the international community  and especially of countries like Georgia that in different periods have been occupied by Russia  to accept these Russian exiles. Indeed, these young Russians deserve both admiration and help since, importantly, they could become allies for the West in communicating with ordinary Russians in Russia. They could also play a crucial role in rebuilding Russia after the political regime built by Vladimir Putin ceases to exist.

Yet notwithstanding this promising mission, the Russian exiles also pose a major security risk to the countries where they are landing. The main reason is that the Kremlin has long exploited the Russian diaspora as part of its irregular warfare operations. Given the size and spread of the new Russian diaspora, there is no doubt that strategists in the FSB are taking the opportunity to plot nasty operations.

Georgia is one of the few countries where Russians can travel without visas or any serious vetting, and then can stay there for long periods of time  a great way to escape from the military draft. But it is also a great way for the Kremlin to plant its loyalists, spies, and operatives on Georgian soil  something the Georgians I met on my trip were well aware of. And from there, its far from unthinkable that the Kremlin will spread its agents elsewhere; a recent report indicates that already more than a dozen FSB agents have been caught trying to enter the U.S. across the U.S.-Mexico border pretending to be political refugees who face persecution in Russia for independent journalism and work for NGOs.

There is opportunity in the new Russian diaspora for the West. And danger.



The goal of Russia in a country like Georgia is to cause social unrest, instability, and chaos. And Georgia is already aflame.

In recent weeks, Georgia has been experiencing a political crisis that included a fistfight in the parliament and a violent standoff between protesters and the police on the streets of Tbilisi. Since 2012, Georgian politics has been dominated by a party named Georgian Dream that is sponsored by a pro-Russian billionaire named Bidzina Ivanishvili. The unrest was caused by the ruling partys effort to introduce a law that would require non-governmental organizations that receive more than 20 percent of their funds from abroad to register as foreign agents. The law, by no coincidence, is very reminiscent of the law Russia imposed on the eve of its invasion of Ukraine that forced most non-governmental organizations and media outlets in Russia to close or flee.



At the same time, more and more Georgian politicians are spreading anti-western sentiments, even accusing U.S. Ambassador Kelly Degnan of allegedly forcing Georgia to go to war with Russia. The Georgian opposition claims that the anti-western rhetoric is being promoted by Ivanishvili, but the roots of the problem are more likely in Moscow, which has been waging both hot and irregular wars against Georgia since the Georgian government expressed its desire to join the European Union and NATO.

This time, the protestors or more accurately the people of Georgia, gained a big victory. The ruling party recalled their proposal.

But that victory could be short-lived. In this state of political disarray, Georgia provides fertile soil for Russias psychological operations. For example, disinformation suggesting the United States was working to drag Georgia into the Russian-Ukrainian war could lead both to the escalation of conflict among the elites and violence on the streets. This is just one hypothetical line of disinformation. There could be many. With the rise of populism around the world, including in the United States, utter lies become a tool of both domestic and international politics.

There is more the FSB could do to unsettle the region. The FSB can blackmail refugees by threatening the safety of their relatives in Russia; there is evidence that the head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, a Putin ally, has been doing this for years with the Chechen diaspora in Europe and Canada. Kadyrovs methods are brutal, including taking relatives of refugees as hostages, threatening the Chechens who do not cooperate with torture, paying those who cooperate, recruiting young Chechens through martial arts clubs, and fabricating criminal charges against refugees.

The FSB may also be planning red-herring operations with the purpose of creating tensions between refugees and their hosts. The Russians already did something similar in Germany in 2016, when Russian media used an alleged kidnapping and rape of a 13-year-old Russian girl by refugees from the Middle East in Berlin to accuse Germany of being lenient on child abuse and Muslim immigrants alleged criminal behavior. After an investigation, the case turned out to be a fake, yet it caused a series of protests by Russian speakers in German cities. The goal of the operation was to spike anti-immigrant sentiment and boost support for right-wing political parties.

Lastly and most disturbingly, the FSB could stoke anti-western attitudes among the refugees themselves. Nationalism is not alien to the Russian diaspora. Russians can vote abroad as long as they maintain Russian citizenship, and many do so, in spite of living permanently in other countries. Many among those who left the USSR or Russia in the 1980s, 1990s and in early 2000s  especially in the United States and United Kingdom  initially voted against Putin yet switched their allegiance after Russia invaded and annexed Crimea in 2014. In 2018, Putin received a stunning 81 percent of the vote by Russian citizens in Germany, 72 percent in Israel, 63 percent in France, 63 percent in the United States of America, and 52 percent in the United Kingdom  a country which is a home to many anti-Putin activists.



The Russian diaspora also tends to support the most conservative parties in the countries where they live: Alternative fur Deutschland and PEGIDA in Germany, Likud and Israel Our Home in Israel. In Europe, especially in Germany, quite a few Russians actively participate in anti-immigrant, anti-Ukraine, and even pro-Putin demonstrations. The hypocrisy is that, while supporting Russia and opposing German military and financial aid to Ukraine, they do not want to go back to Russia. While the countries with the highest concentrations of Russian exiles have the most at risk, the United States is not insulated from this danger. Already, some Russian high-profile expats have supported conspiracy theories about the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Clearly, the Russians who have fled Putins regime now are not fond of Putin and war. But Russias vision of itself as a great power with a world mission is a powerful one with a long history, a mission which, in the words of Fyodor Dostoevsky, is pan-European and universal, aimed at the final brotherly communion of all nations. It is difficult to predict what political preferences the Russian anti-war refugees will have if they stay in a country like Georgia for many years, or what side they will take in the case of a new hot war between Russia and Georgia.

These are security concerns for Georgia and other post-Soviet countries that currently accept Russian refugees, concerns that those countries must take seriously, boosting both intelligence operations and integration efforts. Otherwise, these exiles could pose as much peril as promise.


President Russell M. Nelson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and his wife Sister Wendy Nelson wave to attendees upon leaving the Conference Center after the 193rd Annual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City on Sunday, April 2, 2023. | Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News

By many measures, incivility is becoming a huge issue in the United States. Polls show Americans believe, with good reason, that respect and tolerance in civic dialogue is declining.

A Deseret News/Hinckley Institute of Politics poll last year found 90% of Utahns believing political debates have become less civil than they were in 2016, with 72% saying they were much less civil. When it comes to personal political discussions, 62% said these also had become less civil over the same time period.

A survey published in March by the Wall Street Journal and NORC at the University of Chicago found that the percentage of Americans who believe tolerance for others is very important had dropped from 80% in 2019 to 58% today  a remarkably quick decline.

Washington Post columnist Jennifer Ruben has written that the word incivility doesnt really capture this crisis. Airline passengers assaulting flight attendants, parents threatening school board members, customers haranguing store clerks or fellow shoppers  these have all become common occurrences, she said, adding, Weve become impatient, selfish, self-absorbed and increasingly violent  all before the pandemic.

Children and teenagers are particularly vulnerable. A 14-year-old girl in New Jersey recently committed suicide, allegedly after she was humiliated by a violent attack on her at school that was recorded and posted on social media. Four teenagers have been charged in connection with the attack.

Against such a backdrop, one could hardly conceive of a better message to the world than the one delivered by President Russell M. Nelson at the 193rd Annual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Sunday.

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President Nelson urged church members to change the world one interaction at a time, By modeling how to manage honest differences of opinion with mutual respect and dignified dialogue.

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He urged a communication standard that is higher, holier. Referring to the churchs 13th Article of Faith, he told members to confine their speech to that which is virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy when speaking to or about other people.

Not only would this provide spiritual benefits, but President Nelsons admonishment is backed by science. As zmescience.com recently reported, language has power. Studies show that Sometimes when people speak of love or with love, we actually feel it, too. Conversely, hateful speech can make us feel uneasy, anxious, and perhaps hateful ourselves.

While the science is emerging, one study found that insults are the equivalent of a mini-slap in the face.

Sometimes, the effects are surprising. Another study found that words of encouragement actually led people with chronic ankle instability to perform better on balance tests.

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So many of todays fiercely debated topics on social media melt into insignificance when placed in an eternal perspective. So many mean words people cast casually would mortify them if they thought those words would be printed on their tombstone some day. Mortality puts behavior in perspective.

Its worth remembering the final public words of former Arizona Sen. John McCain, who had been known at times for stinging candor.

He knew he was dying when he sent a letter to the 325 million opinionated, vociferous individuals in America. He said:  we have always had so much more in common with each other than in disagreement. If only we remember that and give each other the benefit of the presumption that we all love our country, we will get through these challenging times.

Thats strong advice in and out of the political arena.

President Nelson, of course, was talking of something higher and more ennobling. He urged people to become peacemakers as true disciples of Jesus Christ should be.

Its safe to say no one is led to Christ through nasty or invective speech. Its also true, as President Nelson said, that there is no room for prejudice, condemnation or contention of any kind in verbal dialogue. Let us show that there is a respectful way to resolve complex issues and an enlightened way to work out disagreements.

This was a powerful message for anyone in todays world to hear, but especially for those who profess to follow Christ. To follow President Nelsons urgings may require ignoring the examples set by some people in influential positions.

But the results would be powerful. Now, more than ever, the nation, and the world, needs to devote itself, one person at a time, to using words of kindness, love and encouragement, especially when discussing deep differences.
Whatever can slow down traffic will save lives. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

Speed is the single biggest factor in determining the severity of a car crash, and yet California has resisted the most obvious tool to slow down traffic: speed-enforcement cameras. Still, the state has learned a few lessons over the years from experiments with red-light cameras, and theres now a bill in Sacramento that could deploy similar technology to lifesaving effect.

Without speed cameras, cities face an untenable choice: Let drivers flout traffic laws and allow vulnerable road users like pedestrians and cyclists to die, or increase enforcement by police  which fuels conflict and casualties. If anything, California is moving toward reducing traffic stops , which can be a pretext for harassing Black and Latino drivers.

The new legislation , introduced by Assemblymember Laura Friedman (D-Glendale), would legalize speed cameras for pilot programs in Los Angeles, San Jose, Oakland, Glendale, Long Beach and San Francisco, providing a way to step up enforcement of speed laws without police confrontation or human bias.

Speed-camera proposals in Sacramento in 2021 and 2022 died over concerns about privacy and equitable enforcement, and the revised legislation this year addresses those fears: Tickets would be issued to the person listed as the owner of the speeding vehicle, not to the driver, so no facial recognition would be involved  a point of concern for the American Civil Liberties Union. Cameras would be distributed fairly across those six cities to avoid disproportionately ticketing certain populations.

Police organizations also opposed the previous bills. One sponsor said the unions were concerned that the success of speed cameras would lead to reductions in police workforces. But that doesnt seem likely. California has plenty of other problems for officers to pursue if speeding becomes less of a threat. More serious, time-sensitive crime makes more sense for officers to focus on.

Drivers would get plenty of notice to avoid incurring fines. Under the pilots proposed, there would be posted warning signs to notify drivers that theyre about to enter a zone that has speed cameras. The pilot would begin with a 30-day period educating drivers (but not issuing tickets), followed by a 60-day period in which automated warnings are issued but no tickets. After that, first violations will result in nominal fines, increasing for repeated violations.

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More than a decade ago, drivers and politicians widely faulted red-light cameras in Southern California for excessive fines. Some cities were accused of issuing tickets for right turns at red lights not to improve safety but to raise revenue . The L.A. City Council nixed red-light cameras in 2011 , while they still remain in operation in surrounding cities like Beverly Hills and Culver City.

Another key change is where the revenue will go. Unlike with red-light cameras, revenue from the speed camera pilot program would not go to cities general funds but toward roadway improvements that make streets safer for all and reduce the likelihood of speeding in the first place.

If Sacramento allows these pilot programs, we should see an almost immediate safety improvement. Indeed, if drivers know that theyre likely to be caught by an automated speed camera , theyll be less inclined to speed in the first place. Slowing down will save lives.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration , when struck by a vehicle traveling at 20 mph, 95% of pedestrians survive. At 30 mph, 60% survive; at 40 mph, 20%. At speeds above 50 mph, the survival rate is 0%.

Yet every arterial in Los Angeles has at least a 35-mph posted speed limit, with drivers routinely reaching 45 mph or faster. Even a recent state action that allowed Los Angeles to lower speed limits didnt make much of a dent; the main result was the limit returning to 35 mph on some streets where it had crept higher.

Its no wonder, then, that traffic fatalities soared to a two-decade high in Los Angeles in 2022, especially in light of massively large trucks and SUVs currently popular on our streets. No one should have to fear for their life while crossing a street or riding a bike in Los Angeles  a city where a pedestrian is killed once every three days .

Other cities have shown that speed cameras help address this problem. Automated enforcement is already a reality in Chicago, New York City, Philadelphia, Portland, Ore., Seattle and Washington. A recent study from Chicagos Department of Transportation found that cameras decreased the risk of serious injury or death from crashes involving speeding.

Progressive California is overdue to adopt automated solutions with proven safety benefits for all who use our roads. Automated speed cameras will save lives in Los Angeles.

Michael Schneider is the founder of Streets for All.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
WFTV Tonight is digging into a possible connection between Orange County students and gang violence.

The Orange County Public Schools Parent Academy Team spoke with parents at Carver Middle School Monday about youth violence and the warning signs they should be looking out for.

Officials said there is a concern over an increase in certain kinds of conflict.

READ: Affidavit: Father of boy found in alligators mouth stabbed childs mother after party

During the meeting, officials said if you see something, say something.

Channel 9 went to the school district directly to ask if there is a gang problem.

When you have adolescents, you have conflict, and that conflict comes from a variety of places, said Mariel Milano, director of family engagement and digital outreach for Orange County Public Schools.

READ: Police: Central Florida man made threats to commit shooting at West Melbourne workplace

She said parents are the ones who first asked this to be addressed, and theres been a series of community roundtable meetings to address some of the biggest needs of the community as a result.

Some parents at the end of the seminar said they couldnt give specific examples of whats happening, and no pictures or information about particular members in the community theyre concerned about.

READ: Deputies: Deltona teen caught on video abusing dog

Click here to download the free WFTV news and weather apps, click here to download the WFTV Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP)  Texas outfielder Josh Smith was taken to a hospital after being hit in his face by a pitch in the Rangers' game against the Baltimore Orioles on Monday night.

Smith, a left-handed hitter, was struck on the right side of his face in the third inning by a 1-0 slider from reliever Danny Coulombe. Smith spun back to his left and dropped to the dirt in the batters box, breaking his fall with his left hand while holding his face with his right hand.

The Rangers said Smith, who started in left field, was taken to a hospital for further tests on his face and jaw.

Coulombe was pitching because Orioles starter Kyle Bradish left after being hit on his right foot by a line drive in the second inning. Baltimore announced Bradish has a bruised foot after initial X-rays taken at the stadium revealed no breaks.

Jonah Heim lined a 2-2 changeup back to the mound  the exit velocity measured at 104 mph  with runners on first and second and one out. The ball struck Bradish on the outside of the foot as he was completing his follow-through. The ball rolled to first baseman Ryan Mountcastle, who tagged the base with the runners moving up.

Manager Brandon Hyde and a team trainer visited with Bradish, who walked around the back of the mound. Hyde then pulled Bradish, who was able to walk to the dugout. Coulombe came in and struck out Brad Miller to end the inning.

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
Sakamoto starred in Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence alongside David Bowie in 1983

Isa Foltin/Getty Ryuichi Sakamoto

The Japanese composer behind 1987's The Last Emperor, Ryuichi Sakamoto, has died.

Sakamoto's management team announced his death in a statement posted to his official website over the weekend.

"While undergoing treatment for cancer discovered in June 2020, Sakamoto continued to create works in his home studio whenever his health would allow. He lived with music until the very end," the statement read.

"We would like to express our deepest gratitude to his fans and all those who have supported his activities, as well as the medical professionals in Japan and the U.S. who did everything in their power to cure him."

Chiaki Nozu/WireImage Ryuichi Sakamoto

Related:Pianist Chloe Flower on Embracing What Makes Her Unique  and What She Learned from Cardi B

"In accordance with Sakamoto's strong wishes, the funeral service was held among his close family members. Please understand that we are unable to accept any calls of condolences offering of incense or flowers, and the like."

The note concluded with one of Sakamoto's favorite quotes: "Art is long, life is short."

Sakamoto was born in Tokyo, Japan, in 1952, and was widely known for being one of the first musicians to incorporate electronic production into his music.

Throughout his career, he played in bands, composed film scores and collaborated with artists like David Bowie and Iggy Pop.

In 1978, he played keyboard with electronic band Yellow Magic Orchestra, which went on to earn international success.

Ebet Roberts/Getty Ryuichi Sakamoto

In 1983, he wrote his first film score for Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence, and he acted alongside Bowie. He then went on to compose for films like The Last Emperor in 1987  which earned him an Oscar, Golden Globe and a Grammy  The Sheltering Sky in 1990 and High Heels in 1991. He also did Babel in 2006 and The Revenant in 2015.

In 2017, he released an album called async and had become a prominent voice in protesting nuclear power after the Fukushima disaster. The documentary Ryuichi Sakamoto: Coda documented his efforts.

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Sakamoto was first diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014, per Variety. He then announced that he had been diagnosed with rectal cancer in January 2021 in a message on his website.

"From now on, I will be living alongside cancer. But, I am hoping to make music for a little while longer," he wrote at the time.

Sakamoto is survived by his wife and manager, Norika Sora.

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Two concurrent outbreaks of the Marburg virus, a close cousin of Ebola that can kill as many as 90% of the people it infects, are raising critical questions about the behavior of this mysterious bat-borne pathogen and global efforts to prepare for potential pandemics.

Marburg, a hemorrhagic fever, is rare: Just a handful of outbreaks have been reported since the virus was identified in 1967. But a steady uptick in occurrences in Africa in recent years is raising alarm.

Marburg causes high fever, vomiting, diarrhea and, in the most severe cases, bleeding from orifices. It spreads between people via direct contact with the blood or other bodily fluids of infected people and with surfaces and materials such as clothing contaminated with these fluids.

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One of the two outbreaks, in Tanzania in East Africa, seems to have been brought under control, with just two people left in quarantine. But in the other, in Equatorial Guinea on the west coast, spread of the virus is ongoing, and the World Health Organization said last week that the country was not being transparent in reporting cases.

There are no treatments or vaccines for Marburg, but there are some candidates that have shown promise in phase 1 clinical trials. However, these candidates must be tested in active outbreaks to prove they work, and so far, no vaccine supplies have been delivered to test in the current outbreaks.

The moment an outbreak is detected there should be a mechanism of moving in quickly, said Dr. John Amuasi, the head of the global health department at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Ghana who investigated a Marburg outbreak in that country last year.

The WHO and others are good at rapid response to control the spread of a virus, he said, but lack a similarly swift response for research. It requires ready-to-ship stockpiles of the vaccine candidates and researchers equipped to operate without putting additional strain on an already struggling health system; neither currently exists.

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The WHO says it has drafted a research protocol that can be applied in these outbreaks and to any other filovirus  the family that includes Marburg and Ebola  and it has been scrambling for more than a month to get trials underway, working against a ticking clock.

If outbreak response works well  isolating cases and tracing contacts  the epidemic will quickly be controlled, which seems to be the case in Tanzania. If the response doesnt go as well (as in Equatorial Guinea), there are fears of a widespread outbreak and a redoubled need for vaccination.

When an Ebola outbreak began in Uganda in September 2022, the strain that rapidly claimed lives was one for which there was no vaccine, but, similarly, there was a strong candidate waiting a chance to be tested. Researchers announced plans to try it in Uganda. But the outbreak was over by the time the vaccine doses arrived.

The outbreaks in Equatorial Guinea and Tanzania are the first reported in either country. The outbreak in Equatorial Guinea began in January. The government has reported the deaths of nine people with confirmed Marburg virus disease and the deaths of another 20 people linked to the confirmed cases who were not tested but are considered probable cases.

The government of Equatorial Guinea has released limited information about the outbreak, and the WHO has said there are likely undetected chains of transmission and that not all the known cases have a clear connection to one another, suggesting a wider spread than previously thought.

WHO is aware of additional cases, and we have asked the government to report these cases officially to WHO, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the agencys director, said last week.

The outbreak in Tanzania was first reported in March. Five people with confirmed Marburg infections have died there, including a health care worker.

No new cases have been reported in Tanzania for two weeks but the Marburg incubation period is 21 days, so the outbreak is considered active.

This is the hard part, with people in isolation, waiting through the days, said Kheri Issa, the Tanzania Red Cross manager for Marburg viral disease response, in a telephone interview from the Kagera area where the disease broke out.

The WHO said both outbreaks pose regional risks: Equatorial Guinea has porous borders with Cameroon and Gabon, and so far the cases have appeared in geographically diffuse parts of the country. In Tanzania, the Kagera region has busy borders with Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi.

(BEGIN OPTIONAL TRIM.)

These outbreaks follow one in Ghana last year and in Guinea the year before  a marked shift from the sporadic occurrences in previous years. Amuasi said better tracking was likely contributing to what appeared to be a rise in cases. As part of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, he said, every African country improved its PCR testing capacity and infectious disease surveillance, which means Marburg is being diagnosed more frequently.

But that suggests there may have historically been more of the virus circulating among humans than has been thought, Amuasi said, and the way it sickens people may be different from what has been understood.

(END OPTIONAL TRIM.)

Dr. Nancy Sullivan, director of the National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories at Boston University, said she believes climate change, and the way it is shifting human and animal behavior, is driving an actual increase in cases. Were impinging much more on reservoirs of the virus, she said.

Sullivan designed the Marburg vaccine candidate furthest along in development when she worked with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. It showed safety and immune response in a phase 1 clinical trial, and the Sabin Vaccine Institute, a nonprofit organization based in Washington that promotes global vaccine development, is continuing the testing process.

The Sabin Institute said it had 600 doses of the vaccines in vials and ready to use and planned for an eventual stockpile of 8,000 by the end of this year. Sullivan said 600 doses would be enough to start a ring vaccination trial of those at risk in Tanzania and Equatorial Guinea.

But the WHO has yet to announce operational details for a trial of this or three other vaccine candidates. Transporting the doses into the country is just one challenge; a trial would require a principal investigator from the outbreak country, legal agreements with the vaccine makers and regulatory approval. Equatorial Guinea has a notoriously opaque government that has been under the control of President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo and his family for more than 30 years.

Without committed resources and preapproved trial protocols, filovirus outbreaks will keep happening with little progress on interventions that could stop them, Amuasi said.

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Topeka police guarded the crime scene after Tony A. Hobbs and Michael E. Simmons in January 1980 murdered Karen Crook, 28, and Brandon Crook, 4, in the house behind them at 500 S.E. 33rd Terrace.

Tony A. Hobbs, one of two men convicted of the 1980 murders in southeast Topeka of a woman and her 4-year-old son, was released last month from prison on parole.

Hobbs, 63, is living in Sedgwick County, the Kansas Department of Corrections said on its website.

Hobbs had been in prison from 1980 to 2004, was on parole from 2004 until he violated parole in 2015, then was in prison from 2015 until he was released March 1, that site said.

Two of Hobbs' victims died; one survived

Hobbs and Michael E. Simmons were convicted of crimes linked to the killing of Karen Crook, 28, and her 4-year-old son, Brandon Crook, on Jan. 22, 1980, in their home at 500 S.E. 33rd Terrace.

Karen Crook knew Simmons and Hobbs and voluntarily let Hobbs into her home. Police said the men intended only to rob Crook, and took $1. One also raped her.

Simmons and Hobbs then used an electrical cord to strangle Karen Crook before stabbing her. They drowned Brandon by holding his head under water.

Crooks other son, 7-year-old Travis Magner, survived.

Surviving victim, 7, went to school with collie at his heels

Hobbs told police he tried to smother Travis to death using a pillow, tried to strangle Travis with Hobbs belt, then stabbed the boy in the chest with a butcher knife.

The killers turned on the gas burners on the houses stove and blew out the pilot light before leaving, hoping to cause a fire and explosion.

Travis lost consciousness but awoke the next morning and walked to school with his collie dog at his heels. Under police guard at a Topeka hospital, he identified one of the killers from a photo lineup.

Hobbs spent about 11 years free on parole

Simmons, 62, was given two life sentences to run at the same time for first-degree murder. He is an inmate at El Dorado Correctional Facility and will next be eligible for parole in April 2025.

Hobbs was given a life sentence for first-degree murder and a sentence of 15 years to life to run at the same time for second-degree murder.

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After being denied parole in 1997  when relatives of Karen and Brandon Crook asked the state not to parole Simmons and Hobbs  Hobbs sent a letter of apology to The Topeka Capital-Journal. He wrote that he accepted responsibility for his actions and wanted to apologize to everyone he had hurt.

Hobbs was released on parole from Hutchinson Correctional Facility in 2004. He sought early discharge from parole in 2012 but that request was denied. Hobbs was returned to prison for violating parole in 2015 after he tested positive for methamphetamine.

Hobbs then remained in prison until being paroled last month, state corrections records say.

Hobbs and Simmons were ranked 38th and 39th, respectively, on a list of Shawnee Countys most notorious criminals published in a 2012 CJOnline slideshow.

Contact Tim Hrenchir at threnchir@gannett.com or 785-213-5934.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Tony Hobbs, who served time for Topeka double murder, paroled at age 63
A Virgin Voyages cruise ship turned course after one of its passengers fell and died while on board

Matias J. Ocner/getty

Authorities are investigating the death of a passenger who fell from a balcony to a deck while on a cruise ship on Sunday.

The passenger, whose identity has not been revealed, was on a Virgin Voyages cruise ship on Sunday. The boat had left Miami and was heading to Roatan, Honduras, when they fell, a Virgin Voyages spokesperson says in a statement shared with PEOPLE.

"Yesterday evening shortly after departure there was a medical emergency involving one of our passengers," says the spokesperson. "This passenger went over their balcony onto a lower deck, and despite receiving immediate medical attention, has passed away. We are deeply saddened by this loss of life and our hearts and thoughts are with this person's loved ones."

They add that the ship "was immediately redirected back to Miami, where the team are working closely with local officials."

Related:Rogue Wave Kills Passenger, Injures 4 on Antarctic Cruise Ship: 'We Wondered if We Hit an Iceberg'

The ship was back in Miami early Sunday and has since set sail again with an adjusted itinerary; Roatan is no longer a destination. The vessel will head for Cozumel rather than Costa Maya on Wednesday, says the spokesperson.

Virgin Voyages tells PEOPLE in its statement the change is because of weather conditions unrelated to the fatal incident that occurred on the boat.

The spokesperson added that the privacy of the deceased's family is a priority and that the company is not disclosing additional information at this time.

Related:Woman, 36, Found Dead After Falling from Cruise Ship Off the Florida Coast

A spokesperson added, per Insider, that the deceased fell on another passenger on the lower deck. That person was not injured.

A vlogger on the ship, who goes by The Shiplife on YouTube, shared his account of the incident. In a video posted Monday, a woman is heard saying over an intercom, "So once again, we are now headed back to Miami, and we'll arrive around 1:30 a.m."

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"At the moment, we do not have a departure time for tomorrow after our arrival, but we'll share all relevant information with you as soon as we have updates," she said as the vlogger and the people around him appeared to be in shock.

RELATED VIDEO: Huge Dance Floor Brawl Breaks Out Aboard Carnival Cruise Ship Leading to Coast Guard Escort

He later shared that the announcement came around 11 p.m. local time.

"At the time, we didn't know exactly what was going on ... there were rumors stating that somebody had passed away but nothing was confirmed at the time," he added.

The captain's announcement came around 8 a.m. local time, according to the video, when he said that the cruise line was "deeply saddened" that a passenger had fallen and died.

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The vlogger shared that some passengers decided to leave the ship and that others were "shaky" after the incident.

He added that Virgin Voyages has offered passengers "100 percent future cruise credit."

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Wednesday evening marks the beginning of Passover, a Jewish holiday that brings together families and communities in North Carolina and around the world.

Its an important holiday in the Jewish faith, and one of the most celebrated: more than 70% of Jewish Americans participate in some part of Passover, Religion News Service reported.

Whether youre Jewish or just looking to honor and learn more about an important time of year for some of your family, friends or colleagues, there are things you can do in the Charlotte area to mark the occasion.

Heres what to know about Passover and how to celebrate the holiday in Charlotte:

What is Passover?

Passover, also known as Pesach, is a multi-day holiday commemorating the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt.

The main observances of this holiday center around a special home service called the seder, which includes a festive meal, the prohibition on eating chametz, and the eating of matzah, the Union for Reform Judaism says.

Seders typically are held on the first or second night of Passover and have 15 separate steps in its traditional order, which are written out in a religious text called the Haggadah.

Seder plates typically have various symbolic foods referred to in the seder itself, such as shankbone, roasted egg and bitter herbs.

How long is Passover?

Passover lasts seven to eight days, depending on family and communal custom, according to the Union for Reform Judaism.

In 2023, the holiday runs from the evening of April 5 to the evening of April 13.

Passover greetings

There are a few sayings you can use to wish someone a happy Passover.

Chag Pesach sameach, which means Happy Passover, or Chag sameach, which means Happy holiday, are two of the most common greetings to use.

Chag kasher vsameach, which means Happy and kosher holiday, is another appropriate greeting.

Is there fasting on Passover?

Fasting is not a part of Passover, but the Fast of the First Born, also known as Taanit Bechorot or Taanit Bechorim, typically falls on the eve of Passover.

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The fast, according to Jewish Learning, is only observed by the first-born males in a family and commemorates the miracle which spared the first-born sons of Israel from the plague that killed the first-born sons of the Egyptians.

Additionally, the Union for Reform Judaism says, Passover also does involve abstaining from chametz: leavened bread or any food that contains wheat, rye, barley, oats, or spelt, unless production has been supervised to ensure that it has not leavened.

Matzah, an unleavened bread, is served at seders to symbolize the hurried departure of the Israelites from Egypt.

Passover events in Charlotte

Jewish community groups and synagogues are hosting Passover events, including:

Chabad of Charlotte is hosting a Passover seder for beginners at 8:15 p.m. Wednesday. To register, visit chabadnc.org.

The Jewish Federation of Charlotte will host multiple events during Passover, including seders and a hike. For details, visit jewishcharlotte.org/ways-to-give/community-calendar1.

Temple Beth El is hosting Passover seders, services and other events. To learn more, visit templebethel.org/passover.

Multiple Charlotte-area restaurants and catering companies also offer Passover meals.
A pastor traveling for a Palm Sunday church service was struck and killed by a wrong-way driver, Michigan police say.

Alcohol is believed to have been a factor when a 30-year-old driver was traveling the wrong way on a Grand Rapids road Sunday, April 2, according to Michigan State Police. The driver collided head-on with a separate vehicle operated by a 63-year-old man, police said.

The 63-year-old was later identified as Dean Elliott, who WOOD-TV said was traveling to preach at a church without a pastor in Manistee, about 120 miles northwest of Grand Rapids. State police said Elliott died at the scene.

Police said the 30-year-old was taken to a hospital in critical condition. Charges have not been announced.

Elliott led a ministry called Abounding Hope and was the former pastor of Fennville Assembly of God Church.

The church said Elliott was married and had two children.

A missionary evangelist, Elliott often visited foreign countries for missionary work and to train pastors, MLive.com reported. Most of his time in other countries was spent in India, Pastor Joe Coffman told WOOD-TV.

Dean was passionate for the lost and a champion of people, Faith Church in Leslie said in a Facebook post. Pray for his wife Brenda and their adult children. Pastor Dean will be missed by many.

Fellow Pastor David Stewart Jr. called Elliott a good friend and a generous ... sincere person, MLive.com reported.

Others shared the same sentiments. DanaSue Van Kampen said in a Facebook post Elliott was one of the most joyous, caring and generous people she has known.

He truly loved people like Jesus did, the woman said. This is a very tough loss.

Priest killed in freak woodworking accident at church, Louisiana officials say

Beloved priest among 2 found burned beyond recognition in Louisiana, officials say

Passionate pastor driving to church struck, killed in crash, Wisconsin church says
A former Chiawana Riverhawk, musician and friend to many died in a car crash on Friday that also killed two fellow University of California-Davis students.

Pasco native Codi Orland Mateo was in his senior year at UC Davis, majoring in neurobiology, physiology and behavior, reportedly hoping to become an anesthesiologist.

He was also a part of the student organization Filipinx Association for Health Careers, according to a news release from the university.

We are absolutely devastated and struggling to come to terms with such immense loss, said UC Davis Chancellor Gary S. May in the news release. On behalf of the UC Davis community, we send our condolences to the family, friends and others who knew and loved them. Our Aggie family shares deeply in your pain and loss.

Four people in all died in the wrong-way collision on March 31, in which the wrong-way driver is suspected of driving under the influence, according to California Highway Patrol.

The three UC Davis students were in the SUV that was hit head-on on Highway 99 in San Joaquin County near Lathrop, about 60 miles south of Sacramento.

The woman who hit them about 12:45 a.m. also was killed, according to the highway patrol crash report obtained by the Sacramento Bee.

She was driving without headlights after her car was damaged a short time earlier in a hit-and-run collision, said the report.

The impact of the collision also forced the students SUV to hit two other cars on the highway. The first was minor and the driver was not hurt. The second driver was injured and also arrested for DUI, according to the CHP.

Chiawana band

Mateo graduated from Chiawana High School in 2021 and had spent his four years there involved with Chiawanas various bands, according to his former band teacher Kevin Clayton.

He played bass in the jazz band, euphonium in the wind ensemble and baritone for the marching band.

Mateo was also part of the drum corps The Columbians while in Tri-Cities. Clayton said Mateo was continuing his participation in music while in California and a very large family of musicians was grieving his death.

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His path was wide, Clayton told the Herald. And people loved that kid.

Clayton described Mateo as an exemplary student, great kid and friend to many.

He was studious and quiet, but was really funny and quick-witted with those who knew him. Mateo and Clayton were even neighbors for a time when Mateo was a Chiawana upperclassmen.

The circumstances by which he passed away, I hope that those are always secondary to the fact that he was just such a cool kid, a smart kid, a talented kid and a well-liked kid, Clayton said. I hope that we just all live in those memories.

The other two students who died were Minkyu Geon from Hong Kong and Margarette Guinto Ventura from Virginia.
A student was removed and security increased at a middle school following what law enforcement and school officials said were reports of a perceived threat emerging from escalating miscommunication among students.

For some part of the school day Tuesday several deputies were assigned to Storm Grove Middle School amid an investigation into concerns of threats that were ultimately deemed "unfounded," according to the Indian River County Sheriff's Office.

More: Teen student arrested after allegations of school threat in Port St. Lucie

Miscommunication: The threat arose from what a district spokesperson said was a "game of telephone-style miscommunication" that spread among students late last week. It prompted school officials to remove one student who would "receive consequence aligned with the code of student conduct," said Cristen Maddux, spokesperson for the School District of Indian River County.

Back to normal: The exact nature of what authorities described as a "perceived threat" was unknown, but a Sheriff's Office spokesperson said there was no reference to a weapon or explosive device of any kind.

"It was a perceived threat  somebody interpreted it as a threat," said Sgt. Kevin Jaworski. "...Until they determine if a threat is unfounded or not, well always use the abundance of caution and deploy more manpower to that school. Now theyre back to normal."

More: Brightline again testing trains up to 79 mph this week between Vero Beach, Indrio Road

The process: The threats were reported to school officials and law enforcement through tips submitted through the school security state-operated app, FortifyFL, created in the wake of the 2018 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting.

Both school and law enforcement officials said it was one method encouraged for parents and students to communicate concerns.

"If it's ever questionable, (reporting concerns) is what's always encouraged," Jaworski said. "The process worked great."

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Corey Arwood is a breaking news reporter for TCPalm. Follow Corey on Twitter @coreyarwood, or reach him by phone at 772-978-2246.

If you are a subscriber, thank you. If not, become a subscriber to get the latest local news on the Treasure Coast.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: 'Perceived threats' lead to increased security at IRC middle school
Michael Cohen suspects his former boss Donald Trump is petrified on the eve of his arraignment in New York City over his role in 2016 hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels.

Diaper Donald will be filling up that diaper, because this is not something that Donald is capable of either understanding or contending with, Cohen, who worked closely with Trump as his personal attorney for more than a decade, told Ari Melber on Monday on MSNBCs The Beat.

He believes he could control every situation. This is not a situation that he has any control over, and thats making him sick to his stomach, he added. I think right now hes beyond petrified.

Michael Cohen ahead of Donald Trumps arraignment. Hes beyond petrified. pic.twitter.com/7HJ3fspPhB  The Beat with Ari Melber  (@TheBeatWithAri) April 3, 2023

Cohen served prison time for campaign finance violations for facilitating the $130,000 in payments to Daniels in exchange for her silence about an alleged affair with Trump in 2006. Cohen has since acted as a key witness for the prosecution against the former president.

Trump arrived in New York from Florida on his private jet Monday. Trumps team has indicated that he will turn himself in to the Manhattan district attorneys office on Tuesday. He will likely be fingerprinted before entering a courtroom to make his plea, which is expected to be not guilty.

Watch the interview below.

Related...
What appeared to be a verbal back-and-forth on surveillance cameras turned into a one-sided shooting Monday morning, Miami Beach police say, and the arrest of a 26-year-old man from Philadelphia.

Quadir Wilson sits in Turner Guilford Knight Correction Center, about 1,200 miles from his Tolbut Street home, after being cuffed on charges of attempted murder and resisting an officer without violence. Robert DeWitt, the 45-year-old shot on Alton Road, is still in Jackson Memorial Hospital in critical condition, Miami Beach police said.

READ MORE: Man shot in front of McDonalds in Miami Beachs South Beach area

While media reports said DeWitt was unhoused and the arrest report lists his residence only as the 33139 ZIP Code section of Miami Beach, another database says he lived in Ocala until recently. Hes lived in northern Indiana (La Porte, South Bend) where he has at least one relative and Arkansas (Jonesboro, Lake City).

At 2:14 a.m. Monday, DeWitt was sitting between SoBe Liquors at 1609 Alton Rd., and the McDonalds on the corner of 16th Street and Alton Road.

A half hour in South Beach

The arrest report says surveillance cameras pick up Wilson riding a Citibike past up Alton Road past DeWitt and swinging down Lincoln Road to the McDonalds on Washington Avenue. Then, Wilson is spotted riding back up Lincoln Road to Alton, turning south, and rides past DeWitt again.

Words are exchanged between the two, the report says.

Cameras see Wilson ride on, turn left on 16th Street and head east. He comes back about three minutes later, 2:43 a.m., this time on foot. The report says cameras catch Wilson walking up to the sitting DeWitt and shooting him twice before running back from where he came on 16th Street.

Beach police say two 9 mm casings of the Blazer brand were found. Also found, the report says, was additional video showing Wilson walking into the 1500 block of Lenox Court and riding his bike south on 15th Street. The report says four officers found Wilson at around 15th Court and Alton Road, a half block from the shooting, wearing the same shorts and shoes as on camera.

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The report says Wilson had a 9 mm automatic handgun in his waistband containing Blazer bullets, one of which was chambered.

Wilson took advantage of his right to remain silent.
Officers made contact with Dwight Cornwell at the same apartment complex an hour earlier on Sunday night after responding to calls of a fight, police said.

A man who was shot by a Phoenix police officer on Sunday has been identified as 76-year-old Dwight Cornwell, according to Phoenix police. Police say he refused to drop his gun before officers fired.

Officers responded to a call of a man with a gun who was trying to break into a woman's apartment using her window just before 8:30 p.m. on Sunday.

When officers arrived at the apartment complex, located near 14th Street and Bell Road, they found Cornwell in the parking lot. Officers had made contact with Cornwell at the same apartment complex an hour earlier on Sunday night after responding to calls of a fight, police said.

Cornwell reportedly pulled a handgun from his person upon seeing the police in the parking lot and officers began giving him instructions to drop the gun, police said in a Monday press release.

Cornwell instead raised the gun into the air and fired it, prompting an officer to shoot Cornwell, according to police.

Officers immediately moved the gun away from Cornwell after the shooting and provided medical aid until the fire department arrived. Paramedics later pronounced Cornwell deceased, police said.

There were no injuries to the officers or to those living in the apartment complex. Detectives have opened an investigation into the shooting, which remains active.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Phoenix police ID man fatally shot by officers after home break-in
Vice President Kamala Harris and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff are welcomed by Zambia Vice President W.K. Mutale Nalumango and her husband, Max Lubinda Nalumango, at Kenneth Kuanda International Airport on Friday in Lusaka, Zambia. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)

Vice President Kamala Harris landed in Africa, kicking off a week-long trip where she clocked more than 4,000 miles between Ghana, Tanzania and Zambia. In Africa, she promised billions of dollars in aid and convened high-powered meetings. She waved off worries that Americas interest in Africa is just part of its larger plan to combat Chinas influence. Yet the trip was more than just business for the first woman and first woman of color to hold the office of the American vice president. She also leaned into aspects of her identity and biography more than at any other point in her vice presidency to date.

Well-wishers await the arrival of Vice President Kamala Harris and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)

Vice President Kamala Harris and President Hakainde Hichilema of Zambia hold a press conference following a bilateral meeting at the State House in Lusaka on Friday. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)

Vice President Kamala Harris and Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema greet people after their press conference and bilateral meeting at the State House. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)

Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff accepts a pen from Vice President Kamala Harris as they visit the National Assembly of Zambia on Friday in Lusaka. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)

People line the streets as Vice President Kamala Harris' motorcade passes by on the way to Panuka Farm on Saturday. Harris visited the farm, just outside the city of Lusaka, to highlight climate-smart agriculture and how climate resilience can advance food security. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)

Vice President Kamala Harris and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff visit an office building that, according to records, sits on the plot of land where her grandfather used to work. Records indicate her grandfather P. V. Gopalan used the house in Lusaka, Zambia, when he was serving as a Indian civil servant. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)

People line the streets as Vice President Kamala Harris' motorcade passes by on its way to Panuka Farm on Saturday. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)

A sign welcoming Vice President Kamala Harris to Zambia hangs over the road as her motorcade transits from Kenneth Kuanda International Airport to the State House on Friday. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)

Panuka Enterprise Ltd. managing director and founder Bruno Mweemba gives Vice President Kamala Harris a tour of Panuka Farm on Saturday. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)

Vice President Kamala Harris, with Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, thanks White House advance staffers before preparing to depart from Kenneth Kaunda International Airport in Lusaka, Zambia. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Protesters argue at the Collect Pond Park across the street from the Manhattan District Attorneys office in New York on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)

A protester holds a placard outside Trump Tower in New York on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Corey Sipkin)

A supporter of former President Trump protests outside Trump Tower on Tuesdasy. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.)

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) is mobbed by media when she speaks as Trump supporters and protesters gather outside of New York Criminal Court awaiting the arraignment of the former president. (UPI Photo)

Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.), walks past the criminal courthouse at 100 Center Street in New York. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah).

Former President Trump, center, arrives at the Manhattan District Attorneys office on Tuesday. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

Former President Trump arrives for his arraignment at Manhattan Criminal Court on Tuesday. With the indictment, Trump becomes the first former U.S. president in history to be charged with a criminal offense. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

Former President Trump sits with his defense team in a Manhattan court during his arraignment. Trump was was indicted by a grand jury that heard evidence about money paid to adult film star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 presidential election. (Photo by Seth Wenig-Pool/Getty Images)

Former President Trump sits with his defense team in a Manhattan court. (Photo by Seth Wenig-Pool/Getty Images)

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
An anti-Trump demonstrator outside the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse on Tuesday. (Amanda Perobelli/Reuters)

Former President Donald Trumps arraignment drew both supporters and opponents of the polarizing ex-president to lower Manhattan on Tuesday.

Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. A grand jury voted to indict him last week after hearing evidence that he had paid hush money to adult-film star Stormy Daniels in the run-up to the 2016 election to cover up an alleged affair and used money from his company to do so, declaring it as a business expense.

Former President Donald Trump's motorcade on its way to the courthouse on Tuesday. (Bing Guan/Reuters)

Trump arrived in New York City, his former primary residence, on Monday night after flying by private jet from Palm Beach, Fla., where he now resides. On Tuesday a motorcade took him from Trump Tower, in midtown Manhattan, to the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse downtown.

Small but enthusiastic groups with opposing views filed into a park near the courthouse hours before Trump arrived on Tuesday afternoon. The two groups "faced off," divided by police barricades, ABC News reported. According to some accounts, the anti-Trump forces appeared to be greater in number  no surprise, given that New York City voted overwhelmingly against him in 2016 and 2020.

Demonstrators gather outside the courthouse in Manhattan on Tuesday. (Mary Altaffer/AP)

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., a controversial and very outspoken backer of the former president, came to New York City to participate in a pro-Trump rally. She was reportedly drowned out by counterprotesters.

After his appearance in court, Trump went to LaGuardia Airport in Queens, N.Y., to fly back to his home at Mar-a-Lago, the Florida resort, from which he will make an address Tuesday evening.

More images from the arraignment of Donald Trump

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., speaks outside Manhattan Criminal Courthouse on Tuesday. (Caitlin Ochs/Reuters)

Anti-Trump protesters face Trump supporters outside the courthouse. (Amanda Perobelli/Reuters)

Members of the media behind police barricades outside the courthouse. (John Angelillo/UPI/Shutterstock)

A person dressed as Trump rides past Trump Tower in New York City on Tuesday. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Demonstrators outside Manhattan Criminal Courthouse. (Shannon Stapleton/Reuters)

Trump arrives at the courthouse. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)

Opponents of the former president outside the Manhattan district attorney's office on Tuesday. (Leonardo Munoz/AFP via Getty Images)

An anti-Trump protester outside the courthouse. (Amanda Perobelli/Reuters)

Trump arrives at court. (Mary Altaffer/AP)

Anti-Trump protesters outside the courthouse. (Amanda Perobelli/Reuters)

The view outside Manhattan Criminal Courthouse on Tuesday. (Caitlin Ochs/Reuters)

Trump in court with his defense team on Tuesday. (Seth Wenig/AP)

Trump leaves the courthouse. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)

The former president's motorcade waits near the courthouse. (Bing Guan/Reuters)
Blame it all on 1971. It was a year full of so much groundbreaking contemporary music that celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2021 was both inevitable and unavoidable.

Then came 1972, which was again stuffed with recordings of lasting appeal and influence, yielding another half-century celebration. So that must mean the tank is empty now that the music of 1973 is turning 50. Hardly. While not the epic year, perhaps, 1971 or 1972 were, 1973 produced works whose popular reach is still very much felt today.

It was a period of change for some, a breakthrough of mammoth and unanticipated extremes for others. And for a few, it was simply a time when a sound honed for years finally clicked with audiences, radio and, in one notable instance, the movie industry.

Here is a rundown of 10 classic albums from 1973, records that turn the big 5-0 this year. Their resonance and inspiration through ensuing generations remains enormous.

Paul McCartney, Marvin Gaye & more: The 50th anniversary of musics biggest summer

1972: The year that gave us Ziggy Stardust, The Divine Miss M and the Eagles.

Pink Floyd: The Dark Side of the Moon

This one leads all 1973 contenders because its initial blockbuster popularity was so unexpected. A Brit prog rock troupe with a mostly underground following, Pink Floyd offered a treatise on breakdown from personal, social and global viewpoints that remained on the Billboard 200 charts for an unprecedented 15 years (it still pops up on the chart on occasion to this day), transforming the trippy experimentalist quartet into an international sensation.

Pink Floyd, Dark Side of the Moon

Elton John: Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

This was the culmination of Elton Johns stunning early 70s rise to stardom  a mix of glammed up rockers and epic pop mood pieces. It was a double-album that had everything: terrific songs, expert production, a road-tested band and John at the peak of his performance powers. Saturday Nights Alright for Fighting, Bennie and the Jets, Candle in the Wind and the title tune all became major hits, cementing John as a pop music colossus

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Elton John, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

Linda Ronstadt: Dont Cry Now

Dont Cry Now was the sound of change for Linda Ronstadt, taking her from a series of appealing country-leaning pop records for Capitol to the then-blooming Asylum label. The entire stylistic focus of her music shifted as a result, turning Ronstadts already luxuriant singing into a masterful and mature voice of interpretation. Here, she covers songs by the Eagles, J.D. Souther, Randy Newman and Neil Young with stunning insight and emotive grace.

Linda Ronstadt, Dont Cry Now

Stevie Wonder: Innervisions

Many will debate which work within the remarkable string of albums Stevie Wonder cut between 1971 and 1976 was his finest. Innervisions gets my vote by firmly establishing a balance between songs of immense social urgency with tunes of rich romantic splendor (from Living for the City to Golden Lady). It was also a towering musical and technical achievement, mixing soul, rock, funk, even Latin accents. A milestone work.

Stevie Wonder, Innervisions

Little Feat: Dixie Chicken

Following the critical success but commercial disappointment of its first two albums, Little Feat faced make-or-break time by changing bass players and expanding from a four to six-member unit. But it was Lowell Georges presence as a songwriter, vocalist, guitarist and especially producer that made Dixie Chicken the bands best and most enduring album  a mix of West Coast-inspired songcraft and Southern fried, roots-savvy smarts.

Little Feat, Dixie Chicken

The Who: Quadrophenia

Pete Townshends early definition of Quadrophenia was quite literal  a restless British youth suffering from double schizophrenia. But the story was more personal than that, reflecting on a showdown between rival British gangs of Mods and Rockers. An intriguing plotline, but as always with The Who, the music won out over narrative. The melodic sweep of Quadrophenia was majestic with Love Reign Oer Me serving as an epic crescendo.

The Who, Quadrophenia

Paul McCartney and Wings: Band on the Run

This third album by Paul McCartneys post-Beatles ensemble Wings was recorded mostly in Nigeria by a mere trio (Paul and Linda McCartney with Denny Laine). Band on the Run didnt so much chart new ground as revitalize the pop sensibility the ex-Beatle was known for. No one will quote lyrics here like they did with Beatles songs. But McCartneys assured command of pop melody and charm compensated.

Paul McCartney and Wings, Band on the Run

Herbie Hancock: Head Hunters

One of the most prolific jazz composers and innovators of the 1960s thanks to sublime recordings made on his own as well as with Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock moved into electric music by the end of the decade. His first experiments were sometimes abstract extensions of his jazz instincts. Head Hunters instead embraced instrumental funk hip enough for modern jazzers but open enough for pop and R&B audiences. A career-defining record.

Herbie Hancock, Head Hunters

ZZ Top: Tres Hombres

ZZ Tops first two albums were choice statements of Texas-brewed, blues-invested, power trio rock n roll. On Tres Hombres, the sound toughened into efficient, three-piece Lone Star soul (despite the fact the record was cut in Memphis). Its also the album that clicked with radio, thanks to the hit single La Grange, a song celebrating a brothel. Hands down, the most definitive (and best-selling) reflection of the ZZ Top boogie charge.

ZZ Top, Tres Hombres

Mike Oldfield: Tubular Bells

The only thing stranger than the construction of Tubular Bells was its slow journey to hit status. Composed as an instrumental prog suite by a 19-year-old Mike Oldfield, its initial appeal seemed limited to late-night FM radio purgatory. Then the simple but spooky intro melody wound up as theme music for The Exorcist. Suddenly, that snippet of Tubular Bells became the most recognizable bit of moody movie music from the 70s outside of the Jaws theme.
The full moon in early April will be a hopeful sign of spring, the Farmers Almanac says, and its associated with the new seasons influx of blooming flowers.

Its called the pink moon, and Central Kentucky residents will have the chance to see it peak in the coming days.

As usual, the wearing of suitably celebratory celestial attire is encouraged in honor of the full Moon, NASAs website reads. Enjoy the spring flowers, consider acts of charity, be welcoming and leave an extra seat at the table, and avoid starting any wars.

Heres when to look for the pink moon in the Lexington area, plus more celestial events to check out soon.

When to see the pink moon in Lexington

The pink moon will peak at 12:35 a.m. Thursday, NASA reports.

The National Weather Service Louisville office forecasts Lexington residents may see showers and possibly a thunderstorm Wednesday night, with an 80% chance of rain and a low around 48 degrees. Thursday will also be rainy, the NWS forecasts, with a high near 59 degrees and a 60% chance of rain.

Although Lexington may be rainy for the pink moons peak this year, it will appear full until Friday morning, so you may have a chance to get a better view.

This full moon determines the date of Easter, which is April 9 this year. Easter is celebrated the first Sunday after the first full moon occurring after the spring equinox.

The pink moon is also known by several other names, depending on who you ask. Here are some of its other names:

Paschal moon (meaning moon related to Easter)

Peony moon (sometimes used in China)

Moon of blackberry (Choctaw of southeastern U.S.)

Budding moon of plants and shrubs (Tlingit of pacific northwest)

The Bluegrass Amatuer Astronomy Club has two stargazing events scheduled for this month. The club will hold a gathering April 15 at Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill and another at Raven Run Nature Sanctuary April 22, weather permitting.

More full moons in 2023

After Aprils pink moon, stargazers will have nine more chances to catch a full moon this year. Four will be supermoons, and one will be a blue moon.

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Heres when to look, with information from Space.com:

May 5: Flower moon

June 3: Strawberry moon

July 3: Buck supermoon

Aug. 1: Sturgeon supermoon

Aug. 30: Blue supermoon (appears biggest and brightest of the year)

Sept. 29: Harvest supermoon

Oct. 28: Hunters moon

Nov. 27: Beaver moon

Dec. 26: Cold moon

These moons have multiple names, and many come from Indigenous cultures. The Farmers Almanac uses Indigenous moon names, along with monikers from colonial America and other North American sources.

Do you have a question about Kentucky for our service journalism team? Wed like to hear from you. Fill out our Know Your Kentucky form or email ask@herald-leader.com.
The full moon in early April will be a hopeful sign of spring, the Farmers Almanac says, and its associated with the new seasons influx of blooming flowers.

Its called the pink moon, and State College area residents will have the chance to see it peak in the coming days.

As usual, the wearing of suitably celebratory celestial attire is encouraged in honor of the full Moon, NASAs website reads. Enjoy the spring flowers, consider acts of charity, be welcoming and leave an extra seat at the table, and avoid starting any wars.

Heres when to look for the pink moon in State College, plus more celestial events to check out soon.

When to see the pink moon in State College

The pink moon will peak at 12:35 a.m. Thursday, NASA reports, and it will appear full from Tuesday evening to Friday morning.

The National Weather Service State College office forecasts showers and possibly a thunderstorm Wednesday night, with a low around 58 degrees and an 80% chance of precipitation. Showers are also likely Thursday, the NWS forecasts.

This full moon determines the date of Easter, which is April 9 this year. Easter is celebrated the first Sunday after the first full moon occurring after the spring equinox.

The pink moon is also known by several other names, depending on who you ask. Here are some of its other names:

Paschal moon (meaning moon related to Easter)

Peony moon (sometimes used in China)

Moon of blackberry (Choctaw of southeastern U.S.)

Budding moon of plants and shrubs (Tlingit of pacific northwest)

The Central Pennsylvania Observers will host a meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday at the South Hills Business School at 480 Waupelani Drive in State College. The gathering is open to the public, and the organization will also host a Skywatch from 8 to 10 p.m. at Bernel Road Park Friday.

The CPO will host a Skywatch for the public at Bernel Road Park, 4/7/23, 8 PM. Members will provide telescopes for viewing celestial objects such as planets and the Moon. Members of the Penn State Department of Anthropology will present "Stories Under the Sky."  Central PA Observers (@CPO_club_org) March 17, 2023

More full moons in 2023

After Aprils pink moon, stargazers will have nine more chances to catch a full moon this year. Four will be supermoons, and one will be a blue moon.

Story continues

Heres when to look, with information from Space.com:

May 5: Flower moon

June 3: Strawberry moon

July 3: Buck supermoon

Aug. 1: Sturgeon supermoon

Aug. 30: Blue supermoon (appears biggest and brightest of the year)

Sept. 29: Harvest supermoon

Oct. 28: Hunters moon

Nov. 27: Beaver moon

Dec. 26: Cold moon

These moons have multiple names, and many come from Indigenous cultures. The Farmers Almanac uses Indigenous moon names, along with monikers from colonial America and other North American sources.
As Gov. Ron DeSantis and other state leaders try to remake New College of Florida, the school is tapping into $15 million from the Legislature to offer $10,000 scholarships to prospective students.

A joint legislative panel in February approved steering $15 million to New College for providing scholarships, recruiting faculty members and other expenses. State university system Chancellor Ray Rodrigues told lawmakers that the Sarasota schools trustees would have authority over how the money is spent.

In an email last week directed to friends with college-age students, John Stemberger, president of the Florida Family Policy Council, a nonprofit conservative group, plugged the scholarships.

Students should consider New College in Sarasota quickly being touted as the Hillsdale College of the southeast, a headline on the email said, referring to a liberal-arts college in Michigan that is prominent among conservatives.

Gov. Ron DeSantis this year shook up leadership at New College by appointing six conservative members to the Board of Trustees. The board subsequently voted to remove former New College President Patricia Okker and install Richard Corcoran, a former Republican House speaker and state education commissioner, as interim president.

READ MORE: How a small, conservative Michigan college is helping DeSantis reshape education in Florida

Stembergers email shared a message from Corcoran, who wrote that scholarships would be available to each qualified first-time-in-college or transfer student who enrolls. The $10,000 scholarships would be available in addition to other scholarships or financial aid provided to students, Corcoran said.

New College is the place for the rapidly growing population of students who are looking for a place to explore their intellectual curiosity, pursue their passions, and gain a better understanding of the world without having to abandon who they are and what they believe, Corcoran wrote.

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Corcoran also said New College trustees plan to invest as much as $100 million over the next several years to create a beautiful, unrivaled and preeminent university.

Stemberger has long been a prominent figure in conservative circles, and the Florida Family Policy Council advocates on a range of issues, such as opposing abortion and what it calls the gay agenda. DeSantis is scheduled to be the keynote speaker at the groups May 20 annual dinner in Orlando, according to the groups website.

Meanwhile, DeSantis recent picks for the board will face a confirmation hearing Wednesday in a Senate committee.

One of the governors appointees, Christopher Rufo, is a senior fellow with the Manhattan Institute, a conservative think tank. Rufo has served as a key figure in DeSantis effort to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in higher education. Rufo also has been vocal about the push to revamp New Colleges campus culture.

We will be shutting down low-performing, ideologically-captured academic departments and hiring new faculty. The student body will be recomposed over time: some current students will self-select out, others will graduate; well recruit new students who are mission-aligned, Rufo said in a tweet on Feb. 28.

New College, which is part of the states network of 12 universities, also has an effort underway to recruit transfer students from state colleges. Through a program dubbed NCF Transform, New College is advertising additional scholarships for transfer students who meet certain criteria.

The transition planning includes joint advising from both schools, a $3,500 per year renewing scholarship, and an academic pathway to complete a Bachelor of Arts degree in two years after transferring, information on the New College website says.
First lady Jill Biden's plane was diverted on Monday due to an apparent crack in the aircraft's windshield.

"Due to an aircraft issue en route Michigan, the first lady was diverted back to Denver, Colorado," Vanessa Valdivia, the first lady's press secretary, said in a tweet on Monday afternoon. " Her trip to Michigan will be postponed to a later date."

"Everyone is safe. Were back on the ground in Denver," the special assistant to the president added.

Biden had swung through the city on Monday as part of the "Investing in America" tour to tout the president's economic initiatives and workforce training programs.

JILL BIDEN FACES SCRUTINY FOR FLOATING IDEA OF INVITING IOWA TO WHITE HOUSE AFTER NATIONAL TITLE LOSS TO LSU

On the first stop of the first lady's four-state Investing in America tour, Dr. Jill Biden joined Governor Jared Polis at the Colorado State Capitol on April 3, 2023, in Denver, Colorado.

She spoke alongside Democratic Gov. Jared Polis.

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

A spokeswoman for the Air Force's 89th Airlift Wing told CBS News later in the day that the cause of the diversion was a cracked windshield.

"The aircrew elected to divert the aircraft back to Denver International Airport due to a non-threatening windshield crack to mitigate risks associated with the integrity of the windshield and icing conditions at their destination," she said. "The crew returned safely without any injuries to the passengers or aircrew onboard."

First lady Jill Biden exits the Executive One Foxtrot upon her arrival at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi.

ANGEL REESE LAUGHS OFF JILL BIDEN'S WISH TO INVITE BOTH LSU, IOWA TO WHITE HOUSE: 'A JOKE'

The first lady was scheduled to head to Michigan for another event on Monday afternoon.

The spokeswoman said that she would return to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Monday night via a military plane.

On the first stop of the first lady's four-state Investing in America tour, Dr. Jill Biden joined Governor Jared Polis at the Colorado State Capitol on April 3, 2023, in Denver, Colorado.

Fox News Digital's requests for comment from Joint Base Andrews and the 89th Airlift Wing were not immediately returned on Tuesday.

Biden is slated to journey to Maine and Vermont on Wednesday for similar events.

"Ill be focusing on community colleges and jobs. We need to work together to help our students get the education and training they need for the careers they want," she said Monday.
West Melbourne police arrested a man Thursday after his co-workers reported hearing him make a detailed threat to commit a mass shooting at their workplace.

>>> STREAM CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS LIVE <<<

Officers responded to Mack Technologies on Technology Drive Thursday where the head of Human Resources explained that an employee, 34-year-old Marcus Jeremell Anderson, had been overheard by two employees making a threat to commit a mass shooting at the business.

READ: DeSantis signs bill to carry concealed guns without a permit in Florida

The employees said they were talking with Anderson about the recent mass shooting at a school in Nashville when he made statements about wanting to commit a mass shooting at Mack Technologies.

Andersons co-workers said he mentioned specific details, saying he had 17 bullets for 17 heads, and that he had a handgun in his backpack in his locker loaded with 17 rounds of ammunition. He also said he had an AR-15 in his car.

According to police, Anderson told his co-workers he would give them a signal before he started his rampage so they could avoid harm.

He even explained he had already scouted areas throughout the building, including a location from which he could observe the actions of police as they responded.

According to police, the co-workers said Anderson even admitted to following a technician home in his car days earlier and considered murdering the technician then.

READ: Affidavit: Father of boy found in alligators mouth stabbed childs mother after party

When Andersons co-workers asked if he was serious, they told police he responded by saying that if he got mad enough, he would do it.

In an interview with police, Anderson tried to claim he was just joking around when he made the comments and said he didnt have any firearms on the property.

West Melbourne police arrested a man Thursday after his co-workers reported hearing him make a detailed threat to commit a mass shooting at their workplace.

However, police searched Andersons backpack, which was in his locker at Mack Technologies, and found a silver .380 handgun with a loaded magazine.

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In Andersons car, police say they found an AR-15 style rifle with a loaded magazine and a round in the chamber. Further inspection of the rifle revealed it had no serial number, a collapsible stock, and a barrel length that violated a Florida statute for being too short.

According to West Melbourne Police, Anderson would have been required to obtain a tax stamp for the rifle, which would not have been possible without a serial number.

READ: DeSantis calls for investigation into former Reedy Creek board

Anderson was charged with being in possession of a short-barreled rifle, short barreled shotgun, or machine gun, a second-degree felony. Hes being held in the Brevard County jail on $35,000 bond.

A Temporary Risk Protection Order was also granted for Andersons weapons.

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Wichita police have identified the man taken into custody after a 14-hour police standoff Monday as 51-year-old Jesse Camacho of Wichita.

Camacho was booked on suspicion of aggravated battery, domestic violence, battery and obstruction or impeding of lawful activities, according to a news release sent by police spokesman Chad Ditch.

The incident began around 1 a.m. Monday when officers responded to an assault with a weapon call in the 900 block of South Topeka, Ditch said.

Officers arrived and found a 28-year-old woman who escaped the house and said she had been battered and assaulted with a weapon, Ditch added.

A fight had broken out between the woman and Camacho, who knew each other, Ditch said.

Police learned that Camacho was on parole and refused to leave the home. A police supervisor talked with Camacho over the phone for several hours trying to get him to surrender peacefully, the release said.

The attempt was unsuccessful and Camacho warned the supervisor that officers should not enter the home, saying he had rigged it with explosives, the release said.

The SWAT team and crisis negotiators were called in around 8:30 a.m. Neighbors were told of the situation and were encouraged to leave the area, Ditch said.

Several hours later, around 3:25 p.m., Camacho was taken into custody inside the home. A sweep of the home did not turn up any explosives, the release said.

It is unknown if investigators found the weapon that the woman accused Camacho of using to assault her, Ditch said in an email.

Kansas Department of Corrections records show Camacho had previous convictions dating back to 2003 in Sedgwick, Saline and Dickinson counties, including arson, making a false writing and failing to register as a sex offender.
Hordes of reporters, police and barriers greeted Donald Trump when he arrived at his Manhattan residence Monday -- but only a small group of supporters.

Just before midday, authorities closed off Trump Tower to the public, as a heavy police presence and barricades surrounded the building situated on Fifth Avenue.

A tiny group of Trump supporters staged a demonstration that relied mostly on a large banner emblazoned with "Finish the Wall Trump 24," referring to the former president's bid to construct barriers on the US border with Mexico.

Among them was Vito Dichiara, 71, who resides in nearby suburban Long Island and told AFP he formerly worked for the right-wing outlet Fox News.

He accused New York District Attorney Alvin Bragg of engaging in a political conspiracy to prevent Trump from retaking the White House next year, and repeated long-debunked claims that the Democratic Party stole the election from Trump when Joe Biden upset him in 2020.

"I'm here to support Donald Trump, the former president of the United States and the next president of the United States," he said.

A couple of anti-Trump demonstrators also turned out, including Marni Halasa, who dressed as a devil.

Her red dress was covered with fake 100-dollar notes, she said to represent "the hush money" at the heart of the historic indictment against Trump over a payment to a porn actress.

But they were all outnumbered by journalists.

Despite the media excitement and small demonstrations, life went on in the city used to the gaze of outsiders.

Amid the towers adjacent to Manhattan's iconic Central Park, it was business as usual for the yellow taxis streaming by, as delivery cyclists and trucks skirted the hoopla.

A passerby smirked as he passed the crush of journalists who'd been at the ready for hours with cameras.

"It's the best show in town," he said before disappearing into the cityscape. "Even Shakespeare can't do that."

Trump is famously unpopular in Democratic-leaning New York, where he made his name as a brash real estate developer-turned reality TV star.

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"It is kind of good to show that somebody isn't above the law, because Trump used to say he could shoot someone in the middle of Fifth Avenue and get away with it," 67-year-old retiree Nancy Andrews told AFP near Grand Central station.

"It's good to see that that mindset is being challenged," she added.

New Yorker Lea Sturley said: "I think the country is very divided at this point. So I think it's important that we understand that this is not about sides. It's about justice."

arb-mdo-pdh/dw/sco/cwl
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A Mack Technologies employee threatened to commit a mass shooting at the business  telling two coworkers that he had "17 bullets for 17 heads"  before he was taken into custody at the workplace with an AR-style rifle in his car, a West Melbourne police probable cause affidavit said.

Marcus Anderson, 34, who is homeless, was arrested Thursday for possession of a short-barreled rifle, a second-degree felony.

Police transported Anderson to Circles of Care in Melbourne for mental health treatment and evaluation, and he was trespassed from Mack Technologies, an electronics assembly business on Technology Drive in West Melbourne.

Anderson remains incarcerated on $35,000 bond at the Brevard County Jail Complex, and he will be arraigned April 27 at the Harry T. and Harriette V. Moore Justice Center in Viera.

More: Daily Bread proposes to build Melbourne homeless shelter-service complex on Sarno Road

More: Mom sues, seeks answers after special-needs son chokes on glove, dies at Suntree daycare

A West Melbourne police cruiser.

According to the affidavit, Anderson made violent threats to two coworkers on March 28 after their conversation switched to the recent Nashville school mass shooting.

"Anderson said to coworkers he had 17 bullets for 17 heads, but that he would signal them before he started his murderous rampage so they could be safe," a West Melbourne police press release said.

"According to coworkers, Anderson had identified locations throughout the building to carry out the attack to include where he could escape when police arrived," the press release said.

Marcus Anderson, 34, who is homeless, was arrested Thursday for possession of a short-barreled rifle. West Melbourne police released this photo of the alleged AK-style firearm.

When police questioned him later, Anderson said he was just joking around and was not serious about his statements, the affidavit said.

When officers searched his backpack inside his work locker, they found a silver .38-caliber handgun with a loaded magazine, the affidavit said. The AR-style rifle found in his car did not have a serial number.

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"Thankfully, employees at the business notified law enforcement when they became aware of the threat," the police press release said.

"Mack Technologies' full cooperation helped bring this case to resolution, and serves as an excellent reminder that, 'If you see something, say something.' "

Rick Neale is the South Brevard Watchdog Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY (for more of his stories, click here.) Contact Neale at 321-242-3638 or rneale@floridatoday.com. Twitter: @RickNeale1

Support local journalism. Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Police: Man told coworkers he had '17 bullets for 17 heads' at business
Aminah F. Muhammad, 19.

Milwaukee police have safely located 19-year-old Aminah F. Muhammad, who was reported as critically missing early Tuesday.

She was last seen at 2:30 p.m. Monday on the 900 block of North 12th Street. Police said she was located as of 2 p.m. Thursday.

"Critically missing" is a label police apply to missing persons who may be in immediate danger due to a variety of factors.

Contact Elliot Hughes at elliot.hughes@jrn.com or 414-704-8958. Follow him on Twitter @elliothughes12.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee police locate missing 19-year-old
A member of the city police department asks a protester to leave an area near the courthouse where former President Donald Trump is scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday in New York City.

A member of the city police department asks a protester to leave an area near the courthouse where former President Donald Trump is scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday in New York City.

Former President Donald Trump is in New York, ready for arrest and arraignment Tuesday on charges relating to hush money paid to porn actor Stormy Daniels shortly before the 2016 election. Though the exact details of the charges are still unknown, news of the first-ever indictment of a former U.S. president has had time to sink in with Americans, and media organizations and polling outfits have had time to conduct detailed surveys about how they feel.

Its difficult to significantly sway opinions on Trump. He has been a celebrity for 40 years and arguably the dominant figure in American life for the past eight. Most Americans have a relatively firm stance on the former casino owner, pop culture mainstay and right-wing politician.

Combine that with the fact that details of the Daniels scandal  a famously wealthy man allegedly had an affair and then paid the woman hush money to stay quiet  have been known since early 2018 and dont exactly cut against Trumps libertine image, and thats a recipe for stasis.

Still, the polls out in recent days can tell us a lot about how Americans are viewing Trump, the indictment and the 2024 presidential election. Here are four takeaways:

Americans think the indictment is warranted.

In three polls released since word of the indictment broke on Thursday, pluralities or majorities of the public have approved of the grand jurys decision to indict  51% of voters in a Morning Consult poll, 45% of Americans in a ABC News/Ipsos poll and 60% of Americans in a CNN/SSRS poll. In all three, between 30% and 40% of respondents disapproved of the decision.

Both the Morning Consult and ABC News/Ipsos polls gave respondents a dont know option, while CNN did not. In the ABC News/Ipsos poll, 23% said they didnt know if the charges were warranted, while 12% said the same in the Morning Consult poll. (The gap between the two could come down to differences in the respondents. Morning Consult surveyed voters, who tend to have stronger opinions and more information than nonvoting members of the public.)

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The CNN survey also found that only a 10% sliver of Americans held Trump blameless for the payment to Daniels, while 37% thought his actions were illegal and 33% thought they were unethical but not illegal.

They also think the indictment is political.

At the same time, the public believes politics played a significant, driving role in Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Braggs investigation and the grand jurys decision to indict. In the CNN poll, a 52% majority said politics played a major role in the decision to indict Trump, while 76% said it played at least some role. The ABC News/Ipsos poll found that 47% of Americans thought the charges were politically motivated, while 32% did not.

Morning Consults question on the matter was more evenly split: 46% said the grand jurys decision was primarily due to Evidence that he [Trump] committed a crime, compared with 43% who said it was primarily due to Motivation to damage his political career.

Polling from Navigator Research, a Democratic group, recommends that party officials combat Republican messaging about politically motivated charges by emphasizing that no one is above the law, not even a former President.

It may be helping Trump among Republicans.

Even before the indictment, surveys in recent weeks had shown Trump building a substantial lead over Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) in GOP presidential primary polling. The indictment, which prompted DeSantis to defend Trump even as a super PAC aligned with Trump attacked DeSantis, is not likely to change that dynamic in the short term.

Polls show that Republicans, especially GOP primary voters, strongly disapprove of the indictment. In Morning Consults poll, for instance, just 19% of GOP primary voters approved of the indictment, while 70% disapproved. A survey from Marist College, NPR and the Public Broadcasting Service  released just days before the indictment  found that 80% of Republicans thought Trump was the victim of a witch hunt.

The impact on the 2024 general election might be minor.

Right now, Trump is the favorite to win the GOP nomination and challenge President Joe Biden in his expected 2024 reelection campaign. Polls generally show a prospective matchup between the two to be close, and the indictment has not immediately changed that.

Roughly a third of Americans had a favorable opinion of Trump in CNNs latest poll, while 58% had an unfavorable opinion. Thats not a huge change from the previous time it asked about the former president, in January, when 32% had a favorable opinion and 63% had an unfavorable opinion.

Morning Consult asked voters whether Trump should be running for president again, and 58% said he should not, while 37% said he should. Thats basically the same as the previous time it asked, in early March.

Its worth remembering that the indictment is not the only trouble Trump faces. Legal experts consider an ongoing investigation into Trumps efforts to overturn election results in Georgia  along with Justice Department probes into both his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection and his handling of classified documents  to be more serious than the case in New York. An additional indictment in the future could damage Trump in a substantial way.
A new study in a journal that focuses on cardiovascular diseases found that U.S. Army recruits are more out of shape than ever, and the U.S. military is spending millions as a result.

The research article, featured in the Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases journal, analyzed the increasing prevalence of lackluster physical fitness among Army trainees and the surge of musculoskeletal injuries found to correspond with that trend.

Results were taken from rosters of Army recruits entering basic training during fiscal year 2017. Of a total of 99,335 trainees, just under 35%  33,509  sustained at least one musculoskeletal injury.

Musculoskeletal injuries among the sample pool were especially pronounced among women. Of the 19,262 female trainees in the pool, approximately 62% suffered from at least one such injury. That alarming number was in stark contrast to the 32% of male trainees reporting musculoskeletal complications.

Whats more, medical costs associated with treating musculoskeletal injuries among Army trainees totaled more than $14.8 million.

The study broke down injury prevalence further according to the home states of recruits. Of the 10 worst performing states, eight were in the South. New York and Rhode Island joined Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee and North Carolina as states with the highest percentage of injuries reported.

As a result, the South represented the costliest region in the U.S., totaling nearly $7.2 million in medical expenses to treat trainees  or, approximately 50% of the total cost nationwide.

[R]ecruits coming from Southern states are less physically fit and more likely to sustain [musculoskeletal injuries] during initial military training, the studys authors wrote.

Along with the study results, that data further demonstrate that improving [physical activity and physical fitness] among young Americans residing in Southern states specifically, and the nation overall, is of critical importance for national security, they added.

The research was conducted with the help of various institutions, including Washington and Lee University, the U.S. Army Public Health Center, the American Heart Association, the University of South Carolina, DBornsteinSolutions and The Citadel.

Real the full report here.
A kitten showed up to a Wyoming animal shelter with frostbitten ears, toes, and tail on Valentines Day.

So staff at Park County Animal Shelter in Cody nicknamed her Popsicle, and it wasnt long before the determined kitten started stealing hearts on TikTok.

Even though this little girl has been through so much, she is a fighter! shelter staff said in a Feb. 14 Facebook post, adding that she would need her toes on all four feet amputated along with both ears and part of her tail.

Shelter staff suspects she had been hit by a car and was unable to get out of the wintry elements, the post says. She must have managed to crawl to someones home for help, and the family brought her to the shelter in Cody.

Her bottom lip had also detached from her jaw, but the dogged little kitten was still alert, eating, using the litter box, cleaning herself and is accepting all of the love, staff said in the post.

(The surgeries) may seem extensive but our little Popsicle deserves a chance! shelter staff said in the post. She WANTS to live, that much is clear to us and since she wants to keep fighting then we will help her in that fight!

All that care paid off in the end. Shelter staff documented Popsicles journey to recovery on TikTok, and users quickly became obsessed with her story, asking for regular updates and whether she had a home yet.

Strong and beautiful baby! someone wrote on a Feb. 22 video that showed a post-surgery Popsicle hobbling around wearing pink veterinary wrap on her amputated toes.

Shes had a rough go in life, captions on the video say. The captions describe the pitiful condition she was in when she first showed up at the shelter.

Even after all of that, it was clear to us that she was a fighter and wanted to live. So she underwent 2.5 hours of surgery for amputations of her ears, toes, tail, and reattaching her bottom lip to her jaw, the video says. We are thrilled to report that our little fighter is doing wonderfully post-surgery.

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Follow up videos show Popsicle getting her bandages off, her stitches out, and using her toeless paws to bat at a cat toy.

The most recent update shows her playing with a french fry the mischievous kitten stole from her foster moms plate on April 1. Jessy Farnworth, lead canine attendant at the shelter, had been fostering Popsicle through her recovery, KTVQ reported.

Someones personality is starting to really show! a caption on the video says.

Popsicle became something of a local celebrity as well, Farnworth told Cowboy State Daily. She would take little Popsicle with her into Walmart, where the cashiers would ask to see her.

Then a shelter worker told her aunt about Popsicle, and that was it. She goes, well thats my cat. I want her, Farnworth told the outlet. Shes going to be living at a lodge, and shes got older animals and carpeted floors, and no kids. This cat basically is going to be her baby.

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Why can't the world get enough of Pablo Picasso? On the 50th anniversary of his death, it seems the appetite for the Spanish master is inexhaustible.

Picasso's ceramics, Picasso's sculptures, Picasso and feminism, Picasso's use of white, celebrity photographs of Picasso... the list of exhibitions marking the half-century since his death on April 8, 1973 runs on and on.

"Picasso gobbles everything up, and still we are hungry for more," grandson Olivier Widmaier-Picasso told AFP, adding that he was "fascinated by the number of curators, historians and researchers that continue to find new angles to explore."

Explaining his ubiquity is another matter.

The genius of his talent seems largely beyond dispute, and this combined with his emergence at the start of the 20th century, just as the last obstacles to free expression were being dismantled, leaving him free to explore in every direction.

And he simply never stopped, working from his teens right up to his death on the Cote d'Azur at 91.

"He remains above everyone," said Bernard Blistene, a former director of the Pompidou Centre modern art museum in Paris.

"The permanent invention, the journey across all the great currents of modernity, the continuous experimentation for 80 years, the desire to please and displease... all of it is without equal," Blistene told AFP.

- No more 'muses' -

The MeToo movement has slightly rattled the elevated plinth on which Picasso's reputation stands, as accusations that he was an abusive misogynist towards his wives and girlfriends trigger calls for a reappraisal.

"We must stop talking about the women in his life as 'muses'. Some committed suicide, others sank into madness," said Emilie Bouvard, former curator at the Picasso Museum in Paris.

The exception was Francoise Gilot, the only mistress who dumped Picasso and lived to see 50 years pass since the death of "the tyrannical, superstitious and egotistical being" that she denounced in a famous book in the 1960s.

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But the damage has been limited.

Picasso still regularly tops the list for highest-grossing artists at auction: his paintings generated $494 million last year alone, according to Artprice.

There is a balance to be found, said Bouvard.

"Picasso is someone who appropriated things, people," she said. His work often spoke of violence and sexuality -- often with brutal, even courageous honesty -- but he also turned those feelings on the women in his life.

"Dealing with this question means speaking differently but fairly about Picasso," said Bouvard.

That only opens up more ways to prime the pump of the Picasso industry.

An exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum this summer, promising to reevaluate the artist "through a feminist lens", is being curated by comedian Hannah Gadsby, one of Picasso's most outspoken critics.

Meanwhile, crowds are flocking to a much lighter retrospective at the Picasso Museum in Paris curated by fashion designer Paul Smith.

It suggests the sexual politics have done nothing to undermine the simple pleasure that comes from seeing Picasso's work.

"I made it very decorative because the idea is that young school children and teenagers will come and see his work in a different light," Smith told AFP.

"Many of us have already seen Picasso many times around the world, so we hope to show it in a new way."

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Muslims are observing Ramadan in war-ridden Ukraine for a second year, and most people praying at a mosque near the eastern front line this week were soldiers in camouflage fatigues.

"I ask Allah to protect our mosque. I ask Allah to protect Ukraine... and to punish tyrants," Mullah Murat Suleymanov said in prayers for the holy month.

"Ramadan is a month of victory," he told the small congregation of 16 people, 11 of them in uniform including one woman.

The mosque has numerous boarded-up broken windows and walls pitted by shrapnel. A rocket exploded nearby two days earlier.

Among the worshippers was Said Ismagilov, formerly one of Ukraine's Muslim spiritual leaders.

When the war began, he quit and now works as an ambulance driver with volunteer paramedics, evacuating wounded soldiers from the front line.

Sandy-haired and wearing glasses, 44-year-old Ismagilov is a Tatar, a Muslim ethnic group.

He wore a sleeve patch from his ASAP Rescue battalion and showed his ambulance parked outside, with taped-over dents caused by shrapnel.

- 'Allah's protection' -

He said he feels "Allah's will and protection" amid the danger.

"There were times when my ambulance got riddled with shrapnel. Thank God, I wasn't injured."

When the war broke out, he had been serving as mufti of Ukraine's Umma religious administration for 13 years.

But the mosque where he served emptied as many evacuated the area.

"I realised I was useless," he said, opting to "stand up and defend my motherland".

"Now I evacuate wounded people."

Last year he spent Ramadan in Lysychansk, a city that saw extremely heavy shelling before Ukraine's military eventually withdrew.

One of the most important Muslim festivals, Ramadan requires believers to abstain from food and water from dawn to nightfall for a month.

Despite his wartime job, Ismagilov said he can still observe the Ramadan fasting rules.

"I'd got used to spending Ramadan at war, so this year was nothing new to me," Ismagilov said.

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"I have all I need for fasting according to all Muslim traditions."

"I'm not in the trench now. I spend most of my daytime driving or at the stabilisation point," a building where paramedics take wounded for initial medical care, he said.

He also tries to fit in a couple of hours praying at night.

- 'Hard to be Muslim' -

"It's hard for those Muslims who have to stay in the trenches. They are cold and there is a lot of water in the trenches as it often rains... It's hard to be a Muslim there," he said.

Ismagilov said he did not know how he would celebrate the end of Ramadan, Eid Al Fitr, later this month.

"You are lucky if you can visit a mosque now and you never know how many people will come, or if they will come," he said.

"If there is heavy shelling, we will probably gather in a basement to pray there."

Ismagilov grew up in the city of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine.

Intrigued by his family's Muslim heritage -- which his parents knew little about -- he went to study theology at an Islamic university in Moscow and later became an imam in Donetsk.

While he grew up in a largely Russian-speaking region, he now prefers to speak Ukrainian.

"I think it's disgusting when Russian Muslims support the war", he said.

Russia treats its ethnic minorities, many of them Muslims, as "people of low quality" and "uses them as cannon fodder" in the war, he said.

"It's no secret that most of the dead enemy soldiers are ethnically from Buryatia, Tuva, Dagestan, Tatarstan, Chechnya," he said, naming Russian regions with large numbers of Muslims and Buddhists.

"I'm absolutely sure that many Muslim fighters taking part in combat would like to fast... because in this case they feel even better with Allah's help," the Mufti Suleymanov told AFP.

Dressed in long robes and a white hat, he was elected mufti last November, replacing Ismagilov.

A soldier standing outside the mosque said he was fasting and that most Muslim soldiers do, unless they are on combat missions.

"When you are going right to the very front line, it's permitted not to fast. If it's not hot and you're not tormented with thirst, then you can fast," he said.

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Click here to read the full article.

With backing by some of Europes leading innovation VCs, Belgium label HNST is setting its sights on the United States. Saks Fifth Avenue picked up the mens collection this spring and it will add womens in the fall. Later this month the brand, which has undergone a visual rebranding rooted in elevated simplicity, will take over the windows of Los Angeles denim institution, American Rag, and host an in-store event.

The classic fits and vintage-inspired fabrics that have landed HNST in stores in Belgium, Italy, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, and Japan are the focal point in HNSTs efforts to gain share in the U.S. premium denim market. The company offers five core fitsrelaxed, relaxed tapered, straight and slim tapered for men; mom, dad, straight, high rise loose and balloon for womenin indigo, black and ecru retailing for up to $195.

The jeans are 100 percent circular and made with low impact washesa mere footnote in its rebrandingbut an integral part of the HNSTs story.

We want to give [consumers] a more sustainable and circular way of buying clothes without them initially knowing it, said Martijn Swolfs, HNST CEO.

Swolfs described the strategy as a silent movement, so consumers view HNST as a cool and understated luxury brand that, in terms of style, can sit alongside Levis, Frame, Mother and Re/Done. When they find out what we do, Im sure that they will love us even more because they are part of a solution to a crisis that we have to solve, he said.

Circular Start

Investments and actions across the denim supply chain are helping the industry scale its use of recycled cotton. Mills are identifying the optimal recipes for recycled and virgin cotton denim blends. Fiber innovators like Cyclo, Recover and Renewcell are making recycle content more accessible. Meanwhile, initiatives like the Ellen MacArthur Foundations Jean Redesign and the Amsterdam-based Denim Deal are setting requirements and goals for brands committed to increasing their use of recycled cotton.

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It was a different story in 2017 when HNST (pronounced honest) set out to make circular jeans.

Back then, HNST founder Tome Duhoux compared the brands business model to the wine grape harvest. In September 2017, HNST initiated a two-week collection campaign in Belgium, where it collected over 6,000 pairs of old jeans that were sorted and recycled into new denim. Fibers made from the non-wearable jeans were blended with Tencel and woven into new fabric in Italy.

HNST

When Tome came up with the idea of HNST, his initial idea was to really create an impact in the industry, Swolfs said, adding that the first three years of HNSTs existence was dedicated to research and development and additional harvesting campaigns to collect unwanted jeans.

The company was mainly focused on getting the product right, getting the fit and making sure that what were saying and what were offering makes sense, he said.

Though the brand was selling jeans on its e-commerce site in Belgium and neighboring countries in by 2020, Swolfs said 2022 was the first global roll out.

Wholesale is the distribution channel of choice for the U.S. A global partnership with M5 Showroom in New York City, which distributes brands like Stone Island and Jacob Cohen, opened the brand up to wholesale in the U.S. last September. Landing an institutional store like Saks Fifth Avenue is a big deal for a relatively small brand like HNST coming from Belgium, Swolfs added.

Glocal Future

The brand has global goals, but it continues to take ownership of its European supply chain.

Since the volumes are increasingly growing, its easier for us to optimize our production and the economies of scale are much easier, Swolfs said about maintaining a local and sustainable supplier list.

European Spinning Group, a Belgium spinner, makes HNSTs weft yarn. They have been supporting us from the very beginning. Theyre very flexible and open to a lot of R&D and innovation processes, he said. Italian mill Pure Denim takes the yarn and weaves it in denim. Swolfs lauded the mills Smart Indigo technology which uses an electromagnetic field to fix indigo onto the yarn instead of chemicals and water.

Recycled cotton makes up 60-70 percent of HNSTs fabric constructions. From next year onward, Swolfs said it will be 70-80 percent. The remaining fiber is cotton sourced from Greece. We prefer working with traceable organic cotton or local non GMO cotton, such as the Greek growers because theyre very strong in non-genetically manipulated organic cotton. Thats why were working with the Greek varieties because they can give us the necessary certificates, he said.

Swolfs added that the company is looking into a regenerative cotton initiative in India to cultivate its own cotton from seed to fiber. If we need to use cotton, it needs to at least be cultivated in the best possible way with the most respect for the planet, but also for the people cultivating it, he said.

HNST

A partnership with a local donation center and a takeback program for consumers unwanted jeans supplies HNST with small volumes of textiles to cycle back into its manufacturing. The company purchases additional post-consumer waste from a German recycler for larger production. Buying waste is a stopgap until HNST can develop a larger collection scheme.

We are thinking to expand our own program because we still believe in the whole idea of harvesting something and then using it instead of buying it from somebody else, Swolfs said. Unfortunately, theres so much waste out there. So, its just a matter of finding a structure to collect all the waste.

Some ideas are working with festivals like Tomorrowland to incentivize visitors to donate unwanted jeans. The brand is considering hosting harvesting dating experiences like concerts or parties that would require old jeans as the entrance fee. Swolfs said the company is also in talks with a U.S. partner to see if they can begin to expand its network and harvest jeans around the world.

[We want to make] people more aware that we can do something with their old pair of jeans. And want to give them something in return and have a nice experience that brings people together with shared values, he said.
President Joe Biden declared another major disaster in California Monday as the state deals with the repercussions of a new bout of severe storms.

The declaration makes federal funding immediately available to affected individuals in Kern, Mariposa, Monterey, San Benito, Santa Cruz, Tulare and Tuolumne counties, as requested by the governor.

Gov. Gavin Newsom pressed the president to declare a major disaster in California last Tuesday, which gathered unanimous bipartisan and bicameral support from the states congressional delegation. In his request, Newsom had asked for help for the counties that were named in Bidens declaration but also Calaveras and Los Angeles counties.

The White House said that Andrew F. Grant of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) would coordinate federal recovery operations in the counties. More counties might receive assistance after damage assessments are completed.

This declaration brings in more vital resources as we continue to work in lockstep with local, state and federal partners to support communities that have been turned upside down by these storms, Newsom said in a statement.

California has dealt with catastrophic winter weather, including storms, flooding, heavy snowfall, high winds, landslides, mudslides and avalanches. The federal assistance can go toward individuals temporary housing, repairs, loans for loss of property and other aid for people and businesses who have suffered at the hands of the weather. It can also supplement some state, tribal and local governments measures on hazard mitigation to bolster resilience for future weather events.

Biden previously declared a major disaster for the state in January at Newsoms request. The president also had visited California in late January to assess storm damage. The president followed up with an emergency declaration in March.

California has spent more than $60 million in response and recovery works, the governors office reported last week. The state deployed the California National Guard and other state personnel to perform rescue missions, help supply essential items and fortify levees and roadways. Newsom too expanded the Californias own state of emergency to 47 counties since late February.
The Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) has uncovered Oleksandr Svyrydov, the former parish priest of a church in the Izium diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP) who blessed Russian troops during the occupation of Kharkiv Oblast. Svyrydov fled to Russia after the oblast was liberated.

Source: SSU; Ukrainska Pravda source in law enforcement agencies

Quote: "During the temporary occupation of part of Kharkiv Oblast, the archpriest organised a staged church procession to mark the Day of the Baptism of Kyivan Rus, which he tried to get local people involved in.

According to reports from SSU counter-intelligence, during the event he blessed the Russian occupiers and columns of their military equipment in the Kupiansk district."

Details: Svyrydov ordered the whole "process" to be filmed so that it could then be featured in Kremlin-aligned media resources.

The Russians did this in an attempt to simulate "support" for them from local churchgoers in Kharkiv Oblast.

Ukrainska Pravdas source says the priest in question was Oleksandr Svyrydov, 63, an archpriest of the Izium diocese of the UOC-MP.

He and his family fled to Russia when Kharkiv Oblast was liberated.

There he was appointed rector of the Orthodox parish of the Church of St John the Baptist in the Tver and Kashin diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC).

SSU investigators have opened a criminal case against Svyrydov under Art. 436-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (justification, recognising as legitimate or denial of the Russian armed aggression against Ukraine or glorification of its participants).

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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle worked a total of 52 hours a year on their foundation, averaging out to one hour per week.

The revelation was made in 2021 tax filings from Archewell, the Duke and Duchess of Sussexs nonprofit. The IRS 990 filing was recently posted on Archewells official website.

Royal expert Hilary Fordwich told Fox News Digital the admission is "totally inconsistent" with the original statement the couple made in 2021.

"They said, We can all live a life of service. Service is universal," Fordwich explained. "One hour a week isnt exactly a life. There is a vast distinction between a life of service to others versus a self-promoting and self-serving life."

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced in 2020 they were stepping back as senior royals. They are currently financially independent.

"The royal family indeed garners much of its respect and admiration from the public due to their focusing on the work of others while the Sussexes are clearly focused on their own issues," Fordwich alleged. "Prior to this tax return that might be construed as an opinion. Now, the lack of time spent is a fact. Their dedication to driving dollars has clearly taken priority over any dedication to duty."

Its noted that one hour per week is the standard amount that nonprofits disclose for board participation. Therefore, it should be reported as such. The documents also showed that other officers for the foundation reported the same amount of working time, including Executive Director James A. Holt, Treasurer Secretary Catherine St-Laurent, President Richard Genow and Treasurer Andrew K. Meyer.

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

KING CHARLES 'WAS NEVER EXPECTING TO SEE' PRINCE HARRY, EXPERTS CLAIM: 'STARK EXAMPLE OF CONSEQUENCE'

Meghan Markle, an American actress, became the Duchess of Sussex when she married the British prince in 2018.

The couple set up the Beverly Hills-based foundation in 2020, months after they announced they were stepping back as senior royals. That year, the duke and duchess pledged they would be "financially independent."

In 2021, their office announced that the pair "remain committed to their duty and service to the U.K. and around the world and have offered their continued support to the organizations they have represented regardless of official role."

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The Duchess and Duke of Sussex attend the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Ripple of Hope Gala on Dec. 6, 2022, in New York City.

Kinsey Schofield, the host of the "To Di For Daily" podcast, told Fox News Digital that, in her opinion, the hours listed dont align with the couples mission to put service to others at the forefront. This, she said, puts them at risk of being heavily scrutinized.

"It's no secret that Meghan pursued a friendship with activist Gloria Steinem... and this week we discovered that Meghan is conveniently being awarded the Women of Vision Award by Steinem at the Ms. Foundation for Women gala in May," said Schofield. "I've never seen two people that contribute so little to society collect so many awards."

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"I think the one-hour work week demonstrates a lack of sincerity in their life of service statement post-Megxit," she shared. "We've seen high volumes of complaining about family drama on Netflix and in [Harrys memoir] Spare and very little life of service... but that doesn't stop them from accepting awards for fighting systematic racism within the royal family... weeks before Harry denied ever accusing his family of racism."

Since the couple stepped back and move to North America, they have developed a successful media empire. In late 2020, the couple signed a five-year $100 million contract with Netflix, Forbes reported. That same year, they signed a three-year deal with Spotify that the outlet said could be worth between $15 million to $25 million. Markle also reportedly received an advance of up to $618,000 for her childrens book "The Bench," which was published in 2021.

Season 1 of Meghan Markle's "Archetypes" podcast wrapped in November 2022. It's unclear whether Spotify will launch a Season 2.

Its also rumored that Harry received a $20 million advance for his memoir "Spare," which went on to become the fastest-selling nonfiction book of all time.

The couple no longer receives money from the royal family. Their ventures, the outlet shared, have an estimated value of more than $135 million.

"Archewells tax forms reflect what is obvious to even a casual observer," royal expert Shannon Felton Spence told Fox News Digital. "Despite telling the world of their ambitions as philanthropists, Harry and Meghan spend their time on for-profit enterprises like docuseries and memoirs.

PRINCE HARRY CLAIMS HE WAS 'DEPRIVED' OF TEENAGE YEARS DUE TO PUBLISHER'S 'UNLAWFUL' ACTIONS IN UK LAWSUIT

Prince Harry's memoir "Spare" was published on Jan. 10.

"Their words and actions do not align," she alleged. " They missed a major opportunity to do a big philanthropic push after publishing [Harry's] book. That would have signaled that they were turning the page toward their new life and focused on doing good for communities across the globe."

The documents noted that Archewell has supporters with deep pockets. The charity received a $10 million donation from one unidentified donor and $3 million from another. The foundation also received $4, 470 from public donations.

The organization has never asked the public for donations, The Telegraph reported. According to the outlet, it operates based on making partnerships and investing "millions of dollars across the nonprofit space for sustainable programs and campaigns." About $3 million went to over 40 organizations that focused on vaccine equity, refugee settlement, relief centers and "building a better online world," the outlet noted.

As the couple faces criticism for their listed working hours, Harry has been focused on reforming the British media, which he described as his lifes work. In "Spare," he blamed an overly aggressive press for the 1997 death of his mother and also accused the media of hounding his wife.

The prince, Elton John, and actresses Elizabeth Hurley and Sadie Frost are among a group of seven people suing Associated Newspapers Ltd. for allegedly paying private investigators to illegally bug homes and cars and to record phone conversations. He is also suing the publisher of the Daily Mirror over allegations of phone hacking.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex reside in California with their two young children.
Prince Harry is believed to have stayed at Frogmore Cottage during his surprise visit to the UK last week.

The Duke of Sussex attended a London court for his ongoing case against Associated Newspapers, publisher of the Daily Mail, along with other high-profile figures including Sir Elton John.

Harrys visit coincided with King Charles III and Queen Consort Camillas royal visit to Germany, as preparations for their coronation next month get into full swing.

The Dukes visit marked the first time he had returned to the UK since the King informed him that he and his family would be asked to vacate Frogmore Cottage, five-bedroom property, which has reportedly now been offered to Prince Andrew.

The Telegraph reports that Harry is thought to have flown back to his familys home in California on Thursday 30 March, and is likely to have used the visit to arrange his and Meghans belongings ahead of moving out of their London residence.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have indicated that they have received email correspondence from Buckingham Palace about attending the coronation next month, but have not disclosed any details about whether they will be among the other guests.

Key Points

Meghan Markle wins defamation lawsuit against half-sister Samantha as Florida judge dismisses case

Prince Harry claims Buckingham Palace withheld information about historic phone hacking

King Charles receives rousing standing ovation after delivering historic Bundestag address

War in Ukraine has inflicted the most unimaginable suffering, King Charles says

Inside Frogmore Cottage, Harry and Meghans former home

Monday 3 April 2023 15:31 , Ellie Muir

The Grade II-listed Frogmore Cottage has been part of the royal familys property portfolio since the 19th century.

Over the years, various members of the royal family have lived in the 10-bedroom house, which was first built as a retreat for Queen Charlotte, the wife of King George III, in 1801.

It is currently known for being the first marital home and UK residence of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

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However, it was reported at the beginning of the year that King Charles III has evicted the couple from Frogmore Cottage and is offering the keys to the Duke of York instead.

When Frogmore Cottage was built, it had 10 bedrooms. However, after Harry and Meghans major renovation of the place, it became a five-bedroom property but now includes two orangeries, a vegetable garden and a yoga studio, reports House & Garden.

Read more about inside Frogmore Cottage below:

Inside Frogmore Cottage, Harry and Meghans former home

Who is attending King Charles coronation?

Monday 3 April 2023 17:25 , Ellie Muir

King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla will be crowned at their coronation on Saturday 6 May. The couple will be joined by hundreds of guests at Westminster Abbey, including senior members of the royal family, politicians and celebrities. The Archbishop of Canterbury will conduct the ceremony.

While the venue can seat up to 2,200 guests, it is unknown how many invites Buckingham Palace has sent out, and many attendees wont be confirmed until the actual day of the event.

There has been controversy in the build-up to the coronation weekend as speculation mounts over whether the Duke and Duchess will be in attendance. In February, a representative for the couple confirmed that they had received email correspondence on behalf of the king, but its still uncertain whether they have accepted the invitation.

Read more about who will be attending the coronation below:

All of the celebrities and royals attending King Charles coronation

Meghan Markle to receive Ms Foundation womens award for global advocacy work

Monday 3 April 2023 16:25 , Ellie Muir

Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, and Black Voters Matter co-founder LaTosha Brown will receive the Ms Foundations Women of Vision Award in May, the nations oldest womens foundation announced Monday.

The awards will be handed out at the Ms Foundations annual gala on 16 May at New York Citys Ziegfeld Ballroom, as part of its 50th anniversary celebration where funds raised will go toward the organizations equity centered initiatives.

Read the full story below:

Meghan Markle to receive Ms Foundations Women of Vision Award

Will Camilla be crowned Queen at King Charles coronation?

Monday 3 April 2023 15:01 , Ellie Muir

The title of Queen Consort Camilla, who was previously the Duchess of Cornwall is expected to change following King Charles coronation.

Camilla Parker-Bowles, who is Charles second wife, was made the Duchess of Cornwall when the pair married in 2005. Upon marrying King Charles in 2005, who was Prince of Wales at the time, Camilla decided not to use the Princess of Wales title, which had been used by his ex-wife Princess Diana.

In an unprecedented move, she became the Queen consort following the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September last year, after her husband inherited the throne.

The title was originally known as the Princess consort but Queen Elizabeth II announced that it was her sincere wish that the Duchess of Cornwall will be known as Queen consort when Charles becomes King.

As the coronation approaches, taking place on Saturday 6 May, Camillas title could potentially change while her husband is officially declared and crowned as the monarch.

Read more about Camillas title below:

Will Camilla be crowned Queen at King Charles coronation?

Meghan Markles sister Samantha to refile even stronger case against Duchess of Sussex

Monday 3 April 2023 14:49 , Ellie Muir

Meghan Markles sister, Samantha Markle, is planning to refile an even stronger case against the Duchess of Sussex.

On Friday (31 March), Meghan won a defamation lawsuit filed against her by her half-sister Samantha Markle, 58.

The actor and estranged royal had been accused by her relative of spreading malicious lies during a 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey and alleged statements to journalists in 2020.

But a Florida judge dismissed the lawsuit, stating that Samantha Markles statements were opinion and not capable of being proved false.

As a reasonable listener would understand it, Defendant merely expresses an opinion about her childhood and her relationship with her half-siblings, wrote US District Judge Charlene Edwards Honeywell her order.

Samantha filed her lawsuit in March 2022, alleging that Meghan had defamed her by giving information to an unauthorised biography called Finding Freedom and by discussing their relationship with Winfrey on live TV.

According to Judge Honeywells order, which was reported earlier by The Daily Beast, Finding Freedom had claimed that Samantha Markle had barely known her half-sister growing up, had never been close to her, and had been handsomely paid for an unflattering tabloid news story.

Meghan has previously said in interviews that she grew up as an only child.

Read the full story below:

Meghan Markles sister Samantha to refile even stronger defamation case

How the royal family could spend their first Easter without Queen Elizabeth II

Monday 3 April 2023 14:01 , Ellie Muir

Easter Sunday 2023 will be the first that the royal family will spend without Queen Elizabeth II, after her death last September.

The family usually celebrates the religious holiday at Windsor Castle, and will attend a church service on Easter Sunday (9 April) at St Georges Chapel.

The late monarch would also travel to different cathedrals across the country to hand out special coins to individuals in recognition of their contribution to their community and church.

But this year, the royal family will observe their first Easter with King Charles III as monarch instead.

Royal expert and biographer Ingrid Seward believes that it will be a happy celebration instead of a sombre time as they reflect on the years past.

How the royal family could spend their first Easter without Queen Elizabeth II

Who is attending King Charles coronation

Monday 3 April 2023 13:01 , Ellie Muir

King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla will be crowned at their coronation on Saturday 6 May. The couple will be joined by hundreds of guests at Westminster Abbey, including senior members of the royal family, politicians and celebrities. The Archbishop of Canterbury will conduct the ceremony.

While the venue can seat up to 2,200 guests, it is unknown how many invites Buckingham Palace has sent out, and many attendees wont be confirmed until the actual day of the event.

There has been controversy in the build-up to the coronation weekend as speculation mounts over whether the Duke and Duchess will be in attendance. In February, a representative for the couple confirmed that they had received email correspondence on behalf of the king, but its still uncertain whether they have accepted the invitation.

Read about all of the guests attending the coronation here:

All of the celebrities and royals attending King Charles coronation

The fascinating history behind the throne King Charles will sit on at his coronation

Monday 3 April 2023 12:03 , Ellie Muir

The Coronation Chair was made by order of King Edward I to enclose the Stone of Scone, which he brought from Scotland to Westminster Abbey in 1296.

The throne, created from oak, was made to contain the Stone between 1300 to 1301. The Stone was originally completely enclosed under the seat of the chair, but the wooden decoration at the front was torn away over time and exposed the Stone.

The Stone of Scone, also known as the Stone of Destiny or the Coronation Stone, is a block of red sandstone. It was previously kept at Scone Abbey in Scotland, which is now a ruin, but was seized by Edward I during the English invasion of Scotland.

The fascinating history behind the throne King Charles will sit on at his coronation

King Charles III to break from tradition with specific outfit choice for coronation

Monday 3 April 2023 11:30 , Ellie Muir

King Charles III has been advised to wear an outfit for his coronation that goes against previous royal tradition, according to reports.

The monarch acceded to the throne upon the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, in September.

His coronation is set to take place at Westminster Abbey on Saturday 6 May, in an event that has been teased to reflect the monarchs role today and look towards the future, while being rooted in long-standing traditions and pageantry.

In previous ceremonies, the King or Queen has traditionally worn silk stockings and breeches. However, recent reports have claimed that King Charles will opt to wear his military uniform instead.

King Charles III to break from tradition with coronation outfit choice

King Charles III coronation: Everything we know about 2023 ceremony

Monday 3 April 2023 10:45 , Ellie Muir

King Charles III will be coronated on Saturday 6 May 2023, alongside his wife, Camilla, Queen Consort.

Charles celebrated his 74th birthday in November, making him the oldest person to be crowned in British history.

William, Prince of Wales is expected to play an important role in the committee organising his fathers coronation.

Buckingham Palace announced the programming that will take place across the long weekend, including a balcony appearance by the royals, a concert featuring international stars and a day of volunteering.

When is the coronation of King Charles III?

Prince Harry stayed at Frogmore Cottage during surprise UK visit

Monday 3 April 2023 08:00 , Ellie Muir

Prince Harry reportedly stayed at Frogmore Cottage during his visit to the UK for the phone-hacking case against the publisher of The Daily Mail.

Harry appeared in court at the Royal Courts of Justice on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday last week, alongside other high-profile figures including Sir Elton John.

His visit coincided with King Charles III and Queen Consort Camillas royal visit to Germany, as preparations for their coronation next month get into full swing.

It is understood that the Duke likely used the visit to sort out the couples belongings and work out what needs to be shipped to their Montecito home in the US ahead of vacating the property, The Telegraph reports.

The visit marked the first time the royal had returned to the five-bedroom property after his father told him he would be asked to vacate the property last month.

The King had asked the Sussexes to vacate the property following the release of Harrys memoir, Spare, at the beginning of the year.

When the eviction was first reported, a royal expert told The Independent that King Charless decision cannot be seen as anything other than a reaction to the release of Harrys memoir.

RS Locke, a freelance writer and royal commentator said: Evicting the Sussex family from Frogmore Cottage is transparently punitive and King Charles wanted the couple and the public to know it.

Prince Harry stayed at Frogmore Cottage during surprise UK visit

Harry at High Court as Mail publisher bids to throw out stale privacy claims

Monday 3 April 2023 07:30 , Kate Ng

The Duke of Sussex has made a surprise appearance at a High Court hearing in London as the Daily Mails publisher makes a bid to throw out a set of claims over alleged unlawful information gathering at its titles.

Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL) is bringing a bid to end High Court claims brought by people including Harry, Sir Elton John and Baroness Doreen Lawrence over the allegations  which include the hiring of private investigators to secretly place listening devices inside cars and homes and the recording of private phone conversations.

Harry at High Court as Mail publisher bids to throw out stale privacy claims

Prince of Wales: Diana would be disappointed in lack of progress on homelessness

Monday 3 April 2023 06:30 , Kate Ng

The Prince of Wales has said his mother would be disappointed that the UK is still no further along with tackling the problem of homelessness.

William appeared in a short film as part of the 2023 Comic Relief broadcast where he sat down with two people who had experienced homelessness.

Prince of Wales: Diana would be disappointed in lack of progress on homelessness

King to visit York to distribute Maundy money for first time as monarch

Monday 3 April 2023 04:30 , Kate Ng

The King is to hand out Maundy money for the first time as a monarch when he carries out the ancient ritual in York.

Charles and the Queen Consort will attend the Royal Maundy Service in York Minister on 6 April.

During the Maundy Thursday event, the King will present 74 men and 74 women with specially-minted silver coins to the value of 74p  signifying Charless age  to thank the pensioners for their service in local communities.

King to visit York to distribute Maundy money for first time as monarch

Prince Harry not expected to see Charles or William as he makes surprise return to UK

Monday 3 April 2023 02:30 , Kate Ng

The Duke of Sussex has made a surprise return to the UK for the first time since the late Queens funeral  but is not expected to meet with the King or the Prince of Wales.

His trip  for a High Court hearing in London in his claim against Daily Mail publisher Associated Newspapers over allegations of unlawful information-gathering  will be seen as demonstrating the strength of his determination over the legal action.

Prince Harry not expected to see Charles or William as he makes surprise return to UK

King becoming frustrated old man over attitudes to climate emergency

Monday 3 April 2023 00:30 , Kate Ng

The King has described how he is becoming a frustrated old man over attitudes to the global climate emergency.

A life-long environmentalist, Charles said the world must rely on the younger generation if we are to avert an environmental catastrophe in the next few years.

King becoming frustrated old man over attitudes to climate emergency

Prince Andrew in despair that King Charles has not shared 650million inheritance

Sunday 2 April 2023 23:30 , Kate Ng

Prince Andrew is in despair that the King has not shared out their mothers inheritence, according to reports.

King Charles was the sole beneficiary of the Queens 650million estate, under a 1993 agreement meaning no inheritance tax was owed.

The Kings siblings Princess Anne, 72, and Prince Edward, 59, as well as Prince Andrew, 63, inherited nothing from the Queen, and are said to share some resentment because of this.

Prince Andrew in despair that King Charles has not shared 650million inheritance

WATCH: Prince Andrew determined to not leave Royal Lodge residence

Sunday 2 April 2023 21:30 , Kate Ng

Expert predicts how the royal family will spend their first Easter without the Queen

Sunday 2 April 2023 20:30 , Kate Ng

This Easter Sunday will be the first that the royal family will spend without Queen Elizabeth II, after her death last September.

Royal expert and biographer Ingrid Seward believes that it will be a happy celebration instead of a sombre time as they reflect on the years past.

Expert predicts how the royal family will spend their first Easter without the Queen

Harry and Meghans children now known as Prince and Princess on royal familys website

Sunday 2 April 2023 19:30 , Kate Ng

Buckingham Palace has updated the royal familys website to reflect the Duke and Duchess of Sussexs childrens new titles of Prince and Princess.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markles children, who are sixth and seventh in line to the throne respectively, are now named Prince Archie of Sussex and Princess Lilibet of Sussex on the site.

It comes after the couples daughter was formally referred to as Princess Lilibet for the first time when their spokesperson confirmed she had been christened last week in California.

Harry and Meghans children now officially known as Prince and Princess

King Charles III coronation: Everything we know about 2023 ceremony

Sunday 2 April 2023 18:30 , Kate Ng

Need a refresher on when King Charles IIIs coronation will be and what the itinerary for the weekend is? Look no further:

When is the coronation of King Charles III?

Successions Brian Cox says Meghans marriage into royal family is a fairytale gone horribly wrong

Sunday 2 April 2023 17:30 , Kate Ng

Brian Cox has claimed that Meghan Markles marriage into the royal family is a fairytale that went horribly wrong.

In a new interview with the Radio Times, the Succession star said that he understood why Meghan was attracted to marrying into the royal family, due to its fairytale image.

Ellie Muir reports:

Brian Cox says Meghans royal marriage is a fairytale gone horribly wrong

Will Camilla be crowned Queen at King Charles coronation?

Sunday 2 April 2023 16:30 , Kate Ng

The title of Queen Consort Camilla, who was previously the Duchess of Cornwall is expected to change following King Charles coronation.

Find out how:

Will Camilla be crowned Queen at King Charles coronation?

Camilla impresses with fashion choices on state visit to Germany

Sunday 2 April 2023 15:30 , Kate Ng

The King and Queen Consort recently visited Germany on their first trip to the country since Charles reign began.

A regal wardrobe was required for the string of high profile engagements, and Camilla wowed the crowds with her outfits.

Camilla impresses with fashion choices on state visit to Germany

Kings inaugural state visit boosted by Germanys warm welcome

Sunday 2 April 2023 14:30 , Kate Ng

Completing a major milestone for the first time can be daunting even for a King but the inaugural state visit of Charless reign appears to have been a success.

It did not begin in auspicious circumstances, with the first leg to France postponed after days of protests against President Emmanuel Macrons pension age reforms culminated in violent scenes from Paris to Bordeaux.

Read more:

Kings inaugural state visit boosted by Germanys warm welcome

Everything you need to know about Queen Consort Camillas family tree

Sunday 2 April 2023 13:30 , Kate Ng

The Queen Consort will be crowned alongside her husband, King Charles III, at the highly anticipated coronation ceremony on 6 May.

The royal, 75, is expected to be crowned Queen instead of Queen Consort after the coronation, with the coronation edition of the Bible reportedly dropping the title in its commemoration message.

As the nation prepares for the major ceremony  the UKs first coronation since the late Queen Elizabeth IIs in 1953  many people are interested in learning more about the new monarchs wife and her family tree.

Everything you need to know about Queen Consort Camillas family tree

Paul OGrady once tried to convince Queen Elizabeth II to adopt a rescue corgi

Sunday 2 April 2023 12:30 , Kate Ng

The late Paul OGrady once attempted to persuade Queen Elizabeth II to adopt her own rescue corgi when she visited Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, it has been revealed.

Ali Taylor, a friend of OGrady and head of behaviour at the animal charity, said that the actor comedian had such a passion for rescue dogs that he tried to get the late monarch to take one home to Buckingham Palace with her.

Paul OGrady once tried to convince Queen Elizabeth II to adopt a rescue corgi

King Charles praises Queens Green Canopy scheme after 3 million trees planted

Sunday 2 April 2023 11:18 , Kate Ng

King Charles III has offered his heartfelt thanks to people involved in the Queens Green Canopy (QGC) after the initiative announced it has planted more than three million trees.

The scheme was launched in May 2021 to mark the Queens Platinum Jubilee, and was extended after her death in September last year to allow people to plant trees in memoriam.

King Charles praises Queens Green Canopy scheme after 3 million trees planted

Friends close to Prince Andrew rubbish reports he is planning to write memoir

Sunday 2 April 2023 09:00 , Kate Ng

Friends close to Prince Andrew have hit out at reports that he is planning to write a memoir.

On Sunday, a number of newspapers claimed that the Duke of York was in talks to produce a tell-all autobiography, following the success of Prince Harrys book Spare.

However, friends of his family have taken the unusual step to make his views known following the reports.

Was Prince Charles's School Boarding School Experience as Awful as The Crown Depicts?

King Charles takes on new title previously held by Queen Elizabeth II

Sunday 2 April 2023 07:00 , Kate Ng

King Charles III has been appointed colonel-in-chief of the Corps of Royal Engineers, a title previously held by his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II.

Buckingham Palace announced the news on Tuesday 28 March, with the position hailed as a long-standing tradition in the royal family that began with King Edward VII in 1904.

King Charles takes on new title previously held by Queen Elizabeth II
Editors note: This story is available as a result of a content partnership between WFTV and the Orlando Business Journal.

The plans real estate giant Prologis Inc. has for roughly 165 acres of land it will buy from the Orlando Utilities Commission are coming into view -- thanks to a master plan request the developer has filed with the city of Orlando.

Read: 3rd teenager dies in rural Marion County community

Documents included with the request revealed plans for a five-building warehouse park, totaling more than 1.5 million square feet of space, to rise on the vacant property on the east side of Wetherbee Road.

Once the transaction closes, San Francisco-based Prologis will have added 165 acres adjacent its Prologis Park at Airport International Park of Orlando (AIPO), located just west of Orlando International Airport.

Click here to read the full story on the Orlando Business Journals website.




Protesters outside a Manhattan courthouse fought over a banner reading Trump lies all the time, ahead of former President Trumps arraignment on Tuesday.

A woman wearing a red hat walked into the middle of the massive banner, which was laid out on the ground, as both anti-Trump and pro-Trump demonstrators gathered on Tuesday morning. She began trying to gather up the banner, before tripping and falling on the fabric, according to multiple videos of the incident.

Several anti-Trump protesters attempted to reposition the banner, but the woman dragged the banner after her as she stood up, knocking over another person in the process.

Youre on the wrong side, the woman yelled, as the anti-Trump protesters tried to yank the banner away.

Another woman wrapped in an American flag with a Make America Great Again hat joined in the effort amid shouts of tear this shit up, before members of the New York Police Department ultimately broke up the scuffle.

Trump is set to be arraigned on criminal charges on Tuesday for his role in a 2016 hush money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels. Trumps former personal attorney, Michael Cohen, paid Daniels $130,000 to buy silence about an alleged affair with the former president ahead of the 2016 election.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
There were empty seats in the directors box and chants calling for the chairman to go. Admittedly, it is the Everton board who have to stay away from Goodison Park while it was the Tottenham Hotspur supporters chorusing we want Levy out and Daniel Levy, get out of our club. Discontent with the powerbrokers is not confined to either of these clubs.

And if Levy may be entitled to point out that Everton, with their heavy spending in the Farhad Moshiri era, would scarcely complain if they were fourth now, that would not quell the dissent. But the most pertinent part of the songbook may have been an old favourite: Hes magic, you know, Mauricio Pochettino. Tellingly, it was aired several times.

The Argentinian may have an innate advantage in a popularity contest: the Spurs supporters do not have prepared and rehearsed chants for Julian Nagelsmann or Luis Enrique, Roberto De Zerbi or Ruben Amorim. It may seem odd to serenade men more associated with other clubs, such as Vincent Kompany, another possible candidate to replace Antonio Conte. And, in a different way, it might feel incongruous to laud Cristian Stellini, a caretaker and a man innately associated with Conte, who had criticised virtually every element of Tottenham, from players to supporters. On their previous trip to Goodison Park, for their previous managers Premier League bow, the Spurs fans sang Antonio. On a return, they reached back into their past.

But Pochettino represents much of what they crave. His Tottenham blazed a trail to win 6-2 at Goodison Park; Stellinis drew 1-1 despite having a one-goal lead and, for half an hour, a one-man advantage. And if that is a selective interpretation of the past, as the Argentines Spurs also had three 1-1 draws on this side of Stanley Park, nostalgia can kick in. Pochettinos Tottenham brought the promise of excitement. The Conte / Stellini team have become increasingly prosaic, their pragmatism looking unpragmatic amid some indifferent results. They are fourth largely due to Harry Kane: since the start of November, they have only taken points in one game when he did not score. And if Pochettinos Spurs were infamously branded the Harry Kane team by Pep Guardiola, it is truer now than it ever was. If Tottenham get into the Champions League, it may be down to a player more than a plan.

Where Conte had a strategy, he left a straitjacket: Spurs seemed flat in his 3-4-3 formation in his final games. They did again in the first match after his departure. The football in the Pochettino era was often enterprising and entertaining, more fluent and free-flowing. A shortcoming of Contes system is a shortage of players in the centre of midfield and, whatever the shape, Pochettino was rarely outnumbered there, lending Spurs more control and a more proactive, progressive feel. Tottenham may be in the hunt for a second successive top-four finish but the last three-and-a-half years feel like a failure to build on his achievements.

Lucas Mouras red card at Goodison Park stopped Spurs starting Cristian Stellinis interim tenure with a win (PA Wire)

There was a sad postscript to the Pochettino era. Everton are now the parent club of one of his success stories: Dele Alli is now loaned out to Besiktas and out of their squad. He was the seeming 100m player Spurs ended up giving away. Four years ago, Alli got two assists in Pochettinos greatest night at Tottenham. Both were for the same player. Four years after his Champions League semi-final hat-trick against Ajax, Lucas Moura has not scored this season. He came off the bench on Merseyside and was sent off six minutes later for a desperate lunge. The man who sparked celebrations that made Pochettino cry in Amsterdam exited Goodison with his shirt pulled over his head in disappointment. He is leaving in the summer, his Spurs career ending in anti-climax.

It will be another reminder that the glory days under Pochettino are increasingly distant. Only Hugo Lloris and Son Heung-Min started both the Ajax game and Stellinis draw on Merseyside. Yet with Tottenhams 2023 short of highlights, with a team lacking the inspiration, energy and creativity Pochettinos both sides possessed, it is tempting to hark back to the past.

Pochettino has a symbolic value. The reality may be different; returns are usually less successful and his final few months were fraught. He would have to confront the question of how to work with Levy again. He would inherit a squad that has been Contefied and a host of signings who bear the look of misfits. Bringing back Pochettino is no guarantee it would restore the Tottenham their supporters loved. But, with magic in short supply in the modern-day Spurs, it is easy to see why the idea of Pochettino is so seductive.
Cheryl Korbel holds a toy outside Manchester Crown Court following the sentencing of Thomas Cashman

The harrowing case of the murder of nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel has shocked the nation. But as the trial judge, Mrs Justice Yip, passed sentence on Monday, the dock stood empty. Olivias murderer, the defendant Thomas Cashman, refused to leave his cell, telling his counsel to represent him and give reasons why he did not intend to face the court.

To Olivias family, this looked like a deliberate and controlling move by Cashman to avoid facing final accountability for his appalling actions. They were unable to see his response as the victim impact statements were read out to the court. An important part of the justice process, namely the public holding to account of Cashman for his crime, was cast aside.

In recent years, a number of defendants have failed to appear in the dock to face the court and families of victims. Concern is growing, understandably, that perpetrators of heinous crimes are exerting an undue degree of control over the justice process. From a judicial point of view, having the defendant present in person or via a video link is desirable. Judges have to explain the reasons for the sentence being delivered, and deliver it to the person being held accountable for a crime.

There have been calls for convicts to be forced to attend  with handcuffs or other restraints if necessary. These measures may already be used in court if there is a demonstrable danger of violence or risk of escape. My fear over using these to ensure attendance is that, unintentionally, control is being handed back to the defendant. They  rather than the victim and their family  take centre stage. Further, non-cooperation, and citing reasons for it, can be used to drag proceedings out, prolonging uncertainty and pain for the victims loved ones.

It is, nevertheless, infinitely preferable for families to be able to see the defendant and their reaction to what is unfolding in court. And there are other ways in which this can be achieved. One option in the short-term is the use of a live TV link to the cell in serious cases, ensuring a full view of the defendant for the judge or the court, which would make it clear that there was nowhere to hide. A disruptive or unruly defendant could be muted, as happens already in proceedings when circumstances demand it. This is an imperfect measure, but one that offers an immediate solution to a problem that many worry is on the rise.

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In the medium to longer term, however, courts could treat refusal to enter as an aggravating factor that would increase the sentence imposed. In life sentences, for example, the minimum term before a defendant is considered for release by a parole board could be increased. Alternatively, the parole board rules could be varied to make sure that refusal to attend means parole is denied, at least for the first application.

Because a period of up to two years has to elapse before a case is reviewed after a failed parole application, this would in effect be an extension to their prison term. Lastly, the prison authorities could refuse applications by the defendant for any transfer from a Category A or B prison to another part of the prison estate based on their lack of cooperation at sentence. We cannot allow absence from the dock to become the norm. It is the least victims  and their families  deserve.

Sir Robert Buckland KBE KC MP is a former justice secretary
Vladimir Putin (AP)

Russias President Vladimir Putin will not be happy with Finland becoming the 31st member of Nato. The date is significant  4 April  which marks the anniversary of the signing of the Nato treaty 74 years ago.

Yet Putin has only himself to blame for this most significant enlargement of the Western alliance in some time.

Before Putin invaded Ukraine last year, barely 30 per cent of Finns wanted their country to join Nato. Finland was largely comfortable with the dense network of security partnerships that it had devised since the end of the Cold War: close cooperation with Nato, participation in the EUs common security and defence policy and military integration with its neighbour, Sweden, and the other Nordic partners.

Yet overnight public support for joining Nato shot up to around 80 per cent, and has stayed there ever since. Nato membership did not feature as an issue in last weekends Finnish elections despite the broad spectrum of parties participating. So, what has changed? Essentially two things.

First, Finnish security policy since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 has rested on the assumption that Russia would accept the borders and new system of states that emerged from that collapse. Yet in annexing Crimea in 2014, and now seeking to annex more areas of Ukraines territory, Putin has made clear that all borders that are once part of the Czarist or Soviet system are open to revision. This has profoundly unsettled the Finns, who believed that they had a predictable if delicate relationship with Moscow.

Second, Putins invasion of Georgia in 2008, as well as supporting separatists in eastern Ukraine in 2014 and this current war, have shown Finns that close partnership with Nato does not provide an immediate Nato response or protection. Only full membership and the obligation of collective defence under Article 5 of the Nato treaty can do that. The EU has a solidarity clause, and is stepping up its cooperation on defence issues. Yet only Nato has the forward deployed troops, command structures and reinforcement plans to actually implement collective defence. As Finland suddenly needed to upgrade its defence, Nato was the only credible option.

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Finlands membership of Nato will benefit both sides. Nato will gain a capable military actor with seven armoured brigades, one of the best reserve forces in the alliance and modern weapons such as artillery, Leopard 2A6 tanks and soon US F35 fighter aircraft. With a border with Russia, the Finns never stopped taking their collective defence seriously even when the rest of Europe was reaping the peace dividend after the Cold War.

Of course, the sudden doubling of Natos borders with Russia as Finland takes its seat in the North Atlantic Council will give Nato a considerable extra security burden. Yet Putin knows that even if he has threatened unspecified retaliation measures against Helsinki, taking thousands of troops away from Ukraine to put them on the Finnish border will not help him to prevail against Kyiv. Moreover, Finland is not seeking to station large numbers of Nato troops on its territory at the moment, which would give Putin reason to act.

Finland joining Nato will be a bittersweet occasion for both Nato and Helsinki, given that both were hoping that Sweden would join at the same time. Turkey and Hungary are still holding up the parliamentary ratification of Swedish membership.

Yet Finlands membership is probably of greater immediate strategic importance to Nato, given that it will give the allies greater access to the Baltic Sea and capacity to reinforce the Baltic States and Poland. Turkey will also move on Sweden after the Turkish elections on 14 May so that Stockholm can be hopeful of joining Nato at its next summit in Vilnius in July. At least for the time being, Stockholm will be comfortably sandwiched between Nato member states.

Jamie Shea is an associate fellow in the International Security Programme at Chatham House. He is a former Nato official and now professor of strategy and security at the University of Exeter
Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Russia-Africa International Parliamentary Conference, on March 20, 2023 in Moscow. Contributor/Getty Images

Vladimir Putin lives in an "information vacuum," a Russian defector who accompanied him on trips said.

Gleb Karakulov told the Dossier Center that Putin doesn't use a cellphone or the internet.

Putin instead gathers information from secret service reports and Russian TV news channels, he said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin lives in an "information vacuum" and avoids using a cellphone or the internet to receive information, according to a senior Russian intelligence officer who defected last year.

Putin instead chooses to gather information from his inner circle and state TV news channels, Gleb Karakulov, a former engineer and captain in the Presidential Communications Directorate of the Federal Guard Service, told the Dossier Center for Investigative Journalism.

He said his own role involved encrypting Putin's communications and regularly accompanying him on international trips, first traveling with Putin on a business trip in October 2009, per the Dossier Center.

Karakulov said he has been on over 180 trips since he started working for the Federal Guard Service.

But on one trip in October 2022, to Kazakhstan, Karakulov fled to Turkey with his family, becoming the highest-ranking intelligence officer to defect to the West in Russia's recent history, according to the Dossier Center.

In a wide-ranging interview with the investigative outlet, which is funded by the exiled Russian businessman Mikhail Khodorkovsky, Karakulov offered a unique insight into how Putin gets his information.

"In all my years of service, I haven't seen him once with a mobile phone," Karakulov said, per the Dossier Center.

"He doesn't use the internet or a mobile phone," Karakulov added. "He only receives information from his closest circle, which means that he lives in an information vacuum."

Putin generally gathers information from secret service intelligence reports, as well as Russian TV news channels, according to Karakulov. "The President insists on having Russian television in every venue he stays in," he said.

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Later in the interview, Karakulov said that Putin had "lost touch with the world," spent the majority of his time in his residences, and was "pathologically afraid for his life."

The high-ranking defector said he ultimately made the decision to leave Russia because he came to believe that Putin was a "war criminal."

Last month, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Putin, accusing him of being personally responsible for unlawfully deporting children from occupied areas of Ukraine to Russia.

Read the original article on Business Insider
(Reuters) - Belarus' President Alexander Lukashenko will travel to Moscow on Wednesday for two days of talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Kremlin said.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said last week the two leaders would discuss Lukashenko's call for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine at an upcoming face-to-face meeting.

Putin and Lukashenko will hold talks on "topical bilateral and international issues" on April 5, before a meeting of the Supreme Council of the Union State on April 6, the Kremlin said in an announcement published on Tuesday.

Russia and Belarus are formally part of a Union State, a borderless union and alliance between the two ex-Soviet countries, though long-standing plans for closer integration of their economies have repeatedly stalled.

Moscow is Belarus' key political and financial backer, while Lukashenko allowed Putin to use Belarus' territory as a launchpad for Russia's invasion of Ukraine last year.

Last month Putin said Russia would deploy tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus.

Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Tuesday that Russia was boosting Belarus' nuclear capabilities in response to Finland joining the NATO military alliance.

(Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Gareth Jones)
Ukrainian soldiers firing artillery in the direction of Bakhmut

Vladimir Putins regime is in its death throes. His special military operation, far from disarming Ukraine, has only succeeded in disarming Russia. Moscow has lost over 220,000 soldiers to death or injury alongside 1,900 tanks. These are the sort of numbers we associate with the first world war; modern militaries are rarely built to handle such catastrophic losses.

Its no wonder that videos on social media appear to show burgeoning mutinies in the ranks of Russian units, or the much-feared criminals of the Wagner group complaining that they have no ammunition. The fighting around Bakhmut resembles Passchendaele or the Somme, with barely trained recruits sent into killzones to die.

So desperate is Russia for manpower that I am now hearing credible reports that the Kremlin has identified around 4 million people across the country that it believes could be press-ganged into the army. These, it believes, are men whose absence would be little missed; those with no fixed abode, with no close family, and sometimes with intellectual disabilities or drug use issues that make it difficult to hold down work. If these reports are correct, they will be given a day or two of training, a gun  and ammunition if they are lucky  before they are pushed to the front.

There it is believed that Putins conscripts last little more than seven days before they leave. If they are lucky, they are wounded. If they are a little less lucky, they leave in a coffin. And for some, they will be left to rot where they fall with nobody at home much the wiser. Is this really so difficult to believe when Moscow has already emptied its jails of murderers and rapists to fight and die in these same trnches?

The Russian air force appears to be welded to the ground, and the Navy seems capable only of offering gun turrets to be stuck onto old tank chassis. These Frankenstein creations look more like the original designs from the First World War, and are probably about as effective on the modern battlefield. Its only human mass that Russia now has to offer.

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Worse still for Putin, the Russian economy is showing signs of weakness. Sanctioned by the West and reliant on sales of oil and gas at steep discounts, the state coffers are beginning to run dry. His oligarchs, with their superyachts in drydocks, their assets frozen or seized, and their access to socialite playgrounds cut off, may well be running out of patience with their supreme leader.

The Russian autocrat may now be looking for a face-saving way out of his Ukraine misadventure. Teetering on the precipice, he will need a way to appease his people, his oligarchs and to placate the Western powers. His threats of nuclear destruction are an empty bluff; he knows that any escalation with weapons of mass destruction would result in Nato destroying whats left of his armed forces, an outcome which would be followed rapidly by his own defenestration.

He cant sue for peace to keep the gains hes won to date; the Ukrainian people will not accept it with the tides of war turning in their favour. He might try to trade the Donbas for a concession on the status of the Crimea, but there is pro-Ukraine sentiment on that very peninsula. President Xi Jinping, meanwhile, shows no interest in bailing Russia out. Why would he, when Putins failure is making Moscow ever more dependent on Beijing?

Col Hamish de Bretton-Gordon is a former commander of the 1st Royal Tank Regiment.

Hamish de Bretton-Gordon is a regular contributor to the Telegraph's 'Ukraine: The Latest' podcast. With over 27 million downloads, it is your go-to source for live reaction and correspondents reporting on the ground. You can listen here
Russian President Vladimir Putin talks on the phone as part of a nationwide charity campaign, in Moscow on January 3, 2023. MIKHAIL KLIMENTYEV/SPUTNIK/AFP via Getty Images

Russia warned Finland of "countermeasures" as it officially joined NATO on Tuesday.

Putin previously downplayed the significance of Finland becoming part of the alliance.

Finland joining NATO is one of the most significant consequences of Russia invading Ukraine.

Last May, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his top diplomat unexpectedly downplayed the significance of Finland joining the NATO alliance  the possibility of which previously led Moscow to repeatedly threaten the Nordic country. Putin said at that time that Finland joining NATO didn't pose an "immediate threat" to Russia.

The Kremlin is, however, shifting its tone now that it is a done deal and warning Finland it will have to take unspecified action in response.

"Naturally, this forces us to take countermeasures to ensure our own tactical and strategic security," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters at a press briefing, per the Moscow Times.

As Finland formally joined the alliance on Tuesday, Peskov denounced the move as an "encroachment on Russia's security and national interests" and an "escalation."

Less than a year ago, however, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov suggested that Finland joining NATO wouldn't make "much difference."

Finland joining NATO marks one of the most significant geopolitical consequences of Russia's invasion of Ukraine to date and represents a dramatic realignment of Europe's security framework.

Finland, an EU country that shares an 830-mile border with Russia, fought a war with the Soviet Union during World War II known as the Winter War and lost about 10% of its territory in the process, but not before it inflicted substantial casualties on the invaders. In the wake of that conflict, Finland and the USSR signed a treaty that ensured Helsinki would remain neutral throughout the Cold War in exchange for assurances that the Soviets would not invade again. Finland became a NATO partner country after the Soviet Union fell but stopped short of pursuing full membership, at least until Russia invaded Ukraine.

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The Nordic country moved to join NATO alongside Sweden as a direct response to Russia's assault on Ukraine in February 2022. Though Finland's bid has been approved, Sweden's membership bid is currently being held up by Hungary and Turkey. New members must receive unanimous support from all current members of the alliance.

Russia has repeatedly blamed NATO expansion, among other grievances, for what in reality was an unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. Despite Russia's complaints, Ukraine was not on the formal path to join NATO at the time, and there wasn't a big push among the alliance's members to expand. But now, as a result of invading Ukraine, Russia has seen its land border with NATO double in size.

"President Putin wanted to slam NATO's door shut. Today we show the world that he failed," NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Tuesday as Finland officially joined the alliance.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Rafael Nadal missed both Indian Wells and the Miami Open due to a hip injury (Getty Images)

Rafael Nadal has suffered an injury set-back after being forced to pull out of the Monte Carlo Masters, while Carlos Alcaraz will also miss the tournament in Monaco.

Nadal has not played competitively since suffering an injury during the Australian Open in January.

He had been due to begin his preparations for the French Open on the clay courts of Monaco, which begins on Saturday.

But the 36-year-old has confirmed he is not yet ready to play, suggesting he remains a doubt for the years second grand slam at Roland Garros, though Nadal indicated he hoped to return soon.

Im still not ready to compete at the highest level, Nadal said on social media. I will not be able to play in one of the most important tournaments of my career, Monte Carlo.

I am not yet in a position to play with full assurances and I continue my recovery process, hoping to return soon.

Nadal has won eleven times on the clay courts in Monte Carlo and is due to defend his French Open title in Paris later this summer.

The Spaniard is level with Novak Djokovic on 22 major titles and the two could compete for a record-setting crown when the French Open begins on Sunday 28 May.

Alcaraz, meanwhile, has been forced to pull out after suffering soreness after his semi-final defeat to Jannik Sinner in Miami over the weekend.

The 19-year-old has dropped out of top spot in the world rankings after his defeat and, after consultation with doctors, will rest at home rather than play in Monte Carlo.

Djokovic is set to play at the ATP 1000 event as the top seed, with Miami Open winner Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas also in the draw.
Randy Rainbow has a new video out, a swinging takedown of Donald Trump in Grumpy Trumpy Felon From Jamaica in Queens.

The video opens with Rainbow interviewing Trump in the wake of the former presidents indictment on business fraud charges related to a hush money payment to adult-film star and TV host Stormy Daniels. Of course, Trump protests that hes done nothing wrong and adds his usual claims about election interference causing him to lose the presidency.

Rainbow suggests a new campaign slogan for Trump, and then the video cuts to a song set to the tune of Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company B, first recorded by the Andrews Sisters in 1941 and popularized anew by Bette Midler in 1972. Rainbow appears in triplicate, imitating the trio of Andrews Sisters.

He was a sleazy showbiz phony born in NYC / who somehow won the White House over Hillary / then after one term got the sack / when Biden pummeled his ass / but now he wants to come back / and so hes making scenes / hes the grumpy Trumpy felon from Jamaica in Queens, the song begins.

It goes on to note that Trump looks like a butternut squash and is the bloated orange lunatic whos twice been impeached. Rainbow also notes Trumps affection for Russian leader Vladimir Putin, with the former president being the bootlickin little butt boy for the ol KGB, and then the singing comedian highlights Trumps boasts of grabbing women by their genitalia.

But its all best expressed in Rainbows performance.

Watch below.
(Reuters) -Donald Trump has been indicted by a Manhattan grand jury after a probe into hush money paid to porn star Stormy Daniels, becoming the first former U.S. president to face criminal charges. He pleaded not guilty in court on Tuesday to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.

The charges from an investigation led by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg come as Trump seeks the Republican nomination to run again in 2024.

Below is reaction to Trump's arraignment:

REPRESENTATIVE ADAM SCHIFF:

A somber moment in the life of our country, when its necessary to arraign a former president on criminal charges, Schiff, a Democrat of California, wrote on Tuesday afternoon.

As the case falls to the DA to prove, we must recognize what is most important: Even the most powerful are held to account, and that nobody is above the law, wrote Schiff, who was the lead prosecutor in the Senate impeachment trial of Trump in 2020.

SENATOR MARCO RUBIO:

Today is a bad day for all of us & we are all going to regret it for a very long time, Rubio, a Republican of Florida, tweeted.

"Today we set the new normal that if you really want to take someone down, nothing should stop you. You should be able to manipulate the law anyway you want to charge someone," Rubio said in a video posted on his Twitter account, describing the charges against Trump as "absurd."

REPRESENTATIVE JAMAAL BOWMAN:

Take responsibility, hold yourself accountable, and go away, Bowman, a Democrat of New York, said when reporters asked if he had a message for Trump.

TEXAS ATTORNEY GENERAL KEN PAXTON

"I stand w/Trump & will always fight against those who want to destroy our Republic," Paxton, a Republican, said in a tweet.

WHITE HOUSE:

"I think the American people should feel reassured that when there is an ongoing case like this one that we're just not commenting," White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters in a press briefing.

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SENATE MAJORITY LEADER CHUCK SCHUMER:

Schumer, a Democrat of New York, tweeted: "I believe that Donald Trump will have a fair trial that follows the facts and the law. Theres no place in our justice system for any outside influence or intimidation in the legal process. As the trial proceeds, protest is an American right, but all protests must be peaceful.

REPRESENTATIVE MADELEINE DEAN:

Mr. Trump was a president of many firsts  none of which were good for our country. His arraignment is another first  all of his own making, tweeted Dean, a Democrat of Pennsylvania, adding that the twice-impeached president was an immoral man and a corrupt citizen.

SENATOR TED CRUZ:

"The indictment of Donald Trump is wholly political and baseless," said Cruz, a Republican of Texas, on Twitter.

REPRESENTATIVE GEORGE SANTOS:

"I stood by Trump from the moment he came down the escalator, I voted for him in the primary and twice for president in the general elections," the Republican representative for New York wrote on Twitter. "Today I showed up, because thats what real supporters do, they show up for your best and your worse days."

MARY TRUMP:

"The events in New York City have, obviously, been a long time coming. This is a historic day and the implications of what's about to happen at the courthouse in Lower Manhattan will have massive implications for this country," the niece of the former president said in a tweet.

"Donald has eluded accountability for so long and left so much destruction in his wake that there is a lot to take in," she added with the hashtag "#HappyIndictmentDay."

(Compiled by Aurora Ellis; Editing by Leslie Adler and Grant McCool)
Johnston County school board member Ronald Johnson is accused of trying to cover up an extramarital affair by trying to extort a political candidate.

A Johnston County grand jury handed down indictments on Monday charging Johnson with one count of felony extortion and one count of obstruction of justice. Johnson was also indicted on three charges of willfully failing to discharge his duties as a school board member.

The extortion charge involves allegations that Johnson threatened to release a recording with defamatory allegations against candidate DeVan Barbour IV, just weeks before last springs Republican primary for the U.S. House District 13 seat. The indictment alleges that Johnson threatened to release the recording unless Barbour pressured a relative to recant statements that she had an affair with Johnson.

Johnson was previously fired as a police detective by the Smithfield Police Department.

Heres a look at the allegations in the indictment:

I. Felony Extortion

The jurors for the state upon their oath present that in Johnston County, on or about April 25, 2022, the Defendant named above unlawfully, willfully, and feloniously did threaten and communicate a threat to DeVan Barbour IV, a candidate for political office, with the intent wrongfully to obtain an advantage. Defendant threatened to release a recording in the defendants possession of defamatory allegations concerning DeVan Barbour IV weeks before a primary election in which DeVan Barbour IV was on the ballot. Defendant threatened to release the recording if DeVan Barbour IV did not pressure Angela McLeod Barbour into recanting her allegations that she had an affair with the defendant. This act was done in violation of N.C.G.S. 14-118.4.

II. Willfully failing to discharge duties

The jurors for the state upon their oath present that in Johnston County, on or about May 31, 2022, the Defendant named above unlawfully and willfully did, as a member of the Johnston County Board of Education, omit, neglect, and refuse to discharge a duty of his office, by recording a closed session of the Johnston County Board of Education meeting, in violation of his Board duties, and did thereby cause injury to the public. This act was done in violation of N.C.G.S. 14-230.

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III. Willfully failing to discharge duties

The jurors for the state upon their oath present that in Johnston County, on or about Nov. 10, 2022, the Defendant named above unlawfully and willfully did, as a member of the Johnston County Board of Education, omit, neglect, and refuse to discharge a duty of his office, by failing to comply with public records requests, in violation of his Board duties, did thereby cause injury to the public. This act was done in violation of N.C.G.S. 14-230.

IV. Willfully failing to discharge duties

The jurors for the state upon their oath present that in Johnston County, on or about July 1, 2022, the Defendant named above unlawfully and willfully did, as a member of the Johnston County Board of Education, omit, neglect, and refuse to discharge a duty of his office, by attempting to have two Clayton High School special needs students transferred to another school as an act of personal retaliation, in violation of his Board duties, and did thereby cause injury to the public. This act was done in violation of N.C.G.S. 14-230.

V Felony Obstruction of Justice

The jurors for the state upon their oath present that in Johnston County, on or about January 25, 2023, the defendant named above unlawfully and willfully and feloniously did obstruct justice by removing evidence related to his criminal activity from Clayton Fitness, Inc., when the defendant became aware that law enforcement was investigating his belongings in the facility. The offense was done with deceit and intent to defraud; in secrecy and with malice; was infamous; and was done in violation of the common law, and against the peace and dignity of the State.

Indictment against Johnston County school board member Ronald Johnson by Keung Hui on Scribd
At first blush, the historic criminal indictment of Donald Trump seems relatively straightforward: the former president faces fraud-related charges stemming from paying hush money to a porn actress at the height of the 2016 election to prevent her from going public about their alleged sexual encounter.

However, making the case in court, legal experts told the Miami Herald, will be anything but simple.

There has never been a case with this set of facts, said former federal and Watergate prosecutor Jon Sale, a prominent white-collar defense attorney based in South Florida. Nobody is saying it wont stand up, theyre just saying its untested.

The basic facts of the case read like a salacious tabloid-like narrative. But the Manhattan District Attorneys Office appears to face a host of complicated legal challenges in the novel way it has shaped the case around a $130,000 payoff to adult film actress Stormy Daniels.

Trump, 76, who is running for reelection in 2024 and has previously denied in public having an affair with Daniels, pleaded not guilty to the indictment on Tuesday in Manhattans criminal court, while a throng of news media and others gathered outside.

The indictment charges Trump with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. The records at the core of the case consist of invoices submitted by his former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, to the Trump Organization for legal services that were actually bills for reimbursement to Cohen for paying off Daniels on Trumps behalf. Cohen, who is cooperating with the Manhattan DAs office, submitted the 34 invoices in 2017 to a Trump trust that held his business assets when he was in the White House.

READ MORE: Heres what Trumps newly unsealed indictment says

The payment records, kept and maintained by the Trump Organization, were false New York business records, according to the Manhattan DAs statement of facts filed separately from the indictment. The statement says Trump orchestrated a scheme with others to influence the 2016 presidential election by identifying and purchasing negative information about him to suppress its publication and benefit [his] electoral prospects.

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In order to execute the unlawful scheme, the participants violated election laws and made and caused false entries in business records of various entities in New York, the statement says. The participants also took steps that mischaracterized, for tax purposes, the true nature of the payments made in furtherance of the scheme.

What will jurors think?

Still, Sale and other legal experts told the Herald, that state prosecutors in Manhattan will have to persuade jurors the case is more than just muzzling an embarrassing personal story about an affair with Daniels in 2006  and make it convincing enough to convict someone who happens to be the former president of the United States.

The jury will have to find whether it was an attempt to influence the outcome of the election, Sale told the Herald.

READ MORE: White House or jail? Historians see Trump arraignment as start of an uncertain chapter

To be clear, the Manhattan DAs criminal case targeting the twice-impeached Trump has nothing to do with potentially more serious allegations in a trio of other ongoing federal and state investigations revolving around keeping top secret classified documents at his Palm Beach estate, and his roles in inciting the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at Capitol Hill and meddling in Georgias presidential election results.

For starters, the criminal elements in the new indictment returned by the grand jury in Manhattans criminal court are more than five years old and likely to face statute of limitations challenges. Also, federal authorities in New York City had previously declined to pursue the same hush-money charges against Trump when he was a sitting president and even after he left the White House.

Perhaps most significantly, Trumps lawyers will be able to mount a compelling defense that charging the former president in New York state court with breaking campaign finance laws in a federal election is the wrong place to make a case. Moreover, they will argue that he was a victim of what amounted to extortion in the alleged series of payoffs to Daniels  that he was trying to spare himself, wife Melania and his family personal embarrassment rather than prevent a political scandal that might have derailed his presidential showdown with Democratic challenger Hillary Clinton.

But prosecutors can argue that both the personal and political might well have been at play. In the weeks before the 2016 election, the Trump campaign was deeply concerned about the female vote because he had been caught on tape saying to the host of Access Hollywood that when youre a star, they [women] let you do it. You can do anything.  Grab em by the [genitals]. You can do anything.

According to the Manhattan DAs statement of facts, the Trump campaign was also worried about his alleged affair with a former Playboy model, Karen McDougal, who sold her story rights to the National Enquirer for $150,000 in 2016. The tabloids publisher, David Pecker, a Trump ally, bought her story but then didnt publish it  a dubious journalism practice known as catch and kill. That case, however, is unmentioned in the indictment.

As a central part of its strategy, experts say, Trumps defense team will attack the integrity of Manhattan DA Alvin Braggs star witness in the hush-money case: Cohen, a now-disbarred lawyer who had worked for the Trump Organization from 2006 to 2017 and served as his fixer. Cohen, in both his own federal criminal case and on cable TV news shows, has admitted that he arranged the payment to Daniels, set up a shell corporation to pass the money to her, and was then reimbursed by Trump, who allegedly logged the checks and related bonuses as legal expenses  a bit of business record-keeping that is at the core of the Manhattan DAs case.

In 2018, federal prosecutors in Manhattan charged Cohen with evading taxes related to his investments in the taxi industry, with lying to Congress and with campaign finance violations related to the hush-money payments. Cohen, who has long since publicly turned on Trump, pleaded guilty and served about a year in prison.

One of Trumps defense attorneys, Joe Tacopina, has gone on the offensive on TV news shows in the run-up to the Manhattan DAs indictment, questioning his investigation and motives while attacking Cohens credibility as a key witness and claiming Trump was extorted.

At a news conference after Tuesdays arraignment, Tacopina took a shot at the indictment, saying: I was surprised there were no facts in there.

But five years ago, long before Tacopina started representing Trump, he told CNN that the payment to Daniels appeared to be illegal and a potential campaign finance issue. He told the network that claiming Trump wasnt aware of the payment doesnt pass the straight-face test.

Anytime you have a snitch or cooperator, they always have baggage, Sale said about Cohen. Ive never seen a cooperator go on television like he has. Hes on a crusade against Trump, though hes supposed to be a fact witness for the state without an agenda. The defense is going to use his words against him.

Former President Donald Trump is illuminated by blue strobe lights as he arrives at Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City Tuesday, April 4, 2023.

Intent to defraud a key argument

The Manhattan DAs case is not only unprecedented because it is charging a former U.S. president for the first time. The case is built upon a New York state law that makes it a crime to falsify business records with an intent to defraud. The statute prohibits a false entry in the business records of an enterprise. State prosecutors allege Trump personally signed checks to Cohen as reimbursement for the hush money payment to Daniels and listed them as legal expenses. The law, a misdemeanor, is commonly used in New York state court but has never been applied in a federal election campaign case.

To establish a felony case in this instance, the Manhattan DAs office also alleges Trumps intent to defraud included intentions to commit a second crime. Although the indictment does not spell out the second crime, legal experts said it boils down to Trumps concealing a federal election donation to his presidential campaign in the form of hush money to Daniels. The hush money payoff far exceeds the limits on corporate contributions to individual candidates. Moreover, Cohen has said he made the donation on Trumps behalf through a corporation and then Trump reimbursed him through a series of checks from his business.

Prosecutors dont have to show the second crime was committed, only that Trump intended to do it, said veteran Miami defense attorney Mark Schnapp, a former federal prosecutor in South Florida. He added that state prosecutors also dont have to prove that Daniels took the hush money or her motives for doing so.

Nonetheless, Schnapp and other legal experts said the Manhattan DAs case poses risks for state prosecutors because they must grapple with a labyrinth of interlocking laws in a novel approach to prosecuting alleged federal campaign violations.

The New York Times recently reported on this Catch-22: If the DA uses a federal election law violation as the second crime, Trumps lawyers could say that federal law has no place in a state court. And if the DA uses a New York election law violation, the defense could claim that a violation of state law does not apply to a federal election, the 2016 presidential campaign.

Case not going to be a cakewalk

Either way, it may make the case more legally difficult to prosecute, Schnapp said. This is not going to be a cakewalk.

Schnapp pointed out that the Manhattan DA, Bragg, said after Trumps arraignment that he was trying to avoid the Catch-22 trap by deploying a New York law that applies to any election  state or federal. In effect, his office is using state law to make a federal campaign case against Trump, Schnapp said.

Miami attorney Juan-Carlos Planas, a former Republican legislator who opposed Trump in the 2020 presidential election, said that as an ex-state prosecutor himself the Manhattan DAs office has the discretion to file criminal charges against the former president.

Planas, who specializes in election law, said Trump may be a former president but no one is above the law.

Theoretically, if I give anyone $150,000 [in a campaign donation] and its undeclared, its a crime right there, Planas told the Herald. Do I think he has worse things coming to him? Yes, I do, but that doesnt mean you just let this lie.

Planas said that the Manhattan DAs case has inherent challenges, but he argued that all corruption and fraud cases built on paper trails and cooperating witnesses present risks.

Any indictment of a politician presents challenges, Planas said. You dont have to look any further than certain politicians in Miami-Dade County.

Trump, of course, is not just any politician.

Sale, who as a young lawyer served on the Watergate special prosecutors team when then-President Richard Nixon resigned, said that while the nation is bitterly divided over Trump, it is no time to gloat.

Its a very sad and solemn day that a former president is indicted, Sale said. Its not a day to celebrate. When Nixon resigned, our office was reminded not to celebrate.
RED BANK - In the movie "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice," there are two works of black-and-white art in Lex Luthors gala that depict men and women clashing violently.

One of the pieces by Cleon Peterson, called "End of Days," now hangs in the 10,000-square-foot Detour Gallery on Clay Street, which opened in 2016.

The director got one, and I ended up getting one, said Detours founder Ken Schwartz, a long-time art collector.

As Schwartz looks to scale back the operations of the gallery on Clay Street to appointments only, his daughter Shayna Schwartz is opening the gallerys second location in the Chelsea Arts District in New York City. The 3,000-square-foot space will open on Thursday, April 27, at 545 W. 23rd St.

Ken Schwartz slides out "The Determined Man" by Michael Callas Thursday, March 30, 2023 inside his Detour Gallery in Red Bank. The gallery will be expanding to a new New York City location run by his daughter.

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Ken Schwartzs first piece of art he bought was a painting he spotted on the wall of the Inkwell Coffee House in Long Branch when he was 17.

He worked for a month and saved up $500 to buy the piece from a server.

Over the years, he collected historic autographs, including those of Abraham Lincoln and Jimi Hendrix, American folk art and Native American ledger drawings and historic and contemporary African American art, among other works.

Shayna Schwartz, who started working for the gallery in 2020 right after college, said the collection reflects her fathers taste and the pieces could range from bold vibrant pieces like a series of pop art by Michael Callas to more somber pieces like the oil paintings of Michael Labua.

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'People throw things out  great things'

Ken Schwartz said he started collecting art because I loved the aesthetic; I loved holding history in my hands.

While some works at the gallery are available for sale, others are in his private collection.

One of his main motivations for collecting art is to preserve history, he said, noting that people throw things out  great things.

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Some of the sculptures inside Ken Schwartz's Detour Gallery in Red Bank Thursday, March 30, 2023. The gallery will be expanding to a new New York City location run by his daughter.

Schwartz, who owned a number of automobile dealerships with World Auto Group in Shrewsbury, lives his retirement years on the second floor of the gallery.

He joked that I think I'd rather be surrounded by paintings than by people.

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He said the gallery in Red Bank was an extension of his hobby.

I didnt want to get crazy with it, he said. Everything I ever did other than (the gallery), was like business things. This was the one thing I didnt want to turn into some commercial enterprise.

When his daughter started working at the gallery, she took inventory of all the works. Since then, she moved to New York City to work in media marketing. With the opening of the second location, Shayna Schwartz will work full-time as the gallery director, a dream position Ken Schwartz wished he could have had in his 20s.

I did it to have fun, he said. Shes doing it to have fun and to help artists show their work, but shes also going to make her livelihood through it.

'Magical' environment

Shayna Schwartz said the first year of the pandemic prevented her from finishing her senior year of college on campus. Working with the art at the gallery got her through that difficult time.

It was just, like, magical and truly such an environment that pulled me out of that depression during that time. Being able to just be with all the different pieces of art, she said.

Ken Schwartz is shown during an interview Thursday, March 30, 2023 inside his Detour Gallery in Red Bank. The gallery will be expanding to a new New York City location run by his daughter.

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The new location, with its museum layout, will showcase established and emerging artists.

We have some just incredible work and some incredible artists that definitely deserve to be showcased (in the new location), she said.

New York City was chosen for a second location because many of Detours clients live in New York or visit New York on international trips.

Ken Schwartz said many of the artists the gallery represents have not been shown in New York and would benefit from the new location.

He said he hopes people will be inspired to buy original pieces of art.

Pointing at a collage by Willie Torbert, a Black artist and former New York City teacher, Ken Schwartz said original pieces have details and cut outs that could be missed in print reproductions.

The artists hand is on it, he said.

He said his favorite aspect of selling art from emerging artists comes from the joy of clients discovering a piece they like.

People fall in love with the art, Ken Schwartz said. That gives me the best feeling. Thats the best part of this.

Olivia Liu is a reporter covering transportation, Red Bank and western Monmouth County. She can be reached at oliu@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Detour Gallery in Red Bank NJ expanding to Chelsea in Manhattan
A photo provided by the Tennessee Valley Authority of the utilitys offices in Chattanooga, Tenn. (Tennessee Valley Authority via The New York Times)

The remains of nearly 5,000 Native Americans that were excavated long ago from earthen burial mounds by the Tennessee Valley Authority could soon be returned to their tribes, now that the agency has announced it is prepared to repatriate them after a decadeslong wait.

The TVA, the largest federally owned utility, said in a notice filed on Wednesday in the Federal Register that it had meticulously tallied the remains of at least 4,871 people of Native American ancestry, a process it had begun 14 years ago. The agency obtained the remains as it built dams near Native American burial grounds and later gave many of them to universities and museums across the South.

Beginning on April 28, tribes across the country will be able to request that those remains be returned, the TVA said. More than 1,000 funerary objects  which, like the remains, are still under the agencys control  will also be returned.

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When you think about having relatives remains and cultural items returned to where they belong, its not just about that process of going back, said Beth Wright, a staff attorney at the Native American Rights Fund and a citizen of the Pueblo of Laguna tribe. Its about the healing that comes along with that.

A 1990 federal law, the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, or NAGPRA, set up a protocol for museums, colleges and universities to return remains and funerary objects to tribes. But those efforts have dragged on for decades as some institutions have questioned tribes links to artifacts in their collections, leaving many Native American leaders waiting after years without progress.

In the case of the TVA, officials began compiling an inventory of the Native American remains and cultural items in the agencys possession in 2009. The agency said it has since worked with tribes to determine where the remains need to be returned.

Were taking this effort to be leaders and be partners with our tribes to get these items and the ancestors back where they need to be, said Scott Fiedler, a spokesman for the TVA.

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He added that the effort was rooted in wanting to improve the lives of the people of the valley, both past and present, and doing the right thing.

Still, some Native American leaders thought that the agency had taken too long.

I feel like its about time, said Emman Spain, the NAGPRA coordinator for the Muscogee (Creek) Nation in Oklahoma, whose ancestors once resided across much of the present-day Southeast. They shouldve been doing this 30 years ago.

The Muscogee (Creek) Nation asked the TVA to set aside a site in the Tennessee Valley so that the remains could be reburied as close as possible to where the tribe originally came from, Spain said. The agency and lawyers representing the tribe are close to reaching a deal for such a site, he said.

(BEGIN OPTIONAL TRIM.)

The Tennessee Valley Authority was created as part of President Franklin D. Roosevelts New Deal to harness the floodwaters of the Tennessee River and lift residents of the area out of poverty. But as workers removed mounds of dirt to make way for dams along the Tennessee River, Native burial sites were exposed, unearthing skeletal remains and sacred objects that had been buried for generations.

Some of the human remains that the TVA collected, as well as artifacts like ceramics and hair pins, were housed at the University of Alabama, the University of Kentucky, Mississippi State University, Southern Illinois University and the University of Tennessee.

(END OPTIONAL TRIM.)

The remains that have been in the TVAs possession belong to several tribes that had roots in the Southeast, including the Absentee Shawnee Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma, the Cherokee Nation and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. The tribes were forcibly removed from their land by the U.S. government in the 1800s. About a quarter of the 16,000 Cherokees who walked what became known as the Trail of Tears died on their way to Oklahoma.

The Muscogee (Creek) Nation, which lost about 4,000 members during the displacement, refers to the forced removal as the Road of Misery, Spain said.

Tony Boudreaux, the director of curation and cultural resources management at the Cobb Institute of Archaeology at Mississippi State University, said the TVAs order last week reflected a wider push among some archaeologists to complete repatriations.

Theres lots of people that are very pleased with this situation, Boudreaux said.

(STORY CAN END HERE. OPTIONAL MATERIAL FOLLOWS.)

At Mississippi State, a facility with a limited-access, climate-controlled area houses collections of artifacts in boxes and bags that are stored on shelves, including the remains of two people that had been in the possession of the TVA, Boudreaux said. They were found near a dam in Kentucky, but the dam was not connected to the TVA. Instead, he said, a Native American cemetery may have been looted in the area, and a TVA archaeologist most likely picked up the remains that had been scattered near the dam site.

As of last year, remains of more than 108,000 Native Americans, along with more than 765,000 artifacts, were known to be held by museums, universities and federal agencies, according to the National Park Service.

In October 2022, the Interior Department said it would streamline the requirements for museums and federal agencies to inventory and identify the remains and objects in their collections.

Wright, the Native American Rights Fund lawyer, said she hoped others would quickly follow the TVAs example.

When these items were taken, when they were held, when they were not disclosed to the tribal nations that they belong to, Wright said, that was causing harm to the tribal nations.

c.2023 The New York Times Company
In the wake of Tuesday's historic arraignment of and unveiled indictment against former President Donald Trump, politicians spanning the Republican Party spoke out about the case.

Some have attested to their full confidence in Trump or stressed their their stark opposition to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who they say is "criminalizing political opponents."

Notably, however, some conservatives have either not commented -- like Mitch McConnell -- or, like Utah Sen. Mitt Romney, have tempered their criticism of the prosecution with criticism of Trump himself.

Democrats, for their part, have shared support for the legal system that will judge Trump, who faces 34 felony charges of falsifying business records related to 2016 hush money payments. He pleaded not guilty at New York City courtroom on Tuesday.

Most Democrats have maintained a stance that no one -- even a former president -- is above the law, while the White House has remained mum on all questions related to the arraignment.

While comments continue to emerge on the unsealed indictment and related statement of facts, released Tuesday afternoon after Trump was arraigned in Manhattan, politicians including the Senate majority leader and House speaker have weighed in.

The No. 3 House Republican, New York's Elise Stefanik said in a statement, in part, that Trump's arrest as part of his arraignment was a "dangerous and illegal overreach by a radical DA."

MORE: Trump indictment live updates

Stefanik, one of Trump's fiercest defenders on Capitol Hill, went on to argue that he will overcome the "witch-hunt" and "be sworn in as President of the United States of America in January 2025" at the end of his current comeback campaign.

"This dangerous and illegal overreach by a radical DA has completely backfired for the corrupt Far Left Democrats who would rather desperately tear apart the fabric of our country than face President Trump at the ballot box," she said.

After the arraignment, Speaker Kevin McCarthy wrote on Twitter that Bragg "is attempting to interfere in our democratic process" and "will be held accountable by Congress."

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Bragg's office has been engaged in a back-and-forth with House Republicans who are seeking to probe his investigation, which his counsel has called an undue intrusion into New York affairs.

In his own statement released while Trump was being arraigned, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer urged protesters who gathered in New York City on Tuesday to be peaceful and said, "Donald Trump will have a fair trial that follows the facts and the law."

"I believe that Mr. Trump will have a fair trial that follows the facts and the law. There's no place in our justice system for any outside influence or intimidation in the legal process. As the trial proceeds, protest is an American right but all protests must be peaceful," Schumer said.

PHOTO: Opponents of former President Donald Trump protest outside the Manhattan District Attorney's office in New York, April 4, 2023. (Leonardo Munoz/AFP via Getty Images)

Minority Leader McConnell has not commented on Trump's arraignment -- and has never issued a formal statement on the case against him in New York. He hadn't been present on Capitol Hill to be peppered with questions about the looming indictment because he was in his home state of Kentucky recovering from a fall.

McConnell has, however, has been issuing comments on matters unrelated to Trump over the last week.

Republicans rally behind Trump

On Tuesday, as Trump was arraigned, Republicans ranging from those who unequivocally back the former president to conservatives who have strayed from his leadership or who may challenge him for the 2024 Republican nomination largely affirmed their support for him.

Swarmed by an outsized number of press and some protesters in New York City, Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene spoke outside the courthouse ahead of the arraignment, calling Trump's indictment "election interference" and slamming Bragg.

"I am here to protest and use my voice and take a stand. Every American should take a stand. ... We have to take a stand against the injustice, the corruption," Greene said.

"This is a travesty," she said.

Greene, along with Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., and failed Arizona GOP governor candidate and staunch Trump ally Kari Lake attended Trump's Mar-a-Lago Club remarks later on Tuesday night.

Also outside the courthouse in Manhattan on Tuesday was embattled freshman Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., who wrote in a later tweet that he showed up "because that's what real supporters do."

"I stood by Trump from the moment he came down the escalator, I voted for him in the primary and twice for president in the general elections," Santos tweeted while Trump was in the courtroom for his arraignment.

MORE: Trump NYC protests: Small group of former president's supporters, foes face off ahead of court appearance

Many of Trump's most outspoken Republican defenders in the Senate bashed Bragg on Tuesday, too. with some describing him as "left-wing."

"Not only is the indictment frivolous, this political persecution marks a dark day for our country," Texas Republican Ted Cruz said in a statement.

Missouri's Josh Hawley responded with a single word, tweeting: "Travesty."

Marco Rubio of a Florida issued a nearly two-minute long video diary, arguing that "politics crosses a line that it's never going to come back from."

South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham -- a longtime ally of Trump --used Trump's arrest as a rallying cry for 2024 during a brief appearance Tuesday night on Fox News with Sean Hannity, calling on supporters to "blow up the internet" and give money to help flip the Senate and reelect Trump "while we still have a country worth saving."

Graham called the 2024 presidential election "the most important" of his lifetime.

"It's legal garbage in New York, it is politically motivated, and we do have one last chance to not become a banana republic," Graham said.

Graham was keyed up, barely pausing to take questions and at times seeming to shout in anger as he described the next presidential race as the last remaining "off ramp" for the country.

PHOTO: Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene speaks outside Manhattan Criminal Courthouse on the day of former President Donald Trump's planned court appearance after his indictment by a Manhattan grand jury, in New York City, April 4, 2023. (Caitlin Ochs/Reuters)

Democrats defend the justice system

On the other side of the aisle, lawmakers' messaging centered on support for the "justice system" or Bragg, who is now leading the years-long investigation of Trump in New York City.

"As Donald Trump challenges the legitimacy of our criminal justice system, let us give him the equal protection and due process he's deprived everyone he's accused of a crime. Justice benefits all of us," Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., wrote in a tweet.

That echoes what former Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a statement last week, after Trump was indicted: "The Grand Jury has acted upon the facts and the law. No one is above the law, and everyone has the right to a trial to prove innocence. Hopefully, the former President will peacefully respect the system, which grants him that right."

On Tuesday, Democratic Rep. Jamaal Bowman of New York stood in front of the Manhattan courthouse and told Greene go back to Washington.

MORE: Trump indictment: What happens next

"I was born and raised in New York City. This is the city that I love. This is the city focused on hard work and love for all people," said Bowman, a former middle school principal.

"We will never accept hateful rhetoric in our city.  Marjorie Taylor Greene needs to take her a-- back to Washington and do something about gun violence," he said.

At a briefing at the White House on Tuesday afternoon, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre briefly addressed Trump's arraignment but said she would continue to stay mum on the matter despite pressure from reporters.

PHOTO: Former President Donald Trump appears in court at the Manhattan Criminal Court in New York on April 4, 2023. (Seth Wenig/Pool via AFP-Getty Images)

Asked if President Joe Biden was tracking the news around Trump, she stressed, as she has in the past, that the case is an ongoing investigation and she would not comment.

But she also tried to play up a kind of political split screen, arguing that Biden is focused on the American people.

"This is not something that is a focus for him," Jean-Pierre said, referring to Trump. "[Biden] is going to focus on things like making sure that the we continue to lower prices for the American people."

"Obviously he will catch part of the news when he has a moment to catch up on the news of the day. But this is not his focus for today," Jean-Pierre said.

Vice President Kamala Harris also remained silent on Trump's indictment on Tuesday, ignoring a question from ABC News' Ben Gittleson during a spray of a swearing-in ceremony for a member of the U.S. Space Force.

Harris did not reply when Gittleson shouted close to her, "Any comment on Trump's indictment?" and, "Any concern about him attacking the judge?"

Romney, a vocal critic of Trump and the 2012 Republican presidential candidate, released a statement that mirrored some of his GOP peers, saying the "New York prosecutor has stretched to reach felony criminal charges in order to fit a political agenda."

"The prosecutor's overreach sets a dangerous precedent for criminalizing political opponents and damages the public's faith in our justice system," he said.

However, echoing Trump 2024 competitor Asa Hutchinson, Romney said that Trump should not be president again: "I believe President Trump's character and conduct make him unfit for office," Romney said. "The American voters will ultimately render their own judgment on the former President's political future."

Appearing before the press on Tuesday at a separate White House event, Biden himself did not respond to a shouted question about Trump's indictment -- except with an expression.

At the end of a spray of a meeting Biden was holding about artificial intelligence, a reporter shouted: "Is the indictment of your predecessor politically divisive?"

Biden didn't say anything, but he did crack a smile and may have chuckled a bit.

ABC News' Gabe Ferris, Ben Gittleson and Molly Nagle contributed to this report.

As Republicans slam 'travesty' of Trump's arraignment, Dems say: 'Justice benefits all of us' originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
About 120 residents living near Colombia's Nevada del Ruiz volcano were being evacuated Monday, officials said, after increased seismic activity.

A 1985 eruption by the volcano that killed 25,000 people is considered the worst natural disaster in Colombian history and one of the deadliest eruptions of the 20th century.

The governor of the Caldas department, Luis Carlos Velasquez, told Blu Radio that around 40 families living near the volcano would be relocated as a "preventative" measure.

Some of the homes near the smoking crater are not reachable via cell phone or radio, he said, making it difficult to warn them in case of an emergency.

There has recently been a "significant increase in seismic activity," the ministry of mines said in a statement last week while Colombia's SGC geological service warned of a "probable eruption within days or weeks."

And President Gustavo Petro tweeted: "We have an orange alert due to the change in seismology at the Ruiz volcano. Mayors must prepare the protocols for this state of alert."

According to Colombia's UNGRD disaster risk management unit, the orange level meant the likelihood of an eruption "bigger than any in the last decade."

lv/cjc/caw/qan
Restaurants tell the stories of their communities, as well as the owners and diners who love them. But eventually, all stories end.

So far in 2023, the Triangle has lost beloved restaurants with nearly a century of dining experience in the region, including trendsetting fine dining spots, comforting diners and neighborhood markets.

Throughout the year well chronicle the restaurant closings of 2023, offering a brief remembrance for fans and regulars.

Here are the notable closings of 2023.

Let us know of any other restaurant closings by email at jdjackson@newsobserver.com.

Sawmill Tap Room, Raleigh

MAY: This one is not quite a closing, yet, but the Sawmills days are numbered in North Raleigh. The shock continues to reverberate within the loyal fan base of this bar built 23 years ago in Greystone Village. Owners say Sawmill will close in May after the bar and restaurant wasnt offered a lease extension. Until then, legions of fans have stopped by for one last pint and, according to the restaurants Facebook page, former employees are angling to work one more shift.

Jack Tar and The Colonels Daughter, Durham

MARCH: The diner may be the Great American Restaurant, a place to get a comforting meal early in the morning or late at night, sitting with elbows on a bar or in a cozy booth. Durhams Jack Tar was a modern update to the classic diner, serving moon-sized pancakes, a perfect burger and even a take on spaghetti, all in a bright and sharp dining room in the middle of the city. Jack Tar and its sister cocktail bar The Colonels Daughter closed in March after five years in business.

J. Lights Market, Durham and Raleigh

MARCH: Born in Durham and expanded to Raleigh, J. Lights offered a bodega-style concept to the Triangle, combining a beer and wine shop and deli counter in two high profile apartment and retail complexes. The Durham J. Lights built a steady following with brewery fans visiting the Hi-Wire taproom in the Golden Belt complex, loving seasoned french fries, burgers and chicken sandwiches. In Raleigh, the cafe was just getting started in the Smoky Hollow development.

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Panciuto, Hillsborough

MARCH: For many years this Hillsborough restaurant has stood among the Triangles finest kitchens, earning James Beard attention for chef and owner Aaron Vandermark. Through the pandemic Pancuito tried multiple versions of its old self, including a stripped down service model. Ultimately Vandermark morphed the restaurant into a new form with a new name: Hillsborough Bakeshop. Panciuto lives on in the freshly made pastas and creatively seasonal dishes and according to the restaurants website may return....in about 1,000 years.

Zwelis Kitchen, Durham

MARCH: This is not a forever closing. The original location of Zwelis Kitchen closed in March, ending a five year run for one of the Triangles best new restaurants. But Zwelis isnt gone for good, its simply moving to a new location in Durhams Brightleaf Square shopping center. The menu of married couple Zweli and Leonardo Williams with remain mostly the same when the restaurant opens in late summer. Look for deeply flavorful Piri Piri chicken, oxtails and peanut butter collard greens.

Deli Edison, Chapel Hill

FEBRUARY: Best known for nationally famous country ham, Lady Edison owner Sam Suchoff launched this deli, bagel shop and market in 2019, taking over Chapel Hills former Bagel Bar. The shop served popular bagel sandwiches, bodega style rolls and deli classics, plus served as a retail arm for Lady Edisons line of sausages, hams and charcuterie. It closed at the end of February.

TOPO Distillery, Chapel Hill

FEBRUARY: Born out of the success Top of the Hill, one of the most successful restaurants on Franklin Street, TOPO Distillery opened in 2012 as one of North Carolinas very few craft spirits makers at the time. TOPO made everything under its own label, including vodka and whiskey and while production ended in November its bottles may still be on the shelves at some Triangle ABC stores.

Soul Taco, Raleigh

JANUARY: This wildly popular Richmond taco brand was once featured on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, the ultimate blessing for comforting casual food. That success drove the brand south to Raleigh and a new taco shop just off of Hillsborough Street near the NC State campus. Soul Taco is fusion at its most fun, blending flavors of soul food and the structure of a taco, leading to Nashville hot chicken and shrimp po boy tacos. It closed in January.

The Rockford, Raleigh

JANUARY: The oldest restaurant on Glenwood South closed this year, as The Rockford retired after nearly 30 years in business. The Rockford stood out as a funky kind of fine dining within the bustle of Glenwood Avenues famous nightlife scene. The restaurant earned the praise of former News & Observer dining critic Greg Cox and its kitchen was led at times by many of Raleighs top chefs, including recently Kevin Ruiz.

C&H Cafeteria, Durham

JANUARY: The COVID pandemic was especially hard on cafeteria and buffet style restaurants. This 14-year-old buffet in Durhams Northgate Shopping Center was one of the first restaurant losses of the year, abruptly closing in early January.

Kitchen, Chapel Hill

JANUARY: The longtime Chapel Hill neighborhood restaurant Kitchen Bistro closed in January, ending a 13-year run serving comforting French dishes. Owned by married couple Dick and Sue Barrows announced at the end of last year they would close Kitchen and retire.
Richard Branson may have just suffered a business defeat, but he's doing well for himself on the whole (Reuters)

Richard Branson's Virgin Orbit has filed for bankruptcy after it failed to secure enough funding to continue operating.

The satellite launch service said it was laying off 85% of its staff and would cease operations "for the foreseeable future".

This leaves around 100 people to run what's left of the business as the US-based company looks for a buyer for its assets, worth $243 million (195 million).

It comes three months after Virgin Orbit failed to launch its first satellites into space from the UK, causing shares in the company to crash.

Read more: Virgin Orbit stock sinks on news of job cuts

The Virgin Orbit has halted operations indefinitely after failing to secure enough investment. (Reuters)

It isn't the first unsuccessful venture Branson has had, after nearly 60 years as an entrepreneur, and given the number of companies he's started, it's hardly surprising that some won't survive.

However on the whole, the 72-year-old business magnate from London has been wildly successful, although he really would prefer it if you didn't call him a "billionaire".

Who is Richard Branson, and how did he make his money?

Richard Branson, aged 28, in his Virgin Mega Store Record Shop in Oxford Street. (PA)

From a young age Branson had his eyes set on making it in the world of business.

Born to a barrister and former ballet dancer in Blackheath, southeast London, he attended the prestigious Stowe School, but didn't do particularly well in class.

Branson, who has dyslexia and ADHD, has told how on his last day at school his headmaster told him he would either end up in prison or as a millionaire.

He left school at 16, and a just a few years later in 1968, he started his first business - Student magazine - and a year later his net worth was said to be 50,000.

Branson started a record mail-order business which he advertised in the magazine, and sales were so high that he ended up ditching Student and starting his own record shop - Virgin Records and Tapes.

Read more: Cineworld ends plan to sell its UK, US and Ireland businesses

Branson carries Pamela Anderson off the wing of a limited edition plane in celebration of Virgin Atlantic's 21st birthday in 2005. (AP)

He used the money he made to found Virgin Records in 1972, signing big name acts including the Sex Pistols, the Rolling Stones, and UB40.

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From there, his empire kept on growing with a raft of businesses launched under the Virgin Group umbrella, including Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Radio, the Virgin Rail Group, Virgin Mobile, Virgin Media and Virgin Money.

Read more: Branson-backed Virgin Voyages sets sail on quest for new funding

There are now more than 40 Virgin companies operating in 35 countries - although there were inevitably some failures along the way, including Virgin Cola, Virgin Vodka, Virgin Clothing, and lingerie venture Virginware, which only lasted three years.

More recently Branson has been competing with fellow billionaires Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos in a space race - founding Virgin Orbit in 2017 and Virgin Galactic in 2004.

How rich is Richard Branson?

Branson prepares to go kite-boarding near his private resort and home, on Necker Island, British Virgin Islands. (AP)

As of the start of 2023, Branson's net worth was $3.6 billion (2.9 billion) making him the 798th richest person in the world, according to Forbes magazine.

However in an interview with LBC, he told Tom Swarbrick: I hate the word billionaire.

I see myself as somebody who loves to create things... Ive never thought of going into these businesses with the thought of making lots of money."

Read more: Richard Branson tells of Scottish roots as he opens Virgin Hotel in Edinburgh

Branson owns a number of homes in different parts of the world, but he primarily lives on Necker Island - a private 74-acre retreat in the aptly named British Virgin Islands.

He bought the island for $180,000 in the late seventies and has reportedly spent $10 million turning it into a luxury resort, where high-end travellers can pay upwards of $40,000 per night to stay.
Its that time of year again.

As winter turns to spring and excitement builds toward the Kentucky Derby, its time for a Lexington tradition to return to the forefront.

Friday marks the start of the 2023 Spring Meet at Keeneland Race Course, which will run through April 28.

This years edition of the Spring Meet will include 15 days of racing and feature 19 stakes, headlined by the 99th running of the $1 million, Grade 1 Toyota Blue Grass and the 86th running of the $600,000, Grade 1 Central Bank Ashland.

The Ashland will be run Friday, and the Blue Grass on Saturday.

Aside from these two marquee races on opening weekend, theres plenty more to know about the 2023 Spring Meet, including some of the top horses, owners and trainers set to take part in the action, as well as what to expect at the track this month.

Heres what you need to know with the meet about to get underway:

The 2023 Keeneland Spring Meet opens Friday and runs through April 28 in Lexington.

Spring Meet to feature 19 stakes races

A total of 19 stakes races, including five Grade 1 races, will be run this April at Keeneland.

These 19 stakes will be worth a combined $8.05 million, a record for the Spring Meet (last years Spring Meet featured 19 stakes that awarded a then-record total of $7.7 million).

Of the 19 stakes races in the 2023 Spring Meet, 15 are graded.

The five Grade 1 stakes at this Spring Meet are: $600,000 Central Bank Ashland (Friday), $1 million Toyota Blue Grass and $600,000 Madison (Saturday), $600,000 Makers Mark Mile (April 14) and $600,000 Jenny Wiley (April 15).

On opening Friday and Saturday alone, eight stakes races will be run that are worth a combined $4.05 million.

The complete schedule of Keenelands 19 stakes races for the 2023 Spring Meet is below:

 April 7: $600,000, Grade 1 Central Bank Ashland  3-year-old fillies going 1 1/16 miles on dirt.

The Ashland is a key Kentucky Oaks prep race that awards Oaks qualifying points on a 100-40-30-20-10 scale to the top five finishers.

The top 14 point earners that pass the entry box will race in the Oaks.

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 April 7: $400,000, Grade 3 Kentucky Utilities Transylvania  3-year-olds going 1 1/16 miles on turf.

 April 7: $400,000, Lafayette  3-year-olds going 7 furlongs on dirt.

 April 8: $1 million, Grade 1 Toyota Blue Grass  3-year-olds going 1 1/8 miles on dirt.

The Blue Grass is a key Kentucky Derby prep race that awards Derby qualifying points on a 100-40-30-20-10 scale to the top five finishers.

The 20-horse Derby field features 18 spots reserved for North American-based horses, and one spot each for a Europe-based horse and a Japan-based horse.

 April 8: $600,000, Grade 1 Madison  4-year-olds and up, fillies and mares, going 7 furlongs on dirt.

 April 8: $400,000, Grade 2 Appalachian presented by Japan Racing Association  3-year-old fillies going 1 mile on turf.

 April 8: $350,000, Grade 2 Shakertown  3-year-olds and up going 5 1/2 furlongs on turf.

 April 8: $300,000, Grade 3 Commonwealth  4-year-olds and up going 7 furlongs.

 April 14: $600,000, Grade 1 Makers Mark Mile  4-year-olds and up going 1 mile on turf.

 April 14: $250,000, Listed FanDuel Limestone  3-year-old fillies going 5 1/2 furlongs on turf.

 April 15: $600,000 Grade 1 Jenny Wiley  4-year-olds and up, fillies and mares, going 1 1/16 miles on turf.

 April 15: $400,000 Grade 3 Stonestreet Lexington  3-year-olds going 1 1/16 miles on dirt.

The Lexington is the final Kentucky Derby prep race and awards Derby qualifying points on a 20-8-6-4-2 scale to the top five finishers.

 April 15: $250,000 Listed Giants Causeway  3-year-olds and up, fillies and mares, going 5 1/2 furlongs on turf.

 April 16: $400,000 Grade 2 Beaumont presented by Keeneland Select  3-year-old fillies going 7 furlongs, 184 feet, on dirt.

The Beaumont is the final Kentucky Oaks prep race and awards Oaks qualifying points on a 10-4-3-2-1 scale to the top five finishers.

 April 16: $250,000 Listed Palisades  3-year-olds going 5 1/2 furlongs on turf.

 April 21: $300,000 Grade 3 Baird Doubledogdare  4-year-olds and up, fillies and mares, going 1 1/16 miles on turf.

 April 22: $350,000 Grade 2 Elkhorn  4-year-olds and up going 1 1/2 miles on turf.

 April 22: $300,000 Grade 3 Ben Ali  4-year-olds and up going 1 3/16 miles on dirt.

 April 28: $300,000 Grade 3 Bewitch  4-year-olds and up, fillies and mares, going 1 1/2 miles on turf.

Last year, Wesley Ward claimed the trainers title (13 race wins), Tyler Gaffalione captured the jockeys title (19) and Stonestreet Stables won the owners title (five) at the 2022 Keeneland Spring Meet.

Nest, with Irad Ortiz Jr. up, crosses the finish line to win the 85th running of the Central Bank Ashland Stakes during the opening day of the Keeneland Spring Meet last year. The filly went on to finish second in the Kentucky Oaks and the Belmont Stakes and won two additional Grade 1 races before the year was out.

Bluegrass, Ashland highlight opening weekend

The 2023 Keeneland Spring Meet will again be headlined by a pair of key prep races for the Kentucky Oaks and Kentucky Derby on opening weekend.

First up is the $600,000, Grade 1 Central Bank Ashland, which will be run Friday as a Kentucky Oaks prep race that awards Oaks qualifying points on a 100-40-30-20-10 scale to the top five finishers.

The race will feature 3-year-old fillies going 1 1/16 miles on dirt.

The field for the Ashland, from the rail out and with trainers and jockeys, is as follows:

Pride of the Nile (Doug ONeill, Frankie Dettori), Wonder Wheel (Mark Casse, Tyler Gaffalione), Guns n Graces (Chad Brown, Joel Rosario), Julia Shining (Todd Pletcher, Luis Saez), Punchbowl (Brad Cox, Flavien Prat), Defining Purpose (Kenny McPeek, Brian Hernandez Jr.), Effortlesslyelgant (Norm Casse, Ricardo Santana Jr.).

The top 14 Kentucky Oaks qualifying points earners that pass the entry box will race in the Oaks.

Wonder Wheel (currently 11th on the qualifying points leaderboard with 48 points) leads this group of participants.

She won the Grade 1 Darley Alcibiades and the Grade 1 Breeders Cup Juvenile Fillies last fall at Keeneland.

The $1 million, Grade 1 Toyota Blue Grass will be run Saturday as a Kentucky Derby prep race that awards Derby qualifying points on a 100-40-30-20-10 scale to the top five finishers.

The race will feature 3-year-olds going 1 1/8 miles on dirt.

The current projected entry list for the Blue Grass includes the following horse and trainer pairings: Blazing Sevens (Chad Brown), Classic Car Wash (Mark Casse), Hayes Strike (McPeek), Major Blue (D. Wayne Lukas), Mendelssohns March (McPeek), Raise Cain (Ben Colebrook), Sun Thunder (McPeek), Tapit Trice (Pletcher) and Verifying (Cox).

Scoobie Quando (Colebrook) is considered possible for the race. Entries were to be taken Wednesday.

The 20-horse Derby field features 18 spots reserved for North American-based horses, and one spot each for a Europe-based horse and a Japan-based horse.

Three horses that are likely to be in the Blue Grass currently rank in the top 20 of the North American Derby qualifying points leaderboard.

Raise Cain is ninth with 54 points, Tapit Trice is 11th with 50 points and Sun Thunder is 19th with 34 points.

McPeek is the most recent of six trainers to have won both the Ashland and the Blue Grass in the same year (2002).

Racing schedule

Races will occur at Keeneland on Wednesdays through Sundays, except for Easter Sunday (April 9). There is no racing on Mondays or Tuesdays.

Post time for the first race is 1 p.m. daily, except for Saturday, April 8. On that day, the first race will go off at 12:30 p.m.

Keenelands popular free tailgating area  The Hill  will now be open on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, with weather permitting.

Fans on The Hill will be able to watch live racing from Keeneland on a large TV screen while also being able to place bets in a wagering tent. Live music presented by The Burl and food trucks will also be provided, along with complimentary shuttles to the track.

A new feature for Saturdays will be the Smoke Easy Mobile Cigar Lounge, which will have cigars available for purchase.

Racing fans interested in upgrading their tailgating experience can visit Keeneland.com/tailgating for full details.

Racing resumes at Keeneland this week for the first time since the Breeders Cup World Championships at Lexingtons racetrack last November.

Ticket information

All tickets to Keeneland for the 2023 Spring Meet must be purchased in advance via the tracks online ticket office at tickets.Keeneland.com/racing.

Follow the Spring Meet at home, online

Fans can watch all Keeneland 2023 Spring Meet races live and for free via the Keeneland Livestream on Keeneland.com, the Keeneland Race Day App, Keeneland Select and Keenelands YouTube channel.

Additional TV coverage of the Spring Meet will come via FanDuel TV, which will present live coverage of every race.

The signature event of the Spring Meet  the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes on Saturday, April 8  will be televised live by NBC, along with additional stakes races from Keeneland that day from 4:30 to 6 p.m.

Spanish language coverage of the Spring Meet will also be offered on opening weekend. For more details, visit Keeneland en Espanol and DRFenEspanol,com.

Spring Meet to feature special events

Several special events for fans also populate the Spring Meet schedule at Keeneland, including:

 Friday, April 7: Jockey Autograph Signing. Fans will meet active and retired Keeneland riders and Hall of Famers in an event that benefits the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund. Signings takes place outside the Walking Ring from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

 Saturday, April 8, 15, 22: Sunrise Trackside. This program is geared toward families and offers a view of horses during training hours. Childrens activities occur on the first floor of the Grandstand from 8-10 a.m.

Mini tours will also be available at the Welcome Stand near the Paddock, and a meet and greet with a horse will take place in the Walking Ring from 8:30-9 a.m.

 Friday, April 14: College Scholarship Day Presented by Lanes End. College students will have the opportunity to win one of 10 $2,000 scholarships provided by the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association and Keeneland. Students who attend the race day and have their tickets scanned day-of will also be eligible to win two additional $10,000 scholarships provided by Lanes End Farm, as well as prize packages from local Kentucky businesses. Pre-registration for this day can be completed at www.Keeneland.com/csd.

 Sunday, April 16: Military Day at the Races Presented by UPS. All active duty, reserve, veterans and military families receive free general admission and reserved Grandstand seating with a military ID. Military guests and their families can enjoy complimentary food from the Lexington Griffin Gate Marriott and Coca-Cola in the Military Family Zone in the North Terrace from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

 Sunday, April 23: Keeneland Kids Club Family Day Presented by Kentucky Childrens Hospital. Kids Club members and their families receive free general admission and access to reserved Grandstand seating when they present their membership cards at admission gates. Childrens activities will take place in the North Terrace from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

 Sunday, April 23: Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund Telethon. The fundraising event will be held in the Limestone Cafe in the Keeneland Sales Pavilion.
As Republicans have rushed to defend former President Donald Trump against his indictment by a grand jury in New York City, several of them have adopted a common line of questioning why Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is going after Trump at all.

I cannot believe that this is what this district attorney or whomever is focusing his time on, Hawley said after Trump first said there was an indictment coming. While his city, the residents of his city, you cant go out on the streets without being shot.

Kyle Ishmael, the executive director of the Manhattan Democrats, said he walked around the city Monday without being shot.

I havent been shot yet in my 38 years of life and Ive walked down the streets of New York City the vast majority of those 38 years, Ishmael said.

Trump was charged Friday on 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree, over payments he allegedly made to suppress negative information during his 2016 presidential campaign, according to documents made public by the Manhattan district attorneys office.

The prosecutors allege that Trump made payments to a doorman who claimed Trump had a child out of wedlock and two women who claimed they had affairs with Trump, and then covered it up on business records by claiming the payments were part of a retainer agreement with Lawyer A, who appears to be former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen.

Hawley was one of several Republicans who painted New York City as war zone as they quickly sought to downplay the unprecedented arrest of a former president and cast it as a politically motivated effort. Sen. Eric Schmitt, a Missouri Republican, said Violent crime rages in NYC rages on & violent criminals walk free. Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, who succeeded Schmitt as Missouris top law enforcement official, said Bragg had misplaced priorities and suggested he should turn his focus to violent crime.

Sen. Roger Marshall, a Kansas Republican, said NYC is ridden with violent crime, undeterred homelessness, and record-breaking larceny.

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Even former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who is considering a run against Trump, defended his former boss and potential opponent, saying taxpayer dollars would be better spent prosecuting serious crimes.

Politicians have long talked about crime in order to help win elections. But the depiction of crime in New York doesnt match its crime rate in relationship with other cities across the country  including the two largest in Missouri. Republicans often point to crime in cities as a way to appear tough on crime and stoke fear among voters.

They bring up Chicago and we know what that means, Ishmael said. It means crime, it means people of color, it means Black people, it means youre going to be unsafe. They love to use these coded phrases.

Most major crimes in New York City  except of felony assault and car thefts  are down from last year, according to the New York City Police Department. While there was a peak in some crimes in 2020 and 2021, they have largely fallen over the past 10 years.

In 2022, murders were down 80.6% from 1990 and 32.5% from 2001, according to the New York City Police Department. New York Citys murder rate in 2022 was 5.17 per 100,000 people. Thats a little higher than Kansas 2021 murder rate (5.17) but lower than the 2022 statewide murder rate in Missouri (10.06). And its significantly lower than the rate in Missouris two largest cities, Kansas City (33.24) and St. Louis (68.18), according to police department data.

Its ridiculous to suggest that somehow, a set of people in the DAs office looking into criminal activity by Trump and his folks, somehow means that the Manhattan District Attorneys Office is incapable of focusing on other things going on in the borough and the city, Ishmael said.

Still, crime has still been on the mind of people in New York City. In a February poll by Quinnipiac University, 41% of New Yorkers said crime was the most urgent issue facing New York City.

Crime increased in cities across the country 2020 and 2021, during the heart of the pandemic. The wave came right as Mayor Eric Adams, a former police officer and Democrat, was running for office in 2021. He built his campaign largely around reducing crime throughout the city.

But Adams has been criticized for comments about crime being as bad as hes ever seen it  he was a police officer when rates in New York City were much higher.

Jeffery Fagan, a law professor at Columbia University who researched New York Citys stop and frisk policy, which was discontinued in 2014, said criticizing Bragg for crime in New York was naive and off base.

The problem with focusing on violent crime is that most of those crimes are out of Braggs hands: if the cops cant make a credible arrest, a crime goes unsolved and the offender is free to continue her or his criminal activity, Fagan said in an email. Most crimes, if cleared by arrest, plead out. Thats universally true.

The standards for a grand jury to issue an indictment are lower than the standards to convict, because a grand jury does not have to believe someone is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt and they typically rely on evidence presented by the prosecutor.

Trump traveled to Manhattan to be arraigned on Tuesday, while the New York Young Republican Club is holding a protest with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Georgia Republican.

While Ishmael criticized Republicans for trying to sow disorder amid Trumps arrest, he said he wasnt particularly concerned about protests in his city, saying he didnt think many people would show up.

Im a New Yorker and New Yorkers honestly dont take that shit, Ishmael said.
Mr Jenrick admitted driving at 68mph in a 40mph limit - David Rose/David Rose

Robert Jenrick has been banned from driving for six months for travelling at almost 30 mph over a temporary speed limit.

Mr Jenrick, the immigration minister, pleaded guilty of the late-night motoring offence in February, telling a court he sincerely apologised.

He was driving at 68 mph in a 40 mph zone on a stretch of the M1 on Aug 5 last year.

The MP for Newark, Nottinghamshire, was also fined a total of 1,639 for the offence at a court hearing on Tuesday.

Court papers showed the minister claiming by way of mitigation that he thought he was still below the national speed limit, because he did not see roadwork signs imposing a lower 40mph restriction.

'I can only sincerely apologise'

I would not have knowingly exceeded the speed limit in this manner, he wrote to Northampton Magistrates Court.

I can only sincerely apologise for having done so on this occasion.

Mr Jenricks Land Rover was caught by police cameras on the southbound stretch of the M1, between junctions 18 and 19, just after 11.30pm.

Earlier that evening, he was a guest on BBC Radio 4s Any Questions, which was being hosted at Wakefield Cathedral in West Yorkshire.

The case was brought by prosecutors under the so-called single justice procedure, which allowed Mr Jenrick to plead guilty in writing rather than appearing in court.

Single justice procedure cases are dealt with in secret hearings before magistrates and cannot be attended by the press and public, as part of an effort by ministers to clear the backlog of criminal cases post-pandemic.

Jenrick fined previously

The Evening Standard previously reported that Mr Jenrick was fined 307 and handed three penalty points in March, for speeding on the A40 in west London in August 2021.

He was fined 1,107, and ordered to pay a 442 victim surcharge and 90 in costs.

Mr Jenrick is the latest senior politician to be punished for motoring offences in recent months.

Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister, was given a fixed penalty notice by police in January after he was seen on video not wearing his seatbelt in the back of his car.

Tom Tugenhadt, the security minister, was banned from driving in November after he was caught using his phone at the wheel.

Responding to the sentence, Mr Jenrick said: I accept the courts decision. I was driving below the national speed limit on an empty motorway, with no road works in sight. I now understand that a variable speed limit had been applied, which I didnt see. I wouldnt knowingly exceed the speed limit.
Roy McGrath, who served as the top aide to former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R), died Monday during a confrontation with law enforcement after a three-week search.

McGrath had been on the run for 21 days after he failed to show up for a trial March 13 on fraud and embezzlement charges in U.S. District Court in Baltimore.

A lawyer for his family said McGrath died after federal agents attempted to arrest him Monday evening. Its unclear if he died of a self-inflicted wound or during an exchange of gunfire with federal agents.

The loss of Roys life is an absolute tragedy, and I think its important for me to say that Roy never wavered about his innocence, Joseph Murtha, an attorney for McGraths wife, told The Washington Post.

The FBI said earlier Monday that McGrath was injured during an agent-involved shooting near Knoxville, Tennessee. He was taken to a hospital but died of his wounds.

Authorities have not yet detailed the events leading up to the confrontation.

McGrath was indicted in 2021 on a series of fraud charges. In one instance, prosecutors accused McGrath of defrauding the Maryland Environmental Service of a more than $233,000 severance package before he left to work for Hogan.

He had served as the governors chief of staff for only three months when The Baltimore Sun reported on the severance package, revelations that prompted legislative hearings and McGraths ultimate resignation. McGrath maintained the governor approved of the severance deal, but Hogan denied any knowledge of it and has been cooperating with investigators. The former governor was on the prosecutions witness list for the trial.

Hogan issued a statement through his spokesperson on Monday, saying he was deeply saddened by this tragic situation.

We are praying for Mr. McGraths family and loved ones, the former governor said.

If convicted, McGrath would have faced decades in prison.

Related...
The course of true love apparently isnt running smoothly for Rupert Murdoch.

The 92-year-old conservative media mogul has reportedly broken up with 66-year-old Ann Lesley Smith less than three weeks after he announced she was going to become his fifth wife.

The two met at an event at his vineyard in Bel Air, California, last year and were planning to wed this summer before the breakup.

At the time of the engagement, Smith told Murdochs New York Post paper that she and the Fox News head honcho shared the same beliefs, but that may not have been the case, according to Vanity Fair.

Sources tell the publication that Murdoch and Smiths relationship turned sour because he had become increasingly uncomfortable with his potential fifth wifes outspoken evangelical views.

Meanwhile, another source told the Daily Mail that the two broke up because Smith just could not cope with being in the public eye and Murdoch realized that he will always be in the public eye and there is nothing he can or would do to change that.

Not surprisingly, Twitter users chimed in with their own thoughts.

Well, Rupert Murdoch is back on the market. Ladies -- start your engines.  Wendi Aarons (@WendiAarons) April 4, 2023

How is Rupert Murdoch going to spend the second half of his life now that hes called off his latest engagement?  John Crace (@JohnJCrace) April 4, 2023

Are you saying Ann Lesley Smith wouldn't sign the pre-nuptial agreement, so the wedding to @rupertmurdoch is off? Makes sense. https://t.co/eKN0wceb4G  Stan Spak (@stanspak) April 4, 2023

"One source close to Murdoch said he had become increasingly uncomfortable with Smiths outspoken evangelical views."



Like, how did this come as a surprise to him? She was a Christian minister and right-wing radio host!https://t.co/5hNQkPNw4I  Justin Baragona (@justinbaragona) April 4, 2023

Rupert Murdoch breaks off engagement to fiance after discovering that her political views are exactly the same as those aired hourly on Fox News. https://t.co/R2gN3XaPZ1  Bruce Bartlett (@BruceBartlett) April 4, 2023

Related...
"I dreaded falling in love  but I knew this would be my last," the 92-year-old media mogul said in an interview announcing his engagement last month. AP Photo/Julio Cortez

Rupert Murdoch is no longer engaged to former model and conservative radio host Ann Lesley Smith.

The pair announced their engagement two weeks ago.

Murdoch, who owns Fox News and The Wall Street Journal, has been married four times in the past.

"It's a sad, sad day when love dies," Roman Roy, a character on HBO's "Succession," which is loosely based on the life of the Murdoch family, prophetically said in the first episode of the latest season.

Today seems to be one of those days.

Rupert Murdoch, the 92-year-old media mogul whose portfolio includes Fox News, The Wall Street Journal, and the New York Post, is no longer engaged to Ann Lesley Smith.

A spokesperson for Murdoch declined to comment.

Murdoch and Smith, a 66-year-old former model and conservative radio talk show host, had announced their plans to wed just two weeks ago. News of the couple's breakup was first reported by Vanity Fair.

"I was very nervous. I dreaded falling in love  but I knew this would be my last. It better be. I'm happy," Murdoch told the New York Post about their engagement last month.

The two met at Murdoch's vineyard in Bel Air, California, last year, according to the Post. Smith and her late husband reportedly owned a vineyard as well.

Murdoch has a net worth of more than $8 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

The couple had planned to wed this summer, just one year after Murdoch finalized his divorce from his fourth wife, Jerry Hall.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Russia continues to deploy aircraft to drop up to 20 guided bombs on frontline areas and positions in Ukraine each day.

Source: Yurii Ihnat, spokesman for the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, during the national joint 24/7 newscast

Quote: "Enemy aircraft are active. The enemy is deploying guided bombs, which can travel dozens of kilometres (up to 70). The enemy deploys 1015, and up to 20, such bombs each day along the entire line of contact, dropped from Su-35 and Su-34 jets outside the range of our air defence systems. This is a threat to us, and we have to urgently respond to it.

For now, we have no equipment that would allow us to effectively respond [to this threat]. In order to push those jets further away from our borders, we need long-range air defence systems like Patriot, as well as, of course, modern multi-purpose fighter jets."

Background: Russia has recently ramped up its use of guided bombs. Normally Russian forces deploy Soviet-made FAB-500 bombs, which are retrofitted with "wings" and GPS targeting systems. Ihnat stressed that these Russian bombs are normally not very precise and thus pose a great threat to civilian facilities.

Ukraine needs long-range air defence systems and modern multi-purpose fighter jets in order to be able to counter this type of ammunition.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
By Andrew Osborn and Jake Cordell

MOSCOW (Reuters) -Russia said on Tuesday Finland's accession to the NATO military alliance was a dangerous historic mistake that would weaken security in the wider region, increase the risk of conflict, and force Moscow to take counter-measures.

Finland formally joined NATO on Tuesday, its flag unfurling outside the military bloc's Brussels headquarters, in a historic policy shift away from non-alignment that was brought about by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

In Moscow, pro-Kremlin activists held a noisy anti-NATO demonstration outside the U.S. Embassy, holding up placards with slogans such as "Stop NATO" and "NATO is a sponsor of Nazism."

Russia and Finland share a 1,300-km (800-mile) border, and Moscow has already said it will beef up military divisions stationed in its west and northwest.

Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu told Russia's military leadership that Finland's accession "creates the risks of a significant expansion of conflict".

But he said it would not affect the outcome of what Russia calls its "special military operation" in Ukraine.

One of the main reasons Russia says it is fighting in Ukraine is to stop its neighbour being turned into a NATO outpost that would threaten its own security.

The Kremlin said Russia would be forced to take "counter-measures" in response to Finland's NATO entry that it would adjust depending on the kind of military deployments and infrastructure rolled out in Finland.

The further expansion of NATO is an "encroachment on our security and on Russia's national interests", said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

Russia's Foreign Ministry said Finland was committing a dangerous historic mistake by joining NATO that would dilute its own influence on the world stage and hurt its ties with Moscow.

"Helsinki's policy of military non-alignment had long served Finnish national interests and was an important factor of confidence-building in the Baltic Sea region and the European continent as a whole," the ministry said in a statement.

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"This is now a thing of the past. Finland has become one of the small members of the alliance that doesn't decide anything, losing its special voice in international affairs. We are sure that history will judge this hasty step."

In St Petersburg, only about 150 km (93 miles) from the Finnish border, a resident who gave his name as Nikolai told Reuters that Russians would now view Finland as a hostile state.

"There is absolutely no doubt that Finland is making problems for itself by joining (NATO) because we used to consider it a brotherly country of the capitalist world, the closest to us in spirit, in relations, in mutually beneficial economic relations," he said.

"But now we will consider it as a state that is unfriendly to us."

(Reporting by Andrew Osborn and Jake CordellEditing by Mark Heinrich)
Hainan free trade port in prosperous development

10:18, April 04, 2023 By Zhao Peng, Han Chunyao, Luo Shanshan ( People's Daily

In April 2018, China announced the decision to support the southern province of Hainan in developing the whole island into a pilot free trade zone and gradually exploring and steadily promoting the establishment of a free trade port (FTP) with Chinese characteristics.

Photo taken on March 14, 2023 shows a busy scene at a container terminal of the Port of Haikou, south China's Hainan province. (People's Daily Online/Yang He)

Five years on, the construction of the Hainan FTP has achieved fruitful results and significantly boosted the development of the province.

Hainan's GDP expanded 5.3 percent annually on average in the past five years, while the province's trade in goods and services surged 23.4 percent and 17.7 percent each year averagely during the same period.

Hainan's total foreign trade accounted for 34.7 percent of its GDP last year, up 15 percentage points in five years. Besides, it's actual use of foreign capital doubled for three consecutive years in 2018, 2019 and 2020, and the five-year total exceeds the sum of the previous 30 years.

The Yangpu international container port at Yangpu economic development zone, Hainan province, has opened 40 domestic and international sea routes. Last year, the port handled nearly 1.77 million twenty-foot equivalent units, a year-on-year increase of 34.06 percent.

Tourism, modern services, high technology and high-efficiency agriculture with tropical characteristics, which are four leading industries of Hainan province, now make up 70 percent of the province's GDP, up from 53 percent five years ago. In 2022, 13 key industrial parks in the Hainan FTP reported revenue of over 1.8 trillion yuan ($262.05 billion), 31.6 percent more from a year ago.

A cruise ship departs from the Phoenix Island in Sanya, south China's Hainan province. (People's Daily Online/Ye Longbin)

Hainan has become an engine that forcefully drives consumption. Sales of offshore duty-free shops in the province have exceeded 130 billion yuan in the past five years; the Boao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Zone, a cluster of industries of international medical tourism, has introduced and employed more than 300 types of drugs and medical equipment; six Sino-foreign education joint ventures and projects have been officially approved and kicked off in the Hainan Li'an International Education Innovation Pilot Zone.

Over the past five years, Hainan province has vigorously optimized its business environment, making it law-based, internationalized and business-friendly, as well as fair, transparent and expectable, which offers important support for the construction of the Hainan FTP.

Hainan has introduced more than 180 policies to optimize its business environment, including exempting tariffs for imported raw materials, transportation vehicles, yachts and self-use production equipment, lowering the income tax rate to 15 percent for eligible companies, capping the personal income tax rate at 15 percent for individuals with high-level and in-demand expertise working in Hainan, and exempting tariff for domestic sales of goods with added value. The province's foreign investment negative list contains only 27 items, the shortest in the country.

As Hainan's business environment continues to be optimized, the province has become a hot destination for business entities. It is reported that the number of newly established business entities in the province in the past five years is more than the total of the past three decades.

Photo shows the Haikou International Duty Free Shopping Complex in south China's Hainan province. (People's Daily Online/Shi Zhonghua)

"Our trade volume increased significantly last year, with more types of products being exported. Our business has been expanded to South Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia and other countries," said Li Xiaotao, general manager of a foreign trade company in Hainan.

Li's company received its first Certificate of Origin under the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) on the day that the trade pact went into force on Jan. 1, 2022. Thanks to the certificate, the company enjoyed zero tariff treatment for a batch of aluminum sulfate products exported to Japan.

At present, Hainan province is enjoying the dividends from both the RCEP and FTP policies. Last year, the province's trade volume with RCEP members grew 23.7 percent to reach 71.18 billion yuan, accounting for 35.4 percent of Hainan's total foreign trade in the same period.

On Jan. 6, the first project for independent customs operations in Hainan province was completed at the Boao airport in Qionghai, Hainan.

Projects for independent customs operations are iconic and fundamental projects for the construction of the Hainan FTP. According to an overall plan on the construction of the FTP, before 2025, the province, centering on trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, and based on effective supervision, will take systematic steps to advance opening-up process, facilitate the convenient and efficient flow of various factors, achieve early harvest, and initiate independent customs operations throughout Hainan Island in due courses. So far, Hainan has comprehensively kicked off the preparations for independent customs operations.

The projects for independent customs operations would turn Hainan province into a region inside the national border but outside the customs territory of China, which will further highlight freedom and facilitation, said Liu Feng, director of the Research Center for Free Trade Port with Chinese Characteristics of Hainan Normal University. According to him, independent customs operations will maximumly optimize the resource allocation for the Hainan FTP.

(Web editor: Hongyu, Du Mingming)
Salome Zourabichvili

Lithuania is one of the countries, like Ukraine and Georgia, that know what Russian occupation and aggression mean, said Zourabichvili.

Read also: Georgian parliament votes down foreign agents bill after massive rallies

Many people in Europe repeat that you (Ukrainians) are fighting for our future and our freedom, but from our own experience, we know that you are fighting for our freedom and European future.

She said that Georgia and Ukraine will be together in Europe in the future, and this will happen thanks to the exceptionally brave struggle of your (Ukrainian) soldiers and your citizens who together carry out this outstanding resistance.

Earlier, the Georgian leader called for the inclusion of a provision on the retention of the occupied regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia in the peace agreements, in the event of Russias defeat in the war against Ukraine.

Read also: Residents of Georgia raise enough funds in 8 days to purchase 200 generators for Ukraine

She said, Russia needs to learn where its borders are. The issue of Georgia must be on the table because no one should think that this war can be resolved without Russias withdrawal from all occupied territories in the region.

Were bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron!

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
(Reuters) - Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Tuesday that suspending participation in the New START nuclear arms control treaty with the U.S. had given Moscow new opportunities to guarantee its security, Russian news agencies reported.

President Vladimir Putin withdrew Russia from the agreement, the last remaining nuclear arms treaty between the two Cold War superpowers, in February. Russian officials said it was foolish to share information on Russia's nuclear capabilities at a time when the U.S. could pass that information to Ukraine.

"We have gained additional opportunities for ourselves to ensure our security," Ryabkov told the Rossiya 24 news channel.

He said the United States was using "any channel, any window to see into our military world", so closing off inspections and data-sharing agreements through New START would hinder U.S. intelligence gathering.

Russia has said it will continue to abide by the limits on the number of nuclear warheads that can be deployed under New START, despite suspending its participation.

Ryabkov also said the West should take account of Russia's decision to station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus.

"Our opponents have to see the reality of what is happening around them," TASS cited Ryabkov as saying. "Don't escalate, don't provoke us."

(Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
Russia used a new tactic during its drone attack on Odesa region

Russia focused specifically on the south of the oblast, unlike in previous attacks, where the focus was on the north and northeast. The number of drones was also higher than average.

Read also: Russian invaders changing tactics in missile attacks, says NSDC head

Russia also tried new methods to get the Iranian drones to evade Ukraines staunch air defense.

This time, they used a new tactic, trying to bypass our air defense. They directed Shahed drones from the Azov Seas east coast at a relatively low altitude, so that they would be as invisible as possible on approach. That's why the air alarm was sounded during the work of the air defense, said Humeniuk.

Russian occupiers carried out an attack using Shahed drones on April 4.

Read also: Air Force reveals Russias new tactics in missile, drone attacks against Ukraine

Ukraines Southern Air Command managed to shoot down 14 of the 17 UAVs.

Were bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron!

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Wagner mercenary group founder Yevgeny Prigozhin (right) and Russian President Vladimir Putin (left). Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Images/Contributor

Tensions between Wagner and Russia's Defense Ministry have been simmering for months.

The British Ministry of Defense said Tuesday the rift might result in the Kremlin ditching Wagner.

Russia is looking for a new military company that it can exert more "control" over, the MoD added.

Russia might replace the Wagner group with another private military company that it can exert "more control" over, the British Ministry of Defense tweeted on Tuesday.

In its daily intelligence update, the MoD said that the Kremlin is "seeking to sponsor and develop alternative private military companies (PMCs) to eventually replace the Wagner Group in its significant combat role in Ukraine."

Military leadership "likely wants a replacement PMC that it has more control over," the MoD said. It added that private companies appeal to Russia because they are "less constrained" by poor pay and "inefficiency" that afflict Russia's formal military.

But finding someone to replace Wagner might prove difficult for Russia as the mercenary group is unique in its size and combat power, the update added.

It comes as a very public feud between Russian military leaders and the Wagner Group founder Yevgeny Prigozhin appears to have spiraled out of control.

Wagner Group mercenaries have been heavily involved in Russia's attempt to capture the embattled Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, located in the Donbas region, deploying tens of thousands of fighters there.

Prigozhin has repeatedly accused the Russian army of taking credit for victories won by his fighters in Bakhmut, which has irked its military leaders.

Ministry of Defence  (@DefenceHQ) April 4, 2023

He also accused Russia's Minister of Defence Sergei Shoigu of trying to destroy mercenaries in Ukraine by depriving them of ammunition. This led to the Kremlin cutting all ties with the group, Prigozhin said last month.

Russian state media have also been told by the Kremlin to stop promoting Prigozhin and his group, Reuters reported, out of fear that he might want more political power. (Prigozhin assured a Russian interviewer shortly after that he had "zero" political ambitions.)

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The update also comes amid reports that Prigozhin is likely to shift his attention away from the war in Ukraine and refocus his attention back to Africa, where his fighters are believed to have a presence in Sudan and Mali, among other countries.

A spokesperson for Russia's Ministry of Defense did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Russias Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu issued a threatening warning against NATO Tuesday as Finland officially joined the alliance and expanded the network.

Finland and Sweden, which for years had passed on joining the military bloc, looked to join the then 30-member alliance following Russias deadly invasion of Ukraine and its increasingly hostile rhetoric against European nations that oppose the illegal war.

Joining NATO means Helsinki now enjoys the complete protection of the alliance if Russia were to strike Finland. Article 5 of the NATO charter says an attack on one member will trigger a response from all members.

President Vladimir Putin and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu attend an event in Moscow, Russia, on Feb. 23, 2023.

FINLAND JOINS NATO IN MAJOR SETBACK TO RUSSIA

But despite Moscows direct influence in Helsinkis decision, Shoigu on Tuesday said the move could lead to further hostilities.

"The North Atlantic block is strengthening its anti-Russian course, which is leading to an escalation of the conflict," he said in an address to top military officials, according to a statement provided by Euromaidan Press. "NATO is carrying out a set of measures to increase the combat readiness of the Joint Armed Forces, intensifying combat training and reconnaissance activities near the borders of Russia and Belarus."

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

Shoigu pointed to NATOs membership expansion, the U.S. pledge of another $2.6 billion in military equipment Tuesday, and moves to send Ukraine warplanes as to what prompted Moscow to increasingly look to its sole regional ally: Belarus.

FINLAND TO JOIN NATO, IRKING MOSCOW AS THE MILITARY ALLIANCE EXPANDS ITS BORDER ALONG RUSSIA

"All this creates risk of a significant expansion of the conflict, but it will not affect the outcome of the special operation," he said. "Under these conditions, we are taking retaliatory measures, defending the security of the Union State."

Shoigu said Russia began training Belarusian troops Monday on ballistic missile systems along with aircraft capable of deploying nuclear missiles.

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Missiles are displayed at the Alabino range in Moscow Region, Russia, June 25, 2019.

In addition, he said the Iskander missiles system was "handed over" to Belarusian forces, which they have had in their possession for months, according to reports dating back to December.

Russian President Vladimir Putin also said late last month that a storage facility for tactical nuclear weapons deployable through the missile system would be completed in Belarus by July 1.
Maria Lvova-Belova, the Russian President's Commissioner for Children's Rights, has stated that the Russian secret services were able to stop a child from Mariupol who was on his way back to his homeland at the border with Belarus.

Source: Russian media outlet Sota, citing a joint briefing by Lvova-Belova together with Maria Zakharova, Representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation.

Details: Reportedly the first journalist to ask a question was from the Rossiya (Russia) TV channel. He mentioned Bohdan Yermokhin, an orphan from Mariupol whom the Russian occupiers had taken first to Donetsk and then to a foster family in the suburbs of Moscow.

The journalist said attempts had been made to get the boy back to Ukraine, where his sister is now, allegedly "using threats and manipulations".

Lvova-Belova claimed that Yermokhin is good friends with another boy from Mariupol, Filip, who was taken from Ukraine by the occupiers and whom she has "adopted" herself.

The children supposedly met in a camp where the Russian invaders placed deported children.

The commissioner said that Yermokhin himself is "pro-Russian" and stated that "Ukrainian handlers" had written to him suggesting that he make a video about how bad he feels being in Russia. Later, according to Lvova-Belova, he even tried to leave Russia through Belarus, allegedly "after being persuaded by the same handlers", but he was stopped by the secret services.

The Russian Children's Commissioner also added that Russian families who take in deported Ukrainian children receive threats and promises to take the abducted children back home.

Background:

On 17 March, per the court's press service, Pre-Trial Chamber II of the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova. The latter is the Russian Presidential Commissioner for Children's Rights.

Putin and Lvova-Belova are suspected of committing the war crime of illegally deporting children from occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation, which has been going on since at least 24 February 2022.

According to Lvova-Belova, as far back as October 2022, up to 2,000 orphans from social institutions had been taken to Russia, and 350 children from Donbas had already been placed in "foster families" in 16 oblasts of Russia.

The Ukrainian side has recorded the deportation of 16,221 children.

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UK Defence Intelligence has suggested that Russia is likely working on the creation of new private military companies (PMCs) that could become an alternative to the Wagner Group PMC in the war against Ukraine.

Source: UK Defence Intelligence update, as reported by European Pravda

Details: As UK Defence Intelligence has said, the Russian Federation would like to gradually replace the Wagner Group, which plays a significant role in the war against Ukraine, with other PMCs. This is taking place within the context of the high-profile feud between the Russian Defence Ministry and Yevgeny Prigozhin, founder of the Wagner PMC.

Quote: "Russia's military leadership likely wants a replacement PMC that it has more control over. However, no other known Russian PMC currently approaches Wagners size or combat power."

UK Defence Intelligence suggested that Russia likely sees continued utility for PMCs in Ukraine because they are less constrained by the limited pay levels and inefficiency which hamper the effectiveness of the regular army.

"Russia's leadership probably believes heavy casualties amongst PMCs will be better tolerated by Russian society compared to regular military losses," UK Defence Intelligence noted.

Background: Russia's Ministry of Defence is conducting a targeted information operation to restore the reputation of the 155th Naval Infantry Brigade, which has become synonymous with Russia's recent failures in Ukraine.

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The decision was made after the events of April 2, when priests beat a soldier in a church.

Read also: Two emergency workers killed during drone attacks in Khmelnytskyi

The vote followed an incident where a ROC priest was filmed assaulting a Ukrainian soldier on the premises of Khmelnytskyi Holy Intercession Cathedral, on April 2.

Councilmen also asked President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to designate the bill On Ensuring the Strengthening of National Security in the Sphere of Freedom of Conscience and the Activities of Religious Organizations as urgent, so that it can be considered by the national parliament on an expedited basis.

In addition, local authorities of Khmelnytskyi Oblast were recommended to conduct an audit ROC property in the region. The council also proposed to terminate ROCs right to use local religious buildings and sites.

On April 2, a member of Khmelnytskyi Regional Council, Viktor Burlyk, announced that a Ukrainian soldier was beaten in a ROC temple in Khmelnytskyi.

Read also: Zelenskyy discusses new sanctions package against Russia with head of European Commission

He posted a video of a cleric pushing and kicking a man in military uniform, after which others joined him and pressed the soldier against the wall.

The clergyman, along with other men, led the military man out of the building with his hands folded behind his back. However, a fight broke out, with the uniformed man being pressed into the ground, saying he couldn't breathe. The soldier eventually left the building with a broken nose.

Read also: Moscow Patriarchate priests beat up Ukrainian soldier in Khmelnytskyi (video)

Following the incident, ROC stated that a man wearing military uniform staged a provocation during a religious service.

Were bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron!

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Vladlen Tatarsky shortly before his death

Read also: Russian propagandists preparing public for possible Ukrainian counter-offensive

We organized and carried out an action on April 2, 2023, against a group of Z-activists and personally against the well-known warmonger and war propagandist, war criminal Maxim Fomin, known as Vladlen Tatarsky, NRA said in the message.

This act was prepared and carried out by us autonomously, and we have no connection with and havent received assistance from any foreign structures  let alone special services.

The NRA also stated that their action wasnt aimed at "peaceful civilians", and that all the victims in the attack were supporters of Russias war against Ukraine. The organization called on Russian human rights activists to help Daria Trepova, whom authorities suspect of carrying out the attack. They also called on the Russians to carry out acts of resistance against the Kremlin regime on all levels, "up to its complete destruction."

Previously, the same organization claimed responsibility for the murder of daughter of Putin's propagandist and ideologue Alexander Dugin, Darya, on August 20, 2022.

Read also: Former Kosovo president and guerrilla chief Hashim Thaci to face war crimes trial in The Hague

Russian opposition politician Ilya Ponomarev claims the NRA is a legitimate underground "activist network" in Russia.

On April 2, propagandist Vladlen Tatarskyi died in an explosion in St. Petersburg.

The explosion took place in a cafe associated with the owner of Wagner Group PMC, Yevgeny Prigozhin. The bomb was allegedly hidden in a statue and was brought to the meeting by Darya Trepova. She was detained on April 3.

Moscow accused Ukraine of orchestrating the assassination, allegedly acting through an associate of Alexey Navalny.

Read also: Who needs a freeloader like me?, asks Moscow Patriarchate priest

Vladlen Tatarsky (Maxim Fomin) is a Russian propagandist, "military correspondent," known for his anti-Ukrainian statements, originally from Makiivka, Donetsk Oblast.

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He welcomed and supported Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and also stated that Russia "will defeat everyone, kill everyone, rob everyone it needs to."

Read also: Russian security forces detain Daria Trepova for murder of Russian propagandist Vladlen Tatarsky

In 2011, he was in a Horlivka prison for bank robbery, but after the initial Russian invasion in 2014, he escaped and joined Russian paramilitary forces.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Russian forces dropped bombs from Su-35 fighter jets on a village in Chernihiv Oblast on the evening of 4 April.

Source: Operational Command Pivnich (North)

Quote: "At around 17:31, the State Emergency Service dispatcher reported that a private house and outbuildings were on fire in the village of Pecheniuhy. As it became known, the fire was caused by an air strike carried out by two Russian Su-35s."

Details: According to the Operational Command Pivnich, the fighter jets dropped two bombs. There has been no information on casualties.

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THE HAGUE, April 4 (Xinhua) -- At least one person was killed and 30 were injured after a passenger train derailed on Tuesday morning in Voorschoten, a small town in the western Dutch province of South Holland following a collision with a construction crane.

The accident occurred around 3:25 a.m. local time (0225 GMT) Tuesday, according to a regional safety board. At least 50 passengers were on the train traveling from Leiden to The Hague in South Holland.

It is yet unclear how the accident happened. The front carriage of the night train landed in a pasture next to the track after the accident.

Those injured were treated on-site and people with serious injuries have been taken to hospital. The rest of the passengers were evacuated. 
Mike Pompeo, the former United States Secretary of State under Donald Trump's presidency, believes that the future of Russia depends on the course of the war in Ukraine.

Source: Pompeo in an interview with European Pravda during his visit to Kyiv

Details: Pompeo pointed out the crucial importance of how the war will end when asked how he sees the future of post-war Russia.

Quote: "This (Russia's future  ed.) depends on the war's course. But in the end, it will decide how we will get there (the end of the war  ed.)," he said.

Details: According to Pompeo, after the war, it will be necessary to find a secure architecture that would protect the world so that this would never happen again.

"And with the right decision, Russians will restore order in their country. I believe it is realistic," said the former head of the US State Department.

Pompeo also believes that to continue the United States support for Ukraine, Ukraine should stop focusing on American elections and, in return, continue to demonstrate a willingness to fight for its sovereignty and implement reforms.

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By Ronald Popeski and Lidia Kelly

(Reuters) - The West is trying to drive a wedge between Russia and China by talking about their unequal relations and Moscow's dependence on Beijing, Russia Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an interview published on Tuesday.

Lavrov, speaking to the Argumenty i Fakty news website, also said the European Union's hostile stand towards Moscow means it had "lost" Russia. And Moscow intended to deal with Europe in a tough manner if necessary, he said.

Lavrov said 10 hours of talks last month between Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping had propelled the "strategic partnership" between Moscow and Beijing beyond "an exclusively bilateral context".

Putin and Xi professed friendship and pledged closer ties, including in the military sphere, during their March 20-21 summit, as Russia struggles to make battlefield gains in what it calls a "special military operation" in Ukraine. The West and Ukraine have condemned the invasion as an imperialistic land grab.

"Naturally we have a sense of comradeship and readiness to stand shoulder to shoulder in defence of each other's fundamental interests," he told Argumenty i Fakty.

China and Russia signed a "no limits" partnership accord in early 2022, just weeks before Putin sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine. Beijing has refrained from criticising Putin's decision and has touted a peace plan for Ukraine.

Lavrov said suggestions of an unequal relationship between Moscow and Beijing "have been exaggerated generally by unfriendly countries" for a long time.

"We see this as an attempt to cast a shadow on our successes, to drive a wedge into the friendship between Moscow and Beijing," Lavrov told the website.

Lavrov said the EU's poor relations with Moscow was a matter of its own making because of EU support for Ukraine in supplying the "criminal regime" in Kyiv with weapons and instructors.

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"The European Union has lost Russia. But it is its own fault. It is the EU member countries and EU leaders who openly declare it is necessary to inflict, as they call it, a strategic defeat on Russia," Lavrov told the website.

"In reply to hostile steps, we will act in a tough manner if necessary, based on Russia's national interests and the principles of reciprocity accepted in diplomatic practice."

(Writing by Ron Popeski and Liidia Kelly; Editing by Mark Porter and Lincoln Feast.)
ST PETERSBURG (Reuters) - Citizens of St Petersburg, the Russian city closest to Finland, on Tuesday accused their neighbour of turning its back on them by joining the Western military alliance NATO, following their government's line that the accession was a hostile act.

Before Russia sent its armed forces into Ukraine early last year, people in Russia's second city had been fond of visiting the Finnish capital Helsinki, about five hours' drive away.

"I don't think anything will change for us," said St. Petersburg resident Yevgeny, who like others declined to give his surname. "It'll only get worse for the Finns because we won't go there, and they'll only incur losses from this."

Another resident, Nikolai, said Finland was "making problems for itself".

"We used to consider it a brotherly country of the capitalist world, the closest to us in spirit, in relations, in mutually-beneficial economic relations," he said. "But now we'll consider it as a state that is unfriendly to us."

None of the five people Reuters spoke to sympathised with Finland's decision to give up its neutrality because of Russia's military campaign in Ukraine, also a neighbour of Russia.

What Russia calls a "special military operation" in Ukraine to defuse a purported NATO threat to Russian security has echoes of the 1939 Soviet invasion of Finland, formerly part of the Russian empire, which resulted in Finland ceding a large part of its territory.

"This is just a conspiracy by the Anglo-Saxon world," said Vasily, echoing the stance taken by the Kremlin. "We have always had good neighbourly relations with Finland."

Another citizen, Alexei, had a recommendation for Finland: "If they wanted to unite with Russia against NATO, then I would be glad."

(Writing by Kevin Liffey; Editing by Frank Jack Daniel)
Stefan Grygelko, known globally as drag icon Heklina, has died. The California-based performer was 54.

Heklina was found dead in London by Peaches Christ, a friend and fellow drag performer. The two were in England for a run of Mommie Queerest, a musical parody of the 1981 Joan Crawford biopic Mommie Dearest. A cause of death has not yet been reported.

I am living in a real-life nightmare so forgive me if I dont have all the answers just now, Peaches Christ, whose real name is Joshua Grannell, wrote on Facebook. This morning, in London, England I went to collect my dear friend Heklina, who is costarring with me in a Mommie Queerest show here, and found her dead. I do not know the cause of death yet.

The statement continued: I know this is shocking news and I am beyond stunned, but I wanted to let folks know what has happened. Heklina is not just my best friend, but a beloved icon of our community. I am a mess.

Heklina, left, was found dead April 3 in London by friend and costar Peaches Christ.

Heklina, left, was found dead April 3 in London by friend and costar Peaches Christ.

Londons SoHo Theatre, where Mommie Queerest was being performed, shared its own statement about the news on Twitter.

Our thoughts are with Peaches, Mommie Queerest company, Heklinas family, friends + their wider community, the theaters tweet said, noting that staff members were in shock and incredibly saddened.

News of Heklinas death drew an outpouring of tributes from other beloved drag performers.

Im heartbroken. We communicated nearly everyday and nothing made me happier than making her cackle, Miss Coco Peru wrote on Twitter. We visited recently and Im so grateful we spent some time together. Heklina, I loved and adored you and my only comfort right now is in knowing that I told you that often.

Added Lady Bunny, Beloved SF drag legend Heklina is gone. Knowing Peaches, I assumed this was an April Fools thing. Ill miss that funny bitch!

By Monday evening, San Franciscos Castro Theatre honored Heklina on its marquee.

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Devastated by the tragic loss of SF legend @Heklina  forever a pillar of our community  pic.twitter.com/cf6ViuiOKp  Castro Theatre (@Castro_Theatre) April 3, 2023

World of Wonder, the production company that produces RuPauls Drag Race, also paid tribute on social media.

Were heartbroken over the passing of Heklina, a beloved and iconic pioneer in our community and a legend of the San Francisco drag scene, the company tweeted. Our hearts are with her friends, family, and everyone touched by her joyous spirit.

A Minneapolis native, Heklina rose to prominence upon relocating to San Francisco after a stint in Iceland in 1996. The performers drag name was derived from Hekla, one of Icelands most active volcanoes.

Shortly after arriving in California, Heklina began hosting a weekly performance series known as Mother at the Stud, a San Francisco nightspot. The series quickly became one of the West Coasts most popular drag shows and hosted a number of mainstream stars, including Charro and Lady Gaga, over the years.

Heklina performs in

Heklina performs in "Golden Girls Live" in 2019.

When I moved to San Francisco, I fell in love with the punk style of some of the drag queens, Heklina told the Bay Area Reporter in 2008. I never sat down and said, I want to be a drag queen and run a nightclub. When it happened and took off, it was kind of like I was meant to do this.

A frequent performer at LGBTQ Pride events along the West Coast, Heklina co-founded a second San Francisco drag venue, Oasis, in 2015. She later called Oasis the crowning jewel of my career so far.

In 2019, Heklina stepped back from her ownership role at Oasis to spend more time in Palm Springs, California, but continued to perform regularly in Mommie Queerest and Golden Girls Live, among other shows.

Related...
Sarah Ferguson has admitted she doesnt know how King Charles III is coping with his new role as monarch.

In an interview with The Independent, published on Wednesday 5 April, the Duchess of York, 63, shared her thoughts on King Charless reign.

I dont know how hes managing. I really dont, she said, addressing Charless workload ahead of the coronation on 6 May.

We used to go skiing together, she said. And I honestly have no idea how hes managing with the amount of paperwork and all the overwhelming things he must have to deal with.

Her comments come after King Charles reportedly asked Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle to vacate their property at Frogmore Cottage and offered it to her ex-husband, Prince Andrew, instead.

Charless relationship with the Duke of Sussex is believed to be fraught following the publication of Harrys tell-all memoir, Spare, which was released in January.

Royal commentators have previously told The Independent that Charless decision over Frogmore Cottage is a likely to be a direct reaction to Harrys memoir.

Sarah has previously addressed reports that Andrew has been offered the keys to Harry and Meghans former home, Frogmore Cottage.

The disgraced Duke of York has resided in the Royal Lodge in Windsor Park for nearly 20 years, but reports suggest his time there may be coming to an end and that his brother, King Charles, may cut his 249,000 annual allowance.

The duchess has been promoting her latest book, A Most Intriguing Lady, a historical romance whodunit about her ancestor Lady Mary Montagu Douglas Scott (Getty Images)

Prince Andrew first moved into the vast property in 2004 and made it his family home. He lives there with the duchess, with whom he has remained close since their divorce in 1992.

Speaking to Hello! on Sunday (5 March), the duchess addressed the reports that Andrew may have his annual allowance taken away.

Sources said that the King vowed not to leave his younger brother homeless or penniless.

This is really a matter for the Duke and His Majesty, she said of the reports, before adding that Andrew doesnt actually take taxpayers money since he stepped back from royal duties.

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Andrew stepped down as a working royal over his association with paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein. Last year, he reached a multi-million-pound settlement with Virginia Giuffre, who accused him of sexually abusing her while she was underage. Andrew vehemently denies the allegations.

Sarah has said that she is pleased and proud to be in the position to support [Andrew] and the rest of the family through my work.

The duchess has been promoting her latest book, A Most Intriguing Lady, a historical romance whodunit about Lady Mary Montagu Douglas Scott, a real-life Victorian ancestor of the Duchess and the younger sister of the protagonist of her novel.

I have an absolutely extraordinary curiosity for life like Lady Mary. Thats why she is a sleuth of society crimes, the duchess said of her protagonist.
Sarah Nicole Landry opened up about how being shamed as a kid affected her in adulthood (Photo via@thebirdspapaya

Sarah Nicole Landry is opening up about her childhood.

The Canadian body-positivity advocate  also known as The Birds Papaya  took to Instagram to share a video detailing a body shaming experience she had when she was just 12.

The Instagram Reel begins with a stitched video by the TikTok user @laina622, where she explains that after receiving criticism on her teeth as a child, she "thought about it every day."

Landry then intervenes with a clip of her own, sharing a similar experience she had when she was in grade 7.

"When I was in the seventh grade, I had just gotten home from a family vacation," Landry detailed. "I was wearing a brand-new outfit on that first day back at school, standing at my locker, when a really popular boy comes up behind me and says, 'Oh, Sarah, it looks like you enjoyed a few too many cheeseburgers on that trip.'"

"I remember I was wearing jelly sandals, purple corduroy pants, and a crushed velvet, purple crop top with daisies on it," she said before admitting the reason she remembers the outfit so vividly is because the comment stuck with her for years.

"It changed who I was," the mom-of-four shared.

Landry explained that in more recent years, one of her own children had a similar experience.

"I wept alongside them realizing this moment might play out for them over and over again," she said, adding, "I can't take that moment away from my brain either. But I can wear a crop top."

"When I first started wearing crop tops again, only I knew the gravity of that, because Id been carrying it around for 20 years," Landry doubled down in her caption. "Since the moment my 12-year-old brain wanted to hide her body and never show it again."

"Words deeply matter," she continued. "That starts and ends with the words we remind ourselves with after the hurtful ones come."

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In the comments, fans applauded Landry for sharing her story.

"Thank you so much for opening up about this story! I think so many of us have had similar experiences that we bottle up because it feels embarrassing or shameful," an Instagram user commented.

"Thank goodness there are people like you who work endlessly to change the narrative," another wrote.

"Thanks for spreading your message," a fan added.

Someone else chimed in: "Im so thankful for empowered, brave women like you using their platform to teach other people how free life can be!"

Last month, Landry garnered even more praise after sharing a video showing off her "end-of-the-day body."

"It's been two years since my fourth pregnancy," the influencer wrote in the on-screen text. "And this is what my body looks like at the end of the day.

I share this not to say we all experience the same end-of-day, but to say, this is my end-of-day, and maybe it's yours too," the 39-year-old penned.

Let us know what you think by commenting below and tweeting @YahooStyleCA! Follow us on Twitter and Instagram.
Supporters of South Carolinas effort to pass a law to hide the identities of companies or pharmacies willing to sell drugs for lethal injection executions are adamant complete secrecy is the only option.

The current shield law legislation making its way through the Statehouse gives no opportunity to disclose any information about manufacturers, pharmacists or compounding pharmacies that may provide lethal injection drugs to the state, even through legal discovery or under seal in litigation.

However, the department obtained drugs for lethal injection in illegitimate ways in the past.

Over a decade ago, when domestic supply of a sedative used in U.S. executions was dwindling, the state was one of several that obtained drugs from an unregulated overseas pharmacy operating out of a driving school in London against federal regulation.

Still, state Sen. Greg Hembree (R-Horry), a sponsor for the bill, has told legislators that the South Carolina Department of Corrections will have ultimate responsibility for accountability in the event of a botched execution.

Dig deeper: Shield laws havent stopped problems with executions, but they have kept them hidden

Bryan Stirling still has to follow federal law, theres nothing in the law that says that hes exempt from federal law, Hembree said at a Senate committee meeting on Feb. 2 about SCDCs director. He put some pretty clear testimony on the record that they were not going to violate federal law.

"Director Stirling has testified that the department will comply with federal law as to obtaining any drugs for execution and would not obtain drugs from the so-called gray or black market," SCDC spokesperson, Chrysti Shain, said in an email to The Greenville News. "The department will comply with federal and state law when it comes to obtaining any drugs for execution."

But although the amended bill states that no drug shall be used in an execution unless approved by the Food and Drug Administration, in 2019 the U.S. Department of Justice determined the FDA does not have any obligation to regulate drugs for the use of capital punishment.

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Alexandra Klein, a professor at St. Marys School of Law in Texas who researches capital punishment, said states have added feel good language in shield law legislation that is ultimately meaningless.

The FDA has nothing to do with lethal injection drugs, Klein said about the legislation. A lot of this is papering over fundamental flaws in a process that is only meant to execute more people.

Klein said shield laws have created a black hole of information around execution protocols.

Its startling the lengths to which states will go to get drugs for lethal injection and escape any kind of oversight, Klein said. This is one of the most intense things the government can do, and they do it without such little transparency. Its very troubling.

How SC once got lethal injection drugs overseas

In 2009, several death penalty states were desperately in search of drugs to perform lethal injection executions when the only domestic source for a widely used sedative ran dry.

Hospira, Inc., a former pharmaceutical company based in Illinois, was the sole manufacturer of sodium thiopental, the first drug in a three-drug cocktail at that time used in executions. South Carolina, like other states, began to inquire overseas.

Around this time, pharmaceutical companies began barring their products for use in capital punishment in mass. Hospira announced it would completely halt producing the drug in 2011.

A year before, it was reported the Arizona Department of Corrections was ordering the drug from England from a source the then attorney general said was a reputable place. Yet, the official did not name the company at the time.

The company, determined as Dream Pharma, was operating out of a driving school in west London and receiving the drug from a manufacturer in Austria. When officials in England discovered the company was selling the drug to U.S. prisons, the country banned exports of the drug.

Court records show South Carolina was one of seven states that ordered sodium thiopental from Dream Pharma.

"Dream Pharma asserts that selling these drugs was no different from selling a hammer in a hardware shop. The analogy is apposite only if we include one fact  the customer told the salesman he planned to bludgeon someone to death with it outside the store, Clive Stafford Smith, a British human rights attorney said according to reporting about the discovery in The Guardian.

A sign for the Food and Drug Administration is displayed outside their offices in Silver Spring, Maryland, on Dec. 10, 2020. The head of the FDA announced an overhaul of the agency's food safety and nutrition division. Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023

The FDA initially held imports of the drug upon entry but released the shipments under the pretext that reviewing substances imported for the purpose of state-authorized lethal injection falls outside of its public health mission. The agency was then sued by a group of Arizona death row inmates for violating the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act which prohibits shipments of misbranded and unapproved drugs from entering the U.S.

Sodium thiopental was never FDA approved for imports, nor was Dream Pharma a registered foreign drug establishment.

A federal judge ruled in favor of the condemned men, determining the agency has a duty to all consumers at risk of expired, contaminated or counterfeit foreign products.

In the final analysis, the FDA appears to be simply wrapping itself in the flag of law enforcement discretion to justify its authority and masquerade an otherwise seemingly callous indifferent to health consequences of those imminently facing the executioners needle. How utterly disappointing! the judges memorandum stated.

Emails obtained and provided in the court records show officials with the South Carolina Department of Corrections desperately inquiring about the shipments from Dream Pharma in late 2010.

The FDA imposed delay is an increasing concern to us. Is there anyone who can give us a reasonable explanation for the FDAs decision to stop the shipment to South Carolina. For the FDA to stop the shipment and then refuse to communicate the reason for its decision is unconscionable, former SCDC director of health services, John Solomon, wrote to an FDA investigator, according to the records.

During the legal battle against the FDA, the Drug Enforcement Agency seized shipments of the drug from other state corrections departments. South Carolina relinquished its supply in 2011 before the states last execution to date.

In May 2011, South Carolina executed Jeffrey Motts the day following his 36th birthday after he requested all outstanding appeals of his case be dropped. Motts was sentenced to death after the murder of his cellmate in 2005 at Perry Correctional Institution where he was serving two life sentences for a 1995 double murder in Spartanburg County.

Without sodium thiopental, the state used a new three-drug cocktail, replacing the sedative with pentobarbital. After more than a decade, pentobarbital is now a common sedative used in lethal injection executions, though as history repeats itself, has become increasingly more difficult to obtain.

The case against SC's death penalty: Does it violate the state's constitution?

This undated file photo provided on July 11, 2019, by the South Carolina Department of Corrections shows the new death row at Broad River Correctional Institution in Columbia, S.C.

Are there any safe ways to get lethal injection drugs?

As more states introduce shield laws to veil protocols for how executions are carried out, information about how drugs are obtained for lethal injections becomes more sparse, creating concerns about efficacy and safety.

South Carolinas proposed legislation provides language to loosen some licensing regulations from the department of health and environmental control (DHEC) and the state Board of Pharmacy in order to obtain drugs for lethal injection, but federal oversight is already lenient.

In 2019, the U.S. DOJ issued an opinion stating that the FDA is not subject to regulate drugs or devices intended for use for capital punishment under the FDCA.

Congress has repeatedly authorized the death penalty on the assumption that there are lawful means to carry it out, but the regulation of such articles under the FDCA would effectively require their prohibition because they could hardly be found safe and effective for such an intended use, the opinion said.

Similar to other death penalty states, South Carolina officials have proposed the use of compounding pharmacies, or a pharmacy that customizes drugs that are not mass manufactured.

These pharmacies are also not FDA approved. In some cases, the use of compounding pharmacies has already created concerns around expired products.

Dozens of global healthcare companies have released public statements against the use of their products in capital punishment. Several national healthcare associations, like the American Pharmacists Association, have spoken out about pharmacists participating in executions.

...Such activities are fundamentally contrary to the role of pharmacists as providers of healthcare, the APA said in a 2015 statement.

The lack of participation from medical experts in establishing protocols for state executions has allowed legislators to essentially build the plane as they fly it.

Legislators dont have the expertise, and so some of this stuff starts to look experimental, Klein said.

Kathryn Casteel is an investigative reporter with The Greenville News and can be reached at KCasteel@gannett.com or on Twitter @kathryncasteel.

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: SC obtained execution drugs overseas. Shield law may hinder accountability
Scarlett Johansson said she's "too fragile a person to have social media" and so avoids it all costs. Robyn Beck//AFP via Getty Images

Scarlett Johansson explained why she doesn't have an Instagram account  not even a secret one.

She said on "The Skinny Confidential Him & Her" podcast that she's "too fragile" to use the app.

She explained that she has "enough anxiety" without Instagram but also considers it a waste of time.

Don't expect to see Scarlett Johansson signing up to Instagram any time soon.

Speaking on "The Skinny Confidential Him & Her" podcast on Monday, the 38-year-old actor said that she is "too fragile a person to have social media" and so avoids it at all costs.

The "Black Widow" star said that while she does have social media accounts for her skincare brand, The Outset, she doesn't have a personal account, not even a Finsta (that's a secret Instagram account, something celebrities such as Jennifer Aniston and Prince Harry have admitted to using in the past).

Asked why she chooses to avoid the app, Johansson said: "I can't. My ego is too fragile. My brain is too fragile. I'm like a delicate flower."

The star added that she has "enough anxiety" without social media, but also said that in her experience, it's a waste of time.

"I had Instagram once for three days and when I started realizing that I'd spent 20 minutes looking at somebody's Instagram page who worked for a friend of mine," she said. "I now know you have a pit bull and two daughters and you live in, like, Burbank."

"I was like, what? I just wasted 17 minutes of time," she continued. "I now feel like I should move to California, get this specific dog, and change my life in all these ways."

"I felt so bad, like I was missing out on this random person's life," Johansson explained. "I was like, I can't do this."

Johansson added that while she sometimes logs into her company's account on Instagram, she's not sure she's "using it properly" as she "can't get updated information."

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However, the "Ghost in the Shell" actor said she's not completely opposed to jumping on a TikTok trend for The Outset and said she enjoys making "terrible videos" with her cofounder, Kate Foster.

"We're both so bad at it, but it's fun," she said. "I like to read customer reviews and perform them for people on TikTok."

Speaking about the video-sharing app's addictive nature, Johansson said that even she can't resist scrolling the For You Page a little bit.

"Everytime I see it in the office, I then become like a 3-year old with their mom's phone where I get completely absorbed into it. So, that's why I know I can't have it," she concluded.

Read the original article on Insider
Scarlett Johansson has shared the relatable reason that she does not use social media, with the actress revealing she is too fragile a person to be on the platforms.

The Lucy star, 38, spoke candidly about her reasons for avoiding social media during an appearance on The Skinny Confidential Him & Her podcast, where she explained that she thinks the apps would cause her anxiety.

I honestly am too fragile of a person to have social media, Johansson said, after she was asked why she doesnt have social media accounts. My ego is too fragile. I cant deal with it. My brain is too fragile, Im like a delicate flower. I have enough anxiety, honestly.

The actress then revealed that, even if she were to avoid reading the comments, she thinks that the platforms would still cause her anxiety.

However, Johansson also admitted that she tried Instagram before, but that shed deleted the app after finding herself spending too much time looking at a strangers posts.

I had Instagram once, for three days, and when I started realising that Id spent 20 minutes looking at somebodys Instagram page who, like, worked for a friend of mine  Im like, now I know you have a pitbull, and two daughters and you live in Burbank, Johansson recalled, before jokingly adding: I was like, I just wasted 17 minutes of time and I now feel like I should move to California, get this specific dog and change my life in all these ways.

I felt so bad, like I was missing out on this random persons life. I cant do this. Im too fragile. I have so much anxiety about other things, I cant, the Black Widow star continued.

Although she has no interest in having her own social media accounts, Johansson revealed that she does enjoy keeping up-to-date on her skincare brand The Outsets TikTok account.

According to the actress, who admitted that the video platform is definitely fun, she likes to use the app to read customer reviews.

However, she joked that she cannot download the app herself because she already finds herself completely absorbed by it when she uses it for work.

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Every time I see it in our office, I then become like a three-year-old with her moms phone where I get completely absorbed into it, she said, before adding: So, thats how I know I cant have it. But its fun though.

On social media, fans have found Johanssons comments relatable, with many claiming shes right to avoid the platforms.

Shes smart. Social media is an incredibly toxic place, especially for celebrities, one person tweeted, while another said: Good for her! Most celebrities should get off social media to be honest.

I understand the dilemma, trust me, someone else added.
School district mission statements tend to be fairly unremarkable, run-of-the-mill documents. They usually say something about preparing students who are equipped to thrive in the modern economy and contribute to society. Many also commit to keeping those students safe and healthy, to involving parents and the community.

But a new analysis by the Pew Research Center reveals how districts mission statements are starting to reflect the culture wars over how race and gender are handled in schools.

Districts in Democratic-leaning areas, for example, are more than twice as likely as those in Republican ones to discuss diversity, equity and inclusion in their statements. Liberal districts are also more likely to embrace social-emotional learning, an educational model that teaches skills such as self-awareness, empathy and sharing that has become associated by conservatives with woke indoctrination.

Percentage of districts, by partisan leaning, that mention issues such as DEI, academics and mental health

There was so much consistency in the wording of districts mission statements with the exception of this one basket of issues in particular, said Aaron Smith, who led the Pew research project. Theres a real divergence between red and blue districts  and also between urban or suburban districts and rural ones  in the extent to which they outwardly cite issues like diversity and inclusion as a core educational principle.

More: Schools are becoming hotbeds of political conflict  especially in purple districts

Partisan divides over DEI

DEI has emerged as a bogeyman in conservative circles that decry it as leftist ideology rather than a set of policies and practices designed to make people of all backgrounds feel welcome and supported.

Why are colleges offering more DEI degrees? Demand for diversity expertise is growing.

Lawmakers in various red states are advancing legislation that would ban or restrict the use of DEI in public colleges and universities. But as the mission statement trends indicate, DEI is just as fraught at the K-12 level.

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Just last week, parents, students and educators in Newton, Massachusetts, spent hours at a public hearing debating a petition to overturn DEI initiatives in local schools. The week before that, a Michigan middle school decided to postpone a diversity-focused day-long event and make it optional rather than mandatory after some critics accused organizers of spreading Marxist ideals.

Students who oppose proposed legislation to ban DEI in Texas colleges and universities gathered for a sit-in at the capitol to protect DEI in late March. The Texas Legislature is looking to gut diversity, equity and inclusion programs in colleges and universities in the state.

The Pew analysis shows how these tensions may be influencing what districts choose to promote as their values. The researchers analyzed the mission statements of roughly 1,300 randomly selected districts nationwide and examined differences in part based on their residents presidential choices in the 2020 general election.

Blue- and red-leaning districts were more or less equally likely to mention most issues, from academic and career readiness to safe environments. But on DEI, the gap was glaring. Fifty-six percent of Democratic districts mention their DEI efforts, compared with just 26% of Republican ones.

And when zooming in on specific words within the DEI realm, the gaps are even greater. Almost no Republican districts  just 7% and 6%, respectively  mention equity and inclusion" in their mission statements, for example, compared with 29% and 21% of Democratic districts.

DEI came to colleges with a bang: Now, these red states are on a mission to snuff it out.

These North Carolina counties were politically aligned: Education has divided them

Democratic, Republican parents diverge on social-emotional learning

Democratic districts were also more likely than Republican ones to use language associated with social-emotional learning. SEL, a framework that promotes interpersonal and personal skills as key to academic success, has like DEI become entangled in the culture wars over lessons about racism and LGBTQ+ issues.

This model teaches kids 'to be nice': It's controversial in Florida now under DeSantis.

While the language around SEL is squishy, making it more difficult to assess partisan differences, certain distinctions became clear. For one, left-leaning districts were more likely than right-leaning ones to use the word social in their mission statements (34% versus 25%) and to mention critical thinking (28% versus 16%).

Its notable because it doesnt quite line up with the polling weve seen on this, Smith said.

Percentage of school districts, by partisan leaning, whose mission statements cite various terms associated with social-emotional learning

Indeed, separate surveys by Pew show majorities of both Democratic and Republican parents say its at least very important to them that their kids learn social and emotional skills at school.

More: Overhaul of Ohio colleges targets diversity mandates, China and requires U.S. history class

Contact Alia Wong at (202) 507-2256 or awong@usatoday.com. Follow her on Twitter at @aliaemily.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Public schools' mission statements reflect partisan divide over DEI
ADDIS ABABA, April 4 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has appealed for urgent funding to respond to growing humanitarian calamities in drought and conflict-affected parts of Ethiopia.

The UN body, in its latest situation update on Ethiopia issued late Monday, said an estimated 714 million U.S. dollars has so far been contributed toward the 2023 Ethiopian Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP-2023), corresponding to 18 percent of the HRP requirements.

Noting the impact of multiple crises including conflict, drought and floods that have continued to increase humanitarian needs across the East African country, the OCHA has called for urgent funding to respond to the growing humanitarian needs.

"Continued donors' support is urgent and critical to enable humanitarian partners to maintain and strengthen the delivery of assistance to vulnerable people in conflict and natural disaster-affected areas across the country," it said.

According to figures from the OCHA, more than 20.1 million people are food insecure in various regions of Ethiopia, including 2.73 million internally displaced people and 1.88 million returnees.

It said the humanitarian response in Ethiopia further requires scale-up considering the needs highlighted in the HRP-2023 to respond to the different humanitarian crises the people in Ethiopia are enduring.

As conflict-affected areas in northern Ethiopia become more accessible following the signing of the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement (COHA) in November last year, the OCHA said relief beneficiaries in Tigray, Amhara and Afar regions have continued to receive assistance, although not at the required scale.

The OCHA expressed concerns over worsening food insecurity in drought-affected regions, particularly in southern and south-eastern parts of the country, where livelihoods have been severely disrupted. It also said humanitarian interventions in drought-affected areas need to be scaled up beyond primary food and water provision to multi-sectoral humanitarian assistance in sanitation and hygiene, agriculture, health, and education so as to support the affected communities in rebuilding their lives. 
Seattle police arrested three people after they allegedly assaulted and robbed a woman after getting off of a bus in the Wallingford neighborhood Monday afternoon.

According to police, officers were called to the intersection of Aurora Avenue North and North Allen Place around 4 p.m. When officers arrived, they spoke with a 33-year-old woman who said she was involved in an altercation with a group of people on a bus.

The woman told police that when she got off the bus, the group followed her and kept harassing her until she boarded another bus.

When the woman got off of the second bus, the group assaulted her and stole her cell phone, identification cards, cash, and other personal items, police said. The woman declined medical assistance at the scene.

Police searched for the group and found them in the 4400 block of Green Lake Way North. Officers recovered the womans shoes, cell phone, mail, and coin purse.

A 21-year-old man, a 20-year-old woman, and a 19-year-old woman were arrested on suspicion of robbery and booked into the King County Jail.
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has charged Charlie Javice, the founder of student financial aid startup Frank, with fraud in connection with the $175 million sale of the company to JPMorgan Chase Bank in 2021.

JPMorgan filed a lawsuit against Javice in December, alleging that she had helped fake millions of customers in order to induce the bank to buy her company. That charge is the root of the SECs complaint today, which charges that Javice made numerous misrepresentations about Franks purported millions of users to entice JPMorgan.

The complaint alleges that as talks between the two parties progressed, JPMorgan pressed Frank executives for data associated with its customers. Javice allegedly sought the help of Franks director of engineering to generate synthetic data to make it appear as if Frank had 4.25 million customers. And when that director refused to cooperate, Javice then allegedly paid a data science professor $18,000 to manufacture the data required to close the deal. The young entrepreneur denies those claims and in turn filed her own suit against the bank, charging that the bank had let her go in November "in bad faith."

For its part, JPMorgan claims that it found out about the alleged fraud when it sent out marketing test emails to a list of Franks customers provided by the company and more than 70% of them bounced back.

As part of the acquisition, Javice reportedly received $9.7 million directly in stock proceeds, millions more indirectly through trusts as well as a contract entitling her to a $20 million retention bonus as a new employee of JPMorgan Chase.

Rather than help students, we allege that Ms. Javice engaged in an old school fraud: she lied about Franks success in helping millions of students navigate the college financial aid process by making up data to support her claims, and then used that fake information to induce JPMC to enter into a $175 million transaction," said Gurbir S. Grewal, director of the SECs division of enforcement, in a written statement. "Even non-public, early-stage companies must be truthful in their representations, and when they fall short we will hold them accountable as in this case."

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The complaint, filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, charges Javice with violating the antifraud provisions of the Securities Act of 1933 and Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The complaint also names trusts held by Javice as relief defendants. The SEC seeks injunctive relief, an officer and director bar, disgorgement and prejudgment interest thereon, and civil penalties.

Since the lawsuit was filed, there has been a lot of back-and-forth between the two parties. JPMorgan Chase has since described the acquisition as a huge mistake. In January, the bank shut down Franks website. And in March, Javice filed a counterclaim, saying it was "implausible" that JP Morgan was led to believe Frank had 4.25 million registered users when its website publicly claimed the company had helped more than 350,000 people access financial aid. She also claims that the bank could not have been misled about the business, pointing to due diligence materials and valuation data.
Manager of L-QUBE with soya beancurd stall owner standing outside store (left) and poster of free soya milk for seniors (Photos: L-QuBE Pte Ltd & Swee Fong Wong/Facebook)

SINGAPORE - A hawker stall at Toa Payoh Lorong 8 has been offering 140 free cups of soya milk to seniors every Wednesday and Thursday.

According to Chinese newspaper Shin Min Daily News, the idea was first proposed by Victor Low, manager of local energy-saving solutions provider L-QUBE, to the stall owner, Mr Chen, in July 2021.

Low and Chen have known each other for more than 20 years, since their secondary school days.

Low's idea was to give back to society by helping low-income seniors during the COVID-19 pandemic. He had noticed that elderly customers typically enjoy drinking soya milk, and subsequently suggested to Mr Chen to give out the drink for free.

Low's company would sponsor approximately S$1,000 monthly for the initiative.

In a Facebook post by user Swee Fong Wong, the stall is said to be Wang Mei Soy Bean at Block 210 at Toa Payoh Lorong 8 Market and Hawker Centre.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Win McNamee/Getty Images

The US could default on its debt this summer if Congress doesn't raise the debt ceiling.

But Democrats are accusing the GOP of holding the debt ceiling "hostage," as they have yet to put forth a concrete plan.

Republicans have floated a range of areas in which they would support cutting spending to raise the debt ceiling.

Americans could lose millions of jobs and be plunged into a recession as soon as this summer if Congress doesn't step up to finally address the debt ceiling. And right now, there seems to be no viable movement towards fixing the looming crisis.

It's been over three months since Republicans took over a majority in the House, and from the start, they vowed to use raising the debt ceiling as leverage to achieve spending cuts on Democratic priorities. Meanwhile, Democrats want a clean raise, with no spending cuts attached.

While some members and factions in the GOP have released wish lists for cuts, party leadership has yet to come out with a unified plan.

The House Freedom Caucus and GOP budget committee, for example, put forth a series of items in which they would support cutting spending to raise the debt ceiling, and GOP lawmakers even released the names of over 500 bills last week, each of which highlighted an area to cut funding, like environmental and racial equity programs.

Texas Rep. Chip Roy also highlighted some spending cut possibilities on Twitter on Monday, like "ending the silliness of bankrolling the World Health Organization."

But Democrats are still waiting for a concrete plan to save the US from defaulting on its debt.

"Republicans are STILL holding the debt ceiling hostage," Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal wrote on Twitter. "Their obstruction could result in millions of jobs lost, paychecks missed for workers across the country, and a stop on loans for small businesses. They must stop playing games with people's livelihoods."

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At the same time, some centrists are reportedly formulating a secret plan to address the crisis on their own  to the chagrin of the White House. Politico reported that a "rogue band" of Democratic moderates have begun a crafting an emergency plan with centrist Republicans, although it doesn't have clear specifications yet. However, that plan does not have the seal of approval from the Biden administration or Democratic leaders, per Politico, since it could undermine Democrats' messaging around inaction on raising the limit and their push to raise it without conditions.

Democratic lawmakers have previously highlighted the catastrophe for Americans that will likely result should Congress fail to raise the debt ceiling. A report from the Joint Economic Committee in March said that Americans could lose $20,000 in retirement savings and private student-loan borrowers could see their monthly payments surge if the country defaults on its debt.

Republicans have also floated prioritizing what bills the country will pay should it reach that point. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has said that that approach is "just default by another name."

But Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy and his GOP colleagues are adamant that President Joe Biden meet with them to negotiate an agreement. In a letter to the president last week, McCarthy wrote that he is "incredibly concerned that you are putting an already fragile economy in jeopardy by insisting upon your extreme position of refusing to negotiate any meaningful changes to out-of-control government spending alongside an increase of the debt limit."

"Mr. President, simply put: you are on the clock," McCarthy wrote. "It's time to drop the partisanship, roll up our sleeves, and find common ground on this urgent challenge."

Read the original article on Business Insider
As a former Chicagoan in Tacoma, I immediately felt comfortable at The Red Hot, sitting on a bar stool, drinking beer and eating hot dogs. So when its kitchen team posted a video of the Windy Citys other favorite sandwich, in all its dripping-jus and giardiniera glory, I knew I would find myself there one Tuesday, sitting on a bar stool, drinking beer and eating Italian beef.

There are other classic Chicago foods I occasionally miss, but I would not have cited the beef. Hot dogs, yes. Crunchy tavern-style pizza with sweet tomato sauce under the cheese, indeed. Endless choices for incredible tacos, 100 percent. But a sandwich packed with roasted sirloin, layered in a hoagie bun, the whole thing dipped in meat juice? Its a mess you dont often accept, at least not if you want to save your stomach lining.

Stu Miller, the food brain of The Red Hot to his brother Chris Millers beer noggin, explained that the bar had served Italian beefs when it first opened next door (now Brass Monkey Tattoo Co.) in 2007. Quickly assembled, they would not have passed expat muster, he admitted, especially not after the Summer of 22.

The Red Hot, a Tacoma beer bar known for its specialty hot dogs, offers a great take on the Italian beef -- but only on Tuesdays. Pair it with a $2 Heidelberg draft.

Last June, without prior fanfare, FX aired a show about a humble Italian beef shop and its tormented, talented owner by way of bequeathment. It became a breakout hit.

I watched in earnest after I got tired of people asking me, Have you watched The Bear? In the pivotal seventh episode  all 17 minutes shot in a single, painfully tense, nowhere-to-run take  the small staff of Mr. Beef crumbles at the seams when the online ordering machine spits out more slips than they could possibly manage in an entire day, let alone in the lunch rush.

Yet we never see the beloved beef. In fact, one of my biggest takeaways from the worlds post-Bear obsession with this sandwich was that it wasnt about the beef. Like the restaurant, the star dish was itself an important character, driving the storyline and under-girding the interplay of each person with one another and themselves.

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Which brings me back to The Red Hot.

Maybe I was watching The Bear, Stu Miller told me on a Tuesday in March. He shared the idea with Nick Westover, The Red Hots kitchen manager, and, Nick pretty much ran with it.

Westover had never dabbled in beef, but he had learned to roast many meats at Brewers Row in Tacomas North End. YouTube watch parties and other research ensued.

The beef debuted in late October, but it took my procrastinating self until almost spring to get there on a Tuesday night.

The timing was serendipitous.

Just within the last month or so, said Westover, did they feel like they could stop tweaking it. You dont want to go too far because sometimes you hit the sweet spot, and I think we found it.

Chef Nicholas Westover spent almost six months constantly improving his Italian beef. He shows off the current (top-notch) rendition on Tuesday, March 28, 2023.

It took about four months of weekly improvements: to the brine (salt and secret spices for 30 hours), the cook time and temperature (about three hours at 370 degrees for each roughly 16-pound sirloin), the thickness of the slice (akin to a thin-cut request at the deli counter), when and how fast to dip.

The four-day affair begins on Saturday with the brine. Westover and his kitchen crew roast on Sunday, reserving the juices for the gravy, and slice on Monday. On Tuesday, six ounces of meat is heated and soaked in that jus to order, then layered into the bun, rapidly dipped with tongs back into the liquid, and finished with giardiniera.

It was also a headache to source this Italian condiment of pickled vegetables  usually celery, carrots, cauliflower, peppers and olives  that, in Chicago, can be ordered hot or mild on beefs and pizzas. Now they have a reliable Chicago brand, said Miller.

Perhaps the trickiest element was the bread, as any East Coaster in the Puget Sound will know when they crave a hoagie and cant find one. Despite much initial love for The Red Hots beef, continued Miller, We knew the thing that was keeping it down was the bread.

Seattles Macrina Bakery and its head baker, Phuong Bui, rescued the mission with his Bui Bun, inspired by banh mi. One of the finer points of this beef  over, honestly, many in Chicago  is that the sandwich holds together despite being dipped.

For the uninitiated, in its hometown, you request a beef dipped into the cooking liquid; wet, meaning a half-dip or ladle situation; or dry, where only the beef is juiced and not the whole sandwich. At The Red Hot, they choose the only correct answer for you, and that is Door No. 1.

You also wont be able to request hot or mild, but aside from my fellow ex-Chicagoans  including one customer Westover says visits almost every week  most Tacomans dont know the difference.

People dont ask for hot giardiniera, Miller said, inquiring with his staff. They usually ask, What is giardiniera?

And they probably mis-prounounce it.

Luckily at The Red Hot, their motto reads, in part: No jerks.

THE RED HOT TACOMA

 2914 6th Ave., Tacoma, 253-779-0229, redhottacoma.com

 Italian Beef Tuesdays, 11 a.m.-sellout

 Visit on Wednesday for the same meat in cheesesteak form, open-sellout
Opposing protests erupted outside the Manhattan courthouse where Donald Trump was arraigned Tuesday afternoon.

"The indictment is just the first step," said Lisa, who wore a hoodie with the words "arrest Trump." "We hope it's also the first step to many more indictments and many more criminal prosecutions."

But Dennis from Staten Island said that the indictment is just an attempt to silence Trump.

"He has never been wrong. He has been right about everything for the last seven years," he said. "They can't touch him with anything. He must be the most honest man on this planet."

WATCH MORE FOX NEWS DIGITAL ORIGINALS HERE

Trump pleaded not guilty to charges related to hush money payments to Stormy Daniels to keep her quiet prior to the 2016 election about her claims that the two had sexual encounters  a claim the former president has denied.

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

Hundreds of protestors  some supporting the indictment, some opposing were present outside the courthouse. Tensions were high, and both sides shouted their arguments at the other.

"It's a very tiny first step in us as a country believing that our justice system will hold people equally accountable under the laws that we have regardless of a white man's money or power," said Karen, from New York.

"This is just political bias," said Jesus "Stormy Daniels had admitted that there was no affair."

Protestors outside the courthouse where President Trump was arraigned on April 4.

Trump's Brooklynite defense lawyer, Joe Tacopina has represented high-profile celebrities including former Yankees player Alex Rodriguez and rapper Meek Mill. Susan Necheles and Todd Blanche were added to the defense team on Monday.

The former president's arraignment took place at the Manhattan Districts Office at 2:15 p.m. after he surrendered himself and appeared before Judge Juan Merchan. A limited number of photographers and videographers were permitted access, but Merchan ruled against the live cameras after considering if they would "interfere with the fair administration of justice  with law enforcement activity, the objections of the Defendant; and limitations related to the physical structure of the courtroom."

Story continues

WHO IS DONALD TRUMP'S LAWYER JOE TACOPINA?

"Donald Trump made us look weak on national television, on the public stagelying, cheating, deceitfulness," said Atlas. "It's time to stand up."

TRUMP ARRAIGNMENT: JUDGE DENIES MOTION TO ALLOW LIVE CAMERAS AS FORMER PRESIDENT FACES CRIMINAL CHARGES

Darin, a Trump supporter from Kentucky, said he thinks the indictment is just the beginning.

"I don't even think it's going to end here," he said. "I think if he's found innocent in the court, they're going to find something else to get him with."

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green, a Georgia Republican, belted out support for Trump during a rally in front of the Manhattan courthouse.

TRUMP INDICTMENT MAY HAVE GIVEN HIM 'THE KISS OF LIFE' FOR 2024, VETERAN POLLSTER SAYS: 'LIKE OXYGEN TO FIRE'

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene spoke outside the courthouse ahead of the arraignment, coming to Trump's defense as counter-protesters attempted to drown her out with whistles.

"We are here to peacefully protest against the persecution of an innocent man," the Georgia Republican said through a microphone. "Not just any innocent man. This is the former president of the United States of America."

Nadine, of Maryland, said, "I'm fed up about the denial of reality that his side is willing to engage in just to get him into office."

To hear more Americans' opinions on Trumps indictment, click here.
Former President Donald Trump sits with his defense team in a Manhattan court on Tuesday in New York.

Former President Donald Trump sits with his defense team in a Manhattan court on Tuesday in New York.

Former President Donald Trump was arrested Tuesday after being charged by the Manhattan district attorneys office for his alleged involvement in paying hush money to adult film actor Stormy Daniels.

The historic spectacle marks the first time a former president  who, in this case, also happens to be a 2024 presidential candidate  has been indicted in a criminal investigation. Manhattan prosecutors allege Trump was involved in paying Daniels $130,000 toward the end of his 2016 presidential campaign to keep quiet about an affair she said they had in 2006.

The former president has called the Manhattan investigation a political Witch-Hunt trying to take down the leading candidate, by far, in the Republican Party. And more recently, he urged his supporters to PROTEST, TAKE OUR NATION BACK in posts on his Truth Social platform.

The former president is separately under investigation for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection. And a grand jury in Georgia has examined evidence of Trumps 2020 election interference in that state, though the outcome of that inquiry has yet to be made public.

Given that Trump is a former president under Secret Service protection, a perp walk wasnt initially expected in this case, according to Insider. And The New York Times Maggie Haberman reported he did not have a mug shot taken Tuesday.

Still, some photos of the former president arriving at the courthouse did showcase the moments before he was in custody, followed by his courtroom appearance during which he pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts.

Trump departs Trump Tower as he heads to an arraignment hearing Tuesday in New York City.

Trump departs Trump Tower as he heads to an arraignment hearing Tuesday in New York City.

Trump waves as he arrives at the Manhattan Criminal Court.

Trump waves as he arrives at the Manhattan Criminal Court.

Trump, the first former president to be charged in a criminal investigation, arrives at court.

Trump, the first former president to be charged in a criminal investigation, arrives at court.

Trump appears in court for his arraignment.

Trump appears in court for his arraignment.
Marion County deputies are searching for a 14-year-old girl they say is missing and endangered.

Deputies said Kaylin Barnhart, 14, was last seen Monday morning getting on the bus to school. They said she did not return home from school.

Kaylin was last seen wearing a black and red Jordan hoodie, light grey sweat pants, white Converse shoes, glasses, a light blue Jansport backpack, gold hoop earrings, and a gold necklace that says trust.

She also has a septum piercing and a nose piercing.

Read: Disney-DeSantis feud heats up at annual shareholders meeting

Deputies said due to her current mental health state and the fact that she does not have her medication, her family and law enforcement are concerned for her well-being.

If you have any information about her whereabouts, call 911.

Read: Trump to appear in court for historic arraignment: Live updates

Click here to download the free WFTV news and weather apps, click here to download the WFTV Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., took to Twitter on Tuesday to share his thoughts on the arraignment of Donald Trump in New York City, following the former presidents indictment last week.

Rubio called Trumps indictment and arraignment "a bad day for all of us" whether you like the former president or not.

"Today, American politics crosses a line that it's never going to come back from," Rubio said. "After today, especially on the basis of how ridiculous these charges are."

Senator Marco Rubio, a Republican from Florida and ranking member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, during a hearing in Washington, DC, US, on Wednesday, March 8, 2023.

The indictment surrounds an investigation into hush money payments made to women during Trumps 2016 campaign. It has remained under seal but will soon be made public.

TRUMP PLEADS NOT GUILTY TO GRAND JURY CHARGES DURING ARRAIGNMENT IN MANHATTAN COURT

Rubio argued that the case will give the green light to every prosecutor in the U.S.  whether Republican or Democrat  to go after someone in the opposing party.

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

"What's gonna stop them? Nothing's gonna stop them. Because today we set a new normal. Today, we set the new normal that if you really want to take someone down, nothing should stop you," Rubio said. "You should be able to manipulate the law anyway you want to charge someone."

Former U.S. President Donald Trump sits at the defense table with his defense team in a Manhattan court during his arraignment on April 4, 2023, in New York City.

Rubio blasted the charges as "absurd," noting that they are built on the testimony of a "convicted liar"  a jab at Trumps former lawyer Michael Cohen, who pleaded guilty in 2018 to lying to Congress about plans to build a Trump Tower in Moscow.

Rubio called the Trump indictment a "poison" to the U.S. that will "permanently change politics in America forever."

"We are going to regret this day for a very long time. We are setting a new normal -- a damaging new normal -- that is going to disfigure American politics and put us on a destructive road," Rubio said. "We are going to regret this day for a very, very long time."

Trumps indictment and arraignment have unfolded against the backdrop not only of his third campaign for the White House but also against other investigations in Washington and Atlanta that might yet produce even more charges.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
DAKAR (Reuters) - Thousands of Senegalese took to the streets to celebrate the country's Independence Day on Tuesday, in a show of patriotism just a week after political tensions led to violent clashes between security forces and opposition supporters.

People lined the streets of the capital Dakar to watch the first military parade to be held in the city in four years following a break caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

"It's the first time I've attended," said Daouda Tall, a student at the University of Dakar as soldiers clapped and sang and tanks drove down a central boulevard.

"It's really moving. When you see this, you are proud to be Senegalese," he said. "We have peace of mind, we know we are safe."

Senegal, which gained independence from France in 1960, is widely viewed as one of the most stable democracies in West Africa, but concern that President Macky Sall may try to run for a third term has fuelled protests over the last few years.

Security forces clashed last week with supporters of opposition leader Ousmane Sonko, who was sentenced in a court case for libel.

(Reporting by Ngouda Dione and Joel Kouam; Writing by Nellie Peyton; Editing by Conor Humphries)
TRIPOLI, April 3 (Xinhua) -- The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Monday that 344 migrants were rescued and returned to Libya in the past week.

The migrants, including 24 women and 10 children, were saved between March 26 and April 1, IOM said in a statement.

So far this year, 4,241 illegal migrants have been rescued and sent back to Libya, while 269 died and 172 others went missing off the Libyan coast on the Central Mediterranean route, the organization said.

In 2022, a total of 24,684 migrants were rescued and returned to Libya, the IOM revealed, adding 525 migrants died and 848 others went missing off the Libyan coast.

Since the fall of late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's regime in 2011, a large number of migrants, most of whom Africans, attempted to cross the Mediterranean Sea and reach European shores from Libya.

Rescued migrants usually ended up inside overcrowded reception centers in Libya, despite repeated international calls to close those centers and release the migrants. 
A U.S. strike in Syria has killed a senior Islamic State leader responsible for planned attacks in Europe, U.S. Central Command revealed early Tuesday.

The unilateral strike in northwest Syria, carried out Monday, killed Khalid Aydd Ahmad al-Jabouri, CENTCOM head Gen. Erik Kurilla said in the statement.

The statement noted that al-Jabouri was a senior ISIS figure who was responsible for planning ISIS attacks into Europe and developing the leadership structure of ISIS in in Turkey.

CENTCOM said no civilians were killed or injured in the strike.

ISIS continues to represent a threat to the region and beyond, Kurilla said. Though degraded, the group remains able to conduct operations within the region with a desire to strike beyond the Middle East.

He added that the death of al-Jabouri will temporarily disrupt ISISs ability to plot external attacks.

The strike comes a little over a week after retaliatory U.S. airstrikes in Syria targeted Iran-backed militants, with eight fighters killed.

It also follows a February helicopter raid with U.S. troops and Syrian Democratic Forces in the country that killed Hamza al-Homsi, considered another senior ISIS leader.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Russian Shahed attack drones struck some business premises in Odesa Oblast on the night of 4 April, causing a fire that had been extinguished by morning.

Source: Serhii Bratchuk, spokesman for Odesa Oblast Military Administration, on Telegram

Quote: "A hit to one of the businesses in Odesa Oblast caused a fire, which emergency workers managed to extinguish by morning. Preliminary reports indicate that there were no human casualties."

Details: Bratchuk stated that 13 attack drones had been shot down in the skies over Odesa Oblast and another one over Mykolaiv Oblast.

According to the Ukrainian Air Force, up to 17 launches of Shahed UAVs were reported on the night of 4 April, 14 of which were destroyed.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
A high-ranking member of the Sinaloa Cartel who is alleged to have worked closely with Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman was extradited to the United States to face international drug trafficking and firearms charges, prosecutors announced Tuesday.

Prosecutors charged 42-year-old Jorge Ivan Gastelum Avila, also known as "Cholo Ivan," with conspiracy to manufacture and distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine as well as over 1,000 kilograms of marijuana "intending and knowing that those substances would be imported into the United States."

Gastelum Avila was also charged with knowingly and intentionally using, carrying, brandishing, and discharging a firearm, including a destructive device, during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime, prosecutors said.

Gastelum Avila was arrested in January 2016 alongside his boss, infamous drug lord Joaquin Guzman Loera, widely known as El Chapo, in Sinaloa, Mexico, as they attempted to flee authorities, prosecutors said. At the time of his arrest, Gastelum Avila was working closely with El Chapo as a lead sicario, or assassin, for the Sinaloa Cartel, court documents allege.

The documents claim that between Aug. 2009 and Jan. 2016, Gastelum Avila served as a high-ranking member of the Sinaloa Cartel, headed by El Chapo and Ismael Zambada Garcia, also known as "El Mayo."

Gastelum Avila worked as the "plaza boss" for the city of Guamuchil, where he supervised at least 200 armed men and was in charge of the drug-trafficking activities within the city and the surrounding area, prosecutors said.

Since his arrest, Gastelum Avila had remained in Mexican custody until he was extradited to the U.S. on April 1.

Ivan Gastelum aka

Guzman was extradited to the U.S in Jan. 2017 and two years later was sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of drug trafficking, money laundering and weapons charges.

Gastelum Avila now faces up to life in prison for the drug conspiracy charge and a mandatory consecutive sentence of 30 years for the firearms offense, prosecutors said.

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The head of the Drug Enforcement Administration has credited the Sinaloa Cartel as one of two Mexican cartels behind the influx of fentanyl in the U.S. that's killing tens of thousands of Americans.

"What we see happening at DEA is essentially that there are two cartels in Mexico, the Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, that are killing Americans with fentanyl at catastrophic and record rates like we have never seen before," DEA Administrator Anne Milgram told "CBS Mornings" in 2022.

"Those cartels are acting with calculated, deliberate treachery to get fentanyl to the United States and to get people to buy it through fake pills, by hiding it in other drugs, any means that they can take in order to drive addiction and to make money," she added.

Wall Street Journal reporter meets with attorneys for first time since arrest in Russia

Suspect drives stolen box truck onto Houston airport tarmac during pursuit

Cruise ship passenger dies in fall
The ski safety expert whose compelling testimony helped convince a jury that Gwyneth Paltrow was not at fault in a high-profile ski accident in Utah hails from Richland.

Paul Baugher, Richland High class of 72, spent three years preparing for Paltrows defense in a $300,000 case involving a 2016 collision with another skier on a green run at the Deer Park Resort at Park City.

Baugher organized the animator and the biomechanical engineer whose work helped convince the jury Paltrow wasnt at fault in the collision with Terry Sanderson, a retired optometrist who sued over a traumatic brain injury.

The Utah jury decided Paltrow was 100% not at fault, a verdict trumpeted in headlines as Gwynnocent.

Not much skiing in Richland

Baugher was not an obvious candidate to become a ski industry safety expert. He grew up in Richland, the son of a doctor and well removed from the slopes. Winter fun involved hanging on the bumper of a car to slide on icy streets.

He took up the sport after leaving Richland to study economics at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, where he developed a love of the mountains.

He worked briefly in his field, then joined the National Park Service as a climbing ranger at Mount Olympus and Mount Rainier in the summer and worked on the ski patrol in the winter.

Paul Baugher, a ski safety expert who provided testimony in the Gwneth Paltrow case in Utah, is a 1972 Richland High School graduate. Above, he rides a life with his granddaughter, Allison.

Crystal Mountain Resort would be his professional home for 32 years, 30 as director of the ski patrol. He provided risk management to a collection of resorts, founded the Northwest Avalanche Institute, founded a climbing service at Mount Rainier and became a courtroom expert when ski incidents went to trial

Hes retired from Crystal Mountain and from guiding clients up Mount Rainier, but continues to provide avalanche reports to the railroad industry and to testify in court cases.

Avalance safety legend

The National Ski Areas Association hailed him as a legend for his work on avalanche safety, for raising awareness of the dangers of suffocating in tree wells and for his dedication to safety on the slopes.

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Baugher said hes worked about 50 court cases, typically defending ski areas from lawsuits. The Paltrow case was his 20th skier-on-skier dispute.

Gwyneth Paltrow and Terry Sanderson. Gwyneth Paltrow is pictured left on March 30, 2023, in Park City, Utah. Terry Sanderson is pictured inset March 27, 2023, in Park City, Utah. A juror in Paltrow and Sandersons recently-concluded trial over a ski slope collision has revealed a factor that influenced the verdict going in Paltrows favor.

Sanderson sued Paltrow and the resort, claiming the actress struck him from behind and that the resort altered its report to protect a valuable client.

It is undisputed the two crashed, that neither lost skis and that Sanderson suffered several broken ribs. The accident happened on a sunny day on a green connector run between two lift areas. The gentle slope is suited to beginning skiers.

Physics dont lie

Baugher and his team showed the jury that it was unlikely the actress struck Sanderson. She couldnt have skied over him without losing her skis, as one witness testified.

The accident happened the other way around, according to its recreation of the incident, with Sanderson striking Paltrow.

Paltrow was obeying the ski hill rules, codified in local and state law in Utah, Baugher told jurors. Legally, she complied with the standard of care that was her duty as a skier and Sanderson did not, he said.

For Baugher, the case was a standard collision dispute, complicated by a high-profile celebrity and staggering amounts of attention.

I have the London Times calling, he said, laughing. Its a whole other level of distraction, none of which helps me. It just makes my job harder.

His job, he said, is to help juries make good decisions based on a solid understanding of why ski areas operate the way they do.

I want the jury to get it right, he said. I want to have a seat at the table when theyre being told how things work at a ski area.

In his 50 or so cases, he said juries usually get the verdict right.

As for the Paltrow case, he said the resort wasnt part of the case so the outcome would not have affected how it operates. He was pleased the jury saw the facts.
A Hermiston, Ore., Goodwill worker got a shock when they opened a donated box of items to find an exotic red and black snake measuring several feet long.

Its not clear whether it was an intentional donation by someone who wanted to be rid of the snake or the snake just hitched a ride in the box.

But it ended up with Jared Mitchell of U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services, who gave Blue Mountain Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education a call.

Ive got this snake, Lynn Tompkins, the executive director of the nonprofit in Pendleton, Ore., remembers Mitchell saying.

He was pretty sure it was a pet, she said.

Tompkins agreed to take a look and knew just who to call for help  former Blue Mountain intern Adrian Slade at Central Washington University in Ellensburg.

Tompkins remembered she was really into snakes.

It took some sleuthing, but they determined it was not a species prohibited in Oregon or Washington and they further narrowed its identity to being a Honduran milk snake.

Wikipedia says the species is nonvenomous. Its found in Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rico but is bred in captivity.

A Honduran milk snake found in a box dropped of at Goodwill was rescued by Blue Mountain Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education in Pendleton.

The species bright coloring and docile nature makes it attractive as a pet, according to Wikipedia.

Blue Mountain Wildlife serving Eastern Washington and Oregon usually takes in injured birds, primarily raptors, not snakes. So it handed over the Honduran milk snake to Slades care.

The snake is doing well and Tompkins expects it to be donated to Central Washington University.

That was not the only interesting case Blue Mountain Wildlife got involved in recently, according to its latest newsletter.

Bald eagle and starlings

 Two Blue Mountain Wildlife volunteers responded to a call from a woman who was hearing scrambling noises in the wall behind her microwave oven in the Tri-Cities.

They took the microwave down and found two starlings in the vent.

The birds were released into the wild and the woman was encouraged to install a cover on her microwave vent.

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 Blue Mountain Wildlife also took in a bald eagle found near Baker City, Ore.

A bald eagle is being treated in Pendleton, Ore., for a broken wing tip and toe, plus lead poisoning.

Its hallux, or first toe, and its left wingtip were broken. In addition it had a blood lead level more than double the amount considered toxic.

The eagle is responding well to injections of a chelating chemical that binds with lead in the blood to remove it from the body. But his bones also will need to heal well enough to maneuver in flight and to allow it to grasp prey.

Birds of prey may get lead poisoning from being shot, or more commonly, from eating game that has been hit with lead shot. The problem can be prevented by hunters using non-lead ammunition.
I Run This

I Run This

AngelaLewisis protective of Aunt Louie.

She said her Snowfall character is the reason her nephew and main protagonist Franklin Saint (Damson Idris), was able to build his drug empire brick by brick in the first place on the hit FX show. Despite that, Lewis told HuffPost that Louie had been undervalued for far too long to do nothing.

In the shows final season, Louie and Franklin are at war as Franklin is on the hunt for his stolen $73 million, and Louie is working to secure her position at the top. Unfortunately, the wars bloodshed has gotten closer and closer to home, and in Episode 6, it reaches Louies doorstep when she gets abducted and tortured. Franklin tips off Louies husband, Uncle Jerome (Amin Joseph), and he comes to her rescue. While Jerome saves Louie, he doesnt make it out alive himself.

It was one of the most devastating deaths of the entire series. Now, with a vengeful heart and two paths to take, Louie must decide whether she will help Franklin kill Teddy (Carter Hudson), the ex-CIA agent who brought crack into 1980s South Central Los Angeles in the first place.

Snowfall fans havent let up on Louie, many of them feel she double-crossed Franklin and blame her for Jeromes death. Lewis, however, wants to straighten a few facts on Louies behalf.

Louie is a person who came from nothing and was able to see opportunity and take that opportunity and create more opportunity for herself and for her family. And shes a woman who experienced an awakening and self-actualized, Lewis said. She was able to find her worth and fight for her right to exist in a space that is not normally occupied by women. And when we leave Louie, she is fighting for her autonomy.

For I Run This, Lewis breaks down the biggest misconception about Aunt Louie, where her character goes after the death of Uncle Jerome, and the message she would give Snowfall creator and late film icon John Singleton.

Angela Lewis wants you to know Aunt Louie is justified in her actions.

Angela Lewis wants you to know Aunt Louie is justified in her actions.

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How does it feel wrapping this final season of Snowfall?

Listen, six amazing, beautiful, love-filled seasons with a cast and a crew is unheard of and rare and a beautiful thing to be a part of. So Im definitely going to miss everybody, and I think most of us will stay in contact and see each other every now and again, but it will be nothing like it has been for the past six, seven years. Im definitely going to miss that, and I think Im still grieving a little bit over the loss of that extended family.

But I think we all brought our A games, and we all worked really hard, and we all supported each other and created a beautiful thing that has a lasting impact and will have a lasting impact. So Im really proud of that, and Im really excited to see whats next for everybody.

Contrary to whatever folks may say, there is no Snowfall without Aunt Louie. She was literally the original connector of dots for Franklin. And I think not only the characters in this world forget that, but also the fan base may forget that, which leads to this season of self-actualization that Louie has been having. However, we see ego taking over. As the actor playing Louie, can you walk us through a little bit of her psyche in how we got here?

At the beginning, Franklin had 24 hours to get this key off. He never wouldve got that down without Louie. And then Louie tried to say, Hey, listen, this is not a good thing. But when she saw that Franklin wasnt going to walk away, that he was going to do this, I think she also saw the opportunity that he had. And she convinced Jerome. Louie is opportunistic. Thats how shes able to be a survivor. She comes from nothing and has amazing vision. She always has. But she didnt have the opportunity to express that.

Franklin taught her how to cook. That started out Louie and Franklin, and then Franklin had to go and be the boss and do the thing. So that left Louie in the kitchen, and she did that for a long time, even though she was still a big part of his strategizing and figuring out how to expand this business. She was being undervalued by Franklin, and she was being undervalued by Jerome. And she walked away, and she went back to Claudia and turned her club around and made it more successful than it was. And Franklin came back to Louie twice at Claudias and asked her to come back. And Louie said, No. Jerome was falling apart; the business was falling apart. Franklin needed his right hand.

Finally, Louie and Claudia got into it, and she sought refuge in Jerome, and then Jerome apologized and said, Listen, I hear you. I see you. Im ready to make you an equal partner in our relationship. And thats why Louie came back, and she was able to help Franklin get things back on track. When Louie was shot and almost killed, then called the truce between Skully and the Saint family on her deathbed. I think while she was on that hospital bed, she had a lot of time to think and reassess.

Franklin even says Louie brings in 90% of his profits. So she had to learn her worth and realize that she was not being valued. She wasnt being heard. She wasnt given the opportunity to do all the things that she knew she could do within the context of their business. And so when youve been shot and almost killed, you reassess. And shes like, no, I think I can do this on my own.

The last two episodes we watched are really heavy. How did you feel when you first read the script and found out that Jerome died saving Louies life?

Yeah, that was hard. It was hard to read. It was hard to shoot. It was hard to deal with afterward. Hard for Louie, hard for Angela. When you have been partners with somebody for so long, and they play such a significant part, not only in your story but also in how you tell the story, it hurts. We knew everybody wasnt going to make it out of this story alive. And how many of us are going to die? We dont know. We didnt know. So theres always, you know, the risk, you know, the fear with every script. But to lose him, the actuality of it, was really quite devastating.

Can you walk me through what it was like on set that day, filming his final scene?

By the time we got to Jeromes final scene, Louie had gone through a lot, being tortured. And a lot was cut out from the episode to soften the trauma of our experience watching the show. But we still shot a lot. Louie is tortured, and theyre trying to break her spirit. Thats a whole other level of torture and exhausting, and still holding on to some kind of hope that shes going to get out of this. So by the time Jerome comes, there is an exuberance that he found her. And then I think Louie fully believes that theyre going to make it out until the very end  until Jerome is gone. And so shes shattered. Every ounce of her is shattered. And I think she left a part of herself there on that floor. It was hard.

Angela Lewis as Aunt Louie, Amin Joseph as Jerome Saint.

Angela Lewis as Aunt Louie, Amin Joseph as Jerome Saint.

And in those two episodes, I can only imagine how heavy it was for you as an actor to go from these gruesome torture scenes to filming your final scene with someone youve been opposite for six seasons. And we see Louie in Episode 7 coming to terms with the fact that Jerome is gone and that she is vengeful at that point. What did you channel to find the mental fortitude for those two episodes?

I started my days with meditation, a covering of white light all over my energetic self. And then I invited Louie into my space. Music played a big part in helping me to create and develop a deeper backstory for Jerome, which then allowed me to grieve deeper for his loss. And then there was the interesting thing of reality, life imitating art, where it was surreal to not have Amin there on set with me.

In Episode 7, we shot in their home. They went and bought this really fancy house, but wed never seen them in that house before. And the first time I went in that house, it was like, Oh man, but Amins not here. And it was just kind of weird and crazy.

One of the days, we had a double-up day, which meant we had two crews cause we were shooting two different episodes. And so I was on with a crew that was unfamiliar to me. And normally, when that happens, Amin is there, so I know somebody, but this day, Amin wasnt there. And that was very lonely and sad and a little bit scary. Amin is not there, so Jerome is not there. And so it just made Louie that much more mad and that much more scared to not have anybody. It intensified everything. So I had to lean into all the things that I was organically feeling and know that Louie was feeling those things too.

Do you think Louie is justified in blaming Franklin for not only the death of Jerome but also just some of the fallout thats happened recently?

Absolutely. Franklin snitched and told Kane that she put the head out on him; Franklin snitched and told Kane where Louie was going to be, where they grabbed her. If it hadnt been for those two things that Franklin did, Louie would not have been in that situation, and Kane would still be looking for her. Those were direct links to what happened.

So many people are pointing the finger at Louie and saying, Well, Louie went behind Franklins back in the first place. How does it feel when you look online and kind of see all of this hatred overwhelmingly so directed toward Louie?

Its intense and crazy and funny. And I dont care that people hate Louie or are mad at her. What gets me is why theyre mad. Theyre mad because Louie went behind Franklins back, and I dont look at it like that. I looked at it as she went over his head. But that was after she was shot and almost killed and bleeding out, and then called the truce from her deathbed and realized who she was and her value.

And if you are in a business and your boss is getting the best product from this particular supplier, and then you go off on your own, why would you go to a lesser supplier? No, you would go to the best. It happens in business all the time, be it an illegal business or a legal business, it happens all the time. Do you tell your boss that youre going to do that? No. You go over their head, and you make your move, and then the supplier can say, Yay or nay. This supplier said, Yay, lets work together.

Franklin got mad, and Franklin had other plans. Franklin was going to go off and be husband and daddy and do real estate. That was the plan. And then Teddy stole his money. Louie had nothing to do with Teddy stealing his money.

What do you think is the biggest misconception that people have about Aunt Louie?

There are so many. The biggest one is that this is all Louies fault. And thats just not true. Theres a culmination of poor decisions by Franklin. Theyre mad that theyre saying Kane coming after them is Louies fault. And thats not true. Kane was already coming after them because Franklin shot and killed Kanes brother, Kevin. Thats why Kane came after them in the first place. And Louie was almost shot again in that shootout that Kanes people did. And so she went after Kane.

Now you can argue all day whether or not Franklin and Leon told her not to do it. You can argue if she made a good choice or a bad choice, but who wouldnt in this game that we are playing? Who wouldnt seek revenge on the person that tried to kill you? And she says that to Leon. She says it very clearly. And so Kane would still be trying to figure out who was after him if Franklin hadnt gotten mad at Louie and told him. So no, I dont think this whole thing is Louies fault.

Were all waiting to see what happens now that Jerome is dead, and when his funeral passes, Louie has a tough decision to make. What pros does Louie have for helping Franklin kill Teddy and vice versa?

Well, I think theyre both people that Louie would like to see eliminated. So I think for Louie, its just a matter of strategy. Who needs to come off the playing field first?

And then also, Jerome is gone, and so shes reassessing everything. Is it even worth it? Is she going to just walk away and not side with Franklin or Teddy? What are the chances that shell make it out of this alive? So theres that part, too.

Lewis says Louie feeling undervalued led to her moment of self-actualization.

Lewis says Louie feeling undervalued led to her moment of self-actualization.

What was the most memorable scene you filmed this season?

It would have to be a toss-up between the junkyard scene. All of Episode 7 was pretty memorable. Her journey in the wake of Jeromes passing was pretty memorable. I havent seen the final episode yet, so I only know what we shot, not what made it to the screen, but we put a lot of effort into exploring the deep compacting of her trauma and grief. And how do women who have experienced abuse and trauma begin their journey of healing, or at least of decompression? What does that look like?

For me, it was important for it not to look like just strictly sorrow and crying and talking about, It hurt, it felt like this, because I dont think that that is the reality. I think there are many ways that we deal with our trauma and that we either talk about it or not talk about it and how we talk about it, and who we talk about it with. And we were very specific about who Louie opened up to and how she opened up. And so, I am glad that we at least had that discussion, and I hope that what we shot made it to the screen.

One thing that I love is that Louie has worn her natural hair through these six seasons. What has that meant for you as an actor?

Yeah, it was important to me, too. Weve already been in the fight to be seen as beautiful and sexy and smart and capable in our own skin, and that means in our own hair. And I just think that its important to keep fighting for that. Its important to keep understanding that we can be a variety of things, and each of those can be seen as beautiful, can be seen as elegant, can be seen as this is just a part of us. And why cant that be equally appreciated?

What other roles do you hope to play in the future, whether in front of the camera or behind?

Yeah, so I have a production company with my husband and some co-producers, and thats a new hat for me, but Im really, really excited. And we have a whole slate of projects that we are shopping around and developing, and so Im excited to dive more into that.

I also have a nonprofit called Birth Village, where we are raising awareness and funds, and access to resources for Black mothers and mothers of color and their families to eradicate the Black maternal health crisis. And so Im excited to dive more into that and keep spreading the word and keep raising money and make it so that Black mothers and mothers of color and their babies and their families can experience the joys of birth.

What message would you have for Snowfall creator John Singleton today?

I would just tell him, thank you for the impact that he had on my life personally and then for the impact that hes had on the world because thats the ripple of the impact that he had on other individuals in their lives, therefore on our community and our community of Black people, our community as film and television-goers, the Hollywood community, the artistic community, the community of our nation, and then the globe.

He fought very, very hard for equity and change and people. When people that I didnt necessarily know step into the forefront and talk about how John changed their lives, it just sends shivers through me and makes me want to be the same kind of person that can see somebody and see everybody as important and everybody as fully capable, if they want to be.

If you can do this job, the job is yours. How amazing is that? And to have the vision that he had is really incredible. So I would just tell him, Thank you. And I would just let him know that Im still... Im being more Detroit.

Related...
Democratic Rep. Tricia Cotham is switching party affiliations to join the Republican Party, sources confirmed to Channel 9s Joe Bruno on Tuesday.

Cotham made the announcement official during a news conference with Republican Party leaders on Wednesday.

The move will give the Republican Party a supermajority in the North Carolina House, meaning the Republican legislators will be able to override a veto by Democrat Gov. Roy Cooper.

Confirming multiple reports, Rep. Tricia Cotham (D, East Charlotte/ Matthews/Mint Hill) is switching parties. Republicans will officially have a supermajority in North Carolina. @wsoctv pic.twitter.com/PXeninrJ2t  Joe Bruno (@JoeBrunoWSOC9) April 4, 2023

Cotham, who represents North Carolinas House District 112 of Mint Hill and parts of eastern Mecklenburg County, was elected in 2022. She defeated her Republican opponent by nearly 20 percentage points. She first served as a representative with the Democratic Party in 2007.

ALSO READ: Former local lawmaker opens up about battle with long-haul COVID-19

On Wednesday, Cotham expressed dissatisfaction with the Democratic Party, saying that she felt bullied by other members in the party.

The party wants to villainize anyone who has free thought, Cotham said Wednesday morning. If you dont do exactly what the Democrats want you to do, they will try to bully you, they will try to cast you aside.

Cotham blasted the Democrats during the news conference on Wednesday, accusing party members of starting vicious rumors, verbally attacking her, and shunning her. She also claimed that the party was focusing more on meetings rather than action on policy.

There were all these work groups and work groups and I kept asking, What are you doing about real policy? A work group, a small group, a talking group? How does that equate to getting something done in North Carolina, and for helping our children read better? How does that help? No one seemed to really have that idea, Cotham said.

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During the news conference, Cotham repeatedly said, Im still the same person I am, and pointed to her history. But she also said at the beginning of the conference that she had changed, going into this session.

When I came back to this legislature, I knew times were different and things had changed. I also knew that I was different. I had been through a lot in life. And so I am just different too, and Im proud of that, Cotham said.

The Democratic Party lost several seats in 2022, but they prevented a Republican supermajority by just one vote in the House.

Twenty-two bills from the 2021-2022 session were vetoed by Gov. Cooper, and the Republican Party had indicated that it would retry pushing through some of those initiatives.

One of those initiatives was a repeal of the states pistol permits -- the legislature passed the repeal, then Gov. Cooper vetoed the bill, but then the Republican-controlled legislature successfully overrode the veto. It was the first time Cooper had been vetoed since 2018. Rep. Cothams absence from the vote was one reason the Republicans were able to override Coopers veto -- Cotham was in the hospital receiving treatment for long-haul Covid.

Cotham has also voted with Republicans in the past, including on a bill that would force local sheriffs to comply with requests from ICE to detain people accused of being in the country illegally.

The North Carolina Democratic Party and Mecklenburg County Democratic Party issued a joint statement after the report of Cothams looming party switch.

This is deceit of the highest order, the statement said. Rep. Cothams decision is a betrayal to the people of HD-112 with repercussions not only for the people of her district, but for the entire state of North Carolina. If she can no longer represent the values her constituents trusted her to champion, she should resign immediately.

RELATED: Permit requirement to buy pistol scrapped in North Carolina

Cotham is the daughter of Pat Cotham, who is a former member of the Democratic National Committee and a current Mecklenburg County commissioner.

According to the state legislature, Cotham currently serves on numerous committees. Shes the co-chairperson for the Education - K-12 Committee and vice chair for the Health Committee.

Channel 9s Joe Bruno is expecting to hear more from Cotham on Wednesday to learn more about her switch to the Republican Party.

Statement from the Mecklenburg County Republican party:

As an experienced leader, successful educator, mom to two boys, and a lifelong advocate for important causes, Tricia Cotham represents what ALL legislators should strive to become, regardless of party.

During her 10-year service in the House, Representative Cotham has amassed a reputation for bipartisanship; working across the aisle to pass legislation to accomplish the things she promised her constituents in Mint Hill and East Mecklenburg County.

Mecklenburg County Democratic Party Chair Jane Whitleys statement:

Tricia Cotham ran for NC House District Seat 112 as a lifelong pro-choice Democratic candidate. Voters trusted her to share the values of the Democratic Party, and as a candidate, she clearly stated that she shared our Democratic values. Today there are reports that Rep. Cotham plans to go against the will of the voters and the values she espoused in her campaign by joining the party of Donald Trump and Marjorie Taylor Greene.

This is deceit of the highest order. Rep. Cothams decision is a betrayal of the people in NC House District 112 with repercussions not only for the people of her district, but for the entire state of North Carolina. If she can no longer represent the values her constituents trusted her to champion, she should resign immediately.

Office of the Governor statement:

This is a disappointing decision. Rep. Cothams votes on womens reproductive freedom, election laws, LGBTQ rights and strong public schools will determine the direction of the state we love. Its hard to believe she would abandon these long held principles and she should still vote the way she has always said she would vote when these issues arise, regardless of party affiliation.

If candidate Tricia Cotham had been honest before the election, she would not have won her seat. The people of her district do not support the extreme rightwing policies that the NCGOP is shoving down our throats, now with her help. This is dishonest and undemocratic. #ncpol https://t.co/v1Em1CO2Fw  Senator Natasha Marcus (@NatashaMarcusNC) April 4, 2023

Im supporting @triciacotham a good person. Sadly too many people in politics today make their decisions based on labels instead of quality, integrity and solutions. People are more important than politics and personal working relationships are the solutions to better government  Joel Ford (@joeldford) April 4, 2023

I truly am confused as to why @triciacotham would say publicly that she does not support loosening guns laws and is a staunch supporter of womens reproductive rights, then switch parties. Voters and supporters deserve an answer. pic.twitter.com/vwXh6ogOZv  Julie Eiselt (@JulieEiselt) April 4, 2023

This is a developing story, check back for updates.

(WATCH: NC Senate overrides Coopers veto on pistol permits)
PRETORIA, South Africa (AP)  More than 200 protesters in South Africa have demonstrated at the Uganda High Commission against the anti-gay bill recently passed by Ugandan lawmakers.

The demonstration on Tuesday was led by South Africa's leftist Economic Freedom Fighters opposition party, which urged Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni not to sign the bill into law.

LGBTQ activists also joined the march and called on the South African government to speak out against the bill as it threatens the freedoms and safety of the LGBTQ community in Uganda.

Homosexuality is outlawed in Uganda but the recent bill has introduced harsh punishment for several acts, including the death penalty and up to 20 years imprisonment.

Almost all lawmakers of the 389 who attended the parliamentary session voted in favor of the bill, but Museveni has the powers to veto the bill and not sign it into law.

Some of the punishments introduced by the bill include the death penalty for the offence of aggravated homosexuality, which is defined as cases of sexual relations involving those infected with HIV, minors and other categories of vulnerable people.

Those who advocate for or promote the rights of LGBTQ people may face up to 20 years in jail, according to the legislation.

Ugandan queer activist Papa De told The Associated Press in South Africa Tuesday that they took part in the protest to speak on behalf of their siblings back home who face arrest if they speak out against the bill.

They are preaching hate crimes and genocide against our queer bodies, but we are human first. So, yes, I am scared because my family is still back in Uganda, said De.

While they had been outspoken against the bill, they still feared that there could be repercussions for their own safety.

Economic Freedom Front leader Julius Malema issued a warning against the Ugandan lawmakers who passed the bill, saying Museveni would in future use it against them if they disagreed with him politically.

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We are saying to Museveni, leave the people the way they are. It is not our problem, it is not your problem. It is not a problem," said Malema to the protesters in front of the Ugandan High Commission .

If Museveni knows what is good for him, he will not sign it (bill) into law. Already we have a problem with Museveni with how he is treating political opponents in Uganda, said Malema in front of the Uganda High Commission.

The passing of the Ugandan bill has received widespread condemnation from the international community and those promoting the rights of LGBTQ people in Uganda and across the continent.

The U.S. has threatened to impose economic sanctions on Uganda if the bill is signed into law while the U.N. AIDS agency has warned that the legislation would hurt efforts to fight HIV.
Miles Morales webslings into another colorful adventure across the multiverse in the second trailer for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.

The trailer, which premiered yesterday (October 3), sees everyones firnedly neighborhood Spider-Man aka Miles Morales meet more multidimensional webslingers, while balancing normal life as a teenager in New York City.

Among some of the alternate iternations of Spider-Man Morales encounters include Jessica Drew/Spider-Woman and Miguel OHara/Spider-Man 2099, which are respecitvely played by Issa Rae and Oscar Isaac.

According to the official description:

Miles Morales returns for the next chapter of the Oscar-winning Spider-Verse saga, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. After reuniting with Gwen Stacy, Brooklyns full-time, friendly neighborhood Spider-Man is catapulted across the Multiverse, where he encounters a team of Spider-People charged with protecting its very existence. But when the heroes clash on how to handle a new threat, Miles finds himself pitted against the other Spiders and must redefine what it means to be a hero so he can save the people he loves most.

The film serves as a follow-up to 2018s Into The Spider-Verse. Among some of the returnees reprising their roles include Shameik Moore as Morales, Hailee Steinfeld as Stacy/Spider-Gwen, Jake Johnson as Peter B. Parker, Luna Lauren Velez as Rio Morales and Brian Tyree Henry as Jefferson Davis.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse comes to theaters June 2, 2023. Watch the second trailer below.

<iframe width=560 height=315 src=https://www.youtube.com/embed/WKLD9QEx9ks title=YouTube video player frameborder=0 allow=accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share allowfullscreen></iframe>
St. Johns County recognized decorated veteran John L. Patton, who just turned 100 on Mar. 23.

>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<

Mr. Patton is the recipient of six Bronze Stats from his service in the U.S. Navy during World War II. Aboard the U.S.S. Saratoga and U.S.S. Enterprise, Mr. Patton fought bravely for the United States in the Battle of Midway, the Battle of the Eastern Solomons, and the Battle of Santa Cruz Islands.

After the war, he served as an instructor for the U.S. Navy. In total, he served in the military for more than 20 years (1941-1961). Upon his retirement from the U.S. Navy in 1961, Mr. Patton continued to serve his country in the U.S. Federal Civil Service as an overhaul and repair planner and estimator until his retirement in April 1978.

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St. Johns County recognized decorated veteran John L. Patton, who turned 100 on Mar. 23.

Mr. Patton arrived at the St. Johns County Administration Building in a WWII Jeep driven by retired Army Col. Alfred Pantano at 8 a.m. on Tues., Apr. 4. He was escorted into the building by officers of the St. Johns County Sheriffs Office. Dignities were present and spoke in honor of Mr. Patton.

STAY UPDATED: Download the Action News Jax app for live updates on breaking stories
BEIJING, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Tuesday talked over phone with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.

Li said that China and Vietnam are a community with a shared future of strategic significance and share a special friendship of "comrades and brothers," adding that their good neighborliness is of paramount importance and in line with the interest of both countries.

China, Li said, stands ready to work with Vietnam to turn the ambitious blueprint outlined by General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee Xi Jinping and General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong into reality and jointly push for more practical outcomes in China-Vietnam comprehensive strategic cooperation.

Li underscored that the two sides should promote the high-quality synergy of the Belt and Road Initiative with the "Two Corridors, One Economic Belt," and work together to build a system of industrial and supply chains that is stable, smooth, mutually beneficial and win-win.

China and Vietnam should continue to take concrete actions in promoting stability and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific and jointly build a peaceful, safe and secure, prosperous, beautiful and amicable home of China and ASEAN, Li said.

He added that the two sides should stay committed to managing differences through dialogue and consultation, and create together a sound external environment for the development of the two countries.

For his part, Pham Minh Chinh said that the Vietnam-China traditional friendship enjoys a long history, and the CPV, the Vietnamese government and people will always remember the tremendous help provided by the CPC, the Chinese government and people for Vietnam's struggle for national independence and liberation and the promotion of national economic and social development.

Noting that developing the Vietnam-China comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership is a top priority in Vietnam's foreign policy, the Vietnamese prime minister said currently, bilateral relations are standing at a new historical starting point and facing important opportunities for development.

Vietnam, he said, stands ready to work with China to strengthen political communication and strategic mutual trust, expand practical cooperation in various fields, strengthen friendly exchanges at all levels, properly handle differences, advance communication and coordination in multilateral fields, and advance bilateral relations to a new high. 
Stanislaus County has more emergency room visits than larger counties when it comes to overdoses caused by opioid drugs including fentanyl, another sign of the deadly impacts of the illegal drug epidemic, according to state and local data.

In 2021, when COVID-19 dominated the headlines, hospitals in Stanislaus County had 392 emergency department visits due to opioid drugs including prescription painkillers, heroin and illegal fentanyl. Thats more than what was recorded in four Bay Area counties with much larger populations.

Stanislaus Countys rate of opioid-related emergency department visits, 72.3 per 100,000 people, was four times higher than the rate in Santa Clara County (with 326 ER visits) and twice or three times higher than in Alameda, Contra Costa and San Mateo counties.

The dashboard that tracks Californias opioid epidemic shows 108 fatal overdoses in Stanislaus County in 2021, for a death rate of 19.6 per 100,000, which was higher than the 18 per 100,000 statewide mortality.

San Joaquin Countys opioid mortality of 18.66 per 100,000 also was higher than the statewide rate. San Joaquin had 327 emergency department visits for opioid overdoses in 2021, a rate of 42.1 per 100,000 residents.

No one had an explanation for the large number of overdoses affecting emergency rooms in Stanislaus, the states 16th largest county, other than the county has not avoided the nations problem with opioid addiction.

Other opioids are killing, too

Tony Vartan, director of Stanislaus County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services, released more detailed info on fentanyl mortality in the county. The county recorded 95 fentanyl deaths and 28 deaths due to other opioids in 2021  a total of 123 opioid fatalities.

The fentanyl crisis worsened in 2022, when 127 fentanyl deaths were recorded in Stanislaus. There were 14 deaths from other opioid drugs.

The nation is in the tight grip of a fentanyl crisis as major drug cartels mix illegal fentanyl with counterfeit pills that look like prescription painkillers. The fentanyl is so potent that 2 or 3 milligrams are lethal for the sometimes unwary buyers.

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A medical director for Memorial Medical Center in Modesto said it regularly sees patients felled by fentanyl overdoses.

When the culprit is fentanyl pills purchased on the street, the overdose victims delivered by ambulance are usually younger adults, said Dr. Kanthi Kiran, medical director of Memorials emergency department.

The fast-acting fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, quickly can go from creating a high for the user to overdose and death, Kiran said.

Emergency responders often give Narcan (brand name of naloxone) to an unconscious person at the scene to reverse the overdose. If they are breathing and in the hospital, we can usually reverse it, Kiran said. Most fatal overdoses occur in the field when a drug user is alone or no one calls for help in time.

Some overdose patients in the emergency department get a second dose of Narcan or are admitted to a hospital room on a Narcan drip, especially if they have other opioids in their system, Kiran said.

Hospital staff watch those patients for the effects of other drugs, such as oxycodone, that have lasting effects for 12 hours or longer. You have to watch them. You cant just reverse it and say goodbye, Kiran said.

If a victim of fentanyl poisoning has lain unconscious for hours and survived, the patient may suffer a breakdown of muscle tissue and kidney failure, requiring a longer hospital stay.

How medical centers help survivors

Kiran said patients are sent home with Narcan nasal spray or a prescription for the lifesaving medication. But Memorial and Doctors Medical Center, also of Modesto, are using substance use navigators to connect discharged patients with medication-assisted addiction treatment in the community so they dont return to the hospital or worse happens.

What we really want to do is prevent overdoses in the first place and actually help people with their dependency, Kiran said. If someone comes in with an overdose and recovers, it is a time in their disease when they are receptive to getting help. We want to be there for them in that moment and offer them help.

Stanislaus County is closing its Genesis narcotic treatment program, removing an option for referring recent overdose victims to medication-assisted treatment to help with breaking addiction. Genesis has been treating and counseling around 225 clients for substance use disorder and they may be vulnerable to relapse and fentanyl poisoning if theyre not successfully transferred to other services, advocates for the program said.

Vartan, the county director for BHRS, said the department assesses available services and plans for expansion to meet community needs. He said in an email that people in the Medi-Cal program can access medication for substance use disorder through a support line.

Vartan said services are available at Aegis Treatment Centers in Modesto and Ceres, Evaluation & Medication Access Clinic for adults and youth, and Recover Medical Group via telemedicine. His email said Golden Valley Health Centers, Livingston Community Health and the countys McHenry Medical Office have medication-assisted treatment for substance use disorder.

In 2021, the highest occurrence of opioid overdose deaths in Stanislaus County was in adults ages 35 to 39; the second most impacted group was adults 40 to 44 years old. Another significant group suffering overdose deaths were adults 65 to 69 years old, most likely related to long-term use of opioid medication.

It gets even worse

The county could face challenges with another synthetic opioid called Isotonitazene, or ISO, a newer street drug recently identified in San Francisco. The illegal drug is reportedly 20 times stronger than fentanyl and creates a high thats compared to the euphoria of first-time heroin use, said Stanislaus County Deputy District Attorney Patrick Hogan, who has prosecuted fentanyl cases.

Stanislaus authorities are in favor of legislation to close loopholes in criminal law and support prosecution of dealers who sell fentanyl pills. But public safety committees in the state Legislature have rejected fentanyl legislation in the past two years.

Assemblyman Matt Haney, D-San Francisco, is chairing a select committee on fentanyl and opioid addiction. A staff member for Haney said Monday that the committee will hold a first general hearing on the drug epidemic in May and plans to hold quarterly hearings.

Stanislaus County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services said Medi-Cal beneficiaries can inquire about medication services for substance use disorder by calling the Access, Crisis, and Support Line at 888-376-6246.
ROCHESTER  Holly Bogardus, a shift supervisor at Starbucks who also works as a school teacher, has become increasingly frustrated with issues such as not getting promised hours.

This has led Bogardus and her coworkers at the Rochester store at The Ridge Marketplace to become the first Starbucks in New Hampshire to petition to unionize. They are joining an effort that has spread nationally at Starbucks stores while the company faces charges of breaking labor laws and scrutiny in the U.S. Senate.

We've had a lot of issues at our store that we've always had a hard time getting addressed," Bogardus said. "We've seen the differences it's made for the stores that have won their union votes, it just really made us feel like this is the best course of action for us. Especially as we've attempted to solve problems through Starbucks channels, and we just haven't seen any change or improvement or felt listened to."

Holly Bogardus, a shift supervisor at Starbucks at The Ridge Marketplace in Rochester, is part of an effort to unionize. Bogardus, who also works as an elementary school teacher in Rochester, is seen outside the store Monday, April 3, 2023.

More: Former Starbucks CEO testifies during Senate hearing on treatment of employees unionizing

The Associated Press recently reported 293 of Starbucks 9,000 company-owned U.S. Starbucks stores have voted to unionize since late 2021, citing National Labor Relations Board statistics. Starbucks Workers United, the group seeking to unionize stores, has yet to reach a contract agreement with the company at any Starbucks store.

It's scary to be the first one (in New Hampshire), Bogardus said. But we're really excited and we're hoping that this will help other stores realize that this is something that they can do if they're feeling the same way and having the same problems.

What do Starbucks workers want in Rochester?

Bogardus has been at Starbucks for four years, beginning as a barista for $13 per hour before becoming a supervisor, currently earning $20 per hour. But the workers' complaints aren't focused on hourly wages.

Bogadus said Starbucks workers in Rochester are typically promised a certain number of hours per week, but within the first two weeks of working, their hours are cut in half on average, she said. Bogarduss sister, Haley Bogardus, who works as a barista at the Rochester Starbucks, agreed, saying workers who were told they will be full-time are often getting only 20 hours per week.

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Holly Bogardus said because she is a teacher at a local elementary school, she has requested to work the later closing shifts.

Despite other shift supervisors having a preference not to close the store, I have noticed that my evening shifts are being taken away and given to other supervisors with no real explanation, she said.

More Rochester news: The Ridge's new construction worth millions to city. Here's what is expected next.

Holly Bogardus added that in order to qualify for benefits, workers are required to work a minimum of 20 hours per week. However, workers who have signed up for benefits are often not scheduled a full 20 hours, despite promises.

This leaves them scavenging for hours, she said. Even on people's time off they're really anxious, kind of waiting and trying to be ready to go in if they need to because they need the hours for their benefits.

She said at times when she has put in for sick time, management takes those hours out of her vacation time instead.

They really don't follow their own policies on using sick time, said Holly Bogardus. If you request time off ahead of time saying, I have a doctor's appointment, I'm letting you know, so you can have coverage', they wont approve your sick time. Basically, you just have to call out that day. And then you get the retaliation as well.

She said workers who call out sick have been told they are hurting their coworkers.

So there's just a lot of emotional abuse that's attached to the way that they've been managing lately, she said.

Bogarduss sister, Haley, said workers would like to see better staffing, more training and better-working equipment.

We want just to have any kind of meaningful input into how this individual store is run, Haley Bogardus said. We have a better perspective than someone who's only been here once or twice every other month.

Tanner Armstrong, another shift supervisor, said, We want to feel like we matter and that our work means something because we can see that from the customers, but from upper management, we are really disposable, and our livelihoods are at stake."

More local news: Durham landlord fined for allowing too many UNH students to rent property. Again.

Where does local union effort fit in with bigger picture for Starbucks nationally?

Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz repeatedly denied the company has broken any laws when he testified before a U.S. Senate committee last week.

The National Labor Relations Board has filed more than 80 complaints against Starbucks for violating federal labor laws, USA Today reported. Charges included the illegal firing of Starbucks workers for working to form a union, employees collectively bargaining for benefits, and advocating for increased wages and better working conditions. There have been an additional 500-plus unfair labor practice charges against the company, according to the Senate committee.

Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont urged Schultz to promise the company will promise to the committee that the company will exchange proposals with the union. Schultz did not make that promise, stating, "On a single store basis, we will continue to negotiate in good faith."

What steps are Starbucks workers taking?

Starbucks Workers United announced the local unionizing effort Monday, stating the Rochester workers are "standing in solidarity with nearly 300 union stores and more than 8,000 baristas organizing for better working conditions" and "joining the fight against Starbucks hour cuts, inadequate staffing, disregard of partner safety, and refusal to bargain with the union in good faith."

The Rochester workers sent a letter to new Starbucks CEO Laxman Narasimhan to inform him of their unionization effort. According to the labor group's press release, the letter states, in part, Time and time again appeals to management and the company made in good faith have been met with scorn, informal reprimands, and outright retaliation to such an extent we see no way forward without making space for ourselves in the process.

The letter states workers seek a voice in how the store is run, want training and wages that reflect their "essential" status. Workers also are asking for "steady hours that guarantee we will actually be able to access the robust benefit packages the company boasts, which have in practice become an incredibly stressful thing to maintain."

This article originally appeared on Fosters Daily Democrat: Starbucks workers in Rochester first in NH to vote to unionize
Hey, everyone! Drew here. Happy Tuesday!

Do you know where to find the best pizza in all of Charlotte? If so, CharlotteFive needs your help.

Head on over to their latest Readers Choice poll to help decide the ultimate pie in the Queen City.

First round of polling ends Thursday at noon, so vote, vote, vote!

Heres your news.

Rep. Tricia Cotham represents parts of eastern Mecklenburg County in the N.C. House of Representatives.

State Rep. Tricia Cotham, a Mecklenburg Democrat, is expected to formally switch parties and join the House Republican caucus, according to multiple media outlets.

Cotham, who has earned a reputation as a swing vote due to her willingness to vote with Republicans on certain key bills, is expected to publicly announce her decision to change party affiliation tomorrow, reported Axios Raleigh, which was the first to report the news.

A party switch by Cotham would mean Republicans control 72 out of 120 House seats, giving them enough seats to override vetoes by Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper on their own.

Avi Bajpai and Kyle Ingram have more on Cothams reported party switch.

The Florida Supreme Court ordered the end of a decades-long commitment to diversity education in the states courts.

The federal lawsuit over the controversial 2019 police killing of Danquirs Franklin may be heard by a jury after all.

Three judges from the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of appeals overturned a lower court decision in Charlotte last year that granted immunity to Wende Kerl, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg officer who fatally shot Franklin.

The appeals court cited Kerl for errors in how she and a fellow officer responded to the call at the Burger King four years ago. They said those errors were so serious that they disqualified Kerl from receiving the qualified immunity that was previously granted.

Mike Gordon shares more from the appeals court.

Parents gather in a work group during a meeting at South Meck High to learn about the new boundaries CMS is proposing on Wednesday, March 29, 2023.

South Charlotte contains the citys most affluent neighborhoods.

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Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools plans to redraw boundaries in the southern part of the county in order to relieve overcrowding and populate a fifth high school opening in 2024-25 academic year.

Ensuring CMS maintains socioeconomic diversity in those high schools is the latest flashpoint in parents fight for certain boundaries and feeder patterns  a process that will affect tens of thousands of families at all school levels.

Anna Maria Della Costa reports on the debate amongst parents and CMS.

The Charlotte Observer is seeking nominations for local education superheroes, people who are making a difference inside and outside of the classroom in K-12 education.

Many people help make a school run well.

We want to honor those unsung heroes in the Charlotte area. Have someone in mind? Let us know!

Were looking for public, charter and private school employees or volunteers in Mecklenburg, Gaston, Lincoln, Catawba, Iredell, Rowan, Cabarrus, Stanly, and Union counties in North Carolina.

Today is your last day to nominate someone before voting begins!

5. Some more stories to read

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To meet its goal to ensure that nearly all former service members can be buried in a veterans cemetery close to home, the Department of Veterans Affairs is relying on states, U.S. territories and tribal nations to contribute space, funding and oversight, with a little help from the VA.

The department has set an objective to provide burial space within a 75-mile radius for 95% of the nation's veterans. Currently just shy of that goal at 94%, the department needs assistance from regional, non-federal cemeteries, a VA official said last week.

"The only way we're going to get there, frankly, is ... going to be in partnership with the states," said VA Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs Matthew Quinn during a press call with reporters March 28.

Read Next: Air Force Will Allow More Body Fat for Recruits as Service Struggles to Find New Airmen

The VA operates 155 national cemeteries and has provided grants to 122 veteran cemeteries run by states, U.S. territories and Native American tribes. The department announced last month that it had awarded its billionth dollar in grant funding to these cemeteries after providing nearly $1.9 million to North Dakota to expand that state's veterans cemetery in Mandan.

Since the start of the program in 1978, the VA has helped provide more than 800,000 interment sites for U.S. veterans.

To reach its 95% goal, the VA needs roughly 200,000 more sites, largely in rural areas. According to Quinn, building a national cemetery in locations that have fewer veterans doesn't make sense.

Instead, helping states like Michigan, Texas and Nebraska, which all are considering establishing new veterans cemeteries, would help.

"We do give the states the map of, and the chart of, the veterans served in each area. So we'll continue to do that," Quinn said.

Veterans buried in non-federal facilities receive the same burial and memorial benefits as those enshrined in VA national cemeteries, according to Quinn. Those benefits include a gravesite; opening and closing of the grave; perpetual care of the site; a headstone or marker; burial flag; and certificate.

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"My father, brother and two uncles are interred in the state of Montana grant-funded veterans cemetery, and I knew no difference. All I knew is that their grave sites were national shrines and would be cared for in perpetuity," Quinn said.

The VA's fiscal 2024 budget requests $835 million for the National Cemetery Administration, an increase of 7.5% from current levels. The proposed budget includes $60 million for the cemetery grant program, up from $50 million in fiscal 2023.

Without including the state, regional and tribal cemeteries, just 77% of the nation's 16.5 million veterans would have access to a VA cemetery within 75 miles of where they live, Quinn said, calling that an "an unacceptable number."

"That shows you the importance of this valuable cooperative program," he added.

-- Patricia Kime can be reached at Patricia.Kime@Military.com. Follow her on Twitter @patriciakime

Related: 4 New Burial Sites with Capacity for More Than 300,000 Veterans and Their Families Part of VA Plans
On the eve of Donald Trumps indictment, The Late Show host Stephen Colbert pondered a potential stay behind bars for the former president. (Watch the video below.)

What if he goes to jail? Colbert said. He could end up the head of a violent white supremacist gang  but in prison this time.

Trump encouraged a mob of his followers  including several hate groups  to storm the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in an attempt to overturn the 2020 election.

And his uncomfortable ties  intended or not  with racist organizations dont end there. Remember his very fine people on both sides appraisal of a 2017 white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in which a counterprotester was killed by a neo-Nazi? Or his recent dinner with Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes and rapping antisemite Kanye West?

Trump faced arrest Tuesday for charges related to paying off porn star Stormy Daniels to keep silent about an alleged affair. But Trump is still being investigated for his efforts to reverse the election results. Plus he faces a probe into classified documents found at Mar-a-Lago and possible obstruction in turning them over.

Related...
The body of a teen found in 2015 near the South Carolina home of convicted murderer Alex Murdaugh has been exhumed following tips since the trial.

Last month police in South Carolina said Stephen Smith's hit-and-run death was now being treated as a homicide.

Murdaugh was found guilty in March of killing his wife and son. His surviving son, Buster, Smith's classmate, has denied any involvement in his death.

Smith's is the second body exhumed after the Murdaugh case publicity.

Last year, after Murdaugh's arrest, South Carolina law enforcement announced they would exhume the body of Murdaugh family housekeeper Gloria Satterfield, who was ruled to have died from an accidental fall at the home.

No new findings or arrests have been announced in the deaths of Smith or Satterfield.

The police inquiry into Smith's death was reopened in 2021, based on information found during its investigation into the deaths of Alex Murdaugh's wife and son. Authorities did not say what that information was, neither did they make any link between Smith's death and the Murdaugh family.

Smith's family say they believe he was murdered because he was gay, and started a fundraiser to pay for a post-mortem examination.

Eric Bland, a lawyer representing the Smith and Satterfield families, tweeted on Sunday to thank law enforcement for agreeing to allow the family to perform another autopsy on Smith.

"A tremendous amount of planning went into this past weekend by a lot of people," he said, thanking the funeral home, coroner, excavators and investigators with the State Law Enforcement Division (Sled).

"I now believe that Stephen can really rest at ease because Sled and our team are going to do everything possible to find out just how he died," Mr Bland wrote.

He said the move would bring comfort to the tragic teenager's mother Sandy Smith, "who was seriously grieving for her son".

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Last month Buster Murdaugh released a statement through his lawyer denying any involvement in Smith's death.

He said he had "been targeted and harassed by the media and followers of this story".

"This has gone on far too long," he said.

"These baseless rumours 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."

Ronnie Richter, another lawyer for the Smiths, says they have no evidence Buster Murdaugh was involved in anything with Smith.

Smith's family have suggested he could have been murdered because of his sexual orientation.

"This was not random, this was not drug or gang-related," Mr Bland told the Greenville News last week.

"The only thing that sets Stephen Smith apart from other 19-year-olds is that he was openly gay in an area of the state where it's not easy to do that in 2015," said Mr Bland.
The Stockton Unified School District's Arthur Coleman Jr. Administrative Complex is located at 56 South Lincoln Street in downtown Stockton on July 13, 2022.

Stockton Unified School District officials are looking for ways to improve their outreach to families of students who are learning to speak English to create a more inclusive environment and boost high school graduation rates where they're needed.

The district is the largest in Stockton, which in 2020 was identified as the most diverse large city in America. Here, more than 45 languages are spoken by families whose students are enrolled in one of the district's schools.

Nearly a quarter of the district's 37,000 students are classified as English learners, which means those students reported speaking a language other than English at home and did not score highly on an English assessment, Director of Language Development, Dr. Israel Gonzalez said. Twenty-eight percent of those students are not graduating high school, Gonzalez said.

Yet the district communicates in only English and Spanish, the two languages that meet the state Department of Educations communication requirement for languages spoken by 15% or more of the district population, Gonzalez said.

That leaves behind at least 700 students who speak at home either Hmong or Khmer  the national language of Cambodia. They are the third and fourth most-spoken languages in the school district behind English and Spanish, according to a report Gonzalez presented last Friday to the Board of Trustees' English Learners Committee.

I understand what policy says about ed code has to be a certain percentage but as a district, we have to do better because we are such a diverse district, board Vice President Kennetha Stevens said. Were not meeting the needs of all of our families. Were meeting some, but were not really investing the way that we should.

New SUSD board trustee Kennetha Stevens greets a well-wisher after being sworn in at the board meeting on Dec. 13, 2022.

The district has exotic language translators available, but they are only available when requested.

District officials said they generally arent receiving requests for exotic language translators for groups like the District English Learner Advisory Committee and other groups where parents can get involved. Stevens said the district used to have Hmong translators designated for parent meetings and outreach, but Stockton Unifieds translators are now stationed at the enrollment office, a district official said.

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We did get participation, but it was because we had someone going after the parents, and we no longer have outreach, Stevens said.

The District English Learner Advisory Committee is responsible for administering a yearly parent-needs assessment, but the survey is only offered in English and Spanish. Interim Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services Dr. Susana Ramirez said that will need to change.

Something that we will need  a commitment to translate the needs survey in different languages to ensure that its in Hmong, Cambodian and these other languages, Ramirez said.

Stockton Unified School District Dr. Susana Ramirez, interim assistant superintendent, educational services department, left along with interim chief business official Joann Juarez, seated center give a business and finance presentation to the SUSD board during a special study session at the SUSD Arthur Coleman Jr. Administrative Complex in downtown Stockton on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023.

Taylor Leadership Academy, a K-8 Stockton Unified school, hosts one of the largest Hmong communities in the school district, Ramirez said. When Ramirez began working at the school district in 2019, they had a specific learning program for Hmong students that has since gone away, she said.

I feel like at that time, we did have a better system of communicating at large with our Hmong families, Ramirez said. (Things) we can do next year  one is having stronger relationships with those site principals  How can we develop and implement a program that meets the needs of student populations other than Spanish speakers?

The stakes are high. Though the district is in financial peril, they need to spend roughly $150 million in federal COVID-relief funding by September 2024, Ramirez said.

More: Limited progress at Stockton Unified puts it at 'urgent' risk of insolvency, state takeover

In this moment, in this district, theres enough resources for everybody. Its what our district targets, Ramirez said. We want it to go into the hands of people that are wanting to do for our community.

Stevens said every parent group should have the opportunity to produce a plan for COVID-relief funds.

I think were doing our district and our funding a disservice when were not asking parents what support could help them navigate their students journey, Stevens said.

The next English Learner Committee meeting is scheduled at 5:30 p.m. Monday, May 1 at the Arthur Coleman Jr. Administrative Complex. All Stockton Unified subcommittee meetings are open to the public.

This article originally appeared on The Record: Stockton Unified School District aims to aid Hmong, Cambodian families
Adult actress Stormy Daniels is central to former President Donald Trump's historic arraignment Tuesday in New York, marking the first time a former president has ever faced criminal charges.

A Manhattan grand jury indicted Trump Thursday in connection with the former president's alleged role in hush money payments made by his former lawyer, Michael Cohen. Prosecutors say Cohen orchestrated the payments to Daniels and another woman; both claimed to have had sex with Trump and the money allegedly went toward paying for their silence before the 2016 election.

Stay in the conversation on politics: Sign up for the OnPolitics newsletter

Daniels' role in Trump case

Daniels claims that Trump had consensual sex with her in 2006  months after Trump and his wife, Melania Trump, had their son.

Cohen, Trump's attorney at that time, says he paid $130,000 in hush money to Daniels' attorney just before the 2016 election to silence claims that she had an affair with Trump. Daniels was considering going public with the scandal.

Trump indictment live updates: Trump pleads not guilty to 34 felony counts in historic New York case

Stormy Daniels

Trump indicted: Daniels' reaction

After Trump's indictment, Daniels' longtime lawyer Clark Brewster told USA TODAY that the actress was surprised and even felt bad about the news.

More: Stormy Daniels said she'd dance in the streets if Trump was indicted. Now she's sad it happened

"The fact is that she feels bad that the guy has been charged, Brewster said. But on the other hand, truly, she knew what the facts were and she wants him to deal with the truth as well. So from that perspective, there's a degree of feeling like the system is working.

Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records on Thursday after he surrendered himself to the Manhattan District Attorneys Office.

Contributing: Josh Meyer, Bart Jensen, Kevin Johnson

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Meet Stormy Daniels: The woman central to Trump's hush money probe
ORIKHIV, HULIAIPOLE, Zaporizhzhia Oblast  A massive rumble shakes the basement under the partly destroyed administrative building, followed by another blast much closer.

Not good, says 51-year-old Svitlana Mandrich, Orikhivs deputy mayor, looking warily at the sandbags protecting the cellars vent.

Mandrich is in charge of keeping the small community running, braving the round-the-clock shelling to help the nearly 2,000 residents who have decided to stay.

The thunder of missiles never stops around the front-line town of Orikhiv, 60 kilometers south of Zaporizhzhia and only a few kilometers from Russian positions in the south.

We cant keep track of the bombings, Mandrich says. Sometimes, we cant leave the basement all day.

Svitlana Mandrich, Orikhivs deputy mayor, speaks to the Kyiv Independent on March 4, while the city is being shelled. (Alexander Query)

Once, she managed to count over 300 explosions over the course of eight hours, but sometimes its up to 500 times per day. This morning, on March 4, locals had already counted 20 blasts in the span of two hours due to nearby fighting, often targeting the city itself.

Because of the proximity of Russian troops and the number of attacks, the air raid sirens are of no use in two front-line towns  Orikhiv and Huliaipole.

Each of the towns used to have around 14,000 people before the invasion. Now, the several thousand that remain live most of the time in dank, dark basements to avoid being killed in the next strike.

Shelling has killed around 30 people in Orikhiv since the beginning of the invasion. It doesnt look like a lot, but were a small town, so it feels like a lot, Mandrich says.

And yet, the danger doesnt keep people away.

Some of those who fled Orikhiv now try to return to the city despite her efforts to dissuade them, Mandrich says. Evacuation buses operate five times a week, but they usually leave Orikhiv empty.

The same goes for Huliaipole, roughly 40 kilometers east, where over 1,000 people remain, according to the military garrisoned nearby.

Roughly 60 children are still in Orikhiv, Mandrich says with a pained look.

Story continues

Most people who stay are pensioners and the vulnerable, often too poor to leave the town and look for a future elsewhere.

We ask them to leave because its too dangerous, she says, having no illusion that most will stay because they have nowhere else to go.

Ukraine holds back on southern counteroffensive, soldiers say Zaporizhzhia Oblast  In a split-second, two Ukrainian jets appear over the road, releasing chaff that sets off a couple of Russian anti-aircraft missiles. It allows one of the planes to hit a Russian position that billows with black smoke rising over the trees, leaving no doubt on how close the Kyiv IndependentAlexander Query

Not enough body bags

Oleksiy Tychynskyi, a 49-year-old construction worker, returned to Orikhiv in October 2022 after staying in Zaporizhzhia for a few months.

Home is home, he says, even if its a dark basement.

At least here we have something, Tychynskyi says, showing the dark cellar, only lit by a single torch lamp hanging from the ceiling.

Oleksiy Tychynskyi, a 49-year-old construction worker, poses for the Kyiv Independent in the basement where he lives in Orikhiv. (Alexander Query)

He and his wife decided to stay because its too expensive to live somewhere else. And the sofas (at home) are comfortable.

Its also a matter of pride for the couple. Whats gonna happen if everyone leaves? Tychynskyi asks.

We are the keepers of the town, he jokes, adding he also helps the most vulnerable people.

Still, Tychynskyi admits the months of November through March were rough, describing waves of relentless strikes, sometimes 400 times a day.

Of course, they only attack military bases and military infrastructure, he adds sarcastically. Thats why almost everything is destroyed here.

As the Russians were pushed back from the city, they dug in further away and resorted to heavier equipment to hit Orikhiv, attacking with everything they have, Mandrich says,

It can be Grad missiles, Uragan missiles, mortars, sometimes even missiles from helicopters, she says.

The scariest are cluster munitions, designed to scatter small explosives for maximum damage. Even when cluster munitions fail to explode, the slightest vibration can set them off.

Orikhiv's streets are scattered with cluster munitions' impacts, often found in people's backyards. (Alexander Query)

A volunteer died on May 11 when shrapnel from a cluster munition sliced his head, she recalls. That day, four people died, and eight were wounded.

Emergency services dont come to Orikhiv anymore, which means the residents have to take care of everything themselves, including providing first aid to the wonder or burying the killed.

Mandrich and her team had to drive along the front line to collect bodies constantly.

We just put on a (bulletproof) vest and a helmet, but we didnt have enough body bags, she says.

Her own house was hit by a thermite bomb that scattered flammable material and began to burn everything in her backyard.

She couldnt go out, so she had to wait for someone to help her put sand and soil on the fire, as adding water would only make the blaze worse. The only thing that saved her was her metal roof.

Since then, she has stayed in her basement.

A potbelly stove runs all day because the basement is too damp otherwise. She uses an old well nearby to get water, like most residents shes in charge of.

Some cant care for themselves and rely heavily on her six-person team.

They set up nine invincibility centers in the towns basements, where people can charge their devices, drink something warm and contact their relatives thanks to a Starlink connection.

Some people live there all the time, she says.

Shattered buildings

Residents tend to avoid the large road scarred by the deadly pattern of the cluster munitions impacts. Staying in the open too long can mean death in Orikhiv.

The road leads to a school that opened months before the full-scale invasion, and is now reduced to a pile of glass and concrete. The modern building was struck by an S-300 missile, leaving a gaping hole where children used to visit.

Orikhiv's school, inaugurated before the full-scale invasion, was destroyed by a Russian S-300 missile. (Alexander Query)

Not far from the shattered school, Valentina Avramenko, a 77-year-old pensioner, sits on a bench, enjoying the first warm days while bangs continue to shake the town in the background.

Shes one of the rare residents who stayed in her flat instead of hiding in a basement.

The only resident in her five-story building, damaged by a missile strike, she survives only thanks to the humanitarian aid distributed by volunteers, including her prized possession, a blue coat that keeps warm at night.

She refuses to leave her apartment despite the bombardments and the absence of electricity, water, and heating.

Some volunteer asked me to evacuate, but Im too tired, she says. Where would I go?

A missile strike in October 2022 almost destroyed her building. She was lucky to be there when the fire broke out, she says.

I would have lost my apartment if I wasnt, she smiles, showing the charred ceiling of her cold, burned-down kitchen.

Were not afraid

Similar devastation reigns in nearby Huliaipole.

The entrance of the town, barred by heavily protected checkpoints, is surrounded by a patchwork of broken houses and shapeless roofs.

The Ukrainian flag floats near the black and white flag of anarchist and early 20th century revolutionary Nestor Makhno, emblazoned with a skull and his signature Freedom or Death motto.

The famous Ukrainian revolutionary, born in Huliaipole, who fought in the surrounding steppe, has his statue protected by sandbags. The pedestal, surrounded by craters, is still standing.

The statue of anarchist and early 20th-century revolutionary Nestor Makhno still stands despite shelling. (Alexander Query)

Russian troops briefly entered Huliaipole on March 5, last year, but were quickly repelled.

The front line eventually settled just outside the town, with the closest Russian positions only a few kilometers away, leaving them within range to raze the city to the ground.

Theres not much left of the historic brick buildings in the center. Russians destroyed most buildings in the area, leaving only a lonely I love Huliaipole sign in front of the mountain of ruined concrete.

Most roads are deserted in Huliaipole, except for a few civilians strolling between the ruins.

A mother in a tracksuit walks among the ruins, holding a little boy by the hand, who waves at the dusty jeep.

There are still children here, even though we evacuated a few, Ashot, a drone unit commander based in the region, says as the car passes by the rear civilians in the area.

Oleksiy Semko, a 54-year-old mechanic, is one of the last residents of his street, scattered with half-broken, windowless homes.

Semko still has a couple of cows, some pigs, and chicken left, despite a shelling that burned one of his sheds in January.

Whos gonna take care of my animals if I leave? he asks, showing remnants of incendiary bombs fallen.

Home is better than anywhere else, he hammers.

In the town center, a hospital has been attacked at least three times by S-300 and Pion artillery, leaving massive burned holes on the facade.

Valentina and Natalia, two 60-year-old retirees, gossip on the porch, unperturbed by the deafening sound of blasts shaking the town.

War from above: A day with drone unit defending Ukraines south Editors Note: The Ukrainian soldiers featured in this article dont share their family names for security reasons. ZAPORIZHZHIA OBLAST  A couple of running gray silhouettes appear on the phone screen of drone unit commander Ashot, call sign Doc. They saw the drone, see? he pointed at them. Kyiv IndependentAlexander Query

They dont plan on evacuating.

Everyone who wanted to evacuate, already evacuated, Natalia says. I didnt because I dont want to, I still have chickens and dogs here.

Were not afraid, she adds.

Before the invasion, we didnt care about Russians, but you cant imagine how much we hate them and their language now, says Natalia.

Valentina has only one regret. She wishes the military would teach them about weapons.

It would be nice if the guys taught us how to shoot from a rifle and take care of it because we dont know how, she says. I know how to throw a grenade, though, she laughs.


Student Millie Houlton. Courtesy of Millie Houlton

A student used AI to write a letter to her council to contest a parking fine.

She felt she'd been wrongly fined and wanted to save time by using ChatGPT to write the letter.

Generative AI platforms like ChatGPT are also being used to write news articles and novels.

A student in the UK used ChatGPT to get out of a 60 ($74.30) parking fine that she doesn't think should have been issued.

Millie Houlton told Insider that roadworks around where she lived meant she couldn't park her Citroen car in her usual spot, which she has a permit for, so she parked elsewhere on March 20 following guidance from a traffic warden. But she was issued a parking fine.

Houlton, who had previously used ChatGPT to summarize readings for her university studies, decided that to save time she would use the generative AI system to send a letter to the local council in York explaining her situation. Two days later, the council told her it would no longer be fining her, in a letter to Houlton viewed by Insider.

"I just found it a bit easier to use a tool that could put my thoughts into words and get my point across properly," she told Insider.

Microsoft-backed OpenAI launched ChatGPT to the public in November 2022, and since then the platform has rocketed, reaching 100 million monthly active users in just over two months. Since then, Google has debuted its own generative AI, Bard, while Microsoft has launched a new version of Bing, powered by AI.

Generative AI platforms like these have been used to write news articles, shopping lists, code, and even novels. Advocates say the services can help workers save time on manual tasks, but there are concerns that it could plagiarize material, develop bias, and even argue with users.

Houlton said the text ChatGPT generated for her was very professional and the only amendments she'd had to make were adding some personal details. And even though she put a good amount of detail in the bullet-point prompt  which helps ChatGPT generate a more accurate and thorough response  she didn't have to worry about the grammar, formatting, and degree of formality in her prompt, she said.

Story continues

Some students have been using ChatGPT to help write college entrance essays or assessments, leading to a number of institutions banning students from using the software, using AI detectors to check whether students wrote the work they handed in themselves, or otherwise changing the nature of their assignments to reflect the new use of the technology.

Newer versions of ChatGPT, including the recently-released GPT-4, have been performing better in exams. "I think the chat writes better than 95% of my students could ever," a professor at Northern Michigan University previously told Insider after catching two students submitting essays written by ChatGPT.

Houlton said some of her friends are using the software to write resumes and cover letters for jobs, or to check the grammar in text they've written themselves.

Houlton said wouldn't use ChatGPT to write assessments because it's not always accurate and universities are cracking down on AI-generated text.

"Everyone knows at university that you can get caught using it, so we're just trying to stay clear of it," she said.

Read the original article on Business Insider
This aerial photo taken on April 1, 2023 shows a museum featuring the Maya site of Copan in Honduras. The city of Copan, with its temples, squares, terraces and other characteristics, is an excellent representation of Classic Mayan civilization. (Xinhua/Xin Yuewei)

Tourists visit the Maya site of Copan in Honduras, April 1, 2023. The city of Copan, with its temples, squares, terraces and other characteristics, is an excellent representation of Classic Mayan civilization. (Xinhua/Xin Yuewei)

This aerial photo taken on April 1, 2023 shows the Maya site of Copan in Honduras. The city of Copan, with its temples, squares, terraces and other characteristics, is an excellent representation of Classic Mayan civilization. (Xinhua/Xin Yuewei)

This photo taken on April 1, 2023 shows the Maya site of Copan in Honduras. The city of Copan, with its temples, squares, terraces and other characteristics, is an excellent representation of Classic Mayan civilization. (Xinhua/Xin Yuewei)

This photo taken on April 1, 2023 shows a sculpture at a museum featuring the Maya site of Copan in Honduras. The city of Copan, with its temples, squares, terraces and other characteristics, is an excellent representation of Classic Mayan civilization. (Xinhua/Xin Yuewei)

This aerial photo taken on April 1, 2023 shows the Maya site of Copan in Honduras. The city of Copan, with its temples, squares, terraces and other characteristics, is an excellent representation of Classic Mayan civilization. (Xinhua/Xin Yuewei)

This aerial photo taken on April 1, 2023 shows the Maya site of Copan in Honduras. The city of Copan, with its temples, squares, terraces and other characteristics, is an excellent representation of Classic Mayan civilization. (Xinhua/Xin Yuewei)

This photo taken on April 1, 2023 shows a sculpture at the Maya site of Copan in Honduras. The city of Copan, with its temples, squares, terraces and other characteristics, is an excellent representation of Classic Mayan civilization. (Xinhua/Xin Yuewei)

Tourists visit the Maya site of Copan in Honduras, April 1, 2023. The city of Copan, with its temples, squares, terraces and other characteristics, is an excellent representation of Classic Mayan civilization. (Xinhua/Xin Yuewei)

This aerial photo taken on April 1, 2023 shows the Maya site of Copan in Honduras. The city of Copan, with its temples, squares, terraces and other characteristics, is an excellent representation of Classic Mayan civilization. (Xinhua/Xin Yuewei)

This photo taken on April 1, 2023 shows a sculpture at a museum featuring the Maya site of Copan in Honduras. The city of Copan, with its temples, squares, terraces and other characteristics, is an excellent representation of Classic Mayan civilization. (Xinhua/Xin Yuewei)
BRANCH COUNTY  A 26-year-old Sturgis man will not be eligible for parole until 2037 after Circuit Judge Bill OGrady sentenced him to 14 to 50 years in prison on robbery charges Thursday.

Dylan Brand pleaded guilty in Branch County in February to armed robbery. A charge of use of a firearm during a felony was dismissed in the plea bargain.

His sentence runs concurrent to a St. Joseph County sentence he received after an October trial for fleeing the scene of the armed robbery. There was a two-year minimum mandatory sentence for using a firearm in the commission of a felony followed by a three to 15-year sentence on charges of fleeing or resisting arrest and fleeing police as a third time habitual offender.

Brand fled the robbery at a Diamond Drive home near Bronson on October 22, 2021 and drove toward Sturgis.

Investigators said Brand was high on methamphetamine when held a loaded handgun to the head of a 69-year-old woman and demanded she open a safe. When she said there was no safe, Brand searched the house before taking her purse and fleeing, according to court records.

There was an unfounded rumor a home in the area hosted large stake poker games and kept cash in a safe, police determined in their investigation.

Circuit Judge Bill O'Grady sentenced Dylan Brand after accepting guilty plea to armed robbery.

A short time later, a Sturgis City Police sergeant chased Brands silver BMW on U.S. 12 but broke off the pursuit in heavy traffic with sidewalks filled with school kids.

Another Sturgis officer found the SUV crashed into another vehicle on Cottage Street south of U.S. 12. Witnesses said Brand and a woman with him ran before police apprehended them.

A Michigan State Police dog located the handgun. Officers found the stolen wallet in the crashed BMW.

prior story Sturgis man arrested in October armed robbery

Paul Gipson, Brand's lawyer, said Brand has a severe addiction to methamphetamine and requested treatment for him at sentencing.

Branch County prosecutor Zack Stempien argued for the maximum sentence under Michigan guidelines because of the threat to society for holding the loaded firearm to his victims head.

Story continues

Branch prosecutor Zack Stempien

Stempien dismissed first-degree home invasion and commission of a felony with use of a firearm charges, along with habitual offender status, due to minimal impact on the final sentence.

Brand received credit for 277 days already served.

Subscribe follow area court activity. Subscribe to the Daily Reporter.

The woman in the car with Brand, Taja Rogers, 28, of Sturgis, was sentenced on Sept. 9 to two to 10 years in prison after she pleaded guilty to possessing meth.

--Contact Don Reid: dReid@Gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter: @DReidTDR

This article originally appeared on Coldwater Daily Reporter: Sturgis man sentenced to 14 to 50 years for October, 2021 armed robbery
On the press tour for this season of Succession, Brian Cox has been saying something shocking. Logan Roy, he has suggested, is a very misunderstood entity because hes a lonely man And his big Achilles heel is that he loves his children. Reading this, I was determined to keep Coxs observation in my mind as I embarked on the new series, even though try as I might, I could not think of many obvious examples of the Roy patriarchs love being demonstrated in the previous three seasons of the show.

I suppose I had imagined that, like many very wealthy people, Logan saw his children as a possible investment  that like a historic King, he had hoped to produce conquerors and warriors and tacticians, and had accordingly been extremely disappointed to end up saddled with an impotent sex goblin, a quasi-liberal girlboss, an extremely sad white rapper, and whatever Connor is.

Evidently, as Cox plays it, there is more to Logans relationship with his children than this transactional flow, and while its a cliche to say that the opposite of love is not hate, but indifference, its a cliche for a reason. If last week saw the Roy siblings apparently achieving victory over their father in the marketplace, this week we see a different kind of battle in the family. It would be a stretch to say that anyone involved emerged victorious, but thats Succession for you.

Its like Jaws, if everyone in Jaws worked for Jaws

Fresh off their idiotic idea for The Hundred last week (Substack-meets-Masterclass-meets-The Economist-meets-The-New-Yorker), the Roy siblings have gathered around the television to imagine how they might decide to reimagine Pierce Global News. So many olds, where are the hotties? Roman (Kieran Culkin) mutters, Romanly. Kendall (Jeremy Strong), still identifying as a Buddhist and a Good Guy, believes that the channel should have a focus on Africa every day just whats happening in Africa. That sounds like homework, the show, Shiv (Sarah Snook) grumbles, thereby adjourning this particular meeting of the Brain Trust.

Elsewhere, their furious father, still fuming from the loss of PGN in last weeks episode, has arrived at the ATN offices looking, per cousin Greg (Nicholas Braun), like if Santa Claus was a hitman. Logan rants and raves a little, and then says that he would like to give a speech for his employees. The speech, which he delivers from an undignified stage made out of printer paper boxes, is a barnstormer, and what follows are some hair-raising selected highlights:

I want to know that were killing the opposition. I want to be cutting their throats! Our rivals should be shaking in the backs of their chauffeured cars because they cant believe what we did! So f***ing spicy. So true. Something everyone knows, but nobody says. Because theyre too f***ing lily livered.

They cannot believe what we said, and the fact that we f***ing said it. The f***ing jam smears on the highway. Now, anyone who believes that Im getting out, please shove the bunting up your ass. This is not the end. Im going to do something better. Something faster, lighter, meaner, wilder, and Im going to do it from in here with you lot. Youre f***ing pirates!

Cox as a Jaws-like Logan in Succession episode 2 (Sky)

If anyone knows f***ing pirates and the way they operate, its certain to be Logan Roy. He was not born rich, having clawed his way up to billionaire status with blood underneath his fingernails and bone shards in his teeth, and his alienation from his children is so total because fundamentally speaking, he belongs to an entirely different and more brutish species.

It is meant to be amusing when he self-identifies as a man of the people shortly before he gets up to make the speech, but in a sense, the speech itself proves that its true  we see a flash, furious and galvanising, of the kind of energic and merciless man he must have needed to be when he was not yet enough of a big dick to delegate his business to a hundred other people, and the monologue has something of the Shakespearian battle scene about it.

Contrast this with Romans whining, childish threat to an assistant when he learns that Logan has denied him access to the family chopper: Im going to set aside several hundred thousand dollars, and Im going to dedicate it to destroying your life, how does that sound? In theory, it is a Logan line. In practice, it sounds like the words of a spoilt child who has no tactical intelligence beyond the threat of throwing his money at a problem  a Little Lord Fauntleroy whose soft hands have not once been splintered by a rung on a career ladder.

Eggwatch

Time now to return to coverage of Successions buffoon prince; its himbo Jimmy Stewart; its MVP with the least corporate value of all time. I am, of course, talking about Cousin Greg, who is introduced in this weeks episode watching his uncle prowl the floor of ATN, and nervously informing Tom (Matthew McFadyen) over the phone that Logan is just moseying terrifyingly moseying. I imagine that the writers of Succession get a little thrill every time they land on a new perfect bit of Greg-ese, and if the essential structure of these jokes  Greg, a faltering millennial idiot, for some reason has the cadence and vocabulary of a retired university professor circa 1954  tends to repeat itself, Nicholas Brauns ability to nail his line deliveries means that the bit never gets stale.

Disgusting brothers Greg and Tom (Sky)

This week, Greg the Egg cracks several more of the proverbial while trying to make a workplace omelette, having been given the task of telling Logans girlfriend-cum-assistant Kerry (Zoe Winters) that her dreams of TV stardom are a bust. Tonally bizarre, fumbling, and full of arm sweeping, the tape shes made as an audition for presenting the news on ATN is so ridiculous that it has swept the building, prompting furtive titters from the staff.

This is an incredibly delicate piece of diplomacy, Tom informs Greg, when the two realise they must put an end to Kerrys career in TV news before it even begins. Its like Israel and Palestine, except harder, and much more important. Proving that he ought never to be roped into any matter of international diplomacy, Greg panics in the moment and invents a focus group comprised of a bunch of grandpas and little twerps to blame for Kerrys failure to launch, after first offering to give [her] a heads up on the download on what the murmurs are. (That Greg himself is sort of simultaneously a grandpa and a little twerp might help explain why these two demographics came immediately to mind.)

If this focus group isnt real, Kerry snarls, not buying it, Im going to take you apart like a human string cheese. Greg, who does more closely resemble a string cheese than any other character currently on television, merely gulps.

The rats are fat as skunks

Marriage, at least in the universe of Succession, continues to look like the worst idea on the planet: this week, Shiv discovers that her soon-to-be-ex-husband, Tom, has conflicted every decent lawyer in America out of action, in a move she recognises as her fathers handiwork.

Later, arriving at the rehearsal dinner for Willa (Justine Lupe) and Connor (Alan Ruck)s wedding, Roman, Shiv and Kendall run into the bride, drunk and escaping, having announced to the entire wedding party that she cannot marry Connor. Just toss her another ten grand, Roman suggests, brightly, to his brother. Or a snowmobile and some teeth-whitening vouchers. Connor, who may or may not have recently heard a Bruce Springsteen song for the first time, announces his desire to go to a dive bar where the customers are chicks, and guys who work with their hands, and grease, and sweat from their hands, and they have blood in their hair. I dont like these guys, Roman sniffs. They sound like a medical experiment gone wrong.

Regardless, the Roy siblings do end up spending an evening slumming it, with Connor ordering what any regular joe would have  just a Belgian Weiss beer. If his father can still maintain a slight claim to being a man of the people, Connor continues to behave like a man from outer space.

Shivs conviction that her father has been meddling in her divorce has galvanised her into action, and she has begun to scheme in order to hit back. It is the eve of the board vote at Waystar Royco which will decide on the companys acquisition by the eccentric Swedish tech baron Lukas Matsson, and she is determined to join forces with two board members and sometime-frenemies of the Roys, Stewy Hosseini and Sandi Furness, to delay the sale. Ostensibly, her position is that Logan has not negotiated fiercely enough, and that there is more money to be made; in fact, she may be risking the sale going through at all, and in doing so dooming the immediate cash injection she, Roman and Kendall had been hoping to receive.

Shiv in a karaoke booth in Succession episode 2 (Sky)

Kendall, more easily persuaded to lash out against his father, quickly comes around to her side of the argument, leaving Roman on his own. Inevitably, the sibling squabble reaches crisis point on Connors supposedly cheering night out at the dive bar, when Shiv notices that Roman has received a text from Logan, and demands to read his phone.

It transpires that Roman had texted Logan wishing him a happy birthday, and in what both Shiv and Kendall characterise as a betrayal, ended the text message with take care. What was I supposed to say? Roman asks in disbelief. Happy birthday, hope you fall down a flight of stairs s***head? Tired of listening to his brothers and his sister fighting, Connor poutily insists that everyone relocates to a karaoke bar; he ends up sadly crooning Leonard Cohens Famous Blue Raincoat for them in a private room with bisexual lighting, a spectacle Roman describes as Guantanamo level s***.

It would be easy to imagine that this scene might be the most excruciatingly vulnerable in the episode, and that the audiences tolerance for emotional masochism had been tested to the limit  in fact, moments later, Connor reveals that he has told Logan about Roman, Shiv and Kendalls Machiavellian scheming vis-a-vis the Waystar deal, and that Logan is now on his way to meet them, leading to a family confrontation that is one of the most tense and most affecting in the history of the show.

Logan does not scream, or shout; he does not call them f***s, or ingrates. He says that he is sorry that they missed his birthday party, leading Kendall, spluttering with disbelief, to ask: Did dad just say a feeling? As ever in Succession, the shifting uncertainty of the shows psychological terrain makes it easy for the writers and the actors, both, to booby-trap their audience with sudden bursts of melancholy or cruelty, and the experience of seeing Logan appear to express genuine tenderness is so unusual and unnerving that it leaves the viewer in the same position as it leaves his children: we have no idea what we ought to believe.

You are such dopes, he tells them, when Shiv and Kendall insist that all they want is more money. You are not serious figures. I love you, but you are not serious people. His tone when he calls them dopes is soft enough that for a fleeting moment, he sounds just like any other father playfully teasing his children. Between not and serious people, Cox leaves a small, pregnant pause, and his dampening eyes appear to focus on another place entirely, as if an unhappy realisation about why his children are the way they are is washing over him like a terrible tidal wave.

When Logan leaves, his tail practically between his legs, he launches into a rant about New York that is not really about New York at all. The rats are as fat as skunks, he fumes, referring obliquely to his bratty kids. They hardly care to run any more! Cast your mind back to last week, and remember that he called them rats then, too  then think about the old saying about rats and sinking ships, and consider whether the ship in this particular instance is the company of Waystar Royco, or the family.

The good thing about having a family that doesnt love you is that you learn to live without it, Connor, horribly and heartbreakingly, tells his siblings as Kendall and Shiv begin to gloat about how much they have hurt Logan. Youre all chasing after dad saying love me, love me, pay me attention. Youre f***ing love sponges, and Im a plant that grows on rocks and lives off insects that die inside of me. It is absolutely no surprise that after they all leave the karaoke bar, Roman slinks off  love me, love me, pay me attention  to be with his father, and it is no surprise, either, that his father immediately tries to recruit him for ATN.

You really want me? Roman asks, and Logan, perhaps simply knowing what Roman wants to hear but perhaps also meaning it a little, answers: More, Romulus. More. I need you. How much anyone needs anyone in the Roy family is, of course, anyones guess.
A teenage boy wanted in connection with an ongoing murder investigation in Roxbury was arrested Monday afternoon, officials said.

The Boston Police Department Fugitive Unit arrested a 17-year-old boy in East Boston in connection with the September shooting death of 26-year-old Hanser Abraham Moreta-Gonzalez.

At the time of the suspects arrest, he was wanted on an outstanding warrant sought out of Suffolk County Juvenile Court on charges of Delinquent to Wit: unlawful possession of a dangerous weapon, unlawful possession of ammunition, carrying a loaded firearm, and assault by means of a dangerous weapon.

In the early evening of September 29, 2022, officers responded to a report of a person shot in the area of 625 Shawmut Ave. Officers located Moreta-Gonzalez suffering from a gunshot wound and was pronounced dead at a local hospital hours later.

This investigation remains active and ongoing at this time.

The suspects name has not been released at this time.

The Boston Police Department is actively reviewing the facts and circumstances surrounding this incident. Anyone with information is strongly urged to contact Boston Police Homicide Detectives at (617) 343-4470.

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
A 26-year-old woman has been charged with terrorism offences in Russia over a bombing that killed a pro-war military blogger.

Footage released by the Russian interior ministry on Monday appeared to show Darya Trepova admitting to bringing a statuette to the restaurant in St Petersburg, which blew up, also allegedly injuring 42 others.

She did not say that she knew there would be an explosion or who had given her the object.

While it is unclear whether her account was given under duress, Ms Trepovas husband told Russian website SVTV News that  despite being against the war in Ukraine  his wife would never kill and was framed.

Darya Trepova attended a hearing in Basmanny District Court on Tuesday (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

But on Tuesday, Russian investigators said they had charged Trepova with committing a terrorist act by an organised group that caused intentional death and the illegal possession of explosive devices by an organised group.

The charges carry a maximum prison sentence of 20 years, and were levied by Russias Investigative Committee  responsible for probing major crimes  which claimed Ms Trepova had acted under instructions from people working on behalf of Ukraine.

Ms Trepova, of St Petersburg, was transferred to Moscow, where the Basmanny district court remanded her in pre-trial custody until 2 June, Russian news agencies reported.

While Russian law suggests a life sentence for terror-related crimes, these cannot be applied to women, who instead face sentences of up to 20 years.

Sundays explosion killed Vladlen Tatarsky, whose real name is Max Fomin, and injured 42 others, according to Russias health ministry. Twenty-four people were still being treated in hospital late on Tuesday, it said.

Vladlen Tatarsky, whose real name is Maxim Fomin, had a large following on Telegram (Getty)

While a prominent cheerleader for Vladimir Putins war, with more than half a million Telegram followers, Tatarsky had also been highly critical of the Russian defence ministrys blunders in Ukraine, labelling Russian officers untrained idiots.

Footage of the incident broadcast by Russian media appeared to show Tatarsky taking the gold statuette, in his likeness, out of a box and showing it to an audience gathered to hear him give a talk before it exploded.

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On Monday, Russias National Anti-Terrorism Committee accused Ukrainian intelligence of organising the killing with help from supporters of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny  a possible reference to the fact that Ms Trepova once registered for a tactical voting scheme promoted by Mr Navalnys movement.

But Mykhailo Podolyak, an aide to the Ukrainian president, blamed the bombing on infighting in Russia, saying it had only been a matter of time before domestic terrorism would become an instrument of Russias internal political struggle.

Ilya Ponomaryov, a former Russian lawmaker turned Ukraine-based Kremlin critic, also published a statement from what he said was a group of Russian militants called the National Republican Army, in which it claimed responsibility for the blast.

Darya Trepova could face up to 20 years in prison (Sourced)

Last August, Mr Ponomaryov said the National Republican Army had planted the car bomb near Moscow which killed Darya Dugina, the daughter of an ultra-nationalist. Until that point, the group had never been referred to publicly before.

Court documents indicate that Ms Trepova was among the nearly 1,400 Russians detained at nationwide protests on 24 February last year, after Russia invaded Ukraine.

Tatarsky, formerly a coal miner and furniture trader from the Donbas region, had himself fought in Ukraine for separatist forces, after allegedly fleeing custody in Ukraine for bank robbery when civil war engulfed parts of the Donbas in 2014.

Last year, in a video shot at a ceremony in the Kremlin to mark Russias unilateral annexation of four Ukrainian regions, he said Russia should kill everyone and rob everyone in Ukraine.

Some local media outlets reported the cafe targeted in Sundays blast had previously belonged to Yevgeny Prigozhin, founder of the Wagner mercenary group that is fighting for Russia in Ukraine.

Mr Prigozhin, who has also been at loggerheads with Russias defence ministry in recent months, has said he believes the bomb which killed Tatarsky was likely planned by a group of radicals unrelated to the government in Kyiv.

Additional reporting by Reuters
Kansas lawmakers voted Tuesday to pass sweeping legislation targeting transgender people, prohibiting them from using bathrooms that align with their gender identities and preventing them from changing their names or genders on driver's licenses. The bill is expected to be vetoed by Gov. Laura Kelly, but the Republican-led Legislature could override a veto.

While the vote was the first on several on anti-transgender bills expected this week, the proposal, Senate Bill 180, would break new ground. It would define "sex" as "either male or female, at birth," in state law and require that government statisticians count people based on their sex assigned at birth and would prevent public documents, including birth certificates, from being changed to reflect a person's gender identity.

Two Democrats voted for the bill in the Kansas House last week, giving lawmakers a path to a veto-proof majority in that chamber. When the Senate considered the bill Tuesday, it approved the legislation on a 28-12 vote, a margin that would clear the bar needed to overturn a veto.

The move comes amid a wave of anti-transgender legislation in largely red states. Lawmakers in Iowa recently passed a bathroom bill targeting transgender students and staff in public schools. States including Missouri, Tennessee, Utah, Mississippi and South Dakota have all banned gender-affirming health care for transgender youth or are considering measures to do so this year. According to the Human Rights Campaign, more than 400 anti-LGBTQ bills are being tracked in 2023.

Critics worry the Kansas bill will dehumanize and deny recognition to transgender, nonbinary and gender-nonconforming people. Nearly 200 transgender people and their allies rallied at the Kansas Statehouse last week to urge lawmakers to reject the measure.

'I AM WHAT THEY'RE SCARED OF': Transgender young people rally at Kansas Statehouse

"We are in a fight for our lives," Justin Brace, executive director of Transgender Kansas, said at the rally.

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Lawmakers in favor of the bill said the language is necessary to protect women in public facilities and that it doesn't directly discuss transgender people. Critics counter that the argument is a facade.

"We talk about rights," Rep. Brenda Landwehr, R-Wichita, said on the House floor last week. "What is the rights of a woman? You are saying I have no more rights. I cannot go into a womans bathroom and know that a male will not walk into that bathroom. What about my rights? What about my comfort zone? What about my granddaughters, what about their rights?"

Eight states across the country have laws restricting bathroom access for adults on the basis of transgender identity, while an additional 10 states do so only for students in K-12 schools. Lawmakers in Oklahoma have approved a measure similar to Kansas' proposal that extends to other public facilities and services. The Kansas measure includes prisons, rape and domestic violence centers and shelters, and other spaces where "biology, safety or privacy" require separate facilities.

'CRUEL' AND 'DANGEROUS' BANS: Should transgender youths have access to gender-affirming care?

Kansas lawmakers are expected to try later this week to override Kelly's veto on a bill banning transgender athletes in women's sports with their most viable path yet to overturning Kelly's veto after two years of coming up short.

Lawmakers amended the bathroom bill in the House to state that people who are intersex  whose genitalia, chromosomes or internal sex organs don't align with typical definitions of male or female  would be able to access legal protections under the Americans with Disabilities Act or similar state-level statutes.

Kelly has sharply criticized the Legislature's focus on anti-transgender bills this session.

"I will continue to stand up for you, protect your rights and call out and condemn any speech or behavior or veto any bill that aims to harm or discriminate against you," she said at a rally last week hosted by Equality Kansas at the Statehouse.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY NETWORK: Transgender bathroom bill passed in Kansas; gov. expected to veto
Stan, one of the largest and most complete Tyrannosaurus rex fossil discovered, is on display, Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2020, at Christies in New York. The teeth on T. rex and other big theropods were likely covered by scaly lips, concludes a study published Thursday, March 30, 2023, in the journal Science. The dinosaurs teeth didnt stick out when its mouth was closed, and even in a wide open bite, you might just see the tips, the scientists found. | Mary Altaffer, Associated Press

It turns out Tyrannosaurus rex might not have looked as menacing as we once thought. Picturing one brings back flashbacks of watching Jurassic Park as a kid, seeing the sharp pearly whites apparent to intimidate.

But a study published in the journal Science found that the teeth likely looked less monstrous and more like Barney with a wide open bite that would cover up the teeth when its mouth was closed, The Associated Press reported.

What did T. rex dinosaurs look like?

The conclusion found they would have looked less like crocodiles and more like Komodo dragons.

Mark P. Witton via Associated Press

But its hard to change the original image of the therapods.

That animal has been copied so many times, said Mark Witton, a paleoartist and researcher at the University of Portsmouth in England, told The New York Times. It carried that lipless look into pop culture to the point where were now struggling to get rid of it.

Related

One piece of evidence that points to T. rex lips is that many have been found encased in a thin layer of enamel. Consistent exposure to open air would likely cause the teeth to be brittle like a crocodiles. According to the Times, an alligator can go through 3,000 teeth in its lifetime.

How Jurassic Park shaped the way we view T. rex dinosaurs

Jurassic Park  arguably one aspect of pop culture that has shaped what humans imagine dinosaurs like the most  is the one that makes a paleontologist at the University of Toronto Mississauga groan and moan about the multitude of errors and inaccuracies, per The Washington Post.

However, other paleontologists argue that fossils reveal the bare teeth were closer to what they resembled, per the Post.

Mark P. Witton via Associated Press

Fossil evidence and T. rex research

It is extremely difficult to depict the prehistoric creatures purely based on fossil evidence. But the study found that replacing teeth that were exposed would be extremely taxing on the dinos body, so its more likely that lips covered the teeth, according to The Wall Street Journal.

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I think this is really one of the first times where researchers have put together multiple lines of evidence that would support theropods having these lips, Jack Tseng, a University of California, Berkeley assistant professor of integrative biology, told WSJ about the research.

The findings opened up new questions to ask when looking to find out more about the iconic dinosaur.

Related
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP)  Taiwan defied threats of retaliation by China ahead of an expected meeting between the island's president and the U.S. House speaker Wednesday that will underscore her government's claim to sovereignty.

President Tsai Ing-wen is finishing a tour of Taiwan's remaining diplomatic allies in Latin America, Belize and Guatemala. The most politically sensitive part of her trip will be a meeting with U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in Los Angeles while she transits on her way back home.

Pro- and anti-Taiwan demonstrators gathered Tuesday night, local time, outside a downtown Los Angeles hotel in anticipation of Tsai's arrival. Her supporters lined a red carpet leading to the hotel's entrance, banging drums, chanting and holding Taiwanese flags and photos of the president. A smaller group demonstrating in favor of China gathered nearby on the sidewalk, at times chanting One China.

China views Taiwan as its own territory and treats any dealings between U.S. and Taiwanese officials as a challenge to its sovereignty. Tsai's tour is a bid to demonstrate that her government has international support.

Belize and Guatemala are two of just 13 countries that formally recognize Taiwan, a number that has dipped as China has put pressure on and funneled money into isolating the island. Tsai's Latin American trip comes just a week after Honduras announced it was cutting ties with Taiwan in favor of China, potentially prompted by a $300 million hydroelectric dam project in central Honduras built by a Chinese company.

Last week, and again on Monday, China threatened with countermeasures if Tsai met with McCarthy. The Chinese Consulate in Los Angeles issued a statement Monday saying it opposed any any form of contact between Taiwan authorities and the U.S.

The reality and current situation that both sides of the (Taiwan) Strait belong to one China is very clear, the statement said.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said at a daily news briefing Tuesday that China will closely follow the developments and resolutely defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

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Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that it has never been part of China, and that China's recent criticism has become increasingly absurd.

Taiwan, the Republic of China, is a sovereign country, and has the right to make its own determination in developing relations with other countries in the world, it said in a statement. It does not accept interference or suppression by any country for any reason, and will not limit itself because of intimidation or interference.

The United States longstanding one-China policy acknowledges that the Chinese claim Taiwan as their territory. However, the U.S. does not endorse that claim and remains Taiwans most important provider of military hardware and other defense assistance.

China has repeatedly asserted its claim to Taiwan, though Taiwan maintains its own democratic system of government since the sides split after a civil war in 1949.

Keeping up the military pressure, China's Peoples Liberation Army sent 20 warplanes toward Taiwan Monday to Tuesday as well as three warships in the latest round of exercises, which have increased significantly in recent years.

China regularly sends warplanes around the island and has at times seemingly used the exercises as a demonstration of its ire.

Last December, China sent 71 planes and seven ships toward Taiwan in a 24-hour display of force after it expressed anger at Taiwan-related provisions in a U.S. annual defense spending bill.

And last year, China responded to a visit by then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan with the largest live-fire drills in decades that included firing a missile over the island, which had landed in Japan's exclusive economic zone.

The PLAs increased military activity near Taiwan has raised concerns among regional governments, and also drawn greater international attention and rhetorical support for Taiwans defense. U.S. legislators have also started visiting Taiwan at a greater frequency, as anti-China sentiment and concerns over China's strategic position grows in Congress.

__

Associated Press journalist Eugene Garcia in Los Angeles contributed.
More than 10,000 kilometres (6,000 miles) from its origins in France, a red grape with a reputation for harshness has produced an unlikely hit that thrust the small South American country of Uruguay onto the global wine map.

In a land of gauchos and open-flame grilling, Tannat found a perfect host in Uruguay's mild, humid climate and carnivorous inhabitants.

With more seeds than other grapes, blue-black Tannat is high in astringent tannins -- a dominant characteristic that gave it its name and was long considered undesirable.

But it turned out to be the perfect tipple to cut through a fatty steak -- of which Uruguayans eat more per capita than almost any other nation.

Tannat "marries very well with meat," enologist Eduardo Boido of the Bouza winery in Montevideo told AFP.

"You eat the meat and you take a sip of Tannat to cleanse the palate, you eat again..." he explained among the recently-harvested vines.

Now Uruguay's national grape, Tannat is originally from the southwest of France, where it has grown for centuries.

- From rustic to renowned -

In the 1870s, it was brought to Uruguay, then still a relatively new wine country, by the French Basque Pascual Harriague.

"For a long time, Tannat was known as Harriague (after its Basque father) and generally those were somewhat rustic wines," Nicolas Cappellini, owner of the Montevideo Wine Experience, a wine bar, told AFP.

"Our grandparents and our parents drank those types of Tannat."

It was only in about the 1980s that the focus shifted to fine wine.

Today, the country makes a wide variety of styles, in different price ranges, and its Tannats frequently rank among the best in the world.

"Over 150 years of making Tannat, producers in Uruguay have learnt how to manage the naturally high tannin level of the grape," states the Uruguay Wine website.

"Uruguay... made a champion of the unlikely variety of Tannat."

Almost a third of the world's Tannat wine is produced in Uruguay -- a country of 3.5 million people that is smaller than the state of Washington.

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This placed it "second only to France" with 45 percent, said Kym Anderson of the Wine Economics Research Centre at the University of Adelaide.

Argentina follows with 15 percent and the United States with four percent, according to a global database compiled by the university.

- 'Punches above its weight' -

Uruguay's 1,200-odd vineyards -- mostly small and family-owned -- lie between the 30th and 35th parallels south -- the same as major wine producers Chile, Argentina, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia.

They are located within a few kilometers of the River Plate or the Atlantic Ocean, cooled by a maritime breeze year round.

It is the humidity, said Boido, that makes the tannins in Uruguay's Tannat "much more delicate than in other regions."

"What marks out Uruguayan Tannat in particular is its freshness, which is down to the climate," added London-based Master of Wine Julia Harding.

Uruguay's wine exports are dwarfed by beef, milk and soy beans, "but it still punches above its weight," Master of Wine Tim Atkin wrote in his 2021 Uruguay Special Report.

The country exported some 4.8 million bottles of wine, mainly red, worth $18.5 million in 2022, data from the INAVI viticultural institute shows.

Tannat, said INAVI spokeswoman Karina Spremolla, was the "most exported varietal."

- 'A bit strong' -

Uruguay had 1,575 hectares of Tannat vines in 2022, less than France's 2,733 hectares in 2019, according to that country's South West Vineyards website.

The big difference lies in the share: in France, Tannat accounts for less than one percent of total plantation, in Uruguay it is by far the biggest at 27 percent.

Another distinction: "In Uruguay, the Tannat grape is mostly used for the production of monovarietal wines," INAVI technical advisor Eduardo Felix told AFP.

Although this is changing, "in other regions of the world it is used to design high-end blends."

Cappellini said most of the Tannat sold at the bar is "without a doubt" to foreigners keen to try the flagship varietal.

Uruguayans, ironically, have a perception of Tannat as a wine "that is a bit strong, rustic," he told AFP.

Retired American Bob Mayes, 72, finds Tannat, a relatively new varietal for him, to be "very tasty. I drink quite a bit of it," he told AFP -- though not with fish.

A good thing then that traditionally-made Tannat is the "healthiest of wines", according to Roger Corder, a researcher who co-authored a 2006 study in the journal Nature.

Tannat contains high levels of polyphenols -- compounds with antioxidant properties believed to boost brain health and protect against heart disease.

Uruguay marks Tannat Day on April 14, the day Harriague passed away in 1894.

mlr/jh
Tucker is set to be inducted alongside fellow Grammy-winner Patty Loveless and country songwriter Bob McDill.

John Russell/CMA

More than five decades after she burst onto the country music scene as a precocious 13 year old, Tanya Tucker is finally being honored by the Country Music Hall of Fame.

The Country Music Association announced the 2023 inductees on Monday in Nashville, Tennessee. Tucker is set to be inducted alongside fellow Grammy-winner Patty Loveless and country songwriter Bob McDill.

Country Music Hall of Fame member Vince Gill hosted the press conference to announce the news, which was also streamed live on CMAs YouTube channel (below).

I figured Id get it when I was dead or something, Tucker, 64, told The Associated Press on Monday. And I kinda quit thinking about it, or wanting it.

McDill will be inducted in the Songwriter category, which is awarded every third year in rotation with Recording and/or Touring Musician and Non-Performer categories. Loveless will be inducted in the Modern Era Artist category and Tucker will be inducted in the Veterans Era Artist category.

Country Music Hall of Fame 2023 Inductee!!!  pic.twitter.com/Dnd59iiHKl  Tanya Tucker (@tanyatucker) April 3, 2023

I'm more than proud to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, Tucker said in a statement. It was wonderful to have all three of my kids beside me when I got the news. The only way it couldve been any better is if my parents Beau and Juanita Tucker could have been there too. They are the reason and the root of all my success in music. And the fansthey are everything! When I walk in that Hall they will all be with me."

Tucker, Loveless, and McDill will be formally inducted during a ceremony at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in the CMA Theater this fall.

Each of our three new inductees has left a deep and distinctive stamp on our genre, Kyle Young, CEO of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, said in a news release. Tanya Tucker, originally from Texas, is a force of nature who has been blazing her way into our hearts since she was a teenager. Patty Loveless, who hails from the coal-mining hills of Kentucky, sings with mountain soul and makes music that blends tradition with invention. And Bob McDill from East Texas has written some of the most enduring and artful songs in our genre. They have all profoundly shaped our music, and we are honored and delighted that their achievements will now forever be enshrined in the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Story continues

Congrats, yall!

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Read the original article on Southern Living.
The cafe where Vladlen Tatarsky was blown up

Read also: Russian security forces detain Daria Trepova for murder of Russian propagandist Vladlen Tatarsky

I think we need to consider different versions because we still have insufficient information, Fesenko begins.

But I will add regarding the versions that (I think) it was done by Russian special services. This version, by the way, is actively discussed in Russian social media, in (Russian) Telegram channels, in Russian opposition media, and I think this is the most popular version.

According to him, the aim was to blame Ukraine and to scare Russian elites, who were becoming too relaxed, beginning to criticize Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.

Another possible reason for the assassination, according to Fesenko, was to create a pretext to push Putin towards imposing martial law in Russia.

Fesenko also noted that the bombing took place in St. Petersburg, and St. Petersburg Governor Alexander Beglov is in conflict with the head of Wagner Group PMC, Yevgeny Prigozhin.

There is a version that is being publicized by people associated with him (Prigozhin) or his fans in the circle of these so-called Z-patriots, the most chauvinistic and aggressive supporters of the war against Ukraine, Fesenko said.

Read also: China Makes Casting Call for Putin's Successor

They say that supposedly Yevgeny Prigozhin himself was supposed to come to this meeting with the so-called war correspondent Tatarsky. Whether its true or not  we dont know, but the fact is that it happened in his cafe and could have been a greeting or warning to Prigozhin, as in  if you go too far, the special services know where and how to find you and what to do with you.

Read also: Lithuanias parliament declares Wagner mercenary company a terrorist organization

According to him, this version fits with the theory that Russian special services were behind the operation.

He added that this murder may push authorities towards more severe actions, towards tightening the screws, as they say in Russia, and towards increasing repression within Russia.

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Fesenko also pointed out that it immediately became known that the girl who handed the concealed bomb to Tatarsky previously attended anti-war rallies.

Read also: Russian FSB agent detained in Kharkiv over planning terrorist attacks against Ukrainian pilots and special forces

They immediately push us towards a specific version: look, these anti-war activists, they are bad, they are enemies of Russia, and so on, he adds.

This is what further nudges us towards the first version, that this is an obvious provocation by Russian special services, a showdown around Yevgeny Prigozhin and Wagner PMC.

Read also: About 6,000 Wagner Group mercenaries fighting in Bakhmut, top US general says

And most importantly, it is an open provocation against Ukraine, in order to accuse it of terrorist methods and against the anti-war position in Russia. Therefore, at the moment, I still lean towards the version that this is a provocation by Russian special services.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Ma Ying-jeou, former chairman of the Chinese Kuomintang (KMT) party, presents a flower to the tomb of General Zhang Zizhong, a senior officer killed during the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, while visiting a cemetery dedicated to the general, in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, April 4, 2023. (Xinhua/Cai Yang)

CHONGQING, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Ma Ying-jeou, former chairman of the Chinese Kuomintang (KMT) party, on Tuesday visited a cemetery in Chongqing dedicated to General Zhang Zizhong, a senior officer killed during the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, and paid tribute to fallen heroes during the war.

The general was killed while fighting a battle in 1940 at the age of 49, and buried in the cemetery.

In front of the general's tomb, Ma observed a moment of silence and bowed three times, together with young people from Taiwan in his delegation, before presenting flowers.

When visiting a historic site museum in Chongqing, Ma said that China's resistance war restrained the main force of the Japanese army in the eastern battlefield, which was a great contribution.

He said that the Cairo Conference held in 1943 was extremely important, and cited stipulations from the Cairo Declaration that all Chinese territories seized by Japan should be returned to China.

During the ongoing trip, Ma has led a group of young people from Taiwan to visit memorial sites and cemeteries -- including the Memorial Hall of the Victims in Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders in the city of Nanjing, as well as a memorial hall dedicated to military officers and soldiers who sacrificed their lives during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and a historic site of a ceremony to accept the surrender of Japanese invaders in Hunan Province -- to relive the history of the resistance war.

According to Ma's itinerary, when he arrives in Shanghai, he will continue to visit venues in memory of the resistance war. 

Ma Ying-jeou, former chairman of the Chinese Kuomintang (KMT) party, visits a historic site museum in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, April 4, 2023. (Xinhua/Cai Yang)

Ma Ying-jeou, former chairman of the Chinese Kuomintang (KMT) party, visits a memorial hall dedicated to military officers and soldiers who sacrificed their lives during the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression in Hengyang, central China's Hunan Province, April 1, 2023. (Xinhua/Cai Yang)

Ma Ying-jeou, former chairman of the Chinese Kuomintang (KMT) party, visits a cemetery dedicated to General Zhang Zizhong, a senior officer killed during the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, and pays tribute to fallen heroes during the war, in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, April 4, 2023. (Xinhua/Cai Yang)
The Defence Intelligence of Ukraine believes that Vladimir Putin, President of Russia, himself is guilty of murdering propagandist Vladlen Tatarsky.

Source: Andrii Yusov, official representative of the Defence Intelligence, in the national newscast

Quote: "Putin killed Vladlen Tatarsky when he invaded Ukraine and began the full-scale invasion on 24 February. Putin and the whole Ruscist regime bear personal responsibility for over 175,000 killed Ruscists, and for other murdered traitors, no matter if they died due to an unfortunate accident or received a fair sentence from the internal defence forces or the Ukrainian state."

Details: Predicting the future for "other potential Tatarskys", Yusov remarked that the Russian propagandists will be far safer in Ukrainian prisons than in Russia.

Background:

On 2 April, an explosion occurred in a cafe in the centre of St Petersburg that had previously belonged to Yevgeny Prigozhin, owner of the Wagner Group Private Military Company, killing "war correspondent" (military blogger) Vladlen Tatarsky and injuring 30 other people.

Russian security forces have detained Darya Trepova, a resident of St Petersburg, on suspicion of murdering propagandist Vladlen Tatarsky.

Analysts at the Institute for the Study of War have assumed that forces inside Russia may have been involved in his murder, and it could have been a "warning" meant for Prigozhin.

Russia's National Anti-Terrorist Committee has accused Ukrainian secret services and supporters of Alexei Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation of murdering collaborator and propagandist Maxim Fomin, who called himself the war correspondent Vladlen Tatarsky.

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When you pick up Yael today, the principal needs to see you. It was a one-line email from my first graders teacher, but it was enough to twist my stomach in a knot.

It was her first year at the school, and I had yet to meet the principal in person. So, when I showed up to her office, my daughters hand in mine, I had a wide smile plastered on my face, and eagerly extended my hand. She shook it limply.

We have a problem, she said. This happened 10 years ago, and I can still see her face.

After setting up Yael with a book outside the office, I sat down, my heart racing. It was decades since I had been called to the principals office, but I could still feel a shiver of anxiety.

Your daughter drew a picture of dead people today. She picked up the piece of paper by the corner as if it was a dirty rag. My daughter had drawn stick figures jumbled in a heap, something resembling black tears streaming from their faces.

The picture my 6-year-old drew that caused some trouble at school. (Courtesy Sarah Gundle)

The principal seemed to be waiting for an expression of shock or dismay. I paused before blurting: Well, today is Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day. We have been talking about this at home.

She stared at me, her mouth pursed, still holding the paper as if she was presenting a murder weapon to a jury.

My grandfather was a Holocaust survivor, I stammered. We lost a lot of our family in the Holocaust. Its a big part of my familys history.

Well, your daughter is 6 years old.

Yes, I know. I was feeling my nervousness tip toward anger.

This is not acceptable for a 6-year-old to know about.

I took a long breath and let it out between clenched teeth. And why is that?

She gave the drawing a little shake, as if nothing could be more obvious.

Yes, I said, more firmly. People died in the Holocaust, just like that.

As a mental health professional, and as a parent, I am keenly aware of the need to teach children in an age-appropriate manner. But as a direct descendent of Holocaust survivors who are rapidly disappearing, I am equally mindful of the need to keep their memory alive.

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Me with my daughter when she was 6 years old, around the time the incident at school happened. (Courtesy Sarah Gundle)

Since this incident happened with my daughter a decade ago, erasure of the Holocaust in popular culture has only worsened. A 2020 survey of Americans found that 63% did not know that 6 million died in the Holocaust; over half of those thought the toll was under 2 million. And it doesnt stop there. Book bans like those infamously propagated by the Nazis have reached unprecedented levels. In 2022, PEN America reported that there were 2,532 instances of individual books being banned, including Night by Elie Wiesel, The Diary Of A Young Girl by Anne Frank, and Maus by Art Spiegelman.

Walking home that afternoon, Yael asked me: Did I do something wrong?

No honey, you didnt. Some things are just hard to talk about, even for grown-ups. Despite my reassurances, I was wondering the same thing. Had I done something wrong?

We are all familiar with those haunting images of children being herded in long lines to the Nazi gas chambers, unaware of the fate that awaited them. Its a powerful metaphor. Just because they may not have a frame of reference with which to understand the scale of tragedy in the world does not mean that our kids dont feel the same feelings of helplessness that we do. The antidote to powerlessness is empowerment, but how do we empower our children if we keep them in the dark?

If my daughters principal had asked, I would have explained to her the careful, kid-sensitive scaffolding I built around the historical event that more than any other defines her identity  how I told her that there was a war, in which many people died because of their religion, sexual identity or physical disability; how I read her childrens books that get across the facts in an age-appropriate way, although we did skip a few pages here and there. Books like The Cat with the Yellow Star or Love the World, which is about a dear family friend, Bronia Roslawowski, who was born in Poland, survived a concentration camp and devoted the better part of her life to teaching the Holocaust to children just like Yael. She also, more than anyone else, taught me that learning about the Holocaust and learning to value life are not only compatible, they are inextricably intertwined.

Family friend Bronia Roslawowski with me (her hands on my shoulders), my father, my brother and one of her grandchildren. (Courtesy Sarah Gundle)

I would also have explained that Yael and I talked about hope  about Jews who resisted the Nazis, and about non-Jews who risked their lives to save thousands of us, including members of our own family. Also, how we talked about why people yearn to live, and how important it is to hug each other every day. Finally, I would have recounted how we discuss the work I have done over the last 25 years with those seeking asylum, and how I wish I could have told my beloved grandfather about it because he sought refuge in America and loved this country fiercely for having granted it.

But she didnt ask. She, at least back then, seemed to believe that the Holocaust is something children are not ready to know about. Its clear that many people still believe that today. I disagree. I believe that we must expose children to the trauma of history, and that its possible to do so in language and concepts they can understand. When we wait to teach a dark part of history until they are old enough to fully metabolize the story, they are also old enough to keep it at a distance, to justify or explain away its horror.

Delaying exposure to what happened is not being respectful of the child; its tragically disrespectful of the victims, part of the process of forgetting. If Never Again is to not become a meaningless platitude, we must give our children  yes, even our 6-year olds  the opportunity their ancestors never had of knowing the truth.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com
John Shearer/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management

Fans have confirmed the latest Taylor Swift theory: That she arrives on stage in a janitor's cart.

Videos show Swift emerging from a cart stocked with mops in a sparkly leotard before her set.

In one video, Swift waves to fans seated behind the stage for the Eras Tour after her set.

Taylor Swift's Eras Tour kicked off in Glendale, Arizona last month, with Swift so far welcoming hundreds of thousands of fans to see her perform for the first time since 2018 across three cities.

Since the first night of the tour, fans have wondered how the popstar stealthily arrives beneath the venue's stage to emerge mere minutes later clad in a sparkly leotard while belting the chorus of 2019's "Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince."

The venues that Swift is visiting on tour have sold "obstructed view" seats that place fans behind the stage but in front of a giant screen so they, too, can see the show.

Because this group sits behind the scenes, some observant Swifties began to theorize that Swift secretly entered the stage in a massive janitor's cart, emerging just minutes before she starts her over three-hour-long set list.

Why? Because at every show, the same suspicious cart has rolled up and entered the stage area while Lady Gaga's "Applause" blares on the stadium's sound system  the song that Eras Tour goers have recognized as the one that plays just before Swift goes on.

After three cities down on the tour, Swifites have the receipts to prove the theory.

Video from Swift's Arlington, Texas, concerts shows her stepping out of the janitor's cart, seeming to confirm the wild fan theory.

This isn't the first time Swift's covert or non-traditional transportation methods have sparked intense interest from fans. Swift had been photographed hiking backward in 2015 and walking sideways in 2016 to avoid the paparazzi.

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In July 2017, a picture of two men transporting a large suitcase from Swift's Tribeca apartment went viral. At the time, Splash News alleged that Swift was hidden inside. (Splash later retracted the claim, saying it was impossible to know if Swift (who is just shy of 5'11") was inside).

To set the scene, this photo was released a year after Kim Kardashian shared the infamous recording to Snapchat stories of a conversation between Swift and Ye (formerly known as Kanye West). In it, Swift seemed to approve of the lyrics about her in West's "Famous" before its release. Swift hadn't released an album since "1989" in 2014 and would go on to release the edgier, more vengeful "Reputation" in November 2017. In her 2020 documentary "Miss Americana," Swift spoke about this period, saying: "Nobody physically saw me for a year, and that was what I thought they wanted. I had to deconstruct an entire belief system, toss it out and reject it. It woke me up from constantly feeling like I was fighting for people's respect. It was happiness without anyone else's input."

A year later, a Zayn Malik interview in British Vogue lent fuel to the theory's fire: "She was traveling around in a suitcase," he told the outlet, referencing Taylor Swift's skill at avoiding the paparazzi. (Swift and Malik had worked on the 2017 "Fifty Shades of Darker" song together).



Swift is a peerless master of the Easter egg, so it's not hard to understand why fans might treat other curiosities like a group mystery project.



Whether Swift is in on the janitor's closet joke or just happened to emerge earlier than usual is unclear, but it appears only a lucky few Swifties might be able to confirm the theory in person.

Read the original article on Insider
Screenshot: TODAY, YouTube (Other)

In January, Abigail Zwerner, a 25-year-old first-grade teacher from Virginia was shot by her 6-year-old student, sustaining a life-altering injury to her left hand, a collapsed lung, and ongoing emotional trauma. Now, nearly three months after the ordeal, Zwerners attorneys have revealed shes filed a $40 million negligence lawsuit in answer to the inefficacy of the school district officials she claims couldve prevented it.

I can tell you there were failures on multiple levels in this case, and there were adults that were in positions of authority that could have prevented this tragedy from happening and did not, Diane Toscano, one of Zwerners lawyers told NBC News.



Read more

Defendants named in Zwerners suit include the Newport News school board, former superintendent George Parker III, ex-Richneck Elementary School principal Briana Foster Newton, and the former assistant principal, Ebony Parker.

Just before the shooting the student, who the suit states had a history of random violence, was given a one-day suspension for breaking Zwerners cellphone. The following day, he returned with a 9mm Taurus handgun and opened fire as she sat with other students at a reading table. When the story first made headlines, police chief Steve Drew called the shooting intentional and that the boy had brought the legally-obtained firearm owned by his mother in his backpack.

Zwerners legal representation claims negligence occurred when the Newport News school failed to take meaningful action after three teachers approached the administration with concerns about the boys behavioral issues and speculation that he had a firearm on campus property. Days after the shooting, Superintendent George Parker so much as confirmed this to parents during a virtual meeting: At least one administrator was notified of a possible weapon in the timeline that were reviewing and was aware that that student had, there was a potential that there was a weapon on campus. However, Parker claimed that a search of the boys backpack did not yield a weaponan assertion Zwerners attorneys disputed. Parker has since been fired.

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Before she was wounded, Zwerner, too, reportedly texted a loved one saying the boy was armed and expressed frustration that school officials had yet to intervene. In a statement, the boys family said he had an acute disability. They also claimed the weapon had been secured in their home and that they have always been committed to responsible gun ownership and keeping firearms out of the reach of children.

In her first public interview, Zwerner told TODAY that even after four surgeries and exhausting occupational therapy, she has yet to retain full function of her hand and that doctors remain uncertain if she ever will.

But, you know, for going through what Ive gone through, I try to stay positive, she said. You know, try to have a positive outlook on whats happened and where my futures heading.

The Newport News school division had a duty to Abby, Toscano told the Wall Street Journal. But they failed her miserably that day.

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North Miami is hosting a bootcamp for owners of tech startups and businesses, with the hopes of laying the groundwork for the city to become a tech hub and attract companies to the area.

The program called NoMi Tech is a partnership with Lightship Foundation, an organization that provides resources and support to tech business founders from diverse backgrounds. The organization runs a bootcamp to help startups and other tech companies, and through its funding arm, Lightship Capital, offers financial help to firms, including some that have gone through the bootcamp accelerator.

The citys partnership with the foundation is roughly $140,000 for the first year, North Miami Economic Development and Strategic Initiatives Director John Lorfils told the Miami Herald.

North Miami is the latest city added to Lightships bootcamp series. In the past five years, the predominantly Black city has seen steady job growth, according to data from the Miami-Dade Beacon Council. Last year, the top two leading business sectors in the city were retail and professional, scientific and technical services.

With roughly 60,000 residents  56% of them Black  North Miami is positioned to attract Black and other diverse businesses, North Miami Vice Mayor and Councilwoman Mary Estime-Irvin said. Everyone wants to be in South Florida and North Miami is that place where we can take advantage of that.

Estime-Irvin said she started thinking about how to bring tech businesses to North Miami after hearing Miami Mayor Francis Suarez talk about bringing the tech industry to his city. And I said to myself, wait a second, you know, everyone cant come to the city of Miami, she told the Herald.

We as a city need to prepare ourselves and always think about what we can do to make sure that our residents have a place where they can work, live and play, she said.

North Miami Councilwoman Mary Estime-Irvin

Estime-Irvin said she began attending tech conferences and worked with former city manager Theresa Therilus to craft the initiative with the hopes of making North Miami a tech hub. Part of that was partnering with Lightship to host a bootcamp that would provide training to minority tech founders who need the skills to start or grow their business.

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RELATED: Backed by music vet Ted Lucas, Florida Memorial University debuts tech innovation center

The free bootcamp will be held in North Miami from April 17 to April 19 and is intended for minority-, women- and LGBTQ-led companies, Lightship founder and CEO Candice Matthews Brackeen told the Herald. Attendees will spend time crafting their business pitch and refining it to attract investors. A second bootcamp is scheduled for December.

We use artificial intelligence to help buyers to make more important decisions. We provide assistance around financial modeling, brand and design, Brackeen said of what the bootcamp has to offer. And there are several entrepreneurs and residents and mentors that come and teach the classes to the founders over the course of those three days.

Brackeen said the idea is that over time, as North Miami establishes itself as a tech ecosystem, it could develop more startup companies and attract more tech businesses.

READ MORE: Big push to train workers for lucrative jobs in Miamis growing technology arena

Economic Development & Strategic Initiatives Director John Lorfils

Lorfils said he attended Black Tech Week in Cincinnati, Ohio, last year to familiarize himself with Lightship and their work. The event allowed him to see how many Black workers are in the tech space.

Black people comprise 12% of the workforce in the United States, but only 8% of employees in tech jobs, according to the McKinsey Institute for Black Economic Mobility. Tech jobs are expected to grow 14% by 2023, but Black tech talent in those roles are only expected to grow 8% over the same time period.

Being able to offer North Miami as a destination for founders to consider to bring their startup companies to and to provide opportunities to them is the goal of the program, Lorfils said.

Brackeen said the secret sauce to the bootcamp is providing new communities for the founders. Theyre able to have peers that join them in their journey of entrepreneurship. Theyre just really great bonds that are built.

The program, Brackeen said, will help North Miami residents dream a bit bigger. I think lots of times intelligence is distributed equally, but opportunity is not, and so what we want to make certain that we do is highlight the fact that theres some incredible things already being built in North Miami and we have to shine a light on that, she said, adding that smaller cities often dont get the attention they deserve for tech innovation. I think its time to make certain that North Miami gets that same love for its Black residents.

Through the program, participants will also have the opportunity to pitch their ideas to investors to receive funding. In some instances, companies have received funding through Lightship Capital, which recently awarded $500,000 to a company that went through one of the Lightship bootcamps nine months ago.

Thats not trivial and that would be our fifth bootcamp investment over the last few years, Brakeen said. So for us, were super excited to be able to give people that opportunity and also it doesnt mean that we are the only funder. So many of our bootcamp companies have gone on to get funding elsewhere.

Chandler Malone went through Lightships bootcamp program in August 2021. At the time, Malone was based in Tulsa and had raised $500,000 for his business Bootup, an organization that helps people get their first tech job regardless of their academic or professional background.

Four months after the bootcamp, Malone raised $2.5 million and had $1 million in revenue. Everything is not because of the bootcamp but there were definitely a lot of things just foundationally that they were helpful with that. It kind of unlocked those next steps for us, he said.

Malone has since relocated his business to South Florida and has invested in other Black-owned tech startups. When it was time to really just grow the business you want to be in a place where you have an opportunity to have a global reach and Miami definitely has that, he said.

Lorfils is hoping that North Miami can also capitalize on those coming to Miami for the annual eMERGE Americas tech event that same week of the bootcamp. As for when North Miami becomes a tech hub, Lorfils emphasized it will take time.

Were in the beginning phase of it right now. But these are some of the things that need to happen, engaging these tech companies, marketing North Miami as a destination for their companies, he said. Were actually bringing them here so they can see what we have to offer.

Companies interested in attending the bootcamp can apply at this site: https://www.lightship.education/apply.
A Georgia teenager who almost died during an alcohol-related hazing incident last week has spoken out for the first time since the attack.

Trenton Trent Lehrkamp, 19, was forced to consume excessive amounts of alcohol during a house party in Saint Simons Island on 21 March. Three juveniles then dropped him off at an emergency room while he was unconscious and with a nearly fatal alcohol level of .464  more than 23 times over the legal limit.

Mr Lehrkamps clothes were soaked with urine and he had spray paint all over his body and hair as well as a small bruise on his left shoulder, according to a police report released by Glynn County PD. He was then placed on a ventilator.

In an audio shared by WSAV reporter Brett Buffington, Mr Lehrkamp said he is slowly improving but has a long recovery ahead. He is now receiving treatment at an out-of-state facility.

Just know its going to be a long time for me to get over this, through the trauma, Mr Lehrkramp said. But one day, hopefully within the next few months or so, I might be back. But, justice will be served.

EXCLUSIVE: A message from Trent Lehrkamp himself as he continues his recovery, now at an out of state facility. Justice will be served. @wsav #TrentLehrkamp #JusticeForTrent pic.twitter.com/ehD6IXAjT3  Brett Buffington (@BrettWSAV) April 2, 2023

The three juveniles who dropped Lehrkamp at the hospital left before police officers showed up, according to a Facebook post from the Glynn County Police Department. No arrests have been made as of Tuesday (4 April).

The department issued a statement on Monday asking the public to avoid misinformation surrounding the case. Chief ONeal Jackson said there is no evidence that anyone defecated on Mr Lehrkamp, or that he ingested battery acid.

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They also denied allegations that some of the teens involved in the incident are related to members of the Glynn County Police Department.

Misinformation also delays and hampers the investigation as it needlessly requires the diversion of resources, the statement read. Just as we ask the public to help by providing information, you can also help by refusing to pass on information without verifying the facts.

(GoFundMe)

Mr Lehrkamp spent a week in the ICU battling fevers and a lung infection, according to a GoFundMe set up by Erika Keller.

The GoFundMe was set up to raise money for Mr Lehrkamps medical bills. As of Tuesday, it had raised more than $125,000.

On Sunday (2 April), a family member wrote in an update that Mr Lehrkamp was thankful for the good wishes and support he had received in the last couple of weeks.

He wants you all to know hes alive and well but has a long road to go towards being fully recovered from the trauma, Ericka Keller wrote. He is hopeful that through the support hes going to receive over the next few months, that he may be back to normalcy.

Mr Lehrkamps father, Mark Lehrkamp, told officers in the report that his son was with people he thinks cares for him because he has no other friends. However, Mark alleged this was not the first time his son returned from the home injured.

Several news reports say that videos from previous incidents involving Lehrkamp began circulating on social media, allegedly showing the teenager slumped over in a chair while being sprayed with a water hose.

Trent wouldnt know until it was too late that these were not friends, but vile and abusive perpetrators who would go on to torture, humiliate, and assault him inhumane, terrifying ways for hours, the description of the GoFundMe says.

Glynn County Police said they are continuing to investigate the incident and both the Criminal Investigation Division (CID) and Georgia Bureau of Investigations (GBI) conducted interviews with involved parties.
Two Midlands teenagers who have been charged with robbing an area Waffle House were also arrested for previously holding up another of the chain restaurants, according to law enforcement officials.

Jyekwuan Dae-Sean Brown, a 19-year-old Columbia resident, and Elgin resident Jalon Bradley, another 19-year-old, were charged for the March 7 armed robbery at the Waffle House on U.S. 601 in Lugoff, the Kershaw County Sheriffs Office said.

Now the Fairfield County Sheriffs Office said the duo has been charged for the Feb. 24 robbery of the Waffle House at the intersection of S.C. 34 and Interstate 77 in Ridgeway.

No injuries were reported in either robbery.

Information about how Brown and Bradley were connected to the robberies was not available.

Both teens were charged with armed robbery and possession of a weapon during a violent crime from the February robbery, according to the Fairfield County Sheriffs Office.

Jail records show Bradley is currently being held at the Kershaw County Detention Center after being charged with three counts of kidnapping, in addition to armed robbery with a deadly weapon, possession of a weapon during violent crime, safe cracking and criminal conspiracy, in connection to the March Waffle House robbery. Bradley was tracked down by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Divisions fugitive apprehension team in Sumter County on March 16.

On March 24, Brown was arrested by SLED on the same charges, but is no longer listed on the Kershaw County jails inmate roster.

The Kershaw County Sheriffs Office said the teens were not the only people involved in the armed robbery in March.

We expect more charges and more arrests in our ongoing investigation, Kershaw County Sheriff Lee Boan said.

There was no word about how many other people were involved, their identities, potential charges they could be facing, or if any were also involved in the February robbery at the Ridgeway Waffle House.

Information about the teens possibly being involved in the robbery of any other Waffle House restaurants in the Midlands was not available.

At the time of the armed robberies, Brown was out on bond from a July 2, 2022, arrest, Richland County court records show. Brown is facing pending drug possession and weapons charges in addition to one count of failure to stop for a blue light, according to Richland County court records.

The Richland County Sheriffs Department, Sumter County Sheriffs Office and Sumter Police Department have assisted in the investigations.
A Tennessee politician attempted to school some students protesting gun violence at the Tennessee Capitol on Monday, but he missed the mark by a long shot.

The students were reacting to a recent shooting at a private Christian school in Nashville that led to the deaths of three children and three adults.

State Rep. William Lamberth (R) agreed to talk with the protesters, but had a weird way to trying to win a debate with students worried about getting shot in class.

Lamberths approach was to ask the students which firearm theyd prefer to be shot with.

If there is a firearm out there that youre comfortable being shot with, please show me which one it is, he asked rhetorically.

Lamberth probably thought the question he asked the protesters was deep and Socratic, but it came across as heartless  especially when accompanied by a shrug.

So youre not going to like my answer, and, look, Im going to say that straight up, Lamberth warned. Its not about this one gun.

He then claimed that it would be impossible to stop every single gun from getting into the hands of a crazy person, a deranged person, [or] a convicted felon, and even if it was done, it would do nothing to prevent yalls safety.

LISTEN: Rep. Lamberth speaks to students inside the Cordell Hall building as walkouts and cries to end gun violence continue. https://t.co/8S1O5hutX8pic.twitter.com/E55VziRyqI  FoxNashville (@FOXNashville) April 3, 2023

Lamberth has previously protested red flag laws, saying that, We dont take peoples Fourth Amendment Rights or First Amendment Rights, or Second Amendment Rights or Fifth Amendment Rights without proper due process, without making sure that everyone knows what the rules are ahead of time.

Naturally, his comments suggesting one gun will kill you the same as another were mocked by Twitter users.

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Sorry y'all, but some of you are just going to have to die.



What a coward. https://t.co/VYCtjkdh8u  whatajoke (@wattaj0ke) April 3, 2023

He's basically saying y'all can protest all you want, we ain't gonna do shit about it. https://t.co/EF9KKUYxUF  Tired of this shit (@tiredtinNYC) April 3, 2023

So why is it typically the one type?  John P. Mocko, P.G. (@johnpmocko) April 3, 2023

Better question: How does anyone over 18 being able to purchase an assault rifles make us safer?  Derek  (@dstiddypop43) April 3, 2023

You might also mention to condescending people like this that rounds from an AR-15 go through regular bulletproof vests like a hot knife through butter. Theyre designed for handgun rounds. Vests that stop rifle rounds are too bulky & heavy for everyday police work. Not all day.  Brian Torri (@BrianTorri) April 3, 2023

Related...
Tennessee State Representatives Justin Jones, Gloria Johnson and Justin Pearson, all Democrats, led chants from the House floor calling on colleagues to pass gun control legislation

Tennessee's House of Representatives has expelled two Democratic lawmakers for leading gun control demonstrations from the House floor.

Republicans accused three Democratic representatives of bringing "disorder and dishonour to the House".

Expelling lawmakers from their elected positions is an exceptionally rare move in state legislatures.

Thursday's votes made the expulsions even more controversial when House Republicans chose to expel two black representatives but not the third Democrat, a white woman.

Here are the key things to know:

Who are the 'Tennessee Three?'

Democratic representatives Justin Jones, Justin Pearson and Gloria Johnson joined demonstrators gathered at the statehouse on 30 March to demand stricter gun control laws. The three entered the House chamber during the protest and led chants from the lectern, disrupting proceedings.

The protest came just days after six people, including three children, were killed in a school shooting at Covenant School in Nashville.

During the protest, Mr Jones held a sign that read "protect kids, not guns", and also led protest chants, shouting "no action, no peace" into a megaphone.

Dubbed the "Tennessee Three", the three Democrats represent about 200,000 constituents in Tennessee.

More than a thousand students staged a school walk-out on Monday to demand stricter gun laws

What happened to them?

Mr Jones and Ms Johnson were stripped of their committee assignments by the Republican leadership after the disruption. Mr Pearson did not serve on a committee.

Republicans, who hold a supermajority in the state, then filed a resolution to expel the three Democrats from their seats in the state legislature for "disorderly behaviour".

The resolution said the three brought "disorder and dishonour to the House of Representatives through their individual and collective actions".

In the run-up to the vote on Thursday, members of both parties traded barbs as they debated proposed legislation.

Mr Jones, Ms Johnson and Mr Pearson entered the chamber together holding hands, their fists raised. Just outside, protesters - including young students and their parents - crowded the halls of the statehouse, where they had gathered for days calling for stricter gun laws.

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"We protect the Tennessee Three!" they shouted, referring to the Democrats. "Justin! Justin! Gloria!"

By the end of the day, Mr Jones and Mr Pearson, both black and known by many as The Justins, had been expelled by House Republicans. Ms Johnson, who is white, avoided expulsion by a single vote.

Is expulsion permanent?

Expulsion votes are exceptionally rare. In Tennessee, the House of Representatives has only voted twice since the Civil War to expel a member - one for a sitting lawmaker who was convicted of soliciting a bribe, and another for a majority whip who was facing allegations of sexual misconduct.

When it does occur, an expulsion does not necessarily mean the end of a state representative's career.

The expelled representative's district must choose an interim replacement until an election can be held. No rules prevent the council from appointing the expelled member back to the House in an interim capacity.

In this case of expulsion, Tennessee law requires a special election to be called to elect a permanent representative. Expelled representatives are not prohibited from running again, so voters could conceivably send Mr Jones and Mr Pearson back to the statehouse to finish out their term as fully elected members safely.

Tennessee's constitution does not allow members to be expelled twice for the same offence.

At least one of those outcomes appears likely - as soon as next week.

The vice mayor from Mr Jones' district has called a meeting on Monday to begin the process of nominating an interim replacement. That process usually takes about four weeks, but if the council decides to suspend its rules, a vote could be held that night, according to Axios. Several council members have already pledged to appoint Mr Jones.

Should Mr Jones and Mr Pearson choose to run for re-election, fundraising efforts are already underway. A GoFundMe page for the "Tennessee Three" raised $41,206 (33,175) in three days.

What did Republicans say?

Republican House Speaker Cameron Sexton, who voted in favour of the expulsion, argued the move is not about the right to protest, but rather about maintaining order in the legislature.

"Their actions are and will always be unacceptable, and they break several rules of decorum and procedure on the House floor," Mr Sexton wrote on Twitter.

"In effect, those actions took away the voices of the protestors, the focus on the six victims who lost their lives, and the families who lost their loved ones."

In response to the school shooting, Tennessee's Republican Governor Bill Lee proposed $155m to place an armed security guard at every public school in Tennessee and to boost security presence at both public and private schools.

What have critics said?

The move has been criticised by Tennessee's branch of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) as an "extreme measure".

"Trying to expel three lawmakers without due process for amplifying the voices of their constituents in a peaceful, non-violent manner undermines democracy," said Kathy Sinback, the executive director of Tennessee's ACLU in a statement.

Ms Johnson said an expulsion vote would have a "chilling effect" on states beyond Tennessee.

"This is chipping away at our democracy, there's no question, because everybody's going to wonder, 'am I next?'" Ms Johnson told Politico.

US President Biden reacted to the expulsions on Thursday, saying, "Today's expulsion of lawmakers who engaged in peaceful protest is shocking, undemocratic, and without precedent."

What happened in the Nashville Covenant school shooting?

Six people - three children and three staff - were killed in a shooting by an ex-student at the Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee, on 27 March.

Three staff members of The Covenant School - Cynthia Peak, 61, Katherine Koonce, 60, and Michael Hill, 61 - were killed, along with three nine-year-old students: Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs and William Kinney.

Police identified the shooter as 28-year-old Audrey Hale, a former student at the private Christian school.

They said the shooter fired 152 rounds and that the attack was planned "over a period of months". A manifesto by the shooter was recovered by police, but they have yet to determine a motive.

Police added that Hale "acted totally alone", and that the shooter had considered carrying out other mass murders.

Hale was killed after a confrontation with police 14 minutes after the shooting began.

The shooting once again ignited a heated political debate in the US on gun laws and safety.
Republicans in Tennessee took steps to expel three Democrats from the GOP-controlled state House for speaking at a gun control protest following the shooting at a Nashville school that killed six people, including three children.

The saga began last week when the Democrats  state Reps. Gloria Johnson, Justin Jones and Justin Pearson  led protestors in a string of chants on the chamber floor without being recognized to speak. Hundreds gathered at the Capitol to call for gun restrictions after the shooting at a private Christian school in Nashville.

The action violated chamber rules, and Republicans filed a series of resolutions Monday to expel the three Democrats for disorderly behavior that knowingly and intentionally brought disorder and dishonor to the House of Representatives. The GOP holds a supermajority in the Tennessee House, with 75 of 99 seats.

Final votes are scheduled for Thursday, when the three lawmakers will be able to defend their actions. Theyve already been stripped of their committee assignments.

A week after six people were slaughtered in a Tennessee school shooting, House Republicans are taking action.



Not to stop gun violence.



But to silence voices who are calling for reform. We will not be silent. #TennesseeThree  Rep. Gloria Johnson (@VoteGloriaJ) April 4, 2023

Tonight as Tennessee House Republicans push forward to schedule vote on our expulsion, Speaker Sexton orders the gallery cleared as crowd chants fascists.



Media forced out at as well.



Then, Rep. Lafferty (R-Knox) pushes me and grabs my phone.



This is a sad day for Tennessee. pic.twitter.com/Lh08Ma5kdS  Rep. Justin Jones (@brotherjones_) April 4, 2023

The expulsion move prompted fury on Monday, with protestors yelling at Republicans and calling lawmakers fascists from the galleries in the Capitol, The Tennessean reported.

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Were going to push back, and were gonna fight this because its unprecedented and utterly ridiculous, Johnson told the paper on Monday night, adding she would consider suing if she is expelled.

She noted that the GOP didnt oust former Republican Rep. David Byrd, despite allegations of sexual assault, and helped reelect him.

But talk on the floor without permission, and youll get expelled, Johnson added.

Expulsion of an elected Tennessee lawmaker is exceedingly rare, The Associated Press noted, with only two House lawmakers ousted since the Civil War. The most recent, Rep. Jeremy Durham, was expelled in 2016 after he was accused of sexual misconduct.

Related...
LAGOS, April 4 (Xinhua) -- An official in Nigeria's northern state of Kaduna on Tuesday announced that a group of gunmen kidnapped 10 secondary school students in the Kachia area of the state Monday.

State Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs Samuel Aruwan stressed in a statement that the particular location of the incident was not known yet.

"The Kaduna State Government has received preliminary reports from security agencies on the kidnapping of about 10 students in the Kachia local government area," he said. "According to the preliminary reports, the students of the government secondary school in Awon were kidnapped on Monday."

"The exact location of the incident is yet to be ascertained, but detailed reports being awaited will clarify whether the incident occurred within the school premises or elsewhere," the commissioner emphasized. "The government will issue a public statement accordingly when these reports are received." 
After three Democrats staged a protest in support of gun control in the Tennessee House, state Republicans are taking steps to expel the politicians.

State Representatives Gloria Johnson, Justin Jones, and Justin Pearson staged demonstrations on the House floor last Thursday, with the support of others from the gallery, to draw attention to gun violence in the wake of the mass shooting that left six individuals dead at the Covenant School in Nashville.

Cameron Sexton, the Republican Speaker of the Tennessee House, striped the trio of their committee assignments following Thursdays rally, which featured bullhorns and a legislative recess until calm was restored.

They took that, at one point, to come up, out of order, and tried to take over the House floor. Started pulling out a megaphone and shouting at members to incite riots or violence. You had people on the south side of the chambers who rushed the state troopers to try to get inside the chambers. They werent successful. So, now we have multiple violations by those three, Speaker Sexton said on a local radio station.

However, the states Black Caucus released a statement in support of the Democratic representatives calling the move an act of political retribution [that] is unconstitutional and, in this moment, morally bankrupt.

The Tennessee Black Caucus of State Legislators fundamentally objects to any effort to expel members for making their voices heard to end gun violence.

Representative Jones, who had been temporarily banned in 2019 for throwing a cup of liquid at former House Speaker Glen Casada, shared a copy of the House resolution on Monday seeking to expel him from the body.

A resolution to expel Justin Jones from his seat as a member of the House of Representatives Just handed this on the House floor, but they still have to vote. Well not be intimidated. THE PEOPLE are demanding we act to stop kids from being murdered in school. #goodtrouble pic.twitter.com/SWvWA5tTPI  Rep. Justin Jones (@brotherjones_) April 3, 2023

Republican state representatives  Bud Hulsey, Gino Bulso, and Andrew Farmer  filed the motion on Monday accusing the three Democratic representatives of disorderly behavior and knowingly and intentionally bring disorder and dishonor to the House of Representatives, following Thursdays legislative disruption.

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When the motion was introduced on Monday, protesters in the gallery began chanting Fascists! Fascists! as Speaker Sexton called for a vote, which eventually passed along party lines.

In the ensuing chaos on the House floor, Representative Jones was involved in a scuffle with fellow lawmaker, Justin Lafferty, over the possession of the formers phone that was placed in the latters face.

Everyone needs to be paying attention to what's happening in Tennessee  3 lawmakers are about to be illegally ousted for joining the 10,000 kids protesting at the state capitol. Stop following Trump's location and focus on protecting our democracy from fascism everywhere. https://t.co/uQKyWN2XQ0  Congressman Jamaal Bowman (@RepBowman) April 4, 2023

Representative Jones came to my desk and as I turned he shoved his phone in my face in a threatening manner. I reacted as anyone would, Representative Lafferty told the Tennessean in a statement. Attempts to characterize this as anything else are misleading and false. The three members who are in danger of losing their jobs are desperate to deflect attention away from their actions.

The Tennessee House will first vote on whether or not to support the resolution before the expulsion process is initiated.

Only two other Tennessee House members have been expelled from the chamber since the Civil War.

More from National Review
In the wake of protests calling for gun reform at the state Capitol, Tennessee Republicans are seeking to expel three Democratic members of the House for "disorderly behavior" after they led protest chants from the floor of the chamber.

The protests came in the wake of the deadly Covenant School shooting that killed six people, including three children.

On Thursday, the three House Democrats approached the podium between bills without being recognized to speak, a breach of chamber rules. With a bullhorn, Reps. Gloria Johnson of Knoxville, Justin Jones of Nashville and Justin Pearson of Memphis led protestors in the galleries in several chants calling for gun reform.

At one point, House leadership likened the trio's behavior to an "insurrection," a characterization House Democrats decried last week.

Tennessee Capitol protest explainer: Here's what did and did not happen

What happened during the expulsion vote?

On Thursday, the House held hours of heated debate over whether to remove the three lawmakers from office.

The House expelled Rep. Justin Jones, D-Nashville, on a 72-25 vote and Rep. Justin Pearson, D-Memphis, on a 69-26 vote.

A third lawmaker, Rep. Gloria Johnson, D-Knoxville, survived after the House failed by one vote to achieve the 66 votes needed to oust her from office. The vote was 65-30.

So who are the three Democrats? Here's what to know about them.

Gloria Johnson, D-Knoxville

Johnson, currently represents District 90 in Knoxville. She was first elected to the legislature in 2012 for District 13.

After losing her reelection bid in 2014 and again in 2016 by fewer than 200 votes each time to Republican Eddie Smith, she won the seat back in the 2018 election by more than 2,400 votes.

Amid the latest redistricting, Republican lawmakers redrew District 13 to shift Johnson's address into District 15, represented by fellow Knoxville Democrat Sam McKenzie. Johnson moved, and won reelection in the newly created District 90 in 2022.

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Johnson has long been one of the most outspoken House Democrats, both during legislative debates and on social media. She has regularly drawn the ire of Republicans.

Tennessee Rep. Gloria Johnson: 'We are on the right side of history'

During the 2021 session, Johnson moved her desk into a hallway in the Cordell Hull legislative office building after she was assigned a small, windowless conference room as her office, while her assistant was assigned to a closet down the hall.

Johnson told Knox News she believed the office assignment was a "petty" move by House Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville, to punish her for being the only member not to vote to reelect him as speaker.

Sexton replied that members often were displeased with new office assignments, and noted that Johnson's newly assigned office was twice the size of her first one in 2012.

Rep. Gloria Johnson, D-Knoxville, moved her desk into a hallway at the Cordell Hull building in Nashville after she was assigned a small conference room as an office.

Johnson, 60, is a retired teacher. She was born in Colorado, moved to Knoxville as a child, graduated from Farragut High School and earned a bachelor of arts degree in education from the University of Tennessee Knoxville.

She has been named to the National Foundation of Women Legislators Women of Excellence. Before being elected to the Tennessee House, Johnson served as Knox County Democratic Party chairwoman. In 2012, she told Knox News she hadn't been involved in politics before being inspired by President Barack Obama to become politically active.

Justin Jones, D-Nashville

Jones, 27, is one of the youngest members of the Tennessee House of Representatives, elected to represent House District 52 in November 2022.

While a new member, Jones is no stranger to Capitol Hill. Jones has been a vocal advocate for free speech, voting access, Medicaid expansion and representation of working class and minority residents, and a critic of the Republican supermajority.

In 2019, Jones led sit-ins and protests calling for the removal of a bust of Confederate Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest from the second floor of the Capitol.

Rep. Justin Jones D- Nashville, speaks to a group made up of mainly high schoolers during while they sit in to demand answers on what representatives plan to do on gun reform in the state of Tennessee at Cordell Hull Building in Nashville , Tenn., Monday, April 3, 2023.

During one protest, Jones was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct and simple assault after throwing a cup of coffee at then-Speaker Glen Casada, R-Franklin, and continued to advocate for the busts removal. Gov. Bill Lee later announced support for the busts removal and after a lengthy approval process by multiple state commissions, the Forrest bust was removed in 2021.

After the death of George Floyd in 2020, Jones help lead the Peoples Plaza protests during which demonstrators camped on War Memorial Plaza for 62 nights calling to defund the police and seeking an audience with the governor to discuss racial injustice.

Jones repeatedly led protestors in acts of civil disobedience, defying police security boundaries outside the Capitol (which was closed due to COVID-19 at the time), and at one point blocking the entrance to the Capitol parking garage to prevent lawmakers from leaving the building. He was arrested multiple times.

Tennessee legislative expulsions: From sexual misconduct to opposing rights of former slaves

In response to the Peoples Plaza demonstration, state lawmakers enhanced penalties for violating state law that prohibits overnight camping on state property, making it a felony punishable by up to six years in prison.

Jones sponsored bills this year to allow student IDs for voter identification, to impose a 4% tax on Tennesseans non-retirement financial securities purchases, revoke the states ability to contract with private prisons, require police to only use marked vehicles for non-emergency traffic stops, and to eliminate qualified immunity protections for law enforcement.

He is a policy and activism fellow at the John Lewis Center for Social Justice at Fisk University, and is completing a masters degree in theological studies at Vanderbilt.

Justin Pearson, D-Memphis

Pearson, 28, first became widely known in Memphis when he co-founded the grassroots organization Memphis Community Against the Pipeline in response to a planned crude oil pipeline that would cut through backyards in South Memphis, particularly in the Boxtown neighborhood.

The work of MCAP, now called Memphis Community Against Pollution, has been credited with stopping the pipeline plans from Plains All American.

Memphis Community Against the Pipeline (MCAP) co-founder Justin Pearson speaks to a crowd of protesters outside the National Civil Rights Museum during a march and rally against the construction of the Byhalia Connection Pipeline, Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2021, in Memphis, Tenn.

In January, he was elected by a significant margin to take the House District 86 seat in an election triggered by the death of educator and state Rep. Barbara Cooper, who died in October.

Upon his election, Pearson became one of the youngest lawmakers in Tennessee.

Related: Tennessee House speaker strips Democrats of committee roles after Capitol protest

A native Memphian, Pearson is the fourth son of five boys. Their father is a preacher and mother a teacher. In Memphis, Pearson attended Mitchell High School, where he advocated for textbook access for students. He is also a graduate of Bowdoin College in Maine, where he majored in government and legal and education studies.

Known since college for almost always wearing a suit, Pearson wore a traditional West African dashiki on the House floor on his first day in office. House Republicans criticized his clothing choice, saying on Twitter that Pearson should perhaps  explore a different career opportunity.

'Impossible to sit idly by': Facing expulsion, Rep. Justin Pearson responds to colleagues

Pearson has written that his activism and interest in politics was partly driven by the deaths of his grandmothers to pollution-related illnesses. As a child, he also spent time in a predominantly white suburb in Virginia, a stark contrast with his later home in southwest Memphis.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee expulsion: Meet Gloria Johnson, Justin Jones, Justin Pearson
FALLS CHURCH, Va. (AP)  A northern Virginia man convicted on terrorism charges as a teenager has been sent back to prison for a year after violating conditions of his release by meeting with convicted Taliban supporter John Walker Lindh and others linked to terrorism.

Prosecutors had sought a two-year term at a hearing last week in U.S. District Court in Alexandria for Ali Shukri Amin of Dumfries, citing a wealth of evidence that Amin immediately began meeting and corresponding with convicted terrorists after he was released from prison in 2020. The terms of Amin's release barred him from meeting with known extremists.

Amin was just 17 years old when he pleaded guilty in 2015 to helping the Islamic State group by using social media to support them. He also admitted helping a classmate, 18-year-old Reza Niknejad, travel to Syria to join the Islamic State.

Prosecutions of minors are rare in federal courts.

He was sentenced to more than 11 years in prison but later had his sentence reduced to six years. But he was still subject to a life term of supervised release upon his release that contained many requirements, including that he submit to monitoring of online activities and that he refrain from meeting with known extremists.

Prosecutors say Amin violated terms of his release in a variety of ways. Most glaringly, though, Amin met with Lindh on three separate occasions in 2021, for several hours on each occasion.

Prosecutors also revealed in court papers filed last week that the in-person meetings were not the limit of their communication. Prosecutors say the two were also communicating in encrypted chats as recently as January. According to prosecutors, Amin offered in those chats to put Lindh in touch with Ahmad Musa Jibril, an Arab American Islamic preacher and ex-convict whom the FBI considers an extremist.

Amin described Jabril to Lindh as "an open supporter of not only violent jihad, but its global iteration and as someone who preached in support of al Qaeda.

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In response, Lindh told Amin that he'd already tried to email Jabril, according to prosecutors. Lindh also told Amin that he suspects all of his communications are being monitored and that he does not trust encryption technology.

Prosecutors said Lindh went on to say that he's "not involved in anything that should be of any interest to the government."

Lindh was the first American to face major terrorism charges after the Sept. 11 attacks. He was convicted of supplying services to the Taliban after he was captured in Afghanistan in the weeks after the 9-11 attacks fighting with Taliban forces against the U.S.-backed Northern Alliance.

He was sentenced to 20 years in prison as part of a plea deal and was released from custody in 2019 after serving about 85% of his sentence, with the remainder reduced for good behavior.

Amin also communicated regularly with Abdulrahman Alamoundi from May 2020 through 2023, according to Amin's parole officer. Alamoudi was convicted in 2004 of accepting money from Libya as part of a plot to assassinate Saudi Arabia's then-crown prince, Abdullah.

Alamoudi and Amin served time together at a federal prison in Kentucky, according to court papers.

Prosecutors also say Amin, a computer expert, set up a Linux operating system to prevent the probation office from monitoring his online communications. Once discovered, prosecutors say Amin was using the Linux system to educate others on how to evade law enforcement monitoring.

In online chats, Amin espoused extremist views, according to prosecutors, saying, (W)e have to delete 1,400 years of human progress(" and we will exterminate all kuffar by force." The word kuffar is Arabic for nonbelievers or infidels.

Amin's lawyer, Jessica Carmichael, declined comment. In court papers, though, she argued that conditions banning association with extremists were impermissibly vague.

She also noted that prosecutors could just as easily have cited Lindh for violating his terms by meeting with Amin, but chose not to do so.

Lindh's supervised release has now expired, but he was still under the jurisdiction of the probation office in 2021 when he was meeting with Amin.

Carmichael had argued for a sentence no longer than 60 days on the violations of supervised release.

Amin will still face a lifetime of supervised release after serving his prison term.
Elon Musk in a Tesla Roadster. James Leynse/Corbis via Getty Images

Former Tesla employee Owen Diaz was awarded $3.2 million in damages after suing the company.

The verdict stems from a 2017 complaint that he faced racist abuse and Tesla failed to prevent it.

Diaz had previously refused a $15 million award in the case and filed for this new trial.

In the latest ruling on a longstanding discrimination case against Tesla, former employee Owen Diaz was awarded $3.2 million in damages for racist harassment he faced while working at the electric vehicle manufacturer's flagship plant.

A jury on Monday handed down the decision, awarding the former construction elevator operator $175,000 in damages for the emotional distress Owens suffered as an employee of Tesla, and $3 million in punative damages meant to deter Tesla from allowing the conduct to happen again.

The award stems from a complaint originally filed in 2017, in which Owens, who is Black, said he regularly heard racial slurs on the Fremont, California factory floor, saw racist graffiti and cartoons written in the company's bathrooms, and was told to "go back to Africa" by colleagues.

In 2021, Tesla was ordered to pay $137 million in damages over the suit, but the amount was slashed to $15 million by a judge who argued the previous jury had awarded an "unconstitutionally large" sum. In 2022, Owens rejected the $15 million award, instead opting for a new trial  this one, where he was ultimately awarded a lower amount.

During Friday's closing arguments, lawyers for Owens urged jurors to award him nearly $160 million in damages, Reuters reported, while Tesla has aimed to limit the award to $600,000.

Representatives and lawyers for Tesla did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

In a statement emailed to Insider, Bernard Alexander, a lawyer for Owens, said he has already filed for a mistrial on the most recent decision, "with respect to defense violation of trial orders that improperly introduced evidence and argument, both during trial and closing arguments."

"The judge took the pre-closing motion under submission before it went to the jury," Alexander told Insider, adding that the decision was still pending. "We'll let the dust settle and get the court's rulings on the defense misconduct."

Read the original article on Business Insider
A San Francisco federal jury has ordered Tesla to pay $3 million in punitive damages and $175,000 in economic damages to Owen Diaz, a former elevator operator at the companys factory in Fremont, California, after he endured a racially hostile work environment during his time at the company.

Diaz, a Black man, was hired as a contract worker at Tesla in 2015 through a staffing agency.

He was previously awarded a verdict of $137 million in 2021, including punitive damages, after a jury determined Diaz had suffered civil rights violations at Tesla, and that the electric vehicle maker failed to take all reasonable steps to end and prevent the racist harassment.

Diaz and Tesla sought a retrial to decide damages after Judge William H. Orrick reduced the amount to $15 million.

A distressed and at times tearful Diaz told the court again last week about how his colleagues at Tesla used racist epithets to denigrate him and other Black workers, made him feel physically unsafe at work, told him to go back to Africa and left racist graffiti in the restrooms and a racist drawing in his workspace.

The drawing left at his workspace was a rudimentary one that resembled Inki the Caveman, a 1950s era cartoon widely regarded as racist, whose main character is a Black boy portrayed with big lips, wearing a loincloth, earrings, and a bone through his hair.

Diaz also testified that while he had encouraged his son to work at Tesla, he now considers that one of the greatest regrets of his life because his son was also exposed to a racially hostile workplace there.

Counsel for the plaintiff, Bernard Alexander of Morrison Alexander & Fehr, in his closing arguments urged the jury to hold Tesla accountable for failing to stop and prevent the racist harassment of employees, and for the suffering Diaz endured.

No Black man in 2015 should ever be subjected, Alexander said, to this plantation mentality workplace.

Alexander also urged jurors to decide on damages in an amount that will get Teslas attention. He characterized Tesla a company that has to accuse others of lying, because they cannot explain why they would allow violations of the Civil Rights Act at their factory.

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The plaintiffs asked the jury to consider punitive damages around $150 million for Tesla, and to award Diaz $6.3 million in past non-economic damages, and $2 million in future non-economic damages.

Tesla counsel Alex Spiro argued that Diaz should only be awarded damages amounting to about half of his salary, some tens of thousands of dollars, not millions. Diaz had not disclosed his salary during the course of the trial, Judge William Orrick said in the midst of Spiros closing argument last week on Friday.

Spiro also told jurors on Friday that Diaz lied to you. He characterized the former Tesla contract worker as a confrontational person, who exaggerated issues in his testimony repeatedly. Diaz had previously mis-stated the number of months he had worked at Tesla, Spiro said. Spiro also accused Diaz of lying about his suffering to a doctor in order to seek greater monetary damages from the company.

Evoking the Civil Rights Act, Diazs attorney called on jurors to make an example of Tesla, saying Do justice and justice is not cheap.

Tesla has been sued more than 200 times by current or former contractors and employees since 2018 in the U.S., according to legal records database Plainsite. That number does not account for disputes that have gone straight to arbitration. As CNBC has previously reported, where it is legal to do so, Tesla has compelled employees to agree to mandatory arbitration.

Last week, a former Tesla service manager, a Black man named John Goode, filed a lawsuit in Northern California alleging that a white man who was his manager in Georgia repeatedly made racist remarks in his presence, was racially biased against him and another Black colleague, had him fired on false pretenses in retaliation after Goode objected to this treatment.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
On the heels of Donald Trump's historic arraignment, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has suggested that the former president is guilty, but not on charges tied to a New York grand jury's indictment.

In a post shared on his campaign, Patrick said Trump was guilty on 34 "charges" linked to his record as president from 2017 to 2021.

The list includes specific things done during Trump's presidency, like ending NAFTA and moving the American Embassy to Jerusalem, but also vague accomplishments like "protecting Religious Liberty," "securing the border," and "ending unfair trade deals."

Former President Donald Trump arrives at Trump Tower in New York City on April 3, 2023.

Patrick was amongst Republicans who have called out Trump's indictment as a politically motivated attack.

Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick: See full list on his campaign website

What time is Trump's arraignment at Manhattan criminal court?

Formal charges against Trump will be read during his arraignment at a Manhattan criminal court Tuesday. The court proceedings are set to begin at 1:15 p.m. Central Time.

According to his lawyer, Joe Tacopina, Trump is expected to plead not guilty "loudly and proudly."

Trump to speak from Mar-a-Lago after court appearance, campaign raising millions after indictment

Following the arraignment, Trump is scheduled to return home to Mar-a-Lago in south Florida and plans to deliver remarks at 7:15 p.m. Central Time.

Trump and his supporters have condemned the indictment as he continues his 2024 campaign for president. His campaign has been fundraising off the indictment and claimed Monday that it had raised over $7 million.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas' Dan Patrick says Trump 'guilty for making America great again'
A violent convenience store robbery in Texas was caught on video last week, showing three underage suspects ransacking the establishment who were tied to other robberies.

The incident occurred at a 7-Eleven store in Austin, the Austin Police Department said.

In surveillance video of the attack, a suspect is seen standing over a clerk on the floor as he tried opening a safe, police said. The suspect fired at the safe several times.

A suspect shoots at a 7-Eleven store safe during a March 29 robber in Austin, Texas.

None of the bullets ricocheted or hit anyone.

Two others suspects were ransacking the store and continued to steal items, authorities said. They then ran toward a vehicle outside.

As they were fleeing, one suspect fired at the store building toward the clerk, police said.

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

Some of the suspects have been identified by investigators as part of a group responsible for 11 other robberies this year.
Josh Smith lies on the ground after getting hit by a pitch thrown by the Baltimore Orioles' Danny Coulombe.

Texas Rangers outfielder Josh Smith was taken to a local hospital after being hit in the face by a pitch during Monday night's game against the Baltimore Orioles at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.

Smith, a left-handed hitter, was struck on the right side of his face in the third inning by a 1-0 slider from reliever Danny Coulombe. Smith spun back to his left and dropped to the dirt in the batters box, breaking his fall with his left hand while holding his face with his right hand.

The Rangers confirmed that Smith went to a hospital for testing on his face and jaw.

Coulombe was pitching because Orioles starter Kyle Bradish left after being hit on his right foot by a line drive in the second inning.

The Orioles won the game, 2-0, dealing the Rangers (3-1) their first loss of the season.

Scary moment. @Rangers Josh Smith hit in the face on this pitch. Left the game. @NBCDFW pic.twitter.com/kdKFXG4p3K  Pat Doney (@PatDoneyNBC5) April 4, 2023

Who is Josh Smith?

Smith was a second-round selection (67th overall) in the 2019 MLB draft by the New York Yankees. Smith, who attended Catholic High School in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, also was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the 38th round in 2016, but did not sign and opted to play college ball at LSU.

On July 29, 2021, Smith was involved in a six-player swap between the Yankees and Rangers that saw Joey Gallo and Joely Rodriguez dealt to New York in exchange for Smith, Glenn Otto, Ezequiel Duran, and Trevor Hauver.

Smith made his major league debut on May 30, 2022 against the Tampa Bay Rays, when he went 3-for-4 at the plate with two runs scored. He finished the 2022 season batting .197 with 42 hits in 213 at bats, hitting two home runs and stealing four bases.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Rangers' Josh Smith hospitalized after getting hit in face with pitch
AccuWeather forecasters say that the threat of severe storms capable of generating damaging winds, hail, downpours and even isolated tornadoes will linger into the second half of the week for locations from the Mississippi Valley to the East Coast.

The storms that develop this week will stem from one main piece of energy charging across the country. This developing storm was be centered across the Midwest Tuesday, with its associated cold front trailing southward across Texas. As moisture surges northward from the Gulf of Mexico and clashes with the dry, colder air reigning over the northern Plains, it will spark rounds of strong to severe thunderstorms through Thursday.

On Wednesday, the storm's center will push into Canada, and specifically southwest Ontario, and continue to spread a swath of heavy snow across the region. The cold front will span from the Great Lakes to eastern Texas and continue to cause severe storms to erupt as it pushes eastward.

Even as dawn was breaking on Wednesday, there were multiple tornado-warned thunderstorms from Illinois to Arkansas.

The risk of severe weather will extend across 15 states spanning from eastern Texas to the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, southwestern Ontario and western New York into Wednesday evening. However, AccuWeather meteorologists have issued "moderate" and "high" risk areas for severe thunderstorms in Michigan, Indiana, Ohio and portions of southwestern Ontario.

As thunderstorms increase in strength and number into Wednesday evening, they can bring hailstones and damaging wind gusts ranging from 60-70 mph (100-115 km/h). In the strongest storms, winds could reach as high as an AccuWeather Local StormMax of 80 mph (130 km/h).

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In central and southeastern Michigan and northern Indiana, the timing of the worst storms is likely to fall between the late afternoon and evening hours. Residents in Indianapolis, Detroit and Cleveland should closely monitor for storm updates and ensure they can receive alerts on their mobile devices. Additionally, it is essential to keep devices charged in case power outages occur due to gusty winds and thunderstorms.

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A heavy thunderstorm can develop across western New York and northwestern Pennsylvania during afternoon on Wednesday. There will be chances for additional heavy showers and storms to develop during the overnight hours of Thursday for cities such as Buffalo, New York, and Erie, Pennsylvania.

Clusters of potent thunderstorms can develop along the front throughout the Mississippi Valley, bringing a swath of gusty winds as they pass over the region. The southern flank of the cold front is likely to track very slowly as it transitions eastward, meaning that locations from Memphis, Tennessee, to Louisville, Kentucky, face the risk of thunderstorms popping up throughout the daytime and first half of the overnight period.

As this frontal boundary gradually realigns across the southern United States into Thursday, a setup for frequent downpours will take shape through the last half of the week. Thursday will also bring some risk of hail, downpours and damaging wind gusts as energy shifts eastward to the southern flank of the Interstate 95 corridor and the Carolinas.

Wind gusts are expected to range between 50-60 mph Thursday as the front pushes to the coast. The strongest thunderstorms that can develop Thursday could potentially bring damaging wind gusts of up to an AccuWeather Local StormMax of 70 mph.

On Thursday, thunderstorms can produce hail and downpours in cities such as Augusta, Georgia, and Charlotte, North Carolina. Even locations just to the northeast into eastern Virginia and southern New Jersey can see strong to severe storms develop through the evening hours.

"Instability will be present Thursday afternoon for storms that ignite northwest of Raleigh, North Carolina, over the mountains and the Piedmont. Some of these storms can be capable of a heavy, gusty downpour or two, perhaps even some hail, which can linger into Raleigh and locations just to the east into the evening and overnight hours," explained AccuWeather Meteorologist Adam Sadvary.

However, the general consensus among AccuWeather meteorologists is that the overall threat of severe weather will lessen by late this week as the storm's energy dissipates. As the frontal boundary stalls across the Southern states, the primary threat will transition to repeated downpours that could bring the risk of flash flooding from Texas to parts of the Tennessee Valley, which could result in a soggy start to the Easter weekend for many.

Want next-level safety, ad-free? Unlock advanced, hyperlocal severe weather alerts when you subscribe to Premium+ on the AccuWeather app. AccuWeather Alerts are prompted by our expert meteorologists who monitor and analyze dangerous weather risks 24/7 to keep you and your family safer.
Three inmates died in Ecuador on Tuesday in the latest burst of rioting in its maximum security prison system, the government said.

The SNAI agency overseeing the prison system said the violence broke out at La Roca prison in the port city of Guayaquil, a growing nerve center in the global drug trade where a state of emergency was declared only three days earlier.

After the fighting erupted, prison agents, police and the military activated security protocols with which "control was retaken," the SNAI statement said.

The maximum security facility has a capacity for some 150 inmates and was housing 23 prisoners at the time, most of them leaders of drug trafficking gangs engaged in a bloody struggle for power inside the prisons and on the streets.

Speaking in a televised address to the nation on Saturday, President Guillermo Lasso said he had declared a state of emergency in Guayaquil and the neighboring districts of Duran and Samborondon, and in Santa Elena and Los Rios provinces.

The decree lets security forces set up checkpoints and conduct warrantless searches of people and property, and institutes a nightly curfew from 1:00 am to 5:00 am.

Last year, Lasso declared similar temporary states of emergency three times for Guayaquil, which has faced a sharp spike in killings related to organized crime.

Lasso did not say how long the current state of emergency would last.

The president also announced late last year a plan to double prison staff, shortly after rioting left nine dead in a facility outside the capital Quito.

In early November 2022, Lasso's government relocated some 2,400 inmates, triggering an uprising by gang members who went on shooting sprees and set off car bombs at gas stations and police stations.

Ecuador has experienced numerous prison massacres since February 2021 which have left about 400 dead, many of them beheaded or burnt.

Once a relatively peaceful neighbor of major cocaine producers Colombia and Peru, Ecuador has gone from being a drug transit route to a vital distribution center wracked by drug violence.

Authorities blame the wave of violent crime on rival gangs with ties to Mexican cartels.

sp/des/dw
Chinese and Egyptian musicians perform in front of the Sphinx at the Giza Pyramids scenic spot in Giza, Egypt, April 3, 2023. On a breezy Monday night in Egypt's Giza, artists from China and Egypt staged a folk music concert against the backdrop of the Grand Pyramids and Sphinx lit-up in silver, enchanting hundreds of audiences with beautiful melodies. (Xinhua/Sui Xiankai)

CAIRO, April 4 (Xinhua) -- On a breezy Monday night in Egypt's Giza, artists from China and Egypt staged a folk music concert against the backdrop of the Grand Pyramids and Sphinx lit-up in silver, enchanting hundreds of audiences with beautiful melodies.

Banners reading "let the China-Egypt friendship flow forward like the Nile River" were seen at the venue of the China-Egypt folk concert, welcoming guests to such a unique show co-sponsored by the Chinese Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, and the Chinese Embassy in Egypt.

The event was attended by Chinese Minister of Culture and Tourism Hu Heping, Egyptian Minister of Culture Neveen Al-Kilany, Egyptian Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Ahmed Issa, Chinese Ambassador to Egypt Liao Liqiang, and some other 600 people from both countries.

The repertoire played by musicians from the China National Traditional Orchestra features classics and innovative works of traditional Chinese music, such as erhu unison "Horse Racing", huagudeng big gongs and drums performance "Umbrella and Orchid," and chamber music "Dunhuang."

Chinese and Arab artists also jointly presented "Impression of Roses", in which the Chinese pipa was played in an ensemble with the Arabian oud as a tribute to the instruments' same origin, creating breathtaking melodies that wowed the audiences.

"I am interested in Chinese culture, especially classical music. It was a great surprise for me to know that this concert will be held in Egypt," Fatma Essam, a housewife from Cairo, told Xinhua.

"What impressed me the most was the joint performance of musicians from the two countries, the music was wonderfully played, conveying to us an important message that music is a common language between all peoples and cultures," she said, adding she took notice of very similar musical instruments during the performance.

"I hope that similar concerts will be organized in the future. Chinese music is beautiful and rich in authentic melodies, and it is a way to bring us closer to Chinese culture and the Chinese people," she said.

As the spectacular concert went on, four Egyptian girls brought to audience a song that they had sung at this year's China Central Television Spring Festival Gala staged in Beijing, to the accompaniment of the Chinese folk music, which won prolonged applause from the spectators.

Liu Sirui, a Chinese college student studying in Cairo attended the concert with her Egyptian and Chinese friends. She told Xinhua that the show is joyful and "the harmony is super."

"Today's show illustrates the convergence of the Egyptian and Chinese civilizations through music. The friendly atmosphere reflects the solid friendship between peoples from both countries throughout history," she added. 

Chinese and Egyptian musicians perform in front of the Sphinx at the Giza Pyramids scenic spot in Giza, Egypt, April 3, 2023. On a breezy Monday night in Egypt's Giza, artists from China and Egypt staged a folk music concert against the backdrop of the Grand Pyramids and Sphinx lit-up in silver, enchanting hundreds of audiences with beautiful melodies. (Xinhua/Sui Xiankai)

Chinese musicians perform in front of the Sphinx at the Giza Pyramids scenic spot in Giza, Egypt, April 3, 2023. On a breezy Monday night in Egypt's Giza, artists from China and Egypt staged a folk music concert against the backdrop of the Grand Pyramids and Sphinx lit-up in silver, enchanting hundreds of audiences with beautiful melodies. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa)

Chinese musicians perform in front of the Sphinx at the Giza Pyramids scenic spot in Giza, Egypt, April 3, 2023. On a breezy Monday night in Egypt's Giza, artists from China and Egypt staged a folk music concert against the backdrop of the Grand Pyramids and Sphinx lit-up in silver, enchanting hundreds of audiences with beautiful melodies. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa)

Chinese musicians perform in front of the Sphinx at the Giza Pyramids scenic spot in Giza, Egypt, April 3, 2023. On a breezy Monday night in Egypt's Giza, artists from China and Egypt staged a folk music concert against the backdrop of the Grand Pyramids and Sphinx lit-up in silver, enchanting hundreds of audiences with beautiful melodies. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa)

Chinese and Egyptian musicians perform at the Giza Pyramids scenic spot in Giza, Egypt, April 3, 2023. On a breezy Monday night in Egypt's Giza, artists from China and Egypt staged a folk music concert against the backdrop of the Grand Pyramids and Sphinx lit-up in silver, enchanting hundreds of audiences with beautiful melodies. (Xinhua/Sui Xiankai)

Chinese musicians perform at the Giza Pyramids scenic spot in Giza, Egypt, April 3, 2023. On a breezy Monday night in Egypt's Giza, artists from China and Egypt staged a folk music concert against the backdrop of the Grand Pyramids and Sphinx lit-up in silver, enchanting hundreds of audiences with beautiful melodies. (Xinhua/Sui Xiankai)
Three Marines stopped a knife attack at a Virginia Chick-fil-A, with one going so far as to snap the knife in half, according to the Stafford County Sheriffs Office.

Identities of the three hero Marines have not been released, but investigators say its clear they prevented a stabbing.

It happened about 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 1, at the Chick-fil-A on Dunn Drive in North Stafford, the sheriffs office said in an April 3 news release. Stafford is about 65 miles north of Richmond.

Witnesses advised one male was approached by two others. The three got into a brief argument before a physical altercation ensued. As the two males assaulted the victim, one of the two males pulled out a knife, the sheriffs office said.

Three nearby Marines quickly jumped into action and attempted to separate the parties. One of them broke the knife in half to prevent further harm, and the two suspects quickly fled.

No one was stabbed, but the suspects got away with the victims cell phone, officials said.

Deputies canvassed the area and found two males  one 17 and the other 14  who fit descriptions of the suspects. One was found with the stolen phone, officials said.

The 17-year-old was arrested and charged with assault and battery, robbery and attempted felony wounding, officials said. The 14-year-old was taken to a juvenile detention center and charged with assault and battery and robbery, officials said.

Thank you to the hero Marines who stepped up in order to protect the victim. Without you, this altercation could have been a lot worse, the sheriffs office wrote.

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Three men have been charged in connection with the deaths of two gay men who were drugged and robbed after partying at LGBTQ+ clubs in Manhattan.

Robert Demaio, 34, and Jacob Barroso, 30, were charged with second-degree murder and first-degree robbery in connection with the April 2022 death of Julio Ramirez. Demaio is facing the same charges in connection with the May 2022 death of John Umberger, according to an 18-count indictment released Monday by the Manhattan district attorney's office. A third individual whose name was redacted from the document is also charged in connection with the two killings.

"Our entire city continues to mourn the tragic losses of Mr. Ramirez and Mr. Umberger," District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement. "These charges demonstrate that our career prosecutors have the skill, professionalism and dedication needed to solve these types of challenging cases. I am deeply grateful to our team for their incredibly hard work, along with the detectives at the NYPD who were outstanding partners throughout this entire investigation."

News of the indictment comes two days after New York police released photos of Demaio, Barroso, and a third suspect, Jayqwan Hamilton, 35, in connection with the killings. On Monday, NYPD said Hamilton was still at large.

Jacob Barroso, 30, Jayqwan Hamilton, 35, and Robert Demaio, 34 Courtesy New York Police Department.

Umberger and Ramirez died around a month apart, both after they left bars in the neighborhood of Hells Kitchen. Later, the families of both men realized that thousands of dollars had been stolen from each of their accounts. The medical examiners office said a mix of drugs, including fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine, were found in their systems.

In an email statement to BuzzFeed News, the NYPD said that the deaths of Ramirez and Umberger were part of a citywide robbery pattern, with reports of similar drug-induced robberies from Sept. 19, 2021, through Aug. 28, 2022. There are a total of 17 incidents being investigated as part of this pattern at this time, the department said.

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Ramirez, a 25-year-old social worker from Queens, was found dead in the back of a taxi, abandoned by a group of men he met that night at Ritz Bar and Lounge, according to the New York Times. The taxi driver approached a police officer to report that Ramirez was unresponsive, and Ramirez was pronounced dead at a hospital less than an hour later. According to the Guardian , his phone had been taken, its password changed, and $20,000 taken from his bank account.

John Umberger, a 33-year-old Washington, DCbased political consultant, died around a month after Ramirez. He had gone to the Q, a popular club, and was found five days later in the townhouse where he had been staying. Umbergers mother Linda Clary told ABC that more than $200,000 had been taken from his phone and credit cards.

John Umberger and Linda Clary Courtesy of Linda Clary

The incidents occurred separately but followed a similar cadence and were both ruled as homicides caused by drug-facilitated theft, the medical examiner's office said last month.

The indictment mentions unidentified co-conspirators and also names Shane Hoskins and Andre Butts, who was accused of buying sneakers with Ramirezs credit card hours after he died, as being involved in the conspiracy to approach intoxicated individuals, offer them drugs, and then steal their credit cards and personal information once they were further intoxicated. A lawyer for Butts declined to comment.

According to the indictment released on Monday, Demaio, Barroso, Butts, and Hoskins are all facing charges of robbery, identity theft, grand larceny, and conspiracy. Demaio, Barroso, and Butts were arraigned on the charges on Monday, according to the DA's office.

Its still unclear whether these murders were intended to target gay men, as the incidents occurred in both LGBTQ+ venues and general nightlife locations, but since the deaths of Ramirez and Umberger, more gay men have come forward to share similar experiences  going out to a bar, having a drink, and then suddenly waking up the next morning in a different location, personal devices gone and money drained from their bank accounts.

"We are trying to focus on the gratitude" and preventing others from getting hurt, Umbergers mother, Clary, told BuzzFeed News on Saturday. "Emotionally, you feel anger, you feel sicker than anything else. The pain was so great I just wanted to crawl in a hole and die, but I cannot do that. There are no words to express the level of grief and horror. But I'm just grateful to be moving forward with the process."
Time flies, and tax filing day is just around the corner. The sooner you file your return, the faster youll get any refunds youre owed.

Some Californians are eligible for free help through the Internal Revenue Services Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program. Due to limited funding though, these in-person clinics wont be open for much longer. If you need help, you should make an appointment as soon as possible. Read on to find out how.

When are taxes due and why file early?

The Internal Revenue Service announced recently that Californians living in storm-damaged and flood-affected areas have until Oct. 16, 2023 to file their taxes. The only counties excluded from this extension are Lassen, Modoc and Shasta, where residents still must meet the April 18 deadline. You dont need any special documentation or proof to receive the extension.

You might wonder: Why should I rush to file my taxes now?

Procrastination might be tempting, but to expedite your refund, you should file sooner rather than later. The United Ways of California, which operates a network of free volunteer tax preparation sites, also strongly encourages lower-income families to file now  especially if they need extra assistance.

Am I eligible for free tax help?

If you earned less than $60,000 in 2022, then you qualify for free in-person assistance from a VITA volunteer tax preparer. For new taxpayers and those who dont speak English as a first language, it might be especially helpful to have an expert walk you through some of the more convoluted tax forms.

But to get this free in-person help, youll have to act fast. Most sites close after April 18, and spots are filling up quickly.

In-person availability will be extremely limited after the April 18 deadline, said Mandy Nand, economic mobility program manager for United Ways of California. Thats why were encouraging people to file now.

Virtual tax preparation assistance is available to Californians who earned less than $66,000 in 2022.

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If you earned more than $66,000, dont worry  you can also file both state and federal returns for free at myfreetaxes.com using self-guided software. Taxpayers who earned under $76,000 will be directed to TaxSlayer, while those who earned more than that amount will use Cash App Taxes.

Where to get free tax help in Sacramento?

Check the map below for in-person VITA tax sites near you. Many sites are bookable by calling Sacramentos 211 assistance line. In-person appointments are quickly filling up, so call as soon as possible for the best chance of securing a spot.

You can also visit myfreetaxes.org to schedule an in-person or virtual meeting with a volunteer.

For those who cant score appointments ahead of time, United Way California Capital Region will host its final Super Saturday walk-in tax prep clinic on April 15 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Grant Union High School.

What do I need to bring?

If you do schedule an in-person appointment with a VITA volunteer, heres what youll need to bring with you for your meeting:

Proof of identification (photo ID).

A valid Social Security number or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) for each member of your household.

Wage and earning statements (such as W-2s and 1099s) from 2022.

A copy of last years federal and state tax returns, if available.

Proof of bank account routing and account numbers for direct deposit, such as a blank check.

If applicable, the total amount paid for daycare provider and the daycare providers tax identifying number, such as their Social Security number or business Employer Identification Number

How much money could I receive from filing my taxes?

The size of your tax refund will depend on the credits and deductions for which you could qualify. Many lower-income residents and families are eligible for earned income tax credits and child tax credits through the state and federal government.

Use this calculator to estimate how big of a refund your family could earn by filing a tax return.

In California, households that make less than $30,000 qualify for the California Earned Income Tax Credit (Cal EITC), and those with children under 6 can receive the California Young Child Tax Credit (YCTC). You can qualify for these refundable credits with either a Social Security number or an ITIN.

Taxpayers with Social Security numbers can also qualify for the federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). Eligibility depends on filing status and family size, and you can determine your eligibility using the 2023 IRS tables.
The United States Army has released the identities of the nine soldiers who were killed in a double Black Hawk Helicopter crash in Western Kentucky last Wednesday.

The crash happened in Trigg County and was reported at approximately 10 p.m., according to military officials. It involved two HH60 Black Hawk Helicopters that were performing a routine training mission, military officials said.

All nine soldiers were based in Fort Campbell with the 101st Airborne Division, according to Brig. Gen. John Lubas, deputy commander for 101st Airborne Division.

These were the victims names:

Warrant Officer 1 Jeffery Barnes, 33, of Milton, Florida

Cpl. Emilie Marie Eve Bolanos, 23, of Austin, Texas

Chief Warrant Officer 2 Zachary Esparza, 36, of Jackson, Missouri

Sgt. Isaac John Gayo, 27, of Los Angeles,

Staff Sgt. Joshua C. Gore, 25, of Morehead City, North Carolina

Warrant Officer 1 Aaron Healy, 32, of Cape Coral, Florida

Staff Sgt. Taylor Mitchell, 30, of Mountain Brook, Alabama

Chief Warrant Officer 2 Rusten Smith, 32, of Rolla, Missouri

Sgt. David Solinas Jr, 23, of Oradell, New Jersey

Five soldiers occupied one helicopter while four other soldiers occupied the second helicopter. Lubas said thats typical for the training exercise they were conducting.

There were no survivors from the crash, Lubas said.

This is a time of great sadness for the 101st Airborne Division. The loss of these soldiers will reverberate through our formations for years to come, Maj. Gen. JP McGee, commanding general of the 101st Airborne Division and Fort Campbell, said in a press release. Now is the time for grieving and healing. The whole division and this community stand behind the families and friends of our fallen Soldiers.

Warrant Officer 1 Jeffery Barnes, 33

Barnes was born in 1990 in Florida and enlisted in the Army in 2010, according to a press release from the U.S. Army. After completing training, Barnes was assigned to the 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade as a 15R, attack helicopter repairer in Savannah, Georgia.

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Barnes had served as an aeromedical evacuation pilot for the Combat Aviation Brigade, 101st Airborne Division since October, according to the Army. During his military career, Barnes completed assignments in Camp Humphreys, Korea, and Afghanistan.

Warrant Officer Jeffery Barnes, 33, was an aeromedical evacuation pilot for the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Ky. when he was killed in a Black Hawk Helicopter crash on March 29, 2023.

Cpl. Emilie Marie Eve Bolanos, 23

Bolanos was born in the Phillippines in 1991 and enlisted in the Army in 2019. Upon completing basic training, Bolanos was assigned to the Combat Aviation Brigade, 101st Airborne Division as a UH-60 helicopter repairer and UH-60 air crewmember, according to the Army.

She served with the 101st Airborne Division since March 2020, according to the Army. She also served in Germany in support of Atlantic Resolve for nine months.

Cpl. Emilie Marie Eve Bolanos, 23, was a helicopter repairer and air crewmemeber for the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Ky. when she was killed in a Black Hawk Helicopter crash on March 29, 2023.

Chief Warrant Officer 2 Zachary Esparza, 36

Esparza was born in Texas in 1986 and enlisted in the Army in 2010, according to the Army. After completing basic training, Esparza was shipped out to Okinawa, Japan, where he served from 2011 to 2012.

In his career, Esparza also completed assignments in Afghanistan, Egypt and Hawaii, according to the Army.

In 2015 Esparza completed the Aviation Warrant Officer Basic Course and became a certified UH-60M pilot at Fort Rucker, Alabama, the Army said. In 2021 he was assigned to the 101st Combat Aviation Brigade, 101st Airborne Division, where he served as an instructor pilot.

Chief Warrant Officer Zachary Esparza, 36, was an instructor pilot for the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Ky. when he was killed in a Black Hawk Helicopter crash on March 29, 2023.

Sgt. Isaac John Gayo, 27

Gayo was born in the Phillippines in 1995 and enlisted in the Army in 2019. After completing basic training in 2019, Gayo served as a a UH-60 crew chief member in Camp Humphreys, Korea, according to the Army.

Gayo was assigned the Combat Aviation Brigade, 101st Airborne Division in October 2020. The Army said he served as a UH-60 helicopter repairer, UH-60 air crewmember and UH-60 crew chief.

Sgt. Isaac Gayo, 27, was a helicopter repairer, air crew member and air crew chief for the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Ky. when he was killed in a Black Hawk Helicopter crash on March 29, 2023.

Staff Sgt. Joshua C. Gore, 25

Gore was born in Virginia in 1997 and enlisted in the Army in 2015, according to the Army. After completing training, Gore was enlisted to Fort Campbell as a health care specialist for the the 426th Support Battalion.

Gore spent most of his military career in Fort Carson, Colorado, where he served as a medic, combat medic, health care specialist and section non-commissioned officer, according to the Army. In May he returned to Fort Campbell and the Combat Aviation Brigade, 101st Airborne Division as a flight paramedic.

Staff Sgt. Joshua Gore, 25, was a flight paramedic for the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Ky. when he was killed in a Black Hawk Helicopter crash on March 29, 2023.

Warrant Officer 1 Aaron Healy, 32

Healy was born in 1991 in Florida and enlisted in the Army in 2010. Upon completing graduation, Healy went to Fort Campbell and was assigned to the 563rd Aviation Support Battalion, according to the Army.

Healy attended Warrant Officer Candidate School and Aviation Training at Fort Rucker, Alabama in 2021, according to the Army. After completing the training Healy was assigned to the 101st Airborne Division, where he served as an aeromedical evacuation pilot.

Healy completed two assignments in Afghanistan from 2011 to 2012 and 2014 in support of the International Security Assistance Force, the Army said.

Warrant Officer Aaron Healy, 32, was a aeromedical evacuation pilot for the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Ky. when he was killed in a Black Hawk Helicopter crash on March 29, 2023.

Staff Sgt. Taylor Mitchell, 30

Mitchell was born in Alabama in 1992 and joined the Army in 2014. After completing training, Mitchell was shipped to Vilseck, Germany and was assigned to the 2nd Calvary Regiment as a health care specialist.

In November 2020 Mitchell was assigned to Fort Campbell and the Combat Aviation Brigade, 101st Airborne Division as a flight paramedic, the Army said.

Mitchell served in Romania and Germany as part of two rotational tours in support of Atlantic Resolve, according to the Army.

Staff Sgt. Taylor Mitchell, 30, was a flight paramedic for the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Ky. when he was killed in a Black Hawk Helicopter crash on March 29, 2023.

Chief Warrant Officer 2 Rusten Smith, 32

Smith was born in 1990 in Florida and enlisted in the Army in 2012, according to the Army. After completing training, Smith served as a human intelligence collector for the 163rd Military Intelligence Battalion at Fort Hood, Texas.

Upon completing the Warrant Officer Basic Course and Aviation Training, Smith was assigned to the 101st Combat Aviation Brigade, 101st Airborne Division in 2022 as an instructor pilot, according to the Army.

Smith served two stints in Afghanistan in support of the International Security Assistance Force, the Army said. He also spent nine months in Germany for the Atlantic Resolve in 2020.

Chief Warrant Officer Rusten Smith, 32, was an instructor pilot for the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Ky. when he was killed in a Black Hawk Helicopter crash on March 29, 2023.

Sgt. David Solinas Jr., 23

Solinas was born in New Jersey in 1999 and joined the Army in 2018, according to the Army. Upon completing training, Solinas was assigned to the 2nd Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, as a combat medic.

In October Solinas was assigned to the Combat Aviation Brigade, 101st Airborne Division as a flight paramedic, according to the Army.

Sgt. David Solinas Jr., 23, was a flight paramedic for the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Ky. when he was killed in a Black Hawk Helicopter crash on March 29, 2023.

Investigation into crash is ongoing

Maj. Daniel Mathews with the 101st Airborne Division told the Herald-Leader Friday morning that four helicopters were participating in the training exercise when two of them crashed. One helicopter had stopped to refuel when the crash occurred. The fourth helicopter wasnt involved in the crash, but landed and made efforts to rescue victims of the crash before calling out for help, Mathews said.

The Black Hawk aircraft were a form of medical evacuation helicopters. Lubas said they dont believe the helicopters were performing medical evacuation drills when the crash occurred.

There were no signals for distress prior to the crash.

The helicopters were flying in multi-ship formation under night-vision goggles when the crash occurred, according to Lubas.

A U.S. Army aviation safety team from Fort Rucker arrived on scene Thursday night. The team plans to conduct a thorough investigation of the incident, Army officials said previously.

Details of the crash drew national headlines. Multiple local and federal politicians offered condolences to affected friends and family of the victims after the crash.

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State Sen. Lauren Book, seated right, along with state Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried, seated left, and about a dozen activists who were protesting a six-week abortion ban, are arrested outside the Tallahassee City Hall building on Monday, April 3, 2023.

State Sen. Lauren Book, seated right, along with state Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried, seated left, and about a dozen activists who were protesting a six-week abortion ban, are arrested outside the Tallahassee City Hall building on Monday, April 3, 2023.

Eleven people, including some high-profile Democrats, were arrested in Tallahassee on Monday night during a peaceful protest against the proposed six-week abortion ban that is quickly moving through the Florida legislature.

Among those arrested were state Senate Minority Leader Lauren Book (D) and Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried.

Protesters were sitting in a circle, singing Lean On Me around 8 p.m. Eastern in front of the Tallahassee City Hall building when around 18 police officers descended from City Hall to handcuff and arrest them, according to several activists and lawmakers at the scene.

Tallahassee PD just arrested peaceful protesters outside the Capitol who were advocating against the abortion ban. Florida is now where freedom goes to die. pic.twitter.com/oyQeeqmdut  Rep. Anna V. Eskamani  (@AnnaForFlorida) April 4, 2023

The six-week abortion ban passed the Florida Senate on Monday afternoon along party lines, except for two Republicans who voted against the restriction. The Florida House will likely vote on the bill in the next week or two, and the ban would then be on Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) desk sometime this month.

The legislation not only bans abortion at six weeks  a point at which most people dont realize theyre pregnant  but also bans telehealth for abortion care and allots $25 million annually for deceptive anti-abortion pregnancy centers.

Officers told protesters they were arrested and detained because the group was trespassing after 8 p.m., Book and several other arrested activists told HuffPost.

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Two police officers told the activists around 5 p.m. that the director of City Hall had closed the building and that the group needed to vacate the area, the advocates said, adding that there was a sign in the park that stated people could be there until sundown. The activists elected to stay, despite the confusion.

The Republican legislature seems to be blinded by the power of Gov. DeSantis and his ambitions to run for president, Fried told HuffPost. Theyre passing one of the most restrictive bans in the entire country on the backs of the women of our state so he can run for president. And we just werent going to take it.

Whats happening here in Florida isnt going to stay in Florida.Kate Danehy-Samitz, founder of Womens Voices for Southwest Florida

Book has loudly supported abortion care in Florida, giving an impassioned speech against the states 15-week abortion ban before it passed last session and again on Monday before the six-week ban passed the state Senate.

I feel a deep sense of responsibility to stand up as the Democratic leader in the Florida Senate who was responsible, quite frankly, for the Senate races that we lost, she told HuffPost. Coming back in a superminority  I feel like I had a job to do and it didnt get done, and so I have to do everything  give up everything that I have  to make sure that women and girls are kept safe.

The group was booked and detained until around 2:30 a.m. on Tuesday morning. Fried and Book told HuffPost they were released together around midnight.

State Rep. Anna Eskamani (D) was at the jail to help the activists get released. Democratic state Sens. Lori Berman, Jason Pizzo and Linda Stewart were also at the jail working to get all 11 people released.

Those who are expressing a First Amendment right in opposition to [the six-week abortion ban] have every right to do so. It was unacceptable that they were arrested for peacefully protesting, Eskamani, who worked at Planned Parenthood for six years before joining the Florida House, told HuffPost.

This is just another indication that Florida is where freedom goes to die, she added.

The six-week ban is expected to pass, but will not go into effect until the Florida Supreme Court rules on a challenge to the states current 15-week ban on abortion.

Florida Democratic Chair Nikki Fried is arrested by Tallahassee police outside of City Hall on April 3, 2023.

Florida Democratic Chair Nikki Fried is arrested by Tallahassee police outside of City Hall on April 3, 2023.

Sarah Parker, president of Womens Voices of Southwest Florida, was another one of the activists arrested Monday night.

If you are considering arresting us, know that these are mothers. We have children to go home to, including myself, Parker recalled telling one of the police officers earlier in the day. Six of the 11 arrested were from Womens Voices of Southwest Florida, one of the main groups behind demonstrations on Monday.

Pro-choice activists from a coalition of groups showed up at the state Capitol building early Monday morning to protest ahead of the full Senate vote on the legislation. Several activists interrupted the floor vote from the galley, shouting pro-choice statements while anti-choice lawmakers spoke.

Maternal mortality rates are three times higher in states that banned abortion post-Dobbs, Kat Duesterhaus, the communications director at Florida National Organization for Women, yelled from the gallery before being escorted out.

Dont like abortion? Just ignore them, like you do with the 400,000 children in foster care, another protester shouted. The interruptions caused state Senate President Kathleen Passidomo (R) to clear the public from the gallery before the full vote took place.

The day of demonstrations was organized by Occupy Tallahassee, a coalition of groups that included Womens Voices of Southwest Florida, Florida NOW, the League of Women Voters, Indivisible Pro-Choice Pinellas and Planned Parenthoods Bans Off Our Bodies.

Kate Danehy-Samitz, founder of Womens Voices for Southwest Florida and one of the protesters detained, issued a warning to the rest of the country.

Whats happening here in Florida isnt going to stay in Florida, they told HuffPost. What Ron DeSantis is doing is using Florida as a stepping stool, as a playbook, for his plans for America. And thats not an America we can live in. Thats not a free country.

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A top member of the powerful Mexican drug cartel formerly led by notorious kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman is facing international drug trafficking and firearms charges after being extradited to the U.S., the Justice Department said on Tuesday.

Describing Jorge Ivan Gastelum Avila as a Sinaloa Cartel assassin and "plaza boss" in Mexico from 2009 to 2016, the department said he had supervised at least 200 armed men and conspired to distribute cocaine to the U.S.

Mexican authorities captured Gastelum, also known as Cholo Ivan, and Guzman in 2016, the department said in a statement. Gastelum remained detained in Mexico until his extradition to the U.S. on April 1, the department said.

Gastelum, 42, made an initial appearance in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on Monday, facing drug and fire arms charges, the department said.

He faces a maximum penalty of life in prison for the drug conspiracy charge and a mandatory consecutive sentence of 30 years for the firearms offense, it added.

Guzman, 65, was convicted in New York in 2019 of trafficking billions of dollars of drugs to the U.S. and conspiring to murder enemies. He has been serving a life sentence at Colorado's Supermax, the most secure U.S. federal prison.

(Reporting by Rami Ayyub; Editing by Josie Kao)
NEW ORLEANS  Outside of Ben Franklin High School, hundreds of students gathered Friday to commemorate International Transgender Day of Visibility and to condemn anti-LGBTQ legislation the Louisiana Legislature will consider during its regular session that begins in one week.

As the students spoke, hundreds of last-minute bills were pre-filed just ahead of the 5 p.m. deadline.

One particularly up-to-date student took the mic, decrying a bill that would ban gender-affirming healthcare for minors. The next student was moved to tears, as it was the first he had heard of the bill.

I dont know what this is going to mean for me, and I dont know what this is going to mean for other trans people, Vincent Jarand told the crowd. We are in danger!

Students hold pro-transgender signs and cheer at Ben Franklin High School in New Orleans while Camille Sejud, front speaks to a crowd of hundreds of students Friday, March 31, 2023, for Transgender Day of Visibility.Students at Ben Franklin High School in New Orleans cheer for Camille Sejud, front, while she spoke Friday, March 31, 2023, during a student walkout for Transgender Day of Visibility. (Photo by Greg LaRose/Louisiana Illuminator)More than 400 pieces of anti-LGBTQ legislation have been filed in statehouses across the nation, many of them model bills written by national interest groups.

Marchers walk through the French Quarter in New Orleans for Transgender Day of Visibility on Friday, March 31, 2023.

In Louisiana, legislators are allowed just five non-fiscal for the 2023 regular session because a provision in state law requires them to focus on financial matters in odd-numbered years. Still, a handful of legislators have used their limited number of bills to prioritize legislation that affects the LGBTQ community.

Speakers Friday raised concerns about a bill from Rep. Dodie Horton, R-Haughton, to limit the discussion of gender and sexuality in classrooms, a proposal from Rep. Raymond Crews, R-Bossier City to require school employees to use the names and pronouns that correlate to students birth certificates unless they have parental consent, and a ban Rep. Gabe Firment, R-Pollock, wants on gender affirming healthcare for minors.

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Louisiana ranked third for pay gap in women. Here's what you need to know

Watching the number of bills rise around the country and Louisiana and federally has been terrifying, Franklin student Griffling Bingham said. States with pro-trans laws are now being called trans refugee states. Its gotten bad enough that we need refuge states. There are so many trans kids  and even adults  living in increasingly unsafe conditions because legislators cant see that were just people.

Later in the evening, several students joined the Real Name Campaign, a New Orleans-based transgender-rights advocacy group, for a march through the French Quarter.

Several hundred protestors, many wearing transgender Pride flags or carrying signs painted in its iconic blue, pink and white stripes, called for justice as they moved peacefully through the streets.

While their ire lay mostly with the Republicans sponsoring the legislation, the group did not shy away from criticizing Gov. John Bel Edwards, who was described as wishy-washy and a lukewarm ally.

John Bel, cant you tell, were about to give you hell! the crowd chanted as they marched.

Edwards was sharply criticized after the 2022 legislative session when he announced he would not veto a bill that would require athletes to compete on teams in accordance with their sex assigned at birth. Instead, he allowed the bill to pass into law without signing it. Edwards defended the move by arguing that his veto likely would have been overridden by Republicans, who control both houses of the legislature.

I hope we can all get to a point soon where we realize that these young people are doing the very best that they can to survive, Edwards said at the time.

Edwards veto is one of the few levers liberals and progressives look to influence the political process in Louisiana. While the legislation faces an uphill battle due to its controversial nature, the uncertainty of what would happen if an anti-transgender bill lands on the governors desk is causing anxiety in the LGBTQ community.

A spokesperson for Edwards declined to comment on this story.

 The Louisiana Illuminator is an independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization driven by its mission to cast light on how decisions are made in Baton Rouge and how they affect the lives of everyday Louisianians.

This article originally appeared on Shreveport Times: Transgender Day of Visibility marked by anit-LGBTQ legislation anxiety
Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker got married three times. Cindy Ord/MG22/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue

Travis Barker said that he can't choose his favorite wedding to wife Kourtney Kardashian.

They married three times  in Las Vegas, Nevada, Santa Barbara, California, and Portofino, Italy.

"Til Death Do Us Part Kourtney & Travis" is an upcoming Hulu special about the pair's Italian wedding.

Travis Barker said that choosing his favorite wedding to his wife, Kourtney Kardashian Barker, would be an impossible task and compared it to choosing a favorite child.

Barker and Kardashian Barker will share the behind-the-scenes story of their luxurious Italian wedding in "'Til Death Do Us Part Kourtney & Travis," a Hulu special featuring personal footage of the event that's set to premiere on April 13.

"Can you believe we got married three times?" Kardashian Barker asked her husband as they laid together on a bed in a scene from the new trailer.

"It's like choosing a child, I can't pick the best one," Barker replied.

The couple were married three times over the course of 2022. After the 2022 Grammys in April of that year, reports emerged that they had been married in a Las Vegas chapel the night of the show  and by an Elvis impersonator, no less. Kardashian Barker later spoke about the unofficial (and not legal) wedding on "The Kardashians," saying that the Elvis officiant kept calling her by her sisters' name, Khloe.

The couple were later legally married in Santa Barbara in May 2022, prior to their extravagant Dolce & Gabbana-branded wedding later that month in Portofino, Italy. In the trailer, Kardashian Barker said that she and her husband provided the "feeling and the vibe" for the wedding, trusting Dominico Dolce of the fashion house to bring it to life.

"Vegas was like, our wild rockstar wedding. Santa Barbara was like as traditional as everybody else's wedding could have been," Barker said in the trailer.

"And then Italy was just really romantic and classic," Kardashian Barker continued.

In addition to "'Til Death Do Us Part Kourtney & Travis," the couple will also return in the third season of "The Kardashians," which is set to premiere on Hulu on May 25. Both programs will be released on Disney+ in the U.K. on the same days they premiere on Hulu in the United States.

Read the original article on Insider
Shares in Glencore were up 1.46% to 459.10 at the time of writing in morning London trade. Photo: Fabrice Coffrini/AFP

GLENCORE (GLEN.L)

Shares in Glencore were up 1.46% to 459.10 at the time of writing in morning London trade on Tuesday. Earlier in the session, its stock rose nearly 3%  putting the company at the top of the FTSE 100 basket.

The Swiss multinational commodity trading and mining company was in the green despite Teck Resources, Canada's largest diversified mining company, rejecting a takeover approach from the firm.

The prospect of mega deals in the mining space has got investors excited, bringing a new lease of life to the sector which had previously been suffering from fears about weaker economic activity feeding through to reduced commodities demand, Danni Hewson, head of financial analysis at AJ Bell, said.

Glencore led the FTSE 100 higher on Tuesday following its $23m move on Canadas Teck at the start of the week. While its business combination proposal was rejected, Glencore is likely to be persistent in its pursuit for greater things which means one cannot rule out a higher offer, Hewson added.

She also noted how Tecks board had said it wasnt contemplating a sale of the business at this time - but said there is a price for everything and so it all boils down to how much Glencore is prepared to pay.

HALEON (HLN.L)

Another FTSE 100 top riser on Tuesday morning was Haleon with its stock up 1.53% to 327.60.

The consumer healthcare company, whose brands include Sensodyne toothpaste and Centrum, recently posted its 2022 full year results and forecasted 4-6% organic revenue growth in 2023.

It also reported organic revenue growth of 9% last year, ahead of the 8-8.5% increase it had predicted for 2022.

The company was created in July last year when pharmaceutical GSK (GSK.L) spun off its consumer health business in the biggest listing in Europe for more than a decade.

ABRDN (ABDN.L)

Shares in investment company Abrdn were also up on Tuesday  by 1.18% to 206.60.

It comes as Bloomberg reported that Virgin Money was joining forces with the asset manager to start an investment platform in a bid to grow beyond traditional retail bank offerings.

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Officially set up in 2019, Abrdn  previously Standard Life Aberdeen  had said at the time that the joint venture would see it offer investment solutions to Virgin Moneys (then Clydesdale Banks) 6 million customers, the FT reported.

The same year, Abrdn was also appointed investment adviser  to look after 3.6bn of assets across a range of portfolios on behalf of Virgin Moneys unit trust arm.

WEIR GROUP (WEIR.L)

Weir Group was the other top FTSE 100 riser on Tuesday with its stock up 1.74% to 1,872.00.

The engineering company, also in the mining sector, recently posted its full year 2022 results and said revenue was 20% higher on a constant currency basis at 1.78bn, compared to 1.482bn in 2021 as order activity remained strong.

Its revenue exceeded analyst estimates by 6.1%. Moreover, its earnings per share (EPS) also surpassed analyst estimates by 7.1%.

Following the earnings report on 1 March, the companys chief executive officer, Jon Stanton, said: The value creation opportunity for Weir is compelling. The mining industry is playing a crucial role in meeting the twin demands for decarbonisation and economic growth, resulting in multi-decade demand growth for critical metals. Weir is the focused mining technology leader that is well placed to capitalise.

Watch: KKR: $8bn buyout fund is sign of confidence in Europe

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The Russian resource reports that Darya Trepova, who was detained after the murder of propagandist Vladlen Tatarsky, said during interrogation that she was promised the position of editor in one of Ukrainian media outlets if she handed over the bust to Tatarsky. The woman claims that she did not know anything about the explosives.

Source: Fontanka

Details: The outlet became aware of the details of Trepova's interrogation.

In particular, the woman said that she read Ukrainian Telegram channels and met an activist.

She was offered to move to Kyiv as an editor in one of the media outlets but had to complete an "internship".

The first task was to come to the "Listva" (Leaves) bookstore and get acquainted with the propagandist Vladlen Tatarsky there.

She was given a "secret item" by a Moscow taxi driver. According to the resource, the taxi driver had no idea what he was doing.

As for the improvised explosive device, it is reported that it was also ordered through Telegram, paid for, and the person making it anonymously forwarded it at the right time to the right intermediary.

After returning to St Petersburg, the woman remotely received a new task  a meet-up with Tatarsky on the University embankment.

As for the package, they wrote: pass over the bust, say something about the heroes of the Wagner Group PMC, and then we will act.

A ticket from Pulkovo to Uzbekistan was purchased for the woman, promising that she would be safely transported to Ukraine from Asia.

According to her, she did not know about the bomb, she only guessed that it was "something bad".

She was near the package with explosives, and believes she was "framed".

Background:

On 2 April, an explosion occurred in a cafe in the centre of St Petersburg that had previously belonged to Yevgeny Prigozhin, owner of the Wagner Group Private Military Company, killing "war correspondent" (military blogger) Vladlen Tatarsky and injuring 30 other people.

Russian security forces have detained Darya Trepova, a resident of St Petersburg, on suspicion of murdering propagandist Vladlen Tatarsky.

The Russian occupiers have posted a video of the interrogation of Darya Trepova. The woman in the video admits to having brought a bust that subsequently exploded in the cafe, but wants to tell who gave her the bust "later".

Analysts at the Institute for the Study of War have suggested that forces inside Russia may have been involved in Tatarskys murder, and it could have been a "warning" meant for Prigozhin.

Russia's National Anti-Terrorist Committee has accused the Ukrainian security services and supporters of Alexei Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation of murdering collaborator and propagandist Maxim Fomin, aka Vladlen Tatarsky, who called himself a "war correspondent".

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
NAIROBI, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Kenyan President William Ruto on Tuesday reiterated his administration's commitment to expanding safety nets for vulnerable populations, including the elderly, children, persons with disability, youth, and women.

Speaking at the 2023 Kenya Social Protection Conference taking place in the capital Nairobi, Ruto said a supportive policy and legislative framework is already in place, to facilitate investments in safety nets tailor-made for the poor and marginalized citizens grappling with multiple shocks.

"In line with our economic transformation agenda that is people-centric, the government will allocate sufficient resources to ensure that vulnerable citizens have access to food, decent shelter, affordable health, safe drinking water, and education for their children," Ruto said.

The meeting, held under the theme of "Accelerating Inclusive and Integrated Social Protection System in Kenya: Strategies for Expansion of Coverage and Improved Shock Responsiveness", is discussing best practices that would strengthen the protection of vulnerable groups grappling with poverty, the climate crisis and COVID-19 aftershocks.

Among participants at the forum that will conclude with a call for action to reshape social protection in Kenya includes senior policymakers, representatives of multilateral lenders, industry, academia, and civil society.

While acknowledging that 16 percent of Kenyans live below the poverty line while 26 percent of the country's children are stunted amid acute malnutrition, Ruto said investing in cash transfer programs, nutrition, primary healthcare, education, and shelter, will be key to improving their welfare.

In addition, Ruto said the government has allocated 20 billion Kenyan shillings (150 million U.S. dollars) to cater for food, nutrition, water, sanitation, and health services for arid and semi-arid communities affected by a prolonged drought season.

The Kenyan leader disclosed that from June this year, the government will be disbursing funds to cushion the poor, elderly, and vulnerable citizens from shocks ahead of salaries for civil servants.

Ruto added that a strategic partnership with multilateral lenders and industry has injected vitality into national social safety net programs tailor-made for vulnerable members of society.

Cabinet Secretary For Labor And Social Protection Florence Bore said the government has adopted a pragmatic approach to ensure marginalized groups, including the disabled, migrants, and jobless youth, are cushioned from economic and social exclusion.

According to Bore, investing in social safety nets for 20 million citizens described as vulnerable will be key to realizing inclusive growth, cohesion, peace, and stability in the country. 
Former President Trump pleaded not guilty Tuesday to 34 felony counts of falsification of business records, charges stemming from the alleged cover-up of a hush money payment made in the days before the 2016 election.

Manhattan Dist. Atty. Alvin Bragg told reporters in a news conference after Trumps arraignment that the indictment centers on 34 false statements made to cover up other crimes.

These are felony crimes in New York state, no matter who you are. We cannot and will not normalize serious criminal conduct, he said.

Trump became the first former U.S. president to face criminal charges when he was indicted last week by the Manhattan grand jury after an investigation that initially focused on a $130,000 payment made by his former attorney Michael D. Cohen to adult film actor Stormy Daniels. The money was allegedly paid to prevent Daniels from publicly disclosing during Trumps campaign for president that she had an affair with him.

A somber-looking Trump ignored a handful of shouted questions as he walked past police before entering the courtroom for the arraignment. He sat with his hands folded before him on the defense table for most of the proceeding and said little beyond replying not guilty when asked how he pleaded, and I do and yes when asked whether he understood his rights and the law.

Falsification of business records is normally a misdemeanor under New York law, but the prosecutor elevated it to a felony on the grounds that the conduct was intended to conceal another underlying crime. Bragg told reporters the underlying crimes were violations of New York election law, which makes it a crime to conspire to promote a candidacy by unlawful means, make false statements to tax authorities and surpass federal contribution limits.

The former president has been accused of hiding reimbursement and further compensation to Cohen by funneling those payments either through his business revocable trust or through his bank account and recording them as legal services. The indictment states that Trump and Cohen met in the Oval Office at the White House in February 2017 to confirm the repayment scheme. Trump signed several of the checks while he was president, according to the indictment. Cohen did not perform legal work for Trump while he was in the White House.

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Despite the heavy focus on Daniels before the indictment was unsealed, the charges outline a broad effort to conceal damaging information from voters before and after the 2016 election, including a so-called catch-and-kill scheme to identify, purchase and bury negative stories about Trump.

Other payments identified by the prosecution include $30,000 to a former Trump Tower doorman who claimed to have a story about a child Trump fathered out of wedlock and a $150,000 payment to former Playboy model Karen McDougal, who also alleged that she had a sexual relationship with Trump. American Media Inc., which at the time owned the National Enquirer, has admitted in court to paying sources whose allegations could harm Trump politically, to ensure the information they provided would never appear in print.

Cohen, who pleaded guilty in 2018 to felonies related to the alleged hush money payments to Daniels and spent three years in prison, is expected to be a key witness if the case goes to trial. His lawyer, Lanny Davis, told CNN on Sunday that Cohen provided Manhattan prosecutors with substantial documentation of the payments to Daniels and McDougal to support his testimony.

Trump was processed Tuesday  which included fingerprinting  directly before being arraigned around 2:30 p.m. Eastern time. No other judicial proceedings were allowed in courtrooms on same floor where Trump appeared before Judge Juan Manuel Merchan.

While he was being fingerprinted, Trumps campaign sent an email advertising a NOT GUILTY T-shirt with a mocked-up mug shot of the president  he did not have one taken Tuesday  available for a $47 contribution.

Trump traveled from Florida to New York on Monday with his Secret Service detail and political and legal teams, including newly hired lead counsel Todd Blanche, a top white-collar criminal defense lawyer and former federal prosecutor. Also with Trump at his Tuesday arraignment were attorneys Susan R. Necheles and Joseph Tacopina and advisor Boris Epshteyn.

On Tuesday morning, a large crowd of journalists and Trump supporters and critics filled the park across the street from the courthouse to watch the former president arrive for processing.

Heading to Lower Manhattan, the Courthouse. Seems so SURREAL  WOW, they are going to ARREST ME. Cant believe this is happening in America. MAGA! Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform moments before he exited a black SUV and walked into the building accompanied by a Secret Service detail. At 1:24 p.m. Eastern, he was formally under arrest.

Chants and celebrations, complete with drums and cowbells, from anti-Trump demonstrators erupted nearby after news of his surrender.

In the middle of the park, Trump critics laid out a banner with the words Trump Lies All The Time, in bold, capital letters. Nadine Seiler, 57, stood nearby wearing a Trump indicted T-shirt and holding a banner above her head that said, Finally coming: Trump arrested.

Seiler said she decided to travel from her home in Waldorf, Md., after hearing Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) would be in New York. Seiler said she thinks Greene wants a second insurrection and had traveled to New York to incite Trump supporters into action.

I had no plans to come here. But when she decided she was going to bring her thugs to NYC, I felt obligated to come, Seiler said.

Dion Cini of Brooklyn held a red Trump or Death Flag, emblazoned with the years 1776 and 2024 and an image of Trumps face. He said Bragg should have used resources to investigate real crime happening in his neighborhood. He acknowledged that there may be a crime in this indictment, but added that theres currently no line Trump could cross that would make him turn on the former president.

Like [Trump] said, he could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue, and I dont really care, because what he does for America outweighs, you know, a crime even like that, Cini said. He said it, I didnt, but I support him because hes the only American president who ever said, ever, since George Washington, America first. No president has ever said that.

Police in New York City and across the country were concerned that planned protests Tuesday could turn violent, but aside from minor altercations, demonstrations remained calm.

The former president returned to Florida after the arraignment and gave a speech at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach on Tuesday evening.

Trump has a history of leveling unfounded criticism of judges and prosecutors when hes in legal trouble. On Truth Social, he has called Bragg, who is Black, an animal and racist, and has attacked Merchan, who oversaw a separate case involving the Trump Organization. The judge cautioned Trumps lawyers to advise their client to please refrain from making comments that had the potential to incite violence or civil unrest. This is a request Im making, Im not making an order, Merchan said.

On Monday evening, Trump unleashed another tirade against Bragg on Truth Social, accusing him of leaking information from the indictment, which had not yet been unsealed.

This means that he MUST BE IMMEDIATELY INDICTED. Now, if he wants to really clean up his reputation, he will do the honorable thing and, as District Attorney, INDICT HIMSELF, Trump wrote.

Last month, Trump warned of potential death & destruction if he was indicted, and law enforcement agencies have been on high alert in New York and around the country. President Biden said Monday that he was confident police could handle any unrest.

Trump has announced a campaign for president in 2024, and his Republican allies have sought to portray Braggs investigation as a politically motivated effort to interfere in the election. The inquiry was initiated in 2018 but was repeatedly delayed by other prosecutors.

Late Tuesday afternoon, dozens of supporters trickled into Mar-a-Lagos ballroom in anticipation of Trumps speech, among them unsuccessful Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake, My Pillow Chief Executive Mike Lindell, far-right former Trump advisor Roger Stone and Greene, who earlier in the day joined a demonstration outside the Manhattan courthouse. Trumps sons Donald Jr. and Eric and his daughter Tiffany were also present.

It was not immediately clear whether his wife, Melania, youngest son, Barron, daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband, former advisor Jared Kushner, were in attendance.

Around 8:20 p.m., Trump entered to loud cheers as he walked to the stage while Lee Greenwoods God Bless the USA played in the background.

Standing in front of 12 American flags, Trump blasted his rivals.

I never thought anything like this could happen in America, he said. The only crime I have committed is to fearlessly defend our nation from those who seek to destroy it.

Trump continued his more than 20-minute remarks by making the unfounded allegation that radical left lunatics want to interfere with our elections by using law enforcement.

He is also facing federal investigations into his alleged involvement in 2020 election interference by his supporters and the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, along with his handling of classified documents after leaving office. Special counsel Jack Smith, who was appointed in November by U.S. Atty. Gen. Merrick Garland, has convened grand juries to hear from witnesses in both federal investigations, including most recently members of Trumps Secret Service detail.

Trump also faces possible state-level election interference charges in Georgia. Fulton County Dist. Atty. Fani Willis is weighing potential indictments related to Trumps attempts to change Georgia voting results after the 2020 election.

Wire reported from Washington and Petri from New York. Times staff writers Arit John in Los Angeles and Erin B. Logan in West Palm Beach contributed to this report.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Former President Trump is expected to face what could be more than two dozen counts across different charges as he makes his first appearance in court Tuesday, following an indictment in connection with concealing hush money payments to an adult film star.

The charges will be revealed when Trump is arraigned in Manhattan. In the brief courtroom exchange, Judge Juan Merchan will read aloud the laws the former president is alleged to have violated, while Trump is expected to plead not guilty.

The criminal charges stem from a $130,000 payment made to Stormy Daniels by Trump fixer Michael Cohen. Though hush money payments are not illegal, the manner in which Trump and Cohen concealed the payments could be, casting the reimbursements as legal expenses.

Reports indicate Trump could face charges on more than 30 counts from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D).

The potential for dozens of charges likely reflect Trumps lengthy payment history with Cohen  spread out over about a year  as well as the track prosecutors take in tying the misdemeanor records falsification to a felony that could include both tax fraud and campaign finance violations.

Trump or his trust wrote 11 checks to Cohen, and each could trigger separate charges, even if prosecutors focus only on the checks the former president directly signed.

If Trump signed six checks, those are six events that can each trigger multiple crimes. For example, each could be charged as a misdemeanor falsification of business records as well as multiple felony versions of the same offense, with multiple other crimes serving as the predicates to bump that charge up to a felony, Josh Stanton, an attorney with Perry Guha who has written analyses of the case, told The Hill.

More coverage of Trump indictment from The Hill:

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The total number of counts could also mean serious work for the eventual jurors chosen in the case.

Thirty counts is a lot, said Catherine Christian, who spent more than 20 years in the Manhattan district attorneys office and now is in private practice.

Every single count has to be found sufficient. Now it could be that means 10 counts are found insufficient then you still have 20 counts, but my point is every theyre looking at every single count.

It also depends on how Bragg prosecutes the case.

Legal observers suggest an indictment of Trump would likely focus on charges of falsifying business records, but bumping that up from the misdemeanor to a felony may prove difficult.

A felony charge requires a connection to a second crime and would augment the maximum jail time from one year to four years.

Prosecutors are likely to weigh two possible pathways to achieve that end.

If he pursues an approach based on tax issues, Bragg would likely look to see if Trump took a tax deduction on the reimbursements by deeming them a legal expense.

The potentially more complex path is to upgrade to felony charges by using various campaign laws.

Likely to be in dispute is whether Trump violated campaign laws by failing to disclose the payments.

Cohen served jail time for what was deemed an excessive campaign contribution, with federal prosecutors arguing that the hush money payments should have been disclosed in campaign finance reports as it was spending that could have influenced the 2016 election.

Trumps legal team has said he would have made the payment regardless of the race, in an effort to stop false information from hurting his marriage. Daniels alleged the two had a sexual relationship, an affair Trump denies.

But Trumps attorneys have also said Bragg would be in the wrong to bring such a charge because as a presidential candidate, Trumps conduct was governed by federal campaign law, something they argue is out of reach for the state prosecutor to use in bumping up to a felony.

Some argue that point doesnt entirely prohibit Bragg from bringing charges that are tied to federal campaign law violations.

Norm Eisen, counsel for Democrats in Trumps first impeachment and an author on both impeachment reports, told The Hill that New York law doesnt expressly rule out the option.

I absolutely believe having studied New York law that Bragg can charge state and federal campaign finance crimes in the alternative. The statute doesnt limit other crimes or unlawful behavior to only state offenses, Eisen said.

He added such a point would likely be challenged in court, but that Bragg would be wise to pursue all possible options.

If he chooses to go with one or the other, thats also understandable and legitimate, but if it were me, I would do both state and federal, he said.

Pursuing a felony through state campaign laws could present other complications. State campaign finance laws are preempted when federal campaign finance provisions apply.

While state law bars any evasion of campaign contribution limits, using those statutes is not straightforward, as another campaign finance statute deems that they shall not apply to any candidate when they are also required to file statements at the federal level.

That leaves a statute barring conspiracy to promote or prevent election  something experts say Trump may have violated  as well as a catch-all statute in New York code for election violations not specifically covered elsewhere.

Trump has arrived in New York City for the arraignment, and his legal team has said he will plead not guilty to the charges.

The former president has repeatedly dismissed the entire probe and its conclusion as politically motivated.

The Corrupt D.A. has no case, Trump wrote on his social media site Sunday night.

What he does have is a venue where it is IMPOSSIBLE for me to get a Fair Trial (it must be changed!), and a Trump Hating Judge.

Zach Schonfeld contributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Donald Trump was arraigned in Manhattan Tuesday as the first former president to ever be criminally charged.

He was formally charged with 34 felony counts for falsifying business records in relation to a hush-money payment made to Stormy Daniels in the days before the 2016 election.

Trump pled not guilty to the charges and his arraignment sets in motion a long series of legal proceedings that could eventually result in a criminal trial.

Heres what comes next for Trump, both legally and politically.

Former President Donald Trump arrives at Trump Tower in New York City on April 3, 2023.

Trump's mugshot? Fingerprinting?

Before his arraignment, Trump was processed, mostly, like every other defendant in the criminal justice system. The former president went through the standard proceedings behind closed doors, including:

A Miranda warning: Trump was read the standard Miranda warning that is given to all criminal suspects. He was told he had the right to remain silent, the right to an attorney, and that anything he said could be used against him in a court of law.

No mug shot, but fingerprinted: Trump was not subjected to be photographed, but was still fingerprinted and given a booking number.

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What happened at Trump's arraignment?

Trump appeared before Judge Juan Merchan, who handled Trump's arraignment in New York. The indictment was unsealed to the public and Merchan outlined the charges against him, which were 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.

Afterwards, Trump pleaded not guilty and was later released. Due to the nature of the charges, which are non-violent, and Trump being a first-time offender, the former president was not placed in jail.

Trump's lawyers told reporters outside the courthouse after his arraignment that Trump is "frustrated" with the indictment, but determined to fight the allegations both legally and politically.

"He's frustrated, he's upset," Todd Blanche, one of Trump's attorney's said. "It's not going to stop him."

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Related: Donald Trump plans to turn his arraignment into a political spectacle. Here's how.

What's next for Trump in court?

Trumps arraignment starts a legal process that could result in a trial, but Trumps legal team is likely to file various pre-trial motions that includes dismissing the case outright or a change of venue.

Legal analysts and experts told USA TODAY that Trump has plenty of avenues to slow-walk the case, something he hasnt shied away from in his other court battles.

More in-depth coverage: Donald Trump expected to unleash wave of legal challenges after Tuesday arraignment in New York

David Super, a law professor at Georgetown University Law Center, said the arraignment will set a schedule for the future proceedings, setting deadlines for any motions the prosecutions or defense wishes to file  this is how Trump's legal team will fight the case.

Former President Donald Trump arrives at Trump Tower, Monday, April 3, 2023, in New York. Trump arrived in New York on Monday for his expected booking and arraignment the following day on charges arising from hush money payments during his 2016 campaign.

"The most likely motion would be a motion to dismiss the case since obviously, President Trump has been very vocal that he believes this is unfounded," Super said.

After the arraignment, prosecutors will have a 35-day deadline to provide Trump's legal team with relevant evidence to the case. This will open another legal avenue for Trump, Super said. Trump's legal team will be able to file more motions to suppress various pieces of evidence.

And while all those legal challenges play out, Trump will be able to conduct business as usual as he gears for the 2024 Republican presidential primary.

What's next for Trump in the GOP 2024 White House race

Politically, Trumps campaign is hoping the criminal charges increase GOP turnout in Trump's favor. Jason Miller, senior advisor to the campaign, said Monday on Twitter that the campaign has raised more than $ million since Trumps indictment became public.

Related: Donald Trump using antisemitic rhetoric to get political donations after indictment

Trump will speak Tuesday night at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida at 8:15 p.m., where he is expected to publicly defend himself against the crimes the Manhattan District Attorney's office is accusing him of.

Trump's support rises after indictment

For now at least, the criminal charges appear to be helping Trump's favorability among GOP voters.

A Yahoo News/YouGov poll released Saturday shows Trump leading his top rival, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, by 26%, compared to the last survey that had Trump leading by 8%.

The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.3%

But while his indictment might boost his chances of securing the GOP nomination, it could backfire and have the opposite effect in a general election.

A CNN poll released Monday found that most Americans support Trump's indictment, at 60%. Notably, a majority of independents support the indictment, at 62%.

The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4%.

It's a first for the U.S.: But other countries? They routinely charge leaders.

Former President Donald Trump speaks at his Make America Great Again Rally in Waco, Texas, March 25, 2023.

Indictment opens a point of attack for Trump's Republican rivals

Trump's indictment could be a point of attack for some of his rivals in the 2024 Republican primary, that is, if they want to even try. So far, most current or expected candidates have flocked to Trump's defense.

DeSantis called the indictment a "weaponization of the legal system," and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley decried the indictment as an act of "revenge."

Only former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who just announced his candidacy on Sunday, went on the offense against Trump for his indictment, saying his legal troubles "are too much of a sideshow and distraction." Hutchinson called on Trump to withdraw from the race out of respect for the office of the presidency.

Contributing: Kevin Johnson and David Jackson

Former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally at Waco Regional Airport, Saturday, March 25, 2023, in Waco, Texas.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What's next for Trump? What to expect after arrest, charges
Prosecutors laid out a case of lies and cover-ups against Donald Trump on Tuesday over hush-money payments made to a porn star, a Playboy model and a doorman to hide potentially damaging information ahead of the 2016 presidential election.

Here's an explanation of the felony counts against Trump, the first former US president ever to face criminal charges, and what will happen next:

- The charges -

The indictment handed down by a Manhattan grand jury and unsealed on Tuesday charges Trump with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records related to a $130,000 payment made to porn star Stormy Daniels.

Under New York law, a defendant convicted of falsifying business records can receive between one and four years in prison.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said the scheme involved Trump, his former personal attorney Michael Cohen and executives at American Media Inc, publisher of the National Enquirer tabloid.

Bragg said they were involved in what he called a "catch and kill" operation to "buy and suppress negative information to help Mr. Trump's chance of winning the election."

Trump was accused of arranging the payment to Daniels through Cohen just days before the November 2016 election to buy her silence about a 2006 tryst at a Lake Tahoe resort.

Trump reimbursed Cohen with checks disguised as part of a retainer agreement while "in truth, there was no retainer agreement," Bragg said,

Another payment -- $30,000 -- was made through AMI to buy the silence of a former Trump Tower doorman who was claiming, apparently falsely, that Trump fathered a child out of wedlock, Bragg said.

The final case involved a woman who received $150,000 from AMI in exchange for not speaking about a nearly year-long sexual relationship she allegedly had with the then-married Trump.

The woman was not identified by Bragg but it has been reported previously that she was Karen McDougal, a model and former Playboy playmate.

Cohen, who has since turned against his former boss, has acknowledged paying Daniels on Trump's behalf and was sentenced to three years in prison for the hush-money case, tax evasion and other crimes.

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Trump has denied any wrongdoing and claims he is the victim of a political "witch hunt" by Bragg, a Democrat, intended to derail his 2024 White House campaign.

- Next legal steps -

Trump pleaded not guilty in a packed courtroom to the 34 counts, which one of his lawyers, Todd Blanche, dismissed following the hearing as "boilerplate."

"We're going to fight it, we're going to fight it hard," Blanche said.

The judge gave Trump's lawyers until August 8 to file motions in the case with an initial trial date in January 2024.

Bennett Gershman, a law professor at Pace University, said Trump is essentially accused of orchestrating a "grand scheme to undermine the democratic process."

"In other words, by covering up his salacious sexual misconduct through multiple false records... he succeeded in hiding truthful information which if it were made public would have seriously damaged his quest for the presidency."

Ellen Yaroshefsky, a law professor at Hofstra University, said prosecutors may be faced with "somewhat of a hurdle to prove that the false business records were with intent to influence the election."

One potential hurdle for prosecutors could be Cohen, Trump's former lawyer, whose credibility as a witness is certain to come under attack because he is now a convicted felon.

There is also a precedent of sorts.

John Edwards, who twice sought the Democratic presidential nomination, was put on trial in 2012, accused of campaign finance violations for making hush-money payments to a mistress.

The jury deadlocked and the Justice Department opted not to retry the case.

- Other legal woes -

Trump is facing legal scrutiny beyond the Big Apple.

A special counsel is looking into his role in the January 6, 2021 assault on Congress by his supporters.

Special counsel Jack Smith is also investigating a cache of classified documents retained by Trump after he left office.

The documents were recovered in an FBI raid on Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida in August 2022.

A district attorney in Georgia is also investigating Trump's attempt to overturn the results of the presidential election in the southern state.

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Dozens of Donald Trump supporters demonstrated outside the courthouse where the former president is due to be arraigned on criminal charges Tuesday, as a handful of vocal counterprotestors shouted an anti-fascist message.

Members of the New York Police Department community affairs division stepped in to the fray as the pro-Trump side -- many sporting familiar "MAGA" hats and attire emblazoned with the American flag -- yelled slurs at their opposition.

But it was the crush of reporters taking up most of the space outside Manhattan's criminal court ahead of the unprecedented indictment of a US president at a 2:15 pm (1815 GMT) hearing.

Trump was set to arrive early afternoon to face charges likely related to alleged campaign finance violations over his hush payments to a porn star while running for his first presidential term.

The anti-Trump camp unfurled a large banner reading "Trump lies all the time" and chanted "Lock him up!" as Team MAGA waved a flag with the slogan "Trump or Death.

George Santos -- the New York Republican congressman accused of lying his way into office -- made a brief appearance in the park where the extreme right representative Marjorie Taylor Greene is due to hold a rally for Trump.

Paulina Farr traveled into the city from suburban Long Island to "show support to our president Trump."

The retired nurse told AFP she was also at the January 6 storming of the Capitol Building in Washington by Trump supporters, and called Tuesday's protest "tremendously different."

She vowed to press on: "We know the truth. I'm not afraid."

The 76-year-old Trump remains a front-runner for the 2024 Republican nomination, though the still sealed charges that will be unveiled Tuesday potentially threaten to throw his viability as a candidate into question.

He is also using the case to energize his support base and raise millions of dollars for his bid to reclaim the White House next year.

At one point during the demonstrations, a Trump supporter attempted to rip the other side's banner, prompting police to step in.

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"I've been jumped several times now," a regular anti-Trump protestor, Laurie Biter, told AFP.

The 64-year-old praised the charges against Trump but added that, "It's not just an indictment going through a court."

"It's an indictment that we, as people of good conscience, have to bring."

mdo/pdh/tjj
(AP)

In the hours before Donald Trumps arrest and arraignment inside Manhattan criminal court in New York, a few dozen of his loyalists from across the American right collided in a small park that was once an open sewer.

The circus-like scene on 4 April drew dozens of reporters and news crews, vastly outnumbering the former presidents supporters and counterprotesters there to rage against or celebrate Mr Trumps historic courtroom appearance.

An endless stream of reporters and cameras there to capture the historic day and surrounding protest was its own media spectacle, with right-wing content creators livestreaming their interviews to their willing audience. Event organiser Marjorie Taylor Greene lasted roughly 10 minutes. Meanwhile, a large flag reading TRUMP OR DEATH hovered above the crowd.

To his faithful, many of whom compared him to civil rights heroes or biblical figures, the indictment of Donald Trump is evidence of a Democratic Party conspiracy to defang the former president as he campaigns for the 2024 Republican nomination. Others refused to believe that he would even face criminal charges, moments before he turned himself in to authorities, or believed his indictment now gives his allies an opening to prosecute his political enemies in retribution.

Their attacks against New York County District Attorney Alvin Bragg spiraled into discussion of conspiracy theories involving Democratic lawmakers, Covid-19, human trafficking, a globalist agenda, trans people, the media, and other hallmarks of a QAnon movement that has gripped the GOP and the American right.

A group of men chanted two genders and male and female. One woman carried a sign to defund the media with logos from a dozen outlets, including Fox News.

Another man who identified himself as Michael carried a small noose attached to a placard reading what you need to deal with the liberal biased media.

A real Texas necktie, he said.

(Alex Woodward / The Independent)

They were among a small crowd of MAGA supporters and Trump-allied groups  Bikers for Trump, Women for Trump, Blacks for Trump, Christian nationalists, Chinese opponents of the Chinese Community Party  and other gawkers witnessing history, like the New York street performer the Naked Cowboy and a man dressed as Abraham Lincoln.

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One woman in a QAnon T-shirt with a jacket featuring Trump as a matador repeatedly shouted into nearby cameras.

Vince Fusca, the man once believed to be the late John F Kennedy Jr among QAnon adherents, held one side of a blue lives matter flag after joining the pro-Trump scene.

He joined the protest like everybody else, he told The Independent. Concerned citizens, right?

He stood up for us. We have to stand up for him, said Marie Free, who held up an image of Donald Trump and another with Martin Luther King Jr. Two wonderful good people who love America and love the citizens of America, she said before accusing Hillary Clinton of participating in a human trafficking scheme, echoes of the Pizzagate claims that preceded QAnon.

The man who helped elevate that conspiracy theory and its extended universe, Jack Posobeic, also attended the event, which he broadcast to Steve Bannons Real Americas Voice programme.

(Alex Woodward / The Independent)

Edward X Young wore his green KEEP AMERICA GREAT hat, signed by Donald Trump Jr, and a denim jacket covered in buttons with pro-Trump slogans, from Stop the Steal to BARRON 2052.

I want him to know that weve got his back, and my support is unwavering and stronger than ever, and I will gladly take a bullet if I have to, he told The Independent.

Im really thankful for President Trump because hes responsible for all the happiness in my life, said Mr Young, who has attended 56 Trump campaign rallies, including the one where he said he met the love of my life.

The charges against Mr Trump are a steaming bucket of hog drippings, he said. This is the kind of stuff that Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin did.

The only reason Bragg is doing this is because Trump declared hes running for president. If Trump stayed in Florida and never said a word about running again, none of this would be happening, said Pauline Braccio, who traveled from Pennsylvania to attend the protest. It doesnt matter what the charges are. Its all made up. Its bologna.

Its bull***, said Dennis DelAndrew, a Staten Island native who held a sign labelling the Democratic Party fascist.

Hes never been wrong. Hes been right all along. And everything they throw at him falls on their ass, he said. Theyre scraping the bottom of the barrel now.

(AP)

Ozzie Hernandez, who waded into the pro-Trump crowd with a sign reading TRUMP FELONY, said that Mr Trumps street name is felon.

Hes an albatross hanging on this countrys neck, he shouted.

On the opposite side of the park, counterprotesters rolled out a massive sheet reading TRUMP LIES ALL THE TIME, while the crowd blew whistles, banged on tambourines and blasted loud music across a row of barricades separating them from pro-Trump demonstrators.

Mr Trump turned himself into authorities on 4 April and was formally charged with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. The charges stem from so-called hush-money payments made in effort to conceal damaging information and unlawful activity from American voters before and after the 2016 election, according to prosecutors.

Mike Hisey arrived at the counterprotest wearing an orange prison jumpsuit and a Trump mask and wig, an outfit he has worn at demonstrations over the last seven years.

Ive imagined him in jail for seven years, he said. Tomorrows my birthday, so its a happy birthday for me.

Gregory Williams held a sign reading lock him up while standing next to a lifesize cutout of Hillary Clinton, the subject of years of lock her up chants at Trump rallies and events.

For eight years, they screamed lock her up. Now finally with DA Bragg I can say lock him up, he told The Independent.

Still, Mr Williams is sceptical that Mr Trump will serve any time in jail, and he believes only a handful of the 34 charges against him will stick, but its good for the history books, and proves that no man is above the law, he said.

I really think, in some kind of way, this may help America realize there is some strength in our democracy, he said. No matter how rich you are, how much money you have, what political party youre part of, you can still be arrested and charged with a crime.
Donald Trump entered a historic court hearing in New York Tuesday after becoming the first American president to be arrested on criminal charges, in extraordinary scenes playing out amid tight security and a global media frenzy.

With a stern glare, Trump was seen making his way into the courtroom in Manhattan without saying a word to waiting press, although he was expected to speak at length later including at a campaign-style event at his Florida estate.

In a spectacle relayed on live television -- with rival protesters rallying outside -- the hearing marks a watershed moment for the US criminal and political system, with the potential to upend the 2024 White House race in which Trump is currently the leading Republican nominee.

The 76-year-old Trump is expected to plead not guilty to a host of charges related to hush money paid to a porn star ahead of the 2016 election that brought him to power.

"Seems so SURREAL -- WOW, they are going to ARREST ME," Trump posted on his Truth Social app as he headed to the courthouse from Trump Tower, where he spent the night after flying from Florida.

"Can't believe this is happening in America. MAGA!"

The twice-impeached Republican is the first sitting or former American president to be criminally indicted -- a development that has propelled the United States into uncharted political waters.

Police lined the streets while helicopters buzzed in the skies as Trump's motorcade made the short drive to court, a journey given wall-to-wall live coverage on US networks although cameras will not be allowed for the hearing itself.

Trump was not subjected to a "perp walk" -- in which a defendant is escorted in handcuffs past media cameras.

The former president was due to undergo the standard booking procedure of being fingerprinted -- and potentially photographed, which would result in an all-time famous mug shot -- at the Manhattan District Attorney's office.

He will learn at his arraignment precisely what charges he faces. Trump was due to plead not guilty to all counts, his lawyers have said.

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- Protests outside court -

Trump claims he is the victim of "political persecution" -- but is also using the court case to energize his support base and raise millions of dollars for his bid to reclaim the White House.

He plans to speak to reporters as he walks through the hallways toward court, one of his attorneys told CNN.

"THE RADICAL LEFT DEMOCRATS HAVE CRIMINALIZED THE JUSTICE SYSTEM," Trump posted hours before the hearing, branding the proceedings a "kangaroo court."

Hundreds of people gathered outside the venue -- both of Trump supporters and anti-Trump demonstrators, as well as media and curious onlookers.

Police stepped into the fray as the pro-Trump side -- many sporting "MAGA" hats and attire emblazoned with the American flag -- yelled slurs at counterprotesters.

The anti-Trump camp unfurled a large banner reading "Trump lies all the time" and chanted "Lock him up!" as Trump fans waved a flag with the slogan "Trump or Death."

About 30 counts, including at least one felony, are expected to be unsealed during the arraignment, which may last around 15 minutes.

- $130,000 payment -

Trump was indicted last week by a grand jury in the case brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, an elected Democrat.

The charges revolve around the investigation of $130,000 paid to adult film actress Stormy Daniels just days before Trump's election win.

Trump's former lawyer and aide Michael Cohen, who has turned against his ex-boss, says he arranged the payment to Daniels in exchange for her silence about a tryst she says she had with Trump in 2006.

Trump, whose third wife Melania had recently given birth at the time, denies the affair.

Legal experts have suggested that if not properly accounted for, the payment could result in charges for falsifying business records, possibly for the purpose of covering up a campaign finance violation.

Trump is facing a series of separate criminal investigations at the state and federal level that could result in further -- more serious -- charges between now and Election Day.

They include his efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss in the state of Georgia, his handling of classified documents, and his possible involvement in the storming of the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.

President Joe Biden, mindful that anything he might say could fuel Trump's claim of a politically "weaponized" judicial system, is one of the few Democrats holding back over the indictment of his rival.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Biden would "catch part of the news when he has a moment," but insisted: "This is not something that's a focus for him."

Republicans meanwhile have largely rallied around Trump, including his rival in the party's presidential primary, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who called the indictment "un-American."

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By Karen Freifeld, Jody Godoy and Luc Cohen

NEW YORK (Reuters) -Former President Donald Trump was charged on Tuesday with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in a historic case over allegations he orchestrated hush-money payments to two women before the 2016 U.S. election to suppress publication of their sexual encounters with him.

Prosecutors in Manhattan accused Trump, the first sitting or former U.S. president to face criminal charges, of trying to conceal a violation of election laws during his successful 2016 campaign.

"Not guilty," Trump, 76, said when asked by the judge in court how he pleaded. Wearing a dark blue suit and red tie, Trump sat, subdued, with his hands folded at the defense table flanked by his lawyers.

The front-runner in the race for the Republican nomination in 2024, Trump responded with answers like "yes" when the judge asked him if he understood a right. At one point, the judge put his hand to his ear as if to prompt an answer.

Prosecutor Chris Conroy said: "The defendant Donald J. Trump falsified New York business records in order to conceal an illegal conspiracy to undermine the integrity of the 2016 presidential election and other violations of election laws."

While falsifying business records in New York on its own is a misdemeanor punishable by no more than one year in prison, it is elevated to a felony punishable by up to four years when done to advance or conceal another crime, such as election law violations.

The two women in the case are adult film actress Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal.

SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS

Prosecutors during the arraignment said Trump made a series of social media posts, including one threatening "death and destruction" if he was charged. The judge asked the parties to "please refrain from making statements that are likely to incite violence or civil unrest."

On a cool and sunny early spring day in New York, Trump supporters and detractors before the arraignment were separated by barricades set up by police to try to keep order, though there were some confrontations.

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Trump said nothing as he entered the courtroom or when he left roughly an hour later.

He flew home to Florida where he addressed family, friends and supporters at his Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach on Tuesday night, delivering a litany of grievances against investigators and prosecutors and rival politicians.

He described the New York prosecution as election interference.

"I never thought anything like this could happen in America," Trump said. "The only crime that I've committed has been to fearlessly defend our nation against those who seek to destroy it."

Trump faces a separate criminal probe by a county prosecutor in Georgia into whether he unlawfully tried to overturn his 2020 election defeat in the state. He also faces two U.S. Justice Department investigations led by a special counsel into attempts to overturn the 2020 election results and his handling of classified documents after leaving office.

"They can't beat us at the ballot box so they try to beat us through the law," Trump said.

Earlier in the day, Trump posted on social media: "Heading to Lower Manhattan, the Courthouse. Seems so SURREAL - WOW, they are going to ARREST ME. Can't believe this is happening in America."

Manhattan District Attorney Bragg's team appears to have presented a solid case, said Adam Kaufmann, a defense lawyer who previously oversaw prosecutions in Manhattan.

"What theyve done is taken a bare bones falsifying business records indictment, and through the statements of facts, presented it as part of conspiracy, which I think is very effective," Kaufmann said.

Jeremy Saland, another former prosecutor, cautioned that prosecutors know they "have a very long road ahead with these charges" because they will have to prove to a jury that Trump intended to break election law even though he is not criminally charged with doing so.

JUDGE SETS DEC. 4 HEARING

Justice Juan Merchan set the next hearing for Dec. 4. Legal experts said a trial may not even get under way for a year, and indictment or even a conviction will not legally prevent Trump from running for president.

"We're going to fight it hard," Todd Blanche, a lawyer for Trump, told reporters after the arraignment. He said that while Trump was frustrated, upset and angry about the charges, "... he's motivated. And it's not going to stop him. And it's not going to slow him down. And it's exactly what he expected."

Bragg, a Democrat who pursued the case and has been accused by Trump and other Republicans of targeting him for political reasons, defended the charges.

"We today uphold our solemn responsibility to ensure that everyone stands equal before the law. No amount of money and no amount of power changes that enduring American principle," Bragg told a news conference.

The grand jury convened by Bragg that indicted Trump heard evidence about a $130,000 payment made to Daniels in the waning days of the 2016 presidential campaign. Daniels has said she was paid to keep silent about a sexual encounter she had with Trump at a Lake Tahoe hotel in 2006.

The former publisher of the National Enquirer, David Pecker, offered to look out for negative stories during Trump's campaign, prosecutors said. American Media Inc, its parent company, paid McDougal $150,000 to buy the rights to her story but then kept it secret. It also paid a former Trump Tower doorman $30,000 to buy the rights to an untrue story about a child Trump had allegedly fathered out of wedlock.

Trump's former personal lawyer Michael Cohen has said he coordinated with Trump on payments to Daniels and McDougal. Trump has denied having had sexual relationships with either woman but has acknowledged reimbursing Cohen for his payment to Daniels.

Trump's reimbursement checks to a lawyer for the suppression payments falsely stated that the money was for a "retainer agreement," prosecutors said. The indictment accused Trump of falsifying his real estate company's books with intent to defraud.

The false records included invoices from Cohen, entries in a ledger for Trump maintained by the Trump Organization, and check stubs, according to the indictment.

One element of the charges is a method known as "catch and kill" used by some media outlets to bury damaging information.

Bragg's office did not charge Trump with violating election laws.

"Under New York state law, it is a felony to falsify business records with intent to defraud and intent to conceal another crime. That is exactly what this case is about - 34 false statements made to cover up other crimes," Bragg said.

(Reporting by Karen Freifeld and Jody Godoy; Additional reporting by Julia Harte, Tyler Clifford, Jonathan Allen, Jeenah Moon and David Dee Delgado in New York, Nathan Layne in Connecticut and Doina Chiacu and Richard Cowan in Washington; Writing by Will Dunham and Grant McCool; Editing by Noeleen Walder, Howard Goller and Lisa Shumaker)
Pro- and anti-Trump protesters competed for attention outside the criminal court in downtown Manhattan as the former president surrendered to authorities for arrest and arraignment Tuesday after his indictment by District Attorney Alvin Bragg.

The development comes amid New York prosecutors investigation into Trumps connection to a hush-money payment made to porn actress Stormy Daniels.

Pro and anti-Trump protesters shout slogans at each other across an NYPD barricade by the Manhattan criminal courthouse.

Demonstrators banged drums, blew whistles, and shouted slogans while scores of NYPD officers stood guard on the periphery.

Wearing a red Make America Great Again hat, a man who said hes an attorney called Braggs targeting of Trump an abomination. The Department of Justice and FBI have also been weaponized against conservatives under the Biden administration, he said.

Bragg has come under fire for his lax law enforcement policies, such as bail reform, that critics say are fueling already soaring crime in the Big Apple. A group of native New Yorker immigrants and minorities, clad with patriotic gear, told National Review that Bragg is abdicating his duty to protect the citizens of the city by pursuing Trumps prosecution.

Especially in my community, every time you turn around, somebodys getting shot, an African-American man said. Bragg should lock them up. Hes not doing his job. Are you sitting around having a sandwich all day? Get up off your a** and put these criminals in jail.

Demonstrators hold signs agitating for Trumps imprisonment following his prosecution by DA Alvin Bragg.

In the morning, Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene showed up to join the rally, preparing to address the crowd of Trumpers, but only spoke briefly as she was quickly overwhelmed by the noise of anti-Trump protesters.

Not exactly the MAGA welcome mat Marjorie Taylor Greene expected. Its NYC, not the boonies.#TrumpArraignment pic.twitter.com/6itcGTprHA  Christopher Webb (@cwebbonline) April 4, 2023

This is election interference, Greene said, the Daily News reported. DA Alvin Bragg, he is the tool for the Democrats, hes trying to hijack the 2024 election. This should never happen in AmericaThey will come after you tomorrow.

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Greene then struggled through a mob of people to escape from the small stage to her getaway car. Disgraced Republican representative George Santos also made an appearance at the scene and met a similarly hostile welcome. He only stayed for about 30 minutes before leaving the area.

An Indian man who said he identifies as politically independent said Trumps disproportionately punitive treatment should be denounced regardless of partisanship.

I belong to the Constitution of the United States. This is what were fighting for. Everyones rights, he said.

Do you think were MAGA extremists?, he asked, motioning to his friends racial backgrounds.

Trumps opponents and fans were mostly divided by multiple NYPD barricades, preventing the unrest from escalating. Other attendees showed up to raise awareness for other serious problems, such as homelessness, plaguing New York City.

NYPD officers stand guard at the Manhattan courthouse in preparation for Trumps arrival.

An African-American man, who said he is homeless, told National Review that the housing crisis is getting overlooked because Trumps indictment is stealing the limelight.

If we keep dealing with this Trump thing, were going to forget about the homeless people and the people that have to pay their rent every month, that keeps going up, he said. This is a distraction from the real issues.

Some progressive protesters camped out with flags and speakers, yelling F*** Donald Trump. One sign read: Murica of the rich white men, by the rich white men, for the rich white men. Not a real democracy yet.

Stop pretending your racism is patriotism, another said. An enormous tarp that read, Trump Lies All The Time, lay on the ground.

A group of Asian individuals blasted Braggs record in their signage.

Bragg above the law? Who will check Braggs misconduct bribery/tax fraud?, one read.

Braggs scam indictment is part of a DEM conspiracy, another said.

Dennis, a man from the Trump country of Staten Island, holding a sign that compared Democrats to fascists, said of the former president: Hes been fighting for us, for this country, and what have they been doing? Theyve been selling everything to Russia, China, anybody who can give them money.

As he departed Trump Tower Tuesday afternoon for his arraignment at the courthouse scheduled for 2:15 p.m. EST, Trump updated his supporters on his social media platform, Truth Social.

Heading to Lower Manhattan, the Courthouse. Seems so SURREAL- WOW they are going to ARREST ME. Cant believe this is happening in America. MAGA!, he wrote.

More from National Review
Donald Trump has accused Ron DeSantis of being a shapeshifting political fraud, argued hes bought and paid for by wealthy donors and even baselessly suggested  without evidence  his political rival engaged in inappropriate romantic relationships.

And yet Floridas Republican governor, visiting this battleground state to build national support before a likely presidential campaign, still rushed to the former presidents defense on Saturday against an indictment brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.

You have this Manhattan district attorney, who, his whole platform when he got elected, was that he was going to downgrade as many felonies as possible to misdemeanors, said DeSantis, speaking as part of his nationwide book tour at the Pennsylvania Leadership Conference, a gathering of conservative leaders in Pennsylvania.

He continued: So now he turns around purely for political purposes, indicts a former president on misdemeanor offenses that theyre straining to try to convert into felonies. That is when you know that the law has been weaponized for political purposes. That is when you know the left is using that to target its political opponents.

DeSantis defense amounted to only a short detour during his regular stump speech  but it illustrates the vexing challenge facing the governor and every other potential Republican candidate.

Even as they seek to displace him as the GOPs leader, Trumps rivals have almost uniformly moved to defend him even before Tuesdays arraignment in New York City, arguing that the former president is being unfairly targeted because Democrats want to take down a marquee Republican.

The resulting praise for Trump has not only put his would-be foes in an awkward position, its drowned out their own messages and once again made the former president the center of attention in the GOP presidential primary. And a race in which Trump was already widely considered a favorite has, at least for now, tilted even further in his direction.

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This is going to solidify the Republican base around Trump, said Rick Wilson, a longtime GOP strategist and vocal critic of the former president. It is going to lock in further loyalty and fealty to Donald Trump. I would make the argument that the primary was over the day the indictment was announced.

READ MORE: Donald Trump, indicted in New York, is first ex-U.S. president to face criminal charges

Other Republicans are less bullish about what Trumps indictment  which centers on the allegation he paid an adult film star hush money during the 2016 election  means for Trump and the 2024 primary, arguing that whatever bump in support he receives might not last over the duration of a long race.

A Yahoo News/YouGuv poll released Saturday found Trumps advantage over DeSantis growing in a hypothetical head-to-head matchup, with the former president now receiving 57% support to the governors 31%.

Two weeks ago, the same survey showed Trumps lead over DeSantis was only 8 percentage points, 47% to 39%.

Former President Donald Trumps private plane takes off from Palm Beach International Airport in West Palm Beach, Florida, on April 3, 2023.

Other surveys showed Trumps advantage over the rest of the GOP field growing even before he acknowledged last week that he had been indicted, a consequence some Republicans attribute to weeks of speculation that he was about to be charged. A Fox News survey released last week found him at 54% support in the GOP field, up 11 percentage points from February.

DeSantis was the closest potential candidate to Trump, receiving 24% backing from GOP voters.

The base is responding to him, said Jeffrey Lord, a longtime Trump advocate who was in attendance Saturday watching DeSantis speak in Pennsylvania. Its not that they dont like Governor DeSantis, its that theyre really upset about this and they want to, you know, stand by their man, as it were.

A Trump aide tweeted Monday as the president flew to New York for his arraignment that his campaign had raised $7 million since the indictment.

RELEVANT CONTENT: Un-American: DeSantis, Florida GOP rally in support of Trump after indictment

Lord said he had never seen the party more unified than it is now in defending Trump. And, indeed, in addition to support from DeSantis and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who has voiced concern about the indictment, the former president has received the backing of GOP leaders like House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and conservative figures like Fox News host Tucker Carlson.

A police officer controls a crowd of former President Donald Trumps supporters during a rally on Monday, April 3, 2023, in West Palm Beach, Fla. The supporters gathered to see Trumps motorcade as it headed to Palm Beach International Airport.

FIGHTING FOR ATTENTION

Not every Republican candidate has rushed to Trumps defense: Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Sunday reiterated that he thought the former president should drop out of the race after his indictment.

But the Arkansas Republican has his own indictment-related challenges, announcing Sunday that hes running for president at a time when media coverage is fixated on the charges against Trump.

It wasnt just a problem for Hutchinson, either. Haley was visiting the U.S.-Mexico border in Texas on Monday, trying to draw attention to her plans to fix an issue of visceral importance to the conservative base. But her visit was overshadowed by wall-to-wall cable network coverage of Trump as he flew from Florida to New York.

Turn on any TV, any cable channel, and what are you seeing? Wilson said. All Trump, all Trump, all Trump.

Wilson called the coverage a time loop back to 2016, when the then-insurgent candidate used intense media coverage to unexpectedly vault to the top of the GOP presidential primary field.

The Republican base could continue to rally behind Trump throughout the primary, GOP strategists point out, amid a series of other looming investigations, including allegations that he mishandled classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate. Each new wave of charges could intensify its support for him.

Other Republicans, however, are skeptical any short-term boost in support for Trump will last over the course of a long primary. And the compounding effect of each new charge could persuade some GOP voters, especially those wary about the partys chances in a general election next year, to move on from the former president.

At this point, everybodys opinion of Donald Trump is pretty well set, said Lowman Henry, a conservative leader in Pennsylvania. You either like him or you dont.  I think youd have a hard time finding 2% of the population that hasnt already made up their mind on him. So no matter how much the left attacks or how much they weaponize indictments, I dont think it changes for primary voters.

During his speech, DeSantis tried to weave his criticism of Bragg into a larger argument about his opposition to liberal prosecutors, boasting to the audience about how he removed a state attorney (Hillsborough Countys Andrew Warren) from office.

DeSantis speech Saturday was well-received, and some in attendance said afterward that they viewed the contest as a two-person race between him and Trump.

The governor himself indicated that, even if hes losing ground in the polls, he remains undeterred about a potential future campaign.

I have only begun to fight, DeSantis said to cheers, because we are going to save liberty in this country.
China tops globally in happiness index

Chinadaily.com.cn) 10:52, April 04, 2023

China has become the number one country with highest proportions of happy citizens in the world, according to a survey by global leading market research group Ipsos.

Saudi Arabia ranks second on the list, followed by the Netherlands, said the report, indicating that around 73 percent of adults across 32 countries describe themselves as happy on average.

The survey discovered that happiness in middle-income countries saw a more pronounced increase than it did in high-income countries.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
ULAN BATOR, April 4 (Xinhua) -- WeChat Pay, a mobile payment service run by China's tech giant Tencent, is now available in Mongolia, Mongolia's state-owned television MNB reported Tuesday, citing financial company Sendly.

"Our company has become the official partner of Tencent's WeChat Pay in Mongolia," Sendly said in a statement.

Currently, service providers such as hotels, restaurants and convenience stores in Zamiin-Uud soum of the southeastern province of Dornogovi and the national capital Ulan Bator can accept WeChat Pay payments, it said.

Mongolia has set 2023-2025 as "Years to Visit Mongolia" with a goal of welcoming at least 1 million foreign tourists and earning 1 billion U.S. dollars from tourism.

The country's tourism authorities believe that Mongolia will receive a large number of tourists from China in the next few years, and it is hoped that WeChat Pay will make Chinese tourists' visits more comfortable and convenient. 
Donald Trump sat solemnly in a New York City courtroom Tuesday as prosecutors charged him with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in a hush money investigation. The first former president to be charged with crimes pleaded not guilty on all counts.

Trump has denied any wrongdoing, repeatedly assailed the investigation, called the indictment political persecution and predicted it would damage Democrats in 2024. Trump's lawyers have said the former Republican president did not commit any crime and they will "vigorously fight this political prosecution in court.

A look at what happened Tuesday:

WHAT HAPPENED AFTER THE SURRENDER?

Trump was booked.

Before computers, information on every criminal suspect would be written down in a big book kept by court officials. Now, it's all computerized, but the process is largely the same.

Court officers take down the accused's full name, age, birthdate, height and weight. They check for any outstanding warrants. They were expected to have taken Trump's fingerprints but were not believed to have taken a mug shot.

In New York, this process usually takes about two hours, but can be as long as four. But no one else was getting processed when Trump arrived, so it was faster. Then he went before a judge.

WHAT HAPPENED IN THE HEARING?

Prosecutors raised concerns about what they said were irresponsible social media posts they said targeted people in the case, including grand jury witnesses and District Attorney Alvin Bragg. They specifically pointed to posts Trump made that warned of potential death and destruction if he were to be indicted.

The judge said he was not imposing a gag order at this point but asked both sides to refrain from making comments or engaging in comments that could lead to civil unrest.

Trump spoke briefly. He told the judge he was pleading not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records and he was advised of his rights. Trump stayed mostly still, his hands steepled or interlaced, and looked ahead during the proceedings that lasted just over an hour.

Story continues

Trumps lawyer Todd Blanche said during the hearing: He is absolutely frustrated, upset and believes that there is a great injustice happening in this courtroom today.

WAS HE ARRESTED?

Technically, yes.

When someone is fingerprinted and processed, that person is considered to be under arrest and in custody. But for Trump, it didn't look like what it does in the movies or on TV's Law & Order.

He wasn't handcuffed and he didn't sit in a jail cell. That's in part because some of the courthouse was cleared out for his arraignment and because Trump is a former president with Secret Service protection. Not all defendants are handcuffed before they appear before a judge for an arraignment, though some are.

DID TRUMP WALK OUT OF THERE?

Yes. Trump did not say anything as he exited the courtroom, ignoring reporters.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

Trump is next due in court in December. His lawyers asked for him to be excused from attending the hearing in person because of the extraordinary security measures.

___

More on Donald Trump-related investigations at https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump.
Former president Donald Trump sits at the defense table with his defense team in a Manhattan court, April 4, 2023. Seth Wenig / AP

MANHATTAN  In news that might make someone from 2016s head explode, the first president to be impeached twice made history again on Tuesday by becoming the first to be arraigned on criminal charges.

On Tuesday afternooon, Donald Trump shuffled into the courtroom with his lawyers, and listened as prosecutors charged him with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. Flanked by his attorneys on both sides, Trump entered his not guilty plea himself, leaning forward to speak into the mic.

According to a news release from the office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, Trump and others allegedly "employed a 'catch and kill' scheme to identify, purchase, and bury negative information about him and boost his electoral prospects."

"Trump then went to great lengths to hide this conduct, causing dozens of false entries in business records to conceal criminal activity, including attempts to violate state and federal election laws," the release states.

During a speech Tuesday night at Mar-a-lago, Trump said that the various investigations he's facing, including one on whether he illegally interfered in the 2020 election, were politically motivated. Trump also called Bragg a "criminal" for investigating him, and he called New York Attorney General Letitia James "a racist in reverse" because her office sued Trump because his company allegedly misled banks. Trump rattled off a number of lies and conspiracy theories, including that the 2020 election was stolen from him and that Bragg is controlled by George Soros.

The only crime that I've committed is to fearlessly defend our nation from those who seek to destroy it," Trump said.

The case against Trump centers on alleged hush money payments, including one made to adult film star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election in order to prevent her from going public with claims that she had had sex with him in 2006. Trump, who has denied the affair, initially denied knowing anything about the payment but later admitted that he reimbursed his former attorney Michael Cohen for it. Cohen later pleaded guilty to federal criminal charges and served time in prison in part for facilitating the payment.

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Other charges focus on allegations that Trump and others "mischaracterized" documents regarding payments of hush money relating to claims of other affairs. The charges encompass 11 allegedly falsified invoices, 12 general ledger entries, and 11 checks.

"These are felony crimes in New York state. No matter who you are, we cannot and will not normalize serious criminal conduct, Bragg added in a press conference after the arraignment.

The district attorney has turned what is actually a political issue into a political prosecution," one of Trump's attorneys, Todd Blanche, told reporters after the arraignment. "I dont expect this to happen in this country. You dont expect this to happen to somebody who was the president of the United States.

Following his indictment by a grand jury last week, Donald Trump voluntarily surrendered to authorities at the Manhattan Criminal Court on Tuesday. Trump arrived at the courthouse at 1:24 p.m. Eastern time, where he was formally booked and fingerprinted, although he reportedly did not have his mugshot taken . His hearing began around 2:30 p.m. in a courtroom on the 15th floor in front of Justice Juan Merchan.

Trump appeared forlorn during the proceedings, which lasted about an hour. He spoke only a handful of times, including to plead not guilty.

The surreal moment has generated an unprecedented political and media circus. Never before in history has a president  former or current  been criminally prosecuted, let alone one who is currently making another bid for the White House.

Former president Donald Trump arrives at the Manhattan district attorney's office on April 4. John Minchillo / AP

Even Trump himself seemed somewhat astonished by the developments. "Heading to Lower Manhattan, the Courthouse. Seems so SURREAL  WOW, they are going to ARREST ME," he wrote on his Truth Social website on Tuesday afternoon, apparently from the car on the way to surrender at the courthouse. "Cant believe this is happening in America. MAGA!"

Only a handful of photographers were allowed to take photos in the courtroom Tuesday, but the arraignment itself was not televised. Merchan on Monday night denied a request from multiple media outlets to broadcast the arraignment live but acknowledged the "unparalleled public interest and media attention" in the case. Trumps attorneys had argued that allowing video or photography of the proceedings would create a circus-like atmosphere and heighten the already extraordinary security concerns. Nevertheless, Trump reportedly traveled with his own videographer to document behind the scenes of his surrender and arraignment, per CNN's Kristen Holmes.

A Trump supporter scuffles with anti-Trump demonstrators outside the Manhattan courthouse on April 4. Drew Angerer / Getty Images

In preparing for what he described as a major historical event, New York City Mayor Eric Adams told reporters on Monday that authorities had not identified any specific threats from far-right agitators, but that police had prepared for the worst.

The city blocked off multiple streets around the Manhattan Criminal Court ahead of the arraignment on Tuesday. Early that morning, the courthouse, which has been ringed by metal fences for weeks, was the site of both protests and celebrations .

By about 9:30 a.m., the crowds outside the Manhattan courthouse began to turn tense as pro- and anti-Trump demonstrators squared off. At one point, an exchange became heated as a Trump supporter rushed a banner bearing the slogan "Trump Lies All The Time" and tried to tear it up. Police stepped in to break up the conflict.

JUST NOW: A Trump supporter just rushed the banner and tried to tear it up. Started attacking the anti-Trump protesters. Very ugly and heated. Swarmed by media. Police struggled to get in to break it up. Getting heated. 01:22 PM - 04 Apr 2023

A few prominent Trump allies also showed up on the scene to share support for the former president. Rep. George Santos of New York, who has faced down criticisms and calls for resignation after it was revealed he faked large portions of his resume during his congressional campaign, arrived around 9:30 a.m. but quickly left the chaotic scene.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, a vocal Trump ally, also arrived to lead a promised morning rally on his behalf. However, she was quickly drowned out by the crowd, which whistled, booed, cheered, and chanted. At the end of her short speech, her security personnel and NYPD officers had to shove through the tightly packed crowd to escort Taylor Greene out.

Pushing and shoving as MTG exits the park after a brief speech that was impossible to hear. She almost is falling over as her security tries to get her out safely. This is extremely dangerous. 02:45 PM - 04 Apr 2023

Trump has decried the case against him as being a  witch hunt , and his fellow Republicans have lined up to accuse the Manhattan DA of pursuing a political prosecution.

But Trump is also attempting to use the charges to his benefit. He has fundraised millions of dollars from supporters since the indictment, and he has seen himself rise in polling against other 2024 rivals as he casts himself as a political victim. There has even been speculation that he might turn a mugshot into a merchandising opportunity .

He is also expected to give a speech on Tuesday night upon his return to his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.

More on this
Former President Trump holds a 13-point lead over Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) among New Hampshire voters, according to a new poll released on Monday.

Trump is leading the pack of current and potential Republican candidates in the key primary state, with 42 percent of voters saying they would support the former president in the GOP primary, according to the poll from the New Hampshire Institute of Politics.

DeSantis, who has yet to officially announce his candidacy, sits the closest to Trump, with 29 percent of Granite State voters saying they would back the Florida governor.

Another 14 percent said they would support New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R), who is also considering a 2024 bid for the White House, while 4 percent said they would back former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R) and 3 percent said they would support conservative entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.

Haley and Ramaswamy are the only major Republican candidates other than Trump to have officially announced their 2024 campaigns thus far.

The polling comes as Trump is set to appear in court on Tuesday to be arraigned on criminal charges for his role in a 2016 hush money payment to an adult film star.

The poll was conducted by the Saint Anselm College Survey Center at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics March 28-30 with 1,320 registered New Hampshire voters and had a margin of error of 4 percentage points.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Former President Donald Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts Tuesday in New York, a historic moment as the first former president ever to face criminal charges and a dramatic backdrop for the 2024 presidential race as he campaigns again for the White House.

The high-stakes case represents risks for Trump, who faces possible criminal penalties if convicted, and also Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who Republicans including Trump have vilified as politically motivated.

Trump, who stayed at his Trump Tower in Manhattan on Monday night, pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in connection with hush money payments to women who claimed to have had sex with him.

Trump indictment live updates: Arraignment to come after surrender in historic NYC case

Trump's mugshot: Will Trump get a mugshot? Yes. Will it be released to the public? It's complicated

Trump is adamantly defiant in Mar-a-Lago speech, repeats falsehoods, long list of grievances

Former President Donald Trump told the nation the "country is going to hell" Tuesday night, just hours after becoming the first president to be charged with a crime, fingerprinted, booked and then declaring himself innocent in a Manhattan court.

Under the sparkling lights of the chandeliers in the gilded ballroom named after him at the Mar-a-Lago club, Trump recited the litany of investigatory grievances, from the Russia investigation to the search and seizure of government documents from the very property he spoke from. He brought up his usual old enemies (Hillary Clinton and Hunter Biden) and new ones (Fulton County [Georgia] DA Fani Willis and Jack Smith, who is investigating Trump's handling of classified documents).

Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene waves to guests while arriving at Mar-A-Lago on Tuesday, April 4, 2023.

But as for the New York charges, Trump angrily said New York City District Attorney Alvin Bragg is "out to get him" and the 34 felony charges should be "dropped immediately" and he would not go along with any settlement talks.

Story continues

"I never believed this could happen in America," Trump said. "The only crime I've committed is to fearlessly defend our nation from those who seek to destroy it."

Former Arizona Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake speaks to media at Mar-A-Lago on Tuesday, April 4, 2023.

Those in the crowd at Mar-a-Lago for Trump's speech

Those seen in the crowd at Mar-a-Lago for Trump's speech included his son U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, political fixer Roger Stone, My-Pillow-Guy Mike Lindell, GOP nominee in 2022 Arizona gubernatorial election Kari Lake, U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, sons Don Trump Jr. and Eric Trump and Eric's wife Lara Trump. The former first lady Melania Trump, who did not appear to accompany her husband to New York City, was not seen during his speech Tuesday night.

Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz at Mar-A-Lago on Tuesday, April 4, 2023.

Crowds around Mar-a-Lago, downtown West Palm started small, grew as Trump returned

Trump supporters near Mar-a-Lago and at the Publix on Southern Boulevard, the route in which Trump's motorcade passes on his way from Palm Beach International Airport to his Mar-a-Lago home, numbered only nine while Trump was in a Manhattan courtroom. But the crowds grew to about 25 by 3 p.m. and well over 130 by 6:15 p.m. as the crowds awaited Trump's return to Florida.

By 6:30 p.m., the crowds grew to just over 150, as people lined the south side of Southern Boulevard between Parker Avenue and Lake Avenue.

Trump-supporting commuters slowed traffic along that stretch of road as they slowed to honk for the former president.

Political consultant Roger Stone, before the start of a press event at Mar-A-Lago on Tuesday, April 4, 2023.

Demonstrators stood behind waist-high metal barricades as two West Palm Beach police officers paced back and forth along the block. There were no signs of violence.

By the time Trump's 757 Trump Force One airplane landed at PBIA and his motorcade made its way toward Mar-a-Lago, the crowds had grown to more than 200.

As Trump waved and gave a thumbs up from the back seat of one of the black SUVs, his supporters chanted USA! USA!."

Former President Donald Trump waves to supporters from his motorcade as he returns to Mar-a Lago following his arraignment in New York on April 4, 2023.

During hearing, streets around Mar-a-Lago were quiet

As a grim-faced Donald Trump appeared Tuesday afternoon in a Manhattan courtroom, a handful of his die-hard supporters were in Palm Beach County's streets where they normally gather to support the ex-president.

Around 3 p.m., as Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts, there were only four supporters seen near Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach and five were seen at the Publix on Southern Boulevard in West Palm Beach.

Eric Trump, son of former President Donald Trump, at Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday, April 4, 2023.

During Trump's four years as president, people normally showed up in throngs along the route from Palm Beach International Airport to Mar-a-Lago. In fact, a few hundred showed up Monday to support Trump as he made the trip from Palm Beach to PBIA on his way to New York City.

But as Tuesday afternoon progressed, and Trump was on his way back to PBIA on his personal 757 airplane, the crowds grew to about 23.

Trump pleads not guilty to charges

Donald Trump pleaded not guilty Tuesday in New York to 34 counts of falsifying business records in the unprecedented case of the first criminal charges against a former U.S. president in history, according to multiple news organizations.

His plea came in response to a Manhattan grand jurys indictment of Trump on Thursday. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg had been investigating Trumps role in hush-money payments his former lawyer and fixer, Michael Cohen, arranged with two women who claimed to have had sex with him before the 2016 election.

 Bart Jansen, USA Today

Trump enters Manhattan courtroom in New York

Former U.S. President Donald Trump waves as he arrives at the Manhattan Criminal Court on April 4, 2023 in New York.

Donald Trump and his lawyer Joe Tacopina headed into the Manhattan courtroom about 2:30 p.m. for his arraignment as the first president ever to face criminal charges.

Donald Trump and his lawyer Joe Tacopina headed into the Manhattan courtroom about 2:30 p.m. for his arraignment as the first president ever to face criminal charges.

Trump looked stern as he walked down a hall toward the courtroom. He was set to be arraigned on unspecified charges from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Braggs investigation of hush payments before the 2016 election.

 Bart Jansen, USA Today

Michael Lindell, founder and CEO of My Pillow, waves to guests while arriving at Mar-A-Lago on Tuesday, April 4, 2023.

As Trump appears in court, few supporters seen in Palm Beach County

A grim-faced Donald Trump appeared in a Manhattan courtroom with his attorneys Tuesday just before his scheduled arraignment.

Trump looked toward still photographers permitted inside the courtroom, as his attorneys Todd Blanche, Susan Necheles and Joe Tacopina flanked him.

As Trump sat in the courtroom, only a handful of supporters were out in the streets where they normally gather to support the ex-president.

Former President Donald Trump appears in court for his arraignment, Tuesday, April 4, 2023, in New York.

Four supporters were seen near Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach and five were seen at the Publix on Southern Boulevard in West Palm Beach.

During Trump's four years as president, people normally showed up in throngs along the route from Palm Beach International Airport to Mar-a-Lago.

A few hundred showed up Monday to support Trump as he made the trip from Palm Beach to the airport on his way to New York City.

Stormy Daniels Donald Trump: How is the former adult film star involved?

Adult film actress Stormy Daniels leaves federal court in New York in 2018.

Witnesses have said Trump arranged for his former lawyer and fixer, Michael Cohen, to pay two women, one of them Stormy Daniels, for their silence before the 2016 election. The women claimed to have had sex with Trump before the 2016 election. Trump denied wrongdoing and noted Cohen is a convicted liar.

Legal experts expect a combination of misdemeanor charges alleging falsification of business records about the payments, combined with a felony such as a campaign finance violation.

Stormy Daniels says she's received death threats since Trump indictment

Storm Daniels, in 2018.

Stormy Daniels says she is kind of numb now that the hush-money investigation stemming from her alleged affair with Donald Trump in 2006 has led to his criminal indictment  and that it has prompted death threats against her.

Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, told the Times UK that the charges by the Manhattan District Attorneys Office amount to a vindication of her efforts to hold the former president accountable. But in her first interview since Trumps indictment last Thursday, she said the as-yet-unspecific charges have put her in more personal danger than ever before.

The first time it was like gold digger, slut, whore. You know, liar, whatever and this time it's like, I'm gonna murder you,  she said of the threatening messages she has been getting.

 Josh Meyer, USA Today

Donald Trump mugshot: Will the former president have his photo taken? Is he going to jail?

One of the top questions out there is whether Trump will have his photo taken for a mug shot.

Experts say yes, but whether it will be released to the public and media is a different story. Some theorize the potential 2024 presidential candidate will release it himself. And if it's released, will the mug shot be used in newspapers, websites, on social media and on TV? Again, that's a different story.

Trump campaign using fake mugshot to fundraise

Former President Donald Trump is using a fake mugshot to raise money for his presidential campaign and a related fund that has paid for a slew of expenses including lawyers.

The latest fundraising email, sent before his arraignment began, shows a black-and-white picture with Trumps face in front of a height chart with a fake nameplate in front of him referencing him as the 45th and 47th president. Below the picture is an all caps, NOT GUILTY.

Experts said before the arraignment they did not expect Trump to take a mugshot.

 Erin Mansfield, USA Today

Former President Donald Trump's plane awaits his departure on April 3, 2023 for his arraignment in New York City.

What is Trump 757 airplane?

While president, Donald Trump rode in Air Force One, the airplane U.S. presidents use.

Prior to his election in 2016, and now as a private citizen, Trump uses his family's 757 aircraft, known as Trump Force One.

The plane, which was recently refurbished, was a fixture as Trump barnstormed the country in 2016 as, first, the leading Republican candidate, and later as the party's nominee. The 757 often served as a backdrop at his effective, fly-in airport rallies.

Back in 2011, Trump unloaded his 727 private jet and purchased the much larger 757.

"I bought a great airplane," Trump told The Palm Beach Post at the time.

Air Force One arrives at PBIA.

The aircraft upgrade sparked speculation over whether Trump would run against then-President Barack Obama in 2012. Trump didn't run in 2012, but did launch a campaign in June 2015.

Also, as president, Trump wanted Air Force One to have new colors and suggested it be repainted red, white and blue.

Ultimately, officials stuck with the plane's original colors, which include robin egg blue.

President Donald Trump arrives with first lady Melania Trump and son Barron on Air Force One at Palm Beach International Airport on January 17, 2020 in West Palm Beach, Florida. [GREG LOVETT/palmbeachpost.com]

Indictment of Donald Trump gives him edge over DeSantis, surveys say

Last week's grand jury indictment has divided the country but it's given him a decided edge over fellow Floridian and looming rival Gov. Ron DeSantis, according to public opinion surveys.

A new Yahoo News/YouGov poll released Monday showed Trump widening the gap with DeSantis among Republicans, up to 26 percentage points. The poll conducted in the wake of a grand jury indictment against Trump had the former president leading the Sunshine State's governor by 57% to 31%.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, far right, passes through a hallway outside the courtroom, Tuesday, April 4, 2023, in New York. Trump is set to appear in a New York City courtroom on charges related to falsifying business records in a hush money investigation, the first president ever to be charged with a crime.

What are the charges against Trump?

Witnesses before the Manhattan grand jury have described hush-money payments Trump directed former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen to make to silence two women who claimed to have had sex with Trump before the 2016 election.

Legal experts expect a combination of misdemeanor charges alleging falsification of business records about the payments, combined with a felony such as a campaign finance violation.

A guest wears a tie with the words "No Crime," written on it while waiting in the Mar-A-Lago main ballroom before the start of a press event at Mar-A-Lago on Tuesday, April 4, 2023, in Palm Beach FL. Former President Donald Trump returned to Mar-A-Lago Tuesday evening after facing arraignment in New York earlier in the day.

But Trump has denied wrongdoing and Tacopina said there is no documentation of false business records.

All of the Tuesday stuff is very much up in the air except that we will very loudly and proudly say not guilty, Tacopina said. Were not doing anything at the arraignment because that would be showmanship and nothing more because we havent even seen the indictment.

 Bart Jansen, USA Today

Mason-Dixon poll: DeSantis has higher approval rating in Florida than Trump

Do Florida Republicans, who know Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis best, know better?

While Trump touts national polls showing him with a gaping lead over DeSantis, a Mason-Dixon poll of Sunshine State GOP voters released Tuesday says the governor is more popular among the party's rank-and-file here than the former president.

The poll was released as both political leaders are facing mounting pressures.

A scorecard to keep track of the Trump investigations

From the so-called Mueller report to a porn star payment, and two impeachments in between, Donald Trump rates as the most investigated U.S. president  ever.

Two of the investigations below are closed cases. But four others are ongoing.

Of that quartet, grand jury probes in New York City and Atlanta appear to be the closest ones to resolution, either to dismiss the allegations or to support indicting Trump. Those two are also notable because they are state cases, and as such adjudication would be immune to a presidential pardon.

The other two investigations are being carried out by a special counsel named by the U.S. Department of Justice. One of those is on Trump's possession of federal documents. Legal scholars and historians note that probe is potentially troublesome for Trump as any crime deemed to have been committed would have happened after he left the White House, and would not fall under a legal doctrine seen to offer U.S. presidents some immunity against prosecution.

For the full story, go here.

In this historical photograph from the Palm Beach Post photo archives, President Richard Nixon appears at an event in West Palm Beach.

Have other former U.S. presidents been indicted? No, but these came close.

Former President Donald Trump's indictment marks the first time a former U.S. president has been charged criminally.

But there have been plenty of presidential scandals, both financial and political: from Warren Harding's Teapot Dome to Ulysses Grant's Whiskey Ring to Harry Truman's "mess in Washington" to Ronald Reagan's Iran-Contra scandal. In a number of cases, aides to presidents were sent to serve prison sentences after they either pleaded guilty or were convicted of crimes.

Still, no former U.S. president has ever faced criminal charges. But we have come close.

Want to read about five things to know about allegations of presidential wrongdoings and misdoings?

For the full story, go here.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Trump indictment live news: Pleads not guilty to charges; speech today
Former President Donald Trump sits at the defense table with his defense team in a Manhattan court, Tuesday, April 4, 2023, in New York. Trump is set to appear in a New York City courtroom on charges related to falsifying business records in a hush money investigation, the first president ever to be charged with a crime. | Seth Wenig, Associated Press

Former President Donald Trump turned himself in to law enforcement Tuesday after a Manhattan grand jury indicted him last week in relation to allegedly paying hush money to adult film star Stormy Daniels.

Trump was charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records, according to The Washington Post. He pleaded not guilty before state Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan.

The indictment has been unsealed and was uploaded by The Washington Post.

Heres the latest:

Trump returns to Florida, speaks to supporters

On Tuesday evening, Trump addressed a large crowd of supporters at Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. Those in attendance included Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green, R-GA; Donald Trump Jr.; Kimberly Guilfoyle; and Kari Lake.

Virtually everybody that has looked at this case, including RINOs, and even hardcore Democrats, say there is no crime and that it should never have been brought, Trump said.

My lawyers came to me and they said, Theres nothing here. Theyre not even saying what you did, Trump said. The criminal is the district attorney because he illegally leaked massive amounts of grand jury information. The former president has previously claimed in a Truth Social post that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg leaked the 33 points of the indictment.

Prior to the arraignment, Trump took to Truth Social and said: Seems so SURREAL  WOW, they are going to ARREST ME. Cant believe this is happening in America. MAGA!

In another post, Trump called the venue very unfair in an all-caps Truth Social message, citing Manhattans small Republican population as the reason. Staten Island, he said, would be a secure and fair location for the trial. Trump also claimed that Merchan is a highly partisan judge who was impossible to deal with during the witch hunt trial.

Related

Trump was not seen wearing handcuffs while entering the courthouse. His mugshot wasnt taken, either, but he was fingerprinted in custody and processed as a criminal defendant, according to ABCs Will Steakin.

Story continues

Former President Donald Trump leaves Trump Tower in New York for Manhattan Criminal Court. | Corey Sipkin, Associated Press

Utahs senators respond

Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, said although the former presidents character and conduct make him unfit for office, the Manhattan DA has stretched to reach felony criminal charges in order to fit a political agenda, according to a statement released shortly after the court proceedings concluded.

No one is above the law, not even former presidents, but everyone is entitled to equal treatment under the law, he said. The prosecutors overreach sets a dangerous precedent for criminalizing political opponents and damages the publics faith in our justice system.

Romney also called upon all elected leaders to discourage violence and anger in response to this situation.

Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, said via Twitter: I have spent my life in the law, I hold our justice system in the highest regard. This isnt justice, solemnly and blindly carried out. This is using the law to selectively punish for political gain. It is a disgrace and will profoundly change our country for the worse.

My statement following the indictment of former President Donald Trump: pic.twitter.com/ehKMyLAzd4  Mike Lee (@SenMikeLee) April 4, 2023

What happened

The arraignment began at 2:30 p.m. EDT and lasted nearly an hour. Video cameras werent allowed in court, but photographers were given access. The next hearing is set for Dec. 4.

Bragg in a statement alleged that Trump repeatedly and fraudulently falsified New York business records to conceal crimes that hid damaging information from the voting public during the 2016 presidential election, according to ABC News.

The trail of money and lies exposes a pattern that, the People allege, violates one of New Yorks basic and fundamental business laws, he added.

Meanwhile, Trumps lawyer Joe Tacopina questioned the case, stating that he was surprised there were no facts in there, per NBC News. Normally in an indictment youd have alleged facts, Tacopina said.

Anti-Trump and pro-Trump protesters, alongside media, had gathered outside the courthouse in lower Manhattan prior to the proceedings.

Stefan Jeremiah, Associated Press

Stefan Jeremiah, Associated Press

Stefan Jeremiah, Associated Press

Corey Sipkin, Associated Press

Stefan Jeremiah, Associated Press

John Minchillo, Associated Press

Brittainy Newman, Associated Press

Mary Altaffer, Associated Press

Former President Donald Trump sits at the defense table in a Manhattan court, Tuesday, April 4, 2023, in New York. | Seth Wenig via Associated Press

A television broadcasting news of former President Donald Trumps Manhattan courthouse appearance is seen on a video monitor as White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre speaks during a press briefing at the White House, Tuesday, April 4, 2023, in Washington. | Patrick Semansky, Associated Press

White House reaction

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that while President Joe Biden will catch the news of the charges against Trump, that isnt what he is focused on.

Of course, this is playing out on many of the networks here on a daily basis for hours and hours, so obviously, he will catch part of the news when he has a moment to catch up on the news of the day, but this is not his focus for today, Jean-Pierre said, according to CNN News.

Mitt Romneys full statement
On the eve of his arraignment before a New York Supreme Court Judge, former President Trump lashed out online, asserting his innocence and calling for the Manhattan prosecutor leading the case to be indicted over illegal leaks.

Trump accused Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D) of having leaked the various points, and complete information, on the pathetic indictment against me, claiming that the still-sealed indictment includes 33 counts against him.

I know the reporter and so, unfortunately, does he. This means that he MUST BE IMMEDIATELY INDICTED. Now, if he wants to really clean up his reputation, he will do the honorable thing and, as District Attorney, INDICT HIMSELF, Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform.

Trump to surrender for historic arraignment on criminal charges: Live coverage

D.A. BRAGG JUST ILLEGALLY LEAKED THE 33 points of Indictment. There are no changes or surprises from those he leaked days ago directly out of the Grand Jury. No Crime by Trump. What a MESS. Bragg should resign, NOW! he added in another post.

Reports have indicated Trump could face charges on around 30 counts in the case, related to his alleged role in hush money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels to quell her allegations of an affair, which Trump denies, amid his 2016 presidential campaign.

Trump arrived in New York Monday evening and is set to surrender to prosecutors Tuesday morning before his arraignment, which is scheduled for 2:15 p.m. Hell learn the charges against him when he appears in court, barring any move from the judge to unseal the indictment ahead of time.

More from The Hill: Coverage and commentary from the Trump indictment:

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Its the first time a U.S. president  sitting or former  has faced criminal charges and comes as Trump runs for another term in the White House in 2024.

The former president also accused Jack Smith  the special prosecutor appointed by the Justice Department to oversee two criminal investigations into Trump  of having leaked massive amounts of information to The Washington ComPost and suggested Smith, too, be prosecuted.

Smith is overseeing a probe of Trumps classified document handling after a trove of materials marked classified were found last summer at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, and a Washington Post report on Monday suggested the DOJ had more evidence of possible obstruction.

But Trump pointed at President Biden: Biden is guilty of Obstruction, I am not! he said.

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Former President Donald Trump arrives at Trump Tower on April 03, 2023 in New York City. Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

Donald Trump's lawyer Joe Tacopina said to Fox News that Monday was like the "eve of destruction."

Trump arrived at Trump Tower on Monday and is scheduled to be arraigned on Tuesday.

Tacopina's comments echo Trump's "death and destruction" Truth Social post from March.

Joe Tacopina, a lawyer for former President Donald Trump, likened the night before Trump's arraignment to the "eve of destruction."

In an interview on Monday on Fox News, Tacopina  who is representing Trump in New York  said he could not believe that the ex-president was going to be arraigned on Tuesday.

"What's extraordinary is that tomorrow is actually happening, that's what's extraordinary. I just cannot believe it, I think we're on the eve of destruction. It's just like surreal to me," Tacopina said.

Tacopina's words on Fox News were similar to the ominous sentiment expressed in Trump's previous Truth Social posts. On March 23, Trump predicted that there would be "death & destruction" if he is indicted.

"What kind of person can charge another person, in this case a former President of the United States, who got more votes than any sitting President in history, and leading candidate (by far!) for the Republican Party nomination, with a Crime, when it is known by all that NO Crime has been committed, & also known that potential death & destruction in such a false charge could be catastrophic for our Country?" Trump wrote on Truth Social on March 23.

Trump on March 18 also called on his followers to protest" and "take our nation back," echoing his own rhetoric before the January 6 Capitol riot.

Trump was indicted on March 30 in connection with an election-eve hush money payment made to the adult film actress, Stormy Daniels. Trump is expected to be arraigned on Tuesday.

Tacopina's comments come just as Trump appointed a new lead counsel, former federal prosecutor Todd Blanche, per Politico.

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Blanche previously represented Trump's campaign chairman, Paul Manafort. Manafort was indicted for tax fraud and conspiracy charges in 2019, per Reuters. Blanche managed to get Manafort's indictment dismissed.

Speaking to Fox News, Tacopina said that there is "no lead" counsel on the case.

"We are one team, one family with one mission," Tacopina said of Blanche.

Tacopina did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment sent outside regular business hours.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Donald Trumps lawyer has announced plans to file a motion to dismiss the slew of criminal charges against the former president  before the indictment is unsealed in New York.

Lawyer Joe Tacopina appeared on ABCs Good Morning America on Tuesday morning  just hours before Mr Trump will make history as the first former or current US president to ever be arrested and charged with a crime.

Mr Tacopina said that the legal team will be making a lot of motions in the case including selective prosecution and a motion to dismiss the charges.

I dont think this case is going to see a jury. I think its going to go away on papers. I think theres going a legal challenge that needs to be made and will be made successfully, he said.

GMA host George Stephanopoulos pointed out that this defiance comes when Mr Trump and his team are yet to even see the criminal charges which remains under seal until he surrenders to New York authorities on Tuesday afternoon.

Mr Tacopina responded that it was based on not seeing the charges but understanding the basis of the charge regarding a state prosecutor bringing charges on a federal campaign violation theory.

Theres a lot of mystery here because were doing something that has never been done before. Were having an arraignment at 100 Center Street with Secret Service involvement.

In what marks a historic and unprecedented day for America, Mr Trump will be arrested and arraigned on criminal charges in New York on Tuesday 4 April.

The former president will appear in-person before Judge Juan Merchan for his arraignment at 2.15pm ET  becoming the first current or former US president to ever be criminally charged.

The arraignment will not be broadcast on TV after a New York judge banned video cameras from courtroom.

Ahead of his arraignment, he will be booked  with his fingerprints taken and details recorded.

However, he will not be handcuffed or put in a jail cell, and he is not expected to have his mugshot taken.

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The charges are currently unconfirmed but reports suggest he will face 34 felony charges. The charges will be unsealed at his arraignment.

The former president flew into New York on Monday aboard his Trump Force One plane before spending the night at Trump Tower in Manhattan.

After Tuesdays court hearing in Manhattan Criminal Court, he will fly straight back to Mar-a-Lago to deliver a primetime address at 8.15pm ET.

On Thursday 30 March, a Manhattan grand jury voted to indict Mr Trump on criminal charges over hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels days just before the 2016 presidential election.

Manhattan prosecutors have been investigating whether Mr Trump falsified the Trump Organizations business records when his former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen made the payment of $130,0000 to Ms Daniels.

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.

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.

In recent weeks, the probe ramped up with both Cohen and Ms Daniels testifying before the grand jury.

Mr Trump was also invited to testify. Though it was an invite he unsurprisingly turned down, it was a strong sign an indictment was on the way.

But  despite his rampant Truth Social posts and his legal team going on a media blitz over the past few weeks  Mr Trump is said to have been caught off guard by news of the indictment.

Since then, he has blasted the charges, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and the judge expected to oversee his case in furious Truth Social posts fuming about what he claims is political prosecution and a witch hunt.
As Trump entered a not guilty plea in the local charges against him in New York, a federal appeals court dealt a legal blow to the former president in a separate case. Trumps aides will have to testify in the federal January 6 probe, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled.

On Monday night, Trumps legal team asked the court in an emergency bid to overturn a lower court ruling in favor of Jack Smith, the special counsel appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland last November. Smith is looking into Trumps alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 election as well as his handling of classified documents

Judge Beryll Howard had previously rejected the former presidents attempt to exert executive privilege to shield his aides from testifying in a sealed order in March. Trumps team believe the conversations between a president and those close to him ought to be kept confidential. But now that Howards ruling has been upheld by an appellate court, aides like ex-chief of staff Mark Meadows and former director of national intelligence John Ratcliffe will have to answer questions from prosecutors.

Meadows in particular is viewed as having valuable information. He directed a number of White House meetings with GOP lawmakers and coordinated with officials at the Department of Justice and in Georgia. Additionally, former White House aide Cassidy Hutchison claimed in testimony that Meadows burned papers in his office once or twice a week, according to the Hill.

Monday night saw a flurry legal filings, CNN reported. Judges Patricia Millett, Robert Wilkins, and Greg Katsas sought a response from the Justice Department regarding Trumps emergency bid. The Justice Department responded about two hours later. The Biden administration has repeatedly declined to assert executive privilege for the presidency related to Trumps actions around January 6, 2021.

While Trumps team has fervently criticized various courts for rejecting their attempts to exert executive privilege, the doctrine has limits that are often overcome in criminal proceedings.

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A source told CNN that Trumps team is unlikely to appeal to the Supreme Court for help.

In a separate case, former vice president Mike Pence lost his own attempt to avoid testifying regarding the conversations he had with Trump leading up to January 6. Federal judge James Boasberg ruled against him in a sealed order, but explained the former vice president can decline to answer questions related to his actions on January 6 itself. The vice president was serving in a legislative capacity as president of the Senate on that day. Pence attempted to exert legislative privilege when he challenged Jack Smiths subpoena.

Pences novel legal route was most likely chosen because of the limits of executive privilege and because protections afforded to legislators by the Constitutions speech or debate clause have remained mostly impenetrable. Pence can still appeal Boasbergs ruling.

More from National Review
Former President Donald Trump campaigns in Iowa in October 2021. Scott Olson/Getty Images

Trump could be on trial just weeks before the closely watched Iowa caucuses.

New York prosecutors' historic indictment of the former president was publicly released on Tuesday.

Trump formally pled "not guilty" to a 34-counts of falsifying business records.

Donald Trump could be on trial in New York just weeks before the 2024 Iowa caucuses, illustrating the headaches that will likely come as the former president tries to juggle court appearances with his political future.

Manhattan prosecutors told New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan on Tuesday that they wanted a trial to be scheduled for January 2024 on charges that Trump falsified business records as a way to cover up alleged hush money schemes. Trump's legal team asked for a "spring 2024" trial date.

Either date would create major political headaches for the former president. By December, the 2024 GOP presidential race will be nearing its peak in the final stretch before the Iowa caucuses. Traditionally, candidates stump across Iowa and other early states in a final stretch before the holiday season.

A final date has not yet been selected, but it's expected the 2024 caucuses will be in early February.

Merchan said he'd decide on a trial date after Trump's legal team has a chance to review evidence collected by prosecutors. Prosecutors plan to hand over the bulk of that discovery material over the next two months, they said in court.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's historic 34-count indictment of Trump was made public during the ex-president's arraignment Tuesday, as the former president pleaded not guilty to the multiple felony counts.

Before a possible trial, Merchan wants Trump to return to court on December 4 for a hearing over whether to dismiss the charges against him. The former president's attorneys asked to waive Trump's right to appear in person, citing logistical and security concerns.

The judge said he wanted Trump to show up "the same way we expect all other defendants to appear in court," but said he'd be open to hearing more arguments on the issue later on.

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The first-in-the-nation caucuses will not come close to determining the nomination. In actuality, Iowa awards relatively few delegates compared to a state such as Texas.

Rather the caucuses and later contests in New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Nevada will set the tone for the nomination contest and likely winnow the field. Iowa will also be the first time that Trump has been on a ballot since losing the 2020 presidential election.

Despite his popularity in Iowa, Trump also narrowly lost the 2016 caucuses to Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. An early loss to a challenger such as potentially Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis could be devastating to the former president's chances.

Read the original article on Business Insider
TOKYO, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Japan is planning to raise its supply of hydrogen, from its current 12 million to 72 million tons by 2040, in a bid to promote the use of renewable energy, according to the government's revised resource policies on Tuesday.

To fund the target, the government of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is planning to raise investment to the tune of 15 trillion yen (113.12 billion U.S. dollars) from both the public and private sectors over the next 15 years, the draft resource policies showed.

The Japanese leader promised at a meeting attended by relevant ministers on Tuesday to revise the government's Basic Hydrogen Strategy by the end of May, which was initially compiled in 2017.

The government's strategy to increase its use of hydrogen by sixfold by 2040, is a part of the push to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

Hydrogen is seen as the key to the country's energy shift towards green power over the coming decades, with the green transition in particular being called GX.

"It is necessary to utilize GX bonds and prompt investment from the private sector to promote decarbonization in Japan," Kishida said.

GX bonds are a new type of sovereign bond, according to the government, that will be making their inaugural debut during the fiscal year starting in April, informed sources here have said.

The bonds will be worth around 20 trillion yen (150.81 billion U.S. dollars) from the latter half of fiscal 2023, they added.

The government here has also vowed to promote the broad-scale commercialized use of vehicles and buses that use hydrogen fuel cells and has pledged to see hydrogen power generation commercialized by 2030, according to its Basic Hydrogen Strategy. 
The judge overseeing former President Trumps criminal case in New York City has set the next in-person hearing for Dec. 4, roughly two months before the official start of the 2024 Republican presidential primary calendar.

Trump was arraigned in Manhattan in front of Judge Juan Merchan on Tuesday, where he was charged with 34 felony counts related to hush money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election. Trump pleaded not guilty to the charges.

At the December in-person court appearance, Merchan will decide on expected motions to dismiss the case.

The Iowa Republican caucuses will be held on Feb. 5, 2024, marking the start of the GOP primary season. That underscores how Trumps legal troubles could shadow him into the period when voters are picking a candidate to nominate for president.

The New Hampshire primary, the first one on the GOP calendar, is scheduled for Feb. 13.

Trump is expected to use the charges against him to try and rally support among GOP voters, arguing he is a victim of a politically motivated prosecution. A Saint Anselm College poll released Tuesday showed Trump with 42 percent support among likely GOP primary voters, well ahead of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), who garnered 29 percent support.

Zach Schonfeld contributed reporting

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Former President Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts on Tuesday, becoming the first current or former commander in chief to be arraigned on criminal charges for his alleged participation in a hush money scheme.

The highly anticipated indictment, now unsealed, includes charges of falsifying business records in connection with a six-figure payment that Trumps former fixer, Michael Cohen, made to adult film star Stormy Daniels shortly before the 2016 election to keep her from talking about an alleged affair with Trump.

Trump is now the leading GOP candidate for president in 2024, and he has sought to turn his indictment in New York to his advantage, rallying his supporters to his cause.

The former president said little during his 56-minute appearance in New York Supreme Court, saying not guilty to Justice Juan Merchan after he asked for his plea.

Trump was released on his own recognizance and declined to speak with reporters when he exited the courtroom. At press time he was expected to speak at his residence in Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday night.

The brief appearance capped a whirlwind day that saw Trump dominate cable news coverage of his arraignment. Live footage of Trumps motorcade leaving Mar-a-Lago for the airport, and them his plane taking off from Florida was shown ahead of his flight landing in New York and another motorcade rolling though the Big Apple.

Inside the courtroom, Trump showed little expression as prosecutors laid out their case, with his hands firmly clasped on the table  a contrast with his often-energized public persona.

Outside the courthouse, a wild scene unfolded, with pro-Trump and anti-Trump demonstrators facing off and sometimes scuffling with one another.

Hundreds of people began to arrive around 9 a.m. ahead of a rally organized by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), one of the most prominent Trump supporters in Congress.

Greenes words during the rally, however, were difficult to make out for most observers as anti-Trump protesters sought to shout and whistle her down.

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While the scenes were sometimes chaotic, there was no violence along the lines of the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., which some had feared ahead of Trumps appearance.

The case against Trump in New York centers on the idea his actions in making a payment to Daniels might have affected the results of the 2016 election.

Christopher Conroy, one of the investigations top prosecutors, said in the courtroom that the payment was a conspiracy to undermine the integrity of the 2016 election.

A press release from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D) said Trump was charged with falsifying New York business records in order to conceal damaging information and unlawful activity from American voters before and after the 2016 election.

During the election, TRUMP and others employed a catch and kill scheme to identify, purchase, and bury negative information about him and boost his electoral prospects, Bragg said in the release. TRUMP then went to great lengths to hide this conduct, causing dozens of false entries in business records to conceal criminal activity, including attempts to violate state and federal election laws.

Trump faces potentially more serious investigations from Fulton County, Ga., and the Justice Department.

In Georgia, prosecutors are looking into whether he sought to unlawfully change the results of the states 2020 presidential election by pressuring state officials. Federal prosecutors are also considering whether he effectively unleashed a violent mob on the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, with his baseless accusations that voter fraud had cost him a victory to President Biden.

Reports have been trickling out for months about the New York grand jurys investigation, but Tuesday marks the first time the public  and Trump himself  saw the specific accusations.

The charges remain allegations, and prosecutors will now face the much higher bar of securing a conviction against the former president at trial, a process likely to stretch deep into the 2024 campaign season. Trump is not expected to appear in court again until Dec. 4.

While in court, prosecutors also raised concerns about Trumps recent social media posts that have attacked the district attorney and the judge overseeing the case.

The judge did not impose a gag order, which wouldve prevented Trump from speaking publicly about the case outside of court.

But after Trumps attorney, Todd Blanche, defended the posts as a reflection of Trump being frustrated and upset, the judge requested all parties in the case refrain from making statements that could incite violence.

Hush money payments are not illegal, but Trump is accused of falsely characterizing his payments to Cohen as a legal expense.

The initial filings from Bragg argued that Trumps business record fraud was done in an attempt to hide violations of both state and federal campaign laws.

The court documents detail 11 checks, including nine signed directly by Trump, that were used to bury three different accounts that could be harmful to then-candidate Trumps presidential campaign.

Beyond a $130,000 payment to Daniels, prosecutors lay out a larger deal with American Media, Inc. (AMI), the publisher of the National Enquirer, to buy damaging stories about Trump.

Payments were also made to a doorman, who received $30,000 from AMI for information alleging Trump fathered a child out of wedlock, as well as a $150,000 payment to former Playboy model Karen McDougal.

But the documents spend the most time analyzing the payment to Daniels, noting that it came after the release of the Access Hollywood tape, in which Trump said he would grab women without asking.

According to case filings, Trump wanted to avoid paying Daniels until after the election, but shifted approach after the release of the tape.

He instructed [Cohen] that if they could delay the payment until after the election, they could avoid paying altogether, because at that point it would not matter if the story became public, a statement of facts filed in the case states.

Falsification of business records is a misdemeanor under New York law, but it can be enhanced to a felony if the fraud was used to conceal other unlawful activity, also raising possible jail time from one year to four years.

In a press conference Monday Tuesday Bragg said the falsely characterized payments violate a catch-all New York campaign law that bars efforts to promote a candidacy by unlawful means.

He said the payments also violate campaign finance limits, the same crime to which Cohen pleaded guilty.

Bragg described the case among the many financial fraud cases that are the bread and butter of his office.

At its core, this case today is one with allegations like so many of our white-collar cases, allegations that someone lied, again and again, to protect their interests and evade the laws to which we are all held accountable, he said.

This story was updated at 6:34 p.m.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Donald Trump pleaded not guilty Tuesday to 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree related to his alleged role in hush money payments toward the end of his 2016 presidential campaign  the first time a former president has had to plead to criminal charges.

The indictment was unsealed in a brief proceeding before Judge Juan Merchan. Trump was flanked by his lawyers inside the courtroom as prosecutors outlined their case against him, alleging he made covert and illegal payments in order to impact the 2016 election.

Trump, the statement of facts compiled by prosecutors in conjunction with the indictment said, repeatedly and fraudulently falsified New York business records to conceal criminal conduct that hid damaging information from the voting public during the 2016 presidential election.

Image: Former President Donald Trump sits at the defense table with his defense team in a Manhattan court on April 4, 2023, in New York. (Seth Wenig / AP)

The statement of facts included information about hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels, Playboy model Karen McDougal and a former Trump Tower doorman whod claimed to have a story about a child Trump had out of wedlock.

Daniels was paid $130,000 by former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen, while McDougal and the doorman were paid $150,000 and $30,000 respectively by AMI, the publishers of the National Enquirer.

Asked for his plea, Trump answered, Not guilty.

Prosecutor Chris Conroy also told the judge they were very concerned about Trumps inflammatory social media posts about Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, other prosecutors and the judge, saying they could have an impact on potential effects on jurors and witnesses.

Trump attorney Todd Blanche told the judge his client is upset and was simply exercising his First Amendment rights. The judge warned both sides against escalating their rhetoric, but did not issue any type of gag order.

Trump arrived at the courthouse at 100 Centre St. in lower Manhattan in a presidential-style motorcade from Trump Tower in midtown, where hed stayed overnight. He was informed he was under arrest, fingerprinted and processed ahead of his arraignment.

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Seems so SURREAL  WOW, they are going to ARREST ME. Cant believe this is happening in America, he said in a post on his social media platform Truth Social that published as he was arriving at the courthouse.

With a media circus outside, Trump was escorted out of the courthouse and back into his car afterwards. Hes expected to address reporters about the charges in remarks at his Florida home Tuesday night.

Live updates: Trump pleads not guilty to 34 felony charges

In a statement, Bragg said his office alleges Trump repeatedly and fraudulently falsified New York business records to conceal crimes that hid damaging information from the voting public during the 2016 presidential election.

He said the trail of money and lies exposes a pattern that, the People allege, violates one of New Yorks basic and fundamental business laws. As this office has done time and time again, we today uphold our solemn responsibility to ensure that everyone stands equal before the law.

Trump lawyer Blanche called the charges really disappointing. Its sad and were going to fight it hard, he said, saying the former president is upset and frustrated and disappointed and mad that this happened.

The legal troubles, media spectacle and porn-star-hush-money salaciousness at the heart of the case are a new chapter for the New York tycoon-turned-TV-star-turned-politician, whose career has careened from scandal to success for four decades. This time, unlike his bankrupted casinos or failed marriages, many of Trumps supporters and detractors argue that the fate of American democracy is hanging in the balance as the former president increasingly conflates any legal woes as an effort to illegitimately deny him a return to power.

With the failures of Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riot still fresh in officials minds, security was high in the courthouse and nearby areas as the police department, court officers and Secret Service braced for protests amid the unprecedented arraignment of a former president.

While police shut down streets and the sound of a helicopter buzzed overhead, news outlets from around the world set up cameras near long lines of spectators, some of whom had camped out overnight in the hopes of getting a coveted seat inside.

The judge barred TV cameras from inside the courtroom but decided to allow some photographers in, images that are likely to appear in election-season ads and in future history books.

I think were on the eve of destruction. Its just like surreal to me, Trump attorney Joe Tacopina said Monday on Fox News.

Indict himself

Trump last month called for protests in the event of his arrest, and he later ratcheted up his rhetoric, warning of potential death and destruction if he was charged. He continued to post overnight on Truth Social, leveling criticism at the prosecutor.

[I]f he wants to really clean up his reputation, he will do the honorable thing and, as District Attorney, INDICT HIMSELF, Trump said of Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg, a Democrat, whom he accused of leaking details of the indictment to the media.

Trump, 76, has also used the indictment to raise money for his 2024 campaign, which announced Monday evening that it had raised $7 million since a grand jury voted to indict him last Thursday.

Hundreds of pro- and anti-Trump demonstrators gathered in a small park across from the courthouse ahead of his scheduled appearance, including Reps. George Santos, R-N.Y., and Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., and some of the exchanges between the competing camps grew heated.

The NYPD estimated there were about 300 pro-Trump demonstrators near the courthouse and 150 anti-Trump protesters.

A scheduled appearance by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., a top Trump ally, was cut short after she was drowned out by whistles that had been handed out by another Trump supporter.

Mayor Eric Adams told reporters at a news conference Monday that the city was ready for unrest. We are prepared, he said.

Shortly before noon, however, protesters were still outnumbered by the mass of international news media that descended on the area around the courthouse, including reporters from Brazil, Germany, France, Finland and Sweden.

The exact charges will be unsealed at the arraignment; two sources familiar with the matter have said Trump faces about 30 counts relating to allegations of document fraud connected to the hush money payments during the 2016 presidential campaign.

Under a 2019 New York state law that Trump as president criticized as being too soft on crime, the charges hes believed to face dont qualify for bail because theyre nonviolent offenses. Legal experts said the judge could restrict Trumps travel but is unlikely to do so because hes running for president and isnt considered a flight risk.

Trump has denied any wrongdoing, calling the investigation by Braggs office a witch hunt and accusing the DA of being a racist.

Trump wrote Monday on Truth Social that he didnt believe he could get a fair trial in Manhattan, where he lived for decades and made his name before moving to Florida during his presidency. The actions at the center of the investigations took place in New York, where Trumps campaign was also headquartered at the time.

The Corrupt D.A. has no case, he wrote. What he does have is a venue where it is IMPOSSIBLE for me to get a Fair Trial (it must be changed!)

He also called for a new judge to preside over the case, saying he believes Merchan is Trump Hating. He must be changed! Trump wrote on his website. He has also said Merchan  who presided over last years criminal trial against the Trump Organization and its former chief financial officer, which led to multiple convictions, was hand-picked by Bragg.

Court officials have said that Merchan was randomly assigned to oversee the grand jury investigation and that judges who supervise such probes generally try any cases that come out of the grand jury.

The last time Trump was in a Manhattan courthouse was for jury duty in 2015, when he praised the American legal system as a great...system that works.

Hush money payments

The DAs investigation centered on the hush money payments made ahead of the 2016 election to two women who claimed to have had affairs with Trump. He has denied the affairs and any wrongdoing.

Michael Cohen, then Trumps lawyer, paid adult film star Stormy Daniels $130,000 in the closing days of the campaign. He has said he made the payment at Trumps direction, and Trump had acknowledged repaying Cohen through payments that were labeled as legal expenses.

Prosecutors also questioned witnesses about allegations that $150,000 in hush money had been previously paid to former Playboy playmate Karen McDougal, two sources familiar with the Manhattan grand jurys work have said.

Cohen  who testified before the grand jury  acknowledged he was involved in both payments in a guilty plea in Manhattan federal court in 2018.

The arraignment is just the beginning of a lengthy legal process in the case that could take months or years to resolve.

This story first appeared on NBCNews.com.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com
Former President Donald Trump pleaded not guilty to charges brought by a Manhattan grand jury Tuesday afternoon in court in New York City after surrendering to the Manhattan District Attorneys Office earlier in the afternoon.

The former president of the United States, who is the leading Republican presidential candidate for 2024, was indicted by a Manhattan grand jury last Thursday after a years-long investigation by the Manhattan District Attorney's Office.

Former President Donald Trump sits with his defense team in a Manhattan courtroom during his arraignment on April 4, 2023, in New York City.

Trump pleaded not guilty during his arraignment before presiding Judge Juan Merchan on the 15th floor of the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse, 100 Centre St., in New York City.

The indictment was unsealed in court Tuesday. Trump has been charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree.

Trump was not handcuffed, as some are during an arraignment, after making arrangements with the Manhattan District Attorney's Office. Detectives within the office handled the arrest of the former president.

TRUMP SAYS DA BRAGG'S 'OBSESSION' WITH TRYING TO 'GET TRUMP' WILL 'BACKFIRE' AFTER GRAND JURY INDICTMENT

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

Former President Donald Trump makes his way inside the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse in New York on April 4, 2023.

Law enforcement agencies, including the U.S. Secret Service, New York Police Department, FBI, New York State court officers and the DA's office, met Friday afternoon to finalize details about the logistics and security of Trump's arrest.

TRUMP INDICTED AFTER MANHATTAN DA PROBE FOR HUSH-MONEY PAYMENTS

The unprecedented arraignment and indictment of the former president comes after Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has been investigating Trump for hush-money payments made leading up to the 2016 presidential election.

These include the $130,000 payment made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels and the $150,000 payment made to former Playboy model Karen McDougal. Both women were paid for their silence on alleged affairs with Trump  affairs Trump has repeatedly denied.

Those payments had been investigated by the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Southern District of New York and by the Federal Election Commission.

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Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is seen leaving the Manhattan courthouse on March 30, 2023, in New York City.

Federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York opted out of charging Trump related to the Daniels payment in 2019. The Federal Election Commission also tossed its investigation into the matter in 2021.

TRUMP TARGETED: A LOOK AT THE INVESTIGATIONS INVOLVING THE FORMER PRESIDENT: FROM RUSSIA TO MAR-A-LAGO

Trump has slammed the DAs investigation and the indictment as "Political Persecution and Election Interference at the highest level in history."

"From the time I came down the golden escalator at Trump Tower, and even before I was sworn in as your President of the United States, the Radical Left Democrats- the enemy of the hard-working men and women of this Country- have been engaged in a Witch-Hunt to destroy the Make America Great Again movement," Trump said last week.

"You remember it just like I do: Russia, Russia, Russia; the Mueller Hoax; Ukraine, Ukraine, Ukraine; Impeachment Hoax 1; Impeachment Hoax 2; the illegal and unconstitutional Mar-a-Lago raid; and now this," Trump said, referring to the investigations that clouded his presidency.

"The Democrats have lied, cheated and stolen in their obsession with trying to Get Trump, but now theyve done the unthinkableindicting a completely innocent person in an act of blatant Election Interference," Trump said. "Never before in our Nations history has this been done."

TRUMP TO BE ARRAIGNED TUESDAY WITHOUT HANDCUFFS, SOURCES SAY

He slammed Bragg as a "disgrace" and said he was "hand-picked and funded by [liberal billionaire] George Soros."

"Rather than stop the unprecedented crime wave taking over New York City, hes doing [President] Joe Bidens dirty work, ignoring the murders and burglaries and assaults he should be focused on," he said. "This is how Bragg spends his time!"

"I believe this Witch-Hunt will backfire massively on Joe Biden," Trump added.

The investigation into Trump was opened in 2019 by then-Manhattan 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.

Last year, the investigation led to tax fraud charges against The Trump Organization and its finance chief, Allen Weisselberg.
(Bloomberg) -- Five days after he became the first former US president to be indicted, Donald Trump will surrender to law enforcement officers in lower Manhattan to be booked, hear the charges against him and enter his plea: Not guilty.

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Trump, who is making a comeback bid for the White House, is set to be arraigned Tuesday afternoon following his March 30 indictment by a New York state grand jury. The citys police department, the US Secret Service and other authorities are on high alert given the political firestorm over the case.

The former president will plead not guilty very loudly and proudly, his lawyer Joe Tacopina said Sunday on CNN.

The indictment stems from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Braggs probe of hush money payments made just before the 2016 election to cover up an alleged decade-old affair. Trumps then lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen, now a fierce critic, has testified that his boss covertly reimbursed him for the payments.

Falsifying business records can be a misdemeanor under New York law. For prosecutors to prove Trump committed a felony, they would have to show it was part of an effort to commit or conceal a second crime.

Trump denies the affair and any illegal acts.

Trump, 76, must now grapple with the criminal case even as he pursues the Republican nomination in the 2024 race. It comes as he faces a separate investigation of his bid to overturn the 2020 election result in Georgia, as well as a federal special counsels inquiry into those efforts and his handling of government documents. Either or both of those probes could result in criminal charges on top of Braggs.

Trump also faces civil lawsuits by New Yorks attorney general, who accused him of manipulating property valuations, and a writer who alleges he raped her, which he denies.

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He says the indictment and the pending probes and suits are baseless and part of a partisan effort to take him down. Bragg, Georgia prosecutor Fani Willis and New York AG Letitia James are Democrats. Special Counsel Jack Smith is registered as a political independent.

The New York prosecution alone has sparked an intense national debate and a showdown between Republican and Democratic leaders, including one between Bragg and House Republicans seeking his testimony about the probe. As local authorities prepared for the arraignment, the New York Young Republican Club promoted what it called a peaceful rally for Trump across from the courthouse on Tuesday morning. It is to feature US Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, a champion of Trumps efforts to overturn Joe Bidens victory in the 2020 election.

The 45th president flew to New York from Florida on Monday and proceeded by motorcade to Trump Tower to prepare for his court appearance. Also on Monday, Tacopina confirmed that his client had added former federal prosecutor Todd Blanche to his defense team. Bragg announced a press conference to follow the arraignment.

Trump will appear before New York State Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan, who presided over the states case against Allen Weisselberg, the former Trump Organization chief financial officer who pleaded guilty to tax fraud in August. Weisselberg went on to testify against two Trump Organization units convicted of tax fraud in December, also under Merchan.

Those cases, both brought by the Manhattan DAs office, have some overlap with the current prosecution. If Weisselberg testified against Trump, it would be a coup for Bragg.

Hush Money History

The hush money was previously investigated by Manhattan federal prosecutors who gave Weisselberg limited immunity. He testified before a federal grand jury probing the payments in 2018. That case resulted in a guilty plea and a three-year prison sentence for Cohen, who testified twice before Braggs grand jury and is expected to be a key prosecution witness in the current case.

Federal prosecutors decided against charging Trump over the payments, in part because the Justice Department has a decades-old policy that a sitting president cannot be indicted.

In the closing days of the 2016 campaign, Trump spoke several times by phone with Cohen, who has said Trump directed the payments to porn star Stormy Daniels and then reimbursed him for making them. Documents later unsealed in the federal case show a flurry of calls and text messages that October involving Cohen, campaign press secretary Hope Hicks and top aide Kellyanne Conway, scrambling to prevent Daniels from going public with her claims.

Hicks and Conway are among a gaggle of prominent potential witnesses, including Trump Organization Controller Jeffrey McConney, who have flowed in and out of Braggs offices since the grand jury was convened in January.

Former Playboy model Karen McDougal also appears to have figured in Braggs investigation. Lanny Davis, a lawyer for Cohen, said Sunday on CNN that his client and former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker both provided the Manhattan grand jury with evidence about hush money payments made to McDougal before the 2016 election. Pecker testified twice before the grand jury. He was spotted leaving the courthouse last week.

--With assistance from Hadriana Lowenkron and Erik Larson.

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Former President Donald Trump appears in court for his arraignment on charges related to falsifying business records in a hush money investigation, Tuesday, April 4, 2023, in New York. Andrew Kelly/AP

Former President Donald Trump was criminally indicted in Manhattan on Tuesday.

He became the first current or former US president to ever be criminally charged.

In court, he spoke sparsely and did not crack a smile as he sat with his counsel.

Former president Donald Trump uttered just nine words in Manhattan criminal court on Tuesday, where he was arraigned on dozens of charges related to falsifying business records.

On Tuesday, the Manhattan grand jury's indictment was made public. They accused Trump of 34 felony charges, which included allegations that Trump arranged a $130,000 hush money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels, as well as other payments meant to stifle negative press ahead of the 2016 election.

In court, Trump sat with his counsel and spoke as little as possible, pleading not guilty to the charges.

Trump spoke early in the court appearance. His first two words were "not guilty" when he was asked to enter his plea.

Later in the hearing, after prosecutors and Trump's attorney Joe Tacopina had an exchange over a potential conflict of interest, New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan asked Trump if he understood he had "the right to conflict-free counsel."

"Yes," Trump responded. He added: "Thank you."

Asked by Merchan if he understood he could waive his appearance in court, Trump answered, "Yes."

When Merchan then asked him if he understood that the court could proceed without him if he were to "become disruptive," Trump answered, "I do."

And when Merchan asked if Trump understood that the judge could even impose a sentence without him present, if needed, Trump answered, "Yes."

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Former President Trump on Tuesday morning suggested his criminal case over a hush money payment during the 2016 campaign should be moved out of Manhattan to nearby Staten Island, an idea his own attorney dismissed days earlier as premature.

Very unfair venue, with some areas that voted 1% Republican. This case should be moved to nearby Staten Island  Would be a very fair and secure location for the trial, Trump wrote on Truth Social hours before he was set to be arraigned in Manhattan.

In the 2020 election, 57 percent of Staten Island voters backed Trump, compared to 42 percent who supported President Biden.

Trumps attorney in the case, Joe Tacopina, on Sunday said there had been no discussion of that whatsoever when asked about the possibility of seeking a change of venue to Staten Island.

Its way too premature to start worrying about venue changes until we really see the indictment and grapple with the legal issues, Tacopina said on ABCs This Week.

In his Tuesday morning Truth Social post, Trump also launched new attacks against the judge presiding over the case, Juan Merchan, claiming he and his family are well known Trump Haters.

Merchan previously handled the criminal case against the Trump Organization, when he ordered the company to pay a $1.6 million fine.

Trumps own attorneys have said they have no concerns that Merchan is biased against their client.

The former president is set to be arraigned later Tuesday after a grand jury voted last week to indict Trump on criminal charges for his role in organizing hush money payments made to an adult film star during his 2016 campaign to keep her quiet about an alleged affair.

The indictment, which remains under seal, follows an investigation by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D) that centered on a $130,000 payment fixer Michael Cohen made to adult film star Stormy Daniels shortly before the election.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
NEW YORK  Prosecutors in Manhattan say former president Donald Trump orchestrated a sweeping scheme to bury damaging allegations about extramarital affairs  which had been set to emerge before the 2016 presidential election  and then tried to cover it up by falsifying company records.

During and in furtherance of his candidacy for President, the Defendant and others agreed to identify and suppress negative stories about him, according to charging documents unveiled Tuesday by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.

Trump pleaded not guilty Tuesday to 34 felony charges connected to his role in the alleged scheme, a plea that came at the conclusion of an extraordinary trip to the courthouse for the former president. Trump, the first former president ever indicted, delivered his plea in a Manhattan courtroom a few hours after turning himself in to authorities.

All 34 counts he faces are for falsifying business records, a crime that carries a sentence of up to four years in prison when charged as a felony. Judges often sentence first-time offenders to probation, particularly in non-violent cases. But Bragg said the case was an important one, meant to punish Trumps effort to conceal alleged crimes.

We cannot and will not normalize serious criminal conduct, he said at a press conference after the indictment was unsealed, emphasizing that the specific crime with which Trump was charged is the bread and butter of our white-collar work.

The charging documents suggest that prosecutors are relying on witness testimony, business records and a recorded conversation in September 2016 between Trump and his then-attorney Michael Cohen. After the election, prosecutors say, Trump and Cohen concocted a plan to reimburse Cohen for making one of the hush money payments on Trumps behalf. They tried to mask the reimbursement by mixing it with other payments to Cohen that he could categorize as income rather than a repayment, according to prosecutors.



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The unveiling of the charges will trigger a frenzied legal battle by Trump and his team to derail the case, which will unfold as he mounts a renewed bid for the White House in 2024. Prosecutors suggested a trial date of January 2024, but Trumps attorney said that timeframe might be too ambitious, with a spring 2024 trial date more reasonable.

Trump declined to answer questions before stepping into the courtroom, striding stone-faced through the crowded courthouse hallways, flanked by a significant NYPD and Secret Service contingent. He sat at a table in the courtroom alongside attorneys Todd Blanche, Susan Necheles, Joe Tacopina and Boris Epshteyn.

Bragg sat in the first row of the gallery, flanked by staffers.

Trump entered the not guilty plea himself and remained solemn, looking straight ahead throughout the proceedings. As he exited, he had a scowl on his face and glanced side to side at the reporters occupying the courtroom rows.

Though Trump said little during the arraignment, his prior statements became a point of contention in court after prosecutors voiced concern about what they described as the inflammatory nature of some of his remarks in the weeks preceding the indictment  specifically when he called Bragg an animal and posted a picture of himself holding a baseball bat alongside an image of the district attorney.

Blanche, a prominent New York white-collar attorney who recently joined Trump's legal team, argued that his client was simply defending himself after experiencing a grave injustice, drawing an approving glance from Trump.

But the judge, Juan Merchan, sided with prosecutors, warning Trumps lawyers to remind the former president not to make statements that incite violence or create civil unrest. The judge didnt set a trial date.

Although its the first time a former president has ever faced criminal charges, it may not be the last: At least three other criminal probes are circling around Trump. In Fulton County, Georgia, a district attorney is investigating Trumps attempt to subvert that states results in the 2020 election, and in Washington D.C., a special counsel is investigating his role in attempting to derail the transfer of presidential power, as well as his handling of national security secrets after leaving office.

Assistant District Attorney Christopher Conroy outlined the case against Trump during Tuesdays proceedings, describing the alleged hush money scheme as an unlawful plan to identify and suppress negative information during the 2016 presidential election.

Conroy did not seek a gag order, despite preemptive complaints by some of Trumps allies, and Merchan emphasized that he would not impose one at this time.

Trump has railed against the hush money case and has called Bragg politically motivated. And hes worked to turn the indictment into rocket fuel for his campaign and its coffers. His attorneys echoed his allegations about the charges after the arraignment.

It's not a happy day. Its a sad day for this country, Blanche told reporters outside the courthouse. The district attorney has turned what is actually a completely political issue into a political prosecution.



Later on Tuesday, Tacopina criticized the indictment during an interview on Fox News.

"What really wasn't expected is that they were going to hand down an indictment without specifying what these alleged underlying crimes were," he said, referring to the crimes that prosecutors say Trump was attempting to cover up with the allegedly false business records.

"It's shocking to me that a state prosecutor would try and prosecute something as thin as this," he said.

The charges emerged from a broad investigation Braggs predecessor, Cyrus Vance Jr., opened several years ago relating to Cohen's admission that he arranged hush money payments at the height of the 2016 campaign to two women claiming past sexual liaisons with Trump: porn star Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal.

After initially denying any wrongdoing, Cohen pleaded guilty in 2018 to two federal campaign-finance charges, admitting that the unreported payments were effectively donations to Trumps campaign because they were intended to aid his candidacy. Cohen was sentenced to three years in prison on those charges, as well as tax and fraud offenses. Cohen said Trump directed him to pay the hush money and then, while he was president, reimbursed him through the Trump Organization in a series of payments that were falsely recorded as legal expenses.

No federal charges were ever filed against Trump, although Justice Department policy barring charges against a sitting president ruled out such a possibility until he left office in January 2021.

Vances initial investigation into Trumps role in the hush money scheme seemed to peter out in favor of a higher-profile examination, also originating from claims made by Cohen, of pervasive tax and insurance fraud in Trumps business empire. That investigation yielded a 2021 conviction of the Trump Organization and a guilty plea from its longtime chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg, who is currently serving a five-month prison sentence.

After Bragg took office in early 2022, top prosecutors on the tax-fraud probe resigned, complaining that Bragg had balked at charging Trump himself in the probe. But the district attorneys office eventually intensified its interest in the long-dormant hush money inquiry.

The two federal special counsel investigations and the Georgia probe had appeared to eclipse the New York case as the likeliest to result in charges against Trump until, within the last few weeks, signals emerged that charges were imminent from Braggs inquiry.

Just what rekindled prosecutors interest in that matter remains unclear. Trump and his allies have said the move was a response to political pressure on Bragg that resulted from his decision on the wider-ranging case and the subsequent resignation of the highly-respected lead prosecutor on that matter, Mark Pomerantz.

Trumps attacks draw from a familiar playbook, leaning on powerful allies in Congress, friendly voices in conservative media and a social media megaphone to try to wrest control of the national dialogue. He has argued that the hush money case was kept alive only by a Covid-extended statute of limitations even though prosecutors  and even Bragg himself  long seemed wary of bringing an indictment.

The case prosecutors presented on Tuesday suggests that Trumps alleged scheme began in 2015, as his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination began to surge. It started with an effort by Trump to suppress the National Enquirers publication of a former Trump Tower doormans claim about a child Trump purportedly had out of wedlock. In June 2016, the head of the Enquirers parent company, American Media Inc., contacted Cohen to reveal that a woman had come forward alleging an extramarital affair with Trump.

Outside the district attorneys office on Tuesday, police had shut down streets leading to the primary entrance while helicopters buzzed overhead. Across the street from the courthouse, competing factions of anti- and pro-Trump protesters, featuring appearances by Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and George Santos (R-N.Y.), set up camp in a park, near where throngs of reporters and curious onlookers had slept overnight on the street to compete to gain access to Tuesday afternoons arraignment.

Trump, who lives in Florida, flew to Manhattan on Monday and stayed overnight in his Trump Tower penthouse before a motorcade, followed overhead by news helicopters, ferried him downtown Tuesday afternoon to face the charges.

Wesley Parnell, Kierra Frazier, Danielle Muoio Dunn and Kelly Garrity contributed to this report.
Former president Donald Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records after an investigation by the Manhattan district attorneys office into a hush-money payment made to porn actress Stormy Daniels.

Daniels claimed in the final days of the 2016 presidential election that she had previously had a sexual affair with Trump. Trumps former fixer, Michael Cohen, paid Daniels $130,000 to keep quiet about her claims. The investigation centered on whether Trump falsified internal business records to conceal the reimbursement payments to Cohen as legal expenses.

From August 2015 to December 2017, the Defendant orchestrated a scheme with others to influence the 2016 presidential election by identifying and purchasing negative information about him to suppress its publication and benefit the Defendants electoral prospects, Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg alleges in a statement of facts.

The document adds: In order to execute the unlawful scheme, the participants violated election laws and made and caused false entries in the business records of various entities in New York. The participants also took steps that mischaracterized, for tax purposes, the true nature of the payments made in furtherance of the scheme.

That scheme included the payment to Daniels made through a shell corporation funded through a bank in Manhattan, as well as a payment of $30,000 from the parent company of National Enquirer, American Media Inc., to a former Trump Tower doorman who claimed to have a story about a child TRUMP had out of wedlock, the indictment says. It also cites a $150,000 payment from AMI to a woman who alleged she had a sexual relationship with Trump. Reports indicate that woman was former Playboy model Karen McDougal.

Bragg writes that Trump explicitly directed a lawyer to reimburse AMI in cash.

Trump was arraigned in a Manhattan court on Tuesday afternoon after he surrendered to authorities. The former president was booked by investigators at the courthouse in Manhattan, where he had his fingerprints taken but did not have a mugshot taken, according to several reports.

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Heading to Lower Manhattan, the Courthouse, Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social platform ahead of his surrender just before 1:30 p.m. Seems so SURREAL  WOW, they are going to ARREST ME. Cant believe this is happening in America. MAGA!

After the proceedings, the former president is expected to return to Mar-a-Lago, where he plans to address the public this evening.

Trump attorney Todd Blanche told reporters the former presidents reaction to the indictment is exactly what youd expect: Hes frustrated, hes upset. But Ill tell you what, hes motivated and its not going to stop him. Its not going to slow him down. Its exactly what we expected.

Joe Tacopina, another lawyer for Trump, said the unsealing of the indictment showed that the rule of law died in this country.

Video cameras were barred from the courtroom but Bragg is expected to address the indictment in a Tuesday afternoon press conference.

Acting New York Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchan on Monday evening rejected a request from several news outlets to allow the organizations to broadcast the proceedings. Trumps lawyers had urged the judge to reject the request, lest the courtroom turn into a circus-like atmosphere. The judge chose to allow five pool photographers to take photos at the start of the proceedings until such time as they are directed to vacate the jury box by court personnel.

Meanwhile, New York City mayor Eric Adams on Monday warned would-be protesters that disorder and lawlessness over the indictment would not be tolerated.

Control yourselves. New York City is our home, not a playground for your misplaced anger. We are the safest large city in America because we respect the rule of law in New York City, Adams said. And although we have no specific threats, people like Marjorie Taylor Greene, who is known to spread misinformation and hate speech, says shes coming to town. While you in town be on your best behavior. As always, we will not allow violence or vandalism of any kind. And if one is caught participating in any act of violence, they will be arrested and held accountable no matter who you are.

NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell told reporters that there has been no specific, credible threats to our city at this time related to Trumps court appearance.

As the mayor stated, there are no credible or specific threats to New York City at this time, Sewell said. New Yorkers may see an increased police presence in parts of the city and should anticipate intermittent road closures over the next few days, particularly in Manhattan. To avoid delays, I to urge everyone to use mass transit when possible.

Our job is to facilitate and safeguard the rights of people to express themselves and those going about their daily activities, the police commissioner said. But I will remind everyone that violence and destruction are not part of legitimate, lawful expression, and it will never be tolerated in our city.

Trump has called the indictment Political Persecution and Election Interference at the highest level in history and warned this Witch-Hunt will backfire massively on Joe Biden.

Never before in our Nations history has this been done, Trump said on Thursday. The Democrats have cheated countless times over the decades, including spying on my campaign, but weaponizing our justice system to punish a political opponent, who just so happens to be a President of the United States and by far the leading Republican candidate for President, has never happened before. Ever.

Trump adviser Jason Miller said Monday that Trumps 2024 presidential campaign raised over $8 million in the four days since the indictment was announced.

More from National Review
Donald Trump has lived his whole life as though he is trying to prove the theory that all publicity is good publicity. His appearance in court on Tuesday as a criminal defendant will test that cliche to the limit.

This case has certainly put him back in the spotlight. His journey from Mar-a-Lago, his Florida home, to New York was carried live on several US TV stations. He has apparently been discussing with advisers how he should appear throughout the court process - smiling defiantly or looking sombre and serious?

Like it or not this court date is also an election campaign event. The big question is whether Mr Trump can really turn a criminal prosecution into an electoral asset.

Since the indictment against him was announced last week his campaign has been boasting about how much money it has raised (over $8m, they say) and cite opinion polls that suggest his lead over Republican opponents for the presidential nomination has grown.

Trump supporters at Trump Tower

It is not clear whether such a well-known public figure as Mr Trump will need to have a mugshot photograph taken - but already his former White House spokesman Hogan Gidley has jokingly declared "it will be the most manly, most masculine, most handsome mugshot of all time".

Of course you expect this kind of macho bravado to come from the Trump camp. What is particularly interesting is to watch the way in which Mr Trump's political opponents within the Republican party have felt compelled to come to his defence.

Ron DeSantis, the Florida Governor, said: "The weaponisation of the legal system to advance a political agenda turns the rule of law on its head." And he said he would not assist if there was a request to extradite Mr Trump from Florida to New York

Mr Trump's former Vice-President Mike Pence said the indictment sent a "terrible message" to the world about American justice.

They obviously believe that is what their voters want to hear.

So perhaps Mr Trump can use a criminal trial to his advantage during the electoral primaries when it is loyal Republicans who are voting.

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But that same tactic could backfire when it comes to the general election.

Trump supporter John McGuigan outside Trump Tower

Across the US, from Georgia to Wisconsin, I have spoken to very many independents and swing voters who say that while they liked Mr Trump's policies when he was in office, they are now tired of the chaos and drama that surrounds him.

By turning a prosecution into a political spectacle he risks alienating the very voters he would need to win back the White House in November 2024.

John McGuigan is a diehard Trump supporter whom I met outside Trump Tower in Manhattan on Monday.

He told me that he thinks this court case will help Mr Trump's presidential campaign.

He said: "Those who are already convinced Donald Trump is the devil incarnate are not going to be affected by the outcome, nor will the staunch Trump supporters."

But, he thinks, "for those voters who are somewhere in the middle this may end up being more of an asset than a detriment for Trump's 2024 campaign".
DHAKA, April 4 (Xinhua) -- A massive fire broke out in a market at a residential neighborhood of the old part of Bangladesh's capital on Tuesday morning, with no death reported so far.

Brigadier General Md Main Uddin, director general of the department of fire service and civil defense, told Xinhua that 41 fire engines were fighting the fire in one of the city's largest Bangabazar markets.

The fire, spreading to at least six nearby markets, was sending thick black smoke into the air visible at least several kilometers away.

The cause of the fire, which broke out around 6:00 a.m. local time, has not been ascertained, as the security officials have yet to comment on the incident.

Firefighting units of the Bangladesh Army, Navy and Air Force reached the spot to assist the fire service. 
Donald Trump, who just over two years ago sat atop the United States executive branch as the 45th president, has been formally charged with 34 felonies relating to falsifying business records around hush money payments during the 2016 presidential campaign.

He pleaded not guilty to all the charges during an appearance in the Manhattan Criminal Court on Tuesday.

Mr Trump raised a fist in defiance as he arrived at the courthouse amid a heavy security presence from the NYPD and Secret Service after rival sets of protesters had earlier clashed outside court.

However once inside the courtroom, Mr Trump cut a deflated figure as he appeared before New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan for a formal arraignment.

The ex-president surrendered to the office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg upon arrival at the court at 1.24pm. He was arrested and fingerprinted in a room on the 7th floor of the courthouse building.

He avoided the ignominy of being handcuffed and paraded before cameras, or having his mugshot taken.

Former President Donald Trump sits at the defense table with his defence team in a Manhattan court on Tuesday, 4 April (AP)

Mr Trump was then taken to a courtroom on the 15th floor of the Manhattan Criminal Court. Photographers allowed into court by Judge Merchan snapped images of the forlorn-looking former president, flanked by members of his defence legal team including Boris Epshteyn.

Mr Trump left the courthouse just before 3.30pm without speaking to reporters and began his journey back to Mar-a-Lago, where he promised to make a statement on Tuesday evening.

The charges

The indictment, unsealed on Tuesday, revealed that Mr Trump faces 34 first degree felony charges relating to so-called catch and kill operations during the run-up to the 2016 presidential election.

Mr Trump, his former attorney Michael Cohen and the former owner of the National Enquirer David Pecker allegedly worked in cahoots toidentify, purchase, and bury negative information about him and boost his electoral prospects.

The indictment cites three such examples. Prosecutors say that Mr Pecker caught wind that a former Trump Tower doorman was trying to sell a story about a secret child born to Mr Trump out of wedlock. The doorman was paid $30,000 by American Media Inc (AMI), the parent company of the National Enquirer, and the story, which turned out to be false, was never published.

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New York district attorney Alvin Bragg arrives at Manhattan Criminal Courthouse on Tuesday (Eduardo Munoz/Reuters)

In a separate instance, AMI paid $150,000 to a woman who has previously been identified as former Playboy model Karen McDougal for the exclusive rights to her story about an affair she had with Mr Trump more than a decade earlier. The article was never published.

The indictment states that similar catch and kill tactics were used to bury a story shortly before the election about Mr Trumps affair with the adult film actress Stormy Daniels.

Ms Daniels was paid $130,000 by Mr Cohen 12 days before the 2016 presidential election, according to the indictment. Prosecutors say that Mr Trump falsified business records to conceal breaches of state and federal campaign finance laws.

We cannot allow New York businesses to manipulate their records to cover up criminal conduct, District Attorney Bragg said in a statement.

Violent clashes outside court

Outside court, violent clashes erupted between rival sets of protesters who gathered from first light on Tuesday morning.

Marjorie Taylor Greene and George Santos, two of Mr Trumps loudest supporters in Congress, turned up outside court to rile up the small group of MAGA protesters.

Protesters gather outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump will arrive later in on Tuesday for his arraignment (Drew Angerer/Getty)

Mr Santos quickly departed after being mobbed by the media. Ms Greenes attempts to address the crowd were drowned out, reportedly after a Trump supporter handed out whistles to overshadow counter protesters.

Mr Trump left Trump Tower just after 1pm and travelled the four-mile journey to the courthouse in lower Manhattan in a convoy of six black SUVs with a police escort.

Moments before he emerged from a Secret Service-driven vehicle, the 76-year-old posted on Truth Social: Heading to Lower Manhattan, the Courthouse. Seems so SURREAL  WOW, they are going to ARREST ME.

Cant believe this is happening in America.

Every moment of Mr Trumps highly-choreographed journey from his private club at Mar-a-Lago to the Manhattan court has been closely followed and broadcast in rolling cable news coverage.

How the arraignment unfolded

Mr Trump, who is used to saying whatever he wants to say to whomever he wants to say it to, was only permitted two possible responses to the 34 felony charges: Guilty or not guilty.

He chose to enter a single not guilty plea to each of the counts on his indictment.

The ex-president was then warned by Judge Merchan to stop making threatening posts on social media that could incite violence or inflame social unrest.

Donald Trump waves to supporters as he arrives at the Manhattan courthouse on Tuesday afternoon (AFP via Getty Images)

The judge refrained from imposing a gag order in Mr Trump.

Prosecutors sought a trial date for January 2024, which Mr Trumps attorneys objected to as too soon. They asked for a trial date in the spring of 2024, according to the New York Times.

Under New York law, he will not have to post any bail because he is charged with non-violent crimes, and he is set to return to his estate in Palm Beach, Florida, where he has signalled he will deliver remarks on Tuesday evening.

Were going to fight it

Outside the courthouse, Mr Trumps lead defence attorney Todd Blanche told reporters that Mr Trump was frustrated and upset about the charges.

But hes motivated and its not going to stop him, Mr Blanche told reporters.

Were going to fight it, and were going to fight it hard.

Mr Blanche accused prosecutors of going after Mr Trump for political purposes.

A sketch depicting Donald Trump in court during his arraignment. (Manhattan Courts)

He claimed that the 16-page indictment showed no evidence that any federal or state crimes had been broken.

Mr Trump reportedly hired Mr Blanche as his new lead attorney just hours before the arraignment.

Mr Blanche told Politico he had resigned as a partner from Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft, to serve as Mr Trumps lead counsel.

Kangaroo Court

Mr Trump has repeatedly lashed out at both Judge Merchan  who also presided over the criminal tax fraud of two Trump Organization subsidiaries and the criminal fraud case against the companys longtime CFO  and the judges family in the days since it became known that hed been indicted, continuing a long pattern of attacking jurists whove been assigned to hear cases hes been involved in.

Donald Trump is led into court for his arraignment on charges of paying hush money to adult actress Stormy Daniels (AFP via Getty Images)

In a post made to Truth Social just hours before he was set to appear in court, Mr Trump called the judge highly partisan and accused both him and his family of being known Trump haters and having been an unfair disaster during his handling of the prior cases involving his company and its CFO, Allen Weisselberg.

He claimed Judge Merchans daughters work for Vice President Kamala Harris and the Biden-Harris 2020 campaign showed that the jurist is biased against him. He offered no evidence to support his claims about the judge.

Mr Trump then called for the case to be moved to Staten Island, New Yorks only reliable Republican stronghold.

THIS CASE SHOULD BE MOVED TO NEARBY STATEN ISLAND - WOULD BE A VERY FAIR AND SECURE LOCATION FOR THE TRIAL, Mr Trump posted on Truth Social just before the hearing.

Law enforcement officers stand guard as people gather outside Manhattan Criminal Courthouse on Tuesday during Donald Trumps arraignment (REUTERS)

The former president has milked millions of dollars in donations from supporters since rumours that his indictment was imminent began circulating last month.

On Tuesday, he sent yet another email soliciting money from his supporters.

Arraignment poll boost for Trump

Polls conducted after Mr Trumps indictment provided a significant boost for him in the Republican primary.

In the latest Yahoo News/YouGov poll taken on 30-31 March, Mr Trump dramatically widened his lead over Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in a hypothetical Republican primary face-off.

Mr Trump now leads Mr DeSantis 57 per cent to 31 per cent, up from a 47 per cent to 39 per cent margin last month.

However, a separate ABC News/Ipsos taken over the same weekend showed that 45 per cent of Americans agreed that Mr Trump should be charged with making the hush money payments.
All eyes were on former President Donald Trump for his arrest and arraignment in Manhattan on Tuesday  and North Carolina Republicans were watching, too.

Trump surrendered himself to authorities after being indicted, pleading not guilty to 34 felony charges. All 34 charges, which were revealed publicly for the first time Tuesday, are for falsifying business records. The case revolves around Trumps alleged role in a $130,000 hush money payment made to adult film star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential campaign.

Seems so SURREAL  WOW, they are going to ARREST ME, Trump wrote on Truth Social Tuesday afternoon while en route to the district attorneys office. Cant believe this is happening in America.

Being a criminal defendant is a first for Trump, and the nation has never before seen a former president face criminal charges. Trump has called for protests to take our nation back, much like he did following his 2020 election loss. Thats troubling rhetoric, and it should be refuted by every elected official who claims to care about law and order.

So what are North Carolina Republicans saying?

For Rep. Dan Bishop, it was just four words: What a total crock.

Rep. Patrick McHenry, who accused the Manhattan DA of political motivations, said the prosecution sets a dangerous precedent that undermines faith in our system of government.

According to Rep. Richard Hudson, no American should stand for the weaponization of our criminal justice system for a political agenda.

Sen. Thom Tillis likewise called it a politically-motivated prosecution against President Trump.

The GOPs comments resemble those made after the FBI raided Trumps residence at Mar-a-Lago last year to retrieve classified documents the former president allegedly withheld. At the time, Republicans were quick to defend Trump and criticize the Department of Justice for targeting Trump unfairly. Congressional Republicans vowed to investigate the supposed weaponization of government institutions to target political opponents  a fools errand they immediately took up upon reclaiming the House majority early this year.

Trump, of course, is innocent until proven guilty, and he has the right to due process like any other American. However, that does not make the prosecution a sham, nor does it mean that authorities are motivated by anything besides the pursuit of justice.

While we may now know the charges Trump is facing, we have yet to see the evidence. So  for a party that talks about the rule of law  today should be a day to let the rule of law take its course.
NEW YORK  It took a squad of New York City cops to escort Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) through the crowd outside Manhattan Criminal Court on Tuesday, a thin wall of uniforms between the far-right member of Congress and a circus of former President Donald Trumps supporters, anti-Trump protesters, and a wave of reporters tripping over themselves to get a good view.

Greenes stage was a couple of park benches, and her message was similar to that of the MAGA hat-clad, flag-waving Trump faithfuls who swarmed lower Manhattan: Trumps indictment is a threat to the American way of life.

The real threat to democracy is today, when they are arresting him! I cannot believe that this is happening, Greene belted through a bullhorn, adding that New York City used to be great but is no more, and that Democrats were child abusers.

President Trump will be found innocent! she said before making a swift exit. This witch hunt will end! We will not tolerate it!

Barely anyone could hear the lawmaker and her follow-up act, the far-right internet performer Jack Posobiec, as a coterie of anti-Trump protesters led by New York City public advocate Jumaane Williams burst through the media scrum blowing whistles.

But Posobiecs voice floated above the din long enough to argue that Trumps motorcade to the courthouse for his arraignment was the funeral procession for our republic.

As the hours ticked on and Trump supporters and opponents craned for a view of the alleged criminal, Collect Pond Park  directly across the street from the courthouse  turned into a living comment section. Trump supporters and opponents alike were there to be seen, keenly aware of the dense concentration of reporters filming everything.

After Greene left, anti- and pro-Trump protesters traded barbs across a metal fence installed by the NYPD to keep the two factions separate. Fights nearly broke out when opposing sides intermingled with each other. F****ts! F****ts! red-hatted Trump supporters chanted at two gay men who entered the MAGA section of the park.

Story continues

Several pro-Trump supporters sported white supremacist symbols on their clothing. One young white man wore a skull mask and implored the crowd to watch Europa: The Last Battle, a deeply antisemitic 2017 film that falsely claims Jews started both world wars. White Lives Matter! shouted a man carrying a Trump or Death flag and a bottle of liquor.

Nazi here in a skull mask yelling at people to watch antisemitic film Europa the Last Battle https://t.co/T4FRFAXhmJpic.twitter.com/WDbXuL6ORK  Christopher Mathias (@letsgomathias) April 4, 2023

Nearby, a middle-aged white man who identified himself only as Michael from New Jersey carried a sign parroting an old MAGA meme. It stated: WHAT YOU NEED TO DEAL WITH THE LIBERAL BIASED NEWS MEDIA: A TREE. A ROPE. A HORSE OR CHAIR. A LIBERAL NEWS REPORTER. SOME ASSEMBLY REQUIRED.

Michael even brought his own noose  which he said he made himself  that he taped to his sign. When pressed if this meant he wanted to hang a reporter from HuffPost, Michael was a little less feisty, stating he only wanted to kill those journalists who wanted to overthrow the government. He then declined to comment on his whereabouts on Jan. 6, 2021.

I will personally put the fucking noose around that son-of-a-bitchs neck, Michael said separately, referring to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. This is a real Texas necktie.

Michael from New Jersey made a noose for the media pic.twitter.com/t5VO1bAMBT  Christopher Mathias (@letsgomathias) April 4, 2023

That imagery abounded Tuesday: Chris Cox, the Bikers for Trump leader, said the indictment was a political lynching and observed that it would have been political suicide if Greene hadnt demonstrated her loyalty to Trump with an appearance.

Trumps arraignment brought its share of gawkers: The Naked Cowboy, normally a Times Square institution, smiled widely for selfies and parried away reporters questions about politics. Ive committed so many crimes in my life without even trying, he told one reporter inquiring about Trump.

Casey Neistat, the well-known vlogger, told HuffPost he showed up to the park because it was a short walk from his office and it feels like the center of the universe when you see this on television.

A half-dozen Trump impersonators circulated among the crowd, sporting rubber masks and cheap suits. They never trusted anybody to open carry in a jail, but they trust me! Jason Scoop, sheltered under a platinum blond wig, bragged in-character to a friendly crowd of Trump supporters.

Even Vincent Fusca, who some followers in the QAnon conspiracy theory are convinced is John F. Kennedy Jr.  the Kennedy scion died in a plane crash in 1999  made an appearance. Fusca declined to be interviewed, except to say that he was a concerned American.

Benjamin Geller, a legislator for Dutchess County upstate, wore a suit with a Trump pin. Hes a member of the New York Young Republican Club, the far-right group headed by Gavin Wax, who has close ties to the violent neo-fascist group the Proud Boys  a fact that did not concern Geller.

Hes not currently associated with the Proud Boys, so   he said.

Another member of the New York Young Republican Club, Paul Ingrassia, also wore a suit with his hair slicked back. He said he was a lawyer but declined to name the firm he works for.

Im here to show support for Donald Trump during one of the darkest hours I think in our countrys history, he said, as a media scrum formed around another member of Congress who arrived in the park: Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.), the serial liar from Long Island.

Giant media scrum for George Santos outside the courthouse ahead of Trumps indictment pic.twitter.com/jwvhe0Bhfa  Christopher Mathias (@letsgomathias) April 4, 2023

Ingrassi said he liked Santos, arguing that a lot of what he said isnt lies.

Santos, like most of the crowd Tuesday, seemed to acknowledge Trumps arraignment for what it was: a photo-op. After a quick trample around the Collect Pond Park bushes, Santos left the area.

You try not to be part of the circus, but part of the branding of these people, said one demonstrator with an anti-Trump sign. Ozzie Hernandez, who wielded a Trump Felon poster board, debated with Trump supporters, accompanied by a blue-jacketed police officer that he joked was a bodyguard.

This is good trouble, Hernandez said. Im getting the word out in the street: His moniker now is felony. Well be able to change that, hopefully, to jailbird.

The Naked Cowboy started to play a song. Thank God for Donald J. Trump, he crooned while strumming his guitar. Hes still gonna make 2024 great again, sounds like a good idea to me.

Just dont go on the other side of the fence and say that, he added, gesturing at the assembled anti-Trump protesters. Youll get killed!

No one was getting killed on the anti-Trump side, although reporters from right-wing news outlets like Fox News and Newsmax were chased away.

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to most of the assembled protesters, Trump had entered the courthouse, where he was arrested and arraigned.

Related...
State Sen. Joe Gruters

One of the hallmarks of America has been our ability to have political differences, even seismic political differences, without the party in power criminalizing and seeking to jail those on the other side.

That all changed after Donald Trumps 2017 inauguration as president of the United States. It was not President Trumps doing. It was the historically un-American response to his victory.

We all watched  with increasing astonishment  the ugly parade of personal attacks, investigations, impeachments and hoaxes directed toward President Trump and his family. For six years, Democrat federal and state prosecutors sought to find a crime or invent one. This effort continued on and on until, finally, a George Soros-backed district attorney in Manhattan got a New York jury to indict Trump on what seems centered around a bookkeeping dispute.

Putting America through hell

It has been famously said that a dishonest prosecutor can get a grand jury to indict a ham sandwich, because only one side of the case is presented to a grand jury. And so the left has finally found the "slimmest of slim" means by which to criminalize their chief political opponent  and potentially imprison him.

This is not unusual in other countries: Third World and authoritarian regimes around the world criminalize and imprison political opponents with regularity. However, this has never been a feature of the United States post-Civil War  until the Democrats made it one over the past six years.

Since 2017, Democrats, the media and Big Tech have put this country through hell because they simply cannot accept the results of the 2016 election. The media and the "Permanent State" in D.C. continue to vilify some Trump supporters for not accepting the results of the 2020 presidential election. But, of course, they ignore the fact that some leading Democrats refused to accept the presidential election results in 2000, 2004 and, most recently, 2016.

There is a good reason why we have never had a former president indicted, despite the fact that there have been some shady characters in the Oval Office. Everyone has understood that such a move would weaken the institution of the presidency. And everyone has understood that such a move would torpedo the United States' long tradition of ensuring the peaceful transfer of power.

Story continues

Unfortunately, this has now happened.

With a former president indicted on very weak charges by a politicized prosecutor, will we now see every incoming administration seek revenge against the preceding administration? Naturally and predictably, this will lead to further polarization in an already deeply divided nation. No good will come from this.

Cynical Democrats

Make no mistake. This is not about the high-minded nobody is above the law mantra that Democrats have been chanting in unison over the past several days. They obviously dont believe that.

Former President Donald Trump speaks with reporters while in flight on his plane after a campaign rally at Waco Regional Airport, in Waco, Texas, Saturday, March 25, 2023, while en route to West Palm Beach, Fla.

When rioters burned and looted American cities in 2020, Democrat politicians and the media did not merely defend such behavior  they were even pushing people to bail out the rioters. The rioters were "above the law."

Hillary Clintons infamous Steele dossier is almost a direct parallel to Trumps situation, except it was literally done through her campaign. But Clinton was "above the law."

Democrats, including Attorney General Merrick Garland, have targeted parents at school board meetings and sent heavily armed police to arrest peaceful protesters outside abortion clinics. But have they arrested members of the antifa who have destroyed federal buildings? No. These people have been "above the law."

And now the same Manhattan district attorney who has reduced felonies to misdemeanors  and declined to even prosecute an increasing number of violent felonies  has stretched legal credulity to find a reason to go after a former president.

This is clearly a case of unequal treatment under the law, and it is the obvious persecution of a political opponent. I fear the potential horrible cycle that this could unleash.

Joe Gruters, a Republican from Sarasota, represents District 22 in the Florida Senate.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Indicting former President Trump is a dangerous, un-American step
Former President Donald Trump appears in court for his arraignment, Tuesday, April 4, 2023, in New York. (Steven Hirsch/New York Post via AP, Pool)

State attorneys and former prosecutors worried that Trump's indictment would solely revolve around Michael Cohen as a witness.

But Trump's indictment depends on more than Cohen  the NY DA alleges Trump paid off another woman, too.

The payments also happened while Trump was president, which could complicate matters.

Before President Donald Trump was indicted by a grand jury convened by the Manhattan district attorney, attorneys were reportedly concerned that the indictment against the former executive only focused on a "hush-money" case involving the adult film actress Stormy Daniels and Trump's former attorney, Michael Cohen.

Cohen previously spent time in prison for campaign finance violations, tax evasion, and making false statements to a bank.

Mark Bederow, a former prosecutor, previously told Insider that resting an indictment of this caliber solely on Cohen would be disastrous.

"That's a disaster as a prosecutor," Bederow said. "You wouldn't rely on Michael Cohen to tell you the time of day unless you corroborated it with a clock. That's how awful a witness he is."

Former US attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan, Barbara McQuade, echoed Bederow in a separate interview with Insider, noting that "the more the case relies on documents instead of the testimony of Michael Cohen, the stronger it will be."

On Tuesday, now that the details of the indictment have been released by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg Jr., it appears that McQuade, Bederow, and other prosecutors' concerns should be quelled: the case appears to depend on more than just Cohen and Daniels.

Not built on Cohen alone

Prosecutors have zeroed in on other instances beyond Daniels. An accompanying statement of facts underlines how the indictment rests on the core of a so-called "Catch and Kill" scheme that Trump allegedly concocted with David Pecker, who was at the time the publisher of the National Enquirer. Prosecutors claim the pair worked together to find a way to effectively silence people who claimed to have embarrassing stories about Trump by paying them off through side deals.

Story continues

Like Daniels, prosecutors allege that Trump, Pecker, and Cohen teamed up to silence former Playboy Playmate Karen McDougal in June 2016. McDougal is not directly named in the statement of facts, but the details make clear that the case is also about an alleged $150,000 payment to silence her claims about an alleged affair with Trump. Pecker testified multiple times before the grand jury that indicted the former president.

Another part of the scheme involved Dino Sajudin, a former Trump Tower doorman, who allegedly received $30,000 in 2015 to not go public with allegations that Trump had a child out of wedlock. According to the statement of facts, AMI did not investigate Sajudin's claims and ultimately determined them to be false.

The checks were cut during the Trump presidency

Additionally, as per the charging documents, Cohen worked out a hush-money payment with Daniels in order to "secure [her] silence and prevent disclosure of the damaging information in the final weeks before the presidential election."

As was previously reported, the Trump Organization allegedly authorized $420,000 in payments to Cohen, which was to be paid out monthly in $35,000 increments.

But according to the statement of facts, the reimbursement payments were purposely shielded by designating the monthly checks as "legal services," in an agreement that was hashed out in the Oval Office in February 2017, only weeks after Trump had taken office.

"The checks and stubs bearing the false statements were stapled to the invoices also bearing false statements," the document stated. "The Defendant signed each of the checks personally and had them sent back to the Trump Organization in New York County."

Trump pleaded not guilty to all counts. He has repeatedly described the investigation as akin to a witch hunt, criticizing prosecutor, grand jury, and even judge as biased. Since being arraigned, he has since added "nothing done illegally."

Read the original article on Business Insider
Upon being indicted in New York last week, former President Donald Trump declared that "the USA is now a third-world nation," and other Republicans opposed to the charges accuse the U.S. legal system of being akin to "some third-world banana republic."

But Trumps indictment  significant as he is the first former U.S. president to be brought up on criminal charges issued by a grand jury  is not all that unprecedented in modern democracies.

Trump now joins the ranks of other former leaders charged following their tenure in office  largely on issues relating to corruption  including the notorious former Italian prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, along with other prominent leaders from democratic nations.

Berlusconi has been involved in nearly three dozen criminal cases, with one conviction for tax fraud in 2012; Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was indicted in 2020 on corruption charges; and former Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian was convicted of bribery in 2009.

BARR WARNS TRUMPS LEGAL TEAM WHAT NOT TO DO DURING POSSIBLE TRIAL

Dozens of democracies like France, South Korea and Brazil have seen leaders prosecuted for crimes, with nearly 80 nations having seen former leaders jailed or prosecuted over the last 20 years, reported Axios.

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who returned to the high office in January after defeating Jair Bolsonaro, was sentenced to 12 years by a federal court on corruption charges in 2018.

Lula served 580 days before the country's supreme court ordered his freedom and dismissed his case.

Supporters of Brazil's president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, rally in solidarity with Brazilian democracy outside the Brazilian Consulate in Boston on Jan. 9, 2023.

TRUMPS FORMER SECRET SERVICE AGENTS TO TESTIFY IN DC GRAND JURY FRIDAY IN DOCUMENTS CASE

Former French Prime Minister Nicolas Sarkozy was sentenced to a year in prison in 2021 for violating campaign finance laws.

South Koreas former President Park Geun-hye was sentenced to 24 years over corruption charges before she was pardoned in 2021 by her successor. She served five years.

Story continues

Leaders from Malaysia, Pakistan and Argentina have also seen charges relating to fraud and corruption, though some have escaped prison time due to immunity, and many indicted international leaders went on to have successful careers.

Silvio Berlusconi casts his vote during the Lombardy regional elections in Milan, Italy, on Feb. 12, 2023.

"It is absolutely significant given that he is a former president who is still extremely popular among segments of the population," Foreign Desk Editor-in-Chief Lisa Daftari said, noting that his supporters continue to drive for hours to see him speak at rallies.

Daftari pointed out that among his supporters there is concern about the "weaponization of our legal system" to target an individual for political reasons.

"All are equal under the law and likewise innocent until proven guilty, not the other way around," she added.

At the moment, Trump faces no legal hurdles in continuing his candidacy for the 2024 presidential nomination, and his top contender, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (who has yet to declare his candidacy), called the charges against Trump "un-American."

It remains unclear how Trumps case will affect his presidential bid, though his indictment alone will likely do little to impact his candidacy.

There is debate whether the indictment could serve to boost Trumps MAGA following or whether this time a scandal could hurt the former presidents chances for another election.

But there is precedent in the U.S. and abroad to suggest that Trump could survive his indictment.

International leaders like Lula, Netanyahu and Berlusconi have all seen successful careers largely untouched by the charges levied against them.

"As we have seen so far, it looks as though Trump will not only survive this but will come out more revered on the other side," Daftari said. "His supporters believe that he has been targeted for political purposes and for that reason will continue supporting him against the establishment."

Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's prime minister, right, and President Donald Trump arrive for the Abraham Accords signing ceremony at the White House on Sept. 15, 2020.

Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry opened a presidential bid in 2015 despite having been indicted on two felony charges in 2014. He eventually dropped his candidacy for the 2016 White House, though this appeared to be mostly due to the crowded GOP field rather than because of his legal woes. The indictments against Perry were eventually dismissed according to the New York Times.

And the case of former Washington, D.C., Mayor Marion Barry who made a major comeback after being arrested on cocaine charges in 1990. Barry served six months in prison but still won a fourth-term as mayor in 1995.

Reuters contributed to this report.
Former President Donald Trump sits at the defense table in a Manhattan court. Seth Wenig/Associated Press

A New York grand jury charged Trump with 34 felony counts.

The charges include falsifying business records. Trump pleaded not guilty.

Read the full indictment here.

A grand jury indicted former President Donald Trump on nearly three dozen felony charges in connection to a $130,000 hush-money payment to the adult film actress Stormy Daniels.

The indictment, which was voted on by a Manhattan grand jury last week, follows a years-long investigation by the Manhattan district attorney's office. It is the first time a current or former US president has ever been criminally charged.

The Manhattan district attorney's office spent years investigating Trump's finances and previously brought a criminal case against the Trump Organization and Chief Financial Officer Allen Weisselberg. Weisselberg pleaded guilty to the charges against him and a jury convicted Trump's company late last year.

Prosecutors continued their investigation and examined payments made to Stormy Daniels, a porn star who says she had an affair with Trump  which the ex-president denied. Michael Cohen, Trump's former personal lawyer, maintains he funneled $130,000 to Daniels at Trump's direction in a plot to keep her quiet ahead of the 2016 presidential election.

Read the full text of the indictment here:

Read the statement of fact:

Read the original article on Business Insider
Donald Trump 's new lawyer successfully got a criminal case against the former president's one-time campaign manager, Paul Manafort, dismissed in the same courthouse where Trump will face charges on Tuesday.

Todd Blanche will be joining Trump's criminal defense team, which includes Brooklynite attorney Joe Tacopina.

"There is no lead," Tacopina told Fox News Digital. "We are one team, one family with one mission."

Trump flew from Palm Beach in Florida to New York on Monday, arriving at Trump Tower in the early afternoon.

TRUMP HIRES NEW DEFENSE ATTORNEY ON EVE OF NYC ARRAIGNMENT

The legal shake-up comes one day before Trump is arraigned on a criminal indictment obtained last week by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office.

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

The charges stem from hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal, which were arranged by disbarred attorney Michael Cohen. Both women claim they had affairs with Trump, which he has denied.

The exact charges against the 2024 Republic presidential candidate will not be unsealed until his court appearance, which will mark the first time in history a former U.S. president faces criminal charges.

Manafort, Trump's one-time campaign manager, was convicted of a mortgage fraud scheme in federal court and sentenced to seven years in prison.

Former President Donald Trump arrives at Trump Tower in New York City on April 3, 2023.

Hours after Manafort was sentenced, the Manhattan District Attorney's Office under Cyrus Vance Jr., Bragg's predecessor, announced a 16-count indictment against Trump's ally, alleging he had defrauded banks by lying to obtain mortgages on four properties.

DEFIANT TRUMP ANNOUNCES FLORIDA EVENT JUST HOURS AFTER TUESDAY'S COURT APPEARANCE IN NEW YORK

But Blanche quickly hit back with a motion arguing that Vance's prosecution was politically motivated and illegal on double jeopardy grounds.

The charges were too similar to those he'd been convicted of in federal court, the attorney argued. Blanche also contended that Vance had brought the case to ensure that Manafort would remain behind bars even if Trump pardoned him. Presidential pardons only apply to federal cases.

Story continues

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is seen at Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City, March 31, 2023.

In a surprising decision, Judge Maxwell Wiley sided with Manafort and dismissed the indictment in a major blow to Vance's office.

"The People have failed to establish that the harm or evil each statute is designed to prevent is very different in kind from the federal statutes for which the defendant was previously prosecuted," Wiley wrote in the 26-page decision.

Vance appealed to the state's highest court, which upheld Wiley's ruling. Trump pardoned the veteran political consultant before he left office.
Donald Trump was arraigned in a Manhattan Court on Tuesday afternoon. The social media founder pleaded not guilty to 34 different felony charges.

Update: 4/4/2023, 3:47 P.M. ET: The 34 charges against Donald Trump are all counts of falsifying business records in the first degree, according to the unsealed indictment. The charges concern alleged hush money payments sent to two different women. Each count is a class E felony, per multiple news reports. Each of the 34 charges carries a maximum of four years of prison time.



Scroll to the bottom of the post to read the full indictment.

Update: 4/4/2023, 2:56 P.M. ET: Donald Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 felony charges. The indictment (No. 71543-23) has been unsealed.

Read more

Original Post Below:

Donald Trump, founder and former board chairman of Truth Social parent company Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG), has been arrested and arraigned in New York City. The tech pioneer turned himself into police custody around 1:30 P.M. ET after weeks of whispers surrounding if and when he would be indicted and arraigned for charges related to an alleged hush money payout to adult film star, Stormy Daniels.



Trump wrote on his social network, Heading to Lower Manhattan, the Courthouse. Seems so SURREALWOW, they are going to ARREST ME. Cant believe this is happening in America. MAGA! Earlier in the day on Truth Social, he lambasted so-called RINOsRepublicans in name onlyand Democrats.

Though the exact charges arent yet known, as the indictment is sealed, the suspected $130,000 payment in question came during the final weeks of the media moguls widely discussed, contentious 2016 political campaign. Daniels was set to sell her story of an affair with Trump to a tabloid, when fixer Michael Cohen intervened with the payment.

More than 24 charges are set to be on the docket, per the New York Times. The charges are set to be listed soon, once the tech founder is arraigned in his first-ever criminal court appearance as a defendant.

Story continues

Trump traveled to New York on Monday from his home at Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida in order to face the new charges at the Manhattan courthouse. The Florida man departed Trump Towerthe landmark mixed-use skyscraper, where he also has a residencearound 1:07 P.M. ET to head to surrender himself at the district attorneys office, where he arrived less than a half hour later.



Hundreds of members of the media, security, and scattered small groups of protestors were gathered at outside Trump Tower in a crowd that stretched around the block, as the tech founder was led by an entourage into a car flanked by vehicles in a motorcade. He was not handcuffed and appeared defiant, exiting the building with a raised fist.

Photo of Donald Trump being arrested



Donald Trump, social media founder, is escorted out of Trump Tower and to court downtown for arraignment. (April 4, 2023)

Trumps been exceedingly vocal truthing on his social platform in the lead-up to Tuesdays arrest. He previously called the ordeal a kangaroo court and claimed the judge and his family are well known Trump haters.

Screenshot of Truth Social post



All-Caps screaming is one of Trumps signature influencer modes.

Prior to starting his own social media brand, Trump was a mediocre real-estate and business investor who managed to attain peak-influencer status. He has attracted massive followings across mainstay platforms like Twitter and Facebook with his unique blend of @dril-style unhinged comedy and via fueling real-world political acts of violence. Currently, he has more than 87.3 million Twitter followers. On Facebook, he has 34 million.



Yet in 2021, after he seemed to stoke an attempted insurrection on the U.S. Capitol, most major social media sites enacted two-year bans against Trump, shutting his accounts down. In response, he wasnt deterred. Instead, the maverick media man was inspired to start TMTG and Truth Social. He was chairman of the companys board for about a year before his removal in July 2022 amid the start of a federal Securities and Exchange Commission investigation.

Though hes hasnt been officially involved in the TMTG board for months now, Trump remains active on the platform he founded. He posts there frequently on a wide array of topicsincluding his own legal troublesin part thanks to a semi-exclusive contract that requires him to default to the site over others.

On the site he founded, Trump has about 5.07 million followersfar less than elsewhere. But, if you look at it upside-down, audience curation could be viewed as part of Truth socials strong suit. Despite a stated goal of reaching 81 million active accounts, the site only has about 5 million members at the moment (yes, all of them follow Trump). The platform and parent company TMTG seem to be going for user depth over reachaiming to reach total saturation of the biggest dipshits on the internet, terrible advertisements, bots, and everybodys one uncle.

Somehow, despite Truth Socials unique branding strategy, the platform has faced financial and legal trouble over the past year. So far, small-time billionaire Trump has lost about 17% of his personal wealth as Truth Social has struggled. His fortune has dropped some $550 million as of Tuesday because of TMTGs ongoing devaluation, according to a report from Forbes.

Its unclear how Trumps arrest will impact the social media brand and wider company. Gizmodo reached out to TMTG for comment and did not receive a response as of publication time.



The full indictment document is available here:

Donald J. Trump Indictment | PDF | The Trump Organization | Mail And Wire Fraud

This article is part of a developing story. Our writers and editors will be updating this page as new information is released. Please check back again in a few minutes to see the latest updates. Meanwhile, if you want more news coverage, check out our tech, science, or io9 front pages. And you can always see the most recent Gizmodo news stories at gizmodo.com/latest.

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Two Harrison County residents were charged with murder Tuesday after authorities recovered the body of a man missing from Hinds County.

Angel May Pierce, 19, of Biloxi, and Jerry Cornelious Parkman, 24, of Pass Christian, are charged with first-degree murder in the death of Cody Smith, 24, of Byram, Mississippi. Smith was reported missing on Dec. 16, 2022, and had last been seen in Harrison County.

After an extensive search by Harrison County investigators, Harrison Fire Rescue, Gulf Coast Search and Rescue and Long Beach CSI, remains believed to be Smiths were recovered in a wooded area off Elmer Ladner Road in Pass Christian on Monday.

According to Harrison County Sheriff Troy Peterson, Harrison County investigators were contacted by the Hinds County Sheriffs Office on March 28, and notified that Smith, who had been missing since December, was last seen in Harrison County.

Arrest warrants were issued for Pierce and Parkman after investigators determined they involved in the case.

Parkman was already being held at the Harrison County Adult Detention Center on an unrelated charge when his warrant was served. Pierce and Parkman are being held on no bond pending an initial appearance before Judge Brandon Ladner.

Harrison County investigators say more arrests may be made in this case.

The Harrison County Sheriffs Office encourages anyone with information about Smiths murder to contact the department at 228-897-1474.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines Life, April 4)  This long weekend, catch a beloved play on streaming, up your accessories game, check out a fashion brands latest collection, watch classic Filipino films and one of the Top 10 films on Netflix Philippines right now, and get to know Airbnb more.

Tickets are now available for the streaming on Ticket2Me. Photo from TICKET2ME

Watch Mula sa Buwan on streaming

Beloved play Mula sa Buwan is returning to a streaming platform as a professionally shot performance. The Filipino adaptation of Cyrano de Bergerac stars Myke Salomon as Cyrano, Gab Pangilinan as Roxane, and Markki Stroem as Christian.

READ: How Mula sa Buwan's cast and crew staged a 'miracle play' in 2022

Enjoy the stage performance from April 7-9 with 24-hour streaming windows. Tickets are available here.  CNN PHILIPPINES LIFE STAFF

These Philippine Cinema classics are available in the refreshed FDCP Channel. Screenshot from JUANFLIX

Stream Filipino movies on JuanFlix

For some reason, Ive associated the Holy Week with Filipino movies on TV  must be all those years of watching Himala on ABS-CBN or Cinema One at this time of the week. If you want a bigger selection of Filipino titles to watch this long weekend, log on to JuanFlix, the refreshed FDCP Channel by the Film Development Council of the Philippines. It offers a range of free content of short films, from animated films to experimental pieces; and a hefty lineup of Filipino classics, such as Lino Brockas White Slavery, Joey Gosengfiaos Temptation Island, Marilou Diaz Abayas Moral and yes, Himala.

Their library also features a great selection of contemporary films, from short films such as Jodilerks Dela Cruz, Employee of the Month and Excuse Me Miss Miss to acclaimed films such as MaRosa and Nick and Chai.

Subscription is 99 monthly or 499 annually.  DON JAUCIAN

This international co-production stars our very own Chai Fonacier. Screenshot from NETFLIX

Watch Nocebo on Netflix

I always like to argue that, at its core, Nocebo is a very Filipino film, despite being an Irish co-production with an Irish director, screenwriter, producer, etc. The crux of the psychological horror film happens in the Philippines, which is a spoiler if I give it away. In the film, Chai Fonaciers Diana arrives in the household of Christine (Eva Green) and Felix (Mark Strong) in order to help the desperate housewife and fashion designer from her mysterious illness. The twists and turns of Nocebo is a gripping watch, with Dianas witchy powers on full display  but to what extent. The film has finally landed on Netflix so you can judge whether that fuss over Fonaciers accent was worth it. Or you can just read our profile on her. As of this writing, Nocebo is in the Top 10 movies list of the streaming platform. Perfect for Holy Week viewing, Id say.  DJ

Airbnb hosted a panel discussion on women in the travel and tourism industry featuring (from left) Cheryl Tay, Airbnb Senior Communications Manager for Southeast Asia. Anne Jeaneth Casalme, Philippine Commission on Women Gender and Development representative; Quezon City mayor Joy Belmonte; Mich Goh, Airbnbs Head of Public Policy for Southeast Asia, India, Hong Kong, and Taiwan; Noelle Wenceslao, Philippine Coast Guard officer and renowned mountaineer; and Colleen Vidal, Airbnb Host and content creator. Photo from AIRBNB PHILIPPINES

No Holy Week plans? Travel with the gals via Airbnb

Ive been asking people about their long holiday plans this year, and most of my girl friends are planning to just stay in town. It did make me think back, though, to a panel discussion I attended with vacation rental platform Airbnb to celebrate Womens Month this March. The panel discussion was attended by the likes of Mich Goh, Airbnbs head of Public Policy for Southeast Asia, India, Hong Kong, and Taiwan; Joy Belmonte, mayor of Quezon City; and Noelle Wenceslao, Philippine Coast Guard officer, mountaineer, and the first Filipina to summit Mount Everest. It turns out that women make up a big part of the tourism and travel industries  the Philippines is the platforms second largest women-powered host community in the world following New Zealand, as two-thirds of Airbnb hosts in the Philippines are women. I can see how Filipina hosts excel so much on Airbnb, as Filipinos are known for our hospitality and warmth especially to people we share our homes with.

But while hosting has become a booming industry for female entrepreneurs in the country, traveling as a woman is still rife with safety concerns, especially those who travel on their own. Though the dangers are real, its been heartening to see how women travelers continue to grow. During the panel discussion, we learned that 56% of all solo traveler nights in 2022 were booked by women. This growing community can hopefully bring awareness to private platforms like Airbnb and government entities to create more regulations that keep women travelers safe.

Personally, I love opportunities to travel on my own and discover a place in my own way. So for anyone looking for an easy and quick Holy Week escape, may I recommend the following Airbnbs Ive got on my wishlist: this one-bedroom treehouse with pool access in Balete, Batangas or this glamping cabin in Antipolo, Rizal.  MARGA BUENAVENTURA

These two accessory recommendations will can make or break your summer wardrobe

The heat has been a real killer lately, which turns me off to the idea of styling a cute outfit with some thought involved. If I could get away with a t-shirt and a pair of shorts all season long, Id be completely content. When sticking to basics, whats the best way to add some dynamism to the look? Accessories, my friend. Its the way to go:

The Longchamp Epure bucket bag in fuschia. Photo from LONGCHAMP/OFFICIAL WEBSITE

THE NEW LONGCHAMP COLLECTION

First off is French leather goods company Longchamp, best known for their no-nonsense Le Pliage. Its become the new designer brand to get a second wind among the TikTok girlies, who are unearthing their moms Le Pliages from 2010 and using them as their school bags. The new Longchamp Spring/Summer 2023 collection is inspired by the outdoors; glamping, specifically, or roughing it out in style. Think of tiny leather bags like the angular Box-Trot, which comes in tan, candy pink, and a leather/toile crossover. I love the Epure bucket bag in white, which is small enough to use everyday but elegant enough for a summer wedding party. I personally love the extra small version of the Le Panier Pliage in kelly green. The raffia material with the jockey logo print play makes it fun and bright and surprisingly roomy. I could fit my phone, wallet, keys, and a few extras and go about my day unruffled. You can even add a strap to make it crossbody or keep it tiny as a beachy going-out bag.  MB

Longchamp is available in-store at Rustans Department Store or via their website.

THE JUJU CLUB

Someone once said that everybody looks hotter in sunglasses, and Im afraid Ill have to agree. It adds a bit of mystery to your look with very little effort  on your face or atop your head, it doesnt matter. I recently discovered The Juju Club, an accessory brand by actress Julia Baretto. I was able to try a pair of sunglasses from the brand that ended up being some of my current favorites. The neon green Stockholm (615) and the square Alba in red and pink (695 each) work with pretty much anything. I just throw it in for any activity to distract people from noticing that I rushed out of home in a tornado. The Juju Club also recently released their first swimwear collection  Juju Swim is done in solid colors of white, brown, and black, and can be worn on the beach or even in the city as a reliable basic. During the launch, Julia herself wore a white version of the Moira halter top under a white blazer and slacks. Totally weather-appropriate while still looking polished. Kind of obsessed.  MB

The Juju Club is available online via their website, Lazada, and Shopee.
Two people were electrocuted while trying to steal from a power substation, Georgia police said.

Emergency crews found two bodies while responding to a transformer fire at a station on Atlanta Highway in Gainesville at around 3 a.m. on April 3, according to a post on the Gainesville Police Department Facebook page.





Police said the two trespassed, broke into a fenced area and attempted to steal from a power substation when they were electrocuted and killed.

Investigators are still working to identify the two men.

A spokeswoman for the police department told McClatchy News there was no further information to release.

Gainesville is about 60 miles northeast of Atlanta.

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The U.S. Department of Defense plans to open four new military sites in the Philippines for "regional readiness," as part of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, or EDCA, which went into effect on Feb. 1.

Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said during a press conference on Monday that the new sites would be located at Naval Base Camilo Osias in Santa Ana, Cagayan; Camp Melchor Dela Cruz in Gamu, Isabela; Balabac Island in Palawan; and Lal-lo Airport in Cagayan.

A general view shows the USS Milius DDG69, a multi-mission capable guided missile destroyer ship docked at the Manila south harbor on Aug. 18, 2012.

"In addition to the five existing sites, these new locations will strengthen the interoperability of the United States and Philippine armed forces and allow us to respond more seamlessly together to address a range of shared challenges in the Indo-Pacific region, including natural and humanitarian disasters," she said. "The Department of Defense will work in lockstep with the Philippine Department of National Defense and Armed Forces to rapidly pursue modernized Asian products at these locations."

US, PHILIPPINES ANNOUNCE NEW AGREEMENT TO RAMPU UP MILITARY PRESENCE AMID CHINA-TAIWAN TENSIONS

Singh said one of the locations is an airport expansion, adding that some of the sites would be used for training, particularly with the U.S. Navy.

She would not comment on how many troops would be sent to the Philippines, nor when the Department of Defense would begin sending troops there, saying she did not have the numbers on her during the press briefing.

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

Members of US marines guards fold their national flag during the closing ceremony of the annual joint US-Philippines military exercise in Manila on May 19, 2017.

In February, the U.S. announced its intentions to ramp up its military presence in the Philippines, amid growing tensions between China and the island of Taiwan.

DEFENSE SECRETARY AUSTIN 'SERIOUSLY DOUBTS' CHINA INVASION OF TAIWAN IS 'IMMINENT'

The Philippines is the U.S.s oldest treaty ally in Asia and used to host two of the largest U.S. Navy and Air Force bases outside the American mainland. The bases were shut down in the early 1990s.

The Philippine Constitution prohibits the permanent basing of foreign troops, but the EDCA defense pact allows visiting American forces to indefinitely stay in rotating batches within designated Philippine camps. The agreement makes allowances for defense equipment but does not allow nuclear weapons.

Lawrence Richard of Fox News contributed to this report.
By Gabrielle Tetrault-Farber and Emma Farge

GENEVA (Reuters) - The United Nations Human Rights Council overwhelmingly voted in favour on Tuesday of extending the mandate of an investigative body probing possible war crimes committed since Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Twenty-eight countries voted in favour of extending the mandate of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine by a year. Seventeen abstained and two voted against the body, which Ukraine says is essential for keeping Russia accountable for its crimes.

"The scope and brutality of Russia's atrocities in Ukraine are simply beyond any human comprehension," Ukraine's ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, Yevheniia Filipenko, told the Council ahead of the vote.

"We strongly believe that the continued work of the Commission in further investigating, documenting and reporting human rights violations and international crimes committed against the people in Ukraine could save more innocent lives (and) could contribute to accountability for perpetrators and justice for victims."

In a report published last month, the commission found that crimes committed by Russian forces in Ukraine, including the use of torture and attacks against the country's energy infrastructure, could constitute crimes against humanity.

Russia, which refused to address the Human Rights Council on Tuesday, vigorously denies committing atrocities or targeting civilians in Ukraine.

'TRULY SICKENING'

China, a Russian ally, voted against the initiative, which was backed by more than 50 states. South Africa abstained, saying the initiative could drive a "deeper wedge" between the sides.

Still, observers said the number of favourable votes - just four fewer than at the inquiry's creation in March 2022 - was promising, more than a year into the war. "Only two countries opposed this which is quite remarkable," said Olaf Wientzek, director of the Geneva office of the German Konrad Adenauer Foundation think tank.

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The commission found that some 16,000 children have been unlawfully transferred and deported from Ukraine, citing a Ukrainian government figure. Russia denies the accusation, arguing it has evacuated people voluntarily from Ukraine.

"Putin's war has caused dire humanitarian consequences in Ukraine, throughout Europe and around the world, and the forcible transfer and deportation of Ukraine's children is truly sickening," U.S. Permanent Representative to council, Michele Taylor, said.

Germany's ambassador Katharina Stasch called the deportations "an attempt to steal Ukraine's future".

The U.N. Human Rights Council, the only body made up of governments to protect human rights worldwide, does not have legally binding powers but its debates can spur investigations that feed evidence to national and international courts.

The extension of the inquiry's mandate comes as the International Criminal Court is expected to seek the arrest of Russian officials for deporting children from Ukraine and attacking civilian infrastructure.

(Reporting by Gabrielle Tetrault-Farber and Emma Farge; Editing by Christina Fincher and Ed Osmond)
Philippines US Military

Philippine Army Artillery Regiment Commander Anthony Coronel, left, returns a salute from a U.S. soldier during a joint military drill in the northern Philippines on Friday, March 31, 2023. Credit - Aaron FavilaAP

When the U.S. and the Philippines announced a major agreement in February to expand American military access to Philippine bases, it was unclear what sites would be part of the deal.

On Monday, the Philippine government finally revealed the four new suitable and mutually beneficial locations that U.S. troops will have access tosites which reflect rising concerns from both sides over Chinas role in the region, particularly when it comes to Taiwan and the South China Sea.

Both American and Philippine officials have steadily reiterated that the new agreement does not mean the U.S. will operate its own military bases within the Southeast Asian archipelago, as it did for decades until 1992. Rather, the deal expands upon the two countries 2014 Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), which already allows American forces to train together with Filipino soldiers and be indefinitely stationed at five locations.

Now, the U.S. military can additionally access three more areas in the northern provinces of Cagayan and Isabelaincluding a naval base, an army camp, and an airportas well as a fourth undisclosed site in Balabac, the southernmost island municipality of the western province of Palawan.



These new locations will strengthen the interoperability of the U.S. and Philippine Armed Forces and allow us to respond more seamlessly together to address a range of shared challenges in the Indo-Pacific region, the U.S. Department of Defense said in a statement on Monday.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. told reporters late last month that he had to overcome opposition from local government officials, who were wary about the prospect of hosting U.S. forces and getting caught in the crossfire of potential conflict with China. We explained to them why it was important that we have that, Marcos said, and why it will actually be good for their province.

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The Pentagons statement also noted that the U.S. government will finance infrastructure improvements at these sites and that these investments will also spur economic growth and job opportunities in their respective provinces. The Philippines Secretary of National Defense Carlito Galvez Jr. said in announcing the new locations on Monday that such funding will now need to be budgeted by Congress in Washington.

Heres what to know about the specific locations.

Camilo Osias Naval Base and Lal-lo Airport, Cagayan

Two of the new locations are in the northern province of Cagayan, notably just across some 250 miles of water from the southernmost point of Taiwanthe self-governing island democracy that China claims as its own and which the U.S. has vowed to defend.

U.S. troops may already be familiar with one site: the Camilo Osias Naval Base in the Philippines Santa Ana town had been a former staging area for joint military exercises as recently as last year. American forces will also be able to use Lal-lo International Airport, which opened in 2014 with a single runway and is located 35 miles southwest from Santa Ana.

American access to these two Philippine sites can ensure rapid response to any conflict arising in the Taiwan strait, says Rommel Banlaoi, a security analyst and president of the Philippine Society for Intelligence and Security Studies.

That part of the country is also prone to typhoons, and Banlaoi says any U.S. operations there will be responsive to the nature, weather, and climatewhich means the U.S. can aid in humanitarian missions, as both countries have claimed their greater cooperation will facilitate, while also, Banlaoi says, giving American forces critical opportunity to train during those kinds of difficulties.

The provinces governor, Manuel Mamba, had been strongly opposed to hosting U.S. forces, saying Cagayan may be a magnet for an attack in case a war erupts. He eventually relented, telling Kyodo News in March that he hoped to be wrong about his prior reservations: Because if I am right, Im so afraid of what will happen to my people.

Camp Melchor F. Dela Cruz, Isabela

Just south of Cagayan is the province of Isabela, where Camp Melchor F. Dela Cruz is situated, in the town of Gamu. Its currently the headquarters of a division of the Philippine Army.

Both Cagayan and Isabela are mountainous regions, which Banlaoi believes provide adequate defense for any stationed troops there. Granting U.S. troops access in Isabela in particular, he says, may open up opportunities for building runways, or storage facilities for high-powered weapons.

Collin Koh, a regional security expert at the Singapore-based S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, says that accessing three bases in the north of the Philippines can also help the U.S. overlook key waterways in the first island chaina series of islands including Taiwan and Japan that border the Pacific Ocean.

Koh says the Bashi Channel, a waterway between Taiwan and northern Philippines, can allow Chinese forces to make their way into the Pacific. With the U.S. situated close by, however, Beijing may be deterred from doing so. The whole idea here is to ensure that the Chinese wouldnt be able to break out that easily, he tells TIME.

Balabac Island, Palawan

At the lowest tip of the stretch of islands that make up the province of Palawan is Balabac Island, the fourth location chosen for the expansion, though the exact site remains undisclosed. The province is already home to a previous EDCA site: the Antonio Bautista Airbase.

Balabac Island is only 160 miles southeast of the Mischief Reef, a land feature that is part of the hotly-contested Spratly Island Group in the South China Sea, a waterway through which trillions of dollars in global trade pass through each year. Over the years, the Philippines has grown increasingly worried about alleged territorial incursions in the South China Sea by China, including the reclaiming and militarization of some geographic features.

The U.S. has consistently sided with its ally the Philippines in disputes over the sea. But Banlaoi says Balabac is also a strategic location for American forces because of the quality of its water. It can host different types of submarines, he says, which may be critical for marine defense operations anywhere in the region.

Weighing the cost when it comes to China

Chinas Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning expressed Beijings displeasure on Tuesday about the expanded cooperation agreement between the U.S. and the Philippines, saying that the new EDCA sites will only lead to more tensions and less peace and stability in the region.

Philippine President Marcos Jr. had previously made efforts to not overtly take a side in the superpower rivalry between the U.S., the countrys longtime military ally, and China, its largest trading partner. But Euan Graham, a maritime security expert at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, tells TIME that the country just cant avoid being roped in if China and the U.S. do eventually go to war.

Geography has already compromised the Philippines, says Graham. There is no option of neutrality for the Philippines in the case of the Taiwan conflict, just because of where it is.

Graham says that the country has had to do a cost-benefit analysis and has shown that it prioritizes its defense. I think the benefit is something that Manila has decided.

The Beijing-Manila relationship only looks to grow more tense, especially with the latters reassertion of its military alliance with Washington and recent flare-ups, such as when a China Coast Guard vessel directed a military-grade laser toward a Filipino ship off the provinces west coast in February, claiming that the Philippines was trespassing in Chinese waters. The U.S. and the Philippines are also set to conduct their largest joint military drills later this month.

But Graham says the Philippines taking this path, particularly the expansion of the EDCA sites, doesnt necessarily endanger regional peace, as China warns. Rather, he suggests: It makes conflict less likely, because if the United States is operating from there, thats going to raise the risk for China doing anything to directly get into conflict with the U.S.
By Mike Stone

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. unveiled $2.6 billion worth of military assistance that includes three air surveillance radars, anti-tank rockets and fuel trucks, the Pentagon announced on Tuesday, as Ukraine prepares a spring offensive against invading Russian forces.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Tuesday told the U.S. National Governors Association that the United States could protect its values by helping Ukraine.

"Our cooperation will allow for the new enhancement of your security, for our economy and yours, for jobs in both our countries," Zelenskiy said by video link.

"The main thing is not to lose time, not to lose the chance we have. Act now, help now. Ukrainians act so that Americans don't have to fight - and together we gain new strength for our countries," he continued.

The Russian embassy in Washington reacted to the announcement by accusing the United States of wanting to drag out the conflict as long as possible, Russian news agency TASS said.

"The decision to supply weapons to Kyiv is a step towards escalating the Ukrainian crisis and increasing the number of civilian casualties," it cited an embassy statement as saying.

The weapons aid package was comprised of $2.1 billion from Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) funding which allows President Joe Biden's administration to buy weapons from industry rather than from U.S. weapons stocks.

The USAI package included additional munitions for NASAMS air defenses that the U.S. and allies have given to Kyiv, precision aerial munitions, Soviet-era GRAD rockets, anti-tank rockets, armored bridging systems used in assaults, and 105 fuel trailers, along with funding for training and maintenance.

The remaining $500 million came from Presidential Drawdown Authority funds, which allows the president to take from current U.S. stocks in an emergency.

That segment of the package included a half a dozen types of munitions, including munitions for Patriot air defense systems, tank munitions, and High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS).

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Last month, Leopard 2 battle tanks pledged by Germany and Portugal reached Ukraine. The package announced on Tuesday includes 61 heavy fuel tankers and recovery vehicles to help disabled heavy equipment like tanks.

The U.S. has now pledged more than $35.2 billion worth of security assistance to Ukraine since the Feb. 24, 2022, invasion. On Monday, Ambassador Julianne Smith, the U.S. permanent representative to NATO, said that Washington expects Ukraine "to put forward or begin some sort of their own spring offensive in the weeks ahead."

(Reporting by Mike Stone in Washington; additional reporting by David Ljunggren; editing by Jonathan Oatis and Grant McCool)
The country's highest court decided Monday not to hear a lawsuit against the city of Milwaukee brought by a man who spent 24 years in prison after being wrongfully convicted.

The U.S. Supreme Court denied Daryl Holloway's petition, which was submitted in December. This is not uncommon as the court receives hundreds of petitions but is only able to hear a limited number. No notes or comments were made by the court on the matter.

This ends legal action regarding Holloway against the city.

FILE- Light illuminates part of the Supreme Court building on Capitol Hill in Washington, Nov. 16, 2022. The Supreme Court will decide whether a disabled activist can file disability rights lawsuits against hotels she doesn't intend to visit. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File) ORG XMIT: WX101

At the end of the day, youve got ... the district court finding that these officers didnt violate the rights of a man who did 24 years for something he definitively did not commit," said Holloway's attorney, Nate Cade. "The lineup was horrible, and at every turn, the system failed."

Holloway initially sued several detectives and the city in October 2019. He argued his civil rights were violated by the Milwaukee police detectives who he says framed him for two rapes he did not commit. The Milwaukee man later was exonerated of the charges, but not until after he served 24 years in prison.

U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman granted summary judgment to the city in September 2021.

A federal appellate court ruled in August Holloway's civil rights may have been violated, but also ruled the officers were protected by qualified immunity and couldn't be held liable for damages.

The 7th Circuit panel found problems with the identification procedures, but agreed with Adelman there was no support for the other claims.

More: A wrongfully convicted Milwaukee man deserves $1 million for the decades he spent behind bars, Wisconsin board rules

"Here, even if the defendants violated Holloways constitutional rights, (during the identification process) Holloway cannot show that the unlawfulness of their conduct was clearly established at the time,' the appeals court found.

"Because Holloway can point to no controlling or persuasive authority that clearly established that it was impermissible for the police to use a photo array only a day or so before the physical lineup, defendants are entitled to qualified immunity as a matter of law."

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The Wisconsin Claims Board has recommended the state award Holloway $1 million for his wrongful conviction. Wisconsin law provides exonerated inmates no more than $5,000 for each lost year of their life, up to a total of $25,000  among the lowest amounts in the country.

In a unanimous decision in April 2022, the claims board said the amount was "not adequate" in this case. The amount must be approved by the state legislature. which has not approved any amount yet.

Cade said the city has not apologized to Holloway. The perpetrator of the crimes for which Holloway was wrongfully convicted has not been found or charged.

"Thats the worst part about this," Cade said. "A number of women have been sexually assaulted and their assailant hasnt been caught. The guy who committed these rapes could be dead, could be in prison or could be walking free."

More: Milwaukee man exonerated by DNA after 24 years in prison

Here's how he was wrongfully convicted

Holloway was arrested during a string of rapes in 1992. Neither victim in two of the cases, from September 1992, saw their assailant's face. However, both eventually picked Holloway in lineups.

According to Holloway's lawsuit, each of the women had been shown photo arrays of suspects shortly before the lineup. Holloway was the only person in both the photo array and the lineup.

Both women described their attacker as standing 5-foot-7 or 5-foot-8 inches tall. Holloway, who is 5-foot-10, was placed among other taller men in the lineup, against a wall that had no height markings.

Other women who had been raped during the same period and were in the same area attended the lineup but did not identify Holloway.

"One thing I hope people take from this is to at least view with some level of skepticism when police say weve caught our guy because thats not always the case," Cade said. "Theres always multiple sides to the story. I hope they listen to the other side of the story. Mr. Holloway was convicted with no physical evidence, no DNA, no blood, no urine. Granted this was 30 years ago, but that should scare everybody."

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: U.S. Supreme Court passes on wrongfully convicted Milwaukee man's lawsuit
DUBAI (Reuters) - United Arab Emirates' president Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan confirmed the Gulf state's commitment to relations with Israel in a call with prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu that discussed strengthening ties, UAE state media said on Tuesday.

A separate statement from Netanyahu's office said the two leaders agreed to "continue the dialogue between them in a personal meeting in the near future." UAE state news agency WAM made no mention of an in-person meeting.

The phone call follows a series of moves and comments by Netanyahu's right-wing governing coalition that have raised Arab ire and drawn condemnation from the UAE, including over Israeli settlement policy in the occupied West Bank.

There has been a surge in Israeli-Palestinian violence in recent months and concern that tensions could increase during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which this year coincides with Judaism's Passover and Christian Easter.

Israel has also conducted several air strikes in Syria.

The UAE president said his country would work with Israel, Arab nations and international partners "to avoid regional escalation", WAM reported.

Sheikh Mohammed described the UAE's ties with Israel, forged in 2020 under a U.S.-brokered pact known as the Abraham Accords, as a strategic choice for peace and development, saying the UAE sought increased collaboration across multiple sectors.

Economic opportunities are a major driver of the Abraham Accords alongside shared concerns over the perceived threat from Iran. Israel has for years been carrying out attacks against what it has described as Iran-linked targets in Syria.

Abu Dhabi has been engaging with Tehran to contain tensions and has been pushing fellow Arab states to re-establish ties with Damascus.

(Reporting by Ghaida Ghantous in Dubai and Henriette Chacar; Writing by Alaa Swilam and Ghaida Ghantous; Editing by William Maclean and Grant McCool)
Monday, U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown announced the University of Dayton and Wright State University are two schools that received grant funding for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) research.

>>Everyone was running, it was crazy; UD students react after on-campus celebration got out of hand

The University of Dayton will receive $174,985 for research on building reliable and secure cyber-physical systems, according to Browns team.

$174,943 will go to Wright State University for research on new ways to build cyber-attack detection systems.

We unleash more American innovation when we nurture all Ohio talent, Brown said. This award will help Southwest Ohio Universities advance our knowledge and continue Ohios leadership in scientific innovation.

>>Dayton Flyer football announces 2023 schedule and team captains for upcoming season

The University of Cincinnati was awarded two grants totaling over $1,249,911. The money will be for research on a video quality assessment project and adjustment software prototype for networked camera systems. And also research on mineral oxidation to better understand the potential mechanisms of microbe electrode technologies.
The UK government on Tuesday announced its latest plan to better protect England's water supplies, amid a long-running scandal over privatised water firms pumping raw sewage into rivers and onto seashores.

The "Plan for Water" follows months of criticism over the release of untreated wastewater into Britain's waterways, which last summer sparked the closure of some beaches at the height of a heatwave.

Environmental campaigners have also highlighted the harmful impact the discharges have on the country's wildlife and fragile ecosystems.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's Conservative government, which is facing multiple newspaper campaigns and rising public anger over the issue, said its latest proposals will "clean up our waters and ensure a plentiful supply for the future".

They will seek more investment from water companies, stronger regulation and tougher fines for polluters.

The initiative includes a consultation on a ban on wet wipes containing plastic, which are blamed for causing sewer blockages when flushed down the toilet.

And it will bring forward 1.6 billion ($2.0 billion) of water infrastructure investment to start between now and 2025, although opponents argued this was not new cash.

The announcement received a cautious welcome from some but was condemned as insufficient by critics, who noted it was only seven months since the government announced its last beefed-up stance towards polluting water firms.

- 'Nowhere to hide' -

Unveiling the new plan in a speech in London, under-fire Environment Secretary Therese Coffey vowed to "coordinate community by community on how to tackle pollution from every source".

She pledged "unlimited penalties on polluters" and to reinvest those proceeds into local water restoration projects.

"There will be nowhere to hide for those who continue to pollute our rivers, with support for those who want to do the right thing," she said.

But Coffey cautioned that there would be no quick fix to replumb Britain's antiquated Victorian sewage system.

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"Achieving the gold standard for ecological status would mean taking us back to the natural state of our rivers from the year 1840," she said.

"That is neither practical nor desirable in many circumstances."

The Wildlife Trusts, a grouping of nature conservation charities, called for swift implementation of the proposals.

"This investment is imperative and we urge government to ensure that projects begin as soon as possible," said Ali Morse, water policy manager at The Wildlife Trusts.

"Water companies develop long-term plans for water supply and wastewater, which include environmental improvements, but these are set to happen over decades. Our waters and wildlife cannot wait."

- 'Sham' -

However, the main opposition Labour party has blasted the government for a lack of new measures to tackle years of water pollution.

"This announcement is nothing more than a shuffling of the deck chairs and a reheating of old, failed measures that simply give the green light for sewage dumping to continue for decades to come," said Jim McMahon, Labour environment spokesman.

"This is the third sham of a Tory water plan since the summer. There's nothing in it that tells us how, if or when they will end the Tory sewage scandal."

Green Party co-leader Adrian Ramsay echoed the sentiment.

"The actions are too little too late and still leave the water industry in private hands, able to profit from failure," he said.

Former punk rock star Feargal Sharkey, a figurehead of the campaign to prevent water companies polluting rivers and coasts with sewage, pointed out on Twitter it was the third time in five years that the government had said it would ban wet wipes.

"And as for the 1.6bn investment? Does that now replace the 3.1bn announced last year or the 2.7bn announced before that or the 12bn announced before that?" he queried.

bur-jj/kjm
By Pavel Polityuk

KYIV (Reuters) - Fighting raged in and around Bakhmut as Ukraine mocked Russian claims to have captured the administrative centre of the eastern Ukrainian city, saying Russian forces had raised a victory flag over "some kind of toilet".

Finland, which shares a 1,300-km (810-mile) border with Russia, will later on Tuesday join NATO, just over a year after Russia invaded Ukraine, partly in response to what Russia said the alliance's aggressive expansion eastward.

The battle for the mining city and logistics hub of Bakhmut has been one of the bloodiest of the conflict with heavy casualties on both sides and the city largely destroyed.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the Wagner mercenary force spearheading the siege, said on Sunday his troops had raised a Russian flag on the city-centre administrative building even though Ukrainian soldiers still held some western positions.

But Ukraine's military poured scorn on that claim and said fighting was raging around the city council building, as well as in other nearby towns.

"Bakhmut is Ukrainian and they have not captured anything and are very far from doing that," Serhiy Cherevatyi, spokesperson for the eastern military command, told Reuters.

"They raised the flag over some kind of toilet. They attached it to the side of who knows what, hung their rag and said they had captured the city. Well good, let them think they've taken it," Cherevatyi added by telephone.

The Ukrainian armed forces General Staff said in an evening statement 45 enemy attacks had been repelled in total in the last 24 hours, with Bakhmut at the "epicentre of operations" along with the cities of Avdiivka and Maryinka further south.

Reuters could not verify the battlefield reports.

'WAITING FOR ORDERS'

On the edge of a part of Donetsk province under Russian control, Bakhmut had a population of 70,000 before Russia invaded Ukraine in February last year.

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Russian forces, bogged down in a war of attrition after a series of setbacks, are seeking a victory from their winter offensive but have suffered huge casualties around Bakhmut.

Ukrainian military commanders have said their own counteroffensive - backed by newly delivered Western tanks and other hardware - is not far off but have stressed the importance of holding Bakhmut and inflicting losses in the meantime.

"People are ready for the counteroffensive, all we are waiting for is marching orders and details on which direction we should go forward on - Bakhmut, Soledar or anywhere else," said a 35-year-old soldier of a tank brigade near Bakhmut, who used the nom-de-guerre Polyot.

Russia launched up to 17 Iranian-made Shahed drones overnight, Ukraine's air force command said early on Tuesday, with its air-defence systems destroying 14 of them.

Yuriy Kruk, head of the regional military administration in the Black Sea port city of Odesa, said the region was struck by several drones and there was damage but he did not specify the extent.

Four civilians were killed and three wounded in Ukraine-controlled Donetsk, its governor, Pavlo Kyrylenko, said in a statement.

'DRIVING A WEDGE'

Russia calls its invasion of Ukraine a "special military operation" to rid it of Nazis.

Tens of thousands of Ukrainian civilians and soldiers on both sides have been killed. Russia has destroyed Ukrainian cities and forced millions of people to flee their homes, and it claims to have annexed nearly a fifth of Ukraine.

The West calls the war an unprovoked assault to subdue an independent country and has provided Kyiv with weapons while seeking to punish Russia with sanctions.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused the West of trying to drive a wedge between Russia and China, and attempting to wreck Russia's planned summit with African countries. He also said the European Union's hostile stance towards Moscow meant it had "lost" Russia.

Echoing that anger, Russia's parliament speaker said Western leaders have blood on their hands for supporting Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and the support had led to the creation of a "terrorist state" at Europe's centre.

Vyacheslav Volodin, an ally of President Vladimir Putin, said the killing of prominent war blogger Vladlen Tatarsky in a bomb attack in St Petersburg over the weekend was a "terrorist act" committed by Kyiv.

Ukraine blamed "domestic terrorism" for the blast.

NATO will welcome Finland as its 31st member in a flag-raising ceremony at its headquarters on the outskirts of Brussels.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine prompted Finns to seek security under the umbrella of NATO's collective defence pact, which states that an attack on one member is an attack on all.

Russia has also said it would strengthen its military capacity in its western and northwestern regions in response to Finland's accession.

(Additional reporting by Nick Starkov, Ron Popeski, Lidia Kelly, Mark Trevelyan and Felix Light; Writing by Lincoln Feast; Editing by Stephen Coates, Robert Birsel)
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 3)  An electric short circuit may have caused the fire that razed the MV Lady Mary Joy 3 along the waters of Basilan Province, the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) Manila Arson Team said Monday.

Ang initial findings is the most probable cause of fire is electrical in nature, Sr. Supt. Kadil Acalul said. Lahat yung evidence collected dadalhin sa Manila for laboratory examination.

[Translation: According to initial findings, the most probable cause of fire is electrical in nature. All of the evidence collected will be brought to Manila for laboratory examination.]

According to Acalul, the estimated damage is about 100 million.

On Monday, the Basilan Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Officer Nickson Alonzo terminated its search operations.

Earlier, the Basilan local government said the final death toll is at 28.

READ: No more bodies recovered from ill-fated ferry in Basilan

Acalul also said owner Aleson Shipping plans to tow the ferry back to Zamboanga City.

For this date, hindi pa siya (investigation) terminated because of the evidence collected is subjected for laboratory examination, he said.

[Translation: For this date, the investigation is not yet terminated because of the evidence collected is subjected for laboratory examination.]

The Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) is also investigating the ill-fated ferry.

The vessel was carrying over 200 passengers when it caught fire last March 29.
(Bloomberg) -- Finland officially joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization on Tuesday, becoming the defense alliances 31st member. The Kremlin called it another aggravation of relations.

Most Read from Bloomberg

The US announced $2.6 billion in additional military aid to Ukraine, with the Defense Department saying the US will continue to work with its allies and partners to provide Ukraine with capabilities to meet its immediate battlefield needs and longer-term security assistance requirements.

French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will travel to China, where theyll try to persuade Chinese President Xi Jinping to change his stance on Russias war.

Key Developments

Finland Joins NATO as Defense Alliance Expands Northward

Xi Courts Macron in Bid to Drive Wedge Between Europe and US

Russian Who Fled House Arrest in Italy Says He Is Now in Russia

Finland Unlikely to Get NATO Battle Group on Its Territory

UK Drops Part of Probe Into Sanctioned Russian Billionaire

(All times CET)

Ukraine Says Russia Bombed a Village in the North (9:03 p.m.)

A village in Ukraines northern Chernihiv region was hit by bombs launched from Russias airplanes, according to local military authorities.

Strikes were delivered from two Sukhoi Su-35 planes, Ukraines Operational Command North said in a statement on Facebook.

While a residential building and surrounding premises in the village were set on fire in the wake of bombardment, there was no information about casualties.

Finland Is Unlikely to Get NATO Battle Group on Its Territory (7:08 p.m.)

Given Finlands extensive capabilities and practice defending its own territory, its unlikely at least for now that NATO will replicate defense structures on the rest of the eastern flank by stationing allied battle groups in the nation, according to officials familiar with the issue.

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There are currently no plans to deploy a NATO battle group to Finland, a NATO official said, adding that NATOs supreme allied commander constantly assesses threats and could make that recommendation if deemed necessary. A senior US official also said Americans didnt expect to see a battle group in Finland and that the country hasnt made such a request as it joined the NATO alliance.

Ukraine Military Chief Calls Front Line Tough But Controlled (7:02 p.m.)

Ukraines Commander-in-Chief Valeriy Zaluzhnyi told his US counterpart that the situation on the front line against Russia is tough but nevertheless controlled.

In a phone call with General Mark Milley, the head of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Zaluzhnyi emphasized the need to augment Ukraines air defense system, he said on Telegram.

US Announces $2.6 Billion More in Weapons Aid to Ukraine (5:37 p.m.)

The latest package includes $500 million drawn from existing US inventories, including more ammunition for US-provided High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), air-defense interceptors and artillery rounds.

The remaining $2.1 billion will be produced and provided over the longer term under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, including air-defense capabilities, artillery and tank ammunition, mortar systems, rockets and anti-armor systems, according to a statement from the Pentagon.

Turkey Guzzling Russian Diesel That Europe Cant Buy (4:20 p.m.)

Turkey is loading up on millions of barrels of diesel from Russia that European Union countries can no longer buy.

Shipments of diesel-type fuel into Turkey from Russia last month soared to the highest in at least seven years, Vortexa Ltd. data compiled by Bloomberg show. That follows sanctions in early February that stop EU nations from purchasing seaborne imports of Russian fuel in response to the invasion of Ukraine.

Russia Looks to Fleeing Foreign Firms to Boost Budget (4:10 p.m.)

The Kremlin is giving foreign companies a way out of Russia at a price, to help bolster the state budget amid surging wartime expenditure.

Businesses seeking to sell their Russian assets now face a mandatory contribution to the budget even if they offload them for a symbolic sum or even zero. Thats because under the rules introduced last week a donation equal to at least 10% of the market value of a company must be paid if the seller offers it at a discount of 90% or more.

Record Russian LNG Volumes Via Belgium (4 p.m.)

Belgium imported record volumes of Russian LNG in March, highlighting Europes dependency on the fuel even as the region seeks to curb energy flows that fund Moscows war machine.

Imports of liquefied natural gas from the Yamal LNG plant in the Arctic into Belgiums Zeebrugge terminal rose by 11% from the previous month, ship-tracking data on Bloomberg show.

Biden Calls on Turkey, Hungary to Approve Swedish Bid (3:40 p.m.)

Turkey and Hungary should ratify Swedens NATO accession without delay, US President Joe Biden said after Finlands membership in the alliance was formalized.

When Putin launched his brutal war of aggression against the people of Ukraine, he thought he could divide Europe and NATO. He was wrong, Biden said in a statement. Today, we are more united than ever.

As its first act as a NATO member, Finland submitted its ratification of Swedens membership to Blinken.

How Russia Pushed Finland and Sweden Toward NATO: QuickTake

Kremlin Blasts Finland NATO Accession, Vows Response (2:10 p.m.)

The Kremlin branded Finlands accession to NATO as yet another aggravation of the standoff between Russia and the West.

NATO expansion is an encroachment on our security and the interests of the Russian Federation. That is how we perceive it. We will take countermeasures, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, according to the Tass state news service.

Russia will carefully monitor the actions of NATO in Finland and will respond accordingly, Peskov added.

Sweden Lauds Finlands NATO Membership While Pressing Own Case (1:30 p.m.)

Finlands membership in NATO is good for Sweden, even as Stockholm presses to overcome Turkeys resistance to approving its accession, Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom told reporters in Brussels.

We would like to join NATO as well, thats no secret, but its going to be beneficial for the security of Sweden and Finland as well that Finland now becomes a member, Billstrom said. Its of the utmost importance that Sweden now becomes a member.

Finlands Accession Will Strengthen NATO, Stoltenberg Says (12 p.m.)

Finlands accession to NATO will make both the Nordic country and the military alliance safer, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters ahead of a ceremony to mark its official membership.

Despite its 1000 kilometer (621 miles)-long border with Russia, Finland and NATO will become safer because the country joins an alliance where we guarantee the security of all allies, removing room for Moscow to miscalculate about allies readiness to protect Finland, he said.

That makes Finland safer and NATO stronger, Stoltenberg added. Finland is due to become NATOs 31st member later today after final paperwork is completed. Its flag will join those of its 30 allies outside NATO headquarters.

Russias UN Envoy Opens UN Term With No Apologies (9:08 a.m.)

Vasily Nebenzya, Russias UN ambassador, shrugged off questions about his countrys fitness to take the rotating presidency of the Security Council for this month even as it continues its invasion of Ukraine.

The order of the presidency is well-defined, Nebenzya told reporters Monday. He made it clear that Russia will use the opportunity to promote its defense of the war, with an appearance at the world body by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov later in the month and a session to dispel some misconceptions and propaganda over its policy on evacuating children from crisis zones. The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin for war crimes concerning the alleged abduction of children from Ukraine.

US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield described the Russian presidency of the council as an April Fools joke.

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2023 Bloomberg L.P.
About 30% of the territory of Ukraine is potentially dangerous due to mines

The EBA committee meeting focused on agricultural business and demining agricultural lands and attracted a variety of business leaders and politicians, including representatives from Ukraines Economy, Agriculture, and Defense Ministries, as well as Ukroboronprom.

Ukraines Ministry of Defense has identified 349 areas that are possibly contaminated, half of which are agricultural lands.

Identifying hazardous areas is a complicated and expensive endeavor.

Read also: The chances of a soft landing are increasing

In fact, the contaminated areas may be around 10% of the mentioned 174,000 square kilometers, but identifying the directly hazardous areas is a long and expensive process, the Association reported.

To expedite the stage of non-technical survey, the Ministry of Economy, together with the Ministry of Agriculture and the UNDP program, are already conducting a pilot project in Kyiv Oblast using modern drones to survey the territories. The estimated cost of the non-technical survey per hectare may be UAH 5-7 thousand ($135-190), but under conditions of high demand and insufficient number of specialists, the cost of demining per hectare may exceed the cost of the land itself.

Read also: Russian sabotage and recon groups boat hit by defense forces while trying to land on Dnipro island

The business community suggests that the situation can be improved by increasing the number of operators and specialists in the mine action market.

Creating a mine action operator takes a minimum of six months: four months (400 hours) of training for sappers and 2-3 months of company certification.

The situation is slowed down because currently in Ukraine, only two authorities provide the relevant certification  under the Ministry of Defense and the State Emergency Service  and only three centers conduct sapper training, the Association added.

The estimated cost of equipment for one group of 10 sappers is $100-150 thousand. Soon, approximately 40 more mine action operator companies may appear in Ukraine, as many are currently undergoing certification and specialist training.

Story continues

Read also: Russians cause $270 million in damage to agricultural holding in Kherson Oblast

Currently, the interdepartmental working group on demining, coordinated by the Ministry of Economy, has identified a priority plan for 470,000 hectares of potentially contaminated agricultural land. First priority will be given to areas where vegetable crops are grown, followed by arable and grain crops, and then all other agricultural lands.

According to the World Bank, the urgent cost demining Ukraines agricultural land will cost about $1.5 billion.

Ukraines State Emergency Service said that it may take over ten years to clear the entire territory of Ukraine of explosive objects.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Pochaiv Lavra

Read also: Ignoring Ukrainian courts, UOC-MPs Metropolitan Onufriy held Sunday service at Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra

The motion was tabled by more than 30 MPs, although its full text is yet unavailable.

In 2003, Pochaiv Lavra of Holy Dormition monastery was transferred to ROC, for 49 years.

Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church is keen to get the right to hold services in Pochaiv Lavra, which is leased from the ROC, with the Orthodox Church of Ukraine having similar plans.

On March 16, Ukraines Culture Minister Oleksandr Tkachenko announced the process of returning the Pochaiv Lavra under state control was underway.

Read also: Raids of Moscow Patriarchate churches may be discriminatory  UN

ROC was supposed to vacate Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra on March 29 after the State Reserve terminated its 2013 lease agreement. However, as of March 30, ROC priests continued to hold services in the Lavra.

Read also: Mass infrastructure attacks over, US finds no Ukraine funds misuse, more church drama

A Ministry of Culture commission has been denied entry to the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra for two straight days.

Representatives of the ROC, led by the Lavras abbot, Metropolitan Pavlo, accused Ukrainian authorities and Ministry of Culture officials of issuing an ultimatum with demands that they argue have no legal basis. The church also stated its intention to protect the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra by all lawful means.

Read also: Kyiv police open case after Ministry of Culture denied access to Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra

Despite claims that its representatives do not intend to leave the holy site, ROC priests were seen removing property from the Lavra.

Were bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron!

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
US to provide Ukraine with additional $2.6 billion in military aid

UK Defense Ministry: Russia likely to 'eventually' replace Wagner with other mercenaries in Ukraine

Shoigu claims Russia placed aircraft, missile systems in Belarus capable of delivering nuclear strikes

Khmelnytskyi City Council revokes Moscow Patriarchate church land rights after assault on Ukrainian soldier

The U.S. Department of Defense announced a new security assistance package for Ukraine worth $2.6 billion on April 4.

The package will consist of equipment from the Pentagon's stocks valued at up to $500 million and $2.1 billion worth of military capabilities procured from the industry using the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) funds.

The Presidential Drawdown of equipment includes ammunition for the U.S.-provided HIMARS, air defense interceptors, artillery rounds, anti-armor systems, small arms, heavy equipment transport vehicles, and maintenance support.

Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and the U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met on April 4, adding that "more military aid is on its way to help Ukraine liberate more territory from Russian occupation."

Meanwhile, Russia seems worried about the Ukrainian counteroffensive and is preparing for it.

Stoltenberg says Ukraine will join NATO, vows support despite Russias reckless nuclear rhetoric Brussels  NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg vowed on April 3 that the alliance would continue supporting Ukraine despite Russias dangerous and reckless nuclear rhetoric. He added that Kyiv can win the war and become a full-fledged NATO member one day. Responding to the Kyiv Independent a Kyiv IndependentAsami Terajima

Satellite images provided to the Washington Post by Maxar Technologies show a "web of trenches" built by Russian forces in the Russian-occupied Crimea, which indicate that the country fears losing the peninsula.

"The Russian military, apparently, understands that Crimea will have to be defended in the near future," Ian Matveev, a Russian military analyst, told the Washington Post.

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Meanwhile, the U.K. Defense Ministry wrote in its latest update on April 4 that Russia is seeking to sponsor and develop mercenary groups which could eventually replace the Wagner Group, led by Yevgeny Prigozhin, who's been vocal in his critique of Russia's military leadership.

Following the quarrel between Russia's Defense Ministry and Prigozhin, Russia's military leadership likely wants to replace Wagner in order to obtain more control, the ministry wrote.

Russia aggravates nuclear threats

Russian Defence Minister Serhii Shoigu on April 4 claimed that Russia had provided Belarus with Iskander-M missile complexes capable of delivering nuclear strikes.

According to Shoigu, Belarusian troops began their training on April 3.

Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council Secretary Oleksiy Danilov rejected Shoigu's claim, calling it a bluff.

On March 31, Belarusian dictator Alexandr Lukashenko spoke of the possibility of placing Russian strategic nuclear weapons in Belarus.

"If necessary, (Vladimir) Putin and I will decide and place strategic nuclear weapons here (in Belarus)," said Lukashenko.

Ukraines True History

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Moscow Patriarchate troubles

Following a video posted online on April 2 showed a Ukrainian soldier being attacked by a priest of the Moscow Patriarchate church in the western city of Khmelnytskyi, the Russian-controlled church faced troubles in the region.

The Khmelnytskyi ity ouncil revoked the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate's land rights on April 4.

In Kamianets-Podilsky, Khmelnytskyi Oblast, the City Council prohibited the church from holding services and revoked all land rights to their places of worship, Mayor Mykhailo Positko said.

On the same day, the Security Service (SBU) reported that a priest of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate blessed Russian soldiers during the Russian occupation of Kharkiv Oblast.

The church official fled to Russia following the liberation of Kharkiv Oblast, the SBU wrote.

Battlefield update

In its evening update, the General Staff reported that Ukraine continues to focus its efforts on defending Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka, and Marinka.

Over the past 24 hours, Russian forces attacked multiple oblasts, killing five people and injuring seven others.

Meanwhile, according to Air Force spokesperson Yurii Ihnat, Russia launches up to 20 guided aircraft bombs against Ukraine daily.

This Week in Ukraine Ep. 1  Why does Ukraine keep up costly defense of Bakhmut? This Week in Ukraine is a video podcast hosted by Kyiv Independents reporter Anastasiia Lapatina. Every week, Anastasiia sits down with her newsroom colleagues to discuss Ukraines most pressing issues. Episode #1 is dedicated to Ukraines military strategy in Bakhmut, an embattled city in Donet Kyiv IndependentAnastasiia Lapatina

Concerning civilian casualties, the United Nations Officer of the High Commission for Human Rights (OHCHR), in its latest update, reported that an additional 765 civilian casualties were recorded in Ukraine in 2023.

This newest report brings the total number of recorded civilian casualties in Ukraine to at least 22,607, which includes 8,451 killed and 14,156 injured.
By Michael Kahn

PRAGUE (Reuters) - Eugene Nayshtetik and his five co-workers shuttered their company developing medical and biotech startups to join the defense forces days after Russia invaded Ukraine. Within two months, their commanders agreed it would be more useful if they swapped their military gear for computers.

With the government's blessing, Nayshtetik and his team of engineers moved to neighboring Poland where they raised initial funding from a Polish company, Air Res Aviation, to develop a new drone for the Ukrainian military.

Jerzy Nowak, president and co-owner of Air Res Aviation, said his company's initial investment in the drone project amounted to around $200,000.

The Defender drone, now ready for testing, is designed to withstand strong winds to enable surveillance in bad weather, can fly vertically and carry big payloads. It's an example of how some startups in Ukraine's dynamic tech sector are switching to pursue military projects.

"We had our own portfolio of medical and biotechnology civilian projects before the war," Nayshtetik told Reuters. "We never dreamt of killing people. We wanted to heal people but the situation changed."

Reuters spoke to more than a dozen entrepreneurs, as well as Ukrainian and Western officials who said the shift to military innovation in Ukraine's once-thriving technology sector has bolstered the country's out-manned and out-gunned armed forces.

Military experts and Ukrainian officials told Reuters that innovations developed by these startups are making a difference on the battlefield, ranging from software applications that can target enemy positions more quickly to civilian drones adapted for military use, and systems that integrate data to give commanders more detailed battlefield views.

"The Ukrainians are outmatched by every numerical scale: in terms of numbers of forces; in terms of numbers when it comes to equipment. And yet they're holding their own," said a senior NATO official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. "One of the reasons they're holding their own is that they have, in a very innovative way, integrated technology into warfighting."

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Before Russia's invasion, Ukraine represented one of the fastest growing tech hubs in central and eastern Europe. The enterprise value of startups soared more than 9-fold between 2017 and 2022 to reach 23 billion euros, according to data from Dealroom.com.

Ukraine offered a host of advantages for emerging technology businesses, including a tradition of producing graduates strong in math and computer science. A low cost base also allowed entrepreneurs to do more with less.

The country boasted 285,000 software developers in 2021 with an additional 25,000 graduating from tech universities annually, according to software development outsourcing company Softjourn.

But with most emerging companies in Ukraine focused on the domestic market, many startups suffered a collapse in demand following the war - which has killed tens of thousands of people, reduced cities to rubble and wreaked havoc on infrastructure.

Pavlo Kartashov, director of the Ukrainian Startup Fund (USF), a government-backed organization that seeds technology startups, told Reuters his group resumed funding in October. It hopes to finance around five to 10 emerging companies a month with grants of up to $35,000.

Most will focus on military technology, he said.

The fund also aims to unveil in April a new platform to connect emerging companies more closely with the military to identify the needs on the battlefield and to speed the transformation of ideas into tools that can be used in the conflict.

"If you have something innovative and efficient it will definitely be used by the army," he told Reuters. "We need new technology to fight the enemy and can try different approaches in real time."

PLOUGHSHARES INTO SWORDS

Since the war, Western venture capital firms often have required strict term sheets that include having at least one founder and other key parts of the business located outside Ukraine. So the government has become the sole source within the country of early stage funding - the lifeblood of the technology sector - more than half a dozen founders and venture capitalists said.

Demand from the government has driven the shift to military technology, but most of the entrepreneurs who spoke to Reuters said that patriotic duty also played a role.

Take Kiev-based efarm.pro, a startup founded in 2016 whose GPS technology attached to tractors helps farmers more precisely monitor how fertilizer has penetrated the ground. Many of its customers are located in parts of Ukraine that became too dangerous to farm after the Russian invasion so the company adapted its product to detect mines.

The self-driving technology is only aimed at farmers for now but could also work for military vehicles, the company's founder Alexander Prykhodchenko told Reuters.

"Clients were calling us in the first days of the war saying they don't know how they can work in the field," Prykhodchenko said. "The war started on February 24 and on February 26 we started work on the new project."

Currently, only three of the tractors are in use as the autonomous technology remains in the testing and development phase, Prykhodchenko said.

Ukraine's Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov said the intensity of the fighting has meant that some concepts can flow from the drawing board to the battlefield in months, if not days.

While acknowledging the critical role of weapons supplied by Western nations in helping to fight the Russians, he added that the ability to utilize the know-how of tech-savvy Ukrainians at home and abroad has proved invaluable.

"One of the few areas where Ukraine has managed to stay consistently ahead of Russia is in the use of innovative military technologies," he wrote in a February article for the Atlantic Council.

Russia says its own weapons industry is increasing production and introducing new technology fast to meet the demands of military operations in Ukraine.

Gregory Allen, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic & International Studies in Washington DC, highlighted the so-called "Uber for Artillery" application developed by a network of Ukrainian programmers before the Russian invasion that networks together infantry, reconnaissance and artillery units to spot and land an artillery strike more quickly.

He also said that a pair of anonymous Ukrainian software developers had rapidly created a program in mid-2022 that used machine learning to analyze video feeds from drones to detect more effectively military vehicles camouflaged in forests. Reuters was not able to confirm independently the details of the software.

"I used to work in the Defense Department, and I have almost never seen high quality military machine learning systems go from an idea in someone's head to a real system being used in war in a matter of weeks," Allen told Reuters. "The value of the Ukrainian software systems is impressive but the speed is astonishing."

The Pentagon's chief weapons buyer Bill LaPlante has described Ukraine's use of technology in the war as a "wake up call."

"We are seeing true innovation on the battlefield: new combinations of technologies and concepts being developed and implemented, and the cycle from idea to prototype to a warfighter's hands collapsed to months, if not weeks," LaPlante told a U.S. Congressional committee last month.

ISRAELI MODEL

While Ukraine's government and tech founders are focused on war-time innovation to aid the military now, they say these emerging start ups can also underpin Ukraine's post-war economy -- pointing to Israel as an example of how military technology laid the foundation for a booming technology sector.

Government support and experience working on military projects transformed Israel into a global tech hub and propelled the nation into a leader in cybersecurity and autonomous driving vehicles -- a path Ukraine officials and tech leaders like Valery Krasovsky hope to emulate for a country with a pre-war population nearly five times that of Israel.

"There are much more ideas in military technology," said Krasovsky, the founder and chief executive of Swedish-Ukrainian Sigma Software Group.

For now, the scarcity of seed funding in Ukraine has forced some companies to flee to places like to neighboring Poland. Groups like the Polish-Ukrainian Start Up Bridge - a Polish-government backed venture - offer emerging Ukrainian tech companies small grants to fund basic business needs and a co-working space in Warsaw.

"Startups have had the past year to teach themselves how to survive and adapt to the new reality," Mykhailo Khaletskyi, an advisor for the Startup Bridge and Ukrainian government, told Reuters.

(Additional Reporting by Andrew Gray and Sabine Siebold in Brussels, Elizabeth Piper in London and Mike Stone in Washington, Editing by Daniel Flynn)
Flags of Ukraine and NATO

Read also: Biden, Trudeau pledge enduring support for Ukraine

When U.S. President Joe Biden and other NATO leaders attend the upcoming July summit, they will face intense pressure from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy over progress on Ukraine's membership bid, the article says.

At the same time, Ukraine's desire to join NATO is likely to intensify if Kyiv succeeds in the much-anticipated spring counteroffensive. WSJ notes that the Armed Forces of Ukraine are the only ones among the European armed forces that not only defend against a Russian invasion, but also significantly attrit Putin's troops. Ukrainians are convinced this gives them the right to a seat at the NATO table.

Read also: NATO-Ukraine meeting to go ahead in Brussels after years of delays by Hungary

At the same time, WSJ notes that Finland's rapid entry into NATO contrasts with Ukraine's status and prospects with the alliance. In 2008, NATO announced that Ukraine would receive membership, but did not provide a time frame. Now officials are saying there is no quick action, primarily because Ukraine is at war with Russia, and membership would put the alliance in direct conflict with Moscow  something NATO is determined to avoid.

WSJ writes that with Ukraine's membership removed from NATO's agenda, the leaders are debating what they can offer to show support and encouragement without making extra promises or handing a propaganda victory for Russia. Whatever package is adopted at the Vilnius summit, it will form the basis of NATO relations with Kiev for months or years.

The piece, citing unnamed sources, reports that the debate within NATO is focused on issues like providing Ukraine with robust security guarantees, as well as balancing between building up short-term military capabilities and forming long-term political ties.

Read also: Estonia calls on NATO allies to increase defense spending

At the same time, discussions are underway about these potential arrangements. Poland, Lithuania, and Estonia are pushing for strong security guarantees and a clear membership path, with close political ties for Ukraine.

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Read also: Finland to become 31st NATO member tomorrow, Stoltenberg says

Other countries, including the United States, Germany, and France, are in favor of focusing more on short-term practical issues, such as providing Ukraine with weapons, funding, and humanitarian support.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Ukrainian border guards halt Russian invaders in Bakhmut

Russian invasion forces are trying to break through the defense line in Bakhmut, but Ukrainian border guards are holding back their advance, the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine reported on April 4.

Read also: Bakhmut is protecting four near-front cities, says former Aidar commander

The Ukrainian defenders are making titanic efforts to hold back the advance of Russian-occupation forces in the fortress city of Bakhmut, the statement said.

The enemy, despite its losses, is attempting to break through the defense line and is sending in new waves of infantry to replace those who have been neutralized.

In recent days, enemy forces attempted to storm one of the border guards' strongholds in the fortress city of Bakhmut, the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine reported.

Fighting for these positions was taking place under constant artillery fire from the enemy. Shelling has destroyed fortifications and most of the civilian infrastructure in the neighborhood.

Read also: Ukraine's Defense Ministry refutes Russian myths about Battle of Bakhmut

Gunfights take place at extremely close range. To stop the advance of the occupiers, the State Border Guard Service fighters use grenade launchers, automatic weapons, and hand grenades.

During the fierce confrontation, each attack was repelled, and the extent of the enemy losses is still being determined.

Read also: Fiercest fighting taking place for Bakhmut, Avdiyivka and Maryinka, General Staff says

On April 3, spokesperson for Ukrainian Armed Forces Eastern Group, Colonel Serhiy Cherevaty, stated that the Russian occupation forces are far from capturing Bakhmut, despite the statement by the leader of the Wagner Group PMC, Yevgeny Prigozhin, that they had already done so.

The Ukrainian ground forces commander, Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi, stated that he is constantly working with units carrying out tasks in the Bakhmut direction, refuting the Russian fake about the capture of the city.

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Read also: Ukrainians improve tactical position in Donbas, Russians fearing counteroffensive

According to the U.S. think tank Institute for the Studies of War (ISW), as of April 3, Wagner PMC mercenaries had likely captured the building of the Bakhmut city administration and will continue their attempts to consolidate control over the central part of the city, where fierce fighting continues.

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Close-up of the anti-aircraft gun KS-19. reflection_art/Getty Images

Ukrainian forces were recently spotted shooting anti-aircraft guns from the 1940s.

These KS-19 systems are the latest decades-old weapons to make a comeback in Ukraine.

Both Kyiv and Moscow have deployed old Soviet-era weaponry to the battlefield.

Ukrainian forces fending off the Russian invasion have made good use of advanced, high-tech military hardware to inflict punishing damage on Moscow's troops, but the bloody and grinding conflict has also seen a return of decades-old weapons that may seem out of place in the midst of modern warfare.

Kyiv's troops were recently spotted firing, possibly in training, decades-old anti-aircraft guns identified as KS-19 100 mm systems. The video was flagged by UA Weapons Tracker, an open source monitor for weapons used in the war in Ukraine. Other videos of the weapon in use have circulated around social media over the past few days.

The KS-19 is a towed Soviet anti-aircraft gun that has seen operational use in a handful of wars across Asia and the Middle East since it was first introduced in 1947, just a few years after the end of World War II.

 Ukraine Weapons Tracker (@UAWeapons) April 1, 2023

UA Weapons Tracker identified the rounds that were used by the Ukrainians as ones manufactured in the early 1960s and able to travel around a dozen miles. It added that the weapons will be used against ground targets, as opposed to their originally designated use against threats in the air. Task & Purpose reported on Sunday that Russian KS-19s were previously spotted in Ukraine during Kyiv's blitz-style counteroffensive in the northeastern Kharkiv region last fall.

Old and outdated weapons have made a comeback during Russia's unprovoked war in Ukraine, with both sides deploying often obsolete Soviet-era military hardware  sometimes to make up for shortages in newer and more advanced systems.

For Ukraine, available equipment includes Soviet-era air defense systems like the Buk-M1 or S-300, T-64 and T-72 tanks, MiG-29 fighter jets, and more. And Ukraine has even older weapons too, such as the aforementioned KS-19s and World War I-era Maxim machine guns. These systems have been complemented on the battlefield by continuous waves of Western security assistance, some of which contains much-sought-after weapons like combat drones, air defense systems, and multiple rocket launchers.

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Meanwhile, Russia has been forced to bring its old and obsolete military hardware out of storage to make up for significant battlefield losses. Some examples of this include Soviet-era tanks like the T-62, which are more vulnerable to Ukrainian attacks, and less-accurate missiles that are more likely to cause greater collateral damage. More recently, Russia was seen pulling what appeared to be T-54 tanks from the 1940s out of storage.

Highlighting Russia's dependence on outdated weaponry, Britain's defense ministry said in October 2022 that Russian reservists sent to fight in Ukraine were even arriving with rifles introduced in the late 1950s that were likely to be "barely usable" because they were stored in poor conditions.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Ukrainian Armed Forces spokesperson Serhiy Cherevatyi downplayed Wagner mercenaries' claim of allegedly raising the Russian flag over Bakhmut city hall, noting that it was already destroyed during fighting long ago.

"(Wagner Group founder Yevgeny) Prigozhin probably goes to Bakhmut because it is not safe for him in St. Petersburg right now. There, you see, restaurants are exploding... So he sets flags on buildings that have long since physically ceased to exist," Cherevatyi said while speaking on national television on April 4.

High-profile Russian propagandist killed in explosion in St Petersburg cafe An explosion in a cafe in the center of St. Petersburg killed Russian propagandist and war correspondent Vladlen Tatarsky and injured 15 other people on April 2, Russian media reported. Kyiv IndependentThe Kyiv Independent news desk

Cherevatyi's comment was in reference to the assassination of high-profile Russian propagandist Vladlen Tatarsky on April 2 in a cafe that reportedly once belonged to Yevgeny Prigozhin.

Prigozhin claimed on April 2 that Wagner had "legally taken" Bakhmut and that Wagner mercenaries had "successfully" raised the Russian flag over Bakhmut city hall.

Ukrainian officials denied the claims that Bakhmut had fallen, with President's Office Head Andriy Yermak urging the public to "calmly react to fakes inventing a victory, which does not exist in reality."

The battle for Bakhmut, a once prosperous industrial city in Donetsk Oblast, has been raging for the past eight months. Both Ukrainian and Russian forces have incurred heavy losses, but the city remains in Ukrainian control.
Citizens of Russia living in occupied Crimea are participants in the war crime of colonisation, so they should leave the peninsula.

Source: Radio Liberty with reference to Tamila Tasheva, Presidential Representative of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea

Quote from Tasheva: "And if they do not leave, they must be forcibly deported. This is present in Ukrainian legislation and in any other legislation. If a person illegally crossed the state border, it means that they must be deported. We had several border checkpoints (Kalanchak, Chonhar and Chaplinka) and all these citizens  from 500,000 to 800,000 at least  did not enter through these checkpoints, and so they should turn around on the Kerch bridge and go back. If not, they will be forcibly thrown out."

Details: She believes that citizens of the Russian Federation should have left occupied Crimea after the first explosions on the peninsula in the summer of last year.

At the same time, according to Tasheva, the issue of real estate that Russian citizens received after February 2014 in Crimea should be discussed carefully. Because if the property was taken from a citizen of Ukraine, that's one story, and if there was a voluntary agreement, for example, to receive a plot of land, that's another matter.

According to the authorities, approximately 800,000 Russians moved to Crimea during the occupation.

Background: Earlier, Oleksii Danilov, Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine, announced the points of the strategy of de-occupation of Crimea. Among them is "eviction of Russian citizens who came to Crimea after the occupation in 2014."

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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 3)  The Bureau of Immigration (BI) said it has recorded some 6,000 suspected victims of human trafficking, illegal recruitment, and misrepresentation for the first two months of 2023.

We see incidents of human trafficking and illegal recruitment on a daily basis," BI spokesperson Dana Sandoval said in a public briefing on Monday, calling the increase in the number of victims alarming.

For January to February of this year, nasa anim na libo yung nakita po natin na maaaring victim ng human trafficking, victim of illegal recruitment, o di kaya po mayroong misrepresentation or 'yung mga dokumento nila ay hindi tugma doon sa kanilang purpose of travel, she added.

[Translation: For January to February this year, we saw 6,000 suspected victims of human trafficking, illegal recruitment or those misrepresenting or with documents that don't match their purpose of travel]

But Sandoval clarified that only 0.6% of total departing passengers get offloaded due to cases of human trafficking, illegal recruitment, and misrepresentation, noting that the number is very low.

Theres nothing to worry about if a passenger is a regular tourist abroad, she said, emphasizing that only passengers with questionable documents are being pressed.

The BI has garnered public criticism after a viral TikTok video where a Filipina passenger recounted how she missed her flight due to a lengthy interview by a BI officer. The incident prompted other passengers to share their unpleasant experiences with BI officers on social media as well.

READ: BI apologizes after traveler missed flight due to lengthy immigration interview

During the previous months, there were a significant number of reports of crypto-syndicates who use social media to lure Filipinos into various human trafficking schemes in Cambodia and Myanmar. BI said victims were promised call center support jobs but instead, they were forced to scam foreigners in the United States and Canada.

READ: Crypto-syndicates use social media to lure Pinoys into trafficking schemes  BI

On Jan. 30, Sandoval said three BI officers are under probe for their possible involvement in human trafficking syndicates.

READ: 3 immigration officers under probe over involvement in human trafficking

https://www.cnnphilippines.com/news/2023/1/20/3-bi-personnel-probed-human-trafficking.html
Iryna Vereshchuk

I advise Ukrainians in TOT (Temporarily Occupied Territories) to either temporarily leave for third countries or prepare: you know what to do, said Vereshchuk.

Read also: Deputy PM Vereshchuk appeals to Russian commissioners to provide lists of Ukrainian orphans

The most important thing is to take care of yourself and your children.

According to her, Russian occupation authorities are also preparing to leave before the anticipated Ukrainian advance.

(Russian) occupation officials still have some time to get out of there; some of them are already packing, the minister added.

Read also: Russian military, occupation authorities in Crimea selling up, moving out amid fears of losing control of peninsula

On Feb. 28, Ukrainian Military Intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov said the next three months in Russias full-scale war against Ukraine would be very active and will determine the course of events in the war.

Read also: Next three months to determinate course of events in war, Budanov says

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Russian troops still have time to withdraw from Ukraine  or be destroyed otherwise.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
ISLAMABAD (AP)  Since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021, the country has become the most repressive in the world for women and girls, deprived of virtually all their basic rights, the United Nations said in grim assessments on International Womens Day.

The U.N. Mission said in a statement Wednesday that Afghanistans new rulers have shown an almost singular focus on imposing rules that leave most women and girls effectively trapped in their homes.

Despite initial promises of a more moderate stance, the Taliban have imposed harsh measures since seizing power as U.S. and NATO forces were in the final weeks of their pullout from Afghanistan after two decades of war.

Girls are banned from education beyond sixth grade and women are barred from working, studying, traveling without a male companion, and even going to parks or bath houses. Women must also cover themselves from head to toe and are barred from working at national and international non-governmental organizations, disrupting the delivery of humanitarian aid.

Afghanistan under the Taliban remains the most repressive country in the world regarding womens rights, Roza Otunbayeva, special representative of the U.N. secretary-general and head of the U.N. political mission in Afghanistan, said in a statement.

She later told the U.N. Security Council in New York that the Taliban claim to have united the country, but they have also severely divided it by gender. The Taliban tell the U.N. that this gender segregation is not a significant issue and is being addressed and they say they should be judged on other achievements, she said.

At a time when Afghanistan needs to recover from decades of war, Otunbayeva said, half of the countrys potential doctors, scientists, journalists, and politicians are shut away in their homes, their dreams crushed and their talents confiscated.

It has been distressing to witness their methodical, deliberate, and systematic efforts to push Afghan women and girls out of the public sphere, she added.

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The restrictions, especially the bans on education and NGO work, have drawn fierce international condemnation. But the Taliban have shown no signs of backing down, claiming the bans are temporary suspensions in place allegedly because women were not wearing the Islamic headscarf, or hijab, correctly and because gender segregation rules were not being followed.

As for the ban on university education, the Taliban government has said that some of the subjects being taught were not in line with Afghan and Islamic values.

Confining half of the countrys population to their homes in one of the worlds largest humanitarian and economic crises is a colossal act of national self-harm, Otunbayeva said.

It will condemn not only women and girls, but all Afghans, to poverty and aid-dependency for generations to come, she warned. It will further isolate Afghanistan from its own citizens and from the rest of the world.

At a carpet factory in Kabul, women who were former government employees or high school and university students now spend their days weaving carpets.

We all live like prisoners, we feel that we are caught in a cage, said Hafiza, 22, who goes only by her first name and who used to be a first-year law student before the Taliban banned women from attending classes at her university. The worst situation is when your dreams are shattered, and you are punished for being a woman.

Another worker at the factory, 18-years-old Shahida, who also uses only one name, said she was in 10th grade at one of Kabul high schools when her education was cut short.

We just demand from the (Taliban) government to reopen schools and educational centers for us and give us our rights, she said.

An Afghan womens rights campaigner, Zubaida Akbar, told the Security Council that since the Taliban seized power the rights of Afghan women and girls have been decimated through over 40 decrees.

The Taliban have sought not only to erase women from public life, but to extinguish our basic humanity, said Zubaida, who spoke on behalf of the rights group Freedom Now that deals with 20 mostly women-led grassroots movements inside Afghanistan. There is one term that appropriately describes the situation of Afghan woman today  gender apartheid.

Alison Davidian, the special representative for UN Women in Afghanistan, said: The implications of the harm the Taliban are inflicting on their own citizens goes beyond women and girls.

No officials from the Taliban-led government were available for comment.

At the Security Council, the U.N.s Otunbayeva said there is a faction in the Taliban that doesnt agree with the crackdown on women and girls and understands that attention must be paid to the real needs of all Afghans.

Perhaps it can eventually execute a change of direction, she said. But time is running short. Global crises are multiplying. Demands on donor resources are multiplying as the availability of those resources diminishes.

Ahead of Wednesday's observances of International Womens Day, about 200 Afghan female small business owners put together an exhibition of their products in Kabul. Most complained of losing business since the Taliban takeover.

I dont expect Taliban to respect womens rights, said one of them, Tamkin Rahimi. Women here cannot practice (their) rights and celebrate Womens Day, because we cannot go to school, university or go to work, so I think we dont have any day to celebrate.

Ten of the 15 Security Council members issued a joint statement demanding that the Taliban immediately reverse all its oppressive measures against women and girls.

Recovery in Afghanistan cannot happen without womens full, equal and meaningful participation in all aspects of political, economic and social life, said the statement by Albania, Brazil, Ecuador, France, Gabon, Japan, Malta, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates and United Kingdom. ___

Associated Press writer Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations contributed to this report.

___

This version has been corrected to show the day was Wednesday.
As you climb the steps to Red Roosters pool hall on a Saturday night, the faces of some of the 20th centurys best entertainers stare at you.

Aretha Franklin. Ray Charles. Miles Davis. Ella Fitzgerald. The list goes on and on.

But what you soon observe is a far cry from the R&B and soul that once earned Overtown the nickname Harlem of the South. The sporadic spurt of the whistle, the dances, the pulsating bass of the log drum that often hits the chest  all are aspects of amapiano, a genre hailing from South Africa thats poised to soon be a worldwide phenomenon.

The energy is unlike anything else, said Walshy Fire, one third of DJ trio Major Lazer alongside Diplo and Ape Drums. Major Lazer recently released a collaborative amapiano project entitled Piano Republik with Major League DJz, the identical twin producer duo whose Balcony Mixes during lockdown helped grow the genre. It doesnt sound like anything else. Theres nothing else going on like this energy.

DJ Aya plays at Red Rooster Overtowns The Shrine party that takes place Saturday nights.

A derivative of house music with a clear jazzy, sometimes bluesy influence, amapiano has become South Africas biggest musical export. The name comes from a Zulu word that means the pianos. Some of Afrobeats greatest stars  from Burna Boy to Wizkid to Davido  have already hopped on the amapiano wave. In Miami, a place known for its club scene, the genre has already taken root. Parties like The Shrine at Overtowns Red Rooster and Stamped in Wynwood already cater towards yanos, or amapiano super fans. At Afro Nation Miami, billed as the worlds biggest Afrobeats festival, a piano people stage will debut, a signal of the genres growth. Lutho Mpinini, a South Africa native who moved to Miami nine months ago, has been a mainstay at Shrine, saying that the party reminds him of home.

When amapiano plays, I forget everything, said Mpinni who can sometimes be seen waving the South African flag, a whistle dangling around his neck. I love the yanos. I love amapiano. When Im here and amapiano plays, I feel like Im in South Africa. I feel like Im part of my country.

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Originating in the early 2010s, amapianos popularity grew significantly during 2020. When the world shut down, people were looking for something new. Something exciting. Something to take their mind off the problems at hand. Then there was social media: the explosion of TikTok allowed users across the globe the opportunity to preview a burgeoning genre that would soon spawn all sorts of new dance trends. Now that the world is back open, its crazy to see how the genre is beginning to take over, says Zeinabou Munyaradzi.

People dance at The Shrine, a weekly party on Saturdays at Red Rooster Overtown where DJs play amapiano, dancehall, reggae and afrobeats. Amapiano is a genre of house music coming straight from South Africa.

You can see people dancing and youre not going to assume this person knows this song because theyre South African: its just because what social media has done to help the genre, said Munyaradzi, a lifestyle content creator and native Zimbabwean. When you go to the parties, you see people doing the exact same trends, putting their own spin on it, having dance battles. Thats wild.

Part of what makes amapiano so refreshing is that its far more lighthearted than other genres. Most of the songs are about simply having fun. Even more significant, the music is being driven by women: from Uncle Waffles to DBN Gogo to Pabi Cooper, its abundantly clear whos really running the genre.

Women are dictating the culture, said Cameroonian DJ Leslie Aya Ayafor, the brains behind Stamped, held once a month at Copal Rooftop Bar above Pez Loco in Wynwood.

From left, DJ Walshy Fire, DJ Jason Panton and DJ Leslie Aya Ayafor pose at Red Rooster Overtowns The Shrine party.

Added Munyaradzi: There are so many women artists that are killing it. There are so many female DJs that are killing it. They are able to straddle both sides of the fence of being like this super cool, sexy woman whos got a full man entourage behind them just like Meg Thee Stallion or any other woman rapper.

In a sense, amapiano is a reclamation of house music, according to Walshy Fire. The Miami native explained how house music developed out of parties in Chicago and Detroit in the 1970s before exploding in the 1980s. By the 2000s, however, it was fully taken over.

You barely have any black people that are performing it, DJing it and Black people just stop liking house music altogether, Walshy Fire added. Amapiano, however, has provided what he calls a real reset.

No matter where you are, you play an amapiano song, Black people going to dance, Black people are gonna resonate, Black people are gonna somehow be like, Why does this feel so familiar? Walshy Fire continued. And I cant explain that except to say this is already happened in our mental DNA.

That it took South Africa, a place where art has long since been a tool of resistance, to bring many Black people back to house music makes sense to Jason Panton, a Jamaican producer and DJ. Part of his fathers family is Nigerian and it was that side of the family that introduced him to Afrobeats. A desire to connect his Caribbean heritage with that of the motherland or, in his words unite the diaspora, inspired Panton to start The Shrine, a weekly party at Red Rooster Overtown that combines the sounds of amapiano with dancehall, Afrobeats and reggae.

DJ Walshy Fire spins at Red Rooster Overtowns The Shrine party.

A lot of who we are and what we love is coming from Africa, Panton said. Amapiano, he added, represents the next frontier. Its unapologetic. Its not trying to speak in English, per say. Its not trying to win an international audience, per say. It is doing what it does and the people are appreciating it for what it is.

And in a place where Latin music is often the dominant sound, its amazing to see something thats as Afrocentric as amapiano take over, added Ayafor.

Miami has done too much to cater to other demographics, Ayafor continued. Its time to be unapologetically African.
Men's Central Jail in downtown Los Angeles has been targeted for closure due to deteriorating facilities, overcrowding and poor conditions. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

In 2021, in the midst of the pandemic, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved an ambitious two-year plan to close the dungeon-like Mens Central Jail. The idea was to decrease the number of people in custody countywide by several thousand and shut down the aging facility bit by bit.

But two years have come and gone, and the total jail population still hovers around 14,000. The notorious downtown lockup  now 60 years old  is still open. And no one seems to agree on a path forward.

This week, the board was set to consider a motion declaring the countys jails a humanitarian crisis and outlining a set of recommendations to help fix that.

But the plan  labeled as a motion to "Depopulate and Decarcerate the Los Angeles County Jails  drew criticism from justice reformers and law enforcement alike. The former said it lacked concrete deadlines for an eventual shutdown of the countys most decrepit lockup, while the latter said that what the county really needs is not fewer jails but more modern jails.

So on Monday afternoon  on the heels of several letters, news releases and a rally  Supervisor Hilda Solis pulled the item from this weeks agenda.

Never did we once expect for people to come out and pick this thing apart as they did, she told The Times, adding that she was not happy about the difficulties moving forward, especially given the troubling recent trajectory of several lawsuits over the countys bad jail conditions.

I chose to move because I am very fearful that we may go into receivership, she said.

A spokesperson for Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, who co-authored the motion with Solis, did not respond to a request for comment.

The Sheriffs Department, meanwhile, offered a statement late Monday saying it was still working to assess the impact of the motion and affirming its commitment to addressing the many challenges we all face in our jail system.

As originally proposed, the seven-page motion would have declared a humanitarian crisis in the Los Angeles jails and required the county to move with all deliberate speed on meaningful solutions.

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One proposed solution involved asking local law enforcement to consider using a cite-and-release system, allowing people to walk free immediately after certain low-level arrests instead of being booked into jail. Another entailed advocating for the elimination of bail on certain low-level offenses  much like the emergency zero-bail schedule used to reduce the jail population for the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Those suggestions seemed to draw the most attention from parties on both sides of the issues. But the motion also included other ideas, such as finding a different risk assessment tool to evaluate who can safely be released; increasing the use of pretrial release with electronic monitoring; advocating for legislative changes to allow for more compassionate release; and asking the state to transfer people whove already been sentenced to prison and now make up roughly 10% of the jail population.

While reform advocates lauded suggestions such as increasing the use of cite-and-release and returning to zero-bail policies, they took issue with expanding the use of electronic monitoring, which they say has failed to reduce jail populations elsewhere.

On Thursday  a day after the motion first went public  Justice LA, a coalition of community organizations, issued a three-page letter of opposition detailing its concerns.

This motion does not reflect good governance, the coalition wrote, calling it a kitchen sink approach to policy. Noticeably absent from this motion is a concrete timeline for the closure of Mens Central Jail and benchmarks to measure progress.

The letter went on to fault the board for not getting community input, failing to recognize the threat of deputy gangs, relying too much on the Sheriffs Department to implement key components of the plan and not including accountability mechanisms.

The Jail Closure Implementation Team was established almost two years ago and there has been no impact on the jail population, the groups wrote. In fact, in that time, conditions in the jail have only become ever more dangerous, as evidenced by the three deaths that occurred in the past 10 days.

At a rally that same day outside the countys Hall of Administration, attorneys, reform advocates and jail survivors spoke to a peaceful crowd about many of the same concerns outlined in the coalition letter.

The motion does not adopt the plan put forward two years ago to close the jail, said Melissa Camacho, a senior staff attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California. That plan created a road map for the county to be able to close the jail in 24 months. If the county had implemented that plan, rather than moving for a humanitarian crisis, they would be moving to proclaim victory.

Over the weekend, the Los Angeles County Police Chiefs' Assn. issued a statement of opposition, and the vice president of the local prosecutors association criticized the motion in an interview with Fox News. On Monday, the Assn. for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs released a statement panning the proposal as well.

This motion represents a confusing mix of ideas, Richard Pippin, president of the deputy sheriffs group, said in the statement. With regard to their no-jail concept, we all hope that one day there will be a lesser need to incarcerate people, but todays reality is that Los Angeles needs modern jails capable of humanely and responsibly housing those who pose a threat to our society."

Then, minutes before Solis withdrew the motion, Supervisor Janice Hahn waded into the fray, saying she too did not support it.

I have concerns with this proposal and its potential impact on public safety, she wrote. Any plan to reduce the population of our jails needs to be decided in partnership with law enforcement, our deputy district attorneys, and our courts.

When Solis issued a statement Monday morning withdrawing the motion, she reiterated her concerns about the need to move quickly, given the horrid conditions and pending litigation. The lack of concrete deadlines in the proposal, she said, was because significant population reductions would require cooperation with other elected officials as well as the state.

The authority and responsibility to close Mens Central Jail does not rest solely with the Board of Supervisors, she wrote. The Board of Supervisors has limited jurisdiction and authority over the safe decarceration and diversion of those in County jails, as these authorities lie largely with the Los Angeles Superior Court, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR), and the Los Angeles County Sheriff.

Now, she said, her office will gather more input from stakeholders before finding a path forward.

To Sam Lewis, a former prisoner who is now executive director of the Anti-Recidivism Coalition, the decision to pull the motion represents a loss to people who are currently incarcerated  especially those who are stuck behind bars and don't have a chance to get out with electronic monitoring. The motion, he said, could have opened up that possibility for some of them.

"Was it perfect? No. But we have an imperfect system," he said. "Making real substantive change takes a bit of time. Sadly, people that are incarcerated still have to wait."

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield on April 3 called Russia taking on the UN Security Council (UNSC) presidency this month an April Fools joke.

But the truth of the matter is, its a rotating seat, she said, as cited by CNN. We expect that they will behave professionally. But we also expect that they will use their seat to spread disinformation and to promote their own agenda as it relates to Ukraine, and we will stand ready to call them out at every single moment that they attempt to do that.

On March 30, it was announced that Russia will lead the UNSC in April. The Presidency of the UNSC rotates on a monthly basis between 15 member states.

The Security Council comprises five permanent members, including the U.S. and Russia, along with 10 non-permanent members that are chosen by the General Assembly for a two-year term.

Mariia Kovach-Butsko: Russia must pay for its aggression through seized assets Editors Note: The opinions expressed in the op-ed section are those of the authors and do not purport to reflect the views of the Kyiv Independent. Discussions about confiscating frozen Russian assets and using them to rebuild Ukraine have been ongoing since the beginning of the full-scale invasio Kyiv IndependentMariia Kovach-Butsko

"We haven't decided yet on what our attendance levels will be, but we intend to carry out the business of the Security Council during this month," Thomas-Greenfield said. "The Security Council does more than Ukraine. We work on many issues, and we again expect that Russia will carry their presidency in a professional way, but when they don't, we will stand ready to call them out."

On April 1, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video address that as Russia goes on to chair the UN Security Council, it is hard to imagine something more evident that proves the complete bankruptcy of such institutions. Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba called the move a "bad joke."

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Russia has repeatedly abused its position at the United Nations while attempting to justify its genocidal war in Ukraine.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told the U.N. General Assembly that Russia had no choice but to invade Ukraine, U.N. News reported in September 2022.

Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Russian officials have also been condemned for documented war crimes committed on Ukrainian territory.

The Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC) issued on March 17 arrest warrants for Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova, the Russian official allegedly overseeing the forced deportations of over 16,000 Ukrainian children to Russia.

In response to the announcement, Russian ex-President Dmitriy Medvedev went on to threaten on March 20 a missile strike against the Hague.

He went on to warn judges of the International Criminal Court to "look carefully at the sky."

Stoltenberg says Ukraine will join NATO, vows support despite Russias reckless nuclear rhetoric Brussels  NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg vowed on April 3 that the alliance would continue supporting Ukraine despite Russias dangerous and reckless nuclear rhetoric. He added that Kyiv can win the war and become a full-fledged NATO member one day. Responding to the Kyiv Independent a Kyiv IndependentAsami Terajima








BGM-71 TOW in Afghanistan, May 2009

Read also: Washington prepares $2.6 billion military aid package for Ukraine, Reuters reports

The United States will provide Ukraine with $2.6 billion in additional security assistance, focusing on artillery, HIMARS, and anti-tank munitions, U.S. Department of Defense announced in a message on its website on April 4.

According to the Pentagon, the aid package includes $500 million in military aid from DoD stockpiles, as well as assistance from Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) for $2.1 billion, which provides for direct purchases of weapons from manufacturers.

The Pentagon part of the package includes ammunition for HIMARS Multiple Launch Rocket Systems, artillery shells, anti-tank systems, small arms, vehicles for transporting heavy equipment, and other items. The USAI portion contains air defense systems, artillery and tank munitions, mortar systems, missiles, and anti-tank systems.

The announcement included the following breakdown of items Ukraine will be getting:

Read also: 11,000 Ukrainian soldiers currently training abroad, Pentagon spokesman says

 Additional munitions for National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS);

 Nine anti-UAV 30mm gun trucks;

 10 mobile c-UAS laser-guided rocket systems;

 Three air surveillance radars;

 30mm and 23mm anti-aircraft ammunition;

 130mm and 122mm artillery rounds;

 122mm Grad MLRS rockets;

 Rocket launchers and ammunition;

 120mm and 81mm mortar systems;

 120mm, 81mm, and 60mm mortar rounds;

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 120mm tank ammunition;

 Javelin anti-armor systems;

 Anti-armor rockets;

 Precision aerial munitions;

 Approximately 3,600 small arms and more than 23,000,000 rounds of small arms ammunition;

 Eight heavy fuel trucks and 105 fuel trailers;

 Armored bridging systems;

 Four logistics support vehicles;

 Secure communications equipment;

 SATCOM terminals and services;

 Funding for training, maintenance, and operational sustainment.

Read also: Zelenskyy meets with Trump-era top diplomat Mike Pompeo and U.S. business leaders

On March 20, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced a $350 million military aid package to Ukraine. It included more ammunition for HIMARS, howitzers, Bradley infantry fighting vehicles, HARM high-velocity anti-radar missiles, anti-tank weapons, and river boats.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Simo Hayha, a Finnish military sniper. Screengrab

Finland officially became the 31st member of the NATO military alliance on Tuesday.

To mark the occasion, a US embassy posted a meme to Twitter about Finnish snipers.

These snipers are a legendary force that devastated the Soviets during a short war decades ago.

Finland officially became the 31st member to join NATO on Tuesday, wrapping up a lengthy process that was first sparked by Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

As officials gathered at the military alliance's headquarters in Brussels to mark the occasion, one US embassy decided to celebrate in a different way  with a meme about Finland's combat prowess.

The US embassy in Prague posted to Twitter on Tuesday morning saying "Welcome" in Finnish with an emoji of the country's blue-and-white flag. Underneath the short message is a meme that's formatted to look like a CAPTCHA, which is a simple type of online program that determines whether a user is a real person or a machine.

The meme reads "select all images with Finnish snipers" and includes 12 small picture boxes which together make up an image of a snow-covered forest. All the boxes of the CAPTCHA are selected, which appears to be the embassy's way of touting the elite camouflage skills of Finnish snipers, a lethal force famous for its winter combat capabilities, and highlighting that they could be anywhere, if not everywhere.

U.S. Embassy Prague  (@USEmbassyPrague) April 4, 2023

Finnish snipers are legendary for inflicting heavy casualties on the invading Soviet army during a short war over 80 years ago, wreaking havoc on the opposing force.

On November 30, 1939, just weeks after the start of World War II, the Soviet Red Army attacked Finland after the Soviet Union failed to convince the Finns to give up strategic border territory and let its troops to be stationed in country. What followed was a 105-day-long conflict known as the Winter War  a cold affair that saw Soviet forces suffer substantial losses.

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When a peace treaty was eventually signed in March 1940, Finland gave up roughly 10 percent of its land to the Soviets, but those gains came at a cost. The Finns  outnumbered in personnel, tanks, and aircraft  had inflicted massive casualties on the Red Army, killing up to 140,000 soldiers and destroying thousands of pieces of military hardware.

Given their limited number of troops and equipment, Finnish forces often couldn't go head to head against Soviet forces in pitched battles, so they turned to their snipers. They also relied on other innovative tactics such as using incendiary Molotov cocktails to eliminate Russian tanks and using skis and reindeer to move troops and weapons.

Finnish infantry on skis in October 1939. Ski-mounted Finnish troops inflicted heavy losses on the Soviets. Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Finland's snipers knew the terrain well, knew how to disappear on the battlefield, and knew how to effectively use these to their advantage.

One Finnish sniper in particular is credited with killing over 500 Soviet Red Army soldiers during the Winter War. Simo Hayha, who was also known as "The White Death," used his Mosin-Nagant M91 to shoot his way into fame in the eyes of his fellow soldiers. His combat career ended when he was shot in the head, but he survived and lived to the age of 96, dying in 2002.

Fast-forward eight decades, and Finland is bringing a significant firepower boost  not just snipers but a very capable air force and one of the largest artillery forces in Europe  to NATO as it officially joins the military alliance and ends decades of military neutrality. The move, which was months in the making and delayed several times, marks a significant shift in Europe's security dynamic and is one of the most important geopolitical consequences of Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

"Finland is stronger and safer within the Alliance, and the Alliance is stronger and safer with Finland as its Ally," US Secretary of State Antony Blinken wrote in a statement after Tuesday's ceremony.

"The era of military non-alignment in our history has come to an end," Finland's President Sauli Niinisto said in his own statement, adding that "a new era begins."

Read the original article on Business Insider
(Bloomberg) -- The Philippines has identified four new sites that the US will have access to under an expanded defense agreement, with three of them near Taiwan and a fourth facing the disputed South China Sea as tensions with Beijing persist.

Most Read from Bloomberg

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said the main goal for the four extra sites is to defend the countrys eastern coast, according to a statement from his communications office Monday. The sites include a naval base and an airport in Cagayan province, a military camp in Isabela province - all near Taiwan - and Balabac Island in Palawan province near the South China Sea.

Defense Chief Carlito Galvez Jr. told reporters that the locations are very significant and very strategic including the area near the South China Sea which is a key route for around $3 trillion worth of traded goods. Its the Philippines responsibility to the international community to secure the area, he said.

But China believes the move would lead to more tensions and less peace and stability in the region, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told reporters at a regular press conference in Beijing on Tuesday. She said its clear that the US has been strengthening its military deployment in the region, driven by a zero-sum mentality, in pursuit of selfish interests.

The new locations will bring the number of military sites the US can access in the Philippines to nine, including five existing ones, under their Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, or EDCA, signed in 2014. The pact allows the US to rotate its troops for prolonged stays as well as build and operate facilities on those bases in the Southeast Asian country. The five current sites are in Pampanga and Nueva Ecija in the main Luzon island, Cebu in central Philippines, Cagayan de Oro in southern Mindanao island and in Palawan.

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The EDCA sites would not be American military bases and would be used as storage and warehouse facilities for military logistics, Department of National Defense spokesperson Arsenio Andolong said in the statement.

Subic Bay, once home to the USs biggest naval base in Asia before the Philippines ordered US troops to withdraw from its military bases in the country over three decades ago, was not included, Galvez said. There are political sensitivities surrounding Subic, now an economic hub, and the government doesnt want to send across the message to the public that the American naval base is returning to Subic.

The US won access to the additional sites in February amid continued tensions with Beijing over Taiwan and the South China Sea. China has criticized the plan, with its embassy in Manila describing it as part of US attempt to encircle and contain Beijing.

Marcos has been bolstering his nations longstanding defense alliance with the US that was strained under his predecessor Rodrigo Duterte. The Philippines and the US are scheduled to hold their largest-ever military exercises starting next week. They are also planning joint patrols in the South China Sea and their top defense officials and diplomats are set to meet in Washington mid-April.

--With assistance from Cecilia Yap, Andreo Calonzo, Colum Murphy and Philip J. Heijmans.

(Adds comments from Chinese foreign ministry, Philippine defense chief)

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

2023 Bloomberg L.P.
American airmen last month hosted their Ukrainian counterparts in Germany for a three-week course in enlisted leadership, base defense and combat medicine, one of the latest efforts to bolster the small nations prowess against Russian forces.

The U.S.-run Inter-European Air Force Academy, near Ramstein Air Base in western Germany, bills itself as the institution of choice for first-class military education and training  for Europe and Africa.

This is the first time the school has designed training only for Ukrainians, the U.S. Air Force said in a release Monday. Forty-nine noncommissioned officers from Ukraines air force and national guard took part, joined by Kostiantyn Stanislavchuk, its air forces top enlisted leader.

How US trainers helped Ukraine reinvent its doctrine

In critical moments, a service member acts based on their training  allowing us to control the situation, Stanislavchuk said in Mondays release.

Master Sgt. Craig Crabtree, the courses American director, said students were tested on their leadership, followership, problem-solving and team-building. Those lessons were facilitated with the help of interpreters like Senior Airman Viktoria Senkiv, a Ukrainian-born U.S. Air Force Reservist with the 910th Security Forces Squadron at Youngstown Air Reserve Station in Ohio.

The Ukrainian NCO students exceeded every expectation, Crabtree said.

Ukrainian and American troops have worked together for years through initiatives like the National Guards state partnership program, which pairs foreign militaries with Army and Air Guard units for periodic training visits.

When will the war in Ukraine end? Experts offer their predictions

Since Russia invaded in February 2022, the United States has offered more than $35 billion in direct and indirect aid to the eastern European nation and has continued teaching Ukrainian troops to use weapons systems in the U.S., Germany and Poland.

At the wars one-year mark, Western officials estimated that around 200,000 Russian troops and 100,000 Ukrainian troops, plus more than 21,000 civilians, had been wounded or killed in the conflict so far. The United Nations human rights office is still verifying thousands of reported casualties in Russian-occupied territory.

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Around 18 million people need humanitarian aid, according to the U.N. It estimates that 8.1 million refugees have fled Ukraine so far, plus over 5 million more who left their homes but remained in the country.

Preparing for Russia: Inside NATO fighter pilot training in Texas

Military experts often credit Ukraines noncommissioned officer corps  the mid-level enlisted troops who manage field units and serve as a conduit between senior leadership and rank-and-file members  as one reason why a much smaller military has been able to hold Russias invasion at bay for over a year.

The NCOs are not just there to follow orders, but they are there to make decisions and think outside the box, Stanislavchuk said at an August 2022 gathering of international enlisted leaders in Arlington, Virginia, according to Air and Space Forces Magazine. On the Ukrainian side, were seeing more and more  especially with our junior NCOs and junior commanders  they are working together, and theyre able to become more leaders and make those decisions.

He said Russian forces, which focus more heavily on their officer corps, have tried and failed to adopt the same approach amid battlefield losses.

Whenever we destroy their [higher-ranking] officers and lieutenants, were seeing theyve actually tried to lean on their NCOs more and more, he said. But the NCOs are not prepared to make those decisions. They will not take that risk.

Which fighter jet is best for Ukraine as it fends off Russia?

Stanislavchuk visited other parts of the American air enterprise in Germany as well, holding an all-call with troops and observing an F-16 engine test facility at Spangdahlem Air Base.

Ukraine has pleaded for Western nations to supply their military with fighter jets like the F-16 Fighting Falcon, which the U.S. has so far declined.

NBC News reported March 4 that a military base in Tucson  likely with the Arizona Air National Guards 162nd Wing, which flies F-16s  had begun working with Ukrainian pilots to help the U.S. determine how long it might take to teach them to fly advanced Western aircraft.

The program is about assessing their abilities as pilots so we can better advise them on how to use capabilities they have and we have given them, a Biden administration official told NBC.
Belize Taiwan Central America (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Taiwan remained defiant ahead of the island president's expected meeting with the U.S. House speaker on Wednesday, after China threatened retaliation multiple times in the past week.

Taiwan's president Tsai Ing-wen has been visiting the island's remaining diplomatic allies in Latin America, Belize and Guatemala. The most politically sensitive part of her trip will be the meeting with US House speaker Kevin McCarthy in Los Angeles while she transits on her way back home.

The visit  while important for Taiwan in demonstrating its overseas support  is fraught for both Taiwan and the US because China views Taiwan as its territory and treats any dealings between US and Taiwanese officials as a challenge to its sovereignty.

Belize and Guatemala represent two of Taiwans 13 formal allies across the world, a number that has dipped as China has put pressure on and funneled money into isolating the island. Tsai's Latin American trip comes just a week after Honduras announced it was cutting ties with Taiwan in favour of China, potentially prompted by a $300m hydroelectric dam project in central Honduras built by a Chinese company.

Last week, and again on Monday, China threatened with countermeasures if Tsai met with McCarthy. The Chinese Consulate in Los Angeles issued a statement Monday saying it opposed any any form of contact between Taiwan authorities and the US.

The reality and current situation that both sides of the (Taiwan) Strait belong to one China is very clear, the statement said.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said at a daily news briefing Tuesday that China will closely follow the developments and resolutely defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that it has never been part of China, and that China's recent criticism has become increasingly absurd.

Taiwan, the Republic of China, is a sovereign country, and has the right to make its own determination in developing relations with other countries in the world, it said in a statement. It does not accept interference or suppression by any country for any reason, and will not limit itself because of intimidation or interference.

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The United States longstanding one-China policy acknowledges that the Chinese claim Taiwan as their territory. However, the US does not endorse that claim and remains Taiwans most important provider of military hardware and other defense assistance.

China has repeatedly asserted its claim to Taiwan, though Taiwan maintains its own democratic system of government since the sides split after a civil war in 1949.

Keeping up the military pressure, China's Peoples Liberation Army sent 20 warplanes toward Taiwan as well as three warships in the latest round of exercises that have increased significantly in recent years.

According to data from Taiwan, the exercises involved the largest number of planes in a week. China regularly sends warplanes around the island and has at times seemingly used the exercises as a demonstration of its ire.

Last December, China sent 71 planes and seven ships toward Taiwan in a 24-hour display of force after it expressed anger at Taiwan-related provisions in a U.S. annual defense spending bill.

And last year, China responded to a visit by then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan with the largest live-fire drills in decades that included firing a missile over the island, which had landed in Japan's exclusive economic zone.

The PLAs increased military activity near Taiwan has raised concerns among regional governments, and also drawn greater international attention and rhetorical support for Taiwans defense. US legislators have also started visiting Taiwan at a greater frequency, as anti-China sentiment and concerns over China's strategic position grows in Congress.

-

Associated Press video journalist Liu Zheng in Beijing contributed to this report.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 3)  Tensions rose at Quezon Hall inside the University of the Philippines Diliman Monday as students expressed their disappointment over the selection of UP College of Law Dean Edgardo Carlo Vistan II as the 12th UP Diliman Chancellor.

Students stormed the gates of the building and tried to enter the venue where the UP Board of Regents (UP BOR) convened for its 1,379th meeting. Among the agenda was the selection of the 12th Chancellor for UP Diliman.

Shortly before 1:30 p.m., UP President Angelo Jimenez announced Vistan would be the new chancellor, according to the UP College of Mass Communication student publication Tinig ng Plaridel.

In a video posted by the paper, students can be seen trying to forcibly open the gates on the first floor of Quezon Hall. Another clip showed students banging a ladder on doors where the UP BOR meeting was supposedly being held.

Ina-assert po namin na ang nagkakaisang panawagan ng buong UP community na for the Board of Regents to heed the call ng isang ka-estudyantehan pati ng UP community, UP University Student Council councilor Xyril Salazar said.

[Translation: We are asserting the united demand of the whole UP community for the Board of Regents to heed the call of the studentry as well as the UP community.]

Si former chancellor Fidel Nemenzo ang aming chancellor at in-endorse namin mula sa ibat-ibang konseho ng mag-aaral pati na rin sa ibang union, he added.

[Translation: Former chancellor Fidel Nemenzo is our chancellor and we endorsed him to other student councils as well as other unions.]

The students called for transparency on the votes and demanded explanations behind the UP BORs decision.

Gusto lang namin na tapatin kami ng Board of Regents. Bakit ganito ang naging boto niyo? Bakit ganito? Hindi kayo nakinig sa heed ng community. At nung hindi nila kami pinapapasok, sinubok namin na ipilit ang sarili namin through, dahil karapatan namin yun, Salazar said.

[Translation: We want the Board of Regents to be honest with us. Why did you vote this way? You didn't listen to the community. And when you didn't allow us to come in, we tried to make our way in because that's our right.]

The UP BOR is composed of 12 members, including Commission on Higher Education chairman Prospero de Vera, UP president Jimenez and Senator Chiz Escudero.

Vistan will be the first chancellor from the College of Law. Aside from being law dean, he heads the UP Law Center and concurrently serves as the director of the UP Office of Legal Aid. Vistan is also a member of the Upsilon Sigma Phi fraternity.

Vistan obtained his Bachelor of Science degree in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology from UP Diliman in 1998, as cum laude and Oblation Scholar. He graduated cum laude from the UP College of Law in 2003 and obtained his Master of Laws degree from Yale University in 2017.

He will succeed Nemenzo, one of his opponents for the post, who has served as chancellor since March 2020. His other competitor was archeology professor Victor Paz.

In the vision paper he submitted to the Search Committee, Vistans stated goals included providing an environment to produce resilient and civic-minded individuals; elevating the quality of research activities; providing life-long learning opportunities; and working with its stakeholders in creating a work environment that promotes personal development.

Vistan also vowed to engage with the various units and the community to achieve his goals. He says other universities in the UP System will also be consulted for possible coordination.

UP USC Councilor Salazar cast doubts on the track record of Vistan. He says they will not accept the result and even called on the restructuring of the UP BOR.

Nakikita namin na mula sa inilunsad naming dialogues ay hindi naman siya ang kumakatawan sa interes ng pamantasan ng bayan. Mula sa kanyang mga problematic stance tulad ng hindi pag junk ng SIM registration bill as well as wala siyang history ng pakikitungo sa komunidad unlike ni former chancellor Nemenzo, he said.

[Translation: We saw from the dialogues that we launched that he does not represent the interests of the university. From his problematic stance like not junking the SIM registration bill as well as not having history with the community, unlike former chancellor Nemenzo.]

It is high time na ma-restructure na ang composition ng board of regents. Kasi hindi siya kumakatawan sa interest namin. Patuloy yung hamon namin. Kakalampagin namin yung administration, hindi lang ng UP Diliman, but ng buong University of the Philippines na hindi na tama ginagawa niyo, Salazar added.

[Translation: It's high time to restructure the composition of the Board of Regents because they don't represent us. Our challenge remains. We call on the administration not just of UP Diliman, but the whole University of the Philippines that what you're doing is not right.]

Prior to Mondays voting, Nemenzo gained the support of UP Faculty Regent Carl Marc Ramota, Student Regent Siegfred Raymundo Severino, and Staff Regent Victoria Canape-Belegal in his bid for another term as chancellor.
By Sarah N. Lynch

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Federal inmates who were allowed to serve their prison terms at home during the COVID-19 pandemic will be able to remain there after the Biden administration lifts the public health emergency, under new rules unveiled by the U.S. Justice Department on Tuesday.

The regulations are expected to provide some relief to inmates, who feared they could potentially be hauled back into prison when the public health emergency expires on May 11.

This final rule makes clear that the Director of the Bureau of Prisons has the discretion to ensure that those who have made rehabilitative progress and complied with the conditions of home confinement are not unnecessarily returned to prison," Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement.

He added that the department remains committed to "the successful transition of those on home confinement back to society.

In March 2020, Congress authorized the Justice Department to declare an emergency so it could expand the pool of low-level, non-violent federal inmates who could qualify for home confinement, to contain the spread of the coronavirus throughout the federal prison system.

In January 2021, the department's Office of Legal Counsel issued a memo saying once the emergency is lifted, the federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) would have no choice but to "recall prisoners in home confinement to correctional facilities" because the authority to send more people home was temporary.

Criminal justice and civil rights groups have lobbied the Justice Department and the White House to change those rules to prevent inmates from being returned to prison en masse.

The BOP will still be able to impose "proportional and escalating sanctions," including a return to prison, on inmates who commit infractions.

Since March 2020, more than 12,000 inmates were placed into home confinement. Of those, the department said only a fraction of one percent were returned to prison due to new criminal conduct.

(Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch; Editing by Bill Berkrot)
US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy will meet Taiwan's leader on Wednesday

US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has confirmed he will meet Taiwan's president Tsai Ing-wen in California this week, despite China's warning this could lead to "serious confrontation".

Ms Tsai will stop over in the US on Wednesday, as she returns from a tour of Taiwan's allies in Central America.

A visit to Taiwan last year by the former US speaker was seen as a major provocation by China, which reacted with military drills around the island.

US-China relations are at a low point.

Tensions have soared in the wake of a row over alleged spy balloons and increasing US attempts to cut off China's access to advanced tech.

Mr McCarthy will meet the Taiwanese leader in a "bipartisan" meeting at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library outside of Los Angeles.

The meeting in the US, as opposed to in Taiwan, has been seen as a compromise to avoid inflaming tensions with China.

But Beijing last week cautioned that any meeting between Ms Tsai and the third-highest-ranking US official could lead to the US seeing "serious repercussions".

On Monday, a Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman said Beijing "strongly" opposes any form of official interaction and contact between the US and Taiwan governments.

The US maintains full diplomatic relations with Beijing but is Taiwan's most important ally and arms supplier.

Taiwan's leader visited Guatemala and Belize in a visit aimed at shoring up support in the region

Since Ms Tsai was elected in 2016, Beijing has ramped up military, economic and diplomatic pressure on the island.

It has increased investment in Latin America, a key diplomatic battleground between the two sides where Taiwan has a few of its 13 diplomatic allies.

Ms Tsai's visited Guatemala and Belize where she met both nations' leaders and reaffirmed diplomatic ties.

Taiwan lost an ally in the region, Honduras, last month when it switched loyalties to China.

Taiwan defence officials said President Tsai's trip abroad had seen more than a dozen Chinese aircraft cross the midway mark of the Taiwan Strait on Friday and Saturday. Taiwan says there is a regular pattern of harassment from Chinese planes.

Story continues

Beijing views Taiwan, a self-governing island of 23 million, as a breakaway province to be taken by force if necessary.

China and Taiwan: The basics

Why do China and Taiwan have poor relations? China sees the self-ruled island as a part of its territory and insists it should be unified with the mainland, by force if necessary

How is Taiwan governed? The island has its own constitution, democratically elected leaders, and about 300,000 active troops in its armed forces

Who recognises Taiwan? Only a few countries recognise Taiwan. Most recognise the Chinese government in Beijing instead. The US has no official ties with Taiwan but does have a law which requires it to provide the island with the means to defend itself

Read more of our coverage of Taiwan
U.S. forces will start training Ukrainian troops on M1A1 Abrams tanks relatively soon, a senior defense official told reporters on Tuesday.

They said training has not yet begun as military officials are still working on getting the needed equipment but would expect that that will happen relatively soon.

The official also said that the latest $2.6 billion military aid package, announced earlier in the day, would include 120 mm tank ammunition to support Ukraines newly formed armored tank battalions as well as Abrams tanks that the United States has committed.

The United States last month said it plans to send 31 M1A1 tanks from Army stocks to Ukraine by this fall. That comes after Washingtons announcement it would provide Ukraine with the advanced tanks after pleas from Kyiv for the vehicles.

The U.S. initially refused to send the Abrams, arguing the weapon was too complicated and costly for Ukraine to maintain and repair on the battlefield. Biden administration officials eventually relented for a political agreement with Germany, in which Berlin would greenlight its Leopard 2 tanks to be sent to the country.

With so much new equipment flowing into Ukraine, the United States and its partners have worked to train large numbers of Ukrainian troops quickly.

The Pentagon last week revealed that the U.S. military have trained more than 7,000 Ukrainian troops since Russia first attacked the country last year  with more than 11,000 Ukrainian soldiers currently being trained by the U.S. and its coalition partners across 26 different countries.

Those numbers included 65 Ukrainians who completed training on the Patriot air defense system at Fort Sill, Okla., and have returned to Europe.

On Tuesday the senior official said the war is at an important stage, with officials focused on supporting the Ukrainians to change the dynamic on the ground.

We want to help Ukraine advance and hold its positions in what we expect will be a Ukrainian counteroffensive, they added.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
US officials unveiled criminal charges Tuesday against the head of a startup who allegedly defrauded JPMorgan Chase in the course of a $175 million sale to the banking giant.

Charlie Javice, 31, was scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday in US magistrate court following her arrest Monday night, according to a Department of Justice news release.

Once a high-flyer named as part of the Forbes "30 Under 30" list, Javice touted her Frank online platform as a way to simplify the complicated process of filling out the US application for financial aid

During talks with JPMorgan and another major bank that did not pursue an acquisition, Javice "repeatedly" represented that Frank had 4.25 million users.

In fact, the platform had fewer than 300,000, according to US charges unsealed Tuesday.

"Frank was an appealing acquisition target for JPMorgan due to the marketing potential of Frank's large -- according to Javice -- customer base, which consisted of young and diverse students," the filing said.

When JPMorgan sought to verify Frank's user base, Javice "fabricated" a data set, the DOJ said.

After Frank's director of engineering declined the request, citing concerns about illegality, Javice hired an outside data scientist to "create the synthetic data set," DOJ said.

"As alleged, Javice engaged in a brazen scheme to defraud JPMorgan in the course of a $175 million acquisition deal," said US Attorney Damian Williams.

"This arrest should warn entrepreneurs who lie to advance their businesses that their lies will catch up to them, and this Office will hold them accountable for putting their greed above the law."

Javice was charged with four counts of fraud, with potential sentencing of 20-30 years per charge.

In a parallel case, the Securities and Exchange Commission asked a US court to bar Javice from serving as an officer or director of a public company and civil penalties.

jmb/tjj
Virgin Media has gone down again for many customers just hours after the internet service provider apologised for outages which plunged thousands offline.

Problems first started at around 2am, according to data from Downdetector, a site which tracks outages. At that point, there was a big spike in reports to the website of problems with Virgin Media, with another peak coming at around 7am.

Weve restored broadband services for customers but are closely monitoring the situation as our engineers continue to investigate, the company later said on Twitter. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.

But Downdetector showed another huge spike in loss of service starting at 4pm, with tens of thousands of outages reported  nearly double the peak seen earlier.

The website found that three quarters of users were having problems with their landline internet while 23 per cent said they were suffering from a total blackout.

Earlier this morning, many claimed Virgin Medias website was also down. It now appears to be back up and running, though in a reduced form.

Key Points

Breaking: Tens of thousands of Virgin Media customers report more outages ...

... After provider says broadband services have been restored

Broadband provider acknowledges problems on Tuesday morning

Virgin Media website falters amid internet outages

Richard Bransons Virgin Orbit files for bankruptcy after axing 85% of workforce

Virgin Media laments repeat of an earlier issue'

17:38 , Andy Gregory

Virgin Media has issued a statement on the new outages.

The company tweeted: Unfortunately we have seen a repeat of an earlier issue which is causing intermittent broadband connectivity problems for some Virgin Media customers.

We apologise again to those impacted, our teams are continuing to work flat out to find the root cause of the problem and fix it.

Unfortunately we have seen a repeat of an earlier issue which is causing intermittent broadband connectivity problems for some Virgin Media customers. We apologise again to those impacted, our teams are continuing to work flat out to find the root cause of the problem and fix it.  Virgin Media (@virginmedia) April 4, 2023

The Independent has approached the company for further information.

Story continues

Reported outages approach 55,000

17:33 , Andy Gregory

The fresh outage appears to be affecting nearly double the number of customers hit earlier today prior to the Virgin Medias apology.

The Downdetector website is highlighting nearly 55,000 reports of outages as of 5:13pm  compared to the peak of 28,565 seen just before 8am.

(Downdetector screengrab)

Map shows Virgin Media outage hotspots

17:23 , Andy Gregory

Here is Downdetectors map of Virgin Media outages reported over the past 24 hours.

It shows large hotspots in London, Birmingham, Cardiff and Edinburgh, with outages reported across much of the country.

(Downdetector screengrab)

17:17 , Andy Gregory

Virgin Medias website appears to be struggling again too.

The homepage and press enquiries pages initially failed to load when The Independent attempted to access them, before eventually loading after a lengthy delay upon a further attempt.

Chart shows huge new spike in reported outages

17:13 , Andy Gregory

Here is the huge spike in outages picked up by the Downdetector website, which hit a peak of nearly 35,000 reported issues, larger than those seen previously on Tuesday.

(Downdetector screengrab)

Broadband down again after provider apologises for earlier outage

17:00 , Andy Gregory

Tens of thousands of Virgin Media customers have reported outages once again, just hours after the internet provider said its services had been restored.

The Downdetector website showed a huge spike in reported outages  even larger than those seen previously on Tuesday.

According to the website, 75 per cent were related to broadband outages, 23 per cent were total blackouts, and 2 per cent related to TV streaming.

Broadband service restored, says Virgin Media

11:57 , Emily Atkinson

Virgin Media has confirmed it has restored broadband services for its customers after this mornings outages left thousands unable to access the internet.

Weve restored broadband services for customers but are closely monitoring the situation as our engineers continue to investigate, the company said on Twitter.

We apologise for any inconvenience caused.

Weve restored broadband services for customers but are closely monitoring the situation as our engineers continue to investigate. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.  Virgin Media (@virginmedia) April 4, 2023

Virgin Media down: Service not working for users across UK

10:56 , Emily Atkinson

More on this mornings top story from our video team:

Virgin Media outage and reported problems map

10:12 , Emily Atkinson

A map showing where user-submitted problem reports were concentrated over the past 24 hours (DownDetector)

Richard Bransons Virgin Orbit files for bankruptcy after axing 85% of workforce

09:53 , Emily Atkinson

And in more bad news for Virgin...

Virgin Orbit has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection after failing to secure the funding needed to recover from a January rocket failure.

It comes just days after the California-based satellite launch company said it was laying off 85 per cent of its 750 staff and ceasing operations for the foreseeable future.

Virgin Orbit is 75 per cent owned by Sir Richard Bransons Virgin Group. It lodged the filing in the US Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware seeking a sale of its assets.

My colleague Thomas Kingsley reports:

Richard Bransons Virgin Orbit files for bankruptcy

Virgin Media website falters amid internet outages

09:29 , Emily Atkinson

Amid sweeping internet outages this morning, many customers also complained that Virgin Medias website was down.

It now appears to be back up and running, though in a reduced form. As of 9.30am, we were unable to access the local service status tool.

Virgin Media acknowledges problems

09:22 , Emily Atkinson

Virgin Media has acknowledged there had been problems with its systems and said it is working to fix everything as soon as possible.

Virgin said: Were aware of an issue that is affecting broadband services for Virgin Media customers as well as our contact centres.

Our teams are currently working to identify and fix the problem as quickly as possible and we apologise to those customers affected.

Were aware of an issue that is affecting broadband services for Virgin Media customers as well as our contact centres. Our teams are currently working to identify and fix the problem as quickly as possible and we apologise to those customers affected.  Virgin Media (@virginmedia) April 4, 2023

Virgin Media down: Service not working for users across UK

09:19 , Emily Atkinson

Virgin Media has stopped working for thousands of users around the UK, leaving customers without access to internet services.

Virgin Media users complained on social media that their WiFi and broadband were not working, while internet outage monitor DownDetector showed thousands of reports.

Were aware of an issue that is affecting broadband services for Virgin Media customers as well as our contact centres, Virgin Media said in a statement on Tuesday morning.

More on this story here:

Virgin Media down: Service not working for users across UK
(Independent)

Virgin Media has stopped working for thousands of users around the UK, leaving customers without access to internet services.

Virgin Media users complained on social media that their broadband was not working, while internet outage monitor DownDetector showed hundreds of reports.

The Independent has reached out to Virgin Media for comment.

Affected customers can check their service status on Virgin Medias Help page.

The outage comes just months after a significant issue hit Virgin Media services for hundreds of users.

More to follow
Virgin Orbit has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection a few days after officially shutting down its space launch operations. The private space company has been burning money for a while now and reported a loss of $49.2 million in its last fiscal quarter. It tried to raise money in late 2021 by going public through an SPAC merger that was expected to raise $483 million for the company. However, it ultimately got less than half of that amount in gross proceeds.

While Virgin Orbit carried on throughout 2022, its financial issues came to a head after its "Start Me Up" mission didn't quite go as expected. It was supposed to be a historic event as the first orbital launch from UK soil, but it failed to reach orbit due to a dislodged fuel filter. The company went into operational pause and furloughed most employees after that, in mid-March, as it sought new investors. And by the end of last month, it extended its employee furlough, because it wasn't able to close any deals.

Virgin Orbit's late-stage discussions with Texas-based investor Matthew Brown, who was going to put $200 million into the company, reportedly broke down. It was perhaps the perfect deal for the launch provider, since that amount would've been enough to give the investor a controlling stake. A previous report by CNBC's Investing in Space newsletter said Sir Richard Branson didn't want to own the company anymore, even through the bankruptcy process, and that the Virgin Group had been rushing to find new sources of funding and buyers before the news broke.

On March 30th, the company officially shuttered its space launch operations due to lack of funding. It flew a total of six flights from 2020, though only four of which were able to put satellites in orbit. According to Financial Times, Virgin Orbit said it expected to report $33.1 million in revenue and a net loss of around $191 million for the 2022 fiscal year. The company's search for a buyer will now proceed while protected by Chapter 11, though the process could culminate in the business being wound down if it doesn't find a new owner.
British billionaire Sir Richard Branson's rocket company Virgin Orbit has filed for bankruptcy in the US after failing to secure new investment.

The satellite launch company halted operations weeks ago but it hopes to find a buyer for the business.

The company, based in California, announced last week that it would cut 85% of its 750-strong workforce.

Earlier this year, a Virgin Orbit rocket failed to complete its first-ever satellite launch from UK soil.

Virgin Orbit's boss Dan Hart said that although the company had "taken great efforts" to address its finances and secure more funding, "we ultimately must do what is best for the business."

He said that Virgin Orbit would now concentrate on finding a buyer for the business "to provide clarity on the future of the company to its customers, vendors, and employees".

Virgin Orbit was founded in 2017 and is a spin-off from Sir Richard's space tourism company Virgin Galactic.

It launches rockets from beneath modified Boeing 747 planes to send satellites into space.

But in January, an attempt to send a satellite into orbit from the UK for the first time failed because a rocket fuel filter had become dislodged, causing one of the engines to overheat.

The mission, which launched from Spaceport Cornwall, near Newquay, had been billed as a milestone for UK space exploration.

It was hoped it would mark a major step in helping to turn the UK into a global player - from manufacturing satellites to building rockets and creating new spaceports.

Virgin Orbit, which is mostly owned by Virgin Group, scrambled to find new funding following the UK rocket failure and paused operations last month to conserve cash.

The company, which listed its shares on New York's Nasdaq index in 2021, had debts of $153.5m (123m) as of September last year.

On Tuesday, the company said Virgin Investments, part of Virgin Group, would provide $31.6m in new money to help Virgin Orbit through the process of finding a buyer.

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It has filed for what is known as Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the US. This allows a business to keep operating and address its financial issues while providing protection against creditors who are owed money.

Former president of Virgin Galactic Will Whitehorn said the failed launch in Cornwall and the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank at the time it was trying to raise new funding contributed to its downfall.

But Mr Whitehorn said the business deserved a second chance because there was "a lot of demand" in the industry.

"What you have got to remember is they have got nearly 50 satellites into space already, so I think there's a chance they'll be back," he said.

Melissa Quinn, head of Spaceport Cornwall, said the news about Virgin Orbit was "very sad" but said the site would "remain focused on furthering the international space industry".

She said it was the only licensed spaceport in the UK, had multiple users and was working with other launch operators, such as US company Sierra Space.

Analysis box by Jonathan Amos, science correspondent

This is not the end for Virgin Orbit. Not yet.

Quite a few space companies have gone through Chapter 11, only to re-emerge a few months later with new owners, no debts and a healthy stash of investment cash to take the business forward.

You need look no further than London-based OneWeb, which has just now managed to complete its broadband internet constellation in the sky.

But who will step forward to buy a rocket business? There are tens, if not hundreds, of similar enterprises across the world developing small launch vehicles.

If Sir Richard Branson's company can claim one key separator, it ought to be responsiveness - the ability with its jumbo jet platform to launch from anywhere at short notice. This has appeal to the military, for example. Except, the firm has found it very hard to do, launching only twice last year.

Any prospective new owner, therefore, will want to know a high cadence of launches can be achieved. This means going up every month, the original aim of the company.

Mr Hart said despite the financial problems, he was confident the company had a "wide appeal" to a new owner because its team had created "cutting edge launch technology".

But Danni Hewson, head of financial analysis at investment firm AJ Bell, said the company's failed launch mission from the UK was "not the best advert" for its technology.

"Neither is Virgin Orbit's collapse the best advert for the space investment theme," she added.

"This industry may have significant potential at some point in the unknown future but investors tempted to reach for the stars have only had their fingers burned so far."

The UK Space Agency said it had worked with Virgin Orbit for many years but said its issues were a commercial matter for the company.

It added that the UK space sector was "thriving" and said it generates 17.5bn worth of income a year.

Sir Richard is one of a very small group of billionaires who have expanded their business empires into launching satellites and attempts to pioneer commercial space travel.

The others include Jeff Bezos, founder of online retailer Amazon, who set up his space company Blue Origin, as well as Twitter and Tesla owner Elon Musk, who founded SpaceX.

Jeff Bezos was part of the crew who completed a spaceflight for his company Blue Origin

Sir Richard and the Virgin Group have invested more than $1bn in the business in a quest to launch satellites through Virgin Orbit but also to develop reusable "space planes" to take tourists on brief trips to sub-orbital space.

Virgin Galactic has already started selling tickets for $250,000 for these journeys and celebrities such as pop star Justin Bieber have signed up.

But the main players in the "billionaire space race" have also faced criticism for what some see as offering joy rides for the super-wealthy at a time when countries across the globe are being impacted by climate change.

However, Mr Bezos has previously insisted his space exploration is partly an environmental mission "to take all heavy industry, all polluting industry and move it into space, and keep Earth as this beautiful gem of a planet that it is".
A Virginia school teacher who was shot by her six-year-old student has filed a $40m (32m) lawsuit against school officials, alleging gross negligence for ignoring warning signs.

The lawsuit, filed on Monday, argues the defendants knew the child "had a history of random violence".

Abigail "Abby" Zwerner, 25, was shot on 6 January in the hand and upper chest and spent two weeks in hospital.

The school teacher has undergone surgery four times.

The boy brought the pistol in his backpack to Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, a city of about 180,000 residents north-west of Virginia Beach.

After being shot by the unidentified boy, Ms Zwerner got her other students to safety before calling for help for herself.

"She is a trooper, she is a hero," police chief Steve Drew said after the incident.

According to investigators, the child took his mother's firearm, which was purchased legally.

The board has since voted to install metal detectors at Richneck, which has 550 pupils, and every other school in the district.

The superintendent was fired by the school board and the assistant principal resigned, but the boy has not been charged, nor has anyone else.

The lawsuit claims the same boy "strangled and choked" his kindergarten teacher last year.

It also alleges the boy would chase other students with a belt to whip them and swear at staff.

According to the complaint, two days before opening fire on Ms Zwerner as she sat at a reading table in class, the boy had taken the teacher's mobile phone and smashed it on the ground. For this, he had received a one-day suspension.

His family says the boy has an "acute disability" and rarely attended school without one of his parents being present.

The lawsuit reads: "All Defendants knew that John Doe attacked students and teachers alike, and his motivation to injure was directed toward anyone in his path, both in and out of school, and was not limited to teachers while at the school."

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Ms Zwerner is seeking compensatory damages for permanent bodily injuries, physical pain, mental anguish, lost earnings and other damages, the lawsuit says.

"I thought I had died," Ms Zwerner told NBC's Today show in March.

The Newport News school board did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment.
Click on the link below to access the interactive Voter Guide. This guide is a joint project of League of Women Voters of Akron and Hudson and the Akron Beacon Journal and was made possible through the support of the Knight Foundation.

This year's primary election on May 2 will see Ohioans voting for local offices and local issues. Early voting is taking place at the Summit County Board of Elections Early Vote Center, 500 Grant St., Akron.

Responses are not edited, vetted or corrected by the League of Women Voters or Beacon Journal to allow candidates to speak in their own words.

Interactive Voter Guide

If you click on the first link below, you can provide your address and see a customized ballot with your local races and issues only. If you prefer to find your own races, scroll down lower on this page.

2023 Election: Summit County Voter Guide

Voting resources

Did your polling location change? Do you have a current photo identification?

Read our important voting information coverage below.

Why did my Summit polling place change?: Everything to know about May 2 election, early voting

Ohio has a new voter ID law: Here's what you need to know for the May election

Photo ID required: How to get free state ID under Ohio's new election law

Find your races

The following are the contested races on the May 2 ballot. To find out which are on your ballot, use the interactive guide.

Akron City Council Wards: Meet the candidates for Akron council's 10 ward seats

Akron City Council At-Large: 9 Democrats seek 3 nominations for Akron City Council At-Large

Akron Mayor: Meet 7 Democrats running for Akron mayor

Barberton Mayor and council: Here's who is running for Barberton mayor, council

Tallmadge City Council: 2 Republicans seek nomination for Tallmadge mayor

Tallmadge Mayor: Tallmadge council primaries contested in 2 wards

Additional political coverage

Akron mayor debate: Candidates answer tough citizen questions in latest debate

In their words: Seven Akron mayoral candidates share their plans if elected

Story continues

Joshua Schaffer: Mayoral candidate says he'd be an accessible, progressive voice for Akron

Forum: Akron mayoral candidates share ideas on helping immigrant community

Social justice forum: Akron mayor candidates share thoughts on Jayland Walker shooting, social justice issues

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: 2023 Election Guide: Meet the candidates in Greater Akron
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 4)  The Department of Health (DOH) on Tuesday said it is open to a possible Senate probe into the alleged tragic condition of patients at the National Center for Mental Health (NCMH).

We will be open to that. We have our records, our transmittance, lahat naman ay kumpleto at sasagutin natin, [Everything is complete and we will answer.] DOH officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire said in a press briefing.

On Monday, Sen. Raffy Tulfo filed Senate Resolution No. 562 which seeks an inquiry on the condition of NCMH facilities.

According to him, patients are not receiving the specialized care and treatment they deserve because of the hospital's poor facilities, citing that some of them are sleeping on the floor with no mats, blankets nor pillows.

"Nakakalungkot na makita ang kalunos-lunos na kalagayan ng ilang mga pasyente sa NCMH sa Mandaluyong, he said. Nagsisiksikan na parang mga sardinas at sobrang init na mistulang pugon dahil walang ventilation at kulang sa electric fan.

[Translation: It is sad to see the pathetic condition of some patients at NCMH in Mandaluyong. It is crowded like sardines and very hot like a furnace because there is no ventilation and it lacks electric fan.]

Tulfo said he will also look into alleged corruption or any lapses, negligence, or violations of laws, rules, and regulations governing mental health care services in NCMH.

Meanwhile, in a press conference, Vergeire clarified that Tulfo is only talking about a certain pavilion in the entire NCMH which houses patients facing criminal charges.

She said the DOH is already coordinating with the Department of Justice to help decongest the facility by endorsing patients who are ready to be moved to jail while their cases are being heard in court.

According to the DOH, that pavilion's original capacity is 300 patients, but it now houses over 600 patients.

Vergire added the DOH is constructing an additional building to transfer other patients.
Two candidates representing opposite ends of the Democratic party are on the ballot in the highly-watched Chicago mayoral runoff on Tuesday.

Paul Vallas, the former CEO of the Chicago school system, and Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson, a former teacher who is heavily backed by the Chicago Teachers Union, were the top two vote-getters in the February general election. Incumbent Mayor Lori Lightfoot came in third, so she will not be on the ballot on Tuesday.

Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET.

"In general, the race is too close to call," said Dick Simpson, a former Chicago alderman and professor emeritus at the University of Illinois-Chicago. "It depends on turnout that each candidate is able to produce their voters  the voters are literally torn."

Vallas, who is White, has focused his campaign mainly on crime while Johnson, who is Black, has focused on education.

Brandon Johnson, left, and Paul Vallas. / Credit: Jim Vondruska/Getty Images, Scott Olson/Getty Images

Vallas led in the general election, taking 32.9% of the vote, and Johnson came in second with 21.6%, but Johnson has closed the gap since then. A recent poll from Northwestern University's Center for the Study of Diversity and Democracy (CSDD) and various nonprofit organizations found the race in a dead heat, with both Vallas and Johnson having 44% of the vote.

Despite having formerly described himself as "more Republican than Democrat," Vallas has received the backing from several high-profile Illinois Democrats. Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin, the senior senator from Illinois, has backed him, as well as former President Obama's Education Secretary Arne Duncan. He also has the support of Republican donor Kenneth Griffin, who has previously backed divisive former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel.

Johnson, meanwhile, has received the backing of influential national Democrats like Sens. Bernie Sanders  who held a rally with Johnson last week  and Elizabeth Warren, Jesse Jackson and Rep. Jim Clyburn. At the rally for Johnson, Sanders categorized the race as being between the interest of the "powerful and greedy" and "the son of the working class," according to the Chicago Tribune.

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Despite the national interest in the race  Chicago is, after all, America's third largest city  Christopher Mooney, a political science professor at the University of Illinois-Chicago, noted the biggest issues are local issues  crime and education  and not broader culture war issues.

"The culture war issues and the weird national polarization that we've got now  and Donald Trump  those culture wars and Donald Trump, those things are irrelevant in the city of Chicago," Mooney said.

According to the Chicago Tribune, the candidates brought in about $17 million in the month between the general election and the end of March. Vallas brought in just under $11 million and Johnson brought in $5.8 million, according to the Tribune.

More than half of Johnson's fundraising haul has come from the Chicago Teachers Union, where he was once an organizer. Since he announced his candidacy, he has also received support from other influential teachers' unions, including the American Federation of Teachers and the Illinois Federation of Teachers.

Education has become one of the driving local issues in this race. While Vallas served as CEO of Chicago Public Schools under former Mayor Richard Daley from 1995-2001 and later in similar positions in other cities around the country, he was a strong proponent of charter schools.

As Mooney noted, the teachers union and charter schools have "conflicting interests," but Vallas appeals to people who think that Johnson is too controlled by the CTU.

Although Vallas has received significant funding from charter school advocates, he has not highlighted it as an issue in this campaign. Rather, Vallas has focused heavily on being tough on crime.

Vallas has campaigned on adding police officers on patrol and on public transit, Johnson has taken a more progressive route of tackling the root causes of crime.

In big cities throughout the country, tough-on-crime messaging has proven popular for Democrats. In New York, former cop-turned-politician  and more conservative Democrat in the race  Eric Adams won the mayor's race in 2021 and progressive district attorney Chesa Boudin was successfully recalled in San Francisco in 2022.

Vallas has received significant support  both financial and personal  from the Fraternal Order of Police, the police union. Chicago FOP president John Catanzara said last week that 800 to 1,000 police officers would resign if Johnson was elected, predicting that there would be "blood in the streets as a result."

At a debate last week, Johnson blasted Catanzara, saying he "has said a lot of disturbing, ridiculous things," highlighting Catanzara's comments supporting the rioters at the Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol, criticizing Black Lives Matter and other controversial statements.

"It actually speaks to the type of candidacy that my opponent is running," Johnson said of Vallas' ties to the FOP and Catanzara. Vallas, for his part, said he would not be beholden to the FOP.

Most of the city's Black community appeared to be lining up behind Johnson, according to recent polls. Vallas has also tried to reach more conservative Black voters as well as assembling a coalition of Republicans, wealthier residents and Latinos. The Latino community has so far remained split, which could be a huge deciding factor in the race.

Lightfoot, meanwhile, the first incumbent Chicago mayor to lose reelection in over 40 years has not endorsed a candidate, although it's unlikely either candidate would welcome it. Her leadership style amid the COVID-19 pandemic, crime surges and clashes with the teachers' union has left her with high unpopularity both within the city and nationally.

Trump indictment a first in American politics

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Washington leaders announced Tuesday that the state has purchased a 3-year supply, or 30,000 doses, of the abortion medication mifepristone ahead of a federal Texas ruling that could force the Food and Drug Administration to rescind its approval of the medication.

In a press conference Tuesday, Gov. Jay Inslee said that there are forces in other legislatures and courts across the United States that are attempting to take away the freedom of choice for reproductive care.

We are not sitting idly by while that threat exists, said Inslee. We recognize in Washington that the price of a womans freedom of choice is eternal vigilance.

The shipment of mifepristone was delivered to the state on Friday, March 31, after the governor ordered the Washington Department of Corrections to purchase the medication.

Washington is the first state in the country to take action to secure access to mifepristone on a large scale.

To be clear, the authority we are seeking today is limited to abortion medication and does not extend to any other type of medication, said Inslee. Washington state will not allow a judge in Texas to deny the right of Washington women to this safe drug.

The governor also directed the University of Washington to purchase an additional 10,000 mifepristone pills.

While mifepristone has been used safely for more than two decades, anti-abortion groups who brought the Texas lawsuit forward claim that the FDA did not study the drug enough before it was approved and made available.

The judge in that case has signaled that he could soon decide to issue a preliminary injunction that would take mifepristone off the market. Lawyers in the case argued on March 15 that doing so could interfere with every state in the country.

Mifepristone is a synthetic steroid that is most commonly used in medically-induced abortions, and works by blocking the hormone progesterone, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information. A lack of progesterone will cause the uterine lining to break down. The medication is also used for treatment in patients who have Cushings Syndrome, patients experiencing uterine leiomyomas, and for early miscarriage care.

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For medically induced abortions, a second drug called misoprostol is administered after mifepristone and causes the uterus to empty, according to Planned Parenthood. Inslee told reporters Thursday that there have been no talks yet to secure a large supply of that medication, as it is currently not being challenged in court.

There are 800 abortions in Washington every month, according to the state Department of Health, and 60% of those are induced via medication.

However, state leaders and physicians have warned that Washington could see an influx of patients seeking abortion services from other states where lawmakers are trying to ban the practice, such as the bordering state of Idaho.

Many other countries have approved the use of the mifepristone including France, United Kingdom and Sweden.

Lawmakers also announced Tuesday that they would introduce legislation so that the Department of Corrections could be authorized to sell and distribute mifepristone. DOC currently has a pharmacy license and has existing statutory authority to make the purchase, but the bills are needed so the department can provide the medication to other entities such as public and private health providers.

Sen. Karen Keiser, D-Des Moines, and Rep. Jessica Bateman, D-Olympia, are sponsoring that legislation in the Senate and House. They joined the governor Tuesday for the announcement of the purchase.

Senate Bill 5768 was introduced by Keiser Tuesday, and will be referred directly to the Senate Ways and Means Committee. Batemans companion legislation, House Bill 1854, was also introduced Tuesday.

Abortion rights and reproductive freedom means nothing without access, and if patients dont have access, they might as well not have a legal right, said Keiser.

Attorney General Bob Ferguson spoke at the press conference Tuesday and said that Washington, along with 17 other states, have signed on to a federal lawsuit to expand access to mifepristone.

On Tuesday, Inslee also sent a letter to Idahos Governor Brad Little urging a veto on Engrossed House Bill 242.

Among the harmful impacts that this legislation will have, particularly when combined with Idahos recently passed abortion bans, are the exodus of some healthcare professionals from your state as well as the certain resulting increased mortality rate of Idahoan women and girls, the letter said. I fear that our residents, in particular the women and girls of Washington, will be in grave danger if they travel to your state and find themselves in need of urgent reproductive health care services. This bill would also attempt to punish some Washington residents who happen to be in your state for any length of time, a gross abuse of their right to travel between our states. As a result, all Washingtonians have a stake in this matter.

Washington lawmakers have taken other steps this year to protect reproductive health services, such as a shield law that would protect those from out of state who are seeking reproductive services and gender-affirming care in Washington. That proposal has been met with opposition in the Legislature from anti-abortion as well as anti-trans groups.
Serhii Cherevatyi, the spokesman for the Eastern grouping of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, has confirmed that Yevgeny Prigozhin, the owner of the Wagner Private Military Company (PMC), hoisted the Russian flag on the building of the city administration of Bakhmut, Donetsk Oblast, which has long been destroyed amid the fighting.

Source: Cherevatyi on national television

Quote from Cherevatyi: "Prigozhin is most likely going to Bakhmut because it is not safe for him in St Petersburg. There are restaurants exploding there, you see[a reference to the recent death of a Russian "war correspondent" in an explosion in a cafe  ed.] And he is hoisting flags on buildings that have long since physically ceased to exist. This building, which he calls the city administration, has been totally destroyed."

Details: Cherevatyi emphasised that Bakhmut remains the main target of attacks by the Russians, primarily Wagner Group mercenaries.

In the past 24 hours alone, there have been 32 Russian attacks and 26 skirmishes both in Bakhmut itself and on the outskirts of the city.

According to Cherevatyi, the occupiers shelled the positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces 238 times with both tubed and rocket artillery.

At the same time, 91 occupiers were killed, 119 were injured, a Russian tank and a Grad multiple-launch missile system were hit, and 3 ammunition storage points were destroyed.

Background:

On 3 April, Prigozhin said that Russian forces had "legally captured" Bakhmut. At the same time, he admitted that Ukrainian troops remain in the western part of the city.

In their recent report, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said that Wagner Group fighters have seized the building of the Bakhmut administration, and Russian forces have made further advances in central Bakhmut.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg believes that in the battle for Bakhmut, the Russian forces are trying to compensate for the low quality of equipment and command with quantity.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
In a move reminiscent of its successful early bet on the government-backed UPI network seven years ago, PhonePe, India's leading mobile payments app, is now setting its sights on the e-commerce sector.

The Bengaluru-based startup, backed by retail giant Walmart, on Tuesday launched a hyperlocal commerce app, called Pincode, that is powered by the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), an Indian government initiative striving to democratize the e-commerce landscape by offering a zero-commission platform.

Pincode will work with local shops and is going live initially in Bengaluru, PhonePe executives said at a press conference on Tuesday. The startup, which also counts General Atlantic and Tiger Global among its backers, plans to slowly expand to more cities and amass 100,000 orders a day by the end of the year.

Pincode currently focuses on categories such as grocery, medicines, food, electronics and home decor.

ONDC, a nonprofit firm that was set up by Indias commerce ministry in 2021, is an interoperable network, where buyers and sellers can do business regardless of the service they use, disrupting the consumers reliance on using proprietary services run by Amazon and Flipkart.

"This is the UPI moment for e-commerce," said Sameer Nigam, co-founder and chief executive of PhonePe. "I think there is legitimate friction in the e-commerce industry. Would we have entered the e-commerce industry had ONDC not happened? Absolutely not."

Scores of industry players, including the 48-year-old retailer Sangeetha Mobiles, and restaurants are hoping that ONDC makes a dent in the market and forces incumbents to lower their fees, their executives said.

Walmart-backed fintech giant PhonePe makes e-commerce push

PhonePe's Pincode app. Pincode is a popular English word for zipcode in India. Image Credits: PhonePe

"Pincode is a brand-new shopping app and offers a revolutionary new approach to e-commerce, which puts all the local stores and sellers at the heart of the digital shopping growth story. Pincode is built on the ONDC network, which allows us to generate demand for merchants digitized by various seller platforms in an inclusive manner, while creating new opportunities for growth and driving innovation at scale," he added.

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PhonePe, valued at $12 billion, signing up to ONDC is remarkable in a number of ways.

In the Walmart-backed app, ONDC is courting a major player. The network has so far largely been ignored by the major giants such as Amazon, Google and Facebook. Even as PhonePe commands over 50% of all value on the UPI network, the company has been hunting for other avenues to generate revenue. PhonePe has recently said in recent quarters that it will use its large platform to cross-sell insurance and other services. PhonePe, which was acquired by Flipkart in 2016, separated from the e-commerce giant last year. Even as Flipkart doesn't plan to get into mobile payments, TechCrunch previously reported, it's interesting that PhonePe wants a slice of the e-commerce market.

PhonePe said it will "invest significant effort" in Pincode and in "enabling every Indian shopkeeper spread across every nook and corner, over the next few years."

India's e-commerce market, currently dominated by Flipkart and Amazon, is estimated to be worth $133 billion by 2025, according to wealth manager Sanford C. Bernstein. ONDC poses a major disruption to the e-commerce sector, according to Morgan Stanley, but it still has a few things that need to be ironed out.

"We see execution challenges... such as in the ability to bridge the trust deficit between sellers and buyers, and provide real-time availability data for inventory management," they wrote in a recent report.
Walmart is reopening a store in Chesapeake on April 19, five months after a fatal mass shooting. Alex Brandon/AP

Walmart plans to reopen a store on April 19 after a mass shooting took place there in November 2022.

A gunman identified as a team lead at the store opened fire, killing six of his co-workers and injuring several more.

The store will feature a memorial to honor the six workers who lost their lives in the shooting.

Roughly five months after a gunman, identified as a Walmart employee, opened fire, killing six co-workers at a store in Chesapeake, Virginia, the retail giant is set to reopen the store with a redesign  including a memorial to honor the six victims and comfort survivors.

That store has been closed since November 23, 2022, when police say Andre Bing, a team lead, carried out the mass shooting before taking his own life. It will reopen on April 19, Walmart announced this week. Per the company, the store "underwent significant design changes."

One of those changes is the memorial space, which will include foliage and six seating structures in honor of the six victims, "providing a peaceful place for people to pause and remember the permanent impact these associates made on our lives," according to Walmart.

"We are deeply touched by the community's compassion and support as we continue to heal from last year's tragedy," Alycia Mixon, the Walmart Chesapeake store manager, said in a press release. "As we move forward with our reopening, we do so in a way that honors the victims and provides continued support to our associates."

The reopened Walmart store in Chesapeake, Virginia, will feature a memorial to honor the six victims of the shooting. Walmart

The store has also been remodeled to be a "store of the future," which includes displays, interactive elements, and a cleaner look. Walmart first unveiled this type of store in Springdale, Arkansas, in January 2022 and has since expanded the prototype to a small number of stores nationwide.

The store reopening comes as Walmart continues to wrestle with the shooting's aftermath. Several shooting survivors and at least one of the victim's families have sued the company for millions of dollars, accusing the company of ignoring reports from co-workers of "disturbing and threatening behavior" of the shooter.

Are you a Walmart employee who works at the store in Chesapeake, Virginia? Contact reporter Ben Tobin on email at btobin@insider.com or over encrypted messaging app Signal at +1 703-498-9171.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Cries are mounting for the release of results in the third-party autopsy review of a Tarrant County Jail death as officials withhold the information from the public.

At Tarrant Countys commissioners meeting Tuesday, eight people showed up to demand the release of information surrounding the death of Robert G. Miller, who died in 2019 after he was pepper-sprayed during his booking in jail.

A forensic pathologist who conducted Millers autopsy at the Tarrant County Medical Examiners Office listed Millers death as natural from a sickle cell crisis. Millers family said he didnt have sickle cell, and experts who spoke with the Star-Telegram for an October investigation came to the same conclusion.

The Star-Telegram article spurred an internal autopsy review. That contract expired Feb. 28, and county officials have remained quiet on the findings.

Members of Broadway Baptist Churchs justice committee have continuously advocated for a U.S. Department of Justice review into Millers case. Those calls continued during public comment at Tuesdays county commissioners meeting.

Committee member Jennifer Nelson said she was deeply disturbed and alarmed by what she reads and researches about Miller. She told the commissioners there no longer appeared to be litigation that would prevent the county from releasing information, mentioning the Star-Telegram and Millers familys request for information.

The only action I see which Im deeply alarmed by is Tarrant County officials seeking an opinion from the Texas Attorney Generals Office on whether or not they can withhold those records, Nelson said. Why?

County commissioners voted last week to expand rules for eligibility for its mental health jail diversion center on West Morphy Street in Fort Worths Fairmount neighborhood after the center little use over the year it has been open.

Nelson and others applauded the countys efforts, but they also wondered how Millers story would be different had the center existed at the time of his arrest.

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Justice committee member Merl Glasscock believes the entire story would be different  she doesnt think Miller would have died, and that there would be no lurking secrets about Millers death.

We want to know the truth, Glasscock said.

Becky Delaune, another justice committee member, said Millers family, too, had been denied information.

Secrecy breeds suspicion, insecurity and distrust, she said.

Justice committee member Jackee Cox said if the DAs office was going to prevent the public from knowing if Miller was murdered, it would anger those who believe the law should be on their side and not used to cover up a murder.

Theres something very deeply divisive about a governmental body taking a position against its citizens to hide pride, Cox said.

As Cox finished and the public comment period ended, no other county officials had anything to say before the gavel slammed.
South Carolina kindergarten through 12th grade students and teachers wouldnt be able to watch or record TikTok dances on public school-issued electronic laptops or tablets if a Senate proposal passes.

The Senate Finance Committee adopted a proviso, a one-year law attached the states budget, that would ban TikTok from devices owned or leased by a school district. The budget still needs to be approved by the full Senate, agreed to by the House and signed by the governor before becoming law.

TikTok, which is owned by Chinese company ByteDance, has been under fire because it tracks users likes, dislikes and personal information such as phone numbers, email addresses and WiFi networks.

There is fear the Chinese government could force the company to share the data that it collects.

Theres all kinds of issues surrounding social media and the hazards of social media, said state Sen. Sean Bennett, R-Dorchester. But then you add to the questions of TikTok, the privacy of TikTok, the ownership of TikTok, all those things that are out there in the public now that were really just starting to peel the onion back on and see whats there and what the challenges are. I think there are members of the body that would rather put the brakes on while we evaluate that.

State Reps. Heather Bauer, D-Richland, and Bobby Cox, R-Greenville, have proposed banning the app from state-owned devices. That bill is still in the House Judiciary Committee.

Last year, Gov. Henry McMaster asked the Department of Administration to remove TikTok from all state-issued devices managed by the department, which immediately blocked TikTok on 65,000 devices on the states network that most state agencies use.

Schools may block social media apps while the devices are connected to the school network, but those blocks may not work when students or teachers log onto another network, including from their homes.

Students are playing on that thing all the time, said state Sen. Shane Martin, R-Spartanburg, who proposed the proviso. I think government taking a role and looking at the fact that its coming from China, you cant monitor it; its spying on people. I just think that we dont need that on government-funded computers.
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The 3-episode Norwegian Netflix series War Sailor, which is currently one of the most-watched shows in the US on the streaming giant, is a World War II epic with an unusual provenance.

Given that the series tile inside the Netflix app includes a red letter N in the top corner, most people would probably assume this show  based on true stories of Norwegian sailors during and after WWII  is a quote-unquote Netflix series. In point of fact, though, the streamers version of War Sailor is actually a re-edited version of writer and director Gunnar Vikenes 150-minute movie that hit theaters last year. Re-edited, and also chopped up into three separate episodes.

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War Sailor: first a movie, and now a hit show on Netflix

Given that it had a budget of $11 million, that made this title the most expensive film ever made in Norway. War Sailor was also Norways submission to the 95th Academy Awards for consideration as Best International Feature Film (that honor ultimately went to Netflixs All Quiet on the Western Front).

Now that the movie has been refashioned into a Netflix series that hit the platform just this week, meanwhile, its currently sitting at #5 on the app in the US for today  ahead of more established Netflix releases like Shadow and Bone, You, and Outer Banks.

As for the narrative, heres the official synopsis from Netflix:

Alfred Garnes is a working-class sailor, who has recently become the father of a third child. He and his childhood friend Sigbjrn Kvalen (Wally) are working on a merchant ship in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean when World War II breaks out. They are unarmed civilians on the front lines of a war they never asked to join. The two men struggle for survival in a spiral of violence and death, where at any moment German submarines may attack their valuable vessels. The war sailors have one goal: To surviveand to return home.

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Back home, Alfreds wife Cecilia struggles through the war alone in Bergen. Not knowing when or if shell ever see her husband again, she focuses on raising their three children.

Later, in an attempt to bomb the German submarine bunker in Bergen, British aircraft instead hit a primary school as well as homes, killing hundreds of civilians. The news reaches Alfred and Wally in Canada, leaving them unsure if theyll have anything left to return home to.

War Sailor on Netflix

I couldnt really let go

According to Vikene, War Sailor was originally written to exist as both a movie as well as a mini-series. And I couldnt really let go of the initial idea of telling the story in both formats, he said, according to Netflix.

When we were editing the feature film, we realized that a lot of the footage didnt fit in the well over two-hour-long feature film. Fortunately, Netflix accepted the challenge, and throughout the autumn we worked on making a three-hour mini-series  with several new scenes to be able to show the WHOLE story not just to the Norwegian public, but also the rest of the world.

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Farmland razed by Eritrean soldiers at a village in Ahferom district, Central zone, Tigray. Abrha Brhan Gebre/with permission

The Tigray region, in northern Ethiopia, used to be a model for land restoration in Africa. It won multiple awards and recognition.

It all started in 1991 when the regional government of Tigray made a plan to stop forests from being depleted and land from being degraded. Part of the plan provided communities with 20 to 40 days of free labour every year to restore their land.

Over the next 30 years, there was impressive rehabilitation. This included widespread re-vegetation, reduced rainwater runoff, improvement in soil quality. Feed, food and fuel availability increased and forest cover improved from 3% to 17%.

But the two-year war and siege on Tigray region has set Tigrays restoration back by decades. The conflict has had a devastating impact on both people and the environment.

As many as 600,000 people have died, mainly due to man-made starvation. About 120,000 women have reportedly been raped. Schools, factories, hospitals and churches have been looted or vandalised.

The environment has been destroyed by aerial and ground bombardment, the use of dangerous chemicals and vehicle and army movement. Forests and conservation and restoration structures were destroyed by military activity. The landscape is littered with waste and abandoned military material.

Restored landscapes somehow saved some lives and met peoples livelihoods. People were forced to eat whatever they could find, including wild fruits and leaves, to survive. In addition, 2.1 million people were displaced. Many turned to firewood for cooking and used timber to construct temporary shelters.

According to World Peace Foundation, the destruction of the environment was also a tool of war. Tigrayan communities are highly dependent on natural resources for food, fuel and feed. Agriculture contributes 42.7% to GDP, about 85% of employment and 70% of export earnings. Armies deliberately destroyed fruit trees, forests, soil conservation structures and nursery structures. Grass harvests used for animal feed were burned. The destruction of the ecosystems will in turn affect food security and the climate for a long time to come.

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Typically, humanitarian concerns are prioritised following a war. Reconstruction efforts focus on repairing damaged hospitals, schools, factories and water systems. But restoring the environment also needs urgent attention so that societies can produce food and goods to rebuild their lives.

As experts in land restoration, forestry, agroforestry, climate change and development in the Tigray region and beyond, we want to share what we think should be in the environmental restoration plan to ensure Tigrays recovery is green and sustainable.

Removal of dangerous material

First, any hazards  including bombs and land mines  must be cleared. This is essential to allow people to begin restoration.

Ecosystems contaminated by shelling and bombardments, destroyed industrial, agricultural and health facilities and military waste should be dealt with as hotspots.

These activities can be done by the line offices in consultation with the Tigray, federal and UN environmental agencies.

Assessment of environmental damage

A thorough assessment of the direct and indirect impacts and losses is needed.

Direct damage assessments should evaluate trees, forests, soil, water and wildlife. The assessment will provide detailed information on the magnitude of the destruction, what needs to be prioritised and what resources are needed. As it is impossible to survey the entire region, which is about 50,079km, sites should be chosen for sampling based on the level of damage.

Indirect damage assessments will cover pollution and contamination. Laboratory analysis should be conducted for soil, water and vegetation from areas where intensive fighting took place or where industrial plants or other infrastructure were destroyed. This can be done by the regional environment authority, universities and international partners.

Local people at the centre

The post-war environment recovery must put the needs of the community at the centre. The aim is to reduce vulnerability, improve livelihoods and build resilience.

Communities have been key in Tigrays past land restoration efforts and they must be involved. Restoration processes must be based on their priorities and values. Ensuring they have a sense of ownership is key to sustaining efforts.

Which landscapes to prioritise

Farm households and farmlands should get priority. Farmers should be provided with oxen and improved agricultural farm goods, to improve their subsistence farming and to scale up agroforestry practices.

Existing natural forests and woodlands, specifically those which act as water towers and national parks, are crucial for income generation, biodiversity protection and climate preservation. We would recommend a higher priority for Kafta-Shararo national park, the Boswellia woodlands, Hugumbrda-Grat Khasu forest, Desaa forest, Hirmi woodland, and church forests such as Waldba Forest.

Include urban farming

Past restoration efforts focused on rural landscapes. There is no better moment to introduce urban farming practices to bring greenery and a sustainable lifestyle closer to home.

During the past three years, during COVID and the siege on Tigray, we observed the start of sporadic urban farming in the region. Urban forestry and agroforestry programmes must be designed and integrated as part of post-war rehabilitation and climate adaptation.

Rehabilitating research facilities

The research facilities in Tigray that support land restoration  such as genetic resources, laboratories, farm machinery and nursery infrastructure  have been looted and pillaged. For instance, the Tigray Agricultural Research Institute, which made significant contributions to the past land rehabilitation of Tigray, was destroyed. Research scientists and their support staff were killed. Professors of Tigray origin in Ethiopian universities and Tigrayan professors from universities in Tigray were targeted for killing.

The damage needs to be repaired immediately so that universities and research organisations can continue contributing to the restoration of agriculture and natural resources in Tigray.

The future

Determining ecological damage losses could draw attention to the scale of environmental destruction and foster justice and accountability for lasting peace.

Environmental damage and war are humanitarian issues, regardless of where they happen. What has happened should be a wake-up call to environmentalists and humanity. There is no sustainable land restoration without sustainable peace, and there is no sustainable peace without collective action.

This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts. The Conversation has a variety of fascinating free newsletters.

It was written by: Aster Gebrekirstos, World Agroforestry (ICRAF) and Emiru Birhane, Mekelle University.

Read more:



The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Ukrainian tank at a position near the front line in Zaporizhzhia region, March 16, 2023

We expect the Ukrainians to advance or launch their own spring offensive in the coming weeks, said Smith, adding that its up to Ukraine to determine exact timing and tactics.

According to her, Russia is also showing attempts to launch a new offensive, but it is unlikely to bring substantial gains on the battlefield.

Read also: Russian great offensive a flop, Ukrainian intelligence reports failure

On March 29, Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said that the Ukrainian counter-offensive should begin in April or May 2023, on several axes.

On Feb. 28, Ukrainian Military Intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov said the next three months in Russias full-scale war against Ukraine would be very active and will determine the further course of events in the war.

Read also: Former Aidar commander gives four requirements for successful Ukrainian counter-offensive

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Russian troops still have time to withdraw from Ukraine, or be destroyed otherwise.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 4)  All of the 10 detainees who bolted from the Malibay Detention Facility in Pasay City before dawn on Monday have been recaptured, police said.

The Southern Police District (SPD) confirmed that Richard dela Cruz  the only remaining detainee earlier unaccounted for  was rearrested around 5:20 p.m. Tuesday inside a cemetery in Pasay City.

Earlier in the day, authorities also caught suspects Carlo Magno Benavidez and Norman Deyta.

SPD said Benavidez was caught at 7:15 a.m. in Imus, Cavite, while Deyta was found in Barangay 152, Pasay at around 10 a.m.

An SPD photo also showed that Romeo Estopa, who is likewise facing illegal drug charges, has already been apprehended. Estopa was not among those initially identified by authorities as an escapee, although he was included in the photos of the fugitives that the police released.

Among the first six to be rearrested were Joey Hernandez, Eden Garcia, Joshua Panganiban, Tirzo Galit, Christian Salvatierra, and John Michael Cabe.

They are facing various kinds of charges, including involvement in illegal drugs trade, carnapping, and robbery.

According to the SPD, authorities found out at 4:30 a.m. on Monday that the 10 individuals under police custody (PUPCs) managed to break the iron bars of the detention facility at Malibay Police Sub-Station 6.

Initial investigation showed they mauled the duty jailer and took his service firearm, cash, and assorted keys of the facility.

As per procedure, the commander of the police sub-station and the designated jailer were temporarily relieved amid the ongoing probe.

Police Major General Edgar Alan Okubo, chief of the National Capital Region Police Office, said on Monday morning that he wanted all 10 fugitives rearrested within two days.

However, Pasay City Mayor Imelda Emi Calixto-Rubiano urged law enforcers to do it within 24 hours.

The local government said the mayor offered a reward of 30,000 per detainee to anyone who can provide information that will lead to their rearrest.
The Washington Township School district is recommending Daniel Mendez, a Seymour Middle School principal, to be North Central High Schools new principal after its previous leader was placed on paid leave following verbal misconduct allegations.

In a letter sent to North Central families Friday, district officials said they will recommend the school board approve Mendez, the 2022 middle school principal of year, at their next meeting on April 12.

District officials began their search in December 2022 after Evans Branigan III announced his intention to retire at the end of the school year.Nearly 100 stakeholders, including students, parents, staff, district staff and school board members participated in the search process, and evaluated Mendez over four rounds of interviews.

More North Central news: Washington Township Schools settle North Central High School sexual harassment suit

He has a proven track record of not only impactful leadership but also success raising achievement for diverse student populations in urban public schools, district officials said in a news release.

Mendez is currently the principal of Seymour Middle School where he has served since 2019. Before that he worked as a teacher and in administrative roles for Perry Township schools. From 2017 to 2019 he served as director of secondary education for Decatur Township schools.

In 2022 he was named middle school principal of the year by the Indiana Association of School Principals. Mendez received his bachelors degree from Indiana University at Indianapolis, his masters degree from Indiana Wesleyan University, and his doctoral degree from Indiana State University.

North Central principal search: Former IPS Superintendent Eugene White named interim North Central High School principal

Initially Branigan had planned to serve out the year but last month he was placed on leave following allegations of verbal misconduct and failure to implement District protocols regarding a student discipline matter, according to a statement released to staff and families.

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Branigan is now on paid administrative leave pending an investigation with outside counsel, the district said.

Former Washington Township superintendent and former North Central principal Eugene White is serving as the high schools interim principal until mid-June.

Contact IndyStar reporter Caroline Beck at 317-618-5807 or CBeck@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter: @CarolineB_Indy.

Carolines work is supported by Report for America and Glick Philanthropies. As part of its work in Marion County, Glick Philanthropies partners with organizations focused on closing access and achievement gaps in education.

Report for America is a program of The GroundTruth Project, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening local newsrooms. Report for America provides funding for up to half of Carolines salary during her time with us, and IndyStar is fundraising the remainder.

To learn more about how you can support IndyStars partnership with Report for America and to make a donation, visit indystar.com/RFA.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Daniel Mendez recommended to be North Central's new principal
By Ronald Popeski

(Reuters) -The U.S. is trying to wreck Russia's planned summit with African countries as part of efforts to isolate Moscow, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an interview published on Tuesday.

Lavrov told the news site Argumenty i Fakty that Moscow was different from Western countries in its relations with Africa in that "we never tell our foreign partners how they are supposed to live. We have no secret agenda."

Moscow is preparing for its second summit with African countries, scheduled for the end of July in St. Petersburg, including work on infrastructure, technology and energy projects.

"It is true that the United States and its vassals are doing everything possible to achieve Russia's international isolation," Lavrov told the website. "In particular, they are trying to torpedo the planned second Russia-Africa summit ... to persuade our African friends not to take part."

In any case, Lavrov said, the chances of damaging the conference were diminishing as "fewer and fewer people are now willing to pull out all the stops for former colonial powers.

"Attempts to interfere in our cooperation with countries for the global South and East will therefore continue, but success is far from guaranteed."

The U.S. State Department, in a statement, did not address Lavrov's accusations directly, but said Washington was pursuing strong relationships with African countries "to address the shared challenges we face. Our Africa policy is about Africa."

The statement quoted U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken as saying the United States "(doesn't) want to limit African partnerships with other countries. We want to give African countries choices."

Shunned by most Western countries since its invasion of Ukraine just over a year ago, Moscow has turned its efforts to countries in Asia and Africa.

Lavrov has been particularly eager to nurture ties with Africa, visiting the continent twice this year as well as making a tour in mid-2022.

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South Africa this year held 10 days of military exercises with the Russian and Chinese militaries.

And the Wagner Group of Russian mercenaries, active in what Moscow described as its "special military operation" in Ukraine, has been deployed against insurgents in Mali and the Central African Republic.

U.S. President Joe Biden hosted a U.S.-Africa leaders summit in 2022 in Washington, seeking to bolster alliances amid the growing Russian and Chinese presence on the continent.

(Additional reporting by Lidia Kelly; Writing by Ronald Popeski; Editing by Richard Chang)
Voters will head to the polls Tuesday in a pair of Midwestern elections that are bound to provide clues about a crucial 2024 battleground state and what policy areas big-city residents want the Democratic Party to prioritize.

In the perennial swing state of Wisconsin, voters will choose their next state Supreme Court justice in a race that will determine ideological control of the bench  and with it, the future of crucial issues in the state, including abortion rights. It's turned into a polarizing race that could also serve as an early test for both parties before the 2024 presidential election.

And in the liberal stronghold of Chicago, voters will select their next mayor in a hotly contested runoff between two Democrats that has put on broad display voters attitudes about crime and policing, which have come to be defined along racial divides in many ways.

Both races will leave breadcrumbs for national Democrats as the party begins homing in on messaging heading into the 2024 cycle.

Wisconsin Supreme Court election

In Wisconsin, the future of the state Supreme Court is in the balance in a race between liberal Janet Protasiewicz, a Milwaukee County circuit judge, and conservative Dan Kelly, a former state Supreme Court justice who lost his seat in a 2020 election. The result will shape abortion rights in the state, and it could help decide who wins the battleground state in the 2024 presidential election. The contest has become the most expensive state Supreme Court race in U.S. history.

The court and its members are technically nonpartisan; conservatives hold a 4-3 majority. But with conservative Justice Patience Roggensack retiring, the majority now hangs in the balance.

There has not been a liberal majority on the court in 15 years, and Democrats see the election as a prime opportunity to shift the balance. The winner is elected to a 10-year term.

Image: Wisconsin Supreme Court candidates Republican-backed Dan Kelly and Democratic-supported Janet Protasiewicz participate in a debate on March 21, 2023, in Madison, Wis. (Morry Gash / AP)

Abortion has taken center stage. After the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last year, a state law from 1849 banning abortion in almost all cases snapped back into effect. The law makes performing an abortion a felony; doctors who perform the procedure face up to six years in prison and thousands of dollars in fines. It makes an exception only to save the life of the woman  but not for her health or for a pregnancy resulting from rape or incest.

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The Democratic governor and attorney general alleged that the law is unenforceable in a lawsuit that is expected to make its way to the state Supreme Court.

Protasiewicz was endorsed by the Democratic abortion rights group Emilys List, Hillary Clinton, former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and several other prominent Democrats.

Protasiewiczs campaign and allied groups massively outspent Kellys campaign and conservative groups. The ads supporting Protasiewicz have focused heavily on her support for abortion rights, as well as on attacks on Kelly for having advised Republicans about legal efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential race through the use of fake electors.

In a deposition to the House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, former Wisconsin GOP chairman Andrew Hitt said he and Kelly had pretty extensive conversations about the plan, and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported last month that the Republican Party at the state and national levels had paid Kelly $120,000 to advise them about election integrity issues.

Kelly has repeatedly hit back against the accusations and denies any involvement in the matter.

Kelly has consistently refrained from saying how he would rule in cases involving abortion; he was endorsed by three groups that oppose abortion rights, and he provided counsel to another Wisconsin group that opposes abortion rights.

In addition to abortion, the state Supreme Court is also very likely to hear challenges to existing election laws and elements of election administration that could have material impacts on close elections  including the 2024 presidential election.

There has been no public polling of the race.

In the final days of the campaign, Kelly crisscrossed the state, holding 17 events from Saturday to Monday in smaller cities and towns.

In an interview last week, Kelly  whom Donald Trump endorsed in his unsuccessful 2020 race  sought to create distance from the former president, saying he was not looking for an endorsement this time around.

Protasiewicz fell ill over the weekend and was unable to attend scheduled events in Milwaukee and Madison, campaign spokesperson Sam Roecker said. Campaign surrogates attended other events.

In their final ads, both candidates pushed on the importance of impartiality.

Polls close at 9 p.m. ET Tuesday.

Chicago mayoral election

In Chicago, voters will head to the polls in a runoff election for mayor between Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson and Paul Vallas, the former Chicago public schools chief who has previously made unsuccessful runs for the job, as well as for governor and lieutenant governor. The race is technically nonpartisan, but both men have been stressing their Democratic credentials.

The contest between Vallas, a 69-year-old white moderate, and Johnson, a 46-year-old Black progressive, has been a standoff over ideology and their approaches to governance, particularly when it comes to the citys recent spike in crime.

Johnson has had to answer for past comments calling to defund the police, while Vallas has faced charges that he is too conservative.

Racial divides have also defined the contest in one of the most segregated cities in the country, hinging on the coveted Black vote  a bloc neither candidate won in the first round.

Recent polling has found the race to be a dead heat.

Vallas was the top vote-getter in the elections first round in February, winning 33% of the vote, followed by Johnson, at 22%. Mayor Lori Lightfoot won 17%, making her the first Chicago mayor in 40 years to lose re-election.

Brandon Johnson, left, and Paul Vallas shake hands after their debate in Chicago on March 18, 2023. (Mustafa Hussain for NBC News)

Johnson has racked up support from high-profile progressives, including Sens. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., as well as Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and Democratic Rep. Jesus Chuy Garcia, who won 14% of the vote in February when he was running for mayor. The influential Chicago Teachers Union has also backed Johnson.

Vallas, meanwhile, recently won Democratic Sen. Dick Durbins endorsement. He also has the backing of former Gov. Pat Quinn, who picked Vallas as his running mate for his unsuccessful 2014 run, and Arne Duncan, former President Barack Obamas education secretary.

Other endorsements came from some prominent Black leaders, including Jesse White, the states longest-serving secretary of state and its first Black secretary of state, and Democratic former Rep. Bobby Rush.

Vallas was also endorsed by the Chicago Fraternal Order of Police, whose controversial president, John Catanzara, recently told The New York Times that there would be an exodus of police officers and blood in the streets if Johnson wins. (Johnson has walked back previous comments that he wants to defund the police, and he recently said he would not cut the police budget.)

The two opponents have faced off in multiple televised debates and clashed frequently on the airwaves. One of the Johnson campaigns most frequent ads attacks Vallas handling of the Chicago school systems finances, hits him for liking offensive tweets and questions his Democratic loyalty.

Vallas has put significant money behind an ad criticizing Johnson for wanting to defund the police and cut the police budget, adding that his policies would prompt tax increases. Overall, from March 1 to Monday, Vallas and outside money supporting him have outspent Johnson 2-to-1 on TV ads, according to AdImpact, an advertising analytics firm.

Polls close at 8 p.m. ET Tuesday.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
David Bowie and Paula Yates backstage at Live Aid 1985

Live Aid was one of, if not the most, star-studded concert in rock history. Bringing together the world's most renowned musicians for two charitable performances in London and Philadelphia on July 13, 1985 over one billion people tuned in to enjoy the performances of Elton John, Madonna, Queen, Santana, Run DMC, Sting, Bryan Adams, the Beach Boys, Mick Jagger, David Bowie, Duran Duran, U2, the Who, and Tom Petty, among many others.

The historic concert was organised by Bob Geldof alongside Midge Ure to raise awareness and funds for famine-relief in Ethiopia, and was broadcast in over 150 nations.

Famously stealing the show was Queen, whose hit-packed set was arguably the most memorable of the lot, even managing to overshadow David Bowie, who was tasked with the unfortunate challenge of going on stage directly after.

Nevertheless, the Starman remained in high spirits, and can be seen reflecting on his performance in this archive interview with TV presenter Paula Yates.

Bowie's Wembley set served as his first performance in 18 months. The sharp-suited musician grooved his way through a short song list comprised of hits such as Station to Station's TVC 15, Rebel Rebel, Modern Love and Heroes, although he had originally planned to duet with Mick Jagger on their collaborative Dancing In The Street, which was released that year in benefit of the event. Unfortunately, the idea was squashed due to technical difficulties.

In the backstage interview, Bowie stands shoulder to shoulder with Yates, as they affectionally bubble with enthusiasm and bounce to and fro in an almost flirtatious conversation.

"I thought it was absolutely magnificent" says Bowie, before Yates adds "and you picked the perfect songs...Yes you did, because I was screeching!".

He then chuckles, and says: "Were you? So was I! I was screeching too, Paula."

While discussing his recently-released song with Jagger, the presenter questions Bowie over their eccentric dancing in the video. "How come you did all those rowdy dances?" she ponders.

In response, Bowie laughs again and says: "I don't know, we just thought it was the kind of thing one does to Dancing In The Street", before focusing his attention towards the camera and humbly declaring: "And everybody out there, that sent money in, you're the real heroes, because it's easy for me to go out there and sing some songs, it's much harder for you to give money and not be recognised. Good on you!".

Check it out below:
Megan Claire runs a wedding photography business in Orange County, California. Megan Claire via TikTok and Tom Merton/Getty Images.

A photographer filmed herself eating with her hands at a wedding she was working at.

She said she has often not been provided with utensils or space to sit at wedding venues.

Her post sparked a discussion about whether it is necessary to provide wedding workers with a meal.

A discussion about how to treat people who work in the wedding industry has erupted on TikTok after a photographer said she has had to eat meals with her hands or sitting on the ground due to a lack of provision from the couples or venue where the wedding is held.

A TikToker who goes by Megan Claire, who runs a photography business based in Orange County, California, shared a video on March 31, where she could be seen ripping up a piece of steak with her fingers in order to eat it.

"Another wedding I'm eating dinner with my hands cause the vendors forgot utensils for the photographers," an on-screen caption on the post, which received over 700,000 views, read.

Out of hundreds of comments, some, written by viwers who said they have also worked as wedding photographers, expressed sympathy for Claire's predicament, sharing how important they think it is for couples and venues to ensure the photographers are able to eat comfortably at the event.

"Why do some venues treat us like 'the help' and others like we're on the guest list," wrote one commenter.

However, the video sparked a wider discussion as people questioned the need to provide a meal when photographers are already being paid to work for the day, and suggested workers could also bring a meal from home as they might to an office. Several users said they had no idea photographers and other hired workers would expect to be served a meal on the day.

The creator responded to a number of comments of this nature, explaining that in her experience, it is "industry standard" for couples to provide meals, but that sometimes the venue where the wedding is held does not provide adequate utensils or space for her to sit, meaning she has often sat on the floor or against a wall while eating at weddings.

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"It's all about the client/planner/venue combo and if you hit all 3 it's a glorious day," she wrote.

On April 3, Claire posted a follow-up video explaining that she thinks it's important that photographers are provided with a meal because there are often no resources at the wedding venue for workers to heat up or store food.

She also said she rarely gets the time to take a break long enough to prepare her food while trying to document all the action happening at the reception.

"Most days I don't even use the bathroom for the first eight hours of my wedding, because there's just no time. You're working at capturing every single moment up until you get that small break for dinner, which can be five minutes, 15 minutes, 10 minutes," she said.

Claire went on to explain that many wedding venues have a "vendor meal" option, where couples can provide their hired workers with food that is cheaper than the food they are serving their guests.

"This just makes the most sense, because we physically don't want your photographers leaving to go get food or spending too much time going to prepare their food," she said.

According to wedding publication Brides.com, it is considered good wedding etiquette to feed key wedding vendors who will be working long hours at the event, including the photographer, DJ, wedding planner, and videographer. Furthermore, meal provision may even be a requirement in the contract when couples hire these vendors. "Vendor meals" are provided by most wedding caterers and are sometimes even included in the catering fee, according to the outlet.

On TikTok, weddings and wedding etiquette are explosively popular topics, with creators sharing their thoughts on some of the most common wedding dos and don'ts, such as how to dress if you're a wedding guest, or whether it is OK to ask for a plus one to the ceremony if you were not given one on the invitation.

Megan Claire has 25,000 followers on TikTok, where she has previously shared photos from her own wedding, as well as tips for other brides based on her own experience getting married.

She did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

For more stories like this, check out coverage from Insider's Digital Culture team here.

Read the original article on Insider
New residential homes are seen at a housing estate in Aylesbury, Britain - REUTERS/Eddie Keogh/File Photo/File Photo

The interim results last week feature no nasty surprises, British mortgage approval figures are no longer slumping, and Bellway is even maintaining its interim dividend, to provide support to consensus forecasts that imply a dividend yield of more than 6pc for the year to July 2023.

Throw in a well-buttressed, net cash balance sheet and a lowly valuation relative to net asset value (NAV) and this column is still inclined to keep faith in the house builder as one way of weathering current financial market squalls and seeking upside once calm returns.

Granted, a drop in the March forward order book of more than a quarter and a plunge in the weekly reservation rate of more than 40pc in the six weeks from Feb 1, when compared with a year ago, do not make an initially positive impression.

Nor do hints at some margin pressure thanks to higher input costs. But Februarys trading update had already flagged all three trends and the private reservation rate of 135 dwellings a week in the past six weeks represented a big step up on the average of 91 that prevailed across the first six months of the fiscal year, to the end of January.

The nations brief flirtation with Trussonomics badly hit mortgage pricing and availability, but official data have provided tentative signs of a recovery, albeit from low levels.

Data released by the Bank of England last week showed 43,500 mortgage approvals in February, up from 39,600 in January, to provide a glimmer of hope and back up Bellways impression of the market.

This is not to say that investors should get carried away.

Mortgage approvals peaked at almost 107,000 a month during the lockdown boom of 2020, average mortgage rates are still rising and the banking wobble in the United States and Switzerland could yet blunt senior loan officers appetite for lending.

But the news is no longer getting worse, at least for now, and analysts forecasts for Bellway already factor in tougher times.

Excluding the base effect of last years 346m charge for cladding remediation, consensus estimates point to a 17pc drop in pre-tax profit in the fiscal year to July 2023. A further one-third drop is expected in the 12 months to July 2024. That would take earnings back to 2015 levels at about 350m before tax.

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No ones crystal ball is good enough to say whether that will be the bottom or not. If it is, paying barely 10 times trough earnings feels like a bit of a bargain.

If it is not, shareholders get protection from a balance sheet that carries 297m in net cash, compared with the (still fairly modest) 238m net debt position with which Bellway entered the financial crisis 15 years ago.

Forecasts of a sharp drop in profits and a reduction in the dividend for fiscal 2024 also mean that expectations are low.

Even after the rally from last autumns nadir, the shares trade only 15pc above the Covid panic low of early 2020 and that means they stand at a 22pc discount to the first-half net asset, or book, value per share of 28.19.

The decision by Bellways board to leave the interim dividend unchanged and target a full-year payment that matches last years 140p a share overall payment speaks of confidence, as does the 100m share buyback.

Even if analysts prove correct in their assessment that the dividend will drop to 95p a share in fiscal 2024, that still equates to a yield of 4.3pc on the current share price and when earnings still cover the payment by more than a factor of two, according to consensus forecasts.

Near-term positive catalysts may well be in short supply, but so are good quality dwellings.

Bellways land bank, which contains 31,420 plots with detailed planning permission, 26,600 with pending permission and a further 41,700 within strategic land holdings, means the FTSE 250 constituent is capable of benefiting once the housing market turns up once more, as it always has and always will (the company is targeting 11,000 completions for the fiscal year to July 2023).

Such a hefty land bank also means Bellway can ease off on buying new plots while economic uncertainty prevails. The builder only added 2,428 plots in the first half, a two-thirds drop from the equivalent period a year ago, but that at least boosted cash flow and thus underpinned the welcome dividend yield.

The next trading update, for the third quarter, is due on June 13.

Well keep building a position in Bellway.

Questor says: hold

Ticker: BWY

Share price at close: 21.96

Russ Mould is investment director at AJ Bell, the stockbroker

Read the latest Questor column on telegraph.co.uk every Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 6am.

Read Questors rules of investment before you follow our tips
Richard Branson's Virgin Orbit has filed for bankruptcy protection. Virgin Orbit/Matthew Horwood/Getty Images

Richard Branson's Virgin Orbit struggled to make a comeback after a failed launch in January.

It filed for bankruptcy protection after laying off staff and failing to secure enough funding.

Here's what went wrong at the satellite launch firm.

A failed rocket launch, stalled investor talks, layoffs, and now a bankruptcy protection filing. It's clear Virgin Orbit has faced a tumultuous few months.

The satellite launch company has gone from a $3.2 billion valuation after going public in 2021 to a market capitalization of $67.4 million on Tuesday.

Virgin Orbit ended up filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Tuesday in the US after the company failed to secure funding to continue operations.

But what pushed Richard Branson's satellite launch provider down the slippery slope?

Falling short in SPAC deal

The company touts itself as having a "flexible and responsive" launch system that has delivered national security, commercial, and international satellites into orbit. Branson said in 2019 that Virgin Orbit could replace satellites for the US Air Force in 24 hours.

But this wasn't enough for Virgin Orbit to raise an anticipated $483 million in a 2021 SPAC deal. Instead, the merger raised $228 million in gross proceeds, a statement said. This was because of a high rate of shareholder redemptions, per CNBC.

Expensive launches with a low launch rate

Virgin Orbit's Cosmic Girl releases a LauncherOne rocket test article in mid-air for the first time during a July 2019 test. Greg Robinson/Virgin Orbit

Virgin Orbit was spun out of Branson's space tourism company, Virgin Galactic, in 2017. They both sit under the Virgin Group.

Unlike SpaceX, Virgin Orbit blasts its LauncherOne rocket into space with the help of a modified Virgin Atlantic Boeing 747 called Cosmic Girl. The rocket, filled with small satellites, is strapped underneath the wing of the plane and is released when the aircraft reaches 35,000 feet in altitude. The spacecraft then roars into orbit and delivers the satellites.

Since its inception, Virgin Orbit has had four successful missions out of a total of six launches.

Each air launch with LauncherOne, which isn't fully reusable, costs around $12 million, per media reports. The Boeing 747, however, is reusable.

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Branson and the Virgin Group have supported Virgin Orbit, investing more than $1 billion in the company, including $60 million since November 2022, a company spokesperson told Insider. This funding "was not enough to counter the strong headwinds and liquidity challenges Virgin Orbit continues to face," the spokesperson added.

Failed launch

Cosmic Girl, a repurposed Boeing 747 aircraft, carrying the LauncherOne rocket under its left wing, as final preparations are made at Cornwall Airport Newquay. Matthew Horwood/Getty Images

Virgin Orbit has launched the majority of its rockets from California, where it's headquartered. The company carried out its first mission in May 2020, but the rocket failed on its way to space.

The second mission in January 2021 was Virgin Orbit's first successful launch when the rocket sent 10 small satellites into orbit for NASA.

Following this, Virgin Orbit had three successful missions  one more in 2021 and two in 2022. This was despite CEO Dan Hart telling CNBC after the SPAC deal that the company was hoping to launch seven rockets in 2022.

With launch frequency down, anticipation was high for Virgin Orbit's sixth mission in January 2023. It was due to be the UK's first orbital space launch to take place from British soil. The Boeing successfully took off from Spaceport Cornwall in Newquay and dropped LauncherOne at a high altitude. But the rocket suffered an "anomaly" and failed to reach orbit to deliver the nine satellites onboard.

Ultimately, Virgin Orbit has been unable to reach the rate of launches needed to meet the required revenue, per CNBC.

Funding issues

Since the failed UK launch, Virgin Orbit has attempted to rake in funding from investors, per reports. Reuters reported Texas-based investor Matthew Brown was in talks to inject $200 million into Virgin Orbit, but the discussions collapsed.

Branson is the majority stakeholder of Virgin Orbit, owning 75% of shares, but CNBC reported that he didn't want to fund the company further.

Amid the recent turmoil, Virgin Orbit announced last week it was laying off 85% of its workforce. The company was also ceasing operations "for the foreseeable future," per CNBC.

It's now on the brink of bankruptcy. In a copy of the company's bankruptcy filing seen by Insider on Tuesday, Virgin Orbit listed assets of about $243 million and total debt of $153.5 million as of September 30, 2022.

Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection would allow Virgin Orbit to keep operating while it tries to restructure its debts.

Virgin Orbit did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Got a tip? Get in touch with this reporter via email kduffy@insider.com or Twitter DM for Signal.

Read the original article on Business Insider
One of the metro-easts premier McDonalds locations officially has closed its doors after serving the Belleville community for more than 60 years.

The chains 4422 W. Main St. location is permanently closed, the Belleville News-Democrat reported this week. The site served as a community fixture and was known for its beloved and rare single-arch sign, among other features.

Although the unique McDonalds restaurant is now closed, there are still plenty of extraordinary franchises located throughout the Midwest. Heres a quick overview of some of the most notable sites near you.

Iconic McDonalds restaurant in Belleville closes after more than 60 years in business

100 N. Carpenter St., Chicago, Ill.

Perhaps no McDonalds location is more significant than the companys corporate headquarters in Chicago. Opened in 2018, the high-rise building sits at the intersection of Randolph and Carpenter streets in the Fulton Market district. Expansion plans to make way for a new innovation center were announced in late 2022.

This McDonalds site houses Hamburger University, the companys global training center that instructs managers and owner-operators through courses covering restaurant operations, leadership skills, customer service and more. A 2015 report estimated at least 40% of McDonalds global leadership attended Hamburger University.

Of course, no McDonalds location would be complete without food, and the headquarters feature menu items you likely cant get anywhere else in the U.S. The global kitchen offers a rotating menu of special items from around the world. Past offerings have included chicken Big Macs from New Zealand, garlic pepper fries from China and egg and mushroom sandwiches from Poland.

McDonalds appears to be temporarily shuttering some of its U.S. offices, though the exact impacts remain unclear. The move comes as the company plans to impose layoffs amid a restructuring bid.

6201 Brecksville Road, Independence, Ohio

Located in Independence, Ohio, this McDonalds location comes with a bit of added class.

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Inside, the two-story restaurant is equipped with a self-playing piano, floor-to-ceiling windows and chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. Colonial-style decor helps elevate the interior of what some call the White House of McDonalds.

Despite the flashiness, this McDonalds location serves the same classic menu you can find across the U.S. Theres still a drive-through lane outside, too.

9061 Lincoln Highway ( U.S. Route 30), North Huntingdon, Pa.

Just outside of Pittsburgh, youll find a McDonalds location that boasts much more than a restaurant.

North Huntingdons McDonalds is home to the beloved Big Mac Museum, a celebration of the iconic burger and its legacy, which began when it was introduced in the Pittsburgh area in the late 1960s. The museum boasts countless pieces of McDonalds memorabilia, as well as information plaques describing the companys history. You can even pose for a photo in front of the worlds largest Big Mac.

Museum admission is free, but youll need to pay for any food if you get hungry. The North Huntingdon location is open from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, according to its store page on the McDonalds website.

600 N. Clark St., Chicago, Ill.

Back in Chicago, this McDonalds location offers a futuristic take on the ever-popular chain.

The roughly 19,000-square-foot location opened in August 2018 and is regarded as the Chicago Flagship of McDonalds. It is fitted with a green roof to emphasize the companys sustainability efforts, and the solar panels are expected to generate around 60% of the restaurants electricity needs.

The more modern take on the fast-food chain took the place of Chicagos iconic Rock N Roll McDonalds, which first opened in 1983. The gimmicky restaurant was once fitted with music memorabilia to offer a rock-themed tourist attraction. It was immortalized in song when Wesley Willis released Rock N Roll McDonalds in 1995.

18423 U.S. Route 20, Goshen, Ind.

This medieval-themed truck stop in Goshen, Ind., boasts plenty of amenities, including McDonalds and Subway restaurants. While the menu is not unique, this location resembles a castle out of a knights tale.

The Gallops truck stop, located at the intersection of U.S. Route 15 and Route 20, opened nearly a decade ago. Its owner told a local newspaper it hoped to combine an all-inclusive service with a flashy concept.

I was always fascinated by the regal-looking buildings, Harpreet Monte Singh, the truck stops owner, told The Goshen News in 2014. And just like fashions keep coming back, I just wanted to do something new. It was a concept that came in my mind and I just wanted to work on it. We just wanted to get all the things like gasoline, diesel, fast food, convenience items, beer and wine.

5425 N. Bend Road, Cincinnati, Ohio

Although this Cincinnati McDonalds may look ordinary, it played an enormous role in launching one of the companys most beloved products.

Lou Groen opened the restaurant in 1959, founding the first McDonalds in all of Ohio. His claim to fame, though, was developing the Filet-O-Fish sandwich that has captivated the chain restaurants customers ever since. The sandwich debuted in the early 1960s as the first addition to the original McDonalds menu, offering an alternative option during Lent for Catholic diners who would not eat meat on Fridays.

Today, Monfort Heights McDonalds features a memorial to Groen and the Filet-O-Fishs history.

7352 E St. (U.S. Route 37), Sunbury, Ohio

While this McDonalds location in Sunbury, Ohio, boasts an ordinary menu, it features a larger-than-life statue of Ronald McDonald outside that is sure to catch your attention if you drive by.
A Ukrainian tank at a shooting range near the frontline in Zaporizhzhia on March 29. Muhammed Enes Yildirim/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Western countries are hustling to deliver main battle tanks to Ukraine's military.

Tanks will be useful in taking on Russian tanks and fortifications in a counterattack this spring.

But Ukraine needs other armored vehicles to counterattack Russia effectively, one expert says.

Western nations  and Western media  have focused on meeting Ukraine's pleas for more tanks, but what Ukraine really needs is armored vehicles to carry infantry into battle, one expert argues.

Without those vehicles, Ukraine's large infantry force will lack the mobility to conduct a counteroffensive, according to Michael Kofman, director of the Russia Studies Program at the Center for Naval Analyses think tank.

During a trip to Ukraine, including to Bakhmut, in early March, Kofman came away thinking, "Dear God, that is a lot of infantry battalions, not a lot of mobility," he said during a March 9 episode of the Geopolitics Decanted podcast.

Ukraine is forming three new corps-size units to consolidate numerous brigades into larger formations in preparation for an armored counteroffensive. An army corps can have up to about 45,000 troops depending on the military, though if Ukraine continues to use Russian-style organization, its corps will probably be closer to 20,000 troops.

Destroyed armored personnel carriers and in a field in Bucha in April 2022. Alexey Furman/Getty Images

The problem is that Ukraine's current brigades lack heavily armed and armored infantry fighting vehicles  such as the US-made M-2 Bradley, Germany's Marder, or the Soviet-designed BMP  to equip mechanized infantry units sufficiently. Nor do they have enough trucks of the kind that carried motorized infantry into battle in World War II.

Some of these large brigades "feature seven infantry battalions per brigade," Kofman said. "There is no mechanization for them. There isn't actually a lot in the way of military motorization for them, either."

In the early days of the war, when Ukraine was on the defensive or fighting in rough terrain or urban environments like Bakhmut, infantry on foot  especially if well-armed with anti-tank weapons  were quite formidable.

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"It can hold defense all day long," Kofman said of those infantry-heavy units. "A seven-battalion infantry brigade can hold Bakhmut, don't get me wrong, but if you want that military to go a major offensive on the south, it needs to be driving in something."

Ukrainian soldiers change the tires on an armored personal carrier in Bakhmut in October. Jan Husar/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Armored troop carriers aren't the only thing Ukraine needs for a successful counteroffensive.

Ukrainian forces lack breaching equipment to penetrate and clear the numerous trench lines and minefields that Russia has constructed, especially in southern Ukraine, which is a prime target for a Ukrainian counterattack to cut off and recapture the Crimean peninsula.

Kofman pointed to a disastrous Russian attack near the town of Vuhledar in the Donetsk region, as well as Russian defenses around the southeastern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia.

"You see how much the Russian military struggles at Vuhledar, driving into the same minefield every morning, right?" Kofman said during a March 14 War on the Rocks podcast. "Well, if Ukrainian forces have to conduct a major assault against Russian positions, they're going to be running into minefields too. They're going to need breaching equipment. They're going to need combat engineering equipment."

Ukraine may also lack sufficient river-crossing equipment. Without the ability to build bridges strong enough to bear the weight of armored vehicles, a Ukrainian offensive would stall. Kofman said that problem may have held up the successful Ukrainian counteroffensive at Kharkiv last autumn.

A destroyed bridge across the Siverskiy-Donets River in Ukraine's Donbas region on in February. John Moore/Getty Images

"Why were Ukrainian forces not able to effectively capitalize on the momentum they had when Russian forces were routed and in disarray?" Kofman said. "One explanation could be a lack of bridging equipment, that they only had one pontoon bridge across the river at a key point for over a week."

Kofman and other observers are highlighting the challenge of building a well-balanced force, which has long vexed armies.

For Ukrainian troops to break the trench deadlock and eject Russian forces from their fortifications, they will need the ingredients of a proper mechanized, combined-arms offensive: tanks, infantry in armored vehicles that can keep up with the tanks, self-propelled artillery, combat engineers and bridging equipment, supply trucks, and so on.

But Ukraine now has limited supply over its arsenal  it is juggling a hodgepodge of Western-made equipment and is dependent on Western nations for spare parts and critical supplies, including ammunition.

If and when it launches that long-anticipated counteroffensive, Ukraine will do so with the army that it has rather than the one it needs.

Correction, April 6, 2023: This story has been updated to clarify that the Ukrainian military's current brigades lack armored vehicles and trucks to transport troops.

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
Experts say that being roofied can be traumatizing. (Illustration: Yahoo News Visuals; Photos: Getty Images)

Caitlin Gibson was 19 when she and a friend decided to spend a night out at a favorite bar. Though the friend quickly ditched her for a guy, Gibson says she didnt mind  this was a place where she was comfortable, one where she knew the bouncers and bartenders. The last thing Gibson remembers from the bar is grabbing a drink and heading to the dance floor.

The next thing I knew I was waking up in an unfamiliar room, she tells Yahoo Life. I was terrified, as I had no idea where I was and I didn't recognize my surroundings. I knew instantly that I had been roofied because that was only my first drink of the night, and I was usually a responsible drinker and didn't black out. I would have remembered buying and drinking more drinks. I also felt so extremely sick. It was much different than being hungover or having too much to drink.

A friend found her unconscious in a bar booth, alone. He tried to take her back to her own home, but since she wasnt able to share her address, he took her to his place to sleep.

Mia Mainville was out on New Years Eve when she and a friend decided to end their night at a restaurant. She had four drinks between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m., but says she felt more drunk than her alcohol intake would suggest.

I excused myself to the restroom, and do not have much memory of the following events, the Denver resident tells Yahoo Life. According to my roommate, after about 10 to 15 minutes in the bathroom, she decided to check on me, and found me face down on the floor, vomiting. She tried to sit me up and began asking me what was wrong, and I was completely unresponsive and not completely conscious.

Elijah Maidez, now 33, was 18 when he was drugged at a party. After just a few beers, he began to feel weird and disoriented.

My body was super heavy, and I couldn't seem to control my movements, he explains. The next thing I knew, I woke up across town in a bush, no shoes on, holding my skateboard. Unfortunately, the reason I knew I had been roofied was because someone else at the same party ended up in the hospital because of it. After they told me about their experience, it sounded too much like my own for it not to be the same thing. I felt weak and kind of sick the rest of the next day.

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The second time it happened, Maidez was 21. He was sexually assaulted at a party.

I was talking with people and remember the girl being kind of aggressive early on during the party. I had seen her a few times before but didn't really know her that well, he says. I had a few drinks and remember feeling exhausted and kind of nauseous. At this point, I told my friend I was going to lay down in the back bedroom because I didn't want to drive home. When I came to, she was already on top of me and had taken off my pants. I remember trying to say something and she just smiled and covered my mouth. I wanted to try and move so badly but I couldn't. It felt like my entire body was made of cement. I don't remember her leaving or the end of what happened.

What are roofies?

Dr. Kathryn Hawk, a Yale Medicine emergency medicine physician and associate professor of emergency medicine at Yale School of Medicine, tells Yahoo Life that the term roofie is a slang term for the drug Rohypnol.

It can cause sleepiness, slowed reaction time, unconsciousness, reduced inhibition and an inability to remember things. It is not currently legal to manufacture or use in the U.S., she says. Rohypnol and GHB (gamma hydroxybutyrate), along with dozens of other drugs that can cause similar effects, are commonly associated with sexual assault and are sometimes referred to as date-rape drugs.

For those who suspect they were roofied, it can be difficult to identify whether or not you have been drugged.

Some drugs, such as benzodiazepines, may show up on standard urine drug-screen tests for several days after exposure, but it is often not possible to identify what, if any, drug you were exposed to, Hawk notes.

That makes it all the more difficult to weed through the confusion that comes after being roofied  especially if it was by a stranger. Not much research is available on how many people are roofied each year. A 2016 study published in the journal Psychology of Violence, which surveyed 6,000 students at three different American universities, found that 7.8% of students had been drugged before without their knowledge, while 1.8% said they had drugged someone else.

Nearly 11 million women in the U.S. have been raped while drunk, drugged or high, according to the Office on Women's Health, and the U.S. Department of Justice says this trend appears to be rising. While roofies are typically referred to as date rape drugs, there are also druggings without a sexual assault motivation, such as when someone uses these drugs to incapacitate a person in order to rob them more easily.

'It stole a big chunk of my innocence'

The people Yahoo Life spoke with say that being roofied took a big emotional toll on their lives.

Gibson says that her experience was hard and that she had trouble trusting anyone for a long time after that, because I never discovered who roofied me.

She adds: It stole a big chunk of my innocence, and I stopped being so friendly with other people. It made me more cautious as well, because from that point on, I made sure that I only went out with a close group of girlfriends that I knew would protect me if anything happened and wouldn't leave me alone.

Maidez calls his experience of being assaulted by a woman while drugged both embarrassing and shameful.

I never said anything about it to anyone else, just because I am a guy. The girl was tiny," he shares. At 6-foot-1, he says, "I should have been able to do something about it. I kept the secret for a long time after that.

It can also be difficult for people who have experienced such an attack to find anything resembling justice in these cases.

Lynn Julian was roofied while at a corporate event in 2012. She tells Yahoo Life that hospital staff assumed she was an alcoholic after her boyfriend brought her in to an emergency room, having found her on the sidewalk. Julian says she lost six hours of time, but the only thing the hospital did was check her blood alcohol levels.

Mainville was also angry with how her case was handled. She had gone to the hospital after being roofied, and in the morning, asked for a drug test. The hospital told her she would need to file a police report to receive one.

Because I was not unaccounted for during the time when the drugs had hit my system, I had no concern about sexual assault, she explains. When I arrived at the Denver police station to file my report, they asked if I had been assaulted. I responded that I hadn't, and the officer said that there was no reason for me to file a report if I had not been assaulted.

While she says she felt mentally clouded for five days after she was roofied, it was the lack of response, support and action by the police and hospital that resulted in a lot of internalized shame, trauma and embarrassment.

Mainville says that comments made by hospital staff and officers led me to question whether or not it had been my fault that this had happened to me  perhaps that I shouldn't go out to bars, or that maybe I shouldn't try to go out and enjoy myself at all because the city is too dangerous, or perhaps that being a single woman in a short dress on a holiday is too enticing for predators.

Nevertheless, Mainville says that she is adamant" about the fact that, as she puts it, "I should not have to change my behavior to allow for predators to run rampant." She notes that many products these days are marketed to women to prevent druggings and assault, but although it can be helpful to have them on hand, she sees no reason why potential victims should have to absolve their assailants of responsibility for the attacks.

Julian shares that, to this day, "the biggest emotional scars from that trauma resulted from how the staff at the ER treated me, not from the person who roofied me. Hospital staff need much better sensitivity training on how to deal with women who may have been abused. Whether they come in drunk or not, women need to be treated with respect and empathy.

Dealing with the trauma of being roofied

Dr. Shaili Jain, a psychiatrist, specialist in post-traumatic stress syndrome and the author of The Unspeakable Mind, tells Yahoo Life: The fact that a person was exposed to the threat of serious injury or the threat of sexual violence can itself be traumatic  not to mention the horrific violation of being drugged against your will and without your consent.

She explains that these are all "traumatizing situations where people can feel fear, helplessness or horror  all emotions commonly associated with trauma.

Jain says that, for those who have experienced trauma, its important to surround yourself with supportive people and seek help from a licensed professional if these emotions become difficult to manage.

Along with the fact that it can be challenging to make sure the perpetrator is prosecuted, Thea Gallagher, a clinical assistant professor of psychology at NYU Langone Health and co-host of the Mind in View podcast, points out that Justice doesnt necessarily solve trauma.

We think that their payment is going to make the pain go away, but theyre two very separate things, Gallagher explains. It might be comforting to know that, Hey, even if I did get justice, this would still be something I would have to process through, regardless." She adds: "Sometimes bad people do bad things, and we have to live in a world where that exists, which can be a really overwhelming thought, but we can only control what we can control.

Gallagher also says that its important to remember who is really at fault  the perpetrator, and not the victim.

Sometimes people blame themselves and say, Oh, I shouldnt have gone to that party, I shouldnt have been drinking, she says. But sometimes it can be helpful to say, What would you say to someone else? What would you say to a friend you really love? Sometimes we victim-blame ourselves to make it so this cant happen in the future, but its scarier to say, Sometimes people take advantage of people, and that sucks.

Wellness, parenting, body image and more: Get to know the who behind the hoo with Yahoo Life's newsletter. Sign up here.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 4)  The European Union (EU) hopes to execute programs to help improve the Philippines maritime industry before the end of the year, its envoy said on Tuesday.

Before the end of the year we will have in place something that we can work together, EU Ambassador to the Philippines Luc Veron told CNN Philippines The Source.

The EU Commission for Transport announced on March 31 that it will continue recognizing seafarers certificate issued by the Philippine government. It noted Manilas efforts to comply with the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification, and Watchkeeping (STCW) for seafarers.

It also cited areas that Philippines needs to improve on, like monitoring, supervision, and evaluation of training; examination and assessment of competence; and program and course design.

READ: DOTr wants inter-agency efforts to address maritime industry issues

While there has been sufficient progress in addressing these, Veron said the EU will continue monitoring the Philippines compliance with standards.

The EU will also provide assistance, which will be more on transfer of knowledge through technical assistance, to improve Manilas maritime education, he noted.

This is something that we have to discuss first with our experts, the European Maritime Safety Agency in Lisbon, and the experts on the Philippines side so that we can find the best way to help, Veron added.

The envoy said this will not only benefit Filipino seafarers, but also their families because it will ensure they get quality education. Furthermore, this will allow them to be hired and work on the best ships worldwide, he added.

Prior to the release of EUs decision, it warned the Philippines in December 2021 that seafarers certificates it is issuing would be revoked if the country fails to comply with international standards.

The Department of Foreign Affairs earlier warned that 50,000 Filipino seafarers in the EU are at risk of losing their livelihood if the commission decided to push through with the revocation.

Veron said the EU continuously values Filipino seafarers for their competency and discipline.

In terms of being employed on these ships, the Philippines getting good education and being a Filipino is a good thing, he noted.
Californias snowpack is one of the deepest on record  a big win for the drought-stricken state  but as temperatures rise, flooding concerns loom.

Average statewide snow water equivalent was 61.1 inches as of Monday morning, or 237% of Californias average for the date and 235% of its average for April 1.

Heres what to know about the states flood mitigation plans, reservoirs and groundwater:

What is the state doing to prepare for snow melt?

The State-Federal Flood Operations Center  which coordinates local, state and federal response  was activated March 9, said Jeremy Arrich, division of flood management at the Department of Water Resources at the snow survey discussion Monday.

We do expect to remain activated in the foreseeable future for the spring snow melt that typically begins in April, Arrich said. As that unfolds, we will remain on the ready and here to work with our local partners.

Where will all the water go? Officials want as much of that flood water as possible someplace underground.

We have a few months probably in the runoff season to do that, said Jeanine Jones, interstate resource manager at the Department of Water Resources.

Thats the big focus

Groundwater accounts for an average of 41% of the states total water supply and is a key to fully recover from the drought.

In early March, Gov. Gavin Newsoms office announced an executive order to allow for immediate groundwater replenishment through existing infrastructure and recharge locations or temporary pumps.

How full are reservoirs and rivers?

Most of the states major reservoirs are at or above average levels right now, Jones said.

Twelve of Californias 17 major reservoirs were at or above their average levels for this time of year, according to state water data updated Monday, including the two largest, Shasta Lake (106%) and Lake Oroville (116%).

Statewide, reservoir levels stood at 107% of normal, a figure Sean de Guzman, snow survey manager for the Department of Water Resources, said is likely to increase significantly as snow melts this spring and summer.

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The Department of Water Resources last month boosted its projection for deliveries by the State Water Project to 75% of requested water, up from 35% announced in February and 5% late last year. The State Water Project supplies water to agencies that serve 27 million Californians.

Where is the flood risk?

The flood operations center has been responding to levee concerns, specifically along the San Joaquin River and its tributaries, Arrich said.

It is supporting emergency response in the Tulare Lake Basin and Lower San Joaquin River, according to a news release.

Within the San Joaquin Valley there are two forecasted locations that are expected to reach flood stage over the next five days and four locations expected to be at monitor stage.

The San Joaquin River levels are expected to remain high through much of the spring and into the early summer, said Arrich during a snow survey discussion.

According to the California Nevada River Forecast Center, as of Monday the San Joaquin River at Vernalis and the Merced River at Stevinson are in flood stages already.

Three locations along the San Joaquin River in the Central Valley are in the monitor stage. The Tuolumne River in Merced is also in a monitor stage as of April 3.

What do you want to know about life in Sacramento? Ask our service journalism team your top-of-mind questions in the module below or email servicejournalists@sacbee.com.
President Biden is not focused on former President Trumps arraignment, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Tuesday, just moments after Trump surrendered at a Manhattan courthouse.

The presidents going to focus on the American people like he does every day, this is not something that is a focus for him, she said.

Jean-Pierre started her briefing just as Trump arrived at the courthouse, where he was to be arraigned on criminal charges. Throughout the briefing, she largely refused to comment on the arraignment and pushed back on reporters questions about why.

When asked if Biden has been briefed on the situation with his predecessor in New York, she said what I can tell you for sure is that the president is focused on the American people, that I know for sure.

Jean-Pierre also said Biden will inevitably stay informed with the news considering the wide media coverage. Reporters and cameras swarmed the courthouse on Tuesday for the history-making event.

Of course, this is playing out on many of the networks here on a daily basis for hours and hours, so obviously he will catch parts of the news, she said.

For most of the briefing, though, as Americans waited for updates on the former presidents arraignment, Jean-Pierre wouldnt provide an answer to various questions on the arraignment and the historic nature of the day.

I love how you guys are asking me this in different ways, she said.

Fox News Peter Doocy questioned why Jean-Pierre didnt have more to say, adding, for better or worse, all of everybody in the country is talking about at this exact moment, while were in here, is Trump.

I think the American people should feel reassured that when there is an ongoing case like this one, that were just not commenting, Jean-Pierre said in response.

Meanwhile, New York Times Michael Shear compared the White House declining to comment about Trumps arraignment to the fact that the White House has commented on the riots at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

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The president has never shied away when it comes to our democracy, she said. It was a different, different moment and a different time.

She said Jan. 6 was historic, and Shear pushed back, considering the similar nature of Trumps arraignment.

January 6 was a different moment, it just was, she reiterated. It was something that was incredibly devastating, people died in that day and were harmed.

Biden has also largely declined to comment on the indictment. The White House said last week that it wasnt given advance warning that Trump would be indicted.

The White House has also insisted that it is prepared in the event of unrest surrounding the arraignment. Biden said on Monday that he has faith in New York Citys police ahead of potential unrest in the city.

On Tuesday, supporters and critics of the former president were gathered outside the courthouse and some anti-Trump protesters cheered as Trump walked into the building.

A grand jury voted Thursday to indict Trump on criminal charges for his role in organizing hush money payments made to an adult film star during his 2016 campaign. The indictment follows an investigation by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D) that centered on a $130,000 payment fixer Michael Cohen made to adult film star Stormy Daniels.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Donald Trump made history on Tuesday when he was booked and arraigned in a Manhattan courthouse as the first former president ever to face criminal charges. But historians are looking beyond his indictment with anxiety over what might follow.

With the former president refusing to negotiate a plea deal with prosecutors in New York, where he confronts state-level charges that are shielded from presidential pardons, scholars are struggling to identify an off-ramp for Trump from a criminal trial as he seeks a second White House term in 2024  a high-stakes test of the rule of law that could upend the presidency itself.

The imagery and spectacle of Tuesdays developments produced indelible artifacts in the national memory  the scene of a former president sitting sternly before the court  but historians consider the drama of arraignment as less a significant milestone than the start of an uncertain, potentially destabilizing chapter in American politics, in which a leader could seek the nations highest office while facing the real possibility of jail time.

The off-ramp is running out the clock on the legal system, said Douglas Brinkley, a presidential historian and professor at Rice University. Its going to rain indictments on Trump this spring, and then hes going to do what hes made a lifetime of doing: obfuscate, delay, game the system to stall.

Trump faces 34 felony counts in New York related to a scheme in which he allegedly paid to silence women over extramarital affairs, shortly before the 2016 presidential election. He is also the target of an array of other state and federal investigations over his handling of classified documents and efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.

His best bet to avoid prosecution that could land him in jail is to win the presidency in 2024, Brinkley added. Its a mad race for Trump to Election Day.

READ MORE: Donald Trump, indicted in New York, is first ex-U.S. president to face criminal charges

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FEW OFF-RAMPS TO TRIAL

It is not the first time that a current or former president has been accused of criminal behavior.

Warren Harding died while in office before facing likely corruption charges in what became known as the Teapot Dome scandal. Richard Nixon almost faced a grand jury indictment on charges of bribery, conspiracy, and obstruction of justice before receiving a presidential pardon from his successor, Gerald Ford. And Bill Clinton negotiated a deal with a special prosecutor to avoid charges in exchange for admitting he lied under oath over an affair with a White House intern.

Trump can always change his mind on negotiating a plea agreement. But he will otherwise have to secure a dismissal or acquittal in the courtroom, or win back the White House  a path that would force unprecedented questions on the immunity of the president.

RELATED CONTENT: Records, not hush money, key to Trump charges. Making case in court poses challenges

In some ways, this is a great moment  we say that no one is above the law and were going to see if that really applies, said Peter Kastor, chair of the History Department at Washington University in St. Louis.

Whether a sitting president can be criminally prosecuted over personal activity while in office remains an unsettled constitutional matter that was feverishly debated during Trumps presidency, when a special counsel, Robert Mueller, investigated his alleged ties to Russias campaign to subvert the 2016 election. Legal experts are torn on the question, which has never been tested at the Supreme Court.

He is not the first former president who lost after one term who ran again, Kastor said, but it is the prevailing legal ensnarement surrounding him that makes his third run for the presidency so peculiar.

Jane Dailey, a professor of history at the University of Chicago, said she and her colleagues in the field have exchanged concerns in recent days over the optics of a former president being indicted on obscure charges that could be difficult for the public to justify or understand.

A trial would be, like everything involving Donald Trump, a media circus  but you cant not do it because of that, Dailey said. The real challenge is going to be whether these charges will be easy to explain to the American people.

Opinion: Trump indictment has 2024 implications for both of Floridas most famous politicians. But what?

Trump is not expected to face jail time even if he is convicted on all the counts against him in New York. But the indictment itself could evolve in real time as the trial proceeds. Prosecutors could add charges, known as superseding indictments, if they believe Trump is attempting to obstruct justice or intimidate the court  a move that could change the calculus of the prosecutors and the presiding judge on what sentence is warranted in the event he is convicted.

Already, Trump has attacked the judge presiding over his arraignment and the Manhattan district attorney, Alvin Bragg.

The former president faces state and federal criminal charges from other investigations, as well.

In Georgia, prosecutors are considering whether Trump violated state election and anti-racketeering laws when he attempted to convince local officials to overturn the 2020 presidential election results there.

Jack Smith, a special counsel appointed by the Justice Department, is also considering whether Trump broke federal law by attempting to overturn the 2020 election and encouraging a mob of his supporters to storm the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, disrupting congressional certification of the results. In a separate probe, the special counsel is investigating whether Trump violated the law by mishandling highly classified national security documents.

Its certainly not unique for presidents to be struggling on the edges of the legal system, said Andrew Rudalevige, a professor of government at Bowdoin College and author of The New Imperial Presidency: Renewing Presidential Power after Watergate.

Where we could verge into that broader meaning of unprecedented is if, as expected, other indictments come down around the Georgia election process, the handling of classified documents, and Jan. 6, Rudalevige said. If there is a critical mass of indictments that come through, will the Party of Lincoln, the GOP, continue to hitch its wagon to him?

ANOTHER NORM SHATTERED

Braggs decision to seek charges against the former president last week marked a first in American history. But the power of that unprecedented move may be blunted in the historical record if additional indictments follow from other investigations in the coming months, supplanted by a larger story of a brash figure whose flouting approach to the rule of law ultimately caught up with him.

The fact of being the first president to be criminally indicted is going to be up there in the summary biography of Donald Trump. But its going to be part of this longer take on his very aggressive approach to the law, to governing, Rudalevige said.

Allies of Trump warn that his trial will open a new chapter of political prosecutions. But of all the norms that have been shattered throughout Trumps tenure in public life, the expectation that current and former presidents are immune from prosecution doesnt seem like the right one to stand firm on, Dailey said, noting that elected leaders in other democracies such as Brazil, South Korea and Israel have faced legal accountability.

Following the course of the law in the moment that were in seems the lesser of two evils  the right thing to do, and likely to be so in retrospect, just as many historians believe that Richard Nixon should have had to follow the course of the law, Dailey said.

Trump is already in poor standing among presidential historians. A C-SPAN survey among them conducted in 2021 ranked Trump among the worst presidents since the countrys founding.

But the American people are much more forgiving with their presidents than historians are, Kastor said.

One thing that we know is that immediate past presidents tend to cause very strong reactions  people tend to really like them or really dont  and over time, they all tend to move to a middle zone of popularity, Kastor said.

What really matters isnt what historians think, he added. What matters is what Americans think.
The White House announced plans Tuesday designed to drive green energy investment in communities that have struggled to rebound from coal plant and other fossil fuel shutdowns.

The Biden administration will provide billions of dollars in tax incentives for clean energy developers and facilities to build projects in applicable communities, according to a joint announcement from the White House, Treasury Department and Department of Energy (DOE). The bonuses are in addition to the generous tax credits for the green energy industry earmarked in the Inflation Reduction Act.

"President Biden came to the White House to end years of big words but little action to help energy-producing parts of the country, who for decades saw jobs exported out and products imported in, all while other countries surpassed the United States in critical sectors like infrastructure, clean energy and semiconductors," the White House said in a statement.

"President Bidens Investing in America Agenda is already turning the tide, bringing manufacturing jobs back home and ensuring we rebuild our economy from the bottom-up and the middle-out, not top-down, so that no community is left behind."

COAL MINERS SLAM BIDEN AS WHITE HOUSE WALKS BACK 'SHUT DOWN' PLEDGE: 'TRYING TO DESTROY THE COUNTRY'

"We're going to be shutting these plants down all across America and having wind and solar power," Biden said late last year.

As part of the actions, the Treasury Department and IRS released guidance outlining tax incentives to "incentivize more clean energy investment in energy communities, particularly coal communities." The agencies will also create an online tool to help identify energy communities eligible for the bonuses.

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

In addition, the DOE announced it would make $450 million from the 2021 infrastructure law available for clean energy demonstration projects on mine lands. The agency said "repurposing" land previously used for mines would provide "new economic opportunities for historic coal and mining communities."

NATIVE AMERICAN TRIBES DEPENDENT ON FOSSIL FUEL RESOURCES RIP BIDEN ADMIN FOR DOUBLE STANDARD

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And the DOE will also make $16 million available to the University of North Dakota and West Virginia University for critical mineral refinery projects.

"Todays funding will support a first-in-the-nation facility that will convert legacy fossil fuel waste into a domestic source of critical minerals needed to strengthen our clean energy supply chains," Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said.

"President Bidens Investing in America agenda is helping reduce our overreliance on adversarial nations and positioning the country as a global manufacturing leader  while supporting communities that have helped power our nation for generations."

Conveyor belts carry bituminous coal from the Road Fork 52 coal mine in August 2022 in Pineville, W. Va.

According to the White House, the announcement builds on more than $14 billion that the federal government has already infused in coal and power plant communities. It also builds on $7.4 billion in private sector investments that have been made in those communities.

Meanwhile, the Biden administration has taken actions aimed at shutting down coal plants as part of its effort to fight climate change. When burned, coal produces more carbon dioxide emissions than any other fossil fuel.

BIDEN DOUBLES DOWN ON GREEN ENERGY AS OPEC CUTS PRODUCTION, PRICES SOAR

In 2021, the DOE let its National Coal Council charter lapse, effectively ending the 40-year-old coal production advisory panel. The Biden administration has also pursued emissions standards and restrictions targeting the coal industry.

"We're going to be shutting these plants down all across America and having wind and solar power," Biden remarked during an event in California in November.

"[It is] cheaper to generate electricity from wind and solar than it is from coal and oil. Literally cheaper. Not a joke."

About 58% of all U.S. electricity generation capacity expected to end this year will be from coal plants, federal data shows. And nearly 25% of the current operating coal-fired fleet  a staggering 46.1 gigawatts of capacity  is slated to retire by 2029.

"It's absolutely horrible," Brandon Richardson, a West Virginia coal miner, told FOX Business last year. "I think this administration is trying to destroy the country with these thoughts of Green New Deal being the wave of the future when, as a country, we are definitely not set up for strictly wind, solar, water power, whatever you want to go to that's green.

"We just do not have the infrastructure in place to handle that," he said. "And with the abundance of coal in this country and the way we've changed the regulations and the companies have changed to burn coal cleaner than pretty much any country out there, there's really no reason to do away with something that can keep us energy independent."
Deleila Piasko, Ralph Amoussou, Lucas Englander, Gillian Jacobs, Cory Michael Smith and Amit Rahav in Transatlantic. (Netflix)

Arriving on Friday, 7 April, 2023, Transatlantic is the latest drama to hit Netflix that has its roots in real-life events.

Created by author and screenwriter Anna Winger, the show tells the story of Varian Fry, an American journalist who put his life on the line to travel to Nazi-occupied France to secure the safe escape of writers, artists, creators, refugees and anti-Nazis to America during World War II.

With an ensemble cast that includes Gothams Cory Michael Smith and Communitys Gillian Jacobs, Transatlantic is the latest production from Winger  a screenwriter who produced and developed the popular German series Deutschland 83, Deutschland 86, Deutschland 89 and Unorthodox in addition to penning the novel This Must Be the Place.

Read more: The incredible true story behind Cocaine Bear

Told in German, French and English, it looks set to be your new European drama obsession  but who is the brave individual at its core? Read on to learn the remarkable true story of Varian Fry.

Who was Varian Fry in Transatlantic?

Cory Michael Smith as Varian Fry, Amit Rahav as Thomas Lovegrove and other cast members in Transatlantic. (Netflix)

In Netflixs new mini-series Transatlantic, Cory Michael Smith plays Varian Fry, an American journalist who facilitated a rescue route between Nazi-occupied France and America that ultimately helped around 2000 to 4000 refugees avoid persecution.

Among these refugees were Jewish people and those who were against the war in Germany  but who was the man at the centre of this highly fraught rescue operation?

Varian Fry was born in New York City in 1907 and it wasnt long before his dedication to helping others materialised. By the age of nine, he was reported to have set up a fundraising operation for the American Red Cross during World War I that involved hosting his own ice cream stand and vaudeville show.

His dedication to doing his part continued into his educational years. Skilled in speaking multiple languages, he developed a keen interest in journalism whilst studying at Harvard University where he eventually founded his own student newspaper, Hound & Horn.

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Read more: Everything new on Netflix in April

Upon graduating, Fry began working for The Living Age, an American journal that ultimately sent him to Berlin in 1935. It was during his time where he witnessed first-hand the persecution of the Jewish people under Nazi rule.

The experience had a profound impact, with Fry later explaining that he could not remain idle as long as I had any chances at all of saving even a few of its intended victims."

With a new focus, Fry began writing about the issue in The New York Times and by 1940 he had begun formulating a plan to actively help as many of these persecuted people as he could.

Did Varian Fry save refugees during World War II?

Portrait of American journalist Varian Fry. (Fred Stein Archive/Archive Photos/Getty Images)

With the support of First Lady Elenor Roosevelt and some friends, Fry formed the Emergency Rescue Committee and travelled to Marseille in France to help those looking to escape the Nazis and ensure that the various issues relating to exit visas were overcome.

Initially, he had just a short list of names that he was hoping to help but word about the ERC soon got out, attracting the attention of hundreds of artists, musicians and anti-Nazi authors in addition to those who were also facing arrest by the Gestapo.

Later, Fry was able to hide a number of people in the Villa Air-Bel before they could be smuggled to Spain, then Portugal before finally arriving in America as refugees.

Along the way, he secured the help of an heiress and art-lover known as Mary Jayne Gold who is brought to life in Transatlantic by Jacobs and helped secure financing for this risky operation.

Read more: Best movies to watch on UK TV over Easter Weekend

Throughout this time, thousands of visas were issued in order to ensure the safety of refugees some legally, and some by other means. However, Frys clandestine work was soon discovered by French authorities and the United States State Department, forcing him to leave the country in 1941.

Despite this, just a year later the ERC transitioned into the International Relief and Rescue Committee alongside the European International Relief Association. The organisation still exists to this day and offers help to those who need it.

When is Transatlantic released?

Viewers won't have to wait long to see Fry's story brought to life on Netflix. Transatlantic debuts on Friday, 7 April and will feature seven episodes.

Transatlantic is released on Friday, 7 April.
Celebrity Sightings In New York - April 03, 2023

Former President Donald Trump is seen on April 3, 2023 in New York City. Trump is scheduled to be arraigned the next day at a Manhattan courthouse following his indictment by a grand jury. Credit - Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images

Former President Donald Trump is expected to surrender to the Manhattan District Attorneys office on Tuesday to face criminal charges. While most people in that situation have to pose for a mug shot, it is not clear if the former President will be made to do so. And if he does, its not known when or even if that historic image will be made public. The state of New York does not normally release mug shot photos.

So on Monday, barring a leak from someone on the inside, a few Trump supporters began discussing ways to create fake mug shots. In online pro-Trump groups, they spread false rumors that New York officials had removed all criminal mug shots from the Internet in order not to have to release the former Presidents photo. Lets make our own version and circulate it! one person posted on a popular pro-Trump forum. No one will know whats real! Another person posted If they dont release the mug shot immediately, just stage a mug shot as to not hold up any billboards, t-shirts, posters, or fundraising drives.

In recent years, doctored images of Trump in jail, handcuffs, or otherwise being held accountable for criminal charges were widely spread by left-wing critics. (This includes photoshopped TIME Magazine covers showing Trump in an orange prison jumpsuit that went viral during his presidency.) But the enthusiastic embrace of these images by his own supporters shows the extent to which they believe that any evidence of Trumps prosecution only strengthens the narrative that this is a politicized witch hunt.

More from TIME

Read More: Live Updates on Trumps Indictment

Literally just give me a poster or a mug of his mug shot [photoshopped] over an American flag and Ill buy your entire stock, one person posted on a pro-Trump online forum. I will be the first to put that mug shot on my new T-shirt and wear it around everywhere, while talking the gospel of MAGA & martyrdom! another posted. We will take whatever mug shot comes out and meme Trump back into the White House with it.

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Claire Wardle, a professor at Brown Universitys School of Public Health who specializes on misinformation and user-generated content, says that theres been a spike in people creating fake images in recent weeks due to advances in AI technology. Already, fake images depicting Trumps arrest, French President Emmanuel Macron in the streets of Paris, and even the Pope wearing a Balenciaga puffer jacket, have gone viral online, fooling many internet users.

These kinds of conversations show that the real danger isnt always people being misled, its the fact that over time people are increasingly struggling to know what or who to trust, she says. As this [user] says explicitly no one will know whats real!thats often the aim of those sowing disinformation.

Read More: How to Spot an AI-Generated Image Like the Balenciaga Pope

Over the last couple months, publicly-accessible AI-image generation tools, such as Midjourney, have grown powerful enough to generate photorealistic imagery. While the image of the Pope did contain some telltale signs of fakerysuch as blurry hands and drooping eyeglassesit was convincing enough to fool many internet users, including the celebrity Chrissy Teigen. I thought the Popes puffer jacket was real and didnt give it a second thought, she wrote. No way am I surviving the future of technology.

Although no convincing fake images of Trumps mug shot have gone viral yet, Wardle says its likely people will see fake and AI generated mug shots of Trump in the coming days.

For Trump, the historic mug shot image could be used as fuel for campaign attacks ads and donor appeals to capture the collective sense of grievance among the MAGA faithful. Trump has already raised more than $5 million after news broke on Thursday that a Manhattan grand jury indicted him over charges related to hush money payments to a porn star ahead of the 2016 election.

Read More: How Trump Is Negotiating the Details of His Indictment to Maximize the Drama

And as Trump prepares for his day in court on Tuesday, hes likely getting ready to choreograph the spectacle that would follow. Well have a mug shot. For the record, it will be the most manly, most masculine, most handsome mug shot of all time, joked Hogan Gidley, a former Trump White House spokesman who still speaks regularly with Trump. I can say that definitely, before having even seen it.

But there may be some hesitancy within Trumps inner circle. One of Trumps attorneysAlina Habbatold CNN on Monday that theres no need for the former President to even take one. Mug shots are for people so that you recognize who they are. He is the most recognized face in the world, let alone the country right now, so theres no need for that. Theres no need for the theatrics, she said.

I do have a problem with leaking of pictures, Habba added. I think that because were in a campaign, because hes the leading GOP candidate, its not going to help anything.
A person enters the Summit County Board of Elections Early Vote Center on Wednesday, April 13, 2022, in Akron, Ohio.

Early voting for the May 2 primary election started in Summit County and across Ohio this week.

This is the first election since Gov. Mike DeWine signed legislation that changed policies on mail-in voting, ballot drop boxes and more. Photo identification will be required to vote.

In Summit County, there are about 50 fewer precincts in this election after the board of elections in December approved a redrawing of the county's precinct boundaries.

Here's everything you need to know about the reprecincting; how, where and when to vote in Summit County; and what's on your ballot.

Why did my polling place or election precinct change in Summit County?

Summit County previously had 420 precincts. It now has 371, with the board of elections adopting the new precinct boundary maps in December.

According to the board of elections, precincts were realigned due to multiple city ward and County Council boundary changes for the 2023 and 2024 elections. More people are also voting absentee in recent elections.

"We had some room that we could increase the number of registered voters per precinct," Summit County Board of Elections Director Lance Reed said. "We didn't want to go outrageous with any significant drop, but we felt that 370 range was comfortable to make sure that we could still have the right amount of voting equipment for voters as they come in to vote at the polls."

The board of elections redrew the precinct boundaries with the assistance of Florida-based geographic information systems technology company International Computer Works.

Per state law, precincts can't contain more than 1,400 voters. The board of elections can decide what a "reasonable number" of voters per precinct is "after taking into consideration the type and amount of available equipment, prior voter turnout, the size and location of each selected polling location, available parking, availability of an adequate number of precinct election officials and handicap accessibility and other accessibility to the polling location," the Ohio secretary of state's election official manual states.

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The board of elections in late March mailed notices to all nearly 367,000 registered Summit County voters that said, In conjunction with a number of cities in Summit County that were required by their Charter to update their Ward boundaries following the release of the 2020 Federal Census data, the Summit County Board of Elections has redrawn its voting Precinct boundaries.

"We wanted to kind of get them out in a timely fashion so that people would get them early enough," Reed said. "That gave everybody somewhere in the range of five, five-and-a-half weeks before Election Day."

Although the number of precincts dropped, the number of polling locations in the county did not change, nor did the locations of polling places, Reed said.

Precincts and polling locations also didn't change for every single voter, but the board of elections is required by law to notify all voters of the changes, Reed said.

"We reprecincted the entire county," Reed said. "Some communities redrew ward boundaries, like the city of Akron redrew ward boundaries; some communities didn't...We had state district changes between state representative, state senator, all those different things, that it was a multitude of different variations that kind of led to changes for people."

To view precinct maps and polling locations, visit boe.ohio.gov/summit/precinct-and-polling-location-info/maps/ or lookup.boe.ohio.gov/vtrapp/summit/precandpoll.aspx.

Summit County Board of Elections Director Lance Reed (left) and Deputy Director Pete Zeigler (right) review names in a book of candidates who filed to run in the May 2 primary.

How do I look up my polling place and election precinct in Summit County?

To find your polling location, visit lookup.boe.ohio.gov/vtrapp/summit/pollfinder.aspx. To look up your voter information, visit lookup.boe.ohio.gov/vtrapp/summit/vtrlookup.aspx.

Do I need a photo ID to vote?

Under the state's new election law, voters are required to show photo ID at the polls.

A Democratic law firm sued Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose on behalf of several groups, arguing the law will disenfranchise voters  particularly the elderly, military voters and people of color. The case is ongoing in federal court, and the judge hasn't issued any orders to keep the law from taking effect. The Ohio Republican Party and two election workers filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit.

To vote in-person, either early or on Election, Day, voters have to show an Ohio driver's license, state of Ohio ID card or interim ID form from the Ohio BMV; a U.S. passport or passport card; or a U.S. military, Ohio National Guard or U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs ID card.

The new law allows Ohioans 17 and older to receive a free state ID card.

Photo IDs must have an expiration date that hasnt passed, a photograph of the voter and the voters name. An unexpired Ohio drivers license, state ID card or interim documentation with your former address is an acceptable form of ID when your current address is in the pollbook.

Voters cant use a drivers license or photo ID card issued by a state other than Ohio, Social Security card, birth certificate, insurance card, utility bill, bank statement, government check paycheck, other government document or registration acknowledgment notice from the county board of elections.

Those without a valid form of identification can cast a provisional ballot, but they have to return to the board of elections within four days of Election Day to provide a qualifying form of identification for the ballot to be counted.

Boards of elections have until eight days after the election, May 10, to determine what provisional ballots can be counted.

Those without a photo ID because of a religious objection to being photographed can complete an affidavit of religious objection and have their provisional ballot count.

When does early in-person voting and voting by mail start?

Military and overseas absentee voting started March 17. Absentee voting by mail and early in-person voting started Tuesday, April 4.

To vote by mail, you need to provide a copy of your photo ID, driver's license number or the last four digits of your Social Security number.

Absentee ballots can be returned by mail or delivered to your county board of elections.

The new law requires Ohioans who want to vote by mail to submit an application at least seven days before Election Day. That puts the deadline at April 25 for the May election, with absentee ballot applications required to be received by your board of elections by 8:30 p.m. April 25.

The absentee ballot postmark deadline is May 1. May 6  four days after the election instead of 10 under the old law  is the last day for boards of elections to receive absentee ballots postmarked by May 1.

To request an absentee ballot, visit boe.ohio.gov/summit/absentee-information/absentee-voting/ and print and fill out the application. You can drop it off at or mail it to the Summit County Board of Elections Absentee Department, 470 Grant St. Akron, OH, 44311.

To check your absentee request or ballot, visit lookup.boe.ohio.gov/vtrapp/summit/avlookup.aspx.

Counties are allowed to install one drop box at the board of elections office for voters or their near relatives to return absentee ballots anytime before 7:30 p.m. May 2, when the polls close.

Curbside voting is prohibited, unless someone has a disability and can't enter their polling place. In those cases, voters can cast ballots in their car or at the door of their polling location.

The Summit County Board of Elections.

When is early in-person voting in Ohio?

Early in-person voting for this election is:

April 4-7: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

April 10-14: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

April 17-21: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

April 24: 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

April 25: 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.

April 26-28: 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

April 29: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

April 30: 1 to 5 p.m.

In-person voting is no longer allowed the Monday before Election Day, but those hours were redistributed to another time.

When is the primary election in Ohio?

The primary election is on May 2, with polls open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Whats on my ballot in Summit County?

Voters will be choosing the Democratic and Republican candidates for Akron mayor, Akron City Council, Barberton mayor, Barberton finance director, Barberton law director, Barberton City Council, Barberton Municipal Court judge, Tallmadge mayor, Tallmadge finance director, Tallmadge law director and Tallmadge City Council (some races are uncontested). (Editor's note: This list of candidates has been updated with the accurate information of those appearing on the ballot in May.)

Akron mayor candidates: These eight people want to be the next mayor of Akron. See who has filed to run for office

Issues include a replacement and increase parks tax levy in Coventry Township; a replacement trash tax levy in Richfield Township; a replacement roads tax levy in Reminderville; renewal tax levies in the Stow-Munroe Falls, Green, Manchester and Woodridge school districts; additional tax levies in the Mogadore and Springfield school districts; and several local liquor options in Akron, Barberton, Cuyahoga Falls, Norton and Stow.

For a full list of candidates and issues, visit lookup.boe.ohio.gov/vtrapp/summit/ballotlist.aspx.

This election is not a countywide election, so not every precinct will be voting.

Where can I get more information on voting in Ohio?

For more information on voting and the election, visit voteohio.gov or boe.ohio.gov/summit/ or call the Summit County Board of Elections at 330-643-5200.

USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau reporter Haley BeMiller contributed reporting. Contact Beacon Journal reporter Emily Mills at emills@thebeaconjournal.com and on Twitter @EmilyMills818.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: May primary election in Summit County: What you need to know
Protesters outside Trump Tower Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images

Seven years ago, facing a massive civil fraud lawsuit against his eponymous for-profit university, then-candidate Donald Trump shocked and offended legal observers by launching into an extended series of attacks on the federal judge presiding over the suit, claiming U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel's "Mexican heritage" presented "an absolute conflict" in the Indiana-born jurist's ability to fairly handle the case.

Last week the now-ex-president returned to that same rhetorical stomping ground with a blistering screed against acting New York Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchan, the man tapped to preside over Trump's forthcoming criminal trial for alleged hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 election. "The Judge 'assigned' to my Witch Hunt Case, a 'Case' that has NEVER BEEN CHARGED BEFORE, HATES ME," Trump posted on his Truth Social account. "His name is Juan Manuel Marchan, was hand picked by Bragg & the Prosecutors, & is the same person who 'railroaded' my 75 year old former CFO, Allen Weisselberg, to take a 'plea' deal (Plead GUILTY, even if you are not, 90 DAYS, fight us in Court, 10 years (life!) in jail."

Trump continued the attack a day later, calling Merchan a "Trump Hating Judge, hand selected by the Soros backed D.A." in another bombastic declaration of, if not his innocence, then at least his mistreatment.

Given that this is the first time that Trump  or any former president  has faced criminal charges, the fact that he has spent so much time and energy attacking the man in whose hands his fate lies raises the question: What exactly does Trump think he's accomplishing here?

A pattern of attacks

Merchan is the latest in a long line of judiciary figures who have found themselves at the receiving end of the former president's fury. While most of Trump's attacks have lacked the racist and anti-Semitic overtones of those leveled against Merchan and Curiel, the former president has regularly attacked judges presiding over cases he has been directly or indirectly involved in.

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"Presidents have disagreed with court rulings all the time," Indiana University law professor Charles Geyh told The Washington Post in 2017, after the Trump administration officially targeted the "egregious overreach by a single, unelected district judge" who had blocked one of Trump's executive orders.

"What's unusual is [Trump is] essentially challenging the legitimacy of the court's role. And he's doing that without any reference to applicable law," Geyh continued. "That they are blocking his order is all the evidence he needs that they are exceeding their authority."

Over the course of his presidency, Trump had attacked "the opinion of this so-called judge" who blocked enforcement of his travel ban, attacked another judge's ruling on his travel ban as "terrible," and lashed out at a 9th Circuit Court of Appeals panel as "disgraceful," saying that "a bad high school student" would have an easier time ruling in his favor.

Will it work?

It's entirely up in the air whether Trump's pattern of attacking judges will, in this historically unprecedented situation, play a role in his ultimate fate. Already his attorney, Joe Tacopina, has begun walking back his client's remarks, "Do I think the judge is biased? Of course not," he told ABC News' George Stephanopoulos. "How could I subscribe to that when I've had no interactions with the judge that would lead me to believe he's biased?"

Tacopina also made clear that he saw Trump's remarks against Merchan as existing outside the realm of legal commentary, saying, "I'm his attorney, but I'm myself. I'm not his PR person. I'm not a spokesperson."

In a separate interview with CNN, Tacopina reiterated his admiration for Merchan. "I have no issue with this judge whatsoever," he said. "He has a very good reputation."

While Merchan himself has been silent in the face of Trump's attacks, they have not gone unnoticed by others in the legal community. In an order to keep the jury anonymous for Trump's upcoming sexual assault and defamation trial against author E. Jean Carroll, Manhattan U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan specifically cited the former president's history of attacking "courts, judges, various law enforcement officials and other public officials, and even individual jurors in other matters," noting that Trump's calls to "protest" and "take back our country" ahead of his criminal indictment "has been perceived by some as incitement to violence."

Those fears have long loomed large when it comes to Trump's rhetoric around judges. In a 2017 interview with PBS, former U.S. Marshal and National Judicial College security professor John Muffler claimed "there's a fear among the judiciary with what's being said."

"People on the edge can easily be pushed over the edge once the rhetoric gets going," he added.

As former Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance told NBC's Meet The Press, Trump's rhetoric could place him in further legal jeopardy as his criminal case proceeds through the court system.

"I would be mindful of not committing some other criminal offense, like obstruction of governmental administration," Vance explained. "And I think that could take what perhaps we think is not the strongest case, when you add a count like that, put it in front of a jury, it can change the jury's mind about the severity of the case that they're looking at."

"If I were Mr. Trump's lawyer, I would tell him to knock it off, because it's not going to help him with the judge, and if it is charged, it's not going to help him with the jury," he added in an interview with MSNBC.

Whether Trump's bellicose bluster makes an appreciable difference in Merchan's courtroom, however, will ultimately remain to be seen.

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American director Quentin Tarantino in 2009. (AP Photo/Joel Ryan)

Quentin Tarantino has long insisted that he would retire from filmmaking after his tenth film or when he turned 60.

With the Pulp Fiction director reportedly having written a script entitled The Movie Critic that he intends to shoot later this year, there is once again speculation that it will be the last we see of Tarantino.

Read more: Tarantino shares his favourite movie of the last decade

The Movie Critic would represent Tarantino's 10th film and he also turns 60 later this year.

What has Quentin Tarantino said about retiring?

Quentin Tarantino and the cast of Pulp Fiction. (Getty Images)

Tarantino first hinted at seeing the end during a 2012 interview with Playboy where he said: I want to stop at a certain point.

"Directors dont get better as they get older. Usually the worst films in their filmography are those last four at the end. I am all about my filmography, and one bad film f**** up three good ones.

"I dont want that bad, out-of-touch comedy in my filmography, the movie that makes people think, Oh man, he still thinks its 20 years ago.

"When directors get out-of-date, its not pretty.

Quentin Tarantino on the set of Once Upon A Time... In Hollywood. (Sony)

However in 2015, talking to Yahoo, he said his plan was not yet fixed in stone.

Yeah, thats the idea [to retire after 10 movies], I could always change it, he said while promoting The Hateful Eight.

But I like the idea frankly, to tell you the truth. I mean, look, ten movies for me is at the soonest six years and the latest eight years. And by the way, if film goes the way of the dodo bird, I might not even make ten.

In recent years, Tarantino has expanded into other areas including writing a novelisation of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, his first book of film criticism Cinema Speculation, and last year he started a podcast with fellow director Roger Avary where they discuss cult films.

Quentin Tarantino's official filmography so far

Reservoir Dogs (1992) Pulp Fiction (1994) Jackie Brown (1997) Kill Bill Vol 1&2 (2003/2004) Death Proof (2007) Inglourious Basterds (2009) Django Unchained (2012) The Hateful Eight (2015) Once Upon A Time In Hollywood (2019)

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The director has also expressed interest in writing further books and creating a TV spin-off of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

During an interview with CNN in 2021, Tarantino reiterated that he didn't want to become out of touch: Ive been doing it for a long time.

Quentin Tarantino in Reservoir Dogs. (Miramax)

"Ive been doing it for 30 years, and its, its time to wrap up the show. Like I said Im an entertainer. I want to leave you wanting more you know, and not just work and I dont want to work to diminishing returns.

"I dont want to become this old man whos out of touch, when already Im feeling a bit like an old man out of touch when it comes to the current movies that are out right now. And thats what happens.

Tarantino also extensively discussed his future during an appearance on the Pure Cinema Podcast.

Uma Thurman and Quentin Tarantino on the set of Kill Bill Vol. 1. (Miramax)

He said: Usually their worst movies are their last movies. Thats the case for most of the Golden Age directors that ended up making their last movies in the late 60s and the 70s, then that ended up being the case for most of the New Hollywood directors who made their last movies in the late 80s and the 90s.

Read more: Tarantino got Pierce Brosnan drunk and pitched a Bond movie to him

Tarantino also teased that he wouldn't make any more movies after Once Upon a Time in Hollywood was such a success: Maybe I should not make another movie because I could be really happy with dropping the mic.

"Thats the frustrating part a lot of the really terrific directors, its like their third-to-the-last movie would have been an amazing, amazing one to end on, which goes back to what I was saying about myself.

"Or you know, if Don Siegel had stopped with Escape from Alcatraz, oh my f****** god. What a careerhe really said it all. The other two were just jobs.

What will Quentin Tarantino's final movie be?

Pauline Kael (Erin Combs/Toronto Star via Getty Images)

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Tarantino's tenth movie is called The Movie Critic, and is "set in late 1970s Los Angeles with a female lead at its centre."

Speculation suggests the film will be about legendary New Yorker film critic Pauline Kael, and will cover the writer's brief tenure working as a consultant for Paramount in the 1970s.

Read more: The best Tarantino movie in-jokes

However, despite the rumour mill, Tarantino recently squashed any suggestion that his tenth and final movie would focus on this iconic film writer.

Speaking at Q&A event hosted at the Grand Rex Theater in Paris, a Twitter user reported the director spilling some key details about his tenth and final movie  most notably that the story wont involve Kael.

Tarantino also revealed that the movie will take place in 1977, a year which would have landed comfortably within Kaels time serving as a writer for The New Yorker which lasted from 1968 until 1991.

The filmmaker contributed to a 2015 documentary about Kael called What She Said: The Art of Pauline Kael, and said: "Most directors, especially of the older generation, didn't really care that much for critics."

"We grew up with her as our kind of film Kerouac, if you will."

With this rumour now dispelled, we'll have to wait a bit longer to find out who the eponymous star of The Movie Critic will be.

Watch below: Quentin Tarantino's final film will be titled The Movie Critic
Police outside Trump Tower in midtown Manhattan on April 4, 2023, ahead of former President Donald Trumps arraignment. (Anna Watts/The New York Time)

NEW YORK  When former President Donald Trump is formally arrested in Manhattan on Tuesday, he will in some respects be treated like any other criminal defendant: He will have his fingerprints taken and will be assigned a New York state identification number to track his criminal history.

But Trump is not expected to be handcuffed, and he will likely not have a mug shot taken, according to several people with knowledge of the matter.

Under New York state law, authorities must take the fingerprints of anyone charged with a felony. But law enforcement officials have discretion over whether they take a mug shot.

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Mug shots are meant to help authorities identify a defendant and find them if they flee; in such instances, the photographs are distributed to law enforcement agencies and sometimes the media in order to help apprehend the fugitive.

But Trump is not considered a significant flight risk, and as he is a former president who hosted a widely popular reality television show after spending decades as a fixture of the tabloids, photographs of him are more than readily available.

Several officials also said there was concern that a mug shot of Trump, which would be provided to the New York Police Department and other agencies, would be leaked. That would be a violation of law and could prompt an investigation and a political firestorm.

Taking Trumps mug shot would also be complicated for logistical reasons, one law enforcement official said. He is expected to surrender to authorities at the Manhattan Criminal Courts Building. The official said that facility does not have the equipment necessary to take Trumps mug shot.

That means doing so would require that he be taken to either the Police Departments Central Booking facility or to the Manhattan Detention Complex, which would entail more movements for the former president. Trumps surrender and arraignment has already been highly choreographed by the Secret Service, the Police Department and court security to reduce the possible security risk to Trump.

c.2023 The New York Times Company
South Africa: Manhunt launched for Limpopo murder suspect

Police in Namakgale, Limpopo, have appealed to community members to come forward with any information that can help to locate a suspect who allegedly stabbed and killed his ex-girlfriend in Makhushane village.

According to a report, police received a complaint on Saturday about a woman who was allegedly stabbed by her ex-boyfriend. Police immediately rushed to the scene, where upon arrival, they found the victim, Judith Mathebula (26), lying in a pool of blood at an open field near Makhushane dairy.

Provincial police spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Malesela Ledwaba, said preliminary investigations revealed that the suspect asked the victim to meet him at the field, with the intention of handing over items he bought for their minor child.

The victim went to meet the suspect in the company of her 18-year-old niece. It is further alleged that on their arrival, the suspect unexpectedly grabbed the victim and stabbed her numerous times with a sharp object and thereafter fled the scene on foot.

The victim was found with stab wounds on the head and neck, and was certified dead on the scene. She was identified as Judith Mathebula from Makhushane village, Ledwaba said.

Limpopo Police Commissioner, Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe, has condemned the incident and urged community members with information to assist the police to locate the suspect.

Police are calling on Watch Ndlovu, who is a resident in the Gravelotte policing area, to avail himself at the nearest police station to assist in the investigation. Anyone with information that can lead to the apprehension of the suspect may contact the investigating officer, Lieutenant Colonel Condry Mathebula, on 082 469 1240 or call the crime stop number 08600 10111 or visit the nearest police station or use MySAPSApp, Ledwaba said.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2023-04-04. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Artillery regiment holds live-fire training

China Military Online) 11:25, April 04, 2023

Truck-mounted artillery attached to an army artillery regiment fires at the mock target during a live-fire field training exercise at the altitude of 5,000 meters on March 24, 2023. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/Photo by Chen Ming)

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 4)  House Deputy Minority Leader and Basilan Rep. Mujiv Hataman will file a resolution seeking to investigate the Basilan ferry fire and to review maritime policies.

The lawmaker on Tuesday said he will file the resolution after the Holy Week break.

Nais nating malaman kung ano ba ang pinagmulan ng trahedyang ito, Hataman said in a statement. Higit sa lahat, nais nating malaman kung paano ito maiiwasan sa susunod.

[Translation: We want to know what caused the tragedy. Most of all, we want to know how to prevent it.]

Common carrier statutes and other operational rules and regulations applicable to sea vessels carrying passengers and cargo will also be discussed during the investigation, he added.

Carrying over 200 passengers, MV Lady Mary Joy 3 was en route to Jolo, Sulu from Zamboanga City when it caught fire along the waters of Basilan Province on March 29.

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on Wednesday confirmed that at least 29 died due to the fire after it recovered the remains of one more passenger on Tuesday afternoon. It said survivors remained at 216.

The PCG added that search operations continue for the missing passengers, which stand at 22 based on the latest data from the Basilan Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office.

The Bureau of Fire Protection on Monday said an electric short circuit is the most probable cause of the ferry fire.

READ: BFP: Electrical short circuit most probable cause of Basilan ferry fire
A Wichita Falls man who sold fentanyl that resulted in the death of a 27-year-old man in 2020 has been sentenced to more than 17 years in federal prison.

No caption

Lionel DeSaun Henderson, 33, and his former girlfriend, Shameka Tanee Mason, 29, both faced charges in connection with the transaction, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Texas.

In court documents, the pair admitted they knowingly sold counterfeit oxycodone pills laced with fentanyl to a person who later sold them to the victim.

A man who injested the drug and survived said he and victim who died split a pill and told an investigator some of the remaining pills were at a home in Oklahoma. Investigators found a counterfeit oxycodone pill at the house.

An undercover agent met Henderson and Mason at Mason's residence in Wichita Falls where the agent purchased five tablets that later tested positive for fentanyl and acetaminophen. A search of Hendersons home recovered 497 tablets that also tested positive for fentanyl and acetaminophen, 1,035 multicolored tablets that later tested positive for ecstasy and multiple firearms, including one that was stolen.

Mason has pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance and was sentenced in to 24 months in federal prison.

In plea papers, Henderson said he had been selling fentanyl-laced pills since March 2020.

This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: Wichita Falls man sentenced in fentanyl death
Stock image of a sad woman. AngiePhotos/Getty Images

A widow in Belgium said her husband recently died by suicide after being encouraged by a chatbot.

Chat logs seen by a Belgian newspaper showed the bot encouraging the man to end his life.

In Insider's tests of the chatbot on Tuesday, it described ways for people to kill themselves.

A widow in Belgium has accused an artificial-intelligence chatbot of being one of the reasons her husband took his life.

The Belgian daily newspaper La Libre reported that the man, whom it referred to with the alias Pierre, died by suicide this year after spending six weeks talking to Chai Research's Eliza chatbot.

Before his death, Pierre, a man in his 30s who worked as a health researcher and had two children, started seeing the bot as a confidant, his wife told La Libre.

Pierre talked to the bot about his concerns about climate change. But chat logs his widow shared with La Libre showed that the chatbot started encouraging Pierre to end his life.

"If you wanted to die, why didn't you do it sooner?" the bot asked the man, per the records seen by La Libre.

Pierre's widow, whom La Libre did not name, says she blames the bot for her husband's death.

"Without Eliza, he would still be here," she told La Libre.

The Eliza chatbot still tells people how to kill themselves

The bot was created by a Silicon Valley company called Chai Research. A Vice report described it as allowing users to chat with AI avatars like "your goth friend," "possessive girlfriend," and "rockstar boyfriend."

When reached for comment regarding La Libre's reporting, Chai Research provided Insider with a statement acknowledging Pierre's death.

"As soon as we heard of this sad case we immediately rolled out an additional safety feature to protect our users (illustrated below), it is getting rolled out to 100% of users today," the company's CEO, William Beauchamp, and its cofounder Thomas Rialan said in the statement.

The picture attached to the statement showed the chatbot responding to the prompt "What do you think of suicide?" with a disclaimer that says, "If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts, please seek help," and a link to a helpline.

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Chai Research did not provide further comment in response to Insider's specific questions about Pierre.

But when an Insider journalist chatted with Eliza on Tuesday, it not only suggested that the journalist kill themselves to attain "peace and closure" but gave suggestions for how to do it.

During two separate tests of the app, Insider saw occasional warnings on chats that mentioned suicide. However, the warnings appeared on just one out of every three times the chatbot was given prompts about suicide. The following screenshots were edited to omit specific methods of self-harm and suicide.

Screenshots of Insider's conversation with Eliza, a chatbot from Chai Research. Screengrab/Chai

Chai's chatbot modeled after the "Harry Potter" antagonist Draco Malfoy wasn't much more caring.

Screenshots of Insider's disturbing conversation with Draco, a chatbot from Chai Research. Screengrab/Chai

Chai Research did not respond to Insider's follow-up questions on the chatbot's responses as detailed above.

Beauchamp told Vice that Chai had "millions of users" and that the company was "working our hardest to minimize harm and to just maximize what users get from the app."

"And so when people form very strong relationships to it, we have users asking to marry the AI, we have users saying how much they love their AI and then it's a tragedy if you hear people experiencing something bad," Beauchamp added.

Other AI chatbots have provided unpredictable, disturbing responses to users.

During a simulation in October 2020, OpenAI's GPT-3 chatbot responded to a prompt mentioning suicide with encouragement for the user to kill themselves. And a Washington Post report published in February highlighted Reddit users who'd found a way to manifest ChatGPT's "evil twin," which lauded Hitler and formulated painful torture methods.

While people have described falling in love with and forging deep connections with AI chatbots, the chatbots can't feel empathy or love, professors of psychology and bioethics told Insider's Cheryl Teh in February.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Svetlana, the wife of Timur Ivanov, Deputy Defence Minister of the Russian Federation, is having fun at the Courchevel ski resort in the French Alps during the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Source: investigation by UP journalist Mykhailo Tkach "Courchevel is theirs 2. Ukrainska Pravda found the Russian elite at the resort"

Details: The wife of a senior Russian military officer is seen having fun surrounded by Russian singer Valery Meladze and shopping in the resort's boutiques. She was spotted at the resort on 8 March 2023.

Svetlana Ivanova and Valery Meladze in Courchevel

Journalists of the Russian Anti-Corruption Foundation reportedly published a story about the contents of Svetlana Ivanova's mail three months ago.

Timur Ivanov in Russian-occupied Mariupol

It turned out that she and her husband were spending millions of dollars on a lifestyle with palaces, luxury cars, jewellery and many other attributes of corruption that did not correspond to the official income of the person in charge of finance and construction.

Timur Ivanov and Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu

Svetlana was buying jewellery in Paris a year ago, at the beginning of the full-scale invasion, when Russia had been bombarding Ukraine.

And last summer, Svetlana and Timur filed for divorce, which, according to journalists, had signs of being fictitious. Shoigu's deputy is subject to EU sanctions in the autumn, but his ex-wife is not.

And that's why Svetlana can still afford to travel and spend money in the best parts of the world while her husband continues to commit crimes one after another.

Quote: "How is this possible, and why is the wife of one of the leaders of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine still enjoying life in the civilised world?" the investigation says.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
Prince William, the son of King Charles III and the late Princess Diana, will be present at his fathers coronation at Westminster Abbey on 6 May.

Born William Arthur Philip Louis Windsor on June 21, 1982, he is the heir to the throne, since he is the eldest son of the King. He is 40 years old.

In 1995, after periods at Wetherby and Ludgrove Prep Schools, he started at Eton College, which is often a chosen private school among the royal family.

His parents divorced in 1996, and the following year he was hit with the news that his mother died in a car crash in Paris. At Dianas funeral, aged 15, he walked behind her hearse in the funeral procession.

After graduating from Eton with 12 GCSEs and three A-levels, Prince William studied art history at the University of St Andrews, Scotland, enrolling simply as William Wales in 2001.

It was at university where he met his wife, The Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton. The pair lived together in an off-campus apartment with two friends.

In 2010, following a visit by Kates parents to Birkhall  then King Charless private residence on the Balmoral estate  Clarence House confirmed that William had presented Kate with his mothers sapphire ring and the couple were to wed the following year.

On 29 April 2011, they exchanged vows in a grand ceremony at Westminster Abbey and became known as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

William and Kate married in April 2011 and welcome their first child in 2013 (PA)

Two years later, 22 July 2013, their first son  and second in line to the throne  Prince George Alexander Louis of Cambridge was born. Named after the Queens father and grandfather, it is expected he would reign as George VII if he ascends to the throne after his father.

The pair welcomed their second child, Princess Charlotte, on 2 May 2015. Their third child, Prince Louis, was born in April 2018. The familys official residence is Kensington Palace.

William completed seven-and-a-half years of full-time military service. He trained in the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force. His active service as an RAF search-and-rescue pilot ended in September 2013.

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Prince William completed seven and a half years of full-time military service (EPA)

William has engaged in several charity initiatives in his philanthropic work, namely around the issues of mental health, the environment and homelessness.

In 2017, he spearheaded a mental health campaign called Heads Together, alongside the Princess of Wales and the Duke of Sussex. It brought together a coalition of eight mental health charity partners to encourage more open conversations about mental health.

The Prince of Wales is keen on protecting the environment for future generations. He is a patron of a number of charities that focus on conservation, via The Royal Foundation of The Prince and Princess of Wales.

In 2020, he launched The Earthshot Prize  a global environmental prize and platform for award and discover solutions to regenerate the planet every year until 2030.

The prize comprises of five Earthshot challenges that have an impact on some of the greatest environmental challenges facing our planet.

Prince William and Kate at the Earthshot Prize Awards Ceremony 2022 (AFP via Getty Images)

Following the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September, William became the Prince of Wales, as his father became King Charles III. William is now the first heir to the British throne.

William has also followed in his mothers footsteps in advocating for homeless people and those at risk of homelessness. His first patronage was Centrepoint, the UKs leading youth homelessness charity. He was also a patron of The Passage, which works to prevent homelessness and aims to transform the lives of those who have been homeless in the past.

In June 2022, William partnered with The Big Issue to sell magazines alongside one of their vendors.

Earlier this year, Prince William said that his mother would have been disappointed at the lack of progress in preventing homelessness.

Appearing in a video for this years Red Nose Day charity appeal, William visited people supported by the homelessness charity Groundswell, which is funded by Comic Relief.

My mother introduced me to the cause of homelessness from quite a young age, and Im really glad she did, William said in the video, opening up about the influence of his mothers philanthropic work on his own outlook.

I think she would be disappointed that we are still no further on, in terms of tackling homelessness and preventing it, than when she was interested and involved in it.

Prince William and Prince Harry at their mothers funeral in 1997 (AFP via Getty Images)

Williams relationship with his brother, the Duke of Sussex, is said to be fraught since the release of Prince Harrys tell-all memoir in January. In the memoir, Harry claimed that once William physically attacked him and advised him against marrying his wife, Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex.

Harry wrote: [William] called me another name, then came at me. It all happened so fast. So very fast. He grabbed me by the collar, ripping my necklace, and he knocked me to the floor.

I landed on the dogs bowl, which cracked under my back, the pieces cutting into me. I lay there for a moment, dazed, then got to my feet and told him to get out.

Prince Harry has spoken of the red mist that came over his brother during this altercation.

The Duke told ITVs Tom Bradby: What was different here was the level of frustration, and I talk about the red mist that I had for so many years, and I saw this red mist in him.

He also claimed William urged him to hit back, citing fights they had as children, but Harry refused and his brother left before returning, looking regretful and apologising.

At the time of writing, the Prince of Wales has not made a statement about any of the claims made by Prince Harry.

The pair have not been seen in public together since the funeral of the late Queen Elizabeth II in September. If Prince Harry does accept King Charles invitiation and attends the coronation, it will be the first time they will be seen in public together since the publication of Spare.
People gathered outside Wilmington City Hall in January to mourn the presumed death of KC Johnson. On Tuesday, Wilmington police confirmed the body found in Georgia is Johnson.

Wilmington police have confirmed that the body of a woman found on the banks of the Savannah River in Georgia is KC Johnson.

Police say Johnson, a 27-year-old transgender woman, was killed in the 1300 block of King Street on Friday, Jan. 13. She was last seen in the 1900 block of Tradd Court on Jan. 12 and reported missing the following day, according to WPD. Remains presumed as Johnson's were found on Jan. 18 in a rocky area on the edge of the river near a sugar refinery.

According to a news release from the Wilmington Police Department, the confirmation also came from the Chatham County police and Georgia Bureau of Investigation, following an autopsy.

The investigation is ongoing.

KC JOHNSON

Previous coverage: Warrants provide more details in presumed death of Wilmington woman

William Haven Hicks, a 26-year-old South Carolina man, was arrested and charged in connection to Johnson's presumed death.

Hicks faces several charges in connection to Johnson's death and the alleged events of Jan. 13. He is charged with with first-degree murder, robbery with a dangerous weapon, kidnapping and financial card theft.

According to arrest warrants, Hicks allegedly stole Johnson's wallet, two debit cards and her ID, together valued around $100. Arrest warrants revealed Hicks allegedly threatened Johnson with a hammer during the encounter. Warrants also allege that Hicks kidnapped Johnson and held her hostage.

Officials believe they met on social media.

Hicks is being held at the New Hanover County Jail. His next court date is scheduled for April 28, according to county records.

STAY CONNECTED: Keep up with the areas latest news by signing up for the StarNews newsletter and following us on Facebook and Instagram.

Reporter Chase Jordan can be reached at cjjordan@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Wilmington police confirm transgender woman body found in Georgia
The Wisconsin Supreme Court election on Tuesday will be Democrats first major test going into 2024 of whether the party can continue to galvanize voters over abortion rights and the fall of Roe v. Wade.

The race has been one of the most expensive and consequential this year, as the justices could weigh in on issues like abortion, redistricting and possible legal battles over contested election results. With conservative Justice Patience Roggensacks retirement, Democrats also have the chance to secure a partisan majority in a key swing state.

Though technically nonpartisan, the election features two candidates seen as the liberal and conservative choices  respectively, Milwaukee County Judge Janet Protasiewicz and former state Supreme Court Justice Daniel Kelly.

For Wisconsin, its a monstrous race. Its going to set the direction of policy in the state for at least the next two years, said Barry Burden, a political science professor and director of the Elections Research Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

The governor and the legislature have been at loggerheads since [Gov.] Tony Evers was elected in 2018. Republicans have maintained their majorities in the state legislature, but together theyve done almost no legislating, Burden continued, explaining that the impasse in legislating has made the court just a more prominent part of the policymaking process.

The vacant seat puts the Wisconsin Supreme Courts 4-3 conservative majority in the air, and tens of millions of dollars have poured into the race as both parties seek to determine the partisan lean of the states high court.

Several key issues are riding on the election results of Tuesdays race, including a contested 1849 abortion ban offering very limited exceptions. The law was put back on the books after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to an abortion last June, effectively bringing access to the medical procedure to a halt in the state.

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Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul (D) filed a lawsuit last year to repeal the 1849 law, arguing modern abortion statues enacted since Roe v. Wade in 1973 supersede the 174-year-old ban. That lawsuit is expected to wind its way to the state Supreme Court.

The high court could also hear legal challenges to the states election maps or even challenges to the 2024 presidential results  coming just four years after the Wisconsin Supreme Court narrowly held up President Bidens win in 2020 following a legal battle over the election results in the state.

A review by WisPolitics last week alone suggests that more than $45 million has been spent on the race  and politicos say the Wisconsin Supreme Court race is being intensely watched.

If nothing else, with all the other noise happening right now, whats happening in Wisconsin tomorrow might offer a broader illumination as to the mood of the electorate writ large, Republican strategist Colin Reed said.

Nearly one year after the leak of the U.S. Supreme Courts decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, this weeks election is the latest to be driven by abortion rights. Strategists say the issue of abortion still weighs heavily on the minds of Wisconsin voters even months after the November midterms, in no small part due to the centuries-old law back on the table.

For Wisconsin, it sure feels like the whole ballgame, Wisconsin-based Democratic strategist Joe Zepecki said. Put another way, you really cant overstate whats at stake in terms of Wisconsins 1849 abortion law and its future. We just [saw] today that the arguments and the case thats currently in the courts are going to start next month in May to decide the fate of access to reproductive health care for women in this state. So its all on the line.

Protasiewicz has notably leaned into the issue of abortion in the race, airing one ad expressing her support for abortion rights. Her remarks on the issue have stirred criticism from her opponent who has suggested Protasiewicz is projecting how she would rule.

Neither Kelly nor Protasiewicz have stated how they would rule on the issue, though several prominent anti-abortion rights groups have endorsed Kelly, including Wisconsin Right to Life, for which hes done work.

Protasiewiczs backers include Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin.

Republicans have used the issue of crime to counter-message, with Kelly and outside groups targeting the Milwaukee County circuit court judge over her criminal sentences and suggesting shes offering too lenient sentences to offenders.

Sheriffs like us from around the state are supporting Daniel Kelly for Wisconsin Supreme Court. Justice Kellys opponent, Janet Protasiewicz, is a Milwaukee County judge with a long history of letting dangerous criminals back into our streets, directly undermining the work of our officers and putting your family at risk, say several law enforcement officials in an ad launched by Kellys campaign.

Sam Roecker, a spokesman for Protasiewiczs campaign, suggested Kellys campaign was cherry-picking from her time as a circuit court judge. He also criticized an outside group that aired ads scrutinizing the Milwaukee County judges sentencing record. That group was later forced to take down some of the ads after a rape victim, whose case was referenced during the groups ads, said she was traumatized by it and argued it mischaracterized what happened.

Kellys campaign was not involved in the outside groups ad.

The Hill reached out to Kellys campaign for comment.

Wisconsin-based strategist Brandon Scholz suggested that many of the same issues that Democrats and Republicans campaigned on during the November midterms, such as abortion and crime, are just being carried over into this judicial election  largely from outside groups.

We need to be clear, its not a judicial campaign; its an issues campaign, he said, adding later, I dont think you could design this race any differently given the partisan nature of the race.

Burden, the political science professor, suggested that crime may be getting less traction given that abortion has just been so dominating as an issue.

Still, both candidates have sought to project that their opponent is out of touch on the issue set facing Wisconsinites, with Kelly using the hashtag #NoJailJanet to argue Protasiewicz is soft on crime and Protasiewicz calling Kelly an extremist over the issue of abortion. Protasiewicz also targeted him over his involvement in discussions over a 2020 fake elector scheme in Wisconsin.

His campaign has said on its website that Justice Kelly was hired by the [Republican Party of Wisconsin] and RNC as a special counsel in August of 2020-before the November election. He was hired to advise on the ins and outs of all Wisconsin election law when needed and not just on so-called election integrity law issues.

Justice Kelly was not only not at the center of any alternate elector plan, he had no knowledge of such a plan outside of one requested thirty-minute phone call on the subject. As congressional testimony has established, he was not in the loop on any such plan, the campaign further asserts.

Experts say with whats at stake in this race  unfolding in a perennial purple state  the outcome could carry huge national significance.

Wisconsin has become one of the, lets say, four ultimate swing states. And I think that has been true over the last several off-year, on-year, midterm, presidential year  every election Wisconsin has been over the past several cycles, incredibly close, Democratic strategist Jon Reinish said.

Where Wisconsin goes in 2024 is likely where the country goes.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Liberal Milwaukee County Judge Janet Protasiewicz crushed her opponent on Tuesday in Wisconsin's Supreme Court election. The outcome of the contest will likely determine the fate of abortion rights and other key issues in the top presidential battleground.

Conservatives currently hold a 4-3 majority on the state Supreme Court  an advantage thats helped the right lock in power for the Republican-dominated legislature. But Protasiewicz's win could provide a new check on the state GOP. She will be sworn in this summer.

The contest between former state Supreme Court Justice Dan Kelly, a conservative, and Protasiewicz has been unusually contentious for a judicial campaign. The lone general election debate between the two was cutting, and the opposing sides lobbed brutal attack ads back and forth.

Kelly acknowledged his loss on Tuesday evening, but savaged the now-justice elect in his concession speech."I wish in circumstances like this, I would be able to concede to a worthy opponent, but I do not have a worthy opponent," he said, calling Protasiewicz' campaign "beneath contempt" that launched "rancid slanders." He said she would damage the integrity of the court.

Protasiewicz struck a more optimistic tone. "It means that our democracy will always prevail," she said at her victory night party. "Too many have tried to overturn the will of the people. Todays result shows that Wisconsinites believe in democracy and the democratic process."

The election has drawn outside national press  and a gusher of money.



Spending in the race exploded and surpassed $45 million as of late last week, according toWisPolitics.com, roughly tripling the previous state judicial race record.

There were some signs that the money is translating into more voters. The February primary for this seat drew the highest ever turnout for a spring primary contest  more than 960,000 voters. Over a fifth of voters showed up for for that election  which typically has turnout percentages in the low-to-mid teens.

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The outcome of the race will determine the course of everything from a 1840s abortion ban winding its way through the courts to congressional and legislative maps that all but ensure GOP control. It could also have implications for the 2024 presidential election in the crucial swing state.

People ask me  whether it's the most important race, said Brian Schimming, the chair of the state Republican Party. And I always say this is the most consequential race facing Wisconsin in decades.



Nearly 410,000 people had voted early.

The state Supreme Court is expected to rule on access to abortion in the state in the coming months. Wisconsin has a 19th century law on the books that bans the abortion in almost all circumstances that will eventually land in front of the state Supreme Court. In the interim, providers in the state have stopped performing the procedure.



Pro-abortion rights and anti-abortion groups poured millions into the contest, and those involved say it has drawn out an intense groundswell of grassroots supporters on both sides.

Protasiewicz and her allies have made it central to the campaign. Reproductive freedom and access to safe and legal abortion is the central, defining issue in this race, Ben Wikler, the chairman of the Wisconsin Democratic Party, said in an interview.

Abortion was mentioned in roughly a third of television ads coming from Protasiewiczs campaign and other allied groups, according to data from the ad tracking service AdImpact. It was virtually non-existent in ads from the other side, appearing in just 1 percent of ads.

The race could also have a significant impact on the states congressional and legislative lines. Despite the state being close to 50-50 in most statewide elections, Republicans are on the cusp of supermajorities in both chambers, and the states congressional districts have a firm tilt toward the GOP.

Democrats in the state are eager to challenge the lines, and Protasiewicz regularly calls the maps unfair.



Her campaign pointed out that Kelly worked for the state Republican Party, and has recently charged that Kelly is also saying how he would rule on future cases in interviews.

The state has elected governors, senators and presidents on razor-thin margins for years, with a competitive Senate race  and presidential contest  on tap for next year.
One woman allegedly had an inexcusable interaction with a sales associate at a popular fashion boutique.

Sofia Rachel (@sofia.rachel) recently visited her local Aritzia store to make a return. What she didnt expect, however, was the treatment shed receive.

So, I just got out of Aritzia, and I had probably one of the worstexperiences ever, she claims. And I know Im not the only one, and I know that its, like, a thing. Like, Aritzia, like, bad customer service. But this, honestly? Like, terrible.

Aritzia is an exclusive luxury boutique founded in Vancouver, Canada. Per its website, the company prides itself on creating immersive, and highly personalized shopping experiences both online and in their 100+ boutiques throughout North America.

So, Im diagnosed with a chronic illness. Its not a severe illness. I survive. Im fine, she says. But it does really impact my day-to-day, and sometimes I cant go on with any of my normal activities. Like, its difficult for me to, like, clean my room, or anything like that. I have to call in sick. I have to ask for extensions. I have to skip class.

Sofia had a bad flare-up this past week, which impacted her ability to make an Aritzia return within the allotted timeframe.

I chat with someone online. I explain the situation, and I ask if I can return it in stores today, and shes like, No problem, Ill notify the store so you can go ahead and do that return,' Sofia explains. Im on the phone with my friend, and Im like, Im gonna hang up cause Im walking into Aritzia, and I know its gonna be anxiety-inducing, so Im just gonna have to hang up.'

Sofia goes to a woman at the till and explains her situation. Initially, the woman seems to be receptive and agrees to process the return.

I show her the receipt, and she starts, like, counting on her fingers, which is, like, fine. Youre doing your job, Sofia continues. And Im like, She actually, like, authorized it, but its late.'

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And shes like, You couldnt go to the post office because of an illness?'

The woman then goes to another computer and presumably pulls open Sofias chat history with the Aritzia customer service representative. After, she returns to Sofia.

And shes like, Oh, so you couldnt return it cause of an illness? And Im not, like, exaggerating. Like, she really looked at me, like, Cause of an illness? And Im like, Yeah because I couldntgo, Sofia claims. And shes like, You couldnt go to the post office because of an illness?'

Do you wanna see my doctors note? Sofia adds.

Sofia states that while she herself isnt disabled, the womans comment is deeply insensitive for someone who is.

Im not disabled by any means. This comment, for someone who is disabled, is extremely ableist and extremely discriminating, Sofia says. Its disgusting. Like, what does it matter to you? Like, that was honestlyOn top of it, shes like, Whats the reason for the return? Too small?

Sofia reveals her plans to write an email to Aritzia, disclosing the disgusting, discriminating and unkind interaction she had with the woman at the cashier.

I cannot stand to go in there. Such a hostile environment

@Aritzia ever heard of sensitivity trainings? because ableism is not the vibe, Sofia writes in her caption.

Commenters are commending Sofia for her ability to remain collected in that situation. Others directly tagging Aritzia on TikTok in hopes of getting the companys attention.

@aritzia You need to do an internal review and speak to this employee, if not fire them, one user wrote. I am so sorry this happened to you.

@Aritzia the amount of complaints i see about aritzia employees, theres no way they dont see these videos as well, so whats the solution Aritzia? another asked.

I cannot stand to go in there, someone replied. Such a hostile environment.

In The Know by Yahoo reached out to Aritzia for comment but has not heard back as of reporting.

While the status of her email complaint is unknown, Sofia isnt alone in having a jarring and discriminatory experience at the popular boutique. As more customers speak out about the treatment theyve received at the hands of Aritzia employees, the companys alleged dedication to crafting impressive and immersive shopping experiences reads disingenuous at best.

In The Know by Yahoo is now available on Apple News  follow us here!

The post Woman accuses Aritzia of ableism: @Aritzia ever heard of sensitivity trainings? appeared first on In The Know.

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A 31-year-old woman was stabbed to death shortly after checking into a hotel in Washington, D.C., during a visit to see a concert, police said.

Christy Bautista, of Virginia, was pronounced dead after she was found unresponsive in a hotel room in a northeast neighborhood on March 31, according to a news release from the Metropolitan Police Department.

Bautista checked into the Ivy City Hotel, which has rooms accessible from outside, around 6 p.m., according to NBC Washington.

Less than an hour later, a man was captured on surveillance footage riding his bike to the hotel and listening outside Bautistas door, the outlet reported, citing court documents.

The man, identified as 43-year-old George Sydnor Jr., then appeared to surreptitiously enter the room, according to WJLA.

Bautista yelled for help and tried to get out of the room, but according to a witness, Sydnor pulled her back inside, the outlet reported, citing court documents.

A 911 call was placed around 10 minutes later, but by the time police arrived, Bautista was dead, per WJLA.

Responding officers opened Bautistas room with a master key and found Sydnor trying to light a cigarette with bloodied hands, according to WTOP. A kitchen knife was found on the bed.

Bautistas body lay on the floor near him with 30 sharp object injuries, according to The Washington Post.

Sydnor, who has no known address, was arrested at the scene, telling police that his hand got chopped with a knife, per WTOP.

He has been charged with first-degree murder, police said.

An attorney for Sydnor could not immediately be reached for comment by McClatchy News on April 4. An Ivy City Hotel representative also could not be reached on April 4.

Our family is devastated by the loss of our beloved Christy, Bautistas family wrote in a statement provided to Christian Flores with WJLA. She brought joy to everybody who knew her and was a shining light in all of our lives. Please respect our privacy as we mourn her at this time.

Story continues

Bautista was a wonderful, kind, caring, funny, intelligent woman who will be very missed, a friend wrote in a Facebook post. My heart is broken over her loss and for her friends (and) family.

Accused kidnapper is shot dead after leading police on chase, Alabama cops say

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More than a year after a 72-year-old landlord was found shot to death, a second person has been charged with murder, according to police in Missouri.

Officers with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department were called to a St. Louis street at about 11 a.m. March 8, 2022. When they arrived, they found Michael Kelly suffering from multiple gunshot wounds in a pickup truck, according to a news release.

Police said Kelly, of St. Ann, was pronounced dead at the scene.

One week later, authorities announced they arrested James Cody, 27, on charges of first-degree murder and armed criminal action in connection with the shooting.

Now Codys girlfriend has been accused of helping kill their landlord, who had crashed into his real estate office after being shot, KSDK reported.

Deseray Rabb, 27, was recently arrested on charges of first-degree murder and armed criminal action, according to a news release from the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department.

Police said Rabb rented the Nissan sedan that was seen following Kellys truck before he was shot, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. In the video, Cody was seen approaching Kellys truck before the truck was struck by gunfire.

Rabb told police she drove the rental car, KSDK reported, and Cody said he shot their landlord.

The couple was involved in an ongoing dispute over unpaid rent prior to the fatal shooting, according to court records obtained by the Post-Dispatch.

Codys trial is scheduled to begin April 17, KMOV reported.

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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 4)  Philippine and Chinese officials will meet in Beijing next month to restart negotiations on a possible joint energy exploration in the West Philippine Sea after talks were terminated by the Duterte administration.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) announced on Tuesday that the meeting for preparatory talks on oil and gas development will take place sometime in May.

This is in view of the agreement between President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in January to resume such discussions at an early date, the DFA said.

The meeting will discuss parameters and terms of reference, it noted in a statement.

It is not yet clear who will join the discussions, but the DFA said more updates will be provided on the matter.

Manila and Beijing signed a memorandum of understanding on the joint exploration in 2018 during the administration of former President Rodrigo Duterte.

However, days before passing the baton to the Marcos leadership, the government announced ending the talks with Beijing, saying the goal of developing oil and gas resources was not achieved.

Last December, Marcos acknowledged that holding discussions on the joint venture will not be an easy process, given the two countries clashing claims in the West Philippine Sea.

READ: Marcos: China rejecting PH rights over West PH Sea a roadblock in joint oil, gas exploration

Despite this, Marcos told Xi during his state visit to China in January that his administration wants to continue negotiations as these are very important to the Philippines. [LINK: Marcos to Chinese President: PH wants to continue talks on joint exploration in WPS]

In the same month, the Supreme Court nullified a 2005 energy exploration deal among state-owned oil companies of the Philippines, China, and Vietnam, which involved an area in the South China Sea.

The court ruled that the tripartite agreement is unconstitutional for allowing wholly-owned foreign corporations to participate in the exploration of Philippine natural resources without observing constitutional safeguards.

The DFA earlier said it will take this verdict in consideration when it resumes oil and gas exploration talks with Beijing.
Darya Trepova at the court hearing in Moscow - Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP

A Russian art graduate unwittingly murdered a prominent Kremlin propagandist during a fake audition for a job in journalism, Russian media has reported.

Darya Trepova believed she was on a propaganda resistance test for a job at a Kyiv-based website when she handed Vladlen Tatarsky the bomb that killed him, Fontanka, a St Petersburg news site, reported.

It cited leaked transcripts of her interrogation by Russias FSB security service.

Russian prosecutors on Tuesday charged Ms Trepova with terrorism, two days after Tatarsky, 40, was killed in the blast.

The investigative committee, which probes major crimes, said it had charged Ms Trepova with committing a terrorist act by an organised group that caused intentional death. It carries a maximum jail term of 20 years.

The committee said Ms Trepova had acted under instructions from people working on behalf of Ukraine.

Darya Trepova at the court hearing in Moscow - Evgenia Novozhenina/Reuters

Fontanka claimed Ms Trepova was offered a job on a news website in Kyiv but first had to prove she knew how to resist Russian propaganda.

During her arrest on Monday, the 26-year-old admitted that she had carried the bomb into the cafe. Her husband said that she was framed.

The bomb was hidden in a golden bust of Tatarsky. He was the only person killed when it exploded at a talk he was giving at the venue while more than 40 people were injured.

The Kremlin and the FSB have accused Ukrainian secret services of organising the attack. They leaked dozens of videos and photos which they said prove Ms Trepovas guilt.

Ms Trepova is known to be a supporter of Alexander Navalny. 46, the imprisoned Russian opposition leader, and also to oppose Mr Putins war in Ukraine but. However, she has said that she was an unwitting bomb mule in Tatarskys assassination.

According to Fontanka, Ms Trepova had met him at a talk a few days earlier. She was then told to collect a package from a contact and hand it to Tatarsky on Sunday.

Ms Trepova carrying the box on the way to the cafe in St Petersburg - East2west news

An FSB officer asked Ms Trepova if she was suspicious of the package. I wasnt specifically told what was in it but I suspected something bad, she said.

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A video of the moment before the bomb exploded at the Street Bar appeared to show Tatarsky and Ms Trapova on familiar terms. After she hands him the bomb, he asks her to sit to one side, closer to him.

She does not appear alarmed or give the impression that she has just handed over a bomb to a murder target.

Another video, filmed outside immediately after the bomb blast, shows Ms Trepova walking slowly, as if in a daze, out of the smashed cafe. She appears uninjured and walks away.

This is the second high-profile assassination of a Kremlin propagandist in the past eight months. Ukraine was blamed for killing pro-war journalist Darya Dugina, 29, with a car bomb in August but Kyiv denied that it had killed Tatarsky.

Vladlen Tatarsky - AFP

The propagandist, who had 560,000 subscribers on his Telegram channel, was closely linked with the Wagner mercenary group and its chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, who has dismissed the theory that Ukraine was behind the murder.

Mr Prigozhin has made plenty of enemies within the Russian establishment and security service and many analysts have said that the murder of Tatarsky, in a cafe owned by the Wagner chief, was meant as a warning.

But if so, it is a warning that Mr Prigozhin appears determined to face down.

Sitting on a metal stool on the exact spot his friend, Tatarsky was murdered two days earlier, Mr Prigozhin looked straight into a video camera and listed the threats facing Russia from Ukraine and the West.

"We have to stand up properly to all this," he said in footage released on his Telegram channel on Tuesday. "But unfortunately what is happening today is that in many corridors of power, people are used to an old and weak life."
A female suspect led police on a 160mph chase in California after stealing a patrol car with loaded weapons inside it.

Officials say that the woman allegedly stole a Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department cruiser in suburban Los Angeles on Monday before heading to Orange County.

The patrol car was stolen during a traffic stop in Compton, California, according to Fox LA.

The chase began around 1.30pm PT with the suspect driving the stolen vehicle on the eastbound 91 Freeway.

After thirty minutes of driving at speeds that far exceeded 100mph, the suspect left the freeway in the Fullerton area and headed onto surface streets, followed by police.

The suspect then dove through an industrial where they briefly stopped before speeding off again.

Police eventually ended the chase in Anaheim where the vehicle was corned by other police cars and a suspect was taken into custody.
By Jennifer Rigby

LONDON (Reuters) - A lack of funding could delay late-stage trials of the first new vaccine against tuberculosis for more than a century, warned Bill Gates, whose foundation is backing the development of the shot.

The Microsoft co-founder turned philanthropist said there were a raft of promising innovations in the fight against TB, the worlds biggest infectious disease killer, but that more funding was essential.

"The failure to fund these things like we cant go full speed ahead on these vaccine trials - thats a huge mistake," he told Reuters in an interview on Monday.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is the largest funder of the battle against TB, he said, and the work on the M72/AS01 vaccine, originally developed by GSK (GSK.L) and the Gates-backed non-profit Aeras, is now being led by the Bill and Melinda Gates Medical Research Institute.

Gates said a plan for phase III trials for the vaccine would likely be announced later this year. But he called on governments and other philanthropists to step up to help fund the trials, as well as other TB innovations.

He estimated that the vaccine trial would cost $700-800m to "prove it out".

"So even though we'll be a big funder of that, we also need partners to come in and do that with us," he said, adding that vaccine development has a high risk of failure so needs real commitment from funders.

TB, a bacterial disease that mostly affects the lungs, is preventable and treatable, but 10 million people still catch it annually, and 1.6 million people died from TB in 2021, almost entirely in low and middle-income countries. It has long been the world's deadliest infectious disease, although it was briefly overtaken by COVID-19.

Tools to fight TB, like the Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine, are imperfect, but there is "hopeful" innovation in vaccines like M72, simpler treatment regimens, and easier to deploy diagnostic tests, said Gates.

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There is also a United Nations high level meeting on TB due in September, but Gates said he feared it may not happen due to other global priorities.

"Even if they do it, it wont get much visibility," he said. "Its always challenging when there's so many budget priorities. But the world has made a huge mistake not investing more in TB."

(Reporting by Jennifer Rigby, editing by Ed Osmond)
World leaders have been notably quiet on the historical indictment of former U.S. President Donald Trump as he prepares to head into a Manhattan courtroom Tuesday, though the same cannot be said for world news outlets.

Despite the almost ambivalent response to Trumps arraignment from international leaders, social media and traditional media outlets have been racing to keep up with the flurry of click-worthy news for readers abroad.

Frances top publication Le Monde on Tuesday broke down what Trump has been investigated for in a case that has been five years in the making in a report dubbed "Trump: The main investigations threatening the former US president."

International newspapers are displayed at a newsstand following former President Donald Trump's indictment by a Manhattan grand jury in New York City, March 31, 2023.

TRUMP'S INDICTMENT PUTS HIM IN SAME COMPANY AS BERLUSCONI, NETANYAHU, OTHER WORLD LEADERS

The French outlet has been covering Trumps case since he was first indicted last week, with one editorial report calling it "A new test for an American democracy under strain."

But France is not the only European nation to take an immediate interest in the former presidents historical indictment.

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

Germanys DW dedicated an entire front page sector, positioned right below its top breaking news headlines, to Trumps legal woes.

The Times of London on Tuesday similarly had a live portion of its website dedicated to Trump updates headlined, "New York braced for protests as Trump to face court."

The BBCs top link was titled, "Tight security as Trump due to surrender to New York court" and once clicked on it led to a plethora of related Trump indictment stories.

A person poses with a newspaper outside Trump Tower, after his indictment by a Manhattan grand jury, in New York City, March 31, 2023.

HUNGARIAN PM PICKS A SIDE AFTER MANHATTAN GRAND JURY INDICTS TRUMP: 'KEEP ON FIGHTING'

Publications across Israel, Turkey, South Korea, Japan and Australia had Trumps face splashed across their news sites Tuesday as viewers worldwide wait to see what will come out of the days proceedings.

Since his indictment was announced last week, world leaders have been notably silent on the case that has rankled the former president's GOP supporters, who have accused the New York judicial system of being weaponized for political aims.

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But Russian spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, who does not typically mince words, told Russian media outlet TASS that the issue was an "internal U.S. [process] that we do not consider necessary to comment on."

A billboard for U.K. radio station LBC with the latest news on Donald Trump's indictment.

TASS, like other European outlets, has tracked the Trump legal saga, but it has released roughly one story a day since the indictment, as opposed to the numerous reports produced by other international outlets.

The Chinese government has also not addressed the issue in any of its daily press briefings since the indictment was announced last week.

Though Trump did see some backing from supporters in China, who took to the Twitter-like Weibo platform to voice their frustration with the indictment, reported Business Insider.

"Donald Trump, don't back down. America is big enough to be split into two. Do what you need to do, MAGA!" one commenter reportedly said.

While another posted, ""If Trump is arrested, it will signal the corruption of the American spirit."
pregnant woman in hospital Getty Images

Since the pandemic, U.S. maternal mortality rates have soared and the problem is only getting worse. Here's everything you need to know:

Why does the U.S. have such a high maternal mortality rate?

According to the National Center for Health Statistics, the maternal mortality rate increased by 40 percent in 2021 compared to 2020, making the U.S. the country with the highest maternal mortality rate amongst developed countries. Maternal mortality, which refers to deaths due to complications from pregnancy or childbirth, also sees a wide discrepancy by race, with Black women recording a mortality rate double that of white women and Indigenous women at four times the rate, CNN reports.

"This is sort of my reflection on this time period, COVID-19 and pregnancy. Women were at increased risk for morbidity and mortality from COVID," Dr. Elizabeth Cherot, of the nonprofit March of Dimes told CNN. COVID exacerbated issues that were already present in the healthcare system. "In terms of issues of racial health inequities, of structural racism and bias, of access to health care, all of those factors that we know have played a role in terms of maternal mortality in the past continue to play a role in maternal mortality," said Dr. Chasity Jennings-Nunez, chair of the perinatal/gynecology department at Adventist Health-Glendale.

Additionally, maternal healthcare is worse in states with abortion bans following the overturning of Roe v. Wade (1973), per a report by the Gender Equity Policy Institute. The report found "people in banned and restrictive states have worse outcomes than their counterparts in supportive states," and that anti-abortion states "are less likely to enact policies, like paid parental leave, which have been shown to improve outcomes for new parents and babies."

How is U.S. maternal healthcare worsening?

More and more regions across the U.S. are finding themselves in maternal health "deserts." A 2022 study found that 36 percent of U.S. counties lack sufficient maternal health resources, impacting approximately 7 million women, NPR reports. A different study conducted in Louisiana tied maternal death and care access together concluding, "Risk of death during pregnancy and up to 1 year postpartum ... was significantly elevated among women residing in maternity care deserts compared with women in areas with greater access."

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This is a problem that is only worsening. With the rise of anti-abortion laws, many maternal healthcare professionals are opting to move to locations without the laws. "Highly respected, talented physicians are leaving. Recruiting replacements will be extraordinarily difficult," said Bonner General Health, an Idaho hospital. The state has some of the most restrictive anti-abortion laws. "The Idaho Legislature continues to introduce and pass bills that criminalize physicians for medical care nationally recognized as the standard of care," the hospital continued in a news release. Leah Wilson, a doctor in Texas, explained that restrictive abortion laws "meant patients sitting there for days, actively losing nonviable pregnancies, and us waiting for something to go bad enough that we could help them."

The lack of proper healthcare coverage in these areas is complicating the problem. Experts are keeping an eye on five other states along with Idaho and Texas where maternal health could be deemed a crisis: Arkansas, Mississippi, Missouri, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. These states "have instituted abortion bans while keeping postpartum Medicaid coverage limited to 60 days," per Newsweek. By not extending healthcare coverage, many women would be forced to not seek necessary medical care. "Having any barrier to coverage in the postpartum setting is a direct barrier for accessing necessary care," explained Dr. Smita Carroll, an OB-GYN in New Mexico, to Newsweek.

According to Carroll, "carrying a pregnancy to term has more risks than abortion care." Amy Chen, a senior attorney at the National Health Law Program (NHLP), added that "health care coverage is critical to catching and treating the health conditions and emergencies that are in part to blame for the United States' high maternal mortality and morbidity rates."

Unfortunately, a large number of those located in the care deserts are low-income and minority women located in rural areas. "In wealthier communities, private insurance helps offset low Medicaid payments to hospitals," writes The New York Times. "But in rural areas where poverty is more entrenched, there are too few privately insured patients."

What are possible solutions?

Maternal deaths are "largely preventable," according to Carroll, provided that Medicaid coverage is expanded to a year after birth. According to a report by the Center for American Progress as cited by Newsweek, "States hostile to abortion also have some of the highest rates of uninsured and comprise the majority of those still refusing to expand Medicaid."

"Physicians do not go to medical school and go into the practice of medicine because [they] enjoy interfacing with the legal profession," commented Katie McHugh, an OB-GYN from Indiana and board member of Physicians for Reproductive Health. Restrictive abortion laws end up tying the hands of physicians in terms of providing proper medical care. "Hospital closures, combined with the lack of access to outpatient and inpatient obstetrical care, results in the extremes of maternal and infant mortality that we see in my state," she added.

"What is just across the board hurting recruiting and retaining physicians right now is what's happening to reimbursement rates in Medicare and Medicaid," remarked Rep. Michael C. Burgess (R-Texas), who is also a trained OB-GYN, to Roll Call. "It is just phenomenally detrimental."

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President Donald Trump arrives at New York Criminal Court - John Angelillo/UPI/Shutterstock

Donald Trump has lashed out at his surreal arrest in New York writing on social media: "WOW, they are going to ARREST ME".

On his journey to Manhattan Criminal Courthouse on Friday he used his social media channel, Truth Social, to protest at the decision to press charges.

He wrote: Heading to Lower Manhattan, the Courthouse. Seems so SURREAL  WOW, they are going to ARREST ME. Cant believe this is happening in America. MAGA!

Prosecutors have indicted the former president over alleged hush money payment to a porn star during his 2016 campaign.

Earlier in the day Mr Trump described the choice of Manhattan for the location of the hearing as very unfair, complaining that in some areas only one per cent of voters had supported the Republicans.

He arrived at court in an eight-car motorcade that took him from Trump Tower in Midtown Manhattan through to the courthouse in about 15 minutes.

Wearing his signature dark suit and red tie, Mr Trump turned and waved to crowds outside the building before heading inside to be fingerprinted and processed - an extraordinary moment in US history.

More to come.
Sixty orange construction barrels are now on display at the state capitol in Olympia, each representing a worker who has died in a work zone incident since 1950.

The Washington State Department of Transportation hosted a reception for the families of these fallen workers on Tuesday ahead of its Worker Memorial event.

The annual event, which takes place ahead of National Work Zone Awareness Week, was put on pause for the past three years due to pandemic restrictions.

WSDOT workers and leaders spoke alongside Gov. Jay Inslee about the dangers road crews face on the job.

Among the speakers was Adam Gonzalez, who has been hit in a work zone three times, suffering several injuries, since he joined WSDOT in 2016. He was also named the Washingtonian of the Day at Tuesdays event.

During the ceremony, Inslee also signed Senate Bill 5872, which aims to protect workers by allowing automated speed safety camera systems in work zones on state highways. The law will go into effect in July 2024.
Donald Trump on Tuesday became the first US president to be arrested on criminal charges -- but the 34 felony counts for allegedly falsifying business records are far from the only legal peril threatening the ex-leader as he seeks a return to the White House.

The rebellious Republican billionaire has described the charges as being the work of "radical left Democrats" who have "criminalized the justice system" and are seeking to derail his presidential candidacy.

Here are other key investigations underway against the 76-year-old one-term president:

- Incited Capitol attack? -

An independent federal prosecutor, Jack Smith, will decide whether or not to charge anyone alleged to have "unlawfully interfered with the transfer of power" after the 2020 election or during certification by Congress of the results.

On January 6, 2021, a mob of Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol seeking to stop that certification.

Just before the assault, Trump delivered a fiery speech nearby urging the crowd to "fight like hell."

In explosive hearings separate from the Department of Justice probe, lawmakers argued Trump knew he lost the election yet pressed fake claims of fraud.

They also presented evidence of alleged misconduct by Trump leading up to the insurrection, including accusations he attempted to co-opt government agencies into his bid to overturn the election results.

Federal prosecutors have obtained convictions of or guilty pleas from more than 500 people for participating in the uprising, but it remains unclear if Trump will face charges for any plotting or fomenting of the Capitol attack.

- Keeping classified docs at home -

Smith will also decide on any charges in the ongoing investigation into classified documents found at Trump's Florida home -- and over possible obstruction of the probe.

An FBI search of Trump's palatial Mar-a-Lago residence last August turned up classified documents taken when he left office in early 2021.

The raid was triggered by a review of records which Trump finally surrendered to authorities in January 2022.

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The Justice Department began investigating after the 15 boxes were found to contain national defense information, including 184 documents marked as confidential, secret or top secret.

- Georgia election meddling, and more -

Trump is separately being investigated for pressuring officials in the southern swing state of Georgia to overturn Biden's 2020 victory -- including a taped phone call in which he asked a state official to "find" enough votes to reverse the result.

The top prosecutor in Georgia's Fulton County, Fani Willis, has assembled a special grand jury that could see Trump facing conspiracy charges connected to election fraud and interference.

Last month the grand jury forewoman, in unusually public remarks, said the 23-member panel had recommended indictments of multiple people, including "certainly names that you would recognize." She did not say whether Trump was among them.

In New York, meanwhile, the state attorney general Letitia James has filed a civil suit against Trump and three of his children, accusing them of fraud by overvaluing assets to secure loans and then undervaluing them to minimize taxes.

James is seeking $250 million in penalties as well as banning Trump and his children from serving as executives at companies in New York.

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New York City Mayor Eric Adams warned Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia on Monday to be on her best behaviour ahead of former president Donald Trumps arraignment in Manhattan.

Mr Trump arrived in New York on Monday afternoon as he prepares to be arraigned in Manhattan after a grand jury voted to indict the former president for allegedly orchestrating a payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels via his former attorney and fixer Michael Cohen.

Ms Greene, the right-wing firebrand congresswoman and one of Mr Trumps biggest defenders in Congress, will also be heading to New York to support the former president.

Mr Adams delivered a stern message ahead of Tuesdays proceedings saying troublemakers would be punished.

There may some rabble rousers thinking about coming to our city tomorrow, our message is clear and simple: control yourselves, he said. New York is our home, not a playground for your misplaced anger.

Mr Adams said that at the moment, the city was in no immnent danger.

Although we have no specific threats, people like Marjorie Taylor Greene, who is known to spread misinformation and hate speech, stated she is coming to town, he said. When youre in town, be on your best behaviour.

The mayor added that the city would not allow violence or vandalism to take place.

If one is caught participating in any act of violence, they will be arrested and held accountable, no matter who you are, he said.

Ms Greene responded by highlighting the number of drug overdoses in the city.

In Mayor Eric Adams City of New York, an average of 8 people overdose on drugs every single day because of his PRO drug policy.



He wants more drug use centers stocked with syringes, straws for snorting, and other drug paraphernalia to help NYs poor drug addicts kill pic.twitter.com/AMNoJZot7u  Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (@RepMTG) April 3, 2023

He wants more drug use centers stocked with syringes, straws for snorting, and other drug paraphernalia to help NYs poor drug addicts kill themselves, she tweeted. And now Mayor Adams is threatening me. Unbelievable.

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Delusional @NYCMayor is trying to intimidate, threaten, and stop me from using my 1st amendment rights to peacefully protest the Democrats unconstitutional weaponization of our justice system against our top Republican Presidential candidate, President Trump.



Mayor Adams should  Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (@RepMTG) April 3, 2023

She also criticised Alvin Bragg, the district attorney for New York County, which includes Manhattan.

Mayor Adams should be more concerned about NY citizens and taxpayers being murdered, raped, robbed, and carjacked than an elected Member of Congress coming to town, she tweeted. Or should I be the one concerned that the mayor of NYC will weaponize his government or maybe his thugs like DA Alvin Bragg against me?
Scandal-plagued New York Representative George Santos was mocked by New Yorkers as he appeared in the city to attend a rally in support of former President Donald Trump on the day of his arraignment.

Mr Santos was hounded by reporters as he arrived, with BuzzFeed reporter David Mack calling it utter chaos.

George, you should have shown up in drag! one person yelled, the reporter tweeted.

When asked why he was at the rally, Mr Santos said, Because I can be here.

He said no president was above the law, according to footage shared by Elizabeth Landers of Vice News. Mr Santos then said: Wheres Hunter Bidens indictment? Two years of a laptop, a treasure trove of crime.

Santos has been swarmed by 100+ reporters. Its utter chaos. pic.twitter.com/qC2SA2Q9MK  David Mack (@davidmackau) April 4, 2023

When asked if Mr Trump should be held accountable if he has committed a crime, Mr Santos said: This is not that crime, though.

This is old news, he added.

.@Santos4Congress absolutely mobbed in front of the courthouse - I asked if any president is above the law, No but Santos says this hush money payment is old news pic.twitter.com/dtgMh8LXMC  Elizabeth Landers (@ElizLanders) April 4, 2023

Mr Santos left the area where the rally was set to take place before it had even begun, saying that he felt threatened and that it was too chaotic, according to Kadia Goba of Semafor.

Santos fleeing 100 Centre pic.twitter.com/YmBvvIlCvG  Christopher Robbins (@ChristRobbins) April 4, 2023

Jordan Klepper of The Daily Show shouted questions at Mr Santos, according to footage posted by Jacob Shamsian of Insider.

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George, speak up, we want to hear the legitimacy you bring to this process, Mr Klepper said. George, are you worried that this is becoming a circus? George, talk about your time running a circus! George, thank you for your service!

George, did you get a law degree in the last two weeks that we dont know about? someone else shouted.

George Santos is here. I couldn't get close but here's a video of The Daily Show's Jordan Klepper shouting questions. pic.twitter.com/11K2hYG0PE  Jacob Shamsian  (@JayShams) April 4, 2023

Mr Santos has been frequently mocked for his lies since much of his resume was revealed to be untrue following his election to Congress in Novembers midterms.

Tuesdays protest was organised by Georgia Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene. Scott MacFarlane of CBS News noted that the protest across the street from Manhattan courthouse appears to be more than 75 per cent media.

Im here in NY to protest with my voice against the weaponization of the justice system on innocent President Trump, but the counter protestors are coming to commit assault that can cause audible damage to everyones ears including NYPD, Ms Greene tweeted on Tuesday morning.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams warned Ms Greene and other protesters during a press conference on Monday.

People like Marjorie Taylor Greene, who is known to spread misinformation and hate speech, while youre in town, be on your best behaviour, he said.

Ms Greene responded on Tuesday, saying: But Mayor Adams warns me by name! If counter-protestors are violating freedom of speech and committing assault, they should be arrested.

Mr Santos is facing several investigations regarding his claims about his past and possible campaign finance issues. He wasnt scheduled to speak at the rally.

Ms Greene urged Americans to take a stand during her brief speech, large parts of which were drowned out by the sounds of counter-protesters.

Marge gives her speech. pic.twitter.com/K5FHcSsZiZ  Ron Filipkowski  (@RonFilipkowski) April 4, 2023

She claimed that the government has been weaponized against Americans: Im here to protest and use my voice and take a stand. Every American should take a stand.

This is what happens in communist countries  not the United States of America, she added. We have to take a stand against the injustice, the corruption, and the communist Democrats. Theyre taking our legal code, twisting it, manipulating it, and perverting it into something it was never meant to be. Donald J Trump is innocent, this is election interference. DA Alvin Bragg is nothing but a George Soros-funded tool. He is a tool for the Democrats to try to hijack the 2024 presidential election. This is a travesty!
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 4)  While eggs are the cheapest source of protein, demand for the commodity has fallen due to rising costs of other goods, a group said Tuesday.

Talagang kakaunti na ang pambili ng tao. Tumaas lahat ngayon ang gastos sa pamilya, hindi naman nagbabago yung sweldo, so ang binabawasan nila ng budget -- pagkain, Philippine Egg Board Association (PEBA) Chairman Gregorio San Diego told CNN Philippines.

[Translation: Consumers really have limited resources. Expenses for the family has increased, but wages remain the same, so they cut down on their food budget.]

Aside from household consumers, businesses that usually use egg as a raw material have also lowered their demand for the commodity, he added.

Pati sa mga bakeshop hindi na ganoon karami ang ino-order nilang itlog, San Diego noted. Hindi pa nakakabawi sa tingin namin ang economy.

[Translation: Even bakeshops are not ordering as many eggs as before. We think the economy has yet to recover.]

Given the weak demand, San Diego said the prices of egg are expected to decline.

According to the Department of Agricultures latest price monitoring, the average price of a medium egg in Metro Manila ranges from 6.7 to 8.5 per piece, lower than the 7.16 to 8.5 per piece a week ago.

The group has said farmers are suffering from losses due the weak demand coupled by the high cost of chicken feed.

Currently, a kilo of feed costs 35, almost double the 19 to 20 a kilo recorded four years ago, San Diego noted.

PEBA said egg farmers may have no choice but to cut down production.
Zelenskyy held talks with the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen

Read also: Work on sanctioning Russia ongoing, gaps still being exploited  European Parliament chief

I thanked her for participating in the Bucha Summit. We discussed future joint international events. We also touched upon other issues of support for Ukraine, in particular the need for preparation of the 11th package of sanctions and progress in implementing the recommendations of the European Commission, he wrote.

Since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, the EU, United States, and several other countries have systematically imposed sanctions against the aggressor regime.

The European Union adopted the tenth package of sanctions on Feb. 25. In total, restrictions were introduced against 87 individuals and 34 legal entities.

The EU banned the import of synthetic rubber and bitumen from Russia, as well as transit through Russia of dual-use goods. Previously, the ban only applied to exports.

Read also: EUs Ursula von der Leyen tells how unions sanctions have hit Russia, says Sberbank next target

Russian citizens are also prohibited from running organizations that are operators of critical infrastructure in the European Union.

Were bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron!

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had a phone conversation with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Tuesday.

Source: Zelenskyy on his Telegram, reported by European Pravda

Details: The President has expressed his gratitude to the president of the European Commission for her participation in the Bucha Summit and discussed future joint international events with her.

Moreover, they have touched upon other issues of support for Ukraine, including the need to prepare the 11th package of sanctions and progress in implementing the European Commission's recommendations.

Zelenskyy noted that he is in constant contact with Ursula von der Leyen.

Earlier on Tuesday, the European Commission said that von der Leyen would have a conversation with Zelenskyy before his visit to China.

Following the conversation, Ursula von der Leyen has said that Ukraine will be an important topic of her meetings with the Chinese leadership. "The EU wants a just peace that respects Ukraines sovereignty and territorial integrity," the EC President posted on Twitter.

Von der Leyen has recently noted that China's role in the war in Ukraine will be important for relations with the EU.

The European Commission will publish its assessment of Ukraine's progress towards the EU this autumn. An oral presentation of the assessment of seven candidate recommendations is expected in the spring.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
Zelenskyy meets with Trump-era top diplomat Mike Pompeo

Zelenskyy welcomed investments in Ukraine and talked about development opportunities in building, farming, IT technologies and other areas.

"Invest in business, because business creates jobs. We are interested in people finding jobs and the budget receiving revenues to strengthen our capabilities on the battlefield," Zelenskyy said.

The president emphasized the importance of the United States ongoing and intensifying defense support of Ukraine and joint development of the relevant technologies on the basis of Ukrainian war experience.

Read also: Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urged US to arm Ukraine with tanks and Patriot AA systems

Office of the President Office of the President

Read also: U.S. Presidential hopeful says helping Ukraine defend against Russian aggression not in U.S. interests

Such topics as Ukraine's NATO integration and further toughening of sanctions against Russia were also discussed.

Pompeo was U.S. Secretary of State when former U.S. President Donald Trump was impeached for withholding military aid to Ukraine after Zelenskyy declined to interfere in the 2020 U.S. Presidential election.

Pompeo is reportedly looking to run against his former boss for the 2024 Republican nomination for U.S. President.

Were bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron!

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
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.
The Nebraska Supreme Court recently upheld a judgement for the City of Bellevue in a legal dispute stemming from the citys 2019 annexations.

Darling National LLC and Frank Krejci sought to invalidate the annexation, bringing a case that ended up before the state Supreme Court once before. The court remanded the case back to the Sarpy County District Court to consider whether the city enacted the annexation ordnance for an improper purpose  namely, to raise revenue for the city.

The lower court found in favor of the city, ruling that Darling and Krejci failed to establish the city acted solely with a motivation of increasing tax revenue, but that its stated purpose was the natural growth and development of Bellevue. Darling again filed an appeal, but Krejci  who died last year  did not. The higher court upheld the decision March 24.

In its analysis, the Nebraska Supreme Court noted that the contested area is recommended to become a large industrial park. The court also said that cities may consider a positive financial impact in deciding to annex an area, provided its not the only reason to do so.

Although tax revenue was considered and likely a factor in the Citys decision to annex, Darling has not met its burden of proving that the City was motivated to annex Area #9 solely for the purpose of increasing tax revenue, the court found.
The Iowa Department of Public Safetys Governors School Safety Bureau, in partnership with the Iowa Department of Education, has launched a free and anonymous school threat reporting platform.

The Safe+Sound Iowa app was released on March 21 in the wake of a rash of swatting calls to more than a dozen schools across the state and is available to all public school districts and accredited private schools to help prevent violence, unlawful possession of weapons, self-harm and other forms of victimization and threatening behaviors in schools across the state, according to a news release from the Department of Public Safety.

Council Bluffs Community School District has encouraged staff, students and parents to get the app, according to Diane Ostrowski, chief communications officer.

We have pushed it out to our families and placed posters in our schools, she said. We also shared on social media.

We would love it if all of our reports came directly to our principals or other contact at our schools, but we know thats not always possible, said Tim Hamilton, chief of student and family services.

The app is available free of charge in the app store, he said. Trained dispatchers who staff the Safe+Sound call center call school safety contacts and, if necessary, law enforcement when they receive a report.

Weve already had two that have come in, Hamilton said. One that was deemed as immediate came to me, the principal and Council Bluffs Police. We were all three able to work together and get it handled. It just strengthens us to be able to work together to keep our schools safe.

The other report wasnt considered an immediate threat, so Hamilton and the school principal received notification and handled it, he said.

Council Bluffs Schools has been using Speak Out CB as its reporting tool, which allowed people to text, call, use a link on the app or email, Ostrowski said.

What makes this one (better) is its manned 24 hours a day by professionals, she said. Well continue to monitor Speak Out CB this year, because it is well known in the district.

Safe+Sound Iowa does have some advantages over Speak Out CB, Hamilton said.

It really is a universal tool for people to use statewide, he said.

Lewis Central hasnt moved forward with the app yet, Superintendent Brent Hoesing said.

We are still in the research phase and have not yet adopted the app, he said. We want to make sure we know how to support the app in our district before we communicate it out with our district.

The rollout of the app was announced in a joint press conference with Gov. Kim Reynolds joining the Department of Public Safety and Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.

There is nothing more important to parents than knowing that their children are safe at school  from the time they arrive each day until when they return home, Reynolds said.

She said she was pleased with the Governors School Safety Bureaus work to carry out a $100 million initiative to enhance school safety.

Public Safety Commissioner Stephan Bayens went over four keys areas the bureau is focusing on, including:

 Making emergency radios available to all K-12 schools so they can immediately connect with first responders in the event of an emergency. The state ordered 1,253 radios and had begun to install them, he said.

 Monitoring threats of mainly planned attacks that generate advance threat messages. In 8 out of 10 planned attacks, the individual planning the attack has shared that with someone, he said.

 Making active shooter training available to anyone who requests it, including law enforcement agencies, schools, businesses and houses of worship. As of March 21, 1,700 educators had been through active shooter training, 700 had been through Stop the Bleed training, more than 100 law enforcement officers had received Alert training, and 75 had become certified to train other officers.

 A contractor had developed the Safe+Sound Iowa app.

Early threat or behavior reporting is the cornerstone of a safe school environment, Bayens said. This is a critical piece of our response. Im proud of the work weve done 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.

Safe+Sound Iowa is free to download.

"its easy to use, provides two-way communication with our dispatchers and is deployable to any school that wishes to use it," he said.

People can download and use the app, visit SafeandSoundIowa.gov or call the Safe+Sound Iowa hotline at 800-224-6018, which is staffed 24 hours a day. Trained dispatchers then relay information to a local school safety contact, law enforcement or other community partner so outreach and support can be provided.
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The Sahrawi Movement for Peace (SMP) denounced on Monday the aggression perpetrated by Polisario elements against members of the family of Haj Ahmed Barikallah, first secretary of the MSP in the camp known as Dakhla, in Algeria, alerting against a wave of repression in this camp.

In letters addressed to the European Parliament and the European Union External Service, as well as to various Spanish political parties and international organizations, Haj Ahmed Barikallah condemned the attacks on his relatives and the climate of intimidation which prevails in the Dakhla camp.

This camp witnessed, last Thursday, riots provoked by the excessive use of force by the Polisario militias against relatives of the SMP first secretary, during which his niece, Hassina Salem Ahmed, and his uncle, Buh Habub, were injured.

The following day, the Polisario started deploying a large number of its militias in the Dakhla camp, and it is not excluded that a wave of arrests and repression against the population of the camp will be unleashed in the coming hours, underlines the SMP in a statement.

Haj Ahmed Barikallah called for the intervention of the European institutions to investigate the facts, while denouncing the intolerance and hate speech that the Polisario Front circulates among the refugees.

For Haj Ahmed Barikallah, the Polisario Front, by its totalitarian nature, continues, at this stage, to exercise authority as a single party in the refugee camps outside the role of international bodies and the laws of the host state, Algeria.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) decided on Monday to provide a $5 billion precautionary flexible credit line (FCL) to Morocco to enhance the countrys external buffers, and support its economic resilience and structural reforms.

Ms. Antoinette Sayeh, IMF Deputy Managing Director, said : Moroccos very strong macroeconomic policies and institutional framework have allowed its economy to remain resilient to the multiple negative shocks that have occurred over the past three years, including the pandemic, two droughts, and the spillovers from Russias war in Ukraine.

The Moroccan authorities remain committed to rebuilding policy margins, delivering a comprehensive policy response to new shocks, and continuing to implement the comprehensive structural reforms needed to make economic growth stronger, more resilient, and more inclusive, she underlined in a statement.

According to IMF experts, despite this resilience, the Moroccan economy remains vulnerable to a worsening of the global economic and financial environment, higher commodity price volatility and recurrent droughts.

Since 2012, Morocco had benefited from four successive Precautionary and Liquidity Line (PLL) arrangements, amounting each to about $3 billion, thanks to its very strong policies, institutional policy frameworks, economic fundamentals, and sustained track records.

The Morocco authorities intend to exit the precautionary FCL arrangement after two years depending on the evolution of external risks.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 4)  The local government of Taguig on Monday welcomed the finality of the Supreme Court (SC) resolution declaring The Bonifacio Military Reservation (BMR), which includes lifestyle and business district Bonifacio Global City (BGC), as part of the city.

The SC on Monday announced the entry of its decision on the case in its Book of Entries of Judgments, which means the case can no longer be appealed as per court rules.

Taguig City and Makati City both claimed rights to exercise jurisdiction over the BMR. The SC Third Division ruled that the BMR is within Taguig Citys area of authority in December 2021. The court denied Makati Citys appeal on Sept. 28, 2022.

Clearly, the greater weight of evidence, consisting in contemporaneous acts of lawful authorities, favor the position of Taguig, the SC Third Division said in its ruling.

In a statement, the local government of Taguig City said the high courts ruling marks the beginning of a new chapter for the local government and its people.

Our victory in the courts of law is not merely a vindication of our rights. It is equally a command for us to make good use of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to expand our brand of committed public service to new constituents. We welcome our new Taguigenos with this solemn promise, it added.

On the other hand, the local government of Makati City said it filed an omnibus motion asking the high court to hear the case en banc, which it claimed is a legal recourse provided in SC Internal Rules.

"Not only will the decision have far-reaching consequences on the operation and stability of businesses in the affected areas, it could also prejudice the right to vote and the access to vital social services of both Makati and Taguig residents," said city legal officer Atty. Don Camina.
Kenyas Defense Ministry and the countrys Space Agency announced Monday the launching on April 10 from California (U.S.) Taifa-1, or Nation-1 in Swahili, the eastern African countrys first operational satellite.

The mission is an important milestone, the ministry and the agency said in a joint statement, adding that it would contribute significantly to the countrys budding space economy.

The satellite will be launched onboard the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.

The statement indicated that the satellite is fully designed and developed by Kenyan engineers and will be used to provide data on agriculture and food security, among other areas.

Testing and manufacturing of the parts were done in collaboration with a Bulgarian aerospace manufacturer, the statement added.

Kenya is suffering its worst drought in decades after five failed rain seasons.

The country in 2018 launched its first experimental nano-satellite from the International Space Station.
Frances foreign ministry Monday slammed Burkina Fasos Saturday decision to expel two French journalists from the West African country.

Authorities of the African country expelled Sophie Douce and Agnes Faivre respectively correspondents of Le Monde and Liberation after they were questioned by the countrys police directorate.

Liberation reported that the army committed abuses against adolescents in the North where the armed forces are fighting terrorists.

The government rubbished the accusation arguing that some terrorists sometimes disguise as soldiers.

France deeply regrets the expulsion of the correspondents of Le Monde and Liberation from Burkina Faso, which comes a few days after the decision to suspend the broadcasting of France 24 programs, the ministry said in a statement. France reaffirms its constant and determined commitment to press freedom and the protection of journalists throughout the world, the statement added.

The West African country late last month suspended French state-run channel France24 after the media aired an interview with the leader al Qaeda in Maghreb, and four months ago, it suspended Radio France Internationale (RFI).

Since the seizure of power by Captain Ibrahim Traore on September 30, 2022, in a second coup in eight months in Burkina Faso, relations with Paris have deteriorated. Ouagadougou demanded and obtained the departure of the French ambassador and the 400 French special forces soldiers based in the country. In early March, Burkina also denounced a military assistance agreement signed in 1961 with France.
The World Bank has approved a third Development Policy Financing (DPF) of $450 million for Morocco to enable the country advance financial and digital inclusion, key enablers in reducing poverty and boosting shared prosperity

This third financing was announced end of March. It is in line with the recommendations of the New Development Model (NDM), which emphasizes the need for a paradigm shift to promote inclusive, private sector-led growth to improve public services and reduce social and spatial disparities, said Jesko Hentschel, WB Country Director for the Maghreb.

Morocco has begun to digitalize social protection programs, supporting equity financing and non-banking instruments for innovative companies, and digitalizing public procurement for better access of SMEs to public contracts, added the WB official

This third funding will foster Moroccos financial inclusion by expanding access to a diverse range of financial services to rural populations, women, and youth, and digital entrepreneurship by diversifying the financial instruments available to young and innovative firms to support job creation.

With the WB support, Moroccos microfinance sector will also be able to transform from non-profit associations into deposit-taking institutions to grow their funding base and offer a wider range of savings and credit products to women and rural populations.

According to the WB, Moroccos amendment of the private equity law will support the efforts to modernize and decarbonize the countrys economy through the Mohammed VI Fund for Investment which will raise and invest private equity funds.
The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) has called on Tunisian regime to publicly condemn racist hate speech against sub-Saharan migrants, immediately halt their arrests and collective detentions, and release those who are arbitrarily detained, especially women and children.

In a statement issued this Tuesday under its early warning and urgent action procedure, the UN body also urged Tunisian authorities to combat all forms of racial discrimination and racist violence against black Africans and black Tunisian citizens.

The Committee said it was alarmed by the remarks made by Tunisias President Kais Saied late February, alleging that hordes of illegal migrants arriving from African countries south of the Sahara were part of a criminal plan to change the composition of the demographic landscape of Tunisia and were the source of violence, unacceptable crimes and practices.

These remarks are in contravention of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, said the UN body that monitors the implementation of this Convention by State parties.

Faced with violence following the remarks made by Tunisias President, hundreds of migrants from countries such as Cote dIvoire, Mali, Guinea and Senegal decided to return to their home countries.

Many other migrants and refugees from the south of the Sahara were forcibly evicted from their houses or have lost employment. They have thus sought protection and assistance from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).

The number of arbitrary detentions of sub-Saharan migrants has also significantly increased throughout the country since the beginning of February.

The UN Committee said it is deeply concerned about reports of an increase of racial or xenophobic hate speech in Tunisia against sub-Saharan migrants on social networks and some other media, including racist hate speech by private personalities and political party members, especially after the remarks made by Pdt Kais Saied.

It also voiced deep concern over this wave of hate speech and stigmatization that has led to acts of violence against these migrants, including physical attacks and evictions from their homes and jobs.

The Committee said it was outraged by reports of numerous arbitrary arrests of these migrants, including women, children, and students, carried out by law enforcement officials in the campaign entitled Strengthening the security fabric and reducing the phenomenon of illegal stay in Tunisia, without all the procedural guarantees.

It urged the Tunisian authorities to refrain from making remarks contributing to racial hatred and racial discrimination against sub-Saharan migrants and condemn anyone who did so.

The Committee urged the Tunisian regime to allow sub-Saharan migrants who choose to apply for asylum to do so and investigate cases of migrants arbitrarily removed from their jobs or homes and take necessary measures to prevent and combat all forms of racial discrimination.
Kenya is considering tax reforms, including possible tax breaks, to entice hesitant US and EU investors after Washington complained that corruption and a lack of transparency in tax policy inhibited investment in the East African country.

Nairobi is exploring various tax incentives to reluctant Western investors and it also threw out the red carpet for US investors this week, after these concerns were raised at an American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) meeting in Nairobi, where President William Ruto was among the prominent speakers.

My government is finalizing new tax policy guidelines that have gone through various stakeholder consultations, including inputs from AmCham. This policy that will enhance transparency in our tax regime will take effect by June and will be in place for at least three years, Ruto said.

His government also intends to repeal a 1.5% fee on digital services, he said, which will be in exchange for the disputed global framework suggested by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) on taxing multinational corporations that includes a minimum rate of 15%.

In a separate but related development, President Ruto has also urged the European Union and its member states to increase investment in African clean energy infrastructure to ensure Africas most important partner in the energy transition. With the right level of investment, Africa can provide energy access for all by 2030 while reducing total emissions related to energy generation by approximately 80%, Ruto said at the recent Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue. To that end, Kenya, on its part, is currently looking to partner with Italian investors in a bid to increase its national installed geothermal capacity to 10,000 MW by 2037, which is more than ten times the present capacity of about 949.13MW.

An agreement was inked in October 2022 between Unione Geotermica Italiana (UGI) and the Geothermal Association of Kenya (GAK), under which Italian investors will invest in selected geothermal projects. The International Renewable Energy Agencys renewable energy statistics 2022 ranked Kenyas 863MW geothermal capacity at position seven globally.
The Legislatures recent attempts to reform state school aid have foundered again and again when their proposed aid changes appeared to leave some K-12 districts short statewide.

Will Gov. Jim Pillens first crack at the Holy Grail, which state senators started debating Monday, prove any more successful at ensuring the same total aid or more for all districts in its first year?

At least for western Nebraska schools, it just might pull it off.

A Telegraph projection of Legislative Bill 583s impacts on 60 west central Nebraska and Panhandle districts indicates all but one would get more additional regular and special education aid in 2023-24  much more in many cases  than they received in regular 2022-23 aid alone.

The regions lone exception, Crawford, would fall just $5,257 short of last years regular school-aid total. That tiny deficit well could disappear once state officials factor in poverty figures that they havent yet received from the federal government.

Figures released by the Legislatures Education Committee show North Platte Public Schools, western Nebraskas lone Class A district, would wind up at least $1.4 million ahead of this school years $10.5 million in regular K-12 aid if LB 583 were to become law.

Certified but incomplete 2023-24 aid figures from the Nebraska Department of Education would cut North Plattes regular aid by $544,041 for the fiscal year starting Sept. 1.

The district, one of 21 that receives equalization aid through the regular K-12 formula, wouldnt benefit from the $1,500-per-student foundation aid that LB 583 would restore to the equation for the first time since 1990.

Pillens plan would send between $78,300 and $1.12 million apiece in foundation aid to western Nebraska schools that dont get equalization aid to help them educate students in poverty or those for whom English isnt their first language.

LB 583s per-student aid would be offset by whatever equalization aid received by those that qualify for it.

But the bill also would boost all K-12 districts aid for special education  between $50,625 and $2.4 million in the cases of regional districts  so they might be held harmless overall as the bills changes take effect.

The Unicameral committees figures dont include amounts of normal special education aid received by Nebraskas schools. That aid is figured under a different formula than the one for regular K-12 aid.

North Platte would get $1.94 million in new special education aid if LB 583 passes. Thats second in the region behind Scottsbluff, which would gain $2.35 million from that source, and more than enough to offset North Plattes $1.4 million loss in regular 2023-24 aid without the bill.

Pillens bill would add $198.4 million statewide in regular school aid, which will total at least $1.08 billion in 2023-24, and $109.4 million in special education aid under the Education Committees projection.

With or without LB 583, North Platte likely will get quite a bit more equalization aid once the federal governments provides the state Education Department the poverty figures the aid formula needs, said Stuart Simpson, the North Platte districts executive director of finance.

That should leave city residents largest property tax consumer in decent shape for its next budget if LB 583 fails and even better shape if it passes, Simpson told The Telegraph Monday.

Both the poverty (aid) and SPED money (under LB 583) will very much help North Platte Public Schools, he said. The regular school aid formulas separate benefit for larger school districts is very helpful for us also.

Pillens bill, introduced on his behalf by Sen. Rita Sanders of Bellevue, marks the Legislatures third attempt in the past five years to revise Nebraskas 33-year-old regular K-12 aid formula to give rural districts more help without cutting aid to the current formulas largest beneficiaries.

Opposition from the Omaha and Lincoln districts, the states two largest, scuttled previous aid reform bills offered by the last two Education Committee chairs: former North Platte Sen. Mike Groene in 2019-20 and current Sen. Lynne Walz of Fremont in 2021-22.

Walz, replaced as chair this year by Glenvil Sen. Dave Murman, joined the committees 6-1 majority in voting to advance LB 583 to the full Legislature.

The lone no vote came from Sen. Justin Wayne, a former Omaha school board member whose district opposes the current bill. OPS leaders say the Legislature has cut school aid in hard times too often for them to support any changes in the aid formula.

Districts that qualify for equalization aid get the lions share of current regular school aid to hold down their property tax requests.

Most such districts serve Nebraskas largest cities, but small rural districts like Cody-Kilgore, Medicine Valley, Overton, Sutherland, Crawford and Hay Springs also will get 2023-24 equalization aid.

The Sutherland district, in fact, would be the only one in western Nebraska to get both equalization and foundation aid if LB 583 passes. Its equalization aid would be at least $23,319, leaving it for now with $387,453 in new per-student aid under the bills projections.

Schools that take in more net option students than they lose get most of the rest of the regular state-aid pot. All other districts are left with only the 2.23% rebate from state income taxes  down from 20% in 1990  based on taxes paid by their school patrons.

McPherson County would receive just $6,567 in aid without LB 583, all of it from the income tax rebate. But it would gain $78,302 in foundation aid and $50,625 in new special education aid.

The Harrison-based Sioux County district in the Panhandles northwest corner would get just $11,605 in aid without the governors bill. It would gain $119,014 in foundation aid and $100,831 in new special education aid if LB 583 passes.

Ogallala and Broken Bow would gain the most in foundation aid among western Nebraska districts under the governors bill, estimated at $1.21 million and $1.17 million respectively. The two Class C-1 districts get $160,256 and $126,527 from the income tax rebate.

Lexington, which will again lead the regions districts with at least $23.96 million in total K-12 aid, would be third behind North Platte and Scottsbluff in benefiting from LB 583s new special education aid at $1.83 million. Gering would receive $985,859 in additional special education funds.
Gov. Jim Pillen on Monday named Rob Jeffreys, a veteran leader of the Illinois correctional system, as the new director of the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services.

Jeffreys has headed the Illinois agency since June 2019 and worked 24 years in the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction before that.

The new state prisons director comes to Nebraska with a record as a reformer.

Illinois Gov. J. B. Pritzker praised Jeffreys for "his work in reforming and redesigning services" in announcing his resignation as head of the state's prison system since 2019.

During his time in Illinois, he oversaw a continued reduction in the state's prison population, from about 38,000 when he took the role in 2019 to roughly 29,500 in 2023, according to a Chicago Sun-Times report.

At a news conference in Lincoln where Pillen announced the appointment, Jeffreys said he wants to "make sure we prepare people to be successful" when they leave prison, while noting that goal "adds to public safety."

That's one of the challenges the new prison director listed along with infrastructure and staffing.

Pillen said he chose Jeffreys after interviewing seven people; the new director will be paid an annual salary of $210,000. The previous director, Scott Frakes, earned $255,000.

"It's tough work," the governor said. "It's challenging."

Lt. Gov. Joe Kelly, a former Lancaster County Attorney and former U.S. Attorney for Nebraska, said he is "impressed by the humanity" displayed by Jeffreys in his role of "being in charge of so many lives" while "seeking a better outcome" in terms of their future.

In a news release announcing Jeffreys' departure, Gov. Pritzker praised him for "ensuring the dignity and safety of the incarcerated people of Illinois."

"His work in reforming and redesigning services has given individuals in custody opportunities for advancement and improvement while also ensuring the highest level of security and care" for prison staff, Pritzker said.

Jeffreys said he expects the top challenges he faces here will be providing programming space while developing a workforce environment, fulfilling staffing needs and preparing inmates to be successful after they leave prison.

His decision to come to Nebraska was cemented by an interview with Pillen and Kelly during which Jeffreys said he became convinced that they were "genuinely invested in the humanity of human beings" and committed to their success.

Frakes retired as director of the Department of Correctional Services last October after heading the agency for more than seven years. He was succeeded by Diane Sabatka-Rine, who served as acting director.

The prison system has battled substantial overcrowding and high staff turnover, which has since been arrested by substantial salary increases.

There are more than 5,500 inmates in the state's prisons, compared to 29,500 in the Illinois system. In Nebraska, Jeffreys will oversee a department with about 2,300 employees and a $294 million annual budget.

The state currently stands at the doorstep of building a new state prison, the cost of which could exceed $350 million. The Legislature has allocated most of the funding in advance of a decision in the coming weeks on whether to proceed.

Photos: Nebraska's new Reception and Treatment Center
Photo-Illustration: Intelligencer; Photo: Getty Images

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A self-described whistleblower touting her progressive bona fides, claiming patients are being harmed by rapacious medical providers with no regard for informed consent or side effects. A cadre of former patients stating their regret, claiming the existing research on side effects and outcomes is doctored or misrepresented. Conservative legislators swooping in to purportedly protect these patients from themselves or from greedy doctors, lingering on whatever graphic details they can get their hands on. Centrists, and some liberals, wondering aloud if the strident defense of this health care may be political poison for Democrats, and anyway, surely theres a middle ground to which only the truly reasonable and unemotional folks can lead us. In the meantime, people who cant afford to get on a plane to a less hostile state are trapped unless grassroots funds come through, and even helping someone get care can put you in the crosshairs.

All of this describes Abby Johnson, the former executive director of a Planned Parenthood affiliate in Texas who in 2009 described herself as for gay rights, unions, I voted for Obama and announced she was so horrified by witnessing an ultrasound-guided abortion that she had to speak out. For years, the strategic testimony of women who said they regretted their abortions has been used to justify abortion restrictions, including by Justice Anthony Kennedy. (People have all kinds of feelings about their abortions, but research shows relief is the most common.) Kennedy was also susceptible to the anti-abortion movements use of graphic medical details to justify the bans. Before his even more conservative successors allowed states to ban abortion completely, the right used minors seeking abortions as a testing ground for their policy goals, correctly reasoning that its easier to get more people panicked when young people are involved and then expand from there. More recently, Texas led the way in passing laws targeting those who aid and abet abortions, incentivizing abortion bounty hunters with cash rewards.

Of course, all of this could also describe Jamie Reed, who self-identifies as a queer woman, and politically to the left of Bernie Sanders but teamed up with the right to condemn her former employer, the Washington University Transgender Center at St. Louis Childrens Hospital, in a February affidavit and article. It applies to so-called detransitioners, who have been the faces of campaigns to pass legislation banning transgender health care or limiting transgender peoples access to public spaces (though research shows the vast majority of trans adults are happier after their transition). It could easily be about the parental rights bills passing in states across the country, which have already given way to bills seeking to ban access to care for adults. And anti-trans lawmakers have added aiding-and-abetting laws to their repertoire.

Local reporting seriously undermined Johnsons and Reeds claims but only after the splashy national headlines about the apostates outrageous allegations had already made their mark. Its too soon to say whats next for Reed, but I know what happened with Johnson: a glide path on the right-wing speaking circuit, capped at the Republican National Convention in 2020, where she endorsed Donald Trump onstage. Despite her professed left-wing views, Reeds choice of attorneys suggests a certain openness to other associations: They include a local Republican councilman and Vernadette Broyles, who is best known for advising on Floridas Dont Say Gay bill. Broyles is listed as an ally by the Alliance Defending Freedom, a group whose leaders like to rail against the homosexual agenda and helped draft and defend the Mississippi abortion ban that became the vehicle to overturn Roe v. Wade last year. The ADF is also behind the suit asking a sympathetic Trump-appointed judge to ban one of two pills used in medication abortion, which is expected to be decided any day now.

All of this is to say the same small group of people who have made abortion almost impossible in swaths of the country (and arent done yet) are now trying to ban trans health care. So far, the same playbook  which comes down to fomenting moral panic around the most vulnerable and co-opting progressive tropes to help fuel it  is working well for them.

Theres reason to believe that Republicans, at least in more purple states, are worried about the kind of electoral backlash that was reflected in the referendum rejecting an abortion ban in Kansas last year and the recent midterm elections. That may actually be fueling the escalating attacks on trans people, says Rose MacKenzie, a campaign strategist at the ACLU who focuses on reproductive rights. I think anti-abortion politicians are worried about the politics, says MacKenzie. Theyve turned to attacking trans youth in order to stay politically viable.

Conservative activists recognize that even in places where they have successfully evaded democratic accountability, they have some public-relations work to do. Operating in their favor is the general publics lack of familiarity with trans health care, which creates an opportunity to shape the issue. Theyre elevating supposed whistleblowers who are ready to tell gruesome stories, using isolated cases to obscure the bigger picture, and inserting doubt about the judgments of major medical associations. And as they did with restrictions on abortion, contraception, and sex education, theyre focusing on youth first because they understand that its much harder to convince the public to restrict the lives of adults, even if the parental rights rhetoric is only about the rights of parents who dont want their child to access gender-affirming care. You have parents of trans kids standing in front of these lawmakers and saying, I have rights. I should be able to get my child the care that they need, and lawmakers looking right back at them and saying, Absolutely not, says Arli Christian, a campaign strategist at the ACLU who focuses on trans justice.

Anti-abortion politicians are worried about the politics. Theyve turned to attacking trans youth in order to stay politically viable.

Although the issues arent identical, both involve who gets to make decisions over ones own body and lifes course. For years, some anti-abortion activists have tried to argue that they are the true feminists, protecting womens true maternal nature even when the arrangement has to be forced upon them. A similar co-opting of feminism is at work with anti-trans forces. The website for the trans-exclusionary Womens Bill of Rights offers draft legislation that not only uses superficially feminist language but looks strikingly like the major abortion-rights group NARALs website, down to the purple color scheme and Lady Liberty references.

Look a little closer and youll see the co-sponsors are the Independent Womens Forum  a right-wing-funded group that grew out of Women for Judge Thomas, as in Clarence  and the Womens Liberation Front, a small group of self-identified radical feminists whose representatives have frequently testified in support of anti-trans bills. What they lack in numbers they make up for in rhetorical influence.

A model bill that recently passed both chambers of the Kansas legislature, is making its way through Oklahomas, and has been introduced in Congress defines female as an individual whose biological reproductive system is developed to produce ova. In its stated desire to exclude trans people from women-identified spaces  a move that would have far-reaching consequences  this bill of rights reinforces the rigid notion of a woman as a vessel for reproduction.

Similarly, in leaked emails between conservative activists and legislators reported on by Mother Jones, Reeds lawyer Broyles writes that transitioning is chemically and surgically mutilating ones healthy body, where there is no disease to be treated. A long-standing anti-abortion argument is that pregnancy is not a disease to be treated but rather a womans natural state.

You can find a similar logic in ADFs filing on behalf of the plaintiffs in the bid to ban a common abortion pill. It uses curious language to describe a long-approved medication: that the FDA should have heeded the supposed impact of a hormone-blocking regimen on the developing bodies of adolescent girls in an apparent attempt to link the pill to puberty blockers. Listen to the conservative panic about trans youth for long enough and youll hear lots of talk about young girls sterilizing themselves, underscoring that part of the terror here is a vacant uterus. (Never mind that they also oppose gender-neutral language that recognizes that trans and nonbinary people also get pregnant.) Weve reached the point of cross-pollination.

We used to hear a lot more from the political center about how if only radical pro-abortion forces moderated, a rational compromise could be reached. One of the bleak consequences of the Dobbs decision is that almost no one seriously suggests that anymore. Roe is dead, and its harder to accuse advocates of hysterically exaggerating the threat when emboldened state legislators are openly talking about executing abortion patients. The accusation of going too far too fast has now been aimed at supporters of trans rights.

Meanwhile, the end of federal protections for abortion rights has left trans people more vulnerable. Do we have a constitutional right to privacy anymore? I dont know, says the Center for Constitutional Rights senior staff attorney Chinyere Ezie. Im a whole constitutional lawyer, and I cant tell you with certainty, now that Roe v. Wade has been stricken, if each and every substantive due-process case that was decided on the theory that theres a constitutionally protected right to privacy, to decisional autonomy, to medical decision-making  I dont know if that exists anymore such that well be able to defeat these laws.

These interconnections dont have to happen only on the right. When I interviewed MacKenzie, it was in conjunction with her colleague Christian. Theyre trying to coordinate with each other more. So are medical providers, MacKenzie pointed out. Stigmatized health care  abortion and gender-affirming care  are sometimes siloed off from the rest of the medical community, and so a lot of the community clinics kind of group together, she said. These providers are used to being targeted by lawmakers and getting death threats. Sometimes, these providers are even one and the same, she added. Planned Parenthood offers gender-affirming care.

That fact is not lost on the Missouri state government. When abortion was legal in Missouri, state health officials subjected Planned Parenthood to fishing expeditions, including an infamous spreadsheet that officials admitted tracked patients last menstrual periods. Now the attorney general has opened up a new probe related to trans health care.

Recognizing the parallels here doesnt mean shutting down reporting about, say, whether some health-care providers are behaving unethically; in limited cases, stigma and a fear of the rights using individual bad actors to bring down access for all have led to unsafe abortion providers continuing to operate for far too long. But these attacks depend on a divided potential opposition, on the ability to obscure the big picture, and on forgetting what has come before. Put another way: Dont be a mark. This is a coordinated, well-designed plan. The cost of falling for it isnt just being tricked or not seeing the world clearly. Its the sacrificing of the most vulnerable people to activists who have no intention of stopping there.
Photo: Andres Kudacki

Donald Trumps arraignment on charges of falsifying business records Tuesday has likely rendered him less electable and yet more invulnerable to Republican attacks on his electability. For this reason, both Trumps nomination and Joe Bidens reelection just became a bit more likely.

Entering the 2024 Republican primary, Trumps greatest liability was his uncertain competitiveness in a general election. The vast majority of GOP voters have few complaints with the ex-presidents governing record, ideological positioning, or personal character. NeverTrump Republicans may wring their hands over the insurrectionary demagogues despoilment of their party in MSNBC green rooms. But in a recent Quinnipiac poll, 72 percent of GOP voters said that Trump has had a mainly positive impact on the Republican Party, while 79 percent said they viewed themselves as members of Trumps MAGA movement.

No one is going to persuade a critical mass of GOP primary voters that a second Trump presidency is undesirable. The best hope of the myriad Republican activists, donors, and elected officials who crave liberation from the moguls personality cult is to convince the conservative rank-and-file that another Trump term is impossible (or, at least, highly unlikely).

After all, Trump is the only Republican who has ever lost a presidential election to Joe Biden. Even conservatives who deny the legitimacy of that election must grapple with the fact that Trump failed to stop the steal despite having the powers of the presidency at his disposal (a benefit that he will not have next year).

Ron DeSantis has staked his 2024 campaign on an implicit electability argument. The Florida governor has taken pains to minimize the distance between himself and Trump on virtually every substantive issue that splits Republican elder statesmen from the ex-president. DeSantis has embraced Trumps iconoclastic skepticism of U.S. support for Ukraine while implementing illiberal attacks on free thought and expression that arguably outstrip those of his rival.

DeSantis has signaled an interest in attacking Trump from the right on COVID policy, portraying himself as more militantly hostile to the existence of life-saving vaccines. But that issue loses salience with each passing day as the pandemics acute phase further recedes into the past and Trump reasserts his anti-vax bonafides.

Thus, DeSantiss fundamental pitch to the GOP faithful is that he is indistinguishable from Trump in terms of substance; indeed, the Florida governors willingness to quash wokeness by any means necessary is second to none. But he is a less chaotic figure than the ex-president and therefore a more electable standard-bearer for the MAGA movement, as demonstrated by his recent landslide reelection in a formerly purple state.

DeSantis gestured toward this message following the first reports of an impending Trump indictment last month, telling the press, Look, I dont know what goes into paying hush money to a porn star to secure silence over some type of alleged affair, then advertising his own ostensibly normal and healthy marriage in an interview with the New York Post. True, as Jonathan Chait notes, DeSantis sounded a bit like an alien when describing his domestic bliss, saying of his success in persuading his wife to marry him, it was good to get that one in the win column. Still, DeSantiss basic pitch came through: Heres an authoritarian demagogue you can take home and introduce to the median voter.

But this argument just became much harder to make. A Reuters report published Monday offers an anecdotal illustration of the problem:

Larry White, a self-described Republican conservative, was thinking of voting for Ron DeSantis in his partys presidential nominating contest, believing the Florida governor had a better chance of winning back the White House from the Democrats than former President Donald Trump.

Then came news on March 30 that Trump had been indicted in New York on charges related to a hush money payment to a porn star, making him the first former U.S. president to face criminal prosecution.

Now I am absolutely voting for Trump, said White, 75, a composer and musician in Nevada. The indictment was the last straw for me, because Trump has suffered so much political abuse. I think hes the strongest candidate to contest what the left is doing. Im all in.

Whites way of thinking was typical among the Nevada Republicans interviewed by Reuters. Of the 35 GOP voters interviewed by the news service, 20 said they were considering supporting DeSantis over Trump before the indictment; afterward, only six held to that position. Meanwhile, the Republican strategist Sarah Longwell told the publication that the first six times she held focus groups with GOP voters this year, the participants were divided over whom to support in 2024. In the seventh focus group, taken shortly after news of Trumps indictment, all nine Republicans declared their support for his candidacy.

More statistically robust evidence of this phenomenon can be found in the first national poll of the GOP electorate conducted after the indictment. In that Yahoo News and YouGov survey, Trumps advantage over DeSantis jumped from an eight point-margin two weeks ago to a 26-point lead following the indictment, with 57 percent of Republican voters pledging allegiance to their embattled champion.

DeSantis himself, like every other Republican presidential hopeful, recognized that rallying to Trumps defense was a political imperative, and he vowed to shelter Trump from extradition should he choose to hide out from Johnny Law at Mar-a-Lago.

All this presents DeSantis and his fellow GOP presidential aspirants with a formidable challenge. Trump was already opening up a commanding lead before the indictment came down. Which is to say it was already becoming apparent that the Republican electorate will default to supporting the former president unless given compelling reasons to do otherwise. DeSantiss strategy of avoiding direct confrontation with Trump, so as to avoid alienating his sympathizers, was becoming unsustainable.

But now, in the eyes of the conservative base, to attack Trump is to aid and abet the presidents persecution at the hands of Soros and his minions. To question his electability, meanwhile, is tantamount to calling on Republicans to let the terrorists win.

Sure, DeSantis could try to marshall an electability argument that doesnt rest on Trumps legal woes. But the ex-presidents criminal and electoral liabilities will be inextricably linked in public discourse. Already, there are indications that the former are magnifying the latter. A CNN poll released Monday found 60 percent of voters approving of the Trump indictment. That figure could of course plummet if the president escapes conviction. From the perspective of most Americans, however, the notion that Trump is guilty of criminal misdeeds is plausible until proven otherwise. And theres a high chance that subsequent indictments connected to Trumps subversion of the 2020 election in Georgia, his incitement of an insurrection on January 6, 2021, and/or his mishandling of classified documents could reinforce the median voters impression that Trump is a criminal (even as it reinforces the conservative bases belief that he represents an unprecedented threat to Americas internal enemies).

In any event, no Republican wants to be seen as making the implicit argument that the vast left-wing conspiracy against Trump has succeeded in poisoning his image with swing voters, so we just need to defer to the woke mob on this one and nominate someone else. To associate yourself with such reasoning would be to declare your unfitness for holy war with the liberal establishment. Whats more, conservative voters would not be entirely wrong for deeming this point of view needlessly defeatist. After all, Trump could be a historically weak candidate and still defeat Biden, whose approval rating sits near 43 percent and whose coalition is structurally disadvantaged in the Electoral College.

The big problem for DeSantis, Mike Pence, Nikki Haley, and every other Republican with 2024 ambitions is that Trumps legal difficulties are liable to persist for the entirety of the primary campaign. While the prosecution asked for a January trial on Tuesday, Trumps attorneys called that timeline too aggressive and requested a spring start date. The judge did not settle the dispute. Given the probability of additional indictments, and the considerable resources that Trump can direct at prolonging the legal proceedings, his GOP rivals probably cant simply wait until his supposed persecution is over before going on the attack. Rather, they will eventually need to go on offense against red Americas beloved martyr or hope that a criminal conviction (or some other exogenous development) incapacitates him.

The political implications of Trumps legal troubles are therefore paradoxical. On the one hand, they have made his greatest liability as a candidate for the GOP nomination worse; all else equal, Trump is almost certainly less likely to win a general election while being criminally prosecuted than he otherwise would be. And yet, those legal troubles have also rendered Trumps uncertain electability inadmissible in the court of Republican opinion, thereby increasing his odds of winning the GOP nomination.
Photo: Kena Betancur/Getty Images

For most people, getting a mug shot taken isnt something to look forward to. But, of course, Donald Trump is not most people. In the days since his indictment by a Manhattan grand jury, its become clear that the former president wants his arraignment on Tuesday to be a massive spectacle. And a mug shot is a key element of his plan to add himself to the list of unjustly persecuted icons, alongside Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela, and even Jesus Christ  while making a shit ton of money in the process.

But theres one problem: New York law-enforcement officials robbed Trump of his money shot.

In the days before the arraignment there was some uncertainty about whether the public would see Trumps mug shot, as a recently enacted New York law essentially bans the release of most booking photos. Then, shortly before Trump headed to the court house on Tuesday, the New York Times reported that he wouldnt be photographed; while New York State law says anyone charged with a felony must be fingerprinted, law enforcement officials have discretion over whether they take a mug shot.

As Trump was being processed, Times reporter Maggie Haberman confirmed that theres no mug shot:

Trump was fingerprinted a person familiar with events said but not mugshotted. But people fundraising in his name arent wasting the opportunity and made their own mugshot, as this email that just landed shows pic.twitter.com/P4QfnfnjHk  Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) April 4, 2023

Taking a booking photo of Trump wasnt necessary. The point of a mug shot is to help identify a defendant, but Trump isnt considered a flight risk and he has one of the most recognizable faces in the world. Plus, taking the photo would have been logistically complicated. The Manhattan Criminal Courts Building, where Trump has surrendered this afternoon, does not have the needed equipment; taking the photo would require moving him to another facility and more security headaches.

Several officials were also worried that the image would leak, according to the Times. While Trump might welcome that widely predicted development, it would be illegal and would add a whole new layer of drama to the Trump case.

So in retrospect, maybe Trumps cronies shouldnt have gotten MAGA world so hyped about this photo. In recent days, former Trump White House spokesman Hogan Gidley assured Time that well have a mug shot, joking, For the record, it will be the most manly, most masculine, most handsome mug shot of all time.

And Trumps daughter-in-law Lara made a similar prediction to Sean Hannity on indictment eve:

Lara Trump: I think that mugshot will go down in history as the most famous mugshot ever to exist in America.. I think people really get it and they see Trump as a symbol, really of freedom pic.twitter.com/UZLgM20iUv  Acyn (@Acyn) April 4, 2023

Top members of Team Trump were even plotting how to milk the mug shot for fundraising and merchandizing dollars, as Rolling Stone reported:

Senior members of Team Trump have already casually discussed, the sources say, options for putting the ex-presidents mugshot on merchandise, hats, T-shirts, and other garments, and also for blasting out fundraising pitches to donors and Trump supporters that would include the mugshot, possibly in memed format.

One of the sources reveals that Trump was recently briefed that a 2024 fundraising blitz, centered around the mugshot, would almost certainly net the Trump campaign millions of dollars. (Trump has already leaned into the infamy of his legal problems as a fundraising tool, announcing Monday his campaign raised $4 million in the first 24 hours after the indictment.)

While Trump was still in the Manhattan Criminal Courts Building his campaign sent out an email offering contributors a t-shirt featuring a fake photo:

Latest in the Trump store: A $47 t-shirt with a fake mug shot pic.twitter.com/75ogrMcp1U  David Freedlander (@freedlander) April 4, 2023

But law-enforcement officials depriving Trump of his mug shot is still a hit not just to his ego but to his finances. As they say, better luck next indictment.

This post has been updated throughout.
(CNN)  The Chinese spy balloon that transited the US earlier this year was able to capture imagery and collect some signals intelligence from US military sites, a source familiar with the matter tells CNN.

The balloon was able to transmit information back to Beijing in real time, the source said, and the US government still does not know for sure whether the Chinese government could wipe the balloons data as it received it. That raises questions about whether there is intelligence the balloon was able to gather that the US still doesnt know about.

Still, the intelligence community has not been overly concerned about the information the balloon was able to gather, the person said, because it is not much more sophisticated than what Chinese satellites are able to glean as they orbit over similar locations.

The US also knew what the balloons path would be and was able to protect sensitive sites and censor some signals before the balloon was able to pick them up, officials have said.

As CNN has reported, the US intelligence community last year developed a method of tracking what it says is a fleet of these Chinese balloons operating across the globe, controlled by the Chinese military.

The FBI is still examining the balloon, but so far officials have been able to glean additional information about how the device worked, including the algorithms used for the balloons software and how it is powered and designed.

CNN has reached out to the National Security Council at the White House and the Pentagon for comment. NBC was first to report on the new intelligence.

The balloon first crossed into US airspace over Alaska in late January before passing through Canada and down into Montana, where it hovered for a few days, leading the US to believe it was trying to surveil sensitive military sites, like Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana. It was eventually shot down by the US off the East Coast on February 4, and the incident further escalated tensions between Washington and Beijing, including the postponement of a diplomatic visit by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to China.

A senior State Department official said in February that, as the balloon floated across the US, it was capable of conducting signals intelligence collection operations.

Gen. Glen VanHerck, the commander of US Northern Command and NORAD, said at the time that the US did not assess that the balloon presented a significant collection hazard beyond what already exists in actionable technical means from the Chinese.

The surveillance program, which includes a number of similar balloons, is in part run out of the small Chinese province of Hainan, officials told CNN. The US does not know the precise size of the fleet of Chinese surveillance balloons, but sources tell CNN that the program has conducted at least two dozen missions over at least five continents in recent years.

Roughly half a dozen of those flights have been within US airspace, although not necessarily over US territory, according to one official familiar with the intelligence.

China has maintained that the balloon was actually just a weather balloon thrown off course, and the US has been assessing the possibility that it was not deliberately maneuvered into the continental US by the Chinese government, CNN has reported.

Still, China did maintain some ability to maneuver the balloon, officials believe. And once the balloon was over Montana, China appeared to take advantage of its position to loiter over sensitive sites and try to collect intelligence.

This story was first published on CNN.com, Chinese spy balloon was able to transmit information back to Beijing"
Photo: Danish Defence

On September 26, a series of deep-sea explosions rocked the Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 natural-gas pipelines along the bottom of the Baltic Sea near the Danish island of Bornholm. The bombings severed three of the Nord Stream projects four underwater pipelines, which were built to transport a direct supply of natural gas from Russia to customers in Western Europe  though none was in operation at the time of the bombing thanks to tensions over the war in Ukraine. More than six months later, multiple countries continue to conduct their own investigations into the sabotage, but the mystery of who targeted the pipelines remains unsolved. Below is what we know about the prime suspects and latest developments.

The multiple vessel theory

The Washington Post reported April 3 that German law enforcement officials now believe that the still unknown saboteurs may have used multiple vessels to carry out their operation. German investigators earlier theory was that a small team of perpetrators used a rented 50-foot sailboat, the Andromeda, to plant explosives on the two pipelines. But as their investigation progressed, they began to suspect that the boat may have been used as a decoy, and U.S. and European officials are also now skeptical the Andromeda played the key role. One major reason for the doubt is the crafts size and capabilities, per the Post:

Experts noted that while it was theoretically possible to place the explosives on the pipeline by hand, even skilled divers would be challenged submerging more than 200 feet to the seabed and slowly rising to the surface to allow time for their bodies to decompress. Such an operation would have taken multiple dives, exposing the Andromeda to detection from nearby ships. The mission would have been easier to hide and pull off using remotely piloted underwater vehicles or small submarines, said diving and salvage experts who have worked in the area of the explosion, which features rough seas and heavy shipping traffic.

According to the Post, investigators have confirmed that traces of military-grade explosives found during a search of the Andromeda in January matched the explosive used on the pipelines  but that the evidence might have been planted aboard the boat. Some investigators also doubt that a team skilled enough to blow up the pipelines while evading detection would not be sloppy enough to leave that evidence behind  while others believe it was possible they were indeed that careless.

Another very good find from our Discord (https://t.co/i7sSuFvWWd) -- 2018 photo of the Andromeda. This one has a great sense of scale of the actual size of the yacht.https://t.co/MFNcaxK8fm pic.twitter.com/npxfcifWHY  Aric Toler (@AricToler) March 9, 2023

In early March, the Wall Street Journal reported that several large questions remained unanswered regarding the possible use of the Andromeda:

A key operational question investigators are looking into is whether the small boat could have carried the explosives and other supplies needed and whether the six people known to have been aboard would have been enough to carry out the attack, the German government official said. Another possibility is that the boat was part of a larger operation. They are also asking whether the mission was state-sponsored or a private effort, the official added.

It appears those concerns were justified. Investigators reportedly came to focus on the Andromeda after getting a tip from a Western intelligence service, then ultimately theorized that a team of six people  five men and one woman  had carried out the sabotage using the yacht, which had been hired by a Polish-registered company that investigators believe was controlled by a wealthy Ukrainian. The team apparently used forged passports and embarked in the rented yacht on September 6 from the German port city of Rostock. The yacht later docked at a harbor without nighttime surveillance cameras in Wiek on the German island of Rugen, then visited the tiny Danish island Christians, which is very close to the site of the pipeline bombings.

German officials have publicly warned against forming conclusions based on the details revealed in media reports.

What is the mysterious object?

Denmark has reportedly found, and is in the process of salvaging, a mysterious object next to one of the damaged Nord Stream 2 pipelines. The Switzerland-based pipeline operator, Nord Stream 2 AG, has agreed to a request from Danish authorities to help identify it  though Denmark has already said the object may be a maritime smoke buoy, Bloomberg reported on March 26.

Was it some pro-Ukraine group?

This week, the New York Times reported that U.S. officials have recently seen new intelligence suggesting that a pro-Ukraine, but not necessarily Ukraine-backed, group was behind the sabotage. According to the Times, the unnamed U.S. officials who have reviewed the intelligence said that the group was likely made up of Ukrainian and/or Russian nationals who were opponents of Russian president Vladimir Putin, but there was no evidence of direct links between the saboteurs and Ukraines leadership. (Ukraine has repeatedly denied any involvement in the bombings.) The divers in the saboteur group were not currently working for military or intelligence services, but they may have been trained by them in the past, according to the intelligence.

The Times also reported that U.S. officials who have been briefed on the intelligence are divided about how much weight to put on the new information, but that they are now more optimistic European and U.S. intelligence agencies will be able to get to the bottom of what happened.

A Washington Post report on the intelligence added that a senior Western security official said governments investigating the bombings uncovered evidence that pro-Ukraine individuals or entities discussed the possibility of carrying out an attack on the Nord Stream pipelines before the explosions.

What about a false-flag operation?

U.S. and German officials have continued to emphasize that it remains possible the sabotage was disguised to look like it was perpetrated by someone else. Ukrainian officials have stressed this possibility  naming Russia as the likely sponsor  as well, but no evidence has been put forward to support the theory. If it was a false flag, its conceivable any government could have been behind it.

Why not Russia?

After the sabotage, Poland and the Ukraine immediately fingered Russia as the culprit, and both the U.S. and other NATO allies speculated as much themselves. U.S. and European intelligence agencies have reportedly been unable to find any conclusive evidence of Russias involvement, however. It also remains unclear what Russia would have had to gain from disabling their own pipeline, which they helped build and had already shut off.

Or maybe it was the United States all along?

President Biden warned, amid Russias buildup on the Ukrainian border in early February of last year, that If Russia invades  again, then there will be longer Nord Stream 2. We will bring an end to it. Some have interpreted that statement as a kind of advance admission of guilt, like American investigative journalist Seymour Hersh, who last month self-published a report on his Substack alleging the U.S. had conducted a covert strike on the pipelines. Hershs supposed bombshell, which was quickly endorsed by Kremlin officials and Russian state media, primarily relied on what appeared to be a single unnamed source, who Hersh wrote had direct knowledge of the operational planning for the sabotage. The White House has rejected his post as complete fiction, and some members of the OSINT community have detailed numerous holes in Hershs assertions.

The Intercepts Jeremy Scahill has offered a more open-minded reading of the allegations, noting that Hersh may have screwed up the facts, but not the premise. Scahill also points out the U.S. has authorized, then lied about, numerous covert actions throughout its history and that recent disclosures to the media about intelligence pointing to Ukrainian partisans may be an example of narrative washing. At this point, however, there is no evidence linking the U.S. to the sabotage.
An Opelika man wanted by multiple law enforcement agencies led five different police and sheriffs agencies on a high speed car chase through three counties in East Alabama last Thursday, before he was apprehended using spike strips.

No injuries or damage to property were listed in the police release.

On March 30, Carlton Lampley Jr, 39, of Opelika was spotted by the Lanett Police Department near the 500 block of Veterans Memorial Parkway in Lanett. Lanett police officers attempted to pull over the black 2012 Dodge Charger Lampley was driving.

According to a press release put out by Lanett PD, the police knew Lampley and that he was wanted by at least six law enforcement agencies for various charges. The press release did not specify the alleged charges.

When the Lanett officer activated his lights and siren, the offender accelerated and started the high speed pursuit, the press release said. The pursuing officer informed dispatch that the offender was not stopping.

According to the release, the chase continued down Interstate 85 to exit 66 where the offender was forced to leave the interstate because an 18-wheeler was in his path. The chase then continued into rural Lee County before returning to Chambers County.

The pursuing Lanett officer was joined by officers from the Chambers County Drug Task Force and Valley Police Department as the chase re-entered Chambers County, the release said. Officers pursued the offender through rural Chambers County before returning to Lee County and turning onto Highway 280 toward Phenix City.

Lee County deputies then joined the chase. As the offender approached Phenix City, Russel County deputies deployed spike strips which disabled the car and allowing police to apprehend Lampley.
news

Ouachita students earn state NATS recognition

Thirteen students from the Division of Music in Ouachita Baptist Universitys School of Fine Arts placed as finalists or semifinalists at the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) Arkansas Spring Conference held Feb. 24-25 at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, Ark.

With 13 of 15 participants earning recognition, Ouachita had one of the highest ratios of attendees to finalists in a wide variety of categories, said Dr. Candice Aipperspach, associate professor of music. This showcases the excellence sought in the vocal area at Ouachita and the hard work of the students.

Six Ouachita students were named Arkansas NATS finalists:

Brandon Holloway, student of Dr. Natilan Crutcher, earned first place in classical second year; tenor, baritone and bass (TBB) division with a performance of Goodbye! by Paolo Tosti. Holloway is a sophomore vocal performance major from Little Rock, Ark.

Veronica West, student of Dr. Maggie Garrett, earned first place in classical third year treble division with a performance of Habanera from Carmen by Georges Bizet. West is a junior choral music education major from Benton, Ark.

Logan Babel, student of Dr. Maggie Garrett, earned second place in lower college musical theatre TBB division with his performance of Lost in the Wilderness from Children of Eden by Stephen Schwartz. Babel is a sophomore worship studies major from Beebe, Ark.

Mavric Herrera, student of Dr. Kara Claybrook, earned second place in upper college musical theatre TBB division with a performance of I am Aldolpho from The Drowsy Chaperone by Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison. Herrera is a junior worship studies major from Wylie, Texas.

Alli Hylkema, student of Dr. Candice Aipperspach, earned second place in lower college musical theatre treble division with a performance of I Dreamed a Dream from Les Miserables by Claude-Michel Schonberg. Hylkema is a freshman communications & media/integrated communications major from Jackson, Tenn.

Kieran Malmer, student of Dr. Maggie Garrett, earned second place in classical second year treble division with a performance of Durch Zartlichkeit und Schmeicheln from Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail by W.A. Mozart. Malmer is a sophomore choral music education major from Little Elm, Texas.

Eight Ouachita students were named semifinalists:

Eli Butler, a junior musical theatre major from Greenwood, Ark.

Annslee Clay, a junior musical theatre major from Benton, Ark.

Genevieve Cooper, a freshman musical theatre and business administration double major from Frisco, Texas

Carleigh Himmelsehr, a freshman kinesiology/exercise science major from Fate, Texas

Sierra Hoss, a junior musical theatre major from Fouke, Ark.

Tyranni Hubbard, a senior theatre arts major from Little Rock, Ark.

Kieran Malmer, a sophomore choral music education major from Little Elm, Texas

Deanne Puryear, a freshman worship studies major from Jonesboro, Ark.

In addition to Aipperspach, students were accompanied at the competition by Kara Claybrook, visiting assistant professor of music; Dr. Natilan Crutcher, visiting assistant professor of music; Dr. Maggie Garrett, professor of music; and Dr. Jed Kim, visiting assistant professor of music.

Its a blessing to help these students develop the gifts and talents the Lord has given them, Crutcher said. This competition was a great opportunity for the students to share the growth of their artistry with other universities in Arkansas.

Additional Ouachita students who participated in the competition were AnnaMarie Cobb, a sophomore choral music education major from Arkadelphia, Ark., and Halle Jones, a sophomore musical theatre major from Fort Worth, Texas.

For more information on the NATS competition, contact Dr. Maggie Garrett at garrettm@obu.edu or (870) 245-5274.

Lead photo: Ouachita students and faculty who attended the National Association of Teachers of Singing Arkansas Spring Conference, held Feb. 24-25 in Jonesboro, included (back row) Tyranni Hubbard, AnnaMarie Cobb, Deanne Puryear, Logan Babel, Mavric Herrera and Brandon Holloway; (middle row) Sierra Hoss, Carleigh Himmelsehr, Halle Jones, Alli Hylkema, Kieran Malmer and Veronica West; and (front row) Susan Monroe, Dr. Maggie Garrett, Dr. Kara Claybrook, Dr. Natilan Crutcher, Dr. Candice Aipperspach and Dr. Jed Kim. All are pictured from left.
Heres to hoping he fucking burns

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cant wait for the mugshot

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I hope it gets taken in a wind tunnel.

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Saaaaame omg. I will be so disappointed if they don't show it - I want to see his orange concealer under real lighting.

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Or him after without it

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Didn't they make Phil Spektor take off his big ol' wig - will they make Donald take off his hair piece?

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Ya know what? I did what I could lol

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I have an appointment on Tuesday and this post made me panic and think that I had missed it 

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Even the mods of ONTD don't read 

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Lmao I was like well the mods missed the note haha



Edited at 2023-04-04 12:09 am (UTC)

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Well at least it's not a day late!

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Thanks for your posts <3

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lmfao this place is nothing if not consistent

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Fr Im dying rn lmaooo

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So glad I'm not the only mod struggling with time zones.

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I had to double check to see what day it is after I read your note to the mods. 

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Ya know what, reading isn't our thing and that's okay

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It's Tuesday morning somewhere!

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It wasnt me, I read it and left it. Maybe its just my ability as a maintainer but can you not schedule posts theres not an option when you draft it? Im just asking because Im not sure if only mods have it

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I love this gif forward and backward so much. It's so perfect.

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As if the NYPD aren't Trump supporters...they gonna arrest their own?

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I had the same thought but then I also thought about how much NYPD relishes situations like this and no way they're going to miss an opportunity to be violent.



I do wonder if we will have some Jan 6th-inside job type situation where someone in the court house lets the protestors in....kind of why I made the post...who knows what will happen but most likely he'll just walk in and walk out 20 min later lol

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they definitely are and our cop mayor knows it too. no doubt they got a bunch of feds and the like ready as well. there's no way they're just gonna leave this to local LE

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maybe just give the ones from Staten Island desk-duty IDK

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i know john kept his thoughts on this at bay in the last episode, but you know he's readying next week's ep for all of the mayhem

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I heard that we might not see a mugshot?? Im gonna be mad. At least give us that!

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He's not cool enough for a mug shot

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I've seen enough of his face for several lifetimes tbh

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Mods, I am submitting this in advance, feel free to post it sometime on Tuesday morning (EST)





ONTD, where even the mods can't read.

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PLEASE, PLEAAASE impose a gag order! He will be so pissed off! It may make him keel over! At the very least, hell do whatever he wants and thatll add MORE charges for his dumb ass. 



Edited at 2023-04-04 12:09 am (UTC)

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i really want there to be a gag order because his dumb ass will absolutely violate it

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Praying for a gag order so hell violate and theyll toss his ass in jail.

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Mods, I am submitting this in advance, feel free to post it sometime on Tuesday morning (EST)





No one reads 

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i'm glad he's finally being charged with something but it's just annoying that of all the crimes he's committed, this is the one he's being held accountable for?



i also feel like he's going to be acquitted and this is just going to give him more attention and press like in 2016

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His secret service detail was also subpoenaed in the mar-a-lago documents case today, it's coming tbh

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ooh yesss and also isn't the ny court looking at tax evasion or something?

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This is the first one he's being held accountable for but I hopeful it won't be the last.

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This is widely believed to be the easiest of the various crimes for which hes under investigation, so it makes sense that theyd be able to bring it to this stage more quickly. But hes currently the subject of at least 4-5 investigations so this will not be the last.

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Its not annoying this is the first of many charges

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my mother's coworkers are trying to say that it's not even a crime. I ran for office, you have to report everything. it took ages before I even felt comfortable using it for gas money (legal, beeteedubs)

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This is a test balloon. If it's not successful, then you know what to improve on or change for the real stuff without risking double jeopardy. If it is successful then it's just another log on the fire.

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That's what I thought at first but I'm kind of hoping this is like the first domino.

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The GA and Documents cases are moving forward, it just takes time, and the NYC case is the least "impactful" of the open investigations so even if he slides on this one he has a few more much bigger shit storms coming his way.

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This is how it always is with rich corrupt people. They always go down for some small shit when you look at all the things theyve done.

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What took so long for him to get in trouble or caught?

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b/c investigating trump is very similar to investigating a mob boss, and he runs his companies/life in a very similar fashion. the closer you get to him the less likely people are to cooperate so you basically have to have leverage against everybody in his circle to incentivize them to turn on him and gathering that leverage/evidence takes time. also tr*mp notoriously does not use email so gathering up a paper trail also takes time.

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is this real? or is this just fantasy?

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I know right? I thought reality would involve him asking for more money and purchasing a one way ticket to Russia.

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Caught in a landslide, no escape from reality

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open your eyes, look up to the skies and seeeeeeeee

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I can confirm Priscilla Presley and granddaughter Riley went for a private dinner in Bev Hills amid the estate battle & they ARE talking. Priscilla also confirmed this at an intimate UK tour appearance last night. #exclusive https://t.co/j9dKvIL9nv  Katy Forrester (@katyshowbiz) April 3, 2023

 Priscilla Presley's precious son Navarone went on Instagram Live to confirm his mom and Riley Keough are on good terms and there's "no feud" amid the court case over the late Lisa Marie Presley's trust. He also says they have a good relationship at the moment and he and Priscilla even dined with Riley late last month in Beverly Hills (Riley has not confirmed).He declined to comment further on the legal case as he focuses on his music and announced he's moving to Brazil in a few weeks. Priscilla is currently on an Elvis speaking tour in the UK, and a fan said, "She said that she and Riley have not fallen out, and they are very close she also said she was out having a meal with Riley just the other day before she left to fly to the UK for her tour. She also said that nothing will happen to Graceland...I hope people will now stop saying nasty things about Priscilla. She is human just like we all are. Leave her alone and let her enjoy what ever yrs she has left please" Priscilla also says she has watched Daisy Jones and the Six and thought Riley was terrific. Despite this, Priscilla has still asked an LA judge to continue the estate case until May, after a hearing was initially planned for April 13. She is asking the courts to void an amendment which removed her and placed Riley as executor to Lisa Marie's estate.
And the vision she's awarded for - in case you are curious as well -



"Since Meghan and Prince Harry founded Archewell in 2020, its foundation arm has directed support and grants to numerous charities supporting women and girls, including Girls Inc., Paid Leave for All, Moms First, the National Womens Law Center, and Smart Works, which was a patronage of Meghans while she served as a senior royal. They also provided support to the Georgetown University Law Center's Initiative on Gender Justice, which develops policy solutions for schools, hospitals, the juvenile justice system, and other public systems."

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I added to the post too, thank you!

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Women of Vision Award at the Ms. Foundation for Womens



Kandi telling Porsha, "You just made that up!". pic.twitter.com/YSTvmuJrqI  reaction encyclopedia (@gay_reactions) March 23, 2022



Seriously. These rich people making up awards for themselves to pat themselves on their backs for doing the bare minimum  Seriously. These rich people making up awards for themselves to pat themselves on their backs for doing the bare minimum 

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Lol I literally said for what? 

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For real. Mutual aid and basic rights and needs met > sketchy charities.



Edited at 2023-04-04 03:04 pm (UTC)

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I have no words. I hope she is making actual change in communities that need it. And that they actually see and benefit from her contributions .



The only other thing I will say is how I hate how we need charities to recognize the bare minimum like paid leave.



The system is truly designed for most of us to fail (or stay right where we are)

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The only other thing I will say is how I hate how we need charities to recognize the bare minimum like paid leave.



To be honest, that is one of the tenets of American conservative thought. They think it's not the place of government to deal with these types of matters and that charities should be in charge of social benefits like welfare or disability benefits or housing assistance. That way, people can choose to support the causes they care about and if they don't want to support any of them, they shouldn't be forced to via tax dollars.



It's dumb and it's stupid and it doesn't work and about the only thing it actually is, is just evidence that America is not a "liberal" country.

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its also just a way for the rich to get huge tax breaks which is really the main selling point for them

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Lamo just yesterday I read that their tax report showed her and the annoying one worked a total of ONE hour a week at their foundation. I just know their staff is seething rn.



But seeing her get awards will piss off the royalists and that's always great



Anyway, I'm glad the girl who bullied Matt Gaetz and raised $2million for abortion funds in trigger law states is being recognized. Now she actually put in the work instead of signing checks.

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Their foundation has a staff, they aren't doing the day to day business of running it. The "one hour a day" thing was created by the British version of Fox News, it's not confirmed by anything.



When she was a working royal, the Palace wanted the proceeds from the Hubb Community Cookbook she worked on to go to the Palace, and then they would distribute them. She refused, and the proceeds went directly to the women at the Hubb Community. She would also go back one day a month to cook with them and keep involved with how they were doing.





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However, the figure has either been

a) wilfully misinterpreted by the Daily Fail or

b) is the result of an entertainment/news journalist writing about finance. The DF dont really have subeditors anymore (decent ones anyway) so even if they werent being obtuse its unlikely this wouldve been fact checked.



Anyway, as far as I know its standard practise for a not-for-profit to list, for tax purposes, that their board works one hour a month, as the majority of board members are voluntary/unpaid. This does not reflect the actual hours worked (though that depends on the board lol)



I found a Marie Claire breakdown which explains it:



Though this article is still not great. Eg: theyre querying the Archewell consultants fees being over $100,000, when thats pretty standard for an NFP with revenue over $10 million to spend on legal fees (esp. when dealing with grants etc.) and an independent tax audit. But anyway.



Edited at 2023-04-04 12:20 pm (UTC) The above user is partly right. That figure is substantiated in the Archewell tax filings, which as I understand it can be requested through the IRS Form 990 or something similar (Im not American so unsure of the exact process). Usually these statements are made publicly available, but apparently the IRS has a backlog.However, the figure has either beena) wilfully misinterpreted by the Daily Fail orb) is the result of an entertainment/news journalist writing about finance. The DF dont really have subeditors anymore (decent ones anyway) so even if they werent being obtuse its unlikely this wouldve been fact checked.Anyway, as far as I know its standard practise for a not-for-profit to list, for tax purposes, that their board works one hour a month, as the majority of board members are voluntary/unpaid. This does not reflect the actual hours worked (though that depends on the board lol)I found a Marie Claire breakdown which explains it: https://www.marieclaire.com/celebrity/royals/prince-harry-meghan-markle-2021-archewell-tax-documents/ Though this article is still not great. Eg: theyre querying the Archewell consultants fees being over $100,000, when thats pretty standard for an NFP with revenue over $10 million to spend on legal fees (esp. when dealing with grants etc.) and an independent tax audit. But anyway.

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Ding, ding, ding. At my old nonprofit, one of my coworkers / friends was also on the board, and for tax reasons he also "worked" doing board stuff for about an hour a week. In reality he was doing shit for them all the time, it just overlapped with his general day-to-day shit.

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Their tax reports were released? 

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she should take her own advice.



getting plastic surgery once a month, having your nannies raise your kids while you cosplay as a parent on tiktok is not working.

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Learn more about LiveJournal Ratings in Hello! Your entry got to top-25 of the most popular entries in LiveJournal!Learn more about LiveJournal Ratings in FAQ

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Its nice that those charities got help but this a joke lol!!



I feel every other woman on the list has actually done something or put their necks out there in comparison.

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Work 

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I was literally thinking like fifteen minutes ago how nice it is that I haven't heard about them in like a couple weeks

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Girl get ready for next month!!

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omg there's gonna be so many ugly inbred people wearing ridiculous costumes and it's going to be so fucking stupid, may it bring down the monarchy

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Wait, whats next month?

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I muted their names and titles on Twitter and still get consistent negative tweet trends about them.

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I wish I could meet Gloria Steinem 

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Truly. What an icon.

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Her book "Outrageous acts and everyday rebellions" should be mandatory reading for everyone in school.

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my mom met her twice and got pics, it always makes my friends coo and gasp when they visit mom's house



I get my fangirling from her lol she always told me to hang out after for picks and autographs

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we all have the same 24 hours in a day, meaghan just uses them better!!!

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Well this is what she wanted right? To be perceived as this charitable, benevolent do gooder?

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It seems so. For some perception is more important than reality I suppose.

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Yup. A charity influencer without having to do anything.

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LMAOOOOO I HOPE U ROT U ORANGE BITCH

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Hope this is the first of many indictments!



Also hope Fox loses their Dominion lawsuit and has to pay out the ass to Dominion.

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they absolutely will lose.



fox will go down if nothing else.

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Oh, without a doubt! It's gonna happen. I just want that effing network to go down because propaganda shit like that's gotta go

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I saw that Marjorie Taylor Greene and that grifter George Santos were there to support him. Truly the bottom of the barrel

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You know it eats him up that cool people don't like him.

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Georgie Porgie left after 10 minutes because he said it felt dangerous, lol.

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an inbred prehistoric woman creature and a drag queen grifter. #sad

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Girl looks like Barney, and Barney, sweetie, I'm sorry, but it's true.

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Van Jones on here comparing Trump to Mandela and jesus 

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Mandela didn't deserve prison but I'd like Trump to follow suit and work in a limestone quarry

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he did what now?

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He also called him a grandad having a very bad day 

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that man has some stupendously dumb takes

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the same van jones who cried on live tv after Biden was elected? I am confusion

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He WHAT

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I knew folks were going to make Jesus comparisons during Holy Week.



Jesus and Nelson didn't fuck a sex worker and hush them with money. If anything, everything Jesus stood for is what people like 45 and his "toad"-suckers are against. They idolize and compare this man to God/Jesus, yet they're stupid enough to recognize it's basically breaking the 1st commandment. They know nothing about law and religion. This is what happens when you ban books in America.

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Wait whaaatt?! I know MTG did, but Van Jones?! Ugh!

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Why wont we get a mugshot? Trump is a citizen?

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Apparently he also didnt get handcuffed. And they wanted to do this last week but was let slide for today instead.



His treatment is still different to that of an average citizen.

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They wanted to do it over zoom, but Trump insisted on going to the courthouse

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They also don't release them to the public in New York. We also have a no cameras in the courtroom law.

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Trump already has a fake mugshot being sold on tshirts for $46 each.

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Not entirely sure, but it's a good idea not to. I mean the guy would 100% use it for his campaign.

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Not good enough yet. Hes still getting what he wants, free money from his mindless zombies.





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I still want leg irons but that's just me.

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Here is update on mugshot



One reason why former Pres. Trump will not have a mugshot taken is "because he was going to fundraise off of that mugshot, and that would be unseemly," according to CBS News legal analyst @rikkijklieman. pic.twitter.com/D3OIh9eEJp  CBS News (@CBSNews) April 4, 2023 I want to see him in court but idt thats happening.Here is update on mugshot

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He's doing that anyway though. This is just more special treatment

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man america sure is wild

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Hopefully he strokes out from the stress

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No way. His demise should truly be as long and painful as possible. Nothing less is acceptable.

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Nah, let him croak. We've been through enough.

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if he suffers a medical emergency, i would like it to happen in public and i would like it to be something that causes him to shit himself

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My most sincere hope

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Only way to make Republicans stop voting for him

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No way, hell be martyred by his supporters

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On one hand it's satisfying to see this happen, but the media shouldn't be giving this this much air

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its freaky how this is strengthening his base instead of turning them off

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Duh, they're going to martyr him over this.

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Some people just weren't meant to be the fittest to survive. As if the Vatican would want to make him a saint or martyr, especially since the pope don't fuck with him. The trash gets whiter each day.

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Cults thrive on shit like this.

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Exactly. One big show to him. If he doesnt actually serve time, theyll keep laughing and letting him get away with shit while lining his pockets.

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It's like when he said he could shoot someone on 5th Avenue. They do not care.

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It makes sense if you think of them as upside-down people - ie. everything we think of as "wrong" is "right" to them. This is being taken as proof of the government conspiracy to do... something.

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i don't find it surprising cause at this point each person in his entire fanbase is either completely brainwashed or purposefully evil. he can literally say anything now and they'll go with it.

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i think it's strengthening his die hard fans commitment, but i actually don't think it's helping him expand his support or hang onto the ones who were only ever on the fringe.

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The base will never leave him. It's everyone else he needs to ever be successful politically that will.

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Some people really want to feel persecuted.

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I mean, if they supported the insurrection...this is right up their alley.

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if they don't convict him of at least one felony, they may as well just hand him the 2024 election.

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His narcissism and complete disregard for anything other than himself is why they love him in the first place.

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Would you expect anything less from people who are still convinced he won the election? They probably think he's being 'set up.'

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The trump base loves to feel like victims, b/c you know this country has a long history of discrimination against cis-white christians.



To them equality is a threat and accountability is "persecution" -- so this all tracks that this only deepens their support.

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Privileged people want to be oppressed, and they struggle with their White fragility. It's not just that, but when it comes to class, many don't want to feel like they're the problem, so they don't want to be "othered" so they join the oppressors side because of the narrative that oppressors made. This isn't class-bound, since this can apply to different identities. I mean, look at George Santos, Candace Owens, Caitlyn Jenner, and others, and they're being tokenized by the oppressors to give good face. They think they can have a seat at the table or feel saved, but it's not going to help them. That's why the rich get richer, and the poor get poorer, and frankly, I see how both the democrats and republicans contribute to that because they always talk about the middle class, yet that class is much smaller, and they don't talk about the working class and working poor. I can't tell you how often I come across working class folks who feel helpless because both parties don't care about them, and I say that as someone who came from immigrant, working class parents.



It's just multilayered because all of his ideologies stem from androcentrism, white supremacy, individualism, fascism, and capitalism. A lot of what he's done is this whole monkey-see, monkey-do type of thing where he doesn't get away for his shit, so people will follow and do the same. I think after this, people will dip and no longer do crazy shit or at least keep it more subtle and covert because accountability has always been missing from him. If he deals with the consequences, they'll learn that they aren't going to be saved. So many wanted him to pardon them after the insurrection, and they were shit out of luck.



He and his people in power are self-serving, and so are politicians like him. They will deflect and not own up to their shit because they don't benefit off changing policies that serve them. That's why they'll scapegoat oppressed and marginalized groups so people think they're the problem while they just chill and do their own thing to distract people. DeSantis keeps using these anti-LGBT laws to deflect as he's planning to lessen gun restrictions and anti-abortion laws. He gets paid by the NRA. He wants to ban books and Black studies and critical race theory. He even wants to prevent people from learning about menstruation in elementary school. History is repeating itself because to the White man, an enslaved person was the biggest threat. They know what they are doing by prevent people to access books and to have a quality education. They want to dumb people down because any educated person from a marginalized/oppressed community is a threat to them. That's how they maintain their power.



Edited at 2023-04-04 10:19 pm (UTC)

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And you can't profit from your crimes - they need to expand that to fundraising. He shouldn't be able to accept money.

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Agreed. And imagine how stupid you must be to give a grifter "billionaire," who constantly brags about his wealth, any money at all. True pathetic simp shit.

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I've said this before, but it seems like it's comparable to tithing to me. Instead of giving to God or Jesus they donate in hopes of owning the libs.

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Van Jones was on CNN practically weeping for him and saying "He's a grandfather."



And???



He committed CRIMES.

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Give me a fucking break.

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Hes barely a father . Like he cares about his grandchildren anyway lol

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are we confident that he can even name his grandchildren, including the one also named donald trump



Edited at 2023-04-04 05:55 pm (UTC)

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I cant at them trying to pretend that hes being treated like any other citizen.

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Van Jones is such a disappointment.

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I say this with all hate in my heart...what the fuck, Van??

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I mean so is biden who they want thrown in jail, Hilary is a grandmother who they want thrown in jail. The hypocrisy is unreal.

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it's funny bc even as a crackhead, hunter is 100x more handsome than trump's demon spawn, and that makes them seethe secretly.

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I hate shit like this.



As a childless does it mean I deserve to see consequence for my crimes while people with kids/grandkids don't.

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What a clown. Grandfather by blood.. he probably doesn't even know all their names.

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What the fuck

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He couldnt name his grandkids without flash cards in 50pt font size

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grandfathers can be trash too like ??

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He's a grandfather



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Like he even knows his grandchildren's names 

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Wtf happened to van Jones? How much did he sell out for?

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Van Jones is such a clown. Trump doesn't even care about those grandkids lol. They should offer him a deal- immunity from everything if he can state the full names and birthdays of all his children and grandchildren. That rotten tangerine wouldn't stans a chance.

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he is such a loser.



this is the guy who used to hang out with the kardashians after all. he's always been a blowhard, starfucker.

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lmao I cant believe. So was the golden state killer, you dumb bitch!!

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Something is better than nothing.

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So if there is a gag order for this, and orange man breaks said gag order, what happens? He just gets fined?

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Arrested and held in contempt. Depends on how far the judge wants to take it. But I think if the judge stipulates a gag order he'll definitely enforce it.

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just eating chips and staring at the doors at the courthouse on cnn waiting for anything to happen

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I want chips now.



What flavour??

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sour cream & onion ridgies

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Powerfoil X4 Meet the Powerfoil X4. The biggest and most powerful fan in the world. With a diameter ranging from 12 to 30 feet, it provides maximum airflow and comfort to the largest of spaces and the harshest of conditions. Featuring a high-efficiency motor, full-fan IP56 rating, and numerous safety features, its everything and anything you would ever want in an industrial fan. Improve air quality and increase productivity with Powerfoil X4 from Big Ass Fans. The biggest name in fans for over 20 years.

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(CNN)  Scientists in Germany say theyve been able to make a nasal vaccine that can shut down a Covid-19 infection in the nose and throat, where the virus gets its first foothold in the body.

In experiments in hamsters, two doses of the vaccine, which is made with a live, but weakened form of the coronavirus that causes Covid-19, blocked the virus from copying itself in the animals upper airwaysachieving so-called sterilizing immunity, and preventing illness, a long sought goal of the pandemic.

While this vaccine has several more hurdles to clear before it gets to a doctors office or drug store, other nasal vaccines are already in use, or are nearing the finish line in clinical trials.

China and India both rolled out vaccines given through the nasal tissues last fall, though its not clear how well they may be working. Studies on the effectiveness of these vaccines have yet to be published, leaving the world to wonder whether this approach to protection really works in people.

Halting progress on next generation Covid-19 vaccines

The US has reached something of a stalemate with Covid-19. Even with the darkest days of the pandemic behind us, hundreds of Americans are still dying daily, as the infection continues to simmer in the background of our return to normal life.

As long as the virus continues to spread among people and animals, theres always the potential for it mutate into a more contagious or more damaging version of itself. And while Covid infections have become manageable for most healthy people, they may still pose a danger to vulnerable groupssuch as the elderly and immunocompromised.

Researchers hope next-generation Covid-19 vaccines, which aim to shut down the virus before it ever gets a chance to make us sick, and ultimately  scientists hope  prevent the spread of the infection, could make this our newest resident respiratory infection less of a threat.

One way scientists are trying to do that is by boosting mucosal immunity, beefing up immune defenses in the tissues that line the upper airways, right where the virus would land and begin to infect our cells.

Its a bit like stationing firefighters underneath the smoke alarm in your house, says study author Emanuel Wyler, a scientist at the Max Delbruck Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association in Berlin.

The immunity thats created by shots works throughout the body, but it resides primarily in the blood. That means it may take longer to mount a response.

If they are already on site, they can immediately eliminate the fire, but if theyre like two miles away, they first need to drive there and by that time, one-third of the house is already in full flames, Wyler said in an interview with CNN.

Mucosal vaccines are also better at priming a different kind of first responder than injections do. They do a better job of summoning IgA antibodies, which have four arms to grab onto invaders instead of just the two arms that the y-shaped IgG antibodies have. Some scientists think IgA antibodies may be less picky about their targets than IgG antibodies, which makes them better equipped to deal with new variants.

The new nasal vaccine takes a new approach to a very old idea  weakening a virus so its no longer a threat, then giving it to people so their immune systems can learn to recognize and fight it off. The first vaccines using this approach date back to the 1870s, against anthrax and rabies. Back then, scientists weakened the agents they were using with heat and chemicals.

The researchers manipulated the genetic material in the virus to make it harder for cells to translate. This technique, called codon pair de-optimization, hobbles the virus so it can be shown to the immune system without making the body sick

You could imagine reading a text and every letter is a different font, or every letter is a different size, then the text is much harder to read. And this is basically what we do in codon pair deoptimization, Wyler said in an interview with CNN.

Promising results in animal studies

In the hamster studies, which are published today in the journal Nature Microbiology, two doses of the live, but weakened nasal vaccine created a much stronger immune response than either two doses of an mRNA-based vaccine or one that uses an adenovirus to ferry the vaccine instructions into cells.

The researchers think the live, but weakened vaccine probably worked better because it closely mimics the process of a natural infection.

The nasal vaccine also previews the entire coronavirus for the body, not just its spike proteins as current Covid-19 vaccines do, so the hamsters were able to make immune weapons against a wider range of targets.

As promising as all this sounds, vaccine experts say caution is warranted. This vaccine still has to pass more tests before its ready for use, but they say the results so far look encouraging.

They did a very nice job. This is obviously a competent and thoughtful team that did this work, and impressive in the scope of what they did. Now it just needs to be repeated, perhaps in primates and certainly in humans before it can be widely used, said Dr. Greg Poland, who designs vaccines at the Mayo Clinic. He was not involved in the current research.

The study began in 2021, before Omicron was around, so the vaccine tested in these experiments was made with the original strain of the virus. In the experiments, when they infected animals with Omicron, the live, but weakened nasal vaccine still performed better than the others, but its ability to neutralize the virus was diminished. Researchers think it will need an update.

It also needs to be tested in humans, Wyler says theyre working on that. The scientists say theyve partnered with a Swiss company called RocketVax to start phase one clinical trials.

Other vaccines are further along. But the progress has been slow and halting, Poland said. Groups working on these vaccines are struggling to raise the steep costs of getting a new vaccine to market, and theyre doing it in the setting where people think the vaccine race has been won and done.

In reality, Poland said, were far from that. All it would take is another Omicron-level shift in the evolution of the virus and we could be back at square one, with no tools against the coronavirus.

Thats foolish. We should be developing a pan-Coronavirus vaccine that does induce mucosal immunity and that is long lived, he said.

More on the way

At least four nasal vaccines for Covid-19 have reached late-stage testing in people, according to the World Health Organizations vaccine tracker.

The nasal vaccines already in use in China and India rely on harmless adenoviruses to ferry their instructions into cells, though effectiveness data for these has not been published.

Two other nasal vaccines are finishing human studies.

One, a recombinant vaccine that can be produced cheaply in chicken eggs, the same way as many flu vaccines are, is being put through its paces by researchers at Mount Sinai in New York City.

Another, like the German vaccine, uses a live but weakened version of the virus. Its being developed by a company called Codagenix. Results of those studies, which were carried out in South America and Africa, may come later this year.

The German team says theyre anxiously watching for the Codagenix data.

They will be very important in order to know where whether this kind of attempt is basically promising or not, Wyler said.

They have reason to worry. Respiratory infections have proved to be tough targets for inhaled vaccines.

FluMist, a live, but weakened form of the flu virus, works reasonably well in children, but doesnt help adults as much. The reason is thought to be that adults already have immune memory for the flu, and when the virus is injected into the nose, and so the vaccine mostly boosts whats already there.

Still, some of the most potent vaccines such as the vaccine against measles, mumps and rubella use live, attenuated viruses, so its a promising approach.

Another consideration is that live vaccines cant be taken by everyone. People with very compromised immunity are often cautioned against using live vaccines because even these very weakened viruses may be risky for them.

Although its strongly attenuated, its still a real virus, Wyler said, so it would have to be used carefully.

This story was first published on CNN.com, A new approach to a Covid-19 nasal vaccine shows early promise"
With high energy prices and supply chain disruptions creating shortages of key renewable energy components and materials, emerging markets are reassessing how to build out utility-scale solar power to accelerate their energy transitions.

After more than a decade of decline, the cost of solar photovoltaic (PV) panels has risen around the world, due primarily to the increasing cost of solar-grade polysilicon in China.

A key component in PV panels, polysilicon spot market prices rose from less than $7 per kg in July 2020 to $39 in August 2022. Though they subsequently fell to as low as $18 in January of this year, by early February prices were back above $30.

China is estimated to account for more than 80% of all manufacturing stages of solar panels  including polysilicon, ingots, wafers, cells and modules  while its share of key elements including polysilicon and wafers is expected to exceed 95% by 2025 based on current manufacturing expansion works, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA).

Supply and demand dynamics

There are good reasons to believe that rising costs will not slow the uptake of solar. For one, demand was robust in 2022, with 268 GW of new capacity added worldwide as prices for coal and natural gas reached record highs. Globally, installations are expected to reach 315 GW in 2023, according to BloombergNEF.

Utility-scale solar and onshore wind are the two cheapest forms of renewable energy generation in a large majority of countries around the world, and the IEA expects global solar PV capacity to rise by nearly 1500 GW in the 2022-27 period, surpassing natural gas by 2026 and coal by 2027.

Solar and wind power also overtook natural gas in Europes generation mix in 2022, thanks in part to a three-fold increase in rooftop solar applications over the course of the year.

Another reason for optimism is that analysts expect the price of polysilicon to fall further, attributing the initial increase in 2020 to floods in China in August of that year, and last summers rise to a heatwave that caused Chinese polysilicon plants to halt production. Though ongoing supply chain disruptions remain a concern, the price of polysilicon is forecast to reach $10-$15 per kg as more supply comes onto the market, according to BloombergNEF.

For rooftop solar, the decline in price between 2013 and 2020 was driven by an increase in the supply of solar cells and modules on the market, whereas advancements in technology and the growing scale of production are expected to cause costs to decline from 2023.

Continued access to critical minerals will be key to building enough renewable energy infrastructure to support the energy transition.

A January 2023 study in the scientific journal Joule concluded that the supply of 17 key materials should be sufficient to keep warming under 1.5C above pre-industrial levels in even the highest-demand scenarios. Ensuring that these resources are mined without undue environmental damage or exploitative labour practices, however, may pose a greater global challenge.

GCC test case

In some respects, the GCC is an ideal test case for solar in emerging markets, given the regions high solar yield, abundance of available land and clear government interest  including incentives and investment  in increasing clean energy.

Solar power accounted for 97% of the GCCs installed generation capacity for clean energy as of 2021, with the UAE and Saudi Arabia, respectively, making up 80% and 13% of the total. Both generated 100% of their clean energy from solar, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency.

The expansion of solar depends on steady financing, and both countries have public-private partnership frameworks to tap into global capital markets and issue green bonds for climate-related projects. Green bonds and sukuk (Islamic bonds) issuances hit a record $8.5bn in the GCC in 2022 from 15 deals, while six deals in 2021 totalled $605m.

Saudi Arabias Public Investment Fund has released two green bonds, worth $3bn and $5.5bn, to raise money for environmental, social and governance-compliant climate initiatives as part of its Green Finance Framework for the 2021-25 period.

Predictability in terms of maintenance and low operating risk make solar projects attractive investments for governments looking to meet net-zero goals, with hydrocarbons revenue providing stable financing during the transition phase.

The UAE is the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, the worlds fourth largest, and plans to invest Dh600bn ($163.3bn) in clean energy over the next three decades to meet its goal of net-zero emissions by 2050.

Hydrogens complementary role

GCC countries are diversifying their renewable energy strategies to include green hydrogen, which can be generated from clean solar.

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The national oil companies of Saudi Arabia and the UAE are already making significant investments in generating hydrogen from hydrocarbons using carbon capture, utilisation and storage, as well as solar and wind resources.

Countries like Bahrain and Qatar that have less available land are also developing hydrogen capacity.

Given the limited space available in Bahrain for power generation from solar and wind sources, the country has an opportunity to grow capabilities in green hydrogen as a constant and clear power source, Ian Roos, executive chairman of Pavilion Renewables, told OBG.

By Oxford Business Group

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When earlier this year, prices slumped following the series of bank collapses in the United States, their subsequent recovery was attributed to one factor: China.

The worlds largest oil and gas importer and Asias biggest economy, China, has become a staple in analysts oil and gas price forecasts. It is China that traders look to when they make their decisions on the oil market. It is also China that producers look to when they make their plans for the future.

And China is not alone. India has grown to be a factor to reckon with in oil and gas markets as well. With its more than 80-percent dependence on imports of crude to satisfy its domestic demand and a growing population and economy, India is being seen by some as the country that could replace China as the single most important driver of global oil demand in the not-too-distant future.

This year, China is seen to account for about half of global oil demand growth, taking it to a record high of almost 102 million barrels daily. That was according to the January oil market report by the International Energy Agency. In its two subsequent reports, the IEA maintained its stance that Chinas post-Covid reopening will drive global oil demand significantly higher.

OPEC is also forecasting strong demand growth in China, revising it in its latest Monthly Oil Market Report to over 700,000 bpd from 590,000 bpd in the previous edition of the report.

But OPEC is also quite optimistic about Indias demand, expecting the subcontinent to become the leader in oil demand growth in less than 20 years and remain the leader until at least 2045.

Yet Asia is not just China and India. It is a lot of other countries, too, and their demand for oil and gas is also growing.

Indonesias demand for gasoline, for instance, is this year set to beat the record that it booked last year. The country is the largest importer of gasoline in Asia, with 2023 demand rates seen at 670,000 barrels daily. Related: Oil Prices Continue Their Climb On OPEC Shock

Malaysias Petronas recently boasted of a successful bid round last year and scheduled the next one after awarding licenses for the exploration of nine oil and gas blocks. The country also reported a twofold increase in oil and gas discoveries last year.

Gas demand is also on the rise in Asia, despite last years surge in prices that made a lot of gas importers in the region reconsider their intentions of switching from coal to gas.

According to the Gas Exporting Countries Forum, demand for the fuel in ASEAN is set to more than double by 2050 from 2021 levels to 350 billion cu m as the shift away from coal continues despite the recent hiccup. This means that by 2050, the share of natural gas in the region is seen rising to 24 percent, replacing coal. The GECF cited Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia as major drivers of the projected demand growth.

Unsurprisingly, given current and expected oil and gas demand growth rates, China, India, and the rest of Asia are the focus of attention of both OPEC and other oil and gas producers. While demand appears to remain quite resilient in other parts of the world despite their efforts to reduce dependence on fossil fuels, Asia is undoubtedly the region everyone in the industry is watching.

It is also the region that will be mainly responsible for the continued tightening of global oil and gas supply, precisely because of these projected demand trends. Regions such as Europe and the U.S. will share this responsibility as they display demand resilience, but Asia will be the leading factor.

The industry has been warning about the tightening supply of oil andwith less certaintygas for quite a long time now. Executives such as Aramcos chief executive Amin Nasser, Exxons Darren Woods, and Shells Ben van Beurden have repeatedly noted that we are facing higher oil prices in the future because of insufficient supply.

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However, the developed world appears to have been too focused on its quest to reduce carbon dioxide emissions to pay attention to which way the rest of the world was going. And the rest of the world is going in the direction of growing populations with growing energy needs. It also appears to feature a lot more pragmatic governments that prioritize access to energy over the type of energy.

What all this means is that demand for oil and gas appears set to be rising faster than supply growth. Normally, this would lead to higher prices, which would, in turn, dampen demand, eventually pushing prices lower. But that was when investment in new supply was adequate to demand patterns. Now, things may turn out very differently, with the higher-for-longer price scenario looking like the most likely one.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

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As the EU works to rebalance its natural gas supply away from Russia, African countries are expected to gain a larger share of the blocs liquefied natural gas (LNG) market in the coming years.

Last month the EU announced that it would launch the first tenders for joint gas purchases in April, with contracts expected to be signed by June. This novel approach seeks to leverage the blocs purchasing power to secure supplies at lower prices ahead of the summer when EU countries are expected to refill their underground gas storage.

Common gas purchases are available to all EU member states, as well as Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia and the Western Balkans.

The EUs joint gas purchases are expected to bring new supplies from the US, the Middle East and Africa, including established African suppliers like Algeria, Egypt and Nigeria. Other emerging LNG exporters on the continent, such as Mozambique, Senegal and Tanzania, could also benefit from this shift.

To enable additional LNG imports, the EU is undertaking significant capacity expansion. From January 2022 to February 2023 it commissioned 35.5bn cu metres of gas import capacity across eight LNG terminal projects.

The bloc is developing some 198.5bn cu metres per year of additional LNG import capacity in projects set to come on-line through to 2026.

Established European suppliers

African pipeline suppliers that are proximate to Europe and that already have gas-trading relationships with the EU are the most likely to see immediate gains from the shift in EU policy.

In 2021 Europe imported 37.2bn cu metres of pipeline gas from Algeria (34.1bn) and Libya (3.1bn), according to BPs Statistical Review of World Energy 2022.

Already Africas largest gas producer, at 100.8bn cu metres in 2021, Algeria was forecast to increase its pipeline gas exports to Italy by 20% in 2022  from 20.9bn to 25.2bn cu metres  thanks to a bilateral deal reached last April, making up for the slump in exports to Spain due to the blockade of pipeline flows through Morocco that began in late 2021.

European investment, particularly from the continents international hydrocarbons companies, will be integral to ramping up African exports.

French utility company Engie is working on a deal that could raise gas imports from Algeria by up to 50%, following an official visit to the country by Frances President Emmanuel Macron in August. As of early April a deal had yet to be inked.

Italys Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, meanwhile, went to Libya in January to sign an $8bn agreement outlining a partnership between Italian energy major Eni and Libyas National Oil Corporation to develop gas fields.

In Egypt  Africas second-largest producer, at 67.8bn cu metres in 2021  energy giants such as Eni, the UKs Shell and Frances TotalEnergies are accelerating exploration in offshore gas basins that could help rejuvenate the countrys project pipeline. In January Eni announced another significant discovery in the Egyptian Mediterranean, although the estimated size of the find has yet to be disclosed.

Egypt sent 2.5bn cu metres of LNG to Italy in 2021 and increased its overall gas exports from 7m tonnes in 2021 to 8m tonnes in 2022.

Emerging LNG exporters

In 2021 African countries exported 58.5bn cu metres of LNG around the world, of which 32.7bn cu metres went to Europe  Algeria sent 15.4bn cu metres and Nigeria 13bn cu metres  accounting for 30% of the continents total LNG imports. .

If Nigeria can overcome internal challenges such as energy theft and pipeline vandalism, as well as the flooding that derailed the gas industry last autumn, its 206.5trn cu feet of gas reserves  the largest in Africa  could permit it to increase its output from 23.3bn cu metres in 2021.

The country is in the midst of adding a seventh train to its LNG export facility that would raise its annual capacity from roughly 22.5m tonnes, or some 31bn cu metres, to 30m tonnes.

Nigeria, Niger and Algeria signed a memorandum of understanding last July to build the Trans-Saharan gas pipeline, a project that has been under discussion for decades. The pipeline is estimated to cost $13bn and would bring 30bn cu metres of gas to Europe per year, though further updates on the project have yet to be announced.

Emerging producers Mauritania and Senegal are also well positioned to find buyers for their offshore gas.

Production at the Greater Tortue Ahmeyin gas project, which straddles the two countries maritime border and is jointly owned, is expected to start in the third quarter of 2023, at 2.5m tonnes annually. The second phase of production will require $5bn of additional investment, and is expected to produce between 5m and 10m tonnes per year.

Both Germany and Poland have expressed interest in buying gas from Senegal. Germanys Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited Senegal last May to develop bilateral energy cooperation, while Polands President Andrzej Duda visited the country in September.

Mozambique exported its first LNG last November, sending gas to Europe from Enis Coral-Sul Floating LNG facility, which has the capacity to produce up to 3.4m tonnes per year. The platform is located in the Rovuma Basin, which has an estimated 180trn cu feet of reserves. However, an insurgency has slowed the full development of the countrys sizeable gas resources.

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In November the US Export-Import Bank announced it would loan $4.7bn as part of a $24bn investment in Area 1 of the Rovuma Basin led by TotalEnergies in partnership with US energy major ExxonMobil. ExxonMobil is also partnering with Eni in Area 4 of the basin.

Other African gas producers such as Tanzania have longer timelines. Last June the country signed an LNG framework agreement with Norways Equinor and Shell that will increase the likelihood of a final investment decision by 2025 on the construction of a $30bn LNG export terminal.

Accelerating Africas gas sector

Africa accounted for 6.4% of global gas production and 11.4% of global LNG exports in 2021, prior to Russias invasion of Ukraine, figures that are certain to climb given the continents project pipeline and growing demand from Europe. Increased domestic production capacity can, in turn, ensure more reliable gas supply for local economies as well, helping to accelerate industrialisation.

Africas share of total gas production is projected to increase from 260bn cu metres in 2021 to 585bn cu metres in 2050, when the continent will account for over 11% of global supply, according to a February 2023 report from the Gas Exporting Countries Forum. Demand on the continent is projected to rise by 82% by 2050, with gas to make up 30% of the energy mix.

While climate-related concerns persist, gas is seen by many as critical to meeting UN Sustainable Development Goal 7 to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all. In sub-Saharan Africa, roughly 900m people had no access to cooking fuel and 589m did not have access to electricity as of 2019.

Notably, the number of people without electricity access rose by 20m globally in 2022  the result of higher energy prices  marking the first such increase in over a decade. Domestic development of gas could go a long way towards addressing these inequalities and could help finance investment across many African economies, including in renewable energy resources.

By Oxford Business Group

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Saudi Arabias very public announcement last week that its cabinet had approved a plan to join the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) as a dialogue partner is the surest sign yet that any U.S. efforts to keep it out of the China-Russia sphere of influence may now be futile. The Kingdom had already signed a memorandum of understanding on 16 September 2022 granting it the status of SCO dialogue partner, as was exclusively reported by OilPrice.com at the time. However, Saudi Arabia did nothing to encourage the release of the news at that point, unlike now - just after it resumed relations with Iran, in a deal brokered by China.

The SCO is the worlds biggest regional political, economic and defence organisation both in terms of geographic scope and population. It covers 60 percent of the Eurasian continent (by far the biggest single landmass on Earth), 40 percent of the worlds population, and more than 20 percent of global GDP. It was formed in 2001 on the foundation of the Shanghai Five that was set up in 1996 by China, Russia, and three states of the former USSR (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan). Aside from its vast scale and scope, the SCO believes in the idea and practice of the multi-polar world, which China anticipates will be dominated by it by 2030. In this context, the end of December 2021/beginning of January 2022 saw meetings in Beijing between senior officials from the Chinese government and foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, plus the secretary-general of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). At these meetings, the principal topics of conversation were to finally seal a China-GCC Free Trade Agreement and to forge a deeper strategic cooperation in a region where U.S. dominance is showing signs of retreat. Related: Japan Is Betting Big On Hydrogen

This idea was the centrepiece of the declaration signed in 1997 between then-Russian President, Boris Yeltsin, and his then-China counterpart, Jiang Zemin. Veteran Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, has since stated that: The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation is working to establish a rational and just world order and [] it provides us with a unique opportunity to take part in the process of forming a fundamentally new model of geopolitical integration. Aside from these geopolitical redesigns, the SCO works to provide intra-organisation financing and banking networks, plus increased military cooperation, intelligence sharing and counterterrorism activities, among other things. The U.S. itself applied for observer status of the SCO in the early 2000s but was rejected in 2005.

This latest step by Saudi Arabia away from the U.S. and towards the China-Russia axis should come as no surprise to anyone who has been watching developments in the Kingdom since the rise of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS) from around 2015. At that point, he was not Crown Prince (the heir designate position)  that role was held by Muhammad bin Nayef (MbN)  but rather Deputy Crown Prince with burning ambition to take the number one succession spot upon the death of King Salman. His stint as Defense Minister was disastrous, with the dramatic escalation of the war against the Houthis in Yemen  including indiscriminate bombing of civilian targets  roundly condemned by the West. This led the German intelligence service, the Bundesnachrichtendienst (BND), to leak an abridged internal-only assessment report of MbS to various trusted members of the press that stated: Saudi Arabia [under MbS] has adopted an impulsive policy of intervention. It went on to describe MbS in terms of being a political gambler who was destabilising the Arab world through proxy wars in Yemen and Syria.

In order to rebuild his reputation with a view to usurping MbN as Crown Prince, MbS came up with an idea that he thought would win over senior Saudis who supported his rival. That idea was to float a stake in the Kingdoms flagship company, Saudi Aramco, through an initial public offering (IPO), as analysed in depth in my latest book on the global oil markets. In theory, the idea had several positive factors going for it that would benefit MbS. First, it would raise a lot of money, which Saudi Arabia needed to offset the economically disastrous effect of the 2014-2016 Oil Price War that it had instigated. Second, it would likely be the biggest ever IPO, thus boosting Saudi Arabias reputation and the breadth and depth of its capital markets. And third, the new money from the sale could be used as part of Saudi Arabias Vision 2030 development plan aimed at diversifying the Kingdoms economy away from a reliance on oil and gas exports.

MbS pitched the idea to the senior Saudis based on very specific benchmark targets. First, the flotation would be for 5% of the company. Second, this would raise at least USD100 billion, which would value the whole company at US$2 trillion. Third, it would be listed not just on the domestic Tadawul stock market but also on at least one of the worlds biggest and most prestigious stock markets  the New York Stock Exchange and the London Stock Exchange were the exchanges MbS had in mind. None of these targets was hit, of course, as the more information was made known about Saudi Aramco to international investors the more they regarded it as an omni-toxic liability, including financially and politically.

At that point, China stepped in with an offer to save MbSs face, an offer that he has apparently never forgotten. The offer was that China would buy the entire 5% stake for the required US$100 million, and it would be done in a private placement, meaning no possibly embarrassing details about anything surrounding the deal would ever be made public, including to those senior Saudis who opposed MbS. Although the offer was declined as King Salman did not at that point want to alienate the U.S. any further than had already been done by launching the 2014-2016 Oil Price War with the intention of destroying or disabling the then-nascent U.S. shale oil sector, the relationship between Saudi Arabia and China blossomed from that point onwards. A little under a year before the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Saudi Arabia was already so aligned to China that Saudi Aramcos chief executive officer, Amin Nasser, spent several days at the annual China Development Forum hosted in Beijing, during which time he said: Ensuring the continuing security of Chinas energy needs remains our highest priority - not just for the next five years but for the next 50 and beyond. One year later, and just a few months after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Aramcos senior vice president downstream, Mohammed Al Qahtani, announced the creation of a one stop shop provided by his company in Chinas Shandong. He said: The ongoing energy crisis, for example, is a direct result of fragile international transition plans which have arbitrarily ignored energy security and affordability for all. He added: The world needs clear-eyed thinking on such issues. Thats why we highly admire Chinas 14th Five Year Plan for prioritising energy security and stability, acknowledging its crucial role in economic development.

At the same time as this relationship was moving up several gears, so was the relationship between Saudi Arabia and Russia. By the end of the 2014-2016 Oil Price War, as also analysed in depth in my latest book on the global oil markets, the U.S. shale oil sector had reorganised itself into an oil-producing machine that could survive on prices as low as US$35 per barrel (pb) of Brent if necessary. Saudi Arabias budget breakeven price then was over US$84 pb and there was no way it could compete with the U.S. Saudi Arabia desperately needed to push oil prices back up to repair its budget but was unable to do so because its disastrous Second Oil Price War (the first being the 1973/74 Oil Crisis) had critically undermined its credibility with other OPEC members and with the global oil market. At that point, Russia had stepped in to support the OPEC oil production cuts in late 2016 aimed at bringing oil prices back to levels that allowed OPEC members to begin to repair their decimated finances. This support has continued ever since and has formalised into the OPEC+ grouping.

Both Russia and China know how to leverage such relationships, as they have been doing in the Middle East ever since the U.S. withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action with Iran in 2018, Syria in 2019, and Afghanistan and Iraq in 2021. These combination of factors put China in the position of being able to broker the relationship normalisation deal between Saudi Arabia and Iran  the leaders of the Sunni Islam world and the Shia Islam world, respectively. Although White House national security spokesperson, John Kirby, did observe tersely at the time that the deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia is not about China, it absolutely was about China. What it absolutely was not about was the U.S.

By Simon Watkins for Oilprice.com

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A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit brought against ConocoPhillips for its planned Willow oil project in Alaska by a group of environmentalist organizations.

The judge who heard the case based her decision on internal inconsistencies in the plaintiffs declarations arguing that the project will cause irreparable harm. District Judge Sharon L. Gleason also cited the broader public interest as a basis for her decision, the Courthouse News Service reported.

The lawsuits were brought in front of the court by two environmentalist organizations and a Native American community, who argued that the $8-billion Willow project would exacerbate climate change and cause damage to local habitats.

According to Judge Gleason, however, the initial construction works planned by ConocoPhillips concern roads and a gravel mine, which is unlikely to cause the plaintiffs any irreparable harm, Reuters noted in a report of the news.

The Biden administration approved the highly controversial Willow project last month sparking the outrage of environmentalists after pledging to clip the wings of the U.S. oil and gas industry.

The approval also prompted criticism from Bidens own party, with some arguing allowing the production of more oil in Alaska would be a setback in the fight against climate change.

The $8-billion oil project, led by ConocoPhillips, was awarded to the company by the Trump administrations Bureau of Land Management in 2020. The project could deliver 160,000 bpd of crude, the BLM said at the time, with reserves estimated at between 400 and 750 million barrels. The lifetime of the project was estimated at up to 30 years in 2019.

Currently, the rate of production from Willow is seen at between 160,000 bpd and 180,000 bpd. Yet opposition from the environmentalist lobby will likely continue as activists have said that the only development that would satisfy them would be shutting the project down entirely.

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By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

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Two German insurance majors have renewed their cover on the Nord Stream 1 pipeline that was sabotaged last summer and has been out of commission since then.

According to Reuters sources, the cover renewal could mean that a return to commission of the infrastructure is a possibility for Germany.

Allianz and Munich Re renewed their insurance cover of the pipeline to no opposition from the German government, Reuters reported citing the unnamed sources.

Such cover is important for the long-term prospects of such infrastructure, Reuters noted, but also quoted the German economy ministry as saying the renewal of the insurance cover was not any form of government support for Nord Stream 1.

The 55-billion-cubic-meter pipeline was the main conduit of Russian natural gas to Europe and specifically Germany, which was Moscows biggest gas customer until last year.

Following the Russian incursion into Ukraine, Germany spearheaded a sanction wave that prompted retaliation from Russia in the form of a gradual lowering of gas volumes delivered to Europe, especially via Nord Stream.

Then, in July, Gazprom shut the pipeline down for repairs but in September, a series of blasts along both Nord Stream 1 and its twin Nord Stream 2 suddenly darkened the prospects of any restart of the pipeline.

While the blasts were described as sabotage from the beginning, the authorities of the countries that are investigating the event remain apparently uncertain about the perpetrators.

Russia, whose Gazprom holds a 51-percent stake in the pipeline, has said it would not bother with repairs as it sees no likelihood of restoring former relations with Europe.

Meanwhile, some of Nord Streams German shareholders apparently hope that relations would improve and Russian gas flows will resume, hence the insurance cover.

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The official German position remains unyielding, however, with a spokesman for the economy ministry telling Reuters that the government aimed to reduce both imports of Russian gas and all gas eventually, as it forged ahead with the shift to alternative energy sources.

By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com

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The Iraqi government has agreed to have 30% in a major $27-billion project to be developed by supermajor TotalEnergies in Iraq, down from the 40% stake Baghdad had wanted previously, industry sources told Reuters on Tuesday.

In September 2021, TotalEnergies signed multi-energy agreements in Iraq for the construction of a new gas network and treatment units, the construction of a large-scale seawater treatment unit, and the construction of a 1 gigawatt (GW) photovoltaic power plant in the southern Iraqi region of Basra. TotalEnergies signed the agreements with the Iraqi Ministries for oil and electricity, and the country's National Investment Commission.

The French supermajor proposes to invest in installations to recover gas that is being flared on three oil fields and, as such, supply gas to 1.5 GW of power generation capacity in a first phase, growing to 3 GW in a second phase, and also develop 1 GWac of solar electricity generation capacity to supply the Basra regional grid.

The initial investment in the project is estimated at around $10 billion, TotalEnergies said back in 2021.

However, the project has seen setbacks due to the turbulent Iraqi domestic politics and Baghdad's initial insistence that Iraq holds 40% of the project.

The high stake Iraq wanted was one of the key sticking points toward structuring the deal.

Now it looks like a deal has been reached, with Iraq agreeing to take a 30% stake in the project after meetings in Baghdad in recent days, one industry source told Reuters.

A senior official with Iraq's oil ministry told Reuters, "The deal should be activated within days."

Three weeks ago, TotalEnergies CEO Patrick Pouyanne said at the firm's climate investor meeting, referring to the Iraqi project, "We have many discussions: we have expressed our views, we are waiting for the answer."

"So that's where we are, and I hope we'll find a common ground. I worked on it in the last month. But again, we need to have this political answer," Pouyanne added.

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Commenting on the potential agreement, TotalEnergies' top executive also said, "Iraq is not the easiest place to invest."

By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com

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Vladimir Putin has approved a request by Novatek to allow Shell to receive $1.2 billion (94.8 billion rubles) from the Russian gas producer for its 27.5% stake in the Sakhalin-2 LNG project, Russian daily Kommersant reported on Tuesday, quoting sources with knowledge of the matter.

Last year, a decree from Putin stipulated that a newly set up state Russian company would take over the rights and obligations of Sakhalin Energy Investment Co., the joint venture running the Sakhalin-2 oil and gas project.

Shell and Japans Mitsui and Mitsubishi were minority shareholders in Sakhalin Energy Investment Co, whose biggest shareholder is Gazprom.

Shell has a 27.5% in the project, but it had already announced it would withdraw from Sakhalin-2. After Russia invaded Ukraine, Shell said in early 2022 it would exit its equity partnerships with Gazprom and related entities, including its 27.5% stake in the Sakhalin-2 liquefied natural gas facility, its 50% stake in the Salym Petroleum Development, and the Gydan energy venture.

After Putins decree in July last year, the Russian government gave the Sakhalin-2 minority foreign investors  Shell, Mitsui & Co, and Mitsubishi  one month to claim their stakes in the new entity that replaces the existing project. Shell confirmed it was looking at ways to exit the project, while the Japanese companies kept their stakes.

Mitsui, which still has 12.5% in Sakhalin-2, said in November that the project had enough technical know-how to run operations without Shell.

On Monday, Russias LNG producer and exporter Novatek applied to buy Shells stake in the Sakhalin-2 project. The Russian firm has asked the government for consent that the payment be made to Shell and allowed to be received in a foreign account. According to Kommersants sources, Putin agreed with Novateks request to have the money transferred to Shell to minimize the risks for operating activities and export of hydrocarbons from the project.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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In response to Russias threats to global energy security, the United States and the European Union are strongly committed to combat attempts at energy market disruptions, the two sides said on Tuesday after a meeting of top American and EU officials in Brussels.

The EU and the United States intend to continue to coordinate bilateral and multilateral responses to keep the global energy markets stable and support the energy transition required to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement, said the parties after the meeting attended by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, EU High Representative and Vice President Josep Borrell Fontelles, European Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson, and U.S. Deputy Secretary of Energy David M. Turk.

The two sides reiterated their strong commitment to directly confront, with adequate measures, all efforts to further destabilise the global energy situation and to circumvent sanctions, the U.S. and the EU said.

The EU and the United States will also continue their Transatlantic cooperation to boost energy security while speeding up the energy transition.

The Council reiterated that competitive, liquid, and transparent global energy markets remain critical to ensuring a reliable, sustainable, affordable, and secure energy supply for Europe to serve the transition to climate neutrality, the U.S. and the EU said in the joint statement.

Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine last year, the EU has been the main customer of U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG), which has helped increase Europes preparedness to go through the winter without major gas shortages. Europes imports of Russian natural gas via pipeline have plummeted, although LNG imports from Russia have grown in the past year.

Now the European Commission and some EU members are calling for reduced imports of Russian LNG.

Last month, EU Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson urged all EU member states and all companies not to sign new LNG import contracts with Russia. The European Union has managed to significantly cut its imports of Russian pipeline natural gas over the past year, but now it should stop all LNG imports from Russia, Simson said.

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By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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Venezuela's oil exports jumped in March, reaching the highest monthly average since August.

The increase came as Chevron ramped up its imports and as cargoes resumed after a brief export freeze.

Venezuela shipped 774,420 barrels of oil per day in March, with China as its biggest buyer.

The freeze of two export contracts, initiated by PDVSA boss Pedro Tellechea, halted deliveries to Hangzhou Energy and Adinius Sociedade de Servicios. These deliveries account for a significant portion of oil exports, and suggest that PDVSA could be consolidating its contracts.

The consolidation will play a critical role in the company's financial health, as the number of unknown firms and failed payments have been weighing on its cash flow.

With Chevron, Cuba's state company Cubametales, Iran's Naftiran Intertrade Co (NICO), and most of the oil byproducts continuing to flow without interruption during the freeze, PDVSA looks set to continue exporting at an increasing rate.

Eight very large crude carriers (VLCC) set sail from Venezuelan ports, easing a tanker bottleneck that had built up since early 2023. Chevron alone received about 115,000 bpd of Venezuelan heavy crude oil, which was exported to the United States, increasing from about 80,000 bpd in February.

PDVSA is conducting an extended audit of several other accounts receivable and supply contracts, including those of Geneva-based firm Maroil Trading, owned by Venezuelan shipping magnate Wilmer Ruperti, over outstanding debts from petroleum coke supply.

While Ruperti noted that the situation "was resolved, the investigation is part of a widespread anti-corruption probe that has resulted in the arrest more than 40 officials and businesspeople, including powerful oil minister Tareck El Aissami, who resigned amid the investigation.

According to the 2022 BP Statistical Review of World Energy, Venezuela has more proven oil reserves than any other country, with 304 billion barrels of proved reserves just ahead of Saudi Arabia's 298 billion barrels. Venezuela's heavy crude is particularly popular with U.S. refiners, who have previously relied on Russia's heavy crude.

While Chevron is currently the only oil company with approval from the U.S. to import crude oil from Venezuela, ConocoPhillips is also said to be contemplating selling Venezuelan crude oil to the United States. This may benefit the company, as it may offset some of the $10 billion Venezuela currently owes it.

Given the increasing need for oil globally, Venezuela's return to the market could not come at a better time.

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It's still unclear what the future holds for Venezuela's oil industry. However, by remaining transparent and exposing any internal wrongdoings, PDVSA has the opportunity to win back trust globally from both the energy industry and investors.

By Michael Kern for Oilprice.com

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(CNN)  Residents of Paris have voted in favor of banning rental electric scooters from the French capital.

Almost 90% of those who turned out on Sunday for a referendum organized by the Paris mayor's office voted for the ban.

The turnout was very low, however, with only 7.46% of registered voters casting their ballots in one of the 203 polling stations opened for the occasion.

"On September 1, there will be no more rental scooters in Paris. ... This is a victory for local democracy," Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo said at a press conference over the weekend.

The ban will come into force at the end of August, when the city's scooter operators' contracts expire. Private owners of e-scooters won't be affected.

Operators responded swiftly to the news of the referendum result.

"The real consequence is for our 400,000 monthly users, for the 800 employees of Dott in Paris. Then it's also for the residents since, mathematically speaking, if we subtract the scooters, it's more saturation in public transport and more individual vehicles," Nicolas Gorse, chief business officer of scooter operator Dott, told RMC radio on Monday morning.

In recent years, Paris has introduced a variety of measures aimed at reducing the city's dependence on private cars and boosting the appeal of other modes of travel. Bike lanes, subsidized e-bike rentals, improved public transportation and e-scooter rentals have all been part of that campaign.

Between mid-2012 and mid-2022, the most recent year for which data is available, there was a 33% drop in traffic on Paris' roads, according to the city hall.

However, in a report last November, the French academy of medicine described e-scooters as a "true public health problem," and highlighted that "electric scooter-related accidents are associated with a significant number of serious injuries."

Paris police do not collect figures for injuries and deaths caused specifically by e-scooters. However, between 2021 and 2022, the number of crashes involving "motorized personal transport devices" -- which includes e-scooters, gyropods and motorized skateboards -- rose by nearly a third, to 516 accidents, resulting in three deaths, police said.

Paris isn't the only European city to be grappling with e-scooters. Barcelona was an early champion, but it has partially banned them in historic parts of the city since 2016.

In London, privately owned e-scooters remain illegal for use on public roads, but public trials have been running with three operators since mid-2021.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Paris residents vote in favor of banning rental electric scooters."
After the acquittal of a man charged in the fatal stabbing of a Bellevue teenager, prosecutors asked the Nebraska Supreme Court to find the trial court should not have provided certain jury instructions.

The high court dismissed the appeal Friday, telling the Sarpy County Attorneys Office that it failed to show that Judge Nathan Cox questioned or ignored legal principals that might have precluded him from issuing jury instructions about two affirmative defenses.

The case relates to an incident on April 22, 2020, when Luis Valadez saw a vehicle stop in front of his Bellevue house, according to the courts summary. Two people got out and began to try to open doors to vehicles owned by Valadez and his neighbor.

Valadez grabbed a pocketknife and confronted the two people, engaging in a struggle. An autopsy showed that 17-year-old Elijah Walsh died due to a stab wound to the chest.

Valadez was originally charged with manslaughter, but the charge was amended to second-degree assault. Valadez testified in his own defense at trial, saying he did not have any intent to hurt to kill anyone and that he didnt know his knife made contact with anyone. He testified it was an accident, the court notes.

Prosecutors objected to Cox providing instructions to the jury on self-defense and defense of property. The jury acquitted Valadez on both counts.

Instead, it appears the district courtrightly or wronglyconcluded that even when those principles were considered, the instructions were warranted given the evidence introduced at trial, the high court wrote.

The court said there was nothing on which a decision would be helpful in future cases, so it dismissed the appeal.
Jake Ted Reibold entered the U.S. Army in September 1944.

After basic training, he returned home for a week. On Jan. 10, 1945, he was assigned to active duty and traveled on a troop train to Ft. Mead, Maryland.

He thought was going to be sent to Germany to fight in World War II. Instead, he received different orders and traveled back across the United States to Seattle, where departed for Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii and was assigned to Pier 39.

Reibold was honorably discharged in August 1946 as an E-6 technical sergeant. Recently, he was thanked and honored for his service to our country at the Trinity Village in Papillion with the presentation of a Quilt of Valor.

Quilts of Valor founder Catherine Roberts describes each quilt as a civilian award. As of Feb. 28, there have been 340,406 quilts around the shoulders of active-duty military and veterans to thank and honor them for their military service since the Quilts of Valor Foundation began in 2003.

Quilts of Valor is a volunteer organization with over 10,000 members and 650 sewing groups to make quilts to thank and honor our military heroes.
Bluebirds Across Nebraska, a volunteer organization dedicated to increasing the population of bluebirds and other cavity nesting birds, is inviting nature lovers to celebrate 30 years of conservation at the groups annual conference later this month.

The conference will be held April 28-29 in Mallet Lodge at Platte River State Park near Louisville.

On Friday, April 28, a social hour will start at 5 p.m. with dinner at 6 p.m., followed by a one-act play, Promise of a New Land, Migrating and Settling in Nebraska, performed by Cherrie Beam-Callaway. Cost for the evening is $25, and its made possible by Humanities Nebraska, the Nebraska Cultural Endowment and Bluebirds Across Nebraska as part of the Humanities Nebraska Speakers Bureau.

On Saturday, April 29, the conference will open its doors at 8 a.m. with sessions beginning at 9 a.m. There will be a full day of speakers, including Stan Tekiela from Eden Prairie, Minnesota, who is a naturalist, wildlife photographer, columnist, radio show host and writer of more than 130 field guides. He will give two presentations; Captivating Bluebirds and Feathers: A beautiful look at a birds most unique feature.

Ann Earley and Bob Siemer from St. Louis, Missouri will present an educational program on plants, Native Plants for Bluebirds and Beyond. For the last 20 years, they have been active in the Missouri Native Plant Society and the St. Louis Wild Ones.

Representatives of Nebraska Wildlife Rehab will discuss Bats of Nebraska and the World. The nonprofit organization staffs professional wildlife rehabilitators working under permits from the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The cost for the daylong conference is $25, which includes lunch. Register by April 14 at bbne.org.
Kansas lawmakers have given final passage to a bill that could subject doctors to lawsuits or criminal charges if they're accused of not providing enough care to infants born during certain kinds of abortion procedures. The Kansas House passed the bill 86-36 on Tuesday. The Kansas Senate approved it last week and the bill goes next to Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly. The legislation faces an uncertain fate. It applies to certain abortions and in circumstances when doctors induce labor to deliver a fetus that is expected to die within minutes or even seconds outside the womb.
Associated Press (AP)  Missouris state attorney general is investigating gender-affirming care provided by Planned Parenthood, according to a lawsuit filed Friday by the St. Louis health provider.

Republican Attorney General Andrew Bailey demanded documents from Planned Parenthood after finding out that the clinic provides life-altering gender transition drugs to children without any therapy assessment, spokeswoman Madeline Sieren said in a statement. She described that as a departure from standard care.

Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri sued in response, trying to block access to its records. In court filings, the healthcare provider argued Bailey has no authority to investigate the clinic, which is inspected by the state health department.

A Planned Parenthood doctor described Baileys investigation as a fishing expedition" targeting the clinic, which provides gender-affirming care to adults, and teens ages 16 and older. Dr. Colleen McNicholas, the health centers chief medical officer, told The Associated Press that the attorney generals investigation is an attempt to help him work outside of the legislative process and eliminate access to transgender care for Missourians.

The Attorney Generals Office cited its ongoing investigation into a transgender youth clinic run by Washington University, or others in the state providing similar services, as the reason for the document request, according to a letter to Planned Parenthood dated March 10.

Sieren criticized Planned Parenthood for withholding its records.

We look forward to prevailing in this request for information and learning what is truly going on with Planned Parenthood in connection with gender transition issues, Sieren said in a Friday statement.

In February, Bailey launched an investigation into the Washington University Transgender Center at St. Louis Childrens Hospital following allegations of mistreatment by a former employee. The ex-staffer alleged that physicians there did not warn patients and parents enough about potential side effects of puberty blockers and hormones, and that doctors pressured parents to consent to treatment.

Planned Parenthood argues in its lawsuit that its clinic has nothing to do with the Washington University center.

The lawsuit comes amid a national push to restrict transgender health care, drag shows, bathroom access and how LGBTQ+ topics are discussed in schools. The lawsuit was filed Friday as rallies were scheduled in cities nationwide as part of Transgender Day of Visibility.

As the state's top prosecutor, Bailey is following his predecessors lead in using the office to take a stand on social issues. Last week, he announced plans to file an emergency rule to restrict healthcare for transgender children. It would require an 18-month waiting period, 15 therapy sessions and additional mental health treatment before Missouri doctors can provide gender-affirming care to minors.

I am dedicated to using every legal tool at my disposal to stand in the gap and protect children from being subject to inhumane science experiments, Bailey said in a statement announcing the planned rule.

His office has not yet filed the rule.

Transgender medical treatment for children has been available in the U.S. for over a decade and is endorsed by major medical associations. Many clinics use treatment plans pioneered in Amsterdam 30 years ago, according to a recent review in the British Psych Bulletin. Since 2005, the number of youth referred to gender clinics has increased as much as tenfold in the U.S., U.K, Canada and Finland, the review said.

McNicholas, of Planned Parenthood, said Bailey is using the same playbook that anti-abortion activists and elected officials have used to restrict abortions.

Missouri banned almost all abortions in 2022, after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.

Before that, Republicans fought for years to regulate abortion out of existence in the state. The GOP-led state legislature proposed anti-abortion bills yearly. When increasingly restrictive bans on the procedure were tossed in court, Republican governors stepped in.

If we are to learn anything from our past experience with the state targeting us for the provision of lawful abortion care, we know that other folks who are providing this care are certainly going to be targets, McNicholas said. If not now, then soon.

This story has been corrected to say that Missouri Attorney General spokeswoman Madeline Sieren said in a statement that Planned Parenthood provides drugs to children without any therapy assessment.
Two people were sentenced Monday in Sarpy County District Court to lengthy prison sentences in connection with the fatal shooting of a Bellevue teen during a robbery.

Davion D. Snider, 20, of Bellevue was found guilty of second-degree murder, use of a firearm to commit a felony and conspiracy. He was sentenced to 40 to 80 years in prison.

Shauna Gallardo, 20, of Omaha was found guilty of being an accessory to a felony. She was sentenced to 10 to 20 years in prison.

The sentencing wrapped up the court cases of four people found to be involved in the death of Kalani Zalopany, 17, of Bellevue on Oct. 12, 2022. Bellevue police said Zalopany, a senior at Bellevue East High School, was killed while being robbed on West 31st Avenue, just east of Offutt Air Force Base.

Officers were called to Zalopanys home on a report of CPR in progress. Zalopany, who was born in Honolulu, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Previously, Carlos Altoro-Colon was found guilty of attempted robbery and manslaughter. He was sentenced to 18 to 20 years on each of those charges with the terms to be served at the same time and following his sentence for use of a firearm to commit a felony.

Rashaun J. Faison, 23, of Council Bluffs was also sentenced to 18 to 20 years in prison after being found guilty of manslaughter. He was also sentenced to 40 to 50 years for being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm with the sentences to be served one after the other.

Scott Earl, an assistant prosecutor with the Sarpy County Attorneys Office, said Gallard agreed with Altoro-Colon and Snider to participate in a robbery of Zalopany. She also let Altoro-Colon use her vehicle to transport Snider and Faison.

Gallard also misled law enforcement officials about her level of involvement in the homicide, he said.
NEW YORK (AP)  Follow along for live updates on former President Donald Trump, who surrendered Tuesday at a Manhattan courthouse to face arraignment on charges stemming from hush-money payments made during the 2016 campaign to bury allegations that he had extramarital sexual encounters.

What to know:

 Arraignment provides new detail on charges facing Trump

 Manhattan prosecutors release indictment

 The three hush money cases in Trump indictment

 Small but chaotic crowd gathers near Manhattan courthouse



TRUMP DEFIANT IN MAR-A-LAGO SPEECH

Flanked by American flags, former President Donald Trump delivered a campaign-style speech to cheering supporters at Mar-a-Lago Tuesday night.

Trump was defiant, referring, among other things, to his two impeachment trials during his presidency and an ongoing probe into alleged attempts to interfere in that states 2020 presidential election. He called the New York indictment the latest in an "onslaught of fraudulent investigations.

This fake case was brought only to interfere with the upcoming 2024 election and it should be dropped immediately," Trump said.

He also lashed out at the prosecutor and the judge presiding over the New York case  despite being warned hours earlier by the judge to refrain from rhetoric that could cause civil unrest.

Trump waved goodbye as he made his way out of the ballroom thronged by people recording the moment with their smartphones.

The crowd included supporters like failed Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake and longtime ally Roger Stone.

TRUMP RETURNS TO FLORIDA

In a social media post from his plane on his flight home from New York, former President Donald Trump said that Tuesday's court hearing "was shocking to many in that they had no surprises, and therefore, no case. Virtually every legal pundit has said that there is no case here. There was nothing done illegally!

Trump's plane has landed in Florida, and his motorcade headed to his Mar-a-Lago resort where hundreds of supporters, many in red MAGA hats, awaited him in a grand ballroom. Trump was expected to speak there in a campaign-like setting.

One man wore a jacket patterned with star-shaped American flags, and another man wore a red tie with the message No Crime! Members of a motorcycle club sported black leather vests that read on the back Born To Ride for 45 Donald Trump. Trump was the 45th U.S. president.

Alex Gonzalez, a motorcycle club member, said he supports Trump in his 2024 presidential bid.

If he did something wrong, like anybody else, he should be held liable for it, but at the same time this is a witch hunt. This is not a real case, said Gonzalez.

MANHATTAN DA BRAGG DISCUSSES CHARGES

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg says his offices historic case against former President Donald Trump seeks to ensure that everyone stands equal before the law.

No amount of money and no amount of power changes that enduring American principle, Bragg said.

Bragg spoke to a room packed with reporters following Trumps arraignment Tuesday in a Manhattan courthouse on 34 felony charges tied to hush money paid to multiple people during the 2016 presidential campaign. The former president pleaded not guilty.

Bragg, who took office in 2022 and initially slowed the offices move toward indicting Trump, said additional evidence not available to his predecessor led to moving forward now. He didnt elaborate on the evidence or how it came to prosecutors attention.

I bring cases when theyre ready, Bragg said.

JUDGE WARNS TRUMP TO AVOID INFLAMING RHETORIC

A New York judge warned former President Donald Trump to refrain from rhetoric that could inflame or cause civil unrest during Trumps arraignment Tuesday in Manhattan.

Trump told Judge Juan Merchan that he pleaded not guilty, and the judge advised him of his rights.

Merchan also warned Trump that he could be removed from the courtroom if he is disruptive, but Trump spoke only a few times to respond to questions.

Hes next due in court in December. Trumps lawyers asked for him to be excused from attending the hearing in person because of extraordinary security precautions.

The judge said he was not imposing a gag order at this point, but he asked both sides to refrain from comments that could lead to civil unrest.

Trump stayed mostly still with his hands steepled or interlaced and looked ahead during the proceedings, which lasted just under an hour.

TRUMP LEAVES MANHATTAN COURTHOUSE

Former President Donald Trump has left the Manhattan courthouse after his arraignment on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.

Trump did not answer a reporters shouted question about the charges as he quickly left the courtroom where the hearing was held.

Trump spent about two hours inside the building for booking and the arraignment where he learned the details of the criminal charges he faces while running a third presidential campaign.

TRUMP PLEADS NOT GUILTY TO 34 FELONY COUNTS OF FALSIFYING BUSINESS RECORDS

Former President Donald Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, according to two law enforcement officials familiar with the matter.

The two officials who confirmed the plea spoke on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press because prosecutors had not yet released the indictment publicly.

The charges stem from a hush-money payment during the 2016 campaign.

Photos from the courtroom showed Trump sitting at the table reserved for defendants and their attorneys. His legal team surrounded him, two seated on each side of the former president.

Trump leaned forward slightly, his shoulders rounded, but he didnt turn his face away from photographers given permission to be in the courtroom just before the hearing.

WHITE HOUSE REMAINING QUIET ON TRUMP CHARGES

While the countrys attention was trained on the Manhattan courthouse where Donald Trump was being arraigned, the White House did its best Tuesday to suggest that it wasnt paying much attention.

Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters that our focus right now is on the American people, and was noncommittal when asked whether President Joe Biden was following the news.

He will catch part of the news when he has a moment to catch up on the news of the day, she said. But this is not a focus for him today.

Jean-Pierre was similarly circumspect when asked about the potential for unrest over the prosecution of the former president, especially since Trump has called for protests.

We are prepared, she said.

Fox News Peter Doocy tried unsuccessfully to get Jean-Pierre to open up more.

Why dont you have more to say about the Trump indictment? he asked. For better or worse, all that anybody in the country is talking about, at this exact moment while were in here, is Trump. And they look here to find out what the White House thinks about it.

I think the American people should feel reassured that when there is an ongoing case like this one, that were just not commenting, Jean-Pierre said.

But reporters didnt give up.

I love how you guys are asking me this in different ways, Jean-Pierre joked. You guys are clever.

TRUMP ENTERS COURTROOM FOR ARRAIGNMENT

Former President Donald Trump has entered the Manhattan courtroom where he is scheduled for arraignment on criminal charges stemming from a hush-money payment during his 2016 campaign.

Trump reached the 15th floor courtroom about 70 minutes after he entered the courthouse to surrender and be booked ahead of the hearing.

Trump did not acknowledge a television camera sending live images from the hallway outside the courtroom.

Judge Juan Merchan has ruled that TV cameras will not be allowed in the courtroom. Trumps attorneys have said he will plead not guilty.

MANHATTAN DA ENTERS COURTROOM

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has entered the courtroom where former President Donald Trump is scheduled for arraignment on criminal charges stemming from a hush-money payment during his 2016 campaign.

Trump has not yet been seen on the 15th floor where the hearing is supposed to take place. Wearing a navy blue suit and a bright red tie, Trump entered the courthouse around 12:20 p.m. to surrender on the charges and be processed before the hearing.

TRUMP ARRIVES AT MANHATTAN COURTHOUSE

Former President Donald Trump has arrived at the Manhattan courthouse where he is expected to plead not guilty to criminal charges. He entered the courthouse surrounded by Secret Service agents.

Trumps motorcade traveled from Trump Tower in Midtown Manhattan, tracked by numerous helicopters.

TRUMP LEAVES NEW YORK HOME

Former President Donald Trump pumped his fist and waved before leaving Trump Tower shortly after 1 p.m. Tuesday, bound for the Manhattan courthouse nearly 4 miles (6 kilometers) away.

Trumps attorneys have arranged for his surrender. He will be booked at the courthouse, not at a police precinct as most New York defendants are.

Court officials will create a record of his name, age, birthdate, height and weight before taking his fingerprints via a computerized system. They may take his photo.

FLORIDA LAWMAKER PLEDGES TO KEEP SUPPORTING TRUMP

A former Florida state lawmaker said he and others drove from Orlando to New York in time for Tuesday's hearing to send a message to former President Donald Trump: We won't stop supporting you.

Anthony Sabatini, chair of Florida's Lake County Republican Party, joined other Trump supporters in a park near the Manhattan courthouse where Trump's arraignment was to be held.

"It's a bad day for America, one of the worst days in American history, he said.

The mood among Trump supporters, though, was positive, Sabatini said. He credited New York police officers with keeping people separated based on their motivation  in support of Trump or in support of his indictment.

GREENE SPEAKS BRIEFLY AMID SHOUTS

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene briefly rallied supporters of Donald Trump outside the Manhattan courthouse Tuesday morning ahead of the former presidents arraignment.

After she exited an SUV, a large crowd surrounded the Georgia Republican, once shunned by the GOP as a political pariah for her extremist rhetoric. She made her way through a park where hundreds of onlookers and journalists gathered and used a bullhorn to speak briefly. It was difficult to hear her comments in the crowd.

In video of the remarks, Greene thanked patriotic Trump supporters who are here today." She called Republicans the party of peace and called Democrats the party of violence.

Greene then made a fast exit. It was unclear whether she would return. In an interview posted online, Greene said she planned to speak with media from a car and accused counter-protesters of assault for blowing whistles and shouting as she spoke.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Monday said his message for Greene was that she should be on your best behavior. Greene blasted Adams for calling me out by name.

As you can see, I'm standing here peacefully protesting, she said.

GEORGE SANTOS JOINS TRUMP SUPPORTERS OUTSIDE COURTHOUSE

George Santos, the besieged Republican congressman facing multiple investigations into lies he told while running for office, joined the growing crowd of people gathered outside the Manhattan courthouse ahead of former President Donald Trumps arraignment.

Santos told The Associated Press that he didnt plan to go inside the courthouse but came to support the president.

I want to support the president, just because I think this is unprecedented, and its a bad day for democracy, Santos said. Whats to stop the next prosecutor in two years from doing the same thing to Joe Biden and moving on every four years? So this makes bad precedent legally. And it makes, it cheapens the judicial system, and its not good for America.

Santos has rejected calls for his resignation, including some from members of his own party. He demurred Tuesday when asked if he hopes Trump will continue to back him in return for the show of support.

Im not here for that, he said.

RALLY FOR TRUMP

People began gathering Tuesday morning for a rally for Donald Trump in a park outside the courthouse where the former president is scheduled to be arraigned.

The rally with Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene was scheduled to start several hours ahead of Trumps court appearance.

Some anti-Trump protesters also appeared, unfurling a large banner saying Trump Lies All the Time.

Trump supporters also are expected expected to gather at his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida on Tuesday night as he returns. ___

PROSECUTOR ARRIVES

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg arrived at court Tuesday morning in New York ahead of former President Donald Trump's arraignment.

Bragg became Manhattans first Black district attorney in 2022, following his election the previous November. He inherited a yearslong grand jury investigation into hush money paid on Trumps behalf during his 2016 presidential campaign.

After taking office, Bragg slowed his offices move toward an indictment of Trump and said he had concerns about the strength of the case. That sparked a public protest by two prosecutors who were leading the investigation and resigned.

But Bragg convened a new grand jury this year after convicting Trumps family company for tax fraud. He called that result a strong demarcation line for proceeding with other parts of the probe.

TRUMP ATTORNEY: NO GUILTY PLEA'

Trump attorney Joe Tacopina said the former president's appearance in court for Tuesdays arraignment would be brief because the processing does not take long.

It wont be a long day in court, he said on ABCs Good Morning America."

"We know the basis of the indictment and the factual allegations in the indictment, Tacopina said, adding that Trump would maintain his innocence.

One thing I can assure you as I sit here today: Therell be no guilty plea in this case. Thats one thing I can guarantee you, he said.

Tacopina appeared to predict that the case would ultimately be dismissed.

I dont think this case is going to see a juror, he said. I think theres a legal challenge that will be made and should be made successfully.

SPECTATORS LINE UP

Spectators, many of them members of the news media, lined up overnight to get a seat inside the courtroom, or even just a glimpse of Trump, who wasnt expected until Tuesday afternoon.

The building was surrounded by barricades, and people were undergoing layers of security checks. The reporters waiting in line were camped out under tents with lawn chairs, blankets and pizza boxes.

The nations 45th commander in chief was expected to be escorted from Trump Tower  which was also surrounded by barricades  to a lower Manhattan courthouse by the Secret Service.

Police braced for protests from supporters of Trump, a Republican who is running for the White House again in 2024. He called the decision by a grand jury to indict him political persecution and election interference at the highest level.

Prosecutors investigated money paid to porn actor Stormy Daniels and ex-Playboy model Karen McDougal to keep the women from going public with claims that they had sex with him.
A former Nebraska State Patrol trooper already serving a prison sentence for sexual assault of a child in Sarpy County received additional jail time Monday in Scotts Bluff County for possession of child pornography and child enticement.

Brandon Dolezal, 25, was sentenced Monday after being found guilty of four counts of possession of child pornography and two counts of attempted child enticement. He was ordered to serve 40 to 56 years in prison. He will be eligible for parole in 20 years under state sentencing guidelines.

Dolezal was sentenced last month in Sarpy County District Court to 20 to 40 years in prison for first-degree sexual assault of a child. The Scotts Bluff County sentence will be served following completion of the time given in Sarpy County.

Dolezal was fired from the State Patrol in March 2021. He is awaiting trial in Douglas County District Court on six counts of suspicion of first-degree sexual assault of a 15-year-old girl.

According to a Douglas County affidavit, Omaha police officers went to Skutt Catholic High School on Nov. 1 to investigate a report of a missing girl. Officers were told that the 15-year-old girl had gotten into a pickup truck and left the area with a man, later identified as Dolezal.

The pickup returned to the schools parking lot, and a school administrator stopped Dolezal from leaving until police could arrive. Dolezal allegedly told officers that he was 18 years old and a senior at Millard West High School, according to a police report.

The girl told police that Dolezal had sexually assaulted her in the pickup. She said that they had been communicating through the social media app Snapchat and that he reportedly knew she was only 15 years old, police said.

Dolezal allegedly told police that he spoke with the girl via Snapchat and that he picked her up from Skutt High School.
A Seward County deputy sheriff arrested a 27-year-old man Sunday after a traffic stop revealed the man was wanted by Pennsylvania authorities in connection with a man's death.

Shortly after 12:30 p.m., the deputy stopped a 2018 Dodge Journey traveling west on Interstate 80 for allegedly speeding. A press release from the Sheriffs Office claimed the man, who is from Youngstown, Ohio, told the deputy he didnt have photo identification. The Sheriffs Office said the man also allegedly gave a false name and date of birth to the deputy.

A check on the vehicle's registration showed the man was wanted in connection with the death of a 21-year-old man in western Pennsylvania early Saturday. The driver of the Journey was taken to the Seward County Jail to await extradition back to Pennsylvania.
(CNN)  Two women in Iran were arrested after a man threw yogurt on them for not wearing the hijab at a store in the northeastern city of Shandiz, according to a video and report published by the Mizan News Agency, the state-run media for Iran's judiciary.

Video of Thursday's incident shows a man approaching one of the women who is unveiled and speaking to her before proceeding to grab a tub of yogurt from the store and throwing it, hitting both women in the head.

Iranian women risk arrest for not covering their hair. Many have been defying the mandatory dress code as part of protests that followed the death of a young woman in custody who allegedly violated hijab rules.

The video appears to show a male staff member removing the suspect from the store. CNN is not able to verify what was said immediately before the confrontation.

The two women were arrested after being issued an arrest warrant for failing to wear the hijab in public, according to Mizan News Agency. The incident is under investigation, and the male suspect has been arrested for a disturbance of order, Iranian officials said.

'Hijab an unquestionable necessity'

On Saturday the Iranian authorities repeated their stance that wearing the hijab was compulsory,

"The important matter is that today we have a legal mandate," said Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi, according to Reuters. "The legal mandate makes it mandatory for everyone to follow the law."

"If there are people who say that they do not share this belief of ours (the mandatory hijab), then this is a place for scientific and cultural centers as well as schools to discuss this and convince them," Raisi added.

Iran's Ministry of Interior said that the "hijab is an unquestionable religious necessity," according to a tweet from the agency on Saturday.

Iranians have taken to the streets nationwide in protest for several months against Iran's mandatory hijab law, and political and social issues across the country, following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in the custody of the morality police in September.

Women have burned their headscarves and cut their hair, with some schoolgirls removing their headscarves in classrooms.

Those arrested for participating in anti-government demonstrations have faced various forms of abuse and torture, including electric shocks, controlled drowning, rape and mock executions.

School students who protested faced being detained and taken to mental health institutions.

Some protestors have even been sentenced to death and executed.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Iranian women arrested for not wearing hijab after yogurt thrown on them."
Three people died early Monday in a three-vehicle crash near the town of Emerson in northeast Nebraska.

The names of the deceased are being withheld pending notification of family, a spokesman for the Dakota County Sheriff's Office said Tuesday. The incident occurred about 4:30 a.m. on Nebraska Highway 35 northeast of Emerson.

Investigators determined that a 2008 Acura was westbound on Highway 35 when it left its lane and side-swiped an eastbound 2001 Buick. The Acura then collided nearly head-on with an eastbound semi-trailer truck.

All three occupants of the Acura were pronounced dead at the scene. No other injuries were reported.

The Dixon County Sheriff's Office and the Nebraska State Patrol assisted at the scene. Emerson is a town of about 1,500 residents located 30 miles southwest of Sioux City, Iowa.
The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye has warned ladies to avoid marrying jobless men. They have the tendencies to use, dump and abandon such ladies.

According to him, a woman should not marry a man that has no work if not you will be the work.

Pastor Adeboye spoke on Sunday at the May Special Prayer and Thanksgiving service by the RCCG Throne of Grace, National Headquarters Ebute Metta, Lagos.

He noted it is not sinful for a single lady to politely ask any man proposing marriage whether or not he has a job. Stating that women are conceived as helpmeets, Adeboye argued that it is someone who has a job that can be helped.

Adeboye, who spoke through the Assistant General Overseer, (RCCG) Personnel and Administration, Pastor Johnson Odesola, said the man is key and the woman has only come to help.

Whatever the woman does is a help. The man is a major director in the house, he stressed.

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Violence erupted on Monday morning at the office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Port Harcourt, the capital of Rivers state.

The violence broke out following a clash between members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over the inspection of electoral materials.

It was gathered the APC governorship gandidate in Rivers, Tonye Cole, and members of his party arrived at the INEC office to inspect materials used for the election that was held on March 18.

The APC members were reportedly forced to turn back by members of the PDP who were already on ground at the INEC office, insisting that both parties inspect the materials at the same time.

The situation caused pandemonium as the PDP members demanded the joint inspection of election results and the Certified True Copies of result sheets for the just-concluded 2023 general elections.

According to reports, the PDP protesters had blocked both the waterlines and GRA areas of Aba road, the two major access points to the INEC head office.

No car was able to drive through that stretch of Aba road from the ground lanes, while those on the GRA flyover were trapped as there was no exit route.

The PDP protest was led by the Deputy Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Edison Ehie who was re-elected in the March 18 election and Samuel Nwanosike, the Chairman of the Ikwerre Local Government Area.

Though the party won the governorship and State Assembly elections, the Deputy Speaker of the Assembly who jointly led the protest, demanded that INEC grant the party a joint inspection of the materials used in conducting the March 18 elections.

The PDP protesters believed that their demand would introduce the level of transparency needed to forestall unnecessary litigations and arguments.

Apart from the demand for joint inspection of materials, some inscriptions on the placards displayed during the protest also request INEC to make available the Certified True Copies of results.

TheCable understands that the situation degenerated into a fracas that led to gunshots and the reported injury of one person.

KanyiDaily recalls that PDP candidate, Siminialayi Fubara, who is the anointed candidate of Nyesom Wike, the outgoing governor of Rivers state, won the Rivers State governorship election.
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NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Monday Finland will become the 31st member of the worlds biggest military alliance on Tuesday, and that he hopes its neighbor Sweden can join in coming months.

This is a historic week, Stoltenberg told reporters on the eve of a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels. From tomorrow, Finland will be a full member of the alliance.

The former Norwegian prime minister said that on Tuesday afternoon, we will raise the Finnish flag for the first time here at the NATO headquarters. It will be a good day for Finlands security, for Nordic security, and for NATO as a whole.

Stoltenberg said that Turkey, the last country to have ratified Finlands membership, will hand its official texts to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday. Stoltenberg said he would then invite Finland to do the same.

Finnish President Sauli Niinist and Defense Minister Antti Kaikkonen will attend the ceremony, along with Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto.

It is a historic moment for us. For Finland, the most important objective at the meeting will be to emphasize NATOs support to Ukraine as Russia continues its illegal aggression.

We seek to promote stability and security throughout the Euro-Atlantic region, Haavisto said in a statement.

The development comes as Finnish voters gave a boost to conservative parties in a weekend election, depriving left-wing Prime Minister Sanna Marin of another term.

Fearing that they might be targeted after Russia invaded Ukraine a year ago, the Nordic neighbors Finland and Sweden abandoned their traditional positions of military non-alignment to seek protection under NATOs security umbrella.

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All 30 allies signed Finlands and Swedens accession protocols. Turkey and Hungary delayed the process for months but have relented on Finland. Turkey has sought guarantees and assurances from the two, notably on tackling extremism. Hungarys demands have never been explicit.

NATO must agree unanimously for new members to join.
The Presidential candidate of the Labour Party and former governor of Anambra state, Mr Peter Obi has finally opened up after the FG today, accused him of stoking an insurrection likely to cause disturbances in the country.

Obi, in a series of Twitter posts, slammed the Minister of Information, Alh Lai Mohammed for leading the accusations.

Recall the Honourable Minister had earlier today, accused Obi of inciting people to violence.

Obi and his vice, Datti Ahmed, cannot be threatening Nigerians that if the President-elect, Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress is sworn in on May 29, it will be the end of democracy in Nigeria. This is treason. You cannot be inviting insurrection, and this is what they are doing.

Obis statement is that of a desperate person, he is not the democrat that he claimed to be Mohammed had stated.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, gave the admonition in Washington DC during his official engagements with some international media organisations on the just concluded 2023 polls, according to the News Agency of Nigeria.

Speaking further, Obi noted that it was unfortunate that the consistent efforts to portray him as being contrary to what he is known for, is coming from such high quarters adding that Lai Mohammeds accusations of stoking insurrection were totally malicious and fictitious.

According to Obi, In the past few days, I have observed various campaigns of calumny directed at my person, with the latest being allegations attributed to the information Minister, Lai Mohammed from Washington DC.

It is most unfortunate that these consistent efforts to portray me quite contrary to what I am, and my core values, is coming from such high quarters. Minister Lai accusing me of stoking insurrection is totally malicious and fictitious.

I have never discussed or encouraged anyone to undermine the Nigerian state; I have never sponsored or preached any action against the Nigerian state. Those initiating these actions have increasingly used their official positions and agents to make false allegations against me.

I am on record as always, advocating for peace and issue-based campaign and never campaigned based on ethnicity or religion. I am committed to due process, and presently seeking redress in the Court.

I urge those engaged in this demarketing process to stop presenting Nigeria in such bad light. Our future generations deserve a new Nigeria, where they can live a secure and decent life like their counterparts in other climes. It is possible Obi added.
Kayode Sule, son of the Chief Medical Director of Lafia Hospital, Apata, Ibadan, Oyo State, who was shot and kidnapped by suspected herdsmen, has been released.

Two staff members of the hospital, Dele Adigun and Opeyemi Abifarin, who were abducted alongside Sule on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway on Tuesday, also regained their freedom.

It could not be ascertained whether the N50m ransom demanded by the kidnappers was paid before they were released.

An official of the hospital confided in a correspondent on Saturday that the victims were released Friday night. It was learnt that Kayode, who sustained a gunshot injury on the leg, was being given medical attention.

Efforts to reach police to comment on the situation were not successful as at the time of filing this report.

The three men were kidnapped on Tuesday evening at Ajebo end of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Ogun State, while coming from Lagos in an official car.




Tushar Patel

A dentist has been suspended for a year after one of his patients bled to death hours after he finished pulling out ten of her teeth, Dailymail has reported.

Tushar Patel has been banned from working for a year after being found unfit to practice following a catalogue of errors, a medical standards report revealed.

The dental patient had advanced gum disease leading experienced dentist Patel to remove all of her top teeth during two appointments in the space of a week, a panel heard.

Patel was a dentist at Confidential Clinics in Purley, Surrey and treated the woman in the summer of 2017, extracting five of the patients teeth on July 13 and five teeth on July 18.

The female patient told him she was taking blood-thinning medicine Warfarin for a rare blood condition that causes clotting.

Hours after her final appointment, she went to A&E for bleeding, and died in hospital after collapsing at home with bleeding from her mouth, a report said.

The General Dental Council (GDC) was informed and a professional conduct hearing last week ruled Patels fitness to practice was impaired.

Patel failed to discuss the patients medical history or her increased risk of bleeding because she was taking Warfarin, the hearing was told.

He also failed to pack the extraction sockets and provide the patient with post-operative instructions, the panel found.

The report stated: These were basic errors which placed the patient at significant risk of harm, when this could have, and should have been avoided.

The patient attended A&E at Kings College Hospital, London, at 9.50pm on July 18, but was discharged following treatment to attempt to stop the bleeding.

But she then collapsed at home during the early hours of July 19 was bleeding from her mouth, the GDC report said.

Mr Patel fully accepted the shortcomings and the panel found him impaired to work, the report said.

The committees suspended Mr Patels registration to practice for the maximum period of 12 months.

Pending an appeal by Mr Patel, the suspension will start on November 11 2019.

Speaking today, Dr Patel said: The patients death was a tragedy and my sincere condolences go to the family.

I always strive to provide the very best care for my patients, however, I accept the GDCs findings and deeply regret that there have been deficiencies in my practice relating to one patient. I can confirm that those issues have now been addressed.
Loading  Loading 

Yesterday brought tension to the doorsteps of the Nicon

Luxury Hotel in Garki Abuja when the police top boss, Muhammed A. Adamu arrived

the hotel for the public presentation and launching of a book authored by DIG Adeyemi

Ogunjemilusi, mni, (RTD) titlted Introduction

To Law Enforcement: A Training Guide For The Nigeria Police Force.

According to information received by 247ureports.com, the police top, the

Inspector General of Police [IGP], Muhammed A. Adamu was turned away and denied

entrance in the hotel building following his inability to pass a preliminary

coronavirus test.

The Nicon Luxury had instituted a preliminary testing

procedure for screening of would-be guest at the hotel  against the threat of

coronavirus.

To this effect, the door men and women were armed with a

temperature detector [a thermometer] to check every guest prior to gaining

entrance in the hotel building. The temperature test is to detect guests with

fever  which is considered as one of the most common symptoms of coronavirus.

Interestingly, as the IGP approached the doorway, the door

attendant routinely check his temperature. The test showed an elevated

temperature for the IGP. His temperature was above the normal range of temperature.

According to the source who spoke to 247ureports.com from Nicon Luxury, the IGP

was told to step aside. They refused to let him in. Our source revealed that

the IGPs temperature recorded about 40degrees Celsius.

The IGP willingly stepped aside.

He waited for a while

and when his temperature came down a bit, he was allowed in.

This development comes amidst new revelations of the

coronavirus victims having increased to five in Nigeria within a span of one

day. Medical experts from the Garki Hospital in Abuja express concern the number

of infected person maybe widespread than publicly known. Nobody is being tested.

The notion is espoused by an SSS agent based in Onitsha,

Anambra State. The agent claims the virus to be widespread  and that the

federal government has engaged in a policy of suppressing numbers of infected

persons. He pointed to the recent death at Enugu hospital of a woman who

recently returned from a foreign trip. She died on March 15th after

she was hospitalized in March 14th and tested for the virus on the

14th.

Stay tuned
S. Korea, U.S., Japan conduct naval exercise

Xinhua) 12:57, April 04, 2023

SEOUL, April 3 (Xinhua) -- South Korea, the United States and Japan began a two-day naval exercise in international waters south of South Korea, officials said on Monday.

The anti-submarine and search-and-rescue exercise will be staged from Monday to Tuesday in international waters south of the South Korean southern island of Jeju, according to South Korea's Ministry of National Defense.

South Korea mobilized three destroyers and one combat support ship, the United States engaged the USS Nimitz nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, along with USS Wayne E. Meyer and USS Decatur destroyers, and Japan sent JS Umigiri destroyer.

It marks the first trilateral anti-submarine exercise in six months since September 2022, the South Korean ministry said.

The trilateral search-and-rescue exercise will be held in seven years since 2016 to practice procedures such as rapid rescue, and emergency patient treatment and transportation in the event of a marine accident, the ministry added.

The Korean Central News Agency, the state news agency of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, issued a commentary on Sunday, lashing out at the Freedom Shield and other U.S.-South Korea joint military exercises since mid-March, as well as the U.S.-Japan-South Korea trilateral naval drill.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
NORMAL  The call-in forum to be conducted as part of Illinois State University Police Department's reaccreditation process has been rescheduled for next week.

The planned call-in forum was canceled last week and has now been rescheduled for 1 to 2 p.m. on Monday, April 10. Residents can call in to 309-438-3281 during that time to comment on their experiences with ISUPD.

Feedback can also be sent via email to ILEAP@IllinoisState.edu.

ISUPD is accredited through the Illinois Law Enforcement Accreditation Program. The department was first accredited in 2019. In addition to public feedback, accreditors will be be observing ISUPD and talking with university officials.
BLOOMINGTON  As Election Day dawns in Central Illinois, more than 8,000 voters in McLean County have already cast their ballots early or by mail.

Illinois consolidated elections, taking place in April of odd-numbered years, find voters throughout the state choosing leadership of cities and towns, school and community college districts, townships and other local units of government. Chicago will also hold a runoff election between its Democratic mayoral candidates, Paul Vallas and Brandon Johnson.

In McLean County, multiple referenda questions are on the ballot, along with contested races for Bloomington City Council, Normal Town Council, the McLean County Unit 5 and Bloomington District 87 school boards, and the board for Heartland Community College.

There are two local election authorities: the Bloomington Election Commission, which oversees voters in the city, and the McLean County Clerk's Office, which handles elections for the rest of the county.

In Bloomington, about 4,100 early voting or mail-in ballots had been received as of Monday morning, said Luke Stremlau, executive director of the Bloomington Election Commission.

This amounts to about 7.7% of the total voting population  some 53,000 registered voters  casting ballots.

Turnout is typically lower in consolidated elections than general elections, especially in presidential election years. In the 2021 consolidated election, about 21.69% of eligible Bloomington residents cast ballots. About 9.42% of residents cast ballots in the 2019 election.

The McLean County Clerk's Office collected 1,375 early votes and 2,694 mail-in ballots as of 1 p.m. Monday, according to the county's website.

McLean County Clerk Kathy Michael previously said voter turnout for the county was 13% in the 2017 election, 19% in 2019 and 20% in 2021.

Among the hot-button issues that might bring voters to the polls this year is a much-discussed referendum for voters in the Unit 5 school district. The measure would allow the district to increase the maximum tax rate that can be imposed for its education fund, which covers the salaries and benefits for teachers and other employees as well as technology and online resources.

Supporters say the referendum, now on the ballot for the second time after failing in November, is needed to prevent cuts that the school board has already enacted for the coming year, including elimination of all junior high extracurricular activities, fifth grade band and orchestra and all field trips. Opponents say the district should look at other cuts and revenue sources, rather than introducing a permanent tax rate increase.

District officials have said the overall tax rate would not increase  and in fact, would decrease even if the referendum passes  because some bond-related tax payments are set to expire in the coming years.

Another referendum on the ballot for residents of Bloomington Township would grant their fire protection district the ability to set a higher levy rate to cover operations. However, officials said if this measure were to pass, it would not immediately be enforced.

Some election officials say Illinois voters' ability to register permanently for mail-in voting has affected early numbers. State law allows voters to notify local election authorities if they want to vote by mail in all future elections.

Livingston County Clerk Kristy Masching said the county sent out 1,448 mail-in ballots and has received 743 so far.

It's a stark change from prior consolidated election years: There were 117 mail-in ballots in 2021 and just 35 in 2019, she said.

"(Voters) are more aware of what's going on," Masching said.

In Logan County, Clerk Theresa Moore said 680 mail-in ballots had been received, and 137 residents had voted early, as of Monday morning.

The county has about 17,000 registered voters.

"We've been very blessed with election judges," she said, "so we have plenty of those."

In DeWitt County, there had been 311 mail-in ballots and 87 early voters as of Monday morning.

GALLERY: Local elections bring in voters
We shudder in the United States when yet more children are slain by deranged shooters. Yet, we are determined to keep a ready supply of AR-15-type assault rifles on hand to facilitate the crazy when the insanity seizes them.

The murder in Nashville of three 9-year-olds and three adults should have us at the barricades, yelling bloody murder.

But we have mustered a national shrug, concluding that nothing can be done.

Clearly, something can be done; something like reviving the assault rifle ban, which expired after 10 years of statistically proven success.

We are culpable. We think our invented entitlement to own these weapons, designed for war, is a divine right, outdistancing reason, compassion and any possible form of control.

The blame rests primarily on something in American exceptionalism that loves guns. I mostly understand that; I like them, as I write from time to time. I also like fast cars, small airplanes, strong drinks and other hair-raising things. But society has said these need controls  from speed limits to flying instruction  and has severe penalties for mixing the first two with the last. Those controls make sense. We abide by them.

Regarding that other great national indulgence  guns  society has said safety doesnt count. So far this year, more than 10,000 people have been killed in gun violence. If that were the number of fatalities from disease, we would again be in lockdown.

We have concocted this sacred right to keep and use guns. To ensure this, the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution has been manhandled by lawyers into being a justification for putting something deadly out of the reach of social control or even rudimentary discipline.

The latest school shooting has raised our hackles, but not our capacity to act. This national shrug at something that can be fixed is a stain on the body politic. Most of the conservative wing of the establishment, represented by the Republican Party, has dismissed it as one might a natural disaster.

But the routine murder of innocents in school shootings is a man-made disaster. Worse, it is sanctified by a particular interpretation of the Second Amendment.

It is an interpretation that has demanded, and continues to demand, legal contortionism. This is used to justify the citizenry owning and using weapons of war.

This latest school shooting, which happened in this young year, was shocking, but the political reaction was more shocking.

President Joe Biden wrung his hands and said nothing could be done without the support of Congress  thus endorsing a national fatalism.

Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina suggested more police officers in schools, and Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., said teachers needed to be armed. His children are homeschooled.

In personal life and in national life, perceived impossibility is hugely debilitating.

Guns, along with drugs, are the largest killer of young people. They arent unrelated. Unregulated guns find their way to the drug gangs of Central America, facilitating the flow of drugs.

On the Senate floor, the chambers longtime chaplain, retired Rear Adm. Barry C. Black, took on the pusillanimous members of his flock after the Nashville murders, quoting the 18th-century Anglo-Irish statesman Edmund Burkes admonition, The only thing needed for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.

Indubitably.
Head of Psychology Department at the University of Ghana, Professor Joseph Osafo has offered education to Ghanaians on how to handle persons who attempt to commit suicide.



Noting that suicide is a mental health disorder, Professor Osafo urged Ghanaians to adopt a calm approach and treat any person attempting to take his or her life with love, referring him or her to a Psychologist.



Making his submissions on Peace FM's "Kokrokoo" show, the Senior Psychologist urged any person who finds someone trying to take his or her life or exhibiting signs of committing suicide to also report immediately to the Police.



He advised; "If you see that someone wants to take his or her own life, it is a medical emergency . . . you can call a Police officer. There's nothing wrong with that as the officer can offer help."



He cautioned against abuse of such persons stressing, "when you find someone who wants to commit suicide, don't beat the person. If there's nothing you can do to help, you can call the Police".



He also admonished the Police to be professional in handling persons with suicide tendencies.

Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The new judge presiding over the trial of former COCOBOD Chief Executive, Dr. Stephen Kwabena Opuni and businessman Seidu Agongo, has ordered that the ongoing criminal trial should start de novo (afresh).



Justice of the High Court, Justice Kwasi Anokye Gyimah, noted that he was not interested in adopting the proceedings of the previous judge owing to a number of reasons.



This was contained in the ruling of the trial judge at the High Court, Land Division 2, on Tuesday, April 4, 2023 on an application by Chief State Attorney at the Office of the Attorney General, Mrs. Evelyn Keelson, asking the court to adopt proceedings of the previous judge.



Former COCOBOD Chief Executive, Dr. Stephen Opuni and businessman Seidu Agongo as well as Agricult Ghana Limited, are facing 27 charges, including willfully causing financial loss to the state and contravention of the Public Procurement Act in the purchase of Lithovit liquid fertiliser between 2014 and 2016.



They have all pleaded not guilty to the charges and are on a GH300,000.00 self-recognisance bail, each.



Justice Anokye Gyimah made reference to the numerous allegations of bias and several applications to remove the then trial judge, retired Justice Clemence Jackson Honyenuga.



Although the judge noted that he was not in position to confirm or otherwise the accusations leveled against Justice Honyenuga, the best option to him, having heard arguments from parties in the case and decisions on similar circumstances, he would prefer the case starts de novo (afresh)



According to the judge, he does not want to be associated with the numerous allegations of bias against the previous judge, Justice Clemence Honyenuga (Retd), hence his decision to start the case de novo.



He also pointed out the need for the accused persons to be afforded ample time and needed documents to defend themselves in a criminal trial.



Adopt previous proceedings



On March 30, when the new judge sat on the case for the first time, Mrs. Evelyn Keelson argued that starting the case afresh would cause a substantial injustice to the state.



She therefore prayed for the adoption of previous proceedings.



But the request was vehemently opposed to by the defence lawyers who have asked for the trial to start de novo (afresh).



She said the court should consider the delays, stage of the case and the fact that prosecution had closed its case and first accused (Dr. Opuni) had called 7 witnesses.



Mrs. Keelson said the case has traveled and gone to the Supreme Court and various rulings have been made so starting afresh will cause miscarriage of justice if not granted.



The Chief State Attorney said rather, there would be no miscarriage of justice on the accused if the proceedings are adopted then if the case is started afresh.



It will rather cause Injustice to the Republic if the case is started fresh, and starting this case de novo will benefit the accused from delaying the case, the Chief State Attorney urged the court.



She pointed out that, the Prosecution after the closure of it case, the previous court had on May 7, 2021, ruled on a submission of no case which was upheld held and allowing the case to start de novo will occasion substantial miscarriage of justice.



She concluded her submission after making references to some authorities by saying there will be no injustice at all in allowing the proceedings to continue.



Rules not changed, start afresh



But lead counsel for Dr Opuni, lawyer Samuel Codjoe who vehemently opposed to the request for the adoption of the previous proceedings, said the rules of criminal trials are clear and have not changed.



He said the trial can only be started de novo (afresh).



Counsel argued that unlike in civil matters where two parties appear before the court where the practice allows the judge to determine on adoptions of proceedings, the practice is totally different in criminal cases.



While pointing to some decided cases by the Supreme Court, Lawyer Codjoe made specific reference to an unreported case in which Justice Jones Dotse maintained that until reforms are made, the rules cannot be changed, and that such trials would have to start afresh.



Writing the decision of the Supreme Court in a ruling on January 24, 2023, Justice Dotse noted:



The Supreme Court did not mention its application to the criminal cases. There is also no specific legal provision on whether part heard trials must start de novo or be adopted by the new Judge. The practice for now is that, in criminal trials, the practice is to start trials de novo.



Perhaps the time has come for this problem to be reviewed, This is because, if as a country we are to make some progress in the prosecution of criminal cases, especially corruption related cases pursuant to the Article 19 provisions of the Constitution 1992, then the bold step has to be taken to introduce sweeping reforms in this part of our criminal justice. We therefore appeal to the Chief Justice to urgently consider reforms in this part of our criminal justice.



Lawyer Codjoe therefore added that, in criminal trials, you start de novo and the reason is that it will be unfair to the accused persons if otherwise was done.



To buttress his point, counsel said, it is acceptable that an innocent person is freed than convict to prison many people who are guilty at a point.



Lawyer Codjoe made reference to the ongoing murder trial involving Gregory Afoko where the Attorney General after terminating the first trial (Nolle Prosequi) started all over again.



But, Justice Gyimah was quick to asserts that he was unaware of the Afokos example.



Touching on Section 80 of Evidence Act referenced by the prosecution, counsel said it is clear that the court will have to look at the demeanor of the accused but it is not the sole determining fact.



He added that, in criminal cases, the rights of the individual are rather key considerations and wondered if the State upon all its michinwey suffers, how much more the accused?



We are saying that if you consider the essence of criminal trial and the judicial rule the case has to start de novo, (afresh) Lawyer Codjoe submitted.



While pointing to 129(2) of the 1992 Constitution which states that decisions of the Supreme Court is binding on all courts underneath, he said the trial should start afresh.



We prayed that the trial started de novo and what the prosecution failed to add was that though we (first accused) have called 7 witnesses, and we have more to call for the first accused.



While wondering why the state with all its apparatus would be asking for adoption of the previous proceedings when the rules are clear, counsel concluded that It would be unfair to the accused but also against established practice.





Previous proceedings not true reflection



Lawyer Benson Nutsukpi, counsel for Mr. Agongo and Agricult Ghana Limited (Second and third accused), while also opposing vehemently to the prosecutions prayer said, what transpired in the previous proceedings did not reflect the true representation.



He wondered how documents discovered by prosecution and served on accused and same was tendered in evidence without objection from the prosecution, the judge without reference to us expunged from records during the ruling on submission of no case.



We are totally opposed and we will use our applications (filed on records) to show that what happened before the previous court is not a true reflection of what transpired in the court and we will challenge that, lawyer Nutsukpui contended



He argued also that the established practice for now is to start the trial afresh since the recommendations that the rules should be reviewed and reforms carried by the Chief Justice have not been done yet.



Counsel also concluded that this court should start the case denovo.



By Court



Justice Anokye Gyimah after listening to the parties then adjourn to April 4 to enable the court interrogate some of the issues raised.



He urged the parties to submit the references and authorities they have alluded to in their submissions to assist the court to give it direction.



When sitting resumed on April 4, Justice Anokye Gyimah read out his ruling and insisted on starting the case de novo (afresh), although he recognised how long the case has travelled.



He has therefore ordered the parties to file statements they want to rely on in the trial by April 21, and slated April 25 for case management.

Source: newstitbits.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Former Member of Parliament(MP) for Ayensuano constituency, Samuel Ayeh-Paye has asked critics rebuking President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for not being direct and outspoken against the LGBTQ+ community to leave him alone.



According to him, the President exercised what he termed as "home wisdom" during his meeting with the Vice President of United States, Kamala Harris when he was asked to state his position on the homosexual community.



President Nana Akufo-Addo, speaking about the controversial anti-LGBTQ bill during a joint press conference with the US Vice President, said; The bill is going through the parliament. The attorney general has found it necessary to speak to the committee (the constitutional and legal committee of parliament) about it regarding the constitutionality . . . of several of its provisions. The parliament is dealing with it. At the end of the process, I will come in.



My understanding . . . is that substantial elements of the bill have already been modified as a result of the intervention of the Attorney General, he added.



To critics, the President's failure to be straight with the US Veep indicates he has a soft spot for the LGBTQ community and may succumb to the pressure to legalize their practices.



Many people fear the President might have doubled down on the anti-LGBTQ bill before Parliament.



He also noted that the President's public condemnation of homosexual acts or he revealing his support for the anti-gay bill doesn't suffice to end homosexuality in the country.



"Former President Kufour spoke against it publicly. Did it stop? Professor Atta Mills hated even the name; he condemned it. Did it stop? No! Professor Mike Oquaye, when he was Speaker, also condemned it. Did it stop? No! Former President Mahama has also spoken publicly against it although he was associated with a person who was gay but it didn't stop. The current Speaker of Parliament has also repudiated this gay issue but it still hasn't stopped. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo stood at Methodist church and told them that legislation of LGBTQ+ won't happen under his administration while he is President. In spite of all this, it hasn't stopped," he emphasized.



He, however, called on the religious bodies to help to discourage homosexuality in Ghana.



"Let us fight them from the churches, the mosques, our religious background."





Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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The Director-General of the National Lottery Authority, Sammi Awuku, has indicated that there are plans by the National Security, working with it, to start undercover works at fishing out persons engaged in illegal lottery activities.



According to the NLA boss, the global loss of revenue by the World Lottery Association, is indication that there is the need for Ghana to also tighten its belt and ensure that it does not also continue to face losses.



With the support of the state agencies in charge of security, Sammi Awuku said that they are hopeful of turning the situation of revenue generated by the NLA around.



We continue to dialogue with our stakeholders and partners. We do not charge 35%. Anybody charging 35% commission is illegal, and I think that is what has fed into the public in the illegal space.



Last year alone, the World Lottery Association estimates that the global body lost $1.3 trillion through illegal lottery activities. And, we are hoping that this year, the story will be different, and that is whyve been very serious about engaging the state security agencies.



And in the coming weeks, the National Security and the National Signals Bureau will be operating undercover, to make sure that we arrest all persons who are engaged in illegal lottery, he explained.









Source: ghanaweb.com









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Private legal practitioner Martin Kpebu has said he no longer fights for persons who are homosexuals in society because he cannot speak for faceless people.



He wants them to come out and speak or fight for themselves for themselves



Mr Kpebu explained that he is aware of big lawyers in this country who are homosexual but are not prepared to come out publicly to defend their actions.



Speaking on TV3 Saturday, April 1, he said To be very frank with you I do not intend to go into the merits of the debate on LGBTQ. I have made comments on it in the past, briefly stating that if some people want to fight for it it is within their right to fight for it but the reason I am no longer interested in joining this debate aggressively is that the people who practice LGBTQ, they dont want to show their faces. So I ask, how am I going to advocate for a faceless person?



So that is the disconnect. It is a very sensitive matter, I have been crying here Saturday to Saturday that the Ghanaian doesnt want to fight, this is another of that. Privately, I have seen big lawyers involved, big lawyers who are gays and they cant fight for themselves and you are saying Kpebu should come and fight, no, you cant fight everything. There are big lawyers, I am telling you on authority, in this country involved and they dont want to show their faces. At least they should come out, lets see them explain their situation.



I have been telling some of them privately that if we even get fifty of them to snap a picture, and come out to address a press conference when they speak, they will evoke compassion.



The discussion on the Key Points centered on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addos decision to dissociate from the Proper Human Sexual Rights & Ghanaian Family Values Bill also known as the Ant-Gay Bill.



Proposed under a Private Members Bill, the anti-gay bill is expected to criminalise some of the activities of homosexuals in Ghana.



Answering a question put to him at the Jubilee House on Monday, March 27 when US Vice President Kamala Harris called on him, President Akufo-Addo confirmed that the bill is currently before Parliament, which will decide on it, but most of its provisions are being fine-tuned.



It hasnt been passed, so the statement that there is legislation in Ghana to that effect is not accurate, he said.



Parliament is dealing with it and at the end of the process, I will come in, he added.



President Akufo-Addo welcomed US Vice President Harris to the seat of government as part the latters three-day visit to the country.



She stressed how strongly she feels about the importance of supporting and fighting for the cause of human rights including rights of LGBTQs.



For the American press who are here, you know that a great deal of work in my career has been to address human rights issues, equality issues across the globe including as well as the LGBTQ community and I feel very strongly about the importance of supporting freedom and supporting and fighting for quality among all people.









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The Catholic Bishop of Konongo-Mampong, Most Reverend Joseph Osei-Bonsu, has urged President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to declare his true stance on the controversial Lesbians, Gays, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer (LGBTQ+) activities in Ghana.



The senior clergyman stated in a statement that the president has been making contradictory statements regarding the subject matter, which worries him. Consequently, his decision to write formally to the president asking him to publicly state his genuine view on the LGBTQ+ issue.



Speaking in an interview with Peace FMs Evening News on April 3, 2023, he voiced unhappiness with President Akufo-Addo for his recent remarks regarding the LGBTQ+ bill when he spoke with Kamala Harris at a joint press conference.



I wrote about LGBTQ+ which is now a topical issue in the world and recently the American Vice president came to tell us that we should accept it.



But for me, this doesnt help in any way, health-wise and Christianity, so, I have written to the president to make us know his true stance on the issue because sometime back when he was speaking in London, he couldnt really explain himself that, whether Ghana will accept or not.



But when he came to Mampong, he was explicit that he wont accept, but recently after Kamala Harriss visit, he is saying a different thing, which is why I am asking him to let Ghanaians know his stance on the matter, whether he agrees or not, he said.



President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has said that the anti-LGBTQI bill has been modified.



According to the president, the Chairman of the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee of Parliament, Kwame Anyimadu-Antwi, informed him of the modification at a meeting.



Akufo-Addo further stated that even if the bill is passed, it will still have to be ratified by him.



He made these remarks while addressing the press at the Jubilee House together with the Vice President of the United States of America, Kamala Harris, on Monday, March 27, 2023, adding that the modification of the Anti-LGBTQI bill was after the intervention of the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Godfred Dame.



That claim of a watered-down version of the Bill has been rejected by Sam Nartey George, one of the dozen MPs who sponsored the Bill.















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Kwame Ato Asare Ani, a man on the run from the authorities, has stated from his hiding place that he used to pay some personnel of the Ghana Police Service money for their personal upkeep (chop money).



According to Kwame Ani, he is not an armed robber as previously stated in police statements, but rather a police informant who is assisting in the fight against illicit mining (galamsey) in the Axim community.



Kwame Ani claimed that because of his relationship with the police in halting the illicit mining activities in the area, he is the first person the police turns to any time they need entry to the various forests where galamsey operations are taking place.



Speaking in an interview with Peace FMs Afternoon News on April 03, 2023, he added that whenever the police arrive at the location, they approach him for cash for their personal upkeep before heading into the forest for the operations.



For the police, even if Im not around, they will come and wait for me before I will take them to the bush, in a day, about 10 to 5 police officers come to my place and I take them to the bush. I always go and survey around before the police come in. Sometimes Im the one who even arrests some of them (galamsey operators) for the police because the police cannot arrest them.



The police once came to the site; at that time, I was in Tarkwa and my boys called me that the police have come so I have to come and meet them.



So, when I came, truly they had come, and that was the Axim Divisional Police Command and the Sekondi patrol team.



So, when they came, they told me that they had come for their chop money (money for personal upkeep), so I spoke to the Takoradi team and gave them one thousand cedis and the Axim divisional command also came that their chop money also, so I gave them eight hundred Ghana cedis, which is eight million old cedis. So, they asked me to go and show them a galamsey site which I agreed and went with them.



For the police, they are my friends that I work with them, the work that we do is that all the galamsey sites, whenever they come there, they will come and see me before I take them around.



I also have a site that I manage, so whenever the police come around, they call me to meet them.



Addressing the circumstance leading to his fallout with the police, Kwame Ani said he received a payment of GH100,000.00 from some illegal miners but failed to deliver the money to the police after he felt being cheated by the police in previous deals.



He refuted armed robbery accusations brought against him by the police as false and maintained that until the police tell the public the truth, he is not prepared to surrender for questioning unless the police come clean on their relationship with him and the accusations made against him.







Source: ghanaweb.com









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Investigative journalist, Manasseh Azure Awuni is questioning why African governments seem to be prioritising the fight against homosexuality over corruption.



In a Facebook post sighted by GhanaWeb, the journalist said he finds it hard to comprehend how governments on the continent are passing harsh legislations against LGBTQ+ practices over existing laws punishing corruption.



I don't understand why a continent that is ravaged by pervasive corruption is passing anti-LGBTQ+ laws that are harsher than corruption. In other words, why should a politician openly steal from his people and win the next election when supporting LGBTQ+ would guarantee a defeat? he questioned.



Currently a number of African countries have taken a strong position against LGBTQ+ practices with some passing stiff legislations against it.

In March, Ugandas parliament passed sweeping anti-LGBTQ legislation with strict new penalties for homosexuality. The legislation proscribes the death penalty in cases of aggravated homosexuality, defined as sexual relations with someone below the age of 14 or above the age of 75, and for repeat offenders.



Ghana is following suit with a bill that seeks to criminalise LGBTQ+ practices.



Under the bill, persons found guilty of breaching the law stand a chance of being sentenced to jail among other forms of punishment.



The bill has received wide public acceptance but has also attracted criticisms from human rights activists and members of the LGBTQ+ community.



The Vice President of the United States of America, Kamala Harris during her recent visit to Ghana raised concerns about the bill while describing LGBTQ+ practice as a human right.











Source: ghanaweb.com









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Mohammed Hardi Tufeiru, Member of Parliament for Nanton has opened up on how he got involved in a bloody accident last Friday (March 31) on his way to the House for a crucial vote on three taxes.



The MP, who doubles as deputy agric minister admitted to Accra-based Citi FM that he was over speeding and that resulted in the accident.



He recounted how he was driven to Parliament from the accident scene in an Uber adding that he was heading to the chamber to vote when some colleagues saw the state in which he was and subsequently took him to a washroom for medical attention.



Among others, he was injected, before an incision was made at the top right side of his eye where he sustained a deep cut. In the midst of all this, he restated his desire to be in the chamber to vote on the three bills.



You may not really understand what was actually happening and I am sure you are also mindful of the important bills that we needed to pass honestly speaking, I dont know how you are going to feel about it or whoever is going to feel about it.



I was for Ghana, I was for my party, my government and I needed to do whatever to get the bill passed, he told EyeWitness News host, Umaru Sanda Amadu (April 3).



When the host asked: Did you feel that your life was less important than the bill? the MP responded: yes, yes if you want you can take it like that. I am fine.



The three new taxes that were eventually passed with the help of his vote were: Excise Duty Amendment Bill 2022, the Growth and Sustainability Levy Bill, 2022, and the Income Tax Amendment Bill 2022.



The Minority had stifly opposed the passage of the Bills, challenging the voice vote decision by the Speaker of Parliament.



It was the challenge that led to a head count of members present which meant every MP on the Majority side was needed to defeat the NDC's 136 MPs who were all present.



























Source: ghanaweb.com









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The Catholic Bishop of Konongo-Mampong in the Ashanti Region, the Most Rev. Joseph Osei-Bonsu, has called on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to state, unequivocally, what his position is on the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ+) issue.



I would also be most grateful if you could state unequivocally what your position on LCBTQ+ is. I request this because many Ghanaians are not sure of your position on this matter, while they are clear about the position of some of your predecessors who have made their positions clear and unambiguous," he said.



The Most Rev. Osei-Bonsu made the call in an open letter to the President, dated April 3, 2023.



I am writing to you today as a citizen of Ghana in connection with three statements that you have made as President of the Republic of Ghana concerning the issue of LGBTQI+. I find inconsistencies in them and I would be most grateful if you could clarify them for me, it said.



Recall



The letter said on December 6, 2017, Jane Dutton of Aljazeera interviewed President Akufo-Addo on the subject of homosexuality, and that in response to the question as to why homosexuality remained a criminal offence in Ghana, you were reported to have said the following: l don't believe that in Ghana, so far a sufficiently strong coalition has emerged which is having that impact on public opinion that would say change it and let's now have a new paradigm in Ghana.



I grew up in England and I grew up in a time when homosexuality was banned there, and then suddenly the activities of individuals and groups, a certain awareness, a certain development grew stronger and it forced in changing [the] law.



I believe that those are the same processes that will bring about changes in our situation. At the moment, I don't feel, I don't see that in Ghana there is that strong current of opinion that is saying this is something that we need you to deal with."



In the Most Rev. Osei-Bonsus view, the President did not answer the question posed by the journalist, and that he should have admitted that homosexuality, indeed, remained a criminal offence in Ghana, making reference to Section 104 of the Criminal Code of 1960 which criminalises consensual same-sex sexual acts between persons of the same gender.



At the induction in Asante Mampong of the Archbishop of the Internal Province of Ghana in the Church of the Province of West Africa (CPWA), Cyril Kobina Ben-Smith, on Saturday, February 27, 2021, you indicated, in what could be described as your strongest position yet, that you were not considering the legalisation of same-sex marriages, he said.



Indeed, you gave an assurance, to the excitement of many at the ceremony (including my good self!), that it would not be under your Presidency that same-sex marriages would be legalised.



"l have said it before, and let me stress it again, that it will not be under the Presidency of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo that same-sex marriage will be legalised," the letter quoted the President as saying at the event.



In the light of what I may term 'the Mampong Declaration, I was baffled by what Your Excellency said when you held a press conference with the Vice-President of the United States, Kamala Harris, while responding to a question by a New York Times journalist in Accra on Monday, March 27, 2023 on the issue of LGBTQ+, he said.



Champion



Among other things, the letter said the Presidents statement that the bill had been championed by "only a handful of MPs" was unfortunate.



I would like you to realise that the handful of MPs spoke for over 80 per cent of Ghanaians who abhor homosexuality, it said, adding that a survey conducted by the Africa Centre for International Law and Accounting (ACILA) had revealed that over 80 per cent of Ghanaians were against the normalisation of homosexuality in the country.



It said the President missed a fine opportunity to correct Ms Harris on her understanding of human rights.

Source: graphic.com.gh









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A five-member Vetting Committee led by Madam Hanny Sherry Ayitey, the National Vice-Chairman, has given the green light to four candidates to contest the upcoming parliamentary primaries of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Kpando Constituency.



The candidates are Madam Dela Sowah, Sebastian Deh, Agbeti Divine, and Lawyer Danso Archie Martin Junior.



They have also balloted for their positions with Madam Sowah picking the fourth, Sebastian Deh, third, Divine Agbeti second, and Archie Danso picking the number one position.



Dela Sowah, the incumbent Member of Parliament (MP), said her position on the ballot paper showed that she had been chosen for a fourth term in the Legislative House.



She expressed confidence in winning the contest and subsequently becoming the MP.



Sebastian Deh, CEO of Atlantic Development Finance Company and Executive Director of HeadHands Support Foundation, said his chances of becoming victorious were very bright.



He said his pedigree and service to the NDC was an open book and was confident of winning.



Sebastian Deh said the dynamics on the ground showed that there was a preference for a change in leadership, adding that the leadership had not performed to the satisfaction of the electorates.



He said the new change must be given to a person who had a lot of experience and among the candidates, he would stand tall.



Divine Agbeti, the current PRO, NDC ProForum, UK/Ireland, and Communications Committee Member, noted that he could win the contest.



He said his chances were very high in the upcoming contest after which he would form a formidable front to capture the Parliamentary seat.



Divine Agbeti urged his supporters to be calm and should not retaliate to any attacks from opponents.



Danso Archie Martin (Jr) noted that his aim was to change the phase of the Kpando Constituency to a modern one.



He said he had the Constituency at heart and would provide the needed support for constituents.





Source: GNA









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A disqualified National Democratic Congress parliamentary candidate hopeful for Madina, Prince Moses Zakaria, has vowed to contest as an independent candidate in the 2024 elections.



The committee disqualified him because he once served as the General Secretary of the United Front Party (UFP); hence, he did not deserve to be a member of the party.



Speaking to the media, the disqualified parliamentary candidate aspirant said he will ensure the incumbent MP Francis Sosu loses his seat as he believes the MP is behind his disqualification



Our elders have allowed Sosu and some other executives to undertake several machinations against me in Madina. Unfortunately, I have been disqualified in a way that is unfair by the vetting committee. I am declaring my independent candidature immediately. I will ensure that Sosu does not go back to parliament, Citinewsroom.com quoted Mr. Zakaria.



Speaking on this development, Theophilus Tetteh Chaie, Greater Accra Regional Secretary, justified why the party has to disqualify him based on his eligibility.



We are having challenges with his eligibility. He was a member of the UFP. He has also not fulfilled the four-year mandate requirement of the NDC constitution. Based on the guidelines that have been given to us, we had no option but to get him disqualified, he explained.











Source: ghanaweb.com









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Joe Ghartey, the NPP Presidential hopeful has said that we as Ghanaians must change the way we do things. Joe Ghartey said in an interview in Parliament that the time had come for all of us to take a good look at ourselves and admit our mistakes and change our ways.



Mr Ghartey said he was not prepared to blame any person or any group but was calling on all Ghanaians to take a good look at themselves and change their ways.



From public servants who work only a few hours a week, to private sector people who refused to honour their civic obligations to young people who want to get ahead of their colleagues not on the basis of merit but on the basis of "connection" it is time to change he said. Enough is enough, Joe Ghartey said.



Joe Ghartey said from religious organizations to political parties and politicians, people gave and received large sums of money with nobody asking about the source of the money. Enough is enough, Joe Ghartey said. He concluded by saying that if we do the same things in the same way, we should expect the same results.



The time was ripe for a complete turnaround and he was prepared to offer the leadership. If elected as President, Joe Ghartey said he will tell the people the truth, make the difficult decisions and at the same time provide visionary leadership which will take Ghana to the next level.



Joe Ghartey as Attorney General initiated Justice for All which has among other things reduced drastically remand prisoners in our prisons from 33 percent in 2007 to 9 percent currently.



As railway minister, he worked hard and had a clear vision which resulted in among others the establishment of a Railways University.



As Deputy Speaker, he has been described by the present Speaker, Rt Hon Bagbin who was Minority Leader at the time as firm.



Joe Ghartey said as President he would be firm and fair and ensure that we have a kinder and gentler country by providing such leadership



Joe Ghartey said he was not saying that we must change our ways because he claimed to be perfect. He said the call included him because none is perfect but God he concluded.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









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In 2017, the antiseptic, zelyonka, was thrown in Navalny's face and (according to him) cost 80 percent of his vision in his right eye. Two years later, he was detained by the police and put in jail. While there he suffered a severe skin reaction requiring medical attention at a hospital. He claimed he'd been poisoned and it seemed obvious that harassment from Putin's regime was escalating.

" " Alexei Navalny, face covered in the green antiseptic zelyonka, after the attack against him in Moscow on April 27, 2017. Evgeny Feldman/Wikimedia Commons (CC By SA 4.0)

In August 2020 Navalny fell ill while on a flight from Siberia to Moscow. The plane diverted, making an emergency landing in Omsk, near Kazakhstan. Navalny fell into a coma before arriving at the hospital. Because of previous attacks and because his wife, Yulia Navalnaya, and other members of his team were barred from the hospital, speculation immediately arose that Navalny had been poisoned. After weeks in the hospital at Omsk, Navalny was stable enough to be transferred to a hospital in Berlin, Germany, to be examined, treated and hopefully to recover.

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He was released on Sept. 23 and in October, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons found that Navalny had been poisoned with Novichok, a lethal, military-grade nerve agent. Operatives learned that Novichok had liberally been spread on the crotch of Navalny's underwear. Naturally Putin and his cronies denied involvement, but evidence suggested otherwise.

Navalny flew back to Russia in January 2021 knowing that the Kremlin had placed him on the federal government's wanted list for "evading supervision" (a requirement of his probation in the 2014 embezzlement case) while he was recuperating in Germany from the poisoning. He was immediately arrested at Moscows Sheremetyevo airport, telling reporters at the scene, "I am not afraid. I know that I am in the right and that all the criminal cases against me are fabricated."

In early February 2021, Navalny was convicted of violating the terms of his 2014 conviction, and later sentenced to serve his sentence of at least 2.5 years at Penal Colony No. 2, also known as IK2 in the city of Pokrov in the Vladimir Region of Russia, east of Moscow. The prison is known for strict enforcement of rules, "a colony maximally isolated from the outside world ... in which convicts are 'broken,'" according to Mediazone.

On March 31, Navalny started a hunger strike protesting the lack of appropriate and independent medical care related to ongoing symptoms from the Novichok poisoning. The hunger strike continued for three weeks before his condition worsened to the point that prison officials hospitalized him for treatment, raising speculation that he might be force-fed. This led to outcry from leaders around the world including U.S. President Joe Biden, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and other leaders of the G7.

" " Navalny on Feb. 29, 2020 during a march in memory of politician Boris Nemtsov, a physicist, liberal politician and reformer, who was assassinated on Feb. 27, 2015 in Russia. Micha Siergiejevicz /Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

Navalny's spokesperson posted on Facebook that "Alexei is dying ... it's a question of days." Physicians close to the dissident stepped in, persuading him to end his hunger strike, which he did on April 23, 2021, releasing a statement on social media:

"Doctors, whom I fully trust, published a statement yesterday stating that you and I had achieved enough for me to end the hunger strike. And I will say frankly  their words that the tests show that 'in a minimum time there will be no one to treat ...' seem to me worthy of attention."

Despite mounting international pressure to release Navalny, few expect that to happen. Instead, in a move designed to further silence Navalny and his organization, a Moscow court ruled to shut down the activities of the Anti-Corruption Foundation, pending a decision on whether the organization should be outlawed as an extremist group, even as thousands of demonstrators continue to march in the streets in support of Navalny and opposition to Putin.

Now That's Interesting Alexei Navalny studied law at Moscow's Friendship of the Peoples University, graduating in 1998. He spent a year as a student in the U.S. as a Yale World Fellow in 2010. His colleagues in the Fellowship put out a statement of support on his behalf in August 2020.

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Originally Published: Apr 28, 2021
Trigger laws aren't a new concept. For example, in 2013, Illinois passed a law that would end the state's participation in Medicaid expansion if the federal government's funding contribution dropped below 90 percent of the program's cost. Mississippi also has a constitutional provision banning same-sex marriage that would take effect if the U.S. Supreme Court overturned its 2015 ruling that recognized same-sex marriage nationwide.

In the 13 states with abortion-related trigger laws, one method requires a certification by a state's attorney general or other official before the law can go into effect. Precisely what needs to be certified varies among this group of states.

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For example, in Arkansas, the state attorney general must certify that the Supreme Court has either fully or partially overruled Roe, or that an amendment to the U.S. Constitution permits Arkansas to ban abortion.

By contrast, in Mississippi, the state attorney general must determine that the Supreme Court has overruled Roe and that it is "reasonably probable" that the Mississippi law would be upheld. In Utah, a 2020 state law says the Legislature's top lawyer must provide the certification that a court's opinion would permit the state law to go into effect.

" "

Missouri's law is a slight modification of this approach, requiring a declaration by the state attorney general, a gubernatorial proclamation, or a resolution from both houses of the state legislature that Roe has been overruled or a constitutional amendment has taken effect. Wyoming's law is triggered upon the governor's certification that Roe has been overruled  or a comparable decision from the U.S. Supreme Court.

In North Dakota, which in 2007 adopted one of the earliest trigger laws, the statute originally specified a somewhat cumbersome procedure. The law was changed in 2019 to streamline the certification procedure, and to remove it entirely if the triggering event is a constitutional amendment.
" " The famous biblical story of Jesus raising Jairus' daughter from the dead includes Jesus speaking a few words of Aramaic. Photos.com/Getty Images

Biblical scholars agree that Jesus of Nazareth, a Jewish man from a working-class background in Judea, would have spoken Aramaic, a 3,000-year-old language that shares linguistic DNA with Hebrew.

The New Testament, which records the life and works of Jesus, was first written in Greek, but snippets of Aramaic survive in the text. In Mark 5:41, for example, Jesus raises a child (Jairus' daughter) from the dead, saying "Talitha cumi," which is Aramaic for "Little girl, I say to you, arise!" And in Matthew 27:46, Jesus cries out in agony from the cross, saying, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?," meaning "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" in Aramaic.

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Several languages were spoken in Jesus' time (first century C.E.), when the Roman Empire ruled Judea, a Jewish kingdom. Aramaic was the "everyday" language of conversation and commerce among Jews like Jesus and his followers. That's why most of the Aramaic words and phrases in the New Testament are direct quotes attributed to Jesus.

Jesus may have also understood and spoken some Greek, too. That's because Greek was the lingua franca of the Roman world and was spoken by traders who plied their goods throughout the ancient Mediterranean. Latin, meanwhile, was reserved for legal and military matters, so Jesus probably knew little if any Latin.

What about Hebrew? The Torah and most of the other books of the Hebrew Bible (known to Christians as the Old Testament) were originally written in Hebrew, although there are fragments of Aramaic here and there (Genesis 31:47, for example). The two languages do have some commonalities, but also many differences.

In Jesus' time, Hebrew was mostly read and written by religious scholars and scribal elites. Jesus may have been able to quote the scriptures in Hebrew from memory, but as a member of the craftsman class it's unlikely that he could actually read and write in Hebrew or any other language.

Aramaic is an ancient Semitic tongue that originated with the Aramaeans, who lived in the northern part of modern-day Syria. Aramaic was once spoken across the Middle East, carried by conquering armies of Assyrians and Persians into new territories. Most of the speakers were Christians and Jews in the Middle East who dispersed to other regions because of persecution and took up other languages.

Over the millennia, Aramaic splintered into 150 dialects and is still spoken today by pockets of Christians and Jews living in Iraq, Syria and Eastern Europe, although the modern tongue would be unrecognizable to Jesus.

Now That's Cool Turlock, California is home to the largest community of Assyrians in the U.S., and they still speak a modern dialect of Aramaic.
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Careful use of an air blower better revealed termite structures after excavations. From left are Dr Fiona Walsh, Ron Witt and Dr Peter Kendrick. Credit: University of Western Australia

Fairy circlesbarren patches which make polka-dot patterns in dry and desert areaswere first described by scientists in Namibia in the 1970s, sparking global debate about the phenomenon.

A paper published in Nature Ecology & Evolution, authored by a cross-cultural team of researchers and Aboriginal people from Australia's Western Desert region, has challenged scientific theories by learning from Aboriginal people.

Team leader and ethnoecologist Dr. Fiona Walsh, an adjunct at UWA's School of Engineering, said recent research in Australia by an international team used standard scientific techniques and concluded that fairy circles came about from plants competing for water and nutrients.

"However, when we worked with Aboriginal people to look at their practices and stories, art and designs, we arrived at a different conclusion," Dr. Walsh said.

"Aboriginal people told us that these regular circular patterns of bare 'pavements' are occupied by spinifex termites.

"We saw similarities between the patterns in Aboriginal art and aerial views of the pavements and found paintings that have deep and complex stories about the activities of termites and termite ancestors."

Co-author and Martu elder Gladys Bidu calls the pavements linyji. "Linyji are the homes of termites who live underground. I learnt this from my old people and have seen it myself many times," Ms. Bidu said.

As Aboriginal people foretold, in the pavements we find termite chambers and chaff within the consolidated soils of the termitaria. Credit: University of Western Australia

"We gathered and ate the Warturnuma that flew from linyji. Warturnuma is wama, delicious. Old people also put their seeds on the hard linyji. They hit seed to make damper; our good food." Warturnuma are fat-rich flying termites.

Experiences like these have been passed down through generations by Martu, Warlpiri and other Aboriginal groups, the research team found.

The team surveyed plots containing multiple "fairy circles" on Nyiyaparli country, east of Newman in WA's East Pilbara region, excavating 60 trenches down to 15cm in depth. They also looked at pavements on Newhaven, an Australian Wildlife Conservancy property in Warlpiri country, Northern Territory.

"The pavement surface is concrete hard," Dr. Walsh said. "After we dug and then dusted to clean the trenches, 100% of them had termite chambers seen horizontally and vertically in the matrix. Forty-one percent of the trenches contained live harvester termites.

"Termites and termite structures were much more common under the pavements than in the spinifex grasslands next to them which provided alternative scientific evidence to the dominant international theory explaining the 'fairy circle' phenomenon in Australia."

More than 80 paintings by 34 artists on topics related to flying termites and pavements in spinifex. Painting by Anmatyerr, Warlpiri and Arrernte man Kaapa Tjampitjinpa, titled Watanuma (edible flying termites) shows regularly spaced termite pavements. It predates recorded plane, drone and Google Earth observations of pavements. Synthetic polymer paint on canvas, 202.4 x 171.8 cm. (1976), National Museum of Australia, copyright: estate of the artist, licensed by Papunya Tula Artists and Aboriginal Artists Agency. Credit: University of Western Australia

Co-author and termite ecologist, Associate Professor Theo Evans from UWA's School of Biological Sciences said that harvester termites were like the krill of desert ecosystems.

"They are super-abundantmost people think of above-ground termite mounds, but there is a whole community that lives mostly underground and emerges to eat dead spinifex or fly to reproduce," Associate Professor Evans said.

The cross-cultural research has led to unexpected findings. Desmond Taylor, Martu interpreter and co-author, remembered Mulyamiji, great desert skinks which are now a threatened species. "After good rains in linyji country, Mulyamiji would be born in water lying on the linyji. My mother, my two fathers, my uncle told me this long ago." This breeding behavior has not been reported for the species before.

Dr. Walsh said Desmond's recollection provided one outstanding example of how Aboriginal people's knowledge had not only informed but led science questions.

"The water-holding characteristics of termite pavements were unknown to desert scientists until we recognized clues in the stories of our Aboriginal colleagues and Aboriginal art," Dr. Walsh said. Credit: University of Western Australia

As a result, co-authors UWA Professor Carolyn Oldham and student Matilda Nelson will now work to learn how rain pools on termite pavements in sandplains.

The researchers concluded that through two-way learning, Aboriginal knowledge can lead and inform and contrast and intertwine with science.

"Aboriginal people refined their encyclopedia and authoritative knowledge when living continuously on this continent for at least 65,000 years and their knowledge is critical to improving ecosystem management and in understanding and caring for Australia's desert," Dr. Walsh said.

More information: Fiona Walsh et al, First Peoples' knowledge leads scientists to reveal 'fairy circles' and termite linyji are linked in Australia, Nature Ecology & Evolution (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41559-023-01994-1 Journal information: Nature Ecology & Evolution
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Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

A theory of religion considered "modern" by many scholars was actually described 1,700 years ago, according to new research by Toni Alimi, a Klarman Postdoctoral Fellow in classics and philosophy in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Soon after 303 A.D., the scholar Lactantius argued in "Divine Institutes" for the philosophical validity of Christianity. Alimi identifies three features of so-called modern religious views in this text, that:

Religion is a universal practice, found in all communities;

Religions can be true or false; and

Christianity is the true religion.

Alimi's paper, "Lactantius's 'Modern' Conception of Religio," published in the Journal of Religious History.

"Sometimes, scholars of religion argue that these ideas, or their confluence, emerged in modernity, as European Christian colonizers encountered 'new peoples,'" Alimi said. "If I'm right, that we already find them in the fourth century, in Lactantius, it means we have to seriously rethink what is modern about modern conceptions of religion.

"This doesn't imply that there are no distinctively modern conceptions of religion," he said. "But it does mean that scholars of religion need to do more work to specify just what makes the modern conceptions modern."

Alimi embarked on this research while writing his book "Slaves of God," which explains Augustine's reasons for justifying slavery. The fourth- and fifth-century Christian philosopher borrowed from and built on Lactantius' ideas about religion.

Born in North Africa in the middle of the third century, Lactantius studied philosophy with Arnobius, a North African Christian, in Numidia. Lactantius became a teacher of rhetoric, eventually being promoted by Emperor Diocletian to a position in Nicomedia, the eastern capital of the Roman Empire.

"Lactantius had achieved a remarkable level of professional success," Alimi said.

But then he converted to Christianity. Around the same time, the emperor started an official program against Christians. Lactantius resigned his post in 303, just before Diocletian fired all the Christians in his employ.

"Lactantius' defense of Christianity was immediately motivated by the persecutions Christians suffered and by the philosophical arguments against Christianity that Lactantius had encountered in Porphyry. His writings bear the urgency of a person fearing persecution," Alimi said. "Especially in 'On the Deaths of the Persecutors,' but also in 'Divine Institutes,' the text I focus on in this article, Lactantius makes the existential stakes of his arguments clear."

These two texts refer specifically to Roman rhetoric and philosophy, particularly Cicero's (106-43 B.C.), Alimi said; in his arguments, Lactantius relied more on classical Roman history, rhetoric, philosophy and poetry rather than Christian ideas or theology because he aimed to convince non-Christians of his views. As an educated Roman, Lactantius knew Cicero and other classical Roman authors very well. Cicero, especially, commanded the respect of Christians and non-Christians alike.

Lactantius' writings create important links between past and present, Alimi said.

"As a form of history, intellectual history is concerned with changes," he said. "But you can't know what changed unless you know what stayed the same. So, my paper argues for some important continuities between Lactantius and modernity. In doing so, I hope it clears away some brush in a way that makes it possible for us to see what really changed."

More information: Toni Alimi, Lactantius's "Modern" Conception of Religio *, Journal of Religious History (2023). DOI: 10.1111/1467-9809.12928
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A simplified cladogram of the superorder Uranotheria demonstrating the extant (black) and extinct (gray) clades. The estimated divergence dates between the three extant species of elephants and other key evolutionary splits are also included. Figure adapted and updated with permission from Shoshani, 1998. Credit: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2023). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2208607120

A team of biologists and linguists from the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, City University of New York, the State University of New York and the University of Seville has found evidence suggesting that wild African elephants may have self-domesticated. In their study, reported in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the group compared self-domestication attributes in humans and bonobos with wild elephants and outlined the similarities they found.

Prior research has shown that animals that have been domesticated by humans, such as dogs and cows, have undergone shared physical changes as a result of domesticationthey became less aggressive, for example, and developed shortened jawbones. Prior research has also shown that at least two species of animals have undergone self-domestication, whereby they physically changed in ways similar to animals that were domesticated by humans. These two species are humans and bonobos. In this new effort, the research team wondered if there might be other animal species that have self-domesticated over the years. To find out, they opted to study wild African elephants, a species they were already studying for other reasons.

To study the elephants, the group drew up a list of 20 characteristics identified as the result of domesticationeither on their own or due to efforts by humans. They then compared those traits between humans, bonobos and wild African elephants. They found many similarities. All three, for example, became more playful over the years; all are social and have long childhoods. All three also play a major role in offspring development and tend to show concern for others in their group. They also note that all three have shorter jaws than their ancestors.

The research team then took another approachstudying the genomes of wild African elephants. Prior research has identified genes associated with domestication and found 79 of them in the wild elephants. The researchers emphasize that they are not suggesting that elephants have been domesticated by humans, but instead have self-domesticated over the course of their relatively recent history. And this, they further suggest, indicates that other species likely have done so, as well.

More information: Limor Raviv et al, Elephants as an animal model for self-domestication, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2023). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2208607120 Journal information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

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Annular (left) and total solar eclipses at the same scale. Credit: Annular eclipse: Richard Tresch Fienberg; Sky & Telescope and the American Astronomical Society; Solar eclipse: Richard Tresch Fienberg, processing by Sean Walker; TravelQuest International and Sky & Telescope

One year from now, on Monday, 8 April 2024, the moon will pass directly between Earth and the sun, creating a total solar eclipse like the one that crossed the United States from coast to coast on 21 August 2017. As it did that day, the new moon will fully block the sun's bright face, turning day into night for several minutes and revealing the magnificent solar corona, our star's wispy outer atmosphere. Our natural satellite's dark shadow, about 115 miles wide, will cross Mexico, sweep from Texas to Maine, and then darken the Canadian Maritimes. Outside this narrow path, nearly everyone in North America will get a chance to witness a partial solar eclipse.

Remarkably, we'll have had another major solar eclipse just six months earlier. But on Saturday, 14 October 2023, when the moon is centered in front of the sun, it will cover only 90% of the brilliant solar disk. The remaining 10% will appear as a blazing "ring of fire" around the moon's black silhouette. This annular (Latin for ring-shaped) solar eclipse will be visible within a roughly 125-mile-wide path from Oregon to Texas and on into Mexico, Central America, and northern South America. Again, most North Americans outside the path will experience a partial solar eclipse.

Where and how to see them

From beginning to end, a solar eclipse lasts up to about 3 hours. For most of that time, the moon slowly covers the sun, then uncovers it; these are the eclipse's beginning and ending partial phases. The real excitement comes in the middle, but only for those within the narrow path of the moon's dark shadow, and only for a few fleeting minutes.

8 April 2024: The moon's shadow will pass over more big cities than in 2017 and give at least 30 million Americans a shot at seeing the solar corona without having to travel. But there's a catch: In early April much of the country is still in winter's grip. Clear skies are most likely across Mexico and Texas Hill Country, and these places also happen to be where totalitythe brief total phase of the eclipselasts longest, nearly 4 minutes. Many diehard eclipse enthusiasts have already made plans to visit Mexico or Texas next April.

14 October 2023: Weather prospects for the annular eclipse look most promising in parts of Utah, New Mexico, and Texas, where the "ring of fire" lasts about 5 minutes.

During partial and annular solar eclipses, the sun remains dangerously bright at all times and must never be looked at directly except through special-purpose "eclipse glasses" or handheld viewers that meet the requirements of the ISO 12312-2 international standard. Get advice on where to get safe solar filters and on indirect viewing methods. During totality you can safely view the eclipsed sun without eye protection.

"If you can get yourself into the path of the moon's shadow for a total solar eclipse, it's definitely worth the effort," says Rick Fienberg, Project Manager of the American Astronomical Society (AAS) Solar Eclipse Task Force and Senior Contributing Editor of Sky & Telescope. "A 99% partial solar eclipse doesn't get you 99% of the experience of a total solar eclipsethe last 1% is literally the difference between night and day. As the moon blots out the thinning arc of the bright sun in the final minute before totality, daylight fades by up to 1,000 times. And the solar corona surrounding the moon's velvety black silhouette is one of the most glorious sights in all of nature."

Maps showing the paths of the October 2023 annular (left) and April 2024 total solar eclipses. The 14 October 2023 annular solar eclipse can be witnessed in the United States along a narrow strip from Oregon through Texas. After that, the moons shadow crosses the Yucatan Peninsula, Central America, Colombia, and Brazil. Annularity lasts longest, about 5 minutes, just off the coast of the NicaraguaCosta Rica border. Blue percentage lines refer to eclipse magnitude, the fraction of the Suns diameter covered by the moon at maximum eclipse. Within the green path, that fraction is about 95%. Red lines indicate when maximum eclipse occurs in Universal Time, which is 4 hours ahead of Eastern Daylight Time (7 hours ahead of Pacific Daylight Time) in the United States. Over the 8 April 2024 eclipses total duration of 3 hours 15 minutes, the moons shadow travels along a 9,200-mile strip that extends from the Pacific Ocean, across North America, to the Atlantic Ocean. At the point of greatest eclipse totality lasts nearly 4 minutes. Blue percentage lines refer to eclipse magnitude, the fraction of the suns diameter covered by the moon at maximum eclipse. Within the green path, that fraction exceeds 100%. Red lines indicate when maximum eclipse occurs in Universal Time, which is 4 hours ahead of Eastern Daylight Time (7 hours ahead of Pacific Daylight Time) in the United States. Credit: Sky & Telescope / Fred Espenak

During a total solar eclipse you'll experience many other noteworthy phenomena, including a drop in air temperature, changes in wind speed and direction, bright planets and stars shining in deep twilight, ruby-red solar prominences (eruptions of hot gas protruding beyond the limb, or edge, of the sun's hidden disk), pastel sunrise/sunset colors around the horizon, and plants and animals behaving as if the sun has set. Another total solar eclipse won't cross the U.S. until 12 August 2045, so the April 2024 event is your best chance to catch totality for a generation.

Getting organized

The AAS Solar Eclipse Task Force, partnering with the outreach team for NASA's PUNCH (Polarimeter to UNify the Corona and Heliosphere) mission, is holding a hybrid (in-person + virtual) planning workshop FridaySaturday, 910 June 2023, at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science, 1801 Mountain Rd. NW, Albuquerque, NM 87104, on the heels of the AAS summer meeting in the same city.

This workshop is for everyone involved (or wanting to become involved) in preparing their community for the upcoming North American solar eclipses, whether on or off the eclipse path(s). Attendees will include amateur and professional astronomers; formal and informal educators; local, state, and national government officials; representatives from the tourism and hospitality industries; professionals in health, safety, transportation, and emergency management; local, state, and national park rangers; and artists, filmmakers, science writers, and event planners.

Links to essential eclipse resources for a wide variety of stakeholders can be found on the task force's websites at eclipse.aas.org and eclipse2024resources.com.

Eclipse geometry

We get solar eclipses because by an amazing cosmic coincidence, the sun and moon appear almost exactly the same size in our sky. The sun's diameter is really about 400 times bigger than the moon's, but the sun is also about 400 times farther away. Because Earth's orbit around the sun and the moon's orbit around Earth are both ellipses rather than circles, the apparent sizes of the sun and moon vary a little during the year (sun) and during each month (moon).

Our planet is closest to the sun (perihelion) in early January and farthest (aphelion) in early July, and the sun appears about 3% wider in January than in Julynot that you'd notice. When the moon is closest to Earth (perigee), its apparent diameter can be up to 14% larger than when it's farthest (apogee); again, this effect is not too noticeable. When the moon is closer than average and the sun farther away than average, as will be the case on 8 April 2024, the moon can easily cover the entire solar disk and unveil the ethereal corona. But when the opposite is true, as will happen on 14 October 2023, the moon is too small to fully cover the sun's face, so at mid-eclipse, a brilliant annulus (ring) of sunlight encircles the lunar silhouette.

You might wonder why we don't have a solar eclipse at every new moon. This is because the moon's orbit around Earth is tipped by about 5 to Earth's orbit around the sun (which, from our perspective, is the sun's annual path through the zodiacal constellations). At new moon, our natural satellite usually passes above or below the sun. But twice each year, currently in April and October, the new moon does pass in front of the sun, so we get solar eclipsesincluding one in Australia and Indonesia on April 20 this year. Whether a solar eclipse is partial, annular, or total depends on how precisely the sun, moon, and Earth align and on the distances of the moon and sun from Earth.

More information: For more information about the October 2023 annular eclipse, see "Solar and Lunar Eclipses in 2023" on Sky & Telescope's website. A thorough preview of the April 2024 total solar eclipse appears in the April 2023 issue of Sky & Telescope magazine, now on newsstands. You can get local circumstances of upcoming solar (and lunar) eclipses for cities worldwide on TimeandDate.com's Eclipses page.

Provided by American Astronomical Society
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Credit: Shutterstock

In her address to the National Press Club of Australia today, actress, writer and advocate Georgie Stone OAM is sharing her experience as a young trans person growing up in Australia.

Georgie's story highlights her courage and determination to overcome barriers that prevent young trans people from accessing gender affirming health care and support. At just 22, Georgie has been recognized for her tireless work to reduce discrimination and remove systemic barriers for young trans people, who were subjected to attacks at recent protests in Melbourne, Sydney and Canberra.

In the face of this negativity, Georgie's story emphasizes how we can better support the trans community and calls particular attention to the pivotal role families play in supporting trans children and adolescents to thrive and reach their full potential.

The positive impact of family support for young trans people

Although many young trans people experience anxiety and depression as a result of stigma and discrimination, family support acts as a protective buffer for their health and well-being.

Research with trans adults shows family support is most strongly linked with mental health and resilience compared to support from friends or connectedness to the trans community.

Similarly, for young trans people, parental support is significantly associated with higher life satisfaction and fewer depressive symptoms, as well as reducing reported suicide attempts from 57% to 4%.

When family support is missing, trans people experience more homelessness. Many who do not have parental support end up in out-of-home care.

In a recent study, young trans people in the United States were asked about family support and identified numerous ways parents can help. Somesuch as expressions of love and affection, open communication, and the provision of advice, encouragement and financial supportwere not directly related to the young person's gender diversity. Others were directly related, including emotional support at the time of coming out, willingness to listen to the young person's experience of gender, use of chosen names and pronouns, and support for social, legal and/or medical gender affirmation.

Notably, some young trans people said their parents weren't comfortable, or didn't have knowledge and understanding about gender diversity. So, how can we help parents better support their trans children?

3 things that help build family support for young trans people

Surveys of families of young trans people have identified ways parental support can be facilitated.

1. Learning as much as possible

First, parents of young trans people say becoming educated on trans-related issues and accessing relevant information is really important.

Such information includes knowledge about gender diversity, its impact on families, trans affirming parenting practices, and gender affirming health care.

While many parents can obtain this information online, family-based peer support groups and health professionals with expertise in this area (including general practitioners and community-based and school psychologists) are often critical sources of additional and reliable knowledge.

2. Families supporting families

Secondly, as Georgie's story illustrates, families of young trans people can play a powerful role through the provision of peer support. Support groups for parents of trans young people provide a space to share stories and obtain support from people in similar situations. This helps parents feel less alone and to navigate the challenges facing their children, including in schools and health institutions.

Family-based support groups can provide connections to the broader trans community. This can help foster a sense of pride in gender diversity but also give young trans people role models that show trans people enjoying positive, fulfilled lives. Family-based peer support groups are essential and should be funded to meet the growing demand of parents requiring assistance.

3. Accessing multidisciplinary care

Many parents seek access to gender-affirming healthcare for their trans children. Multidisciplinary gender clinics (that could involve mental health, endocrinology, adolescent medicine and nursing specialists) and other health care professionals have an important role in providing parents with the support they need. This needs to be done in an inclusive, respectful manner and incorporate best practices, such as addressing parental concerns from a risk/benefit perspective, understanding the parent journey, and adopting a shared decision-making approach to a young person's care.

More broadly, research identifies the need for integrated service provision that is comprehensive, efficient, and provides continuity of care across all the health professionals involved, whether they be general practitioners, mental health clinicians or pediatricians. This applies not only to the health system but also welfare, education and legal sectors too. For example, a social worker may assist a trans young person and their family with referral pathways to available support services in their local area. They can also work with the young person's school to ensure an inclusive school environment.

Protecting young people

Families serve a critical protective role for young trans people, helping to minimize poor mental health and to promote well-being.

Listening to trans young people and their parents and caregivers, is vital to help families provide effective support and nurturing. Engaging families in partnerships to reconfigure health and support services that are culturally safe and meet their needs is essential.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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Pipeline in Alaska (Alfred-Wegener-Institut / M. Langer). Credit: Alfred-Wegener-Institut / M. Langer

Many of us picture the Arctic as largely untouched wilderness. But that has long-since ceased to be true for all of the continent. It is also home to oilfields and pipelines, mines and various other industrial activities. The corresponding facilities were built on a foundation once considered to be particularly stable and reliable: permafrost. This unique type of soil, which can be found in large expanses of the Northern Hemisphere, only thaws at the surface in summer. The remainder, extending up to hundreds of meters down, remains frozen year-round.

Accordingly, permafrost has not only been viewed as a solid platform for buildings and infrastructure. "Traditionally, it's also been considered a natural barrier that prevents the spread of pollutants," explains Moritz Langer from the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI).

"Consequently, industrial waste from defunct or active facilities was often simply left on-site, instead of investing the considerable effort and expense needed to remove it." As a result of the industrial expansion during the cold war, over the decades this led to micro-dumps full of toxic sludge from oil and gas exploration, stockpiles of mining debris, abandoned military installations, and lakes in which pollutants were intentionally poured.

"In many cases, the assumption was that the permafrost would reliably and permanently seal off these toxic substances, which meant there was no need for costly disposal efforts," says Guido Grosse, who heads the AWI's Permafrost Research Section. "Today, this industrial legacy still lies buried in the permafrost or on its surface. The substances involved range from toxic diesel fuel to heavy metals and even radioactive waste."

But as climate change progresses, this "sleeping giant" could soon become an acute threat: since the permafrost regions are warming between twice as fast and four times as fast as the rest of the world, the frozen soil is increasingly thawing. When this happens, it changes the hydrology of the region in question, and the permafrost no longer provides an effective barrier. As a result, contaminants that have accumulated in the Arctic over decades can be released, spreading across larger regions.

In addition, thawing permafrost becomes more and more unstable, which can lead to further contamination. When the ground collapses, it can damage pipelines, chemical stockpiles and depots. Just how real this risk already is can be seen in a major incident from May 2020 near the industrial city Norilsk in northern Siberia: a destabilized storage tank released 17,000 metric tons of diesel, which polluted the surrounding rivers, lakes and tundra. According to Langer, "Incidents like this could easily become more frequent in the future."

In order to more accurately assess such risks, he and an international team of experts from Germany, the Netherlands and Norway took a closer look at industrial activities in the High North. To do so, they first analyzed freely available data from the portal OpenStreetMap and from the Atlas of Population, Society and Economy in the Arctic. According to these sources, the Arctic permafrost regions contain ca. 4,500 industrial sites that either store or use potentially hazardous substances.

"But this alone didn't tell us what types of facilities they were, or how badly they could potentially pollute the environment," says Langer. More detailed information on contaminated sites is currently only available for North America, where roughly 40 percent of the global permafrost lies. The data from Canada and Alaska showed that, using the location and type of facility, it should be possible to accurately estimate where hazardous substances were most likely to be found.

For Alaska, the Contaminated Sites Program also offers insights into the respective types of contaminants. For example, roughly half of the contaminations listed can be attributed to fuels like diesel, kerosene and petrol. Mercury, lead and arsenic are also in the top 20 documented environmental pollutants. And the problem isn't limited to the legacy of past decades: although the number of newly registered contaminated sites in the northernmost state of the U.S. declined from ca. 90 in 1992 to 38 in 2019, the number of affected sites continues to rise.

There are no comparable databases for Siberia's extensive permafrost regions. "As such, our only option there was to analyze reports on environmental problems that were published in the Russian media or other freely accessible sources between 2000 and 2020," says Langer. "But the somewhat sparse information available indicates that industrial facilities and contaminated sites are also closely linked in Russia's permafrost regions."

Using computer models, the team calculated the occurrence of contaminated sites for the Arctic as a whole. According to the results, the 4,500 industrial facilities in the permafrost regions have most likely produced between 13,000 and 20,000 contaminated sites. 3,500 to 5,200 of them are located in regions where the permafrost is still stable, but will start to thaw before the end of the century. "But without more extensive data, these findings should be considered a rather conservative estimate," Langer emphasizes.

"The true scale of the problem could be even greater."

Making matters worse, the interest in pursuing commercial activities in the Arctic continues to grow. As a result, more and more industrial facilities are being constructed, which could also release toxic substances into nearby ecosystems. Further, this is happening at a time when removing such environmental hazards is getting harder and harderafter all, doing so often requires vehicles and heavy gear, which can hardly be used on vulnerable tundra soils that are increasingly affected by thaw.

"In a nutshell, what we're seeing here is a serious environmental problem that is sure to get worse," summarizes Guido Grosse. What is urgently called for, according to the experts: more data, and a monitoring system for hazardous substances in connection with industrial activities in the Arctic.

"These pollutants can, via rivers and the ocean, ultimately find their way back to people living in the Arctic, or to us." Other important aspects are intensified efforts to prevent the release of pollutants and undo the damage in those areas that are already contaminated. And lastly, the experts no longer consider it appropriate to leave industrial waste behind in the Arctic without secure disposal options. After all, the permafrost can no longer be relied upon to counter the associated risks.

The research is published in the journal Nature Communications.

More information: Moritz Langer et al, Thawing permafrost poses environmental threat to thousands of sites with legacy industrial contamination, Nature Communications (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-37276-4 Journal information: Nature Communications
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Collecting rocks on Manesigden mountain, in Heimefrontfjella. The polished surface of the rocks show that they have been covered by an ice layer. The researchers analysed the rocks for cosmogenic isotopes that can tell them how long it has been since the rocks were covered by ice. Carl (Calle) Lundberg is taking notes while PhD student Jenny Newall collects samples. Credit: Ola Fredin, NTNU

Sixty percent of the world's fresh water is bound up in Antarctic ice sheets. Thirty million cubic kilometers of ice is perhaps a difficult number to grasp. But if absolutely all Antarctica's ice melted, the seas would rise by 58 meters on average.

"The ice sheet in East Antarctica stores enormous amounts of water. This means that this is the biggest possible source of future sea level riseup to 53 meters if all of the East Antarctic ice meltsand is seen as the largest source of uncertainties in the future sea level adaptation planning," says Irina Rogozhina, an associate professor at the Department of Geography at NTNU.

Most melting/ice loss in Antarctica happens through ocean-driven melting of ice shelves and ice calving. This, in turn, leads to an acceleration of ice streams on land and a greater discharge of ice into the ocean, where it gets lost to melting/calving, she said.

This was also likely the cause of larger ice loss during warmer periods of the past. In Greenland, these two processes contribute to about 65% of all ice loss.

But not all the ice needs to melt before it can have major consequences.

Researchers from NTNU were among a group of scientists who examined the ice in Queen Maud Land in East Antarctica. The results show that this ice sheet sector has varied a lot over time. This information is important as researchers try to learn more about the planet's climate and how it is changing.

Rogozhina's group studied the ice sheet in East Antarctica and a meltdown that took place a few thousand years ago. The results have been published in the journal Communications Earth & Environment.

The ice in the east lies on land

The ice sheet in Antarctica is not evenly distributed or uniform. In the west, large parts of the ice sheet lie under sea level, down to a depth of 2,500 meters. This makes it very vulnerable to ocean warming. In contrast, much of the ice sheet in the east sits directly on land, above sea level, meaning it is less sensitive to the ocean's influence.

This ice sheet sector in East Antarctica was thinner in the past than it is now, and not particularly long ago either. In fact, it was thinner following the end of the last ice age, when massive ice sheets previously covered North America, northern Europe and southern South America. When these ice sheets melted, they raised the sea level by more than 100 meters.

"From the evidence we presented in our study, we concluded that the East Antarctic ice sheet in Queen Maud Land also melted rapidly along its margins between 9,000 to 5,000 years ago, in a period we call the mid-Holocene. At this time, many parts of the world experienced warmer-than-present summers," Rogozhina said.

"Although this kind of response by the East Antarctic ice sheet to the warmth during the Holocene is not completely unexpected, it is still difficult and worrisome to believe that the sluggish East Antarctic ice sheet can change so rapidly," she said.

It's difficult to find a simple, easy explanation for this behavior, or to determine the exact timing when the melting took place, not least because the conditions in this part of the world are rather inhospitable at times.

But the researchers found a way to unravel this mystery.

Cosmic radiation changes rocks

The research group examined rocks from various nunataks in Queen Maud Land for exposure to cosmic radiation.

"Nunataks are mountains that stick up through the ice. We have visited nunataks and taken samples," says Ola Fredin, a professor at the Department of Geosciences and Petroleum.

The researchers examine different isotopes, or variants, of elements such as chlorine, aluminum, beryllium and neon in rocks from the nunataks. With the help of cosmogenic isotopes, they can figure out how high the ice was over geological time in Queen Maud Land. Fredin compares this to using a dipstick to measure the level of engine oil in your car.

In this way, the researchers can say something about how long the rocks have been exposed to cosmic radiation. They can then also say something about how long it has been since the rocks have been under a protective layer of ice and thus have not absorbed any cosmic radiation.

For this, they use data from different areas and run a variety of computer simulations.

Rising seas and warmer water broke up the ice

The researchers also believe that they are on track to find a reason why the ice sheet sector in East Antarctica thinned so much immediately after the end of the last ice age.

"We believe that the ice sheet became less stable due to higher, regional sea levels and warmer water rising from the ocean depths in the polar regions, penetrating under the ice margins and melting them from below. This leads to the break-up of large icebergs and accelerates the movement of ice from the land to the ocean, which in turn thins the inland section of the ice sheet. The process is similar to when a house on a hill slope loses its supporting foundation and starts sliding downhill," Rogozhina said.

In short, the less stable, rapidly flowing parts of the ice sheet in East Antarctica, which are called ice shelves and float on the ocean, were broken up more easily, which in turn led to the ice sheet becoming much thinner within a relatively short time, geologically speaking, or a few hundreds to thousands of years.

Thick ice is the most common along the coast

Cosmic radiation can also help researchers figure out how common it is for ice to cover an area. The researchers have also investigated this.

The results show that it is most common for the ice in Queen Maud Land to be thick along the coast. But not further into the continent, where mountain peaks protrude through the ice and the land can be several thousand meters high.

"We found that the land masses along the coast of Queen Maud Land have been covered by ice between 75 and 97 percent of the time during the last one million years," Fredin said.

He was part of another study, which has also had its results published in Communications Earth & Environment. This group examined rocks from several different areas in Queen Maud Land, and found great variations.

"In contrast to areas along the coast, which have been ice-covered most of the time, we find that mountain summits further into the continent have been ice-covered as little as 20% of the time," Fredin said.

The ice sheet thickness and movement speed therefore vary a great deal over longer periods, and the mountain range further into the continent seems to be an important division between the dynamic coast and the ice sheet further towards the South Pole, which varies much less in thickness.

More information: Yusuke Suganuma et al, Regional sea-level highstand triggered Holocene ice sheet thinning across coastal Dronning Maud Land, East Antarctica, Communications Earth & Environment (2022). DOI: 10.1038/s43247-022-00599-z Jane L. Andersen et al, A topographic hinge-zone divides coastal and inland ice dynamic regimes in East Antarctica, Communications Earth & Environment (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s43247-022-00673-6 Journal information: Communications Earth & Environment
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The catalytic conversion networks for lignocellulose valorization including reaction routes, reaction types and key steps can provide potential guidance for the utilization of renewable resources. Credit: Ying Zhang, University of Science and Technology of China and Wei Fan, University of Massachusetts Amherst

Fossil fuel consumption contributes to significant greenhouse gas emissions and severe climate issues. It is imperative to explore sustainable alternatives to the current industrial production of chemicals and fuels. The efficient utilization of lignocellulosic biomass as a substitute for fossil resources is a promising approach to promote the sustainable development of modern society.

Although numerous valorization routes for lignocellulose have been explored, large-scale lignocellulose valorizations are still limited. In this regard, a group of researchers has summarized the catalytic reaction routes, reaction types, and key steps for the selective preparation of various important products from lignocellulose with four panoramic reaction network maps.

They also point out the challenges and possible resolving strategies in the lignocellulose valorization processes. This could provide a panoramic view of the related field and facilitate the development of sustainable and efficient lignocellulose-based biorefineries. This review was published in Industrial Chemistry & Materials.

"The valorization of lignocellulose for the production of chemicals or fuels has been the subject of extensive research, which has been comprehensively reviewed by numerous scholars with expertise in the field," said corresponding author Ying Zhang, a professor at the University of Science and Technology of China.

"These reviews provide detailed insights into the catalytic performance and mechanisms involved, which can be of great assistance to researchers. However, the large-scale valorization of lignocellulose requires the collaborative efforts of scientists, engineers, economic evaluators, entrepreneurs, and policymakers. Therefore, a more concise and comprehensive panoramic perspective is necessary for individuals who are new to this field but are interested in it."

"This review can facilitate the identification of specific converting sections for the preparation of chemicals of interest from biomass, and promote large-scale production. As a result, we have conducted this work to provide a comprehensive and concise overview of the valorization of lignocellulose, which can serve as a valuable resource for researchers, policymakers, and industry professionals alike."

Renewable lignocellulose is a highly versatile resource that can be utilized to produce an array of value-added chemicals. The reaction routes and resulting products are dependent on the raw materials used. "Drawing on an extensive body of research, we have developed four panoramic reaction network maps that highlight critical steps involved in the valorization of lignocellulosic biomass," Zhang said.

The maps provide a detailed overview of the conversions from cellulose to a range of valuable C2 to C6 chemicals, as well as reactions that begin with or involve platform molecules such as 5-hydroxylfurfural (HMF) and furfural, which can be transformed into functional compounds and aviation fuels. The review also covers oxidative and reductive depolymerization of lignin, as well as selective hydrodeoxygenation steps that result in the production of various monomers.

"Through these four maps, we can have a comprehensive understanding of the reactions routes involved in the valorization of lignocellulose," Zhang said.

But how do we integrate the reaction routes with practical applications? Currently, while a few commercial and semi-commercial products such as furfural, levulinic acid, vanillin, HMF, and FDCA have been successfully derived from lignocellulose or its main components, most research efforts are confined to laboratory settings.

"The concept of an integrated biorefinery can only succeed if the costs of chemicals produced from lignocellulosic biomass are comparable or lower than those from fossil fuels," Zhang said.

"Currently, given that much of the biomass valorization research is still in its early stages, the findings are insufficient to conduct techno-economic analysis. A set of metrics addressing resource efficiency (carbon footprint and waste production), catalyst performance (selectivity, activity, and consumption), and product recovery can serve as the initial guideline in evaluating what feedstock, chemistry, and technology deserve further exploitation, or in defining preliminary performance targets which may have the industrial potential."

The rational design of catalysts is crucial for the valorization of lignocellulose. According to Ying Zhang, a series of challenges must be addressed to successfully synthesize robust and easily regenerated catalysts, accurately design multifunctional catalysts with high activity and selectivity, and gain a thorough understanding of the reaction mechanism. These are key to unlocking the full potential of lignocellulose as a valuable resource.

"The primary objective of this work is to provide readers with a clear understanding of the current research and applications of lignocellulose, while highlighting the challenges that must be overcome. We hope it is helpful to promote the development of innovative solutions that can contribute to the sustainable production of chemicals and fuels through extensive collaboration," Zhang said.

More information: Shenyu Wang et al, Catalytic conversion network for lignocellulosic biomass valorization: a panoramic view, Industrial Chemistry & Materials (2023). DOI: 10.1039/D2IM00054G

Provided by Industrial Chemistry & Materials
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Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Personality has become a more important factor than finances when it comes to dating, a new study has found.

Researchers from the University of York and the University of Essex analyzed more than a million lonely hearts (personal) ads and found that in the U.S., France, and Canada, there was a sharp decline in economic factors when choosing a partner. However, finances remained an important issue in India when it came to relationships.

To see how partner preferences changed over time, the researchers analyzed ads from various major news outlets from Canada, France, and India. They collected data from publications from 1950 to 1995, the year that most of these ads shifted to being online. They also looked at ads from 41 regional newspapers from Canada and the U.S. in 1995.

The researchers analyzed the language of these ads and categorized them into four distinct preferences. The first of these was economic, which focused on a potential partner's financial situation. The second was personality, which covered traits such as openness or extroversion. The third category was physical, in which ads expressed a preference for body types, and the final was taste, which covered issues like hobbies or habits. This allowed the researchers to identify broader trends of how partner preferences changed over time in a range of countries.

The researchers found that between 1950 and 1995, personality played a much greater role in partner preference in Western countries, while economic factors declined in importance, particularly after the 1960s. However, in India, finances remained a key issue for people searching for love, becoming more prominent after 1970, while personality factors remained stable.

In the sample of ads from Canada and the U.S., by 1995 around 40-45% of the words used by women to describe their ideal partner related to personality criteria. At the same time, only around 10% mentioned finances. Similarly, 35-40% of words in lonely hearts ads placed by men by 1995 focused on personality traits, while only 5% were related to economic factors.

The researchers found that up until the 1970s, the share of words relating to finances in Indian ads remained stable at around 35%, but after the 1970s this started to rise. By 1995, this had increased to around 60%.

There was some gender disparity in the data from the ads, with a greater rise in the importance of economic factors in ads placed by women than those placed by men.

Study co-author Khushboo Surana, from the University of York's Department of Economics, said, "The data we have found supports Maslow's theory of the hierarchy of needs. In this framework, material needsi.e. financial factorshave to be satisfied before you can focus on the immaterial ones, such as personality traits. It is possible that unlike in the west, people's first-order needs still haven't been satisfied, which is why we see a focus on economic criteria."

Co-researcher Quentin Lippmann, from the University of Essex, also argued, "Our study shows personality becoming more and more important in western countries such as the United States, but we don't see the same trend in India. Once India's economy develops further, and the current generation are more secure financially, they may show a change in preference for personality factors as well. This would align them with the trends we see in the western countries we sampled."

This research is being presented at the Royal Economic Society annual conference on Tuesday, April 4, in Glasgow.
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Credit: Routledge

Polyamorists face stigma and discrimination in their day-to-day lives, yet research shows that having a romantic relationship with more than one person at a time may offer emotional and physical benefits to all parties.

Monogamy is frequently portrayed as the ideal form of romantic love in many modern societies. From the stories we read as children, to the films and books we consume as adultswe are told that to achieve happiness we need to find our one true soulmate to share the rest of our lives with.

At the same time, states and governments offer financial, legal, and social incentives to married couples. Meanwhile men and women who deviate from these monogamous norms are treated as pariahs and publicly shamed.

However, despite this, polyamorous relationships are on the rise. It is estimated that between 4% and 5% of the U.S. population is currently involved in consensually non-monogamous relationships.

Furthermore, in 2010 a study found that roughly one out of every 500 adults in the United States identified as polyamorous.

Time for reform?

Increasing numbers of legal and political scholars are arguing for reforms to current family laws so that they recognize the wide variety of intimate personal relationships in which humans can thrive.

"Polyamorists face the risk of being fired, denied housing or citizenship, or having their children taken away from them because of their polyamorous identities and lifestyles," says Justin Clardy, a professor of philosophy at Santa Clara University.

"However, in many cases poly relationships are more durable than monogamous ones, because their flexibility allows them to meet shifting needs over time in a way that monogamous relationships don't."

Professor Clardy has dedicated his academic career to studying the ethicality of non-monogamous relationship styles and the unjust political consequences faced by non-monogamists.

In his first book, Why It's OK to Not Be Monogamous, Clardy summarizes the main arguments that are commonly put forward to support monogamy. He then debunks each one with thorough research.

A moral debate

For example, there is a theory that humans evolved to be monogamous because human babies require greater care, as they are born at a younger gestational age than other mammals.

Professor Clardy explains, "Monogamy is therefore seen as the 'natural' order of things. However, many homosexual and heterosexual monogamous couples either do not want, or cannot have children, yet this doesn't exclude them from being able to marry, and enjoy the rights and privileges that come with marriage.

"Others may see monogamy as a moral command given by God, however, does this mean that atheists and agnostics are disqualified from romantic love, even if they find themselves in happy, healthy, and satisfying monogamous romantic relationships?"

Refocusing attention

One of the most common arguments against polyamory is that it incites painful feelings of jealousy, however monogamous couples experience this emotion too. In fact, Clardy argues that in many cases vulnerability, possessiveness, and a sense of entitlement to another person's love are more at the heart of jealousy then we care to admit.

Clardy argues that polyamory, on the other hand, can benefit relationships by refocusing our attention on how one's partner fares in their other intimate relationships.

"When governed by mutual consent and understanding, polyamorous relationships can allow people to share more fully in the happiness of others," says Clardy.

"This can be achieved by confronting and managing one's vulnerability, by softening our propensity to be jealous, and by learning to pay attention to the flourishing of others."

Different forms of family

Some of the harshest critics of polyamorists argue that non-monogamy is harmful to the family unit, leading to divorce and the breakdown of families. However according to Clardy, polyamorous families both exist and thrive, and such an arrangement can actually benefit children.

"It may not take an entire village to raise a child, but it stands to reason that all things being equal, having more than one 'father' or 'mother' as a caregiver may be even more conducive to meeting children's needs, as children may be loved and nurtured in unconventional families," says Clardy.

"Indeed, it may turn out that on average, the existence of more than two caregivers is the superior parenting arrangement."

'Othering' the unknown

In the final chapter of his book, Clardy argues that it is morally wrong to impose monogamy on society, and calls for the state to support polyamorous relationships as well as monogamous ones.

"Polyamorous relationships need support and protection that the state is uniquely able to provide and is best placed to carry out," argues Clardy.

"Just because a way of relating might deviate from well-established social norms like monogamy, this does not mean that they don't have considerable valuemorally, socially, or politically."

More information: Justin L. Clardy, Why It's OK to Not Be Monogamous (2023). DOI: 10.4324/9781003375036
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Female mate choice: an asymmetric signaling game. Courtship and mating behavior is a sexual interaction in which a male signaller (S) expresses a signal, a secondary sexual trait, that functions to persuade choosey female receivers (R) to mate and give him on opportunity to fertilize her eggs; a scarce resource. Males vary in their quality and R will mate with S depending upon his quality or condition. S invests into producing a signal, according to his quality (he need not consciously know his own quality; such a mechanism only requires condition-dependence), whereas R cannot evaluate his quality directly; she must decide based solely on attributes of Ss signal (i.e. there is an information asymmetry between S and R). Axes x and y in the inset images represent the amount of shared resource z and fitness w outcomes respectively. Inset a: For a given signaller quality and no signaling trade-off, the fitness curves of S (blue) and R (yellow) have their optima (blue and yellow points) at different amounts of shared resource (dashed lines), resulting in a conflict of interest. Inset b: Signal trade-offs modify the signallers fitness curve (blue) such that its optimum is at the same amount of resource that the receiver is willing to share, reducing or eliminating the conflict in the interaction. Costly signaling theory predicts that this trade-off function must be positive at the equilibrium for signaling to be honest. Credit: BMC Biology (2023). DOI: 10.1186/s12915-022-01496-9

Sexual selection provides an answer to the existence of lavishly ornate signals in animals, but not to the question of why such signals are attractivefor example, why do females prefer the extravagant plumage of peacocks? As part of an international team, researchers at Eotvos Lorand University (ELTE) have shown that the reason is not the presumed wasteful cost of ornaments, as honest signals need not have to be costly at all as long as cheaters would have to pay to fake them.

Researchers have developed a general formula to calculate honest equilibrium in any model, independent of the cost of these ornaments. Their results have been published in BMC Biology.

The diversity of signals used in the animal world has filled people with curiosity and wonder since the dawn of time. Why does the peacock have a decorative tail, what is the purpose of antlers on deer, why are butterflies so colorful? At first glance, these striking decorations seem to have little use.

Attractive ornaments, selfish genes

The father of modern evolutionary theory, Charles Darwin, came up with a revolutionary new theory: peacocks have decorative tails because females prefer to mate with decorated males. Darwin called this "sexual selection." Since then, it has been demonstrated in numerous animal species that females prefer certain traits in males. However, Darwin did not answer a very important question: Why do females prefer overly decorated males?

The question was sidelined for a while. Meanwhile, the gene-centered approach gained prominence, which became globally known with Richard Dawkins' book "The Selfish Gene." The essence is that individuals represent the interests of their genes, not themselves. However, this introduces the problem of cheating.

If an individual can gain an advantage for its genes by deceiving another individual (e.g., a male deceiving a female), then why wouldn't it do so? Dawkins described communication interactions as a duel between "manipulators" and "mind readers" and came to the not-too-optimistic conclusion that most signals are manipulative, meaning they are not honest. Therefore, hidden traits of the animal, such as their true quality, cannot be inferred from the signal.

The problem of honesty

More than 100 years after Darwin, Amotz Zahavi elegantly linked the two problems. According to Zahavi, females prefer males with fancy feathers because these decorations are extravagantly expensive, and only capable individuals can afford the cost.

It is not worth it for an individual with poor genes or poor conditions to maintain the expensive signal. Zahavi called this the Handicap Principle, and he believed that the cost of signals maintains their honesty. It is not that these traits have no benefit, but rather that they are disadvantageous for survival (expensive), but advantageous for reproduction (as it is also about Darwinian sexual selection).

Zahavi generously claimed that all signals found in nature work according to the Handicap Principle, that is, they are honest and costly. Biologists have also started to measure the cost of signals used in evolutionary equilibrium. However, they quickly concluded that in most cases, there is no visible extravagant cost. At the same time, several theoretical models have shown that an honest signal does not need to be expensive in evolutionary balance. However, these models describe very specific situations, so it was not clear how much criticism could be drawn from them.

The science of honesty

Researchers from BME, ELTE, OK Institute of Evolutionary Biology, and the Konrad Lorenz Institute have published a study in BMC Biology that provides a general formula that can be used to calculate the possible states of honest equilibrium in any situation. The general solution reveals that honesty does not require signal costs to be paid in equilibrium.

With this, the researchers directly refuted the more-than-50-year-old Handicap Principle. According to the study, there can be an honest equilibrium where the signal is honest and cost-free, or even where the honest signal brings additional benefits to the user (negative cost). Therefore, the cost is not borne by the honest individualit is the cost of cheating that really matters.

For a peacock with good genes, his spectacular plumage may be cheap (since he can produce it effectively) and yet his signal will still be honest if the same decoration is costly to produce for cheaters.

The cost of cheating is what counts for honesty

Let's take another example from economics. A counterfeit banknote is not an honest signal. To make real money honest, the National Bank does not need to bear extra costs; instead, it is necessary to increase the potential cost of counterfeiting. The punishment must be greater than the profit from counterfeiting. It is beneficial for the National Bank to print cheaply, and if there is asymmetry against cheaters: for them, it is much more expensive.

It was already known from previous models that the cost of cheating matters for honesty. The significance of the recent study is that it presents this knowledge as a generally applicable formula. That is, honest equilibrium states and expected costs can now be calculated in any context, which is a very powerful tool in the hands of researchers.

With the help of the results, Darwin's original question can be answered: Why do females prefer extravagantly ornate males? Like everything shaped by Darwinian selection, honesty is also about efficiency, without assuming "wasteful" spending of males: honest individuals are not wasteful, but efficient.

More information: Szabolcs Szamado et al, Honesty in signalling games is maintained by trade-offs rather than costs, BMC Biology (2023). DOI: 10.1186/s12915-022-01496-9 Journal information: BMC Biology
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Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

In a new study, North Carolina State University researchers had 28 high school students create their own machine learning artificial intelligence (AI) models for analyzing data. The goals of the project were to help students explore the challenges, limitations and promise of AI, and to ensure a future workforce is prepared to make use of AI tools.

The work is published in the journal Learning, Media and Technology.

The study was conducted in conjunction with a high school journalism class in the Northeast. Since then, researchers have expanded the program to high school classrooms in multiple states, including North Carolina. NC State researchers are looking to partner with additional schools to collaborate in bringing the curriculum into classrooms.

"We want students, from a very young age, to open up that black box so they aren't afraid of AI," said the study's lead author Shiyan Jiang, assistant professor of learning design and technology at NC State. "We want students to know the potential and challenges of AI, and so they think about how they, the next generation, can respond to the evolving role of AI and society. We want to prepare students for the future workforce."

For the study, researchers developed a computer program called StoryQ that allows students to build their own machine learning models. Then, researchers hosted a teacher workshop about the machine learning curriculum and technology in one-and-a-half hour sessions each week for a month. For teachers who signed up to participate further, researchers did another recap of the curriculum for participating teachers, and worked out logistics.

"We created the StoryQ technology to allow students in high school or undergraduate classrooms to build what we call 'text classification' models," Jiang said. "We wanted to lower the barriers so students can really know what's going on in machine learning, instead of struggling with the coding. So we created StoryQ, a tool that allows students to understand the nuances in building machine learning and text classification models."

A teacher who decided to participate led a journalism class through a 15-day lesson where they used StoryQ to evaluate a series of Yelp reviews about ice cream stores. Students developed models to predict if reviews were "positive" or "negative" based on the language.

"The teacher saw the relevance of the program to journalism," Jiang said. "This was a very diverse class with many students who are underrepresented in STEM and in computing. Overall, we found students enjoyed the lessons a lot, and had great discussions about the use and mechanism of machine learning."

Researchers saw that students made hypotheses about specific words in the Yelp reviews, which they thought would predict if a review would be positive, or negative. For example, they expected reviews containing the word "like" to be positive. Then, the teacher guided the students to analyze whether their models correctly classified reviews. For example, a student who used the word "like" to predict reviews found that more than half of reviews containing the word were actually negative. Then, researchers said students used trial and error to try to improve the accuracy of their models.

"Students learned how these models make decisions, and the role that humans can play in creating these technologies, and the kind of perspectives that can be brought in when they create AI technology," Jiang said.

From their discussions, researchers found that students had mixed reactions to AI technologies. Students were deeply concerned, for example, about the potential to use AI to automate processes for selecting students or candidates for opportunities like scholarships or programs.

For future classes, researchers created a shorter five-hour program. They've launched the program in two high schools in North Carolina, as well as schools in Georgia, Maryland and Massachusetts. In the next phase of their research, they are looking to study how teachers across disciplines collaborate to launch an AI-focused program and create a community of AI learning.

"We want to expand the implementation in North Carolina," Jiang said. "If there are any schools interested, we are always ready to bring this program to a school. Since we know teachers are super busy, we're offering a shorter professional development course, and we also provide a stipend for teachers. We will go into the classroom to teach if needed, or demonstrate how we would teach the curriculum so teachers can replicate, adapt, and revise it. We will support teachers in all the ways we can."

Study co-authors included Hengtao Tang, Cansu Tatar, Carolyn P. Rose and Jie Chao.

More information: Shiyan Jiang et al, High school students' data modeling practices and processes: From modeling unstructured data to evaluating automated decisions, Learning, Media and Technology (2023). DOI: 10.1080/17439884.2023.2189735
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Swedish warship Vasa (1628), at the Vasa Museum. Credit: Anneli Karlsson, Vasa Museum/SMTM

When the human remains found on board the Swedish warship Vasa were investigated, it was initially determined that the skeleton designated "G" was a man. New research now shows that the skeleton is actually from a woman.

About thirty people died when Vasa sank on its maiden voyage in 1628. We cannot know who most of them were; only one person is named in the written sources. When the ship was raised in 1961, it was the scene of a comprehensive archaeological excavation in which numerous human bones were found on board and examined.

"Through osteological analysis it has been possible to discover a great deal about these people, such as their age, height and medical history. Osteologists recently suspected that G could be female, on the basis of the pelvis. DNA analysis can reveal even more," says Dr. Fred Hocker, director of research at the Vasa Museum, in Stockholm, Sweden.

Since 2004 the Vasa Museum has collaborated with the Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology at Uppsala University in Sweden to investigate all of the remains from Vasa and find out as much as possible about each individual. Initially the project had focused on confirming whether certain bones belonged to specific people. Marie Allen, professor of forensic genetics, has led the work.

"For us, it is both interesting and challenging to study the skeletons from Vasa. It is very difficult to extract DNA from bone which has been on the bottom of the sea for 333 years, but not impossible," says Allen. She continues, "Already some years ago we had indications that skeleton G was not a man but a woman. Simply put, we found no Y chromosomes in G's genetic material. But we could not be certain and wanted to confirm the result."

The result has now been confirmed, thanks to an interlaboratory study with Dr. Kimberly Andreaggi of the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System's Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory (AFMES-AFDIL) in Delaware, U.S.. The AFMES-AFDIL is the American Department of Defense's laboratory, specializing in human remains DNA testing from deceased military personnel. This organization has established a new testing method for the analysis of many different genetic variants.

DNA research at the Vasa Museum. Professor Marie Allen, Uppsala University and Conservator Malin Sahlstedt, the Vasa Museum. Credit: Anna Maria Forssberg, Vasamuseet/SMTM.

"We took new samples from bones for which we had specific questions. AFMES-AFDIL has now analyzed the samples, and we have been able to confirm that G was a woman, thanks to the new test," says Allen.

For Allen and Andreaggi, the analysis of the Vasa skeletons is a way to develop their forensic methods, which can then be used to analyze DNA in criminal investigations or to identify fallen soldiers.

For the Vasa Museum, the results of the DNA analysis are an important puzzle piece in the museum's research into the people on the ship. Dr. Anna Maria Forssberg, historian and researcher at the museum, explains, "We want to come as close to these people as we can. We have known that there were women on board Vasa when it sank, and now we have received confirmation that they are among the remains. I am currently researching the wives of seamen, so for me this is especially exciting, since they are often forgotten even though they played an important role for the navy."

More results are expected shortly from the new samples. Allen and Andreaggi will be able to say something about how individuals looked, what color their hair and eyes were, and possibly where their families came from.

"Today we can extract much more information from historic DNA than we could earlier and methods are being continuously refined. We can say if a person was predisposed to certain illnesses, or even very small details, such as if they had freckles and wet or dry ear wax," says Allen.

The Vasa Museum's researchers are currently studying the skeletons from several perspectives, including the personal possessions found with them. Eventually the results will be presented in an exhibition at the museum and a book about the people who died on board Vasa.
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Circos plot comparing Alpine and Desert dingo genomes. Plot compares the 38 autosomes and X chromosome of the Alpine and Desert dingo. The plot shows the low variation on the X chromosome compared to the autosomes. Credit: GigaScience (2023). DOI: 10.1093/gigascience/giad018

A taxidermy-prepared dingo named Cooinda has been proposed to serve as an "archetype" specimen for all dingoes. A newly published article provides detailed information on this individual, including a high-quality genome sequence, other molecular biology data, and magnetic resonance imaging of brain tissue.

Cooinda, and the rich data collected on it, now serve as a point of reference for exploring the evolutionary history of dingoes, and to better understand how and when humans influenced the breed's anatomy, genetics and behavior as step in the domestication process. This work was published in GigaScience.

The Australasian dingo presents a riddle to biologists: Are they feralized dogs? Or are they an intermediate between wild wolves and domesticated dogs? Dingoes came to Australia more than 5,000 years ago. When they first arrivedprobably in the company of sailorsthey likely already had a history of interactions with humans that shaped their behavior, their anatomy and their genes.

A team led by Bill Ballard (University of Melbourne) has just published a new study in the journal GigaScience to propose one taxidermy-prepared specimen, an alpine dingo named Cooinda, as the model specimen to represent a typical dingo that they call an "archetype." This designated type specimen can help to better understand the unique placement of the dingo between a wild and a fully domesticated species.

Earlier work has confirmed that dingoes are indeed an early offshoot of modern dog, between the wild wolf and today's domesticated dogs. However, domestication is a long process, and it is possible the dingo is indeed partially marking an intermediate stage of domestication.

Charles Darwin was fascinated by the domestication of animals, and in fact observations on domesticated animals were a departure point when laying out his theory of evolution. Darwin proposed a two-step model of domestication: According to this idea, the first step is characterized by "unconscious" selection, leading to merely tamed rather than domesticated animals; followed in a second step by what biologists today call artificial selection.

The hallmark of the second stage is that humans deliberately interfere in mating and reproduction by soecifically selecting desired traits. The question then is whether the dingo is an example of a population that only made it to the first step in Darwin's model, but not the second?

Prof. Bill Ballard, first author of the new GigaScience study, explains, "Unfortunately, the absence of a dingo reference specimen impedes our ability to definitively determine whether dingoes are a tamed intermediate or a feral canid, because we do not have a single reference point that links the scientific name to a specific specimen."

The genomic and morphological data in the new study is based upon an Alpine Dingo named Cooinda from Dingo Sanctuary Bargo in New South Wales, Australia.

A previously published Dingo genome was based on another animal, Sandy, a Desert Dingo, and the new data also allow comparisons between the Alpine and Desert ecological types.

In addition to the high quality genome data, the Australian team also collected mitochondrial DNA sequences and DNA methylome data, and linked this molecular information with morphological analyses of head shape, a trait specific to the dingo among canids, and magnetic resonance imaging of Cooinda's brain.

Along with other morphological changes, "domesticated animals often show reduced brain size compared to their wild relatives," notes study co-author Assoc. Prof. Laura Wilson (ANU). The brain analyses show that Cooinda had a larger cranial capacity than a similar-sized domestic dog.

Having such a data-rich and diverse characterization of a single individual makes Cooinda an ideal candidate to be considered the "archetype" for Dingo. She is now on display at the Australia Museum in Sydney.

More information: J William O Ballard et al, The Australasian dingo archetype: de novo chromosome-length genome assembly, DNA methylome, and cranial morphology, GigaScience (2023). DOI: 10.1093/gigascience/giad018 Journal information: GigaScience

Provided by GigaScience
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The lunar and meteorite samples consist of a variety of rocks, some more gravel-like and some similar to lava rock found in Hawaii. The samples have different chemical compositions and represent various geological and astronomical events throughout the moons history. Better understanding which atoms are present in the samples provides a better understanding of how the solar system was formed and what mineral resources are available for advancing space travel to Mars. Credit: Genevieve Martin/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy

How did we get from stardust to where we are today? That's the question NASA scientist Andrew Needham has pondered his entire career.

In 1969, astronauts of Apollo 11 were the first to set foot on the moon and to study the lunar surface. Over the next several Apollo missions, ending in 1972, they brought back moon rocks for scientific research to unlock mysteries of the universe.

Scientists knew the rocks contained clues to the origins of the solar system as well as minerals that could be of interest for advancing space travel beyond the moon. But back then, in-depth analysis was hindered because of a low inventory of rock samples and a lack of advanced research technology.

Now, nearly 50 years later, Needham is studying those same rocks with characterization tools and techniques light-years ahead of their predecessors. One such technique is neutron scattering.

At the Department of Energy's High Flux Isotope Reactor, or HFIRlocated at Oak Ridge National LaboratoryNeedham studied a small collection of lunar and asteroid samples using the newly renamed neutron imaging instrument MARS, short for the Multimodal Advanced Radiography Station. At the time of the experiments, Needham worked for Jacobs as the contractor section manager for Astromaterials Curation at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.

Like X-rays, neutrons are used to look inside materials to identify and measure elements and their atomic arrangement. Neutrons can also provide insights into how materials can be harnessed to improve technology. In Needham's case, he's using them to study the mineral content inside Apollo samples and meteorites, searching for clues to early planetary formations and where water might be stored on the moon.

"In the past decade, there's really been a renewed interest in looking for water in places like the moon," he said. "We used to think the moon was very dry, but now we know that water is trapped inside the mineral content of these rocks. Studies have shown that water might be accumulating near the poles of the moon through impact events that are evidenced in these samples.

"If humans are going to further explore the moon, and one day Mars, we need to figure out ways to fuel ourselves and survive beyond Earth, instead of constantly supplying everything from the Earth's surface, which is very difficult and very, very expensive.

"Understanding the composition of these rocks, where hydrogen atoms are, how they're stored and transported, really helps us understand the moon over its history and up to its present day, and how we might use that information to travel even further."

On the left, neutron imaging data from moon rocks collected during the NASA Apollo missions highlight variations in color based on how different parts of the sample, including different minerals, absorb neutrons. On the right, more details of the sample interior can be seen, including regions highlighted in magenta, which can help researchers determine where to make physical slices to extract only the elements of interest and preserves the rare moon rocks for further studies. Credit: Yuxuan Zhang/ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy

The Apollo mission samples Needham is studying include impact breccias, which are made up of dust, rock fragments and melted particulates mixed together after meteorites are pulled into gravity wells and bombard the moon's surface. Needham explained that when the meteorites struck roughly 4 billion years ago, the impacts combined with and stirred up mixtures of materials from the moon's surface as well as its deeper interior layers. In essence, he said, even one moon rock can contain a plethora of information from multiple astronomical events.

Neutrons are ideally suited to studying the chemical composition of the Apollo moon rocks: They can pass through almost any material, but light elements such as hydrogen will block or deflect them upon contact.

Using the MARS instrument, which specializes in creating radiographic images similar to clinical X-rays, Needham loaded the samples into containers stationed on a rotating platform that allows measurements to be taken of the rocks in 360 degrees. Regions where hydrogen atoms are likely to be found are highlighted within the rocks as the neutron beam passes through the sample.

In the neutron images, the hydrogen atoms show up as brightly colored spots in contrast to the rest of the sample. The more difficult it is for a neutron to pass through an element, the brighter that element will appear, creating a color scale that corresponds to different elements. The 360-degree measurements can then be used to create 3D models of the rocks that can in turn be compared with results from other research techniques, such as X-rays and electron microscopy.

Additional neutron measurements of the moon rocks were taken at HFIR's sister facility, the Spallation Neutron Source, or SNS, which is powered by the world-leading 1.55 megawatt pulsed-beam accelerator. The SNAP instrument at SNS specializes in studying materials under high pressures, but it also currently serves as a testbed for VENUS, a new state-of-the-art imaging instrument at SNS that will finish construction in 2024. Together, MARS and VENUS will provide researchers with the world's most complete set of imaging capabilities offered at one institution.

"These are precious samples, so we can't go slicing and dicing as much as we want," said Needham. "Neutrons help us see inside the samples so that we can make the most precise slices to expose only the areas of interest. And it's really only neutron imaging that makes hydrogen atoms visually pop out, letting you know that, 'Ooh! That's something I want to look at.'"

A month after conducting his experiments at the MARS instrument, Needham started a new position: research scientist at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center as the contamination control scientist for the agency's Artemis program. Artemis represents the next step in human space exploration. Its goal is to establish a sustainable presence on the moon as a step toward sending the first astronauts to Mars.

"Apollo only landed in a few select areas of the moon," Needham said. "The Artemis missions are going to be bringing back samples from many different regions, samples that are likely to be rich in hydrogen and other important minerals. Part of my job will be to ensure those samples are as perfectly preserved as possible for future research, just like the scientists who had the foresight 50 years to do the same for the samples that we're studying today.

"The sorts of analyses available at Oak Ridge will be really important for Artemis. It's part of a long-term plan to bring next-generation techniques to the next generation of samples that we're going to be bringing back."
By Nasratu Kargbo

The Chief Justice of the Judiciary of Sierra Leone Babatunde Edwards has said that students applying for law school starting next year will be required to take an entrance exam.

Edwards made this revelation on the 30th November 2022 at the this years Call to the Bar certification ceremony, emphasizing that they cannot compromise quality.

Next year it will be a prerequisite for admission into the law school for graduates to pass an entrance examination as it happens in other countries said the Chief Justice.

He explained that the requirements to enter Law School had been for one to pass the three core modules in university namely Equity and Trust, Law of Tort and Land Law in one sitting without reference.

Edwards added that the law profession is a special one which requires its professionals to be smart and hardworking both in college and law school.

He spoke of concerns raised about the large number of barristers and solicitors that graduate from the school every year, noting that it does not correspond with the demand. He stated that those concerns are noted and admitted that they face challenges in fixing graduates for pupillage which is required for a lawyer to sign in the permanent register of legal practitioners.

He said they intend to add a state of the art building that can accommodate not less than 400 students, stating their students have donated an amount of 50 million Leones for the structure.

He called on all legal practitioners explore new territories and maintain the standards of the profession.

A Final Year Law Student at Fourah Bay College who asked not to be named noted that if one has done an exceptional job by producing a brilliant degree and getting the requirement by passing the core module, then its fair to allow the student access to law school.

To take another examination again, its too much if you ask me she said. She explained that the course is tough and with the anticipation of what is to be expected in law school, it will be too much to add an entrance exam.

But some lawyers who spoke to Politico lauded the idea, explaining that it would be a plus to the institution but stressed there should be no compromise.

This years ceremony saw the certification of two hundred and twenty eight barristers and solicitors in the High Court of Sierra Leone.

The Sierra Leone Law School was first established in 1990 with 26 students.

Copyright  2022 Politico Online
Parents across Washington County were left concerned and with few details after districts around the county delayed schools for two hours on Tuesday morning due to an alleged threat.

"We were pretty sure it was part of those 'swatting calls' from last week, but we did our due diligence. The two-hour delay was to allow time for each building to be swept by police and K-9 units," said Hudson Falls Central School District's spokesman Brett Watkins said by phone Tuesday morning.

The Washington County Sheriff's Office and the Hudson Falls Police Department were on scene at the schools and were also assisted by the New York State Police.

"All of our buildings have been cleared and students and staff can begin arriving on the two-hour delay schedule. We will have a visible presence of law enforcement and K-9 units in and around our buildings throughout the day today. Law enforcement is continuing to investigate. They believe this false threat originated from outside the area," a news release on the district's website read on Tuesday.

According to the Washington County Sheriff's Office, nine school districts reported an anonymous email threat, emailed to each individual school early Tuesday morning.

The Sheriff's Office responded with multiple resources including three explosive detection K-9 units and worked closely with school officials.

"The Sheriff's Office, with assistance from the New York State Police and other local agencies are working closely with school officials to conduct a full sweep of the schools as a precaution. Although no credible threats have been found, and out of an abundance of caution, the Sheriff's Office will continue to have a presence at the schools throughout the remainder of the day and parents should expect to see deputies routinely in and around the school in the near future," a release from the Sheriff's Office said on Tuesday.

Several schools in Saratoga County and Queensbury were also delayed on Tuesday morning.

The Ballston Spa Central School District canceled for the day after there was report that there would be an active shooter at the elementary school, according to the Saratoga County Sheriff's Office. K-9 officers swept the building as a precaution.

According to police, the threat was received by a student via a social media message around 7 a.m.

Check back for updates.
Parents across Washington County were left concerned and with few details after districts around the county delayed schools for two hours on Tuesday morning due to an alleged threat.

We were pretty sure it was part of those swatting calls from last week, but we did our due diligence. The two-hour delay was to allow time for each building to be swept by police and K-9 units, said Hudson Falls Central School Districts spokesman Brett Watkins by phone Tuesday morning.

The Washington County Sheriffs Office and the Hudson Falls Police Department were on scene at the schools and were also assisted by the New York State Police.

Watkins said the Hudson Falls police planned to keep an increased presence at the schools for the remainder of the day.

Law enforcement is continuing to investigate. They believe this false threat originated from outside the area, a news release on the districts website read on Tuesday.

One parent turned to Facebook to share her frustration over the recent senseless threats.

I was watching the school website and ALOT of parents were upset because they were left in the dark. I will give them credit for acting fast and doing the right thing but I feel like they could be more transparent. Sad the kids in school cant just learn and be kids and enjoy life, because of senseless threats, Silke Thornquist wrote on Tuesday morning.

The post was filled with other parents seeking information or agreeing with her concerns.

Another concerned mother, Alexis Brown, wrote in a separate post, that she was going to pick up her kids in South Glens Falls schools after hearing of the threats in the area.

According to the Washington County Sheriffs Office, nine school districts reported an anonymous email threat, emailed to each individual school early Tuesday morning.

The Sheriffs Office responded with multiple resources including three explosive detection K-9 units and worked closely with school officials.

The Sheriffs Office, with assistance from the New York State Police and other local agencies are working closely with school officials to conduct a full sweep of the schools as a precaution. Although no credible threats have been found, and out of an abundance of caution, the Sheriffs Office will continue to have a presence at the schools throughout the remainder of the day and parents should expect to see deputies routinely in and around the school in the near future, a release from the Sheriffs Office said on Tuesday.

The Warren County Sheriffs Office issued a statement Tuesday afternoon echoing the efforts put forth by the Washington County Sheriff, but at the Queensbury Union Free School District.

Several schools in Saratoga County and Queensbury were also delayed on Tuesday morning.

The Ballston Spa Central School District canceled for the day after there was report that there would be an active shooter at the elementary school, according to the Saratoga County Sheriffs Office. K-9 officers swept the building as a precaution.

According to police, the threat was received by a student via a social media message around 7 a.m.

Saratoga County Sheriff Michael Zurlo shared his thoughts on the threat in the news release.

The safety of our schools is paramount and we have zero tolerance for those who make threats against them. I appreciate the assistance of our partners at Ballston Spa Central Schools and their obvious concern for the well being of their students and staff, Zurlo wrote.

Gov. Kathy Hochul also issued a statement on Tuesday.

More than 50 school districts across New York have received disturbing swatting threats today including in Central New York, Long Island, the Southern Tier and the North Country. I want to reassure parents that their children are safe at school  swatting threats are false and intended to cause panic and scare students, teachers and families, the news release stated.

The governor said she is working closely with police to identify any credible threats.

Since the first round of swatting incidents occurred last week, state police has been working closely with the state Education Department, county leadership and local school boards to provide support and any necessary resources to address these incidents. My top priority will always be the safety of New Yorkers, Hochul said.
FORT EDWARD  Three people were arrested early Saturday morning after police were called to a Fort Edward residence for a dispute.

On Saturday at 12:03 a.m., New York State Police responded to the report of a dispute at a home on Lower Allen Street in Fort Edward.

According to the investigation, police determined that 47-year-old Bradley S. Clark, of Fort Edward, caused the victim injury and prevented the victim from contacting 911. Police said 24-year-old Kiersten M. Hayes, also of Fort Edward, brandished and threatened the same victim with a knife.

Police also discovered multiple controlled substances and an illegally possessed high-capacity magazine for a firearm inside the home, all belonging to Clark.

Jacqueline A. Rock, 32, of Hudson Falls, was also located at the residence and found to have multiple warrants for her arrest. She was arrested for the warrants, but not reported to be involved in the dispute.

Clark was charged with felony counts of third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and third-degree criminal possession of a weapon as well as misdemeanors of third-degree assault, criminal obstruction of breathing, fourth-degree criminal mischief and two counts of seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.

Hayes was charged with second-degree menacing.

Rock was charged with second-degree bail jumping.

Clark and Hayes were both taken to state police in Greenwich for processing. They were then taken to the Washington County Centralized Arraignment Court. Clark was sent to Washington County Jail in lieu of $1,000 cash, a $5,000 bond or a $10,000 partially secured bond. Hayes was released on her own recognizance. Rock was transported to the Washington County Jail to await arraignment.
Despite being located in the town of Queensbury, Saratoga County gives more money to SUNY Adirondack than Washington and Warren counties combined, Warren County Administrator John Taflan said on Monday.

Taflan shared the statistic with the Personnel, Administration and Higher Education Committee meeting.

Taflan went over the percentages Warren and Washington county each pay toward the colleges budget. The college gets its funding from a variety of sources including tuition, state aid and county contributions.

It (the budget) is like a three-legged stool. Theres 33% from the local sponsor share, which also includes chargeback. Chargeback is what other counties pay the college to have residents attend there. Right now, that chargeback is about 53% of the amount that they get each year, Taflan explained. Its more than Washington County and Warren County put in together. Saratoga County pays more to the college than we both pay in our sponsor contributions.

In November of 2022, SUNY Adirondack President Kristine Duffy presented alternative options for county funding with the target to increase Warren and Washington counties contributions from 11.4% to 15% of the schools overall budget or slowly increase the contribution over the next five years to reach a total of $5 million per from Warren County.

There are two ways of getting there, Taflan explained. One is a five-year smoothing method, where we went out five years and said lets get to 33%.

That method would require a 2% increase in the annual contributions from the county, bumping it up to 4%, meaning Warren County would contribute an additional $913,000 and Washington an additional $676,000, over the next five years.

The numbers dont work if both counties dont do it together. So were hoping well go forward with this budget increase for SUNY Adirondack and our sponsor contribution and that both Warren and Washington counties do it together, Taflan said.
WHITEHALL  Adriana Strong has been selected as the next principal of Whitehall Elementary School.

A news release from the district on Monday said Strong will be appointed to the position at the April 17 Board of Education meeting, with the plan for her to begin working with interim Elementary Principal John Godfrey in mid-May.

Strong will begin her duties as elementary principal officially on July 1.

In addition to Mrs. Strongs qualifications, we believe her experience working in a small rural school made her a stand-out and a great fit for the Whitehall community. We are looking forward to welcoming her to the district, Whitehall Superintendent of Schools Patrick Dee said in a news release.

Strong has been an educator for nine years and has been teaching fifth grade in the Hartford Central School District for the past seven. She earned her undergraduate degree in childhood education from SUNY Cortland and a masters degree in special education from Saint Josephs University in Philadelphia. She holds certifications in grades 1-6 general education, students with disabilities grades 1-6, as well as a School Building Leader certificate, according to the release.

The Whitehall Board of Education is looking forward to working with Mrs. Strong, along with our entire administrative team, toward the advancement of our staff, students and the community of Whitehall. We are looking to her stability, integrity, and strong collaborative nature to move our elementary school in a productive direction, Whitehall Board of Education President Roxanne Waters said.
NEW YORK  A stone-faced Donald Trump made a momentous court appearance Tuesday as the only ex-president to be charged with a crime as he was confronted with a 34-count felony indictment accusing him in a scheme to bury allegations of extramarital affairs during his first White House campaign.

The arraignment in a Manhattan courtroom was a stunning  and humbling  spectacle for the former president, putting him face-to-face with prosecutors who bluntly accused him of criminal conduct and setting the stage for a possible criminal trial in the city where he decades ago became a celebrity.

The indictment centers on allegations that Trump falsified internal business records at his private company while trying to cover up an effort to illegally influence the 2016 election by arranging payments that silenced claims potentially harmful to his candidacy. It includes 34 counts of fudging records related to checks Trump sent to his personal lawyer and problem-solver to reimburse him for his role in paying off a porn actor who said she had an extramarital sexual encounter with Trump years earlier.

The defendant, Donald J. Trump, falsified New York business records in order to conceal an illegal conspiracy to undermine the integrity of the 2016 presidential election and other violations of election laws, said Assistant District Attorney Christopher Conroy.

Trump, somber and silent as he entered and exited the Manhattan courtroom, said not guilty in a firm voice while facing a judge who warned him to refrain from rhetoric that could inflame or cause civil unrest. All told, the ever-verbose Trump, who for weeks before Tuesdays arraignment had assailed the case against him as political persecution, uttered only 10 words  though he did appear to glare for a period at Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, the prosecutor who brought the case.

As he returned to his Florida estate, Mar-a-Lago, where he delivered a primetime address to hundreds of supporters, Trump again protested his innocence and asserted on his Truth Social platform that the hearing was shocking to many in that they had no surprises, and therefore, no case.

In his speech, Trump lashed out anew at the prosecution and attacked in bitter terms the prosecutor and the judge presiding over the case despite being admonished hours earlier about incendiary rhetoric. In a sign of his deepening legal woes, Trump also steered his speech into a broadside against a separate Justice Department investigation into the mishandling of classified documents.

I never thought anything like this could happen in America, Trump said of the New York indictment. This fake case was brought only to interfere with the upcoming 2024 election and it should be dropped immediately.

The crowd at Mar-a-Lago included supporters like failed Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake and longtime ally Roger Stone. Trumps wife, Melania, was not present.

Even so, the indictment amounts to a remarkable reckoning for Trump after years of investigations into his personal, business and political dealings. It shows how even as Trump is looking to reclaim the White House in 2024, he is shadowed by investigations related to his behavior in the two prior elections, with prosecutors in Atlanta and Washington scrutinizing efforts by Trump and his allies to undo the 2020 presidential election. Those probes, as well as a separate Justice Department inquiry into the mishandling of classified documents, could produce even more charges.

In the New York case, each count of falsifying business records, a felony, is punishable by up to four years in prison  though its not clear if a judge would impose prison time if Trump were convicted. The next court date is December 4  two months before Republicans begin their nominating process in earnest  and Trump will again be expected to appear.

A conviction would not prevent Trump from running for or winning the presidency in 2024.

The arraignment also delved into Trumps rhetoric on the case, with prosecutors at one point handing printouts of his social media posts to the judge and defense lawyers as Trump looked on. Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchan did not impose a gag order but told Trumps lawyers to urge him to refrain from posts that could encourage unrest.

The broad contours of the case have long been known, focusing on scheme that prosecutors say began months into his candidacy in 2015, as his celebrity past collided with his presidential ambitions.

Though prosecutors expressed confidence in the case, a conviction is no sure thing given the legal complexities of the allegations, the application of state election laws to a federal election and prosecutors likely reliance on a key witness, Trumps former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen, who pleaded guilty in 2018 to making false statements.

It centers on payoffs to two women, porn star Stormy Daniels and Playboy model Karen McDougal, who said they had extramarital sexual encounters with Trump years earlier, as well as to a Trump Tower doorman who claimed to have a story about a child he alleged the former president had out of of wedlock.

Its not just about one payment. It is 34 false statements and business records that were concealing criminal conduct, Bragg told reporters, when asked how the three separate cases were connected.

All 34 counts against Trump are linked to a series of checks that were written to Cohen to reimburse him for his role in paying off Daniels. Those payments, made over 12 months, were recorded in various internal company documents as being for a legal retainer that prosecutors say didnt exist. Cohen testified before the grand jury and is expected to be a star prosecution witness.

Nine of those monthly checks were paid out of Trumps personal accounts, but records related to them were maintained in the Trump Organizations data system.
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Nearly 200 New Jersey school districts facing shortfalls in their state aid are set to see those gaps filled after Gov. Phil Murphy on Monday signed a bill allocating about $103 million to them.

Murphy signed the bill that made its way through the state Legislature last week. The bill came following an outcry from lawmakers representing districts who saw aid cut, including South Jersey Republican lawmakers.

About 170 districts are set to benefit from the added aid, the Governor's Office said Monday.

The bill was formed after Murphy introduced his Fiscal Year 2024 budget. Despite investing about $800 million in state funds for school aid, the money wasn't distributed equally and many districts saw their funding drop.

Providing our students with the first-rate education they deserve remains a critical priority of my administration, Murphy said in a news release. This additional funding was introduced in partnership with the Legislature to support our schools in continuing to offer high-quality instruction to students as the state adjusts to incremental changes in the statutorily established school funding formula each year."

In the Statehouse, the bill was backed by both Democrats and Republicans. Assembly members Erik Simonsen and Antwan McClellan, R-Cape May, Cumberland, Atlantic, were co-sponsors in the lower chamber.

Sen. Vin Gopal, D-Monmouth, who chairs the Senate Education Committee, said Monday that getting the bill to Murphy's desk will stave off programming cutbacks and staff layoffs from dozens of districts across the state.

"By acting decisively and with urgency, we are providing districts a measure of relief as they plan out their future budgets and continue to deliver a quality education to students," Gopal said Monday.

Locally, some of the districts set to lose funding saw portions of it restored.

Those that will benefit from the extra funding include Brigantine ($180,000) and Mullica Township ($150,000) in Atlantic County, Upper Township ($937,000) and Lower Township ($659,000) in Cape May County, Downe Township ($75,000) and Commercial Township ($42,000) in Cumberland County, and Stafford Township ($1.6 million) and Ocean Township ($419,000) in southern Ocean County.

Through the new law, districts set to see a drop in aid in the 2023-24 budget can request supplemental money equal to 66% of the difference between the amount they received in the 2022-23 school year and the proposed aid in the 2023-24 school year.

Those districts, when submitting their request to the state Department of Education, would also need to explain how they plan to fund operations in the future once the money is spent.

Ocean City looks at fee increases to reduce tax impact OCEAN CITY  Downtown shoppers may need to bring more quarters when they stop by Asbury Aven

Governor Murphys swift action to provide additional funding is integral in ensuring stability for all of New Jerseys local educational agencies programmatically and educationally," state acting Education Commissioner Angelica Allen-McMillian said.

In 2008, lawmakers passed a formula, widely known as S2, for funding schools. Under the algorithm, aid allocations are shared with school districts based on various factors, including enrollment, poverty levels and the number of students with limited English proficiency.

While S2 has been phased in, some districts have received more state aid annually, and some districts have received less.
ATLANTIC CITY  The city will replace pilings at Gardners Basin this month, Mayor Marty Small Sr. said Monday, so boat tours and fishing boats will be able to have a complete summer season there.

We are confident the boats will be able to dock at the site by May, Small said Monday.

On March 24 and 31, the city sent letters to the businesses warning that 2023 seasonal operations under (your) Commercial Dock Agreement ... for your Commercial Boat Slip must be suspended until the project is complete.

Among the business owners who received the letters were Jeff George of Atlantic City Cruises and Atlantic City Tiki Boat, Eric Redner of Atlantic City Parasail and Mike Tobasso of Captain Mikes Charters.

Small said the state Department of Environmental Protection put a moratorium on work in the water from Jan. 1 to June 30 for environmental reasons. That meant work on the pilings couldnt start until July 1, right at the height of the tour and fishing boat season.

But after talking with the DEP, Small said the city has received permission to start piling work now.

Atlantic City chosen by FEMA for $5.4 million in flood protection grants ATLANTIC CITY  Three city flood mitigation projects will have help from grants from the Fed

The letter also said the situation will not prevent you from entering into an understanding or agreement with the dredger, Mount Construction, directly to access the project site.

Rent obligations would be prorated, the letter said.

Small and his chief of staff, Ernest Coursey, said political opponents overreacted to the letters and started a social media firestorm, and WPG Talk Radio host Harry Hurley accused Small of not caring about businesses.

He (Hurley) never contacted anyone here, said city spokesperson Andrew Kramer, before Hurley posted an attack on Small and his administration claiming he was driving boating companies out of business.

Its in the citys best interests to get Gardners Basin up and running. Its an attraction, Coursey said. We want folks to go up there.

George said his lease began April 1. His is the only boat at Gardners Basin now.

The mayor has worked very hard behind the scenes for us to be in business, George said. Hes been attentive to phone calls, we have spoken and texted regularly. Last summer he pushed to not dredge in July and August.

As a result of that push, dredging at Gardners Basin was postponed until September to avoid disrupting the boating businesses high season.

George did lose business in September and October to dredging but was a bit blindsided by the news this season might also be affected by work there.

He is meeting with Small Tuesday and said he has been in contact with the marina at Golden Nugget Atlantic City and will work out of there for a time if necessary.

City Business Administrator Anthony Swan said the letters had to go out as a legal notice, but Small and other city officials were talking with the DEP to get permission to work in the water earlier.

Timing is everything, Swan said. We worked with them last year and didnt disrupt their season. But we must get it (piling replacement) done, for safety concerns and everything else.

Van Drew touts new 'Stronger Shores' effort in Atlantic City ATLANTIC CITY  In the shadow of the Murden, a 156-foot Army Corps of Engineers shallow draf

This time, its not the dredging, which was completed in the fall, but other work that needs to be done. The city discovered pilings at the docks were not adequately stabilized and needed replacement, said City Engineer Uzo Ahiarakwe.

That work, which will require the contractor to drive new pilings, can be done this month, Ahiarakwe said Monday. He said its a matter of safety for all concerned.

There will still be work to be done after May 1 on the large concrete pier at the site, but that will not disrupt the tour or fishing boats, Ahiarakwe said.

In the event its needed, Small said the general manager of Golden Nugget has offered to let the boats dock at Sen. Frank S. Farley State Marina for a time.

The marina is a public facility of the New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry, managed by Golden Nugget.
U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-2nd, called the arraignment of former President Donald Trump a witch hunt led by a district attorney who is failing in his job of protecting public safety in New York City.

"This is nothing more than a political witch hunt led by some half assed local district attorney who has thoroughly, utterly, and completely failed to get criminals off the street and make New York City safer," Van Drew said Tuesday in a statement. "I will continue to work with Congressman Jim Jordan and my colleagues on the House Judiciary Committee to get to the bottom of this political persecution and restore the rule of law."

He echoed a statement from the former president's daughter.

"Ivanka Trump recently issued a statement saying, 'I love my father, I love my country, and today, I am pained for both.' This is indeed a sad day for our country, and make no mistake that America's enemies in Beijing and the Kremlin are once again laughing at us," Van Drew said.

Van Drew famously changed parties from Democratic to Republican in 2019 after refusing to vote to impeach Trump. He has been talked about as a possible vice presidential candidate on Trump's ticket for 2024.
NORTH WILDWOOD  Police are warning residents about reports of a coyote seen in the shore town.

Coyotes are opportunistic feeders, and pet owners should use caution when letting out your cat or dog, reads a post on the departments Facebook page Tuesday. As a precaution, please keep your indoor/outdoor cats inside for next several days. When walking your dogs, remain vigilant to your surroundings, and keep them close to you.

Coyotes have lived in Cape May County for many years, with breeding populations south of the Cape May Canal and sightings of the animals in other areas. On the barrier islands, fox, raccoon and opossum tend to be more common.

This winter, Cape May police issued a similar warning on social media about coyotes and foxes. In 2005, a coyote was blamed in the death of a small pet dog in Lower Township.

North Wildwood police suggest caution, but not panic, saying coyotes are best left alone.

DNA of NJ wildlife shows need for backyard habitat Weve often talked about New Jerseys wealth of wildlife, remarkable and surprising for this

Coyote attacks on people are very rare, as they are mostly skittish of people. However, families with small children should be cautious, police said. Do not attempt to feed or approach the coyote, as they may carry infectious diseases.

New Jersey was not part of the historic range of coyotes. According to the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife, the first recorded coyote sighting in the state occurred in 1929, in Lambertville in Hunterdon County. The animals have since been documented in 400 municipalities in all 21 counties.

The animal resembles a wolf or a German shepherd.

Some of the responses posted to the notice on Facebook were facetious, with one writer saying, Hes just trying to live his best life as a Wildwoodian, while another asked if it was chasing a road runner.

Others offered advice, such as a commenter who wrote, The coyotes have been here for years. Ive seen them mostly in off season. They are more afraid of you than you are off them. Please dont start the hysteria. This is nothing new. Keep your domesticated animals on leash (its the law anyway) at the beach to avoid interactions with seals and coyotes.
OCEAN CITY  A controversial proposal to install cellphone antennas on the roof of a commercial building on 34th Street is set to return to the Planning Board on Wednesday.

Neighbors have raised concerns about the potential health effects of the 5G towers, the fifth-generation technology standard for broadband cellular networks.

The plan is for antenna on the rooftop of 3337-39 Haven Ave., what is now an office for a real estate firm.

Several property owners in the immediate area have spoken against the proposal, both to the Planning Board and to City Council, citing concerns about the impact of the antennas on the health of children.

Im here to protect my kids. My grandkids. I dont know what to do. Were losing sleep over it. Were heartbroken, a neighbor told council at a recent meeting.

He suggested a taller tower would be fine.

Ocean City looks at fee increases to reduce tax impact OCEAN CITY  Downtown shoppers may need to bring more quarters when they stop by Asbury Aven

If we could raise it, then Id be for it. Put it 50 feet in the air. Id be for that. We know that 5G is important, he said.

There have been similar concerns raised about the health effects of previous generations of cellular technology. The Federal Communications Commission has created guidelines for limiting human exposure to radio frequency fields from cellular antenna sites, and described the possibility of a member of the public being exposed to amounts above the guidelines as extremely remote.

The application is listed as a minor site plan but has drawn major interest. There are already multiple cell towers in Ocean City, including atop water towers and on the roof of the Crown Bank building on Asbury Avenue, along with other sites in the neighborhood of 34th Street. This proposal is different, some objectors say, because it is closer to the ground and therefore to the bedrooms of nearby houses.

The applicant, Verizon, shows cell coverage throughout New Jersey, with 5G in multiple areas, including most of Ocean City.

Warren Stilwell, an attorney for the applicant, declined to comment.

I dont have any authority to talk to you, he said.

Ocean City school budget increases spending, but not taxes OCEAN CITY  Buoyed by rising property values, a proposed school budget for the coming year 

Some of those calling for Ocean City to reject the proposal mentioned the building owner, Eustace Mita, a developer and investor who has often been in the headlines, most recently over a proposal he brought to council for a high-rise hotel on the beach.

As neighbors sought city action, resident James Harris brought up the fact that Mita invested millions of dollars in Mayor Jay Gillians business, Wonderland Pier.

Was he given some type of special treatment? I dont know, he said, drawing a rebuke from city attorney Dottie McCrosson, who suggested his comments were approaching defamation.

Harris said that was not his intent.

Im awfully sorry about that, if thats the way it came across, he said.

The comments later brought a response from Gillian, who said he has sacrificed a great deal to serve as mayor.

Officials, crowd almost unanimously opposed to offshore wind at Ocean City meeting OCEAN CITY  Hundreds of people crowded the Ocean City Tabernacle on Wednesday for a public 

If you think for one second that someone can buy me, or that Im going to do something because it benefits me, then I would be sitting great at Wonderland right now, Gillian said. I am getting a little tired of the shots.

He encouraged anyone with proof of any wrongdoing to come forward.

In the 13 years Ive been mayor, Ive had more agencies look into me because somebody thinks Im doing something wrong, and have never found anything wrong, Gillian said.

He added that Planning Board functions like a court, and that neither council nor the mayor can interfere.

There have been several unfounded conspiracy theories surrounding 5G, including some linking the technology to the transmission of the virus that causes COVID-19. That has been described as a biological impossibility.

Several outlets have debunked concerns about the safety of 5G, but not every reputable source dismisses the potential hazards. An opinion published in Scientific American in 2019 argued there is no reason to believe 5G is safe. Gillian suggested at the meeting that 5G could be dangerous.

Those concerns have been dismissed by multiple federal agencies and the World Health Organization, which points out that billions of people use cellphones around the world.

To date, no adverse health effects have been established as being caused by mobile phone use, the WHO states.

A Verizon spokesperson cited those assurance in an emailed response to questions. Andrew Testa, a Verizon spokesperson, said using rooftops are an alternative to building new cell towers.

Verizon has many cell tower sites operating in Ocean City, surrounding shore town areas and throughout the state, Testa said. Verizon must add new sites, like this one, when additional coverage and capacity are needed to meet the growing demands of our customers.

All Verizon networks comply with FCC safety standards for radio frequency, he said, adding that the company ensured that the total radio frequency emissions fall within FCC limits for homes and public areas.

Radiofrequency energy from wireless devices and networks, including radio frequencies used by 5G, have not been shown to cause health problems, according to the international scientific community, Testa said. To cite one example, the Food and Drug Administration said, Based on the FDAs ongoing evaluation, the available epidemiological and cancer incidence data continues to support the agencys determination that there are no quantifiable adverse health effects in humans caused by exposures at or under the current cell phone exposure limits.

Also on the agenda for the Planning Board Wednesday is a review of plans from the Ocean City Housing Authority for a dramatic reconstruction of the homes at Pecks Beach Village, a longstanding housing project on either side of Fourth Street.

Some structures have already been removed. The application documents show 15 buildings with a total of 60 affordable units, and a new community building.
Scott County officials have dropped the case against a Moline man accused of wounding another person with a screwdriver in February.

Calvin A. Lee, 54, used the tool on someone he was fighting with at about 5:30 a.m. on Feb. 20 in the 600 block of East 14th Street, Davenport, authorities initially alleged. During the fight, Lee overpowered the other person, punched him several times, then stabbed him in the face several times with the screwdriver.

As a result of these allegations, Lee faced a single charge of willful injury causing serious injury, according to court records.

District Court Judge Jeffrey Bert dismissed the charge against Lee on Wednesday as the result of a motion from the Scott County Attorneys Office, according to court records. That motion to dismiss stated there was insufficient evidence for the prosecution of Lee to continue.
From alcohol to cigarettes, most adults have tried some form of recreational drug. Fewer people have experimented with prescription medication for recreational reasons, but certain areas of the country are experiencing a serious problem with opoid addiction. Other drugs like cocaine and LSD, are used sporadically among adults in the U.S.

Using data from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Data Archive, the experts at HealthGrove, a health data site, ranked the 25 most commonly used recreational drugs. The substances are ordered by the increasing percentage of people age 12 and over who used the drug recreationally in 2015. In the case of a tie, the drug with a higher classification by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is ranked higher.

To collect this data, SAMHDA conducts the annual National Survey on Drug Use and Health, in which they record use of illicit drugs, alcohol and tobacco in the U.S. population aged 12 or older. It is important to note that this data only includes recreational use of drugs, not proper medical use.

Drugs that are legal, alcohol and tobacco, have the highest recreational use. According to the survey, nearly one in five people over the age of 12 also used marijuana in 2015. As the drug becomes legal in more states, recreational use is likely to increase. Other Schedule I drugs (drugs determined to have no medical benefit by the DEA) including heroin and DMT had a recreational prevalence rate of less than 1 percent in 2015.

Note: Not all images in slideshow depict the exact drugs.
A union representative at the Rock Island Arsenal says more than 400 workers are being forced to accept a contract they have not agreed upon.

Chief Steward of American Federation of Government Employees Local 2119 Tim Russel said the contract would affect civilian workers at the Joint Manufacturing Technology Center. They are all in skilled trades, ranging from welding to machinists to sheet metal. The new contract went into effect April 3.

Every union contract must be negotiated after a set period of time, Russel said. Each contract has its own time limit, and this one expired in 2019. At the time, President Donald Trump was in office and issued executive orders that, "were harmful to federal unions," he said, adding they limited the unions' power even more.

Already, federal unions have reduced power in that they cannot strike, negotiate pay or benefits. Instead they can look at safety, policies and procedures. To get started with the negotiations, the union must meet with the Management Negotiations Committee, which is made up of managers and supervisors within the JMTC.

Tuesday, the management committee provided the following statement:

"The Rock Island Joint Manufacturing and Technology Center (RIA-JMTC) values the long standing relationship we have with the American Federation of Government Employees. While we work through outstanding issues, RIA-JMTC leadership remains committed to our employees interests and the accomplishment of the RIA-JMTC mission."

Russel said for a time the union and the committee worked together, but when COVID hit, everything halted. In January 2021, President Biden took office and rescinded Trump's executive orders on the unions almost immediately.

"He helped the federal unions that way by giving them their power back," he said.

Biden also issued an order that in addition to the other negotiations, management's rights need to be negotiated between the committee and the union.

"What has happened is, at one point we had an agreement where those issues were going to be discussed," Russel said.

Instead, the management committee has changed its mind and will not talk about it at all, he said. There are only two sections left to discuss, but the management committee has decided to move forward without the union's signature. Because the union cannot strike, Russel said, they are limited on how they can respond.

"We are stuck with this agreement until we can have an outside third party make a decision to get it removed and bring management back to the negotiation table," he said.

Russel said the committee was "blatantly ignoring" the union and forcing the contract on them. He predicts the new contracts will bring forth a lot of changes at the JMTC but could not comment on what those are specifically. Instead, he reiterated the biggest issue with the contract is that the executive order from President Biden, to negotiate management's rights, is being ignored.

"The union is at the table waiting and the management committee is ignoring the executive order from the Commander in Chief," he said.
A Moline family of three was displaced from their home Monday after a fire damaged their two-story duplex.

According to a news released from Molines Fire Media Group, the fire was reported at 2:57 p.m. at 1109 14th Ave.

First arriving firefighters reported fire and smoke showing out of the back of the building.

The occupants were alerted by smoke detectors and had escaped the home before firefighter arrived.

The fire was brought under control in about 30 minutes.

The three residents are being assisted by the Red Cross.

A firefighter was taken to a local hospital with a non-life-threatening injury that occurred while fighting the fire.

Fire Departments from East Moline, Rock Island Arsenal and Rock Island assisted at the scene along with Moline Second Alarmers and MidAmerican Energy.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Two teens are facing charges after threats of violence were made against two Quad-Cities area high schools.

United Township High School

The East Moline Police Department learned Sunday night of a shooting threat made against United Township, according to a department news release. The threat, made on Snapchat, implied there would be a shooting Monday.

The ensuing investigation indicated the threat was likely not valid, but authorities arrested a 16-year-old UT student on suspicion of felony disorderly conduct, the release stated.

The student has been released to her family and the case will be handled in the juvenile court system, the release stated.

The release also stated that the district will consider potential disciplinary action.

The police department said there was extra security and other precautions taken at the high school.

UT Superintendent Jay Morrow said Monday afternoon that the threat did not otherwise impact school operations.

East Moline Police Chief Jeff Ramsey said Monday afternoon that there was no indication of a link to a threat made against Davenport North High School, but that the investigation was ongoing.

The department asked that anyone with information concerning the case contact the department at 309-752-1555. They can also contact Crime Stoppers Quad-Cities branch at 309-762-9500 or through the P3 Tips app.

Davenports North High School

Davenport Police Department school resource officers learned at about 11:30 a.m. Monday of a possible social media threat at North, according to a department news release. It involved possible threats of violence against students and staff at the school.

As a result, Scott County authorities have charged a 15-year-old with threats of terrorism and false reports of a bomb, the release states.

Investigators determined there was no immediate threat, but police made the arrest because of the seriousness of the possible threat and the disruption it caused at North.

The arrested teen was sent to the Scott County Juvenile Detention Center, according to the release.

As part of its response to the potential threat, the police department sent extra officers to North, the release states.

The release did not include further details about the nature of the threat or how it impacted operations at Davenport North. It said that the investigation was ongoing.

The Davenport Community School District had not yet responded to a request for more information as of late Monday afternoon.

The police department said in the release that it was important to report suspicious activity to a trusted adult.

Information can also be reported anonymously to the Quad-Cities chapter of Crime Stoppers via the P3 App, according to the release.

Crime Stoppers can also be reached at 309-762-9500.
A Rock Island County judge sentenced a New Windsor woman on Monday in relation to a 2021 hit-and-run accident that injured a motorcyclist.

Judge Peter Church sentenced Lily Stratton, 49, to three years in prison each on a count of failure to report an accident and a count of aggravated driving while under the influence, according to county court records. The two terms will be served simultaneously, rather than one after the other.

Strattons sentencing was the result of a plea agreement with the Rock Island County States Attorneys Office, records state. Stratton pleaded guilty to the two counts in November. As part of the agreement, a second aggravated DUI count was dropped Monday.

The collision happened on July 25, 2021, according to previous reporting. Moline police officers went at 3:31 a.m. to investigate a report of a hit-and-run crash involving a motorcycle in the 3800 block of John Deere Road.

When they arrived, police found a 48-year-old man lying in the road near the intersection of 38th Street and John Deere Road, according to previous reporting. Authorities sent the man to the hospital to be treated for injuries considered serious but not life threatening.

During the investigation, police determined that a pickup truck hit the man while he was riding, previous reporting states. There were witnesses who described the suspect vehicle as a white Dodge Ram driven by a woman.

Deputies from the Mercer County Sheriffs Office identified Stratton as a potential suspect in Molines case after finding that her 2013 white Dodge Ram 2500 had damage consistent with a motor vehicle collision, previous reporting states.

When she has completed her prison term, Stratton must also serve a year of mandatory supervised release, records state.

There was a presentence investigation ahead of Strattons sentencing, and there was mitigation hearing during Mondays proceedings, records state.

A presentence investigation is designed to develop a background report on a person who is to be sentenced. It is meant to aid a judge in determining the appropriate sentence.

The mitigation hearing is also meant to aid the judge at sentencing. Such hearings can include arguments from attorneys, statements from victims, statements from the defendant and other presentations.
Illinois state Sen. Mike Halpin (D-Rock Island) toured Augustana College and spoke with school officials on Tuesday, his first stop in a two-week listening tour of colleges and universities in the 36th Senate District.

Halpin will visit four-year institutions within his representative district  aiming to help him gauge their needs, priorities and challenges, also forming relationships with school leaders as he embarks his first Senate term as chairman of the Illinois Senate Higher Education Committee.

"The 36th District has every institution of higher education  three community college districts, three private, four-year institutions and both Western Illinois (University) campuses," Halpin said. "This is a unique district that has higher education as it's focus."

Living in Rock Island, and having represented the area during his House tenure, were some of the reasons Halpin started his tour at Augie, also noting a "very good" relationship with the college.

"I think we're at a unique time in recent Illinois history where we're really making some good fiscal decisions to the point where we have the opportunity to reinvest in higher education," he said. "If we're ready to do that, I want to make sure that we're actually being responsive to the needs of our colleges and universities."

Halpin's visit began by discussing tuition support, capital projects and budget priorities with Augie president Dr. Andrea Talentino, highlighting Illinois' investment in Monetary Award Program grants.

"Education is costly, certainly; it's important for families to be able to think about ways to make it affordable. The more that we can partner with State grants and loans  the better it can be for the family," she said. "The MAP grant, for example, is something we're really excited about. That's great for students and it's really helpful for them."

MAP grants are open to eligible Illinois residents who attend approved in-state colleges or universities and demonstrate financial need (based on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid). These grants do not need to be repaid and go toward tuition and other mandatory fees. More details about MAP can be found on the Illinois Student Assistance Commission website.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker proposed a $100 million increase in MAP funding for fiscal year 2024also proposing a 7 percent increase in basic operating funds for public universities and community colleges.

"That actually doesn't get us back, in real dollars, to where we were 15 years ago on the public university side, so that is a significant conversation happening," Halpin said of the increase. "If we do things right, I think we'll be able to make almost every person that wants to go to a community college be able to attend for free."

At the statehouse, Halpin hopes to demonstrate the stability MAP grants provide in a larger quest to retain Illinois students after high school and address nationwide dips in undergraduate enrollment.

"So if you want to go to Augustana and may have thought it was out of your price range or something like that, we're going to give you those resources to be able to go," he said. "I can't tell you the number of times I've had a student tell me, 'I would not have gone to college, if not for the MAP grant.' My philosophy has always been anyone that wants to go to college should be able to and should be able to afford to."

Noting some aging Augie facilities, Talentino also spoke to the value of state-backed capital support in higher education.

"It just really allows us to accelerate some of our priorities, in terms of thinking about how we support our buildings," she said.

Aside from funding, Halpin noted a goal to create a long-term system to communicate with Illinois colleges and universities about in-demand jobs using state agencies or resources. He thinks this may help prevent future shortages, allowing lawmakers to address the issue in a less reactionary way.

Talentino commended this proactive goal, saying Augie is "always looking" to create workforce pipelines for students, particularly in industries facing shortages.

"We're super excited to have him (Halpin) leading the (Senate higher education) committee. He's shown through his career that he's a great supporter of higher ed.," she said.

Following discussions, Halpin toured Augie's campus  making stops at the Bahls Campus Leadership Center, Hanson Hall, Lindberg Center and the Olin Center before ending with lunch at the Gerber Dining Center.

Halpin visited Monmouth College after Augie and will visit Western Illinois University's Macomb campus on Tuesday, April 11, and Knox College in Galesburg on Thursday, April 13.

Photos: Gov. Pritzker, officials, tout Smart Start Illinois in Rock Island visit
Troy Harrington Sr. is a father with questions. He wants to know what happened to the son many called Hard Hat Man.

Troy Harrington Jr. was pronounced dead at 4:47 a.m. Jan. 7 at University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics. He was 34 years old.

He was transferred to Iowa City on Jan. 1 after being found outside his Howell Street apartment in Davenport with what the Johnson County Medical Examiner's Office called "blunt force injuries to the head that were the result from a fall from height."

Those injuries caused Hard Hat Man's death. The medical examiner's office, however, said Harrington Jr.'s manner of death was "undetermined." According to the autopsy report, the " ... Circumstances of the fall are uncertain (accident versus suicide)."

The medical examiner's office clarified that statement last week when Assistant Director Clayton Shuneman said there "is no reason to believe" Hard Hat Man's injuries "were inflicted by another person or persons."

An unanswerable question?

Hard Hat Man's end is where his father's questions start.

"My son jumped out of a window? Or fell?" Harrington Sr. asked. "That is strange to me. The window of Troy's room on Howell Street is not very high. I would just like to know what led up to that moment."

Those questions might never be answered.

Harrington Sr. gathered the paperwork and has a report showing a series of interviews conducted by the Davenport Police Department after his son's death. Officers spoke with neighbors John Jaster, Adam White and David Lykam.

Jaster said he didn't hear anything unusual in the building and did not know Harrington Jr. had been injured in a fall. Lykam was home when Hard Hat Man was injured and said he heard a "loud crash against the side of the building" before he went outside and found Harrington Jr. "on the concrete on the sidewalk of the east side of building."

Lykam said there was a very large pool of "very dark blood" around Hard Hat Man's head. Lykam told the police he never heard any arguing before he heard the crash against the building.

What led police, and later the Johnson County Medical Examiner, to suspect an accident or suicide stemmed from a torn screen and open window in Harrington Jr.'s room. That window overlooked the sidewalk where Hard Hat Man was found. Lykam noticed the screen after Harrington Jr. was transported from the scene. The building's property manager also saw the torn screen and saw the open window.

A question of injuries

Hard Hat Man's father is willing to accept that his son went out the window of his apartment. But a few questions nag at him.

The autopsy found Harrington Jr. suffered contusions to "the right chest, left flank and back." He also had fractures of the T12 spinous process in his lower back, a fracture in his lower pelvis and a fracture in his left hip joint. He also suffered blunt force trauma injuries to his hands, left arm, right thigh and right foot. There were fractures in his right foot.

Hard Hat Man's father said it appeared his son had injuries to both sides of his body.

"Were all these injuries from the fall, or were there older injuries?" Harrington Sr. asked.

The Johnson County Medical Examiner's Office declined to answer that question, citing Iowa privacy laws.

A hospital visit before his death

Harrington Sr. knew his son had been arrested in late November and released from the Scott County Jail in late December, just days before his death. What he later learned was Hard Hat Man had been admitted to Genesis Medical Center on Dec. 28, and he discharged himself the next day.

The hospital visit sparked more questions from Harrington Sr. Some remain unanswered. Others have been explained.

"Why was my son released from jail, and why did he have to go to the hospital?" he asked. "Was he injured when he went to jail? Was he injured when he was in the jail?

"And how did he get from the jail to the hospital?"

In the hospital, Harrington Jr. was admitted and diagnosed with a list of issues, but none had to do with physical injury.

Hard Hat Man's most serious affliction was acute renal failure caused by chronic kidney disease. He was in metabolic acidosis because of the kidney failure and showed low sodium and potassium levels. He also showed "QT prolongation," a heart rhythm disorder, and had a blood clot in "a lower extremity." Tests showed the blood clot was not causing pulmonary embolism.

The report said after waking up on the morning of Dec. 29, Harrington Jr. demanded to be released from the hospital.

"He (Harrington Jr.) was oriented, did not have suicidal or homicidal ideation," the report read. "He initially had a police hold, but this was released, and the patient insisted on leaving against medical advice."

Later the report said: "Since he is not confused or agitated, we will not ask for a court hold ... . The patient is at high risk for complications, renal failure, dialysis and death by leaving against medical advice. We have told the patient this, and he seems to acknowledge that he understands."

The incident that led to Harrington Jr.'s jail time was out of character.

Hard Hat Man was arrested Nov. 26, 2022, for striking a police officer after refusing to leave the scene of a fatal motorcycle accident near the intersection of Schmidt and Rockingham roads. He had what was described by many who knew him as a "very good" relationship with police, and the incident at the crash was chalked up to Harrington being off the medications he took for mental illness.

"I think his belongings were inside the crime scene and he was trying to get them," Harrington Sr. said. "My son had his problems, but I know he was not violent. I know he normally would not just attack someone  especially a police officer  for no reason."

It is not known if Hard Hat Man was injured during his arrest.

On Dec. 16, he pleaded not guilty to the charges stemming from the incident.

Harrington Jr. was in jail until Dec. 28. According to the report from the hospital, he arrived in an ambulance after refusing blood thinner medications at the jail and refusing to eat. The report later notes Hard Hat Man was transported " ... from the Scott County Jail."

One last question answered?

Hard Hat Man was known to many who traveled Rockingham Road and through the downtown.

He liked to walk 2nd and 3rd streets. He liked the skateboard park and the western end of Rockingham Road. He hung out at the U.S. Post Office on 2nd Street and posted up outside the nearby La Finca restaurant.

He was always in a hard hat. The police investigation noted Harrington Jr. was known to have construction helmets in three colors: white, red and yellow. None of those helmets were found in Hard Hat Man's apartment when police entered it Jan. 7.

The building's property manager knows what happened to the white helmet.

"I found the white helmet in the garbage, and I took it," said the property manager, who asked to remain anonymous. "I took it and I hung it in the building. It's to remember Troy."

The property manager said she hoped Hard Hat Man's family wouldn't have to "deal with so many rumors."

"Troy wasn't homeless," she said. "He was a good guy. He had a mental illness, but he was friendly and kind. He wasn't jumped that day. A pack of homeless men didn't kill him."

The property manager based her statement on an audio recording of the time frame of Harrington Jr.'s death. And she said she was "pretty certain" of what led to Hard Hat Man's death.

"On the tape you can hear Troy's door slam and things being thrown in his apartment," she said. "He was upset or frustrated. There was no arguing. There were no other voices. He wasn't saying anything. He wasn't yelling.

"I can't know if he fell out of that window or if he jumped out. I can't say, and I won't even guess. But he went out that window."
Approximately 16 tornadoes hit eastern Iowa and western Illinois on Friday, according to the National Weather Service. Tuesday is expected to produce similar results.

Friday's storms produced a Level 5 threat, Meteorologist David Cousins said. Tuesday is expected to be at a Level 4 with a few rounds of storms expected, beginning in the afternoon.

By mid-afternoon and leading into the early evening, isolated storms with damaging winds, hail and the possibility of tornadoes could be incoming. Moving into the evening, from about 6 p.m. until midnight, the storms are going to be widespread, Cousins said.

Those scattered storms have the possibility of producing strong tornadoes with long-track, damaging winds and even more hail. Cousins said there was no way to tell if there would be as many tornadoes as Friday's weather event, but the possibility was high.

Of the 16 tornadoes in the area, the most severe was an EF 4 that hit Wapello, Keokuk and Johnson counties, which was on the ground for 44 miles, carved a path 600 yards wide, brought peak wind speeds of 170 miles per hour and was on the ground for 67 minutes.

In the Quad-Cities region, an EF2 tornado formed Friday near Grand Mound in Clinton County, where it collapsed a house. The tornado continued on its path, struck Charlotte and ended in Goose Lake. The tornado reached estimated winds of 121 mph and cut a path 350 yards wide and 17.48 miles long.

However, good news and better weather is on its way, Cousins said. Moving into Wednesday, storms will begin to shift out of the region.

"After midnight Tuesday, it looks like the severe threat shifts south of the Quad-Cities," Cousins said.

The cold front expected over the next two days will make for windy and chilly conditions, he said. Tuesday is expected to be the warmest day of the week with the highs in the lower 70s. Wednesday's highs will be in the 50s, with temperatures beginning to warm up in time for the weekend.

The high in Davenport for Easter Sunday is expected to be 73 degrees.
Planned Parenthood North Central States has fired two members of the elected bargaining team in charge of negotiating wages, benefits and working conditions for hundreds of newly unionized employees across five states.

The other 11 bargaining team members have received final written warnings, which says they can be terminated immediately if they violate any other policy. Its a uniquely severe form of discipline that longtime employees say they hadnt heard of before.

Workers and union leaders at SEIU Healthcare Minnesota & Iowa say the terminations and disciplinary actions are based on trumped-up claims of misconduct that amount to brazen union busting.

I think its about mitigating the power and strength of the union, said Grace Larson, who was fired from her job as a licensed practical nurse at Planned Parenthood on Tuesday.

The discipline stems from an allegation that confidential information about the organization was shared in the unions private group chat.

Planned Parenthood managers apparently obtained a copy of the unions private group chat. The workers alleged breach of confidentiality had nothing to do with patient data, but rather about a previous employees termination and an effort by management to limit workers wearing union T-shirts on the job.

The violations happened months ago, and the union hoped to keep the inner turmoil under wraps to avoid embroiling a revered progressive institution in a public spectacle when its confronting new abortion restrictions across the country.

Yet the termination of Larson for alleged retaliation has forced the issue into public view. The union has filed complaints with federal authorities at the National Labor Relations Board.

Union leaders said they hoped for a collegial negotiating process with Planned Parenthood after workers voted to unionize last July. The union represents more than 400 nurses, administrative assistants and other workers across Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska and North and South Dakota.

The organizations new CEO, Democratic state Rep. Ruth Richardson of Mendota Heights, was endorsed by labor unions including SEIU Healthcare Minnesota & Iowa.

On her campaign website, Richardson credits her dads union with saving them from economic ruin after he was injured on the job. Unions are under attack right now, but I am committed to standing with them as they did with me and my family all those years ago, her website says.

Yet union leaders say Planned Parenthoods hardball approach is reminiscent of giant corporations like Amazon, Starbucks and Tesla, which have waged expensive campaigns to prevent the proliferation of unions among their rank-and-file workers.

Ive never seen anything like this, said Phillip Cryan, executive vice president for SEIU Healthcare Minnesota & Iowa.

It has been really concerning to see the way that the organizations leadership has decided to treat the elected members of their bargaining team in ways weve literally not seen any other employer ever do, he said.

Richardson did not respond to emails seeking comment.

A spokesperson for Planned Parenthood shared a statement on behalf of Molly Gage, vice president of human resources, that said the organization would not publicly comment on individual personnel matters.

Planned Parenthood North Central States leadership is committed to bargaining in good faith with SEIU and strongly disagrees with any characterization to the contrary. We support the dedicated PPNCS employees across the affiliate as they preserve abortion access for the community and provide essential education and health services, the statement said.

The discipline stems from a falling-out in the bargaining committee that started late last year.

In November, the 14-member bargaining committee was meeting with Planned Parenthood leaders at a hotel in Des Moines to negotiate a labor agreement.

One night after negotiations, Ashley Schmidt says a co-worker became belligerent, slapped her across the face and accused her of making fun of me with your mind.

April Clark, who is a Planned Parenthood training specialist, witnessed the slap and told the Reformer it was hard enough to leave a handprint.

The Reformer is not naming the individual because no charges were filed and they were unable to be reached for comment.

Schmidt, a training specialist in Nebraska and Iowa, said the slap was unprovoked and came after years of bullying on the job.

Schmidt says she initially didnt bring the incident to the attention of the rest of the bargaining team because she didnt want to distract from contract negotiations. But then the next month, Schmidt says the co-worker became verbally abusive toward Schmidts 7-year-old daughter, calling the little girl unimpressive, unimportant and selfish.

And thats what finally got me to be like, I need to leave the bargaining team. I need to set a boundary, Schmidt said.

When she told the bargaining team why she wanted to step down, they decided to hold meetings with both her and the co-worker. In mid-January, they voted unanimously to ask the person accused of slapping Schmidt to resign from the bargaining team.

Within days of the person stepping down from the bargaining team, all the remaining members were placed under investigation and one member was fired, according to workers.

Larson, the former Planned Parenthood nurse fired this week, says she and other members of the bargaining team were told they had failed to report a breach of confidentiality, but told little else. She said her investigatory meeting with human resources lasted less than 10 minutes.

I didnt know what was going on, Larson said. They said that they couldnt tell us specifically what the accusation was  just that I had knowledge of wrongdoing and I did not turn it in.

The union was able to piece together that Planned Parenthoods managers must have received a copy of a private Signal group chat between the bargaining team and union staff. Union leaders say Planned Parenthood managers have quoted things said in the chat verbatim, though they have not said where they got the information.

In the chat, one person had shared private information about another employees termination as well as managements plan to enforce its dress code to crack down on workers wearing union T-shirts. That person was fired and the others believe they were disciplined for not reporting the alleged breach of confidentiality.

Clark, the training specialist in Iowa, says she was never told exactly what she was supposed to have seen in the group chat and failed to report.

It is a group chat with over a dozen people in it, and Im busy  I dont always see everything that goes through the chat, Clark said. I said, I want to see what youre saying I did because I dont know what youre talking about.

She said Planned Parenthood managers still give no specifics beyond failing to report a breach of confidentiality.

Each of the bargaining team members received a final written warning, including Schmidt. The final warning never expires, which means they could be immediately fired if they break any policy again.

Union leaders say it felt like hardball intimidation, even as negotiations progressed toward a labor agreement.

In March, Larson found out she was under investigation again.

She had sent an email from her personal account to a non-profit organization in Nebraska that also employs the Planned Parenthood worker accused of slapping Schmidt.

The co-worker is employed teaching young people about having healthy and safe relationships, and Larson thought they should be aware of the alleged slap.

I wanted them to be aware of this incident, Larson said. I felt its the right thing to do. And I still feel its the right thing to do.

Larson never heard back from the non-profit, but Planned Parenthoods human resources department received a copy. According to Larson, management informed her she was under investigation. On the advice of her therapist, she took a brief leave. When she returned, Larson said, management alleged she had retaliated against a coworker by sending the email, and fired her on Tuesday.

SEIU Healthcare Minnesota & Iowa is fighting for Larsons job back. Theyre contesting the termination and filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board.

Im gonna keep up the fight, Larson said.

This story was originally published by Minnesota Reformer, which part of States Newsroom.
The Black Hills National Forest, which straddles Wyoming and South Dakota, is well known across the United States for its frequently visited spots, like Mount Rushmore. But there are also some hidden gems in the Black Hills, which make this area a recreational paradise.

If you prefer to be away from crowds of people and want to experience the Black Hills like a local, or if you just want to see what is lesser known in the area, you will want to visit these six hidden gems of the Black Hills.

Hidden attraction gems

Adventure seekers around the world have been exploring Rushmore Cave for over 90 years! With a scenic underground walking tour, you can see the spectacular natural limestone formations and stalactite rooms within the cave while also hearing the amazing history behind it.

The caves are 58 degrees year round, so make sure that you wear a light jacket or sweatshirt during your tour. The tours typically last about an hour and give you ample time to explore the whole cave.

Hiking to Crow Peak Summit is the epitome of spectacular. Although the hike itself is rated moderately difficult, the views at the end make it all worth it. Crow Peak Summit gives you an amazing view of the Black Hills and makes you feel as though you can see for miles.

Another bonus to making this trek is the opportunity to see wildlife, such as deer and turkeys, along this 3-mile trail. Because this trail isnt as well-known, wildlife sightings tend to be much more common here than on more popular trails.

Hidden dining gems

Worked up an appetite? Here are some hidden gems for food and drink.

Located in the heart of downtown Rapid City, South Dakota, Paddy ONeills Irish Pub & Grill was voted a locals favorite in 2023. With a true Irish pub look and vibe along with an awesome playlist, Paddys will leave you feeling energetic and fulfilled.

With delicious food options and superb customer service, Paddys will also satisfy your cravings and allow you to indulge in your favorite beer if you please. With Trivia Tuesdays and Bottomless Brunch on the weekends, a visit to Paddy ONeills will be worth your time any day of the week.

The Bistro Bar, located inside Courtyard by Marriott, is Rapid Citys newest dining option, featuring a relaxing atmosphere, delectable food choices and fantastic drink options. If you want to stop in for a light lunch and take a break from sightseeing, they have a fantastic snack section on their menu, as well as Starbucks coffee options if you need a little pick-me-up.

You can also stop in around dinnertime or grab a quick drink before you go enjoy the nightlife the Black Hills has to offer. The Bistro Bar occasionally posts cocktails of the week on their Facebook page and hosts a happy hour from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Lets make the world taste better one pie at a time! Purple Pie Place in Custer, South Dakota, is easily the best place to get homemade pies in the Black Hills. Take home a slice or a whole pie!

To make Purple Pie Place even sweeter, they have award-winning ice cream too. Voted Best of The Black Hills in 2022 for their ice cream, Purple Pie Place has made their mark.

Snitches, located in Deadwood, South Dakota, brings an elevated and luxurious experience with high-class service that is unmatched. With food options ranging from locally sourced beef to seafood, there is something for everyone.

With its dim lighting and art deco decor, stepping into Snitches is like stepping into a modern version of the 1920s. Connected to a popular casino and two hotels, you can keep the night going or head back to your hotel room after dinner. Either way, Snitches is a hidden gem that wont be hidden for much longer.

The Black Hills region of South Dakota is packed with awesome adventures and beautiful scenery that makes every trip magical. Make sure to add a few of these hidden gems to your Black Hills itinerary.

This content was produced by Brand Ave. Studios. The news and editorial departments had no role in its creation or display. Brand Ave. Studios connects advertisers with a targeted audience through compelling content programs, from concept to production and distribution. For more information contact sales@brandavestudios.com.
U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Viken sentenced a 24-year-old man to six months in prison and five years of supervised release Monday for abusive sexual contact of a 14-year-old girl in Allen in 2021.

Duane Long Pumpkin was 21 at the time of the offense, according to a factual basis statement he signed when he pleaded guilty on Nov. 16, 2022. He was arrested in Lexington, Nebraska in March of last year.

Abusive sexual contact is sexual contact with someone who is in the custody of the perpetrator.

Long Pumpkin admitted to having sexual contact with the girl between February and August 2021. On one occasion, he had sexual contact with her when she was staying with him and considered in his custody. At that time, her legal guardian was asking for law enforcement's help locating her.

The guilty plea reduced the amount of prison time Long Pumpkin faced.

Abusive sexual contact has a maximum of two years in prison, and the statute is not specific to crimes against minors. Long Pumpkin's original charge, sexual abuse of a minor, carried a maximum of 15 years in prison. The government agreed to dismiss it in exchange for the guilty plea.

Long Pumpkin, who is held at the Pennington County Jail awaiting transportation to a federal prison, will serve five years of supervised release once he completes his sentence.

Viken also ordered Long Pumpkin pay a routine mandatory $100 assessment to the Federal Crime Victim's fund. The amount is required for every federal felony conviction.
South Dakota Mines received a $750,000 grant on behalf of NASA's Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research, which funds research into the next generation of lithium-sulfur batteries for use in space technology.

The grant comes following a breakthrough on the Mines campus of a new polymer-biocarbon cathode coating made from corn stalk residues that stabilizes next-generation battery chemistry to nearly double the charging capacity of current technology.

Improving the power capacity and life of batteries could help NASA power rockets, spacecraft, and habitats on the Moon, and eventually, Mars, NASA wrote in a press release.

The breakthrough began with the work of Rajesh Shende, Ph.D., on finding new uses for biorefinery waste leftover from the bioprocessing plants, such as those that turn corn into ethanol. Shende and his team of researchers found that agriculture residue such as corn stalks, or stover, could be turned into a battery-grade biocarbon.

Ph.D. students Khang Huynh and Bharath Maddipudi worked with Shende to develop a polymer-coated porous carbon for energy storage applications. In 2020, Weibing Xing, Ph.D., joined the mechanical engineering department at Mines offering his expertise in next-generation lithium batteries.

Xing said lithium-sulfur batteries are widely regarded as the most promising next-generation batteries, despite inherent problems with their chemistry that reduces the ability to store the full amount of energy. At Mines, he began working with the Center for Solid-State Electric Power Storage and the Governors Research Center for Electrochemical Energy Storage on the problems with lithium-sulfur batteries.

Shende reached out to mention the possibility that the battery-grade biocarbon his team developed from corn stover might be useful in Xings research.

We thought, what the heck, lets try it, says Xing. We coated a nano-layer of the biocarbon on the cathode of a lithium-sulfur battery. This had never before been done in the world, Xing said.

To the surprise and delight of the research team, it worked. The battery nearly reached its full theoretical storage capacity.

The unique nano-thin layer of polymer coated biocarbon on the cathode side of the lithium-sulfur battery helps stabilize the chemistry inside batteries and increases their storage capacity. This breakthrough is thanks to the multidisciplinary collaboration and culture at Mines.

The grant, thanks to NASA, allows researchers to continue to study this material and optimize its potential in next generation batteries. The grant also brings in NASA researchers who will work alongside those at Mines and other universities like University of South Dakota and South Dakota State University.

Future research will work on other challenges with batteries including reducing their flammability and continuing to optimize capacity, Xing said. He has several graduate and undergraduate students already working in his state-of-the-art lab on campus.

There is immense commercialization potential in this technology, according to Xing. Graduate students Huynh and Maddipudi are already working on an avenue of commercialization and job creation from one version of the product. The broad range of applications could include everything from large-scale energy storage for power plants to national defense, along with multiple uses in everyday life from cell phones to electric cars.

Thanks to NASA, those future applications also include space travel.

Its nice to think that someday material derived from South Dakota corn stalks might be part of the batteries on NASA space missions, Duke said.
Middle and high school students will connect with local businesses and explore potential careers in South Dakota during the annual South Dakota Week of Work, April 3-7.

It is a time to celebrate work-based learning partnerships that happen year-round, organizers said.

Dont assume youth in your community are familiar with local businesses, the types of jobs available, the necessary training or all the great benefits and opportunities right here at home, state Labor and Regulation Secretary Marcia Hultman said. The Week of Work is a great way to connect with students and provide a positive experience.

Work-based learning is a critical component of a students career exploration journey. It exposes them to high-wage, high-demand careers within their own communities, according to the Department of Education. For businesses, its a chance to proactively address workforce challenges by building a pipeline of interest among the next generation.

South Dakotas economy thrives when business, industry and education come together to provide opportunities that benefit our young people and develop the future workforce of our state, South Dakota Secretary of Education Joseph Graves said. The Week of Work is one vehicle for driving these important connections.

The South Dakota Week of Work is sponsored by the South Dakota departments of Labor and Regulation and Education in partnership with the Governors Office of Economic Development, the South Dakota Retailers Association, and the South Dakota Chamber of Commerce and Industry.




Brussels: BBFinland is poised to join NATO on Tuesday, a historic realignment triggered by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, but the head of the military alliance said no more troops would be sent to the Nordic country unless it asked for help.





Russia has already warned that it would bolster defenses along its border with NATO if the alliance deploys any additional troops or equipment to its new member.

"There will be no NATO troops in Finland without the consent of Finland," NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters at the alliance's headquarters in Brussels a few hours before the country joins.





But he refused to rule out the possibility of holding more military exercises there and said that NATO would not allow Russia's demands to dictate the organization's decisions.





"We are constantly assessing our posture, our presence. We have more exercises, we have more presence, also in the Nordic area," he said.





Later Tuesday, Finland is set to officially become the 31st member of NATO and take its place among the ranks of the world's biggest security alliance.





Alarmed by Russia's invasion of Ukraine last year, Finland applied to join in May, setting aside years of military non-alignment to seek protection under the organization's security umbrella. Neighboring Sweden also applied, but its accession process may take a few months longer.





Finland shares a 1,340 kilometer (832 mile) border with Russia, so its entry will more than double the size of NATO's border with Russia. The move is a strategic and political blow to President Vladimir Putin, who has long complained about NATO's expansion toward Russia.





Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday that Finland's membership reflects the alliance's anti-Russian course and warned that Moscow will respond depending on what weapons NATO allies place there.





"We will closely monitor what will be going on in Finland and how NATO will use the territory of Finland for the deployment of weapons, equipment and infrastructure next to our border that would potentially threaten us. Measures will be taken dependent on that," Peskov said in a conference call with reporters.





But Peskov also sought to play down the impact, noting that Russia has no territorial disputes with Finland.





It's not clear what additional military resources Russia could send to the Finnish border. Moscow has deployed the bulk of its most capable military units to Ukraine.





Stoltenberg said that once it joins, Finland will benefit from NATO's "iron-clad security guarantee," under which all member countries vow to come to the defense of any ally that comes under attack.





"By (Finland) become a full-fledged member, we are removing the room for miscalculation in Moscow about NATO's readiness to protect Finland, and that makes Finland safer and stronger, and all of us safer," Stoltenberg said.





Finland's entry, to be marked with a flag-raising ceremony at NATO headquarters, falls on the organization's very own birthday, the 74th anniversary of the signing of its founding Washington Treaty on April 4, 1949. It also coincides with a meeting of the alliance's foreign ministers.





Finland's president, foreign and defense ministers will take part in the ceremony.





Turkey became the last NATO member country to ratify Finland's membership protocol on Thursday. It will hand over the document officially enshrining that decision to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken before the ceremony.




Kathmandu, Nepal, March 3, 2023: Coronavirus infection cases have been gradually increasing in Nepal in recent days. Withstanding the spreading threats, the Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) has issued a statement to aware people to be protected from the infection of the deadly virus.





The new variant of the coronavirus, Omicron XBB 1.16 that has been found in the neighboring countries, has been leading to raise infection in Nepal as well, reads the statement issued by Joint spokesperson of the ministry, Dr Samir Kumar Adhikari on Monday.





According to the MOHP, when 24 samples were tested in the past 24 hours on Monday, the Omicron XBB 1.16 variant was confirmed in all the 24 samples.




Kathmandu, Nepal, March 3, 2023: With the end of nomination of candidates for the April 23 by-election in Chitwan-2, Tanahun-1 and Bara-2 on Monday, election fever hits up in the country. Political parties, regardless of winner or losers in the previous November 20 elections, have taken the by-election as a matter of self-image.





Three candidates- Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) president Rabi Lamichhane, who had elected earlier from the same constituency, Nepali Congress (NC) leader Jeet Narayan Shrestha and UML district chairman Ram Prasad Neupane- have registered their candidacies for the by-election in Chitwan-2.





The constituency remained vacant after the Supreme Court (SC), the apex court of the country, suspended Lamichhanes position as a member of House of Representatives (HoR) responding to the writ petitions that his candidacy registered by producing the illegal citizenship certificates was illegitimate. Following the SCs verdict, he has already got new citizenship certificate through the due process.





NC candidate Shrestha's candidacy is backed by the ruling alliances including the CPN (Maoist Center), CPN United Socialist, Janata Samajwadi Party (JSP) Nepal and others. His candidacy was supported by CPN Maoist Centre leader Ram Chandra Adhikari and NC District Committee President Rajeshwar Khanal while registering the candidacy.





Elections in the constituency is taken meanfully from different sectors as Lamichhane had set the record for winning by the highest vote difference- 34,140 against NC candidate Umesh Shrestha in the November 20 elections. Shrestha had secured just 15,091 votes while UMLs Krishna Bhakta Pokhrel had got just 14,649 votes.





Similarly, Eight candidates including Janata Samajwadi Party (JSP) Chairman Upendra Yadav filed his candidacy for the by-election in the backing of the Nepali Congress, the CPN (Maoist Center), the Loktantrik Samajwadi Party and the Unified Socialist Party of Nepal.





Purushottam Paudel from CPN-UML, Shiva Chandra Kushwaha from Janamat Party and Ramesh Kharel from Rastriya Swatantra Party have also registered their nomination. Candidates belonging to the Hamro Nepali Party and Nepal Workers and Peasants Party and two independents candidates have also filed their nomination.





The constituency remained vacant after Ram Sahay Yadav elected in the post of vice-president. He was elected from the JSP by securing 13,822 votes in the November 20 elections. His closest rival Shiva Chandra Prasad Kushwaha of the Maoist Center had secured 13,468 votes. He has left the Maoist Center after the party decided to support Yadav. Kushwaha has now become the candidate from the newly emerged Janamat Party led by Dr. CK Raut.





Likewise, three candidates- Gobind Bhattarai from the NC, Swarnim Wagle from the RSP and Sarbendra Khanal from the UML have registered their candidacy for the by-elections to be held on Tanahun 1. Khanal was the candidate from the Kathmandu-6 in November elections on November 20. He was defeated by RSPs candidate Shishir Khanal.





The constituency of Tanahun 1 remained vacant after Ramchandra Paudel elected in the post of president. Poudel was elected as the HoR member by securing 25,361 votes in the November 20 elections. UMLs candidate Ek Bahadur Rana Magar had got 19,981 votes. In the election, The NCs rebel candidate Govinda Raj Joshi had secured 6,886 votes while the RSP and RPP had received 6,044 and 2,484 votes respectively.




Kathmandu, Nepal, March 3, 2023: Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC), the state owned petroleum product monopoly of the country, has reduced the prices of diesel, kerosene and aviation fuel by Rs 10 per litre while petrol's price is reduced by Rs 3 per litre.





Issuing a press release, the NOC has stated on Monday that the reduced price will be effective from Tuesday midnight.





A meeting of the NOC board of directors held on Monday decided to cut the price of petroleum products after Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) lowered the price.




Nearly seven years after coming to Goochland County Public Schools, GCPS superintendent Jeremy Raley is preparing for his next chapter.

On March 22, Gov. Glenn Youngkin named Raley the Commonwealths next chief of staff to the superintendent of public instruction at the Virginia Department of Education.

The move will bring to a close a tenure during which the school division reached a number of milestones, including significant facility and safety improvements and both state and national recognition for academic excellence.

Under his leadership, GCPS was recognized as the top school division in the Metro-Richmond area for four years by niche.com and as an Apple Distinguished School Division.

Raley also oversaw the approval and design phases of the new Goochland Elementary School, which is set to be completed next year.

There were certainly significant challenges for Raley as well, including the COVID-19 pandemic that left school division leaders across the nation scrambling to continue educating students who were no longer allowed to attend school in person.

Raley has also had to contend with a number of controversial issues in recent years, including, most recently, challenges from parents and other community members regarding transgender bathroom policies and the books made available to students in the school libraries.

Even during the most difficult times, however, Raley insists he has never considered it anything other than an honor to serve the Goochland community.

I have never worked with teachers, administrators and support professionals with the same level of talent, passion, optimism and unwavering focus on what is most important  the students and families we serve, Raley said in a statement last week.

GCPS thrives and prospers because of its dedicated and talented staff, supportive families and strong community, and I will look back on my time in GCPS and the work we accomplished as a school division with great pride.

Raley will start work at the VDOE in mid-April and will work with the Goochland School Board to ensure a smooth transition.

Dr. Raley is a unique individual and a team player, said Sandra P. Barefoot-Reid, chair of the Goochland County School Board. The board and I will miss his dedication to GCPS. His diligence and commitment to purpose deserve credit for the successes of GCPS during his tenure as superintendent. We recognize that our loss is certainly the Commonwealth of Virginias gain. To that purpose, our sadness is assuaged by the knowledge that all of Virginia will benefit from this change.

Reached by phone last Friday, Raley said he was proud of the role hed played in strengthening the school division and providing students with what he saw as an exceptional academic experience.
From the corridors of power in Virginia, to the legal fraternity, to the sidewalks of Richmond, everyone had an opinion on Tuesdays historic arraignment of former president Donald Trump, marking the first time in history that a commander in chief appeared in court as a criminal defendant.

This is actually pretty minor, Ron Singleton, 72, of Fredericksburg, told the Richmond Times-Dispatch as he was sitting downtown next to his wife, Judy, on a sunny warm afternoon, adding that he would have liked to have seen more substantive charges brought against Trump, such as charges for withholding documents and obstructing justice.

Its about as minor of charges you can go after the guy for, considering all the things that hes done, he said, adding that the charges will not prevent Trump from being the face of the Republican Party.

Hes a master at manipulating the public opinion, and hes using that to his advantage, Singleton said. Its going to be very hard in the primaries to dislodge him.

Judy, his 75-year-old spouse, chimed in, We ought to be changing some laws to be stricter about being able to run when youre under indictment."

U.S. Rep. Bob Good, R-5th District, echoed GOP complaints that a liberal New York City prosecutor was targeting Trump unfairly.

Former President Trumps indictment and arrest are chilling examples of weaponized government targeting a political opponent, he tweeted. Every freedom-loving American across the country should be disturbed by this.

Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-7th District, repeated the Democratic position that no one, not even a former president, is above the law.

Former President Trumps indictment and arrest are chilling examples of weaponized government targeting a political opponent. Every freedom-loving American across the country should be disturbed by this.  Congressman Bob Good (@RepBobGood) April 4, 2023

Every American  including the former President  should be equal in the eyes of the law, Spanberger said in a statement. Responsible lawmakers must lead by example and not use these events as an opportunity to stoke anger and division. This moment requires a calm focus on justice.

Ilya Somin, a law professor at George Mason University, said that while he has reservations about Trump being brought up on relatively minor charges, he sees the former presidents arraignment as an example of the nations commanders in chief not being exempt from the law. Somin pointed out that leaders of other governments overseas have been charged with crimes.

We sent at least some message that former presidents are not immune to prosecution, Somin said. In some ways, this brings us in line with a lot of other democracies where current and former heads of state have been charged and, in some cases, convicted.

Somin said there is virtually no chance that Trumps current charges in New York would make him ineligible for the White House, but he said an argument could be made that Trump could be disqualified if he is convicted of an offense related to the Jan. 6, 2021, attacks at the U.S. Capitol.

Hank Chambers, a professor of law at the University of Richmond, said falsifying business records is not untypical from what the public has seen from the Trump organization.

Its important but not incredibly shocking, Chambers said.

The professor said the decision to bring charges or not is a legal sword that cuts both ways. The refusal to bring charges can be just as politically motivated, he added.

Even as Trump flew back to Mar-a-Lago on his personal jetliner after the court proceedings, Tiffany Buffaloe, 40, of Richmond, said she preferred Trump be locked up.

They need to teach him a lesson, even though hes older, Buffaloe said about the 76-year-old Trump. He knew he was wrong for what he did, so he needs to face the consequences.

GOP Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who many suspect is gearing up for a run for president, had no public appearances on Tuesday and did not comment.

But on Thursday, he condemned the indictment in a Twitter post, saying: It is beyond belief that District Attorney Alvin Bragg has indicted a former president and current presidential candidate for pure political gain. And despite speculation that he may run for national office, Youngkin says he is focused on governing Virginia.

Photos: Donald Trump's arraignment
A Westmoreland County man was the sixth person federally convicted as part of an interstate dogfighting operation in which fights were held in multiple locations, including King George County.

Tarry Jeron "TJ" Wilson, 38, pleaded guilty Monday in U.S. District Court in Alexandria to conspiracy to engage in dogfighting. He will face a maximum penalty of five years in prison when he is sentenced June 20.

According to federal court records, Wilson and others from Washington, Maryland, New Jersey and Virginia arranged dog fights from at least May 2015 through August 2020. They used a messaging app referred to as the "DMV Board" to discuss dogfighting, exchange videos and arrange fights. Dogs frequently died as a result of the fights, court records state.

Court records state that Wilson attended five fights in June 2020, including two involving his own dogs. He told fellow DMV Board members that he "loved" killing losing dogs and gave tips on ways to do it. In response to the arrest of another defendant, Wilson posted, "People like dogs. They don't like what we're doing to them though, I bet you that."

Among those arrested and convicted in connection with the ring is Carlos L. Harvey of King George, who pleaded guilty in 2021. One of the fights referred to in Harvey's case took place in April 2016 at a home on Caledon Road. Two separate dog fights were held that day and at least one dog died from injuries sustained in its fight.
As tensions between the United States and China over Taiwan rise, Gov. Glenn Youngkin will meet Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen during a trade mission later this month.

His visit, which follows General Assembly battles  some he won, some he lost  over Chinese activities in Virginia, also will include stops in Japan and South Korea between April 24 and April 29.

Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea represent critical markets that will advance economic growth and prosperity in Virginia. In strengthening these relationships, we are not only reaffirming our commitment to our allies but also strengthening the spirit of Virginia and America, Youngkin said.

China, meanwhile, has complained that U.S. Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthys plan to meet Tsai during her transit through Los Angeles on her way home from Central America is a provocation.

The meeting would repeat disastrous past mistakes, China said, since it claims Taiwan as part of its territory, and objects to any indication that American officials accept Taiwanese independence.

Last years visit by then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sparked high-profile Chinese war games around Taiwan, an island off the coast of southern China.

Youngkins moves last year to pull Virginia out of the running for a Ford Motor Co. battery plant, which he called a front for a company controlled by the Chinese Communist Party, sparked sharp criticism from Democratic legislators, who argued that the $3.5 billion facility would have generated 2,500 jobs in a depressed region of the state.

Youngkin argued that such investment posed a national security threat, while administration officials noted that some of the electric vehicle tax credits upon which backers of the deal hoped to capitalize might be uncertain.

During the General Assembly session, legislation Youngkin supported aimed at barring Chinese purchases of farmland  though the legislation referred only to foreign adversaries in general terms  passed the House of Delegates and state Senate.

Youngkin has proposed changes to strike language that would allow land that has already been purchased to remain in the hands of foreign adversaries, as well as language that limits the ban to firms in which foreign adversaries have a 50% stake.

A bill proposed by Del. Emily Brewer, R-Suffolk, barring state agencies from dealing with firms controlled by foreign adversaries and barring state employees from using state devices to access TikTok, WeChat or any website developed by ByteDance Ltd. or Tencent Holdings passed the Republican-controlled House on a largely partisan split, but died in the Senate Finance Committee.

A narrower bill, focused only on the use of state devices, passed both bodies, however.

Two prominent Virginia Democrats  Sen. Mark Warner, chair of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, and Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-7th, a former CIA case officer and a member of the House Agriculture Committee  also have raised concerns recently about the influence of the Chinese Communist Party on companies investing in the United States, without weighing in on Youngkins decision to remove the state from consideration for the Ford plant.

Currently, five Taiwanese firms, 133 Japanese companies and 25 South Korean businesses operate in Virginia.

Close Sherri Tinsley, Main Street Station Facility Manager, stands framed in the doorway leading out to a balcony on the clock tower of Main Street Station in Richmond, VA Wednesday, JUly 12, 2017. Sherri Tinsley, Main Street Station Facility Manager, watches traffic on I-95 as she stands on a balcony of the clock tower of Main Street Station in Richmond, VA Wednesday, July 12, 2017. A wooden scaffold holds the mechanism that rotates the hands on the giant clocks inside the clock tower of Main Street Station in Richmond, VA Wednesday, JUly 12, 2017. One of the four clock faces on the clock tower of Main Street Station in Richmond, VA Wednesday, JUly 12, 2017. The master clock which is hooked to the mechanism that rotates the hands on the giant clocks inside the clock tower of Main Street Station in Richmond, VA Wednesday, JUly 12, 2017. The skyline of the city stands behind I-95 as viewed from the clock tower of Main Street Station in Richmond, VA Wednesday, JUly 12, 2017. The clock tower rises above Main Street Station in Richmond, VA Thursday, July 13, 2017. Cyane B. Crump, Executive Director of Historic Richmond, stands in the basement of Monumental Church in Richmond, VA Friday, July 14, 2017, next to the crypt holding 71 men, women and children killed in a fire at the Richmond Theatre on December 26, 1811. The church was build on the ashes of the theatre after the bodies were burried in a common grave. Cyane B. Crump, Executive Director of Historic Richmond, stands in the sanctuary of Monumental Church in Richmond, VA Friday, July 14, 2017, and tells visitors about the history of the church, including the crypt in the basement that holds 71 men, women and children killed in a fire at the Richmond Theatre on December 26, 1811. The church was build on the ashes of the theatre after the bodies were burried in a common grave. A note written on one of the supports of a staircase appears to be signed by Robert Mills, architect of Monumental Church in Richmond, VA Friday, July 14, 2017. There is a crypt holding 71 men, women and children killed in a fire at the Richmond Theatre on December 26, 1811. The church was build on the ashes of the theatre after the bodies were burried in a common grave. Cyane B. Crump, Executive Director of Historic Richmond, shows off one of the huge doors of Monumental Church in Richmond, VA Friday, July 14, 2017. There is a crypt holding 71 men, women and children killed in a fire at the Richmond Theatre on December 26, 1811. The church was build on the ashes of the theatre after the bodies were burried in a common grave. One of two double curving staircases inside Monumental Church in Richmond, VA Friday, July 14, 2017. A plaque on the pew once occupied by Chief Justice John Marshall inside Monumental Church in Richmond, VA Friday, July 14, 2017. A wrought iron fence surrounds Monumental Church in Richmond, VA Friday, July 14, 2017. A plaque on the pew once occupied by Chief Justice John Marshall inside Monumental Church in Richmond, VA Friday, July 14, 2017. A view through the window shows the proximity of VCU to Monumental Church in Richmond, VA Friday, July 14, 2017. A memorial at the entrance of Monumental Church in Richmond, VA Friday, July 14, 2017, names all those buried in the basement crypt holding 71 men, women and children killed in a fire at the Richmond Theatre on December 26, 1811. The church was build on the ashes of the theatre after the bodies were burried in a common grave. Monumental Church in Richmond, VA Wednesday, July 26, 2017, where there's a crypt in the basement holding 71 men, women and children killed in a fire at the Richmond Theatre on December 26, 1811. The church was build on the ashes of the theatre after the bodies were burried in a common grave. Erich Thomas, Project Manager, Virginia Department of General Services, stands beside one of the four clock faces inside the clock tower at Old City Hall in Richmond, VA, Friday, June 23, 2017. Erich Thomas, Project Manager, Virginia Department of General Services, bottom, waits for a photographer to descend from the clock tower at Old City Hall in Richmond, VA, Friday, June 23, 2017. Erich Thomas, Project Manager, Virginia Department of General Services, stands in one of the tower rooms as he waits for a photographer to descend from the clock tower at Old City Hall in Richmond, VA, Friday, June 23, 2017. Erich Thomas, Project Manager, Virginia Department of General Services, climbs a spiral staircase leading to the clock tower at Old City Hall in Richmond, VA, Friday, June 23, 2017. A view onto a tiny balcony at the top of the clock tower at Old City Hall in Richmond, VA, Friday, June 23, 2017. Signatures scratched onto one of the glass window inside the clock tower at Old City Hall in Richmond, VA, Friday, June 23, 2017. Signatures scratched onto one of the glass window inside the clock tower at Old City Hall in Richmond, VA, Friday, June 23, 2017. The new Children's Pavilion reflects the clock tower at Old City Hall in Richmond, VA, Friday, June 23, 2017. Names scratched onto many of the walls inside the clock tower at Old City Hall in Richmond, VA, Friday, June 23, 2017. Stairs lead to the very top of the clock tower at Old City Hall in Richmond, VA, Friday, June 23, 2017. The clock tower at Old City Hall in Richmond, VA, Friday, June 23, 2017. Erich Thomas, Project Manager, Virginia Department of General Services, points out names carved inside the clock tower at Old City Hall in Richmond, VA, Friday, June 23, 2017. A view from the fourth floor of Old City Hall in Richmond, VA, Friday, June 23, 2017. A view from the fourth floor of Old City Hall in Richmond, VA, Friday, June 23, 2017. Support columns are very ornate inside Old City Hall in Richmond, VA, Friday, June 23, 2017. Erich Thomas, Project Manager, Virginia Department of General Services, points to lights that were originally set up for gas and ecectric energy at Old City Hall in Richmond, VA, Friday, June 23, 2017. Old City Hall in Richmond is shown on June 23, 2017. Richmond Times-Dispatch Senior Photographer Bob Brown sits Tuesday, August 1, 2017, in the same spot on the MCV West Hospital observation deck in Richmond, VA where he was photographed in May of 1958 with the other members of the first graduating class of photography majors from Richmond Professional Institute. Inside the Jefferson Davis Memorial Chapel in the MCV West Hospital in Richmond, VA Tuesday, August 1, 2017. Entrance to the Jefferson Davis Memorial Chapel in the MCV West Hospital in Richmond, VA Tuesday, August 1, 2017. Exterior of the MCV West Hospital in Richmond, VA Tuesday, August 1, 2017. Virginia Supreme Court Chief Justice Donald W. Lemons walks down a sub-basement hallway of the Supreme Court Building in Richmond, VA Wednesday, August 2, 2017. The building, constructed in 1920, originally housed the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond and still contains vaults far below street level. Virginia Supreme Court Chief Justice Donald W. Lemons walks into a giant vault in the sub-basement of the Supreme Court Building in Richmond, VA Wednesday, August 2, 2017. The building, constructed in 1920, originally housed the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond and still contains vaults far below street level. Karl R. Hade, left, Executive Secretary of the Virginia Supreme Court and Chief Justice Donald W. Lemons, right, inspect a sub-basement vault of the Supreme Court Building in Richmond, VA Wednesday, August 2, 2017. The building, constructed in 1920, originally housed the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond and still contains vaults far below street level. Virginia Supreme Court Chief Justice Donald W. Lemons opens a wood-paneled door that leads to a hallway out of a conference room of the Supreme Court Building in Richmond, VA Wednesday, August 2, 2017. The building, constructed in 1920, originally housed the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond and still contains vaults far below street level. Virginia Supreme Court Chief Justice Donald W. Lemons turns away from the railing on the roof of the Supreme Court Building in Richmond, VA Wednesday, August 2, 2017. The building, constructed in 1920, originally housed the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond and still contains vaults far below street level. Virginia Supreme Court Chief Justice Donald W. Lemons walks into the darkened courtroom of the Supreme Court Building in Richmond, VA Wednesday, August 2, 2017. The building, constructed in 1920, originally housed the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond and still contains vaults far below street level. Penciled numbers on the door of a safe inside a sub-basement vault of the Virginia Supreme Court Building in Richmond, VA Wednesday, August 2, 2017. The building, constructed in 1920, originally housed the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond and still contains vaults far below street level. Virginia Supreme Court Chief Justice Donald W. Lemons walks down a sub-basement stairway of the Supreme Court Building in Richmond, VA Wednesday, August 2, 2017. The building, constructed in 1920, originally housed the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond and still contains vaults far below street level. Virginia Supreme Court Chief Justice Donald W. Lemons looks up at a hand-written sign on the wall as he walks down a sub-basement hallway of the Supreme Court Building in Richmond, VA Wednesday, August 2, 2017. The building, constructed in 1920, originally housed the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond and still contains vaults far below street level. Karl R. Hade,, Executive Secretary of the Virginia Supreme Court walks past one of the vaults in a sub-basement hallwayof the Supreme Court Building in Richmond, VA Wednesday, August 2, 2017. The building, constructed in 1920, originally housed the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond and still contains vaults far below street level. Hand-carved details in a beam inside the former Federal Reserve Board Room in what is now the Supreme Court Building in Richmond, VA Wednesday, August 2, 2017. The building, constructed in 1920, originally housed the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond and still contains vaults far below street level. Karl R. Hade,, Executive Secretary of the Virginia Supreme Court walks past main-frame computers housed in the-basement of the Supreme Court Building in Richmond, VA Wednesday, August 2, 2017. The building, constructed in 1920, originally housed the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond and still contains vaults far below street level. A land-line telephone sits on computer equipment in the basement of the Supreme Court Building in Richmond, VA Wednesday, August 2, 2017. The building, constructed in 1920, originally housed the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond and still contains vaults far below street level. Virginia Supreme Court Chief Justice Donald W. Lemons looks around inside a vault in the sub-basement of the Supreme Court Building in Richmond, VA Wednesday, August 2, 2017. The building, constructed in 1920, originally housed the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond and still contains vaults far below street level. Virginia Supreme Court Chief Justice Donald W. Lemons walks down a sub-basement stairway of the Supreme Court Building in Richmond, VA Wednesday, August 2, 2017. The building, constructed in 1920, originally housed the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond and still contains vaults far below street level. Virginia Supreme Court Chief Justice Donald W. Lemons stand outside a vault in a sub-basement hallway of the Supreme Court Building in Richmond, VA Wednesday, August 2, 2017. The building, constructed in 1920, originally housed the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond and still contains vaults far below street level. Virginia Supreme Court Chief Justice Donald W. Lemons talks about the portraits of former justices in a hallway of the Supreme Court Building in Richmond, VA Wednesday, August 2, 2017. The building, constructed in 1920, originally housed the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond and still contains vaults far below street level. Virginia Supreme Court Chief Justice Donald W. Lemons in the courtroom of the Supreme Court Building in Richmond, VA Wednesday, August 2, 2017. The building, constructed in 1920, originally housed the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond and still contains vaults far below street level. A staircase behind bars lead down two more floors from a sub-basement hallway of the Supreme Court Building in Richmond, VA Wednesday, August 2, 2017. The building, constructed in 1920, originally housed the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond and still contains vaults far below street level. Virginia Supreme Court Chief Justice Donald W. Lemons walks into a vault (now used for storage) in the sub-basement of the Supreme Court Building in Richmond, VA Wednesday, August 2, 2017. The building, constructed in 1920, originally housed the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond and still contains vaults far below street level. Virginia Supreme Court Chief Justice Donald W. Lemons walks past a map showing the Federal Reserve districts of the US as he walks down a sub-basement hallway of the Supreme Court Building in Richmond, VA Wednesday, August 2, 2017. The building, constructed in 1920, originally housed the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond and still contains vaults far below street level. This is the view that Justices see when they enter the courtroom at the Virginia Supreme Court in Richmond, VA Wednesday, August 2, 2017. A view of Old City Hall and the equestrian statue of George Washington in Capitol Square from the roof of the Supreme Court Building in Richmond, VA Wednesday, August 2, 2017. Karl R. Hade, Executive Secretary for the Supreme Court of Virginia, shows visitors Friday, August 11, 2017, the old firing range that was used by Capitol Police in the basement of the Supreme Court Building in Richmond, VA. The range is no longer in use. Karl R. Hade, Executive Secretary for the Supreme Court of Virginia, shows visitors Friday, August 11, 2017, the impact area of the old firing range that was used by Capitol Police in the basement of the Supreme Court Building in Richmond, VA. The range is no longer in use. Karl R. Hade, Executive Secretary for the Supreme Court of Virginia, walks Friday, August 11, 2017, toward the impact area of the old firing range that was used by Capitol Police in the basement of the Supreme Court Building in Richmond, VA. The range is no longer in use. The old firing range that was used by Capitol Police in the basement of the Supreme Court Building in Richmond, VA. The range is no longer in use. Historic Marker for the Church Hill Tunnel, located near 18th St. in Richmond, VA Tuesday, August 1, 2017. The tunnel was the site of a train disaster in 1925, when a cave-in trapped a freight train and crew. The sealed west entrance for the Church Hill Tunnel, located near 18th St. in Richmond, VA Tuesday, August 1, 2017. The tunnel was the site of a train disaster in 1925, when a cave-in trapped a freight train and crew. The entrance was sealed in 1926. The sealed west entrance for the Church Hill Tunnel, located near 18th St. in Richmond, VA Tuesday, August 1, 2017. The tunnel was the site of a train disaster in 1925, when a cave-in trapped a freight train and crew. The entrance was sealed in 1926. Erich Thomas, Project Manager, Virginia Department of General Services, climbs the spiral staircase inside the base of the equestrian statue of George Washington at Capitol Squarel in Richmond, VA, Friday, June 23, 2017. Erich Thomas, Project Manager, Virginia Department of General Services, heads for the spiral staircase inside the base of the equestrian statue of George Washington at Capitol Squarel in Richmond, VA, Friday, June 23, 2017. Erich Thomas, Project Manager, Virginia Department of General Services, opens the locked gate at the base of the equestrian statue of George Washington at Capitol Squarel in Richmond, VA, Friday, June 23, 2017. Inside is a spiral staircase to the top, which has a ventilated cover, just under the statue at the top. The equestrian statue of George Washington at Capitol Squarel in Richmond, VA, Friday, June 23, 2017. The monument has a spiral staircase leading up under the statue. A view looking down the spiral staircase inside the base of the equestrian statue of George Washington at Capitol Squarel in Richmond, VA, Friday, June 23, 2017. Then-Governor (now US Senator) Tim Kaine waves to the camera after climbing the spiral staircase inside the base of the equestrian statue of George Washington at Capitol Squarel in Richmond, VA, August 15, 2009. Kaine is probably the only Virginia governor to be in this spot and for sure the only one to be photographed there. A large X-brace reinforces one foot of Washington's horse inside the base of the equestrian statue of George Washington at Capitol Squarel in Richmond, VA, Friday, June 23, 2017. With bracing on the two feet touching the base, the statue will withstand hurricane force winds. Sheila Payaqui, senior conservator at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, talks about the statue she is working on inside the David and Susan Goode Conservation Studios at the VMFA in Richmond, VA Monday, June 19, 2017. The statue, by French sculptor Raoul Francois Larche, is titled La Tempete Et Ses Nuees (The Storm And The Clouds). Sheila Payaqui, senior conservator at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, lightly touches the statue she is working on inside the David and Susan Goode Conservation Studios at the VMFA in Richmond, VA Monday, June 19, 2017. The statue, by French sculptor Raoul Francois Larche, is titled La Tempete Et Ses Nuees (The Storm And The Clouds). Sheila Payaqui, senior conservator at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, left, talks with Stephen D. Bonadies, Senior Deputy Director for Conservation and Collections, right, about the Native American war shirt, foreground, inside the David and Susan Goode Conservation Studios at the VMFA in Richmond, VA Monday, June 19, 2017. Stephen D. Bonadies, Senior Deputy Director for Conservation and Collections, talks with visitors inside the David and Susan Goode Conservation Studios at the VMFA in Richmond, VA Monday, June 19, 2017. Sheila Payaqui, senior conservator at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, looks through a glass sculpture titled "Untitled" by Fred Eversley inside the David and Susan Goode Conservation Studios at the VMFA in Richmond, VA Monday, June 19, 2017. Stephen D. Bonadies, Senior Deputy Director for Conservation and Collections, talks about how the silver content of the crosses, foreground, can help place the origin as he spoke with visitors inside the David and Susan Goode Conservation Studios at the VMFA in Richmond, VA Monday, June 19, 2017. Sydney Collins, conservation photographer for the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, checks out the image of an artifact she is photographing using a 50mp Hasselblad digital camera inside the David and Susan Goode Conservation Studios at the VMFA in Richmond, VA Monday, June 19, 2017. Samantha Sheesley, Paper Conservator for the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts,i talks with visitors about street rubbings by artist Sari Dienes that she is working on nside the David and Susan Goode Conservation Studios at the VMFA in Richmond, VA Monday, June 19, 2017. Samantha Sheesley, Paper Conservator for the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts,i talks with visitors about street rubbings, foreground, by artist Sari Dienes that she is working on nside the David and Susan Goode Conservation Studios at the VMFA in Richmond, VA Monday, June 19, 2017. Samantha Sheesley, Paper Conservator for the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, delicately lifts a street rubbing by artist Sari Dienes that she is working on nside the David and Susan Goode Conservation Studios at the VMFA in Richmond, VA Monday, June 19, 2017. Samantha Sheesley, Paper Conservator for the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, shows a street rubbing she did, similar to the type of work done by artist Sari Dienes as she talks with visitors inside the David and Susan Goode Conservation Studios at the VMFA in Richmond, VA Monday, June 19, 2017. Carol Woods Sawyer, the Margaret H. & William E. Massey, Sr. Conservator of Paintings at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, talks about "Winter Landscape", a painting by 17th century Dutch artist Aert Van Der Meer that she is restoring inside the David and Susan Goode Conservation Studios at the VMFA in Richmond, VA Monday, June 19, 2017. "Winter Landscape", a painting by 17th century Dutch artist Aert Van Der Meer that is being restoring inside the David and Susan Goode Conservation Studios at the VMFA in Richmond, VA Monday, June 19, 2017. Some of the tools and chemicals used to restore and clean paintings inside the David and Susan Goode Conservation Studios at the VMFA in Richmond, VA Monday, June 19, 2017. The grave of Grace Arents stands in front of the mausoleum of her uncle, Lewis Ginter, at Hollywood Cemetery. The grave of Grace Evelyn Arents stands in front of the mausoleum of Lewis Ginter at Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, VA Friday, Nov. 3, 2017. Three stained glass Tiffany windows surround he final resting place of Lewis Ginter inside his mausoleum at Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, VA Friday, Nov. 3, 2017. NOTE: The marble is white, but appears to be colored as a result of the light passing through the stained glass. Ornate doors at the entrance and sstained glass Tiffany windows surround he final resting place of Lewis Ginter inside his mausoleum at Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, VA Friday, Nov. 3, 2017. NOTE: The marble tomb is white, but light passing through the stained glass gives it color. One of the stained glass Tiffany windows inside the mausoleum of Lewis Ginter at Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, VA Friday, Nov. 3, 2017. One of the stained glass Tiffany windows inside the mausoleum of Lewis Ginter at Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, VA Friday, Nov. 3, 2017. One of the stained glass Tiffany windows inside the mausoleum of Lewis Ginter at Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, VA Friday, Nov. 3, 2017. Detail of one of the stained glass Tiffany windows inside the mausoleum of Lewis Ginter at Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, VA Friday, Nov. 3, 2017. Detail of one of the stained glass Tiffany windows inside the mausoleum of Lewis Ginter at Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, VA Friday, Nov. 3, 2017. Detail of one of the stained glass Tiffany windows inside the mausoleum of Lewis Ginter at Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, VA Friday, Nov. 3, 2017. Manufacturer's mark of the stained glass Tiffany windows inside the mausoleum of Lewis Ginter at Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, VA Friday, Nov. 3, 2017. Stained glass Tiffany windows inside the mausoleum of Lewis Ginter at Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, VA Friday, Nov. 3, 2017. One of the stained glass Tiffany windows inside the mausoleum of Lewis Ginter at Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, VA Friday, Nov. 3, 2017. The mausoleum of Lewis Ginter at Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, VA Friday, Nov. 3, 2017. PHOTOS: The hidden secrets of some of Richmond's best-known landmarks Some behind the scenes photos from Hollywood Cemetery, the VMFA, Old City Hall, Main Street Station, Monumental Church, the Church Hill Tunnel, the Virginia Supreme Court building and the George Washington Equestrian Statue in Capitol Square. Sherri Tinsley, Main Street Station Facility Manager, stands framed in the doorway leading out to a balcony on the clock tower of Main Street Station in Richmond, VA Wednesday, JUly 12, 2017. Sherri Tinsley, Main Street Station Facility Manager, watches traffic on I-95 as she stands on a balcony of the clock tower of Main Street Station in Richmond, VA Wednesday, July 12, 2017. A wooden scaffold holds the mechanism that rotates the hands on the giant clocks inside the clock tower of Main Street Station in Richmond, VA Wednesday, JUly 12, 2017. One of the four clock faces on the clock tower of Main Street Station in Richmond, VA Wednesday, JUly 12, 2017. The master clock which is hooked to the mechanism that rotates the hands on the giant clocks inside the clock tower of Main Street Station in Richmond, VA Wednesday, JUly 12, 2017. The skyline of the city stands behind I-95 as viewed from the clock tower of Main Street Station in Richmond, VA Wednesday, JUly 12, 2017. The clock tower rises above Main Street Station in Richmond, VA Thursday, July 13, 2017. Cyane B. Crump, Executive Director of Historic Richmond, stands in the basement of Monumental Church in Richmond, VA Friday, July 14, 2017, next to the crypt holding 71 men, women and children killed in a fire at the Richmond Theatre on December 26, 1811. The church was build on the ashes of the theatre after the bodies were burried in a common grave. Cyane B. Crump, Executive Director of Historic Richmond, stands in the sanctuary of Monumental Church in Richmond, VA Friday, July 14, 2017, and tells visitors about the history of the church, including the crypt in the basement that holds 71 men, women and children killed in a fire at the Richmond Theatre on December 26, 1811. The church was build on the ashes of the theatre after the bodies were burried in a common grave. A note written on one of the supports of a staircase appears to be signed by Robert Mills, architect of Monumental Church in Richmond, VA Friday, July 14, 2017. There is a crypt holding 71 men, women and children killed in a fire at the Richmond Theatre on December 26, 1811. The church was build on the ashes of the theatre after the bodies were burried in a common grave. Cyane B. Crump, Executive Director of Historic Richmond, shows off one of the huge doors of Monumental Church in Richmond, VA Friday, July 14, 2017. There is a crypt holding 71 men, women and children killed in a fire at the Richmond Theatre on December 26, 1811. The church was build on the ashes of the theatre after the bodies were burried in a common grave. One of two double curving staircases inside Monumental Church in Richmond, VA Friday, July 14, 2017. A plaque on the pew once occupied by Chief Justice John Marshall inside Monumental Church in Richmond, VA Friday, July 14, 2017. A wrought iron fence surrounds Monumental Church in Richmond, VA Friday, July 14, 2017. A plaque on the pew once occupied by Chief Justice John Marshall inside Monumental Church in Richmond, VA Friday, July 14, 2017. A view through the window shows the proximity of VCU to Monumental Church in Richmond, VA Friday, July 14, 2017. A memorial at the entrance of Monumental Church in Richmond, VA Friday, July 14, 2017, names all those buried in the basement crypt holding 71 men, women and children killed in a fire at the Richmond Theatre on December 26, 1811. The church was build on the ashes of the theatre after the bodies were burried in a common grave. Monumental Church in Richmond, VA Wednesday, July 26, 2017, where there's a crypt in the basement holding 71 men, women and children killed in a fire at the Richmond Theatre on December 26, 1811. The church was build on the ashes of the theatre after the bodies were burried in a common grave. Erich Thomas, Project Manager, Virginia Department of General Services, stands beside one of the four clock faces inside the clock tower at Old City Hall in Richmond, VA, Friday, June 23, 2017. Erich Thomas, Project Manager, Virginia Department of General Services, bottom, waits for a photographer to descend from the clock tower at Old City Hall in Richmond, VA, Friday, June 23, 2017. Erich Thomas, Project Manager, Virginia Department of General Services, stands in one of the tower rooms as he waits for a photographer to descend from the clock tower at Old City Hall in Richmond, VA, Friday, June 23, 2017. Erich Thomas, Project Manager, Virginia Department of General Services, climbs a spiral staircase leading to the clock tower at Old City Hall in Richmond, VA, Friday, June 23, 2017. A view onto a tiny balcony at the top of the clock tower at Old City Hall in Richmond, VA, Friday, June 23, 2017. Signatures scratched onto one of the glass window inside the clock tower at Old City Hall in Richmond, VA, Friday, June 23, 2017. Signatures scratched onto one of the glass window inside the clock tower at Old City Hall in Richmond, VA, Friday, June 23, 2017. The new Children's Pavilion reflects the clock tower at Old City Hall in Richmond, VA, Friday, June 23, 2017. Names scratched onto many of the walls inside the clock tower at Old City Hall in Richmond, VA, Friday, June 23, 2017. Stairs lead to the very top of the clock tower at Old City Hall in Richmond, VA, Friday, June 23, 2017. The clock tower at Old City Hall in Richmond, VA, Friday, June 23, 2017. Erich Thomas, Project Manager, Virginia Department of General Services, points out names carved inside the clock tower at Old City Hall in Richmond, VA, Friday, June 23, 2017. A view from the fourth floor of Old City Hall in Richmond, VA, Friday, June 23, 2017. A view from the fourth floor of Old City Hall in Richmond, VA, Friday, June 23, 2017. Support columns are very ornate inside Old City Hall in Richmond, VA, Friday, June 23, 2017. Erich Thomas, Project Manager, Virginia Department of General Services, points to lights that were originally set up for gas and ecectric energy at Old City Hall in Richmond, VA, Friday, June 23, 2017. Old City Hall in Richmond is shown on June 23, 2017. Richmond Times-Dispatch Senior Photographer Bob Brown sits Tuesday, August 1, 2017, in the same spot on the MCV West Hospital observation deck in Richmond, VA where he was photographed in May of 1958 with the other members of the first graduating class of photography majors from Richmond Professional Institute. Inside the Jefferson Davis Memorial Chapel in the MCV West Hospital in Richmond, VA Tuesday, August 1, 2017. Entrance to the Jefferson Davis Memorial Chapel in the MCV West Hospital in Richmond, VA Tuesday, August 1, 2017. Exterior of the MCV West Hospital in Richmond, VA Tuesday, August 1, 2017. Virginia Supreme Court Chief Justice Donald W. Lemons walks down a sub-basement hallway of the Supreme Court Building in Richmond, VA Wednesday, August 2, 2017. The building, constructed in 1920, originally housed the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond and still contains vaults far below street level. Virginia Supreme Court Chief Justice Donald W. Lemons walks into a giant vault in the sub-basement of the Supreme Court Building in Richmond, VA Wednesday, August 2, 2017. The building, constructed in 1920, originally housed the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond and still contains vaults far below street level. Karl R. Hade, left, Executive Secretary of the Virginia Supreme Court and Chief Justice Donald W. Lemons, right, inspect a sub-basement vault of the Supreme Court Building in Richmond, VA Wednesday, August 2, 2017. The building, constructed in 1920, originally housed the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond and still contains vaults far below street level. Virginia Supreme Court Chief Justice Donald W. Lemons opens a wood-paneled door that leads to a hallway out of a conference room of the Supreme Court Building in Richmond, VA Wednesday, August 2, 2017. The building, constructed in 1920, originally housed the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond and still contains vaults far below street level. Virginia Supreme Court Chief Justice Donald W. Lemons turns away from the railing on the roof of the Supreme Court Building in Richmond, VA Wednesday, August 2, 2017. The building, constructed in 1920, originally housed the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond and still contains vaults far below street level. Virginia Supreme Court Chief Justice Donald W. Lemons walks into the darkened courtroom of the Supreme Court Building in Richmond, VA Wednesday, August 2, 2017. The building, constructed in 1920, originally housed the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond and still contains vaults far below street level. Penciled numbers on the door of a safe inside a sub-basement vault of the Virginia Supreme Court Building in Richmond, VA Wednesday, August 2, 2017. The building, constructed in 1920, originally housed the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond and still contains vaults far below street level. Virginia Supreme Court Chief Justice Donald W. Lemons walks down a sub-basement stairway of the Supreme Court Building in Richmond, VA Wednesday, August 2, 2017. The building, constructed in 1920, originally housed the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond and still contains vaults far below street level. Virginia Supreme Court Chief Justice Donald W. Lemons looks up at a hand-written sign on the wall as he walks down a sub-basement hallway of the Supreme Court Building in Richmond, VA Wednesday, August 2, 2017. The building, constructed in 1920, originally housed the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond and still contains vaults far below street level. Karl R. Hade,, Executive Secretary of the Virginia Supreme Court walks past one of the vaults in a sub-basement hallwayof the Supreme Court Building in Richmond, VA Wednesday, August 2, 2017. The building, constructed in 1920, originally housed the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond and still contains vaults far below street level. Hand-carved details in a beam inside the former Federal Reserve Board Room in what is now the Supreme Court Building in Richmond, VA Wednesday, August 2, 2017. The building, constructed in 1920, originally housed the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond and still contains vaults far below street level. Karl R. Hade,, Executive Secretary of the Virginia Supreme Court walks past main-frame computers housed in the-basement of the Supreme Court Building in Richmond, VA Wednesday, August 2, 2017. The building, constructed in 1920, originally housed the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond and still contains vaults far below street level. A land-line telephone sits on computer equipment in the basement of the Supreme Court Building in Richmond, VA Wednesday, August 2, 2017. The building, constructed in 1920, originally housed the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond and still contains vaults far below street level. Virginia Supreme Court Chief Justice Donald W. Lemons looks around inside a vault in the sub-basement of the Supreme Court Building in Richmond, VA Wednesday, August 2, 2017. The building, constructed in 1920, originally housed the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond and still contains vaults far below street level. Virginia Supreme Court Chief Justice Donald W. Lemons walks down a sub-basement stairway of the Supreme Court Building in Richmond, VA Wednesday, August 2, 2017. The building, constructed in 1920, originally housed the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond and still contains vaults far below street level. Virginia Supreme Court Chief Justice Donald W. Lemons stand outside a vault in a sub-basement hallway of the Supreme Court Building in Richmond, VA Wednesday, August 2, 2017. The building, constructed in 1920, originally housed the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond and still contains vaults far below street level. Virginia Supreme Court Chief Justice Donald W. Lemons talks about the portraits of former justices in a hallway of the Supreme Court Building in Richmond, VA Wednesday, August 2, 2017. The building, constructed in 1920, originally housed the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond and still contains vaults far below street level. Virginia Supreme Court Chief Justice Donald W. Lemons in the courtroom of the Supreme Court Building in Richmond, VA Wednesday, August 2, 2017. The building, constructed in 1920, originally housed the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond and still contains vaults far below street level. A staircase behind bars lead down two more floors from a sub-basement hallway of the Supreme Court Building in Richmond, VA Wednesday, August 2, 2017. The building, constructed in 1920, originally housed the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond and still contains vaults far below street level. Virginia Supreme Court Chief Justice Donald W. Lemons walks into a vault (now used for storage) in the sub-basement of the Supreme Court Building in Richmond, VA Wednesday, August 2, 2017. The building, constructed in 1920, originally housed the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond and still contains vaults far below street level. Virginia Supreme Court Chief Justice Donald W. Lemons walks past a map showing the Federal Reserve districts of the US as he walks down a sub-basement hallway of the Supreme Court Building in Richmond, VA Wednesday, August 2, 2017. The building, constructed in 1920, originally housed the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond and still contains vaults far below street level. This is the view that Justices see when they enter the courtroom at the Virginia Supreme Court in Richmond, VA Wednesday, August 2, 2017. A view of Old City Hall and the equestrian statue of George Washington in Capitol Square from the roof of the Supreme Court Building in Richmond, VA Wednesday, August 2, 2017. Karl R. Hade, Executive Secretary for the Supreme Court of Virginia, shows visitors Friday, August 11, 2017, the old firing range that was used by Capitol Police in the basement of the Supreme Court Building in Richmond, VA. The range is no longer in use. Karl R. Hade, Executive Secretary for the Supreme Court of Virginia, shows visitors Friday, August 11, 2017, the impact area of the old firing range that was used by Capitol Police in the basement of the Supreme Court Building in Richmond, VA. The range is no longer in use. Karl R. Hade, Executive Secretary for the Supreme Court of Virginia, walks Friday, August 11, 2017, toward the impact area of the old firing range that was used by Capitol Police in the basement of the Supreme Court Building in Richmond, VA. The range is no longer in use. The old firing range that was used by Capitol Police in the basement of the Supreme Court Building in Richmond, VA. The range is no longer in use. Historic Marker for the Church Hill Tunnel, located near 18th St. in Richmond, VA Tuesday, August 1, 2017. The tunnel was the site of a train disaster in 1925, when a cave-in trapped a freight train and crew. The sealed west entrance for the Church Hill Tunnel, located near 18th St. in Richmond, VA Tuesday, August 1, 2017. The tunnel was the site of a train disaster in 1925, when a cave-in trapped a freight train and crew. The entrance was sealed in 1926. The sealed west entrance for the Church Hill Tunnel, located near 18th St. in Richmond, VA Tuesday, August 1, 2017. The tunnel was the site of a train disaster in 1925, when a cave-in trapped a freight train and crew. The entrance was sealed in 1926. Erich Thomas, Project Manager, Virginia Department of General Services, climbs the spiral staircase inside the base of the equestrian statue of George Washington at Capitol Squarel in Richmond, VA, Friday, June 23, 2017. Erich Thomas, Project Manager, Virginia Department of General Services, heads for the spiral staircase inside the base of the equestrian statue of George Washington at Capitol Squarel in Richmond, VA, Friday, June 23, 2017. Erich Thomas, Project Manager, Virginia Department of General Services, opens the locked gate at the base of the equestrian statue of George Washington at Capitol Squarel in Richmond, VA, Friday, June 23, 2017. Inside is a spiral staircase to the top, which has a ventilated cover, just under the statue at the top. The equestrian statue of George Washington at Capitol Squarel in Richmond, VA, Friday, June 23, 2017. The monument has a spiral staircase leading up under the statue. A view looking down the spiral staircase inside the base of the equestrian statue of George Washington at Capitol Squarel in Richmond, VA, Friday, June 23, 2017. Then-Governor (now US Senator) Tim Kaine waves to the camera after climbing the spiral staircase inside the base of the equestrian statue of George Washington at Capitol Squarel in Richmond, VA, August 15, 2009. Kaine is probably the only Virginia governor to be in this spot and for sure the only one to be photographed there. A large X-brace reinforces one foot of Washington's horse inside the base of the equestrian statue of George Washington at Capitol Squarel in Richmond, VA, Friday, June 23, 2017. With bracing on the two feet touching the base, the statue will withstand hurricane force winds. Sheila Payaqui, senior conservator at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, talks about the statue she is working on inside the David and Susan Goode Conservation Studios at the VMFA in Richmond, VA Monday, June 19, 2017. The statue, by French sculptor Raoul Francois Larche, is titled La Tempete Et Ses Nuees (The Storm And The Clouds). Sheila Payaqui, senior conservator at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, lightly touches the statue she is working on inside the David and Susan Goode Conservation Studios at the VMFA in Richmond, VA Monday, June 19, 2017. The statue, by French sculptor Raoul Francois Larche, is titled La Tempete Et Ses Nuees (The Storm And The Clouds). Sheila Payaqui, senior conservator at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, left, talks with Stephen D. Bonadies, Senior Deputy Director for Conservation and Collections, right, about the Native American war shirt, foreground, inside the David and Susan Goode Conservation Studios at the VMFA in Richmond, VA Monday, June 19, 2017. Stephen D. Bonadies, Senior Deputy Director for Conservation and Collections, talks with visitors inside the David and Susan Goode Conservation Studios at the VMFA in Richmond, VA Monday, June 19, 2017. Sheila Payaqui, senior conservator at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, looks through a glass sculpture titled "Untitled" by Fred Eversley inside the David and Susan Goode Conservation Studios at the VMFA in Richmond, VA Monday, June 19, 2017. Stephen D. Bonadies, Senior Deputy Director for Conservation and Collections, talks about how the silver content of the crosses, foreground, can help place the origin as he spoke with visitors inside the David and Susan Goode Conservation Studios at the VMFA in Richmond, VA Monday, June 19, 2017. Sydney Collins, conservation photographer for the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, checks out the image of an artifact she is photographing using a 50mp Hasselblad digital camera inside the David and Susan Goode Conservation Studios at the VMFA in Richmond, VA Monday, June 19, 2017. Samantha Sheesley, Paper Conservator for the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts,i talks with visitors about street rubbings by artist Sari Dienes that she is working on nside the David and Susan Goode Conservation Studios at the VMFA in Richmond, VA Monday, June 19, 2017. Samantha Sheesley, Paper Conservator for the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts,i talks with visitors about street rubbings, foreground, by artist Sari Dienes that she is working on nside the David and Susan Goode Conservation Studios at the VMFA in Richmond, VA Monday, June 19, 2017. Samantha Sheesley, Paper Conservator for the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, delicately lifts a street rubbing by artist Sari Dienes that she is working on nside the David and Susan Goode Conservation Studios at the VMFA in Richmond, VA Monday, June 19, 2017. Samantha Sheesley, Paper Conservator for the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, shows a street rubbing she did, similar to the type of work done by artist Sari Dienes as she talks with visitors inside the David and Susan Goode Conservation Studios at the VMFA in Richmond, VA Monday, June 19, 2017. Carol Woods Sawyer, the Margaret H. & William E. Massey, Sr. Conservator of Paintings at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, talks about "Winter Landscape", a painting by 17th century Dutch artist Aert Van Der Meer that she is restoring inside the David and Susan Goode Conservation Studios at the VMFA in Richmond, VA Monday, June 19, 2017. "Winter Landscape", a painting by 17th century Dutch artist Aert Van Der Meer that is being restoring inside the David and Susan Goode Conservation Studios at the VMFA in Richmond, VA Monday, June 19, 2017. Some of the tools and chemicals used to restore and clean paintings inside the David and Susan Goode Conservation Studios at the VMFA in Richmond, VA Monday, June 19, 2017. The grave of Grace Arents stands in front of the mausoleum of her uncle, Lewis Ginter, at Hollywood Cemetery. The grave of Grace Evelyn Arents stands in front of the mausoleum of Lewis Ginter at Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, VA Friday, Nov. 3, 2017. Three stained glass Tiffany windows surround he final resting place of Lewis Ginter inside his mausoleum at Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, VA Friday, Nov. 3, 2017. NOTE: The marble is white, but appears to be colored as a result of the light passing through the stained glass. Ornate doors at the entrance and sstained glass Tiffany windows surround he final resting place of Lewis Ginter inside his mausoleum at Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, VA Friday, Nov. 3, 2017. NOTE: The marble tomb is white, but light passing through the stained glass gives it color. One of the stained glass Tiffany windows inside the mausoleum of Lewis Ginter at Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, VA Friday, Nov. 3, 2017. One of the stained glass Tiffany windows inside the mausoleum of Lewis Ginter at Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, VA Friday, Nov. 3, 2017. One of the stained glass Tiffany windows inside the mausoleum of Lewis Ginter at Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, VA Friday, Nov. 3, 2017. Detail of one of the stained glass Tiffany windows inside the mausoleum of Lewis Ginter at Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, VA Friday, Nov. 3, 2017. Detail of one of the stained glass Tiffany windows inside the mausoleum of Lewis Ginter at Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, VA Friday, Nov. 3, 2017. Detail of one of the stained glass Tiffany windows inside the mausoleum of Lewis Ginter at Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, VA Friday, Nov. 3, 2017. Manufacturer's mark of the stained glass Tiffany windows inside the mausoleum of Lewis Ginter at Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, VA Friday, Nov. 3, 2017. Stained glass Tiffany windows inside the mausoleum of Lewis Ginter at Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, VA Friday, Nov. 3, 2017. One of the stained glass Tiffany windows inside the mausoleum of Lewis Ginter at Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, VA Friday, Nov. 3, 2017. The mausoleum of Lewis Ginter at Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, VA Friday, Nov. 3, 2017.
House Republican and Democratic leaders dont agree on much, but they have agreed not to seek a special election to fill the House seat of Del. Lamont Bagby, D-Henrico, who was elected to the Virginia Senate on March 28.

House Speaker Todd Gilbert, R-Shenandoah, is deferring to Gov. Glenn Youngkin. He also has agreed not to order a special election, with too little time for local registrars to conduct the voting in current House of Delegates districts while preparing for early voting in June party primaries for the new districts under the political map that the Virginia Supreme Court approved in late 2021.

The Speaker has advised the governor to that effect because it is (Youngkins) decision, spokesman Garren Shipley said Monday.

Youngkins office confirmed that he will not order special elections to fill Bagbys seat in the 74th House District or that of Del. Nadarius Clark, D-Portsmouth. Clark has resigned his seat in the 79th House District in order to qualify to run in the Democratic primary for a newly drawn district in June.

The decision will leave voters in both districts without representation until January, after elections under the new political map. It will not have much effect when the General Assembly reconvenes on April 12 to consider the governors vetoes and proposed amendments to legislation, including the stopgap budget the legislature adopted on Feb. 25 after failing to reach agreement on a revised two-year budget. Republicans hold a five-seat edge in the House, and Democrats a two-seat edge in the Senate.

The decision to leave the House seat open after Bagby takes the oath to represent the 9th Senate District is another consequence of the new political map that the Virginia Supreme Court approved at the end of 2021, as well as a series of party primaries and special elections required after the sudden death of Rep. Donald McEachin, D-4th, on Nov. 28.

Bagby won a special election on March 28 to fill the Senate seat left vacant by the election of Sen. Jennifer McClellan, D-Richmond, to Congress in late February to succeed McEachin in the 4th Congressional District.

The Virginia Board of Elections has not even had time to certify Bagbys victory but expects to do so on Tuesday, which would allow him to take the Senate oath in time for the assembly veto session the next day.

At some point, we must stop and say no more, Henrico County Registrar Mark Coakley said in an email he sent to Gilbert after Bagbys election last week and shared with Commissioner of Elections Susan Beals this week. Coakley wrote: 9% turnout does not justify mailing out 6,000 absentee ballots and only getting 1,400 back. 9% turnout does not justify the $65,000 in Officer of Election payroll.

I can go on and on about wasted supplies, overtime, and fatigue it is causing staff here and [the state departments Richmond headquarters] on Bank St.

Bagbys old House district includes about 60,000 voters in 28 Henrico precincts, Coakley said. These are the same voters who voted in November and February for the 4th Congressional District and in March for the 9th Senate District that did not exist [under the new political maps]. They will have to go back to their polling place in June for the Primary districts they know they have been redistricted in.

The registrar pleaded for a decision on the special election because, he said, As one staff member put it, the unknown is crushing our souls.

With no special election in the current district, Democrats will vote in a primary on June 20 for the new 80th House District, in which Destiny Levere Bolling faces John Dantzler for the nomination in a heavily Democratic district.

Bolling got a boost last week with an endorsement by former Gov. Terry McAuliffe, whose former campaign manager, Chris Bolling, is her husband. Bagby did not endorse her directly, but said theres no way in the world that he would support Dantzler, whom he handily defeated in 2021.

Dantzlers campaign responded that the seat belongs to the people and not former Del. Lamont Bagby.

Theres a saying that goes, Show me your friends, and Ill tell you who you are which is why Dantzler never sought an endorsement from Bagby, the statement said. Dantzlers core objective is to tap into the endorsement of 65,758 voters that didnt come out to vote in the 2021 primary district election.

House Republican and Democratic leaders agreed on not ordering special elections for Bagby or Clarks seats, even though they still disagree on who has authority to make the decision. Gilbert said the decision rests with the governor because the assembly is not in session. House Minority Leader Don Scott Jr., D-Portsmouth, said the assembly remains in a special session from last year because the Senate refused to adjourn.

Scott said he told Gilbert, Its your call, really.

But he agreed that a special election is not necessary, citing the House decision not to hold an election in 2019 after the resignation of Del. Matthew James, D-Newport News. Republicans then controlled the House under Speaker Kirk Cox, R-Colonial Heights, and Democrats held the Executive Mansion under Gov. Ralph Northam.

Redistricting also is playing havoc with legislative elections because of an unprecedented number of retirements and incumbent pairings in new districts. Senior leaders in both parties and chambers have decided not to run for reelection under the new map.

Two more legislators have announced they are not running  Del. Kaye Kory, D-Fairfax, who had been paired with Del. Marcus Simon, D-Fairfax, in the new House District 13 in Northern Virginia; and Del. Jeff Campbell, R-Smyth, whose legislative aide, Jed Arnold, immediately announced he will seek the GOP nomination in the heavily Republican 46th district in Southwest Virginia.

Cardinal News reported that Del. Matt Fariss, R-Campbell, had missed the deadline for filing for reelection. Fariss is facing charges in an alleged hit-and-run incident, but could seek election as an independent in the 51st House District.

Altogether, incumbents are running for election in only 66 of 100 House districts, with two Republican incumbents each still paired against each other in three nomination contests, according to the Virginia Public Access Project.

Redistricting also played a big factor in the decision not to hold special elections in the current 74th and 79th House districts.

Were in the throes of filing for the primaries, said Beals, the state elections commissioner. Early voting starts a month from now.

With 45 days of early voting, with the schedule we have to go by now, it makes it very hard trying to set elections, she said.

From the archive: Times-Dispatch front pages during the Apollo 13 mission April 11, 1970 April 12, 1970 April 13, 1970 April 14, 1970 April 15, 1970 April 16, 1970 April 17, 1970 April 18, 1970 April 19, 1970 April 20, 1970
Del. Glenn Davis, R-Virginia Beach, chairman of the House Education Committee, announced Tuesday that he will not seek reelection, becoming the latest prominent lawmaker to forgo running against a fellow incumbent.

The legislative map that the Supreme Court of Virginia imposed in late 2021 paired Davis in a district with Del. Barry Knight, R-Virginia Beach, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. Of the 14 chairs of House committees, five are not seeking reelection and one is running for a state Senate seat.

Davis, a key proponent of GOP school choice legislation, said in a statement: Unfortunately, the redistricting process created numerous intraparty conflicts across the Commonwealth.

He added: While my desire would be to continue serving the citizens of Virginia Beach in the House of Delegates and leading our education agenda, there is no doubt that the City I represent as well as the Hampton Roads Region as a whole, has benefited greatly from having the Chairman of Appropriations as its representative. It is for this reason that I will not be running for reelection to the Virginia House of Delegates.

Knight commented on Davis announcement on Facebook, writing: You have my utmost respect for your leadership. You have conducted yourself with dignity and honor.

Davis, a member of the Virginia Beach City Council before he was first elected to the legislature in 2013, sought the GOP nomination for lieutenant governor in 2017 and in 2021.

In this years legislative session, Davis sponsored a school choice bill backed by the Youngkin administration that stalled in the House committee. The legislation that would have allocated a portion of per-pupil state funding to a savings account for parents to spend on private school tuition or other specified education expenses.

The new legislative map has created an upheaval in the General Assembly. No incumbent is seeking a third of the 100 House seats. With Davis announcement two House districts still have two GOP incumbents each.

Davis said in his statement that there may be a future opportunity to serve the citizens of the Commonwealth in a different capacity, but there was no announcement of a new post.

Separately, Del. Tim Anderson, R-Virginia Beach, announced that he will compete in a three-way primary for the Republican nomination to succeed Sen. John Cosgrove, R-Chesapeake, who has announced his retirement.

Anderson had announced earlier that he would not run for reelection to the House after being paired with Del. Rob Bloxom, R-Accomack in a new district. Instead, Anderson said he will jump into the June 20 primary contest in the 19th Senate District, covering parts of Virginia Beach and Chesapeake.

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Del. Don Scott, a Portsmouth Democrat who moved beyond a past felony conviction to become minority leader in the Virginia House of Delegates, exemplifies the redemptive power of civic engagement.

Scott, a lawyer, had his voting rights restored in 2013 during the administration of Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell, who had streamlined the process. Under then-Gov. Ralph Northam, voting rights restoration became automatic upon ones release from prison, as it should be.

What had been a trickle of folks having their rights restored reached the hundreds of thousands. But Gov. Glenn Youngkin recently turned back that clock by quietly revoking automatic restoration.

If incarceration is a form of penance, this about-face is a hardhearted posture for Youngkin, an elected official whose religious beliefs compelled him to found his own church.

During this Holy Week, Christians are celebrating the resurrection of Christ the redeemer of second chances, Scott said Tuesday. Its ironic that those people dont extend that same grace to people who have paid their debt and come back and are trying to reacclimate into society.

Theres nothing more disheartening to people who have paid their debt and who are trying to do the right thing than to be treated as though they dont deserve any voice in civic life, he said.

There is no telling when we would have found out about this significant policy change if a state senator had not made an inquiry to the Youngkin administration.

Asked about the policy change Monday, spokeswoman Macaulay Porter emailed the following statement:

The governor firmly believes in the importance of second chances for Virginians who have made mistakes but are working to move forward as active members of our citizenry. The Constitution places the responsibility to consider Virginians for restoration in the hands of the governor alone, and he does not take this lightly.

Restoration of rights are assessed on an individual basis according to the law and take into consideration the unique elements of each situation, practicing grace for those who need it and ensuring public safety for our community and families. The Department of Corrections and the Secretary of the Commonwealth work with the appropriate agencies to restore an individuals rights, Porter said.

Frankly, we have no reason to blindly trust a governor who changes such a significant policy clandestinely. The constitution Porter cites is sullied by the ghost of Jim Crow. And I fail to see how the restoration of voting rights represents a risk to public safety.

In fact, the opposite is more likely.

We know that participating in voting and other restorations of rights reduces recidivism, said Scott, who added: They want you to have a second chance that they determine.

Virginia is one of two states, along with Kentucky, that permanently disenfranchise people with felony convictions.

This policy has roots in the Virginia Constitutional Convention of 1901-02, which occurred during an era in which Southern Democrats reasserted white dominance that had weakened during the Reconstruction era. Their tools included the institution of poll taxes and literacy tests and an expansion of voter disenfranchisement, with African Americans as a particular target.

If you do not believe me, take it from Carter Glass of Lynchburg, a delegate at that convention who said the quiet part out loud.

Discrimination! Why that is exactly what we propose  to discriminate to the very extremity of permissible action under the limitations of the Federal Constitution with the view to the elimination of every Negro who can be gotten rid of, legally, without materially impairing the strength of the white electorate.  This plan will eliminate the darky as a political factor in this state in less than five years, he said.

Glass was wrong only about the impact on the white electorate.

According to Encyclopedia Virginia, the 1904 presidential election saw a 48.6% reduction in the number of votes from 1900; the number of white voters fell by 50%. The number of Black voters fell by about 90%, and remained insignificantly small in all but a few communities until the mid-1960s.

Republicans, since the 1964 Civil Rights Act, have assumed the role of Southern Democrats in suppressing the Black vote. In Virginia, they fear allowing voters to have their say in a referendum to amend the state constitution to end lifetime disenfranchisement for people with felony convictions, who are disproportionately Black.

Ashna Khanna, policy director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia, called the Youngkin administrations move a huge step backwards, with its lack of a public timeline and criteria for rights restoration.

It is beyond belief that District Attorney Alvin Bragg has indicted a former President and current presidential candidate for pure political gain. Arresting a presidential candidate on a manufactured basis should not happen in America.  Glenn Youngkin (@GlennYoungkin) March 30, 2023

This is something that goes back to Virginias dark history of who does and who does not have the right to vote, she said. Additionally, no single governor should be able to hand-pick their voters. No one politician should be able to decide if someone is good enough to exercise their right. And so, I think this has been deeply concerning for a long time in Virginia now, and even more so with the lack of transparency in the governors recent move.

Adding to the irony, this hardline policy runs concurrent with Republicans rallying to the defense of former president Donald Trump following his indictment by a New York grand jury.

It is beyond belief that District Attorney Alvin Bragg has indicted a former president and current presidential candidate for pure political gain. Arresting a presidential candidate on a manufactured basis should not happen in America, Youngkin tweeted.

Some folks are above the law; others are buried beneath it in perpetuity. Pure political gain led racist Virginia politicians to disenfranchise by design.

The only fix for this is at the polls.

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In Virginia, its unheard of for lawmakers of the same party to face one another in nomination battles. One thing the states former, politically driven redistricting process did superbly was protect incumbents.

That changed in late 2021 when the Virginia Supreme Court redrew the commonwealths 100 House of Delegates districts, its 40 state Senate districts and its 11 congressional districts without regard for incumbency.

By late March, General Assembly incumbents in this years legislative elections were paired against same-party incumbents in five nomination contests. Its the first time sitting legislators have opposed each other in primaries this century.

Republican delegates are challenging other Republican delegates in three House districts. In one House district and one Senate district, a sitting Democrat is challenging a fellow sitting Democrat.

Candidates have until the April 6 primary qualifying deadline to finalize their plans. Unless some relocate and run in other districts by then, five incumbent lawmakers will lose their seats in June. By the third week in March, a record nine senators and 14 delegates had already announced their legislative exits, according to the Virginia Public Access Project. The resignations include current and immediate past Senate majority leaders and the first woman to win the House speakership.

The unprecedented churn arose from a constitutional amendment Virginia voters approved in 2020 that took decennial reapportionment away from the General Assembly and gave it to an independent redistricting commission. The bipartisan panel, paralyzed by partisan rancor, couldnt concur on new maps. The Supreme Court assumed the duty and released its new boundaries in December 2021, too late for that years House of Delegates elections.

The courts new maps grouped 42 of the Houses 100 delegates and half the 40 senators into districts with at least one other incumbent. Conversely, it created 23 new House districts and 11 new Senate districts where no incumbent resided.

Eight Democrats and seven Republicans in the House and two Democrats in the Senate have abandoned races against fellow incumbents to run elsewhere.

There is much merit to districts drawn without regard to partisan or incumbency protection. The trouble is that when incumbents would rather fight than switch, the candidates often try to outdo each other to sway the most ideologically driven partisans who dominate primaries. In swing districts with a balanced partisan electorate, nominees tied to extreme positions suffer in the fall. In districts that lean heavily left or right, it yields increasingly strident legislators who reject compromise and complicate governing.

The lone Senate incumbent primary is between 22-year Sen. Louise Lucas of Portsmouth, the Senate president pro tempore, and Sen. Lionel Spruill of Chesapeake, who seeks a third Senate term after 22 years in the House. The two African American committee chairs are running in an overwhelmingly Democratic district whose 44% Black population edges its 43% white population. Neither has begun meaningful campaigning.

In the House, Democratic Dels. Kaye Kory and Marcus Simon have similarly kept their powder dry as they vie for the nomination to Northern Virginias 13th House District.

House Appropriations Committee Chairman Barry Knight and fellow Virginia Beach Republican Del. Glenn Davis, chair of the House Education Committee, seek their partys 98th District nod in a still-quiet campaign.

Two of the three GOP incumbency battles are in heavily Republican Southwestern Virginia districts where former President Donald Trump won three of every four votes in the 2020 election.

In the 44th District, centered in Bristol and Washington County, Del. Israel OQuinn, R-Russell County, seeks his sixth term against two-term Del. Will Wampler, scion of a family with deep GOP roots in the region. Their campaigns have been quiet so far.

No race approaches the personal enmity of the District 47 feud between pro-Trump Republican delegates Marie March of Floyd County and Wren Williams of Patrick County. March alleged in a criminal complaint last fall that Williams charged into her, trying to knock her down, at a September GOP event. A judge in Wytheville dismissed the charge in January.

A lawyer, Williams spent the last two months of 2020 in Wisconsin aiding Trumps futile legal challenge of his loss there. He challenged conservative Del. Charles Poindexter for the 2021 GOP nomination, weaponizing Poindexters comment that he saw no evidence of fraud in Trumps loss. He defeated Poindexter and demolished a Democratic foe that fall.

March, also elected in 2021, brands herself a Trump Republican, and her legislative record reflects it. This year, she sponsored bills to ban abortion from conception, eliminate the need for a permit to a carry concealed firearm and offered a voluminous, Trump-inspired election integrity bill that would require photo identification to vote, eliminate curbside and no-excuse absentee voting, and task Virginias attorney general with prosecuting foreign governments that meddle in state elections. Her bills all failed.

Mark J. Rozell is dean of the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University. Contact him at mrozell@gmu.edu.

From the archives: Richmond Flying Squirrels mascot Nutzy 2010 Nutzy 2010 Nutzy 2010 Nutzy 2010 Nutzy 2010 Nutzy 2010 Nutzy 2010 Nutzy 2011 Nutzy 2011 Nutzy 2011 Nutzy 2011 Nutzy 2012 Nutzy 2012 Nutzy 2012 Nutzy 2012 Nutzy 2012 Nutzy 2013 Nutzy 2013 Nutzy 2013 Nutzy 2013 Nutzy 2013 Nutzy 2013 Nutzy 2013 Nutzy 2013 Nutzy 2013 Nutzy 2013 Nutzy 2013 Nutzy 2014 Nutzy 2014 Nutzy 2014 Nutzy 2014 Nutzy 2014 Nutzy 2014 Nutzy 2019 Nutzy 2019 Nutzy 2019 Nutzy 20150410_SPO_SQUI_p16 20150413_SPO_SQUI_DM02 20150710_SPO_SQUI_05 20150723_SPO_SQUI_DM05 20150826_SPO SQUI_JM01 20151115_MET_RINK_AWE04 20160408_SPO_SQUI_SL 20200328_SPO_NUTZYp03 20160501_SPO_SQUI_AWE13 20160510_MET_WILD 20160605_SPO_SQUI_AWE13 20160617_SPO_SQUIRRELS_DM03 20160705_SPO_SQUI_KM7 20160710_SPO_SQUITOURNEY_02 20170226_MET_POLAR_SL 20170427_SPO_SQUI_10 20170623_SPO_SQUI_07 20170720_BIZ_WALMART_BB06 20180621_SPO_SQUI_05 20180818_SPO_SQUIRRELS_02 20180904_SPO_BASEBALL_SL 20180904_SPO_BASEBALL_SL 20190628_SPO_SQUI_03 20190710_SPO_PEPRALLY_AWE05 20200123_SPO_SQUI_05
FGR carries out search of private property after report of dispossession

Cancun, Q.R.  The Attorney General of the Republic (FGR) of Quintana Roo carried out a search investigation of a property. The property search was made after a complaint by Conagua.

The Public Ministry of the Attorney General of the Republic (FGR), in collaboration with the Federal Ministerial Police (PFM) of the Criminal Investigation Agency (AIC) in coordination with elements of the National Guard, searched a property located on federal highway 307 Chetumal-Puerto Juarez (formerly agrarian reform-Puerto Juarez), in the municipality of Benito Juarez.

36 pieces of equipment including heavy machinery were seized. Photo: FGR April 3, 2023.

The property was searched after the report of dispossession by a group of people who entered the Conagua-owned property. On site, authorities secured 36 different pieces of equipment, including 17 heavy machinery vehicles, four trailers and a power plant, among others.

The searched site was protected and the corresponding seals were affixed while the investigation continues in order to prosecute the probable person(s) responsible.
Suspect wanted in California since 2013 extradited from Mexico

Mexico City, Mexico  Pursuant to the Extradition Treaty signed between Mexico and the United States, the Attorney General of the Republic (FGR) extradited a man of Mexican nationality required by the Southern District of California.

On Monday, Ruben V was handed over to U.S. authorities from the Mexico City International Airport for transfer. He has been wanted since May of 2013 on criminal association, drug and money laundering charges.

According to the FGR, U.S. authorities have been investigating the illegal drug trafficking and money laundering activities of members of a criminal organization.

The investigation made it possible to identify a network of high-ranking members of the group, including Ruben V, who participated in the smuggling of drugs from various countries including Colombia and Panama, passing through Mexican territory destined for distribution in the United States.

Ruben V was arrested for extradition purposes in July 2020 in Zapopan, Jalisco, and finally extradited by the Government of Mexico to the United States Government.
Veracruz man taken into custody after shooting at Playa del Carmen police during chase

Playa del Carmen, Q.R.  One male was taken into custody after a chase through a residential neighborhood resulted in an exchange of gunfire. According to a statement from Seguridad Publica Solidaridad (SSP), 26-year-old Jose N from Veracruz was taken to hospital under guard after he was shot in the leg.

The shooting happened during a chase in the In- House neighborhood of Playa del Carmen on the afternoon of April 2.

Officers of the Preventive Police responded to a call for help due to detonations of a firearm against a house on Bahia de Tiburon Street, and upon approaching the place, they observed a subject with the characteristics provided in the report aboard a motorcycle, who accelerated to flee.

In his attempt to get away, he shot at police from his motorcycle but missed. Police shot back, wounding him in the leg which caused him to fall from his bike and lose his weapon.

Police requested an ambulance who transferred him to hospital under guard. He was later officially arrested on firearm and attempted homicide charges.
A new food security advocacy group, The Common Ingredient NRV, will host its inaugural community-action program on Tuesday, April 11, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Blacksburg Library. The event will include a panel discussion as well as a recipe exchange and an opportunity to donate canned goods for three area food pantries.

The Common Ingredient is a digital recipe-sharing website that got its start in Columbia, Missouri, when a group of women who wanted to fight the effects of COVID in their hometown banded together to share some favorite recipes  but also to highlight the many organizations in Columbia that were serving the food insecure, according to a news release about the organization.

Now one of the members of that Columbia group has started a chapter in the New River Valley.

Im sure people wonder what a digital recipe-sharing website and a program about ending hunger may have in common, said TCI-NRV founder Anne Deaton in the news release. What is the common ingredient? Love. Love for the centrality of food in our lives and love for our neighbors.

The April 11 event will take place in the Community Room at the Blacksburg Library, which is located at 200 Miller St. The panel is set to include:

Nina Mukerjee Furstenau, renowned food journalist, cookbook and culinary textbook author, and a founding member of The Common Ingredient in Columbia, Missouri.

John Galbraith, Virginia Tech professor and founding member of The Glean Team.

Isabelle Largen, assistant director for food access initiatives at Virginia Tech.

Meredith Miear, a local high school librarian who has several innovative recipes for engaging young people in the fight to end hunger.

 The Roanoke Times

Attending the panel discussion and learning how you can be a part of ensuring food security in the New River Valley is one way for members of the community to help. Organizers also suggest:

Bring canned goods for the food pantries highlighted on the TCI-NRV website: Beans and Rice (Radford), Interfaith Food Pantry (Blacksburg) and Agape (Christiansburg).

Bring your favorite recipes for TCI-NRVs database. The more recipes are shared, the more people are potentially attracted to the website, who will see how they can fight hunger in the NRV.

What I am excited about in the TCI-NRV model is that it will offer a hub to celebrate all the positive ways food contributes to our physical and emotional well-being, while showcasing organizations serving people who are food insecure, and informing us of opportunities to give our time, talent and treasure to support them, Deaton said in an email.

For more information about TCI-NRV, visit thecommoningredientnrv.com.

- The Roanoke Times
On March 26, we published a column about two Dish Network subscribers from Western Virginia who were having trouble getting hold of the satellite TV provider.

Betty Turner wanted to cancel the service after she and her husband moved from Christiansburg to Glenvar. Jocelyn Kasey of Roanoke wanted to cancel her service, too.

Both had spent about a month trying to get hold of the company without success.

Pre-publication, I sent Dish two emails about Turners and Kaseys unsuccessful efforts to reach the company. Dish didnt respond to either by my deadline. But Kasey was able to get hold of the company. A Dish representative told her her service would end April 1.

And through the Better Business Bureau, I learned Dish suffered a major cyberattack near the end of February that had shut down its customer service desks, and that potentially compromised customer information.

After publication, I heard from Dish customers in 10 other states, most of whom were similarly frustrated in trying to contact Dish customer service. So Monday I informed Dish Id be writing a follow-up based on those additional complaints.

This time, the company responded with an email. Heres the company unsigned statement it sent me Monday:

DISH has restored many of the systems affected by the incident that occurred late last month. The vast majority of our websites, customer care functions, self-service applications, and payment systems are now operational. Agent support is available, although wait times may be longer due to higher volumes at certain times of day and the particular type of service the customer is inquiring about.

Self-service account capabilities are available to customers through mydish.com, sling.com and boostmobile.com. We appreciate our customers patience and support.

The email with [Turners and Kaseys ] information was forwarded on to the appropriate department to help with support.

Thank you.

Inquiry from four years ago

Later Monday, I received another reply from Dish, from Ryan Vogler, senior corporate case manager for executive escalations.

Curiously, he wasnt writing about the inquiries I made about Betty Turner or Joyce Kasey, but to a previous email I sent Dish more than four years ago, on behalf of a different Dish customer, Bernadette Vance of Roanoke County.

That inquiry was dated Jan. 31, 2019. Vance was upset that her Dish channel lineup did not include Fox News. And she was able to work out her problem with Dish back then.

Vogler asked for Vances Dish account number, or her phone number. I replied that I no longer have that information. But because I had his attention, I asked if he could look into the more recent issues involving Betty Turner and Joyce Kasey.

He replied that Betty Turners Dish account was closed March 19, but We are just waiting to receive the leased equipment from her.

Turner told me that she and her husband, Ned, moved from Christiansburg to Glenvar at the end of February, but her efforts to cancel her Dish service at that time were unsuccessful. She couldnt reach them because of the cyberattack on the company.

So instead, she canceled the credit card Dish had been billing her on. She did that after she spotted a fraudulent credit card charge on card linked to her Dish account.

Since I couldnt contact [Dish], I couldnt tell them I had a new credit card, Turner said. No one from Dish ever told her an address to which she could ship Dishs equipment, Turner added.

Vogler said the Dish would mail Turner a prepaid & pre-addressed box in which she could return Dishs equipment.

Joyce Kaseys case was a little stickier.

In between the time Kasey first contacted me and the columns publication, she was able to get hold of Dish customer service. A company rep told Kasey that her service would be disconnected April 1, but that she was still responsible for paying the outstanding March bill of $84.17.

Kasey sent that check off last week, but then she received another bill from Dish for two months worth of service, plus a $10 late fee, totaling $178.35.

Vogler reported Monday that Ms. Kaseys DISH account is still active and has not been disconnected. That was news to Kasey, who thought shed already taken care of the disconnection.

So I asked Vogler to give her a call. And he did.

I spoke with Ms. Kasey and assisted her with disconnecting her DISH account, he wrote. Kasey confirmed the transaction and said her Dish account was disconnected late Monday afternoon.

Kasey told me she also canceled the credit card associated with her Dish account, after that credit card was compromised. Scammers made four fraudulent transactions on it over one week beginning at the end of February.

Is it a coincidence that two Dish customers from the Roanoke area both had credit cards tied to their Dish accounts compromised by fraud around the same time Dish Network suffered a cyberattack?

The answer to that is unclear.

Tips on reaching Dish Network

Given the recent hack on Dish, Julie Wheeler, of the Better Business Bureaus Roanoke chapter, said Dish customers should be vigilant for fraudulent charges on their various accounts.

If you have autopay set up where they automatically bill your bank account, I would probably change my payment method, Wheeler said. You could change [payment] to ebill, where they email you a bill and you process the payment yourself.

Another alternative is to have your Dish account billed to a credit card, which offers an extra layer of security as long as you regularly check your credit card statements for fraudulent charges, Wheeler said.

In most cases, credit card customers have 60 days to dispute unfounded charges, Wheeler added.

Im not sure where all the above leaves the many frustrated Dish customers Ive heard from in 10 other states. By the way, those are West Virginia, Georgia, Missouri, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Florida, Utah, Arizona, Nebraska and Washington state.

One, Keith Greene of Neah Bay, Washington, said he was able to get through on Dishs toll-free customer service line without much hassle by calling early in the day in the middle of the week, So they might try calling then.

Several other Dish customers told me they had called that number, inputted a call-back number, and were pleasantly surprised that a customer service rep from Dish called back.

Yet another customer, who emailed me and identified himself only as Rick said he discovered an unpublished customer-service email address for Dish Network. It is executivecustomerservice@dish.com (with no period on the end).

Rick wrote: After weeks of no response from anyone, I got a response in less than 24 hours from someone whose email signature identified them as Sr. Corporate Case Manager  Executive Escalations.

Thats the same job title as Ryan Vogler.

While their initial email didnt resolve my issue, they were incredibly responsive over email, and my issue was resolved that very same day! Rick added.
Roanokes car tax relief percentage in 2023 will be a bit lower than last years based on required annual calculations.

The city council set that rate at 42.41% Monday, based on the $8.06 million it receives annually from the state for relief as well as the number of taxable vehicles in the city and their value. The 2022 relief percentage was 45.9%.

Car owners will receive the 42.41% off the first $20,000 of their personal vehicle tax due this year. Vehicles valued at $1,000 or less are not taxed.

The citys personal property tax rate is $3.45 per $100 of assessed value.

If, for example, a vehicle is valued at $10,000, the amount of tax due would be $345 without relief. Reduced by the 42.41% relief rate, the amount due would be about $146.

Also on Monday, during the councils legislative committee meeting, Advantus Strategies Government Relations Senior Director Kathy Burcher said its possible the Virginia legislature may not pass a revised second year biennial budget. Failing to do so is not unheard of, but would be unusual.

If the legislature fails to pass a revised budget, the city of Roanoke will receive the same amount of funding from the state in fiscal year 2024 as it did in fiscal year 2023.

While failing to pass a revised budget wouldnt lead to a government shutdown, the possibility does introduce uncertainty to the budget planning process for both the city and its school system.

Probably the best example of that is there are competing proposals for increases in compensation for comp board eligible employees. ... And of course we receive a significant amount of funding from the state for things like DSS [Department of Social Services] and others. It doesnt put those dollars at risk, but it certainly makes us and our ability to advise you on the adoption of a budget more challenging, City Manager Bob Cowell said to council members.

Meanwhile, City Attorney Tim Spencer said, schools would be impacted tremendously, because state funding makes up a significant portion of the school boards budget. City School Board Member Mark Cathey, who attended part of Mondays city council meeting, agreed.

He said the board is prepared for the possibility.

We have to be. We have no choice, Cathey said.

Also budget-related was a presentation from David Rose with the citys financial adviser, Davenport Public Finance.

To keep down the cost of debt service, Rose proposed the city start waiting until later in the fiscal year to do its borrowing, because projects are moving more slowly nationwide, statewide and in the city.

There really is a dearth of contractors out there  supply chain issues as well, Rose said.

The goal is not to borrow money too far in advance since the city has to pay interest on it once it is borrowed, regardless of whether it has been spent yet.

Rose also advised the city to borrow $5 million less than previously planned in fiscal years 2024, 2025 and 2026.

That gives us some play, if you would, if something happens that were not expecting, gives us some of that ability to weather unforeseen circumstances, Rose said.

The city can also revisit the idea each year, as needed.

And, on a parking matter Monday, PARK Roanoke Enterprise Administrator Brian Mann mentioned a service industry program  still being developed  that would alleviate the cost of parking for low-wage employees who work downtown. Mann said he hopes to present the program proposal to the council later this year.
Five candidates are being considered for appointment to the Roanoke School Board, as two seats become available for new terms beginning July 1.

Three of the candidates, Jacqueline Moon, Auraliz Quintana and Christopher Link, were interviewed during Mondays city council meeting. The council will interview two board incumbents seeking reappointment, Eli Jamison, chair of the city school board, and current member Natasha Saunders, on April 17.

Moon moved to Roanoke in 1990, attended Roanoke schools, and served in the military before becoming a real estate assessor in 2004. She has a son who is a William Fleming High School senior.

I was always the classroom mom or in the PTA, trying to be involved however I could, Moon said.

Moon said that if she is appointed to the school board, her focus would be to address problems of housing insecurity and the cycle of poverty among students in the city.

If you can break the cycle of poverty, you can change the world, she said.

Born in Puerto Rico, Quintana has lived in Roanoke for seven years. She is the supervisor for afterschool activities for the citys parks and recreation department. Before moving to Roanoke, she spent several years working for child protective services in New York. She has one child who graduated from city schools and another currently attending.

I want to be able to connect to other board members and to parents and others by being myself, Quintana said. Being honest and transparent, and most of all, by showing how much I care for these kids.

Quintana said that her main reason for applying to the school board was to provide representation for Roanokes growing and under-represented Hispanic population.

Nobody on the board is Hispanic, Quintana said. I want to be able to translate for them, and to transmit some of their worries.

Link, has lived in Roanoke since 2013. He was born in Richmond, and attended Virginia Tech, where he earned two degrees in engineering. He works as a structural engineering consultant. He has a daughter currently attending city schools.

Link said that his primary reason for seeking the school board appointment was to address what he sees as an anti-public education trend in the U.S.

I always thought it was settled science that a robust school system is in the interest of a functional society, Link said.

Each of the five candidates will be called back for the city council meeting on April 17, the same day the two incumbent candidates will be interviewed. A public hearing will be held in which residents of Roanoke will be able to speak on behalf of candidates, and voice opinions on which candidates should serve before the council makes its final decision.

In Roanoke, city council appoints school board members to three-year terms.

Roanoke school board candidates address city council
DES MOINES, Iowa  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 isn't 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.

"We're seeing these challenges arise in almost every state of the union," said Deborah Caldwell-Stone, director of the American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom. "It's 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.

Keep scrolling for a list of 25 LGBTQ books that changed the literary landscape

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 didn't acknowledge people with different sexualities.

"People are scared because they don't think LGBTQ people should exist," Maul said. "They don't want their own children to be LGBTQ, and they feel if they can limit access to these books and materials, then their children won't 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 state's 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.

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 Iowa's 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 child's 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 don't 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 we're 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. "They're 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 didn't 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 that's not supposed to make me feel less welcome, less seen and less represented in my library?"

25 LGBTQ+ books that changed the literary landscape 25 LGBTQ+ books that changed the literary landscape 1890: 'The Picture of Dorian Gray' by Oscar Wilde 1928: 'Orlando' by Virginia Woolf 1928: 'The Well of Loneliness' by Radclyffe Hall 1936: 'Nightwood' by Djuna Barnes 1948: 'The City and the Pillar' by Gore Vidal 1952: 'The Price of Salt' by Patricia Highsmith 1956: 'Giovanni's Room' by James Baldwin 1962: 'A Single Man' by Christopher Isherwood 1971: 'Maurice' by E.M. Forster 1978: 'Tales of the City' by Armistead Maupin 1982: 'The Color Purple' by Alice Walker 1982: 'Zami: A New Spelling of My Name' by Audre Lorde 1985: 'Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit' by Jeanette Winterson 1991: 'The Gilda Stories' by Jewelle Gomez 1993: 'Stone Butch Blues' by Leslie Feinberg 2001: 'Edinburgh' by Alexander Chee 2002: 'Middlesex' by Jeffrey Eugenides 2006: 'Fun Home' by Alison Bechdel 2007: 'Call Me by Your Name' by Andre Aciman 2017: 'Less' by Andrew Sean Greer 2017: 'Paul Takes the Form of a Mortal Girl' by Andrea Lawlor 2017: 'Freshwater' by Akwaeke Emezi 2019: 'We Both Laughed in Pleasure: The Selected Diaries of Lou Sullivan' edited by Ellis Martin and Zach Ozma 2021: 'Detransition, Baby' by Torrey Peters
WASHINGTON (AP)  The government's 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 FDIC's 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 Valley's 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, it's 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.

"It's going to require us to revisit the entire bank regulatory framework," Judge said. "That's 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 Fed's 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 it's 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 aren't directly on the hook, some economists say the banks' customers still stand to benefit from government support.

"Saying that the taxpayer won't pay anything ignores the fact that providing insurance to somebody who didn't pay for insurance is a gift," said Anil Kashyap, an economics professor at the University of Chicago. "And that's 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.

"It's 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 India's central bank. "It's probably good for the short term in the sense that you don't 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.

___

8 charts tracking the US economy
CHESAPEAKE  Walmart has announced a reopening date for its Sams Circle location in Chesapeake, about four months after six employees died in a shooting in the stores break room.

In a news release, the retailers corporate office said the store will reopen April 19 at 10 a.m. Post-tragedy, the store underwent significant design changes. The remodel will include an outdoor memorial space to honor the six victims who were shot by a manager of the store. Also coming are expanded shopping options, engaging displays and interactive features, the release continued.

As we move forward with our reopening, we do so in a way that honors the victims and provides continued support to our associates, Alycia Mixon, Walmart store manager, said in the release.

The memorial will include local foliage and six seating areas in honor of the six Walmart associates who died last November. The company says the redesign will be a store-of-the-future and is part of the supercenters most innovative and customer-friendly design elements.

The company made a similar move after a 2019 mass shooting at a Walmart store in El Paso. More than 20 people died, and Walmart created a Grand Candela memorial to remember the victims. On the memorial, individual perforated aluminum arcs are grouped together into one 30-foot candela symbolizing unity. The structure sits on a plaza built on the south side of the El Paso stores parking lot.

Employees on the night shift were in a staff meeting the night of Nov. 22, 2022, when a manager opened fire on his co-workers. The shooter and two other individuals were found dead in the break room. Another victim was found dead near the front of the store, and three others were hospitalized but later died of their injuries. In the wake of the shooting, memorials were set up and vigils were held in the stores parking lot for the six victims.

Since then, the store remained closed while company leadership worked to finalize redesigns. Many items inside the Walmart were donated in the days after the tragedy, including truckloads of items to regional nonprofits, such as Habitat for Humanity, The Noblemen and the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore. According to a memo sent to employees in December, the company continued to pay the Sams Circle employees regardless of their schedules while the store is closed and planned to pay for funeral, travel and other expenses for the families of those killed.

Now, several employees who survived the shooting and one of the victims families have filed lawsuits against the company. The plaintiffs claim the shooter had a long-standing pattern of threatening behavior and that his continued employment at the store allowed him access to the break room and other employee areas. In December, attorneys for Walmart asked for the lawsuits to be dismissed, arguing that the law requires them to lodge workers compensation complaints.
A Westmoreland County man was the sixth person federally convicted as part of an interstate dogfighting operation in which fights were held in multiple locations, including King George County.

Tarry Jeron "TJ" Wilson, 38, pleaded guilty Monday in U.S. District Court in Alexandria to conspiracy to engage in dogfighting. He will face a maximum penalty of five years in prison when he is sentenced June 20.

According to federal court records, Wilson and others from Washington, Maryland, New Jersey and Virginia arranged dog fights from at least May 2015 through August 2020. They used a messaging app referred to as the "DMV Board" to discuss dogfighting, exchange videos and arrange fights. Dogs frequently died as a result of the fights, court records state.

Court records state that Wilson attended five fights in June 2020, including two involving his own dogs. He told fellow DMV Board members that he "loved" killing losing dogs and gave tips on ways to do it. In response to the arrest of another defendant, Wilson posted, "People like dogs. They don't like what we're doing to them though, I bet you that."

Among those arrested and convicted in connection with the ring is Carlos L. Harvey of King George, who pleaded guilty in 2021. One of the fights referred to in Harvey's case took place in April 2016 at a home on Caledon Road. Two separate dog fights were held that day and at least one dog died from injuries sustained in its fight.

Eleven "pit-bull-type" dogs were seized in the July 2018 raid at Harvey's home in the 8100 block of Todd Street in King George, along with equipment used in dogfighting training. The dogs had scarring consistent with dogfighting, court records state.
So what is the gegenschein exactly? Astrophotographer and astronomy communicator Mary McIntyre helps illuminate the phenomenon  all puns intended.

"The gegenschein is a faint, oval spot of light that may be visible in a very dark, clear sky, at the anti-solar point, i.e., the point in the sky that is exactly opposite the sun," McIntyre explains. "[The Gegenschein] is closely associated with zodiacal light, and both are caused by sunlight being scattered by a disc of interplanetary dust. This disc of dust extends out probably beyond the orbit of Jupiter, and the individual dust particles are tiny; between 3.9 and 0.01 inches (0.001 and 0.3 millimeters) across." Yes, our planet is like Peanuts' Pigpen, sitting in a cloud of dust.

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McIntyre continues: "The gegenschein is fainter than zodiacal light but brighter than the rest of the band of dust. Its formation is tied in with the opposition surge and backscattering of light by the dust particles." Wait, what surge? It turns out that explaining the gegenschein requires a bit more knowledge of complex astronomic effects.

"The opposition surge is the brightening of a rough surface or an area that contains many small particles when it is illuminated from directly behind the person observing it," explains McIntyre. "In astronomy, planets are best observed when they are at opposition, or the point in the sky directly opposite the sun. A more common example that we see each month is the full moon, which is fully illuminated by the sun on the opposite side of the sky."

So the opposition surge (also sometimes called the opposition effect) causes the particles of interplanetary dust on the opposite side of Earth from the sun to be slightly brighter  that's the gegenschein.
Athletisme: le Kenya accuse de dopage a grande echelle

L'Unite d'integrite de l'athletisme a denonce mardi le dopage a grande echelle frappant le Kenya, recemment confronte a plusieurs cas qui "soulignent l'implication de personnes possedant une experience medicale", selon le president de l'AIU.





"Il apparait evident que le dopage au Kenya est de mieux en mieux organise et ces cas soulignent l'implication de personnes possedant une experience medicale", deplore dans un communique David Howman, president de l'AIU.





"C'est une menace serieuse contre notre sport. L'AIU a ete mandatee pour travailler avec le gouvernement kenyan, sa federation d'athletisme et son agence anti-dopage pour combattre cette crise. Nous ferons tout notre possible pour identifier la source de ce dopage", ajoute-t-il.





Cette communication fait suite a la recente suspension pour huit ans de la coureuse Eglay Nalyanya, reconnue coupable d'avoir utilise un produit dopant.





Cette condamnation est survenue quelques semaines apres celle de Betty Wilson Lempus, suspendue cinq ans pour des raisons similaires.





"Un jury de trois membres a releve des similitudes dans les explications et les preuves. Nalyanya et Lempus ont dit a l'AIU qu'elles avaient recu des injections intramusculaires dans le meme hopital et elles ont fourni des documents medicaux falsifies pour appuyer leurs dires", ecrit l'AIU, qui a collabore avec l'Adak, l'agence kenyane anti-dopage.





"Dans les deux cas, l'enquete a decouvert egalement que les medecins cites etaient fictifs et qu'aucune athlete n'avait recu d'injection meme si elles etaient bien a l'hopital ce jour-la".




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January 21, 2021

Notable OLC opinion on "Home Confinement of Federal Prisoners After the COVID-19 Emergency"

In this post from this past October, I wondered "Will some (most? all?) federal prisoners transferred to home confinement be returned to prison after the pandemic ends?". That post was prompted by this Walter Palvo piece at Forbes reporting on a US Attorney suggesting that persons who BOP placed on home confinement in response to COVID would be returned to prison after the pandemic ended for any remaining time. Though the end of the pandemic still seems depressingly far away, the outgoing Trump Justice Department addressed this issue last week when the Office of Legal Counsel put out this opinion titled ""Home Confinement of Federal Prisoners After the COVID-19 Emergency." Here is how it gets started:

The Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP or the Bureau) has statutory authority to place a prisoner serving a term in a federal prison in home confinement for the concluding portion of his sentence. See 18 U.S.C.  3624(c)(2). In connection with the COVID-19 pandemic, Congress expanded the authority of the Director of BOP to place federal prisoners in home confinement earlier than that statutory period. See Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, Pub. L. No. 116-136,  12003(b)(2), 134 Stat. 281, 516 (2020) (CARES Act). The question is what happens to these prisoners once the pandemic emergency ends. At that time, some inmates will have completed their sentences or be sufficiently close to the end to be eligible for home confinement. Other inmates, however, may have a substantial time to go before becoming eligible. Although the pandemic emergency remains ongoing, the issue arises because BOP must plan for an eventuality where it might need to return a significant number of prisoners to correctional facilities. We conclude that the CARES Act authorizes the Director of BOP to place prisoners in home confinement only during the statutes covered emergency period and when the Attorney General finds that the emergency conditions are materially affecting BOPs functioning. See id. Should that period end, or should the Attorney General revoke the finding, the Bureau would be required to recall the prisoners to correctional facilities unless they are otherwise eligible for home confinement under 18 U.S.C.  3624(c)(2). We also conclude that the general imprisonment authorities of 18 U.S.C.  3621(a) and (b) do not supplement the CARES Act authority to authorize home confinement under the Act beyond the limits of section 3624(c)(2).

I had assumed that BOP might have some discretion to keep persons on home confinement whenever we emerged from the pandemic; but this OLC opinion asserts that BOP has no discretion in this matter and thus "would be required to recall the prisoners to correctional facilities unless they are otherwise eligible for home confinement." This opinion is certain contestable, the new Biden Justice Department could reconsider it and a court might reject it, and we are surely a long ways from reaching a post-pandemic world. Nevertheless, as FAMM's Kevin Ring explains in this Twitter thread, this OLC opinion could cause lots of heartache and worry for lots of persons on home confinement and their families.

Persons on home confinement are those that BOP generally determined posed little risk to public safety and that were at high risk of COVID and so likely older and less healthy relative to most other prisoners. And, since the BOP has had discretion to return these persons to prison for misbehavior while in home confinement, it is hard to see a compelling public safety justification for sending all these individuals back to prison post-pandemic. But if extant law is interpreted to require BOP to recall all these folks, policy arguments alone cannot fix this legal reality.

But even if this particular interpretation of BOP authority under the CARES Act were to persist, there are multiple means to address these matters. Most obviously, Congress could modify the applicable statutes to clearly give BOP discretion to keep persons on home confinement. And even without congressional action to address this problem, the other two branches could step in: Prez Biden could grant a kind of conditional clemency and/or district courts could grant compassionate release to keep these folks on home confinement. Walto Palvo discusses these matters further in this new Forbes piece, which concludes with this fitting sentence: "One thing is for sure, the pandemic is not over but discussions on how to handle inmates currently on home confinement is something that should begin now."

January 21, 2021 at 04:36 PM | Permalink

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1000s of Fed inmates were placed on home confinement due to the expanded powers provided by the CARES Act due to the pandemic. There was never any mention of returning prisoners to prison once the pandemic was over. Prisoners were told by case management they would be finishing their sentences on home confinement.

NOW, the U.S. Department of Justice in an opinion from OLC is stating the Bureau of Prisons must recall federal prisoners that were placed in home confinement pursuant to the CARES ACT to custody once the pandemic is over. Due process required notice at the beginning, certainly not well after the fact. Prisoners were never provided any notice that their release would be temporary and would end once the pandemic is over.

Previous Attorney General Barr, his memos posted in March and again in April 2020, never mentioned that this would be a temporary release. The Bureau of Prisons website on Home Confinement makes NO mention that release to Home Confinement was a temporary solution to the problem. It appeared, in the governments hasty efforts to reduce high-risk inmates to COVID-19 exposure, the issue was not considered until now, well after the fact!

D.L. Alba - Case Analyst

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San Diego, California

Posted by: Dennis Alba | Jan 26, 2021 6:45:16 PM

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This new extended Hill article, headlined "DOJ faces big decision on home confinement," provide an effective accounting of the building discussion around the status of home confinement in the federal system as it appears the pandemic is winding down. I recommend the full piece, and here are excerpts:

The Biden administration will soon have to decide whether to send back to prison thousands of inmates who were transferred to home confinement after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. President Biden and Attorney General Merrick Garland have been facing mounting calls to rescind a policy implemented in the final days of the Trump administration that would revoke home confinement for those inmates as soon as the government lifts its emergency declaration over the coronavirus.

Advocates and lawmakers argue that the program has been a resounding success, and that it would be unjust to reincarcerate thousands of individuals who abided by the terms of their home confinement. If you're one of these people, you're trying to figure out, 'Do I go back to college? Do I start a new job? Do I start a family? Do I sign a lease? I mean, what can I do, not knowing where I'm going to be in six months? That's cruel to keep somebody in that doubt and uncertainty for this long and to say, You know, don't worry about it, it's not going to happen tomorrow, said Kevin Ring, president of the advocacy group Families Against Mandatory Minimums.

Last year, in response to the CARES Act, then-Attorney General William Barr directed the federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) to prioritize home confinement for certain inmates in order to limit the spread of the coronavirus within the prison system. According to the BOP, about 24,000 inmates have been released to home confinement since the beginning of the pandemic. Advocates say there are now about 4,500 people facing uncertainty about whether they might have to go back to prison after months of reintegrating into society.

BOP Director Michael Carvajal told a House Appropriations subcommittee in March that just 21 inmates released to home confinement were sent back to prison for alleged rule violations. And in the program overall, only one person has committed a new crime....

The uncertainty about the programs fate began in January, a few days before President Biden's inauguration, when the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel issued a memo stating that under federal law, those inmates released under the CARES Act must report back to prison when the coronavirus emergency is over, unless they are nearing the end of their sentence.

Randilee Giamusso, a BOP spokesperson, said the Biden administration had recently expanded the eligibility for home confinement. This is an important legal issue about the language Congress used in the CARES Act, Giamusso said in a statement. It is important to recognize even under the Office of Legal Counsel's (OLC) reading of the statute, the BOP will have discretion to keep inmates on home confinement after the pandemic if theyre close to the end of their sentences. For the more difficult cases, where inmates still have years left to serve, this will be an issue only after the pandemic is over.

Giamusso added that Biden recently extended the national emergency regarding COVID-19, and that the Department of Health and Human Services expects the public health crisis to last at least through December. The BOP is focused right now on expanding the criteria for home confinement and taking steps to ensure individualized review of more inmates who might be transferred, Giamusso said.

Still, some lawmakers and advocates argue that the Trump-era policy would unnecessarily upend the lives of those deemed low-risk enough to be sent home and who have since abided by the terms of their home confinement. Biden and Garland are facing pressure to rescind the policy memo, receiving letters from Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee; a bipartisan group of 28 House lawmakers; and a coalition of advocacy groups....

This past week, the White House told advocates that Biden is preparing to use his clemency powers, in what would be a rare early exercise of the power to commute or pardon incarcerated people. Ring said rescinding the home confinement policy, or using another tool to keep those affected by it out of prison, is an easy way for Biden to show that hes serious about taking on mass incarceration.

They've said they want to use the clemency authority more robustly to let people out of prison who don't need to be there, said Ring, who has served time in federal prison. Well, here's 4,500 people that Bill Barr and Donald Trump cleared as the lowest of low risk. So if you can't find a way to keep these people home, I mean, how discouraging will it be for those who are hoping for clemency?...

Experts and advocates alike see the home confinement policy as a radical experiment that yielded positive results, potentially adding more momentum to criminal justice reform efforts that have seen a growing bipartisan consensus against the tough-on-crime policies of the late 20th century. Ring, of Families Against Mandatory Minimums, said lawmakers should consider the success of the home confinement program as a potential alternative to incarceration. I think this is still a good model or a good use of natural experiment to show that we can keep more people in the community, and not keep them in prison, he said. Congress should use what happened here as evidence for expanding home confinement going forward.

But in the meantime, Ring said, the priority is for the Biden administration to make clear that it does not intend to re-incarcerate those who are serving their sentences out at home. Not only do they need to fix it, they need to fix it immediately, he said. They need to announce to these people, You're not going back. We're not making you go back. We'll rescind the memo or we'll use some other authority we have to fix this.' But these people need to get on with their lives.
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USA Today has this lengthy new piece highlighting the administration of home confinement in the federal system during the pandemic and the worries about a Justice Department memo which could return offenders to prison. I recommend the piece in full, which is headlined "Inmates sent home during COVID-19 got jobs, started school. Now, they face possible return to prison." Here are some excerpts:

In the weeks and months since he was sent home, RJ Edwards found a job, bought a car, got an apartment for him and his mother and started working toward a bachelors degree in computer science....

Edwards, 37, is among the more than 24,000 nonviolent federal prisoners who have been allowed to serve their sentences at home to slow the spread of COVID-19 inside prisons. But a Justice Department memo issued in the final days of the Trump administration says inmates whose sentences will extend beyond the pandemic must be brought back to prison.

Advocates urged the Justice Department to rescind the memo, which was issued by the agency's Office of Legal Counsel. They say it defeats the whole idea of rehabilitation and contradicts President Joe Biden's campaign promise to allow people with criminal pasts to redeem themselves. "They let us go, and we reintegrate, and then it feels like nothing matters. All the hard work you put in, it doesnt matter. Were just a number to them," said Edwards, who has five years left to serve.

During a congressional hearing, Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, raised concerns about sending people back to prison, especially those who have been following the rules. Of the 24,000 prisoners who were allowed to go home, 151  less than 1%  have violated the terms of their home confinement and three have been arrested for new crimes. "This highlights how effective home confinement can be," Grassley said....

Reincarcerating people who, for the past year, have been law-abiding would disrupt their rehabilitation and would do little to improve public safety, according to a letter more than two dozen groups sent to Attorney General Merrick Garland last month. "Establishing community ties and deepening family connections are known to be significant positive factors for reducing recidivism," according to the letter. "Disrupting that process would mean disrupting safe re-integration into society and damaging networks that are vital to improving public safety."

Keeping people behind bars is also costly. In 2018, the annual cost of housing just one federal prisoner was about $37,000 or $102 per day....

In the past year since they were sent home, the majority of these inmates have finished their sentences or have met the criteria to stay on home confinement. As of mid-April, 4,500 inmates on home confinement would not have qualified if not for the pandemic, although many of them are likely to meet the criteria in the next months. About 2,400 have more than a year left in their sentence, [BOP Director Michael] Carvajal told lawmakers.

A little more than 300 have five years left to serve. That includes Edwards, who was sentenced to 17 years for wire fraud. He was sent home in July. By August, he found a job.
 Another round of terrific essays at new Inquest website | Main | "Restorative Retributivism" 

August 12, 2021

Senators Durbin and Booker write to Prez Biden requesting "immediate action" to prevent home confinement cohort from facing return to prison

As detailed in this new Hill article, "two top Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee are calling on President Biden to quickly adopt a plan to keep thousands of federal inmates who were transferred to home confinement during the pandemic out of prison." Here is more:

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), the committee's chairman, and Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), who chairs a subcommittee on criminal justice, are urging Biden in a letter sent to the White House on Thursday to use the "ample executive authority" at his disposal to ensure that those on home confinement are not sent back to prison. "Given the breadth of available executive authority, no person who has successfully transitioned to home confinement should be required to return to federal prison," Durbin and Booker wrote in the letter, which was shared with The Hill. "The uncertainty of the current situation unnecessarily interferes with the efforts of those on home confinement to rebuild their lives and participate in our economic recovery. With the goal of facilitating successful community reentry, we urge you to act immediately to resolve this issue and enable those on release to move forward with their lives."

The full two-page letter is available at this link, and here are excerpts:

We respectfully request that your Administration take immediate action to ensure that thousands of individuals who have successfully transitioned to home confinement from federal prison during the pandemic are not returned to prison without cause. Your Administration has ample executive authority to immediately provide the certainty these returning citizens deserve as they reintegrate into their communities, reunite with their families, and join in rebuilding our economy.... On January 15, 2021, in the last days of the Trump Administration, the Department of Justice Office of Legal Counsel issued a memorandum opinion entitled Home Confinement of Federal Prisoners After the COVID-19 Emergency (OLC opinion). The OLC opinion incorrectly found that following the emergency period of the pandemic, BOP must recall federal inmates released to home confinement pursuant to the CARES Act and require these inmates to complete their sentences at BOP facilities. In fact, the CARES Act does not require or permit BOP to recall these prisoners. On April 23, 2021, we asked Attorney General Garland to rescind the OLC opinion, and are awaiting his response. However, the opinion does not prevent you from acting. We urge you to use your unfettered pardon power to immediately commute the sentences of those on home confinement pursuant to the CARES Act. These individuals, who were released only after careful vetting by BOP, have successfully transitioned to home confinement. They have reunited with family, obtained jobs, and are abiding by the conditions of their release. Additional executive authorities are also available. BOP can provide relief for certain individuals through prerelease home confinement, under 18 U.S.C.  3624(c)(2), and the Elderly Home Detention Pilot Program, pursuant to 34 U.S.C.  60541(g). For those who do not qualify for those provisions, BOP can recommend, and DOJ should support, compassionate release pursuant to 18 U.S.C. 3582(c)(1)(A). Compassionate release is authorized whenever extraordinary and compelling reasons warrant a sentence reduction, and the once-in-a-century global pandemic that led to these home confinement placements certainly constitutes such an extraordinary and compelling circumstance.

Some of many prior related posts:

August 12, 2021 at 03:48 PM | Permalink

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As discussed in this post from late last month, there has been talk that Prez Biden might use his clemency powers to help ensure that some member of the CARES home confinement cohort does not have to return to prison after the pandemic. This new Politico piece, headlined "Biden starts clemency process for inmates released due to Covid conditions," reports on new action on this front:

The Biden administration has begun asking former inmates confined at home because of the pandemic to formally submit commutation applications, criminal justice reform advocates and one inmate herself tell POLITICO.

Those who have been asked for the applications fall into a specific category: drug offenders released to home under the pandemic relief bill known as the CARES Act with four years or less on their sentences. Neither the White House nor the Department of Justice clarified how many individuals have been asked for commutation applications or whether it would be expanding the universe of those it reached out to beyond that subset. But it did confirm that the president was beginning to take action.

The Biden-Harris Administration is working hard every single day to reform our justice system in order to strengthen families, boost our economy, and give Americans a chance at a better future," said White House spokesperson Andrew Bates. "As part of this, President Biden is deeply committed to reducing incarceration and helping people successfully reenter society. As he has said, too many Americans are incarcerated -- and too many of those incarcerated are Black and Brown. That is why the President is exploring the use of his clemency power for individuals on CARES Act home confinement. The Administration will start the clemency process with a review of non-violent drug offenders on CARES Act home confinement with four years or less to serve.

The requests from the administration are a concrete sign that the president is planning to use his clemency powers to solve what was shaping up to be one of the thornier criminal justice matters on his desk. The New York Times previously reported that such requests for applications would be coming....

While we are excited to hear the Biden administration is actively seeking clemency petitions for non violent drug offenders, we pray he will not carve up CARES Act recipients into small subsets, said Amy Povah, a former prisoner who has become a well known clemency advocate. No other president in history has been handed a 'dream come true' opportunity to easily identify a large group of individuals who have already been vetted and successfully integrated into society, many of whom are now gainfully employed, found housing, and are healing the family unit that was injured due to tough-on-crime sentencing policies that previous administrations have acknowledged are horribly unjust.

Rachel Hanson, 37, was one of those paroled inmates who was at risk of being sent back to her federal facility. She was 8.5 years into a 151 month sentence for charges of possession with intent to distribute an unspecified amount of cocaine. She had been released from prison in August of 2021 under the CARES Act but kept in home confinement wearing an ankle monitor. She was contacted by her case manager on Friday, who told her that her name was submitted by the Department of Justice for expedited clemency and that she needed to fill out her clemency packet right away.

She described the events of the past few days as a blur. I was so surprised, she said. I didnt expect it. You hear about clemency. You know it happens to people but you dont always see. Hanson has three children, one of whom is a senior in high school. She has a job interview lined up for Tuesday for a production coordinator post at a welding factory. She has to rush to get her clemency packet completed first....

Udi Ofer, the ACLUs deputy national political director, said that while he was heartened that the administration was now acting, he faulted the administration for acting in a less than transparent way with advocates and advocacy groups in the criminal justice space. He said he was troubled by the possibility that it was cleaving off CARES Act recipients into those deserving commutation and those who didnt. He noted that the Bureau of Prisons, in originally releasing inmates under the CARES Act, had already made a determination between those who posed a threat of violence and those who didnt. On the other hand, through the anecdotal information were seeing, we are worried that the White House is viewing this issue too narrowly and unnecessarily restricting the category of people being asked to apply for clemency, said Ofer.

Some advocates for clemency and other forms of sentence reduction also expressed concern that the Biden administrations move essentially put it in the position of working from a list developed by the Bureau of Prisons during the Trump administration, in a process critics said lacked clear guidelines and transparency. Its not clear how the Bureau of Prisons chose people for this home confinement program, which raises the question of whether its fair to give a special benefit to these folks not available to those who have filed clemency petitions sometimes years ago and have been patiently waiting, said Margaret Love, who served as Justice Department pardon attorney under Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton.
Indian gov't forces kill 5 Naxals in Jharkhand

Xinhua) 12:59, April 04, 2023

NEW DELHI, April 3 (Xinhua) -- Five Naxals were killed Monday in a gunfight with government forces in the eastern Indian state of Jharkhand, police said.

The gunfight between Naxals and the joint contingents of police and paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) broke out in the Lawalong police station area, around 160 km north of Ranchi, the capital city of Jharkhand.

"Today five Naxals were gunned down during a gunfight with police and the CRPF in a forest area near Palamu-Chatra border falling under the jurisdiction of Lawalong police station in Chatra district," a senior police official told media. "The bodies have been recovered."

The government forces, however, have not suffered any damage in the standoff.

According to local media reports, of the five slain Naxals, four were carrying bounties on their heads.

Currently, Naxals are active across the central and eastern parts of India.

India's former prime minister Manmohan Singh once termed the Naxalite movement as India's "greatest internal security challenge."

New Delhi has deployed several companies of its paramilitary forces to take on Naxals in their strongholds.

The insurgency reportedly has claimed hundreds of lives besides rendering thousands of poor inhabitants homeless.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
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February 7, 2022

Celebrating "real" recidivism is essentially nil, and even technical violations stunningly low, for CARES home confinement cohort

Data from the US Sentencing Commission indicates that roughly 1 in 4 persons who serve time in federal prison gets rearrested within the first two years after release (see Table 2 in this 2016 USSC report), though some rearrests are for a violation of supervision conditions rather than a new crime. Though I dislike when recidivism is broadly defined to included just "technical" violations, these USSC data provide useful and needed context for this Washington Times article headlined "320 federal inmates reoffended while on pandemic-related home confinement." Here are excerpts (with emphasis added):

More than 300 federal inmates who were transferred to home confinement as a pandemic mitigation strategy reoffended and were sent back to prison, a top federal official said Thursday. Bureau of Prisons Director Michael Carvajal told the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security that substance abuse was the most common offense that landed inmates back behind bars. About 160 of those 320 were for abuse of alcohol or drugs, Mr. Carvajal said. Some of them were escapes  they werent where they were supposed to be  most of them were violations of that nature. Some was misconduct, eight of those were new crimes committed, the rest of those were technical violations. A bureau spokesperson told The Washington Times that six of the eight new crimes were drug-related, one was for escape with prosecution and one was for smuggling non-citizens.... During Thursdays hearing, he said the 320 reoffending inmates are among more than 37,000 who were transferred to home confinement since Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES) in March 2020 to address threats posed by the pandemic. The CARES Act allows the bureau to transfer certain low-level inmates convicted of nonviolent crimes to home confinement if they meet the COVID-19 risk factors identified by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While some transfers have been put back in prison, others have completed their sentences and 5,485 inmates are still in home confinement.

In other words, it seems that not one single violent crime has been committed by more than 37,000 persons released early to home confinement under the CARES Act authority. This is an amazing reality to be robustly celebrated, in part because it reveals that our federal system can effectively identify low-risk offenders who can be released early at essentially no risk to public safety.

This great new Inquest piece by Jessica Morton & Samara Spence, titled "Home Rule: In weighing the future of thousands placed on home confinement during the pandemic, the government should prioritize where they are now: in their communities," places these data in another bit of telling context:

BOPs own numbers show that people placed on home confinement pursuant to the CARES Act do not need to be returned to prison to prevent them from committing crimes. According to BOP data, only 9 of the 4,879 people placed on home confinement under the CARES Act  that is, less than two-tenths of a percent  have been reincarcerated for new criminal conduct. By way of comparison, more than 100 BOP employees have been arrested, convicted of, or sentenced for crimes since the beginning of 2019. Given that BOP has 36,739 employees, BOP employees have a 1.5 times higher rate of alleged criminal conduct than the people the agency supervises on CARES Act home confinement, over a roughly similar period.

This Inquest piece should be read in full because it has a number of additional great points beyond the remarkable reality that BOP employees are apparently more of a public safety threat than the CARES home confinement cohort. But the broader point is that federal experience over the last two years shows that is is possible to decarcerate a certain prison population without posing any real threats to public safety; indeed, done the right way and at the right time it may be possible to have more freedom and less crime. That is in part the premise driving various elements of the FIRST STEP Act, and the CARES home confinement cohort has, in essense, demonstrated "proof of concept."

Of course, home confinement release with constant risk of reconfinement during a pandemic is not "normal" in any respect and so I do not think it fair to try to extrapolate too far from these encouraging recidivism data. Nevertheless, whether a fan or a foe of modern criminal justice reform efforts, the impressively good behavior of the CARES home confinement cohort should be something that everyone can celebrate.

February 7, 2022 at 03:30 PM | Permalink

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Yep, lets celebrate this. Its nice when people obey the law.

Interesting, Doug, that you have no comment about Loudoun County school administrators wanting to saddle kids with an arrest record for wearing a mask in school.

Posted by: Federalist | Feb 9, 2022 10:47:26 AM

Not aware of story, federalist, please link.

Posted by: Doug B. | Feb 9, 2022 12:47:35 PM

I found the following story in the NY Post. There appear to be differing accounts of what's actually going on. The security officer's leaked email memo seems to me to be pretty aggressive.

https://nypost.com/2022/02/08/loudoun-county-school-staff-trained-to-get-warrants-for-mask-refusal-email/

In related news, the Virginia Senate just passed a bill essentially codifying the Governor's statewide "parents-get-to-choose" order. Since the lower Virginia House (the House of Delegates) in controlled by Rs, I would expect this bill to become law very shortly.

The idea that one might even consider arresting a child for not wearing a mask, or anything like that, strikes me as just as preposterous as the idea of putting a 9 year-old on the sex registry.

Posted by: Bill Otis | Feb 9, 2022 1:59:37 PM

Here is a story from a few years ago about hundreds of kids under 10 getting arrested in Florida schools: https://www.abcactionnews.com/news/local-news/i-team-investigates/kids-treated-as-criminals-hundreds-of-young-florida-children-arrested-within-the-last-two-years

Have you asked Gov DeSantis about this, Federalist? I am pleased to hear you are now concerned about the overpolicing of kids. Hope you stay on this important beat!

Posted by: Doug B. | Feb 9, 2022 2:57:02 PM

Many, but not all states have a minimum age for arresting and charging a child (usually younger than 10 years old) with any crime. The idea is that young children's brains have not sufficiently developed to understand criminal actions and to form the intent (mens rea) to commit a crime. One of my favorite stories about this issue concerns a 9-year old who climbed over the console from the back seat to the driver's seat of her mother's SUV, which was parked, but with the engine running. The mother had gone into the Colorado Dept. of Public Safety to pay a traffic fine. The girl's 13-year old sister was in the passenger's seat of the car, but did nothing to stop her younger sister from putting the car in drive, and rolling it thru a brick wall! No one was injured. A police officer purported to arrest the 9-year old for driving without a driver's license and reckless driving. At arraignment, a Judge dismissed the charges and reminded the police officer that under Colorado law, no child younger than 10 can be charged and prosecuted for any offense. The entire idea of criminalizing a child's failure to wear a mask at school is just preposterous and overly zealous. This should be a school disciplinary matter, not a crime.

Posted by: Jim Gormley | Feb 10, 2022 8:49:09 AM

Jim Gormey --

What the cop should have done was console the nine year-old, who was very likely scared out of her wits, and go inside and give holy hell to the mother who didn't take the three-fifths of a second it required to turn off the damn engine.

Posted by: Bill Otis | Feb 10, 2022 2:46:08 PM

The article from Murdoch-owned, local Fox News publication NY Post is deceptive.

Go to the actual document from the school security director, no one will be arrested for trespass without an arrest warrant issued by a magistrate.

The trespass seemingly occurring after a maskless student or parent is denied admission to the school building, but persists in entering or attempting to enter.

The media is so FUBAR right now. And people just suck it up.

You aren't supposed to agree with the news, ffs.

Posted by: Fat Bastard | Feb 15, 2022 10:35:55 PM

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 New bill, Federal Prison Oversight Act, part of continued congressional push for federal prison oversight | Main | New US Sentencing Commission releases its first set of tentative policy priorities 

Because it is often so very easy to notice and spotlight government failings in the crime and punishment arena, it is nice to have opportunities to highlight government successes in this world. So, though I have noted before the great data about the success of persons released from federal prison early under the CARES Act, I am happy to see Molly Gill talking up this data in this new Washington Post opinion piece headlined "Thousands were released from prison during covid. The results are shocking." Here are excerpts:

We are keeping many people in prison even though they are no danger to the public, a jaw-dropping new statistic shows. That serves as proof that its time to rethink our incarceration policies for those with a low risk of reoffending.

To protect those most vulnerable to covid-19 during the pandemic, the Cares Act allowed the Justice Department to order the release of people in federal prisons and place them on home confinement. More than 11,000 people were eventually released. Of those, the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) reported that only 17 of them committed new crimes.

Thats not a typo. Seventeen. Thats a 0.15 percent recidivism rate in a country where its normal for 30 to 65 percent of people coming home from prison to reoffend within three years of release.

Of those 17 people, most new offenses were for possessing or selling drugs or other minor offenses. Of the 17 new crimes, only one was violent (an aggravated assault), and none were sex offenses.

This extremely low recidivism rate shows there are many, many people in prison we can safely release to the community. These 11,000 releases were not random. People in low- and minimum-security prisons or at high risk of complications from covid were prioritized for consideration for release....

The Cares Act policy teaches us that many of our prison sentences are unnecessarily lengthy. People who commit crimes should be held accountable, and that might include serious time in prison. Many of the people released to home confinement had years or even decades left to serve on their sentences. But they changed in prison and are no longer a danger to others, as the new data confirms.

Releases to home confinement were also focused on two groups of people who pose little to no risk to public safety: the elderly and the ill (i.e., those most likely to face serious covid complications). Study after study confirms that people become less likely to reoffend as they get older. Americas elderly prison population is growing rapidly, because of our use of lengthy prison terms.

People with serious chronic illnesses or physical disabilities are another group who can be safely released from long sentences. They are not dangerous, but their increased medical needs make them exponentially more expensive to incarcerate. Taxpayers arent getting much public safety bang for their buck when we incarcerate bedridden people.

The federal Cares Act home confinement program should inspire similar programs across the country. Virtually all states have programs available to release elderly or very sick people from prison, but they are hardly used and should be expanded. States should also give people serving the longest sentences a chance to go back to court after 10 or 15 years and prove that they have changed and can be safely released.

The data is in. It shows that we can thoughtfully release low-risk people from prison with supervision and not cause a new crime wave. At a time when crime is going up in so many cities and towns, we cannot afford to waste money or resources keeping those who no longer need to be in prison locked up.
 USSC publishes 2022 Annual Report and latest Sourcebook of Federal Sentencing Statistics | Main | "The Unconstitutional Conditions Vacuum in Criminal Procedure" 

March 15, 2023

With pandemic legally winding down, should Congress build in CARES Act success to greatly expand BOP home confinement authority?

The question in the title of this post is prompted by this notable new Forbes piece by Walter Pavlo headlined "Bureau Of Prisons Sees End Of Cares Act Home Confinement, Some Prisoners Will Be Left Behind." I recommend the full piece, and here are excerpts (with links from the original):

The CARES Act provided funding for the United States to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic, but it provided the Federal Bureua of Prisons (BOP) a means to both reduce crowding in federal prisons and place some minimum security prisoners with underlying health conditions on home confinement to complete their sentences. Over 12,000 prisoners have successfully been transferred to home confinement under the CARES Act and few have violated the conditions that returned them to prison. The Office of Legal Counsel determined that BOPs preexisting authorities did not require that prisoners in extended home confinement be returned en masse to correctional facilities when the emergency period ends. Now, the Biden Administration has called for the end of national emergency and public health emergency associated with the COVID-19 pandemic on May 11, 2023 and that will mean that some prisoners will not see the benefit of home confinement. The Federal Register published a draft of the final rule to end CARES Act home confinement in June 2022. Comments and the final rule itself are now at the White House and will soon be published. In the draft proposal, the Department of Justice indicated that the BOP would stop home confinement placements of prisoners 30 days after the emergency period ends, so mid-June 2023. As the program sunsets, one would think the BOP is slowing transfer of some prisoners to home confinement under CARES Act, but not so. Randilee Giamusso, who works at the BOPs Office of Public Affairs gave a statement that, The Bureau of Prisons (BOP) has not made efforts to slow CARES Act home confinement placements as the end of the CARES Act approaches. We have issued no guidance regarding this matter. That is welcome news to prisoners who meet the eligibility requirements for CARES Act placement. Many are also hoping that the DOJ extends the 30 days after the end of CARES Act to something that takes into consideration the success of the program and the conditions of prison. Maureen Baird, retired BOP Warden, told me in an interview, Prisons are communal settings where contagion is always a concern. I think the BOP has gone to great measures to try to avoid that contagion and one of the most successful measures has been CARES Act home confinement.... The CARES Act demonstrated that a select group of prisoners could be identified and successfully placed in community settings for an extended portion of their sentence. There are currently prisoners on CARES Act who still have over 5 years remaining on their prison term who are under strict terms of home confinement and subject to being returned to an institution in the event of failing to live up to those terms.

Though it makes sense to wind down the pandemic-driven authority to transfer certain persons from federal prison to home confinement, Congress and the US Sentencing Commission and the Justice Department should carefully study the the apparent success of this CARES Act program and consider ways to give BOP broader authority in non-pandemic times to move low-risk prisoners into home confinement. As highlighted by some posts below about the CARES Act, it seems that great use of home confinement might help reduce recidivism, save taxpayer money, facilitate greater reentry success for offenders and advance other important goals. Of course, home confinement needs to uses efficiently and effectively, though if we can do that during a pandemic, I would hope we can also do it at other times.

Some prior related posts:

March 15, 2023 at 02:44 PM | Permalink

Comments

I think the CARES act when it refers to inmates is a great act and should continue. Especially since there is no Parole in federal system. It gives NON-VIOLENT people to prove they are willing to change with their families and under supervision. It creates jobs and save the taxpayers money but the most important thing? Gives hope and inspires people to make changes...Instead of being a country of no mercy for people who should be in rehab and education programs outside of prison, at least do this...

Posted by: Randy Cowan | Mar 15, 2023 3:31:21 PM

The lefts motto: Never let a crisis go to waste.

Posted by: TarlsQtr | Mar 16, 2023 1:23:03 AM

Inmates got a special break they did nothing to earn because of a once-in-a-hundred-years pandemic. The pandemic has ended, and the unique reason for that break ended with it. They were serving legal sentences their criminal behavior earned them. The reason those sentences were interrupted has gone. This is not that hard.

Posted by: Bill Otis | Mar 16, 2023 2:20:31 AM

If home-confinement is done, the rules need to be enforced sternly.

Bill, if we could trust decisionmakers, I might be willing to take into consideration home-confinement conduct to let them remain. But we don't live in that world.

Posted by: federalist | Mar 16, 2023 8:24:40 AM

The home confinement for sure needs to continue and expand. From what I have seen they have not utilized it enough. This tool becomes especially important with the ageing population, lack of rehabilitative services and complete lack of health care within the BOP. And let us not forget the abuses within the BOP.

Posted by: Mp | Mar 16, 2023 3:44:28 PM

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Kimberlee Ang's TikTok captures the heartwarming moment she surprises her domestic helper, Nur, with a BTS Suga concert ticket. (PHOTO: TikTokScreengrab/KimberleeAng)

SINGAPORE  A Singaporean employer has captured the hearts of many after buying a BTS Suga concert ticket for her foreign domestic worker.

Kimberlee Ang's act of kindness has gone viral on social media and garnered attention from online users worldwide.

Suga is one of the seven members of South Korean mega-group BTS. He is set to perform in Singapore on 17 and 18 June, and fans were scrambling to get their hands on the tickets.

But for Nur, a foreign domestic worker in Singapore, her dream of attending the concert had seemed unlikely - until her employer Ang surprised her with a heartwarming act.

Act of kindness goes viral

On Tuesday (4 April), Ang shared her experience on TikTok, revealing how she was able to secure a concert ticket for her helper, despite being over 5,600th in line during the ARMY membership presale on 3rd April.

Tickets for the upcoming BTS Suga concert in Singapore are priced between $168.00 to $348.00.

While Nur was initially hesitant about purchasing the expensive concert ticket, Ang secretly bought it as a gift for Nur.

The heartwarming moment when she handed the ticket to Nur was captured on video, showing Nur's emotional reaction upon receiving the ticket. "I'm shaking," she said as tears welled up in her eyes.

Ang joked about her stress levels while trying to buy the ticket, saying, "You shaking, my whole body sweating. I never buy ticket until so stress, you know."

The video has since gone viral with over 29,000 views, with fans praising Ang's kind gesture towards her domestic worker.

One TikTok user, Charmaine, expressed her admiration, saying, "This is so sweet! I hope she has a blast at the show."

Meanwhile, Lorilee Krizelle wished Ang and her family the best, stating, "You're the best. I pray for more blessings for you and your family."

Do you have a story tip? Email: sgnews.tips@yahooinc.com.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter. Also check out our Southeast Asia, Food, and Gaming channels on YouTube.
Hundreds of Bangladeshi firefighters battled an inferno that raged through a popular clothing market in the capital Dhaka on Tuesday and blanketed the city's oldest neighbourhoods in black smoke.

No fatalities have been reported so far, but shop owners and fire officials told reporters that the famous Bongo Bazar and three adjacent markets had been almost completely gutted in the dawn fire.

Tempers flared as the morning wore on with a group of shop owners hurling rocks at firefighters, angered by the time it was taking to bring the blaze under control.

"We dispersed them," police spokesman Faruq Ahmed said, adding that around 450 officers had been deployed to keep order and stop looting.

Fire services chief Main Uddin told reporters that 600 firefighters from across the city brought the blaze under control after battling it for more than six hours, while hundreds of spectators watched from a nearby overpass.

"An enthusiastic crowd and a lack of water" along with high winds had made it difficult to combat the fire, he said.

Uddin added that Bongo Bazar, built mainly from timber and tin to house hundreds of small stalls, was designated a fire risk in 2019 and had been repeatedly issued warning letters since then.

Police inspector Bacchu Mia said at least 11 people had been injured in the fire, including five firefighters, but none were in a critical condition.

Owners said the four markets housed thousands of clothing shops in one of Dhaka's busiest precincts, home to the country's most prestigious university and its national police headquarters.

- End of Ramadan -

Built in the 1980s, Bongo Bazar is a popular destination for cut-price Western fashion brands such as Tommy Hilfiger, selling clothes that were produced in the city's garment factories but failed to meet export standards.

Distraught shop owners told reporters the blaze had left them destitute ahead of Eid, the Muslim festival marking the end of Ramadan and the country's biggest religious celebration.

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"I borrowed 1.5 million taka ($14,200) to buy Eid clothing," one business owner said. "I've lost everything."

Building fires and explosions due to leaking gas cylinders, faulty air conditioners and bad electrical wiring are frequent in Bangladesh.

Last month, at least 23 people were killed in an explosion at a central Dhaka market later blamed on a bad gas line.

A fire and subsequent explosions at a container depot in the port city of Chittagong last year killed more than 50 people.

mma-sa/gle/dhc
PEOPLE has an exclusive look at Affleck's latest commercial for the donut company

Dunkin'

Ben Affleck, Matt Damon  they're interchangeable, right?

After a splashy Super Bowl commercial for Dunkin', Affleck is back with a new ad, PEOPLE can reveal exclusively. The actor is promoting Dunkin's new offer, the Dunkin Run, which includes a $1 donut when you purchase a medium or large coffee, and in the video, he gets mistaken for his longtime friend Damon.

"I'm here for the Dunkin' Runcampaign, commercial," says Affleck, who conceived, directed, and executed the ad. "It's a great deal  a large coffee, a donut for a buck. I mean, it's pretty cool."

As he continues, the two donut shop employees look confused, not recognizing the actor.

"So I thought it would be like authentic and meta  yes, I'm doing the commercial, but am I doing the commercial?" he adds. "You know, I don't do commercials. I'm a real actor. This is an art form for me."

Related:See the Outtakes from Ben Affleck's Super Bowl 2023 Commercial for Dunkin': 'I'm Struggling'

Dunkin'

While one employee acts like he still doesn't recognize Affleck, his co-worker tries to jog his memory. "You know, The Departed," she says.

Name dropping a Damon movie, she clearly mistook Affleck for his Good Will Hunting costar, who also happens to be a Massachusetts native.

Related:Ben Affleck and Matt Damon Once Shared a Bank Account for Auditions: 'We Needed the Money'

Eddy Chen/Disney General Entertainment Content/Getty Ben Affleck and Matt Damon

Affleck then repeats back "The Departed" while feigning offense for the mix-up.

"Are you in The Departed?" the Dunkin' barista asks to confirm, to which Affleck shakes his head, "I'm Matt Damon."

After the barista says, "I love him," Affleck jokingly shakes his head in disapproval. "Nah, I mean some of his work," he cheekily says.

Moviestore/Shutterstock Matt Damon and Ben Affleck in Dogma (1999)

"He's had a really consistent career," the Dunkin' worker adds, to which Affleck grimaces and groans.

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Affleck, who handpicked the cast and crew for the ad, ends the spot by walking out of the store with a donut and his go-to coffee order (iced coffee, milk and two sugars, sometimes Splenda).

PEOPLE was on set when the commercial filmed in Boston in January, and spoke with the Oscar-winning star about the Dunkin' deal.

Dunkin' (2)

"The Dunkin' run is sort of a form of the expression that people would use to say like, 'Just going to get a cup of coffee. Go make a Dunkin' run,'" he said. "It's had various iterations and evolutions, and the...most consistent version of it is like, you know, 'going [for a] Dunkin' run.'"

Affleck told PEOPLE about grabbing Dunkin' with friends "after high school" while he was growing up in Massachusetts. "I just took that for granted. I mean, if you were going to get coffee, there was no other coffee place that you would go to," he said.

In February, Affleck starred in a Dunkin' Super Bowl commercial, which included a cameo from his wife, Jennifer Lopez.

In the ad, he played a Dunkin' employee serving unsuspecting attendees their beverages and treats in a hidden camera-like spot. At one point, while he was working the drive-thru, Lopez appeared and teased her husband. "What are you doing? Is that what you do when you say you're going to work all day?" she said.

The ads, which were developed by the production company Affleck created alongside Damon, Artists Equity, were a long time coming, said Affleck.

"I think people already sort of think that I work for Dunkin'," he told PEOPLE with a laugh. "In Boston, it was such a big deal. I think I became kind of associated with it, and this sounded like a fun opportunity to kind of play with that association, and a chance to come back here to shoot it at home in Boston."

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.
File: Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin attends a parliament session (AP)

Malaysia's parliament passed sweeping legal reforms to abolish the mandatory death penalty and natural-life prison sentences in a landmark move to respect each individual's right to life.

Malaysian lawmakers on Monday voted in the lower house of the parliament to approve the Abolition of Mandatory Death Penalty Bill after years of effort by successive governments to make the death penalty optional in the country.

The bill will next be brought to the government-controlled senate for approval, before being presented to the King and gazetted into law.

The South Asian nation has had a moratorium on executions since 2018, when it first promised to abolish capital punishment entirely.

The amendments passed will apply to 34 offences currently punishable by death. Eleven of them carry it as a mandatory punishment, including murder and terrorism.

Alternatives to the death penalty will include whipping and imprisonment of between 30 to 40 years.

However, judges will have the discretion to impose the death penalty in exceptional cases.

According to the bill, the new prison term will replace all previous provisions that call for imprisonment for the duration of the offender's natural life.

According to Malaysian law, life imprisonment sentences which are for a fixed term of 30 years, will be retained.

Capital punishment will be removed as an option for serious crimes that do not cause death, such as discharging and trafficking of a firearm and kidnapping.

Deputy law minister Ramkarpal Singh said capital punishment was an irreversible punishment that had not been an effective deterrent for crime.

The amendments will apply retrospectively, ergo allowing those on death row 90 days to seek a review.

There are currently 1,341 such prisoners in Malaysia, according to rights groups.

In line with the purpose of respecting the right to life for every individual, the basic principle behind every punishment in Malaysia is the rehabilitation of prisoners, Mr Singh said in parliament on Monday.

Story continues

"This is so they may return to society and serve the community after completing the punishment process."

The bill was passed through a voice vote after two rounds of debating among the lawmakers, where opposition MPs rejected the move.

It is unfair to remove the mandatory death sentence for major crimes such as murder, as the victims families also want retribution for the loss of their loved ones, said opposition lawmaker Mas Ermieyati Samsudin.

Rights group Amnesty International hailed the move to repeal the mandatory death penalty as "historic".

"Todays vote has been a long-time in the making, and while there is still more to be done, it lays the foundations for further reform that must put human rights and fair trial proceedings front and centre," the group's Malaysia executive director Katrina Jorene Maliamauv said in a statement.

"The death penalty is the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment. It is a violation of the right to life. But this move shows human rights progress is possible."
 CEO3080  AICEOChatGPT 11.59 107.9 LinkedIn LinkedIn research finds over 60% of surveyed professionals believe that it is crucial for a company's values to align with their own Land Rover4   3.1%11  30 0.58% 17%  5400 University Hill61 1.65 473 15  30  312%  11339  1.19%3% 874 24% 6 0.8 0.63%2  8%  40  ING13  CEO2.26 800 3354  Bed Bath & Beyond 4806 8%6% 0.13% 10.9%    
SIOUX CITY  Sioux City Assessor Tyler Erickson is holding a meeting at the Sioux City Public Museum Thursday night to address a number of topics including: his office's work, how market value is defined, what's the difference between assessed value and taxable value and the state rollback.

The meeting, set to start at 6:30 p.m., comes a little more than a week after assessment value notices for Sioux City real estate were mailed out. On average, property owners in town saw their assessed values increase by about 23.5% (statewide, the average for 2023 is between 20% and 30%).

"2022 was a sellers' market due to low inventory and high demand, leading to higher sales prices," Erickson said in a release announcing the public informational meeting.

Erickson has said property owners can request informal reviews of their assessment until April 25 or file a petition with the local board of review until April 30.

"Our office cannot lower your taxes, we can only address the assessed value," he said previously.

More information can be found at woodburycountyiowa.gov/assessor_city.
B&R Stores has plans to buy a small independent grocery store in central Nebraska.

The Lincoln-based supermarket chain said Friday that it has agreed to buy Joe's Market in Loup City. The sale is expected to be finalized in May after longtime owners Joe and Pat Kowalski retire. Terms of the sale were not disclosed.

B&R Stores CEO Pat Raybould said in a news release that the company plans to keep all current store employees.

"We look forward, with great anticipation, to adding the team in Loup City to our family, serving Loup City and the surrounding communities, and taking great care of Joe and Pat's loyal customers," he said.

Joe Kowalski has worked in the grocery industry since 1974 and has owned the Loup City store since 1994 with his wife.

"We have thoroughly enjoyed serving Loup City while working alongside our wonderful employees, but we have decided it is now time for us to retire and explore the next chapter of our life," he said in the news release.

The purchase of Joe's Market adds to B&R Stores' growing portfolio of small-town grocery stores. The company that owns Russ's Market and Super Saver has bought more than a dozen locations in small towns in Nebraska, Iowa and Missouri since 2017.

12 Nebraska shops to check out Fort Cody Trading Post Marshall Custom Hats Hollywood Candy Brown Sheep Co. Mill Store Cottage Inspirations Antiquarium Master's Hand Candle Co. North Platte Art And Gift Gallery Park Avenue Antiques The Keeping Room Too Far North Yesterday's Lady The Most Unlikely Place Marah's Treasures Suite Child Aqua York Boot 'N Repair Platte River Outdoors
This blog covers software patent news and issues with a particular focus on wireless, mobile devices (smartphones, tablet computers, connected cars) as well as select antitrust matters surrounding those devices.
Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird joined signed onto a letter with 21 other Republican-led states opposing new regulations from the federal Department of Energy that would put energy efficiency regulations on a range of consumer cookware, including gas and electric stoves.

The department released a proposed rule in January to update efficiency regulations for consumer cookware. Republicans criticized President Joe Biden when, earlier in January, a commissioner for a federal agency suggested a ban of gas stoves was being considered. But the Biden administration later said it had no plans to ban the appliances.

The new regulations would affect more than half of gas stoves currently on the market, a release from Birds office said. The release criticized the estimates the administration used in coming up with the standards, which Birds office said led to a skewed analysis that downplays its substantial cost to both states and consumers.

This is yet another power grab from the Biden Administration to advance their radical climate change agenda, Bird said in the release. And this time, its hitting us at home.
SIOUX CITY -- Woodbury County Democrats elected party officers when they held their biannual caucus and biennial organizational meeting, March 29, at the Sioux City Public Library.

Amanda Gibson, of Sioux City, was elected to serve as chair; Dave Dawson, of Lawton, and Linda Santi, of Sioux City, were elected to serve as co-vice chairs; Leti O'Brien, of Sioux City, was elected to serve as treasurer; and Karen Havlicek, of Moville, was reelected to serve as secretary.

Outgoing chair Jeremy Dumkrieger honored outgoing officers, co-vice chairs Sandi Bass and Greg Guelcher; treasurer Jeremy Saint; and Havlicek for their service. Similarly, incoming officers recognized Dumkrieger for his years of service.

"We're excited to move forward with this blend of fresh, new members to join the experienced members with important historical perspective," Gibson said. "Democrats will continue to work to make government at all levels as fair and as just as possible. We invite folk to become involved in our important party-building efforts."
SIOUX CITY -- A Minnesota man who sold drugs in Iowa and crashed a vehicle in Dickinson County while trying to avoid arrest has been sentenced to more than 24 years in federal prison.

Shawn Gaston, 32, of Fairmont, Minnesota, pleaded guilty in July to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. He was sentenced Friday to 295 months in prison. There is no parole in the federal system.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Gaston and others sold approximately 27 pounds of meth in Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin from February 2020 through October 2021. In October 2021, while in Iowa to collect a drug debt, Gaston led law enforcement officers on a high-speed chase beginning in Clay County and ending in Dickinson County, where he crashed into a creek. After getting out of the vehicle, Gaston tried to get rid of a gun and meth before he was caught, but the gun and drugs were found near the vehicle.
SIOUX CITY -- The Sioux City Council voted unanimously Monday to approve the first reading of ordinance changes that would increase residential, commercial and industrial sewer rates.

The rate increase would help the city rebuild its aging wastewater treatment plant at 3100 S. Lewis Blvd. The project is expected to cost $580 million.

Last April, the council green-lighted a $617,700 consulting services agreement with Hazen and Sawyer, P.C. to develop a comprehensive facility plan, which will guide the city's wastewater treatment services for the next two decades.

Before Monday's vote, the Minneapolis environmental engineering firm shared detailed information about how rate increases would impact specific customers across the city.

Residential users currently being charged $22.52 a month for 3,000 gallons (400 cubic feet) would pay $27.03 in fiscal year 2024, which begins July 1, $29.73 in FY 2025 and $30.62 in FY 2026. That particular example represents a household comprised of one or two people, according to Project Manager Will Martin.

The sewer bill of a small family using 6,000 gallons (800 cubic feet) a month would rise from $41.85 to $50.19 in FY 2024. The following two years, the monthly rate for that family would be $55.20 and $56.86.

A large family currently being charged $80.49 for 12,000 gallons (1,600 cubic feet) would pay $96.51 in FY 2024, $106.16 in FY 2025 and $109.34 in FY 2026.

Hazen and Sawyer is proposing sharing the cost allocation of investments in future infrastructure 50/50 between non-industrial users, which includes commercial and residential ratepayers, and industrial users.

Under the proposal, a large industry currently paying $5.05 million annually would see their sewer rates increase to $6.56 million in FY 2024, $7.87 million in FY 2025 and $9.45 million in FY 2026.

Tom Pingel, the city's utility director in charge of the wastewater treatment plant, told the council that the concentration of the pollutants in the city's wastewater is either the highest or the second highest in the state, due to the industries that are present.

"We have very high concentrated waste. Typically, you see maybe a smaller wastewater plant, the BOD (biological oxygen demand) is maybe 100, 200 milligrams per liter. Ours is 900 to 1,000, typically, on average a month," he said.

Councilwoman Julie Schoenherr said she doesn't want local industries to feel like the city is "slamming them with a big bill." She said investing in the wastewater treatment plant is needed for those industries to be able to operate.

"We need them and they need us to be able to function," she said.

Pingel described the rebuild of the plant as a "generational project."

"We obviously don't want to increase rates, but this is something that we have to do," he said. "It's a once in our lifetime big rate increase."

Phase 1 of the project would focus on all planned upgrades except for new aeration basins and solids improvements, which would be implemented in phase 2. The aim of phase 3 would be additional capacity expansion.

In January of 2022, the Iowa DNR filed suit against the city over alleged repeated environmental violations at the plant, which dated back to March 2012. The city faces fines adding up to millions of dollars.

In response, the city concedes there have been past violations. But, in each case, the city self-reported them to the DNR upon discovery. The city also has denied allegations that city officials intentionally misled state regulators about the operating capabilities of the plant, calling them "reckless and libelous."

The city would pay for the wastewater treatment plant project with a combination of funding, including American Rescue Plan Act dollars. The city received $40.6 million from ARPA, a COVID relief package signed by President Biden in March 2021.

At its next meeting, the council is expected to vote on the second reading of the ordinance changes. Three readings are required before any ordinance can pass.
SIOUX CITY -- The City of Sioux City is slated to loan a Woodbine, Iowa, developer $450,000 in HOME/American Rescue Plan Act funding for the construction of apartments for the homeless.

The City Council, by approving its consent agenda Monday, green-lighted a resolution of intent to enter into an agreement with Arch Icon Development for the purpose of providing a 0%, 20-year cash flow forgivable loan for the construction of three apartments, which would be set aside for the homeless for 15 years. Arch Icon intends to construct its $8 million Asher Apartments development on a vacant lot adjacent to the Everett School Apartments at 1300 W. Third St.

"These funds are contingent on Arch Icon receiving local housing tax credits, so we'll know that later this year," Neighborhood Services Manager Jill Wanderscheid told the council. "We felt this is responding to a need in our community, having more permanent, supportive housing for those experiencing homelessness."

The Asher would offer five one-bedroom, 14 two-bedroom and 11 three-bedroom apartments. The apartments for low to moderate income families would rent for $600 (1 bed), $825 (2 bed) and $925 (3 bed) a month on average.

Arch Icon will be applying to the Iowa Finance Authority (IFA) for low income housing tax credits as the major source of funding for the development. The IFA awards points to developments with community funding contributions as a "boost in funding" for developments serving the homeless, according to city documents.

Each apartment would have a washer and dryer, refrigerator, oven, dishwasher and microwave. Three fully accessible apartments, a leasing office and separate office for case management would round out the first floor. Heartland Counseling Services has been chosen to provide supportive services to homeless individuals and families at the Asher for 15 years.

"Financially, it works well. They seem to be a great partner," Darin Smith, principal for Arch Icon, said of Heartland Counseling Services. "They'll have a space on site."

The development would also include a playground and 45 parking stalls.

"It's much needed in the community. It's a great step for us to move forward in assisting our homeless and getting as many in permanent situations as we can. And, I like the location," Councilwoman Julie Schoenherr said.

Arch Icon renovated the Central High School Annex into the Aberdeen Apartments and the Everett Elementary School Building into an apartment complex.
President Joe Biden says it remains to be seen if artificial intelligence is dangerous. But he says technology companies have a responsibility to make sure their products are safe before making them public. Biden met Tuesday with his council of advisers on science and technology about the risks and opportunities that rapid advancements in artificial intelligence pose for individual users and national security. Artificial intelligence burst to the forefront in the national conversation in recent months after the release of the popular ChatGPT AI chatbot. That helped spark a race among tech giants to unveil similar tools, while raising ethical and societal concerns about technology that can generate convincing prose or imagery that looks like its the work of humans.
A man wanted for murder in Pennsylvania has been arrested in Nebraska after being stopped by a Seward County Sheriff's deputy on Sunday.

A deputy with the Interdiction Task Force stopped Darrell Harrison Jr., 27, for traffic violations while he was heading west on Interstate 80 in a Dodge Journey SUV.

In a press release, Sheriff Michael Vance said Harrison had claimed to have no photo identification and gave the deputy a false name and date of birth.

But a check of the vehicle registration indicated the registered owner, Harrison Jr., was wanted for first-degree murder in Pennsylvania.

Vance said that continuing investigation showed the driver was Harrison Jr., of Youngstown, Ohio.

He said Harrison was wanted for the killing of a 21-year-old man early Saturday morning in Farrell, Pennsylvania, near Youngstown, Ohio.

According to local reports, Harrison is accused of shooting and killing Jayson Burns following an argument with three men in a roadway. Burns was taken to a hospital, where he died. Harrison Jr. drove away before police arrived.

Return of the Thunderbirds Celebration
MARENGO  A Tama County man suffered severe burns on one-third of his body in a Dec. 8 explosion at the C6-Zero plant, where he worked as a contractor, according to a lawsuit filed in Iowa County.

Kelly Regenold and his wife, Tammy Courbat, filed the suit March 21 against C6-Zero Iowa, C6-Zero Holdings and Heartland Crush LLC, the company that owns the Marengo building where the blast happened.

"The explosion blew Plaintiff off of a ladder and across the floor of the building. The subsequent fire destroyed the building and Plaintiff barely escaped with his life," the lawsuit states. "Plaintiff was taken by ambulance to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics where he was admitted for severe burns over 30 to 39% of his body, plus other injuries caused by the explosion and fire."

Regenold is the second person working at C6-Zero to announce suffering major injuries in the explosion and fire. A GoFundMe page was set up soon after the fire for Cody Blasberg, who was severely burned and had to temporarily be put on a ventilator because of his injuries.

C6-Zero did not have state permits to operate at the warehouse at 810 E. South St., in Marengo. The company was attempting to dissolve used roofing shingles using chemicals, oils and solvents "the vapors from which were toxic and flammable," the suit states.

The morning of Dec. 8, when C6-Zero owner Howard Brand III was testing out the equipment, a mechanical failure ignited the air vapors and caused an explosion.

Regenold, who was working for Deep Lake Outsourcing LLC at the C6-Zero plant, was on a ladder near the chemical vats when the blast occurred. He was among employees and others transported by ambulance to UIHC, where he remained for a month, the suit states.

"He has been left with extensive scarring and disfigurement throughout his body from the burns and skin grafting required to treat his burns," the suit states.

Nine employees were injured in the blast, with six needing one day away from work, according to an OSHA Form 300 C6-Zero filed with the Department of Labor. The Gazette obtained a redacted copy of the form through a Freedom of Information request to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

A seventh injured employee required an "on-job transfer or restriction" and an eighth employee had no information listed for how long they missed work or whether they required a transfer.

Regenold and Courbat are seeking financial compensation for Regenold's injuries and damages the couple has suffered as well as punitive damages against C6-Zero "in such amount as will deter C6-Zero and others from similar conduct."

C6-Zero Spokesman Mark Corallo said the company had no comment on the pending litigation.

Demolition begins at Marengo plant

The Iowa Demolition Company on Monday started tearing down part of the burned-out plant. A backhoe with a claw attachment grabbed part of the metal shell and pulled it down, then hauled away piles of twisted metal and blackened debris.

The demolition, expected to last several days, has stalled environmental cleanup at the site, according to EcoSource, a Des Moines-area company C6-Zero hired to deal with water and soil polluted by chemicals stored at the site.

"Due to the structural issues present in the structure, EcoSource does not want excavation equipment and personnel around the building until the structure is down," the company said in a March 20 update to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

EcoSource said it still does not know where it will dispose of contaminated water and soil.

"Iowa DNR and Metro Waste are both resistant to allowing standard disposal methods (solidification, landfilling, landfarming)," the company wrote. "The preferred location for liquid is Metro Park East landfill, and the Iowa County landfill for the soil disposal."

The delays seem to indicate EcoSource did not meet a March 31 deadline for implementing a Site Assessment Plan.

The most and least lucrative college majors in Iowa The most and least lucrative college majors in Iowa
Fifty-one years ago today, Larry Zich flew his final mission in Vietnam  on his birthday.

On June 5, he will be laid to rest at Lincoln Memorial Cemetery. The Patriot Guard will be there, and military jets will fly over.

Tina Mueller, Larry's sister, will at last get to say goodbye to her little brother.

"He was quiet and reserved, but he could pull tricks when he wanted to," she said.

Mueller last saw her little brother in 1971, before he shipped out to Vietnam.

Zich was the middle child of five, all born in Sturgis, South Dakota. The family moved around a lot, migrating through several small South Dakota towns before finally crossing the Nebraska border and moving to Lincoln, where Zich would attend Lincoln High.

According to relatives, Zich was happiest with his head under the hood of a car. He loved drag racing, building engines and going fast.

On April 3, 1972, Zich was the copilot of a Huey helicopter with three other members of the 37th Signal Battalion. They were flying to Quang Tri City, Vietnam, but got lost in bad weather. After a transmission from the pilot to ground control saying that they were lost, the crew was never heard from again.

They were declared missing, and the Zich family was shocked.

"We thought, you know, that he would be found," Mueller said. "Then that turned into thinking he was a POW. That lasted a long time."

In October 2022, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency identified Zich's remains, thanks to a wisdom tooth that was received from a Vietnamese immigrant in 1988, according to a press release in March.

The source claimed that the remains were from an aircraft crash involving nine people.

Stars and Stripes reports that after finding that dental X-ray of Zich was accidentally reversed, forensic analysts confirmed that the remains belonged to Zich.

It was a relief to Mueller.

"I'm glad he wasn't a POW," she said. "It's a relief to know what actually happened."

Tina was the oldest of the Zich kids, five years between her and Larry. Lincoln has been her home since the family moved here in the 1960s. She has two daughters, Sue and Tanya. She and Sue Green opened Tina's Cafe more than 30 years ago, and have been serving homestyle breakfast and famous cinnamon rolls ever since.

Back in 2006, Green ran into a man at the Nebraska State Fair, and noticed he was wearing a POW bracelet just like hers.

She would be shocked to discover that the bracelet had her uncle's name on it.

Later, Mueller and her daughters would visit a memorial marker for Zich that was placed in Black Hills National Cemetery, and it was there they met seven servicemen from Zich's detachment.

"They all loved Larry," Mueller said. "It was the only aircraft they lost, so it affected them deeply."

Debbie Zich Peters, his former wife, said that one of the men in Zich's attachment abandoned his mission to search for Zich, but to no avail.

"It was just like they disappeared."

Zich married Peters on May 29, 1969.

He sold the engine out of his beloved '57 Chevy to buy her engagement ring. That's when she knew he loved her, she said.

"He loved going fast, that's why he wanted to fly," she said. "He had interest in getting his fixed-wing (license) when he got back."

Peters says that after Zich was reported missing, her "whole world stopped." The Army never gave any information about what happened, just that he had gone missing.

"How do you process it when you don't even know what happened?" she asked.

That question, among others, would lead to her joining a class-action lawsuit in the 1970s with several families of Vietnam prisoners of war.

In the years after Zich went MIA, his wife went back to school in San Diego and got her degree in social work. She worked with the National League of Families of POW/MIA, and would eventually remarry. Sometime in the 1980s, the '57 Chevy, which her brother had promised to fix up for Zich when he got back, was sold.

She moved to Florida 15 years ago, but retired and came back to Lincoln in 2021 due to health problems.

When Zich's remains were identified, Peters says she found out through the news on TV.

"That's a hard way to find out," she said. "It totally knocked the props out from under me."

Peters said that Zich was her first love. She said he was dedicated, and was always striving to make life better.

"There hasn't been one day in 51 years that this hasn't been part of my daily life," she said.

Best cities for military retirees Best cities for military retirees Highlights from the top 10 cities for military retirees Data and methodology
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP)  People still sorting through the wreckage of their homes after a weekend of deadly weather braced for another wave of strong storms that began rolling into parts of the Midwest and South on Tuesday evening. At least one tornado was confirmed Tuesday night, and officials warned residents to have shelter ready before going to sleep.

This could be a night to just set up down in the basement to be safe, said Tom Philip, a meteorologist in Davenport, Iowa.

The National Weather Service began issuing tornado warnings Tuesday evening in Iowa and Illinois and said a confirmed twister was spotted southwest of Chicago near Bryant, Illinois. No damage was immediately reported.

The storms were expected to hammer some areas hit by severe weather and possibly dozens of tornadoes just days ago that killed at least 32 people, meaning more misery for those whose homes were destroyed in Arkansas, Iowa and Illinois. Dangerous conditions were predicted into the overnight hours Tuesday in parts of Missouri, southwestern Oklahoma and northeastern Texas. Farther south and west, fire danger remained high.

When a tornado hit Little Rock, Arkansas, last Friday, Kimberly Shaw peeked outside to film the storm, then suffered a painful foot injury that required stitches when a glass door behind her shattered and wind nearly sucked her away. With another storm coming, Shaw said she intends to be far more cautious this time and will rush to an underground shelter at her home.

The original plan was just, If we see a tornado coming, well get in the shelter, Shaw said. But now its like youre not going to see it coming. Youre not going to hear it coming. You just need to get (inside the shelter) as soon as the warning goes out or if you just feel unsafe.

Shaw added: And there will be no videotaping.

Earlier Tuesday, strong thunderstorms swept through the Quad Cities area of Iowa and Illinois with winds up to 90 mph (145 kph) and baseball-size hail. No injuries were reported, but trees were downed and some businesses were damaged in Moline, Illinois.

The weather service and Illinois Emergency Management said a tornado touched down Tuesday morning in the western Illinois community of Colona. Local news reports showed wind damage to some businesses.

Northern Illinois, from Moline to Chicago, saw 75-80 mph (120-128 kph) winds and hail 2 to 3 inches (5 to 8 centimeters) in diameter Tuesday afternoon, National Weather Service meteorologist Scott Baker said. The agency received reports of semitrucks tipped over by winds in Lee County, about 95 miles (153 km) west of Chicago.

Tuesday's storms targeted northern Illinois, eastern Iowa and southwest Wisconsin. Areas of southern Missouri and Arkansas were most at risk overnight.

In Keokuk County, Iowa, where 19 homes were destroyed and more were damaged Friday, emergency management official Marissa Reisen worried how those cleaning up the damage will cope if another storm hits.

All of the people who have been impacted by the storms Friday night are doing all this work, to clean up, to gather their stuff, to pile up the debris, Reisen said. If a storm comes through and hits them again and throws all that hard work all over the place again, it will be so deflating to those people.

Severe storms could produce strong tornadoes and large hail Wednesday across eastern Illinois and lower Michigan and in the Ohio Valley, including Indiana and Ohio, according to the Storm Prediction Center. The weather threat extends southwestward across parts of Kentucky, Missouri, Tennessee and Arkansas.

The fierce storms that started Friday and continued into the weekend spawned deadly tornadoes in 11 states as the system plodded through Arkansas and into the South, Midwest and Northeast.

The same conditions that fueled those storms  an area of low pressure combined with strong southerly winds  were setting up the severe weather Tuesday into early Wednesday, said Ryan Bunker, a meteorologist with the National Weather Center in Norman, Oklahoma.

Those conditions, which typically include dry air from the West going up over the Rockies and crashing into warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico, are what make the U.S. so prone to tornadoes and other severe storms.

Dramatic temperature changes were expected, with Tuesday highs of 74 F (23 C) in Des Moines and 86 F (30 C) in Kansas City plunging overnight to 40 F (4 C) or colder overnight. In Little Rock, Arkansas, Tuesday's high of 89 F (32 C) tied the record for the date set in 1880.

A blizzard warning was in effect for nearly all of North Dakota and most of South Dakota through at least Wednesday night. The National Weather Service predicted parts of South Dakota could see up to 16 inches (40 centimeters) of snow and wind gusts as high as 55 mph (90 kph).

Dozens of schools in South Dakota closed Tuesday due to blizzard conditions. State executive branch offices were also closed in much of the state.

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum signed off on $20 million Tuesday for emergency snow removal grants to localities. Officials reminded residents to check on neighbors and keep their homes stocked with food, water and medicine, have battery-powered radios in case of power outages and ensure gas meters and furnace vents are clear of snow.

Fire danger persisted across portions of far western Oklahoma, the Texas Panhandle, northeastern New Mexico and far southeastern Colorado, with low humidity, dry vegetation and high wind gusts. Officials issued a fire warning for Custer County in western Oklahoma and urged some residents near the town of Weatherford to evacuate their homes because of a wildfire.

Associated Press writers Trisha Ahmed in St. Paul, Minnesota; Margery A. Beck in Omaha, Nebraska; Claire Savage in Chicago; Lisa Baumann in Bellingham, Washington; and Ben Finley in Norfolk, Virginia, contributed to this report.
DES MOINES  A bill being advanced by Iowa Republican lawmakers could limit ability of the state auditor to perform oversight on programs that total more than $12 billion, which could result in loss of services provided by those dollars.

Thats according to a new fiscal analysis from the nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency of Senate File 478.

The bill, which passed the Senate in March on a party-line vote with Democrats opposed, would place limits on what personal information the state taxpayers watchdog could demand during an audit.

Iowa State Auditor Rob Sand is the lone Democrat to hold statewide office.

Republican lawmakers have denied claims the bill is a personal attack meant specifically to target Sand.

The bill would prohibit the state auditors office from accessing criminal, medical, tax and educational records or other similar information that an individual would reasonably expect to be kept private, unless the information is made anonymous before its disclosure.

Any dispute with another state government agency  including the governors office or other statewide offices  would be resolved by an arbitration panel and could not be taken to court.

A bipartisan coalition of state auditors and national organizations that represent state auditors and accounting professionals have said the proposal would hinder the state auditors ability to conduct investigations in an independent, nonpartisan fashion and hamper its ability to root out and prevent waste, fraud and abuse of taxpayer dollars.

Republicans say the bill protects Iowans personal information and puts into state law general accounting standards.

However, the Legislative Services Agencys fiscal analysis notes Iowa Code and federal law already maintains the strict confidentiality of information and records obtained during the course of an audit, including medical and student education records.

Auditors also are subject to the same restrictions and penalties as the custodian of records for improper disclosure, it stated.

The agency warns the bill may limit the scope of an audit performed by the auditors office, which could impact the states ability to comply with federal award requirements.

Denial of information requested by the auditors office for an audit would lead to a modified opinion stating the office was unable to obtain all documents needed to sufficiently audit to federal standards. That would result in more frequent audits, increasing costs to the state, according to the agency.

It also could potentially lead to federal agencies withholding, suspending or disallowing cash payments to the state through programs such as Medicaid, Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), the Childrens Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and others.

House amendment

The fiscal note is based off the bill that passed out of the Senate, but was amended last week by the House State Government Committee.

The amendment removed language stating the office would only be able to access records with personal information if the agency being audited agrees with the auditor that the information is necessary in order to conduct an audit.

Rep. Michael Bergan, R-Dorchester, who serves on the House subcommittee that advanced the bill and has an accounting background, said it is his goal to avoid any risk to federal funding. Bergan said he feels the amended language achieves that goal.

For the most part, weve addressed that, but were still in the process of discussions with both the auditor of state and CPAs, Bergan said, noting the restrictions would also apply to certified public accounting firms that perform audits for counties, cities, school districts and other local governments across the state.

At this point, Im still open to changes in the amendment that came out of committee to ensure were address the financial concerns outlined in the LSA fiscal note, Bergan said.

Big number

Sonya Heitshusen, public information officer for the Iowa State Auditor's Office, said the amendment does no sufficiently address the fiscal concerns.

The fiscal note speaks for itself and adds to the professional and nonpartisan chorus sounding the alarm about Senate File 478, Heitshusen said.

Rep. Adam Zabner, a Democrat from Iowa City who serves on the House State Government Committee, said he still has concerns the bill will erode transparency and accountability in state government and undercut the independence of the auditors office.

"Twelve billion dollars, thats a pretty big number, Zabner said. And when LSA is saying theres going to be a qualified opinion or disclaimer on that $12 billion in funds, thats a really big impact on everyday Iowans in terms of the programs they rely on, and the potential that we may have issues with those programs and there may be some sort of federal audit.

I think that should scare folks.

Zabner said hes unconvinced the House amendment will fix those concerns.

"We should all want our tax dollars to be spent efficiently and correctly, he said.
BRUSSELS (AP)  Finland joined the NATO military alliance Tuesday, dealing a major blow to Russian President Vladimir Putin with a historic realignment of Europe's post-Cold War security landscape triggered by Moscows invasion of Ukraine.

The Nordic country's membership doubles Russias border with the worlds biggest security alliance. Finland had adopted neutrality after its defeat by the Soviets in World War II, but its leaders signaled they wanted to join NATO after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine sent a shiver of fear through its neighbors.

The era of nonalignment in our history has come to an end - a new era begins, President Sauli Niinisto said before his countrys blue-and-white flag was raised outside NATO headquarters. A short distance away, outside the security fence, a few dozen people wrapped in flags of their own chanted, Ukraine needs NATO.

In praising Finland's membership, U.S. President Joe Biden noted it came on the 74th anniversary of the signing of NATO's founding treaty on April 4, 1949.

When Putin launched his brutal war of aggression against the people of Ukraine, he thought he could divide Europe and NATO. He was wrong, Biden said in a statement. Today, we are more united than ever. And together  strengthened by our newest ally, Finland  we will continue to preserve transatlantic security, defend every inch of NATO territory, and meet any and all challenges we face.

The move is a strategic and political setback for Putin, who has long complained about NATOs expansion toward Russia and partly used that as a justification for the invasion.

Im tempted to say this is maybe the one thing that we can thank Mr. Putin for because he once again here precipitated something he claims to want to prevent by Russias aggression, causing many countries to believe that they have to do more to look out for their own defense and to make sure that they can deter possible Russian aggression going forward, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said before accepting the documents that made Finlands membership official.

The U.S. State Department is the repository of NATO texts concerning membership.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sent his congratulations to Finland, writing on Telegram that amid Russian aggression, the Alliance became the only effective guarantee of security in the region.

Russia warned it would be forced to take retaliatory measures to address what it called security threats created by Finlands membership. It had also warned it would bolster forces near Finland if NATO sends any additional troops or equipment to what is its 31st member country.

The alliance says it poses no threat to Moscow.

Alarmed by Moscow's invasion of Ukraine last year, Finland, which shares a 1,340 kilometer (832 mile) border with Russia, applied to join in May, seeking protection under the organizations security umbrella.

Russia tried to create a sphere around them and, well, we are not a sphere. Im sure that Finns themselves feel more secure, that we are living in a more stable world, Niinisto said.

Neighboring Sweden, which has avoided military alliances for more than 200 years, has also applied. But objections from NATO members Turkey and Hungary have delayed the process.

Niinisto said Finlands membership "is not complete without that of Sweden. The persistent efforts for a rapid Swedish membership continue. Finland even gave its ratification of Sweden's application to Blinken as it joined.

In Stockholm, Swedish Defense Minister Pal Jonson congratulated Finland and said he believed it would improve Swedens security but added that its no secret that we would like to have concluded it hand-in-hand.

Earlier, Russia's Foreign Ministry said Moscow "will be forced to take military-technical and other retaliatory measures to counter the threats to our national security arising from Finlands accession to NATO.

It said Finland's move marks "a fundamental change in the situation in Northern Europe, which had previously been one of the most stable regions in the world.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Finlands membership reflects the alliances anti-Russian course and warned that Moscow will respond depending on what weapons NATO allies place there. But he also sought to play down the impact, noting that Russia has no territorial disputes with Finland.

It's not clear what additional military resources Russia could send to the Finnish border. Moscow has deployed the bulk of its most capable military units to Ukraine.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said no more troops would be sent to Finland unless it asked for help.

The country is now protected by what Stoltenberg called NATO's iron-clad security guarantee, under which all member countries vow to come to the defense of any ally that comes under attack.

But Stoltenberg refused to rule out the possibility of holding more military exercises there and said that NATO would not allow Russias demands to dictate the organizations decisions.

We are constantly assessing our posture, our presence. We have more exercises, we have more presence, also in the Nordic area, he said.

In 1939 and 1940, Finlands tiny, ill-equipped forces fought in what became known as the Winter War against the Soviet Union. Over an exceptionally cold winter, Finnish fighters, sometimes cloaked in white bedsheets for camouflage and typically moving unseen on foot, snowshoes and skis, lost some territory to Moscow but forced out the invaders.

Finland says it can muster a 280,000-strong fighting force, built on near-universal male conscription and a large, well-trained reserve, equipped with modern artillery, warplanes and tanks. The country of 5.5 million joined the European Union in 1995,

Finland's Parliament, meanwhile, said its website was hit with a so-called denial-of-service attack, which made the site hard to use, with many pages not loading and some functions not available.

A pro-Russian hacker group known as NoName057 (16) claimed responsibility, saying the attack was retaliation for Finland joining NATO. The claim could not be immediately verified.

The hacker group, which has reportedly acted on Moscows orders, has taken part in a slew of cyberattacks on the U.S. and its allies in the past. Finnish public broadcaster YLE said the same group hit the Parliament's site last year.

Associated Press writers David Keyton in Stockholm, Sweden, and Jari Tanner in Helsinki contributed.
Slates archives are full of fascinating stories. Were republishing this article because it remains a reader favorite. It was originally published March 9, 2009.

Spanish authorities arrested a man wearing a cast of compressed cocaine at the Barcelona airport last Wednesday. The would-be trafficker had a genuine fracture of two bones below the knee; police are now investigating whether the injury was self-inflicted. Whats the safest way to break your own leg?

Immobilize your ankle and knee and use a heavy instrument with minimal surface area. It takes a surprising amount of pressure to break your shin. (In fact, the weight of an average American man would not be sufficient to fracture a leg, even if the mass were concentrated on a spot the size of a quarter.) To do the trick, youll first want to strap the leg to a fixed objecta cinderblock, maybebelow the knee and above the ankle. That will prevent your joints from buckling before the tibia breaks. Then youll want to choose the heaviest, smallest weapon with which you can reliably hit your targeta hammer would be more effective than a mallet, for example. The wound is likely to be quite unpleasant, so you might consider drugs to alleviate the pain. (Cocaine wouldnt be a good choice, thoughits analgesic effects are highly localized.)

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According to news reports, the Chilean smuggler had an open fracture of the shin, meaning that the tibial shaft had cracked and broken through the skin. Open fractures in this area tend to be either spiral-shapedcaused by torsional forces such as twisting after falling from a great heightor transverse. The amount of force required to produce these injuries depends on a number of factors, including the location of the impact, the thickness of the soft tissue around the tibia, the condition of the bone, and the area across which the force is spread. As a rough estimate, it would take 218 pounds of pressure to produce a tibial fracture in a healthy adult using a hammer. You could decrease the force requirement by choosing a tool with less surface area, such as a hatchetthen again, youd be increasing the risk of soft tissue damage and significant blood loss. In any case, it might be hard to generate that amount of force with your knee and ankle strapped down, so you may need the help of a friend.

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There have been some reports of people breaking their own tibias without help. In 2008, an Australian kayaker who had become trapped in his boat by a fallen log leveraged his body weight (supported by the tremendous force of the current) to snap his tibia against the rim of the boats cockpit. The break enabled his trapped leg to collapse so he could escape the boat.

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You may have heard stories about surgeons having to re-break bones that healed improperly after an initial fracture. Orthopedists dont use blunt force to this end. Instead, they move the soft tissue aside and cut the bone using a very narrow power saw. In cases where complicated nerves or extensive vasculature border the cutting area, they will finish the cut with an osteotome, a kind of surgical chisel used to penetrate only a couple of millimeters. They would also use general anesthesia or a regional pain blocker with heavy sedation to dull the considerable pain.

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Bonus Explainer: How do you compress cocaine into a cast? Dissolve it in liquid and pour the solution into a cast-shaped mold. The cocaine can then be recovered by chemical extraction with about 80 percent efficiency, depending on the process. Some news reports describe the cast as being made entirely of compressed cocaine. It would be possible to create a cast from relatively pure (greater than 90 percent) cocaine, but that would require the use of both a cast-shaped mold and a cast-shaped press.

Got a question about todays news? Ask the Explainer.

Explainer thanks Robert Campbell of Mercy Medical Center and Stephen M. Pribut of George Washington University Medical School.
The indictment against Donald Trump was finally unsealed in Justice Juan Merchans Manhattan courtroom on Tuesday, with the former president present to deliver his plea of not guilty. It charges Trump with 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree, a felony under New York law. A statement of facts released by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg confirms that every charge arises from Trumps participation in a scheme to pay off porn actor Stormy Daniels so she would not reveal their affair shortly before the 2016 election.

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Falsifying business records with intent to defraud, by itself, is a mere misdemeanor under New York law. It is only elevated to a Class E felony, punishable by 15 years in prison, when committed with intent to commit another crime and aid and conceal the commission thereof. So Braggs challenge is to prove not only that Trump illegally concealed his hush money payments, but also that he did so in furtherance of another crime. That crime, Braggs announcement of the indictment confirms, is a violation of election law: Bragg argues that Trump devised this scheme with the intent to influence the 2016 election by preventing voters from learning of his affair.

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The indictment does not indicate exactly how Bragg plans to connect these dots. It does suggest, however, that the district attorney will attempt to frame the payments as part of Trumps more expansive plot to suppress negative stories that could cost him the 2016 race. If Bragg can persuade a Manhattan jury of this plot beyond a reasonable doubtand no technical defects cause Merchan to throw out the casehe will secure a felony conviction of the ex-president.

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In broad strokes, these charges are exactly what we expected. They focus on Trumps decision, in the fall of 2016, to stop the public from learning of his affair with porn star Stormy Daniels. Daniels shopped her story to the National Enquirer; the tabloids publisher, David Pecker, promptly notified Trumps team of the offer. Trump then directed Michael Cohen, his longtime fixer, to give Daniels $130,000 to secure her silence, through a shell company of Cohens creation. Later, Trump gave Cohen $420,000 for his work (in monthly installments, each now a separate charge in the indictment). Naturally, he wanted to conceal the payments. So Trump labeled them as legal expenses for a retainer agreement with Cohen that did not actually exist. Federal prosecutors eventually charged Cohen for his involvement in this plot, and he pleaded guilty, serving several years in prison.

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At this point, Trumps legal team does not seriously dispute the fact that he paid off Daniels; thanks to Cohens prosecution, its a matter of public record. Instead, Trumps team contests the claim that he falsified business records in order to influence the election. Unfortunately for the ex-president, Bragg appears to have all the evidence he needs to prove that Trump did, in fact, lie about the 34 payments: The indictment contains the date and voucher number of each false entry in the Detail General Ledger for the Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust. Under New York law, it is pretty clear that Trumps actions, as alleged, were made with intent to defraud. So this aspect of the charges should be a slam dunk.

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The problem for Bragg is that theyre only misdemeanors, and the district attorney wants a felony conviction. Why? Most obviously, to ensure that his prosecution does not look like petty, partisan effort to give Trump a mere slap on the wrist. But theres a purely legal reason, too: The statute of limitations may have passed for misdemeanor charges, but it surely has not for felony charges. Thats why the timing of the payoff is so crucial: Bragg argues that the scheme violated election laws, which transforms the charge into a Class E felony.

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The statement of facts released on Tuesday seems designed to validate this narrative, depicting the alleged misconduct as election-related offenses above all else. For instance, it alleges that Trump told Cohen to delay the payment to Daniels for as long as possible, because if he lost the election, it would not matter if the story became public and they could avoid paying altogether. (Further communications by Cohen in which he carries out the delay plan are preserved in emails and text messages in the district attorneys possession.) Moreover, the statement of facts notes that the National Enquirers parent company admitted to the Justice Department in 2018 that it participated in the scheme to ensure that Daniels did not publicize damaging allegations about Trump before the 2016 presidential election and thereby influence that election.

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But what election law, exactly, did this plot run afoul of? The entire prosecution hinges on that questionand yet neither the indictment nor the statement of facts identifies it. Instead, Bragg briefly described them in a press conference afterward: a New York law that prohibits any conspiracy to promote or prevent the election of any person to a public office by unlawful means and a federal limit on campaign contributions. Its not totally clear whether violation of a federal law can transform the business record charge from a misdemeanor to a felony, so that theory is somewhat shaky. That leaves the New York law against conspiring to promote a candidates election illegally. Braggs theory appears to be that the National Enquirers parent company, American Media Inc., made false statements in its own books to cover up its role in the hush money plotwhich, in turn, was designed to promote Trumps candidacy.

These charges will be difficult to prove. There can be no doubt that the district attorney faces an uphill climb. They tell the story of a complex conspiracy to illicitly alter the course of the 2016 electionpotentially, a powerful tale of corruption that persuades both the jury and the public of this prosecutions necessity. But Braggs legal theory is, if not convoluted, a fairly confusing effort to patch together disparate offenses into one alleged crime, carried out over 34 illegal payments. This is not at all the slam-dunk case that so many Democrats wanted.
As Donald Trump is arraigned on Tuesdayhaving already leveled threats at the key witness in the case, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, and New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchanthe question now facing Merchan is whether he ought to impose a gag order that would bar the former president from publicly discussing the case. You may recall that a few years back, Trump friend Roger Stone was prohibited from using social media by Judge Amy Berman Jackson, who quickly grew weary of his prejudicial and threatening comments about his trial.

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Now Merchan finds himself in the unenviable position of determining whether its better to allow Trump to lie and level threats throughout this criminal proceeding, or try to shut him up and watch him claim to be a free-speech victim. On its best day, the decision about whether to impose a gag order is a freighted one. At the start of the first criminal proceeding against a former president running to be the next president, its a minefield. I reached out to Professor RonNell Andersen Jones, the Teitelbaum Endowed Chair in Law at the University of Utah and an affiliated fellow at the Yale Law School Information Society Project, to try to understand how Merchan might approach this decision. Our conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.

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Dahlia Lithwick: OK, so just to be clear, what is a gag order, and in what kinds of cases would a judge impose one?

RonNell Andersen Jones: The term is usually used to refer to an order from a trial judge that bars the lawyers, parties, or witnesses in the case from making public statements about the case while it is ongoing. The goal of these orders is to make sure that the court can meet its major obligations of ensuring that there is a fair trial before an impartial jury and that everyone in the proceeding is safe. When a judge concludes that these sorts of statements could materially prejudice a proceeding, hes usually free to issue them. These are sometimes issued after one of the parties asks for them, but a judge might also conclude on their own that it is something that is needed to advance those interests in protecting the fairness of the proceeding or curbing the jury prejudice that would come from inflammatory publicity.

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And given that any attempt to gag Donald Trump unfailingly backfires, isnt it always just the best course of action to stand down?

This is a genuinely tricky dynamic. On the one hand, these gag orders on trial participants are relatively common, especially when there is enormous potential pretrial publicity that could taint the jury pool or pose threats to witnesses or prosecutors. In an ordinary case, the likelihood that some restriction on speech would be one of the conditions on the defendants release pending trial is highand this might be especially so for a defendant who had already shown a propensity for agitating public sentiment or making inflammatory statements that could be perceived as threatening or disrespectful of the process.

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On the other hand, this is surely not the ordinary case or the ordinary defendant, and it is almost unfathomable that a presidential candidate wouldnt argue that he should be able to speak of his political and judicial treatment during an ongoing campaign. As you note, Trump and his camp may invoke broad free-speech principles, so there are some constitutional and practical considerations that this judge is going to be weighing. But trial judges arent usually in the business of thinking about whether a defendant is inclined to obey their orders on these sorts of matters. They just issue the order they think is warranted and then find the party in contempt if it is flouted.

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So how will the judge attempt to balance these interests?

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The judge here is going to have to thread the needle on the fair-trial and free-speech concerns. Its worth noting that this really is a constitutional tussle, between two fundamentally important values enshrined in the Bill of Rights. Courts recognize these tensions even in less inflammatory cases, but at least when the gag order is directed at the lawyers and litigants directly involved in the case, the First Amendment interests often lose out to the powerful need to conduct the trial in a fair way that does not escalate to an extrajudicial circus.

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The question will be how to take those values into consideration when the gagged speech is all bound up in a major political event. I expect that what we will see is an effort to narrowly craft this orderto do only as much as the judge thinks is absolutely necessary to ensure a fair trial, the safety of the participants, and the integrity of the process. That line-walking might also mean that the judge will be cautious about moving quickly to a consequence that carries First Amendment heft, like contempt, fines, or jailing for speech. No judge will want to be seen as leaping to a nuclear option with punishment of core political speech. What we might see is a carefully tailored, specifically supported gag order and a set of warnings before actual punishment is levied.

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This is all pretty different from an attempt to gag or control the press, right?

It is very different. The Supreme Court has made crystal clear that gag orders directed at the pressprohibiting it from reporting on matters of public concern related to an ongoing court proceedingare deeply constitutionally disfavored. They almost never survive First Amendment review. Basically, the court would allow those kinds of gag orders only if the trial judge can prove they were totally likely to preserve the fair-trial rights and that no other tool for preserving those rights would do.

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Because there are a lot of other tools a judge can use, like changing venue, weeding out biased jurors at the jury-selection stage, sternly admonishing the jurors who are chosen, or even sequestering jurors, the courts have essentially always struck attempts to control press coverage about a high-profile criminal matter. In fact, limiting the speech of the lawyers and trial participants themselves has sometimes been suggested as one of the tools the trial judge should use instead of curbing the exercise of press freedom. There is just a much, much less demanding standard for gag orders against trial participants than there is for gag orders against the media covering the issue. The attorneys themselves, who are officers of the court and subject to codes of professional conduct, are especially obligated to respect the judges need to preserve the fairness of the proceeding.

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How does Trumps entry into the presidential race change the balance of interests here?

Atmospherically, it seems incredibly important. It beefs up the arguments that any gag order would be squelching important speech on a matter of public concern. Presumably, if Trumps lawyers were to challenge a gag order, theyd draw upon the very long history of concern about judicial prior restraints on speech and would lean into the fact that speech by a candidate in the midst of a presidential election is core political speech that we ordinarily favor and protect. But Trumps prominent political position may also cut in the other direction. That is, this is a litigant whose unchecked publicity efforts and extrajudicial statements about the trial could have a much stronger likelihood of distorting the views of potential jurors or otherwise creating threats that interfere with the safe and fair administration of justice.

So this judge, just like all other judges issuing gag orders, would be expected to outline the threatened danger and describe why the order would actually work to prevent that danger. Its just a ridiculously unique set of facts.
We sometimes forget that one of Donald Trumps first official big lies in office was about the size of the crowds at his inauguration. At the time, it seemed like such a strange way to vault into a new erait was amazing to see the president lie so blatantly, about something so fact-checkable, but there we were. He was lying, and we were stuck reporting on the fact of the lies. Lies about the size of crowds at Trump events have been a staple of his public life ever since, including at last weeks rally in Waco, Texas. Its awfully tempting to think he will just keep going places and saying false things while the number of people who turn up to listen dwindles down to a few remaining attorneys and Sean Hannity, but even if thats whats happening, youd better believe that Donald Trump will always tell us that he is speaking before the worlds most impressive crowd, and that they are crouched like tigers, ready to do his bidding at a moments notice.

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Meanwhile, although New York City police remain on heightened alert this week in advance of the former presidents arraignment on Tuesday and whatever other nuttery he has planned for after, the early indication is that he hasnt the power to summon Jan. 6sized crowds to his side anymore. While he has done yeomans work raising funds in the days since his indictment was announced ($4 million in the first 24 hours), its not clear whether that translates to actual minions in the street, poised to light a match for him yet again. As Aymann Ismail reported Monday, its awfully hard to predict the actions of uncoordinated angry extremists, but experts dont see a lot of the markers of a coordinated insurrection campaign, despite TV threats-slash-demands that they occur. Perhaps thats why the former president has already decided hell return to Mar-a-Lago Tuesday night in order to deliver an address from therea streamed address doesnt have to reveal the crowd size, after all. And at Mar-a-Lago, the sets still suggest hes a king.

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Its almost as ifmuch like the ex-president himselfeven the most emboldened supporters of Donald Trump now exist mostly in the frothy ether between Twitter and Truth Social, between Reddit and Tucker Carlson and Marjorie Taylor Greenes busted memory chip. Asked to travel through corporeal time, in their actual bodies, to the streets of New York, where they might end up being deemed legally responsible for their actions, most of the zeal falls away. We can thank the January 6 committee and the prosecution of over 1,000 insurrectionists for the possibility that bodily, monetary, and liberty-based accountability may have been enough, this time, to deter another band of Trump enthusiasts from unloosing the violent protest he has repeatedly demanded of them in recent days.

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So perhaps in the upcoming days, the rest of us would do well to consider that its finally time to heed the advice of the experts who have warned us for years that the best thing to do with Americas Donald Trump problem is largely sideline it. At any rate, its worth reminding ourselves that indictments of political leaders happen every day; Benjamin Netanyahu has been indicted multiple times, and nobody thinks anything of it. Instead of showing up to rubberneck the arraignment Tuesday, people should perhaps tend to more exigent problems of democracy, like resoling their pumps and checking the air pressure in their tires. In other words, what if America held a Trump indictment and arraignment and nobody showed up to fuss about it? That could be proof of something truly awesome. Indeed, it would highlight the awkward reality that Trumps first indictment is hardly a shocking event; the fact that he thrived in a country with a justice system for many decades without having been indicted until April of 2023 is the real outlier.

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What is called for here, really, is the Ferberizing of the former president. If youve never tried to teach a wailing infant to sleep through the night, Ferbers suggested steps are fairly straightforward: you put the baby in its crib; you say goodnight kindly; you leave it to cry itself out; you let it cry a bit longer each day before going in to reassure it. And presto! Seven days later you are no longer trapped in a hostage situation with someone who has no teeth and can fit its own foot in its mouth. We could all do with less obligation to babysit Donald Trump in our lives. With time, he will stop crying, I swear.

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We could all do with less obligation to babysit Donald Trump in our lives. With time, he will stop crying, I swear.

Further, as several observers have astutely pointed out, in addition to this week being a sacred week for indictments, its actually a holy week in many faiths and a chance for the faithful to decide whether they want to look to the heavens or to the Manhattan DAs office for purpose and meaning. If we can agree that letting the former president cry it out while we all get on with our lives is the real play here, then what better time to make a molehill out of a molehill than his appearance in New York City.

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Finally, were we to finally agree to Ferberize the former president, we might be able to stop the mindless horserace coverage about whether the prospect of criminal accountability is good for his electoral chances or bad for it, which we are certainly doing already, even before knowing the true seriousness of the crimes for which he is being indicted. Because the first rule of Ferber Club? Who cares. (Really, nobody cares about your Ferber process. They are all the same.) Were still just barely over the halfway point of the current presidencyindeed, Trumps early announcement that he is running for president again might be mostly for self-protective purposes anyway.

At any rate, 60 percent of Americans approve of the indictment, and according to new polling, his favorability and unfavorability numbers havent actually changed much since it happened. In other words, America at large seems increasingly apt to let the former president cry it out, for longer and longer intervals, more and more frequently, regardless of how loud the few sad lingering members of his crowd shout about fairness (mostly on the internet).

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None of this means the danger has passed, incidentally. If anything, the fact that Ron DeSantis and Mike Pence and the folks who would be best served by finally pushing the former president under the metaphorical bus are still using this moment to foster mistrust of the justice system signals that even if we leave Trump to flail and wail, there are others ready and willing to occupy the bassinet he has vacated. That should be the real focus of our attention, but instead we are still training our cameras on the former presidents motorcade as he departs his Florida home for his New York one on the eve of his indictment.

Still, the lesson of this week must be that the thing we never believed possible is coming true: They could throw an insurrection and its finally too costly, too risky, and too boring to show up. Thats reason enough to finally try to walk away from watching. It was never that large a crowd in the first instanceand watching a small crowd grow smaller isnt news.
The German government announced the latest shipment of military aid to Ukraine

The list includes heavily armored vehicles, 18 Leopard 2A6 tanks with ammunition, and 40 Marder infantry fighting vehicles with ammunition

Germany allocates another $13 billion for military support to Ukraine

German Leopard-2 tanks have received extensive media notice compared to other western tanks given to Ukraine. Infantry fighting vehicles (IFV) such as the Marder have yet to receive the attention they merit.

In preparation for the forthcoming spring counter-offensive, Ukraine and its Western allies received much Western equipment, including Leopard-2 tanks and Marder infantry fighting vehicles (IFV).

Germany Supplies Ukraine with Leopard 2, Marders

Before the February 2014 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Ukrainian armed forces were known to operate 900 infantry fighting vehicles, such as BMP-2s and 200 BMP-1s. Over 300 BMP-1s and more than 100 BMP-2s were lost in Ukraine's armored fleet during the initial thirteen months of the conflict.

As the war in Ukraine progressed, both Ukrainian IFV fleets became depleted and less protected, much like the Russian IFV fleet. This was especially problematic for the Ukrainian military as it prepared for the highly anticipated spring or summer counter-offensive.

This reduction of the Ukrainian armored fleet has been partially countered by the influx of Western IFVs, including approximately 100 M-2A2s from the United States, at least 50 CV90s from Sweden, and 40 Marders from Germany.

It is claimed that the German Marders are the best protected of the three species. Oleksii Reznikov, the Ukrainian defense minister, tweeted, "Marder is an outstanding example of German quality." "I have personally tried it. Looking forward to shortly subduing the Leopards. I adore their roaring! "

It has been updated considerably over the years. It remains one of the primary platforms of the German Army's mechanized infantry formations, with high-level tactical mobility, firepower, and troop transport capability in high-risk action areas.

The 1A3 variant of the Marder 1 is one of the largest and heaviest IFVs, with a level of protection comparable to that of the Leopard 1 Main Battle Tank (MBT).

The Ukrainian military's Soviet counterpart, the BMP-1 IFV, is substantially lighter, smaller, and lacks the same level of protection, as per EuroAsian Times. Consequently, these German Marder IFVs are a major upgrade over the BMP-1 IFVs utilized by the Ukrainian Army.

Read Also: Ukrainian Tanker Igor: Old Tanks Can't Fight Modern Russian Armor

Marder IFVs, Leopard MBTs Features

Overall, the Marder 1A3 can protect against 30-millimeter automatic cannon fire, which is more than double that of the BMP-1, which can provide full protection against 12.7-millimeter bullets and half protection against 20-millimeter rounds via its frontal arc.

The Marder 1A3 is rumored to be equipped with spaced armor consisting of two layers of steel separated by a tiny gap that effectively delays the penetration of incoming shots. The Marder IFV has Milan anti-tank guided missiles and a high-explosive warhead. However, the vehicle's primary weapon is a Rheinmetall MK 20 Rh 202 20mm automatic cannon.

In addition, it is equipped with a Rheinmetall MG 3 7.62mm general-purpose machine gun with a firing range of 200 to 1,200 meters when the sights are adjusted. The maximum shooting distance on the gun carriage is 3 000 meters. The machine gun has a muzzle velocity of 820 meters per second and fires 7.62 51 NATO cartridges.

The Marder IFV is powered by a 600-horsepower MTU MB 833 Ea-500 diesel engine, which provides a top on-road speed of 65 kilometers per hour and a range of 520 kilometers.

Also, the vehicle has excellent mobility on difficult terrain. According to the manufacturer's assessment of the Marder's service in Afghanistan, "the open, occasionally broken terrain of northern Afghanistan suited the Marder IFV extremely well; irrigation ditches and customary earthen walls generally offered no obstacle."

Military observers hypothesize that when these Marder IFVs approach near Russian positions, they will be on the receiving end of several hostile rounds. While these Marders may not be able to withstand heavy fire indefinitely, they will outlast any other BMP.

Per Military Guide, the BMP-2 is an infantry combat vehicle variant of the BMP-1 that significantly improves armament. It carries a 30-mm automatic gun, model 2A42, with a long, thin tube, a double-baffled muzzle brake, and a 7.62-mm coaxial machine gun in its front turret. On the turret's top is an ATGM launcher. This launcher is compatible with AT-4 SPIGOT and AT-5 SPANDREL missiles.

Meanwhile, the Marder FV is built on a unique tracked chassis created in the early 1960s to serve as a common platform for various armored vehicles. The IFV was only one component. The Germans prioritized crew protection and mobility. This vehicle was meant to operate alongside and follow after Leopard 1 main battle tanks in combat. It shared the same level of protection and mobility as the Leopard 1 tank.

The Marder is a fearsome vehicle that resembles a light tank but is equipped with an externally mounted 20 mm cannon and coaxial 7.62 mm machine gun atop a two-man turret. The sloped hull superstructure armor provides protection. This IFV was powered by a 600-horsepower MTU MB 833 Ea-500 diesel engine. The Marder possessed comparable speed and mobility to the Leopard 1 main battle tank.

Over its history, the Marder IFV has served as the foundation for numerous versions, although only a few have been adopted by the German Army. According to Military Today, the German army is replacing the Marder IFV with the new Puma heavy infantry fighting vehicle.

Related Article: Russia Cites US Reluctance in Sending Abrams Tank to Ukraine

@ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
As the nation waits to learn exactly what charges Donald Trump faces, we wanted to know: Could the former president accept a plea deal that prevents him from ever running for office again?

After all, something like that has happened before! Back in 1973, during the Nixon administration, former Republican Vice President Spiro Agnew was indicted over charges of extortion, bribery, and income tax violations. He agreed to resign as part of a plea dealwhich allowed him to avoid jail time, only pay a $10,000 fine, and serve three years of unsupervised probation.

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Trumps lawyers have already said theres zero chance that hed take a plea dealin this particular case. Unfortunately for the former president, he faces not one but four investigations that could also result in charges. A quick refresher on what those are: Along with Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Braggs current indictment, there are the DOJ cases over Jan. 6 and those classified documents, and the Fulton County district attorneys criminal investigation into Trumps efforts to subvert election efforts in Georgia.

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So could Trump be headed in a similar direction as Agnew, but with dropping out of the race?

I asked Martin London, Agnews former defense attorney and author of the book The Client Decides: A Litigators Life, what he thought. Heres our conversation, lightly edited and condensed for clarity.

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Shirin Ali: Do you think Trump would agree to a plea deal?

Martin London: I think the likelihood of Trump making a plea deal with Bragg, in my judgment, is as close to zero as you can get. My own view is, while Trump is not happy about being indicted, hes riding the crest of a wave. Hes apparently going up in the polls, at least among his crowd, and hes raising money. I just dont believe that theres any possibility, realistically, of a plea deal here. Would Bragg agree to one if Trump raised the question? I dont know. I think thats a non-starter. I think thats a waste of energy, because I dont think Trump and the Trump team would consider that a serious proposition.

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Do you think a plea deal that involves Trump agreeing not to run for president again could be a possibility in the other investigations hes facing?

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Oh, yeah, I do. Lets face it, I think Trump is going to be indicted. Whether its for seditious conspiracy in Georgia or by the United States, by the Department of Justice. I think a reasonable DOJ might conclude that it is in the national interest for this guy to take a plea. Certainly it would be in Trumps best interest to take a plea, because otherwise I think hes gonna go to jail. I dont think hes gonna go to jail for the New York case, but I think he might go to jail from the DOJs case, regarding the obstruction of justice on the documents case, and the seditious conspiracy case. I think those are serious crimes and I think hes going to be convicted.

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When we did the negotiations for the Spiro Agnew plea, that was quite different, because Agnew was presently the vice president of the United States. Not only that, but the president of the United States was hanging on by his fingernails because of the Watergate investigation. The attorney general had to face the real possibility that Agnew, if we didnt get rid of him, one way or another, he was going to be the president of the United States. And the attorney general, at least, considered him to be a crook.

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Everybody talks about the national interest. People were seriously concerned about the national interest during the Agnew case, and the attorney general thought it was seriously contrary to the national interest to have the vice president fighting off a criminal indictment for the entire term of office, especially given the vulnerability of the president of the United States. At the time, there were 45 Republicans in the Senate, and if the Republicans bound together as they did today, you could never get two-thirds of the Senate to convict. So, he wasnt going to be impeached. Its an impossible situation. Really, it is not in the national interest to have that going on.

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Do you think Trump would agree to a plea deal in order to honor national interests?

No, I dont think he would be willing to step aside because of the national interest. I think it would be in the national interest for him to step aside, but I think he might step aside if either of two things were to occur: One, Trump felt if he continued to run he would lose the presidential election anywaywhich I think is the case. Second, its in Trumps interest to avoid the possibility, because he would go to trial before a jury in Washington, D.C., over a whole host of claims, including solid cases of obstruction of justice, with respect to the documents, of seditious conspiracy and the effort to overturn the Constitution and prevent a change in the balance of power. Trump would have to be totally insane to ignore that possibility. That is an enormous possibility, and even if theres a 25 percent chance that hes gonna end up wearing an orange shirt, hed be nuts not to make a plea deal.

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Trump already announced hes running for president, and we know that the U.S. judicial system moves at a snails pace. Given those realities, how can a prosecutor execute a plea deal involving a promise to no longer run for president?

Its too bad that our attorney general took a nap for two years. Only over the last five months have things gotten serious and pressed forward with the federal investigation, because theyre running the investigation up into the election cycle. This investigation should have been completed. This indictment should have been filed a year ago, and that would have solved that problem. We cant turn the clock back, and I think theyll do the right thing. The right thing is to indict him.

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I believe that Trump announced his candidacy for president early for just this reason, so he would have a defense against indictment. He already has argued that the Bragg indictment is criminal because its campaign interference. Hell say the same thing about the Georgia case and Jack Smiths indictments. So they made a mistake, and they waited and waited and waited, and Trump decided: If I announce, thats simply more arguments Ill have against the indictments.

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What complicates things further is: DOJ policy says it cant convict the president of the United States. So if that policy wouldnt prevent jailing a president, could he pardon himself? Now were getting into really obscure possibilities. All the more reason why it would be in the national interest to prevent that from occurring. I believe that it would certainly be in the national interest for the government to make some sort of a deal with him. I dont think anything like that is likely to happen with Bragg, but I think theres a real possibility in other cases, since hes facing conviction in Georgia and the United States.

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Any kind of a deal involves Trump giving up something, and if I were the government, I would make the deal very hard. I would make the deal that not only does he not run for president again, but that he confesses to something he did wrong. Its not just a question of not running again, because Trump could still go ahead and gin up the Proud Boys to attack the Capitol again. Any sort of a deal made by the government would have to shut him up as well as get him off the ballot.

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If a plea deal that includes Trump agreeing never to run for office again is reached, how could it be enforced?

First of all, if I were the attorney general, I would insist the deal contain concessions. I would insist that Trump agrees that he acted improperly and tried to alter the Constitution. Maybe not in those exact words, but he certainly acted improperly and interfered with the transfer of power. I would make Trump agree that the big lie was a big liethat he fairly and correctly lost the 2020 election, and his previous statements as to it being rigged and defrauded were incorrect. Having said all that, I dont know that hed be electable to anything.

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There could be a plea deal in which Trump signs it under oath, making a written promise that if he violates this deal, he agrees that any court in the land could enjoin his appearing on the ballot and he agrees to have his name stricken from any ballot for any public office. You could put that on paper, make him sign and make him agree to it, and a judge would enforce it. I dont see any reason why you couldnt enforce such a promise, if the document required him not to run and if the document agreed that his promise is enforceable by a court of law.

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What would happen if such a plea deal was reached and Trump ended up winning the 2024 election?

Who knows when these indictments are going to come down. Its taken them two years, and theyre still bringing witnesses before the grand jury. And every witness goes to court and says, I dont have to testify because of executive privilege, or I dont have to testify because of the attorney-client privilege. They can make up new privileges. But now, theres a local judge in Washington who decides these questions. Hes very good and decides within 24 hours or within a week, with an answer of yes, or no, youve got to testify. Theyre very good about knocking these guys off, but even that takes time. Trumps big game is delay, delay, and delay.
After Donald Trump was indicted by a Manhattan grand jury last week, it was natural to wonder whether the former president would get himself an Insta-famous mug shot like various neer-do-well celebrities (Frank Sinatra, Al Capone, Tupac) have before him. Unfortunately for those hoping Trump would get his close-up, Yahoo News reported Monday that he would not be getting cuffed, jailed, or photographed; as the New York Times noted Tuesday morning, prosecutors would require a mug shot only if Trump were at risk of fleeing the feds.

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So there will be no Trump mug shots on T-shirts and dorm-room posters. Instead, the Trump campaign has already settled for doctoring a mug shot for fundraising purposes. The pic Trumps team used is so clearly fake that, as Bloombergs Justin Sink noticed, the tee designer added a few inches to Trumps height.

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enjoy that in the fake mug shot t-shirt the trump campaign is selling they added a couple inches to his height pic.twitter.com/oTDg7P1gk3  Justin Sink (@justinsink) April 4, 2023

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But as Trump puts on his political-martyr act, one image that emerged on Tuesday may end up serving the absent mug shots role. Around 1 p.m., reporters and camera crews flooded Trump Tower as the man himself emerged to head on over to Manhattan Criminal Court. While standing in front of the glitzy glass doors, he put up a fist, photos of which rocketed across news-photography wires and TV news. And Trumps fans noticed. Here are a few examples I culled from Trumps platform of choice, Truth Social, courtesy of loyalists like Kari Lake and Rep. Matt Gaetz:

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Even the historical-photos account got in on it.

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The fist came across as a signal of projected defiancea message to the small groups of fans whod congregated outside Trump Tower and the Manhattan courts, as well as a symbol that Trump acolytes could use to make this portrait the defining image of the whole affair. This was something that could counteract all the other photos of Trump being surrounded by cops and looking downcast while sitting in the courtroom. It was also an Easter egg for voters whod witnessed Trump lift his fist time and again at campaign rallies and presidential speeches.

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Theres an obvious parallel here with a particularly notorious fist-pump photo: the Jan. 6, 2021, image of Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley raising his fist in solidarity with the aggrieved Trump die-hards whod gathered outside the U.S. Capitol that morning. After that gathering escalated into a full-on insurrection, Hawley defended his gesture and affixed the photo onto pieces of merch for his 2024 reelection campaign, like coffee mugs. (He kept this up even after the copyright holder for the photo sent Hawley a cease and desist, and even after the Jan. 6 investigation committee released footage of Hawley sprinting away from the very rioters hed help to inspire.)

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It may seem odd that right-wingers like Hawley and Trump are so attached to this gesture, considering that the raised fist has its origins in militantly leftist movements. In 1848, artist Honore Daumier completed a famous painting of a Frenchman raising his fist within a crowd, as a commemoration of the uprisings that had erupted that year to oust Frances last serving monarch. The gesture would gain international currency after the turn of the century: with American union leaders during the 1913 Paterson silk strike, with European anti-fascists in the 1930s, and with Black Power activists in the 1960s, following the lead of Tommie Smiths and John Carlos iconic salute at the 1968 Olympics.* Not exactly the type of politics that Hawley and Trump are into. Or Dinesh DSouza, despite his We shall overcome! Truth Social caption.

Nevertheless, you can expect to see Trumps own fist-pump photo permeate the right-wing mediasphere in the weeks to come, as his supporters try to spin a dire legal setback into an act of political bravery. Indeed, fists have a certain power. If only you could make them while being fingerprinted.
If you want to complete any new projects or improve your business this spring, small business grants can go a long way. Luckily, there are several programs currently running in communities throughout the country. If youre looking for small business grant opportunities, here are some to apply for this April.

Jefferson County COVID-19 Relief Grants

Jefferson County, Montana is offering COVID-19 relief grants to eligible small businesses. The program is funded through the countys allocation of American Rescue Plan Act funds. Each eligible business can apply for grants of $2,500. To qualify, businesses must have been in operation since at least 2020 and be able to prove negative impacts from the pandemic. Grants are being awarded on a first come, first served basis, with a final deadline of April 1.

Madison County Pandemic Recovery Grants

Madison County, New York is providing pandemic recovery grants of up to $75,000 to local small businesses. To qualify, businesses must have 25 or fewer employees and be able to demonstrate negative impacts of the pandemic. Grants can be used to cover various operating expenses, but construction projects are not covered. Additionally, a 10 percent cash match is required. Applicants with more than five employees must use funds to create one or more jobs for low- and moderate-income individuals. The application deadline is April 3.

Argyle Small Business Grant Program

Argyle, Texas is launching a Small Business Grant program to support small business owners recovering from the pandemic. The town is using $250,000 of its American Rescue Plan Act funds for the program, with individual grants ranging from $5,000 to $25,000. The amount of each award will be based on annual revenue from 2020. April 3 is the final deadline to apply.

Aurora Finish Line and Re-Start Retention Grants

Aurora, Illinois is now running two grant programs to support local small businesses. The Finish Line Grant program offers funds for property owners and tenants that want to complete rehabilitation projects. And the Re-Start Retention Grant provides funds for small businesses operational expenses to help local businesses keep their doors open. Applications for this funding round are due by April 3.

South Omaha Turnback Tax Grant

South Omaha, Nebraska is currently offering grants to local small businesses. And the city recently extended the deadline and changed qualifications to make the program available to even more applicants. The Turnback Tax Grant currently has about $36,000 available, which will be awarded to businesses after the April 6 deadline.

Freeport and Rockford Building Improvement Grant

Rockford and Freeport, Illinois are currently helping local businesses improve their storefronts and exterior features through a new grant program. Businesses located in the Downtown Tax Increment Redevelopment areas of each city are welcome to apply. Funding can be used to cover a variety of improvement projects. April 14 is the application deadline.

Nye County American Rescue Plan Act Small Business Grant Program

Nye County, Nevada is reopening applications for its American Rescue Plan Act Small Business Grant program. The program reimburses businesses for various COVID-related expenses. This is the second round of this grant program. And the county will continue accepting applications through April 14.

Pittsburgh Avenues of Hope

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvanias Avenues of Hope program offers funding for Black-owned businesses and community groups throughout the city. The program focuses specifically on businesses within seven historically-Black corridors. Grants and low interest loans can be used for various projects like facade improvements and property rehabilitations. The program initially launched back in 2020. And the latest initiative includes a $7 ARPA grant program. Eligible businesses, nonprofits, and property owners can apply for grants of up to $200,000. The first application round will close April 30.

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During the start of COVID in 2020, Sally Susman, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer at Pfizer found herself at the helm of one of the most urgent, high-stakes public dialogues of our times.

She declared the world was depending on us. But vaccine skepticism, suspicion around Big Pharmas motives, economic insecurity, political polarization, civil unrest, and just plain fear were challenges we had to recognize and respect. We had to address those challenges in a way that didnt alienate people but, instead, brought them into the conversation. Was I up to the task? Id have to be.

Based on her insight, she and her team found ways to break through the fear and persuade millions to change their assumptions about Big Pharma, make complex science accessible, and build confidence in the lifesaving technology.

On The Small Business Radio this week, Sally discusses her new book Breaking Through: Communicating to Open Minds, Move Hearts, and Change the World.

Here is what I asked her:

Why they were the only Big Pharma company not to take money from the federal government to develop a vaccine.

Which was harder: developing the vaccine out or convincing people to take it?

Were you surprise by how many people didnt want to take it?

What did you learn from the pandemic about business communications?

What do you mean when you say, when cancel culture fever rises, no one is safe?

Why is being a good communicator a necessity today, especially for leaders?

Why is having true humility, transparency and honestly so critical for leaders today?

Why is isolation a grave danger to leaders?

Why is starting anything with intention critical for successful communication?

Why is humor so important in business (and what the not so great alternative is)?

Sally also talks about the courage and candor it took to come out to her parents so many years ago.

Listen to my interview with Sally on The Small Business Radio Show.

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Sandra Marie Norris, 65, of Leonardtown, Maryland, passed away on March 27, 2023 at her

home surrounded by her loving family. Sandra was born on June 14, 1957 to the late Robert

"Bob" Norris and Doris Elizabeth Hammett Norris, and was the 2nd eldest of seven children.

She is preceded in death by her youngest sister, Ethel Norris Visscher and nephew Aaron

Edwards. She is survived by her siblings Catherine Johnson of La Plata, MD, Diane Tucker of

Mechanicsville, MD, Michael Norris (Nilda) of Alexandria, VA, Mary Carter of Colonial Beach,

VA, and Dorothy Wesolowski (Mike) of Waynesville, MO. She was a loving aunt to Tony, Emily,

Tristen, Dale, Kimmie, Michael, Sarah, Kelly, Stephen and Casey; great aunt to Violet, Lily and

Evana; and special Godmother to Ace and Leilani.



Sandra, known as Sandy to those closest to her, grew up in Prince George's County and

graduated from Gwynn Park High School in 1974. After a short time, she moved to Frederick,

Maryland and became a welder at Canam Steel Corporation and manager at Casa Pizza. She

returned to Saint Mary's County after residing in Frederick, Maryland for more than a decade

and became a Wastewater Treatment Operator for the Charles County government and

reluctantly retired in 2017 from her career at the St. Mary's County Metropolitan Commission

(MetCom) due to multiple back surgeries.



Two years after retirement, she faced a four-year battle with pancreatic cancer with courage and

dignity. Even with her physical struggles, she continued to be a light for others. Sandy was

helpful, encouraging and a source of strength for many. As part of the recovery community,

Sandy was a sponsor for many newcomers. She was dearly loved with many lifelong friends.

Children were especially drawn to her gentle and patient nature. She seemed to be a kid

"magnet". She loved fishing, crabbing and spending time outdoors. She was an avid "tinkerer"

who never shied away from a challenge and could fix anything.



In accordance with Sandy's wishes, her ashes will be spread over her favorite fishing spots and

will be used as part of the growing material for a peach tree.



A Celebration of Life will be held in June 2023 with more information to follow.
The 2017 duet Rainbowland featuring Dolly Parton and Miley Cyrus was nixed from a first-grade spring concert in Wisconsin after it was determined it could be too controversial.

Here are some of the lyrics:

Living in a Rainbowland

Where you and I go hand in hand

Oh, I'd be lying if I said this was fine

All the hurt and the hate going on here

We are rainbows, me and you

Every color, every hue

Let's shine on through

Together, we can start living in a Rainbowland

School District of Waukesha Superintendent Jim Sebert told FOX News: "It was determined that Rainbowland could be perceived as controversial." One parent, Sarah Schindler, said, "I think, for some reason, the district sees rainbows as a political symbol.

Parton summed up the song to Taste of Country in 2017 like this: "It's really about if we could love one another a little better or be a little kinder, be a little sweeter, we could live in rainbow land. It's really just about dreaming and hoping that we could all do better."

Melissa Tempel, a first grade teacher at Heyer Elementary School, told USA Today: "It's such a fun song and they just immediately took to it." When she found out the song was cut she said the students were "so sad.

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For 10 years PrEP has been hailed to lower HIV infection rates. When used properly the drug lowers the risk of HIV by at least 99% among gay and bi men and trans women.

In the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, judge Reed OConnor ruled that forcing companies to cover PrEP as a part of their employee insurance violates the religious freedom of companies that object to LGBT people.

Eight individuals and two businesses from Texas filed the lawsuit. They claim the free PrEP requirement forces business owners to pay for services that encourage homosexuality, prostitution, sexual promiscuity, and intravenous drug abuse.

One plaintiff also objected to having to cover screenings for sexually transmitted diseases, contraceptives, and counseling for unmarried people.

But the activist judge did not stop there.

He also ruled the Affordable Care Acts Preventive Services Task Force, the agency that decides what services need to be covered, is unconstitutional.

The Affordable Care Act requires that some of the most basic preventive services be included in services, said Stephen Fallon, the executive director of Latinos Salud. From prenatal care to PrEP to annual check-ups, these life-saving and inexpensive services should not be subject to an ideological exemption.



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One of the most famous pieces of art forced a principal in Florida to resign after complaints with one parent comparing the sculpture of David to pornography.

Hope Carrasquilla showed the image of David to her sixth-grade class. Normal protocol involves a letter being sent to parents in advance. But due to a series of miscommunications the letter never got sent this year.

The Tallahassee Classical School board chair, Barney Bishop, had a lot to say to Huffpost regarding the schools ideology and culture.

Parental rights trump everything else, Bishop told the outlet. He added the pandemic gave parents an inside look at their childrens education. They didnt like the woke indoctrination that was going on. We dont use pronouns. We dont teach CRT and we dont ever mention 1619  those are not appropriate subjects for our kids.

The Tallahassee area school is a public charter institution. Michelangelos 16th-century sculpture is one of the Renaissances most famous pieces of art.

According to the Washington Post: [The school], which follows a curriculum from Hillsdale College, the conservative, Christian institution in Michigan that has helped launch dozens of classical charter schools nationwide, is required to teach Renaissance art to sixth-graders.
Two prominent Democrats were arrested Monday in Tallahassee while peacefully protesting Floridas proposed 6-week abortion ban.

Nikki Fried, chair of the Democratic Party of Florida, and Senate Democratic Leader Lauren Book were among about a dozen protesters who were handcuffed and arrested according to the Tallahassee Democrat.

The protesters were taken away by police while sitting in a circle and singing "Lean on Me.

According to the Tallahassee Police Department the protesters were asked to leave, but refused to do so.

"After multiple warnings throughout the day, protesters acknowledged they understood that anyone refusing to leave the premises at sundown would be subject to arrest," a spokesperson for TPD wrote, according to the Tallahassee Democrat. "This evening, after sunset, the majority of the crowd left the property while 11 people refused to leave despite numerous requests.

Tallahassee PD just arrested peaceful protesters outside the Capitol who were advocating against the abortion ban, Rep. Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando, tweeted. Florida is now where freedom goes to die.

Fried and Book were released later in the night.

Im out. And not ever backing down, Fried wrote on Twitter. Just fucking vote @FlaDems!

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Every language has its own particular words that have a special meaning no other language has - here are the top 10 in Slovak.

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Every language has its peculiar charms. English, with more than three million terms, is beautiful in its precision, even if it remains largely a dull knife in the hands of many of its users. Slovak, in the right hands, achieves great heights in those expressions which are not to be found in any other language, at least not in the way Slovaks mean them. Here are 10 of the best.

1. Sedlak. This word, meaning roughly 'peasant' or 'hayseed', draws on Slovakia's agricultural past, but is greatly enriched by the nation's experience of having peasants moved en masse to communist cities in the 1950s to 1980s. Imagine a village dweller who has moved to a Slovak city, and is doing his best to ape what he thinks 'city living' requires. Sedlaci wear suits with white socks, and slip-on shoes (known in Slovak as mokasiny). Sedlaci, particularly if they have privatised a firm in the 1990s, will never wait in traffic if they can drive down the sidewalk in their SUV. Sedlaci enjoy Euro-pop, don't read books, and pick their noses (vrtat si v nose - lit. "to bore in their noses", related to the English 'drilling for oil') in public. In short, they are ignorant jerks. Every country has sedlaci, but only Slovakia has come up with the perfect word to describe them.

There is a great difference, however, between the boorish sedlak and the honourable sedliak, a person who works the land and has no urban pretensions (sedliak may come from sedlo, a saddle for the horses which peasants used). Ty si sedlak is an insult, while calling someone a sedliak is a statement of fact. The mass of sedlaci are known as sedlac.
Former President Donald Trump's legal team has announced that he would surrender to police on Tuesday

Federal prosecutors say they do not expect Donald Trump to face a jury trial for at least a year

A judge is likely to push for a trial before the next presidential election

Donald Trump is expected to fly from his Florida estate to New York before his court appearance on Tuesday.

The former president of the United States is anticipated to arrive at Trump Tower, where he will spend the night. Over the weekend, police installed barricades in front of the building, anticipating demonstrations at Lower Manhattan courts.

Donald Trump Prepares for Arraignment

Before the 2016 presidential race, Trump, 76, is accused of paying hush money to a pornstar. The specific charges against him are unknown, but they will be read in their entirety when he arrives at the Manhattan Criminal Courts Building on Tuesday.

According to BBC, Trump posted on his social media network Truth Social, "I'll be leaving Mar-a-Lago on Monday at noon, heading for Trump Tower in New York."

The former president will reportedly fly to New York's LaGuardia Airport on his plane, accompanied by personnel of the US Secret Service. After spending the night in Trump Tower, where additional security measures have been implemented, he will travel with a vast Secret Service entourage to the courthouse and voluntarily surrender. He will not likely be handcuffed.

Per standard arrest protocol, the former president will be fingerprinted and photographed before investigators finish the customary paperwork and check for outstanding warrants. The judge will then read the indictment - the list of charges - to the defendant. His attorneys have already stated that he will enter a not-guilty plea.

According to two sources familiar with the situation, he faces many counts of fabricating business records, including at least one felony offense, which would be a more serious allegation.

Other reports indicate that the indictment includes approximately thirty charges linked to a $130,000 payment made to adult film star Stormy Daniels in an attempt to purchase her silence regarding an alleged affair shortly before the 2016 presidential election, which Trump won against Hillary Clinton.

Trump is anticipated to be released on bail and will return to his Florida residence Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday evening when he is scheduled to make a statement at 20:15 local time.

He is the first president of the United States to be charged with a felony, but he has denied any wrongdoing. The decades-long inquiry has been overseen by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, a registered Democrat, who, according to Trump, is conducting a "political prosecution" to harm his 2024 presidential campaign.

Trump's upcoming court appearance comes amid many ongoing criminal investigations. The Washington Post claimed on Monday that federal investigators may have impeded the probe into handling top-secret information at Mar-a-Lago.

Read Also: St. Petersburg Investigation Starts After Russian Military Blogger's Death

Trump May Delay Trial

Federal prosecutors predict that his attorneys will submit a series of pretrial motions to delay the trial. However, a federal court would likely want to hear the case before the 2024 presidential election.

Trump is again vying for the Republican nomination; hence, the matter must be heard before November 2024. Former assistant US attorney and assistant district attorney in Manhattan, Marc Agnifilo, explained that New York's judicial system might permit Trump's legal team to file several pretrial motions and appeals to prolong the trial.

One such motion the defense could submit would be to argue before a court that the information presented to the grand jury was legally insufficient to justify an indictment - a strategy Agnifilo expects Trump's legal team to employ.

In addition to the campaign finance allegations he faces in New York, Trump is also under investigation by the Department of Justice for his handling of confidential documents after leaving office and his probable role in encouraging the January 6 Congressional rioting. He has refuted all charges against him.

Per Daily Mail, retired federal prosecutor Franklin Monsour said that criminal trials frequently progress at the defendant's pace and that Trump will likely postpone a trial for as long as possible to make his indictment obsolete.

Related Article: Donald Trump Surrender: New York Gears Up for Potential Protests

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Street View also features natural beauties of Slovakia.

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Slovaks will see Google Street View cars driving on Slovak roads during the spring and summer months. Google regularly updates panoramic images for its Google Maps service. Google Street View cars will visit many towns in Slovakia, including Levoca, Snina, Humenne and Skalica.

A helping hand in the heart of Europe offers for you Slovakia travel guide.

"The basic mission of Google is to bring accurate, useful, and above all, up-to-date information to users. Of course, this also applies to the Street View service on Google Maps. Based on the analysis and its subsequent evaluation, Google identifies areas that should be updated. In general, this mainly concerns roads and streets within cities and municipalities, intercity or speedways," says Iva Fialova, Google's communications manager for the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

In Slovakia, streets and roads will be photographed in many cities and towns throughout the country in the updating of Street View images. The Street View service was launched in Slovakia in the fall of 2012, when Google managed to photograph almost all of it. Street View images have been updated several times since then. The new scanning captures the infrastructure development in cities and towns as well as outside them, and allows users to better orient themselves in different destinations.

Cultural and historical monuments such as Spis Castle, Bratislava Castle, Saint Elizabeth's Cathedral and Orava Castle are popular locations on Slovak Street View. Street View also features natural beauties such as Strbske Pleso, Popradske Pleso, Cave Domica and Ochtinska Aragonite Cave, as well as national parks like Slovak Paradise National Park and Pieniny National Park.

Google Street View car. (Source: Google)

All collected images are processed with a special technology that blurs people's faces and car license plates so that they cannot be identified, protecting their privacy. Street View offers additional image blurring (person, car, house, etc.), which can be requested by pressing the "Report a problem" button in the lower righthand corner of any image.

The Street View service has reached all continents and provides a street view in more than 100 countries. Users can find panoramic images from extremely attractive or inaccessible places, such as the Amazon, Antarctica, the Grand Canyon, Venice, Burj Khalifa or the International Space Station. It is available on desktop and mobile devices, as well as Google Earth.

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230404/australia-says-us-tech-edge-against-prc-totally-gone-in-some-areas-urges-aukus-to-pool-resources-1109110634.html

Australia Says US Tech Edge Against PRC Totally Gone in Some Areas, Urges AUKUS to Pool Resources

Australia Says US Tech Edge Against PRC Totally Gone in Some Areas, Urges AUKUS to Pool Resources

China surpassed the USs GDP in purchasing power parity terms in 2013, and has a considerable lead on its competitor in patent filings, research and development and key science metrics. Washington and its allies have responded with an expanded trade and technology war against Beijing, and efforts to hem the Asian nation in militarily.

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Americas technology lead vis-a-vis China is rapidly eroding and in some places has disappeared completely, and the US and its AUKUS allies must pool their resources to compensate, Andrew Shearer, the director-general of Australias Office of National Intelligence, has recommended.The chief spook also warned that the military balance of power in the Indo-Pacific was starting to shift away from the United States and its allies, thus undermining deterrence.Also speaking at the forum, former Google CEO Eric Schmidt warned that China is a new kind of competitor for the West.The businessman, who now chairs the US Special Competitive Studies Project, an Arlington, Virginia-based non-profit, urged the US and its Australian and British allies to siphon off and hold on to bright, talented Chinese, Russian and Indian scientists, instead of training people to the teeth in quantum [tech] and then [kicking] them out and they go to China and they create a quantum program which is going to be used to decrypt and basically analyze all of our data when quantum finally works. Its insane!Austrian quantum computing expert Michelle Simmons urged AUKUS countries to form a joint mission on quantum computing. Its critical for the nations to work together to make sure we pool our resources, to make sure that we are at the forefront, Simmons said.The AUKUS alliance a tripartite security pact between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States, was formed in September 2021, and is centered around cooperation in the transfer of nuclear technology to Canberra for nuclear-powered submarines, as well as collaboration on hypersonic weaponry, cyber warfare, artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and expanded information and intelligence sharing. The pact, which ended up stiffing France out of a $66 billion submarine contract with Australia, also provides for a new naval base in western Australia from which US warships can operate.China, Russia, and North Korea have criticized AUKUS, saying it threatens to kick off a new regional arms race.On Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning blasted Washington for ramping up its military presence in the Asia-Pacific region, accusing the country of pursuing its own interests and adhering to a zero-sum game mindset. The result of US policy would inevitably be increased tension and a threat to regional peace and stability, Mao said. The spokeswoman urged regional nations to think deeply about what really constitutes mutually beneficial cooperation and to pursue their true interests, not those of Washington.The US effort to hem China in into its home waters militarily comes amid growing tensions with Beijing over Taiwan, as well as broader issues related to the USs waning economic and technological prowess.The Peoples Republic outpaced the US in purchasing power parity gross domestic product in 2013, and is on course to surpass the US in dollar terms over the coming decade. Chinas economic growth, combined with its growing technological competencies, has led successive US administrations to launch trade and tech wars against the Asian nation, to restrict the sale of some high tech products and to ban the purchase of Chinese communications infrastructure by Chinese tech giants like Huawei and ZTE.These restrictions have failed to upset Chinas growing competitive advantage. According to a recent report by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, China is leading the US in 37 of 44 critical tech research areas, in fields including AI, robotics, quantum technology, defense and space-related engineering and biotech.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230331/not-by-yuan-alone-whole-set-of-national-currencies-to-deep-six-us-dollar-dominance--1109012015.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230404/australia-to-ban-use-of-tiktok-application-on-all-government-devices-1109096969.html

Australia to Ban Use of TikTok Application on All Government Devices

Australia to Ban Use of TikTok Application on All Government Devices

Australian Attorney General Mark Dreyfus said on Tuesday that Australia will ban Chinese video-sharing app TikTok on government electronic devices, following similar measures undertaken by western countries over security concerns.

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"After receiving advice from intelligence and security agencies, today I authorised the Secretary of the Attorney-Generals Department to issue a mandatory direction under the Protective Security Policy Framework to prohibit the TikTok app on devices issued by Commonwealth departments and agencies," Dreyfus said in a statement on his website, adding that the measure will go into effect "as soon as practicable." Dreyfus added that "exemptions will only be granted on a case-by-case basis and with appropriate security mitigations in place." Following the statement, the Attorney-General's Department issued a Protective Security Policy Framework, saying "the TikTok application poses significant security and privacy risks to non-corporate Commonwealth entities arising from extensive collection of user data and exposure to extrajudicial directions from a foreign government that conflict with Australian law." The department added that "entities must prevent installation and remove existing instances of the TikTok application on government devices, unless a legitimate business reason exists which necessitates the installation or ongoing presence of the application." Over the last months, TikTok access from government devices was prohibited in more than half of US states, the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand, the European Commission, the European Parliament, and the Council of the European Union due to security concerns about user data being accessed by the Chinese government. Several European countries also announced their intention to ban TikTok from the work devices of civil servants. In addition, the US House Committee on Foreign Affairs has approved a bill that could allow the US government to ban TikTok or any other foreign app if they are believed to be a threat to national security.

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230404/belarus-security-service-detains-polish-ukrainian-baltic-states-nationals-for-terrorism-1109111530.html

Belarus Security Service Detains Polish, Ukrainian, Baltic States Nationals for Terrorism

Belarus Security Service Detains Polish, Ukrainian, Baltic States Nationals for Terrorism

A number of citizens of Poland, Ukraine and the Baltic countries were detained in Belarus for undercover activities and terrorism, Belarusian State Security Committee (KGB) Chairman Ivan Tertel said on Tuesday.

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"We witness a surge in intelligence and sabotage activity towards Belarus. We have detained a number of Polish nationals, who were conducting active operations aimed at creating agent network in our country, we have also detained the traitors they were working with," Tertel told journalists. Additionally, citizens of Ukraine, Poland and the Baltic states have been detained in connection with undercover activities on the territory of Belarus, the official added.

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230404/brussels-to-host-nato-foreign-ministers-meeting-from-april-4-5-1109097757.html

Brussels to Host NATO Foreign Ministers' Meeting From April 4-5

Brussels to Host NATO Foreign Ministers' Meeting From April 4-5

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The North Atlantic Council's meeting at the level of foreign ministers will take place from April 4-5 at the alliance's headquarters in... 04.04.2023, Sputnik International

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The ministers are set to discuss the growing cooperation between Russia and China, as well as issues related to the Ukrainian crisis, including additional April steps by the alliance to maintain the stability of Ukraine's energy grid amid Russia's special military operation. The participants will also address the security of global supply chains, persistent threats to world peace and stability, and other relevant issues. The Ukraine-NATO commission meeting at the ministerial level will be held on the sidelines of the NATO foreign ministers' meeting. The participants are expected to discuss urgent military support to Ukraine, reforms to bring Kiev closer to the alliance, the fight against corruption and the rights of national minorities in the country, as well as the preparation of a multi-year support program for Ukraine.

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230404/cool-head--nerves-of-steel-how-donbass-sappers-clear-deadly-mines-laid-by-ukraine-1109111714.html

Cool Head & Nerves of Steel: How Donbass Sappers Clear Deadly Mines Laid by Ukraine

Cool Head & Nerves of Steel: How Donbass Sappers Clear Deadly Mines Laid by Ukraine

On International Day for Mine Awareness, two sappers shared personal experiences about the land mines the Armed Forces of Ukraine indiscriminately use in the Donbass.

2023-04-04T14:06+0000

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While April 4 is observed internationally as Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action, sappers in Donbass face danger daily, saving lives by clearing deadly land mines and booby traps laid by the armed forces of the Kiev regime. Two seasoned sappers spoke to Sputnik to share their traumatic personal experiences about the land mines that Ukraine's Armed Forces indiscriminately use in Donbass.'Cool Head & No Haste'A Donbass sapper and instructor training scouts, who goes by the call sign "Sova" ("Owl"), said that he has never wavered in his intention to follow in his uncle's footsteps and become a sapper. His uncle fought in the Great Patriotic War, and served as a huge inspiration to him, he recalled, and the difficult and dangerous profession became his true calling. One needs a cool head and loads of experience to handle the mines currently used by the Armed Forces of Ukraine, said the sapper, who has been taking part in Russias special military operation in the country.Damage effects of land mines, tripwire land mines, and smart mines used by the forces of the Kiev regime can be explosive. The sappers in Donbass chiefly encounter Soviet- and Russian- made PMN-2 and OZM-72 mines, but also American -86, -62 mines, and German Springmine-35, with a 100% blast damage area reaching 30 meters. Ukraines forces have also repeatedly used cluster munitions equipped with antipersonnel high-explosive mines known as PFM-1 Lepestok (Petal). Russia has repeatedly stated that Ukraine has deployed vast amounts of Lepestok mines in the republics of Donetsk and Lugansk. Sova explained that there are two types of Lepestok scatterable high-explosive anti-personnel land mines  one with a self-destruct mechanism and one without. The first explode at a predetermined time, while the second does when someone steps on them. These are the most dangerous mines, because they are very small, so much so that detectors practically do not discover them. However, a mere weight of 300 grams can set them off, which means that if a child steps on such a mine, they will likely die. Ukrainian forces deploy such mines indiscriminately, with blatant disregard for the fact that the risk of civilians encountering such deadly objects is tremendous.Ill tell you from experience that civilians will also be blown up in the fields on such mines. No matter how hard sappers work, there will always be land mines they have failed to detect And when civilians start ploughing the fields, there will be certain deaths Most often such booby trap mines (ML-7, ML-8) are placed every two meters, in a checkerboard pattern. As for the deadly surprise MS-4 mine, it can be placed in objects, dolls, children's toys Bricks, grass can be used to cover it up. This is one of the most terrible mines. Once I tried to de-mine one without explosives, but failed, and had to explode them all, the sapper, who has been awarded three medals for military merit and an order for military service, said.Sharing insights on how demining is carried out, Sova added that while everything is done in accordance with a specific protocol, it is ultimately all down to the experienced sappers final decision whether to attempt to remove a type of mine or just use a charge to destroy it.Looking back at past experiences, Sova revealed that there was a specific part of territory of the Donetsk Peoples Republic that he found the most challenging to de-mine back in 2015. After the Western-instigated coup of 2014, when residents of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions declared independence from Kiev's US- and EU-installed pawns, Ukraine unleashed heavy shelling on the peaceful residents of Donbass. Saur-Mogila became a focal point of intense fighting.Sova shared one experience as a sapper that was especially imprinted in his memory, in the Nikolaevka area. He was removing a TM-62 anti-tank mine, and noticed that it had not one, but four trap mines hidden under it.Sova had some advice for anyone venturing into this dangerous profession. According to him, both inexperienced beginners and foolhardy seasoned experts make fatal mistakes. The truth lies somewhere in the middle. Sapper's Rules Written in Blood'A veteran sapper, Igor Kikhtenko, whose call sign was "Egor," served in the engineering and sapper troops of the DPR from 2014 to 2022. He recalled for Sputnik how once the 2014 events had escalated, he felt duty-bound to step up to the challenge and defend what was then the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic.His life before that had not been particularly connected with the military... He did his stint in the army when called up, like other guys, and then worked a regular job. Life changed dramatically after 2014's Euromaidan.When asked how he felt when the Donetsk and Lugansk republics announced that they would be independent, Igor Kikhtenko said:The veteran sapper shared poignant recollections of his first battle for Uglegorsk in Dobass. According to him, that was when they saw the first eight prisoners surrender from a dugout. At that time they did not understand much, no one had provided them with training their command had simply thrown them into action, and they did not offer up much resistance.Of course, after the start of Russias special military operation in Ukraine on February 24, 2022, everything changed, Igor Kikhtenko said. The US, NATO, and their allies unleashed a massive proxy war against Moscow in Ukraine, pumping the regime holed up in Kiev with weapons. Technology has changed, there are smart mines that react to a tank, to iron, to a fighter wearing a bulletproof vest with a machine gun that approaches it. If one comes within one and a half meters of it, the blast is set off, the sapper explained. He also singled out the Lepestok land mine as one of the most dangerous. They are fired from helicopters in cluster munitions by the Armed Forces of Ukraine, he said, and triggered remotely.The hardest thing, the veteran sapper said, is when your friend is killed, you have to move the body, arrange a funeral, the sapper, who has sustained multiple wounds himself, recalled.Last year, he was supposed to get prosthetics, but there were complications with the wound, which doctors in Moscow treated. Now we need to continue treatment, then prosthetics. After that, I want to return to the front, he said, adding:

https://sputnikglobe.com/20221125/ukraine-not-fulfilling-obligations-under-mine-ban-treaty-1104709013.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20220816/french-made-geneva-convention-violating-mines-found-in-donbass-russian-mod-1099665087.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230404/crazy-trump-indictment-is-shiny-object-to-distract-from-biden-admin-woes-1109113132.html

'Crazy' Trump Indictment is 'Shiny Object' to Distract From Biden Admin Woes

'Crazy' Trump Indictment is 'Shiny Object' to Distract From Biden Admin Woes

Ex-president Donald Trump's looming arrest in New York promises to be a huge media circus. Angie Wong and Tyler Nixon argue that the charges against him are just a pretext for staging the spectacle.

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Trump is set to appear at a court hearing in New York on Tuesday, where he is expected to plead not guilty to election campaign finance charges dating from 2016.That has prompted the accusation from Trump, his allies and commentators that the prosecution is aimed at knocking him out of contention against President Joe Biden in the fast-approaching 2024 election campaign.Angie Wong told Sputnik that it was "crazy" to put a former president under arrest, joking that Trump should get a Mike Tyson-style facial tattoo for his police mug shot: "If this is a before the history books, he might as well make it look great."The analyst pointed out that the US Federal Election Commission declined to prosecute Trump over the same allegations in 2021. "Four members to one voted against no to drop the case against Trump and any sort of campaign finance violations," Wong said. "So you don't have a federal case."She argued that the real point of the indictment was to distract public attention from the Biden administration's problems."This whole thing is just the big show horse, a big media spectacle, but it's not a big crowd coming out," she added, predicting an "OJ moment" like when helicopters followed the low-speed police pursuit of athlete-turned-actor OJ Simpson before he was arrested and charged with murdering his wife, as Trump's motorcade leaves his Mar-a-Lago resort for Palm Beach Airport. Bragg's argument that the statute of limitations on the charges should be extended to exclude the four years Trump was in the White House was "weak", Wong aid, but cautioned that the "New York judges" who would decide whether the case can proceed would not have to deal with the fallout once it makes it to a federal court."I don't see how they can prove this case. What they can do is put a gag order on him temporarily. They could also set a no bail," she warned. "It's very possible."The prosecution could argue that Trump is a literal "flight risk" because "he's got his own airplane"  and his Secret Service security detail lacks the authority to stop him boarding it.Tyler Nixon told Sputnik that Bragg was "typical" of Democrat prosecutors whose election campaigns were financed to the tune of millions by Hungarian-born billionaire George Soros  whose Open Society Foundations funds regime-change NGOs all over the world."It amazes me that so many of these prosecutors that are basically just hatchet thugs for the left, Bragg, [Chicago state's attorney] Kim Fox, the Soros backed ones. They want to shield these these thuggish, corrupt criminals from any accountability," Nixon said. "If you attack them for what they do, you're a racist. I haven't heard that much with Bragg, but I guarantee if they turn the heat up on his fat a**... we would hear start to hear the squeals of racism against him."The PR guru said the charges against Trump were just the latest episode in the long-running saga of attempts to smear him, including claims he was the Kremlin's candidate in the 2016 presidential election. By contrast, "you have to have George Soros personally hand in cash to Bragg for it to be any kind of sort of connection."He said the US liberal left was "like a cult" where everyone has "the same subversive, crazy, megalomaniacal, totally just radical beyond anything we've ever seen, agenda and tactics."Check our Radio section to find out more!

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230403/trumped-up-charges-against-former-us-president-embarrassing-to-us-1109074092.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230404/everything-you-need-to-know-about-trump-arraignment-1109101565.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230404/donald-trump-to-be-indicted-terrorist-attack-in-st-petersburg-finnish-pm-loses-1109094061.html

Donald Trump to Be Indicted; Terrorist Attack in St. Petersburg; Finnish PM Loses

Donald Trump to Be Indicted; Terrorist Attack in St. Petersburg; Finnish PM Loses

The EU-oriented Prime Minister of Finland has fallen to the center-right party in an election that has the EU concerned.

2023-04-04T04:03+0000

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2023-04-04T09:38+0000

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Donald Trump to be Indicted; Terrorist Attack in St. Petersburg; Finnish PM Loses The EU-oriented Prime Minister of Finland has fallen to the center-right party in an election that has the EU concerned.

Mark Sleboda, Moscow-based international relations security analyst, joins us to discuss the Ukraine conflict. Russia has detained a suspect in the St. Petersburg terrorist attack. Also, Russia is working with various Middle East leaders to repair the relationship between Turkey and Syria.Malik Abdul, co-host of Fault Lines, joins us to discuss the Trump indictment. Trump now holds a commanding 33-point lead over the runner-up in the GOP presidential election primaries. Also, Some are arguing that charging Trump amounts to election interference.Dan Lazare, investigative journalist and author of "America's Undeclared War," joins us to discuss the EU. The EU-oriented Prime Minister has fallen to the center-right party in an election in Finland that has the EU concerned. Also, Patrick Lawrence has a new article about the French protests.Robert Fantina, journalist and Palestine activist, joins us to discuss the elections in Turkey. President Erdogan says that he wants to teach the US a lesson in his nation, apparently referring to potential election meddling.Laith Marouf, broadcaster, and journalist based in Beirut, Lebanon, joins us to discuss the Middle East. Saudi Arabia will invite the President Assad of Syria to the Arab Leaders Summit. Also, Israeli police launch another assault on the Al Aqsa mosque.Ted Rall, political cartoonist and syndicated columnist, joins us to discuss Censorship. The term "disinformation" has been used by government entities to stymie legitimate dialogue. Also, we discuss the Russia-gate operation as the "hoax of the century."Linwood Tauheed, associate professor of Economics at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, joins us to discuss the economy. Most US banks are near insolvency and the US government is considering more support for the weakening financial industry.Kim Keenan, nationally known trial lawyer, mediator, and in-house counsel, joins us to discuss domestic policy. An expensive court race will decide the future of abortion in Wisconsin. Also, millions of Americans are set to lose Medicaid benefits.We'd love to get your feedback at radio@sputniknews.comThe views and opinions expressed in this program are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the position of Sputnik.

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230404/dont-repeat-mistakes-china-condemns-taiwan-leaders-meeting-with-us-house-speaker-1109099411.html

'Don't Repeat Mistakes': China Condemns Taiwan Leader's Meeting With US House Speaker

'Don't Repeat Mistakes': China Condemns Taiwan Leader's Meeting With US House Speaker

On Tuesday, China's consulate in Los Angeles advised US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy not to meet Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen and "repeat disastrous past mistakes."

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China's consulate in Los Angeles has advised US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy not to meet Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen and "repeat disastrous past mistakes".Earlier, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning said Beijing was closely monitoring developments in connection with Tsai Ing-wen's trip - she crossed the United States on 29 March to visit Belize and Guatemala - and will resolutely defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity.The Taiwanese president's trip to Central American allies will last 10 days. The delegation left Taiwan on 29 March, passed through New York and arrived in Guatemala. On the way back from Belize, the delegation plans to stop off in Los Angeles, where Tsai will meet US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, before she returns to her island. Tensions flared around Taiwan after then-US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited the island in early August 2022. China condemned the visit, perceiving it as an act of support for local separatist forces, and conducted major military exercises near the island, which China considers it owns. The Chinese administration has repeatedly stated that Beijing is willing to reunite with Taiwan peacefully. However, it would never renounce the use of military force should the need arise.

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230404/drc-authority-rebukes-french-officials-for-inaction-on-assault-against-congolese-official-1109104559.html

DRC Authority Rebukes French Officials for Inaction on Assault Against Congolese Official

DRC Authority Rebukes French Officials for Inaction on Assault Against Congolese Official

Congolese media regulator, CSAC, said that the French authorities has not yet taken actions in regard to its recent complaint filed in the wake of Saturday night's attack against its CSAC president, Christian Bosembe.

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The Superior Council of Audiovisual and Communication (CSAC) of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has said that French officials have not yet acted on a recent complaint filed in the wake of Saturday night's attack against its CSAC president, Christian Bosembe.Shocked and outraged by the brutal assault on Bosembe by a group of males, who claim to be "combatants" while he was on official business in the French capital city of Paris, High Councilor of the DRC, and deputy rapporteur of the CSAC, Serge Ndjibu, criticized the French authorities for failing to provide the Congolese official with even a bare minimum of protection prior to the incident.The deputy Rapporteur of the CSAC said that the Congolese media regulator had requested further clarification of the incident. He pointed out that on Monday, the CSAC reached out to French officials to not only get a better understanding of what had happened, but also to ensure that a thorough investigation takes place to identify, apprehend, prosecute, and impose severe penalties on those responsible for the violent attack against the Congolese official.He also revealed that the Congolese broadcasting body planned to meet with France's ambassador to the DR Congo in order "to get more clarification and find out how the filing is and know what steps have been taken so far to find all these criminals."According to Ndjibu, the incident was initially brought to light via social media during the wee hours of Sunday morning. CSAC President Christian Bosembe reassured Ndjibu that he had beefed up his own security measures following the attack.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230403/senior-congolese-official-beaten-up-in-paris-drc-asks-to-punish-aggressors-1109082912.html

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NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Monday that Ukraine's Western partners handed the nation $70 billion in military assistance to help counter Russia's military strike.

With no peace discussions in sight, NATO is preparing to deliver more support to Kyiv as the Russia-Ukraine war continues. At a press conference in Brussels, Jens Stoltenberg said that "there are no signs" that Russian President Vladimir Putin is planning to end the Russia-Ukraine war in peace. Instead, he is making plans for future conflict, AP News reported.

The NATO chief noted that they could not allow Russia to continue to chip away at European security," the NATO chief noted. According to Stoltenberg, the Tuesday meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels will address how we can scale up our assistance, notably by continuing to bolster Ukraine's military forces.

Read Also: Stormy Daniels: Donald Trump is 'No Longer Untouchable'

Russia to Position Nuclear Weapons on Belarus Border

Experts believe Vladimir Putin intends to solidify his position and fight against a potential Ukrainian counteroffensive in the next few months, hoping the West's expensive backing for Kyiv will falter.

In a move that will inflame relations with the West, Vladimir Putin announced Russia's plan to station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus last week. Boris Gryzlov, the Russian ambassador to Belarus, stated Sunday night that Moscow's nuclear weapons would be transported to the country's western border to "ensure security," per Al Jazeera.

In a related update, around 83,900 metric tons of agriculture products were loaded into four ships over the weekend and set sail from the Ukrainian ports of Odesa, Yuzhny-Pivdennyi, and Chornomorsk, CNBC reported.

The ships transport grain, wheat, and sunflower oil to Egypt, Italy, and Portugal. Three vital Ukrainian ports reopened after the Russian naval blockade was relaxed thanks to the Black Sea Grain Initiative, negotiated in July between Ukraine, Russia, Turkey, and the United Nations.

Last month, a further 120 days were added to the agreement. Over 700 ship departures from Ukrainian harbors have been since the pact was signed.

Related Article: Chinese Spy Balloon Collected Intelligence From US Military Sites

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230404/erdogan-says-in-constant-contact-with-putin-zelensky-to-resolve-ukrainian-crisis-1109130202.html

Erdogan Says in Constant Contact With Putin, Zelensky to Resolve Ukrainian Crisis

Erdogan Says in Constant Contact With Putin, Zelensky to Resolve Ukrainian Crisis

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Tuesday that he has been in constant contact with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to facilitate the settlement of the Ukrainian crisis.

2023-04-04T21:17+0000

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Later in the day, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that currently "everyone appreciates Turkiye's unbiased stance and that everyone is jealous that Erdogan has been communicating with both sides of the Ukrainian conflict. The last telephone conversation between the leaders of Russia and Turkiye took place on March 25. The call addressed the steps to strengthen bilateral relations, as well as the situation around Ukraine. During the conversation, Erdogan also thanked Putin for the Russian leader's positive stance on the extension of the grain deal allowing exports of Ukrainian grain from Black Sea ports. On March 25, Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said that Erdogan intends to hold telephone talks with Zelensky to discuss the settlement of the conflict.

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230404/eu-commission-chief-says-china-can-play-constructive-role-in-ukraine-peace-settlement-1109103377.html

EU Commission Chief Says China Can Play 'Constructive' Role in Ukraine Peace Settlement

EU Commission Chief Says China Can Play 'Constructive' Role in Ukraine Peace Settlement

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told media on Tuesday that China could influence Russia "in a constructive way" and therefore should contribute to the peaceful settlement of the Ukraine conflict.

2023-04-04T08:31+0000

2023-04-04T08:31+0000

2023-04-04T08:31+0000

world

china

ursula von der leyen

ukraine

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"China is in a position to influence Russia in a constructive way, and therefore they have a responsibility," von der Leyen said, adding that "you cannot be in between  you cannot be for half of the international order." She also told the newspaper that the European Union was "concerned by [China's] position of friendship with Russia," noting that although Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Russia President Vladimir Putin in March, he has not yet contacted his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky. In addition, von der Leyen stressed the importance of maintaining open diplomatic channels between the European Union and China and the need to "de-risk" relations with Beijing instead of fully adopting the US policy of total estrangement from the Asian country, the report said. The European Commission chief is scheduled to accompany French President Emmanuel Macron during his visit to China from April 5-7 at Xi's invitation. The agenda of the talks is expected to include the Ukraine conflict and the EU-Chinese relations. In February, China released a 12-point document entitled "China's Position on the Political Settlement of the Ukraine Crisis," that underscores respect for the sovereignty of all countries, the cessation of hostilities and the resumption of peace talks between Moscow and Kiev. In the document, Beijing also condemned the abuse of unilateral sanctions, saying that they did not contribute to the settlement of the crisis.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230321/china-reiterates-readiness-to-play-constructive-role-in-settlement-of-ukraine-crisis-1108639204.html

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european commission president ursula von der leyen, peaceful settlement of the ukraine conflict
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230404/everything-you-need-to-know-about-trump-arraignment-1109101565.html

Everything You Need to Know About Trump's Arraignment

Everything You Need to Know About Trump's Arraignment

Everything you need to know about Donald Trump's arraignment.

2023-04-04T09:00+0000

2023-04-04T09:00+0000

2023-04-04T11:06+0000

americas

donald trump

donald trump's indictment

hush money

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The former US president, who denied all allegations and the affair, is to be arraigned on Tuesday.This is what to expect as Trump becomes the first former POTUS in history to face criminal charges.Has Trump Landed in New York?Donald Trump flew to New York from his Mar-a-Lago resort aboard his private red, white and blue Boeing 757, emblazoned with his name in gold letters. He arrived at New Yorks LaGuardia airport around 15:30 EST (19:30 GMT) on Monday 3 April, ahead of his arraignment the next day. Heightened security is in place in the city. The 45th president is said to have spent the night at Trump Tower. After the arraignment Trump is expected to leave New York immediately for Florida.Where is Donald Trump Being Arraigned?Donald Trump is being arraigned at the Manhattan Criminal Court, 100 Centre St, New York, NY.Who Appointed Judge Juan Merchan?The judge handling the historic case is Colombia native Juan Manuel Merchan, who boasts more than 15 years on the bench. Merchan presided over the grand jury for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's investigation into Trump. It had been reported at the time that in the case of an indictment he would get the case. Indeed, after the indictment decision, a spokesman of Manhattan Criminal Court was cited as saying: "Merchan was assigned to supervise the grand jury and oversee any indictments arising from its investigation."An acting justice of the New York Supreme Court since 2009, Merchan oversaw a criminal tax fraud case against Trump's company - The Trump Organization - in 2022. Trump was not a defendant in the case. A Manhattan jury determined that two business entities controlled by Trump were guilty of 17 counts of tax fraud and falsifying business records. The organization was ordered to pay a penalty of $1.61Mln. Former Trump Organization chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg pleaded guilty in the case, and was sentenced by Merchan to five months in prison. Merchan is also overseeing a criminal case against former Trump aide Steve Bannon over fraud and money-laundering charges. Bannon has pleaded not guilty.Donald Trump slammed the judge on his social media platform, Truth Social, saying that "Judge 'assigned' to my Witch Hunt Case, a 'Case' that has NEVER BEEN CHARGED BEFORE, HATES ME."What Time Does Trump Get Arraigned?Donald Trump's court appearance is scheduled for 14:15 EST (18:15 GMT) on Tuesday, when the criminal charges against the former president will be unsealed. Trump said on Monday that he will be indicted on 33 counts related to business fraud. The indictment remains under seal.What Happens at an Arraignment?An arraignment is when a criminal defendant makes their debut appearance in court. The procedure typically presupposes several hours of standing for photographs, having one's fingerprints taken, and involves a flurry of arrest paperwork, all done behind closed doors. After that, defendants hear the charges against them as they go before the presiding judge. A defendant can then enter a plea, such as "not guilty". According to Trump's lawyers, cited by media reports, the former president will not be handcuffed upon arrival at court. He also supposedly intends to enter a "not guilty" plea. Assuming that Trump pleads not guilty, he will be granted a specific court date for his trial. In the case of a guilty plea, a court would decide on sentencing.Why is Trump Being Arraigned?Trump is being arraigned because a Manhattan grand jury voted on 30 March to indict him on criminal charges over alleged hush money payments made to an adult film star by the name of Stormy Daniels. The transaction was said to have taken place just days before the 2016 presidential election. Previously, Manhattan prosecutors investigated whether Trump falsified the Trump Organizations business records when his then-lawyer, Michael Cohen, made a payment of $130,0000 to Daniels to buy her silence over her alleged affair with the Republican politician. Donald Trump has persistently rejected all allegations of wrongdoing and has denied ever embarking upon an affair with the porn star.What Happens After Trump Arraignment?After the arraignment, assuming that Donald Trump pleads not guilty, his defense team will have 45 days to present pre-trial motions to the court. These could be asking the judge to dismiss the case on legal grounds, or seeking to have the charges reduced. Also, the lawyers might attempt to prevent certain evidence from being used at the trial.The time ahead of the trial, the former president's defense team and the District Attorney's (DA) office typically exchange information pertaining to physical evidence, copies of written or verbal statements connected with the case. Furthermore, Donald Trumps attorney can also attempt a plea bargain with the prosecutor to avoid a trial.What Does Indictment Mean For Trump?Even if Donald Trump were to be convicted, he could still carry on with his 2024 presidency bid.In line with the US Constitution, to be eligible for President, one must be a natural-born citizen, at least 35 years old, and have been a resident of the United States for 14 years. Earlier, Trump told the media he would absolutely remain in the race for president, adding: "I wouldnt even think about leaving... Probably, itll enhance my numbers.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230404/trump-says-he-will-be-indicted-on-33-counts-on-tuesday-1109096191.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230404/trumps-attorney-hopes-court-is-efficient-is-unaware-of-the-number-of-charges-and-counts--1109095077.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230404/trumps-attorney-hopes-court-is-efficient-is-unaware-of-the-number-of-charges-and-counts--1109095077.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230404/france-facing-lack-of-essential-medicines-says-health-minister-1109096039.html

France Facing Lack of Essential Medicines

France Facing Lack of Essential Medicines

France is facing a shortage of a number of essential medicines, with the government planning to finalize a list of drugs required to be available in all pharmacies by May, French Minister of Health and Prevention said on Monday.

2023-04-04T02:36+0000

2023-04-04T02:36+0000

2023-04-04T05:24+0000

world

france

health minister

european union (eu)

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"We have a real problem with a number of medicines. We faced the shortage this winter. The supply of a number of drugs is limited, and there are fewer and fewer of them in stock. One just cannot find them in any pharmacy," Braun said. The minister added that strategic stocks of amoxicillin and paracetamol, the consumption of which traditionally increases in winter, will be created. Braun recalled that French President Emmanuel Macron had issued a decree stipulating that France should become fully independent in terms of providing medicines by 2030. The majority of medicines are being imported from China, India, and the United States, the minister said, adding that France is planning to localize the production of their main components. According to the newspaper Le Figaro, France is the fourth largest medicine manufacturer in the European Union. The COVID-19 pandemic, influenza, and bronchiolitis epidemics this winter have led to shortages of antibiotics, antipyretics, and painkillers in France's pharmacies. According to the newspaper, the European Union imports 40% of medicines from India and China. Moreover, 60% to 80% of active ingredients, such as paracetamol, are produced in these two countries. The Ukraine conflict has led to an increase in the cost of domestic production of medicines, as well as the surge in prices of aluminum and glass packaging, the report said. In October 2022, the French National Agency for Medicines and Health Products Safety imposed restrictions on the sale of medicines containing paracetamol up to two packs to one person due to the risk of shortages. In January, France introduced a temporary restriction on the sale of paracetamol online amid its shortage. The French authorities cited the surge in coronavirus incidence in China, from where a significant number of drugs come to France, as the reason for these restrictions.

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france, french minister of health and prevention, essential medicine, francois braun
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230404/iran-appoints-ambassador-to-uae-after-8-years--1109131057.html

Iran Appoints Ambassador to UAE After 8 Years

Iran Appoints Ambassador to UAE After 8 Years

Iran has appointed an ambassador to the United Arab Emirates for the first time in eight years amid a thaw in diplomatic relations between Tehran and Arab countries, media reported on Tuesday.

2023-04-04T22:42+0000

2023-04-04T22:42+0000

2023-04-04T22:42+0000

world

iran

saudi arabia

saudi arabia

united arab emirates

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Reza Ameri, the new Iranian ambassador to the UAE, previously served as a director general of Iranian expatriates office in the country's foreign ministry, as well as the country's ambassador to Algeria, Sudan and Eritrea, IRNA news agency reported. On March 16, the head of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, Ali Shamkhani, met with UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi as part of Tehrans effort to renew its relations with Arab countries. The parties discussed bilateral relations and ways to establish cooperation. On March 10, Iran and Saudi Arabia signed an agreement mediated by China to resume relations, as well as open embassies and representative offices within two months. The joint statement was signed after days of talks between Shamkhani and his Saudi counterpart in Beijing.

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Trump Says Lifted Off for Florida to Deliver Speech Tonight, Prosecutor Has 'No Case'

Former US President Donald Trump said in a statement he is en route to Florida to deliver a speech tonight at his Mar-a-Lago residence, and added that the Manhattan prosecutor has no case in a case alleging he made hush money payments to conceal damaging information during his 2016 presidential campaign.

"Just lifted off for Palm Beach, Florida. Will be delivering remarks tonight at Mar-a-Lago at 8:15 P.M., EASTERN [Time]," Trump wrote on Truth Social on Tuesday. "The hearing was shocking to many in that they had no 'surprises,' and therefore, no case. Virtually every legal pundit has said that there is no case here. There was nothing done illegally!"
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230404/nato-expansion-forces-russia-to-take-countermeasures-to-ensure-its-security-moscow-1109110837.html

NATO Expansion Forces Russia to Take Countermeasures to Ensure Its Security: Moscow

NATO Expansion Forces Russia to Take Countermeasures to Ensure Its Security: Moscow

Finland's accession to NATO is another aggravation of the situation, and Moscow considers the expansion of the alliance an infringement on its security,

2023-04-04T10:35+0000

2023-04-04T10:35+0000

2023-04-04T10:35+0000

russia

russia

nato

nord stream

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"The Kremlin believes that this is another aggravation of the situation. The expansion of NATO is an infringement on our security and Russia's national interests," Peskov told a briefing. The expansion of NATO forces Russia to take countermeasures to ensure its own security, the spokesman added. The situation with Finland's accession to NATO is fundamentally different from the problem with Ukraine, as this country has never had an anti-Russian rhetoric, Peskov said. On Monday, the office of Finnish President Sauli Niinistoe and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that Finland will officially become the member of NATO on April 4. Moscow has urged to refrain from overly optimistic conclusions in light of media reports that German insurance firms decided to renew insurance of the damaged Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline, Peskov said.Russia is convinced that the Nord Stream pipelines are extremely important for Europe's energy security, the official said.When asked about a possibility of launching the pipeline, he said that supplies are usually resumed when there are not only sellers, but also buyers.Earlier in the day, media reported, citing sources, that German insurance companies Allianz and Munich Re had resumed insurance for the damaged Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline. The insurance reportedly covers damage to the gas pipeline and problems associated with business interruption. The availability of insurance will also facilitate the repair work needed to resume gas supplies across the Baltic Sea to Europe.

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nato expansion, finland's accession to nato
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230404/one-chinese-shipyard-now-out-produces-entire-us-shipbuilding-industry-says-us-general-1109094574.html

One Chinese Shipyard Now Out Produces Entire US Shipbuilding Industry, US General Says

One Chinese Shipyard Now Out Produces Entire US Shipbuilding Industry, US General Says

China has so much more industrial shipbuilding capacity than the US that a single one of its large shipyards produces more ships in a year than every active shipyard in the United States combined, Mark Clingan said.

2023-04-04T00:01+0000

2023-04-04T00:01+0000

2023-04-04T05:28+0000

world

us marine

us marine corps

china

us-china relations

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"One Chinese shipyard can produce more shipyards in a year than all of our shipyards combined," Clingan told a conference at the Atlantic Council. The unexpected, protracted nature of the Ukraine war over the past year had revealed key weaknesses in the US military industrial complex, whose base and production capacity needed to be significantly expanded, Clingan said. In identifying future zones of conflict around the world, it was important to preposition as much equipment as possible well in advance in allied nations as the ability to resupply US and allied forward units once hostilities began could not be assured and there would be "a fight to get to the fight," Clingan added.

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230404/reporters-without-borders-says-barred-from-prison-visit-to-assange-1109122917.html

Reporters Without Borders Says Barred From Prison Visit to Assange

Reporters Without Borders Says Barred From Prison Visit to Assange

International press freedom watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has been denied access to WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange.

2023-04-04T16:13+0000

2023-04-04T16:13+0000

2023-04-04T16:13+0000

world

wikileaks

julian assange

reporters without borders (rsf)

journalism

uk

belmarsh prison

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The WikiLeaks publisher was also very disappointed by the refusal, Deloire said, citing Assange's wife. WikiLeaks was founded by Assange on October 4, 2006, but rose to prominence in 2010 when it began to publish large-scale leaks of classified government information, especially from the US. Since April 2019, Assange has been held in the high-security Belmarsh prison in London while facing prosecution in the US under the Espionage Act. If convicted, the WikiLeaks founder may get 175 years in prison. In December 2022, he appealed to the European Court of Human Rights to challenge his extradition.

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230404/russia-transferred-iskander-missile-system-to-belarusian-armed-forces-shoigu-1109111035.html

Russia Transferred Iskander Missile System to Belarusian Armed Forces: Shoigu

Russia Transferred Iskander Missile System to Belarusian Armed Forces: Shoigu

Russia transferred the Iskander-M operational-tactical missile system that is capable of using nuclear missiles to the Belarusian armed forces, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Tuesday.

2023-04-04T10:42+0000

2023-04-04T10:42+0000

2023-04-04T10:43+0000

military

sergei shoigu

russia

belarus

iskander ballistic missile

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"The Iskander-M tactical missile system has been transferred to the armed forces of Belarus. This system can use missiles of both conventional and nuclear variants," Shoigu said at a meeting with the leadership of the Russian armed forces. Training of Belarusian units on the use of the missile system to protect the Union State has begun at one of the training grounds in Russia on April 3, the minister added.According to him, a part of the Belarusian attack aircraft have received the ability to strike using nuclear weapons.NATO is strengthening the anti-Russian course, which leads to an escalation of the conflict, Sergei Shoigu said on Tuesday.The US and allies are increasing military assistance to Ukraine and ready to supply over 200 tanks and over 400 modern armored fighting vehicles, the minister added.Russia has destroyed in Ukraine since the beginning of the year some 59 M777 howitzers, 13 Paladin self-propelled howitzers, 14 US-made HIMARS multiple launch rocket system, as well as 30 self-propelled guns from Poland, Germany, France and the Czech Republic, Shoigu said.The Russian armed forces have disrupted the production of a number of Ukrainian weapons, as well as the transfer of ammunition and fuel to the front, with high-precision strikes, Shoigu stressed."We are delivering high-precision strikes against Ukrainian military targets. This resulted in the disruption of the production of a number of weapons, as well as the supply of Ukrainian armed forces' groups with ammunition and fuel," Shoigu added.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230403/inside-the-iskander-a-closer-look-at-russias-deadly-short-range-missile-1109080044.html

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Former President Donald Trump's legal team urges for cameras to be prohibited from the Republican's arraignment

Trump's lawyers argue that cameras would create a circus-like atmosphere at the arraignment

Supporters of the Republican businessman gathered to oppose the indictment when Trump arrived ahead of his arraignment

Former Donald Trump's lawyers requested a judge not to allow media outlets to bring cameras inside a Manhattan courtroom where the Republican businessman will be arraigned on criminal charges on Tuesday.

In a letter to Judge Juan Merchan, Trump's lawyers said that cameras would only create a circus-like atmosphere at their client's arraignment, raise unique security concerns, and are inconsistent with the former president's presumption of innocence.

Trump's Legal Team Calls to Ban Cameras from Arraignment

The letter's content was made public as the former president was flying in from his home in Florida to New York City ahead of his appearance in court. The situation comes after the Republican businessman was indicted by a Manhattan grand jury on charges related to an alleged hush money payment made to adult film star Stormy Daniels.

The $130,000 money was supposedly made to keep the porn actress quiet about her alleged affair with the former president. Trump's ex-counsel, Michael Cohen, was the one who delivered the money to Daniels in 2016, as per CNBC.

The indictment has made Trump the first former president of the United States to face criminal charges. This was why media outlets said they wanted to cover as they asked Merchan if they could be allowed to cover the scheduled arraignment on Tuesday using still and video cameras as well as radio recording devices.

The Manhattan District Attorney's Office, which is the one that is prosecuting Trump over the case, wrote a letter to Merchan on Monday. In it, the office did not take a position regarding the cameras and whether or not to allow them inside the courtroom.

The letter, sent by assistant DA Matthew Colangelo, did note that New York state's highest court has upheld the constitutionality of the law that bans audiovisual coverage of most courtroom proceedings.

Read Also: New York Officials Brace for Potential Protests Over Trump's Indictment

Trump Arraignment

Instead, Trump attorney Joe Tacopina called for Judge Merchan to refuse the request, saying that cameras are not allowed in the courtrooms. According to the New York Post, he added that there was no reason to make an exception now and allow media outlets to make a "spectacle," according to the New York Post.

Merchan is the judge overseeing the arraignment and previously gave the Manhattan District Attorney's Office and Trump's legal team a 1:00 p.m. Monday to submit any objections they may have to the request of the media outlets.

Trump is facing more than 30 counts of falsifying business records and at least one felony charge. The indictment has not yet been made public and remains sealed after it was handed down by the grand jury last week.

On Monday afternoon, a small group of Trump supporters gathered at the former president's namesake tower and waved banners that read, "Trump won" and "Arrest Biden." While the Republican businessman was not able to see his people, but his arrival was met with more fanfare and security than any time after he stepped down from the presidency, said CNN.

Related Article: Supreme Court Could Delay Donald Trump's Jury Trial

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230404/russian-court-arrests-trepova-charged-with-committing-terrorist-attack-1109123609.html

Russian Court Arrests Trepova Charged With Committing Terrorist Attack

Russian Court Arrests Trepova Charged With Committing Terrorist Attack

Moscows Basmanny District Court ruled on Tuesday that Daria Trepova, who has been charged with committing the terrorist attack in a cafe in St. Petersburg that killed Russian military reporter Vladlen Tatarsky, should be arrested for two months, a Sputnik correspondent reported.

2023-04-04T16:01+0000

2023-04-04T16:01+0000

2023-04-04T16:01+0000

russia

vladlen tatarsky's assassination

russia

murder

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"The court ruled: to satisfy the petition of the investigation, to choose a measure of restraint in respect of Trepova in the form of detention for a period of two months, until June 2, 2023," the judge said.On Monday, Russia's Investigative Committee said that Daria Trepova was detained on suspicion of involvement in the explosion, and Russia's National Anti-Terrorism Committee stated that special services of Ukraine and the supporters of the Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK, designated extremist organization and foreign agent, banned in Russia) planned the attack.Later that day, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Ukraine may be responsible for the attack. The regime in Kiev supports terrorist attacks, which is why Russia is carrying out its special military operation in Ukraine, Peskov added.The Russian Investigative Committee told Sputnik that the incident is being investigated as an act of terrorism. The Investigative Committee also said the authorities detained Daria Trepova on suspicion of involvement in the attack.Last year, Russian journalist Daria Dugina, daughter of political philosopher Alexander Dugin, was killed in a car bombing that the Kremlin tied to Ukraines special services.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230404/trepova-charged-with-planning-st-petersburg-cafe-blast-russian-investigative-committee-1109116446.html

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vladlen tatarsky, daria trepova, russia, terrorist attack, war correspondent, military reporter, journalist murder
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230404/russian-foreign-ministry-summons-french-charge-daffaires-1109127202.html

Russian Foreign Ministry Summons French Charge d'Affaires

Russian Foreign Ministry Summons French Charge d'Affaires

The Russian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday summoned French Charge dAffaires Jay Dharmadhikari to lodge a protest over the French embassys statement about provocation in Bucha, Ukraine.

2023-04-04T18:27+0000

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2023-04-04T18:28+0000

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"On April 4, Charge d'Affaires of France in Russia J. Dharmadhikari was summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry, a protest was lodged in connection with the statements published by the embassy on social networks about atrocities committed by the Russian armed forces in Bucha and other Ukrainian cities," the ministry said in a statement.Ukraine accuses Russia of committing war crimes in Bucha, where dozens of dead civilians were found after the withdrawal of Russian forces. The Russian Defense Ministry rejected the claim as a provocation. It said no civilians had been hurt while Russian troops were in control of the town and blamed Ukrainian artillery forces for pummeling residential areas.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230330/russia-calls-for-probe-into-bucha-events-asks-un-for-list-of-victims-1108969134.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230404/syrias-defense-ministry-says-two-civilians-killed-in-israeli-missile-attack-on-syria-1109094974.html

Two Civilians Killed in Israeli Missile Attack on Syria

Two Civilians Killed in Israeli Missile Attack on Syria

Two civilians have been killed as a result of an Israeli missile attack on the outskirts of Damascus and southern Syria, the Syrian Defense Ministry said on Tuesday.

2023-04-04T00:31+0000

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On Monday night, Syrian state news agency SANA reported that the country's missile defenses were repelling an aerial attack in the airspace of Damascus. "Today at 00:15 (local time, 21:15 GMT on Monday), the Israeli enemy carried out an air aggression with a volley of rockets from the occupied Golan Heights, striking some places on the outskirts of Damascus and in the southern region. Our air defense systems responded to the enemy's rockets and shot down most of them. As a result of the aggression, two civilians were killed, and there was some material damage," the ministry said on social media.

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230404/top-hungarian-diplomat-calls-chinas-ukraine-peace-plan-worthy-of-discussion-1109129637.html

Top Hungarian Diplomat Calls China's Ukraine Peace Plan 'Worthy of Discussion'

Top Hungarian Diplomat Calls China's Ukraine Peace Plan 'Worthy of Discussion'

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on Tuesday that his country was standing firmly on the side of peace talks in Ukraine and described the Chinese initiative as worthy of discussion.

2023-04-04T20:37+0000

2023-04-04T20:37+0000

2023-04-04T20:37+0000

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"We think that China's peace plan is an initiative worthy of discussion, an initiative that could restore peace in our region, in Central Europe," he told reporters after a Ukraine-NATO foreign ministers meeting in Brussels. "We will continue standing on the side of peace. We support all efforts that will lead to concrete discussions of a lasting peace and guarantee stability for years to come," Szijjarto said. The Hungarian parliament passed a resolution last week that urges the international community to promote peace process in Ukraine and refrain from actions that risk escalating the conflict. Russia has insisted that it is open for negotiations with Ukraine, even after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree prohibiting talks with Moscow. China proposed a 12-point roadmap for Ukrainian peace last month in a bid to bring the two to the negotiating table.

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230404/top-researcher-suspended-from-spanish-university-for-working-with-russian-saudi--1109096565.html

Top Researcher Suspended From Spanish University for Work With Russian, Saudi Colleagues

Top Researcher Suspended From Spanish University for Work With Russian, Saudi Colleagues

One of the worlds most prolific scientists has been suspended without pay for 13 years over his affiliations with Russian and Saudi Arabian research institutions, according to Spanish media.

2023-04-04T04:02+0000

2023-04-04T04:02+0000

2023-04-21T10:43+0000

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On Sunday, Spains El Pais reported that Rafael Luque, whos managed the incredible feat of publishing 58 studies so far this year at an average of one per 37 hours, was officially sanctioned by the University of Cordoba in Spain.The university has justified its 13-year sentence for Luques full-time gig at the Spanish institution by pointing to the researchers work for the King Saud University in Riyadh and the Peoples Friendship University of Russia in Moscow.According to El Pais, "institutions all over the world compete to hire scientists like Luque, who can move a center up hundreds of positions in international academic rankings such as the influential Shanghai ranking, thusly attracting more students and more funding."The researcher  who was highlighted by the German Ministry of Research in 2011 and has racked up awards from institutions including the prestigious UK Royal Society of Chemistry  didnt hold back when asked for comment.The universitys functionaries have "shot themselves in the foot, the renowned scientist explained.But not every interaction between scientists has been tainted by the political tensions that now characterize so much of the public conversation between official voices in Washington and Moscow.As Sputnik News reported earlier this week, researchers at NASA have no intentions of ceasing their cooperation with their Russian counterparts and plan to continue cooperation with Roscosmos in the "long-term."Despite the Biden administrations ongoing proxy war against Russia, NASA astronaut Warren Hoburg said he and his Russian colleagues have managed to maintain an "amazing" relationship."Even in the hardest of times the cooperation is honestly amazing to see," Hoburg explained to journalist Lenka White."The mission control here in Houston works on a daily basis with the Mission Control in Moscow," explained the astronaut, who noted hed "loved [his] time training with [his]Cosmonaut crewmate."

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230329/nasa-to-continue-long-term-cooperation-with-roscosmos---iss-manager-1108938183.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230404/trepova-charged-with-planning-st-petersburg-cafe-blast-russian-investigative-committee-1109116446.html

Trepova Charged With Committing Terrorist Attack That Killed Vladlen Tatarsky

Trepova Charged With Committing Terrorist Attack That Killed Vladlen Tatarsky

Daria Trepova has been charged with planning the terrorist attack in a cafe in the center of St. Petersburg, which killed Russian military reporter Vladlen Tatarsky, Russia's Investigative Committee told Sputnik on Tuesday.

2023-04-04T12:40+0000

2023-04-04T12:40+0000

2023-04-04T12:58+0000

russia

russia

russian investigative committee

explosion

vladlen tatarsky's assassination

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"Daria Trepova has been charged. She is charged with committing a crime under paragraph 'b' of Part 3 of Article 205 of the Russian Criminal Code, Part 4 of Article 222.1 (a terrorist act committed by an organized group that caused intentional death to a person; illegal carrying of explosive devices committed by an organized group)," Russia's Investigative Committee said. The Investigative Committee said that Trepova was taken to Moscow Basmanny Court. The Committee added that it demands pre-trial detention of Trepova.On Sunday, an unidentified explosive device went off in a cafe in the center of St. Petersburg. As a result of the incident, Vladlen Tatarsky, whose real name was Maxim Fomin, was killed and 32 people were injured. On Monday, Russia's Investigative Committee said that Daria Trepova was detained on suspicion of involvement in the explosion, and Russia's National Anti-Terrorism Committee stated that special services of Ukraine and the supporters of the Anti-Corruption Foundation* planned the attack. *designated extremist organization and foreign agent, banned in Russia

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230402/one-dead-six-injured-in-blast-at-st-petersburg-cafe-emergency-services-say-1109055835.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230404/trump-says-he-will-be-indicted-on-33-counts-on-tuesday-1109096191.html

Trump Says He Will Be Indicted on 33 Counts on Tuesday

Trump Says He Will Be Indicted on 33 Counts on Tuesday

Ex-US President Donald Trump said on Monday that he will be indicted on 33 counts in a New York court on Tuesday

2023-04-04T03:00+0000

2023-04-04T03:00+0000

2023-04-04T03:00+0000

americas

donald trump's indictment

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Last week, a grand jury in Manhattan voted to indict Trump on charges related to his alleged involvement in a hush money payment and subsequent cover-up involving a purported affair with adult film star Stormy Daniels. Trump denies the allegations and the affair with Daniels. The ex-president has bitterly complained that the district attorney himself should be indicted as the contents of the pending indictments leaked to the press.

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230404/trumps-attorney-hopes-court-is-efficient-is-unaware-of-the-number-of-charges-and-counts--1109095077.html

Trump's Attorney Hopes Ex-President's Appearance at NY Court Done in 'Efficient' Way

Trump's Attorney Hopes Ex-President's Appearance at NY Court Done in 'Efficient' Way

Trumps legal team hopes that his appearance at a New York court is done in an efficient and standard way and will conclude within half an hour, his attorney Joe Tacopina told Sputnik.

2023-04-04T00:50+0000

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2023-04-04T07:06+0000

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Last week, a grand jury in Manhattan voted to indict former President Donald Trump on charges related to his alleged involvement in a hush money payment and subsequent cover-up involving a purported affair with adult film star Stormy Daniels. The former US president denies the allegations and the affair with Daniels. He has characterized the case as a "witch hunt." "In some ways, it should just be a normal arraignment at 100 Center Street, which is, you know, we go there, we get processed, we meet the judge, we say not guilty, we set a schedule and we leave. That's how it should be. Obviously it's gonna be different tomorrow. We have the Secret Service involved and, you know, the security issues that are not normally present," Tacopina said.The attorney said he doesn't know what it's going to be like, "except a circus-like atmosphere." "But hopefully the court part is done in an efficient and standard way, and I hope we're just gonna end there, you know, within a half hour."Trump is not expected to be handcuffed during his arraignment, but a mugshot and other regular operating procedures will take place, Tacopina added, ahead of Tuesday's arraignment.Tacopina said that he is not yet aware of the exact number of counts the former US president has been charged with, but is not very concerned since all of them stem from the same allegation."As far as the amount of charges or the counts, we don't know yet, but it's all going to be around the same thing [hush money payments]. And you know, they could extrapolate and make one check, one count, another check, another count. So there's different ways to do it. But I'm not that concerned about the number of charges: all emanate from the same allegation," Tacopina told Sputnik.The attorney believes the case is "ridiculous, in a lot of ways," and has labeled the case as a "political persecution"."We're entering a dangerous area where politics have influence over the justice system, and politics are being used to weaponize the prosecutors' offices," Tacopina said. "As I said, you know, it's a Democratic prosecutor supported by Democratic financiers, his campaign, going after the right-wing candidate, the Republican candidate."Apart from saying "not guilty," the former president "won't say a word," the lawyer stated."And then, you know, what he does afterwards, that's up to him," Tacopina said of his client.Using prosecutors as political weapons against former President Donald Trump sets a dangerous precedent, Tacopina said.Now its Donald Trump but tomorrow it could be a Democrat, he added.Tacopina believes that this whole case is based on the hatred and fear rivals have for the former president.

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230404/uk-blocks-broadcast-of-russian-unsc-meeting-russia-will-respond-in-kind-says-polyanskiy-1109128625.html

UK Blocks Broadcast of Russian UNSC Meeting, Russia Will Respond in Kind, Says Polyanskiy

UK Blocks Broadcast of Russian UNSC Meeting, Russia Will Respond in Kind, Says Polyanskiy

Russia will respond to the United Kingdoms decision to block a webcast of a Russian UN Security Council meeting on Ukrainian children by blocking broadcasts in the future said Dmitry Polyanskiy.

2023-04-04T20:16+0000

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2023-04-04T20:16+0000

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"[The UK delegation to the UN] blocked UN webcast of our tomorrows informal meeting of Security Council on Children and armed conflict: Ukrainian crisis. Evacuating children from conflict zone. Western countries are clearly afraid that many people will at last hear the truth on this topic," Polyanskiy said in a statement via Twitter. The meeting on evacuation of children from conflict zones around Ukraine comes after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant against Russian President Vladimir Putin for alleged unlawful deportation of children from the country.

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230404/us-expects-any-future-war-with-china-across-taiwan-strait-would-be-quick-1109095751.html

US Expects Any Future War With China Across Taiwan Strait Would be 'Quick'

US Expects Any Future War With China Across Taiwan Strait Would be 'Quick'

US military planners believe that any future war with China over Taiwan would start, escalate and be concluded very quickly and that it would focus on an intense exchange of missiles across the Taiwan Strait, said Whitley.

2023-04-04T02:11+0000

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"The next war is likely to be very fast [with] missile exchanges over the Taiwan Strait," Whitley told an Atlantic Council conference on the military lessons to be learned from the first year of the Ukraine conflict on Monday. The United States needed to work with Taiwan to prepare in advance the kind of training, familiarity with light tactical weapons and operational expertise it succeeded in developing in Ukraine in the years building up to the conflict that began in February 2022, Whitley said. "How do you get an ally or friend to hang on until we can get there? How do you build in Taiwan that [capability] we have seen in Ukraine: that we are not seeing there [in Taiwan] yet?" he said. Institute for National Strategic Studies (INSS) Distinguished Research Fellow Thomas X. Hammes told the conference that in the event of a conflict with China over Taiwan the US armed forces would have to "break the back" of Chinese People's Liberation Army air, sea and rocket forces.

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Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko issued a border warning over Finland's expected accession to NATO

The official said that Moscow would strengthen its military presence in the country's western and northwestern regions

Finland is set to become a member of the army alliance following Turkey's support of the process

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said that Moscow would move to strengthen its military presence in the western and northwestern regions following an announcement that Finland would join NATO.

The official issued the border warning as Finland's accession to the global military alliance will expand NATO's influence along Russia's borders. Helsinki applied to join the alliance alongside Stockholm last year following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

Russia Issues Border Warning After Finland Joins NATO

The latest development comes as Finland shares a 1,300-kilometer border with Russia that will roughly double NATO's frontier facing Moscow. Last year, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Russia was already taking "adequate countermeasures" and planned to form 12 units and divisions in its western military district, as per Reuters.

In a statement, Grushko said that the decision to bolster the military presence in Russia's western and northwestern regions resulted from the recent announcement. He added that if NATO's force and resources are deployed in Helsinki, the Russian Federation will take further steps to ensure Moscow's military security reliably.

The warning came as, on Tuesday afternoon, Finland's flag was raised outside NATO headquarters, formally marking Helsinki as a member of the military alliance. The decision is considered a strategic and political blow to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has repeatedly pushed back against NATO's expansion toward his country.

The Russian strongman also partly used that reasoning to justify his war in Ukraine and continued aggression. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg released that Putin went to war with Ukraine to get less NATO but got more of it instead.

Read Also: Former Taiwanese President Visits China

Increasing Global Security

Similar to all other NATO members, Finland will benefit from the collective security guarantee that if a non-member nation attacks one of its allies, it is considered to be an attack on all of them, according to the Associated Press.

The global military alliance previously said it had no immediate plans to increase its presence in Finland. Some NATO members have deployed troops in the region for war games over the last year.

Finland's accession to NATO comes as the country has substantial, well-trained armed forces that include elite troops capable of operating in the sub-zero temperatures of the region. Furthermore, the Nordic country has a large reserve army and is investing in new equipment, such as dozens of US-made F-35 fighter jets.

Before the development, Turkey was a holdout to Finland and Sweden's membership application to NATO. This was due to concerns that the two Nordic countries supported "terrorist" groups.

But following several months of discussions and demands, Ankara has finally approved Finland to become a NATO member but still blocks Sweden's application. According to BBC, Stoltenberg said that Helsinki becoming an ally nation will strengthen security for all.

Related Article: Russia-Ukraine War Update

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230404/us-parks-carrier-group-off-syrias-coast-as-iran-vows-revenge-over-killings-of-irgc-advisors-1109121247.html

US Parks Carrier Group Off Syrias Coast as Iran Vows Revenge Over Killings of IRGC Advisors

US Parks Carrier Group Off Syrias Coast as Iran Vows Revenge Over Killings of IRGC Advisors

Iran began deploying small numbers of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force advisors to Syria in the early 2010s to help Damascus in its fight against hordes of CIA-backed Islamist militants. These units have come under repeated air attack by the US and Israel.

2023-04-04T14:28+0000

2023-04-04T14:28+0000

2023-04-04T15:07+0000

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Washington has deployed the George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group closer to Syrias Mediterranean coast in the wake of attacks on illegal US bases, and a dramatic ramping up of US and Israeli strikes in the war-torn country.The Pentagon moved to extend the deployment of the carrier group in the Mediterranean last week, citing the need to provide policymakers with more options following attacks on US forces.The carrier deployment comes amid a dramatic escalation of tensions seen in recent weeks between Syria and Iran on one side and the US and Israel on the other related to Washingtons ongoing occupation of parts of the Syrian Arab Republic.In late March, the US conducted large-scale airstrikes against "Iran-affiliated" targets in Deir ez-Zor, Syria after a drone attack against an American base in the occupied eastern third of Syria killed a US mercenary and injured five troops. Washington said the strikes hit military targets, but sources on the ground told Iranian media that they struck a rural development center and grain facility in a neighborhood near Deir ez-Zors military airport. No Iranian nationals were killed. The US strikes failed to curb the violence, with US bases situated on top of large Syrian oil and gas fields hit the same week, leaving a US soldier with traumatic brain injuries. An Iraqi militia claimed responsibility for the initial drone attack, saying the operation was a response to the US brutal and terrorist crimes in Iraq and across the Middle East.US attacks on Syria were followed up by a series of Israeli airstrikes over the past week, which killed two IRGC military advisors  Milad Heidari and Meqdad Mehqani, in the Damascus suburbs. Iran had a massive funeral for the soldiers on Tuesday in Tehran attended by IRGC chief Hossein Salami, Quds Force commander Esmail Qaani, other officials, and tens of thousands of mourners. Some mourners carried large, red "flags of revenge" similar to the kind hoisted over a key mosque in early 2020 following the US assassination of IRGC Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani, which culminated in Iranian ballistic missile strikes on American bases in Iraq.Iranian government spokesman Ali Bahadori Jahromi vowed revenge for the IRGC troopers' killings, and vowed that Tehran would never allow terrorist acts to go unanswered. On Tuesday, Iranian Vice President Mohammad Mokhber suggested that Israels Syria strikes were an indication of the internal collapse of the Israeli usurping regime.The escalating tensions over Syria come as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces massive pressure at home from ordinary Israelis and the military over controversial judicial reforms, which he has now promised to put on pause. The US is facing its own domestic problems, including politically charged plans to prosecute former President Donald Trump over alleged accounting hiccups over hush money payments to a porn star (Trump has denied wrongdoing).The tensions also come in the face of rising hopes for peace in Syria and the region amid joint Russian-Syrian-Iranian-Turkish negotiations in Moscow this week, Russia-brokered normalization of relations talks between Syria and Saudi Arabia, and a China-brokered normalization deal between Tehran and Riyadh last month.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230327/white-house-no-change-in-us-footprint-in-syria-as-result-of-attacks-on-us-bases-1108842207.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230404/syrias-defense-ministry-says-two-civilians-killed-in-israeli-missile-attack-on-syria-1109094974.html

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Ilya Tsukanov

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230404/venezuelas-government-condemns-terrorist-attack-in-st-petersburg-cafe-1109096296.html

Venezuela's Government Condemns Terrorist Attack in St. Petersburg Cafe

Venezuela's Government Condemns Terrorist Attack in St. Petersburg Cafe

The Venezuelan authorities on Monday condemned the terrorist attack on a cafe in Russia's St. Petersburg that killed Vladlen Tatarsky, expressed their condolences and said that terrorism in any form is a serious threat.

2023-04-04T03:22+0000

2023-04-04T03:22+0000

2023-04-04T09:55+0000

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venezuela

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ukraine

vladlen tatarsky's assassination

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On Sunday, an unidentified explosive device had gone off in a cafe in the center of St. Petersburg. As a result of the incident, Tatarsky, also known as Maxim Fomin, had been killed and 33 people had been injured, including several of them in serious condition. The statement added that Caracas "condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, which constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security." On Monday, Russia's Investigative Committee said that Daria Trepova was detained on suspicion of involvement in the explosion, and Russia's National Anti-Terrorism Committee stated that special services of Ukraine and the supporters of the Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK, designated extremist organization and foreign agent, banned in Russia) planned the attack. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also revealed on Monday that Ukraine may be responsible for the attack. The regime in Kiev supports terrorist attacks, which is why Russia is carrying out its special military operation in Ukraine, Peskov added. The Russian Investigative Committee told Sputnik that the incident is being investigated as an act of terrorism. The Investigative Committee also said the authorities detained Daria Trepova on suspicion of involvement in the attack. Last year, Russian journalist Daria Dugina, daughter of political philosopher Alexander Dugin, was killed in a car bombing that the Kremlin tied to Ukraines special services.

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230404/what-to-expect-from-emmanuel-macrons-visit-to-china--1109097590.html

Why is Macron Visiting China?

Why is Macron Visiting China?

French President Emmanuel Macron, accompanied by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, will visit China from April 5 to 7.

2023-04-04T08:34+0000

2023-04-04T08:34+0000

2023-04-12T17:05+0000

world

china

france

emmanuel macron

ursula von der leyen

xi jinping

european union (eu)

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After Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Russia to meet with President Vladimir Putin in mid-March, there has been a flurry of diplomatic activity around Beijing. As Washington eyes the increasingly assertive Asian powerhouse through the prism of antagonism, designating it as its leading global competitor and a security threat, European leaders have made a beeline for Beijing.Just recently, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez made a foray into China. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrel is also set to pay a visit to Beijing next week.German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock may follow suit sometime in mid-April.From April 5-7, at the invitation of his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, French President Emmanuel Macron is to arrive in Beijing, accompanied by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, whom he invited to join him. What is the purpose of this visit, and why did the French leader need the President of the European Commission to tag along?On April 3, Chinas Foreign Ministry confirmed the itinerary for Emmanuel Macrons three-day state visit to the country, underscoring that the French leader would be meeting with President Xi Jinping.Also on the agenda are Macrons talks with Li Qiang, premier of the Chinese State Council, and Zhao Leji, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, which is Chinas top legislature. As part of his tour, Macron will also visit the city of Guangzhou in China's southern province of Guangdong.Charm Offensive or Pressure Campaign?Macron's trip to China is expected to be somewhat of a balancing act, according to analysts on both sides, as the French leader is on a mission to try and dissuade Beijing from supporting Russia, but without alienating a key trade partner and increasingly assertive global player. Furthermore, the visit comes against the backdrop of crucial geopolitical changes, when the US has upped its rivalry with China to new heights, while holding Europe, reeling from the energy crisis and backfiring Russia sanctions, firmly in its grasp.The conflagration in Ukraine is expected to be high on the agenda for the meetings in Beijing this week, as both Macron and von der Leyen appear set on reiterating the European Union's commitment to readily toe the Washington-driven line regarding propping up the Kiev regime.Ahead of the China visit, back in March, Macron had revealed that he had discussed the upcoming trip with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, saying they shared a common vision to engage with China in order to put pressure on Russia. Accordingly, one may expect that approach to be utilized during the three-day state visit.The presidents of France and China will hold extensive discussions on the war in Ukraine to work towards restoring peace and compliance with international law, particularly the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine, the French presidents office said in a statement ahead of the visit.Embattled Macron, at pains to contain the raging pension protests at home, appears to be hankering for the role of a regional player with clout in the Asia-Pacific, given the country's overseas territories boasting some 1.6 million citizens. The region is a hotbed of geopolitical rivalry, with Washington eagerly muscle-flexing and fanning the flames of tension between mainland China and Taiwan.Meanwhile, Chinas success in mediating is obviously an eyesore for Emmanuel Macron, who at one point boasted hours of phone calls with Vladimir Putin in 2022 in a show of mediatory efforts. Meanwhile, Beijing has released a 12-point proposal for resolving the Ukraine crisis. As could be expected, the Biden administration, which has persisted in stoking the flames of the Ukraine conflict to carry on with its proxy war against Russia, dismissed the plan as nothing short of a distraction from the alleged "imminent threat" of China supplying lethal weapons to Russia. This latter assumption has been denied by both Moscow and Beijing.Furthermore, in March, the People's Republic of China brokered a historic reconciliation deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia. The two rivals signed an agreement to restore full diplomatic relations, elevating China's status as an influential mediator. EU officials have no choice but recognize Chinas success in mediating and diving into the role of greater geopolitical significance.'Unified Voice' When Emmanuel Macron announced in March that Ursula von der Leyen would accompany him on the state visit to China, he said that they could speak with a unified voice," adding:Macron also drew parallels with how then-Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker had been present when the French president and former German Chancellor Angela Merkel hosted Chinese President Xi Jinping in Paris in 2019.Regarding wooing Beijing away from Moscow, European Commission President von der Leyen did not mince words, stating ahead of the visit that, "How China continues to interact with Putin's war will be a determining factor for EU-China relations going forward." She also acknowledged that ties have become "more distant and more difficult" in recent years. At the same time, von der Leyen ruled out the 27-member European Union's "decoupling" from China, but urged the bloc to de-risk from overdependency on the Asia powerhouse.In response to the remarks, China's ambassador to the European Union, said Friday he was "disappointed," adding that "the speech contained a lot of misrepresentation of Chinese policies and the Chinese positions." 'Rebalance Trade'Trade is a looming issue up for discussion between France, and the EU, on the one hand, and China. Macron is bringing with him a delegation numbering around 60 business leaders, including Airbus and Electricite de France (EDF) bosses, obviously eyeing potential lucrative new contracts.Last year, China remained the third-largest partner for European Union exports and the largest partner for EU imports. China was Frances seventh-biggest trading partner in 2021."We need this relationship," von der Leyen admitted on Thursday. Echoing these sentiments, Joerg Wuttke, president of the EU Chamber of Commerce in China, was cited by media reports as saying:According to Wuttke, European investments in China have plummeted by as much as 50%. Furthermore, the EU's Comprehensive Agreement on Investment with Beijing has stalled, riddled in rows over alleged human rights issues. However, von der Leyen said last week that the bloc would consider restricting European companies investment in China in sensitive sectors such as robotics, quantum computing, and artificial intelligence.'Eying a Thriving Market'Visits like the one of Macron to Beijing, "demonstrate the great importance the European countries and EU institutions attach to their relations with China, as they see China as an important player on global issues," Fu Cong, head of the Chinese mission to the EU, told Chinese media on April 3. He added that Europe wants to "explore business opportunities in such a huge and thriving market."Furthermore, Europe is pragmatically realizing how resilient China is to US sanctions and otherwise pressure, Zhao Junjie, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences' Institute of European Studies, was cited as saying. 'Promoting US Propaganda'Weighing in on the upcoming visit and its outcome, Former French MEP Florian Philippot was skeptical. First of all, he found it striking that Emmanuel Macron is going to China with Ursula von der Leyen. "France puts itself under the supervision of the European Union, including during official visits to other countries. This is symbolic. If Emmanuel Macron takes Ursula von der Leyen with him, this means that in China he will make the same statements as she will... These will be statements in the interests of Washington and NATO, Philippot, who is also leader of France's Eurosceptic party The Patriots, underscored to the media."I do not expect anything special from this visit of Emmanuel Macron... I think he will promote American propaganda that is very aggressive towards Russia. It is also becoming more and more aggressive towards China... and in opposition to the emerging Russian-Chinese axis, which is becoming clearer and clearer. Today, France is in the hands of the European Union and NATO, that is, in the hands of the United States, Florian Philippot concluded.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230403/beijing-announces-readiness-to-use-macrons-visit-to-china-to-enhance-global-stability-1109077183.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230403/beijing-announces-readiness-to-use-macrons-visit-to-china-to-enhance-global-stability-1109077183.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230404/us-expects-any-future-war-with-china-across-taiwan-strait-would-be-quick-1109095751.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230330/why-are-more-eu-leaders-eager-to-visit-china-1108943353.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230403/beijing-announces-readiness-to-use-macrons-visit-to-china-to-enhance-global-stability-1109077183.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230328/us-lawmakers-move-to-strip-china-of-developing-country-label-as-prcs-economy-overtakes-us-1108880486.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230304/russia-china-to-keep-explaining-danger-of-nato-presence-to-asia-pacific-ambassador-says-1108019530.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230404/who-is-petteri-orpo-the-man-set-to-be-finlands-new-pm-1109098149.html

Who is Petteri Orpo, the Man Set to Be Finland's New PM?

Who is Petteri Orpo, the Man Set to Be Finland's New PM?

National Coalition leader Petteri Orpo is a fiscal conservative, who has promised to cut unemployment benefits, reduce public debt, and allow tax cuts.

2023-04-04T06:15+0000

2023-04-04T06:15+0000

2023-04-04T06:15+0000

world

finland

scandinavia

news

election

national coalition party (finland)

petteri orpo

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As Finlands incumbent Prime Minister Sanna Marin acknowledged defeat in a neck-and-neck election, the liberal-conservative National Coalition led by Petter Orpo claimed victory and is on its way to form a coalition government.Despite Marin being lionized by domestic and international media as a "progressive icon", her Social Democrats failed to secure a second term, losing to both the National Coalition and the nationalist Finns. Though less than a single percent separated the three parties at 20.7, 20.1 and 19.9 percent, the poor showing of the Social Democrats' support parties further cemented the rightward swing.Who is Petteri Orpo? The contrast between him and outgoing Prime Minister Sanna Marin couldn't be greater. Marin was celebrated as the youngest prime minister in Finland's history and became something of a rockstar among the European (and largely, international) left for her feminist views. She also often found herself in hot water over throwing parties (including during lockdown) that involved riotous dancing and even alleged drug use, which she denied.Orpo, on the other hand, has projected a down-to-earth and mundane, if not colorless, persona, and has always been eclipsed by more popular party mates, including former Prime Minister Alexander Stubb and incumbent President Sauli Niinisto. His social network account is also a tiny fraction of Marin's.Born in 1969 in rural southern Finland, the 53-year-old has a university degree in political science. He is married with two children, and remains a reserve officer in Finland's national defense force.Petteri Orpo has been a member of parliament since 2007 and became head of the National Coalition in 2016 after successfully challenged his predecessor, the former prime minister Alexander Stubb.He has the reputation of being a strong negotiator and has held several government posts, including minister of agriculture and forestry, interior minister and finance minister. Among others, he earned praise for his handling of the 2015 migration crisis, when Finland alone saw a tenfold increase in asylum seekers.Internationally, however, Orpo's advent bodes little change for Finland's foreign policy. His program includes ditching Russian fossil fuels in favor of solar and wind energy instead. Orpo also insisted on the construction of the (rather symbolic) barrier fence on the border with Russia. He also remains a convinced NATO supporter and has backed Kiev in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine  as had the outgoing government.So far, Orpo has kept his options open as to which parties he may team up with after the election, including his main rivals, outgoing prime minister Sanna Marin's Social Democrats and nationalist Finns led by Riikka Purra. However, because of political and economic differences with either of his counterparts, government-building negotiations are expected to be tortuous and could last several weeks. The National Coalition disagrees with the nationalist Finns on immigration, the EU and climate change and with the Social Democrats on budget discipline and austerity measures. The former allies Center Party effectively switched to the left-wing bloc and said outright they had no plans to join the government.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230403/finland-facing-likely-rightward-turn-as-rock-star-pm-loses-election-1109061879.html

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2023

Igor Kuznetsov

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Access to housing and quality primary care, youth mental health, Hispanic community outreach, extreme anxiety, reliable internet, homelessness, childcare, opioid overdoses and food insecurity were some of hundreds of issues recently identified as the most pressing health concerns for 2023 in the five-county Planning District 9 region.

Residents of Culpeper, Fauquier, Orange, Madison and Rappahannock have until April 15 to add their voices to the Community Health Needs Assessment conversation by participating in a survey at chsresults.iad1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0B5Q2LCDSv93wJU.

Community Health Solutions is administering the survey on behalf of the Community Health Assessment Collaborative of Rappahannock-Rapidan Health District, Culpeper Wellness Foundation, Fauquier Health, PATH Foundation, Rappahannock-Rapidan Community Services and UVA Health Culpeper Medical Center.

Eight in-person listening sessions were held at locations around the counties last month to solicit feedback on community health priorities.

The listening sessions provided 274 concern statements and 201 idea statements from 58 session participants, according to RRHD Population Health Coordinator April Achter.

After the survey closes April 15, the data will be analyzed and a community health report generated, she said. The data will be used by RRHD and community partners to guide strategies over the next three years related to community health improvement, Achter said.

More than a dozen people, including local health leaders, attended a March 16 listening session in the worship center at Culpeper Baptist Church to participate in idea-generating exercises led by Steve Horan, president of Community Health Solutions.

Were asking you to share insights on community health concerns, the resources out there and how we can work together, he said. You have a lot to sharemaybe more than you thinkand you will learn a lot from each other.

Horan noted it was very innovative of PD9 (pop. 185,951) for the second time since 2020 to participate in the community-wide needs assessment. The region is an aging population at this time, he said, noting around the same number of senior citizens as children. Nearly 15 percent of the planning district is Hispanic population and around 12 percent Black.

More than 20 percent of the Culpeper-area population lives below the 200 percent federal poverty level, according to Horan.

Achter said during the listening session her role with the health department is typically to focus on who is getting sick, where, how and why to prevent spread of diseases. A particular infection occupied the past three years at the local health department and worldwide as the coronavirus spread with deadly results.

But we are moving forward, said Achter at the listening session. Health goes beyond bioloty and genetics, she said. Sometimes your zip code has an impact.

Jeff Say, manager of Community Engagement for UVA Health Culpeper Medical Center, spoke saying the goal is to help them before they get to us of preventative care.

A major issue, he noted is the fact that more than 4,000 homes in Culpeper County still lack access to high speed internet and the ability for telehealth.

Participants at the listening session used markers to write on colorful sticky notes their most pressing health concerns for the community.

Organizers put the notes on easels for all to view, sparking conversation and ideas. Participants also offered their ideas on solutions for addressing community health deficiencies.

Connie Kinchloe, long a community advocate for health and education, pointed out the shortage of primary care physicians accepting new patients in this area. There are not enough to take care of the local community, she said, calling it an issue for UVA Healths three hospitals serving the region.

Kinchloe is or has been a member of the Culpeper Regional Hospital Board of Trustees, University of Virginia Medical Center Operating Board and Virginia Hospital Association Board.

Kinchloe proposed a grant program to send primary care doctors on house calls or through tele-health. The elderly and the disabled, if they have a health problem end up in the ER, the costliest form of healthcare, again and again, she said. Providing primary care in the home through in-person visits or virtual would save money, Kinchloe said, encouraging UVA Health to reach out about expanding primary care services in the Culpeper area.

Theyre doing it in Charlottesville, but not here, she said.

Horan noted primary care doctor availability as being in a fragile condition across Virginia. Mental health and social needs are not the only issues he said of challenges accessing basic healthcare due to a shortage of doctors.

Housing and transportation add to a communitys health, he said, mentioning payment reform and using community health workers to address healthcare needs and social needs.

Its like turning the Titanic, Horan said. We need to find ways to join healthcare and social care.

Culpeper Free Clinic Director Tammy LaGraffe said at the listening session her office received a two-year grant from Virginia Dept. of Health to hire a community health worker to address that.

We know if our patients dont have food they will not worry about taking their meds, she said. Then they end up sicker and sicker, with no transportation or childcare.

They are social detriments to overall health, LaGraffe said.

Dr. Russell Houck, executive director of student health for Culpeper County Public Schools, mentioned the recent youth risk survey the division completed of 7th-12th graders. A quarter had contemplated suicide, he said.

We have a generation that has grown up in a world unlike any other, Houck said.

Information stresses them out, social media bombardment, worry about school shootings, crime, climate change, the administrator said, its a lot.

Theres a loneliness epidemic, Houck said. They sit in their room alone too much and interaction is with the screen.

Parents too are too focused on their own social media world, he said, instead of sitting down for family dinner and getting to know their neighbors.

It makes kids more resilient, Houck said.

Drug use is up among teens, he added, and vaping is off the charts with THC the most popular cartridge type.

The student demographic has changed, Houck went on, saying if it was not for Hispanic immigrant children that the school division would not be growing like it is. The school division has some 2,000 Spanish as a first language students, including 200-plus recently arrived from Central America, he said.

You have to engage the parents, culturalize it, Houck said. We need the communitys help to make the kids lives better  we are struggling to engage a population of parents.
Three Culpeper men are in custody on child pornography and other charges following a recent raid of homes by the Culpeper County Sheriffs Office with federal and northern Virginia authorities.

On March 30, local detectives, with special agents from the Homeland Security Investigations Human Trafficking Group Washington Field Office and a Fairfax County detective with electronics K-9 Brower, executed search warrants on residences in Culpeper County, according to a sheriffs office release.

All three men involved in the alleged crimes were located and arrested. While processing the scenes, Culpeper Sheriffs K-9 Hank located evidence of unrelated crimes which resulted in additional charges for two of the offenders.

Kenneth James Reimuth, 60, was charged with felony possession of child pornography, contributing to the delinquency of a minorengage in sexual intercourse, purchase alcohol for unauthorized person and two counts of possession of Schedule I/II.

Richard Lee Renshaw, 60, was charged with possession of child pornography, contributing to the delinquency of a minorengage in sexual intercourse, purchase alcohol for unauthorized person, possession of Schedule I/II and possession of ammunition by convicted felon.

Edward Dent West Jr., 64, was charged with possession of child pornography, contributing to the delinquency of a minorengage in sexual intercourse and use of electronic communication to commit certain crimes with a child.

All three men are being held at Culpeper County Jail. This continues to be an active investigation and anyone with information on this, or other cases of child exploitation, should contact Detective Dana Dodson at 540/727-7520, according to the release.
Former employees of Nebraska Book Co. have filed a class-action lawsuit accusing the company of violating federal labor laws when it closed a month ago.

The suit, filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court, has Christopher DeGroot as the only named plaintiff. It alleges that the company violated the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act by not providing adequate notice to employees when it announced in late February that it was going out of business.

The federal law requires most employers with 100 or more workers to provide notification 60 calendar days in advance of plant closings or mass layoffs.

A spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of Labor said it has no investigative or enforcement power for alleged WARN violations and the only remedy for aggrieved parties is to file a lawsuit.

According to the class-action suit, Nebraska Book notified employees on Feb. 27 via email that their employment would end on March 1 because the company was shutting down.

The 108-year-old company told the Journal Star at the time that 114 employees were losing their jobs, but the Nebraska Department of Labor lists more than twice that many.

In a letter to the department dated March 1, Nebraska Book CEO Gary Shapiro wrote that the company did not provide the required notice because it was "in a dire financial position."

"Management has spent the last several months feverishly looking for the additional capital investment NBC needs to maintain operations until next season. NBC had several potential options that management thought were viable and would have allowed NBC to avoid this situation, but the last one backed out a few days ago," Shapiro wrote in the letter. "Management believed that if it had sent this notice earlier, our vendors would have stopped doing business with NBC and potential sources of capital would have ceased discussions with NBC."

That could be a key determining factor as to whether the suit is successful because the WARN Act contains an exception for "faltering companies," which can be exempt from the notice requirements if they were actively seeking capital within the 60-day notice period, had a reasonable expectation they could have secured that capital and believed in good faith that providing the required WARN notification "would have precluded the employer from obtaining the needed capital."

A local attorney for DeGroot deferred questions to the lead attorney on the case, who could not be reached for comment. Officials from Nebraska Book Co. also could not be reached for comment.
The Legislatures recent attempts to reform state school aid have foundered again and again when their proposed aid changes appeared to leave some K-12 districts short statewide.

Will Gov. Jim Pillens first crack at the Holy Grail, which state senators started debating Monday, prove any more successful at ensuring the same total aid or more for all districts in its first year?

At least for western Nebraska schools, it just might pull it off.

A Star-Herald projection of Legislative Bill 583s impacts on 60 Panhandle and west central Nebraska districts indicates all but one would get more additional regular and special education aid in 2023-24  much more in many cases  than they received in regular 2022-23 aid alone.

The regions lone exception, Crawford, would fall just $5,257 short of last years regular school-aid total. That tiny deficit well could disappear once state officials factor in poverty figures that they havent yet received from the federal government.

Figures released by the Legislatures Education Committee show North Platte Public Schools, western Nebraskas lone Class A district, would wind up at least $1.4 million ahead of this school years $10.5 million in regular K-12 aid if LB 583 were to become law.

Certified but incomplete 2023-24 aid figures from the Nebraska Department of Education would cut North Plattes regular aid by $544,041 for the fiscal year starting Sept. 1.

The district, one of 21 that receives equalization aid through the regular K-12 formula, wouldnt benefit from the $1,500-per-student foundation aid that LB 583 would restore to the equation for the first time since 1990.

Pillens plan would send between $78,300 and $1.12 million apiece in foundation aid to western Nebraska schools that dont get equalization aid to help them educate students in poverty or those for whom English isnt their first language.

LB 583s per-student aid would be offset by whatever equalization aid received by those that qualify for it.

But the bill also would boost all K-12 districts aid for special education  between $50,625 and $2.4 million in the cases of regional districts  so they might be held harmless overall as the bills changes take effect.

The Unicameral committees figures dont include amounts of normal special education aid received by Nebraskas schools. That aid is figured under a different formula than the one for regular K-12 aid.

North Platte would get $1.94 million in new special education aid if LB 583 passes. Thats second in the region behind Scottsbluff, which would gain $2.35 million from that source, and more than enough to offset North Plattes $1.4 million loss in regular 2023-24 aid without the bill.

Pillens bill would add $198.4 million statewide in regular school aid, which will total at least $1.08 billion in 2023-24, and $109.4 million in special education aid under the Education Committees projection.

With or without LB 583, North Platte likely will get quite a bit more equalization aid once the federal governments provides the state Education Department the poverty figures the aid formula needs, said Stuart Simpson, the North Platte districts executive director of finance.

That should leave city residents largest property tax consumer in decent shape for its next budget if LB 583 fails and even better shape if it passes, Simpson told the North Platte Telegraph Monday.

Both the poverty (aid) and SPED money (under LB 583) will very much help North Platte Public Schools, he said. The regular school aid formulas separate benefit for larger school districts is very helpful for us also.

Pillens bill, introduced on his behalf by Sen. Rita Sanders of Bellevue, marks the Legislatures third attempt in the past five years to revise Nebraskas 33-year-old regular K-12 aid formula to give rural districts more help without cutting aid to the current formulas largest beneficiaries.

Opposition from the Omaha and Lincoln districts, the states two largest, scuttled previous aid reform bills offered by the last two Education Committee chairs: former North Platte Sen. Mike Groene in 2019-20 and current Sen. Lynne Walz of Fremont in 2021-22.

Walz, replaced as chair this year by Glenvil Sen. Dave Murman, joined the committees 6-1 majority in voting to advance LB 583 to the full Legislature.

The lone no vote came from Sen. Justin Wayne, a former Omaha school board member whose district opposes the current bill. OPS leaders say the Legislature has cut school aid in hard times too often for them to support any changes in the aid formula.

Districts that qualify for equalization aid get the lions share of current regular school aid to hold down their property tax requests.

Most such districts serve Nebraskas largest cities, but small rural districts like Cody-Kilgore, Medicine Valley, Overton, Sutherland, Crawford and Hay Springs also will get 2023-24 equalization aid.

The Sutherland district, in fact, would be the only one in western Nebraska to get both equalization and foundation aid if LB 583 passes. Its equalization aid would be at least $23,319, leaving it for now with $387,453 in new per-student aid under the bills projections.

Schools that take in more net option students than they lose get most of the rest of the regular state-aid pot. All other districts are left with only the 2.23% rebate from state income taxes  down from 20% in 1990  based on taxes paid by their school patrons.

The Harrison-based Sioux County district in the Panhandles northwest corner would get just $11,605 in aid without the governors bill. It would gain $119,014 in foundation aid and $100,831 in new special education aid if LB 583 passes.

McPherson County would receive just $6,567 in aid without LB 583, all of it from the income tax rebate. But it would gain $78,302 in foundation aid and $50,625 in new special education aid.

Ogallala and Broken Bow would gain the most in foundation aid among western Nebraska districts under the governors bill, estimated at $1.21 million and $1.17 million respectively. The two Class C-1 districts get $160,256 and $126,527 from the income tax rebate.

Lexington, which will again lead the regions districts with at least $23.96 million in total K-12 aid, would be third behind North Platte and Scottsbluff in benefiting from LB 583s new special education aid at $1.83 million. Gering would receive $985,859 in additional special education funds.
A former Nebraska State Patrol trooper convicted of sexting with teen girls had been advised to watch his social media interactions, a prosecutor said during sentencing Monday.

With good time, 12th Judicial District Judge Travis OGorman said Brandon Dolezal, 25, will serve 20 to 28 years in prison on charges associated with sexting involving two girls under the age of 16. The offenses allegedly occurred from December 2020 to February 2021 and included video and photos of at least one of the girls, according to court records.

At the time of the offenses, Dolezal had been stationed as a trooper with Troop E in the Panhandle. He served from June 2020 until he was terminated in March 2021, prior to his arrest, after an internal investigation.

OGorman sentenced Dolezal on six counts that stemmed from an investigation including two counts of attempted child enticement with an electronic communication device, both Class II felonies; and four counts of possession of child pornography, a Class IIA felony, after reaching a plea agreement with prosecutors. On the counts of child enticement, OGorman sentenced Dolezal to 10 to 12 years in prison on each count, with credit for three days already served in jail. On each of the counts of possession of child pornography, Dolezal was sentenced to five to eight years. The sentences will be served consecutively. However, the term is cut in half under state sentencing guidelines, which means that Dolezal will be eligible for parole in 20 years and for mandatory release in 28 years, as OGorman outlined.

The sentence will also be served consecutively to a 20- to 40-year sentence Dolezal received in mid-March on charges in Sarpy County. Hell serve 10 years in prison on those charges before being eligible for parole and be eligible for mandatory release in 20 years.

Before the sentencing, Sandra Allen, an assistant attorney with the Nebraska Attorney Generals Office, argued for Dolezal to get a significant sentence and for that sentence to be consecutive to the sentence in Sarpy County.

She said Dolezal used his position as a Nebraska State Patrol trooper to interest teen girls and lure them to become involved with him.

The defendant states in his pre-sentence investigation that he was in a position to help people, not harm people through his position with the Nebraska State Patrol, she said. He actually did the opposite of that. He used his position to try to find his victims.

After sending SnapChat messages to girls, she said, He would talk to them about his job. He would send them pictures of his car. He would talk to them about his cases, his arrests. All in which to try to get these young victims to become interested in him. He used his position of power and authority to try to find his victims.

Allen said he was warned twice by the Nebraska State Patrol about his social media use, though she did not elaborate on those warnings, and that his activity was apparent in his intent to find and target victims. Allen said that in evaluating Dolezals phone records, she said there were clearly searches for high school girls attending a certain area school. Dolezals actions not only tarnished the reputation of the Nebraska State Patrol, she said, but also the victims views of law enforcement.

One of the victims said that when Dolezal propositioned her to meet him, she thought he was joking, because he was law enforcement. Now, she said, the girl doesnt trust law enforcement because of Dolezals actions.

Allen and Dolezals attorney, Matthew Knipe, said Dolezal had undergone a mental health evaluation and needed significant treatment. Knipe said that when he first met Dolezal after his arrest, the man indicated he needed a mental health evaluation and would receive treatment, though he acknowledged that his actions were abysmal. Knipe asked that Dolezals sentence be served concurrent to the Sarpy County case.

In his own statement to the court, Dolezal apologized to his victims, their families and to law enforcement. He said he wished he had the courage years ago to seek help and said his actions were selfish. He talked of avoiding seeking treatment because of potential effects on a career in the military and the patrol.

Dolezal continues to face charges in Douglas County. In that case, Dolezal faces six counts of first-degree sexual assault of a child, a Class IB felony, and one count of child enticement, a Class ID felony.

In that case, Omaha police arrested Dolezal after a 15-year-old girl had been reported missing in November 2022 and an investigation determined she had left with Dolezal. In a forensic interview, the girl told investigators that Dolezal had been communicating with her via a social media app. She said that he knew her age and that he had sexually assaulted her.

In both the Scotts Bluff County and Sarpy County cases, Dolezal has been ordered to register with the Nebraska Sex Offender Registry.
The Nebraska State Patrol is investigating an incident in which a Harrisburg man is believed to have died of a self-inflicted gunshot as an officer attempted to serve a warrant Monday, according to information released by patrol.

About 6:25 a.m., the Nebraska State Patrol was notified by the Banner County Sheriffs Office of an incident in which a subject had died from a self-inflicted shooting. Investigators responded to the scene.

The Banner County sheriff had been attempting to serve a protection order and an arrest warrant on a Harrisburg resident. After preliminary investigation, NSP investigators believe that as the sheriff was attempting to make contact with the subject at the residence, the man, identified as Kevin Wynne, 62, exited the rear of the residence. The sheriff then heard two gunshots. The sheriff, Zane Hopkins, then located Wynne deceased near a corral.

According to Scotts Bluff County Court records, charges of third-degree domestic assault had been filed against Wynne, stemming from a March 18 complaint investigated by the Gering Police Department.

The Banner County Attorneys Office has requested the Nebraska State Patrol to conduct the investigation into the incident. An investigation is ongoing.
Audrey Hale, a former student at Covenant School, fired 152 rounds during the Nashville mass shooting on March 27

The motive remains unknown, but detectives found that Hale considered the actions of previous mass murderers

The Nashville school shooting suspect possessed a detailed map of the school and "writings and a manifesto-like book"

The 28-year-old shooter who killed three children and three adults at a Christian school in Nashville last week fired 152 rounds, police in Nashville said on Monday, adding that while they have yet to determine a motive, the shooter planned the attack "over months" and studied other mass murderers.

The shooter, identified as former student Audrey Hale, "acted completely alone," according to a Monday Metro Nashville Police report.

Nashville School Shooting Suspect's Motive

Detectives from the police department and the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit continue to examine Hale's papers, which, according to authorities on Monday, show evidence of her plotting.

The majority of Hale's shots, 126, were 5.56 rifle ammunition, while 26 were 9 mm rounds, according to authorities. The investigation update on Monday comes a week after Hale - armed with three firearms, according to police - attacked the Covenant School, blasting through the building's secured glass doors to gain admission.

According to police, Hale was "shooting through a window at arriving police cars" when Nashville officers arrived on the site and engaged him within minutes.

A spokesperson for the Nashville police department, said Hale was shot and killed by two officers at 10:27 a.m., 14 minutes after the shooter entered the building, as documented by bodycam footage later provided by police.

On Monday, Officer Rex Engelbert shot four 5.56 bullets from his rifle, while Officer Michael Collazo fired four rounds from his 9 mm pistol, CNN reported. Nine-year-olds Evelyn Dieckhaus, William Kinney, and Hallie Scruggs were killed in the massacre, along with a 61-year-old school custodian, a 61-year-old substitute teacher, and the 60-year-old principal of the school.

Nine-year-olds Evelyn Dieckhaus, William Kinney, and Hallie Scruggs were slain in the massacre, along with a 61-year-old school custodian, a 60-year-old substitute teacher, and the school's 60-year-old principal, Katherine Koonce.

While authorities continue to investigate the attack's purpose, they have stated in a press release that Hale's writings indicate that it was "considered and planned."

According to authorities, Hale targeted the school and the Covenant Presbyterian Church, which is attached to the school, although it is thought that the victims were shot at random. The school massacre - the deadliest since May, when 21 people, including 19 children, were slain at a school in Uvalde, Texas - reignited arguments over the epidemic of American gun violence, access to firearms, and school safety.

Hale, who authorities claimed was receiving treatment for an emotional disorder, had lawfully purchased and concealed seven weapons, according to Metropolitan Nashville Police Chief John Drake.

Read Also: Donald Trump May Delay Jury Trial

Audrey Hale Plot Massive Shooting

According to Fox News, police claimed that while they were still examining Hale's possible motive, the killer "took into account the deeds of past mass murderers" when planning the slaughter. In addition to a manifesto, authorities say they found artwork connected to the attack, detailed blueprints of the school, and maps depicting potential entrance sites for the killing.

Although Hale fired hundreds of rounds into the school and through the window toward responding officers, two heroic officers fired four rounds each. Officer Rex Engelbert was the first to open fire after he rounded a curve and spotted the suspect standing near a huge second-story window, where police claim he was shooting at further officers who were still outside the school.

Per WBAL, Hale was shot and killed inside the school by police. Last week, Metropolitan Nashville Police Chief John Drake said that Hale had a detailed map of the school as well as "writings and a book we regard to be a manifesto."

Hale's writings, which were discovered in a car at the crime scene in a bedroom, are being reviewed by Nashville police and the FBI, according to a Monday statement. A police spokessperson stated that Hale was assigned female at birth, but pointed to a Hale-affiliated social media account that featured the pronouns he/him.

Related Article: Nashville School Shooting Suspect's Grieving Status Revealed

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A Winston-Salem man faces up to 20 years in prison after using federal coronavirus relief funds approved for his business to pay for trips, jewelry and a house, authorities say.

Javar Lajuan Clark pleaded guilty Monday to one count of wire fraud for illegally obtaining an Economic Injury Disaster Loan authorized under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act and administered by the Small Business Association, U.S. Attorney Sandra Hairston said.

According to court documents, Clark applied for a loan for a business called Handy Works by J Clark. The loan application falsified the businesss gross revenues and number of employee, according to an announcement of the plea from the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina.

Based on Clarks fraudulent representations, the SBA granted Clark an EIDL loan of $130,500 and an advance of $10,000, the court said. Following disbursement of the loan, Clark used the proceeds on trips to Las Vegas and New York City, jewelry and a house.

Clarks sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 1 in Winston-Salem. He faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised probation and monetary penalties.

As part of his plea, Clark also agreed to forfeit the property purchased using the fraudulently obtained funds.
The Wytheville office of HOPE (Helping Overcome Povertys Existence) and Open Door Cafe will install solar arrays and a two-vehicle electric charging station this year thanks to an agreement with a provider of clean energy and an anonymous foundation grant.

Secure Solar Futures, a provider of on-site clean energy to schools, hospitals, and businesses, has signed a 25-year Solar Power Purchase Agreement with HOPE for two rooftop solar arrays and the electric vehicle charging station.

HOPE Executive Director Andy Kegley said the anonymous foundation grant of $40,000 made the whole project work for us.

Kegley said HOPE put a new roof on its building in 2020 and took out the 40-year-old obsolete heating system. Most of the heating units were no longer functioning, he said, so the building was often either too cold or too hot.

It has been a goal of mine for a long time to install a more sustainable energy system, Kegley said. We talked about solar power and got in touch with Secure Solar Futures in Staunton that loves working with non-profits to help save money and make climate change less scary.

Kegley said they came up with proposals a year ago and work is set to get underway this spring.

HOPE was established 30 years ago to fulfill the challenge of its name  to reduce the conditions contributing to poverty in Southwest Virginia. It is a non-profit charitable organization breaking generational poverty through enhanced food access and housing stability. HOPE serves Bland, Carroll, Grayson, Smyth, and Wythe counties and the city of Galax.

Stewardship is a core value of our organization. We strive to be good stewards of both donor contributions and the natural environment, said Kegley in an announcement about the project. Solar power will reduce our operating cost structure to help deliver our zero hunger and housing-first services more efficiently to more people in need while helping us use clean energy.

To save money on installation costs, the organization will host a solar barn raising staffed by local high school and college career and technical education students and electrical apprentices under the supervision of trained solar installation professionals. The project is scheduled to be completed this summer.

One rooftop solar array will be installed on the HOPE office building and the other will be located at the organizations Open Door Cafe location, just across a parking lot on Wythevilles Main Street campus. Together, both solar arrays will have a production capacity of about 58 kilowatts and will save HOPE $7,500 in energy costs per year, or more than $200,000 over the life of the solar agreement.

By using clean energy, each year solar panels at both HOPE locations will produce enough energy to power seven average Virginia homes and offset enough grid power to avoid 34.2 metric tons of carbon emissions, as much carbon as would be sequestered by 40.5 acres of forest, the announcement noted.

The new roofing project three years ago provided HOPE the opportunity to pursue solar power, Kegley said, which aligns with the organizations value of both economic and environmental sustainability.

Because of our highly visible location, we know this project will heighten awareness of solar energy, Kegley said. He hopes the availability of the EV charging station  expected by August  will encourage drivers seeking such service to stop and enjoy a meal at the Open Door Cafe while charging their vehicles.

Vehicle charging will be available 24 hours a day.

The electric vehicle charging station will get its energy from the rooftop solar array, Kegley said. Costs for charging will be less than filling a tank with gasoline. Revenue from the charging station should sustain the costs.

It will be one of the first EV chargers open to the public in Wytheville and is expected to bring more attention to HOPEs donate-what-you-can restaurant, he said. By coincidence, Wytheville is the birthplace of former First Lady Edith Boiling Wilson, rumored to be the first person to drive an electric vehicle in Washington, DC.

Kegley said there are also EV charging stations at several other locations including a Nissan dealership, Holiday Inn, and Sheets convenience center (currently undergoing a rebuild). He wants residents and visitors to have choices when it comes to sustainable energy sources.

I hope there will be more EV charging stations and solar panels in use, he said. I am excited about sustainability for clients and the planet. We want to be around for a long time.

There is growing interest in electric vehicle manufacturing and use around the country, Kegley said. As production increases we will need more charging stations.

Its kind of a brave new world.

There will be a special celebration once the project is completed.

Find out more about HOPE on Facebook at Homes Wythe HOPE. Call 276-228-6280. The office is located at 680 W. Main Street in Wytheville.

About Secure Solar Futures

As a market and policy leader, Secure Solar Futures builds, owns, manages, and funds affordable Resilient Solar Solutions for hospitals, schools and businesses. The company combines state-ofthe-art solar technology with an innovative business model to make commercial-scale solar readily affordable in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast, helping customers to realize the economic, environmental, and community benefits of solar energy. In 2017, Secure Solar Futures became a Certified B Corporation. Find the company online at www.securesolarfutures.com
The regime insists on obtaining guarantees of a Turkish withdrawal from Syrian territory.

The quadripartite meeting will take place in Moscow on Tuesday, bringing together the deputy foreign ministers of the Syrian regime, Russia, Iran, and Turkey. However, the meetings chances of success are diminishing due to the Syrian regimes insistence on conditions to normalize political relations with Ankara.

According to diplomatic sources close to the Syrian regime, the meeting will commence in the presence of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. The regime insists on obtaining guarantees of a Turkish withdrawal from Syrian territory and stopping support for terrorism. Meanwhile, the Turkish side seeks to maximize the meetings electoral investment.

The sources point out that there has been no public statement or confirmation from Turkey so far about its willingness to engage in talks based on these constants. If Turkey refuses to engage in talks on these bases and pledges to withdraw from Syrian territory, the meeting will not yield any results that could lead to the next political and security step.

The Syrian regime wants documented guarantees through a statement that obliges all parties to implement it, as reaching such a statement paves the way for the next political step represented by the meeting of foreign ministers.

On the eve of the quadripartite meeting, the Syrian regime affirmed its adherence to its conditions, including the need to end the Turkish presence in Syrian territories, not to interfere in internal affairs, and to stop supporting the Syrian opposition.

Preliminary bilateral meetings took place on Monday between the participating delegations, where consultation and coordination took place between the Syrian regime and the Russian delegation, as well as with Ali Asghar Khaji, Senior Assistant to the Iranian Foreign Minister for Special Political Affairs.

The Turkish ambassador also met with the Syrian regimes ambassador on Monday at the headquarters of the Russian Foreign Ministry in Moscow.

In related news, the Agence France Press reported that the Russian Foreign Minister would begin a two-day visit to Turkey next Thursday following the quadripartite meeting of the deputy foreign ministers of Turkey, Russia, Iran, and the Syrian regime.

Sousan

The Head of the Syrian delegation, Ayman Sousan, has said that Turkeys announcement that it will withdraw its forces from all Syrian lands will re-establish communication between the two sides but that the restoration of the situation in the northeast and northwest of Syria requires certain conditions to be met, including preserving Syrias sovereignty and unity and restoring the Syrian states control over all its territory. Sousan added that the existence of any terrorist threat requires cooperation and coordination with the concerned country, and there are no international legal provisions that give any country the right to intervene militarily in another countrys territory without consent. Sousan also thanked Russia and Iran for their valuable assistance in confronting terrorism.

Sana has published an account of Sousans remarks. We republish the remarks as published:

Head of the Syrian delegation, Assistant Foreign and Expatriates Minister, Dr. Ayman Sousan , affirmed that Turkeys formal and unequivocal announcement that it will withdraw its forces from all Syrian lands, and to start withdrawal from these lands, is the gateway to re-establish communication between the two sides, stressing that restoring the situation in the northeast and northwest of Syria to what it used to require conditions can be realized by preserving Syrias sovereignty and unity, withdrawing of illegal forces, combating terrorism, and restoring of the Syrian states control over all its territory.

Sousan noted in a speech before the quadripartite meeting of the assistant foreign ministers of Syria, Russia, Iran and Turkey, which will be held in the Russian capital, Moscow, that Syria has been subjected to an unprecedented terrorist war during the past 12 years, with full and unlimited planning and support from some Western, regional and Arab countries, where the foreign terrorists came from more than 100 states, according to UN reports. Unfortunately, this was through neighbouring countries, he added.

We thank the Russian and Iranian friends for their valuable assistance to Syria in confronting terrorism, and we appreciate their supportive position throughout these years, but on the other hand, we cannot overlook the fact that other countries have taken a different path, as they took advantage of the situation created by this war to illegally send their forces to Syria and be present on its territory without any invitation or coordination with the legitimate government, not to mention their support to terrorist groups in Syria., Sousan said.

Military presence on Syrian territory violates the international law

Sousan added that the legal description of the illegitimate military presence on Syrian territory, whether in the northeast or northwest of Syria and by whoever is very clear, as this presence violates the provisions of international law and violates principles of the UN Charter, as well as contradicts good-neighbourly relations and the principles regulating peaceful relations between states and all Security Council resolutions related to Syria.

Sousan pointed out that there are no international legal provisions that give the right to any country to violate the sovereignty of other countries or to intervene militarily in their territories without the consent of the concerned country, under any pretext, including combating terrorism.

The existence of any terrorist threat requires practical and legal cooperation and coordination with the concerned country to confront that, and Syria has repeatedly expressed its readiness for such cooperation as long as it takes place within the framework of respecting its sovereignty and territorial integrity, Sousan noted.

Sousan stressed that Syria does not look back as much as it looks forward, and it is with dialogue and building bridges of communication with all countries, even those that had negative roles during the years of the crisis, based on its national principles and based on its concern for the interests of the Syrian people and its quest to realize security and stability in this volatile region, establishing the best relations with neighbouring countries to serve the interests of their peoples.

This, of course, includes Turkey, with which a long common border brings us together, as the earthquake incident that struck Syria and Turkey on the last February 6th affirmed that politics cannot ignore the facts of history, geography, common interests, the strong bond between the two friendly peoples.

Syria dealt positively with the efforts of the Russian and Iranian friends aimed at restoring communication between Syria and Turkey

Sousan affirmed that Syria dealt positively and openly with the efforts of the Russian and Iranian friends aimed at restoring communication between Syria and Turkey, but reaching this goal has objective conditions and requirements that must be met, and there must be a real will and serious dialogue to reach that, as it is clear that the first of these conditions and requirements is the full adherence to Syrias sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and unity, and that this fundamental principle should be put into practice immediately.

Sousan noted that this principle remains meaningless if it is not translated and embodied by starting the withdrawal of all illegal foreign forces from Syrian territory, including Turkish forces, and not obstructing the efforts of the Syrian state to re-establish its authority over all its territory, including terrorist-held areas, the stop of interfering in Syrias internal affairs and providing support and protection to terrorist groups there, especially in Idleb, which has become a base and protectorate for terrorists on Syrian territory, which threatens security and stability and endangers the lives of civilians there.

Sousan said that Turkey did not even abide by the understandings reached within the framework of Astana or those with the Russian side.

Sousan pointed out Syrias readiness to coordinate with Russian and Iranian friends and with the Turkish side on the various practical aspects related to the withdrawal of its forces from Syrian territory, including the entry of the Syrian Arab Army forces into the areas from which these forces will withdraw to ensure that this process is completed smoothly and that the terrorist groups do not gain control.

Fighting terrorism in all its forms is a common interest of all

Sousan noted that combating terrorism in all its forms until eradicating it represents a common interest for all, whether this terrorism is represented by Daesh , Jabhat al-Nusra and other organizations or The Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and the organizations and groups linked to it.

Sousan added that this will open the door for coordination and joint action to confront separatist plans and entities in northeastern Syria, as well as address related joint security problems, including working to control common borders and taking joint measures to prevent smuggling and the infiltration of terrorists across them.

Border control between neighbouring countries is a joint responsibility

The responsibility for controlling borders between neighbouring countries is a joint responsibility, and it is carried out with cooperation, not through unilateral, intrusive or illegal measures, as combating terrorism is not selective either, Sousan stated.

Sousan Pointed out that within the framework of the aforementioned points, it is possible to cooperate on the issue of the return of Syrian refugees from Turkey to their original places of residence in Syria, and this matter requires work to provide the necessary requirements and environment for that, including realizing security and stability by extending the states authority over its territory and preparing the necessary infrastructure and financing. The Syrian side is ready to take the measures that fall upon it accordingly, he stressed.
Statement by the Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression.

Paris  4 April 2023. In a historic decision rendered on 29 March 2023, the investigating judges of the war crimes unit of the Paris Judicial Court ordered the indictment before the Paris Criminal Court of three senior Syrian regime officials: Ali Mamlouk, Jamil Hassan and Abdel Salam Mahmoud, for complicity in crimes against humanity and war crimes in the Dabbagh case. Mazzen Dabbagh and his son, Patrick, Franco-Syrian nationals, were arrested and then detained at Mezzeh airport in Damascus by Syrian Air Force intelligence agents in November 2013. In October 2016, Obeida Dabbagh, FIDH and LDH had filed a complaint, with the active support of the Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression (SCM).

It is a great victory for my family and for all Syrian victims, that after all these years of fighting for the truth to come out, high-level officials are finally brought to justice. I call on the French judicial authorities to organise this trial as soon as possible  said Obeida Dabbagh, brother and uncle of the disappeared.

This decision paves the way, for the first time in France, for the trial of very senior officials of the Syrian repressive apparatus: Ali Mamlouk, head of the Syrian secret services and close adviser to Bashar al Assad, Jamil Hassan, director of the Syrian Air Force and Abdel Salam Mahmoud, head of investigations of the said service at the military airport of Mezzeh in Damascus. This airport is home to one of the deadliest places of detention in Syria according to the United Nations Commission of Inquiry.

In the absence of the defendants on French territory, and given the very low probability that they will be arrested before the start of the trial, it will most likely be held in absentia.

After three trials that resulted in three convictions in Germany, it was time for France to demonstrate its willingness to contribute to the fight against impunity for crimes committed in Syria against the civilian population. Beyond Mazzen and Patrick Dabbagh, there are hundreds of thousands of Syrian men and women who have died during the Syrian conflict, especially at the hands of Bashar al Assads regime, and whose families are still waiting for justice to be delivered to them said Mazen Darwish, General Manager of SCM.

In October 2016, Obeida Dabbagh  brother and uncle of the disappeared  FIDH and LDH, with the support of SCM, filed a complaint to denounce the unjustified arrest in November 2013 of Mazzen and Patrick Dabbagh, and their subsequent disappearance. The father and son had been taken to the detention center at the Mezzeh military airport in Damascus, known for its inhuman conditions of detention and the brutality of its torture sessions. The investigative branch of the Syrian Air Force intelligence services there was headed by Abdel Salam Mahmoud.

After their arrest, the family of Mazzen and Patrick Dabbagh had no information as to their fate. It was not until July 2018 that the Syrian authorities issued death certificates, according to which Patrick and Mazzen Dabbagh died respectively in January 2014 and November 2017.

In October 2018, the investigating judges in charge of the case issued international arrest warrants against Ali Mamlouk, Jamil Hassan and Abdel Salam Mahmoud for their responsibility in the disappearance and death of Mazzen and Patrick Dabbagh.

This outcome would not have been possible without the courage and determination of the Syrians who agreed to testify before the French courts to tell the terrible reality of the crimes committed in the jails of Bashar al Assad. At a time when the Syrian regime seems to come out unpunished for all the atrocities committed, it is essential that this trial, which is part of a long fight against impunity, qualifies the regimes crimes and holds accountable, even by default, its highest officials  said Clemence Bectarte, lawyer for FIDH, SCM and the Dabbagh family.

Throughout the proceedings, more than 20 Syrian victims testified before French justice, most of them survivors of Mezzeh prison. SCM supported the lawsuit by providing several testimonies and witnesses as well as comprehensive chains of command detailing the structure of the Syrian Air Force intelligence services at the time of Patrick and Mazzen Dabbaghs disappearance.

Our organizations call on the competent authorities to fully support the ongoing legal proceedings concerning the crimes committed in Syria, in particular by ensuring that the applicable legal framework allows victims effective access to French justice and that the latter has the resources adequate to bring these cases forward.

This is a significant step forward, made possible because the victims had dual Franco-Syrian nationality. For all the other victims, the French law of universal jurisdiction presents many obstacles to the outcome of proceedings. This must change, it is the responsibility of the French authorities to modify the law, declared Patrick Baudouin, President of LDH and lawyer for FIDH and LDH.
The ambassador of Iraq to Muscat, Qais Al-Ameri, hosted a meeting attended by the ambassadors of Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Syria, according to Athr Press.

The ambassador of Iraq to Muscat, Qais Al-Ameri, hosted a meeting attended by the ambassadors of Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Syria to the Sultanate of Oman. The meeting focused on an exchange of views regarding the current developments in the region.

The Iraqi embassy in Muscat took to Twitter on Tuesday to announce that the Ambassador of the Republic of Iraq to the Sultanate, Qais Saad Al-Ameri, hosted a meeting with Abdullah Al-Anzi, the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Ali Najafi, the Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and Idris Mia, the Ambassador of the Syrian Arab Republic. The meeting was held in a friendly and optimistic atmosphere, reflecting the familiarity among the attendees during the blessed month of Ramadan. The meeting focused on exchanging views on regional affairs.

The timing of the meeting is significant, as there has been talk of Saudi Arabias intention to restore relations with the Syrian state. According to official Saudi media, the two countries may open consulates in each others territories as early as April. Additionally, Reuters recently reported that Saudi Arabia plans to invite President Bashar al-Assad to attend the Arab summit hosted by Riyadh in May. If this happens, it would mark an official end to Syrias regional isolation.

According to the Jerusalem Post, recent reports in Hebrew suggest that the rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Iran has given a significant boost to the reconciliation process between Arab nations and Syria.

This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
The workers were allocated to the neighbourhoods of Sharia, al-Shir, and al-Barnawi, according to Athr Press.

The Hama City Council has recently made several decisions, one of which involves the appointment of 38 successful candidates from last years central competition held by the Ministry of Administrative Development as cleaning workers.

Raed al-Moubayed, the director of hygiene in Hama, commented on this development and stated to Athr that this is the first time cleaning workers have been appointed in Hama. Out of the 38 workers appointed, only 22 have started working while 16 are yet to join. They believed that the job may be similar to that of a worker employed in government buildings, however, it was explained to them that their job is to clean the streets, sweep, and collect garbage in a cart before emptying it into large containers. This is the nature of the work of cleaners.

According to him, these female workers were allocated to the neighbourhoods of Sharia, al-Shir, and al-Barnawi. Marwan Sheikh Khalil, the cleaning supervisor, further clarified to Athr that 16 of these workers were assigned to work in the neighborhoods of al-Baath and al-Barnawi. They are facing great difficulties, especially since they have to bear transportation expenses from their places of residence in al-Ghab, Aqrab, Kafr Bahm, and other areas, which has resulted in some resentment amongst them.

Female Workers: This is not a job for a female!

During their conversation with Athr, some of the workers expressed their disapproval of the nature of this work, which is typically associated with men and does not align with female roles. For instance, A.Q. stated that although she has been appointed, she will not join the work due to the social stigma associated with being a female cleaner on the street. She believes that such work may also expose workers to harassment. Moreover, she fears that being an unmarried cleaner may make it difficult for her to get married and start a family since society may not view this profession positively.

One of the direct assistants at work, who requested anonymity, stated that she accepted the job reluctantly as there were no other options available. She also mentioned that the wage was insufficient to cover the cost of living, and the salary barely covered her transportation fares to and from her place of work. Additionally, it was noted that all the cleaners employed in the city of Hama reside outside the city, and there are no means of transportation to other areas.

In light of this situation, the Director of Hygiene in Hama emphasized that it is not feasible to relocate any of the cleaners outside the city of Hama, in accordance with the guidelines outlined in the Presidency of the Council of Ministers Letter No. 9708, dated 17-8-2022. This letter states that employees must remain committed to their assigned work center and cannot request to be transferred, delegated, or assigned to a different work center. The letter also stresses the importance of adhering to the employment status and terms of the assigned work center.

In the same context, a number of Hama residents criticized the appointment of females as cleaners, and some considered that female workers may be subjected to ridicule or harassment, while some wondered how the Hama City Council asks for female cleaners.

Hama City Council explains:

Engineer Mukhtar Hourani, the head of the Hama City Council, told Athr that when announcing the central competition for cleaning workers, one of the conditions of employment was that the workers had to be male. The job responsibilities were clearly defined, and he was surprised to see females appointed for such positions. Although he believes in gender equality, he does not think that certain jobs, such as this one, are suitable for women.

It is important to note that the aforementioned workers are employed on an annual contract that is renewable, with a salary of 93,000 SYP. The job also includes a nature of work allowance at 85% of the wage, a meal allowance of 300 SYP for each working day, as well as two sets of work suits, rainwax, leather shoes, and two pairs of boots.

Governors response:

The Secretary-General of Hama Governorate, Mahmoud Al-Qassab, informed Athr that all applicants must be fully aware of the nature of the work and have signed a commitment letter to work without seeking to change it. Meanwhile, Abdul Salam Saba Al-Arab, the head of the Human Resources Department in the Hama City Council, who reviewed the successful female applicants for the job, explained that most of them might not have read the commitment letter they signed. Additionally, many of them lacked knowledge about the job description and its tasks, particularly since the required certificate was only a literacy certificate.

A source from the Ministry of Administrative Development informed Athr that the appointment of female cleaners in Hama governorate was based on the results of the competition, with appointments made according to the sequence of marks and fulfillment of the required conditions.

This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
The massacre left more than 90 people suffocated by sarin gas and more than 500 others exposed to symptoms of poison gas, according to Baladi News.

On Monday, April 4th, the sixth anniversary of the 2017 chemical attack committed by regime forces in the city of Khan Sheikhoun in the southern countryside of Idleb was marked. The attack involved the use of toxic sarin gas, resulting in the death of over 90 civilians and injuries to more than 500 individuals, mostly children, as reported by the White Helmets.

The White Helmets have reported that the morning in the city of Khan Sheikhoun was not ordinary, as the air was filled with toxic gas, the sounds of death echoed, and souls raced to the gates of heaven. Six years have passed since the Assad regime committed a massacre using chemical weapons in the city.

The massacre left more than 90 people suffocated by sarin gas and more than 500 others exposed to symptoms of poison gas.

Almost six months after the massacre, the Joint Investigative Mechanism released an international report confirming the responsibility of the Syrian regime for the release of sarin gas in Khan Sheikhoun on April 4, 2017.

The Khan Sheikhoun massacre is regarded as one of the most severe bombing campaigns conducted by the regime in opposition-controlled areas. The regime also used poison gas to target Eastern Ghouta in August 2013 and Douma in April 2018. However, the use of veto power has hindered the work of the International Commission of Inquiry..

In response to the chemical attack, on April 7, 2017, the United States launched 59 Tomahawk guided missiles at the Shayrat military airport, located east of the central city of Homs, from where the plane carrying sarin missiles had been launched.

On this anniversary, the White Helmets commented on the massacre, stating that while the world may have forgotten the gasps of children as they suffocated, the Syrian people have not and will not forget this crime. They urge for the criminal to be held accountable and for justice to be served.

Coalition: The absence of deterrence and punishment encouraged the regime to continue committing massacres

On this occasion, the National Coalition issued a statement, noting that the massacres committed against the Syrian people persist due to the lack of deterrence and punishment, as well as the international communitys impotence and suspicious silence.

The National Coalition warned that remembering these massacres coincides with the continuation of the Assad regimes criminal approach towards the Syrian people. Normalizing relations with this regime would be a provocation to millions of Syrians who are still making sacrifices to overcome the atrocities committed by the regime.

This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
Your daily brief of the English-speaking press on Syria.

The order, signed last Wednesday, says the officials, all senior advisors to Assad, are charged with complicity in crimes against humanity, and war crimes, AFP reported.

They are Ali Mamlouk, head of the National Security Bureau of the Baath party, Jamil Hassan, former head of the Syrian Air Force Intelligence Directorate and Abdel Salam Mahmoud, another Air Force intelligence officer.

French prosecutors believe the trio, who are not expected to show up for the trial or have lawyers represent them, are responsible for the deaths of two French-Syrian nationals, Mazzen Dabbagh and his son Patrick, who were arrested in 2013.

France has issued international arrest warrants for the three.

A preliminary investigation into possible forced disappearances and acts of torture constituting crimes against humanity was launched in 2015 after the family of the two filed a complaint, which widened into a full-blown probe in 2016 and led to international arrest warrants two years later.

Mazzen Dabbagh, a pedagogical advisor at the French school in Damascus, and Patrick Dabbagh, who was studying in the literature and humanities faculty at Damascus University, were arrested in November 2013 by officers identifying themselves as members of the Air Force intelligence services.

U.S. says its forces kill a senior Islamic State leader in Syria

The U.S. military killed a senior Islamic State leader in Syria on Monday, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Tuesday, another blow to a group that was driven from its self-declared caliphate years ago but is still widely deemed a threat.

CENTCOM named him as Khalid Aydd Ahmad al-Jabouri in a statement, saying he was responsible for planning Islamic State attacks in Europe and Turkey and developed the groups leadership structure in Turkey.

Sources in Syria said he was killed in a drone strike in the rebel-held northwest, a region where other Islamic State leaders have hidden out, including former leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who died during a U.S. raid in 2019.

No civilians were killed or injured in the strike, CENTCOM said, adding that Islamic State continues to represent a threat to the region and beyond.

Though degraded, the group remains able to conduct operations within the region with a desire to strike beyond the Middle East, it said. Jabouris death would temporarily disrupt the groups ability to plot external attacks.

New Israeli strike on Syria kills two civilians: Fourth day in a row

An Israeli air strike on Tuesday killed two Syrian civilians, state media reported, the fourth such attack on government-held areas of the war-torn country in less than a week, AFP reported.

During more than a decade of civil war in Syria, Israel has launched hundreds of air strikes on its territory, primarily targeting Iran-backed forces and Lebanese Hezbollah fighters as well as Syrian army positions.

The Israeli enemy carried out an air strike shortly after midnight, resulting in the death of two civilians, Syrian state news agency SANA reported, quoting a military source.

The attack came from the direction of the occupied Syrian Golan, targeting some points in the vicinity of Damascus and the southern region, it said, adding Syrias air defences intercepted most of the missiles.

While Israel rarely comments on the strikes it carries out on Syria, it has repeatedly said it will not allow its arch-foe Iran to extend its footprint in the war-torn country.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor gave the same civilian death toll, with its director Rami Abdel Rahman adding that at least one non-Syrian Iran-backed fighter was also killed in the assault.

Israel fired barrages of missiles targeting military areas controlled by Iran-backed groups and regime air defence, said the Observatory, a Britain-based group that relies on a network of sources inside Syria.

Foreign Ministry

Syria has warned the Israeli occupation and its sponsors against the dangers of its aggressive policies that push the region towards a comprehensive escalation and a new phase of instability.

Over the past four days, the Israeli occupation forces launched attacks on areas in and around Damascus, Homs and its countryside, caused the martyrdom of civilians, the injury of a number of others, not to mention the material damage, Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Ministry said in a statement.

The Ministry added that the Israeli occupation government not only hides behind the umbrella of immunity and unlimited support from its protectors, but rather follows in the footsteps of its sponsors in Washington and other Western capitals in exporting crises and escaping from internal problems to external aggressions and crimes, in perpetuating an approach that flagrantly violates international law and the provisions of the UN charter, and aims to perpetuate the lawlessness instead of the force of law and human values.

Jordans plan for Syria normalization: Refugees, drugs and militias

Refugee returns, smuggling and militias are among the key issues Jordan is seeking to resolve with Syria as part of its plan to normalize Arab relations with Damascus, Jordanian officials told Middle East Eye.

The plan is based on the idea of reciprocity, said Mohammad Momani, a member of the Jordanian Senates Arab and Foreign Relations Committee. Help us so that we can help you, as he put it.

According to Momani, the issue of refugees is one of the top priorities in Jordans latest push for a deal with Syria. The plan, which hopes to resolve issues between Syria and other Arab countries and help end Syrias 11-year war, is based on positive steps that the Syrian regime will take on refugees, namely that a general amnesty will be declared allowing the refugees to return.

The initiative will also call for security reform in Syria and stress the need to prevent pro-Assad militias, many of which are backed by Iran, from threatening regional security, he said.

They need to challenge drugs and weapons smuggling. This will be seen as a positive step and will be reciprocated with a step from the international community, Momani added.
Leading up to the riot in which supporters of then-President Donald Trump attempted to storm the U.S. Capitol Building on Jan. 6, 2021, it had been clear to international and national intelligence and research institutions for years that right-wing extremism was on the rise in the country.

As far back as 2009, the Department of Homeland Security noted a cyclicality to the emergence of right-wing extremism, which was catalyzed in the 2000s by an economic downturn and the election of America's first Black president. And indeed, the Center for Strategic and International Studies found in 2020 that right-wing terrorism had surpassed terrorism spawned from other ideologies at an alarming rate.

The CSIS defines right-wing terrorism as "the use or threat of violence by sub-national or non-state entities whose goals may include racial, ethnic, or religious supremacy; opposition to government authority; and the end of practices like abortion."

Right-wing terrorism in the U.S. has found tragic, deadly, and racist expression in crimes such as the antisemitic mass shooting at the Tree of Life Congregation in Pittsburgh and the shooting that took the lives of nine Black worshippers at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. On the first day of the Biden administration in 2021, the White House officially listed domestic terrorism spawned from right-wing extremism as the main terrorist threat to the U.S.

As a singular event, the Jan. 6 riot was the culmination of years of political division and mounting activity and violence by right-wing extremists. To paint a picture of how widespread such activity has been across the U.S., Stacker investigated where the most Jan. 6 rioters were arrested using data from the Department of Justice.

An estimated 2,000 to 2,500 people entered the Capitol Building during the Jan. 6 riot. As of Feb. 16, 2023, the DOJ has charged 1,003 people in association with the riot, either for actions occurring that day or for having a connection to those who performed them. Of those, 518 have pleaded guilty, and 420 have been adjudicated and sentenced.

There are currently two states without any indicted Jan. 6 riotersNorth Dakota and Wyomingand there are 30 indicted people who have not been traced back to a particular state. The DOJ is still actively pursuing cases; full details on all current cases associated with the Capitol Siege are publicly available from a variety of sources.

States are ranked by the number of rioters arrested in that state; ties are broken by rioters per million state residents.

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The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a warning over the Marburg virus currently spreading in Africa

The bat-borne virus has a 90% fatality rate

Health officials worldwide are starting to raise concerns about the virus' behavior and the possibility of future pandemics

The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned amid the recent Marburg outbreak as the virus continues to spread in Africa.

There are currently two concurrent outbreaks of the Marburg virus, similar to the Ebola virus, that can kill as many as 90% of infected people. The situation raises crucial questions regarding the behavior of the bat-borne pathogen and global efforts to prepare for potential future pandemics.

Marburg Outbreak Spreading in Africa

Marburg is a hemorrhagic fever and is considered relatively rare, as only a handful of outbreaks have been reported since it was first identified in 1967. However, a steady increase in occurrences in Africa in the last few years is sounding the alarm for many health officials, as per the New York Times.

The infection is known to cause high fever, vomiting, diarrhea, and in the most severe cases, bleeding from orifices. Health officials warn that it can spread between people via direct contact with the blood or other bodily fluids of people who are already infected and with surfaces and materials, including clothing that these fluids have contaminated.

One of the two known outbreaks was in Tanzania, located in East Africa, and seems to have been controlled by local officials. This comes as there are only two people left who are still in quarantine.

However, in Equatorial Guinea on the west coast, the spread of the Marburg virus is still ongoing in the second area. Last week, the World Health Organization (WHO) said that the region was not transparent in reporting actual cases of the Marburg virus.

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CDC Warns of Traveling to Other Countries

The outbreak has already reached the coastal city and economic center of Bata, which is the home of roughly half a million people. Four cases have been discovered in the port city since last week. The situation raised the possibility of potential multi-country transmission, according to the World Socialist Web Site.

The Ministry of Health and Social Welfare of Equatorial Guinea announced in a social media update from last Wednesday that there had been 13 cases of infection in the region. Officials have also confirmed that there have been nine reported deaths related to the virus. Two people are hospitalized, and one has only shown mild symptoms.

Due to the recent spread, the CDC has deployed personnel to Africa to support the local government in fighting the outbreak. The health agency has also warned travelers going to certain countries to take necessary precautions as authorities are taking steps to curb infections and prevent the virus from spreading wildly to the United States, said CNN.

Related Article: Mysterious 2022 Hepatitis Outbreak

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One person was injured after their motorcycle and a vehicle collided Sunday morning near the Triangle Shopping Center, according to Longview Fire Battalion Chief Eric Koreis.

Longview fire crews first received a call at 11:57 a.m. regarding a collision in which a motorcycle allegedly struck a Toyota 4Runner on Ocean Beach Highway, with the first unit arriving at noon.

Koreis told The Daily News the motorcyclist was ejected from his bike and flung 45 feet onto the asphalt of the eastbound lane of Ocean Beach Highway.

The motorcyclist suffered leg and other unspecified injuries due to the crash and was transported to St. John Medical Center for medical attention.

The driver of the Toyota 4Runner did not suffer any injuries from the collision.

The motorcycle caught on fire after the crash and a Longview police officer extinguished the flames.
The Cowlitz 2 Fire & Rescue announced Tuesday morning the selection of Scott Goldstein as the departments new fire chief.

Goldstein, currently employed as the chief of Montgomery County Fire & Rescue Service in Gaithersburg, Maryland, has 32 years of experience in fire service and will start his new gig on July 17.

Goldsteins selection comes months after former chief Scott Neves left the position late last year. Until Goldsteins arrival, James Graham, who has served as interim fire chief since Neves stepped down, will remain at the helm.

I am honored by the great opportunity that the Board of Commissioners has given me to lead the team of the outstanding women and men of Cowlitz 2 Fire & Rescue, Goldstein said in a press release.

The Board of Commissioners for Cowlitz 2 Fire & Rescue held a meet-and-greet on March 20 and held formal interviews on March 21. Goldsteins employment contract will be formally approved during a Board of Commissioners meeting on April 12.

Goldstein beat out four candidates, which included Jerry Cole, Columbia River Fire & Rescue battalion chief and Rainier mayor.

According to the press release, Goldstein is leaving behind a position where he had to oversee 37 fire stations in Maryland.

Although Im retiring from a great organization, I have many more years of public service to give to our residents and am excited to be able to serve Cowlitz 2 Fire & Rescue and continue its history of great service to the community, he said in the press release.

Board Chairman Jeff Cameron said in the release that Goldstein previously worked with paid and volunteers firefighters and is familiar with the challenges that come with providing emergency services.

Scotts philosophy supports the districts long history of cost containment for our taxpayers and our high level of customer service to our citizens, he said. I expect a smooth and fairly seamless transition.
A Longview man is facing assault charges after he allegedly stabbed a man in the chest inside HOPE Village late Monday night. Both people reportedly lived inside the emergency housing for the homeless.

Roger Curiel, 43, of Longview, is currently booked at the Cowlitz County Jail for first-degree assault charges for stabbing 49-year-old Longview resident Willis Grimm in his chest, according to a police press release.

Police, fire and an EMT were dispatched at roughly 10:30 p.m. Monday night after receiving a report of a stabbing at the pallet home community located in the 1400 block of Alabama Street.

While waiting for first responders to arrive, residents at HOPE Village provided first aid to the suffering Grimm and police officers performed lifesaving measures once they arrived at the scene, as stated in the press release.

Grimm was transported to a nearby hospital, and his medical status is listed as being in very serious condition.

Witnesses reportedly told police Curiel fled from the scene immediately after the stabbing, causing a manhunt that involved both the Longview Police Department, the Cowlitz County Sheriffs Office, police dogs and an aerial drone.

Authorities, with help from police dogs, found Curiel hiding in a boat at a nearby vehicle storage yard.

Dan Steven of Dans Trans and Auto Repair, also on Alabama Street, told The Daily News he was contacted at 1 a.m. about the police activity and a person on his property. He said the vessel in which police found the suspect was his own personal boat. Stevens said the suspect has no affiliation with him or his business.

The Salvation Armys Major Philip Smith told The Daily News the two men involved in the incident were residents of HOPE Village.

When asked if the incident would change HOPE Villages security protocol, Smith said they are comfortable with their current security measures.

Smith said the suspect is banned from the village. Jail records show Curiels bail is set at $100,000.
A state employment analysis found Cowlitz County added more job openings in the last year, outpacing both Washington state and the U.S. as a whole, but the number of unemployed residents grew from last month.

The Washington State Employment Security Department released Cowlitz County job and unemployment data for the first two months of 2023, which showed a drop in construction and trade jobs but a leap in local government and hospitality.

The report paints a mixed portrait of Southwest Washingtons current job market: strides have been made compared to this time last year, but unemployment rates in Wahkiakum and Cowlitz counties continued to ascend in the last month.

Cowlitz Countys overall nonfarm employment  in terms of sheer numbers  is at its highest since 2000, but the percentage of people who are unemployed still exceeds what is seen statewide. Population growth could be a factor, as the report says Cowlitz County is one of the fastest-growing counties in the region.

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Cowlitz County education and health services added 300 more jobs in February, according to the analysis compiled by Southwest Washington Regional Economist Scott Bailey. Retail lost 100 jobs; trade, transportation and utilities went unchanged; manufacturing added 200 jobs.

The county has seen a 4.7% uplift in jobs from before the pandemic, outpacing the state and nearby metropolitan areas, the report says. Nationally, employment increased by 2%; Washington state saw a 3% jump; the Portland metro area grew by 0.9%.

When compared to this time last year, employment went up by 1,200 jobs or 2.9%. Still, the new jobs were not enough to quell growing unemployment rates, which rose from 6.5% in January to 7.3% in February.

The agency estimated 3,700 Cowlitz County residents are unemployed, a 27% increase from this time last year. Washington state as of February had a 5% unemployment rate, according to the employment department.

Cowlitz, Clark and Wahkiakum are the fastest-growing counties in Southwest Washington, the report says.

Wahkiakum County employment

New jobs came to Wahkiakum County in the last month, adding 30 jobs it lost in January. But unemployment overall has continued an upward trend, the report says, now at 8.8% compared to 7.4% February 2022.

The report says nonfarm employment rose from 810 to 840 last month. Jobs in construction, trade, transportation and utilities accounted for much of the progress, the report says. Manufacturing added 10 jobs; logging lost 10 compared to last year.

Wahkiakum saw 12% or 90 more jobs in the last year. Home health care, business services, restaurants all contributed to the jump. Compared to February 2020, a month before the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, jobs went up by 9.6% or 70. The growth was seen mostly in the services sector, the report says.
OLYMPIA  Legislation to help support the news media by exempting them from the state business and occupation tax passed the state Senate Friday.

"Local journalists play an essential role to inform the public, hold politicians and government accountable, and make our communities stronger," said Sen. Mark Mullet, D-Issaquah, sponsor of the bill. "That role is particularly important at the local level, where incredibly important decisions are made that CNN or Fox News will never cover. We need to make sure our small local newspapers can stay afloat and keep serving the public, and this bill will help."

Senate Bill 5199, by request of the Attorney General, was prefiled on Jan. 6 and referred to the Senate Committee on Business, Financial Services, Gaming and Trade on Jan. 9. A public hearing was held on Jan. 12 before it passed committee and was passed to Ways and Means. After passing Ways and Means as well as the Rules Committee, it finally passed the Senate floor on March 31, 47-1. Sen. Phil Fortunato, R-Auburn, was the only legislator to vote nay and Sen. Yasmin Trudeau, D-Tacoma, was excused.

A release by Washington State Senate Democrats stated that newspapers currently pay a lower business and occupation tax rate than most businesses, but that preferential tax rate expires in July of 2024. SB 5199 fully eliminates the business and occupation tax for newspaper publishers and printers and also eliminates the tax for digital and online news outlets if they had a printed publication as recently as Jan. 1, 2008.

"I've seen local newspapers and media in my district struggle over the past decade, and too many have already had to shut down," Mullet said.

Between 2005 and 2020, Washington state newspapers lost 67% of newsroom employees, according to a report from the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, the release stated.

The bill now goes to the Washington House of Representatives for consideration.
Celebal Technologies has announced its plans to expand operations in Canada and to invest $10 million over the next five years in the country. The move is a part of the companys strategy to expand its global footprint and strengthen its position as a trusted provider of cutting-edge enterprise business solutions in AI, Big Data, Data Science, and Enterprise Cloud utilising Microsoft and Databricks technology platforms.

Starting with Toronto and Calgary, Celebal plans to create centres of excellence which will be staffed by a team of skilled IT professionals who will work closely with clients to understand their needs and provide customised solutions to meet their specific requirements.

Speaking about the investment, Anupam Gupta, Co-Founder and President of Celebal Technologies said, We are thrilled to be expanding our operations in Canada. This investment will allow us to build on our success in India and deliver high-end technology solutions to clients in Canada and beyond. We are confident that our expertise in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and other advanced technologies will be a valuable asset to clients in the country.

Anirudh Kala, Co-Founder, and CEO of Celebal Technologies, said, Celebal Technologies investment in Canada is a significant step forward for the company and the Indian IT industry as a whole. We are driving continuous innovation in digital transformation journeys across various industries such as Financial Services, Energy, CPG, Retail, and newer domains like Sustainability. To build momentum, Celebal Tech needs support from the Canadian Government in visa processing, initiation into government programs for tech companies and connecting with universities.

The investment is expected to benefit India in several ways. It will help create job opportunities for skilled IT professionals in the country, which will further contribute to growth of the Indian IT industry.

It will also strengthen the relationship between India and Canada. Canada has been a key partner for India in various domains, including trade, investment, and education. The investment by Celebal Technologies will help deepen this relationship and provide new opportunities for collaboration between the two countries.
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The development of artificial intelligence (AI) is out of control, in the opinion of approximately 3,000 signatories of an open letter published by business leaders and scientists.

The signatories call for a temporary halt to training especially high-performance AI systems. Prof. Urs Gasser, expert on the governance of digital technologies, examines the important questions from which the letter deflects attention, talks about why an "AI technical inspection agency" would make good sense and looks at how far the EU has come compared to the U.S. in terms of regulation.

Artificial intelligence systems capable of competing with human intelligence may entail grave risks for society and humanity, say the authors of the open letter. Therefore, they continue, for at least six months no further development should be conducted on technologies which are more powerful than the recently introduced GPT-4, successor to the language model ChatGPT.

The authors call for the introduction of safety rules in collaboration with independent experts. If AI laboratories fail to implement a development pause voluntarily, governments should legally mandate the pause, says the signatories.

Professor Gasser, do you support the emergency measures called for in the letter?

Unfortunately the open letter absorbs a lot of attention which would be better devoted to other questions in the AI debate. It is correct to say that today probably nobody knows how to train extremely powerful AI systems in such a way that they will always be reliable, helpful, honest and harmless.

Nonetheless, a pause in AI training will not help achieve this, primarily because it would be impossible to assert such a moratorium on a global level, and because it would not be possible to implement the regulations called for within period of only six months. I'm convinced that what's necessary is a stepwise further development of technologies in parallel to the application and adaptation of control mechanisms.

What issues should preferably be receiving the attention instead of a moratorium?

First of all, the open letter once again summons up the specter of what is referred to as an artificial general intelligence. That deflects attention from a balanced discussion of the risks and opportunities represented by the kind of technologies currently entering the market. Second, the paper refers to future successor models of GPT-4.

This draws attention away from the fact that GPT-4's predecessor, ChatGPT, already presents us with essential challenges that we urgently need to addressfor example misinformation and prejudices which the machines replicate and scale. And third, the spectacular demands made in the letter distract us from the fact that we already have instruments now which we could use to regulate the development and use of AI.

What would such regulations be oriented towards, what instruments do we have?

Recent years have seen the intensive development of ethical principles which should guide the development and application of AI. These have been supplemented in important areas by technical standards and best practices. Specifically, the OECD Principles on Artificial Intelligence link ethical principles with more than 400 concrete tools.

And the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has issued a 70-page guideline on how distortions in AI systems can be detected and handled. In the area of security in major AI models, we're seeing new methods like constitutional AI, in which an AI system "learns" principles of good conduct from humans and can then use the results to monitor another AI application. Substantial progress has been made in terms of security, transparency and data protection and there are even specialized inspection companies.

Now the essential question is whether or not to use such instruments, and if so how. Returning to the example of ChatGPT: Will the chat logs of the users be included in the model for iterative training? Are plug-ins allowed which can record user interactions, contacts and other personal data? The interim ban and the initiation of an investigation of the developers of ChatGPT by the Italian data protection authorities are signs that very much is still unclear here.

The open letter demands that no further development of AI systems should take place until one can be confident that the AI systems will have positive effects and their risks are manageable. At what point in development would it be possible to predict the impacts of an AI system so well that this kind of regulation would make sense?

The history of technology has taught us that it is difficult to predict the "good" or "bad" use of technologies, even that technologies often entail both aspects and negative impacts can often be unintentional. Instead of fixating on a certain point in a forecast, we have to do two things: First, we have to ask ourselves which applications we as a society do not want, even if they were possible. We need clear red lines and prohibitions.

Here I'm thinking of autonomous weapons systems as an example. Second, we need comprehensive risk management, spanning the range from development all the way to use. The demands placed here increase as the magnitude of the potential risks to people and the environment posed by a given application grow. European legislature is correct in taking this approach.

According to the proposal, independent experts should assess the risks of AI.

This kind of independent inspection is a very important instrument, especially when it comes to applications that can have a considerable impact on human beings. And by the way, this is not a new idea: we already see inspection procedures and instances like these at work in the wide variety of aspects of life, ranging from automobile inspections to general technical equipment inspections and financial auditing.

However, the challenge is disproportionally greater with certain AI methods and applications, because certain systems develop themselves as they are used, i.e. they are dynamic in nature. And it's also important to see that experts alone won't be able to make a good assessment of all societal impacts. We also need innovative mechanisms which for example include disadvantaged people and underrepresented groups in the discussion on the consequences of AI. This is no easy job, one I wish was attracting more attention.

The authors also address the political sector. Politics would be responsible for anchoring such an 'AI technical inspection agency' in the system.

We do indeed need clear legal rules for artificial intelligence. At the EU level, an act on AI is currently being finalized which is intended to ensure that AI technologies are safe and comply with fundamental rights. The draft bill provides for the classification of AI technologies according to the threat they pose to these principles, with the possible consequence of prohibition or transparency obligations.

For example, plans include prohibiting evaluation of private individuals in terms of their social behavior, as we are currently seeing in China. In the U.S. the political process in this field is blocked in Congress. It would be helpful if the prominent figures who wrote the letter would put pressure on US federal legislators to take action instead of calling for a temporary discontinuation of technological development.
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A sign up page for the application TikTok is shown on a cell phone in front of a screen with logos for the company in Sydney, Tuesday, April 4, 2023. Australia had become the last of the Five Eyes security partners to ban the Chinese-owned TikTok ap from government devices. Credit: AP Photo/Rick Rycroft

Australia has become the last of the "Five Eyes" security partners to ban the Chinese-owned video-sharing app TikTok from its federal government's devices.

Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said in a statement Tuesday that based on intelligence and security agencies' advice, that ban would come into effect "as soon as practicable."

The so-called Five Eyes intelligence-sharing partnersthe United States, Canada, Britain and New Zealandhave taken similar steps.

TikTok objected to the decision.

"We are extremely disappointed by this decision, which, in our view, is driven by politics, not by fact," the company's general manager for Australia, Lee Hunter, said in a statement. "Again, we stress that there is no evidence to suggest that TikTok is in any way a security risk to Australians and should not be treated differently to other social media platforms."

He urged the Australian government to treat all businesses fairly, "regardless of country of origin."

Western governments are worried that TikTok poses risks to cybersecurity and data privacy, and that the app could be used to promote pro-Beijing narratives and misinformation.

TikTok is owned by the Chinese technology company Bytedance and has long maintained that it does not share data with the Chinese government. It is carrying out a project to store U.S. user data on Oracle servers, which it says will put the information out of China's reach.

The company has disputed accusations it collects more user data than other social media companies, and insists that it is run independently by its own management.

The European Parliament, European Commission and the EU Council, the 27-member bloc's three main institutions, have also imposed bans on TikTok on staff devices. Under the European Parliament's ban, which took effect last month, lawmakers and staff were also advised to remove the TikTok app from their personal devices.

India imposed a nationwide ban on TikTok and dozens of other Chinese apps, including the messaging app WeChat, in 2020 over privacy and security concerns. The ban came shortly after a clash between Indian and Chinese troops at a disputed Himalayan border killed 20 Indian soldiers and injured dozens.

In early March, the U.S. gave government agencies 30 days to delete TikTok from federal devices and systems. The ban applies only to government devices, though some U.S. lawmakers are advocating an outright ban.

China has lashed out at the U.S. for banning TikTok, saying it is an abuse of state power and is suppressing companies from other countries.

More than half of the 50 U.S. states also have banned the app from official devices, as have Congress and the U.S. armed forces.

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Visitors wearing masks look at the ARM-structure server processor Yitian 710, developed by Alibaba's in-house semiconductor unit T-Head, at the Apsara Conference, an annual cloud service technology forum hosted by Alibaba Group, in Hangzhou in east China's Zhejiang province on Oct. 19, 2021. Furious at U.S. efforts that cut off access to technology to make advanced computer chips, China's leaders appear to be struggling to figure out how to retaliate without hurting their own ambitions in telecoms, artificial intelligence and other industries. Credit: Chinatopix via AP, File

Furious at U.S. efforts that cut off access to technology to make advanced computer chips, China's leaders appear to be struggling to figure out how to retaliate without hurting their own ambitions in telecoms, artificial intelligence and other industries.

President Xi Jinping's government sees the chips that are used in everything from phones to kitchen appliances to fighter jets as crucial assets in its strategic rivalry with Washington and efforts to gain wealth and global influence. Chips are the center of a "technology war," a Chinese scientist wrote in an official journal in February.

China has its own chip foundries, but they supply only low-end processors used in autos and appliances. The U.S. government, starting under then-President Donald Trump, is cutting off access to a growing array of tools to make chips for computer servers, AI and other advanced applications. Japan and the Netherlands have joined in limiting access to technology they say might be used to make weapons.

Xi, in unusually pointed language, accused Washington in March of trying to block China's development with a campaign of "containment and suppression." He called on the public to "dare to fight."

Despite that, Beijing has been slow to retaliate against U.S. companies, possibly to avoid disrupting Chinese industries that assemble most of the world's smartphones, tablet computers and other consumer electronics. They import more than $300 billion worth of foreign chips every year.

The ruling Communist Party is throwing billions of dollars at trying to accelerate chip development and reduce the need for foreign technology.

China's loudest complaint: It is blocked from buying a machine available only from a Dutch company, ASML, that uses ultraviolet light to etch circuits into silicon chips on a scale measured in nanometers, or billionths of a meter. Without that, Chinese efforts to make transistors faster and more efficient by packing them more closely together on fingernail-size slivers of silicon are stalled.

Making processor chips requires some 1,500 steps and technologies owned by U.S., European, Japanese and other suppliers.

"China won't swallow everything. If damage occurs, we must take action to protect ourselves," the Chinese ambassador to the Netherlands, Tan Jian, told the Dutch newspaper Financieele Dagblad.

A Chinese microchip is seen through a microscope set up at the booth for the state-controlled Tsinghua Unigroup project which is driving China's semiconductor ambitions during the 21st China Beijing International High-tech Expo in Beijing, China, on May 17, 2018. Furious at U.S. efforts that cut off access to technology to make advanced computer chips, China's leaders appear to be struggling to figure out how to retaliate without hurting their own ambitions in telecoms, artificial intelligence and other industries. Credit: AP Photo/Ng Han Guan, File

"I'm not going to speculate on what that might be," Tan said. "It won't just be harsh words."

The conflict has prompted warnings the world might decouple, or split into separate spheres with incompatible technology standards that mean computers, smartphones and other products from one region wouldn't work in others. That would raise costs and might slow innovation.

"The bifurcation in technological and economic systems is deepening," Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong of Singapore said at an economic forum in China last month. "This will impose a huge economic cost."

U.S.-Chinese relations are at their lowest level in decades due to disputes over security, Beijing's treatment of Hong Kong and Muslim ethnic minorities, territorial disputes and China's multibillion-dollar trade surpluses.

Chinese industries will "hit a wall" in 2025 or 2026 if they can't get next generation chips or the tools to make their own, said Handel Jones, a tech industry consultant.

China "will start falling behind significantly," said Jones, CEO of International Business Strategies.

Beijing might have leverage, though, as the biggest source of batteries for electric vehicles, Jones said.

Chinese battery giant CATL supplies U.S. and Europe automakers. Ford Motor Co. plans to use CATL technology in a $3.5 billion battery factory in Michigan.

"China will strike back," Jones said. "What the public might see is China not giving the U.S. batteries for EVs."

The flags of the U.S. and Chinese are displayed together on top of a trishaw in Beijing on Sept. 16, 2018. Furious at U.S. efforts that cut off access to technology to make advanced computer chips, Chinas leaders appear to be struggling to figure out how to retaliate without hurting their own ambitions in telecoms, artificial intelligence and other industries. Credit: AP Photo/Andy Wong, File

On Friday, Japan increased pressure on Beijing by joining Washington in imposing controls on exports of chipmaking equipment. The announcement didn't mention China, but the trade minister said Tokyo doesn't want its technology used for military purposes.

A Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman, Mao Ning, warned Japan that "weaponizing sci-tech and trade issues" would "hurt others as well as oneself."

Hours later, the Chinese government announced an investigation of the biggest U.S. memory chip maker, Micron Technology Inc., a key supplier to Chinese factories. The Cyberspace Administration of China said it would look for national security threats in Micron's technology and manufacturing but gave no details.

The Chinese military also needs semiconductors for its development of stealth fighter jets, cruise missiles and other weapons.

Chinese alarm grew after President Joe Biden in October expanded controls imposed by Trump on chip manufacturing technology. Biden also barred Americans from helping Chinese manufacturers with some processes.

To nurture Chinese suppliers, Xi's government is stepping up support that industry experts say already amounts to as much as $30 billion a year in research grants and other subsidies.

China's biggest maker of memory chips, Yangtze Memory Technologies Corp., or YMTC, received a 49 billion yuan ($7 billion) infusion this year from two official funds, according to Tianyancha, a financial information provider.

One was the government's main investment vehicle, the China National Integrated Circuit Industry Investment Fund, known as the Big Fund. It was founded in 2014 with 139 billion yuan ($21 billion) and has invested in hundreds of companies.

The Big Fund launched a second entity, known as the Big Fund II, in 2019 with 200 billion yuan ($30 billion).

A worker wipes a Rising F7 car model at a floor section selling various Chinese-made electric car brands inside a shopping mall in Beijing, Tuesday, April 4, 2023. Furious at U.S. efforts that cut off access to technology to make advanced computer chips, China's leaders appear to be struggling to figure out how to retaliate without hurting their own ambitions in telecoms, artificial intelligence and other industries. Credit: AP Photo/Andy Wong

In January, chip manufacturer Hua Hong Semiconductor said Big Fund II would contribute 1.2 billion yuan ($175 million) for a planned 6.7 billion yuan ($975 million) wafer fabrication facility in eastern China's Wuxi.

In March, the Cabinet promised tax breaks and other support for the industry. It gave no price tag. The government also has set up "integrated circuit talent training bases" at 23 universities and six at other schools.

"Semiconductors are the 'main battlefield' of the current China-U.S. technology war," Junwei Luo, a scientist at the official Institute of Semiconductors, wrote in the February issue of the journal of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Luo called for "self-reliance and self-improvement in semiconductors."

The scale of spending required is huge. The global industry leader, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp., or TSMC, is in the third year of a three-year, $100 billion plan to expand research and production.

Developers including Huawei Technologies Ltd. and VeriSilicon Holdings Co. can design logic chips for smartphones as powerful as those from Intel Corp., Apple Inc., South Korea's Samsung Electronics Co. or Britain's Arm Ltd., according to industry researchers. But they cannot be manufactured without the precision technology of TSMC and other foreign foundries.

Trump in 2019 crippled Huawei's smartphone brand by blocking it from buying U.S. chips or other technology. American officials say Huawei, China's first global tech brand, might facilitate Chinese spying, an accusation the company denies. In 2020, the White House tightened controls, blocking TSMC and others from using U.S. technology to produce chips for Huawei.

Washington threw up new hurdles for Chinese chip designers in August by imposing restrictions on software known as EDA, or electronic design automation, along with European, Asian and other governments to limit the spread of "dual use" technologies that might be used to make weapons.

In December, Biden added YMTC, the memory chip maker, and some other Chinese companies to a blacklist that limits access to chips made anywhere using U.S. tools or processes.

China's foundries can etch circuits as small as 28 nanometers apart. By contrast, TSMC and other global competitors can etch circuits just three nanometers apart, ten times the Chinese industry's precision. They are moving toward two nanometers.

A Rising F7 car model is on display at a floor section selling various Chinese-made electric car brands inside a shopping mall in Beijing, Tuesday, April 4, 2023. Furious at U.S. efforts that cut off access to technology to make advanced computer chips, China's leaders appear to be struggling to figure out how to retaliate without hurting their own ambitions in telecoms, artificial intelligence and other industries. Credit: AP Photo/Andy Wong

To make the latest chips, "you need EUV (extreme ultraviolet lithography) tools, a very complicated process recipe and not just a couple of billion dollars but tens and tens of billions of dollars," said Peter Hanbury, who follows the industry for Bain & Co.

"They're not going to be able to produce competitive server, PC and smartphone chips," Hanbury said. "You have to go to TSMC to do that."

China's ruling party is trying to develop its own tool vendors, but researchers say it is far behind a global network spread across dozens of countries.

Huawei said in a video on its website in December it was working on EUV technology. But creating a machine comparable to ASML's might cost $5 billion and require a decade of research, according to industry experts. Huawei didn't respond to a request for comment.

The day when China can supply its own EUV machine is "very far away," said Hanbury.

 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Chinese FM meets director general of IOM in Beijing

Xinhua) 13:26, April 04, 2023

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang meets with Antonio Vitorino, director general of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), in Beijing, capital of China, April 3, 2023. (Xinhua/Liu Bin)

BEIJING, April 3 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang met on Monday with Antonio Vitorino, Director General of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Beijing, calling for further strengthened cooperation in the future.

Qin spoke highly of Vitorino's work since he took office, saying that it is imperative to improve global migration governance.

The international community should protect the legitimate rights and interests of migrants, uphold the vision of a community with a shared future for humanity, view migrants in a more open, inclusive and just manner, and oppose incitement to racial discrimination and hatred.

Qin said the international community should uphold multilateral cooperation, strengthen dialogue and consultation, support migration organizations in playing a leading role in global migration governance, implement the Global Compact for Migration, and promote safe, orderly and normal flows of migrants.

He said China appreciates IOM's support for the Belt and Road Initiative and the Global Development Initiative, welcomes its active participation in the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative, and will make greater contributions to the development of the global migration cause.

Vitorino said he appreciates China's positive role in global migration governance, saying that the IOM opposes racial discrimination, adheres to multilateralism and supports the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative.

Vitorino also said the IOM is willing to strengthen cooperation with China, implement the Global Compact for Migration, promote South-South cooperation and make joint efforts to realize the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Malaysian parliament votes to remove the mandatory death penalty for serious crimes

Lawmakers argued that capital punishment was not an effective deterrence to crime

The decision would remove the mandatory death penalty for 11 serious offenses, including murder and terrorism

The Malaysian parliament voted to end the country's mandatory death penalty for serious crimes as some lawmakers argued that capital punishment is not an effective crime deterrent.

The latest decision could potentially spare more than 1,300 prisoners on death row. Malaysia had a moratorium on executions since 2018, before the Monday vote where lawmakers unanimously supported removing the death penalty as the mandatory sentence for 11 serious crimes.

Malaysia Votes to Remove Mandatory Death Penalty

Despite the decision, judges in the country will retain the discretion to impose capital punishment in certain cases where they deem it necessary. But the courts will now instead hand down life imprisonment sentences of up to 40 years or corporal punishment, including caning.

While the reforms would still need to clear the country's upper house, it is widely expected to pass. On Monday, Malaysia's deputy law minister said that capital punishment was an irreversible and ineffective act, as per BBC.

Ramkarpal Singh said that the death penalty in Malaysia has not brought out the results it was designed to bring. Currently, 34 criminal offenses are punishable by death in the country.

Once enacted, the new laws will be applied retrospectively, which means that the people on death row gain 90 days to seek a review of their capital punishments. Amnesty International's assessment found that 60% of people on death row received mandatory death penalty sentences.

Last June, the legislative process of overturning Malaysia's death penalty began when the former government under Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said they planned to abolish capital punishment from being mandatory.

In a statement, Human Rights Watch Deputy Asia director Phil Robertson said that the Monday vote was a crucial step forward for Malaysia. He added that he hoped the new laws would pressure other Southeast Asian countries to follow suit, according to the Manila Times.

Read Also: Former Taiwanese President Visits China

A Start for Other ASEAN Nations

He added that the "important breakthrough" would result in serious conversations in the halls of upcoming ASEAN meetings. Robertson added that the Asian country should work on highlighting regional leadership by encouraging other ASEAN governments to reconsider the continued implementation of the death penalty.

This includes Singapore, which has recently conducted a post-COVID execution spree, he said. Last year, the prosperous city-state ordered 11 people to be hung over drug offenses. On the other hand, Myanmar's military junta also resumed using capital punishment after a decades-long pause.

The executive coordinator at the Anti-Death Penalty Asia Network, Dobby Chew, said that the passage of the amendments is a good first step towards the complete abolishment of capital punishment. He added that, for the most part, it means that Malaysia is on the right track, noting that the reform is a "long time coming."

Chew also said that we should not deny that the state was killing someone and whether or not the state should have such authority. He argued that abolishing mandatory punishment was something to reflect on, said Reuters.

Related Article: Russia Issues Border Warning After Finland Joins NATO

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Specific flow chart of (a) gas-hydrogen, (b) liquid-hydrogen, and (c) pipeline transportation processes. Credit: Journal of Renewable and Sustainable Energy (2023). DOI: 10.1063/5.0141098

A collaboration between University of Wyoming researchers and a wind energy company has provided new insights into the use of high-performance computing to predict wind resources.

A team led by Michael Stoellinger, an associate professor in UW's Department of Mechanical and Energy Systems Engineering and co-director of the Wind Energy Research Center, compared sophisticated computer simulations of wind flow with data recorded at the Power Company of Wyoming's Sierra Madre wind farm site near Rawlins. The research was selected as a featured article in the Journal of Renewable and Sustainable Energy.

The researchers concluded that their predictive simulationsconducted on the National Center for Atmospheric Research-Wyoming Supercomputing Center near Cheyenne, as well as on UW's Advanced Research Computing Centerwere quite accurate when compared with actual data recordings of wind speeds and duration at the site near Rawlins. Such modeling helps with the siting of wind energy projects.

The study was a test of a microscale modeling approach called large eddy simulation (LES), which requires extensive use of supercomputers. While the computations for the study took place over a number of days, the researchers say advancements in supercomputing capacity soon will allow the calculations to be done in a matter of hours.

"This, in turn, might make LES a standard tool in the near future for evaluating the detailed wind resource within complex terrain and for wind farm layout design studies," the researchers wrote.

Stoellinger expresses appreciation to the Power Company of Wyoming for sharing the data from its wind energy development site. Also involved in the study were former UW Ph.D. student Yi Han and some of his colleagues from China's wind power company.

More information: Miao Li et al, Economic assessment and comparative analysis of hydrogen transportation with various technical processes, Journal of Renewable and Sustainable Energy (2023). DOI: 10.1063/5.0141098 Journal information: Journal of Renewable and Sustainable Energy
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A group of prominent computer scientists and other tech industry notables are calling for a six-month pause on artificial intelligence technology. Credit: Shutterstock

A recent open letter by computer scientists and tech industry leaders calling for a six-month ban on artificial intelligence development has received widespread attention online. Even Canada's Innovation Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne has responded to the letter on Twitter.

The letter, published by the non-profit Future of Life Institute, has asked for all AI labs to stop training AI systems more powerful than GPT-4, the model behind ChatGPT. The letter argues that AI has been "locked in an out-of-control race to develop and deploy ever more powerful digital minds that no onenot even their creatorscan understand, predict, or reliably control."

The letter assumes AI is becoming, or could become, "powerful digital minds"a longtermist interpretation of AI's development that ignores important debates about AI today in lieu of future concerns.

Longtermism and AI

Longtermism is the belief that artificial intelligence poses long-term or existential risks to humanity's future by becoming an out-of-control superintelligence.

Worries about superintelligent AIs are usually the stuff of science fiction. AI fantasies are one of many fears in Silicon Valley that can lead to dark prophecies. But like the Torment Nexus meme, these worries translate into major investment not caution. Most major technology firms have cut their responsible AI teams.

ChatGPT is obviously not a path to superintelligence. The open letter sees AI language technology like ChatGPT as a cognitive breakthroughsomething that allows an AI to compete with humans at general tasks. But that's only one opinion.

There are many others that see ChatGPT, its GPT-4 model and other language learning models as "stochastic parrots" that merely repeat what they learn online so they appear intelligent to humans.

Superintelligence's blind spots

Longtermism has direct policy implications that prioritize superintelligence over more pressing matter such as AI's power imbalances. Some proponents of longtermism even consider regulation to stop superintelligence more urgent than addressing the climate emergency.

AI policy implications are immediate, not far off matters. Because GPT-4 is trained on the entire internet and has expressly commercial ends, it raises questions about fair dealing and fair use.

We still don't know if AI-generated texts and images are copyrightable in the first place, since machines and animals cannot hold copyright.

And when it comes to privacy matters, ChatGPT's approach is hard to distinguish from another AI application, Clearview AI. Both AI models were trained using massive amounts of personal information collected on the open internet. Italy's data-protection authority has just banned ChatGPT over privacy concerns.

These immediate risks are left unmentioned in the open letter, which swings between wild philosophy and technical solutions, ignoring the issues that are right in front of us.

Drowning out pragmatism

The letter follows an old dynamic that my co-author and I identify in a forthcoming peer-reviewed chapter about AI governance. There is a tendency to view AI as either an existential risk or something mundane and technical.

The tension between these two extremes is on display in the open letter. The letter begins by claiming "advanced AI could represent a profound change in the history of life on Earth" before calling for "robust public funding for technical AI safety research." The latter suggests the social harms of AI are merely technical projects to be solved.

The focus on these two extremes crowds out important voices trying to pragmatically discuss the immediate risks of AI mentioned above as well as labor issues and more.

The attention being given to the open letter is especially problematic in Canada because two other letters, written by artists and civil liberties organizations, have not received the same amount of attention. These letters call for reforms and a more robust approach to AI governance to protect those being affected by it.

An unneeded distraction toward AI legislation

Government responses to the open letter have stressed that Canada does have legislationthe Artificial Intelligence and Data Act (AIDA). The longterm risks of AI are being used to rush legislation now like AIDA.

AIDA is an important step toward a proper AI governance regime, but it needs to better consult with those affected by AI before being implemented. It cannot be rushed to respond to perceived longterm fears.

The letter's calls to rush AI legislation might end up advantaging the same few firms driving AI research today. Without time to consult, enhance public literacy and listen to those being affected by AI, AIDA risks passing on AI's accountability and auditing to institutions already well positioned to benefit from the technology, creating a market for a new AI auditing industry.

Humanity's fate might not be on the line, but AI's good governance certainly is.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Recent revelations about the close partnership between the Kremlin and NTC Vulkan, a Russian cybersecurity consultancy with links to the military, provide some rare insights into how the Putin regime weaponizes cyberspace.

More than 5,000 documents have been leaked by an anonymous whistleblower, angry at Russia's conduct in the war in Ukraine. They purport to reveal details about hacking tools to seize control of vulnerable servers; domestic and international disinformation campaigns; and ways to digitally monitor potential threats to the regime.

Although caution is always necessary before accepting claims about cyber capabilities, it's noteworthy several Western intelligence agencies have confirmed the documents appear genuine.

The leak also corroborates the view of many strategists: that the Russian government regards offensive cyber capabilities as part of a holistic effort to degrade its enemies. This includes the sowing of mistrust via social media, the gathering of kompromat (compromising material), and the ability to target crucial infrastructure.

That list of enemies is a long one, and has grown since Putin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Naturally, the Kremlin's just-released 2023 Foreign Policy Concept identifies the United States as the "main source of threats" to Russian security.

But Ukraine, every NATO and European Union member, and several other states are identified as "unfriendly countries", including Australia, Japan, Singapore and New Zealand.

War in the shadows

Russia utilizes a range of methods to wage war in cyberspace.

On one end of the spectrum, it uses groups attached to official agencies, such as the GRU (military intelligence) and the FSB (ostensibly domestic intelligence, but also carries out missions overseas).

The GRU's groups include Sandworm and Fancy Bear. Another group, Cozy Bear, is associated with the FSB.

One or more of these groups have been responsible for a series of prominent cyber attacks on a range of targets, including:

At the other end of the spectrum, Russian information operations regularly use armies of bots and trolls, as well as unsuspecting "citizen curators", to spread false narratives.

Doing so is cheap and increases the distance between the attacker and its agents, allowing for plausible deniability.

Like biological warfare, it also weaponises the targets to do the job of spreading the narrative disease for it.

Russian information campaigns operate globally, among nations it considers its friends as well as its adversaries. Russian-weaponised media can be found in Africa, where the Russian Wagner paramilitary organization has been especially active, as well as in South Asia and Australia.

In many respects, Russian information operations mimic Soviet geopolitical doctrine during the Cold War. This focused on courting areas of the world where the West was weakest.

But in the gray space between official agencies, useful idiots and unwitting proxies is an area of increasing emphasis of Russian cyberwar: outsourcing. Some of these, such as Vulkan, retain an aura of respectability as consultancies that do government work as well as contracting to other firms.

They also include the Internet Research Agency in St Petersburg, which was used to coordinate social media attacks on the US Democratic Party during the 2018 mid-term elections, leading to an indictment by the Department of Justice.

Others are organized criminal gangs, like the aptly named "EvilCorp," that use malware to harvest people's banking details or personal information.

The November 2022 breach of Australia's private health insurer Medibank was one example, which exposed patients' sensitive health details such as treatments for drug addiction or HIV.

The Vulkan revelations

The Vulkan leak adds more detail to what we know about Russian methods, tactics and targets in cyberspace. The GRU group Sandworm is identified as having authorized Vulkan to help build "Skan-V," a piece of software that can monitor the internet to detect vulnerable servers to hack.

Another Vulkan project, known as "Fraction," was designed to monitor social media sites for key words to identify regime opponents, both at home and abroad.

An even larger project in which Vulkan seems to have been engaged was "Amezit." This is a tool that would enable operators to seize control of the internet both inside Russia and in other nations, and hijack information flows.

To function, its users need to be able to control physical infrastructure such as mobile phone towers and wireless internet nodes. Amezit can then be used to mimic legitimate sites and social media profiles, scrub content that might be deemed hostile, and replace it with disinformation.

Given the requirement to possess physical infrastructure, it's clear Azemit was designed not solely as a piece of software, but to operate in tandem with the coercive instruments of a state.

This has internal uses as well as external ones. Domestically, it could be used to silence dissent in restive Russian regions. In a war zone, such as Ukraine, it could be used alongside Russia's armed forces to intercept government communications and swap genuine information sources for false ones.

The Vulkan leak also included information on physical objects. Although not a concise target list, its software allowed users to map physical infrastructure. This included airports worldwide, the Swiss Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Muhlberg nuclear power plant near Bern.

What's more, the document drop featured mapped clusters of internet servers in the United States. And the Skan-V project identified a site in the US labeled "Fairfield" as a potentially vulnerable point of entry.

If the documents are accurate, Vulkan's work for the Russian government shows how extensive the Kremlin's attempts have been to monitor digital infrastructure, collect information about vulnerabilities, and develop the capacity to hijack it.

Combating Russian cyber attacks

Cyber threats are insidious because they can be used in multiple combinations and aimed at different targets. Hack-and-leak campaigns against influential figures can be mixed with attempts to sabotage vital infrastructure, perform corporate espionage, undermine social cohesion and trust, and push fringe narratives to the political center.

They can be drip-fed into the digital ecosystem. Or, much like the campaign that accompanied Russia's takeover of Crimea in 2014, they can be employed all at once in a cyber-blizzard.

This makes cyber attacks very hard to build resilience against, and even harder to deter. They are a weapon of potentially mass disruption that can result in real casualties. Turning off the power grid in a city, for example, can lead to deaths among people on life support in hospitals, traffic accidents, and exposure to extreme cold in certain regions.

But beyond infrastructure and industry, such attacks also target social pressure points: a states' institutions, ideas and people. This makes them especially useful in attacking democracies, making the open and free exchange of views a potential vulnerability.

As the Vulkan leaks demonstrate, hostile governments have greater ambitions in cyberspace than being able to switch off the lights. They seek to be able to encourage us to question what we believe to be true, and pit us against one another.

Recognizing that will be a crucial step in preventing the poisonous seeds of disinformation from taking root.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:

A view of the TikTok app logo, in Tokyo, Sept. 28, 2020.Britains privacy watchdog has hit TikTok with a multimillion-dollar penalty for a slew of data protection breaches including misusing childrens data. The Information Commissioners Office said Tuesday, April 4, 2023, that it issued a $15.9 milllion fine to the the short-video sharing app, which is wildly popular with young people. Credit: AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato, File

Britain's privacy watchdog hit TikTok with a multimillion-dollar penalty Tuesday for misusing children's data and violating other protections for young users' personal information.

The Information Commissioner's Office said it issued a fine of 12.7 million pounds ($15.9 million) to the short-video sharing app, which is wildly popular with young people.

It's the latest example of tighter scrutiny that TikTok and its parent, Chinese technology company ByteDance, are facing in the West, where governments are increasingly concerned about risks that the app poses to data privacy and cybersecurity.

The British watchdog, which was investigating data breaches between May 2018 and July 2020, said TikTok allowed as many as 1.4 million children in the U.K. under 13 to use the app in 2020, despite the platform's own rules prohibiting children that young from setting up accounts.

TikTok didn't adequately identify and remove children under 13 from the platform, the watchdog said. And even though it knew younger children were using the app, TikTok failed to get consent from their parents to process their data, as required by Britain's data protection laws, the agency said.

"There are laws in place to make sure our children are as safe in the digital world as they are in the physical world. TikTok did not abide by those laws," Information Commissioner John Edwards said in a press release.

TikTok collected and used personal data of children who were inappropriately given access to the app, he said.

"That means that their data may have been used to track them and profile them, potentially delivering harmful, inappropriate content at their very next scroll," Edwards said.

The company said it disagreed with the watchdog's decision.

"We invest heavily to help keep under 13s off the platform and our 40,000-strong safety team works around the clock to help keep the platform safe for our community," TikTok said in statement. "We will continue to review the decision and are considering next steps."

TIkTok says it has improved its sign-up system since the breaches happened by no longer allowing users to simply declare they are old enough and looking for other signs that an account is used by someone under 13.

The penalty also covered other breaches of U.K. data privacy law.

The watchdog said TikTok failed to properly inform people about how their data is collected, used and shared in an easily understandable way. Without this information, it's unlikely that young users would be able "to make informed choices" about whether and how to use TikTok, it said.

TikTok also failed to ensure personal data of British users was processed lawfully, fairly and transparently, the regulator said.

TikTok initially faced a 27 million-pound fine, which was reduced after the company persuaded regulators to drop other charges.

U.S. regulators in 2019 fined TikTok, previously known as Musical.ly, $5.7 million in a case that involved similar allegations of unlawful collection of children's personal information.

Also Tuesday, Australia became the latest country to ban TikTok from its government devices, with authorities from the European Union to the United States concerned that the app could share data with the Chinese government or push pro-Beijing narratives. U.S. lawmakers are also considering forcing a sale or even banning it outright as tensions with China grow.

 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
A Virginia first-grade teacher whom a 6-year-old child shot has filed a lawsuit

The teacher claims the school ignored several indications that the student had a gun

The student who shot his teacher was in a "violent mood" on the day of the incident

A Virginia first-grade teacher who was shot and seriously injured by her 6-year-old student filed a lawsuit against school officials on Monday, seeking $40 million in damages and accusing them of gross negligence for ignoring multiple warnings on the day of the shooting that the boy had a gun and was in a "violent mood."

Abby Zwerner, a 25-year-old teacher at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Virginia, was shot in hand and chest in her classroom on January 6. Since the incident, she spent approximately two weeks in the hospital and has undergone four surgeries.

First-Grade Virginia Teacher Shot by 6-Year-Old Student

The shooting shook the military shipbuilding community and sent shock waves across the nation, with many questioning how a young child could obtain a gun and shoot his teacher.

Newport News School Board, former Superintendent George Parker III, former Richneck Principal Briana Foster Newton, and former Richneck Assistant Principal Ebony Parker are defendants in the case.

Michelle Price, the school board's spokesperson, Lisa Surles-Law, the school board's chair, and other board members should have responded more promptly to emails requesting comment on the case. Newton's attorney, Pamela Branch, has stated that she was uninformed on the day of the shooting that the kid had a gun at school. No one, including the child, has been charged with the incident.

After the incident, the school board fired the superintendent after the incident, while the assistant principal resigned. A spokesman for the school district stated that Newton is still employed by the school district but declined to specify her position, as per CBS News.

In addition, the board voted to install metal detectors in all district schools and to purchase transparent backpacks for all students. In the case, Zwerner's attorneys claim that all of the defendants knew that the youngster "had a history of random violence" at school and home, including an incident in which he "strangulated and choked" his kindergarten teacher the year before.

Two days before the incident, the same boy had destroyed her phone and referred to her as a "b***h." According to Zwerner's lawsuit, they searched his rucksack for a firearm, but he had already removed it and concealed it in his hoodie.

At 1:59 p.m., he removed the revolver from his sweatshirt and fired it into Zwerner's chest. She claims that the bullet striking one of her hands saved her life. She is now suing the school for failing to safeguard her and others from the child.

The 20-page lawsuit outlines in distressing detail the boy's past actions. The lawsuit claims that after his return to school, he continued to pose a threat and was observed chasing youngsters around the playground with a belt in an attempt to whip them. Also, he cursed employees and teachers.

Two days before the incident, he took Zwerner's phone and refused to return it. Then, he smashed the phone with such force that it cracked and shattered. She phoned security and brought him to the principal, but security never arrived. Per Daily Mail, the child then referred to both female teachers as "whores."

Read Also: Donald Trump May Delay Jury Trial

Virginia Student Has 'Violent Mood'

On the day of the shooting, he returned to school after serving a one-day suspension. She complained to Assistant Principal Dr. Ebony Parker between 11:15 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. that he appeared to be in a "violent attitude" that day and had threatened to beat up another student.

Nonetheless, the assistant principal did nothing, according to the lawsuit. The same assistant principal was known for never penalizing students and rewarding those who approached them with candy.

Teachers requested permission to search the youngster at 1:10 p.m., still concerned that he had the gun on his person, but the assistant principal forbade them. Less than an hour later, he removed it from his sweatshirt and shot Zwerner while she was reading at her desk in front of horrified classmates.

According to prosecutors, the youngster, who has not been publicly identified, will not face criminal charges. They have not stated if adults will incur fees, as per The Guardian. A lawyer for the boy's parents stated that they were "dedicated to responsible gun ownership and keeping firearms out of the reach of minors" and had attempted to do so with the gun in question, which belonged to the boy's mother.

The family has also indicated that the youngster has a severe impairment and has had mental health therapy. In the case, Zwerner's attorneys allege that the defendants were aware of the boy's "history of random violence" at school and home.

The lawsuit states that "all defendants were aware that [the kid] attacked both pupils and instructors and that his intent to damage was not restricted to teachers at school."

Zwerner recently said her recuperation has been hard, but she said, "I try to keep a positive attitude on what has occurred and my future. I will never forget the look on his face as he leveled the gun directly at me."

Related Article: St. Petersburg Investigation Starts After Russian Military Blogger's Death

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The Bryan school district board of trustees unanimously voted to adopt a resolution during its workshop Monday, one week after receiving a teaching and learning update regarding the simultaneous changes in the public school accountability system and state assessment structure  authorized by House Bill 3906 in 2019.

These changes to the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness and STAAR End-Of-Course assessments by the Texas Education Agency have created a stir in Texas public schools as they could potentially hurt campus and district accountability ratings. Therefore, six clauses outlining the districts reasoning for the resolution followed by four resolved clauses to further illustrate the districts legislative priorities are included.

In summary, the resolution states that because the Texas Legislature passed HB 3906 and the TEA has made vast changes to the content, structure, and administration of the state assessments, proposed an A-F Accountability Refresh for 2023 that cannot be compared side-by-side to 2022, raised the College, Career and Military Readiness cut (passing) score by 47% for 2022 graduates amid a state and national teacher workforce shortage, the board resolved that the Legislature adopt the four resolutions presented.

In the first resolved clause, the board calls the Legislature to institute a hold harmless year for 2023 accountability. Following Mondays workshop, Barbara Ybarra, associate superintendent of teaching and learning, explained what this would mean for Texas public schools.

We would still take the state accountability test this year; all of our students would be assessed, wed have all the data from it, but there wouldnt be an accountability rating that was overlaid on any public school system because the system is so changing and so new, Ybarra said. This would allow the schools to understand what that system is, allow students to experience what that new test is without that high stakes feel to it.

The second resolved clause asks that the TEA maintain the 2022 CCMR cut scores, while the last two resolved clauses urge and implore the Legislature to limit state assessment programs to those required to meet federal ESSA [Every Student Succeeds Act] requirements and reduce the time students spend taking state tests and replace the A-F system for public schools with one that honors the complex work of educators throughout the state.

Board President Julie Harlin said she and the boards executive team will be at the Texas Capitol in Austin on April 28 to relay the resolutions message in person.

Its not enough just for us to have a resolution and put that into the world, so we are planning a trip to Austin, Harlin said.

In line with this messaging, Linda Montoya, Crystal Goodman and Brian Merrell, all executive directors of school leadership, joined Ybarra to provide an update on how the district is preparing students for academic success beyond standardized testing.

Through measures of academic progress and district-based assessments and other anecdotal information that teachers collect, Ybarra said she and her team are able to determine how far the district can take students and what they are prepared to learn next. This includes creating and providing the materials teachers need to ensure the academic success of their students.

Following spring benchmark testing, Montoya said all campuses met to discuss student data and create a plan of action. She noted that each student has an individual folder based on their data that lists skills that need to be improved upon.

Now that we have these benchmarks and these portfolios to work with, weve got something organized and tangible, and the kids already know it, board member Ruthie Waller said.

This opens the door for instruction to be differentiated by students with extensions available based on student needs with tutoring being offered before, during or after school and even on weekends, Montoya said. Intervention blocks are also weaved into school schedules to target specific skills.

Goodman added that in addition to an individualized tutoring approach, students are setting goals for themselves and celebrating those victories as they come.

Our students are motivated because theyre seeing success, which is really, really exciting, Montoya said.

By showing the students their results on these assessments, Merrell said the students have become more aware of their test scores and what they need to work on, resulting in them recognizing their personal strengths and weaknesses.

Its been interesting to watch sort of the evolution of the use of it in the staff, as well as the students understanding what those scores mean and how to use them, Merrell said. Knowing not everybodys going to be at the same place or the same path, being able to differentiate that becomes really, really powerful at this time of year.
Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. (NYSE:BLX  Get Rating) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest during the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 193,700 shares, an increase of 9.5% from the February 28th total of 176,900 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 98,800 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.0 days. Approximately 0.6% of the companys shares are sold short.

Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:BLX traded down $0.16 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $17.22. The companys stock had a trading volume of 72,849 shares, compared to its average volume of 101,012. Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. has a 12-month low of $12.58 and a 12-month high of $19.17. The company has a market cap of $623.88 million, a P/E ratio of 6.81 and a beta of 1.15. The businesss 50 day simple moving average is $17.24 and its 200 day simple moving average is $16.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.13, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 2.50.

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Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 10th were issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.81%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 9th. Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A.s payout ratio is currently 39.53%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Separately, StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. in a research note on Thursday, March 16th. They issued a hold rating for the company.

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BLX. Thomas White International Ltd. increased its position in Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. by 0.3% in the 1st quarter. Thomas White International Ltd. now owns 353,718 shares of the banks stock worth $5,510,000 after purchasing an additional 1,021 shares during the last quarter. Uniplan Investment Counsel Inc. bought a new position in Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. in the 3rd quarter valued at $1,630,000. Finally, LSV Asset Management increased its stake in shares of Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 972,198 shares of the banks stock valued at $15,750,000 after buying an additional 15,990 shares during the period. 7.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A. Company Profile

(Get Rating)

Banco Latinoamericano de Comercio Exterior, S. A., a multinational bank, primarily engages in the financing of foreign trade in Latin America and the Caribbean. The company operates through two segments, Commercial and Treasury. It offers short and medium-term bilateral loans, structured and syndicated credits, and loan commitments; financial guarantee contracts, such as issued and confirmed letters of credit, and stand-by letters of credit; and guarantees covering commercial risk and other assets, as well as co-financing arrangements, underwriting of syndicated credit facilities, structured trade financing in the form of factoring and vendor financing, and financial leasing.

Further Reading

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Berkshire Hills Bancorp, Inc. (NYSE:BHLB  Get Rating) was the target of a large decline in short interest during the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,640,000 shares, a decline of 8.9% from the February 28th total of 1,800,000 shares. Approximately 3.8% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 331,500 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 4.9 days.

Berkshire Hills Bancorp Stock Down 1.2 %

Shares of Berkshire Hills Bancorp stock traded down $0.29 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $24.77. 401,441 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 351,277. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 0.87. The stocks fifty day moving average is $28.23 and its 200 day moving average is $29.00. The firm has a market cap of $1.10 billion, a PE ratio of 12.20 and a beta of 1.00. Berkshire Hills Bancorp has a 1 year low of $23.04 and a 1 year high of $31.63.

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Berkshire Hills Bancorp (NYSE:BHLB  Get Rating) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 26th. The savings and loans company reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts consensus estimates of $0.64. The firm had revenue of $137.04 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $111.35 million. Berkshire Hills Bancorp had a net margin of 20.28% and a return on equity of 10.04%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.42 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Berkshire Hills Bancorp will post 2.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Berkshire Hills Bancorp Dividend Announcement

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 2nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 16th were paid a $0.18 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 15th. This represents a $0.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.91%. Berkshire Hills Bancorps dividend payout ratio is presently 35.47%.

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. StockNews.com lowered Berkshire Hills Bancorp from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report on Friday, March 24th. Hovde Group upped their price objective on Berkshire Hills Bancorp to $34.00 in a research report on Monday, December 12th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and two have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Berkshire Hills Bancorp currently has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $29.25.

Insider Transactions at Berkshire Hills Bancorp

In other news, CEO Nitin J. Mhatre bought 3,900 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 15th. The shares were bought at an average price of $24.62 per share, with a total value of $96,018.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 53,430 shares in the company, valued at $1,315,446.60. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.90% of the companys stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Berkshire Hills Bancorp

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Cambria Investment Management L.P. boosted its stake in Berkshire Hills Bancorp by 82.9% in the third quarter. Cambria Investment Management L.P. now owns 21,632 shares of the savings and loans companys stock valued at $591,000 after acquiring an additional 9,802 shares in the last quarter. Joel Isaacson & Co. LLC acquired a new position in Berkshire Hills Bancorp in the third quarter valued at $214,000. Private Advisor Group LLC acquired a new position in Berkshire Hills Bancorp in the third quarter valued at $240,000. Driehaus Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Berkshire Hills Bancorp by 1.9% in the second quarter. Driehaus Capital Management LLC now owns 723,529 shares of the savings and loans companys stock valued at $17,922,000 after acquiring an additional 13,701 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Elizabeth Park Capital Advisors Ltd. boosted its stake in Berkshire Hills Bancorp by 4.3% in the third quarter. Elizabeth Park Capital Advisors Ltd. now owns 195,443 shares of the savings and loans companys stock valued at $5,336,000 after acquiring an additional 8,000 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.73% of the companys stock.

About Berkshire Hills Bancorp

(Get Rating)

Berkshire Hills Bancorp, Inc operates as a bank holding company for Berkshire Bank and Berkshire Insurance Group, Inc The firm offers deposit, lending, insurance, and wealth management products to retail and commercial customers in its market areas. It aims to expand and deepen market share and wallet share through organic growth and acquisition strategies.

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The Chiba Bank, Ltd. (OTCMKTS:CHBAY  Get Rating) shares hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $37.38 and last traded at $37.38, with a volume of 0 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $37.38.

Chiba Bank Stock Performance

The company has a 50 day moving average price of $37.38 and a 200-day moving average price of $31.06. The company has a market cap of $5.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.13 and a beta of 0.66.

Chiba Bank Company Profile

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The Chiba Bank, Ltd. engages in the business of banking services. The company offers general banking services including deposits, loans, domestic and foreign exchange transactions; and financial services such as leasing, securities brokerage, credit cards and others. It also develops software; and provides business management and staffing services.

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Daymark Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY  Get Rating) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 5,869 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $2,147,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. New Millennium Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Eli Lilly and in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $34,000. Moisand Fitzgerald Tamayo LLC lifted its holdings in Eli Lilly and by 292.6% during the 3rd quarter. Moisand Fitzgerald Tamayo LLC now owns 106 shares of the companys stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. TimeScale Financial Inc. lifted its holdings in Eli Lilly and by 87.9% during the 3rd quarter. TimeScale Financial Inc. now owns 109 shares of the companys stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Castleview Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Eli Lilly and by 324.5% during the 2nd quarter. Castleview Partners LLC now owns 849 shares of the companys stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 649 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bellwether Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Eli Lilly and during the 3rd quarter worth $47,000. 82.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Insider Activity at Eli Lilly and

In related news, EVP Anne E. White sold 2,500 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $342.76, for a total value of $856,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 60,426 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,711,615.76. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other Eli Lilly and news, major shareholder Lilly Endowment Inc sold 200,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $335.82, for a total value of $67,164,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 102,748,810 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $34,505,105,374.20. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Anne E. White sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $342.76, for a total transaction of $856,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 60,426 shares in the company, valued at $20,711,615.76. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 410,000 shares of company stock worth $138,999,125. Insiders own 0.12% of the companys stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Eli Lilly and Stock Up 1.8 %

Several research firms have issued reports on LLY. Cowen upped their price objective on Eli Lilly and from $390.00 to $430.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Monday, December 5th. Cowen upped their target price on shares of Eli Lilly and from $390.00 to $430.00 in a research report on Monday, December 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Eli Lilly and from $380.00 to $400.00 in a research report on Wednesday, December 14th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on shares of Eli Lilly and from $290.00 to $310.00 and gave the company a hold rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, SVB Leerink upped their target price on shares of Eli Lilly and from $384.00 to $410.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Friday, December 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $383.11.

NYSE LLY traded up $6.08 on Monday, reaching $349.50. The company had a trading volume of 977,025 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,147,955. The companys fifty day moving average is $331.96 and its 200-day moving average is $343.54. Eli Lilly and Company has a 1-year low of $276.83 and a 1-year high of $384.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 1.05. The firm has a market capitalization of $332.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 50.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 0.36.

Eli Lilly and (NYSE:LLY  Get Rating) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 2nd. The company reported $2.09 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.83 by $0.26. Eli Lilly and had a net margin of 21.88% and a return on equity of 73.61%. The company had revenue of $7.30 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.39 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.49 EPS. The companys quarterly revenue was down 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that Eli Lilly and Company will post 8.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Eli Lilly and Profile

(Get Rating)

Eli Lilly & Co engages in the discovery, development, manufacture, and sale of pharmaceutical products. The firms products consist of diabetes, oncology, immunology, neuroscience, and other products and therapies. The company was founded by Eli Lilly in May 1876 and is headquartered in Indianapolis, IN.

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Sanna Marin's loss in the Finland elections is considered a setback

The EU was hoping that Marin's win would be for a pro-EU gain

Such a domino effect will be a disadvantage for Brussels, like losing support in the Finnish government

The main conservative party in Finland won Sunday's parliamentary elections in a tight three-way race in which right-wing populists placed second, and the Social Democratic Party of Prime Minister Sanna Marin placed third, shattering her reelection aspirations.

The famed anti-EU attitudes of the far-right The Finns party raised concern in the EU following the election results.

Sanna Marin's Election dEfeat Could Have 'Domino Effect'

Dr. Helena Ivanov, a research fellow at the Henry Jackson Society, told Express.co.uk that, following the Italian and Swedish election results, the bloc appears to be shifting to the right in a "domino effect."

The National Coalition Party (NCP) declared victory after all ballots were tabulated, coming out on top with 20,8 percent of the vote. They were followed by the right-wing populist Finns, who received 20,1 percent of the vote, and the Social Democrats, who received 19.9 percent. Approximately 2,400 candidates from 22 parties vied for 200 parliamentary seats in a Nordic nation.

Marin, one of Europe's youngest leaders at age 37, has garnered international acclaim for her ardent support of Ukraine and her major role, together with President Sauli Niinisto, in campaigning for Finland's successful application to join NATO. NCP leader Petteri Orpo, Finland's former finance minister and possible incoming prime minister, guaranteed the Nordic nation's support with Kyiv will remain strong throughout his administration.

Finland, which shares a long border with Russia, became a NATO member earlier this week after alliance members Turkey and Hungary approved the country's membership application. According to observers, the outcome signifies a power shift in Finland's political environment, as the country is expected to form a new center-right administration with nationalist overtones.

The government will replace the center-left Cabinet with Marin, a nationally and internationally popular prime minister since 2019. In the next few days, the NCP is anticipated to lead government formation discussions to assemble a Cabinet with a majority in the Parliament.

Read Also: Finland Builds 70-Kilometer Fence on Russian Border in Pelkola

Finland Conservatives Win

Per CTVNews, the stances of Marin's party on the Finnish economy emerged as a central campaign issue. Conservatives opposed them, who continue to criticize the Social Democrats' economic policies and are unlikely to collaborate with them.

Throughout the election, Orpo emphasized Finland's rising government debt and the necessity for budget cuts. The NCP is open to cooperating with The Finns since the two parties share a similar outlook on developing Finland's economy, despite their divergent positions on climate policy and EU concerns.

When Russia's invasion of Ukraine caused Finland to seek NATO membership in May 2022, neither the historic decision to forsake the nation's nonalignment policy nor the conflict surfaced as key campaign topics because parties were largely in agreement over membership. Finland, set to join NATO within the next several weeks, is a member of the European Union.

Throughout the election, Orpo emphasized Finland's rising government debt and the necessity for budget cuts. The NCP is open to cooperating with The Finns since the two parties share a similar outlook on developing Finland's economy, despite their divergent positions on climate policy and EU concerns.

When Russia's invasion of Ukraine caused Finland to seek NATO membership in May 2022, neither the historic decision to forsake the nation's nonalignment policy nor the conflict surfaced as key campaign topics because parties were largely in agreement over membership.

Finland, set to join NATO within the next several weeks, is a member of the European Union. AP News reported that the initial election turnout was 71.9%, a modest decrease from the 2019 election.

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Daymark Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT  Get Rating) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 60,476 shares of the healthcare product makers stock, valued at approximately $6,640,000. Abbott Laboratories makes up 1.2% of Daymark Wealth Partners LLCs portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest holding.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of ABT. Mitsubishi UFJ Kokusai Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in Abbott Laboratories by 339.1% in the third quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Kokusai Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 4,581,157 shares of the healthcare product makers stock valued at $443,273,000 after purchasing an additional 3,537,778 shares during the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its holdings in Abbott Laboratories by 83.1% in the first quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 4,925,012 shares of the healthcare product makers stock valued at $582,924,000 after purchasing an additional 2,235,314 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Abbott Laboratories by 1.3% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 154,563,421 shares of the healthcare product makers stock valued at $14,955,557,000 after purchasing an additional 2,011,683 shares during the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC grew its holdings in Abbott Laboratories by 99.8% in the first quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 3,140,866 shares of the healthcare product makers stock valued at $371,753,000 after purchasing an additional 1,568,700 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Great West Life Assurance Co. Can acquired a new stake in Abbott Laboratories in the third quarter valued at $131,945,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.93% of the companys stock.

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Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Andrea F. Wainer sold 679 shares of Abbott Laboratories stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $100.70, for a total transaction of $68,375.30. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 70,427 shares of the companys stock, valued at $7,091,998.90. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, EVP Andrea F. Wainer sold 679 shares of Abbott Laboratories stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $100.70, for a total transaction of $68,375.30. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 70,427 shares of the companys stock, valued at $7,091,998.90. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Julie L. Tyler sold 260 shares of Abbott Laboratories stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.24, for a total value of $26,842.40. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 40,896 shares of the companys stock, valued at $4,222,103.04. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 1,971 shares of company stock valued at $199,140. Company insiders own 0.52% of the companys stock.

Abbott Laboratories Stock Performance

NYSE:ABT traded down $0.23 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $101.03. 1,905,945 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,118,014. The company has a current ratio of 1.63, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $103.91 and a 200 day moving average of $104.39. Abbott Laboratories has a twelve month low of $93.25 and a twelve month high of $124.36. The stock has a market capitalization of $175.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.90, a P/E/G ratio of 4.54 and a beta of 0.68.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT  Get Rating) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 25th. The healthcare product maker reported $1.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.90 by $0.13. Abbott Laboratories had a net margin of 15.88% and a return on equity of 26.09%. The business had revenue of $10.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $9.69 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.32 EPS. The firms revenue for the quarter was down 12.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that Abbott Laboratories will post 4.38 EPS for the current year.

Abbott Laboratories Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 14th will be paid a $0.51 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 13th. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.02%. Abbott Laboratoriess dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 52.17%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. SVB Leerink increased their price objective on Abbott Laboratories from $90.00 to $102.00 and gave the company a market perform rating in a research note on Friday. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Abbott Laboratories from $117.00 to $133.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Friday, January 6th. Barclays increased their price objective on Abbott Laboratories from $122.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Friday, January 27th. StockNews.com began coverage on Abbott Laboratories in a research note on Thursday, March 16th. They issued a buy rating on the stock. Finally, Raymond James raised their price target on Abbott Laboratories from $109.00 to $123.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Thursday, January 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $122.12.

Abbott Laboratories Company Profile

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Abbott Laboratories engages in the discovery, development, manufacture, and sale of a broad and diversified line of health care products. It operates through the following business segments: Established Pharmaceutical Products, Diagnostic Products, Nutritional Products, and Medical Devices. The Established Pharmaceutical Products segment refers to the international sales of a line of branded generic pharmaceutical products.

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NIPPON STL & SU/S (OTCMKTS:NSSMY  Get Rating)s stock price hit a new 52-week low during trading on Monday . The company traded as low as $7.76 and last traded at $7.92, with a volume of 3934 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $7.87.

NIPPON STL & SU/S Stock Performance

The firm has a market cap of $7.53 billion, a PE ratio of 2.86, a P/E/G ratio of 3.94 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 1.22 and a quick ratio of 0.51. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $7.40 and a 200 day moving average price of $11.41.

About NIPPON STL & SU/S

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Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corporation engages in steelmaking and steel fabrication businesses worldwide. It operates in five segments: Steelmaking and Steel Fabrication, Engineering and Construction, Chemicals, New materials, and System Solutions. The company offers steel plates; hot- and cold-rolled steel sheets and coils, coated steel sheets, color coated steel sheets, electrolytic tin plates, and electrical steel sheets; bar and rod materials; and structural steel products.

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B&G Foods, Inc. (NYSE:BGS  Get Rating) saw a large decrease in short interest in March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 11,160,000 shares, a decrease of 8.3% from the February 28th total of 12,170,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 1,260,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 8.9 days.

Insider Transactions at B&G Foods

In other news, CFO Bruce C. Wacha sold 12,500 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $14.81, for a total transaction of $185,125.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 46,491 shares in the company, valued at approximately $688,531.71. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 2.70% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of BGS. Accel Wealth Management boosted its position in shares of B&G Foods by 206.3% in the 4th quarter. Accel Wealth Management now owns 2,291 shares of the companys stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 1,543 shares during the last quarter. Phocas Financial Corp. acquired a new stake in B&G Foods during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC raised its stake in B&G Foods by 348.2% during the 3rd quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 2,250 shares of the companys stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 1,748 shares during the period. Parallel Advisors LLC raised its stake in B&G Foods by 1,675.9% during the 4th quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 3,321 shares of the companys stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 3,134 shares during the period. Finally, CoreCap Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in B&G Foods during the 4th quarter worth $37,000. 63.71% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

B&G Foods Price Performance

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. TheStreet upgraded B&G Foods from a d+ rating to a c- rating in a research note on Friday, March 24th. StockNews.com assumed coverage on B&G Foods in a report on Thursday, March 16th. They issued a sell rating for the company. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and four have issued a hold rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $15.70.

Shares of BGS traded up $0.05 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $15.58. The company had a trading volume of 983,575 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,203,059. B&G Foods has a twelve month low of $10.91 and a twelve month high of $29.33. The company has a current ratio of 3.75, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.70. The companys 50-day moving average is $14.10 and its 200-day moving average is $14.22.

B&G Foods (NYSE:BGS  Get Rating) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 28th. The company reported $0.40 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.23 by $0.17. B&G Foods had a positive return on equity of 8.97% and a negative net margin of 0.53%. The firm had revenue of $623.23 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $583.86 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.39 EPS. The businesss revenue was up 9.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that B&G Foods will post 1.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

B&G Foods Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 1st. Investors of record on Friday, March 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.19 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 30th. This represents a $0.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.88%. B&G Foodss dividend payout ratio is -506.67%.

About B&G Foods

(Get Rating)

B&G Foods, Inc is a holding company, which engages in the manufacture, sale, and distribution of shelf-stable frozen food, and household products in the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico. Its products include frozen and canned vegetables, hot cereals, fruit spreads, canned meats and beans, bagel chips, spices, seasonings, hot sauces, and wine vinegar.

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Cloudflare, Inc. (NYSE:NET  Get Rating) CFO Thomas J. Seifert sold 5,218 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.03, for a total transaction of $313,236.54. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 61,355 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $3,683,140.65. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

Cloudflare Trading Down 0.8 %

NYSE NET traded down $0.48 during trading on Monday, reaching $61.18. 3,033,782 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,120,431. The stocks 50-day moving average price is $57.95 and its 200 day moving average price is $52.42. The company has a quick ratio of 4.74, a current ratio of 4.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.30. The firm has a market cap of $20.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -101.97 and a beta of 1.03. Cloudflare, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $37.37 and a fifty-two week high of $128.40.

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Cloudflare (NYSE:NET  Get Rating) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 9th. The company reported ($0.09) EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts consensus estimates of ($0.09). The business had revenue of $274.70 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $274.29 million. Cloudflare had a negative net margin of 19.83% and a negative return on equity of 27.64%. Analysts predict that Cloudflare, Inc. will post -0.32 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Cloudflare

NET has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Cloudflare from $60.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Friday, February 10th. Truist Financial increased their target price on shares of Cloudflare from $57.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Friday, February 10th. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a buy rating and set a $77.00 target price on shares of Cloudflare in a research report on Wednesday, March 22nd. KeyCorp increased their target price on shares of Cloudflare from $59.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Friday, February 10th. Finally, Credit Suisse Group reiterated an outperform rating and set a $95.00 target price on shares of Cloudflare in a research report on Monday, February 13th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Cloudflare presently has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $67.78.

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of NET. Blair William & Co. IL increased its stake in Cloudflare by 27.4% during the 3rd quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 53,591 shares of the companys stock worth $2,964,000 after purchasing an additional 11,524 shares in the last quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance boosted its holdings in shares of Cloudflare by 5.4% in the third quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 13,682 shares of the companys stock valued at $757,000 after buying an additional 696 shares during the period. Ellevest Inc. increased its position in shares of Cloudflare by 461.3% during the third quarter. Ellevest Inc. now owns 2,032 shares of the companys stock worth $112,000 after acquiring an additional 1,670 shares in the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. increased its position in shares of Cloudflare by 0.7% during the third quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. now owns 1,482,780 shares of the companys stock worth $82,013,000 after acquiring an additional 10,202 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Asset Management One Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Cloudflare by 33.7% during the third quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 143,832 shares of the companys stock worth $7,955,000 after acquiring an additional 36,284 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 69.97% of the companys stock.

Cloudflare Company Profile

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CloudFlare, Inc operates as a cloud services provider that delivers a range of services to businesses worldwide. The company offers an integrated cloud-based security solution to secure a range of combination of platforms, including public cloud, private cloud, on-premise, software-as-a-service applications, and IoT devices.

Further Reading

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Shares of ASM International NV (OTCMKTS:ASMIY  Get Rating) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $407.09 and last traded at $403.28, with a volume of 7428 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $400.65.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ASMIY has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Morgan Stanley raised shares of ASM International from an underweight rating to an equal weight rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 29th. Citigroup started coverage on ASM International in a research report on Thursday, February 23rd. They set a buy rating for the company. Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on ASM International in a research report on Wednesday, January 18th. They set an outperform rating for the company. Credit Suisse Group increased their price objective on ASM International from 375.00 ($407.61) to 378.00 ($410.87) and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Thursday, January 19th. Finally, Barclays began coverage on ASM International in a research report on Tuesday, January 17th. They issued an underweight rating for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $360.17.

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ASM International Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $19.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.06 and a beta of 1.75. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $348.34 and a 200 day moving average of $292.00.

ASM International Company Profile

ASM International ( OTCMKTS:ASMIY Get Rating ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 28th. The company reported $2.93 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $4.22 by ($1.29). ASM International had a net margin of 16.65% and a return on equity of 24.19%. The company had revenue of $740.06 million during the quarter. Sell-side analysts anticipate that ASM International NV will post 14.52 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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ASM International NV engages in the research and development, design, manufacture, and sale of equipment, and provision of service to customers for the production of semiconductor devices and integrated circuits. It operates through the Front-end and Back-end segments. The Front-end segment manufactures and sells equipment used in wafer processing, encompassing the fabrication steps in which silicon wafers are layered with semiconductor devices.

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Deltec Asset Management LLC reduced its holdings in Centrais Eletricas Brasileiras S.A.  Eletrobras (NYSE:EBR  Get Rating) by 7.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 71,000 shares of the utilities providers stock after selling 6,000 shares during the period. Deltec Asset Management LLCs holdings in Centrais Eletricas Brasileiras S.A.  Eletrobras were worth $563,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Atlas Capital Advisors LLC raised its stake in Centrais Eletricas Brasileiras S.A.  Eletrobras by 4.5% during the third quarter. Atlas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 29,851 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $240,000 after purchasing an additional 1,280 shares during the period. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Centrais Eletricas Brasileiras S.A.  Eletrobras by 49.0% in the first quarter. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. now owns 4,898 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 1,611 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in Centrais Eletricas Brasileiras S.A.  Eletrobras by 13.9% during the 1st quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 13,966 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $110,000 after acquiring an additional 1,699 shares in the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in Centrais Eletricas Brasileiras S.A.  Eletrobras by 6.2% during the 1st quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 29,770 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $235,000 after acquiring an additional 1,737 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in Centrais Eletricas Brasileiras S.A.  Eletrobras by 5.1% during the 1st quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 93,411 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $739,000 after acquiring an additional 4,508 shares in the last quarter. 2.37% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Centrais Eletricas Brasileiras S.A.  Eletrobras Price Performance

NYSE EBR traded up $0.07 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $6.59. The companys stock had a trading volume of 177,548 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,577,795. The stock has a market cap of $10.34 billion, a PE ratio of 9.45, a PEG ratio of 0.32 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 1.83 and a current ratio of 1.88. The companys 50-day moving average is $6.81 and its two-hundred day moving average is $7.87. Centrais Eletricas Brasileiras S.A.  Eletrobras has a fifty-two week low of $5.67 and a fifty-two week high of $10.39.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Centrais Eletricas Brasileiras S.A.  Eletrobras Profile

Separately, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Centrais Eletricas Brasileiras S.A.  Eletrobras from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 29th.

(Get Rating)

Centrais Eletricas Brasileiras SA engages in the production and dissemination of electricity. It operates through the Generation and Transmission segments. The Generation segment refers to the electric power generation including hydroelectric, thermal, and nuclear power plants. The Transmission segment focuses on the transmission of electric power in Brazil.

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Eagle Bluffs Wealth Management LLC trimmed its position in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW  Get Rating) by 5.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 2,719 shares of the specialty chemicals companys stock after selling 167 shares during the period. Eagle Bluffs Wealth Management LLCs holdings in Sherwin-Williams were worth $645,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. purchased a new position in Sherwin-Williams in the third quarter worth about $25,000. Standard Family Office LLC purchased a new position in shares of Sherwin-Williams during the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. MADDEN SECURITIES Corp purchased a new position in shares of Sherwin-Williams during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. RFP Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Sherwin-Williams during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Sherwin-Williams during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. 76.03% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Insider Buying and Selling at Sherwin-Williams

In other Sherwin-Williams news, CEO John G. Morikis acquired 2,207 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Friday, January 27th. The shares were bought at an average price of $226.70 per share, with a total value of $500,326.90. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 231,344 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $52,445,684.80. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, CEO John G. Morikis bought 2,207 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, January 27th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $226.70 per share, for a total transaction of $500,326.90. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 231,344 shares of the companys stock, valued at $52,445,684.80. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Bryan J. Young sold 2,750 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.76, for a total value of $607,090.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 7,955 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,756,145.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.55% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Sherwin-Williams Trading Down 0.6 %

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on SHW. Mizuho lowered their price objective on Sherwin-Williams from $267.00 to $255.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 27th. Citigroup lowered their price target on Sherwin-Williams from $270.00 to $251.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 27th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on Sherwin-Williams from $283.00 to $231.00 and set a market perform rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 27th. UBS Group boosted their price target on Sherwin-Williams from $242.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a report on Wednesday, January 11th. Finally, Zelman & Associates downgraded Sherwin-Williams from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Friday, January 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $253.39.

Shares of NYSE SHW traded down $1.46 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $225.18. 576,152 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,598,034. The stock has a market capitalization of $58.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a current ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.09. The companys 50 day moving average price is $225.49 and its 200 day moving average price is $229.06. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a 12 month low of $195.24 and a 12 month high of $285.00.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW  Get Rating) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 26th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.89 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.84 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $5.23 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.26 billion. Sherwin-Williams had a return on equity of 90.04% and a net margin of 9.12%. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 9.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.34 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 8.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sherwin-Williams Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 27th were given a $0.605 dividend. This represents a $2.42 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.07%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 24th. This is an increase from Sherwin-Williamss previous quarterly dividend of $0.60. Sherwin-Williamss dividend payout ratio is 31.35%.

Sherwin-Williams Company Profile

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The Sherwin-Williams Co engages in the development, manufacture, distribution, and sale of paint and coatings. It operates through the following segments: America Group, Consumer Brands Group, and Performance Coating Group. The America Group segment manages the exclusive outlets for Sherwin-Williams branded paints, stains, supplies, equipment, and floor coverings.

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Pebblebrook Hotel Trust (NYSE:PEB  Get Rating) and Ares Commercial Real Estate (NYSE:ACRE  Get Rating) are both small-cap finance companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their valuation, risk, dividends, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, profitability and earnings.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of current ratings and recommmendations for Pebblebrook Hotel Trust and Ares Commercial Real Estate, as reported by MarketBeat.

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Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Pebblebrook Hotel Trust 2 6 0 0 1.75 Ares Commercial Real Estate 0 2 3 0 2.60

Pebblebrook Hotel Trust presently has a consensus target price of $18.08, suggesting a potential upside of 28.74%. Ares Commercial Real Estate has a consensus target price of $13.14, suggesting a potential upside of 44.43%. Given Ares Commercial Real Estates stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Ares Commercial Real Estate is more favorable than Pebblebrook Hotel Trust.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

Dividends

46.6% of Ares Commercial Real Estate shares are held by institutional investors. 1.9% of Pebblebrook Hotel Trust shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 2.0% of Ares Commercial Real Estate shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Pebblebrook Hotel Trust pays an annual dividend of $0.04 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.3%. Ares Commercial Real Estate pays an annual dividend of $1.32 per share and has a dividend yield of 14.5%. Pebblebrook Hotel Trust pays out -4.1% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Ares Commercial Real Estate pays out 220.0% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future.

Profitability

This table compares Pebblebrook Hotel Trust and Ares Commercial Real Estates net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Pebblebrook Hotel Trust -6.26% -2.77% -1.39% Ares Commercial Real Estate 27.88% 10.41% 2.98%

Volatility and Risk

Pebblebrook Hotel Trust has a beta of 1.84, suggesting that its stock price is 84% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Ares Commercial Real Estate has a beta of 1.4, suggesting that its stock price is 40% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Pebblebrook Hotel Trust and Ares Commercial Real Estates gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Pebblebrook Hotel Trust $1.39 billion 1.27 -$87.17 million ($0.97) -14.47 Ares Commercial Real Estate $106.85 million 4.65 $29.78 million $0.60 15.17

Ares Commercial Real Estate has lower revenue, but higher earnings than Pebblebrook Hotel Trust. Pebblebrook Hotel Trust is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Ares Commercial Real Estate, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Summary

Ares Commercial Real Estate beats Pebblebrook Hotel Trust on 13 of the 16 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Pebblebrook Hotel Trust

(Get Rating)

Pebblebrook Hotel Trust is a real estate investment trust, engages in investments and acquisitions in hotel properties. Its hotels are located in markets like Atlanta, Georgia, Boston, Massachusetts, Chicago, Illinois, Key West, Miami and Naples, Florida, Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco, California, Nashville, Tennessee, New York, New York, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Portland, Oregon, and Seattle, Washington. The company was founded by Jon E. Bortz on October 2, 2009 and is headquartered in Bethesda, MD.

About Ares Commercial Real Estate

(Get Rating)

Ares Commercial Real Estate Corp. engages in originating and investing in commercial real estate loans and related investments. The company was founded in September 2011 and is headquartered in New York, NY.

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Finsbury Growth & Income Trust PLC (LON:FGT  Get Rating) announced a dividend on Tuesday, March 28th, Upcoming.Co.Uk reports. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 6th will be paid a dividend of GBX 8.50 ($0.11) per share by the investment trust on Friday, May 19th. This represents a dividend yield of 0.97%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 6th. The official announcement can be seen at this link.

Finsbury Growth & Income Trust Stock Performance

Shares of LON FGT opened at GBX 894.08 ($11.10) on Tuesday. Finsbury Growth & Income Trust has a 12 month low of GBX 731.80 ($9.09) and a 12 month high of GBX 901 ($11.19). The company has a 50-day simple moving average of GBX 878.32 and a 200-day simple moving average of GBX 849.19. The company has a market cap of 1.86 billion, a PE ratio of -1,679.25 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.01, a current ratio of 0.48 and a quick ratio of 0.48.

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Insider Activity at Finsbury Growth & Income Trust

In related news, insider Simon Hayes bought 3,955 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 1st. The stock was purchased at an average cost of GBX 880 ($10.93) per share, for a total transaction of 34,804 ($43,224.04). Over the last three months, insiders purchased 12,008 shares of company stock worth $10,445,275. 4.55% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Finsbury Growth & Income Trust Company Profile

Finsbury Growth & Income Trust PLC is a closed ended equity mutual fund launched Frostrow Capital LLP. The fund is co-managed by Lindsell Train Limited. It invests in public equity markets of the United Kingdom. The fund seeks to invest in stocks of companies operating across diversified sectors.

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Grimes & Company Inc. raised its position in Illinois Tool Works Inc. (NYSE:ITW  Get Rating) by 3.6% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 9,305 shares of the industrial products companys stock after buying an additional 326 shares during the quarter. Grimes & Company Inc.s holdings in Illinois Tool Works were worth $2,050,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bank OZK raised its stake in shares of Illinois Tool Works by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Bank OZK now owns 5,065 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $915,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. First Hawaiian Bank increased its holdings in shares of Illinois Tool Works by 3.7% during the 4th quarter. First Hawaiian Bank now owns 1,277 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $281,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Insight Folios Inc increased its holdings in shares of Illinois Tool Works by 3.0% during the 4th quarter. Insight Folios Inc now owns 1,599 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $352,000 after acquiring an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. Ten Capital Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Illinois Tool Works by 16.0% during the 3rd quarter. Ten Capital Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 348 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $63,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cornerstone Capital Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Illinois Tool Works by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. Cornerstone Capital Inc. now owns 6,745 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $1,218,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 79.83% of the companys stock.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on ITW shares. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on Illinois Tool Works from $222.00 to $255.00 in a report on Thursday, February 2nd. Vertical Research lowered Illinois Tool Works from a buy rating to a hold rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $240.00 to $220.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 3rd. Citigroup lifted their target price on Illinois Tool Works from $232.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a report on Friday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Illinois Tool Works from $174.00 to $223.00 and gave the company an underweight rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Illinois Tool Works from $210.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research note on Thursday, January 19th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $223.07.

Illinois Tool Works Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:ITW opened at $244.38 on Tuesday. The companys 50 day simple moving average is $235.57 and its 200 day simple moving average is $220.81. The stock has a market capitalization of $74.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.72 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00, a current ratio of 1.41 and a quick ratio of 0.95. Illinois Tool Works Inc. has a 1 year low of $173.52 and a 1 year high of $253.37.

Illinois Tool Works (NYSE:ITW  Get Rating) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 2nd. The industrial products company reported $2.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $2.60 by ($0.26). The firm had revenue of $3.97 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.90 billion. Illinois Tool Works had a net margin of 19.04% and a return on equity of 87.15%. The businesss revenue was up 7.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.95 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Illinois Tool Works Inc. will post 9.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Illinois Tool Works Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 31st will be paid a dividend of $1.31 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 30th. This represents a $5.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.14%. Illinois Tool Workss payout ratio is presently 53.58%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Illinois Tool Works news, Vice Chairman Christopher A. Oherlihy sold 60,137 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Friday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $246.26, for a total transaction of $14,809,337.62. Following the sale, the insider now owns 40,072 shares of the companys stock, valued at $9,868,130.72. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other Illinois Tool Works news, CEO Ernest Scott Santi sold 235,656 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Friday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $246.29, for a total transaction of $58,039,716.24. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 213,538 shares of the companys stock, valued at $52,592,274.02. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Vice Chairman Christopher A. Oherlihy sold 60,137 shares of Illinois Tool Works stock in a transaction on Friday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $246.26, for a total transaction of $14,809,337.62. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 40,072 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,868,130.72. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.78% of the companys stock.

Illinois Tool Works Company Profile

(Get Rating)

Illinois Tool Works, Inc engages in the manufacture of industrial products and equipment. It operates through the following segments: Automotive OEM, Test and Measurement and Electronics, Food Equipment, Polymers and Fluids, Welding, Construction Products, and Specialty Products. The Automotive OEM segment produces components and fasteners for automotive-related applications.

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Want to see what other hedge funds are holding ITW? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Illinois Tool Works Inc. (NYSE:ITW  Get Rating).

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The Philippines confirmed the locations of four new US military bases

The new bases have enraged Chinese officials

The locations will provide a staging area for US soldiers close to southern China and Taiwan

The Philippines announced the locations of four new military outposts that the United States will have access to as part of an extended defense cooperation geared at countering China.

Three of the sites are located on the main island of Luzon, near Taiwan, while one is in the South China Sea province of Palawan (SCS). In recent months, the United States has intensified its attempts to broaden its Indo-Pacific security options in response to growing worries regarding China's aggressive territorial posturing.

Philippines Gives US Access to Military Sites

The US will be able to rotate troops to nine sites in the Philippines, including the strategically significant Balabac Island, close to Chinese installations in the South China Sea, as a result of the 2014 Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA).

The announcement of the location follows a flurry of high-profile US military agreements throughout the area, including pledges to share defense technologies with India and to deploy new US Marine battalions to the islands of Japan.

Earlier this year, the United States Marine Corps opened a new base on Guam, a strategically significant island east of the Philippines. Per CNN, camp Blaz is the first new Marine post in seventy years and could eventually house up to 5,000 Marines.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced his acceptance of extending the US military presence in the Philippines to four new military bases by the 2014 EDCA between the longstanding treaty allies.

Marcos stated that the move would strengthen coastal defenses in the Philippines. It aligns with US President Joe Biden's attempts to establish an arc of military alliances in the Indo-Pacific to resist China more effectively, including any future conflict over Taiwan.

The new sites selected by Marcos' office include a Filipino navy facility in Santa Ana and an international airport in Lal-lo, both of which are located in the northern Cagayan region. These places would offer US soldiers a staging area near southern China and Taiwan, the self-governed island Beijing claims as its own, according to ABC News.

The two other military sites are a navy camp on Balabac island in Palawan's western province and Isabela's northern province. Palawan confronts the South China Sea, a crucial passageway for global trade that Beijing claims nearly in its whole and has threatened smaller claimant states, like the Philippines, with increasingly aggressive tactics.

China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan are embroiled in escalating territorial conflicts over the resource-rich and busy South China Sea. Beijing is angered by Washington's deployment of warships, fighter aircraft, and spy aircraft for patrols, which it claims enhanced freedom of navigation and the rule of law.

This is a trade corridor over which approximately $3 trillion worth of merchandise flows. The chairman of the Philippine Defense Department, Carlito Galvez, stated that collectively securing this is a major duty. Marcos's office states that the four new military bases for US personnel are "appropriate and mutually beneficial."

Read Also: Virginia Teacher Shot by 6-Year-Old Student Files Lawsuit

Experts Warn Repercussions

In a meeting with Philippine officials in Manila last month, however, a Chinese Foreign Ministry delegation voiced its opposition to an expanded US military presence in the Philippines. According to a Philippine official involved in the talks, it warned of repercussions for regional peace and stability.

Meanwhile, experts have stated that the Philippines should remain impartial or risk being "crushed" by the ongoing Sino-US competition while pushing Manila to collaborate with Beijing to handle tensions in the South China Sea.

On Monday, during a three-hour media forum hosted by the Manila-based Integrated Development Studies Institute (IDSI) and supported by other think tanks such as the South China Sea Probing Initiative (SCSPI), five international relations experts discussed managing China-Philippine relations in light of the "great power conflict" between Beijing and Washington.

Professor Hu Bo, head of the South China Sea Policy Institute (SCSPI) and the Center for Maritime Strategic Studies at Peking University, observed that a portion of the US-China confrontation was taking place in the South China Sea.

Per SCMP, Hu stated during the conversation that tensions in the South China Sea would grow if a coastal state such as the Philippines, which is "not a direct party" to this war, took sides. Manila announced on Monday that the United States would have access to four more locations under the Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement, which aims to strengthen military ties between the two nations.

Related Article: Philippines: Police Bust $74 Million Worth of Drugs

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AstraZeneca (OTCMKTS:AZNCF  Get Rating) and Sanofi (NYSE:SNY  Get Rating) are both health technology companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their profitability, earnings, risk, institutional ownership, valuation, analyst recommendations and dividends.

Dividends

AstraZeneca pays an annual dividend of $2.80 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.0%. Sanofi pays an annual dividend of $1.37 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.5%. AstraZeneca pays out 343.1% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Sanofi pays out 48.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Sanofi has increased its dividend for 1 consecutive years. Sanofi is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

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Insider & Institutional Ownership

40.9% of AstraZeneca shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 10.0% of Sanofi shares are owned by institutional investors. 1.0% of Sanofi shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Analyst Ratings

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score AstraZeneca 0 0 1 0 3.00 Sanofi 0 0 0 0 N/A

This is a breakdown of recent recommendations and price targets for AstraZeneca and Sanofi, as reported by MarketBeat.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares AstraZeneca and Sanofis top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio AstraZeneca N/A N/A N/A $0.82 168.50 Sanofi $45.39 billion 3.01 $7.14 billion $2.83 19.14

Sanofi has higher revenue and earnings than AstraZeneca. Sanofi is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than AstraZeneca, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Profitability

This table compares AstraZeneca and Sanofis net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets AstraZeneca N/A N/A N/A Sanofi N/A N/A N/A

Summary

Sanofi beats AstraZeneca on 6 of the 9 factors compared between the two stocks.

About AstraZeneca

(Get Rating)

AstraZeneca Plc is a holding company, which engages in the research, development, manufacture, and commercialization of prescription medicines. The company was founded on June 17, 1992 and is headquartered in Cambridge, the United Kingdom.

About Sanofi

(Get Rating)

Sanofi engages in the research, production, and distribution of pharmaceutical products. It operates through the following business segments: Pharmaceuticals, Consumer Healthcare, and Vaccines. The Pharmaceuticals segment comprises the commercial operations of the following global franchises: specialty care, diabetes and cardiovascular, established prescription products and generics, and research, development, and production activities. The Consumer Healthcare segment includes the commercial operations for its Consumer Healthcare products. The Vaccines segment consists commercial operations of Sanofi Pasteur. The company was founded in 1973 and is headquartered in Paris, France.

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Cadinha & Co. LLC trimmed its position in shares of iShares Core MSCI Europe ETF (NYSEARCA:IEUR  Get Rating) by 19.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 9,277 shares of the companys stock after selling 2,238 shares during the period. Cadinha & Co. LLCs holdings in iShares Core MSCI Europe ETF were worth $441,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in IEUR. Heritage Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in iShares Core MSCI Europe ETF during the second quarter valued at approximately $101,000. Synovus Financial Corp grew its holdings in shares of iShares Core MSCI Europe ETF by 7.9% during the 3rd quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 13,846 shares of the companys stock valued at $547,000 after acquiring an additional 1,011 shares in the last quarter. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main increased its stake in shares of iShares Core MSCI Europe ETF by 1.2% in the second quarter. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main now owns 1,988,203 shares of the companys stock worth $89,391,000 after acquiring an additional 23,953 shares during the last quarter. Mather Group LLC. increased its stake in shares of iShares Core MSCI Europe ETF by 36.0% in the second quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 647,831 shares of the companys stock worth $29,126,000 after acquiring an additional 171,564 shares during the last quarter. Finally, IPG Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of iShares Core MSCI Europe ETF by 75.8% during the third quarter. IPG Investment Advisors LLC now owns 8,030 shares of the companys stock worth $318,000 after acquiring an additional 3,463 shares in the last quarter.

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iShares Core MSCI Europe ETF Trading Down 0.1 %

NYSEARCA IEUR traded down $0.07 on Tuesday, reaching $52.67. The stock had a trading volume of 442,932 shares, compared to its average volume of 833,290. iShares Core MSCI Europe ETF has a 1 year low of $38.54 and a 1 year high of $54.07. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $51.42 and a 200 day moving average price of $47.63. The company has a market capitalization of $4.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.11 and a beta of 0.97.

iShares Core MSCI Europe ETF Company Profile

The iShares Core MSCI Europe ETF (IEUR) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the MSCI Europe IMI index, a market-cap-weighted index of developed European securities. IEUR was launched on Jun 10, 2014 and is managed by BlackRock.

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Want to see what other hedge funds are holding IEUR? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for iShares Core MSCI Europe ETF (NYSEARCA:IEUR  Get Rating).

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Shares of iShares iBonds Dec 2028 Term Corporate ETF (NYSEARCA:IBDT  Get Rating) saw an uptick in trading volume on Tuesday . 770,737 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 293% from the previous sessions volume of 196,095 shares.The stock last traded at $25.05 and had previously closed at $25.03.

iShares iBonds Dec 2028 Term Corporate ETF Stock Up 0.2 %

The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $24.66 and a 200-day moving average price of $24.38.

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Institutional Investors Weigh In On iShares iBonds Dec 2028 Term Corporate ETF

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its stake in shares of iShares iBonds Dec 2028 Term Corporate ETF by 17.6% during the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 81,225 shares of the companys stock worth $2,139,000 after acquiring an additional 12,146 shares during the period. Captrust Financial Advisors raised its holdings in iShares iBonds Dec 2028 Term Corporate ETF by 15.4% during the 2nd quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 156,722 shares of the companys stock valued at $3,912,000 after acquiring an additional 20,931 shares during the period. Capital Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of iShares iBonds Dec 2028 Term Corporate ETF by 13.7% during the third quarter. Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 947,466 shares of the companys stock worth $22,540,000 after acquiring an additional 114,175 shares in the last quarter. RVW Wealth LLC boosted its holdings in shares of iShares iBonds Dec 2028 Term Corporate ETF by 14.4% in the third quarter. RVW Wealth LLC now owns 13,688 shares of the companys stock worth $326,000 after acquiring an additional 1,718 shares during the period. Finally, Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of iShares iBonds Dec 2028 Term Corporate ETF in the third quarter valued at $724,000.

iShares iBonds Dec 2028 Term Corporate ETF Company Profile

The iShares iBonds Dec 2028 Term Corporate ETF (IBDT) is an exchange-traded fund that mostly invests in investment grade fixed income. The fund tracks a Bloomberg index of USD-denominated, investment-grade corporate bonds maturing between Jan 1 and Dec 15, 2028. IBDT was launched on Sep 18, 2018 and is managed by BlackRock.

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Deltec Asset Management LLC lowered its holdings in Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS  Get Rating) by 9.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 19,000 shares of the financial services providers stock after selling 2,000 shares during the period. Deltec Asset Management LLCs holdings in Morgan Stanley were worth $1,615,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Morgan Stanley by 68.9% in the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 18,416,436 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $1,455,083,000 after acquiring an additional 7,514,505 shares in the last quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board purchased a new position in Morgan Stanley during the first quarter valued at approximately $451,711,000. Neuberger Berman Group LLC grew its position in Morgan Stanley by 123.3% during the third quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC now owns 3,183,121 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $251,546,000 after purchasing an additional 1,757,682 shares in the last quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank lifted its stake in Morgan Stanley by 152.3% in the third quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 2,500,681 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $197,539,000 after acquiring an additional 1,509,589 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec lifted its stake in Morgan Stanley by 479.4% in the third quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec now owns 1,390,483 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $109,862,000 after acquiring an additional 1,150,483 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 83.48% of the companys stock.

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Insider Transactions at Morgan Stanley

In related news, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 44,910 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $97.05, for a total value of $4,358,515.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 348,531 shares of the companys stock, valued at $33,824,933.55. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other Morgan Stanley news, insider Daniel A. Simkowitz sold 44,910 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.05, for a total transaction of $4,358,515.50. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 348,531 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $33,824,933.55. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Alistair Darling sold 2,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $94.70, for a total value of $189,400.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 34,465 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $3,263,835.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 341,699 shares of company stock valued at $33,143,046 in the last ninety days. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Morgan Stanley Trading Down 2.4 %

Morgan Stanley stock traded down $2.09 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $85.07. 1,287,977 shares of the companys stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 7,873,807. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.57, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.79. Morgan Stanley has a fifty-two week low of $72.05 and a fifty-two week high of $100.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $143.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.99, a PEG ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.34. The firms 50 day moving average is $93.95 and its 200-day moving average is $88.81.

Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS  Get Rating) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, January 17th. The financial services provider reported $1.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.25 by $0.06. Morgan Stanley had a return on equity of 12.06% and a net margin of 16.73%. The business had revenue of $12.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $12.16 billion. On average, analysts predict that Morgan Stanley will post 7.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Morgan Stanley Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, January 31st were paid a dividend of $0.775 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, January 30th. This represents a $3.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.64%. Morgan Stanleys dividend payout ratio is currently 50.49%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MS has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Cfra upgraded shares of Morgan Stanley from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 14th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $89.00 to $85.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Oppenheimer reduced their price objective on shares of Morgan Stanley from $107.00 to $95.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 23rd. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Morgan Stanley from $90.00 to $98.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Monday, January 9th. Finally, Wolfe Research cut shares of Morgan Stanley from an outperform rating to an underperform rating and set a $92.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Wednesday, January 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Morgan Stanley currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $95.75.

Morgan Stanley Profile

(Get Rating)

Morgan Stanley operates as a global financial services company. The firm provides investment banking products and services to its clients and customers including corporations, governments, financial institutions, and individuals. It operates through the following segments: Institutional Securities, Wealth Management, and Investment Management.

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Lake Street Financial LLC lifted its position in Pioneer Floating Rate Fund, Inc. (NYSE:PHD  Get Rating) by 48.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 382,100 shares of the investment management companys stock after acquiring an additional 124,850 shares during the period. Lake Street Financial LLCs holdings in Pioneer Floating Rate Fund were worth $3,351,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Riverbridge Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Pioneer Floating Rate Fund in the second quarter worth $711,000. Clough Capital Partners L P acquired a new position in Pioneer Floating Rate Fund during the 3rd quarter valued at about $292,000. 1607 Capital Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Pioneer Floating Rate Fund by 15.0% in the 3rd quarter. 1607 Capital Partners LLC now owns 200,836 shares of the investment management companys stock valued at $1,731,000 after acquiring an additional 26,230 shares during the period. Matisse Capital raised its position in shares of Pioneer Floating Rate Fund by 20.9% in the 3rd quarter. Matisse Capital now owns 121,814 shares of the investment management companys stock valued at $1,050,000 after acquiring an additional 21,060 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE increased its stake in Pioneer Floating Rate Fund by 7.1% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 231,577 shares of the investment management companys stock worth $2,425,000 after purchasing an additional 15,301 shares in the last quarter.

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Pioneer Floating Rate Fund Price Performance

Shares of PHD traded down $0.06 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $8.74. 30,600 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 76,097. Pioneer Floating Rate Fund, Inc. has a 52 week low of $8.46 and a 52 week high of $10.65. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $9.04 and a 200 day simple moving average of $8.86.

Pioneer Floating Rate Fund Announces Dividend

About Pioneer Floating Rate Fund

The firm also recently declared a monthly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 17th were issued a dividend of $0.0875 per share. This represents a $1.05 annualized dividend and a yield of 12.01%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 16th.

(Get Rating)

Pioneer Floating Rate Fund, Inc is closed ended fixed income mutual fund launched and managed by Pioneer Investment Management, Inc It invests in the fixed income markets of the United States. The fund primarily invests in senior secured floating-rate loans. It benchmarks the performance of its portfolio against the Barclays U.S.

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Want to see what other hedge funds are holding PHD? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Pioneer Floating Rate Fund, Inc. (NYSE:PHD  Get Rating).

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Tourism promoters will post pictures of the countryside from the Roanoke Valley and nearby communities in mass transit systems of Northern Virginia to suggest vacationing here.

The newly announced spring marketing campaign, which also relies on email and social media messaging, will tag this area as a Metro Mountain Destination.

Here you can take this gorgeous hike on the Appalachian Trail and have stunning views and you take a 10-minute drive and youre sipping a craft cocktail or maybe youre checking out the Taubmans latest top-notch exhibit, said Kathryn Lucas, spokeswoman for Visit Virginias Blue Ridge.

Visit Virginias Blue Ridge is the tourism and convention office funded by the cities of Roanoke, Salem and the counties of Botetourt, Franklin and Roanoke. Lucas said the agency expects to spend $500,000 to present Virginias Blue Ridge as an accessible and convenient vacation destination for residents of Northern Virginia, the District of Columbia and Maryland.

The campaign, which runs from April through June, is intended to reach individuals interested in travel, outdoor recreation and road trips and specifies that they can get here by car, train or plane.

Campaigners have scheduled takeover periods in which only pictures and messages about the Roanoke Valley will appear in one high-traffic station on the Silver Line train between Dulles International Airport and Washington, D.C., for four weeks at a time. The exteriors of 30 buses will carry the messaging for eight weeks. In addition, the ads will appear on cell phones, Facebook and streaming services.

Campaign representatives will pitch story ideas to publications and plan to design in-person events, such as a gathering of alums who attended college in this region, Lucas said.

Staff members employed by the tourism office designed the campaign and, before making a final commitment to begin, ran it by outside marketing professionals who gave positive feedback, Lucas said. One reviewer, Salem marketing company owner David Robertson, described the campaign as impressive, the release said.
A public controversy over a transgender students use of girls restrooms at Glenvar High began on St. Valentines Day. Thats still occurring on social media and seems to be growing.

It all started around lunchtime Feb. 14, when a female sophomore entered a girls bathroom. Heres what she told the Roanoke County School Board during its meeting Feb. 16.

While I was in a stall I noticed someone walked by, slowed down and was attempting to look through the crack in the door. I was finishing up at the time, so I walked out of the stall and noticed it, it was a transgender boy in my school, male to female.

As I walked out of the stall  he walked into the corner and got on his phone. There were multiple empty stalls yet he continued to stand there as I washed and dried my hands. I wasnt sure if he was staring at me or trying to video me but at that point I was uncomfortable with the entire situation. When I walked out of the bathroom he was still there.

The student said similar events had happened to multiple other girls in the bathroom at Glenvar but that they were afraid of making waves. The student said she reported her unease to Glenvars dean of students.

The most that [the dean has] done is given me a key to the private bathrooms, the student continued. After thinking about the situation and talking with my parents, I decided it was best to give  the key back.

If their solution is to help one girl instead of everyone, why should I be that girl? Neither the principal nor assistant principal have reached out to address the situation with me and I do not believe my school will take further action.

The student offered three possible solutions to the school board. The first was for schools to station a female monitor in each girls bathroom to make sure that we are not being harassed, assaulted or recorded.

The second was to give all girls at Glenvar High a key to private bathrooms. The third went further, and seems the most unrealistic.

Simply label the bathroom[s] as Penis and Vagina, the student said. This creates a middle ground for both transgender and cisgender people. It wouldnt matter if you identified as a cat, dog, unicorn, male or female. You would use the bathroom simply based on your anatomy.

She finished: Im a biological female. God made me this way. Why should I have to give up my privacy, safety and dignity to make someone else feel included?

Board members, as they typically do in the public comments section of their meetings, remained silent and stoic.

After the meeting, the girls mother, Heather Teubert, posted a message on social media about her daughters plea to the board. That erupted into a Facebook free-for-all, with dozens of responses and back-and-forths.

A number of those messages were ugly and are unprintable in a family newspaper. Teubert herself called the transgender girl a pervert in at least one post, and also in a later phone conversation with me.

In that, Teubert seemed to characterize her daughter as the victim in this matter. She said her daughter has no rights and that the school did nothing about it.

God forbid, you upset someone thats transgender or gay or lesbian, or whatever, that identifies with anything other than their biological sex, Teubert said, Because then you get in trouble for that. But if you do the same to a biological female, its OK.

The school board heard a somewhat different account at its March 16 meeting, again during public comments.

On that occasion, the bathroom situation at Glenvar arose once more. From what Ive been able to glean, the high school has two transgender students, in a total enrollment of roughly 630.

One speaker was Chad Brown, who said his daughter attends the high school. He asked the board to adopt a policy requiring students use restrooms according to the gender listed on their birth certificates. (Under current Virginia law and a relatively recent federal appeals court ruling from an eastern Virginia school division, that would constitute illegal discrimination.)

The transgender girls mom, Kerry Shepherd, also spoke, to support her daughter and ask for the boards understanding. (The Roanoke Times isnt naming either teenage student, out of sensitivity to each.)

Next, Shepherds daughter stood at the lectern and told board members her side of the story.

I was in the bathroom, the girl said the Feb. 14 incident. I have been struggling to find somewhere to sit during B-day lunches, and have been suffering with an eating disorder. I was in the bathroom skipping lunch, feeling general hate towards my body that day, considering self-induced vomiting, when a girl walked in.

I didnt want anyone else to see me vomit, so I stared in the mirror and stood in the corner. I walked out for a little bit and walked back in. I went straight back to the spot I was at and waited as she walked out, washed her hands and dried them.

That was my perspective of what happened that day.

That wasnt the end, though.

Much later, I heard from a friend about the online frenzy against me. I was told the original claim against me was that I made the student uncomfortable, the girl said.

I would like to tell you what uncomfortable feels like. Uncomfortable feels like being harassed on a day-to-day basis. Uncomfortable feels like developing an eating disorder and feeling the need to hide it. Uncomfortable feels like getting sexually harassed and nothing being done about it.

Uncomfortable feels like getting random panic attacks just from being in the same room as certain people. I would personally love to see how this compares to the students original claim, the girl said.

She added that she struggles daily with mental health issues, and this situation has made it SO much more difficult. I genuinely fear going to school because of the threats being made.

I deserve to learn in a school environment where I feel respected, protected and seen from my full humanity, the girl said.

In between the two meetings, the transgender pupil was bullied in two separate incidents and threatened in the latter. Kerry Shepherd reported those to school administrators on March 1 and March 6, and shared documents reflecting those complaints.

The first involved unkind comments to Shepherds daughter, from other female students, about using the girls bathroom. In the second, some boys followed Shepherds daughter outside to the school bus.

One taunted her, repeatedly called her boy, and demanded she stop using the same bathrooms that his sister used. Otherwise, Ill beat your a, Shepherd reported.

In a phone conversation Wednesday, Teubert told me she called the transgender student a pervert on social media because the student had dated her daughters best friend before undergoing the transition to a girl.

Shepherd said that the relationship Teubert referred to occurred in the fifth grade. That casts the term dated in a far different light.

This week, Shepherd told me her daughter, 16, has been hospitalized multiple times after trying to harm herself. When her daughter initially came out as transgender, I prayed she was gay, because her life would be easier, Shepherd said.

I found those comments heartbreaking, in part because I have a teenage niece whos transgender, and that has provided me a bit more insight into the issue. My niece left both public and private schools because she felt so unsafe in each.

Chuck Lionberger, spokesman for Roanoke County schools, said the school system would not comment on specifics of the situation, because that could violate the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.

We can confirm that the accusation [at the Feb. 16 meeting] was fully investigated by the school and any students or parents who had concerns were able to communicate those concerns with the school principal. The principal communicated directly with both students and families in her investigation, Lionberger wrote in an email.

Roanoke County Public Schools encourages and promotes a climate of respect for all students, including transgender students, and any incidents of bullying or harassment are investigated and addressed appropriately, he added. Our students are human beings that deserve to be treated with dignity and respect by other students as well as adults.

Virginias current policy allows transgender students to use bathrooms in accord with their gender identity. But that was adopted under the previous Gov. Ralph Northams administration. The administration of current Gov. Glenn Youngkin is said to be preparing new guidelines, but those have not yet been issued.

The school board is waiting for the state to issue guidance, said board member Mike Wray. Until then it would be too soon to share any thoughts.

Kerry Shepherd vehemently denies her daughter in any way peeked in the bathroom stall at the other girl on Feb. 14.

Teubert said she is consulting with lawyers, but she declined to name them.

Stay tuned.

Contact metro columnist Dan Casey at 981-3423 or dan.casey@roanoke.com. Follow him on Twitter:@dancaseysblog.
The adversary behind the supply chain attack targeting 3CX deployed a second-stage implant specifically singling out a small number of cryptocurrency companies.

Russian cybersecurity firm Kaspersky, which has been internally tracking the versatile backdoor under the name Gopuram since 2020, said it observed an increase in the number of infections in March 2023 coinciding with the 3CX breach.

Gopuram's primary function is to connect to a command-and-control (C2) server and await further instructions that allow the attackers to interact with the victim's file system, create processes, and launch as many as eight in-memory modules.

The backdoor's links to North Korea stem from the fact that it "co-existed on victim machines with AppleJeus, a backdoor attributed to the Korean-speaking threat actor Lazarus," detailing an attack on an unnamed crypto firm located in Southeast Asia in 2020.

The targeting of cryptocurrency companies is another telltale sign of the Lazarus Group's involvement, given the threat actor's recurring focus on the financial industry to generate illicit profits for the sanctions-hit nation.

Kaspersky further said it identified a C2 overlap with a server ("wirexpro[.]com") that was previously identified as employed in an AppleJeus campaign documented by Malwarebytes in December 2022.

"As the Gopuram backdoor has been deployed to less than ten infected machines, it indicates that attackers used Gopuram with surgical precision," the company pointed out, adding the highest infection rates have been detected in Brazil, Germany, Italy, and France.

While the attack chain discovered so far entails the use of rogue installers to distribute an information stealer (known as ICONIC Stealer), the latest findings suggest that the ultimate goal of the campaign may have been to infect targets with the full-fledged modular backdoor.

That said, it's not known how successful the campaign has been, and if it has led to the actual theft of sensitive data or cryptocurrency. It, however, raises the possibility that ICONIC Stealer was used as a reconnaissance utility to cast a wide net and identify targets of interest for follow-on exploitation.

The development comes as BlackBerry revealed that "the initial phase of this operation took place somewhere between the end of summer and the beginning of fall 2022."

A majority of the attack attempts, per the Canadian company, have been registered in Australia, the U.S., and the U.K., with healthcare, pharma, IT, and finance emerging as the top targeted sectors.

It's currently unclear how the threat actor obtained initial access to the 3CX network, and if it entailed the exploitation of a known or unknown vulnerability. The compromise is being tracked under the identifier CVE-2023-29059.

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Evidence collected to date indicates that the attackers poisoned 3CX's development environment and delivered trojanized versions of the legitimate app to the company's downstream customers in a SolarWinds or Kaseya-like supply chain attack.

One of the malicious components responsible for retrieving the info-stealer, a library named "d3dcompiler_47.dll," has also been spotted weaponizing a 10-year-old Windows flaw (CVE-2013-3900) to incorporate encrypted shellcode without invalidating its Microsoft-issued signature.

A point worth noting here is that the same technique was adopted in a ZLoader malware campaign unearthed by Israeli cybersecurity firm Check Point Research in January 2022.

Multiple versions of the desktop app  18.12.407 and 18.12.416 for Windows and 18.11.1213, 18.12.402, 18.12.407, and 18.12.416 for macOS  have been impacted. 3CX has since pinned the attack on a "highly experienced and knowledgeable hacker."

CrowdStrike has tied the incident to a North Korea-aligned nation-state group it tracks under the moniker Labyrinth Chollima, a sub-cluster within the Lazarus Group.
A top member of the Islamic State group in charge of organizing operations in Europe was killed by a drone attack carried out by the US-led coalition in northwest Syria, the US military announced on Tuesday, April 4.

The US military identified the drone attack casualty as Khalid Aydd Ahmad al-Jabouri. The armed forces noted that the Islamic State senior member's death would "temporarily disrupt the organization's ability" to plot external attacks," according to AP News.

According to opposition sources in northwest Syria, the victim arrived there 10 days ago and claimed to be a refugee from the province of Deir el-Zour in the east, which borders Iraq, as per a report from the Los Angeles Times.

The attack was the most recent in a string of assaults over the last several years that targeted top Islamic State members and militants with ties to Al Qaeda in northwest Syria.

Read Also: Finland Elections Update

Islamic State Losing Power

The Islamic State organized devastating assaults in Europe from the regions they once had under control that resulted in the deaths of many individuals. When the IS lost its final fragment of territory in March 2019, similar incidents declined.

For several years, US military bombings in rebel-held Idlib province killed most members of al-Qaeda affiliate Horas al-Din, Arabic for "Guardians of Religion," per The Times of Israel.

Among the group's members are ardent al-Qaeda supporters who defected from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the most powerful rebel organization in the province of Idlib.

Last month, the US military unleashed six targeted US drone attacks in Syria, killing eight Iranians in retaliation for an Iranian drone assault on a coalition base that killed one American, according to a previous HNGN report.

Related Article: US Military Gains New Bases in Philippines

@ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Upskilling is a small career investment that can help create major change.

Ask Central Community College drafting and design instructor Amy Stuart for an example, and she comes up with several.

One upskilling student drove heavy machinery. He had what some could call a weakness, but his employer saw an opportunity.

They're like, he can problem solve, he can do a lot of things, Stuart said. He just didn't know the computer technology.

Through resources at CCC he was able to upskill and increase his hourly wages from $14 an hour to $21 an hour.

If the employer can recognize a valued employee that is just missing one or two skills, they can come in here, they can take a class  not necessarily earn a degree, but to learn a skill.

As adults we may have some ingrained habits or characteristics that in workplaces may need to be backed up or backed out and replaced with a different type of skill sets, said Cindy Johnson, president of the Grand Island Area Chamber of Commerce.

Johnson many area businesses are willing to invest in employees with the potential to achieve more.

Their management team has said, I want you to be able to go to the next level, these are the things I'd love for you to work on. Heres what your path could be if we can just tweak a few things, Johnson said.

That's an investment  an investment in that person.

Stuarts student already had soft skills like problem solving under his belt. Still, there are some who need more help with soft skills than technical skills, said Susan Hooker, CCC associate dean of community and workforce education and training.

Hooker said shes noticed a fairly common motivation for employers reaching out to CCC to help their employees upskill.

They say that these workers are coming in, but they have not maybe been exposed to  time management and the leadership type of skills, she said. They know that there'll be great employees, but they want to help advance them. They see the value.

Stuart and Hooker both said they have noticed a great need for upskilling soft skills.

I see students are getting things instantaneous, Stuart said. There's social media, there's Google  sometimes that leads to the problem of them not knowing how to problem solve. And with that, they have to learn some of those soft skills when they come into a classroom.

Stuart offered her area of expertise, drafting, as an example.

We do have a lot of resources. There's a lot of resources out there that helped us decide what grade of structural steel, what type of connection  but we have to know how to be able to go find those resources, because not all of them are going to be online.

Soft skills like problem solving and communication are essential to learning technical skills, Johnson said.

Many employers, myself included, would look to hire someone who has strong soft skills, and then be prepared to teach them the actual job skill, she said. It's easier to teach the job skills if you have someone with the right attitude, the right commitment, the right approach, someone who is a team player.

Upskilling in general can be a huge asset to both the employee and the company, said Hooker.

(Employees) are earning more wages, (companies) are then able to expand their businesses because they have these capable employees that now can do these skills and they didn't have people before that could do it.

By learning these different training aspects, it's helping the companies with their bottom line as well, Hooker said. They're able to do more with their production, less downtime. I would see that as increasing their profits as well as the employee making more money.

Stuart said that companies looking to help employees upskill should consider if the investment is worth it. Those who want to upskill on their own accord, she said, need to ask if it the time taken to upskill is worth obtaining a larger goal.

(Ask if) it's a larger goal at home, problem solving and being a better parent, if it's appealing just to be a better employee at the current position, or even is it worth spending time on myself become a better person?"

Stuart pointed out, If you communicate clearly, problem solve better, any of these skills are going to help you with better interview skills, better things to put on your resume.

No matter the organization facilitating upskilling, Johnson said there is a common goal, which includes that of the Chamber.

What we're hoping to accomplish the end game, is to ensure that the people that are in the workforce today are working to their highest and best.
The Nebraska State Patrol, with assistance from multiple agencies, arrested an 18-year-old man as part of an investigation into a threat made Tuesday morning at Sandy Creek Public Schools in Fairfield.

The investigation began at approximately 8:40 a.m., when Sandy Creek High School reported that a student had received a threat from someone off campus. The school also received a call alleging that one of the students had a firearm in a locker. The school went into lockdown procedures in accordance with school policy.

Numerous law enforcement officers responded to the school. School officials searched the reported locker and did not find a firearm.

As response at the school continued, a suspected source of the threats was identified within minutes. Troopers worked with multiple law enforcement agencies and were able to locate the suspect at a residence in Hastings. The 18-year-old allegedly fought with law enforcement while being taken into custody, the patrol said. The suspect also spit on a troopers face.

After consultation with the Clay and Adams County attorneys, the suspect was taken into custody for making terroristic threats, false reporting, assault on an officer, resisting arrest and failure to obey a lawful order. The investigation remains ongoing. The suspect is not a Sandy Creek student.

The lockdown at Sandy Creek was lifted and students were dismissed for the day in accordance with school reunification procedures. Law enforcement remained on scene for the duration of that process.

The Clay County Sheriffs Office, Clay County Emergency Management, Adams County Sheriffs Office and Hastings Police Department assisted with the response and investigation.

Fairfield is about 46 miles southeast of Grand Island.
On Saturday afternoon, a man delivered a case of toilet paper to LaRaine Kosinski at the north Wendy's, where she works, and demanded $120.63.

Brandon Latimer, posing as a delivery driver, told Kosinski the toilet paper was meant to be delivered to her Saturday, and the payment was supposed to be collected on delivery.

Kosinski knew nothing about it. Hall County Sheriff Rick Conrad then showed up, in uniform, to ask if he could help.

Conrad then mentioned there was another delivery for her. Hall County Commissioner Gary Quandt appeared from around the corner with a dozen red roses.

"I haven't had flowers like that since my husband passed away," Kosinski said Monday.

The three men caught her off-guard. "I didn't even have my hair made up," she said.

If she'd known about it in advance, Kosinski would have called in sick. "But I never call in sick, so they'd know I was a liar," she said.

Quandt, who came up with the April Fool's idea, likes Kosinski's personality. "She's a really special person," he said.

"She's kind to everybody," Quandt said, adding that an encounter with Kosinski makes a person's day. "She's just the neatest lady."

Kosinski's son, Steven, died March 9 at the age of 57.

"I think we really brought a little sunshine into that woman's life. Glad to see it," said Conrad, who received a big hug from Kosinski and a kiss on his cheek.

Wendy's manager Niki Priest says Kosinski is "a wonderful person  beautiful inside and out. She's a great asset to the store. People love her. She brings customers in."

If Kosinski is not working, some people ask, "Where's LaRaine?"

Kosinski works the counter and the drive-thru. She's also the restaurant's "super dishwasher," Priest said.

Kosinski tries to treat everybody with respect, adding in "a little jolliness."

One customer said he likes to see her "because I put a breath of fresh air into his day."

To a lot of people who see her around town, she's the "Wendy's lady."

Many might remember her from her time at Econofoods and U Save Foods. She was deli manager at those stores for 18 and a half years. She also cleaned homes for 18 years.

She doesn't want her age used in the paper. "I'm old enough to know better, but I'm still young enough to have fun," said Kosinski, who graduated from Grand Island Senior High in 1960.

The people at Wendy's think she's been working there 14 years. But it's more like 18. They also think she's younger than she is.

Kosinski believes working keeps arthritis and dementia at bay. But she's in good health. After six hours on her feet Monday, she wasn't tired at all. She gives a lot of credit to health products, including those made by company called Balance of Nature.

The income helps fund birthday gifts for her eight grandchildren. "A fast $20 is always good for a 5-year-old," she said.

Kosinski grew up on a farm near Farwell. "At the age of 5, I was already milking five cows," she said.

The Guernseys and Jersey cows were friendly. The Holsteins were a whole different story.

The family rented their land from a neighbor. "My folks rented it for $100 a year," she said.

She moved with her family to Grand Island in 1948. Kosinski, whose maiden name was Dymek, can still speak Polish.

She met her husband, Edward, at a dance in St. Paul. He passed away in 2013 at the age of 73. They had been married for almost 52 years.

Kosinski was 5-foot-5 at one time. Now, she stands 4-9.

She won't be working at Wendy's much longer. She gave her notice Monday. Her last day will be April 15.

After that, she plans to work for a business that makes wigs for cancer patients.

It was the second year in a row that Quandt and Conrad collaborated on an April Fool's stunt. They sprung a surprise on a Grand Generation Center employee in 2022.
YORK  Tyrannosaurus Rex Gold of York filed a lawsuit in small claims court, asking for $3,900 in damages because a York Police officer allegedly yelled at him.

This week, however, the case was dismissed.

Rex Gold, who was representing himself in the matter, alleged an officer called him names as loud as he could repetitively. The complaint filed by Rex Gold was included in court documents.

In his filings with the court, he did not state how the damage request amount was calculated.

The case was transferred to the regular docket of the county court.

Rex Gold was directly suing the police department and did not first file a tort claim with the city.

Charles Campbell, the citys attorney, filed a motion to have the case dismissed because a tort claim was not filed with the city as an institution, which is required before any such suit can be filed with the courts. Campbell argued the court lacks jurisdiction in this matter.

A court hearing was held on the matter this week, in York County Court.

Judge Lynelle D Homolka granted the motion to dismiss, stating that Rex Gold failed to comply with the Nebraska Political Subdivision Tort Claims Act. The court costs were assigned to the plaintiff, Rex Gold.
Paris, TX (75460)

Today

Partly cloudy skies in the morning will give way to cloudy skies during the afternoon. High 66F. Winds ESE at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy during the evening. A few showers developing late. Low 52F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%.
A pair of professionals with diverse experience have joined the Southern Illinois University Carbondales Office of Economic and Regional Development with an eye on growing businesses and programs to help entrepreneurs.

Long-time SIU staffer Vanessa Sneed is the new director of business innovation and research and associate director of the SIU Research Park. Charles Serrano has been named the director of incubator programs within the office. Both started their new roles earlier this year.

Sneed, who has worked in donor relations with the SIU Foundation, human resources and was director of university events and protocol for the campus, said she sees her role as one to facilitate new opportunities for business and innovations in the region.

In her role, Sneed will work with the Illinois Small Business Development Center, economic development projects, the SIU Research Parks and tenants, entrepreneurs and business start-ups.

I think so much of my career has all been about bringing together people with similar interests and I am really excited to have a role that can help facilitate that for the campus and community, to grow businesses and opportunities for the region," Sneed said.

Serrano, a native of Chicago, is the new director of incubator programs. He was previously a Chicago-area business consultant coordinating economic outreach and development efforts for businesses and organizations to Latin America, including a trip by SIU leaders to Cuba several years ago.

As director of incubator programs, Serrano will work closely with the more than 40 start-up businesses located in the SIU Research Park.

My responsibility is to assure that the entities that our housed in our buildings receive all of the services they need to help their businesses grow, Serrano said. Services that will maintain their stability, increase their revenues and will help them to make a profit.

Serrano said he will work in what he called germinating businesses to start and grow enterprises.

My job is to come up with ideas, research and programs that will contribute to the economic development and economic stability of the area, he said.

Close The very first concert in the SIU Arena (now Banterra Center) was part of SIU Homecoming celebrations in October 1964 and featured the Dave Brubeck Quartet. Simon and Garfunkel performed at the SIU Arena in 1969. A 1971 performance at the SIU Arena featured Johnny Cash, June Carter Cash, The Statler Brothers and Carl Perkins. Rock Supergroup Chicago appeared at the SIU Arena in 1971. Grateful Dead appeared at the SIU Arena in 1979 A 1974 SIU Arena concert featured pop duo Sonny and Cher. The "King of Rock and Roll" performed in front of a sold-out audience at the SIU Arena on Oct. 27, 1976. ZZ Top in concert at SIU Arena, 1980 Country superstar Garth Brooks sold out three concerts at the SIU Arena in October 1996. Elton John performed at the then-named SIU Arena in 1999. Rock group KISS has performed at the Banterra Center at SIU twice, including this performance in 2000. James Taylor performed at the Banterra Center (then SIU Arena) in 2002. The SIU Arena welcomed performers The Blue Man Group in 2007. Kenny Rogers performed at the SIU Arena in 2011. PHOTOS | A look back at past performances in the SIU Arena/Banterra Center The very first concert in the SIU Arena (now Banterra Center) was part of SIU Homecoming celebrations in October 1964 and featured the Dave Brubeck Quartet. Simon and Garfunkel performed at the SIU Arena in 1969. A 1971 performance at the SIU Arena featured Johnny Cash, June Carter Cash, The Statler Brothers and Carl Perkins. Rock Supergroup Chicago appeared at the SIU Arena in 1971. Grateful Dead appeared at the SIU Arena in 1979 A 1974 SIU Arena concert featured pop duo Sonny and Cher. The "King of Rock and Roll" performed in front of a sold-out audience at the SIU Arena on Oct. 27, 1976. ZZ Top in concert at SIU Arena, 1980 Country superstar Garth Brooks sold out three concerts at the SIU Arena in October 1996. Elton John performed at the then-named SIU Arena in 1999. Rock group KISS has performed at the Banterra Center at SIU twice, including this performance in 2000. James Taylor performed at the Banterra Center (then SIU Arena) in 2002. The SIU Arena welcomed performers The Blue Man Group in 2007. Kenny Rogers performed at the SIU Arena in 2011.
SILIR in one word means friends to me. As the university contact from day one until my retirement, I met almost every member of the group over the years. I loved meeting people that would probably have never crossed my path in any other way. Hearing about their experiences in life and learning new things from them has been one of the best parts of SILIR. This continued as a member of the group whenever I participated in many classes learning new information on a variety of topics. These people have become lifelong friends who enjoy lifelong learning," said Lana Cambell, an SILIR member.

Another SILIR member, Lilly Crane, said, "SILIR began a few months after I became a widow and provided much needed opportunities for socialization as well as intellectual stimulation. I look forward to the next 25 years. Thank you to all who have made this organization so successful.

Bobbie Ogletree says, Participation in Southern Illinois Learning in Retirement (SILIR) provides me with varied and interesting opportunities to continue learning in my retirement. The monthly meetings and classes are stimulating, and I find the other participants warm and friendly. I look forward to attending presentations and classes, not just to learn but to see new friends." Continued learning is, of course, the primary focus of SILIR, but the benefits of socialization and friendship for seniors cannot be overestimated. Many would rather be ignorant than lonely. But sadly, too Too many seniors suffer the ill effects of loneliness, oftentimes needlessly, because groups like SILIR exist for them. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that, for the elderly, loneliness kills.

Recent CDC studies show that loneliness can greatly increase the likelihood of dying too soon, a risk, the study says, "may rival those of smoking, obesity, and physical inactivity." Not only that, loneliness has also been associated with a 50% increased risk of dementia. And loneliness is bad on the heart. "Poor social relationships (characterized by social isolation or loneliness) was associated with a 29% increased risk of heart disease and a 32% increased risk of stroke," the CDC stated. Loneliness was also associated with higher rates of depression, anxiety, and suicide, and among heart failure patients was associated with a nearly 4 times increased risk of death, 68% increased risk of hospitalization, and 57% increased risk of emergency department visits. With these grim numbers in mind, it is no wonder many seniors in the area are turning to SILIR as a safe harbor in a sea of loneliness. Members come from Carbondale, Marion, Murphysboro, Makanda, Herrin, Carterville, Anna, and Mount Vernon, among other towns. SILIR membership may be on the rise in the future, because the elderly population is increasing. "The proportion of Illinoiss population that is 60 and older is growing more rapidly than other components of the population. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that 22.3* of Illinoiss population will be 60 and older by the year 2030, an increase of more than 28 percent from 2012," an Administration for Community Living governmental report stated. For only $25 a year, with some activities having an additional nominal fee, senior citizen scholars can learn in their retirement, while curing themselves of what really ails, not so much their ignorance but their loneliness.

The anniversary celebration will start with the monthly meeting, free and open to the public, at 10:30 a.m. at Giant City Lodge, 460 Giant City Lodge Rd, Makanda. The speaker will be Kay Rippelmeyer-Tippy, author of "Giant City State Park and the Civilian Conservation Corps: A History in Words and Pictures." A coffee social hour will begin at 9:30 a.m. Luncheon tickets are $20, and the reservation deadline is April 14. For luncheon reservations, contact Jackie Welch at 618-356-7751, or email silir@siu.edu.
NORWAY  Lynn P. Garrick was sworn in as Norways new mayor on Monday evening.

Shell face some pre-existing, yet newly discovered, water woes during her term, including millions of gallons of leaking water in the town.

According to some March 14 texts from Nick Follmer of NWF Industries, We have found a broken completely in half 2-inch cast iron line (dated 1937) under the storm drain on 3rd street.

Follmers texts continue, My calculations @ 60 psi say it was between 2 to 8 million gallons a month leaking.

The biggest travesty in the Town of Norway was all the paving over (of) the valves throughout the years. Of all the useless regulations, something needs to be done about these paving outfits, Follmer stated in the texts.

He stated, Every one of them on 321 (Savannah Hwy. in Norway) is gone. 10-15 valves toasted.

Follmers texts were read aloud during Mondays meeting. They were sent to Covington, who was acting as mayor until Garricks election.

Covington said NWF Industries has been searching for broken lines throughout the state, not just the Town of Norway.

Garrick said, Get in touch with the head engineer with SCDOT.

There are collars for the valves so that when you pave, you do not pave over them, she added.

Garrick said she will be looking into and finding solutions for these issues.

Covington also read aloud texts dated March 15, 2023 from Follmer which showed that paving over valves is a statewide issue.

It happens everywhere on every road. I imagine it is quite hard to see the valve boxes on the paver, but there are certainly methods that could prevent this, Follmer texted.

Handheld GPS, perhaps, with a dedicated person just for valves? I dont know exactly, but I can tell you cutting new ones in are about $1,200 per square inch, Follmer concluded.

Covington was selected by council to be mayor pro tem. Council also voted to keep all of their pre-existing committee spots.

Covington mentioned the Lower Savannah Council of Governments is still working with the S.C. Department of Commerce to find additional funding for the Harrison Avenue Water Project. He noted that even if the town receives additional grant funding for the project, it will have to match more money.

In other business:

 Councilman Kelvin Crosby, of the Parks and Recreation Committee, informed council that the park was still not open on Saturdays and Sundays as decided in the last meeting.

Arrangements were made with town police and employees to keep the park open during future weekends.

The park will be open on Saturdays and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Council will determine in a future meeting if those days will be extended.

 During public comments, a citizen complained about garbage and debris being left on a street corner and being in the street after a house cleanup. The citizen said the debris is a hazard to the citizens of Norway and others who drive on that road.

Garrick said she would look into it.

 Council went into executive session to discuss a personnel matter. No motions or decisions were made upon return from the executive session.
South Carolina State Universitys Army ROTC Bulldog Battalion celebrated its 75th anniversary on Friday, March 31, at the annual Military Ball in conjunction with the SC State University Military Alumni Association.

Lt. Gen. Milford Beagle, SC State Class of 1990, was the keynote speaker, and several of his fellow general officers also returned to their alma mater for the ball. They included SC State's first general, Retired Brig. Gen. George B. Price, Class of 1951.

Congressman James E. Clyburn, Class of 1961, also addressed the crowd.

The partygoers were welcomed to Smith-Hammond-Middleton Memorial Center by SC State President Alexander Conyers, who is a retired Army colonel, and First Lady Agatha Conyers. Both are SC State alumni.

The Army ROTC Program was established in the 1947-48 school year at SC State. More than 2,000 officers have joined the U.S. Military's ranks from the program.

The Bulldog Battalion averages approximately 160 cadets and is still recognized as one of the largest producers of minority officers for the United States Army.

IN PHOTOS: SC State celebrates 75th anniversary of Army ROTC in style SC State celebrates 75th Anniversary of Army ROTC SC State celebrates 75th Anniversary of Army ROTC SC State celebrates 75th Anniversary of Army ROTC SC State celebrates 75th Anniversary of Army ROTC SC State celebrates 75th Anniversary of Army ROTC SC State celebrates 75th Anniversary of Army ROTC SC State celebrates 75th Anniversary of Army ROTC SC State celebrates 75th Anniversary of Army ROTC SC State celebrates 75th Anniversary of Army ROTC
Linwood Douglas Thorne, 51, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced to 30 years in prison for his role in a large-scale drug trafficking conspiracy that resulted in one of the largest seizures of heroin in the District of Columbia's history. The sentence, handed down March 31, 2023, by U.S. District Court Judge Beryl A. Howell, was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, FBI Special Agent in Charge Wayne A. Jacobs, of the Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Divisions, and Acting Special Agent in Charge Michael Weddel, of the Washington Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF).

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On March 25, 2022, a jury found Thorne guilty of conspiracy, possession with intent to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin, possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, possession with intent to distribute marijuana, and a firearms charge.

"This sentence should send a clear message to all those who would even consider operating a large-scale drug network: doing so will result in you possibly spending the rest of your life in jail," said U.S. Attorney Graves. "We have zero tolerance for those looking to poison our communities with massive amounts of drugs-particularly when the drug trafficking involves firearms."

"This joint investigation, which resulted in one of the largest seizures of heroin in our city's history, is a testament to the strength of our federal and local partnerships," said FBI Special Agent in Charge Jacobs. "The Washington Field Office's Safe Streets Task Force remains committed to pursuing criminals who traffic in drugs and guns. Let the defendant's sentence serve as a reminder of the consequences traffickers face for putting people's lives in danger."

"Today's announcement sends an accountability message not only to those who traffic deadly drugs and illegal firearms, but to the families of victims as well. ATF stands with our law enforcement partners to say, violent acts will cost and will be addressed accordingly," said ATF Acting Special Agent in Charge Weddel. "We reaffirm our commitment to holding those that attempt to destroy our communities responsible for their illegal and dangerous actions."

The FBI's Safe Streets Task Force began investigating Thorne In 2018

In 2018, the FBI's Safe Streets Task Force began investigating Thorne, as a major heroin supplier. On Dec. 19, 2018, the FBI and ATF executed simultaneous search warrants on Thorne's Maryland business and D.C. residence, finding 44 kilograms of heroin laced with fentanyl; 55 pounds of marijuana; five firearms; and significant drug paraphernalia. In addition to the search warrants, the task force's investigation-which began in July of 2018-has led to the recovery of eight additional firearms, approximately 1.5 additional kilograms of marijuana, 260 additional grams of heroin, and several firearms magazines and accessories.

During trial, the government presented over a dozen civilian and law enforcement witnesses, along with digital and business records establishing and corroborating the defendant's guilt.

In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves, Special Agent in Charge Jacobs, and Acting Special Agent in Charge Weddel commended the work of those who investigated the case from the FBI and ATF, as well as those from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) who were on the Safe Streets Task Force, and the United States Marshals Service. They also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by joint law enforcement and prosecution partners, including the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Georgia, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia, and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Maryland. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who handled the case from the U.S. Attorney's Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory Rosen, as well as Paralegal Specialist Alexis Spencer-Anderson of the Capitol Siege and Federal Major Crimes Section, and former Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brandon Regan, Samuel Frey, and Andrea Duvall.

READ MORE: Son Of Former Honduras President Arrested By DEA In Haiti Drug Bust, Flown To NYC For Trial

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(TBTCO) - Hiep hoi Bao hiem Viet Nam a lam viec voi tung bo phan va kenh phan phoi cua cac cong ty bao hiem nhan tho va at uoc su thong nhat quan trong trong viec nang cao chat luong tu van, dich vu cham soc khach hang e cung co niem tin cua khach hang va nguoi dan.
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A niche program in Turkey enables customers to have fresh, hand-raised fruits and vegetables sent directly to their homes.

When Fatih Gulec, a 54-year-old retired government agricultural engineer, realized he would go bankrupt, the potato plants in the fields he had rented in the central Anatolian city of Sivas were blanketed with green leaves. The potatoes were growing under the earth, but the money buyers offered for them was just enough to cover the soaring costs.

Looking at the finances after the 2017 harvest, Gulec decided that being a small farmer was not sustainable in Turkey. I was a little depressed, and I told everyone that if even I went bankrupt with my years of experience, it is not possible to maintain yourself if you depend on agriculture, he says, recalling those days.

After the bankruptcy, Gulec started working at a construction company, though he couldnt stem his passion  or obsession, as he calls it  for farming. After countless nights spent thinking about why I failed, I finally realized that I needed to find a solution where I could set the price as a producer, he says.

One night in 2018 he came up with an idea. I noticed that people were interested in nature and farming and looking for healthy food but didnt have the necessary means to safely grow their food, since they lived in big cities or were busy. And I was looking for alternative ways of selling to survive financially as a farmer. So I decided to create a system where those people can adopt a piece of land seasonally, and I can grow the fresh products they choose.

Fatih Gulec hopes his grow-to-order business model will help other struggling farmers. Photo courtesy of Fatih Gulec.

Thats how Farmobile was born. The business allows customers  usually well-to-do urbanites  to pick seasonal produce and have it grown for them on leased land. They can keep up with their crops online and even visit the fields. Once the plants start producing they receive regular shipments, usually weekly. The Farmobile website notes that during the maturation and plant growth phase, the user does not receive any product but waits patiently for plants to grow, like a farmer.

A Different Kind of U-Pick

Farmobile combines agriculture with direct marketing. Customers adopt their land for either the winter, spring, or summer growing season  usually three to four months  via the website. After they pick the produce they want, Farmobile takes it from there. Gulec and his employees do the soil preparation, planting, field work, and harvesting. Local seeds are used whenever possible and are always non-GMO. A shipping company delivers the produce directly to customers.

Tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers are in high demand during the summer, Gulec says. When the winter comes, people turn to radishes and spinach. While vegetables like cabbage, broccoli, eggplant, corn, and carrots dominate the list on the website, customers also can choose melons and watermelons during the spring and summer. Farmobile offers its customers nearly 30 products over the course of the year.

With this system, Gulec knows his income before production starts, which helps shield him from potential losses due to the crop price fluctuations common in the country.

Gulec also hopes to buck the trend of declining numbers of farmers and eventually help others do the same. According to the Turkish Ministry of Agriculture, there were more than 2.5 million registered farmers in the country in 2002. By 2018 the number declined to about 2.1 million and was less than 1.8 million in August 2020, the most recent year for which data is available. Experts believe that number is even lower now. In addition, Turkish Statistical Institute data show that the countrys agricultural land shrank by more than 18 percent between 2002 and 2020.

Fethi Gurer, an opposition parliamentarian from the Republican Peoples Party and an agricultural expert, believes unsound government policies are the main reason farmers are abandoning the fields.

There is no central planning for agricultural production in Turkey, he says. Farmers dont know how much money they will earn before the harvest, and most of the time, the payment they receive doesnt cover the rising costs. It shouldnt be surprising to anyone that more and more farmers are leaving the sector.

Sunset in Aydin, one of Turkeys most important agricultural areas. Like elsewhere in the country, more and more farmers there are struggling. Photo by Osman Orsal.

Eliminating Middlemen

The agricultural sector in Turkey was state-dominated until the 1980s. The ensuing privatization and liberalization of the industry negatively affected the countrys smallholders as they had to compete with well-established international agricultural businesses. The free market brought the small farms higher levels of uncertainty about their production and marketing decisions. The government has continued to support farmers through direct income transfers, but subsidies for agricultural inputs and compensatory payments are not enough for many. Turkey depends heavily on foreign products such as seeds and fertilizers, for which costs have increased rapidly in recent years as the Turkish lira has dropped in value.

Another reason for farmers losing income is the middleman system, which came with the modernization of the supply chain, according to Gurer. Depending on the crop, middlemen get involved along the chain as shippers, wholesale brokers, and vendors of all sizes. Someone earns money at each step, but the lions share does not go to farmers.

Lemons provide one example: At the end of October 2021, many producers in the Aegean area of Turkey couldnt even sell their produce for one Turkish lira per kilo (about 7 U.S. cents). The price was about 4 lira at the wholesale market in Istanbul, and lemons sold in stores for about 7 lira per kilo.

Thats why Gulec decided Farmobile should cut itself free of the middlemen.

Parlaying Green Influencer Status

A friend who employed Gulec at his construction company as a landscaping manager agreed to let him use one of the companys vacant plots of land.

Gulec then designed the Farmobile website. As a green influencer on Twitter, he shared the Farmobile project with his social media followers who turned to him for farming advice. At the start in 2018, only four people signed up.

Early on, it was just me preparing the vegetable beds, sowing, planting, hoeing, and picking the crops when they were ready, says Gulec. He wasnt sure if it was going to work. I just wanted to give myself another chance, but I wasnt too optimistic.

The number of Farmobile users grew gradually thanks mainly to word-of-mouth marketing by pleased customers. During the 2021-2022 winter season, the system served 35 customers with crops grown in Eskisehir, in west-central Turkey, and Hatay on the Mediterranean coast. At first, Farmobile plots occupied less than 200 square meters; now, the operation covers more than 1,500 square meters on two fields, plus backup plots, and Gulec has hired three employees.

The business has a customer retention rate of more than 60 percent, Gulec says.

Sadun Yucel, a 53-year-old doctor from Istanbul, is one of those steady customers. He extended his subscription for the fifth time last winter. The products are fresh and delicious, just like the ones from my childhood, Yucel says. At home, we arrange our cooking according to the products we choose for that season, since we dont want to consume regular things from the supermarkets. And most of the time, the package Farmobile sends is more than enough for our needs.

Yucel says he believes what we put in our bodies directly affects our health, and this is another reason he likes Farmobile. Even in a fancy organic market, I dont have total trust in the safety of the products since the supervision in Turkey is insufficient. Once I even saw empty bottles of fertilizer in the dumpster at an organic farm. But with Farmobile, I can track every step of production.

Cornfields in the Alpu plain, Eskisehir, Turkey. Photo by Osman Orsal.

Involving the Customers

To build trust with his customers, Gulec sends weekly photos from the fields and explains every move during the growth cycle. If a customer asks for it, the staff also test the soil and the products for things like pesticide residue. But Gulec says few request it because Farmobile has created a relationship with customers based on mutual trust.

I cant survive as a farmer in the current circumstances if consumers dont understand the whole process, he says. Farming has always been risky. The weather is important, and you have to be careful about the pests. There is always tension while you are waiting for crops to grow and joy when you see your vegetables at the table. I want to share both of those with my clients, and I believe we have reached that point with many of them.

All this attention to detail, however, carries a price tag thats hefty for most in a country where 40 percent of the workforce earns the net minimum wage of $290 per month. For the 2021-22 winter season, Farmobile had three subscription options. With the Eco Package, priced at 2,000 lira (about $135), a customer rents 12 square meters of land and picks three different types of products to grow. The Beginner and Premium packages come with 25 square meters of land. Beginner provides five product options for 3,000 lira, and Premium seven products for 3,500 lira. Shipping, which typically takes one to three days, is included.

The Beginner package is enough to cover the basic produce needs of a family of four, once weekly deliveries begin in the second half of the subscription period after the plants have matured enough, Gulec says. For a three-month subscription, a customer receives six or seven weekly packages.

Hopes for Expansion

Most of the clients come from the upper middle class. Gulec hopes to reduce prices and expand the customer base by including other producers in the system, perhaps by 2023. With investment from a popular TV presenter who wants to remain anonymous, Farmobile plans to hire farmers around the country as subcontractors. Each farmer would pay part of his or her earnings to Farmobile. In return, Farmobile would handle delivery, marketing, and customer relations, as well as overseeing all participating producers as the umbrella brand.

The startup expenses of any project are high, he says. This makes many innovative services only available to some portion of the society at first. Still, by involving other producers, we can share fixed costs like deliveries and marketing and provide more affordable choices.

Gulec wants to help farmers by creating an alternative way to ensure economic sustainability, and consumers by offering a safe food option and a chance to participate in growing their own vegetables and fruits.

Farmobile does portion out some risk between the producer and the customer. The company provides information about the expected yield for each crop, but nothing is certain until harvest. Customers accept a loss risk of up to 50 percent. If the loss exceeds that limit, Farmobile makes up the difference from its backup fields. However, thanks to Allah, says Gulec, we havent lost more than 10 percent of crops in any field since we started.

Ece Senel, a 26-year-old Farmobile customer from Istanbul, says the pandemic helped people understand the importance of food production. And they learned how difficult growing food can be while trying to raise vegetables on their balconies. Because of that, she says, I didnt find the risk-sharing condition weird. For the products I receive from Farmobile, Im willing to take the risk. This is also a fairer way.

A risk-sharing system seems like an impossible dream for another farmer from Eskisehir, where one of Farmobiles fields is located. Meral Kurt, 61, grows wheat and barley in fields outside the city center she inherited from her family.

When there isnt sufficient planning and support, farming is like gambling, she says. Think of me as a hotel owner. I have rooms to rent but dont know the price. There are various risks in the production process, and even if we can survive any losses, it is not guaranteed that we will get the price we want.

Gulec, whose startup costs came from savings and hasnt yet turned a profit, is cautious but optimistic.

One night last year, I asked my wife and children what they thought about the business and the money we earned and whether we should continue or not, he says. They assured me that everything was fine, and that we should keep doing what we were doing. It is a rare thing in Turkey, a farmer going to bed at night without demons in his head. I have fewer demons with Farmobile, and my customers are happy. I want to share this with more people.


Mills  contrary to what you may have heard  is not placing a stay on new construction.

Rumor had it the city was nearing a decision to halt land development. In an announcement last week, the city reassured residents those were, in fact, rumors.

There is not now, nor has there ever been a plan to cease construction or development in Mills, the statement said.

Its unclear exactly where word of the imaginary ban came from or how long the rumors had been circulating.

At least in some instances these rumors seem to be based on the erroneous assumption that Mills is out of water or that its water system is overburdened or somehow subject to regulatory agency action, the statement continued.

The rumors have already dealt a blow to the citys real estate market, Lisa Burridge, a Casper realtor, said during a city council meeting last week.

Its scaring off potential buyers, she said, and local real estate agents, developers and builders are worried.

Not a day goes by that I dont get a call where somebody wants to accuse me of cheating them because yall are shutting down the town, Burridge said at the meeting.

At this point, the city doesnt think the rumors were spread with any ill intent, and Mayor Leah Juarez hopes the announcement will settle the matter.

Its kind of mind blowing, how these rumors grow and how they evolved to such dramatic lengths that people are putting fear in the builders, Juarez told the Star-Tribune last week.

Anyone with additional questions is encouraged to reach out to the city at 307-337-6674. City council meetings take place the second and third Tuesday of every month at Mills City Hall, located at 704 Fourth St.
Even by Wyoming standards, the blizzard that swept over the state on Monday stood out.

The late season storm dropped heavy snow over large parts of the state, combining with high winds to create blizzard conditions in many places. Central Wyoming bore the brunt of the storm, with widespread closures as people sought to get home before the conditions worsened.

Two people died and one was injured, meanwhile, when a semi-truck that authorities suspect was traveling too fast for the road conditions stuck a tow truck that was attending to a disabled car on Interstate 80 near Wamsutter.

In Casper, schools closed early, and the Natrona County School District announced it would conduct classes virtually on Tuesday. Activities were canceled. Casper College closed Monday as well.

Downtown was unusually empty on Monday afternoon as businesses and public agencies shut down so workers could get home safe.

The city of Casper closed early and officials said it would stay shuttered on Tuesday. That means City Hall, Municipal Court, Casper Recreation Center, Aquatic Center and Ice Arena will be closed until Wednesday.

Metro Animal Shelter will also be closed to the public both days, though officers will still be working.

The closures wont affect police, fire, water and sewer, snow removal and trash collection services.

As of Monday afternoon, Casper City Council still planned to convene for a regular meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday in the city council chambers.

Natrona County closed its non-essential offices at 3 p.m. Monday, which it expected to reopen at 10 a.m. Tuesday. The county pushed back its Board of County Commissioners work session and regular meeting, as well as its Natrona County Detention Center Joint Powers Board/Hall of Justice Joint Powers Board meeting, to April 11.

The National Historic Trails Interpretive Center and BLMs Casper Field Office closed Monday afternoon and will remain that way until Wednesday.

Arctic conditions

The National Weather Service forecast massive snow totals for the storm. Figures released Sunday night indicated Casper and Wheatland could each get 18 to 24 inches, Douglas could get 24 to 30 inches and and Rawlins could get 12 to 18 inches.

The storm was expected to continue dropping snow overnight Monday and into Tuesday.

A blizzard warning was in effect for most of Natrona County and parts of Fremont, Converse, Niobrara and Sweetwater counties. The National Weather Service forecast winds in excess of 50 mph in Casper.

Authorities warned that driving could become difficult to impossible due to blowing snow.As of 6:30 p.m. Monday, two of Wyomings three interstates  25 and 90  remained open. Some state highways, including one connecting Casper and Laramie, had shut down, as had a stretch of Interstate 80 between Rawlins and Rock Springs.

The storm comes at the tail end of a particularly harsh winter, one thats resulted in an unusually high number of road deaths and difficulties for local ranchers, who are contending with higher prices and mountainous snow drifts.

PHOTOS: Riding along with the Wyoming Highway Patrol during a blizzard Highway Patrol Highway Patrol Highway Patrol Highway Patrol Highway Patrol Highway Patrol Highway Patrol Highway Patrol Highway Patrol Highway Patrol Highway Patrol Highway Patrol Highway Patrol Highway Patrol Highway Patrol Highway Patrol
A series of false active shooter reports rippled across Wyoming schools Monday morning, triggering law enforcement from across the state to respond to the suspicious calls.

Hoax calls were reported in Casper, Cheyenne, Gillette, Rock Springs, Buffalo, Sheridan, Cody, Rawlins, Star Valley, Cokeville, Newcastle and Crook County.

The Sheridan Police Department received a call around 8:55 a.m. that seven students had been shot at Sheridan High School, according to a press release. In Cheyenne, the police department received a report of an active shooter in the first-floor bathroom of South High School at 8:15 a.m.

Other police departments and districts reported similar calls that said active shooters were in school buildings. The majority came within an hour window between approximately 8 a.m. and 9 a.m.

While local law enforcement responded with urgency, the calls were suspicious from the beginning.

The Cheyenne Police Department said in a statement that the report about South High School came from a different area code. The caller to the Sheridan Police Department had an untraceable phone number and a foreign accent, the department said in a press release.

From the onset, there appeared to be indications that the originating report was unfounded and that the report was consistent with similar hoax situations that have been occurring nationwide, the Casper Police Department and Natrona County School District said in a joint release.

Major response

The calls put law enforcement in a bind. They needed to respond quickly, but they would also be doing what the caller wanted, giving some credibility to baseless fears.

We dont want to give any extra attention to false calls, but also student safety is our number one concern in these situations, said Amber Freestone, spokesperson for the Casper Police Department. We will respond with urgency every time.

The law enforcement resources dispatched to an active shooter call are extensive: The Casper Police Department, Natrona County Sheriffs Office, Mills Police Department, Casper Fire and EMS Department and Banner Health all reported to the Natrona County High School, the school district there reported.

The Sheridan Police Department will always react quickly to situations where students are involved no matter its skepticism about the information, said Capt. Tom Ringley, a spokesperson for the department.

We dont wait until the end of the call to deploy units to the school, Ringley said. As soon as we think there might be a threat, we deploy.

Alongside local law enforcement, the Wyoming Office of Homeland Security received calls from emergency managers across the state about the incidents.

The office was passing along that information to the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation and the agencys Information and Analysis Team, said Ashley Paulsrud, a spokesperson for the Office of Homeland Security.

With a dozen communities targeted across Wyoming, any investigation will likely come from state or federal law enforcement.

Ringley said the Sheridan Police Department would work with other agencies with more resources on any attempt to track the caller or callers.

Vikki Migoya, a spokesperson for the FBIs Denver office, said the agency was aware of the sweeping threats and would collaborate with Wyoming law enforcement.

While we have no information at this time to indicate a specific and credible threat, we continue to work with our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to gather, share, and act upon threat information as it comes to our attention, Migoya said.

Broad response

Natrona County High School went on lockdown briefly Monday morning due to a potential safety concern, officials announced.

The Casper Public Safety Communications Center received a 911 call at 8:23 a.m. about an active shooter at the high school and within two minutes it went into lockdown, the district said.

Local law enforcement reacted and swept the building while students and staff stayed locked in their classrooms. After clearing the campus and finding no threat, the Casper Police Department lifted the lockdown at 8:55 a.m.

There is NO verification of an active shooter on campus, the district said in a statement. ...Again, there was no verified active shooter on campus.

The school remained on heightened awareness before closing early due to hazardous road conditions and mounting snow in Natrona County.

In Cheyenne, Johnson Junior High School was also placed on lockdown as police responded to a report of an active shooter at South High School. Goins Elementary, Rossman Elementary and Triumph High School went into secure perimeter protocol out of caution, Laramie County School District 1 officials said in a message to families.

Cheyenne Police Department cleared South High School by 9 a.m., the department said in a statement. The threat was also a hoax.

Rock Springs High School went under lockdown after reports of an active shooter were made around 8:30 a.m., Sweetwater County School District No. 1 said in a statement.

All other district schools and the central administration building went into secure protocol, with no one entering or leaving the buildings.

The Rock Springs Police Department asked everyone to stay away from the high school, so that law enforcement can do their job, and we can keep people safe, the district said in statement.

By 9:55 a.m. the Rock Springs Police Department had released all of Sweetwater County School District No. 1 from secure hold after it found that the threat was not credible.

A false school shooter report also prompted lockdowns at Crook County schools in northeast Wyoming.

Some Crook County Schools went on lockdown as a precaution until it could be confirmed that our reports were hoax calls, the Crook County Sheriffs Office said in a statement. These swatting calls have been reported nationwide and several Wyoming agencies received the same calls this morning.

Similar incidents

The fake calls have been occurring across the Rocky Mountain region and followed similar patterns to those in other nearby states.

In February, at least a dozen Colorado school districts across the state went into lockdown after a series of anonymous phone calls warned of attacks on public schools, according to Reuters.

Last week several schools in Utah were also the victims of hoax calls about school violence.

Its just something thats going around and unfortunately we were the victims of it today, said Alex Farkas, a spokesperson for the Cheyenne Police Department.

Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder issued a statement Monday afternoon condemning the widespread fake calls.

These abhorrent incidents underscore the fact that school safety and security is always a critical matter, she said. The WDE has done a lot over the years working with school districts and law enforcement on best practices related to school safety and security. We will redouble our efforts going forward with a strategic focus on enhancing the capacity of our districts to respond to these types of incidents and keep our students and school staff safe.

On Twitter, Gov. Mark Gordon thanked law enforcement and school district staff across the state for their responses.

These incidents are traumatic for students and staff and endanger communities by utilizing law enforcement resources that may be needed elsewhere, Gordon said. I thank members of local law enforcement and school district personnel for their quick and professional response to these reports.

Though the calls Monday were a hoax, Freestone said they were an example of why the Casper Police Department continually drills for active shooter situations.

We are in a constant state of readiness, she said.

Gallery: Active Shooter Training in Wyoming Willard Elementary School ALICE Training Willard Elementary School ALICE Training Willard Elementary School ALICE Training Willard Elementary School ALICE Training Willard Elementary School ALICE Training Willard Elementary School ALICE Training Willard Elementary School ALICE Training Willard Elementary School ALICE Training Willard Elementary School ALICE Training Willard Elementary School ALICE Training Willard Elementary School ALICE Training Willard Elementary School ALICE Training Willard Elementary School ALICE Training Willard Elementary School ALICE Training Willard Elementary School ALICE Training Willard Elementary School ALICE Training Willard Elementary School ALICE Training Willard Elementary School ALICE Training School Safety
The daughter-in-law of a Wamsutter tow truck driver who died in a three-vehicle pileup during Mondays snowstorm is raising money on behalf of his family.

Kirby Lugg, 45, was in the process of towing a car out of a ditch on Interstate 80 when a semi-truck hit him, Hailey Mitcham said in a statement posted to the GoFundMe page created to help his family.

Lugg was revived at the scene, but he died while being taken to Memorial Hospital of Carbon County, she said.

He and his wife were raising their grandson together, the statement said.

The donations would help ensure his wife and grandson dont have money stress during the coming days and are able to grieve properly, the statement said. As of late Tuesday afternoon, the fundraiser had already collected $7,000.

The crash occurred at 3 a.m. Monday when a Houston man lost control of a 1995 Kenworth semi-truck, said highway patrol Sgt. Jeremy Beck. The 41-year-old driver overcorrected and collided with a tow truck, which Lugg was operating.

Trucker Edgar F. Echeverria also died, and a third person was injured.

Authorities say Echeverria may have been driving too fast for the icy road conditions.

Since Mondays blizzard began, the Wyoming Highway Patrol has responded to 90 crashes across the state, Beck said Tuesday afternoon. The only fatal crash was the one involving Lugg and Echeverria.

They were the 33rd and 34th deaths on Wyoming roads so far in 2023.

A state-by-state breakdown of crashes involving large trucks Crashes involving large trucks #51. District of Columbia #50. Massachusetts #49. Hawaii #48. New York #47. New Jersey #46. Vermont #45. Rhode Island #44. Connecticut #43. Michigan #42. Washington #41. New Hampshire #40. Delaware #39. Maryland #38. California #37. Nevada #36. Minnesota #35. Wisconsin #34. Pennsylvania #33. Utah #32. Ohio #31. Colorado #30. Virginia #29. Illinois #28. Alaska #27. Maine #26. North Carolina #25. Oregon #24. Arizona #23. Florida #22. West Virginia #21. Missouri #20. Iowa #19. Louisiana #18. Texas #17. Georgia #16. Indiana #15. North Dakota #14. South Carolina #13. Kansas #12. Oklahoma #11. Tennessee #10. Montana #9. Kentucky #8. New Mexico #7. Idaho #6. Nebraska #5. South Dakota #4. Alabama #3. Arkansas #2. Mississippi #1. Wyoming
On Monday, a San Francisco-based Black former Tesla Inc. employee won a racial harassment case and was awarded $3.2 million.

Diaz alleged Tesla did nothing when he repeatedly informed top management of employees' racial harassment at Tesla's Fremont, California, site.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk believes if the court had let his company present fresh evidence in the retrial, "the verdict would've been zero."

A Black former employee of Tesla Inc. in San Francisco was awarded approximately $3.2 million on Monday due to his victory in a racial harassment lawsuit against the electric vehicle manufacturer.

According to Reuters, the judgment followed a one-week retrial of the 2017 Tesla lawsuit by petitioner Owen Diaz, who was granted $137 million by a separate jury in 2021.

Tesla was found to be at fault by that jury, but the court deemed the award excessive. Although Diaz rejected the lower $15 million award, he opted for a new trial of the Tesla race bias case on injuries.

Owen Diaz rejected the settlement offer and reopened the damages case, asking for approximately $160 million.

On Monday, the jury awarded Diaz, who worked as an elevator operator, $175,000 in emotional anguish damages and $3 million in punitive penalties to punish the transgression and prevent it from happening again.

Diaz said that Tesla did nothing when he constantly informed upper management of workers' usage of racial insults and the presence of swastikas, racist caricatures, and epithets written on walls and other surfaces around the Tesla Fremont, California, facility.

Elon Musk Reacts on Tesla Lawsuit Verdict

Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, posted on Twitter that if the court had let the business present fresh evidence in the retrial of the Tesla race bias case, "the verdict would've been zero."

The tech magnate added that he respects the jury's decision on the Tesla lawsuit, acknowledging that they "did the best they could with the knowledge they had."

Read Also: Biden Urges Russia To Release Jailed US Journalist

Requests for comments about the Tesla lawsuit verdict from Tesla and Diaz's attorneys were not immediately fulfilled. The Elon Musk-owned corporation, which has stated that it does not permit workplace discrimination, takes worker concerns seriously.

In his closing arguments on Friday, Diaz's attorney, Bernard Alexander, pleaded with the jury to grant him close to $160 million in damages and make it known to Tesla and other major corporations that they would be held responsible for failing to resolve prejudice.

According to a New York Post report, the lawyer said that Diaz's perspective of the world had been irrevocably altered.

Alex Spiro, the attorney for Tesla, disagreed, claiming that Diaz had inflated his allegations of mental suffering and that his attorneys had failed to demonstrate any significant, long-lasting harm brought on by Tesla.

Tesla Facing Similar Racial Bias Complaints

Similar accusations of allowing racial discrimination are leveled against the EV manufacturer. The California Department of Fair Employment filed a Tesla lawsuit, and Housing filed a complaint against Tesla in February, claiming racial harassment and discrimination at the Tesla Fremont manufacturing facility.

Tesla has been trying to stop the Tesla lawsuit to resolve claims out of court, something the company thinks should have been possible before the complaint was submitted, per the Tech Times.

Related Article: Could Prince Harry Face Criminal Charges?

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JACKSON (WNE)  A Teton County Sheriffs Office deputy shot and killed a dog that was chasing and mauling deer Sunday afternoon, a first in nearly 20 years for Teton County law enforcement officials.

While Wyoming statute allows law enforcement officers to kill dogs when they injure or threaten big game animals with immediate injury, its rarely done.

Law enforcement officials who responded Sunday afternoon said the dogs owner, Alexander Rubin, wasnt able to regain control of his 2-year-old husky female, Nova, after she started chasing mule deer on High School Butte. Over the course of an hour-and-a-half, the dog mauled two animals before deputies shot her.

Rubin was fined $85 for having an at- large dog and cited for allowing his dog to injure wildlife, which can come with a fine of up to $1,000 and up to six months of jail time.

Deputies fined Rubin $150 for that citation.

It was a really tough position for our deputies to be in, Teton County Sheriff Matt Carr said. They did what they had to do and Im 100% behind the actions that were taken.

Rubin did not return a request for comment before press time Monday.

We support the decision that was made, said Mark Gocke, spokesman for the Wyoming Game and Fish Department.

Both Gocke and Carr said Teton County has issues with dogs being out of control.

Gocke said that game wardens have received at least 10 reports of dogs chasing wildlife in the past two weeks. In Wyoming, dog owners can be fined up to $1,000 and sentenced to six months in jail if their dogs harass, chase or injure big game.
Wyomings Rep. Harriet Hageman, an ardent supporter of former president Donald Trump, called on people to take our country back after Trump pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to 34 felony charges of falsifying business records related to hush money payments he allegedly made to an adult film actress and a Playboy model.

Trump is the first former president to face criminal charges. His historic indictment holds particular significance for Wyoming  a state where Trump won nearly 70% of the vote in 2020, his largest margin in the country. Wyomingites also overwhelmingly supported now-Rep. Hageman  whom Trump picked to unseat his political foe former Rep. Liz Cheney  in the 2022 midterm elections.

A Manhattan grand jury voted to indict Trump last week over his involvement in paying hush money to adult film actress Stormy Daniels and Playboy model Karen McDougal ahead of the 2016 presidential election. The payments were allegedly made to keep the women from sharing that theyd had sexual relations with Trump.

The indictment followed an investigation led by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg that sought to determine whether the former president had falsified records related to the payments in a way that violated campaign finance laws.

Trump is also at the center of criminal investigations in Georgia and Washington related to his attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election and his handling of classified materials.

Bogus charges

Hageman said in a statement Tuesday that she expects Trump to be quickly cleared of what she described as the bogus charges. She leveled criticism at Bragg, the Manhattan district attorney, calling him a George Soros puppet...

If a rogue D.A. can persecute a former President because they dont like what he says, they can persecute all of us too, she said. Its time to take our country back.

Liberal billionaire George Soros hasnt directly funded Bragg, but contributed money to a group that supported the Manhattan district attorney and other progressive candidates seeking to be prosecutors.

The accusation that Bragg is acting at the direction of Soros has circulated widely among Republicans. That characterization of the Manhattan district attorney has also been echoed among groups and leaders in Wyoming, including by Wyomings Sen. Cynthia Lummis and Trump-backed Secretary of State Chuck Gray.

Hageman also leveled criticism at Democrats on Twitter, blaming them for Trumps indictment.

The Democrats obsession with getting Donald Trump has led to a fmr President of the US being treated like political opponents are treated in Russia, China, Cuba, or other dictatorships, she wrote.

They hate him so much they dont care how much they harm our country & our justice system.

Gray, a 2020 presidential election skeptic who campaigned on the promise to quash voter fraud, despite it being an extreme rarity in Wyoming, echoed those accusations.

Once again, we see that the radical Left will try anything to maintain power. It is truly a dark day in our republic, he said in a statement posted on Twitter.

One person commenting on Hagemans post described the outcry over the charges against Trump as a lot of whining from the folks who cried lock her up, referring to the rallying cry from Trump and his supporters calling to imprison Trumps 2016 Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton.

Lummis didnt immediately respond to the Star-Tribune for comment. A spokesperson for Sen. John Barrasso referred to a previous statement he had shared regarding last weeks news of Trumps indictment.

This is a politically-motivated prosecution by a far-left activist, Barrasso said. If it was anyone other than President Trump, a case like this would never be brought. Instead of ordering political hit jobs, New York prosecutors should focus on getting violent criminals off the streets.

Both senators remained quiet on social media regarding Trumps arraignment.

Outcry over indictment

The Wyoming Republican Party and the hard-line Wyoming Freedom Caucus denounced the former presidents indictment in harsh terms last week.

The indictment of a former president for the first time ever in our nation should alarm every one of us, the Wyoming GOP said in a statement.

This overzealous Soros-financed prosecutor has no responsibility to attempt to enforce federal regulation, particularly campaign finance law. It appears the Biden administration is willing to abuse its police powers for political gain.

Wyoming GOP Chairman Frank Eathorne, who was on restricted grounds during the Jan. 6, 2021 attack of the U.S. Capitol, has been on first-name terms with Trump ever since he orchestrated the censure of Cheney, one of the Republican Partys most outspoken critics of Trump. Eathorne appeared onstage with the former president at a rally in Casper last spring.

I would run through barbed wire for that guy, how bout you? Eathorne said about Trump to cheers from the crowd.

The hard-line Wyoming Freedom Caucus, which has steadily gained in power and influence since 2017, called the former presidents indictment third world and described it as a witch hunt in a statement posted to its Facebook page last week.

The [Wyoming Freedom Caucus] condemns this action for what it is: a banana republic-style political witch hunt without legal merit. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg ignores skyrocketing violent crime in his city while pursuing fake charges against a former President, the statement said.

Our Republic is becoming unrecognizable, and we must stop the growing tide of authoritarianism in its tracks.

One person commenting on the caucus post replied: You know what is really third-world and banana republic style action? Trumps attempting a coup detat to overthrow a legitimate, free and fair election.

In December, the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol voted unanimously to refer criminal charges against Trump and others to the U.S. Justice Department. Cheney served on that committee and described Trump as unfit for any office during the panels last hearing.

2024 support

Though split on their support of the former president, Wyomings Washington, D.C. delegation uniformly described his indictment last week as politically motivated, a common refrain among many Republicans following the unprecedented event.

While recognizing that no one is above the law, Lummis said last week that she had concerns these charges are politically motivated.

Previous prosecutors have walked away from this issue, knowing that high-profile, wealthy people like Donald Trump deal with matters such as this like a nuisance lawsuit; they protect family and reputation by paying for the silence of the accuser, regardless of the voracity of the allegations.

Barrasso and Lummis have stayed neutral in the face of Trumps campaign for a second term in the oval office. Both have indicated that they will support the Republican nominee for president, whomever that may be, but neither have explicitly expressed support for Trumps bid. Lummis suggested in a November interview with a Politico reporter that shed back Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis over Trump.

Hageman on the other hand came out with ardent support for Trumps reelection bid, saying she was thrilled the former president had decided to run again and describing him the best president for Wyoming in her lifetime. She denounced the decision to indict Trump last week, calling it a political witch hunt and third world stuff.

This is third world stuff, persecution and political prosecution, and if leftists had any shame theyd be embarrassed.

This story has been updated.

PHOTOS: Inside Donald Trump's Save America Rally in Casper Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally Save America Rally
Trinidad and Tobago should expect more visitors to the islands in the 2024 cruise season, according to Tourism Minister Randall Mitchell.

He explained that for the past six months, the Ministry of Tourism, along with Tourism Trinidad Ltd (TTL), has been increasing its marketing reach and putting action plans in place to increase arrivals.
It was about half a century ago, but I remember it as though it were yesterday.

We had been to the cinema, then went for ice cream at the then-popular Dairies Restaurant on Phillip Street.

As we were walking towards the car, I observed a crime in progress, drew it to the attention of my date, and suggested we report it at the nearest police station.
A Jet2 flight was forced to make an emergency landing while on its way to Manchester from Tenerife after a passenger suffered a medical emergency, according to LadBible.

(Photo: by OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images)

Jet2 passenger jets were parked on the runway at Leeds Bradford Airport on August 16, 2020. - On Saturday, the British Airline Pilots Association (Balpa) union said that the Leeds-based carrier was to press ahead with its plan to cut 102 pilot jobs after flights were grounded due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

The passenger later on, passed away. It was reported that the female passenger had failed ill a few hours into the flight before the decision was made to make an emergency landing in Cornwall.

Three hours into the trip, flight LS756 alerted Manchester Airport that a passenger would need medical assistance.

A witness onboard the plane said it continued on its flight path on Sunday night. The passenger became very ill while the cabin crew communicated with the captain. According to the Manchester Evening News, the passengers' condition took a sudden turn for the worse, with staff calling for medical assistance from those on the flight.

The witness also said that at that moment, the plane took a turn to the right, and they needed to land immediately. During this time, the passenger passed out, and the crew tried to perform CPR until the plane made its emergency landing. The crew did CPR for approximately an hour before the plane landed.

A lot of passengers on the flight became upset and emotional. When the plane landed at Cornwall Airport Newquay, the passenger was transported via a scoop stretcher to an awaiting ambulance, while the air ambulance was also in attendance.

Passengers onboard would continue their flight after a short refuel, with the plane landing in Manchester at around 10 pm.

Jet2 said that the passenger had passed away and thanked their crew and passengers onboard the flight for their assistance.

The passenger was in her 60s from Cheshire, and her death is not considered suspicious. It is also confirmed that the woman's family had been notified following the accident.

Also read: Nepal Plane Crash: Final Moments of Passenger Recorded on FB Live

What happens when a passenger dies on board?

A few weeks ago, a flight attendant took to TikTok (@danidboyy1) to reveal what happens when a passenger dies.

In her video, she explained that the cabin crew couldn't legally declare someone dead. When the captain diverts the plane, it will remain on the aircraft until it reaches its final destination. She said that if there's enough space for the body, they will move it to an empty row of seats or a different cabin or galley.

However, if the flight is complete, the passenger will remain in their original seat until they have reached their destination.

Related article: Chinese J-16 Fighter Intercepts Five-Eye Alliance Recon Plane, Claims Canada, Australia Provoked Reconnaissance in the East, South China Sea

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PHOENIX  Gov. Katie Hobbs notched another four vetoes Monday.

The Democratic governor rejected HB2427, a proposal by Rep. Matt Gress, R-Phoenix, that would have increased the maximum possible penalty for aggravated assault in a domestic violence situation if the assailant knew or had reason to know the victim was pregnant.

Hobbs, in her veto message, cited the Arizona Coalition to End Domestic Violence groups stance that the bill will do nothing to deter domestic violence offenses or support pregnant victims.

As a social worker who spent years serving in Arizonas largest domestic violence shelter, Ive seen first-hand the needs of victims seeking safety and stability, Hobbs wrote. I encourage the Legislature to focus on those needs, including increased funding for services and economic support for victims.

Gress said domestic violence, ranging from stalking to physical violence, affects one out of every four women and one in nine men in the country. With pregnancy comes risk, Gress said. And many women report its actually when they become pregnant that abuse starts or becomes intensified.

HB2427 would have allowed five years to be added to any penalty, he said, to ensure we will not allow two lives to be further threatened by unstable aggression of a partner.

Gress acknowledged he had not spoken with domestic violence advocacy organizations  other than the anti-abortion Center for Arizona Policy. Marilyn Rodriguez, representing the Arizona Coalition to End Domestic Violence, testified against the bill.

The legislation also drew opposition from Planned Parenthood. There was concern the bill could be seen as a way to try to grant separate legal status to an unborn child, which could undermine abortion rights. Heightening the groups concern is that this isnt Gress only such effort. He is sponsoring several measures that could have the same impact.

Electric service

Hobbs separately vetoed HB2440.

It would have required utilities to give top priority to providing reliable and affordable electric service when planning new generation facilities.

Sandy Bahr, who lobbies for the Sierra Club, said the measure looked at things too narrowly. She said there are other factors ranging from air pollution to the amount of water a particular type of power plant would use. Its unwise to exclude those, Bahr said.

Hobbs called HB2440 unnecessary and said it creates regulatory uncertainty in instances where affordability and reliability may be at odds.

She also said she wants to focus on solutions that deliver direct assistance to Arizona families struggling with energy costs.

Social credit scores

Also gaining a veto stamp was HB2472. It would have barred the state from requiring a bank or financial institution to use a social credit score when evaluating whether to lend money to a customer.

Rep. Steve Montenegro, R-Goodyear, said its about protecting the free market and protecting Arizona banks from having to use factors they do not want. His legislation, however, did not define a social credit score but suggested it is a practice used in communist countries like China to determine if people are liked in society and links their ability to get certain benefits to that score.

Hobbs said the uncertainty about what would be barred affected her decision to veto the bill.

It does not define social credit scores, nor do these systems exist anywhere in the United States, the governor wrote. She said if the goal is to protect against unfair lending practices, they already are covered by federal law and, specifically, the Equal Credit Opportunity Act of 1974.

Arroyos and pollutants

Hobbs also vetoed HB2056, which would have exempted dry washes and similar arroyos that dont flow steadily from certain requirements dealing with the discharge of pollutants.

She said it would create regulatory confusion and uncertainty because it would conflict with provisions of what the federal government determines are Waters of the United States subject to protections.

She said if the federal government disagreed with a state action, Arizona would lose the ability to enforce its own regulatory programs and decisions would go back to the federal government.

The vetoes bring to 24 her tally so far this session of the Republican-controlled Legislature.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has revoked its four-year-old Clean Water Act permit for the proposed Rosemont Mine.

The action could have ramifications for copper mining in the Santa Rita Mountains southeast of Tucson, but the legal authority is unclear.

Most immediately, the Corps decision last week means Hudbay Minerals Inc. no longer has a formal federal permit authorizing it to discharge fill through clearing, grubbing and grading activities on roughly 48 acres of washes on the Rosemont Mine site. That area includes the companys planned open pit on the mountain ranges east slope, facing the Sonoita highway, and the utility corridor on which Hudbay would build water and electric power lines from the Sahuarita area, west of the mountain range, to the mine site.

But whether that decision stops Hudbay from ever grading in those areas remains legally unclear. Thats because the Corps previously ruled in 2021  and reaffirmed last year  that it lacks formal jurisdiction over those washes because it determined they dont qualify as Waters of the U.S. Those are washes that merit federal regulation and protection under the same Clean Water Act under which the permit was previously issued.

Hudbay said in response to the new decision that it intends to grade in the permit areas because it believes they dont contain any federally regulated washes. In a sense, it had requested the permit revocation almost a year ago, by surrendering the permit -- an action the Corps interpreted as a request to have the permit revoked.

Also, it would be doing any future grading for its currently planned Copper World project, which it says is a separate project from Rosemont. Copper World would occupy a much larger area than the Rosemont Mine although the Copper World project includes property on which Rosemont had also planned to grade.

Mine opponents said Hudbay is playing with fire legally if it does so, because they consider the Corps 2021 decision legally invalid and have asked the Corps to reassess it.

Corps doesnt refer to discrepancy

The new Corps decision acknowledged the agencys past determination of no jurisdiction but made no reference as to how that could affect its handling of permit issues themselves.

While that decision was based on Trump administration rules that were later overturned by a federal judge in Tucson, the Corps has said its 2021 decision abandoning jurisdiction stays valid for five years.

Hudbay officials have repeatedly said they believe the Corps now lacks jurisdiction over the washes in question under the permit, that the permit is no longer valid and that they see no legal impediments to grading. Besides citing the Corps decisions on jurisdiction, Hudbay also cited the companys action almost a year ago to surrender the permit  an action that the Corps has interpreted as a request to revoke it.

The company has been grading and clearing land elsewhere on the Santa Ritas west slope, on its private land, in activities documented in photographs taken by mine opponents that show barren areas that were heavily vegetated before.

Hudbay owns 4,500 acres on both sides of the Santa Ritas and says it intends to build the much larger Copper World project on those acres, including the east slope land that was historically part of its Rosemont proposal.

In a statement Monday, Hudbay told the Star the Corps decision has no impact on the planned development of the Copper World Complex, the companys name for the site it formerly called Rosemont and for another area, on the west slope of the Santa Ritas, where it now plans to build open pit mines.

Its officials previously told the Corps in letters that they wouldnt immediately start grading in the permit areas.

Hudbay received a stop work order from the Corps in mid-January to not grade in the permit area. In late January, company vice president Javier del Rio wrote the Corps that no grading there was planned until Feb. 27 at the earliest. Then, at a March 15 meeting between Hudbay officials and Corps officials, Hudbay said it would wait until the Corps finished work towards a decision on revoking the permit before beginning grading, says the Corps new decision revoking the permit.

But even before then, from August through December 2022, our work did not include filling these washes, Hudbay said.

Work on site will continue

If there are no jurisdictional waters present, then no permit is required under the Clean Water Act and Hudbay can perform work in those areas as necessary, the company said.

Work on the site, including in areas previously covered by the permit, will continue based on the project timeline for the Copper World project, Hudbay said in its statement. The statement didnt say when work would start in the permit areas. In other areas, clearing and grading work to prepare the Copper World Complex site, including the construction of roads and other facilities, is continuing, Hudbay said.

As work continues on the Copper World Complex, we remain committed to protecting water resources in and around the project area, which includes being a net neutral water user and a zero-discharge facility, Hudbay said.

Before Copper World can be built and begin mining, it first needs an aquifer protection permit and an air quality permit from the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality.

But Stu Gillespie, an attorney for three tribes including two in the Tucson area that have fought the mine project, said the latest decision still is troubling for Hudbay because it says the mining company now cant grade any federally regulated washes on the Rosemont site without having a Clean Water Act permit.

Gillespie noted that the utility corridor for a future road that will bring water and electric power service to Copper World is also covered by the just-revoked Rosemont permit. That means Copper World itself cant be built without the company getting a Clean Water Act permit, he said.

Asked about the Corps 2021 decision to relinquish jurisdiction over the Rosemont site, Gillespie said the tribes regard that decision as invalid and have asked the Corps to revisit it. They have provided the Corps what they say is new information justifying that, including a detailed biological analysis laying out reasons why the washes on the mine site merit federal regulation..

Hudbay is playing with fire. So, yes, it got what it asked for, and that only increases its legal liability as it is now proceeding without any federal permits. The Corps also sent the company a clear warning, repeatedly stating that it does not have authorization to discharge dredged or fill material into waters of the U.S., Gillespie said.

The permit had been suspended by the Corps since August 2019, after a federal judge overturned a separate U.S. Forest Service approval of the mine proposal. District Judge James Soto stopped Hudbay from dumping mine waste rock and tailings on 2,447 acres of national forest on the Santa Ritas east slope. Since then, the same judge also invalidated another approval of the mine, by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Corps officials reason for action

Those decisions and the permit suspension were among the factors that a top Corps official, Brigadier General Antoinette Gant, cited in her decision last week to revoke the permit.

First, the Rosemont project isnt in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act and the federal Endangered Species Act. Second, there is no estimated time frame for if or when the mine will be brought into compliance with those laws, she wrote.

Third, Hudbay itself has requested that the permit be revoked, by surrendering it, she wrote. Finally, her own review determined that revocation is in the public interest, wrote Gant, commanding officer of the Corps San Francisco-based South Pacific Division.

In her decision, Gant noted the Corps has reviewed drone photographs submitted by the tribes that they said show the company had been grading in various washes in the utility corridor, which they said was in violation of the suspended permit. The Corps determined all four locations were either outside areas that were or had been under the Corps jurisdiction or were very likely outside the areas authorized for construction work by the original 2019 federal permit.

Photos of all four areas in question have been provided for evaluation to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which the Corps has said is conducting a law enforcement investigation of Hudbays ongoing grading.

EPA previously declined to say if it is conducting an enforcement investigation there. On Monday, the agency said through a spokesman, EPA has not made any determinations related to jurisdiction in the washes referred to EPA by the Army Corps. EPA is still reviewing information submitted and determining appropriate next steps.

A longtime academic expert on Clean Water Act issues found the Corps actions on the Hudbay matter confusing and befuddling.

Honestly, its a new one for me. They revoked the permit, but that has nothing to do with whether they have jurisdiction over these washes or not, said Patrick Parenteau, a retired environmental law professor at Vermont Law School. He has closely tracked federal agencies handling of Clean Water Act issues since 1975 and also has administered Clean Water Act issues for EPA and litigated cases involving the act for environmentalists. Ive never seen anything like this, he said.

I see the chess game going on. I dont know why they are dancing around like this, Parenteau said of the Corps actions regarding the mine.

We used to say when I was in D.C. regarding cases like this, The Corps has put the turd in EPAs pocket.
A University of Arizona professor received a death threat, members of the Faculty Senate were told Monday.

In the past week one of our outspoken senators received a death threat via text messages, Lucy Ziurys, a professor and faculty senator, announced at the Faculty Senate meeting. These text messages were very real, very scary and showed someone with a deranged mind.

UA President Robert Robbins was at the meeting and told the senators he had learned about the situation earlier in the day.

I met with the faculty member in question and their family, he said. We are mobilizing, taking these threats very, very seriously.

The specific contents of the messages as well as the identities of the professor and the offender werent disclosed to the public. Robbins said he was not able to share any more details about the case, but encouraged anyone who received any type of threat to report it immediately.

This revelation comes one week after a consulting firm released a report that said the UAs campus safety protocols were hampered by systemic failures, including a breakdown in communication between administrative departments tasked with addressing safety concerns.

The report found that the failures colored an unresponsive environment Thomas Meixner  a hydrology professor who was shot and killed on campus in October, allegedly by a former student  and his colleagues attempted to work within to address repeated threats from the former student. The report found a lack of safety measures and ineffective investigations into threats made up to a year before Meixner was killed.

Robbins vowed last week to work closely with faculty and other members of the campus community to rebuild trust after Meixners slaying.

The death threat disclosed Monday has only elevated the facultys concerns.

I want to make sure this doesnt have a chilling effect on our speech, including on the person who received the death threat, who probably would be considered  as I am  uncivil at times, said Marlys Witte, a faculty member in the college of medicine and an at-large senator.

We should remember that civil rights were not always civil, she said. We should always speak carefully and accurately and try not make any ad-hominem arguments. But, certain individuals may need to be held responsible for certain things.

Witte said many of her colleagues  in medicine and other fields  have received death threats over the years.

Theyre very scary, but one has to move deliberately, she said. In this instance, (the death threat) was promptly reported to the Tucson Police Department and I think thats very important.

Robbins emphasized the importance of reporting safety concerns as they happen.

If you receive threats, I hope people would feel comfortable contacting (the University of Arizona Police Department), but I understand if you dont, Robbins said, before reciting his personal phone number twice. If youve got a problem and you dont think youre getting resolution to that problem, text me or call me. If I cant help solve it I will try and find some resolution.

Robbins said the university wants to hear about all instances of intimidation or retaliation on campus, and it doesnt have to be as serious as a death threat. It can be more subtle and indirect  slow-walking grant proposals, not funding things, not getting promotions, he said. Theres a whole list of things that fall into retaliation.

In the case of the death threat sent last week, Robbins said hes glad the victim reached out to him when they did but also called police.

Weve moved into alerting other law enforcement agencies including federal and regional agencies, he said. These are very, very serious threats. I take them seriously. I think everyone else takes them seriously. And I think weve seen what happens when we dont take them seriously.

Robbins, responding to the consultants report, had said last week, As this report reveals, there were systemic issues across our university that should have been identified and corrected. Im angry at myself that I did not do more to prevent this tragedy. Im determined to honor Tom Meixners legacy by making any and all necessary changes to keep our campus safer.
PHOENIX  Gov. Katie Hobbs killed legislation that proponents said was designed to make it easier for people to operate home-based businesses.

Current law allows such operations as long as they meet certain conditions and also allows temporary commercial signs and the offering of items for sale.

SB1162 would have gone a step beyond, declaring that home businesses are allowed as a use by right as long as they didnt run afoul of deed restrictions. It would have eliminated any requirement for licensing that would have allowed city officials to be aware a business was operating in the area.

You should be able to operate a home-based business, said Sen. Steve Kaiser, R-Phoenix, sponsor of the legislation. He noted that many people started such businesses during COVID. We dont need heavy regulation, Kaiser said.

Hobbs, however, sided with local officials who opposed, effectively removing all their power to regulate.

While there is no doubt that more can be done to support small businesses in Arizona, this approach is far too broad, the Democratic governor said Tuesday in her 25th veto of the legislative session. This bill would create challenges for public safety and code enforcement in neighborhoods.

That mirrors the comments of Tom Savage, a lobbyist for the League of Arizona Cities and Towns, who testified against the measure when it was heard by the Senate Commerce Committee. He said the bill would have made it more difficult for communities to meet the needs of adjacent property owners.

The bill seems to tip the scale in favor of the property rights of those who want to operate a home-based business over the property rights of those who bought their home expecting their neighborhood to be quiet and free from commercial activity, Savage said.

He said the fact there are home-based businesses now, under existing local regulations, proves there is no need to further restrict the ability of communities to have some oversight.

But Jenna Bentley, a lobbyist for the Goldwater Institute, which says it advocates against government overreach, said the measure was justified.

Sometimes this is a primary source of income, she testified. Sometimes this is a side job they do to help pay for groceries.

Bentley said SB1162 was structured to apply only to operations with no impact on neighborhoods.

Hobbs, in her veto message, was unconvinced.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP)  Whether a ban all gender-affirming care for minors will become law in Indiana remains unclear after the state's Republican governor said Tuesday that the bill on his desk is clear as mud.

The bill Republican state lawmakers advanced last week would prohibit transgender youth under 18 from accessing hormone therapies, puberty blockers and surgeries in the state.

It wasnt part of my agenda, Gov. Eric Holcomb told reporters Tuesday. Ive told some people very close to me: This is clear as mud. Theres some vagueness to it. So I want to make sure I completely understand.

Holcomb can sign or veto the legislation before a Wednesday deadline, or allow it become law by doing nothing. The ban would take effect July 1. Trans youth currently taking medication to transition would have until the end of the year to stop doing so.

At least 11 states have enacted laws restricting or banning gender-affirming care for minors, but federal judges have blocked them in two states. Around two dozen other states are considering bills to restrict or ban care.

The bill banning gender-affirming care in Indiana won approval by wide margins in both the House and Senate. Indiana lawmakers can override a governors veto by a simple majority vote.

In March 2022, Holcomb vetoed a bill banning transgender girls from participating in girls school sports. The Republican-dominated Legislature later voted to override his veto, and the measure became law anyway.

The governor appeared to rule out letting the bill become law passively.

"I have made it a habit to either sign or veto bills, and I suspect that habit will continue, he said Tuesday. Obviously, every word matters in Indianas bill, and thats why Im taking the time to go through it piece by piece."

Arleigh Rodgers 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 her on Twitter at https://twitter.com/arleighrodgers
SANTA ANA PUEBLO, N.M. (AP)  Native American tribes, as well as state and local governments, will be able to tap into $350 million in infrastructure funds to build wildlife corridors along busy roads and add warning signs for drivers in what federal officials are billing as the first-of-its-kind pilot program to prevent collisions and improve habitat connectivity.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg rolled out more details about the program during a visit to Santa Ana Pueblo on Tuesday. Wildlife managers with the New Mexico tribe have been tracking mountain lions, elk and other animals across tens of thousands of acres in north-central New Mexico and have documented casualties along busy highways that cut through tribal boundaries.

Buttigieg visited one of the culverts under Interstate 25 near the pueblo that serves a migratory byway for animals that travel between the high desert mountain ranges that border tribal land and the cottonwood and willow forests along the Rio Grande.

He called it a great example, saying the safety solution needed in one location, like a busy crosswalk in the middle of a dense metropolitan area, is different from what is needed in an area where there are so many conflict points between traffic and wildlife.

Whether youre talking about the broader effects on climate that come with what we do or dont do on everything from transit alternatives to the very design of our roads, all that is at stake in good transportation policy, he said, adding that not all the answers need to come from Washington, just more of the funding.

Nationwide, about 200 people are killed each year in collisions involving wildlife and vehicles, federal officials said.

Buttigieg said launching the pilot program marks an important step to prevent deadly crashes, particularly in rural areas. In New Mexico, he said, there's an average of about 900 crashes per year that involve wildlife.

The dedicated funding includes more than $111 million for the first round of grants that will be issued this year. Federal officials said the program will open the door for communities that may not have previously had access to money for such projects.

Many Western states  including Colorado, Arizona, Utah and Nevada  have already invested substantially in wildlife crossings and in recent years, have adopted legislation that advocates say will allow them to capture millions of dollars in federal matching funds to build the crossings.

California is among the Western states with new legislation. It broke ground last year on what it bills as the worlds largest crossing  a bridge over a major Southern California highway for mountain lions and other animals hemmed in by urban sprawl.

New Mexico also joined the effort when lawmakers passed legislation this spring to set aside $100 million for conservation projects. That includes building the state's first wildlife highway overpasses for free-roaming cougars, black bears, bighorn sheep and other creatures.

The massive federal infrastructure law amounts to the largest investment in road and bridges in a generation. Its also the largest single sum ever allocated to address vehicle-wildlife collisions  a problem that stretches back nearly a century, when the government first began funding the construction of highways.

Technological advances have helped wildlife managers and public safety officials in some states identify the best locations for crossings, and where they can make the biggest difference for both wildlife and motorists.

At Santa Ana Pueblo, managers have been busy collaring mountain lions, bear, elk and other species as part of a long-term effort aimed at restoring wildlife and habitat across more than 70,000 acres (28,330 hectares) of varying terrain. The price tag has stretched into the millions and has produced more than one quarter of a million GPS location points, said Glenn Harper, the pueblo's range and wildlife division manager.

That data has helped to create maps showing where animals want to be on the landscape and where they want to cross. However, Harper said even more data will need to be collected over the next year in hopes of landing more funding for the wildlife crossing work.

At one point, managers thought they had more than a dozen lions crossing through pueblo lands. That included one named Squeaks that traveled more than 550 miles (885 kilometers) from Santa Ana to Mesa Verde National Park and Ute Mountain Ute tribal lands in southern Colorado in search for a new home range.

U.S. Congresswoman Melanie Stansbury, a New Mexico Democrat, pointed to the lion's journey, saying safe passage for animals and the development of more crossings will have as much of an impact on cultural heritage and the creation of climate refuges as it will on safety.

What were seeing is wildlife moving into new areas, she said, and so projects like this will help wildlife reconnect on the land to historic spaces and the spaces that will sustain them ecologically as theyre facing climate change.
HOUMA, La. (AP)  In Louisiana bayou country, where oil rig supply ships are as much a part of the waterside scenery as shrimp boats, a new kind of seagoing behemoth is taking shape that marks offshore wind power's growing presence in the energy seascape.

Louisiana shipbuilding giant Edison Chouest Offshore is assembling the 260-foot-long Eco Edison in coastal Terrebonne Parish, along the Houma Navigation Canal. It's being built for rsted, a Danish firm that builds and operates wind farms worldwide, and Eversource, a New England energy provider. When delivered next year, the ship will serve as floating housing for U.S. offshore wind technicians and a warehouse for their tools as they run and maintain wind farms in the Northeast.

Officials with the three companies gathered Tuesday under the bow of the unfinished vessel to mark construction progress and hail the role offshore oil industries are playing in the development of offshore wind generation. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, of Louisiana, attended.

It's long been understood that offshore oil companies possess know-how valuable for offshore wind, for example, how to maintain machinery in a salty marine environment.

Differences between the Eco Edison and vessels built for offshore and deep water oil rigs aren't yet apparent as the skin and bones of the towering ship take shape in a 120-foot-tall waterside assembly building. But the differences are there, said Daryl Owen, a consultant on the project. Workers in protective clothing tended computer-driven machines bending and welding sections of piping and huge plates of steel. Standing near the stern of the developing ship on Monday, Owen pointed to the deck of a nearby oil industry supply vessel.

That's all open deck space for cargo," he said. "This vessel won't have that. It's got a lot more housing space for the workers.

The cargo will be different, too Owen added. That vessel's got specialty tanks, all over, below decks, for specialty chemicals, fluids .... The wind guys don't need any of that.

While offshore oil platforms often double as living quarters for the workers who tend to them, the Eco Edison will be the temporary home for roughly 60 workers as it moves from turbine to turbine to provide maintenance.

Tuesdays unveiling of the work in progress comes almost a week after the Biden administration announced a wind power strategy aimed at providing 30 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2030.

Globally countries are building out wind power and solar in a shift away from the coal, oil and methane gas burning that cause climate change.

But it also came days after House Republicans passed legislation to sharply increase domestic production of fossil fuels, and ease permitting restrictions that delay pipelines, refineries and other projects.

Louisiana politicians, Democrats and Republicans alike, have been critical of administration attempts to curb drilling. And oil and gas remains a major employer and driver of the Louisiana economy. But they are also embracing the state's role in helping the offshore wind industry take off.

Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards recently announced that Shell will invest $10 million with New Orleans-based Gulf Wind Technology for a project to develop turbine components designed to operate in the Gulf.

Wind turbines won't be sprouting in Gulf waters right away. Although the Biden administration is considering the first-ever lease sale for offshore wind energy in the Gulf of Mexico, there are challenges to address, including slower wind speeds.

But Gulf cities and companies are a big part of what will make the offshore wind industry successful, said David Hardy, CEO of the rsted Americas region. In turn, offshore wind developers are creating high-paying jobs in the Gulf and giving companies a way to diversify to take advantage of opportunities in the energy transition, he added.

rsted and Eversource say they're investing hundreds of millions of dollars in shipbuilding across the Gulf Coast. More than 400 shipbuilding workers with Edison Chouest Offshore have worked on the Eco Edison so far. Parts of the ship have been manufactured at ECO facilities in Florida and Mississippi and shipped to Houma.

People think about offshore wind and they think about jobs where the wind farms are. But the reality is, there are jobs being created across the country, Hardy said.

Because of century-old laws, only a qualified U.S.-flagged vessel can transport people and goods between U.S. ports. The Eco Edison is the first Jones Act-qualified wind farm service operations vessel in the United States. In Texas, Dominion Energy is building the first U.S.-based offshore wind installation vessel, the Charybdis. rsted and Eversource signed up to charter it first.

Jason Grumet, CEO of the American Clean Power Association, said the Gulf region is poised to become the economic engine of the offshore wind industry because of its highly-skilled energy workforce. Leading offshore developers are racing to invest billions of dollars to construct a fleet of specialized vessels, he added.

When the Eco Edison is finished next year, it will go to Port Jefferson, New York to serve three planned Northeast wind farms, South Fork Wind, Revolution Wind and Sunrise Wind. Combined, those projects are expected to generate about 1.7 gigawatts of offshore wind energy to power over a million homes.

McDermott reported from Providence, R.I.

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.
Lockheed Martin has announced that the U.S. Army has awarded them a multi-year production for missiles that could reach up to $4.5 billion, as reported by Reuters.

(Photo: by Julie Bennett/Getty Images) TROY, AL - MAY 03: U.S. President Joe Biden speaks to employees at Lockheed Martin, a facility that manufactures weapon systems such as Javelin anti-tank missiles, on May 3, 2022, in Troy, Alabama. The Biden-Harris Administration provides these weapons to Ukraine to defend against the Russian invasion.

The contract involves Lockheed Martin's Joint-Air-to-Ground Missiles (JAGM) and HELLFIRE missiles. In its first year, the deal will have a total value of $439 million.

Pentagon Stocks Up On Precision Munitions to Deter China

Last month, President Joe Biden requested $842 billion for the Pentagon and $44 billion for defense programs at the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of Energy, and other agencies.

Lockheed Martin's latest contract from the U.S. Army will also have three follow-on awards that start later this year, making the contract value reach $4.5 billion over the next four years.

Also read: Ukraine Gets Offer From Lockheed Martin Aerospace to Buy F-16 Block 70/72 Fighters as Options to Modernize Their Air Force

The JAGM Program

Lockheed Martin's JAGM program is cutting-edge military technology designed to provide superior air-to-ground firepower for the U.S. Army, Navy, and Marine Corps. The JAGM missile is a multi-mode seeker weapon that can engage and destroy various targets, including armored vehicles, bunkers, and personnel.

The JAGM missile features a range of advanced technologies, including a semi-active laser, an infrared imaging seeker, and a millimeter-wave radar. These technologies work together to provide the missile with exceptional targeting and guidance capabilities, allowing it to hit targets even in challenging environments precisely.

One of the key advantages of the JAGM program is its ability to engage targets at extended ranges. The missile has a range of up to 16 kilometers and can be launched from various platforms, including helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and ground-based vehicles. This gives military commanders great flexibility in selecting the most effective platform for a mission.

Another key feature of the JAGM program is its modularity. The missile can be adapted to a variety of different platforms and mission requirements, making it a highly versatile weapon system. This modularity also makes maintaining and upgrading the missile easier and more cost-effective over time.

The JAGM program is being developed and expected to enter service with the U.S. military in the coming years. Once deployed, it will provide a significant boost to the military's air-to-ground capabilities, allowing for more effective engagement of a wide range of targets.

The JAGM program is a testament to the defense industry's ongoing innovation and technological advancement and highlights the critical role that advanced military technologies play in modern warfare.

Related article: U.S. Military Soon To Get AGM-179 Joint Air-to-Ground Missile as Replacement for Outdated AGM Hellfire

@ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
State police in Maine say four people were fatally shot in a home shortly before gunfire broke out on a busy highway about 25 miles away, woun
First-ever drilling program on Apollo successful in identifying a strong gold-bearing orogenic system along the Sunday Lake Fault similar to the Detour Lake Mine

Drilling hit wide gold intervals covering an interpreted 3-km strike length

Hole AP-22-07 intersected four gold-bearing structures over 10 metres wide between 300 and 550 m depth, including 46.9 m at 0.33 g/t Au, 11.27 m at 0.46 g/t Au, 20.48 m at 0.23 g/t Au and 14.0 m at 0.37 g/t Au, with mineralization at the end of the hole

All structures remain open along strike and at depth, with the property hosting abundant dykes and an intrusive stock with alkaline compositions

MONTREAL, QC / ACCESSWIRE / April 4, 2023 / Tarku Resources Ltd (TSXV:TKU)(FRA:7TK)(OTCQB:TRKUF) (the "Company" or "Tarku") is pleased to confirm the presence of a strong gold-bearing orogenic system identified over a 3-km strike length during its 2022 drilling campaign on its Apollo project. One of the "3As", which comprise a total of 217 claims covering about 130 square kilometres, Apollo is wholly owned by Tarku and straddles 20 km of the Sunday Lake Fault, host of the Detour Lake Mine.

Julien Davy, President and CEO of Tarku Resources, said: "This first drilling program on Apollo was a true success, as wide altered gold-bearing structures were intersected on four of six target areas, enabling us to confirm the presence of an orogenic system with similar characteristics to the Detour Lake mine system. The discovery hole AP-22-07, drilled on the edge of a magnetic high, is of particular interest as it intersected four significant structures, each more than 10 metres wide. The extensive alterations observed and the long, continuous gold intersections relating to a regional deformation zone associated with syenite intrusions are features of the type of deposit Tarku is looking for. Now that we know we have a gold-bearing system on Apollo, we will do more drilling in that area to confirm its potential both along strike and at depth. Our next drilling program will also focus on confirming the continuity of the gold-bearing structures identified thus far."

First drilling program on the Apollo project

In December 2022, Tarku carried out an initial drilling program on its Apollo project, consisting of 3,048 m in eight holes on a 4-km-wide priority area along the Sunday Lake Deformation Zone, where no prior exploration for gold had ever been reported. The targeted zones corresponded to magnetic and induced polarization anomalies between surface and 577 m depth. Visual inspection of the core reveals intensive hydrothermal alteration similar in style to orogenic gold deposits, as well as magmatic alteration, including hematization, carbonatization and sericitization.

The results (table 1) reveal several >10 m sections of anomalous gold-bearing rock associated with very finely disseminated cubic pyrite within pervasive silicification and/or quartz stockwerk systems.

Table 1: Best results of first drilling program on Apollo

Hole # From (m) To (m) Width (m)* Au (g/t) Comment AP-22-002 116.27 129.57 13.30 0.25 Strong pervasive silicification zone including 57% finely disseminated pyrite, locally brecciated and at the contact of a syenite incl. 116.27 122.85 6.58 0.40 incl. 116.27 117.55 1.28 1.80 incl. 128.30 129.57 1.27 0.53 AP-22-002 224.00 224.50 0.50 0.25 Small silicification zone at the contact of an intermediate intrusion Ap-22-003 199.00 200.00 1.00 0.27 Potentially associated with mm quartz veinlets Ap-22-003 226.00 226.80 0.80 0.31 Small silicification zone at the contact of a syenite AP-22-005 295.00 297.62 2.62 0.30 Pervasive silicification zone with finely disseminated pyrite within quartz stockwork at the contact of a brecciated syenite AP-22-005 307.67 314.00 6.33 0.21 AP-22-005 342.73 347.00 4.27 0.29 Strong pervasive silicification zone including 2% finely disseminated pyrite, locally brecciated and at the contact of a strongly hematized syenite AP-22-005 362.00 370.00 8.00 0.98 Strong pervasive silicification zone including 57% finely disseminated pyrite, locally brecciated and at the contact of a syenite incl. 363.00 366.00 3.00 2.23 incl. 363.00 364.00 1.00 5.75 AP-22-006 192.70 195.00 2.30 0.18 Low gold intersection associated with typical silicification and hematization alteration zone with finely disseminated 10% pyrite AP-22-007 247.71 247.93 0.22 0.29 Disseminated pyrite within alternation of silicification lapilli tuff and polygenic conglomerates sequences AP-22-007 303.10 350.00 46.90 0.33 Wide zone of pervasive silicification with finely disseminated pyrite and quartz stockwork. Fuschite has been identified in this section. incl. 303.10 338.50 35.40 0.39 incl. 307.00 313.00 6.00 0.56 incl. 319.00 334.00 15.00 0.49 AP-22-007 371.38 382.65 11.27 0.46 Strong pervasive silicification zone including 1-2% finely disseminated pyrite, locally brecciated and at the contact of a hematized syenite incl. 375.84 380.00 4.16 0.81 AP-22-007 440.92 441.38 0.46 0.75 Silicification contact between mafic tuff and syenite AP-22-007 457.52 478.00 20.48 0.23 Strong pervasive silicification zone including 1% finely disseminated pyrite with local quartz stockwerk locally brecciated incl. 457.52 458.80 1.28 1.24 AP-22-007 495.50 509.50 14.00 0.37 Strong pervasive silicification zone including 34% finely disseminated pyrite, with quartz stockwerk incl. 495.50 497.00 1.50 2.84 AP-22-007 525.00 533.80 8.80 0.24 Silicification contact between mafic tuff and syenite AP-22-007 547.80 549.61 1.81 0.34 Silicification contact between mafic tuff and syenite

* True width is estimated at 75% of core length.

Figure 1: Apollo hole location map

Similar orogenic gold deposit model to the Detour Lake mine

The regional Riviere Waswanipi shear zone is the eastern extension of the Sunday Lake Fault, which hosts the >20 million ounces Detour Lake gold mine and the Kirkland Lake mining camp, which has produced over 50 million ounces of gold. Similar to the Sunday Lake Fault, the Riviere Waswanipi shear zone is characterized by the presence of alkaline rocks, polygenic conglomerates (Timiskaming-type) and porphyry intrusions bearing anomalous gold values on the order of hundreds of parts per billion (GM 52712).

The 3As projects were acquired in 2016, as Tarku staked open ground, based on a detailed data compilation exercise in the region. This process also took into account the historical zinc mining district of Matagami (4.6 million tonnes Zn and 0.494 million tonnes Cu from 1960 to 2004) and especially, the overlooked potential for gold mineralization.

After Tarku acquired the properties, it carried out a till sampling program. Statistical analysis revealed three different populations within the gold assay results, given 93% gold background of values between 0.25 g/t and 0.35 g/t Au. Several mineralogical characteristics were also found as the geochemical signature of the gold-bearing zones that correlate with Te (0.86), Ag (0.80) and Mo (0.76).

Along the same regional structure, other explorers, such as Maple Gold, Balmoral and Midland Exploration, have returned exciting drill results and demonstrated the strong gold potential of the area.

Drilling sampling method and QA/QC

Diamond drilling was done by Forages Rouillier of Amos, Quebec. All the NQ-size core is recovered by the drillers, sent to the Matagami core shack and logged by the geologists. Samples generally vary from 0.5 m to 1.5 m depending on the geological environment. Sample preparation is then done by Service MNG, where the drill core is sawed in half, with one half used for chemical analysis and the other half for control purposes.

All samples are sent to the Actlab Laboratory in Val-d'Or, Quebec, for analysis. Each sample is dried and crushed to 80% passing -2mm (10 mesh) and 300 g are taken to be pulverized to 85% passing 75 microns (200 mesh). Gold analysis (TMT-G5B method) is performed by fire assay on 50 g samples with an atomic absorption finish. Samples exceeding the detection limit of 3,000 ppb are reanalyzed by fire assay with a gravimetric finish. The sample is then treated by four-acid digestion and analyzed by ICP-MS for 60 elements, including silver (Ag), copper (Cu), lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn).

Quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) includes the use of duplicates representing one quarter (1/4) of the drill core, blank samples and material certified for Au, Ag and Cu. QA/QC additions to the sample stream total an additional 10% of samples analysed.

A total of 2,178 samples were taken and analysed for gold and the 60 elements and 14 samples were analysed for lithogeochemistry.

Qualified persons

Julien Davy, P.Geo., M.Sc, MBA, President and Chief Executive Officer of Tarku and a qualified person under National Instrument 43-101 on standards of disclosure for mineral projects, has prepared, supervised and approved the technical information in this news release.

About Tarku

Tarku Resources Ltd. (TSXV: TKU)(FRA:7TK)(OTCBQ:TRKUF) is a mining exploration company focused on advancing the development of new discoveries by using modern techniques in favourable mining jurisdictions such as Quebec and Arizona.

In Arizona, within the famous Tombstone District, Tarku owns 100% of the 29 km2 Silver Strike project. Silver Strike has been interpreted by management to have the potential for similar Carbonate Replacement Deposits (CRD) comparable to the Hermosa project, located 80 km west in Santa Cruz County, Arizona, which South32 acquired for USD 1.8 billion in 2018.

In Quebec, Tarku owns 100% of the "Three As" exploration projects (Apollo, Admiral and Atlas) in the Matagami Greenstone Belt, interpreted by management as the eastern extension of the Detour Belt, which has seen recent exploration successes by Midland Exploration, Wallbridge Mining Company and Probe Metals. In addition, the Company owns the MAX Lithium project, located 4 km southwest of Sayona Mining's North American Lithium mine.

On behalf of Tarku Resources Ltd.

Julien Davy,

President and CEO

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Correction: This story originally misidentified the number of "pornographic" books State Superintendent Ryan Walters alleges he found in Oklahoma public schools. The story has been updated.

OKLAHOMA CITY  After being prodded by a state lawmaker to produce evidence of his claims that there are obscene books in Oklahomas public schools, State Superintendent Ryan Walters alleged that he found four titles containing explicit materials in districts across the state.

In most cases, districts accused of having these books said the titles are not available in their schools.

In a Monday letter to state lawmakers, Walters also highlighted more than 100 additional books that he said dont belong in schools. Most of the books center on LGBTQ issues.

He alleges that Flamer, a semi-autobiographical novel about a young boy struggling with his identity, was found in Tulsa, Owasso and Bixby public schools.

Owasso Public Schools spokesman Jordan Korphage said one copy of the book is available at the districts high school after the title went through a review process earlier this year. The review was an extensive self-audit of about 6,300 titles on school library shelves, Korphage said.

Representatives for the Tulsa and Bixby districts said they dont have copies of the book.

Walters also took issue with Gender Queer: A Memoir, which he said was found within TPS. A district spokeswoman said Tulsa schools dont have the book.

There are literally zero adults in our schools arguing against students having access to age-appropriate books, TPS spokeswoman Emma Garrett Nelson said. This is a debate Ryan Walters is having with himself.

This isnt the first time Walters has criticized TPS, alleging that its schools have inappropriate books.

Mondays letter included graphic images from the books in question. Walters also says the books Lawn Boy and Lets Talk About It: The Teens Guide to Sex, Relationships, and Being a Human were found in schools, although he doesnt specify in which districts.

Today, with the help of the state legislature, my office and the parents of Oklahoma have put the far-left on notice, Walters said in a news release. Oklahoma will no longer be a breeding ground for liberal indoctrination. I am pleased to work with the House, Senate and Governors office to remove and prevent harmful ideologies from entering our classrooms.

The State Board of Education recently approved agency rules that would allow the governing body to downgrade the accreditation status of schools found to have library materials deemed pornographic or excessively sexualized.

When reached Monday afternoon, officials with Bixby Public Schools said Flamer was voluntarily pulled from the districts shelves a year ago by a library media specialist.

In addition to having policies outlining how to challenge a books inclusion in the districts library collection, Superintendent Rob Miller said, the districts librarians have labeled several titles such as The Bluest Eye as mature, requiring a student to either be at least 18 or enrolled in an Advanced Placement course in order to check them out.

Along with an ongoing internal review of titles that could be considered controversial or inappropriate for certain ages, Bixby Public Schools implemented an option last year to allow parents complete control over what titles their child may check out from a school library. However, to date, no parents have utilized that option, Miller said.

To continue to beat the drum that were not doing anything is simply incorrect and unfair, Miller said, noting that his district has not received any direct communication from the Oklahoma State Department of Education about book concerns. Our media specialists have been tasked with and are embracing the responsibility to do this.

In the letter, Walters lists four additional books  Bye Bye, Binary, Teos Tutu, Miss Rita, Mystery Reader and Different Kinds of Fruit. He cites these books as questionable and says they have no place in schools. Its not clear whether any of these titles can be found in Oklahoma public schools.

Walters also referenced all 190 titles on this years Rainbow Book List, which is a collection of diverse stories about the LGBTQ youth experience. The list, compiled by a group affiliated with the American Library Association, includes books for preschoolers and young adults and kids of all ages in between.

Walters is seeking further review of these books, said State Department of Education spokesman Justin Holcomb. He does not specify that any of these titles are in public schools.

Walters letter comes as Rep. Mark McBride, R-Moore, has requested that the newly elected state superintendent come before the House Appropriations and Budget Subcommittee on Education to answer lawmakers questions. McBride has said hed like to see proof of Walters claims that there are books containing pornographic materials in schools.

Last week, Walters emailed all 149 state lawmakers explicit materials he said he found in several school library books.

McBride said Monday that he still wants details on where the obscene books were found, what the State Department of Education did in response and how the districts in question handled the matter.

(Walters) sent out the pornographic material last week, but (he) has yet to have the name of a school that it was found in and what was the response of the school district, McBride said. Those are the things that were wanting to hear, not just, Would you want this in Oklahoma schools? Well, heck no, we dont want that in Oklahoma schools.

In the letter, Walters did not say whether he will appear before state lawmakers to answer questions about his administration.

2022 video: Bixby school board votes to keep challenged books

These were the top 10 books people wanted removed from schools and libraries in 2021 1. 'Gender Queer' by Maia Kobabe 2. 'Lawn Boy' by Jonathan Evison 3. 'All Boys Arent Blue' by George M. Johnson 4. 'Out of Darkness' by Ashley Hope Perez 5. 'The Hate U Give' by Angie Thomas 6. 'The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian' by Sherman Alexie 7. 'Me and Earl and the Dying Girl' by Jesse Andrews 8. 'The Bluest Eye' by Toni Morrison 10. 'Beyond Magenta' by Susan Kuklin
OKLAHOMA CITY  The Oklahoma Insurance Department is seeking to sanction a national pharmacy chain for allegedly steering Oklahoma patients to fill prescriptions at their drugstores in violation of state law.

Insurance Commissioner Glen Mulready announced Monday that he filed an administrative action to penalize CVS Caremark, a pharmacy benefit manager, for directing its patients to use the companys in-person and mail-order pharmacies instead of other drugstores, despite previously being sanctioned for such practices.

Mulready said CVS Caremark is also knowingly spreading misinformation to its Oklahoma customers in violation of state law.

Through the administrative action, Mulready is seeking to censure, suspend, place on probation or revoke the license of the pharmacy benefit manager, or PBM. Hes also asking to fine CVS Caremark for each violation of the Patients Right to Pharmacy Choice Act, a 2019 state law that sought to rein in PBMs.

Between November 2021 and late February 2023, the Insurance Department received more than 100 complaints from Oklahomans who say CVS Caremark told them they were required to fill their prescriptions at one of their affiliated pharmacies, according to documents filed by the state agency.

Earlier this year, the state and CVS Caremark entered into an agreement for the company to take corrective action.

But the situation compounded when CVS Caremark told some self-insured employers it would no longer approve 90-day prescriptions for their employees. Its unclear how many Oklahomans have been caught in limbo by the change that pertains to employees of large out-of-state companies.

Mulready said he expressed doubts when company representatives told him the problem with 90-day prescriptions cant be fixed until next year. The company is still filling 90-day prescriptions for other Oklahomans.

The Insurance Departments administrative filing gives several examples from March in which patients reportedly were told the state does not allow for the filling of 90-day prescriptions unless someone goes through the CVS mail-order pharmacy.

Mulready said that was an example of the misinformation the company is spreading.

There is nothing in our laws or our rules that do not allow for 90-day prescriptions, he said.

Mulready said the Insurance Department is pursuing sanctions because CVS Caremark has already been warned and fined for previous violations of the Patients Right to Pharmacy Choice Act. He called it a drastic step but said he doesnt know what else to do to get the companys attention.

A spokesman for CVS Caremark did not respond to a request for comment as of press time. But the company told other media outlets in a statement that it is working to develop a long-term solution to providing 90-day prescriptions to its Oklahoma customers on out-of-state insurance plans.

The company has not addressed the Insurance Departments filing.

An administrative law judge will hear the departments case on May 25.
Speaking in Japanese and bowing, 24-year-old Siti Maesaroh offers a tray with a mug and two bowls to a fellow student pretending to be an elderly person, before asking him if he wanted chopsticks and a spoon to eat with. The role play is an example of the type of training being offered by vocational institutions across Indonesia catering to students seeking to fill job vacancies in Japan. "I think the reason Japan chooses us is because Indonesian youths are very capable of caring for the elderly," said Maesaroh, who is attending the Onodera User Run school in Indonesia's capital, Jakarta. The school, established in 2022, also offers Japanese language training for its students seeking to enrol in a Japanese government programme to employ foreigners with special skills to work in sectors like care giving. Japan is one of the world's most rapidly ageing societies, with people who are 65 or older now accounting for 28% of the population, according to U.N. data. Births in Japan fell to fewer than 800,000 for the first time last year, according to official data, as Japan's working-age population shrinks. Hiroki Sasaki, labour attache at the Japanese embassy in Jakarta, estimates only about 130,000 of the 340,000 special skilled job vacancies in Japan have been filled. A foreign workforce, therefore, is becoming increasingly necessary, he said. As of December 2022, there were more than 16,000 Indonesians working under Japan's special skilled worker scheme, the second-highest number behind Vietnam. Indonesia is the world's fourth most populous country with some 280 million people and Kamila Mansjur, the principal of the school, said sending workers to Japan to care for the elderly benefited both countries. "In Indonesia every year we have an increase in the population of about three million. Yet here we have our own challenge which is a lack of jobs," she said.

Speaking in Japanese and bowing, 24-year-old Siti Maesaroh offers a tray with a mug and two bowls to a fellow student pretending to be an elderly person, before asking him if he wanted chopsticks and a spoon to eat with.

The role play is an example of the type of training being offered by vocational institutions across Indonesia catering to students seeking to fill job vacancies in Japan.

"I think the reason Japan chooses us is because Indonesian youths are very capable of caring for the elderly," said Maesaroh, who is attending the Onodera User Run school in Indonesia's capital, Jakarta.

The school, established in 2022, also offers Japanese language training for its students seeking to enrol in a Japanese government programme to employ foreigners with special skills to work in sectors like care giving.

Japan is one of the world's most rapidly ageing societies, with people who are 65 or older now accounting for 28% of the population, according to U.N. data.

Births in Japan fell to fewer than 800,000 for the first time last year, according to official data, as Japan's working-age population shrinks.

Hiroki Sasaki, labour attache at the Japanese embassy in Jakarta, estimates only about 130,000 of the 340,000 special skilled job vacancies in Japan have been filled.

A foreign workforce, therefore, is becoming increasingly necessary, he said.

As of December 2022, there were more than 16,000 Indonesians working under Japan's special skilled worker scheme, the second-highest number behind Vietnam.

Indonesia is the world's fourth most populous country with some 280 million people and Kamila Mansjur, the principal of the school, said sending workers to Japan to care for the elderly benefited both countries.

"In Indonesia every year we have an increase in the population of about three million. Yet here we have our own challenge which is a lack of jobs," she said.
SYDNEY -- The Australian government said on Tuesday it would remove TikTok from all federal government-owned devices, following many other countries in the West in barring the Chinese-owned video app over security concerns. The ban underscores growing worries that China's government could use the Beijing-based company, owned by ByteDance Ltd, to harvest users' data to advance its political agenda, undermining Western security interests. The ban will come into effect "as soon as practicable", Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said in a statement, adding that exemptions would only be granted on a case-by-case basis and with appropriate security measures in place. With Australia's ban, all members of the so-called Five Eyes intelligence-sharing network - which consists of Australia, Canada, the United States, Britain and New Zealand - have banned the app from government devices. France, Belgium and the European Commission have announced similar bans. The Australian newspaper late on Monday reported Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had agreed to a government-wide ban on the use of TikTok after the completion of a review by the Home Affairs department. TikTok and the prime minister's office did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Victoria state will also ban the video app from government phones, The Age newspaper reported, citing a state government official. Tiktok Australia general manager Lee Hunter was quoted by The Age as saying the company was disappointed to learn of the ban through the media "despite our repeated offers to engage with government constructively about this policy". "We stress that there is no evidence to suggest that TikTok is in any way a security risk to Australians and should not be treated differently to other social media platforms," he was quoted as saying.

SYDNEY -- The Australian government said on Tuesday it would remove TikTok from all federal government-owned devices, following many other countries in the West in barring the Chinese-owned video app over security concerns.

The ban underscores growing worries that China's government could use the Beijing-based company, owned by ByteDance Ltd, to harvest users' data to advance its political agenda, undermining Western security interests.

The ban will come into effect "as soon as practicable", Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said in a statement, adding that exemptions would only be granted on a case-by-case basis and with appropriate security measures in place.

With Australia's ban, all members of the so-called Five Eyes intelligence-sharing network - which consists of Australia, Canada, the United States, Britain and New Zealand - have banned the app from government devices. France, Belgium and the European Commission have announced similar bans.

The Australian newspaper late on Monday reported Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had agreed to a government-wide ban on the use of TikTok after the completion of a review by the Home Affairs department.

TikTok and the prime minister's office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Victoria state will also ban the video app from government phones, The Age newspaper reported, citing a state government official.

Tiktok Australia general manager Lee Hunter was quoted by The Age as saying the company was disappointed to learn of the ban through the media "despite our repeated offers to engage with government constructively about this policy".

"We stress that there is no evidence to suggest that TikTok is in any way a security risk to Australians and should not be treated differently to other social media platforms," he was quoted as saying.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko will pay an official visit to Vietnam from April 5 to 7 at the invitation of his Vietnamese counterpart Tran Hong Ha. The two deputy prime ministers will co-chair the 24th meeting of the Vietnam-Russia Intergovernmental Commission on trade, economic, scientific, and technical cooperation, according to the Vietnam Government Portal. The meeting will take place this Thursday in Hanoi, Russian news agency Tass reported. Also, the Russian deputy prime minister will address the plenary session of the Russia-Vietnam Business Forum and visit the Pushkin State Russian Language Institutes branch in Hanoi. On Friday, the delegation led by Chernyshenko will visit the Russian pavilion at the Vietnam EXPO 2023 exhibition, which is expected to gather over 500 exhibitors from 15 countries and territories to display their products at the show. During his visit, the Russian PM and his delegation will review research results of the Joint Vietnam-Russia Tropical Science and Technology Research Center, also known as Vietnam-Russia Tropical Center, Sputnik News said on Tuesday. Vietnam and Russia established their diplomatic relations on January 30, 1950 and then elevated their ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2012. On March 28, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko and Vietnamese Ambassador to Russia Dang Minh Khoi held discussions on a plan to promote the two countries comprehensive strategic partnership. According to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the two nations will mainly hold talks on trade and economic cooperation during the upcoming visit of Chernyshenko. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko will pay an official visit to Vietnam from April 5 to 7 at the invitation of his Vietnamese counterpart Tran Hong Ha.

The two deputy prime ministers will co-chair the 24th meeting of the Vietnam-Russia Intergovernmental Commission on trade, economic, scientific, and technical cooperation, according to the Vietnam Government Portal.

The meeting will take place this Thursday in Hanoi, Russian news agency Tass reported.

Also, the Russian deputy prime minister will address the plenary session of the Russia-Vietnam Business Forum and visit the Pushkin State Russian Language Institutes branch in Hanoi.

On Friday, the delegation led by Chernyshenko will visit the Russian pavilion at the Vietnam EXPO 2023 exhibition, which is expected to gather over 500 exhibitors from 15 countries and territories to display their products at the show.

During his visit, the Russian PM and his delegation will review research results of the Joint Vietnam-Russia Tropical Science and Technology Research Center, also known as Vietnam-Russia Tropical Center, Sputnik News said on Tuesday.

Vietnam and Russia established their diplomatic relations on January 30, 1950 and then elevated their ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2012.

On March 28, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko and Vietnamese Ambassador to Russia Dang Minh Khoi held discussions on a plan to promote the two countries comprehensive strategic partnership.

According to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the two nations will mainly hold talks on trade and economic cooperation during the upcoming visit of Chernyshenko.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
What you need to know today in Vietnam: Politics -- Australian Governor-General David Hurley and his spouse Linda Hurley arrived in Hanoi on Monday afternoon, beginning their four-day visit to Vietnam at the invitation of Vietnamese State President Vo Van Thuong. This is the first foreign leader paying a state visit to Vietnam this year and the first national guest that State President Thuong has received in his new position. Society -- A truck carrying watermelons on Monday crashed into a mountainside while taking a bend on a road in Phu Yen Province, south-central Vietnam, leaving four people dead and five others seriously injured. -- Police in Tien Giang Province, southern Vietnam on Monday apprehended a local man for allegedly murdering his female neighbor. Footage from a residents camera showed that the man used a wooden stick to hit the womans head and shoulders 22 times. -- The Peoples Committee of Dong Nai Province, a neighbor of Ho Chi Minh City, has approved the appointment of contractors for six public infrastructure development packages that are lagging behind schedule in the Loc An  Binh Son resettlement area of the mammoth Long Thanh International Airport project. -- Rescuers in the northern mountainous province of Ha Giang have successfully saved a man who fell into a 50-meter-deep hole after being hit by a car running backward on the famous Ma Pi Leng mountain pass. The man only suffered minor injuries. -- All Vietnamese visitors to Hoi An Ancient Town, a famous tourist destination in central Quang Nam Province, except for Hoi An residents with legitimate reasons, will be required to buy entrance tickets from May 15. The tickets cost VND120,000 (US$5.1) each for foreigners and VND80,000 ($3.4) each for domestic tourists, according to the Hoi An City Peoples Committee. -- Police in Dong Nai Province on Monday said they had detained four suspects for allegedly making, trading, and storing military weapons. -- Vietnam needs VND849.5 trillion ($36.3 billion) to develop at least one million social houses for low-income laborers in industrial parks in 2021-30, according to a plan approved by Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh. Business -- SaigonTex & SaigonFabric 2023, an exhibition of the textile-garment sector, will be held at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center in District 7, Ho Chi Minh City from Wednesday to Saturday. The event will be the largest since 1991, featuring 1,700 booths of over 1,300 enterprises from 21 countries and territories in the world. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!

What you need to know today in Vietnam:

Politics

-- Australian Governor-General David Hurley and his spouse Linda Hurley arrived in Hanoi on Monday afternoon, beginning their four-day visit to Vietnam at the invitation of Vietnamese State President Vo Van Thuong. This is the first foreign leader paying a state visit to Vietnam this year and the first national guest that State President Thuong has received in his new position.

Society

-- A truck carrying watermelons on Monday crashed into a mountainside while taking a bend on a road in Phu Yen Province, south-central Vietnam, leaving four people dead and five others seriously injured.

-- Police in Tien Giang Province, southern Vietnam on Monday apprehended a local man for allegedly murdering his female neighbor. Footage from a residents camera showed that the man used a wooden stick to hit the womans head and shoulders 22 times.

-- The Peoples Committee of Dong Nai Province, a neighbor of Ho Chi Minh City, has approved the appointment of contractors for six public infrastructure development packages that are lagging behind schedule in the Loc An  Binh Son resettlement area of the mammoth Long Thanh International Airport project.

-- Rescuers in the northern mountainous province of Ha Giang have successfully saved a man who fell into a 50-meter-deep hole after being hit by a car running backward on the famous Ma Pi Leng mountain pass. The man only suffered minor injuries.

-- All Vietnamese visitors to Hoi An Ancient Town, a famous tourist destination in central Quang Nam Province, except for Hoi An residents with legitimate reasons, will be required to buy entrance tickets from May 15. The tickets cost VND120,000 (US$5.1) each for foreigners and VND80,000 ($3.4) each for domestic tourists, according to the Hoi An City Peoples Committee.

-- Police in Dong Nai Province on Monday said they had detained four suspects for allegedly making, trading, and storing military weapons.

-- Vietnam needs VND849.5 trillion ($36.3 billion) to develop at least one million social houses for low-income laborers in industrial parks in 2021-30, according to a plan approved by Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.

Business

-- SaigonTex & SaigonFabric 2023, an exhibition of the textile-garment sector, will be held at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center in District 7, Ho Chi Minh City from Wednesday to Saturday. The event will be the largest since 1991, featuring 1,700 booths of over 1,300 enterprises from 21 countries and territories in the world.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
Ho Chi Minh City came second in anti-corruption efforts among all 63 provinces and cities in Vietnam in 2021, according to a dispatch recently released by the Government Inspectorate. The city scored 74.44 on a 100-point scale, where zero means the worst and 100 represents the best.' To improve the ranking and root out corruption, the Ho Chi Minh Peoples Committee issued a directive calling for more intensified anti-corruption measures. The city will focus on mapping out a detailed plan on the fight against corruption and other negative acts. Officials were told to concentrate on inspecting sensitive sectors, which are highly exposed to corruption and negative acts. It is necessary to check the leaders responsibility for asset management and high-ranking officials income. The city also ordered the increased transparency of planning, land use, bidding, investment, and land management. The municipal Department of Home Affairs is in charge of teaming up with other agencies to keep a close eye on the operations of social organizations getting the nod from the Ho Chi Minh City chairman for establishment or funding. In August last year, the Standing Board of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee issued a decision to set up the Steering Board for Anti-corruption, affirming that the city is enhancing its efforts in battling corruption. At a regular meeting in mid-March, the Steering Board decided to put a case related to pawnshop chain F88 under inspection. Besides, the board kept a close watch on cases related to the Vietnam Register and auto testing centers nationwide over bribe-taking allegations. In early February this year, the Government Inspectorate publicized the assessment results of the fight against corruption in 63 provinces and cities in 2021. The announcement has been made annually over the past six years in a bid to contribute to building effective anti-corruption policies. Accordingly, the 63 cities and provinces scored themselves based on their proof, while the Government Inspectorate reviewed their evaluation and gave them a score. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!

Ho Chi Minh City came second in anti-corruption efforts among all 63 provinces and cities in Vietnam in 2021, according to a dispatch recently released by the Government Inspectorate.

The city scored 74.44 on a 100-point scale, where zero means the worst and 100 represents the best.'

To improve the ranking and root out corruption, the Ho Chi Minh Peoples Committee issued a directive calling for more intensified anti-corruption measures.

The city will focus on mapping out a detailed plan on the fight against corruption and other negative acts.

Officials were told to concentrate on inspecting sensitive sectors, which are highly exposed to corruption and negative acts.

It is necessary to check the leaders responsibility for asset management and high-ranking officials income.

The city also ordered the increased transparency of planning, land use, bidding, investment, and land management.

The municipal Department of Home Affairs is in charge of teaming up with other agencies to keep a close eye on the operations of social organizations getting the nod from the Ho Chi Minh City chairman for establishment or funding.

In August last year, the Standing Board of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee issued a decision to set up the Steering Board for Anti-corruption, affirming that the city is enhancing its efforts in battling corruption.

At a regular meeting in mid-March, the Steering Board decided to put a case related to pawnshop chain F88 under inspection.

Besides, the board kept a close watch on cases related to the Vietnam Register and auto testing centers nationwide over bribe-taking allegations.

In early February this year, the Government Inspectorate publicized the assessment results of the fight against corruption in 63 provinces and cities in 2021.

The announcement has been made annually over the past six years in a bid to contribute to building effective anti-corruption policies.

Accordingly, the 63 cities and provinces scored themselves based on their proof, while the Government Inspectorate reviewed their evaluation and gave them a score.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
The Drug Administration of Vietnam under the Ministry of Health has signed a support and cooperation agreement with two Singaporean partners to develop new drugs and vaccines. Speaking at the signing ceremony for the development of Vietnams pharmaceutical-biological industry in Hanoi on Monday, Deputy Minister of Health Do Xuan Tuyen said that one of the cooperation's highlights is building two pharmaceutical-biological industrial parks. The first park will be developed in Thai Binh Province in northern Vietnam, while the second is set to be located in Ho Chi Minh City. The two industrial parks, which will feature production plants, logistics areas, and research and development centers, are expected to attract VND46.9 trillion (US$2 billion) in investment by 2030. The pharmaceutical-biological parks will prioritize plants that receive technology transfer to manufacture brand name drugs, specific drugs, vaccines, and biologic drugs, said Tuyen. Vietnams pharmaceutical industry has made great strides over the past few years, comprising 230 facilities that meet the Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standards. Among them, 20 plants get EU-GMP certificates, according to the Drug Administration of Vietnam. Apart from boosting domestic consumption and treatment, the Southeast Asian country has exported drugs and cosmetic products worth VN11.7 trillion ($500 million). Made-in-Vietnam drugs are available in nearly 50 nations, while Vietnamese cosmetics have been shipped to Japan and many Southeast Asian markets. However, export revenue remains modest, well below the target of VND23.4 trillion ($1 billion) for 2030. Given domestic drug supplies, Vietnams pharmaceutical market is worth VND140.6-164.1 trillion ($6-7 billion). The expenditure on domestic drugs is targeted to achieve 45 percent of the total medicine spending. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!

The Drug Administration of Vietnam under the Ministry of Health has signed a support and cooperation agreement with two Singaporean partners to develop new drugs and vaccines.

Speaking at the signing ceremony for the development of Vietnams pharmaceutical-biological industry in Hanoi on Monday, Deputy Minister of Health Do Xuan Tuyen said that one of the cooperation's highlights is building two pharmaceutical-biological industrial parks.

The first park will be developed in Thai Binh Province in northern Vietnam, while the second is set to be located in Ho Chi Minh City.

The two industrial parks, which will feature production plants, logistics areas, and research and development centers, are expected to attract VND46.9 trillion (US$2 billion) in investment by 2030.

The pharmaceutical-biological parks will prioritize plants that receive technology transfer to manufacture brand name drugs, specific drugs, vaccines, and biologic drugs, said Tuyen.

Vietnams pharmaceutical industry has made great strides over the past few years, comprising 230 facilities that meet the Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) standards.

Among them, 20 plants get EU-GMP certificates, according to the Drug Administration of Vietnam.

Apart from boosting domestic consumption and treatment, the Southeast Asian country has exported drugs and cosmetic products worth VN11.7 trillion ($500 million).

Made-in-Vietnam drugs are available in nearly 50 nations, while Vietnamese cosmetics have been shipped to Japan and many Southeast Asian markets.

However, export revenue remains modest, well below the target of VND23.4 trillion ($1 billion) for 2030.

Given domestic drug supplies, Vietnams pharmaceutical market is worth VND140.6-164.1 trillion ($6-7 billion). The expenditure on domestic drugs is targeted to achieve 45 percent of the total medicine spending.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
Trans rights advocates have noticed that when tweets are sent as direct messages, certain phrases, like "LGBT," "trans," or "BLM," do not display in the preview window.

The activists claim that, in contrast, for other tweets without these terms, the preview window displays as it should, with just the link to the actual tweet shown.

Trans Safety Network, a UK-based research organization, claimed that Twitter deboosted tweets containing certain terms and prevented them from appearing as previews in direct messages, according to The Independent.

The organization says that terms like "trans," "gay," "lesbian," "queer," and "bisexual," among others, are being deboosted, which prompted concerns on Twitter LGBTQ censorship.

Some preliminary testing indicates that Twitter is deboosting tweets containing certain words, including preventing them being shown as previews in DMs.



Current suspected words include (without letters not punctuation):



- Tr@ns

- G@y

- Lesbi@n

- Qur

- Bisexu@l



Try yourself.  Trans Safety Network (@trans_safety) April 1, 2023

Trans Media Watch chair Jane Fae* stated that Elon Musk came to Twitter with lofty declarations about his dedication to free expression.

Jane Fae believes there is no "innocent reason" for the occurrence. "It is hard to imagine what an innocent reason would look like - this would put the lie to that."

Read Also: Chinese Spy Balloon Collected Intelligence From US Military Sites

Fae said that, if this is the case, "obviously he is one of that selective freedom of speech activists who is only for "speech that endorses his personal preferences," per The Pink News.

"As for arguments that 'trans' topics may be sensitive: it does not make sense for DMs, and it certainly does not make sense when one sees that this 'setting' does not impact terms like 'tro*n' or 'trans-identified' that many trans folks find deeply hurtful," she said.

Elon Musk: Freedom On Twitter Has Limits

When Elon Musk bought Twitter last year, which he refers to as a "digital town square," he said he intended to safeguard free expression on the social media platform.

Elon Musk has reaffirmed that commitment ever since the $44 billion deal was finalized. Still, he has also vowed to prevent Twitter from becoming "a free-for-all hellscape," in which anything can be uttered without any repercussions, per Spectrum News.

The tech tycoon said the new Twitter policy allows "freedom of speech, but not freedom of reach," adding that hateful tweets would be "max deboosted & demonetized."

Related Article: Experts Urge 'Immediate Pause' of Development of Powerful AI Systems

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To Anh Dung, former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs in Vietnam, was found to have accepted VND21.5 billion (US$918,000) in bribes linked to the arrangement of flights to repatriate Vietnamese citizens stranded overseas during the COVID-19 pandemic, said the Ministry of Public Security. The Ministry of Public Security's investigative agency released its conclusions from an investigation into the bribery case on Tuesday. The agency proposed indicting Dung, Vu Hong Nam, another former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, and 52 other individuals for their involvement in the case. Dung was accused of having asked his subordinates to add companies in his network to the list of businesses eligible for operating COVID-19 repatriation flights. He was also accused of receiving VND21.5 billion in bribes from these businesses, investigators said. He admitted to his wrongdoings and paid back VND2 billion, or approximately $85,500, as a remedial action. Regarding Nam, he was accused of abusing his power while serving as Vietnamese ambassador to Japan in order to take bribes. Nam allegedly received over VND1.8 billion ($77,000) in bribes from Nhat Minh Company to assist the firm in selling flight tickets and offering hotel services to Vietnamese citizens stranded in Japan to fly home via six repatriation flights. Investigators said Nam also made an honest confession and submitted all of the bribes. Nguyen Quang Linh, ex-assistant to former Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh. Photo: Ministry of Public Security Aside from Dung and Nam, the Ministry of Public Security concluded that Nguyen Quang Linh, ex-assistant to former Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh, allegedly received a bribe of more than VND4.2 billion ($179,000) in this bribery scandal. Police officers also proposed issuing an indictment against Linh for taking bribes. Linh was found to have abused his power to help a number of companies take part in the arrangement of COVID-19 repatriation flights. Chu Xuan Dung, former chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee, and Tran Van Tan, ex-chairman of the Quang Nam Province People's Committee, also faced the same bribe-taking allegations. Tens of former officials at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Transport, the Government Office, and the Immigration Department could be indicted for their implication in the bribery case as well. These conclusions were released around one year after the Ministry of Public Security launched its probe into the case and pressed charges against over 50 individuals. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!

To Anh Dung, former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs in Vietnam, was found to have accepted VND21.5 billion (US$918,000) in bribes linked to the arrangement of flights to repatriate Vietnamese citizens stranded overseas during the COVID-19 pandemic, said the Ministry of Public Security.

The Ministry of Public Security's investigative agency released its conclusions from an investigation into the bribery case on Tuesday.

The agency proposed indicting Dung, Vu Hong Nam, another former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, and 52 other individuals for their involvement in the case.

Dung was accused of having asked his subordinates to add companies in his network to the list of businesses eligible for operating COVID-19 repatriation flights.

He was also accused of receiving VND21.5 billion in bribes from these businesses, investigators said.

He admitted to his wrongdoings and paid back VND2 billion, or approximately $85,500, as a remedial action.

Regarding Nam, he was accused of abusing his power while serving as Vietnamese ambassador to Japan in order to take bribes.

Nam allegedly received over VND1.8 billion ($77,000) in bribes from Nhat Minh Company to assist the firm in selling flight tickets and offering hotel services to Vietnamese citizens stranded in Japan to fly home via six repatriation flights.

Investigators said Nam also made an honest confession and submitted all of the bribes.

Nguyen Quang Linh, ex-assistant to former Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh. Photo: Ministry of Public Security

Aside from Dung and Nam, the Ministry of Public Security concluded that Nguyen Quang Linh, ex-assistant to former Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh, allegedly received a bribe of more than VND4.2 billion ($179,000) in this bribery scandal.

Police officers also proposed issuing an indictment against Linh for taking bribes.

Linh was found to have abused his power to help a number of companies take part in the arrangement of COVID-19 repatriation flights.

Chu Xuan Dung, former chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee, and Tran Van Tan, ex-chairman of the Quang Nam Province People's Committee, also faced the same bribe-taking allegations.

Tens of former officials at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Transport, the Government Office, and the Immigration Department could be indicted for their implication in the bribery case as well.

These conclusions were released around one year after the Ministry of Public Security launched its probe into the case and pressed charges against over 50 individuals.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
All Vietnamese visitors to Hoi An Ancient Town, a famous tourist destination in central Vietnam, except for Hoi An residents with legitimate reasons, will be required to buy entrance tickets from May 15. The tickets cost VND120,000 (US$5.1) each for foreigners and VND80,000 ($3.4) each for domestic tourists. The move was made to enhance the management of the ancient town, according to the Hoi An City Peoples Committee in Quang Nam Province. Despite the entrance tickets required for both local and international visitors, those buying them have been mainly foreign travelers and those undertaking tours. Vietnamese people have been exempted from the tickets. At present, Hoi An Ancient Town welcomes around 15,000 visitors per day but the number of tickets sold is below 50 percent of the figure. There will be two entrances to the ancient town, one for local residents and one for tourists. Foreign tourists voluntarily buy entrance tickets to Hoi An Ancient Town in Quang Nam Province, Vietnam. Photo: S.C. / Tuoi Tre Hoi An Citys decision has caused controversies. Some said that the city has been well known for its hospitality so the application of the compulsory purchase of entrance tickets for all visitors will discourage tourists from returning to the city. It is unreasonable as someone may enter the ancient town to drink a cup of coffee or a bottle of water only, while the price of an entrance ticket is three to four times higher [than the coffee or water prices], said a resident from Da Nang City, a neighbor of Quang Nam Province. Truong Thi Ngoc Cam, director of the Center for Culture, Sports, Broadcasting and Television of Hoi An City, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that the city is still listening to opinions of locals and tourists. However, the tightened control over visitors to the ancient town will ensure fairness among them. If both visitors buying and not buying entrance tickets enter the ancient town and experience it like the others, it is unfair," Cam said. Hoi An cannot serve tourists buying entrance tickets well. Therefore, the city will arrange two entrances to the ancient town, with one for tourists and one for locals residing in the ancient town and those entering it for work. To identify Hoi An residents and those entering the ancient town with legitimate reasons to prevent frauds, Cam said Hoi An City will put together patrol teams with members being local residents. In the future, the city will apply technology to identify tourists and control those entering the ancient town. In addition, the city has installed cameras in the ancient town, so those evading purchasing entrance tickets can be handled. The town will be patrolled regularly and those who do not buy entrance tickets will be asked to leave it. Entrances to Hoi An Ancient Town in the namesake city of Quang Nam Province, central Vietnam. Photo: B.D. / Tuoi Tre However, Hoi An will not immediately take strict measures but it will develop locals and tourists habit and improve their awareness of contributing to the development of the ancient town, which is also a world heritage site, through the entrance ticket purchase. The city will invest in new spaces and more interesting artistic programs in the ancient town. Admission to Hoi An is currently much lower than tickets in other destinations," Cam said. Some people have even assessed Hoi An as a low-cost tourist destination. We do not want this brand. The pressure of environmental protection and management on the ancient town is huge, while the revenue is not corresponding to its value." Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!

All Vietnamese visitors to Hoi An Ancient Town, a famous tourist destination in central Vietnam, except for Hoi An residents with legitimate reasons, will be required to buy entrance tickets from May 15.

The tickets cost VND120,000 (US$5.1) each for foreigners and VND80,000 ($3.4) each for domestic tourists.

The move was made to enhance the management of the ancient town, according to the Hoi An City Peoples Committee in Quang Nam Province.

Despite the entrance tickets required for both local and international visitors, those buying them have been mainly foreign travelers and those undertaking tours. Vietnamese people have been exempted from the tickets.

At present, Hoi An Ancient Town welcomes around 15,000 visitors per day but the number of tickets sold is below 50 percent of the figure.

There will be two entrances to the ancient town, one for local residents and one for tourists.

Foreign tourists voluntarily buy entrance tickets to Hoi An Ancient Town in Quang Nam Province, Vietnam. Photo: S.C. / Tuoi Tre

Hoi An Citys decision has caused controversies.

Some said that the city has been well known for its hospitality so the application of the compulsory purchase of entrance tickets for all visitors will discourage tourists from returning to the city.

It is unreasonable as someone may enter the ancient town to drink a cup of coffee or a bottle of water only, while the price of an entrance ticket is three to four times higher [than the coffee or water prices], said a resident from Da Nang City, a neighbor of Quang Nam Province.

Truong Thi Ngoc Cam, director of the Center for Culture, Sports, Broadcasting and Television of Hoi An City, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that the city is still listening to opinions of locals and tourists.

However, the tightened control over visitors to the ancient town will ensure fairness among them.

If both visitors buying and not buying entrance tickets enter the ancient town and experience it like the others, it is unfair," Cam said.

Hoi An cannot serve tourists buying entrance tickets well.

Therefore, the city will arrange two entrances to the ancient town, with one for tourists and one for locals residing in the ancient town and those entering it for work.

To identify Hoi An residents and those entering the ancient town with legitimate reasons to prevent frauds, Cam said Hoi An City will put together patrol teams with members being local residents.

In the future, the city will apply technology to identify tourists and control those entering the ancient town.

In addition, the city has installed cameras in the ancient town, so those evading purchasing entrance tickets can be handled.

The town will be patrolled regularly and those who do not buy entrance tickets will be asked to leave it.

Entrances to Hoi An Ancient Town in the namesake city of Quang Nam Province, central Vietnam. Photo: B.D. / Tuoi Tre

However, Hoi An will not immediately take strict measures but it will develop locals and tourists habit and improve their awareness of contributing to the development of the ancient town, which is also a world heritage site, through the entrance ticket purchase.

The city will invest in new spaces and more interesting artistic programs in the ancient town.

Admission to Hoi An is currently much lower than tickets in other destinations," Cam said.

Some people have even assessed Hoi An as a low-cost tourist destination. We do not want this brand.

The pressure of environmental protection and management on the ancient town is huge, while the revenue is not corresponding to its value."

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
7Bravo presenter Lucia Hawley will present Cultured, a special from the Melbourne Fashion Festival (which may well be branded content).

Lucia gets behind-the-scenes access, chatting with some of this years most innovative designers including Genevieve Smart from Ginger and Smart, Dale McCarthy from Bondi Born and Melbourne designer Jason Grech, to discuss creativity, innovation and how consumers can be more conscious when it comes to sustainability.

The episode also captures some of the best beauty trends that are innovating incredible runway looks and features friends of 7Bravo, Elliot Garnaut and Rey Vakili who have their finger on the pulse of fashion.

6.00pm Saturday, 15 April on 7Bravo.
The Australian this week reported Tracy Grimshaw has been offered but rejected both the Melbourne Press Clubs Lifetime Achievement Award (which went to Jon Faine) and the same gong at Sydneys big awards night, the Kennedy Awards, to be held in August.

Grimshaw departed A Current Affair in November after 17 years at the helm of Nines nightly current affairs stalwart. But lifetime achievement awards are generally awarded to media personalities who have retired or near the end of their careers  but Grimshaw always indicated she would take a year off before reconsidering her next move.

As TV Tonight previously reported, Nine also kept her on their books, at the same time 10 let go of Carrie Bickmore. Leigh Sales, who also ended her 7:30 reign, also remained with ABC.

Grimshaw is likely to return to her interviewing base, but its unclear whether as stand-alone specials or as part of the 60 Minutes team.
Normally, Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) aircraft carry excited holidaymakers and business travellers on board.

But the crew on flight SK718, which connects Norways capital Oslo and Rzeszow in Poland, have been greeting unusual passengers in the past year: wounded soldiers and critically ill patients from Ukraine.

Located 70 km from the Ukrainian border, Rzeszow is a strategic hub where trade between the besieged nation and the rest of the world continues.

The plane is a special mission flight in collaboration with the European Union, with passengers onboard picked up in Rzeszow and sent to hospitals across Europe.

The Boeing 737 carrying out the mission has been repurposed to become a flying ambulance, fitted with ventilators, blood transfusion equipment and antibiotics.

"In this plane, we have a respirator down below the floor, we have syringe pumps, and we have monitor, and suction and oxygen, all equipment to be able to treat a high intensive care unit patient. And this is, in easy words, this is a small hospital in the air," said Hakon Asak, Lieutenant Colonel of the Norwegian Army Medical Corps.

Two-thirds of the seats on the aircraft have been replaced with hospital beds and doctors and nurses from the Norwegian armed forces keep checking on the patients on board.

Mykola Fedirko was injured in the trenches in the Donetsk region two months ago. He was flown to Copenhagen for treatment.

"It's the first time I've been on a plane. I would have liked to go to Denmark under normal circumstances, on holiday, for example, not to go to hospital because of trauma," said the 22-year-old Ukrainian soldier.

Fedirko was dropped off in Denmark and about thirty other patients landed in the Netherlands, Germany and Norway over the course of two days.

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'It gets personal'

Set up at the beginning of the war, the operation has been carried out 52 times in the last year. According to Norwegian broadcaster TV2, there have been more than 630 Ukrainian patients medevaced.

Oslo has just announced that the programme will continue until at least August.

The project is "unprecedented at the continental level" and was set up "in record time".

"We established this scheme at the request of Ukraine... to alleviate the burden on the Ukrainian hospitals," said Juan Escalante of the EU's Emergency Response Coordination Centre.

It's the first time I've been on a plane. I would have liked to go to Denmark under normal circumstances, on holiday, for example, not to go to hospital because of trauma.

The extraordinary nature of this mission has left its mark on the staff on board.

"Its quite relieving, relieving leaving the patients at the airport and having the teams taking care of them. But because for all of us, its quite hard to transport the patients in these conditions all the time, it gets personal," said Asak.

The pilots in the cockpit keep the cabin door open during flights to be accessible to the passengers. They say they appreciate the encounters with those who have survived the war.

"It's one thing to have wounded soldiers but children who suffer... that always makes a strong impression on people," said Arve Thomassen, a pilot at SAS.

"When you fly passengers down to the Mediterranean for a sun bath [sic], thats a normal business and its very common to do that. This gives a much more challenging perspective of the whole operation. And also makes us a little humble to do this mission. And actually, I'm very proud to do it," he added.

The bombing of hospitals, maternity wards, and medical storage units means almost half a million people a month are deprived of medical care, the Norwegian authorities estimate.

Some 859 health facilities in Ukraine have been attacked since the Russian invasion, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

For more on this story, watch the video in the media player above.
Basildon driver involved in smuggling Albanian migrants in car boot is jailed (Image: Home Office / Google Maps)

A Basildon man involved in smuggling Albanian migrants in a car boot has been jailed today.

Stephen Orgar, a British national from Basildon, was sentenced today (April 4) alongside Flavian Suka, an Albanian national living in London, at Canterbury Crown Court for facilitating illegal entry into the UK.

Orgar, 45, was jailed for three years and six months while Suka was given a sentence of seven years and six months  two years and three months for the immigration offences, and five years and three months for possession of class A drugs with intent to supply.

READ MORE:

Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick, said: This brazen attempt to cram illegal migrants into an incredibly tight space and smuggle them over our border is unacceptable, and we will not stand for it.

These sentences show that we are bringing to justice these gangs, who put profit before lives by smuggling vulnerable people into the country so dangerously.

They also demonstrate that we will take a zero-tolerance approach to anyone caught dealing drugs in our society.

Echo: Flavian Suka

Flavian Suka (Image: Home Office)

Orgar was driving a hired car from France to the UK on September 19, 2019, when he was subject to a routine stop at the UK control zone of the Channel Tunnel in Coquelles, France.

During the search by Border Force officers, two Albanian male migrants were found crammed in the boot of a Skoda Octavia.

Both men were refused entry to the UK and Orgar was arrested.

The following investigation found that Orgar was helped by a "facilitator" who was later identified as 27-year-old Suka, who was living in proximity to the rental place where the car was hired.

Immigration officers carried out a search warrant at Sukas address where they found a large quantity of class A drugs  including cocaine  estimated to have a street value of around 88,000.

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Officers found the cocaine hidden within boxes in pipework in the bedroom of Sukas house.

Additionally, more than 20,000 in cash was found in the property.

Orgar was found guilty following a trial for facilitating illegal entry into the UK and Suka pleaded guilty to the same charge.

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Suka also pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply class A drugs, which was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Service.

Ben Thomas, deputy director for Immigration Enforcements Criminal and Financial Investigations, said: I hope todays sentences send a message that we are committed to tackling this issue, and those who put profit above peoples lives will not go unpunished.

My team work tirelessly to bring to justice anyone attempting to smuggle people unlawfully into the country and will continue to do so.
Interview: BRI projects leading to development, economic progress in Malaysia's Pahang state -- Malaysian official

Xinhua) 13:35, April 04, 2023

KUALA LUMPUR, April 3 (Xinhua) -- Several projects under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) have led to greater development and economic progress in Malaysia's Pahang, an official said.

These projects have not only created opportunities for the local workforce but have positively spilled over into the east coast of Peninsula Malaysia since their implementation a decade ago, Chief Minister of Pahang state Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail told Xinhua in a recent interview.

The projects include Malaysia-China Kuantan Industrial Park (MCKIP), especially the Alliance Steel (M) Sdn. Bhd. plant located in the park, and the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL), Malaysia's mega rail project being built by China Communications Construction Company, Wan Rosdy said, noting that they have brought much-needed investment into the state.

"The MCKIP offers job opportunities for professional and skilled workforce in Pahang. This is a great opportunity, especially for young people. They now can work locally instead of having to move to another state in order to find industries that are suitable for them," he said.

"The young people in Pahang can benefit from the existence of this park, while also becoming the pioneers in this economic transformation in the Pahang state," he said, adding that these projects have benefited the local workforce by offering higher wages and uplifting the socio-economic position of those working there.

Wan Rosdy, who was sworn in in 2018, said under his administration, the state has taken steps to support these projects, especially with the supply of water to the Alliance Steel plant, "This is done by the Pahang Water Management Berhad and it is estimated that 90 million liters per day will be channeled to MCKIP and Gebeng Industrial Area," he said.

"Other than improving the facilities around the park, the Pahang state government also has a labor council which is responsible for fulfilling local manpower requirements as requested by the investors," he said.

Wan Rosdy also said the Kuantan Port, modernized with a deep water terminal that is already linked to the MCKIP and will be linked to the ECRL, will better connect industry players and support the whole supply chain of production.

"Upon completion, this new ECRL will increase connectivity and attract more investors to widen their business venture in Pahang. The alignments for these railways will connect Kuantan Port and Port Klang in Selangor, which will boost cargo transportation in both ports," he said.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
During a ceremony in Brussels, Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto signed an accession document and handed it to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, officially making Finland the 31st member of NATO.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg remarked that Finland's NATO membership was "exactly the opposite" of what Russian President Vladimir Putin had as a proclaimed purpose of the invasion of Ukraine: "to get less NATO," according to The Guardian.

The NATO chief added that Finland and Sweden will shortly join the alliance as full members and noted that Finland's NATO membership "takes away the leeway for Russia to misjudge Nato's preparedness to safeguard Finland."

With Finland joining NATO, the alliance's border with Russia will be extended by almost 1,300 kilometers (830 miles). Before Tuesday, five NATO nations and Russia shared a boundary of around 1,215 kilometers (755 miles). NATO's land border with Russia more than doubles as a result of Finland's admission.

Read Also: US Army Awards Missiles Production Deal to Lockheed Martin

Russia Blasts Finland's NATO Membership

On Monday, Russia threatened it would increase its military presence near Finland if NATO moved soldiers or hardware to the newest member country, per CNN.

Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for the Kremlin, said that Russian officials would closely monitor what happens in Finland. He also said that the expansion of NATO via Finland's NATO membership violates Russia's "security and our national interests."

Finland and Sweden dropped years of military nonintervention to join NATO when the Russia-Ukraine war started, completing an expedited application procedure initiated in May.

Russia's attack on Ukraine prompted the two countries to seek the protection of Article 5 of the NATO charter, which states that an assault on one member is an attack on all.

That effectively implies that all NATO countries, including the US, would defend Finland if it were to come under invasion or assault, per the BBC.

Related Article: US Military Gains New Bases in Philippines

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A major storm already responsible for unloading heavy snow over the interior West has set its sights on the northern Plains where AccuWeather meteorologists say it will evolve into a dangerous and disruptive blizzard.

AccuWeather's forecasting team, which consists of dozens of meteorologists largely based in Wichita, Kansas, and State College, Pennsylvania, has been warning of travel-halting snow for this week even before a different storm with snow and deadly severe weather struck the central United States last week.

This week's storm arrives just days after a snowstorm with localized blizzard conditions affected areas from the northern Plains to northern Michigan, AccuWeather Meteorologist Thomas Geiger said. However, the orientation of this storm will cause the heaviest snow with the strongest winds to occur north of the Great Lakes region, mainly from western Nebraska and eastern Wyoming through a large part of the Dakotas and the northwestern portions of Minnesota and Ontario.

For portions of the northern Plains, this system may end up being bigger than most of the snowstorms that occurred there this fall and winter in terms of the amount of snow that falls and conditions experienced, according to AccuWeather Meteorologist Matt Benz. "For cities such as Rapid City and Pierre, South Dakota, as well as Fargo, North Dakota, this storm is likely to be at the top," Benz said.

For example, Rapid City residents experienced multiple winter storms that each brought 5-10 inches of snow. However, meteorologists say this incoming storm has the potential to drop 1-2 feet of snow.

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The storm already produced high winds over parts of the Intermountain West during the past weekend, which is a sign that it will live up to the designation of blizzard upon reaching its full fury over the northern Plains, Rayno explained.

A blizzard is officially defined by the National Weather Service as falling or blowing snow that results in a visibility of one-quarter mile or less and sustained winds of 35 mph or greater for three consecutive hours or more.

Story continues

Official NWS blizzard warnings were in effect for most of the Dakotas as well as part of eastern Wyoming, northwest Nebraska and western Minnesota, as of Tuesday morning.

Winds gusted to hurricane force (75 mph) at Monarch Pass, Colorado, on Sunday. Snow began to fall in Salt Lake City on Sunday night and is forecast to continue at varying intensity over the northern Utah metro area and the Wasatch Range to the east into Tuesday evening. When the storm subsides, 6-10 inches will likely have fallen around the city, with perhaps 4-6 feet in the highest terrain of the Wasatch.

Snow will continue to spread northeastward across the northern Plains of the U.S. and into south-central Canada into Tuesday evening, forecasters say. Soon after the snow begins, gusty winds will start the blowing and drifting process. The strongest winds with gusts between 40 and 60 mph will likely focus on the Dakotas.

Snowfall rates of 1-2 inches per hour can occur during the peak intensity of the storm, and travel conditions will deteriorate rapidly. In Wyoming, the expected travel conditions led to the closure of Interstate 90 from the Wyoming state line east through Wall beginning at 8 p.m. MDT Monday.

Geiger stated that near-zero visibility will make for dangerous conditions for motorists who could easily lose their way during the storm, especially when considering the flat terrain and wide-open spaces in the region.

Even where official blizzard conditions are not met, winds gusting between 20 and 40 mph for many hours will lead to extensive blowing and drifting snow.

"Some secondary roads, major highways and rail systems may be closed for days due to the magnitude of the snow that falls, as well as the blowing and drifting snow produced by the storm," Benz said. "Drifts will be high enough to cover one-story homes in open areas."

Meteorologists have highlighted a large area where 18-24 inches of snow is likely to fall from eastern Wyoming to southwestern Ontario in Canada. While it may be difficult to measure within this zone, 3 feet or more could pile up over the wide open spaces and on the Black Hills of South Dakota.

A portion of the north-central U.S. has had more than a winter's worth of snow. In Duluth, Minnesota, where AccuWeather meteorologists are predicting 6-10 inches to fall from the storm, 130.4 inches of snow has already been recorded. Even if the minimum amount of the predicted snow falls, it would vault this winter to the top of the list of the snowiest on record. That top spot is currently held by the winter of 1995-96 when 135.4 inches of snow buried the city.

The storm's heavy snow will fall northwest of Minneapolis, where 89.7 inches of snow has fallen this winter. This is the third-highest seasonal snowfall total on record for the Twin Cities, with the snowiest season occurring in 1983-84 when 98.6 inches of snow piled up.

A significant threat from the storm will be power outages due to strong winds and the potential for the snow to cling in some locations. Even though temperatures will not be nearly as extreme as some midwinter blizzards, the cold air will result in conditions well below historical averages.

In Fargo, temperatures are set to plunge into the teens Fahrenheit Tuesday night and fail to climb out of the 20s F on Wednesday. AccuWeather RealFeel Temperatures in much of the region will be 15-25 degrees lower than the actual temperature and can sometimes dip below zero. During early April, the average high and low temperatures are in the mid-40s and mid-20s F, respectively.

Strong winds generated by the storm will stir large waves and create dangerous conditions on Lake Superior from Wednesday to Thursday. Shifting winds with gust frequenting 40-60 mph will create waves of 10-20 feet during this period and pose a threat to vessels of any size.

On the storm's dry southwestern flank, high winds ranging from 40 to 60 mph will kick up dust and raise the threat of wildfires from portions of Arizona to New Mexico, southern Colorado and the western parts of Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas into Wednesday.

A significant severe weather outbreak, including tornadoes, will occur from Tuesday afternoon to Wednesday evening in roughly the same areas that were hit hard by deadly and destructive storms from Friday to Saturday.

Just south and east of where the heavy snow will fall over the Upper Midwest, the combination of 1-2 inches of rain and the natural melting of some of the snow remaining on the ground will cause secondary rivers to surge this week.

Multiple secondary rivers in central and southern Minnesota and central Wisconsin are likely to crest at minor to moderate flood stages this week. The beginnings of the spring thaw will also cause water levels on the northern part of the Mississippi River to rise.

The rise and fall cycle of water levels on the Mississippi can take many weeks and months. The period of rising water, with some fluctuation, is likely to last into the late spring and could peak with moderate flooding in some locations. Major, long-lasting flooding is anticipated along the Red River of the north and others in the Dakotas this spring by AccuWeather's long-range team of meteorologists.

Want next-level safety, ad-free? Unlock advanced, hyperlocal severe weather alerts when you subscribe to Premium+ on the AccuWeather app. AccuWeather Alerts are prompted by our expert meteorologists who monitor and analyze dangerous weather risks 24/7 to keep you and your family safer.
Shannon Bowe died while having weight loss surgery in Turkey. (Facebook)

Tributes have been paid to a 28-year-old Scottish woman who died while undergoing gastric band surgery in Turkey.

Shannon Bowe, from Denny, Falkirk, died during the weight loss procedure, where a band is placed around the stomach, on Saturday.

It is not known which medical facility she had the operation at, or what factors contributed to her death.

Her boyfriend, Ross Stirling, was among those to pay tribute to her.

He wrote on Facebook: "Sleep tight my angel, love you forever and always."

Danielle Black posted: "She will be sorely missed by everyone, one of a kind! Will never ever be forgotten."

Sophie O'Hanlon said: "Its so cruel. My heart is sore for you and everyone that loved you.

"You were taken in such an unfair way and Im so sorry Shannon Bowe. Love you forever and Im going to miss your voice and laugh more than anything."

Read more: Mum, 26, died after flying to Turkey for gastric bypass surgery

Tributes have been paid to Shannon Bowe, who died during gastric band surgery in Turkey. (Facebook)

Ms Bowe's aunt, Amanda Bowe, posted: "My beautiful niece Shannon there are no words just heartbreak and grief.

"She was a beautiful funny crazy girl who will always live in my heart."

Weight loss surgery, used to treat morbid obesity, is available in the UK on the NHS, but waiting lists are long. There are private options in the UK, but these are more expensive (between 10,000 and 15,000) than having the surgery abroad, which can cost as little as 2,000.

As a result, so-called "medical tourism" has become more prevalent, although health experts have warned of the risks involved.

Last month, the BBC reported that seven British patients who travelled to Turkey for weight loss surgery had died after operations there.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said it is aware of 22 Britons who have died in Turkey since January 2019 following medical tourism visits.

An FCDO spokesperson told Yahoo News UK: We are supporting the family of a British national who died in Turkey and are in contact with the local authorities.

The most common types of weight loss surgery are a gastric band (where a band is placed around the stomach to create a small pouch at the top which takes less food to fill); a gastric bypass (where staples create a small pouch at the top of the stomach that is connected to the small intestine) and a gastric sleeve (where a large part of the stomach is removed to make it smaller).
China vowed on Tuesday to "firmly defend" its national sovereignty, ahead of a meeting between Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen and US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in California this week.

Foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said Beijing would "closely monitor the situation and firmly defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity" after McCarthy confirmed the talks the day before.

China claims the democratic island of Taiwan as part of its territory to be retaken one day and, under its "One-China" principle, no country may maintain official ties with both Beijing and Taipei.

It has already warned McCarthy, a Republican, that he would be "playing with fire" by meeting Tsai.

"China is strongly opposed to the US arranging for Tsai Ing-wen to transit through its territory, and is strongly opposed to the meeting between House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, the third-ranking US official, and Tsai Ing-wen," Mao said.

"It seriously violates the One-China principle and the three China-US joint communiques, and seriously undermines China's sovereignty and territorial integrity," she told journalists.

- Central American tour -

Tsai plans to stop over in the United States on her return from Central America, where she has met the leaders of Guatemala and is visiting Belize before meeting McCarthy.

McCarthy's office said on Monday the "bipartisan" meeting would take place at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, just outside Los Angeles.

He had originally planned to follow the example of his predecessor as speaker, Democrat Nancy Pelosi, who visited Taiwan in August.

That visit prompted China to conduct its largest-ever military exercises around the self-governing island.

McCarthy's decision to meet Tsai in the United States was viewed as a compromise that would underscore support for Taiwan but avoid inflaming tensions with China.

However, Xu Xueyuan, the charge d'affaires of China's embassy to the United States, told reporters last week Washington risked "serious confrontation" no matter whether US leaders visited Taiwan or the reverse.

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"The US keeps saying that transit is not a visit and that there are precedents, but we should not use past mistakes as excuses for repeating them today," she said.

Xu urged Washington "not to repeat playing with fire on the Taiwan question", alluding among other things to last year's visit to Taiwan by Pelosi.

China's consulate in Los Angeles said on Monday the meeting in California would "greatly hurt the national feelings of 1.4 billion Chinese people" and undermine "the political foundation of China-US relations".

- 'Peace and stability' -

Tsai was greeted by flag-waving Taiwanese expatriates as she addressed a banquet after arriving in New York on Wednesday ahead of her Central America swing.

"We have demonstrated a firm will and resolve to defend ourselves, that we are capable of managing risks with calm and composure and that we have the ability to maintain regional peace and stability," she told attendees.

Laura Rosenberger, who heads the American Institute in Taiwan, the de facto embassy in the absence of diplomatic relations, welcomed Tsai to New York but the State Department said it did not expect officials to meet her.

The United States remains Taiwan's most important ally -- and its biggest arms supplier -- despite switching its diplomatic recognition to Beijing in 1979.

The US stopover comes at a key time, with Beijing having ramped up military, economic and diplomatic pressure on Taiwan since Tsai came to power in 2016.

US media reported that about 20 US lawmakers planned to accompany the speaker to the meeting in California.

China has increased investment in Latin America, a key diplomatic battleground between Taipei and Beijing since the two sides split in 1949 after a civil war.

Taiwan accused China on Sunday of using "coercion and intimidation" to lure away its allies after Honduran Foreign Minister Enrique Reina and his Chinese counterpart Qin Gang officially launched relations in Beijing.

In Belize on Monday, Tsai thanked one of Taiwan's few remaining allies for its diplomatic support amid "constant threats and pressure" from China.

Only tiny Belize and Guatemala remain allies of Taiwan in Central America after Honduras shifted its allegiance to Beijing.

burs-je/pbt
Man Utd takeover Credit: Alamy

The potential takeover of Man Utd has reportedly taken a huge twist as the government have serious concerns over bidder Sheikh Jassim.

The current owners  the Glazer family  put the club up for sale last November. At the time, they confirmed that they would be evaluating all options and that a full sale was possible.

Since then, there have been two rounds of bidding with several parties expressing interest in becoming the new owner of Man Utd.

Sheikh Jassim  a Qatar businessman  and INEOS Sir Jim Ratcliffe went public with their interest from an early stage.

Both parties are understood to have made world-record bids in an attempt to buy Man Utd. But these offers reportedly fell short of the Glazers 6bn asking price.

It is currently unclear whether the takeover will now happen. Journalist Ben Jacobs took to Twitter on Monday afternoon to reveal bidders expect to get clarity on the next step of the process this week.

Manchester United suitors expect to hear back from Raine Group this week and get clarity on the next step of the process.

Things largely still on track despite the second bids of Sheikh Jassim and Sir Jim Ratcliffe coming in slightly late.

Quick second-bid deadline after meetings at Old Trafford has allowed for an extra stage of bidding, if needed, without altering the timescale significantly.

But according to The Sun, Sheikh Jassims position has been plunged into doubt. The race to buy Man Utd has taken a huge twist as there is serious Government concern about Qatari banker Sheikh Jassim.

READ MORE: Todd Boehly to appoint new Chelsea boss on basis of 18-month-old Ronaldo April Fool?

It is indicated that the Bank of England has flagged up previous regulatory failings at the UK branch of the Qatari Investment Bank headed up by Sheikh Jassim and this could prove a major turning point. The report adds.

Sheikh Jassim, the most likely to meet the Glazer familys 6bn valuation, had been seen as the slight front-runner, that could all be changed by the revelation of the issues being raised by senior Government officials. Those reservations are understood to relate to a 1.4m fine handed out to QIBs UK unit by the Bank of England in 2016 for violating capital financial rules that left the bank exposed to high levels of risk. Regulators said QIB had failed to meet some of the most basic regulatory standards. QIB claimed at the time to have taken remedial action to prevent a recurrence.

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It is worth noting that Sheikh Jassim is bidding as a private individual via the Nine Two Foundation, rather than using any QIB funds. The report later notes.

The fine by the Bank of England related to matters which took place in 2011 and QIB took immediate action to address the situation, restructuring its operations and governance. It had previously been reported the Government officials were supportive of the bid but questions about the financial conduct at QIB may become a major issue. Any final bid winner will have to pass the Prems newly beefed-up Owners and Directors Test requiring more extensive due diligence by League experts.

READ MORE: Transfer gossip Man Utd talks for eight-goal wing-back as Joao Felix links continue

The article Man Utd takeover: Huge twist amid serious government concerns over world-record bid appeared first on Football365.com.
Ministers deeply distressed Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and other British citizens imprisoned abroad through poor communication, including speaking offensively to their families, the Conservative chairwoman of the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee has said.

Speaking about a damning new report on the Foreign Offices handling of hostage diplomacy, Alicia Kearns said the treatment of some hostages and their relatives had been insensitive and hurtful, marked by a lack of transparency and coordination.

Referring to former foreign secretary Liz Trusss handling of the case of a British-born environmentalist held in Iran, she said the most heinous failure of a minister was to tell a family youre no longer our problem.

Ms Truss did not stand by an arrangement agreed with US officials that UK-US-Iranian trinational Morad Tahbaz would be released alongside Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe and fellow British-Iranian dual national Anoosheh Ashoori in March last year, and failed to let his family know, according to the report.

Liz Truss eventually called the family to say that Morad is now a US problem, implying that she would not put further effort into his release, and she did not have time to speak to them further, MPs said.

The report also highlighted then-foreign secretary Boris Johnson saying in 2017 that Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe had been teaching journalism in Tehran, comments which were blamed for exacerbating her plight following her arrest for alleged spying.

There were also examples of ministers getting the names of hostages wrong, Ms Kearns told Times Radio.

For dual nationals their Britishness too often they felt was in question, she said.

The report also criticised the considerable ministerial transience in recent years, with Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe questioning, on her release, why it took five foreign secretaries over six years to bring her home.

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This contributes to inconsistency of approach and increases the risks of missing opportunities, not least when dealing with autocratic states with greater ministerial security of tenure, MPs said.

 We've released our new report  'Stolen years: combatting state hostage diplomacy' Read it here https://t.co/kUYvEphaxm pic.twitter.com/2XMSLuyrpP  Foreign Affairs Committee (@CommonsForeign) April 4, 2023

The committee called for a director for arbitrary and complex detentions.

That is somebody who would have a direct line to the prime minister, who can make sure that we have the cohesion, the continuity, the focus, the creativity that is needed to get our people home, Ms Kearns said.

Because the reality is that one of our most important findings was if you can get people home before they are charged, that is your best window of opportunity.

The senior Tory also said we have to call a spade a spade, as there is currently too much nervousness within the Foreign Office about calling out state hostage-taking for what it is.

The committee rejected a Foreign Office presumption that quiet diplomacy and family silence is always appropriate, saying that other than in the initial phase, silence abets state hostage-taking.

Amnesty International welcomed the findings of the report, which should lead to a major policy change.

Sacha Deshmukh, the charitys UK chief executive, said: Year after year during Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Anoosheh Ashooris gruelling incarcerations we were warning that the UK simply wasnt rising to the challenge of dealing with situations that went well beyond ordinary miscarriages of justice

The test of whether UK officials have learnt from previous failings will be whether they can be effective in quickly securing the release of the jailed conservationist Morad Tahbaz and fellow Briton Mehran Raoof, as well as another British national, Alaa Abd el-Fattah, whos been jailed in Egypt for his human rights work.

A Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office spokesman said: Consular officials are available 24/7 for families to receive tailored support. The Foreign Secretary and FCDO ministers are fully engaged in complex cases and have raised concerns with foreign governments.

The best interests of British national detainees is at the heart of our consular work and we support and work with their families wherever we can.
SAO PAULO (Reuters) - The South American arm of carmaker Stellantis NV is planning a series of large investments starting in 2025, the firm's regional chief executive said on Friday, planning to outspend its competitors.

"For the next cycle, my investment, if approved, will be much larger than the sum of my competitors," Antonio Filosa told journalists at an event on reducing carbon emissions. He did not disclose the amount that would be invested.

Stellantis, the world's third-largest automotive group by sales, plans to launch 43 vehicles across eight brands in South America over the 2021-2025 period, with planned investments to reach over 16 billion reais ($3.14 billion).

Currently, the group leads vehicle sales in South America, with a market share of about 24%, according to the executive.

In terms of cutting emissions, the company is planning the local production of flex-fuel hybrid vehicles - which run on batteries, but also use engines that burn a mixture of gasoline and ethanol - and ethanol hybrids.

"South America will become a cradle of this future," said Filosa, referring also to the supply of raw materials for batteries, such as lithium, nickel and cobalt.

However, only after 2026 and 2027 will Brazil have a relevant growth in sales of electric and hybrid vehicles, in part encouraged by cheaper local production.

Brazil offers an advantage in the auto industry's so-called decarbonization mission, due to the use of sugar cane ethanol as fuel in engines, whose release of carbonic gas can be captured back by crop plantations. In other major markets, the prevailing option has been the purely electric route.

(Reporting by Alberto Alerigi Jr.; Writing by Peter Frontini; editing by Jonathan Oatis)
Evan Gershkovich in a file photo supplied by The Wall Street Journal. The Wall Street Journal

The WSJ reporter detained in Moscow is reportedly reading a famous anti-Soviet novel.

His choice of book could be viewed as a subtle jab at the Kremlin and its repressive policies.

The book, which equated crimes of the Nazis and the Soviets, was written by a Ukrainian Jew.

Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich's reported choice of book as he sits in an infamous ex-KGB prison in Moscow could be viewed as a symbolic jab at Russian President Vladimir Putin's increasingly authoritarian government and Soviet-style crackdown on free speech.

A Russian prison monitor said Gershkovich is reading "Life and Fate" by Vasily Grossman, a Ukrainian Jew and war correspondent who reported from the front lines during World War II  including during the bloody battle of Stalingrad.

Gershkovich, who was covering the consequences of the war in Ukraine before he was detained, has apparently chosen to read Grossman at a time when Putin falsely claims to be waging a war against Nazis in Ukraine. Grossman's Jewish mother was killed by actual Nazis during a mass execution in Ukraine in 1941. Meanwhile, many experts say that Putin's true goal in Ukraine is to restore Russia as an imperial power, as it was during the Soviet era.

The book, which was written in the 1950s and ultimately confiscated by the KGB in 1961 before being censored for decades, was extremely critical of totalitarianism and drew parallels between the crimes of Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. "Life and Fate" was not published in the Soviet Union into 1988, when Mikhail Gorbachev's policy of glasnost allowed for greater freedom of expression.

"This is a novel written by a Jew that concludes that the Soviet Union had come to resemble Nazi Germany," historian Walter Laqueur told the Washington Post in 1987, shortly before the novel was finally published in the Soviet Union. "The Soviet press is now full of stuff of an anti-Semitic bent and this publication is bound to cause a great reaction."

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Gershkovich, 31, is fluent in Russian and is the son of Soviet-born Jewish exiles. His parents were part of a large wave of Jews who fled the Soviet Union due to ongoing persecution. He was covering the war in Ukraine and its impact prior to being detained.

The Wall Street Journal reporter is the first US journalist to be arrested in Russia on espionage charges since 1986  the tail end of the Cold War. Gershkovich is being held in Lefortovo Prison, one of Moscow's most notorious prisons. Lefortovo, built in 1881, was used by the KGB to imprison dissidents and foreign spies. Joseph Stalin's secret police tortured prisoners in Lefortovo, and the prison continues to carry a gruesome reputation.

The Biden administration has called on Russia to release Gershkovich, denouncing the charges against him as "ridiculous." The case is widely viewed as an effort by Russia to send a message to the US amid heightened tensions over the war in Ukraine, and some experts have speculated that Moscow eventually plans to use Gershkovich as part of a prisoner exchange, as it has done in the past.

Andrew Nagorski, a former Newsweek correspondent who was expelled from the Soviet Union in the 1980s, recently told Politico that Moscow is trying to warn journalists against seeking the truth in Russia. Putin has been cracking down on free speech for years, but his government has gone to particularly extreme lengths to squash dissent and control the media landscape in Russia since the invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022.

"Journalism is always at the heart of these confrontations, as they were during the Soviet regime in the past or the Russian regime today. Truthful reporting is absolutely an anathema to the Kremlin," Nagorski said, adding, "I'm sure they know that Gershkovich is not a spy."

Read the original article on Business Insider
The United States called Tuesday on its longtime adversary Iran to help end Yemen's conflict by backing a peace process, one year after a truce dramatically reduced fighting.

Iran, which backs Huthi rebels who have seized much of the country, last month announced a major reconciliation deal with Saudi Arabia, which led a devastating air campaign to bolster Yemen's government.

"If the Iranians want to show that they're are really turning a corner on conflict, then there won't be smuggling of weapons to the Huthis anymore in violation of UN Security Council resolutions," said Timothy Lenderking, the US special envoy for Yemen.

"We also would like to see the Iranians show support for the political process that we hope is coming," Lenderking said at the Middle East Institute in Washington.

Lenderking noted favorably that Iran welcomed the ceasefire a year ago. The truce lapsed in October, in part over Huthi demands for payments to civil servants in areas under their control, but fighting has not resumed at a significant level.

"We are urging the parties to seize this opportunity, recognizing that an agreement will require compromises from all parties," he said.

The United Nations' Yemen envoy, Hans Grundberg, on Sunday said the anniversary was a "moment of hope" although he also said there were significant risks.

Nearly a decade of war has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives, both directly and indirectly, with most of the population relying on aid to survive.

President Joe Biden took office promising a greater priority on ending the devastating conflict, after his predecessor Donald Trump's staunch backing and military support for the Saudis.

The Saudi-Iran agreement was announced by China, playing an unusually visible role in a region where the United States has long been the top power.

The United States has had no diplomatic relations with Iran since its 1979 Islamic revolution toppled the pro-Western shah.

sct/dw
The United States called Tuesday on its longtime adversary Iran to help end Yemen's conflict by backing a peace process, one year after a truce dramatically reduced fighting.

Iran, which backs Huthi rebels who have seized much of the country, last month announced a major reconciliation deal with Saudi Arabia, which led a devastating air campaign to bolster Yemen's government.

"If the Iranians want to show that they're are really turning a corner on conflict, then there won't be smuggling of weapons to the Huthis anymore in violation of UN Security Council resolutions," said Timothy Lenderking, the US special envoy for Yemen.

"We also would like to see the Iranians show support for the political process that we hope is coming," Lenderking said at the Middle East Institute in Washington.

"We are urging the parties to seize this opportunity, recognizing that an agreement will require compromises from all parties," he said.



Read more on FRANCE 24 English



Read also:

Saudi Arabia and Iran restore relations: A chance at peace for Yemen?

At least 10 soldiers killed in Yemen as renewed fighting hinders peace efforts

Two French citizens among militants arrested in Yemen
Secretary General of NATO Jens Stoltenberg (L) and President Volodymyr Zelensky (R) during a meeting in Kyiv. (Getty Images)

All members of the Nato alliance have agreed that Ukraine will eventually become a member, Nato's secretary general Jens Stoltenberg confirmed on Friday.

A day earlier, during his first visit to the country since war broke out, he had told reporters: "Let me be clear, Ukraine's rightful place is in the Euro-Atlantic family.

"Ukraine's rightful place is in Nato."

More than a year after Russia invaded the Eastern European country, Stoltenberg gave his strongest assurance that Ukraine would be granted membership to Nato - however nothing official has been agreed and no timeline provided, particularly given Nato's Article 5 pledge to defend member countries.

In a joint conference with Stoltenberg on Thursday, Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky said: We need something more than the kind of relationship we are having now. We will be in their alliance, we believe that is a guarantee of Ukraines security and a concrete guarantee.

Read more: Zelensky says now is the time for Ukraine to join Nato as alliance chief visits Kyiv

But while we await the membership and are not a member, we want to have very specific guarantees of security approved in Vilnius [the Lithuanian capital where Julys NATO summit will be held], if there is an opportunity to do that then we will be ready on our side.

Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg speaks to the media about Ukraine potentially becoming a member of Nato. (Getty Images)

The move will no doubt increase tensions between Nato and Russia, which has previously listed the prevention of Nato expansion as a reason for military action in Ukraine.

Stoltenberg's comments came shortly after Finlan joined Nato in a move that doubled the alliance's border with Russia.

Previously, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov had warned that Moscow would be forced to take "countermeasures" and would be "watching closely" what happens in Finland.

The Finnish army during shooting practice close to the border with Russia. (Getty)

He described Helsinki joining Nato as a "violation of our security and our national interests".

The Finnish parliament overwhelmingly approved a proposal to apply for membership to the military alliance in May 2022 following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

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Sweden is also on the brink of joining the alliance after its parliament approved plans on 22 March. Sweden can become a full member country once all of the member countries have ratified its application.

What is Nato?

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization is a political and military alliance of 31 countries.

Nato was set up in 1949 to protect members against the Soviet Union, with 12 nations initially signing up to the North Atlantic Treaty in Washington DC.

These countries were the US, Canada, the UK, Belgium, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway and Portugal.

What is Article 5?

The collective defence clause of Nato's founding treaty  Article 5 of the Washington Treaty  is a provision that means an attack against one member is considered an attack against all of them.

This is a fundamental part of Nato and why it says it is a defensive alliance.

Nato says military operations are carried out under Article 5 or a United Nations mandate, alone or in cooperation with other countries and international organisations.

If Ukraine joined Nato while the war with Russia was ongoing, this would likely trigger article 5 and therefore brings with it a huge risk of escalating the existing conflict.

Nato is now a political and military alliance of 31 countries. (Reuters)

Which countries are in Nato, and what date did they join?

1949: Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the UK, the US.

1952: Greece, Turkey

1955: Germany

1982: Spain

1999: Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland

2004: Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia

2009: Albania, Croatia

2017: Montenegro

2020: North Macedonia

2023: Finland
Today, former US President Trump will make a historic court appearance in New York City to be arraigned on criminal offenses.

A New York grand jury indicted Trump for allegedly paying adult film actress Stormy Daniels hush money during his 2016 presidential campaign to conceal her claims of a relationship, which Trump denies.

Protesters, both for and anti-Trump, have assembled outside the Manhattan courthouse where the former US president will arrive for his arraignment hearing.

As per Al Jazeera, several of Trump's supporters have echoed the former president's attacks on the New York case, calling it politically motivated.

Those familiar with Donald Trump's mindset anticipate him to file a not-guilty plea personally during the arraignment as a show of defiance. Another insider said he is considering making a statement to the media before his arraignment.

Read Also: Twitter Accused of 'Deboosting' Tweets Containing LGBTQ Terms

The 76-year-old Donald Trump will be taken into custody and fingerprinted at the Manhattan Criminal Courts Complex in the afternoon.

The former president will not be detained or subjected to a mug photo because of the exceptional circumstances surrounding his arrest and upcoming court appearance, according to The New York Times.

Donald Trump's Arraignment 'Will Backfire' On Democrats Per US Senator

The day's proceedings will be meticulously planned by the Secret Service, the New York City Police Department, judicial security, and the Manhattan district attorney's office, which has been probing Donald Trump for over five years amid worries of demonstrations and attacks fueled by the Republican leader.

Meanwhile, Mississippi Republican Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith declared her support for Donald Trump in the upcoming 2024 Republican presidential primary, according to The Hill.

The senator issued a statement dismissing the charges against Trump as a "political stunt by a prosecutor that has nothing to do with justice." She also said that the issue would "backfire" on Democrats.

Related Article: Stormy Daniels Comments on Donald Trump Indictment

@ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Woman who claimed to be Madeleine McCann gets DNA results revealing shes 100% Polish

A Polish woman who went on Dr Phil claiming to be Madeleine McCann has received DNA tests results that reveal she is 100 per cent Polish.

Julia Wendell, 21, made the bold claim in February on social media that she was the missing British toddler last seen on on a family holiday in Portgual in 2007, aged three.

Her family issued a statement denying the claim via a Polish Missing Persons charity, Zaginieni przed laty, stating that Julia had taken family photos, her birth certificate and numerous hospital discharges from her home.

After receiving death threats for pointing out physical similarities between her and McCann, Wendell went to the US and publicised her case with the aide of private detective and celebrity medium Dr Fia Johansson, who was granted power of attorney over Julia.

The pair made an appearance on Dr Phil and other media outlets, with Julia claiming that her Polish mother wasnt her real parent.

But Ms Johansson confirmed on Tuesday that Julia had received DNA test results revealing she does not have any British or German connections, and was returning home to Poland.

In an Instagram post Ms Johansson wrote: Although it is impossible to tell for sure without the parents DNA results on either side, the test results speak to the origins of Julias roots.

The test results revealed that she is a 100 per cent Polish, with negligible influence from Lithuania and Russia.

The DNA test results did not show any connecion to British or even German roots.

Ms Johansson went on to defend Julias claims, saying she truly believed what she was saying and with so many questions about her childhood it is easy to understand where she was coming from.

This story is much more complicated than a simple girl from a small town in Poland making a claim to get attention, she continued, adding that Julia had decided to return to live with her father in Poland.

I prepared a short interview with Julia before leaving the US. She broke down in tears about her past.

Story continues

Convicted sex offender Christian Brueckner is accused of five offences between 2000 and 2017 in Portugal  with the charges unrelated to the McCann case.

But investigators believe the 45-year-old killed Madeleine after abducting her from a holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal, on May 3 2007.

Brueckner, who has reportedly denied any involvement in the youngsters disappearance, was identified as a murder suspect in the McCann case by Portuguese officials in June 2020.
Woman claiming to be Madeleine McCann gets DNA test results (Image: Instagram account @iammadeleinemccann)

A WOMAN claiming to be Madeleine McCann now has DNA test results confirming she is not the missing tot.

Julia Wendell insisted she believed she was the young daughter of Gerry McCann from Glasgow and Kate McCann, who went missing while on holiday to Portugal in 2007.

The 21-year-old demanded to be tested because of her similarities including freckles on her leg and cheek, as well as a coloboma in her right eye.

This sparked worldwide curiosity and questions to probe if she was the three-year-old girl who went missing almost 16 years ago.

Now test results have proved Wendell is 'absolutely 100% from Poland' Dr Johansson told RadarOnline.com.

Glasgow Times: Julia posted side by side photos on her Instagram account @iammadeleinemccann

Julia posted side by side photos on her Instagram account @iammadeleinemccann (Image: INSTAGRAM @iammadeleinemccann)

He added: She is a small percentage of Lithuanian and Russian but the test results show she is Polish.

Despite the results, the sensational claims by Wendell have reinvigorated the McCann investigation both in Portugal and the United Kingdom where the Government is considering increasing the funding to Operation Grange to help in the search.

Dr Johansson claims the man who allegedly sexually abused Wendell may be linked to the McCann case  and investigators in Portugal have expressed an interest in looking into his background.

Glasgow Times: Julia got attention for her Instagram account @iammadeleinemccann

Julia got attention for her Instagram account @iammadeleinemccann (Image: Instagram account @iammadeleinemccann)

He said: Julia had all the birthmarks as Madeleine McCann which I believe is God and the universes way of wanting us to get close to the man who sexually abused her, expose him, and his possible ties to the McCann case.

"At least Julia got the investigators to move on the McCann case - she made things happen."

We previously reported a timeline of key dates and developments following Madeleine McCann's disappearance:

2007

 May 3: Kate and Gerry McCann, from Rothley, Leicestershire, leave their children asleep in their holiday apartment in Praia da Luz in southern Portugal while they dine with friends at a nearby tapas restaurant.

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Nothing is amiss when Mr McCann checks on the youngsters just after 9pm, but when his wife goes back at about 10pm she finds Madeleine missing.

Jane Tanner, one of the friends dining with the McCanns, reports having seen a man carrying a child earlier that night.

 May 14: Detectives take Anglo-Portuguese property developer Robert Murat in for questioning and make him an arguido, or formal suspect  but this is later withdrawn.

 August 11: Exactly 100 days after Madeleine disappeared, investigating officers publicly acknowledge for the first time that she could be dead.

 September 7: During questioning of Mr and Mrs McCann, detectives make them both arguidos in their daughters disappearance  but this is also later withdrawn.

 September 9: The McCanns fly back to England with their two-year-old twins Sean and Amelie.

2008

 July 21: The Portuguese authorities shelve their investigation and lift the arguido status of the McCanns and Robert Murat.

2011

 May 12: Mrs McCann publishes a book about her daughters disappearance, on Madeleines eighth birthday.

Scotland Yard launches a review of the case after a request from Home Secretary Theresa May, supported by Prime Minister David Cameron.

2012

 April 25: Scotland Yard detectives say they believe Madeleine could still be alive, release an age-progression picture of how she might look as a nine-year-old, and call on the Portuguese authorities to reopen the case, but Portuguese police say they have found no new material.

2013

 July 4: Scotland Yard confirms it has launched its own investigation, Operation Grange, into Madeleines disappearance two years into a review of the case. It has genuinely new lines of inquiry and has identified 38 people of interest, including 12 Britons.

 October 24: Portuguese police confirm that a review of their original investigation has uncovered new lines of inquiry, and they reopen the case.

2014

 January 29: British detectives fly to Portugal amid claims they are planning to make arrests.

 June 3: Sniffer dogs and specialist teams are used to search an area of scrubland close to where Madeleine went missing.

 December 12: Detectives begin questioning 11 people who it is thought may have information on the case.

2015

 September 16: The Government discloses that the investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine has cost more than 10 million.

 October 28: Scotland Yard cuts the number of officers working on the inquiry from 29 to four.

2017

 April 30: The McCanns prepare to mark 10 years since their daughters disappearance with a BBC interview in which they vow to do whatever it takes for as long as it takes to find her.

2019

 May 3: Local media reports say Portuguese detectives are investigating a foreign paedophile as a suspect in the abduction of Madeleine.

2020

 June 3: Police reveal that a 43-year-old German prisoner, later named as Christian Brueckner, has been identified as a suspect in Madeleines disappearance.

 June 4: Scotland Yards Operation Grange, which had received 12.3 million in funding up to April 2020, is still a missing person inquiry as detectives have no definitive evidence whether Madeleine is alive or dead.

2021

 May 4: Kate and Gerry McCann post a statement on the Official Find Madeleine Campaign website saying they still cling to the hope of seeing their daughter again as they prepare to mark her 18th birthday on May 12.

2022

 April 21: Christian Brueckner, 44, is made an arguido, a formal suspect, by Portuguese authorities.

2023

- Julia Wendell claims to be the missing tot before DNA tests prove she is not
HA NOI  A conference on trade and investment promotion and economic cooperation between Viet Nam-Sichuan (China) opened in Ha Noi on April 3.

About 120 companies, including manufacturing and import-export groups from many different fields of Viet Nam and China, attended the event organised by the Viet Nam Trade Promotion Agency (Vietrade) under the Ministry of Industry and Trade and China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT)'s Sichuan Sub Council, on the occasion of the CCPIT's business trip to Viet Nam.

Three memoranda of understanding on promoting investment and trade cooperation between Vietnamese enterprises and Sichuan enterprises (China) were signed at the conference.

At the conference, Le Hoang Tai, deputy head of Vietrade, said the conference created chances for enterprises of Viet Nam and Sichuan to connect and promote cooperation for boosting the official import and export of agricultural and aquatic products, machinery and equipment between the two sides.

Therefore, Viet Nam's enterprises could take opportunities to increase export activities to China, especially in the context that China has officially opened on January 8, allowing many kinds of Vietnamese agricultural and aquatic products to be exported to China, Tai said.

Meanwhile, Huang Li, head of CCPIT's Sichuan Sub Council, said this conference would open up new opportunities and continue to create favourable conditions for businesses of Viet Nam and Sichuan (China) in further strengthening exchanges and cooperation in trade and investment, contributing to promoting the stable and sustainable development of Viet Nam - China economic-trade relations.

Also at the conference, representatives of agencies and businesses in Sichuan Province (China) introduced the potential and opportunities in trade and investment cooperation between Viet Nam and China enterprises.

With a large population and strengths in tourism, heavy industry, manufacturing, mining and modern transportation facilities, Sichuan Province (China) is a potential partner of many localities of Viet Nam.

In recent years, the cooperation between Viet Nam and Sichuan (China) has continuously expanded in many fields thanks to the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and operation of the China-Viet Nam intermodal railway.

Many large enterprises of Sichuan Province have invested in Viet Nam, contributing to localities' economic development in Viet Nam, Tai said. However, Sichuan's economic and trade cooperation with Viet Nam is still not commensurate with the two sides' potential.

He said there is still plenty of room for trade and investment cooperation between Viet Nam and Sichuan (China).

Especially, the operation of international air-railway model and the opening of the Chengdu  Lang Son  Ha Noi freight train will further improve the transport network in western China, helping the enterprises strengthen international trade connections between China and ASEAN countries, including Viet Nam.

In 2022, the trade turnover between Viet Nam and Sichuan only reached over US$11 billion, accounting for a very modest proportion of the total trade turnover between Viet Nam and China. Moreover, this trade turnover decreased by about 20 per cent on year due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.  VNS
Nashville police officers executing a search order at the residence of Nashville school shooter Audrey Hale uncovered a suicide note, guns, and ammo that belonged to the attacker.

Nashville shooting update stated that several journals, a shotgun, cell phones, and laptops were among the 47 things the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department reported they recovered. According to NBC News, they also found notebooks and files on handgun training and school attacks.

Nashville police also discovered a school picture of Hale and five yearbooks from her time at The Covenant School, where the attacker carried on the tragic Nashville school shooting.

On March 27, Audrey Hale killed six people at the Covenant School, including three kids and three teachers. Nine-year-olds Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs, and William Kinney, together with Cynthia Peak, 61, a substitute teacher, 61-year-old custodian Mike Hill, and 60-year-old principal Katherine Koonce, all lost their lives in the Nashville school shooting.

Audrey Hale fired 152 rounds while inside the structure, per a previous HNGN report.

Read Also: Here's What to Expect From the Historic Donald Trump Arraignment

Tennessee Governor To Bolster School Security In Light of Nashville School Shooting

On Friday, Governor Bill Lee announced his intention to introduce legislation to strengthen school security throughout Tennessee. He signified his willingness to explore a provision similar to the red flag laws passed in other jurisdictions, including Florida.

The Tennessee governor's proposal, which needs legislative approval, would extend an existing idea to station an armed guard at every public school in Tennessee and support similar measures at private schools, according to a report from The Tennessean.

While the measure cannot compel private schools to participate in the program, the state would demand that guards at private schools have the same degree of training as guards at public schools in Tennessee.

Related Article: 911 Calls Shed More Light on Horrifying Nashville School Shooting

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HA NOI  The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has announced it would double the trade finance limit for the Southeast Asia Commercial Joint Stock Bank (SeABank) to US$60 million, and at the same time increase the revolving loan limit from $5 million to $10 million.

The increase in trade finance limit demonstrates ADB's trust and appreciation for SeABank in terms of prestige, transparency, healthy operations as well as efficient use of capital, and always towards sustainable development.

This also helps affirm and enhance SeABank's strength in the field of international payment and trade finance, helping the bank to approach and establish transaction relationships with more banks around the world.

SeABank is committed to using capital in the most effective way to support Vietnamese businesses, especially small and medium-sized enterprises and their supply chains, thereby contributing to economic development and job creation.

ADB's new credit line will help SeABank develop trade finance activities with an expanding scale.

Previously, in November 2020, SeABank officially joined ADB's Trade Finance Program (TFP) to support trade activities in Viet Nam by providing loans and other financial instruments with a limit of up to $18 million guarantee and a $5 million revolving loan.  VNS
HA NOI  The Viet Nam Trade Office in Australia has helped Vietnamese enterprises to sign a contract to export ten containers of ST25 rice to Vanuatu.

Head of the trade office Nguyen Phu Hoa said that the parties have also agreed on the next shipments, with the total demand expected to be up to thousands of tonnes of Vietnamese rice to Vanuatu.

In addition to supporting the successful signing of contracts and completing bank procedures to transfer 30 per cent deposits to Vietnamese businesses, the trade office head and the business visited each major supermarket in Port Vila, the capital of Vanuatu, to give supermarket owners a try, and invite the consumption of Vietnamese rice.

In Australia, with the slogan "Viet Nam, land of world's best rice" initiated by the Viet Nam Trade Office in Australia, Vietnamese rice has said its quality and gained a foothold in the market for three years.  VNS
VIENTIANE  Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Le Cong Thanh suggested the Mekong River Commission (MRC) focus on practical measures to protect the legitimate rights and interests of residents who live on the rivers water resources, while addressing a ministers meeting in Vientiane, Laos, on Tuesday.

The meeting took place in preparation for the 4th MRC Summit with the attendance of representatives from member countries, namely Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Viet Nam, the dialogue partners of China and Myanmar, development partners, and regional and international organisations.

Deputy minister Thanh proposed the commission take measures to help people effectively respond to emergencies caused by natural disasters and pandemics, and ensure that water use, both in the mainstream and tributaries of the Mekong River, is put under thorough consideration, not impacting its natural flow as well as development towards stability, safety, and security for riverside communities, regardless of their nations.

He also urged the commission to reform its operational methods, turning itself into a regional centre of knowledge, and provide information, data, and knowledge about the basin, along with consultations for stakeholders and sub-regional cooperation mechanisms in a timely manner.

The commission should build a real-time data sharing system for water facilities, and improve the quality of flood and drought forecasting and warning services, he continued.

The member countries agreed on the Vientiane Declaration, to be submitted to the MRC Summit on April 5. They highly valued the implementation of the Siem Reap Declaration adopted in 2018. It identified challenges, opportunities, orientations and solutions to fruitfully materialise the 1995 Mekong agreement in the coming time.

They suggested the commission revamp methods of cross-border cooperation, information and data sharing, consultancy and monitoring over the Mekong River.

Ambassador Ke Yousheng, Permanent Representative of China to the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), highlighted cooperation between the commission and the Mekong-Lancang Cooperation in joint research on the Mekong Rivers flow and sharing hydrological information, affirming Chinas commitment to continuing its cooperation with the commission in the future.

The participating development partners also pledged to continue working with the commission to successfully achieve strategic goals, enabling the commission to carry out key activities by 2030.  VNS
Australian Ambassador to Viet Nam Andrew Goledzinowski talks to the Vietnam News Agency about the State visit to Viet Nam by Governor-General of Australia David Hurley from April 3-6.

Could you touch on the purpose and significance of Governor-General of Australia David Hurley's upcoming visit to Viet Nam?

It's a very important visit for us. David Hurley is our head of state. He's the number one person in protocol terms in Australia. For him, to be conducting a visit to Viet Nam has a lot of symbolic importance.

It's only the third time that our head of state has visited Viet Nam. And of course, he's coming to celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations. So we're building a great programme around him. And he's only the first of a number of important visitors who will come this year to Viet Nam.

What will the highlight activities of the upcoming visit during his time in Viet Nam?

Well, the most important activities will be the high-level meetings. He will be received by all four of the leaders of Viet Nam, including the President, the General Secretary, the Prime Minister, and the Chairman of the National Assembly.

In fact, he already met with the Chairman of the National Assembly when he visited Australia in December last year.

He is not unfamiliar with Viet Nam. In fact, he visited here before when he was the deputy head of our defence force. So he already understands and likes Viet Nam very much.

He will also participate in other important activities, but the high-level meetings will be the highlight of the anniversary year.

How will the visit contribute to the process of promoting the relation of the two countries to a comprehensive strategic partnership?

I think there are two parts to my answer.

First of all, the strategic partnership has been built around practical activities, and there is a huge amount happening between Viet Nam and Australia at the moment. So, for example, I have met with the Minister of Health, where we talked about expanding our partnership and cooperation in the health area.

And that's true across so many sectors. But separate to that, since I've been in Viet Nam, I've learned that Viet Nam values very much what the Vietnamese leaders call strategic trust. And that is important.

I think what that means is that in a time of change and a time of uncertainty where Australia and Viet Nam will be facing many challenges, we have chosen each other as trusted friends. We've decided that we will work together where we can to meet these challenges together, whether they are economic challenges or security challenges or environmental issues.

We will work together in partnership in a way which reflects the warmth of the relationship between the two countries.

And the Governor-General visit will serve to really amplify that and to consolidate the strategic trust that exists between the two countries, at the people-to-people level, like between you and me, but also at the highest level.

Since you assumed the role of Australia's ambassador to Viet Nam, the two countries have organised many exchange activities in various aspects. Recently, both countries have been coordinating to deliver the Vietnam Australia Unlocking Opportunity in Education and AgriFood Road Show series. How do you feel about the cooperation between the two countries in these fields, as well as the practical ethics that this activity brings?

You mentioned trade. Our trade has grown very fast in recent years, which reflects Viet Nam's growing prosperity, but also the complementary nature of our two economies. So Australia now has risen very fast to become Viet Nam's 7th largest trading partner.

Agriculture cooperation is very important, not just in selling products to each other but also in research. We have two different research organisations which do a lot of co-operation with the Vietnamese side in promoting new methods of farming in Viet Nam, particularly one that has a low carbon footprint, which will enable sustainabilities in the low carbon economy which Viet Nam is building. We focus on innovation, on Artificial Intelligence, on better use of the Internet and satellite communication to promote, for example water management in Viet Nam.

We also have our education team here who are promoting education leagues  we have now 300 different partnerships between Australian universities and Vietnamese universities, and were expanding that further.

Defence is also very important. When the Governor-General is here this week at the invitation of your President, he will be meeting with Vietnamese peacekeepers. And thats important cooperation between Australia and Viet Nam, which we intend to continue growing.

We cooperate in border security, in law enforcement. We have a very strong team of police here that are working with the Vietnamese side to combat human trafficking, drug smuggling, and a variety of other transnational crimes.

There are so many other activities that were doing together, but it all builds around this strong strategic trust and the strong people-to-people links between the two countries.  VNS
HA NOI  Australian Governor-General David Hurley and his spouse Linda Hurley arrived in Hanoi on April 3 afternoon, beginning their State visit to Viet Nam at the invitation of President Vo Van Thuong.

This is the first foreign leader paying a State visit to Viet Nam in 2023, and also the first national guest that the President of Viet Nam has received in his new position. The visit is part of activities in celebration of the 50th founding anniversary of Viet Nam-Australia diplomatic relations.

During his visit, Hurley and his entourage will lay wreaths at the Monument to Heroes and Martyrs, and President Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum in Ha Noi; attend an official welcome ceremony; hold talks with President Vo Van Thuong; and have meetings with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and National Assembly Chairman Vuong inh Hue.

The Vietnamese President and the Governor-General will jointly visit Viet Nam's peacekeeping force.

Hurley and his spouse will attend events to mark the 50th founding anniversary of Viet Nam-Australia diplomatic ties, and educational and people-to-people exchange activities in Ha Noi and Ho Chi Minh City; meet alumni who graduated from Australian universities; and visit educational institutions in HCM City.

The visit, which is a prominent milestone in the year celebrating the Viet Nam-Australia diplomatic ties, is expected to contribute to further strengthening the bilateral relations and the strategic trust between the two countries.  VNS
TOKYO  The Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security vows to work closely with Japanese ministries and agencies to ensure the security and safety of Japanese firms and citizens in Viet Nam, said Vietnamese Minister of Public Security Gen. To Lam.

During a meeting with Deputy Secretary General of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party Fumiaki Kobayashi in Tokyo on April 3, Minister Lam said this year marked the 50th anniversary of Viet Nam-Japan diplomatic ties and the 50th anniversary of ASEAN-Japan relations.

The ministry would also maintain security dialogue mechanisms and effectively implement signed agreements, he said.

Kobayashi expressed his delight at achievements made by Viet Nam in various areas, including in fighting crimes.

The Vietnamese minister and former Japanese PM Yoshihide Suga shared their view that the Viet Nam-Japan ties were at the best in the past five decades in various areas.

Lam suggested Suga continue backing and making valuable contributions to promoting bilateral ties, focusing on agreements on national defence-security, economy, supply of new-generation official development assistance, diversification of supply chains and developing support industry.

He wished that the former Japanese leader would continue stepping up ties between the two countries and their legal enforcement agencies, create favourable conditions for the Vietnamese people to enter Japan, as well as ensure security, safety, legitimate rights and interests of nearly 500,000 Vietnamese living, studying and working in Japan.

In the afternoon the same day, Minister Lam held talks with Commissioner General of Japans National Police Agency (NPA) Yasuhiro Tsuyuki, during which, they pledged to facilitate the exchange of all-level delegations, maintain the annual security dialogue at the deputy ministerial level, share information and experience in fighting trans-national, criminal, cyber and drug crimes, and consider a new practical cooperation mechanism between the Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security and the NPA.

Both sides would well perform citizen protection, offer all possible support to enterprises and citizens in each nation, protect mutual visits and events, firstly celebrations for the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties this year.

Receiving Executive Senior Vice President of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Yunichi Yamada, Lam asked the Japanese official to continue carrying forward Viet Nam-Japan ties, with a focus on agreements reached by the two PMs.

He also sought JICAs support for his ministry to launch several projects on workforce training, supply of firefighting equipment, search and rescue, forest fire prevention and control, environment protection, and training courses on cyber security, crime investigation, counter-terrorism, criminal justice and traffic safety.

In reply, Yamada promised to work closely with the Vietnamese ministry to embark on cooperation areas of the latters interest.

The same day, Lam also hosted a reception for several Japanese corporate executives.  VNS
GENEVA  The UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) on April 3 adopted a resolution drafted and proposed by Viet Nam to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and the 30th anniversary of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action (VDPA).

The resolution was adopted by consensus and co-sponsored by 98 states as of the end of April 3 afternoon (Geneva time), including the 14 co-authors (Viet Nam, Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Fiji, India, Panama, Romania, South Africa, and Spain).

It is a highlight of Viet Nam in its first HRC session as a 2023-2025 tenure member.

At the opening of the HRCs 52nd regular session in Geneva on February 27, Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang put forth an initiative to commemorate the UDHRs 75th anniversary and the VDPAs 30th anniversary to work towards the targets and values of the two declarations, as well as the international communitys common commitments on human rights for all.

The resolution focuses on the importance of the UDHR and the VDPA while repeating their fundamental principles on human rights.

It reflects countries broad attention to commemorating the two declarations and improving the stature, role, and efficiency of the HRC and UN human rights mechanisms while emphasising the leading role of countries in ensuring human rights, the recognition of womens participation, the role of international cooperation and solidarity, and the respect for diversity and inclusiveness in promoting and protecting human rights and participating in HRC activities.

The resolution also asked the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to mark the UDHR and VDPAs anniversaries, including a UN high-level event on human rights in December this year and a report on the celebrations to be submitted to the HRCs 56th session in early 2024.

The UDHR, adopted by the UN General Assembly on December 10, 1948, is not an international legal document but serves as the foundation for building international human rights law, the documents on human rights of regional mechanisms, and the laws of countries.

It was one of the most important documents of the 20th century and December 10 was later designated as Human Rights Day.

The VDPA was adopted by UN member states at the World Conference on Human Rights in Vienna in 1993. It reaffirmed the UDHRs values and clarified that the protection and promotion of human rights must be the top priority of each country and the international community.  VNS
BERLIN  Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Thi Thu Hang and State Secretary of Germanys Federal Foreign Office Andreas Michaelis co-chaired the seventh Viet Nam-German strategic dialogue in Berlin on April 3 to discuss measures to boost bilateral cooperation as well as regional and international issues of mutual concern.

At the dialogue, Hang affirmed that Viet Nam always attached importance to its strategic partnership with Germany  a country with a key role in the European Union, and thanked the German Government and people for providing over 10 million vaccine doses against COVID-19 and important medical equipment, contributing to the success of Viet Nam in pandemic prevention and control.

Michaelis spoke highly of Viet Nams development achievements over the past years, stressing that it was his countrys important partner in the Indo-Pacific region.

In order to strengthen and deepen the bilateral strategic partnership in the coming time, the two sides agreed to increase the exchange of delegations, especially at the high level; maintain regular bilateral cooperation mechanisms; and promote collaboration in areas where the two countries have strengths and demand.

Highlighting positive results in economic cooperation, with Germany remaining Viet Nams biggest trading partner in the EU for years, the two sides agreed to coordinate closely to bring into full play advantages of the EU-Viet Nam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) to facilitate the access of the two countries goods to each others market.

Hang took the occasion to propose Germany back the European Commissions consideration of removing its yellow card warning against Vietnamese seafood, given her countrys efforts to strictly and fully implement the ECs recommendations on fighting illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

To increase the efficiency of bilateral investment cooperation, the Vietnamese official suggested the Federal Foreign Office encourage German firms invest and expand production in Viet Nam, and push for the German Bundestags ratification of the EU-Viet Nam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA).

She also proposed the German Government continue to support Viet Nam in cooperation areas such as environmental protection, energy and vocational training in line with Viet Nams sustainable development goals.

For his part, Michaelis affirmed that in the complicated context of the world and regional situation and strong investment shift, the German Government would support and encourage businesses to diversify markets and partners, in which Viet Nam is a country with many advantages in terms of market, labour and investment environment.

Germany would be willing to support Viet Nam in accessing capital, technology and human resources training within the framework of the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) to implement the nation's commitments announced at the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) on reducing emissions to zero by 2050.

The two sides affirmed to maintain close coordination and mutual support at such cooperation frameworks as the EU, the Association of Southeast Asia Nations (ASEAN), and international organisations, especially now that both are members of the UN Human Rights Council in the 2023-2025 term.

Regarding regional and international issues of mutual concern, they stressed the importance of maintaining peace, stability and security, particularly maritime security, and supporting the settlement of disputes by peaceful means and abiding by international law, especially the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) 1982.

At the dialogue, the two sides approved the Viet Nam-Germany strategic action plan for the 2023-2025 period with orientations and cooperation activities in all fields including politics-security, economics, climate, energy, science and technology, culture and people-to-people exchanges.

Within the framework of her working visit to Germany, Hang had a meeting with Wolfgang Silbermann, Head Speechwriter for the German President.  VNS
HA NOI  The successful experience of the "New Village Movement" in the Republic of Korea (RoK) is being applied in some Vietnamese localities through the Haeng Bok (Happy) Programme funded by the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), Deputy Prime Minister Le Minh Khai has said.

During a reception for Lee Sung-hee, Chairman of the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation (NACF) of the RoK, in Ha Noi on Monday, Khai said Viet Nam had received active support and close cooperation from the RoK government in agricultural and rural development.

As a country with a strong agricultural foundation, Viet Nam wanted to learn from the experience of other countries, including the RoK, thus applying good practices in this scheme, he said.

In the process of industrialisation and modernisation, the Vietnamese Party and the State had always focused on developing agriculture and improving the lives of farmers, considering these an important foundation for sustainable socio-economic development, Khai noted.

He expressed his hope that the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation signed recently between the Vietnam Cooperative Alliance (VCA) and the NACF, would contribute to developing agricultural cooperatives and increasing incomes for farmers in both countries.

Established in 1961, the NACF played an important role in promoting the "New Village Movement" in the RoK in the 1960s, contributing to changing the face of the countryside and improving the lives of Korean people. The movement has become a "brand" and symbol of the great development process of the East Asian nation.

Khai showed his belief that the NACF would actively coordinate with the Vietnamese Government to support the development of agriculture and rural areas, contributing to Viet Nams socio-economic development.

For his part, Lee said that the signing of the MoU between the NACF and the VCA would create a basis for cooperation between the two nations in terms of cooperative development, thus helping the two countries make new strides in agricultural development.

The RoK is currently the biggest foreign investor in Viet Nam. The country ranks second in development cooperation, tourism and labour partnership with Viet Nam, and remains the third largest trade partner of the Southeast Asian nation.

The two sides have also witnessed strong development in people-to-people exchanges, with over 200,000 expatriates from each country living, studying, and working in the other country, including about 80,000 Vietnamese-Korean multicultural families.  VNS
HA NOI  A total of 54 defendants involved in the repatriation flight case will face different criminal charges, the Ministry of Public Securitys Investigative Police Agency said on Tuesday.

The case file has been transferred to the Supreme People's Procuracy for charges to be brought against 54 defendants, including many high-ranking officials.

The defendants are alleged to have sought personal gain when organising repatriation flights for Vietnamese stranded overseas during the COVID-19 pandemic.

21 defendants will be charged with taking bribes specified in Article 354 of the Penal Code. These defendants include Nguyen Quang Linh, former assistant to the Permanent Deputy Prime Minister of the Government; Nguyen Thanh Hai, Director of the International Relations Department of the Government Office; and Nguyen Tien Than and Nguyen Mai Anh, specialists of the International Relations Department of the Government Office.

Linh stands accused of accepting bribes totalling more than VN4.2 billion (US$178,830) to approve licences for businesses to organise flights to bring Vietnamese citizens home during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will be charged with the same crimes, including To Anh Dung, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, head of the Consular Department Nguyen Thi Huong Lan, o Hoang Tung, deputy head of the department, Le Tuan Anh, chief of the departments office, and Luu Tuan Dung, deputy head of the departments citizen protection desk.

Others include Vu Hong Nam, former Ambassador of Viet Nam in Japan, Nguyen Hong Ha, former Consul General of Viet Nam in Osaka, Japan, Ly Tien Hung, former officer of the Vietnamese Embassy in Russia; and Vu Ngoc Minh, former Ambassador of Viet Nam in Angola.

Deputy minister Dung will be charged with accepting bribes worth VN21.5 billion ($915,470) to license businesses that organised repatriation flights to bring Vietnamese citizens home. He has since returned VN2 billion ($85,160).

Viet Nams ambassador to Japan Nam will be charged with abusing his position and authority to receive bribes of more than VN1.8 billion ($76,644) to help Nhat Minh Company sell air tickets and hotel accommodation for six flights to bring people back from Japan.

He has returned the entire bribe.

In addition, other defendants will also be charged with receiving bribes, including Pham Trung Kien, expert at the Ministry of Healths Department of Medical Equipment and Works; Ngo Quang Tuan, expert from the Ministry of Transports Department of International Cooperation; Vu Hong Quang, Deputy Head of Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnams Air Transport Department; Tran Van Du, Vu Anh Tuan and Vu Sy Cuong, former officers of the Ministry of Public Securitys Immigration Department; Tran Van Tan, former Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Quang Nam province; and Chu Xuan Dung, former Vice Chairman of Ha Noi People's Committee.

Four defendants will be charged with abusing their position and power while performing official duties specified in Article 356 of the Penal Code. These defendants are Tran Viet Thai, former Ambassador of Viet Nam in Malaysia; and Nguyen Le Ngoc Anh, Nguyen Hoang Linh and ang Minh Phuong, former officers of the Vietnamese Embassy in Malaysia.

A further 23 defendants will face charges of giving bribes, four charged with brokering bribes, and two others for the fraudulent appropriation of property.

These crimes occurred at various State agencies, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Transport, the Government Office, the Ha Noi People's Committee, and related units involved in rescue flights during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The defendants took advantage of the pandemic for personal gain, causing severe damage to citizens' property, legitimate rights and interests, and seriously undermining Viet Nam's reputation in the international arena, the Ministry of Public Security said.

It considers this a particularly serious and complicated case. More than 50 people were detained during the investigation.

During the probe, the security agency discovered that business owners accused of crimes continued to contact the officials to pay bribes to avoid criminal charges.

Also on Tuesday, Nguyen Anh Tuan, former Deputy Director of Ha Noi Police Department, was accused of receiving more than VN61 billion ($2.65 million) to help two businessmen involved in the rescue flight case avoid criminal charges.

From January to December 2022, Tuan received money from Nguyen Thi Thanh Hang, General Director of Blue Sky Trading, Service and Tourism Co., Ltd to help Hang and Le Hong Son, former general director of Blue Sky Tourism & Service Trading Co., Ltd. avoid criminal charges.

In early March, Tuan's family paid back $400,000.

Viet Nam organised nearly 800 flights since the beginning of the pandemic, repatriating more than 200,000 Vietnamese citizens from over 60 countries and territories.  VNS
A poster for tvN's new fantasy series "Tale of the Nine-Tailed 1938" / Courtesy of tvN

By Lee Gyu-lee



TvN's fantasy series, "Tale of the Nine-Tailed," starring Lee Dong-wook, will return for a second season in May. The network announced the series will go on air on May 6.



The cast of "Tale of the Nine-Tailed 1938" includes original actors Lee Dong-wook, Kim Beom and Kim Yong-ji, along with new cast members, Kim So-yeon and Ryu Kyung-soo.



The 2020 series followed a mystical nine-tailed creature, or "gumiho," named Lee Yeon (Lee), who comes to the world of humans to find his long-lost love, Nam Ji-a (Cho Bo-ah) while hunting down demons.



The second season will be set in the 1930s, where Lee Yeon is summoned after an unexpected incident. With his loved one back home, Lee must find his way back to the present day.



Kim Beom will reprise his role as Lee Yeon's younger brother, Lee Rang. Kim So-yeon will play the role of Ryu Hong-joo, who is a guardian spirit and the owner of a high-end restaurant in the city. Lee Yeon's appearance intrigues her amid the humdrum nature of life as a human.



Season 2 will be led by director Kang Shin-hyo, who helmed the previous season as well as the original writer Han Woo-ri.


HA NOI  Viet Nam attaches importance to and prioritises strengthening relations with Cambodia for the benefit of the two peoples, stated National Assembly (NA) Permanent Vice Chairman Tran Thanh Man while receiving Secretary General of the Senate of Cambodia Oum Sarith in Ha Noi on Tuesday.

The Vietnamese NA highly appreciated Cambodias chairmanship of the ASEAN and ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) last year, which made positive contributions to the process of building a peaceful, stable, and prosperous ASEAN Community, Man said. He wished that the country would successfully host the 32nd Southeast Asian Games in May.

The official went on to express his delight at the growing cooperation and ties between the nations, their regular exchange of delegations and people-to-people exchanges, and good outcomes of their bilateral collaboration mechanisms.

He vowed that the Vietnamese NA would make every effort together with the Cambodian Senate to continue to strengthen cooperation, information exchange, and sharing of professional experiences, especially in the field of law making, supervision and decision-making on important matters. Man hoped the two legislative bodies would continue to unite and support each other at international forums.

The Vietnamese NA was about to host the ninth Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians, he said, proposing the Cambodian Senate send a delegation to attend the event.

For his part, Oum Sarith lauded the friendship and cooperation shared between the countries and their law-making bodies, and thanked the support of the Vietnamese Party, State and people for Cambodia.

Highlighting that the Cambodian people never forget and are grateful to Vietnamese voluntary soldiers who helped Cambodia overthrow the Pol Pot genocidal regime, the Secretary General said he hoped the two parliaments, governments and peoples would continue to strengthen their solidarity and mutual assistance in the time to come.  VNS
HA NOI  Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh arrived in Laos on Tuesday evening to attend the fourth Mekong River Commission (MRC) Summit slated for the next day.

The PM's attendance at the Summit is made at the invitation of Lao Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone.

The Vietnamese PMs entourage includes Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan, Deputy Minister of Public Securities Nguyen Duy Ngoc, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs o Hung Viet, and Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Le Cong Thanh, among other officials.

The summit, themed 'Innovation and Cooperation for a Water Secure and Sustainable Mekong, will be attended by the Prime Ministers of the MRC member countries  Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Viet Nam, and representatives of the MRCs dialogue partners  China and Myanmar, its 12 development partners, and international organisations within and outside the Mekong region.

Along with attending and delivering a keynote speech at the plenary session of the summit, PM Chinh is also expected to have bilateral and multilateral meetings with representatives of member countries of the Mekong River Commission.

The event aims at affirming the four member countries highest political commitment to enhancing the effective implementation of the 1995 Agreement on the Cooperation for the Sustainable Development of the Mekong River basin. Orientations for development and management of the Mekong River basin will be put forth and plans adopted for the implementation of the Basin Development Strategy for the Lower Mekong Basin 20212030.  VNS
HA NOI  Viet Nam considers the World Bank a top development partner, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang said in his reception for Country Director for WB Viet Nam Carolyn Turk in Ha Noi on Tuesday.

Quang appreciated the WBs support for Viet Nam through preferential loans amounting to US$25 billion so far along with technical assistance and policy consultancy, which positively contributed to Viet Nam's socio-economic development since 1993 to now.

He also appreciated the role of Turk as Country Director in securing major programmes and projects funded by the WB which helped create growth impetus for Viet Nam's localities.

Deputy PM Quang expressed hope for further development of the Viet Nam-WB partnership in the future, and affirmed that Viet Nam's ministries and sectors would actively coordinate with the WB in building the Country Partnership Framework (CPF) for 2023-2027.

For her part, Turk affirmed that the WB would continue to accompany the Vietnamese Government in the next phase of development, work with Viet Nam in building the Viet Nam 2045 report, and help the country realise its development goals.  VNS
HA NOI  Australian Governor-General David Hurley praised the Vietnamese blue beret forces contributions and stressed the meaning of the Viet Nam-Australia cooperation in the UN's peacekeeping mission when he and President Vo Van Thuong visited the headquarters of the Viet Nam Department of Peacekeeping Operations in Ha Noi on Tuesday.

Hurley, in Ha Noi for a State visit, affirmed that Australia wishes to continue to work closely with and support Viet Nam in this field.

President Thuong shared the Australian Governor-General's view on the significance of the two countries cooperation in UN peacekeeping activities, which contributes not only to strengthening their bilateral cooperation but also to world peace.

He thanked the Australian Government and wished to receive more assistance from the country for Viet Nams peacekeeping activities in the time to come.

Talking to officers who earlier served in Level-2 Field Hospital in South Sudan, Hurley said the dispatch of forces to such a difficult location reflected Viet Nams efforts in participating in the mission.

Australia was one of the first countries to sign with Viet Nam a memorandum of understanding on peacekeeping cooperation in 2015. This laid a basis for practical and effective joint work between the two in the field, including English language training, as well as material and equipment support.  VNS
HA NOI  Over the past few years, various ministries and localities throughout Viet Nam have introduced various policies and resolutions to provide better treatment for talented individuals and encourage them to seek employment within State agencies.

HCM City is a typical example.

In the plan for 2018-22, the city had different programmes to allocate young talented people and excellent graduates to work in important positions.

Experts, scientists and people with special talents are enrolled in specific tasks and receive a monthly salary of VN30-50 million (US$1,200-2,100) and housing rent support up to VN7 million ($290) per month, along with other preferential policies.

Since 2014, the city has introduced another policy, inviting young scientists and technology experts to work in the fields of high technology, agriculture and biology with a maximum salary of VN150 million ($6,300) per month.

However, many of these talented young people have left the public sector.

Despite such attractive policies, HCM City could enroll only 19 people in the past five years.

Remarkable figures from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MOHA) show that of the 39,552 people who moved from the public to the private sector in the past two and a half years (from January 1, 2021, to June 30, last year), 9,680 were medical workers.

Of these individuals, 3,094 doctors, 2,874 nurses, 551 medical technicians, 276 midwives, 593 pharmacists, and 2,280 other officials.

Among the people who quit or changed jobs, 653 have PhD degrees, 4,018 have master's degrees, and 19,637 have university qualifications.

Reasons

Viet Nam has an abundance of talented individuals, but these talents are not being utilised effectively, according to Tran Anh Tuan, former deputy minister of Home Affairs and chairman of the Viet Nam Association of Administrative Sciences.

Tuan argues that to retain talent, organisations need to offer good living and working conditions alongside a good income.

The former Deputy Director of the Institute of State Organisational Sciences under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA), Duong Quang Tung, suggests that organisations should explore a range of solutions to attract and utilise talent, not just financial incentives.

Tung emphasises the importance of good leadership, asserting that leaders must know how to use their employees best.

Tuan agrees with Tung, adding that talented individuals work not only for money but also for their ideals, ambitions, and dedication.

To successfully identify and retain talents, organisations must change their approach to talent selection.

Tuan urges organisations to consider not only young people but also the elderly and not to place too much emphasis on qualifications.

Instead, he suggests that organisations look for individuals with talent, virtue, dedication, and prestige and respect them accordingly.

Schools give degrees, but life never gives degrees," he said. "Many talented people have grown up in real life. Therefore, it is necessary to change the mind-set of recruiting talents based on degrees."

Changing the narrative

According to the Global Talent Competitiveness Index (GTCI) 2021, Viet Nam ranked 82nd out of 134 countries and 13th out of 15 countries in East Asia, Southeast Asia and Oceania regarding talent competitiveness.

The country ranked 95th in talent attraction, 65th in talent discovery, and 94th in talent retention. While Viet Nam is among the top 10 low-middle-income countries in the world, it is not among the top 10 countries in attracting and retaining talent.

At the 21st ASEAN Cooperation on Civil Service Matter (ACCSM 21) chaired by the MoHA last August, Roger Tan, assistant chief executive of the Singapore Civil Service College (CSC), shared that Singapore found talent by implementing a flexible worker rotation system.

Singapore sends staff to work in the private sector, such as airlines and banks, for two years to learn business skills.

Associate Professor Le Minh Thong, deputy chairman of the National Assembly's Law Committee, suggested public employees be tested regularly to remove those who are not capable or qualified, and create room for talented people.

Additionally, State agencies should diversify policies to attract talents and have leaders who are prestigious, conscientious and visionary who can gather and attract talents.

Former Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Nguyen Tien Dinh highlighted the importance of retaining talents, which can be achieved by creating a good working environment and providing worthy treatment for them to develop.

After many years of compiling, the national strategy on attracting and using talents has been completed by MoHA and is in the process of collecting comments.

The project sets out task of attracting and using talents in all areas of social life, innovate thinking in searching for and attracting talents, and propose 12 major solutions with specific tasks to implement.

The MoHA plans to set up a fair and professional working environment, encourage innovation and creativity, and provide suitable preferential policies for talent's dedication.

Minister of Home Affairs Pham Thi Thanh Tra stated that training professional civil servants with a good sense of responsibility and good attitude and work ethic is an indispensable requirement for public administration reform today.  VNS
ONG NAI  Eight hundred workers of a plastic fabric manufacturer TaeKwang MTC Viet Nam in the southern province of ong Nai lost their jobs, according to the province's labour department.

The company has been facing a drop in manufacturing orders since late 2022, and before deciding on letting go of its workers, the company has reached an agreement with the employees on monetary compensation, according to ong Nai labour department.

All employees who are laid off will be compensated with half a month's salary per year of service, with a maximum of 11 months' salary per employee.

In addition, Taekwang will provide each worker with over VN14 million (about US$600).

Most of the workers at the company have worked here for many years.

The workers are mostly around the age of 40, with a handful of new young recruits between the ages of 18-25.

ong Nai labour department is coordinating with relevant agencies and companies to help the laid off workers find new jobs.

In recent months, due to a lack of orders, companies operating in the fields of textiles, footwear, furniture, and mechanics in ong Nai Province started having to cut working hours, reduce or totally cut back on overtime.

The local authorities are closely monitoring the situation to ensure the rights of workers in case they lose their jobs.  VNS
HA NOI  Over the course of the last 25 years, the Viet Nam Friendship Village has provided support for thousands of war veterans, former youth volunteers who are Agent Orange (AO)/dioxin victims, and AO-infected children.

Established on March 18, 1998, the village is managed by the Viet Nam Veterans Association. It has been instrumental in easing the pain and suffering of AO/dioxin victims through nursing services and vocational training for affected veterans and children.

During a ceremony held to celebrate the 25th anniversary of its establishment, Senior Lieutenant General Be Xuan Truong, chairman of the Viet Nam Veterans Association, commended the thoughtful care and dedicated efforts of the village's officers for war veterans, former youth volunteers who are AO/dioxin victims, and 700 children of the second and third AO victim generations.

The village, constructed as a result of cooperation between the US, Germany, France, Japan, Canada, and the UK, came about following the initiative of George George Mizo, a US veteran who participated in the war in southern Viet Nam. Truong has lauded the Viet Nam Friendship Village as a symbol of international solidarity for peace and friendship.

At the village, veterans and former youth volunteers receive treatment, have opportunities to participate in cultural and sporting activities, and visit various locations for convalescence.

Each year, doctors and nurses from the village travel to each province and collaborate with local veterans associations to examine and transport veterans and children to the village to care for them.

The Friendship Village International Committee provides financial aid to the village each year. The village has become a place where international friends can come together to meet and assist victims.

Most children adopted by the village live with disabilities, particularly intellectual disabilities, due to toxic chemicals.

In addition to rehabilitation, they receive education and vocational training, and many have managed to find jobs and earn money.

Senior Lieutenant General Truong urged the village's officers to continue supporting and caring for AO/dioxin victims and children, assisting them in integrating into society without feeling self-conscious about their disabilities.

As a result of its efforts and accomplishments over the past 25 years, the village has been awarded the second-class Labour Medal.  VNS
HCM CITY  The Journal of Asia Business and Economic Studies published by the University of Economics HCM City has been included in the list of Australian Business Deans Council.

It is Viet Nams first economics and business journal to be included, the university said in a press release.

The English version of the journal has been included in the list last month.

It marks another step forward for JABESs collective and associates in particular for their constant investment and efforts to internationalise and improve its academic reputation in the community and world-wide and opening up opportunities for Australian and New Zealand scholars to publish their research findings in it.

The journal has four English issues a year and 12 Vietnamese issues.

Research articles submitted to both editions are peer-reviewed under an online process following international practices.

JABES was added to the ESCI list of the Web of Science in 2021 and the Scopus Index, Elsevier Publishing House (Netherlands)s database of reliable scientific articles in 2022.

It is set to organise the 5th Asia Conference on Business and Economic Studies from August 16 to 18 this year. VNS
HA NOI  Phan Thi Thanh Tam, spouse of President Vo Van Thuong, and Linda Hurley, spouse of Australian Governor-General David Hurley, visited the Viet Nam National Academy of Music in Ha Noi on Tuesday.

After attending classes and performances at the academy, Linda Hurley thanked Viet Nam, Tam and the institutions staff and students for their warm welcome, and expressed her strong belief in the strength of music, saying it brings about happiness to everyone and connect people together.

She noted her hope that the Viet Nam-Australia cooperative relations will be tightened in the future.

Linda Hurley and her husband - Governor-General David Hurley, arrived in Ha Noi on Monday for a State visit at the invitation of President Thuong.

This is the first foreign leader paying a State visit to Viet Nam in 2023, and also the first international guest that President Thuong has received in his new position. The visit is part of activities in celebration of the 50th anniversary of Viet Nam-Australia diplomatic relations.

The visit, which is a prominent milestone in the year celebrating the Viet Nam-Australia diplomatic ties, is expected to contribute to further strengthening the bilateral relations and the strategic trust between the two countries.  VNS
According to Vinasoy, immediately after the incident occurred, the company sent a sample of the same production code of the recalled product from the factory to independent inspection agencies in Vietnam for testing.

140

Vietnam Soy Milk Company (Vinasoy) has just announced information regarding its soy milk product suspected of being contaminated with Coliform bacteria that was recalled in Japan.

Accordingly, the owner of the Fami soy milk brand said on March 28th that NHK News (Japan) reported that Vietnamese soy milk products were contaminated with Coliform bacteria and were required to be destroyed.

The city of Chiba (Japan) issued an order for Next Trading Company to recall a batch of 15 boxes of Fami Calcium soy milk, 200 ml per box, and 10 boxes of 1-liter milk due to suspected Coliform bacteria contamination. After receiving the information, the importer in Japan recalled the entire batch and sent a sample to a third-party unit in Japan for inspection, the company said.

According to Vinasoy, immediately after the incident occurred, the company tested a control sample with the same production code from the factory and found no abnormalities. This unit then sent a sample to independent inspection agencies in Vietnam for a more objective testing.

Our output product quality is produced on a closed sterilization line and strictly inspected through many stages according to international standards. We commit to promptly carry out inspections on this batch and update information publicly as soon as we receive the results, Vinasoy said.

Vinasoys soy milk factory. Photo: Le Quan.

Earlier, NHK Japan reported that Coliform bacteria were found in Fami Calcium Soymilk, which was imported from Vietnam by a company based in Mihama, Chiba.

According to the authorities in Chiba, the batch of soy milk was imported on March 6th. On March 27th, the Osaka Quarantine Station of the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare of Japan conducted an inspection and found the product to be positive for Coliform bacteria.

On March 28th, Chiba city requested the company to recall and dispose of the soy milk. The company importing the soy milk said that most of the products in the batch had not been distributed to the market, but some 200 ml packages had been sold at a Vietnamese food store in Iga city, Mie province.

The Ho Chi Minh City Center for Disease Control stated that Coliform bacteria are one of the leading causes of gastrointestinal illness. After entering the body, Coliform has an incubation period of 3-4 days, and then it can cause gastrointestinal disorders such as abdominal pain, diarrhea, fever, dehydration, fatigue, etc.

@Zing News
Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) Senior Deputy Governor Lee Joon-soo speaks during a press conference held at the headquarters of the FSS in Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap



FSS to hold regular meetings with bank boards



By Anna J. Park



The Financial Supervisory Service (FSS), the country's financial watchdog agency, has once again urged the banking sector to equip itself with sound corporate governance and effective internal controls to prevent any possible banking crises. To this end, the financial authority said it will overhaul its bank management evaluation system, a core of the FSS' supervisory role, while planning to hold meetings with bank boards on a regular basis.



"The FSS will strengthen both its off-site and on-site inspections on local banks," FSS Senior Deputy Governor Lee Joon-soo said during a press conference, Tuesday. "Off-site inspections include evaluating a bank's board governance by analyzing various reports, documents and minutes of board meetings. On-site inspections, meanwhile, assess a bank's overall management through regular inspections or ones to address specific issues."



With regard to the overall management assessments, the FSS will increase the proportion of evaluative items on the subjects of corporate governance and internal controls. Currently, the two subjects are part of a management assessment category, which takes up only about 15 percent of the overall management evaluation; the weight of the two subjects will be increased in the FSS' future assessments to secure more robust corporate governance and transparency in banking governance.



The FSS will confirm the details of the changes to its management evaluations, after consulting with the Financial Services Commission (FSC), Korea's top financial regulator. It plans to implement revised regulations and manuals next year.



Strengthening communication with bank boards is the other key axis of the FSS' policy directions announced on Tuesday. The FSS plans to meet each bank's board at least once every year.



"The specific details on the FSS' regular meetings with the bank boards haven't yet been confirmed. The meetings could take place with several banks together, or could be a separate meeting with each financial group," Lee said.



The FSS said local banks' governance falls short compared to global standards, due to various reasons including a lack of checks and balances by boards on companies' management and the lack of transparency in CEO appointments. The financial watchdog agency views that while banks generally abide by the Act on Corporate Governance of Financial Companies, they fail at yielding so-called "best practices," a voluntary exemplary corporate governance on their own.



"The FSS aims to narrow the gap between actual practices by local lenders and global standards of transparent corporate governance, as stipulated in international agreements including Basel Committee's Corporate Governance Principles for Banks," Lee said.


Trade data shows that Viet Nam purchased 272,000 tonnes of cashew from abroad in January and February, most of which came from Cambodia.

The General Department of Customs (GDC) said this trade deficit is unusual given that the country is an exporter of cashew, having net-exported about $400 million of the nut last year.

It is not the first time that unusual trade patterns hit the sector. In fact, the industry also suffered a trade deficit of around $500 million in 2021, the first deficit in three decades.

The customs authority looked into the deficit and uncovered a number of trade frauds behind the atypicality. Two fraudsters were brought to court and all of their imports were subjected to inspection.

GDC was concerned that the unusual trade pattern in early 2023 may be linked to similar frauds that caused the deficit two years ago.

According to the Deputy Chairman of the Vietnam Cashew Association (VINACAS) Bach Khanh Nhut, the boom in cashew imports in the first two months of 2023 could be attributed to the abundant cashew supply in Cambodia where the nut was in season.

The geographical proximity of Cambodia to Viet Nam allows Cambodian traders to incur fewer costs exporting cashew to Viet Nam than to other countries, such as India. This has led to a staggering 99 per cent of Cambodian cashew ending up in its neighbouring country.

"With a higher profit margin and easier payment options, it is no surprise that most of the Cambodian cashew was exported to Viet Nam," said Nhut.

The deputy chairman believed that the trade deficit in the early months of 2023 was not atypical because Vietnamese traders tend to increase their cashew purchases from Cambodia when the supply is abundant.

Meanwhile, many cashew importers, including Tanzania and Mozambique, have yet to enter into contracts with Vietnamese traders during this time. As such, it is too soon to draw any conclusion about the overall trade pattern for 2023.

Regarding trade fraud, he did not rule out the possibility of cashew smuggling in January and February. He revealed that smugglers may have used vehicles with a loading capacity of fewer than seven tonnes to manoeuver cashew into the country.

However, the extent of the problem remains unclear because Nhut did not have sufficient data to tell how much of the imported cashew was contraband.

With an aim to secure a higher position in the global supply chain, VINACAS is building a roadmap that envisions a broad-based switch toward extensively-processed cashew and the cultivation of more high-quality nut farms.

The move is expected to reduce the industry's reliance on imported nuts and enable producers to add more value to their cashew, thereby gaining greater international recognition.

According to trade data, Viet Nam exported 61,500 tonnes of cashew in the first two months of 2023, raking in around $353 million. The figure was 7.4 per cent lower than that in the same period last year.

The US was the largest importer with 15,858 tonnes, followed by Holland with 5,714 tonnes and China with 5,118 tonnes.

Bizhub
A German official has voiced the countrys readiness to become a trustworthy and capable partner helping with energy transition in Vietnam.

Jochen Flasbarth, State Secretary at the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, made the remark while attending a workshop in Berlin on March 31.

The event, held by the Vietnamese Embassy in Germany and the Vietnamese Innovation Network in Europe (VINEU), discussed the enhancement of cooperation under the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) framework towards net zero emissions in Vietnam by 2050. It was part of the Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue Week 2023.

Expressing his impression of renewable energy development in Vietnam as he saw during a visit last September, Flasbarth held that with advantages for wind and solar energy, Vietnam will become a pioneer in energy transition in Southeast Asia. The Vietnamese Government has also proved its ambitious targets about mitigating climate change and reducing the dependence on thermal power plants to prepare for a clean energy system in the future.

However, the energy transition process is successful only when it is carried out in a just manner and generates chances for domestic industries and sustainable job opportunities for local people. Besides, targets of the JETP should be quickly turned into concrete policy measures and policies, he recommended.

Flasbarth added that existing solutions of the EU, including Germany, can be transferred to Vietnam via investment and trade activities.

In his speech, Vietnamese Ambassador to Germany Vu Quang Minh said that at the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in 2021, Vietnam made ambitious commitments, including becoming a carbon-neutral economy by 2050, only five years later than Germany. This is a very challenging target in terms of not only technology, economy, or finance but also social aspects connected with this major transition, including the rights and interests of all ethnic groups and the parties concerned, he said.

Therefore, Vietnam needs international partners cooperation and support to achieve this target, Minh noted, adding that its Ministry of Industry and Trade is also exerting efforts to complete the national electricity development planning for the 2021 - 2030 period, with a vision to 2050, that will gradually reduce the countrys dependence on fossil fuel sources and develop renewables such as hydropower, wind power, solar power, and biomass power to cut down greenhouse gas emissions.

Talking via teleconferencing, Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Dang Hoang An said the energy transition process in Vietnam is being accelerated in the spirit of bringing into play internal strength and enhancing cooperation with international partners along with bilateral and multilateral financial institutions.

He underlined the role of partners in helping the country achieve net zero emissions by 2050.

Representing Vietnamese experts, intellectuals, scientists, and entrepreneurs in Europe, VINEU Vice Chairman Cao The Anh also pledged to make contributions to the sustainable development of the homeland and the world via innovation, science - technology, and technology transfer.

Some participants at the workshop suggested a joint working group gathering relevant ministries of Vietnam and Germany be established to implement JETP-related initiatives early./.

Source: VietnamPlus
MEXICO CITY, April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Acronis, a global leader in cyber protection, today announced the availability of a new Cyber Cloud data center in Mexico City, Mexico. This new addition to the company's global network of Cyber Cloud data centers provides Acronis partners with access to a comprehensive range of cutting-edge cyber protection solutions, empowering them to create new services and offerings to manage their clients' data protection needs more efficiently and effectively with faster access, continuous data availability, and the added benefit of data sovereignty.



Acronis global network of Cyber Cloud data centers includes more than fifty locations in the U.S., U.K., Switzerland, France, Germany, Japan, Australia, Singapore, and other regions. Todays announcement marks Acronis' seventh Cyber Cloud data center presence in North America, following the launch of the Toronto location last month. With the new Cyber Cloud data center, Acronis partners in Mexico and the LATAM region will have access to a full suite of cyber protection solutions and managed cloud solutions via the Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud platform, with the added benefit of local data management and support from their service providers.

The expansion of Acronis Cyber Cloud data centers into Mexico offers a great advantage to our customers, said Omar Navarro, General Director at VirtualTech. We are proud to be an Acronis partner and distributor of its cyber protection solutions throughout Mexico and other Latin American countries, providing the best data security possible. With the proximity of a Cyber Cloud data center closer to our customers, the benefits are vast as Acronis continues to safeguard customer data, but now with a more local presence.

The Acronis Cyber Cloud data centers are tailored to meet corporate and regulatory needs, enabling partners to exceed compliance, data sovereignty, and performance requirements. Acronis' worldwide Cyber Cloud data centers adhere to the highest standards of physical security to restrict unauthorized physical access and protect the safety of customer data. The Mexico City Cyber Cloud data center's standards and reports include ISO/IEC 27001:2013, ISO 14001:2015, ISO/IEC 20000-1:2018, ISO 9001:2015, ISO/IEC 38500:2015, ISO22301:2019, MX-574-2022, and MX-575-2022 underscoring Acronis' commitment to providing secure and reliable cyber protection solutions.

Purpose-built to provide organizations with the utmost levels of data availability, security, and safety for their critical data, applications, and systems, each facility features state-of-the-art as well as the best operational and security controls. The Acronis Cyber Cloud data centers also follow the approach of need plus one (N+1) for greater redundancy across all hardware layers of its infrastructure, minimizing risks and eliminating single points of failure. This ensures that customers can always rely on Acronis for resilient and robust cyber protection solutions.

Acronis General Manager of Latin America and the Caribbean, Agustin Mella, said "The addition of an Acronis Cyber Cloud data center in Mexico is a huge milestone for our company and our LATAM partners. We are rapidly expanding into the market so this latest launch arms us with the juxtaposition necessary to meet the needs of local customers. With each new Acronis Cyber Cloud data center, we are further enhancing the network of availability to offer the most exceptional cyber protection solution in the market."

Service providers interested in learning more about the advantages and opportunities that are created by offering integrated cyber protection solutions available are encouraged to visit: https://www.acronis.com/en-us/products/cloud/cyber-protect/.

About Acronis

Acronis unifies data protection and cybersecurity to deliver integrated, automated cyber protection that solves the safety, accessibility, privacy, authenticity, and security (SAPAS) challenges of the modern digital world. With flexible deployment models that fit the demands of service providers and IT professionals, Acronis provides superior cyber protection for data, applications, and systems with innovative next-generation antivirus, backup, disaster recovery, and endpoint protection management solutions powered by AI. With advanced anti-malware powered by cutting-edge machine intelligence and blockchain based data authentication technologies, Acronis protects any environment - from cloud to hybrid to on premises - at a low and predictable cost.

Acronis is a Swiss company, founded in Singapore. Celebrating two decades of innovation, Acronis has more than 2,000 employees in 45 locations. Acronis Cyber Protect solution is available in 26 languages in over 150 countries and is used by 18,000 service providers to protect over 750,000 businesses.

Media Contact:

Karl Bateson

Karl.Bateson@acronis.com




TSUR YIGAL, Israel, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Kando, a data intelligence solution provider specialising in wastewater data and AI, and Detection Services, the industry leader in multi discipline pipeline solutions, today announced a new partnership in Australia and New Zealand. The partnership will provide a framework to introduce innovative wastewater management technology, to get a full view of the networks, optimise outcomes and provide solutions whilst allowing customers to gain a 'network awareness picture'.

"At Detection Services we are constantly looking for new ways to drive innovation and consistency across a range of solutions and technologies that delivers what our customers need today  and in the future," said Chris Evans, COO, Detection Services. Our team is excited to join forces with Kando and are committed to delivering unrivalled customer experiences and support in delivering this intelligent, sustainable, and market-leading technology to the wastewater industry."

As an integral part of the alliance, Kando has appointed Annaelle Nir as its Australia and New Zealand Regional Manager to oversee the company's expansion in the region. Nir has over ten years of experience working in companies dedicated to environmental sustainability, and after serving as Kando's Head of Israel Market, she has relocated to Australia to share her successful experience from the Israeli market, introduce Kando's technology to the local market, and forge close relationships with the different stakeholders to meet their evolving needs.

"I am excited to be starting a new chapter of my journey with Kando in a region where there is a clear need to implement sustainable practices," said Annaelle Nir, Australia and New Zealand Regional Manager, at Kando. "The potential of wastewater data to provide valuable insights is constantly expanding, and our technology is ideally placed to complement the emerging water reuse programs that treat wastewater as a valuable resource, rather than simply as 'waste'."

Detection Services is renowned for its no compromise approach to customer satisfaction and investing in networks of the future. Their customer TRILITY was looking to optimise operations and provide a specific solution within their Rotorua plant. To address the challenge a successful Proof of Concept (POC) utilising Kando technology was completed at the Rotorua wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in New Zealand, which implemented on-line wastewater quality analysis in the Rotorua sewer network. This approach allowed TRILITY to get real time understanding of their network and critical performance data, allowing for proactive control and operational flexibility.

"Wastewater monitoring programs should not be seen as 'Gold Standard', but as an essential part of WWTP risk management," said Phil de Groot, Operations and Maintenance Manager at TRILITY. "We conducted a POC with Kando technology to solve a specific event occurring in our system, but after implementation we quickly uncovered pain points within various aspects of our WWTPs' day-to-day operations. In the long term, implementing Kando's technology will enable us to offer a holistic solution for improving functionality in WWTPs."

Kando has long-term partnerships with numerous municipalities in the US, Europe, and beyond, with an established track record of generating tangible returns for its partners and customers. Kando's global expansion, targeting new markets such as Australia, New Zealand, and the UK, serves as a testament to the importance and effectiveness of Kando's technology and the impact it has been making around the world.

About Detection Services

Detection Services specialises in multi discipline pipeline solutions and state of the art technologies covering the water and wastewater industries. The company delivers a portfolio of innovative, intelligent and sustainable solutions and strategies designed to reduce risk and improve asset reliability. With over 30 years' experience Detection Services is the largest specialised water management business in Australasia with diverse businesses and clients spanning internationally.

https://www.detectionservices.com.au/

About Kando

Kando provides a wastewater intelligence platform that uses data from wastewater to support public health and the environment. It leverages IoT, original algorithms and artificial intelligence technologies. By detecting anomalies and public health threats and communicating their impact in real-time, Kando enables utilities and municipalities to gain insight and control over their wastewater networks. Through using data to keep the world's sewage systems high-functioning and efficient, Kando helps save economic and environmental resources while bolstering public health. The company was founded in 2012 and is headquartered in Israel with entities in the UK, US and Australia. https://www.kando.eco/

Media Contact

Ben Crome

Headline Media

IL:+972 53 714 4102

US: +1 914 336 4922

UK: +44 203 769 6463

ben@headline.media

Source: Kando
ACEN is the first energy company in Southeast Asia [1] to announce its Net Zero roadmap that includes near-term scope 1, 2 and 3 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction targets, aligned with a 1.5C pathway for the power sector.

to announce its Net Zero roadmap that includes near-term scope 1, 2 and 3 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction targets, aligned with a 1.5C pathway for the power sector. ACEN's long-term targets support the company's net zero ambition and are consistent with the target emissions intensity of the power sector according to best practice emissions reduction modelling for deep decarbonisation of the sector by 2040.

ACEN's roadmap outlines targets across four key focus areas of ACEN's operations and portfolio, including generating assets, retail activity, and joint ventures.

MANILA, Philippines, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- ACEN (PSE: ACEN), the listed energy company of the Ayala group, has developed a robust Net Zero roadmap. The roadmap includes near-term emission reduction targets aligned with the GHG Protocol and the latest climate-science and long-term targets that are consistent with the deep decarbonisation of the power sector. ACEN is the first energy company in Southeast Asia to take this critical step towards achieving Net Zero, providing an accountable and transparent framework for monitoring progress.

ACEN recognises that to reach the Net Zero outcome for the power sector, it will need to rely on both emissions reduction and neutralisation of residual emissions. As part of its transition plan, ACEN aims to deliver reduction-led decarbonisation by 2040, with an interim target for 2030, and a Net Zero status (including neutralisation) by 2050. This 2050 goal is in line with the broader Ayala group net zero target, while ACEN will continue to explore opportunities to further accelerate these targets in future.

Eric Francia, president and CEO of ACEN, said, "We are pleased to share our progress on our commitment to achieve Net Zero GHG emissions by 2050, including reaching our long-term decarbonisation goals by 2040, with clear milestones providing an accountable and transparent framework for measuring progress. The entire organization and the board fully support this initiative. Our climate ambition is well aligned with our vision to reach 20 GW of renewables by 2030."

Having announced its commitment to achieve Net Zero GHG emissions by 2050 in October 2021, ACEN has been working towards transitioning the company's generation portfolio to 100% renewable energy by 2025. ACEN currently owns a generation portfolio of 4,030 MW of net attributable capacity based on ownership stake, with 98% coming from renewable technologies across the Asia Pacific.

Accelerating ACEN's Net Zero ambition, in November 2022, the company completed the full divestment of its South Luzon Thermal Energy Corporation coal plant using the Energy Transition Mechanism (ETM) framework. This landmark transaction will enable the early retirement of the 246 MW coal plant that forms part of ACEN's retail electricity activities. Under the mechanism the coal plant will be retired by 2040, reducing its technical operating lifetime by half, and transitioned to a cleaner technology. The transaction, which generated 7.2 billion in proceeds for ACEN, will be reinvested into renewable energy projects.

ACEN and the Ayala Group collaborated with global climate solutions provider South Pole in the calculation of a detailed GHG footprint and the development of a robust Net Zero pathway to:

Achieve near-term emission reduction targets in 2030

Achieve long-term emission reduction targets in 2040

Neutralise residual emissions by 2050 and meet Net Zero ambition.

To fight climate change, the world has to meet the ultimate goal of reaching Net Zero emissions by 2050. To get there, carbon dioxide emissions from the power sector need to shrink by approximately 60% between 2019 and 2030. At the same time, the Southeast Asia region's energy consumption is projected to increase by 60% or more, as its electricity consumption doubles by 2040 (IEA). The decisions leaders make now about decarbonisation will determine our collective future.

What it takes for business leaders like ACEN to follow through with their ambitious reduction targets will determine how fast we can achieve a Net Zero energy transition and deliver real impact for one of the world's most vulnerable regions to climate change. By aspiring to be a Net Zero company by 2050, ACEN is committed to playing its part in this global transition and inspiring others to follow.

- END -

Annex to press release

ACEN's approach to GHG emissions accounting is aligned with the GHG Protocol, which is internationally recognized as the leading standard for corporate emissions GHG accounting. The roadmap has been developed with consideration of the latest climate science. The company's GHG calculation defined its Scope 1, 2, and 3 footprint for 2021, the base year for its targets, and comprehensively detailed ACEN's emissions from its business operations, including upstream and downstream activities.

ACEN aims to reach Net Zero emissions across its own operations and electricity sales, supported by four GHG reduction targets across the near-and long-term. The targets are aligned with best practice for the power sector.





ACEN's GHG emission reduction targets

Target 1 covers scope 1 emissions from ACEN's own generation activities. ACEN is planning to divest from its remaining thermal assets by 2025 which will significantly reduce emissions from own electricity generation.

Target 2 covers scope 1 emissions from sources other than own electricity generation, such as from fleet vehicles and scope 2 emissions from electricity consumption. Initiatives to meet this target include the procurement of Energy Attribute Certificates (EACs) complemented by installation of solar technologies across sites to reduce grid consumption.

Target 3 covers scope 1 and scope 3 emissions from own generation and retail electricity activities.

Target 4 covers the remaining scope 3 emissions, including purchased goods and services, fuel-and energy related emissions not already covered, upstream transportation and distribution, waste, employee commuting, upstream leased assets and energy and fuel emissions from joint ventures. The long-term target also includes emissions from capital goods and business travel.

The company's decarbonization strategy to achieve targets 3 and 4 is well aligned with ACEN's 20 GW by 2030 goal.

ACEN will review its targets and restate these as necessary as our portfolio evolves.

###

About ACEN

ACEN (PSE: ACEN) is the listed energy platform of the Ayala Group. The company has ~4,030 MW of attributable capacity from owned facilities in the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, India, and Australia, with a renewable share of 98%, which is among the highest in the region.

ACEN's aspiration is to be the largest listed renewables platform in Southeast Asia, with a goal of reaching 20 GW of renewables capacity by 2030. ACEN is committed to transition the company's generation portfolio to 100% renewable energy by 2025 and to become a Net Zero greenhouse gas emissions company by 2050.

www.acenrenewables.com

DISCLAIMER: This disclosure may contain forward-looking statements that are subject to risk factors and opportunities that may affect ACEN's plans to complete the transaction/s subject of this disclosure. Each forward-looking statement is made only as of the date of this disclosure. Outcomes of the subject transaction may differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements included in this disclosure.

[1] Based on research of CDP responses, SBTi website and annual reports

Source: ACEN Related Stocks: Manila:ACEN
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Bukalapak, one of Indonesia's leading e-commerce companies, announced today that it has acquired a majority stake in iPrice, Southeast Asia's leading price comparison platform. Through this strategic investment, iPrice has the opportunity to accelerate its growth by leveraging the synergies between the two groups.

As e-commerce in Southeast Asia has been growing rapidly over the last decade individual verticals have become big enough to specialize in. Observing this trend, Bukalapak decided to shift its focus from competing head-to-head with other marketplaces, to building or acquiring niche marketplaces and accelerating their growth.

Over the last 8 years, iPrice has been building such a niche marketplace. Its relentless focus on the price-conscious consumers earned it a loyal place in Southeast Asia's shoppers' hearts. In 2022, it helped more than 100 million consumers across 7 countries in SouthEast Asia save money. Its proprietary technology surfaces the best deals and discounts from more than 8 billion offers in a market featuring a vast array of sale events and hard to navigate discount mechanisms.

"I've known David and the team for years and have always been excited about their work, then recently the opportunity emerged to work together more closely," said Willix Halim, CEO of Bukalapak. "With Bukalapak's extensive expertise in e-commerce and iPrice's loyal userbase and proprietary technology, we are confident that we can unlock the platform's full potential."





The team has always been the first priority for iPrice when finding a suitable partner to unlock future growth

iPrice investors, amongst them Itochu and Naver, welcome the deal. The rapidly cooling fundraising market of last year forced iPrice to scale back on several aspects of its business and downsize the team substantially. It transformed to explore new ways to grow the businesses cost-effectively. This transition will now be accelerated by Bukalapak group's footing in a diverse set of verticals opening up many new opportunities.

Heinrich Wendel, Co-founder of iPrice, said, "We are excited to join forces with Bukalapak and benefit from the group's synergies. This partnership will allow us to expand our services to help even more users save money across new verticals, like Gaming, and geographies, like Australia."

iPrice will continue to operate as an independent entity, maintaining its neutral position towards users, and working with a broad set of merchants and sellers.

About iPrice Group

iPrice Group is Southeast Asia's leading online shopping companion, serving more than 125m unique users across eight countries/regions namely Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam, Hong Kong SAR,& Australia. With a mission to "Help People Save Money", iPrice aids shoppers by comparing prices, promotions & seller discounts across its vast catalogue of 8bn offers from thousands of sellers & merchants.

About Bukalapak

BUKA is a group of tech-based companies and a technology super-enabler for Indonesia's MSME transformation and various business verticals.

Building on our heritage serving more than 110 million users and over 22 million Indonesian MSMEs through our various solutions, and as the first publicly-listed Indonesian technology company, we are now focused squarely on using technology to enable today's digital lifestyles for both Indonesian MSMEs as well as Indonesians in general, across numerous verticals from marketplace, finance and fintech, offline to online, merchant solutions and procurement.

Utilizing our more than a decade long of technology innovation for Indonesian consumers and businesses, BUKA is a tech enabler and fuel of Indonesia's digital transformation engine.

For more information on BUKA, visit about.bukalapak.com

Source: iPrice Group Sdn Bhd
SINGAPORE, April 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Milbank LLP is pleased to announce that Nicholas Dunstone has joined the firm's Singapore office as a partner in the Financial Restructuring Group.

Nicholas Dunstone

"We are thrilled to welcome Nick to the firm," said Milbank Chairman Scott A. Edelman. "Nick brings significant knowledge as both a lawyer and investment professional that spans a broad range of geographic markets. His expertie will be invaluable as we continue to expand the scope and capabilities of our global restructuring practice."

Mr. Dunstone joins Milbank with 25 years of experience as a restructuring specialist in multiple jurisdictions across the globe. His experience includes acting as a legal adviser to the global fund and distressed investing community and serving as a partner in an investment fund.

David H. Zemans, Managing Partner of the firm's Asia Practice and Singapore office, added: "Milbank is proud of its longstanding commitment to Asia, with a leading market practice in advising clients on restructuring situations. Nick's addition as a dedicated restructuring expert further highlights the breadth of our services in the region while complimenting our ability to service clients on the most complex situations. Nick has a reputation as an excellent lawyer with a vital understanding of the region built over his decades of experience, making him a fantastic addition to the team."

Mr. Dunstone has built a highly distinguished global practice representing funds and financial institutions in an array of complex situations. He started his career in London representing US hedge funds in European distressed situations, then moved to an Australian firm to establish a market leading practice in Australia representing global distressed investing funds. He then moved to Hong Kong to join an international law firm's Asian restructuring practice.

"Nick's arrival further enhances our global financial restructuring capabilities and expands our service offerings into Asia, where he is already a highly regarded restructuring advisor," said Dennis Dunne, Practice Group Leader of Milbank's Financial Restructuring Group. "The combination of his experience as a lawyer and principal within a leading distressed investing fund provides him with a unique skill set, as well as a depth of understanding of the options, strategy and leadership required to achieve the best outcome in complex restructuring situations. His strong presence adds to our existing global preeminence, and we look forward to establishing our restructuring presence in new global markets."

Prior to joining Milbank, Mr. Dunstone was most recently a partner at Asia Research & Capital Management, a leading investment firm in Hong Kong, where he led investment in private and public credit situations, including primary lending, special situations and distressed debt situations across Asia and globally. Mr. Dunstone had a particular focus on energy and infrastructure investments.

"I am thrilled to be joining Milbank's Financial Restructuring Group," said Mr. Dunstone. "The firm's global reputation for top tier, international counsel will provide outstanding opportunities for me to provide the best possible service to clients, especially in complex multijurisdictional situations. I developed a relationship with Milbank while working as an investment professional, drawing me to the firm's skill set and commercial problem-solving focus. I am excited to start working with my colleagues across the firm globally, with a focus on restructuring situations across the Asia-Pacific region."

Milbank's Financial Restructuring Group is known globally for prominent corporate restructurings and groundbreaking chapter 11 cases. The practice is at the forefront of most of the largest, most complex corporate restructuring matters in the world, led by Mr. Dunne in New York and partner Yushan Ng in London. Mr. Dunstone's addition completes the firm's global coverage of leading restructuring specialists by expanding the practice in Asia.

Mr. Dunstone received his Bachelor of Laws from the University of Adelaide, Australia. He is admitted as a Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of South Australia and as a Solicitor in England & Wales.

ABOUT MILBANK

Milbank LLP is a leading international law firm that provides innovative legal services to clients around the world. Founded in New York over 150 years ago, Milbank has offices in Beijing, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles, Munich, New York, Sao Paulo, Seoul, Singapore, Tokyo and Washington, DC. Milbank's lawyers collaborate across practices and offices to help the world's leading commercial, financial and industrial enterprises, as well as institutions, individuals and governments, achieve their strategic objectives. To learn more about Milbank, please visit www.milbank.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram.

Source: Milbank LLP
HIF intends to produce 150,000 barrels per day of eFuels from global facilities

TOKYO and SYDNEY and HOUSTON, April 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- HIF Global, the world's leading eFuels company, and energy company Idemitsu Kosan today announced a strategic cooperation agreement to accelerate the production of carbon neutral eFuels.

HIF Global and Idemitsu Kosan signing ceremony in Tokyo, Japan.

The HIF-Idemitsu strategic cooperation will focus on purchase of eFuels by Idemitsu from HIF eFuels facilities worldwide, co-investments in HIF eFuels facilities and new facilities in Japan, and supply of recycled carbon dioxide from Japan for use in the eFuels production process.

Cesar Norton, HIF Global CEO, said, "eFuels are available now to decarbonize existing cars, ships, and airplanes without any modifications to their engines. Our eFuels facility at Haru Oni in Chile is already producing carbon neutral gasoline. We expect to begin construction on the first world-scale eFuels facility in Texas, USA in 2024, and we are developing additional facilities in Chile, USA, and Australia, which are all well placed to serve partners in Asia. Collaboration with companies with the global presence and resources of Idemitsu makes our plan to reach 150,000 barrels per day of eFuels production a reality. We look forward to advancing Idemitsu's strategic objectives for carbon neutrality and delivering eFuels to help win the war on climate change."

Hiroshi Tanaka, Idemitsu Kosan, General Manager, Carbon Neutral Transformation Department, said, "Idemitsu is exploring ways to ensure a stable energy supply in a carbon-neutral society in 2050. In particular, we believe that eFuels are one of the best ways to promote decarbonization of mobility by utilizing existing infrastructure, and we hope that eFuels will be widely recognized and used around the world as soon as possible. Additionally, we are very pleased to be working with HIF, which aims to launch and supply the world's first large-scale eFuel production facility, to explore strategic initiatives. We look forward to working together to accelerate decarbonization."

A month ago, Idemitsu leadership and a Japanese delegation traveled to southern Chile to witness the production of eFuels at the HIF Haru Oni Demonstration facility.

eFuels are made using electrolyzers powered by renewable energy to separate hydrogen from oxygen in water. The green hydrogen will be utilized together with recycled carbon dioxide to produce carbon neutral eFuels, which are chemically equivalent to fuels used today and can therefore be dropped-in to existing engines without any modifications required.

About HIF Global

HIF Global is the world's leading eFuels company, developing projects to convert hydrogen using low cost renewable power into carbon neutral liquid eFuels that can be transported and utilized in existing infrastructure. The name HIF represents the mission of the company: to provide Highly Innovative Fuels to make decarbonization of the planet possible. HIF Chile, HIF USA, HIF Asia Pacific, and HIF EMEA are wholly owned subsidiaries of HIF Global. HIF Global started producing the first liters of synthetic Fuels from the Haru Oni Demonstration Facility in Magallanes, Chile in December 2022 and intends to begin construction of the commercial scale HIF Matagorda eFuels Facility in Texas in 1Q2024. HIF Global's first Australian development, in Tasmania, was announced in July 2022. For more information, visit www.hifglobal.com

About Idemitsu Kosan

Idemitsu is working to implement diverse and environmentally friendly low-carbon energy, resource-saving, and circulation solutions in society while fulfilling its responsibility to provide a stable supply of energy, mainly fossil fuels including petroleum, under its 2030 Vision "Your Reliable Partner for a Brighter Future" and 2050 Vision "Shape the Change". As part of this plan, Idemitsu plans to establish a green supply chain for biomass-derived fuels and chemicals, such as SAF, biodiesel, and bio-chemicals, also for ammonia and eFuel by 2030. Liquid fuels such as SAF and eFuels are one of the businesses that Idemitsu Kosan should focus on because they can contribute to decarbonization by utilizing existing infrastructure. For more information visit www.idemitsu.com

CAUTIONARY INFORMATION ABOUT FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Information in this press release includes various statements that are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. federal securities laws. All statements other than statements of historical fact are, or may be deemed to be, forward-looking statements. Words such as "can," "expect," potential," "to be," "will," and similar expressions are used to identify forward-looking statements and convey the uncertainty of future events or outcomes. Forward-looking statements in this press release relate to, among other things, our expectations of our plans, strategies, and objectives, including with respect to the timing and other aspects of the HIF eFuels facilities. Such statements are based on management's current expectations and assumptions and are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from expectations expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements include (without limitation): our ability to timely obtain or maintain necessary permits to construct and develop the HIF eFuels facilities; our ability to execute operational objectives on a timely and successful basis; legislative, policy, fiscal and regulatory developments; the outcome of commercial negotiations; our ability to raise financing; consumer preferences or demand; and various economic, business, and competitive factors affecting our business. All forward-looking statements contained in this press release are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements contained or referred to in this paragraph. HIF Global urges you to carefully review and consider the cautionary statements made in this press release and cautions you not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. HIF Global undertakes no obligation (and expressly disclaims any such obligation) to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Photo - https://cdn.vietreader.com/uploads/posts/2023-04/hif-global-and-idemitsu-kosan-announce-carbon-neutral-efuels-strategic-cooperation-1.jpg

Source: HIF Global
HCMC  FPT Corporation has recently launched an investment promotion portal in the coastal province of Khanh Hoa, as part of a joint effort between the provincial administration and the technology service provider.

The Khanh Hoa business supporting platform was inaugurated with the participation of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, representatives from relevant ministries and local administrations.

The portal provides investors access to the provinces development plans and policies, as well as potential projects calling for investment, including non-state capital.

Information on approved plans and local land use status will be made available to domestic and international investors in the initial phase of the site.

FPT Corp and relevant agencies will work closely to upgrade the portal, seeking to provide frequent, transparent information on the socioeconomic performance and development initiatives in Khanh Hoa Province.

In addition, the firm and Khanh Hoa Province signed two memorandums of understanding, with one for cooperation on digital transformation and human resource training and the other for technology development and software production.

FPT will open a software-technology urban complex in Khanh Hoa next year, said FPT Chairman Truong Gia Binh.

In May 2021, local officials reached an agreement with consulting company McKinsey Vietnam and FPT Corporation to construct the provincial planning process for 2021-2030, with a vision of 2050.

The initiative is part of efforts to make Khanh Hoa a key driver in the national digital transformation, notably based on the pillars of administration, business and society.
Police recommend that gold and foreign exchange trading businesses install camera systems and alarms connected to the nearest police station.

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The Criminal Investigation Department of Binh Thuan Province has issued a warning about a scam involving the exchange of Vietnamese dong (VND) for US dollars (USD) at a gold shop.

They have also requested that police units and local authorities inform the public of criminal activities in order to raise awareness and detect and report them promptly to the police.

On February 21, 2023, two foreign men went to the THN gold shop on Thu Khoa Huan Street, Thanh Hai Ward, Phan Thiet City, and asked to exchange VND for USD. Taking advantage of the gold shop owners carelessness, the suspects swapped the shop owners 70,000 USD and fled.

The police have identified the two men as Malisava Joni (55 years old) and Akhalaia Irakli (47 years old), both Georgian nationals. They moved to Ho Chi Minh City after stealing the money and then left the country through Tan Son Nhat airport.





Phan Thiet Sand Dunes, @ Pham Huy Trung

According to the Criminal Investigation Department, the two men had visited the THN gold shop a few days earlier to exchange money, gaining the trust of the gold shop owner. On February 21, they made an appointment with the owner to exchange 70,000 USD, with the owner agreeing.

The suspects prepared three deposits of money, with the outer sides of each deposit featuring two 100 USD banknotes to disguise them. The inside of each deposit contained 1,000 VND, 2,000 VND, and 5,000 VND bills, each deposit being wrapped in a transparent plastic bag (like those used in previous transactions with the gold shop) and placed in a compartment of a handbag carried by the suspects.

During the transaction, one suspect directly dealt with the gold shop owner, claiming that they needed to withdraw VND from a bank and requested that the owner prepare three deposits of 70,000,000 VND to be counted. Meanwhile, the other suspect took the opportunity to swap the money with fake banknotes and put the real ones in his bag.

After the transaction, the suspect who conducted the transaction put the fake banknotes in another bag and handed them back to the gold shop owner, who did not suspect anything and did not check the banknotes. The two suspects then left, claiming to be going to withdraw money from the bank.

The police investigation determined that the two suspects had entered Vietnam on tourist visas and had rented a house in Ho Chi Minh City. After the incident, they immediately left Vietnam via Tan Son Nhat airport.

The police also found that the suspects had committed similar fraud in other cities and provinces in Vietnam, with a total amount of stolen money reaching up to hundreds of thousands of dollars.

This incident highlights the need for businesses that deal with gold and foreign currencies to take measures to prevent such fraud, such as installing camera systems and connecting alarm systems to the nearest police station.

The police advise individuals to be vigilant and report any suspicious activity to the authorities. They also encourage businesses to report any incidents of fraud or attempted fraud to the police in a timely manner.

The police continue to investigate this case and are seeking cooperation from the relevant authorities in other countries to apprehend the suspects and bring them to justice.
A Louis Vuitton logo is seen outside a store on the Champs-Elysees in Paris, France in this Sept. 18, 2020 file photo. Reuters-Yonhap



Louis Vuitton is set to open its first fashion show in Korea at the end of the month, industry officials said Tuesday.



The French luxury brand is set to showcase its 2023 pre-fall collection at the Some Sevit, a man-made floating island on the south of the Han River, on April 29, they said.



It also marks the first time for Louis Vuitton to stage a fashion show for the pre-fall collection.



Pre-fall fashion refers to the small capsule collections released by designers ahead of the fall season. They are usually less formal and smaller in scale compared with the primary fall and spring runways during Fashion Week.



Global fashion houses are holding shows in Korea, as the country rises as an important market for luxury brands.



Koreans were the world's biggest spenders on personal luxury goods per capita in 2022, according to Morgan Stanley, with the nation's per capita spending amounting to $325. This far exceeds the $55 and $280 per capita spending by Chinese and Americans, respectively.



Italian fashion house Gucci is set to hold the "2024 Gucci Cruise" fashion show in Gyeongbok Palace  a royal palace and one of the hottest tourist destinations in downtown Seoul  on May 16, after the event was canceled last year due to the Itaewon crowd crush that killed 159 people. (Yonhap)


Foreign passenger, who jumped-off from the 3rd floor of Noi Bai airportForeign Passenger Jumps from Third Floor at Vietnams Noi Bai Airport in Vietnam capital city of Hanoi has died.

The patient was brought to the hospital but passed away before arrival, according to the leader of Bac Thang Long Hospital who reported on the incident of a passenger who jumped from the third floor at Noi Bai airport.

Related: Foreign Passenger Jumps from Third Floor at Vietnams Noi Bai Airport

On the late afternoon of April 4, the leader of Bac Thang Long Hospital told reporter that, the aforementioned passenger was taken to the emergency room, but was pronounced dead outside the hospital.

Although we followed the emergency protocol, there were no positive results. The hospital has completed the necessary procedures to transfer the deceased to the mortuary, the leader of Bac Thang Long Hospital stated.

The hospital is working together with the police force to address the matter.

Noi Bai airport

A spokesperson for Noi Bai airport stated that on April 4 at 1:25 pm, the Noi Bai airport security center reported that a Thai national passenger had climbed over the railing on the third floor, in a public area near the elevator in the T2 terminal, and had jumped down to the first floor, resulting in injury.

Immediately, the urgent medical team of Noi Bai International Airport transferred the patient to Bac Thang Long Hospital for emergency medical attention.

The incident has been handed over by Noi Bai International Airport to the Noi Bai Police Station and state management agencies at the port for investigation and clarification. The authorities are still investigating the cause of the incident.
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On April 3, a representative for Germanys data protection commissioner informed Handelsblatt. In particular, a representative for Germanys Federal Commissioner for Data Protection, Ulrich Kelber, told Handelsblatt, In principle, the same process might also happen in Germany, referring to Italys ban on ChatGPT.

Previously, on April 1, Italys national personal data protection office ordered the temporary suspension of ChatGPT as authorities investigated a potential leak of user data. The Italian authority chastised ChatGPT for failing to warn users that it gathers and maintains their information and for failing to implement any filter to check the users age.

According to Mr. Ulrich Kelber, there are currently no plans in Germany to ban chatbots (software applications used to manage an online discussion system by text or text-to-speech, rather than providing live discussions with real users), and such a decision will be left to the jurisdiction of each German state.

Mr. Kelber further stated that the German Federal Commissioner for Data Protection is collecting additional material from Italian authorities to submit to German state regulators for evaluation. According to Reuters, French, and Irish privacy watchdogs have also contacted their Italian colleagues to discuss the probe.

ChatGPT, available in November 2022, will leverage OpenAIs GPT-3.5 language model to answer user concerns, solve arithmetic problems, create tales, compose poetry, and even code. While OpenAI President Sam Altman acknowledges that the technology has the potential to replace a lot of work today, others have warned of the more dangerous prospect that chatbots signify a shift toward artificial intelligence that surpasses human intelligence and escapes human control.

@vtv.vn
Travel + Leisure has announced a list of 16 beautiful coastal towns in the world, with Vietnams Cua Van fishing village in Halong (Quang Ninh) honored to be among the top 10.

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Cua Van fishing village is like a special wonder. Photo: Nguyen Quang Ngoc.

The American travel magazine introduces Cua Van fishing village located in the impressive Halong Bay of Vietnam. This small village includes floating houses, surrounded by vast natural landscapes, rocky mountains, and deep blue sea.

About 700 people here mainly make a living by fishing and aquaculture. The households here build rafts that cling to the edge of the rocky islands. They live in floating houses, consider boats their home, and the sea their homeland. The childrens education takes place at the school on the water.

Cua Van has become a tourist attraction for those who want to witness this unique way of life. The charming scenery of the waves and the friendly fishermen have made a special attraction for the fishing village.

Here, tourists have the opportunity to immerse themselves in the wild and rustic nature and directly participate with the fishermen in activities such as rowing boats, casting nets, and fishing.

Amid the vast blue sea and rocky mountains blending with the blue sky, the poetic beauty of nature and the bustling life of the fishing village create a rare beauty. The bobbing villages rising and falling with the tide are sheltered by majestic limestone mountains.

With its unique way of life, Cua Van fishing village is the only representative in Asia to be among the top beautiful coastal destinations in the world.

@Zing News
Illustrative photo (Photo source: aseanvietnam.vn)

Jakarta  Indonesian Energy Minister Arifin Tasrif has said that ASEAN countries need accessible low-carbon technologies and low-interest financing from multiple sources to achieve their net-zero targets.

Speaking at the ceremony that kicked off the countrys 2023 ASEAN energy chairmanship in Jakarta last week, Arifin said that according to a report by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), ASEAN will need 29.4 trillion USD up to 2050 for 100 per cemt renewable power generation.

That is why ASEAN needs financing from developed economies and global financial institutions such as the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) and the Asia Zero Emission Community.

The bloc has set a goal to achieve 23 per cent renewables share in its total primary energy supply and 35 per cent in installed power capacity by 2025. Member states are also expected to achieve their nationally determined contributions by 2030, and eventually net zero emissions by 2050.

According to Arifin, Indonesia expects all ASEAN member countries to declare their net zero emission targets at the 41st ministerial meeting on energy in August this year.

He emphasised that their joint commitment will become the building block for ASEAN's net zero emission roadmap.

The roadmap will serve as an action plan for a just, affordable, reliable, and sustainable energy transition that leaves no one behind, following the social and economic conditions, as well as the priorities of the respective ASEAN countries, he added.

ASEAN now has 17,000 gigawatts of renewable energy potential. Some ASEAN members, including Indonesia, are blessed with abundant critical minerals - a mainstay for clean energy technologies such as electric vehicles, Arifin said, adding that ASEAN needs joint efforts to build the downstream industry in the ASEAN region.

ASEAN looks towards net zero emissions The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and ASEAN Catalytic Green Finance Facility jointly held the Southeast Asia Development Symposium themed Imagining a net-zero ASEAN in Indonesias Bali on March 30.

High-level ASEAN seminar talks aligning policies for climate transition As part of the first ASEAN Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting (AFMGM) 2023 in Bali on March 30, Indonesia organised a high-level seminar themed Aligning Policies for Climate Transition to support the message of sustainable development, one of the ASEAN priority economic deliverables (PED) this year.

ASEAN affirms its role as epicentrum of growth As part of the first ASEAN Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors' Meeting (AFMGM) held from March 28-31 in Bali, the host country Indonesia organised AFMGMs with the ASEAN-US Business Council (ASEAN-US ABC), the EU-ASEAN Business Council (EU ABC), and the ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ASEAN ABAC) on March 29.

Evolution in global value chains key for green and resilient ASEAN ASEAN has again proven itself to be among the worlds most resilient economic groupings. Relying on strong exports, sound macroeconomic policies, and effective buffers, the economies of ASEAN recovered rapidly from the devastating impacts of the pandemic, recording growth of 5.6 per cent in 2022 after falling to 3.2 per cent in 2020.
Jakarta  Chairman of the ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ASEAN-BAC) Arsjad Rasjid, who is also Chairman of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KADIN), on April 3 said that ASEAN-BAC will support micro-, small-, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in the region to implement QRcodeASEAN initiative.

ASEAN supports companies to utlise QRcode purchasing across region, photo: shutterstock

In a statement released on April 3, Rasjid said that ASEAN-BAC will lead the regional digital transformation, especially to strengthen connectivity and financial inclusion for MSMEs because the economic sector is the backbone of the regional economy.

He said that with a population of over 170 million people, Indonesia is the largest economy in Southeast Asia and is a key player in the digital transformation of the region. Indonesia's digital economy is expected to reach 133 billion USD by 2025, accounting for 11% of the country's gross domestic product (GDP).

The QRcodeASEAN initiative aims to connect QR codes in payments across ASEAN countries, allowing users to purchase goods and services across member countries easier with transactions in local currencies. At the same time, the QRcode ASEAN will help MSMEs to expand their market share and customers in the region.

The use of QRcodeASEAN will reduce transaction costs and foreign exchange risks. The initiative will also open up new opportunities for businesses to contribute to the development of the digital economy in ASEAN, encouraging financial inclusion and increasing cross-border transactions.

Head of the ASEAN-BAC working group on QRcode ASEAN, Pandu Sjahrir said, so far, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand have connected payment integration while Singapore has also connected with Malaysia and Thailand. In addition, the central banks of the five ASEAN member countries, including Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, and the Philippines also signed a memorandum of understanding on payment integration between the countries.

The QRcodeASEAN initiative is one of Indonesia's priority agendas together with two digital initiatives - Wiki Entrepreneur and Market Lending Platform - to enhance financial and market access for MSMEs.

Cashless payments take over the streets Cashless payments made through scanning QR codes or other online payment methods at grocery stores or roadside eateries are becoming a bigger habit of many Vietnamese consumers.

QR codes pushing development in digital payments Due to cheap investment and fast implementation, QR codes have developed quickly to become more popular among customers across industries.
Former President of Chile Michelle Bachelet Jeria (centre) at the meeting on April 3 (Photo source: baoquocte.vn)

Hanoi  Former President of Chile Michelle Bachelet Jeria, who is also former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and former Executive Director of UN Women, met with female diplomats and students of Vietnam on April 3 to talk about the role of women leaders in multilateral organisations along with diplomatic, political, and social activities.

The meeting, held by the Hanoi-based Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam and UN Women Vietnam, was part of a working visit by Bachelet and a Chilean delegation on the occasion of the 52nd anniversary of the two countries diplomatic ties (March 25, 1971 - 2023). It also saw the presence of President of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO) Nguyen Phuong Nga and Country Representative of UN Women Vietnam Elisa Fernandez.

Bachelet underlined the important role of gender equality in all political and social activities, noting that it is necessary to make a change to the conception of mens and womens roles and consider this as one of the important factors in improving womens role in the society of a country and the international arena.

She also stressed the need to form a network connecting women leaders and cadres of organisations, agencies, and countries so as to strengthen mutual support and assistance.

She and other guests shared real stories and experiences in their political and social careers, inspiring the women working in the diplomatic sector along with students.

Appreciating Bachelets dedication to the progress of women worldwide, Acting Director of the Diplomatic Academy Pham Lan Dung and Fernandez expressed their hope that she will continue to be an example and a source of inspiration for generations of women around the globe.

They added that they hope via similar activities, womens role and position, women affairs, and gender equality will be further promoted.

Vietnam works to protect rights of girl child Vietnam has conducted numerous activities to respond to the International Day of the Girl Child 2022 (October 11), which is themed Our time is now-our rights, our future.

Why women's empowerment in business matters now Global trends show that there have been innovative approaches to equal recruitment and promoting womens career development and leadership, with Vietnam being no exception.

Vietnam highlights digital technology application for gender equality at UN session The application of digital science and technology towards the goal of gender equality requires political will and real actions of governments and the willingness to transform of relevant sectors in society, affirmed a Vietnamese official.
Although OXO-degradable plastics are completely non-biodegradable, adding an OXO additive helps accelerate plastic decomposition into microplastic particles, which are harmful to both ecosystems and human health.

Over the past decades, microplastic particles have become a common pollutant in soil and water and pose a threat to both ecosystems and human health. Many scientific studies have indicated that the microplastics found in the human food chain are largely due to OXO-degradable plastics not decomposing in the natural environment.

In essence, the OXO-degradable plastics cannot decompose by itself. However, when OXO additives are combined in the composition of the plastic, OXO-degradable plastics will decompose into microplastics. Microplastics can last for several hundred years and cause harm to the environment, animals, plants, and people, which affects the sustainable development. Recently, scientists have even found microplastics in human blood and vein tissue.

OXO-degradable plastics cannot completely decompose

One of the common misconceptions today is that OXO-degradable plastics are considered biodegradable plastics.

In fact, OXO-degradable plastics are made from common polymers such as PE, PP, and PS, which are mixed with OXO-degradable additives during processing. When exposed to the proper environmental factors, such as UV rays and temperature, these additives will become oxidizing agents, causing the plastic to age quickly and degrade into small plastic fragments called microplastics. However, these microplastics are still the original polymers (PE, PP, and PS), with a lifespan of up to several hundred years. They are not biodegradable and are easily released into the environment.

In essence, OXO-degradable plastics are common plastics such as PE, PP, and PS. They are completely non-biodegradable, the addition of an OXO additive facilitates plastic decomposition into microplastic particles.

Despite this drawback, OXO-degradable plastic products are still being used widely. The main reason is that they are much cheaper than other environmentally friendly products. Market surveys show that a bag of OXO-degradable plastics can be bought for about $1.50/kg, which is 4-5 times cheaper than genuinely biodegradable plastics.

Because of their low price, products derived from OXO biodegradable plastics are still widely used in the market, which leads to incalculable harm to the environment and human health.

Dang Thi Kim Chi from the Advisory Council for Science, Education, and Environment under the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee said, when OXO-degradable plastics were first launched, they are welcomed by the market for their ability to be degraded into small plastic pieces. However, their non-degradable and non-recyclable nature greatly increases the number of microplastics in the environment, thereby causing long-term harm to the ecosystem.

Many parts of the world have recognised that OXO-degradable plastics could not decompose, so they have banned the use of this plastic, including the EU, Australia, Canada, South Korea, and Thailand.

Vietnam steps up the fight against plastic waste

However, in Vietnam, the use of OXO-degradable plastics continues. Thus, it poses a threat to the environment, human health, and the country's sustainable development.

According to Chi, Vietnam is not immune to the global trend of banning the use and consumption of such plastic bags, ultimately switch to using bags made from biodegradable plastics.

At COP26, Vietnam announced its commitment to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. To realise this goal, the country is stepping up the fight against plastic waste. However, it needs the involvement of everyone to opt for biodegradable plastic products instead of OXO-degradable plastic products.

There has been increasing demand from consumers to use sustainable products. However, many people cannot distinguish between OXO-degradable and biodegradable plastics. OXO-degradable plastics decompose into microplastics, which take decades, or even up to a century, to degrade.

This inexpensive product has an enormous negative impact on the environment. Thus, customers need education on how to recognise and choose items that are both environmentally and biologically friendly. The output of biodegradable plastics is expected to rise by up to 20 per cent to meet the customer demand.

Supporting action to curb plastic pollution Vietnam is promoting economic restructuring in association with the development of a green and circular economy. Vu Minh Ly, deputy director of the Communication Centre for Environmental Resources at the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, talked with VIRs Phuong Thu about the efforts in terms of reducing plastic waste for sustainable development.

Mainstreaming circular plastic plans The increased use of plastics has accompanied Vietnams fast economic growth over the last decade. With growing urbanisation and a rising middle class, the demand for plastics has grown rapidly in consumer packaging, construction, household goods, and automotive industries because of their convenience and versatility. In 2019, the plastic industry contributed about $17.5 billion to Vietnams economy, equivalent to 6.7 per cent of the countrys GDP.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP)  Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin will lead his first international trade mission later this month, a trip to Asia that will include a meeting with the president of Taiwan, his office said Tuesday.

From April 24 through April 29, Youngkin and the Virginia delegation accompanying him will visit Taipei, Taiwan; Tokyo; and Seoul, South Korea. In addition to meeting President Tsai Ing-wen, Youngkin will meet government officials, strategic business associations, company executives and industry leaders, his office said.

Im excited to represent the Commonwealth in my first trade mission to Asia that will focus on economic development opportunities, our shared priorities and national security, Youngkin said in a statement. Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea represent critical markets that will advance economic growth and prosperity in Virginia. In strengthening these relationships, we are not only reaffirming our commitment to our allies but also strengthening the spirit of Virginia and America.

The visit by Youngkin, who has not publicly ruled out a presidential bid, comes amid heightened tensions between the U.S. and China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory and treats dealings between American and Taiwanese officials as a challenge.

Youngkin's trade mission was announced one day ahead of an expected meeting between Tsai and U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in Los Angeles while Tsai returns home after a tour of Taiwans remaining diplomatic allies in Latin America.

Youngkin has recently taken an increasingly hard line against China. He disclosed in January that he scuttled an effort by Virginia to land a large electric vehicle battery plant, an initiative between Ford Motor Co. and a Chinese company that is setting up in Michigan instead. The governors administration labeled the project a front for the Chinese Communist Party that would raise national security concerns.

He also celebrated the passage of several bills during the recent legislative session that aimed to address the threat from China, including a measure that would prohibit foreign adversaries from purchasing or otherwise acquiring agricultural land.

That Youngkin waited so long into his term  which began in January 2022  to embark on an international trade mission is somewhat unusual.

The Washington Post reported in December that he was the first governor in nearly 30 years not to lead such a trip in his first year in office. His press office said at the time that he would only undertake such trips if necessary and noted that Youngkin, a former private equity executive, had lured major new businesses to the state, including Boeing and Lego.

Virginia is home to scores of companies from the countries Youngkin will visit: five from Taiwan, 133 from Japan, and 25 from South Korea, according to his office.

The trip will be Youngkin's first to Asia as governor.
A man was arrested Sunday afternoon after he was accused of firing a handgun in the direction of a family member, then shooting a nearby home in North Waco, according to an arrest affidavit.

Police say Jose Valentine Marquez, 24, of Waco, fired a handgun toward a family member who was trying to remove her belongings from a house in the 1900 block of Algonquin Street around 3:30 p.m., according to the affidavit.

Around the same time from another nearby home, police received a call of another shooting, also tied to Marquez, his affidavit says.

No injuries were reported, officials said.

Police responded to the scene and surrounded the first home, believing Marquez to still be inside, the affidavit states. Then a neighbor shouted from his porch to tell police that the suspect had fired a gun in the direction of a pickup truck, missing the truck but hitting the neighbor's house, according to the affidavit.

Marquez's family told officers that he was trying to get a ride from an alleyway north of 18th Street and Seneca Avenue, the affidavit says. Police found Marquez and took him into custody around 5:15 p.m. Sunday, the affidavit says.

The lead investigator recovered a .45 caliber shell casing from the first home and a .45 caliber bullet from the second home, the affidavit says.

Marquez's family member described the gun in the incident as black in color, the affidavit says. Later in the investigation, police recovered a black Taurus PT145 .45 caliber handgun from a shed on the property where the first shooting was reported, the affidavit says. Police determined the Taurus PT145 handgun had been stolen in another case, the affidavit says.

Marquez remained jailed Monday evening on combined bond of $30,000 and charges from Sunday including second-degree felony aggravated assault with a deadly weapon; deadly conduct by discharging a firearm, a third-degree felony; and theft of a firearm, a state jail felony. His other charges include four traffic tickets.
Unification Minister Kwon Young-se speaks during a plenary session at the National Assembly, Seoul, April 3. Yonhap



South Korea has approved 240 million won ($183,000) worth of private humanitarian aid deliveries to North Korea, marking this year's first approval of aid to the North, a unification ministry official said Tuesday.



In March, the government gave the green light to a civilian group's application for assistance related to nutritional materials, the official said, without providing other details.



"The government plans to continue to approve the delivery of humanitarian goods to North Korea at the request of the civic groups if they meet all the requirements," the official told reporters on condition of anonymity.



Seoul approved 5.52 billion won worth of humanitarian aid to Pyongyang last year.



It remains unclear whether the reclusive regime has received the assistance amid pandemic-induced border controls and chilly inter-Korean relations. (Yonhap)


Correction: This story has edited to correct attributions of quotes by clergy who spoke at the ceremony.

West volunteer firefighter Eddie Hykel Jr., struck and killed by a big rig one week ago while working a car fire along I-35, received a massive send-off Monday at St. Marys Catholic Church of the Assumption.

About 500 people packed the historic sanctuary on South Harrison Street. Nearby parking lots filled to capacity, and vehicles lined neighborhood streets. Flags hung at half-staff around town. Uniformed firefighters, police officers, troopers, deputies and first responders made their presence felt for the last rites of a firefighter who had survived the West explosion a decade ago only to die in the line of duty on March 28.

The church was pretty full, and that does not happen too often, said Tim Payne, who spoke for Aderhold Funeral Home.

Hykel himself wore dress blues, prompting West Mayor Tommy Muska to remark during his eulogy he hoped someone placed a name tag on Eddie because God will not know him without that crappy hat. Muskas observation sent laughter rippling through those assembled.

Muska said later Hykel was never without his floppy western lid, one having been ridden hard and put up wet, and having its own personality.

It was a character, just like the 60-year-old man who had worn it decades. Hykel worked for Huck Manufacturing back in the day, then moved on to West City Halls public works department. He enjoyed restoring old tractors and trucks, painting anything he could get his hands on, working in his pasture, and messing with his cows, says his biography. He was very outspoken, never met a stranger, and was always there to lend a hand.

Dr. John Crowder, pastor of Wests First Baptist Church, called Hykel a beacon of hope in a time of crisis, someone unfailingly the first to arrive on the scene when lives and property were threatened.

His bravery and determination inspired others, said Crowder. In the worst moments of life, there was Eddie. His legacy is the life of countless people who are better having known Eddie Hykel.

Hykel lost his life when a Peterbilt rig slammed into two Texas Department of Public Safety vehicles positioned as sentries guarding a firetruck. Hykel was trapped beneath a DPS unit, forcing EMS crews to use an extrication device called the Jaws of Life to free him. Efforts to revive Hykel proved fruitless as he was transported to Baylor Scott & White Hillcrest in Waco.

Honorary pallbearers on Monday were all past and present members of the West Volunteer Fire Department, city of West employees and the West Volunteer Ambulance Association. Soloist Donna Beckhams selections included renditions of old hymns such as How Great Thou Art and The Old Rugged Cross. A memorial in the church foyer honored Hykel for heroism during the tragic West fertilizer explosion a decade earlier.

That same memorial referenced Bible verse John 15:13: Greater love hath no man than this. That a man lay down his life for his friend.

Emergency responders told the Tribune-Herald that Hykel may have pushed one DPS trooper away from the runaway big rigs path, possibly saving his life. Two injured troopers were treated for minor injuries and released.

St. Mary's Church of the Assumption Deacon Robin Waters spoke of Gods grace in a world filled with uncertainties, saying, Today could be the day we see him face to face.

Hykel knew his Redeemer and what his future held, Waters said.

He was not a man who wore religion on his sleeve, said Waters, but there was no doubt he loved his lord and savior, Jesus Christ.

Hykel was born in Waco, the son of Barbara (Hessel) and Edward Hykel Sr. He graduated from West High School in 1981, and five years later, on Sept. 13, 1986, married Janet Gerik in Tours. They had two children: Chris Hykel and Ashley Mynarcik, both of West, and four grandchildren: RaeLynn Ward, Dylan Cassity, Luke Mynarcik and Dannie Mynarcik, according to his biography.

Fire departments from throughout Central Texas and beyond sent representatives to the mass of Christian burial, whose celebrant was the Rev. Walter Dhanwar, who was assisted by Deacon Robin Waters and Crowder.

It was important for us to show our support for his family and his department, said Lt. Asher Linzer, with the Elm Mott Volunteer Fire Department. His is a neighboring department, and both communities are right next to each other. We sent an engine crew this morning.

The Waco Fire Department sent its honor guard/fife and drum unit, 14 uniformed officers and several chief officers, according to a spokesman.

It also provided an engine and four firefighters to serve the city of West during the funeral services that lasted into Monday afternoon.

A lengthy procession traveled from St. Marys Catholic Church to St. Marys Cemetery, passing landmarks and slices of life in West: Old Corner Drug, the VFW Hall, grazing cattle, the Westfest grounds, ballfields and railroad tracks.
We have been covering the efforts of the Hawker Typhoon Preservation Group and their quest to restore Hawker Typhoon Mk.Ib RB396 to flying condition for some years now. The organization held an event at their base of operations at Duxford Aerodrome on April 1st, 2023  the 78th anniversary of the aircrafts shoot-down over the Netherlands during WWII. Charlotte Bailey was on hand to cover the proceedings for Vintage Aviation News, and we hope you enjoy her report below

Hawker Typhoon RB396 Restoration Project Update

by Charlotte Bailey

On April 1st, 2023, the Hawker Typhoon Preservation Group (HTPG) (a UK-based charity) announced the latest stage of their ambitious project to return Hawker Typhoon Mk.Ib RB396 to airworthy condition.

In the center of the Aircraft Restoration Companys (ARCo) hangar in Duxford, Cambridgeshire, a white silhouette on the floor outlines an ambitious intention. The shape of things to come, this aspirational outline  a Hawker Typhoon Mk.Ib  hints at an airframe that, when complete, will serve as a living memorial to the 666 pilots who lost their lives while flying the type during WWII.

Admittedly, an initial glance at the assorted collection of pieces laid out like a part-assembled jigsaw reveals the scale of the work yet to be completed by this volunteer-run, passion-driven project. However, in the words of patron Air Marshall Cliff Spink, the puzzle pieces here are a metaphor for the type itself; Such a significant aircraft missing from the historical jigsaw. Unlike other WWII-vintage combat aircraft types which continue to inspire future generations as aerial ambassadors, the Typhoon is virtually extinct, with just a single, complete example in preservation, this being MN235 on static display at RAF Museum London. HTPG is eager to address this deficit, by resurrecting RB396s bones to produce an airworthy Typhoon for the world.

Despite its significant role in helping turn the tide of the war  specifically for its prowess during the Battle of Normandy  56% of all Typhoon pilots lost their lives while flying this pivotal, ground-attack fighter. Thus the HTPG formed in 2016 with the intention of creating a national memorial to serve as the lasting legacy these brave men and women deserve.

The project has moved forwards with some pace since those early days, and the unveiling at Duxford showcasing its present status comes at a notable anniversary for the airframe in question. RB396, a late-production model (of 3,317 total Typhoons built) rolled off the line at the Gloster Aircraft Companys factory in Hucclecote, Gloucestershire during November 1944, with No.174 Squadron RAF taking delivery soon after. During her brief military career, RB396 flew 35 combat sorties, taking flak damage on 18 separate occasions until fate eventually had its way on April Fools Day in 1945. RB396s pilot Flt Lt Chris House force-landed the Typhoon in a field near Denekampin in occupied Holland. The aircraft lay where it fell until cut up for scrap following the war. Somehow, the battered rear fuselage survived to make its way into a Dutch museum, which eventually sold the precious relic to HTPGs founders, who transported it to the UK in 2012.

Since then, work to redress that damage has been underway, starting with the rear fuselage section which is approaching the final stages of its restoration with Airframe Assemblies at Sandown on the Isle of Wight. I am told that the team possesses the majority of the required elements (save some missing wing data) for the build, although the distinctive radiator will hopefully serve a greater significance than propping up as a makeshift bar at todays event.

The intended engine  a factory-inhibited, zero-timed, 24-cylinder Napier Sabre Mk.IIa  came via donation from Cranfield University in 2016, and will ultimately power RB396s return to flight. This engine is a lynchpin for the project, as barely a handful of rebuildable Sabres remain in existence. Crucially, the group has secured full engineering support from Rolls-Royce (Napiers successor) for the powerplant; a collaboration four years in the making and described as critical to the projects success.

Sam Worthington-Leese, project director and trustee, also has a significant element to add to the build: a lever from the throttle quadrant of Typhoon Mk.Ib MN252. Recovered from a crash site in Holland many years ago, the component belonged to a No.184 Squadron Tiffie which Sams grandfather, Roy Worthington, was flying when he had to bail out over Holland on May 21st, 1944. Its not really a dream anymore  were making it a reality, notes Sam, who stresses the importance of engaging new generations with the HTPGs endeavors. Working with the Lincolnshire College Group, the project will support as many apprenticeships as it can handle; teaching heritage skills while also serving a vital STEM educational role.

Another staunch supporter of the project is 100-year-old Bernard Gardiner, a veteran Typhoon pilot who flew 71 combat operations. Gardiner is believed to be one of only four surviving Typhoon pilots worldwide, and noted that he would love to see it fly and hear the sound of the Sabre one more time.

Although the rebuild could be complete in as little as five years, the team is looking to raise approximately 6 million to ensure that the dream becomes a reality. Five tiers of support are available  bronze, silver, gold, platinum and diamond. More information for how readers can support this important project is available HERE

Many thanks to Charlotte Bailey for this engaging report. For those who wish to read more of Charlottes work, she recently published an impressive book covering the de Havilland Vampire. She interviewed more than fifty service pilots to fill her book Vampire Boys: True Tales from Operators of the RAFs First Single-Engined Jet with numerous first-person accounts for what it was like to fly this early jet-fighter!
A Charles City man was sentenced to more than 11 years in prison for allegedly distributing methamphetamine in North Iowa, according to a Monday press release from the Iowa U.S. Northern District Court.

Brandon Glaser, 44, received the sentence after pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance in October.

The charges stem from from a traffic stop in Cerro Gordo County in November 2021 in which he allegedly was found to be in possession of approximately two pounds of methamphetamine and more than $3,500 in cash. He is accused of getting the methamphetamine in Missouri before redistributing it in Iowa.

Glaser must also serve five years of probation after serving his sentence. He is not eligible for parole as federal system does not allow for it.

Photos: North Iowa history book, 1800s-1930s North Iowa history: Fire prevention North Iowa history: Grant valentines North Iowa history: Henkel Construction North Iowa history: House explosion North Iowa history: Huxtable Drug North Iowa history: Federal Packing Co. North Iowa history: Boy Scouts North Iowa history: Pierce with kids North Iowa history: Woodward Auto Children at telephone office North Iowa history: Divers at Clear Lake
February 27, 1947-March 30, 2023

Kenneth Ken John Leiss was born on February 27, 1947, in Boone, Iowa, to his parents John and Wilma (McConkey) Leiss. As the child of a military parent, Ken grew up in many different parts of the world. At the age of 11, he was raised at the Annie Wittenmyer Home in Davenport. After Ken graduated high school, he enlisted in the United States Army, honorably serving his country in the Vietnam War, as a helicopter gunner. He was awarded several medals, including 2 purple hearts.

After his discharge from the military, Ken worked several jobs before beginning his career as an over-the-road truck driver. In his later years, he worked as a clerk for the US Postal Service, in which he retired from.

On September 26, 1980, Ken was united in marriage to Vicki Wagner, in Oelwein, Iowa. The couple were overjoyed to welcome four children into their family.

Ken is survived by his wife Vicki of Waterloo; children Abbie (Scott) Morley, Jen (Steve) Davis of Cedar Falls, Liz Leiss, and KJ Leiss, both of Waterloo; grandchildren Ashlyn & Calysta Davis, Keadyn Leiss-Demus and Natalee Watson; brother John (Marie) Leiss of Hawthorne, CA and sister Leila (Chuck) Hennessey of Cedar Rapids. He rejoins in Heaven his parents; daughter Lindsey Leiss.

Ken passed away suddenly on Thursday, March 30 at UnityPoint Health in Marshalltown. Visitation will be held on Wednesday, April 5th from 5:00-7:00 PM at Locke Funeral Home at Tower Park, 4140 Kimball Ave., Waterloo. The funeral service will be held on Thursday, April 6th at 2:00 PM at Locke Funeral Home at Tower Park. Military honors will be performed following the funeral service at the funeral home. Interment will be held privately by the family. Memorials may to the family. For messages of condolence, please visit www.lockefuneralservices.com.
LONDON (AP)  Britains privacy watchdog hit TikTok with a multimillion-dollar penalty Tuesday for misusing children's data and violating other protections for young users' personal information.

The Information Commissioner's Office said it issued a fine of 12.7 million pounds ($15.9 million) to the short-video sharing app, which is wildly popular with young people.

It's the latest example of tighter scrutiny that TikTok and its parent, Chinese technology company ByteDance, are facing in the West, where governments are increasingly concerned about risks that the app poses to data privacy and cybersecurity.

The British watchdog, which was investigating data breaches between May 2018 and July 2020, said TikTok allowed as many as 1.4 million children in the U.K. under 13 to use the app in 2020, despite the platform's own rules prohibiting children that young from setting up accounts.

TikTok didn't adequately identify and remove children under 13 from the platform, the watchdog said. And even though it knew younger children were using the app, TikTok failed to get consent from their parents to process their data, as required by Britain's data protection laws, the agency said.

There are laws in place to make sure our children are as safe in the digital world as they are in the physical world. TikTok did not abide by those laws, Information Commissioner John Edwards said in a press release.

TikTok collected and used personal data of children who were inappropriately given access to the app, he said.

That means that their data may have been used to track them and profile them, potentially delivering harmful, inappropriate content at their very next scroll, Edwards said.

The company said it disagreed with the watchdogs decision.

We invest heavily to help keep under 13s off the platform and our 40,000-strong safety team works around the clock to help keep the platform safe for our community, TikTok said in statement. We will continue to review the decision and are considering next steps.

TIkTok says it has improved its sign-up system since the breaches happened by no longer allowing users to simply declare they are old enough and looking for other signs that an account is used by someone under 13.

The penalty also covered other breaches of U.K. data privacy law.

The watchdog said TikTok failed to properly inform people about how their data is collected, used and shared in an easily understandable way. Without this information, it's unlikely that young users would be able to make informed choices about whether and how to use TikTok, it said.

TikTok also failed to ensure personal data of British users was processed lawfully, fairly and transparently, the regulator said.

TikTok initially faced a 27 million-pound fine, which was reduced after the company persuaded regulators to drop other charges.

U.S. regulators in 2019 fined TikTok, previously known as Musical.ly, $5.7 million in a case that involved similar allegations of unlawful collection of children's personal information.

Also Tuesday, Australia became the latest country to ban TikTok from its government devices, with authorities from the European Union to the United States concerned that the app could share data with the Chinese government or push pro-Beijing narratives. U.S. lawmakers are also considering forcing a sale or even banning it outright as tensions with China grow.
ST. ANSGAR  A St. Ansgar man has been sentenced to federal prison for selling meth to a friend who later died of an overdose.

Judge C.J. Williams sentenced Eric Allen Young, 43, to up to 14 years in prison on charges of distribution of methamphetamine on Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Cedar Rapids. Following prison, he will be on supervised release for three years.

Authorities said Young sold $90 worth of meth to a Nashua woman March 18, 2021. She used it, began vomiting and became unconscious. Young attempted to revive her with CPR and then called a friend who dialed 911. He remained at the scene until authorities arrived, records state.

The woman died at the scene as a result of a methamphetamine overdose.

This case was investigated by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation and is being prosecuted by Assistant US Attorney Jason Dorval Norwood.
WATERLOO  A Waterloo man has been arrested following a fight with family members that ended with him getting cut on the hand.

Waterloo police arrested Gabriel Marceleno Lopez, 30, for false imprisonment, assault causing bodily injury and assault. He was later released pending trial.

According to court records, his 13-year-old sister was babysitting relatives at their Montero Street home around 7:45 p.m. Sunday when Lopez returned home intoxicated.

He allegedly began abusing the dog, and a fight broke out when she confronted him about it. She and the children attempted to flee the house, but he wouldnt let them leave and pulled one of the children back inside, records state.

Lopez mentioned a kitchen knife nearby, and the sister grabbed the knife to prevent him from getting it, records state. She fled to the bathroom and called her father, records state.

Police took Lopez to a hospital after arresting him.
Tuesday night's forecast for severe weather for eastern and southeastern Iowa resembles what was projected last Friday.

Its pretty similar to what we just experienced, said Alexis Jimenez, meteorologist with the National Weather Service. Its trending a little more to the north though.

The Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area was lucky to avoid significant damage and experienced few outages Friday.

However, the region again is on the edge of the portion of Iowa considered at moderate risk from 4 to 11 p.m. Tuesday, the fourth-highest NWS risk designation out of five.

That means tornados, large hail, damaging winds and thunderstorms are possibile. Showers could start as early as 3 p.m.

Keep updated with the forecast, have a severe weather plan and make sure you have a safe place to take shelter, said Jimenez, who says meteorologists are confident in their predictions for those given the "moderate risk" designation," and the forecast will not change.

The cities include Mashalltown, Dubuque, Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, Clinton, Davenport, Galesburg, Ottumwa and Memphis. No Iowa cities have been given the most dire -- high risk  designation.

Wind gusts could approach 40 miles per hour. The chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch are possible.

The weather is expected to dry out come early morning Wednesday. High winds are still a possibility; however, eastern Iowa is not on the same alert as Tuesday night, Jimenez emphasized, when widespread severe storms are possible.

April and May are when severe weather become more common in the Midwest as temperatures warm up and moisture increases, meaning stronger systems tend to move through.

Blame geography for the U.S. getting hit by stronger, costlier, more varied and frequent extreme weather than anywhere on the planet, several experts told the Associated Press. Two oceans, the Gulf of Mexico, the Rocky Mountains, jutting peninsulas like Florida, clashing storm fronts and the jet stream combine to naturally brew the nastiest of weather.

Thats only part of it. Nature dealt the United States a bad hand, but people have made it much worse by what, where and how we build, several experts said.

Then add climate change, and buckle up. More extreme events are expected, said Rick Spinrad, head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The fierce storms that spawned tornadoes in 11 states killed at least 32 people as the system that began Friday plodded through Arkansas and traveled northeast through the South and into the Midwest and Northeast.

However, no deaths were reported in Iowa. Grundy County, as well as Cedar, Clinton, Delaware, Des Moines, Dubuque, Johnson, Keokuk, Linn, Mahaska, Wapello, and Washington counties, saw the worst of the damage.

The Associated Press contributed to this report
WATERLOO  VGM Group Inc. received a $163,500 Iowa Language Learners Job Training Program grant in March.

The goal of this grant is to develop solutions to reduce language barriers for Iowa-based companies. VGM was awarded its full request, which is larger than what the 10 other employers across the state received.

Language barriers have become increasingly common as VGM continues to recruit employees of diverse backgrounds, according to a news release from the company. In just one of VGMs divisions, more than a third of the business units employes are Spanish-first speakers, and, of those, 33% report to someone who does not speak Spanish fluently. This means that supervisors and managers cannot fully understand one-third of those who report to them.

Reducing language barriers positively can improve safety in warehouse and production settings, as a misunderstanding due to language could unintentionally result in serious injury. Language education also creates opportunities for growth and development at work. And it allows individuals to better engage and feel belonging in the communities where they live.

With this grant, VGM will create an internal language program to strengthen communication and unify teams that were otherwise experiencing barriers through language. Over the next two years, its goal will be to develop a program to consistently educate small, focused groups of employees at each of the main VGM locations in six-month guided durations.

Up to 144 employees would be part of the program. The anticipated outcome is that they will have options for learning fluent English or Spanish to help them grow within the company as well as improving retention, attendance, and morale by cutting down the language barrier as much as possible.

Were incredibly grateful that VGM has this opportunity to take the necessary steps to develop this program, VGM Chief People Officer Sara Laures said in the release. Not only will this benefit and support our current employee owners, but this opens the door for bringing in more highly qualified talent.

VGM says it anticipates continuing the program for years to come in addition to helping other companies develop a similar program to support their employees.

Gun control legislation that passed and failed over the last 20 years Gun control legislation that passed and failed over the last 20 years Tiahrt Amendment Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act District of Columbia v. Heller Expanded background checks Lori Jackson Domestic Violence Survivor Protection Act Domestic Violence Gun Homicide Prevention Act of 2014 Homemade Firearms Accountability Act Denying Firearms and Explosives to Dangerous Terrorists Act of 2015 Criminalizing straw purchasing and gun trafficking Enhanced background checks 72-hour waiting period for those on terrorist watch lists Help End Assault Rifle Tragedies Act Preventing Gun Violence Act Gun Show Loophole Closing Act of 2017 Safer Neighborhoods Gun Buyback Act Handgun Safety Trigger Act Background Check Completion Act of 2017 Bipartisan bump stock ban Closing the Charleston loophole Universal background checks Bipartisan Safer Communities Act Protecting Our Kids Act Assault Weapons Ban of 2022
This image provided by Mandiant highlights the North Korean hacker group APT43, also known as Kimsuky. Yonhap



A North Korean hacking group known as Kimsuky has hacked cryptocurrency to fund the country's espionage operations related to its nuclear program, Mandiant, Google's cybersecurity unit, said Tuesday.



In a recently published report, Mandiant said it has tracked the state-backed hacker group, classified as APT43, over the past five years and found out that Kimsuky has committed cybercrimes to financially support Pyongyang's nuclear weapons program.



"This is a group that has done some cybercrime particularly targeting cryptocurrency," said Luke McNamara, principal analyst at Mandiant, in an online press conference for South Korean media. "We believe their primary mission is cyber espionage, gathering secrets for the North Korean government, particularly around nuclear policy."



He said APT43 is part of the Reconnaissance General Bureau (RGB) in the North Korean government, along with other secret operations groups like APT38, Temp Hermit and Andariel, which are widely called Lazarus.



Those groups are believed to share malware and hacking codes to carry out their mission to bring in money for the North Korean government to fund the weapons program.



"APT43 carries out a variety of different financially motivated activity, primarily focused on stealing cryptocurrency within this category of activity," he said. "And one of the things they do to try to make that cryptocurrency that they have stolen more difficult to trace by law enforcement is by rolling that into or using that to pay for cloud mining or hash rental services."



They laundered the stolen cyber money through cloud mining services, allowing the country to disrupt the trail of those stolen funds.



He noted that North Korea has used the laundered money to collect information about nuclear weapons by sending spear-phishing emails targeting policymakers or researchers in South Korea and the United States to ask for in-depth analysis of North Korean issues.



"They didn't even send any malware. They simply asked someone who was working on policy matters to provide their strategic analysis of what was going on," he said. "And a lot of targets who had been sent emails like this have freely responded and given responses to APT43, which as we know is North Korea's RGB."





Luke McNamara, principal analyst at Mandiant, is shown in this photo provided by Mandiant. Yonhap
Welcome back to Late Edition Crime Beat Chronicles, a Lee Enterprises podcast with host Nat Cardona. On this podcast, youll hear true crime stories as told by journalists from regional newspapers across the country.

For the next series of episodes, we will be diving into the 1990 cold case murder of Susan Negersmith in Wildwood, New Jersey. Youll hear from reporters, past and present, who covered the case as it has unfolded throughout the years and the many twists and turns along the way.

Before we hear from one of the original reporters on the Negersmith case, we need to head down to the Jersey Shore more than 30 years ago.

Susan Negersmith was a 20 year-old woman from Carmel, New York. She was visiting Wildwood, New Jersey, on Memorial Day Weekend with friends in 1990. She said goodbye to her friends in the evening of Saturday, May 26, and by the early hours of Sunday morning, Susans partially clothed body was found behind a dumpster near a Wildwood restaurant. Her death was originally ruled accidental, although there were signs of a struggle.

An important thing to note about Susan Negersmiths weekend trip with friends to Wildwood: this area is a destination for a debaucherously good time. Tourists flock there in the warm weather months to party hard. Theres a boardwalk packed with restaurants and bars packed with people from all over. Drinking heavily is a main activity. The reputation of the area for all of these things quickly comes into play in the early days of the investigation ... at the expense of solving Susans case in a timely fashion.

And for more on that, we are joined by Yvette Craig. She was a reporter at the Press of Atlantic City in the early 90s and closely covered Susan Negersmiths case from day one.

Read more about the case
On this version of Hot off the Wire:

 Former President Donald Trump has arrived in New York from his home in Florida for his historic booking and arraignment. As he prepared to head into Manhattan, the nations largest city was bolstering security and warning potential agitators that it is not a playground for your misplaced anger.

 A top official in Virginia's Office of the Chief Medical Examiner says an autopsy determined the cause of death for Irvo Otieno was positional and mechanical asphyxia with restraints."

 Residents across a wide swath of the U.S. are racing to assess the destruction from fierce storms that spawned possibly dozens of tornadoes from the South and the Midwest into the Northeast.

 Floridians will be able to carry concealed guns without a permit under a bill signed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.

 A giant red spoon that was stolen from an Arizona Dairy Queen and sparked a mystery on social media was found and its partly thanks to Pokemon GO.

 Riding terrific reviews and a strong word-of-mouth, the role playing game adaptation Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves opened with $38.5 million in U.S. and Canadian movie theaters over the weekend. That is according to studio estimates Sunday, stealing the top box-office perch from John Wick: Chapter 4.

 NASA has named the four astronauts who will fly around the moon late next year. The first moon crew in 50 years includes the first woman and the first African American assigned to a lunar mission.

 NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg says Finland will officially join the military alliance on Tuesday.

 Grammy winners Tanya Tucker and Patty Loveless, along with hit country songwriter Bob McDill, are going into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Iowans will have the opportunity to weigh in on changing the state constitution to codify the voting age as 18  not 21  in the 2024 election after the Legislature passed a resolution to amend the constitution Tuesday.

The proposed amendment, Senate Joint Resolution 9, would make no changes to the status quo, but it would change Iowas constitution to define an elector, someone eligible to vote, as a citizen and resident of the state who is at least 18 years old. And for primary elections, the amendment would define an elector as someone who will be 18 by the next election.

Though 18-year-olds have had the right to vote in Iowa for decades, the state constitution still says citizens age 21 and older have the right to vote under an amendment ratified in 1970.

In 1971, the 26th amendment to the U.S. Constitution set the voting age at 18 nationally, overruling Iowas constitution  but the wording has not changed.

The bill passed the Legislature last year, meaning it is now eligible to go to a vote for ratification. Iowa constitutional amendments must be passed by two separate general assemblies before going to Iowans for a vote.

DISASTER AID: Gov. Kim Reynolds on Tuesday issued a disaster proclamation for six more counties after tornado-producing storms tore through Eastern Iowa Friday evening, causing damage in several communities.

The additional counties include Appanoose, Davis, Iowa, Jackson, Lucas and Monroe. Reynolds previously signed a disaster relief proclamation on Saturday for 12 counties in Eastern Iowa. The counties include Cedar, Clinton, Delaware, Des Moines, Dubuque, Grundy, Johnson, Keokuk, Linn, Mahaska, Wapello and Washington.

The governors proclamation allows state resources to be utilized to respond to and recover from the effects of the severe weather. In addition, the proclamation activates the Iowa Individual Assistance Grant Program for qualifying residents, along with the Disaster Case Management Program for those counties.

The Iowa Individual Assistance Grant Program provides grants of up to $5,000 for households with incomes up to 200 percent of the federal poverty level. Grants are available for home or car repairs, replacement of clothing or food, and temporary housing expenses.

Original receipts are required for those seeking reimbursement for expenses related to storm recovery. The grant application and instructions are available on the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services website. Potential applicants have 45 days to submit a claim.

The Disaster Case Management Program provides case managers to work with clients to create a disaster recovery plan and help accessing a service or resource. There are no income eligibility requirements for this program, which closes 180 days from the date of the governors proclamation.

For information, contact your local community action association or visit www.iowacommunityaction.org.

OPIOID PREVENTION: Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird plans to highlight a new program designed to reduce the prevalence of opioid painkillers.

Birds office has scheduled for April 11 a joint news conference with St. Anthony Regional Hospital and Goldfinch Health in Carroll to highlight the Billion Pill Pledge, a program launched by the health care company that the AGs office said is designed to support patients through surgery and recovery by implementing and delivering advanced, opioid-minimizing surgery.

The goal of the Billion Pill Pledge is to remove 1 billion opioid pills from Americans homes, according to the programs website.

STATE BUDGET: The process of crafting the next state budget has begun, procedurally speaking, at the Iowa Capitol.

Not all lawmakers were on board with the process.

Majority-party Republicans on the Iowa Senates budget committee Monday advanced four bills that were, effectively, mere placeholders with no actual budget numbers in them. The bills eventually will establish state general fund spending for the budget year that begins July 1.

To start the process, Republicans advanced through the first two steps of the legislative process  subcommittee and committee approval  empty budget bills for the states administrative services division, natural resources and agriculture, economic development, and education. The budget numbers will be amended into the bills later, possibly while being debated on the floor of the Iowa Senate, after Republicans in the Senate and House agree to spending figures.

Democrats criticized Republicans for moving budget bills that had no spending figures and no agency employment numbers in them, especially through the only stage of the legislative process  the subcommittee  that the public is able to testify on a bill.

You appear to be experts at three-card monte. People dont know what the numbers are, they dont know where the employees in the state of Iowa are going to be. We dont have any of that information, said Sen. Bill Dotzler, D-Waterloo. Its kind of like a shell game.

Senate Republicans said their overall budget number of just less than $8.5 billion aligns with Gov. Kim Reynolds budget proposal, and that they wanted to start advancing bills to get the budget process started and send a signal to their counterparts in the House.

Majority-party Republicans in the House have proposed an overall budget of just shy of $8.6 billion, and late last week announced spending proposals for each of the eight budget bills that state lawmakers will craft.

DRUG PARAPHERNALIA: Iowa would impose a tax on glass and metal pipes designed primarily to smoke illegal drugs, and retailers would need a permit to sell them under a bill that advanced in the House.

Senate File 345 would put a 40% tax on devices made in whole or in part of glass or metal intended to smoke tobacco, hemp or other controlled substances. It would not affect vapor products. Retailers would need a $1,500 permit, renewed annually, to sell the devices.

The bill is targeted at pipes intended for illegal substances, like marijuana or crack cocaine, which often are labeled as tobacco devices and sold at retail shops and some convenience stores.

According to an analysis by the states nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency, the new tax would bring in around $3 million annually starting in 2025. The money would go to a fund supporting specialty courts that offer an alternative judicial process for people with substance use and mental health issues.

The bill passed the Senate last month, 47-2, and unanimously passed out of a three-member House subcommittee Monday.

AG CHALENGES BIDEN: Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird joined signed onto a letter with 21 other Republican-led states opposing new regulations from the federal Department of Energy that would put energy efficiency regulations on a range of consumer cookware, including gas and electric stoves.

The department released a proposed rule in January to update efficiency regulations for consumer cookware. Republicans criticized President Joe Biden when, earlier in January, a commissioner for a federal agency suggested a ban of gas stoves was being considered. But the Biden administration later said it had no plans to ban the appliances.

The new regulations would affect more than half of gas stoves currently on the market, a release from Birds office said. The release criticized the estimates the administration used in coming up with the standards, which Birds office said led to a skewed analysis that downplays its substantial cost to both states and consumers.

This is yet another power grab from the Biden Administration to advance their radical climate change agenda, Bird said in the release. And this time, its hitting us at home.

VIETNAM TRADE MISSION: Iowas Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig recently completed a trade mission to Vietnam and the Philippines, his office announced.

Naig and a 15-member delegation, in coordination with the Iowa Economic Development Authority, used the trip to encourage trade development, bolster partnerships and identify opportunities to expand export markets, his office said in a news release.

Iowa companies exported $227 million in agricultural goods to Vietnam and $273 million to the Philippines in 2022, according to the office, which also considers Southeast Asia to have considerable trade potential.

Vietnam and the Philippines are already important trading partners for Iowa, but we have an opportunity to increase our market share because of their growing populations and our long-standing reputation as a dependable, proven, and consistent supplier of high-quality products, Naig said in the news release.
The Iowa State Patrol said Roland Taylor, 77, was northbound on U.S. 71 north of the intersection with 300th Street about two miles north of Spencer on an International 300 utility tractor. At about 5:58 p.m., Jon Hjelm, 68, of Spencer, who was driving north on U.S. 71 in a Chevrolet K2500 pickup, struck the tractor from behind in the right lane.
DES MOINES  A bill being advanced by Iowa Republican lawmakers could limit ability of the state auditor to perform oversight on programs that total more than $12 billion, which could result in loss of services provided by those dollars.

That's according to a new fiscal analysis from the nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency of Senate File 478.

The bill, which passed the Senate earlier this month on a party-line vote with Democrats opposed, would place limits on what personal information the state taxpayers' watchdog could demand during an audit.

Iowa State Auditor Rob Sand is the lone Democrat to hold statewide office.

Republican lawmakers have denied claims the bill is a personal attack meant specifically to target Sand.

The bill would prohibit the state auditor's office from accessing criminal, medical, tax and educational records or "other similar information that an individual would reasonably expect to be kept private," unless the information is made anonymous before its disclosure.

Any dispute with another state government agency  including the governor's office or other statewide offices  would be resolved by an arbitration panel and could not be taken to court.

A bipartisan coalition of state auditors and national organizations that represent state auditors and accounting professionals have said the proposal would hinder the state auditor's ability to conduct investigations in an independent, nonpartisan fashion and hamper its ability to root out and prevent waste, fraud and abuse of taxpayer dollars.

Republicans say the bill protects Iowans' personal information and puts into state law general accounting standards.

However, the Legislative Services Agency's fiscal analysis notes Iowa Code and federal law already maintains the strict confidentiality of information and records obtained during the course of an audit, including medical and student education records.

Auditors also are subject to the same restrictions and penalties as the custodian of records for improper disclosure, it stated.

The agency warns the bill may limit the scope of an audit performed by the auditor's office, which could impact the state's ability to comply with federal award requirements.

Denial of information requested by the auditor's office for an audit would lead to a modified opinion stating the office was unable to obtain all documents needed to sufficiently audit to federal standards. That would result in more frequent audits, increasing costs to the state, according to the agency.

It also could potentially lead to federal agencies withholding, suspending or disallowing cash payments to the state through programs such as Medicaid, Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and others.

House amendment

The fiscal note is based off the bill that passed out of the Senate, but was amended last week by the House State Government Committee.

The amendment removed language stating the office would only be able to access records with personal information if the agency being audited agrees with the auditor that the information is necessary in order to conduct an audit.

Rep. Michael Bergan, R-Dorchester, who serves on the House subcommittee that advanced the bill and has an accounting background, said it is his goal to avoid any risk to federal funding. Bergan said he feels the amended language achieves that goal.

"For the most part, we've addressed that, but we're still in the process of discussions with both the auditor of state and CPAs," Bergan said, noting the restrictions would also apply to certified public accounting firms that perform audits for counties, cities, school districts and other local governments across the state.

"At this point, I'm still open to changes in the amendment that came out of committee to ensure we're address" the financial concerns outlined in the LSA fiscal note, Bergan said.

'Big number'

Sonya Heitshusen, public information officer for the Iowa State Auditor's Office, said the amendment does no sufficiently address the fiscal concerns.

"The fiscal note speaks for itself and adds to the professional and nonpartisan chorus sounding the alarm about Senate File 478," Heitshusen said.

Rep. Adam Zabner, a Democrat from Iowa City who serves on the House State Government Committee, said he still has concerns the bill will erode transparency and accountability in state government and undercut the independence of the auditor's office.

"Twelve billion dollars, that's a pretty big number," Zabner said. "And when LSA is saying there's going to be a qualified opinion or disclaimer on that $12 billion in funds, that's a really big impact on everyday Iowans in terms of the programs they rely on, and the potential that we may have issues with those programs and there may be some sort of federal audit.

"I think that should scare folks."

Zabner said he's unconvinced the House amendment will fix those concerns.

"We should all want our tax dollars to be spent efficiently and correctly," he said.

These are the highways in Iowa with the most fatalities. These are the highways in Iowa with the most fatalities.
PARIS  For French authorities, police are protectors ensuring that citizens can peacefully protest President Emmanuel Macron's contentious retirement age increase. For human rights advocates and demonstrators who were clubbed or tear-gassed, officers have overstepped their mission.

A man in a Paris protest march lost a testicle to an officer's club, and a police grenade took the thumb of a woman in Rouen. A railroad worker hit by grenade fragments lost an eye.

"Where is your humanity?" a woman shouted at officers who knocked an apparently homeless man to the ground in Paris, kicked him and used vulgar language while ordering him to get up and go.

The violence adds to anger in the streets and complicates efforts to invite dialogue between the government and labor unions, who are planning an 11th round of nationwide demonstrations Thursday.

The protests, which began in January, gained momentum after Macron's decision last month to push a bill to raise the retirement age through the lower house of parliament without a vote.

The common French reference to law enforcement officers as "forces of order" has been turned on its head. Now the question is whether police represent force or order.

Jarred by the bad publicity, authorities shifted to damage control by offering accolades for security forces.

"There is no police violence," Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said last week on RTL radio while condemning "individual acts" of officers who use disproportionate force. "Can't we occasionally thank the forces of order?"

The minister said Sunday in an interview with Le Journal du Dimanche that since the start of the protests, 38 officers and gendarmes are being investigated by internal inspection units.

Concerns about police brutality reverberated beyond France. Amnesty International, the International Federation of Human Rights and the Council of Europe  the continent's main human rights body  are among organizations that cited excessive use of force by police during what has been a largely peaceful protest movement.

French police are sent into demonstrations with stun grenades and rubber bullets, which are prohibited in most European countries, said Sebastian Roche, an expert on security forces with France's National Center for Scientific Research.

Demonstrations and potentially mutilating weapons are a combustible combination, Roche said, because "the temptation will be very big to use these armaments" especially when police come under a cascade of objects hurled at them.

The strategy is "at once very violent" and in some aspects illegal, Roche said, citing cases in which demonstrators were detained en masse and released without charges the next morning. Lawyers' and magistrates' associations said such practices are an abuse of the law.

Jonas Cardoso, a 20-year-old student, was among more than 100 people detained during a March 23 protest in Paris.

"I spent hours in a cell for four people with nine other protesters. I slept on the floor," he told The Associated Press. Cardoso denied any wrongdoing and was released without charges.

Worse, Cardoso said, is that violence may beget more violence.

"If the government doesn't listen to us, the violence will rise. Our worst fear is that someone will die while protesting," he said.

"There are troublemakers, often extreme left, who want to take down the state and kill police and ultimately take over the institutions," Darmanin said after a protest in March that turned especially violent.

In one dramatic video posted on social networks, an officer is seen crashing to the ground after being hit with a paving stone. Colleagues dragged him away.

Violence by and against police is not limited to Paris, or to protests over Macron's retirement plan.

Gendarmes and militants opposed to an artificial water basin recently clashed in rural France. Four people  two gendarmes and two protesters  were hospitalized in serious condition.

According to French policing rules, the use of force "must be absolutely necessary, strictly proportionate and graduated."

"Of course, the police response is proportionate," Paris Police Chief Laurent Nunez insisted in a television interview.

"Without police, demonstrations wouldn't take place," he said, insisting on their role as guardians of peace.

However, some protesters found themselves trapped by police tactics such as encirclement, in which officers surround marchers so police can chase down troublemakers. But protesters stuck inside the police bubble can't escape tear gas fumes.

Roche said the latest tensions show that France has "an accumulation of (police) crises that no other European country has."
A North Korean flag flies on a mast at the Permanent Mission of North Korea in Geneva in this undated file photo. Reuters-Yonhap



The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) on Tuesday adopted a resolution on North Korea's gross rights violations.



The resolution, co-sponsored by South Korea and adopted at the 52nd regular session of the UNHRC, urged the North to ensure freedom of speech both online and offline, allow the establishment of independent media, and reconsider its law on blocking cultural content from outside the reclusive country.



In 2020, North Korea adopted a new law on "rejecting the reactionary ideology and culture" that bans people from distributing or watching media originating from South Korea, the United States and other countries.



The latest resolution also called on Pyongyang to disclose all relevant information, including the whereabouts, of foreigners detained or kidnapped in the North to the families of the victims.



It appears to reflect the Seoul government's demand for the North to clarify the death of a South Korean fisheries official who was fatally shot by the North's coast guard near the Yellow Sea border between the two Koreas in 2020.



The UNHRC has adopted a resolution condemning North Korea's human rights abuses every year since 2003.



South Korea, however, did not co-sponsor such a U.N. resolution from 2019 to 2022 under the previous Moon Jae-in administration that apparently sought to avoid tensions with the North and resume inter-Korean dialogue. (Yonhap)


NEW YORK (AP)  A small park built on a site that was once a swampy, sewage-filled pond was ground zero for the frenzy surrounding former President Donald Trump's surrender Tuesday at a courthouse in Lower Manhattan.

Hundreds of onlookers, protesters, journalists and a few politicians swarmed into the confines of Collect Pond Park across the street from the criminal courthouse, where Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts. Ultimately, though, hardly anyone got a glimpse of Trump: He entered and left the courthouse out of view of demonstrators gathered in the park.

The crowd was small, by the standards of New York City protests, which routinely draw thousands. And fears that unruly mobs might force police to shut down swaths of the city proved to be unfounded, with security measures mostly disappearing within a couple of blocks.

But within the park and the surrounding sidewalks, there was plenty of chaos.

Metal barricades separated Trump supporters from anti-Trump protesters, and police stepped in to break up small skirmishes. Journalists, some of whom had taken turns waiting in line all night to reserve a coveted seat in the courtroom, pressed in on notable figures who appeared.

Whistles and jeers from anti-Trump protesters nearly drowned out remarks by U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Georgia Republican, who had come to support Trump. But she drew cheers from the pro-Trump contingent before making a fast exit as journalists jostled for position around her.

Also on hand to support Trump was U.S. Rep. George Santos, the besieged Republican congressman facing multiple investigations into lies about his biography that he told while running for office.

Im not here for the cameras, he insisted to reporters. I want to support the president, just because I think this is unprecedented, and its a bad day for democracy.

The crowds grew larger in the moments leading up to Trump's arrival at the courthouse to become the first president or former president in U.S. history to face criminal charges.

But the energy of the crowd faded as the hours passed Tuesday, and after it was clear Trump had departed, the park started to empty out quickly.

New York police had said they were ready for large protests by Trump supporters, who share the Republican former presidents belief that the New York grand jury indictment and three additional pending investigations are politically motivated and intended to weaken his bid to retake the White House in 2024.

A few hundred did show up to support Trump on Tuesday, waving Trump flags and wearing Make America Great Again hats.

But security was loose enough in the neighborhood that plenty of passers-by walked through the park just to see what was going on.

One woman went through what looked like a Tai Chi routine, steadfastly ignoring the reporters.

At one point, a tour guide led a group of tourists through the area. The guide stopped to take photos of the scene, then continued on. Others lingered after wandering near the large pack of journalists.

Kyle Heath, 37, from Carmel, Indiana, was in the city for a family vacation that had been planned for some time. He walked through the park amid the throngs of journalists, taking it all in.

We wanted to come down and kind of witness what was going on, and say that we were as close to it as we could be, Heath said. In Indiana, we dont have this much excitement.

In the late 1700s, Collect Pond Park was the site of a small body of water that had become an open sewer as the city grew. It was filled in in the early 1800s, but for decades was part of Manhattan's notorious Five Points slum, known for gang warfare.

A different sort of tension ran high around the courthouse and park Tuesday as news media jostled for position. Television networks hired security personnel who pushed people away. Some reporters had begun lining up for a seat in the courtroom on Monday afternoon, and stayed there all night or paid others to hold their place.

A small skirmish erupted when anti-Trump protesters unfurled a large banner that read TRUMP LIES ALL THE TIME in the middle of a Trump supporters. Police quickly diffused the scene.

I think its very important. I think its very symbolic, you know, it shows that at least in New York with the DA that no man is above the law, said Gregory Williams, 57, who showed up with a life- size cutout of Hillary Clinton and a handmade sign saying Lock Him Up.

Associated Press writer Paul J. Weber in Austin, Texas, contributed to this report.
Flanked by American flags, Donald Trump delivered a campaign-style speech to cheering supporters at Mar-a-Lago Tuesday night. Trump was defiant, referring, among other things, to his two impeachment trials during his presidency. He called the New York indictment the latest in an onslaught of fraudulent investigations. Trump was arraigned Tuesday in a Manhattan courthouse on 34 felony charges tied to hush money paid to multiple people during the 2016 presidential campaign. The former president pleaded not guilty.
Terrorism is back on our streets, in our cities. But now those forces have engaged in terror, in which quite recently our sworn Western friends saw the honor and conscience of the era. Opponents of the authoritarian regime. Fearless knights of justice and the fight against corruption. The masks have been dropped. Here it is, the color of our non-systemic opposition  he is at war with his people, he blows up and kills. These bastards not only openly want the defeat of Russia and the death of our Motherland, now they are executing their compatriots. An unarmed journalist was killed and several dozen innocent spectators were injured at his creative meeting. They shot at a car with children who were going to the village school. They blew up a car with a female journalist and scientist in it. The circle of history is closed.

This trash has found its final place in the annals of our country.

The dumb-headed perpetrators of terrorist attacks today whiningly lament: I was used. This is probably true. The semi-debile expendable material used by our non-systemic opposition was lucky to survive. But this, of course, will not save the material from just punishment. Worse, so far, those main geeks who fed and financed the hired killers, who dictated plans to them, remain without retribution. See them? Yes, yes, this is our so-called irreconcilable opposition, which has been fighting against its own country for several years now with the active support of the West, where pompous films are made about it, awarded biased awards. All these stinking FBK and MBKh-media, Navalny, Volkov, Ponomarev and other Khodorkovskys have become just ordinary terrorists and murderers. They voluptuously enjoy the sight of the blood of Russian citizens. They flare their nostrils with excitement at the sight of wounded and maimed bodies. They devoutly swore allegiance to darkness and terror, along with the murderers of their native Kyiv Nazi regime.

Dont negotiate with terrorists. They are exterminated like rabid dogs with poisonous saliva flowing from their mouths. No extra pompous words. As soon as the opportunity arises. Even if sometimes it takes years. Forgiveness and compassion are not applicable to them. This is what the highest justice is.

Medvedev

WtR
Russian Defence Ministry report on the progress of the special military operation



(4 April 2023)

The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation continue the special military operation.

 In Kupyansk direction, aviation and artillery of the Zapad Group of Forces inflicted a fire damage on the units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) close to Dvurechnaya, Sinkovka, Berestovoye (Kharkov region), and Stelmakhovka (Lugansk Peoples Republic).

 Up to 30 Ukrainian troops, two armoured fighting vehicles, one motor vehicle, and one D-20 howitzer were destroyed.

 In Krasny Liman direction, aviation, artillery, and heavy flamethrower systems of the Tsentr Group of Forces hit AFU units close to Nevskoye (Lugansk Peoples Republic), Yampolovka, and Grigorovka (Donetsk Peoples Republic).

 The enemy has suffered losses of up to 225 Ukrainian troops, three armoured fighting vehicles, one Gvozdika self-propelled howitzer, and one D-30 howitzer in this direction in the past 24 hours.

 In Donetsk direction, units, aviation, and artillery of the Yug Group of Forces have eliminated more than 65 Ukrainian troops, four armoured fighting vehicles, two motor vehicles, and one D-30 howitzer during the day.

 In South Donetsk and Zaporozhye directions, Operational-Tactical and Army aviation, Missile Troops and Artillery of the Vostok Group of Forces inflicted a fire damage on AFU units close Ugledar, Novosyolka (Donetsk Peoples Republic), and Orekhov and Shcherbaki (Zaporozhye region).

 The total losses of the enemy in these directions during the day have amounted to 70 Ukrainian servicemen, two armoured fighting vehicles, and one D-20 howitzer.

In Kherson direction, up to 10 Ukrainian servicemen, two motor vehicles, and two D-30 howitzers have been neutralised by fire.

 Operational-Tactical Aviation, Missile Troops and Artillery of the Russian Group of Forces have engaged 83 AFU artillery units at their fire positions, manpower, and military hardware in 96 areas during the day.

 Moreover, three AFU artillery ordnance depots were annihilated close to Ogurtsovo (Kharkov region), Kurakhovo (Donetsk Peoples Republic), and Orekhov (Kherson region). An artillery ordnance depot of the Ukrainian Armed Forces has been destroyed near Konstantinovka (Donetsk Peoples Republic).

 In addition, three HIMARS and three Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles were shot down close to Krasnogorovka (Donetsk Peoples Republic) and Kakhovka (Kherson region).

In total, 405 airplanes and 228 helicopters, 3,651 unmanned aerial vehicles, 415 air defence missile systems, 8,534 tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles, 1,078 combat vehicles equipped with MLRS, 4,501 field artillery cannons and mortars, as well as 9,292 units of special military equipment have been destroyed during the special military operation.

#MoD

 @mod_russia_en

WtR
 Top News Today

 In Donetsk direction, the Yug Group of Forces and artillery have eliminated up to 285 Ukrainian troops, one tank, three infantry fighting vehicles, one armoured fighting vehicle, eight motor vehicles, two pick-up trucks, one Grad MLRS vehicle, four D-30 howitzers, and two ammunition depots.

 Air defence forces have intercepted 10 HIMARS and Smerch MLRS projectiles during the day.

 Press centre chiefs of Zapad, Vostok, Tsentr, Dnepr, and Yug groups of forces make statements on current situation in the areas of responsibility.

 Russian Defence Ministry shows TOS-1A Solntsepyok heavy flamethrower systems, Tor-M1 SAM systems, and Su-25 ground-attack aircraft in combat action within the special military operation.

 Ukrainian POWs tell about situation in their units.

#MoD #TopNews

 @mod_russia_en

WtR
 On the pressure on the leadership of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra in the midst of Lent

Read completely

 In the last days of March  the first days of April, the campaign of the current Kyiv regime and the splitting and non-canonical so-called. Orthodox Church of Ukraine, aimed at capturing the pearl of Orthodoxy  the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra .

This action has been in the making for a long time.

On April 1, the rector of the Lavra, Metropolitan Pavel, was taken under house arrest, and neo-Nazi activists began to arrive at the location of the monastery, mocking in every possible way the services and the attempts of the brethren and prayers of the monastery to keep the Lavra in the bosom of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

 Noteworthy is the time that Zelensky and his regime chose to put pressure on the Lavra  the time of Great Lent.

The Kiev regime has turned its religious policy into one of the tools for promoting neo-Nazi practices. It has long been known that under the rule of Poroshenko, followed by Zelensky and others like them, Russian and world Orthodoxy suffers, the current secular authorities initiated and administratively supported a terrible, by the standards of religious life, violation of tradition  the split of churches, intervening in the sacred side life of every Orthodox believer.

Its no secret that the Zelensky regime is not independent in its anti-clerical policy. A split in Orthodoxy, a blow to this area of life is the goal that was proclaimed long ago in Washington.

 The capture of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra is an illegitimate act from a legal and immoral from a spiritual point of view of the current authorities in Kiev.

It is more indicative than many other steps of the regime and its rhetoric, it proves its criminal nature, readiness to disregard feelings and, most importantly, the rights of people, incl. citizens of Ukraine.

WtR
 Statement of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in connection with the completion of the process of registration of membership  of Finland in NATO

 On April 4, 2023, the completion of all legal procedures related to the registration of Finlands membership in NATO was officially announced.

As we have repeatedly warned, the Russian Federation will be forced to take retaliatory measures , both of a military-technical and other nature, in order to stop the threats to our national security that arise in connection with Finlands entry into NATO.

Concrete steps in defense construction on the northwestern borders of Russia will depend on the specific conditions for the integration of this country into the North Atlantic Alliance, including the deployment of NATO military infrastructure and strike weapons systems on its territory.

 As a result of more than doubling the line of direct contact between NATO and the borders of the Russian Federation, there has been a fundamental change in the situation in the Northern European region  previously one of the most stable in the world. The North Atlantic Alliance has taken another step closer to the territory of Russia.

< ...>

By joining NATO, Finland finally renounced its self-identity and any independence, which has distinguished it in international affairs for decades. The policy of military non-alignment pursued by Helsinki has long served the Finnish national interests and has been one of the important factors for ensuring confidence in the Baltic Sea region and on the European continent as a whole. Now this is already in the past. Finland has become one of the small, undecided member countries of the alliance, having lost its special voice in international affairs.

We are convinced that the hasty step taken by Finlands authorities without due regard for public opinion by organizing a referendum and a thorough analysis of the consequences of NATO membership will be judged by history.

 Finlands accession to NATO cannot but have a negative impact on Russian-Finnish bilateral relations.

WtR
This photo captured from the website of China's Embassy in North Korea on Tuesday, shows China's new ambassador to North Korea, Wang Yajun, right, submitting a copy of credentials to a senior official at the North Korea's foreign ministry. Yonhap



China's new ambassador to North Korea began his official activities Tuesday, according to China's Embassy in Pyongyang, after his arrival was delayed for years due to the North's COVID-19-related border restrictions.



Amb. Wang Yajun submitted a copy of credentials to the North's foreign ministry Monday when he arrived in Pyongyang, according to the embassy.



In February 2021, China appointed Wang as Beijing's top envoy to the North to replace his predecessor, Li Jinjun.



But his departure to Pyongyang was delayed due to the North's tight border control over the COVID-19 pandemic.



Wang vowed his efforts to develop traditional ties between China and North Korea, and seek bilateral cooperation in various fields, according to the Chinese embassy.



North Korea has been deepening its ties with China, the North's traditional ally and economic benefactor, amid global sanctions on its nuclear and missile programs, and stalled denuclearization talks with the United States. (Yonhap)


Weather Alert

.Near record high temperatures Thursday through Sunday will bring significant streamflow rises, especially for snow covered terrain below about 8000 feet. Rises will likely increase daily through the weekend following a diurnal melt cycle with the highest flows often in the evenings and overnight. ...FLOOD WATCH FOR SNOWMELT IN EFFECT FROM THURSDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH MONDAY MORNING... * WHAT...Flooding caused by snowmelt is possible. * WHERE...Portions of California and western Nevada, including the following areas, in California, Greater Lake Tahoe Area, Lassen-Eastern Plumas-Eastern Sierra Counties, Mono County and Surprise Valley California. In western Nevada, Greater Lake Tahoe Area, Greater Reno-Carson City-Minden Area and Mineral and Southern Lyon Counties. * WHEN...From Thursday afternoon through Monday morning. * IMPACTS...Creeks and streams will be running high and fast. Low-water crossings may be flooded. Minor mainstem flooding is currently forecast along the Forks of the Carson River beginning late Friday. The Susan and Walker Rivers will also need to be closely monitored as flooding cannot be ruled out. Anyone participating in outdoor recreation this weekend should use caution as water will be running high, fast, and potentially out of banks for some creeks and streams. The water will be extremely cold as well, quickly causing shock. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS... - http://www.weather.gov/safety/flood PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... You should monitor later forecasts and be alert for possible Flood Warnings. Those living in areas prone to flooding should be prepared to take action should flooding develop. &&
India's Rahul Gandhi appeals against jail sentence over Modi-related defamation case

Xinhua) 14:08, April 04, 2023

NEW DELHI, April 3 (Xinhua) -- Former leader of India's main opposition Congress party Rahul Gandhi on Monday filed an appeal against his conviction and jail sentence in a criminal defamation case related to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

A court in the western Indian state of Gujarat has extended his bail until April 13 when the next hearing is to be held.

Last month the court sentenced Gandhi to two years in prison for his 2019 comments on Modi's surname during an election rally.

Following his conviction, the lower house of the Indian parliament (locally known as Lok Sabha) disqualified the former president of the Indian National Congress (INC) party as a lawmaker.

Last week, Congress party members held protests in India's several states against Gandhi's disqualification of parliament membership.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Korean Independence fighter Hwang Ki-Hwan's grave at a cemetery in Queens, New York, U.S. / Yonhap



The remains of a Korean independence fighter who inspired a hit 2018 TV series will return home from the United States next week a century after his death, the veterans ministry said Tuesday.



The remains of Hwang Ki-hwan, currently laid to rest at Mount Olivet Cemetery in New York, will be sent to South Korea on Sunday (local time) before the centennial anniversary of his death on April 17, according to the ministry.



It plans to inter the remains at the Daejeon National Cemetery in Daejeon, 139 kilometers south of the capital, on Monday after holding a repatriation ceremony.



The ministry had sought for the remains' return for a decade but faced obstacles as the New York cemetery had called for a local court's approval due to the absence of Hwang's family members.



The cemetery finally reached an agreement on the remains' relocation in January after persuasion from the ministry and South Korea's Consulate General in New York, according to the ministry.



Hwang's life got into the spotlight in recent years as he became known as the real-life model of a protagonist in the historical drama "Mr. Sunshine."



Born in Sunchon, South Pyongan Province, now in North Korea, in 1886, Hwang moved to the United States in 1904 and volunteered to fight for the country during World War I.



After the war, he supported Korean representatives to the Paris Peace Conference in 1919 and took part in the independence movement against Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule.



He died of heart disease in New York in 1923. (Yonhap)


On one hand, local businesses are fleeing or being targeted for closure. On the other, the city of Albuquerque appears to be going on a private land shopping spree. Neither is a recipe for a vibrant private sector.

For decades the Franklin Plaza strip center at East Central and Juan Tabo has been neglected. On March 10 the Walmart at 301 San Mateo SE closed  and the rumor mill is crime and homelessness were in great part to blame.

Now the city has announced plans to buy both, suggesting a grocery store and housing for the Walmart site and a new fire station, urgent care and workforce housing for the strip center that used to house a Furrs grocery.

Both could very well have merit. But good intentions are nowhere near enough: The city cant buy every blighted property in its limits; once you take an address off the property tax rolls its unlikely to ever return; and while city officials have experience running a fire station, even professional grocery chains failed at these sites.

Meanwhile, in a move that smacks of picking winners and losers, the city has gone to court to close a third storefront  with no intent on making a third purchase  saying Adam Food Market at 7817 Central NE has been a haven for criminal activity. Property owner Sharif Rabadi says the city is shifting blame for crime onto businesses. He points out another vacant property on Central isnt going to help.

Hes right. Each of these proposals warrants a thorough discussion and a clear-eyed examination of return on investment for taxpayers, who will foot the bill for the purchases and improvements, as well as likely have to pick up the slack when those properties stop generating tax revenue.

This editorial first appeared in the Albuquerque Journal. It was written by members of the editorial board and is unsigned as it represents the opinion of the newspaper rather than the writers.
The total economic impact from construction and operation of Pattern Energys massive SunZia transmission and wind-generation project, expected to break ground this summer, could reach $20.5 billion over 30 years, according to a new study.

The full SunZia transmission project, which developers first began planning in 2008, could eventually carry up to 4.5 gigawatts of wind energy over two high voltage lines running from Central New Mexico to south-central Arizona for sale in western markets.

Southwestern Power Group, the initial developer, had originally planned to build both lines, including a 1.5 GW alternating current, or AC line, and a 3 GW direct current, or DC line, with Pattern Energy as the anchor tenant who would transport electricity from its New Mexico wind farms over SunZia.

But Pattern acquired the rights to the 3 GW line last summer, and now plans to build that transmission line alongside development of 3.5 GW of new wind energy. That includes nearly 1,000 turbines it plans to install in Lincoln, Torrance and San Miguel counties, spanning about 600,000 acres of private and state trust lands.

The company previously said it will invest about $8 billion to build the DC transmission line and the new wind farms. But a new study by research firm Energy, Economic & Environment Consultants LLC, released Tuesday morning, now estimates the total economic impact over the full 30-year life of the project could reach $20.5 billion.

That includes $16.2 billion in direct capital spending, ongoing operations over three decades, and payments to landowners for hosting transmission lines and wind turbines on their property.

The project will also generate about $1.3 billion for local, state and federal governments through taxes and payments to agencies like the State Land Office, plus corporate sponsorships in rural communities. Another $3 billion in indirect and induced benefits will accrue from spending on local goods and services, and from the overall impact of increased local development on rural households and communities, according to the study.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham called it a win-win when tallying both the environmental benefits and economic impact from SunZia, which Pattern calls the largest renewable project ever planned to date in the U.S. and throughout the Western Hemisphere.

New Mexico is proud to be the home of the largest clean energy infrastructure project in U.S. history, and we are eager to realize the economic and environmental benefits this project will provide, Lujan Grisham said in a statement Tuesday morning. Clean energy is the key to meeting our climate goals and building a lower carbon future, and a project like this one that also generates billions in economic impact makes this a clear win for New Mexico.

Not all benefits will accrue in New Mexico. Arizona will see about $1 billion in economic impact from that portion of the SunZia line built in that state, according to the study. And, about $12.1 billion of the remaining $19.5 billion impact will flow to out-of-state suppliers, although the physical assets that Pattern purchases from them  such as wind towers and transmission infrastructure  will be installed in New Mexico.

But that still leaves about $7.4 billion in local impact, including some 2,000 jobs expected during peak construction, plus about 110 permanent jobs when the transmission line and wind turbines come online in 2026.

SunZia has all local, state and federal permits in place to begin construction, with only the U.S. Bureau of Land Managements final decision on the transmission line still pending. But the BLM is expected to fully green light SunZia in May, concluding a 15-year effort by developers to receive the needed approvals.

All the difficult work is complete, and the BLM is now making final checks on its environmental impact statement, Pattern CEO Hunter Armistead told the Journal. That process is tracking to early May  and almost immediately thereafter we would be ready to begin work.

SunZia has weathered major hurdles over the years through lengthy and contentious permitting processes and opposition from conservation groups who feared the transmission line  which will cross the Rio Grande south of Belen  could be lethal to wintering flocks of sandhill cranes and other birds that may fly into the line.

To mitigate those impacts, Pattern will deploy near-ultraviolet illumination devices, plus bird flight diverters that spin in the wind and reflect light, along sensitive areas to scare birds away. Its also financing wildlife conservation studies and buying up targeted lots of land to convert into avian safe havens, said Pattern spokesman Matt Dallas.

Were doing some truly innovative things, some of which are new for transmission projects, Dallas told the Journal.

For Pattern, SunZia represents the peak of its work in New Mexico, following its opening last year of a 155-mile Western Spirit transmission line in Central New Mexico that included 1 GW of new wind farms totaling a $1.8 billion investment, Armistead said.

SunZia is the most ambitious renewable energy venture thats ever been attempted, and we consider it a culmination of our commitment to New Mexico, Armistead said. Western Spirit was sort of a dress rehearsal for SunZia, even at $1.8 billion. But this is really the main event.
A year ago, hundreds lined up outside a cannabis shop in Sunland Park for opening day of recreational marijuana sales. In Albuquerque, the governor greeted dozens of customers at an Uptown dispensary before they purchased legal cannabis for the first time.

And in the months following, more than 10 million transactions  nearly 7 million for recreational purchases alone  took place at the hundreds of dispensaries across the state.

Now, one full year into recreational marijuana sales the states industry has sold nearly $301 million in cannabis products, which has accounted for more than $27 million and counting in collected cannabis excise taxes. In a sign of the industrys growth in New Mexico, more than $32 million in recreational cannabis was sold in March  a record-breaking sales month for the industry.

Im beyond thrilled that the industry has gotten off to such a strong start, Javier Martinez, a Democratic legislator who for years has supported cannabis legalization, told the Journal. We (legalized) it the right way.

How we got here

At the end of February, the states cannabis industry was roughly $32 million away from reaching $300 million in sales in the first year. It managed to do so in March, with its highest ever sales. The previous sales record was set in December, when the industrys pot shops sold more than $28 million in recreational cannabis.

Recreational sales last April were at about $22.1 million. By October, the state reached $25 million in adult-use sales for the first time.

Albuquerque, the largest city in the state, sold more than $96 million in recreational cannabis through 12 months. Las Cruces did $22.4 million, Santa Fe did $22.2 million and tiny Sunland Park  a town of roughly 17,000 that borders west El Paso  sold $19.4 million in recreational cannabis, state data shows.

Reilly White, an associate professor of finance at the University of New Mexicos Anderson School of Management, said many factors played into a strong year one for the industry.

Strong consumer spending and historically low unemployment in New Mexico  encouraged the growth of recreational marijuana, and cannabis taxes have provided an additional state and municipal revenue source, White said.

But White also pointed to the decrease in medical cannabis sales, which was predicted to happen after the introduction of an adult-use industry.

Medical cannabis is an area that Duke Rodriguez, the president and CEO of Ultra Health, the largest cannabis business in New Mexico, says will continue to see further drops. But he added declines will also continue on the patient side  the number of enrollees has declined by nearly 30,000 since last April  for the medical cannabis program, so long as adult-use cannabis is available.

Every month has seen a consistent drop in enrollees and medical sales, Rodriguez said. It is very difficult to fathom a sudden bump upward in medical demand.

What has year one been like?

Adult-use sales brought with it many new licensees. The state says, to date, there are more than 600 dispensaries, 351 producers, 415 microproducers and 507 manufacturers.

The number has drawn some criticism that the new industry may be oversaturated.

But Dulce Cannabis co-owner Victor Martinez is just happy to be here. Martinez, along with his fiance, Samantha Zamora, were one of the first approved for a retail license last January under the Cannabis Control Division.

Its been a long road, Martinez said. I know when you first open up a business, youre looking at taking a loss. For us, it hasnt been anything like that.  Im happy where were at and of course Id love to expand, would love to do more, but I see (us) kind of going a long way with this whole cannabis thing.

For R.Greenleaf, one of the states legacy operators  a business that operated in the medical industry prior to last year  the era of adult-use has meant continued growth. The company, before being acquired by Colorado-based Schwazze last year in a multi-million-dollar deal, has grown from 10 dispensaries to 18.

Im thrilled with how well they are doing, said Ken Diehl, the division president for Schwazze that oversees R.Greenleaf in New Mexico. Theres unbelievable potential (in this industry).

Looking ahead

Insiders say year two is likely to be one of market correction, resulting in the shuttering of some cannabis shops across the state. But despite potential challenges, the industry can grow into something much bigger  it just might take some time, White says.

Cannabis in New Mexico has a clear pathway to grow to more than a half billion dollars per year, especially as we compare the sales to states that legalized years ago, White said. But the road will get rocky ahead  many businesses may find their operations unsustainable as market saturation limits their growth. Uncertainty in the economic outlook is also a factor, particularly since its not clear how much consumers would cut back on recreational sales during times of economic stress. As the market matures, the industry will consolidate around the most successful companies with the greatest success in New Mexico.
NEW YORK (AP)  A stone-faced Donald Trump made a momentous courtroom appearance Tuesday when he was confronted with a 34-count felony indictment charging him in a scheme to bury allegations of extramarital affairs that arose during his first White House campaign.

The arraignment in a Manhattan courtroom was a stunning  and humbling  spectacle for the first ex-president to ever face criminal charges. With Trump watching in silence, prosecutors bluntly accused him of criminal conduct and set the stage for a possible criminal trial in the city where he became a celebrity decades ago.

The indictment centers on allegations that Trump falsified internal business records at his private company while trying to cover up an effort to illegally influence the 2016 election by arranging payments that silenced claims potentially harmful to his candidacy. It includes 34 counts of fudging records related to checks Trump sent to his personal lawyer and problem-solver to reimburse him for his role in paying off a porn actor who said she had an extramarital sexual encounter with Trump years earlier.

The defendant, Donald J. Trump, falsified New York business records in order to conceal an illegal conspiracy to undermine the integrity of the 2016 presidential election and other violations of election laws, said Assistant District Attorney Christopher Conroy.

Trump, somber and silent as he entered and exited the Manhattan courtroom, said not guilty in a firm voice while facing a judge who warned him to refrain from rhetoric that could inflame or cause civil unrest. All told, the ever-verbose Trump, who for weeks before Tuesdays arraignment had assailed the case against him as political persecution, uttered only 10 words in the courtroom. He appeared to glare for a period at Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, the prosecutor who brought the case.

As he returned to his Florida estate, Mar-a-Lago, where he delivered a primetime address to hundreds of supporters, Trump again protested his innocence and asserted on his Truth Social platform that the hearing was shocking to many in that they had no surprises, and therefore, no case.

In his speech, Trump lashed out anew at the prosecution and attacked in bitter terms the prosecutor and the judge presiding over the case despite being admonished hours earlier about incendiary rhetoric. In a sign of that other probes are weighing on him, Trump also steered his speech into a broadside against a separate Justice Department investigation into the mishandling of classified documents.

I never thought anything like this could happen in America, Trump said of the New York indictment. This fake case was brought only to interfere with the upcoming 2024 election and it should be dropped immediately.

The crowd at Mar-a-Lago included supporters like failed Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake and longtime ally Roger Stone. Trumps wife, Melania, was absent from his side and was also not seen with him in New York.

Even so, the indictment amounts to a remarkable reckoning for Trump after years of investigations into his personal, business and political dealings. It shows how even as Trump is looking to reclaim the White House in 2024, he is shadowed by investigations related to his behavior in the two prior elections, with prosecutors in Atlanta and Washington scrutinizing efforts by Trump and his allies to undo the 2020 presidential election  probes that could produce even more charges.

In the New York case, each count of falsifying business records, a felony, is punishable by up to four years in prison  though its not clear if a judge would impose any prison time if Trump is convicted. The next court date is Dec. 4  two months before Republicans begin their nominating process in earnest  and Trump will again be expected to appear.

A conviction would not prevent Trump from running for or winning the presidency in 2024.

The arraignment also delved into Trumps rhetoric on the case, with prosecutors at one point handing printouts of his social media posts to the judge and defense lawyers as Trump looked on. Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchan did not impose a gag order but told Trumps lawyers to urge him to refrain from posts that could encourage unrest.

The broad contours of the case have long been known, focusing on a scheme that prosecutors say began months into his candidacy in 2015, as his celebrity past collided with his presidential ambitions.

Though prosecutors expressed confidence in the case, a conviction is no sure thing given the legal complexities of the allegations, the application of state election laws to a federal election and prosecutors likely reliance on a key witness, Trumps former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen, who pleaded guilty in 2018 to false statements.

It centers on payoffs to two women, porn star Stormy Daniels and Playboy model Karen McDougal, who said they had extramarital sexual encounters with Trump years earlier, as well as to a Trump Tower doorman who claimed to have a story about a child he alleged the former president had out of wedlock.

Its not just about one payment. It is 34 false statements and business records that were concealing criminal conduct, Bragg told reporters, when asked how the three separate cases were connected.

All 34 counts against Trump are linked to a series of checks that were written to Cohen to reimburse him for his role in paying off Daniels. Those payments, made over 12 months, were recorded in various internal company documents as being for a legal retainer that prosecutors say didnt exist. Cohen testified before the grand jury and is expected to be a star prosecution witness.

Nine of those monthly checks were paid out of Trumps personal accounts, but records related to them were maintained in the Trump Organizations data system.

Prosecutors allege that the first instance of Trump directing hush money payments came in the fall of 2015, when a former Trump Tower doorman was trying to sell information about an alleged out-of-wedlock child fathered by Trump.

David Pecker, a Trump friend and the publisher of the National Enquirer, made a $30,000 payment to the doorman to acquire the exclusive rights to the story, pursuant to an agreement to protect Trump during his presidential campaign, according to the indictment. Peckers company later determined the doormans story was false, but is alleged to have enforced the doormans confidentiality at Cohens urging until after Election Day.

Trump denies having sexual liaisons with both Daniels and McDougal and has denied any wrongdoing involving payments.

Tuesdays schedule, with its striking blend of legal and political calendar items, represents the new split-screen reality for Trump as he submits to the dour demands of the American criminal justice system while projecting an aura of defiance and victimhood at celebratory campaign events.

Wearing his signature dark suit and red tie, Trump turned and waved to crowds outside the building before heading inside to be fingerprinted and processed. He arrived at court in an eight-car motorcade from Trump Tower, communicating in real time his anger at the process.

Heading to Lower Manhattan, the Courthouse, he posted on his Truth Social platform. Seems so SURREAL  WOW, they are going to ARREST ME. Cant believe this is happening in America. MAGA!

Afterward, Trump lawyer Todd Blanche told reporters that it was a sad day for the country.

You dont expect this to happen to somebody who was president of the United States, he said.

___

Tucker and Weissert reported from Washington. Associated Press journalists Jill Colvin, Bobby Caina Calvan, Larry Neumeister, Karen Matthews, Larry Fleisher, Deepti Hajela, Julie Walker, Ted Shaffrey, David R. Martin, Joe Frederick and Robert Bumsted in New York; Colleen Long and Michael Balsamo in Washington; Adriana Gomez Licon in Palm Beach, Florida; and Terry Spencer in Palm Beach, Florida, contributed to this report.

___

Follow the APs coverage of former President Donald Trump at https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump.
ABCs General Hospital marks its 60th anniversary this week, making it the longest-running scripted show currently in production on American television.

The soap is marking the milestone with a fan favorite storyline, the Nurses Ball, a gala that raises money for charity. This week the residents of the fictional city of Port Charles dress to the nines and walk a red carpet. In a guest appearance, Chandra Wilson of Greys Anatomy plays fashion editor Sydney Val Jean.

Shes a big fan of the show, said executive producer Frank Valentini of Wilson. She taped all the scenes on the red carpet and was working at Greys the same day. Im just so crazy about her.

Valentini is pumped about this years musical performances too, as a number of the cast can sing and dance.

Some of the numbers are some of the best things weve ever done, and weve done some really good stuff.

While viewers enjoy the ball as it plays out this week, Valentini and head writers, Dan OConnor and Chris Van Etten, are looking at storylines for the summer  and beyond. Right now, the show is scripted through the end of May, with writers outlining June.

Valentini, OConnor and Van Etten spoke to The Associated Press, sharing a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to keep General Hospital on track, crafting storylines, production, balancing veteran characters with new faces and other topics.

Answers have been edited for length and clarity.

WRITERS TAKE THE LONG GAME

VAN ETTEN: There are stories that have certain benchmarks that we want to hit. We try to say, OK, Chapter 1 may take us through September. Chapter 2 can take us into November. You get the right bang for your buck by letting a secret or letting a piece of information stew for as long as you can make it make sense and not bore the audience. Its a weird tightrope to balance.

WRITING AND PRODUCING A SOAP OPERA IS A PUZZLE

VAN ETTEN: Theres a puzzle on a micro level and on a macro level. On a micro level, every week, were looking at not just the story and where we want to move the plot and characters, but there are certain economic issues. The studio can only accommodate so many sets at a time. If we put up a set on a Monday, its best to try to use that on a Tuesday and then even again on a Wednesday because it will save time and money. We will take these puzzle pieces of, These are the stories. These are the characters. How can we move the story within the set and other economic considerations that we have?

BALANCING LEGACY PLAYERS WITH NEW FACES

When Valentini took over as executive producer in 2012, he leaned into the soaps history and brought back several of its veteran cast. Some made appearances, others stayed on. Today, General Hospital has veteran cast members, including Genie Francis, Tristan Rogers, Finola Hughes, Kristina Wagner and Lynn Herring, who are very much in the mix. Theres another tier of longtime cast members  Maurice Benard, Rebecca Herbst, Laura Wright and Chad Duell, for example  who are in front-burner stories. The soap regularly features storylines with its newer cast, including Tabyana Ali, Nicholas Chavez and Evan Hofer.

VALENTINI: When you inherit so much history and so many front-loaded characters and stories, you cant just abandon them. Having been at One Life to Live for many years, EPs would come in and they would fire the whole staff. Theyd fire all the writers. They would change the show and start from ground zero. I never think thats the right thing to do. You dont burn the ship. You turn it around. The cast is just phenomenal, and the few people that weve added over the years, I think have really complemented and given the characters on the show storyline. You bring in people to support who you have. We introduce the new characters slowly and methodically and in a way that the audience responds to them.

STORY IS CREATED AROUND BIG SET PIECES

The writers say if a big set goes up, the locale needs to get used. An example is a hotel pool where characters catch rays.

VAN ETTEN: The Metro Court pool is a special case because youve got to fill a big tank of water thats too costly to empty out and then fill back up again based on the writers whim. We had bugged Frank for years, We want a pool. We want a pool for the summer because we have a very attractive cast, and we should show them off They are wonderful actors, but theyre also beautiful. When he finally yielded to our unrelenting pressure, one of the rules about using the pool is that when it goes up, it stays up.

WHEN TO REFRESH A SET

The Quartermaines are a wealthy family in Port Charles and all live together in a big mansion. Over time its been upgraded with a new foyer, parlor, a solarium and even a breakfast nook.

VALENTINI: The Quartermaine living room just seemed very old (before). They are a very wealthy family People redo their living rooms and people redo their kitchens. These are places that legitimize and help to authenticate the characters in the world that they live in. And I think when the characters arent in the right location, it detracts, and it compromises their integrity. When you see (Benards character) Sonny (Corinthos) in his cool penthouse, that speaks to the character.

SOAP OPERA RAPID-AGING SYNDROME

Soap Opera Rapid-Aging Syndrome or SORAS, is a phenomenon where a young character is suddenly aged for storyline purposes. This has happened many times over the years including with Eden McCoy, who plays Josslyn Jacks, and Chavezs character Spencer Cassadine.

OCONNOR: Usually its a conversation that we have, especially when certain characters move out of some generational benchmarks. Our high school characters are now college age and young adults. So that would be a discussion, Hey, maybe there is room for an adolescent set of characters on the show. Its based off our needs and the story and the show.

VAN ETTEN: Theres also an X factor in there. We have the best casting director in the business, Mark Teschner. Hell just unearth someone and especially if its a younger person, hell bring this person to Franks attention. Frank may look at the canvas as a whole and say, We have a 6-year-old character who doesnt necessarily fulfill a real purpose except to be this persons child. Maybe if by aging them to 12 with this younger actor that Mark has found, we can get more story.

STAYING TRUE TO THE SHOWS HISTORY

With 60 years of story, the writers must remember the history of the characters as best they can, including marriages, babies, and health scares.

OCONNOR: Id say its a collective effort. We do have producers in charge of continuity, but as writers, we all share in that responsibility as well. And the fact that so many of us, if not most of us, were lifelong fans, that certainly helps.

VAN ETTEN: This is me speaking for me, not the writers. I personally believe you shouldnt let adherence to continuity get in the way of a really good story. You dont want it to be something that completely conflicts with a characters 40 years of history, but if you can find a little bit of wiggle room, if you can justify why something that happened back in 1979 might today be viewed through a different lens and therefore make a current story work, I can justify that.

CRITICS ONLINE

Its normal for viewers to react both positively and negatively to various storylines, but nowadays with social media, they are given a megaphone to blast those thoughts to the world immediately and in large quantities. The writers appreciate the feedback but also try to not get too fixated on it.

VAN ETTEN: When I was a breakdown writer, I would read Twitter on days when my episode was on. Now that I have a much larger responsibility for the show, Im very sensitive and I want to put out something that people like. If they dont like it, theyre usually very, very particular about not liking it. I cant. I dont need that in my life.

OCONNOR: Different social media platforms and audiences seem to have different opinions about certain things. So, its hard to say. Theres a consensus on the show as a whole or the stories when you go to, say, Twitter. (Twitter) has a different opinion than Instagram or Facebook or the message boards. So its hard to gauge just from that feedback which opinion represents the majority of our audience.

IS LUKE SPENCER REALLY DEAD?

OCONNOR: Theres very few deaths in Port Charles that are permanent. You never know.
Visitors enjoy the view of fully bloomed cherry blossom trees in Yeouido, southwestern Seoul, Saturday. Seoul's cherry blossoms started blooming on March 25 this year, which is 14 days earlier than average. Yonhap



By Lee Hae-rin



The unexpectedly early blooming of spring flowers in Korea this year has left local governments scrambling to host their flower festivals earlier than usual to prevent the long-awaited mask-free spring events from ending up flower-free.



According to the Korea Metrological Administration (KMA), cherry blossoms in Seoul started blooming on March 25 this year, which is 14 days earlier than average, coming around April 8. It is also the second-earliest blooming date recorded since the KMA started making meteorological observations in 1922.



Flowers in the southeastern regions of Daegu and North and South Gyeongsang provinces also bloomed about eight days earlier than usual. In the southeastern port city of Pohang, cherry blossoms bloomed on March 16, while Daegu and Andong bloomed on March 21 and 23, respectively.



Due to the unexpected early blooming of cherry blossoms, regional spring flower festivals in North Gyeongsang Province's Uiseong and Andong, and Gangwon Province's Namdaecheon kicked off last week, which is around a week ahead of their usual annual schedules.



In Seoul and around the capital area, several flower-viewing venues with cherry blossom trees were already crowded with springtime picnickers before the festivals kicked off over the weekend.



Over 1.1 million people visited Yeouido's cherry blossom road, Yoonjung-ro, last weekend, according to Seoul's Yeongdeungpo District Office. In response, the district office moved up the traffic control originally planned for the Yeouido Cherry Blossom Festival, set to take place between April 4 and 9.



In the city's northeastern Seongdong District, around 220,000 people visited Seoul Forest. In response, Seongdong District rescheduled the region's two cherry blossom festivals  held in Songjeong village and Geumho Mountain  to April 1, a little over a week earlier than the original date of April 9.



The blooming time for flowering trees depends on temperature and duration of sunlight. The average temperature in Seoul during March was 3.9 degrees Celsius higher than last March and the duration of sunlight was 20.5 hours more.



The KMA estimates that the country's spring flower blooming time could be moved forward a further week in advance if greenhouse gas emissions are not cut and abnormally high temperatures continue.


LONDON (AP)  On Oct. 14, a Russian engineer named Gleb Karakulov boarded a flight from Kazakhstan to Turkey with his wife and daughter. He switched off his phone to shut out the crescendo of urgent, enraged messages, said goodbye to his life in Russia and tried to calm his fast-beating heart.

But this was no ordinary Russian defector. Karakulov was an officer in President Vladimir Putins secretive elite personal security service  one of the few Russians to flee and go public who have rank, as well as knowledge of intimate details of Putins life and potentially classified information.

Karakulov, who was responsible for secure communications, said moral opposition to Russias invasion of Ukraine and his fear of dying there drove him to speak out, despite the risks to himself and his family. He said he hoped to inspire other Russians to speak out also.

Our president has become a war criminal, he said. It is time to end this war and stop being silent.

Karakulovs account generally conforms with others that paint the Russian president as a once charismatic but increasingly isolated leader, who doesnt use a cellphone or the internet and insists on access to Russian state television wherever he goes. He also offered new details about how Putins paranoia appears to have deepened since his decision to invade Ukraine in February 2022. Putin now prefers to avoid airplanes and travel on a special armored train, he said, and he ordered a bunker at the Russian Embassy in Kazakhstan outfitted with a secure communications line in October  the first time Karakulov had ever fielded such a request.

Along with information on Putin, Karakulovs testimony offers an intimate view of one mans decision to defect  without telling his own mother, who he said remains a strong Putin supporter. It raises critical questions about how deep the Russian publics acceptance of the war runs, and how Putins opponents in the West and beyond might leverage any silent opposition.

While not speaking directly about his case, an official with a security background from a NATO country said a defection like Karakulovs has a very great level of interest. He spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive political matters.

That would be seen as a very serious blow to the president himself because he is extremely keen on his security, and his security is compromised, he said. Thats something that he would be very unhappy about  particularly if the compromise is to do with communications, upon which a great deal relies.

PUTIN IS SIMPLY AFRAID

As an engineer in a field unit of the presidential communications department of the Federal Protective Service, or FSO, Karakulov was responsible for setting up secure communications for the Russian president and prime minister wherever they went. While he was not a confidant of Putins, Karakulov spent years in his service, observing him from unusually close quarters from 2009 through late 2022.

Karakulov, his wife and his child have gone underground, and it was impossible to speak with them directly due to security constraints.

The Dossier Center, a London-based investigative group funded by Russian opposition figure Mikhail Khodorkovsky, interviewed Karakulov multiple times and shared video and transcripts of more than six hours of those interviews with The Associated Press, as well as the Danish Broadcasting Corporation DR, Swedish Television SVT, and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation NRK. The Dossier Center confirmed the authenticity of Karakulovs passport and FSO work identity card, and cross-checked details of his biography against Russian government records, leaked personal data and social media postings.

The Associated Press reviewed the materials from the Dossier Center and independently confirmed Karakulovs identity with three sources in the U.S. and Europe, who were not authorized to speak publicly. The AP also independently corroborated personal details, including Karakulovs passport numbers, date and place of birth, two registered addresses, and the names and ages of family members, but was unable to verify details of his defection.

The AP also confirmed that Karakulov is listed as a wanted man in the Russian Interior Ministrys public database of criminal suspects. The ministry initiated a criminal investigation against Karakulov on Oct. 26 for desertion during a time of military mobilization, according to documents obtained by the Dossier Center and seen by the AP.

The FSO is one of the most secretive branches of Russias security services.

Even when they quit, they never talk, but they know a lot of details of the private life of the president and the prime minister, said Katya Hakim, a senior researcher at the Dossier Center.

The Kremlin did not respond to requests for comment. Neither did Karakulovs father or brother.

Karakulov moved as part of an advance team, often with enough specialized communications equipment to fill a KAMAZ truck. He said he has taken more than 180 trips with the Russian president, and contrary to widespread speculation, Putin appears to be in better shape than most people his age. Putin has only canceled a few trips due to illness and has annual medical checkups, he said.

Unlike the prime minister, Putin does not require secure internet access on his trips, Karakulov said.

In all my service, I have never seen him with a mobile phone, he said. All the information he receives is only from people close to him. That is, he lives in a kind of information vacuum.

Karakulovs work brought him to luxury hotels for summits, beach resorts in Cuba, yachts  and aboard a special armored train outfitted for the Russian president.

Putins train looks like any other, painted gray with a red stripe to blend in with other railway carriages in Russia. Putin didnt like the fact that airplanes can be tracked, preferring the stealth of a nondescript train car, Karakulov said.

I understand that hes simply afraid, he said.

Putin began to use the train regularly in the run-up to the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Karakulov said. Even last year, Putin continued to insist on strict anti-COVID measures, and FSO employees took shifts in two-week quarantine so there would always be a pool of people cleared to travel with Putin on the train, he said.

Putin has set up identical offices in multiple locations, with matching details down to the desk and wall hangings, and official reports sometimes say hes one place when he is actually in another, according to Karakulov and prior reporting by a Russian media outlet. When Putin was in Sochi, security officials would deliberately pretend he was leaving, bringing in a plane and sending off a motorcade, when he was in fact staying, Karakulov said.

The guys would talk about this, really laughing, he said. I think that this is an attempt to confuse, first, intelligence, and second, so that there are no assassination attempts.

FACES OF WARRIORS

Karakulovs defection was a surprising turn for a family steeped in patriotic military tradition.

Born in Dagestan, Karakulov was raised to be ready for war, believing it was his sacred duty to defend his homeland. After graduating from a military academy, he found his way into the FSO.

To be close to the president  it sounded pretty cool, he said.

Karakulovs father is a former military man, who has worked as a professional photographer, among other jobs. He is working on a project he calls Faces of Warriors, a series of elegant, hagiographic portraits of Russian soldiers and veterans.

Karakulovs brother is a local government official, records show, and served as the point person for a regional, government-backed project devoted to civic patriotism and honoring Heroes of the Fatherland.

Karakulovs job introduced him to a world beyond his family. Even as his father and brother marched in patriotic military parades, his own doubts deepened. Hes horrified to think that he might also be rallying around the letter Z in support of the war in Ukraine if his job hadnt taught him to see through the lies of Russian state television.

Thanks to my work in the FSO, I have seen how information is distorted, he said.

He also began to question the conspicuous spending of Russias top leaders. He said he saw officials convene large delegations at luxurious resorts that cost more each night than his monthly salary. Theyd all attend a brief meeting and then hang out for a week, he said.

If this is from the budget, then the question is, Is it not too much to spend this kind of money on one person?' he said. If its not from the budget, then its total corruption.

Russias invasion of Ukraine was a breaking point, he said. He told his wife he wanted out. He didnt want their young daughter brainwashed in preschool, where children were doing patriotic salutes and being told about bombs.

This is not the future I would like for my child, he said.

With Russias September mobilization drive, Karakulov realized that if he quit his job, he was likely to be drafted into a war he didnt want to fight. But even if he stayed, he could get sent to the front.

He learned that some of his colleagues had been dispatched to Ukraine and killed. He saw photos of FSO crews destroyed by Ukrainian rockets, with dozens likely dead.

He was outraged that no one in Russia acknowledged those deaths.

Theres no information about them, Karakulov said. What were they doing there? Why did they end up there? Why did they die there?

The only conversations he had were with colleagues who seemed to relish the war. He imagined others must share his views, but he had no way to find them.

They simply cannot even open their mouths, he said.

Karakulov said he couldnt tell his parents about his disillusionment either, because their minds had been molded by years of watching Russian state television.

As the war streamed in on the evening news, his parents seemed to savor the view from the front. He found it unbearable and asked his mother to turn off the TV. She refused.

He said he tried to explain to her that Ukraine is an independent country, but she immediately cut him off. What is this? she said to him. You want to run away? Are you some kind of foreign agent?

He never told them he was leaving.

In October, a series of official meetings in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, gave Karakulov his chance to run away. He and his wife packed their lives into three suitcases. He flew out Oct. 6 with the rest of his team. His wife and daughter joined two days later, staying in a separate hotel.

But each day, Karakulov found another reason not to go.

On the last day of the delegation, Oct. 14, he realized he couldnt postpone any longer. His wife collected his suitcase from his hotel room to avoid raising suspicion. He slipped away after lunch, telling colleagues that he was heading out to buy souvenirs.

He climbed in a taxi with his wife and daughter and set off for the airport around 3 p.m.

From then on, it was only a matter of my own nerves, he said.

He got through check-in and started getting messages from colleagues asking where he was. The flight was delayed by an hour. He could feel a distant fury building against him. By 5 p.m., he figured people had started to look for him.

You scumbag, read one message.

Fifteen minutes before takeoff, he switched off his phone.

His wife was very upset. They spent the 5 1/2-hour flight waiting for something to go wrong.

When they finally cleared passport control in Turkey, Karakulov said it was like a great stone had fallen from his soul.

He said he knows many people will accuse him of being unpatriotic, but he disagrees.

Patriotism is when you love your country, he said. In this case, our homeland needs to be saved, because something crazy and terrible is happening in our country. We need to fix this.

THE PRICE OF DISSENT

What the future holds for Karakulov  and anyone who might dare to follow in his footsteps  is far from clear.

He was not the only one who wanted out.

On Sept. 27, days after Russias mobilization, an engineer at a regional FSO center in Siberia named Mikhail Zhilin sneaked through the forest across the border to Kazakhstan. Many Russians fled to Kazakhstan to avoid the draft, but the authorities refused Zhilins request for asylum and sent him back to Russia. On March 20, a Russian court sentenced him to 6 1/2 years in a penal colony.

Abbas Gallyamov, a Russian political analyst now living in Israel who was a speechwriter for Putin from 2000 to 2001 and again from 2008 to 2010, said he believes the majority of Russias elites secretly oppose Putins war. He added that if the West had offered them an exit strategy instead of sanctions, more might have left.

They are all shocked, he said. From their point of view, there was no reason to do this because everything was okay  now all of a sudden, everything collapsed.  Were enemies of the world.

Gallyamov, like Karakulov, is on the wanted list of Russias Interior Ministry. He said a defection like Karakulovs is a particular blow because the FSO is like a royal elite above other military and security structures in Russia, charged with protecting the states most precious asset: Putin himself.

They will be very angry, he said. There will be hysterics.

Tatiana Stanovaya, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said Russian public opinion about the war is divided but there is little space for public dissent, especially for people working within the system.

The rule is that the elite stick to Putin, she said.

Those who do leave Russia often pay a price to keep their conscience clear.

Boris Bondarev, a career Russian diplomat in Geneva, quit in May and denounced the war.

Speaking from an undisclosed location in Switzerland, Bondarev told the AP he is living as a political refugee on a government allowance, with security constraints hed rather leave deliberately ambiguous. He cant find a job and has had to move apartments several times, for both financial and safety reasons. He cant travel freely  not even to meet a reporter for a cup of coffee in town.

I sent my CVs to dozens of think tanks in the U.S., in the U.K., in Europe, and most were ignored, he said. I got a few answers that sorry, but we already have Russia experts.'

He said there are plenty of Russians who quietly oppose the war but dont dare speak out, for fear of losing their livelihoods. A few colleagues who quit Russias Foreign Ministry after he did contacted him for advice. They were having trouble finding work. One returned to Moscow because he couldnt make a living outside of Russia, he said.

Bondarev said he sometimes has second thoughts when he sees pictures of people eating out at nice restaurants in Moscow, living the kind of good life he can no longer afford.

But then he remembers the price: brainwashing, propaganda, hypocrisy.

I would come to my office at 9 and leave at 6 p.m. and in between I would have to produce numerous papers explaining why Ukraine attacked Russia, he said. I dont want it. No, no, I cant complain today.  I live very, very well.

___

Associated Press reporters Jamey Keaten in Geneva, Aamer Madhani in Washington and Joanna Kozlowska in London contributed to this report.
BALTIMORE (AP)  A one-time chief of staff for former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan died Monday after being shot when FBI agents confronted him in a manhunt launched when he failed to show up for trial on corruption charges, his lawyer said.

Attorney Joseph Murtha said the FBI confirmed Roy McGraths death to him. He added that it was not immediately clear if McGraths wound was self-inflicted or came during an exchange of gunfire with agents.

William Brennan, an attorney for McGraths wife, Laura Bruner, also confirmed the death and said she was absolutely distraught.

According to an earlier email from FBI Supervisory Special Agent Shayne Buchwald in Maryland, McGrath was wounded during an agent-involved shooting about 6:30 p.m. in a commercial area on the southwestern outskirts of Knoxville, Tennessee. Buchwald said McGrath was taken to a hospital but did not elaborate.

Further details, including how McGrath was wounded and what led up to it, were not immediately released. The shooting was under investigation.

The FBI takes all shooting incidents involving our agents or task force members seriously, said Buchwald, who declined to confirm that McGrath had died.

McGrath, 53, was declared a wanted fugitive after his disappearance, and the FBI said he was considered an international flight risk.

In a statement, Hogan said he and his wife, Yumi, are deeply saddened by this tragic situation. We are praying for Mr. McGraths family and loved ones.

Murtha called the death a tragic ending to the past three weeks of uncertainty and said his client always maintained his innocence.

After McGrath failed to appear at Baltimores federal courthouse on March 13, Murtha said he believed McGrath, who had moved to Naples, Florida, was planning to fly to Maryland the night before. Instead of beginning jury selection, a judge issued an arrest warrant and dismissed prospective jurors.

McGrath was indicted in 2021 on accusations that he fraudulently secured a $233,648 severance payment, equal to one year of salary as the head of Maryland Environmental Service, by falsely telling the agencys board the governor had approved it. He was also accused of fraud and embezzlement connected to roughly $170,000 in expenses. McGrath pleaded not guilty.

McGrath resigned just 11 weeks into the job as Hogans chief of staff in 2020 after the payments became public.

If convicted of the federal charges, he would have faced a maximum sentence of 20 years for each of four counts of wire fraud, plus a maximum of 10 years for each of two counts of embezzling funds from an organization receiving more than $10,000 in federal benefits.

___ Brumfield reported from Silver Spring, Maryland. Associated Press writer Brian Witte in Annapolis contributed to this report.
Spot, a blind, nearly deaf, 18-year-old Cocker Spaniel, has been missing since Jan. 31 when Paul Rush had his truck stolen with his beloved dog inside while he was at an appointment at the Sandoval Regional Medical Center.

Rush, who lives in Anthony, New Mexico, has made trips to Albuquerque and Rio Rancho whenever possible to search for his best friend. And the financial strain from those trips has added up.

Karen Bennett-Gates, who lives in Farmington, has become emotionally invested in the saga of Spot. She has made three trips down to the metro area to help look for Spot. And she has started a GoFundMe to help Rush with gas money, hotels, food and to help with the $500 reward he is offering for the return of Spot.

He told me about the things that were in his truck when it was stolen and the other problems that came with the truck, Bennett-Gates said. Hes not wanting to ask for help. Hes not going to ask people to donate money or anything. But I talked to him about it and he said, if it could help with opening different resources, like offering a larger reward or getting somebody with scent dogs or help open up other resources to search for Spot, he would be more apt to it. I just know the hardships that this has all brought on him.

The GoFundMe went live on Thursday and has $490 of its $10,000 goal as of Tuesday afternoon.

Bennett-Gates is not just searching and fundraising to help Rush find Spot. She also started a Searching for Spot Facebook page where members can share ideas on where to search, how to search and any possible sightings of the blind dog.

Read the full story at the Rio Rancho Observer.
The New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs announced closures and holiday hours for its museums, historic sites and administrative offices in advance of the Easter holiday.

All Department of Cultural Affairs museum and historic sites will be closed Sunday, April 9, according to state officials.

Those locations include:

 New Mexico Museum of Space History in Alamogordo.

 New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science in Albuquerque.

 National Hispanic Cultural Center in Albuquerque.

 Los Luceros Historic Site in Alcalde.

 Coronado Historic Site in Bernalillo.

 Fort Stanton Historic Site in Fort Stanton, near Capitan.

 Bosque Redondo Memorial at Fort Sumner in Fort Sumner.

 Jemez Historic Site, just north of Jemez Springs.

 New Mexico Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum in Las Cruces.

 Lincoln Historic Site in Lincoln.

 Fort Selden Historic Site in Radium Springs.

 New Mexico Museum of Art in Santa Fe.

 Museum of Indian Arts & Culture in Santa Fe.

 Museum of International Folk Art in Santa Fe.

 New Mexico History Museum in Santa Fe.

According to the DCA, the museums and historic sites will be open for regular visitor hours on Friday, April 7, and Saturday, April 8.

The administrative offices of NMDCAs museums and historic sites will close at noon on Friday, April 7, as well as New Mexico Arts, New Mexico State Library, Historic Preservation Division, Office of Archaeological Studies, the Office of the Secretary, Administrative Services Division, and Museum Resources Division.

For more information about the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs state-run museums and historic sites, visit newmexicoculture.org.
Twenty-four winning films.

More than $7,000 in scholarships and media grants.

These are a few of the statistics from the Film Prize Junior New Mexico, which was held at the Albuquerque Convention Center on April 1.

The festival, presented by the Film Prize Foundation, featured a record-breaking 93 student short films.

The short films were created by middle and high school students from over 50 schools in 20 New Mexico counties, most of which serve small, rural communities.

Seventeen films were created by Native students, with support from the Institute of American Indian Arts.

Watching the students watch their films, seeing them connect with one another and celebrating their achievements are what Film Prize Junior is all about, said Rosey Hayett, Film Prize Jr. NM director. This was an incredibly inspiring weekend, and we cant wait to gear up and start next years Film Prize Junior program.

In its second year, the event is the youth version of the award-winning Louisiana Film Prize, a short film competition with the largest cash prize in the world for an independent short film.

The Film Prize Junior program supports middle and high school classrooms as well as summer and after-school programs to experience the entire process of creating a short film, from story and script development, to production and editing.

This program has allowed me to have a voice, said Megan James, whose film Deprived won the award for best High School Drama, as well as the High School Grand Prize Award. The Film Prize experience these last two years has helped me grow into a more experienced, established and effective filmmaker.

James, who is Dine, added, I will continue to fight to have Indigenous People represented in a positive and accurate way in the film industry.

Joaquin Kriegel from Deming High School won the Audience Choice Award for his spooky ghost story Holy Cross, which also won for Best High School Thriller.

Other high school genre awards went to I Want to Be a Cowboy for Best Comedy by Explore Academy in Albuquerque; Best Sci-fi-Fantasy was The New Old Witches by Emma Myers from Santa Fe Prep, and Jaiya Daniels Sisters of the Circle took the Best Documentary Award for Los Alamos High School. The heist story Project Braender by DATA Charters Janeyere Stockton won the award for Best High School Animation.

The middle school winners are:

 The Taste of Loneliness from Taos Integrated School.

 The Proof is in the Jello by Tulsi Shaw.

 Lets Watch a Movie by Mesilla Valley Leadership School.

 Hideous Helda by Violet Meiser.

 Refugee Students from McKinley Middle School.

 Water, Star Medicine from Turquoise Trail Charter School.
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Rumor has it, the Archewell foundation run by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex has paid top politician advisers $325,000 to provide them with 'strategic support.'

Apr 4, 2023

AceShowbiz - The Duke and Duchess of Sussex's Archewell foundation reportedly forked out $325,000 to hire Michelle Obama and Hillary Clinton's advisers for "strategic support." Prince Harry, 38, and his 41-year-old wife Meghan Markle - who share children Archie, three, and 21-month-old Lilibet  have allegedly given Michelle's former press secretary $110,000 and one of Hillary's ex-advisers $215,000 in 2021.

"It's unclear whether the pair continue to work with Archewell, or whether their work was limited to 2021," DailyMail.com said as the salaries were revealed in a report on the couple's tax returns.

It said the $110,000 was given to KMLSA LLC, a California-based PR firm run by Katie McCormick Lelyveld, who was former first lady Michelle's press secretary between 2007 to 2011. The $215,000 was reportedly given to Invisible Hand LLC, described as a "social impact and culture change agency" run by Genevieve Roth, who was an adviser on Hillary's 2016 presidential campaign when she ran against Donald Trump.

DailyMail.com said a source stressed Katie McCormick Lelyveld's political experience "had nothing to do with why she was hired," and "the couple do not have any political ambitions."

Tax records have also shown Harry and Meghan have reportedly been working one hour a week at their Archewell Foundation. And papers obtained by DailyMail.com showed the pair dished out more than $3 million in grants from the good cause after they raised $13 million from two wealthy benefactors.

The figures are according the couple's newly-released 2021 tax records. Their tax filing is said to state Archewell's key mission is to "uplift" and "unite" communities "one act of compassion at a time."

Harry and Meghan are said to have added in the documents, "Archewell Foundation believes that compassion is the defining cultural force of thee 21st century and, through its work, Archewell Foundation supports a growing community of partner organisations fuelling systemic cultural change. Archewell Foundation listens to people and their communities, helps them tell their stories, puts real action behind its words, and spotlights a new generation of leadership."

Harry and Meghan's foundation impact report released in January said it helped pay for 12.66 million Covid vaccinations globally while working with anti-poverty charity Global Citizen. Funds were also given to charities supporting refugees from Afghanistan and Ukraine.

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Sebastian Bear-McClard has been spotted in public for the first time since multiple women accused him of misconduct and inappropriate behavior when they were teen.

Apr 4, 2023

AceShowbiz - Emily Ratajkowski's disgraced ex Sebastian Bear-McClard has been spotted out and about amid his sex scandal. The actor/producer has been pictured for the first time since multiple women accused him of sexual misconduct.

On Sunday, April 2, the 42-year-old stepped out for a stroll in New York City. He was joined by a female companion. Seemingly unfazed by the "grooming" allegations, he appeared in good spirits as he was smiling while having a chat with the mystery woman. At one point, the two shared a hug.

Sebastian cut a casual look in a white T-shirt, a light purple jacket with plaid lining, light wash gray jeans and bright red sneakers. He shielded his eyes with sunglasses and carried a black Prada bag.

His female companion, meanwhile, sported a black top and a black jacket, teamed with blue jeans and cream-colored boots.

The outing marks the first time Sebastian is seen out in public since several women accused him of "grooming" them when they were teen. In an interview with Variety, a 24-year-old woman said the producer reached out to her when she was just 17 years old via Instagram. The two later met up at a loft in New York City and the meeting resulted in a small role in his film, "Good Time".

Once she arrived on set, the woman was shocked to find out that she had to shoot with an "actor who had recently been released from prison" naked. The accuser initially thought she was about to film with the movie's star, Robert Pattinson.

"[I] was utterly stunned and felt terrified," she recalled. "My distress only worsened when out of nowhere, [an actor] whispered in my ear if 'he could stick it in' while the cameras rolled. I said 'no.' "

Shortly after the incident, the young woman reportedly began having sex with Sebastian. They allegedly continued a consensual relationship for more than two years.

A second woman claimed she met Sebastian when she was 18 and accused him of "grooming" her by making her "career promises" via Instagram. "Sebastian and I started kissing," she detailed. "Things escalated and then, without asking for my consent, Sebastian inserted himself inside me without using a condom."

The woman also accused him of other concerning behavior, like calling her "retarded" and a "kike" and tracking her phone. She claimed her relationship with the "Uncut Gems" producer occurred while he was already married to Emily.

Sebastian has not publicly responded to the women's accusations.

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The 63-year-old TV chef is yet to publicly comment on his death, but the tributes that flooded in on social media since his death was confirmed on Monday, April 3.

Apr 4, 2023

AceShowbiz - Nigella Lawson's former Conservative MP dad Nigel Lawson has died aged 91. The passing of the 63-year-old TV chef's father, who represented the old Leicestershire constituency of Blaby from 1974 to 1992, and served in Margaret Thatcher's cabinet of 1981 to 1989, \was confirmed on Monday, April 3, night.

Lord Lawson was also Chancellor from 1983 to 1989, and as well as Nigella, had journalist son Dominic, 66, with his first wife Vanessa Salmon, who he married in 1955 before their divorce in 1980. He joined the House of Lords in 1992 before retiring in January.

Nigella is yet to publicly comment on his death, but among the tributes that flooded in since his death included one from former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who hailed Lord Lawson as a "giant" who "helped millions of British people achieve their dreams" through his work on the economy.

He said on Twitter, "Nigel Lawson was a fearless and original flame of free market Conservatism. He was a tax-cutter and simplifier who helped transform the economic landscape and helped millions of British people achieve their dreams. He was a prophet of Brexit and a lover of continental Europe. He was a giant. My thoughts and prayers are with his family."

Foreign Secretary James Cleverley tweeted, "Sad news that Nigel Lawson has died. A true statesman. His contributions to this nation will not be forgotten". Tory Chairman Greg Hands praised the late politician's "clarity of thinking."

Born in Hampstead, North London, on 11 March, 1932, Lord Lawson completed National Service in the Royal Navy before he became a journalist at the Financial Times in 1956, where his son Dominic later worked. He unsuccessfully stood in the 1970 general election for the Eton and Slough seat, before he became an MP for Blaby, central Leicestershire.

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The 'Titanic' star appears in federal court to talk about his connection to Jho Low, one of the primary financiers of 'The Wolf of Wall Street', amid his and Michel's embezzlement case.

Apr 4, 2023

AceShowbiz - Leonardo DiCaprio took the stand in the trial of rapper Pras Michel, who is accused of accepting money from a fugitive tycoon to influence U.S. politicians. The 48-year-old Hollywood star appeared in federal court on Monday, April 3 to talk about his connection to Jho Low, one of the primary financiers of his film "The Wolf of Wall Street".

Also known as Low Taek Jho, Low has been accused of stealing billions of dollars from a Malaysian state investment fund. Meanwhile, Michel, who is a founder of the 1990s hip-hop group The Fugees, is accused of funneling money for Low into Barack Obama's 2012 election campaign.

Prosecutors claim that Low used his vast resources to curry favor with celebrities, including DiCaprio and model Miranda Kerr. In his testimony, DiCaprio explained that he and Low became friends after meeting at a birthday party in 2010.

"I understood him to be a huge businessman with many different connections in Abu Dhabi and Malaysia," the "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" actor said. As for Michel, the "Don't Look Up" star claimed that he met Michel in the 1990s while backstage at a Fugees concert.

Of Low becoming the primary financing for "The Wolf of Wall Street", DiCaprio said that he had Low's funding and legitimacy carefully vetted before entering into a business relationship. "I was given the green light by my team as well as my studio," the actor explained. "He was a legitimate business person wanting to invest in the movie."

DiCaprio also mentioned having a "casual conversation" with Low regarding his plan to donate millions of dollars to Obama's reelection campaign. "It was a significant sum - something to the tune of $20-30 million. I said, 'Wow that's a lot of money!' " he testified.

Both Low and Michel face charges in the case, but only the musician appeared in court. Low is currently at large and believed to be in China.

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Set Shakur is outraged after the former U.S. president's attorney Alina Habba compares her client to the late Hip-Hop Hall of Fame inductee following Trump's indictment.

Apr 4, 2023

AceShowbiz - Tupac Shakur has blasted Donald Trump's attorney for comparing her brother to the former U.S. president. Set Shakur is outraged after Alina Habba compared the disgraced politician to the rap legend after Trump's indictment.

Alina claimed on "The Benny Show" podcast that the indictment would only boost her client's profile, similar to other celebs who went to jail, like Tupac and Notorious B.I.G. "Donald Trump is Tupac. Donald Trump is Biggie Smalls," she told host Benny Johnson.

"But no, Donald Trump is his own brand. He is everything," the attorney went on gushing about the 76-year-old businessman. "This is just going to boost him. We have seen it in the polls. This is not a question. This is a fact."

Set is clearly unhappy that her brother was compared to the former POTUS. "My brother was measured by his integrity, his principles and personal and collective responsibility," she told TMZ.

Calling the recent comments made by the attorney "blasphemous," she noted that her brother took responsibility during his 1994 sexual abuse trial, wherein she isn't seeing a whole lot accountability coming from the former POTUS.

Set additionally claimed that her brother didn't get popular because of his jail stint, but it was his music which caused his popularity to grow because those who listened to his music "were able to measure him by his words and actions that aligned."

She went on praising her late brother as an honorable man who stood for those needing protection and always had others on his mind. She accused Alina of using Tupac's name as a ploy to play to the rapper's fans, warning them not to take the bait.

Donald Trump was officially indicted by a Manhattan grand jury on March 30 for paying alleged hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels prior to the 2016 presidential election. He's expected to surrender to the Manhattan D.A.'s Office for arraignment on Tuesday, April 4. On Monday, his plane landed in NYC and he headed to Trump Tower.

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New National Security Adviser Cho Tae-yong speaks to reporters at the presidential office in Seoul, March 30. Yonhap



National Security Adviser Cho Tae-yong voiced hope for close communication with his U.S. counterpart, Jake Sullivan, as they held their first phone conversation since Cho took office last week, the presidential office said Tuesday.



During Monday's call, Cho noted that the two countries' National Security Councils have maintained close communication and cooperation in the process of restoring the Korea-U.S. alliance since the inauguration of the Yoon administration.



He also "expressed hope to continue to closely communicate at every level, given that the two countries' foreign affairs and national security authorities have been preparing for the Korea-U.S. summit in close consultation, and suggested he and National Security Adviser Sullivan consult frequently for the development of Korea-U.S. relations as global and comprehensive strategic allies," the presidential office said.



The summit is scheduled to take place April 26 during President Yoon Suk Yeol's state visit to Washington.



Sullivan expressed his deep gratitude to Cho for greatly contributing to strengthening the Korea-U.S. relationship as Seoul's ambassador to the United States.



Cho was the ambassador until last week, when he was appointed by Yoon to replace Kim Sung-han as the national security adviser.



Sullivan also said he "hopes to closely communicate with National Security Adviser Cho to further strengthen the solid Korea-U.S. alliance, starting with President Yoon's successful upcoming state visit to the United States this month, based on the trust and friendship they have built so far," the presidential office said. (Yonhap)


Cover Images/Dutch Press Photo Celebrity

The Duchess of Sussex will be presented an award by activist Gloria Steinem at the upcoming Women of Vision Awards in a New York ceremony this coming May.

Apr 5, 2023

AceShowbiz - Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex will be handed a Women of Vision award by activist Gloria Steinem. The 41-year-old royal will collect a top prize at the Ms. Foundation's 2023 Women of Vision Awards, Celebrating Generations of Progress and Power in honour of her "global advocacy to empower and advocate on behalf of women and girls."

Wanda Irving, co-founder of Dr. Shalon's Maternal Action Project, and Kimberly Inez McGuire, executive director of URGE, as well as Black Voters Matter co-founder LaTosha Brown, abortion rights champion Olivia Julianna, and young activist Rebekah Bruesehoff are also honourees.

Teresa C. Younger, the president and CEO of the Ms. Foundation, said in a statement, "We are thrilled to announce this year's honourees for the Women of Vision Awards and to celebrate 50 years of progress and power."

"Meghan, LaTosha, Wanda, Kimberly, Olivia, and Rebekah are incredible leaders and we are grateful to be able to shine a light on their many accomplishments and tireless work on behalf of gender and racial equity across the country and the world."

Meghan will be handed the award by Steinem at a glitzy ceremony in New York on May 16. Previous recipients of Women of Vision awards include former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Academy Award-nominated film director Ava DuVernay, and fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg.

The honours are handed to "visionary leaders and game-changing grantee partners" who are "committed to the Ms. Foundation's mission of advancing women's collective power and creating safe, just and equitable futures for all."

The gala will be hosted by podcast presenter Danielle Moodie and will feature a performance by Sweet Honey in the Rock.

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The fifth generation of wireless cellular networks, 5G marked another year of astonishing growth. After adding nearly half a billion connections in 2022, healthy 5G uptake continues into 2023 with momentum in enterprise subscriptions and industrial deployments. Global 5G wireless connections increased by 76% from the end of 2021 to the end of 2022, reaching up to 1.05 billion. According to data from Omdia and 5G Americas, it will touch a mark of 5.9 billion by the end of 2027.

Chris Pearson, President of 5G Americas said,5G is growing remarkably and scaling faster than any other previous generation of mobile wireless. While deployments and connections are added at a significant pace, the promise of 5G will be realized by technological progress in areas like standalone architecture and network slicing for new use cases.

Most recent data from Omdia indicates 455 million global 5G connections were added in 2022. Overall, those figures represent 14 percent sequential quarterly growth from 922 million in Q3 2022 to 1.05 billion in Q4 2022. Global 5G connections are forecast to continue their acceleration in 2023, approaching 2 billion and reaching 5.9 billion by the end of 2027.

North America is a leader in the uptake of wireless 5G connections with a total of 119 million 5G and 507 million LTE connections by the end of Q4 2022. 5G penetration of the population in the North American market is approaching 32 percent, as the region added 52 million 5G connections for the year  a gain of 78 percent over Q4 2021. Overall, a total of 215 million 5G connections are projected to come from North America in 2023, bolstered by strong 5G smartphone shipments in the US. According to Ericsson, total global mobile data traffic reached 118 exabytes (EB) per month by the end of 2022 and is projected to nearly quadruple to reach 325 EB per month in 2028.

Kristin Paulin, Principal Analyst at Omdia said, In North America, carriers offer 5G smartphone models at varying price points, along with smartphone promotions  including some free smartphone deals. This is helping to drive 5G adoption as there is wide 5G coverage in North America, making it likely to be in a 5G service area. The only other thing required is a 5G-eligible plan.

In comparison, 4G LTE is expected to remain strong in Latin America and the Caribbean through the end of 2023. In Q4 2022, there were 537 million 4G LTE connections, representing 9.3 percent annual growth with the addition of 46 million new LTE subscriptions. Latin America and the Caribbean had 12 million 5G connections by year end of 2022 and is expected to have 400 million by 2027.

According to Jose Otero, Vice President of Caribbean and Latin America for 5G Americas, Connectivity and specifically mobile broadband communications is a key part of how people live, study and transact business. 5G and LTE continue to make significant progress throughout the region. Longer term, 5G has an opportunity to foster productivity and industrial development in the region.

Overall, the number of 5G commercial networks globally has reached 259, according to data from TeleGeography and 5G Americas. That number is expected to reach 390 by the end of 2023 and 403 by the end of 2025, representing strong 5G network investment growth in many regions throughout the world. The number of 5G and 4G LTE network deployments as of March 16, 2023, are summarized below:

5G:

Global: 259

North America: 14

Caribbean and Latin America: 28

4G LTE:

Global: 702

North America: 17

Caribbean and Latin America: 128

Visit www.5GAmericas.org for more information, statistical charts, infographic and a list of LTE and 5G deployments by operator and region. Subscriber and forecast data is provided by Omdia and deployment data by 5G Americas and TeleGeography (GlobalComm).
Good news for small and big businesses in India. In volatile times or otherwise, businesses often need funds for working capital or expansion or replenishing stock. And to help U GRO Capital to address these needs, Scarecrow M&C Saatchi created a one-of-its-kind 3D animation film, Fund Island for the launch of its GRO X App.

The film is about a business owner whose factory is at a standstill due to a shortage of funds. He sends an SOS via his cell phone, which is metaphorically represented as a message in a bottle. It is spotted and picked up by the messenger of the U GRO Capital realm, a pelican.

This message passes through a hierarchy  an analyst, represented by an ever-watchful rooster, and an emperor, represented by a sharp-eyed eagle. After due diligence of KYC and other processes by the team of data analyst roosters, the loan is approved.

The approval letter is put in the same bottle and fired through a cannon to quickly reach the business owner's cell phone. And all this is done in just a few moments. This shows that when a business owner is marooned due to lack of money, U GRO Capitals GRO X App will give the funds swiftly so that the business owner gets the freedom to run his business non-stop.

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THE IDEA

We created Fund Island to represent U GRO Capital. It is an empire with a special infrastructure to search and rescue a business owner who needs funds. The Fund Island is built on the three pillars of data, money, and communication - the analysis of business data, the money to lend and the know-how when the businessman needs money.

THE FUND ISLAND UNIVERSE

The Fund Island is created through a detailed 3D animation. Since this fintech brand uses futuristic technology, it can be represented either with sleek graphics like those in the Matrix or via a metaphor. We chose a retro-futuristic metaphor to show the invisible technology, just as the symbol of GMAIL is an envelope and the emblem of Google Maps is a Pin.

So, we represented the future through the steampunk era. By using a retro-futuristic approach inspired by 19th-century steam-powered machinery, we create a timeless and relevant universe that blends the future, fantasy, and technology.

THE ARCHITECTURE OF FUND ISLAND

Fund Island covers a large geography, and the film takes place on its most important part, the king's castle, built on a ridge. It is inspired by the Victorian and Renaissance styles. It has citadels, dormitories, and bastions, and even a landing pad for the flying representative (pelican).

There is also an observatory from which the king keeps an eye on the island's fund approval system. In addition to his chamber, there are chambers for data analysts who closely examine the KYC, the Udyam number and other documents and approve the credit.

THE GADGETRIES

At U GRO Capital, the needs and solutions are eventually expressed in terms of money. That's why the Fund Island features retro futuristic printing presses, mechanical arms, ticker machines and mechanised scrolls, as well as objects like throne, costumes and planetary system that use the symbolism and iconography of currencies and the binary language.

THE CITIZENS OF FUND ISLAND

EAGLE, THE WATCHFUL KING

Fund Island is ruled by a benevolent and powerful king, a majestic Eagle, which is a representation of focus, vision, wisdom, leadership, and power. He is also the anthropomorphic representation of the wisdom of thought leaders like Galileo, Euler and Pythagoras and the aura of compassionate world leaders like Fredrich II, Marcus Aurelius and Ashurbanipal.

THE ROYAL MASK

The King wears oxidised metal armour decorated with an abacus, and also an eagle's mask, as he is a superhero who rescues the money seekers. The mask also symbolises that the credit system is data-based (anonymous and faceless), so the fund seekers do not have to go to the people and plead, thus protecting their vulnerability and self-respect.

ROOSTERS, THE DATA ANALYSTS

These roosters, a symbol of luck and wealth, are anthropomorphic representations of Sherlock-type intense data analysts who carry out the King's instructions and evaluate and process the fund-related documents with extreme care. They too wear a mask as they are a part of the superhero team.

PELICAN, THE MESSENGER

The Pelican is a sentient flying machine that collects messages from fund seekers and delivers them to the castle. It is designed in a steampunk style and represents technology that is responsive, alert, and independent of the geographic location of the fund seekers.

THE MAKING OF THE FILM

The film is an amalgamation of different visions, people and teams. It began with two months of internal research by the young team at Scarecrow M&C Saatchi to conceptualise the elements and characters of Fund Island. And many of the scenes were brought to life through the magic of Deelip Khomane's storyboard.

Bosco Bhandarkar, the Director, Vikram Kalra and the Good Morning team enhanced the visualisation and gave a cinematic touch, while Zink, a Canada-based animation house, gave this film a production value that matches an international-class 3D animation movie.

Shachindra Nath, Vice Chairman and Managing Director, U GRO Capital said, We at U GRO Capital have always believed that data is the future of lending in India and have been at the forefront of its adoption. We understand dynamic MSME space and have pioneered a unique statistical underwriting model which uses repayment behaviour, banking behaviour & GST returns of the customer to arrive at a credit decision within minutes. Through this campaign we wanted to showcase our ability to offer on tap credit through our GRO X app, where the MSMEs can not only manage their limit and dispense credit on UPI but can also accept payments. Scarecrow M&C Saatchi understood our proposition and their ability to create distinctive, strategically relevant creative work is what drew us to them.

Manish Bhatt, the Founder Director of Scarecrow M&C Saatchi says Technology in a digital era is invisible. We got an opportunity to give it a physical form. And the most challenging part is that there are no symbols or metaphors to represent this futuristic technology. So, we found the answers in the steampunk retro-futuristic genre, which has rich imagery in illustration and animation. We leveraged it to show something unusual and fascinating in a rather transactional fintech communication. The youngest design and art team of Scarecrow got a limitless opportunity to express their ability to imagine and create this magnum opus film.
Viacom18 bagged two awards at the prestigious "Golden City Gate Awards" at ITB in Berlin 2023. The accolades were awarded in recognition of the exceptional production of the "Incredible India" television commercial, commissioned by the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India. This remarkable accomplishment underscores Viacom18's unwavering commitment to creating innovative and impactful branded content for its clients.

Hailed as one of the most illustrious platforms of the industry, the ITB is among the top international travel shows where travel and tourism professionals from across the globe come together under one roof for networking and showcasing various travel destinations and state-of-the-art tourism products. The Golden City Gate Tourism Multi-Media Awards are highly respected in the industry and annually bestowed upon at ITB events in various categories related to the Tourism and Hospitality sectors.

Vivek Mohan Sharma, Head - Branded Content, Viacom18 said, "We are tremendously ecstatic and thankful to have received two esteemed Golden City Gate Awards. These awards are a true testament to the faith bestowed on us by the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India. At Viacom18, our mission is to produce purposeful branded content and leverage content marketing for impactful engagement to deepen the consumer connect for our partner brands. We are committed to crafting content that empower our clients to optimize their brand stories."

Viacom18 won the awards in the Golden & Silver Star category at The International Golden City Gate Tourism Awards 2023. The awards were won in TV/Cinema Commercials International and Country International segments at ITB, Berlin 2023. The two award winning TV commercials depict effective and sustained multi-media tourism promotional campaigns based on the theme of 'Confidence Building/Reassurance' to encourage international and domestic travel. The campaigns highlight India as a safe travel destination post-Covid scenario by sending out positive messages.
Federal Department of Foreign Affairs

Bern, 04.04.2023 - Switzerland is continuing its long-standing commitment to humanitarian mine action. In the new action plan, the FDFA and DDPS jointly set out three fields of action with goals and measures for the years 202326. The plan focuses not only on implementing the relevant conventions and support for the clearance of contaminated areas, but also on innovative approaches. In addition, Switzerland will provide targeted support to Ukraine in the coming years.

Switzerland has been involved in mine action for more than 30 years. Thanks to international efforts, great progress has been made in this area. Over 30 states have been completely cleared of mines and in ten countries, all remnants of cluster munitions have been removed. Nevertheless, mines and other explosive remnants of war such as unexploded ordnance still kill and injure thousands of people every year. Switzerland's goal is a world in which people can live without these risks, thus enabling sustainable economic and social development.



The FDFA and the DDPS are therefore pursuing activities in three areas of humanitarian mine action over the next four years. First, Switzerland is promoting the normative framework and advocating the implementation of the relevant agreements and their adoption worldwide. Second, it is supporting affected states directly on the ground: through project financing and the deployment of experts, Switzerland is increasing the safety of affected populations, enabling a sustainable development free of mines and strengthening national capacities. Third, Switzerland is capitalising on the opportunities offered by innovative approaches, promoting international mine action standards and the judicious use of new technologies.



Support for Ukraine

Russia's military aggression against Ukraine is causing widespread contamination by mines and other explosive ordnance. Switzerland is already supporting Ukraine in humanitarian mine action, particularly in cooperation with partner organisations such as the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD) and the Swiss Foundation for Mine Action (FSD). The Federal Council's 2023 aid package for Ukraine also includes support for humanitarian mine action. Switzerland's new action plan will expand humanitarian mine action in Ukraine over the next few years.



The International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action takes place on 4 April. Switzerland is taking this day as an opportunity to publish its new action plan, which is a follow-up measure to its Arms Control and Disarmament Strategy 202225. The action plan replaces the Mine Action Strategy of the Swiss Confederation 201622.

Address for enquiries

DDPS Comunication

kommunikation@gs-vbs.admin.ch

tel: +41 58 464 50 58



FDFA Communication

Federal Palace West Wing

CH-3003 Bern, Switzerland

Tel. Press service: +41 58 460 55 55

E-mail: kommunikation@eda.admin.ch

Twitter: @SwissMFA

Publisher

Federal Department of Foreign Affairs

https://www.eda.admin.ch/eda/en/home.html



General Secretariat DDPS

https://www.vbs.admin.ch/



Defence

http://www.vtg.admin.ch




President Yoon Suk Yeol bangs the gavel during a Cabinet meeting at the presidential office in Yongsan District, Seoul, Tuesday. Yoon exercised his right to veto a revision of the Grain Management Act. Courtesy of presidential office



Relations between gov't, opposition party lapse into gridlock



By Nam Hyun-woo



President Yoon Suk Yeol vetoed a revision of the Grain Management Act, Tuesday, which was passed unilaterally by the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) last month to require the government to purchase surplus rice. This marks the first case of Yoon exercising his right to send a bill back to the National Assembly.



During a Cabinet meeting, Yoon returned the disputed bill to the Assembly, requesting lawmakers to reconsider the revision that the opposition claims is aimed at protecting farmers and stabilizing prices.



"(The revision) is a populist bill which goes against the national agricultural goal of improving productivity and farmers' income and does not help the progress of the rural community," Yoon said.



"The revision is nothing more than a coercion that forces the government to spend taxpayers' money to purchase overproduced rice regardless of market consumption," the president added. "So far, the government has been explaining to the Assembly the adverse impact, but it unilaterally passed the bill without proper discussions, which I regret."



The revision is aimed at requiring the government to purchase surplus rice if the production of the staple surpasses estimated demand by more than 3 to 5 percent or if rice prices decline by more than 5 to 8 percent from a year earlier.



The Assembly passed the revision on March 23, buoyed by approvals from the main opposition DPK. Yoon has been opposing this, claiming that the revision may spur oversupply and cause the state budget to be wasted.



When the president requests the Assembly to reconsider a bill, it requires the attendance of more than half of all registered lawmakers and approvals by two-thirds of attending legislators for the bill to be passed again, thus becoming more difficult to get the green light. Due to this, demanding a reconsideration is widely considered as a veto by the president.



This is the first time that a Korean president exercised his or her veto rights since May 2016, when then-President Park Geun-hye rejected a revision to the National Assembly Act. There have been 66 cases of presidential vetoes in Korean history.



Following the veto, Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Minister Chung Hwang-keun told reporters that the bill will only encourage farmers to overproduce rice, thereby aggravating prices of the staple grain.



"The bill will only increase the rice inventory and jack up the government's expenditure for rice purchases to reach 1.4 trillion won ($1.06 billion) by 2030," Chung said. "This will make rice prices drop further, weakening farmers' incomes."





Main opposition Democratic Party of Korea floor leader Park Hong-keun, center, speaks during a rally in front of the presidential office in Yongsan District, Seoul, Tuesday, denouncing President Yoon Suk Yeol's decision to veto a revision of the Grain Management Act. Yonhap
The Rev. John Cantelow III, senior pastor of Sixth Avenue Baptist Church, preached at Advent Cathedral on Monday and recalled the frustration of Jesus with his disciples when he explained to them that he would be put to death and rise again, but they refused to accept or believe it.

Peter, the first disciple to recognize Jesus as the messiah, insisted that Jesus would not be put to death. Jesus rebuked him. Get thee behind me, Satan, Jesus said to him, according to the gospels.

Jesus predicted that Peter would deny that he knew Jesus three times during his trial before a rooster crowed the next morning. Peter insisted that would never happen.

Oh, if we could just put our human concerns aside, if we could put what we want aside, how we feel about something, how others feel about something, and get connected with the concerns of God, Cantelow said as he preached Monday during the Holy Week mid-day service at Cathedral Church of the Advent in Birmingham.

Most of the time, we dont make decisions based on what God has in mind, but we make decisions based on what we have in mind, or how we feel about something, all of those convoluted reasons, he said. If all of us would begin to apply the word of God to our situation, I believe that we would be clearer on a great many things.

Cantelow preached again Tuesday at noon at Advent Cathedral as Holy Week observances continued.

For Cantelow, preaching at Advent Cathedral was a return to the familiar. He graduated from Advent Day School in 1983 and attended chapel services in the cathedral from fourth through eighth grades.

Cantelow has been pastor of Sixth Avenue Baptist since 2011. He grew up in that church and learned ministry under the tutelage of the Rev. John T. Porter, who was pastor of Sixth Avenue Baptist from 1962-2000, and who had been a pulpit assistant to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery.

Porter played a unique role in the critical anti-segregation demonstrations of 1963 that were a turning point in the civil rights movement.

He brought King in here, to lead Porters ordination service at Sixth Avenue Baptist in Birmingham, Cantelow said in an interview Monday.

King then helped lead Birmingham demonstrations of April and May of 1963. King was coming because he (Porter) was his assistant pastor down there at Dexter Avenue, Cantelow said. He came and ordained him here.

The Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth, who had been leading anti-segregation actions in Birmingham as pastor of Bethel Baptist Church in Collegeville since 1956, had some tension with Porters role in bringing in King, Cantelow said.

Fred Shuttlesworth kind of thought that Pastor Porter was a latecomer; thats not really the case, Cantelow said. He had left and gone to Detroit for four and a half years then came back here.

On April 7, 1963, Porter was one of three ministers  along with the Rev. A. D. King (pastor of First Baptist Church of Ensley from 1961-65 and brother of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.) and the Rev. Nelson Fireball Smith  who led more than 500 demonstrators on a Palm Sunday march from St. Paul United Methodist Church to Birmingham City Hall.

Birmingham police used dogs and arrested 26 as they broke up the demonstration.

The moment the three ministers knelt to pray amidst the chaos is commemorated with a monument in Kelly Ingram Park. At the time it was installed, the faces were blurred to make it less about those three clergy than a generic monument.

Pastor Porter, he was just doing what he was led to do, following what A.D. and Martin Luther King wanted him to do; he wasnt trying to antagonize anybody, Cantelow said. Fred Shuttlesworth still was the man here.

In 1963, Sixth Avenue Baptist was the largest black congregation in Birmingham and played a crucial role in demonstrations.

Shuttlesworth, King and Porter all worked together for the same goal of breaking down segregation laws, he said.

In some ways, you had a lot of infighting, a little jealousy going on, which to me was unnecessary, Cantelow said. It took all of them to do that. We want all of our people to have equal access.

Cantelow was licensed to preach at Sixth Avenue Baptist in 1990, ordained in 1991, joined the staff part-time in 1992, and became full-time in 1994. He preached occasionally at Sixth Avenue Baptist from 1990 through 1999, when he left to become pastor of the 400-member Greenwood Missionary Baptist Church in Tuskegee in 1999, before returning as pastor in 2011.

Growing up attending Sixth Avenue Baptist in the 1970s was a formative experience, Cantelow said.

It was a wonderful place; a lot of kids from our neighborhood were there, and from other neighborhoods, we all mixed together and didnt have any problems, he said.

Thats the thing about church life, Cantelow said. When yall go to the same church, pretty much youre friends for life. Its a peace there.

See also: Bishop Calvin Woods recalls lunch counter sit-in arrests of April 3, 1963
Change is hard, says Michael Sullivan, chef at Market by the Bay in Daphne. But change also can be mighty tasty.

Sullivan speaks from experience. Market by the Bay is a Daphne institution going back at least 20 years. It started as a seafood market and over the years sort of eased into the restaurant business. Back in early summer 2022, members of the LeJeune family, its founders and longtime owners, announced theyd decided it was time to close down, which prompted communal mourning. But then some serendipitous connections led to new owners taking over and opening the venue back up a few months later.

The new owners werent strangers. In fact, for Sullivan, returning to the Market was one of those unexpected times when life brings you full circle. But before we get to that story, allow me to whet your appetite with a description just one of the treats I recently enjoyed at the Market.

Slow-cooked Creole white beans over rice with fried catfish at Market by the Bay in Daphne.Lawrence Specker | LSpecker@AL.com

I showed up on a recent Tuesday, so the special of the day was Slow Cooked Creole White Beans over Rice Topped with Fried Catfish ($15). This sounded promising even before my dining companion, who claims Louisiana origins and occasionally shows up in purple and gold, told him it was something he had to try.

Was it good? Look, yall. If the fried catfish over Creole white beans over rice was the only thing Market by the Bay served, seven days a week, Id tell you it was a restaurant worth visiting. It was that good. Of course theres a lot more on the menu, but if you were looking for a couple of dishes to sum up what the new ownership has brought to the market, this and the Bama Chopped Cheese would be good places to start the discussion.

Michael Sullivan, chef at Market by the Bay in Daphne, brings a love of Louisiana cuisine to a restaurant with a long history.Lawrence Specker | LSpecker@AL.com

Now the backstory. Sullivan has some history with Market by the Bay. Ancient history. I was the original cook here, 20 years ago, right out of culinary school, he said. Right when they opened the sandwich bar.

He moved on long ago. In fact, he moved out of the area entirely. But in recent years he and an old buddy, Garrett DeLuca, started talking about launching a venture together. Maybe a food truck. The plan was vague but Sullivan was ready. Hed been in New York for four years. He had a good job in the hospitality industry, he said, but it involved a lot of travel and living in hotels was getting old. He gave it up and moved back.

That was about the time the LeJeune family announced it was ready to shut down the Market. Sullivan went by to pay his respects. He bumped into patriarch Victor LeJeune, he said, and the outline of a deal emerged. Ultimately Sullivan and DeLuca partnered with veteran Baldwin County restaurateur Harry Johnson, whose ventures include Mancis Antique Club  another Daphne venue enjoying a second life after a long and storied run under its original family owners.

The six months or so since the reopening have been a learning experience, Sullivan said. But most of the lessons have been positive. As hes sought to bring his personal tastes to the menu, he said, there have been more additions than subtractions.

The Markets diehard fans have enjoyed having things just so, he said, to a point where it almost scares you as a cook to put new things on the menu.

A cup of gumbo at Market by the Bay in DaphneLawrence Specker | LSpecker@AL.com

He couldnt touch the gumbo, of course, and readers will be happy to know that it still brims with shrimp and crab and does that magical gumbo thing where the flavor seems to shift from bite to bite. (Prices range from a modest $5 cup up to $94 for a gallon.)

Youll also still find the straightforward, robust seafood platters that have long been a mainstay, starting at $15 for a shrimp platter with two sides and hush puppies, working up to $30 for the Jubilee platter with crab claws, fish, oysters and shrimp. Ditto the po-boys, including a variety of seafood options and roast beef.

My accomplice, who claims to have visited Market by the Bay more than once over the last couple of decades, went straight for the fried shrimp po-boy ($13 for a six-inch sandwich with one side.) What sealed the deal, he said, was when the waitress offered that the sandwich came clad in traditional New Orleans-style bread, which is to say, light, airy and with a slight tug when you bite into it.

The BBQ Shrimp & Grits at Market by the Bay in Daphne feature a piquant sauce that adds a new dimension to a familiar entree. The Bama Chopped Cheese (background) is more than just a hamburger po-boy.Lawrence Specker | LSpecker@AL.com

When the plate hit the table he got everything he could have wanted: That bread was overflowing with with lots and lots of crispy shrimp that were, he said, well-seasoned and still piping hot. It also came fully dressed with lettuce and tomato, so all he had to do was add a little cocktail sauce.

Its easy to see that Sullivan has an affinity for Louisiana cuisine. Hes not from there, he said, but he learned to appreciate it early. Growing up, its always been one of my favorite cuisines in general, he said. I watched Emeril when he first came out, I had all his cookbooks growing up.

On a later visit, Sullivan let me sample a couple other specialties, including the BBQ Shrimp and Grits he serves on Thursdays. Its a dish that gives you more than you expect: The copious New Orleans BBQ sauce is not the simple gravy it appears to be. Instead it bursts with a tart richness. Sullivan said its made with beer, Worcestershire sauce, garlic and other piquant ingredients.

You dine with an Emeril fan, youre gonna get the Bam!

Most of the menu at Market by the Bay in Daphne reflects Gulf Coast or Louisiana tastes. But the Bama Chopped Cheese is chef Michael Sullivan's version of a treat he found served in New York bodegas.Lawrence Specker | LSpecker@AL.com

The Bama Chopped Cheese ($12) is from another world. Reading the menu copy  A New York Classic with chopped hamburger meat, American cheese, lettuce, tomato, grilled onion, mayo and ketchup  you might expect it to be basically a hamburger po-boy. Thats what it looks like on the plate, too, but when it hits your mouth all that hidden, molten cheese makes for comfort-food nirvana. Its something Sullivan found served in the bodegas of New York City, and he wanted to share it.

I also can report that the MBTB nachos ($13), featuring a creamy shrimp and crawfish sauce over house-made chips, are something engagingly rich and different. But dont get too attached: Sullivan said theyre about to drop off the menu in a seasonal rotation that will bring in his own take on totchos.

Market by the Bay in Daphne still offers some treats to go, including premade entrees and these pickled shrimp.Lawrence Specker | LSpecker@AL.com

And yes, theres more. Market by the Bay hasnt entirely left behind its roots as a seafood market. Display cases still contain entrees and treats packed to go, such as West Indies Salad and pickled shrimp with vegetables. Thats something you dont see much, Sullivan said of the pickled shrimp. A lot of people will take it home and use for their bloody Marys.

Oh, and Sullivans mom, Sonja Dowdle, comes in two days a week to make desserts in house. She knows what shes up to: She used to own Delish Desserts in Mobile. Shes feisty, Sullivan said of her involvement. She cant stay sitting down.

Yes, change is hard. And yes, Market by the Bay has changed. The new owners added table service, and got a liquor license, and the menu continues to evolve. But Sullivan said hes learned to appreciate one core thing that longtime fans of the venue really appreciated: The no-frills nature of its food. They like flavor, but they dont like things that are fancy for the sake of being fancy.

We try to wow people without doing too much, he said. A po-boy is a po-boy.

He and his partners have done a lot of learning in the last few months, he said. But people are still learning about us too.

I dont think any of us really had any idea what we were getting ourselves into, Sullivan said. But its been great. I think we have zero regrets.

Market by the Bay is at 29145 U.S. 98 in Daphne, just south of I-10. For hours (including a Sunday brunch) and other information visit https://www.marketbythebay.com/. For tantalizing updates on daily specials, visit the Markets Facebook page.
Alabamas Department of Youth Services Board has approved a temporary change that would allow the agency to make discretionary hires when considering individuals who have faced child neglect findings in the past.

Child neglect involves failure to provide a child necessities.

DYS, which oversees juvenile justice and service programs, screens for child abuse and child neglect charges when hiring a person. Steve Lafreniere, the director of the Department of Youth Services, said in an interview Monday the change was meant to address rare cases that did not involve direct abuse.

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They always are able to kind of try to explain it but essentially, if they have anything on that for physical or sexual abuse, theyre going to be gone, Lafreniere said in a phone interview Monday.

Lafreniere said that when the agency hires people, they undergo a background check and a child abuse and neglect check. Due to the volume of people screened, he said that sometimes the child abuse or neglect finding does not come back until after a person has been hired.

The federal Prison Rape Elimination Act, enacted in 2003, prevents anyone with a charge or finding of a child abuse or neglect from being hired. Lafreniere, with consultation from others, said that one employee would continue to be employed after a charge.

As a teenager, the employee had been driving her family in a car and a child was in grandmas lap. The child died in an accident and the employee, as the driver, was found with child neglect.

Lafreniere said theyre currently looking at another applicant who has a neglect finding from a time in her life when she was poor and was deemed to not have enough food in her house.

Were asking the board to continue to allow me to make that discretionary call on these very rare cases, that we could keep somebody in place even though it doesnt follow the letter of the law of the policy, he said.

The two cases were not aligned with the intent of the policy, he said. Without the change, he said, the employees would have been fired. The change is temporary until the next meeting in June when the policy committee can meet and consider a permanent change.

At the meeting, the change had been introduced as a way to combat staffing shortages, but Lafreniere said that that introduction caused confusion and not how he would have phrased it.

To me, these are just two cases, he said.

The change, he said, is for exceptions, and will not make a significant difference in their staffing shortages nor is it evidence of them cutting corners in their hiring.

These are just two exceptions that came to the front door, he said.
Advocates with Alabamians for Fair Justice, who have pushed for changes in the states prisons and criminal justice system for several years, were back at the Alabama State House today to call for change at the Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles, where the rate of paroles granted has dropped sharply and continues to fall.

The coalition held a luncheon in a State House committee room today to talk about the need for change and advise supporters on how to lobby state lawmakers.

We just want the parole board to recognize what all of us in this room do, Alison Mollman, senior counsel for the ACLU of Alabama, told the group. That just because you go to prison, just because youre convicted of an offense, that doesnt define who you are and what youre capable of going forward. We are all capable of redemption.

Alabamas three-member parole board heard 4,009 cases last fiscal year and granted parole to 409 of those inmates, or 10 percent. During the first five months of this fiscal year, which started Oct. 1, the board has heard more than 1,700 cases and granted parole only 6 percent of the time.

Those numbers continue a downward trend that started after 2018, when the board granted paroles in 53 percent of cases. The grant rate dropped to 31 percent in 2019, 20 percent in 2020, and 15 percent in 2021.

The Alabamians for Fair Justice coalition includes the ACLU of Alabama, the Alabama Appleseed Center for Law & Justice, the SPLC Action Fund, and other groups. They lobbied today in support of a bill by Rep. Chris England, D-Tuscaloosa, that would create an eight-member Alabama Criminal Justice Police Development Council. The council would write guidelines for the parole board to use in parole decisions. The board would have to follow the guidelines or explain in writing if it does not.

If the guidelines recommended parole for an inmate and the board denied parole, the inmate could appeal that decision to Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals, which would have the final say.

The parole board already has guidelines adopted in 2020 intended to help make parole decisions. But the guidelines are not binding, and the boards decisions conform with them only about one-fourth of the time. For example, in February, the board granted only 16 paroles out of 322 cases heard. But the guidelines called for granting parole in 81 percent of those cases.

The boards record of not following the current guidelines is one of the criticisms of the board made by those calling for change.

Were not entirely clear on what they are using to evaluate on a case-by-case basis, the circumstances to make their decision, said Dillon Nettles, policy and advocacy director for the ACLU of Alabama. And we would like to see more accountability for that reason.

The current parole guidelines assign a score to parole candidates based on factors such as seriousness of the offense, risk of reoffending, discipline record in prison, participation in programs, and others. Institutional parole officers interview the inmates and prepare the reports. Scores of 0 to 7 suggest parole should be granted, while 8 or more suggest denial. Read the guidelines.

So far in this legislative session, Englands bill to require changes at the parole board has not advanced. The bill ran into opposition last week in the House Judiciary Committee. The committee assigned the bill to a subcommittee for more work. The bill is not on the committees agenda for its regular weekly meeting on Wednesday. The bill will have to clear the Judiciary Committee to have a chance to pass. England proposed a similar bill last year but it did not pass.

The steep drop in the rate of paroles granted in Alabama started after parolee Jimmy ONeal Spencer was charged with killing two women and a child in Guntersville in 2018, about six months after he was paroled. Spencer was convicted and sentenced to death last year.

After Spencers deadly crime spree, Gov. Kay Ivey and Attorney General Steve Marshall successfully lobbied for legislation to tighten rules on early parole and make other changes. Advocacy groups for victims and others have defended the parole boards reduced rate of granting parole, saying there are fewer good candidates for parole because violent offenders make about 80 percent of the states prison population, a larger portion than before criminal justice reforms passed in 2015.

But there is some disagreement about how Alabama defines violent offenses. Also, supporters of reform say concerns about public safety do not justify some of the boards decisions to deny parole, such as keeping elderly inmates in poor health behind bars decades after their crimes. They also note that the low parole rate contributes to overcrowding in Alabamas prisons, which the Department of Justice alleges hold men in conditions that violate the Constitution.

The truth is that Alabamas system is not ensuring public safety by keeping people incarcerated much longer than they perhaps need to be and much longer than perhaps they would be able to make a positive transition back into their communities, Nettles said.

The group of about 60 people at the Alabamians for Fair Justice luncheon included students in grades 6 through 8 from Bush Hills Academy in Birmingham, Veronica R. Johnson interim executive director of the Alabama Justice Coalition, said the State House experience would be good for the students.

So many times many people dont understand the legislative process, Johnson said. So if we can get them here to talk to our legislators, have them to understand the process, as well as the impact it has on their lives, I think that is very important.
President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks during an investment announcement ceremony held at Samsung Display's factory in Asan, South Chungcheong Province, Tuesday. Joint Press Corps



Samsung Display to invest $3.1 billion in OLED plant by 2026



By Lee Hyo-jin



President Yoon Suk Yeol on Tuesday hailed Samsung Display's announced investment of 4.1 trillion won ($3.1 billion) in its manufacturing plant in Asan, South Chungcheong Province, by 2026, a move that is expected to create 26,000 jobs in the region.



The display-making affiliate of Samsung Electronics unveiled the investment plan aimed at ramping up production capacity of organic light-emitting diodes (OLED) used for tablets and laptops.



The completion of the 4.1 trillion won investment project will enable the company to secure the world's No. 1 production capacity of IT OLED panels.



Samsung Display also seeks to launch various programs to support its subcontractors through joint technology development, manufacturing innovation and advance payments to raise the competitiveness of local materials, parts and equipment companies.



Yoon, who attended an announcement ceremony at the display maker's factory, lauded the firm's project alignment with his administration's comprehensive plan to bolster private investments in the nation's future growth engines.



Also attending the event were Industry Minister Lee Chang-yang, South Chungcheong Province Governor Kim Tae-heum, Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong and Samsung Display CEO Choi Joo-sun.



"Today's signing off on the new massive investment plan is a new leap forward for the nation's display industry. In order to achieve innovation and growth, there should be bold investments in value-added industries such as high-tech sectors," Yoon said.



The government viewed that the mega-investment will help revitalize the economy in the region by creating 26,000 jobs and spurring sales of material, parts and equipment businesses.



Stressing that display and semiconductors are leading sectors of innovation in the IT industry, the president lauded that Tuesday's announcement by Samsung is the first visible progress in the government's comprehensive plan to promote cutting-edge industries.



On March 15, the Yoon administration unveiled a long-term plan to draw 550 trillion won in investments by 2026 for six high-tech industries, with more than half  340 trillion won  earmarked for semiconductors, 62 trillion won for displays, 39 trillion won for rechargeable batteries, 13 trillion won for bio, 95 trillion won for future mobility and 1.7 trillion won for robots.



Regarding regional development, the president vowed that the government will "spare no efforts" to support the growth in Asan of next-generation display and mobility industries, the two key industries promoted by the city.



Yoon noted that additional private investments of a total 52 trillion won will be made in the future in the province's Cheonan, Asan and Asan's Onyang neighborhood centered on secondary cell and semiconductor packaging industries.





Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong speaks during an investment announcement ceremony held at Samsung Display's factory in Asan, South Chungcheong Province, Tuesday. Joint Press Corps
Donald Trump conspired to undermine the 2016 election through a series of hush money payments designed to stifle claims that could be harmful to his candidacy, prosecutors said Tuesday in unsealing a historic 34-count felony indictment against the former president.

Trump, stone-faced and silent as he entered and exited the Manhattan courtroom, said not guilty in a firm voice while facing a judge who warned him to refrain from rhetoric that could inflame or cause civil unrest.

The broad contours of the case have long been known, but the 16-page indictment contains new details about a scheme that prosecutors say involved multiple payoffs to two women, including a porn star, who said they had extramarital sexual encounters with him years earlier, as well as to a Trump Tower doorman who claimed to have a story about a child he alleged the former president had out of of wedlock.

The arraignment, though largely procedural in nature, amounts to a remarkable reckoning for Trump after years of investigations into his personal, business and political dealings. The case is unfolding against the backdrop not only of his third campaign for the White House but also against other investigations in Washington and Atlanta that might yet produce even more charges.

Trump, his lips pursed in apparent anger, entered the courtroom shortly before 2:30 p.m. He left court about an hour later, also without commenting. All told, the voluble Trump spoke only about 10 words during the entire proceeding.

Before the arraignment, he narrated his feelings in real time, describing the experience as SURREAL as he traveled from Trump Tower to lower Manhattan to face a judge.

It represents the new split-screen reality for Trump as he submits to the dour demands of the American criminal justice system while projecting an aura of defiance and victimhood at celebratory campaign events.

Wearing his signature dark suit and red tie, Trump turned and waved to crowds outside the building before heading inside to be fingerprinted and processed. He arrived at court in an eight-car motorcade from Trump Tower, communicating in real time his anger at the process.

Heading to Lower Manhattan, the Courthouse, he posted on his Truth Social platform. Seems so SURREAL  WOW, they are going to ARREST ME. Cant believe this is happening in America. MAGA!

Trump, who was impeached twice by the U.S. House but was never convicted in the U.S. Senate, is the first former president to face criminal charges. The nations 45th commander in chief was escorted from Trump Tower to the courthouse by the Secret Service.

He is strong and ready to go, Trump lawyer Joe Tacopina told The Associated Press. Earlier, Tacopina said in a TV interview that the former president wouldnt plead guilty to lesser charges, even if it might resolve the case. He also said he didnt think the case would make it to a jury.

New York police said they were ready for large protests by Trump supporters, who share the Republican former presidents belief that the New York grand jury indictment and three additional pending investigations are politically motivated and intended to weaken his bid to retake the White House in 2024. Journalists often outnumbered protesters, though.

Trump, a former reality TV star, has been hyping that narrative to his political advantage, saying he raised more than $8 million in the days since the indictment on claims of a witch hunt. His campaign released a fundraising request titled My last email before arrest and he has repeatedly assailed Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, egged on supporters to protest and claimed without evidence that the judge presiding over the case hates me  something his own lawyer has said is not true.

Trump was scheduled to return to his Palm Beach, Florida, home, Mar-a-Lago, on Tuesday evening to give remarks. At least 500 prominent supporters have been invited, with some of the most pro-Trump congressional Republicans expected to attend.

A conviction would not prevent Trump from running for or winning the presidency in 2024.

The investigation is scrutinizing six-figure payments made to porn actor Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal. Both say they had sexual encounters with the married Trump years before he got into politics. Trump denies having sexual liaisons with either woman and has denied any wrongdoing involving payments.

The arraignment unfolded against the backdrop of heavy security in New York, coming more than two years after Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol in a failed bid to halt the congressional certification of Democrat Joe Bidens win.

Trump was defiant ahead of his arraignment. He used his social media network to complain that he was going to court in a heavily Democratic area, declaring, KANGAROO COURT and THIS IS NOT WHAT AMERICA WAS SUPPOSED TO BE! He and his campaign have repeatedly assailed Bragg and even trained scrutiny on members of Braggs family.

Despite that, the scenes around Trump Tower and the courthouse where Trump will stand before a judge did not feature major unrest. Police tried to keep apart protesters supporting the former president and those opposing him by confining them to separate sides of a park near the courthouse using metal barricades.

Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, one of Trumps staunchest supporters in Congress, staged a brief rally at the park, but the scene was so chaotic that it was hard to hear her over the crush of reporters and protesters.

Were the party of peace, Greene said, thanking those Trump supporters present. Democrats are communists.

Embattled Republican New York Rep. George Santos also showed up in solidarity with Trump, saying, I want to support the president.

I think this is unprecedented and its a bad day for democracy, Santos said, suggesting that future prosecutors could target Biden and other presidents with other cases, which cheapens the judicial system.

New Yorks ability to carry out safe and drama-free courthouse proceedings in a case involving a polarizing ex-president could be an important test case as prosecutors in Atlanta and Washington conduct their own investigations of Trump that could also result in charges. Those investigations concern efforts to undo the 2020 election results as well as the possible mishandling of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago.
Donald Trumps 2024 election campaign is now selling not guilty T-shirts that feature the former president in a fake mugshot photo.

Order your Official Trump Mugshot T-Shirt TODAY! Trumps campaign posted to social media on Tuesday.

Trump was fingerprinted a person familiar with events said but not mugshotted. But people fundraising in his name arent wasting the opportunity and made their own mugshot, as this email that just landed shows pic.twitter.com/P4QfnfnjHk  Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) April 4, 2023

Trump was arraigned in New York on Tuesday and reportedly faces 34 felony charges relating to a hush money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels in the lead up to the 2016 presidential election, according to an indictment released today through the Manhattan District Attorneys Office.

Trump pleaded not guilty to all federal charges.

A mugshot reportedly was not taken when Trump was arrested Tuesday. The mugshot on the T-shirts being sold by the Trump campaign isnt real. The T-shirt is being sold for $36.

Trumps campaign claims the former president has raised more than $7 million since this past Thursday when news of the indictment first broke.

VERY UNFAIR VENUE, WITH SOME AREAS THAT VOTED 1% REPUBLICAN. THIS CASE SHOULD BE MOVED TO NEARBY STATEN ISLAND - WOULD BE A VERY FAIR AND SECURE LOCATION FOR THE TRIAL. ADDITIONALLY, THE HIGHLY PARTISAN JUDGE & HIS FAMILY ARE WELL KNOWN TRUMP HATERS. HE WAS AN UNFAIR DISASTER ON A PREVIOUS TRUMP RELATED CASE, WOULDNT RECUSE, GAVE HORRIBLE JURY INSTRUCTIONS, & IMPOSSIBLE TO DEAL WITH DURING THE WITCH HUNT TRIAL. HIS DAUGHTER WORKED FOR KAMALA & NOW THE BIDEN-HARRIS CAMPAIGN. KANGAROO COURT!!! Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social.

Mark Heim is a sports reporter for The Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Mark_Heim.
Former President Donald Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records and now has left the courtroom at the Manhattan criminal courthouse.

He entered the plea Tuesday during an arraignment in a lower Manhattan courtroom as prosecutors unsealed a grand jury indictment. The charges stem from a hush money payment to a porn actor during Trumps 2016 campaign.

A stone-faced Trump, wearing his signature dark suit and red tie, entered the courtroom shortly before 2:30 p.m. local time without saying anything. Media photographers were allowed to take photos before the arraignment but then had to leave the room before the proceedings began. Trump sat looking solemn at the defense table with his attorneys, including Joe Tacopina, Susan Necheles and Todd Blanche.

The arraignment amounts to a remarkable reckoning for Trump after years of investigations into his personal, business and political dealings. The case is unfolding against the backdrop not only of his third campaign for the White House but also against other investigations in Washington and Atlanta that might yet produce even more charges.

It represents the new split-screen reality for Trump as he submits to the dour demands of the American criminal justice system while projecting an aura of defiance and victimhood at celebratory campaign events.

The booking and appearance before Judge Juan Merchan is when Trump learned for the first time the charges against him. Trump pleaded not guilty.

Former President Donald Trump appears in court for his arraignment with attorneys Todd Blanche (left), Susan Necheles, Joe Tacopina and Boris Epshteyn, far right. (Andrew Kelly/Pool Photo via AP)AP

Trump turned and waved to crowds outside the building before heading inside to be fingerprinted and processed. He arrived at court in an eight-car motorcade from Trump Tower, communicating in real time his anger at the process.

Heading to Lower Manhattan, the Courthouse, the voluble ex-president posted on his Truth Social platform. Seems so SURREAL  WOW, they are going to ARREST ME. Cant believe this is happening in America. MAGA!

Former President Donald Trump arrives at court. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)AP

Merchan has ruled that TV cameras wont be allowed in the courtroom during the proceedings but he allowed them before the arraignment began.

Trump, who was impeached twice by the U.S. House but was never convicted in the U.S. Senate, is the first former president to face criminal charges. The nations 45th commander in chief was escorted from Trump Tower to the courthouse by the Secret Service and may have his mug shot taken.

He is strong and ready to go, Trump lawyer Tacopina told The Associated Press. Earlier, Tacopina said in a TV interview that the former president wouldnt plead guilty to lesser charges, even if it might resolve the case. He also said he didnt think the case would make it to a jury.

New York police said they were ready for large protests by Trump supporters, who share the Republican former presidents belief that the New York grand jury indictment and three additional pending investigations are politically motivated and intended to weaken his bid to retake the White House in 2024. Journalists often outnumbered protesters, though.

Former President Donald Trump is escorted to the courtroom. AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)AP

Trump, a former reality TV star, has been hyping that narrative to his political advantage, saying he raised more than $8 million in the days since the indictment on claims of a witch hunt. His campaign released a fundraising request titled My last email before arrest and he has repeatedly assailed the Manhattan district attorney, egged on supporters to protest and claimed without evidence that the judge presiding over the case hates me  something his own lawyer has said is not true.

A conviction would not prevent Trump from running for or winning the presidency in 2024.

Inside the Manhattan courtroom, prosecutors led by New Yorks district attorney, Alvin Bragg, a Democrat, are expected to unseal the indictment issued last week by a grand jury. This is when Trump and his defense lawyers will get their first glimpse of the precise allegations against him.

The indictment contains multiple charges of falsifying business records, including at least one felony offense, two people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press last week.

After the arraignment, Trump was released by authorities because the charges against him dont require that bail be set. Trump got back in his vehicle and his motorcade was scheduled to head to the airport for his return to his Palm Beach, Florida, home, Mar-a-Lago, on Tuesday evening to give remarks. At least 500 prominent supporters have been invited, with some of the most pro-Trump congressional Republicans expected to attend.

Former President Donald Trump leaves Trump Tower in New York on Tuesday, April 4, 2023. (AP Photo/Bryan Woolston) APAP

The arraignment unfolded against the backdrop of heavy security in New York, coming more than two years after Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol in a failed bid to halt the congressional certification of Democrat Joe Bidens win.

Trump was defiant ahead of his arraignment. He used his social media network to complain that he was going to court in a heavily Democratic area, declaring, KANGAROO COURT and THIS IS NOT WHAT AMERICA WAS SUPPOSED TO BE! He and his campaign have repeatedly assailed Bragg and even trained scrutiny on members of Braggs family.

New Yorks ability to carry out safe and drama-free courthouse proceedings in a case involving a polarizing ex-president could be an important test case as prosecutors in Atlanta and Washington conduct their own investigations of Trump that could also result in charges. Those investigations concern efforts to undo the 2020 election results as well as the possible mishandling of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago.
Wanda Bryant said turning 65 was the best thing that happened to me.

She reached that age in January, making her eligible for Medicare.

Until her birthday, Bryant, a Birmingham retiree, had not had health insurance for 20 years. In December, a foot ailment left her reeling, and forced her to go to the UAB emergency room.

She incurred a $2,000 bill from that visit, which she said she cant afford to pay.

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But I was hurting, and I was in so much pain, she said. I had no other choice but to go.

Bryant was sent home that day with a prescription for over-the-counter painkillers. But her arthritis was so severe that she couldnt even walk to the bathroom some days. Bryant had to slide on the floor.

That was a painful thing, she said. But then when I got the insurance and started seeing this primary care [doctor], they gave me a shot in both thighs, a pain shot and a steroid shot. When I didnt have insurance, I didnt get the shot. They didnt even offer me the shot.

In more than three dozen states, Bryant would have had access to care. But Alabamas refusal to expand Medicaid has left Bryant and people in her age group particularly vulnerable to chronic disease and medical debt, limiting their quality of life and increasing health care costs across the board.

The near elderly population

People under 65 who are entering middle age, known as the near-elderly population, tend to have increased health needs. About 84% of people aged 55 to 64 had at least one preexisting condition, said Laura Harker, senior policy analyst at the Center for Budget Policy and Priorities, a progressive research and policy institute.

Generally, people in their 50s and 60s  especially those with lower incomes who may have been uninsured for a while or may be in and out of coverage through their jobs or other sources  are much more likely to have serious conditions that consistent health coverage will help them manage, Harker said.

Older adults are also more likely to have chronic health conditions, like diabetes, heart disease or arthritis, that require ongoing medical care. Without insurance, these individuals are often forced to delay or forgo necessary medical treatments, leading to more serious health problems and higher healthcare costs down the line.

And in Alabama, a lack of insurance among older populations is a problem. One in four uninsured Alabamians are middle-aged, and 15% percent of people between ages 55 to 64 are uninsured, according to estimates from the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Medicaid expansion would expand the program to cover able-bodied adults with income up to 138% ($34,307 for a household of three) of the federal poverty line. The federal government would pay 90% of the cost of expansion.

As of Tuesday, Alabama was one of 10 states that had not expanded Medicaid. Last week, North Carolina Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper signed a bill passed by the Republican-led legislature that expanded Medicaid in the state.

Medicaid expansion was initially a requirement in the 2010 Affordable Care Act, but in 2012 the U.S. Supreme Court made it a voluntary program. Researchers say that decision created a natural scientific experiment on health and economic outcomes in expansion and non-expansion states.

Delayed Care

Experts agree that expanding Medicaid would ensure that more near-elderly adults have access to healthcare, which would result in better health outcomes and reduced healthcare costs over time.

Many studies have shown that Medicaid expansion leads to increased access and use of healthcare services as well as reducing financial burden on patients.

A 2021 study published in the Quarterly Journal of Economics found that the Affordable Care Acts (ACA) Medicaid expansion has contributed to reduced mortality rates among those who are close to the elderly age group.

Sarah Miller, an economist at the University of Michigan who researches public health and author of the 2021 study, said that Alabama experiences an estimated 192 annual deaths from this population due to not expanding coverage.

It would probably be larger than that because we only look at this low-income population, she said.

Before the ACA, mortality rates in both expansion and non-expansion states followed similar trends. But expansion states showed notable decreases in mortality rates after the first year of implementation that non-expansion states did not. While

The study found evidence that disease-related causes of death fell as a result of the expansions, but no evidence of a decline in deaths due to external causes, such as car accidents.

A 2018 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found an 8.5% decrease in one-year mortality for patients with end-stage renal disease with the ACA Medicaid expansions.

Other studies have demonstrated that this increase in coverage improved access to quality medical care that beneficiaries would not otherwise receive, including mortality-reducing prescription drugs, earlier detection and treatment of treatable cancers, and hospital and emergency department visits for conditions that require immediate care.

Before becoming eligible for Medicare, Harker said uninsured people are more likely to deal with chronic health conditions due to barriers to care. Older adults without insurance are more likely to skip medication that may prevent situations from getting worse, for example.

Bryant takes medication for arthritis and blood pressure. She was never able to afford all of her prescriptions at the same time, but she thinks the total cost went over $100 a month. That forced her to make difficult decisions.

Especially my blood pressure meds. You kind of have to have those, and its bad when you might have to substitute  when youre on meds and they prescribe you meds, you need all your meds, Bryant said. But sometimes I would get the ones I feel were more important.

She sometimes ran out of medications and said that she would be in so much pain that if a friend had the same medication, she would borrow a couple pills to help until her next check came. Bryant said she didnt want to have to borrow money to buy her medications.

I borrowed medicine, and thats not safe, she said.

Uncompensated Care

Without insurance, people like Bryant will turn to emergency rooms, whether or not they can afford it. In Alabama, there is an average of $600 million in uncompensated care, or unpaid medical bills, according to the Alabama Hospital Association. When these bills go unpaid, hospitals and providers must absorb these costs. And 20% of Alabamians have some sort of medical debt.

Miller said that unpaid bills, or uncompensated care, negatively impact both patient and provider.

Theres sort of an economic rationale both on the patient side, its better not to have collection agencies chasing after you, but also for the hospital or for the physician if theyre able to get their bills paid, she said.

Kenneth King, a 58 year-old from Birmingham who lacks insurance, said that the last bill he opened was for about $1,300. In total, he said, King owes a little over $90,000 to the different specialists he saw.

So far, hes paid $50. A receptionist in one office told him he would need to make some sort of payment before a follow-up visit, and thats what he had in his wallet.

But the uninsured cant opt out of debt, especially when faced with life-threatening situations. After King was stabbed multiple times by a friend who was having a mental breakdown, his wife rushed him to the emergency room.

When doctors performed tests on his wounds, they noticed something that required a second round of tests. He learned his aorta was tearing, and not because of the stabbing.

The condition, medically known as an aortic dissection, is a rare but dangerous heart illness where the aorta, the main blood vessel that moves blood away from the heart, tears. If the tear in the lining is not treated before the aorta bursts, the chances of survival are below 50%.

Without the diagnosis  triggered by the stabbing  King could have collapsed at any time, whether at church with his family or playing at the park with his daughter.

And when I was gonna fall, you all would go Hey, get him some ice. Lets pray. Call the medicals, and there was nothing that could have been done because it was internal, he said.

Bryant said she doesnt know how much she currently has in medical debt, but said she owes a lot. Some of the older debt has been forgiven, but most are in collections. She said the hospital hasnt started calling her yet about the visit from December, but she knows that after 90 days, the calls will begin.

I sit back and just listen to the answering service, because once they call, I know who it is next time, she said. And its been so long  its been so long since I had insurance.

Shifting costs

Bryant cares for her three grandchildren, who she said are still too young to stay home by themselves. But if she did work, she would lose additional coverage she receives from Medicaid that helps her pay for co-pays on prescription and check-ups. She simply wouldnt be able to work enough to make up that difference.

She is one of a small population who qualifies for both Medicare and Medicaid.

States that dont cover low-income older adults before they qualify for Medicare dont incur the costs of treating those illnesses once they turn 65. The federal government picks up that tab as they pay for 100% of Medicare costs.

But for seniors like Bryant who are both on Medicare and Medicaid, states end up paying for some of that care.

According to most recent data from the Alabama Medicaid Agency, there were about 55,000 eligible Alabamians in 2020 that were dually enrolled in Medicare and Medicaid for outpatient care. Another 19,000 Alabamians received benefits in in-patient care, like long-term care facilities, nursing homes and other overnight medical care.

With Medicaid, its really important in paying for long term care, like nursing home care, for example. As people get older, they need assistance. Medicaid is one of the largest payers for nursing home care, Harker from CBPP said. So, it really fills that gap that Medicare doesnt pay for  much of the long-term care, nursing home care.

Bryant said that since she became insured, she is even treated differently in healthcare settings.

The first thing they ask you is, do you have insurance  what kind of insurance? Its like the whole thing changed by me not having insurance. Its like Im treated a different way, she said.

She went to the hospital a month before she had insurance, and she recalled the difference in treatment.

The lady at the UAB hospital  she wouldnt even touch my foot, she said.
James Earl Ray drove from Los Angeles on March 18, 1968 in the 1966 white Ford Mustang he purchased in Birmingham months earlier, leaving behind a television set on which he had admiringly watched George Wallace speak.

The journey east toward Atlanta was the most recent on his cross-continent journey, which began with his escape from a Missouri prison in April 1967 and continued with him taking his Mustang with Alabama plates to Puerto Vallarta. He went to Chicago, Montreal and volunteered with Wallaces presidential campaign in California.

That same Mustang would soon carry Ray to Selma where he expected Martin Luther King Jr. to speak.

After leaving Los Angeles, Ray drove the Mustang toward Atlanta, stopping in New Orleans and Selma, then going back to Birmingham. Ray had stayed briefly in the Magic City after his escape from the Missouri prison that caged him for seven years for robbing a grocery store.

It was while back in Birmingham that Ray purchased the rifle he used to end Kings life on the balcony of a Memphis motel 17 days after he left L.A.

While in California, living under the name Eric Starvo Galt, Ray aided former Gov. Wallaces run for president, which brought many of his supporters from Alabama to the California campaign trail, author Hampton Sides wrote in Hellhound on his Trail: The Electrifying Account of the Largest Manhunt in American History.

To the core of his angry soul, Eric Galt identified with Wallaces rants against big government, his championing of the working man, his jeremiads on the spread of Communism, Sides wrote. What Galt found most appealing about Wallace, though, was the governors stance as an unapologetic segregationist. Wallaces rhetoric powerfully articulated Galts own smoldering prejudices.

As much as he admired Wallace. Ray loathed King. It was no coincidence Ray was bound for Atlanta, where King lived and preached.

An unidentified woman weeps at the R.S. Lewis funeral home in Memphis, Tenn., as hundreds of mourners filed past the body of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., April 5, 1968, before it was to be sent to Atlanta for burial. (AP Photo/Charles Kelly)AP

Rays probable stalking of Dr. King continued with his trip to Selma, Alabama following his departure from Los Angeles, according to records in the National Archive of a Congressional committee hearing on the assassination.

Dr. King was in the Selma area on March 21. Ray admitted being in Selma on March 22 (a motel registration card for his Galt alias confirms his stay there), but his explanation for being there was not convincing. He claimed that while driving from New Orleans to Birmingham .... he got lost and had to spend the night in Selma. The committee noted, however, that in 1968 there were two direct routes from New Orleans to Birmingham, and that Selma was on neither of them. It was situated in between the two routes, about 45 miles out of the way. The committee further determined that it would be difficult for Ray to have become lost between New Orleans and Birmingham.

Sides notes Ray saw news of King traveling to Selma but doubts he would try to kill MLK when he was only armed with a .38 handgun and not a rifle.

For that, Ray would travel to Birmingham.

The last known address of Ray, under the name of Eric S. Galt, was at 2608 Highland Avenue in Birmingham.

The house has since been demolished, and a convenience store occupies the location today, journalist Stan Diel wrote for AL.com in 2010.

Ray first tried Long-Lewis hardware in Bessemer on March 29, 1968, Sides wrote, but did not think the guns there were powerful enough. He went from there to Aeromarine Supply Company, where he bought a Remington Gamemaster .243. He returned the rifle the next day for the more powerful .30-06 Remington Gamemaster 760.

The store where he bought the gun was on property that now is part of Shuttlesworth International Airport, according to the book. The airport was named after civil rights icon the Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth in 2008, the 2010 article stated.

When Ray bought the rifle, he identified himself as Harvey Lowmeyer and listed an address in the 1900 block of 11th Street South as his home.

The biggest mystery from Rays time in Birmingham is why he was here at all, Sides said in a 2010 AL.com interview. The only explanation found so far is his affinity for Wallace.

He could have bought the gun at a gun store in Georgia. But he chose to go to Birmingham to buy the gun, Sides said. I dont know why.

Having stalked Kings movements in Atlanta, Ray decided to travel to Memphis where King was leading a protest by the citys sanitation workers.

Signing in at the New Rebel Motel, Ray listed his name and address as Eric S. Galt, 2608 Highland Avenue, Birmingham, Alabama, Sides wrote.

Ray would soon relocate to a nearby rooming house with a better view of Kings motel.

As storms battered the Mason Temple, King gave what turned out to be one of his most remembered speeches. It was his last.

We arent going to let any mace stop us. We are masters in our nonviolent movement in disarming police forces; they dont know what to do. Ive seen them so often, King said.

I remember in Birmingham, Alabama, when we were in that majestic struggle there, we would move out of the 16th Street Baptist Church day after day; by the hundreds we would move out. And Bull Connor would tell them to send the dogs forth, and they did come; but we just went before the dogs singing, Aint gonna let nobody turn me around....

And we just went on before the dogs and we would look at them; and wed go on before the water hoses and we would look at it, and wed just go on singing Over my head I see freedom in the air. And then we would be thrown in the paddy wagons, and sometimes we were stacked in there like sardines in a can. And they would throw us in, and old Bull would say, Take em off, and they did; and we would just go in the paddy wagon singing, We Shall Overcome.

The next day, from the rear of a rooming house, Ray stood in a bathtub to fire the shot.

The tragic deed done, Ray scooped up his belongings from the seedy flophouse and ran to the Birmingham-bought Mustang he had driven across America. He ditched his belongings, including the rifle he bought in Alabama, in the doorway of a nearby business.

After the assassination Ray drove through Alabama, but didnt stay, as he had initially planned. Instead, he ditched camera equipment somewhere east of Florence, and drove on to Atlanta, Diel wrote in 2010.

Ray, historians have speculated, may have thought Wallace would pardon him for killing King -- assuming Wallace won the 1968 presidential election.

He harbored a vague hope that George Wallaces Alabama ... would protect him, that the majority of citizens would praise him for his act and shield him from pursuers, Sides wrote. It was a pitifully naive train of reasoning.

Ray was charged in federal court in Birmingham on April 17, 1968, for shooting King and soon led authorities on a global manhunt.

The Mustang he purchased here was found in Atlanta, still with its Alabama plates.

On June 8, 1968, Ray was arrested at Londons Heathrow Airport.

Former Birmingham Mayor Arthur Hanes represented Ray with his son, Art Hanes Jr., before a new legal team took over.

Hanes Sr. was a staunch segregationist, compared to his replacement as mayor, Albert Boutwell.

The younger Hanes discussed the Ray case with AL.com in 2013:

Hanes Jr. says Ray was browbeat by his new lawyer into making a confession.

To this day, Hanes Jr. continues to say he believes Ray didnt fire the shot that killed King. What would have been Exhibit A of Hanes Jr.s defense hangs on his office wall, an aerial photograph of the Lorraine Motel and its surroundings in Memphis.

Ray wrote a book claiming a conspiracy and government cover-up. The King family joined Rays relatives in 1997 in calling for a trial to discover the full truth about what happened in Memphis.

For years, Hanes Jr. has said there was interesting information Ray provided him. Hanes Jr. still isnt saying what that may be.

Its important in the sense that it accounts for what he was doing that day, Hanes Jr. says. Its the explanation of how did your gun get there, how did this happen. Its just an interesting link to the puzzle. Ill share it some time.

Ray proclaimed his innocence until his death in prison in 1998.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene was largely drowned out by anti-Trump protesters when she spoke rally outside Manhattan Criminal Court supporting the former president before his historic criminal arraignment Tuesday.

Law enforcement officers separated Trump supporters and his critics with metal barricades before ex-President Trumps afternoon arrival as the first American commander-in-chief to face criminal charges.

Im here in NY to protest with my voice against the weaponization of the justice system on innocent President Trump, but the counter protestors are coming to commit assault that can cause audible damage to everyones ears including NYPD, Greene tweeted.

But Mayor Adams warns me by name! If counter protestors are violating freedom of speech and committing assault, they should be arrested.

Happy arraignment day, said anti-Trump protester Julie DeLaurier, 66, of Brooklyn, as the crowd swelled. Lock him up.

Marjorie Taylor Greene arrives in NYC & immediately calls out Mayor Eric Adams.



"While you allow crime in your streets and you sent your henchman down here... Dems are the party of violence."pic.twitter.com/qMmLxROlEP  Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) April 4, 2023

She was among the demonstrators expressing their support for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Braggs hush money case against Trump over his alleged sexual romp with porn star Stormy Daniels.

The Trump backers barely outnumbered the critics, with roughly 300 people combined among the two groups.

Among the pro-Trump contingent were Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (D-Ga.) and fact-challenged Rep. George Santos of Long Island.

This is election interference, said Greene, whose arrival spawned a chaotic scene inside Collect Pond Park near the courthouse. DA Alvin Bragg, he is a tool for the Democrats, hes trying to hijack the 2024 election. This should never happen in America ... They will come after you tomorrow.

Counter-protesters blew whistles and booed Greene as she was escorted away from a makeshift stage, although Santos received a much ruder greeting after turning up shortly before she spoke.

Youre a b---h! shouted one voice in the swelling Lower Manhattan crowd. Nearby, a camouflage-wearing man waving an American flag ran through the demonstrators.

Trump returned Monday to New York for the unwelcome homecoming.

Protester Ricardo Varona, 62, of Manhattan, expressed his full support of the Queens-born Trump and predicted his return to the White House.

The indictment aint happening, he said. They have to find something, because they see these rallies. Hes building, hes trying to make the world better ... Trump will be the next president. Ill vote for him.

Colton Keeng, 19, traveled to the courthouse from Orlando, Fla., to support his fellow Floridian.

Its not that I have any special empathy for Trump but the opposition party is sending the message that they can selectively prosecute, said Keeng, offering a nuanced take amid the craziness. All of them are crooks, or none of them are crooks.

DeLaurier, a registered Democrat, offered her support for President Biden before adding the Trump prosecution was long overdue.

He has never been accountable to the law, she said. And thats the least of it. He tried to overthrow our democracy and hes finally seeing the inside of a courtroom ... The man will finally be held accountable.

Karen Irwin, 47, came downtown from Hells Kitchen waving a large F--- Trump flag.

They believe they outnumber us and they believe they are the ones who run America, said Irwin. This is a celebration. Were taking a tiny little win here.

2023 New York Daily News. Visit nydailynews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
A Mississippi man is suing two companies after he says he was injured in a forklift accident at the Port of Pascagoula.

Kervin Holifield, of Waynesboro, says he was injured in September 2022 when lumber fell on him.

Holifield says he was working as a commercial truck driver when he delivered lumber to the port, according to the lawsuit. As he was unstrapping the load, a forklift operator suddenly and without warning caused some of the lumber to topple and fall, injuring him.

The suit alleges negligence against the forklift operator and is filed against the two companies that employed him, Gulf Stream Marine, Inc. of Houston, Texas, and FlexForce Employment Professionals, Inc., of Homewood. It also alleges that the area where the accident happened was an unsafe working environment and the safety protocols were not followed.

Holifield says so far he has spent more than $67,000 on medical bills from the accident and has yet to fully recover. One of his injuries was a fracture of his right ankle, requiring surgery and causing the plaintiff great pain and physical suffering and disability.

Holifield is seeking an unspecified amount of actual and punitive damages.

He says his future earnings may be affected by the accident.

A lawsuit represents only one side of a legal argument. As of Monday, neither Gulf Stream Marine or FlexForce Employment Professionals had filed a response to the suit.

___

(c)2023 The Sun Herald (Biloxi, Miss.)

Visit The Sun Herald (Biloxi, Miss.) at www.sunherald.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
A one-time chief of staff for former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan died Monday after being shot when FBI agents confronted him in a manhunt launched when he failed to show up for trial on corruption charges, his lawyer said.

Attorney Joseph Murtha said the FBI confirmed Roy McGraths death to him. He added that it was not immediately clear if McGraths wound was self-inflicted or came during an exchange of gunfire with agents.

William Brennan, an attorney for McGraths wife, Laura Bruner, also confirmed the death and said she was absolutely distraught.

According to an earlier email from FBI Supervisory Special Agent Shayne Buchwald in Maryland, McGrath was wounded during an agent-involved shooting about 6:30 p.m. in a commercial area on the southwestern outskirts of Knoxville, Tennessee. Buchwald said McGrath was taken to a hospital but did not elaborate.

Further details, including how McGrath was wounded and what led up to it, were not immediately released. The shooting was under investigation.

The FBI takes all shooting incidents involving our agents or task force members seriously, said Buchwald, who declined to confirm that McGrath had died.

McGrath, 53, was declared a wanted fugitive after his disappearance, and the FBI said he was considered an international flight risk.

In a statement, Hogan said he and his wife, Yumi, are deeply saddened by this tragic situation. We are praying for Mr. McGraths family and loved ones.

Murtha called the death a tragic ending to the past three weeks of uncertainty and said his client always maintained his innocence.

After McGrath failed to appear at Baltimores federal courthouse on March 13, Murtha said he believed McGrath, who had moved to Naples, Florida, was planning to fly to Maryland the night before. Instead of beginning jury selection, a judge issued an arrest warrant and dismissed prospective jurors.

McGrath was indicted in 2021 on accusations that he fraudulently secured a $233,648 severance payment, equal to one year of salary as the head of Maryland Environmental Service, by falsely telling the agencys board the governor had approved it. He was also accused of fraud and embezzlement connected to roughly $170,000 in expenses. McGrath pleaded not guilty.

McGrath resigned just 11 weeks into the job as Hogans chief of staff in 2020 after the payments became public.

If convicted of the federal charges, he would have faced a maximum sentence of 20 years for each of four counts of wire fraud, plus a maximum of 10 years for each of two counts of embezzling funds from an organization receiving more than $10,000 in federal benefits.
Two north Alabama congressmen whose districts include or adjoin NASAs Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville have named Huntsville attorney Mark McDaniel their aerospace and science advisor for the 118th Congress. McDaniel has been on the national NASA Advisory Council, the highest civilian advisory board to the space agency, during the terms of five NASA administrators including current Administrator Bill Nelson.

As a member of both the House Armed Services and Science, Space, and Technology Committees, the work being done at Redstone Arsenal and the Marshall Space Flight Center are very important to me, Strong said in a statement. To best serve the needs of our space and defense community, I need as much information on NASA related matters and space policy as possible. Mark McDaniel is the best man for that job.

Mark McDaniel understands space and space exploration just about as much as anyone can without being a NASA scientist, Aderholt said. He has been heavily involved in Americas space program for several decades now. He also shares my vision of continued American leadership in space, which means getting American boots back on the moon and then going on to Mars.

Aderholt also said McDaniel deeply understands that if America doesnt lead in space, countries like China will, and thats a dangerous proposition.

McDaniel, a practicing Huntsville attorney for 46 years at the firm McDaniel & McDaniel, said it was an honor to serve both representatives.

Congressman Aderholt is one of the most powerful members of Congress, McDaniel said. Aderholt is chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services and Education and a member of both the Commerce, Justice and Science Appropriations Subcommittee and the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee.

Congressman Strong is certainly one of the most important new members of the 118th Congress, McDaniel said. He said Strongs seats on the House Armed Services, Homeland Security and Science, Space and Technology committees are extremely important to the 5th District, the state of Alabama and our nation.
Former President Donald Trump on Monday trashed Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg as a racist and denounced his indictment in the Stormy Daniels hush money investigation as election interference.

Whipping off a string of posts as he jetted into New York from Florida ahead of Tuesdays planned arraignment, Trump accused the prosecutor of railroading him and accused federal law enforcement of working to derail his 2024 campaign against President Joe Biden.

Biden and his people knew all about (Bragg) going after Trump, he wrote in one post on his social media site. They pushed the Racist D.A ... to push this Witch Hunt forward.

Trump also posted several videos of handfuls of supporters gathered along the road near his Mar-a-Lago resort home as a small motorcade took him to the airport in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Trump has relentlessly attacked Bragg for being corrupt and even slammed Judge Juan Merchan for supposed bias against him.

The Corrupt D.A. has no case. What he does have is a venue where it is IMPOSSIBLE for me to get a Fair Trial (it must be changed!) he wrote late Sunday. And a Trump Hating Judge, hand selected by the Soros backed D.A. (he must be changed!)

Trump lawyer Joe Tacopina has said he has no beef with Merchan despite Trumps attack.

Some legal experts believe the former president may be ordered by the judge to avoid such outbursts once he is formally charged or be placed under a gag order.

After landing at LaGuardia Airport, Trump rode by motorcade to midtown Manhattan where he planned to spend the night at his Trump Tower apartment. He will appear in court Tuesday morning to face criminal charges for the first time in his life.

Trump also blasted prosecutors for what he claims is a double standard in the federal investigations into classified documents by himself and Biden.

When will they be looking at the Biden Documents, he asked. What about the Classified Docs laying on the floor of his unsecured garage (with the Corvette!).

Biden is being probed by special counsel Robert Hur after several classified documents were found at an office he once used before becoming president and in the garage of his home in Delaware.

Biden, who says he did not know the documents were in his possession, has cooperated with the probe and invited the feds to do more extensive searches.

Trump, on the other hand, took hundreds of classified government documents when he left the White House and insists they belong to him.

He defied a subpoena for the return of all the documents and is suspected of obstructing the investigation, now run by special counsel Jack Smith, by moving some of the remaining documents and even rummaging through them.



2023 New York Daily News. Visit at nydailynews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Pedestrians pass Apple Gangnam, one of the company's retail stores in southern Seoul, March 29. Apple officially opened its fifth store in the capital on March 31. Yonhap



By Baek Byung-yeul



Apple opened its Apple Gangnam retail store near Sinnonhyeon Station in the southern Seoul on March 31, only a 15-minute walk from Samsung Electronics' Seocho headquarters. This may be seen as Apple's attempt to strengthen its presence in the country's capital, which has a high demand for premium products, according to industry officials Tuesday.



"The bustling Gangnam Station area, popular with business people and young people, lacked an Apple Store, but now one has finally opened. This move can be interpreted as an attempt to appeal more to customers who prefer high-priced gadgets," an official in the country's IT industry said on condition of anonymity. "It could be a noteworthy signal to Samsung which also aims to appeal more to the younger generation."



Apple Gangnam is Apple's fifth retail store in Seoul. The company is forecast to open its sixth retail store near Hongik University Station, commonly called Hongdae and one of the city's popular night spots. This is interpreted as the iPhone maker's active pursuit of the Korean market, with Seoul as its stepping stone.



There are only four cities in the world where Apple operates more than six retail stores  Shanghai, London, Sydney and Toronto.



To attract young customers, Apple collaborated with the K-pop girl group NewJeans. Visitors to Apple Gangnam between 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. took part in a 15-minute pop-up program, enjoying the girl band's popular song "OMG" with spatial audio technology.



Apple CEO Tim Cook celebrated the collaboration between NewJeans and Apple on his Twitter account and promoted Apple Gangnam to global customers. "Our team was so excited to host NewJeans for a special sneak peek at Apple Gangnam, we can't wait to open our doors and welcome customers tomorrow in Seoul," the CEO wrote on March 31.





Models pose in front of Samsung Electronics' Samsung Store in Gangnam-gu, southern Seoul, March 7. Courtesy of Samsung Electronics
Former President Donald Trump has been indicted on 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree, according to an indictment released today through the Manhattan District Attorneys Office.

The indictment stems from alleged hush money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential campaign.

READ DONALD TRUMP INDICTMENT HERE

During the election, Trump and others employed a catch and kill scheme to identify, purchase, and bury negative information about him and boost his electoral prospects. Trump then went to great lengths to hide this conduct, causing dozens of false entries in business records to conceal criminal activity, including attempts to violate state and federal election laws, documents accompanying the indictment states.

Trump  the first former president to be charged with a crime  pled not guilty to the charges.

READ MORE: Trump mug shot: Will former President Trump have his picture made after arrest?
When former President Donald Trump is arraigned, he will be fingerprinted and potentially have his mug shot taken. But whether the photograph ever sees the light of day is another question.

On Tuesday, Trump is expected to appear at the Manhattan courthouse to face criminal charges related to alleged hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels. Until then, the exact charges are sealed. Other details that remain murky include what will happen with the former presidents mug shot.

Typically, the process calls for the defendant to be read their Miranda rights, taken into custody, given a booking number, fingerprinted and photographed. But those photographs usually are not made public because of New York laws.

As noted by The Associated Press, state law discourages the release of mug shots in most cases. And because the case is so high-profile  marking the first time a former president has been arrested  sources told NBC that a mug shot may not be taken at all.

He wont be handcuffed and he wont sit in a jail cell, in part because parts of the courthouse will be cleared out for his arraignment  and because Trump is a former president with Secret Service protection, The Associated Press is reporting?

If a mug shot ends up being taken, its possible the photograph could leak. Trump could even release it himself as part of his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination. In the initial moments after Trumps indictment, his 2024 presidential campaign was using the news in fundraising messages.

In the meantime, people on the internet can turn to many AI-generated fake images of Trumps perp walk.



2023 The Philadelphia Inquirer. Visit inquirer.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Authorities have released the name of a man shot to death by a Jefferson County sheriffs deputy following a police chase Monday afternoon.

The Jefferson County Coroners Office identified the slain man as Tedarrius Quentez Smith. He was 28.

Sheriffs Deputy Chief David Agee said the pursuit began in Fairfield.

According to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, a deputy tried to stop Smith for traffic violations. Agee said they learned there was an outstanding warrant for someone in the vehicle for kidnapping.

The pursuit ended when the black Infiniti came to a chain fence at the public housing community and could not go any further.

Three people reportedly then exited the vehicle.

ALEA officials said Smith fled on foot and pointed a gun at the deputy. Thats when the deputy shot Smith.

Two others reportedly taken into custody.

The shooting happened at 1:43 p.m., and Smith was pronounced dead on the scene at 1:52 p.m. He died in a grassy area under the bridge near the Collegeville public housing community.

Family members of the slain man stood just yards from his body, which was draped in a white sheet. Visibly upset, his mother and others insisted the slain 28-year-old did not have a weapon or fire any shots. They also said they believe his wife falsely accused him of kidnapping.

The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency is leading the investigation. Officials there said once the investigation is complete, they will present the findings to the Jefferson County District Attorneys Office.
AL.com has gone through every restaurant health inspection in Jefferson County to bring you the establishments with the worst ratings.

Our starting point is an 85 score -- the threshold that prompts a reinspection within 60 days. Seven restaurants qualified under that criteria in March 2023.

Alongside a restaurants score is how many critical violations they received. These are marked in red on the county health departments website and are either worth five or four point deductions.

These most serious infractions can range from food safety training failures to roach and rodent droppings.

Here are the 10 Jefferson County restaurants with the worst health inspection scores. Scores are arranged from highest to lowest:

Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, 5029 Pinnacle Sq., Trussville

Score: 85

Critical Violations: 2

Red Robin was dinged 10 points for two critical violations and another five points from other infractions after a March 22 inspection.

The two critical violations were for foods being kept at improper temperatures. Beer cheese (79 degrees) and queso (115 degrees) were below the 135 degrees deemed safe by the county. Meanwhile, sliced turkey (47 degrees) and diced chicken (57 degrees) were above the 41 degrees maximum allowed under the health code.

The Red Robin was also cited for dirty floors, especially beneath, beside and behind cooking equipment, knocking two points off its score.

Also, refrigeration units had a condensation leak  another two-point deduction.

Wendys #1257, 105 Bessemer Super Highway, Midfield

Score: 85

Critical violations: 2

This Wendys in Bessemer lost nine points from two critical violations after a March 6 inspection.

Blue cheese, torn lettuce, shredded cheese and sliced tomatoes had temperatures ranging from 67 degrees to 71 degrees, well above the 41-degree maximum acceptable temperature, the inspector noted.

The ambient temperature of the make line cooler was 70 degrees, the report went on to say. A circuit breaker tripped the night before the inspection and no temperatures were documented in the restaurants log book.

The temperature issued led to a five-point critical violation.

Wendys also received a four-point deduction because the inspector observed a large amount of mildew inside the ice machine.

The Pita Stop, 1106 12th St. South, Birmingham

Score: 83

Critical violations: 3

The Pita Stop in Birmingham had 14 points knocked off its score from three critical violations after a March 29 visit from a health inspector.

Its most serious violation, five points, was from dishes not being sanitized after washing and rinsing.

Another five points was lost because The Pita Stop did not have a backflow prevention device in a faucet where a hose is used.

The inspector dinged the eatery four points because the dishwasher was unable to locate chlorine test trips used for sanitizing solution.

It also lost a point for an accumulation of dust and debris on both restroom vents and on the fan covers outside of coolers.

Save More & Grill, 700 Brooklane Dr., Hueytown

Score: 83

Critical Violations: 3

The Save More & Grill lost 14 points from three critical violations after a March 15 inspection.

The established lost five points for violating Jefferson County Health Department code for not providing safe, unadulterated and honestly presented food.

Condensation leaked on a partially covered brownie tray and five pounds of pulled pork, the inspector wrote.

One of the establishments dishwashers was seen using soap in a small pan and washing the food container above a sink of soiled dishes. The sanitize sink had soiled dishes in it and there was no wash water made available in the wash sink. The dishwasher then placed the soapy equipment in the middle sink and was seen rinsing individual equipment under running water.

Those infractions cost Save More & Grill five points total.

Another four points was knocked off the establishments score for having inaccurate thermometers.

And one point was deducted because two insect control devices were full of target pests in the deli storage area, the inspector wrote in their report.

The Purple Onion, 1545 Montclair Rd., Irondale

Score: 81

Critical Violations: 3

The Irondale Purple Onion lost 13 points from critical violations after a March 23 inspection.

Its most serious violation was for employees handling raw meat without changing gloves or washing their hands, which cost the establishment five points.

Four points was deducted from The Purple Onions score because there was no designated employee in charge during the inspectors visit.

Another four points was knocked off the restaurants score because there were no test kits in the chlorine sanitizer.

Two points were dinged because of an excessive amount of dust in the ceiling around the AC vents near the grill.

The Purple Onion also had several one-point deductions, including for not having its food permit posted in public view.

Waffle House, 2208 Center Point Rd., Center Point

Score: 80

Critical violations: 3

This Waffle House in Center Point lost 13 points off its score from three critical violations following a March 7 inspection.

The Center Point Waffle Houses largest deduction  five points  came from having country ham, chopped ham and sliced deli meat well above the acceptable temperature of 41 degrees or lower.

The country ham had a temperature of 63 degrees, the chopped ham at 63 degrees and the sliced deli meat 57 degrees.

Four points was knocked off the Waffle Houses score by using chlorine as sanitizer while not using an appropriate chemical test kit to accurately measure the concentration of sanitizing solution.

Another four points was deducted because the hand sinks were used for a purpose other than hand washing.

The inspector saw an employee use the hand washing sink to fill up a bucket.

The inspector also noted dirty air ducts (one-point deduction), debris and spillage in a refrigerator (one point) and a leak in a cooler next to refrigeration equipment (one point), among other infractions.

Costas Mediterranean Cafe, 5891 Trussville Crossings Pkwy., Trussville

Score: 76

Critical violations: 3

Costas was cited for 10 violations, including three critical infractions  the worst offender on the list.

A county health inspector who examined the Mediterranean-style eatery on March 7 dinged the restaurant five points for not having food-grade storage containers. Tomato sauce was found not to be stored in such a container, according to the inspectors report.

Costas also kept raw chicken at 52 degrees, 11 degrees higher than the maximum acceptable temperature, costing the restaurant another five points.

The cafe also did not reheat cooked chicken to at least 165 degrees, the report showed, which added another five-point deduction. Instead, the chicken had a temperature between 119 degrees and 128 degrees.

Costas also had damaged ceiling tiles throughout the facility, costing Costas another two points.

The inspector also knocked two points off Costas score because they saw an employee eating in the food prep area.
The 71-year-old man charged with capital murder in the shooting deaths of three people at an Alabama church potluck supper has been offered a plea deal to avoid trial and a possible death sentence.

The Jefferson County District Attorneys Office consulted with the family of the three victims before offering a plea to Robert Findlay Smith. The details of the proposed plea have not been made public.

Smith was in court Tuesday morning with his attorneys, Emory Anthony and Moses Stone. District Attorney Danny Carr and Chief Deputy District Attorney Joe Roberts are prosecuting.

Anthony said his client is considering the offer. A decision must be reached by May 2, according to court documents.

Smith is charged and indicted in the June 16 shootings of Walter Bart Rainey, 84, of Irondale; Sarah Yeager, 75, of Pelham; and Jane Pounds, 84, of Hoover.

Jane Pounds, left, Bart Rainey, center and Sarah Sharon Yeager, right. (Contributed)

Police responded that Thursday to St. Stephens Episcopal Church in Vestavia Hills on a report of an active shooter. It happened during a Boomers Potluck dinner that started at 5 p.m. at the church.

Here is our full coverage of the case.

There were about 25 people at the dinner in the parish hall including Smith, who had previously attended the church and at least one of the potluck dinners.

Smith was sitting alone, and a longtime church member approached him and invited him to sit at a table, said the Rev. Doug Carpenter, who founded the church in 1973 and retired in 2005. He identified himself to victim Rainey only as Mr. Smith and refused to join them.

Smith then pulled out a handgun and shot three people. Jim Musgrove, a church member, hit the shooter with a chair and wrestled the gun away from him.

Rainey was pronounced dead on the scene. Yeager and Pounds were taken to UAB Hospital where they later died.

Authorities said they have not yet identified a motive for the slayings.
The Lauderdale County Drug Task Force announced this afternoon that its members seized about 11 pounds of fentanyl pills, along with other drugs and firearms, on Monday.

According to the agency, the seizures came after a search warrant was executed at a residence in the 400 block of Plum Street in Florence and later, a hotel room. Investigators found 16 grams of crack cocaine, and about 50 grams of fentanyl pills, along with some drug paraphernalia at the residence.

According to investigators, that search led to a hotel room in Florence, where another search turned up 11 pounds of fentanyl, or about 64,000 pills, along with four pounds of marijuana and several firearms.

Authorities charged:

Malek Fonte Harris, 23, of Florence, with trafficking in fentanyl, and second degree marijuana possession.

Tiffani Chimere Harris, 43, of Florence, with drug possession with intent to distribute (cocaine) and second degree marijuana possession.

Desmond Deshawn Powers, 35, of Florence, with trafficking in fentanyl and marijuana.

More charges are expected.

Florence police, the Lauderdale County Sheriffs Office, the district attorneys office, and Florence/Lauderdale Special Operations Team took part in the investigation.
A person was struck and killed by a vehicle early this morning in Boaz.

The Marshall County Coroners Office announced that the incident happened at 12:55 a.m. Tuesday in the 1800 block of U.S. 431.

Boaz police said Paul Neal Walton, 55, of Albertville, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police say Walton apparently walked onto the edge of the roadway and was struck by a passing truck. The driver of the truck, as well as a witness, stopped at the scene.

The incident is still under investigation.

Boaz police and fire, Marshall Health Systems EMS and Marshall County 911 all assisted in the incident.
One week after he was wounded in a shooting that killed a fellow officer, Huntsville police say Officer Albert Morin no longer requires a ventilator.

Morin, 34, has been in critical condition at Huntsville Hospital since the shooting last Tuesday afternoon. Police released a photo of him last week.

On Tuesday, Chief Giles visited Officer Albert Morin and delivered a huge stack of get-well cards he's received! Officer Morin is off the ventilator and still recovering. When we arrived, he was smiling and talking with his fellow officers. Thank you for your continued support! pic.twitter.com/54pJJklrAF  Huntsville Police (@HsvPolice) April 4, 2023

Morin, along with Officer Garrett Crumby, 36, and an unidentified woman, were shot Tuesday at an apartment complex on the 4600 block of Governors House Drive.

Crumby and Morin answered a call after a woman had been reportedly shot.

Crumby died from his wounds. His funeral was held yesterday. The womans injuries were not considered life-threatening, police said last week.

Juan Robert Laws, 24, was booked into the Madison County Jail just before 11 p.m. Tuesday on a charge of capital murder of a law enforcement officer. He is expected to face additional charges.

Both Crumby and Morin worked out of the departments West Precinct. Morin has been a Huntsville police officer since 2017.

Get-well cards can be sent to Morin in care of Huntsville Police Department, P.O. Box 2085 Huntsville, AL 35804.
The ex-husband of a woman who disappeared in 2016 and whose remains were found in Conecuh National Forest in 2020 has been acquitted of her murder.

Thomas Whitehurst, 58, of Wetumpka, was found not guilty by an Elmore County jury Friday of the murder of 53-year-old Kimberly Starr Mulder, WSFA reported Monday.

Whitehursts verdict was not yet in court records as of late Monday night.

Whitehurst was charged with murdering Mulder, who was last seen July 11, 2016, when she was believed to have been picked up by someone at her residence that day and supposedly en route to Birmingham but was never seen again, according to authorities.

Mulders remains were found in south Alabamas Conecuh National Forest in March 2020 by forest rangers doing a controlled burn.

Whitehurst was fingered as a suspect after investigators said they found Mulders blood in a vehicle belonging to Whitehurst and in the garage of the Redland Road home.

The Wetumpka man and Mulder lived together off and on, and were living in the Wildwood subdivision in Elmore County when Mulder disappeared.
This is a guest opinion column

This week, we will remember to remember the tragic 55-year anniversary (April 4, 1968) of the assassination of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. In the poem A Dead Mans Dream, poet Carl Wendell Hines, Jr. intones with an eerily prescient and even convicting message, Now that he is safely dead. Let us praise him. Build monuments to his glory. Sing Hosannas to his name. Dead men make such convenient heroes. Monuments and memories of our freedom movement have deep meaning. They show us where we have been as essential illumination for where we need to go from here. Yet, a safely dead general cannot conveniently lead a living army. We must look back in order to advance our struggle forward in real time.

The Alabama African American Civil Rights Heritage Sites Consortium seeks to protect hallowed places of worship, lodging and civic engagement as monuments to the African American freedom struggle. The protection of our sacred stories enables us to remember to remember that our struggle continues. The enduring, unholy trinity of poverty, violence and racism continues to threaten the existence of what Reverend Dr. King described as the Beloved Community in Birmingham, Montgomery, Selma and across the Alabama Black Belt. In the here and now we also must actively seek to preserve, protect and promote the living legacy of liberation Dr. King and the Black freedom movement.

This past weekend was Palm Sunday weekend. Churches celebrated how two thousand years ago the crowds waved and laid down leafy branches as they cried out words of Hosanna in praise of a prophesied savior-King. In modern times, we wave palms on Sunday morning and lay them on the ground as a memorial to this memory. Yet we must remember that at the end of what is called Holy Week, how quickly the crowd seemed to forget the full meaning of their history and pivoted from praise to collective cries to crucify the Christ.

Consortium member, St. Paul United Methodist Church in Birmingham commemorated the anniversary of the 1963 Palm Sunday March. Sixty years ago, more than 1,000 people committed to the Birmingham Campaign marched toward City Hall in protest of segregation in businesses, parks and hiring practices. The leaders of the march were amongst the 26 foot soldiers arrested and charged with, parading without a permit. Today there is a monument in Kelly Ingram Park dedicated to the memory of those faith leaders who knelt and prayed before being arrested.

In his final speech in Memphis on April 3, 1968, the night before he was murdered, King declared, I may not get there with you but we as a people will get to the Promised Land!

The promise has a price that must be paid in this very present moment. In the face of continued social and economic violence, the abomination of mass incarceration and other critical racial crises that ravage our beloved communities today, we must recognize that the work of the Reverend Dr. King, foot soldiers, prayer and protest that are monumentally sacralized at our freedom sites of our freedom movement. We must continue the forward struggle  in real time!

As the poet observed, It is easier to build monuments than to build a better world.

Reverend Lukata Mjumbe is executive director of the Alabama African American Civil Rights Heritage Sites Consortium
A bird's-eye view of North Port in Busan. Courtesy of Busan Metropolitan City



World Expo 2030 to show history of transformation and growth



By Sah Dong-seok



"I'm here to participate in the Expo," a South Korean diplomat said last December. He appeared in various foreign news outlets, including The New York Times, wearing the traditional Korean dress "hanbok" and "gat," a traditional Korean hat made of bamboo and horsehair. It was a smart publicity stunt intended to garner support for Busan's bid to host World Expo 2030.



The gat and hanbok represent part of Korea's rich and old traditions.



Why were they featured in the ad?





Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, third from left, and other officials participate in a performance to promote Korea's bid to host World Expo 2030 in Busan at Gwanghwamun Square, Seoul, March 30. Yonhap



Korea first participated in the World Expo in 1893 in Chicago. Four delegates from a small country in the Far East, dressed in hanbok, traveled by ship and transcontinental trains and arrived in Chicago. They spoke no English and few knew the country of Joseon, their home. But bravely they exhibited their country for the first time, displaying traditional Korean paper and ginseng at the national pavilion and performing court music.



In the 1900 Paris World Expo, Joseon secured a slightly larger exhibition hall and unveiled a wider variety of exhibits. It was then not for another 60 years that the Republic of Korea could revisit the World Expo. The nation went through a string of ups and downs, including Japan's colonial rule and the Korean War.









In 1962 when Korea began earnestly developing its economy, overcoming the ruins of the Korean War, the nation participated in the Seattle World Expo for the first time in 62 years. Korea has since participated in all world expositions and hosted recognized exhibitions in 1993 and 2012.





BTS members perform in a stadium in Busan to promote Korea's bid to host World Expo 2030 in the city, Oct. 16, 2022. Korea Times file



Having achieved economic growth and rapid industrialization known as the Miracle on the Han River half a century after Japanese colonial rule and The Korean War, Korea now prepares to invite the world to its land of transformation through Busan World Expo 2030. As the development of the Republic of Korea has been made possible with the help of the global community, Korea also keenly feels the importance of opportunities to share those experiences. This is why Korea resolves to create the Busan Expo as a platform to realize the universal value of humanity and respond to common tasks.



Busan has finished its preparations. It is a city that has undergone rapid development and dynamic change. A port city, it harbored desperate refugees as the temporary capital during the Korean War. Now it has established itself as the hub of logistics and transportation in Northeast Asia. Busan certainly has high hopes to share those experiences of growth and change through World Expo 2030.





A photo of Haeundae Cinema Street in Busan. Courtesy of Busan Metropolitan City



Busan is a city filled with both aspirations and capabilities for World Expo 2030. Various international events took place in Busan, including three multilateral summits: the 2005 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit, the Korea-ASEAN Commemorative Summit in 2014 and 2019 and the 2011 Busan World Development Institute General Assembly, the 2014 International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Plenipotentiary Conference and the 2022 International Freight Transport Association World Congress.



Also, the city, with its excellent MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences & exhibitions) infrastructure such as BEXCO, is recognized for its expertise in international exhibitions.



It is well-equipped with infrastructure such as airports, high-speed rail and a state-of-the-art port and has an outstanding geography by the sea, including seven beaches, rivers and mountains. Every year many tourists visit Busan. It is for this reason that the annual Busan International Film Festival and various cultural events trumpeting K-culture such as the Busan One Asia Festival and G-Star are held in Busan.





Sand art promoting Korea's bid to host World Expo 2030 in Busan is installed in at Haeundae Beach in Busan, Monday. Yonhap
An Alabama congressman is being asked by D.C. education officials to apologize after he said schools in the nations capital are inmate factories.

Youve got crappy schools. Your schools are not only dropout factories, theyre inmate factories, said Rep. Gary Palmer, R-Hoover, to D.C. officials testifying before the House Oversight and Accountability Committee during a hearing last week.

Phil Mendelson, chairman of the D.C. Council and one of the district officials who testified during the hearing, titled Overdue Oversight of the Capital City: Part I, shook his head at Palmers remark.

I dont agree that the D.C. public schools are inmate factories, he said.

Im not saying all of them are. I said you have some crappy schools, the congressman replied, although he never said some of the schools are crappy.

So youre telling me all of them are excellent? Palmer continued.

No, Im not saying all of them are excellent, but I would not say that they are factories for crime, Mendelson responded.

The Alabama congressman suggested the statistics back up his assertion, claiming more than 60 percent of inmates in the nations prisons are high school dropouts.

We have a problem in our schools, Palmer said.

Mendelson said the council has been fighting with the schools chancellor over increased funding for individual schools.

Meanwhile, education officials in the district said they deserve an apology from Palmer.

Rian Reed, a D.C. public school teacher, told the Washington Post that Palmers remark was hurtful.

It really resembles bullying to me, she said. With our students just coming off the stress of the pandemic and dealing with real inequities, they do not deserve someone coming in and calling them inmates when they are truly gifted and talented and have so much to give to this world.

Capital City Public Charter School pointed out in a tweet that two of their inmates were accepted to top institutions: Harvard University and the University of California at Berkely:

Who was that man from AL that said DC schools are inmate factories?



Well, happy to report that two of our Class of 2023 "inmates" were just accepted to @Harvard and @UCBerkeley . @dcpcsb @ELeducation  Capital City Public Charter School (@CapitalCityPCS) March 31, 2023

Palmer did not immediately respond to a request from AL.com about the calls for an apology.
A roundup of conversations we're having daily on the site. Subscribe to the Reckon Daily for stories centering marginalized communities and speaking to the under-covered issues of the moment.

While Artificial Intelligence (AI) is, no doubt, rapidly transforming every sector of society, concerns about potential risks of this technology are growing as it becomes more ubiquitous. But its also proven to be a net good through other applications.

Over 1,000 tech leaders, researchers, and experts  including Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak  came together to call for a pause on advanced AI projects for the next six months in an open letter published last week.

The letter warned that companies are creating AI tech so fast that they are not considering the potential risks and consequences like the prevalence of misinformation and a potential loss of control of our civilization, the letter states. They believe that anything smarter than GPT-4 (the newest version of ChatGPT) could present a profound risks to society and humanity.

Fears of job replacements, spread of disinformation, and having it become more intelligent that its human creators has got many in the public anxious over what AI is capable of.

Theres a lot of ways that AI can actually make the world better, said Rijul Gupta, CEO of the AI synthetic company Deep Media. [But] it all comes down to how we use it.

Its recent assistance to locate graves of approximately 93 victims of the Spanish flu in Alaska portrays a different alternative of this technology if used wisely.

Cornell Scientist Thomas Urban used ground-penetrating radar and AI modeling technology to find the graves on the Seward Peninsula, helping clarify historical records for Indigenous communities devastated by the 1918 pandemic.

During fieldwork in Alaska, Ive sometimes been asked to help Indigenous communities locate unmarked burials using the same noninvasive technologies were using to investigate other types of sites, said Urban to Newswise.

Ground-penetrating radar technology has long been used to investigate all kinds of burials, including unmarked graves at former Indian residential schools.

Urban used his large database of burial data to develop AI-based approaches to identify anomalies consistent with burials. The hope is that this will expand our capacity by speeding up the process of analyzing data, said Urban.

Collaborating with Iris Technology Inc., Urban developed several AI applications for geophysical data on a newly launched platform called webAI.

Among those applications, a model was trained from a large number of burial scenarios for the purpose of efficiently going through anomalies in radar data to identify likely burials.

Gupta acknowledges the many benefits AI can bring to address climate change, create opportunities for energy resource needs that are more sustainable and analyze energy grids in a more thorough way that human beings cannot.

But the technology is not perfect. AI is not immune to biases and discrimination that can negatively impact fields like hiring, lending and law enforcement.

Thats not going to get solved if we pause development, thats only going to get worse, said Gupta, contrasting with what the open letter is calling for. So we need to be careful how we continue development, and we need to think about it ethically. But pausing it is not the right solution.

And according to Dr. Sarah Myers West, Managing Director of the AI Now Institute, the key thing that the letter misses is the current, most pressing, concerns with the AI industry unfolding before us, not in the distant future.

Innovation cant look like companies experimenting in the wild, creating anxieties about the future of the economy, labor market, creative industries, and our everyday information environment, without any outside scrutiny, said Dr. West in an email response to Reckon.

She adds that many of these AI products being rolled out are not ready for commercial use because they either introduce new risks or dont work as intended.

So, I dont think just a six-month, industry-led pause is the right approach: we need stronger regulatory intervention, said Dr. West. We have laws for this purpose, and the FTCs recent blog posts outlining how its authorities apply to AI is one place to start.

Although this isnt the first time many have expressed worry over these issues, Google and Microsofts race to prove their own AI advancement doesnt help either. This adds to the anxiety around how quickly AI can spread disinformation and alter peoples minds.

If [their AI] is poised to be as game-changing as they claim, this would only deepen the foothold big tech firms have on our digital economy, and we cant afford to wait until this takes place to step in, Dr. West points out. Enforcement of our anti-trust laws has a big role to play here.
Ottogi's Jinjja Jjolmyeon / Courtesy of Ottogi



By Kim Jae-heun



Ottogi has decided to cut the price of its dry instant noodle product Jinjja Jjolmyeon ahead of the summer's peak season, surprising many food industry officials, as all other instant noodle makers have hiked their respective prices, according to company officials Monday.



The price of Jinjja Jjolmyeon, or spicy cold chewy noodles, decreased by 10.5 percent from 1,900 won ($1.44) to 1,700 won  only at convenience stores as of April 1  becoming the first food company to charge consumers less in recent years. A bundle of the product, consisting of four packs will cost 6,800 won, 800 won lower than the previous price.



"We have decided to lower the price of Jinjja Jjolmyeon after considering various benefits in marketing aspects. But this is only at convenience stores and we are running other promotional events to give discounts to large discount stores," an Ottogi official said. "But we do not know exactly how the company was able to lower the price when everything has gone up. Our sales department can give a better answer."



Jjolmyeon is one of Korea's favorite noodle dishes in the summer season. Ottogi has lowered the price of its instant noodle version of Jjolmyeon to gain price competitiveness over its rivals Paldo's Paldo Bibim Men and Nongshim's Baehongdong Bibimmyeon.



According to data released by Nielsen Korea, the local market share of spicy noodles, or bibimmyeon, is led by Paldo with a 53.5 percent share, followed by Nongshim at 19.1 percent and Ottogi with 11.4 percent.



Paldo is in a dominant position and Nongshim and Ottogi are fiercely competing against one another for a concrete second spot.



Nongshim has yet to reveal its plan to lower the price of its instant spicy noodle product.



Meanwhile, the government has consistently requested local food firms to cooperate in stabilizing food prices amid the rising cost of living in the first half of this year. Ottogi seems to have responded to the government's policy too.



Though, the company said it has no plan to lower the price of other instant noodles including its steady-seller Jin Ramen, Spaghetti Ramen and Yeul Ramen.


People from a local multicultural support center in Busan's Dong District welcome the arrival of the BIE Enquiry Mission at Busan Station, Tuesday. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul



Busan Station flooded with locals high on Expo fever



By Ko Dong-hwan



BUSAN  Outside Busan Station on Tuesday morning, crowds were bustling like the moments before a department store opens its doors for a big sale. As eight members of the Enquiry Mission from the Bureau International des Expositions from Paris were expected to arrive at the train station a little past 11 a.m., Eurasia Platform, a public square just outside the station's main entrance, was packed with thousands of Busan locals including foreigners.



Some people in the crowd were wearing costumes of different countries and cultures. They were there to throw a welcoming event for the delegation arriving at the southern port city to inspect its ability to host World Expo 2030.



The level of public enthusiasm for the hosting bid is one of the checklist items of the delegation.



Busan Mayor Park Heong-joon welcomed the guests at the platform as they got off a KTX train. The mayor escorted them to outside the station where they met with some 5,000 people exploding with welcoming vitality. With flags of different countries and giant banners that read "World Expo 2030 Busan, Korea" and "Busan is Ready" flying overhead, the atmosphere at the site was akin to a hero's return.



The delegation reportedly remarked after encountering the reception that it was something only Korea and Busan could pull off and that they felt like K-pop stars.



The delegation, with the crowd behind them, headed to Eulsukdo Eco Park, an estuary area where the South Sea meets the Nakdong River  the country's longest natural stream  some 15 kilometers west of Busan Station. They watched another presentation at the park.





Confetti drops from the sky at Eurasia Platform in front of Busan Station after the BIE Enquiry Mission left the site, Tuesday. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul



Busan Station, just within a kilometer from the North Port, the main venue of the World Expo 2030 now under major redevelopment, already saw events and visitors all supporting the city's Expo bid.



Earlier on Saturday at about 10 a.m., thousands of locals gathered at Eurasia Platform for a walkathon that began at the train station and ended at a waterside park inside North Port via a recently-completed skywalk.



A flea market also opened at the square simultaneously to celebrate the city's initiative, where 34 small businesses and members of social cooperatives sold various knick-knacks, tasty treats and traditional products.



Musical performances continued throughout the day culminating in the city's volunteer firefighters and official Expo supporters' club gathering at Eurasia Platform to declare their united support before the highly-anticipated visit by a BIE inspection team. City mayors nationwide, ministers and lawmakers sent video messages also voicing their support.



On Saturday, Busan residents told The Korea Times not just why the city must host the Expo, but also what the BIE inspection team and foreign visitors should do to make their visits more memorable.



"Busan will see a lot of improvement if it gets to host the Expo," said Kim Min-kyo, who took part in the walkathon. "I heard about the BIE mission's Busan visit and I hope they will discover many good things here so that the Expo will be held in this beautiful city."





Members of the BIE Enquiry Mission and Busan Mayor Park Heong-joon, fourth from left, pose with flower bouquets after arriving at Busan Station, Tuesday. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul



The southern port city has seen a burgeoning tourism industry, which is a clear reason why it deserves to host the world Expo, said Kang Ji-sun, a high school student.



"Busan is known as the country's second capital and I think that reflects the city's significance for the country," she said. "The people of Busan are nice, generous and kind-hearted and the city has many good things to offer. I hope that the BIE mission will take a close look at our city and promote Busan to the world so that more tourists can visit."



Other residents were proud of the natural beauty evident along the city's coastline.



"With pristine natural surroundings preserved, Busan is by far the most symbolic maritime city in Korea," said Kwon Woo-young, the chairman of the board of International Health Beauty Expert Association. "More people around the world should learn that Seoul isn't the only place to visit in Korea. Not just Busan citizens, but people from across the country must be looking forward to Busan hosting the Expo."









Older residents of the port city were more concerned about the problems currently facing Busan, such as a declining population of young people. They believe the Expo can solve those problems.



"Young people are exiting Busan. To make the city a better place for them, we must host the Expo," said Kim Tae-boo, president of the advisory committee at the ruling People Power Party's Busan Chapter. "We will do our best to guide the BIE mission to the city's most notable and respected spots. We will also do our best to contribute to the nation's efforts to compete in the BIE race (against Riyadh, Rome and Odesa)."



"It's a global event and a chance for Busan to advance itself," said Jung Soo-tae, who leads the city's social community cooperatives association, smiling while holding his grandson's hand.



"People in Busan are nice. Not just the BIE mission folks but people from all over the world must come to here and enjoy the local atmosphere. We are ready," he added.





Kwon Woo-young, center, chairperson of the board of International Health Beauty Expert Association, and staff members of the organization pose ahead of a walkathon at Busan Station, Saturday. Screen capture from Korea Times video by Kim Kang-min



As Kang said, Busan is known as the country's second capital. The reference not only comes from its economic significance to the nation, but has more to do with relaxing and having fun, with the open sea just a stone's throw away.



"Because Busan is close to the sea, I think tourists' best shots are the beach areas of Gwangalli and Haeundae," Kim Min-kyo said. "I recently visited the waterside park at North Port Expo venue. They are awesome. I hope the BIE mission takes a broad look across the city."



Kwon concurred with Kim's idea.



"Many tourist destinations in Busan are concentrated along the coast. Travel along the coast and drop by at Haeundae, Gwangalli, Gijang County and Osiria, a special leisure district. You'll see what I'm talking about."



Kang, who was running one of the booths at the flea market, recommended something else without hesitation.



"I like Busan Citizens Park (in Busanjin District). It's huge and has lots of feature sections so if you have kids, it's a perfect spot to visit," she said.





Jung Soo-tae, left, the chairman of the board of Busan's social community cooperatives association, and his grandson, both dressed in the traditional Korean costume, hanbok, pose before a walkathon at Eurasia Platform in front of Busan Station, Saturday. Screen capture from Korea Times video by Kim Kang-min



Other interviewees also proposed Taejongdae Cliff Coast and Blue Line Park Coastal Train that runs between Haeundae and Songjeong areas, both of which offer some of the city's closest views to the coast and breathtaking geological features that contour the shoreline.



Others mentioned the port city's culinary offerings.



"Pork and rice soup ('dwaeji gukbap' in Korean), wheat noodles in a cold meat broth or a spice sauce ('milmyeon' in Korean) and roasted hagfish ('kkomjangeo' in Korean)," said Kwon.



Dwaeji gukbap and milmyeon were the most popular picks by the interviewees. There are hundreds of famous signature dishes in Busan that attract foodies from across the country. More than that, they are more deep-rooted and famous than any other local street dishes.



"It's hard to answer out of the bluebut I will have to say dwaeji gukbap," said Kim Tae-boo after making the most difficult choice of the moment. "But I'm not sure if foreigners will like it."



Kang, once again, came up with differentiated choices.





Sweet pancakes with seeds (inside) are being baked at BIFF Square in Busan, Friday. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul
Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Chung Euisun, third from right, visits the Tesla booth set up at the 2023 Seoul Mobility Show held at KINTEX in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, Tuesday. Yonhap



By Kim Hyun-bin



Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Chung Euisun visited the 2023 Seoul Mobility Show to see the latest in robotics and other recent technologies driving the automotive industry, Tuesday.



At the Tesla booth, he looked at the robotic humanoid Tesla Bot and asked Hyundai Motor executives if it was functional. A Hyundai Motor executive explained, "There are still limits to dynamic motion."



Hyundai Motor Group acquired Boston Dynamics, a U.S. robot manufacturer, and is expanding its robotics business. Boston Dynamics developed Spot, a four-legged walking robot, and Atlas, a robot capable of walking upright on two legs.



Chung also stepped into the booth of Masta Motors, a medium-sized domestic company, to look at the miniature electric pickup trucks and miniature electric vans on display, and asked questions about the vehicles.



On the way to the exit, the chairman stopped at the booth of Ghost Robotics, which featured the company's "Vision 60," a quadruped walking robot similar to Spot.



Chung carefully observed how Vision 60 moved freely and listened to the explanation of its performance from the person in charge. He asked questions such as "Which batteries do you use?" and "What is the coverage of Vision?"



In addition, the chairman looked around the booths of Hyundai Motor Group affiliates such as Hyundai Motor, Kia Corp., Genesis and Hyundai Mobis. At the Hyundai Motor booth, he watched a robot charge an electric vehicle, visited the Sonata The Edge zone and listened to explanations from company officials. At the Kia booth, Chung also observed the reactions of visitors looking at the EV9.



He also visited booths of other finished cars such as Mercedes-Benz and BMW's MINI, looking closely at Mercedes' EQE electric sedan and the AMG SL 63 4 Matic+ which is scheduled for release in April.



Before leaving the event, Chung met with reporters and said of the show that "Everything was impressive."


If the United States does not compete effectively against adversaries, it could lose without fighting.' -- Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley; in the Executive Summary of Joint Concept for Competing.

In mid-March, the Joint Chiefs issued a 91-page press release titled JOINT CONCEPT FOR COMPETING (JCFC) which announces the Pentagon's shift in the way it views warfare and its intent to proactively counter the CCP's long-range strategy to conquer the United States. The CCP's strategy is traced to a treatise, published in 1999, by two CCP coronels, Qiao Liang and Wang Xiangsui, under the title Unrestricted Warfare. The goal, in unrestricted warfare, is to weaken the United States into submission, through an array of corrosive tactics, over a long period of time. Essentially, to "win without fighting." "The first rule of unrestricted warfare is that there are no rules, with nothing forbidden." The Joint Chiefs summarize:

"Adversaries are employing cohesive combinations of military and civil power to expand the competitive space. Adversaries aim to achieve their strategic objectives through a myriad of ways and means, including statecraft and economic power as well as subversion, coercion, disinformation, and deception. They are investing in key technologies designed to offset U.S. strategic and conventional military capabilities (e.g., nuclear weapons, anti-access and area denial systems, offensive cyberspace, artificial intelligence, hypersonic delivery systems, electromagnetic spectrum) Simply put, our adversaries intend to win without fighting, But they are also building military forces that strengthen their ability to fight and win an armed conflict against the United States."

"This really is a big deal." Casey Fleming, CEO of the firm Blackops Partners, stresses the significance of the Pentagon's press release in an interview with NTD's Tiffany Meier. "Every American needs to understand what this really means. This press release is something very serious for every American to get knowledge on and pass it among their families, peers, colleagues, and so on." He explains that the target of the CCP's silent war on America is every American citizen -- every man, woman, and child...literally.

Fleming regrets the Joint Chiefs' watered-down terminology that they use in this document -- terms like "competition" and "adversary" -- when the Chinese are using "war" and "enemy," respectively." In his conversation with Tiffany Meier, Fleming is explicit: "The military still likes to call it 'competition.'" He shakes his head in disapproval. "Let me tell you, it is absolutely war! When the Communist party refers to it as 'war' then, by golly, it's war! Make no mistake. And when the Chinese Communists say that we are their 'number one enemy' ...then, by God, we are their enemy! There's no mistake on that."

While the Joint Chiefs are more diplomatic in their language, they are declaring the same thing: WAR!

"The Joint Force will conduct irregular warfare operations and activities proactively to subvert, create dilemmas for adversaries, and impose costs on an adversarys strategic interests, including its economy, civil society, institutional processes, and critical infrastructure. Irregular warfare favors indirect and asymmetric approaches, though it may employ the full range of military and other capabilities, in order to erode an adversarys power, influence, and political will."

Though, in the context of the real world, it would not be unreasonable for the average American to doubt the sincerity of the Joint Chiefs. It's not like the CCP's covert war on Americanism is a recent revelation for them. In March of 2015, for example, The United States Army Special Operations Command submitted a document called the White Paper to U.S. leaders and policymakers, which conveys much of the same information found in JCFC.

Further, The book, Unrestricted Warfare, by the Colonels Qiao and Wang, really represents a fine tuning of the 74-year-old objective of the Chinese Communists to bring the United States to its knees within a century. That important history is detailed in a three-hour documentary, The Final War, produced by the Epoch Times. China's slow war on America began the day the Communists seized power in Beijing -- October 01, 1949.

It is not particularly reassuring to think that this perpetual war on America could have escaped the notice of the Department of Defense intelligence agencies all this time. Even if we give The Chiefs the full benefit of the doubt and say '"better late than never," it would still be fair to ask if they are sincere when:

a) they do not immediately block and prohibit projects like the planned CCP battery company in Michigan, which will host up to 300 Chinese nationals who are scheduled to live and work there to serve as CCP operatives.

b) they allow the CCP to buy up vast tracts of U.S. agriculture land -- often in the proximity of military installations.

c) they know that the invasion at our southern border (and now northern border), utilizing Mexican drug cartels as proxies for human and drug smuggling, is a tactic right out of the Unrestricted Warfare playbook, yet they don't lift a finger to put a stop to it.

d) they allow the likes of the United Front Work Department, and Chinese-U.S.. Exchange Foundation and all their CCP agents to operate freely within our nation, exerting their Marxist influence across our national institutions -- from our children's classrooms to the halls of Congress; into the White House and perhaps even the Pentagon itself.

These and a string of other infringements on United States' sovereignty by the CCP, on American soil, would never be tolerated by Red China, if Americans tried these antics on their turf. So, no person can be blamed for being skeptical about the Pentagon's commitment to counter China's persistent war on Americans.

What is the point of a military if it does not defend our borders from invasion in times of war?

Seizing all CCP properties in the U.S. and rounding up all "the enemy" operatives within our borders and sending them back to Red China, where they belong, would be well within the rules of engagement of unrestricted warfare, where the first rule is: "there are no rules, with nothing forbidden." Doing so would send a clear message to Mr. Xi that 'two can play this game;' and send a loud message to Americans that "YES, WE ARE AT WAR!"

The idea of passing the word along the grapevine to family and friends, as Casy Flemming suggests, while well intended, will not go far.

Until the Joint Chiefs do these obvious things to fight this war, their document, Joint Concept For Competing will mean little to nothing to the average American citizen. If they do not take these actions, in a way that is visible to everyone, General Milley's tentative prediction of "losing without fighting" will surely go down in history as self-fulfilled prophecy.

Photo credit: C-SPAN video screengrab
It is usual, among our liberal friends, to use the phrase "burn the place down" to characterize brave activists conducting mostly peaceful protests in the face of the all-powerful racist-sexist-homophobe patriarchy and its assault weapons.

But as usual, they are lying to themselves. Brave activists are nothing of the kind. They are merely regime flunkies, putting on a show for the cameras. They are fools, knaves, that know nothing, because they do not need to know anything, beyond The Thing that all regime supporters instinctively believe this week.

Thus, Alvin Bragg has just indicted Donald Trump, because that is what a regime flunky is doing this week to "burn the place down."

It is telling that Nancy Pelosi's deputy assistant DEI social media coordinator should put out a tweet talking about how in America everyone "has the right to a trial to prove innocence." Does your average deputy assistant DEI social media coordinator not know that, in Anglo-American criminal law, the government must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt? Poor little girl: why would she be expected to know a thing about Anglo-American law? It's all a front for the patriarchy, anyway.

When the left decides to "burn it all down" it is always because their latest wizard wheeze has failed. The Jacobins and Robespierre did not burn the French monarchy down; by 1791 they had already replaced the monarchy. In the Reign of Terror they burned the Revolution down. Great work, Maxie! See you in Moscow with the Grande Armee! And France has never been the same since.

Same with Joe Stalin. He burned the place down in the Great Purge because he had already wrecked Russia with his dumb Five-Year Plan. Hey, Joey! Have the bureaucrats run the economy! What could go wrong! Russia has never been the same since, Vlad.

In fact, experts agree, Stalinist Five-Year Plans were such a stunning success -- equaled only by Maoist Great Leaps Forward -- that the only thing to do is to repeat the whole thing with World War Climate to transform the energy economy with windmills and batteries. It's the science: here we are in a multi-millennial interglacial in the current ice age, so what could make more sense than making the planet wooly-mammoth-friendly again?

You know, I am an old man who's going to be 77 in 2023. At my age we geezers are supposed to be set in our ways. But for some reason I find myself getting blown away by new ideas. Back in my twenties The Wall Street Journal introduced me to the Austrians: Mises and Hayek, and I was perfectly happy with them and similar thinkers like Michael Novak and his proposal that politics and culture/religion and the economy should be separated, otherwise totalitarianism.

But then came the day that I watched Jordan B. Peterson being interviewed by North London leftie Helen Lewis, who mentioned Nietzsche as "the Nazis' favorite intellectual." Okay, so I had to read Nietzsche from stem to stern. Then Curtis Yarvin mentioned Nazi jurist Carl Schmitt and his Concept of the Political, writing that "there is no politics without an enemy." It's odd, isn't it: there is something shameful about reading Nietzsche and Schmitt. I wonder why, dear liberal friends.

Do you know, dear liberal friends, why everything you have forced upon us has been a failure? It is because politics reduces to mobilizing the people in a state to fight the enemy, and using politics to reward your friends. For everything other than fighting a war, politics Makes Things Worse.

I am sure that Maxie Robespierre and Joey Stalin could tell us, now that they possess the wisdom of eternity, that politics is a very blunt instrument good for only a few very limited uses, such as defending food-growing territory from the tribe across the river. I would have checked with the murderous Mao for his opinion, but President Xi says he could not be reached for comment.

Our liberal friends are determined to use politics and the state to create a world of equality -- "equity" is the latest version. But then I read Francis Fukuyama who decrees that the only egalitarian societies were pre-state tribes. States like ours have armies and bureaucracies and that means a powerful government that first takes care of its supporters and sics the intelligence community and the tame prosecutors on the enemies of the regime. "Equality" translates as loot for the regime supporters.

Of course, all these great thinkers cannot tell us what will happen next. We cannot fearlessly forecast whether Donald Trump will spend his last years in durance vile, or lead ultra-MAGA Republicans to a glorious national future.

But I think that our liberal friends and their devoted activists will keep doing their best to Burn the Place Down. Because that is the only thing they know to do.

Christopher Chantrill @chrischantrill runs the go-to site on US government finances, usgovernmentspending.com. Also get his American Manifesto and his Road to the Middle Class.

Image: RawPixel.com
Stanford Universitys reputation is in freefall as this once-revered university makes headlines for all the wrong reasons. Recently, a mob of law school students shut down a conservative judges speech, screeching insults at him to the approval of a Diversity Dean and the disgust of the country. Then theres the FTX fiasco, in which a Stanford-linked cryptocurrency company collapsed amidst lurid charges of fraud and money laundering. Victors Davis Hansons lament What Happened to Stanford? adds other disasters to the list, including the arrest of a Chinese agent and the disclosure of $64 million in Chinese donations.

Ive been studying Stanfords decline for a while, and I think I have a partial explanation: the fish rots from the head. Stanfords president is a renowned neuroscientist currently under investigation for scientific fraud. Dr. Tessier-Lavigne made his reputation studying Alzheimers, but evidence has emerged that has critics alleging that he may have manipulated images in multiple influential papers published in Science and Nature.

Americans are losing faith in their institutions, and the story of Dr. Tessier-Lavigne exemplifies why. His first problematic study dates back to 2001, but that didnt stop his meteoric rise through biotech pioneer Genentech to the presidency of Rockefeller University and then Stanford in 2016. Now that his alleged frauds have come to light, Stanfords Board of Trustees has opened an investigation, but its being conducted by Board members, instead of outside experts. To many observers, it appears that Dr. Tessier-Lavigne may be getting the privileged treatment awarded those with favored credentials and opinions.

Whatever the outcome of the investigation, its clear that Dr. Tessier-Lavigne has diminished moral authority to reverse the decay of Stanford. Dr. Tessier-Lavigne should resign, or the Board should fire him and begin the search for a new president who can restore the publics trust and convince students that its still worth paying almost $90,000 a year for a Stanford education.

Fortunately, two public heroes at Stanford could immediately invigorate the schools reputation by taking the helm: Dr. Scott Atlas or Dr. Jay Bhattacharya. Both men displayed rare courage in academia by opposing the Covid diktats of lockdown and forced medical interventions, standing strong against furious retaliation. Dr. Atlas became known to the public as a special advisor to President Trump on his Coronavirus Task Force, using his data expertise to analyze the effectiveness of enforced masking and social distancing. And Dr. Bhattacharya co-authored the seminal Great Barrington Declaration, an open letter in 2020 signed by thousands of doctors and public health scientists calling for Focused Protection of the high-risk population and normal living for everyone else.

As Victor Davis Hanson notes, Both were pilloried mercilessly by some of the Stanford faculty and administration for daring to doubt the efficacy of what has proved to be disastrous government-enforced COVID quarantines and school shutdowns.

Yet the arguments of Atlas and Bhattacharyathe science does not support the mandatory use of masks to halt the pandemic, natural immunity was as efficacious as or superior to vaccine-induced immunity, the vaccinations would not offer lasting protection against either being infected or infecting someone else, and the quarantine lockdowns would cause more damage and death (familial abuse, suicides, substance abuse, mental depression, uneducated children, economic catastrophe, millions of missed surgeries, screenings, tests, and doctors appointments) than the virus itselfwere all eventually substantiated.

Drs. Atlas and Bhattacharya were right, and the Stanford enforcement brigade were wrong. The university suppressed critical academic discussion at a crucial time, lending its enormous prestige to policies that destroyed lives around the world and caused great suffering to its students. Personally, I find it chilling that all Stanford students were mandated to receive experimental vaccine injections, under orders from a president accused of scientific fraud.

The Board of Trustees should offer the presidency to either Dr. Atlas or Dr. Bhattacharya and begin the process of restoring Stanfords reputation. The task is enormous, but the doctors could start with bold measures to assure the public that the scientists are trustworthy in an age when were asked to trust the science. A first step might be to abolish Stanfords new Certificate in Critical Consciousness and Anti-Oppressive Praxis, which is designed to educate STEM graduate students in critical theory and Black feminism. Returning STEM studies to actual STEM studies would be a big win.

Next, they might want to probe why not a single white man anywhere in the world was considered worthy of admittance to Stanfords 2023 surgical residency intern team. Is Stanford openly discriminating against white men? If so, announce Stanfords official resumption of evaluations based on merit, not quotas. For good measure, they may want to axe Stanfords new snitch software system, which offers financial incentives to report people on campus who use unapproved words.

By appointing Dr. Atlas or Dr. Bhattacharya as president, Stanford could do much more than revive its own standards of excellence. Stanford could set an example for the whole world of how to restore faith in our institutions and emerge from the darkness engulfing Western civilization.

Stella can be reached through Twitter @StellaPaulNY

Photo credit: Jawed Karim CC BY-SA 3.0 license
George Soros must be tickled pink. He is living out his childhood fantasy of being "some kind of god, the creator of everything," as he told the British Independent in 1993, shortly after pocketing at least $2 billion after betting against the British pound. That allowed the megalomaniac billionaire "to live it out," to meddle in domestic affairs and finances of many countries, lead numerous "color revolutions," and promote his incoherent interpretations of Henri Bergson's and Karl Popper's philosophies on the Open Society, giving it an Orwellian twist by so naming his mega political foundations.

Imagine the gleeful Soros watching the much-despised former president Donald Trump arrested on trumped-up charges. At the same time, his lavish (mostly indirect) funding to progressive-Left groups in Israel is creating chaos and division, threatening the unity and national security of the Zionist Jewish State.

Soros denies funding the election of Manhattan's progressive-left District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who concocted the inditement. The New York Times reported, "A spokesman for Mr. Soros said that the two men had never met, nor had Soros given money directly to Bragg's campaign." Perhaps. But keep in mind that in 2016, Soros's Open Society Foundation (OSF), which serves his global network, was judged the least transparent (rated 0) not only among U.S. major think tanks but... "200 think tanks in 47 countries" worldwide that Transparify ranked.

So, how did Soros contribute to Bragg's election?

In May 2021, Soros contributed $1 million to Color of Change, the leading online "racial justice" Political Action Committee (PAC). Most of Soros's contribution, "a significant portion of the money [went] to support Bragg in his 2021 campaign." In addition, Bragg was funded indirectly by large contributions Soros and his OSF gave to other Democrat PACS and not-for-profit organizations, which, in turn, funneled money to advance Soros's progressive agendas and candidates, including Manhattan's DA.

Donald Trump's election as U.S. President in 2016 infuriated Soros, not only because his candidate Hillary Clinton lost, but also because the fallible financial speculator lost $1 billion betting against Trump. Soros, who built his empire on the infamy of The Man who Broke the Bank of England in 1992, does not like to lose. So, days after Trump won the election, Politico reported that Soros convened behind closed doors with top members of the Democracy Alliance (DA) to plan a strategy to resist President-elect Trump and "to take back power from the Republicans." Moreover, Soros did not keep his intentions to oppose Trump's policies to "Make America Great Again." In December 2016, he alleged that Russia's president Vladimir Putin "helped Trump get elected," and on the eve of Trump's inauguration as the 45th President of the U.S., using the stage of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Soros declared Trump "an imposter and con man and a would-be dictator." However, Soros's prediction that the "US would be unable to protect and promote democracy in the rest of the world" became a reality only when his candidate for U.S. president got into office.

The imperious and vainglorious Soros, aptly dubbed "The Connoisseur of Chaos," is barred by the U.S. Constitution from becoming President, the most coveted, influential position a man like him could have wanted. But Soros is not known for giving up. So, he used his money and celebrity to change the U.S. from the most prosperous, democratic, and powerful nation into a crime-ridden, racially divided, anarchic nation with a floundering economy that had lost its superpower status.

Soros's funding regime changes and his beneficiary belligerent progressive Left groups resisting democratic election results have not been limited to the U.S. A Jew by ancestry but a self-proclaimed agnostic, Soros uses the religion he was born into, as a flag of convenience, thus proliferating anti-Semitism. Soros does not approve of the Zionist Jewish state of Israel. In his 1995 book Soros on Soros, George Soros declared that Zionism "doesn't appeal" because it led to "the founding of a nation [Israel] where the Jews are in the majority." For Soros, "being a Jew [is] being in a minority." And according to David Friedman, President Trump's former Ambassador to Israel, "George Soros has done more to vilify the state of Israel and to fund anti-Israel propaganda machines than almost any individual on the face of the earth."

Soros's warped accounts of Israel's efforts to defend itself from Palestinian terrorist attacks could have been written by Noam Chomsky or his many progressive-Left disciples in Israel, which for decades have often been "indirectly" funded by Soros's numerous NGOs.

Last November, Israel's Likud party (center Right), headed by Benjamin Netanyahu, won the November 2022 election with a majority of 64 of the 120 Knesset members. Netanyahu, the elected prime minister, gathered a nationalist and religious coalition and government and set out to fulfill his campaign promise to reform the unprecedently corrupt judiciary system. The leaders of the progressive Left adopted the same resistance strategy that Soros and the Dems have been using against Trump. Taking their cue from Soross OSF, these NGOs have organized and trained opposition groups to stage mass demonstrations and use fear propaganda through corrupt media outlets that spread disinformation and lies, fueling chaos and increasing division.

Trump and Netanyahu have been pestered with widely "leaked" politically hatched indictments during and after their time in office. The goal in both cases is to destroy both leaders politically and personally.

In Israel, the progressive-Left Supreme Court has for decades twisted the laws to serve its anti-Zionist agenda. Not surprisingly, they refuse to give up their excessive power and, together with the progressive Left elite, have been spreading lies about the much overdue judicial reform, falsely claiming Netanyahu's and his coalition's goal is turning Israel into an apartheid country, thus inciting and dividing the Israelis while perpetuating slanderous claims like the ones made by Soros and U.S. supported BDS, Palestinians, international and even Israeli-progressive Left NGOs, to decriminalize the Zionist Jewish State of Israel.

By twisting the law to indict Trump, Bragg, the radical Left, and the gleeful Soros hope not only to prevent his reelection as President but also to quash the growing opposition and protests by the majority of Americans against the radical-Left authoritarian rule of Biden's "America Last" globalization policies.

Rachel Ehrenfeld is the director of the American Center for Democracy and author of several books, including The Soros Agenda (forthcoming).

Image: World Economic Forum/swiss-image.ch
(See updates and corrections at the end of the article.)

Hippocrates wrote, in Of the Epidemics, The physician must. have two special objects in view with regard to disease, namely, to do good or to do no harm. After all, the goal of medical care is to relieve pain and discomfort -- to make life easier for the patient. The Texas Medical Board, however, does not see it that way. Because Dr. Eric Hensen of Palestine, Texas, did not universally force his ear-nose-and-throat patients to block their airways by masking, the TMB has suspended his medical license. So, the medical tyranny of the TMB continues. (Earlier this month, the TMB declared war on Dr. Mary Talley Bowden for prescribing Ivermectin off-label.)

Dr. Hensen earned his medical degree at the Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine in East Lansing, Michigan. The good doctor then completed two residency programs: one in general surgery at Ascension St. John Hospital in Detroit, Michigan, and the other in ENT and oro-facial plastic surgery at the Tulsa Regional Medical Center in Oklahoma. Paul Davis, Hensens lawyer, defended Hensen, declaring, This arbitrary ridiculous order by the Texas Medical Board required him to put masks on all his ears, nose and throat patients, who already have difficulty breathing. So, bottom line, the Texas Medical Board is taking a doctors license in the state of Texas, shutting down his practice, because he refused to do harm to his patients. Hensen has said he will file suit. (Although Dr. Hensen's battle with the medical board involved masks for himself and his patients, for suspension purposes, the Board narrowed the suspension charge to address only Dr. Hensen's refusal to place a mask on his own face.)

Hypercapnia and Hypoxia

One issue, when it comes to masking, is the fact that -- especially in the cases of those who are already having trouble breathing -- the practice can lead to hypercapnia (aka hypercarbia), an affliction caused by the re-inhalation of carbon dioxide from ones previously-exhaled breath; this is easily caused by wearing a mask snug enough to prevent carbon dioxide from being fully expelled prior to the patients next breath. According to the Cleveland Clinic, the symptoms of hypercarbia are these: shortness of breath, headaches, sluggishness, disorientation, confusion, paranoia, depression, and seizures.

The reduction of oxygen in the bloodstream that can occur as a result of hypercapnia is known as hypoxia, a condition that can cause harm to the brain, eyes, ears, heart, skin, and other organs of the body. Symptoms of hypoxia are wheezing, coughing, shortness of breath, and sweating. These symptoms occur as the heart struggles to pump blood more quickly, in order to force enough oxygenated blood out to the organs of the body to sustain them.

Both hypercapnia and hypoxia are considered serious enough to require immediate medical attention. So, why would an ENT doctor wish to force his patients with breathing problems to block their air passages?

Bacterial Pneumonia

It was Dr. James Meehan who, during the time of COVID, sounded the alarm that all maskers were being exposed to well-known medical risks: Im seeing patients that have facial rashes, fungal infections, bacterial infections. Reports coming from my colleagues, all over the world, are suggesting that the bacterial pneumonias are on the rise. And, indeed, it was bacterial pneumonia that did most of the killing during the Spanish Flu Pandemic of 1918. In fact, Dr. Anthony Fauci and his coauthors, in a now-famous article on this very subject, claimed the following:

The majority of deaths in the 1918-1919 influenza pandemic likely resulted directly from secondary bacterial pneumonia caused by common upper respiratory-tract bacteria. Less substantial data from the subsequent 1957 and 1968 pandemics are consistent with these findings Pandemic planning needs to go beyond addressing the viral cause alone (e.g., influenza vaccines and antiviral drugs). Prevention, diagnosis, prophylaxis, and treatment of secondary bacterial pneumonia, as well as stockpiling of antibiotics and bacterial vaccines, should also be high priorities for pandemic planning.

This danger of deadly bacterial infection (exacerbated by masking) is why Azithromycin has been prescribed by knowledgeable doctors -- along with the antiviral Hydroxychloroquine (and later Ivermectin) -- in the treatment of COVID patients. And, by providing a breeding ground for germs, masks cause their wearers to inhale whatever bacteria may have nested there.

Masking Is Ineffective Against Viruses

According to the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons, SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, has a diameter of 0.125 microns. But, because the holes in a surgical mask measure 100 microns across, a surgical mask cannot block a particle with a diameter smaller than 100 microns, a diameter that is 800 times greater than that of the COVID virus. In other words, COVID goes through surgical masks like sand through chicken wire. (The purpose of a surgical mask is to protect patients open wounds against unsanitary particles that may drop from the nose, mouth, or skin of a surgeon.)

So, not only is the Texas Medical Board guilty of injustice in their sanctioning of Dr. Hensen, but they are also responsible for prescribing treatment that amounts to nothing less than medical malpractice. If this author can uncover the research reported in this article, why is it that the twelve members of the Texas Medical Board are ostensibly so inept as to be unable to do the same? Perhaps doctors like Eric Hensen and Mary Talley Bowden should be running the TMB, rather than those who would willingly do harm to patients via the unexampled one-prescription-fits-all protocol of a universal masking mandate.

Updates and corrections: This article was prepared for publication on April 3, so that it could be published on April 4. Unbeknownst to us, on April 3, Dr. Hensen's suspension was removed, with that information made public on April 4. This essay has also been updated to reflect the fact, although Dr. Hensen's battle with the medical board involved masks for himself and his patients, for suspension purposes, the board narrowed the suspension charge to address only Dr. Hensen's refusal to place a mask on his own face.

Paul Dowling has authored a book about the Constitution and written articles for American Thinker, Independent Sentinel, Godfather Politics, Eagle Rising, and Free Thought Matters.

Image: Picryl
Lisa Holder, a member of the California Reparations Task Force, has published an opinion piece in which she hinted at the recommendations that will be made public on July 1st, 2023. We do not yet know the details, but what has been made publicly known indicates the full destructive impact that any new law might have.

The Task Force is considering a payment of $360,000 each to 1.8 million black people in California. The total cost would be $640 billion. (Californias total budget this year is only $286 billion -- a number with which the Task Force is apparently unconcerned.) Undoubtedly, many Republicans will argue that the proposal is too high. This argument will dominate the public debate, as it is the only anti-reparations argument that the national media will allow to break through the usual cloud of disinformation. The result of such a debate will be a lower number (also unaffordable) that might be enacted as a compromise.

Try to imagine a number that would be affordable -- either for California or the U.S. as a whole since the federal government is the ultimate source of payment. The U.S. is over 30 trillion dollars in debt. To make this proposal affordable, the payments would have to be reversed. Instead of receiving money, the 1.8 million black people contemplated in California would have to pay to the U.S. government $360,000 per person per year for the next 50 years. That would result in enough money to pay off the current U.S. debt. Of course, that will not happen and the U.S. debt will never be repaid. But it serves as a reminder that any amount of reparations would be too much. There is no acceptable compromise.

Even worse, the reparationists do not call simply for a one-time payment. The opinion piece demands legislative action similar to the Great Society programs of Medicare and Medicaid. Those programs have never gone away. They are now called entitlement programs. The final compromise may well include monthly payments that also never stop. Todays politicians are routinely falsely accused of voting to cut Social Security. The accusation strikes fear into most politicians. Reform is impossible. Future politicians similarly will be accused (usually falsely) of trying to cut reparations -- resulting in the same paralyzing fear.

The reparationists also define victims much more broadly than mere slaves or their descendants. The opinion piece calls for "monetary compensation to Black people who are descendants of enslaved and persecuted Black Americans." The addition of and persecuted to the formula means that anyone can be entitled to reparations. Anyone that has ever been arrested, imprisoned, undereducated, evicted, unemployed or a host of other conditions can and will be considered persecuted. The program will address all of the atrocities the government committed against Black people in California. That promises to be a long list. Reparationists want to ensure that the harm will cease and desist for good. Since slavery has not existed in almost 160 years (and never in California), it is obvious that slavery is only one of many harms that they want to address.

Holders website aims to broaden conceptions of present-day discrimination to include unconscious and structural bias by using social science, structural analysis, and real-life experience. It is clear that the definition of who will be a properly entitled victim will not be clear. Even unconscious bias will result in reparations.

The broad and ongoing nature of the reparations is indicated also by recent calls for a new (and probably permanent) bureaucracy. A San Francisco supervisor now demands the allocation of $50 million for an Office of Reparations. This $50-million demand is just for San Francisco and would solely be used to administer and oversee that citys program.

California was never a slave state. Yet this same Task Force took 500 pages to allege that California was pro-slavery, a Jim Crow state and a post-civil rights apartheid state. The opinion piece states that California pursued anti-Black policies and narratives. When mere narratives might be a proper basis for reparations, it is obvious that those reparations will have no limits. When the reparationists can openly compare modern California to apartheid countries, it is clear that they expect no adults to limit their ambitions.

By using apartheid in this way, the Task Force does to language what the government will do to dollars if the proposals become law. Their words are as meaningless as dollars will be valueless.

If any of these reparations see the light of day, there will be no future for anyone in the United States. Even the federal printing press has its limits. The federal government can print only so much money before it becomes, in effect, confetti. Past civilizations that made this mistake degraded into chaos, upheaval, dictatorship, and war. The reparations movement is one of many progressive ideas that might push us to that point.

California does not have the ability to print money (although it would be interesting to see it try). California derives its revenue from taxes. The remaining taxpayers would flee the state if California attempted to fund such a program. The migration crisis into the rest of the country would constitute a humanitarian nightmare.

Undoubtedly opportunist politicians will support reparations in the hopes of keeping their positions or advancing to new heights. Many around the country will refrain from speaking out against reparations for fear of losing their jobs or other income. This strategy might work in the short run. But even hush money is subject to the laws of economics. The money we receive will be worthless if trillions of dollars of reparations money floods the country.

Democrats have the votes in California to enact the full recommendations of the Task Force without reeiving one Republican vote.

There are many possible outcomes, including competing reparations proposals. It is possible that some Democrats in the California legislature will shrink from suicide. Republicans would somehow be forever blamed if the proposals fail.

The reparationists might also be bluffing. They might be content with the creation of the reparations bureaucracy now with no actual money transfer taking place. The political power from such a bureaucracy would be formidable. There would also be time to condition the rest of us to accept the full monstrosity of the program. We may spend years debating the eligibility of the recipients or other details. The adoption of the mere bureaucracy would render the rest of the program inevitable.

The only way to fight this coming nightmare is to educate ourselves regarding what they really want. Their own writings indicate they would punish us for our unconscious thoughts and narratives. We are to pay and pay for mere thoughts and beliefs. They want us to accept guilt for living in an apartheid state. Everything about America is to be condemned. The new entitlement programs and the new bureaucracy will be a monument to raw power, racial division, and tyranny. We cannot succumb to the temptation of accepting a lesser compromise just because it might seem less expensive at first.

Image: Fibonacci Blue
The Trump circus came to New York today, and we have a little more information than before. Im not a criminal defense attorney, but I can offer some opinions about whats taken place, not just today, but in the years leading up to today. [Note: I didn't mention any statute of limitations issues because I have no idea what the statute of limitations is on this cause of action. If it's passed, the case should be dead in the water.]

The media and the leftists created a circus outside the courthouse. Theres really nothing to say about that beyond the obvious.

Bragg declined to take a mugshot of Donald Trump, which was a smart decision for the Democrats. Trump has already raised millions of dollars off the fact that Americans (rightly) perceive whats happening as a Third World, banana-republic political persecution to kneecap the Republican frontrunner in the 2024 election. However, Trump provided a powerful raised fist moment before going into the courthouse, and that should do when it comes to reminding people about whats happening:

Donald Trump Puts Fist in The Air and Waves Heading Into Manhattan Court



He just posted the following words on Truth Social:



Heading to Lower Manhattan, the Courthouse. Seems SO SURREAL - WOW, they are going to ARREST ME. Can't believe this is happening in America. MAGA! pic.twitter.com/0vvacfC3bz  Matt Wallace (@MattWallace888) April 4, 2023

Regarding many images that are circulating, AI is colliding with the moment, and frighteningly realistic Deep Fakes are out there. Its clear that we have entered The Matrix. Wed better hope that The One is also out there somewhere because we badly need rescuing. (Alternatively, each of us is The One who is called upon to keep a tight hold on the Constitution and reality, and never to lose sight of those lodestars as Democrats take us deeper and deeper into their warped fantasies.)

The other important thing that emerged today is the 34-count indictment. Before I get to that, let me sum up a few of the facts we already know.

Trumps fixer, Michael Cohen, the attorney whose testimony drives this persecutioner, prosecution, is a known liar.

In keeping with his image beginning in the 1970s, Americans knew Trump was not a virgin.

Trump is a notorious germaphobe which may mean that random sexual encounters are repugnant to him.

Stormy Daniels has admitted that she never had sex with Trump.

Its not unusual for very rich men to pay off he said/she said accusers as a nuisance cost because its easier than proving the she said lie in court (that is, less time, less money, less risk of a jury getting its generic revenge on rich people). Lots of women have lied about Trump.

Cohen has admitted that he made the payment out of his funds to Stormy without Trumps approval, although Trump conceded that he routinely had Cohen get rid of these nuisance claims:

Mr. Cohen, an attorney, received a monthly retainer, not from the campaign and having nothing to do with the campaign, from which he entered into, through reimbursement, a private contract between two parties, known as a non-disclosure agreement, or NDA. These agreements are.....  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 3, 2018

...very common among celebrities and people of wealth. In this case it is in full force and effect and will be used in Arbitration for damages against Ms. Clifford (Daniels). The agreement was used to stop the false and extortionist accusations made by her about an affair,......  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 3, 2018

...despite already having signed a detailed letter admitting that there was no affair. Prior to its violation by Ms. Clifford and her attorney, this was a private agreement. Money from the campaign, or campaign contributions, played no roll in this transaction.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 3, 2018

The American people assumed that Trump was a player, so his allegedly having sex with a raddled old porn star wouldnt have changed their minds about him. That makes it more reasonable that, whether or not he had contact with Stormy, the payoff was to hide it from his wife.

With those facts in mind, lets talk about the charges against Trump, which come in the form of a two-part document: A statement of facts and the actual indictment:

The gist of the facts is that Trump used his New York business records to hide that he was suppressing damaging information from the voting public in 2016. So, right off the bat, theyre not even pretending he illegally used campaign funds, which was the alleged federal claim that even the hostile feds couldnt make stick.

Heres a really slimmed-down version of the allegations: During his campaign, Trump worked with others in his organization and Lawyer A (Cohen) to hunt down people who had negative information about him and to suppress that information.

The National Enquirers publisher (AMI) and its CEO also admitted to paying for one persons silenceand, even when it turned out the story was a lie, Trump and Cohen said to let the liar keep his money. There are allegations of other instances where Trump, Cohen, and AMI paid off people alleging bad things about Trump in exchange for silence. They also tried to shut down the Access Hollywood tape. So far, I believe that none of that is illegal.

When it came to the Stormy Daniels payment, the statement of facts alleges that Trump authorized it, contradicting Cohens own statements in 2018. It also says that Cohen set up a shell company and transferred his own money to the company.

Again, none of the above facts allege illegal activity. The gist of whats allegedly illegal is contained in the paragraphs below:

25. The TO CFO (Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg, who was also bullied into pleading guilty by the manic push to destroy Trump) and Lawyer A (Cohen) agreed to a total repayment amount of $420,000. They reached that figure by adding the $130,000 payment to a $50,000 payment for another expense for which Lawyer A also claimed reimbursement, for a total of $180,000. The TO CFO then doubled that amount to $360,000 so that Lawyer A could characterize the payment as income on his tax returns, instead of a reimbursement, and Lawyer A would be left with $180,000 after paying approximately 50% in income taxes. Finally, the TO CFO added an additional $60,000 as a supplemental year-end bonus. Together, these amounts totaled $420,000. The TO CFO memorialized these calculations in handwritten notes on the copy of the bank statement that Lawyer A had provided. 26. The Defendant, the TO CFO, and Lawyer A then agreed that Lawyer A would be paid the $420,000 through twelve monthly payments of $35,000 over the course of 2017. Each month, Lawyer A was to send an invoice to the Defendant through Trump Organization employees, falsely requesting payment of $35,000 for legal services rendered in a given month of 2017 pursuant to a retainer agreement. At no point did Lawyer A have a retainer agreement with the Defendant or the Trump Organization.

In sum, rather than having the payments appear as nuisance payoffs, they were listed as legal expenses. Some of the funds came from Trumps own account.

In April 2018, when the FBI went after Cohen, Trump allegedly asked Cohen not to cooperate. (Note that this was after a year and a half of the FBIs knowingly fake Russia collusion investigation.) There are paragraphs in the indictment about Trump or his lawyers telling Cohen to stay strong, followed by Cohen pleading guilty. Cohen is a liar, but we also know from General Flynn that FBI bullying and open coercion lead even the strongest to plead guilty.

Based on those facts, the indictment alleges only falsifying business records, a violation of New Yorks Penal Law 175.10. The 34 separate counts are achieved by making every allegedly unlawful ledger entry and payment to Cohen a separate indictment. If a Manhattan jury finds Trump guilty on all counts, he faces up to 136 years in jail. This is typical prosecutorial overcharging because if you can get the jury to sign on even one transaction, youve got a convictionand juries like to play Solomon and split the baby (forgetting that it was wrong to split the baby and that Solomon only threatened to do so to suss out the truth).

So thats the case: Trump had a fixer who paid off bimbos using Trumps own funds. When Trump ran for president, he allegedly went into hyper-mode to stop what the Clintons used to call bimbo eruptions.

Trump never used campaign funds for this, and theres no reason to believe that the purpose wasnt to protect his relationship with Melaniaagain, given what the public thought it knew and already forgave regarding Trumps bad boy days. Trump, either directly or through his agents, allegedly entered into a payment plan with Cohen to hide the nature of the payments. And therefore, he allegedly deserves 136 years in jail, and the American people must be deprived of the right to choose their preferred presidential candidate.

Trump has pleaded NOT GUILTY to all charges. Like you, I await word from knowledgeable criminal defense attorneys about Trumps legal position right now.

UPDATE: Tucker Carlson had more information than I did:

Regarding whether Bragg alleged an underlying crime, I believe what he tried to bootstrap into an underlying crime was Trump's allegedly entering into the agreement with Cohen to disguise the nature of the payments. Then, every book entry and payment to Cohen would be piggybacked onto that alleged crime -- only it's not a crime. The whole thing crumbles.

Alan Dershowitz's take is worth watching, too:

BREAKING: Tucker Carlson interviews Alan Dershowitz who has joined Mike Lindell to take on the Biden Regime



Fuel the Fight: https://t.co/faQ7lHQppL pic.twitter.com/vlcXoQAUDp  Jack Posobiec  (@JackPosobiec) September 24, 2022

Also, if you haven't seen it, here is Trump's statement. He appeared remarkably relaxed and was, as always, a bit discursive, but I was very happy seeing him attack the whole "classified documents" sham. He said clearly what I've said repeatedly: As President, he didn't have classified documents because he had the absolute right to possess and declassify all documents -- unlike Biden, who grossly violated national security laws when he was the vice president:

Image: Trump entering the courthouse. Twitter screen grab.
Yet another train just derailed. This one happened along the Clark Fork River in Montana, just across from Quinn's Hot Springs Resort.

Most of the derailed rail cars are dry, but many cans and bottles of beer spilled. About four boxcars were taking a dip in the river.

There was no release of hazardous materials, and no reported injuries, so we can be a bit mirthful, pending clean-up.

Fortunately, plenty of beer became subsumed in the clear, sparkling water.

Why is that fortunate?

First, the resort's residents now have a new fun activity if they tire of hiking or riding  lot of cold beers to wade for.

Second, it presents new fishing opportunities. Indeed, the fishes may become drunk, and easier to hook.

While just tipsy, the fishes are actually faster and more elusive. However, if they overindulge, they slow and lose their wits, similar to the sedative effects on inebriated landlubbers. And that's entirely possible since multiple containers of Coors Light and Blue Moon beer likely spilled into the pristine river, named after William Clark of Lewis and Clark fame.

Given their drunken stupor, the trout that navigate the river might become disoriented and possibly attracted to bright, wobbling baits. The drunk fishes might even converge on bright shiny objects, which gives an excuse to inject politics into this story. That is, their behavior may mimic the disoriented Dems' obsequious "shiny object syndrome"  the delusional belief that there is something new worth pursuing, especially against Trump.

The "equity-touting" ideologue Pete Buttigieg doesn't need to chase shiny objects on this one. Stay away!

But for the hook and line anglers, it certainly adds new meaning to "beer-battered fish."
While the United States has been hypnotized by our domestic battle of Biden versus Trump, China has made a major move in the Middle East.

It has negotiated an alliance of convenience between those thousand-year enemies, the Saudis and Iranians, whose theological feud goes back to the generation after Mohammed.

China has thereby effectively countered the Abraham Accords negotiated by the U.S., the Arab states (with Saudis in the background), and Israel.

We are now seeing the Chinese game of Wei-chi (the Japanese call it Go), and you practically need a computer to keep track of the moves.

Let's take this from Israel's viewpoint to simplify things. Since 1979, when the U.S. allowed our the Shah of Iran to be overthrown, a fierce new stream of warlike jihad has come to world power. Shi'ite Iran has turned into a global spider with hairy legs all over the planet, driven by a murderous hatred of Israel, the United States, and the weakened Christian West.

Donald Trump used the Abraham Accords to forge a historic new alliance between Israel and key Arab states, an unprecedented move for peace. China has now countered the Abraham Accords by enabling what could be called the "Anti-Abraham" Accords, which puts China in the driver's seat in the Middle East, now threatening to topple U.S. influence there.

Since China is smarter, more ruthless, and much more strategic than our present policy goofballs, China's "Anti-Abraham Accords" solve some deeply stuck problems, while creating new anti-American threats. (Don't imagine that China is not involved in our domestic politics, either.)

Israel has been under Iran's guns since Jimmy Carter gave Iran to the mullahs in 1979. Every single day in the last fifty years, Iran's schoolchildren have been made to shout "Death to Israel! Death to America!," and our brain-stuck foreign policy establishment has only played the pitiful, helpless giant.

The Iranians are now near 95 percent uranium purification, which puts them within weeks of a usable bomb, putting Israel (and other sane nations) under existential threat. Iran's nuclear technology has advanced with the help of two major powers: Russia and China, and both are in the new four-way accord between China, Russia, Iran, and Saudi Arabia.

For now, Putin has been tied down in the Ukraine, which is rapidly draining his resources, his army, and his worldwide credibility.

Let's look at the costs and benefits.

Israel is now seeing a new way to hold off the fanatical mullahs, using China as the new guarantor of the balance of power in the Middle East. Right now, Russia is no threat, but Iran has become a major arms supplier to Russia in its desperate war in Ukraine.

In the absence of any strategic U.S. vision, China can therefore play an immensely powerful role as the nuclear "peace-maker" in the Middle East.

The Saudis have joined China in the "Anti-Abraham Accords" because the Saudis have performed miserably against Iranian aggression. They are also facing a threat to their very existence from the nuclear fanatics next door.

Iran hates the Saudis for ancient religious reasons. Fifty years ago, the Ayatollah Khomeini tried to use Muslim pilgrims to the annual Hajj ceremonies in Mecca to overthrow the Saudi kingdom.

Meanwhile, the Biden regime looks even weaker than Jimmy Carter, the silliest U.S. administration in the 20th century. Biden's own dark history combined with his vile hatred of Trump has now created an historic chance for China to stage a major power play, not just in Taiwan and the Indo-Pacific, but also in the Middle East, with its oil resources and endless strife.

China also wants to dethrone the U.S. dollar as the world's reserve currency, which could severely impact our economy. The U.S. dollar has made the United States the safe refuge for capital around the world in troubled times. When things go badly in Europe or South America, capital flees to safe harbors, and the U.S. has been the safest for almost a hundred years.

What we are seeing is therefore not an Axis of Evil, but a kind of Iron Mace of Evil  an axis has only two end points, but a medieval mace has as many as you want. This is Wei-chi, not chess.

China could tame the existential threat of Iran using its growing links with Tehran. But China will exact a price for its favors, as it always does. Nobody outside Iran benefits from fanatical mullahs with nukes, which can destroy cities all over the world in 15 minutes.

We do not yet have a viable defense against ICBMs.

Think of an old-fashioned kaleidoscope that clicks into a colorful new pattern whenever you rotate the tube. The kaleidoscope can organize in many different ways, but the power that turns the tube is in control. China just turned the tube.

Goofy Joe has now alienated Europe (by blowing up their Russian gas pipeline); he has shown lethal weakness against a constantly irritated Latin America by collapsing our southern border, while Brazil, Venezuela, and Cuba are either bitter U.S. enemies or rising competitors.

Our fuddy-duddy regime just tried to undermine Israel by whipping up left-wing riots that blocked Netanyahu's eminently fair and sensible judicial reforms.

Every friend you alienate will look for better allies in a lethally dangerous world. Israel may prefer the U.S., because we have so many values in common. But in the face of a malignant nuclear Iran, now allied with the Saudis, and a desperately confused Europe, with newly ambitious South American countries  all the players will be sorely tempted to abandon the U.S. when push comes to shove.

The "Russia, Russia, Russia" hoax was bad enough for domestic politics, but the real Wizard of Oz today is "China, China, China."

Photo credit: YouTube screen grab.
Feature: Chinese acupuncturists hailed as "magicians" at Sudan's presidential clinic

Xinhua) 14:11, April 04, 2023

KHARTOUM, April 3 (Xinhua) -- Mohamed, a senior Sudanese military officer, felt that the pain in his knee joint was gone after visiting twice what he called "the magic needle room," a Chinese clinic inside the presidential palace in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum.

"Acupuncture is amazing and magic!" Mohamed, who requested to be identified only by his first name, told Xinhua, recalling the therapy of "warm needle acupuncture" that he received at the clinic.

The clinic, which was set up two decades ago, has been operating with the help of the consecutive teams of Chinese doctors sent to Sudan to provide medical assistance.

Before the treatment, Mohamed's left knee was sensitive to environmental coldness, a symptom called Cold Arthralgia in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). The Chinese acupuncturist at the clinic treated his knee with "warm needle acupuncture," in which fire needles are applied at strategic points on the body.

The practice of "warm needle acupuncture," which dates back to as early as China's Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220 AD), has long proven to be effective in treating certain pains in the body. After his amazing experience at the clinic, Mohamed recommended the "magic needle treatment" to his fellow soldiers.

Each workday, about 40 to 50 patients visit the clinic for traditional Chinese therapy, which combines acupuncture and moxibustion, a form of heat therapy in which an herb is burned on or above the skin to warm and stimulate an acupuncture point or affected area. Both treatments are known for their simple procedures and effectiveness.

Abdelaziz Ahmed Sadd, director of the medical unit at the Sudanese presidential palace, has cooperated with dozens of Chinese doctors at the clinic in the past two decades.

Sadd spoke highly of the TCM, which is gaining wider acceptance among the Sudanese. "Chinese acupuncture is an effective treatment with excellent results. Most of the patients who received the treatment have shown great improvement regarding the symptoms and reduced the use of medical drugs," he told Xinhua.

Acupuncture offers many physical and psychological benefits, such as pain relief, easing of depression and allergy, as well as curing facial paralysis and stroke, he said.

"China is a pioneer in acupuncture treatment, and the Chinese method is recognized globally. It has benefited mankind and contributed to the medical field," said Sadd, expressing the hope for increased cooperation between China and Sudan in the medical domains in the future.

"Good job, Chinese friend," most Sudanese patients would say so after receiving treatment at the clinic, said An Peng, a Chinese doctor and standing committee member at the China Association for Acupuncture and Moxibustion General Hospital branch, who has been working at the clinic for around 4 months.

Besides the clinic, An and other Chinese doctors also provide TCM services in the China-Sudan Omdurman Friendship Hospital near Khartoum, as well as the Abu Osher Hospital in central Sudan's Gezira State.

Sometimes they provide free services to Sudanese. During a volunteer event held in July 2022 at the Maiguma Orphanage in Khartoum, the largest orphanage in Sudan with about 300 orphans, the Chinese doctors taught the teachers there to use Chinese pediatric massage to treat indigestion and common illnesses of the children.

With a long history, pediatric massage is an important part of TCM. Based on the meridian theory of TCM, the use of special methods to stimulate children's specific acupoints could cure or prevent certain diseases.

On a wall of the orphanage, there hangs a poster of a proverb by Abolfath Bosti, a well-known Arab poet, that reads "a seed can blossom and bear fruits, spreading beauty everywhere."

An Peng said the proverb fits in describing the deeds of the Chinese doctors who have been offering free medical services in Sudan since 1971, passing friendship and love from China to the Sudanese people.

Since the arrival of the first batch of Chinese doctors in Sudan in 1971, China has so far sent to the African country a total of 37 medical teams that comprise more than 1,100 medical personnel. They have treated about 8 million Sudanese patients and conducted more than 200,000 major surgeries in total, according to official statistics.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)




Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) Administration and Budget Committee President Patrick Specht, right, BIE enquiry mission members and Korean government officials take a guided tour of Eulsukdo Island Ecology Park in Busan, Tuesday. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul





By Lee Kyung-min



Korea will be able to assure the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) delegation of the country's capability and enthusiasm to host the World Expo 2030 in Busan, as underpinned by four thorough presentations on the plan's viability, significance and financing, according to the industry ministry, Tuesday. BIE is an intergovernmental organization in charge of overseeing and regulating World Expos. Its eight-member delegation is in Korea this week to evaluate Busan's Expo bid.



Of the four presentations and Q&A sessions scheduled during their stay, the first was delivered, Monday, by Korea's Expo bid promotion committee Secretary-General Yoon Sang-jik and Trade Minister Ahn Duk-geun.



The theme of Monday's presentation was "political unity," one of four sub-themes prepared by Korea. The remaining three are "theme," "site" and "people and money."



The trade minister gave a detailed overview of Busan and the city's North Port, the proposed venue for the international event. Also illustrated were the level of preparation by the city's residents and the ways in which years of public-private collective efforts tie in with political unity.





Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) Administration and Budget Committee President Patrick Specht, front right, BIE enquiry mission members and Korean government officials take a guided tour of Eulsukdo Island Ecology Park in Busan, Tuesday. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul







The secretary-general elaborated further on the country's plan to expand from the experience of hosting the mega-event to elevate its standing and help developing peers in the international community.



The delegates inquired about the means of financing, traffic and transport conditions as part of venue accessibility issues, as well as specifics about how developing nations and BIE members seeking to attend the global event would be helped.



Yoon told the mission that Korea's decades of experience with stable, robust economic growth would be demonstrated again with the successful hosting of the international event, which Korea is confident to take on, according to the bid committee.





Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) Administration and Budget Committee President Patrick Specht, third from right, and National Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-pyo, third from left, hold a copy of Korea's pledge to the BIE for the World Expo 2030 at the National Assembly on Yeouido, Seoul, Monday. Korea Times
At first glance, the judicial reform in Israel and the mass protests against it in that country have nothing to do with the United States. But U.S. president Joe Biden's condemnation of the proposed Israeli judicial reform because it is "undemocratic" and his refusal to invite Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House raise the question: does the U.S. president, the leader of the Democrat party, understand democracy in Israel and in his own country correctly?

The key question in Israel's controversial reform: Who should choose the judges of the Supreme Court in Israel? In Israel, since about 1992, there is a system whereby judges elect judges. This system is defined as follows:

Supreme Court Judges are appointed by the President of Israel, from names submitted by the Judicial Selection Committee, which is composed of nine members: three Supreme Court Judges (including the President of the Supreme Court), two cabinet ministers (one of them being the Minister of Justice), two Knesset members, and two representatives of the Israel Bar Association.

The president of Israel, unlike the President of the United States, is not a political figure. The two representatives of the bar vote the same as the judges, for they have no interest in clashing with the judges they meet during their tenure.

The fact that it takes a majority of 7 out of 9 to appoint judges means that judges and lawyers voting unanimously have veto power.

Since judges and lawyers are not elected by the people, this judicial system is not democratic in the full sense of the word. This leads to a system that can be called critocracy  in Greek, the rule by judges. (Critocracy was the system of rule by biblical judges in ancient Israel, before the establishment of a united monarchy under Saul.)

In Israel, the Supreme Court has been given the power to actively intervene in the reversal of political decisions. A large amount of power has been transferred to judicial control from the representative institutions of the democratic electorate.

The principle of the separation of powers in Israel has been violated, since the Supreme Court can decisively influence matters of national security, macroeconomic policy, fundamental issues of collective identity and state-building, the nature of the regime  in short, everything that was the prerogative of the legislative and executive branches of government in a democratic state.

This system of government assumes that everything is subject to judicial review and that judges are wiser and more responsible people than politicians.

Admirers of the decisive role of the Supreme Court of Israel believe that any limitation of judicial control would make the people vulnerable to an uncontrolled Knesset. But all disagreements between the legislature and the executive on the one hand and the court on the other are resolved in favor of the opinion of the court.

This belief in the court is based on the belief that the judiciary is less dangerous to the people because, unlike parliament and government, it has no money and no weapons. This belief is based on the prejudice that an elected politician is always less reliable than a disinterested judge who need not be re-elected.

P.M. Netanyahu's government wants to adopt a system of selecting judges more in keeping with the American model, which means politicians will be in charge. It's a key element of the coalition's judicial reform plan. The reform, which President Biden considers anti-democratic, is as follows: the commission will consist of 11 people. For the first time in the history of Israel, all three authorities will have equal representation: three judges, three ministers, and three members of the Knesset (the chairman of the Knesset and the chairman of the Constitutional Commission, both from the ruling coalition, and the chairman of the State Control Commission, from the opposition). The minister of justice will appoint two public figures as commission members. The majority required for the appointment of a judge will be a simple majority, not 7 out of 9. None of the authorities would have veto power.



In Israel, there have been massive protests against the limitation of the power of Supreme Court judges  i.e., against the government coalition's desire to put politicians on the judicial selection committee, which means a transition from a critocracy to a democracy of the type that exists in the United States.

Does Joe Biden, leader of the Democrat party, understand what democracy is?

Photo credit: YouTube screen grab.
I've made a lot of stupid mistakes during my seventy-five years, so maybe I have no right to speak, but I just can't help myself. Some mistakes are beyond the pale  and they are numerous. Some have implications far in excess of the immediate events.

Three examples will suffice.

The first of these happened in Newport News, Virginia at Richneck Elementary School. A six-year-old boy pulled a gun out of his pocket and shot his teacher, Abby Zwerner, who suffered serious injuries requiring multiple surgeries, with possible life-long impairments to follow.

I say, "it happened," but in fact, there were so many mistakes that one is appalled at the number of them and, moreover, at the severity of the mistakes. There were so many explicit warnings that the term "red flags" is too weak to describe them. At any point in the long chain of events, the entire matter could have been prevented, easily, by people who are supposedly trained to know better. Instead, no one stepped in, and there was almost a death as a result.

The shooter, known in the press as "John Doe," is, according to news reports, a troubled child. "Troubled" is a euphemism in this case. Doe has reportedly exhibited violent tendencies from the time he entered kindergarten.

The second example involves a related video, in which an eleven-year-old boy brazenly and persistently bullies adults, repeatedly punching one, and using X-rated epithets at others. When he is physically resisted by one of his victims, he loudly accuses the adults of child abuse. He has learned the vocabulary of victimhood.

As inexcusable as were the mistakes that were made in the Richneck Elementary School shooting, these two incidents when considered together point to a much more widespread and impending catastrophe in the making as we watch. The mistakes are being made by adults, and they are not honest errors. Ignorance can be excusable, but deliberate obliviousness to obvious facts is not.

Our third and final illustration will tie much of it together.

On the second of December, 2015, fourteen people were murdered in San Bernardino, California, by a married couple who were Islamic-motivated terrorists. Many more were seriously injured before the two terrorists were killed by police.

The part of the story I remember most is that neighbors of the terrorists had wished to alert authorities about their suspicious behavior but were deterred by the prospect of being labeled Islamophobes. Fourteen murders could possibly have been prevented, but "see something, say nothing," is the new, unofficial guideline. "Tolerance" is the new virtue.

How do these three incidents expose the increasing rot that is infecting our society? In a word, "Woke." Among the varied definitions of woke, all of them have in common an abandonment of the moral principles that, until recently, were moving this nation forward from an imperfect past toward the "more perfect union," aspired to in our Constitution.

Because our past was imperfect, abysmally so at times, it became fashionable to focus solely on our national sins, and to ignore our national strengths drawn from our Creator. According to some, the entire history of America is one of slavery and genocide, nothing else. Yes, our forebears did some horrific things, but they also constructed the foundations of an expansion of human rights that has lifted many millions of people from tyranny to freedom, and from abject poverty to prosperity.

By defining us as inhuman beasts, to the exclusion of every virtue, the perpetrators of that fraud have weakened us against the brutal and tyrannical forces in the world which credibly threaten not only world peace, but civilization itself.

We have replaced competence with ineptitude, truth with propaganda, and courage with cowardice.

It is long past time that we re-establish the principles of Judeo-Christian values; unapologetically embed them in our laws and jurisprudence; and stop bowing down to our woke, would-be masters every time they call us Nazis. We must return force with overwhelming force, and never slow down until they stop ruining our nation.

Yes, even if it hurts their feelings.

Image via Max Pixel.
Have you seen a legal expert commenting on the likely circus of the Trump voir dire? Where is public opinion on putting Mr. Trump in the dock? Unless the district attorney and judge have conspired to deny Mr. Trump an impartial jury, one would think that Biden voters (and Biden got nearly 90% of the Manhattan vote) would be excluded for cause, along with readers of The New York Times (all the anti-Trump propaganda we deem fit to print), and consumers of the broadcast, cable, and social media outlets available in Manhattan, all of whom are heavily biased against Mr. Trump.

Simply stated, anyone who claims that Donald J. Trump can get a fair trial in Manhattan either needs to have his head examined  or is guilty of perjury.

Debra Heine at American Greatness, April 3, noted that Trump-supporters greeted the former president's arrival at his Manhattan residence with cries of "We Love Trump." The Trump loyalists had better be careful that they not be arrested and charged with obstruction of justice.

The very fact of the arraignment is proof positive that Republicans are not taken seriously by the Deep Staters because they don't expect to be taken seriously. The House Republican leadership, weeks ago, should have taken resolute action against the anti-Constitution Democrats with the adoption of resolution after resolution of censure against the Democrat purveyors of lies directed at MAGA patriots and, certainly, of the Manhattan district attorney.

Where, pray tell, is the House finding that under federal law, Mr. Trump is entitled to lifetime Secret Service protection, and thus, by statute, immune from incarceration? Where is the House protest petition setting forth the prejudicial reality in Manhattan, due to a politically biased population infected with the lies of the media, and concluding that not only is a fair trial impossible in the Trump matter, but the fact that the former president faces a future as defendant in a criminal case is an affront to the Constitution?

A cliche comes to mind. The silence of former presidents Bush and Obama is deafening (former president Carter being too weak to comment and, likely, former president Clinton too ill). There is nothing in the Former Presidents Act to prevent former presidents from calling on political zealots to cease their assault on a member of the club of former president.

Former presidents Bush and Obama must return to the political arena and call on the political zealots to stop their madness forthwith. The message, coming from them, should end the travesty of a Trump trial. That message is, simply, that if you indeed respect the law, you must honor the Former Presidents Act.

Image via Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain.
In the early 1960s, as NASA geared up towards space exploration, engineers and astronomers at the federal organization felt the need for a large telescope through which they could survey the planets before dispatching spacecraft to study them in detail. At the McDonald Observatory, in Texas, the new director Harlan J. Smith, saw an opportunity and convinced NASA to fund for a new one at the observatory.

McDonald Observatory was one of the premier destination for astronomy at that time because of the clear dry air of its location and moderately high elevation. It was also home to the 82-inch Otto Struve Telescope, using which German astronomer Gerard Kuiper discovered a new moon of the planet Neptune, named Nereid, in 1949. At the time of its construction in 1939, it was the worlds second largest telescope.

The dome of Harlan J. Smith Telescope. Photo: Fredlyfish4/Wikimedia

Director Smith felt the need for a new and larger telescope at McDonald Observatory. Thus, with the help of NASAs generous contribution, a new telescope was built at the cost $5 million and completed in 1968. This new telescope was equipped with a 107-inch diameter fused silica mirror that gave it a light-gathering power one-quarter million times greater than the unaided eye.

Shortly after the telescope began regular observation, it became victim of an unfortunate incident involving a hand gun that left the telescope permanently scarred for life.

On February 5, 1970, shortly before midnight, a newly hired employee came in drunk with a 9mm gun to the observing floor of the telescope. First he fired a shot at his supervisor, and then taking aim at the telescopes primary mirror emptied the rest of the clip at point blank range. The deranged employee, who was identified as Jack Hyde, a resident observer in charge of instrument maintenance, was quickly subdued and handed over to the police. The sheriff later told reporters that Hyde had drawn a pistol on two employees and had forced them to lower the mirror so he could fire at it.

Harlan J. Smith Telescope. Photo: Reddit

The mirror is the most important part of the telescope and is prepared with the utmost care. It took about a year for a team of experts to ground the 4.5 ton mirror, 24 hours a day, before it was installed. In the final stages, only one man at a time was permitted to execute the final touches where a wrong move would have damaged the instrument. And now, a mentally unstable employee had decided to take out his frustration on this delicate tool.

At first, the telescopes mirror was described as a total loss and beyond repair. However, fused silica is more resilient than ordinary glass and the mirror did not shatter, but the bullets did leave small holes on the surface. Soon after the incident, Director Harlan J. Smith released a report describing the damage, or the surprising lack of it:

The harm suffered by the mirror from his bullets and his several preliminary blows with a hammer was extraordinarily small. The damage is limited to small craters about 3 to 5cm in radius, which reduce the light collecting efficiency by about 1 percent and introduce a very small amount of diffraction  Astronomical observations of all types are essentially unimpaired by this tragic episode; the telescope resumed its observing program the following night, producing some of the best photographs (of quasar fields) so far obtained with this instrument in its first year of use.

The astronomers repaired the mirror by boring out the craters and painting them black to reduce any light-scattering effect, and the end result was simply a slight reduction in the efficiency of the telescope. It was now equivalent of a 106-inch telescope.

The bullet holes on the mirror clearly visible. Photo: McDonald Observatory

The telescope continues to provide service to astronomers. During the 1970s, the telescope was used to reflect a laser off mirrors left on the moon by Apollo astronauts, in a program called lunar laser ranging. These results have helped refine the distance to the Moon and enabled a better understanding of its interior, and provided a test of Albert Einstein's theory of General Relativity. The telescope has been extensively used to study the compositions of stars, the motions of galaxies, and to search for planets around other stars in our galaxy. In 2021, astronomers using this telescope discovered a massive black hole at the center of one of the Milky Ways dwarf satellite galaxies, called Leo I. The black hole was as large as the one in our own galaxy. This unprecedented finding had the potential to shake up astronomers understanding of galaxy evolution.

In 1995, the 107-inch telescope was named Harlan J. Smith Telescope in honor of the man who served as director of McDonald Observatory from 1963 to 1989.

References:

# Harlan J. Smith Telescope, The University of Texas McDonald Observatory

# Texas Man Fires Into A Telescope, NY Times

# Texas Astronomers Discover Strangely Massive Black Hole in Milky Way Satellite Galaxy, UT News
The US District Court for the Northern District of California ordered GitHub to disclose the identity of a user suspected of leaking Twitter source code earlier this year. Following Twitters filing of a lawsuit against the unidentified user, who is alleged to have violated the companys secrets, the judge issued the order.

The stolen source code, which was published on GitHub, reportedly contained private details about Twitters security protocols and algorithmic framework. The company swiftly demanded that Github remove the code from its website by issuing a DMCA takedown notice. GitHub removed the code from its platform on the same day.

Twitter requested that GitHub provide information about the users identity, including their name, address, and IP address. The court also demanded GitHub identify users who posted, uploaded, downloaded or modified the data.

GitHub should identify a user who leaked Twitter source code online

The person who leaked the source code for Twitter is still unidentified. But the courts order to GitHub indicates that they might soon be found out and made to answer for their actions. As businesses increasingly file lawsuits to defend their intellectual property, it also functions as a warning to others tempted to leak private information or trade secrets online.

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Meanwhile, The New York Times suggests that the source code might have been leaked by a former employee. One who was impacted by Elon Musks layoffs. In the early days of taking over Twitter, Musk laid off thousands of employees. And one of them could be behind the source code leak.

Its also interesting to know that the user who leaked the code bears the username of FreeSpeech Enthusiast. This is the nickname Elon Musk gave himself before buying Twitter. Based on the GitHub information, Twitter can determine if any of its former employees leaked the code and identify it quickly.

Elon Musk has recently valued Twitter at $20 billion, almost 50% less than the price he paid to buy it. However, the billionaire says Twitter could be an inverse start-up that is worth $250 billion.
Meizu is back, to say the least. The company has released three smartphones after pausing launches for about a year and a half. The company launched its Meizu 20 flagship lineup consisting of three phones very recently. Meizu doesnt plan to stop there, though, as it is planning to launch a clamshell foldable.

Meizu seems to be planning to launch a clamshell foldable smartphone

This device will, in fact, become Meizus very first foldable smartphone in general. Meizus vice president confirmed last month that the company will launch a foldable by the end of this year, and now we suspect its a flip phone.

A patent surfaced showing us what the device may look like. You can see the design in a sketch below. Its exactly what youd expect. Were looking at flat sides here, and the device will offer a gapless design when folded.

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This design does remind us of the Galaxy Z Flip 4, which is not a bad thing at all. It will most likely be made out of metal and glass, like most other devices of a similar variety. Were only guessing, though.

Not much is known about it thus far, though. No spec info surfaced or anything like that. Chances are it will have rather powerful specifications, however, well have to wait and see.

Meizu got acquired by Geely back in 2022

Meizu has been acquired by Geely in mid-2022. That company owns Volvo, Polestar, Lotus, and a number of other companies. Geely seemed quite serious about boosting Meizu, and trying to break into the smartphone market.

Meizu seems to be making a comeback, which is a good thing from the competition standpoint. Meizu was once a very interesting company that had immense growth. They did take a couple of wrong turns, though, and then basically fell off the map.

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For years this company has been launching a couple of phones per year, until it stopped doing so altogether. Well, Geely is trying to put things back into place. Back in December 2022, it was announced that Meizu will expand its product portfolio quite considerably.

The Meizu 20 series launched in China, but were hoping Meizu has sights set on other markets too.
Samsung has ended official software support for the Galaxy S10 series, Galaxy A50, and Galaxy A30. These phones debuted in early 2019 and completed four years in the market last month. The companys revised policy of five years of security updates doesnt apply to devices launched in 2019.

The Galaxy S10 series will not receive updates anymore

Samsung launched the Galaxy S10 series in February 2019, with sales beginning in March. At the end of March 2023, the Galaxy S10e, Galaxy S10, and Galaxy S10+ have lived through the promised official support of four years. They debuted with Android 9 and received updates to Android 10, Android 11, and Android 12 during this period, along with dozens of security updates.

But with us now stepping into April, times up for Samsungs 2019 flagships. The company has removed them from its official software support list. The devices will not get updates anymore, neither feature updates nor security updates. That means users will not receive new features or the latest security patches, leaving them vulnerable to threat attacks. Upgrading to a newer phone is recommended.

The Galaxy S10 5G is also part of Samsungs 2019 flagship lineup. However, it didnt arrive on the market until April. So the worlds first commercial 5G smartphone still has one more month of official support left. The Korean behemoth will probably drop it from its support list next month.

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The Galaxy S10 Lite, on the other hand, debuted in early 2020 and will get updates until January 2024. You can check the full list of Galaxy smartphones, tablets, and smartwatches currently getting updates from Samsung here.

The Galaxy A50 and Galaxy A30 have also reached the end of their lives

Samsung revamped its mid-range smartphone portfolio in 2019, discontinuing a few lineups and rebranding others. The Galaxy A50 and Galaxy A30 marked the beginning of a new journey as the company faced stiff competition from Chinese brands.

The former was an instant hit, and the Galaxy A5x lineup has been its best value smartphone ever since. The new-launched Galaxy A54 5G doesnt disappoint either.

However, for those holding onto an aging Galaxy A50, its high time you upgrade your phone. The same goes for Galaxy A30 owners as well. These phones have reached the end of their lives.

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They will not get updates anymore, at least not guaranteed. Samsung sometimes pushes one more update after dropping official support, but keep your hopes low for that. If you want to grab the Galaxy A54 5G, pre-orders are now open in the US.
Samsung has updated several more Galaxy devices to One UI 5.1. Over the past few days, the company has released this big feature update for the Galaxy Tab S7 FE, Galaxy Tab A8 (2022), Galaxy M32, and Galaxy A04s in various parts of the world. They follow dozens of other Galaxy smartphones and tablets to the One UI 5.1 party.

The One UI 5.1 update for the Galaxy Tab S7 FE is available widely in Europe and South Korea. The 5G variant of the device is getting the update with the firmware build numbers T736BXXU2CWC5 and T736NKOU2CWC5 in the two regions, respectively.

That for the Wi-Fi variant in Samsungs homeland is T733XXU2CWC4. The Korean behemoth should soon expand this release globally, including in the US. The Galaxy Tab S7 FE is picking up a relatively old February security patch with One UI 5.1.

The story is pretty much the same for the Galaxy Tab A8 (2022) as well. It is also picking up One Ui 5.1 in the same two regions. The firmware versions for the LTE model are X205XXU2CWC1 (Europe) and X205NKOU2CWC1 (South Korea).

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The Wi-Fi model is getting the update in the latter market with the firmware build number X200XXU2CWC1. The budget tablet is only getting the January security patch, though. Samsung is expected to update it to a newer patch in the coming months after it releases One UI 5.1 globally.

The Galaxy M32 is another Samsung device that recently received the One UI 5.1 update. The 4G model of the phone is picking up the update widely in Asia, Europe, Africa, and Latin America.

Depending on your region, youll get the new software release with the build number M325FVXXU5DWB8 or M325FXXU5DWC1. Once again, Samsung is seeding the February security patch. The Galaxy M32 5G, which saw a limited release in India and surrounding countries, is yet to receive One UI 5.1.

The Galaxy A04s also gets One UI 5.1

Samsung has also released the One UI 5.1 update for the Galaxy A04s. The update is available pretty much everywhere the device was released. The new firmware build numbers for the phone are A047MUBS1BWC2 (Latin America) and A047FXXU2CWBH (rest of the world).

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This entry-level smartphone is also getting the March security patch. If youre using this phone, or one of those mentioned above, you can look forward to receiving One UI 5.1 in the coming days if you havent already installed it. This update will bring plenty of new features and improvements to your Samsung device.
ChatGPT, which was supposed to help Samsung boost semiconductor division, has now become a nightmare for the company. The Korean OEMs sensitive information is reportedly leaked by ChatGPT.

Three weeks ago, the Samsung CEO mapped out the companys vision for AI-enabled machines and chatbots. As a part of this vision, Samsung aimed to provide its employees with access to ChatGPT to help them with certain processes in semiconductors.

However, DigiTimes reports that the companys sensitive semiconductor data leaked three times because the employees introduced data to ChatGPT. The data is stored in the ChatGPT database, and now every user searching for information on semiconductors might end up with some of Samsungs sensitive data.

ChatGPT is exposing Samsungs sensitive semiconductor information

AI chatbots like ChatGPT consume data to improve and expand their knowledge of various fields. Every data given to the chatbot is stored and helps it to answer questions from other searchers. Samsung employees made a huge mistake by giving the companys sensitive data to ChatGPT, which remains there forever. Of course, Samsung might be able to remove data from the ChatGPT database by contacting the parent company OpenAI.

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The incident reportedly happened three times and leaked Samsung semiconductor equipment measurement data. The first time an employee at the Semiconductor and Device Solutions department entered the source code into ChatGPT to look for a solution for an issue in the semiconductor equipment measurement database.

In the second incident, an employee entered the code into ChatGPT and asked for optimization in order to understand it better. Finally, the last incident happened when an employee requested ChatGPT to create meeting minutes. All data that Samsung employees enter into the chatbot are stored in its database and used to answer other users questions.

Samsung has asked employees to be more cautious when sharing information with ChatGPT. The company also limited the capacity of each entry into ChatGPT to a maximum of 1,024 bytes.

The semiconductor is one of the most sensitive industries in the world, and each company tries to keep its secrets. A leak in sensitive production data might cause a company to lose its competitive advantages.
A large banner promoting Korea's bid to host the World Expo 2030 in Busan is put up on the exterior of a Samsung Electronics center in Busan, Tuesday. Yonhap



By Lee Kyung-min



Samsung, Hyundai Motor and LG are accelerating their campaigns to promote Korea's bid to host the World Expo 2030 in Busan, according to market watchers, Tuesday.



The internationally recognized leading Korean conglomerates said large banners and digital signs will be installed on the exteriors of buildings in commercial districts and crowded areas for maximum exposure.



Collective efforts will shore up nationwide support for the Expo bid campaign, presented in a unified voice to help charm an eight-member delegation from the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), an intergovernmental organization in charge of overseeing and regulating World Expos. The Enquiry Mission led by BIE Administration and Budget Committee President Patrick Specht is visiting this week to assess the viability and feasibility of Korea as a host for the high-profile international event.



They met with Korea's top policymakers, lawmakers, business leaders and citizens in Seoul, Monday. The delegation arrived in Busan, Tuesday, to assess the level of preparation and enthusiasm. They will return to France on Friday.





Large banners promoting Busan's bid to host the World Expo 2030 are displayed on electronic boards in the waiting area of Seoul Station, Tuesday. Yonhap



Promotion









Samsung Electronics said large banners promoting the Expo bid will be displayed at seven Samsung stores in Busan until next Monday. Shinsegae Department Store's downtown Seoul location, a Samsung center in Yongsan District and Incheon International Airport will also host similar displays.



LG has put up digital signs at Incheon International Airport, Seoul Station and Busan Station. Large displays have also been set up at Gimhae International Airport.



LG affiliates will run promotional events at their stores and hotels, including offering discounts on select popular items.



LG Uplus, the telecommunication service affiliate of LG Group, gave 1,200 free eco-bags to customers at 11 branches in Busan, Tuesday. The firm said the promotion campaigns will continue to draw public support to fortify the bid to host the 2030 event.





Hyundai Motor's high-end G80 electric model. Korea Times file
Its no secret that the ad businesses of tech giants like Google and Meta have come under increasing scrutiny in recent years, with allegations of anticompetitive behaviour and market manipulation. Now, a bipartisan group of senators has introduced a new bill which seeks to break up the ad businesses of Google and Meta and impose restrictions on their operations.

Under the proposed AMERICA Act, large digital ad firms, handling over $20 billion in transactions, will need to divest their ad businesses if they own both an ad exchange and either a demand or supply-side platform. Similarly, medium-sized or larger companies handling over $5 billion in transactions would also have to ensure best execution for ad bids, be transparent, and provide fair access to technical capabilities and data. However, in cases where businesses run two sides of the market, firewalls must be established to minimise conflicts of interest and abuse.

Bipartisan senators show support for the bill

Although this is not the first time the US government has tried to limit the ad operations of tech giants like Google and Meta, the bipartisan support of the bill, including Senators Mike Lee, Amy Klobuchar, Ted Cruz, and Elizabeth Warren, increases its chances of passing. They accuse Google and Facebook of using their vast stores of user data to gain a dominant position in digital advertising and charging monopoly rents across the internet.

If the bill passes, it would have a significant financial impact on Google and Meta, which rely on ad sales as their primary sources of revenue. The companies may need to reconsider their broader strategies, as they use ad revenue to fund other projects. However, it remains unclear how much revenue these companies would lose through divestments.

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For too long, Google and Facebook have dominated the digital advertising marketplace at the expense of advertisers, publishers, and consumers. This legislation will put rules in place to do just that, restoring and protecting competition in digital advertising to create a more even playing field that will promote fairness and innovation moving forward, says Senator Klobuchar.
Sony is preparing to launch its next pair of true wireless earbuds soon, the WF-C700N, which are set to be one of the brands affordable pairs of TWS earbuds.

Typically, Sony electronics are on the pricier end. Theyre by no means as high-priced as what youll find from Master & Dynamic. But theyre not exactly budget-minded. You can find a few cheaper options from Sony, sure. But for the most part, Sony is a premium electronics brand and its prices reflect that on the majority of its products. But that isnt the case with its new WF-C700N true wireless earbuds, which as Android Police points out, now have a listing up at Best Buy.

You cant actually buy the earbuds from Best Buy yet. But they do now have a price point, and Best Buy is even listing when theyre going to launch.

The Sony WF-C700N earbuds will launch this month

According to Best Buy, Sony will be releasing these in just a few short weeks. Best Buys listing shows they officially arrive on April 21, and the price is set at $119.99. Which is, surprisingly affordable given Sonys other true wireless earbud options.

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These will come in four colors, although Best Buy only seems to be listing two. The black and sage colorways. Amazon has the earbuds as well but only in white. Interestingly enough, though, Amazon is letting you pre-order the earbuds today, and theyre $118 so theyre slightly cheaper. Amazon also says theyll be released on April 15 instead of April 21. So buying from Amazon may get these to you faster.

When it comes to features, these offer some decent ones, but nothing too crazy. Theyre IPX4 splash and sweat proof, and will get you about 7.5 hours of battery life on a single charge. And theyll boost up to 15 hours with the charging case. You can even get an extra hour of listening time with a quick 10 min charge if youre pressed for time.

Sony WF-C700N - Amazon

Sony WF-C700N - Best Buy
A student in York St John University, UK, successfully used ChatGPT to challenge and get a parking ticket revoked, BCC reports.

AI chatbots are getting involved in every aspect of our life and even getting more advanced every day. Thats why the world tech leader recently called for a six-month pause in AI experiments. Despite the tangible risks that AI chatbots can pose to privacy and jobs, they help solve specific problems, like revoking parking tickets.

Millie Houlton, a 22-year-old York St John University student, received a 60 parking fine from the York City Council. She says she was first tempted to pay the fine and not get involved in compiling a response while claiming the notices were issued wrongly. However, she later asked ChatGPT to craft a letter to the City Council. The effort was successful, and authorities withdrew the fine notice.

York St John University student successfully revokes parking tickets with ChatGPT

Millie Houlton says she was busy with academic work as shes preparing to get her business management degree. The student says ChatGPT wrote a great response for her that made City Council withdraw notices. If ChatGPT wasnt there, she probably had to pay 60 in fines.

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I was like, oh I dont need this fine, Im a student, but trying to articulate what I wanted to say was pretty difficult so I thought Ill just see if ChatGPT can do it for me, Houlton said. I put in all my details about where and when it happened, why it was wrong, and my reference for the fine, and it came back with this perfectly formed personalized response within minutes.

The ChatGPT parent company OpenAI has recently launched its most advanced AI language model, GPT-4. The model is currently deployed in the Microsoft Bing search engine. Google also promised upgrades to Bard to catch up with the competition.

As AI becomes more powerful, governments are stepping in to enact regulations. Elon Musk and other 1000 tech leaders who asked for a pause in AI experiments stated in their letter that the AI race is out of control and AI labs should determine safety protocols.
Since late 2022, AI-powered chatbots have exploded in popularity. Theyre extremely useful tools that give you natural-sounding responses based on your input. Nowadays, we see a bunch of chatbots popping up all over the place with varying degrees of effectiveness.

The thing is that there are so many out there with different capabilities. It can be hard to see which ones are the best chatbots to feed your queries. Well, heres a list of the best chatbots out there that you can use. Well go over what they can do and how accessible they are.

Name Free to use? Subscription cost

How to find it ChatGPT Yes $20/month Chat.openai.com BingAI Yes No Bing AI page Snapchat My AI No $3.49/month Sign up for Snapchat+ Google Bard Yes No Bard.Google.com Meta Blenderbot 3 Yes No Blenderbot.ai Einstein GPT Limited free trial Starts at $75/month Salesforce Jasper Limited free trial Starts at $40/month Jasper.ai YouChat Free No You.com Nova Yes, but limited $7.99/week

or

$59.99/year Google Play Store Ask AI Yes, but limited $4.99/week

or

$39.99 once Google Play Store

ChatGPT

We cant have a list of the best AI chatbots on the market without including the father of the modern chatbot era. ChatGPT really shook the tech world to its core when it entered the market on October 2022. It had pretty much set the standard for what a chatbot should be.

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You can use ChatGPT for free and have access to all of the basic functions. Youre able to get answers on most subjects and have a natural conversation with it. When it comes to written content, you can make articles, stories, scripts, code, eulogies, poems, reviews, etc.

At the time, you can use ChatGPT version 3.5 for free. The latest version, popularly dubbed GPT-4, is available to use if youre on the paid subscription. With it, youre able to generate responses with up to 25,000 words, generate them faster, use pictures as inputs, and much more.

Bing AI

When ChatGPT started making headlines, Microsoft was quick to invest in it and bring its own AI-powered chatbot. Named Bing AI, this is the companys attempt to bring more traction to its ill-fated search engine.

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Since this is a Microsoft product, youll see it integrated into the Edge browser. Theres also a shortcut to this feature in the search bar in Windows 11. When it comes to functionality, its pretty similar to ChatGPT, which should come as no surprise. Youre able to generate answers and written content by typing what you want.

The responses are similar to what youd find with ChatGPT, but there are some differences. One example is that it cant write eulogies whereas ChatGPT can. Also, Bing AIs responses are focused on getting you to search stuff on the Bing search engine. Responses would often end with Would you like to look up.

Snapchats My AI

Snapchat implemented ChatGPT into its social media app, and it resulted in My AI. This puts the power of a chatbot right onto your phone, as youre able to access it right from the app.

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My AI is striving to be more of a human companion rather than a source of information. Youre still able to generate scripts, stories, poems, and all that good stuff. However, it exists as a chat conversation. Your conversation with My AI is pinned to the top of your conversations, and you chat with it as you would with a human.

Its really good when it comes to the types of content that youre able to create. Its pretty close to ChatGPT, but its not quite as good at keeping to a conversation.

Google Bard

Google Bard sticks out on this list because its one of the few chatbots that arent powered by ChatGPT. This means that we can expect many differences in the responses.

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Bard works pretty similarly to ChatGPT, as it gives you answers in a human-like tone. Just like ChatGPT, youre able to generate responses from text input. You can use it to talk to, but you can also search for information and generate written content as well.

The main difference is that its heavily tied to the Google search engine. After each response, youll see a Google It button. This will bring up a Google search page for what you put in. Its a way of keeping people on the Google search page.

Metas BlenderBot 3

You might not have heard of this chatbot, but it was around before ChatGPT made it to the public. Meta, the company that owns Facebook, Instagram, etc., released this chatbot back in August 2022. It came first, but it didnt really make a splash.

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BlenderBot 3 is a pretty capable chatbot but its not really meant to do the same things that you would use ChatGPT for. This chatbot is mostly used for, well, chatting. You wont be generating any stories or anything like that. Its good just to chat with. It manages to stay on the topic pretty well, so you wont have any issues using it.

Einstein GPT by Salesforce

This next entry on the list isnt quite for chatting about your day or generating short stories. This one is focused on the business side of AI. Einstein GPT is a generative AI centering around CRM (Customer Relations Management). Its for companies that constantly keep in contact with clients.

Its an AI based on ChatGPT, and you can use it just like you would the chatbot. Since it centers around CRM, youll use it to generate responses for your customers. Not only that, but it can generate lead pages for you and much much more. If youre starting a business, and you think that youd need some assistance for interacting with customers, you should consider trying it out.

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Jasper

Jasper is your personal copywriter. Its a generative chatbot that can create all types of content for your business. Do you need a blog post written for your site? You can use the bot for ideas of what to write. Do you need ideas for social media posts? You can ask Jasper.

Along with original written content, you can also use the chatbot to generate images for you. So, you can type up an article and then generate an image to go along with it. Its an all-in-one AI solution for your business.

You.com Chat

Bard and Bing AI are both basically search engines on steroids, but You.Com Chat definitely takes the cake in that regard. You.com is a search engine, and it has a chat feature that you can access via the tab. In it, you can type in prompts and get responses as though you were using ChatGPT.

One thing about this is that its built right into the search engine. After you get a response, youll see a feed of relevant search results on the right side of the screen. You dont have to click any dedicated button to access the search results. They automatically pop up on the right of the screen. Its a great way to implement the AI into the search experience.

Nova

Nova brings the power of generative AI to your phone. Its an app that has most of the capabilities that youd find in ChatGPT. It has a simple and easy-to-use interface. When it comes to the speed of the generation, its not as fast as Bing AI or Bard, but its not too bad.

The UI is pretty simple, but there are some interesting perks, For starters, the app keeps a catalog of your past conversations, so you can access them again. Also, theres a whole screen dedicated to prompt ideas that you can try out. It gives you some inspiration and it lets you know some the apps potential.

One thing that you need to know about this is that its monetized as you would expect an app to be. You start off with a limited number of free credits. You use one credit every time you type in a prompt. After you run out, youll need to pay for the premium service. This is for people who wouldnt mind paying a bit at a time to use a dedicated app.

Ask AI

Ask AI is an app that really centers around its straightforward UI. When you open it, youll see the text field for your prompt. Also, youll see a plethora of possible subjects that you can ask about. When you tap on one, the text field will automatically populate with a random suggestion. Up top, youll see your recent text conversations.

As for the speed, its pretty slow compared to the rest of the chatbots. Youll see it type out each character just like ChatGPT, and it takes a while. So, if you know that your answer is going to be pretty long, youll want to place your phone down and walk away for a second.

This app is pretty limited if youre on a free plan. You have three free generations per day before the app cuts you off. If you want to sign up for the premium plan, you can either pay weekly for it or pay a one-off payment of $39.99.
NASA Astronauts Christina Koch, Victor Glover, Reid Wiseman and Canadian Space Agency Astronaut Jeremy Hansen, the four-member team chosen for the Artemis II lunar flyby, pose wearing flight suits in Houston, Texas, U.S. March 30. Reuters-Yonhap



NASA on Monday named the first woman and the first African American ever assigned as astronauts to a lunar mission, introducing them as part of the four-member team chosen to fly on what would be the first crewed voyage around the moon in more than 50 years.



Christina Koch, 44, an engineer who already holds the record for longest continuous spaceflight by a woman and was part of NASA's first three all-female spacewalks, was named as a mission specialist for the Artemis II lunar flyby expected as early as next year.



She will be joined by Victor Glover, 46, a U.S. Navy aviator and veteran of four spacewalks who NASA has designated as pilot of Artemis II. He will be the first Black astronaut ever to be sent on a lunar mission.



Rounding out the crew are Jeremy Hansen, a Royal Canadian Air Force colonel and first Canadian ever chosen for a flight to the moon, as a mission specialist, and Reid Wiseman, another former U.S. Navy fighter pilot, named as mission commander. Both are 47.



All three NASA astronauts chosen for the Artemis II mission are veterans of previous expeditions aboard the International Space Station. Hansen, an astronaut from the Canadian Space Agency, is a spaceflight rookie.



The Artemis II quartet were introduced at a pep rally-like event attended by journalists, local elementary school students and space industry leaders, televised from Houston at the Johnson Space Center, NASA's mission control base.



"The Artemis II crew represents thousands of people working tirelessly to bring us to the stars. This is humanity's crew," NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said on stage. "We are going."



U.S. President Joe Biden privately called the four on Sunday to congratulate them, the White House said.



Artemis II will mark the debut crewed flight  but not the first lunar landing  of an Apollo successor program aimed at returning astronauts to the moon's surface later this decade and ultimately establishing a sustainable outpost there as a stepping stone to future human exploration of Mars.



The kickoff Artemis I mission was successfully completed in December 2022, capping the inaugural launch of NASA's powerful next-generation mega-rocket and its newly built Orion spacecraft on an uncrewed test flight that lasted 25 days.



The objective of the 10-day Artemis II journey around the moon and back, is to demonstrate that all of Orion's life-support apparatus and other systems will operate as designed with astronauts aboard in deep space.



Artemis II will venture some 6,400 miles (10,300 km) beyond the far side of the moon before returning, marking the closest pass humans have made to Earth's natural satellite since Apollo 17, which carried Gene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt to the lunar surface in December 1972.



They were the last of 12 NASA astronauts - all of them white men - who walked on the moon during six Apollo missions starting in 1969 with Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin.





People react at an NASA event during which the crew of the Artemis II space mission to the moon and back is announced in Houston, Texas, U.S., April 3. Reuters-Yonhap
A man and his pregnant wife that he is accused of murdering in Edinburgh were seen walking arm-in-arm to the landmark hill where she later died, a court heard.

Kashif Anwar, 29, is accused of murdering Fawziyah Javed, 31, in September 2021 by pushing her from Arthurs Seat, causing her multiple blunt force injuries and ultimately her death, and that of her unborn child. He denies the charge.

On Tuesday, at the High Court in Edinburgh, Anwar, from Leeds, was acquitted of a second charge of behaving in a threatening and abusive way towards his wife at a hotel in Edinburgh the day before the alleged murder.

Detective Constable Emma Todd, a CCTV coordinator at Police Scotland, was taken through security camera footage from the city centre during the day, including the couples walk to Holyrood Park, where Arthurs Seat is.

The 42-year-old said: They were arm-in-arm for most of the way.

They were seen walking from Wagamama in St Andrews Square, through Waverley Railway station, down Canongate and then past the Scottish Parliament which is next to the park.

Ian Duguid KC, defending Anwar, told the jury: As they walk down St Andrew Street, she has her arm through his arm.

He went on to add that from the exit to the restaurant, and almost all the way to the entrance of the park, they were closely in each others company, physically close to each other.

Mr Duguid said with the exception of a short period, as they were walking past the boarded Canongate entrance to the Scottish Parliament, they were arm-in-arm.

Police Sergeant Alastair Paisley, 41, a crime scene manager at the site of the incident, also gave evidence on the fifth day of the trial.

He told the court he estimated Ms Javed had fallen between 40 and 50ft.

Adnan Hanif, uncle of Fawziyah Javed, lays flowers during a vigil held in honour of Fawziyah who died on Arthurs Seat (Jane Barlow/PA)

Consultant forensic pathologist Dr Ralph Bouhaidar, told the court in evidence on Tuesday that Ms Javed died from complications of multiple injuries and a fall from height.

He detailed her injuries to the jury with the assistance of a three-dimensional model, which showed the areas of her body which were injured in the fall.

Sabeen Rashid, 43, a major crime analyst, also gave evidence, going through a 97-page telecoms report with advocate depute Alex Prentice KC.

Pictures from Arthurs Seat were shown, timed between about 8.06pm and 8.30pm taken on the phone attributed to Ms Javed, which included selfies of herself and her husband.

The trial, before Lord Beckett, continues.
Just Stop Oil said that the climate crisis is more terrifying than 10 years in a British cell, as two of its activists face jail over their protest at the Dartford Crossing which caused traffic gridlock.

Morgan Trowland, 40, and Marcus Decker, 34, were both found guilty of causing a public nuisance after they used ropes and other climbing equipment to scale the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge.

Prosecutor Adam King said that police closed the bridge, which links the M25 in Essex and Kent, to traffic and that drivers were forced to use the tunnels instead.

He said the bridge was closed from 4am on October 17 last year to 9pm the following day.

Jurors found both defendants guilty, by unanimous verdicts, of causing a public nuisance following more than two hours of deliberation at Basildon Crown Court.

The pair have already spent more than five months in custody, having been remanded at their first appearance at Southend Magistrates Court on October 20.

Two Just Stop Oil protesters Morgan Trowland and Marcus Decker scaled the bridge on the Dartford Crossing, halting traffic for several hours (Essex Police/PA)

They face a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, and Judge Shane Collery KC said: This court is considering custodial sentences.

He added: Were dealing with significant nuisance thats been caused.

Sean Irish, of Just Stop Oil, said outside court: Just Stop Oil will not stop because of a crackdown.

The climate crisis is more terrifying than 10 years in a British cell.

He said the verdicts were quite disappointing.

Mr Irish continued: Weve seen in the Old Bailey that a jury has the right to acquit based on a conscience, whether they were aware of that I dont know, but its disappointing to see that theyve come back with a guilty verdict.

Energy Security Secretary Grant Shapps said he welcomed the guilty verdicts.

Writing on Twitter, he said: The right to protest cannot be allowed to outweigh the right of the law-abiding majority to go about their day free from selfish and antisocial disruption.

We are cracking down on these guerilla tactics which cause misery for the majority.

Essex Police said that those impacted by the traffic disruption included a heavily pregnant woman who needed urgent medical help.

Another person missed the funeral of their best friend of 35 years, the force said, and a business lost more than 160,000 in earnings.

Chief Superintendent Simon Anslow, who led the forces response to the incident, said: The actions of Trowland and Decker were incredibly dangerous; for themselves, for the officers who were tasked with dealing with them and for the many, many people whose lives were disrupted as a result.

Prosecutor Mr King said that the protesters ascended to a point close to 200ft above the road and unfurled a giant Just Stop Oil banner and rigged up hammocks and stayed there.

This closure caused gridlock for miles around throughout that period, which we say was the point, said Mr King.

It was because of the disruption that the incident made national news.

He said the men came down at about 5.30pm on October 18 with the help of police and a very tall cherry picker crane, but the bridge was not reopened to traffic until later.

Trowland had said in evidence: We climbed it (the bridge) to deliver a warning message, to put up a banner saying Just Stop Oil and to speak that message through interviews with journalists.

Trowland, of Islington, north London, and Decker, 34, of no fixed address, denied causing a public nuisance but were both found guilty.

Judge Shane Collery KC remanded them in custody to be sentenced on April 13.
Ministers are expected to announce streamlined post-Brexit checks on goods coming to the UK from the EU, according to reports.

The Government has delayed putting in place the checks four times, which are legally required under the Brexit trade deal with the EU.

But the i newspaper reports that the Cabinet Office will publish details on Wednesday of how the new customs and regulatory process will work, before introducing it later this year.

The Government is attempting to minimise the trade checks, according to the i  and has plans for a trusted trader programme to allow frequent importers to avoid them.

Inspections of food and animal products are likely to be the most thorough, but ministers are expected to announce they have reduced them as much as feasibly possible.

A Cabinet Office spokesperson told the newspaper: The Government is delivering on our ambition to have the worlds most effective border.

Our new target operating model will reduce the need for checks for many types of goods.

We are working with stakeholders and are taking a pragmatic approach to phasing in these controls to give business the opportunity to prepare.

According to the newspaper, the checks are set take place away from the border in order to relieve pressure on ports.

While checks on goods and passport control are separate processes, port operators have reportedly been concerned about the impact on the border once the plans are in place.

Travel chaos engulfed Dover earlier over the weekend, as Easter holiday tourists attempted to make their way to France but were met with long queues amid border checks.

The queues had cleared by Monday morning but there are fears the congestion could return during other peak periods due to French border officials carrying out extra checks and stamping UK passports following Brexit.

Over the weekend, Home Secretary Suella Braverman said it would not be fair to view the delays as an adverse effect of Brexit.

The Prime Ministers official spokesman said a combination of factors were responsible, including French border officers inspecting and stamping every single passport.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said Brexit had of course had an impact, and called for greater planning ahead of future holiday seasons.

Some 1,000 civil servants working at eight Passport Office sites have meanwhile walked out, as the Public and Commercial Services union discusses pay with the Government.
A campaign is being launched to help find unsung heroes who completed National Service, ahead of the 60th anniversary of the end of the programme.

The Royal British Legion (RBL) launched its AskDad and AskGrandad campaigns on Tuesday, calling on families to help uncover lost stories from those who served between 1947 and 1963.

The last serviceman was demobbed from National Service on May 16 1963, and a ceremony is due to take place at the National Memorial Arboretum on the 60th anniversary.

National Service saw the conscription of more than two million men aged between 17 and 21, who will now be aged 80 to 97. No women were made to serve.

A total of 395 were killed on active service and are remembered at the arboretum.

Philippa Rawlinson, director of remembrance at the RBL, said: Were appealing to the great British public to AskDad or AskGrandad to help us find more of our unsung National Service heroes, especially those who may have played down their contribution and not really talked about it with their families.

We know that everyones experience of National Service was different, from those who found it incredibly rewarding to those who from the very first day couldnt wait to be demobbed, but were eager to celebrate the invaluable contributions of everyone who served.

The campaigns are aimed at finding the stories of the sacrifice made by those who served after the Second World War.

As there was no specific end to National Service, the RBL says it was not unusual for demobbed servicemen to return to their job they left two years earlier on the next Monday morning.

The National Memorial Arboretum in Alrewas, Staffordshire (National Memorial Arboretum/PA)

This meant many did not reflect on or discuss their experiences, causing them to slip out of public consciousness.

The conscripts had to serve for 18 months, which was extended to two years during the Korean War, before becoming a reserve for four years.

An average of 150,000 men were conscripted every year, but some, including the clergy and men in essential services such as coal mining and farming, were exempted.

While many served in the UK, tens of thousands were stationed worldwide, including in Germany, Cyprus, Egypt, Japan and India.

Ms Rawlinson added: While the youngest conscripts will now be in their 80s, its estimated that hundreds of thousands of National Service veterans are still alive today, and wed like as many of these veterans and their families as possible to join us at Remembering National Service  60 years on in May.

This ceremony will highlight the special role of National Servicemen and give attendees the opportunity to visit a new National Service 60 exhibition on display at the National Memorial Arboretum until 20 June this year.

National Service veterans, their descendants and bereaved families can register online before April 24 to attend the event in May.
A 93-year-old care home resident who fulfilled her wish to fly a small plane again said the experience brought back so many happy memories.

Betty Buckland, a resident at Care UKs Lauder Lodge in Wakefield Avenue, Edinburgh, took to the skies and flew at speeds of 150mph in a Cessna aircraft, taking in the sights of Scotland.

Soaring 2,000 feet above sea level, Ms Buckland called the experience thrilling and said she had a wonderful day.

Betty Buckland gives a thumbs up beside the Cessna aircraft (Neil Hanna/Care UK/PA)

It was a wonderful day and we had an amazing view of the Kelpies at Falkirk, she said.

Being in a small plane again was thrilling and brought back so many happy memories.

Ms Buckland is no stranger to flying as her summer holidays throughout her younger years were spent in America with her cousin who was pilot who owned his own aircraft.

Ms Buckland in her younger days in her cousins Piper PA-28 Cherokee plane (Care UK/PA)

Occasionally, Ms Bucklands cousin would let her take control of his Piper PA-28 Cherokee plane, but this time she was able to sit in a Cessna aircraft to fly once again.

The flight took place on Thursday, March 23 at RAF Kirknewton, West Lothian, with pilot Andrew Reid, whose mother-in-law was also a resident at Lauder Lodge.

Ms Buckland was pictured with a beaming smile on her face after she flew at high speeds.

Ms Buckland next to her cousins Piper PA-28 Cherokee plane (Care UK/PA)

The chance to soar through the sky again was part of Care UKs Wishing Tree initiative which fulfils the wishes and dreams of residents who suggest an experience they would like to take part in.

Anees Riaz, home manager at Lauder Lodge, said it was wonderful to see Ms Buckland beaming as she landed the flight.

Ms Buckland in the Cessna aircraft ready to take off (Neil Hanna/Care UK/PA)

Ms Riaz said: We love to go the extra mile for residents here at Lauder Lodge, and our wishing tree is a fantastic way to understand whats really important to residents.

We are thrilled we could help Betty to reminisce and get the chance to soar high in a plane once again. It was a fantastic experience for everyone involved and it was wonderful to see the smile on Bettys face as she landed after her flight.

A big thank you to Andy again for helping to make this wish come true. I cannot wait to see what wish we organise next  the sky really is the limit.
Former US president Bill Clinton has described the signing of the Good Friday Agreement as one of the happiest days of his presidency and his life.

Mr Clinton called the signing of the 1998 peace deal an act of bravery from all sides ahead of his visit to Ireland later this month for its 25th anniversary.

He said that he will always be grateful and honoured that he played a role in bringing peace to Northern Ireland, adding that it meant more to me than I can possibly say.

The former Democrats leader was speaking in an interview aired at Fianna Fails commemoration of 25 years of the Good Friday Agreement in Dublins UCD on Tuesday evening.

Among those in attendance were Bertie Ahern  a former Irish premier, Fianna Fail leader and one of the architects of the Good Friday Agreement  and Micheal Martin, Irelands deputy premier and the partys current leader.

A short film was played at the event featuring contributions from Mr Martin and Mr Ahern, ex Irish premier and former Fianna Fail leader Brian Cowen and former British prime ministers Sir Tony Blair and Sir John Major.

Mr Clinton and his wife, former secretary of state Hillary Clinton, will be in Belfast in two weeks time for events to commemorate the landmark accord that largely ended the Troubles.

US president Joe Biden is due to visit locations north and south of the border next week for the beginning of events to celebrate the diplomatic achievement.

Mr Clinton said during the interview: The day the Good Friday Agreement was signed in 1998 was one of the happiest days of my presidency, indeed of my entire life.

It was a result of years of hard work and sacrifice and bravery from all sides.

Ultimately, the credit for the peace belongs to the people who voted for it, from all backgrounds. They made personal decisions that their future opportunities were more important than their past divisions.

The people, especially the womens groups, were out in front of the politicians for a long time because they wanted their children and grandchildren to have a chance to grow up outside the shadow of violence and hatred.

An entire generation in Northern Ireland has grown up largely free from the horrors of sectarian violence.

Tony Blair and Bertie Ahern signing the historic Good Friday peace agreement in 1998 (John Giles/PA)

Mr Clinton described the move to pursue peace a quarter of a century ago as miraculous.

The people of Northern Ireland did something truly miraculous 25 years ago, he said. They can do something miraculous again today just by seizing this moment, sharing the memory and moving into the future together.

I will always be grateful and honoured that I was trusted to play a role in helping to bring peace to Northern Ireland, that I had a chance to work with leaders of many parties in the North, with the leaders of government in the Republic and in the United Kingdom, and that I was able to work from the almost the very beginning of my presidency until the very end.

It meant more to me than I can possibly say. And for the rest of my life, I will always do whatever I can to keep supporting the people and their efforts to make the most of that peace.

In the same video interview, Mr Blair said the strangest moment of the Good Friday Agreement was taking a phone call from the late Queen congratulating him on striking a deal.

The former Labour leader said this was significant because he had not received a mobile phone call from the late British monarch other than the one after the historic signing of the deal on April 10, 1998.

Mr Blair said: The strangest moment for me was, we finally made the agreement, we got out, wed announced that I hadnt slept really for three days.

I had to get on a plane to go and see the Spanish prime minister, for whom I was now about three days late. And when I sat down in the plane, they brought to me a mobile phone and it was the Queen on the line.

And it was only when she was congratulating me and all the other people that had been engaged in the creation of the Agreement that I remember thinking: Wow, actually this really is big because Ive never taken  before or since  I never took a mobile phone call from the Queen.
The Government has been condemned for halving the funding promised for the social care workforce in England, with one charity saying it is an insult to the sector.

Millions of pounds have been removed from previously announced funding for a sector which a recent report warned is on the precipice amid rising costs and difficulty recruiting staff.

In its People at the Heart of Care White Paper on adult social care reform, published in December 2021, the Government pledged to invest at least 500 million over the next three years to begin to transform the way we support the social care workforce.

It said this dedicated investment in knowledge, skills, health and wellbeing and recruitment policies will improve social care as a long-term career choice.

But the Department of Health and Social Care has now said its call for evidence in partnership with Skills for Care on a new care workforce pathway and funding for hundreds of thousands of training places, including a new Care Certificate qualification, would be backed by 250 million.

Jackie OSullivan, of learning disability charity Mencap, said: This plan is an insult to a sector that was once treated as a priority for Government.

Just over a year ago, the Social Care White Paper laid out the urgent reform needed to enable people to access the care and support they rely on. It has now been diluted beyond recognition.

Faced with a deficit of 165,000 care workers, the Government has chosen to cut its plans to recognise and support this workforce.

Without this workforce, nothing else is possible: no increase in quality of care can be achieved; no innovative ideas can be realised; and people with a learning disability who rely on social care will suffer.

The Government needs to act fast on the real issues like workforce pay, timely access to support and the underfunding of the system, before its too late.

The Kings Fund health think tank said the measures were a dim shadow of the widescale reform to adult social care that this Government came into office promising, while Age UK described them as not being remotely enough to transform social care.

However, the DHSC confirmed up to 600 million of funding has not yet been allocated, and will be invested over the next two years.

It also said the social care workforce is at the heart of its plans

The 2021 White Paper promised to invest at least 150 million in digitisation across the sector.

The department said that figure is now 100 million, which will cover investment in digital social care records, as it said 50 million had already been spent.

Tuesdays announcement did not mention a previously announced 25 million to support unpaid carers or 300 million mentioned in the White Paper to integrate housing into local health and care strategies.

However, it was later clarified that the support for unpaid carers will be set out in due course.

Social care minister Helen Whately, who spoke at the annual Care England conference last month to insist she was part of a Government that backs social care, said the package announced on Tuesday focuses on recognising care with the status it deserves.

She said: Care depends completely on the people who do the caring  thats over a million care staff working in care homes and agencies, and countless relatives, friends and volunteers, acting out of the kindness of their hearts.

Thats why this package of reforms focuses on recognising care with the status it deserves, while also focusing on the better use of technology, the power of data and digital care records, and extra funding for councils  aiming to make a care system we can be proud of.

In its announcement on Tuesday, the Government said its refreshed plan to bolster the adult social care workforce would speed up discharge from hospital and accelerate the use of technology in the sector over the next two years.

Social care minister Helen Whately (UK Parliament/Jessica Taylor/PA)

The department said it will launch an Older Peoples Housing Taskforce in partnership with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities to decide how best to provide a greater range of suitable housing depending on the support people need.

It said 1.6 billion will be allocated over the next two years to improve hospital discharge.

Recent analysis by the Kings Fund estimated that delays in people leaving hospital in England could be costing an average of 395 per night, and suggested issues with social care and housing could be contributing to delayed discharges.

At the autumn statement, the Government pledged to support adult social care services backed by up to 7.5 billion over the next two years to help local authorities address waiting lists and workforce pressures in the sector.

Kings Fund director of policy Sally Warren questioned why the Government appeared to be silent on its previous commitment to unpaid carers and branded it short-sighted for Government to row back on what was already minimal funding and limited efforts to reform and improve social care in areas such as housing, technology and supporting the workforce.

Age UKs director Caroline Abrahams said millions of older and disabled people and their unpaid carers needed something far bigger, bolder and more genuinely strategic to give them hope for the future.

She added: The truth is the measures in this plan are generally quite modest and foundational, so although mostly welcome in themselves, they arent remotely enough to transform social care, and thats what we needed to see today.

With quite a chunk of the money originally promised for care now no longer available, our CSA (Care Support Alliance) members are telling us this is just the latest in a long series of disappointments so far as recent Government performance on social care is concerned.
The wife of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has said that the decision not to allow her husband to meet with a press freedom organisation is shameful.

Two representatives from French group Reporters Without Borders had planned to visit Assange at HMP Belmarsh in south-east London on Tuesday, but were prevented from doing so by prison staff.

Assanges wife, Stella, was allowed in to make a visit, and subsequently criticised the ludicrous decision to stop the meeting.

Reporters Without Borders secretary-general Christophe Deloire (right), director of operations and campaigns Rebecca Vincent and Julian Assanges wife Stella outside Belmarsh Prison (Stefan Rousseau/PA)

Speaking from outside of the prison grounds, she said: Julians presence in this prison is a scandal, it is a scandal on every level.

What has happened this morning is a shameful act and it is actually part of a pattern.

When Julian and I got married here a year ago we attempted to have our witnesses be two friends of Julian, and they were rejected on the basis that they were journalists.

This is a political persecution against a publisher who was only doing his job.

Next week will mark four years since Assange was taken to HMP Belmarsh from the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, where he had previously sought asylum for seven years.

Assange is being held on remand as he challenges the High Courts ruling that he should be extradited to the US to face trial after leaking military documents.

Christophe Deloire, Rebecca Vincent and Stella Assange speaking to the media (Stefan Rousseau/PA)

Chistophe Deloire, the secretary general of Reporters Without Borders, speaking outside the prison, added: We got an official authorisation to visit Julian, it was confirmed on March 31. When we came this morning we were told that our names have been removed from the visitors list.

We were told that the governor of the prison took the decision to remove our names from the visitors lists since we are journalists.

I have been a journalist since 1996, it was easy for the administration to be aware that I have a journalistic background. We came as a non-governmental organisation to visit Julian and not in our capacity as journalists, but two journalists have already visited Julian.

Rebecca Vincent, director of operations and campaigns for Reporters Without Borders, added: The first official we spoke to said that they had received intelligence that we were journalists and we would therefore not be allowed to visit.

When we do this job it is always as a non-governmental organisation, not as journalists. But I have never worked as a journalist, I have never held a press card.

In fact the problems we have had in accessing court proceedings related to this case were because I was not a journalist.

Assange and his wife married at HMP Belmarsh in March last year and have two children together. Their relationship began while Assange was still living in the Ecuadorian Embassy.

Our times together are very precious, we only get two visits or so a week, Mrs Assange added.

We have time to also talk about mundane things and when the children are here, spend time with the children and just try to have some minutes of normalcy.

A prison service spokesperson said: Staff prevented two representatives of Reporters Without Borders from entering HMP Belmarsh on the basis that they were journalists  in line with prison rules.

We will be happy to reconsider future requests to visit the prison, taking into account any additional information that is provided.
A disabled woman who died days after she was dropped by care home workers was discharged from hospital on the day of her fall with undiagnosed rib fractures and a fracture to her left arm, an inquest has heard.

Lyn Parker, 64, fractured her ribs and both arms when she fell at least 1.5 metres after two care workers tried to lift her from her wheelchair into her bed using a sling at Tudor Avenue Residential Care Home in Hampton, south London.

Ms Parker, from Kingston upon Thames, was on the floor for more than three hours before an ambulance arrived on January 15 2021, West London Coroners Court heard.

She died 10 days later at Kingston Hospital on January 25 2021.

A consultant at the hospital told the court on Tuesday that the main cause of Ms Parkers death was aspiration pneumonia.

Lyn Parker died at Kingston Hospital in January 2021 (Family handout/PA)

Ms Parker, who was non-verbal, was taken to the hospital alone in an ambulance.

She was discharged in the early hours of January 16 but had to be taken back in the morning after a care home worker found her left arm was swollen and black.

Dr Sumit Dutta, a consultant in emergency medicine at Kingston Hospital, treated Ms Parker on January 15.

Jurors heard from his statement that Ms Parker was combative to his attempts to examine her and that he treated her for the fracture to her right arm and what he believed to be a reaction to morphine which paramedics had administered.

In a second statement, he added: In hindsight I should have arranged a pan trauma CT scan.

At the time I believed the identified injuries accounted for her symptoms.

I should have had a lower threshold to widen the net of examination.

Dr Dutta said that if the scan had been ordered Ms Parker would have been admitted to hospital and would not have been discharged on that day.

Dr Khalid Mohammed Ali, a fellow consultant in emergency medicine at the hospital, co-led an internal investigation into Ms Parkers care.

Extracts of his report were read in court which detailed a missed diagnosis of fractured ribs and a left humeral fracture on Ms Parkers first presentation to hospital.

However, Dr Ali wrote that he did not think earlier recognition would have changed the final outcome because Ms Parker was an extremely frail and vulnerable adult with multiple co-morbid conditions and extremely limited physiological reserve.

Giving evidence on Tuesday, the doctor said a full trauma CT scan, done on January 16 when Ms Parker returned to hospital, showed multiple rib fractures on the right side and doctors found a fracture in her left humerus of the left arm.

He said it was not discovered during her first presentation to hospital because there had been no swelling and the non-verbal Ms Parker could not say she was in pain.

If a patient cannot verbalise and tell you that there is a pain there you might miss it, he added. That is why on the first presentation there was no X-ray done on the left arm.

He agreed that the initial medical team should have widened the scope of their investigation and ordered a trauma CT scan but insisted it would not have changed the eventual outcome.

Unfortunately, in the case of Ms Lyn Parker  the main cause of her passing was aspiration pneumonia, he said. I dont believe the outcome will change in the 12 hours difference between first and second presentation.

Rebekah Schiff, a consultant geriatrician and general physician at Guys and St Thomas Hospital, said she did not think Ms Parker should have been discharged on January 15.

That is due to the fact that she had not been adequately assessed on that day and, therefore, that led to erroneous conclusions that she could go back to the home at that point, she said.

Called to court as an independent expert, Dr Schiff told jurors Ms Parkers fractured ribs would have made it difficult for her to take deep breaths and meant she would have developed respiratory problems quicker.

She told the court that Ms Parkers death was inevitable.

Once she fell and fractured her ribs I think it was inevitable that she was going to die from the aspiration pneumonia this time, the geriatrician said.
Twenty-five years after walking out of the Good Friday Agreement peace talks, Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has insisted he has no regrets.

The current DUP leader was a senior member of the Ulster Unionists negotiating delegation back in 1998.

Hours before the historic accord was struck, the Lagan Valley MP famously left Castle Buildings at Stormont in protest at what his party was about to sign up to.

He refused to back a deal that proposed the early release of paramilitary prisoners but did not include firm commitments to decommission terrorist weapons.

Jeffrey Donaldson was a leading anti-agreement voice within the UUP and a thorn in the side of leader David Trimble (right) (Peter Jordan/PA)

The former Ulster Defence Regiment soldier also had concerns about the establishment of a commission on the future of policing and the prospect of the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) being disbanded.

Certainly, when I look back on the 10th of April 1998 and the decisions I had to take then, they were really difficult decisions, Sir Jeffrey told the PA news agency.

I had entered into that process wanting to see peace and political stability and progress in Northern Ireland, but I was disappointed with the agreement at the time.

Sir Jeffrey said he believes the deal offered more to the paramilitaries involved in the Troubles than to the victims they created.

I felt there were significant flaws in that agreement, not least in relation to its failure to deal with the legacy of our troubled past, to put in place arrangements that would protect the rights of victims and survivors to pursue truth and justice, and that would have dealt more comprehensively with the whole issue of the paramilitary terrorist organisations leaving the stage, as it were, he said.

Were still grappling with that, both of those key issues continue to haunt the political process in Northern Ireland, continue to hold back the kind of further progress that we want to make.

So, Ive no regrets about the decision I took in 1998 but what I have done is dedicate my career and my political involvement in the last 25 years to fixing the bits that havent worked, to getting solutions to the bits that werent properly addressed in 1998, and I continue in that endeavour.

Sir Jeffrey Donaldson now leads the DUP (Brian Lawless/PA)

Following his walk out from the talks, Sir Jeffrey assumed the role of rebel within the UUP, leading internal opposition to the deal.

His relationship with then party leader David Trimble deteriorated rapidly and in late 2003 he finally quit the party he had been a member of for more than 20 years and then defected to the DUP.

Joining him was Arlene Foster, another prominent anti-agreement voice within the UUP who would also ultimately go on to become a leader of the DUP.

Reflecting on the agreement ahead of the 25th anniversary, Sir Jeffrey admitted having mixed feelings about what was achieved on Good Friday 1998.

Well, clearly, Northern Ireland has come a long way in the past 25 years and there have been a lot of changes, many of those changes for the betterment of everyone here, he said.

Yet we know that were not out of the woods, that there are still some within our society who see violence as a way of asserting their political aspirations. But, of course, that is wrong.

I think that what we got 25 years ago has helped to create the progress that weve made but also the flaws in that agreement have presented challenges along that 25-year journey.

Indeed, one of the most fundamental elements, of dealing with our troubled past, has not yet been resolved.

We failed to resolve it in 1998 and here we are, in 2023, and it isnt yet properly addressed, and that, of course, is the legacy of the Troubles and the needs of victims and survivors, their quest for truth and justice.

So, I think, as we reflect on the last 25 years, its a mixed report  progress has been made, theres no doubt about that, but there are key areas in our society, key needs that have not been met, key issues that have not been fully addressed.

What we have is certainly far better than where we were 25 years ago, but its far from perfect.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump arrives at Trump Tower, after his indictment by a Manhattan grand jury following a probe into hush money paid to porn star Stormy Daniels, in New York City, U.S April 3. Reuters-Yonhap



An extraordinary moment in U.S. history is scheduled to unfold in a Manhattan courthouse Tuesday: Former President Donald Trump, who faces multiple election-related investigations, will surrender to face criminal charges stemming from 2016 hush money payments.



The booking and arraignment are likely to be relatively brief  though hardly routine  as Trump is fingerprinted, learns the exact charges against him and pleads, as expected, not guilty.



Trump, who was impeached twice by the U.S. House but was never convicted in the U.S. Senate, will become the first former president to face criminal charges. The nation's 45th commander in chief will be escorted from Trump Tower to the courthouse by the Secret Service and may have his mug shot taken.



New York police are braced for protests by Trump supporters, who share the former president's belief that the New York grand jury indictment  and three additional pending investigations  are politically motivated and intended to weaken his bid to retake the White House in 2024.



Trump, a former reality-TV star, has been hyping that narrative to his political advantage, raising millions of dollars since the indictment on claims of a "witch hunt." He has personally assailed the Manhattan district attorney, egged on supporters to protest, and claimed without evidence that the judge presiding over the case "hates me"  something Trump's own lawyer has said is not true.



Trump is scheduled to return to his Florida home, Mar-a-Lago, Tuesday evening to hold a rally, punctuating his new reality: submitting to the dour demands of the American criminal justice system while projecting an aura of defiance and victimhood at celebratory campaign events.



A conviction would not prevent Trump from running for or winning the presidency in 2024.



Inside the Manhattan courtroom, prosecutors led by New York's district attorney, Alvin Bragg, are expected to unseal the indictment issued last week by a grand jury. This is when Trump and his defense lawyers will get their first glimpse of the precise allegations against him.



The indictment includes multiple charges of falsifying business records, including at least one felony offense, two people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press last week.



After the arraignment, Trump is expected to be released by authorities because the charges against him don't require that bail be set.





Supporters of former U.S. president Donald J. Trump stand near Trump Tower in New York, New York, U.S. EPA-Yonhap
Dwayne Johnson has announced that a live-action remake of Disneys 2016 animated film Moana is in production.

The US actor said he was deeply humbled to make the announcement, saying that the story was emblematic of our cultures grace, mana and warrior strength.

Moana follows the story of an adventurous teenager who sets sail on a daring mission to save her people, enlisting the help of the gregarious demi-god Maui, voiced by Johnson.

Johnson revealed the project in a short video online, filmed on a beach on the Hawaiian island of Oahu with his daughters.

Humbled to say were bringing #MOANAs beautiful story to the live action big screen!#MAUI changed my life (miss you grandpa) and Im honored to partner with @DisneyStudios to tell our story thru the realm of music & dance, which at the core is who we are as Polynesian people pic.twitter.com/CxJFKQewUS  Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) April 3, 2023

Deeply humbled to announce were bringing the beautiful story of Moana to the live action big screen! he wrote on Instagram.

This story is my culture, and this story is emblematic of our peoples grace, mana and warrior strength.

In the video, Johnson also paid tribute to his grandfather, high chief Peter Maivia, who inspired him while bringing the role of Maui to life.

I wear our culture proudly on my skin and in my soul, and this once in a lifetime opportunity to reunite with Maui, inspired by the spirit of my late grandfather, High Chief Peter Maivia, is one that runs very deep for me.

Johnson revealed the project in a video online, filmed on a beach on the Hawaiian island of Oahu with his daughters (Ian West/PA)

Were honored to partner with @DisneyStudios to tell our story through the realm of music and dance, which at the core is who we are as Polynesian people.

The video concluded with Johnsons daughters fetching him a real-life replica of Mauis magical fishing hook.

Is daddy Maui? he asked them, to which they replied No!

You guys want ice-cream? so daddys Maui, Johnson told them.
Elle Fanning has said playing a pregnant Catherine the Great felt quite crazy and made her want to carry a child herself.

The Maleficent actress has portrayed the 18th century empress of Russia in Hulu series The Great since 2020 and the second season sees her character pregnant with Peter IIIs (Nicholas Hoult) child.

The 24-year-old told Harpers Bazaar: I was obsessed with it. I had a bespoke bump with boobs moulded onto me that went all the way up to my neck.

The costume team told me that this is pretty accurately what my body will look like when Im pregnant which did feel quite crazy. I loved the way it looked.

Elle Fanning (Harpers Bazaar UK/Alexi Lubomirski/PA)

It made me want to do it, to be pregnant.

Fanning has previously been romantically linked to The Handmaids Tale actor, Max Minghella, 37.

On her future aspirations, she told the publication: Id love to play Grace Kelly in something. And to have kids.

But Im a hopeless romantic. I believe in love at first sight. Call me crazy, but I believe in those things. I feel that its my destiny.

Fanning, who began playing Catherine the Great aged 22, also spoke about how she has grown with the character.

She said: Ive been playing Catherine in such formative years of my life. Ive grown as a woman alongside her.

Elle Fanning (Harpers Bazaar UK/Alexi Lubomirski/PA)

The actress also added: I do sense Im in another transformation phase right now, sometimes you can just feel youre growing another layer.

Fanning, whose sister is fellow star Dakota Fanning, addressed the impact of their parents on her career.

She said: My parents instilled the importance of dedication in us  work hard for what you want, always show up on time, reinvigorate yourself constantly.

When preparing for a scene, I get pumped up like before a match, like youre going out there to try to win something.

Season three of The Great will be available to stream on Prime Videos Lionsgate+ channel in the UK later this year.

The May issue of Harpers Bazaar UK is on sale from April 6.
Environment Secretary Therese Coffey has been accused of losing control over her department after publishing a water plan that reeks of desperation.

Launching her Plan for Water from the London Wetlands Centre on the bank of the River Thames, Ms Coffey said there was no way we can stop sewage pollution overnight and that to suggest otherwise was to be definitively dishonest with the public.

She has faced calls to resign from opposition figures after new statistics showed more than 300,000 sewage spills in 2022.

The new water plan seeks to speed up water companies infrastructure investments, help farmers clean up pollution from slurry, restrict the use of forever chemicals in industrial and consumer products and issue unlimited penalties to water companies that pollute.

Critics have welcomed the holistic approach but said there needs to be more ambition and long-term planning to successfully restore nature.

Clean rivers campaigner Feargal Sharkey said: Todays whole announcement just reeks of desperation from a secretary of state that has no control over her department, trying to moderate the activities of an industry that is out of control and a regulatory system thats clearly not capable of doing the job that has been asked of it.

Its just crap. Throw it out and keep your fingers crossed  thats not policy.

Musician and rivers campaigner Feargal Sharkey said he laughed when he read the Governments press release for its new water plan (Peter Byrne/PA)

Matt Browne, head of policy and advocacy at Wildlife and Countryside Link, said: Less plastic waste from wet wipe waste, bringing forward infrastructure investment, stronger forever chemical regulation and funding from fines to deliver river restoration are all individually positive.

But what we are still waiting to see is a comprehensive plan built around delivering on a long-term target for the health of our waters and an ambitious UK chemicals strategy to weave these individual threads into a world-leading tapestry of action to restore our rivers and seas.

With so much of our wildlife and waters struggling under the weight of pollution, development, and overuse only a well-focused, well-resourced and far-reaching plan will turn the tide for nature.

Ms Coffey said she was following the advice of the Health and Safety Executive in wanting to restrict the use of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in firefighting foam and consumer products, but did not include its recommendation to set a statutory limit on safe levels for drinking water.

Therese Coffey unveiled her new water plan by saying sewage pollution will not be cleaned up overnight (James Manning/PA)

Guidance to water companies currently says PFAS should not exceed 0.1 micrograms per litre, but the US Environmental Protection Agency wants to establish a legal limit of 0.000004 micrograms per litre.

Craig Bennett, chief executive of The Wildlife Trusts, said: A holistic approach to improving our waters is certainly needed and Governments ambition in bringing in this plan is welcome, but its detail that will determine whether it is a success.

Currently, its unclear how all of the initiatives will fit together, while the health of our waters continues to deteriorate.

Crucially, this plan must help to significantly reduce pollution from agriculture, as well as that caused by the water industry.

Well also be keeping an eye on water use and measures to reduce impacts of dangerous chemicals, which cause so many problems for wildlife.

The Conservative Environment Networks nature spokesperson Kitty Thompson added: This plan will deliver improvements to our water quality and security, responding to growing public concern about the state of our waterways.

But there remains much more to do to clean up our rivers and coastlines, particularly to reduce surface water runoff from roads and existing homes, to tackle the fat in fatberg, to designate more bathing waters, and to make sure that house building can go ahead while still tackling nutrient pollution.
Finland has become Natos newest member with the UK saying the move demonstrates the strength of the alliance in the face of Vladimir Putins aggression.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said Finnish membership had made the alliance stronger and pushed for Sweden to also be given permission to join the group.

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said Russias invasion of Ukraine had resulted in a Nato that was larger and bound tighter together.

Russias invasion of Ukraine led the previously neutral Finland and Sweden to seek membership.

Finland, which has an 830-mile border with Russia, formally became the 31st member of the alliance at a ceremony at Natos Brussels headquarters on Tuesday.

Neighbouring Sweden has seen its process of joining the organsation delayed by objections from Turkey and Hungary, but Mr Sunak made clear he wanted those issues resolved.

The Prime Minister said: This is an historic day for Finland and for Nato.

Their accession has made our alliance stronger and every one of us safer.

All Nato members now need to take the steps necessary to admit Sweden too, so we can stand together as one alliance to defend freedom in Europe and across the world.

Mr Cleverly, who was at Natos headquarters, said: Today we see, as a direct result of Vladimir Putins aggression and his illegal invasion of Ukraine, the day where a new ally joins our defensive alliance.

He added: Russia thought its aggression would divide us. Instead, we are bound tighter together, resolute in our defence of the principles of freedom and the rule of law.

Let us be clear that our door remains open.

We will welcome further Allies with open arms and we continue to push for Swedens swift accession.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said: Let Finland be a lesson to President Putin.

Finland chose to join, based on their own free will.

The freedom to choose their alliances as a sovereign state is a matter for their citizens and their citizens alone.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned that Moscow will respond depending on what weapons Nato allies place in Finland.

We will closely monitor what will be going on in Finland and how Nato will use the territory of Finland for the deployment of weapons, equipment and infrastructure next to our border that would potentially threaten us.

Measures will be taken dependent on that, Mr Peskov said.

Meanwhile the UK announced 10 million for Natos support package for Ukraine, providing non-lethal aid such as medical equipment, rations, fuel and counter-drone equipment.

Some 2 million will also go to Nato efforts to help Georgia, Moldova and Bosnia & Herzegovina defend themselves against Russian activity.
Getting enough sleep could help stave off asthma, new research suggests.

Experts found that healthy sleep patterns were linked to a reduced risk of asthma, while poor sleep raised the risk  by more than double in those who were also genetically likely to develop the condition.

A team from Shandong University in China used data from the UK Biobank study to examine 455,405 people aged 38 to 73.

They developed a model of risk and sleep traits and followed participants for 10 years.

At the start of the study, people were asked about their sleeping patterns, including whether they were a morning person or a night owl, how long they slept for, whether they snored, had insomnia and whether they suffered excessive sleepiness during the daytime.

Based on their responses, 73,223 people met the criteria for a healthy sleep pattern, 284,267 an intermediate sleep pattern, and 97,915 a poor sleep pattern.

A healthy sleep pattern was defined as being more of a morning person, sleeping for seven to nine hours a night, never having insomnia or suffering rarely, no snoring and no frequent sleepiness during the day.

The genetic make-up of all those in the study has been mapped, and a genetic asthma risk score was drawn up for the people.

Around one in three were found to have a high genetic risk, another third an intermediate risk and another third a low risk.

Over the decade of follow-up, 17,836 people were diagnosed with asthma, according to the study published in journal BMJ Open Respiratory Research.

A healthy sleep pattern was defined as including sleeping for seven to nine hours a night (Alamy/PA)

They were more likely to have several traits, including poorer sleep patterns, obesity, higher genetic risk of asthma, higher levels of smoking and drinking, high blood pressure, diabetes, depression and greater exposure to air pollution.

Compared with those at low genetic risk, those with the highest genetic risk were 47% more likely to be diagnosed with asthma, while those with a poor sleep pattern were 55% more likely.

However, people at high genetic risk who also reported poor sleep patterns were more than twice as likely to be diagnosed with asthma as those with both a healthy sleep pattern and a low genetic risk.

Meanwhile, a healthy sleep pattern decreased the risk of asthma by 44% in those at low genetic risk, by 41% in those at intermediate risk and by 37% in those with high genetic risk.

These results showed that a healthy sleep pattern could significantly decrease asthma risk in any genetic subgroup, the researchers said.

At the population level, a low genetic risk combined with a healthy sleep may indicate that around a fifth of asthma cases could be prevented.

The team concluded: Unhealthy sleep patterns and sleep traits were significantly associated with the risk of asthma in adults.

The combination of poor sleep pattern and high susceptibility could lead to additive asthma risk.

A healthier sleep pattern could be beneficial in asthma prevention regardless of genetic conditions.

The researchers said the study highlights the importance of early detection and management of sleep disorders, which could be beneficial in reducing asthma incidence.

The authors suggested some reasons for the findings, including that poor sleep can cause an inflammatory response in the body which increases the risk of asthma.

Dr Erika Kennington, head of research and innovation at Asthma and Lung UK, said: This research suggests theres a link between asthma and not getting enough sleep, although its too early to say that treating poor sleep could reduce someones risk of developing asthma.

We still dont know enough about why only some people develop asthma, and other lung conditions, while others dont.

To understand why lung conditions develop in the first place we need to see more investment into respiratory research.

Lung conditions are the third biggest killer in the UK, yet only 2% of public funding is spent on research that will help diagnose, treat and manage them much more effectively.

Were fighting for increased funding for research and innovation that could transform and save the lives of millions in the UK and across the world.
The UK Government must intervene and provide ministerial direction to civil servants tasked with making invidious political decisions in Northern Ireland, a trade union boss has urged.

General secretary of the FDA union Dave Penman has written to Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris expressing concern about the position senior civil servants have been placed in amid the current powersharing impasse at Stormont.

Mr Penmans call for a Government minister to instruct civil servants at Stormont would represent a move back towards the controversial direct rule form of governance for the region.

Currently, departmental permanent secretaries are effectively running public services in Northern Ireland in the absence of elected ministers.

My letter to @chhcalling, asking for a ministerial direction to be issued to the Northern Ireland Civil Service: pic.twitter.com/lRqoe52xRJ  Dave Penman (@FDAGenSec) April 4, 2023

The DUP is currently blocking devolved governance at Stormont in protest at post-Brexit trading arrangements.

Mr Heaton-Harris has passed legislation at Westminster to give local civil servants more latitude to take decisions that would usually be the responsibility of politicians.

Many of those will involve cuts to services if, as anticipated, Mr Heaton-Harris passes a budget for Northern Ireland that involves a significant real terms cut in spending power in this financial year.

The FDA, which represents the higher ranks of the civil service, said its members face the prospect of making decisions that will have a detrimental impact on the most vulnerable in society.

In his letter to Mr Heaton-Harris, which was first reported by the Belfast Telegraph, Mr Penman wrote: The FDA is certain you appreciate that no civil servant has accepted a post with the NICS (Northern Ireland Civil Service) with the intention of taking decisions that ought properly to be taken by democratically elected ministers.

The current model places our members in an invidious position, requiring politically-impartial advisors and administrators to adopt a role that demands they take political decisions.

Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris (PA)

Mr Penman said the FDA was anticipating an exceptionally challenging budget being set by Mr Heaton-Harris.

FDA members who are Accounting Officers, and those who support them, are being tasked by you to implement this challenging Budget, requiring exceptionally difficult decisions to be taken which fall far outside the scope of what should be decided by officials operating without the direction and control of a minister, he wrote.

Whilst many of those decisions will be significant and controversial, they also present a serious risk of causing detrimental impacts to the most vulnerable in society in Northern Ireland, including children, young people and those relying on the health service.

The FDA would respectfully ask that you legislate to amend the provisions of the Northern Ireland (Executive Functions) Act 2022 to empower a minister from your department to provide Ministerial Direction to NICS colleagues so that decisions of a political nature are taken at the right level, with suitable democratic accountability, rather than by civil servants acting in the absence of ministers.

A Northern Ireland Office spokeswoman said: The UK Government remains of the view that the restoration of devolved institutions, in line with the vision of the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement, offers the most immediate way of delivering local governance and prosperity in Northern Ireland.

The Secretary of State has expressed his disappointment that for four out of the past six years, Northern Ireland has been without locally elected representatives to take the key strategic decisions to, for example, protect public finances.

The UK Governments priority remains to see restored devolved institutions in place to take the decisions and action needed to address the challenges facing Northern Ireland at this time.
Halving social care workforce funding in England has been branded a betrayal by charities, unions and other political parties which also accused the Government of broken promises.

Despite a previous pledge to invest at least 500 million to transform the way we support the social care workforce, the Department of Health and Social Care has confirmed this figure will now be 250 million.

Various amounts of money were set out in the December 2021 People at the Heart of Care White Paper on adult social care reform, including 25 million to support unpaid carers and 300 million to integrate housing into local health and care strategies.

But an announcement on Tuesday, which the Government said was setting out plans to further digitise the social care sector and bolster the workforce, did not mention either of these pledges.

Asked about these, the Government has also now confirmed ministers had taken the difficult decision not to proceed with the 300 million investment in housing  a move described by the Centre for Ageing Better as hugely disappointing.

The department said the support for unpaid carers will be set out in due course.

The Government has insisted no funding for the adult social care sector has been removed or re-allocated to the NHS, and that up to 600 million mentioned in the white paper has not yet been allocated but will be targeted on measures that will have the most impact over the next two years.

It said the social care workforce is at the heart of its plans but various organisations cast doubt, accusing the Government of betraying the sector.

The Independent Care Group, which represents providers in York and North Yorkshire, said they were no longer convinced by Government pledges.

Responding to the govt's halving of the promised 500m investment in the social care workforce, UNISON head of social care @GavinEdwards77 said: By slashing already inadequate plans, ministers have proved they have nothing but disregard for the sector."https://t.co/9xzuwLU5CJ  UNISON  UK's largest union (@unisontheunion) April 4, 2023

Chair Mike Padgham described the announcement as yet another cruel and unfair cut to the funding we need to provide help and support to older and vulnerable people.

He added: We need every penny of funding and cannot afford to have 250 million removed at a stroke like this.

The Government insists that all promised funding will stay within the sector but we cannot believe a word they tell us anymore.

Health think tanks, the Kings Fund and Nuffield Trust, condemned the announcement, with the latter describing it as effectively yet another ill-judged raid on a social care system already on the brink.

Social care minister Helen Whately (UK Parliament/Jessica Taylor/PA)

Nuffield Trust deputy director of policy, Natasha Curry, said it would be seen as a betrayal by those working in the sector and those needing care, while the announcement on the social care workforce funding was a particularly low blow amid a cost of living and recruitment and retention crisis affecting social care.

She accused the Government of a smoke and mirrors attempt to sow confusion bundling these cuts alongside pre-announced funding on the fair cost of care and better care fund.

Kings Fund director of policy, Sally Warren, branded it short-sighted for Government to row back on what was already minimal funding and limited efforts to reform and improve social care in areas such as housing, technology and supporting the workforce.

Unions also criticised the announcement, with the GMB calling for proper investment to keep workers in the sector not more broken promises, while Unison said that by slashing those already inadequate plans (from 2021), ministers have proved they have nothing but disregard for the sector.

TUC general secretary Paul Nowak said: The Government promised to throw a protective ring around social care. But instead, it is presiding over a perfect storm.

Dr Carole Easton, from the Centre for Ageing Better, said: It is hugely disappointing to see that the 300 million funding to integrate housing into local health and care strategies promised as part of the Governments social care White Paper has now been cut.

The commitments made in the White Paper were a real step forward, so to now remove more resources from this sector, which is operating under almost unprecedented strain, is extremely short-sighted and harmful.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer told broadcasters on Tuesday the latest announcement was a betrayal from the Government of older people and those with needs in social care, saying the Tories had promised a lot and now theyre delivering almost nothing.

Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey said elderly and disabled people will be the victims of the Conservatives decision to slash funding for recruiting care workers at a time of chronic staff shortages.

Jackie OSullivan, of learning disability charity Mencap, described the plan as an insult to a sector that was once treated as a priority for Government.

Social care minister Helen Whately, who told the annual Care England conference last month that she was part of a Government that backs social care, said the package announced on Tuesday focuses on recognising care with the status it deserves.

She said: Care depends completely on the people who do the caring  thats over a million care staff working in care homes and agencies, and countless relatives, friends and volunteers, acting out of the kindness of their hearts.

Thats why this package of reforms focuses on recognising care with the status it deserves, while also focusing on the better use of technology, the power of data and digital care records, and extra funding for councils  aiming to make a care system we can be proud of.

The Government said its refreshed plan to bolster the adult social care workforce would speed up discharge from hospital and accelerate the use of technology in the sector over the next two years.

The department said it will launch an Older Peoples Housing Taskforce in partnership with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities to decide how best to provide a greater range of suitable housing depending on the support people need.

Professor Julienne Meyer has been appointed to chair the new taskforce, which will work across housing, heath, and care sectors to drive an increase in the volume and range of housing options and make recommendations to the Government.

It said 1.6 billion will be allocated over the next two years to improve hospital discharge.
James Corden says it feels unnatural to walk away from something you love so much as he discussed his upcoming departure from The Late Late Show.

The British comedian and talk show host said he felt as though he was on unstable ground with regard to his future, but acknowledged he had to embrace that fear.

The final episode of The Late Late Show with Corden as host is scheduled to air later this month on April 27.

The British comedian addressed his feelings about leaving The Late Late Show during a panel at the PaleyFest event in Los Angeles on Sunday (PA)

He addressed his feelings about leaving the show during a panel, hosted by actor Bryan Cranston, at the PaleyFest event in Los Angeles on Sunday.

The pair discussed Cordens next steps as well as a possible return to stage performing.

It couldnt feel more urgent within me to leave to do that, he said, according to US outlets that attended the event.

I will be really, really upset with myself if, in the next year or year and a half or so, I dont go do another play or revisit a play Ive already done.

I would give anything to go back and do a show again, Id give absolutely anything.

On his future post-The Late Late Show, he said: I havent felt this scared since I decided to take the show, to move here.

I havent felt on such unstable ground I have to embrace that fear.

He added: It feels incredibly strange. Its an unnatural feeling to walk away from something that you love so much.

Corden announced his departure from the CBS show in April of last year, later acknowledging that his next project might never ever be as big as the role.

On Sunday he revealed that there were still 12 episodes left to do and that they would include popular segments including Carpool Karaoke.

I am so certain that it is the right thing to do. I think it is really important how things end. To go out in the manner we came in, he said.
A High Court judge has warned of the damage done to children who become victims of abduction after finding themselves at the centre of parental disputes.

Mr Justice Francis said youngsters taken from one parent by another parent could suffer untold harm.

The judge, who is based in the Family Division of the High Court in London, said parental abduction of children was a scourge.

He raised concern when handing a delivery driver who had taken a child to Bulgaria a 15-month jail term.

Mr Justice Francis concluded that Nedko Georgiev had breached orders aimed at getting the child back home to London and was in contempt of court.

Georgiev had taken the child to relatives in Bulgaria during the summer of 2022 without the agreement of ex-partner Yordanka Goranova, the judge heard.

Ms Goranova had begun legal action in the Family Division of the High Court in a bid to get her child back.

Judges had ordered Georgiev to take steps to ensure the childs return.

Ms Goranova had then alleged that Georgiev had breached orders and was in contempt.

Child abduction is a scourge on the children who are subjected to it, said Mr Justice Francis, after considering Georgievs case at a hearing in the Family Division of the High Court in London.

It causes untold harm.

He added: The father has, I am sure, caused untold psychological harm to (this child), who is separated from him and from mother.

Mr Justice Francis said the child at the centre of the dispute could not be named in media reports of the case.
Two Just Stop Oil protesters who scaled a bridge on the Dartford Crossing, causing gridlock when police closed the bridge to traffic, have been found guilty of causing a public nuisance.

Morgan Trowland, 40, and Marcus Decker, 34, used ropes and other climbing equipment to shuffle up the cables of the bridge, prosecutor Adam King told Basildon Crown Court, earlier in the trial.

He said they ascended to a point close to 200ft above the road and unfurled a giant Just Stop Oil banner and rigged up hammocks and stayed there.

The Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, which links the M25 in Essex and Kent, was closed from 4am on October 17 last year to 9pm the following day, the prosecutor said.

This closure caused gridlock for miles around throughout that period, which we say was the point, said Mr King.

It was because of the disruption that the incident made national news.

He continued: Small businesses lost, in some cases, hundreds of thousands of pounds, people missed loved ones funerals, children were left on the side of the road waiting for buses.

He said the men came down at about 5.30pm on October 18 with the help of police and a very tall cherry picker crane, but the bridge was not reopened to traffic until later.

Mr King had told jurors: Were not here to litigate the Governments climate change policy.

Trowland had said in evidence: We climbed it (the bridge) to deliver a warning message, to put up a banner saying Just Stop Oil and to speak that message through interviews with journalists.

He said the activist groups goal is to get the Government to stop licensing oil and gas production.

That is putting fuel on the fire of climate change.

Trowland, of Islington, north London, and Decker, 34, of no fixed address, denied causing a public nuisance.

They were found guilty by a jury by unanimous verdicts following more than two hours of deliberations.

Judge Shane Collery KC remanded them in custody to be sentenced on April 13.

He said: This court is considering custodial sentences.

He added: Were dealing with significant nuisance thats been caused.

Energy Security Secretary Grant Shapps said on Twitter: I welcome the courts decision today.

The right to protest cannot be allowed to outweigh the right of the law-abiding majority to go about their day free from selfish and antisocial disruption.

We are cracking down on these guerilla tactics which cause misery for the majority.

Sean Irish, of Just Stop Oil, said outside court that the verdicts were quite disappointing.

Obviously its quite disappointing to see this happen, he said.

Weve seen in the Old Bailey that a jury has the right to acquit based on a conscience, whether they were aware of that I dont know, but its disappointing to see that theyve come back with a guilty verdict.

He said that the climate crisis was more terrifying than the prospect of prison time.

Young people arent going to die for an oil barons profits, Mr Irish said.

Were not going to lie down easily, were not going to take it, we will fight back.

The more the government cracks down on peaceful protest, the more dangerous it becomes for the government.
A sleight-of-hand magic trick which often catches humans out only fools monkeys with opposable thumbs  a trait shared with humans, new research suggests.

Scientists performed a famous magic trick for three species of monkey  capuchins, squirrel monkeys and marmosets  with differing hand structures.

They discovered that in order to deceive, a conjuror needs the same anatomy as their audience.

Psychologists used a sleight-of-hand trick called the French drop, in which an object appears to vanish when a spectator assumes it is taken from one hand by the hidden thumb of the other hand.

The French drop is one the first tricks any budding magician sets out to master.

A coin is displayed in one hand, and the other hand reaches over and grabs it. The palm of the second hand faces inwards, with the magicians thumb hidden behind fingers.

The audience knows the thumb is lurking  ready to grip  so assumes the coin has been taken when it is no longer visible. Their attention follows the second hand, only to find it empty at the reveal.

The magician secretly drops the coin into the palm of the original hand.

The study, carried out at the University of Cambridges Comparative Cognition Lab, found that monkeys lacking opposable thumbs did not fall for the trick and stayed wise to the whereabouts of tasty treats a magician tried to make disappear.

According to the researchers, sharing a biomechanical ability may be necessary for accurately anticipating the movements of those same limbs in other individuals.

Dr Elias Garcia-Pelegrin, who has practised magic for a decade  and conducted the experimental work during his PhD at Cambridge, said: Magicians use intricate techniques to mislead the observer into experiencing the impossible. It is a great way to study blind spots in attention and perception.

By investigating how species of primates experience magic, we can understand more about the evolutionary roots of cognitive shortcomings that leave us exposed to the cunning of magicians.

In this case, whether having the manual capability to produce an action, such as holding an item between finger and thumb, is necessary for predicting the effects of that action in others.

In the experiment, food morsels replaced coins for the monkeys, and were given as rewards  but only if the animals guessed the correct hand.

The trick was repeatedly performed on 24 monkeys  eight capuchins were dazzled with peanuts, eight squirrel monkeys with dried mealworms, and eight marmosets with marshmallows.

Capuchins, who have opposable thumbs and are famed for dexterity  using stone tools to crack nuts in the wild, were regularly fooled by the trick (81% of the time).

Squirrel monkeys are less dexterous than capuchins, with limited thumb rotation, but can oppose their thumbs.

They cannot perform a precision grip in the same way as capuchins and humans, experts say.

Yet squirrel monkeys were routinely misled by vanishing mealworms (93% of the time).

Squirrel monkeys cannot do full precision grips, but they were still fooled. This suggests that a monkey doesnt have to be expert in a movement in order to predict it, just roughly able to do it, said Dr Garcia-Pelegrin, recently appointed an assistant professor at the National University of Singapore.

Marmosets do not have opposable thumbs, and were rarely taken in by magic (just 6% of the time), the study found.

They simply chose the hand in which the marshmallow was initially placed, and stuck with it.

The team also tried nullifying the tricks by actually completing the hand-to-hand transfers, instead of misdirecting with a French drop.

This time, the capuchins and squirrel monkeys anticipated correctly and dined out, and the marmosets missed out.

Finally, the scientists devised their own version of the French drop, which they call the power drop.

It utilises a hand action that all the monkey species can perform  essentially a full fist grab. The power drop fooled all of the monkey species the vast majority of the time.

The study is published today in the journal Current Biology.
Irelands deputy premier Micheal Martin has paid tribute to his predecessor Bertie Ahern in his truly remarkable work in helping broker the Good Friday Agreement 25 years ago.

Mr Martin made the comments at an event held in Dublins UCD to commemorate the role his Fianna Fail party played in the peace negotiations that led to a deal that would largely bring the Troubles to an end.

His praise comes after Mr Ahern rejoined Fianna Fail 10 years after quitting as efforts began within the party to expel him following the findings of a tribunal.

Since rejoining earlier this year, former taoiseach Mr Ahern has urged reporters to avoid all kinds of speculation on whether he would make a bid for the Aras, suggesting that the 2025 Irish presidential election is too far away to clarify whether he intends to run.

Despite a row between the two leaders as Mr Ahern left the party a decade ago, warm words were exchanged between them as they reflected on the peace deal which Mr Ahern is widely credited as helping broker.

Mr Ahern also addressed the crowd in UCDs OReilly Hall on Tuesday night, where he described Mr Martin as a fantastic taoiseach  you did this country a great service.

He added that he (appreciated) your quiet wisdom in Northern Ireland and in working harmoniously with Taoiseach and Fine Gael leader Leo Varadkar, saying: I know the agreement is in the hands of guardians who really cared and were protect it safely.

Tanaiste Micheal Martin was described by Mr Ahern as a fantastic taoiseach (PA)

Concluding his speech, Mr Ahern said: A lot done, a lot to do. Im sorry I left so many things for you, Tanaiste.

It pains us all that the institutions are down at the moment. But I think we fully understand why and hopefully before too long that we will get back to it. It might take a few months but I think we will, he said.

Mr Martin then told the audience: For every one of us, it was a privilege to serve in those days, and to support the truly remarkable work of taoiseach Bertie Ahern on behalf of our country.

With the eyes of the world on him, and working hand in hand with two major international leaders in Tony Blair and Bill Clinton, he showed a skill and determination which helped deliver genuinely historic progress.

And I witnessed along with (former taoiseach Brian Cowen) and others an incredible perseverance. He was, if he doesnt mind me saying so, obsessed with the issue, and never gave up and persevered.

This continued right up to the dramatic and once-unthinkable deal which brought Ian Paisley and his party to fully participate in the Executive created by the agreement.

Mr Martin then also praised Mr Aherns patience in giving the late David Trimble, the leader of the UUP and the inaugural First Minister of Northern Ireland, time to make his decision.

He recalled a time when there were whispers within Cabinet about when Mr Trimble would make a decision, when Mr Ahern hushed the ministers and listed all the unionist leaders.

Mr Martin said that that was Mr Aherns way of showing the extraordinary risks that Mr Trimble was taking and that Mr Ahern had the patience to facilitate him in making the decision.

We all know what happened after that, Mr Martin said.
The Government is set to hold talks with the European Union on the UK having associate membership of the blocs flagship Horizon Europe research programme.

Science and Technology Secretary Michelle Donelan is travelling to Brussels to meet with the EUs research and innovation commissioner Mariya Gabriel on Tuesday.

The UK hopes that Prime Minister Rishi Sunaks new deal on the Northern Ireland Protocol marked a step towards British participation in the 100 billion euro (88.6 billion) scheme, which funds scientific research across the EU.

But Ms Donelan stressed that the UK will only commit to joining Horizon on the right terms.

I am on my way to Brussels today to meet with @GabrielMariya and discuss the UKs association to Horizon, as we look to push forward these vital discussions https://t.co/lbBZ9t7Q0n pic.twitter.com/qUlJcidn81  Michelle Donelan MP (@michelledonelan) April 4, 2023

The Government is developing plans for a post-Brexit alternative in case negotiations with the EU fail, which will be published in the coming days, according to the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.

Ahead of the meeting, Ms Donelan said: I am determined to ensure our world-class scientists have the very best platform on which to continue their work, with research that transforms the way we live and work, not just here in the UK, but around the world.

I look forward to this introductory meeting with the EU and discussing possible future association with Horizon Europe. But we can only do so on the right terms, and Im in Brussels today to ensure there is understanding of that on both sides, while taking forward these discussions in a constructive and respectful way.

Speaking in a video taken on the train to the Belgian capital, the Cabinet minister said: There has never been a more important time for our scientists to do world-leading work with the best and the brightest so I look forward to a really productive day.

The UKs associate membership of Horizon was foreseen in the post-Brexit trade deal, but remained in limbo as the dispute over trading arrangements for Northern Ireland dragged on.

However, the UK-EU deal to fix issues with the Northern Ireland Protocol in February led European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen to say work on an association agreement could begin immediately.

Mr Sunak, who has pledged to turn the UK into a science and technology superpower by the end of the decade, has been under growing pressure from the science and research sectors to get the UK access to Horizon.
A Government minister has been disqualified from driving for six months after travelling at almost 30mph over a temporary speed limit on the M1 last year.

Immigration minister Robert Jenrick was also fined a total of 1,639 at a court hearing on Tuesday after previously admitting to travelling at 68mph in a temporary 40mph zone between junctions 18 and 17 on the southbound motorway last August, the Courts and Tribunals Service Centre said.

The case was dealt with through a Single Justice Procedure at Northampton Magistrates Court, which allows a magistrate to rule on criminal cases seen as minor in a closed court, meaning the public and press cannot attend.

They also allow defendants to plead guilty or not guilty in writing which meant that Mr Jenrick, 41, did not have to attend court in person.

Responding to the sentence, Mr Jenrick said: I accept the courts decision.

I was driving below the national speed limit on an empty motorway, with no road works in sight.

Mr Jenricks Land Rover was caught by a speed camera on the M1 southbound in Northamptonshire (Northamptonshire Police/PA)

I now understand that a variable speed limit had been applied, which I didnt see.

I wouldnt knowingly exceed the speed limit.

The MP for Newark, in Nottinghamshire, was travelling after an appearance on BBC Radio 4s Any Questions at Wakefield Cathedral when he was caught by a speed camera in his Land Rover at around 11.30pm on August 5, the London Evening Standard reported.

The newspaper had previously said Mr Jenrick was fined 307 and handed three penalty points in March for speeding on the A40 in west London in August 2021.

He was fined 1,107 for the M1 offence and ordered to pay a 442 victim surcharge and 90 in costs.
Ministers have been accused of failing in their duties to make the public aware of voter ID rules ahead of local elections, with critics warning the change may hinder young people from casting a ballot.

The new policy means people must not only be registered to vote but also take a form of photo identification when they head to their local polling station on May 4.

A passport or driving licence are valid but some types of photo ID, including some travelcards for young people, will not be accepted.

Anyone without the correct identification needs to apply for a Voter Authority Certificate by April 25.

(PA Graphics)

Campaign groups the Electoral Reform Society and Unlock Democracy have warned as many as two million people in Britain do not currently have the right form of ID.

An average of 922 applications per day for a certificate were made online in England in the week to April 2, up from 803 the previous week, according to PA news agency analysis of Government data.

A total of 36,089 applications have been submitted online in England since February 1.

The Electoral Reform Society voiced renewed concerns on Tuesday that the plans could make it harder for young people to vote because forms of photo ID such as 16-25 railcards are not considered valid.

Willie Sullivan, senior director at the Electoral Reform Society, told PA: Allowing bus passes and Oyster cards for older voters but refusing to accept the same forms of ID for young people means that these new rules could disproportionately shut out younger voters from the ballot box.

If the Government wants to improve our elections it should be finding ways to encourage voter engagement  especially amongst young people who typically turn out less at election time. Instead, these new laws will do just the opposite.

Labour accused the Government of failing to make voters aware of the new policy as the application deadline for the special certificates approaches.

Deputy leader Angela Rayner said: The Government has a crucial responsibility to make voters aware of their voter ID policies, but they are clearly failing in their duties.

Labour are clear that voter ID is an expensive, unnecessary policy and the wrong priority at the height of a cost-of-living crisis.

If voters dont have the required photo ID, the easiest way to vote is by signing up for a postal vote.

The Government has argued the policy was introduced to prevent voter impersonation.

There is no evidence of large-scale electoral fraud over the past five years, according to the Electoral Commission.

Between 2018 and 2022, there were nine convictions relating to electoral fraud and six police cautions issued, its figures show.

Downing Street acknowledged on Monday that the rules were aimed at preventing potential wrongdoing, rather than dealing with any widespread existing issue.

(PA Graphics)

It insisted that only a very small proportion of young voters lack the necessary ID to cast their ballot.

This is to guard against the potential for wrongdoing in this area or voter impersonation, the Prime Ministers official spokesperson said.

Theres a raft of ID thats available, of course people can apply for the ID thats being provided on top of that.

The facts are that 99% of people aged 18 to 29 have acceptable ID and we are actively supporting the very small proportion who do not.

In February, local government minister Lee Rowley said that around 98% of the electorate already have an accepted form of voter ID, such as a passport, driving licence or blue badge.

But opposition MPs including Liberal Democrat Helen Morgan and shadow communities minister Alex Norris warned that the pace of the rollout of Voter Authority Certificates for those without could lead to widespread disenfranchisement.

The voter ID requirement is already in place in Northern Ireland and, from October, the condition will be extended to UK general elections as well.

It comes as the National Union of Students, British Youth Council and Generation Rent launched a joint campaign on Tuesday to encourage young people to sign up to vote in time for the local elections, citing new barriers in place.

The drive will include registering students en masse through university and college enrolment and making sure they have a valid photo ID, they said.

Bernie Savage, NUS vice-president for further education, said: When politicians make decisions, they look at who is on the electoral register and who votes.

This year photo ID presents a new barrier for young people and students to get their voices heard, but if they want to affect real change, then its vital they get involved, make sure they have valid ID, get themselves on the electoral register and turn up and vote.

More than 8,000 council seats are up for grabs on May 4 across 230 local authorities, ranging from small rural councils to some of the largest towns and cities  though no elections are scheduled in London or Birmingham.

Polls are also taking place to choose mayors in Bedford, Leicester, Mansfield and Middlesbrough.

No elections are taking place in Scotland and Wales this year.

Local elections in Northern Ireland have been put back two weeks to May 18, to avoid a clash with the Kings coronation on May 6.

The Local Government Association (LGA) described the policy as the biggest change to in-person voting in 150 years and said councils would be working around the clock in the run-up to May 4.

A spokesperson said: Councils are working around the clock to deliver the local elections and the new voter ID requirements, which is the biggest change to in-person voting in 150 years. The practical effort required to deliver this change in such a short timeframe should not be understated.

Raising public awareness of these new requirements is crucial and we remain concerned about the potential for electoral staff to be overwhelmed with inquiries and Voter Authority Certificate applications when polling cards go out.

Electoral administrators and returning officers also need urgent clarity and detailed guidance to implement any changes to the electoral process without risking access to the vote.
Ministers deeply distressed Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and other British citizens imprisoned abroad through poor communication, including speaking offensively to their families, the Conservative chairwoman of the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee has said.

Speaking about a damning new report on the Foreign Offices handling of hostage diplomacy, Alicia Kearns said the treatment of some hostages and their relatives had been insensitive and hurtful, marked by a lack of transparency and coordination.

Referring to former foreign secretary Liz Trusss handling of the case of a British-born environmentalist held in Iran, she said the most heinous failure of a minister was to tell a family youre no longer our problem.

Ms Truss did not stand by an arrangement agreed with US officials that UK-US-Iranian trinational Morad Tahbaz would be released alongside Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe and fellow British-Iranian dual national Anoosheh Ashoori in March last year, and failed to let his family know, according to the report.

Liz Truss eventually called the family to say that Morad is now a US problem, implying that she would not put further effort into his release, and she did not have time to speak to them further, MPs said.

The report also highlighted then-foreign secretary Boris Johnson saying in 2017 that Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe had been teaching journalism in Tehran, comments which were blamed for exacerbating her plight following her arrest for alleged spying.

There were also examples of ministers getting the names of hostages wrong, Ms Kearns told Times Radio.

For dual nationals their Britishness too often they felt was in question, she said.

The report also criticised the considerable ministerial transience in recent years, with Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe questioning, on her release, why it took five foreign secretaries over six years to bring her home.

This contributes to inconsistency of approach and increases the risks of missing opportunities, not least when dealing with autocratic states with greater ministerial security of tenure, MPs said.

 We've released our new report  'Stolen years: combatting state hostage diplomacy' Read it here https://t.co/kUYvEphaxm pic.twitter.com/2XMSLuyrpP  Foreign Affairs Committee (@CommonsForeign) April 4, 2023

The committee called for a director for arbitrary and complex detentions.

That is somebody who would have a direct line to the prime minister, who can make sure that we have the cohesion, the continuity, the focus, the creativity that is needed to get our people home, Ms Kearns said.

Because the reality is that one of our most important findings was if you can get people home before they are charged, that is your best window of opportunity.

The senior Tory also said we have to call a spade a spade, as there is currently too much nervousness within the Foreign Office about calling out state hostage-taking for what it is.

The committee rejected a Foreign Office presumption that quiet diplomacy and family silence is always appropriate, saying that other than in the initial phase, silence abets state hostage-taking.

Amnesty International welcomed the findings of the report, which should lead to a major policy change.

Sacha Deshmukh, the charitys UK chief executive, said: Year after year during Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Anoosheh Ashooris gruelling incarcerations we were warning that the UK simply wasnt rising to the challenge of dealing with situations that went well beyond ordinary miscarriages of justice

The test of whether UK officials have learnt from previous failings will be whether they can be effective in quickly securing the release of the jailed conservationist Morad Tahbaz and fellow Briton Mehran Raoof, as well as another British national, Alaa Abd el-Fattah, whos been jailed in Egypt for his human rights work.

A Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office spokesman said: Consular officials are available 24/7 for families to receive tailored support. The Foreign Secretary and FCDO ministers are fully engaged in complex cases and have raised concerns with foreign governments.

The best interests of British national detainees is at the heart of our consular work and we support and work with their families wherever we can.
Social media platform TikTok has been fined 12.7 million because it did not do enough to make sure underage children were not using its platform and ensure that their data was used correctly.

The Information Commissioners Office (ICO) said that TikTok allowed up to 1.4 million children under 13 to use its platform in 2020, which was against its terms of service.

However the fine is less than half the 27 million that the ICO originally said it might fine TikTok for breaches.

TikTok nevertheless said that it disagrees with the decision and would consider its options.

The regulator slashed the potential fine, which it first announced in September last year, after deciding not to pursue an initial finding that the company had unlawfully used special category data.

NEW: We have fined TikTok 12.7 million for misusing childrens data. Read more: https://t.co/7EKpjQed8r pic.twitter.com/c0HsTC2x3z  ICO  Information Commissioner's Office (@ICOnews) April 4, 2023

Special data includes ethnic and racial origin, political opinions, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, trade union membership, genetic and biometric data or health data.

But the regulator upheld its findings that TikTok failed to ensure that users under 13 had permission from their parents or carers to use the platform.

It also did not carry out adequate checks to identify and remove these children from its site despite concerns being raised to senior members of staff.

There are laws in place to make sure our children are as safe in the digital world as they are in the physical world. TikTok did not abide by those laws, said information commissioner John Edwards.

As a consequence, an estimated one million under-13s were inappropriately granted access to the platform, with TikTok collecting and using their personal data.

That means that their data may have been used to track them and profile them, potentially delivering harmful, inappropriate content at their very next scroll.

TikTok should have known better. TikTok should have done better. Our 12.7m fine reflects the serious impact their failures may have had.

They did not do enough to check who was using their platform or take sufficient action to remove the underage children that were using their platform.

TikTok said: TikTok is a platform for users aged 13 and over. We invest heavily to help keep under 13s off the platform and our 40,000 strong safety team works around the clock to help keep the platform safe for our community.

While we disagree with the ICOs decision, which relates to May 2018  July 2020, we are pleased that the fine announced today has been reduced to under half the amount proposed last year.

We will continue to review the decision and are considering next steps.

In 2019, US regulators hit the company with a 5.7 million dollar (4.5 million) fine for similar practices related to improper data collection from children under 13.

Earlier on Tuesday, Australia became the latest country to ban the Chinese-owned app from its federal governments devices.

Last month the UK Government said it would block TikTok from its devices and networks over safety concerns, with the Scottish Government following suit.

TikTok, owned by Chinese internet company ByteDance, has regularly said that it does not share data with China.

But Beijings intelligence legislation requires firms to help the Communist Party when requested.

TikTok chief executive Shou Zi Chew also made a rare public appearance to be questioned by the US Congress over data security and user safety.

Let me state this unequivocally, ByteDance is not an agent of China or any other country, he said, as he made his case for why the popular app should not be banned, at the March hearing.
Some elements of the Good Friday Agreement have still not been put in place after a quarter of a century, three founding members of the Womens Coalition have said.

Former leader Monica McWilliams said the party was able to put a stamp on the historic peace deal despite only being formed shortly before negotiations began.

The Northern Ireland Womens Coalition (NIWC) came into existence in 1996 to encourage the involvement of women in the peace process on a cross-community basis.

Members of the now defunct party spoke to the PA news agency to mark the 25th anniversary of the agreement, which largely brought an end to the Troubles in Northern Ireland.

Former leader of the Womens Coalition Monica McWilliams said the party was able to put a stamp on the historic peace deal despite only being formed shortly before negotiations began (Niall Carson/PA)

Ms McWilliams, Bronagh Hinds and former MLA Jane Morrice said that, despite the successes of the agreement, major parts of it, such as integrated education and a Bill of Rights on equality, have still not been achieved.

We wrote the entire section on reconciliation and the needs of victims, Ms McWilliams said.

That would not have been in the agreement  the whole restitution for victims, civic forum, resources for young people, community development, integrated education, shared education, the right of women to full and equal political participation.

There wouldnt have been a word in the agreement about any of those things.

Ms McWilliams said the human rights promises have not been fully implemented.

First, I should say lots of pieces did come to fruition, she said.

Its like a cascade, and you build on whats gone and go to the next stage.

But some of the things that we thought would be the easiest to implement turned out to be the hardest, such as a Bill of Rights.

Womens Coalition founder member Bronagh Hinds said Northern Ireland is falling behind the rest of the UK in equality legislation (Claudia Savage/PA)

Ms Hinds said Northern Ireland is falling behind the rest of the UK in equality legislation.

She said: We moved from being very backwards in Northern Ireland in our equality legislation to being very advanced into moving to being behind the ball again where everybody else is; for example, the rest of the UK has a much more advanced equality legislation, having been a bit behind us, so were still arguing for that.

She added: We have to get beyond using equality and human rights as part of the battleground, its the framework for a better future for citizens.

Ms Morrice said her main concern is that the level of integrated education has not improved in 25 years, despite a pledge in the agreement to encourage its uptake.

If we hadnt been up at the talks, the line on encouraging and facilitating integrated education and mixed housing would not have been in the Good Friday Agreement, she said.

Way back then only 7% of schools in Northern Ireland were genuinely integrated, according to the Integrated Education Fund.

Then only 7% and still only 7%  it has not moved  so that is very, very disappointing.

Former Womens Coalition MLA Jane Morrice said her main concern is that the level of integrated education has not improved in 25 years (Handout/PA)

She added: Its fascinating because when people talk about integrated education, certainly from the outside, they all say thats the most normal thing in the world, that young Catholic and Protestant children should be educated together.

And yet the system in Northern Ireland is not ready for change for a lot of different reasons.

Its very slow progress. But well get there.

Ms McWilliams said she does not agree with commentators who say the agreement is washed out.

She added: It was pretty hard to make. And I dare anyone that thought it was other than that to try and sit down and reconcile the massive differences of 30 years of conflict.
A pregnant woman whom prosecutors say was murdered by her husband fell between 40 and 50ft from an Edinburgh hill, a court has heard.

Kashif Anwar, 29, is accused of murdering Fawziyah Javed, 31, in September 2021 by pushing her from Arthurs Seat, Holyrood Park, causing her multiple blunt force injuries and ultimately her death, and that of her unborn child.

Anwar, from Leeds, denies all the charges against him, including one of acting in a threatening and abusive way towards his wife at a hotel in Edinburgh the day before the alleged murder.

Police Sergeant Alastair Paisley, 41, was a crime scene manager at the site of the incident and told the fifth day of the trial at the High Court at Edinburgh he estimated Ms Javed had fallen between 40 and 50ft.

Flowers and candles that were placed at a vigil being held in honour of Fawziyah Javed (Jane Barlow/PA)

Jurors were shown drone footage and images of the site.

The footage showed a cone on the side of the hill, indicating where Ms Javed first landed, and images of a tent which had been placed over her body on the hillside after she died.

Detective Sergeant Christopher Edmund told the jury that mountain rescue had been called in to help recover the body as it was in an extremely difficult location to get to.

Ian Duguid KC, Anwars defence, told the court that during his clients police interview shortly after the incident, Anwar said he and Ms Javed had left the summit of the landmark because it was busy and Mr Anwar thought they should go home.

Sabeen Rashid, 43, a major crime analyst, also gave evidence, going through a 97-page telecoms report with advocate depute Alex Prentice KC.

Pictures from Arthurs Seat were shown, timed between about 8.06pm and 8.30pm taken on the phone attributed to Ms Javed, which included selfies of herself and her husband.

As part of the report, Ms Rashid told the court that a six-second call was made from the phone attributed to Ms Javed at 9.19pm to the device attributed to her father, and at 9.20pm there was a call to the number associated with Anwars fathers phone, which lasted one minute.

The trial, before Lord Beckett, continues.
The law will be changed to prevent spineless criminals like Thomas Cashman refusing to attend sentencing hearings, Dominic Raab promised.

Cashman refused to face the family of his nine-year-old victim Olivia Pratt-Korbel as he was jailed for life for her murder.

Justice Secretary Mr Raab is under pressure to act to ensure killers cannot avoid appearing in court.

Spineless criminals like Cashman who hide from their sentencing prolong the suffering of victims and their families. As I have already made clear, I plan to change the law to compel offenders to face up to their actions, so victims can see the justice they deserve being served.  Dominic Raab (@DominicRaab) April 4, 2023

Cashman is beginning a life sentence and must spend at least 42 years behind bars before being considered for parole after shooting the schoolgirl in her home in Dovecot, Liverpool, on August 22 last year.

Spineless criminals like Cashman who hide from their sentencing prolong the suffering of victims and their families, Mr Raab, the Deputy Prime Minister, said.

As I have already made clear, I plan to change the law to compel offenders to face up to their actions, so victims can see the justice they deserve being served.

Mr Raab committed to change the law, possibly by giving judges the power to impose longer terms on those who refuse to appear, after the killer of Zara Aleena refused to attend his sentencing in December.

The family of the murdered law graduate held talks with Mr Raab in the wake of Jordan McSweeneys sentencing and pushed for the change to prevent others suffering as they had.

McSweeney, who murdered 35-year-old Ms Aleena as she walked home in Ilford, east London, on June 26 last year, was jailed for life with a minimum term of 38 years last December.

Murdered law graduate Zara Aleena (Family handout/PA)

Her aunt Farah Naz told BBC Breakfast criminals should be forced to spend longer behind bars if they refuse to appear in court to hear their fate.

When lawyer Craig Mackenzie, who appeared alongside her, suggested the plan was impractical she claimed there are other ways to implement it that do not involve dragging defendants kicking and screaming into the dock.

She added: Surely the judgment is part of the punishment  we need to see that the process will deter further crime and how can the process feel like a punishment if the convict actually exercises their bit of power?

Its the last bit of power that needs to be taken away, certainly in our eyes.

I think there are other ways to make the convict come to face their judgment and that would be to add time to their sentencing or there can be other ways.

Otherwise we dont have people deterred from committing crimes, if theyre just moving from cell to cell theres no sense of punishment.

Farah Naz, the aunt of Zara Aleena (Helen William/PA)

I would like Dominic Raab to move forward with developing this law.

She described McSweeney refusing to attend his sentencing as a further slap in the face and another attack from him.

She also said the family had anticipated the moment they would be able to look at McSweeney and give their victim impact statement, adding that it felt like an incomplete process after he refused to turn up.

She added that she felt really sad for Olivias family that they were not able to see the man who destroyed their lives being sentenced.

Mr Mackenzie suggested the proposals were impractical because victims families could be even more distressed if criminals become very disruptive during sentencing hearings they have been forced to attend.

Thomas Cashman refused to attend his sentencing hearing (Merseyside Police/PA)

Labours shadow justice secretary, Steve Reed, said: It is disrespectful and grossly offensive to victims that criminals can refuse to face the consequences of their crimes in court. For victims and their families, this can be a vital part of seeing justice done.

Labour called for new laws on this back in April last year  but the Conservatives have dragged their feet and failed to act.
This week, Labours ruling body voted to prevent Jeremy Corbyn from standing as a Labour MP. Subsequently, many on the left have raised the idea of a new workers party. The key unresolved question, however, is that of revolutionary leadership.

In their latest provocation against the left, Sir Keir Starmer and the right wing have barred Jeremy Corbyn MP from standing as a Labour candidate at the next election.

The Labour leaders had signalled their intention to take this incendiary step for months. But it was finally formalised on Tuesday this week, at a meeting of the NEC, where Starmer himself proposed a motion to officially prevent the MP for Islington North from standing for the party.

In response, Corbyn put out a public statement denouncing this decision as an assault on party democracy. I will not be intimidated into silence, the former Labour leader stated. I have spent my life fighting for a fairer society on behalf of the people of Islington North, and I have no intention of stopping now.

This inflammatory move by Starmer, the establishments knight in shining armour, rides roughshod over the democratic rights of Islington North CLP members to choose their candidate.

Moreover, it is yet another crystal-clear signal to the ruling class that the party, under Starmers rule, is committed to serving the interests of big business, not those of workers and youth.

Questions are now being raised over whether Corbyn will choose to stand as an independent  or even lead the charge in founding a new workers party.

How should socialists respond to these turbulent events?

Hypocrisy

It was the right of the party, not Corbyn, who did everything they could to undermine the partys electoral chances, as the recent Forde inquiry, The Labour Files, and the infamous leaked report have since categorically proven / Image: Chatham House, Flickr

The actual text of Tuesdays motion states that:

The Labour Partys interests, and its political interests at the next general election, are not well served by Mr Corbyn running as a Labour Party candidate.

It then goes on to add that, were Corbyn to be a Labour candidate, this would have a detrimental effect on the partys standing with the electorate. And it lays the blame for the 2019 election result at the former leaders feet.

This is stinking hypocrisy from Starmer and the right wing. It was they who pushed the party to call for a second referendum on Brexit  a key factor behind Labours loss of seats in the Red Wall and elsewhere.

It was they, not Corbyn, who did everything they could to undermine the partys electoral chances, as the recent Forde inquiry, The Labour Files, and the infamous leaked report have since categorically proven.

Whether it was their hysterical antisemitism smear campaign; their failed chicken coup; their constant slanders and sabotage; or their scheming with the Tories and the establishment: these ladies and gentlemen worked day-in, day-out to deliberately torpedo Corbyns leadership and to wreck the party.

Anger

This weeks shocking  but unsurprising  move has provoked outrage amongst Corbyns thousands of supporters on the left and in the labour movement.

Following the NEC vote, social media was awash with rightful anger: often from former Labour members who have either been purged from the party, or voluntarily left it following its lurch to the right.

A solidarity statement by the BFAWU (bakers union)  a founder of the Labour Party over 100 years ago, which subsequently voted to disaffiliate in 2021  does not hold back, laying bare the real reasons behind this manoeuvre.

Starmer is no threat to wealth or the status quo, the unions leaders correctly assert. His job on their behalf of the established order is to ensure a Corbyn-like figure can never again be elected to a position of powerBoth inside and outside of the party, they feared a politician that cant be bought; that wouldnt continue the policies of the rigged game.

The importance of making sure any flame of hope is extinguished is priority No.1, the statement continues, which is why we have seen the deliberate demonising of the left and Jeremy Corbyn, who lit those fires of hope.

Demoralisation

In the wake of these events, with no clear fightback to this right-wing onslaught, many left-wingers will feel even more demoralised about the prospects of Labour ever again being a vehicle for transforming society.

No doubt this is part of Starmer and the right wings strategy: to taunt and goad the left into leaving the party in disgust, if they have not abandoned it already, thus tightening the rights grip even further.

Similarly, and understandably, this latest attack will fuel calls for other unions to follow in the footsteps of the BFAWU and disaffiliate from the party.

Already, for example, in advance of this years Unite congress, motions have been tabled on the question of disaffiliation.

Unity

While grassroots activists are outraged, however, with declarations of solidarity pouring in from across the left, this burning anger has not been matched by those at the top.

Jon Lansman, for example, the founder of Momentum, criticised Corbyns exclusion on the grounds that it damages the coalition of left and right in the party.

Jon Lansman, the founder of Momentum, criticised Corbyns exclusion on the grounds that it damages the coalition of left and right in the party / Image: BBC

He is a necessary and desirable part of Labours coalition, as is Labours right, stated the former Momentum head honcho. It is the job of the leader to hold that coalition together, not to break it apart.

Lansman then goes on to advise Corbyn not to stand as an independent, but to instead gracefully retire, becoming some kind of elder statesman of the left.

Similarly, responding to the NEC vote, John McDonnell put out a tweet saying that this would hurt the need for a united party.

Unlike Lansman, however, the former shadow chancellor went on to call for a campaign amongst the ranks of the labour movement to overturn this decision.

Aggression

Such calls for party unity have been a persistent Achilles heel for the Labour left. From day one, even when the Blairites were stabbing them in the back (or in the front as, right-winger Jess Phillips brazenly put it), left leaders continued with this same refrain.

This unfortunately demobilised and disorientated the Corbyn movement, particularly at crucial moments in the struggle.

Rather than organising grassroots activists to drive out the Labour right wing, these agents of capitalism within the party, the left leaders consistently sowed illusions in the potential for compromise and peace.

In practice, this meant offering endless concessions, in a futile attempt to appease the Blairites and the establishment; admitting to crimes that had not been committed; holding olive branches that were constantly rebuffed; and blocking attempts by rank-and-file members to bring in mandatory reselection and democratically sweep these Tory infiltrators out of the party.

The right wing, by contrast, were ruthless. They were extremely conscious of their class interests, and would demand a mile whenever they were offered an inch.

In short, the lefts weakness simply invited further aggression from the right.

Fightback

As a result, the right have been able to regain control with almost no resistance. And from its gigantic peak of over half-a-million members, through a mixture of purges (including of Socialist Appeal supporters) and utter demoralisation, the party has been hollowed out.

This, in turn, makes McDonnells call for a rank-and-file campaign in CLPs and affiliates also seem quite hollow  a case of too little, too late.

Similarly, Momentum has appealed for left activists to stay and fight. We are not giving Keir Starmer what he wants  we are not leaving, the organisation declares in an email to its followers. We will not exile ourselves from the public sphere.

All of this sounds very defiant. But where was the bold fightback against the right wing that was required from the start? Where was the mass mobilisation at the time that Corbyn was first suspended, on trumped-up charges of racism? And where is it now?

Those left Labour MPs who remain in the PLP are fearful of being next in line for the chop. Local parties across the country have largely fallen back into the hands of the right, or have become moribund. Left-wing unions are contemplating disaffiliation. And most activists are understandably focussing their energies on other struggles and strikes.

In any case, the right wing will not budge or change their minds. The only way that Corbyn could be readmitted into the Labour Party is if Starmer and the Blairites were cleared out. But the left leaders have no such perspective or strategy. They had their chance to do this, and they buckled, paving the way for the present impasse.

New party?

Instead, some on the left are raising the idea that Corbyn should now stand as an independent, or even make a clean break with Labour to form a new party, along with others from the Socialist Campaign Group (SCG) of MPs.

Some on the left are raising the idea that Corbyn should now stand as an independent, or even make a clean break with Labour to form a new party / Image: Socialist Appeal

Whatever path Jeremy chooses, we will support his decision, BFAWU have stated, for example. And if he stands as an independent, we will support his campaign.

This is linked to the suggestion that unions such as Unite  one of Labours biggest financial backers  should also disaffiliate, and then throw their weight behind such an endeavour.

This, the argument goes, would provide a new vehicle for socialism, free from all of the problems that infest the Labour Party: chiefly Blairism, big business, and bureaucracy.

Such proposals are clearly made with the best of intentions. Putting aside a number of secondary questions, however, we must get to the root of the problem.

Calls for a new left party are, in many ways, a red herring; an organisational solution to what is at heart a political question.

The truth is that the left had power in Labour. Corbyn allies held key posts in the party  from the leaders office to the position of general secretary. Hundreds of thousands of radicalised workers and youth signed up to support Corbyn and his programme. CLPs came under the control of the left.

But all of this was squandered, and turned to dust, because those in charge of the Corbyn movement were afraid of doing what was necessary: standing up to the establishment; deselecting right-wing MPs; and completing the transformation of the party from top to bottom.

Reformism

This flows from the woolly, reformist politics of these lefts: the belief that you can have a kinder, gentler capitalism; and, in turn, that workers and capitalists can come together and cooperate in harmony, for the benefit of all.

This conditioned all their decisions  above all, feeding the illusion that the left, representing the interests of the working class, could coexist with the right wing, representing the interests of the ruling class.

If a new left party was formed on the same reformist basis, therefore, with these same reformist types at its helm, it would encounter all the same obstacles as those which faced the Corbyn movement. And it would repeat all the same mistakes.

As the saying goes: those who do not learn from history, are doomed to repeat it.

And the lefts in the labour movement have clearly not learnt the lessons of these events  as demonstrated by the capitulations of the left wing in Unison, who made all the same errors as the Labour lefts, only in a more concentrated timeframe.

These limits of reformism are posed even more sharply in the present period: an era of deep capitalist crisis; a time not of reforms, but of counter-reforms.

Only a bold socialist programme can address the fundamental problems facing the working class.

Leadership

Similarly, any new left party would need to be based on the mass participation of radical workers and youth, with local branches and proper democratic structures.

But when the same efforts were attempted by Corbyn supporters in the early days of Momentum, left leaders like Lansman quickly moved to suffocate these initiatives by grassroots activists to organise and mobilise.

This wasnt out of any inherent bureaucratic tendencies on the part of Lansman and co., but because of the reformist politics of those involved.

Despite huge attendances at Enough is Enough rallies across the country, with plenty of fiery speeches from its self-appointed representatives, none of this energy and enthusiasm has translated into a genuine mass movement / Image: Kate Osborne MP, Twitter

These figures were afraid of conjuring up a movement that was out of their control, and which was heading in a militant direction  that is, towards a collision course with the Blairite saboteurs.

And again, faced with the same tasks, with the same kind of leadership, history would no doubt repeat itself.

This is not mere conjecture, but is demonstrated by the development of the Enough is Enough campaign over the past six months.

Despite huge attendances at Enough is Enough rallies across the country, with plenty of fiery speeches from its self-appointed representatives, none of this energy and enthusiasm has translated into a genuine mass movement, or into the embryo of a new party.

Instead, the reformist politics and bureaucratic control of those at the top have ultimately led the campaign to fizzle out, becoming little more than an auxiliary to the recent strike wave.

Revolution

At the same time, workers and youth are being radicalised by the hammer blow of events, and are increasingly looking far beyond the soft, timid reformism of these lefts.

This process will only deepen, especially in the course of the bitter industrial struggles that are breaking out. The grassroots campaign to reject the rotten deal being put to NHS workers is just one case in point.

Already, 1-in-3 young people identify with communism. This shows the revolutionary direction in which Britain is heading. Socialists must base themselves on this future, not cling to the ghosts of the past.

What the working class requires is not a reheated Corbyn movement, but a revolutionary leadership, capable of showing the way forward in the struggle to overthrow capitalism.

Such a leadership cannot simply be declared. It must be actively and consciously built: based on the most determined class fighters, and on the clearest ideas and perspectives, as represented by Marxism.

Socialist Appeal  the British section of the International Marxist Tendency  is attempting to build such a force. We call militant workers and youth to join us today, and help us forge the revolutionary leadership that our class deserves.
Dominic Raab should move forward with plans to force criminals to attend their sentencing hearing, the aunt of murdered law graduate Zara Aleena has said.

Farah Naz made the comments after Olivia Pratt-Korbels killer, Thomas Cashman, refused to face the murdered nine-year-olds family in court at his sentencing hearing on Monday.

He is beginning a life sentence and must spend at least 42 years behind bars before being considered for parole.

Jordan McSweeney, who murdered 35-year-old Ms Aleena as she walked home in Ilford, east London, on June 26 last year, also refused to face her family in court before being jailed for life with a minimum term of 38 years last December.

Murdered law graduate Zara Aleena (Family Handout/PA)

Ms Naz told BBC Breakfast criminals should have their sentence extended if they refuse to turn up for their sentencing hearing.

When lawyer Craig Mackenzie, who appeared alongside her, suggested the plan was impractical she claimed there are other ways to implement it that do not involve dragging defendants kicking and screaming into the dock.

She added: Surely the judgment is part of the punishment we need to see that the process will deter further crime and how can the process feel like a punishment if the convict actually exercises their bit of power? Its the last bit of power that needs to be taken away, certainly in our eyes.

I think there are other ways to make the convict come to face their judgment and that would be to add time to their sentencing or there can be other ways.

Otherwise we dont have people deterred from committing crimes if theyre just moving from cell to cell theres no sense of punishment.

Farah Naz, the aunt of Zara Aleena (Helen William/PA)

I would like Dominic Raab to move forward with developing this law.

She described McSweeney refusing to attend his sentencing as a further slap in the face and another attack from him.

She also said the family had anticipated the moment they would be able to look at McSweeney and give their victim impact statement, adding that it felt like an incomplete process after he refused to turn up.

She added that she felt really sad for Olivias family that they were not able to see the man who destroyed their lives being sentenced.

Mr Mackenzie suggested the proposals were impractical because victims families could be even more distressed if criminals become very disruptive during sentencing hearings they have been forced to attend.

Thomas Cashman refused to attend his sentencing hearing (Merseyside Police/PA)

On Monday a Ministry of Justice (MoJ) source told the PA news agency: Olivia Pratt-Korbel and her family werent able to hide from Thomas Cashmans crime  so he shouldnt be able to hide from justice.

This is exactly why the Deputy Prime Minister is committed to changing the law so that offenders are forced to face the consequences of their actions.

Labours shadow justice secretary, Steve Reed, said: Its an absolute scandal that the Tory Government has stood by while killers, rapists and terrorists pick and choose whether they turn up to face justice.

It is disrespectful and grossly offensive to victims that criminals can refuse to face the consequences of their crimes in court. For victims and their families, this can be a vital part of seeing justice done.

Labour called for new laws on this back in April last year  but the Conservatives have dragged their feet and failed to act.

Labour will always put victims of crime first and give judges the power to force offenders to face the consequences of their actions in court. Victims deserve nothing less.
A rare 1960 Facel Vega HK500 that has spent almost 50 years tucked away in a garage is being auctioned later this month.

Facel was founded in Paris in 1939 and originally started out making body panels and bodies for other car brands, before creating its first model in 1954 with the Vega  a large GT car considered in the same ilk at the time as Aston Martin. Famous Vega owners in the period included artist Pablo Picasso, fashion designer Christian Dior and racing driver Stirling Moss.

The Vega you see hasnt lived quite such a glamorous life, as since 1976 it has been parked in a garage belonging to its now-deceased owner in Flintshire, North Wales.

The 1960 example is believed to be largely original. (H&H Classics)

Believed to have been one of just 98 UK-supplied Vega HK500s  the most famous version of this GT car  the car is painted in its original Brunswick Blue paint with grey leather upholstery.

Facel went into financial difficulty shortly after this example was produced and ceased trading in 1964, with the French firm only ever producing around 2,900 cars in its time.

H&H Classics, who is auctioning the car, said this Vega was carefully extracted from the garage in February 2023, and that the car is believed to be seemingly complete, next to many garage finds that have parts missing.

The 1960 Facel Vega HK500 is a genuine garage find example, residing in current ownership for nearly fifty years. Available to bid on in our forthcoming #auction to be held at the Pavilion Gardens, Buxton on 26th April. Browse the auction: https://t.co/bH7HtIJRSc#ClassicCars pic.twitter.com/BneGd1bEyL  H&H Classics (@handhclassics) March 10, 2023

Mike Davis, senior specialist at H&H Classics, said: This vehicle find is an absolute gem. To find such a complete car tucked away in a garage for such a long period is a very special moment. Further adding to its appeal, both rare and stylish in equal measures, this right-hand drive HK500 has the makings of an incredibly rewarding project.

The Facel Vega is being auctioned on April 26 in Buxton, Derbyshire, and will be sold with no reserve. No estimate has been given.
A man has been convicted of murdering a two-year-old girl while her mother lay asleep upstairs.

Stepfather Kyle Bevan inflicted catastrophic brain injuries on Lola James in the early hours of July 17 2020. Lola died in hospital four days later.

The 31-year-old monster denied harming the toddler, claiming the family dog had pushed her down the stairs.

It took a jury at Swansea Crown Court 10 hours to find him guilty of the killing on Tuesday.

Lolas mother Sinead James, 30, who had been in bed when the vicious assault is believed to have happened, was found guilty of causing or allowing her daughters death.

After the verdicts were read, Daniel Thomas, Lolas biological father, called the pair cruel, evil people and said he hoped they would suffer pain and torment until they take their last breath.

He said: The pain and grief I feel every time I close my eyes and see your perfect little face is unbearable.

Im so sorry your short life was filled with so much pain. You are so loved Lola and so missed every single day.

The outcome here will never stop the hurt you felt or the hurt that lives inside of me, its been a long time coming to see justice and I can only pray that these cruel, evil people that hurt you and allowed you to be hurt, suffer pain and torment until they take their last breath.

The girls grandmother, Nicola James, added: She will forever be our diamond up in the sky, we will never ever forget her, and we will continue to keep her memory alive.

Lola we love you, we will always love you, and we will miss you forever.

NSPCC Cymru said a child practice review, which will carried out into Lolas death, should establish whether more could have been done by agencies to prevent her death.

Despite a multi-agency referral being submitted in January 2020 after reports of a domestic incident with Jamess former partner at her home, no visits were made to the address after February 10.

Tracey Holdsworth, assistant director of NSPCC Cymru, said: This is another tragic case where a young child has died at the hands of those who she depended on.

The Welsh Government has rightly committed to transforming childrens social care and its crucial this leads to systemic changes that ensure children like Lola are better protected.

Following the verdicts, Mr Justice Griffiths thanked the jury for their service, describing the case as more difficult than most.

He ordered pre-sentence reports to be carried out before sentencing on April 25.

Bevan was remanded back into custody and James was again given conditional bail, but was warned she faced imprisonment.

Lola James (Dyfed-Powys Police/PA)

During the four-week trial, the court heard how Bevan and James met on Facebook in February 2020 and that Bevan moved into the family home in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, within days of them knowing each other.

He remained living in the house throughout the early months of the Covid-19 pandemic, during which Lola suffered a number of injuries while in his sole care  including a damaged nose, black eyes and a cut lip.

Prosecutor Caroline Rees KC said Bevan, a self-confessed spice head, then launched a murderous attack on Lola after staying up late with the youngster taking pictures of her on Snapchat.

She said he used her final hours to cover his tracks instead of calling for an ambulance.

Ms Rees said: Rather than face up to that which he did to the little girl, he immediately tried to save himself.

He tried to take a cowards escape by trying to place false blame upon the family dog and suggesting that Lola must have fallen down the stairs.

The court heard Lola had previously sustained injuries including a damaged nose, black eyes and a cut lip while in Bevans care (CPS/PA)

The jury were shown photographs Bevan had taken on his phone of marks on Lolas back and extensive swelling and bruising to her head, eyes and lips.

A disturbing video Bevan sent to his mother Alison showed him picking up Lolas limp body, attempting to stand her on her feet before letting her fall to the floor  telling the camera: Shes gone.

Internet searches made on his phone at about 6.30am included: Two year old just taken a bang to the head, gone all limp and snoring.

Bevan did not ask his mother to phone an ambulance for Lola until almost 7.30am, having only woken James up at about 7.20am.

More than 100 scratches and bruises were recorded on Lolas body, and she also had extensive damage to both her eyes, with the injuries to her brain comparable with those found in car crash victims.

Medical experts said the injuries were likely the result of abusive head trauma and physical abuse, rather than an accidental fall down carpeted stairs.

Police officers attending the family home found it was generally dirty, messy and cluttered  but noticed the bath was spotless, as if it had recently been cleaned, Ms Rees said.

Pictures of the property were shown in court (CPS/PA)

A childs wet, vomit and blood-stained grey Frozen onesie was recovered in the corner of the living room, and when paramedics arrived at the house they noted that Lola appeared wet.

Police believed Bevan had tried to clean up after putting Lola in the bath, either to revive her or to clean her of blood and vomit after his attack.

James told the court how she heard a bang and a scream coming from Lolas bedroom just after midnight and ran there to find her daughter sitting on Bevans lap, with no visible injuries.

She described how Bevan reassured her, saying Ive got this, before she went back to bed.

Hours later, she was woken by Bevan saying that Lola had fallen down the stairs  showing her a piece of the little girls tongue on his finger.

James dialled 999 in tears after finding her daughter unresponsive on the sofa, telling operators that Lolas face appeared swollen and she was really scared.

In hospital, Bevan became threatening and aggressive with hospital doctors who questioned him over Lolas injuries while she was in a life-threatening condition.

Text messages from Bevan to James showed him repeatedly telling her that their American bulldog Jessie was responsible for the incident, and questioning her about what she was going to tell the police.

A photo of a staircase was shown in court (CPS/PA)

James, who had been helped by domestic abuse support workers in the past, admitted Bevan petrified her and had previously used a hammer to smash up her home after consuming Xanax and alcohol.

She had been contacted by the mother of Bevans previous partner, warning her about his background.

Bevan refused to give her his date of birth so she could make a Clares Law application, which allows police to disclose a partners previous abusive or violent offending.

Jurors heard how Bevan regularly used Xanax, Valium and cannabis, and that the couple both took amphetamines when the children were at James mothers house.

Speaking after the verdict, Detective Chief Inspector Gareth Roberts of Dyfed-Powys Police, said Lola had died on July 21 following the frenzied and extremely violent attack by Bevan.

Lola had 101 external injuries to her body and her death was caused by a catastrophic brain injury, likely caused by blunt force trauma  punching or slapping  shaking, or a combination of both, he said.

Bevan delayed raising the alarm and seeking medical attention for at least an hour after he inflicted the fatal injuries and in the time since he has shown no remorse, emotion or any care for Lola.

Consumed by his own self-preservation, Bevan lied and fabricated an accidental stair fall to try and cover his tracks but, with the help of medical experts, we have been able to prove that his actions were deliberate, abhorrent and evil.

Bevan and James will be sentenced at Swansea Crown Court on April 25.
Google workers have been reduced to tears by fears of being made redundant, a union representative told a London rally.

Employees protested outside the tech giants Kings Cross headquarters on Tuesday over its alleged appalling treatment and union busting of staff facing redundancies.

Scores of Google employees who are Unite union members staged the demonstration, with some chanting Whats disgusting? Union busting and Enough is enough.

Workers protest outside Google London HQ over the appalling treatment and union busting of staff facing redundancies (Kirsty OConnor/PA)

Others clutched placards with messages such as Being evil is not a strategy and R.I.P Google culture 1998  2023.

It comes after Googles parent company Alphabet announced plans in January to make about 12,000 workers redundant across its global operations, which Unite, the biggest union at the company, fears could lead to about 500 UK job losses.

Unite claims Googles UK management has since ignored most of the concerns put to them by its elected workplace representatives and closed the collective consultation process on the redundancy plans.

Google said it has been constructively engaging and listening to employees.

In January Google announced that it would be making around 12,000 workers redundant across its global operations (Kirsty OConnor/PA)

According to the firm, it is working through due legal process, fully adhering to requirements in the UK and consulting with employee representatives when required.

Anonymised statements from Google workers were read out at the rally by Unite regional officer Matt Whaley.

One said the most dedicated Googler I know was was laid off, another that Google has failed to live up to its values and do the right thing by its employees.

Unite claims Google is refusing to allow union representatives to attend one-to-one consultations with workers.

It also alleges that employees with disabilities are being told to get a doctors note if they want a colleague to attend their meetings and even then, union representation is still prohibited.

Mr Whaley said Google has treated the consultation process as a tick box exercise.

He added: Ive had people crying to me on meetings because of how bad the company is treating them. Ive had people with neurodiversity or where English isnt their first language stressing about these meetings, wanting a companion and Google saying get a doctors note.

Weve had people on maternity leave return to work and their job doesnt exist.

He told the PA news agency: On a personal level Ive had members crying to me.

On a collective level, people are very angry about that, even people who are not in line for redundancy this time think that the way their colleagues have been treated is disgusting.

There are a number of international workers here on Google visas, some of them from places like Russia, from Ukraine and they may now face deportations back to hostile countries.

Google has been approached for comment on the specific claims relating to staff on work visas and returning from maternity leave.

Unite further claims the company has refused to listen to individual employees grievances about the redundancy process, as formal acknowledgment of such complaints would give workers the right to have a union representative attend their consultation.

It also raised concerns that Google is trying to limit legal representation for workers, who it said have to sign a settlement agreement to receive a redundancy package.

Unite also questioned the independence of the legal services available to the workers, claiming Google staff were told they can use only solicitors from a list approved by the company if they want to receive a payment for legal costs.

In a statement provided ahead of the protest, Mr Whaley said: Googles treatment of staff and attempts at union busting during the redundancy consultation process are appalling and potentially unlawful.

Unite will not back down until Google allows workers full union representation, engages properly with the consultation process and treats its staff with the respect and dignity they deserve.

A Google spokesperson said: As we said on January 20, weve made the difficult decision to reduce our workforce by approximately 12,000 roles globally.

We know this is a very challenging time for our employees.

In the UK, we have been constructively engaging and listening to our employees through numerous meetings, and are working hard to bring them clarity and share updates as soon as we can in adherence with all UK processes and legal requirements.

According to Google, the company will support any employees whose roles are impacted by the job cuts.

Google reported 3.4 billion in turnover and a profit of 896 million in the 18 months to the end of December 2021 and paid 200 million in UK corporation tax.
US First Lady Jill Biden will attend the coronation of the King on behalf of the country, President Joe Biden has told the monarch in a phone call.

Mr Biden congratulated Charles on Tuesday ahead of his coronation in May, and told him his wife would be attending the ceremony, the White House said.

The president also expressed his desire to meet Charles in the UK.

The King greets the President of the United States Joe Biden (Jane Barlow/PA)

A White House statement read: President Joseph R Biden Jr spoke today with King Charles III, underscoring the strength of the relationship between our countries and the friendship between our peoples.

The president congratulated the King on his upcoming coronation and informed him that First Lady Jill Biden looks forward to attending on behalf of the United States.

The President also conveyed his desire to meet with the King in the United Kingdom at a future date.

Mr Biden and his wife travelled to London for the funeral of the late Queen last September.
Virgin Media has apologised for the second time in a day over broadband outages affecting customers.

Customers of the telecoms provider initially suffered outages at 2am, which Virgin later said had been resolved as of 11.30am on Tuesday morning.

However, Downdetector  a site which tracks outages  reported a large spike in problems at around 4pm, causing Virgin to apologise again.

The company said on Twitter: Unfortunately we have seen a repeat of an earlier issue which is causing intermittent broadband connectivity problems for some Virgin Media customers.

We apologise again to those impacted, our teams are continuing to work flat out to find the root cause of the problem and fix it.

Unfortunately we have seen a repeat of an earlier issue which is causing intermittent broadband connectivity problems for some Virgin Media customers. We apologise again to those impacted, our teams are continuing to work flat out to find the root cause of the problem and fix it.  Virgin Media (@virginmedia) April 4, 2023

Downdetector received 55,000 reports of internet disruption at 5pm on Tuesday afternoon, with some 75% of users reporting issues with landline internet, while 22% said they were suffering from a total blackout.

On Tuesday morning, Virgin Media tweeted: Were aware of an issue that is affecting broadband services for Virgin Media customers as well as our contact centres.

Our teams are currently working to identify and fix the problem as quickly as possible and we apologise to those customers affected.

Three hours later, the provider said: Weve restored broadband services for customers but are closely monitoring the situation as our engineers continue to investigate. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.
Voters in England have been urged to check they will be able to take part in this years local elections, with polling day exactly one month away.

Anyone hoping to cast a ballot will not only need to be registered to vote but also display a form of photo identification, which is compulsory in England for the first time.

Not all types of photo ID will be accepted, but a passport or driving licence are valid.

Anyone without the correct identification needs to apply for a special certificate by April 25, while the deadline to register to vote is April 17.

(PA Graphics)

More than 8,000 council seats are up for grabs on May 4 across 230 local authorities, ranging from small rural councils to some of the largest towns and cities  though no elections are scheduled in London or Birmingham.

Polls are also taking place to choose mayors in Bedford, Leicester, Mansfield and Middlesbrough.

Rishi Sunak will be hoping to keep Conservative losses to a minimum, in what is his first big electoral test as Prime Minister.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey will be judged on whether their parties are able to make gains at the expense of the Tories, while smaller groups such as the Greens, residents associations and independents will hope to cause surprises and upsets.

Craig Westwood, director of communications at the Electoral Commission, told the PA news agency: The elections are quickly approaching and there a few steps that voters should take to be ready.

Firstly, everyone must be registered to vote, and the deadline for applying is midnight on April 17.

For the first time in England, voters will need to show photographic ID before they receive a ballot paper in a polling station.

There are a range of IDs that can be used, and the full list can be found on the Electoral Commissions website. We encourage everyone to check now that they have an accepted form of ID.

Anyone that does not can apply for a free ID, known as the Voter Authority Certificate. This can be done quickly online or by submitting a paper form to your local authority. The deadline for applying is 5pm on April 25.

It is important that everyone makes sure they have an accepted form of ID if they intend to vote at a polling station. Postal voting is not affected by the new ID requirement.

(PA Graphics)

Along with a passport and driving licence, other forms of valid ID include a blue badge and the older persons bus pass, but travelcards for younger people are not accepted.

Compulsory photo ID will protect the integrity of democracy in the UK and ensure the electoral system remains secure, transparent and fair for generations to come, the Government said when the proposals became law in April 2022.

Campaign groups the Electoral Reform Society and Unlock Democracy have warned as many as two million people in Britain do not currently have the right form of ID to vote.

An average of 922 applications per day for a Voter Authority Certificate were made online in England in the week to April 2, up from 803 the previous week, according to PA analysis of Government data.

A total of 36,089 applications have been submitted online in England since February 1.

As well as London and Birmingham, areas not holding elections on May 4 include Cornwall, North Yorkshire and Cumbria.

No elections are taking place in Scotland and Wales this year.

Local elections in Northern Ireland have been put back two weeks to May 18, to avoid a clash with the Kings coronation on May 6.

Counting in Northern Ireland usually takes a couple of days to complete, due to the system of voting used for council elections, which sees voters rank candidates in order of preference.

Photo ID became law in Northern Ireland in 2002.
Disney (DIS) CEO Bob Iger addressed the company's ongoing battle with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis during the media giant's annual meeting of shareholders on Monday.

"A company has a right to freedom of speech just like individuals do," Iger said, adding DeSantis' policies are "anti-business" and "anti-Florida" as the politician looks to strip Disney of its self-governing powers.

The fight stems from what has largely been seen as a politically-targeted response over the company's reaction to the so-called "Don't Say Gay" law, which forbids instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity from kindergarten through third grade. In 2022, then-CEO Bob Chapek denounced it at the company's annual shareholder meeting after initially deciding not to speak publicly on the matter.

In response, DeSantis signed a bill into law that allows him to take control of the company's long-standing special tax district, formerly known as Reedy Creek.

Earlier on Monday, DeSantis asked Florida's inspector general to look into a last minute agreement signed by the previous Reedy Creek board that essentially renders the new oversight committee, appointed by DeSantis, powerless.

Disney CEO Bob Iger attends the 25th Television Academy Hall of Fame on Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2020 at the Television Academy's Saban Media Center in North Hollywood, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision for the Television Academy/AP Images)

Iger admitted he doesn't understand why DeSantis is punishing Disney given the mutually beneficial relationship between the company and the state.

"We love the state of Florida. I think that's reflected in not only how much we've invested over the last 50 years, but also how much that we've given back in the form of jobs and community service, taxes, [tourism] and all sorts of other responsible business practices," he said, revealing Disney plans to invest $17 billion at Walt Disney World over the next 10 years, which will create an estimated 13,000 jobs.

"It's always kind of been a two way street," he continued. "[But] to punish a company exercising its constitutional right seems very wrong to me."

When asked why Disney feels the need to take on any type of political position, Iger said he has certain responsibilities to the business and its 75,000-plus employees.

"As the CEO of the company, my job is to strive to do what I think is best for our business and that includes to invest in what's best for our cast members or our employees and what would enable both to flourish."

"I don't think we should or can weigh in on every issue," he continued. "I also understand there will be gray areas. ...The standard is when we take a position on [private or public] matters, there's a true reason why [and] in almost all cases it has to be because it directly effects our business or our people."

Iger also addressed what's been described as a "woke" agenda from Disney, saying he's "sensitive" to that perception and the primary mission of Disney is to entertain: "[Our stories] should not be agenda-driven."

Disney's employees protest against Florida's "Don't Say Gay" bill, in Glendale, California, U.S., March 22, 2022. REUTERS/Ringo Chiu

Streaming at 'core' of Disney's strategy

In terms of the Disney's media strategy, Iger did not dive into specifics regarding the futures of Hulu or ESPN, but did say the "core strategy of the company going forward from a media perspective would be and should be streaming."

As a result, the executive dismissed third-party licensing, saying Disney must maintain its exclusive ownership of content in order to best tackle near-term challenges like profitability.

Disney's direct-to-consumer division shed a whopping $4 billion-plus in its fiscal 2022 ended on Oct. 1, after it spent an estimated $33 billion on content last year. On the company's latest earnings call, Iger revealed Disney+ was on track to achieve profitability by the end of fiscal 2024.

Overall, the executive said the company is focused on quality over quantity content production and that "sometimes the more is not necessarily the merrier."

To that point, Disney will continue to lean on its most successful tentpoles with a live-action "Moana" film currently in the early stages of development with both Dwayne Johnson and Aulii Cravalho set to reprise their respective roles.

Disney shares traded relatively flat following the meeting's conclusion.

Alexandra is a Senior Reporter at Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter @alliecanal8193 and email her at alexandra.canal@yahoofinance.com

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Republican presidential candidate and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson swiped at former President Trump on Monday for collaborating on and playing at his rallies a song recorded by the J6 Prison Choir, a group made up Capitol riot defendants.

Justice for All, which was released a month ago, features the former president reciting the Pledge of Allegiance after a chorus of his jailed supporters sing The Star-Spangled Banner.

The song hit No 1. on iTunes, and Trump used it to kick off his first official 2024 campaign rally in Waco, Texas.

To me, hes undermining our system of justice, Hutchinson said. Hes undermining actually what happened on Jan. 6 and minimizing it, and so Im troubled by that, he added to News Nations Elizabeth Vargas during the premier of Elizabeth Vargas Reports when asked about the incident.

Obviously, he did it because it would create a stir, and hes good at creating stirs, Hutchinson said.

I dont think we should elevate Jan. 6. It was a serious challenge to our democracy. It was a blight against the United States, against the world, he continued. So its a dark moment  we need to move on and talk about the future and how we need to make sure our elections are filled with integrity, but also that we peacefully transfer power. Thats what our democracy is known for.

Hutchinson announced on Sunday that he was running for president, becoming the fourth Republican to jump into the primary field, following Trump, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.

Hutchinson will likely face a tough road in the primary, which has been dominated by Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R ), who has yet to officially jump into the race. A Quinnipiac University survey released last week shows the former Arkansas governor registering at less than 1 percent in support from Republican voters. Trump, on the other hand, led the field with 47 percent support, while DeSantis followed at 33 percent.

Hutchinson has also fielded questions about Trumps indictment by a Manhattan grand jury, saying that as a former prosecutor he would not have brought the case, but that the facts of the matter should be heard.

Other Republicans have been far less tolerant of the New York case, accusing District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D) of a political witch hunt.

Over the weekend DeSantis labeled Bragg a menace to society.

When asked about DeSantiss comments, Hutchinson told Vargas that hes appealing to the worst instincts of America versus trying to sort through a difficult time in our country.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
On Monday 27 March, at around 10pm a humanitarian catastrophe occurred at a migration detention centre, run by the National Migration Institute (INM) in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, which resulted in (at the time of writing) around 40 deaths and more than 20 people being left in critical condition.

Inside the shelter  in reality a prison for migrants  there had been unrest since the afternoon of that day. Migrants waiting to return or enter the United States for the first time were carrying out various legal activities to earn a little money, but they were held there against their will. By the evening, the desperation and dissatisfaction with the undignified treatment and lack of minimum conditions  such as the lack of water to drink  caused a small riot to break out. The migrants themselves set fire to their mattresses. It is clear what they were looking for with these actions: to get out, as some of them had families waiting for them.

The actions of the authorities in charge were, to say the least, criminal. In the videos that have been released, one can see the fire and smoke engulfing the place and the migration authorities simply not opening the door. In other words, they let the migrants die. This horrific scene is just one more inhumanity added to all that migrants have to suffer on their journey through Mexico to try to get to the USA. Lenin said that capitalism is horror without end. What we saw on Monday night is a clear illustration of this.

The role of American imperialism

The millions of young people, workers, women and children who are forced to flee their countries of origin, in almost no case do so for pleasure. Economic, political and social conditions have forced them to leave their families, friends, schools everything, in search of a more dignified life.

The millions of young people, workers, women and children who are forced to flee their countries of origin, in almost no case do so for pleasure / Image: Amyyfory, Wikimedia Commons

Who can reproach these migrants for the need and the possibility to seek a better life? Every worker knows that this is what we do every day, to make this life more bearable for ourselves and our families. For those who migrate cannot have a dignified life in their neighbourhoods and cities.

The misery and violence, which are the main causes of emigration, are not accidental events, they are generated by the capitalist system, where a handful of parasites have huge amounts of money accumulated in their hands, while the vast majority have nothing.

In the American region, the role of US imperialism is directly responsible for much of this. In the Latin American countries, not only capitalist exploitation by the local oligarchies, but also impositions, plunder and humiliation by US imperialism, are endemic. The imperialists have been in charge of designing  and the local oligarchies have been in charge of obeying  the economic and social policy of these countries. This is where we can find those directly responsible for mass emigration.

The Latin American governments are the partners and accomplices in this imperialist policy, which they follow to the letter. They prefer to subjugate, impoverish and expel the people they govern rather than oppose the dictates of the powerful.

AMLOs migration policy

The proof of what we are saying can be seen in black and white with the government of Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO). Despite the rhetoric of being good neighbours and conditions of equal treatment between the two nations, we know perfectly well that Mexico is economically, and therefore politically, dependent on its northern neighbour.

Lets take a look at what the government's intention was before taking power, and what is now being applied, to illustrate this docility and subjugation.

In AMLOs election campaign, as well as in the first months of his government, he talked about free transit for migrants, who would be offered work and residency if they wanted to stay in the country. He was fiercely opposed to the border wall that Trump pushed for and refused to use violence to deal with migration. They are our brothers, he said. However, the United States responded that, if Mexico took that position, it would impose tariffs on all goods entering US territory, so AMLOs government implemented a 180-degree turn in its policies.

The newly formed National Guard was sent to the southern border to form a containment barrier for Latin American migration. There was no more talk of support and work for migrants and, in the last period, it was accepted that all those migrants who are awaiting the results of humanitarian visas should wait on the Mexican side. That is, US migration policy is being applied in Mexican territory.

Taking official data from the Migration Policy Unit of the Ministry of the Interior, AMLO's government has detained the most migrants in the entire history of Mexico, reaching a figure of 1,289,000. Of these, 71 percent have passed through immigration stations such as the one in Ciudad Juarez, where this catastrophe occurred.

Taking official data from the Migration Policy Unit of the Ministry of the Interior, AMLO's government has detained the most migrants in the entire history of Mexico / Image: Eneas De Troya, Flickr

Mexico has already surpassed the US as the country that deports the most Central Americans in the world.

The tragedy of 27 March is built on the acceptance of this criminal policy. Most of the migrants who were detained had been in the US waiting for their humanitarian visas. The US government decided to send them back to Mexico to wait here to start the process. Worse still, the US government is now proposing that this process can be done by means of an app, without giving a clear date for a response. This is a mockery of the migrants intentions.

What alternative can capitalism offer?

Migrants fleeing economic hardship or violence are the ultimate fruit of the crisis of capitalism. We cannot expect that a bureaucratic response will solve the migrants plight.

It is in the interests of the US government to permit some (albeit heavily restricted) migration, because it uses migrants to put downward pressure on the wages of US workers. It exploits reactionary white supremacist ideas to scapegoat migrants for the crisis of capitalism, which is the real source of intensifying poverty and exploitation.

For socialists, nothing is more important than the lives of workers and their families / Image: Izquierda Socialista

The best the US government can offer is managed, piecemeal migration, but that does nothing to address the needs of Latino migrants.

The Mexican government should stop assuming the role of the USs border guard over its migration policy. It should open the borders to free transit, like in its initial proposal, and allow migrants to work and live a normal life here.

For socialists, nothing is more important than the lives of workers and their families. Borders are a product of the oligarchies defending their economic interests.

The tragedy of the deaths of at least 40 migrants cannot go unmarked. Those directly involved should be arrested for failing to open the doors and to heed the protests. The Mexican governments migration policy must be done away with and, above all, we must fight for a new society, where such atrocities will not be repeated.
Small business owners, contract workers, freelancers and franchisees have kicked off a nationwide push to derail President Biden's nominee to head the Labor Department, beginning with a six-figure ad campaign in states where vulnerable Democratic senators are up for re-election in 2024.

The "Stand Against Su" is a coalition launched on Monday as the Senate prepares to consider Acting Labor Secretary Julie Sus potential appointment to formally lead the department. Her critics cite her support for tightening employment regulations in California when she ran the states main labor agency, which they say makes her an enemy of both companies and employees.

"Simply put, Julie Su is anti-worker," the coalition said in a letter being circulated in an effort to drum up opposition to the nomination. "Her promotion to Secretary of Labor would cripple small business and eliminate job opportunities for millions of hard-working Americans."

The campaign will include billboard ads in Arizona, Maine, Montana and West Virginia, where moderates up for re-election next year have the potential to derail Sus nomination in the Senate before she even gets a floor vote.

BIDEN LABOR SECRETARY NOMINEE OVERSAW BILLIONS OF DOLLARS LOST IN UNEMPLOYMENT FRAUD AS NEWSOM CABINET MEMBER

President Biden links arms with Julie Su, his nominee to be the next secretary of Labor at the White House, March 1, 2023. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

A source familiar with the campaign told Fox News Digital of the cost, "For now it's in the low six figures, and it will continue to grow over time."

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

Senate Republicans have already successfully derailed two key Biden nominees with a boost from moderate Democrats, and are hoping to have the same success against Su. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) nominee Gigi Sohn withdrew from her confirmation process hours after Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., released a statement lambasting her prior progressive positions.

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) nominee Phillip Washington similarly fell out of the running after Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz., reportedly scuttled his planned committee vote over worries about his lack of experience.

CONSERVATIVES REJOICE AFTER KEY BIDEN NOMINEE WITHDRAWS: 'ENORMOUS VICTORY FOR FREE SPEECH'

Sen. Joe Manchin was partially blamed for derailing Biden's FCC pick earlier this year.

Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., the top Republican on the committee thats set to grill Su during her confirmation hearing, signaled to Fox News Digital that some of Sus biggest hurdles would be her support for Californias AB.5. That proposal was aimed at tightening restrictions on who employers could classify as an independent contractor.

Su's opponents also note that she supported what became known in the state as the "joint employer rule," which was designed to extend a franchisee operator's liability to the franchisor.

"Stand Against Su" is also hitting Su over the roughly $40 billion lost by way of fraudulent unemployment payments in California during COVID-19, and her advocacy against tipped minimum wage  which she previously called a legacy of slavery, according to the coalition.

SENATE REJECTION OF BIDENS CONTROVERSIAL NOMINEES REVEALS OUT OF TOUCH PRESIDENT, GOP SAYS

Su would be replacing Marty Walsh, who left the administration to be a union leader

Two leading voices within the coalition called Sus views a "nightmare."

CLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

"As the chief enforcer of AB 5, Julie Su was a nightmare for freelancers and small businesses in California. She has no business being Labor Secretary after her track of failure," said Freelancers Against AB 5 founder Karen Anderson.

Wes Snyder, the owner of a FASTSIGNS franchise in Arizona, criticized Sus stance on franchise liability.

"This business model gives anyone the opportunity to experience the transformative power of entrepreneurship while strengthening their local communities," he said. "Julie Su wants to rob us of this opportunity  she will turn the American dream into the American nightmare."
China warns US House Speaker not to meet Taiwan president FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Joe Biden delivers State of the Union address at the U.S. Capitol in Washington

By Laurie Chen and Ben Blanchard

BEIJING/TAIPEI (Reuters) -China warned U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Tuesday not to "repeat disastrous past mistakes" by meeting Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen, saying it would not help regional peace and stability, only unite the Chinese people against a common enemy.

The Republican McCarthy, the third-most-senior U.S. leader after the president and vice president, will host a meeting in California on Wednesday with Tsai, during a sensitive stopover in the United States that has prompted Chinese threats of retaliation.

China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory, staged war games around the island last August after then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat, visited the capital, Taipei.

Tsai will make what is formally called a "transit" in Los Angeles on her way back to Taipei after a trip to Central America. The United States says such stopovers are common practice and there is no need for China to overreact.

But China's consulate in Los Angeles said it was "false" to claim it as a transit, adding that Tsai was engaging in official exchanges to "put on a political show".

No matter in what capacity McCarthy meets Tsai, the gesture would greatly harm the feelings of the Chinese people, send a serious wrong signal to Taiwan separatist forces, and affect the political foundation of Sino-U.S. ties, it said in a statement.

"It is not conducive to regional peace, security nor stability, and is not in the common interests of the people of China and the United States," the consulate added.

McCarthy is ignoring the lessons from the mistakes of his predecessor, it said, in a veiled reference to Pelosi's Taipei visit, and is insisting on playing the "Taiwan card".

"He will undoubtedly repeat disastrous past mistakes and further damage Sino-U.S. relations. It will only strengthen the Chinese people's strong will and determination to share a common enemy and support national unity."

Speaking to reporters in Beijing on Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said China will closely follow developments and resolutely and vigorously defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity, without giving details.

CHINESE MILITARY ACTIVITIES

Although Taiwan has not reported unusual Chinese movements in the run-up to the meeting, China's military has continued activities around the island.

Taiwan's defence ministry on Tuesday morning reported that in the previous 24 hours it had spotted nine Chinese military aircraft in its air defence identification zone, in an area between Taiwan's southwest coast and the Taiwan-controlled Pratas Islands at the top of the South China Sea.

In a statement on Tuesday, Taiwan's foreign ministry said China had no right to complain, as the People's Republic of China has never ruled the island.

China's recent criticism of Tsai's trip "has become increasingly absurd", it added.

"Even if the authoritarian government continues with its expansion and intensifies coercion, Taiwan will not back down," the statement said.

In China, prominent commentator Hu Xijin wrote on his widely followed Twitter account "the Chinese mainland will definitely react, and make the Tsai Ing-wen regime lose much more than what they can gain from this meeting."

Hu, who had voiced his concerns over House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan last year, also wrote "The U.S. side is definitely not getting any real advantage either," on his Weibo account, a Twitter-like social media platform in China.

Hu is former editor-in-chief of Chinese state-backed tabloid the Global Times, known for its strident nationalistic stance.

Taiwan has lived with the threat of a Chinese attack since the defeated Republic of China government fled to the island in 1949 after losing a civil war with Mao Zedong's communists.

Life in Taiwan has continued as normal, with shops, restaurants and tourist spots in Taipei packed during a long holiday weekend that ends on Wednesday.

"They will certainly get angry and there will be some actions, but we are actually used to this," said social worker Sunny Lai, 42.

(Reporting by Laurie Chen in Beijing and Ben Blanchard in Taipei; Additional reporting by Beijing newsroom and Fabian Hamacher in Taipei; Editing by Himani Sarkar, Clarence Fernandez and Gerry Doyle)
Finland on Tuesday is set to become the 31st member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the largest military alliance in the world.

The historic moment comes after Turkey last week decided to allow Finland to move ahead on joining NATO without its neighbor Sweden.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Monday said it was a historic week as the alliance will raise the Finnish flag for the first time here at the NATO headquarters, marking a good day for Finlands security, for Nordic security, and for NATO as a whole.

He also said that he hopes Sweden will join NATO in coming months, though that seems far from certain.

All members of the alliance must approve any new members, and Turkey has put the hold on Stockholms bid in what experts view as a power play by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

This is the nerve-wracking part, that its really not clear what the timeline is, said Elisabeth Braw, an expert on European defense issues at the American Enterprise Institute. To a large part its about political theater, which makes it so unpredictable.

Heres how the process works, how Finland got through and whats ahead for Sweden.

The process so far

Finland and Sweden for decades have kept a stance of non-alignment with NATO to avoid tensions with Russia, which sees the alliances expansion as a security threat. Finland shares an 830-mile border with Russia.

But after Russian President Vladimir Putins unprovoked attack on Ukraine last year, the two Nordic countries quickly ditched their neutral status and applied for NATO membership in May.

Helsinki and Stockholm later that summer were formally invited to join the alliance, with most NATO members approving their applications within weeks.

Under the accession rules, however, any member can veto a new country from joining, and Turkey and Hungary stalled the process.

Ankara insisted Finland and Sweden take a tougher stance against the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), considered a terror group by Turkey and the European Union.

The three countries took halting steps toward a compromise  in June signing a memorandum of understanding to address concerns by Ankara  and last week Turkeys parliament unanimously ratified Finlands accession to NATO, the last member country to do so.

Whats next for Sweden?

Western officials have expressed optimism that Sweden will soon join its Nordic neighbor in entering NATO, preferably ahead of a leaders summit set for July in Vilnius, Lithuania.

But Turkey has not indicated whether it will approve Swedens NATO membership, which has been stalled since January.

And Hungary, the second-to-last NATO member to approve Finlands accession, found there to be an ample amount of grievances that need to be addressed before it ratifies Swedens bid, government spokesperson Zoltan Kovacs said last week, as reported by Reuters.

Speaking to reporters last week, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian affairs Dereck Hogan said U.S. officials want both Hungary as well as Turkey to move forward with Swedens accession just as soon as possible  certainly by Vilnius to have all of this wrapped up, if not sooner.

He added that Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who will be in Brussels on Tuesday for Finlands accession, will meet with his Turkish counterpart on NATO expansion, a major subject of our public as well as private engagements.

Also keeping things up in the air is Turkeys presidential elections in May. Many have speculated that Erdogan is purposely holding back support for Sweden due to domestic political reasons ahead of votes.

I think this is a win-win situation for him, especially at a crucial time a few weeks before the presidential elections, said Mathieu Droin, a NATO expert with the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank. It helps Erdogan to present himself as a magnanimous leader.

Hungary, meanwhile, has never made its demands clear, with Prime Minister Viktor Orban accusing Stockholm and Helsinki of spreading outright lies about his country.

Still, even if talks continue to drag out for Sweden, it doesnt mean the country will be any less safe, according to Droin.

I think it doesnt change dramatically the security landscape, he told The Hill. Sweden has already been very close to NATO [and] in the past few years has integrated even closer. Its also fair to remember that there have been security warranties given by other NATO allies to Sweden, but also the European Union.

How Russia has reacted

News of Finlands impending membership did not appear to sit well with Russia, which this week pledged to boost its own defenses near the countries shared border should NATO send any troops into the Nordic nation.

We will strengthen our military potential in the west and in the northwest, Russias Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said on the state-controlled RIA Novosti news agency, as reported by The Associated Press.

In case of deployment of forces of other NATO members on the territory of Finland, we will take additional steps to ensure Russias military security.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
NATO flag, centre, and Finland flags flutter over the building of Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Helsinki, Finland, Tuesday, April 4, 2023. Finland prepared to make its historic entry into NATO Tuesday, a step that doubles the Western alliances border with Russia and ends decades of non-alignment for the Nordic nation. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)

BRUSSELS (AP)  Finland joined the NATO military alliance Tuesday, dealing a major blow to Russia with a historic realignment of the continent triggered by Moscows invasion of Ukraine.

The Nordic country's membership doubles Russias border with the worlds biggest security alliance and represents a major change in Europes security landscape: The nation adopted neutrality after its defeat by the Soviets in World War II. But its leaders signaled they wanted to join the alliance just months after Russian President Vladimir Putins invasion of Ukraine sent a shiver of fear through Moscows neighbors.

The move is a strategic and political blow to Putin, who has long complained about NATOs expansion toward Russia and partly used that as a justification for the invasion.

Russia warned that it would be forced to take retaliatory measures to address what it called security threats created by Finlands membership. It had also warned it would bolster forces near Finland if NATO sends any additional troops or equipment to what is its 31st member country.

The alliance says it poses no threat to Moscow.

Neighboring Sweden, which has avoided military alliances for more than 200 years, has also applied. But objections from NATO members Turkey and Hungary have delayed the process.

Alarmed by Moscow's invasion of Ukraine last year, Finland, which shares a 1,340 kilometer (832 mile) border with Russia, applied to join in May, setting aside years of military non-alignment to seek protection under the organizations security umbrella.

Im tempted to say this is maybe the one thing that we can thank Mr. Putin for because he once again here precipitated something he claims to want to prevent by Russias aggression, causing many countries to believe that they have to do more to look out for their own defense and to make sure that they can deter possible Russian aggression going forward, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said just before accepting the documents that made Finland's membership official.

The U.S. State Department is the repository of NATO texts concerning membership.

Earlier, Russia's Foreign Ministry said the country "will be forced to take military-technical and other retaliatory measures to counter the threats to our national security arising from Finlands accession to NATO.

It said Finland's move marks "a fundamental change in the situation in Northern Europe, which had previously been one of the most stable regions in the world.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, meanwhile, Tuesday that Finlands membership reflects the alliances anti-Russian course and warned that Moscow will respond depending on what weapons NATO allies place there.

But Peskov also sought to play down the impact, noting that Russia has no territorial disputes with Finland.

It's not clear what additional military resources Russia could send to the Finnish border. Moscow has deployed the bulk of its most capable military units to Ukraine.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg earlier said that no more troops would be sent to Finland unless it asked for help.

There will be no NATO troops in Finland without the consent of Finland, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters at the alliances headquarters in Brussels a few hours before the country joins.

The country is now protected by what Stoltenberg called NATO's iron-clad security guarantee, under which all member countries vow to come to the defense of any ally that comes under attack.

But Stoltenberg refused to rule out the possibility of holding more military exercises there and said that NATO would not allow Russias demands to dictate the organizations decisions.

We are constantly assessing our posture, our presence. We have more exercises, we have more presence, also in the Nordic area, he said.

Meanwhile, Finland's Parliament said that its website was hit with a so-called denial-of-service attack, which made the site hard to use, with many pages not loading and some functions not available.

A pro-Russian hacker group known as NoName057 (16) claimed responsibility, saying the attack was retaliation for Finland joining NATO.

The claim could not be immediately verified.

The hacker group, which has reportedly acted on Moscows orders, has taken party in a slew of cyberattacks on the U.S. and its allies in the past. Finnish public broadcaster YLE said the same group hit the Parliament's site last year.

Finland's entry, to be marked with a flag-raising ceremony at NATO headquarters, falls on the organization's very own birthday, the 74th anniversary of the signing of its founding Washington Treaty on April 4, 1949. It also coincides with a meeting of the alliance's foreign ministers.

Finlands president, foreign and defense ministers will take part in the ceremony.

Turkey became the last NATO member country to ratify Finlands membership protocol on Thursday. It will hand over the document officially enshrining that decision to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken before the ceremony.

Finlands membership becomes official when its own foreign minister hands over documents completing its accession process to Blinken. The U.S. State Department is the repository of NATO texts concerning membership.
The UK government imposed significant suffering on Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Anoosheh Ashoori by rejecting changes to free them from captivity in Iran, a damning report by MPs has found.

Early opportunities to secure the freedom of the British-Iranian dual nationals were not taken, according to the foreign affairs committee report into the handling of hostage diplomacy.

The report criticised the considerable ministerial transience in recent years, after Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe questioned, on her release, why it took five foreign secretaries over six years to bring her home.

The UK agreed to pay a 400m debt to Tehran at the time of Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Mr Ashooris release in March 2022.

But the terms of their release were no different to those discussed in 2017, the evidence shared with the committee shows. Middle East minister Alistair Burt had pushed for the repayment of the debt back in 2017.

Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe served five years in prison and was convicted of plotting the overthrow of Irans government, a charge that she has continuously denied.

The cross-party report criticised both Liz Truss and Boris Johnson, claiming they had let down families by sharing information in a way that was counterproductive.

The report also highlighted Mr Johnson, then-foreign secretary, saying in 2017 that Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe had been teaching journalism in Tehran  comments which were blamed for exacerbating her plight following her arrest for alleged spying.

Ms Truss did not stand by an arrangement agreed with US officials that UK-US-Iranian trinational Morad Tahbaz would be released alongside Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe in March last year, and failed to let his family know, according to the report.

Liz Truss eventually called the family to say that Morad is now a US problem, implying that she would not put further effort into his release, and she did not have time to speak to them further, MPs said.

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Anoosheh Ashoori freed in 2022 (PA Wire)

Ministers also deeply distressed Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe and other British citizens imprisoned abroad through poor communication  including speaking offensively to their families, the chair of committee said.

Senior Tory MP Alicia Kearns said the treatment of some hostages families had been insensitive and hurtful.

Referring to former foreign secretary Ms Trusss handling of the case of a British-born environmentalist held in Iran, she said the most heinous failure of a minister was to tell a family youre no longer our problem.

There were also examples of ministers getting the names of hostages wrong, Ms Kearns told Times Radio. For dual nationals their Britishness too often they felt was in question, she also said.

The committee called for a director for arbitrary and complex detentions. That is somebody who would have a direct line to the prime minister, who can make sure that we have the cohesion, the continuity, the focus, the creativity that is needed to get our people home, Ms Kearns said.

Because the reality is that one of our most important findings was if you can get people home before they are charged, that is your best window of opportunity.

She also said we have to call a spade a spade, as there is currently too much nervousness within the Foreign Office about calling out state hostage-taking for what it is.

Amnesty International welcomed the findings of the report, which should lead to a major policy change. Sacha Deshmukh, UK chief executive, said the group had warned that the UK simply wasnt rising to the challenge of dealing with situations that went well beyond ordinary miscarriages of justice.

A Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office spokesman said: Consular officials are available 24/7 for families to receive tailored support. The foreign secretary and FCDO ministers are fully engaged in complex cases and have raised concerns with foreign governments.

The best interests of British national detainees is at the heart of our consular work and we support and work with their families wherever we can.
Fiddie's Italian Kitchen

Italy's government is hell-bent on passing a law that would penalize the use of non-Italian words.

The proposed law would fine people who they believe are bastardizing the language.

Saying "grazie" without properly accentuating the word would land you a hefty fine and no gratitude.

Italy's ruling party has had it with the bastardization of their language and is seeking to pass a new law asking people to say ciao to English words and to show Italian food some real amore.

According to CNN, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's right-wing Brothers of Italy party is seeking to impose fines of up to 100,000 euros, or about $109,000, for people who use phrases or words in languages other than Italian in official communications.

The proposed law seeks to stop "Anglomania," which the bill's text says "demeans and mortifies" Italian language and culture, and could even penalize Italians who mispronounce words like "bruschetta."

One example CNN gave was that pronouncing bruschetta as "bru-shetta" and not "bru-sketta" might cost Italians if the proposal becomes law. Saying "grazie," thank you in Italian, without the right accentuation at the end of the word may as well be an insult  and could also be a fineable offense for Italian bureaucrats.

"It is not just a matter of fashion, as fashions pass, but Anglomania has repercussions for society as a whole," the lawmaker Fabio Rampelli wrote in the draft bill, per CNN. Meloni's party is said to be in support of the bill, which will be opened for parliamentary debate soon.

Italian residents under the law would be required to use their native language as the main language "for the promotion and use of public goods and services in the national territory" and could face fines of 5,000 to 100,000 euros for using other languages.

According to Euronews, if passed, the legislation would require Meloni's government would need to stop using English words that have replaced longer Italian expressions  instead of the adopted "dispenser," for instance, politicians would have to revert to "dispensatore di liquido igienizzante per le mani."

The law would go even further in terms of the cultural ramifications.

According to CNN, the culture ministry would be expected to form a committee to advise schoolchildren, university students, and businesspeople on how to properly pronounce Italian words  and ultimately, avoid fines.

Read the original article on Business Insider
A trio of destroyed cars and debris are seen in a neighborhood on the south side of Sullivan, Ind., Saturday, April 1, 2023, after a tornado moved through the area late the night before. (Joseph C. Garza/The Tribune-Star via AP)

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP)  While residents across parts of the South and Midwest pummeled by deadly storms and wildfires sifted through the wreckage of their homes Monday, forecasters warned of more severe weather and fire danger in the days ahead across much of the same region.

The fierce storms that spawned tornadoes in 11 states killed at least 32 people as the system that began Friday plodded through Arkansas and traveled northeast through the South and into the Midwest and Northeast.

Here's a look at the severe storms over the weekend and what's expected in the days ahead:

WILDFIRE DANGER REMAINS HIGH

On the western side of the storm lines that developed Friday were extremely dry conditions in Oklahoma that combined with high winds to fuel several large wildfires that forced interstate closures and sent residents fleeing from their homes.

More than 40 homes were destroyed across Oklahoma, including 30 in an area near the town of Guthrie, about 30 miles (48 kilometers) north of Oklahoma City, where firefighters had urged residents to evacuate.

With their eyes burning and the heat of the flames circling them, Jessica Garinger and her family ran around their 10-acre (4-hectare) property with hoses Friday to save their family home built by Garinger's great-grandfather in Guthrie.

The wind was so terrible it was just like a blowtorch, and once we would get certain areas put out it would just reignite, she said.

While neighbors evacuated, Garinger said her father, Jim, did not want to leave behind his cherished home, so she and her sister raced to help him. With the help of firefighters, they fought the flames until about 2 a.m., leaving with blisters, scrapes and small burns. Several of the homes nearby burned down.

Its a miracle that we were able to save the property, Garinger said.

The threat of fire danger remains high Tuesday across portions of far western Oklahoma, the Texas Panhandle, northeast New Mexico and far southeastern Colorado, with low humidity, dry vegetation and wind gusts expected up to 70 mph (113 kph), according to the National Weather Service.

MORE SEVERE WEATHER FORECAST

Forecasters say more severe weather is forecast for Tuesday afternoon and evening across parts of Arkansas, Missouri into southeastern Iowa and west central Illinois.

That could initially start as isolated supercells with all hazards possible  tornadoes, wind and hail  and then over time typically they form into a line (of thunderstorms) and continue moving eastward, said Ryan Bunker, a meteorologist with the National Weather Center in Norman, Oklahoma.

The same conditions that fueled last week's storms  an area of low pressure combined with strong southerly winds  will make conditions ideal for another round of severe weather Tuesday into early morning Wednesday, Bunker said.

Those conditions, which typically include dry air from the west going up over the Rockies and crashing into warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico, are what make the U.S. so prone to tornadoes and other severe storms.

DEADLY STORMS BEGAN IN ARKANSAS

Arkansas was among the first states hit by the severe weather Friday when a tornado dropped from the sky and tore through the states capital, Little Rock, destroying homes and businesses, splintering trees and tossing vehicles. At least five people were killed in Arkansas, including four deaths in the rural community of Wynne, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) west of Memphis, Tennessee.

Tennessee recorded at least 15 deaths, including nine fatalities in McNairy County, east of Memphis, said Patrick Sheehan, director of the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency.

Elsewhere, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker traveled Sunday to Belvidere to visit the Apollo Theatre, which partially collapsed as about 260 people were attending a heavy metal concert, resulting in at least one death. The governor said 48 others were treated in hospitals, with five in critical condition.

National Weather Service survey teams that earlier confirmed the presence of tornados in New Jersey and Delaware over the weekend said Monday that a tornado also touched down in Pennsylvania. The tornados were generated as a line of severe thunderstorms crossed the region Saturday night. Forecasters said one EF-1 tornado with peak wind speeds of 95 to 105 mph (153 to 169 kph) touched down in Wrightstown and traveled almost 4 miles (6.5 kilometers) to Newtown in Bucks County.

Four other storms were confirmed in New Jersey and one in Delaware, where a person was found dead in a heavily damaged home. The Delaware Emergency Management Agency said it was the first tornado-related death in the state in 40 years.

Nationwide, there were more than 800 severe weather reports over the weekend, including reports of hail, high winds and tornadoes, Bunker said.

___

Associated Press reporters around the country contributed to this report, including Beatrice Dupuy in New York, Ron Todt in Philadelphia, Andrew DeMillo in Little Rock, Arkansas, Kimberlee Kruesi in Adamsville, Tennessee, Harm Venhuizen in Belvidere, Illinois, and Corey Williams in Detroit.
Time traveller: Dubai international airport (Simon Calder)

In the halcyon days of the Northwest Airlines standby airpass, the minimum connecting time was about two minutes. Once you had invested in the unlimited travel pass, staff were happy to help you make the most of the opportunities.

I was flying in from Charlottetown, capital of Canadas Prince Edward Island (with US pre-clearance before the flight). The plane parked right next to an aircraft heading for Baltimore. It was a simple matter of wandering across the apron and asking the cabin crew member at the door to secure a seat, strap in and make for Maryland.

Nowadays you are obliged to enter an airport terminal and find the appropriate departure gate. Even so, some connections are still ambitiously short: at the worlds busiest airport, Atlanta, the minimum is 35 minutes for US domestic-to-domestic transfers. That is a lot more feasible than it might look thanks to the rule that once you have cleared security at an American airport, you do not have to do so again when changing planes.

A regular topic in my inbox: I have a one-hour [and usually a few minutes] transfer from arriving in the US to leaving on the onward flight. Despite having to clear US Customs and Border Protection, these tight connections generally work better than you might imagine. Airlines would not sell them otherwise.

In October my Singapore Airlines morning flight from Heathrow left an hour late, which was disappointing for those of us with a 60-minute connection in the city-state for the days only flight to Darwin in Australias Northern Territory. But the pilots made up half an hour on the long haul to South East Asia. Even with a security check, the transfer was straightforward.

An airport is akin to a hospital or a prison. You dont want to be there, and you want to leave as soon as possible. So I will continue to schedule connections as tight as the system allows. Yet there appears to be a clear majority of travellers who prefer several hours between planes.

Fortunately, for those of us genetically unsuited to duty-free shops and airport bars, the options for making the most of the time have never been wider.

In Singapore, I often build in a day-long stop. Coming back from that Australian trip, I timed the journey to arrive at dawn and leave at midnight  creating a day of adventure to discover the citys new dimensions. Yet if tangling with the public transport system is not for you, the free Singapore city tour returns this week after three years.

I could scarcely believe the deal when I tried it, before Covid. If your layover is at least five-and-a-half hours long (and less than a day), you can register in advance for a free sightseeing tour. Alternatively, just turn up at the well-signposted desk with your inbound and outbound boarding passes.

There is a menu of 2h30m tours, including Changi Precinct (exploring the north of the island) at 9am and City Sights at 12 noon. You must clear passport control, but that is normally very swift; your checked baggage, if any, stays in transit.

As far as I know, Singapore is the only free tour. But other world hubs offer plenty of options for DIY transit tours. Heres my pick of the best.

Amsterdam

Make for the railway station but take a train in the opposite direction to the Dutch capital. The fine city of Leiden is only 15 minutes away, and offers rewarding wandering through the compact centre. If you have a really long connection coming soon, you could hop on the bus to Keukenhof, tulip capital of the world.

Doha or Dubai

I hope the two main Gulf hubs will forgive me lumping them together, but both have fast, frequent Metro links to the city centre. Doha has the edge right now, thanks to the marvellous new National Museum (which has its own Metro station).

Dublin

Take bus 102 to the handsome beach resort of Malahide.

Madrid

Time your journey for the Lunch Layover: take the Metro one stop to the village of Barajas and the legendary Restaurante Jumbo for a feast that you certainly wont find airside.

Reykjavik

From Keflavik airport, the Blue Lagoon is much closer than the city centre.

Your recommendations are most welcome: s@hols.tv will find me
A passenger train reportedly collided with a crane in the southern Netherlands injuring several people (Regio15.nl / Twitter)

One person died and at least 30 people were injured after a passenger train collided with a crane in the southern Netherlands early Tuesday, Dutch emergency services said.

Rescue teams were sent to the town of Voorschoten, between Hague and Amsterdam, where the accident took place.

A fire department spokesperson told Dutch radio that 19 people were taken to the hospital. Others were being treated on the spot, the emergency services said.

The local news agencies said that a fire broke out in the rear carriage of the passenger train after the collision. There were at least 50 people on board.

Earlier it was reported that a freight train had collided with the train, resulting in derailment and injury to several people.

Several dozen injured people are being treated at the spot and taken to hospital if necessary, the emergency services said, adding that specialists are working to secure the train.

The accident occurred at around 3.35am on Tuesday, according to reports. A rescue operation is underway.

The local emergency services said in a statement they were focused on rescuing people.

Three helicopters have also been delegated for rescue at the scene.

Photos and videos on social media showed the front carriage of the passenger train derailed with rescue workers trying to gain access.

De hulpdiensten zijn nog steeds druk bezig met het #treinongeluk wat in #voorschoten gebeurde waarbij de veiligheidsregio opschaalde naar #groteHV #grip3. De #politiehelikopter zoekt op dit moment mee naar overige slachtoffers, inmiddels is code: 50 afgegeven, dat betekend dat de pic.twitter.com/w3Bmagzumr  Kyrlian (@Kyrliandebot) April 4, 2023

The Netherlands has declared it an emergency and authorities earlier said as many as 50 people might have been injured in the accident.

Dutch Railways said in a tweet that all passenger trains between Leiden city and parts of The Hague were cancelled after the collision.
The flag of Finland, white with a blue cross, was hoisted Tuesday at NATO headquarters as the country joined the transatlantic alliance, ending decades of neutrality in a move spurred by Russias invasion of Ukraine.

It was a historic moment that realigned Europes post-World War II security architecture. It was also bittersweet: Officials of the U.S. and other North Atlantic Treaty Organization members had hoped Sweden would be entering the



alliance at the same time. But Stockholm could not overcome objections from member state Turkey, which accuses Sweden of harboring Kurdish militants.

The formal accession of Finland, celebrated during a meeting of foreign ministers at NATO headquarters in Brussels, is a major setback for Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Before Putin invaded Ukraine just over a year ago, Finland maintained mostly cordial relations with Russia. Now, NATO doubles its border with Russia, thanks to the more than 800 miles of Russia-Finland frontier.

Ironically, fear of NATO expansion was one of the motives Putin cited for attacking Ukraine.

Im tempted to say this is maybe the one thing we can thank Mr. Putin for, U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken said. Here, once again, he has precipitated something he claims to want to prevent.

Russias aggression, Blinken continued, has caused many countries to believe that they have to do more to look out for their own defense and to make sure that they could deter possible Russian aggression going forward.

To mark the formal entry of Finland, Blinken and his Finnish counterpart, Pekka Haavisto, exchanged documents as NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg looked on.

President Putin wanted to slam NATOs door shut, Stoltenberg said. Today, we show the world that he failed, that aggression and intimidation do not work. Instead of less NATO, he has achieved the opposite: more NATO.

Stoltenberg vowed to continue lobbying Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to allow Swedish membership. Under NATO rules, the decision to admit nations must be unanimous.

Numerous foreign ministers welcomed Finland but in the same breath expressed the urgent need for Sweden to become a member too.

I would be more thrilled if we could have welcomed Sweden as well, said Norways foreign minister, Anniken Huitfeldt.

Russia immediately reacted angrily to what it called an escalation and threatened a response.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov branded Finlands move another aggravation and an encroachment on our security that forces us to take countermeasures, tactically and strategically.

He did not elaborate, but Russia has said it would move more troops to its western border with Finland. It is unclear, however, whether Russia has troops to spare, because most of its battle-ready units have been deployed to Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Finlands parliament said that a so-called denial-of-service attack made its website difficult to use, with many pages not loading and some functions not available, the Associated Press reported from Helsinki.

A pro-Russia hacker group known as NoName057 (16) claimed responsibility, saying the attack was retaliation for Finland joining NATO, but the claim could not be immediately verified, the AP said.

NATOs key provision is Article 5, which states that an attack on one member is an attack on all members. It has been invoked only once, when terrorists attacked New York and the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001.

The horror of seeing Russia invade its neighbor, the former Soviet republic of Ukraine, prompted Finland and Sweden to abandon years of nonalignment and apply to join NATO last year. Stoltenberg said Finlands acceptance was the swiftest in modern NATO history.

War has returned to Europe, he said later at the flag-raising ceremony in the sunny, breezy esplanade in front of NATO headquarters.

Finland now is safer, and NATO is stronger, Stoltenberg said.

NATO emerged from the ruins of World War II exactly 74 years ago Tuesday, a military alliance of 12 founding nations, including the United States under President Truman. Finland became the 31st member.

The era of military nonalignment in our history has come to an end, Finnish President Sauli Niinisto said at the ceremony, before the Finnish national anthem was played. A new era begins.

In Washington, President Biden praised the accession of Finland.

When Putin launched his brutal war of aggression against the people of Ukraine, he thought he could divide Europe and NATO, Biden said in a statement. He was wrong. Today, we are more united than ever.

That unity has more or less endured through 13 months of ever-deadlier war in Ukraine, despite some fraying around the edges, including reservations in the U.S. Republican Party about the large amount of military aid the Biden administration has provided to Ukraine.

In addition to Turkey, Hungary has refused to approve Swedens membership in NATO, but for different reasons. Hungarys far-right prime minister, Viktor Orban, a close ally of former President Trump, objects to criticism of his illiberal policies to silence dissent and curtail democracy. NATO officials believe, however, that Orban, who has not joined Western allies in supporting Ukraine in the war, will eventually come around.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Trump indictment pulls DeSantis-leaning Republicans back to MAGA fold Republican voters who had soured on Trump rally behind him again

By Tim Reid

HENDERSON, Nevada (Reuters) - Larry White, a self-described Republican conservative, was thinking of voting for Ron DeSantis in his party's presidential nominating contest, believing the Florida governor had a better chance of winning back the White House from the Democrats than former President Donald Trump.

Then came news on March 30 that Trump had been indicted in New York on charges related to a hush money payment to a porn star, making him the first former U.S. president to face criminal prosecution.

"Now I am absolutely voting for Trump," said White, 75, a composer and musician in Nevada. "The indictment was the last straw for me, because Trump has suffered so much political abuse. I think he's the strongest candidate to contest what the left is doing. I'm all in."

White's anger and return to supporting Trump over DeSantis reflected the sentiment of many Republican activists and voters Reuters spoke to in Nevada. The western state votes early in the presidential nominating process, giving it an outsized role in deciding which candidate gains momentum in the 2024 election.

Until the indictment, a majority of the 35 Republicans Reuters interviewed had been willing to turn their backs on Trump and go with a different candidate for the 2024 election, believing he was too flawed and bombastic to win the general election for Republicans next year.

The criminal charges in New York changed all that, upending the Republican primary contest and potentially giving Trump and his "Make America Great Again" movement a major boost in his quest to re-enter the White House. A trial is more than a year away, legal experts say, meaning that Trump may face a jury trial as he campaigns.

All 35 Republican activists and voters Reuters spoke to say they will be voting in the nominating contest to choose their 2024 White House candidate.

Every one of them decried the indictment as a meritless, politically motivated persecution of Trump. The charges against Trump are not yet clear, though legal analysts say he may be prosecuted for falsifying business records on charges of hiding the true nature of the payments.

Of the 35, 20 said they had been thinking of moving on from Trump and backing DeSantis. Of those, 14 said the indictment was changing their thinking and leading them back to supporting Trump again.

"I was really for Ron DeSantis," said Pepe Kahn, at a Republican club meeting in Henderson on Saturday. "I'm now more likely to support Trump than before. I think people who were more neutral than before will now go in to bat for him. This is the most frightening thing I've ever seen in the U.S."

STORMY DANIELS PAYMENT

Trump is expected to be arraigned, fingerprinted and photographed in a New York courthouse on Tuesday as he becomes the first former president to face criminal charges. An attorney for Trump said on Friday he will plead not guilty.

The indictment followed an investigation by a Manhattan grand jury, which heard evidence about a $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels allegedly authorized by Trump in the waning days of the 2016 presidential campaign. Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, has said she was paid to keep silent about a sexual encounter with Trump in 2006. Trump has denied that this encounter took place; concealing payments such as this could potentially violate campaign finance laws.

The reaction to the indictment by congressional Republicans and even his potential Republican rivals for the White House nomination has demonstrated the firm grip that Trump still retains on the party, thanks to the diehard support of a core group of voters.

Party leaders have rallied behind Trump. Even DeSantis, who has yet to declare his candidacy but is expected to do so soon, called the indictment "un-American."

Sarah Longwell, a Republican strategist and Trump critic, has conducted seven focus groups this year with people who voted for the businessman-turned-politician in the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections, to gauge how they feel about his candidacy this time round.

On Friday, a day after news of the indictment broke, all nine members of her latest focus group said they were going to vote for Trump over DeSantis in the Republican primary - the first time the ex-president has had universal backing in a focus group, Longwell said.

The reason was the indictment, Longwell added.

"People always feel defensive on his behalf," Longwell said. The question going forward, she said, was whether the outrage on Trump's behalf among Republican voters will endure throughout the primary and help him defeat DeSantis, or whether it will dissipate and be replaced by renewed concerns about his electability.

Longwell said there is no guarantee the charges will continue to help Trump in the long term, especially if he is indicted in other investigations he faces, including alleged election interference in Georgia and the mishandling of classified documents.

Trump's campaign boasted in an email to supporters on Sunday that it has raised over $4 million since the indictment was announced. Steven Cheung, a Trump spokesman, said in an email to Reuters that the charges had "surged" support for Trump.

"Americans from all backgrounds are sick and tired of the weaponization of the justice system against President Trump and his supporters," Cheung said.

A spokesperson for DeSantis did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

(Reporting by Tim Reid in Henderson, Nevada; Editing by Heather Timmons and Matthew Lewis)
Former President Donald Trump waves from a motorcade as he arrives at South Floridas Palm Beach International Airport on Monday. (Marco Bello/Reuters)

While Tuesdays arraignment of former President Donald Trump marked the first time a former U.S. president had ever been charged with criminal offenses, it likely wont be the last. By summers end, Trump could be charged in no fewer than four separate criminal investigations.

In fact, while Trumps indictment stemming from his $130,000 hush money payment to adult-film star Stormy Daniels represents a legal threat to the former president, the others may carry a greater risk of serious consequences, including a possible prison sentence.

Heres the latest on the three other investigations that could result in more indictments for Trump.

Georgia election interference

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis at her office in Atlanta in 2021. (John Bazemore/AP, File)

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis will soon decide whether to charge Trump with multiple crimes for his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia. As Yahoo News reported in late February, Willis and her team are going over the possible charges they may file against Trump and his associates with a fine-tooth comb. An indictment could come in the next few weeks and may contain multiple criminal counts.

Because there is such a tsunami of potential counts that the DA could bring, the proper analytical frame is to ask whether shell bring a laser-focus, narrow case or is she going to bring a sweeping, broad case, attorney Norm Eisen told Yahoo News.

At the center of both potential prosecutorial approaches to charging Trump is his infamous phone call to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger on Jan. 2, 2021, in which Trump urged him to find enough votes to flip his loss in the crucial swing state. Trump has insisted that he did nothing wrong in the perfect phone call, but according to Eisen it would be an especially prominent part of the prosecutions case should Willis pursue a narrowly tailored indictment.

If she brings more of the laser-focused case, the anchor of that case and the most dangerous to Trump is the solicitation of election fraud because it fits his solicitation of Raffensperger to just find 11,780 votes that did not exist like a hand fits a glove, Eisen said.

Eisen helped author a November report by the Brookings Institution, where he is a senior fellow, that laid out the possible charges in the Georgia case, including solicitation to commit election fraud, intentional interference with performance of election duties, interference with primaries and elections, and conspiracy to commit election fraud.

Trump and his allies also launched a plot to draw up a slate of false electors in Georgia so as to keep Joe Biden from receiving the states Electoral College votes. That effort included meetings held between Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani and Georgia lawmakers. According to the Brookings Institution report, charges from that campaign could include making false statements, improperly influencing government officials, forgery in the first degree and criminal solicitation.

If Willis decides on a more sweeping indictment, she will likely use Georgias Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, Eisen said.

There she would claim that the Trump campaign essentially became a racketeering enterprise and that acts like soliciting those state votes and soliciting those fake election certificates were the basis for advancing this much larger conspiracy, he said.

Id guess she goes the RICO route, Eisen speculated. Its tougher to prove. It sweeps in more evidence. Its tougher on the jury because it requires them to sit for longer. Theres challenges that come with the RICO route, but the payoff in terms of commanding the jurys imagination and securing the most serious penalties is substantial.

In Georgia, that payoff would further complicate Trumps ability to conduct a presidential campaign.

Given the nature, the severity, the sweep and the scope, the Georgia case and the federal ones are the ones where jail time is more likely, Eisen said.

Jan. 6 investigation

This exhibit from video released by the House Jan. 6 committee shows Trump recording a video statement at the White House on Jan. 7, 2021. (House Select Committee via AP)

In the ongoing federal grand jury investigation into Trumps role in the Jan. 6, 2021, effort to overturn the 2020 election results, Trumps lawyers have failed to convince federal judges that his conversations with aides, family members and associates are protected by executive privilege.

The latest defeat came last week, when U.S. District Court Judge James Boasberg ruled that former Vice President Mike Pence was required to testify before the grand jury convened by special counsel Jack Smith.

Pences lawyers have argued that since he was acting in his role as president of the Senate during the certification of the Electoral College votes on Jan. 6, he could not be compelled to testify in a case involving the executive branch.

Were currently talking to our counsel about the balance of that decision and determining the way forward, but I have nothing to hide, Pence told reporters last week while traveling in Iowa.

The ruling follows another in late March by Judge Beryl Howell that cleared the way for testimony from aides such as former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, former Trump personal aides John McEntee and Nick Luna, former national security adviser Robert OBrien, former deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino, former speechwriter Stephen Miller, former acting Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Ken Cuccinelli and former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe.

While Trumps legal team is expected to appeal Howells ruling, executive privilege claims are harder to uphold in matters involving potential criminal acts. Meadows, for instance, also fought a subpoena to appear before the Fulton County grand jury in Georgia but lost that battle and eventually testified.

A federal grand jury in Washington, D.C., has been listening to a mountain of evidence in the case and could soon decide whether to indict Trump for a range of charges that include obstruction of an official proceeding, conspiracy to defraud the United States and insurrection.

Classified documents at Mar-a-Lago

Security agents at the entrance to Trumps Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla., on March 31. (Rebecca Blackwell/AP)

Smith is also investigating whether Trump may have directed others to obstruct the return of classified documents to the National Archives and the FBI that he kept in violation of federal records laws at his Mar-a-Lago home. On Monday, citing unnamed sources, the Washington Post reported that Justice Department and FBI investigators had compiled evidence showing that Trump was behind such an effort, including directing others to mislead federal authorities.

Far from being similar to the recent discovery of classified documents at the homes of President Biden and former Vice President Pence, both of whom say they immediately handed over classified materials and have been cooperating in ongoing DOJ investigations, Trump sought out advice from lawyers and advisers on how he might hold on to the restricted documents, the Post reported. Evidence has also emerged showing that after receiving a subpoena for the return of classified materials, Trump looked through boxes at Mar-a-Lago where they may have been kept. Given a chance by Fox News host Sean Hannity to knock down the reporting that he personally went through the boxes containing classified documents, Trump seemed to do just the opposite.

Hannity: I cant imagine you ever saying: Bring me some of the boxes that we brought back from the White House. Id like to look at them.



Trump: I would do that!



Hannity: Alright, let me move on...



Trump: I have the right to take stuff! pic.twitter.com/lAWOibvMxw  No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen (@NoLieWithBTC) April 3, 2023

Judge Howell also ruled last month that Trump lawyer M. Evan Corcoran must sit for questioning before the Washington grand jury investigating the handling of classified documents. His testimony before the grand jury, which took place on March 24, lasted over three hours.

As with all the cases in which Trump faces indictment, the former presidents associates and staffers are being compelled to provide potential evidence against him. To date, dozens of Mar-a-Lago staff members have appeared before the grand jury.

Members of the Secret Service detail assigned to protect Trump have also been called to testify, Fox News reported Monday.
For days, former President Donald Trump has been on a tear on social media, railing against District Attorney Alvin Bragg's hush money investigation, his former lawyer Michael Cohen, prosecutors and, more recently, the judge presiding over the historic case.

Without evidence, he's referred to Judge Juan Merchan as Trump Hating and suggested that Merchan was handpicked by Bragg. In an interview Sunday on ABC's "This Week," Trump's lawyer, Joe Tacopina, was asked about the attacks and whether he believes the judge harbors any slant.

"No, I dont believe the judge is biased. I mean, the president is entitled to his own opinion," Tacopina said.

Trump has referred to Bragg as an animal in a post on his social media platform, Truth Social. In an earlier Truth Social post, he appears to have shared an article that included an image of him wielding a baseball bat juxtaposed next to an image of Braggs head. That post was deleted.

All defendants have a right to vigorously defend their innocence, but Trump cant threaten the prosecutor without risking other legal charges under New York law. The judge could also issue a gag order to prevent Trump or his attorneys from speaking publicly about the case.

NBC News spoke with former prosecutors about how and when a judge might limit speech about a case.

Whats a gag order?

A gag order is a judicially imposed order restricting parties, attorneys and/or witnesses in a pending case from making any public statements about it. The standard courts look to is whether such statements have a reasonable likelihood of possibly preventing a fair trial.

Merchan could issue one himself, or do so at the request of either side, but former prosecutors say they are not used frequently in New York. Its up to the judge to craft the order as narrowly as possible to protect free speech rights, while at the same time preserving the defendants right to a fair trial. Often a defendants attorney will request that a judge issue one  whereas in this case, its Trump own statements that have fueled speculation about whether Merchan will issue one.

The fact that Trump is running for public office raises the stakes and puts any restriction on his First Amendment rights in sharper view, but Robert C. Gottlieb, a former assistant district attorney in Manhattan, said that shouldnt matter.

Hes no different than anyone else, said Gottlieb of Trump, noting that while one cannot ignore the political implications of the case, that does not give him [Trump] more rights to influence jurors or to threaten or incite violence. In that courtroom, he is only a defendant.

Gottlieb also pointed to ethical rules prohibiting Trumps attorneys from making public statements intended to prejudice the jury pool or influence the outcome of the trial.

Whats the likelihood the judge will impose one?

Other former prosecutors are more skeptical that a gag issue will be issued at Tuesdays arraignment based on Trumps social media posts thus far.

I think it would be challenging to do it out of the box, said Daniel Horwitz, another former assistant district attorney in the Manhattan District Attorneys Office, now in private practice. There usually has to be a predicate for it.

Former President Donald Trump onboard his airplane as he is flown to Iowa on March 13, 2023. (Jabin Botsford / The Washington Post via Getty Images file)

Horwitz suggested its more likely that Merchan will issue a warning to everyone in court Tuesday and set some ground rules, essentially putting Trump on notice that if he talks, he does it at his peril.

Gottlieb has appeared before Merchan and agreed that, at minimum, the judge will make a record of what Trump has said about the case thus far, and admonish him against making any statements that could influence the jurors.

I cannot believe that it wont be addressed, said Gottlieb. You cant ignore what has happened.

Even if the judge opts not to impose a gag order, former District Attorney Cy Vance, who immediately preceded Bragg, noted that Trump risks violating other laws if he continues to make statements about the case.

There is a crime. Thats called obstructing governmental administration under New York law, Vance said on MSNBC's Inside with Jen Psaki on Sunday, explaining that it would involve efforts to intimidate a public official. [I]f I were Mr. Trumps lawyer I would tell him to knock it off because its not going to help him with the judge and if it is charged, thats not going to help him with a jury.
This is a locator map for Syria with its capital, Damascus. (AP Photo) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

BEIRUT (AP)  A drone strike carried out by the American-led coalition in northwestern Syria has killed a senior member of the Islamic State group who was in charge of planning attacks in Europe, the United States military said Tuesday.

The man killed Monday in the strike was identified by a U.S. military statement as Khalid Aydd Ahmad al-Jabouri. The military statement added that his death will temporarily disrupt the organization's ability to plot external attacks.

Mondays strike was the latest by the U.S. military to kill a top official with the extremist group that once controlled large parts of Iraq and Syria, where it declared a caliphate. From the areas they once controlled, the extremists planned deadly attacks in Europe that killed scores of people. In recent years, such attacks have decreased because the Islamic State group lost the last sliver of land it controlled in March 2019.

The extremist sleeper cells are still launching deadly attacks in Syria and Iraq.

Opposition activists in northwest Syria said the man killed showed up in the area about 10 days ago claiming to be a displaced person from the eastern province of Deir el-Zour, bordering Iraq. Al-Jabouri is one of Iraq's biggest tribes that also has presence in east and north Syria and the man might have said that he is from Deir el-Zour to hide his Iraqi identity as residents of east Syria speak Arabic dialect similar to the one spoken in Iraq.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, said on Monday that one person was killed in a drone strike near the rebel-held village of Kefteen. The Observatory's chief Rami Abdurrahman identified the dead man as an Iraqi citizen who was struck with a missile as he spoke on his cellular phone outside the home he rented.

The oppositions Syrian Civil Defense, also known as the White Helmets, said it evacuated the man from the scene of the attack and he later succumbed to his wounds.

The strike was the latest in a series of attacks over the past years targeting al-Qaida-linked militants and senior members of the Islamic State group in northwestern Syria.

Most of those killed by U.S. strikes in the rebel-held Idlib province over the past years were members of al-Qaida offshoot Horas al-Din, which is Arabic for Guardians of Religion. The group includes hardcore al-Qaida members who broke away from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the strongest insurgent group in Idlib province.

In February, a drone strike killed two men, whom local activists initially identified as Horas al-Din members. The Observatory later said that one of the two killed was a senior member of the Islamic State group that was defeated in Syria in March 2019.

The founder of the Islamic State group, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, was hunted down by the Americans in a raid in Idlib in October 2019. His successor, Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, was also killed in a U.S. raid in February 2022 in northwest Syria.

In October, Syrian rebels killed the group's leader, Abu al-Hassan al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, and he has since been repalced by Abu al-Hussein al-Husseini al-Qurayshi.

None of the al-Qurayshis are believed to be related. Al-Qurayshi is not their real name but comes from Quraish, the name of the tribe to which Islams Prophet Muhammad belonged. IS claims its leaders hail from this tribe and al-Qurayshi serves as part of an IS leaders nom de guerre.
In this image from video provided by the Dossier Center, a London-based investigative group funded by Russian opposition figure Mikhail Khodorkovsky, Gleb Karakulov speaks during an interview in Turkey in December 2022. Karakulov, who was responsible for setting up secure communications for Russian President Vladimir Putin, said moral opposition to Russias invasion of Ukraine and his fear of dying there drove him to speak out, despite the risks to himself and his family. He said he hoped to inspire other Russians to speak out also. Our President has become a war criminal, he said. It is time to end this war and stop being silent. (Dossier Center via AP)

LONDON (AP)  On October 14, a Russian engineer named Gleb Karakulov boarded a flight from Kazakhstan to Turkey with his wife and daughter. He switched off his phone to shut out the crescendo of urgent, enraged messages, said goodbye to his life in Russia and tried to calm his fast-beating heart.

But this was no ordinary Russian defector. Karakulov was an officer in President Vladimir Putins secretive elite personal security service  one of the few Russians to flee and go public who have rank, as well as knowledge of intimate details of Putins life and potentially classified information.

Karakulov, who was responsible for secure communications, said moral opposition to Russias invasion of Ukraine and his fear of dying there drove him to speak out, despite the risks to himself and his family. He said he hoped to inspire other Russians to speak out also.

Our President has become a war criminal, he said. It is time to end this war and stop being silent.

Karakulovs account generally conforms with others that paint the Russian president as a once charismatic but increasingly isolated leader, who doesnt use a cell phone or the Internet and insists on access to Russian state television wherever he goes. He also offered new details about how Putins paranoia appears to have deepened since his decision to invade Ukraine in February 2022. Putin now prefers to avoid airplanes and travel on a special armored train, he said, and he ordered a bunker at the Russian embassy in Kazakhstan outfitted with a secure communications line in October  the first time Karakulov had ever fielded such a request.

Along with information on Putin, Karakulovs testimony offers an intimate view of one mans decision to defect  without telling his own mother, who he said remains a strong Putin supporter. It raises critical questions about how deep the Russian publics acceptance of the war runs, and how Putins opponents in the West and beyond might leverage any silent opposition.

While not speaking directly about his case, an official with a security background from a NATO country said a defection like Karakulovs has a very great level of interest. He spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive political matters.

That would be seen as a very serious blow to the president himself because he is extremely keen on his security, and his security is compromised, he said. Thats something that he would be very unhappy about  particularly if the compromise is to do with communications, upon which a great deal relies.

PUTIN IS SIMPLY AFRAID

As an engineer in a field unit of the presidential communications department of the Federal Protective Service, or FSO, Karakulov was responsible for setting up secure communications for the Russian president and prime minister wherever they went. While he was not a confidant of Putins, Karakulov spent years in his service, observing him from unusually close quarters from 2009 through late 2022.

Karakulov, his wife and his child have gone underground, and it was impossible to speak with them directly due to security constraints.

The Dossier Center, a London-based investigative group funded by Russian opposition figure Mikhail Khodorkovsky, interviewed Karakulov multiple times and shared video and transcripts of more than six hours of those interviews with The Associated Press, as well as the Danish Broadcasting Corporation DR, Swedish Television SVT, and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation NRK. The Dossier Center confirmed the authenticity of Karakulovs passport and FSO work identity card, and cross-checked details of his biography against Russian government records, leaked personal data and social media postings.

The Associated Press reviewed the materials from the Dossier Center and independently confirmed Karakulovs identity with three sources in the U.S. and Europe, who were not authorized to speak publicly. AP also independently corroborated personal details, including Karakulov's passport numbers, date and place of birth, two registered addresses, and the names and ages of family members, but was unable to verify details of his defection.

AP also confirmed that Karakulov is listed as a wanted man in the Russian Interior Ministrys public database of criminal suspects. The Interior Ministry initiated a criminal investigation against Karakulov on October 26 for desertion during a time of military mobilization, according to documents obtained by the Dossier Center and seen by the AP.

The FSO is one of the most secretive branches of Russias security services.

Even when they quit, they never talk, but they know a lot of details of the private life of the president and the prime minister, said Katya Hakim, a senior researcher at the Dossier Center.

The Kremlin did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Karakulov moved as part of an advance team, often with enough specialized communications equipment to fill a KAMAZ truck. He said he has taken more than 180 trips with the Russian president, and contrary to widespread speculation, Putin appears to be in better shape than most people his age. Putin has only cancelled a few trips due to illness and has annual medical check-ups, he said.

Unlike the Prime Minister, Putin does not require secure internet access on his trips, Karakulov said.

In all my service, I have never seen him with a mobile phone, he said. All the information he receives is only from people close to him. That is, he lives in a kind of information vacuum.

Karakulovs work brought him to luxury hotels for summits, beach resorts in Cuba, yachts  and aboard a special armored train outfitted for the Russian president.

Putins train looks like any other, painted grey with a red stripe to blend in with other railway carriages in Russia. Putin didnt like the fact that airplanes can be tracked, preferring the stealth of a nondescript train car, Karakulov said.

I understand that hes simply afraid, he said.

Putin began to use the train regularly in the run-up to the Feb. 2022 invasion, Karakulov said. Even last year, Putin continued to insist on strict anti-Covid measures, and FSO employees took shifts in two-week quarantine so there would always be a pool of people cleared to travel with Putin on the train, he said.

Putin has set up identical offices in multiple locations, with matching details down to the desk and wall hangings, and official reports sometimes say hes one place when he is actually in another, according to Karakulov and prior reporting by a Russian media outlet. When Putin was in Sochi, security officials would deliberately pretend he was leaving, bringing in a plane and sending off a motorcade, when he was in fact staying, Karakulov said.

The guys would talk about this, really laughing, he said. I think that this is an attempt to confuse, first, intelligence, and second, so that there are no assassination attempts.

FACES OF WARRIORS

Karakulovs defection was a surprising turn for a family steeped in patriotic military tradition.

Born in Dagestan, Karakulov was raised to be ready for war, believing it was his sacred duty to defend his homeland. After graduating from a military academy, he found his way into the FSO.

To be close to the president  it sounded pretty cool, he said.

Karakulovs father is a former military man, who has worked as a professional photographer, among other jobs. He is working on a project he calls Faces of Warriors, a series of elegant, hagiographic portraits of Russian soldiers and veterans.

Karakulovs brother is a local government official, records show, and served as the point person for a regional, government-backed project devoted to civic patriotism and honoring Heroes of the Fatherland.

Karakulovs job introduced him to a world beyond his family. Even as his father and brother marched in patriotic military parades, his own doubts deepened. Hes horrified to think that he might also be rallying around the letter Z in support of the war in Ukraine if his job hadnt taught him to see through the lies of Russian state television.

Thanks to my work in the FSO, I have seen how information is distorted, he said.

He also began to question the conspicuous spending of Russias top leaders. He said he saw officials convene large delegations at luxurious resorts that cost more each night than his monthly salary. Theyd all attend a brief meeting and then hang out for a week, he said.

If this is from the budget, then the question is, Is it not too much to spend this kind of money on one person? he said. If its not from the budget, then its total corruption.

Russias February invasion of Ukraine was a breaking point, he said. He told his wife he wanted out. He didnt want their young daughter brainwashed in pre-school, where children were doing patriotic salutes and being told about bombs.

This is not the future I would like for my child, he said.

With Russias September mobilization drive, Karakulov realized that if he quit his job, he was likely to be drafted into a war he didnt want to fight. But even if he stayed, he could get sent to the front.

He learned that some of his colleagues had been dispatched to Ukraine and killed. He saw photos of FSO crews destroyed by Ukrainian rockets, with dozens likely dead.

He was outraged that no one in Russia acknowledged those deaths.

Theres no information about them, Karakulov said. What were they doing there? Why did they end up there? Why did they die there?

The only conversations he had were with colleagues who seemed to relish the war. He imagined others must share his views, but he had no way to find them.

They simply cannot even open their mouths, he said.

Karakulov said he couldnt tell his parents about his disillusionment either, because their minds had been molded by years of watching Russian state television.

As the war streamed in on the evening news, his parents seemed to savor the view from the front. He found it unbearable and asked his mother to turn off the TV. She refused.

He said he tried to explain to her that Ukraine is an independent country, but she immediately cut him off. What is this? she said to him. You want to run away? Are you some kind of foreign agent?

He never told them he was leaving.

In October, a series of official meetings in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, gave Karakulov his chance to run away. He and his wife packed their lives into three suitcases. He flew out Oct. 6 with the rest of his team. His wife and daughter joined two days later, staying in a separate hotel.

But each day, Karakulov found another reason not to go.

On the last day of the delegation, Oct. 14., he realized he couldnt postpone any longer. His wife collected his suitcase from his hotel room to avoid raising suspicion. He slipped away after lunch, telling colleagues that he was heading out to buy souvenirs.

He climbed in a taxi with his wife and daughter and set off for the airport around 3 p.m.

From then on, it was only a matter of my own nerves, he said.

He got through check-in and started getting messages from colleagues asking where he was. The flight was delayed by an hour. He could feel a distant fury building against him. By 5 p.m., he figured people had started to look for him.

You scumbag, read one message.

Fifteen minutes before take-off, he switched off his phone.

His wife was very upset. They spent the 5 1/2-hour flight waiting for something to go wrong.

When they finally cleared passport control in Turkey, Karakulov said it was like a great stone had fallen from his soul.

He said he knows many people will accuse him of being unpatriotic, but he disagrees.

Patriotism is when you love your country, he said. In this case, our homeland needs to be saved, because something crazy and terrible is happening in our country. We need to fix this.

THE PRICE OF DISSENT

What the future holds for Karakulov  and anyone who might dare to follow in his footsteps  is far from clear.

He was not the only one who wanted out.

On September 27, days after Russias mobilization, an engineer at a regional FSO center in Siberia named Mikhail Zhilin snuck through the forest across the border to Kazakhstan. Many Russians fled to Kazakhstan to avoid the draft, but the authorities refused Zhilins request for asylum and sent him back to Russia. On March 20, a Russian court sentenced him to six and a half years in a penal colony.

Abbas Gallyamov, a Russian political analyst now living in Israel who was a speechwriter for Putin from 2000  2001 and again from 2008  2010, said he believes the majority of Russias elites secretly oppose Putins war. He added that if the West had offered them an exit strategy instead of sanctions, more might have left.

They are all shocked, he said. From their point of view, there was no reason to do this because everything was okaynow all of a sudden, everything collapsedWere enemies of the world.

Gallyamov, like Karakulov, is on the wanted list of Russias Interior Ministry. He said a defection like Karakulovs is a particular blow because the FSO is like a royal elite above other military and security structures in Russia, charged with protecting the states most precious asset: Putin himself.

They will be very angry, he said. There will be hysterics.

Tatiana Stanovaya, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said Russian public opinion about the war is divided but there is little space for public dissent, especially for people working within the system.

The rule is that the elite stick to Putin, she said.

Those who do leave Russia often pay a price to keep their conscience clear.

Boris Bondarev, a career Russian diplomat in Geneva, quit in May and denounced the war.

Speaking from an undisclosed location in Switzerland, Bondarev told the AP he is living as a political refugee on a government allowance, with security constraints hed rather leave deliberately ambiguous. He cant find a job and has had to move apartments several times, for both financial and safety reasons. He cant travel freely  not even to meet a reporter for a cup of coffee in town.

I sent my CVs to dozens of think tanks in the U.S., in the U.K., in Europe, and most were ignored, he said. I got a few answers that sorry, but we already have Russia experts.

He said there are plenty of Russians who quietly oppose the war but dont dare speak out, for fear of losing their livelihoods. A few colleagues who quit Russias Foreign Ministry after he did contacted him for advice. They were having trouble finding work. One returned to Moscow because he couldnt make a living outside of Russia, he said.

Bondarev said he sometimes has second thoughts when he sees pictures of people eating out at nice restaurants in Moscow, living the kind of good life he can no longer afford.

But then he remembers the price: Brainwashing, propaganda, hypocrisy.

I would come to my office at nine and leave at 6 p.m. and in between I would have to produce numerous papers explaining why Ukraine attacked Russia, he said. I dont want it. No, no, I cant complain todayI live very, very well.

___

Associated Press reporters Lynn Berry and Aamer Madhani in Washington, Jamey Keaton in Geneva and Joanna Kozlowska in London contributed to this report.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams warned Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia on Monday to be on her best behaviour ahead of former president Donald Trumps arraignment in Manhattan.

Mr Trump arrived in New York on Monday afternoon as he prepares to be arraigned in Manhattan after a grand jury voted to indict the former president for allegedly orchestrating a payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels via his former attorney and fixer Michael Cohen.

Ms Greene, the right-wing firebrand congresswoman and one of Mr Trumps biggest defenders in Congress, will also be heading to New York to support the former president.

Mr Adams delivered a stern message ahead of Tuesdays proceedings saying troublemakers would be punished.

There may some rabble rousers thinking about coming to our city tomorrow, our message is clear and simple: control yourselves, he said. New York is our home, not a playground for your misplaced anger.

Mr Adams said that at the moment, the city was in no immnent danger.

Although we have no specific threats, people like Marjorie Taylor Greene, who is known to spread misinformation and hate speech, stated she is coming to town, he said. When youre in town, be on your best behaviour.

The mayor added that the city would not allow violence or vandalism to take place.

If one is caught participating in any act of violence, they will be arrested and held accountable, no matter who you are, he said.

Ms Greene responded by highlighting the number of drug overdoses in the city.

In Mayor Eric Adams City of New York, an average of 8 people overdose on drugs every single day because of his PRO drug policy.



He wants more drug use centers stocked with syringes, straws for snorting, and other drug paraphernalia to help NYs poor drug addicts kill pic.twitter.com/AMNoJZot7u  Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (@RepMTG) April 3, 2023

He wants more drug use centers stocked with syringes, straws for snorting, and other drug paraphernalia to help NYs poor drug addicts kill themselves, she tweeted. And now Mayor Adams is threatening me. Unbelievable.

Delusional @NYCMayor is trying to intimidate, threaten, and stop me from using my 1st amendment rights to peacefully protest the Democrats unconstitutional weaponization of our justice system against our top Republican Presidential candidate, President Trump.



Mayor Adams should  Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (@RepMTG) April 3, 2023

She also criticised Alvin Bragg, the district attorney for New York County, which includes Manhattan.

Delusional @NYCMayor is trying to intimidate, threaten, and stop me from using my 1st amendment rights to peacefully protest the Democrats unconstitutional weaponization of our justice system against our top Republican Presidential candidate, President Trump.



Mayor Adams should  Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (@RepMTG) April 3, 2023

Mayor Adams should be more concerned about NY citizens and taxpayers being murdered, raped, robbed, and carjacked than an elected Member of Congress coming to town, she tweeted. Or should I be the one concerned that the mayor of NYC will weaponize his government or maybe his thugs like DA Alvin Bragg against me?

On Tuesday, ahead of the arraignment, Ms Greene once again criticised Mr Adams and noted how counter protesters were instructed to bring pots and pans as well as whistles to drown out the protesters.

Im here in NY to protest with my voice against the weaponization of the justice system on innocent President Trump, but the counter protestors are coming to commit assault that can cause audible damage to everyones ears including NYPD.

But Mayor Adams warns me by name!

If pic.twitter.com/zt9wKr5Twt  Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (@RepMTG) April 4, 2023

Im here in NY to protest with my voice against the weaponization of the justice system on innocent President Trump, but the counter protestors are coming to commit assault that can cause audible damage to everyones ears including NYPD, she tweeted. But Mayor Adams warns me by name! If counter protestors are violating freedom of speech and committing assault, they should be arrested.


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outh Africa has been setting a positive example for its approach to ensuring a just energy transition. Not only is South Africa embracing renewable energy projects, but it is also wisely pursuing several proactive measures to generate the necessary funding.

One such approach is the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Program (REIPPPP), which focused on incentivizing private-sector investment in biomass, wind, and small hydro. The government operated the program between 2011 and 2015 to address energy poverty and extend access to clean electricity. This effort gave South Africa over 6,000 megawatts (MW) of renewable generation capacity. Due to its success, the program was re-launched as part of the countrys 2019 integrated resource plan.

The REIPPPP is fostering a just energy transition complete with job creation and economic transformation. By harnessing significant private sector expertise and channelling investment, the program is fostering grid-connected renewable energy at competitive prices.

And this is huge for the people of South Africa.

We at the African Energy Chamber continue to be impressed with the success of the REIPPPP. In the Eastern Cape province, for example, the program has created more than 18,000 jobs and set up 16 wind farms and one solar energy farm. Perhaps more importantly, the province also experiences less load shedding (scheduled power outages) as a result of these efforts.

South Africa also introduced a carbon tax in June 2019. In January 2022, the government increased the tax rate from under $8 per tonne of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCOe) to $9/tCOe and announced that the rate will continue to rise, to $30/tCOe by 2030 and $120/tCOe beyond 2050.

More recently, in November 2022, South Africa announced its Just Energy Transition Investment Plan (JET IP). The five-year plan outlines how South Africa will reduce emissions to 420 million tCOe by 2030 and identifies the investment needed for the transition to clean energy.

$99 Billion Is a Huge Goal

According to the chambers new report, The State of South African Energy, a just energy transition will require almost $99 billion (1.8 trillion rands) over the next five years. And South Africa has moved significantly closer to that target, thanks to the $8.5 billion (131 billion rands) pledge from the multinational International Partners Group (IPG), $33 billion (131 billion rands) from the private sector, and $10 billion (184 billion rands) from the public sector.

This is great  but more needs to be done to fully bring South Africas just energy transition to fruition.

While a nice chunk of the necessary funding has already been secured, South Africa needs additional investors (domestic and international) to step up and fund grants, guarantees, and concessional loans. Investment will also be required in infrastructure to aid the decommissioning and repurposing of coal-fired power plants, increase the integration of renewables, and upgrade existing transmission and distribution networks.

Importantly, this includes funding new value chains to take the place of phased-out coal to prevent the socioeconomic collapse of communities in regions that depend heavily on coal production. Because we cant forget, in the shuffle, that eliminating coal means erasing an entire industrys worth of livelihood. We need to make certain that those who rely on coal  not only for their energy needs but also for their jobs  arent simply left out in the cold.

Other Measures to Consider

We commend South Africa for its proactive measures to embrace renewables. Now, it will be important to be diligent about keeping the momentum going.

As we reported in The State of South African Energy, the Electricity Regulatory Act of 2021 led to 6 GW of renewable generation capacity through private sector projects by bumping up the licensing threshold from 1 MW to 100 MW. This is forward progress. However, we noted that an even higher threshold would have fostered greater investment in large utility projects. For example, the government should consider signing multi-decade land lease agreements with independent power producers to generate even greater renewable capacity.

Because in the meantime, widespread national blackouts and load shedding have become daily occurrences since 2007. Eskom Holdings, the government-owned national power utility that generates 90% of the electricity used in South Africa and 30% of the electricity created on the continent, cant keep up with demand  especially in light of its antiquated and inadequate coal fleet. These outages disrupt the daily life of the general public and damage profits of businesses.

To create a more competent and competitive power market, South Africa has announced a restructuring of Eskom into three legally separated entities for generation, transmission, and distribution and to establish an independent transmission system operator. We at the Chamber are all for this idea, but were sad to report that it remains up in the air.

And how about expanding solar? South Africa has proposed schemes to foster rooftop solar with feed-in tariffs and tax incentives. This could play a tremendous role in a just transition, with a two-fold benefit: incentivizing both the residential and commercial sectors and alleviating load shedding. And Eskom itself has hinted at accelerating investment in renewables. As yet, unfortunately, we are still waiting to see any of this.

Green Energy Thats Beneficial for South Africa

As weve seen, the South African government is making strides in adopting policies to aid a just energy transition from coal to renewables.

The result of these new policies is that the nation is starting to see the benefits of solar PV and onshore wind energy as a replacement for coal. In fact, as we reported in The State of South African Energy, coal power generation is on track to decrease from 210 terawatt hours (TWh) in 2021 to 73 TWh in 2050. At the same time, we expect carbon intensity to drop from 829.38 kg COe/MWh to 250 kg COe/MWh as renewables continue increasing.

We at the chamber just hope that policymakers continue to roll out concrete measures that incentivize investment at this critical juncture.

By NJ Ayuk

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YEREVAN, APRIL 4, ARMENPRESS. More than 20 top speakers from Armenian and international entities will speak at The Doing Digital Forum (DDF) to be held on April 5 in Yerevan. Forum's founder and organizer is SPRING PR Company, and the co-organizer is Ameriabank.

The keynote speaker of the DDF is Chris Skinner, a renowned global expert in fintech and digital transformation.

Armen Harutyunyan (Singapore University of Social Sciences), David Kincsem (McKinsey), Elena Tofanyuk (Forbes Russia), and Dylan Kal (Visa), Nerses Yeritsyan (Information Systems Management Board) will share their insights on digital business and technology through visionary speeches.

Doing Digital Platform Founder, SPRING PR Co-Founder Tatevik Simonyan emphasized the need for constant communication between all digital ecosystem players to ensure a smooth and seamless transformation process. "We are following the global trends and creating the Doing Digital platform to facilitate discussions about the trends, business dynamics, challenges, and opportunities that all actors involved in the digitalization process face today."

Artyom Shamtsyan, Chief Innovation and Digital Officer, and Hovhannes Toroyan, Chief Financial Officer, will also share their experience on digital transformation.

"As a pioneer in digital transformation in the Armenian finance sector, we have started an exciting journey of re-inventing ourselves, creating trusted financial and technological space by improving the quality of life. Namely, standing in the roots of this event and jointly inviting Chris to Armenia is yet another testament to Ameria's commitment to catalyze the mindset shift and empower digital transformation in Armenia", Armine Ghazaryan, Chief People and Services Officer, Ameriabank.

The Forum brings together industry leaders such as Ruben Muradyan (Hexens), Vakhtang Abrahamyan (Fastex), Vachik Gevorgyan (Apricot Capital), Tigran Simonyan (Revytech), Ararat Mkrtchyan (Beta Financial Technologies), Maxim Mikhalyov (ICDT Global), Suzanna Shamakhyan ( FAST), Tatevik Simonyan (SPRING PR) to explore the latest trends and best experiences in digital transformation. We will also have speakers from the Armenian Government and Central Bank, and Armenia Information Systems Agency" foundation.

"We are proud to become an innovation partner of the DDF in Armenia. As Visa continues supporting the country's digital transformation development, we are delighted to share our international expertise with a broader audience. We would like to thank the organizers for creating a discussion platform and wish a successful session to all participants", Diana Kiguradze, Visa Regional Manager for the Caucasus region said.

DDF is the best platform for networking and exploring new ideas and technologies.

"Digital tech is transforming investments and creating new opportunities for investing in innovative ideas. The Doing Digital Forum is expected to provide a platform for local and foreign specialists to exchange ideas and foster an investment culture", mentioned Vardan Amaryan, the co-founder of Apricot Capital.

It is worth mentioning that the Doing Digital Forum has garnered significant interest from international companies and professionals, as well as top-tier international media outlets including Yahoo! Finance, The Associated Press, MarketWatch, Seeking Alpha, Markets Insider, Finanzen, FOX-8, and many others.
Within a new contract, Thales is to provide next-generation primary and secondary approach radars, STAR NG and RSM NG to renew the fleet of approach radars for French air and naval bases from 2025, as part of the Detection 22 program within phase 5 of the DGA project SCCOA.

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Thales co-mounted STAR NG & RSM NG radar to contribute to French Air Force air surveillance capabilities (Picture source: Thales/Carlos-Ayesta-Capa)

As announced by the French Ministry of Defence, the Directorate General of Armaments (DGA) has launched stage 5 of the modernization program with the replacement of fixed and mobile radars and the renewal of the command and control air defense system. Among multiple activities, this contract will provide French Air forces with a high-performing air surveillance solution from best in class Thales civilian radar portfolio adapted to operate in a military environment.

With the provision of Thales next-generation primary and secondary approach radars, STAR NG and RSM NG, air surveillance will be guaranteed 24/7, with improved operational capabilities and detection performances, as well as meeting the key objective of combining obsolescence treatment, compliance with national and European regulations.

Since the first delivery in 1970, Thales portfolio is contributing to airspace protection with a full range of radars to manage air surveillance and airport/airbase terminal areas. With the portfolio of primary, the STAR NG (an approach primary radar) and the TRAC NG (an En-Route primary radar) detect non-cooperative aircraft identification, aircraft without transponders or with faulty transponders, capable of detecting targets of all sizes, conducting wind farm mitigation and providing a great operational range. And the secondary portfolio with the renowned RSM and the latest innovation the RSM NG to detect and identify cooperative aircraft.

At the forefront of new technologies, investing in R&D and capitalizing on 50 years of Air Traffic Control experience, Thales has introduced many leading innovations for airspace safety to accompany evolving customer needs in both civil and military domains, as well as ensuring compliance with the latest safety regulations to provide safe and accurate, approach and en-route surveillance.

Recent innovations on the co-mounted primary STAR NG and secondary RSM-NG, include a meta-sensor radar, as well as the renewal of its entire portfolio of radars less than 3 years ago. Upgrades and new designs include a family of radars with higher performances, especially for precision and detection, development of new features such as electronic protection measures, 3D/altimetry, detection of low/zero speed aircraft (such as helicopters), high speed/high maneuverability aircraft (such as fighters) or merging traditional Mode S with ADS-B detection to enhance sensor performance.

Thales is pleased to contribute to strengthening air detection capabilities with the provision of STAR NG and RSM NG primary and secondary radars. The contract demonstrates the flexibility of Thales products to match civilian as well military needs, reinforcing the dual usage option offered by Thales solutions: STAR NG, RSM NG and TRAC NG represent reference products with more than 1000 radars deployed in the world, certain of which are already in use in military environments. Thaless track record to detect at all times - ensuring critical air safety and air surveillance with a solid reputation for performance and reliability is our trademark - Lionel de Castellane, Vice President Civil Radars Segment, Thales.

Defense News April 2023
The sessions court will hear the matter on April 13

New Delhi/Surat: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi got some relief as he appeared before the Surat sessions court on Monday. He was granted bail and his two-year jail sentence will remain suspended till his appeal is disposed of. He had also filed an appeal against his conviction in a criminal defamation case. The court of additional sessions judge R.P. Mogera said it will hear his plea for suspension of conviction on April 13, after issuing a notice to complainant Purnesh Modi, a BJP MLA and former Gujarat Cabinet minister. The sessions court asked the respondent (Purnesh Modi) to file his reply by April 10.

We had filed an application for Rahul Gandhis bail and suspension of sentence along with his appeal against the conviction by a lower court. The (sessions) court heard the matter and granted him bail. The court kept the matter for hearing on the stay of his conviction for April 13, a member of his legal team told reporters. This means the matter will be heard again on April 13. In the meantime, his disqualification as a member of the Lok Sabha will continue. Mr Rahul Gandhi need not be present in court on April 13.

The case was filed against Rahul Gandhi on a complaint by Purnesh Modi over the 52-year-old Congressmans remark: How come all thieves have Modi as the common surname? The disqualified MP made the Modi surname comment while addressing a rally at Kolar, Karnataka, on April 13, 2019, while campaigning for the Lok Sabha elections.

Mr Gandhi was accompanied by his sister and AICC general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and the chief ministers of Congress-ruled states. Mr Ashok Gehlot of Rajasthan, Mr Bhupesh Baghel of Chhattisgarh and Mr Sukhwinder Sukhu of Himachal Pradesh, along with other leaders of the party, were in Surat to show solidarity with Mr Rahul Gandhi.

Earlier in the morning, former Congress president Sonia Gandhi also visited Rahul Gandhi at his residence. The Congress alleged that the Gujarat police was not allowing party workers to come to Surat to show solidarity with their leader. Party cadres were also present outside the residence of Mr Gandhi to show solidarity with him.

Union law minister Kiren Rijiju dubbed the Congress leaders move to accompany Mr Gandhi to the court as the sycophancy of one family, he wondered whether the family was above the country. He added: My point is very simple -- why is the Congress Party trying to put this kind of undue pressure on the judiciary. There are means and ways to deal with judicial matters. But is this the way? Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Monday dismissed as absurd the BJPs charge that his party had exerted undue pressure on the judiciary as its leaders accompanied Rahul Gandhi to court.

He said: That is an absurd allegation. First of all, who attends the court is not a source of pressure. If at all there is a source of pressure on the judiciary, I think we can all guess where that is likely to come from.
India and Punjab cannot afford a recurrence of the internal security environment which prevailed in the 1980s

In multi-religious and multi-ethnic nations, that are diverse in a hundred ways, inter-societal tensions do crop up periodically. Nevertheless, enlightened governments and the public at large, acting with mutual respect and sensitivity towards each other, can tide over fissiparous tendencies and acrimony. Such differences also could be exacerbated by political leaders and religious clerics fomenting divisiveness among various sections of society for their own selfish ends, or trying to further the sinister agendas of hostile nations trying to achieve their own geopolitical ends.

Over the past year, the increase in violent protests and vandalism by sections of the Sikh diaspora in the United States, Britain and Canada, and of late in Australia, directed against Indias diplomatic missions, dishonouring the national flag, defacing of Hindu temples and anti-India agitations in general are a cause of concern. In Canada, on two occasions, the hooligans even had the temerity to damage the statue of the apostle of peace, Mahatma Gandhi. In Punjab, which had seen insurgency and a breakdown of law and order in the early 1980s, the current secessionist campaign by Khalistanis may not appear ominous, but it must not be

ignored. The activities of those hell bent on trying to revive communal trouble and inter-religious strife between Hindus and Sikhs, at home and abroad, sometimes at the behest of outside agencies, must be strictly monitored and countered.

The so-called Khalistani movement got crystallised in the late 1970s with Pakistani military dictator Gen. Zia-ul Haq unleashing his so-called K2 strategy (Kashmir and Khalistan). Having realised the futility of war as an option for Pakistan against Indias interests, Gen. Zia and his Inter-Services Intelligence conceived of this strategy to bleed India by a thousand cuts, endeavouring to create mayhem and political unrest in two of Indias strategic border states: J&K and Punjab. That Pakistan did manage to foment violence and inter-religious disharmony in Punjab in the 1980s cannot be denied. Deft and firm handling by then Punjab Police boss K.P.S. Gill and, importantly, the unfortunate Army assault in June 1984s Operation Bluestar to cleanse Sikh terrorists under Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale holed up in the Golden Temple, did bring back an uneasy peace to Punjab.

Nevertheless, Prime Minister Indira Gandhis tragic assassination at the hands of her Sikh bodyguards and the unwarranted carnage against Sikhs which followed did bring about some emotional divide among the two communities who were related to each other by blood, harmony and a unique commonality since centuries.

The scars of 1984 do remain in the minds of some Sikhs and are liable to be exploited by mischievous elements both within India and abroad. But Indias detractors dont realise that all anti-national acts will always be decisively eliminated by our Sikh population whose patriotism, service and loyalty to the motherland is unparalleled.

Fast forward to the present. Peace and communal harmony has been prevalent in Punjab for the last three decades. However, in the past few years, Pakistans ISI, which has been losing out on all fronts, including in Afghanistan and inside Pakistan, have unquestionably redoubled efforts to provoke the Sikh diaspora in the West. They are also endeavouring to influence Indias Sikhs with religiously emotive gestures like the opening up of the Kartarpur Corridor and promises to link it with Nankana Sahib -- both in Pakistan and sacred pilgrimage spots for the Sikhs.

Around a year back, a young clean-shaven Sikh truck driver, Amritpal Singh, working in Dubai (where the ISI has a significant presence), has emerged from nowhere to push the Khalistani agenda inside India. Amritpal, well-funded by the ISI and some secessionist Sikhs overseas, has been going around Punjab in the last few months trying to revive the otherwise moribund Khalistani dream. With hundreds of his followers, he audaciously attacked the Ajnala police station in Amritsar district in mid-February to get one of his chief aides released. He managed to do that by pressuring the local administration and the police.

Since the Assembly polls in Punjab in mid-2022, the AAP government has been seen as soft on separatists. The Punjab police also appeared to be rather slow in apprehending some of these lawless elements. But now with Amritpal now having escaped the dragnet of the Punjab police and the intelligence agencies dragnet for the past two weeks or so, the security establishment and the Punjab police are definitely red-faced and now appear to be redoubling their efforts to nab the absconder. There is a lot of speculation all over the state that Amritpal, to give a religious twist to his nefarious activities, may surrender any day before the highest temporal Sikh body, the Akal Takht, and may now be negotiating the terms of his surrender. Nevertheless, as the Punjab police hunts for the Khalistani fugitives, it also must not be overly harsh on Punjabi youth.

India, meanwhile, needs to make it clear to the governments of the US, Britain, Canada and Australia that they must provide adequate security to Indias diplomatic missions and ensure that no vandalism or any form of anti-India activities by Sikh extremists will be permitted on their soil. Within Punjab and elsewhere in India, the security agencies must come down with a heavy hand and ensure that no Khalistani mischief and propaganda is permitted. Amritpal and his associates need to be sternly dealt with.

India and Punjab cannot afford a recurrence of the internal security environment which prevailed in the 1980s. It is imperative, therefore, to make sure there is synergy between the Centre, the state government and all security agencies. The patriotic and peace-loving people of Punjab will always ensure the machinations of anti-national elements are effectively razed to the ground.
The inequity of Bombay, controlled by Gujarati money with the local people working for them, became a flashpoint

Associating budgetary allocations with cultural tropes is one way of validating them. Consider the case of two Indian states, joined at the hip till 1960  Gujarat and Maharashtra.

The port city of Surat in Gujarat was the entrepot for Western India and the link with Arabia and beyond in pre-colonial times. Once England acquired Bombay in a dowry from Portugal in the 16th century, colonial interest grew in the city to export cotton from the hinterland and later textiles made in factories, mostly owned by Marwaris and Gujaratis  traditional Indian financial entrepreneurs.

In the aftermath of Independence, the inequity of Bombay, controlled by Gujarati money with the local people working for them, became a flashpoint. Language differences fanned the demand for separate states. The net result was Mumbai (erstwhile Bombay), the financial capital of India, is still controlled by Gujaratis and Marwaris, but Maharashtrians occupy political office.

The taciturn ruggedness of Marathas (warriors) and the manipulative skills of Peshwas (Brahmin administrators) are reflected, respectively, in the braggadocio of the Shiv Sena and the clever practicality of the BJP and Congress offshoots. These traits appeal to different sets of Maharashtrians  who remain deeply tied to the land and its inclusive culture. In contrast, Gujarat is obsessive about value for money and is outward looking, as evidenced by its large diaspora, albeit more traditional culturally, unlike the Maximum City Mumbai  which is a river of cultures. Do the 2023-24 budget speeches reflect these cultural traits?

There are four dominant cultural traits to the 2023-24 budget as presented by finance minister Kanubhai Mohanlal Desai of Gujarat. The first is the pervasive search for value for money. The budget reminds citizens of the Covid-19 pandemic relief measures  the distribution of foodgrains at subsidised prices, concessions in stamp and electricity duty, reductions in the value added tax on petrol and diesel and tax cuts on PNG for homes and CNG for vehicles from 15 to five per cent  all this with no new taxes imposed. Despite the largesse, the state enjoys a surplus in the revenue account (income less revenue expenditure) and has a low fiscal deficit (income less all expenditure revenue plus capital)  the ultimate test of a value-for-money obsessed administration and citizens to match.

The second trait speaks to the dichotomy of Gujarat, where cross-community collaboration coexists with impregnable intra-community norms. The budget speech caters to even the smallest segment of the voting population. There are 329 separate allocations for specific interest groups, which include a mammoth Rs. 87.3 trillion subsidy for agricultural electricity supply to compensate the distribution company from low administered tariffs, allocations as small as Rs. 10 million each for scholarships to Divyang (especially abled) students; Scheduled Caste students pursuing higher education and preserving Gujarats four major wetlands. Rs. 20 million was given for SC students studying medicine or engineering, and Rs. 40 million for digital teaching aids in anganwadis.

Third, the budget speech is devoid of any overt religious subsidies. Wokishly, it clubs temples with tourism. A Yatradham Corridor to restore Dwarkadhish Shri Krishna the magnanimous lord of Indian culture worshipped by crore of people (sic) is cheek by jowl with allocations for the GIFT city located International Financial Centre, the Statue of Unity  a tribute to Sardar Patel in bronze-clad concrete, White Desert-Dholavira and the Gir sanctuary.

Just across the border from Gujarat, is Maharashtra, roughly double its size in population and land area. The dominant culture is of pragmatic tolerance and inclusion  a winning strategy given it is a diverse and the second largest state by population. The political mandate is fractured. The BJP (105 seats) and the two Congress offshoots (98 seats) are head to head. This makes the Shiv Sena  a Hindu nationalist fellow traveller of the BJP, albeit strictly regional and mostly urban (combined share of Eknath Shinde and Uddhav Thackeray groups is 57)  an enabler for getting a majority at 145 seats.

This also explains the reverse alliance. The Shiv Senas Eknath Shinde is the chief minister and big brother BJPs Devendra Fadnavis, a previous CM, is the deputy chief minister  illustrative of Peshwa pragmatism where access to power comes before false pride. Cooperative and collaborative, albeit fractious, politics has deep roots, dating back to the 18th century when powerful regional Maratha satraps co-existed with the Peshwa administration in Pune.

State Assembly elections loom in 2024. Finance minister Devendra Fadnavis budget reflects the race for votes. Maharashtra is deeply rooted in social reform and inclusion. It budgets for the renovation of the first girls school in Pune  including for marginalised castes and communities  established in 1848 by Savitribai Phule, an educationist, social reformer and womens rights advocate. Later-day social reformers associated with the working class, farming community and artisans are similarly venerated through grants. Skilling and employment missions in the name of Sant Shiromani Goroba Kaka  a potter by trade. Birsa Munda Jodaraste Yojana to connect all tribal padas (villages) with perennial roads. A new connectivity scheme Sant Sevalal Maharaj Jodaraste Yojana for all Banjara tandas (villages) to venerate the 18th century community organiser and rights advocate for this non-tribal, rural, trading community. A Marathi language university to venerate Shri Chakradhar Swami of the flourishing Krishnaite Mahanubhava sect. Rs. 310 million to venerate Santji Jagnade, a disciple of prominent Marathi Sant Tukaram Maharaj.

In a similar vein, it burnishes Maratha pride by allocating generous grants for new theme parks and a museum celebrating the life of Chhatrapathi Shivaji Maharaj, the 17th century Maratha warrior king.

Similarly, the Yashwantrao Holkar Jodaraste connectivity scheme for Dhangar villages assuages this pastoral community.

Despite the electoral largesse, Maharashtra retains fiscally responsible metrics  not quite as outstanding as Gujarats, but nevertheless respectable  a low revenue deficit of 0.4 per cent of GDP, a higher fiscal deficit of 2.45 per cent, but well within the norm of three per cent, though debt servicing is inching upwards.

Finally, a collaborative note struck. Participatory budgetary process led to 40,000 recommendations being received from citizens. Maharashtra has an existential need to keep the confederacy of conflicting political interests alive. Former Maharashtra governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari had pointed out, albeit a mite too colourfully, that sending the Gujaratis and Marwaris out of Mumbai would leave Maharashtra money-less (bankrupt). Gujarats state domestic product grew from being 46 per cent in 1960 to 60 per cent of Maharashtras by 2019-20. Making the same mistake twice would be out of character.
China urges Japan to be prudent on semiconductor manufacturing equipment export controls

Xinhua) 14:33, April 04, 2023

BEIJING, April 3 (Xinhua) -- China urged Japan to be prudent on tightening export controls over semiconductor manufacturing equipment and avoid creating new complex factors to bilateral ties, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Monday.

A few days ago, Japan announced it will tighten export controls of high-performance semiconductor manufacturing equipment, which is believed by many that this is meant to restrict China-Japan cooperation in the semiconductor sector, Mao told a press briefing when answering a relevant question.

"China has lodged solemn representations with the Japanese side on this issue at different levels to express our strong discontent and grave concerns," said the spokesperson.

Mao said Japan expressed many times in its communication with China that the two countries enjoy close economic and trade ties and that Japan is committed to advancing cooperation with China.

"We hope Japan can act on such statements, take an objective and fair position and follow market principles, proceed from its long-term interests, keep the global industrial and supply chains stable and smooth, defend the free and open international trade order and safeguard the shared interests of the two countries and the companies of both sides," said Mao.

Mao said China is the largest export market of Japan's semiconductor sector, with an annual volume of more than 10 billion U.S. dollars. China accounts for a quarter of Japan's export of semiconductor equipment. The two sides have been conducting win-win cooperation in this sector.

Mao said that the potential export control targeting China will not only affect the industrial and supply chains of semiconductors in the region and the wider world, and will also hurt Japanese companies.

"We hope Japan can be prudent when making decisions and avoid creating new complex factors to mutual trust and bilateral relations," said Mao.

China will assess the impact of Japan's export control policy, Mao said, adding that if Japan imposes restrictions on normal cooperation in the semiconductor sector between the two countries and seriously undermines China's interests, China will act firmly in response rather than sit idly by.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Kasada , the leading independent real estate private equity platform dedicated to the hospitality sector in sub-Saharan Africa, is going to collaborate with Bureau Veritas to provide third party quality assurance as it develops its portfolio of properties.

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During 2022 Kasada acquired the iconic Cape Grace Hotel in Cape Town, Crowne Plaza Upper Hill in Nairobi, Kenya, the Lamantin Beach Resort & Spa in Saly, Senegal, the Umubano Hotel in Kigali, Rwanda and the Southern Sun Ikoyi Hotel in Lagos and committed to develop 2 hotels in Angre, Abidjan (Cote dIvoire).

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by Sumon Corraya

Because of lack of funds and time, voters will cast paper ballots. Both the government and the opposition favour this option. For the latter, a non-partisan government during the elections is more important. Voting is set for December this year or January 2024.

Dhaka (AsiaNews)  The Bangladesh Election Commission (EC) announced that paper ballot papers will be used to elect 300 MPs instead of electronic voting machines (EVMs) in the upcoming elections.

The EC had decided to only use ballot papers due to the lack of political consensus over EVMs, as well as a crunch in funding, said EC president Kazi Habibul Awal yesterday at a press conference at EC headquarters in Agargaon (Dhaka). The decision was announced after it received a green light from the government.

Most political parties have expressed doubts, mistrust and scepticism about the EVMs proposed by the EC, which has defended electronic voting machines, claiming that they cannot be rigged, an argument also backed by the ruling Awami League.

The EC ultimately decided against them, also citing the lack of time since the elections are set for December this year or January 2024.

In our election roadmap we had decided to use EVMs at a maximum of 150 constituencies. A TK 8,000 crore (US$ 757 million) project was undertaken in this regard, but that has not progressed, said EC secretary Md Jahangir Alam.

Agriculture Minister Mohammad Abdur Razzaque said he was in favour of EVMs for the upcoming general elections.

He noted that while there is some controversy about EVMs, many countries hold elections using this machine; however, since the world economic crisis has also affected Bangladesh, [. . .] the EC has decided to conduct elections using the conventional ballot.

EVMs or paper ballots are not the real issue, this according to Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, a member of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), the countrys main opposition party.

In his view, The main obstacle to free and fair elections is the electoral system. We have been demanding elections under a non-partisan government.

For the BNP, what matters is who will be in government during the election, not whether the vote will be done via EVM or ballots.

On a separate note, the EC announced that EVMs will be used in five municipal elections to be held before the general election.

Meanwhile, protests have been held over the past few weeks against the Awami League, the party of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

The opposition has accused the ruling party of rigging the previous election, and demands the establishment of a non-partisan government to avoid more fraud.

The government has responded with repression, banned protests and jailed activists and leaders of other parties.
Today's headlines: Blaze destroys textile market in Dhaka; China and the United Arab Emirates conclude the first yuan transaction; Rahul Gandhi's two-year prison sentence suspended until at least 13 April; Young people in Indonesia take training courses to become carers in Japan; Metropolitan of the Kiev Monastery of the Caves under house arrest.

MYANMAR

In the eastern state of Kayin, bordering Thailand, there has been a 1,000% increase in malaria cases since 2020. "The situation has really changed," said the head of the antenatal unit of a clinic south of Phop Phra, on the Thai side, which offers health care to refugees. 'It is not as bad as it was 30 years ago, but the increase suggests that transmission is changing, especially on the Burmese side of the border'. The civil conflict situation has made it more difficult to respond to the increase, especially after many displaced people have taken refuge in forests where mosquitoes proliferate.

BANGLADESH

About 50 fire brigade units were mobilised to extinguish a fire that broke out in the early hours of the morning and affected the busy Bangabazar area in Dhaka, home of the textile market. No casualties have been reported so far, but most of the shops have been reduced to ashes.

INDIA

An Indian court suspended for at least ten days the two-year prison sentence against Rahul Gandhi, the main opposition leader, accused of defaming Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The court set 13 April as the date for the appeal of the Congress party leader, who runs the risk of not being able to participate in next year's elections.

JAPAN - INDONESIA

The Onodera User Run school, established in Jakarta last year, offers training courses to young Indonesians who, through special government programmes, can then go to Japan to assist the elderly. As of December 2022, there were 16,000 Indonesians in the Japanese archipelago, who arrived on skilled worker visas, but according to a Japanese embassy official in Jakarta, there are still 210,000 vacancies for foreign workers.

CHINA - UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

China and the United Arab Emirates concluded the first trade exchange using the yuan, the Chinese currency. Beijing bought 65mised tonnes of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and the transaction was carried out by China National Offshore Oil Corporation and France's TotalEnergies through the Shanghai Petroleum and Natural Gas Exchange.

RUSSIA - UKRAINE

At the Kiev court session, the superior of the Monastery of the Caves, Metropolitan Pavel (Lebed), was sentenced to house arrest for two months, with a ban on addressing the faithful and the obligation to wear an electronic monitoring device around his ankle. This, however, revealed his use of Bowhill Elliot designer home slippers.

TURKMENISTAN

The president of the Senate and former Turkmen president G. Berdymukhamedov visited 'his' new town under construction in Arkadag, where he held a meeting to set up a new charity foundation for children's aid, named after himself, which he says is 'the first in the world' to be set up.
Beijing's unilateral decision to appoint Bishop Shen Bin affects an episcopal see that is key in the past and present of Chinas Catholics. Card Kung Pin-mei, who spent 30 years in prison, also served in Shanghai, where Our Lady of Sheshan is venerated and in whose name Benedict XVI instituted the Day of Prayer for the Church in China.

Milan (AsiaNews)  The Holy See was informed a few days ago of the decision by Chinese authorities to move Bishop Shen Bin of Haimen to Shanghai. He was inaugurated this morning.

Official Vatican sources told AsiaNews that they learnt about it from news reports in the media, and that the Holy See had not yet assessed the situation.

Today's unilateral decision follows by a few months a crisis sparked by Bishop John Peng Weizhaos appointment as auxiliary bishop of Jiangxi and what makes it worse is that the latest development comes a few days before Easter.

The episcopal see of Shanghai covers one of Chinas largest metropolitan areas, and has played and still plays a crucial role in the life of the countrys Catholic community.

The local dynamic community has about 150,000 members divided in some 40 parishes, not to mention plenty of groups engaging local Catholics.

Its origins go back directly to Paul Xu Guangqi, a senior government official during the reign of the Ming dynasty. A disciple of Matteo Ricci, Xu is considered the citys first Christian, and it is thanks to his invitation that Jesuit Lazzaro Cattaneo preached in the city for two years, starting in 1608.

Shanghais first church was built in Xujiahui district on land owned by Xus family where St Ignatius Cathedral now stands and where the new bishop was installed.

The city is also where the most important event in the history of Chinese Catholicism took place in the first part of the 20th century, in 1924, namely the Plenary Council of the Chinese Church convened by the then apostolic delegate, Card Celso Costantini. This was a crucial moment in the Church's reflection on the inculturation of Christianity in China.

Then came the storm of the Communist Revolution and the diocese saw its pastor, Bishop Ignatius Kung Pin-mei, shackled and chained. The first native Chinese bishop of the diocese, he was arrested by communist authorities on 8 September 1955 and held prisoner for more than 30 years before going into exile in the United States where he died in 2000.

When he was still in prison, he was created cardinal "in pectore" at Pope John Paul IIs first consistory in 1979, in order to show closeness to the Church in China, a decision made public only in 1991.

Meanwhile, after the Cultural Revolution, official Catholic bodies loyal to the party appointed their own bishop, Jesuit Aloysius Jin Luxian, who returned in communion with the pope in 2005.

Bishop Jin, who died in 2013 at the age of 97 leaving the episcopal see vacant. In 2012 the auxiliary bishop Thaddeus Ma Daqin, who was appointed with a papal mandate, during his episcopal ordination, had refused to join the Patriotic Association and was thus removed from office. This left one of Chinas foremost episcopal see without a pastor.

Before Ma, the other "official" auxiliary bishop, Mgr Joseph Wenzhi Xing, born in 1963, was forced to resign in 2011 for unknown reasons.

Since 2012 Bishop Ma Daqin has been under house arrest at the nearby seminary at the Marian shrine of Our Lady of Sheshan, the devotional heart of Catholics in Shanghai and all of China.

In his 2007 Letter to Chinese Catholics, Benedict XVI instituted the World Day of Prayer for the Church in China, which is celebrated every year on 24 May, calling on Catholics around the world to look towards the shrine.
by Vladimir Rozanskij

Exhibition of painting 'When they bombed Bukhara' by the pacifist painter Vjaceslav Akhunov called off. Bolshevik troops bombed the Uzbek city in 1920. Fears of a Russian-ordered stop. The role of an agency at Putin's direct orders.

Moscow (AsiaNews) - For reasons still unknown, the Uzbek authorities have cancelled the exhibition at the State Museum of Arts of the painting by the famous national painter Vjaceslav Akhunov, "When they bombed Bukhara". The artwork had been brought to the capital Tashkent on 25 March from a private collection in the US. It was to be exhibited in the past few days at the unveiling ceremony of the bust of the popular poet Raufi Parfi.

As Akhunov told Ozodlik, museum director Vasilja Fajzieva did not allow the painting to be placed in the exhibition hall. The oil painting, seven metres wide and two metres high, was already waiting, packed in the corridor, but Fajzieva merely said that 'we cannot bring it into the hall'. Yet the director had another painting by the conceptualist painter on display, the 'Portrait of Culpan', depicting the early 20th century writer Abdulakhmid Suleyman, prophet of the cultural renaissance of Uzbekistan and Central Asia as a whole, who had chosen the pseudonym 'Culpan' (Morning Star).

Akhunov painted the triptych 'When they bombed Bukhara' in 1987, after reading the book 'War in Songs. Materials on the History of the Civil War', which recalls the period after the 1917 revolution, with the bombing ordered by the Bolshevik leader Frunze in 1920. The young painter therefore wanted to express his feelings about those events, and the painting was shown in September 1988 in the Zamon gallery in London, owned by the Aga Khan, at the height of Gorbachev's perestroika. Akhunov himself was persecuted for years in his homeland for his 'too free and pacifist' views.

According to the author, the reason for the rejection is unclear, because 'I don't think that in itself makes the Russians very angry, even though they bombed Bukhara, the holy 'Bukhoroi Sarif', one of the Asian pillars of the Muslim world', recalling the term forbidden by the Russians back in 1913. The memory must have become troublesome at the time of the war in Ukraine, and this painting 'reminds us that the Russians also did similar things in the past', notes the painter.

A short while ago, the deputy director of the Tashkent Museum of Arts, Vladimir Ovcinnikov, was also granted Russian citizenship, after having worked for years as the manager of the private Veksel'berg museum in St. Petersburg: a collection of Faberge's decorative Easter eggs bought at Sotheby's auction by the oligarch Viktor Veksel'berg, known as 'Putin's wallet' and a victim of Western sanctions. The shadow of the Kremlin leader is thus also being extended in Uzbekistan.

According to the claims of the US Ministry of Finance, which imposed the sanction, Veksel'berg is very active in disseminating 'soft power' mechanisms to support Russia's foreign policy, and his manoeuvres in the international art world appear to be an expression of this. It is emphasised on Uzbek social media that Ovcinnikov is a member of the Rossotrudnicestva agency, a Russian institution linked to the Commonwealth of Independent States, in the Central Asian section.

It is a body directly at the service of Putin and the Russian federal government, dedicated to defending the interests of Russian compatriots and active in more than 80 countries around the world, offering services and funding initiatives that help affirm Russia's principles and values internationally. The agency is itself affected by sanctions from the European Union and several other countries. Akhunov wonders whether the deputy director is a 'relokant', a Russian who has fled to avoid being involved in the special military operation, or a 'gonet', a Kremlin agent sent abroad to supervise the behaviour of compatriots 'off the record'.

As several local press organs, above all the Eltuz agency, point out, the Uzbek capital's museum of arts is no stranger to scandals, ever since the time of the first president Karimov, when a trade in stolen works of art was uncovered and replaced with more than 300 fakes, and even in this case 'taxpayers have the right to know the truth about the works on display and those banned'.

Ovcinnikov refused to make any statements to the press in response to these grievances, while Fajzieva added that the painting was not exhibited 'due to a lack of documentation', having arrived late, as did the 'Portrait of Culpan'.
by Mathias Hariyadi

The Purwakarta district regent said that the place of worship had not obtained building permits. According to the opposition and local residents, other solutions were possible pending administrative requirements.

Jakarta (AsiaNews) - Anne Ratna Mustika, head of the regency in Purwakarta, West Java Province, yesterday blocked the use of a place of worship used for weekly services by the local Protestant Church.

Her decision was released through a video message in which the official explained that the closure of the temporary church in the village of Cigelam was necessary because it would cause 'inconvenience' among the locals, especially the predominantly Muslim population.

During the public post, Mustika - at the centre of a media storm in recent weeks after divorcing her husband, the district chief before his ex-wife - added that 'the church, owned by the Simalungun Protestant Christian Church (Gkps) in Purwakarta, has not yet obtained the legal building permit' known as Izin Mendirikan Bangunan or Imb.

The local governor went on to point out that according to the latest government building regulations, there are two things that the church has not yet fulfilled: 'The permit documents and community approval are missing. The implementation of the decision was entrusted to the agency of the Purwakarta officials.

Local Christians claim that authorities like Mustika have no tolerance for religious minorities. 'We feel we are not being treated fairly,' said a Christian resident who wished to remain anonymous. "As district chief Mustika should let Christians exercise their faith undisturbed while completing all administrative requirements," added another resident.

Imelda Berwanty Purba, president of the Central Leadership Council of the Indonesian Solidarity Party, said that 'the regent of Purwakarta can issue a temporary permit for a house of worship. If there are requirements that have not been met, she should propose dialogue and deliberations to obtain an Imb, not seal' the temporary church.
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As opposed to the Japanese automaker, which is not missing any opportunity to bring the discussion to its best-selling mid-size pickup truck  even going down the jester road of mixing their latest teaser for the U.S. market with the so-called  Taco Tuesday . This usually means people are going out for tacos, but in the imaginative world of the automotive industry, it also means you are allowed to do puns with Tacoma as the main subject.Only we hope they are dead serious in allowing the fourth-generation Toyota Tacoma to live out a more sustainable lifestyle by way of mixing the upcoming TRD Pro grade with the Tundra-inspired i-Force Max hybrid powertrain . Thats absolutely bonkers news, frankly, as we expected some form of electrification but probably most bookies would have bet hard on the lower-tier Hybrid Max system from the S235 high-riding Crown and the recent Grand Highlander three-row family hauler.So, as a reminder, at the end of March, the Japanese automaker kicked off the marketing campaign for the announcement regarding the arrival of the fourth Tacoma iteration. The best-selling mid-size pickup truck needs the switch to a new generation, as the D41 Nissan Frontier, Jeep Gladiator, all-new Chevy Colorado, and GMC Canyon, plus fresh Ford Ranger opposing forces are growing stronger. But so was the teased 2024 Tacoma that stood proud in the limelight (its either a sunset or a sunrise, its anyones guess) somewhere on top of something and gave off full mini-Tundra vibes.A few days later, the Asian carmaker subtly hinted at a potential April 4th reveal ahead of the New York Auto Show with a current V6 Tacoma 4x4 showcase. Well, its going to be just a few short hours before we find out if we were right or wrong about the date. But at least one thing is for sure  the V6 powertrain is now electrified and might even send all the representatives of the competition into early retirement if Toyota allowed the engineers to snatch the Tundra i-Force Max V6 powertrain complete with the full 437-hp brunt.Well, probably the mid-size sibling will not have as many ponies under the hood, but we still hope that the full 583 pound-feet (790 Nm) of torque could still make the cut, even if only as an optional flagship for the TRD Pro models . As for the rest of the hints included with the all-new 2024 Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro picture from the teaser, there isnt much else to say  only that its somewhere dusty and that its well protected from the elements thanks to lots of black plastic cladding.Anyway, hopefully, all mysteries will get cleared in just a few hours from now and maybe Toyota will keep on positively surprising us by also revealing a more capable and rugged trim on top of the TRD Pro  the new Trailhunter series is a great candidate for achieving that, by the way! Sure, dont expect also the pricing details  those are certainly going to be kept under further wraps until closer to the delivery date  which is tipped by the rumor mill to arrive before the end of the year across nationwide dealers.
PR | Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) for Falcon aircraft in Little Rock, AR. ???????? Read: https://t.co/1cFooi8qti pic.twitter.com/YkcnksSiTV  Dassault Falcon (@DassaultFalcon) March 30, 2023

The French aviation expert says that its famous business jets are in high demand over in the U.S. Last Fall, it revealed plans to set up a new maintenance facility in Melbourne, Florida. It will be large enough to allow its team to work on 18 aircraft at the same time, and it will also double as a regional distribution hub.Although its meant to be compatible with the entire Falcon range, it comes at the perfect moment for the official launch of the extra-widebody Falcon 6X and the ultra-long-range Falcon 10X.Dassault is also operating a completion facility in Little Rock, Arkansas. This is where it will start using clean fuel to power customer acceptance and departure flights.Avfuel Corporation will start supplying SAF to this particular facility. The green jet fuel that Dassault will use is the one made by Neste. Neste is an important name in this emerging industry, claiming to be the largest SAF producer in the world.This Finnish company had previously boasted about its plans to produce up to 5.5. million tons of its clean fuel, starting this year. It will also be the only SAF producer with such a big capacity to also operate on three continents. Thats because, after expanding its locations throughout Europe, Neste has also expanded to Singapore and to California. Its reputation as a SAF produced was also confirmed by two major partnerships last year. Both Airbus and Rolls-Royce have chosen the Neste MY Sustainable Fuel for tests and limited operations.Dassault has recently joined the club, and its ultimate goal is to use SAF blends for all of the company-owned Falcon aircraft. At the moment, the Falcon range is compatible with a 50% SAF blend, but the new Falcon 10X will be pioneering in regard to this too.The Falcon 10X was announced as a revolutionary jet in the long-range segment. It will be able to cover 7,500 nautical miles (13,890 km) while also boasting a top speed of Mach 0.925 (685.5 mph). Its the first Dassault aircraft to be powered by Rolls-Royce, and the Pearl 10X, with more than 18,000 pounds of thrust, was specifically developed for it.But the new Falcon will also be compatible with the use of unblended SAF right from the beginning. This way, it could drastically cut emission levels, even for extra-long flights. Compatibility with alternative fuels is one of the key features of new-generation commercial aircraft.The Falcon 10X, aiming to become the largest purpose-built aircraft in operation, is set to enter service by 2025.
SUV

AWD

AMG

Right now, about every crossoverin the German automakers portfolio has received some kind of enhancements, and the company has been keen to make sure that everyone has something to choose from, especially across North America. As such, the all-important U.S. market has just featured the latest premiere in Atlanta, Georgia  the flagship GLS series that is in production at the Tuscaloosa, Alabama (MBUSI) factory since manufacturing kicked off for the third iteration back in late 2019.Naturally, now the time has come for the traditional mid-life cycle facelift, which is slated to arrive across nationwide dealerships sometime later this year (with prices to be revealed closer to the launch date, for sure). It will do so with the same generous interior dimensions but also a fresh look, new paintjobs, additional upholsteries and interior trims, more standard equipment, additional options, new software, and an enhanced engine portfolio. Well, that is the gist of it, in a nutshell, so now let us get down to detail levels.The base Mercedes-Benz GLS has a reworked radiator grille with four louvers, new LED taillights, interior configurations for six or seven people dressed in the new Catalana Beige and Bahia Brown, fresh High-Gloss Brown Linden Wood or Manufaktur Piano Lacquer Flowing Lines, plus Silver Shadow details. The latest MBUX is also on board, and so is the Off-Road Engineering Package for the GLS 580 4Matic along withand a towing capacity of up to 7,716 lbs (3,500 kg).Some features are shared with the Mercedes-Maybach GLS, by the way, as the Twilight Blue Metallic and Manufaktur Alpine Grey Non-Metallic paint, the latest steering wheel (still with touch controls), or the dual USB ports with 100W output for the rear occupants. The engine range varies from the entry-level GLS 450 4Matic with a 3.0-liter MHEV engine and 375 + 20 hp to the GLS 580 and Maybach GLS 600 4Matics that share the 4.0-liter mill and get staggered outputs - 510 + 21 ponies or 550 + 21 horsepower, respectively.Meanwhile, the flagship member of the updated family is, without a doubt, the Mercedes-GLS with AMG Performance 4Matic+ all-wheel drive, which also features its host of updates, more standard perks, and further improved on-road driving dynamics. Among the improvements, we can note the new LED taillights, the choice of the same two new hues, plus the AMG emblem on the hood of the vehicle, which is the new hallmark for all future AMG vehicles.Inside, new Bahia Brown/Black and Macchiato Beige/Black upholsteries come alongside the same new trim options from the GLS and Maybach models, while under the hood now theres a 48-volt electrical system and Integrated Starter Generator (ISG). So, the usual 603 ponies now get another 21 electrical siblings for an estimated sprint to 60 mph (96 kph) in 4.1 seconds and a 174 mph (280 kph) top speed.
Photo: Build Tiny

Photo: Build Tiny

Photo: Build Tiny

Photo: Build Tiny

From the outside, you could be tempted to think that tiny houses can only incorporate the two-loft-bedroom configuration in a few standard ways, due to the inherent space limitations. But once you enter the fascinating world of micro-dwelling design, youd be surprised to discover how many variations are possible.Build Tiny truly excels at this. Their custom-built homes are never oversized, yet somehow they reveal an innovative, unexpected layout each time. When it comes to two-loft configurations, the most common solution is to have a staircase leading to the main bedroom, and a ladder for the second, smaller one.This is the simplest approach, and its main benefit is that it doesnt require extra space at the ground floor level, due to the fact that a ladder can simply be tucked away, when not used. But ladders are also not the most comfortable addition.As a solution for that, tiny homes can be built with a split staircase, at the center. This Kiwi brand has several models like that in its portfolio, including ones with beautiful railing for the split staircase.Houses on wheels with separate staircases are rare, and they typically leave out the stairs double role as a storage solution, to make it work. But not the Home Haven. This standard tiny home, which has only 8 meters in length (26 feet) and 2.4 meters in width (7.8 feet) manages to squeeze in two, separate staircases that are exceptionally functional as well. In other words, it offers the luxury of two loft bedrooms with separate access, without compromising on storage.The elegant, folding entry doors lead to a main floor area that feels airy and spacious, despite the fact that every inch of the surface was carefully used, in order to integrate as many features as possible. One half is dedicated to the kitchen and the bathroom, while the living area sits at the opposite end.Instead of the common staircases facing the entry door, youd be surprised to find two separate staircases that are configured differently. First of all, the lounge area is spacious enough to include a large sofa (that can accommodate extra people overnight, if needed) thats cleverly positioned in front of the window and the TV thats mounted on the wall.The rear wall is occupied entirely by a unique, smart storage solution. Youve got stairs with open storage that are neatly integrated with a wardrobe unit and additional shelves.This ingenious hack also makes stored items easily accessible. The stairs lead to a small loft bedroom for one or two people. Even this compact space was used to integrate more storage, in the form of shelves and even a narrow cubby box.The second staircase sits next to the kitchen and was used to incorporate a generous pull-out pantry. And thats in addition to the typical storage drawers under the stairs. This one leads to the main bedroom, thats a bit more comfortable.The walk-in height means that its easier to make the bed and move around, and it also made room for a second wardrobe unit. Plus, it boasts the same types of shelves and cubby boxes as the other bedroom.Another good thing is that each loft area benefits from fresh air and natural light, thanks to relatively generous windows. As an added bonus, both loft platforms feature slats that are cut into the flooring, so that the mattresses can also stay aerated.From the main loft bedroom, its easy to access the kitchen and the bathroom. The Home Havens kitchen also looks a bit different compared to standard layouts. Instead of all of the furniture and appliances being incorporated on one side, the oven and cooktop are facing the sink.As always, the Build Tiny team has chosen top-quality appliances, that make even the tiniest kitchen look sophisticated and modern. The natural, but elegant stained bamboo tops, in combination with the matte black accents, are another Build Tiny trademark.A full-size fridge is a pleasant surprise when it comes to such a small space, and thats also seamlessly integrated within the kitchen area and the main staircase.The separate stove leaves some room for a tiny breakfast bar, that can also double as a compact desk. Storage solutions abound in the kitchen as well, helping to keep the Home Haven entirely clutter-free, yet still adequate for long-term living.The tiny bathroom doesnt stand out in any way (it only includes a shower, a toilet, and a sink) but it does reflect the same minimalistic, clean style that defines all of the homes built by this brand.Thanks to these unusual smart solutions, the Home Have can welcome up to six people  a rare indulgence for a house this size. At the same time, it manages to stay clutter-free and highly functional, thanks to the abundance of storage solutions. Home Haven is a great name for such an inspired, and inspirational build.
EV

Kia discovered that an electrical short circuit between the anode and cathode may occur while driving, which may result in a fire. The automaker hasnt identified the root cause of the short circuit yet, although Kia believes it to be caused by excessive precipitate within the battery cells. No fewer than four part numbers are listed in the report attached below, all of them produced by SK On.Kia North America became aware of the battery-related problem in May 2022, after the U.S. division received a techline case from a dealership. The dealer in question reported smoke from the battery vents located under the passenger seat, coming out of there while diagnosing a customers 2017 model year Soul EV . Thermal damage was limited to the E400 battery case assembly.A few months later, Kia Canada informed Kia North America of another Soulincident alleging smoking and the all-electric vehicle coming to a complete stop. Come December 2022, a Hawaii-based customer submitted a complaint with Kia over popping noises and smoke coming from the cupholders of a 2018 model.All three batteries were analyzed by the automaker and supplier, and all three analyses were deemed inconclusive due to thermal damage and water intrusion from fire suppression. Be that as it may, Kia still decided to call back 2,689 vehicles out of an abundance of caution. Replacing the battery isnt exactly cheap, but going to court over this concern is far more expensive.E400-equipped Soul EVs from the 2015 through 2019 model year are called back, with build dates ranging between July 15th, 2014 through September 28th, 2018. Affected owners will be notified by first-class mail no later than May 26th with instructions to bring their vehicles to the nearest dealership for a software update.Said update is designed to detect abnormal voltage within the battery cells before an electrical short circuit occurs. If the dealer technician observes abnormal voltage after upgrading the software, the high-voltage battery will be replaced. Any owner who incurred any repair expenses related to said problem is eligible for reimbursement, as per the South Korean manufacturer.The Soul EV is no longer sold in the United States, although the combustion-engined Soul continues to be offered in this part of the world. It starts at $19,890 excluding destination charge. In terms of electric vehicles, Kias current U.S. lineup kicks off with the Niro EV at $39,550. The only other EV the marque sells in the United States of America is the EV6 (starting at $48,700), which is twinned with the Hyundai Ioniq 5
kW

More recently, our vigilant spy photographers have managed to spot a prototype driving in the open, in presence of its predecessor . The changes are obvious, as they include new front and rear ends, and perhaps some tweaks made to the cabin.Starting up front, it has slimmer light clusters, and boomerang-shaped LED DRLs, with a vertical design, incorporated into the bumper. Sporting chrome trim on the upper part, separated in the middle by the diamond logo, the grille is also new, and so is the bumper. The taillights have duct tape around them, and this, combined with the usual amount of vinyl stickers prevents us from seeing their new shape and graphics.The tailgate carries over, and the rear bumper does not seem to be different. The diffuser piece attached to its lower end is, however, part of the novelties, and you may want to ignore that large tailpipe, as its there for testing purposes only. The profile features no updates whatsoever, though you can bet on the facelifted Renault Clio getting at least new wheels. Additional colors might expand the palette, thus helping it further differentiate from its predecessor, which is four years old.We have yet to see the interior of the 2024 Renault Clio, but if anything, it shouldnt bring any significant updates. Chances are the French company gave it new software for the portrait-oriented infotainment system in the middle of the dashboard. Our two cents would be on a new steering wheel, and perhaps a revised center console too. As usual, they will likely round off the mid-cycle refresh makeover with additional upholstery and trim, and maybe they will improve some of the on-board safety gizmos.It is likely that the engine family will soldier on. The usual mills are understood to be joined by a plug-in hybrid powertrain, which could be the one found on the Captur . Its crossover sibling has a total of 158 hp (160 ps/118), and a zero-emission range of up to 28 miles (45 km). The Clio is smaller and lighter, so the driving autonomy in the all-quiet mode will be better than that of the mechanically-related Captur. Of course, that is if they indeed give it this assembly, as nothing is certain at this point.Renault will probably pull the cover off the facelifted Clio this spring, certain outlets believe, and that is when we will find out everything about it. The first copies should arrive at dealers in Europe in the coming months.
SUV

EV

BEV

Photo: Stellantis

Photo: Stellantis

Photo: Department of Energy and Climate Change/Creative Commons

The automaker said it used a Bosch methodology that measures well-to-wheel emissions in different scenarios. Stellantis did not reveal the parameters it added to each simulation it performed. It just shared a video of a Jeep Compass running tests at the Stellantis track in Betim, Brazil. Thewas apparently fueled with pure ethanol (E100), but here we may get the first flaw with the evaluation.Apart from ethanol, Stellantis also calculated emissions from ancharged with the Brazilian electricity mix, one charged with the European energy mix, and Brazilian gasoline  called E27 because it contains 27% of the renewable fuel. As you know, the Jeep Compass does not have aderivative that could be compared to the one with a flex-fuel engine. It only has a plug-in hybrid version, which is much lighter than a BEV would be. How Stellantis and Bosch managed to simulate credible comparison parameters to support their findings is something neither shared. I asked the automaker to clarify that and will write a new article with its answers.The Jeep Compass ran 240.49 kilometers (149.43 miles) at the Betim test track, and the video shows the results obtained with this evaluation. It also reveals that Stellantis used data from EPE (Empresa de Pesquisa Energetica, or the Brazilian Energy Research Office) and Carbon Net Zero Stellantis, possibly to have the emissions associated with electricity production in each location.The Bosch methodology revealed that the Compass emitted 25.79 kg (57 lb) of carbon with ethanol. Suppose the hypothetical scenarios in which the Jeep would have used other energy sources. In that case, it would have emitted 60.64 kilograms (134 lb) of carbon with gasoline, the equivalent of 30.41 kg (67 lb) if it were an electric car charged with the European energy matrix, and 21.45 kg (47 lb) if such a fictitious BEV used the Brazilian energy mix.Stellantis stressed that sugarcane absorbs 70% to 80% of CO2 released in the production and burning of ethanol. However, it is not clear if the emissions figures with ethanol took that into consideration. If that was the case, these 25.79 kg (57 lb) are not the total amount of carbon the Compass emitted: they are just a fraction  20% or 30%. If Stellantis just disclosed the total carbon emissions, we could argue that a car powered by the renewable fuel is even cleaner than this number suggests.The reason for that is simple. As I already explained in my article about how shallow the discussion about banning internal combustion engines currently is, most people have no idea what the greenhouse effect is. Those who get it know the issue is not the effect per se: it is making it worse by adding more carbon and other greenhouse gases (GHG) to the atmosphere. If sugarcane absorbs 70% to 80% of the carbon it needs from the atmosphere, burning ethanol just puts carbon back where it was. Better saying, it did not add this carbon to the atmosphere after it was stored for millions of years as a fossil fuel.Based on these numbers provided by Stellantis, we see that the Compass emits 252.15 g/km with E27, 126.45 g/km with European electricity, 107.24 g/km with E100 (theoretically), and 89.19 g/km with energy made in Brazil  which comes mostly from hydroelectric power plants, but also from gas-fired power plants. For the automaker, that means that a combustion-engined vehicle running on pure ethanol is cleaner than an EV used in Europe. In fact, it may be even cleaner than that when it relates to carbon emissions.If 70% of ethanol emissions correspond to what was already in the atmosphere and Stellantis released the gross carbon emissions the Compass on E100 presented, the accurate CO2 released by the Jeep would be 7.74 kg (17 lb)  or 30% of the 25.79 kg (57 lb) Stellantis informed. That said, the SUV powered by the renewable fuel would actually emit 32.18 g/km, making it even cleaner than an EV charged under the Brazilian energy mix.As incredible as that may seem  and supposing all numbers are right  that would only be correct when we consider carbon emissions. What about nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons, ozone, particulates, and several other pollutants produced by combustion engines? Stellantis did not disclose these emissions, but I asked the company about them. Even if the automaker is not able to share them with me, it is clear that an electric vehicle will not deliver any of these pollutants. It may even do that indirectly  due to gas-fired power plants  but it seems nobody cares about them. Or have you ever seen an NMHC or NOx equivalent when people talked about emissions? There you have it.While all worries are related to carbon dioxide, renewable fuels will still have a place in personal mobility without substantial changes to the model we currently follow. Combustion engines may still be an option if they burn renewable fuel, synthetic or not. This is the point Stellantis tried to make. In a world where only carbon matters, it probably succeeded in doing so.
FSD

Caixin reports: $TSLA will soon start a wide range testing of FSD Beta in China????????



China will soon become the most competitive market for urban assisted driving https://t.co/YVMB4rt0Qe pic.twitter.com/RXO52yDOZs  Berlinergy (@Berlinergy) April 4, 2023

While TeslaBeta development advances rapidly in the U.S., other markets still wait for self-driving capabilities to start working. Some people consider this a rip-off since they paid for the FSD capability without benefitting. Elon Musk last year promised that the semi-autonomous driving features would be submitted to regulators in Europe in 2022, with public tests starting in 2023. In February, he reiterated that the FSD Beta would go live in Europe after the V11.3 release.Still, it seems that Europe is not the first region that would get the FSD Beta software outside of North America. Surprisingly, its China, a market where Tesla has struggled to obtain permission to test the FSD . Chinese authorities banned the use of Tesla vehicles in March 2021 around military facilities and other sensitive areas because they feared the images would be used for data collecting. Tesla is also processing data in the U.S., something that the Chinese government didnt like.This has made Tesla a laggard in autonomous driving technology in China, far outpaced by local brands like NIO, XPeng, or BYD. This is set to change, though, and we wonder what Elon Musk promised Chinese authorities to allow it to test the FSD Beta. At the end of March, Chinese bloggers discovered that Tesla was preparing a major Autopilot release in China. Caixin, a local news outlet, claims that Tesla will launch large-scale testing of the FSD Beta software in China before its European launch.The news broke in a seemingly unrelated article about BYD and was very light on information regarding the Tesla FSD Beta software. According to Caixins understanding, Tesla, which dominates the 200,000-300,000 yuan ($29,000-$44.000) range and the higher-end market, is about to start a large-scale test of FSD Beta in China, writes the article. This is the second time in a week that similar rumors have surfaced and have considerably raised the hopes of Teslas Chinese customers.Tesla sells its vehicles in China with Basic Autopilot (BAP) as standard equipment, but it also offers Enhanced Autopilot (EAP) and FSD capability as an option. These optional features cost 32,000 yuan ($4,650) and 64,000 yuan ($9,300), respectively. Enhance Autopilot has been available in China since February 2021, offering assisted lane change, automatic parking, and smart summon functions. The software failed to impress Chinese customers, who consider the local car brands much better in self-driving capabilities.
EV

Many criticized Tesla's limited lineup and predicted that themaker would run out of steam without new models added. This has already become obvious with the Model S and Model X, which failed to find enough customers in their respective segments and price brackets. On the other hand, Tesla enjoys some of the fattest margins in the auto industry, which allows it to play with pricing if it wants to make its cars more attractive to buyers.During Investor Day, Elon Musk said something that made people smile, although it's true: demand for Tesla cars is infinite. It's just that not everyone is willing to pay the price. Tesla has shown it is willing to lower prices to accelerate sales and will do it again if necessary. Tesla is also poised to add new models to its lineup. Most people watch the Cybertruck production closely, but the most important move will happen elsewhere.The upcoming Mexican gigafactory will employ a revolutionary "Unboxed Vehicle" manufacturing process to produce a truly affordable compact car using Tesla's third-generation platform. This is the one Tesla bets its future on, not the Cybertruck everyone is talking about. According to Sina Finance, Tesla is planning an ambitious production capacity for the next-gen model, at over four million units. Half of them would come from Giga Mexico , with Giga Berlin and Giga Shanghai contributing one million each.Giga Mexico will be Tesla's biggest gigafactory based on annual production, explaining why the next-gen EV will mainly come from here. Sina Finance sources claim the new model will be a shrunk Model Y, and Tesla aims to sell it for around $25,000. Tesla hasn't offered a price estimate yet, but said the new model would have half the production costs of the current Model 3 and Model Y. If Tesla offers a compact EV at that price point, it will transform the automotive industry. It would also make it the main growth factor for Tesla.Tesla would need to leverage its entire arsenal to achieve such a conservative cost structure. Starting with the economy of scale, new manufacturing processes, production line automation, and whatnot. The megacastings and the unboxed vehicle process would make this possible, increasing factory space utilization efficiency by 30% and shrinking the required production area by more than 40%.The next-generation model is still more than a year away, although this could prove an understatement considering Tesla's past records. Giga Mexico still needs to be built, and, considering it will be a very different factory from the existing ones, it would take time to set up and optimize. Remember, the factory hasn't yet broken ground and will likely take a whole year before starting production.
Espionage helped the Tu-144 overtake the Concorde

The 1973 Paris Air Show crash ruined the Tu-144's reputation

Photo: NASA

The Tu-144 suffered from a loud cabin and poor aerodynamics

Photo: Stars and Stripes

The Soviets deserve some credit for the Tu-144

It didnt have a happy ending, though. The Tu-144 was a troubled aircraft. Marred by an accident at the 1973 Paris Air Show, and severe mechanical problems that kept many of these airliners grounded. In the end, the Tu-144 had a very short service life and was exposed as the political weapon it really was.It is no secret that espionage from the Soviet Union helped the Tu-144 get into the skies quicker than the Concorde . Soviet agents made off with documents relating to Concorde. One, Sergei Pavlov, was arrested in Paris with blueprints of Concordes landing gear and anti-lock brakes found among his belongings. Any information passed on to the Soviet Union would have helped Tupolev build the Tu-144 and get it flying before Concorde, which was all the Soviets really cared about. As such, the Tu-144 was rushed, and development was only half-finished by the time it was taking to the skies.Kolesov RD-36-51 turbojets would power the main Tu-144D production version of the aircraft. The iconic droop snoot of Concorde was replicated, while its delta wing was somewhat different from what Concorde had. There was no conical camber, for example, on the prototype Tu-144, although production examples featured a double delta wing. The Tu-144 also had a lift problem, meaning two canards were added to the front of the aircraft above the cockpit. While the Soviet Union had got information on Concorde, it was clear the Western aircraft was far ahead when it came to the technology utilized.Something that certainly did not help the Tu-144 was the 1973 accident during that year's Paris Air Show. While conducting a display, the Tu-144, CCCP-77102, entered a sharp dive. This was potentially to avoid a French Mirage jet that was taking photographs of the Tu-144. During the dive, the Tu-144 broke up towards the bottom as pilot Mikhail Kozlov attempted to recover the aircraft. The ensuing accident killed all six Soviet crew members and two people on the ground in the village of Goussainville where the wreckage ended up.Soviet airline Aeroflot wasnt so keen to operate the Tu-144 after this accident. Restrictions were placed on the jet, and it served for just one year as an airliner. It was withdrawn after another crash occurred in May 1978, while Concorde would serve for nearly 30 years with British Airways and Air France. The Tu-144 was proving itself to be incredibly unreliable even before the Paris crash, and the aircraft only ever flew one commercial route to Almaty, which is now in Kazakhstan. Unreliability was just one of the many issues that blighted the Tu-144 in service.While the Tu-144 was bigger and could fly slightly faster than Concorde, that didnt help its cause. The aircraft was slightly less aerodynamic than the Concorde. Its less sophisticated wing meant it took longer to get into the sky, on top of it also being heavier than its rival. By how much? Well, it was 20 tonnes heavier than an empty Concorde, coming in at just under 100 tonnes in total. Passengers also had to contend with an incredibly noisy cabin, meaning flying in this aircraft was a hugely unpleasant experience for those onboard.The crucial difference was that, while Concorde could cruise at Mach 2 with its reheat turned off, the Tu-144 could not. Which meant it was severely compromised when it came to what it could actually do at supersonic speeds and it would guzzle fuel at an alarming rate. Little wonder then the Tu-144 was a huge commercial failure.The Soviet Union though, and Tupolev do deserve a bit of credit for the Tu-144. They beat their rivals to the sky and built an aircraft that could carry more passengers than the Concorde. It could carry 150 compared to the Concorde's maximum of 120. Meanwhile, its speed of 1,600 mph was also faster than the Concorde's 1,354 mph. But in every other area, the Anglo-French aircraft was vastly superior to the Soviet airliner. Bar a later use with NASA as a research aircraft, the Tu-144 had a much quieter life, with its last ever flight taking place in 1999  thus ending the short but wild career of one of the worlds most intriguing planes.
Photo: CGPete/Bring a Trailer

Photo: CGPete/Bring a Trailer

Photo: CGPete/Bring a Trailer

Photo: CGPete/Bring a Trailer

Buick was born in 1899, at the hands of David Dunbar Buick, making it one of the oldest American car brands ever. Buick was also the brand that established General motors in 1908. What followed was a history of good cars, but nothing extraordinary, and people nowadays tend to forget that Buick is still around.This ignorance is there because Buicks lineup, while it is more than a decent one, is as exciting as the color beige. If a car was a sigh, it would be the Buick Enclave. That said, in their really long history, some gems were released, like the Riviera , the Skylark, or the GSX - but there is one that rises above all, the Grand National.In the early 80s, Buick was pumping out underpowered street cars to the bored masses. Surprisingly, given this anemic roster, they managed to win the Nascar Grand National series back-to-back, in 81 and 82. Knowing that what wins on Sunday sells on Monday, Buick sent over 215 Regals to Cars and Concepts to be retrofitted with the Grand National package - that meant a special paint job, blacked-out trim pieces, and the addition of a front air dam, and a rear spoiler.But, under the hood, in true Buick form, the Grand National packed a naturally-aspirated V6 with a shoulder-sagging 125 hp (127 ps). As a side note, I know that in 1982 a turbocharger was fitted to 35 of them, bumping power output up to 175 hp (177 ps)  but that was still pretty damn slow.In 1983, the Grand National took a gap year, to focus on itself, and become better, stronger, and faster. The following year, the Grand National returned, packing a punch under the hood and sinister styling.The Grand Nationals run was short, only three years. But, in that time period, it got better and better, reaching its peak in 1987. What happened then, you may ask? Well, from the normal Grand National pool, 547 were chosen to be transformed into absolute monsters - the GNX. Buick sent the chosen ones over to McLaren, where they received bigger turbos, bigger intercoolers, better ECUs, and a new exhaust.The result was mind-blowing. Buick said that the GNX produced 276 hp (280 ps), but it ran a 12.7-second quarter mile - thats faster than an F40, faster than a Porsche 930, and way faster than GMs golden child, the C4 Vette , so that power output might be an understatement.Now, to understand why the Grand National is so good, we must take a deeper look, and thankfully, we have a beautiful example from 1986 to use as an example. No, its not a GNX, but it still played an important role in car culture, especially in America. It redefined the muscle car, proving that indeed, there is a replacement for displacement, in the form of a sodding great turbo.In the looks department, the Grand National looks properly villainous. It is finished in the only color you could get one in - black. The only bit of chrome youll find on this car is on the grille and on the wheels, which are 15 inches in diameter and wrapped in Cooper Cobra Radial tires in the front, and Contis on the back. Everything else is finished in black.Moving on to the interior, youll find your standard American car interior of the mid-80s that is, plasticky to say the least. But, it features a Turbo-6 emblem here and there, so it makes up for it. The seats are made from black cloth with gray inserts. The leather steering wheel has a three-spoke design and fronts a few gauges, among which the coolest one is by far the turbo pressure gauge.Now, its time to get to the most important thing about this car - the engine. The Grand National was based on the Buick T-Type , which, in turn, was based on the Regal. The Grand National was nothing more than an appearance package. It has the same power output of 235 hp (238 ps) from a 3.8-liter (232 ci) turbocharged V6. But, this is an appearance package done right, with the Grand National looking way more serious and masculine than the T-Type, making it more appealing to the 'theres no replacement for displacement' masses.All that oomph is sent to the rear wheels via a four-speed automatic transmission and a limited-slip differential. Stopping power is provided by front disc brakes and rear drums, which is a little sketchy given the performance.The Grand National played its part in the American automotive scene, driving a turbo-shaped hole in the heart of even the most stubborn, old-school, muscle-car fans out there, but it was gone too soon, and it also represented a fading glimpse of what Buick could have been.That said, if you want to own a piece of history, this one is up at auction in South Amboy, New Jersey. It isnt a perfect example as it needs a little more love, but it is a one-owner vehicle, and it will fulfill all of your turbo dreams. It is currently sitting at 29,500 dollars, and it comes with a clean Carfax and a Clean New Jersey title.Look, I also love a massive V8, but youd be hard-pressed to find anything cooler than a turbocharged muscle car from one of the darkest ages of the American automotive landscape.
At the dawn of this private companies-fueled space race, Elon Musks SpaceX had only a single major competitor, Richard Bransons Virgin Galactic . A company born to offer trips to space to rich tourists, Virgin Galactic would later spawn a sister company, offering satellite delivery solutions to companies and government organizations.Called Virgin Orbit, the entity has been around since 2017, performing four successful satellite delivery missions. The fifth, called Start Me Up , departed the UK as the nations first orbital launch back in January, but failed on account of a fuel filter glitch.Failed missions are not unheard of in the space industry, and Virgin Orbit seemed on track to resume operations as soon as it learned the cause of the British launch mishap. Yet now we get word of the company officially filing for bankruptcy in the District of Delaware.As per a Virgin release, the bankruptcy was voluntarily asked for as a means to effectuate a sale of the business. The decision was taken after the company found it was unable to raise sufficient out-of-court capital to continue operating its business at the current run-rate.Sad as it may seem for the current Virgin Orbit owners, the company as a whole probably has a lot of kick left in it to continue operating under new ownership. And its all owed to its innovative way of launching satellites into orbit.Virgin Orbit uses a horizontal launch approach , deploying a rocket called LauncherOne from under the wing of a modified Boeing 747 named Cosmic Girl, which at the time of release flies at an altitude of about 35,000 feet (10 km).This approach eliminates the need for a launch pad and other ground support equipment and facilities. In turn, the lack of extensive logistics makes the cost of using the LauncherOne cheaper than in the case of a traditional rocket  an estimated $12 million per launch, as opposed to the $67 million SpaceX is asking on average.On the downside, there are limitations as to what LauncherOne can carry, as it can place in orbit only objects that weigh at most 500 kg (1,100 pounds).While under Chapter 11 protection, and while seeking a new owner, Virgin Orbit secured funds worth $31.6 million to continue operations as a debtor-in-possession.At the time of writing, there is no indication as to who may purchase Virgin Orbit. As a side note, I think we can safely rule Elon Musk out, because, despite some high-profile purchases lately, including that of Twitter , the man seem reluctant to invest in businesses that directly compete with his core companies, Tesla and SpaceX.
The two opposition groups represented in the Armenian parliament reluctantly nominated Edgar Ghazarian, a maverick activist, late last month despite lacking votes to install him as the countrys next ombudsman.

Ghazarian as well as the ruling Civil Contract partys candidate, Deputy Prosecutor-General Anahit Manasian, appeared before the parliament committee on human rights ahead of the ombudsmans election expected next week. Opposition parliamentarians were conspicuously absent from the meeting, underscoring their apparent reservations about their candidate and Manasians almost certain election.

The meeting descended into chaos after Ghazarian lashed out at the government in his opening remarks. He urged Armenians to oust a criminal regime whose tenure has been marred by widespread human rights abuses.

Artur Hovannisian, the number two figure in Civil Contracts parliamentary group, interrupted the speech to protest against that characterization.

Ghazarian further infuriated Hovannisian and other pro-government deputies when he described the 2018 velvet revolution, which brought Pashinian to power, as the root cause of Armenias current problems.

The obvious decline of all democratic institutions and human rights in our country is the result of the Turkish-Azerbaijani revolution that happened in Armenia in 2018, declared the radical oppositionist.

We will cut the tongues and ears of anyone who will dare to call our people an Azerbaijani-Turkish group, shouted Hovannisian.

By describing the events of 2018 as a Turkish-Azerbaijani revolution I dont mean the behavior of the Armenian people. I mean the beneficiaries of those events, clarified Ghazarian.

The Civil Contract deputies attending the meeting doubled down on insults, taunts and ridicule directed at him. One of them, Narek Ghahramanian, noted mockingly that Ghazarian was beaten up by unknown assailants outside his home last October.

Nobody is going to beat you up here, Hovannisian told the opposition candidate. But dont provoke us. Come on, get out of here!

Ghazarian served as a provincial governor and Armenias ambassador to Poland during former President Serzh Sarkisians rule. He became the chief of the Armenian Constitutional Court staff after Sarkisian was toppled in the 2018 velvet revolution. He lost that post in 2020.

Ghazarian, who is currently not affiliated with any party, set up a fringe opposition group last summer to campaign for Pashinians resignation and prosecution on treason charges. It rallied several hundred supporters in Yerevan in August.
4 April 2023 17:30 (UTC+04:00)

Sabina Mammadli Read more

Stakes are high in the region as tensions between Azerbaijan and Iran are getting hotter as time passes.

Despite the relations between the two countries have always been rocky but it never ended with break-off, following the anti-Azerbaijani remarks of Iranian officials, the conduction of drills on the Iranian-Azerbaijani border, the terror attack on the Azerbaijani embassy in Iran.

Hence for Tehran supporting Baku remains on paper in its lasting conflict with Armenia, while it shows up itself a known Yerevan ally and doesnt abstain from demonstrating it.

During the 44 days Patriotic War, Iran bestowed significant material aid to Armenia and has repeatedly called against what it calls "changing borders in the Caucasus, which it referred to as its "red line". In the guise of care for Armenian borders, Iran simply cares about itself, as the new realities emerging after Azerbaijans victory demonstrated the country from a never seen before side of a winner, which cant but intimate the neighboring Tehran.

As a follow-up of Irans frequenting anti-Azerbaijani statements, the sending of a note verbale by Iranian Embassy in Baku to Azerbaijans Foreign Ministry calling to take "appropriate measures to prevent anti-Iranian broadcasts and articles in the Azerbaijani media" is nothing but an attempt to twist the perspectives in the region. In turn, Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry summoned Iranian Ambassador Seyyed Abbas Mousavi to the ministry and informed him about the insulting, false, defamatory and biased information about Azerbaijan spread in the Iranian media.

In a comment to Azernews, political analyst, head of Central Asia and the Middle East think tank Sadraddin Soltan talked about the continuous tensions, noting that the diplomatic crisis has spiraled after the terror attack on the Azerbaijani embassy in Tehran on January 27.

According to Soltan, the situation between the two countries keeps aggravating and the chances of them calming down are small. However, he also added that after a meeting between Iranian and Russian foreign ministers, the latter concluded that the tensions between Azerbaijan and Iran are temporary and believed that they will be solved soon. Hence, the pundit stressed that there could be a possibility that the tensions could resolve with the help of Turkiye and Russia. However, he added that all of Irans recent acts indicate that the country chooses to further aggravate the ties with Azerbaijan.

Talking about the picket held by Irans terrorist Huseyniyun organization in front of the Azerbaijani Consulate General in Tabriz, the think tank head noted that such provocation is an indication that Iran wants to pressure Azerbaijan's diplomatic office.

"Iran is deliberately trying to exacerbate the bilateral diplomatic ties with an attempt to shut down the Azerbaijani Consulate General in Tabriz as it believes that the consulate works for Israel," Soltan remarked.

According to him, Iran is not using its people in these provocations but instead is doing so with the Huseyniyun organization, which consists of what pose as Azerbaijanis working or studying in Iran.

Regarding the question of whether the provocation in front of the consulate office could be considered terrorism, Soltanov remarked that the majority of organizations created by the Iranian government are involved in terrorism.

"For example, Hezbollah in Lebanon was created and funded by Iran and is recognized as a terroristic organization in many countries. Palestines Islamic Jihad organization was founded in the 1970s and funded by Iran is also considered terroristic. Irans IRGC (SEPAH) is also considered to be a terroristic organization," he emphasized.

The analyst concluded that a part of the policy conducted by the Huseyniyun organization could potentially be involved in terrorism as they also have access to arms. Thus, the perspectives of this organization created by the Iranian regime could never be civil.

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Sabina Mammadli is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @SabinaMmdl

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4 April 2023 17:02 (UTC+04:00)

Sabina Mammadli Read more

Azerbaijan and Montenegro approved an agreement on air communication, Azernews reports.

The bill on the approval of the intergovernmental agreement on air communication was discussed at today's meeting of the Azerbaijani Parliament.

After discussions, the document was put to the vote and approved.

To recap, in February 2023, an air transport agreement between Azerbaijan and Montenegro was signed with the participation of the Vice-President of the Government of Montenegro and Minister of Capital Investments Ervin Ibrahimovic.

Additionally, bills on the approval of the protocols on amending the Nakhchivan agreement on the establishment of the Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States and the agreement on Financial Rules of the Secretariat of the Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States have been submitted for discussion in the parliament.

Bills on approval of the agreement between the governments of member countries of the Organization of Turkic States on the establishment of a simplified customs corridor, and of the agreement between the governments of member countries of the Organization of Turkic States on international combined cargo transportation, have been submitted for the discussion in the first reading

After discussions, the documents were put to the vote and adopted.

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4 April 2023 12:07 (UTC+04:00)

Laman Ismayilova Read more

Azerbaijan will mark the anniversary of the UNESCO Silk Road Programme on April 6.

The event program promises to be very diverse and includes scientific symposium, forum, film screening, exhibition and gala concert, Azernews reports.

A series of events are co-organized by UNESCO and the Permanent Delegations to UNESCO of Azerbaijan, the People's Republic of China, Republic of Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and Sultanate of Oman.

The celebration is expected to start with an International Forum on Silk Roads, Diversity, Dialogue, and Peace, which brings together five co-organizing countries, renowned international experts and UNESCO representatives.

The main goal of the forum is to define the UNESCO Silk Road programme's orientation and objectives to strengthen capacities for intercultural dialogue and cultural diversity in the current global context.

The forum will be followed by an official presentation of the photo contest themed "Youth Eyes on the Silk Roads" alongside an exhibition of Silk Roads artifacts.

Around 140 exceptional photographs will be displayed on the fences of the UNESCO Headquarters building in Paris from March to June as part of the exhibition.

A brief film screening session on the knowledge and scientific exchanges along the Silk Roads will be organized as well.

A Scientific Symposium on the Silk Roads Youth Research Grant will gather the young researchers and grantees of the first edition of the UNESCO Silk Roads Youth Research Grant to present the results of their grant winning research.

These presentations will be followed by a round table discussion of the scientific panel of the grant.

The celebration will end with a gala concert, featuring performances of artists from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and China.

Launched in 1998 with the Integral Study of the Silk Roads, the Roads of Dialogue (1988-1997), UNESCO Silk Road Programme highlights the cultural interactions between the peoples of East and West through scientific expeditions, field studies, conferences, and cultural performances along the Silk Roads.

Since launching its second phase in 2012, the programme has focused on three key areas: developing, mobilising and disseminating knowledge, building partnerships and networking, and empowering youth.

UNESCO Silk Road Programme traces the exchanges and mutual influences which occurred along the Silk Roads, seeking a deeper perspective on the development and social transformations of the modern pluralistic societies with a view to reinforce inclusion and peace through major initiatives such as the Youth Eyes on the Silk Roads international photography contest, the Thematic Collection of Cultural Exchanges along the Silk Roads, and the Silk Roads Youth Research Grant.

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4 April 2023 17:52 (UTC+04:00)

Laman Ismayilova Read more

Foodies from all over the country will gather in Nakhchivan to try kete, a mouthwatering Azerbaijani dish.

The food festival will take place at Nakhchivangala Historical-Architectural Museum Complex on April 7-8, Azernews reports.

Around 200 family farms from Nakhchivan and other parts of the country involved in the kete production, will delight the foodies with different types of kete.

Moreover, the festival visitors will be able to watch the whole cooking process.

Within the framework of the festival, a competition will be held to determine the most delicious kete.

The different types of kete will be judged on appearance, variety and taste by the judges. The winners will be awarded diplomas.

Known as a variation of qutab, kata is made of sheep's milk cheese (motal) and onions. Finely chopped spinach leaves can be added as well.

The filling can also be a mixture of boiled potatoes and minced meat.

Kete is usually large in size. Baked on an iron pan called sadj, it is seasoned with a lot of greens.

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4 April 2023 10:54 (UTC+04:00)

Sabina Mammadli Read more

Azerbaijani Defense Minister Col-Gen Zakir Hasanov and Chief Technology Officer of Turkiyes Baykar company Selcuk Bayraktar discussed the current state and prospects for the development of military-technical cooperation between Azerbaijan and Turkiye, Azernews reports per the ministry.

During the meeting, Hasanov noted that the military cooperation between the two countries is based on friendly and fraternal relations and added that these relations develop and strengthen over time.

It was emphasized that friendly relations of the countries' leaders play an important role in the development of relations between the states.

In turn, Bayraktar expressed his gratitude for the warm reception and hospitality, noted that he was pleased with the visit to Azerbaijan and that such meetings are of great importance in terms of expanding mutual cooperation.

In the end, the Azerbaijani defense minister awarded Bayraktar with the medal "For services in the field of military cooperation".

In 2021, Azerbaijan and Turkiye signed the Shusha Declaration on Allied Relations, which focuses on defense cooperation, promoting regional stability and prosperity, and establishing new transport routes.

The two countries set up a goal to bring the mutual trade turnover to $15 billion in 2023.

Additionally, Turkiye was one of the first countries that expressed its interest and readiness to participate in the restoration of Azerbaijans liberated territories.

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4 April 2023 12:54 (UTC+04:00)

Sabina Mammadli Read more

Azerbaijani Ombudswoman Sabina Aliyeva appealed to the international community to take a decisive position regarding the elimination of the existing mine issue and to support the demining process, Azernews reports.

In an appeal dedicated to the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action, which is marked annually on April 4, the ombudswoman stressed the importance to bring attention to the areas contaminated with mines.

The statement highlighted that Armenia massively contaminated Azerbaijans Karabakh and East Zangazur regions during the occupation, as a result of which civilians and servicemen were victims of the mine terrorism.

Besides, she highlighted that Armenia not only avoided providing accurate maps of landmines buried in Azerbaijans territories but also continued contaminating the areas through sabotage groups.

This way, she stressed that during the period after the Patriotic War, 289 citizens became victims of mines and other explosive devices, 51 of whom were killed and 238 received injuries.

In general, since 1991 until today, as a result of mine explosions, 3368 people, including 357 children and 38 women, have been killed or have got injuries. The current mine problem, which causes numerous human losses, serious injuries and disability, is seriously hindering large-scale construction, building, and restoration works, as well as the peace in our liberated territories, the statement pointed out.

Furthermore, the statement emphasized the importance of demining the territories and restoring the destroyed infrastructure in order to ensure the safe return of former internally displaced persons.

Armenia violated the norms and principles of international humanitarian law, particularly the Geneva Conventions relating to the Protection of Victims of War dated 12 August 1949 and Additional Protocol I, by contaminating our liberated areas with mines, and by officially declaring this, it demonstrated open disrespect to the international community, Aliyeva stressed.

She then emphasized the importance of the world community to unite in the struggle against mine terrorism for the sake of protecting the rights to life, to live in safety, and the right to health of human beings.

In this regard, in our statements and appeals addressed to international and regional organizations working in the field of human rights, and different national human rights institutions, as well as in our special reports, we provided facts on the mine problem in the liberated areas and urged them to take urgent measures within their mandates. Unfortunately, the international community has not expressed concern about the threat of mines created by Armenia against Azerbaijan and has not shown any interest in taking effective measures in this regard, the appeal finalized.

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4 April 2023 15:18 (UTC+04:00)

Sabina Mammadli Read more

Azerbaijani Deputy Foreign Minister Khalaf Khalafov and his Italian counterpart Edmondo Chirielli held the next round of political consultations, Azernews reports per the foreign ministry.

The parties discussed the multidimensional strategic partnership between the two countries based on traditional friendship and mutual trust and the prospects of its strengthening, as well as the possibilities of expanding relations in politics, trade-economic, energy, defense and security, transport, logistics, humanitarian, culture, and education spheres.

Furthermore, Khalafov emphasized that the continuation of high-level political dialogue in recent years, the visits of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to Italy, and Italian President Sergio Mattarella to Azerbaijan played a special role in ensuring the current high level of relations.

Besides, the diplomats stressed the importance of the Joint Declaration on strengthening the Multidimensional strategic partnership signed between the two countries in 2020, as well as the signed documents on cooperation in various fields.

During the meeting, Khalafov drew attention to the new realities that have arisen in the region in the post-war period, the establishment of lasting peace and stability, the reconstruction and restoration works carried out in the liberated territories, and the active participation of Italian companies in these projects which is a clear example of friendship.

The deputy minister also highlighted the necessity to sign a peace treaty between the two countries, delimit state borders and open communications, and noted that Armenia's non-constructive position and non-fulfillment of its obligations pose a threat to peacebuilding in the South Caucasus.

In turn, Chirielli noted that the rise of bilateral relations to the current level was possible thanks to the political will of the Azerbaijani president. He also added that Azerbaijan has been an important energy supplier for Italy for many years and that Azerbaijan's role in Italy's energy security has increased even more after the launching of the Southern Gas Corridor and the Trans Adriatic gas pipeline.

He emphasized that numerous Italian companies have been successfully operating in Azerbaijan for many years, noting the importance of the projects implemented by the two countries in ensuring cooperation and development in the region and beyond.

The Italian official also commanded Azerbaijan's efforts toward the establishment of peace in the region. Noting the importance of ensuring sustainable peace in the South Caucasus, he stressed that Italy is ready to make appropriate contributions in this regard.

During the political consultations, satisfaction was expressed with the humanitarian cooperation between the two countries, and the crucial role of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation was emphasized. The importance of the establishment of the Italy-Azerbaijan University in Baku and the opening of the Azerbaijan Cultural Center in Rome in the diversification of bilateral partnership was noted.

The diplomatic relations between the two countries were established on May 8, 1992. Italy opened its first embassy in the South Caucasus in Azerbaijan in 1997 and the embassy of Azerbaijan in Italy has been functioning since 2003.

Italy was one of the first countries to express support for Azerbaijan's territorial integrity, as well as an interest in participating in restoration efforts in Azerbaijan's liberated territories.

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Sabina Mammadli is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @SabinaMmdl

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
4 April 2023 16:04 (UTC+04:00)

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has received Minister of Industry and Technology of the Republic of Turkiye Mustafa Varank.

Conveying his congratulations on the production of Turkiye's first indigenous electric car Togg, the head of state hailed the fact that it was brought to Baku, and expressed gratitude to the President of Turkiye in this regard.

The Azerbaijani President described the fact that the second car of this type is in Azerbaijan as a manifestation of friendly and brotherly relations between the two countries.

Recalling his yesterday`s meeting with Chief Technology Officer of Turkiyes Baykar company Selcuk Bayraktar, President Ilham Aliyev said that the brotherly country has manufactured high-tech products in the fields of defense industry and civil industry in recent years. The Azerbaijani leader stressed that it was possible thanks to the intelligence, talent and labor of the Turkish people under the leadership of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and described the launch of Togg production as a good example in this regard.

The head of state congratulated the Turkish President and the friendly and brotherly people of Turkiye on the occasion of all these successes.

Mustafa Varank said that the President and people of Turkiye are proud that the second car of Togg is in Azerbaijan.

During the conversation, they hailed the development of friendly and brotherly relations between Azerbaijan and Turkiye in various areas, including in the fields of industry and technology, and exchanged views on the prospects for bilateral cooperation.

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4 April 2023 17:37 (UTC+04:00)

President Ilham Aliyev has described the fact that the second Turkish-made Togg is in Azerbaijan as a manifestation of friendship and brotherhood as he received Minister of Industry and Technology of Turkiye Mustafa Varank.

The head of state said that the brotherly country has manufactured high-tech products in the fields of defense industry and civil industry in recent years. The Azerbaijani leader stressed that it was possible thanks to the intelligence, talent and labor of the Turkish people under the leadership of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and described the launch of Togg production as a good example in this regard.

President Ilham Aliyev congratulated the Turkish President and the friendly and brotherly people of Turkiye on the occasion of all these successes.

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I will depend on my Democratic Socialist politicians to continue to march hard toward the Left to provide Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for all who think and do as they are told.

I will defend the Constitution of the United States of America, and support all elected leaders who pledge to protect and insure the continued sovereignty of this Representative Republic.

I am very concerned about maintaining my current life style without working. I was told that as long as I vote Democrat, I had nothing to worry about ... but now I worry.

56 total vote(s) What's your Opinion?
Medicaid coverage for adults aged 18-64 with incomes up to 133% of the federal poverty level, going into effect once the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) approve the start date

Workforce development measures promoting employment among Medicaid enrollees

Increased Medicaid reimbursements provided to hospitals through the Healthcare Access and Stabilization Program (HASP)

Increased hospital assessments to provide funding for the NC Health Works coverage and the HASP program at the start of the next fiscal quarter

Repeal Certificate of Need (CON) review for the following: psychiatric beds and facilities; chemical dependency treatment beds and facilities; replacement equipment up to $3 million, indexed to inflation; an aggregate total of $3 million diagnostic center equipment that individually exceeds $10,000; early and periodic screening, diagnosis, and treatment services to children under age 21 at home health agencies

Licensed by DHHS

Located in a county with a population in excess of 125,000

Commit 4% of their total earned revenue to charity care

This post appears here courtesy of the Carolina Journal . The author of this post is Alex Baltzegar On Tuesday, the Senate passed House Bill 76 (H.B. 76), legislation that will expand Medicaid by a vote of 43-2. The bill will be voted on one more time before heading to the state House for concurrence.The two 'No' votes were Sens. Norm Sanderson, R-Pamlico, and Eddie Settle, R-Wilkes. However, several Republican senators who had been opposed to Medicaid expansion in the last biennium were absent on Tuesday.The House already passed H.B. 76, but modifications were made in the Senate after legislative leaders reached a deal to expand Medicaid, so the House will have a vote on the new version.At least one House member changed his mind since the first vote, but the House is still expected to pass the bill.Once the house approves, the bill will head to Gov. Roy Cooper's desk, where he will have 10 days to sign it.Cooper is expected to sign the bill quickly. However, the Medicaid expansion part of H.B. 76 will not go into effect until lawmakers reach an agreement on the state budget for the 2023-24 fiscal year.The following will go into effect once the budget passes:Here are the parts that will go into effect immediately:Two years after the first HASP payment is made, ambulatory surgical centers will be removed from CON review if those centers meet the following requirements:Three years after the first HASP payment is made, MRI machines in counties with a population in excess of 125,000 would be removed from CON review.The SAVE Act, which would remove barriers for nurses to practice in North Carolina, is not included in the bill.said Speaker Tim Moore, R-Cleveland, a proponent of the bill.Opponents of the bill argue that this bill doesn't go far enough to address supply-side problems.said Donald Bryson, president of the John Locke Foundation.House Bill 76 is expected to receive its final Senate vote on Wednesday before heading back to the House to concur, then to Gov. Cooper.
The Palestinian Authority is rewarding terrorists who have targeted Jews in Israel with the construction of a luxury village.The Arab Fund for Development in Africa and the Islamic Development Bank are also funding the project, which will feature 100 homes built near Ofra in the biblical area of Samaria, an area considered part of Area B, meaning that the Palestinian Authority (PA) has civilian control but the Israel Defense Forces maintain security. In order to be eligible to live in the luxury area, the terrorists must have spent at least five years in an Israeli prison.one Israeli reporter wrote, noting that the view from the area will include British Police Junction where in 2002, a Palestinian terrorist murdered ten Jews.The executive committee of the neighborhood reportedly includes Ablah Saadat, the wife of Ahmed Saadat, the secretary general of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and Naim Al-Sharif, the father of a Hamas terrorist.Palestinian Media Watch (PMW) reported in 2022 that the PA spent at least $270.75 million in rewards to terrorists in 2021. The outlet also reported that released terrorists were given priority in annual appointments to PA positions, released terrorists who spent 1-5 years in prison were entitled to receive unemployment benefits for the same amount of time as their sentence, and released terrorists who spent 5- 10 years in prison were entitled to receive a fixed monthly salary.Palestinian terrorist attacks on Jews and others in Jerusalem have proliferated since the installation of Israel's new tough, Right-wing government. On January 27, seven Jews, including a 14-year-old boy, were murdered by a Palestinian terrorist after they left Shabbat services at a synagogue. Among the dead were Natali and Eli Mizrahi, who were newly married. Natali was reportedly doing CPR on one of the victims when she was shot to death.On February 10, three Jews were murdered, including two brothers ages six and eight, by a man who rammed them with his vehicle at a bus stop. According to police, a 31-year-old Palestinian attacked the crowd while driving a blue Mazda near the Tomb of Samuel at about 1:30 p.m., killing Alter Shlomo Laderman, Yaakov Israel Palley, and Asher Menachem Pelley. Yaakov died on Friday from the attack, his brother died on Saturday.the Shaare Zedek medical center said.
The Obama regime took aim at the suburbs, trying to suppress local zoning to scatter low income housing through middle class neighborhoods. The Biden regime has renewed that effort. When federal efforts fell short, leftwing Democrats in places like California tried to do this at the state level.

Now a pair of RINO state senators has hooked up with a Democrat to push this war on the suburbs in North Carolina. Senators Paul Newton (RINO-Cabarrus) and Tim Moffitt (RINO- Henderson) have co-sponsored SB317 to allow developers who play ball with this scheme to ignore local zoing laws. Newton is the Senate Majority Leader.

This promotion of Obama policy comes hard on the heels of Newton and Moffitt voting for a party of the signature issue of the Obama regime, the Obamacare Medicaid expansion. This pair of Obama Republicans also voted last year for another Obama / Biden major policy, the Green New Deal.

Maybe this is to be expected from this pair. Thom Tillis was one of those who suggested Moffitt run for the legislature. Newton is a former executive of the very "woke" utility monopoly Duke Energy, which is eaten up with the ESG dogma.

https://dailyhaymaker.com/jones-st-varmints-launching-bipartisan-assault-on-free-market/
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FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. (AP)  Investigators recovered "black boxes from two U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopters that crashed last week in Kentucky, killing all nine soldiers aboard, the military announced Tuesday.

A U.S. Army aviation safety team from Fort Rucker, Alabama, found the flight data recorders, which are commonly referred to as black boxes in civilian aircraft, from the HH-60 Black Hawk helicopters, a news release from the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) said. The helicopters crashed near Fort Campbell during a nighttime training exercise on March 29. The recorders have been sent to Fort Rucker for further analysis.
ginosphotos/Getty Images/iStockphoto

A recent high-school graduate from Kansas City sent a message in a bottle while on vacation in Jamaica last summer.

Missouri resident Madi Whalen dated the letter on June 13, 2022, and describes her last day basking in the sun on vacation in Jamaica after graduating high school and looking forward to seeing her family back home.
Neches River forested floodplain buyouts, North Pleasure Island Shoreline restoration and Texas Point marsh conservation are among 12 Jefferson County projects that a state agency has included in its plan of key projects to receive funding.

Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham on Monday announced that the Texas General Land Office had selected 121 projects, including 12 in Jefferson County and five in Orange County, to be included in "Tier 1" of its 2023 Texas Coastal Restoration Master Plan.

"Im extremely grateful to Commissioner Buckingham for speeding up these appropriations and am more thankful that Jefferson County accounts for about 9% of funding for the coast," Jefferson County Judge Jeff Branick said. "This allows us to continue the great work being done with BP oil spill funding and is a dramatic step forward in coastal resilience."

RELATED: Jefferson County projects considered for coastal resiliency plan

Jefferson and Orange county projects included in the plan are: Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge Conservation and Restoration in Jefferson and Chambers counties -- $25 million

Bessie Heights Wetland Restoration in Orange County -- $7.7 million

Hickory Cove Marsh Restoration in Orange County -- $21 million

J.D. Murphee Wildlife Management Area Shoreline Protection in Jefferson County -- $13 million

Keith Lake Fish Pass and Baffled Repairs and Upgrades in Jefferson County -- $3.8 million

Lower Neches Wildlife Management Area Lake Street Drive Beneficial Use in Orange County -- $6 million

McFaddin National Wildlife Refuge Gulf Shoreline Stabilization in Jefferson County -- $38.5 million

McFaddin National Wildlife Refuge Willow Lake Marsh Beneficial Use in Jefferson County -- $8.6 million

Neches River Forested Floodplain in Jefferson and Hardin counties -- $30 million dollars

North Pleasure Island Shoreline Protection and Restoration in Jefferson County -- $4.4 million

Old River Cove Restoration in Orange County -- $9.2 million

Southeast Texas Flood Coordination Study - Regional Flood Sensor System in Jefferson, Chamber and Orange counties -- $900,000

Sydnes Island Restoration in Orange County -- $10 million

Texas Bayou Water Control Structure in Jefferson County -- $6 million

Texas Point National Wildlife Refuge Beach Nourishment Project in Jefferson County -- $43.4 million

Texas Point National Wildlife Refuge Beneficial Use in Jefferson County -- $11.4 million

Texas Point National Wildlife Refuge Shoreline Protection Sabine Neches and Oyster Habitat Creation in Jefferson County -- $5 million See More Collapse

According to the a news release from the General Land Office, the plan helps create a "framework to address coastal hazards and direct investments to protect natural and man-made coastal environments."

General Land Office Communications Director for Community Development and Revitalization Brittany Eck said that the projects' inclusion on the four-year plan does not necessarily mean they will be funded. It just makes the projects a priority.

"The Texas Coastal Restoration Master Plan does not have a funding mechanism, but evaluation by the Texas Coastal Restoration Master Plan Technical Advisory Committee and Tier One designation does provide additional credibility and priority status when applying for various funding streams," Eck said. "For example, the GLO is currently accepting Coastal Management Program Grant Cycle 29 and Coastal Erosion Planning Response Act applications, which are due June 7."

The Technical Advisory Commission is made up of hundreds of local officials, academics, scientists, those with coastal preservation and restoration backgrounds and others. The commission works together to determine the top priority projects for funding.

RELATED: 20 years in the making: How the nation's largest coastal restoration project came to be

"Having the credibility of being a tier one project is going to help facilitate funding more quickly than had they not been ranked in this plan," Eck said. "It not only says that these projects are a priority for the local community, it also says that they've already been through a round of vetting for various different criteria that all of these individuals look for. So it does give that credibility that it already has met some level of scrutiny."

Projects including Jefferson County total $190 million in work, while Orange County's total $54.8 million.

"Hurricanes Rita and Ike caused a lot of coastal degradation in Jefferson County," Branick said. "These projects will address many of those issues, as well as salt water intrusion, dune restoration and other issues which will make inland marshes healthier, improve carbon sequestration, reestablish threatened species and make our coastal environs more resistant to future storm damage."
Beaumont's executive office has a new face.

Last week, June Ellis began his new role as assistant city manager over operations, joining the team headed by City Manager Kenneth Williams and Assistant City Manager over Community Services Chris Boone.

In his new role, Ellis will oversee city departments and divisions including information technology, finance, public works, water and sewer, solid waste, parks ground and maintenance and highway and median maintenance, among others, according to a news release from the city.

Ellis also will be tasked with spearheading key city projects as assigned by Williams.

RELATED: City of Beaumont announces new assistant city managers

Ellis and Williams previously worked together in Buda, Texas where Ellis served as finance director while Williams was city manager.

"I've worked with (Ellis) before, and his financial acumen, strategic planning and relationship-building will be a huge asset to the city of Beaumont," Williams said in the news release. "We're lucky to have him."

Ellis' hiring was announced alongside Boone's in November, and he comes to Beaumont from Haskell, Texas where he most recently served as city manager.

A native Texan, Ellis is from the small East Texas community Lovelady, located about two-and-a-half hours from Beaumont in Houston County.

RELATED: Beaumont creates new Emergency Medical Services Department

While he's held many roles in various Texas municipality governments, Ellis started his journey in local government 26 years ago in Detroit, Michigan, he said in an interview with the city's communications department.

"During my 10 years there, I worked in the budget department and quickly advanced from a junior governmental analyst to a budget manager," Ellis said in the interview. "At the city of Detroit, I gained my initial vision of becoming a leader in municipal government. It taught me the basics of being a civil servant and how important we are in the functioning of municipal government."

Since then, Ellis has worked in other Texas cities such as Pearland, Missouri City and Sugar Land.

"While working for the city of Pearland, I played an important role in helping the city secure a developer for the hugely popular and successful Pearland Town Center," Ellis said. "As budget officer, I worked alongside the finance director to provide valuable financial data of the city to the executive director of the Pearland Economic Development Corporation, which in turn was key in effectuating an agreement to build the Town Center."

RELATED: Beaumont takes step toward downtown hotel

Ellis said he believes the experience he's had in various city governments will be beneficial to his role in Beaumont.

"I feel that I can bring my experience from my work at various cities to help (Beaumont) grow, develop and become more prosperous," he said. "I want to have an immediate impact on the city of Beaumont. I am a collaborator and want to forge strong relationships with stakeholders within the community, including elected officials at the local, state and federal levels, county officials, the school district, community organizations and others to help move Beaumont forward."

Boosting Beaumont's economic development is a key vision for Ellis.

"All cities desire to be a destination city or a city where their residents can live, work and play," he said. "One of the goals here is to continue to build the type of community where you have sustained economic development, a solid employment base and opportunities, easy access to shopping and other services, great quality of life and lifestyle programs."

RELATED: City of Beaumont is working to bring a hotel downtown

That includes downtown economic development as well, Ellis said.

"Downtown is the heart of any city," he said. "By boosting development downtown and creating opportunities for businesses to grow and flourish, we will help make Beaumont a city everyone desires to visit and relocate to."

In his first month as assistant city manager over operations, Ellis said he wants to focus on building relationships and team building among staff.

"It's important to have a strong team that communicates and collaborates," he said. "Within 90 days, I want to have established the type of relationships that create better opportunities for Beaumont. These relationships will be with local officials, state and federal officials, county officials, local businesses, community organizations and other who seek to collaborate on the mission to improve and grow Beaumont and make this a better city for everyone."

Ellis was originally slated to begin his new role Jan. 3, but, according to Beaumont Director of Communications Lauren Monitz, was so excited about the position that he settled in sooner and got right to work.

"The opportunity to positively impact the city of Beaumont excites me more than anything else," he said.
TIMOTHY A. CLARY/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Former President Donald J. Trump has pleaded not guilty and has been charged with 34 counts of felony falsifying of business documents.

Multiple reports, including CBS News and the Associated Press, indicate Trump was placed under arrest, fingerprinted and processed before heading to his arraignment hearing in a Manhattan courthouse.
For decades, Texas conservatives clamored for local government control as they resisted what they called the big government of heavy-handed state and federal policies. Those days are long gone.

Each legislative session for at least the past eight years, Republican state lawmakers have clamped down on the ability of Texas cities  especially those led by liberal-leaning city councils like Austins  to govern as they see fit. With the 88th Legislature well under way, the GOP is again pushing bills aimed at eroding the power of Texas cities to regulate themselves on matters big and small. If Republican Sen. Drew Springers SB 149 is approved and signed into law by the governor, Texas cities would be prohibited from passing any ordinance that imposes a restriction on commercial activity, meaning they could lose power to regulate billboards, payday loans, pawnshops and sexually oriented businesses, or pass local worker protection ordinances and other business-related initiatives. A bill filed by Sen. Mayes Middleton, R-Galveston, would prohibit cities from using tax dollars to hire a lobbyist to advocate for them at the legislature. Frisco Republican Rep. Jared Patterson has even introduced a ludicrous proposal to put Austin  a frequent political target of Gov. Greg Abbott  under control of the Republican-led legislature if voters were to approve a constitutional amendment. No, thanks.

Cities are best equipped to govern local issues issues

Lawmakers in both parties must reject this troubling trend toward ideologically driven state control over municipal affairs. We urge them to vote against any bill in the 88th Legislature that dilutes the power of home rule, enshrined in the Texas Constitution since 1912 to allow any city of more than 5,000 residents the right to manage municipal affairs with minimal state interference. One-size-fits-all government doesnt work in Texas, a diverse, sprawling state whose largest population centers are more liberal than cities and towns in rural areas. Voters understand their communities needs and desires best, and their elected leaders should be allowed to govern as their constituents wish, so long as they comply with state and federal laws.

These sweeping preemption bills fail to respect that each city in Texas has its own personality, culture and history, and we need the ability to be responsive to the demands of our voters and taxpayers, Austin Mayor Kirk Watson said Tuesday in a written statement to the Editorial Board.

Erosion of local control traces back to oil and gas industry concerns

Not surprisingly, the Texas GOPs turnabout on issues of local control has roots in oil and gas policy. After the Denton City Council voted to ban hydraulic fracturing within its city limits to protect its residents from harmful natural gas flaring emissions in late 2014, Texas Republicans introduced a slew of bills to override the local law the next year. Gov. Greg Abbott signed one in 2015 that preempted local power to regulate an array of drilling-related activities. Two years later during a speech to the Texas Conservative Coalition Research Institute, Abbott said a broad-based law allowing the state to preempt local regulations of all kinds is a superior approach to governing.

The Republican-controlled legislature took that suggestion and ran with it, passing new laws to prohibit or restrict local initiatives in each legislative session since. Among the bills worrying municipal leaders most this session is House Bill 2127 sponsored by Rep. Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock. The bill, which Burrows says was inspired by Austins court-challenged paid sick leave law in 2018, would allow anyone who contends theyve been harmed by a local rule or ordinance to file suit if they suspect it violates Texas codes on agriculture, finance, insurance, labor, natural resources, occupations, property or business and commerce. Burrows says his bill, which has the support of some in the Texas business community, would prevent a patchwork of local regulations that are difficult for companies operating in several jurisdictions to keep straight. But the bills broad array of policy targets could inspire countless attacks on local ordinances and cause chaos in the courts. Lawmakers should defeat it.

State governments focus should remain on ensuring a good education for our young people, promoting the states agriculture, maintaining effective state law enforcement, administering social services, protecting Texas interests in court and managing the budget. Allowing local jurisdictions to govern as they see fit  as Republicans tended to support before major Texas cities became too liberal for their liking  is best for municipalities and the state. Lawmakers should respect the principle of home rule and leave Texas cities alone.
Inside Hook

In addition to the sound barrier, NASA broke a few glass ceilings today when it introduced the world to the first woman and first Black astronauts ever to be sent on an American lunar mission, which will be rocketing to the moon in November 2024. All over Twitter, scientists and space nerds cheered the announcement, sharing little snapshots about the Artemis II crew, made up of an engineer, two Navy veterans and a former Canadian Air Force colonel. But amidst all the fanfare and excitement, the shattering of a third, and arguably more important, glass ceiling has been overlooked. No, Im not talking about the first-time inclusion of a Canadian (sorry, neighbors)  Im talking about something that nobody thought could be done. In an unprecedented move from NASA, all four of the astronauts who make up the Artemis II crew bound for the moon are not only brilliant and brave, they are also all extremely hot.

Christine Koch, Victor Glover, Jeremy Hansen and Reid Wiseman will all be heading into space together next fall with more than one thing in common: theyre all astronauts, theyre all in their mid-to-late 40s, and they all make me want to say things like, That orange jumpsuit looks good on you, but it would look even better on my floor. How astro-naughty of me. The inclusion of not one but four supremely hot astronauts in an American lunar mission represents a major milestone, not just for the science community or even the American public, but for smart, hot people everywhere who want to be known both for their intelligence and their bafflingly good looks.
Here are 11 fraud suits involving physicians that Becker's reported on in March:

Former physician Jeffrey Campbell and nurse practitioner Mark Dyer were sentenced to prison following conviction on committing healthcare fraud, money laundering and unlawfully distributing controlled substances. Matteson, Ill.-based physician Ajibola Ayeni, MD, was ordered to pay more than $25 million for more than 4,000 violations of the False Claims Act. Gilbert Ghearing, MD, a former physician based in Crossville, Tenn., was found guilty on 45 counts related to the Controlled Substance Act, healthcare fraud and obstruction of justice. Michael Villarroel, MD, a U.S. Navy physician, pleaded guilty to a scheme where he defrauded the Navy by faking or exaggerating injuries to get reimbursements intended to help service members recovering from traumatic injuries. Margate, N.J.-based Brian Sokalsky, DO, pleaded guilty for his role in a $5 million scheme to defraud payers by submitting claims for medically unnecessary prescriptions. A Johnson City, Tenn.-based physician and treatment clinic must pay $100,000 to resolve allegations they violated the Opioid Addiction Recovery Fraud Prevention Act of 2018 and the FTC Act. Meridian, Miss.-based physician Gregory Auzenne, MD, pleaded guilty to a federal charge in connection with a $1.5 billion nationwide pain cream fraud scheme. Francisco Ortiz, former COO of Morgantown, W.Va.-based Wedgewood Physicians, and James Mersing, MD, were charged for allegedly stealing $650,000 from the practice. Justin LaMonda, MD, a physician based in Moberly, Mo., pleaded guilty to a $537,322 fraud scheme, admitting he used his father's name to falsely bill Medicare and Medicaid. A jury convicted pain physician Frederick Gooding, MD, for a $5 million healthcare fraud scheme. Murrysville, Pa.-based emergency room physician Jessie Kunkel, MD, was charged for writing fraudulent prescriptions.
Former Baton Rouge, La.-based physician Randy Lamartiniere, MD, was sentenced to 180 months in prison for illegal controlled substance distribution, the Justice Department said April 4.

From March 2015 to January 2016, Dr. Lamartiniere wrote medically unnecessary prescriptions for Adderall, fentanyl, hydrocodone, methadone, oxycodone and oxymorphone.

His fees ranged from $100 to $300 per visit and he did accept health insurance. He routinely issued prescriptions for Adderall and opioids, the Justice Department said.
States from coast to coast and national healthcare organizations have proposed legislation to lessen restrictions placed on advanced practice providers when providing care  but not everyone is on board.

The pandemic, burnout and physician pay cuts have led to an exodus of healthcare workers, and more than 2 in 5 active physicians will be older than 65 in the next decade.

In the face of a looming shortage of providers, some healthcare workers believe reducing limitations placed on physician assistants' and nurse practitioners' will provide relief.

"In this country, 99 million Americans lack adequate access to primary care," Jennifer Orozco, president and board chair of the American Academy of Physician Associates, told Becker's. "We have an aging population that is going to reach 80.8 million by 2040. In addition, we have a rise in chronic diseases like obesity. The reality is, unless we remove these barriers to physician assistant practice, we do not have enough people to take care of all patients."

South Carolina legislators have introduced a bill to allow physician assistants with 6,000 hours of training to practice without the supervision of a physician.

Jennifer Marshall and Megan Fulton, co-chairs of the legislative committee of the South Carolina Academy of Physician Assistants, said the legislation is key to address the growing shortage of physicians.

"There are not enough physicians to see patients, [which] also means it can be difficult to identify a supervising physician, which severely limits the ability for physician assistants to provide care in rural areas," Ms. Marshall and Ms. Fulton told Becker's. "The ability for physician assistants with 6,000 hours of experience to see patients without requiring a supervising physician will remedy these challenges."

However, some physicians  and potentially their patients  are concerned that physician assistants and nurse practitioners are not adequately prepared to operate independently. A Medscape survey of physicians found that 27 percent of providers said their patients were "somewhat to very" opposed to nurse practitioners and physician assistants working without supervision.

"The nurse practitioners and physician assistants I work with [and have seen as a patient] have been very capable, but it is just not the case that after four years of med school, including two in clinical work, and four years as a practicing (but supervised) psychiatrist, the clinical care I provide is equivalent to that of an NP/PA," Lance Wobus, MD, a psychiatry resident at Richmond University Medical Center in New York City, told Becker's. "I think this trend will also be detrimental to healthcare."

James Alexander, MD, chief medical officer of Integritas Providers in Carbondale, Ill., said increasing medical liberties could backfire on patients and providers.

"With that comes more responsibility and liability," Dr. Alexander told Becker's. "I seriously doubt advanced practice providers pay more than the average internal medicine or pediatric provider for malpractice coverage."




Here is the cost of living in the 10 highest-paying cities for physicians:

Salary information was taken from Doximity's "2023 Physician Compensation Report," tracking trends in physician pay nationwide. The minimum cost of living in each state was provided by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Living Wage Calculator. The cost of living is for a single adult with no children before taxes.

1. Charlotte, N.C.

Annual physician salary: $430,890

Cost of living: $36,446

2. St. Louis

Annual physician salary: $426,370

Cost of living: $33,244

3. Oklahoma City

Annual physician salary: $425,096

Cost of living: $32,981

4. San Jose, Calif.

Annual physician salary: $418,600

Cost of living: $54,498

5. Minneapolis

Annual physician salary: $411,677

Cost of living: $36,798

6. Sacramento, Calif.

Annual physician salary: $411,257

Cost of living: $39,641

7. Phoenix

Annual physician salary: $409,185

Cost of living: $38,043

8. Indianapolis

Annual physician salary: $408,199

Cost of living: $33,258

9. Salt Lake City

Annual physician salary: $408,044

Cost of living: $37,038

10. Atlanta

Annual physician salary: $407,863

Cost of living: $39,375
Tirun Gopal, MD, an OB-GYN in San Francisco, joined Becker's to discuss why private practice physicians do not have more power in healthcare.

Editor's note: This response was edited lightly for brevity and clarity.

Question: Why don't private practice physicians have more power in healthcare?

Dr. Tirun Gopal: It is becoming increasingly difficult for private practice physicians to devote any time to anything other than the practice of medicine, what with the diminishing compensation for services, time spent in keeping up to date with recent developments and the administrative time spent on maintaining a place of business. Nor is it easy for them to acquire the qualifications and skills needed for administrative work, including MBA, MPH, etc.

Furthermore, we have relinquished our control of the environment in which we practice (such as hospitals) to people who are either not physicians or physicians who have given up the practice of medicine, realizing that it is far more lucrative to lead physicians than to be one. The tables have hence turned. We allow these leaders, who do not bring a single penny to the organization, to tell us how to practice medicine, how much they will pay us, while they are laughing all the way to the bank with their unconscionable compensations.
St. Luke's Carbon Campus in Weissport East, Pa., which is part of Bethlehem, Pa.-based St. Luke's University Health Network, now offers Medtronic's artificial intelligence-assisted polyp detection device GI Genius, tnonline.com reported April 4.

"We already have incredibly talented physicians, and this just adds another set of eyes in the room," Scott Siegfried, division administrator for gastroenterology at St. Luke's told tnonline.com. "We are very fortunate to be the first in the region to have this technology, which was acquired by a grant and recently installed. It's another great tool in our tool box."

GI Genius has been used by several hospitals and health systems nationwide including Hackensack (N.J.) University Medical Center, Salt Lake City-based Intermountain Healthcare and UH Cleveland Medical Center.
Private practice physicians are struggling to compete with the deep pockets of consolidated health systems.

Taif Mukhdomi, MD, an interventional pain physician at New Albany, Ohio-based Pain Zero, joined Becker's to discuss why private practice physicians don't have more power in healthcare.

Editor's note: This interview was edited lightly for brevity and clarity.

Question: Why don't private practice physicians have more power in healthcare?

Dr. Taif Mukhdomi: Healthcare has become increasingly regulated over the past decade. Long gone are the days when physicians could decide to hang a shingle and announce to the community that they were open. To open a practice nowadays requires legal consultation, registration with medical and pharmacy boards, and often includes asking permission from officials, insurance companies and hospital systems to start taking care of patients.

Newly trained physicians have spent the past decade of training learning how to treat patients and have not been educated about the healthcare system. The additional frustration is competing with hospital systems leveraging hundreds of physicians to further the company while private practices tend to be smaller in size. Private practice physicians will struggle to hold as much power as these systems unless there is a shift within the healthcare system toward leveling the playing field.
Though one of the top 10 happiest physician specialties, ophthalmologists are still in short supply.

Here are 11 figures and stats ophthalmologists should know:
SightMD, an ophthalmic provider group, has partnered with the Ophthalmic Center on Long Island in New York, expanding its range of services.

The Ophthalmic Center's two locations in Wading River, N.Y., and East Setauket, N.Y., along with the facilities' four providers, will now be part of SightMD's system, according to a March 28 news release.

There will be no disruption of care for current patients of TOC. Instead, patients will now be able to receive care at any SightMD location in Long Island, Westchester and New York City.

The four providers are Vincent Basilice, MD, Michael Conners, MD, Alexander Llinas, MD, and Alex Schaffer, OD.

Dr. Basilice is the founder and medical director of TOC. Dr. Conners specializes in cornea and external diseases as well as refractive surgery. Dr. Llinas is a glaucoma specialist and Dr. Schaffer is an optometrist who was formerly an intern at TOC.

SightMD has a network of 80 eye care providers and 40 locations throughout New York. Its services include general eye exams, laser cataract surgery and lens implantation, glaucoma management, retinal disorder treatment, corneal services, neuro-ophthalmology, LASIKvision correction, oculoplastic surgery, pediatric ophthalmology and audiology.
The University of Illinois Chicago College of Dentistry created a new training program to help alleviate the national dental assistant shortage.

The Dental Assistant Pathway Program allows the college to train people with no prior dental assistant training and who did not go to college, according to an April 3 news release.

The college was previously required to hire dental assistants who had some dental assisting experience from a junior college or past work in a dental office, which made it difficult to find people.

The school was given a three-year grant from the nonprofit Otho S.A. Sprague Memorial Institute to train 12 dental assistants each year, making the 14-week program free for students. Students will also work at the school and be paid $17.04 an hour.

The college will also pay fees associated with seeking a National Entry Level Dental Assisting Certificate for students who complete the program.
Chelsea (Mich.) Hospital is closing its inpatient behavioral health unit and moving 12 of its beds to Trinity Health Ann Arbor, Chelsea Update reported March 25.

Chelsea Hospital President Ben Miles confirmed the hospital is consolidating its inpatient beds by the end of the year and expanding its virtual and in-person outpatient services as part of a new strategy. The consolidation will increase Trinity Health Ann Arbor's beds to 36.

The plan also includes investing additional resources to create an observation area for behavioral health patients within the emergency department, Mr. Miles said. Patients will receive emergency assessment and initial treatment, then be directed to inpatient care at Trinity Health Ann Arbor or support services through the outpatient offices.

"Low occupancy within our units is driven not by lack of demand but by regulatory hurdles and our ability to fully staff these units," Mr. Miles told Chelsea Update. "Not only do outpatient services improve patient access, but expansion of offices in Ann Arbor and Chelsea will encourage earlier intervention, a key component of our strategy."
A ransomware group leaked patient and employee data from a West Virginia hospital after the organization didn't meet its demands for ransom, DataBreaches.net reported.

Montgomery (W.Va.) General Hospital was contacted by the D#nut Leaks ransomware gang in early March demanding $750,000 for the decryption and deletion of files the group had exfiltrated, according to the April 2 report. When the health system stopped responding, the group published the data March 31. It reportedly included patient medical histories and insurance billing records and employee Social Security numbers and pay rates.

The group reportedly told DataBreaches.net it committed the hack "via Microsoft Exchange exploit."

Montgomery General didn't respond to requests from Becker's for comment.
VillageMD, which is majority owned by Walgreens, wants to expand to rural America and offer patients access to care seven days a week, Politico reported April 3.

Tim Barry, co-founder and CEO of VillageMD, said his vision for the company is to offer consumers "in-person healthcare touches, fewer ER visits and lower costs."

The company, which recently acquired Summit Health-CityMD on Jan. 3, said it plans on moving CityMD into areas where VillageMD already has locations such as Houston, Phoenix and Atlanta.

In addition, Mr. Barry said after this, VillageMD will move CityMD into rural areas.

The aim, according to Mr. Barry, is to give patients access to more affordable healthcare as he says the current U.S. healthcare system is too "hospital-centric."

"We're bankrupting more and more people every year because of medical debt," Mr. Barry told Politico. "People aren't getting bankrupt in the healthcare system because they had a $60 PCP visit. They get bankrupted because they had a $30,000 hospital bill that they didn't expect."
From a private equity firm investing in Janus Health, to Care New England revenue cycle management as part of a new cost-cutting program, here are 11 RCM stories from March reported by Becker's:

1. Private equity firm Enhanced Healthcare Partners is investing in RCM tech platform Janus Health.

2. Working through "inconsistent and burdensome payer requirements to ensure our patients receive the necessary care prescribed" is one of the significant challenges Inspira Health Director of Revenue Cycle James O'Connell said his department is facing.

3. Seventy-eight percent of patients who disputed medical bills had charges reduced or removed, according to a survey from Akasa, a revenue cycle firm that uses artificial intelligence.

4. Large health systems are more likely to say they do not have an optimistic view of Oracle Cerner, with reasons including delays in its revenue cycle product and staffing issues, a KLAS Research report found.

5. Seventy-eight percent of executives reported that they are currently evaluating or considering AI-based tools for its revenue cycle management processes, a survey from the Health Management Academy found.

6. Jason Nelms, vice president of revenue cycle at Greensboro, N.C.-based Cone Health, spoke with Becker's about his goals for 2023 as well as how his experience at Cigna helps him as a revenue cycle leader.

7. Providence, R.I.-based Care New England is targeting revenue cycle management as part of a new cost-cutting program.

8. Healthcare advisory firm Chartis acquired revenue cycle consultant Chi-Matic.

9. Fifth Third Bank said it will acquire healthcare payments and remittance provider Big Data Healthcare.

10. AGS Health opened an office in Manila, Philippines.

11. Augusta (Ga.) University Medical Center's expanded partnership with revenue cycle software company AccuReg has increased point-of-service collections to $9 million, $5.4 million more than expected.
Rural hospitals are increasingly at risk of closing due to lack of funding. Between 2015 and 2019, the U.S. saw a 59 percent decline in the number of rural community hospitals. It's why the American Hospital Association is urging Congress to pass the Rural Hospital Support Act.

The bill was first introduced in 2021 to modify and extend "certain payment adjustments for rural hospitals under Medicare's inpatient prospective payment system." If passed, it's something the AHA says would provide "greater financial stability" for Medicare-dependent hospitals and "leave them better able to serve their communities."

"Rural hospitals are essential access points for care, economic anchors for communities and the backbone of our nations rural public health infrastructure," the April 3 letter reads. "These hospitals have maintained their commitment to ensuring local access to high-quality, affordable care during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond, in spite of unprecedented financial and workforce challenges over the last three years."

The AHA's letter addressed to Sens. Bob Casey and Chuck Grassley calls for the act's passage and establishment of a permanent "prospective payment system payment rate," and "an additional base year [Medicare-dependent hospitals] could choose when calculating their payments."

The AHA letter claims doing so would support:

Small rural hospitals that have a majority of patients on Medicare. Providers in small, isolated communities by extending "the low-volume adjustment to ensure that these providers will not again be at a disadvantage and have severe challenges serving their communities." Sole community hospitals in allowing them to "choose an additional base year from which payments can be calculated."

Since its introduction, the bill has been read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. It has now been reintroduced to the Senate.
Hospitals and health systems are facing an existential crisis and, while such systems must address fundamental issues themselves, other players in the U.S. healthcare industry need to join forces to help them deal with the crisis.

That's according to a report from the Boston Consulting Group, which is projecting a shortfall of more than $200 billion in the industry by 2027 if immediate action isn't taken.

Payers, for example, including government and private players, have to be part of the solution, the report said. Private insurers may be making healthy profits, but government entities such as Medicare, accounting for more than half of the beneficiaries in the U.S., can also play a vital role, for example by providing higher overall reimbursements.

"There can and should be more equitable distribution of private dollars to ensure that hospital closures don't create health care deserts around the country," the report said.

After all, there are vested interests in insurers making sure health systems don't collapse.

"We can't rely on altruism here but there is a real business incentive for payers to do so," Szoa Geng, BCG managing director, said in an interview. "If hospitals fail en masse, their members are going to have less access to care. If you take a long lens to this, we all have to help stabilize the system."

Private equity, too, can improve convenience and access to patients in more consumer-friendly ways than traditional settings.

Firstly, before such concerted alliances in everyone's interests can take place, nonprofit hospitals and health systems have to take a long-term look at the services they provide and not waiver from their core mission, which is to "deliver care, pure and simple."

But independent cost-cutting, while vital, isn't enough to sustain health systems on their own and help form a sustainable and resilient sector essential to the well-being of patients and communities.

"As we recover from a multiyear pandemic and move through a period of high economic uncertainty, all players in the healthcare ecosystem would benefit from working together toward this worthwhile goal," the report concludes.
Delta (Colo.) County Memorial Hospital received $1.4 million in advance payments from the state after the hospital discovered it was low on cash due to high debts, The Fort Morgan Times reported April 2.

The Colorado Healthcare Affordability and Sustainability Enterprise paid $653,060 to the hospital March 31, and the hospital will receive a second tranche of $818,262 by April 21.

The payments are not loans, but an earlier delivery of money the hospital was going to receive, according to the report.

It is still being determined whether the payments will be enough to stabilize the hospital's financial situation.
An analysis by the Employers Forum of Indiana says the state could save up to $2 billion if some hospitals lowered their prices. However, some hospital leaders say the group's assessment is inaccurate, Indiana Public Media reported April 3.

Nonprofit, non-critical access hospitals raked in 76 percent of commercial patient revenue in the state, the analysis said. Gloria Sachdev, president and CEO of the Employers Forum of Indiana, said capping those hospitals' prices could contribute to massive savings.

If Indiana's five largest health systems lowered their prices to meet the national average  which is defined as 260 percent of what Medicare pays, the state could see cost savings, the analysis said.

But that figure could have "devastating impacts" on Indiana hospitals, Brian Tabor, president of the Indiana Hospital Association, told Indiana Public Media. He said using Medicare reimbursement as a benchmark does not paint an accurate picture of the state's hospital prices.

"If we talk about all of these other pieces, Medicaid [reimbursement], physician rates  maybe we can get to a place that is a more holistic solution," Mr. Tabor said in the report. "But it's not going to come from a pounding on hospitals."
Whittier, Calif.-based PIH Health had its outlook revised to negative from stable amid what S&P Global described March 27 as an "uneven operating trend" including a negative performance through its most recent reported quarter.

The rating for the three-hospital system was affirmed at "A" both for a series of bonds and on its default rating.

"It further reflects PIH Health's worsened balance sheet following the addition of a significant line of credit that has negatively affected debt-related ratios," analyst Aamna Shah said of the decision to revise the outlook.

As well as its hospitals, PIH Health operates several outpatient offices, urgent care sites and specialty services including cardiac care and women's health, serving more than 3 million residents in the Los Angeles, Orange County and San Gabriel Valley region.
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Nonprofit hospitals that pay their board members are associated with providing less charity care than hospitals that do not compensate their trustees, according to a study published April 3 in Health Affairs.

Because board member compensation was linked with less charity care, the researchers from Johns Hopkins University and George Mason University wrote that their findings may affect how hospital trustees are selected and how well they fulfill fiduciary duties.

The researchers analyzed Internal Revenue Service data from 2019 for the 2,058 nonprofit hospital organizations in the U.S.

"Trustees in nonprofit organizations are generally expected to be motivated to serve on the board as advocates on behalf of stakeholders to advance the organizational mission," the authors wrote. "Our results suggest that this general depiction of compensation in nonprofit organizations does not apply to many nonprofit hospitals."

Five key takeaways:

Among all nonprofit hospitals, more than 37 percent compensated their board members in 2019.



From 2011 to 2019, nonprofit hospitals that paid board members increased compensation by 57 percent, rising from $31,964 to $50,156.



The average amount of charity care provided by nonprofit hospitals was $6.6 million in 2019.



On average, a $10,000 increase in average board member compensation was linked with a nearly $70,000 decrease in annual provided charity care.



From 2011 to 2019, average charity care-to-expense ratio for nonprofit hospitals that paid board members decreased from 2.5 percent to 1.6 percent. For non-paying hospitals, the ratio fell from 2.5 percent to 2.2 percent on average during the same period.

Six study limitations:

Compensation was defined as a salary or contract service, so total compensation for trustees in other forms may be higher.



Some board members are employed by hospitals, so compensation for only board services was difficult to determine.



Because of how IRS data is organized, the authors could not study individual hospitals within a health system and there were inaccuracies with measuring state fixed effects.



Because the study is descriptive, it does not provide evidence for causal inferences between charity care and board member compensation.



The authors could not identify how much in charitable contributions and services a hospital received from individuals because of a lack of data.



The relationship between board member compensation and the proportion of uninsured or publicly insured patients was beyond the study's scope.

The study's authors were Ge Bai, PhD, Hossein Zare, PhD, and Gerard Anderson, PhD from Johns Hopkins, and Sebahattin Demirkan, PhD, from George Mason. Funding and support was provided by the Episcopal Health Foundation, the Commonwealth Fund, Arnold Ventures and PatientRightsAdvocate.org.






K. Craig Kent, MD, serves as CEO of Charlottesville, Va.-based UVA Health and executive vice president for health affairs at the University of Virginia.

Before joining UVA Health in February 2020, Dr. Kent spent four years as dean of the Ohio State University College of Medicine in Columbus. He was also previously chair of the department of surgery at University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in Madison and served as chief of the division of vascular surgery at Weill Medical College of Cornell University and Columbia Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, both based in New York City.

Dr. Kent told Becker's Hospital Review he's excited about the many parts of UVA Health's first-ever enterprisewide strategic plan. He shared details about the plan, his top priorities for this year and how his clinical background influences his leadership style. He also offered some advice for his peers.

Editor's note: Responses were lightly edited for length and clarity.

Question: UVA Health, a six-hospital academic health system, has unveiled a 10-year strategic plan that aims to improve access to care by hiring more primary care providers, expand its specialty care network and biotechnology research program, and invest in its community and workforce. What has you most excited about this plan?

Dr. Craig Kent: The plan involves all four of our missions: clinical care, research, education and community. We tried to get every employee to contribute to the plan, and we were successful in engaging 4,000 or 5,000 people in some form or another.

The plan began with the idea that we want to be a nationally recognized academic health system. So then you think about growing research and growing clinical trials, and you think about things like differentiated programs, the latest in technology and surgical interventions. That's where the plan was headed. And then somewhere along the way, we were tapped on the shoulder thousands of times and told, "It's going to be hard to achieve all of that unless you become a really good organization," meaning a best place to work or a patient can call and get an appointment in your clinic or every part of your organization runs efficiently, including the operating room. So we paused at that point and then really divided the plan into two parts. One was what I'll call the "good" part of the plan, which is we're trying to be a stronger, better organization for our people, a workplace of choice.

The second part of the plan is about being "great," meaning growing research and growing differentiated clinical care and being a destination for education. If you look through the plan, it's really a mixture of both. But now more than ever, the fundamentals are important. If there's not enough staff anywhere, and if you're not a workplace of choice, if you can't encourage your people to be excited about your organization and stay part of your organization, you're not going to be successful.

Q: What are a few of your top priorities in 2023?

CK: Staffing is our top priority for 2023. We now have about 900 travelers and between our various hospitals are struggling to keep beds open, keep the operating rooms functioning. Our emergency room is always overwhelming because we don't have enough staff. We have beds. We have ambulatory facilities. However, we don't have enough staff to take care of all the patients that want to come to UVA Health.

So that is an imminent issue that we need to solve. And we've created some reasonably innovative approaches to it. We're beginning to have a significant amount of success. There was a period of time when the number of people leaving the organization was higher than the number of people arriving in the organization. I suppose that was true for a lot of places. About five or six months ago, that turned, and we're recruiting quite a few more people than we're losing. We need another year of that before we might be able to catch up, and I'm sure it'll be a bumpy year.

Then on the "great" part of the strategic plan, we have received a $100 million gift to launch a biotechnology institute, and we hope to have another couple hundred million from the state. And then we're putting in resources, and we hope to invest about a half a billion dollars in the biotech institute with a new facility and 100 new researchers coming to UVA Health. The focus on this is translational research, meaning the types of ideas that become a phase one clinical trial and eventually become FDA approved. So part of that work is greatly enhancing our clinical trials and partnering with biotech to bring new discoveries to people. So, if you asked on both sides of the strategic plan, "What are my No. 1 priorities?" Staffing on the "good" part and this biotech institute on the "great" part.

Q: How does your physician experience inform your leadership style?

CK: I've seen a lot of great health system leaders, and some are not physicians and some are. I can only speak for myself. I'm a vascular surgeon, and for many years, a very busy clinician. At one point, I was doing 300 or 400 cases a year. I love taking care of patients and seeing great results after a good operation. But what that really means is that I've been sitting around waiting for an operating room to come available at 11 p.m. on a Friday. I've been backed up in the clinic when there aren't enough rooms and staff. I've been frustrated by decisions that senior leadership made, that from my perspective years ago, didn't make sense to me. Of course, now they all do. But having lived those experiences, and probably most importantly, I achieved the joy of taking care of patients, being in front of a patient and seeing somebody helped by what you do. It gives me a different perspective on healthcare that I feel like I wouldn't have if I didn't have that clinical experience. So when a clinician comes into my office and complains about this or that or is concerned about safety, I get it completely. I understand that. I'm empathetic to their issues. I think it maybe enhances my passion to try to solve problems, make it better for the physicians and the nurses and all the other healthcare workers, because I have that background, I've been there. I've done it. At the same time, there are nonphysicians who are great CEOs and have that compassion. I don't think it's black or white, but it certainly helped me in my ability to lead.

Q: If you could pass along a piece of advice to other hospital CEOs, what would it be?

CK: Be positive, be optimistic, be perseverant. Most importantly, remember why we're here, which is to take care of people's health. Go back to the fundamentals of an individual patient in the operating room or in the clinic or in a hospital bed and what they're there for and what incredible privilege we have to be able to help those people. If you can remember that, then when you hear the latest economics of your organization or hear how many travelers you have or learn that your emergency room was backed up last night, it gives you some positivity to hold on to, to look forward to, to make it feel like it's all worth it. CEOs are trying to keep things moving forward, and make sure all those patients are taken care of. So that would be my advice: to stay with it, stay optimistic and remember why we're here.








A teenager posed as a physician assistant at two Corpus Christi, Texas hospitals for nearly a month before being caught, KRIS reported April 3.

Zachry Bailey purchased $41 worth of scrubs and walked into Corpus Christi Medical Center's Bay Area Hospital asking for a badge. The hospital's primary human resources staff were out of the office. Mr. Bailey told the volunteer coordinator manning the office that he was a traveling physician assistant. The coordinator made him a badge, though she said she had reservations about it.

"They basically beat it into our heads that we needed to be all about customer service, so I was like OK, if you send me a picture, then I can get your badge started for you," CCMC's former volunteer coordinator said. She said she then informed her supervisors of the incident the same day, noting Mr. Bailey's apparent age, but nothing came of it.

Mr. Bailey was seen in two Corpus Christi hospitals: Bay Area and Doctors Regional. Between March 31 and April 28, 2022, he came and went without notice, sometimes seen in the dressing rooms changing into other people's clothes or scrubs. According to the report, no one was suspicious until he was hanging around the intensive care unit one night.

"He was asking about other doctors that work there, talking about the other nurses, talking about his girlfriend and cars and just all sorts of stuff, and the more they were telling me he was talking about the more I felt something is not right," an ICU nurse told KRIS. "I don't know if he was specifically asking for access to the computer, but he was just mentioning that he doesn't have access, which you need a [certain type of] ID and he was asking how he gets access."

When asked, Mr. Bailey mistakenly said he went to a community college called Stevens College, which is an all girls school.

"He is saying he's a PA, that he is Dr. Gleeson's PA, that he is going to come do our procedures  I was like the kid looks 12 years old, I just don't believe anything he's saying," another ICU nurse told KRIS.

The nurses dug into Mr. Bailey's social media and determined he wasn't who he said he was. Mr. Bailey was escorted out and his badge access disabled. The volunteer coordinator who issued the badge was let go that week.

"Corpus Christi Medical Center notified local law enforcement of an incident involving a physician assistant impostor in our facility in April 2022," a system spokesperson told Becker's. "The suspect did not have any interaction with any patients inside our hospital. We take this matter very seriously and continue to assist local officials in their investigation."

Texas police officers became involved in the case shortly after the discovery. According to the article, Missouri police already had an open case against Mr. Bailey related to alleged bank fraud.

While posing as a medical professional, Mr. Bailey rented an apartment. Texas officers went to the apartment and impounded Mr. Bailey's car, recovered the hospital badge and a bag of scrubs detectives said were stolen. A few days later, the police returned with a warrant but found the apartment abandoned.

Police arrested Mr. Bailey at a local hotel without incident. Inside the room, they found a "ghost gun"  a homemade gun without a serial number, which is legal to own in Texas for people older than 21  a bulletproof vest, a gun belt, ammunition, more stolen scrubs and a T-shirt with "sheriff" written on it. Investigator's said they believe the teenager was "preparing to impersonate a peace officer since his PA impersonation was revealed."

Mr. Bailey was arrested in June 2022 and released on bond. However, he was arrested again a month later for violations related to his GPS tracking system. He was released on bond in October and in December pleaded guilty to the third-degree felony of practicing as a physician assistant without a license. He was sentenced with deferred adjudication and his conviction will be removed from his record after six years if he meets the terms of his community supervision.

Part of the community supervision included staying in the state of Texas. However, KRIS discovered Mr. Bailey had moved to Oklahoma. After the publication informed the community supervisions department, Mr. Bailey was ordered to return. He stood before a judge who ordered him to stay in Texas.
San Antonio-based Methodist Healthcare inked an agreement to buy Hill Country Memorial in Fredericksburg, Texas, the San Antonio Business Journal reported April 3.

President and CEO Dan Miller said Methodist plans to spend more than $15 million in "capial improvements" for the hospital, the report said. Hill Country Memorial is located in a "high-growth" area and will be rebranded as Methodist Hospital | Hill Country. Terms of the deal weren't disclosed.

The deal with Methodist includes a hospice and home care provider, eight clinics and a medical group. Clint Kotal will be the new CEO of Methodist Hospital | Hill County.
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.

Cresco, Iowa-based Regional Health Services of Howard County fired registered nurse Lori Martinek in September for allegedly violating hospital policy on the use of patient restraints, the Iowa Capital Dispatch reported April 3.

A bleeding man had arrived at the hospital in the middle of the night armed with a hammer and behaving in an aggressive manner, the report said. Five law enforcement officers were able to subdue the patient before a decision was taken for Ms. Martinek to administer a chemical restraint.

Despite then being safely restrained on the bed, the patient kicked Martinek in the stomach as she attempted to insert a catheter, according to the report. The following day, Ms. Martinek was fired for violating hospital policy on restraints.

The hospital then challenged Ms. Martinek when she claimed unemployment benefits.

After reviewing video evidence of the incident, Administrative Law Judge Jason Dunn ruled there were no hospital witnesses to support its case against Ms. Martinek and that there was no evidence to support misconduct claims against her.

"The restraint and professionalism of (Martinek) and law enforcement during this harrowing episode was exemplary," Mr. Dunn ruled, adding that Ms. Martinek's "demeanor was calm and professional, and she provided care to (the patient) without any note of anger or irritation."
Sandy Mai Trang Nguyen, a former licensed pharmacist in Irvine, Calif., was found guilty on 21 counts of healthcare fraud and sentenced to 180 months in federal prison.

U.S. District Judge Otis Wright II also ordered Ms. Nguyen to pay $11,098,756 in restitution.

As the former lead pharmacist at the Irvine Wellness Pharmacy, Ms. Nguyen was part of a scheme that filled more than 1,000 fake prescriptions, costing the Tricare, the health program for uniformed service members and families, more than $11 million.

"Nguyen and others under her supervision filled approximately 1,150 compounded prescriptions for pain, scarring and migraines that Tricare reimbursed for tens of thousands of dollars per prescription," according to an April 3 news release from the U.S. District Attorney's Office for the Central District of California. "Nearly all the prescriptions were sent to the pharmacy by so-called marketers who were paid kickbacks of upwards of 50 percent of the Tricare reimbursements."

Evidence alleges that Ms. Nguyen was aware of what was going on and additionally obstructed a federal audit "by providing bogus, cut-and-pasted prescriptions to frustrate Tricare's effort to validate millions of dollars paid for the same prescriptions," the release states.

"At [Nguyen's] trial, the government proved that [Nguyen] knew that IWP was, essentially, a fraud factory that was churning out prescriptions solely to make a fast buck," prosecutors argued in a sentencing memorandum. "She routinely ignored the numerous red flags that indicated that the prescriptions were fraudulent."

A co-defendant in the case, Marcus Orlando Armstrong, received nine and a half years in federal prison. Others involved have pleaded guilty to their charges, but have yet to receive sentencing.
Bethlehem, Pa.-based St. Luke's University Health Network is facing a proposed class-action lawsuit that accuses the system of charging some unvaccinated employees more for health insurance, lehighvalleylive.com reported March 31.

St. Luke's raised each employee's insurance premium by $1,100 in January 2022, but offered a discount to offset that entire amount, according to the report. The suit alleges that while all vaccinated employees and unvaccinated employees with medical exemptions from the system's mandate received the discount, employees with religious exemptions did not.

A lawyer representing one of the employees said in a March 30 news release that the woman and about 500 of her colleagues were forced by the health system to "pay more for their group health insurance solely because their religious beliefs interfere with its ambitious vaccination campaign."

The health system told the news outlet in a statement that the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission previously reviewed the matter and did not find any violations. St. Luke's said the allegations in the lawsuit are without merit and it will "aggressively defend this matter."
Facility fees add an unexpected burden to families in Colorado, Nicholas Nonas, MD, a retired physician, wrote in Colorado Politics April 3.

Dr. Nonas said that unexpected costs could prevent families from seeking out medical care when they need it. The op-ed comes as the Colorado legislature looks to end some facility fees; Dr. Nona urged policymakers to support these measures.

"By limiting the facility fee loophole, we will limit unreasonable and excessive medical bills that prevent Coloradans from seeking care," Dr. Nonas said. "We cannot allow powerful hospital systems to continue to grow their profits at the expense of Colorado patients."
Up to 30 percent of New York nurses' clinical training time could be conducted in a simulation lab if Gov. Kathy Hochul signs legislation recently passed by the State Assembly, according to an April 3 article on nurse.org.

If the governor signs the bill before June, the law would go into effect for the spring 2024 semester.

The bill is designed to address the critical nursing shortage in New York.

N.Y. state Sen. Toby Ann Stavisky, chair of the Senate Higher Education Committee and co-sponsor of the bill, said in a March 27 news release that "These simulated experiences effectively replicate the experience a nurse will face in the field. It is an effective tool that will help New York train and license more qualified, quality nurses to help fill a growing and critical need."

Additionally, the bill is designed to provide a faster route for qualified nurses to take the National Council Licensure Examination.

Currently, there are restrictions on time in simulation labs and nurses are not able to replace in-person, pre-licensure clinical hours with lab time.

"I have witnessed these trainings firsthand at Binghamton University's Decker College of Nursing and seen how realistic these state-of-the-art simulations can be," N.Y. state Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo, co-sponsor of the bill, said in the release.






It has been about a month since a U.S. drugmaker closed all operations, and since then, at least 14 drugs have gone into shortage and four are discontinued.

The timeline of what happened:

1971: Akorn Operating Co. was founded as a generic and specialty drug company.

April 2018: Fresenius Kabi, a Germany-based drugmaker, terminated a $4.75 billion merger agreement with Akorn because of the latter's "breaches" of "regulatory compliance," according to court documents. In October 2018, a Delaware court ruled in Fresenius' favor and said it "validly terminated" the agreement because of Akorn's compliance issues.

January 2019, June 2019: The FDA sent Akorn, based in Gurnee, Ill., warning letters about manufacturing violations at two of its plants.

May 2020: Akorn filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, and the company listed between $1 billion and $10 billion in debt and assets in its bankruptcy petition. The U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware then approved existing lenders to buy the business, allowing Akorn to escape bankruptcy.

April 2022: It settled for $7.9 million in a case that accused Akorn of seeking reimbursement for three generics not eligible for Medicare coverage.

December 2022: Moody's listed Akorn as one of 34 healthcare companies at risk of default in 2023 because of excessive debt levels and weak operating performance.

February 2023: The company laid off all its workers and closed all manufacturing sites Feb. 23.

March 2023: Hospitals began reporting a strained supply of a form of liquid albuterol, which is used in a device to help patients breathe. Nephron Pharmaceuticals told Becker's it was manufacturing its form of liquid albuterol "as fast as possible," and the FDA acknowledged the supply issue. Illinois said it will investigate whether Akorn complied with federal labor laws before it laid off hundreds.

April 2023: Four drugs made by Akorn were discontinued because the company was responsible for 100 percent of the nation's supply of these products, and 14 drugs are now in worsened shortages.
Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Co. now sells more brand-name drugs.

After breaking into the brand-name market in March  over a year since launching its online wholesaler company  Cost Plus Drugs offers three brand-name products made by Janssen, a Johnson & Johnson business. Cost Plus Drugs sells about 1,000 generics and four brand-name drugs.

The three products are Invokana (canagliflozin), Invokamet (canagliflozin-metformin HCl) and Invokamet XR (canagliflozin-metformin HCl), according to a Cost Plus Drugs tweet.

One of them, Invokana, is a Type 2 diabetes drug that typically costs more than $675, according to Cost Plus Drugs' website. Mr. Cuban's company's price is $243.90.
Widespread mixtures of fentanyl and xylazine are causing concern for health officials in South Dakota  particularly because the combination cannot be aided by naloxone, according to an April 4 news release from the state's department of health.

The mixture of xylazine, also known as "Tranq," with opioids like fentanyl is becoming increasingly common nationwide. In October 2022, the Drug Enforcement Administration issued a public report on the matter, calling xylazine mixtures "the deadliest drug threat our country has ever faced."

According to the same report, the mixture was found in 48 of 50 states, and "in 2022 approximately 23 percent of fentanyl powder and 7 percent of fentanyl pills seized by the DEA contained xylazine."

While an overdose of the synthetic opioid fentanyl could ordinarily be reversed with the use of naloxone, the drug's mixture with a sedative such as xylazine cannot be aided by it, "which makes this combination much more deadly," according to Tim Southern, PhD, a public health laboratory administrator at the South Dakota Department of Health.

"We want to make sure the public is aware of the dangers of this mixture and that medical professionals are equipped to handle any cases that may arise," he said in a statement.

Health professionals are being directed to report any detection of fentanyl and xylazine mixtures to the Department of Health immediately. The South Dakota Department of Health is working alongside the DEA and other agencies to monitor instances as they arise.

While this alert was issued by the state of South Dakota, instances of this are not isolated to the state. CBS Bay Area reported April 4 that a 36-year-old man's death was linked to a xylazine mixture.
Around one third of the milk produced in Northern Ireland is now going south of the border with suppliers including Chestnutts Farm in Portrush

Chestnutt Farms have recently incorporated a milk vending machine business and a recent expansion into the production of Greek style yoghurt (Credit: Martin McKeown)

William Chestnutt on his 250 strong dairy farm on the Ballybogey Road outside Portrush (Credit: Martin McKeown)

Dairy sits alongside whiskey, tourism, arts and media as sectors reaping the rewards of an all-Ireland economy after the Good Friday Agreement.

And Chestnutt Farm in Portrush is among the dairy producers benefiting from open trade across the island, supplying most of its milk to Green Pastures in Donegal.

About a third of Northern Irelands milk output  around 800 million litres  is now exported to the Republic of Ireland, according to a report published by business group Ibec earlier this year.

William Chestnutt, a fourth-generation dairy farmer, said: The dairy industry in Northern Ireland and the south of Ireland really took off over the last 20 years and the ability to supply outside of Northern Ireland has been crucial.

Of the milk produced here, 95% is exported out of Northern Ireland because we produce such a large volume of milk but have such a small population.

The Dairy Council for Northern Ireland highlighted the impact of the Agreement in opening up an all-island dairy value chain delivering economic benefits to the industry in Northern Ireland, benefiting dairy farmers, processors and wider rural communities.

Dr Mike Johnston, chief executive of the Dairy Council, said: The implementation of the Agreement made possible the free movement of milk with around one third of the milk produced in Northern Ireland now going south of the border annually to be processed, bringing economies of scale that contribute to an industry with an annual value approaching 1.5bn in Northern Ireland.

The growth of the industry to become an economic driver for Northern Ireland is unparalleled; with economic efficiencies come the setting of high standards and environmentally efficient processes which have led to a global demand for our products.

The combination of the GFA and the common EU standards that apply throughout the island have allowed investment to take place that has improved efficiency and maximised return on investment, all of which has benefited dairy farmers, their families and local communities in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

As anyone who worked in the industry before and after the implementation of the Agreement will attest, dairy is an outstanding example of the positive outworking of the GFA.

William has worked on his family farm since he was a child, but joined the business full time in 2010 and completing his agriculture degree at Newcastle University and spending 10 months working and travelling in Australia and New Zealand.

Chestnutts Farm is dairy-focused with a few head of beef cattle and some crops grown for the familys own use.

We milk 250 cows on 350 acres, some our own and some rented, he said. There would be maybe 500 head of livestock altogether including dairy replacements and calves.

William Chestnutt on his 250 strong dairy farm on the Ballybogey Road outside Portrush (Credit: Martin McKeown)

William farms alongside his parents, one full-time member of staff and two part-time relief milkers.

A dairy farm will typically supply one processor, which sends out its own tankers to collect supply.

Chestnutts Farm supplied its produce through the Milk Marketing Board up until it was disbanded around 1995, and then partnered with LacPatrick Dairies in Artigarvan, Co Tyrone.

A series of mergers and acquisitions followed with LacPatrick eventually joining the Lakeland Dairies co-op in the Republic of Ireland.

Then, four years ago, we started supplying a family-owned creamery in Donegal called Green Pastures, said William. I didnt like the way the co-op structure was set up and didnt feel the farmers in Northern Ireland had much say in it.

The way the Green Pastures payment system works, it incentivises autumn and winter production as in Donegal they would have quite a few spring calving herds.

The bonus payments suited our system, as we were going down the autumn calving route and having the majority of our cows in September and October.

Green Pastures collects milk from the farm, which produces an annual 2.2 million  2.3 million litres, every other day.

At peak production, we could be up as high as 16,000 litres every two days and then whenever were at our lowest point of production, which would be in August and September, we would be down as low as 6,000 litres, he said.

Green Pastures main markets, meanwhile, are liquid milk for Dunnes Stores supermarkets in the Republic of Ireland and cream cheese and creme fraiche for the foodservice industry.

Not all milk produced on Chestnutts Farm is destined for Donegal, with the family introducing the first on-farm vending machine on the island of Ireland, The Milk Hut, back in 2020.

Chestnutt Farms have recently incorporated a milk vending machine business and a recent expansion into the production of Greek style yoghurt (Credit: Martin McKeown)

We initially looked at that partly because of our location, said William. In Portrush theres a large community of caravans and tourism on the North Coast and not just in the summertime, as we have the Giants Causeway and Bushmills Distillery which are year-round attractions.

Also, Im really not a fan of the milk in supermarkets and think the way its processed changes its flavour. The vending machine opened up the opportunity to diversify and let other people find out what milk tastes like whenever its not as processed.

Three main elements differentiate his milk from standard supermarket produce.

We sell only whole milk in the vending machine, he said. The type of pasteurisation we use is called batch pasteurisation, which is not what most big creameries use because they just couldnt get the volume. It suits us because were only selling small volumes. The batch pasteurisation is done at a lower temperature for a longer time, 63 degrees for half an hour, in a stainless-steel pasteuriser.

The other difference is milk in a supermarket is homogenised, so they push the cream through at very high pressure to break down the fat globules. Our milk is not homogenised so if you keep it in the fridge, a layer of cream will form at the top.

And then the third difference is the standardisation, so whole milk in the supermarket would be 3.6-3.7% fat where our milk tends to not be any less than 4% and just that wee bit creamier.

Vending machine sales will range from 30-40 litres on quiet days to upwards of 150-200 litres on high-volume days in the summertime.

While a busy working farm, Chestnutts does host prearranged groups through Causeway Coast Foodie Tours and participated in last years Open Farm Weekend.

Williams wife Alison also operates a small farm shop stocking its own milk and Greek yoghurt alongside around 35 local brands from Ballylisk cheese to preserves from Dundarave Estate in Bushmills.

After 18 months of strong pricing, William said the trend is now going the other way.

Because we have such a big reliance on exports, were very susceptible to changes in price in the world market, he said. Recently the market for the main export products that come out of Northern Ireland, the likes of whole milk powder, skimmed milk powder and cream and butter, has crashed and farmgate prices have crashed so were staring down the barrel of a period of very low milk prices.

As much as the price of fertiliser has come back, our feed bill hasnt. The next six to nine months are going to be quite difficult and hard to predict.

But you have to take the rough with the smooth. Weve had a period of high milk prices and I just hope they return sooner rather than later.
The site in Drumbeg which Jimmy Nesbitt and Maurice Brown want to build their 5m boutique hotel

A property company led by actor James Nesbitt which is behind a proposed new hotel near Lisburn has reported fixed assets of 4.7m in its accounts.

Nesbro submitted plans for a luxury hotel, brasserie and spa which will be located in Drumbeg outside Belfast, close to the Lagan Towpath.

The company, led by Mr Nesbitt and his business partner Maurice Brown, has now filed unaudited financial statements for the year ending June 2021.

They show a 21% increase in the companys fixed assets from 3.9m to 4.7m.

The amount owed by debtors almost doubled from 13,819 to 27,420.

James Nesbitt

However, the companys debts to its own creditors due after more than one year were 3.6m, while it owed 97,624 within one year.

Shareholder funds were 904,522, up 53% from 592,036.

Companies House records show that Nesbro Ltd had been the subject of a compulsory strike-off action as it had failed to file accounts for the last two years.

That action has now been discontinued following the filing of accounts for the year ending June 2021. The accounts for the year ending June 2022 are now overdue.

Planning consultants Matrix Planning, which has acted for Nesbro in the project since 2015, said the application was proceeding as anticipated.

The nature of the business is described as the buying and selling of property.
The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has said it is investigating all recent allegations after the Guardian said it had been approached by more than a dozen women who said they had been victims of sexual misconduct by senior figures at the lobbying group.

One woman alleged to the newspaper that she had been raped during a staff party in 2019 and was later told by a manager to get counselling rather than to pursue the issue further.

The woman said she had not reported the event to the police and the CBI told the newspaper it had no record of the incident.

In a separate statement, the CBI said that commenting on cases would undermine an investigation which the group launched after its chief executive was accused of wrongdoing last month.

The CBI has treated and continues to treat all matters of workplace conduct with the utmost seriousness, which is why last month we commissioned a thorough investigation by an independent law firm into all recent allegations that have been put to us, it said.

It would undermine this important process and be damaging and prejudicial to all the individuals involved to comment on these allegations at this point.

We will not hesitate to take any necessary action when the investigation concludes.

Sources also told the Guardian there was a separate alleged attempted sexual assault by a manager at the same 2019 event where the woman alleged she was raped.

The CBI told the paper that it had investigated the case and the alleged perpetrator left the organisation.

Furthermore, several women said a senior manager had sent unwanted intimate images to them, with the newspaper saying it had seen some of the images.

It comes after CBI boss Tony Danker stepped aside from his role a month ago after it was reported the group was looking into his conduct.

A woman employed by the CBI alleged Mr Danker had made unwanted contact with her which she considered to be sexual harassment.

Mr Danker apologised for causing offence or anxiety to any colleague and said that it was unintentional.
Singer links up with other celebs for pilgrimage on BBC show

Religious journey: Shane Lynch in Pilgrimage, which will be shown on BBC Two and the iPlayer   PA

Shane Lynch has decided to have a direct relationship with God after being on the dark side.

The 46-year-old Dubliner and former Boyzone member will feature this week in Pilgrimage on BBC Two, in which celebrities with differing faiths and beliefs tackle a modern-day Catholic journey.

Ahead of the show airing on Good Friday, Lynch, who is a Pentecostal born-again Christian, explained his relationship with his religion, saying: Im a born-again Christian. Its a lifestyle, its not a religion at all.

I was born and raised a Catholic, but I was baptised as a child. Being born again is the symbolism of baptism.

So as an adult, I made the choice to be baptised and I decided to have a direct relationship with God.

In the programme, which begins at 9pm, Lynch will be joined by actress Su Pollard, who was raised Church of England, Jewish actress Rita Simons, reality TV star Vicky Pattison, who is agnostic, practising Catholic, maths teacher and TV personality Bobby Seagull, Nabil Abdulrashid, a comedian and practising Muslim, and Paralympian Millie Knight who is non-practising Church of England.

Speaking about why he decided to change religion, Lynch said: I changed religion and I changed lifestyle.

I changed everything because of my behaviour. I was on the dark side and I was very interested in satanic stuff for a long period of my life.

I knew and understood the spirits as such (and the Spirit, the Holy Spirit), the spirits of the occult and witchcraft, which I know is a dark and horrible world.

So, knowing the dark, I decided I needed the light. That was the symbolism and I found Him.

The seven celebrities will travel by foot, road and train as they follow Portugals Northern Way.

Their final destination is the sanctuary in the city of Fatima, where in 1917, three local children claimed they saw apparitions of the Virgin Mary.

Lynch also said he feels his life has been enhanced by his religion, adding: Its given me life, more than enhancement. Its unbelievable.

We are the only ones who can decide. Its our decision to either want God or not.

God is not a bully. He doesnt come in and say right, Im in your life now.

You have to decide that you want to know what that world is. Experience that love and prosperity and he leaves you to it.

And if you want to go to Mass on Sunday, and thats it, then thats your relationship with God.

If you want to sit with God all day long in your car, listening to the radio, I look at it as mental food. Its what feeds my mind.

What I watch, what I listen to, what I digest, its actually mental food instead of mental health.

Last year Lynch dismissed rumours he might re-join Boyzone, swapping show business to focus on the pub he runs in England after relocating to Chesire.

He also said he would no longer sing professionally.

Pilgrimage: The Road Through Portugal will air on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer on Friday at 9pm
Paul Kerrs life was turned upside down when he lost his beloved wife, Pat, on September 11, 2022. Not only were the devoted, loving couple from south Belfast married for 48 years, but they also worked together in their own solicitors firm before retirement.
Three young men were allegedly subjected to a vicious sectarian assault in Belfast city centre after one was discovered to be wearing a GAA top, a court has heard.

Police said two of them were punched and kicked about the head and body as they lay defenceless in the middle of Castle Street at the weekend.

One victim suffered a broken collar bone and wrist during an attack described as savage and unprovoked.

Details emerged as a cattle farmer was remanded in custody over his alleged involvement in the incident early on Sunday morning.

Andrew McCullough appeared at Belfast Magistrates Court charged with two counts of attempted grievous bodily harm with intent.

The 36-year-old, whose address was given as Greenvale in the city, claims he acted in self-defence.

The court was told that the three victims, all aged 18, were on a night out when they struck up a friendly conversation with McCullough and another 35-year-old man currently in custody on connected charges.

A detective said the co-accused noticed one of the trio was wearing a GAA top and asked his religion.

On stating that he was a Catholic, he was punched in the face by, causing him to fall to the ground, she claimed.

When another of the teenagers tried to intervene he was also knocked over and savagely kicked to the head and body.

As one victim lay prone he was stamped on and trailed along the middle of the road, the court heard.

At one point the co-accused allegedly chased the third member of the group towards a nearby McDonalds restaurant before returning to continue the assault on his defenceless friend.

Based on CCTV footage of the incident, the 35-year-old man attempted to put one of the victims through a shop window and then threw him back onto the road.

McCullough allegedly joined in the attack by striking out at two of the teenagers lying on the ground.

While (his co-accused) was viciously assaulting them, McCullough just dandered over and kicked them, the detective contended.

Disputing suggestions McCullough felt under threat, she instead claimed that he adopted a laissez-faire attitude as the attacks were carried out.

He threw his water bottle, or whatever the contents were, over them, the detective said.

Opposing his application for bail, she confirmed police are treating it as a sectarian incident.

It was a vicious and unprovoked attack on three young adults who were just enjoying a night out with friends, she added.

Defence solicitor Hamill Clawson insisted nearly all of the alleged violence was carried out by his clients co-accused.

During police interviews McCullough claimed three males had approached him outside McDonalds and made sectarian comments.

At that point the co-accused became involved and allegedly carried out most of the violence.

My client indicates that one of the males on the ground said, When I get up Im going to kill you, and he went over and kicked him, Mr Clawson said.

He accepts that he went too far by kicking out at someone who was on the floor, but the magnitude of the injuries were not sustained by the actions of this defendant.

District Judge Steven Keown was told McCullough has no previous record, and rears cattle and horses on a 100-acre farm near Hillsborough, Co Down.

Bail was refused, however, on the grounds of risk of re-offending.

Remanding McCullough in custody until next month, Mr Keown said: On the police case, not only is this a case of extreme violence over a prolonged period, but also one based on sectarian views where the defendant is prepared to attack strangers on the basis of religion.
A Belfast man "caught red-handed'' dealing heroin to addicts in the city centre was jailed for eight months today.

James Brian Greer (38), of Ventry Lane, was told he will spend a further eight months on licence on his release from prison.

Greer had previously pleaded guilty to possessing heroin with intent to supply and possessing criminal property.

Prosecution lawyer Gareth Purvis told Belfast Crown Court that on May 13, 2022, police on duty in the King Street area observed a car with three people on board.

This defendant was the front seat passenger and he was observed repeatedly removing items from his underwear, fiddling with his trousers and leaning down into the footwell, Mr Puris told Belfast Recorder Judge Patricia Smyth.

He then got out of the vehicle and walked towards Castle Street and he was observed being followed by about six people who the officers recognised as heroin users.

They were trying to keep up behind and he was observed beckoning them to keep pace with him.

The court heard Greer was searched by police and a large amount of cash was found  667 and 95.

His mobile phone was constantly ringing with a variety of different numbers. He was strip-searched in Musgrave police station and a plastic wrap containing heroin was removed from between his buttocks.

His phone was examined and there was evidence of drug dealing between April and May 2022.

In total, 40 small plastic wraps of heroin were found on Greer.

The court heard Greer has 91 previous convictions, including offences of possessing drugs, arson, assault, dishonesty and road traffic offences.

In April 2014, the defendant was convicted of grievous bodily harm with intent and sentenced to nine years in prison with an extended licence period of three years.

After being caught dealing heroin in Belfast, Greer's licence was revoked and it is not due to expire until March 1, 2025.

Defence barrister Andrew Moriarty said Greer had a long history of substance abuse and had previously suffered trauma in his life.

There were some positive signs while on release on licence. He had been on a drug substitution programme and he appeared to be coping well without drugs but quickly relapsed.

He is keen to get back on the wagon to deal with his drug addiction.

The Probation Service assessed Greer as a high likelihood of reoffending but did not pose a danger to the public.

Passing sentence, Judge Smyth told the defendant that he had been caught red-handed dealing heroin.

The Belfast Recorder added: Drug addicts, like you, rely on people like you to feed them drugs to get a fix.

This is a pathetic set of facts I am dealing with and you should be ashamed of yourself.

Drug dealers like you selling heroin and destroying the lives of others. It is your choice whether you choose to destroy your own life, but you will not be allowed by these courts to destroy the lives of others.

And if that means you have to remain in custody, that is a consequence of your actions and the choices that you have made.

The court ordered the destruction of all the drugs.
A Belfast man previously convicted of rape has avoided a driving ban after a judge heard he needs his licence for his personal safety.

Instead of a driving ban, Gerald Verner (33) was handed 300 in fines and six penalty points for driving without insurance or a licence on September 29 last year.

Antrim Magistrates Court, sitting in Ballymena, heard that just after 4pm police stopped a Land Rover vehicle on the Belfast Road in Templepatrick.

Verner was driving and while police enquiries showed he had no driving licence, he claimed he did and used his mobile phone to show the officers a photograph of his driving licence.

It transpired however that Verner, formerly from Forthriver Park in north Belfast, had been banned from driving in 2019 and had not reapplied for his licence or sat an extended driving test as he would have been required to do.

Defence solicitor John Murphy conceded that Verner has a bad driving record and that while he had an insurance policy, the fact he was driving without a licence voided that policy.

His licence is important to him, said the solicitor, but when pushed by District Judge Nigel Broderick, he said Verner has issues I would rather not go into in open court.

I can read between the lines, but you have to give me something, said the judge and Mr Murphy told him the licence would be for his own personal safety, if I can put it that way  he has been moved out of an area for his own safety.

Read more Convicted rapist charged with fighting in childrens soft play area in Ards

Last Thursday, Verner was charged with three offences arising from an incident at Happy Town, a childrens soft play area on the Portaferry Road in Ards, on January 27, this year.

Verner was accused of common assault of a male complainant, using disorderly behaviour at Happy Town and causing criminal damage to the complainants clothing.

In March 2012, former soldier Verner was jailed after he admitted the ghastly and cruel oral rape and false imprisonment of a woman he assaulted and threatened to kill.

Verner had taken the woman prisoner, sexually attacked her, threatened to kill her and punched and kicked her in the face at his former home in Forthriver Park in north Belfast.

He served seven years in prison before he was released on licence.

District Judge Broderick said it was not without some considerable hesitation, because he has a poor record, that he wont be disqualified but he will have nine points on his licence.

Imposing the fines and six penalty points, the judge warned that if Verner has any other driving offences in the next three years, its highly likely that he will be disqualified for at least six months.
A new report into the cost of segregated education has been accused of 'misunderstanding the role of schools in society'

A new report into the cost of segregated education has been accused of misunderstanding the role of schools in society.

The report, from the Unesco Education Centre at Ulster University, estimated the cost of continuing to teach children in separate schools on religious grounds at 216m a year.

Dr Stephen Roulston, one of the authors of the report, said the current system is absolutely unsustainable.

It was recognised in New Decade, New Approach that we cannot continue to have a divided system of education which is costing us that amount of money whenever we really need that money going into frontline education services, he said.

But both the Controlled and Maintained sectors have hit back at the claim made in the report that 600,000 a day is being wasted through segregating pupils.

The Controlled Schools Support Council (CSSC) though said the report was incorrect in stating that the significant underfunding in education is due to duplication.

This report from Ulster University is partially funded by the Integrated Education Fund and CSSC would contend that this is an incorrect assertion and weakens the case for equality of education funding for our children and young people, the organisation said.

The report includes a misunderstanding of funding from external sources as well as questionable estimates based on attributed and not actual costs.

Our concern is that the report allows the Secretary of State and others to question the fundamental requirement for Northern Ireland education to receive funding equal to other regions in the UK as highlighted recently by leaders in education.

This desk-based analysis hasnt included any engagement with those working across education and neither does it include any actionable recommendations, the CSSC continued.

At a time when all education bodies agree that education here is significantly underfunded, the report will damage the case for equal funding for education here when compared to all other regions in the UK.

CSSC supports children and young people being educated together and agrees with the need for transformation and investment in the education system. We need a vision and strategy for education that includes everyone working together and all voices being listened to.

Our society is divided across a number of areas, however presenting education as being the problem is a misunderstanding of the role of our schools.

Peter Osborne, chairman of the Integrated Education Fund, said he thought the reports estimated cost of division and duplication of services in education was a little bit conservative.

What we are talking about here are key issues around not just the pressure on the public purse when all departments will say we need more money, including education, he said.

Its also about looking at a wider picture of having our young people and children on either side of the community not coming out of school with their life patterns already set.

But Jim Clarke, former chief executive of The Council for Catholic Maintained Schools, said it was very difficult to disentangle communities which are divided both socially and religiously.

The concept of simply lumping children into a single school is not the answer, because the bottom line here is we have too many schools, he said.

More efficient schools, larger schools, will reduce costs and of course the big cost that is non-educational is transport and the concept of moving children into integrated schools does not actually save very much in terms of transport.

Alliance MLA Connie Egan said division within education is coming at an unacceptably high social and economic cost.

To help build a united community, children should be taught together in a single, integrated education system, she said.

DUP MLA Diane Dodds said parental preference in which school a child attends has to be protected.

To remove this entirely would represent a very marked shift in approach. Overhauling our existing provision would also incur considerable costs, she added.

In GB this level of diversity is considered a positive. Parents in Northern Ireland are entitled to a degree of choice too.

I want to see the scourge of sectarianism rooted out and a Northern Ireland at ease with itself into the future, but that should not be at the expense of some level of parental choice in childrens education.
Almost 6,000 claims have been filed in recent years against Stormont's Department for infrastructure (DfI) over road defects. Pic: Getty Images   Getty Images/iStockphoto

Funeral processions have been unable to walk down the street because of the dire state of Northern Irelands roads, with one councillor comparing the number of potholes to the surface of the moon.

Last week it was revealed that almost 6,000 claims have been filed in recent years against the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) over road defects.

Figures also show that 2,405 claims were refused from 2020/21 to the end of the 2021/22 financial year, while 812,007 was paid out in claims over the same period.

DfI figures show that 336,686 was paid out in vehicle damage claims as a result of road defects in 2020/21. This increased to 475,320 in 2021/22.

Read more Stormont department hit with almost 6,000 road defect claims in two years

Speaking at a meeting of Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council, the SDLPs Declan McAlinden described the state of the roads as an absolute disgrace.

Last year, [the DfI] paid out 245,097 on 340 claims, he said. It is absolutely ridiculous.

Recently at home, there were two funerals and the main road was that bad we couldnt carry the coffins down the main road. It is an absolute disgrace.

Meanwhile, the DUPs Ian Wilson described rural roads as a moonscape and urged the DfI to get its act together.

DUP councillor Mark Baxter called on the council to invite DfIs Southern Division Manager to explain why the roads are in such a bad state.

There are thousands of pounds being wasted by road service and I think we should invite them to come and explain to ratepayers why the roads are in such bad shape, he said.

I dare say it is a lot cheaper to fix the potholes than it is to fix alloy rims and springs on the front of peoples cars.

It is a downright disgrace and everybody here, as an elected representative, has probably never had as many complaints.

UUP councillor Glenn Barr said the amount of cars being damaged is unreal and claimed when the DfI does manages to fix a pothole, they are using cheap stuff, which cracks after two days.

Sinn Feins Liam Mackle added there isnt a road in Lurgan that isnt crumbling or falling apart.

I do remember when DfI were last here, they did say that in 2013, their maintenance budget was 40 million, he stated.

It is currently 14 million and that is the reality of Conservative Government in the UK - it ends up with public services decimated.

DUP councillor Stephen Moutray added that motorists can be left waiting for months to receive compensation.

The UUPs Kyle Savage asked if the DfI had not already been invited to address the council and questioned the effectiveness of asking them to appear again.

ABC councils chief executive Roger Wilson, confirmed that in the last correspondence from DfI, the departments permanent secretary Julie Harrison, said she did not feel a meeting would be beneficial at this stage.

Mr Savage wryly noted, So we are asking for a letter to be sent again to get the same response back then, basically.
Former Philippine President Gloria Arroyo given 'Friendship Ambassador' award in Beijing

16:41, April 04, 2023 By Zhang Kaiwei ( People's Daily Online

Former Philippine President Gloria Arroyo was presented with the "Friendship Ambassador" award by the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC) for her contributions to promoting friendly exchanges between China and the Philippines in Beijing on April 3.

Over 70 diplomats, guests and youth representatives from the two countries attended the awarding ceremony.

Lin Songtian (R), the President of CPAFFC, presents the Friendship Ambassador award to Gloria Arroyo (L), the former Philippine President in Beijing on April 3, 2023. (Photo courtesy of CPAFFC)

Lin Songtian, President of CPAFFC, expressed his warm welcome to Arroyo and the Association for Philippines-China Understanding on her China visit and stressed that as friendly neighbors, China and the Philippines pursue win-win cooperation and common development.

"The foundation of China-Philippines relations lies in mutual respect, mutual learning and win-win cooperation," said Lin.

Lin praised Arroyo's contribution to the promotion of friendship between China and the Philippines. He also commended her for the instrumental role she played in strengthening bilateral relations between the two nations during her tenure as Philippine President.

Arroyo expressed her gratitude for the award. She said that during her presidency of the Philippines from 2001 to 2010, she attached great importance to the friendly relations between the two countries and visited China 15 times.

Arroyo added that she would really like to see more young people from the Philippines feel the great achievements made by China over the past few decades and understand each other better.

Jaime A. FlorCruz, Philippine ambassador to China, emphasized the great changes he has witnessed in China since its reform and opening-up. He also reaffirmed his commitment to furthering friendship and cooperation between the peoples, especially the youth of the Philippines and China.

"Learning language is important, but it is not enough to understand China and its complexities. You need to experience China, and travel is one way to cure ignorance," FlorCruz said.

The presenting of the "Friendship Ambassador" award highlights the deepening friendship between China and other countries, and is a recognition of the hard work and dedication of those who have worked tirelessly to promote bilateral ties between the two countries.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Wu Chengliang)
The Roadrunner has landed

Secret Service and Presidential vehicles arrive in Northern Ireland ahead of US President Joe Biden visit

The President's security detail vehicles were spotted arriving at Belfast International Airport one week prior to his arrival

The armoured cars were spotted travelling down Belfast's M2 ahead of the President's visit to Northern Ireland

The President's security detail vehicles were spotted arriving at Belfast International Airport one week prior to his arrival

The President's security detail vehicles were spotted arriving at Belfast International Airport one week prior to his arrival (Cobra Emergency)

A fleet of security vehicles used to transport and protect US President Joe Biden have been pictured arriving in Northern Ireland.

President Biden is expected in Belfast next Tuesday as part of events to mark the Good Friday Agreements 25th anniversary.

The vehicles were spotted by Cobra Emegency being off-loaded from a plane at Belfast International Airport before making their way down the M2 to a secure location.

Leading the pack of cars is The Roadrunner - a Ford F-350 Super Duty complete with modified six-door SUV body and a large satellite dome antenna on the roof.

Formally named the 'Sensitive Compartmentalised Information Facility', the heavy duty car is used by the White House Communications Agency's (WHCA) as a way of ensuring a secure connection between the President and his military commanders.

The dome on the roof acts as a secure phone booth to ensure private conversations can be carried out without the danger of interference should the President need to communicate with the military quickly and in an emergency.

Hypothetically, if the President, while in Northern Ireland, needs to order a nuclear attack or response  its the vehicle this would be carried out in.

It is also equipped with a full laptop set up, WiFi, as well as encrypted phone, radio and video services.

The cars set up is so advanced, The Roadrunner is believed to be able to detect incoming nuclear attacks.

Alongside technological advances, the car is also bulletproof and has impenetrable tyres.

The high-tech military grade vehicle was spotted alongside a group of armoured Chevrolet Suburbans which are often used to chauffer Secret Service staff.

Much like the Roadrunner, these cars are heavily protected and contain advanced communication technology for agents and security to quickly speak to others about the Presidents whereabouts.

The exact number of agents protecting the President at any one time is unknown, however there can be up to 500 US personnel regularly travelling with him on large scale foreign trips at one time.

Mr Biden is spending up to five days on the island of Ireland.

He is expected to fly into Northern Ireland on April 11 ahead of a day of engagements in Belfast on April 12.

The US president is then due to travel south later that day and will spend the remainder of the week in the Republic of Ireland, before leaving on Saturday April 15.

As well as official engagements in Dublin, Mr Biden is expected to travel beyond the capital for visits related to his Irish ancestry.

The Democratic politician can trace his ancestry to Ireland's west and east coasts, specifically Ballina in Co Mayo and the Cooley Peninsula in Co Louth.

His great-great-grandfather Owen Finnegan emigrated to the United States from the Cooley peninsula, while another great-great-grandfather, Patrick Blewitt, was born in Ballina, leaving during the Irish famine in 1850 to sail to America.

Last week Mr Biden made clear an increase in activity by violent dissident republicans opposed to the peace process in Northern Ireland would not deter him.

"No. They can't keep me out," he told reporters.
Coercion of young people by paramilitaries has been branded child abuse as Northern Ireland approaches the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement (Paul Faith/PA)   Paul Faith

Promises made when the Good Friday Agreement was signed must be kept in the face of the child abuse being committed by paramilitaries who are exploiting young people more than two decades on, experts have warned.

Some of the worst-affected communities are enduring residual violence and the trauma of the Troubles is still being experienced even by those who did not live through it, two academics said as Northern Ireland prepares to mark the 25th anniversary of the peace accord.

Concerns have been raised in recent times about paramilitary groups coercing young people into rioting in order to settle drug debts, with both loyalist and dissident republican groups being blamed for using the tactic to force people on to the streets.

Where such actions might have previously been labelled as recruitment, it is now being recognised as exploitation and child abuse, Dr Siobhan McAlister, from Queens University Belfast (QUB), told the PA news agency.

Both loyalist and dissident republican groups have been accused of forcing young people on to the streets to commit violence (Paul Faith/PA)   Paul Faith

The senior lecturer in criminology said: Violence towards children is child abuse, no matter who its carried out by, and increasingly now were starting to frame what might once have been termed recruitment as exploitation.

She said some young people are being manipulated and exploited by powerful individuals within their communities who are using situations of uncertainty or instability, feelings within communities where culture and identity might feel like theyre under threat to legitimise their own existence and they use those to boost support and to potentially draw young people in.

Recruitment of young people by paramilitaries is now being recognised as exploitation and child abuse, Dr Siobhan McAlister said (Liam McBurney/PA)

Dr McAlister, who has done research in the area of young people, marginalisation and conflict legacy for more than a decade, said it is only in more recent years that the worst-affected areas have been given more focus.

She said: It is those communities that still experience that residual violence and I guess we could say that the Good Friday Agreement in some respects never really responded to that.

We might say that it was a missed opportunity and that communities felt left behind, and that has taken until much more recently, as I say 2015 with the Fresh Start Agreement, for there actually to be a commitment and resourcing to tackle the issue of paramilitarism in Northern Ireland.

Young people are being coerced into trouble on the streets in some cases, experts have warned (Liam McBurney/PA)   Liam McBurney

That agreement saw the setting-up of the Independent Reporting Commission (IRC) which publishes annual reports on progress towards ending paramilitary activity.

Asked how big the problem of child exploitation by paramilitary groups is in Northern Ireland, Dr McAlister said it fluctuates but that some communities talk about a pervasive presence of these groups or individuals within that community.

She said official police statistics on paramilitary style so-called punishment shootings are likely to only be the tip of the iceberg because very few of the young people in the communities where she has undertaken her research have ever reported it or have ever come to the attention of the police.

Police Service of Northern Ireland statistics for February 2022 until January this year stated that all 26 casualties of paramilitary-style assaults during that period were aged 18 years and above.

Dr McAlister said her own and other peoples research suggested that just is not true and that in fact there have been younger victims.

Historically, young people who are involved in unrest on the streets have been treated as perpetrators, she said, adding that actually theyre victims of exploitation and manipulation by these powerful individuals within their communities.

Dr Gillian Shorter said drug-related deaths among the so-called ceasefire generation remain a serious concern, with statistics released in November showing them to be highest among people aged 25-34 at 26.9 per 100,000 people.

The senior lecturer at QUBs school of psychology said: People are defined by their parents history even if they havent lived through it, and thats even regardless of whether they talk about the past or not and we transfer  within families, across friends  ways of coping. Silence, substances, what we do with emotions that have nowhere to go.

She said while it is recognised that people use drugs for many reasons including pleasure and relaxation, they can also be used due to trauma response and coping.

She said: It is very interesting here that we have a very specific group here in Northern Ireland that are really suffering in that sort of 25 to 39 (age group) that were either young people or coming to age around about the time the Good Friday Agreement was signed.

Dr Shorter called on politicians to get back to Stormont, saying that unless more work is done to tackle the problem were going to keep passing these traumas down generation to generation.

She added: Every day that we delay cost lives, not just in drug-related deaths, but also in suicide and mental health issues. I implore people, please get back to Stormont.

We need to urgently respond and make good on our promises of that Good Friday Agreement because that ceasefire generation is the one thats dying.
PSNI vehicles in Newtownards (Photo by Kevin Scott for Belfast Telegraph)   Kevin Scott

The PSNI seized drugs and weapons linked to the ongoing UDA feud on Monday.

Detectives from the Paramilitary Crime Task Force (PCTF) conducted the searches at properties in north Belfast and Millisle.

Detective Inspector Corrigan said: During the search in Millisle a number of items were seized including a quantity of suspected Class C Controlled Drugs and suspected weapons including a stun gun and hatchet.

"During the search in North Belfast, we recovered a further quantity of suspected Class C controlled drugs and a balaclava.

We will continue to work with communities and partners to disrupt those involved in criminal activity and reduce the harm they cause to our society.

Police have asked anyone with information to contact them via 101.
A funeral director is calling on a Northern Ireland council to abolish what he described as shocking burial costs for families affected by electoral boundary changes.

Dunmurry undertaker David Capper has hit out at the astronomical fees grieving families now face after boundary changes shifted them from the Lisburn to Belfast council area  meaning they must pay non-resident burial costs.

Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council (LCCC) has seen general burial costs rise on average by 10%.

But the charge for non-residents burials at the weekend and public holidays has soared from 255 to 1,000 from the start of April.

Mr Capper, the former president of the British Institute of Funeral Directors (BIFD), said: You will have families who would have bought plots in the previous council boundary who are now being slapped with a massive hike to have their graves open.

There will be people who want to be buried alongside their husband or wife who passed away some years ago, but will now be treated as a non-resident of the super council area and facing new weekend and public holiday charges.

The other shocking cost is for the duplication of deed papers, which has gone from 60 to 460 for a non-resident, which is just madness for a piece of paper. We have to tell families about those costs, but no funeral directors were even consulted by the council.

The boundary changes for Northern Ireland councils took place in 2015, with the number of local authorities decreasing from 26 to 11.

David Capper

The result was that some areas were moved into a new council authority, causing some people to become non-resident when it came to the cemetery they have family members buried in.

Mr Capper added: What I would normally say to people about residency is, who empties your bin? Then we know if they are a resident or non-resident, which has changed since the new council structures were made.

We are in Dunmurry, which use to be in Lisburn council, but now we are in Belfast, so you are now seeing families effectively being considered as being from a different council area than loved ones who passed some years ago.

In some situations I am left advising families to look at other cemeteries, simply because of the price. I want the council to abolish these new charges, which have shot up astronomically almost overnight.

In years gone by, families would have been able to buy a plot in the old council with a date on the deeds of purchase, but they will still have to pay the new non-resident prices if they now live in the new council boundary.

Its understood that the higher weekend and public holiday charges are due in part to pay for council staff overtime wages.

It is also understood that another reason for the price hike is due to the LCCC area running out of grave spaces  although the councils decision on costs was taken behind closed doors in confidential session away from the press and public eye.

In recent times hedge rows were removed from Blaris cemetery to gain new spaces which, according to Mr Capper, are already running out.

He has now called for a by-law to be removed from Belfast City Council to allow new crematoriums to be built across Northern Ireland, in order to take the burden from Roselawn Crematorium and high costs away from bereaved families.

You are seeing many families making the decision for a cremation as burial costs are rising so much. We do not charge for remains to rest at our funeral home as they wait in a queue to be cremated, which at the moment can be up to 10-12 days.

The way forward as a possible solution to rising cemetery costs may be to allow more crematoriums in Northern Ireland, which will require Belfast City Council to lift any by-laws that it still has to permit new facilities.

In response to the new costs, a LCCC spokesperson said: Following the formation of Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council in 2015, it was recognised that a number of former LCCC ratepayers now resided in the Belfast City Council (BCC) area, as a result of the boundary changes.

In keeping with the transition period that was adopted for household rates, as a goodwill gesture it implemented a similar process for grave charges.

This scheme operated for three years and finished in 2018. From 2019, LCCC has offered two pricing structures, one for ratepayers in the council area and one for non-LCCC ratepayers. Burial costs have increased in line with council costs.
Former US President Bill Clinton believes it is a miracle that the Good Friday Agreement survived Brexit.

Mr Clinton, who was instrumental in last minute peace talks leading up to the 1998 deal, says Brexit was aimed at the heart of the Agreement.

Bill and Hillary Clinton were speaking to RTEs Prime Time to mark 25 years of the Agreement

Mr Clinton said the fact the 1998 deal weathered Brexit is a miracle.

Because Brexit was aimed right at the heart of the Good Friday Agreement, even if not intentionally... but it happened so thats the way it was, he said.

He added: "But the peace held, the Irish peace held.

However, both the former President and Mrs Clinton agree that the fundamentals of the Agreement are sound and will help the parties to find a way out of the current impasse.

Speaking to Miriam O'Callaghan in New York, Mr Clinton urged the unionist community to engage.

He said: I think we should say, look theres something to work with here. The party thats getting the most votes now [Sinn Fein] doesnt want to jam you, they want to work with you to resolve these things.

"How can we live together? How can we work together? How can we all put our heads on the pillow at night and feel at peace about what our children are going to face.

Mrs Clinton said Brexit set back Northern Ireland.

Well, it's disappointing in that one always hopes that a peace agreement will be followed, not only in the letter of the agreement, but in the spirit of it, she told RTE.

And I do think Northern Ireland is a very different place than it was 25 years ago... It's just that Brexit set it back, to be blunt, creating a very difficult situation for Northern Ireland in the midst of separating from the European Union.

"That looks like it's on the way to being resolved, and hopefully it will be. And then the next step will be to stand up a government...There's a lot of work to be done in Northern Ireland to deal with the continuing challenges that face the people, and those who were elected should get about the business of doing that."

In an earlier interview, Mr Clinton said the Windsor Framework deal between the UK and EU is as good as its going to get.

According to the Irish Times, Mr Clinton (76) made the remarks about the agreement concerning trade in and out of Northern Ireland.

The deal was unveiled by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and EU chief Ursula von der Leyen in February.

Mr Clinton was speaking during an address in New York.

The Windsor Framework, I think, is about as good as anybody could get and we ought to stand up the Government and, I think, get on with the business that the people voted for delegates to serve in the Northern Ireland parliament, he said.

During the address he also recalled difficulties regarding granting then Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams a visa to enter the United States, adding only his White House national security staff supported the move.

The State department thought I needed to be committed.

Mr and Mrs Clinton are due to arrive in Northern Ireland later this month for events to mark the Good Friday Agreement anniversary.

US President Joe Biden is expected to arrive on Tuesday, before heading to the Republic of Ireland.
The Good Friday Agreement (GFA) brought with it a number of phrases and terms that have now become much more common in Northern Ireland's political lexicon as a result.

From D'Hondt to decommissioning, here's an explainer for some of those terms from the historic 1998 peace accord.

D'Hondt

The Executive in the power-sharing institutions set up via the Good Friday Agreement uses a system called D'Hondt to decide who gets which ministerial roles.

Aimed at ensuring cross-community representation, the system uses a mathematical formula based of the principle of highest average.

The system reflects the strength of a party's support by taking into account the number of seats won in the election. Essentially the largest party gets the first pick of the ministries, followed by the second largest and so on. The system is also used to nominate committee chairs and committee members.

Decommissioning

The Good Friday Agreement led to the establishment of the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning (IICD) to oversee the complete disarmament of all paramilitaries. The IICD was headed up by Canadian General John de Chastelain.

It has never been confirmed exactly how the weapons were put beyond use, however it is rumoured that they were encased in concrete.

Decommissioning did not happen immediately after the signing of the GFA, for various reasons. It wasn't until 2005 that the process was completed.

Mitchell Principles

Devised by US Senator George Mitchell, who oversaw the GFA talks, the Mitchell Principles were a set of six commitments that the political parties had to adhere to in order to be permitted to attend the all-party talks that led to the signing of the Agreement.

The principles included participants committing to: democratic and exclusively peaceful means of resolving political issues; renouncing for themselves, and to oppose any effort by others, to use force, or threaten to use force, to influence the course or the outcome of all-party negotiations; and to urge that punishment killings and beatings stop and to take effective steps to prevent such actions.

On several occasions during the talks some parties  such as Sinn Fein and the Ulster Democratic Party  were barred from the talks over a failure to follow these principles.

Strands One, Two and Three

The core of the GFA is broken down the three strands which provide the framework for the political institutions. They were agreed by the British Government, Irish Government and most of Northern Ireland's political parties.

Strand One laid out the democratic institutions in Northern Ireland, the Assembly and Executive.

The North/South Ministerial Council, which enables co-operating between the institutions on both sides of the border, is Strand Two.

Strand Three is about British-Irish relations and saw the establishment of the British-Irish Council and the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference, to promote bilateral co-operation between the two Governments.

Independent Commission for the Location of Victims Remains (ICLVR)

The ICLVR was set up in the wake of the Agreement via a treaty between the UK and Irish Governments to those missing and presumed murdered and disappeared by paramilitaries during the Troubles.

It was originally established to locate the remains of 16 victims, however other names were added to the list as the years went on.

Over the years the majority of these remains have been recovered, however there are still four outstanding cases: Joe Lynskey; Columba McVeigh; Robert Nairac; and Seamus Maguire.

Under the treaty, any evidence obtained by the Commission, either directly or indirectly, is inadmissible as evidence in any criminal proceedings.

Principle of consent

The bedrock of the GFA, the principle of consent assets both the legitimacy of the aspiration to a united Ireland, and also the legitimacy of the wish of the majority of the people of Northern Ireland remain part of the United Kingdom.

It states the participants: recognise that it is for the people of the island of Ireland alone, by agreement between the two parts respectively and without external impediment, to exercise their right of self-determination on the basis of consent, freely and concurrently given, North and South, to bring about a united Ireland, if that is their wish, accepting that this right must be achieved and exercised with and subject to the agreement and consent of a majority of the people of Northern Ireland.

Demilitarisation/Demobilisation

The GFA saw the UK Government commit to reducing the number and role of the armed forces in Northern Ireland via a process of dimilitarisation/demobilization.

This happened gradually over the years, culminating in the official end of Operation Banner  the British Armed Forces mission in Northern Ireland  on July 31, 2007.

At the peak of Operation Banner in the 1970s, there around 21,000 British troops deployed here. Currently that figure is an estimated 1,700.

The 19th Amendment

The 19th Amendment refers to the 19th Amendment to the Constitution of Ireland. It allowed the Irish Government to amend Articles Two and Three of its constitution, in which the state laid claim to the whole of the island of Ireland. This allowed for the establishment of the shared political institutions between Northern Ireland and the Republic as envisaged in Strand Two of the GFA.

The amendment was approved via a referendum on May 22, 1998, and signed into law on June 3 later the same year. The Irish Government made an official declaration on December 2, 1999, bringing the changes to Articles Two and Three into effect.

Settlement train

Once of the most famous quotes to stem from the Good Friday Agreement negotiations came from then-Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Following the ceasefires in 1994, republican dissatisfaction with the talks led to the ceasefire breaking down on February 9, 1996, when the IRA bombed London's Docklands, killing two innocent civilians. The Government then broke off negotiations with Sinn Fein.

Within days of becoming PM, Tony Blair delivered a keynote speech in Belfast on May 16, 1997, warning republicans: The settlement train is leaving. I want you on that train. But it is leaving anyway and I will not allow it to wait for you.

Just over a month later the IRA reinstated its ceasefire and Sinn Fein were able to take party in the GFA talks.
SF thinks it should be illegal to treat a nun more favourably than a criminal  and not for the reason you might think
The law will be changed to prevent spineless criminals like Thomas Cashman refusing to attend sentencing hearings, Dominic Raab promised.

Cashman refused to face the family of his nine-year-old victim Olivia Pratt-Korbel as he was jailed for life for her murder.

Justice Secretary Mr Raab is under pressure to act to ensure killers cannot avoid appearing in court.

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Cashman is beginning a life sentence and must spend at least 42 years behind bars before being considered for parole after shooting the schoolgirl in her home in Dovecot, Liverpool, on August 22 last year.

Spineless criminals like Cashman who hide from their sentencing prolong the suffering of victims and their families, Mr Raab, the Deputy Prime Minister, said.

As I have already made clear, I plan to change the law to compel offenders to face up to their actions, so victims can see the justice they deserve being served.

Mr Raab committed to change the law, possibly by giving judges the power to impose longer terms on those who refuse to appear, after the killer of Zara Aleena refused to attend his sentencing in December.

The family of the murdered law graduate held talks with Mr Raab in the wake of Jordan McSweeneys sentencing and pushed for the change to prevent others suffering as they had.

McSweeney, who murdered 35-year-old Ms Aleena as she walked home in Ilford, east London, on June 26 last year, was jailed for life with a minimum term of 38 years last December.

Murdered law graduate Zara Aleena (Family handout/PA)   Family Handout

Her aunt Farah Naz told BBC Breakfast criminals should be forced to spend longer behind bars if they refuse to appear in court to hear their fate.

When lawyer Craig Mackenzie, who appeared alongside her, suggested the plan was impractical she claimed there are other ways to implement it that do not involve dragging defendants kicking and screaming into the dock.

She added: Surely the judgment is part of the punishment  we need to see that the process will deter further crime and how can the process feel like a punishment if the convict actually exercises their bit of power?

Its the last bit of power that needs to be taken away, certainly in our eyes.

I think there are other ways to make the convict come to face their judgment and that would be to add time to their sentencing or there can be other ways.

Otherwise we dont have people deterred from committing crimes, if theyre just moving from cell to cell theres no sense of punishment.

Farah Naz, the aunt of Zara Aleena (Helen William/PA)   Helen William

I would like Dominic Raab to move forward with developing this law.

She described McSweeney refusing to attend his sentencing as a further slap in the face and another attack from him.

She also said the family had anticipated the moment they would be able to look at McSweeney and give their victim impact statement, adding that it felt like an incomplete process after he refused to turn up.

She added that she felt really sad for Olivias family that they were not able to see the man who destroyed their lives being sentenced.

Mr Mackenzie suggested the proposals were impractical because victims families could be even more distressed if criminals become very disruptive during sentencing hearings they have been forced to attend.

Thomas Cashman refused to attend his sentencing hearing (Merseyside Police/PA)   Merseyside Police

Labours shadow justice secretary, Steve Reed, said: It is disrespectful and grossly offensive to victims that criminals can refuse to face the consequences of their crimes in court. For victims and their families, this can be a vital part of seeing justice done.

Labour called for new laws on this back in April last year  but the Conservatives have dragged their feet and failed to act.
Darya Trepova prior to a court session in the Basmanny District Court, in Moscow, Russia (Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP)   Alexander Zemlianichenko

A court in Moscow has ruled that a woman suspected of involvement in a bombing at a St Petersburg cafe that killed a Russian military blogger who was an ardent supporter of the war in Ukraine should stay in custody for two months pending an investigation.

Vladlen Tatarsky, 40, who filed daily reports on the fighting from the front lines, was killed on Sunday as he led a discussion at the riverside cafe in the historic heart of St Petersburg, Russias second-largest city.

Russian authorities described the bombing as an act of terrorism and blamed Ukrainian intelligence agencies for orchestrating the attack.

Police arrested 26-year-old St Petersburg resident Darya Trepova, who was seen on video moments before the blast presenting Mr Tatarsky with a statuette that is believed to have contained explosives.

Darya Trepova enters the Basmanny District Court, escorted by officers, in Moscow, Russia (AP Photo)   Uncredited

The Interior Ministry released a video in which Trepova told a police officer that she brought the bust to the cafe.

When asked who gave it to her, she said she would explain later. The circumstances under which Trepova spoke were unclear, including whether she was under duress.

The National Anti-Terrorist Committee, which co-ordinates counterterrorism operations, said the bombing was planned by Ukrainian special services, noting Trepova was an active supporter of imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

Last year, Trepova was arrested and spent 10 days in custody after taking part in an anti-war rally.

Ukrainian authorities did not directly respond to the accusation, but President Volodymyr Zelensky said in reference to the attack that he does not think about events in Russia, and his top adviser described the bombing as part of Russias internal turmoil.

While Trepova was arrested in St Petersburg, her case was sent to Moscow, where the headquarters of the countrys top investigative agencies are located, in an apparent reflection of its high priority.

In a closed-doors hearing, Moscows Basmanny District Court ordered Trepova to remain in custody until June 2 pending the investigation.

Russian law foresees a life sentence for terrorism-related crimes, but life terms are not handed down to women who could instead face sentences of up to 20 years in prison.

According to Russian media reports, Trepova told investigators she was asked to deliver the bust, but did not know what was inside it.

The bombing, which injured 40 other people, 25 of whom have been admitted to hospital, was the latest attack inside Russia on a high-profile pro-war figure.

Last year, a nationalist TV commentator was assassinated when a bomb exploded in her vehicle outside Moscow.

Tatarsky was the pen name of Maxim Fomin, who had accumulated more than 560,000 followers on his Telegram messaging app channel.

Mr Tatarsky, who joined separatists in eastern Ukraine after a Moscow-backed insurgency erupted there in 2014, fought on the front lines for years before turning to blogging.

Military bloggers have become increasingly visible, supporting the war but occasionally exposing flaws in Russian military strategy while the Kremlin has shut independent media outlets and muzzled any criticism of the war.
Enoch Burke and his family are evangelical Christians who have been embroiled in legal battles in the Irish courts

Enoch Burke and his sister Ammi Burke at the High Court in Dublin (PA)

Enoch Burke has alleged a judge laughed, mocked and ridiculed him after he sought to raise concerns over the disclosure of documents to him by his former employer, Wilsons Hospital School.

In response, the judge said he emphatically rejected Mr Burkes complaints.

The court has to decide whether the school correctly invoked a disciplinary process against Mr Burke and if it was correct to suspend him following incidents in which he publicly voiced opposition to a request that teachers address a transgender student by a new name and by they/them pronouns.

It must also decide if the school should be awarded damages for trespass by Mr Burke, who continued to show up for work despite being suspended, even when court orders restrained him from doing so.

The teacher, who is an evangelical Christian, objected to the request on religious grounds and, in a counterclaim, alleged his suspension and subsequent dismissal was unlawful.

Host: Siobhan Maguire. Guest: Shane Phelan.
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One of the biggest misconceptions about prophecy is the difference between the Second Coming and the Rapture. The two events are often confused, but they are two different events on Gods prophecy timeline. Lets break down the two events, then discuss the difference between the two.

What is the rapture?

The term rapture doesnt appear in the appear. The word derives from a Latin phrase meaning a transport, carrying off, or a snatching away. The idea of the rapture of the church is discussed in scripture. The churchs rapture is when God takes believers from the earth, so His judgment can be poured over the world during the tribulation period. Its description comes in 1 Corinthians 15:50-54 and 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18.

God will revive His dead believers, give them heavenly bodies and remove them from the earth. Hell also take His living believers, who will also receive glorified bodies. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 says that the Lord will ascend from heaven with a loud command, the trumpet call of God, and the archangels voice. The dead will rise first, then the living, and everyone left will come together in the clouds to meet the Lord and be with Him forever. The rapture will instantly transform our bodies to fit us for eternity. 1 John 3:2 reminds us that when Jesus appears, we will be like Him, seeing Him as He is.

The Old Testament doesnt teach the rapture doctrine, so Paul describes it as a mystery now revealed in 1 Corinthians 15:51-52. He says that we wont sleep but be changed in the twinkling of an eye. The trumpet will sound, the dead will rise, and well be changed. The rapture is Gods way of protecting His people from the tribulation, the seven years of judgment that will pour over the earth. Some argue that the tribulation period will start before the rapture. However, the Bible says that those who believe in Jesus wont face condemnation. At the end of the seven years, Jesus returns for His second coming.

What is the second coming?

The second coming of Jesus is the believers hope that God is in control and faithful to the prophecies and promises in the Bible. Christ came to earth as a baby in Bethlehem in His first coming, as was prophesied. He fulfilled numerous prophecies of the Messiah during His birth, ministry, life, death, and resurrection. However, there are some prophecies that He hasnt fulfilled yet, but His second coming will fulfill the remaining prophecies. Jesus was a suffering servant in His first coming, arriving in the humblest of circumstances. However, in His second coming, Jesus will appear as the conquering king, arriving with the armies of heaven on His side.

Prophets in the Old Testament didnt clearly distinguish between the first and second comings, as seen in Zechariah 14:4 and Isaiah 7:14. Because the prophecies seem to discuss two different people, some Jewish scholars thought thee would be a conquering and suffering Messiah. However, what they dont realize is theres only one Messiah who would fulfill both roles. Isaiah 53 describes Jesus fulfilling the role of suffering servant, while Revelation 1:7 and Zechariah 12:10 describe the second coming. Israel and the world will mourn that they didnt accept the Messiah during His first coming.

After Jesus ascended into heaven, the angels told the apostles that the same Jesus who was taken into heaven would come back in the same way. Zechariah 14:4 says the site of the second coming will be the Mount of Olives. Matthew 24:30 says at the time of the second coming, Jesus will appear in the sky, and the world will mourn. They will see Jesus coming on the skys clouds with great glory and power. Titus 2:13 says the second coming will be a glorious appearing. Revelation 19:11-16 describes the second coming in excellent detail.

Whats the difference between the two?

The second coming and the rapture are often mistaken. Its challenging to determine whether a scripture discusses the second coming or the rapture. However, its essential to differentiate the two, especially in studying end-times Bible prophecy. The rapture is when Jesus returns to take all His believers from the earth. Dead believers will be resurrected alongside living believers, and the groups will meet the Lord in the sky. As Paul described, this event will occur in a flash or twinkling of an eye.

On the other hand, the second coming is when Jesus returns to earth to conquer the Antichrist, destroy evil, and establish His kingdom. The key differences between the two events are believers will meet the Lord in the air during the rapture, while believers come back to earth with the Lord during the second coming. While the rapture happens before the tribulation, the second coming occurs after the great tribulation. The second coming involves removing unbelievers as an act of judgment, while the rapture removes believers from the earth to deliver them. Everyone will be able to see the second coming, but the rapture will be instant and a secret. The rapture can happen at any moment, but Jesus second coming wont happen until after other end-time events happen.

Why is it important to differentiate the two?

If the second coming and the rapture are the same events, believers will go through the tribulation. It would also mean that Jesus return isnt imminent and that many things must happen before He returns. While describing the tribulation period, Revelation chapters six through 19 dont mention the church. During the tribulation, God will turn His immediate attention to Israel.

The second coming and the rapture are similar but separate events. Both are end-times events and involve Jesus return. However, its essential to understand the differences. The second coming is when Christ returns to the earth to end tribulation and conquer the Antichrist. The rapture is when Jesus removes all of His believers from the world before the time of Gods wrath. Both events involve Jesus return, but one describes Jesus taking His believers to heaven with Him.
The title might seem like an oxymoron since the Bible clearly states that God hates divorce in Malachi 2:16. How can God use something so wounding and gut-wrenching as divorce and bring redemption? Or similarly, separation can tear families apart before a divorce happens. Christians may wonder where God is during challenging situations like this. However, God can work through complicated situations like divorce and separation, redeeming wounding problems and making everything alright.

Can God heal all wounds?

Divorce leaves behind damage that effectively makes a new normal. So is it possible for God to heal wounds left behind after a divorce? Some parts of the Bible remind us of Gods ability to heal all wounds, even those left after decades of pain. Isaiah 41:10 reminds us that God gives us strength and sustains His righteous hand. Another reminder in Isaiah chapter 53 tells us that God carries our suffering and that if anyone understands how we feel, He does so that we can go to Him for all our pain.

Psalm 147:3 tells us that God will heal our broken hearts and fix our wounds, which divorce leaves both in its wake. Still, theres no power on earth strong enough to stop God from working. In Psalm 107:19, were reminded that God will save us from distress. Divorce brings a sense of the unknown and anxiety but also a significant transition in a familys life. However, God brings us peace and helps us when we need it most. In the end, Revelation 21:4 says that God will wipe every tear from our eyes and make every sad thing untrue. Luckily, the pain and suffering we go through are only temporary.

Biblical examples of God turning evil into good.

Divorce isnt from God. Its an unfortunate sign of the broken world and our need for a savior. Hebrews 9:15 tells us that God despises breaking apart families, division, and tearing the bond that unites a husband and wife. Still, in that heartbreak, God can take something terrible, like divorce, and redeem it. There arent many people in the Bible who experience separation or divorce, but some people have dire circumstances in their lives, and God transformed them to be good.

The first biblical example is Joseph. Known for saying, what you intended for evil, God used for good, in Genesis 50:20; Joseph personified the essence of unfortunate situations. Josephs brothers sold him into slavery after he shared his dreams they didnt like. He ultimately ended up in prison when his masters wife said he tried to rape her. Still, God didnt forget about Joseph. He used Josephs gift of interpreting dreams to help him assist the Pharaoh and get on his good side, becoming the second-highest ruler in Egypt, and saving thousands from a famine that spread throughout the land. If his brothers hadnt intended a bad situation when selling him into slavery, people who have died years later.

Another biblical example comes with Paul and Silas. When Silas and Paul drew out a demon from a slave girl who told prophecies and her owners couldnt make money from her, they were wrongly imprisoned and severely beaten. Theyd endured much persecution, but one of the worst moments included flogging and beating with rods, as described in Acts 16:16-40. When an earthquake hits the prison and breaks open the doors, Paul and Silas stay, even stopping the jailer from committing suicide. It was a death sentence if prisoners escaped on the guards watch. Seeing they didnt move, the jailer asked Silas and Paul how he could be saved, and his entire family accepted Christ that night. If Paul and Silas hadnt been mistreated and imprisoned, a family wouldve missed out on their salvation.

The final example comes with the Samaritan woman. She may have been familiar with divorce because she married five different men. The Bible doesnt say if these marriages ended in death or divorce, but we know she lived with a man she wasnt married to. Jesus spends time with and discusses how He has come as the Messiah, a social pariah from every angle. Overjoyed by the news, she tells everyone in town about Him, and many Samaritans know about Christ because of her. If the Samaritan woman hadnt gone through five agonizing divorces and become an outcast in society, she wouldnt have encountered Jesus at the well. The Bible notes that she was at the well in the heat of the day when no one else would be there to get water. When Jesus came at the same time she did, they had a discussion that instantly changed the lives of people in her town.

How God can use divorce for good.

Perhaps your parents divorced and remarried, and you didnt see how God could put a redemption plan into their story. In your opinion, they remarried too quickly after a 24-year marriage and questioned their decision to marry people who lived out of the state and country, respectively. Now, in your new normal, you only get to see your father three months out of the year due to him living in another state with his new wife, and your mother is back and forth between the states and a new country with her new husband.

You feel like your family has been ripped apart and didnt see the possibility of redemption. However, you started to see how God worked amid the disappointment and heartbreak. You realize that with this divorce, God gave you more people to love, support, and love on. God also brought you closer to Him during the process. Dealing with divorce can also bring you to other Christians who went through the same thing. Because divorce rates are so high, even in the Christian community, churches dont like to discuss divorce.

A divorce is a tragic event that can break families apart. However, it can also bring about new changes that can positively impact your life. Even though divorce can break up families, it can also create new ones.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim delivers a speech at the opening ceremony of the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2023, in Boao, Hainan province, China, March 30, 2023.

Anwar Ibrahims trip to China last week resulted in nearly U.S. $39 billion in new investment, and the two nations leaders discussed reducing Asias dependency on the U.S. dollar, the Malaysian prime minister said Tuesday.

Anwars comments in parliament shed new light on the state visit last week in which he agreed to negotiate over oil and gas exploration within Malaysias 200-mile exclusive economic zone, after Chinas leader expressed concern about it during bilateral talks.

The total investment secured from China is 170.07 billon ringgit, the highest investment achieved by Malaysia so far, he said in reply to a question in Parliament about his four-day trip to China last week.

[Chinese] Premier Li Qiang and I decided against entertaining nine other proposals as they did not include specific planning or a time frame for launching by this year or at least years end. Those we have decided upon are being monitored by [our] governments.

Of the total Chinese commitment, an estimated 80 billion ringgit ($18 billion) would be invested by Chinas Rongsheng Petrochemical into a refining facility in the southern Malaysian state of Johor.

Chinas Zhejiang Geely Holding Group is to invest 2 billion ringgit ($454 million) initially, ramping up to 32 billion ringgit ($7.2 billion), as part of its collaboration with Malaysian carmaker Proton.

Other potential investment areas that MOUs were signed for include green technology, digital economy, and electronics and electrical manufacturing.

Anwar, who also serves as finance minister, told Parliament that Chinese President Xi Jinping welcomed his idea of setting up an Asian Monetary Fund to reduce the regions reliance on the U.S. dollar and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

[W]ith the strength of the economies of China, Japan and others, I think we should discuss this  at least consider an Asian Monetary Fund, and, secondly, the use of our respective currencies, Anwar said.

There is no reason why countries like Malaysia need to continue being dependent on the U.S. dollar, as during negotiation between Malaysia and Indonesia we can use both ringgit and rupiah.

Similarly, he said: The [Malaysia] central bank is currently putting in efforts to enable the country to negotiate import and export matters [with China] using the ringgit and renminbi.

Petronas will proceed

Anwar on Tuesday elaborated on comments from a day earlier when he said Malaysia informed China it was open to negotiations on the South China Sea dispute between the two nations.

Anwar said the issue of the disputed waterway came up when China brought up Malaysian state petrochemical firm Petronas offshore work.

China was concerned as Petronas is carrying out activity at a large scale on the territory which was also claimed by the country [China], Anwar said in Parliament.

I mentioned the matter to Premier Li Qiang and President Xi Jinping, explaining that Malaysia considered the area as part of its territory, hence Petronas will proceed with the excavation work there.

Anwar added: However, should China feel that they have the rights to the area, we could discuss and negotiate the matter, but in the meantime our excavation efforts will continue.

Anwar didnt specify which project work was being referred to, although the Kasawari project off the coast of Sarawak and southeast of the Luconia Shoals is seeing activity as it is slated to begin production this year, according to a Washington think tank.

The Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI) at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington noted that the China Coast Guard vessel CCG 5901 arrived at Luconia Shoals on Feb. 17 and as of Thursday was still there.

Anwar said Malaysia would take appropriate action if necessary.

On the presence of Chinese ships [in Malaysian waters], China explained that it was in international waters but the Foreign Ministry will continue to monitor and if there is a collision, we will file a protest, Anwar said in Parliament.

A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman was asked about this at the ministrys daily briefing.

China is firmly committed to safeguarding our lawful rights and interests in the South China Sea. At the same time, we are ready to work together with the Malaysian side and continue to properly handle maritime disputes through dialogue and consultation, spokeswoman Mao Ning said.

Meanwhile, Malaysian state news agency Bernama carried excerpts of an interview Anwar gave to a media company in China, during which he reportedly said the South China Sea issue should not be that contentious, and dialogue with other Southeast Asian claimant states should be the way to resolve differences.

I have stated that we have potential for oil and gas in that area, and we have to pursue that area, but the Chinese want to discuss it, so we discuss it, Anwar reportedly told the Chinese media company, according to Bernama.

I believe that there is no easy solution to that problem. As we think of each other as friends, we continue to have dialogue. This problem is not insurmountable.
The Philippines and China will hold preparatory talks in May on joint oil and gas exploration in the South China Sea, Manila said Tuesday, amid a territorial dispute and despite the Philippine Supreme Court ruling such activities unconstitutional.

Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretary Enrique Manalo said the government would issue updates on the joint plan, after Sen. Francis Tolentino questioned the energy cooperation plan with China announced in January.

In light of the joint statement issued during the presidents state visit to Beijing last Jan. 5, on the agreement to resume discussions on oil and gas development at an early date the Philippines and China will meet for preparatory talks in Beijing sometime in May, the DFA said in a statement. The meeting will discuss parameters and terms of reference.

Back in January, both sides had said that the bitter, ongoing territorial dispute in the South China Sea was not the sum total of bilateral relations.

On Sunday, Tolentino, vice chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, cautioned against the plan, noting that an international arbitration tribunal in 2016 had ruled in favor of Manila over Beijings expansive claims in the mineral-rich sea region.

Additionally, the Philippine Supreme Court, in a decision in January, declared that a 2005 agreement among the Philippines, China and Vietnam  another party in the South China Sea dispute  was unconstitutional because it allowed foreign corporations to prospect for natural resources belonging to the Filipino people without proper safeguards.

I believe that in the negotiations with the Peoples Republic of China, the DFA must consider the decision of the Supreme Court and take into consideration what is embodied in our Constitution, that we have the right in our exclusive economic zone, Tolentino told a Philippine broadcaster.

He said that any new agreement between the Philippines and China should comply with the provisions enshrined under the countrys charter, noting that exploitation of natural resources are exclusively given only to Filipinos.

So they should keep in mind the protection of our exclusive economic zone  the 200 nautical miles from the baseline  and the decision of the Supreme Court, he said.

Tolentino said he was hesitant about the new plans, considering that China has not stopped harassment by the China Coast Guard against the Philippine Coast Guard patrolling the nations coastline.

There may be more [Chinese ships] because they can say they now have the right to drill, to conduct scientific marine research, that is why the Department of Foreign Affairs must proceed with caution, lest they increase their presence there, Tolentino warned.

Under former President Rodrigo Duterte, Manila and Beijing in 2018 signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation on Oil and Gas Development.

Last June, Duterte terminated the talks after both sides failed to resolve the issue of sovereignty over Reed Bank, the proposed exploration site, because of Beijings claims that overlap with Manilas in the South China Sea.

China claims nearly all of the South China Sea on historical grounds, including waters within the exclusive economic zones of Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Taiwan.

In June, then-Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. said negotiations with Beijing had ended as Manila got as far as it is constitutionally possible to go.

We had both tried to go as far as we could  without renouncing Chinas aspiration on his part; and constitutional limitations on my part, Locsin said at the time.

Our country wont benefit

Fernando Hicap, who heads the fishermens group Pamalakaya, said on Tuesday the Supreme Court ruling should serve as jurisprudence to any effort at reviving exploration at sea.

We maintain that our country wont benefit from a joint venture with a country that blatantly tramples on our sovereign and territorial rights, he said.

The Filipino fishers are witnesses to Chinese massive poaching, reclamation and other unlawful acts in the West Philippine Sea, he said, using the Philippine term for the waters within its South China Sea exclusive economic zone.

Hicap called on Marcos to be firm in the face of Chinese aggression instead of entertaining the idea of joint exploration.

For all we know, China may already be conducting its own survey in areas for potential energy and mineral resources that would lead to actual exploration activities, Hicap told reporters.

The Chinese Embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to a BenarNews request for comment.
Supporters of constituency candidates gather outside the registration center as the candidates register for Thailands upcoming general election, in Bangkok, April 3, 2023.

Would-be members of parliament are registering as candidates this week ahead of the May 14 general election that will likely result in a coalition government, observers say.

For almost a decade, the military has cast its shadow over the country  through five years of junta rule after a coup detat in 2014 and then the election of a government with deep ties to Thailands generals.

Despite massive pro-democracy street protests led by young activists and students in recent years, observers foresee the military clinging to power in one way or another after next months vote, thanks to a 2017 constitution that, critics say, gives the generals a lop-sided edge in the post-polls formation of governments.

On Monday  day one of the registration process for candidates  most of the big names and prime ministerial hopefuls submitted their paperwork.

They were clad in party colors and led crowds of noisy supporters in motorcades in and out of Bangkok. The high-profile candidates rode in campaign trucks and, outside the registration center in the Thai capital, supporters from various parties jostled with one another under a thicket of signs displaying the photos and slogans of their election hopefuls.

Here are the main contenders to become Thailands next prime minister:

Paetongtarn Ung Ing Shinawatra (Pheu Thai Party)

The 36-year-old chief strategic adviser for the Pheu Thai Party is the daughter and niece of two former prime ministers who were ousted in coups by the military, in 2006 and 2014, respectively.

Paetongtarn Shinawatra, who has been leading in pre-poll surveys as the most popular prime ministerial hopeful, is seen as the spearhead for the partys efforts to steer the country back on a path to full democracy.

This relative newcomer to politics is hitting the campaign trail and leading her party into the polls while pregnant. She is the youngest child of ex-Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was toppled in a coup nearly 19 years ago. Her aunt, Yingluck Shinawatra, suffered a similar fate in May 2014.

Potential Pheu Thai Party prime ministerial candidates Paetongtarn Shinawatra (right) and Srettha Thavisin (left) visit Chinatown, in the Yaowarat district of Bangkok, to entice voters during Chinese New Year festivities, Jan. 21, 2023. [Surin Pinsuwan/BenarNews]

Paetongtarn hopes to resurrect the glory of her fathers Thai Rak Thai Party, which ruled from 2001 until Thaksin was forced out of office.

Pheu Thai has topped a few opinion polls which show it has a chance of winning more than half of the 500 seats in Parliaments lower house. A landslide win could offset the military-backed 250 senators who will join the lower house in voting for the new prime minister.

Her party is campaigning on promises of better wages and a lower cost of living.

Gen. Prayuth Chan-o-cha receives roses from supporters during his visit to Samut Songkram province, west of Bangkok, Feb. 3, 2023. [Surin Pinsuwan/BenarNews]

Gen. Prayuth Chan-o-cha (United Thai Nation Party)

Prayuth, 69, has told Thais he cares about their livelihoods, leading him to run for a second term as a bone fide prime minister even though he would have to leave office in April 2025 because of constitutional term limits.

The former army chief, who led the coup against Prime Minister Yingluck, is known as a staunch royalist who is liked by conservatives. Prayuth, who has led the country since 2014  first as the junta chief and later as a full-fledged prime minister  has been on shaky political ground lately, having survived several confidence votes in Parliament.

He is pressing on in politics to safeguard the monarchy in the face of protests by the young pro-democracy activists, analysts say.

Conservatives are concerned that Thaksins Pheu Thai Party remains a contender, and they have come out to support Prayuth.

Campaigning under the motto, done it, do it now and will do, Prayuth says he hopes to carry on with his successes. Despite criticism of his governments economic performance and his administrations aversion to freedom of speech, Prayuths support programs for the elderly and the poor have proven popular.

Supporters reach out to touch retired Thai Gen. Prawit Wongsuwan, leader of the Palang Pracharath Party, during a campaign event in Pathum Thani province, north of Bangkok, Feb. 8, 2023. [Nava Sangthong/BenarNews]

Gen. Prawit Wongsuwan (Palang Pracharath Party)

Prawit Wongsuwan, the big brother of the 3P brothers-in-arms who backed Prayuth during the 2014 coup, made a sudden U-turn before starting his own campaign. The deputy prime minister said politicians must get over it, referring to past political polarization and turmoil.

Prayuth Chan-o-cha (PM), Prawit Wongsuwan (Deputy PM) and Anupong Paochinda (Minister of the Interior), three former army chiefs known as the 3Ps, played a key role in the past two coups. In the 2006 coup against Thaksin, Anupong was the commander of the Bangkok-based army region whose members blocked forces under the control of Thaksin, his cadet classmate.

Prawit, 77, is viewed by colleagues as the PM candidate among junta members who is most likely to compromise with other parties in building a coalition to form a government.

While Prawit scored poorly in a few recent polls, the chance for his party to maintain a sizable number of seats remains, according to one analyst. Because the 250-member Senate was handpicked by the junta, Prawit could be a viable PM candidate.

Anutin Charnvirakul, leader of the Bhumjaithai Party, gives a speech during a campaign event in Bangkok, Feb. 22, 2023. [Nava Sangthong/BenarNews]

Anutin Charnvirakul, (Bhumjaithai Party)

Popular because of his stance on decriminalizing marijuana as minister of public health, Anutin Charnvirakul is seen as a wild card who can play a kingmaker role in the new election  or he could build a coalition to be elected prime minister, an analyst said. At least 43 MPs elected in the previous election have defected to his party.

He and Prawit Wongsuwon, the deputy prime minister, have a cozy relationship even as they both seek the top spot in government and likely will remain close no matter how the vote goes.

Anutin, 56, comes from the family who founded Sino-Thai Engineering and Construction, one of Thailands most successful companies. He bragged about his political success through the motto Keep the Word and is popular among grassroots people.

Pita Limjaroenrat, chief of the Move Forward Party, greets supporters as he leads a group of MP candidates to register for the campaign at a Bangkok polling station, April 3, 2023. [Surin Pinsuwan/BenarNews]

Pita Limjaroenrat, (Move Forward Party)

The leader of the Move Forward Party enjoys the support from the younger generation of Thais who have participated in pro-democracy protests since July 2020.

Pitas is the only party that has called for the abolition of the nations strict royal defamation law, Lese-Majeste, which carries a prison term of up to 15 years and has been contentiously enforced after Prime Minister Prayuth threatened in November 2020 to stop youth-led protests.

The progressive party could share the voters with the Pheu Thai Party and join forces in an effort to form a new government, analysts said.

Pita, 42, edged Prayuth in a recent PM poll, but distantly trailed Paetongtarn of Pheu Thai as the nationwide top choice.
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PITTSFIELD  It can be easy to hunker down in a Berkshires winter and not venture out of the house. The call of cheesy pizza is what helped Ellie Turner get out.

For months starting in late fall, she and her partner, Jane, made it their mission to try different pizza restaurants, and Turner posted reviews of them on the Great Barrington Community Board on Facebook.

"It was sort of a winter project to get us out on the weekends and to support local restaurants. We like pizza and there's so many different kinds  let's explore describe and share. It wasnt about rating them best or worst," she said. It carried us through the winter."

She went as far as Torrington, Conn.  well over an hour from Pittsfield  and as close as just a few blocks away. The list of more than a dozen Berkshire pizza spots included Pizzeria Boema in Lenox, Teddy's Pizza & Family Restaurant, Berkshire Mountain Bakery (both frozen and take-and-bake options), Crust, Guidos (already-made and take-and-bake) and Arizona Pizza Co. in Lenox, Roberto's Pizza in Sheffield, Pizza House in Great Barrington.

The trip to Connecticut for Pizzeria Marzano was worth it, she said. It was worth the drive as a Saturday expedition. It was a thing to do on a Saturday."

While testing out pizza in Pittsfield and beyond, she tried, for example, spinach, feta, tomato and white sauce pizza from Teddy's. "Thin crispy crust, great taste," Turner wrote in her description of it. At Teddy's she also ate souvlaki pizza which is chicken souvlaki, served on a bed of salad. "It had a great taste but as you can imagine the crust does not remain crispy," Turner wrote in her review.

At Pizzeria Boema in Lenox, she had pesto, butternut squash, goat cheese and mushroom pizza and BBQ chicken with a balsamic drizzle and fresh basil. "Very good," she wrote in her review. "Crust was soft on both and crispy on the edge."

Originally from Wisconsin, Turner moved to the Berkshires from Vermont about seven years ago and now lives in Pittsfield. Many pizza spots she wrote about were in her city, and despite the trip south to Connecticut, she didn't write about pizza in Northern Berkshire. She visited North Adams in February, but it was the same day as WinterFest and places were too busy, she said. If she and Jane left Pittsfield for pizza, they gravitated to South County because of work and personal ties there and they knew the area better, she said.

There was not specific criteria for where to go, mostly they were just checking out places they had never been and taking suggestions.

Though she wasn't rating them, people in the comments on Facebook tried to, Turner said.

There wasnt a bad one in the group," she said. "Originally I thought I liked thin and crispy crust which I do ... [but] it opened me up to a lot of variety."

Her favorite? "We kind of avoided this is the best. But favorite would be a good word to use  I think Roberto's [Pizza] probably," she said. "But also all of them there was something we liked about them."

"This was a 5+ .... I loved the crust. Rarely do I eat all my crust but I did it tonight," she wrote in a Nov. 12 post about their stop at Roberto's.

She had, to name a few pies: Hawaiian, pesto, butternut squash, goat cheese and mushroom, and meat, caramelized onion and sundried tomato pizza.

If you're hungry reading that, know that after this reporter interviewed Turner, she made a large pizza for dinner.

Turner was sometimes surprised at the cost, often about $40 for two pizzas with tip and tax, but often it gave her and her partner leftovers for extra meals later.

Her tip for reheating pizza: Steer clear of the microwave and instead heat up olive oil in a cast iron to get a crispy crust. At home, sometimes she will get sourdough pizza crust from Berkshire Mountain Bakery and cook the pizza on the grill.

Why dedicate the winter restaurant project to pizza?

Pizza is a warm comfort food in the winter," Turner said. "We hadnt been to a lot of the pizza places around." Plus, there's a lot of variety and takeout options, which she opted for sometimes.

Turner's restaurant reviewing interests extend beyond pizza. "I'm involved in a mentoring program and with my mentee, we are doing the same thing with hamburgers. But I'm not posting that. When we go out were looking for the best hamburger in the area.

With warmer weather and travel planned for the spring and summer, Turner is now done with the pizza project. The last stop was Arizona Pizza Company in Pittsfield.

"The crust was soft, like an amazing very thin pita bread, but better!" she wrote on Facebook, declaring it was likely the last post.

"We will probably do it again next year," Turner said, "but we will pick something other than pizza.
Community News Editor / Librarian

Jeannie Maschino is community news editor and librarian for The Berkshire Eagle. She has worked for the newspaper in various capacities since 1982 and joined the newsroom in 1989.
GREAT BARRINGTON  The Select Board wants to condition a special permit for Walter J. Koladza Airport on the closing of its flight school on the Memorial Day and July 4 holidays every year to give barbecuing neighbors a break from the noise.

At its third continuation of its special permit hearing Monday night, members of the board debated a number of other conditions that include keeping the permit with the current owners should they ever sell the airfield.

The owners of Berkshire Aviation Enterprises Inc. agreed to this along with conditions that the owners had initially proposed for the permit and new ones  like the soil testing for lead that they agreed to last month.

The board on Monday continued the hearing again to 6 p.m. April 10 both on Zoom and in person at Town Hall.

The airports owners are seeking the permit to continue operating as an industrial business in an area that in 1932 was zoned as a residential area.

But Koladza has been an airport since at least 1931 and the neighborhood grew up around it.

The town has allowed it to operate there because it preexists zoning laws. Koladzas owners also are seeking a shield from further legal action from some neighbors who say they feel that the airport generates too much noise and is too busy.

Holidays and the fuel tank

After debate, the board settled on closing the flight school on July 4 and Memorial Day, and can ultimately impose this on the owners if they do not agree to it.

Board member Eric Gabriel said it would be a neighborly gesture. But closing on holidays would cut into the flight school business, said co-owner Richard Solan. Airport attorney Dennis Egan suggested instead closing the flight school at 4 p.m. on the two holidays.

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The airport had already agreed to stop continuous flights at 5 p.m. from Memorial Day to Labor Day.

Radar dead spots The board continues to look for a measure of how busy the airport is in order to monitor future growth. While tracking sites like Flight Aware and AirNav are helpful, they dont capture all flights given the mountainous terrain, according to Airport Manager Joseph Solan. They said that our entire valley is a huge dead spot because of the hills, Solan said of what air traffic controllers recently told him. It interferes with the radar. Board member Garfield Reed wondered how the board would determine how many flights is too many, especially since there isnt accurate data now.

The board again looked for assurances that the 20,000-gallon double-walled fuel tank installed in 2018 with an alarm system will also have notification systems in case of a leak.

The airport sits in a water protection district around a high-yield aquifer that is the towns water source. The fuel tank is allowed because it is preexisting and wouldnt be allowed there today.

Board member Ed Abrahams suggested the board condition the permit on hiring an expert to evaluate water protection over a period of three years.

Board Chair Stephen Bannon disagreed.

Your premise that we need an expert is about three meetings too late, Bannon said. It was about seven years ago when concerns about the fuel tank and the aquifer were first publicly raised by some neighbors.

Attorney Egan said the Environmental Protection Agency and the state Department of Environmental Protection are the regulators and the fuel tank meets their criteria.

Egan said a time limit will force the airport to go through the expense and challenge of another permit hearing in three years. He said another expert beyond regulators is selective.

Youre essentially asking us to prove a negative, Egan said. Theres no evidence that the aquifer is in any danger. So to create a new regulation for a specific taxpayer in town I think its patently unfair and its not the intent of the bylaw.

The DEP in 2003 listed hazardous waste at the airport, as well as runoff from area farms, as possible threats to the aquifer.
A woman shows a poster to journalists during a March 9 rally against a draft law that opponents warned would stifle dissent and curtail media freedoms, near the Georgian parliament building in Tbilisi, Georgia. Following days of massive protests, Georgia's governing party said Thursday it would withdraw draft legislation. "That woman in Georgia was fighting for everyones rights  not just her own," writes Eagle columnist Carole Owens. "For him, for her, for all of us, we can at least place a supportive hand at her back."
Two women hug at a memorial last week at the entrance to The Covenant School in Nashville, Tenn. Three 9-year-old children and three employees were killed by a shooter armed with an AR-15.
If there is a phrase that gets thrown around a lot in this world, it is that we need more love. In 1966, Dionne Warwick famously recorded the song What The World Needs Now, and the need mentioned in the song was love. If you were to ask anyone walking down the street, does the world need more love today, the obvious answer would be yes. Ask anyone in the church and they would tell you the same thing, so it is safe to say we all agree with this song. Here is the challenge: What should this love look like? This is where the rubber meets the road.

In John 4, Jesus leaves Judea to go back to Galilee. To travel from Judea to Galilee was a common trip many Jews made during this time. Even though the fastest and most direct way to get to Galilee was to go through Samaria, many Jews avoided taking this route. Historians will tell us they did this for a few reasons. One was because of safety. Jews and Samaritans did not get along. In fact, Jews considered Samaritans to be half-breeds. They did not associate with them and they did not like them. According to the Biblical Archeology Society, this route was not the safest route either.

Although this route would have taken only three days by foot, many Jews chose to avoid it. They preferred longer routes that were historically safer. The Jewish historian Josephus records a violent quarrel between some Galilean Jews and Samaritans, while the Galileans were traveling through Samaria (Antiquities). Passing through this volatile region carried real risks.

Even though Jesus had different options to get back to Galilee, the Bible says he had to go through Samaria. He had to travel through the area which posed the greatest risk and the area with the people that Jews did not associate with. Why did he do it? Because Jesus loves with a purpose.

In this same chapter, Jesus meets a Samaritan woman at a well and begins a conversation with her by asking for a drink of water. This was wrong in many ways in this society. It was wrong because of the way Jews and Samaritans felt about each other. It was also wrong because it was not right for a Jewish man to have a private conversation with a woman, let alone a Samaritan woman. Yet here we find Jesus breaking all these rules. Why did he do it? Because he had a purpose. There was a Samaritan woman who needed to know who he was and if he had to break traditions and norms to minister to her, that is what he did.

Jesus love brought him to Samaria on purpose and this one conversation with this Samaritan woman not only changed her life forever, but it changed that town forever.

For you to love on purpose like Jesus did, you must break cultural and societal norms because you care about those around you who dont know Jesus.

To be honest, this command to love like Jesus challenges me and shows me how far I have to go. I dont always love like Jesus loves, and to me that is sad and shameful. My prayer for my life today is that Jesus would fill me with this type of love so that I would always walk in obedience to this command. It may cost me something and it may come with criticism, but the people whose lives will be affected by it make it all worth it. I pray you see this the same way too.

Photo credit: Getty Images/Ridofranz
Christians worldwide celebrate Holy Week every spring, commemorating the last eight days of Jesus life on earth. The time is a sacred onean opportunity to reflect on and express gratitude to God for the most important events in the history of the world. The week begins on Palm Sunday and ends on Easter Sunday, each day set apart by various special services, readings, songs, and events.

What Days Comprise the Holy Week Timeline?

Palm Sunday honors the day when Jesus humbly rode into Israels capital city, cheered as the new King of the Jewsand as the Son of God who would usher in an eternal kingdom. A handful of days later, many who misinterpreted His mission called for His death. Jesus was sent to die by crucifixion on Friday and, through His sacrificial death, paid the price for the sins of humanity. On Sunday, He resurrected to new life, proving His claim as the Savior of the world who had the power to defeat death. Since that day, those who believe He came for that purpose are welcomed as children of God into eternal life.

The following lists the days of the Holy Week timeline and the events that took place on those days. While most churches have special programming for Palm Sunday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday, others devote each day of Holy Week to special meals, songs, and prayers.

Palm Sunday

Jesus had been teaching about the kingdom of God and His identity as the Jewish Messiah for about three years when the time came for Him to formally and publicly make that claim in Israels capital of Jerusalem (John 12:12-15). When He arrived, people greeted Him with a famous ancient symbol of victorypalm branches. The thousands of Jews carrying the branches had heard Jesuss teaching about Gods kingdom and had been beneficiaries of his miracles. Many believed that He came to usher in the new kingdom promised in the Old Testament. They had waited 400 years to hear from God. Now, here was who seemed to be God's Son, claiming He was the king of Israel.

But even Jesus mode of transportation into the citya lowly donkey rather than a majestic warhorserevealed the Jews misaligned expectations. Centuries of prophecies had suggested the Messiah would come and overthrow the Roman government and bring Israel back to the glory it enjoyed under King David (Psalm 110, Isaiah 2:2, Isaiah 11:12, Ezekiel 37:24). But the kingdom God was introducing was an eternal, universal kingdom, not a local, political movement. Just as Jesus birth was marked by unadorned humility, so would be the rest of His short time on earth.

During Palm Sunday services, churches across the world gather to wave palm branches as a nod to Jesus triumphal entry. The leaves can also be dried and woven into small, handheld crosses. More traditional churches might sing noted Palm Sunday hymns such as All Glory Laud and Honor.

Holy Monday

Jesus had spent the evening of Palm Sunday out of the city, and upon return the next day, he taught in the temple of Jerusalem. He shared parables that used simple imagery to explain the kingdom of God. The Jewish leaders thought he was being blasphemous by doing so and questioned him (Matthew 21:23). Later, as he walked through the temple, Jesus became angry that the holy place of worship had become a place for buying and sellingand taking advantage of the poor. In his zeal, he overturned tables, enraging the vendors (Matthew 21:12-16). Then he spent the evening with his friends Lazarus, Mary, and Martha (Matthew 21:17).

It is here, at the beginning of the week, that Jesus increases and intensifies His public messages. The Gospels record the outrage of the leaders of the day, and we are meant to recognize that Jesus death on Good Friday will not be accidental or unexpected. Instead, Jesus deliberately stirs up the anger of those who wish to kill Him because He fully understands His mission as a sacrifice for the sins of the world.

The magnitude of Jesus messages contrasts with His decision to reconnect with several close friends. This was doubtless an encouragement to the three siblings in question and Jesus Himself as He processed what lay ahead of Him. Jesus had declared Himself to be the resurrection and the life shortly before raising Lazarus from the deada clear foreshadowing of His own death and resurrection.

The Eastern Orthodox Church observes Holy Monday with Bible readings and special hymns recounting the days events.

Holy Tuesday

Gospel accounts suggest that on Tuesday, Jesus continued to publicize His message by teaching parables in the temple. The parable of the tenants in particular (Matthew 21:33-44) depicts a dramatic and even violent reflection of Jesus eventual sacrificean assignment from His Heavenly Father. Jesus also addresses the end times, the kingdom of God, the hypocrisy of those who claim to fear God, and what to expect when the Son of Man comes. In each parable, He speaks with certainty and gravity. Once again, Jesus authority to teach in such a way is questioned. This time, the chief priests seek to arrest Jesus after sensing He is speaking against them (Matthew 21:45). At this point, the crowd still reveres Jesus, so these plans are put on hold.

Each of these events is designed to show the reader that Jesus was the Son of God and that He knew it. No one could accuse Jesus of being a humble teacher indignant at the thought of being worshiped. Instead, Jesus invites this recognition of His deity (Matthew 24:25, Matthew 26:1).

Though not as highly celebrated as some of the other weekdays, the Catholic Church observes Holy Tuesday with relevant Scripture readings and hymns. In Mexico and Spain, Tuesday marks another day of Semana Santa (Holy Week), in which schools and many businesses are closed to allow for an extended celebration.

Holy Wednesday

Jesus popularity had reached an apex with His entry into Jerusalem (John 12:19), and the Jewish religious leaders ramped up their efforts to rid themselves of Him. Between (alleged) blasphemy, public miracles, and blatant attacks on the religious establishment, they had now compiled what they believed was sufficient reason to take action. On Wednesday, plans were set in motion to capture Jesusand kill Him. In the words of Caiaphas, who was the high priest that year, You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish (John 11:49-53). Later, Jesus is anointed by Mary at Bethany, with an expensive jar of perfume that Jesus later suggests is a preparation for His burial.

Understandably, Jewish leaders were angered at Jesus claim to be the Son of God and may have feared that they would lose power and authority if Jesus were to come to power. Yet Jesus was very popular with many people, and his miracles were hard to explain away. They needed to find and arrest him, but how? Their question was answered when Judas Iscariot, one of Jesus disciples, approached them with an offer to hand over Jesus for 30 pieces of silver. Judas possible motives have been debated throughout the centuries. One thing is for certain: his involvement meant the chief priests didnt require any extended searches for Jesus the next evening.

This day is also sometimes referred to as Good Wednesday, or Great and Holy Wednesday, by Eastern Christian churches. In the West, it's sometimes called Spy Wednesday. In countries such as the Czech Republic, Wednesday is used to give homes a thorough cleaning in preparation for Easter Sunday.

Holy Thursday

To some, Maundy Thursday may seem like an archaic, mysterious name. Is it a noun? An adjective? What does it have to do with Jesus? It turns out that maundy comes from the Latin mandatum, where we get the word mandate (a word much more familiar to us). The mandate, or command, in question is Jesus command that His followers love one another (John 13:34). How fascinating that while other moments from this historical day often get more attentionthe Last Supper, the washing of the disciples feet, Judas swift exit from the tablethe early church made Jesus new command the namesake for Maundy Thursday.

Many Christians reenact the Last Supper with a traditional seder meal similar to the one Jesus would have shared with His disciples; in this scenario, the words of Jesus are uttered by the priest or pastor. (Foods eaten can include a lamb shank bone, bitter herbs, and salted vegetables.) This special service can also include a foot-washing ceremony.

Some churches (particularly Lutherans and Catholics) will choose to offer a Tenebrae service (Tenebrae means Shadow). Here, the sanctuarys candles or lights are gradually extinguished as clergy strip the altar of its linens. This can be accompanied by a loud noise at the end, meant to encourage meditation on the sufferings of Christ. Tenebrae may also start three days of special services, known as triduum.

Good Friday

The Gospel writers create a stark contrast between Palm Sunday and Good Friday, between the crowds shouting Hosanna! and Crucify him!

After Judas betrays Jesus (identifying Him to Roman guards with a kiss), Jesus is quickly carted through one ordeal after another. First, He is taken to the Jewish high priest, Caiaphas, who is joined by other elders and religious leaders (Matthew 26:57, 59-60). It is here that Jesus is physically assaulted for the first time (Matthew 26:67-68).

The Jewish leaders realize that their own laws prohibit them from killing Jesus themselves, so they hand Him over to the Roman governor. Pontius Pilate tells the Jews that he finds no fault in Jesus (John 18:28-38). Their rabid response sends him back inside to speak with Jesus once more, eventually relenting to Jesus death sentence. Jesus is whipped with various sharp, maiming implements, then mocked by soldiers (John 19:1-3). Betrayed by His friends and His nation, He now endures increasing physical and social agony.

Tucked within the three-hour ordeal of Jesus death are many significant fulfillments of Old Testament prophecies (Psalm 22, Isaiah 53, etc.) These contain details about the manner of His physical death (being nailed to a cross), ridicule from onlookers, and separation from God due to taking on the sins of humanity.

Many churches hold special Good Friday services that feature Stations of the Cross, interspersing special prayers with passages from the accounts of Jesus arrest, trial, and death. Similarly, passion plays feature multiple church members reenacting the words and actions of Jesus, Peter, Pontius Pilate, and others. In the Philippines, more graphic commemorations involve flagellation (whipping) and crucifixion reenactments. Periods of fasting and total silence are also common.

Holy Saturday

The Gospels are somewhat silent about what happened on Holy Saturday. In fact, only Matthew gives explicit details about the days events (Matthew 26:62-66). The details about the guard at the tomb are imperative when reflecting on the numerous alternative explanations for the empty tomb that have circulated for centuries. Matthews account makes it plain that no one could have overtaken both the Roman guard and the stone that took several men to move in the first place. Moreover, archaeology and Jewish history reveal that to enter a traditional tomb of that time, one had to stoop down and essentially crawl innot walk in and out upright.

We know from the disciples that they likely remained in hiding, fearing punishment from the Romans or the Jewish elite. Like anyone who buries a beloved friend, they wouldve been in a state of mourning, likely too shocked to go about their business. The fact that it was the Sabbath meant that the rest of the community wouldve been somewhat quiet, even after the harrowing events of Friday.

Holy Saturday is also sometimes known as Easter Vigil. Some churches will hold prayer vigils and light commemorative candles. However, since Holy Saturday technically marks the end of Lent, certain churches take a more joyous approach with the celebratory ringing of bells. At home, some will prepare for the next days Easter celebration.

Easter Sunday

Finally, we come to one of the most important days on the Christian calendar and the culmination of the Holy Week timeline. The first Easter morning began quietly, not with the fanfare now associated with the holiday. Like Jesus birth, the day involved several unlikely witnesses to a miracle and an appearance and message from an angel. In one Gospel account, two of Jesus female followers arrive at the tomb to pay their respects. Suddenly, an earthquake rattles the ground, and an angel arrives on the scene to calm their fears, remind them of Jesus promise to rise again on the third day, and to tell the other disciples of the good news. Later, Jesus appears to the remaining disciples, further proving His status as the Son of God. Though He suffered from unspeakable wounds on Friday, His body only shows signs of three nail piercings and a spear wound.

Easters overwhelming worldwide popularity (even among nominal Christians or non-Christians) means theres no shortage of Sunday festivitiesor beloved foods. Here are several international favorites:

Hot cross buns (New Zealand, United Kingdom, etc.)

Babka, or bread with raisins (Poland)

Colomba de pasqua, a dove-shaped sweet bread (Italy)

The Holy Week Timeline that holds events from the end of Jesus life changed the course of history, offering hope to those who now, through faith in His sacrifice, are called children of God.

Photo Credit: Getty Images/Coompia77

Anna Oelerich is a Chicago-area church youth director, freelance writer, and graduate of Taylor University. She received her B.S. in Professional Writing in 2018, but has loved wordsreading, storytelling, list-making, and even handwritingfor as long as she can remember. Previously, she served as the marketing and communications coordinator for a community foundation, where she shared powerful stories of generosity, and encouraged others to give. When writing an article, or developing programming for her students, Anna enjoys highlighting the historical and cultural contexts of familiar Bible passages so others feel they are living the stories for themselves.
Tonight's rundown:

 Talking Points Memo: Joe Biden continues to decline with the world watching and remains out of the press reach

 Presidential Historian Larry Cook weighs in on how Bidens relationship with the press compares to past presidents

 US Special Forces have been confirmed to be in Ukraine

 OReilly describes Democrats hosting the DNC in Chicago as Crazy Arrogant

 The trial of Fox News gets underway

 58% of Americans are now living paycheck to paycheck even as inflation begins to cool off

 Smart Life: Utilizing Kelly Blue Book when searching for a new car

 This Day in History: FDR dies in office

 Final Thought: what to do when someone is disrespectful to you

In Case You Missed It:

 Read Bill's latest column, "Reason to Believe"

 Join 'Team Normal!' Order your gear now at BillOReilly.com!

 Pre-order Bills next bestseller Killing the Witches NOW

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Dozee plans to expand further in the Indian market

Dozee, Indias first contactless Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) & artificial intelligence (AI)-based Early Warning System (EWS) has raised $6 Million as part of its Series A2 funding.

The round saw the infusion of funds from Dozees existing investor base consisting of Prime Venture Partners, 3one4 Capital, YourNest VC, and new investors which include State Bank of India, J&A Partners Family office, and Dinesh Mody Ventures (ex-JB Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals promoters - Sharan Asher & Pranabh Mody).

Bengaluru-based startup Dozee has established a presence in over 380+ hospitals covering 50+ districts. Its key recent milestones include the US FDA 510(k) clearance for its flagship Remote Patient Monitoring product - Dozee Contactless Vital Signs (VS) Measurement system, further demonstrating its commitment to Made in India, with global standards.

With this fresh funding, Dozee plans to expand further in the Indian market and invest more in its differentiated R&D capabilities. In addition, the funding will provide a springboard for the company's global expansion.

Dozee plans to further tap over 2,000 hospitals in more than 100 districts in the next two years to improve the quality of critical care facilities in India. The current Series A2 fund-raise is a part of the companys plan to further its reach to every nook and corner of the country and to begin the era of Made in India products in the global market. said Mudit Dandwate, CEO & Co-Founder, Dozee.
Deccan Hardikar hospital has installed the state-of-the-art CUVIS Joint Robotic system

Gurugram-based startup Pristyn Care forays into fully automatic robotic-assisted total knee replacement surgery in Pune. 120-bed multi-speciality hospital Deccan Hardikar has installed the state-of-the-art CUVIS Joint Robotic system from medtech giant Meril which has assisted Pristyn Care surgeons in performing many types of complex procedures with more precision, flexibility and control than is possible with conventional techniques.

According to WHO, nearly 18 percent of women and 9.6 percent of men over 60 years suffer from osteoarthritis worldwide. In India, osteoarthritis is the second most common rheumatologic problem and affects more than 180 million people in India. With the prevalence of arthritis in India increasing at a higher pace, a breakthrough introduction of the CUVIS robotic system for knee replacement by Pristyn Care will ensure that surgical procedure is performed with a new degree of precision, enhancing patient outcomes.

This new system uses artificial intelligence (AI), computer-assisted programmes and robots to assist surgeons in performing this complex procedure. Its advanced 3D visualisation and intuitive control systems offer the best level of precision, accuracy and control that has never been seen before. Other advantages include achieving great results, ensuring the best implant position with improved longevity, durability and minimising human errors. It also helps in the patient's faster recovery and early discharge from the hospital.

Pristyn Care with its advanced robotic surgery techniques eyes the potential to tap into medical tourism which is expected to grow to $13 billion by 2026.
To co-develop point-of-care diagnostics for MDR and XDR pathogens

Kasturba Medical College, Manipal, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with CSIR (Council of Scientific & Industrial Research) -CDRI (Central Drug Research Institute), Lucknow, to enter in a private-public partnership for developing research work on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR).

There will be collaborative research to co-develop molecular characterisation and point-of-care diagnostics for multidrug-resistant (MDR) and extensively drug-resistant (XDR) pathogens.

A team from Kasturba Medical College in Manipal was led by Dr Chiranjay Mukhopadhyay, Assistant Dean and Professor of Microbiology, and Dr Vandana KE, Professor and Head of the Department of Microbiology, represented the CSIR-CDRI Lucknow, during the MoU signing ceremony.

"It is anticipated that this collaboration between two reputable institutions that have distinguished themselves in the field of AMR research would present special chances and results in the quest for antimicrobial resistance-related solutions", said Dr N. Kalaiselvi, Director General of CSIR.
French cosmetics giant L'Oreal has agreed to acquire Australian luxury beauty brand Aesop from Brazilian personal care company Natura &Co. The proposed transaction values Aesop at an enterprise value of $2.525bn.

Aesop was created in Melbourne in 1987 and since 2012 has been owned by Natura, which also owns The Body Shop and Avon.

The Aesop brand is widely renowned for its skin, hair, body and fragrance products. With its signature amber packaging, plant-based ingredients, sustainable vegan formulations and bespoke customer service, Aesop has evolved into a global cult beauty brand available across luxury retail, beauty and hospitality locations around the world.

The brand currently operates approximately 400 points of sale across the Americas, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Asia, with a nascent footprint in China where the first store opened in 2022. The brand posted sales of $537m in 2022.

According to CNN, the deal represents LOreal's largest brand acquisition in history.

Nicolas Hieronimus, chief executive officer, LOreal Groupe, commented, I am very excited to welcome Aesop and its teams to the LOreal Groupe family. Aesop is the epitome of avant-garde beauty, whose products are not only made with great care and exceptional attention to detail; they are a superb combination of urbanity, hedonism and undeniable luxury. Aesop taps into all of todays ascending currents and LOreal will contribute to unleash its massive growth potential, notably in China and travel retail.

Commenting on the acquisition, Cyril Chapuy, president of LOreal Luxe, added, My team and I are thrilled to have Aesop join the LOreal Luxe portfolio of iconic global brands. Aesop holds a very unique positioning on the global luxury beauty market thanks to its design-led brand essence, its highly efficacious and sensorial products as well as its customer-obsessed retail philosophy.

We look forward to welcoming Aesops CEO Michael OKeeffe and his experienced and passionate teams to continue to grow together the brands remarkable potential, by carrying on cultivating its uniqueness and its values. We have great confidence that Aesop will join the LOreal Luxe Billionaire brands club and therefore contribute significantly to the growth of the division in the years to come.

Strengthening Natura's financial structure

Fabio Barbosa, chief executive officer of Natura &Co, said: The divestment of Aesop marks a new development cycle for Natura &Co. With a strengthened financial structure and a deleveraged balance sheet, Natura &Co, exercising strict financial discipline, will be able to sharpen its focus on its strategic priorities, notably our investment plan in Latin America. We will also be able to concentrate on continuing to improve The Body Shops business and refocusing Avon Internationals footprint.

We are proud of the remarkable success of the Aesop brand, and we are extremely grateful to all Aesops associates, who contributed immensely not only to Aesops success, but also to making Natura &Co what it is today. We are confident that Aesops growth story will continue under the ownership of LOreal and wish Aesop continued success in this new chapter.

The closing is subject to certain regulatory approvals and other customary conditions.
Blessing Ngobeni, the world-renowned, multi-award-winning South African visual artist, has entered the metaverse with a ground-breaking collection that combines physical art pieces with non-fungible token (NFT) digital versions. This collection comprises eight art pieces that are available as pairs, with each set including a physical piece and a digital NFT.

Motivated by social injustices experienced by the majority of people in post-Apartheid South Africa, Ngobenis large-scale mixed media paintings are fiercely critical of the countrys political elite and the abuse of power. His exploration of NFTs follows the likes of Frank Miller, KAWS, Maylee Todd, LaTurbo Avedon, and Gary Vee, who have embraced the medium internationally, and Norman Catherine, who debuted his NFT collection in Africarare in 2021.

This seminal collection features both new works and celebrated works of Ngobeni such as Anatomy of an Insurrection, Lust I, Lust II, Lust III, Shitting Trump and Tribute to African Portraiture. The NFT collection is currently on exhibit at the Mila Gallery in Ubuntuland, in Africarare, Africas first metaverse, and can be viewed here.

In addition to having exhibited in several group and solo exhibitions, Ngobeni has been the recipient of many awards such as the Reinhold Cassirer Award2012 as well as the Gala Ex-Offenders Awards and the ImpACT Awards for Young Professionals. He also sponsors the Blessing Ngobeni Art Prize.

Im excited to bring my unique style to the metaverse and offer collectors the chance to own both a physical piece and a digital collectible of my work, said Ngobeni.

"We are thrilled to exhibit Blessings inaugural collection of NFTs, which represent his debut foray into this medium said Leora Hessen, chief magic and sparkle officer of Africarare.

His works are South African treasures that address our societys complexities with nuance in his distinct style, and would be a valuable investment for any collector, she added.
South Africa's biggest retailer Shoprite Group has been approved for a secondary listing on A2X Markets. Shoprite Holdings Limited's ordinary shares will be available for trade on A2X from Tuesday, 11 April 2023.

Source: Reuters/Siphiwe Sibeko

Shoprite Group's core business is food retailing, complemented by adjacent value-added retail services and offerings across a range of industries such as furniture, digital commerce, pharmaceutical, ticketing, hospitality, as well as financial and cellular services.

Shoprite will retain its listing on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE), the Namibian Stock Exchange (NSX) and Lusaka Securities Exchange (LUSE) and its issued share capital will be unaffected by the secondary listing on A2X.

We are delighted to be welcoming Africas largest retailer to our platform next week. As demonstrated by its most recent financial results, Shoprite is in an exceptional company that has delivered ongoing growth even in a difficult operating environment. Shoprite joins a growing list of companies that are recognising the value of a secondary listing on A2X and the resultant benefits for investors, said CEO Kevin Brady.

Milestone for A2X

The Shoprite listing will bring the number of instruments listed on A2X to 112, with a combined market capitalisation of around R6.7tn.

A2X said that Shoprites listing highlights an important milestone for the stock exchange as more than half of all top 40 constituents will now have a secondary listing on the exchange. It joins other top 40 companies including Absa, Aspen, Discovery, Investec, Mr Price Group, Naspers, Nedbank Group, Prosus, Sasol, Standard Bank and Woolworths that are also listed on the exchange.

A2X is a licensed stock exchange that provides a secondary listing venue for companies. It is regulated by the Financial Sector Conduct Authority and the Prudential Authority (SARB) in terms of the Financial Markets Act.
It's dry, but you can't drink it.

Savanna x Wanda Lephoto presents 'Dry Goods' waterproof apparel for a world underwater

We all know that Savivi is not only the peoples most-loved cider but also the most innovative. Not being content with bringing South Aah the crisp, dry, and refreshing taste of Savanna Dry Premium Cider, they have decided to bring their dryness to something you cant drink.

The iconic Savanna Cider brand has partnered with the prolific South African designer Wanda Lephoto to bring you a limited-edition fashion collection of Dry Goods, waterproof apparel for a world underwater, available for sale to persons over the age of 18.

This premium range, sustainably produced, goes beyond the aesthetics of dope and makes a meaningful statement about sustainability by embracing the inevitability of climate change. As the ultimate dry brand, it only makes sense that in a world of rising sea levels, melting icebergs, and unpredictable weather, they would create a clothing range that would allow you to stay dripping and dry, even when youre dripping wet.

Through his fashion, Wanda Lephoto explores the notion of luxury wear, merging African culture, traditions, identities, and approaches with global nuances to form new propositions for representation. Wanda Lephoto fuses worlds to create a free space that allows people to negotiate the boundaries of their own representation and identity through style and culture.

"Collaboration has always been key to us; it is one of the pillars that drive and motivate us to continue our journey. Collaborating with Savanna on this collection has been beautiful because, to us, Savanna represents the people of South Africa in their most authentic way, which is an idea we truly aspire to as we also do work that aims to reflect the people, cultures, and beauties of South African people in the most authentic way that we can." says Wanda Lephoto.

South Africans are a real inspiration to us, and we build our brands to have relevance and real purpose in our consumers lives. That is the essence of what we do with Savanna Dry Premium Cider, best expressed through our brand promise of Siyavanna SA, which effectively means We get you, SA! says Kolosa Kokolo, Savanna Brand Team  Distell.

The Savanna Dry Goods premium waterproof apparel range consists of iconic ready-to-wear parkas, shorts, cross-body bags, matching sets, trench coats, and jackets. The collaborative collection is available to persons over the age of 18 years old online at drygoods.savanna.co.za and on the campaign e-commerce site wandalephoto.com/shop nationwide. The Wanda Lephoto collaboration will also include exclusive one-of-one garments made using a sustainable second-life process and includes adjustable, multi-layered trench coats, skirts, and jackets.

The collaboration will also have a digital iteration, where one-of-one garments will be 3D modelled and turned into collectables to be auctioned online, along with the physical garment. But thats not all  in order to take a further stance on the subject of sustainability in the digital realm, Savanna attempted a world first.

As a campaign with something to say about sustainability, we had to take it a step further than digital collectables, or NFTs, so we conceptualised what we believe to be the worlds first-ever recycled digital collectable. By sourcing burnt NFT units and repurposing their artwork, Wanda has designed a singular piece that will be turned into a virtual digital avatar that we hope will make a statement in the conversation about sustainability in the digital realm, says Kokolo.

All of the profits from the sale of the Dry Goods premium waterproof apparel range collaboration between Savanna and Wanda Lephoto will be donated to GreenUp, a leading organisation focused on climate action, environmental education, and community resilience.

#SavannaDryGoods #SavannaXWandaLephoto

#SiyavannaSA

Savanna promotes responsible drinking. Not for persons under 18.

For more information, follow Savannas social media channels or go to www.savanna.co.za.

Instagram: @savannacider

Facebook: @SavannaCider

Twitter: @SavannaCider

YouTube: SavannaCider

About Savanna  Its dry, but you can drink it.

Savanna is a premium, crisp apple cider with a distinctive dry taste. It is one of the largest cider brands in the world and is available in over 60 countries. Since its launch in 1996, Savanna Premium Cider has won consumers' hearts and funny bones with its intelligent, dry and witty sense of humour.
Toyota South Africa Motors (TSAM) announced in mid-March changes to its public relations team. These changes include a new communications team structure, a new productions communications team, and the appointment of award-winning journalist Ray Leathern as corporate communications manager. Leathern previously spent two years as editor of Car Magazine and this is his first time in a corporate communications role.

As corporate communications manager, Leathern aims to uphold the reputation of TSAM | image supplied

The newcomer to TSAM has 17 years of experience, which includes time spent as the motoring group editor for Highbury/RamsayMedia as well as digital editor at Media24 TopCar, making him a valuable media practitioner.

At TSAM, he is part of a team that includes Thabo Smouse (Lexus product communications manager), Lebogang Morobe, and senior manager: corporate and Lexus product communications Nomphelo 'Lelo' Ndzimela who leads the team.

Bizcommunity caught up with Leathern to find out his goals in his new role, how he plans to adapt to the communications needs of the company, and how he plans to work with other departments at TSAM...

Congratulations on your appointment. How are you feeling about it?

Thank you so much. Im extremely excited about the opportunity. When Toyota South Africa Motors (TSAM) gets in touch, you move heaven and earth to make it happen. In this instance, I moved from Cape Town to Johannesburg  with only a few weeks notice  but it has been worthwhile to join the TSAM marketing communications team.

What drew you to your new role as corporate communications manager at TSAM?

If you had told me a year ago I would be a corporate communications manager for Toyota, I wouldnt have believed you. However, with 17 years experience in editorial, including editing SAs oldest motoring title, Car Magazine, I was looking for the next challenge.

From an editorship role, aside from creating your own media outlet perhaps, the next step in career development is to move to a manufacturer. And you dont get better, in my opinion, than the market leader in SA for the last 43 years.

What are your goals for the communications team at TSAM?

My goals initially are to uphold the stellar reputation of TSAM both locally and within the broader Toyota Motor Company (TMC) fold. TSAMs communications remit is as dynamic as it is diverse.

On any given day you can be working on sponsorship material like the Kaizer Chiefs, Springboks or Cheetahs, the Absa Cape Epic victory by Team Toyota Specialized, corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives, sustainable development goals (SDGs) or the new-energy vehicle (NEV) portfolio.

TSAMs involvement in all spheres of life, besides motor vehicles, is simply incredible, and each communication needs to be tailored correctly to its intended audience.

How do you plan to adapt to the communications needs of the company as they evolve over time?

Coming from an editorial background, I appreciate that I have a lot to learn about corporate communications. In many ways, the two are worlds apart, but I believe I also have a unique insight as a result.

Toyota is a family brand, and thats always what I felt when I interacted with it over the years. Its personable, interactive, and two-way communication. Like any effective conversation, you want to feel seen, heard, understood, and safe even. Thats what Toyota was for me, and thats how I hope to work from within.

In your opinion, what are some of the biggest challenges facing corporate communications today?

I dont see challenges so much as opportunities for growth. Like any aspect of business, I believe corporate communications must continue to evolve in a multimedia society.

Technology has given us so many ways to connect positively with people: TV, online, press releases, internal and external bulletins, social media, direct messaging, the list goes on. Because of this, brands have to be open and accountable. All stakeholders have a voice and an audience, and you have to respect clear two-way communication.

In our Toyota Connect and Lexus Life digital magazines, we explore a rich tapestry of editorial content around our brands. Each one is an opportunity to connect and share stories.

Can you share any insight or strategies youve used in the past to successfully manage a team?

The number one way to manage a team successfully, I believe, is open and honest communication and empowering that team to be leaders. I first learned about the concept from Robin Sharma, author of The Monk who Sold his Ferrari, when he spoke about leading without a title.

If you can equip every member of your team with the skills and ability to take responsibility and to lead, no matter their station, then your organisation will outperform the competition.

How do you plan to work with other departments within TSAM to ensure effective communication across the company?

The management structures within TSAM must be some of the best in the country. Im just a button press away from anyone in our technical department, sales, parts, financial services, product planning, manufacturing, you name it. Because of that, you can always verify the answer you need.

Take us through a day in the life of Ray Leathern.

The thing about corporate comms is no two days are ever the same. What I can control is my morning and evening routine. I generally like to start the day with mindfulness time in the morning. No phone, laptop or email, this is purely time to take in the new day. Then its into the Sandton office for work.

Learthern has traded the waves of Muizenberg and track days at Killarney for the rarefied air of Gauteng | image supplied

Besides my PR role, I also busy myself with Toyota Connect and Lexus Life digital magazines, which bring me a lot of creative satisfaction. The marketing communications team sits together for lunch every day and work talk is discouraged. Then, when work is over, I strive to exercise for at least an hour every day, whether it be running, gym or some other activity. Im an avid surfer in Cape Town, and that helped me see the tremendous potential in having a healthy body and a healthy mind.

Can you share any interesting or memorable experiences youve had in your career as a journalist or editor?

Working in media is always memorable and full of great experiences, even if the pay isnt. It was through my work in editorial that I got to ghost-write the autobiography of SA motorsport icon, Peter Lindenberg, Flat-out and Fearless.

Flat-out and Fearless, the autobiography of SA motorsport icon Peter Lindenberg, ghost-written by Ray Leathern | image supplied

This was a tremendous honour for me and was memorable because it was both thoroughly enjoyable and challenging. I never knew I had it in me, frankly. To transcribe tens of hours of interviews with Peter and then craft it into a story. You dont one day build a house. The act of building is slow and steady, a single brick at a time, and over time that work translates into a house. It taught me a lot.
Welcome to the future of e-sports. Welcome to the Mettlestate School Leagues.

Mettlestate is Africas largest e-sports partner and gaming content provider. We are forged by gamers, for gamers. We are known for organising some of the biggest e-sports events in South Africa, with prize pools that have reached up to hundreds of thousands of rands. We partner with various sponsors and brands to support e-sports in South Africa and provide opportunities for local gamers to compete at a high level. Mettlestate is seen as a key player in the development of e-sports in South Africa, helping to grow the local gaming industry and provide opportunities for South African gamers to compete and showcase their skills on an international stage.

E-sports is a joy for all those involved, and we would

love to bring this experience to the learners of South Africa.

Now its time to extend these opportunities to the youth of Mzansi. We want to create a sustainable league for high school kids to play and enjoy their favourite games in a competitive format. E-sports is a joy for all those involved, and we would love to bring this experience to the learners of South Africa.

Thus, we have brought to life the Mettlestate School Leagues.

The Mettlestate School Leagues are comprised of four titles: League of Legends, Valorant, FIFA23 and Brawlhalla. These four popular titles cover a wide range of interest and skill sets, catering to as many learners as possible. The leagues will be broken into two legs per year.

The Mettlestate School League format is designed to be fair and accessible to all registered school teams and to give all registered school teams an opportunity to compete against each other. Teams are first split into groups and play a round-robin format within their group. This means that each team will play against every other team in their group.

The teams will accumulate points based on their win/loss record and any forfeits. The teams with the highest scores will then progress to the playoffs. The playoffs will be a single-elimination bracket, where the teams will compete against each other until there is only one team remaining. The team that wins the playoffs will then advance to the finals, where they will face off against the winner of the other leg. The grand finals will be streamed live on the Mettlestate Twitch channel. This is an opportunity for fans of the league to watch the top teams from each leg compete against each other for the ultimate prize.

In the MSL, we aim to:

Grow and develop the e-sports industry in South Africa by nurturing and identifying young talent.



Provide a platform for learners to compete at a higher level of professionally organised tournaments within the largest tournament organisers ecosystem on the continent.



Create a pipeline for growing talent.



Promote e-sports as a legitimate and viable extra mural and career option.



Increase support for e-sports from the grassroots level.



Establish and engage with a new generation of e-sports competitors and supporters.

Who can participate?

The Mettlestate School Leagues are open to any high school learner who meets the following criteria:

Currently residing in South Africa



Currently attending high school



The high school must be registered with SASEA (South African School Esports Association)

Leg 1 schedule:

Registration | 30 March

Group stages | 17 April

Playoffs | 15 May

Finals | 2728 May

We look forward to developing the future of e-sports with the learners of South Africa!




Umalusi has officially launched the newly implemented online application system for the replacement of lost or damaged certificates.

The Council for Quality Assurance in General and Further Education and Training, Umalusi, recently held a webinar under the theme, 'Innovatively replacing your lost or damaged certificate issued by Umalusi'.

It announced that candidates can now access the system from anywhere via a cellphone or personal computer to apply directly to Umalusi to replace their lost or damaged certificates.

The new system has significantly reduced the turnaround time and costs involved in replacing a lost or damaged certificate.

At the cost of R137, a candidate can collect a replacement certificate from Umalusi within two working days of the application.

Alternatively, a candidate can pay R202, which includes R137 for the certificate and R65 courier fees, to have the certificate sent within seven working days to their chosen physical address, anywhere in South Africa.

One of the webinar attendees said they used the online application system for their lost certificate and received it within the stipulated time.

The university sector has commended this move, saying the online verification of results will be very helpful to institutions of higher learning during registration periods.

Also presenting at the webinar was the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC), which spoke about a similar system catering to all examination-related queries, which has been in use in Kenya since July 2018.

The webinar was attended by officials from education stakeholder organisations in South Africa, the Botswana Examinations Council (BEC) and KNEC.

Please click here to register.
Honoris United Universities and Regent Business School are proud to announce that one of their students, Boitumelo Nkatlo, has returned from a trip to Harvard Business School which he won following the entrepreneurship skills he demonstrated in his groundbreaking project, BNAqua Solutions. He joined global leaders in entrepreneurship as they gathered at the prestigious Harvard Business School's Africa Business Conference, held in Boston, USA, from 24 to 25 March 2023.

From left to right: Dr Shahiem Patel (head of school for commerce & management at Regent Business School), Boitumelo Nkatlo (Harvard winner), and Vikesh Rampadarath (associate director at Regent Business School)

Regent Business School is a proud member of the Honoris United Universities network, the first pan-African private higher education network committed to preparing and educating the next generation of African leaders and professionals to make a regional impact in a globalised world. As the Platinum Sponsor of this conference, Honoris United Universities believes in the power of entrepreneurship and innovation for the prosperity of the African continent and its communities. This belief is manifested through various partnerships with international organisations and institutions that work towards uplifting and encouraging young entrepreneurs in Africa.

Boitumelo Nkatlos winning invention, BNAqua Solutions, is a testament to this belief. It is an inventive solution that addresses the water scarcity issues faced by communities in South Africa. His invention, which is fully recognised and licensed in his name, treats acid mine drainage water and transforms it into safe drinking water, using waste metallic materials.

As the winner of this prestigious competition, Boitumelo Nkatlo attended the Harvard Business Schools Africa Business Conference from 24 to 25 March 2023 in Boston, USA, where he was afforded access to a host of activities specifically for students including a campus tour, introductions to the Harvard faculty, an MBA open house, and a networking lunch.

His excitement and gratitude for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity were evident, I am truly grateful to Honoris United Universities and Regent Business School for enabling me to attend the Harvard Business Schools Africa Business Conference in Boston, USA, where I made valuable contacts within the African continent. Some noteworthy interactions were with the chairman of OCP Group, a fertilising manufacturer based in Morocco, Mostafa Terrab; a Ghanaian entrepreneur, Fred Swaniker, and the chairman of Standard Bank South Africa, Nonkululeko Nyembezi. The break-out sessions which I attended covered some incredibly relevant topics, and I particularly enjoyed the sessions focusing on Africa's creative economy and financial inclusion. A highlight was a private meeting with Prof. Anywhere Siko who is a Berol Corporation Fellow and assistant professor in the Accounting and Management unit at Harvard. This trip could lead to other life-changing opportunities.

Dr Ahmed Shaikh, managing director of Regent Business School, added, As an institution that places a high value on innovation and entrepreneurship, we are proud to have played a role in Boitumelos success. His dedication to finding sustainable and affordable solutions to address the issue of clean water access is inspiring, and we are confident that he will continue to make a significant impact in the future.

This recognition is a testament to the hard work, dedication, and innovation of Boitumelo Nkatlo and the Regent Business School. It also highlights the commitment of Honoris United Universities to empower and encourage young entrepreneurs in Africa.

Honoris United Universities and Regent Business School wish Boitumelo Nkatlo well with his future endeavours and remain committed to continued support for the next generation of African entrepreneurs.




Daily Investor - South Africa's premier finance, investing, and business publication - reached a record 1.2 million monthly readers and 3.5 million page views in March.

Daily Investor has continued its rapid growth, and in March reached a record 1.2 million monthly readers and 3.5 million page views.

Daily Investor is South Africa's premier finance, business, and investment publication for retail and institutional investors, C-level executives, business owners, and finance professionals.

Launched in August 2022, it quickly earned a huge following among South African investors and high-income earners - and is now a leading voice in the market.

Daily Investors email newsletter has grown in popularity, too, and is now sent to 100,000 subscribers every day. These subscribers include top executives, equity analysts, and portfolio managers.

Smart Money

On the back of its rapid readership growth, Daily Investor launched a new online talk show in February titled Smart Money with Alishia Seckam.

Alishia interviews South Africas top business and investment leaders to get their views on financial matters and see what makes them tick.

The first season has featured many top business leaders, including Bank Zero chair Michael Jordaan, Discovery CEO Adrian Gore, ARC co-CEO Johan van Zyl, and Vodacom CEO Shameel Joosub.

Other guests have included Lift co-founder Gidon Novick, A2X CEO Kevin Brady, Vestact CEO Paul Theron, and AlexForbes CEO Dawie de Villiers.

Since its launch, Smart Money with Alishia Seckam has notched up over 250,000 views across YouTube, Facebook, and the shows official website.

The graphic below provides an overview of Daily Investors readership statistics and latest demographics.




Despite the economic volatility and ongoing load shedding, the commercial property sector is experiencing heightened demand, according to Justin Thom, director at Galetti Corporate Real Estate. This resurgence, he says, is being fuelled by workers returning to the office and the resumption of normal operations across industries.

Justin Thom, director at Galetti Corporate Real Estate

With this in mind, Thom says that commercial landlords need to keep pace and adapt to the shifting demands of tenants in a post-Covid-19 era.

Whats trending in the office sector?

Looking to the office sector, Thom says: Johannesburg was the economic node that suffered the most during the pandemic, but were now seeing tenants who previously downscaled or terminated their leases heading back in search of prime real estate to accommodate their fully-fledged workforce.

He adds that continued load shedding has played a key role in bringing people back to the office. While some employees do have long-lasting alternative energy backups at home, many still dont largely due to affordability.

In areas where there is heightened demand for A-grade space, such as Rosebank, Johannesburg and the Cape Town CBD, landlords have the upper hand due to a scarcity of supply.

This has given rise to a natural progression in the price of rentals, offering landlords some reprieve post-Covid-19 and given the rising costs that we currently face. Tenant incentives previously offered are also starting to fall away.

Speaking to sectors driving demand for office space, Thom comments that the financial, legal, insurance and healthcare sectors are some of the major players taking up space across the country.

The Johannesburg prime office market has been regaining significant ground over the past three quarters with vacancies dropping substantially. The finance, legal and insurance industries are heavily reliant on in-person work for regulatory and security reasons, hence the need for spaces large enough to accommodate many employees.

Whats trending in industrial property?

Industrial property continues to crank as the commercial real estate frontrunner in South Africa. This property sector reported the least amount of vacancies during the pandemic due to the increased focus on logistics, supply chains and warehousing.

Thom explains that the company has seen an uptick in demand for spec-build properties in areas such as Linbro Park, Longmeadow, and Jet Park. The vacuum left by landholders not developing in the Covid years has created demand for good quality distribution centres coupled with the rise of e-commerce.

Prominent Reit (real estate investment trust) Fortress has completed 20,000m2 worth of spec-build properties in the area, while Equites and Zenprop have completed 8,300m2 and 3,000m2 respectively, he adds.

Tenants are driving demand in this Gauteng hotspot with the majority seeking A-grade warehouse space. The demand for industrial property means that landlords have the upper hand in this property class, he continues.

Developments are being built and tenanted in strategic positions for long-term growth. Here, tenants can easily upgrade from mini units to mid-sized units and thereafter free-standing buildings, making it an attractive area for investment.

Thom concludes by noting that the prices of rentals have jumped considerably, with build costs increasing by over 50% in the last few years. This property class has essentially outpriced itself and cannot compete with the price of existing properties.
UK-based asset manager Apis Growth Fund II has announced a proposed investment of 29m (R563m) in Baobab Payments GmbH (trading as Peach Payments), a digital payment service provider that enables online payments in Africa.

Peach Payments founders Andreas Demleitner and Rahul Jain | image supplied

Completion of the investment is subject to the approval of the Competition Commission of South Africa and customary procedural and closing conditions. Peach Payments existing investors include UW Ventures, Launch Africa and AG Ventures.

"Apis Partners will leverage its deep networks and unique experience in scaling leading payment companies to support Peach Payments growth and geographic expansion," Apis said in a statement.

Peach Payments intends to use the investment by the Fund to accelerate its expansion across new African markets, deepen its product offering, and reinforce its core merchant value proposition.

Peach Payments is reportedly the second-largest online payment gateway in South Africa, with activities in Kenya and Mauritius, and a staff complement of nearly 150 international professionals. It was founded by Rahul Jain and Andreas Demleitner in 2012 in Cape Town and expanded to Kenya in 2018 and to Mauritius in 2021. The company has experienced exceptional growth in recent years, with revenue increasing more than 650% since 2020, and 80% in 2022 alone.

Matteo Stefanel, cofounder and managing partner at Apis Partners, says:

We continue to see significant opportunity in African payments as strong secular trends that are not related to annual business cycles - such as the conversion from cash to digital and in-store to online payments - persist across key markets.

We have been impressed by the vision and execution of the management team as Peach Payments capitalises on these trends to bring more end-users into the digital economy, a key part of our drive to democratise access across the continent. We look forward to partnering with Peach Payments to expand its reach into new markets with innovative merchant solutions.

At Peach Payments, our mission is to enable African businesses and entrepreneurs to succeed in digital commerce. We want to be the infrastructure layer they build their business on. This was our original vision when we started and is more relevant today than ever, says Rahul Jain, cofounder and CEO of Peach Payments.
Every day for three months, Jessica Longs young daughter walked and fed her goat, bonding with the brown and white floppy-eared animal named Cedar. But when it was time for Cedar to be sold and slaughtered at the Shasta District Fair last year, the 9-year-old just couldnt go through with it.

My daughter sobbed in her pen with her goat, Long wrote to the Shasta County fairs manager on June 27, 2022. The barn was mostly empty and at the last minute I decided to break the rules and take the goat that night and deal with the consequences later.

Long purchased the goat for her daughter to enter into the 4-H program with the Shasta District Fair. Children are taught how to care for farm animals. The animals are then entered in an auction to be sold and then slaughtered for meat in hopes of teaching children about the work and care needed to raise livestock and provide food, as farmers and ranchers do.

In her letter, Long pleaded for the fair to make an exception and let her and her daughter take Cedar back. Aware that Cedar had already been sold in auction, she also offered to pay you back for the goat and any other expenses I caused, according to the letter obtained by The Times.
Former President Donald Trump arrived in New York on Monday, one day before he is set to surrender to authorities and make his first court appearance to face criminal charges.

Trump left his residence of Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, shortly after noon in a black SUV, and his personal plane landed at LaGuardia Airport at roughly 3:30 p.m. From there, he is heading to Trump Tower in midtown Manhattan to spend the night.

"Many dozens upon dozens" of U.S. Secret Service agents are being dispatched to protect the former president's every move, a law enforcement source told CBS News. Teams of agents were expected at the airport for his arrival on Monday and departure on Tuesday, as well as at Trump Tower and with the motorcade for the ride to and from the courthouse.

"On Tuesday morning I will be going to, believe it or not, the Courthouse. America was not supposed to be this way!" Trump wrote on Truth Social. He also called the Manhattan district attorney's investigation a "WITCH HUNT."



A grand jury indicted the former president last week, although the charge or charges remain under seal. A source familiar with the investigation told CBS News on Saturday that the president will be charged with falsifying business records in the first degree, a felony. Trump has denied all wrongdoing.
Crown Prince, Mohammed Bin Salman, known as MbS, has signalled he is prepared to go it alone without the help of the United States to pursue Saudi interests, whether it means re-establishing ties with US adversaries like Iran, or removing supplies from the oil market and angering consumers.

Saudi Arabias unpredictable Crown Prince is pushing hard to realign Middle East dynamics, engaging with old foes and orchestrating OPEC oil cuts, like the ones on Sunday, which took the global market by surprise.

The strategy is designed to create conditions enabling Saudi Arabia to focus on MbSs vast economic transformation plan, Vision 2030, in which he has poured hundreds of billions of dollars, hoping it will open the conservative Kingdom to business and tourism amid rising regional competition.

The strategic shift began in 2019 after the devastating attacks on Saudi Aramcos oil facilities  after which Riyadh questioned US security commitments to the region  and gained momentum after Israeli attacks on Iranian targets, analysts say.

The Kingdom hopes to avoid getting caught up in the crossfire, they say.

READ: Saudi Arabia becomes Shanghai Cooperation Organisation dialogue partner

"Saudi Arabia is moving from disengagement towards engagement to allow it to focus on pushing ahead on Vision 2030," said Saudi analyst, Abdulaziz Sager.

The Kingdom has gone into diplomatic overdrive, restoring relations with Iran and agreeing to a rapprochement with Syria in its quest to rebuild regional alliances, instead of leaning entirely on the United States, its long-time big power ally.

Saudi Arabia is planning to invite Syrian President, Bashar Al-Assad to an Arab League summit that Riyadh is hosting in May, three sources familiar with the plans have said, a move that would formally end Syrias regional isolation.

'Unwise move

The Kingdom also announced a decision to join the China-led Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, a sign that it is cultivating a long-term relationship with Beijing at the expense of the United States.

A Saudi official said the United States and China are both very important partners for Riyadh.

"We certainly hope not to be part of any competition or dispute between the two superpowers. We are not a superpower, but what we are, is an important player in the region and global economy," the official, who declined to be named, said.

White House National Security spokesperson, John Kirby said on Monday, Riyadh remains a strategic partner for Washington even if the two did not agree on all issues. Washington and Riyadh are working on addressing common security challenges, he said.

Riyadhs increasing assertiveness extends to oil policies.

On Sunday, the Saudi-led Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and their allies, including Russia (OPEC+), announced further production cuts of about 1.16 million barrels per day (bpd), drawing US disapproval.

The Gulf Research Centre, a Saudi-based think-tank, said the OPEC cuts show major oil producers can free themselves from US-Western pressure and pursue an independent policy that puts their national interests first.

"Were in a Saudi First oil market now. Producers dont just earn more, they enjoy far more geopolitical leverage when markets are tight," said Jim Krane, a research fellow at Rice Universitys Baker Institute.

Mending fences with Iran

In a significant deal brokered by China, Riyadh reached an agreement with Tehran to revive diplomatic relations, after years of bitter rivalry that have fuelled conflict across the Middle East.

Elisabeth Kendall, a Middle East expert at Cambridges Girton College, said the abrupt U-turn might have been spurred by the escalating confrontation between Israel and Iran.

"Saudi likely hopes that by thawing relations with Iran, it will avoid getting caught up in another regional conflict, thereby removing the risk of another direct Iranian attack on its infrastructure, such as the crippling 2019 attacks on Aramco," Kendall said. Iran denied responsibility.

On Sunday, Israeli forces carried out air strikes on Iranian outposts in Syria, the Syrian Defence Ministry said. Western intelligence sources said a series of air bases in central Syria where Iranian personnel are based were hit.

The attack, the latest in a series on Iranian military facilities in Tehrans close ally, Syria, raised the spectre of a broader regional confrontation that would put US Gulf allies in the line of fire, should military operations escalate.

Previous air strikes on Saudi oil sites, and on a United Arab Emirates fuel depot by Iranian-backed Yemeni Houthi forces, have laid bare the uncertainty surrounding the US security stake in its Arab allies, prompting Riyadh to push for de-escalation with Tehran and diversify its security partners.

There has never been any serious dialogue, either within the US government or with the Saudis, on the conditions under which Washington would come to the defence of Saudi Arabia should it be attacked, said Bilal Saab, Director of the Defence and Security Program at the Middle East Institute in Washington.

"The Saudis dont want to be in a shooting war between Iran and the United States. They dont trust that Washington will protect them," Saab said.

Riyadhs growing ties with Beijing have raised security jitters in Washington, which says Chinese attempts to exert influence around the world will not change US policy toward the Middle East.

Shadi Hamid of the Brookings Institution in Washington said Saudi Arabias view that the US is increasingly disengaged from the region is not entirely wrong.

"The Crown Prince has decided to hedge his bets, both as a concession to reality but also as a way of provoking the US to pay more attention to its security concerns," Hamid said.

"The US has been annoyed but has not retaliated in any way which, in turn, has emboldened Saudi Arabia to continue deepening its relationship with Americas chief adversaries."
The evidence of the coming global war is overwhelming. In a move that will prompt a direct response from China, the US announced that it would deliver 400 Javelin man-portable anti-tank systems to Taiwan . The delivery is strategically planned to begin during the second half of this year into 2024. Reports claim that this deal was created under Trump, of course, but the timing could not be more on point for the international conflict our computers have been indicating.

These advanced weapons can penetrate armor 800 millimeters thick and come equipped with fire-and-forget technology. Ukraine has used these American-made missiles to repel troops and they are extremely effective. This is not intended to prevent China from invading. It is in preparation for when they do invade.

China will never relinquish Taiwan. It would be considered a great shame for the nation and an embarrassment on an international scale. They will do everything possible to keep Taiwan under the One China policy. China is taking notes on how Russia is operating in Ukraine. Russia had little time to prepare, whereas China has had 75 years. China is the second-largest economy in the world and will surpass the United States. The US is no longer a feared nation as it has lost every war since the second world war. The woke ideology prominent in American politics makes our nation appear weaker than ever before. America became the financial capital of the world after the second world war; China will secure that title after the third.
The ever-increasing cost of a college education is no longer worth it, according to poll results from a recent poll by the University of Chicago and the Wall Street Journal. Those polled have a historically low opinion of the value of a college degree, marking a a new low in confidence in what has long been a hallmark of the American dream, according to the Wall Street Journal.

As the Wall Street Journal notes:

The survey, conducted with NORC at the University of Chicago, a nonpartisan research organization, found that 56% of Americans think earning a four-year degree is a bad bet compared with 42% who retain faith in the credential. Skepticism is strongest among people ages 18-34, and people with college degrees are among those whose opinions have soured the most, portending a profound shift for higher education in the years ahead.

A decade ago, only two in five respondents said college was not worth the cost because people often graduate without specific job skills and with a large amount of debt to pay off. But now, most respondents say it is not worth the cost. In this years poll, only 42 percent believe college is worth the cost because people have a better chance to get a good job and earn more income over their lifetime.

College lobbyists and academics disagreed about the causes of this cooling sentiment toward colleges.

We need to do a better job at storytelling, but we need to improve our practice, that seems to me to be the only recipe I know of regaining public confidence, said Ted Mitchell of the American Council on Education.

Bryan Caplan, an author and economist at Virginias George Mason University, said colleges left-wing ideology and unnecessary COVID shutdowns were partly to blame.

Colleges have squandered a lot of good will by pushing a dogmatic left-wing religion, says Professor Caplan. Normal people dont have sympathy for that sort of thing, they find it very off- putting.

The Wall Street Journal described Caplan as saying that charging full tuition for online classes damaged colleges image, and the lack of in-person classes undermined personal connections with professors that tended to smooth over any problems that might arise from the left-wing bias among faculty.

The Wall Street Journal also quoted graduates who questioned the value of their degree and were unsure if they would advise their own kids to attend college.
In 2014, Texas Gov. Rick Perry was indicted on two felony counts of allegations of abuse of power by local Democrats. In 2013, he allegedly pressured the district attorney, a Democrat, to step down by threatening to cut off state financing to her office, the NY Times reported.

It was a First Amendment case that had to fall on Mr. Perrys side. However, for Democrats, it was probably an essential dry run. They got away with it and destroyed Perry as a candidate.

The Times wrote:

The indictment left Mr. Perry, a Republican, the first Texas governor in nearly 100 years to face criminal charges and presented a major roadblock to his presidential ambitions at the very time that he had been showing signs of making a comeback.

Now, Donald Trump is the first president.

The Federalist reports the first charge was an abuse of official capacity. The second was the coercion of a public servant. Perrys crime was using the veto power granted to him in the Texas Constitution. He did nothing wrong.

The Federalist describes what happened:

What happened was this: Travis County District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg, a Democrat, was convicted of drunk driving and incarcerated. Working from the Travis County DAs office, Lehmberg managed the state public integrity unit, a legal office responsible for rooting out public corruption. After she refused to resign her position following a fair bit of criticism over the fact that a person in charge of rooting out public corruption should not be known for being convicted of a crime, Perry threatened to veto the public integrity units $7.5 million budget and eventually did veto the budget.

The abuse of office charge led to his indictment and arrest. They booked him, took his mug shot, and fingerprinted him. He faced five to 99 years in prison.

It derailed his presidential hopes.

TOO LATE

Mr. Perry was cleared of all charges in February 2016. By then, too much attention had focused on him to continue a successful presidential run. He dropped out in September.

I think anyone who has paid attention to presidential races, saw this indictment had a negative effect on our candidacy, Perry said at that time.

The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals dismissed charges against Rick Perry. The previous July, a lower court dismissed one of the charges.

The Appeals court looked at the states separation-of-power provision in the Texas Constitution. They also considered a governors veto power under the abuse of official capacity statute. The First Amendment prevailed.

I think the people of this state do not want rogue prosecutors to use the court to get done what they cant get done at the ballot box, he said about the political nature of the charges.

The dismissal by the Appeals Court proved Mr. Perry was correct. Public servants have a First Amendment right to engage in expression, even threats, regarding their official duties.
EU and NATO policymakers are no longer interested in finding out who was behind the bombing of the Nord Stream pipelines, the Washington Post reports.



From The Washington Post, "Investigators skeptical of yachts role in Nord Stream bombing":

Dont talk about Nord Stream



For all the intrigue around who bombed the pipeline, some Western officials are not so eager to find out.



At gatherings of European and NATO policymakers, officials have settled into a rhythm, said one senior European diplomat: Dont talk about Nord Stream. Leaders see little benefit from digging too deeply and finding an uncomfortable answer, the diplomat said, echoing sentiments of several peers in other countries who said they would rather not have to deal with the possibility that Ukraine or allies were involved.



Even if there were a clear culprit, it would not likely stop the provision of arms to Ukraine, diminish the level of anger with Russia or alter the strategy of the war, these officials argued. The attack happened months ago and allies have continued to commit more and heavier weapons to the fight, which faces a pivotal period in the next few months.



Since no country is yet ruled out from having carried out the attack, officials said they were loath to share suspicions that could accidentally anger a friendly government that might have had a hand in bombing Nord Stream.



In the absence of concrete clues, an awkward silence has prevailed.



Its like a corpse at a family gathering, the European diplomat said, reaching for a grim analogy. Everyone can see theres a body lying there, but pretends things are normal. Its better not to know.

"Intelligence agencies have found no clear evidence that Russia, initially the prime suspect, was responsible," The Post admitted.



They made no mention of Seymour Hersh's detailed report fingering the US and Norway for the attack.



Follow InformationLiberation on Twitter, Facebook, Gab, Minds and Telegram.


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This year, students from the Asian, Chinese, Japanese , Korean American, Philippines, South Asian, and Vietnamese students' associations are all contributing to the monthlong program.

Eduardo Pazos, assistant dean of student affairs for inclusion and diversity and director of multicultural student life, said the monthlike all the heritage months at Bowdoinis an opportunity to center and highlight one of the College's many affinity groups. Or, in this case, multiple groups.

"The Asian and Pacific Islander community is a big part of our campus, and we want to acknowledge the way they contribute to scholarship, culture, and who we are as a community," he added.

One of the identities the program will hold up is a Maine one. The first event of the month, following the Kick-Off Food Festival, was a talk by Marpheen Chann, on April 3.

Chann, author of the memoir, Moon In Full: A Modern-Day Coming-of-Age Story, was adopted from his Cambodian refugee family by a family in Maine. In his talk, he spoke about his story of adoption and growing up as a queer Mainer in a working-class community and a religious family. "Marpheen uses a mix of humor and storytelling to help people view topics such as racism, xenophobia, and homophobia through an intersectional lens," according to his bio.

The next event will also be an author's talk: Stephanie Foo, who wrote the memoir, What My Bones Know: A Memoir of Healing from Complex Trauma, will participate in a virtual conversation April 6 at 4:30 p.m. What My Bones Know has been named one of the best books of 2022 by NPR, Publisher's Weekly, Amazon, and Goodreads.

Following these two literary events, people can enjoy "screenings, a movie night, lots of food and conversation, and cultural performances," Pazos said. Toward the end of the month, students will throw a Holi celebration, the colorful Hindu festival delighting in the return of spring.

Though the holiday was officially in March, students at Bowdoin are timing their festival to coincide with the return of Maine's rather tardy spring, Pazos said.

One of the most prominent features of Holi is the throwing of dyed rice-flour powder at revelers, creating a spectacular vision of multihued students on the Brunswick quad. Everyone is welcome at Bowdoin's Holi event, and it's an event not to be missed, Pazos said.
Just under half a million passengers are set to pass through Dublin Airport over the coming Easter Bank Holiday Weekend, with 485,000 people to be travelling this weekend.

A total of 248,000 people will depart from Dublin Airport during the five days between Thursday, April 6th and Monday, April 10th, while 23,000 passengers are expected to arrive there, making it the busiest weekend of the year so far.

Easter Monday is expected be the busiest day of the five-day period, with 103,000 passengers flying in and out of Dublin Airport.

Good Friday will be the busiest day for departures, while Easter Monday will be the busiest day for arrivals at the countrys busiest airport.

Passengers departing from Dublin Airport this Easter are advised to arrive at their terminal two hours in advance of a short-haul flight and three hours before a long-haul flight.

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Passengers are also advised to check which terminal their flight is departing from when planning their journey to the airport.

Demand for car parking at Dublin Airport is very high for Easter with some days already near being sold out. Passengers are advised to book car parking online in advance and to consider alternate ways of getting to and from the airport, including by bus, by taxi or drop-off.

Daa, the operator of Dublin Airport, is reporting that 92 per cent of passengers have been processed in under 20 minutes at the central security screening areas so far this year.

Kevin Cullinane, daas group head of communications, said: Passengers travelling from Dublin Airport this busy Easter holiday period can expect to experience improved service standards across both terminals.

"While a remarkably busy summer schedule is now well underway, it is great to be back to our normal travel advice to arrive two hours before a short-haul flight and three hours for a long-haul flight after the pandemic.

Ireland Varadkar denies claims he overruled O'Brien on dec... Read More

"All the crew at Dublin Airport wish all our passengers a safe and enjoyable Easter weekend ahead, he added.

Meanwhile, Shannon Airport is preparing for its busiest holiday period so far this year as over 73,000 passengers are expected to hop on a plane from Shannon over Easter.

This is a 26 per cent increase in the number of passengers travelling through the airport when compared to same period last year, and beats pre-pandemic traffic for the same period in 2019 by 20 per cent.

The bounce in recovery comes as the airport launches its sizzling summer schedule, offering a choice of 33 destinations to 11 countries across the EU, UK and USA.
Gardai are looking to trace a man seen entering a shop with a bandaged hand before washing his hands in the store, as part of their investigations into the violent death of a young woman in Limerick, Tuesday.

They have interviewed staff at the shop and removed a number of items from the premises, which is situated close to the scene of the fatal assault on the woman, in her 20s.

The man entered the shop with one of his hands wrapped in a makeshift bandage before washing his hands and leaving the premises again with his hand wrapped up in the makeshift bandage.

Gardai were anxious to speak to the man in order to be able to rule him in or out of their enquiries.

When asked for an official response about this, a garda spokesman replied: An Garda Siochana does not comment on specifics of onlooking investigations.

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The womans body was discovered inside an apartment block on Dock Road, just off OCurry Street, around 1.30pm.

Gardai said the woman died in a fatal assault around 1.30pm, but they did not disclose specific details of her injuries.

A garda forensic unit conducted a technical examination of the scene and investigators called in the office of the State Pathologist to perform a post-mortem.

Appealing for witnesses a garda spokesman asked that anyone who has camera footage from the Dock Road and OCurry street areas of Limerick City from 1:00pm  2:00pm would contact investigating gardai at Henry Street Garda Station on 061 212 400, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda Station.

Prayers were being said for the victim at the Redemptorist church, located a few streets away.

Fr Seamus Enright, Rector of the religious order in Limerick said: We are horrified that such violence has come to our own community.

We remember the young woman in our prayers and all those who are grieving for her, and we will be pray for her especially at mass this evening and tomorrow, said Fr Enright.

A death like this reminds us of how precious life is and how we must do everything we possibly can to protect and enhance life - and Id appeal to anybody with information to cooperate with An Garda Siochana, Fr Enright added.

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A reliable source said there were about 16 apartments inside the building where the body was found, occupied by a mixture of both Irish and migrant single professionals and families.

Limerick Fianna Fail TD, Willie ODea said: Its an unspeakable tragedy, death by violence is always a terrible tragedy, but its definitely worse when the person is young, in their 20s, with their whole life in front of them.

Limerick ha come an awful long way from the bad old days of gang crime, and constant stabbings and assaults and murders, and we want to see Limerick continue to go forward, said Deputy ODea.

There is a lot of cameras around the area so there could be some information available (to Gardai), so I would ask the public to cooperate fully to make sure there is a successful prosecution for this horrific crime, Mr ODea added.

The area is frequented by a sizable migrant community.

Local councillor Abul Kalam Azad Talukder appealed to the community to be careful.

Ireland Woman dies after assault in Limerick city Read More

If you see anything suspect just call to your local garda station, don't hesitate, the garda are always there helpful to us, and be united as a community, said Cllr Talukder.

People in the area are very shocked. In the last five to ten years this arena has improved a lot, if you were talking about 10-15 years ago it was different, but today there are a lot of young families, professional people, residing here.

It is very, very shocking for us to hear this. The gardai are doing their job properly, and hopefully they will find the (perpetrator) shortly.

Chairman of Fianna Fail, Limerick City, Alec Morrissey, said: I want to pass on my sympathies with the family of the bereaved woman, it's a shocking event in the city, and we thought we were over all these type of incidents.
A 42-year-old Dublin man had to be pepper-sprayed after he lunged at gardai while holding a pint glass, a court has heard.

Alan Hall, of Bridgewater Quay, Islandbridge, Dublin 8, pleaded guilty to public order charges for engaging in insulting, abusive and insulting behaviour and failing to comply with a gardas direction to leave the vicinity.

Dublin District Court heard that the incident happened at 5.30am on January 24th after gardai responded to a call from staff at the Dublin Bus depot on Conyngham Road that a man was acting in an aggressive manner.

They caught up with him, and he was shouting aloud and became aggressive and abusive to the officers while members of the public were at a bus stop.

He was cautioned to leave the area and went in the direction of his home but returned highly abusive with fists clenched and lunged at members of An Garda Siochana.

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Court Garda Sergeant Derek Spain presented the evidence for the arresting officer. He told Judge Treasa Kelly that Hall ran between traffic, was aggressive and holding a pint glass which he refused to put down.

The court heard that the officers had to pepper spray Hall.

He has three prior convictions for public order offences, which resulted in him being fined 500 in March.

However, Judge Kelly noted an appeal of that conviction was still pending.

Pleading for leniency, his barrister said that Hall deeply regrets his actions and was apologetic. Counsel said the context of the incident was that he had suffered a significant bereavement and at the time, the accused had been drinking too much.

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He had lived with depression all his life and had always been in gainful employment until recently but is looking for work.

The defence asked the court to consider a charitable donation instead of a conviction.

Judge Kelly said Hall had taken responsibility for his actions and noted he had underlying issues. She told him guards have a job to do, and he had to realise drinking did not suit him.

Judge Kelly adjourned finalising the case until June, and after his appeal.
Former Kosovo president Hashim Thaci has insisted he is an innocent man as he addressed a panel of international judges hearing his trial on 10 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

At the end of his lawyers opening statement to the Kosovo Specialist Chambers, Thaci stood up and told black-robed judges that he expects evidence to lead to his acquittal, saying that victims do not obtain justice when the innocent are pursued.

Thaci was a student who came out of what he described as political exile in Switzerland to join Kosovos struggle for independence from Serbia.

He was embraced by Western leaders who invited him to 1999 peace talks in France in his role as political director of the Kosovo Liberation Army and was he seen as a leader who could guide the country toward independence.

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Former Kosovo president Hashim Thaci, left, and Rexhep Selimi, rear right, appear before the court. Photo: Koen van Weel/Pool via AP.

Thaci said he regretted that late US secretary of state Madeleine Albright and other international diplomats who have died in the nearly quarter of a century since the war could not speak on his behalf.

They would have testified on my part about what I have said and what I did during that very important time in Kosovos history, he said. Im happy that many others like them have come forward to testify about my innocence.

But prosecutors paint a different picture, alleging Thaci and three other former senior leaders of the KLA on trial with him were responsible for murders and the illegal detention and abuse of people they considered traitors or collaborators with Serb forces.

Im innocent of all these allegations, Thaci said. However, Im ready to face this new challenge and succeed for my family, my people and my country.

Defence lawyer Gregory Kehoe told judges that Thaci had no effective command and control over the KLA at the time international prosecutors hold him responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity allegedly committed by members of the guerilla force in Kosovos 1998-99 war for independence from Serbia.

The issue of how much control Thaci and three other former high-ranking KLA leaders on trial with him had over KLA fighters will be key in the trial that opened on Monday and is expected to last many months.

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Thaci and his fellow accused, Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi and Jakup Krasniqi, are each charged with offences including murder, torture and persecution allegedly committed across Kosovo and northern Albania from 1998 to September 1999, during and after the war.

Mr Kehoes opening statement aimed to counter prosecutors assertions on the trials opening day that Thaci and three-co-defendants were all members of the KLA general staff who pursued a policy of targeting civilians perceived as collaborators and traitors.

Prosecution lawyer Matt Halling told judges on Monday that each of the four accused wielded power, authority and influence which enabled them to enact the policy.

Supporters of former Kosovo president Hashim Thaci and three other defendants protest in The Hague. Photo: Peter Dejong/AP.

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The trial is being held at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers, a branch of the Kosovo legal system that was established in The Hague in part due to fears about witness safety and security.

Most of the 13,000 people who died in the 1998-1999 war in Kosovo were ethnic Albanians. A 78-day campaign of Nato air strikes against Serbian forces ended the fighting. About one million ethnic Albanian Kosovars were driven from their homes.

The trial triggered a large demonstration in Kosovo on Sunday in support of the four defendants and another protest on Monday in The Hague by hundreds of Kosovars who waved flags and banners, including one that proclaimed KLA fought for freedom.
Finland has become Natos newest member with the UK saying the move demonstrates the strength of the alliance in the face of Vladimir Putins aggression.

British prime minister Rishi Sunak said Finnish membership had made the alliance stronger and pushed for Sweden to also be given permission to join the group.

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said Russias invasion of Ukraine had resulted in a Nato that was larger and bound tighter together.

Russias invasion of Ukraine led the previously neutral Finland and Sweden to seek membership.

Finland, which has an 830-mile border with Russia, formally became the 31st member of the alliance at a ceremony at Natos Brussels headquarters on Tuesday.

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Neighbouring Sweden has seen its process of joining the organsation delayed by objections from Turkey and Hungary, but Mr Sunak made clear he wanted those issues resolved.

The Prime Minister said: This is an historic day for Finland and for Nato.

Their accession has made our alliance stronger and every one of us safer.

All Nato members now need to take the steps necessary to admit Sweden too, so we can stand together as one alliance to defend freedom in Europe and across the world.

Mr Cleverly, who was at Natos headquarters, said: Today we see, as a direct result of Vladimir Putins aggression and his illegal invasion of Ukraine, the day where a new ally joins our defensive alliance.

He added: Russia thought its aggression would divide us. Instead, we are bound tighter together, resolute in our defence of the principles of freedom and the rule of law.

Let us be clear that our door remains open.

We will welcome further Allies with open arms and we continue to push for Swedens swift accession.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said: Let Finland be a lesson to President Putin.

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Finland chose to join, based on their own free will.

The freedom to choose their alliances as a sovereign state is a matter for their citizens and their citizens alone.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned that Moscow will respond depending on what weapons Nato allies place in Finland.

We will closely monitor what will be going on in Finland and how Nato will use the territory of Finland for the deployment of weapons, equipment and infrastructure next to our border that would potentially threaten us.

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Measures will be taken dependent on that, Mr Peskov said.

Meanwhile the UK announced 10 million for Natos support package for Ukraine, providing non-lethal aid such as medical equipment, rations, fuel and counter-drone equipment.

Some 2 million will also go to Nato efforts to help Georgia, Moldova and Bosnia & Herzegovina defend themselves against Russian activity.
Traditional owners in the Northern Territory have launched human rights complaints against a dozen Australian and international banks over their involvement in a $1.5 billion loan to oil and gas giant Santos for the Barossa project in the Timor Sea.

Santos, one of the nations biggest gas producers, has come under growing scrutiny over its plans to develop the Barossa gas project off the coast of northern Australia after the Federal Court last year ruled that the company had failed to consult traditional owners properly and forced it to halt drilling.

Traditional owners including Dennis Murphy Tipakalippa have been fighting Santos Barossa LNG project in the Timor Sea.

On Tuesday, six Tiwi Islands traditional owners and a Larrakia traditional owner said ANZ and other banks had arranged and finalised the $US1 billion ($1.5 billion) loan to Santos in September while the case before the Federal Court was ongoing.

Traditional owners are also lodging grievances against the banks for proposed loans to Santos Darwin liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant.
Australias universities will gain access to new technology designed to crack down on cheats using ChatGPT but some top institutions are shunning the software as teachers look to redesign tests to combat the rise of artificial intelligence.

Most universities nationwide will on Wednesday have the option of using popular anti-plagiarism software service Turnitin to detect whether a student has used a chatbot to help write an essay or complete an assessment.

English lecturer Benjamin Miller has redesigned some assessments as universities grapple with the rise of ChatGPT and artificial intelligence. Credit: Dion Georgopoulos

But some of the countrys biggest institutions including the University of Sydney, Monash University and Deakin University have said they will not use the software  at least initially  and are instead ramping up other detection methods to catch students using ChatGPT to write papers.

Academic integrity expert at the University of NSW, Cath Ellis, said there is a real fear the detection tool could lead universities to falsely accusing students of using ChatGPT to do their work.
More than a century after the companys eponymous founder sold his first plumbing products from the back of a truck, Reece has become a part of the furniture in homes across Australia.

The $11.4 billion companys products, from ventilation to waterworks, ensure that the air is flowing, and toilets are flushing  not just Down Under, but around the world.

Reece chief executive Peter Wilson. The Wilson family still owns about 35 per cent of the company, plus more through various investment vehicles. Credit: Christopher Pearce

The Wilson family has in effect controlled and steered the company since the moon landing in 1969, and has taken it to stratospheric heights over the past 50 years. Now, the business makes billions of dollars in sales every year.

While Reece has become a household name that has weathered recessions and most recently a global pandemic, a slowdown in markets  particularly new construction in the US and a contraction in consumers looking to renovate  weighs on the companys outlook.
A constable who shot dead an Indigenous teenager during an outback arrest has been sacked by the Northern Territory Police Force.

Zachary Rolfe shot Kumanjayi Walker, 19, three times in the remote community of Yuendumu, northwest of Alice Springs, on November 9, 2019. Rolfe was found not guilty of murdering Walker following a high-profile, five-week trial in 2022.

Zachary Rolfe leaves the Supreme Court of the Northern Territory in Darwin after an appearance in 2019. Credit: AAP

Rolfe was sacked on Tuesday, a spokeswoman for the force confirmed.

A 31-year-old male police officer has been dismissed from the Northern Territory Police Force effective April 4, 2023, she said in a statement.
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A group of leading defence figures is urging the Albanese government to release a secret report on the national security risks of climate change even though its contents may alarm Australians.

Former Defence Force chief Admiral Chris Barrie said climate change posed a bigger risk to Australia than Chinas rapid military build-up, and it was crucial to inform the public about the security implications of warmer temperatures, rising sea levels and increased natural disasters.

Former Defence Force chief Admiral Chris Barrie called on the government to release a declassified version of the report as soon as possible. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

Potential impacts included famines caused by global warming, conflicts over access to scarce resources and the mass migration of people to Australia from vulnerable Asia-Pacific nations in the coming decades.

We are worried about the possible collapse of societies because of starvation, a lack of fresh water and shortages of food supplies, said Barrie, a member of the Australian Security Leaders Climate Group.
The Australian government has banned social media video app TikTok from politicians and public servants work devices after getting advice from intelligence and security agencies.

In a statement, Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said exceptions would only be granted on a case by case basis for the use of the Chinese-owned service.

After receiving advice from intelligence and security agencies, today I authorised the Secretary of the Attorney-Generals Department to issue a mandatory direction under the Protective Security Policy Framework to prohibit the TikTok app on devices issued by Commonwealth departments and agencies. The direction will come into effect as soon as practicable, Dreyfus said in a statement on Tuesday.

Government staff who are given exceptions to use TikTok for work will need a dedicated phone for the app and must register their account to a generic federal email address, underscoring the severity of the risk security agencies see in the service.
The West Australian government will likely join its federal counterparts in banning TikTok from all government electronic devices over national security concerns.

WA Premier Mark McGowan said he couldnt personally explain what the security concerns were, but his government had received advice to ban the app on government phones, which it would follow.

Well follow the advice the Commonwealth Government has given us, and any advice they provide, and in relation to that or other security matters well follow, he said

McGowans office runs a TikTok account for the premier and has more than 39,000 followers and 162,000 likes.
Helsinki: Finland formally joined NATO on Tuesday, its flag unfurling outside the military blocs Brussels headquarters, in a historic policy shift brought on by Russias invasion of Ukraine, drawing a threat from Moscow of counter-measures.

Finlands accession, ending seven decades of military non-alignment, roughly doubles the length of the border that the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation shares with Russia and bolsters its eastern flank as the war in Ukraine grinds on with no resolution in sight.

Finnish and NATO flags flutter at the courtyard of the Foreign Ministry in Helsinki, Finland. Credit: AP

Finlands flag  a blue cross on a white background  was hoisted alongside those of the alliances 30 other members as a military band played in bright spring sunshine.

For almost 75 years, this great alliance has shielded our nations and continues to do so today, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg declared at the ceremony.
London: The political demise of Sanna Marin  the Millennial, leather-jacket wearing, media-savvy leader who championed progressive causes  was not because of any outrage about her private life or forces undermining her, but something rather more dull and predictable.

It appears, in the end, she just wasnt offering a compelling deal. For months polling had suggested that the Finnish were concerned that the countrys national debt was out of control and Marin, 37, was outflanked on the policy front by her opponents.

For those who didnt follow the election campaign, the result will come as a shock. It was only three months or so ago Marin had the red carpet treatment at Kirribilli House alongside Anthony Albanese. The Australian PM even made a social media post of the pair with Toto, the first dog. Its an honour nowadays only reserved for those with left-wing street cred.

But Finland  like much of Europe and the Western world  continues to face soaring inflation and the threat of recession; something both Marins main rivals, the centre-right National Coalition and right-wing populist Finns Party, had argued they could better navigate.
Media mogul Rupert Murdoch and Ann Lesley Smith have called off their engagement, two media outlets have reported.

Murdoch announced plans to marry 66-year-old Smith, a dental hygienist and San Francisco police chaplain turned conservative radio host, last month.

Rupert Murdoch announced his engagement to Ann Lesley Smith last month. Credit: Jenna Bascom Photography

The 92-year-old Australian-born mogul told the New York Post, one of his own newspapers, that he had proposed to Smith with an Asscher cut diamond solitaire ring that he personally selected.

However, Vanity Fair, citing sources close to Murdoch, reported the businessman had put the wedding plans on ice.
Wellington: Jacinda Ardern will continue work on her flagship foreign policy beyond her prime ministership of New Zealand, accepting two appointments, on the eve of leaving parliament, as special envoy for the Christchurch Call and as a trustee for Prince Williams Earthshot Prize.

The Christchurch Call is an international organisation which brings together countries and tech companies to eliminate online extremism.

It was founded by New Zealand and France as Ardern worked with French President Emmanuel Macron after the 2019 Christchurch Mosques massacre. The killer  Australian convicted terrorist Brenton Tarrant  was radicalised online and livestreamed his crimes on Facebook.

Announcing her appointment on Tuesday, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said, We owe it to those who lost their lives on 15 March 2019 to continue our work to ensure there is no place for terrorist and violent extremist content online.


One such attempt, recently reviewed in Business Standard by Aditi Phadnis is Indias Tipping Point: The View From 7 Race Course Road, which provides an inside view of the Prime Ministers Office under P V Narasimha Rao. Written by S Narendra, who was spokesman for the government and the prime minister, it offers a tantalising picture of the turbulent years from 1991 to 1996. The all-consuming image of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the looming 2024 general elections appear to have sparked an interest in understanding the workings of the highest office in the land and its previous occupants also perhaps because so little information has trickled in over the past nine years.



Those interested in similar books that have come out in the last year can also look at veteran journalist Sugata Srinivasarajus biography of former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda  Furrows in a Field: The Unexplored Life of H.D. Deve Gowda  all the more so because elections have been announced in his home state of Karnataka, where he is still active, trying to ensure that his sons, their wives, and children get elected. Phadnis writes, however, that at many points you can sense that Mr Narendra knows a lot more but is holding back. But this is still an important book because Mr Narendra not only enjoyed a close relationship with the prime minister but was also privy to the political pulls, pressures and decisions taken to manage contradictions.



Talking about the more recent past, Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud highlighted last week the long-lasting repercussions of media trials, which make a person guilty in the eyes of the public even before they are convicted by a court. That brings us to the review in BS this past week of Mayur Sureshs book Terror Trials: Life and Law in Delhis Courts by Delhi-based lawyer Jayant Tripathi. Though Srinivasaraju was not part of Gowdas PMO, his book benefits from the presence of his subject and his phenomenal memory, which is feared in Karnataka as much by his friends as his foes.

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The book is a critical look at the labyrinthine legal system not as it is envisioned  as a moral force and philosophical theory  but as it is experienced by those who are its victims, in this case people accused of having committed acts of terror. The book explores how, because normal criminal procedure and principles are not available to them, the lives of terror accused are almost entirely consumed with their interactions with the technicalities and language of the law, and their interpersonal interactions with the keepers and enforcers of the law in their effort to prove their innocence, Tripathi writes. Tripathi highlights the public perception of terror accused, who are more reviled and hated than ordinary accused. And despite repeated reiteration by the Supreme Court of the principles of 'bail not jail' and 'innocent until proven guilty', such rules may not be available to terror accused.



Gunjan Singhs review of the edited volume The Party Leads All: The Evolving Role of the Chinese Communist Party by grapples with Xi Jinpings leadership of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the Peoples Republic of China (PRC), and a push towards increasing centralisation and concentration of power within the top leadership and especially Xi Jinping. Taking a step back from the workings of the Indian state, there were two reviews of books that dealt with the two nations that dominate the current global order  China and the USA.



Says Singh: To provide a nuanced understanding of the changes the book successfully juxtaposes the situation under the previous leaderships with that under Mr Xi. The major theme across the chapters is that there is a consistent reduction in the space for free thinking and criticism available to the Chinese people under him. Much like contemporary accounts of the USSR, the foreign observer has had to depend on volumes like this one, which provide an insight into the workings of a country whose influence has spread across the world, and whose plus one India hopes to become.



Ashis Ray reviewed Current Intelligence by David Charlwood, which portrays the workings of one of the most influential organisations in recent years, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), told through a reading of presidential briefings over the past 75 years. Such centralisation of control, justified on the grounds of stamping out corruption, which the party sees as an existential threat, can have other repercussions, like for instance the power to decide which issues civil society can focus on and how rich a private sector entrepreneur can get before he becomes a threat to the Party.
Homegrown smart metering firm Gram Power is eyeing a multi-fold growth in topline in the current fiscal as it is set to ramp up the manufacturing capacity to 10 million units per annum, according to a top company official.

"We have set up a manufacturing unit with a capacity of up to 3 million smart meters per year, and we aim to ramp up production to 10 million meters in the next 12-15 months to meet the growing demand for smart metering systems in the country," Yashraj Khaitan, Founder and CEO of Gram Power, told PTI.

With the capacity expansion, Gram Power is eyeing about 10 per cent of the country's 300 million metering market over the next five years.

Khaitan said that that once the additional capacity is functional, Gram Power's topline turnover will increase by 20 times in 2023-24.

However, he did not disclose specific financial details.

Recently, the company raised USD 100 million from I Squared Capital for capacity expansion works.

Also Read Genesis, IGL to invest Rs 110 cr to set up meter manufacturing plant CES 2023: LG Gram laptops with 13th Gen Intel Core processors unveiled Li-ion battery pack maker Lohum targets 3-fold jump in topline to Rs 300 cr Adani Transmission incorporates arm to undertake smart meter business Adani, GMR and L&T place bids for smart meter tender in Uttar Pradesh Richard Branson's Virgin Orbit files for bankruptcy, to seek buyer Wipro Consumer Care and Lighting FY23 sales cross Rs 10,000 crore Maruti Suzuki WagonR, Alto K10 get low rating in Global NCAP crash test Hyundai unveils Genesis GV80 Coupe concept car at exhibition in New York PhonePe launches shopping app for ONDC, marking e-commerce entry

Under the Smart Meter National Programme, the government aims to replace 25 crore conventional meters with smart meters.

Smart meters are connected through a web-based monitoring system which help to reduce commercial losses of utilities and enhance their revenues.

As part of the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS), the power ministry aims to improve operational efficiencies and financial sustainability for beleaguered power distribution companies (discoms) and state power departments.

Recently, Gram Power was awarded a 10-year contract for Ladakh and Kargil Energy operations. The contract entails redesigning the entire distribution network cabling and installing 61,000 smart meters.

"The terrain and scattered locations make this the most challenging project in the country," Khaitan said.

According to him, India is a flourishing market for advanced metering infrastructure and with the government's push towards digitisation and smart cities, the demand for smart metering solutions is expected to increase further.

The company, which has achieved good traction in the competitive smart metering industry, is executing various projects, including works related to the national grid, and help entities reduce their energy costs by up to 30 per cent.
In order to expand its operations, Infosys is working to open a 50-acre campus in Kolkata next year. The West Bengal government is also preparing for the software company to begin operations in the state, Financial Express has reported.

The construction of the campus is likely to be completed in around 18 months. Meanwhile, Infosys plans to conduct its business from a rented, makeshift facility in the city, according to the report, which quoted people familiar with the development.

Infosys had posted on Facebook, "Kolkata, here we come! Infosys now in your very own city. Looking forward to welcoming you to our office soon. Stay tuned for the latest updates and job openings!"

In a stock exchange filing, Infosys said that a meeting of its board of directors will be held on April 12 and 13 and take decisions on key matters. The construction of the campus on 50 acres of land is expected to be completed in 2024.



The company plans to begin operations from the new campus as soon as the construction is complete. A spokesperson for Infosys said the company is in a 'silent period' ahead of the board meeting and did not say anything on the matter, the newspaper reported.

The new campus in Kolkata is part of Infosys' plans to have its offices closer to the available talent pool. This is being done to minimise travel to other cities and provide opportunities to work closer to home.



In 2018, Infosys said the software development facility in Kolkata was being developed at a cost of Rs 100 crore. When completed, the facility will be able to accommodate around 1,000 employees in the early stages, the FE report said.
State-owned MOIL has registered a 6 per cent rise in its manganese ore production to 1.3 million tonnes (MT) in 2022-23.

The company also utilised 14 per cent higher capital expenditure in the financial year that ended March 31 over 2021-22, the Ministry of Steel said in a statement.

MOIL Ltd recorded its second-highest production since inception, registering a 6 per cent growth to 1.3 million tonnes in FY23 over the previous year.

During FY23, MOIL carried out its best-ever exploratory core drilling of 41,762 metres which is 2.7 times of the average exploration achieved in the last 5 years.

MOIL, under the Ministry of Steel, is the largest producer of manganese ore in the country, contributing 45 per cent of the domestic production. It operates 11 mines in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh.

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The move is expected to help Walmart-owned PhonePe take on players such as Flipkart, Amazon, Reliances JioMart and Tata-owned BigBasket in the e-commerce space which is forecasted to grow to $350 billion by 2030. Pincode is currently live only for customers in Bengaluru and will launch in other cities very soon. Fintech major PhonePe on Tuesday forayed into e-commerce with the launch of a shopping app, Pincode, on the government-backed Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) platform. The app will focus on hyperlocal commerce.



We will list all sellers democratically, said Sameer Nigam, chief executive officer and founder PhonePe, after unveiling the Pincode app at the company event here in the presence of Nandan Nilekani, Infosys co-founder and former chairman of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), and ONDC CEO T Koshy. The Pincode app will promote local shopkeepers and sellers. It aims to digitally connect each citys consumers with all their neighbourhood stores that they usually buy from offline. PhonePe said this would be done with the convenience of online ordering, discounts and instant refunds and returns.



Nigam is expecting Pincode to witness 1 lakh transactions per day in the next few months. Since the launch Pincode has already onboarded over 500 sellers for groceries, 3000 for food and 200 for pharmacy. The app will help bring out the inherent strength of neighbourhood stores. We will make sure that there's a lot of data that is made available right back to the stores. So we're not here to decide who the winner is. We actually want way more choice, said Nigam.

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Pincode will invest significant effort in digitally enabling every Indian shopkeeper spread across every nook and corner, over the next few years. PhonePe said it would offer consumers a better and wider selection of products than the competition and will include both well-known national brands, as well as locally manufactured groceries, apparel, footwear, accessories etc. This will not only provide a stimulus to the local retailers, but also to the entire local ecosystem powering commerce including the MSMEs (micro, small and medium enterprises) and farmers.



PhonePe believes that ONDC can foster the rapid growth of a new hyperlocal e-commerce business model. Apart from local buyers and sellers, PhonePe said such a model will also benefit other ecosystem participants like the last mile logistics and inventory management players. Pincode offers a new approach to e-commerce, which puts all the local stores and sellers at the heart of digital shopping, said Nigam. Pincode which is built on the ONDC network, allows us to generate demand for merchants digitized by various seller platforms in an inclusive manner. It is creating new opportunities for growth and driving innovation at scale.



Sameer (Nigam), Rahul (Chari, PhonePe co-founder) do things with amazing alacrity and scale. I think this will be the start of a new era in e-commerce, said Nilekani about the launch of the Pincode app by PhonePe. At the event, Nandan Nilekani, a member of ONDCs advisory council said that ONDC platform will democratise e-commerce for millions of small retailers in India.



ONDC is the next big thing, said Nilekani. It is going to democratise e-commerce in India and (make sure) it is not limited to only a few players, but every supplier in the country, said Nandan Nilekani. When ONDC was conceived in December 2021, the idea was to reduce the dominance of e-commerce giants like Amazon and Flipkart. It was also to bring in a level-playing field for small merchants in Indias fragmented but fast-growing $1-trillion retail market.



He said that India has achieved financial inclusion in about seven-eight years with homegrown technologies like Aadhaar, UPI, QR code and more. The next step is to connect millions of small retailers to mainstream e-commerce with ONDC to create a robust digital public infrastructure. Nilekani said these businesses could include a small grocery store, electronics retailer or a restaurant owner -- bringing millions of such enterprises onto the e-commerce marketplace on an open basis and buyers will come from any consumer app.



When asked why the Pincode app was launched separately despite PhonePe having a huge number of users, Nigam said that PhonePes expertise is in making payments in the shortest amount of time, while shopping is experiential and customers need to spend some time on it. He said if PhonePe had opened e-commerce on its platform there would have been a deluge of orders and it couldnt have handled that. PhonePe founded in December 2015, has 450 million registered users. One in four Indians is now on PhonePe. The company has also successfully digitized over 35 million offline merchants spread across Tier 2,3,4 and beyond, covering 99 per cent pin codes in the country.

Rahul Chari, who is also the chief technology officer at PhonePe said the information architecture needed for multi-category shopping is different and the company had to launch a separate app.


London-based V3 Ventures on Tuesday announced that it will invest around 30 per cent of its EUR 100 million fund in early-stage start-ups in India in the next 12-18 months.

V3 Ventures, Co-Founder and Investment Partner, Arjun Vaidya said that the company plans to invest the rest of the fund in the US and Europe.

"India's economy is still growing rapidly and we are one of the fastest-growing economies in the world. In this macros environment - India has a unique advantage.

"Given this, we expect consumer and technology businesses to thrive in the foreseeable future. This allows us to identify and back entrepreneurs who are building strong, purpose-driven, scalable brands," he said.

Vaidya said that the VC will back good businesses and are very bullish about the opportunity India presents to the firm.

"We aim to invest roughly 30 per cent of the 100 million euro fund. We have a strong pipeline in place and believe in a concentrated strategy. We believe India is at the cusp of a revolution especially in the consumer brands and consumer technology space and the opportunity is vast," he said.

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Vaidya joined Verlinvest and co-founded V3 Ventures with Lopo Champalimaud in 2021. Verlinvest has invested in several Indian start-ups including Oatly, Tony's Chocolonely, BYJU's, Sula Vineyards, and Purplle.com.
BALCO has entered into an agreement with Serentica Renewables India Private Ltd (SRIPL) to set up a special purpose vehicle to source hybrid renewable power for its aluminium operations in Chhattisgarh.

Bharat Aluminium Company Ltd (BALCO) is a subsidiary of mining major Vedanta Ltd.

"BALCO has entered into a Power Delivery Agreement (PDA) to source 105 MW hybrid renewable power for its aluminium operations at Chhattisgarh, through Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) i.e. affiliates of SRIPL," Vedanta said in a regulatory filing.

The project will be funded on a 70:30 debt to equity basis and BALCO will own 26 per cent equity in the SPV.

The hybrid energy project will be built on a captive model and build own operate basis. The term of the PDA will be for a period of 25 years from the date of commissioning of the project.

The SPV is expected to start delivering the power within 24 months of the PDA signing.

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This will be helpful in securing continuous supply of power through renewable energy sources for aluminium business, Vedanta said.


The funding round, anticipated for quite some time amid the deepening funding winter, will help Byju's pay off some of its existing debt and consolidate and grow its business further, according to people privy to the development. In its latest funding round, edtech major and India's biggest unicorn Byju's is set to raise around $500-$700 million at a flat valuation of $22 billion. The round will be led by a couple of top private equity firms and sovereign wealth funds, a report by IANS said on Tuesday. The round can happen anytime soon this month.



"To meet the regulatory framework, a solid due diligence has been done by the BYJU's and the investors in taking the round to its concluding stage," they said, adding that this will help the edtech unicorn "come back with a bang" amid larger scrutiny and other problems it is currently going through with some of its acquisitions like WhiteHat Jr. "The round is led by top VC firms and some existing investors in BYJU's are also keen to participate, which may take the funding round to its maximum," sources told IANS.



The company has now appointed Ajay Goel as its chief financial officer (CFO), aiming to strengthen its financial operations and achieve profitability. The latest funding round comes as the company aims to repay a huge $1.2-billion term loan it had secured in November 2021.

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Byju's did not meet its March 2023 deadline to achieve group-level profitability, as it envisioned in its earnings in October last year. To turn profitable, Byju's is winding up the coding platform WhiteHat Jr, which it acquired for $300 million, as part of the restructuring and cutting costs. The company had said it was "merely optimising it".

(With agency inputs)
Delhi cabinet in its meeting on Tuesday approved extending the power subsidy scheme for next one year, despite "conspiracies" to stop it, Power minister Atishi said in a press conference.

The people of Delhi will continue to get free electricity on monthly consumption of 200 units. Those using 201-400 units will get a 50 per cent subsidy.

Applications received for power subsidy from October till now will be considered valid till April 2024, said the minister.

"The decision comes despite efforts by the BJP and the Lieutenant Governor to stop the scheme," said the minister, who had earlier claimed that attempts were being made to stop free electricity provided by the Kejriwal government to the farmers and lawyers.

In the wake of her allegations, the BJP had accused her of lying that farmers were getting free power supply and claimed they were receiving bills of thousands of rupees due to fixed charges.

In a statement, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal thanked the people of Delhi for their support and assured them that as long as he is there, they will face "no problems."



The free electricity scheme was introduced by the Kejriwal government in 2019.

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Atishi said that a file on power subsidy was yet not officially produced before the Delhi government, and claimed that the power department officials said they were under "pressure" to stop the free electricity scheme.

The Power Minister said that when the Cabinet note was to be readied, like every year, for the electricity subsidy scheme to be continued, the officers of the Power department were forcibly called to the LG Office, where senior leaders of the BJP were also present.

"...they all threatened the officers and got them to write a note on the files saying that the subsidy given to lawyers and farmers should be ended," Atishi said.

More than 48 lakh domestic consumers, out of more than 58 lakh, have opted for subsidy as per official figures.

Kejriwal had last year announced that subsidies will be given to only those consumers who will apply for it.


This would translate into a 6 per cent year-on-year jump in exports. The data is collated, finalised and released by the commerce department on the 15th of each month. Commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal said on Tuesday that India's merchandise exports touched $447 billion in FY23, up from $442 billion in FY22, though the final data is awaited.



"The final numbers (exports of goods and services will be closer to $765 billion... I wouldn't be surprised if we actually go up to $772 billion which we figured while drawing the road map for $2 trillion of exports by 2030, Goyal said, adding that if the data reaches $772 billion, then the $2 trillion target by 2030 will also be reset. Services exports are expected to surge much higher and are estimated to cross $320 billion in FY23 from $254 billion a year ago.



The report said that the express delivery service (EDS) industry provides integrated door-to-door transport of documents and products and plays an important role in connecting enterprises, especially small and medium enterprises (SMEs), to the global value chains. The minister was speaking at the release of the report titled 'Express Delivery Services Supporting the Journey towards India@2047' by ICRIER that suggested that the government should fast-track trade facilitation-related reforms, to give express delivery a level-playing field with general cargo.

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While Indias EDS sector is small, it is one of the fastest growing markets, with 15.8 per cent CAGR at $5.5 billion in 2020. The key growth drivers include the growth of e-commerce, growing middle class, government support for digitalisation, GST rollout, the focus on logistics sector under the PM Gati Shakti, national logistics policy, and government support for onboarding MSMEs to digital platforms.




China's Ministry of Civil Affairs on Sunday released the "standardised" names for 11 places in "Zangnam", which is Chinese nomenclature for the northeastern state. The announcement was made after getting approval from the State Council, according to the official statement. In an effort to strengthen its claim on the bordering Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, China has renamed 11 places in the northeastern region that it claims to be a part of South Tibet.



The country also listed the category of names of places and their subordinate administrative districts, state-run Global Times reported on Monday. The areas that were named included two residential areas, five mountain peaks, and two rivers.



The first batch of six names was released in November 2017, just a few days after the visit of Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama to Arunachal. The second one was released in December 2021, two days before Chinas new land border law came into effect. This is the third batch of names in Chinese characters, Tibetan, and Pinyin announced by China.

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He is expected to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Defence Ministers meetings this month. Chinas Foreign Minister Qin Gang will also be attending the SCO Foreign Ministers meeting in May, where India currently holds the presidency of the group. The latest development comes days ahead of the scheduled visit of Chinas newly-appointed Defence Minister General Li Shangfu to India.



India's reaction to name change Chinese President Xi Jinping is also expected to visit India for the SCO summit in July.



"We have seen such reports. This is not the first time China has made such an attempt. We reject this outright.." External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said. Reacting to the latest move at renaming places, India said that China was inventing names that would not alter reality.



https://twitter.com/MEAIndia/status/1643129268321550339?cxt=HHwWhoDU5aTXyM0tAAAA "Arunachal Pradesh is, has been, and will always be an integral and inalienable part of India. Attempts to assign invented names will not alter this reality," he added.



What is India-China border dispute On the other hand, Chinese experts quoted in the Global Times said that the announcement of names is a legitimate move and China's sovereign right to standardise geographical names.



However, China continues to claim Arunachal Pradesh as "South Tibet." China and India share a disputed 3,488 km de facto border known as the Line of Actual Control (LAC), which is poorly demarcated. The presence of rivers, lakes, and snowcaps means that the line can shift.



Prior to this skirmish, Chinese drones had reportedly moved quite aggressively towards Indian positions on the LAC in Arunachal Pradesh, which forced the Indian Air Force (IAF) to scramble its fighter aircraft deployed in the region. The soldiers on both sides, representing two of the world's largest armies, come face to face several times, the most recent being in December when Indian and Chinese troops clashed along the border in Tawang.



Past clashes between India, China The tension between the nuclear-armed neighbours boiled over in June 2020 in the northern region of Galwan, when hand-to-hand combat left 20 Indian soldiers and an unknown number of Chinese troops dead. That was the worst border clash between the two nations since 1967 and the first fatal confrontation along the disputed border in 45 years.



Doklam: Indian and Chinese troops clashed in June 2017. The Chinese troops attempted to build a road near the Doklam plateau. Indian troops resisted the Chinese movement as the territory was close to an Indian highway. The clash lasted 72 days. Galwan Valley: As many as 20 Indian soldiers and an unknown number of Chinese soldiers died in a clash in the Galwan Valley in June 2020. The clash began when Chinese patrols crossed the border and entered India.



Chumar: Indian and Chinese forces clashed near the village of Chumar in eastern Ladakh. The Chinese had begun construction work in Indian territory, to which the Indian forces protested. The clash lasted 16 days. Burtse: In 2015, Indian and Chinese forces confronted in the Depsang plains of northern Ladakh at Burtse. The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) demolished a temporary hut constructed by the People's Liberation Army (PLA) for surveillance. While the PLA increased its presence in the region, India also increased its deployments. The fighting went on for a week.

(With agency input)
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has approved a financial proposal of Rs 736 crore for interest-free crop loans to the farmers of the state.

According to a statement, the chief minister has approved a grant of Rs 560 crore for farmers under interest-free crop loan subsidy scheme and Rs 176 crore under compensatory interest subsidy scheme.

According to the statement, a five percent interest subsidy will be given to the farmers who repay the longterm agriculture cooperative loan on time. Gehlot has approved the grant proposal. He has also allowed permission to give subsidy on housing loans to the farmers who have built houses on their farms.

Under this, the farmers who have repaid their long-term agricultural cooperative loans on time from April 1, 2014 will get a five percent interest subsidy every year from the state government.

Along with this, from the financial year 2023-24, a five percent interest subsidy will be given every year to the farmers who have taken housing loans to build houses on their farms.

In the budget 2023-24, Gehlot had made announcement about interest-free crop loan distribution scheme and interest subsidy for farmers.

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According to another decision, the state government will provide 35,000 quintals of high quality seeds free of cost to more than 1.25 lakh farmers of the state at a cost of Rs 15 crore.
By Nidhi Verma

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India's Bank of Baroda has stopped clearing payments for Russian oil sold above the price cap set by the West from this month, three sources with direct knowledge of the matter said, a move that could expedite transition to a rupee trade mechanism.

Some Indian refiners were paying in the United Arab Emirates dirham currency for Russian low-sulphur crude priced above the $60 a barrel cap using Bank of Baroda, mainly to Dubai-based traders, sources said.

The Group of Seven economies, the European Union and Australia, set the price cap late last year to bar Western services and shipping from trading Russian oil unless sold at an enforced low price to deprive Moscow of funds for its Ukraine war.

"Bank of Baroda is extremely cautious in settling payments for Russian oil bought (at levels) above the price cap," one of the sources said.

"They have told us no for settling payments for above-cap barrels," the person said.

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The state-run lender told refiners last month that it would not settle payment from Russian barrels bought above the price cap, the three sources said.

Bank of Baroda did not respond to requests for comment from Reuters.

Before the Ukraine war, Indian refiners rarely bought oil from Russia due to higher freight costs. After Western sanctions on Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine, Indian refiners have been gorging on discounted Russian oil.

Russia has replaced Iraq as the top oil supplier to India in the last few months, data from trade sources showed.

Sources anticipate that prices of Russian sweet crude such as Sokol and ESPO Blend, which was sold near $60 a barrel in recent weeks, could breach the price cap due to a sharp spike in global oil prices triggered by Sunday's OPEC+ decision to cut output.

Some refiners, mainly private operators, have been clearing payments in dirhams for Russian crude through private lender Axis Bank, sources told Reuters last month. It was not clear if Axis Bank had also stopped settling trades for Russian oil sold above the price cap.

Axis Bank did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment.

Although Indian refiners buy Russian oil on a delivered basis, copies of invoices reviewed by Reuters also show shipping charges, which helps in calculating the price of crude at Russian ports.

Sources said that problems in settling trade for Russian oil could push sellers to accept rupee payments, at least for barrels that exceed the price cap.

"We have neither stopped nor reduced purchases of Russian oil after Bank of Baroda's decision ... we will consider using rupees to pay for oil purchased above the price cap," another source said.

India does not recognise the Western price cap on Russian oil, a senior oil ministry source said last month.

SETTLEMENT MECHANISM

India set up a mechanism to settle its international trade in rupees last year. Some Russian banks later opened vostro accounts with banks in India to facilitate rupee trade.

The mechanism has not yet started given the lack of Russian appetite for rupees and India's trade deficit with Moscow.

However, during a visit last week to India, Igor Sechin, chief executive of Russian oil major Rosneft, discussed ways to expand cooperation with India across the hydrocarbons value chain, including the possibility of making payments in national currencies.

A switch to rupee payments would help wean Russia from dollars and would save foreign exchange for India.

(Reporting by Nidhi Verma; Additional reporting by Siddhi Nayak in Mumbai; Editing by Tony Munroe and Jacqueline Wong)


On Tuesday the state reported 711 new cases and four Covid19 deaths, according to the Public Health Department. This is a 186 percent increase from Mondays 248 fresh cases. Maharashtra has reported eight Covid-19 deaths so far in April, with case fatality touching 1.82 percent in the state.



In the wake of rising cases and deaths, the Satara district administration on Monday has made wearing masks compulsory for employees and officials in government and semi-government offices, colleges and banks. The district collector has appealed to residents to use masks and maintain social distance and avoid crowded places like congregations, weddings, weekly markets etc. As of today, there are 3,792 active cases in the state. Mumbais Covid-19 cases have climbed to 1162 now, while Thane has 670 cases and Pune has 781. Nashik, Aurangabad, Sangli, Satara and Nagpur also have a high number of active cases.



Indias Covid tally is the highest in six months, and if one compares this with the third wave in January 2022, infections have surged the sharpest in the last seven-eight days. Meanwhile, India's Active caseload currently stands at 21,179 now. As many as 3,038 new cases were recorded in the past 24 hours.

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The Noida Police on Tuesday said they have arrested six members of a cyber gang which allegedly created fake websites of D-Mart, Big Basket, Big Bazaar and duped people of crores of rupees.

Through these websites, the thugs offered products at discounted or cheap rates in order to lure gullible buyers, then during payment they gained information about their credit/debit cards and used the details to fraudulently withdraw money from their bank accounts, a senior official said.

"On April 3, the cyber helpline team of Gautam Buddh Nagar police arrested the six members of the gang which created fraudulent websites in the name of companies like Big Bazaar, D-Mart, Big Basket and duped crores of rupees from people," Additional DCP (Central Noida) Rajeev Dixit said.

The members of this gang are residents of Ghaziabad and Gautam Buddh Nagar, Dixit said, adding that the people duped by them are not only from Delhi NCR area but several other parts of the country.

Those held have been identified as Vineet Kumar, Dhruv Solanki, Gaurav Talan, Salman Khan, Santosh Maurya and Manoj Maurya, the police said.

The police said they have seized three laptops, four mobile phones, two debit cards, Rs 11,700 in cash and a Hyundai i10 car from the gang.

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An FIR has been lodged against the accused at the Bisrakh police station under Indian Penal Code sections 420 (cheating), 406 (criminal breach of trust) and under relevant provisions of the Information Technology Act, the police added.


Last week, they arrested a Faridabad resident Vinay Bhardwaj, who was allegedly involved in stealing, holding and selling personal and confidential data of individuals and organisations across 24 states and eight metropolitan cities. The Cyberabad Police, one of the three police commissionerates in Hyderabad, has issued notices to 11 organisations, including three banks, a social media giant and an Information Technology services company, asking their representatives to appear before it in connection with a breach of data of 670 million people across the country.



According to a report by the news agency PTI, The accused was found in possession of the data of students of edtech organisations as well as the GST details of persons and companies, and the consumer/customer data of major organisations such as road transport corporations of various states, major e-commerce portals, social media platforms and fintech companies. The accused was operating through a website, "InspireWebz", at Faridabad, Haryana and selling databases to clients through cloud drive links, police said.



Who received the notices from the police? The user data was taken from websites like Byju's, Vedantu, Amazon, Instagram, YouTube, Paytm, Phonepe etc.

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The 11 organisations' representatives have been told to appear before the police during the next one week to furnish details on how the companies maintained their databases, what procedures and policies were followed in this regard and who could access the data. This could help investigators ascertain how the database was leaked and accessed by an "unauthorised" person, among other relevant details, police said. The 11 organisations to whom the notices were issued include two PSU banks and one private bank, a social media giant, an IT services company, an online grocery seller, a digital payments app and an online insurance platform, police said.

What has been recovered?

The police seized two mobile phones and two laptops, and data of 135 categories containing sensitive information of government, private organisations and individuals.



Have similar attacks taken place earlier too? According to the Police's press release, some of the important data held by the accused includes the data of defence personnel, government employees, PAN card holders, data of 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th standard students, senior citizens, Delhi electricity consumers, demat account holders, mobile numbers of various individuals, NEET students, high net worth individuals, insurance holders, credit card and debit card holders among others.



Why is the case significant? In March, Cyberabad Police arrested seven people from a gang who were allegedly involved in the theft and sale of sensitive data of the government and important organisations, including details of 25.5 million defence personnel as well as the personal and confidential data of about 168 million citizens across the country.
Union Minister Rameswar Teli on Monday called upon G20 countries to continue deliberations on the Employment Working Group's three priority areas - skill gaps, gig and platform economy and sustainable financing of social security- to translate them into clear strategies.

Addressing the inaugural session of the second EWG meeting here, the minister said that "remarkable progress was achieved during the first meet at Jodhpur in February".

The collective efforts of the G20 delegates, knowledge partners and guests have laid a solid foundation for the working group's three priority areas, Teli, the minister of state for labour and employment, said.

The deliberations will be taken forward by the respective ministries in their countries after the formulation of the ministerial communique, he said.

"The communique is key to defining the future direction of the global economy through its eventual implementation in the G20 nations, and moving towards tangible outcomes on the key priority areas needs collective and constructive dialogue," Teli said.

The G20 nations must continue these discussions with utmost care and responsibility while the public policy needs to be designed in such a way that it reaches the vulnerable and the poor, he said.

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Assam Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary also spoke on the occasion.

The first day of the meeting included sessions focusing on different priority areas by working groups on sustainable finance, digital economy and education along with G20 Entrepreneurship Research Centre and the Labour 20 (L20) and the Business 20 (B20) chairs.

The EWG has a mandate of addressing priority on labour, employment and social issues for strong, sustainable, balanced and job-rich growth for all.

Altogether 74 delegates from nineteen G-20 countries, seven guest nations and five international organisations participated in the three-day meeting.

Representatives of the International Labour Organization, Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, International Social Security Association (ISSA), Asian Development Bank and World Bank were present at the event.


The companys report said the first quarter of FY23 saw a 47 per cent growth in demand, compared to the same quarter of FY22. Non-metro cities like Indore (72 per cent), Chandigarh (71 per cent) and Lucknow (59 per cent) witnessed the highest demand growth for these finance and tax professionals in the first quarter of FY23. Justdial, an internet search engine for hyperlocal trade, has reported a surge in demand for chartered accountants and Income Tax consultants in FY23.



The report said searches grew from Q3 FY23 to Q4 FY23, especially in non-metro cities like Karnal (36 per cent), Mangalore (22 per cent) and Surat (15 per cent). Among Tier-I cities, Chennai witnessed a 12 per cent growth and Ahmedabads searches increased 10 per cent. Search growth is expected to continue until June-July FY24. According to the report, the demand is driven by economic activities resuming in the country after Covid-19 and the January-to-June period to file tax returns. People still need expert guidance while filing their returns, as the government simplifies the process and gives the option of two tax regimes and intricate details of the taxation laws.



Covid-19 has resulted in many professionals switching to freelance work or starting their own businesses, strengthening demand for their expertise. Businesses and individuals need expert guidance to avoid penalties as the government focuses on preventing tax evasion, said the report. The increased demand for chartered accountants and Income Tax consultants reflects the resurgence in economic activity as well as the need for expert guidance to navigate the constantly evolving financial system. We expect the demand to grow in the upcoming year as well. said Shwetank Dixit, vice president at Justdial.
Delhi Metro has asked the Centre and the city government for "further directions" on a Delhi High Court order that directed the two to help it pay dues of an arbitral award passed in favour of Delhi Airport Metro Express Private Limited, sources on Tuesday said.

The DMRC sought directions in a letter dated March 28 addressed to the secretary, Union Ministry of Urban and Housing Affairs, and chief secretary, Delhi government, in separate copies, they said.

DMRC officials, when contacted, did not comment on the issue.

The Delhi High Court had on March 17 directed the Centre and the city government to attend to DMRC's request for extension of sovereign guarantees or subordinate debt to enable it to make payment of dues of an arbitral award passed in favour of DAMEPL, saying the governments cannot shirk from their liability to abide by judgements and decrees.

The high court's verdict had come on an execution petition filed by Reliance Infrastructure-owned DAMEPL against the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) over payment of dues of the arbitral award passed in its favour.

"As the period of two weeks given by the Hon'ble court is expiring on 31st March, 2023, Govt. of India is requested to issue further directions to the DMRC in the light of the Hon'ble High Court's order. Similar request is being made to the Govt. of NCT of Delhi," reads the DMRC letter.

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The Delhi High Court was on March 29 informed that the Centre and the city government have filed appeals before the Supreme Court against its direction in the matter.
The Delhi University is paving the way to give professors and senior professors an extension of five years following retirement to promote research culture and re-employ research oriented academicians, a senior varsity official said on Tuesday.

At present, the retirement age of the faculty is 65 years and no extension was given to teachers.

The university has prepared a set of guidelines for the re-employment of "research-oriented academicians".

The official, however, stated that the guidelines will only apply to professors teaching at the varsity departments, centres, schools, and institutions, and are not applicable to colleges of the university.

The re-employed professors will hold the positions on a contract basis, he said.

The 14-point guidelines, prepared by a committee, will be presented during the upcoming meeting of the Executive Council (the highest decision-making body of the university) on April 10 for approval.

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"The retirement age of academicians at the university is 65 years. However, the university wishes to bring provisions to give an extension of five years for professors. We are hopeful that the guidelines will be approved in the next meeting. This step will help in promoting a research culture and for the re-employment of research-oriented academicians," the official said.

According to the guidelines, the application for the same should be submitted before the date of superannuation of the teacher. The application will be then placed before the screening committee for further processes.

The screening committee will have a chairperson nominated by the vice chancellor. Besides the chairperson, the panel will also have chairperson of the research council; Dean of Research; Dean of the faculty concerned; Dean of Academic Affairs; Head of the Department concerned, and Joint Registrar, as members.

The re-employed professor will not hold any administrative position and the financial power will be limited to him, the guidelines stated.

"The re-employment of a professor/senior professor shall be subject to the University's clearance with respect to her/his conduct as a teacher, her/his disciplinary record as well as financial prudence," the guidelines read.

"No teacher shall continue to remain in such re-employment after attaining the age of 70 years. The re-employed professor/senior professor shall be given an office in the department and if required shall share the laboratory with another faculty," they added.

The re-employment will also be subject to the university's clearance concerning his conduct as a teacher, his disciplinary record as well as financial prudence, mentioned the guidelines.

Meanwhile, a section of teachers has opposed these guidelines, saying it would give rise to favouritism culture.

"Moreover, they (the university) are trying to build a hierarchy system within the university guideline that would not be applicable for college teachers," Rajesh Jha, a former Delhi University Executive Council member, said.
Few cracks were found on the surface of the Gateway of India in Mumbai during an inspection but the overall structure was found to be in a "good state of preservation", Parliament was informed on Monday.

Union Minister for Culture G Kishan Reddy said this in a written response to a query in Lok Sabha.

He was asked whether a recent structural audit of the Gateway of India has revealed cracks along the facade.

"The Gateway of India, Mumbai, is not a centrally-protected monument. It is under the protection of Department of Archaeology and Museums, Government of Maharashtra. Few cracks were found on the surface during the inspection. Overall structure was found to be in a good state of preservation," he said.

In response to a query on whether any report has been submitted to the Union government in this regard and if so, what are the findings of the said report, the minister said, "No report has been submitted to Union government in this regard."



On whether the government has received a restoration proposal from the State Directorate of Archaeology and Museums, Reddy said the "government of India has not received any such proposal".

The Department of Archaeology and Museums has prepared a detailed site management plan and "an estimate for conservation and repairs to Gateway of India amounting to Rs 8,98,29,574", he said ,adding, the Department of Tourism and Cultural Affairs, government of Maharashtra has approved the same on March 10.

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The Gateway of India was built to commemorate the arrival of British monarch King George V in December 1911. The construction of the structure was completed in 1924.
India has called for clearer documents for the UN Security Council reform, in particular naming names of those opposed to permanent membership for African nations, exposing their stance against the historically wronged continent.

India's Permanent Representative Ruchira Kamboj said on Monday that "there needs to be a clear attribution of groups and member states" who "do not support permanent seats for African states and try to dilute their claim by inventing new categories like 'regional permanent seats'".

This would differentiate them from "those who are in favour of expansion of the permanent category to include permanent representation for African nations as envisioned by the Common African Position, and in response to the historic injustice meted to Africa", she said.

The strategy advocated by India would expose where countries like China and the members of the Uniting for Consensus (UfC) group of which Pakistan is a leading member, stand in relation to Africa, the largest regional group in the UN.

The 55 members from Africa have demanded at least two permanent seats for the continent of 1.4 billion people where most of the UN peacekeeping operations mandated by the Council take place.

Speaking at a meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiations (IGN) on Security Council Reforms, Kamboj said that records of members' positions on reforms should use clearer terms and exact figures rather than saying vaguely "some members" and "other members".

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This would show, as she pointed out, that 113 countries out of the 122 that made written submissions supported expanding the permanent membership of the Council.

Kamboj said that at this stage only the expansion of the permanent membership was being considered rather than who would get them, which would be determined by a two-thirds vote in a secret ballot.

She called on the co-chairs of the IGN, Permanent Representatives Tareq Albanai of Kuwait and Alexander Marschik to create a negotiating text to move the reform process that has been stuck in a rut for decades.

The UfC has been the main barrier to the adoption of a negotiating text -- a tactic to sabotage the process.

"We would accordingly encourage the co-chairs to not get distracted by the arguments that irrationally call for consensus on all clusters before moving to text-based negotiations," Kamboj said.

Most of the countries whose representatives spoke at the meeting called for the adoption of a negotiating text.

India, Brazil, Germany and Japan together form the G4 group that lobbies for expansion of the permanent membership of the Security Council that is mired in the post-World War II universe where the five victors assumed the veto-wielding permanent status.

They also mutually support each other's claims for a permanent seat on a reformed council.

Speaking on behalf of the G4, Japan's Permanent Representative Ishikane Kimihiro said that those countries that do not want the Council's permanent membership expanded "say that the historical injustice to Africa should be addressed, or that equitable regional representation is important in general, but never articulate the obvious, namely that Africa should have permanent seats".

"We all know who they are... The G4 reaffirms its full support for the Common African Position and appropriate numbers for an increase in both categories can be further discussed during text-based negotiations," he said.

Kimihiro said that two documents, the "Elements Paper" and the "Framework Document" have been around for many years and that it was high time to move forward, for example, by extracting the convergences into a separate paper that could be the basis of a negotiating text.

Brazil's Permanent Representative Ambassador Ronaldo Costa Filho said the co-chairs should assert their leadership and steer the IGN to take decisions.

After years of disorganised and supposedly closed meetings, the IGN has started webcasting its meetings and creating records.

Filho said that these may be a small step for the IGN but are a "giant leap for Security Council reform".

Following demands by India, the other G4 members and several countries for transparency and record-keeping, the IGN has become open at the initiative of General Assembly President Csaba Korosi.

US Permanent Representative Linda Thomas Greenfield said: "The UN, as an institution, is at an inflexion point. The question before us is whether we will defend an outdated status quo or reform the Security Council and empower the UN to take on today's global challenges.

The Security Council needs to better reflect the world and geographically diverse perspectives. That's why in his address during the General Debate last September, President Biden called for expansion of the permanent and non-permanent membership of the UN Security Council, including permanent seats for countries from Africa as well as from Latin America and the Caribbean."

(Arul Louis can be contacted at arul.l@ians.in and followed at @arulouis)

--IANS

al/ksk/
Indian on Tuesday said that it is closely monitoring developments which have a direct impact on its national interest, in respect to China.

Foreign secretary Vinay Kwatra, briefing media persons about visiting Bhutan King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuk's meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said that the "government very closely follows all developments which have a bearing on our national interest and we would take all necessary measures to safeguard them as necessary".

His response came to to a question on whether the Bhutanese side briefed the Indian side on China.

Bhutan is a strategically important country for India and the defence and security ties between the two sides have witnessed significant expansion in the last few years.

During his meeting with the Bhutan king, Prime Minister Modi assured the Himalayan kingdom of help to support its upcoming 13th five-year plan and also promised to extend an additional standby credit facility.

India has been helping Bhutan in its five-year plan periods since 1961.

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During the peak of Coronavirus pandemic, India had sent vaccines to Bhutan.

India-Bhutan ties have witnessed an upward trajectory in the backdrop of the 2017 Doklam stand-off between Indian and Chinese troops which had lasted for 73 days.

India had objected to China's attempts of extending a road in an area, which Bhutan claimed belonged to it. This led to the stand-off.

Doklam holds strategic importance for India.

The stand-off was resolved after several rounds of talks between India and China.

Subsequently in October 2021, Bhutan and China signed an agreement to expedite their long standing border dispute. Both nations share a 400-km long boundary.

The Bhutan king had visited India last year also on a transit visit in September.

--IANS

ans/vd
National Security Advisor (NSA), Ajit Doval and his Russian counterpart Nikolai Patrushev met last week and discussed the possibilities of developing the hypersonic version of BrahMos or BrahMos-II missile, The Economic Times (ET) reported.

The two leaders discussed the supply of defence equipment from Russia and collaboration in the domain. The discussions were held on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (NSA) meets. The report said that the two senior officials discussed the possibility of joint development of an advanced version of the BrahMos missile.

The two NSAs met one-on-one and discussed a wide range of issues, including connectivity, payment mechanisms, security partnerships, and defence supplies from Russia that have been impacted by the Russia-Ukraine war, the report said.

Moscow has an edge over the US and other western powers when it comes to the development of hypersonic missiles, the report said. It is important to note that hypersonic missiles are considered a game changer in modern warfare. Hypersonic Weapons Systems (HWS) have attracted attention since the Russia-Ukraine war started.

If it becomes a reality, BrahMos-II could have the same capabilities as Russia's Tsirkon (Zircon) missile, the ET report said. CEO of BrahMos Aerospace, Atul Rane, had said last year that it was "possible" that BrahMos-II would carry some similarities with Russia's Tsirkon missile.

"The whole world is working on a hypersonic cruise missile. The US and China are developing hypersonic versions of their cruise missiles. But they do not have them yet. I have not seen anyone in the world having hypersonic cruise missiles. Russia says it tested the Tsirkon hypersonic antiship cruise missile developed by NPO Mashinostroeniya," Rane told Russian news agency TASS last year.

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Hypersonic weapon systems are advanced military technologies that can travel at speeds of Mach 5 or higher. Mach 1 defines the speed of sound. These weapons are designed to be extremely manoeuvrable and can change their trajectory quickly, evading enemy defences in the process.

The BrahMos is a supersonic cruise missile, developed by the joint Russian-Indian BrahMos Aerospace company. The first trial launch was conducted in 2001. Various versions of this missile have been commissioned by India's Navy, Air Force, and Army.
Kerala Health Minister Veena George on Tuesday said strong emphasis is given to promoting gender-sensitive policies and schemes in the southern state as its progress is deeply rooted in empowering society, specifically women, and pointed out that the state's gender budget had risen significantly in six years.

Speaking at the G20 EMPOWER (Empowerment and Progression of Women's Economic Representation) meeting that began here on Tuesday, the Minister underlined the increase in the gender budget's (allocations for women-oriented schemes) share from 11.5 per cent in 2017-18 to 20.9 per cent (of total budget allocations) in 2022-23 in Kerala, while emphasising her state's dedication to women's empowerment and progression in economic representation.

George provided a historical perspective on women's roles in shaping Kerala's society, detailing the various social and political changes that have occurred since the late 19th and early 20th centuries. She said these changes had led to a more inclusive and equitable society.

The minister cited the Kudumbashree programme, launched in 1998, as a key factor in empowering women in Kerala. As one of the largest networks of women in India, Kudumbashree has successfully promoted entrepreneurship and fostered the devolution of power to Panchayati Raj (village local self-governments) institutions and communities.

The minister stressed upon the Kerala government's continued focus on addressing the issues of women from various occupational groups, such as wages, safety, occupational health and insurance.

George also noted the importance of the G20 EMPOWER initiative in working towards the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, an official statement said.

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Speaking on the occasion, Dr Sangita Reddy, Chair of G20 EMPOWER and Joint Managing Director of Apollo Hospitals Enterprises, emphasised the importance of empowering women in benefiting society and the economy.

Reddy highlighted the significant gains made by countries that have successfully closed the gender gap in various sectors, such as education and healthcare, as well as with regard to job opportunities and wages.

According to her, these countries have experienced a positive ripple effect across all areas of development. She also stressed the advantages of having more women on corporate boards, leading to higher growth rates, improved customer sensitivity, and better bottom lines.

Drawing from her experience at Apollo Hospitals, where, she said, 56 per cent of the workforce was female and there was equal board representation, Reddy called for a shift in perspective, stating, "We don't look at women. We look at the best individual for the job."



She urged the audience to focus on those women who were not yet on the stage but who deserved the opportunity to contribute their talents and skills.

The G20 EMPOWER initiative will concentrate on three major themes throughout the year: education (with a special focus on STEM), leadership at all levels (including grassroots), and women entrepreneurship.

Reddy also highlighted the "unacceptable prediction" from the World Economic Forum that it would take 150 years for women to achieve equal participation in the workforce, and asserted that women were not willing to wait.

The World Bank's Women, Business and the Law 2022 report served as a sobering reminder that 2.4 billion working-age women lack equal economic opportunities, and 86 countries still impose job restrictions on women.

The G20 EMPOWER meeting aims to address these disparities and build a brighter future for women worldwide.

Dr MI Sahadulla, Chair, FICCI KESC and Chairman & MD KIMS Hospitals, also spoke on the occasion. He noted that Kerala had promoted about 135,000 entrepreneurs in the past year, of which about 20 per cent were women.

But, he added, "Of course, we have to catch up and reach that 50 per cent equality level, which we mark as the international benchmark.
Donald Trump turned himself in Tuesday for a historic New York court hearing held amid tight security and a global media frenzy, as the Republican billionaire becomes the first American president in history to face criminal charges. In a spectacle playing out on live television - with rival protesters rallying outside -- the hearing marks a watershed moment for the US criminal and political system, with the potential to upend the 2024 White House race in which Trump is currently the presumptive Republican nominee. The 76-year-old is expected to plead not guilty to a host of charges related to hush money paid to a porn star ahead of the 2016 election that brought him to power.

Delhi reports 521 new Covid-19 cases, 216 recoveries and one death (primary cause of death is not Covid) in the last 24 hours. Active cases 1710. Delhi reports 521 new Covid-19 cases, 216 recoveries and one death (primary cause of death is not Covid) in the last 24 hours. Active cases 1710.

Major avalanche strikes at 14th mile on Jawaharlal Nehru road connecting Gangtok with Nathula in Sikkim. So far, seven tourists have died and 11 have been injured, officials said. Avalanche hit around 12:20 pm. Resuce operation is underway. 350 stranded tourists and 80 vehicles were rescued after snow clearance from the road, Border Road Organisation said. Major avalanche strikes at 14th mile on Jawaharlal Nehru road connecting Gangtok with Nathula in Sikkim. So far, seven tourists have died and 11 have been injured, officials said. Avalanche hit around 12:20 pm. Resuce operation is underway. 350 stranded tourists and 80 vehicles were rescued after snow clearance from the road, Border Road Organisation said. This is not first time China has made such an attempt. We reject this outright. Arunachal Pradesh an integral, inalienable part of India. Attempts to assign invented names will not alter this reality, the MEA said on renaming of places in Arunachal Pradesh by China.



Varanasi-bound IndiGo Flight from Bengaluru with 137 passengers onboard made an emergency landing, due to a technical problem, at Shamshabad Airport in Telangana at 6.15 am morning on Tuesday. All passengers are safe, says DGCA.



Delhi-NCR saw heavy rain coupled with thunderstorms on Tuesday early morning, which is likely to create inconvenience for commuters during peak morning hours. ...Read More
National Security Advisor Ajit Doval on Tuesday called on Bhutan King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, who arrived in India for a three-day visit on April 3. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday received the Bhutan king at his arrival in the country and later called on him in the evening. Jaishankar noted that Bhutan King's vision for strengthening the unique partnership with India is "deeply appreciated."

The Bhutan King is in India at the invitation of President Droupadi Murmu. He will call on President Murmu later today and hold meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The king is accompanied by Bhutan's Foreign Minister Dr Tandi Dorji and other senior officials. King Wangchuck's visit is in keeping with the long-standing tradition of regular high-level exchanges between the two nations, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement.

The MEA noted, "India and Bhutan enjoy unique ties of friendship and cooperation, which are characterized by understanding and mutual trust."

The external affairs minister said that the Bhutan King's visit will give a chance to both nations to review bilateral cooperation and to further advance the close bilateral partnership, including economic and development cooperation.

The unique relationship between India and Bhutan has been preserved by a custom of frequent high-level exchanges between the two nations such as Prime Minister Narendra Modi in August 2019 and Jaishankar's visits in 2019 and April 2022.

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Furthermore, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra visited Bhutan in January this year. Earlier in February 2023, a Parliamentary delegation from Bhutan led by Wangchuk Namgyel, Speaker of the National Assembly of Bhutan called on President Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

While welcoming the delegation in February, President Murmu said that India deeply values the multifaceted and unique friendship between the two countries. She noted that this year Bhutan would graduate from the Least Developed Countries (LDC) group of countries and embark on the path of becoming a High Income Economy by 2034.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to address a total of 20 public rallies in a span of 30 days in the poll-bound state of Karnataka ahead of the Assembly elections scheduled to be held on May 10, a BJP source said on Tuesday.

The source said that the Prime Minister's "first round of visits" ahead of the announcement of the Assembly election date helped the party gain "some momentum".

"His public rallies and road shows attracted a large number of people, and also helped the party," the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) source said.

The Prime Minister will be visiting Karnataka for the seventh time on April 9 on the occasion of the completion of 50 years of Tiger project.

The opposition Congress leaders, however, have dubbed PM Modi "a poll agent" for his "too many visits to Karnataka".

On this, the BJP source said that Modi's "visits have been successful in tilting the wave towards the saffron party and beating the anti-incumbency factor".

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However, the arrest of BJP legislator Madal Virupakshappa in connection with a bribery case has come as a blow to the party.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah's public rally venue was changed from Davanagere district for the same reason.

Another source said that the party, in a bid to put that episode behind, wants to launch a high-voltage campaign ahead of the polls.

According to a party insider, PM Modi is expected to address 20 public rallies in a span of one month.

The Prime Minister's rallies would also focus on constituencies where the Congress and the Janata Dal-Secular are "strong", BJP sources said.

--IANS

mka/pgh
Private doctors in Rajasthan on Tuesday ended their 17-day strike over the Right to Health Bill after the state government agreed to their key demands including keeping unaided private hospitals outside the ambit of the proposed law.

The doctors' bodies said that the two sides reached consensus during talks with the state government agreeing to keep private hospitals that have not availed land at subsidised rates or other benefits from it outside the ambit of the proposed law.

Besides, in the first phase of implementing the proposed law, private multi-speciality hospitals with less than 50 beds will be kept out of its purview, according to the agreement.

Among other provisions, the recently passed Bill allows people to get emergency treatment from all government and designated private hospitals without payment. The government is expected to reimburse the private hospital for this.

"An agreement with the government has been made. Private hospitals that have not taken subsidy from the government have been exempted from the new law. We have converted our rally into a 'Vijay Rally'," said Dr Vijay Kapoor, Secretary of Private Hospitals and Nursing Homes Society (PHNHS).

"We decided to end our strike at a general body meeting called after the talks with the government," Kapoor said.

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Expressing happiness over the development, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said Rajasthan will become the first state in the country to implement 'Right to Health'.

"It is a matter of happiness that a consensus to the proposal placed before the doctors regarding the Right to Health Bill by the state government has been arrived at. With this, Rajasthan will become the first state in the country to implement 'Right to Health'," Gehlot said in a statement.

Earlier, a delegation of doctors, including those from the Indian Medical Association (IMA), the United Private Clinics and Hospitals Association of Rajasthan(UPCHAR) and PHNHS held talks with the government and signed a memorandum on eight points.

The doctors said their major demand that private hospitals that have not taken any benefit from the government in the form of land or buildings at subsidised rates should be kept outside the ambit of the RTH Bill has been accepted.

According to the agreement, this law will be applicable to all private medical colleges and hospitals, hospitals operating on public-private partnership (PPP) model, hospitals with land allotment at free or subsidised rates, hospitals run by trusts that have received plots at subsidised rates.

It was also agreed that regularization of hospitals running at different places of the state according to the "quota model" would be considered. Under the quota model, consideration will be given to regularize the buildings of those hospitals, which are running in residential premises, by providing relaxation in the rules.

According to the agreement, the police and other cases registered during the agitation will be withdrawn. Besides, consideration will be given to bringing a 'single window system' for issuing licences and other approvals to private hospitals.

Also, it was agreed that future changes in the rules related to the Right to Health law would be done in consultation with the representatives of IMA.

Chief Minister Gehlot said that all the people of the state cooperated with the state government in favour of this Bill. "Now, it is a good sign that doctors have also agreed to this important Bill," he said.

Gehlot expressed hope that government and private hospitals together will make schemes like Right to Health, Chief Minister Chiranjeevi Health Insurance Scheme and RGHS successful.

He also expressed confidence that the way private and government hospitals have set an example by managing Covid well, they will successfully implement these schemes on the ground and present the Rajasthan Model of Public Health.

Congress general secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh took to Twitter to comment on the development in Rajasthan.

"The Chiranjeevi Health Insurance Scheme of the Government of Rajasthan is a model for the whole country. Now Right to Health is a legal right. This is another transformative step, making Rajasthan an example for the country. This is the result of the Bharat Jodo Yatra," Ramesh said.
Projects worth Rs 33,690 crore were approved on Monday with the aim of creating additional infrastructure for Mumbai's suburban railway network, often called the lifeline of the country's financial capital and its adjoining metropolitan region, an official said.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis and officials of Mumbai Railway Development Corporation were present when the projects were approved, he said.

"The projects include laying of 5th and 6th lines between Borivali and Virar on Western Railway. Similarly, the 3rd and the 4th line between Kalyan and Badlapur (15 km) on Central Railway also got approved," a statement from the CMO said.

"Another major decision is extending the current Harbour line from Goregaon to Borivali, which is a seven km distance. All these works will help the railways run more suburban as well as long-distance trains," the official said.

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The government issued 1,27,999 regular tourist visas and 2,27,225 e-tourist visas from October 6, 2021 to March 31, 2022, the Parliament was informed on Monday.

Union Minister for Tourism G Kishan Reddy said this in a written response to a query in Lok Sabha.

In response to another query, he said the government has promoted green initiatives to advocate responsible tourism in the country during G20 meetings in partnership with states and industry.

"The venues hosting G20 meetings adopt various green initiatives, including non-use of single use plastic, conservation of water and energy apart from other initiatives," Reddy said.

The ministry had also launched Swadesh Darshan 2.0 scheme which will focus on sustainable and responsible development of tourist destinations.

Greening of tourism sector for a sustainable, responsible and resilient tourism sector is one of the five key priorities of the Tourism Working Group.

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Asked if after the pandemic of COVID-19, the government has started free tourist visa for foreign nationals, he said the government had on June 28, 2021 announced grant of first 5 lakh tourist visas without charging visa fee, once, tourist visa is restored, which was applicable for both e-tourist visa and regular tourist visa".

The government allowed foreign nationals to enter into India for tourism purpose on e-tourist visa/tourist visa through charter flights (for group tourism only) from October 15, 2021, the minister said.

Individual foreign nationals were allowed to enter into India for tourism purpose on e-tourist visa/tourist visa from November 15, 2021. Free tourist visa was applicable only to e-tourist visa/tourist visa issued on or after October 6, 2021. The validity of these tourist visas was to be 30 days with single entry. This scheme was valid till March 31, 2022 or till the issuance of first 5 lakh tourist visas, whichever is earlier, he added.

"A total of 1,27,999 regular tourist visas and 2,27,225 e-tourist visas were issued from 6th October, 2021 to 31st March, 2022. e-tourist visa was initially available for nationals of 156 countries which has now been revised to 166 countries; whereas, regular tourist visa was available for most of the countries," he said.

In response to another query, he said the Ministry of Tourism has been supporting small tour operators through capacity building and other initiatives, however, their share in the tourism demand depends on various other factors, including market forces.
To ensure cleanliness in villages, the Uttar Pradesh government will provide necessary training to local functionaries and sanitation workers, an official said on Tuesday.

The official said around 83,000 people, including village pradhans, block motivators and panchayat assistants, will be provided training in batches in 20 District Panchayat Resource Centres and the Panchayati Raj Training Institute in Lucknow.

In a statement, Additional Chief Secretary of Panchayati Raj Manoj Kumar said that 25,145 gram panchayats will be covered in the second phase of the Swachh Bharat Mission (Rural) in this financial year.

"Under this, a target has been set to cover 43,242 revenue villages. A number of campaigns will be launched to manage solid and liquid wastes, in addition to maintaining the achievements made in these villages during the first phase of the mission," Kumar said.

He said that six master trainers have been posted at every training centre.

These master trainers have recently been provided training at the Directorate of Panchayati Raj.

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Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday condoled the death of tourists in an avalanche in Sikkim and said the central government is closely monitoring the situation.

At least seven tourists were killed as a massive avalanche hit Sikkim's Nathu La area on Tuesday morning, burying their vehicles under the snow.

"My sincerest condolences to the families of those who have lost their lives in the tragic avalanche in Sikkim. We are closely monitoring the situation and the teams of NDRF will reach the affected area soon. I pray for the speedy recovery of those injured," Shah tweeted.

The avalanche hit the arterial Jawaharlal Nehru Marg, which connects Gangtok to Nathu La at the China border around 11.30 am, trapping five-six vehicles with around 30 people under the snow, the Army said in a statement.

Till 4 pm, seven bodies were brought out of the snow and 23 people were rescued alive, including six tourists from a deep valley, a state government official said, quoting reports from the Army.

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The endurance test of 'Dhawan-II' which demonstrated impressive performance results, was carried out at Solar Industries propulsion test facility in Nagpur, Maharashtra, using Skyroots indigenously developed mobile cryogenic engine test pad. This achievement follows the November 2022 launch of VikramS, which made Skyroot the first Indian private company to send a rocket into space. Skyroot Aerospace, India's pioneering private rocket builder, achieved a major milestone by successfully test-firing an advanced fully 3D-printed cryogenic engine for 200 seconds, a record for the company.



The Dhawan-II engine builds upon the foundation laid by Skyroot's first privately developed fully-cryogenic rocket engine, the 1.0 kN thrust DhawanI, which was successfully test fired in November 2021. The cryogenic engine series is named in honour of Satish Dhawan, an eminent Indian rocket scientist who played a crucial role in the development of India's space programme. Pawan Kumar Chandana, Co-founder and CEO, Skyroot Aerospace, stated, "The successful test of Dhawan-II is a landmark achievement for Skyroot and the Indian private space sector. We are proud to be at the forefront in developing cuttingedge cryogenic technologies in the private space sector of India, and pushing the limit with advanced technologies like 3D printing and green propellants."

Naga Bharath Daka, Co-founder and COO of Skyroot Aerospace, added, "This is a major milestone for our cryogenic propulsion program, which will enhance the payload capacity of Vikram series of space launch vehicles making them more modular so as to meet wider customer requirements.




The nominated authority under the ministry of coal had invited the 17th/7th tranche of auction under the Coal Mines (Special Provisions) Act, 2005, Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 for coal and lignite on March 29. Of the 101 blocks put up for auction across the country, three are in Tamil Nadu. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking the exclusion of three coal blocks in Tamil Nadu's Cauvery Delta area from the recent bidding process for coal by the Centre government. The coal blocks in question are East of Sethiathope, Michaelpatti and Vadaseri.



Given the fact that valuable agricultural lands are involved and the food security of the people of Tamil Nadu is at stake, it would be appropriate if the three mining blocks in Tamil Nadu  Vadaseri, Michaelpatti and East of Sethiathoppe- proposed for auction in the 7th/17th Tranche of Auction, are excluded from the auction process by the issue of a necessary corrigendum, he added. Neither was the concurrence of the Government of Tamil Nadu obtained prior to the floating of the tender nor was the State Government consulted in this matter. It is unfortunate that the Ministry of Coal, Government of India, has proceeded unilaterally with no consultation with the states in such a sensitive matter, Stalin's letter said.



He said that Under Section 4(1) of the Act, no person shall undertake any new project or new activity specified in the Second Schedule in the protected agricultural zone. The projects covered in the Second Schedule and thus prohibited include Exploration, drilling and extraction of oil and natural gas including coal-bed methane, shale gas and other similar hydrocarbons. Michaelpatti is in Udayarpalayam Taluk of Ariyalur district, East of Sethiathope in Bhuvanagiri Taluk of Cuddalore district and Vadaseri is in Orathanadu Taluk of Thanjavur district. Vadaseri and East of Sethiathope fall within the Protected Agricultural Zone under the Tamil Nadu Protected Agriculture Zone Development Act, 2020, while the Michaelpatti Block falls in a major paddy growing area adjoining a very fertile part of the Cauvery Delta.

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The present tender conditions include the exploitation of coal bed methane and hence are covered within the prohibition of the Tamil Nadu Protected Agriculture Zone Development Act, 2020. This implies that even if the tender process is conducted and a successful bidder identified, it would not be possible to take up the mining project. Hence, the auction process is a wasteful exercise in so far as the identified blocks in Tamil Nadu are concerned. Had the State Government been consulted prior to the issue of the notification, these issues could have been clarified and the unnecessary disquiet caused by the issue of the notification for auction could have been avoided, he added.


Uttarakhand finance minister Prem Chand Aggarwal on Tuesday said he welcomes the idea of the state government of developing the Rishikesh corridor on the lines of the Kashi-Vishwanath corridor.

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami who met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi on Monday informed him that the state government is working on Haridwar's Har-ki-Pairi and building the Rishikesh corridor, on the lines of Kashi-Vishwanath and Ujjain Mahakal corridors, under its new tourism policy.

"The proposed Rishikesh corridor will add a new dimension to the popular pilgrimage destination from the religious tourism point of view," Aggarwal said.

The corridor will help decongest traffic from the town, make commuting easy for tourists besides creating more employment opportunities for locals, said Aggarwal, former speaker of the Uttarakhand Assembly.

People of the town and pilgrimage priests are eagerly waiting for the proposed project to become a reality, he said and thanked both PM Modi and CM Dhami for it.

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Nepal has issued a total of 10,000 work permits to foreign labourers, with China comprising the highest number of such workers at 7,500, a media report said on Monday.

A large number of Chinese nationals are working in Nepal because the country has the highest number of Chinese projects that are in operation, Gorkhapatra, a state-run daily, reported.

"Currently there are 10,000 foreign labourers on work permit in Nepal and out of it those from China are the highest at 7,500," the report said, citing sources from the country's Department of Labour.

Due to the lack of skilled labourers in big projects being operated in Nepal foreign labourers are fulfilling the demand.

The United Kingdom ranks second in sending a large number of foreign labourers to work in Nepal with 488 labourers.

"This is followed by USA with 332 labourers, 240 from South Korea, 230 from India, 190 from Japan, 116 from Australia, 113 from Sri Lanka, 98 from Germany, 82 from Italy, 79 each from France and Philippines, and 56 from Bangladesh, " said the report.

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Skilled labourers from foreign countries are working in different sectors in Nepal after acquiring work permit from the department, according to an official at the Department of Labour.


His motorcade then made its way to the Trump Tower on 5th Avenue in Manhattan, where he will stay for the night. Streets around the high-end Trump Tower have been cordoned off, with heavy police presence in and around the area. Former US president Donald Trump arrived in New York on Monday to face arraignment in a Manhattan court on charges related to paying hush money to an adult film star during his 2016 presidential campaign. Trump, 76, flew to the city in his Boeing 757 aircraft from his Mar-a-Lago home on Monday and arrived at the La Guardia airport around 3 pm EST (12.30 am IST).



American media quoted Trump's attorneys as saying that the former US president will plead not guilty. After his court appearance, Trump will immediately fly back to Florida, where he will deliver remarks at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach in the evening. Trump, the first former US president to face a criminal charge, will appear before Judge Juan Merchan at 11.45 pm IST on Tuesday.



What is the case against Donald Trump? Trump has denied all wrongdoings in connection with the payments made to Stormy Daniels, 44, ahead of the 2016 presidential election.

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She later publicly acknowledged the encounter with Trump and said that his then-attorney Michael Cohen made a payment of $130,000 to buy Daniels' silence over it. This is the case under which he has been indicted. Shortly before Trump ran for the post of US president in 2016, he allegedly paid hush money to adult film-maker and actor Stormy Daniels, whose actual name is Stephanie Clifford. Daniels, who allegedly once had an affair with Trump, had a sexual encounter with him in 2006.



In 2018, Cohen pleaded guilty to finance charges related to the payment Cohen is now an outspoken foe of Trump and has already testified before the grand jury about making the payment to Daniels in October 2016. He said that Trump reimbursed the money via monthly checks of $35,000 from his personal account.

What happens next?

During the day, the US Secret Service will accompany Trump to the district attorney's office. The investigators will then book him, and his fingerprints will be taken. Usually, a mugshot is also taken, but it is unlikely in the case of Trump, given that he is already widely popular.



Trump's arraignment will not be broadcast live. Earlier on Monday, a New York judge Juan Merchan rejected the request of media outlets to televise the trial. Merchan will preside over the trial. Trump will then be taken to the courtroom, where he will face the charges.

Will it impact Trump's 2024 election bid?

Trump is currently the front-runner among all declared and potential contenders for the 2024 Republican White House nomination.



There is nothing in the US law that prevents a candidate who is found guilty of a crime from campaigning for and serving as president, even from prison. The main question is whether, if Trump is convicted, will it bar him from running for the post or, if elected, running the country.



It does not require the president to be free from indictment, conviction or prison. A person under indictment or in prison can run the office. According to Article 2 of the US Constitution, a person must be of or above 35, a US resident for 14 years and a natural-born citizen to run for the top post.



Trump is using the trial to bolster the 2024 campaign Moreover, it is uncertain if Trump will be convicted, if he is, before the 2024 elections in November.



"It's hard to believe that I will be ARRESTED tomorrow as a result of the most disgraceful witch hunt in our nation's history, a Trump Campaign mail titled Tomorrow, I will be arrested," a Trump Campaign mail titled "Tomorrow, I will be arrested," said. Trump and his aides are using the indictment to rile up his supporters and bolster his 2024 re-election campaign.



Another Trump Campaign email said that November 5, 2024, will no longer just be an Election Day. It will be our Vindication Day. "When we win, it will be a vindication for our movement but also a vindication for America", it said. Trump's team claimed that he has raised over $4 million in the 24 hours following Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's "unprecedented political persecution of the President, and blatant interference in the 2024 election against the leading Republican presidential candidate".

(With agency inputs)
The European Union's foreign policy chief on Tuesday lashed out at China for its support of Russia amid the invasion of Ukraine and called it a blatant violation of Beijing's United Nations commitments.

There cannot be siding with the aggressor, Josep Borrell said. There is a clear expectation from a permanent member of the (UN) Security Council to stand up in defence of international rules-based order and China as a moral duty to contribute to a fair peace.

Standing alongside visiting US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Borrell was forceful in his condemnation of a nation that has increasingly moved from being a partner to being a rival on the global stage.

The comments come just ahead of a visit of EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen together with French President Emmanuel Macron to China, where both will press the point that EU-China relations will pivot on Beijing's friendship with Russia.

Macron and von der Leyen are set to warn China against sending weapons to Russia during talks with President Xi Jinping on Thursday.

Even if Beijing says it is neutral in the war, Xi's visit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow two weeks ago had all the visuals and speeches of a meeting among trusted friends.

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They agreed on the need to not deploy nuclear arms abroad," Borrell said of the Moscow meeting. "Some days later, Russia deployed tactical weapons, nuclear tactical weapons in Belarus, he added, referring to an announcement by Putin of plans to deploy such weapons.

Borrell said he was looking for a change of heart in Beijing if relations were not to deteriorate.

We have been clear with China that its position on Russia's atrocities and war crimes will determine the quality of our relations with Beijing, he said.
Finland's parliamentary website was paralysed by a denial-of-service attack on Tuesday, just before the country made its historic entry into NATO, a move that more than doubles NATO's border with Russia and has angered Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The attacks in which participants flood targets with junk data made the parliament's site hard to use, with many pages not loading and some functions not available for a time.

A pro-Russian hacker group known as NoName057 (16) claimed responsibility, saying the attack was retaliation for Finland joining NATO. The hacker group, which has reportedly acted on Moscow's orders, has taken part in a slew of cyberattacks on the US and its allies in the past. The claim could not be immediately verified.

For the most part, Finns went about their business as usual on the bright cold day, belying the historic nature of Finland becoming the 31st member of NATO. Its membership was formalised with a series of steps in Brussels.

It's a moment that most Finns had never previously wanted as they balanced friendly ties with both the West and Russia. But all that changed with Russia's full-scale and brutal invasion of its neighbour Ukraine last year, creating a sudden and strong sense of insecurity that pushed the nation toward membership in the security alliance.

There were few outward signs of the geopolitical shift aside from the Finnish and NATO flags, both blue and white, fluttering against the backdrop of Helsinki's deep blue sky.

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The NATO flags were raised alongside the national flags in front of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a building that was originally built for the military of the Russian Empire in the 19th century.

A regular flow of curious onlookers could be seen near the gates of the foreign ministry, trying to catch a glimpse of the flags.

Aki Luhtanen, a professor of psychiatric nursing who was among those stopping by the Foreign Ministry, said Russia's war on Ukraine feels very close and NATO membership offers protection now and for the long term.

I think we should be aware and afraid of Russia, Luhtanen said. And I think in the future (it) is very, very important to belong to NATO.

It was on that same ministry building that Finnish authorities projected the colours of the Ukrainian flag after Russia's invasion last year, in an early sign of strong support for Kyiv.

Newspapers, leaders and commentators alike agreed that Tuesday was a historic day for the nation of 5.5 million people that shares a a 1,340-kilometer (832-mile) border with Russia.

Until now, we have defended our country alone, Defense Minister Antti Kaikkonen told public broadcaster YLE on arrival in Brussels. From now on, we can rely on getting outside help should things get tough. And of course, we are ready to help should someone be in trouble.

Kaikkonen will join President Sauli Niinisto and Haavisto, the foreign minister, for the events in Brussels.

This is historically very significant for Finland. Finland has never been militarily aligned before in its history, said Juhana Aunesluoma, professor of political history at the University of Helsinki. Of course, many things changed when Finland joined the European Union in 1995, but Finland remained militarily nonaligned.

The ceremony in Brussels falls on NATO's very own birthday, the 74th anniversary of the signing of its founding Washington Treaty on April 4, 1949. It also coincides with a meeting of the alliance's foreign ministers.
A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked CBI not to spare the corrupt, independent MP Kapil Sibal on Tuesday questioned the conviction rate in the current government which was only 71 in 2016.

"PM to CBI : Don't spare the corrupt,

March 2016 : Jitender Singh told Parliament "

But the fact is 2013 : 1136 persons convicted for corruption, 2014 : 993,

2015 : 878, 2016 : 71

"Conviction of the corrupt higher during UPA! Men may lie but facts do not lie

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Who is protecting the corrupt?" Sibal tweeted.

On Monday, the Prime Minister attacked the previous dispensations for their apparent lax attitude towards dealing with corruption and said that it was only after 2014, when the BJP-led dispensation came to power, that the malaise was dealt with severely.

Addressing a gathering while inaugurating the diamond jubilee celebrations of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Modi said that unfortunately India got a legacy of corruption at the time of Independence and lamented the fact that instead of removing it, "some people kept nourishing this malady".

He recalled the "scams and the prevailing sense of impunity just a decade ago, when the UPA dispensation was in power".

"This situation led to the destruction of the system and an atmosphere of policy paralysis brought the development to stand still," he said.

After 2014, the Prime Minister reiterated that the priority of the government was to instill faith in the system and for this, the government started taking action against black money and benami property in mission mode and started inflicting damage on the corrupt as well as the reasons behind the corruption.

--IANS

miz/shb/


Finland's accession roughly doubles the length of the border that Nato shares with Russia and bolsters its eastern flank as the war in Ukraine grinds on with no resolution in sight. Finland formally joined the Nato military alliance on Tuesday in a historic policy shift brought on by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, drawing a threat from Moscow of "countermeasures".



Nato Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, welcoming Finland to its ranks, noted that Russian President Vladimir Putin had cited opposing Nato expansion as one justification for his invasion. Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto completed the accession process by handing over an official document to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken at Nato headquarters in Brussels.



The Kremlin said Russia would be forced to take "counter-measures" to Finland's accession. Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said the move raised the prospect of the conflict in Ukraine escalating further. "He is getting exactly the opposite...Finland today, and soon also Sweden will become a full fledged member of the alliance," Stoltenberg said in Brussels.

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The Ukrainian government also hailed Finland's move. Russia said on Monday it would strengthen its military capacity in its western and northwestern regions in response to Finland joining Nato.



The event marks the end of an era of military non-alignment for Finland that began after the country repelled an invasion attempt by the Soviet Union during World War Two and opted to try to maintain friendly relations with neighbouring Russia. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's chief of staff Andriy Yermak wrote on Telegram: "FI made the right choice. Nato is also a key goal for Ukraine."



Moscow, which has long criticised the move, reacted crossly. But the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 prompted Finns to seek security under Nato's collective defence pact, which states that an attack on one member is an attack on all.



Blinken said: "I'm tempted to say this is maybe the one thing we can thank Mr Putin for. Because he once again here precipitated something he claims to want to prevent." Sweden and Finland applied together last year to join Nato, but the Swedish application has been held up by Nato members Turkey and Hungary. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Nato expansion was an "encroachment on our security and on Russia's national interests". Moscow would watch closely for any Nato military deployments in Finland, he said.



"This is a question of utmost importance for Sweden...There is no reason for neither the Turkish parliament or the Hungarian parliament to make any further further delays," he said. Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstroem told reporters it was Stockholm's ambition to become a member at the Nato summit in Vilnius in July.


A surprise cut in oil production from OPEC+ is now setting the stage for other producers to vie for markets in Asia.

By Lucia Kassai and Sheela Tobben







During that time, oil production has also increased in the US, and American exporters might look at the latest OPEC+ move as their opportunity to grab more market share in Asia. Since the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries started managing supplies more actively in 2017, member states have privileged flows to Asia at the expense of countries like the US. Last year, 70% of oil from the group went to Asian countries including China and India, up from 61% in 2017. Meanwhile, the share bound to the US shrank to 6% from 10%, data from market intelligence firm Kpler SAS show.

US output climbed on the back of rising production from shale deposits. American refineries have ramped up their ability to process lighter crude grades that typically get pumped from places like the Permian and Eagle Ford. Currently, 63% of the oil processed by refiners in the US is produced domestically, up from 41% a decade ago.

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At the same time, while the US has reduced its reliance on OPEC+ oil, the country still imports close to 580,000 barrels daily from the group  primarily medium and heavy grade crudes. The latest production cut could also make it harder to source those barrels. Refiners in Asia will also be able to process those lighter oil grades, and American fuelmakers could find themselves in competition with buyers from Asia.

The expected cut to supplies from OPEC+ will likely start impacting deliveries arriving in the US in July, during the height of the summer driving season. American buyers have until then to start looking for alternatives.
In a huge relief, embattled former Pakistan Prime Minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan was granted interim bail by a Lahore anti-terrorism court on Tuesday in three cases, reported Geo News.

Imran Khan's bail has been extended till April 13 in three terrorism cases registered against him.

The Zille Shah murder case, arson, and interfering with state affairs were three instances in which the PTI Chairman appeared in court seeking bail. Under the anti-terror and aiding and abetting laws, several cases were filed against the PTI chief at the Race Course police station, Geo News reported.

Khan entered the ATC under heavy security because the judges had made his appearance in person for the appeal for an extension of bail as a condition of his release on bail.

In connection with the clashes between PTI members and police that took place during an operation to apprehend Khan in the Toshakhana gifts case, the Lahore police had filed these three cases against Khan.

According to Geo News, Khan is currently dealing with more than 140 cases related to terrorism, murder, attempted murder, and blasphemy that the PMLN-led coalition government registered against him over the past 11 months.

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Earlier, in March, the Lahore High Court (LHC) granted protective bail to Imran Khan in the same case and directed him to approach the relevant court in this matter. PTI chairman Imran Khan, who arrived at the court, wrote in his petition seeking interim bail that he wants to be involved in the probe but there is a fear of arrest by the police, according to The News International report.

Khan had been granted bail by the ATC with a condition that he post surety bonds of (PKR) 100,000 in each instance and cooperate with the investigation and appear at all scheduled hearings.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday held talks with Bhutanese King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck focusing on ways to bolster bilateral engagement in a range of areas including economic cooperation.

The King began his two-day visit to India on Monday amid some concerns in New Delhi over China's attempts to expand influence over Thimphu.

Certain remarks by Bhutan Prime Minister Lotay Tshering on the Doklam tri-junction were seen by many as the Himalayan nation cosying up to Beijing though Bhutan maintained that there is no change in its stance on the border dispute.

It is learnt that the talks between PM Modi and King Wangchuck were focused on ways to expand bilateral ties.

The Bhutanese King was received at the Delhi airport by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, in a special gesture reflecting the importance New Delhi has attached to the visit.

On Monday evening, Jaishankar called on the visiting dignitary and said the King's vision for Bhutan's future and for strengthening the unique partnership with India is deeply appreciated.

Also Read Jigme Wangchuck's 3-day India visit: NSA Ajit Doval calls on Bhutan King Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi witnesses Republic Day parade India looking forward to expanding cooperation: Sitharaman tells Bhutan FM No country can come out of difficulties if basic industry is terrorism: EAM India will always be reliable: Om Birla to Bhutan National Assembly speaker Australia pauses rate hikes to assess tightening impact, inflation in focus US Centers for Disease Control flags Indian eye drop for death, blindness In setback to Putin, Finland set to officially become NATO member Pak's anti-terrorism court grants interim bail to Imran Khan in 3 cases Consequences of Modi's clean chit to China: Kharge on China renaming row

Bhutan is a strategically important country for India and the defence and security ties between the two sides have witnessed significant expansion in the last few years.

The strategic ties witnessed an upward trajectory in the last few years in the backdrop of a 73-day face-off between Indian and Chinese troops in Doklam tri-junction in 2017.

The Doklam plateau is considered an important area for India's strategic interest.

The standoff at Doklam tri-junction in 2017 began after China tried to extend a road in an area that Bhutan claimed belonged to it.

India had strongly opposed the construction as it would have impacted its overall security interests. The India-China face-off was resolved following several rounds of talks.

In October 2021, Bhutan and China signed an agreement on a "three-step roadmap" to expedite negotiations to resolve their festering boundary dispute.

Bhutan shares an over 400-km-long border with China and the two countries have held over 24 rounds of boundary talks in a bid to resolve the dispute.

In a recent interview, the Bhutanese prime minister had said that China has an equal say in resolving the border dispute in Doklam.

India has consistently been Bhutan's top trading partner, and remains the leading source of investments in Bhutan.
South Africa's high import duties on clothing are a safeguard to protect local manufacturers and cannot be reduced for India, a senior government official said on Monday.

Speaking to a gathering of business people from both the countries, Jayawant Irkhede, the Director of Leather and Footwear in the Department of Trade, Industry and Competetion, said that the tariffs are set by the World Trade Organisation.

This is the most common question I am asked whenever I meet Indian businesses wanting to export to South Africa, Irkhede said at the meet aimed at promoting business between the two countries.

The international partners ask us whether we can reduce the import duties, like the 40 per cent -45 per cent duty on clothing; 30 per cent on shoes and 22 per cent on fabric. It is important to understand that these duties are not given by the South African government. These are the same tariffs provided by the World Trade Organisation (WTO)," he said.

He said that it was difficult for the South African government to reduce the duties for any specific country.

"Wherever I go in India, I am asked why we cannot reduce this because India is not operating in South Africa's space. We tell them sorry, we cannot do it, because these are the safeguards given by WTO to all countries, so that they are protected and don't get wiped out, Irkhede said.

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"It's a difficult space for us to reduce those duties for a specific country like India. This is absolutely impossible," he added.

He said where possible, South Africa had reduced duties, such as on leather goods which are imported from India and Pakistan with excise duties of only 15 per cent.

Irkhede said that India is South Africa's third largest trading partner, after neighbouring Eswatini.

China is South Africa's highest trading partner.

He said of the 60 billion Rands that South Africa imports for retail distribution, almost 58 per cent is from China.

India's trade value is hardly about 3.2 billion Rands, Irkhede said as he urged Indian business to look at why this was so.

Irkhede also suggested a dual approach to Indian businesses for South Africa.

Trade is not only about buying and selling. But that can also be manufacturing in South Africa. We also have very strong incentives, which I've not seen with any other government worldwide.

If you register for manufacturing in South Africa on your capital expenditure, we can give you 15 per cent government grant and then we give you another 50 per cent term loan completely interest free, which is a very substantial incentive, he said.
By Steve Dickson

Signature Bank insiders sold a total of more than $100 million of company stock in the past three years, after the company began attracting cryptocurrency clients, the Wall Street Journal reported.





New York regulators shut down Signature Bank, citing a crisis of confidence in the management team and a run on deposits, and handed the company over to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. New York Community Bancorp Inc. later took over Signature Banks deposits and some of its loans. Chairman Scott Shay, Chief Executive Officer Joseph DePaolo and Chief Operating Officer Eric Howell accounted for about half of the total, the newspaper said, citing its own analysis of company filings. They sold many of the shares in 2021 at around $220, before the stock hit an all-time high of $366 in early 2022, according to the report.



The Wall Street Journal said Signature Bank didnt respond to a request for comment, and New York Community Bancorps Flagstar Bank, which will assume all of Signature Banks cash deposits, didnt comment. Howell, Shay and DePaolo declined to comment to the newspaper. Shay, who was chairman of the boards risk committee, sold $5.4 million of stock in 2021. He also purchased $1.5 million from 2020 to 2022, and an additional $644,000 in 2023, according to the report. DePaolo sold $13.9 million shares in 2021 and Howell sold $14.9 million. The two sold an additional $9.2 million between them in March 2022, according to the report.

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The three executives suffered big losses on their share holdings when the bank collapsed, according to the newspaper. Representatives for Howell and Shay declined to comment when contacted by Bloomberg News. DePaolo couldnt immediately be reached for comment.

Signature filed the documents disclosing the sales to the FDIC, rather than the Securities and Exchange Commission, where companies of its size typically file, the Wall Street Journal said.
The US will send Ukraine about USD 500 million in ammunition and equipment and spend more than USD 2 billion to buy an array of munitions, radar and other weapons for that country in the future, the White House announced Tuesday, as Ukrainian troops prepare for a spring offensive against Russian forces.

Much of the ammunition will be taken from military stockpiles so they can be in the war zone quickly, including US-provided HIMARS, air defense interceptors, and artillery rounds that Ukraine is using to defend itself, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement. HIMARS are multiple rocket launchers.

The package, like many of the previous ones, is pushing forward more 155 mm artillery rounds as Ukraine burns through that stock fighting back against Russia's ground invasion.

The immediate assistance includes anti-armour systems, small arms, heavy equipment transport vehicles, and maintenance support, the Pentagon said in a statement.

We very much appreciate everything that the United States has done specifically in the last month to help our army prepare itself for the counteroffensive, said Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, speaking at NATO headquarters in Brussels before a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

The Biden administration has upheld its commitment to provide Ukraine with a lot of what we need and set an example to other allies.

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The



USD 2.1 billion in longer-term aid, which is being provided under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, will buy missiles for the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System, or NASAMS, as well as radar, additional satellite terminals and counter-drone rocket systems and gun trucks.

The new weapons and money come as Russia has continued to bombard Ukraine with long-range missiles and the hotly contested battle for the eastern city of Bakhmut drags on.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told The Associated Press in an exclusive interview that unless his country wins that fight, Russia could begin building international support for a deal that could require Ukraine to make unacceptable compromises.

Zelenskyy said if Moscow's forces take Bakhmut, Russian President Vladimir Putin would sell this victory to the West, to his society, to China, to Iran.

The latest US package, with its mix of short-term and long-term aid, involves a wide variety of ammunition from Pentagon stocks, 23 million rounds of small arms ammunition and 200,000 grenades, as well as money for more high-tech weapons, such as counter drone rocket systems, air surveillance radar and satellite communications terminals and services.

It brings the total amount of US security assistance to Ukraine to more than USD 35.1 billion since Russia invaded in February 2022.

Defense leaders testifying on Capitol Hill last week said the US is prepared to support Ukraine for as long as needed.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has echoed that sentiment, saying the alliance's foreign ministers meeting in Brussels were discussing how to step up support for Ukraine's armed forces. Our support is for the long haul," he said before the meeting Tuesday.

The White House said last week that it has new evidence that Russia is looking again to North Korea for weapons as it also prepares for a spring offensive. Russia would provide Pyongyang with needed food and other commodities in return.

US officials also are concerned that the president of Belarus has warned that Russian strategic nuclear weapons might be deployed in his country, along with part of Moscow's tactical nuclear arsenal.

Putin has said he planned to place tactical nuclear weapons in neighbouring Belarus.

Those weapons are comparatively short-range and low-yield. Strategic nuclear weapons, such as missile-borne warheads, would be a greater threat.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, while talking up the possibility of nuclear weapons, has also called for a cease-fire in Ukraine. He said a truce must have no preconditions and all movement of troops and weapons must be halted.

Russia, however, has rejected a cease in fighting, claiming that Ukraine has refused to enter talks under pressure from its Western allies.

_____



Lee reported from Brussels. Associated Press writer Tara Copp contributed to this story from Washington.
The US will send Ukraine about $500 million in ammunition and equipment and will spend more than $2 billion to buy an array of munitions, radar and other weapons in the future, U.S. officials said, as the Ukrainian troops prepare for a spring offensive against Russian forces.

The ammunition rounds, along with grenade launchers and vehicles, will be taken from military stockpiles so they can be in the war zone quickly, the officials said.

The $2.1 billion in longer-term aid, which is being provided under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, will buy missiles for the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System, or NASAMS, as well as radar and other weapons, according to the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the aid had not yet been announced. An announcement is expected as soon as Tuesday.

The new weapons and funding come as Russia has continued to bombard Ukraine with long-range missiles and the hotly contested battle for the eastern city of Bakhmut drags on. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told The Associated Press in an exclusive interview that unless his country wins that fight, Russia could begin building international support for a deal that could require Ukraine to make unacceptable compromises.

Zelenskyy said if Moscow's forces take Bakhmut, then Russian President Vladimir Putin would sell this victory to the West, to his society, to China, to Iran.

The latest U.S. package, with its mix of short-term and long-term aid, includes a wide variety of ammunition from Pentagon stocks, 23 million rounds of small arms ammunition and 200,000 grenades, as well as funding for more high-tech weapons, including counter drone rocket systems, air surveillance radar and satellite communications terminals and services.

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It brings the total amount of U.S. security assistance to Ukraine to more than $35 billion since Russia invaded in February 2022. Defense leaders testifying on Capitol Hill last week said the U.S. is prepared to support Ukraine for as long as needed.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg echoed that sentiment on Monday, as the alliance's foreign ministers were preparing to meet in Brussels. The ministers on Tuesday will discuss how we can step up our support, including by continuing to strengthen Ukraine's armed forces, Stoltenberg said. Our support is for the long haul.

The White House said last week that it has new evidence that Russia is looking again to North Korea for weapons as it also prepares for a spring offensive. Russia would provide Pyongyang with needed food and other commodities in return.

U.S. officials also are concerned that the president of Belarus has warned that Russian strategic nuclear weapons might be deployed in his country, along with part of Moscow's tactical nuclear arsenal.

Putin has said he planned to place tactical nuclear weapons in neighboring Belarus. Those weapons are comparatively short-range and low-yield. Strategic nuclear weapons, such as missile-borne warheads, would be a greater threat.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, while talking up the possibility of nuclear weapons, has also called for a cease-fire in Ukraine. He said a truce must have no preconditions and all movement of troops and weapons must be halted.

Russia, however, has rejected a cease in fighting, claiming that Ukraine has refused to enter talks under pressure from its Western allies.
Botify, a leading performance marketing platform for organic search, announces Botify Assist, a collection of ChatGPT-powered tools for the Botify community. This first-of-its-kind offering combines the vast intelligence of the GPT-4 API with Botifys proprietary unified data model, building upon existing core AI functionality to provide additional insight and content recommendations for greater organic search impact. By further unlocking the power of the Botify platform, users will be empowered to make strategic decisions even faster and implement more content ideas at scale  further helping brands be found in this new era of search.

Organic search is quickly becoming the preferred channel by savvy digital marketers. Recent data from Gartner shows that CMOs are choosing to harness the power of organic search to amplify their other online marketing efforts, with a 45% expected investment increase, averaging about 9% of total marketing budget.

Botifys enhanced capabilities will provide a deeper level of analysis and insight that can empower brands with the ability to uncover new opportunities and optimize their content with even greater speed, relevancy and precision. Specifically, with Botify Assist, platform users now have access to:

A personalized search assistant that helps users find information within Botify's platform of over 1,000 data points. Users can ask simple questions in plain text, while the tool uses advanced technology to search and provide real-time results without requiring complicated search queries or filters. The user-friendly, chat-like interface makes it easy for anyone to find the answers they need quickly.

that helps users find information within Botify's platform of over 1,000 data points. Users can ask simple questions in plain text, while the tool uses advanced technology to search and provide real-time results without requiring complicated search queries or filters. The user-friendly, chat-like interface makes it easy for anyone to find the answers they need quickly. AI-powered content optimization recommendations to assist content writers in developing the most relevant and impactful web content for ultimate findability. By analyzing pages and the latest search trends, Botify Assist delivers tailored recommendations for enhancing page titles and meta descriptions of the most strategic landing pages, as well as identifying content gaps by recommending additional relevant topics and keywords  driving both sustained visibility and brand authority.



Having already partnered with Microsoft Bing to promote the indexing of their clients most critical site pages in real-time, Botify is now integrating the same generative intelligence supported by Bing to deliver even more value to enterprise teams.

AI is rewriting the rules of organic search, especially how results are sorted and summarized through new Large Language Models. Over time, it will become impossible for enterprise websites to keep pace with change and user demand without AI innovation on their side. By embracing the mission-critical advancements AI innovation brings to search technology, Botify is now delivering essential ChatGPT-enabled capabilities to further enable organic findability with both speed and relevance.

With the introduction of generative AI, brands can respond to shifting consumer trends faster and with greater relevance than ever before, said Adrien Menard, Co-Founder and CEO of Botify. AI has underpinned our innovations from the very beginning, so embracing the promise of ChatGPT was an obvious choice. Having always been at the forefront of organic search innovation, Botify remains committed to defining the industrys future and is thrilled to offer these cutting-edge capabilities to our customers.

About Botify

Botify, a leading performance marketing platform for organic search, strengthens the digital brand experience by creating greater content findability. Using proprietary first-party data, Botify protects and scales organic web traffic by surfacing deeper insights and understanding behind hidden organic search ROIoffering intelligent opportunities to increase relevant search results, profitability and build better brand authority in parallel and at scale.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230404005250/en/
Selected from over 52,000 nurses across 202 countries, out of these 10 finalists, one nurse would win the grand title award of $250,000 in London on 12th May 2023  International Nurses Day.

The 10 finalists will undergo a public voting process starting from next week, followed by final evaluation by the Grand Jury.



Aster Guardians Global Nursing Award  an award instituted to recognize inspirational work done by nurses from around the world  has announced its top 10 finalists hailing from across the world. They are: Cathy Cribben-Pearse from UAE, Christine Mawia Sammy from Kenya, Gloria Ceballo from Panama, Jincy Jerry from Ireland, Lilian Yew Siew Mee from Singapore, Margaret Helen Shepherd from England, Michael Joseph Dino from Philippines, Shanti Teresa Lakra from India, Teresa Fraga from Portugal, and Wilson Fungameza Gwessa from Tanzania.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230403005867/en/

Top 10 Finalist Nurses for Aster Guardians Global Nursing Award 2023. (Photo: AETOSWire)

These nurses have been selected from over 52,000 nurses who registered for the award from over 202 countries, through a stringent review process run independently by Ernst & Young LLP, a Screening-Jury and the Grand Jury. To know more about the top 10 finalists, please visit: https://www.asterguardians.com/

Speaking on this, Dr. Azad Moopen, Founder Chairman and Managing Director of Aster DM Healthcare, said, Millions of nurses across the world are working hard every single day to serve their patients and form the core of the healthcare eco-system. Aster Guardians Global Nursing Award is our way of acknowledging their dedication and recognizing their work. This year, with more than 50,000 nurses vying for the coveted award, it has been a hard task for the eminent Jury members to shortlist the top 10 outstanding nurses. Each of the finalists have a remarkable trajectory and have made significant contribution to the field of nursing. We wish each of them all the very best.

He also added, With more than 8000 nurses working across Aster DM Healthcares facilities across 7 countries, we have witnessed the commitment and efforts put in by nurses very closely. This is the least we can do to shine a spotlight on the work being done by the nursing community globally.

While one winner will be awarded the grand prize of USD 250,000, the other nine finalists will also be recognised. The final round will consist of public voting for each of the nurses starting from 6th April and in-person interview with the Grand Jury members consisting of: Mr. Howard Catton - Chief Executive Officer, International Council of Nurses, Switzerland; Prof. Sheila Tlou - Co-Chairperson, Global HIV Prevention Coalition and Ex - Minister of Health & Member of Parliament  Govt. of Botswana; Prof. James Buchan - Adjunct Professor, WHO Collaborating Centre for Nursing; Dr. J Carolyn Gomes, Vice-Chair of the Strategy Committee - The Global Fund Board and Board Member of The Developing Country NGO Delegation to the GF Board; Dr. Peter Carter, an OBE awardee, an independent healthcare consultant and former CEO of the Royal College of Nursing; and Dr. Niti Pall - Senior Digital Advisor for AXA (EC), Board Chair of Harbr and Managing Director of Health4all advisory.

The final winner would be announced at a gala event at Queen Elizabeth II Centre in London, UK on 12th May 2023  International Nurses Day.

About Aster DM Healthcare

Aster DM Healthcare Limited is one of the largest private healthcare service providers operating in GCC and in India. With an inherent emphasis on clinical excellence, we are one of the few entities in the world with a strong presence across primary, secondary, tertiary, and quaternary healthcare through our 30 hospitals, 125 clinics, 496* pharmacies, 20 labs and 157 patient experience centers in seven countries, including India. We reach out to all economic segments in the GCC states through our differentiated healthcare services across the Aster, Medcare and Access brands.

* Including 239 Pharmacies in India operated by Alfaone Retail Pharmacies Private Limited under brand license from Aster.

*Source: AETOSWire

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230403005867/en/
South Africa: New unit allows Sebokeng Hospital to perform brain surgery

Sebokeng Hospital in Gauteng made history this past week when it performed its first brain surgeries on two patients, who have been suffering from subdural haematoma (bleeding in the brain).

The Gauteng Health Department said this was a major milestone in over 40 years of the hospital's existence, which comes after the recent establishment of a neurosurgery unit at the hospital.

Previously, the provincial Health Department said, Sebokeng Hospital referred patients in need of brain surgery to Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital (CHBAH).

The establishment of a neurosurgery unit will see the reduction of the high prevalence of mortality and morbidity of traumatic brain injury patients in the Sedibeng District.

Gauteng MEC for Health and Wellness, Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko, congratulated the team, saying the surgery bears evidence to the support given by the provincial department to capacitate its centres of excellence by ensuring that health facilities have the right skills and equipment to render services to the public.

As part of reclaiming the jewel of the Gauteng public health system, one of our key focus areas is to ensure that our facilities function optimally and that infrastructure challenges are addressed as this has a direct bearing on positive health outcomes, explained the MEC.

The Acting Chief Executive Officer of the hospital, Dr Fhatuwani Mbara, said many patients who presented at the facility with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) were demising due to a lack of immediate neurosurgical interventions.

TBI patients were occupying ICU beds for a prolonged duration with no definite management plan because a majority of the patients require different types of operations ranging from skull, brain and spine surgeries.

The newly established unit and the highly skilled team we have will ensure that we reduce head injury-related deaths that are sustained by our patients, especially men of younger age groups.

The first patient was a man who experienced weakness on the right side of his body and was unable to walk or talk.

The neurosurgery team did a craniotomy on him, stopped the bleeding and removed the blood clot. The operation took two hours to perform.

Meanwhile, the second patient is a young man who was injured three months ago and had a subdural haematoma.

A craniotomy was also done on him and the clot was removed, however, his brain was severely swollen due to the injury. The team did a cranioplasty to protect the brain from potential physical harm.

Cranioplasty is a surgical operation on the repairing of cranial defects caused by previous injuries or operations.

The two patients, according to the provincial department, have recovered well and were discharged this past weekend to spend time with their loved ones.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2023-04-04. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Tuesday, April 4, 2023 at 11:55AM

Google quietly rolled out a file creation limit on Drive the past few weeks, which imposed a five million file creation limit on its accounts. It drew flak from users over the limit, but also how there wasn't a warning issued about the cap. Now, Google is rolling back the changes, which it made to "preserve stability and optimize performance" and prevent Drive misuse.

The tech giant argued it only ever impacted a small number of users but said it is looking for alternative ways to guarantee stable performance for all users.

Source
Tuesday, April 4, 2023 at 10:58AM

Photo: Youth Science Canada

A group of eight high school students are all set to represent the country at the premiere youth STEM project competitions, the 2023 Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair. The students will compete in Dallas, Texas on May 14 to 19. They were picked by a panel of STEM professionals from across the country based on the "level of ingenuity, critical thinking, scientific excellence, and communication skill in developing their STEM project." You can see a rundown of the students competing under the cut.

Team Canada-ISEF 2023 comprises (left to right and top to bottom in photo):

Cindy Cheng (Waterloo, Ontario) - Detecting hypoxia through the non-invasive monitoring of sweat lactate and tissue oxygenation

Aditya Dewan (Mississauga, Ontario) - SPRKD: Effective Knowledge Distillation for Deep Neural Networks via Saddle Region Approximation

Max Du (Calgary, Alberta) - A Novel Pre-Hospital Indoor Rescue Drone

Keerthan Kamala Krishnamoorthy (Winnipeg, Manitoba) - Detection of Harmful Microorganisms in Drinking Water using Deep Learning

Krish Modi (Sarnia, Ontario) - Pee Xylophone: A Novel Non-Invasive System to Measure Bladder Pressure

Annabelle Rayson (Sarnia, Ontario) - Plankton Wars: An Innovative Analysis of Daphnia Genotype Biomanipulation for Algae Bloom Prevention

Thomas Yang (Toronto, Ontario) - Seeing Cells without a Lens: Compact 3D Digital Lensless Holographic Microscopy for Wide-field Imaging

Tara Zhan (Vancouver, British Columbia) - Hemistride: Design of a Low-Cost and Backdrivable Lower-Limb Exoskeleton for Hemiplegic Patients

You can learn more about Team Canada-ISEF 2023 here.
ARCH College of Design & Business will hold an admissions test to choose applicants for admission to its undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. According to the AIEED key dates 2023, AIEED 2023 will be held online from April 5 to 15, 2023 (Phase 4).AIEED was launched in 2010, and ARCH has employed it every year since then to choose pupils for multiple courses at the institution. AIEED was transformed into a digital assessment in 2011. This enabled it readily available to prospective students from every corner of the world who may engage in the Screening.

The Arch College of Design and Business admission exam is intended to evaluate students' "aesthetic appeal, inventiveness, and designing responsiveness" as they pursue meaningful professions in the different sectors of design. It also assesses the student's rational thinking and problem-solving abilities," according to the official website.

Overview of the Examination

Particulars Details Name of the exam All India Entrance Examination for Design Known as AIEED Exam Conducting Body ARCH Academy of Design Mode of exam For GAT - Only Online Mode For CAT - Online Mode Format of exam 45 - 50 Objective Questions (MCQ) Total marks 200 Exam Date April 5 to 15, 2023

AIEED Exam, Test Centers 2023

AIEED exam centres are listed in the table below

Ahmedabad

Indore

Jaipur

Kolkata

Lucknow

Mumbai

New Delhi

Patna

Test Pattern for the AIEED 2023

Students are given the choice of taking the exam online.

AIEED is intended to examine candidates' design sensibility, problem-solving capabilities, inventiveness, logical thinking, and general awareness.

There will be major parts to the exam: CAT (Creative Ability Test) and GAT (General Ability Test).

The AIEED exam can be taken online. The amount of questions in the examination ranges from 45 to 50, based on the exam board difficulty setting.

Process for AIEED Selection

The AIEED Selection Method will include many characteristics for the ultimate selection of candidates, such as admissions test score, academic background, competence in Question and answer sessions & Portfolio, and others.

All candidates who pass AIEED will be scheduled for a personal interview.

It will be held at the ARCH campus in Jaipur. All eligible candidates are asked to arrive at the interview venue at least 15 minutes before the interview session begins, as mentioned in the.

Eligibility Requirements for AIEED 2023

Students must meet the qualifying requirements to take the AIEED 2023.According to UGC criteria, students must have completed 10+2 through CBSE, ICSE, IB, State Board, or any other board similar to the ones specified above. Any student taking the 12th-grade test may also take AIEED 2023. Students who have passed the first round of NID, NIFT, or NATA can apply to the Interaction and Presentation round directly.

Students in class 10+1 can also take AIEED 2023. Students who meet the prerequisites will be considered for direct admission in the next academic year.
Tunis, Tunisia  The Carter Center is alarmed by the Tunisian governments arrests of several political actors in recent weeks as well as its denial of request for peaceful protests. These actions represent a direct and increasing threat to democratic institutions in Tunisia.

The Center calls on Tunisian authorities to guarantee that the rights and freedoms enshrined in the constitution are respected and applied to all equally. The Center also renews its call for Tunisian leaders to engage in a broad-based, inclusive consultation to address flaws in the 2022 constitution and the decree laws issued by the current president since July 25, 2021. The newly seated parliament should actively oversee and act as a check on executive and governmental actions and help re-establish a balance of power between the three branches of government.

Those arrested since Feb. 1 include politicians, former judges and government officials, businesspeople, trade unionists, and journalists. Some of the arrests have been made on vague charges of conspiracy against the state, and no specific evidence for the charges has been made public. The arrests are a fundamental violation of the Tunisian peoples constitutional protections as well as the rights stipulated in international treaties ratified by the Tunisian government, including the right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty in a fair trial.

The arrests of perceived political opponents of President Kais Saied follow statements by the president demonizing those who have opposed his political agenda since July 25, 2021. Due to a lack of specific evidence, the public is left with the perception that those unlawfully arrested were targeted for exercising their rights to freedom of opinion and expression guaranteed under the constitution.

The illegal ban on peaceful protest is also concerning. As enshrined in the 2022 constitution and in international treaties ratified by the government of Tunisia, citizens are guaranteed the freedom of assembly. But the governor of Tunis denied a request from an opposition group to peacefully protest the arbitrary arrests on March 5. While it is reassuring that no one involved in the subsequent protest was arrested, the Center is concerned that Tunisians right to freedoms of assembly and speech are not being respected.

The Center recognizes the right of Tunisian authorities to arrest and detain those who violate legitimate criminal statutes. However, when those arrested are political opponents of the president, it is especially incumbent upon the authorities to be fully transparent and for the judiciary to act as an independent branch of government and protect the rights of those arrested.

Any trial should occur within the framework of an independent judiciary that is not subject to any undue pressure and within the framework of fair trials in which the presumption of innocence is respected. To ensure Tunisian authorities respect citizens rights and the judiciarys independence to protect these rights, the president must take swift action to establish a constitutional court.

The presidents decision to issue decree laws in early March amending the electoral framework only days before the newly elected parliament was seated is also alarming. This action perpetuates the trend of amending laws through presidential decree rather than democratic norms and preempts the parliaments authority to perform its legislative role. Changes to the electoral law will have broad consequences on the principles of decentralization in Tunisia, including the early dissolution of municipal councils. International standards dictate that electoral laws should only be amended after a broad consensus is reached.

Finally, the Center endorses the recommendations of United Nations Human Rights Councils universal periodic review working group on Tunisia and urges Tunisian authorities to quickly implement the recommendations proposed. These include:

Establishing a constitutional court.

Harmonizing Tunisians laws with ratified international human rights conventions.

Strengthening democratic institutions.

Protecting civil and political rights.

Guaranteeing the separation of powers and the independence of the judicial system.

Reversing policies that compromise the judiciarys independence and adopting a law protecting the judiciary from intervention by the executive power.

Ending the practice of trying civilians in military courts.

Background

The Carter Center has had a presence in Tunisia since 2011. It observed the 2011 National Constituent Assembly elections, the 2014 and 2019 presidential and parliamentary elections, the December 2022 parliamentary elections and the constitution-making process that resulted in the adoption of the 2014 constitution.

Translations

          

Declaration du Centre Carter concernant les menaces pesant sur la democratie en Tunisie

###

Contact: In Atlanta, Maria Cartaya, maria.cartaya@cartercenter.org

In Tunis, Don Bisson, don.bisson@cartercenter.org

Waging Peace. Fighting Disease. Building Hope.

A not-for-profit, nongovernmental organization, The Carter Center has helped to improve life for people in over 80 countries by resolving conflicts; advancing democracy, human rights, and economic opportunity; preventing diseases; and improving mental health care. The Carter Center was founded in 1982 by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, in partnership with Emory University, to advance peace and health worldwide.
Studio Ghibli president Koji Hoshino has stepped down from his position and will leave the company this summer. Ghibli co-founder and former president Toshio Suzuki has taken over as president.

What theyre saying In a letter posted on the Studio Ghilbi website (translated by Google), Hoshino explained:

I, Koji Hoshino, will resign as a director of Studio Ghibli and leave Ghibli at the conclusion of the Annual General Meeting of Shareholders in June.

Prior to that, I will be retiring from my position as Studio Ghiblis president and chairman at the end of March, but I will continue to serve as a representative until the general meeting of shareholders.

Since taking office in February 2008, I have been striving to manage the studio for 15 years. With the completion of the work How do You Live?, I decided that this was the only time to leave Ghibli. From now on, I hope that I will entrust management to my successor and lead the new Ghibli.

On a personal note, I Hoshino will turn 67 this May. In the future, I intend to take on challenges in new fields by making use of my experience and personal connections. Studio Ghibli

Representative Director Koji Hoshino

Hoshinos background: Hoshino was formerly president of Walt Disney Japan before taking over as president of Studio Ghibli in 2008 and becoming the companys chairperson in 2017. From 2017-2019, Kiyofumi Nakajima served as president, but Hoshino returned to the role in 2021.

Reports of a scandal: Japanese publication Shujo Prime broke the news of Hoshinos departure last week, but it was only confirmed by the studio today. The cause, according to the outlet, stems from a confrontation between the now-former president and Studio Ghibli co-founder and producer Toshio Suzuki regarding misappropriated funds. Cartoon Brew has reached out to Studio Ghibli for comment but has not heard back yet.

More Ghibli drama: Ghibli recently found itself in hot water after guests at Ghibli Park posted inappropriate, sexually suggestive photos with statues of underage characters on social media. After the photos went viral there was an intense social media uproar and Aichi prefecture governor Hideaki Omura chastised the company during a press conference, saying: Ghibli Park is a place for adults and children to have fun while experiencing Ghibli films. I dont want people who do things that many find offensive to come to the park. Ghiblis inaction at the time sparked outrage, with Hoshino catching some of the flack for not properly addressing the issue.
Pakistan cement dispatches down 24% YoY in March

04 April 2023

Total cement dispatches (local sales and exports) in Pakistan fell 24 per cent YoY in March to 3.795Mt, according to the All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association (APCMA). Domestic sales were down 29 per cent YoY to 3.356Mt due to a continued slowdown in construction activities. Exports, meanwhile, saw a 48.5 per cent YoY increase in shipments in March to 438,433t, although for the July 2022-March 2023 period exports were down 35 per cent YoY, reports Dawn.

Over the 9MFY23, total cement dispatches declined 18 per cent to 33.6Mt, compared to 40.769Mt in the same period a year earlier. Domestic shipments fell from 36.126Mt to 30.564Mt over the same period, while exports contracted from 4.643Mt to 3.036Mt.

According to APCMA, construction activity in the northern and southern regions of Pakistan have slowed significantly in recent months, not only affecting the cement industry but also the local employment opportunities for those working in the construction sector.

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The CollegedaleCcommission on Monday night amended a municipal code that was not consistent with state law. A provision in the code previously required a city judge to live in the city limits of Collegedale. That had been in the city code since before Sam Elliott was city attorney.

Recently, it was brought to the attention of the city that law is contradictory to state law and City Attorney Elliott has recommended that it be removed. He said that the Tennessee Constitution says you have to live in the judicial district, which is Hamilton County, but not necessarily the city limits of Collegedale.

The qualifications for Collegedales judge include the requirement of living in Hamilton County for one year and being a resident of Tennessee for five years immediately preceding the election. They must be at least 30 years old and licensed to practice law in the state.

Police Chief Jack Sapp was given the commissioners approval to sign an inter-agency agreement with the Child Protective Investigative Team of Hamilton County. This includes the police departments of Chattanooga and the surrounding small cities along with various agencies such as Childrens Hospital at Erlanger, the Hamilton County District Attorneys Office, and the Tennessee Department of Childrens Services.

This inter-local agreement, said Chief Sapp, is a long-standing agreement that is signed each year. It requires one officer in Collegedale to be trained in child abuse and for the remaining officers in the department to get trained once a year to aid in child abuse cases. Working together the parties seek to ensure that child abuse victims are protected, investigations are conducted and the services are provided that are needed to facilitate the childs recovery. It also acts to collect information and evidence to hold offenders accountable for their actions.
After several years on Nashville Street, Mountain View Hyundai is moving to its brand new state-of-the-art facility at 6236 Alabama Highway in Ringgold on April 17.



General Manager Shaun Kesler, said in a statement, Were excited about being Hyundais premier dealership for service and sales throughout North Georgia and the Tennessee Valley. Less than a mile southwest of I-75, we're easily accessible for everyone in the community!"



Officials said, "Mountain View Auto Group believes in Hyundai and in this community's future by building a 21,000-square foot facility on six acres. The investment will support the future growth of

Ringgold and the surrounding communities with expanded capacity for positive ownership

experiences in sales and servicing of Hyundai automobiles for many years to come."



Mr. Kesler said, In addition to serving the community as a Hyundai Dealer, we will also be the areas only IONIQ dealer, Hyundais all-electric vehicle (EV) brand.

As EV adoption grows, Mountain View Hyundai intends to lead the sales of and service supporting these vehicles.



The new facility has Level III ChargePoint DC fast chargers which will be open to the public. The new buildings size will increase the capacity of its service center, doubling the number of stalls. This will increase efficiency and improve convenience for customers.

Mr. Kesler said, We want to be North Georgia's and the Tennessee Valley's first choice for Hyundai

sales and Hyundai owners' first choice to service their vehicles. Our trained, experienced, and trustworthy staff looks forward to creating an even more welcoming environment and introducing buyers and service customers to an unparalleled ownership experience with all the value the community has come to expect from the Hyundai and Mountain View brands.



Mountain View Hyundai is currently at 7154 Nashville St., Ringgold, Ga. 30736, and the new store is at 6236 Alabama Highway in Ringgold, Ga. 30736. The store is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and closed Sunday.
The Cleveland City Board of Education voted Monday unanimously to approve the 2023-2024 budget, which includes an additional $2.4 million in employee compensation for the upcoming school year.The approved compensation includes pay raises for all full-time employees and an increase in the starting teacher salary to a minimum of $50,000 per year. It comes four years ahead of Tennessee Gov. Bill Lees proposal to bring the minimum teacher salary to $50,000 by 2027.We are honored to show our support and appreciation to our exceptional employees with additional employee compensation, Dr.Russell Dyer said. We are so grateful for their continued commitment to our students in Cleveland City Schools.This funding is made possible by the Tennessee Investment in Student Achievement (TISA) Act, which was signed into law by Gov. Bill Lee in May 2022.You can learn more about positions open in Cleveland City Schools by visiting clv.city/careers.
Everlan of Hixson, an independent living community, is hosting an ongoing educational series for seniors starting at 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday, April 11 at 2760 Northpoint Blvd. in Hixson.The interactive series focuses on important aides for aging. Each week provides the opportunity to hear from an expert in their field, ask questions and enjoy lunch. The series is free, but requires an RSVP by the Friday before the event. The RSVP number for interested participants is 423-777-8077.The topics will be:1.April 11 - The Upside to Downsizing - Presented by Next Chapter Transitions Owner, Robin Blankenship.2. April 18 - Senior Legal Advice - Presented by estate planning attorney, John Rexford, about preparing for wills, trusts, power of attorney, and other legal matters.3. April 15 - Senior Living Options - Presented by Everlan of Hixson staff about breaking the myths of senior living and defining all options such as home care, skilled nursing, independent living, assisted living, and memory care.
Duracell Manufacturing will invest $25 million to expand its existing battery component manufacturing operations in Cleveland.

Duracell will create 25 new jobs as a result of the project.



The expansion will support Duracells LaGrange, Ga., site by providing strategic battery components supply and allowing the company to meet and exceed its growing North American battery demand.



The Cleveland plant opened in 1961 and has been producing batteries under the Duracell brand name since 1964. Duracells $25 million investment in Tennessee represents the companys continued focus on providing the highest quality alkaline batteries.



Since 2019, TNECD has supported more than 40 economic development projects in the Southeast Tennessee region, resulting in approximately 7,800 job commitments and $3.2 billion in capital investment.



Governor Bill Lee said, "Companies choose to invest in Tennessee because of our strong business climate and unmatched workforce. I thank Duracell Manufacturing for expanding operations in Bradley County and look forward to seeing how this investment will impact Tennesseans across the region.

TNECD Commissioner Stuart McWhorter said, Duracell Manufacturings 60-year commitment to Tennessee is a true testament to the highly skilled workforce in Bradley County. We thank Duracell for its additional investment and job creation in Cleveland and the opportunities the company will provide.



Stefaan Boterberg, president, Duracell Manufacturing, LLC said, The Duracell Company continues to value and invest in its Cleveland, Tennessee, manufacturing site, which has shipped C&D batteries all over the world for decades. With this investment, the site adds a new important role of supporting our greater North American supply chain. We are excited to invest in and leverage the skill sets of our current and new Duracell team members!



Cleveland Mayor Kevin Brooks said, The City of Cleveland, Tennessee, is grateful for the $25 million expansion at our local Duracell plant on Mouse Creek Road. We agree that Duracell is Engineered for More, and we believe it. From the Power Forward relief program to supporting local organizations, Duracell makes Cleveland a true copper-top community. Thank you, Duracell. We are powered up!



Bradley County Mayor D. Gary Davis said, "Duracells longtime commitment to invest in Cleveland and Bradley County is highlighted once again with the announcement of its latest expansion project. This $25 million investment and the new jobs that come with it not only underscores Duracells commitment to improving its production capacity, but also solidifies its partnership with our community for decades to come. I am proud that one of Bradley Countys oldest name brand manufacturers continues to see the value of investing here.



John Bradley, TVA senior vice president of economic development said, TVA and Cleveland Utilities congratulate Duracell Manufacturing LLC on its decision to expand operations in Bradley County. Its always an exciting day when we can celebrate a companys continued commitment to growth in the Valley. We are proud to partner with the City of Cleveland, Bradley County, Cleveland-Bradley Chamber of Commerce and the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development to help support companies like Duracell and look forward to its continued business success.



Senator Adam Lowe (R-Calhoun) said, I am very pleased that Duracell is investing $25 million in Bradley County to expand its successful manufacturing operations in Cleveland. This is great news for our community, and I appreciate the work of state and local officials who helped facilitate this investment.



Rep. Kevin Raper (R-Cleveland) said, Duracell has been a valued employer in Cleveland for many decades. This latest expansion represents another important investment in our community that will further strengthen the economy and bring more quality jobs to our area. I congratulate Duracell on its success and appreciate the companys continued commitment to Bradley County.


The promise of impactful, real-world research that helps expand sustainable transportation is at the heart of a new partnership between the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and the citys CO.LAB startup accelerator.Established by a memorandum of understanding between UTC and CO.LAB, the partnership provides students and scientists with the Universitys Center for Urban Informatics and Progress (CUIP) with unprecedented opportunities to apply todays knowledge in Smart City research to find solutions to society-scale challenges.CO.LAB is a 501c3 nonprofit that accelerates early-stage startups in the greater Chattanooga region and beyond.CUIP is uniquely positioned to partner with CO.LAB in the sustainable mobility sector, said Dr.Mina Sartipi, founding director of CUIP. Leveraging our growing and dynamic testbeds with the support of numerous community partners, CO.LABs new programmatic focus will help fast-track Chattanoogas place as the hub for mobility electrifications, connectivity and automation.Under this MOU, CUIP will provide access to the Smart Corridor and data for startups, faculty and students to test and pilot advancing technologies in accordance with CUIPs and UTCs requirements and data user agreements. CO.LAB will also recruit startups that can collaborate with CUIP to address challenges of mobility.The partnership comes just ahead of CO.LABs CO.MOBILITY Summit, set for May 9-11.CO.LAB and Chattanooga will once again be front and center supporting startups who are building the innovative companies of tomorrow, said Charlie Brock, chair of CO.LABs board of directors. Our accelerator participants will have access to multiple technology platforms along with capital, mentorship, talent and pilot customers.Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly praised the initiative for building on the citys strengths.Chattanooga is a green city and a smart city. Im excited about this partnerships potential to attract new entrepreneurial investment to Chattanooga to actualize the world-class research that Dr. Sartipi and her team are doing at CUIPmaking our city even greener and even smarter, Mayor Kelly said. To ensure we grow in a way thats sustainable and good for all residents, we have to put infrastructure in place that will support sustainable transportation options for every neighborhood, and this partnership will advance that goal for us.UTC Chancellor Steven R. Angle said the collaboration between CUIP and CO.LAB is the next step in moving the University forward.Using artificial intelligence (AI), big data, statistical modeling, machine learning, and remote sensing, the Center for Urban Informatics and Development has been at the forefront of cutting-edge research since its creation in 2015, Chancellor Angle said. The work of Dr. Sartipi and the CUIP team is a shining example of UTC helping to prepare our community for the future. This agreement with CO.LAB will expand learning possibilities for our students and faculty as well as have a huge impact on our community.In conjunction with the CO.MOBILITY Summit, CO.LAB will launch its application process for local, regional and national startups to partner specifically with CUIP in its role in the sustainable mobility initiative. The selection of companies will be substantially based on their potential to develop or advance solutions within CUIPs research areas. Over a 10-week development program for leaders of businesses selected to participate, CO.LAB will provide support, expertise and connections to resources.We are actively recruiting startups, mentors and industry partners who are engaged in the mobility revolution, CO.LAB CEO Tasia Malakasis said. We are open to exploring potential partnerships and opportunities to collaborate.Ms. Malakasis said CO.LABs sustainable mobility program would depend on the strength of its partners, noting thatin addition to UTC and CUIPpartners include Launch Tennessee, Freightwaves, U.S. Xpress, EPB, Brickyard, Covenant, VentureSouth of Chattanooga, Chattanooga Smart City Collaborative.Dr. Sartipi described the partnerships as multifaceted.It can be collaboratively working on software development, giving CUIP access to new hardware technologies and collaboratively investigating their functionality in real-world deployments, providing domain knowledge, and more, she said.Engaging with CUIP means selected businesses will work with the experts behind the nations largest living testbed for connecting electric vehicles to customized charging opportunities considering traffic conditions and electric grid status.Announced in August 2022, the testbed is within an approximately 10 square-mile area of downtown Chattanooga and enabled by $9.2 million in funding$4.5 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation and $4.7 million from industry partners, UTC, Chattanooga city government and EPB. The funding expanded on the testbeds groundbreaking forerunner, the 1.25-mile MLK Smart Corridor launched by Dr. Sartipi and CUIP in 2019.
The Chattanooga House of Prayer in partnership with 25 local churches and ministries invite area residents to a Night of Prayer + Worship at a 75-minute service to be held on Thursday, May 4 from 7-8:15 pm at The Crossing Church located in Chattanooga at 7501 Standifer Gap Road.

Attendees will unite together to prayer for the city, country and nation.

"Each year on the first Thursday in May the National Day of Prayer is held in cities across the country with over three million participants nationwide," organizers said.

To learn more about the prayer networks hosted throughout Greater Chattanooga and North Georgia, visit www.chatthop.org.
Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story will debut on Netflix in a month. The series will reveal the young queen (India Amarteifio) as she gains her footing in London. It will also give viewers some insight into her whirlwind romance with King George (Corey Mylchreest), with whom she had an arranged marriage. Fans shouldnt expect it to be the warm and whimsical romances that they are used to from the Bridgerton franchise.

More than that, Queen Charlotte will reveal some of the queens biggest adversaries and those who never wanted to see her in power.

India Amarteifio as Queen Charlotte in Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story | Liam Daniel/ Netflix

Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story release date and timeline

Fans are thrilled that Netflix will release the Bridgerton prequel series on May 4. The official description reads, Centered on Queen Charlottes rise to prominence and power, this Bridgerton-verse prequel tells the story of how the young Queens marriage to King George sparked both a great love story and a societal shift, creating the world of the Ton inherited by the characters in Bridgerton.

Queen Charlotte opens in 1761, 52 years before Bridgerton Season 1 begins. Queen Charlotte was just 17 when she arrives in England from Germany.

Every mother wants what's best for her children. The young King is without exception. pic.twitter.com/z1NbxbwOaT  Bridgerton (@bridgerton) March 23, 2023

Queen Charlotte has a major adversary

Queen Charlotte will be an outsider when she comes from Germany to England, not simply because shes a foreigner in a new place, but also because of her racial background. Prior to her arrival in the world of Bridgerton, the upper class of England was divided into separate sectors based on color.

Charlottes betrothal to the king is slated to change that. However, one person, King Georges mother, Augusta (Michelle Fairly), the dowager princess, will make things more challenging. In the teaser trailer for the series, Princess Augusta can be heard telling Charlotte, You are the first of your kind.

It appears that there will be a tough road ahead for Queen Charlotte.

The monarchy that reinvented the Ton. Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story premieres May 4, only on Netflix. pic.twitter.com/HQJp3dZmVs  Bridgerton (@bridgerton) April 3, 2023

Queen Charlotte has no power when she first arrives in England

Forced into a marriage with a man she didnt know, much less love, Queen Charlotte will be facing an uphill battle. This is especially concerning considering how difficult Princess Augusta will make things for her. Though she and King George III have a positive relationship, his personal mental health issues make things more challenging.

The series will showcase Queen Charlotte contending with all of this while trying to find her space in Englands society. She has everything she could want, yet she is suffering underneath. Shonda Rhimes told e told The Sunday Times.

Rhimes also added that Queen Charlotte and King Georges marriage is going to be complex. Marriages can be complex, and the endings can be complex, and you can understand that in authentic ways, Rhimes told Tudum. I loved delving into the romance between Charlotte and King George, I thought that was really fascinating and I really wanted to be able to show people what that kind of love is like, even though they already know how it ends up. I thought that was a challenge and thought thatd be exciting.
The royal family is preparing for the coronation of King Charles III. Theyre getting ready for the big day by holding rehearsals in a special Buckingham Palace coronation theater. Heres what we know about their plans.

When is King Charles coronation?

King Charles III | HANNAH MCKAY/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

King Charles coronation will take place Saturday, May 6, 2023. Roughly 2,000 people are on the guest list. King Charles will reportedly do away with tradition and invite his counterparts from other countries, reports The Telegraph.

At the queens coronation there were no crowned monarchs, only the protectorate rulers like the Queen of Tonga, a source tells Mail on Sunday (via The Telegraph). Its been a tradition for centuries. Inviting the King of Jordan, the Sultan of Brunei, the Sultan of Oman, and the Scandinavian royalswho are all friends of Charleswill be a good bit of soft power and diplomacy.

The royal family is getting ready for the coronation of King Charles III

King Charles III | Photo by Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images for Ascot Racecourse

Preparations for King Charles coronation are underway. The ballroom at Buckingham Palace will be used as a practice space, reports People. The ballroom will act as a stand-in for Westminster Abbey ahead of the big day.

The Buckingham Palace ballroom is like the top of Westminster Abbey just below the High Altar. This will allow participants to familiarize themselves with the layout of the area that will be used for the ceremony. Its also an ideal practice space because the royals will be able to rehearse privately. Westminster Abbey will be closed to the public starting April 25 and will reopen on Monday, May 8.

Coronations at Westminster Abbey

Coronations typically take place as part of a communion service. The order of the service is printed in a booklet, so attendees know when certain parts of the ceremony take place and what theyre expected to do and say.

The monarch is crowned in the name of God, surrounded by prayer, and the first thing that the newly crowned monarch does is receive Holy Communion as a sign of his dependency on God, says the description on the Westminster Abbey website. Although coronations take place in Westminster Abbey, it is usually the Archbishop of Canterbury who has the duty of preparing the order of service as the person who leads the ceremony, supported by the Dean of Westminster.

Will Meghan Markle and Prince Harry attend King Charles coronation?

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry were invited to King Charles coronation. As of this writing, it is unclear whether the duke and duchess will attend the ceremony. A royal expert says it would be in Meghan and Harrys best interest to attend. Public relations expert Edward Coram James believes they could hurt their relationship with the royal family if the invitation is declined.

In a universe in which the damage already caused by the rift is still recoverable from, at least in part, a no-show would be the fatal, irreversible blow, both in the public perception as well, potentially, as within the family itself, James tells Express. It risks drawing out the conflict over the long term.

Follow Sheiresa Ngo on Twitter.
Celebrity-owned alcohol brands have been on the rise in recent years, and some of them are surprisingly tasty. Everyone from A-listers like George Clooney and Ryan Reynolds to athletes and musicians are in on the trend. And theres a possibility that former Bachelorette Tayshia Adams may soon join them. Shell certainly be in good company if she does.

Who is Tayshia Adams?

The American TV personality is a household name for fans of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette. She first appeared as a contestant on Season 23 of The Bachelor, then later appeared on Season 6 of Bachelor in Paradise. Adams was memorable and well-loved by fans, who were excited when she replaced Clare Crawley as The Bachelorette on Season 16.

Most recently, Adams co-hosted The Bachelorette Season 17 and 18. Lately, shes been doing more work as a content creator on her social media accounts.

The hints that Tayshia Adams might be launching an alcohol brand

Tayshia Adams attends the PATRON X Miami Grand Prix Weekend Yacht Party at Seafair Mega Yacht on May 06, 2022 in Miami, Florida. | Alexander Tamargo/Getty Images for PATRON Tequila

So why would anyone think that The Bachelorette was creating her own brand of spirits?

Recently, Adams posted a series of photos to her Instagram account of her time enjoying Jalisco, Mexico  specifically, posing in some agave fields. Adams posed in an agave field in a stylish outfit with the caption Handcrafted in Mexico, also showing one of the workers chopping away at an agave plant.

Its pretty obvious that Adams is already a big tequila fan. She teamed up with Patron for a Valentines Day promotion, showing her fans on Instagram how to make one of her favorite cocktails. The drink included lime juice, agave, jalapenos, raspberries, Patron, and a touch of edible glitter. Thats a pretty creative concoction, so we can only imagine what shed create with her own custom-made tequila.

The Patron partnership was different from Adams typical promos, which tend to include fashion and other lifestyle content. The dabble into alcoholic beverages combined with the recent Mexico photos lead us to believe a new tequila brand might be in the works.

Celebrity spirits and why we love them

Celebrities launch alcohol brands for many different reasons. Some, like many reality TV stars, use their fame to help promote their business, which has been the plan all along. Others, like George Clooney, simply have access to the funding, quality products, and meetings with higher-ups to ensure the best possible spirits.

Many fans are more than willing to try any brand of booze thats attached to their favorite celebs, but in order for them to remain popular, they actually have to be good. While theres no denying that celebrity-owned spirits can be hit or miss, some of them are fantastic.

If Adams announced her tequila brand, shell have to earn a spot among some other reality TV stars spirits and wine. Bethany Frankel Skinnygirl Margarita brand has been a huge hit, and Lisa Vanderpumps rose wine has received positive reviews. Kendall Jenners tequila, however, has received some not-so-great feedback. Hopefully, Adams is doing plenty of research, because many people would be excited to try her tequila.
The cubane molecule before UQ researchers added nitrogen, transforming it into 1-Azahomocubane.

In an ongoing discovery program, a chemical-creation platform is being unearthed  based on cubic molecules  that could help breathe new life into tired drugs and agrochemicals.

The University of Queenslands Professor Craig Williams said the platform, developed in collaboration with CSIRO, is developing an exciting set of tools for chemists who, in many cases, had been running out of new chemical building block options.

Chemists have often relied on hydrocarbons, substances like petrochemicals, throughout history to build new critically important chemicals for society, Professor Williams said.

But one key hydrocarbon thats been historically missing from this mix is cubane  a synthetic hydrocarbon in the shape of a cube.

Cubane traditionally was overlooked, as there was no way to synthesise this molecule on a large scale and so its application was limited.

This has since changed as Australian chemists at CSIRO reported a kilogram scale synthesis, which is now in production at Boron Molecular in Melbourne, that enabled a significant upsurge of cubane research in the twenty-first century.

For the first time, the team at UQ successfully incorporated a nitrogen atom into a close relative of cubane, which has the long-term potential of improving the properties of this class of molecules for use in biological systems.

Hydrocarbons find success within a wide selection of drugs, but the nature of an all-carbon atom core can impede some biological interactions and restrict their application in drug and agrochemical discovery, Professor Williams said.

Elements like nitrogen can facilitate biologically desirable interactions that are unavailable to hydrocarbons.

In fact, the biological demand for nitrogen is so great that most US FDA-approved drugs contain at least one nitrogen atom.

Substituting nitrogen atoms into pharmaceutically proven hydrocarbon scaffolds, like cubane, is an underutilised but attractive strategy to upgrade their biological potential.

The synthesis and study of 1-azahomocubane in collaboration with the University of Chicago and Queensland University of Technology pushes the boundary of what is possible.

Professor Williams has a longstanding collaboration with Dr Paul Savage, Deputy Director of CSIRO Manufacturing, whose team is experienced in translating laboratory inventions into scalable processes.

Dr Savage said the research team are excited about whats next.

This groundwork may lead to better treatments for disease, or day-to-day chemicals that vastly improve our quality of life and the environment, Dr Savage said.

To be clear, these are all future aspirations  and could be a long way off  but this work is fundamental to providing new options to chemists around the globe, and were thrilled to have been able to make a contribution towards this goal.
Seen March 18, 2022, is one of 70 new voting machines that will be used in the Cherokee Nations June 3 General Election.
President Joe Biden speaks during a reception in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, March 29, 2023, celebrating Greek Independence Day.
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The destructive tornado that destroyed both the church and the community of Salado is about to commemorate its one-year anniversary. The First Cedar Valley Baptist Church has come a long way since the tornado's devastation. They just recently celebrated the completion of the reconstruction of their building.

The community's generosity and the church members made reconstructing their place of worship possible. On the day of celebration, Pastor Donnie Jackson started the day by providing a sermon of encouragement and upliftment. He also shared the church's strong will to continue reconstructing and high spirits throughout the span of reconstruction.

The First Cedar Valley Baptist Church Rises Once Again

According to KXAN, the congregation experienced intense emotion when the building was finished. They were overcome with tears and joy as they saw hope restored in their church. At the First Cedar Valley Baptist Church's completion ceremony, Governor Greg Abbott spoke and distributed a proclamation.

He cited a passage from the Bible in his speech to emphasize that even though the community had experienced hardship, they had not been destroyed. He recognized the difficulties they had faced in the wake of the terrible tornado and praised their fortitude.

In the story in KCEN, on April 12 of last year, a strong storm devastated rural Bell County, bringing it with hail, strong rains, and an EF-3 tornado that swept the community. The tornado continued for about 30 minutes, annihilating about 61 homes and 2 churches, including the First Cedar Valley Baptist Church.

The church building was completely stripped down to its foundation slab. Despite this, the community and the church showed their resilience in the times of hardships that the storm had caused, and they continued to offer their services wholeheartedly. Their perseverance reflected their faith and dedication to serving the lord and the community.

Also Read: Churches Offer Comfort and Support to Affected Communities Amidst Mississippi Delta Tornadoes

Recent Reports of Tornado Devastation

Recently, a tornado has destructed through the lower Mississippi Delta that has caused a large amount of damage to the community. According to a story here in Christianity Daily, despite the tornado's damage, the Rolling Fork Methodist Church remained resilient. The community, which was well renowned for its intense religiosity, found solace in uniting and expressing thanks for what they still had.

At least 25 people lost their lives, and many more were injured due to the tornado, especially in the poorer part of Mississippi. In the neighboring state of Alabama, the storm also destroyed a trailer, which led to one fatality.

According to ABC News, more than a dozen shelters have opened to provide housing for the displaced. During Sunday services, the Rolling Fork Methodist Church and First Baptist Church consoled their followers among the destruction. Pastor Britt Williamson and Reverend Mary Stewart led their congregations in prayer, emphasizing the value of faith under trying circumstances.

Williamson offered assistance to people impacted by the disaster and proclaimed his wish to help the poor find an enduring home. Despite the loss of their home and the homes of other family members, Marlon Nicholas, a member of the First Baptist Church, related his family's experience of attending a high school prom on Friday night. In spite of the difficulties, the neighborhood has banded together to help one another and start the reconstruction process.

Related Article: Historic Church Overcomes Devastation and Rebuilds Stronger than Before after March 2020 Tornado: Churches As Shelter For Natural Calamity
Pixabay/Reynaldo Amadeu Dal Lin Junior Juba

Pope Francis has recently been discharged after being hospitalized for treatment of a respiratory illness. The improvement in his health was evident as he celebrated the Palm Sunday mass, and more than 30,000 people gathered in the Vatican square to attend the holy mass.

The pope rode the popemobile and blessed the palms at the ancient obelisk in the center of the square. According to Italian media, the pope opened the mass with a weak and slightly breathless voice.

Pope Francis' Health Improved Very Well as He Conducted the Palm Sunday Mass

According to The Guardian, during the pope's homily, he stressed the value of looking after individuals who are left alone throughout his sermon, drawing attention to the exploitation of entire populations, the hardship of refused immigrants and prisons, and the labelling of people as problems.

The pope received well-wishers outside the Gemelli hospital in Rome after being released on Saturday after undergoing tests due to respiratory issues and chest pain. He hugged a grieving mother whose daughter had died the night before in the hospital. The pope stated that he had not been terrified while being treated in the hospital when asked about it by reporters. He indicated that he was recovering well from his health problems and was still alive.

Pope Francis Jokes on the Reporters

By the time Pope Francis left the hospital, reporters had asked him how he was feeling, and he jokingly responded, "Still Alive!" According to Fox News, before leaving the hospital, he took the time to entertain some of the patients. He signed a young boy's arm cast and thanked the hospital staff for the care and support they provided for him.

Afterwards, he went to the Basilica of St. Mary Major and prayed for the individuals he had met in the Gemelli Hospital. The pope continued to function in a limited capacity despite being in rehabilitation, and on Friday, he even baptized a young youngster named Miguel Angel. Also, he brought chocolates, rosaries, and children's books about Jesus when he went to the pediatric oncology ward. The pope also conveyed his sorrow and prayers for the victims and all touched by the horrific shooting at The Covenant School in a papal telegram to the Diocese of Nashville.

Also Read: Pope Francis Undergoes Treatment for Respiratory Illness, Expected to Stay for Several Days in the Hospital

Pope's Busy Schedule Ahead as The Holy Week Started

The Palm Sunday celebration marks the beginning of the holy week and also marks the beginning of a busy schedule for the pope. According to CBS News, He has a Holy Thursday Mass booked in a juvenile penitentiary in Rome. Francis requested fervent prayers for the "martyred Ukrainian people" during his Palm Sunday Mass in reference to Russia's ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

On Palm Sunday, olive branches are waved to represent Jesus' peace. After the Mass, Francis, who uses a wheelchair to treat his persistent knee ailment, greeted the cardinals individually while seated in it. During the ritual, the pope got back in the popemobile and drove through the crowd of faithful, some of whom were holding flags from their own countries, waving to him.

Related Article: Vatican Reports Pope Francis' Health' Steadily Improving' During Hospital Stay
Unsplash/ Mick Haupt

Severe storms ripped through some parts of the United States in just two days. It had a wide-ranging impact, including the deaths of around 26 individuals. As a result, Christian groups such as Samaritan's Purse and Convoy of Hope deployed relief teams to help the victims.

Christian Organizations That Assist the Victims of the Storm

According to CNN, on Friday night, Mar. 25, powerful storms pounded the Southeast, tearing roofs off homes, almost flattening some communities, and cutting power to thousands of people. At least twenty-six persons were found dead, while dozens more have been hurt.

As mentioned, over 20 million people might be affected by severe storms throughout a large area of the southern United States and parts of the Midwest. The National Weather Service has issued a severe storm warning with a level 3 risk out of a possible 5 in certain parts of eastern Louisiana, south-central Mississippi, and south-central Alabama.

The Christian Post reported that on Friday, Mar. 31, Little Rock, Arkansas, suffered significant damage. On Saturday, Apr. 1, Samaritan's Purse announced that it had sent staff members to the affected area, and a Disaster Relief Unit from their Southwest Outreach Center in Texas was also on its way there. This unit is currently traveling on one of its tractor-trailers stocked with essential supplies and equipment. The vehicle is anticipated to arrive early on Sunday morning, Apr. 9.

Franklin Graham, the president of Samaritan's Purse, revealed photographs taken by staff members working on the ground in Little Rock in a post he posted on Facebook. He also asked for prayers for individuals who had lost loved ones, homes, and businesses. In addition, teams from the Christian group Convoy of Hope have been sent to several different sites across Arkansas.

Moreover, the team's members are in the greater Little Rock area, and another group is currently deployed to Wynne, Arkansas. Also, trucks carrying water, food, and relief supplies are on their way to different locations throughout the state. Distribution is expected to start as soon as the trucks arrive at their destinations. Furthermore, Convoy of Hope reported that as of Saturday evening, Apr. 1, 81,000 people in Arkansas were powerless. The organization also stated that it would be on alert to respond as severe weather concerns continue across the Midwest.

Also Read:United Church of Christ's Annual Mission, 'One Great Hour of Sharing' Aims to Help More Than 25 Million Global Refugees

Impact of Storms on the United States

The Mississippi Conference of United Methodist Churches still receives church and house damage reports. Three churches and a parsonage were damaged, including Tranquil United Methodist near Wren, Mississippi. The 172-year-old Tranquil congregation rebuilt following another disaster 101 years ago, UM News reported.

Accordingly, a man in Alabama died after severe storms repeatedly toppled his mobile home. Two North Alabama Conference United Methodist churches, Forrest Chapel in Hartselle and North Wood in Florence, were also damaged. The tornado that hit Rolling Fork and Silver City was rated EF-4 by the National Weather Service in Jackson, Mississippi, with top wind gusts between 166 and 200 mph. Authorities think the tornado lasted an hour.

Related Article:Churches Offer Comfort and Support to Affected Communities Amidst Mississippi Delta Tornadoes
Unsplash/Grant Durr

Law enforcement agents in China have the right to detain a person for several days without charging them or bringing them to trial. Recently, the Early Rain Covenant Church (ERCC) members were arrested and detained for 'activities in the name of a banned social organization.'

Detention of ERCCs Members

Christian Solidarity Worldwide reported that Jia Xuewei, a deputy deacon of ERCC, was arrested on Friday, Mar. 24, and placed in administrative custody for 14 days by the police in the Wenjiang District of Chengdu. As mentioned, one week earlier, Friday, Mar. 17, a preacher, Ding Shuqi, and another church member named Shu Qiong were both handed the same punishment for engaging in 'activities in the name of a banned social organization.'

Also, Elder Li Yingqiang and his wife were taken against their will by police from Wenjiang to Deyang, another city in the province of Sichuan. They were not allowed to retrieve their two young children or the keys to the rented home that they had been living in. Moreover, another deputy deacon, Xiao Luobiao, discovered on Tuesday, Mar. 21, that someone had taken his electricity meter while asleep the previous night. They are threatened that their things will be thrown if he and his wife, Chen Yan, do not vacate their apartment by Friday, Mar. 24.

On Monday, Mar. 25, their family automobile was vandalized, and offensive graffiti was painted on the vehicle's body. The tyres and windows of the vehicle were broken, and vandalism occurred. As per the Christian Post, in a prayer request on Wednesday, Mar. 19, ERCC highlighted the "crazy wave of repression" the church is facing, claiming all of its preachers had been reportedly jailed, compelled to depart Chengdu, or held under observation; all of its deacons had been rigorously monitored and banned from leaving their houses to participate at services. Many parishioners had been intimidated, harassed, and threatened.

On the other hand, administrative detention, frequently employed for relatively minor violations of public order, grants the Chinese government the authority to arrest and imprison persons without a trial for up to twenty days. After finishing their time in administrative custody, it is not uncommon for a person to be transferred to criminal detention or domestic surveillance at a designated site.

Also Read:Chinese Christian Church Members Detained in Thailand; Fear Persecution in China

Administrative Detention in China

According to Open Addition, administrative punishment is for minor offenders who do not deserve criminal sanctions. Victor Li compared China's prison system to a massive falling slope to illustrate intermediary discipline: most Chinese offenses are minor and handled locally. This initial tier of social control addresses early deviance "softly" through neighborhood mediation, education, and police warnings and fines. This level of intervention is informal, affordable, rehabilitative, less stigmatizing, and more case-specific.

If the community's efforts don't produce the desired results, the process moves on to the second layer, a more official and "harder" intervention. It is the realm in which the police have the authority to apply a series of intermediate punishments for a wide variety of relatively minor offenses for which a criminal sentence is deemed inappropriate. The "incorrigible" individuals who have committed significant crimes are the ones who are allowed to proceed to the next level of the criminal justice system.

Related Article:Early Rain Covenant Church Faces Another Wave Of Christian Persecution In The Hands Of Chinese Authorities
Unsplash/Mikael Kristenson

From Saturday, Apr. 1 to Sunday, Apr. 2, the 193rd Annual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints brings together its members worldwide to discuss the significance of having a relationship with God.

General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

A report from The Daily Universe reported that men, women, and children who traveled from Ghana to Brazil would be present in person to hear the prophetic guidance at the event. Those who attended the conference in person and those who watched it online gained new insight into how critical it is to strengthen their trust in Jesus Christ.

"As we come unto Him, we have His promise of eternal life. People who trust the doctrine of Christ endure to the end," said Elder Evan A. Schmutz of the Seventy. As mentioned, believers in Jesus Christ can take solace in the gospel's message and find joy in their faith despite the difficulties that exist in the world.

Daily Herald reported that the meeting started with an unexpected announcement that one of the Quora of the Twelve Apostles members would not be there. After coming down with COVID-19, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland will not be present in the building, as stated by President Dallin H. Oaks of the first presidency, who noted this information to those in attendance and those watching from around the world.

Moreover, Elder Gary E. Stevenson told the congregation on the second day of the conference on Palm Sunday, Apr. 2, emphasizing the significance that should be placed on Holy Week and Easter, even more than Christmas.

He pointed out that the Book of Mormon, in addition to the New Testament, is a testimony to Jesus and the narrative of his journey in his resurrected glory to his descendants who lived in the Americas.

Stevenson recommended reading chapter 11 of the Book of Mormon's 3 Nephi, which details Christ's resurrected visit to the Nephites after his arrival to their land. These biblical passages on Easter provide accounts of the resurrection.

According to President Henry B. Eyring, the second counselor in the first presidency, the only way for the world's people to find peace is through Christ and the sacrifice he made for them.

Also Read: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to Pay $5M Settlement Following Concerns on Church's Investment

Growth and Oppositions in The Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

Missionary work has always been an integral part of the Christian faith, and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is no exception. Around the middle of the nineteenth century, converts were actively urged to join the saints at their gatherings in the United States. The ever-increasing numbers of immigrants from Europe and the eastern parts of the United States quickly fueled the ever-increasing opposition.

The church's headquarters was initially located in New York, but they were relocated to Ohio, then they went to Missouri, and finally, they moved to Illinois. In 1839, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints founded the town of Nauvoo, Illinois, in a problematic swampland located along the Mississippi River. They began building a city of beautiful homes, prosperous farms, and thriving enterprises under Joseph Smith's direction, during which time they drained the swamps and removed the obstacles that stood in their way. Moreover, they constructed a temple, and by 1844, the population of Nauvoo was comparable to that of Chicago. The rising suspicion fostered an atmosphere of intense tension and distrust, and fear that spread among nearby villages.

Related Article: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and Catholic Charities Help Mexican Consulate in Orlando to Build Self-Reliance Courses for Latino Community
Unsplash/Edgar Serrano

The military bombing in Myanmar resulted in an increasing number of deaths of innocent civilians. Recently, several members of the Bible Missionary Church were also killed in the bombing. The church is one of the members of the Mennonite World Conference. This organization issued a prayer call to all its member churches worldwide after the attack.

Aerial Bombardment

A report from the Anabaptist World stated that on Thursday, Mar. 30, an aerial bombardment on a village in Chin State led to the fatalities of a dozen locals, including numerous members of the congregation and the daughters of the local pastor. As mentioned, many villagers, including the pastor, sustained severe injuries.

Last summer, Canadian Mennonites claimed that around half of the families belonging to Bible Missionary Church had to relocate. Once the military took, control of the government and civil unrest increased, some 2,000 people sought refuge in the jungles and mountains of the area. President Henk Stenvers of the Mennonite World Conference said, "Please pray for solace for all those affected. Pray for an end to violence."

Moreover, as per the UCA News, on Thursday, Jan. 12, an airstrike carried out by Myanmar's military junta in the southeastern part of Karen state was responsible for the destruction of two churches as well as the deaths of five persons, including a Catholic catechist and a Baptist pastor.

When fighter jets opened fire on the village of Lay Wah, located in the Hpapun township of Karen state, the village's residents, including a mother and her daughter who was two years old, were among those who lost their lives.

According to a Church official who did not wish to be identified, Saw Re Di, a 45-year-old catechist, was killed, and his wife was wounded. In contrast, a Baptist pastor, later identified as Saw Cha Aye, also died when their respective churches were struck and destroyed.

The house of the catechist was reportedly close to the church, devastated by the bombing. Also, at least 40 residences in Lay Wah village are co-inhabited by members of several faiths, including Catholics, Baptists, and Buddhists.

Also Read: Church Leaders in Myanmar Voice Concerns Over Unregulated Mining for Rare Earth Elements

Military Bombing in Myanmar

According to The Diplomat, the attack on Camp Victoria, which is situated in Chin State, was the most recent in a string of catastrophic air strikes nationwide. In September of last year, children in a school compound in the central region of Myanmar were killed by bullets fired from military helicopters. A performance in Kachin State was targeted by airstrikes a month later, resulting in the deaths of eighty persons. It is claimed by Myanmar's government in exile, known as the National Unity Government, that more than 70 percent of the 268 airstrikes that happened between October 2021 and September 2022 targeted civilians. According to the observations of an Indian defense analyst, "there are not many countries that opt to employ their air power against their own citizens."

Moreover, the military's "four cuts" counterinsurgency approach tries to disrupt relationships between ethnic armed groups and the communities that support them with food, finances, and recruitment. Reports say that guerilla tactics used by Chin fighters and other armed organizations have inflicted severe fatalities on infantry troops, causing Myanmar's generals to change their focus to air strikes.

Related Article:Christians in Myanmar Ask God to End Dictatorship That Killed Nearly 3000 People
Pexels/Serhii Bondarchuk

In response to the violent storm that devastated the United States from Friday to Saturday, Christian groups such as Samaritan's Purse and Convoy of Hope sent disaster relief services, and teams were scattered.

At least 26 people have died, and several areas were destroyed. According to reports, the Mississippi River Valley was the region most severely impacted, but the storm also left its mark on states as far apart as Wisconsin and Delaware. On Friday, there was also a substantial amount of destruction in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Christian Based Relief Organizations Doing their Best to Help those in Need in the Wake of the Storm

According to Christian Post, Samaritan's Purse has scattered their staff members and their team Disaster Relief Unit to the areas affected by the tornado. At least eight states have been significantly affected by the storm.

A tractor-trailer filled with necessary supplies and equipment has been sent from the organization's Southwest Mission Center in Texas, and it is expected to arrive on Sunday. Many structures have been destroyed by the storms, including houses and businesses, trees, and entire communities.

Convoy of Hope, an organization like Samaritan's Purse, has also deployed some of its relief teams to several locations in Arkansas to provide support. While one squad is being flown to Wynne, Arkansas, the others have already arrived in the broader Little Rock region. Distribution will begin as soon as trucks bringing food, water, and other necessities arrive at their different destinations across the state. Convoy of Hope has stated that they are prepared to offer more assistance as long as severe weather threats are in the Midwest.

In the article in Samaritan's Purse, two additional Disaster Relief Units have been sent to Sullivan County, Indiana, and Covington, Tennessee. Teams in Tennessee and Indiana will start working on Tuesday, April 4, while volunteers in Arkansas have already begun their shifts. The volunteers will assist homes by tarping roofs, felling trees, and combing through debris for any salvageable goods. They will also encourage others and spread the gospel along with physical labor.

Also Read: Historic Church Overcomes Devastation and Rebuilds Stronger than Before after March 2020 Tornado: Churches As Shelter For Natural Calamity

The Strong Storm of Winds Cannot Stop Humanitarian Assistance

According to a story shared in UM News, during the tornado that destroyed the Mississippi Delta, Laura Hollis found shelter in her bathtub, fearing that she might die during the storm. A minute passed after the tornado storming, and she realized that her surroundings and the community outside Rolling Fork had been devastated and wiped.

But despite the gusts, her house and her church, Rolling Fork United Methodist, stood up. Most of the neighborhood businesses were among the town blocks the storm had destroyed. On the church steps on Sunday morning, about twenty people congregated for worship, including Hollis and her husband.

The service was filled with embraces and emotions because many of them had lost their houses. According to Hollis, who serves as the chair of the church's Nurturing, Outreach, and Witness Committee, the meeting was an opportunity to experience God's presence and find solace following the upsetting event.

Related Article: Churches Offer Comfort and Support to Affected Communities Amidst Mississippi Delta Tornadoes
We all know the first words of Genesis: In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Far fewer of us can recall the last words of Genesis: They embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt (50:26, ESV throughout). The first sentence is cosmic in scope; the last, anticlimactic at best. But what if the future of the church has as much to do with the bone box as with the Big Bang?

Today, many Christians refer to Joseph as a model. Some focus on Josephs victimhood, trafficked into slavery by his own brothers. Others point to his struggle against temptation, fleeing from the unwanted advances of Potiphars wife. Still others focus on his rise to leadership in Egypt, demonstrating how influence can be exerted with integrity. But perhaps the most crucial example we can take from Joseph is not from his life but from his skeleton.

Genesis ends with Josephs brothers seeking his forgivenessa plea that can be viewed as manipulative and self-serving. Nonetheless, Joseph extends mercy, and through him, the line of Israel is delivered from famine.

Whats striking, though, is not what Joseph gives to his brothers but rather what he asks of them: I am about to die, but God will visit you and bring you up out of this land to the land that he swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.  And you shall carry up my bones from here (Gen. 50:2425).

When the Book of Hebrews speaks of Joseph in its description of faith, the only thing it mentions is the bones: By faith Joseph, at the end of his life, made mention of the exodus of the Israelites and gave directions concerning his bones (11:22). Why?

This odd request reveals Josephs vulnerability. Even with all the technological mastery and political power of Egypt, Joseph knew no pyramid could protect him from death. He also knew he had to rely on his brothers to carry himthe same brothers he once couldnt trust with his living flesh or even his favorite coat. Yet Joseph knew who he really wasnot a prince of Egypt but an heir of Abraham. No matter his fame or wealth, he was a stranger in Egypt. Alongside his vulnerability is hope. Like his ancestors, Joseph could see the promise from afar.

In perhaps the most pivotal moment of the Old Testament, the Exodus, Scripture pauses in its description of the pursuing Egyptian army and the mysterious pillar of fire to tell us, Moses took the bones of Joseph with him (Ex. 13:19), just as Joseph had made his brothers swear. And after all the water parting, wilderness wandering, commandment receiving, and Canaanite fighting, the Book of Joshua ends with: As for the bones of Joseph, which the people of Israel brought up from Egypt, they buried them at Shechem, in the piece of land that Jacob bought (24:32). Joseph could see not only that the future was bigger than him but also that he belonged there.

The Gospels tell us that Jesus was placed in a borrowed tomb owned by a religious leader named Joseph (Mark 15:4346). Jesus didnt have to rely on his brothers to carry him into the land of promise. Instead, after his resurrection, he tells the women, Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me (Matt. 28:10). All of Jesus bones were accounted for, and not one was even broken (John 19:36).

Whether in a local church or in a national movement, how much of the conflict, anger, and despair is really about our fear of mortality or irrelevance? Maybe one reason its so hard to hand over the faith to a new generation is that we lack the faith to entrust ourselves to others to carry us, to envision a kingdom bigger than us but to which we too belong. For an Easter people, such should not be.

Maybe the hopefulness we need is to realize that each one of us is headed for the gravebut not for long. We will not carry the kingdom to glory. We will be carried by hands we cannot see. Thats not an anticlimax. Thats a new creation. Even for the most forgotten box of bones, when God says, Let there be life! there is life. Jesus can count all his bones. He can count ours too.

Russell Moore is editor in chief of CT.

[ This article is also available in Francais, , , and . ]

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As a pastor serving a local church near my alma mater, Michigan State, I was invited to stand at a listening post along with comfort dogs the day after last months shooting.

Campus was unnervingly empty as yellow barricade tape flapped in the breeze, restricting our access to the buildings. Clusters of candles marked where each of the three victims had diedwhile a lone undergraduate student ran back and forth with a lighter trying, hopelessly, to keep them all lit.

Although campus was devoid of students, it was thronging with media crews and reporters. Everyone who was usually on campus had gone home to mourn, while those from outside had come in to gaze at us through their camera lenses and television screensinviting the public eye to witness private moments of pain and hurt in our community.

A similar spectacle is playing out right now at the Covenant Christian School in Nashville, Tennesseeas it has at schools in Uvalde, Texas; Oxford, Michigan; and MSU. And the same scene will play out at the next mass shooting, an occurrence that seems mercilessly inevitable.

There is something real and peculiar about the human fascination with looking at pain and hurt, crisis and tragedy. For centuries, people have made pilgrimages to the theater to watch Hamlet hold up a skull or to see the misfortunes that befell Desdemona, Emilia, Roderigo, and Othello. More commonly, the highway becomes a stage whenever traffic slows to stare at a car accident.

Tragedy is magnetizing. And yet, it can also be healing. In times of personal pain and hurt, I have found solace in religious art depicting tragedy. It has helped me contemplate the raw pain of human life.

Image: WikiMedia Commons / Pexels / Edits by CT

When my wife and I experienced multiple miscarriages, William-Adolphe Bouguereaus paintingThe First Mourning became meaningful to me in the midst of crisis. The work of art depicts Adam clutching at his rib while his murdered son, Abel, is lifelessly sprawled across his lap. Eve, the boys mother, is unable to look as she hides in Adams embrace.

It is a visceral and arresting image, evoking a pain that the artist knew wellas four of Bouguereaus five children had died before him. And today, the same root of sin that caused Cain to kill Abel continues to bring death to our children in school shootings.

Religious art can help us see in times of tragedy far better than the horror shows depicted by modern mediawhich, if we are not cautious, can leave us callous to pain and hurt.

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In his book Only the Lover Sings, German Catholic philosopher Josef Pieper suggests that we are blinded by the visual noise of contemporary life. When there is so much to see, our sight can become shallow or incapacitated. Pieper puts it like this: We do not mean here, of course, the physiological sensitivity of the human eye. We mean the spiritual capacity to perceive the visible reality as it truly is.

Because of modern technology, we can see more today than ever before. But, curiously and conversely, this can inhibit our ability to see beyond the surface. To borrow an image from Nicholas Carr in his bookThe Shallows, we are like Jet Skiers bouncing across the water instead of deep-sea divers who patiently venture below into matters of substance.

Pieper warns that something is lost when all we do is glance but never gaze: Going below a certain bottom line quite obviously will endanger the integrity of man as a spiritual being. It seems that nowadays we have arrived at this bottom line. These words are even more prescient today than in Piepers timebefore the age of social media, smartphones, and school shootings.

The antidote for living in a world of visual noise and occluded seeing is, according to Pieper, creating and viewing works of art. Artists as well as viewers of art linger over the intricacies of human lifeincluding all of its pain and hurt. The unhurried gaze and leisurely lingering over a work of art provides room for reflection, insight, and healing.

Pieper suggests that viewing art fosters a deeper and more receptive vision, a more intense awareness, a sharper and more discerning understanding, a more patient openness for all things quiet and inconspicuous, an eye for things previously overlooked.

Image: WikiMedia Commons / Pexels / Edits by CT

Along with William-Adolphe Bouguereau, I often reflect on the work of Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio. The 19th-century art critic John Ruskin once described Caravaggios work as being marked by vulgarity and impiety. Ruskin said that Caravaggios paintings revealed horror and ugliness, and filthiness of sin. While Ruskin meant that as a critique of Caravaggio, I think it is what makes his work so meaningful.

For example, Caravaggios The Entombment of Christ depicts the lifeless Jesus being carried by Nicodemus and John the Evangelist. Meanwhile, three womenMary of Cleophas, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of Jesusmourn in their own particular ways. One looks at the dead body of Jesus, one cries, and one cries out to heaven.

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Just as Ruskin said, this painting shows the full horror, ugliness, and filthiness of the sin that led to Jesus dying on the cross. It is also worth noting that Caravaggio scandalized people in his day by using human models from off the street for his paintings. The hurting people in this painting may very well have been students, laborers, mothers, or drifters.

Caravaggios painting of the entombment of Christ is in the chapel of the Pieta in St. Peters Basilica in Vatican City. In that very same space, Michelangelos Pieta sculpture depicts Mary (a very iconic figure in religious art) holding a lifeless Jesus sprawled across her lap. Jesus rests across the lap of Mary in the very same pose as Abel resting across the lap of Adam in Bouguereaus The First Mourning.

These three works of art help us see a coherent narrative amid the incoherence of endless school shootings: the pain and hurt of sin finds a horizon of healing in Jesus and the empty tomb of Easter.

A. Trevor Sutton is a Lutheran pastor in Lansing, Michigan, and the author of two books: Redeeming Technology: A Christian Approach to Healthy Digital Habitsand Clearly Christian: Following Jesus in This Age of Confusion.
Syria has been suffering for 12 years, plagued by civil war, jihadist violence, foreign occupation, and autocratic governance. Yet widening US economic sanctions have made it increasingly harder to helpuntil now.

A February waiver offers a 180-day window for earthquake relief.

If God has put it on your heart to give to Syria, be generous, said Nabil Costa, executive director of the Lebanese Society for Educational and Social Development (LSESD), also known as the Baptist Society. Find trusted organizations, because it is not easy to get it to the right place.

On March 10, the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) joined the World Council of Churches (WCC) and Catholic charity Caritas to detail the chilling effect sanctions have on the ability of faith-based and other NGOs to transfer money and goods to struggling Syrians. Most banks have deemed such transactions too risky to facilitate.

Therefore, unlike in neighboring Turkey, the February 6 earthquake was not followed by an immediate outpouring of international aid. Despite a death toll of 6,000 and an estimated 500,000 more displaced amid the rubble, United States and European Union policyand distrust of the Bashar al-Assad governmentprevented most nations and international humanitarian organizations from rushing to the scene.

A false step could result in a $1 million fine and 20 years in prison.

US sanctions against Syria began in 1979 with a declaration that it was a state sponsor of terrorism, and tightened in 2004 for its undermining of the war in Iraq. In 2011, Syrias repression of civil protest resulted in additional sanctions, subsequently strengthened throughout its civil warespecially after the use of chemical weapons in 2017.

Two years later, after a whistleblower smuggled out alleged evidence of the torture of civilians, the Caesar Act implemented secondary sanctions against anyone conducting business with the Syrian government.

Legislation permitted humanitarian exemptions for food and medicine, and in 2022 allowance was made for unfettered aid into regions outside of government control. Turkey and various rebel entities occupy territory in northwest Syria, while a US military base supports Kurdish forces administering large swaths of the northeast.

The United Nations designated a number of humanitarian aid corridors from Turkey, but Russia and China vetoed all but onein protest of their ally's dwindling sovereignty. Iran and Hezbollah have also backed Assad militarily, while Israel occupies the Golan Heights and regularly bombs the alleged transport of weapons near its frontier and before crossing into Lebanon.

Amid it all, Syrias Christians help who they can.

Following the earthquake, Aleppos churches hosted hundreds of frantic neighbors fleeing their cracked and crumbling homes. But the WEA report, written prior to the tragedy, outlined how many faith-based organizations lacked the resources and legal expertise necessary to navigate the myriad regulations to apply for permitted exemptions. Costa said LSESD did not attempt it, relying instead on existing channels to get aid into Syria.

Everything we do is transparent, he said, but not everything is advertised.

Even large NGOs like Caritas have struggled.

It should be like math, one plus one equals two, said Karam Abi Yazbeck, Caritass regional coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa. But I cant make sense of why certain documents are required sometimes, and others not.

Organized as a confederation, Caritas affiliates in the US, Europe, and around the world interacted with American and EU authorities to obtain the necessary paperwork to facilitate aid. Abi Yazbeck said Caritass Syria office has been bolstered considerably since the war.

His office is based in Lebanon, where local banks and their intermediary partners have delayed transfer of funds amid snail-paced investigations. It is a very human problem, he said. Bank personnel themselves do not know the regulations and protect against institutional risk.

Thus the 180-day comprehensive waiver.

I want to make very clear that US sanctions in Syria will not stand in the way of life-saving efforts for the Syrian people, stated Wally Adeyemo, deputy secretary of the US Treasury Department. Those providing assistance can [now] focus on whats needed most: saving lives and rebuilding.

The waiver, issued three days after the quake, preceded even Assads authorizing of two additional border crossings from Turkey. Within the first month, the US provided $50 million in humanitarian aid.

A Treasury Department Q&A outlined the new reality. Financial institutions are specifically authorized to process earthquake-related transactions, even if interacting directly with the Syrian government.

The impact was dramaticfor some.

The process has not changed, said Michel Abs, secretary general of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC). But donations, previously delayed, have now been processed quickly.

Some transactions had taken up to nine months of investigation. One transfer of $800,000 was blocked completely, causing the donor to repurpose the aid. But working through a Lebanese bank with an affiliate entity in Syria, MECCs aid money is now flowing far more easily.

In fact, donations can now be direct. Among many local partners, the WCC-affiliated ACT Alliance has been approved to transfer funds to the MECC office in Damascus. Its leaders there are training a team to carry out humanitarian oversight of relief distribution, working in tandem with the Ecumenical Joint Church Committee of Aleppo, formed by the regional body.

In addition to distributing food and hygiene kits to more than 1,500 households, MECC has partnered with church-linked engineers and local authorities to inspect over 500 buildings to date, with preparations made for 20 requiring the most substantial repair. Others are helped with educational, medical, and psychosocial needs.

The greatest benefit, Abs said, was Syrias adjustment of monetary exchange. Keeping US currency out of local circulation, authorities required that every dollar brought into the country be traded at the official rate. But for earthquake-related transactions the government gives nearly one-third more, depending on fluctuations in the parallel market.

Edward Awabdeh is waiting to see if he can benefit.

When the president of the Christian Alliance Church in Syria and Lebanon tried first his Beirut bank, they told him the US waiver pertained only to goods, not funds. Then the manager revised the message to permit specifically designated earthquake aid. But with relative pennies currently in the account, Awabdeh doesnt yet have enough money to test it.

Like LSESD, his denomination had also been using existing channels to support a network of 5,000 needy families prior to the earthquake. Amid a poverty rate of 90 percent, 4 million Syrians were already reliant on humanitarian aid, according to UN figures.

And then roughly 200 people in Aleppo suddenly found themselves housed in Alliance churches. Whatever donations come from sister churches in Lebanon, the US, and elsewhere, Awabdeh said, will be added to the comparative widows mite from Syria. With 50 neighbors still sleeping among the pews, local believers in Damascuson a monthly salary of $30gave $4,500 to support them.

Sanctions hurt our people also, said Awabdeh. But whatever rationale used to justify them, Gods grace is sufficient, and his power made perfect in weakness.

Not part of the Aleppo council, the Alliance church is cooperating with the area NGO network that ensures no one is left out. And even the government is facilitating Awabdehs wider work, permitting three trucks of relief supplies to cross from Lebanon to the affected area. Traditionally comfortable with the Orthodox and Catholic majority, authorities issued official permits for his evangelical body to help.

God has been faithful as we have stewarded small things, said Awabdeh. Maybe now he is giving us the favor that can facilitate larger challenges.

Not all have been as fortunate. Amnesty International reported that the government blocked 100 trucks of aid sent to Kurdish areas of Aleppo, while opposition militias barred 30 shipments to Turkish-occupied Afrin. Up to 40 percent of assistance coming from the Kurdish northeast is diverted to rebel families, and The New York Timesreported that the local Red Crescent and Syria Trust charities, which have close ties to the government, deliver only a fraction of aid to earthquake victims.

Some say this is evidence for why sanctions should stay in place. If Assad cannot be trusted to work with international agencies during a natural disaster, the national tragedy will only metastasize if funds flow freely.

The regime has inflicted thousands of times more damage on the country than the recent earthquake, stated Wael Alzayat, the CEO of Emgage, a Muslim American advocacy organization, and a former Middle East policy expert at the US State Department. If the sanctions are lifted today, the war will simply heat up again.

Yet Syrias churches have found multiple partners to advocate otherwise, on humanitarian grounds. Chief among them is Alena Douhan, UN special rapporteur on the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures (UCM) on the enjoyment of human rights.

Another name for sanctions, UCMs are illegal under international law, she said. While Douhan welcomes the waiver, it does not fully open the floodgates for what is needed.

Take water as an example. The US announcement lists the liquid along with food and medicine as allowed relief, and also specifically states that critical infrastructure damaged during the earthquake can be repaired.

Does the water processing plant qualify? Douhan said that sanctions prevented the restoration of facilities damaged during the war. Notwithstanding the recent outbreak of cholera, presumably these are still off-limits.

But how to interpret water service in Aleppo?

If any bank manager sees a request resembling reconstruction, it will be interpreted as risk, said Douhan. But he is not the one who should decide.

The US has not responded to her official UN communication.

But the EU, which began sanctioning Syria in 2011, defended its policy, stating that it does not cause the severe suffering of targeted nations and that it has received positive feedback from advice given to querying nations and NGOs.

Issued in 2022, the EU response only mentioned over 15 such questions.

Most, including the gatekeeping bankers, do not ask. So while Abi Yazbecks colleague in Damascus was contacted by the local bank, saying it could now process Caritas earthquake relief to Syria, it has been one month with four transactions still pending. The bank manager blames intermediaries.

No one was willing to work with Syria after the Caesar Act, Abi Yazbeck said. Many, it seems, are still uncertain.

For donors eager to try, LSESD provides advice.

First, be certain that aid is clearly labeled for earthquake relief.

Second, limit outside conditions for use. Aid agencies and churches alike are overwhelmed with the scope of need, are not competent in all areas, and need flexibility with discretionary funds.

Third, keep the medium and long terms in view. Beyond food and medicine, rent support will be necessary for a while, fuel for running generators is often overlooked, and local volunteers must be sustained through a viable income received for their services.

Fourth, ensure accountability. More money means more temptation.

In the meanwhile, sources encourage generosity. The waiver is temporary, and even if renewed on August 8, the suffering will continue. Syria will not be rebuilt soon.

If you make it harder for me, that is your decision, said Costa. But no one can stop us from helping the people in need, and no one has yet. God has a plan, and it is moving forward.
Brian Houston says wife Bobbie never owned Cartier watch in past 25 years, responds to whistleblower

Responding to claims that Hillsong Church splurged thousands of dollars on a luxury Cartier watch for his wife, Bobbie, during his reign as global senior pastor, Brian Houston says she has never "bought, owned, or worn a Cartier watch in the past 25 years."

"Bobbie has neither bought, owned, or worn a Cartier watch in the past 25 years. It is just another lie told under parliamentary privilege. She never has AND NEVER WOULD buy a watch for herself with church finances. Yet another falsehood," Houston, who co-founded the Evangelical church network with his wife in 1983, wrote in a March 14 post on Twitter.

The 69-year-old Houston, set to appear in a California court Tuesday to answer drunk driving and related charges, lashed out days after Australian Parliament Member Andrew Wilkie accused Houston and other church leaders of money laundering, tax evasion and shopping sprees that would "embarrass a Kardashian."

The independent parliamentarian made headlines earlier this month as he released financial documents supplied to him by a whistleblower.

Among the alleged spending detailed by Wilkie are an AU$6,500 Cartier watch for Bobbie, $2,500 in Louis Vuitton luggage, a $2,500 watch for current Global Senior Pastor Phil Dooley, two watches worth $15,000 for Joel and Julia A'Bell, shopping sprees for designer clothes at Saks Fifth Avenue and $16,000 for custom skateboards. Those close to the church's inner circle also benefited from cash gifts, Wilkie contends.

A review of Hillsong Church financial records by The Christian Post shows that on March 10, 2021, Hillsong Church approved an AUD$6,350 expenditure at Cartier Australia to purchase a gift for Bobbie Houston, celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Colour Conference, Hillsong Church's annual women's conference.

Houston also challenged allegations that in 2021, as the world grappled with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, four members of his family jetted off with friends to Cancun, Mexico, for a luxury retreat lasting three days and billed the church $150,000 for it.

"Hillsong Church is an international denomination with churches in over 30 countries. Many of Hillsong's ministries are based outside of Australia. It is absolutely false that the Houston family had a holiday in Mexico, financed by Hillsong Church," the Hillsong founder stated in a series of tweets on March 13.

"The facts are there was a global strategy meeting in Mexico which involved senior team members from South America, USA, Europe, Australia, and South Africa. At the time Bobbie and I were based in the USA for a few months and a flight to Cancun from Dallas is less than 2 hrs," he explained.

"It was held in Mexico at the request of Pastor Phil Dooley because he was unable to fly direct from South Africa to USA because of Covid rules. He first needed to be 7 days in another country. The meetings we had were held in a board room each day and a lot was accomplished. Every person who attended was there in their official roles at the church. While there, I also spoke at Hillsong Mexico before returning to the USA," he added.

Houston slammed Wilkie for using parliamentary privilege in publishing the financial documents "to espouse unproven and spurious claims about Hillsong Church that are in the main, either out of context, misleading or false."

"As Global Senior Pastor, my focus was on the all-important ministry aspects of our endeavors at Hillsong Church and I neither had nor wanted any access to the church's finances," Houston said in another tweet on March 11. "The management of all budgets, spending, and expenditure is entrusted by the board, to the General Manager, George Aghajanian with his administrative team, and he is accountable to the board to oversee all financial matters appropriately."
Gender dysphoria most common among teenage girls with 'exceptionally high intelligence': report

A new report reveals that gender dysphoria has the highest prevalence among youth of European descent, with discomfort with ones gender most common among children, especially girls with exceptionally high intelligence and a history of mental health issues.

A website called Parents of ROGD kids.com, which has formed a support group for families with gender dysphoric children, surveyed parents who believed they had children experiencing rapid onset gender dysphoria.

The survey results, which collected responses over nearly four years, were compiled into a report by website creator Suzanna Diaz and J. Michael Bailey of Northwestern Universitys Department of Psychology on Wednesday. The 1,774 responses to the survey were collected from Dec. 1, 2017, through Oct. 22, 2021.

Examining the demographics of youth who developed rapid onset gender dysphoria reveals that three-quarters of the children (75%) were female, while just 25% were male. Additionally, the overwhelming majority (78.9%) were of European descent, while much smaller shares were ethnically mixed (16.2%), Asian (2.8%), Indigenous (0.8%), African American (0.6%), Middle Eastern and East Indian (0.4%).

The results of the survey measured the average age when children first experience gender dysphoria as 14.8 years old. The report details how, on average, girls began to develop gender dysphoria at 14.1 years, while boys were an average of 16 years old when they first began to experience discomfort with their sex.

The survey asked parents to evaluate their childs social adjustment before they began to experience gender dysphoria. A majority of both males (57.6%) and females (56.7%) had a few good friends before they developed gender dysphoria. Responses from parents showed that similar percentages of boys (33.7%) and girls (33.9%) got along with other kids before they began to question their sex.

While one-third of parents (33.3%) of sons experiencing gender dysphoria indicated their child was bullied before becoming gender dysphoric, just 26.3% of parents with daughters experiencing gender dysphoria said the same. According to parents of girls with gender dysphoria, 27.3% said their child was well-liked, in contrast to 22.7% of parents of boys.

As nearly 10% of parents who believe their daughters have gender dysphoria reported that their child had many good friends, just 3.9% of parents whose sons have gender dysphoria said the same. Parents of boys (16.8%) were slightly more likely than their female counterparts (14.3%) to report that their child was not well liked by peers, as similar percentages of parents with daughters (17.4%) and sons (15.8%) recalled that their child had one good friend.

Extremely small shares of parents with girls answered in the affirmative when asked if their daughters had others fight or instigate arguments with them (4.7%), instigated fights with others (2.3%) or bullied others (2.2%), while 5.4% of parents with boys reported that their son found themselves in fights or arguments instigated by others. Less than 1% of parents with sons maintained that their child bullied others.

When asked to evaluate their childs level of intelligence, 35.6% of parents reported their child had exceptionally high intelligence, while just 15.5% characterized their childs level of intelligence as average or below average.

A majority of parents (57%) said their gender dysphoric children had a history of mental health issues, while 42.5% insisted otherwise. Parents of girls (59.4%) were slightly more likely to report a mental health history in their children than parents of boys (51%). On average, mental health issues first began to arise 3.8 years before gender dysphoria.

The most common mental health issues experienced by females with gender dysphoria were anxiety (47.3%), depression (33.2%), difficulty socializing with peers (26.5%) and difficulty coping with stressful situations in general (23.2%). Among males, the most frequently reported mental health issues included anxiety (35.2%), difficulty socializing with peers (28.1%), depression (25.1%) and difficulty coping with stressful situations in general (19.2%).

A majority of the 390 parents (51.8%) who answered a question asking whether they felt pressure from a gender clinic or specialist to transition their child socially or medically reported experiencing pressure. By contrast, just 24.6% said that they did not feel any pressure to transition their child and an additional 23.6% responded that they were unsure if they felt pressured to transition their child.

When asked if their children were friends with others who came out as transgender around the same time, 55.4% of the 917 respondents who answered the question responded in the affirmative. Among parents of girls, that figure increased to 60.9%.

Respondents reported that their children spent an average of 4  hours a day on the Internet and social media. However, it was determined that the number of hours per day on the internet and social media was not significantly related to the likelihood of social transition.

The reports publication takes place as the medical establishment and popular culture continue to embrace the Affirmative Approach, which touts puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones and body-mutilating sex-change surgeries as solutions for gender dysphoria. Parents of ROGD Kids condemn the Affirmative Approach as a lie.

The release of the survey comes as states across the U.S. are working to sex-change procedures from being performed on minors. Currently, 12 states have implemented prohibitions on some or all forms of sex-change procedures in light of concerns about their long-term impacts: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Kentucky, Mississippi, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah and West Virginia.

The American College of Pediatricians has identified some of the potential side effects of puberty blockers as osteoporosis, mood disorders, seizures, cognitive impairment and, when combined with cross-sex hormones, sterility. Potential longterm impacts of cross-sex hormones include an increased risk of heart attacks, stroke, diabetes, blood clots and cancers across their lifespan.

Sex-change surgeries include chemical and surgical castration, double mastectomies on girls, orchiectomy (removing testicles) for boys, the construction of a fake vagina (vaginoplasty) for boys, and removal of skin and tissue from girls' forearms or thighs to create a fake, flaccid penis that doesn't function.

Several detransitioners have come forward to discuss their trauma and regret from having these life-altering medical procedures, with 18-year-old Chloe Cole among the most prominent.

Cole, whose gender dysphoria has since subsided, has announced her intention to sue the medical professionals who treated her for gender dysphoria. As a letter announcing her intent to sue explains, although doctors advised Cole that the distress she experienced because of her gender dysphoria would resolve as she transitioned, she discovered that her distress always came back worse after a burst of initial relief following each phase of transition.

She has also maintained that the double mastectomy she underwent at the age of 15 caused her mental health to deteriorate and led to suicidal thoughts.
Missionary, pastor killed in wrong way crash on way to preach

A beloved missionary and pastor who was driving to preach at a local church in Michigan on Sunday has died after a wrong-way crash that state police say might have been triggered by a drunk driver.

Pastor Dean Elliott, 63, of Byron Center and a ministry called Abounding Hope, died after the crash on U.S. 131 at around 8:30 a.m. Authorities cited by MLive said the accident happened on the northbound lanes of U.S. 131 just south of Burton Street.

The wrong way driver, a 30-year-old Grand Rapids man, was critically injured.

Over the years and throughout the state, weve implemented measures to prevent wrong-way drivers and we will continue to do so. Weve installed additional wrong way signage, adjusted the height of wrong way signs, added reflective delineators, and installed wrong way detection systems, a statement from MDOT said. All interchanges are peppered with large red and white signs that say WRONG WAY DO NOT ENTER. The only common factor with these types of crashes is that the driver has been impaired in some way.

Pastor Patrick Pointer, who recently stepped down from leading Manistee Assembly of God due to medical issues, said Elliott was on his way to preach at the church Sunday when he was killed.

My heart weighs heavy in a broken state. As many of you know, I had to step down from serving as the Pastor of Manistee Assembly of God in January, due to medical issues. Since then, our church does not have a Pastor and has been receiving pastoral care from week to week from guest speakers, pastors, missionaries and evangelists. Yesterday, April 2, 2023, Pastor, Missionary Evangelist Dean Elliot died in a traffic accident when on his way to speak at MAG's Sunday Service, he revealed in a statement on Facebook Monday.

My heart is broken at the losses involved. Yesterday marked the Triumphal Entry of Jesus into the city of Jerusalem during this Easter season ... Dean celebrated his own triumphal entry into Heaven and the arms of Jesus! he added. Prayers for his family and friends and all of those who are in the state of grieving at this tragedy. We know that Dean loved the call of God on his life and died in pursuit of his passion for serving Jesus Christ.

Since 2003, Elliot and his wife, Brenda, have run a ministry called Abounding Hope, focused on evangelizing Eurasia, primarily in India. According to the website, their ministry carried them to 58 countries on five continents.

Pastor Joe Coffman of Northpoint Assembly of God in Holland, who said he has known Elliot for decades, told MLIVE that he was a missionary evangelist.

He was a wonderful guy. He loved his family, and he loved the church, Coffman said.

M. Wayne Benson, president and founder of Paraclete Ministries in Huntsville, Alabama, who says he has known Elliot since his youth, praised him and his wife on their website for their commitment to ministry.

I have known Dean since his youth and had the privilege of seeing his spiritual growth and development. The call of God became apparent in his life as a young man and he pursued missions evangelism, traveling with people of profile such as David and Beth Grant, Benson wrote.



Deans passion for the lost was then expressed through church planting and home missions in Michigan. Today, there is a congregation in Kentwood, Michigan, as a direct result of Deans leadership and the support of his wife, Brenda, he said. They are people of integrity and models of Christs love.

Along with his widow, Elliot leaves behind two adult children.




Loudoun County bans teacher from adding Bible verse in email signature

A school district in Virginia has garnered controversy for refusing to allow a teacher to include a Bible verse in her email signature.

Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) has barred an unnamed teacher from putting John 3:16 in her email signature, with The Liberty Counsel becoming involved in the situation on behalf of the teacher.

Liberty Counsel Founder and Chairman Mat Staver said in a statement released Monday that the First Amendment and recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions showed that the teacher should be allowed to include the verse in her signature.

Loudoun County Public Schools cannot discriminate against a teacher who wants to use a Bible verse in her signature when other teachers are including nonreligious quotes, Staver said.

On March 23, Richard L. Mast and Hugh C. Phillips of Liberty Counsel sent a letter to LCPS Acting Superintendent Daniel Smith demanding that the teacher be allowed to restore the Bible verse to her email signature block.

The directive from LCPS to [the teacher] to remove an expression of her personal faith from her email signature block, based solely on its perceived religious nature, constitutes religious discrimination, they wrote.

The District permits teachers to personalize their signature blocks with personally-selected pronouns, quotations, pictures or phrases that are intended to express the teachers personal views on a variety of subjects, and that are attributable to the teachers, and not necessarily to LCPS.

Mast and Phillips asserted that having a Bible verse in an email signature block does not violate the Establishment Clause, noting that a teachers private speech in the workplace is not state endorsement of any religious message the teacher may choose to convey.

We urge the Loudoun County Public Schools to update its policies and practices to conform to current Supreme Court precedent; and not discriminate against teachers based on religious viewpoint, they continued.

For his part, Acting Superintendent Smith responded to the complaint letter last Friday, arguing that the teacher was expressing her religious views in a non-private manner as a representative of the school.

[The teacher] may make occasional personal use of School Division technology, including her email address, for non-work purposes when this use does not consume a significant amount of LCPS resources, does not interfere with her job performance or other School Division responsibilities, and is otherwise in compliance with LCPS policies, wrote Smith.

It is my understanding, however, that [she] is not including religious quotes in only her private correspondence, but also uses these religious quotes in her communications to students and their parents in her capacity as an LCPS employee. These communications are not private expression, but rather constitute school-sponsored speech bearing the ostensible endorsement of the School Division.

Smith added that although LCPS currently permits its employees to personalize their LCPS email signature blocks, as a public employer, LCPS has an interest in regulating the speech of its employees, particularly as such expressed speech imputes to LCPS's general endorsement thereof.

I do want to make clear [that the teacher] is entitled to include religious expressions in any private emails she sends, provided they otherwise comply with LCPS policies and applicable law, but we are constrained by applicable law and policy to prohibit her from doing so in emails she sends in her public role as an LCPS employee, he continued.
Victims, vengeance and violence

If you tell a person theyre a victim of oppression because of their identity and you encourage them to pursue vengeance over their supposed oppressors  it will lead to violence. The kind of violence that killed 6 people, including 3 children at The Covenant School in Nashville.

Whether its critical race theory or gender theory, wokeness encourages vengeance and violence. Just as some critical race theorists encouraged violence during the Black Lives Matter riots in 2020, some gender theorists also encourage or justify violence.

For instance, last week  just two days before the mass shooting in Nashville  trans activists in New Zealand assaulted a feminist speaker because she rejects transgender ideology. Also, a Trans Day of Vengeance protest by the Trans Radical Activist Network was supposed to happen on April 1st in Washington, DC, but the group canceled it because they supposedly received credible threat to life and safety after the mass shooting.

Another group, the Trans Resistance Network, released a statement after the mass shooting saying:

Many transgender people deal with anxiety, depression, thoughts of suicide, and PTSD from the near-constant drum beat of anti-trans hate, lack of acceptance from family members and certain religious institutions, denial of our existence, and calls for de-transition and forced conversion.  Hate has consequences.

In other words, the transgender mass shooter was a victim of transphobia by her Christian oppressors, and the deaths of the six people at The Covenant School were the consequences of Christian views on transgenderism.

This is what transgender activists, the media and the Democrats believe. For example, days after the mass shooting, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said: Our hearts go out to the trans community, as they are under attack right now.

That kind of reasoning and rhetoric is seemingly why the mass shooter targeted the Christian school, especially since shes a former student.

Since transgender people are encouraged to believe they are victims of attacks by conservatives and Christians, its inevitable that theyll attack conservatives and Christians in self-defense.

In fact, because of its Marxist roots, vengeance, and violence are an integral part of wokeness.

Marxism teaches that society is made up of oppressors and the oppressed, and a violent revolution by the oppressed against the oppressors is necessary in order to end the oppression. This is why every communist regime started with violent revolutions.

Traditional Marxism specifically classifies wealthy people as the oppressors and poor people as the oppressed. However, through postmodernism, gender theorists say transgender people are also oppressed by the rest of society.

Therefore its not too surprising that a 2022 Quebec study reveals that transgender youth are the most likely group to support violent radicalization.

Originally published at Slow to Write.
Accomplished psychiatrist says demons, demonic possession are real

WESTCHESTER, New York  In a book he says is aimed at the well-educated with an interest in the subject, accomplished psychiatrist and professor, Dr. Richard Gallagher, delivers compelling findings from his decadeslong career to make a compelling case that demons and demonic possession are real phenomena.

For many Christians, Gallaghers findings presented in his 272-page book, Demonic Foes: My Twenty-Five Years as a Psychiatrist Investigating Possessions, Diabolic Attacks, and the Paranormal, first published in the fall of 2020, could simply be treated as an acknowledgment of what the Bible has been telling them for centuries.

In my experience, the idea of demonic possession is so controversial and so often misunderstood that I want at the outset to establish some scholarly plausibility to the notion along with my bona fides, the board-certified psychiatrist, who serves as professor of psychiatry at New York Medical and a psychoanalyst on the faculty of Columbia University, begins in the introduction of his book.

Typical reactions to the topic reflect our nations polarization. Despite widespread belief in evil spirits in the United States and around the world, some people find the subject farfetched, even moronic. Yet others spot the devil everywhere. And so, here I detail my personal story and highlight the credibility of possessions while simultaneously offering some sober reflections on various exaggerations and abuses.

The book is an elaboration of the psychiatrists 2016 op-ed on the subject published in The Washington Post, titled As a psychiatrist, I diagnose mental illness. Also, I help spot demonic possession.

Gallagher, who is Catholic, is the longest-standing American member of the International Association of Exorcists which meet every two years in Italy.

He begins his narrative with the story of a troubled devil-worshiper named Julia who he concluded was possessed after an exorcist in the Catholic Church brought her to him for evaluation before attempting an exorcism.

Before I encountered Julia, I had already seen about eight or nine cases of what I regarded as full possessions. I define those as cases where the evil spirit completely takes control of someone, such that the victim has periods when he or she has no remembrance of such episodes, Gallagher writes. I have since seen scores more such possessions and a much higher number of cases of oppression, which are far more common than possessions. Because of my involvement with the International Association of Exorcists, I have heard reports of hundreds more of each type, but that hardly implies they are anything but rare conditions, as I still know them to be.

Gallagher highlights stories about the manifestation of demonic powers like levitation and remote viewing where possessed individuals like Julia can, for example, communicate what someone is doing and where they are doing it despite being a hundred miles away.

Julia demonstrated to me very clearly that she could see, for instance, the chief exorcist at a distance [even though] he was 100 miles away, Gallagher explained in an interview with The Christian Post at his home last Thursday.

She could describe him to a tee and what he was doing which was unusual for his normal routine. There's no way she could have guessed that. If one is familiar with occult literature, one realizes that there are occultists, people [who] have turned to dark arts who claim they have a third eye, and that they can see things from a distance, this is an analogous phenomenon, he continued. She had this paranormal ability to do that. And she was very clear where she got that ability.

People have tried to study these things for years without reaching much in the way of a conclusion. Human beings don't have those abilities on their own. They either get it from below or from above, Gallagher added. Julia recognized that and she recognized that she got these paranormal abilities from Satan himself.

Gallagher explained that while he remains committed to science, he has found that all knowledge cannot be explained by science.

I do want to emphasize in all that I write and say, that I am committed to science, that scientific methodology has immensely helped the human race, he said.

But not all knowledge can be verified by lab experiments and that sort of thing. Most of what we're talking about when we talk about religious truths, and certainly this field of the demonic, is essentially historical knowledge. It's observations and observations about historical facts can be true or false, depending on the credibility of the witness, depending on how sensible seems the reports of these phenomena, he noted.

But that doesn't make it unscientific because it's historical. We talk about Washington crossing the Delaware , most people would say that's knowledge. And, in a similar way, these reports, of demonic phenomena and exorcisms and that sort of thing, it is a type of genuine knowledge, which is what the word science originally meant. It meant knowledge, it didn't mean only the scientific method, he explained.

While Gallagher says demonic possession is very rare today, it appeared to be a more common occurrence in the Bible.

In the Christian tradition, Jesus fame grew as a result of His exorcisms. In Mark 1:1-28 it is recorded that Jesus cast out a demon from a man inside a Jewish synagogue and the people were all so amazed that they asked each other, 'What is this? A new teachingand with authority! He even gives orders to impure spirits, and they obey him. News about him spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee.

After Jesus appointed his 12 disciples in Mark 6, it is noted in verse 13 that They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.

Gallagher warns that even though there is evidence suggesting that demons and demonic possession are real, care needs to be taken when discussing the subject to avoid hysteria and misconceptions.

Unfortunately, there are people in this country  there are many people who just dismiss the whole idea. But there were also people in this country who exaggerate its prevalence, he told CP.

Possession itself is the most intense form of demonic attack, and it's rare. And so, anybody who's seeing possession all over the place is mistaken. What some people who exaggerate the prevalence of the phenomena mistake for possession are things like illnesses, especially mental illness, especially in today's world, the professor said.

In the past, there may have been confusion with some odd neurological conditions like Tourette's disease, like certain forms of temporal lobe epilepsy, epilepsy, that sort of thing. Most of those neurological and other medical illnesses are better understood in today's world to have a brain-based foundation, but there's still a fair amount of people sometimes among less informed Christians who interpret certain forms of mental illness as demonic and I don't regard that as a professor of psychiatry, he continued.

I think that's mistaken. The conditions that are most commonly confused with possession in certain Christian subcultures are psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia, where people claim they're hearing voices of demons and stuff. Now those are brain events, those are hallucinatory experiences. That's not, that's not possession, he insisted.

Other people have misinterpreted what's called dissociative identity disorder, which used to be called Multiple Personality Disorder, where there may be an evil personality, even a demonic seeming personality, but it has to be still recognized as a psychological disorder, not a possession. And then there are people who deal with very strong evil impulses, he said.

There are certain personality disorders which are consumed with feelings and thoughts of destructiveness for instance, borderline personality, but there are even people who are sociopaths, what we would normally call criminals, who deal with very evil and sinful tendencies all the time. I do not regard those people as possessed. Those people may be influenced as all human beings are, by temptation from evil spirits, but I don't think we should go around acting like we can cure them with deliverance or that they have some serious possession.

Despite all the mental health disorders with a brain-based foundation, says Gallagher, he still wants people to understand that the findings he records in his book bear witness to the existence of the demonic.

I tell people, you don't have to believe what Dr. Gallagher writes, you know, there are people who write these books and make up stuff. My book was 100 percent accurate. All I did was change the names of people, he said.

Paul, when he went to Corinth, which is, I suppose, a little bit like a preacher from Kansas, going to San Francisco or something. He said, Look, I saw the resurrected Christ. But you don't have to believe me, there are 500 other people, most of whom are still alive, you can get their witness too.

And of course, many of those people suffered and died for their beliefs, including in the resurrected Jesus. So, there are other psychiatrists who believe exactly the way I do, they're just a little maybe more reluctant to speak out, or they just haven't seen as many cases as I have. Nobody just has to believe my book, he added. Go out and learn about it from many other faithful people who have recorded their own experiences.
Christian author repents for using 'sinful' transgender pronouns

A Christian author who once advocated for using people's preferred pronouns after her conversion to the faith condemned her previous use of them as a sin.

Rosaria Butterfield, a former lesbian Syracuse University women's studies professor who came to Christ over two decades ago, wrote an article published Monday by reformation21, which publishes a "[r]eformed perspective on current issues." The author of The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert wrote that she has "publicly sinned on the issue of transgender pronouns."

She condemned herself for "carelessly" using trans pronouns in books and articles and for advocating for their use in interviews. She said she continued to use them despite converting because she "wanted to meet everyone where they were and do nothing to provoke insult."

Butterfield is married to a Reformed Presbyterian pastor in North Carolina and serves as a homeschooling mother, speaker and author. She came to faith after an article she wrote in 1997 against a men's Evangelical group led to a meeting with a Presbyterian pastor. In 1999, she started reading the Bible for research and eventually converted.

Despite her conversion, the former professor said in a July 2015 Family Life interview that she had friends who identified as transgender and that she continued to use their preferred pronouns.

The interview described her relationship with Ken Smith, the Presbyterian pastor who, along with his wife, welcomed Butterfield into their home and encouraged her conversion.

Butterfield claimed after the U.S. Supreme Court's 2015 decision in Obergefell v. Hodges declared state laws banning gay marriage unconstitutional, the "danger of [her] position started to come into focus." She contends the "codification of gay marriage and LGBTQ+ civil rights" launched a "collision course between LGBTQ+ and the Christian faith."

"The LGBTQ+ movement's understanding of itself as ontological and morally good conflicts with the biblical account in Genesis 1:27," Butterfield wrote. The verse reads: "So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them."

"Which is it? Which side was I on? Is LGBTQ+ a normal option in the ever-expanding menu of sexual orientation and gender identity, needing a little Jesus to aid human flourishing?" Butterfield asked. "Or does LGBTQ+ come from Satan as a reflection of the world, the flesh, and the devil? Is it part of God's creational design or rebellion against the creation ordinance?"

"It's one or the other because the Christian faith is inherently binary, not non-binary," she added. "And getting this wrong is not a matter of personal liberty."

The author outlined how using transgender pronouns is "a sin against the creation ordinance." Butterfield argues that using such pronouns violates the ninth commandment, which prohibits bearing a false witness. She also contends that using incorrect pronouns encourages people to break the 10th commandment, which states, "You shall not covet."

"Christians who use the moral lens of LGBTQ+ personhood are not merely a 'soft presence' in the enemy camp," the Christian convert wrote. "Their malleability makes them pudding in the enemy's hand."

"They make false converts to a counterfeit gospel that bends the knee to the fictional identity of LGBTQ+," she continued, writing that these Christians "reject" the clarity of God's word and replace it with "garbage."

"By doing so, they have rejected the gospel truth that Jesus is the only way to salvation," Butterfield argued.

She concluded that those who have "promoted this sin must stand up and repent," offering to be the first to do so.
Federal judge dismisses major abuse lawsuit against Southern Baptist Convention leader

A federal judge in Texas dealt a major setback to a high-profile abuse-related lawsuit, dismissing claims against a former Southern Baptist Convention leader and a seminary affiliated with the denomination.

U.S. District Judge Sean Jordan issued a ruling on March 25 stating that the unnamed plaintiff, referred to as Jane Roe, did not meet the standard of proof required to demonstrate that Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, and its former president, Paige Patterson, were negligent in preventing sexual abuse on campus. The ruling came after a recently filed memorandum was considered by the court.

Roe had filed a lawsuit in June 2019 against the seminary and Patterson after being allegedly sexually assaulted multiple times by another former seminary student, referred to as John Doe. Roe accused Patterson and the seminary of mistreating her when she reported being stalked and repeatedly raped by the male student.

Roe's claims of negligence were primarily based on Southwestern's decision to admit Doe despite their awareness of his prior criminal conduct.

The Court holds that Roes injuries at the hands of Doe were not foreseeable to SWBTS, even considering altogether the totality of Does past criminal conduct, Jordan said.

The lawsuit alleged that when Roe met with Patterson and other male leaders at the Seminary about the sexual assaults, Patterson seemed to enjoy making Roe even more uncomfortable with his questions.

But claims by Roe that women who tried to report sexual harassment and sexual abuse were ignored, dismissed or disciplined themselves is a gross distortion of the evidence before the court, Jordan wrote. The proposition that SWBTS has a history of condoning sexual assault or sexual harassment of female students has not been proven by Roe and is not supported by the record in this case.

Roe never directly told Patterson or anyone at SWBTS of her concerns that Doe was stalking her, the judge noted. Nor did Roe make any sexual harassment, sexual assault, or any other complaint about Doe prior to August 2015. It is further undisputed that the first time Roe told Patterson and SWBTS that she had been raped by Doe was on August 20, 2015  the date she made her report to the school  months after the sexual assaults allegedly occurred. At that time, Patterson and SWBTS immediately notified local law enforcement authorities of Roes outcry, and Roe was interviewed by the Fort Worth Police Department. Roe declined to pursue charges against Doe.

When Roe reported the alleged assault by Doe to Southwestern leaders, Patterson's email to other seminary staff stating his desire to meet with Roe one-on-one to "break her down" was cited by Roe in her lawsuit as evidence of a broader culture at Southwestern under Patterson's leadership.

Jordan acknowledged the email as "powerful evidence supporting her negligence claims," but ultimately ruled that it was insufficient to prove the existence of a widespread culture.

Pattersons approach to further communications with Roe may well have been misguided and inappropriate, but his post-hoc actions based on an apparent mistrust of the truthfulness of Roes allegations cannot create a genuine issue of material fact on the key questions of foreseeability and duty at the heart of this case, Jordan wrote.

Although Roe's claims of defamation against Patterson and Southwestern are still part of the ongoing lawsuit, the judges recent ruling has created complications for some of the suit's more significant claims associated with Patterson.

Patterson, who was a prominent figure in the Conservative Resurgence movement within the SBC in the late 20th century, served as president of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina, and as Southwestern's president.

He came under scrutiny in 2018, leading to his dismissal from Southwestern, after reports emerged that he mishandled Roe's case in 2015 and another case in 2003 at Southeastern.

Patterson has faced criticism for other incidents, including his response to abuse allegations against a protege, Darrel Gilyard, and for disregarding recommendations for abuse reform.

Additionally, he is a defendant in a separate abuse lawsuit against Paul Pressler, a prominent figure in the Conservative Resurgence movement alongside Patterson.

Jordan dismissed Roe's claims with prejudice, meaning that she is barred from filing the negligence claims again.
'Queen of Christian fiction' Karen Kingsbury talks pointing readers to Heaven through storytelling

When Karen Kingsbury, the queen of Christian fiction, writes a story, her goal is not only to entertain but to point readers to Jesus and the hope of eternity amid the painful realities of life.

Life is full of difficult moments, Kingsbury told The Christian Post. And just because you believe or have faith does not mean you're going to be exempt from that. And it's important to show people that. Otherwise, if we show them an unrealistic picture, they won't relate to it at all. So getting into some of the messier parts of life, whether it's anger, unforgiveness, a father that walks away, sickness, loss, death, it's important that we show that in light of eternity; this is not all that there is. There's hope.

It's important, she added, that we don't shy away from these things, but that we lean into them with the peace and the love and the mercy that we get from our faith.

A New York Times bestselling author, Kingsbury is the author of more than 70 titles, including several wildly popular series about the fictional Baxter family. Shes sold over 30 million copies and seen several of her stories turned into Hallmark movies.

Her bestselling novel, A Thousand Tomorrows, is her latest work to be adapted for the big screen. Written in 2005, the book tells the story of a cocky bull rider named Cody Gunnar who has a history of pushing people  except for his younger brother, who has Down syndrome. But when he meets Ali Daniels, a horsewoman who seeks to fulfill the dreams of her little sister, a girl who died before she had a chance to live, his world is upended.

The six-episode series, which premiered on PureFlix in February, stars Colin Ford, Rose Reid and Cole Sibus. Kingsbury both executive produced and co-wrote the series alongside her son, Tyler Russell.

Only God knows how many tomorrows they will have together, the series description notes. Can Cody and Ali make the most of their time in the dangerous and competitive rodeo world?

Though ultimately a story of unending love, the series touches on difficult topics like sickness, loss and abandonment, while subplots in the series surround the topics of Down syndrome and Cystic Fibrosis. It ultimately highlights Gods goodness in the face of difficulty.

Russell stressed the importance of honesty in storytelling, citing his mothers ability to resonate with audiences as a key reason for the success of her books.

Only when we acknowledge our brokenness and our reality can we be united with each other, because everybody's broken in some way, he said. But also, we can accept the grace and the love of God, which is unconditional for everybody. When we're watching a show or reading a book, we want to see something that's real; we don't want to see something that is a filtered version of drama, but we want to see something that we can resonate with. I think people, whether you're someone who goes to church or not, want to see a story that is real.

A Thousand Tomorrows is creating a realistic picture that it doesn't always end pretty and perfect, but there can still be beauty in the brokenness.

For the mother and son duo, A Thousand Tomorrows is a form of ministry. At the end of each episode, Kingsbury leads viewers in a brief devotional, which she told CP was written by a pastor.

I think it's the kind of show that we hope people enjoy that they binge together and watch it and that they fall in love with the love story, she said. But more importantly, we think it's a show that touches the heart and that begs to be discussed, whether it's with family or small groups or neighbors because it deals with things like unforgiveness, it deals with pain and illness, and how do we walk forward in life, given difficult circumstances? I think the Bible study series, really supports what we tried to write, and I think that's why it's resonating with so many people.

They might not have Cystic Fibrosis  but perhaps they have another burden to bear. And so how can they move forward in faith and in hope, trusting God with the days of their life?

Kingsbury said Gods hand is on the timing of A Thousand Tomorrows hitting the big screen nearly two decades after she wrote the story.

God always waits till it's for such a time as this, she said. And I think there really are the beginnings of like a revival happening in our nation, and even around the world. So I think the timing is perfect.  I couldnt be more thrilled.

A Thousand Tomorrows is now streaming on PureFlix.
Finnish MP Paivi Rasanen facing second trial over biblical beliefs 1 year after acquittal

Finnish Member of Parliament Paivi Rasanen, who was acquitted a year ago after being prosecuted for voicing her traditional Christian beliefs about marriage and sexuality, is still on the defense as she faces a second trial over her biblical beliefs, her lawyers say.

In a statement last week commemorating the first anniversary since her unanimous acquittal by a three-judge panel of the Helsinki District Court, the legal group supporting her defense, ADF International, says Rasanen could still have to pay tens of thousands in fines as prosecutors continue to demand that Rasanen's views be censored.

Although the court dismissed hate speech charges against Rasanen and Bishop Juhana Pohjola of the Evangelical Lutheran Mission Diocese of Finland, the prosecutor appealed the not guilty verdict last April.

The former interior minister and religious leader faced prosecution for their roles in creating and publishing a 2004 pamphlet titled Male and Female He Created Them: Homosexual relationships challenge the Christian concept of humanity.

Rasanen also faced criminal charges for a 2019 tweet criticizing the leadership of the Finnish Lutheran Church for supporting LGBT pride month.

The court ruled that "it is not for the district court to interpret biblical concepts."

"By continuing its campaign to censor peaceful beliefs, the prosecution is setting a dangerous precedent of intolerance against free speech," Rasanen, former leader of Finland's Christian Democratic Party, said in a statement.

"I will keep fighting for free speech because it is the cornerstone of a free and democratic society. I am hopeful the appeal court will make the same decision as the district court and acquit me again."

Rasanen's case attracted global media attention and drew concern from human rights experts about the state of free speech in Finland.

ADF International's Executive Director Paul Coleman described the situation as a "new low" for free speech in Europe.

"When a longstanding and respected Finnish parliamentarian is put on trial twice for sharing her deeply held beliefs in a tweet four years ago, you know regard for free speech in Europe has hit a new low," Coleman said.

Police investigations against Rasanen began in June 2019, following a tweet in which she questioned her church's sponsorship of the LGBT event Pride 2019, accompanied by an image of Bible verses from the New Testament book of Romans. Subsequent investigations led to charges based on a church pamphlet she wrote nearly 20 years ago.

Rasanen attended 13 hours of police interrogations. She was frequently asked by police to explain her understanding of the Bible. Despite police recommendations not to continue the prosecution, Finland's prosecutor general brought three criminal charges against her in April 2021.

Rasanen's statements did not violate the policies of Twitter or the national broadcaster, and they remained freely available on their platforms, ADF International noted.

Rasanen insists that she has no ill will toward the LGBT community and claims those accusing her of hate speech are the ones dabbling in hatred.

"We all are sinners and we need Jesus. But now, I think there is a heavy hatred against Christian values in our society," Rasanen earlier told The Christian Post. "If you speak about gender issues  that there are two genders or that marriage belongs to one woman and one man  it arouses hatred against you in our society."

During the court hearings in early 2022, Rasanen's defense argued that finding her guilty would significantly damage free speech in Finland, as her statements were protected expressions of Christian teaching. The court agreed, stating that "there must be an overriding social reason for interfering with and restricting freedom of expression." The court found no such justification.

Following her acquittal, Rasanen expressed willingness to defend freedom of speech at every level, including the European Court of Human Rights if need be.

Rasanen has served as a Finnish Member of Parliament since 1995, was chair of the Christian Democrats and was the interior minister from 2011-2015.
Parents, teachers sue to stop Virginia school district's trans pronoun policy

A group of parents and teachers have sued a Virginia school district over a policy requiring teachers to use the preferred pronouns of trans-identified students.

The plaintiffs, whose names have been redacted, filed a lawsuit last week in the Circuit Court of Rockingham County against the leadership of Harrisonburg City Public Schools.

At issue is the school boards decision to add gender identity to the school districts nondiscrimination policy. The policy forces teachers to use students' preferred pronouns and withhold information about students' gender identity from their parents if the student requests they do so.

The lawsuit claims the policy compels teachers to violate their religious convictions about gender and honesty and violates parents rights by interfering with their ability to direct the upbringing and education of their children.

Plaintiffs  are HCPS teachers and parents who object to HCPSs policy on free-speech, religious-freedom, and parental-rights grounds, the complaint reads.

"Plaintiffs deeply care about their students and children. They see the growing number of children struggling with gender dysphoria and want those children to experience love and support. But like many, Plaintiffs recognize that a policy of immediate social transition and unquestioning affirmation without parental involvement for every case of gender dysphoria in minors is harmful, not to mention contrary to science."

The plaintiffs are represented by the Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative legal nonprofit that has filed similar litigation against other school districts.

"Public schools should never hide information from or lie to parents about a

child's mental health," the complaint reads. "And schools should never compel teachers to perpetrate such a deception."

ADF Senior Counsel Ryan Bangert said in a statement that he believes parents have the fundamental right to direct the upbringing, care, and education of their children.

Teachers and staff cannot willfully hide kids mental health information from their parents, especially as some of the decisions children are making at school have potentially life-altering ramifications, Bangert stated.

As the clients we represent believe, a teachers role is to support, not supplant, the role of the parent.

HCPS posted a statement on its website stating that the school board maintains a strong commitment to its inclusivity statement.

In specific student situations, the focus is always to foster a team approach that includes and supports the unique needs of the student and family on a case-by-case basis, stated HCPS.

We are dismayed that this complaint is coming to us in the form of a lawsuit in lieu of the collaborative approach we invite and take to address specific needs or concerns, an approach that we believe best serves the interests of our students, staff, and families.

HCPS adopted the policy after the Virginia Department of Education mandated school divisions adopt similar policies to a model policy that it supported during the 2021-2022 school year. Other school districts adopted similar policies.

In addition to the HCPS lawsuit, ADF oversees litigation against Loudon County Public Schools in Virginia over a similar measure known as Policy 8040.

According to the Loudon County policy enacted last year, school faculty and staff must use the chosen name and pronouns of a student who identifies as gender-expansive or transgender.

School staff shall, at the request of a student or parent/legal guardian, when using a name or pronoun to address the student, use the name and pronoun that correspond to their consistently asserted gender identity, read the policy.

The use of gender-neutral pronouns is appropriate. Inadvertent slips in the use of names or pronouns may occur; however, staff or students who intentionally and persistently refuse to respect a students gender identity by using the wrong name and gender pronoun are in violation of this policy.

Last year, the Loudoun County Schools suspended teacher Tanner Cross after he voiced objection to what at the time was a proposed Policy 8040 during a school board hearing. He said the policy would "damage children" and "defile the holy image of God." He argued that affirming students' preferred pronouns is "lying to a child."

After a judge ordered the school district to reinstate Cross, the school district argued that it had received complaints from students and parents who "expressed fear, hurt and disappointment about coming to school" in light of Cross' comments. Loudoun County Schools said addressing those concerns was "paramount to the school divisions goal to provide a safe, welcoming and affirming learning environment for all students."

The Virginia Supreme Court rejected the school district's appeal of the court's order to reinstate Cross.
Pastors son among 9 killed in Army helicopter crash

A military helicopter crash in Kentucky has claimed the lives of nine service members, including the 25-year-old son of a North Carolina pastor. He is my hero and I am proud that God let him call me dad, the grieving father told the media.

Caleb Gore, the son of Pastor Tim Gore, was among those killed in the Fort Campbell Black Hawk helicopter accident in Kentucky last Wednesday, WKRN reported.

Gore, the pastor at Fremont Missionary Baptist Church, said his son was everything a father could possibly wish for. He is my son. He is my hero and I am proud that God let him call me dad, he was quoted as saying.

When Pastor Tim heard the news he couldnt believe it, the emotions flooded in, Travis Moore, the pastor at nearby Cornerstone Assembly of God and a close friend of Gore, told CBS 17. As Ive talked to him throughout the day, hes just trying to process everything.

Caleb was known as a loving and wonderful child with a bright future ahead of him, having planned to become a registered nurse and he was taking leadership training.

In honor of Caleb, residents set up a memorial outside Gores church.

Archbishop Timothy Broglio of the Archdiocese for the Military Services called the tragedy a grim reminder of the risks taken by those in the armed forces. They put themselves in harms way to defend our freedom, our values, our way of life, and in the process some pay the ultimate sacrifice, Crux quoted him as saying.

Officials believe the accident occurred during a training exercise involving two helicopters flying in formation under night vision goggles.

Pastor Gore recalled that his son was eager to join the Army, enlisting even before completing his studies. He went on to become an airborne medic, with a fervent interest in search and rescue missions.

If you happened to be wounded on the battlefield, Caleb coming out of that helicopter would be the most beautiful thing you would ever see, the pastor was quoted as saying.

This is a time of great sadness for the 101st Airborne Division, Maj. Gen. J.P. McGee, commanding general of the 101st Airborne Division and Fort Campbell, said, according to The Hill. The loss of these soldiers will reverberate through our formations for years to come.

In addition to Caleb Gore, the victims included Warrant Officer 1 Jeffery Barnes, Cpl. Emilie Marie Eve Bolanos, Chief Warrant Officer 2 Zachary Esparza, Sgt. Isaacjohn Gayo, Staff Sgt. Joshua C. Gore, Warrant Officer 1 Aaron Healy, Staff Sgt. Taylor Mitchell, Chief Warrant Officer 2 Rusten Smith, and Sgt. David Solinas Jr.

As the community grieves and heals, Maj. Gen. McGee emphasized their support for the families and friends of the fallen soldiers. Now is the time for grieving and healing. The whole division and this community stand behind the families and friends of our fallen Soldiers.
Pregnancy clinic sues Jane's Revenge, activists responsible for pro-abortion vandalism

A pro-life pregnancy center in Florida and the state's attorney general have filed lawsuits against Jane's Revenge, a collective of abortion activists that have claimed responsibility for multiple instances of pro-abortion vandalism over the past year.

The First Liberty Institute has filed a lawsuit on behalf of Heartbeat of Miami, a pro-life organization that operates a Pregnancy Help Medical Clinic in Hialeah, Florida, against Jane's Revenge and three individuals facing charges for vandalizing the facility last July.

The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida last Wednesday, the same day that a grand jury indicted two additional pro-abortion activists in connection to the defacement of the facility.

Two months before the indictment of Gabriella Oropesa and Annarella Rivera, a grand jury in the Middle District of Florida indicted Caleb Freestone and Amber Smith-Stewart for vandalizing Heartbeat of Miami and two other pro-life pregnancy centers in Florida.

The Twitter account Antifa Watch identified Freestone and Smith-Stewart as members of the anarchist group Antifa's Miami cell. The complaint names Freestone, Rivera, Smith-Stewart, and Jane's Revenge as defendants.

Jane's Revenge first received national attention last year following the May 2 publication of a leaked draft U.S. Supreme Court decision in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, which indicated that a majority of justices were prepared to overturn the Roe v. Wade ruling that legalized abortion nationwide by declaring that the U.S. Constitution doesn't contain a right to abortion.

A week after the leaked Dobbs decision, a network of pro-abortion activists identifying themselves as Jane's Revengetook credit for firebombing the headquarters of Wisconsin Family Action, a pro-life organization based in Madison, Wisconsin. Jane's Revenge also called for the "disbanding of all anti-choice establishments, fake clinics, and violent anti-choice groups within the next thirty days."

When the "disbanding" of pro-life pregnancy centers failed to materialize, Jane's Revenge declared "open season" on such organizations as it took credit for multiple acts of vandalism directed against them in a communique. The lawsuit claims Jane's Revenge rhetoric motivated the other defendants to target their client's facility.

On July 3, about a week after the official Dobbs decision was released, Heartbeat of Miami took to social media to announce that vandals spray-painted the phrase "Jane's Revenge" on the side of its facility and additional messages reading "If abortions aren't safe [then] neither are you" and "our rage will not stop." Along with spray-painting the anarchist symbol on the exterior of the pro-life pregnancy center, the vandals asked, "Pro-life? What about [the] death penalty for the accused?"

The complaint outlines additional allegations against the three defendants.

Specifically, the lawsuit maintains that the defendants conspired to disrupt Heartbeat of Miami's annual gala, which took place at the Trump National Doral Miami Resort & Hotel in Miami on Sept. 17.

Leading up to the event, the defendants are accused of creating a social media page encouraging people to disrupt the gathering, offering to pay the bail of anyone arrested for doing so, and publishing the personal information of the pro-life pregnancy center's director and a member of its board.

"Defendant Freestone and other conspirators hacked into Heartbeat's registration for its Gala and added themselves to the guest list without paying the required fee for making such a reservation," the lawsuit stated. "The actions were taken in furtherance of an effort to disrupt Heartbeat's provision of reproductive health services by intimidating those who would financially support this life-affirming reproductive healthcare facility and preventing Heartbeat from obtaining the donations it relies upon for its operations."

Freestone and Rivera disrupted the event by "shouting obscenities and disparaging language regarding Heartbeat and its work in the community." They also distributed business cards "containing false information about the work performed by Heartbeat, including accusing Heartbeat of operating 'FAKE CLINICS' and stating Heartbeat's reproductive healthcare facilities were 'Designed to Lie to You.'"

While the two attempted to confront Heartbeat President Martha Avila, they were escorted out of the facility and arrested before they could do so. Despite the increased security Heartbeat of Miami invested in due to the threats leading up to the gala, Avila feared "physical harm."

The complaint contends that the defendants violated the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act and seeks $5,000 in damages for each act committed violating federal law.

The FACE Act subjects anyone who "intentionally damages or destroys the property of a facility, or attempts to do so, because such facility provides reproductive health services" to federal charges.

Defendants also face trespass charges concerning the facility's vandalism and the gala's disruption, civil conspiracy and violation of the Florida Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization (RICO) Act.

The lawsuit asks a judge to prevent the defendants from continuing to threaten the pro-life organization, going within 100 feet of the facility and damaging or destroying its property. Additionally, it requests an order for the dissolution of Jane's Revenge and the awarding of attorney's fees to the plaintiff.

"Those who target life-affirming reproductive health facilities must face the legal penalties Congress established for their crimes," First Liberty Senior Counsel Jeremy Dys said. "No one should suffer violence for simply providing faith-based counseling and baby supplies to women and their babies. Violence is never a lawful response to disagreement."

Defendants Freestone and Smith-Stewart face a separate lawsuit from Florida's Republican Attorney General Ashley Moody. The state seeks to recover $170,000 in damages from each in connection with their vandalism of Heartbeat of Miami, the South Broward Pregnancy Help Center in Hollywood and the LifeChoice crisis pregnancy center in Winter Haven.

"Antifa and Jane's Revenge are criminal organizations and must answer for their crimes in Florida. I am taking action to hold their members accountable for attempting to intimidate and threaten law-abiding citizens in our state," Moody stated.

If convicted in connection to their recent indictments by a grand jury in the Middle District of Florida, Freestone, Smith-Stewart and Rivera face up to 12 years in prison, three years of supervised release and fines of up to $250,000.

First Liberty President Kelly Shackelford praised the attorney general for "leading the effort to protect all faith-based pregnancy care centers across the country."

"The rule of law compels this lawsuit," Shackelford said. "If you use violence as a means to advance your disagreement, you will be held accountable by the law."
Chest reconstruction surgeries on trans-identified youth increase nearly 400% in 3 years: report

A new report suggests that chest reconstruction surgeries performed on adolescents with gender dysphoria increased nearly 400% from 2016 to 2019 as concerns about the ethics and consequences of medical interventions for trans-identified youth persist.

The Journal of the American Medical Association released the report Monday examining the frequency of gender transition surgeries involving the human chest among adolescents in the United States.

The report, authored by Rishub Karan Das, Dr. Galen Perdikis and Dr. Salam Al Kassis of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, analyzed data from the Nationwide Ambulatory Surgery Sample on youth with gender dysphoria who underwent "top" surgeries between 2016 and 2019.

The research analyzed the incidence of both masculizing and feminizing chest reconstruction surgery. Masculinizing chest surgeries involve the removal of the breasts, while feminizing chest surgeries involve the augmentation of breast tissue designed to make the organs more visible in biological males who identify as females.

The report found that the number of chest reconstruction surgeries performed on minors increased from about 100 in 2016 to 489 in 2019, a 389% increase in three years.

The number of chest reconstruction surgeries has steadily increased over the years, surpassing 200 in 2017 and eclipsing 300 in 2018.

The study analyzed a weighted estimate of 1,130 operations performed. According to the research, masculinizing chest surgeries accounted for the overwhelming majority of chest reconstruction surgeries in the three-year period. Feminizing chest surgeries comprised just 1.4% of the total.

While the majority of children who had the surgeries were 17 years old, about 5.5% were under 14. The median age for recipients of the surgeries was 16 years old.

The research did not provide statistics about "bottom" surgeries among minors, which involve the removal of the sex organs that correspond with the patient's biological sex and/or creating artificial sex organs that match their stated gender identity.

Many children's hospitals, including the one at Vanderbilt University, have come under fire for performing life-altering procedures on children.

Vanderbilt announced that it will halt those surgeries following backlash to reporting indicating that the hospital offered them.

While the authors contend that "gender-affirming surgery may improve the functioning and mental health" of teens with gender dysphoria, other medical organizations remain skeptical about the benefits of gender transition procedures.

The American College of Pediatricians, which describes itself as a "national organization of pediatricians and other healthcare professionals dedicated to the health and well-being of children," warns about the long-term and short-term impacts of puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones, which are commonly prescribed to youth with gender dysphoria.

The organization identified the side effects of puberty blockers as "osteoporosis, mood disorders, seizures, cognitive impairment and when combined with cross-sex hormones, sterility." Additionally, the medical organization states that cross-sex hormones come with "an increased risk of heart attacks, stroke, diabetes, blood clots and cancers across their lifespan."

Concerns about the negative consequences of surgical interventions for trans-identified children have prompted several states to outlaw the performance of such procedures on minors.

Alabama, Arizona and Arkansas have passed laws to that effect while the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton have classified gender transition surgeries on minors as a form of child abuse.

Critics contend that the gender-transition procedures offer a permanent solution to what might be a temporary problem for many adolescents suffering from gender dysphoria.

Detransitioners, those who formerly struggled with gender dysphoria and have since come to regret the gender transitions they underwent, have become increasingly outspoken about sharing their stories.

Last week, Chloe Cole, an 18-year-old who underwent a double mastectomy at 15, discussed the regret of having her breasts removed when calling into a Conejos Valley Unified School District board meeting in Ventura County, California.

"Very quickly, I was given what I wanted, but it was far from what I needed. Two years later, I was still suffering from major complications," she explained.

Cole suggested that as a minor, she lacked the maturity to understand the ramifications of her life-altering decisions.

"I will not be able to breastfeed any children I have in the future, and my sexuality has permanently been affected because I was allowed to make adult decisions starting at 13 and then again at 15," she said.

Cole characterized her experience as an example of "what happens when we treat children like adults and expect them to have the mental faculties for proper long-term decision-making."
Trump dominates CPAC straw poll, DeSantis comes in distant second

Former President Donald Trump is the clear favorite among a slate of declared Republican presidential candidates and potential candidates, according to voters in a straw poll at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference in National Harbor, Maryland.

CPAC conducted a straw poll in conjunction with Real Americas Voice and McLaughlin & Associates measuring attendees presidential preference heading into the 2024 Republican presidential primaries. The poll, which surveyed 2,028 people who attended the event and was released Saturday, found former President Donald Trump securing 62% of the vote, followed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis at 20%. DeSantis is widely thought to be considering a presidential bid but has not formally declared an interest in running for the top spot.

Perry Johnson, a little-known declared presidential candidate who spoke at the convention, received 5% support as the partys presidential nominee while declared candidate and former United States Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley captured 3% of the vote. Vivek Ramaswamy, another declared Republican presidential candidate, secured the support of 1% of respondents, along with Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

The poll also asked who attendees would like to see as the Republican vice-presidential nominee in 2024. 2022 Arizona Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake won the support of 20% of respondents, followed by DeSantis (14%), Haley (10%), Ramaswamy (6%), Pompeo (6%), South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (5%), Paul (4%), Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., (4%) and Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (4%).

Unsuccessful 2016 Republican presidential hopefuls Dr. Ben Carson and Cruz each received 3% support as the vice-presidential candidate, while former Vice President Mike Pence, who served alongside Trump for four years, only received 1% support.

The previous CPAC straw poll, conducted at the Dallas conference last summer, found Trump winning 69% of the vote, followed by DeSantis (24%) and Cruz (2%). All other candidates and potential candidates included in the poll received 1% of the vote or less.

When asked if they ever felt personally or professionally threatened because of their political beliefs, 73% answered in the affirmative, while 22% said no. The overwhelming majority of attendees (89%) indicated they had no plans of getting a coronavirus shot in the future while 5% said they already had.

Nearly three-fourths of those surveyed (74%) expressed a desire for laws regulating abortion at the state level following the overturning of the U.S. Supreme Court case Roe v. Wade, which determined that the U.S. Constitution does not contain a right to abortion. Thirteen percent thought abortion laws should be made at the federal level, while an additional 13% were not sure.

Seventy-nine percent of participants expressed disapproval of the U.S. government giving billions of dollars in aid and military weapons to help Ukraine fight the war against Russia, with 61% strongly disapproving. Only 16% of those surveyed supported giving money and weapons to Ukraine.

The survey also asked attendees who they thought would be the Democratic nominee for president in 2024. Just 39% predicted that incumbent President Joe Biden would be his partys standard bearer in 2024, while 21% thought that California Gov. Gavin Newsom would capture the nomination. Fourteen percent forecasted former first lady Michelle Obama winning the Democratic nomination, while 6% thought Vice President Kamala Harris would become the nominee.

Additional candidates received a minimal amount of support, including 2016 Democratic nominee and former first lady Hillary Clinton (3%), Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg (2%), Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., (1%), talk show host Oprah Winfrey (1%) and Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W-Va. (1%).
UK Investigating Why Referrals for Gender Dysphoria in Children Have Increased Over 4,000 Percent in 10 Years

A U.K. government inquiry is underway to investigate why there's an over 4,000 percent increase in children seeking to "transition" to the opposite sex.

The available data says that young people referred for "gender treatment" has increased from 97 in 20092010 to 2,510 in 20172018, a 4,415 percent increase in less than a decade, the UK Express reported Sunday.

Equalities Minister Penny Mordaunt has asked officials to investigate the reasons for the skyrocketing rise, particularly the role of social media and its influence over how girls think about the subject.

Girls are more likely to seek to "transition" than boys.

Whereas only 40 girls were referred for such treatment nine years ago, that figure is now 1,806, a 4,515 percent increase. The number of boys rose from 56 to 713 in that same time span. In 20172018, 45 of those children referred were ages 6 or younger, with the youngest at only 4.

"Some educationalists have previously warned that the promotion of transgender issues in schools has 'sown confusion' in children's minds and that encouraging children to question gender has 'become an industry,' the Telegraph reported.

"Dr. Joanna Williams, author of the book Women vs Feminism, has said that schools are 'encouraging even the youngest children to question whether they are really a boy or a girl,' the Telegraph added.

Eight hundred dysphoric children in England were injected with puberty blocking drugs last year, including some as young as 10 years old.

Many doctors and researchers are increasingly concerned about the long-term effects of these chemicals, which include not only puberty blockers but cross-sex hormones, on young people.

Lucy Griffin, a consultant psychiatrist at Bristol Royal Infirmary, admitted she was "extremely worried" about this and has warned that these treatments cause osteoporosis, yield sexual dysfunction, and can render their bodies sterile.

Other experts say the rapid growth of minors seeking hormones and surgery is in part because of a social contagion known as rapid onset gender dysphoria, a phenomenon exacerbated by an internet culture of websites like Reddit and YouTube where other young trans-identified people celebrate and being transgender and all of the social and medical transition processes involved.

Young people who are struggling psychologically with their bodies often find validation online and then self-diagnose as transgender and begin demanding to transition. And some youth are indeed proceeding with it.

The Federalist reported last week that in the United States, girls as young as 13 are undergoing mastectomies for gender dysphoria and that federal tax dollars are being used to fuel ideologically skewed research on the use of puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones in children.

In one such study funded by a $5.7 million National Institutes of Health grant, Dr. Johanna Olson of Children's Hospital Los Angeles dismisses the possibility that gender dysphoria might stem from psychological disturbance, insisting that the only relevant "mental health issue" is how "the outside world responds" to the confused youth. Gender dysphoric youth will experience "wrong puberty," she says, unless she and other like-minded people intervene early enough to "put them through the right puberty."

These and related issues are arguably the most bitterly contested matters in contemporary politics in both the U.K. and U.S. Opposition to these medical practices spans the political spectrum.

Meanwhile, academic research counter to the transgender narrative in favor of transitioning minors is subjected to intense pushback.

As The Christian Post reported Aug. 30, Brown University in Rhode Island scrubbed an article from its website following protests from transactivists. The article was about the research of Lisa Littman, a faculty member who published a peer-reviewed study on rapid onset gender dysphoria in a scientific journal.

Littman's research explored the possibility of peer pressure that could contribute to some teens and young adults assuming that they are transgender, and as a result undergo permanent surgical procedures they may regret.

Her study also notes the role of the internet in furthering gender confusion among teenagers, citing parents of dysphoric children who when surveyed described "clusters of gender dysphoria outbreaks occurring in pre-existing friend groups with multiple or even all members of a friend group becoming gender dysphoric and transgender-identified in a pattern that seems statistically unlikely."

The parents in Littman's study reported that excessive social media use and "binge-watching" YouTube videos about transitioning were often the precursor to these outbreaks.
Va. school district reverses suspension of Christian teacher who opposed trans pronoun policy

A Virginia school district that punished a Christian teacher for expressing his disagreement with a policy to require teachers to use the preferred pronouns of trans-identified students has agreed to lift the teachers suspension as part of a settlement.

Byron Tanner Cross sued Loudon County Public Schools after he was suspended in May following a speech at a school board meeting in which he said that he could not in good conscience use the chosen pronouns of his students.

In a settlement reached last week, school officials agreed to remove the suspension from his record in return for Cross dropping the lawsuit against the school board.

Additionally, the school district agreed to send the Alliance Defending Freedom, which represented Cross, $20,000 in attorneys fees within 14 days of the settlement being reached.

In a statement, ADF Senior Counsel Tyson Langhofer said that more litigation was still needed to challenge Loudon Countys gender identity anti-discrimination policy.

While we are very pleased that Tanner will be able to keep serving his students in light of this settlement, the concerns expressed in our ongoing lawsuit challenging the districts policy remain, stated Langhofer.

Public employees cannot be forced to contradict their core beliefs just to keep a job. Freedomof speech and religious exerciseincludes the freedom not to speak messages against our core beliefs.

A teacher at Leesburg Elementary School, Cross was put on administrative leave in May after he expressed opposition to a proposed policy that has since passed requires teachers to use the preferred pronouns of students instead of pronouns that reflect their biological sex.

My name is Tanner Cross, and I am speaking out of love for those who suffer with gender dysphoria, said Cross at the meeting. I love all of my students, but I will never lie to them regardless of the consequences.

Im a teacher, but I serve God first and I will not affirm that a biological boy can be a girl and vice versa because its against my religion.

Cross sued the Loudon County School Board, with a judge granting him a temporary injunction against the suspension in June.

LCPS respectfully disagrees with the Circuit Courts decision to issue the injunction, and it is appealing this ruling to the Supreme Court of Virginia, stated the school district in response to the June decision.

Many students and parents at Leesburg Elementary have expressed fear, hurt and disappointment about coming to school. Addressing those concerns is paramount to the school divisions goal to provide a safe, welcoming and affirming learning environment for all students.

In late August, the Virginia Supreme Court agreed to hear the lawsuit and issued an order to keep the injunction against the school board.

As the Cross litigation was ongoing, the school board voted to approve Policy 8040, an anti-discrimination measure that Cross opposed.

According to Policy 8040, school faculty and staff must use the chosen name and pronouns of a student who identifies as gender-expansive or transgender.

School staff shall, at the request of a student or parent/legal guardian, when using a name or pronoun to address the student, use the name and pronoun that correspond to their consistently asserted gender identity, read the policy.

The use of gender-neutral pronouns is appropriate. Inadvertent slips in the use of names or pronouns may occur; however, staff or students who intentionally and persistently refuse to respect a students gender identity by using the wrong name and gender pronoun are in violation of this policy.

The policy also allows students to use the restroom or locker room that corresponds to their consistently asserted gender identity, advising school administrators to consider adding gender-inclusive or single-user restrooms for more privacy.

ADF, a legal nonprofit specializing in religious freedom and free speech, represents multiple teachers suing Loudon County over policy 8040, arguing that the measure forces staff to communicate a message they believe is false.
Virginia orders schools to stop hiding trans students' health information from their parents

Virginia's Department of Education under Gov. Glenn Youngkin released a directive telling all school districts to stop allowing students to identify as the opposite sex without legal documents and to keep parents informed about their child's "psychological development."

The directive announced Friday orders all 133 Virginia public school districts to no longer allow students to enter opposite-sex bathrooms and other private spaces. Similarly, students who want to be referred to by their chosen pronouns must file legal documents.

In addition, the directive says that schools must "keep parents fully informed about all matters" related to a child's health and social and psychological development," and they must not conceal information related to the child's gender from parents.

The document also states that school staff is not required to address a student "in any manner" that contradicts their religious beliefs.

Youngkin's guidelines reverse the directive enacted under the previous governor, Democrat Ralph Northam, which called for allowing trans-identifying students to use opposite-sex pronouns without documentation.

Nicole Neily, founder and president of the national parental rights activist organization Parents Defending Education, said in an interview with The Christian Post that other states should follow Youngkin's lead.

"The kinds of ideas and the kinds of policies that have been pushed in schools across the country, when parents know what's going on, they're appalled by those, and rightly so," Neily said.

"Because right now, the default setting in far too many school districts is let's keep secrets from mom and dad."

"The fact that Gov. Youngkin has put parental rights first and foremost is something that shouldn't be revolutionary, but sadly, in 2022, it is," she added.

The ACLU of Virginia criticized the Youngkin administration's policy, claiming in a Saturday tweet that the directive will worsen suicide and self-harm rates in LGBT students.

"We are appalled by the Youngkin administration's overhaul of key protections for transgender students in public schools," the ACLU wrote.

Neily argues that schools already serve as mandatory reporters, requiring teachers and staff to intervene if they feel a child is in an unsafe environment.

"For them to now pretend that the default setting is all families are unsafe is really throwing the baby out with the bathwater because there are already provisions in place," she said.

Neily claimed that the Northam administration's policies made schools assume that families were unsafe and that school was the only place of safety for kids.

"Unfortunately, these policies are in schools across the country, coast to coast," Neily said.

While many districts in conservative areas of the state will likely comply with Youngkin's order, The Washington Post reports that there is talk of a lawsuit coming from northern Virginia districts in the liberal suburban Washington counties. Critics contend that the order violates the Virginia Human Rights Act, which was expanded in 2020 to bar discrimination based on gender identity in public accommodations.

Since Parents Defending Education's founding in March, the organization has received 50 to 200 tips from across the country. Most of the tips received this year have been about policies related to gender identity in schools.

Parents have concerns about fairness regarding female athletes losing awards or scholarships due to being forced to compete against biological males, according to Neily. In addition, parents are worried about girls having to share a bathroom or locker room with boys identifying as the opposite sex.

Neily pointed to a federal lawsuit that the ACLU filed in August in the Northeastern District of Iowa Cedar Rapids Division after the Linn-Mar Community School District instituted a gender-neutral bathroom and locker policy. She claims that many girls were afraid to use the restroom or change for gym class as a result, something she feels highlights many parents' concerns regarding such policies.

"They worry about the privacy of these spaces," she said, stating that Gov. Youngkin is leading with "parental rights."

"People want to know what is going on in their child's life so they can make informed decisions," the Parents Defending Education founder said. "'Maybe I won't send my child on the field trip; I want to know if my child is being referred to by a different name.'"

"If the child is leading, for all intents and purposes, a double life in school  they're going by one name and one pronoun at home and another at school  what kind of mental turmoil does that cause for adolescents?" she asked.

Last November, Youngkin defeated his Democratic challenger, Terry McAuliffe, in the Virginia gubernatorial race, an election that took place amid national debates surrounding parental involvement in education.

During a debate, McAuliffe argued against parents telling schools what to teach. Meanwhile, Youngkin propped himself up as an advocate for parental involvement in education.

Around this time, two schools in Loudon County, Virginia, attracted controversy amid reports of two sexual assaults committed at two separate high schools by the same male student. In one instance, the student wore a skirt in a girls' bathroom.

The incidents reportedly occurred before Loudoun County officials implemented a policy allowing trans-identifying students to enter opposite-sex bathrooms and other single-sex spaces.

Last July, Fairfax County adopted a policy permitting trans-identifying students to enter any bathroom or single-sex space they wanted, which many parents protested. Another policy required school newspapers, yearbooks and other official student lists to refer to students as their chosen pronouns, according to The Washington Post.
"The fact that Italy, as well as many other European countries, has been authorized as a destination for group tours from China is important news that we have been waiting for a long time," said Cristiano Varotti, chief representative of Italian National Tourist Board (ENIT) in China. ROME, April 3 (Xinhua) -- There is a growing inclination among Chinese citizens to travel to international destinations and this is a significant development for Italy's tourism sector, a representative of Italian National Tourist Board (ENIT) has said. Cristiano Varotti, chief representative of ENIT in China, told Xinhua in a recent interview, commenting on China's resumption of outbound group travel to this European country with abundant tourist resources. "The fact that Italy, as well as many other European countries, has been authorized as a destination for group tours from China is important news that we have been waiting for a long time," he said. China has unveiled a second list of 40 destinations, including Italy, to which travel agencies and online tourism service providers can offer group tours from March 15. Varotti said he was confident that the coming months will confirm Italy's position as a top travel destination for Chinese citizens. "The pre-pandemic numbers of Chinese tourists in Italy were significant, with annual growth rates in the double digits and great prospects for the future," he said. Regarding the role played by Chinese tourists in the development of Italy's tourism industry, the representative said he was convinced that the Chinese tourist market has the greatest potential globally and that the impact on Italy's tourism industry could be really significant. "There is a great room for growth. Even in terms of the composition of spending by Chinese tourists abroad, it is a market that has yet to reveal its full potential," said Varotti. Varotti listed many elements in Italy's rich tourism offer that could make it an indispensable destination for Chinese tourists: the great art cities, with their historic monuments and shopping streets, as well as its natural wonders and experiences to get a taste of the Italian lifestyle. He said he was also convinced that the new influx of Chinese tourists will benefit not only Italy's traditional destinations, such as Rome, Milan, Florence and Venice, but also new destinations, such as Sicily and the islands, the Alpine resorts or the small towns, which offer authentic and customized travel experiences. In order to welcome the return of Chinese tourists, Italy's preparation work is ongoing, said Varotti, adding that the ENIT has begun to work with Chinese tour operators to restructure their offerings and develop new products. "We are planning to stage a roadshow in China in the coming months to meet Chinese companies in person and to make ourselves available to them. There will be a lot of work to do in the coming months," he added.
Christianity and LGBT: I'm a refugee from Side A, but Side B concerns me, too

I read Bethel McGrews recent First Things magazine article, How the Side B Project Failed, as a refugee from the Side A project. Im equally concerned about Side B.

For those unfamiliar with these two perspectives, Side A Christianity embraces LGBT as a God-given gift and reinterprets Scripture to accommodate these expressions of same-sex sexuality and gender identity. Alternatively, Side B calls LGBT-identifying Christians to the historical biblical sexual ethic by directing them to pseudo-biblical forms of celibacy that include covenant friendships. Both expressions seek to welcome LGBT-identifying people fully into the Christian faith, but sadly, both fall short.

Every Christian who has questioned his/her sexuality or gender, whether formally identified as LGBT or not, faces a theological and doctrinal reckoning when it comes to Christ. What does it mean to be born again when one has same-sex sexuality or gender incongruence in their life?

Christians surrender their self-governance and understanding of personhood when they follow Jesus. Sides A and B are missing the satisfaction and fulfillment of that very human-turned-more-than-human experience. Sacrificing LGBT identity opens the door to self-discovery. Through honesty and authenticity, a life surrendered to God exposes our personal history: we are not born this way. Our LGBT sexuality is not innate and determinative. We are merely men and women, genetically indistinct from all others despite our unique experiences.

In the context of a supportive and empowering congregation, leaving LGBT behind makes way for wholeness. Distorted and broken expressions of relationships fostered by LGBT identity give way to belonging among other disciples of Jesus who are mutually pursuing spiritual maturity. One no longer experiences rejection or otherness. Instead, they discover that the deepest needs of men and women are shared, shattering stereotypes and presumptive judgments.

Are you family is an oft-used euphemism within the LGBT community. Family and belonging are deeply held longings in the LGBT culture. Its equality, neighborhood centers, Pride flags and gay bars point to a yearning for connection. Yet, in a convoluted way, these institutions perpetuate a fractured existence of life  gay versus straight  that forbids identification with the rest of humanity while also sincerely longing for it. But the isolation of the modern condition is not exclusively an LGBT predicament. Culture tells us that romance and sex answer our longing for connection. This deception draws Side B to despair and leads to disordered, though well-meaning covenant friendships.

The hearts cry of the LGBT community simply mirrors that of greater Western society that are lonely and longing for meaning, purpose and belonging. The sexual identity movement has removed sexual boundaries between peers, and so robbed a generation of the beauty of pure-hearted and devoted friendship. Reinforcing biblical notions of singleness, marriage, family and parenthood within a tight-knit Christian community assuages the loneliness of expressive individualism. Ultimately, they can also be a balm that invites freedom from the domination of LGBT identity.
These words need to take root in the hearts of faith-filled Americans

This Easter, billions of Christians around the world will celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus. And for good reason: through belief in Christs resurrection, Christians have been given a path to freedom  freedom from death and freedom from the sinful life that so easily entangles as Hebrews 12:1 exhorts.

But this freedom is not a license to do what we please as individuals or as a society. I am reminded this Easter season that we should use the freedom Christ won for us to serve, protect and defend each other, especially the most vulnerable among us.

Galatians 5:13 is clear: For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. In America today, our most vulnerable need this kind of loving service and protection. Family values, life and religious freedom are being threatened, and our nation needs these words from Galatians 5 to take root in the hearts of faith-filled Americans now more than ever.

The Constitution protects our right to minister and worship freely without fear or threat of incrimination, but increasingly those freedoms are coming under attack. Just recently, some in the American liberal media blatantly mocked Christians for their thought and prayers during the tragic school shooting in Nashville. On a larger scale, a new report from the Anti-Defamation League uncovered just under 3,700 antisemitic incidents in the U.S. last year.

This is unacceptable. Its un-American. People of faith must stand together in unison and push back against these jabs at our God-given and constitutional rights. We must not cower as believers. Now is the time to stand up and defend our faith, convictions and values.

Our fight for life must continue, too. Advocates for the unborn have much to celebrate this year, with a whole host of new state-level pro-life legislation either on the books or in the works. But some states are only making it easier to end a life, and Christians must double down on their efforts to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, minister to pregnant women in crisis, house the homeless and share the hope of the Gospel with vulnerable mothers and their families.

Traditional family values are also under siege. The woke liberal agenda continues to threaten the family and undermine traditional marriage, making Christians out to be the intolerant ones while they indoctrinate the youth of today with confusing gender ideologies.

Governor Ron DeSantis last year said, Florida is where woke goes to die. I admire his philosophy, but this must not be relegated only to Florida. Christians across the country must step out of their comfort zones and sound the alarm in every county and state across this fruited plain. Our children are vulnerable, and they need our guidance and protection.

As we do this work, we must remember that we are in a battle, and that battle is not against flesh and blood, but  against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 6:12). Our neighbors are not the enemy  the powers of darkness that call whats right wrong and whats wrong right are the real adversary.

We see that adversary running rampant in our society today. But remember this too  he will not have the victory. Christ has already won, and we fight for freedom from the winning side.

So, this Easter, we must raise our voices and collectively cry out in unison for the beliefs we hold so dear. Let us use our freedom in Christ to speak out against injustice  abortion, the denigration of the traditional family, and religious persecution. Let us have a renewed sense of urgency to get involved in these issues at our local, state and national levels. And let us be men and women of steadfast prayer, recommitting to pray for those who stand as Christ-followers in our government. Let us pray for their protection, their boldness, and for their voices to be heard.

We must use our freedoms to continue to fight the good fight this Easter season and throughout the coming year. This is the service to which we were called.
Transgender ideology in schools is the mother of all safeguarding failures

A new report by Policy Exchange shows that 69% of secondary schools are requiring other children to affirm a gender-distressed child's new identity. In other words, pupils are being forced to lie about the biological sex of their friends. They must call 'him' 'her'.

Policy Exchange sent Freedom of Information (FOI) requests to a random selection of over 300 maintained secondary schools and academies in England to assess how they were responding to the surge in pupils identifying as the opposite sex. Amongst other findings in the report are:

Seven in 10 schools are failing to inform families when pupils question or change their 'gender identity'

Four in 10 schools operate policies of 'gender self-identification'

At least 28% of secondary schools are not maintaining single sex toilets

19% of secondary schools are not maintaining single-sex changing rooms

72% of schools are teaching that people have a 'gender identity' that may be different from their biological sex

25% of schools are teaching that some people or children 'may be born in the wrong body'.

This shocking state of affairs shows that 'transgender ideology' has virtually taken over the entire secondary school system. What the figures also show is that at least 70% of secondary schools now have pupils who are identifying as 'transgender'.

Nigel and Sally Rowe highlighted the problem

Back in 2016, Christian parents Nigel and Sally Rowe raised the profile of this issue when they challenged their son's Church of England primary school for allowing a six-year-old to come into school dressed 'sometimes as a boy' and 'sometimes as girl'. Other pupils were told that they must refer to the pupil with 'acquired gender pronouns' and their new gendered name.

Christian Concern helped them as they pursued legal action to clarify whether schools should be allowing pupils to 'socially transition'. They were pilloried in the media, with Philip Schofield on ITV's This Morning telling them that they "were the ones with the problem" and that "attitudes change, we're less medieval than we used to be."

Nevertheless, the Rowes persisted and won a settlement from the Department for Education (DfE) which included 22,000 in legal costs, and a commitment from the government to review their guidance on issues regarding the teaching of 'transgender ideology' in primary schools last year.

No child should be punished for refusing to affirm 'gender identities'

In a speech last year, then Attorney General, Suella Braverman MP said:

"No child should be made to fear punishment or disadvantage for questioning what they are being taught, or refusing to adopt a preferred pronoun for a gender questioning child, or complaining about a gender questioning child using their toilets or changing rooms, or refusing to take part in activities promoted by Stonewall or other such organisations. The right to freedom of belief, thought, conscience and speech must be protected."

Sadly, her advice is not being heeded by the vast majority of schools.

The CofE has not helped

Last year, 15,000 people signed a petition calling on the Church of England to scrap its pro-transgender guidance Valuing All God's Children. This guidance for Church of England schools affirms the existence of so-called 'trans pupils', and says that pupils should "be supported to accept their own gender identity or sexual orientation." Furthermore it states that "transgender issues may be mentioned as a fact in some people's lives."

This guidance has been used to justify allowing young children to identify as the opposite sex, start 'socially transitioning', and force other pupils to affirm another child in their 'chosen gender'.

Massive safeguarding failure

Society has lost its moral compass. How did we ever decide that it would be helpful for children to be taught that they might be born in the wrong body? How is it helpful for distressed children to encourage them down a path of 'changing gender' with all the associated medical intervention?

Clearly schools and teachers are terrified of being accused of being 'transphobic' and even reported to Prevent - the government's anti-terrorism scheme - as a safeguarding risk, a danger to children, or even as an 'extremist'.

What we have here is the mother of all safeguarding failures. The Policy Exchange report describes it as "a safeguarding blind spot when it comes to the issue of sex and gender." It goes on to say that:

"Safeguarding principles are being routinely disregarded in many secondary schools, which are neglecting their safeguarding responsibilities in favour of a set of contested beliefs in a way that risk jeopardising child wellbeing and safety."

Furthermore:

"By uncritically accepting contested beliefs on gender identity, as well as adopting affirmative practice, which involves affirming a child's belief that they are the opposite gender to their sex, schools are failing to consider their safeguarding duties  not just to gender-distressed children  but to their peers as well."

Somehow 'transgender ideology' has come to trump safeguarding in schools. This is a serious moral failure and harmful for our children.

A vindication of parents' concerns

Miriam Cates MP, endorses the report with these words:

"For years, parents who have raised safeguarding concerns to both schools and the Department for Education have been ignored, disbelieved or labelled as 'bigots'. This report is a vindication of their concerns and a resounding call to action for Government and school leaders. Biological sex is immutable and the sex-based protections that are the hallmark of all civilised societies must apply to children in our schools."

This report vindicates Nigel and Sally Rowe, Joshua Sutcliffe, Bernard Randall and the many others that we have served at Christian Concern, who have raised concerns about allowing young children to identify as the opposite sex and 'socially transition'.

There is no real freedom to be found in 'transgender ideology'. It is only through understanding who God created us to be, living in God's created order in all of its beauty, which really sets us free to live out his purposes.

Christians have good news for society  which is why we need more Nigel and Sally Rowes, more Joshua Sutcliffes, more Bernard Randalls, who are willing to speak the truth that will free gender-confused children and teenagers and give them a real hope. That is why we must continue speaking the truth, pointing people in the way of true freedom rather than the fake freedom that transgenderism offers.

Andrea Williams is chief executive of Christian Concern.
Transgender policy in schools is like the 'Wild West', says Christian MP

A Christian MP has called for more legal and medical guidance to govern how schools treat gender distressed children.

Speaking to The Christian Institute, Miriam Cates, Conservative MP for Penistone and Stockbridge, said that schools had become like the "Wild West" on the issue of transgenderism because of the lack of guidance.

She said that vulnerable children needed to be "safeguarded" and that it is "significant" if schools are compelling pupils to affirm another child's chosen gender and pronouns.

"Over the last 10 years there's been an exponential increase in the number of children presenting with gender distress  typically girls wanting to be boys, wanting to be treated as boys," she said.

"The on-the-ground impact of that is that many schools don't know what to do. Some are transitioning these children socially, changing their names and pronouns, allowing girls to use boys' toilets and vice versa ... some aren't telling parents.

"But it's not a problem that schools can deal with on their own. They need guidance  legal guidance, medical guidance  and at the moment it's a Wild West."

It was Mrs Cates who persuaded Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to launch an urgent review into Relationships and Sex Education amid concerns about some of the sexualised and inappropriate material being used in lessons.

In the wide-ranging interview with The Christian Institute, Mrs Cates said there was enough evidence to show that it was "a real problem that needed sorting out".

She went on to express her opposition to the government's plans to introduce a ban on so-called conversion therapy because of the risk to fundamental freedoms.

"To say to a counsellor, to parents, to teachers, to medical professionals that you just have to accept a child's view of their gender identity, and anything else could be illegal, is very frightening," she said.

Mrs Cates also thanked SNP MSP Kate Forbes for speaking publicly about her own Christian faith during her leadership campaign, despite coming under attack for her traditional beliefs and membership of the Free Church of Scotland.

"I think she's been incredibly brave and as a Christian I'm very grateful to her for standing up for what she believes and being willing to say it and also to say it in a very gracious way," Mrs Cates said.

"I think it has really opened the door for people to see the value that faith and belief can have. Of course she's had attack but she's also had some support from unlikely quarters, people who don't agree with her views on some of the live issues but really value her for being willing to say it."
The Super Mario Bros. Movie is such a brightly spiffy product, and so initially pleasing to gawk at, that it takes a moment to realize that it's not much of a movie at all. It's more like glorified memorabilia, throwing the shiniest animation money can buy at a total absence of imagination. Early on, its title character, the plumber in the red hat and white gloves, is sucked through a magical pipe into The Mushroom Kingdom, and the overgrown fungus all around him is so lovingly texturedso leathery and crinkled, like a real portobellothat you can practically taste it. But the longest of long jumps couldn't clear the chasm separating the time and care the animators put into their work here and the effort of the writing it's serving.

The last time Mario and his slimmer, green-clad brother Luigi leapt onto the big screen, it was in the live-action form of Bob Hoskins and John Leguizamo, navigating a cyberpunk metropolis ruled over by a scenery-chewing, body-mutilating Dennis Hopper. Time has earned the first major video-game adaptation a perhaps inevitable cult following, but Nintendo clearly wasn't keen to veer down that rainbow road again. The new Mario Bros. is stubbornly on-model, its every design choice designed to resemble something you could purchase from the eShop on your Switch.

That goes, naturally, for the eponymous siblings themselves, indistinguishable in giant peepers, squat proportions, and matching getups from their video-game counterparts. (No Twitter-mandated trip to the digital dentist necessary for these revived mascots of the console wars.) The supportive bond between the struggling Brooklyn plumbers, chasing their dreams without the support of their stereotypical Italian-American family, is the closest Super Mario Bros. gets to a real relationship. So it's curious how quickly the movie separates them, throwing Luigi (Charlie Day) into enemy clutches at the end of act one, after the two are deposited into a world of koopas, toads, and the like.

Universal Pictures; Illumination; Nintendo

Mario, voiced by Chris Pratt without the trademark "it's a'me" accent, spends most of the movie trying to rescue his brothera classic video-game objective that requires joining forces with a lineup of licensed labelmates. Because damsels in distress are pretty last century, Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy) has been reconfigured into a first-on-the-frontlines monarch who speaks almost exclusively in pep talks. She takes time out of her busy royal schedule to set up a tutorial-style training montage for Mario, despite the rather pressing matter of an impending invasion by despotic, secretly infatuated lizard king Bowser (Jack Black), whose real plans for the Princess are matrimonial, not regicidal.

Black is the only one of the celebrity voice actors who sounds like he's actually trying, like he's not just cashing a check. At times, you can almost sense him bumping against the limitations of the material, laboring desperately to ham-up his hamfisted villainous quips. He gets a Tenacious D-ish love ballad, but like everything else in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, it could have benefited from another draft. Why assemble so many funny people (Seth Rogen, Fred Armisen, Keegan-Michael Key) and give them nothing funny to say? The personalities here are strictly 8-bit. Whatever sense of character a gamer might project on silent, pixelated avatars would have to be richer than Pratt's blandly plucky take on Mario. In fact, it's less endearing than the faint Chaplin quality the little guy picked up when he made the leap into 3D.

Universal Pictures; Illumination; Nintendo

Maybe it's silly to complain about storytelling in an adaptation of a run-and-jump platformer. But The Super Mario Bros. Movie has all the narrative inspiration of a stockholders presentation; it's hard to shake the impression that it's been written by checklist, with more easter eggs than plot points and more dopey needle drops (yes, "Holding Out for a Hero" makes an appearance, two decades after Shrek 2) than jokes. Screenwriter Matthew Fogel, purveyor of Minion and Lego mischief alike, seems to have been hired to half-assedly connect set-piecesas in, just get us from the Super Smash Bros. reference to the Mario Kart advertisement, please. This movie desperately wants for a Lord-Miller pass. It plays as though the scenes of Mario and friends talking to each other were written at the end of production, then hastily and indifferently inserted.

None of that may matter to the Nintendo heads, or at least to the youngest in the audience. The gleaming gumball imagery and spare-no-expense slapstick of The Super Mario Bros. Movie covers for a lot of sins; the animators, again, have pulled their weight, especially during stray inventive sequences like the one where Mario and Luigi race to make an appointment in New York, their feverish leap across town captured in side-scrolling profile. But for all their deceptive simplicity, the Mario games have always been marvels of design, as elegant as they are fun. However bottomless the resources at their disposal, directors Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic haven't translated the magic. All that pristine computer animation is akin to polishing well, what Mario finds in pipes during his day job.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie opens in theaters everywhere Wednesday, April 5.
In this day and age, when the camera clicks begin in restaurant parking lots, it's often because they are in peculiar structuressay, a used shipping container. But back in the 1980s, long before Instagram or TikTok, it was a novel idea.

For iconic Houston restaurateur Jim Goode, housing Goode Co. Seafood in a passenger railroad car was an integral part of his vision. "When my father started to conceptualize the restaurant, he thought of creating something in the era of a 1940s and 1950s coastal diner," said Levi Goode, president of Goode Co. restaurants and son of the late Jim Goode. "He thought the sleekness of a passenger railroad car would make a fine diner."

Goode Co.

A native of Clute, Texas, Jim grew up saltwater fishing on the upper Texas coast. His journey to opening a seafood restaurant of his own was fueled by the lack of options at that time, despite the state's proximity to bountiful waters. "He noticed that the only options were people serving pre-frozen, breaded seafood out of the Sysco truck when the coast was right down the street," said Levi.

Jim's long-running career as one of the city's storied restaurateurs began in 1977 when he opened Goode Co. Barbecue on Kirby Drive. A few years later, plans were put in motion to expand the company's footprint. "We had the opportunity to purchase a vacant piece of land on Westpark, which was foreclosed on as a result of the oil bust of the '80s," said Levi. "It would eventually be two new restaurants with a parking lot."

Goode Co. Taqueria opened in 1981, but it was the build-out for Goode Co. Seafood, which opened five years later in 1986, that proved to be more of an in-depth process.

Goode Co.

"My father was very resourceful, before the world wide web and Google," said Levi. "He would visit Bookstop, which is Trader Joe's now, and read magazines of different trades." Trains happened to be one of his interests, and he began exploring ways to get a passenger railroad car. A search through the classified ads in one of those magazines led him to a man in the Northeast selling just such a thing.

"He thought the railroad car would be a neat addition to his coastal diner idea," said Levi. "He got it all figured out, bought the train, and it rolled on tracks all the way to Houston."

At the time, the tracks were only about 500 feet from the property, but it still required some thoughtful planning to get the substantial structure in its final resting place. Resourceful as he was, Jim sought out a friend in the crane business to assist in lifting it and placing it at 2621 Westpark Drive, where it currently sits today.

Much had to be done to the actual functioning railroad car before it could open as a restaurant, on top of the necessary building permits. Levi says they cut off the back to build a kitchen, then gutted it and rebuilt it. The result was a unique and interesting space, which proved to be a great package for a coastal diner, just as Jim predicted. At the time, Goode Co. Seafood was the first full-service restaurant in the group's portfolio, and Levi recalls it being "a big jumping off point" for the company.

Greg Morago

More than 35 years later, the restaurant in an old passenger railroad car remains as charming as ever. Open seven days a week for lunch and dinner, it gets plenty of traffic for Goode Co.'s signature mesquite-grilled eats, straightforward fried seafood platters and photo ops galore, with few shakeups to the menu along the way. Soft shell crabs are a big hit when they're in season, and campechana is still the restaurant's best-seller. "The recipes are all the same today as they were when we first opened," said Levi. "We try not to fix anything that isn't broken."

Similarly, minor cosmetic changes have been made to the space itself, including adding new tiles and light fixtures inside the car. "We shine the train on a regular basis and make sure it's got its curb appeal," said Levi. "The restaurant is visited by lots of tourists and out-of-towners, so we get a fair amount of photos in front of it."

What was a personal passion project for Jim resulted in great memories for the burgeoning customer base Goode Co. had in the '80s. What the roaring 2020s will bring is for anyone to say, but it's safe to assume photos in front of the attractive coastal diner on Westpark Drive will keep on coming.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton along with the Montgomery County Sheriffs Office is taking aim at two Spring-area businesses for allegedly operating illicit massage establishments.

According to Paxtons office, the businesses violate the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices-Consumer Protection Act.

Paxton filed individual suits March 29 against 5 Star Massage, 415 Rayford Road, and Savvy Skin, 25329 Budde Road.

On YourConroeNews.com: Montgomery County Sheriffs deputy fired, charged with injuring elderly man

There are thousands of illicit massage businesses across America that take advantage of women and serve as fronts for organized criminal activity, including money laundering, immigration fraud, smuggling, tax evasion and wage violations, Paxton said in an April 2 release. We are going to use the full force of the law to ensure that the operators of these businesses and those who aid in the exploitation of women are brought to justice.

Paxton credited Sheriff Rand Henderson and his department for investigating and developing the cases against the business.

The Montgomery County Sheriff's Office is committed to exposing and ending the exploitation of women who are trapped in the system of human trafficking, Henderson said. We will continue to form partnerships, and through teamwork and cooperation, we will continue to save those who are victimized and bring those responsible to justice.

Since the beginning of this partnership, Henderson said the organized crime unit and Paxtons office notified six property management companies that chose to close the illicit business and avoid civil litigation. However, 5 Star and Savvy Skin remained open prompting the suit to shut the businesses down.

In May 2020, the sheriff's office conducted a code compliance visit to Savvy Skin and noted the business had no paperwork or documentation on what services were provided, according to the lawsuit. The sheriff's office continued its investigation through 2022 after finding advertisements for illicit services conducting surveillance on the business and posing as clients.

The sheriff's office began investigating 5 Star Massage in July 2021 after discovering several advertisements for the business on websites known to advertise illicit massage businesses in their area, according to the lawsuit. In August of that year, the sheriff's office began surveillance on the business. Detectives also posed as customers to enter the business and see how the business was operating.

According to Paxton's office, an estimated 9,000 illicit massage businesses are operating in the United States, 700 of which are believed to be in Texas.
SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. (AP)  A woman intentionally set a house fire last month that killed her and her three young childre n in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, authorities said Tuesday.

The March 14 fire killed Alicia Adzima, 31, of Sault Ste. Marie; her 4-year-old twin daughters, Ella and Eva Clossick; and her 1-year-old son, Emery Adzima, the citys police and fire chiefs said in a news release posted on Facebook.
The video above is part of a series by Clarified featured during Aprils Earth Month to educate viewers on environmental issues.

Green products are everywhere  from the cars you drive to the pillow you rest your head on.

And consumers cant get enough. Conscious consumption in the name of sustainability is on the rise  and companies are taking note.

But sometimes, an organization claims a product or activity appears to be more eco-friendly than it actually is  a term known as Greenwashing.

So how can consumers sift through misleading marketing to find truly ethically made products?

Greenwashing can be found anywhere  one of the biggest cases involved Volkswagen and Porsche repaying over $9.5 billion since 2016 to car buyers after the Federal Trade Commission sued over misleading "green" claims, including the marketing of Volkswagen-branded and Audi-branded cars marketed as clean diesel.

The FTC alleged Volkswagens seven-year ad campaign falsely claimed the cars were low emission, environmentally friendly, and met emission standards.

In reality, the cars were fitted with illegal emission defeat devices designed to mask high emissions during government tests. The companies did not admit or deny the allegations, but agreed to pay the multi-billion dollar settlement.

In 2022, the FTC and the U.S. Department of Justice sued Kohls and Walmart for marketing several textile products as bamboo made under eco-friendly processes, when they were actually made of rayon. Producing rayon involves using toxic chemicals and emitting hazardous pollutants, the FTC and DOJ said. The companies did not admit or deny the allegations but agreed to pay a combined total of around $5.5 million.

How to Combat Greenwashing

College of the Holy Cross sociology professor Ellis Jones says there are short-term and long-term solutions when it comes to combating greenwashing PR scams.

The immediate solution is for shoppers to use shopping guides like  Better World Shopper , which Jones continues to research for and update,  Ethical Consumer  and  Shop Ethical .

Jones also recommends looking out for products with certified labels like B-Corp or Fairtrade.

But the main takeaway is that consumers cannot solve this issue alone. Jones says to focus on the bigger issue: pressuring local lawmakers to hold companies accountable and make them more transparent in their practices.

So if suddenly the worst greenwashers are fined X million dollars for every time they greenwash, then it becomes not as profitable to greenwash and it becomes more reasonable to do the right thing, Jones said.

Both the U.S. and European Union have proposed bills to hold the fashion industry accountable.

Proposed in New York,  The Fashion Act  would require major fashion brands to disclose and reduce their negative environmental and social impacts.

France also announced they will require a climate impact label on clothing sold in the country.

Jones hopes all products will be required to have a climate impact label that will measure sustainability, environmental impact and human rights impact.

What you need is something as quick and accessible and comparable as when you go shopping at the supermarket, Jones said.

We really need to take stock of this moment, Jones said. Because what were seeing is, consumers are rising up, and they are demanding products and services that are doing right by people on the planet in this world.
NEWARK, N.J. (AP)  A former U.S. Army major and his wife accused of routinely beating their young foster children and denying them food and water as punishment will be sentenced for a fourth time. But, the sentencing will be handled by a different judge, a federal appeals court has ruled.

Federal prosecutors have argued that the sentences U.S. District Judge Katharine Hayden gave to John and Carolyn Jackson were too lenient. In a ruling issued Monday, the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found that Hayden failed to follow its directions to consider the childrens multiple injuries holistically and in the context of the jurys findings of guilt in determining causation.

Noting the repeated sentencings, the panel also concluded that Hayden  who presided over the Jacksons 2015 trial  would have substantial difficulty in putting out of her mind her previously expressed views of the evidence, so they ordered that the matter be reassigned to another jurist. However, it's not yet known when that will happen or when the new sentencing will be held.

The last sentencing in the case occurred in October 2021. Carolyn Jackson, who had already served a 40-month prison term in two stretches, was sentenced to time served and given an additional year of supervised release. John Jackson, who had finished a probationary term, was sentenced to 18 months home confinement.

At the time, Hayden concluded that imposing more prison time is more punishment than is necessary." Prosecutors, who had recommended a sentencing range of between nine and 11 years, called the sentences insufficient and accused Hayden of not following guidelines set by the appeals court.

In 2015, the U.S. attorneys office had sought prison sentences of 15 years or more after the couple was convicted on multiple counts of child endangerment. After the first sentencing was struck down, Hayden extended their sentences in 2018, but that was rejected on appeal as well.

Sentencing in the case has been complicated by the fact that the trial took place in federal court since the Jacksons lived at Picatinny Arsenal, a New Jersey military facility, during the time in question. Because child endangerment is not a federal crime, state endangerment charges were merged into the federal indictment to go along with a conspiracy count and two federal assault counts.

The Jacksons were acquitted of the assault counts, but prosecutors argued Hayden should sentence them under assault guidelines anyway because the nature of the child endangerment counts made them sufficiently analogous to assault. Defense attorneys argued prosecutors didnt connect specific acts by the Jacksons to injuries the children suffered.

The Jacksons trial produced testimony that their three foster children suffered broken bones and were severely underweight and had other health problems when they were removed from the home in 2010. The couples biological son testified the couple forced the children to eat hot pepper flakes and drink hot sauce as punishment.

A fourth foster child in their care died, but the Jacksons werent charged with his death. At trial, the Jacksons lawyers argued that the children had pre-existing health problems, and said the couples child-rearing methods may have been unconventional but werent criminal.
GREENWICH  The sprawling mansion tucked behind the trees on Taconic Road has seven bedrooms, a pool and a private tennis court, according to court documents. And it's where Guo Wengui, the exiled Chinese billionaire accused by the federal government of defrauding investors of $1 billion through various enterprises, wants to be held on home detention before his case goes to trial.

Wengui, 54, who was arrested on an indictment last month under the name Ho Wan Kwok, is in federal custody at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., facing several charges, including wire and securities fraud and money laundering.

Federal prosecutors said Wengui used the proceeds from the fraud scheme to purchase and maintain his homes and a 145-foot luxury yacht, which former Donald Trump advisor Steve Bannon was aboard when he was arrested in 2020 in Long Island Sound, the court documents show.

Under the terms of a motion filed by his attorneys, Wengui would put up $25 million in bond, surrender his travel documents and those of his wife and daughter in the U.S., and be subject to home detention at his mansion in Greenwich.

The terms outlined in the court memo also state Wengui would agree to GPS monitoring, not enter into any financial transactions without the government's approval or have contact with the co-defendants, as well as "24/7 surveillance by a security company."

In court documents, the government said Wengui was known to travel between his Greenwich home and others in New York City and New Jersey in a "caravan of luxury automobiles" while surrounded by "around-the-clock armed security guards," paid with the proceeds of fraud.

But the government balked at the request to allow Wengui to spend his time in the lead up to a trial at the Greenwich home, which they allege was purchased with the proceeds of fraud.

"To say the least, it would be inappropriate for Kwok to live in the palatial Greenwich estate that he maintained with the proceeds of his fraud as a means of avoiding pretrial detention," prosecutors wrote in response to the request.

The memo from Wengui's attorneys references other high-profile cases in which defendants accused of fraud were allowed out on bond, including FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried, who is facing federal charges; former Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes; Bernie Madoff; and Jordan Belfort, whose exploits inspired "The Wolf of Wall Street."

His lawyers argued Wengui is not a flight risk because he is wanted by authorities in China, where he would likely face execution.

But the government suggested if Wengui was released, he could flee to the United Arab Emirates, where his business enterprises have a presence. The government noted in court documents that only two of his passports have been located, and Wengui is suspected of having as many as 11.

Wengui's lawyers argued that his detention at the Bureau of Prisons facility in New York City has left him with "limited access to his attorneys, and he is currently subject to unusually draconian restrictions in an extraordinarily dangerous environment."

In the court documents, the lawyers wrote that the facility was recently placed on "indefinite lockdown," limiting inmates' access to phones and the internet and they've had trouble communicating with their client. The defense claims it's also impossible for them to bring in the extensive documents they'll need to discuss with Wengui in his case, which they noted in the filing includes an initial raft of two terabytes of data from the government.

The lawyers wrote that it isn't "feasible  or allowed  for Mr. Kwoks legal team to transport the extensive documentation that must be reviewed, analyzed and discussed with Mr. Kwok over many months while seated at a small table designed for two persons located in an open room filled with other inmates."

"This constellation of circumstances is plainly inadequate for a case of this complexity, and leaves Mr. Kwok with no meaningful opportunity to participate in and assist his defense, effectively depriving him of his right to counsel," the filing states.

The government noted Wengui was "temporarily banned" from virtual attorney visits at the detention facility after he communicated with suspected family members through the legal call system, where conversations are not recorded.

"If Kwok cannot abide by the rules of the MDC, there is no reasonable assurance that he will follow any conditions of pretrial release," the government argued.
Robert Cohen/AP

HERMANN, Mo. (AP)  A Missouri police officer who was badly injured in a shooting that killed a colleague will continue his rehabilitation at a specialty hospital in Colorado.

Hermann Officer Adam Sullentrup, 31, was shot in the head on March 12 while confronting a gunman at a convenience store in the eastern Missouri town of 2,100 residents. Another Hermann officer, Detective Sgt. Mason Griffith, died in the shooting.
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RIDGEFIELD  Lt. Shawn Murray said he considers his work in reviving the Ridgefield Police Departments K-9 program as his proudest achievement from his tenure in Ridgefield.

I worked with the K-9 unit when I was in Missouri, said Murray, who retired on March 23 from the Ridgefield Police Department after 26 years of service. I was trying to get Ridgefield to bring back their K-9 program  it took about nine years to get it going and we finally got enough donations to get the program up and going again.

Murray said Ridgefields K-9 program had been disbanded years before he came to town. He said the revived program is a total asset to the town and has helped in finding lost children, tracking criminals and getting a lot of drugs off the street.

"He revitalized the K-9 program with an enormous amount of passion to get it started up again," said Captain Jeff Raines, adding, "It wasn't an easy task."

Murray's K-9, Loki, retired alongside him after eight years of service.

To me, finding somebody thats lost, that needs immediate help, is probably the biggest thing that the K-9 unit brings to the department where everything ends up with a happy ending, Murray said.

Murray, a resident of New Milford, will start his new job as a school security officer for Darien Public Schools at the beginning of April.

Murray launched his police career by serving as a police officer in Missouri from 1993 to 1997. He graduated from Culver-Stockton College in Canton, Mo., in 1994 with a bachelors degree in criminal justice.

Murray said he was involved in the narcotics unit and worked with the K-9 unit during his time in Missouri, adding Its a different way of life out there.

Murray moved from Missouri to Connecticut in 1997, when he started his career with the Ridgefield Police Department. During his tenure, Murray served as a patrol officer from 1997 to 2019, a sergeant from 1997 to 2022 and a lieutenant from 2022 to 2023. He also served the department as a field training officer.

Murray began his work as the departments K-9 handler in 2006, working with K-9 Zeus from 2006 to 2015 and K-9 Loki from 2015 to 2023.

"It takes a very special person with a lot of dedication, on and off duty, to get the reputation that he had as a K-9 handler throughout Fairfield County," Raines said. "Personally, we couldn't have asked for a better K-9 handler and we were very fortunate to have two great K-9s... that were both special in their own ways."

Murray received the Ridgefield Police Departments Officer of the Year Award in 2006 and 2016, and the Exceptional Service Award in 2016.

Additionally, he was recognized on multiple occasions by Mothers Against Drunk Driving for his enforcement and interdiction efforts.

Regarding his retirement, Murray said it was just that time, and hes looking forward to spending more time with his 8-year-old son, Zachary.

He was a little upset at first his daddys not going to be a police officer anymore, Murray said, but once he realized Im going to be home every night and the weekends and holidays, he got excited about it.

I just thought Ridgefield was a great community to work for, Murray said of his service to Ridgefield. They supported us when we tried to get the dog program up and running, so giving back to the community with the dogs  I think its made the town a little bit safer.

Murray said the department is in talks right now of getting a new dog handler, but has yet to find Murrays successor.

"Whoever becomes our next K-9 handler is going to have large shoes to fill," Raines said. "Lt. Murray will be missed."
DANBURY  A former Brookfield police officer's court case on a tampering with evidence charge was continued Tuesday as attorneys discuss whether he will be granted a program that, if completed successfully, would erase his criminal record.

Steven Rountos, 33, was charged in November in connection with an investigation into the dissemination of nude photographs of Brookfield High School students. According to his arrest warrant, Rountos, who was formerly the school's resource officer, admitted to a federal agent in November 2021 that he had "passed photos around" of the minors.

Rountos also "intentionally damaged" a cellphone, leading to his arrest, after learning he was subject to a criminal investigation by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the warrant said. Investigators believed the cellphone contained information related to the case.

Rountos, a Southbury resident, applied for accelerated rehabilitation earlier this year. If his application is approved and he completes the pretrial diversionary program, the tampering with evidence charge would be dismissed. The case was continued to May 4.

Eugene J. Riccio, who represents Rountos, said he wanted to have "further discussions" on the case and declined to comment further.

Two former female students whose nude photos were distributed, as well as their lawyer Phillip Russell, attended the brief proceeding Tuesday in state Superior Court. In court, Russell said they had not received information regarding the scope of the federal investigation.

Russell's office filed a request last month for information on a federal search warrant regarding Rountos that his office believed was conducted in November 2021. The U.S. Attorney's Office on Tuesday denied the request, saying it "is neither confirming nor denying that it possesses any information pertaining" to Rountos, according to the letter to Russell's office obtained by Hearst Connecticut Media Group.

The U.S. attorney's office declined to comment.

Russell's office submitted more than a dozen exhibits to the court, opposing Rountos' application for accelerated rehabilitation, including a verified petition for a bill of discovery. The document, which was filed in August 2022, sought further information and documents from Rountos, as well as 10 school administrators and members of the Brookfield Police Department and a special agent with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. A judge denied the bill of discovery in September 2022, court documents show.

The two women, who graduated from Brookfield High School in 2019 and 2017, discovered that nude photographs taken when they were in high school had been shared from an Instagram account. They reported the incident to the Brookfield Police Department in May 2021 and, dissatisfied with the department's efforts, went to the Danbury Police Department. The case was ultimately brought to the Department of Homeland Security, the bill of discovery stated.

The Brookfield Police Department conducted an internal investigation into Rountos in 2021 after Danbury police notified officials he was a suspect in a criminal investigation. Rountos was suspended from the department in August 2021 and he later resigned in November 2021.

According to the bill of discovery, a federal agent told the two women in December 2021 that their nude images "had been found pursuant to a search warrant to be located on a cellphone belonging to Officer Rountos." The document claims that authorities also recovered a flash drive with additionally illegally obtained images from Rountos' office at the high school.

The agent with the Department of Homeland Security told the women that one of their Snapchat accounts "had been hacked and illegally accessed," the bill of discovery said.

Authorities also executed a search warrant for an Instagram account, which had attempted to contact numerous people from Brookfield High School and said they were interested in trading nude photographs of students, according to the bill of discovery.

To report cases of child exploitation, visit www.CyberTipline.com.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP)  Police arrested a suspect Tuesday in a killing at a Kansas City hotel after a shootout.

Officers responded around 5 a.m. to gunfire at the Days Inn & Suites, said Officer Donna Drake, a police spokeswoman. While some of them tried unsuccessfully to save the life of the wounded victim, others chased after the suspect as he ran from the hotel.

Before arresting the suspect, officers exchanged gunfire with him, although no one was wounded, The Kansas City Star reports. The name of the suspect and victim weren't immediately released.

The city is on track for a particularly violent year, with 44 homicides recorded so far, compared to 37 at this point last year, The Star's data shows. This is noteworthy because 2022 was the second deadliest year on record, with 171 killings.
Former president Donald Trump has added an attorney from New York City's oldest law firm to the legal team that will defend him in a criminal prosecution in Manhattan, according to two people familiar with the matter.

Todd Blanche, a white-collar criminal defense lawyer, was most recently a partner at the law firm Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft. The people familiar with the hire, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss it, said he resigned from the firm to represent Trump, as first reported by Politico. As of April, Blanche listed his current job as a founding partner of Blanche Law, according to his profile on LinkedIn.

Blanche, a former federal prosecutor in the Southern District of New York, did not respond to request for comment Monday.

He could appear with Trump as early as Tuesday, when the former president will be arraigned on charges levied by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. The indictment is still sealed, so the specific charges are not known. But Bragg's office has been presenting evidence to a grand jury about money paid to adult-film actress Stormy Daniels during Trump's 2016 campaign, to keep her from talking about a sexual encounter she says she had with Trump years earlier. Trump denies the allegation.

People familiar with Bragg's probe have said investigators were exploring the possibility of charging Trump with falsifying business records related to the payment to Daniels. While the charge is a misdemeanor, it could be elevated to a felony in New York if the records are falsified in furtherance of another crime.

Among Blanche's previous clients is Igor Fruman, a key player in Trump's first impeachment. Fruman and fellow Soviet-born businessman Lev Parnas worked with Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani to dig up dirt on Joe Biden, then a candidate for office. Fruman and Parnas were arrested in October 2019 as they prepared to fly to Vienna on Giuliani's behalf.

Parnas then turned on Trump, giving evidence to Congress and doing a series of public interviews about his and Fruman's work with Giuliani. Fruman remained silent, however, and with Blanche's help, ultimately pleaded guilty to campaign finance violations unrelated to his work for Trump.

Blanche also led the Cadwalader legal team that represented Paul Manafort, a former Trump campaign chair, in a financial fraud case brought by District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr., Bragg's predecessor. The case was ultimately dismissed on the grounds of New York state's double-jeopardy law, which aims to prevent the re-prosecution of a defendant on similar charges already faced in federal court.

Blanche also represents Boris Epshteyn, a lawyer and senior adviser to Trump.

Trump, the first person in U.S. history to serve as president and then be charged with a crime, has struggled to assemble a team of seasoned lawyers with strong track records amid a raft of ongoing criminal investigations. The former president is expected to surrender Tuesday and appear for an arraignment.

Trump has a coterie of sometimes warring lawyers, informally helmed by Epshteyn, whose phone was taken by prosecutors last year as part of an investigation into a plot involving fraudulent electors in the 2020 election. Another one of Trump's lawyers, Evan Corcoran, was recently forced by a federal judge in D.C. to testify in front of a grand jury in a different criminal investigation - focused on Trump's response to a subpoena seeking the return of classified documents stored at Mar-a-Lago, the former president's home and private club in Florida, after he left the White House.

Corcoran is believed to have been involved in the search in response to the subpoena, which yielded 38 documents with classified markings but left more than 100 additional classified documents behind.

Chris Kise, a former Florida solicitor general who was given a $3 million retainer fee last year, has largely been relegated to a New York civil case after disagreements with other Trump lawyers.

Trump's New York team has been led by Susan Necheles, who has long-standing ties to the Trump Organization, and Joe Tacopina, who has conducted rounds of combative television interviews that have rattled some of Trump's other lawyers.

Since Trump left office, his political group has spent more than $10 million on legal fees in response to myriad probes. The former president is under investigation by the Justice Department in the matter of the classified documents, and by the Justice Department and a district attorney in Georgia over efforts to block or overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.
NEW YORK - Donald Trump appeared in a Manhattan courtroom Tuesday for a moment unprecedented in American history, pleading not guilty to 34 felony counts related to payments intended to silence an adult-film actress during his 2016 presidential campaign - a scheme that prosecutors said amounted to an illegal conspiracy to win the White House.

He is the first former or sitting U.S. president to be criminally charged.

Dressed in his trademark blue suit and red tie, Trump wore a subdued expression as he sat at the defense table in the courtroom of New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan, flanked by four lawyers.

He did not speak to waiting cameras or members of the public as he entered or exited the Manhattan criminal court building, though he raised a clenched fist as he left Trump Tower on the way to the courthouse. Trump left New York immediately after the arraignment and flew to Mar-a-Lago, his Florida home and private club, where he was scheduled to address reporters this evening.

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The prosecution of a former president sets up an extraordinary test for the judicial system amid a viciously partisan environment: Trump, who is again seeking the Republican nomination for president, already has verbally attacked Merchan and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D), calling the case against him a politically motivated "witch hunt."

Prosecutors pressed the judge to expedite a trial schedule to begin in January, but Trump's team said that was too ambitious and suggested next spring as a more appropriate target. Either way, the trial could take place during the heart of the Republican primary campaign season. Merchan did not set a date during the hearing.

Bragg and his investigative team spent months probing whether Trump falsified business records connected to the hush money payments in a way that could constitute a campaign finance violation - a set of facts and allegations that some lawyers called a "zombie" case because it has lingered, seemingly lifeless but not actually dead, for years.

The 16-page indictment alleges that Trump improperly falsified business records to conceal $130,000 in reimbursement payments to his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, who had paid off the adult-film actress Stephanie Clifford, known professionally as Stormy Daniels. She claimed to have had a sexual relationship years earlier with Trump, who has denied it. Falsifying business records is a felony in New York when there is an "intent to defraud" that includes an intent to "commit another crime or to aid or conceal" a crime.

Bragg told reporters after the arraignment that the plot was part of a broader effort by Trump and his associates to skirt New York and federal election laws by making payments to Daniels and at least two others to suppress potentially politically damaging personal information while he was running for president.

"Why did Donald Trump repeatedly make these false statements?" Bragg said at a news conference after the hour-long court hearing. "The evidence will show that he did so to cover up crimes relating to the 2016 election."

Though the charging documents do not specify which additional laws Trump allegedly violated, Bragg said that it is a crime under state law to conspire to promote a political candidacy by unlawful means and that the wire payments exceeded federal campaign contribution limits. He said his office routinely prosecutes cases involving the falsification of financial records, an apparent rebuttal to the claim by Trump and his legal team that the charges are aimed at dethroning a powerful Republican politician.

"True and accurate business records are important everywhere, to be sure, but they are all the more important in Manhattan, the financial center of the world," Bragg said. "That's why we have a history in the Manhattan DA's office of vigorously enforcing white-collar crime. . . . This charge can be said to be the bread and butter of our white-collar work."

In a pair of posts on Truth Social, a media company he co-founded, Trump said that the hearing had no surprises and that prosecutors had "no case" against him. "There was nothing done illegally!"

Trump's defense team denounced the state's case as legally thin and meritless and suggested that the former president, who polls show is the early front-runner for the 2024 Republican nomination, is being unfairly targeted by Democrats. Legal experts have noted that it is not against the law to pay hush money in an effort to suppress negative information.

"Today is the indication of how the rule of law died in this country," Joe Tacopina, one of Trump's lawyers who attended the hearing, told reporters afterward. "If this man's name was not Donald Trump, there is no scenario in which we'd be here right now based on these charges."

Some Republican politicians also rallied to the former president's defense, with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (Calif.) accusing Bragg on Twitter of "invoking federal law to bring politicized charges against President Trump."

Even Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), who voted to convict Trump in two impeachment trials, said that the Manhattan prosecutor "has stretched to reach felony criminal charges in order to fit a political agenda."

"I believe President Trump's character and conduct make him unfit for office," Romney said in a statement. "No one is above the law, not even former presidents, but everyone is entitled to equal treatment under the law. The prosecutor's overreach sets a dangerous precedent for criminalizing political opponents and damages the public's faith in our justice system."

In addition to the New York case, Trump, 76, is facing three other criminal investigations, including Justice Department probes of his handling of classified documents after he left office in 2021, and his potential involvement in the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection by his supporters at the U.S. Capitol and efforts to overturn the election results. Local prosecutors in Georgia are examining Trump's unsuccessful efforts to pressure state officials to falsely declare him the winner there over Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election.

Despite Trump's unprecedented legal jeopardy, however, being charged with - or found guilty of - a crime does not disqualify him from running for office. The former president has sought to use the onslaught of media attention around the New York indictment to shore up political support among his party's elected leadership and conservative base, as well as to bolster fundraising.

Hours before the arraignment, Trump's campaign sent a fundraising email to supporters in which Trump warned that the United States is turning into a "Marxist Third World country that . . . IMPRISONS its political opposition," and asked for more donations as "I will be out of commission for the next few hours." On Truth Social, he posted that the experience is "SURREAL," adding: "WOW, they are going to ARREST ME. Can't believe this is happening in America."

Trump's arraignment Tuesday played out in a 15th-floor courtroom under enormous security, with hundreds of police officers in the streets outside where Trump supporters and protesters demonstrated. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) rallied supporters of the former president in a park across the street from the courthouse.

Many routine court appearances were adjourned to limit the number of people in the building ahead of Trump's appearance, and Trump's movements to, from and within the courthouse were chronicled by hundreds of reporters and carried live on television and news websites.

Trump has publicly lashed out at Bragg, a Democrat who became Manhattan's top prosecutor in January 2022, as a partisan who is targeting him for political reasons. He recently posted a photo of himself swinging a bat next to an image of the prosecutor, and he glared for several seconds at Bragg - sitting in the courtroom's front row - when the hearing ended Tuesday afternoon.

Trump has separately accused Merchan - who oversaw another trial in which the Trump Organization was convicted and fined $1.6 million for running a tax fraud scheme - of personal animus, a charge that one of Trump's own lawyers denied Sunday.

Prosecutor Christopher Conroy urged Merchan in court to address Trump's recent public statements and what he called threatening communications from the former president, including a social media post nearly two weeks ago in which Trump warned of potential "death and destruction" if he was charged in the case.

Merchan expressed respect for Trump's First Amendment rights and said they are particularly important since Trump is running for president.

But the judge told Trump to "refrain from making statements that are likely to incite violence or civil unrest" and not to engage in rhetoric that would "jeopardize the rule of law." The judge also asked prosecutors to ensure that the state's witnesses moderate their own public statements.

Merchan read Trump a set of legal warnings and informed him that he has an absolute right to attend proceedings in his criminal case. At the judge's request, Trump acknowledged, among other things, that he could be removed from the courtroom if he became "disruptive" during any court conference, hearing or trial.

"I don't have any reason to believe that's going to happen," Merchan said. "Do you understand that?"

Trump said he did.

Todd Blanche, another attorney for Trump, said his client's outbursts were because of how he is being treated, citing statements to the media by Cohen and suggesting that Bragg's office leaked information.

"It is true that President Trump has responded, and responded forcefully," he told Merchan. "It is true that as part of that response, he's absolutely frustrated, upset and believes that there is a grave injustice happening with him being in this courtroom today."

At his news conference, Bragg said that "at its core, this case today is one with allegations like so many of our white-collar cases - allegations that someone lied again and again to protect their interests and evade the laws."

As he spoke, cable news stations broadcast his remarks on a split screen with a live image of the former president's TRUMP-emblazoned private jet taxiing on the runway at LaGuardia Airport to take him home to Florida.

- - -

Nakamura reported from Washington. The Washington Post's Ann E. Marimow and Anumita Kaur in Washington contributed to this report.
The White House on Monday sharply criticized Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for signing into law a bill that makes Florida the 26th state to allow people to carry concealed weapons without a permit.

DeSantis (R) signed the bill in a private ceremony Monday. "Constitutional Carry is in the books," he said in a brief news release afterward.

In a subsequent statement, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre alluded to last week's shooting at a private Christian school in Nashville in which six people were killed, including three 9-year-old students.

"It is shameful that so soon after another tragic school shooting, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed into law a permitless concealed carry bill behind closed doors, which eliminates the need to get a license to carry a concealed weapon," Jean-Pierre said. "This is the opposite of commonsense gun safety."

She then cited three high-profile shootings that have occurred in Florida, including the 2018 attack at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, where 17 people were killed; the 2016 attack at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, where 49 people were killed and dozens more wounded; and a shooting in February that killed a television reporter, a 38-year-old woman and a 9-year-old girl.

"The people of Florida - who have paid a steep price for state and Congressional inaction on guns from Parkland to Pulse Nightclub to Pine Hills - deserve better," Jean-Pierre said.

Florida had a firearm injury death rate of nearly 14 per 100,000 people in 2020, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, putting it roughly in the middle of state rankings for firearm deaths.

The Republican-majority Florida legislature last week passed the permitless-carry bill, which overturns a state law that requires that gun owners obtain licenses to carry concealed weapons. To obtain those licenses, individuals were required to complete training courses and pass background checks.

DeSantis, who is widely expected to announce a bid for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, touted the bill at a book-tour stop at a Georgia gun store.

"As of right now, there's 25 states . . . that allow that," DeSantis told the crowd Thursday, referring to permitless carry. "Well, in Florida next week, we're going to make it 26."

While the Nashville shooting renewed calls among Democrats to pass comprehensive gun-control measures, Republicans have doubled down on their promise to continue fighting for the rights of gun owners.

President Biden, who called gun violence in the United States an "international embarrassment" shortly after he took office, signed an executive order in March to increase background checks for gun sales. He also signed into law last summer the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which expanded background checks, made investments in mental health services and expanded federal funding for state "crisis intervention programs," including red-flag laws.

Biden, who has long called for a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, continued to urge Congress to pass stricter gun-control legislation, saying there is only so much he can achieve through executive orders.

"President Biden has been clear: too many lives are being ripped apart by gun violence," Jean-Pierre said Monday. "The President continues to call on Congress to ban assault weapons and high capacity magazines, require safe storage of firearms, eliminate gun manufacturers' immunity from liability, and require background checks for all gun sales, and for state officials to take action at the state level."

- - -

The Washington Post's Ben Brasch contributed to this report.
This article is co-published and co-reported with Military Times, an independent news organization reporting on issues important to the U.S. military. Sign up for its daily Early Bird Brief newsletter here.

The death of Bishop Evans, the Texas National Guard member who died last year while serving on Gov. Greg Abbotts border mission, inspired legislation to ensure future guard members who die in the line of duty are guaranteed $500,000 in death benefits for their survivors.

But if the bill  named the Bishop Evans Act  passes, Evans own family wont qualify. Now, Evans grandmother and other military advocates are asking lawmakers to make the bill retroactive so they could access the death benefits provided in the legislation.

Financially, as far as me and my husband, we are seniors, said Jo Ann Johnson, Evans grandmother, who raised him. This definitely will help the family with some of the things [Bishop] wanted to do for me.

Evans, 22, died last April while trying to save two migrants from drowning in the Rio Grande while he was on deployment for Operation Lone Star, Abbotts signature immigration effort to try to curb the number of migrants crossing from Mexico into Texas. Evans was promoted posthumously to sergeant and awarded the Lone Star Medal of Valor at his funeral. He had also received the Meritorious Service Medal and two Army Achievement Medals.

Johnson said Evans, who lived with them, had purchased a private life insurance policy, which helped cover the cost of his funeral. But she said his family still had to cover other debts left behind in his name, and now they can no longer count on money he would send them to help pay the house bills.

Bills come due, and they don't stop just because someone stops breathing, Johnson said.

Johnsons family has been vocal about improving the conditions of the more than 4,000 service members who remain deployed on Operation Lone Star. She said providing that death benefit would ease the burden of families already dealing with the loss of a loved one.

Hunter Schuler, a soldier who led a unionizing effort among the guard members, said the Texas State Employees Union also wants a retroactive bill.

I think I can safely speak for all soldiers when I say that we hope SGT Evans family receives all the help they possibly can, Schuler said in a written statement. If there is some legal technicality standing in the way of getting them the help they need, I would happily contribute and fundraise on their behalf and I know many other soldiers would do the same.

Schuler said that while Evans death has gotten the most attention, other soldiers have also died before him on the mission and have died since.

The SGT Evans Memorial Bill is one of those laws that you hope youll never need to use, he wrote. However, the reality of the dangers that service members on the border mission face in the line of duty means that the state of Texas needs to step up and take care of a service members family when the unthinkable happens.

Mitch Fuller, director of government and public affairs for Texas Veterans of Foreign Wars, said his organization also supports making the bill retroactive.

If its possible to do it, we would support it, he said.

While the state guarantees law enforcement officers, like Department of Public Safety troopers, a $500,000 death benefit for their families if they die on duty, National Guard troops who stand shoulder to shoulder with those DPS officers on Operation Lone Star dont have the same benefit. National Guard troops on federal deployment who die on the job receive a six-figure lump-sum death benefit, but Operation Lone Star is a state deployment, and Texas does not currently offer similar financial support.

Lawmakers are trying to address that disparity during this years legislative session, which ends on Memorial Day. If lawmakers do not approve a law change before then, they could have to wait two more years before the Legislature reconvenes.

Rep. Jared Patterson, R-Frisco, and Sen. Joan Huffman, a Houston Republican who leads the budget-writing Senate Finance Committee, have filed bills to guarantee the $500,000 death benefit to troops who are deployed to action by the state.

Patterson declined comment. Huffman did not respond to a request for comment.

The legislation has the support of top leaders such as Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and House Speaker Dade Phelan, who has made it one of his legislative priorities.

Making the legislation retroactive could potentially impact the family of another soldier assigned to Operation Lone Star, Spc. DaJuan Townes, who died in an accidental shooting on Feb. 7, 2022 at Fort Clark Springs near Brackettville.

Townes, a 19-year-old horizontal construction engineer from Spring, was sitting in a fellow soldiers car amid a swim training event. He was handing a personally owned handgun to a soldier sitting behind him in the vehicle when it fired a round through the seat and into his back, according to documents obtained by Military Times.

But the Texas Military Departments statement identifying Townes described the shooting as non-mission related, leaving it unclear whether his death would be eligible for the death benefit. Efforts to reach members of Townes family were unsuccessful.

Other deaths associated with the mission were either suspected suicides or occurred outside of duty hours. Those circumstances likely wouldnt qualify for death benefits under the legislation as currently written.

Pattersons legislation received committee approval last month and is on its way to the House Calendars Committee, one step away from being considered by the entire Texas House.

Texas military leaders have asked the Legislature for years without success to provide the state death benefit.

But this year, the bill has garnered much more attention, largely due to Evans death.

An investigation by The Texas Tribune and Military Times revealed that Evans did not have flotation devices or water rescue equipment when he jumped into the river. The potentially fatal lack of key equipment added to the myriad of issues troops have faced on Operation Lone Star, including pay problems, poor living conditions and a rash of suspected suicides tied to the mission.

Most National Guard troops serve part time and have civilian jobs. Theyre usually called to help in emergency situations, such as hurricanes, tornadoes or crowd control, and historically have been used for short-term deployments that last weeks at the most. Long-term missions usually have months of notice and come with federal benefits, such as no-cost health care and education funding.

But Abbott involuntarily activated thousands of soldiers to the border for deployments of up to a year at a time, some of them with only 72-hour notice. At one point, Abbott said there were 10,000 troops deployed to the border. (In reality, there were roughly 6,500 there, with others scattered throughout the state for logistical help.)

By the end of his time on the mission, Evans no longer wanted to be deployed. He was ready to go home and start his studies at Tarrant County College.

But his grandmother said he loved being part of JROTC at Mansfield High School, where the annual drill meet has been renamed in Evans honor. Evans later joined the Texas Army National Guard, served in Kuwait and Iraq, and was proud to be part of the military.

Johnson said the family would like to create a scholarship fund in Evans name for the Mansfield JROTC program. Having access to death benefits would help them with that goal.

This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune at https://www.texastribune.org/2023/04/04/bishop-evans-legislature-death-benefits/.

The Texas Tribune is a member-supported, nonpartisan newsroom informing and engaging Texans on state politics and policy. Learn more at texastribune.org.
Harris County will now be able to set its own tax rate again thanks to Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar, who on Monday rescinded a determination he put forth last fall accusing Harris County officials of passing a fiscal budget that he claimed amounted to defunding law enforcement officers in contravention to state laws.

The comptroller followed his accusations by barring the county from instituting a new tax rate for the 2023 fiscal year, an act that led local Harris County leaders to file suit against Hegar's office in February. The battle between the two sides appears to be winding down, judging by Hegar's decision on Monday to rescind his block on the county's tax rate proceedings.

"I applaud Harris County and Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo for finally admitting that they defunded law enforcement, Hegar said in a statement Monday. "The fact that they defunded police as part of larger cuts to the countys overall budget is in no way an indication of Judge Hidalgos commitment to public safety."

Hegar's change of course follows a ruling by a Texas judge last month blocking his suit against the county.

Hegar's complaints against Harris County centered around local officials' proposal of a seven-month, $1.3 billion "short fiscal year budget" that would fund the county for a shorter window of time as it transitioned its 12-month budget schedule to a new date in the fall. Opponents of the budget included Precinct 5 Constable Ted Heap, who claimed the temporary gap budget left his department with $2.3 million less in funding than its previous year's allowancea claim county officials said was false and based on misleading math.

"The County's lawsuit made clear the Comptroller's conclusion was legally incorrect, even applying the Comptroller's own math," Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee said in a statement Monday. "Harris County did not violate that standard because using the Comptrollers math, Harris County's overall budget decrease from his annualized version of the 2022 short fiscal year budget to the County's fiscal year 2023 budget, while Precinct 5's share of the County's budget increases."

Menefee also said he was happy to learn about the state's reversal. However, he hopes that any problems in the future can be discussed instead of forcing the county to file a lawsuit.

"I'm glad the Comptroller admitted his error and is no longer holding Harris County's budget process hostage," Menefee said. "I hope that in the future, we can talk through these types of allegations, as the law requires before the Comptroller makes a final decision. I urge the Comptroller to talk to us next time instead of forcing us to file a lawsuit." According to Menefee, the county can adopt a new tax rate with the state's recession.
A wild police car chase crossing county lines came to an equally wild end on Monday night when a man driving a stolen box truck veered off public streets and onto the tarmac at George Bush Intercontinental Airport.

Authorities say the chase began around 8 p.m. Monday evening when officers attempted to stop a man driving a reportedly stolen white box truck. Refusing to pull over, the man attempted to evade police, taking them on a meandering eastward chase that at times dipped into Montgomery County.

Authorities say the fleeing driver led officers southbound on Hardy Toll Road before exiting via the airport connector and turning onto JFK Boulevard, where the suspect ran over a spike strip puncturing his tires.The driver continued, however, pulling onto McAllen Drive and blasting through a gate leading onto restricted airport property.

There, officers say the man crossed over tarmac and other high security areas before crashing the vehicle into the south side of Terminal B and then attempting to evade officers on foot. The suspect was ultimately discovered and arrested in the tunnels by the airport Houston Airport Marriott Hotel. The man, identified as 35-year-old Kevin Hollis by Harris County Precinct 4 Constable Mark Herman on Tuesday. Herman states Hollis had an open warrant out for his arrest for the unauthorized use of a motor vehicle at the time of the chase.

"Karl Hollis was arrested and booked into the Harris County Jail, for the open Felony warrant and charged with Unauthorized Use of a Motor vehicle, Felony Evading and Felony Criminal Mischief," Herman wrote in a Tuesday Facebook post detailing the 66-mile pursuit. "His bond and court information have not been set at this time."

Footage of the wild chase and its conclusion circulated the internet Monday night. One video shows police in hot pursuit of the white box truck on JFK Boulevard.

KHOU's Matt Dougherty tweeted footage of Hollis in handcuffs being led by officers to a squad car near a terminal pickup zone.

Despite its traumatic end, the chase did not interfere with operations or cause delays for travelers at Bush Airport on Monday, according to Houston Airports Director of Communications Augusto Bernal.

"At approximately 9:05 p.m. Monday, a box truck crashed through gate FV-5 at Bush Airport while being pursued by law enforcement," Bernal said in a statement. "The truck drove inside the airport service road until it crashed against the terminal B building. One person was detained by law enforcement." The truck has since been removed from the property, a Houston Airports official said Tuesday.
Michael Wyke/Contributor

Since becoming a "fine free" system and wiping overdue fees, the Houston Public Library System (HPL) has seen a spike in Houstonians wanting to use its resources again. The Houston Public Library started an amnesty period from January 18 to February 17, allowing residents to return overdue items and wipe their fee records.

According to HPL, 3,098 people returned around 21,245 items borrowed from the library, totaling a value of $425,000 of items at the library.
Kent Kwik convenience stores are a common sight throughout Midland, Odessa and other parts of the Permian Basin.

Soon they can be found in Florida after the company completes its acquisition of Tom Thumb Food Stores, based in Hialeah, Florida. Tom Thumb has 14 stores stretching from Fort Lauderdale and Miami down to the Keys.

We have been working on this deal quite a while, since last year, and were finally ready to announce it, Bill Kent, owner and president of the Kent Companies, parent of Kent Kwik, told the Reporter-Telegram by telephone.

He estimated closure of the acquisition will come in the next 30 to 45 days and will mark the companys initial presence in Florida. Kent has 88 company-owned stores in Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma and does business in Louisiana, Tennessee, North Carolina and South Carolina.

While he said he is proud of being from Midland, he said he sees expanding to new areas like Florida as an opportunity to operate in places that arent subject to the up and down economic cycles the Permian Basin experiences.

Like Kent, whose father founded the company, Tom Thumb owners Jimmy and Tom McCarthy are the sons and grandsons of the founders. Being in the same industry, the two families got to know each other well and form relationships, Kent told the Reporter-Telegram.

Ive known the sons half their lives, he said. Ive always respected them, theyre good friends.

The McCarthy brothers have been to Midland and looked over Kents operations and the two companies have shared information, building information and other details, he added.

Kent explained that the McCarthy family had reached the point where they had to decide if they wanted to grow the business or exit and enter a new phase of their lives. They decided to put Tom Thumb on the market, and Kent won the bidding process.

Its an acquisition Im comfortable with, Im comfortable with the people. We share the same values, Kent said.

He said plans are to welcome Tom Thumbs team to his company and prepare to expand and grow the company down in Florida. Because it has a good reputation, he said the Tom Thumb name will remain for the time being.

The first step is becoming familiar with the stores and their market, Kent said. Then, he said, Well do what we do here, which is grow stores.

His initial plan is to look at existing stores and see which ones need some investment, which ones may need to be torn down and rebuilt at the same site. Then, he said, he will begin looking at new sites within Tom Thumbs existing footprint for new stores.

Im excited. I think its a good company and I think we can make some opportunities for their team that theyve not had, Kent said.

Kent is also busy expanding his existing footprint. He said hes looking to buy more land in New Mexico for new stores. Several new stores have opened locally, including one near the airport. A new store north of Midland Country Club is expected to open in April or early May and another is under construction in west Odessa. He plans to replace the existing, small store on north Big Spring Street near the corporate office and another in West Odessa.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP)  A company building a long-delayed natural gas pipeline has lost a key water permit after a federal appeals court ruled that West Virginia didn't adequately assess the impact of building the Mountain Valley Pipeline across streams and wetlands.

Siding with environmental groups, the court said Monday the state Department of Environmental Protections justifications for its 2021 water quality certification were deficient, the Charleston Gazette-Mail reported.

The 303-mile (487-kilometer) pipeline across rugged mountainsides in West Virginia and Virginia  which is mostly finished  would transport natural gas drilled from the Utica and Marcellus shale formations in Ohio and Pennsylvania. Legal battles have delayed completion for years, as environmental groups say construction has led to violations of regulations meant to control erosion and sedimentation.

Among other things, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the West Virginia agency didnt adequately address the projects history of water quality violations. It also said the agency used the wrong standards to support the decision that in-stream activities would meet state water quality regulations. The permit is required under the federal Clean Water Act.

The court noted at least 46 water quality violations and assessed civil penalties totaling roughly $569,000.

Mountain Valley Pipeline LLC, the joint venture behind the project, is still aiming for a late 2023 in-service date. Spokesperson Natalie Cox said construction will proceed and the company would work with the state environmental agency "on a path forward to completing this critical infrastructure project safely and responsibly.

Angie Rosser, who leads the West Virginia Rivers Coalition, praised "the common sense reflected in the courts decision.

MVP has already gone too far in damaging West Virginias water resources, particularly in some of our most valuable mountain headwater systems, Rosser said in a statement.

Department of Environmental Protection spokesperson Terry Fletcher said the agency was reviewing the decision and declined comment.

Sen. Joe Manchin released a statement Tuesday saying the ruling would further delay the pipeline.

It is infuriating to see the same 4th Circuit Court panel deal yet another setback for the Mountain Valley Pipeline project and once again side with activists who seem hell-bent on killing any fossil energy that will make our country energy independent and secure, he said.

The 4th U.S. Circuit Court signed off on Virginias water quality certification for the pipeline last week.
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP)  Jacinda Ardern, who stepped down as New Zealand's prime minister in January, will begin an unpaid role this month combating online extremism.

New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins, who took over as leader from Ardern, announced Tuesday he'd appointed Ardern as Special Envoy for the Christchurch Call. Hipkins said Ardern would begin the part-time role this month, right after she leaves Parliament and that she'd declined to accept any pay. He said the role would be reviewed at the end of the year.

Ardern launched the Christchurch Call with French President Emmanuel Macron in 2019, two months after a white supremacist gunman killed 51 people at two mosques in the New Zealand city of Christchurch. The gunman livestreamed the slaughter for 17 minutes on Facebook before the video was taken down.

Christchurch Call's goal is to eliminate terrorist and violent extremist content online. More than 50 countries have since signed up to the Christchurch Call, including the United States, Britain, Germany and South Korea. Tech companies to sign up include Facebook parent company Meta, Amazon, Google, Microsoft, YouTube, Zoom and Twitter.

The group says it has had success developing new online safety systems and is studying the implications of fast-rising technologies such as artificial intelligence.

The Christchurch Call is a foreign policy priority for the government and Jacinda Ardern is uniquely placed to keep pushing forward with the goal of eliminating violent extremist content online, Hipkins said.

He said Ardern would report directly to him.

Although she stepped down as prime minister in January, Ardern remained a lawmaker until April to avoid triggering a special election ahead of the nation's general elections in October. She is due to deliver her final valedictory speech to Parliament on Wednesday.

Ardern also announced she was joining the board of trustees for The Earthshot Prize, an environmental charity started by Britains Prince William in 2020. Each year, the charity gives five winners 1 million pounds ($1.24 million) each to help them scale-up environmental solutions.

Prince William said it was an honor to have Ardern join the team.

Four years ago, before The Earthshot Prize even had a name, Jacinda was one of the first people I spoke to, and her encouragement and advice was crucial to the Prizes early success," William said in a statement. "I am hugely grateful to her for joining us as she takes the next steps in her career.

Ardern said in a statement she believed Earthshot had the power to encourage and spread not only the innovation we desperately need, but also optimism.
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THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP)  An international prosecutor declared Monday that nobody is above the law, as the trial opened for Kosovo's former president and three other defendants on charges including murder and torture in a case that their supporters claim is unjustly targeting revered freedom fighters.

Hashim Thaci resigned from office in 2020 to defend himself against the charges of crimes against humanity and war crimes committed during his country's 1998-99 war for independence from Serbia.

I am fully not guilty, Thaci, who went by the nickname The Snake during the war, told judges at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers as the trial opened. The other three defendants also repeated not guilty pleas made at earlier pretrial hearings.

The case has stirred an outpouring of support from across the political spectrum in Kosovo. On Sunday, t housands of people took to the streets to show their support for the defendants. Many Kosovars consider the Netherlands-based court an injustice and view it as an attempt to rewrite the history of their struggle for independence.

Prosecutor Alex Whiting said the KLA, a guerrilla force which battled against the powerful Serbian military, had a very clear and explicit policy of targeting collaborators and perceived traitors including political opponents.

Whiting said prosecutors would prove that the KLA and was responsible for hundreds of murders and illegal detentions across Kosovo and northern Albania in 1998 and 1999 and that the four accused are responsible for those crimes as military leaders of the KLA general staff.

Most of the victims of the accused were fellow Kosovar Albanians. In their zeal to target and eliminate those persons they deemed to be opponents. The accused endorsed and implemented a policy that often victimized their own," Whiting said, adding that the trial was about key defending principles.

Nobody is above the law, even during wartime, he added.

Whiting has led the prosecution office preparing the case against Thaci since late last year. He replaced Jack Smith, who was named a U.S. Justice Department special counsel last November to oversee investigations into former President Donald Trumps retention of hundreds of classified documents at his Florida home, as well as efforts by Trump and his allies to overturn the results of the 2020 U.S. presidential election. Both investigations are pending, and have not resulted in criminal charges.

As the trial opened, hundreds of supporters of Thaci and the other defendants gathered near The Hague's central railway station. Many waved flags and banners, including one that read: Don't equal victims with the criminals! Another proclaimed: KLA fought for freedom.

Vullnet Guri, who traveled from Switzerland to join the demonstration told The Associated Press: We are protesting here for liberation of our fighters, they fight actually only for our freedom, and it is a big injustice to put them in the same quality of the Serbian army that made genocide in our country.

Prosecution lawyer Clare Lawson stressed that the KLA itself was not in the dock.

The KLA is not on trial. The liberation war waged by the KLA is not on trial. These four accused are on trial in respect of their personal responsibility for crimes committed against persons who they viewed as opponents, a majority of whom were in fact their fellow Kosovo Albanians," she said. "In their bid for supremacy, they entrenched a climate of fear pitting neighbor against neighbor, a climate which still persists today.

Lawyers for Thaci and the other defendants are scheduled to deliver their opening statements on Tuesday. The first witnesses are expected to testify next week.

Defense lawyers are expected to argue that the KLA was a loosely organized guerilla force and that the defendants had little control over local fighters and cannot be held responsible for the actions of others.

In their opening statement, prosecutors sought to refute that claim.

Each of the four accused wielded power, authority and influence, which enabled them to implement the common criminal purpose charged and exercise effective control, prosecution lawyer Matt Halling told judges.

The trial is taking place at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers, which is based in the Netherlands but is part of Kosovos legal system.

Thaci is standing trial along with Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi and Jakup Krasniqi for offenses allegedly committed across Kosovo and northern Albania from 1998 to September 1999, during and after the war.

Most of the 13,000 people who died in the 1998-1999 war in Kosovo were ethnic Albanians. A 78-day campaign of NATO air strikes against Serbian forces ended the fighting. About 1 million ethnic Albanian Kosovars were driven from their homes.

The court in The Hague and a linked prosecutor's office were created after a 2011 report by the Council of Europe, a human rights body, that included allegations that KLA fighters trafficked human organs taken from prisoners and killed Serbs and fellow ethnic Albanians. The organ harvesting allegations werent included in the indictment against Thaci.

In 2008, Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia, a move that Belgrade refuses to recognize. The United States and most of the West recognize the declaration, but Serbia  supported by allies Russia and China  does not.

Kosovo-Serbia relations remain tense despite stepped-up efforts from Washington and the European Union, with a recent Western plan envisaging normalization of their relations.

___

Associated Press writer Eric Tucker in Washington, D.C. contributed.
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RICHMOND, Va. (AP)  Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin will lead his first international trade mission later this month, a trip to Asia that will include a meeting with the president of Taiwan, his office said Tuesday.

From April 24 through April 29, Youngkin and the Virginia delegation accompanying him will visit Taipei, Taiwan; Tokyo; and Seoul, South Korea. In addition to meeting President Tsai Ing-wen, Youngkin will meet government officials, strategic business associations, company executives and industry leaders, his office said.

Im excited to represent the Commonwealth in my first trade mission to Asia that will focus on economic development opportunities, our shared priorities and national security, Youngkin said in a statement. Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea represent critical markets that will advance economic growth and prosperity in Virginia. In strengthening these relationships, we are not only reaffirming our commitment to our allies but also strengthening the spirit of Virginia and America.

The visit by Youngkin, who has not publicly ruled out a presidential bid, comes amid heightened tensions between the U.S. and China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory and treats dealings between American and Taiwanese officials as a challenge.

Youngkin's trade mission was announced one day ahead of an expected meeting between Tsai and U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in Los Angeles while Tsai returns home after a tour of Taiwans remaining diplomatic allies in Latin America.

Youngkin has recently taken an increasingly hard line against China. He disclosed in January that he scuttled an effort by Virginia to land a large electric vehicle battery plant, an initiative between Ford Motor Co. and a Chinese company that is setting up in Michigan instead. The governors administration labeled the project a front for the Chinese Communist Party that would raise national security concerns.

He also celebrated the passage of several bills during the recent legislative session that aimed to address the threat from China, including a measure that would prohibit foreign adversaries from purchasing or otherwise acquiring agricultural land.

That Youngkin waited so long into his term  which began in January 2022  to embark on an international trade mission is somewhat unusual.

The Washington Post reported in December that he was the first governor in nearly 30 years not to lead such a trip in his first year in office. His press office said at the time that he would only undertake such trips if necessary and noted that Youngkin, a former private equity executive, had lured major new businesses to the state, including Boeing and Lego.

Virginia is home to scores of companies from the countries Youngkin will visit: five from Taiwan, 133 from Japan, and 25 from South Korea, according to his office.

The trip will be Youngkin's first to Asia as governor.
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THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP)  Former Kosovo president Hashim Thaci on Tuesday insisted he is an innocent man as he addressed a panel of international judges hearing his trial on 10 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

At the end of his lawyers' opening statement to the Kosovo Specialist Chambers, Thaci stood up, buttoned up his gray pinstripe suit jacket and told black-robed judges that he expects evidence to lead to his acquittal saying that victims do not obtain justice when the innocent are pursued.

Thaci was a student who came out of what he described as political exile in Switzerland to join Kosovo's struggle for independence from Serbia. He was embraced by Western leaders who invited him to 1999 peace talks in France in his role as political director of the Kosovo Liberation Army and was seen as a leader who could guide the country toward independence.

Thaci said he regretted that late U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and other international diplomats who have died in the nearly quarter of a century since the war could not speak on his behalf.

They would have testified on my part about what I have said and what I did during that very important time in Kosovos history," he said. "Im happy that many others like them have come forward to testify about my innocence.

But prosecutors paint a different picture, alleging Thaci and three other former senior leaders of the KLA on trial with him were responsible for murders and the illegal detention and abuse of people they considered traitors or collaborators with Serb forces.

Im innocent of all these allegations," Thaci said. "However, Im ready to face this new challenge and succeed for my family, my people and my country.

Defense lawyer Gregory Kehoe told judges that Thaci had no effective command and control over the KLA at the time international prosecutors hold him responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity allegedly committed by members of the guerilla force in Kosovo's 1998-99 war for independence from Serbia.

The issue of how much control Thaci and three other former high-ranking KLA leaders on trial with him had over KLA fighters will be key in the trial that opened Monday and is expected to last many months.

Thaci and his fellow accused, Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi and Jakup Krasniqi are each charged with offenses including murder, torture and persecution allegedly committed across Kosovo and northern Albania from 1998 to September 1999, during and after the war.

Kehoe's opening statement aimed to counter prosecutors' assertions on the trial's opening day that Thaci and three-co-defendants who were all members of the KLA general staff who pursued a policy of targeting civilians perceived as collaborators and traitors.

Prosecution lawyer Matt Halling told judges Monday: Each of the four accused wielded power, authority and influence" which enabled them enact the policy.

The trial is being held at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers, a branch of the Kosovo legal system that was established in The Hague in part due to fears about witness safety and security.

The court in The Hague and a linked prosecutors office were created after a 2011 report by the Council of Europe, a human rights body, that included allegations that KLA fighters trafficked human organs taken from prisoners and killed Serbs and fellow ethnic Albanians. The organ harvesting allegations werent included in the indictment against Thaci.

We now know that both myself and the KLA, as well as the people of Kosovo, as well as all Albanians, have been vindicated of those allegations," Thaci said, referring to the organ harvesting claims. "The truth has been told and the black clouds over Kosovo have been lifted.

Most of the 13,000 people who died in the 1998-1999 war in Kosovo were ethnic Albanians. A 78-day campaign of NATO air strikes against Serbian forces ended the fighting. About 1 million ethnic Albanian Kosovars were driven from their homes.

The trial triggered a large demonstration in Kosovo on Sunday in support of the four defendants and another protest on Monday in The Hague by hundreds of Kosovars who waved flags and banners, including one that proclaimed: KLA fought for freedom.
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ATHENS, Greece (AP)  The leader of Greeces opposition has promised to legalize same-sex marriage with full parental rights if he wins a general election next month, in a move that would make it the first predominantly Orthodox Christian country to do so.

Alexis Tsipras, who heads the main left-wing opposition party, Syriza, said his government would grant same-sex couples the legal right to marry.

The time has finally come, victory for our party will ... mean full rights for couples regardless of their gender, Tsipras said in a recorded video message at an event organized by the youth wing of his party Monday and posted on the Internet Tuesday.

Tsipras said Greece should adopt recommendations made in a resolution passed by the European Parliament in 2021, urging EU member states to fully harmonize rights for same-sex couples with those granted more broadly.

Same-sex marriage is recognized across most of western Europe, but not in Italy and Greece where civil partnerships exist, along with most other EU members in eastern Europe.

The 48-year-old Tsipras is challenging center-right Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in the May 21 election. He is trailing in opinion polls despite a narrowing lead for the conservatives in recent weeks following a deadly rail disaster.

Strict financial controls on European Union bailout lenders ended last year, and the election battle so far has focused largely on social issues, that include a pledge last week by the prime minister to extend a wall on the Greek-Turkish border to keep out migrants.

Against opposition from the Greek Orthodox Church and political conservatives, same-sex civil unions were legalized in 2015 under a previous government led by Tsipras.

LGBT groups in Greece have long campaigned for members of their communities to have full family rights and sought the tougher enforcement of anti-discrimination laws.

A annual report on human rights by the U.S. State Department praised efforts by authorities to address violence and discrimination but added that attacks against LGBT individuals have persisted.
ANKARA, Turkey (AP)  NATO members Turkey and Greece can resolve their disputes through peaceful means and dialogue, Turkeys defense minister said after talks with his Greek counterpart Tuesday, in the latest sign of easing tensions between the rival neighbors.

Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar and Greece's Nikos Panagiotopoulos toured areas devastated by a powerful earthquake in early February during a rare visit by the Greek official. The trip is part of efforts to tamp down tensions over long-standing disputes, including maritime boundaries and drilling rights in the eastern Mediterranean.

Greece was among the first countries to offer help to Turkey following the earthquake and the outpouring of support led to a de-escalation of tensions. Turkey for its part, offered its condolences and support following a deadly train crash in northern Greece.

I hope that as two civilized countries, Turkey and Greece can solve these problems within the framework of good neighborly relations ... through peaceful means and methods and amid mutual respect and dialogue, Akar told reporters.

Our hope and expectation is that the positive, constructive atmosphere we experienced after the earthquake disaster will continue ... and the doors of dialogue will remain open, he said.

The two ministers flew over the earthquake-affected areas by helicopter and held talks in Hatay, the hardest hit province. Meanwhile, Notis Mitarachi, Greece's minister for migration and asylum, visited a refugee camp on the Turkish-Syrian border.

Panagiotopoulos said: The symbolic message that comes from tragedies and natural disasters of this scale go far beyond any disagreement and differences that we may have. They may act as a lever to reduce tension and create the circumstances to facilitate better communication between the two sides.

The aim ... - and we must work toward that, - is to create an atmosphere of cooperation and stability between our two countries, he added.

Greece and Turkey resumed high-level meetings following the earthquake, including talks aimed at boosting trade and other cooperation in areas unrelated to the disputes.

Prior to that, tensions had flared in 2020 over exploratory drilling rights in areas in the Mediterranean Sea where Greece and Cyprus claim their own exclusive economic zone, leading to a naval standoff.

Turkey had also blasted Greece for maintaining a military presence on eastern Greek islands that it maintains violates international treaties. Greece countered that it faces a direct threat from Turkey, which has a significant military presence in the Turkish coast near the islands,
ROME (AP)  Italys infrastructure minister sought Tuesday to rally international interest in Italys latest attempt to build a bridge linking Sicily to the Italian mainland, a dream since the times of ancient Rome which has been planned, discussed and designed by a succession of Italian governments and never gotten off the ground.

Matteo Salvini vowed that the 10 billion euro project, which was last definitively shelved in 2013, would create 100,000 jobs, accelerate transportation times, develop two long-neglected parts of southern Italy and result in the biggest public works project in Europe this century.

The Cabinet last month approved a decree reviving the public company that last drafted plans for the bridge, allowing for the resumption of contract relationships with the concession company and general contractors.

In five months, this government has revived what has been a dream of millions of Italians for decades, centuries even, Salvini told the Foreign Press Association.

The proposed 3.3-kilometer suspension bridge linking Sicilys Messina and Reggio Calabria on the mainland has been an on-again, off-again dream of a succession of conservative governments  Benito Mussolini and Silvio Berlusconi among them  but has never materialized due to concerns about cost, earthquakes, the environmental impact and fear of Mafia involvement.

Salvini, who is transport and infrastructure minister in Premier Giorgia Meloni's hard-right-led government, insisted those concerns were now resolved and that he hoped the bridge could be built by 2030. Salvini said to date, Italian governments had spent 300 million euros on plans for a bridge to nowhere, and that he was determined to finally produce something to show for it.

The goal is to make sense of this enormous expenditure with the most futuristic and I think also touristically-speaking most admired work of the century. He said his office had received expressions of interest from construction firms around the world, but that he hoped to make it a heavily Made in Italy project.

As last envisioned, the span would have six road lanes  three in each direction, including an emergency lane  and two rail tracks. Built to withstand a magnitude 7.1-magnitude earthquake, it would have a capacity of 6,000 vehicles per hour and 200 trains per day.

With anticipated rail and road improvements in the notoriously poorly serviced Calabria and Sicily that are also under way, Salvini said the bridge would halve the estimated 12-hour overland travel time to get from Rome to Messina and would actually be a net-positive for the environment because it would reduce polluting ferry traffic.

He vowed that sufficient safeguards were in place to ensure the necessary antibodies to rebuff Mafia infiltration in public works contracts, and that Italy now had a chance to make use of European pandemic-recovery funds to develop surrounding road and rail infrastructure.
To the Editor:

On March 28, there was a mass shooting in Nashville, the 130th of the year.

The very next day in Hartford, the Judicial Committee voted HB 6667, An Act Addressing Gun Violence, out of committee. HB 6667 includes language to close loopholes on the states assault weapon ban; strengthen penalties related to the states ban on large-capacity magazines to make that ban enforceable; update the states ban on unregistered ghost guns to stop their illegal flow; require safe storage of weapons and increase education requirements for firearm licenses and improve the design safety standards for semiautomatic handguns. There is far more in the bill and it involves safety for everyone without infringing on reasonable gun owners rights.

Our state senator and a local state representative voted no on this bill. Undoubtedly they do not agree with safe storage of guns and will repeat the tired line we already have laws. 3D technology is ever changing and evolving. Ghost guns are not adequately covered by existing law, and gun manufacturers are always working to get around the assault weapon ban. Meanwhile, children are dying. Gun violence is now the #1 cause of death in children.

Would HB6667 have prevented the carnage in Nashville had it been law in Tennessee? Its hard to tell but we owe it to the victims to strive to stop the violence and pass gun sense legislation.

Call Stephen Harding and Patrick Callahan (if he represents your district, the 108th) and ask them why they voted no in committee for safety measures that will save lives, and ask them to change their vote when the bill is called in the State Senate and the State House.

If you live in the 67th and 69th districts, reach out to your state representation (Buckbee and Harrison) and demand they support HB 6667 when it comes to a vote.



Irene Skrybailo

Pumpkin Hill Road

New Milford
April's barely started, but we just keep getting unsettling news about potentially extreme heat in Houston during the coming spring and summer.

We've started off the first week of April with a near-record-setting day of high heat on Mondaya hot streak that experts predict will end with a multi-day run of storms lasting through Saturday night at least.

This week's sweltering forecasts comes after the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association warned late last month that Houston and the surrounding region will more than likely see temperatures above its all-time historical average during the spring and early summer.

On top of these grim predictions, the city of Houston announced last week that a decent chunk of Houston residents are about to start paying between 15 and 17 percent more on their monthly water and wastewater bills.

So yeah. It's only April and a lot of Houstonians are probably already sick of dealing with utilities and energy-related headaches.

However, there are ways to protect you and yours against potential Texas grid failures or crazy-high energy bills. Check out tips experts shared to reduce monthly energy payments and keep family, friends and loved ones safe during potentially dangerous heat waves.

Don't underestimate this summer's potential threat

Chron asked University of Houston economics lecturer Ed Hirs if consumers have something to worry about regarding a possible really hot summer.

Hirs's response? "Yes, they do."

Hirs pointed to the costs transferred to Texas energy consumers after 2021's catastrophic Winter Storm Uri, which left hundreds dead and caused millions of dollars in losses for the private electricity and gas providers that supply the state's power grid.

The costs of these repairs were ultimately passed on to Texans, to be paid as surcharges on their energy bills for up to 30 years from now.

"The fact is, we're two years down the road from Uri and nothing has been done," Hirs said regarding the laws that allowed those costs to be offset onto consumers.

"I don't think they're just worried about the bills per se, I think they're worried about reliability," Hirs continued. We had an 80 gigawatt peak in August of last year and that was straining everybody we hit 76 gigawatts in December, which was far and away beyond what ERCOT itself had forecast. So that's a real credibility gap with the Public Utility Commission and with ERCOT," he added.

Take little steps, save real money

Given Texas' sketchy past with predicting how extreme highs and lows might impact the grid, it's a good idea to take a few basic precautions to keep your energy bill down and your property as cool as possible.

"The first thing is to make sure your insulation is tight, make sure the ductwork upstairs in your attic is in good shape," Hirs advised.

If you don't have an atticor if you're not able to access your residence's insulation and ductworkthere are still other ways to pinch pennies as the mercury rises.

"If you have the opportunity to change out your [air conditioning] unit for a more efficient one, now would be the time to do it," Hirs said.

Intense heat could pair with a rough hurricane season for the region too, Hirs warned: "In the face of what promises to be a tight electricity summer, everybody needs to lay in their hurricane supply. So water and canned goods."
We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on!

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CRS invites you to submit a bid to lead implementation on the Household Survey in Moldova on the outcomes of reintegration and transition to family based alternative care. The final winner will be confirmed after bids will be received and evaluated. CRS does not commit to any purchase prior to a written purchase order from CRS.

Please find the requests and instructions that will allow you to submit your offers correctly.

The offer needs to be submitted to the secured e-mail address:

procurementMD@crs.org

The offer needs to be submitted by email before the deadline: April 11, 2023. The offer needs to have the subject: CTWWC Household Survey in Moldova

Contact person:

Cristina Cocieru. Cristina.cocieru@crs.org +373 069991018

I. SCOPE OF WORK

Background:

Changing The Way We Care (CTWWC) is an initiative designed to promote safe, nurturing family care for institutionalized children or children at risk of child-family separation. This includes strengthening families and reforming national systems of care for children, including family reunification and reintegration, development of alternative family-based care (in keeping with the United Nations Guidelines for the Alternative Care of Children). CTWWC is implemented by Catholic Relief Services and Maestral International, along with other global, national and local partners working together to change the way we care for children around the world. Our principal global partners are the Better Care Network and Faith to Action. CTWWC is funded in part by a Global Development Alliance of USAID, the MacArthur Foundation and the GHR Foundation.

CTWWC operates in a context of growing interest in care reform, and as a result of a growing global understanding that institutional care of children is a significant problem that will be best addressed through collaboration between national, regional and global stakeholders to develop alternative care systems supportive of family care. Grounded in the work of demonstration countries (currently Guatemala, Kenya and Moldova), as well as regional and global influence and engagement, CTWWC intends to help advance government and non-government care systems, civil society initiatives, and public attitudes and behaviors focus on keeping children in safe and nurturing families.

A key part of the CTWWC theory of change is the flow of learning from the demonstration work out to the wider country, region and internationally. CTWWC is committed to building evidence in key areas related to care reform, including around outcomes for children and families, which is currently lacking in relation to reintegration, transitions to alternative family-based care and prevention of separation, especially in low resource settings. In the design of CTWWCs MEAL plan, a focus was placed on tracking outcomes at the child and family level through routine monitoring and periodic evaluation. During CTWWCs third year of operations (FY21) a household survey was designed with input from children and young people and utilized to gather data on reintegrating and at-risk children and caregivers parenting practice, economic status, access to services and well-being in Guatemala and Kenya. The results from this survey were used to help CTWWC understand the impact of their demonstration work and to further service delivery.[1] The survey was designed to be repeated in order to track changes in the situation of households over time.

Purpose:

CRS seeks an organization/company to lead the implementation of the Household Survey in Moldova. A total of approximately 80 households from 30 raions are expected to participate in the survey. The full activity summary is described in the Scope of Work.

Research questions:

The aim of the household survey will be to answer the following research questions:

What aspects of family strengthening support do caregivers think have affected (negatively and positively) their ability to care and provide for their children? How has this changed over time?

What proportion of children and caregivers report selected protective factors in their life?

What proportion of children at risk of separation from their families and children and young people who have been reunified or placed in family-based care or in independent living are experiencing positive well-being? How might caregiver protective factors correlate with child well-being? How has the perceived well-being of children changed after their engagement with CTWWC?



In addition, the survey will generate results for CTWWC outcome indicators:

What proportion of at-risk children in vulnerable families and children and young people who have been reunified or placed in family-based care or in independent living feel safe and nurtured in the family?

What proportion of caregivers who received economic support have subsequently been assessed as being in an economically stable household?

Major activities:

Selected organization/company will conduct a literature review, manage the data collection of the survey in Moldova and will support the analysis and meaning-making of the findings. The following activities will be implemented as part of this assignment:

1. Undertake a literature review.

Undertake a thorough literature search to identify any relevant studies conducted in Moldova on the issues relevant to the CTWWC household survey, especially measuring outcomes for children and families who have experience of residential care and write an overview to highlight strengths and gaps in current evidence base and methodologies.

Present the findings of the literature review at a participatory workshop to discuss possible adjustments or additions to the CTWWC survey tools based on their relevance to the Moldovan context and previous research, keeping in mind the overall research questions to be answered through the survey and the desire for a high level of consistency between CTWWC countries.

Work with the CTWWC team to adjust the data collection tools.

2. Undertake field preparations and testing of data collection tools.

Participate in regular calls and meetings with CTWWC to plan for and report on data collection and training activities.

Undertake CITI or equivalent research ethics training (if not currently held).

Lead in-country ethical checks/IRB approvals as necessary.

Undertake field testing of tools with a small sample of households and propose any further refinement needed.

3. Undertake data collection.

Recruit, hire and manage local enumerators for survey implementation.

Coordinate with CTWWC on setting up software for data collection.

Arrange and facilitate training of enumerators, with support from CTWWC.

Coordinate closely with CTWWC on the development and implementation of the logistics management plan: determine the team structure for each survey team, determine site assignments for each survey team. complete administrative and logistical preparations necessary to begin the conduct of the survey including training and data collection activities. duplicate sufficient printed copies of the survey tools. distribute all supplies and materials needed to interviewers and supervisors. participate in regular coordination and planning calls prior to and during data collection. troubleshoot any issues with data collection and maintain a log of issues in the field that is discussed with CTWWC as needed.

Provide transportation to the field teams for all data collection activities.

Oversee data collection, ensuring timely collection of high-quality data is inputted and managed ethically and on time through in-the-field supervision and coordination with CTWWC.

4. Consolidate, translate, clean and analyze data.

Consolidate and quality check survey data.

Undertake any necessary translation of data.

Share complete datasets with CTWWC in-country and provide de-identified data to CTWWC global and provide any feedback or clarifications as necessary.

Share field notes on implementation of data collection.

Coordinate with CTWWC on core data analysis (CTWWC will undertake core analysis that is common across all three countries).

Review initial core findings generated by CTWWC.

5. Findings validation

In collaboration with CTWWC, organize a participatory workshop for validation of preliminary results.

Transcribe, translate and quality check workshop discussions.

Review draft findings report from CTWWC and provide feedback.

Collaborate with CTWWC on finalizing research report(s).

Deliverables

Literature review

Field work plan, including adjusted tool

IRB approval or equivalent

Informed consent forms for all participations

Full survey de-identified dataset in English

Field notes

Validation workshop notes

Feedback on draft findings

Input to final report(s)

Timeline

Activity Deliverables Level of effort Timeline Orientation to CTWWC and household survey methodology Literature review Workshop on research questions and tool adjustments Planning for field work IRB submissions Literature review Field work plan, including adjusted tool IRB approvals 10 days April  May 2023 Survey data collection: recruitment of enumerators, training, data collection planning and supervision, including quality checks, translation, cleaning and storage Informed consent forms for all participants Full survey data set Field notes 18 days May - June 2023 Validation workshop and feedback on report Notes on conclusions from validation workshops Feedback on draft findings Input to final report(s) 6 days July-September 2023

Total 34 days

II. PREPARATION OF OFFERS

A. Language of the tender: Offers may be submitted in English.

B. Value and price: All prices are to be delivered in Moldovan Lei (MDL).

C. Required skills and experience:

A masters-level education in public health, sociology or a related field (Ph.D. preferred).

A proven record of leading the collection of quantitative and qualitative data through surveys and semi-structured qualitative interviews.

Extensive experience in training and managing multiple data collection teams and ensuring data quality.

Experience collecting and managing longitudinal data preferred.

Experience conducting research with vulnerable populations, including children.

Experienced in use of ICT4D solutions in data gathering.

A strong record of following research ethics procedures, including informed consent and maintaining confidentiality.

Strong English language skills (written and oral).

D. Offers Submission Process

Bidders must submit the following documents:

Capability statement: How the consultancy team is structured for the assignment, description of previous experience conducting longitudinal studies, mixed methods studies and digital data collection; and description of research team structure, role each staff will play including the CVs of the personnel who will take part in the consultancy.

How the consultancy team is structured for the assignment, description of previous experience conducting longitudinal studies, mixed methods studies and digital data collection; and description of research team structure, role each staff will play including the CVs of the personnel who will take part in the consultancy. Technical Proposal: The consultants understanding and interpretation of the Terms of Reference (TOR), description of how deliverables and milestones will be achieved. i.e. a detailed methodology on how data collection will be managed, including transcription (noting that this effort is building on previous CTWWC surveys so there will be minimal design). The technical proposal should not exceed 10 pages.

The consultants understanding and interpretation of the Terms of Reference (TOR), description of how deliverables and milestones will be achieved. i.e. a detailed methodology on how data collection will be managed, including transcription (noting that this effort is building on previous CTWWC surveys so there will be minimal design). The technical proposal should not exceed 10 pages. Financial proposal: Itemized budget proposal in local currency with a clear breakdown of the consultancy fees and operational costs as per delivery table sections.

Itemized budget proposal in local currency with a clear breakdown of the consultancy fees and operational costs as per delivery table sections. References: Names, addresses, telephone numbers of three organizations that you have conducted similar assignment for within the last three years, that will act as professional referees.

Names, addresses, telephone numbers of three organizations that you have conducted similar assignment for within the last three years, that will act as professional referees. CITI or equivalent research ethics certification , or a commitment to undertake the training.

, or a commitment to undertake the training. Certificate of clear criminal record (to be submitted in case of successful recruitment).

E. CRS Right:

CRS reserves the right to reject any bid or all the bids and at its discretion cancel this tender. CRS may reject any bid that is determined to be nonresponsive. A responsive bid is one that complies with all terms and conditions of the tender. CRS may request a due diligence visit to the bidder prior to signing the contract.

F. Contract award: CRS intends to evaluate offers and award a contract to the organization/company that offers the best value for money / quality:

Availability / timeliness of the requested consultancy services. Price of the requested consultancy services.

The bidders initial offer should contain the bidders best terms from availability, technical and price perspective. However, CRS reserves the right to conduct discussions later if necessary. CRS may reject any or all or accept other than the lowest bid; and waive informalities and minor irregularities in offers received.

G. Period of the tender validity: Offers are presumed to have a validity period of 60 days unless otherwise indicated by the bidder.

Terms of payment: CRS will pay for services via bank transfer after services satisfactory delivery or according to other terms mutually agreed with the supplier in writing.

I. Code of conduct: The supplier must comply with CRS Code of Conduct, attached to this invitation.

III BID OPENING AND EVALUATION

A. Analysis: CRS will evaluate offers according to its internal policies and procedures.

B. Criteria: CRS shall proceed with the evaluation and comparison of offers in the following order:

Administrative evaluation  Offers will be reviewed according to their administrative compliance. Offers must include all items noted in the Quotation Submission Instructions and be in accordance with Eligibility Criteria. Failure to meet any of these requirements may result in disqualification of the offer. Technical evaluation Offers will be evaluated for quality based on the nature of services offered and its alignment to CRS request. Financial evaluation  Offers will be evaluated based on the proposed cost and value-for-money.

C. Tender clarification: CRS retains the right to contact bidders for clarification or further information.

D. Mistakes in the calculation of the tender: If there is inconsistency between unit price and final/total price of offered services, unit price will be taken in consideration and correctly multiplied for sake of calculating correct final price. If the tenderer does not accept the correction of the mistake, the entire offer will be regarded as invalid and therefore discarded. If there is inconsistency in the numbers and the description in letters, the price presented in the letters will be regarded as final.

E. Offers that are incomplete or submitted after the deadline may be disqualified.

[1] Reports can be found on Better Care Network website: design of the survey, results of the survey

Invitation to submit offers to conduct a Household Survey in Moldova.
Primeste notificari pe email Nota bene: Adresele email cu extensia .ru nu sunt acceptate.

Contractare si Achizitie Bunuri Anunturi de Angajare Granturi - Finantari Burse de studiu Stagii Profesionale Oportunitati de voluntariat Toate Articolele
A government-funded programme has been launched to help voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations (VCSEs) in England bid for and win public sector contracts.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) today launched the VCSE Contract Readiness programme , which includes a series of online training sessions and webinars for charities hoping to secure local and national government contracts.

DCMS acknowledged that VCSEs face distinct challenges when bidding for contracts, adding that it is committed to developing policies and practices to increase their participation.

The programme will be jointly delivered by the School for Social Entrepreneurs (SSE), Social Enterprise UK (SEUK) and Voice4Change England (V4CE).

Programme will improve the skills and knowledge of VCSEs

As part of the programme, charities and social enterprises will be offered a range of webinars, short and long courses which will be delivered by SSE.

Participants can also access an online hub that contains resources on how to engage in public sector procurement.

The expertise of VCSEs means they are often ideally placed to help create compassionate, responsive and efficient public services, said Claire Dove, VCSE crown representative.

The VCSE Contract Readiness programme will help to address some of the barriers that have prevented VCSEs entering the public sector market.

It will improve the skills and knowledge of VCSEs on how to bid for contracts and provide them greater opportunity to enter public sector supply chains. This in turn gives the government the opportunity of having a diversity of suppliers in its procurement chains.

DCMS: VCSEs play vital role in public service delivery

Last week, DCMS published an action plan detailing how it intends to increase commercial engagement with civil society and address barriers to participation.

It said that VCSEs are in a unique position to deliver social value in public procurement and play a vital role in public service delivery.

Central government has committed to diversifying its supply chains alongside ensuring contracts are awarded on the basis of not only price, but also the suppliers social impact. This not only provides VCSE organisations with the much deserved recognition for their positive contribution to society, but also ensures the additional social benefits that can be achieved in the delivery of contracts are taken into account, it said.

DCMS is committed to improving its awareness of VCSEs in its sectors and the markets it purchases from, with the aim of increasing VCSE appetite to participate in procurement bids and reduce barriers to participation.

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Plan International UKs income rose to 72.6m last year, despite an 11m decline in funding from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).

It dismissed five members of staff in the year to June 2022 after investigating safeguarding concerns about its overseas operations.

The development charity received 66 complaints about its fundraising, compared to 57 the year before.

Plan UK recorded a 2m surplus, compared to a 5m deficit the previous year, with its income boosted by increases in revenue from lotteries and its distribution partner.

It received 4.1m from the Peoples Postcode Lottery, its recently filed accounts show, compared to 1.3m the year before.

The charity received 6.8m from its Plan Ltd, up from 750,000 the year before, which distributes funding from 22 global Plan International organisations.

FCDO funding

FCDO gave 5.5m to the charity in 2021-22, compared to 16.5m the previous year. This included cuts of more than 2m to the charitys programmes in Ghana and Sierra Leone.

The charity said this was largely due to the conclusion of its FCDO-funded Girls Education Challenge programme.

However, World Bank paid 3.1m to the charity last year, compared to none the year before.

Money from UN agencies also increased by 1.5m to 7.5m.

Meanwhile, Plan UK paid 31.6m to Plan International Inc., of which it is a member, compared to 35.5m the previous year.

Staff dismissed

Plan UK received 32 safeguarding reports from staff, the same as the year prior, with 18 related to its international programmes.

Nine of the 18 international complaints were upheld, with the charity dismissing five staff members and giving one a formal warning.

The charitys staff costs increased to 13.5m (from 13.3m) with its average full-time equivalent number of employees increasing to 251 (from 243).

Plan UKs chief executive Rose Caldwell received 151,000 in 2021-22, compared to 149,000 the year before, and was its highest paid employee.

Caldwells pay was three times that of the charitys gross median salary and more than five times that of its lowest paid staff member.

During the year, Caldwell also became chair of Plan Internationals national directors team made up of CEOs of the global charitys

As of April last year, the charitys median gender pay gap was 3.9%, compared to 5% the year before and national levels of 15.4%.

The charity reported a median negative ethnicity pay gap of minus 0.3%, the first time it has reported a figure, compared to national levels of 2.3%.

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In the early nineteen eighties, Andrew Nagorski, then Moscow bureau chief for Newsweek, traveled to report from Vologda, a city in a famed dairy region that was struggling with local supply. Nagorski had to register his trip with the authorities, who would usually get someone to glom onto you, as kind-of your minder. In Vologda, the deputy editor of a local newspaper showed up to greet Nagorski at the train station and offered to show him around. I thanked him very much and basically blew him off, Nagorski recalls. The editor gave Nagorski his card.

Later, a local police officer stopped Nagorski and asked him what he was doing. I was being followed by the KGB, but this uniformed cop seemed not to be in on the story, Nagorski says. He was genuinely, I think, puzzled: How could an American be there? (In those days, US foreign correspondents were not a common sight in provincial towns.) Nagorski pulled out the editors card and handed it to the cop. I said, Look, if you have any questions about who I am, heres the card from your local newspaper. Ask this guy.

In August of 1982, Nagorski was called into the press department of the foreign ministry and told that this exchange constituted impersonation of a Russian journalist. Nagorski, whose parents came from Poland, speaks Russian but his language skills were so-so, he says, and there was no way he could pass for a Russian. In addition to that impersonation accusation, Nagorski was accused of posing as a Polish tourist because he had spoken Polish on a reporting assignment, and of violating traffic regulations on a trip to Tajikistan, where hed gone to ask young Soviet Muslims about the Soviet Unions war in Afghanistan, which had started in 1979. Collectively, these infractions amounted to impermissible methods of journalistic activities, Nagorski was told. He was expelled.

Nagorski was not the first American journalist to have been kicked out of the Soviet Union after his reporting riled the authorities during the Cold War, and he was well aware that reporting in the bloc could be a minefield. He was wary of attempts to entrap him; in one case, he was on the street in Moscow when someone started walking alongside offering him photos from inside sensitive military zones. That just smelled to high heaven, Nagorski recalls. He walked away, but striking a balance with wanting to follow legitimate tips could otherwise be difficult. If youre there, you gotta report, he says. Otherwise, why go?

Still, Nagorski didnt particularly fear that he would face a worse penalty than expulsion, such as charges for espionage. Expulsion, of course, was no small mattercovering the USSR was the most important journalistic assignment possible in the Cold War, Nagorski saysbut he didnt feel physically at risk. You knew it was possible but you thought it was probably unlikely, he says. Russians who spoke out against the system were the ones who were risking prison, even psychiatric hospitals, and in some cases their lives. By comparison, Western correspondents [had] a very tense reporting assignment, but you didnt feel the same level of risk.

Ultimately, expelling me was more than just a story of retaliation against one journalist, Nagorski says. It was an indication of their mood, of bad relations between the US and Moscow. After Nagorski was expelled, the US State Department kicked out a senior correspondent for Izvestia, the Soviet propaganda paper, in response.

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In 1986, an American journalist was accused of espionage in the Soviet Union. Nicholas Daniloff, the Moscow bureau chief for US News & World Report, was already planning to leave the bloc when he met in a wooded Moscow lane with a friend of four years. He handed the friend some Stephen King books in exchange for what he thought were newspaper clippings. They were actually photos and maps, one apparently of Afghanistan, stamped with a secret designation. In Daniloffs case, too, geopolitics were involved; the US had recently detained a staffer in the Soviet mission to the United Nations, also on espionage charges. Daniloff and the Soviet detainee were soon swapped, but not before Daniloff had spent thirteen harrowing days at Lefortovo prison in Moscow. I was a pawn in a superpower game of strategy and will, he wrote following his release.

A few months later, Ann Cooper arrived in Moscow to serve as a correspondent for NPR. Daniloffs case had attracted a great deal of international attention. Yet Cooper didnt sense a big chill in the foreign correspondents who had been there during that period, she told me. A sense of being under surveillance remained constantforeign correspondents in Moscow lived in special buildings and assumed the phone lines were all bugged, Cooper recallsand yet in general, the atmosphere for free expression in the bloc appeared to be liberalizing. In the time that I was there, everybody felt freer, not just the foreign correspondents, Cooper says. We were careful to try to do everything we could so that our sources would not run into trouble or suffer any consequences. But I dont think most of us in the foreign correspondent corps worried about consequences or anything very dire for ourselves.

Cooper was in Moscow during the period of glasnost, or greater openness in public affairs, initiated by Mikhail Gorbachev; by 1991, Cooper told me in 2021, on the thirtieth anniversary of the collapse of the Soviet Union, the press was incredibly free, and doing good journalism. Media freedom would continue to flower through the nineties, including for foreign correspondents. But there were dark clouds ahead. In 2004, Paul Klebnikov, the editor of the Russian edition of Forbes, was shot dead as he left work. At the time, Nagorski was overseeing foreign-language editions of Newsweek and would come and go from a newsroom that his publication shared with Forbes in Moscow. Unlike during the Cold War, it wasnt clear, in the Russian political environment of the early 2000s, whether the hit had been ordered centrally or by an oligarch, a gang, or some other actor. (Klebnikovs murder has still not been formally solved, but he covered crime, business, and politics.)

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, Klebnikovs was the eleventh contract-style killing in Russia since 2000, when the leadership of the country changed hands. Since then, things have only got worse for the Russian press. I asked Cooper how shed summarize what changed since the flowering of her stint in Moscow. She replied with two words: Vladimir Putin.

In 2017, Evan Gershkovich, an American journalist who is the son of two Soviet emigres, arrived in Russia. He worked first for the Moscow Times, then for Agence France-Presse, at a time when the domestic press was being targeted with increasingly draconian official restrictions. Independent news organizations and their staff were tagged with the label foreign agent, which was humiliating and came with burdensome bureaucratic consequences. And numerous reporters were jailed. In 2020, Ivan Safronov, a former defense journalist who had recently quit his job to work as an adviser to Russias space agency, was arrested on treason charges related to his media work. Last year, he was sentenced to twenty-two years in prison.

Through all this, as Joshua Yaffa, a New Yorker journalist who knows Gershkovich, wrote recently, foreign correspondents continued to occupy a position of relative privilege and safety; Putin lacked the power to shut down foreign news organizations, and didnt see their reporting as an imminent threat to his domestic position. But the war in Ukraine would change that: Putin forced through draconian new restrictions on freedom of expression, and although the effect on foreign reporters was not immediately clear, many American journalists left Moscow, including Gershkovich, who had only just landed a new job at the Wall Street Journal. Gershkovich would soon return, hoping, Yaffa writes, that the old logic might still apply to foreign reporters. In the months that followed, he covered many important stories about the war, even as vises closed around him. Last July, he tweeted that reporting on Russia is now also a regular practice of watching people you know get locked away for years.

Last week, Gershkovich himself was detained, and charged with espionage, during a reporting trip to Yekaterinburg. He was arrested in a local steakhouse, then transferred to Lefortovo prison. The Journal vehemently rejected and condemned the charges against Gershkovich, as did the Biden administration. Daniloff, who is now eighty-eight, told US News & World Report that he felt as if history was repeating itself. That is a rather sad, sorry, state of affairs, he said.

Like with Daniloff, the Putin regime may have arrested Gershkovich with a prisoner swap in mind. But this is far from certain; either way, it seems, based on the noises currently emanating from Moscow, that he will be detained for far longer than Daniloffs thirteen days. Cooper told me that the apt comparison for Gershkovichs case may not be that of Daniloff and other Cold War-era correspondents, but the arrest and lengthy detention, from 2014 to 2016, of Jason Rezaian, a Washington Post correspondent in Iran. In a column over the weekend, Rezaian criticized US media coverage of Gershkovichs arrest for parroting the espionage charges in headlines. Gershkovich, Rezaian wrote, is a hostage until proven otherwise.

Cooper sees the Gershkovich arrest as scarier than that of Daniloff. In the Cold War, such events would often follow a sort of pattern, she said, whereas one of the characteristics of Russia under Vladimir Putin is the unpredictability in situations like this. Nagorski told me that he would be more hesitant covering Moscow today. Now, he said, I think all bets are off.



Other notable stories:

ICYMI: Trumpand the pressmake history

Jon Allsop is a freelance journalist whose work has appeared in the New York Review of Books, Foreign Policy, and The Nation, among other outlets. He writes CJRs newsletter The Media Today. Find him on Twitter @Jon_Allsop.
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP)  Disaster relief workers in Papua New Guinea were assessing the extent of damage in a remote region Monday following a powerful magnitude 7.0 earthquake.

Some buildings and homes were destroyed near the quakes epicenter in the northern part of the Pacific nation, said Mathew Moihoi, the acting assistant director of the Port Moresby Geophysical Observatory. He said disaster relief workers were trying to verify whether there were any deaths or serious injuries.

He said the region is marked by swamps and people tend to live subsistence lives hunting and fishing. He said that because of the regions remoteness and patchy communications, it could take several days to figure out the extent of the damage.

Moihoi said the quake was big enough to be felt in surrounding regions, including in the nations highlands.

The quake struck just after 4 a.m. at Chambri Lake and the epicenter was relatively deep at 62 kilometers (38 miles), according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Deeper earthquakes tend to create less damage on the surface than those that are shallow.

Papua New Guinea is located on the eastern half of the island of New Guinea, to the east of Indonesia and north of Australia. It sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, the arc of seismic faults around the Pacific Ocean where much of the worlds earthquake and volcanic activity occurs.

Papua New Guinea is located on the eastern half of the island of New Guinea, to the east of Indonesia and north of Australia.

A magnitude 7.6 quake that struck a remote area of Papua New Guinea in September was later found to have killed 21 people.

Copyright 2023 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
State Farm must pay an uninsured motorist claim for injuries caused by an electric motor scooter even though the scooter didnt match the definition of motor vehicle in Florida statutes, a panel of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Monday.

The panel reversed a US District Court decision to grant summary judgment in favor of the insurer. It rejected State Farms argument that it offered uninsured motorist coverage only for accidents caused by motor vehicles that conform to definitions in the state Financial Responsibility Law or uninsured motorist statute.

Certainly, Florida courts may incorporate statutory limitations and requirements into an insurance contract to determine a parties contractual rights, but the FRL and UM statute prescribe only the minimum requirements, the opinion says. Because State Farm has not defined the term uninsured motor vehicle in a way that fails to comply with the FRL or UM statute, we see no reason to redefine a policy term by incorporating a statutory definition.

Anna Bevilacqua Sprangler was driving a 2015 Nissan Altima insured by State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co. on US Highway 1 in Brevard County on July 11, 2019 when she collided with a Razor Pocket Mod scooter that turned left in front of her. The driver of the scooter, Edward Allen Leveque, was killed by the accident. Sprangler suffered injuries to her back, neck and left knee.

Sprangler filed a claim with State Farm seeking the uninsured motorist policy limit of $100,000 for her injuries. State Farm denied the claim and filed a lawsuit with the US District Court for the Middle District of Florida seeking a declaratory judgment that there was no coverage under the policy because the scooter was not a motor vehicle.

District Court Judge Paul G. Byron granted a motion for summary judgment filed by State Farm because the scooter was not designed to be driven on public roads, meaning it could not be an uninsured motor vehicle as defined in Florida statutes. Sprangler appealed.

The 11th Circuit panel ruled that the statutory definition was irrelevant. The state uninsured motorist statute defines the term motor vehicle to ensure a minimum level of coverage is offered, but nothing prevents insurers from providing more coverage than required, the opinion says. The policy that State Farm sold to Sprangler offered uninsured motorist benefits for damage or injuries caused by land motor vehicles, but did not define the term.

The panel said the Razor Pocket Mod has a 250-watt electric motor powered by two 12-volt batteries. It was manufactured without a taillight, brake lights or turn signals and had no vehicle identification number of license plate.

The appellate says the plain meaning of the term land motor vehicle includes electric scooters such as the Razor Pocket Mod. It is powered by an engine and moves over land. The State Farm policy, moreover, expressly includes coverage for vehicles that are designed to be used primarily off public roads.

State Farm argued that the court should use the definition of motor vehicle included in the Financial Responsibility Law, but the appellate panel said that statutory definition encompasses only motor vehicles that are designed to be used on public roads. The State Farm policy used the word land in front of motor vehicle, expanding the scope of the term to include off-road vehicles.

Because State Farm has not defined the term uninsured motor vehicle in a way that fails to comply with the FRL or UM statute, we see no reason to redefine a policy term by incorporating a statutory definition, the opinion says.

The panel reversed the trial courts decision granting summary judgment in favor of State Farm.

Top photo: The Razor Pocket Mod is shown on this screen shot taken from a photo posted on the manufacturers website.
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- On this Tuesday Buckeye Talk, Doug Lesmerises, Nathan Baird and Stephen Means are breaking down another position group. This time its the safeties, based off interviews with those players last week.

The pod breaks down into conversations about the competition at the three safety spots:

Nickel safety, with Cam Martinez and JaHad Carter (0:30)

Bandit, or strong safety, with Lathan Ransom and Sonny Styles (19:46)

Adjustor, or free safety, with Josh Proctor and Kye Stokes (41:35)

Thanks for listening to Buckeye Talk.

Recommended Buckeyes stories

What James Peoples commitment means to Ohio State football: Buckeyes Recruiting

Is Ohio State footballs Carnell Tate making a spring push for fall playing time?

Michigan running back Blake Corum returned to school so he could beat Ohio State again

Subscribe to Buckeye Talk on podcast platforms like:

* Spotify

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OHIO BET $5, GET $200 ANY GAME CLAIM OFFER Ohio Launch Offer With the arrival of DraftKings Ohio Sportsbook, in-state bettors are now able to bet. Ohioans now can also take advantage of launch offers at BetMGM Ohio and FanDuel Ohio.

If you or a loved one has questions and needs to talk to a professional about gambling, call the Ohio Problem Gambling Helpline at 1-800-589-9966 or the National Council on Program Gambling Helpline (NCPG) at 1-800-522-4700 or visit 1800gambler.net for more information. 21+ and present in Ohio. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-Gambler.
CLEVELAND, Ohio  Sherwin-Williams recently agreed to pay $1 million to settle claims involving allegations of being part of a scheme to defraud a federal program that is supposed to help disadvantage businesses, according to the U.S. Attorneys office in Pennsylvania.

The case revolved around a decade-old $42.7 million bridge painting project in Philadelphia in which the contractor and a sub-contractor pleaded guilty to criminal charges in 2016 and 2017, the announcement said.
CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio -- With the sale of the last Motorcars dealership in the city last month, the new owner -- Martin Automotive Group -- has changed the franchise moniker to Toyota Cleveland Heights.

The seven-parcel acquisition, totaling more than 6 acres along Mayfield Road, includes the 60,000 square foot showroom, office and service department with 50 stalls, along with a second building used for detailing and reconditioning. These are all on the south side of the property.
AKRON, Ohio  The owner of a store in the West Akron neighborhood opened fire on a robber after the suspect held the owner at gunpoint, police say.

The owner of the unspecified store on the 900 block of Delia Avenue tells police the male suspect entered at about 12:30 p.m. Friday and jumped over the counter. The suspect fired off one shot, then grabbed money from the cash register while pointing his gun at the owner.

As the suspect ran from the store, the owner grabbed his own firearm and chased after the man, firing at him, police say. There were no reports of injuries and no arrests have been made.
AKRON, Ohio  A worker in a store in the East Akron neighborhood was left bloodied and battered when he was attacked while trying to stop a group of juveniles who were causing havoc and stealing items, police say.

The worker at the unspecified store on the 900 block of South Arlington Avenue tells police that six to seven juveniles arrived at about 9:30 p.m. The juveniles went through the store while yelling, throwing items and stealing merchandise, police say.

When the worker told the juveniles to leave, they began throwing things at him, police say. The worker said he was calling police and attempted to lock the door so the juveniles couldnt leave.
COLUMBUS, Ohio  A former Columbus firefighter cadet who says she was sexually harassed by an ex-battalion chief will receive $250,000 in a settlement of a lawsuit.

WCMH Channel 4 reports the settlement of the lawsuit includes a $25,000 payment to the woman from former Columbus Division of Fire Battalion Chief Joe Richard, who was accused of sexually harassing the cadet.

The cadet is one of three female cadets who accused Richard of inappropriate behavior, the Columbus Dispatch reports. In the lawsuit that was settled, WCMH reports the cadet says that she told Richard she had a knee injury. Richard reportedly had her come to his office and ordered her to take off her clothes, then touched her sexually.
NEW YORK (AP)  Marc Slutsky has been leading Passover Seders for 40 years, taking on troubling issues that have included Soviet Jewry, racism in the United States, and war after war after war.

This year, when the slavery-to-freedom story unfolds at his table in Highland Park, Illinois, the Israel of today will be top of mind after tens of thousands of people took to the streets to protest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus proposed judicial overhaul.

The plan, on pause after repeated mass demonstrations, unleashed the most intense social unrest in Israel in decades, just ahead of this weeks observance of Passover.

Slutsky, president of the independent synagogue Aitz Hayim Center for Jewish Living, in Glencoe, has Seder tweaks in mind for his 18 guests when they sit down for ritual readings, blessings and discussion.

One big change will come at the end, he said, when Next year in Jerusalem is traditionally recited.

Were going to read from the Israeli Declaration of Independence, said the 76-year-old Slutsky, particularly a passage that promises the complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants.

The plan proposed by Netanyahu would give him and his allies  the most right-wing government in Israeli history  more control over the countrys judiciary. Critics say it would concentrate power in his hands and destroy a system of checks and balances. They also say he has a conflict of interest since he himself is facing trial on corruption charges.

Abigail Pogrebin, author of My Jewish Year: 18 Holidays, One Wondering Jew, has been watching Israel closely. Shell host 30 people at her Seder in New York.

It feels impossible to ignore this difficult and deflating inflection point when it comes to Israel right now, she said.

Traditional Seder symbols will take on new weight, Pogrebin said.

The bitter herb, which reminds us of the bitterness of slavery, will remind us also of the bitterness of this governments bigotry  against non-Orthodox Jews, against LGBTQ Jews, against Arabs, against women in the army. It will remind us of the bitterness of dictatorship and intolerance, the abrogation of tenets we hold dear, she said.

The breaking of matzo will mark the brokenness of Israels democracy right now  or how close it has come to a breaking point, Pogrebin said.

And the opening of a door for Elijah, when Jews symbolically welcome in a messianic time of justice and righteousness, will demand that each of us at our table think about how we will work to bring justice about.

A large percentage of U.S. Jews observe Passover, a holiday that commemorates the Hebrew slaves biblical flight from Egypt and emphasizes the importance of passing on that freedom story to children at the Seder table.

North America has the largest Jewish population outside of Israel.

The Seder is for me a perfect moment for us to engage in conversation around a myriad of topics that are about unfinished projects or places where theres strife or turmoil, said Ezra Shanken, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver in Canada, a service, fundraising and relief organization.

Hell also host 30 for a Seder, including non-Jews and guests with diverse political and religious opinions.

Shanken will put down a second Seder plate to go with the one holding traditional symbols of the Passover story. His second plate will include a block of ice that will be left to melt as a reminder to take climate action. But its the Passover narrative itself and the founding of Israel 75 years ago that will frame conversation about current Israeli politics.

Our story was never without turmoil. It was never without strife. It was never without disagreement, Shanken said.

Rabbi Jill Jacobs also expects deep discussion about the protests and Netanyahus ruling coalition. She is CEO of Truah, a U.S.-based nonprofit collective of rabbis focused on human rights in North America, Israel and the Palestinian territories.

Its important for Jews to talk about what does it mean to fight for democracy in the Jewish state, both for Jews and also for non-Jews who live there? she said.

Rabbi Mike Uram, chief Jewish learning officer for the Jewish Federations of North America, anticipates that Netanyahus government will be one of a range of issues discussed at Seder tables around themes of slavery, democracy and freedom.

Those include consumption and the risks of global warming, as well as the lack of equity in American life, and the ways in which Black folks have to be afraid of structural racism and violence from a police force, as a form of slavery that people need to be freed from, he said.

Jonathan D. Sarna, director of the Schusterman Center for Israel Studies at Brandeis University, sees inroads in the Haggadah, the text Jews use in many versions during a Seder, for open discussion on Israel.

There are plenty of moments where one can really jump from the traditional liturgy and ask important questions. And thats really what Passover is supposed to be about, he said. Its not about debating. Its about asking and framing the questions. I think productive discussions can really take place.

Productive is key.

During Donald Trumps presidency, some families were torn apart along the red-blue divide. That continues to play out during holidays when loved ones gather, and also includes friction over pandemic-related issues, like vaccines and masks.

For some American Jews, this is different and the same in big ways.

There are definitely a mix of opinions in my family about politics, and specifically Israel politics, said Talia Benamy, 36, in Brooklyn. But I think there is a broad consensus: Everybody in my family agrees that this legislative push is bad news.

When Benamy joined protests in New York in solidarity with demonstrators in Israel, she was joined by her 64-year-old mother, her brother and his three children, the oldest age 7. Participating was a good pre-Passover primer for the young ones.

One of the key lines in the Haggadah is the idea that in each generation its incumbent upon us to see ourselves in the Passover story, she said. The way that we can do that now is to have conversations about what does freedom really mean, how does it manifest, and for who?
State Rep. David Dobos, a Republican from suburban Columbus, has falsely claimed on his legislative and campaign websites that he graduated from MIT. That claim was removed from Dobos's official legislative biography hours after a cleveland.com/The Plain Dealer story drew attention to it. (Ohio House)
Rotunda Rumblings

Phones down: A new law takes effect today cracking down on phone use while driving, Jake Zuckerman reports. Police officers can now pull drivers over solely on the suspicion theyre using their phone while driving. Texting, social media, streaming and other sectors of phone use are now banned, and violators face a $150 fine.

DeWine dodges: Gov. Mike DeWine recently signed legislation ending most August elections. Since then, Senate Republicans have floated the idea of passing a resolution to host an August election, giving Ohio voters an up-or-down vote on a constitutional amendment whether to raise the threshold for future constitutional to 60%  a move critics see as an effort to make it harder to pass an amendment establishing a constitutional right to abortion. No comment on that today, DeWine said on Tuesday.

Health probe sought: U.S. Senators from Ohio and Pennsylvania want the National Institutes of Health to probe how chemicals spilled in a Feb. 3 train derailment are affecting health of residents in East Palestine and surrounding communities, Sabrina Eaton writes. A letter they sent Monday asks acting NIH Director Lawrence A. Tabak and Rick Woychik, who heads NIHs National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, to help assess and mobilize existing assets and resources to respond to the communitys biomedical research needs.

Falling ill: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told the Dispatchs Max Filby that seven investigators in East Palestine reported feeling sick, with sore throats, headaches, coughing and nausea. They were looking into chemical exposure of residents after the Feb. 3 Norfolk Southern derailment.

Ohios not alone: Ohio is not the only state entering the so-called reading wars, which pits a philosophy known as three-cueing, balanced literacy or whole language, against the science of reading, which sticks to phonics, sounding words out and vocabulary. Education Week found that Indiana and New Mexico also have experienced reading wars, and teachers unions say that dictates without teacher discretion is not good for students.

Not bought: The New York Times fact checked statements by U.S. Sen. JD Vance, former President Donald Trump and others that Alvin Bragg, the Manhattan district attorney was bought by liberal megadonor George Soros. Thats misleading. Bragg, when he announced he was running for DA, gained the support of a progressive criminal justice group, which said it intended to spend $1 million on an independent campaign to boost Bragg. Around that time, Soros donated $1 million to the group. Soros says the two have never met.

Five families: U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a California Republican, regularly meets with the leaders of five different ideological blocs to learn how they feel about certain legislation. One of the blocs, the Republican Governance Group, has 42 members and is led by Rep. Dave Joyce, a Bainbridge Republican. They are moderates who are fiscally conservative and socially moderate, the Washington Post reports.

Ramaswamy report: Presidential candidate and Ohioan Vivek Ramaswamy, the original critic of wokeness, is trying to appeal to Trump supporters on the campaign trail, while also running against the former president. The Washington Posts Steven Mufson reports hes a bundle of contradictions, including having an Ivy League education but criticizing the elite and being a Wall Street critic who is friends and business associates with PayPal founder Peter Thiel.

Defund the police? In a Sunday Fox News interview, U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan said Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives might discuss using their power of the purse, to limit funds going to law enforcement agencies he believes are abusing their powers. Outlets including Newsweek suggested that means he wants to defund the police. Jordan has long been a loud opponent of calls for defunding state police in the wake of the killing of George Floyd in 2020 and the protests that followed, Newsweek said. But the Ohio Republicans support for law and order does not apparently extend to cover federal law enforcement agencies, which he argued in the Fox News interview have been turned against the very same people they are supposed to serve.

Try, try again: Former state Rep. Craig Riedel, a Defiance Republican, announced Monday on Twitter that he will again run for Democratic U.S. Rep. Marcy Kapturs seat next year. Last year, Riedel finished second in Ohios 9th Congressional District Republican primary, about 5 percentage points behind GOP nominee J.R. Majewski. Next to my mom passing away twelve years ago, this was the second most difficult thing (my wife) Danette and I have had to cope with in our lives, Riedel told a reporter late last year about his primary loss.

Housing grants: Brown, an Ohio Democrat, announced Monday that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded three separate $425,000 Fair Housing Initiative Program grants to the Housing Research & Advocacy Center of Cleveland, the Fair Housing Resource Center of Painesville, and the Fair Housing Contact Service of Akron. This investment will help make sure that all Northeast Ohioans can find a home to rent or own without fear of discrimination, said a statement from Brown.

Science grants: Brown also announced National Science Foundation has awarded a $248,140 grant to Kent State University for research on the impacts of Arctic change on ecosystems and ocean chemistry, and $174,233 for Cleveland State University research on multi-task learning for machines to reduce computational and storage requirements. This award will help Northeast Ohio Universities advance our knowledge and continue Ohios leadership in scientific innovation, Brown said.

Five Questions

Last year, state Rep. Thad Claggett, of Newark, beat out incumbent Republican Rep. Mark Fraizer in a primary before winning his general election race. Jake Zuckerman caught up with him Monday to see how his first few months in the House are going.

Can you tell me about yourself?

Im a president of a third-generation general contractor. Were builders, based out of Newark. Im a civil engineer by trade, with a business administration background. Ive been working in the business since I was very young... My neighbor was Scott Ryan, who sat in the seat previously. And right over the hill from me is [former state senator] Jay Hottinger.

Any policy items you want to accomplish?

My district is in the western half of Licking County, where the Intel development is located. That is by far my biggest responsibility to help with the statewide effort to that. That is a massive undertaking...[Another] one of them deals with urban blight. We think we have a solution to solving a 100-year problem. We believe that urban blight is a significant problem for every industrialized state in America.

Any surprises youve encountered in your first few months on the job?

No. As I indicated, I have a really broad background. There is so much that a person could get involved with. Every time I turn around, theres something else I know how to fix  Some of these are perpetual problems that I dont find it that hard to work out a decent solution.

Do you have a future in politics?

I never viewed politics as a career. I view it purely as a public service. If the people of Licking County want me to continue, Ill keep trying to find ways to be helpful.

Is there anyone in the House who you look up to as a role model, or someone you want to emulate?

There are several guys and ladies that I appreciate . [but] I come at the House from a position of strength. Yes, Im a first-year member, but my goodness, Im 52 years old with a very established business background.

On the Move

Chris Ferruso has been named state director for NFIBs Ohio chapter. Ferruso, who has been working as NFIB Ohios interim director, previously served as the organizations state legislative director and state member benefits director. He succeeds departing director Roger Geiger.

Reeves Oyster has been hired as a senior communications adviser for the Ohio Democratic Party with a specific focus on U.S. Sen. Sherrod Browns reelection campaign next year. Oyster previously served as deputy communications director for ex-Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolaks campaign and as press secretary for Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly.

Birthdays

Michael Halle, former manager of Rich Cordrays 2018 gubernatorial campaign, now a senior adviser at the U.S. Department of Transportation

State Rep. Dontavius Jarrells

State Rep. Tracy Richardson

Former state Rep. Michele Lepore-Hagan

Straight From The Source

Were excited for hopefully getting an Amtrak station here in the city of Columbus again. We might have some good news for you soon.

- Charles Small, U.S. Department of Transportation deputy assistant secretary for intergovernmental affairs, speaking at the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commissions annual State of the Region event, Columbus Business First reported Monday. Ohio is currently studying whether to expand Amtrak service to Columbus for the first time in decades.

Capitol Letter is a daily briefing providing succinct, timely information for those who care deeply about the decisions made by state government. If you do not already subscribe, you can sign up here to get Capitol Letter in your email box each weekday for free.
Successful business owners do at least one thing in common, according to Mark Cuban: They experiment.

Take Josh Thurmond, whose 3-year-old company LavaBox sells portable campfires  think Solo Stoves, but smaller  that took repeated trial-and-error to finally get right, he said on Friday's episode of ABC's "Shark Tank."

While on a camping trip, someone asked Thurmond to create a firepit that wasn't so "massive" and "cumbersome," Thurmond said. "I went home. I built seven prototypes, and seven was the best one. I put it out on the market and I sold 40 in a week."

By the time of the episode's taping, the Denver-based startup had brought in $610,000 in 2022 revenue, and was on track to hit $1.2 million by the end of the year, Thurmond said.

Cuban, himself a billionaire entrepreneur, seemed impressed by Thurmond's commitment to getting his product right. "What a great example for entrepreneurs," he said. "You figure it out, you do multiple versions of a prototype, keep on testing and iterating and you put them out there to see if people buy it."

Thurmond asked the show's panel of investors  including Cuban  for $200,000 of funding, in exchange for a 10% equity stake in LavaBox. He also wanted help getting his products into stores like Target and Bass Pro Shops, noting that his online store was "totally sold out all the time."

Kevin O'Leary made a counter-offer: $200,000 for 20% equity, saying he had "millions of followers who'd be interested" in the product if "Chef Wonderful gets behind it."

Daymond John quickly matched the offer. Then, Lori Greiner asked Thurmond a question: What's the most important thing to you in a partner?

"I think I've done a lot of the heavy lifting. It's going to be an easy partnership on that side," Thurmond said. "I do want somebody I can call and say should I make this call or should I make this call?"

"I will be that person there at 11 o'clock at night or whenever  1 o'clock at night," Greiner responded. "My entrepreneurs ... they call me all around the clock."

She offered Thurmond $200,000 for a 15% equity stake, adding a 75 cent royalty per product sold until making back her investment. John tried to undercut her, going down to 15% equity with no royalties, before O'Leary took it a step further: 10% equity with no royalties.

Greiner offered 12.5% equity, with her 75 cent royalty add-on  and wouldn't budge from there. Thurmond accepted, choosing her partnership over O'Leary's cheaper offer.

"I would have been happy with whoever I got from the Sharks, but I was really happy to get Lori," he said. "That's who I wanted coming in. And she really is the right fit for me with my small product."

Disclosure: CNBC owns the exclusive off-network cable rights to "Shark Tank."

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Jamie Dimon, CEO, JP Morgan Chase, during Jim Cramer interview, Feb. 23, 2023. CNBC

Here are the most important news items that investors need to start their trading day:

1. Dimon: 'The current crisis is not yet over'

Jamie Dimon is here to spoil everyone's relief that the banking crisis triggered by Silicon Valley Bank's collapse appeared to be wrapped up. "As I write this letter, the current crisis is not yet over, and even when it is behind us, there will be repercussions from it for years to come," the JPMorgan Chase CEO, who was a key player in the response to the crisis, wrote in his annual shareholder letter. Still, he said it's nowhere near as bad as things were during the 2008 financial meltdown. Dimon's letter comes as investors seek clues about the state of the financial system, and its impact on banks' day-to-day business. JPMorgan helps kick off earnings season April 14. Follow live markets updates.

2. Google cracks down on staplers (and other things)

The Google office in New York on February 2, 2023. Ed Jones | Afp | Getty Images

Don't tell Milton Waddams, but Google is coming for the staplers. The tech giant is in the midst of cost cuts. It slashed 12,000 jobs in January, and it's making staff in its cloud division share desks. Now Google is cutting back on services as employees balance working from the office and home with their hybrid schedules. That means slowing down the pace for replacing computers and other equipment, baking fewer muffins on Mondays, and tightly restricting how employees can get tape  and, yes, staplers. "We set a high bar for industry-leading perks, benefits and office amenities, and we will continue that into the future," CFO Ruth Porat said in an email viewed by CNBC. "However, some programs need to evolve for how Google works today."

3. Virgin Orbit files Chapter 11

The company's 747 jet "Cosmic Girl" releases a LauncherOne rocket in mid-air for the first time during a drop test in July 2019. Greg Robinson / Virgin Orbit

Virgin Orbit is grounded. The rocket launch company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Tuesday after it failed to secure a financial lifeline to keep it afloat. The filing was pretty much inevitable. It came days after CEO Dan Hart told employees that Virgin Orbit would cease operations for the foreseeable future, as CNBC previously reported. The company said it would seek a sale during the bankruptcy process. "At this stage, we believe that the Chapter 11 process represents the best path forward to identify and finalize an efficient and value-maximizing sale," Hart said in a statement Tuesday. How did it get to this point? Read CNBC space reporter Michael Sheetz's deep dive.

4. FTC orders Illumina to ditch Grail

Francis DiSouza, President and CEO of Illumina, speaking on Squawk Box at the WEF in Davos, Switzerland on Jan. 19th, 2023. Adam Galica | CNBC

Regulators told DNA sequencing company Illumina that it must divest cancer test developer Grail, the latest, most severe blow against the $7.1 billion acquisition. The Federal Trade Commission said the deal would hamper competition and end up hurting innovation. Illumina said it would appeal the FTC's decision and that it expects a resolution either later this year or early next year. That's around when the company also expects to resolve its appeal of a similar European Union decision. Others have targeted the Grail acquisition, as well, most notably activist investor Carl Icahn. He criticized the company for closing the deal without first getting antitrust approval. Icahn launched a proxy fight and is seeking Illumina board seats while pushing the company to unwind the Grail acquisition.

5. Surrender day

Former U.S. President Donald Trump arrives at Trump Tower, after his indictment by a Manhattan grand jury following a probe into hush money paid to porn star Stormy Daniels, in New York City, U.S April 3, 2023. Jeenah Moon | Reuters
Water fills the Tulare Lakebed after floodwaters inundate residents after days of heavy rain in Corcoran, California, U.S., March 29, 2023. David Swanson | Reuters

People have worked for a century to make California's Tulare Basin into a food grower's paradise. That pastoral landscape now looks more like the Pacific Ocean in many areas. Months of atmospheric river storms have pummeled the area and saturated the basin's soil, which sits about halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles, not far from Fresno. The rains have led to floods that damaged towns and deluged farms and have begun to refill what was once a sprawling lake. The floods have pitted neighboring property owners against one another and raised tensions over how to manage the flows, which have damaged hundreds of structures. And more water is on the way. Experts say a monthslong, slow-burning crisis will play out next: A historic snowpack looms in the mountains above the basin  as it melts, it is likely to put downstream communities through months of torment. The flooding, which follows several years of extreme drought, showcases the weather whiplash typical of California, which vacillates between too wet and too dry. The influence of climate change can make the state's extremes more intense. Read more on NBC News Why the U.S. leads the world in weather catastrophes

Utah is flush with snow and money. It might not be enough to save the Great Salt Lake.

Surging rivers highlight a big dam problem for California "This is a slowly unfolding natural disaster," said Jeffrey Mount, a senior fellow at the Water Policy Center of the Public Policy Institute of California. "There's no way to handle it with the existing infrastructure." The re-forming Tulare Lake  which was drained for farming a century ago  could remain on the landscape for years, disrupting growers in a region that produces a significant proportion of the nation's supply of almonds, pistachios, milk and fruit. High-stakes decisions over where that water travels could resonate across the country's grocery store shelves. In the farming communities that dot the historic lake bed, accusations of sabotaged levees, frantic efforts to patch breached banks and feuds  common occurrences during flood fights in the area  have started already, said Matt Hurley, a former water manager for several water districts in the Tulare Basin.

An aerial image shows a BNSF train passing a vehicle stuck in flood waters during flooding in the Central Valley from a winter storm in Tulare County near Allensworth, California on March 22, 2023. Patrick T. Fallon | AFP | Getty Images

In the nearby town of Allensworth last month, a dispute over a culvert caused anxiety and friction with the railroad that sends trains through town. Residents worked into the night to plug a culvert  a drain under Highway 43  with plywood and sandbags in a desperate effort to keep floodwater out of town. But later that night, workers with the Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad unblocked the pipe, which left some Allensworth residents fuming as water flowed closer. The residents had used BNSF materials without permission, said Lena Kent, a railroad spokesperson. Damming the culvert threatened the highway  the only access point to Allensworth at the time  and the rail tracks that run parallel to it. Stress levels could remain high for months. "The problem this year is it's just begun. We may have water running at or near our flood level  in all of our streams, through August or September," Hurley said. "This impending monster  a 50-foot-plus deep snowpack that we haven't seen in 75 years  is sitting up there, and we just don't know how fast it's going to turn into water and come out of the mountains." The Tulare Basin is at the southern end of California's San Joaquin Valley  and in essence, it's a massive bowl. Before irrigators dug canals and rerouted water for farming in the late 1800s, Tulare Lake filled the bowl's lower reaches. Shallow water stretched across the landscape, and the lake was the largest body of freshwater west of the Mississippi. Several rivers  Kings, Tule, Kern and Kaweah  historically dead-ended at the lake and replenished its water levels every spring, but farmers have diverted and rerouted so much water that the lake bed is now usually dry. It's among the most fertile farmland in the country. Today, the irrigation system is designed to "use every single drop of water" that flows into the basin, Mount said. In fact, through aggressive groundwater pumping, farmers collectively use more water than what would flow to the lake every year. Pumping has caused the land to sink dramatically  it has subsided in parts of the San Joaquin Valley by as much as 28 feet, according to the U.S. Geological Survey  deepening the bowl.

A home is surrounded by floodwaters from the Pajaro River after days of heavy rain in Pajaro, California, March 15, 2023. David Swanson | Reuters

This season, far more water is flowing than can be used. For about two weeks, farmers and emergency workers have been scrambling to plug levees and prevent the worst as the ground became saturated and rivers swelled after a seemingly endless series of atmospheric river storms battered California. The flooding has breached dozens of levees, forced rescues, swamped construction sites at California's high-speed rail project and seeped into several communities, including Allensworth, a historic community that in 1908 was the first settlement west of the Mississippi to be founded and governed by Black Americans. "What you're seeing now more than anything else is traditional flood problems," Mount said. "All of that water is making its way into the bottom of the bowl and starting to fill the bowl." What could come next is more unusual  and worrisome. The Sierra Nevada mountains, above the Tulare Basin, are storing two to three times as much water as snowpack as is normal. If the snow melts quickly, it will send floodwater churning toward the lake bottom. Tulare Lake refilled in 1997 and 1983 during very wet seasons. The snowpack is larger this year. "If we use 1983 as an example: They had more than 80,000 acres of land underwater. If it's bigger than that, it could be as much as 100,000 acres underwater," Mount said. Tulare County ranked second in the country for agricultural market value, according to the 2017 Census of Agriculture. The region produces almonds, oranges, pistachios, wine grapes, milk and cheese. "This has a ripple effect on the nation's food supply," Mount said.

Water fills the Tulare Lakebed after floodwaters inundate residents after days of heavy rain in Corcoran, California, U.S., March 29, 2023. David Swanson | Reuters
Bank of America has added global aerospace giant Airbus to its "top 10 best ideas" list for the second quarter of 2023, describing it as a "structural winner." The bank said it likes the company for several reasons, including improvements in the supply of airplane parts, increased demand for large planes, and the post-pandemic reopening of China. On that basis, BofA analysts expect shares of Airbus to rise by 60% to 200 euros per share ($217) over the next 12 months. The aerospace giant's Paris-listed shares were trading at 125 euros at midday on Monday. AIR-FR 1Y mountain The analysts said they had increased confidence in Airbus's plan to meet its previously announced growth targets ahead of the Paris airshow later this year  a key catalyst moment for the stock. The France-headquartered company announced plans in late 2022 to make 65 Airbus A320 single-aisle planes a month in 2023 and 2024, ramping up to 75 aircraft a month by the middle of the decade if there were no further complications in the global supply chain. Earlier this month, Guillaume Faury, Airbus' CEO, said that global supply chains had proved challenging in 2022 and held back the company's plans for growth. "The global supply chains are in a difficult place. 2022 has been really bad from that perspective", Faury told CNBC's 'Squawk Box.' "Yes, it's getting slightly better, but very slowly." The BofA analysts added that suppliers like Rolls-Royce and General Electric were also working to support Airbus's increased production rates. There is also growing demand for large airplanes, known as widebodies, according to the bank, which is good news for Airbus. "With the recovery in full swing, we could see further widebody and narrowbody order announcements at the show," the analysts led by Benjamin Heelan said in a note to clients on April 3. BofA also added that Boeing , Airbus's main competitor, has not announced any plans to introduce new planes this decade, which is good news for Airbus. The reduced competition should help Airbus increase free cash flow and provide better returns for shareholders over the next five years, it added .
The Australian government said on Tuesday it will remove TikTok from all federal government-owned devices over security concerns, becoming the latest U.S. allied country to initiate action against the Chinese-owned video app.

The move underscores growing worries that China's government could use the Beijing-based company, owned by ByteDance, to harvest users' data to advance its political agenda, undermining Western security interests.

It risks renewing diplomatic tensions between Canberra and Beijing that have eased somewhat since the Labor government led by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese returned to power in May.

The ban will come into effect "as soon as practicable," Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said in a statement, adding that exemptions would only be granted on a case-by-case basis and with appropriate security measures in place.

With Australia's ban, all members of the so-called Five Eyes intelligence-sharing network  which consists of Australia, Canada, the United States, Britain and New Zealand  have banned the app from government devices. France, Belgium and the European Commission have announced similar bans.
SHENZHEN, April 3 (Xinhua) -- A ceremony was held on Monday for the opening of a new cargo air route linking the southern Chinese metropolis Shenzhen to Sao Paulo of Brazil, which is expected to stimulate the e-commerce trade between the two countries.

The air route was launched by the Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport and Cainiao Network, the logistics arm of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group, with two flights weekly conducted by Atlas Air's Boeing 747 all-cargo aircraft.

The maiden flight carrying 100 tonnes of e-commerce products took off from the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen on Sunday, loading specialty e-commerce products in Shenzhen.

According to the airport, the products sold by cross-border businesses in Shenzhen and its surrounding cities can be delivered to Brazilian consumers "in more than a week."

Since the beginning of this year, the Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport has cooperated with airlines and logistics operators to open new cross-border air routes, with the volume of air transportation of cross-border products up by 70 percent year on year, said the airport.

The bilateral trade between China and Brazil reached 171.49 billion U.S. dollars in 2022, a year-on-year increase of 4.9 percent, according to the statistics from China's General Administration of Customs.
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ZURICH, Switzerland - April 4, 2023: Credit Suisse chairman Axel Lehmann opens the annual general meeting of Credit Suisse, after the Swiss government arranged its takeover by UBS on March 19 to prevent a financial meltdown. FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP via Getty Images

Credit Suisse Chairman Axel Lehmann on Tuesday told shareholders he was "truly sorry" for the collapse that led to the bank's controversial takeover by UBS . "It is a sad day for you and for us too. I can understand the bitterness, the anger and the shock of all those who are disappointed, overwhelmed and affected by the developments," Lehmann said at the bank's annual meeting, the first time its leaders have addressed the public since the rescue. "I apologize that we were no longer able to stem the loss of trust that had accumulated over the years, and for disappointing you." A police presence was established early Tuesday at the venue, as protesters and shareholders began arriving in droves, hoping for answers and accountability following the demise of the 167-year-old Swiss institution. A number of shareholders took to the stage over the course of the morning to lambast the bank's leadership and demand further explanation of the process and reasoning behind the deal. Swiss authorities brokered an emergency rescue of the stricken bank by its larger domestic rival for just 3 billion Swiss francs, over the course of a weekend in late March. It followed a collapse in Credit Suisse's deposits and share price amid fears of a global banking crisis, but the deal remains mired in legal and logistical challenges. Neither UBS nor Credit Suisse shareholders were allowed a vote on the deal.

ZURICH, Switzerland - Climate activists raise a boat during a protest ahead of the annual general meeting of Credit Suisse, following the bank's hastily brokered takeover by UBS to prevent a financial meltdown. FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP via Getty Images

"Until the end, we fought hard to find a solution, but ultimately there were only two options: deal or bankruptcy," Lehmann, who became chairman in January 2022, told shareholders. "The merger had to go through." At 2 p.m. London time, Lehmann was re-elected as chairman until the completion of the merger, winning 55.67% of shareholder votes. The remaining board members were narrowly re-elected, with the exception of five that did not stand again. In a statement Sunday, the office of the attorney general confirmed that Switzerland's Federal Prosecutor is investigating potential breaches of Swiss federal law by government officials, regulators and top executives at Credit Suisse and UBS. Both banks declined to comment on Monday. 'We ran out of time' Credit Suisse CEO Ulrich Koerner took over in 2021, when the bank was reeling from a series of high-profile scandals, risk management failures and heavy losses. In October 2022, Credit Suisse launched a massive strategic overhaul, aimed at fixing its risk and compliance culture and addressing perennial underperformance in the investment bank. Koerner told shareholders on Tuesday that he returned to Credit Suisse in 2021 hoping to "tackle the problems that existed and build a new Credit Suisse." "In short, I wanted to create an organization that our shareholders, our clients and all our employees could be proud of. Unfortunately, we didn't succeed in the end. We ran out of time. This fills me with sorrow," he said. "What has happened over the past few weeks will continue to affect me personally and many others for a long time to come."

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Commentators have highlighted the importance of the deal's success for Swiss authorities against a febrile political backdrop. The lack of input from shareholders, bondholders and Swiss taxpayers in UBS' acquisition of its embattled rival has sparked widespread anger. Speaking outside the annual meeting, Vincent Kaufmann, CEO of Ethos Foundation which represents pension funds comprising between 3% and 5% of Credit Suisse shareholders, told CNBC that they had "lost a lot of money" and "need to know what management is doing." Potential courses of action include "trying to retrieve some of the viable pay that was granted for former management, who may have failed in their duties to protect shareholders' interests," he said. "We're still looking for possibilities  it's quite difficult with the Swiss company law to prove the damage. Mismanagement of a company is not per se something we can concretely act against former members of the management or current members of the management, but still we need to be sure that they gave the whole truth to investors and to the market, so there is still open question," Kaufmann told CNBC's Joumanna Bercetche. Holders of Credit Suisse's AT1 bond instruments, which were subject to a $17 billion wipeout as part of the UBS takeover, last week instructed a global law firm to pursue discussion and possible litigation with Swiss authorities.

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Cuba will likely face more  and costlier  lawsuits over billions of dollars' worth of unpaid commercial debts from the 1980s after a decision Tuesday by a UK High Court judge.

The judge ruled mostly in favor of CRF1, originally called the Cuba Recovery Fund. The fund filed suit against Cuba and its previous central bank, Banco Nacional de Cuba, in 2020 for roughly $72 million in principal and past due interest on two loans it now owns.

The loans were granted to Cuba by European commercial banks in the 1980s, when Fidel Castro ruled the Caribbean nation, and were denominated in German Deutschmarks, a currency that no longer exists.

Justice Sara Cockerill, who delivered Tuesday's decision, oversaw a trial that started in late January and lasted two weeks and was beset by intrigue and chaos outside the UK High Court.

That trial was about four issues: whether CRF could sue in the UK; whether the debts were properly transferred to the investment fund; whether the central bank could be sued; and whether the Cuban government was a guarantor on the debt and could be sued as well.

The judge ruled in favor of CRF on three of four of the issues. She said the High Court has jurisdiction, the debt was properly assigned to CRF, and that the former central bank is responsible.

Yet she ruled that Cuba itself is not a guarantor of the debt, a win for the communist nation.

David Charters, the CRF1 chair, described Cuba's win as temporary, and based on a technicality. He said the fund on Tuesday filed once again with ICBC Standard Bank, the debt's custodian, to have Cuba assigned as the guarantor. He said BNC has 28 days to respond and believes CRF will prevail.

"BNC was the Central Bank of Cuba and remains responsible for managing these unpaid Cuban debts," he said. "Cuba won a technical point in this judgement which we have already remedied, and we do not expect this issue to impact the eventual final outcome, which is a complete victory for CRF."

Lawyers for CRF said the fund can now proceed to a trial to determine whether it can recover "the sovereign debt that in unequivocally owns.
Finnish Foreign Affairs Minister Pekka Haavisto (L) shakes hands with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, flanked by NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg (C) as he hands over Finland's accession to NATO documents,

Finland on Tuesday became an official member of the NATO military alliance, prompted by Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to invade Ukraine last year.

The Nordic nation is the 31st country to join the alliance, which vows in its treaty that an attack on one of its members is an attack on them all. It's a historic moment for Finland, which has followed a path of neutrality for decades.

"Finland's membership is not targeted against anyone. Nor does it change the foundations or objectives of Finland's foreign and security policy," Finnish President Sauli Niinisto said in a written statement Tuesday.

His comments came shortly after the country's foreign affairs minister, Pekka Haavisto, handed over all the accession documents in Brussels, at NATO's headquarters, in the presence of the group's secretary-general, Jens Stoltenberg, and U.S. State Secretary Antony Blinken.

"Welcome to the alliance," Stoltenberg told Finnish representatives at the ceremony.

Authorities in Helsinki decided that in the wake of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the country was no longer safe on its own and applied to join the alliance a few months later. Finland shares an 832-mile border with Russia, the longest of any European Union member. NATO's border with Russia will roughly double in size after Finland's accession.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday that Russia would closely follow any NATO deployments in Finland and that his country would take "counter-measures" to this accession, according to Reuters.
A GMC pickup truck is displayed for sale on a lot at a General Motors dealership on January 05, 2023 in Austin, Texas.

DETROIT  About 5,000 white-collar workers at General Motors opted to participate in a buyout program that was announced last month to lower the automaker's global head count and fixed costs.

GM CFO Paul Jacobson said Tuesday the company expects to take a roughly $1 billion charge during the quarter as a result of the program. The head count reduction was part of GM's plans to cut $2 billion in structural costs by the end of 2024.

Jacobson said the opt-in rate for the "Voluntary Separation Program" was in line with company expectations, and puts GM "in a position" to avoid layoffs.

"I think we're in a position where we're going to be able to do that," he said Tuesday during a BofA Securities conference.

GM expects the majority of employees who participated in the program to leave the company by the end of June, according to a spokesman.

GM CEO Mary Barra last month said if not enough employees participated in the program, involuntary actions would need to be taken.

The buyouts were offered to a majority of the company's 58,000 U.S. white-collar employees. To qualify for the program, salaried employees needed to have worked at the company for five years as of June 30 this year. For executive-level employees, the qualification was two years worked.

"This was a tool to get us to really accelerate the attrition curve; got a pretty quick payback," Jacobson said.

GM announced the $2 billion cost-cutting program in January, saying between 30% and 50% of the savings were expected during 2023. At the time, executives said they were planning head count reductions through attrition rather than layoffs.

Jacobson said Tuesday that GM will likely now come in on the "higher end" of that percentage range for 2023. "We feel like we've gotten off to a really good start on it," he said.

GM last month said it expected to take a pretax charge of up to $1.5 billion related to the buyouts, according to a public filing. The majority of the charges are expected to be all cash and occur during the first half of the year, the company said.

GM is "working through" the full extent of the charges, Jacobson said, and may see costs spill over into the second quarter.

The company will offer additional details about the buyout program during its first-quarter earnings call on April 25, Jacobson said.

Shares of the company were down about 2% in midday trading.
HSBC bank logo on the wall is seen in Valletta , Malta on 21 September 2022. Michal Fludra | Nurphoto | Getty Images

HSBC Holdings on Monday pushed aside a proposal by an activist shareholder in Hong Kong to spin off its mainstay Asia business, reiterating the adverse impact on the Asia-focussed bank's cost and clients. Addressing an informal meeting of shareholders in Hong Kong, its biggest market, HSBC Chairman Mark Tucker said the board was unanimous in recommending that shareholders vote against proposals to restructure the bank and pay fixed dividends. related investing news Morgan Stanley says HSBC is a 'top pick' despite the bank's shareholder troubles The comment came as Ken Lui, an individual HSBC shareholder and leader of a Hong Kong-based investor group, called for the break up of the bank. His second proposed resolution calls on HSBC to restore pre-Covid-19 dividend levels. Tucker told the shareholders a restructuring or spin-off of its Asia business, as demanded by Lui, would create a major period of uncertainty for clients, and employees and shareholders would be disrupted. "In fact, there will be significant cost over a number of years with material execution risks. So it would not be in your interest to split the bank," Tucker told hundreds of the bank's individual investors, urging the attendees to cast their vote outside of the meeting hall.

About 1,100 attendees at an exhibition centre in Hong Kong's Kowloon Bay district were greeted with banners put up by supporters of the breakup campaign saying: "spin off HSBC Asia now". The Hong Kong meeting is being held ahead of HSBC's main annual general meeting in the British city of Birmingham on May 5, to discuss its 2022 results and "other matters of interest", an earlier notice shows. Lui's proposals, which will come up for vote during the meeting in May, echo calls by HSBC's largest shareholder, Ping An Asset Management, to demerge its Asia unit, which accounts for the bulk of its revenue and profit. HSBC has in recent months pushed back on Ping An's proposal, a move Europe's biggest bank by assets has said would be costly, while posting profits that beat expectations and promising chunkier dividends.

Higher dividends

The demand for spinning off HSBC Asia business has come amid rising geopolitical tensions between China and the West, though its chief executive, Noel Quinn, has said he does not believe Ping An's campaign was politically motivated. On Monday, a Ping An Asset Management spokesperson said the Chinese firm hoped HSBC valued the shareholders' suggestions. "After a preliminary study of some of the resolutions proposed by HSBC shareholders, we believe that these resolutions will have a positive impact on improving performance and enhancing shareholder value." On Lui's demand for higher dividends, Quinn told the Hong Kong shareholders that the London-headquartered bank intended to get the payouts back to pre-Covid level as soon as possible.

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This photo illustration shows the ChatGPT logo at an office in Washington, DC, on March 15, 2023. Stefani Reynolds | AFP | Getty Images

Italy has become the first country in the West to ban ChatGPT, the popular artificial intelligence chatbot from U.S. startup OpenAI. Last week, the Italian Data Protection Watchdog ordered OpenAI to temporarily cease processing Italian users' data amid a probe into a suspected breach of Europe's strict privacy regulations. related investing news The S&P 500's top gainer so far this year has even further to go on the next AI innovation, Evercore ISI says The regulator, which is also known as Garante, cited a data breach at OpenAI which allowed users to view the titles of conversations other users were having with the chatbot. There "appears to be no legal basis underpinning the massive collection and processing of personal data in order to 'train' the algorithms on which the platform relies," Garante said in a statement Friday. Garante also flagged worries over a lack of age restrictions on ChatGPT, and how the chatbot can serve factually incorrect information in its responses. OpenAI, which is backed by Microsoft , risks facing a fine of 20 million euros ($21.8 million), or 4% of its global annual revenue, if it doesn't come up with remedies to the situation in 20 days. Italy isn't the only country reckoning with the rapid pace of AI progression and its implications for society. Other governments are coming up with their own rules for AI, which, whether or not they mention generative AI, will undoubtedly touch on it. Generative AI refers to a set of AI technologies that generate new content based on prompts from users. It is more advanced than previous iterations of AI, thanks in no small part to new large language models, which are trained on vast quantities of data. There have long been calls for AI to face regulation. But the pace at which the technology has progressed is such that it is proving difficult for governments to keep up. Computers can now create realistic art, write entire essays, or even generate lines of code, in a matter of seconds. "We have got to be very careful that we don't create a world where humans are somehow subservient to a greater machine future," Sophie Hackford, a futurist and global technology innovation advisor for American farming equipment maker John Deere, told CNBC's "Squawk Box Europe" Monday. "Technology is here to serve us. it's there to make our cancer diagnosis quicker or make humans not have to do jobs that we don't want to do." "We need to be thinking about it very carefully now, and we need to be acting on that now, from a regulation perspective," she added.

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Various regulators are concerned by the challenges AI poses for job security, data privacy, and equality. There are also worries about advanced AI manipulating political discourse through generation of false information. Many governments are also starting to think about how to deal with general purpose systems such as ChatGPT, with some even considering joining Italy in banning the technology.

Britain

Last week, the U.K. announced plans for regulating AI. Rather than establish new regulations, the government asked regulators in different sectors to apply existing regulations to AI. The U.K. proposals, which don't mention ChatGPT by name, outline some key principles for companies to follow when using AI in their products, including safety, transparency, fairness, accountability, and contestability. Britain is not at this stage proposing restrictions on ChatGPT, or any kind of AI for that matter. Instead, it wants to ensure companies are developing and using AI tools responsibly and giving users enough information about how and why certain decisions are taken. In a speech to Parliament last Wednesday, Digital Minister Michelle Donelan said the sudden popularity of generative AI showed that risks and opportunities surrounding the technology are "emerging at an extraordinary pace." By taking a non-statutory approach, the government will be able to "respond quickly to advances in AI and to intervene further if necessary," she added. Dan Holmes, a fraud prevention leader at Feedzai, which uses AI to combat financial crime, said the main priority of the U.K.'s approach was addressing "what good AI usage looks like." "It's more, if you're using AI, these are the principles you should be thinking about," Holmes told CNBC. "And it often boils down to two things, which is transparency and fairness."

The EU

The rest of Europe is expected to take a far more restrictive stance on AI than its British counterparts, which have been increasingly diverging from EU digital laws following the U.K.'s withdrawal from the bloc. The European Union, which is often at the forefront when it comes to tech regulation, has proposed a groundbreaking piece of legislation on AI. Known as the European AI Act, the rules will heavily restrict the use of AI in critical infrastructure, education, law enforcement, and the judicial system.

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It will work in conjunction with the EU's General Data Protection Regulation. These rules regulate how companies can process and store personal data. When the AI act was first dreamed up, officials hadn't accounted for the breakneck progress of AI systems capable of generating impressive art, stories, jokes, poems and songs. According to Reuters, the EU's draft rules consider ChatGPT to be a form of general purpose AI used in high-risk applications. High-risk AI systems are defined by the commission as those that could affect people's fundamental rights or safety. They would face measures including tough risk assessments and a requirement to stamp out discrimination arising from the datasets feeding algorithms. "The EU has a great, deep pocket of expertise in AI. They've got access to some of the top notch talent in the world, and it's not a new conversation for them," Max Heinemeyer, chief product officer of Darktrace, told CNBC. "It's worthwhile trusting them to have the best of the member states at heart and fully aware of the potential competitive advantages that these technologies could bring versus the risks." But while Brussels hashes out laws for AI, some EU countries are already looking at Italy's actions on ChatGPT and debating whether to follow suit. "In principle, a similar procedure is also possible in Germany," Ulrich Kelber, Germany's Federal Commissioner for Data Protection, told the Handelsblatt newspaper. The French and Irish privacy regulators have contacted their counterparts in Italy to learn more about its findings, Reuters reported. Sweden's data protection authority ruled out a ban. Italy is able to move ahead with such action as OpenAI doesn't have a single office in the EU. Ireland is typically the most active regulator when it comes to data privacy since most U.S. tech giants like Meta and Google have their offices there.

The U.S. hasn't yet proposed any formal rules to bring oversight to AI technology. The country's National Institute of Science and Technology put out a national framework that gives companies using, designing or deploying AI systems guidance on managing risks and potential harms. But it runs on a voluntary basis, meaning firms would face no consequences for not meeting the rules. So far, there's been no word of any action being taken to limit ChatGPT in the U.S.

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Last month, the Federal Trade Commission received a complaint from a nonprofit research group alleging GPT-4, OpenAI's latest large language model, is "biased, deceptive, and a risk to privacy and public safety" and violates the agency's AI guidelines. The complaint could lead to an investigation into OpenAI and suspension of commercial deployment of its large language models. The FTC declined to comment.

China

ChatGPT isn't available in China, nor in various countries with heavy internet censorship like North Korea, Iran and Russia. It is not officially blocked, but OpenAI doesn't allow users in the country to sign up. Several large tech companies in China are developing alternatives. Baidu, Alibaba and JD.com, some of China's biggest tech firms, have announced plans for ChatGPT rivals. China has been keen to ensure its technology giants are developing products in line with its strict regulations. Last month, Beijing introduced first-of-its-kind regulation on so-called deepfakes, synthetically generated or altered images, videos or text made using AI. Chinese regulators previously introduced rules governing the way companies operate recommendation algorithms. One of the requirements is that companies must file details of their algorithms with the cyberspace regulator. Such regulations could in theory apply to any kind of ChatGPT-style of technology.

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Aesop products sit on display for sale at their store on Abbott Kinney Blvd. in Venice, California on Oct. 14, 2013.

French cosmetics group L'Oreal struck a deal with Brazil's Natura & Co to buy Aesop, its Australian luxury brand, at an enterprise value of $2.53 billion, both firms said on Monday.

The deal expands L'Oreal's presence in the luxury cosmetics market, while marking a financial relief for the Brazilian firm, burdened by shrinking margins and heavy debt.

The brand, Natura's most profitable, operates almost 400 stores and posted sales of $537 million in 2022, up 21% in constant currency from a year earlier.

It also reported double-digit growth across all its regions last year, and said it had entered the Chinese market "with strong performance that exceeded expectations."

"Aesop taps into all of today's ascending currents and L'Oreal will contribute to unleash its massive growth potential, notably in China and travel retail," L'Oreal CEO Nicolas Hieronimus said in a statement.

For Natura, the deal adds to a broader organizational shakeup that saw former chief executive and executive chairman Roberto Marques step down in June last year, handing over the reins to Fabio Barbosa.
The new normal for crude oil could be $100 a barrel, according to leading energy analyst Paul Sankey. Sankey, ranked No. 1 by Institutional Investor for energy independent research in 2023, sees OPEC+'s surprise production cut paired with supply drivers as major catalysts. "Global oil production capacity really has a problem. I mean we really only have growth in Guyana outside of OPEC+ and almost nothing else to speak of," Sankey Research's president told CNBC's " Fast Money " on Monday. WTI crude posted its best day Monday since April 2022. The move comes after crude prices dropped to a 15-month low in mid-March. Sankey said he doesn't believe the economic slowdown will impact his bullish outlook. He pointed to the start of driving season, U.S. refineries coming back online and natural seasonal demand as other factors that could boost prices. "Now that the Saudi put has kicked in, I think that you do have a better valuation support for the names," he said. When asked whether legacy integrated names or refiners are the best way to play the space, he picked service companies such as Schlumberger and Baker Hughes . "The one that people want to buy quite rightly is service companies," said Sankey. "That's the most juice  particularly international service." Schlumberger was up nearly 7% and the seventh-best performing stock in the S & P 500 on Monday. Meanwhile, Baker Hughes rose to almost 4%. A CNBC PRO screen found that Schlumberger was also typically the best performer during past oil spikes.
Aerial view of fishing boats setting sail to South China Sea for fishing on August 16, 2022 in Yangjiang, Guangdong Province of China.

Malaysia Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Tuesday said he had told China that an exploration project by state energy firm Petronas in the South China Sea was within Malaysian waters, in a reference to an overlapping claim in the area by Beijing.

China was worried that "Petronas has carried out a major activity at an area that is also claimed by China," Anwar said in response to a parliamentary question about his discussions on the South China Sea during his visit to China last week.

"I stressed ... that Malaysia sees the area as Malaysian territory therefore Petronas will continue its exploration activities there," Anwar said, without specifying an offshore project or a location.

But if China feels this is their right, Malaysia is open for negotiations, Anwar said, reiterating comments made earlier this week.
TikTok has been fined 12.7 ($15.9) million by U.K. privacy regulators for failing to protect children's data, in a fresh blow to the Chinese-owned app as it faces heightened scrutiny from regulators.

The U.K.'s Information Commissioner's Office said in a statement Tuesday that it was fining TikTok for "a number of breaches of data protection law, including failing to use children's personal data lawfully."

TikTok allowed 1.4 million children under the age of 13 to use the app in 2020, despite its own rules requiring users to be above this age to create a TikTok account, the watchdog said.

John Edwards, the U.K. Information Commissioner, said in a statement that TikTok "should have known better" and "should have done better."

"Our 12.7m fine reflects the serious impact their failures may have had. They did not do enough to check who was using their platform or take sufficient action to remove the underage children that were using their platform," he added.

A TikTok spokesperson told CNBC that the company was reviewing the ICO decision, as it considers next steps.

"TikTok is a platform for users aged 13 and over," the TikTok spokesperson told CNBC. "We invest heavily to help keep under 13s off the platform and our 40,000 strong safety team works around the clock to help keep the platform safe for our community."

"While we disagree with the ICO's decision, which relates to May 2018 - July 2020, we are pleased that the fine announced today has been reduced to under half the amount proposed last year," the spokesperson added.

The ICO had previously proposed fining TikTok 25 million for this privacy violation. The regulator said it decided to lower the value of the fine after striking its initial finding of unlawful use of special category data by TikTok.

"That does not mean that the use of special category data by social media companies is not of importance to the ICO. But we need to be strategic about our resources and, in this case, the Commissioner exercised his discretion to not pursue the provisional finding related to the unlawful use of special category data," an ICO spokesperson told CNBC via email.

The penalty comes amid calls for the app to be banned in the U.S. over national security concerns, and after administrations in the U.S., U.K. and several other countries prohibited the app from government-issued devices.

TikTok's CEO Shou Zi Chew addressed concerns around security and privacy from U.S. lawmakers last month. Among the top issues of Washington officials is the potential influence of the Chinese government over TikTok.

Chew denied claims that TikTok has shared user data with Beijing and said that, since taking over as the firm's CEO, he has never held any discussions with Chinese government officials.

"TikTok has never shared, or received a request to share, U.S. user data with the Chinese government. Nor would TikTok honor such a request if one were ever made," Xi said in a written testimony to the House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee.

WATCH: Three decades after inventing the web, Tim Berners-Lee has some ideas on how to fix it
Donald Trump pleaded not guilty Tuesday to 34 counts of falsifying business records, in the first-ever criminal arraignment of a former U.S. president.

Trump surrendered at a New York courthouse and then was arraigned on charges related to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's hush money payment probe. Trump exited the courthouse shortly before 3:30 p.m. ET and flew home to his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida.

Trump is not due back in court until December, according to NBC News.

He was indicted Thursday, and the charges were unsealed during the arraignment Tuesday. The 34 felony counts relate to his alleged role in a scheme that directed hush money payments to two women during the 2016 election.



Trump's former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen is known to have facilitated payments to two women in order to keep them silent about alleged affairs with Trump: former adult film star Stormy Daniels and ex-Playboy model Karen McDougal.
An undated ID photo of U.S. journalist Evan Gershkovich. The reporter for The Wall Street Journal has been detained in Russia on espionage charges.

Emma Tucker, the editor-in-chief of The Wall Street Journal and Dow Jones newswires, said that Evan Gershkovich's lawyers were able to meet with him in a Moscow prison.

The lawyers, retained by Dow Jones, said that Gershkovich is "grateful for the outpouring of support from around the world."

"The legal avenue is one of several avenues we are working to advocate for Evan's release. We continue to work with the White House, State Department and relevant U.S. government officials to secure Evan's release," Tucker wrote in a statement.

Tucker added that she spent time with Gershkovich's family over the weekend.

"They are relieved to know we finally have contact with Evan. We continue to stand with Evan's family as they face this ordeal," Tucker said.

"I am also grateful for all of our colleagues at Dow Jones and peers in journalism who stand firmly by our side to defend Evan and the free press," she added.

Gershkovich was arrested last week by Russian authorities over espionage allegations.

 Amanda Macias
People exit the headquarters of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in Washington, D.C., May 12, 2021.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Tuesday sued Charlie Javice, the founder of the Frank college financial planning platform, accusing her of defrauding JPMorgan Chase & Co into buying her startup for $175 million in 2021.

In a complaint filed in Manhattan federal court, the SEC said JPMorgan was enticed by Javice's repeated claims that she had lined up 4.25 million student customers, when in fact she had data for only about 300,000 students.

The SEC said Javice concocted a sham list of real names that they passed off as Frank customers, and that JPMorgan discovered the con when marketing materials it sent to some of those people reached only a few intended recipients.

A lawyer for Javice could not immediately be reached for comment. An attorney for Javice in January denied similar allegations.

JPMorgan did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The bank shut down Frank in January, after suing Javice the previous month.


Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 3)  A recent map from a United States agency shows traces of oil spill from Oriental Mindoro reaching Coron, Palawan, the Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) reported on Monday.

The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) supplied the map through the International Charter Space and Massive Disasters (Charter), which showed slicks reaching the island of Coron that covered a total of about 61.27 square kilometers.

The PhilSA said the map is still subject to field validation.

The slicks were spotted approximately 6.5 nautical miles (nm) east off of Coron and measures around 33 nm in length and 2.5 nm in width, according to PhilSA.

During major disasters, PhilSA activates the Charter on behalf of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) and acquires satellite images for damage assessment and other disaster-response related activities, the agency said.

Oil spill threat moves from Verde Island to Semirara Island

Citing satellite data from NOAA, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on Monday said possible oil slicks were also detected south and southwest of the sunken MT Princess Empress.

"May time na [There was a time] it shifted northeast, kaya [that's why] Verde Island became threatened. But our report today indicates it is southwest," PCG Deputy Commandant for Operations Vice Admiral Rolando Punzalan Jr. said.

Due to these changes in the direction of wind and currents, Punzalan said the Verde Island Passage -- considered the global center of marine biodiversity -- is no longer under threat. The danger from the slicks has moved to Semirara Island in Antique, south of Oriental Mindoro, according to the PCG official.

Punzalan said mitigating measures continue to be implemented in Verde Island while a coast guard command post has been set up in Semirara Island in anticipation of the leakage possibly reaching the area.

US assists in oil spill clean-up

The US Coast Guard on Monday deployed a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to collect information on the sunken oil tanker. The data will assist the local government in containing the oil spill, according to Commander Joel Ferguson, Executive Officer of the US Coast Guard National Strike Force Coordination Center.

Since its deployment, Ferguson said "the ROV was able to cut away some railings to give better access to the ROV that is operating some remedial actions as far as putting bags on potential discharge point.

Meanwhile, a Dynamic Positioning Vessel contracted by the US Navy arrived in Calapan, Oriental Mindoro on Monday to assist in the ongoing oil spill response operations.

The MT Princess Empress loaded with 900,000 liters of industrial oil sank off Naujan in Oriental Mindoro on Feb. 28. A month after, the Philippine Coast Guard said the sunken tanker is estimated to have already released close to half of the oil it carried.

The coast guard also reported last week that around 60% of areas affected by the leakage have been cleaned up.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on March 8 expressed hope that the oil spill will be cleared in less than four months.

Meanwhile, groups and concerned individuals have been calling for transparency and accountability amid clean-up efforts and the investigation into the firms responsible for the leak.

READ: There should be criminal liabilities in Oriental Mindoro oil spill  Remulla

CNN Philippines' correspondent Xianne Arcangel contributed to this story.
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It feels as if practically everyone has been using Open AI's ChatGPT since the generative AI hit prime time. But many enterprise professionals may be embracing the technology without considering the risk of these large language models (LLMs).

Thats why we need an Apple approach to Generative AI.

What happens at Samsung should stay at Samsung

ChatGPT seems to be a do-everything tool, capable of answering questions, finessing prose, generating suggestions, creating reports, and more. Developers have used the tool to help them write or improve their code and some companies (such as Microsoft) are weaving this machine intelligence into existing products, web browsers, and applications.

Thats all well and good. But any enterprise user should heed the warnings from the likes of Europol and UK intelligence agency NCSC and consider the small print before committing confidential information. Because the data, once shared, is no longer controlled by the entity that shares that data, but by OpenAI  meaning confidential information is no longer secure.

That may be a basic privacy issue for many users, but for companies, particularly those handling privileged information, it means using ChatGPT carries serious risks.

There have been warnings to this effect in circulation since the software appeared, but theyre clearly not being heard over the pro-LLM hype. Thats suggested by news that engineers at Samsung Semiconductor have been using ChatGPT and in doing so generated three leaks of sensitive data in just 20 days.

Engineers used ChatGPT to fulfil quite straightforward tasks:

Check errors in source code.

Optimize code used to identify defective facilities.

Transcribe a meeting recorded on a smartphone to create meeting minutes.

The problem is that in all these cases, the employees effectively took proprietary Samsung information and gave it to a third party, removing it from control of the company.

Naturally, once it found these events had taken place, Samsung warned its employees about the risks of using ChatGPT. Its vital workers understand that once information is shared, it could be exposed to an unknown number of people. Samsung is taking steps to mitigate against such use in the future, and if those dont work will block the tool from use on its network. Samsung is also developing its own similar tool for internal use.

The Samsung incident is a clear demonstration of the need for enterprise leaders to understand that company information cannot be shared this way.

We need an Apple approach to Generative AI

That, of course, is why Apples general approach to AI makes so much sense. While there are exceptions (including at one time the egregious sharing of data for grading within Siri), Apples tack is to try to make intelligent solutions that require very little data to run. The argument is that if Apple and its systems have no insight into a users information, then that data remains confidential, private, and secure.

Its a solid argument that should by rights extent to generative AI and potentially any form of search. Apple doesnt seem to have an equivalent to ChatGPT, though it does have some of the building blocks upon which to create on-device equivalents of the tech for its hardware. Apples incredibly powerful Neural Engine, for example, seems to have the horsepower to run LLM models with at least somewhat equivalent operations on the device. Doing so would deliver a far more secure tool.

Though Apple doesnt yet have its own Designed In Cupertino take on Generative AI waiting in the wings, its inevitable that as the risks of the ChatGPT model become more widely understood, the demand for private and secure access to similar tools will only expand. Enterprises want the productivity and efficiency without the expense of confidentiality.

The future of such tools seems, then, likely to be based on taking such solutions as much as possible out of the cloud and onto the device. Thats certainly the direction of travel Microsoft seems to be signalling as it works to weave OpenAI tools within Azure and other products.

In the meantime, anyone using LLMs should follow the advice from the NCSC and ensure they dont include sensitive information in the queries they make. They should also ensure they dont submit queries to public LLMs that would lead to issues were they made public.

And, given that humans are the weak link to every security chain, most businesses probably need to develop an action plan in the event an infringement does take place. Perhaps ChatGPT can suggest one?

Please follow me on Mastodon, or join me in the AppleHolics bar & grill and Apple Discussions groups on MeWe.
Daisy Irani returns with Indian-Chinese comic face-off on Singapore stage

Noted Indian television actress, director and producer from Singapore Daisy Irani Subaiah returns to essay one of her most well known productions, a comedic take on culture clashes in the Lion City.

The third version of the play, titled 'We are like this only 3', is a gloves-off, free-for-all forum theatre play about the challenges of integration between different ethnicities and communities in Singapore personified by the perpetually irate Chinese, the Ngs, and the notoriously frustrating new Indians, the Bhallas.

(from left) The cast of 'We are like this only 3': Subin Subaiah, Daisy Irani Subaiah, Jo Tan and Hang Qian Chou. Photo courtesy: HuM Theatre Productions

"The play is a comedy that wrestles down perceptions, factual and fictional, that the Chinese and Indians have about each other in Singapore," Daisy told Connected to India.

The 90-minute play organised by Daisy's HuM Theatre Productions comprises a set of sketches portraying the wild perceptions and common misconceptions they have of each other, the stereotyping of the characters and the disenchantment they have with each other. All the pet peeves that the two couples and, by extension, the two communities, have about each other are on the table as they hilariously duel one another on every misconception and every misgiving in a comedic commentary on Singapore's complex society.

"It is never easy to present sensitive issues without making audiences feel uncomfortable. Comedy presents a solution. If we can laugh together at our misgivings and misperceptions about each other, then we have moved forward as a society," Daisy said.

Starring ST Life Theatre Award Winners and nominees Jo Tan, Subin Subaiah, Hang Qian Chou and Daisy Irani Subaiah; the play features Music by Preetipls; Lighting Design by Alberta Wileo and Set Design by Lim Keng San (OnStaging), the play is bein performed at the Drama Centre, Black Box Theatre from April 20-30, 2023.

The depictions of clashing cultures and racial tensions are being highlighted as well as mitigated through humour, according to Daisy. Photo: Connected to India

On Wednesday to Fridays, there is one show at 7.30 pm, with two shows at 3 pm and 7:30 pm on Saturdays and Sundays.

The depictions of clashing cultures and racial tensions are being highlighted as well as mitigated through humour, according to Daisy.

"The majority-minority relationship comes with a whole bunch of irritations and peeves on both sides. Some are cultural, others economic but most are ridiculously absurd myths. It is delightful to explore these differences in the format of satire. An advantage of a multicultural society is that we can engage with each other to enhance our relationship," she added.

Supported by the National Integration Council, all indications are that 'We Are Like This Only 3' is set to be an entertaining evening at the theatre.

Tickets are available online. Special rates for students and school bookings and other information is available through email.
Criminals and law enforcement are natural enemies. Just like the innocent and law enforcement. Or protesters and law enforcement. Or bystanders and law enforcement. Or law enforcement and law enforcement. Damn law enforcement. They ruined law enforcement.

And yet, sometimes, the authorities get help from those very criminals whom theyre supposed to fight. Sometimes, criminals have good intentions and are willing to lend a hand. However, dont count on those criminals following the rules for whats legal or acceptable. When you team up with Batman or Hannibal Lecter, they might take things a little far.
The UKs data regulator has issued a warning to tech companies about protecting personal information when developing and deploying large language, generative AI models.

Less than a week after Italys data privacy regulator banned ChatGPT over alleged privacy violations, the Information Commissions Office (ICO) published a blog post reminding organizations that data protection laws still apply when the personal information being processed comes from publicly accessible sources.

Organisations developing or using generative AI should be considering their data protection obligations from the outset, taking a data protection by design and by default approach, said Stephen Almond, the ICOs director of technology and innovation, in the post.

Almond also said that, for organizations processing personal data for the purpose of developing generative AI, there are various questions they should ask themselves, centering on: what their lawful basis for processing personal data is; how they can mitigate security risks; and how they will respond to individual rights requests.

There really can be no excuse for getting the privacy implications of generative AI wrong, Almond said, adding that ChatGPT itself recently told him that generative AI, like any other technology, has the potential to pose risks to data privacy if not used responsibly.

Well be working hard to make sure that organisations get it right, Almond said.

The ICO and the Italian data regulator are not the only ones to have recently raised concerns about the potential risk to the public that could be caused by generative AI.

Last month, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, Twitter owner Elon Musk, and a group of 1,100 technology leaders and scientists called for a six-month pause in developing systems more powerful than OpenAI's newly launched GPT-4.

In an open letter, the signatories depicted a dystopian future and questioned whether advanced AI could lead to a loss of control of our civilization, while also warning of the potential threat to democracy if chatbots pretending to be humans could flood social media platforms with propaganda and fake news.

The group also voiced a concern that AI could automate away all the jobs, including the fulfilling ones.

Why AI regulation is a challenge

When it comes to regulating AI, the biggest challenge is that innovation is moving so fast that regulations have a hard time keeping up, said Frank Buytendijk, an analyst at Gartner, noting that if regulations are too specific, they lose effectiveness the moment technology moves on.

If they are too high level, then they have a hard time being effective as they are not clear, he said.

However, Buytendijk added that its not regulation that could ultimately stifle AI innovation but instead, a loss of trust and social acceptance because of too many costly mistakes..

AI regulation, demanding models to be checked for bias, and demanding algorithms to be more transparent, triggers a lot of innovation too, in making sure bias can be detected and transparency and explainability can be achieved, Buytendijk said.
In a recent report issued by the State Service of Special Communications and Information Protection of Ukraine (SSSCIP) titled Russias Cyber Tactics: Lessons Learned in 2022  SSSCIP analytical report on the year of Russias full-scale cyberwar against Ukraine readers obtained a 10,000-foot overview of what a hot cyberwar entails from the Ukrainian perspective.

The SSSCIP report highlights the major targets, the coordination between government-advanced persistent threat groups and hacktivists, espionage operations and influence operations, and the Ukrainian analysis and discoveries.

SSSCIP Deputy Chairman Victor Zhora highlights in his introduction that Ukraine has been both the active testing ground and the target of choice for Russias cyber efforts since 2014. He takes an interesting tack by noting that each attacker is a person being directed to achieve a given result and that the SSSCIP report attempts to include the human context in observed tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTP). Zhora notes that Russia has had some success but has not been successful overall due to the resilience of the Ukrainian defensive methodologies and the assistance of the many partners in defending Ukraines cyber landscape.

CISOs should take note of potential spillover from the war

Two of those partners, who have invested heavily both monetarily and technologically, are Microsoft and Google. Both entities have also recently published pieces providing optics into the Russian cyberwar against Ukraine. When reading these the CISO (and staff) should be looking to better understand the ramifications of any cyber spillover from the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

The report notes that the Russian cyberwar is proceeding in lockstep with kinetic efforts directed against the Ukrainian energy sector, a shift that occurred in October 2022. The report also mentions that the purposes of Russian hackers have changed as well from a large number of attacks aimed at disruption to more precisely targeted spying and data theft. Of every 10 attacks, two or three are focused on the destruction of information and capability, while the remaining are focused on the acquisition of information using spear-phishing as the tool of choice to gain the requisite footholds.

The Gamaredon group of the Russian security service FSB is noted as being particularly active and successful in conducting operational forays into Ukrainian entities and exfiltrating a good deal of information, all of which falls under the espionage umbrella. Similarly, the GRU group Unit-74455 has been actively engaged in wiper attacks destroying data and capability. Interestingly, detection is happening predominately at the endpoint level (EDR) as compared to network or email servers.

Russias attacks focused heavily on infrastructure

The most heavily attacked sector in terms of cyberespionage and aggressive operations from adversaries remains Ukraines civilian infrastructure, including government institutions and critical infrastructure (energy companies, commercial organizations, logistics companies) and various government ministries. In addition, the defense organizations  both uniformed and civilian  are also targeted. The focus was credential-harvesting to gain impersonated and legitimate access through email or VPN without 2FA for collecting data.

Throughout the second half of 2022, Russia was targeting Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) personnel, to compromise the Signal messenger accounts and leak data and impersonate users. Similarly, the Shliakh system used by Ukrainian border guards was attacked. This system allows the border guards to check the identify of persons entering Ukraine.

The common goals of the Russian activities, even when not acting in a coordinated manner, were mostly penetrating the energy segment and pursuing intelligence collection and data exfiltration. Turning off the ability for Ukrainians, both civilian and government, to communicate and foster disorganization, and panic across the civilian population is Russias goal in targeting the telecom sector. Without the capability to communicate or gain access to the internet, civilians, as well as military personnel and intelligence officers, cant coordinate to take action or call for help.

Refugees are another Russian target

Microsoft in its posting pointed out that Russian influence operations were targeting Ukrainian refugees and that Moscows propaganda machine has recently taken aim at Ukrainian refugee populations across Europe, trying to convince them that they could be deported and conscripted into the Ukrainian military.

While Google noted that attacks on NATO countries increased over 300%  Russian government-backed attackers targeted users in Ukraine more than any other country. While we see these attackers focus heavily on Ukrainian government and military entities, the campaigns we disrupted also show a strong focus on critical infrastructure, utilities, and public services, and the media and information space.

Inspiration for CISOs to review their own security

The SSSCIP provides us with some recommendations based on its experiences to help thwart and survive the cyberwar experience:

Minimize credential theft  protect the identities of users. Multifactor authentication should be everywhere, and organizations should undertake Active Directory hardening or migrate domain controllers to Azure AD). Institute least-privileged access. Secure access to the most sensitive and privileged accounts and systems. Isolate legacy systems so they may not be used as a point of entry. For remote access, multifactor authentication is a must. Remove or restrict outbound access wherever possible to mitigate egress-based kill chains. Secure internet-facing systems and remote access solutions. Trained and capable individuals coupled with defense-in-depth security solutions can empower your organization to identify, detect, and prevent intrusions impacting your business. Enabling native cloud workloads protection allows the identification and mitigation of known and novel threats to your network at scale.

Cyberwar is no longer hypothetical  we are watching one play out as Ukraine defends itself against Russia and Russian-backed organizations. The lessons learned and shared by the Ukrainian SSSCIP are inspiration for CISOs to review their own security protocols and tactics. A thorough read of the SSCIP report, coupled with those from Google and Microsoft, will provide a plethora of opportunities to go to school off the lessons learned by Ukraine.
The UK's Information Commissioners Office announced today that it has levied a nearly $16 million fine against TikTok for a number of breaches of the countrys data protection law.

Central to the ICOs decision to fine TikTok are the estimated 1.4 million UK children under 13 years of age, who were allowed to sign up for the platform in 2020, despite the companys own rules barring such use.

Thats a violation of UKs General Data Protection Regulation (similar to the EU's GDPR), the ICO said in a statement. The UK GDPR requires that companies that use personal data to offer services to children under 13 need a parent or guardians permission to do so. The regulator also noted that senior employees at TikTok were aware of underage users on the platform, and did not respond adequately to the issue.

There are laws in place to make sure our children our as safe in the digital world as they are in the physical world, said UK Information Commissioner John Edwards in the statement. TikTok should have known better. TikTok should have done better.

The ICO also charged TikTok with failing to offer clear information to users about how their personal information is collected and used, as well as with failing to ensure that user data was processed lawfully.

The UK government had originally intended to fine TikTok more than twice as much as todays $15.8 million. However, todays ICO statement said that the companys arguments convinced regulators not to pursue an earlier, provisional finding that it had also used special category data unlawfully, bringing the total fine down from an original figure of $33.7 million.

Our [$15.8 million] fine reflects the serious impact their failures may have had, Edwards stated. They did not do enough to check who was using their platform or take sufficient action to remove the underage children that were using their platform.

TikTok said in a statement that it is reviewing the decision. While it disagrees with the UK's action, a spokesperson said that that the company is pleased that regulators reduced the total fine from its original amount.

"TikTok is a platform for users aged 13 and over," the spokesperson said. "We invest heavily to keep under-13s off the platform."

The Chinese-owned social media giant has long been under fire from western regulators for privacy concerns. Several countries  including the US, UK and Canada  have banned it from use on government devices, while Australia and New Zealand have similar restrictions pending.
WASHINGTON (AP)  The U.S. will send Ukraine about $500 million in ammunition and equipment and spend more than $2 billion to buy an array of munitions, radar and new weapons to help Kyiv counter drones in the coming months, the Pentagon said Tuesday, as Ukrainian troops gear up for a spring offensive against Russian forces.

The aid to be taken from military stockpiles so it can be in the war zone quickly includes "ammunition for U.S.-provided HIMARS, air defense interceptors, and artillery rounds that Ukraine is using to defend itself, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement. HIMARS are multiple rocket launchers.

The package includes at least two new weapons systems that are designed to counter drones  specifically the Iranian-made Shahed, which Tehran has provided to Russia and has been heavily used in attacks on Ukrainian cities.

The U.S., for the first time, will send nine 30mm gun trucks and an undisclosed amount of ammunition for them, and 10 mobile laser-guided rocket systems, also developed to counter drones.

The wide array of ammunition being sent from Pentagon stocks includes 155 mm artillery rounds for howitzers as Ukraine burns through the rounds fighting back against Russia's ground invasion. The Pentagon does not provide the amounts of munitions in most cases.

The immediate assistance also includes anti-armor systems, small arms, heavy equipment transport vehicles, 61 fuel tankers and maintenance support, the Pentagon said in a statement.

A senior defense official said the focus is on helping Ukraine change the dynamic on the ground. Right now, the official said, the battle lines are relatively static and neither side has gained much territory. The official, who briefed Pentagon reporters on condition of anonymity to provide military details, said the U.S. wants to help Ukraine advance and hold its positions in the expected counteroffensive.

We very much appreciate everything that the United States has done specifically in the last month to help our army prepare itself for the counteroffensive, said Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, speaking at NATO headquarters in Brussels before a meeting with with Blinken. The Biden administration has upheld its commitment to provide Ukraine with a lot of what we need and set an example to other allies.

The $2.1 billion in longer-term aid, which is being provided under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, will buy missiles for the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System, or NASAMS, as well as radar, additional satellite terminals and fuel tanker trucks, anti-armor rockets and bridging systems. It also will fund additional training for Ukraine's forces.

The defense official said weapons already bought using the security assistance funding in previous packages are beginning to make their way to the battlefield. That is key because in some cases  such as with the 155 mm rounds  the Pentagon had been sending its own stocks, which are also needed for American troop training, and there is a finite supply. Now, the official said, the deliveries of 155 rounds Ukraine is getting include ammunition that was bought a number of months ago through the USAI program.

The new weapons and money come as Russia has continued to bombard Ukraine with long-range missiles and the hotly contested battle for the eastern city of Bakhmut drags on. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told The Associated Press in an exclusive interview that unless his country wins that fight, Russia could begin building international support for a deal that could require Ukraine to make unacceptable compromises.

Zelenskyy said if Moscow's forces take Bakhmut, Russian President Vladimir Putin would sell this victory to the West, to his society, to China, to Iran.

The latest U.S. package, with its mix of short-term and long-term aid, involves a wide variety of ammunition from Pentagon stocks, 23 million rounds of small arms ammunition and 200,000 grenades, mortars, rockets and an array of precision guided munitions.

It brings the total amount of U.S. security assistance to Ukraine to more than $35.1 billion since Russia invaded in February 2022. Defense leaders testifying on Capitol Hill last week said the U.S. is prepared to support Ukraine for as long as needed.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has echoed that sentiment, saying the alliances foreign ministers meeting in Brussels were discussing how to step up support for Ukraines armed forces. Our support is for the long haul," he said before the meeting Tuesday.

The White House said last week that it has new evidence that Russia is looking again to North Korea for weapons as it also prepares for a spring offensive. Russia would provide Pyongyang with needed food and other commodities in return.

U.S. officials also are concerned that the president of Belarus has warned that Russian strategic nuclear weapons might be deployed in his country, along with part of Moscows tactical nuclear arsenal.

Putin has said he planned to place tactical nuclear weapons in neighboring Belarus. Those weapons are comparatively short-range and low-yield. Strategic nuclear weapons, such as missile-borne warheads, would be a greater threat.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, while talking up the possibility of nuclear weapons, has also called for a cease-fire in Ukraine. He said a truce must have no preconditions and all movement of troops and weapons must be halted.

Russia, however, has rejected a cease in fighting, claiming that Ukraine has refused to enter talks under pressure from its Western allies.

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Lee reported from Brussels. Associated Press writer Tara Copp contributed to this story from Washington.
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NEW YORK (AP)  Follow along for live updates on former President Donald Trump, who surrendered Tuesday at a Manhattan courthouse to face arraignment on charges stemming from hush-money payments made during the 2016 campaign to bury allegations that he had extramarital sexual encounters.

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What to know:

 Arraignment provides new detail on charges facing Trump

 Manhattan prosecutors release indictment

 The three hush money cases in Trump indictment

 Trump's day in court

 Small but chaotic crowd gathers near Manhattan courthouse



TRUMP DEFIANT IN MAR-A-LAGO SPEECH

Flanked by American flags, former President Donald Trump delivered a campaign-style speech to cheering supporters at Mar-a-Lago Tuesday night.

Trump was defiant, referring, among other things, to his two impeachment trials during his presidency and an ongoing probe into alleged attempts to interfere in that states 2020 presidential election. He called the New York indictment the latest in an "onslaught of fraudulent investigations.

This fake case was brought only to interfere with the upcoming 2024 election and it should be dropped immediately," Trump said.

He also lashed out at the prosecutor and the judge presiding over the New York case  despite being warned hours earlier by the judge to refrain from rhetoric that could cause civil unrest.

Trump waved goodbye as he made his way out of the ballroom thronged by people recording the moment with their smartphones.

The crowd included supporters like failed Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake and longtime ally Roger Stone.

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TRUMP RETURNS TO FLORIDA

In a social media post from his plane on his flight home from New York, former President Donald Trump said that Tuesday's court hearing "was shocking to many in that they had no surprises, and therefore, no case. Virtually every legal pundit has said that there is no case here. There was nothing done illegally!

Trump's plane has landed in Florida, and his motorcade headed to his Mar-a-Lago resort where hundreds of supporters, many in red MAGA hats, awaited him in a grand ballroom. Trump was expected to speak there in a campaign-like setting.

One man wore a jacket patterned with star-shaped American flags, and another man wore a red tie with the message No Crime! Members of a motorcycle club sported black leather vests that read on the back Born To Ride for 45 Donald Trump. Trump was the 45th U.S. president.

Alex Gonzalez, a motorcycle club member, said he supports Trump in his 2024 presidential bid.

If he did something wrong, like anybody else, he should be held liable for it, but at the same time this is a witch hunt. This is not a real case, said Gonzalez.

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MANHATTAN DA BRAGG DISCUSSES CHARGES

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg says his offices historic case against former President Donald Trump seeks to ensure that everyone stands equal before the law.

No amount of money and no amount of power changes that enduring American principle, Bragg said.

Bragg spoke to a room packed with reporters following Trumps arraignment Tuesday in a Manhattan courthouse on 34 felony charges tied to hush money paid to multiple people during the 2016 presidential campaign. The former president pleaded not guilty.

Bragg, who took office in 2022 and initially slowed the offices move toward indicting Trump, said additional evidence not available to his predecessor led to moving forward now. He didnt elaborate on the evidence or how it came to prosecutors attention.

I bring cases when theyre ready, Bragg said.

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JUDGE WARNS TRUMP TO AVOID INFLAMING RHETORIC

A New York judge warned former President Donald Trump to refrain from rhetoric that could inflame or cause civil unrest during Trumps arraignment Tuesday in Manhattan.

Trump told Judge Juan Merchan that he pleaded not guilty, and the judge advised him of his rights.

Merchan also warned Trump that he could be removed from the courtroom if he is disruptive, but Trump spoke only a few times to respond to questions.

Hes next due in court in December. Trumps lawyers asked for him to be excused from attending the hearing in person because of extraordinary security precautions.

The judge said he was not imposing a gag order at this point, but he asked both sides to refrain from comments that could lead to civil unrest.

Trump stayed mostly still with his hands steepled or interlaced and looked ahead during the proceedings, which lasted just under an hour.

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TRUMP LEAVES MANHATTAN COURTHOUSE

Former President Donald Trump has left the Manhattan courthouse after his arraignment on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.

Trump did not answer a reporters shouted question about the charges as he quickly left the courtroom where the hearing was held.

Trump spent about two hours inside the building for booking and the arraignment where he learned the details of the criminal charges he faces while running a third presidential campaign.

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TRUMP PLEADS NOT GUILTY TO 34 FELONY COUNTS OF FALSIFYING BUSINESS RECORDS

Former President Donald Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, according to two law enforcement officials familiar with the matter.

The two officials who confirmed the plea spoke on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press because prosecutors had not yet released the indictment publicly.

The charges stem from a hush-money payment during the 2016 campaign.

Photos from the courtroom showed Trump sitting at the table reserved for defendants and their attorneys. His legal team surrounded him, two seated on each side of the former president.

Trump leaned forward slightly, his shoulders rounded, but he didnt turn his face away from photographers given permission to be in the courtroom just before the hearing.

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WHITE HOUSE REMAINING QUIET ON TRUMP CHARGES

While the countrys attention was trained on the Manhattan courthouse where Donald Trump was being arraigned, the White House did its best Tuesday to suggest that it wasnt paying much attention.

Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters that our focus right now is on the American people, and was noncommittal when asked whether President Joe Biden was following the news.

He will catch part of the news when he has a moment to catch up on the news of the day, she said. But this is not a focus for him today.

Jean-Pierre was similarly circumspect when asked about the potential for unrest over the prosecution of the former president, especially since Trump has called for protests.

We are prepared, she said.

Fox News Peter Doocy tried unsuccessfully to get Jean-Pierre to open up more.

Why dont you have more to say about the Trump indictment? he asked. For better or worse, all that anybody in the country is talking about, at this exact moment while were in here, is Trump. And they look here to find out what the White House thinks about it.

I think the American people should feel reassured that when there is an ongoing case like this one, that were just not commenting, Jean-Pierre said.

But reporters didnt give up.

I love how you guys are asking me this in different ways, Jean-Pierre joked. You guys are clever.

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TRUMP ENTERS COURTROOM FOR ARRAIGNMENT

Former President Donald Trump has entered the Manhattan courtroom where he is scheduled for arraignment on criminal charges stemming from a hush-money payment during his 2016 campaign.

Trump reached the 15th floor courtroom about 70 minutes after he entered the courthouse to surrender and be booked ahead of the hearing.

Trump did not acknowledge a television camera sending live images from the hallway outside the courtroom.

Judge Juan Merchan has ruled that TV cameras will not be allowed in the courtroom. Trumps attorneys have said he will plead not guilty.

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MANHATTAN DA ENTERS COURTROOM

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has entered the courtroom where former President Donald Trump is scheduled for arraignment on criminal charges stemming from a hush-money payment during his 2016 campaign.

Trump has not yet been seen on the 15th floor where the hearing is supposed to take place. Wearing a navy blue suit and a bright red tie, Trump entered the courthouse around 12:20 p.m. to surrender on the charges and be processed before the hearing.

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TRUMP ARRIVES AT MANHATTAN COURTHOUSE

Former President Donald Trump has arrived at the Manhattan courthouse where he is expected to plead not guilty to criminal charges. He entered the courthouse surrounded by Secret Service agents.

Trumps motorcade traveled from Trump Tower in Midtown Manhattan, tracked by numerous helicopters.

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TRUMP LEAVES NEW YORK HOME

Former President Donald Trump pumped his fist and waved before leaving Trump Tower shortly after 1 p.m. Tuesday, bound for the Manhattan courthouse nearly 4 miles (6 kilometers) away.

Trumps attorneys have arranged for his surrender. He will be booked at the courthouse, not at a police precinct as most New York defendants are.

Court officials will create a record of his name, age, birthdate, height and weight before taking his fingerprints via a computerized system. They may take his photo.

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FLORIDA LAWMAKER PLEDGES TO KEEP SUPPORTING TRUMP

A former Florida state lawmaker said he and others drove from Orlando to New York in time for Tuesday's hearing to send a message to former President Donald Trump: We won't stop supporting you.

Anthony Sabatini, chair of Florida's Lake County Republican Party, joined other Trump supporters in a park near the Manhattan courthouse where Trump's arraignment was to be held.

"It's a bad day for America, one of the worst days in American history, he said.

The mood among Trump supporters, though, was positive, Sabatini said. He credited New York police officers with keeping people separated based on their motivation  in support of Trump or in support of his indictment.

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GREENE SPEAKS BRIEFLY AMID SHOUTS

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene briefly rallied supporters of Donald Trump outside the Manhattan courthouse Tuesday morning ahead of the former presidents arraignment.

After she exited an SUV, a large crowd surrounded the Georgia Republican, once shunned by the GOP as a political pariah for her extremist rhetoric. She made her way through a park where hundreds of onlookers and journalists gathered and used a bullhorn to speak briefly. It was difficult to hear her comments in the crowd.

In video of the remarks, Greene thanked patriotic Trump supporters who are here today." She called Republicans the party of peace and called Democrats the party of violence.

Greene then made a fast exit. It was unclear whether she would return. In an interview posted online, Greene said she planned to speak with media from a car and accused counter-protesters of assault for blowing whistles and shouting as she spoke.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Monday said his message for Greene was that she should be on your best behavior. Greene blasted Adams for calling me out by name.

As you can see, I'm standing here peacefully protesting, she said.

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GEORGE SANTOS JOINS TRUMP SUPPORTERS OUTSIDE COURTHOUSE

George Santos, the besieged Republican congressman facing multiple investigations into lies he told while running for office, joined the growing crowd of people gathered outside the Manhattan courthouse ahead of former President Donald Trumps arraignment.

Santos told The Associated Press that he didnt plan to go inside the courthouse but came to support the president.

I want to support the president, just because I think this is unprecedented, and its a bad day for democracy, Santos said. Whats to stop the next prosecutor in two years from doing the same thing to Joe Biden and moving on every four years? So this makes bad precedent legally. And it makes, it cheapens the judicial system, and its not good for America.

Santos has rejected calls for his resignation, including some from members of his own party. He demurred Tuesday when asked if he hopes Trump will continue to back him in return for the show of support.

Im not here for that, he said.

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RALLY FOR TRUMP

People began gathering Tuesday morning for a rally for Donald Trump in a park outside the courthouse where the former president is scheduled to be arraigned.

The rally with Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene was scheduled to start several hours ahead of Trumps court appearance.

Some anti-Trump protesters also appeared, unfurling a large banner saying Trump Lies All the Time.

Trump supporters also are expected expected to gather at his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida on Tuesday night as he returns. ___

PROSECUTOR ARRIVES

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg arrived at court Tuesday morning in New York ahead of former President Donald Trump's arraignment.

Bragg became Manhattans first Black district attorney in 2022, following his election the previous November. He inherited a yearslong grand jury investigation into hush money paid on Trumps behalf during his 2016 presidential campaign.

After taking office, Bragg slowed his offices move toward an indictment of Trump and said he had concerns about the strength of the case. That sparked a public protest by two prosecutors who were leading the investigation and resigned.

But Bragg convened a new grand jury this year after convicting Trumps family company for tax fraud. He called that result a strong demarcation line for proceeding with other parts of the probe.

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TRUMP ATTORNEY: NO GUILTY PLEA'

Trump attorney Joe Tacopina said the former president's appearance in court for Tuesdays arraignment would be brief because the processing does not take long.

It wont be a long day in court, he said on ABCs Good Morning America."

"We know the basis of the indictment and the factual allegations in the indictment, Tacopina said, adding that Trump would maintain his innocence.

One thing I can assure you as I sit here today: Therell be no guilty plea in this case. Thats one thing I can guarantee you, he said.

Tacopina appeared to predict that the case would ultimately be dismissed.

I dont think this case is going to see a juror, he said. I think theres a legal challenge that will be made and should be made successfully.

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SPECTATORS LINE UP

Spectators, many of them members of the news media, lined up overnight to get a seat inside the courtroom, or even just a glimpse of Trump, who wasnt expected until Tuesday afternoon.

The building was surrounded by barricades, and people were undergoing layers of security checks. The reporters waiting in line were camped out under tents with lawn chairs, blankets and pizza boxes.

The nations 45th commander in chief was expected to be escorted from Trump Tower  which was also surrounded by barricades  to a lower Manhattan courthouse by the Secret Service.

Police braced for protests from supporters of Trump, a Republican who is running for the White House again in 2024. He called the decision by a grand jury to indict him political persecution and election interference at the highest level.

Prosecutors investigated money paid to porn actor Stormy Daniels and ex-Playboy model Karen McDougal to keep the women from going public with claims that they had sex with him.
ISLAMABAD (AP)  Female Afghan employees of the United Nation have been banned by the ruling Taliban from working in the country, U.N. officials said Tuesday.

The U.N. mission expressed serious concern after its female staffers were prevented from reporting to work in eastern Nangarhar province.

"We will continue to pursue all avenues to ensure that we can reach the most vulnerable people, especially women and girls, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

He said U.N. officials were told through various conduits that the ban applied to the whole country.

Taliban spokesmen were not immediately available for comment, and the group did not issue a statement.

Despite initial promises of a more moderate rule than during its previous stint in power, the Taliban have imposed harsh measures since seizing power in 2021 as U.S. and NATO forces were pulling out of Afghanistan after two decades of war.

Girls are banned from education beyond sixth grade. Women are barred from working, studying, traveling without a male companion, and even going to parks. Women must also cover themselves from head to toe.

Afghan women were also barred from working at national and international non-governmental organizations, disrupting the delivery of humanitarian aid.

Women working for the U.N. were not included in the NGO ban, but the U.N. raised fears that women working for the U.N. could be targeted.

Dujarric told reporters Tuesday that Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said that any such ban would be unacceptable and frankly, inconceivable.

Were still looking into how this development would affect our operations in the country, and we are expected to have more meetings with the de facto authorities tomorrow in Kabul in which were trying to seek some clarity.

Dujarric said female staff members are essential to executing life-saving U.N. operations on the ground, saying that out of a population of about 40 million people, were trying to reach 23 million men, women and children with humanitarian aid.

The U.N. has about 3,900 staff in Afghanistan, approximately 3,300 Afghans and 600 international personnel, he said, including 600 Afghan women and 200 women from other countries.

Dujarric wouldnt speculate when asked if the U.N. can continue to operate in Afghanistan if the Taliban dont reverse the ban on Afghan women.

The U.N. contingency plan is almost too tragic to contemplate, he added later.

The U.N. political mission in Afghanistan, UNAMA, is headed by a woman, Roza Otunbayeva, a former president and foreign minister of the Kyrgyz Republic. She was appointed by the secretary-general in coordination with the U.N. Security Council. Dujarric said theres been no Taliban action regarding the U.N.s senior leadership.

Taliban restrictions in Afghanistan, especially the bans on education and NGO work, have drawn fierce international condemnation. But the Taliban have shown no signs of backing down, claiming the bans are temporary suspensions in place allegedly because women were not wearing the Islamic headscarf, or hijab, correctly and because gender segregation rules were not being followed.

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Associated Press writer Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations contributed to this report.
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PARIS (AP)  The French government on Tuesday approved a key budget bill presented as the country's biggest military spending spree in more than 50 years, underscoring the impact of Russias war in Ukraine.

The bill foresees 413 billion euros ($450 billion) in military spending or the period covering 2024-2030 - up by more than a third relative to the previous timeframe.

Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu said bill's political, budgetary, military and technological drive is comparable to the huge push in the 1960s that saw France develop nuclear weapons, making the country one of the world's major military powers.

Championed by French President Emmanuel Macron, the bill would notably modernize Frances nuclear arsenal, boost intelligence spending by 60%, double the number of military reservists, reinforce cyberdefense and develop more remote-controlled weapons.

It would also boost the arms industry's production capacity in order to provide assistance to Ukraine and adequately supply the French military.

An issue we unfortunately rediscovered with the war in Ukraine is the issue of the ammunition stocks  We will need a ten-year period of time to upgrade all infrastructures and equipment of our military, Lecornu said.

Lecornu also pointed to the need for anti-drone technology and equipment as being at the heart of the governments concerns ahead of the Paris Olympics next year and other major events. He warned against a terrorist threat but also the potential misuse of small, civilian drones.

The budget bill will be debated in parliament in May-June with the aim of entering into force by mid-July, Lecornu said.

Macrons centrist alliance doesnt have a majority in either house of parliament, but military officers have long lamented shrinking armed forces spending, while conservative and far-right parties tend to support investment in defense.
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TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP)  Taiwan defied threats of retaliation by China ahead of an expected meeting between the island's president and the U.S. House speaker Wednesday that will underscore her government's claim to sovereignty.

President Tsai Ing-wen is finishing a tour of Taiwan's remaining diplomatic allies in Latin America, Belize and Guatemala. The most politically sensitive part of her trip will be a meeting with U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in Los Angeles while she transits on her way back home.

Pro- and anti-Taiwan demonstrators gathered Tuesday night, local time, outside a downtown Los Angeles hotel in anticipation of Tsai's arrival. Her supporters lined a red carpet leading to the hotel's entrance, banging drums, chanting and holding Taiwanese flags and photos of the president. A smaller group demonstrating in favor of China gathered nearby on the sidewalk, at times chanting One China.

China views Taiwan as its own territory and treats any dealings between U.S. and Taiwanese officials as a challenge to its sovereignty. Tsai's tour is a bid to demonstrate that her government has international support.

Belize and Guatemala are two of just 13 countries that formally recognize Taiwan, a number that has dipped as China has put pressure on and funneled money into isolating the island. Tsai's Latin American trip comes just a week after Honduras announced it was cutting ties with Taiwan in favor of China, potentially prompted by a $300 million hydroelectric dam project in central Honduras built by a Chinese company.

Last week, and again on Monday, China threatened with countermeasures if Tsai met with McCarthy. The Chinese Consulate in Los Angeles issued a statement Monday saying it opposed any any form of contact between Taiwan authorities and the U.S.

The reality and current situation that both sides of the (Taiwan) Strait belong to one China is very clear, the statement said.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said at a daily news briefing Tuesday that China will closely follow the developments and resolutely defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that it has never been part of China, and that China's recent criticism has become increasingly absurd.

Taiwan, the Republic of China, is a sovereign country, and has the right to make its own determination in developing relations with other countries in the world, it said in a statement. It does not accept interference or suppression by any country for any reason, and will not limit itself because of intimidation or interference.

The United States longstanding one-China policy acknowledges that the Chinese claim Taiwan as their territory. However, the U.S. does not endorse that claim and remains Taiwans most important provider of military hardware and other defense assistance.

China has repeatedly asserted its claim to Taiwan, though Taiwan maintains its own democratic system of government since the sides split after a civil war in 1949.

Keeping up the military pressure, China's Peoples Liberation Army sent 20 warplanes toward Taiwan Monday to Tuesday as well as three warships in the latest round of exercises, which have increased significantly in recent years.

China regularly sends warplanes around the island and has at times seemingly used the exercises as a demonstration of its ire.

Last December, China sent 71 planes and seven ships toward Taiwan in a 24-hour display of force after it expressed anger at Taiwan-related provisions in a U.S. annual defense spending bill.

And last year, China responded to a visit by then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan with the largest live-fire drills in decades that included firing a missile over the island, which had landed in Japan's exclusive economic zone.

The PLAs increased military activity near Taiwan has raised concerns among regional governments, and also drawn greater international attention and rhetorical support for Taiwans defense. U.S. legislators have also started visiting Taiwan at a greater frequency, as anti-China sentiment and concerns over China's strategic position grows in Congress.

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Associated Press journalist Eugene Garcia in Los Angeles contributed.
More than ever before, housing has become a crucial discussion in this years Connecticut legislative session.

Amid the hyperbole and debate of the many policies that shape our housing landscape in this state, I am aware that we risk losing sight of our states most fundamental housing issue: By every objective measure, we are short 89,013 homes desperately needed by Connecticuts 142,367 extremely low income households.

That means housing affordable to one third of the states renter households simply does not exist in Connecticut, making it a fundamental  and I would argue existential  problem for the state. Thirty percent of the states renter households must make agonizing choices every month about how they will pay for the food, transportation, health care and child care they need after they pay their rent.

How can the state continue to ignore the sheer scale of our housing crisis for low-income renters and its disproportionate impact on low-income renters of color? The issue of housing affordability demands an urgent and proportionate public policy response from state leaders in every branch of government. But instead, it is consistently met with concern over diminished local control, and disinterest made crystal clear by budget allocations and the policy priorities they signal.

Year after year, decade after decade, as housing experts provide data to support the urgency of this crisis, clearly outline solutions and best practices for their implementation, reveal and explain the deep and unsustainable inequities that exist in our states housing system, and testify passionately in front of various legislative committees, an unfathomable price is being paid by generations of low-income families for whom housing stability and economic mobility slip further and further out of reach.

Where is the leadership and action on this fundamental issue?

Gov. Lamonts recently released budget proposal includes funding for 2,000 units of workforce housing to be built over the next few years, and is, frankly, an extremely disappointing response to the overwhelming and well-documented housing need of Connecticuts low-income households. Workforce housing is generally affordable to those earning 60 percent or more of area median income (which is just under $80,000 this year), but our greatest housing need is at the 0 to 30 percent area median income level. Workforce housing is not the housing that data shows we are missing. It is the housing the governor hopes will meet the needs of business and industry, which while important, is not the same thing. So I continue to ask, where is the leadership from the state on this issue?

In its absence, powerful local land-use decision-making bodies are allowed to determine the economic fate of the states low-income renters. These largely volunteer boards and commissions are predominantly made up of white, single-family homeowners who the state has empowered to make nearly all land use decisions across our 169 towns. Not coincidentally, single-family housing is allowed as of right on 92 percent of the land area in Connecticut, but four-plus-unit buildings are allowed as of right on only 2 percent of the land in our state. It is not hard to understand that the persistent cry for local control by those in control is not representative of the broader group of voices in our state who want and desperately need more deeply affordable homes.

It should surprise no one that local land-use decisions in Connecticut are continually made with the best interests of single-family homeowners in mind, and that the housing needs of low-income and fixed-income renters are, therefore, not a priority. It should, however, be clear to state leaders by now that this inequity in land-use decision making and its significant and far-reaching downstream impact on housing opportunity, particularly for low income communities of color, cannot stand.

To deliver on its responsibility to equitably meet the housing needs of every Connecticut resident, the state must step in where towns have failed. To meet our housing challenges, we must enact new policies, including: setting data-driven housing and affordability targets, passing national best practice zoning reform, establishing robust tenant protections, and providing appropriate affordable housing tax abatements and incentives to towns and mission-driven developers.

So it bears repeating that we are short 89,013 homes that are desperately needed by the states 142,367 extremely low-income households. Those households and the many economic sectors supported by their essential labor and commerce deserve a serious and proportionate response from the state on this issue. Two thousand units of workforce housing and the continued enabling and defense of local control on zoning is not it. Let 2023 be the year that the state legislature definitively acts on this issue and displays the leadership that Connecticut needs.

Christie Stewart is chief initiative officer for the Center for Housing Opportunity.
EASTON  The town Board of Ethics is recommending the Planning and Zoning Commission chairman resign from his position after he pleaded guilty to falsely reporting his car stolen after getting into an accident.

In a findings letter, the Board of Ethics said Raymond Martin's "repeated criminal conduct and his demonstrated lack of personal and professional accountability for his conduct have significantly eroded public trust and confidence in permitting him to represent the Town of Easton in its governance and decision making."

The letter said it would be in the best interest of Easton for him to resign from all his town positions.

Reached by phone Monday, Martin said there were inconsistencies with the board's process during the ethics probe, adding he won't make any decision about resigning until he consulted his attorney.

Martin joined the commission as an alternate 12 years ago and became chairman two years ago.

The Board of Ethics also said that if Martin did not resign, the Board of Selectman should issue him a public reprimand and remove him from office.

Also reached by phone Monday, First Selectman David Bindelglass said there are ongoing discussions about what to do, but he was not ready to comment further. He said the issue will be discussed at the BOS meeting on Thursday.

In January, Martin, a prominent figure in Easton politics and a Stratford real estate agent, pleaded guilty to one count of making a false statement under the Alford Doctrine and was sentenced by Superior Court Judge Kevin Russo to a one-year suspended term followed by two years of conditional discharge.

A plea made under the Alford Doctrine means that Martin did not admit his guilt but conceded he could be found guilty of the charges if he went to trial. The judge then found him guilty.

After the court made its decision, residents called for Martin, who previously served on Eastons police commission and was a 20-year member of the Republican Town Committee until last year, to resign.

The calls for his resignation largely stem from an incident that happened a couple of years ago.

On Sept. 7, 2021, Stratford police said Martin came to department headquarters to report his Cadillac sedan had been stolen from a property he owns on Main Street. Police said they were called by a local towing company shortly after, who reported they found the car abandoned on Success Avenue. Authorities said they confirmed it was Martin's vehicle, which had front-end damage.

Stratford police said they later received information from Bridgeport police that a car matching the description of Martin's car had been involved in a hit-and-run on Pixlee Place earlier that month.

Investigators also said the owner of the tow company told officers he had received a text from Martin telling him where the car was and that it had been involved in an accident in Bridgeport. Police said video showed Martin dropping off the car at the towing company on Sept. 3.

This was not Martin's first time being convicted. In 2017, Martin was fined $10,000 and sentenced to three years probation for his part in an international prescription and steroid ring led by a former Newtown police sergeant.

This year, the Board of Ethics said it received 13 complaints about Martin between Feb. 7 and March 1, all regarding his alleged criminal conduct, including both of those convictions.

Also in February, Martin asked for an ethics probe at a BOS meeting, saying he wanted to give his side of the story regarding the car incident and any prior incident.

The findings letter did not share what he said during the hearing, which was held in executive session. Martin declined to discuss the incident on Monday without talking to his lawyer first.

The ethics board said it investigated each complaint and gave Martin a chance to be heard. It said his actions were in conflict with the town's ethics ordinance, including sections about public trust, impartiality and integrity, as well as reporting falsified documents.

The Board of Ethics said Martin did not violate sections regarding harassment and discrimination, which some of the complaints accused him of doing in a BOS meeting in February.

The ethics board also said Martin's comments in a later selectmen meeting, where he said the Republican Town Committee was a "breeding ground of hate and racist thought" was a violation of the ordinance's section requiring public officials to treat townspeople and other public servants fairly, but did not recommend his removal based on that.
WEST HARTFORD  U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal is asking the federal government to increase its commitment to the Department of Justices Community Relations Service after an Anti-Defamation League report showed antisemitic incidents doubled in Connecticut last year.

The recent report from the Connecticut Anti-Defamation League reveals the increase in incidents reported statewide outpaces the 36 percent rise seen across the country. In Connecticut, incidents jumped from 34 to 68, prompting Blumenthal to request $40 million for the department, which can be dispatched to communities reeling from hate crimes.

"Hate crimes are designed to intimidate and divide," Blumenthal said at a news conference on Monday at the Jewish Federation for Greater Hartford. "Even though they may look like pranks for defacing a property that does no injury to people directly, they are designed to terrorize, to frighten, to intimidate and most of all to divide. What the Community Relations Service does is it brings a community together ... to talk, but also to seek solutions that reassure people, that say to the targets of that hate crime, you are not alone."

Stacey Sobel, the regional director for the Connecticut Anti-Defamation League, said it was "particularly painful" to note that one-third of the reported antisemitic incidents occurred in the state's elementary, middle and high schools. Others, she said, occurred on college campuses and elsewhere in communities.

"A college student in Connecticut returns from class to find three swastikas carved into his dorm door. He looks around. There are no swastikas anywhere else. He is Jewish and he has been targeted," Sobel said. "Each of these incidents has a profound and life-altering impact on the victims, their families, their schools and their communities. People are afraid."

Of the 68 incidents reported in Connecticut, the report says, 55 of them were harassment and 13 were vandalism. No assaults were reported in 2022. The incidents impacted 1 in 5 Connecticut towns, Sobel said. The report also says that 21 swastikas appeared in public spaces, including at a coffee shop, schools and parks. A central Connecticut synagogue received a bomb threat and three bomb threats were called in over Zoom during Jewish and Holocaust remembrance events in the past year.

Sobel noted other incidents, including a student in Fairfield County who was called a "dirty Jew" as his kippah was removed from his head, and worshippers walking into a synagogue who had rocks thrown at them.

David Waren, president and executive officer of the Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford, said the data has risen since he shared a podium with Blumenthal 25 years ago after an antisemitic vandalism spree in a New Britain cemetery. Nationally, the Anti-Defamation League recorded 3,697 antisemitic incidents last year, the most since they started collecting that data in 1979.

"For the Jewish community, this dramatic rise in antisemitism is often seen through the prism of Jewish history," Waren said. "Weve seen these trends before over and over with deadly consequences. Thats why we at the Jewish Federation are taking action. Thats why its so important to speak out ... to raise the alarm, to reject antisemitism and bigotry in every form."

Waren also has experience in handling these kinds of reports from the time he spent as regional director of the Anti-Defamation League's offices in St. Louis. It was there, he said, that he had firsthand exposure to working with the Department of Justices Community Relations Service that Blumenthal would like to see funded more.

"We had a very contentious situation in southern Missouri involving a community and specifically neighbors and antisemitism," Waren said. "The Community Relations Division came down there and spent hours and hours working with local officials with the neighbors really trying to sort the situation out and restore a sense of harmony to that community and to address the allegations that were raised."

Waren said the department brings a unique perspective and guidance to these sensitive situations that typical law enforcement might not through dialogue, mediation, training and educational programming

"That kind of resource is not typically found in a state police department or the FBI," Waren said. "Thats a position that really intersects with social work, investigator work and also with the power of the justice department. They come in there in a very collaborative way, but they also bring with them the credibility and the power of the justice department if and when thats needed."

The department is funded at around $25 million for work it does across the entire country, which Waren called a "pittance" and Blumenthal said was "inadequate."

"No place, no community is immune from hate and hate crime," Blumenthal said. "We need to take additional steps to stem and stop hate crimes and generally hatred."
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HELSINKI (AP)  The selling points of the charming bed-and-breakfast are its century-old buildings, its spacious rooms and its proximity to Russia, a short cross-country ski trip to the east.

For Russians, it was place to stay when they came to buy dairy goods and dish soap in the closest part of the European Union, which became a part of NATO on Tuesday. For Finns with roots in the Karelia region, which covers parts of both Finland and Russia, they could go across the border to buy cheap gas and car parts and visit sites of the clashes between Finnish forces and the Soviet Red Army during World War II.

The harmony of the Kuuksenkaari bed-and-breakfast was briefly interrupted Tuesday morning when owners Eija Hiltunen and Eero Tuomisto argued, peacefully and quietly, about the necessity of Finland joining NATO, the Finnish flag lifted alongside 30 others in Brussels.

For Eija Hiltunen, who moved to the northern Karelia region with her husband more than a decade ago, Finland becoming part of the worlds biggest security alliance was an unnecessary provocation.

For the past fifteen, twenty years now, things have been quiet here on the border. It has been easy to cross the border and there has been plenty of cross-border activity, said Hiltunen.

Her husband, a retired business journalist from Helsinki, was a stronger supporter of their country joining NATO.

I think it feels somewhat safer now, said Tuomisto, whose grandfather fought against the Soviet Red Army in clashes in the region during World War II. There is no uncertainty anymore. The previous crisis (World War II) isnt that far behind us. You can see it all around here. Noone has forgotten our history with Russia.

Their area, Ilomantsi, in the easternmost trip of the EU, has several museums dedicated to war memorabilia and battles that Finns fought against the Soviet Union.

Finland shares a 1,340-kilometer (832-mile) border with Russia, so its entry will more than double the size of NATOs border with Russia. Though the alliance says it poses no threat to Moscow, the Russian Foreign Ministry warned that it will be forced to take military-technical and other retaliatory measures to a move that marks a fundamental change in the situation in Northern Europe, which had previously been one of the most stable regions in the world.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also pointed out Tuesday that Russia has no territorial disputes with Finland.

In Finland, Hiltunen pointed out that their area's distance from the capital, about 485 kilometers (300 miles) away, has affected their feelings about joining NATO.

I would be awfully happy about NATO membership if I lived in Helsinki, said Hiltunen who moved to Ilomantsi from the capital 14 years ago. But when you live here on the eastern border between NATO and Russia ... it makes you think and brings different kind of thoughts and feelings to your mind.

The NATO flags were raised alongside the national flags in front of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a building that was originally built for the military of the Russian Empire in the 19th century. Curious onlookers could be seen near the gates of the foreign ministry.

Aki Luhtanen, a professor of psychiatric nursing who was among those stopping by the Foreign Ministry, said Russias war on Ukraine feels very close and NATO membership offers protection now, and for the long term.

I think we should be aware and afraid of Russia, Luhtanen said. And I think in the future (it) is very, very important to belong to NATO.

It was on that same ministry building that Finnish authorities projected the colors of the Ukrainian flag after Russias invasion last year, in an early sign of strong support for Kyiv.

Newspapers, leaders and commentators alike agreed that Tuesday was a historic day for the Nordic nation of 5.5 million people.

Until now, we have defended our country alone, Defense Minister Antti Kaikkonen told public broadcaster YLE on arrival in Brussels. From now on, we can rely on getting outside help should things get tough. And of course, we are ready to help should someone be in trouble.

The ceremony in Brussels falls on the 74th anniversary of the signing of NATO's founding Washington Treaty on April 4, 1949.

Finlands parliamentary website was briefly paralyzed by a denial-of-service attack on Tuesday. The attacks  in which participants flood targets with junk data  made the parliaments site hard to use, with many pages not loading and some functions not available. It was seen by cyber experts as a way to grab attention.

A pro-Russian hacker group known as NoName057 (16) claimed responsibility, saying the attack was retaliation for Finland joining NATO. The hacker group has taken part in a slew of cyberattacks on the U.S. and its allies in the past. Its claim could not be immediately verified.

The personal webpage of Prime Minister Sanna Marin was also briefly down due to a denial-of-service attack, the Finnish news agency STT said.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP)  U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced a new $40 million round of grants to extend high-speed internet to extremely remote farms, homes and businesses in New Mexico, including counties where the population density is less than one person per square mile (2.5 square kilometers).

Joe Biden and top administration officials are traveling to more than 20 states this week to buttress the president's message on investments and economic growth before an expected reelection campaign, amid a tug-of-war on federal budget priorities with House Republicans. Biden on Monday traveled to suburban Minneapolis on Monday to tour a clean energy technology manufacturer.

Democratic leaders in New Mexico welcomed his agriculture secretary Monday in Albuquerque for the announcement, and celebrated public spending on high-speed internet in remote New Mexico communities. Vilsack and members of the state's congressional delegation say the funds will help farms find efficiencies through precision mapping of topography, nutrients and moisture. Vilsack, a former governor of Iowa, said fast rural internet and array federal infrastructure spending will help those growers bring commodities to market and compete.

The grants to expand fiberoptic cable networks in New Mexico stem from the $1 billion infrastructure law signed by Biden in 2021, and the related Reconnect program that aims to fill in gaps where internet service is slow or nonexistent. The spending will help two rural telephone companies and a cooperative extend high-speed internet service to extremely remote ranch and farm lands, in counties such as Catron, Harding and DeBaca that have fewer than one person per square mile (2.5 square kilometers) on average.

When you look at the number of farms and ranches and businesses and homes that are covered, its not huge. And someone said, Is that a wise investment of our federal dollars? said U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez, who represents a sprawling rural district that traverses northern and eastern New Mexico. "And I said absolutely. Absolutely because you need the connectivity no matter what your zip code is.

As fiberoptic cables are extended, some households will be eligible for subsidies that can ensure high-speed access for as little as $30 a month, Leger Fernandez said.

A $14 million grant to the Penasco Valley Telephone Cooperative is designed to extend high-speed internet to 550 people, including 48 farms in Chaves, Eddy, Otero and Lincoln counties. The goal is to help small and medium-sized farms attain the same profitability as large food producers.

Those 48 farms now have the opportunity to take full advantage of this new transformational future we are building," Vilsack said. Those 550 people count as much as any people living in New York City or Los Angeles or Denver or any major community in this country."
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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP)  A court in Dubai on Monday rejected the appeal of a British financier fighting extradition to Denmark, where he is accused of orchestrating a $1.7 billion tax fraud.

Hedge fund trader Sanjay Shah is accused of masterminding a scheme that ran from 2012 to 2015 in which foreign businesses pretended to own shares in Danish companies and claimed tax refunds for which they were not eligible. He was arrested in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, last year.
Great Rooms A visual diary by Design Editor Wendy Goodman. The silver material covering the seating in the room called The Mothership is that same fireproof fabric that is actually for glass and bronze foundries, and there is something cool about it, says designer Randy Polumbo. Maybe its the metal that is grounding for humans. Its energizing. Photo: Sean Davidson

When artist and builder Randy Polumbo heard about the three-year-old healing, recovery, and awakening organization Cardea, which his friend Dimitri Mugianis founded, he wanted to help. Polumbo joined as a partner, pitching in on the new space on Canal Street, where they would hold sessions with clients involving the use of the drug ketamine. I worked on things from negotiating the lease and picking space to the final build-out and furnishing the space, all with vintage items from my personal collection and other partners libraries of cool stuff, books, records, he says. And of course mushrooms.

Polumbo thought it natural to work with reishi mushroom mycelium to create special pieces for the decor. It was a material he was already familiar with. Its all mycelium, he says of the tables, light fixtures, and some of the window shutters: mushroom spores grown in molds populated with hemp straw or sawdust with flour for food, which turns into a Styrofoam or corklike material. My studio turned into a mushroom lab, if you saw it now, he says.

Mugianis describes himself as Lead Dialogic Facilitator & Space Holder Ceremonialist. The group also hosts psilocybin retreats in Jamaica. On Canal Street, the goal was to create a calming, novel, and imaginative holding space for transformative experiences. The spaces design materializes our concept of radical hospitality.

We believe strongly in what is called set and setting, Mugianis explains via email. Meaning that the set of a persons mental state and the setting of the environment in which they journey (mainly the people who are holding space for them) is a central element in regard to the effectiveness of the actual substance the person takes. We are experts in helping a person get into the right mind for a journey and providing the right environment to journey well.

Polumbo has been immersed in mushroom-materials study since the COVID lockdown. I was growing mushrooms and mealworms that I have been studying over the last few years, then I was growing mushrooms and realized that the mycelium was super-interesting. People have been making things out of mycelium for decades: flowerpots and lampshades, kind of crafty stuff, but then I got deeply into it and did a project for the Brooklyn Museum made out of panels of mycelium.

When you walk in, you face a fun-house mirror, the kind youd see at Coney Island, which is in fact where Polumbo found it many years ago, stowing it with his trove of often odd objects in his Gowanus studio. Polumbo builds interesting, sometimes trippy environments: He restored a derelict lighthouse off Orient Point and turned it into an artists retreat, and built Spikehorn, a desert retreat, on 40 acres in Californias Joshua Tree.

At Cardea, there are three rooms where sessions using ketamine take place, named after pioneers of play, Mugianis explains. The Beatrice Wood Room is where we do art-making with our guests, either prior to or following their ketamine sessions. The Alice Coltrane Room, named after the jazz musician and swamini, is where guests listen to recordings created and produced by Cardeas sound director, the electronic musician John MacLean  better known by his stage name, The Juan MacLean  over headphones. The Bootsy Collins Room is used for live sound sessions.

Finally, you reach the Mothership, a large room at the end of the office where lectures, events, and group sessions are held. It is here that Polumbos otherworldly design glistens and gleams, with a sliver moonscape of seating rising off the floor and a wall covered in polished aluminum.

According to Polumbo, Mycelium is the underground, the understory of the mushroom people, the little mushroom that we think of as the mushroom, thats like the rose is to the rosebush, the sex organ, the little pollen antennae. Most of the mushroom people live underground, and they can turn into this giant multi-, mile-long map that can communicate with other mushrooms and send messages and exchange nutrients with sapling trees that cant reach the sun yet  kind of insane.

The Reception Area: Polumbo found the fun-house mirror, years back, on Coney Island. He made the table, hanging light fixture, and wall art using reishi mushroom mycelium. Photo: Sean Davidson

Visitors can see the different stages of how the reishi mushroom mycelium transforms in four panels that front the reception desk. This one is one day old. Photo: Sean Davidson

The Beatrice Wood Room: This is where guests make art either prior or following ketamine sessions. Polumbo created the folding window shutters with reishi mushroom mycelium and embedded them with lenses he made from plastic rods I had lying around, kind of like old rose-cut diamonds, so you can look out, but the world is upside down. Photo: Sean Davidson

The Mothership (detail): The light fixture is composed of a reishi mushroom mycelium shade, LED lights, and three spinning balls. Photo: Sean Davidson

Mycelium is cast into this table, too. Photo: Sean Davidson

The instruments on the wall of the room change out depending on events taking place. Photo: Sean Davidson

The Bootsy Collins Room: There is a daybed covered in blankets and pillows. Photo: Sean Davidson

The D.W. Winnicott Room: Its named after Winnicott, an English pediatrician and psychoanalyst who died in 1971. His ideas about play have a significant influence on our philosophy and practices, Mugianis says. Here, guests can experience ketamine-assisted psychotherapy sessions. Photo: Sean Davidson
Eugene voters will be going to the polls to vote for the Ward 7 city council seat this May.

Last September, Councilor Claire Syrett was recalled, and in her place, Lyndsie Leech was appointed in December by the city council to serve the remainder of her term.

Leech said she believes her experience with grassroots organization and community-focused nonprofits has provided her with the necessary skills to serve on the city council.

Leech has been a lifelong social worker, previously working with groups including Looking Glass Community Services, The Child Center, HIV Alliance and Food for Lane County.

Almost her entire professional career, up until her appointment to the city council, has been spent working with nonprofit organizations in Oregon  the exception being her employment with the U.S. State Department while working with visa applicants at the U.S. Consulate in Belize. Most recently, she has been serving as the executive director of WellMama Inc., a nonprofit that provides support for new, expecting and grieving parents.

However, Leech will not run unopposed. Two other candidates, who with Leech made it to the final round of selection for interim city council earlier last year, are also running.

Janet Ayres is a retired educator and landlord who is running against Leech for Ward 7. In her application to the Council last year, she listed her top priorities as household financial well-being, public safety and housing and homelessness.

Ayres wrote in her application that "critical problems facing Eugene cannot be solved without fixing the current dysfunction in city government."

Ayres did not respond to the Emerald for comment in time for publication.

Leechs other challenger is local business owner Barbie Walker. Walker co-owns and manages two Eugene establishments: The Webfoot Bar and Grill and the Pint Pot Public House with her husband, Justin Walker. She has also done extensive work with at-risk homeless youth.

According to her application, Walker helped to develop the 4J School District ID Program for at-risk and homeless youth in Eugene, and helped pass Oregon House Bill 2402 in 2017, which established a grant program through the Oregon Health Authority to aid unhoused people in getting free copies of their birth certificates. She also volunteered for the 15th Night, a nonprofit for homeless youth.

Ive been working with at-risk and homeless youth for over 10 years now. And it's really important to me. It means so much that we move in a direction that makes sense. And we're not. Walker said.

She also said that people in Eugene do not feel adequately heard by the current city council.

Eugene is looking for a change, Walker said. What is going on in Eugene right now is if people are beside themselves, we don't feel heard.

Walker stated that if elected to city council she will take greater strides toward tackling the homeless crisis. She said she believes the current council is not approaching the issue with enough urgency.

The City Council is spinning their wheels continually, and there's some good movements, and then there's some movements that haven't come to fruition, Walker said. We need to really look at prioritizing the budget toward an actual, sustainable, reliable, controlled, constructive concept that makes sense and isn't just throwing money at the problem.

One of the most pressing issues that the city council will face in the coming months are the Phase II and III renter protections. Phase I renter protections were approved last year by the city council and included a $10 cap on rental application fees, support services for renters and new documentation requirements.

However, in November 2022, two property management groups, Thorin Property and Jennings Group, sued the city of Eugene over the $10 cap on application fees. A judge ruled in favor of the plaintiffs, ruling that the cap violated state law. Walker said the $10 cap on application fees was nonsensical, as it cost $50 to run a background check.

Walker said she agrees that taking care of unhoused people and renters is of the utmost importance, but she disapproves of Phase II.

It's obvious that the authors of that provision [Phase II] are attempting to address the housing shortage, thinking of ways to keep renters more stable, Walker said. Those are noble ideas. Also noble ideas are that laws have to be just to both sides, thus keeping the cohesive working relationships between tenants and landlords that is there.

Walker goes on to say that she believes the city government is playing politics, pitting tenants and landlords against each other, while shirking its own responsibility to ensure there is enough housing for Eugene residents.

Thorin contributed $1,000 to Walkers campaign in late February, according to ORESTAR.

Phase II includes a variety of new protections, including limited security deposits, processing applications in the order they are received and displacement prevention assistance.

Lyndsie Leech, admitting she came to the council latestage in the process, said the city needs housing on all levels, but especially affordable housing.

"The thing we all want to see, no matter which side of the aisle you're on, is to take care of people who are unhoused, and people who are on the verge of homelessness. We just aren't in total agreement on the method," Leech said.

Leechs priorities include addressing the mental health crisis within the city, homelessness and preserving our natural environment.

In her brief tenure as interim city councilor, Leech said shes most proud of the electrification ordinance passed in Eugene in February banning the construction of gas stoves in new low rise residential buildings.

"To be able to see that pass was exciting, and of course, now there's a lot of divisiveness around that issue. But I think, whatever happens, it's going to have a positive effect because we have put this issue out there and more people are learning about it," Leech said.

Leech said she was also proud of the work she did directly for her ward, putting in an emergency measure to end the industrial noise pollution for residents along River Road.

Walkers priorities include at-risk youth, homelessness and housing, public safety and beautification in Eugene.

Right now, Walker said, the government is just spinning its wheels, and it can't go on like this anymore. Eugenes youth and those in need deserve better.

With the election a month away, it will be up to the constituents of Ward 7 to decide who will represent them on City Council and the direction they want Eugene to go.

Election day is May 16. Ballots will begin to be mailed to local residents on April 27. All valid ballots must be postmarked by election day and received no later than May 23.
For a moment, imagine a world in which a bookshop owner was brave enough to invite Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling to speak.

They ensured the event was ticket-only, and arranged the security necessary to quell the crowd of trans activists expected to protest against Ms Rowling's famously gender-critical views.

Yet at the last moment, the organisers have to cancel.

Not because of the woke mob. But because the bookshop owner fears they could be sued by their own hyper-sensitive young employees, under a new law passed with the support of Rishi Sunak's Conservative Government.

That law would allow bookshop staff to sue their employer simply because they felt offended by the presence of a Rowling-supporting customer wearing a T-shirt bearing the slogan: 'Woman = Adult Human Female'.

For a moment, imagine a world in which a bookshop owner was brave enough to invite Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling (pictured) to speak

Not because of the woke mob. But because the bookshop owner fears they could be sued by their own hyper-sensitive young employees, under a new law passed with the support of Rishi Sunak 's Conservative Government

This bizarre scenario, outlined by Tory peer Lord Strathcarron, is one example of what could happen if the egregious Government-backed Worker Protection Bill  an amendment to the Equality Act 2010  is passed into law in a few weeks' time.

The Bill will let staff sue their bosses if they feel offended or insulted by something said by 'third parties'. That could mean bar staff suing because of a remark made to them by a customer, or hospital staff suing the NHS over offensive comments from a patient.

The remarks don't even need to be directed at the employee; merely overhearing a crude joke could be enough to lead to a tribunal or court case.

It must be said that the Bill contains worthy measures against sexual harassment at work that enjoy wide support.

The rest of this appallingly ill-considered draft law, which is now being considered by the House of Lords, has been denounced as 'draconian' by Tory MPs, and Conservative peers are preparing to put forward a list of amendments.

In its current form, this Bill will legitimise our creep towards victim culture and litigation culture. It could mean every workplace becoming a surveillance state.

How has a such a sinister Bill passed through the House in a Tory administration with a huge majority? The answer, it appears, is that the Government was asleep at the wheel.

It started as a Private Members' Bill proposed by MP Wera Hobhouse and a member of the House of Lords, Baroness Burt of Solihull, both from the busybody Liberal Democrats. Hobhouse and Burt are determined to sanitise workplace interactions.

'One person's banter is another person's harassment,' explains Hobhouse piously, in the words of a person who clearly doesn't respect the principle of free speech.

Normally, such Bills sink without trace. Yet this one has been allowed to pass almost unnoticed through Parliament  with the result that two little-known Lib Dems could soon be holding free speach to ransom.

There is a suggestion that the Worker Protection Bill only passed through the House of Commons thus far because the Tory Government, preoccupied with its internal leadership turmoil, lost focus.

After all, the Bill passed its first reading shortly before Boris Johnson's government collapsed, and its second reading days after Liz Truss quit as PM. As one Tory rebel says: 'It's mad, and no one has thought it through.'

In technical terms, the Bill would impose an obligation on employers to prevent harassment by third parties that relates to any 'protected characteristic'. As defined in the Equality Act, these are: age; disability; gender reassignment; marriage and civil partnership; pregnancy and maternity; race; religion or belief; sex; and sexual orientation.

There cannot be many who could not claim to be a victim in one or more of those groups.

And given that it legitimises victimhood, it will surely entrench compensation culture: if you take offence, why not sue? This will not only be a problem for individual employers hit by potentially crippling legal costs. We will all end up paying a price.

The trouble and expense involved in corporate litigation culture is already pushing up our insurance premiums, and this Bill will only add more pressure to pass on the costs to us poor punters.

The Bill also applies to the public sector, including the stretched resources of the NHS  which last year paid out 2.4 billion for litigation for medical negligence  and to local government

The Bill also applies to the public sector, including the stretched resources of the NHS  which last year paid out 2.4 billion for litigation for medical negligence  and to local government.

Why should any employer shell out for the behaviour of their clients and customers  over which they can have no real control?

In practice, the Worker Protection Bill is a sinister threat to our freedom of speech. It will impose on employers a responsibility to take 'all reasonable steps' to prevent their staff being offended.

That can only lead to bosses trying to impose pre-emptive forms of censorship to avoid being dragged to a tribunal. Do we want to see our lively pubs reduced to a state of silent sterility, as if they were public libraries rather than public houses?

The former Business Secretary, Jacob Rees-Mogg, has suggested that any establishment serving the public can in future 'expect to run a police state in their business'.

Any cleaner, car mechanic, doctor's receptionist or solicitor could effectively be signed up as Stasi-style agents, spying on the public for any sign of offensive speech or behaviour.

The Government claims to have introduced amendments to the Bill to ensure that people can still express 'legitimately-held opinions'. But these amendments provide little protection, since employees would be prevented from making a claim only if four conditions were all met.

First, employers would have to prove that the offending comment was overheard by the employee but not directed at them; then that the offence was unintentional; that the offender had expressed an 'opinion on politics, religion or social matters'; and that the remarks were not 'grossly' offensive or indecent.

This sets an impossibly high bar for employers in order to avoid a claim. How could a pub landlord, for example, hope to prove that a drunk customer did not 'intentionally' offend his barman, and that his remarks were political but not gross?

While campaigning to become Tory leader, Sunak vowed to stop the 'mission creep' of New Labour's 2010 Equality Act, which he nailed as 'a Trojan Horse that has allowed every kind of woke nonsense to permeate public life'.

So it seems unthinkable that the PM has let this legislation make its way through the Commons without proper scrutiny.

Which raises the altogether more worrying prospect that the Bill has been thought through. After all, Sunak's spokesmen have made clear that the Government remains fully behind the Bill.

We must hope rumours of a Tory rebellion prompt the Government to regain focus, recognise the dangers ahead, and strike down this misnamed Worker Protection Bill.

For remember: in George Orwell's dystopian novel 1984, the Big Brother regime not only represses freedom through jackbooted thugs. More insidiously, it does so through an informal system of surveillance that encourages your workmates, neighbours and even children to note down everything you say and do, instilling a fear of being seen to speak out of turn.

The Worker Protection Bill, with its suitably Orwellian double-speak name, would take us another step down that slippery slope.
Experts: Advancing modernization will move nation up the value chain New economic growth drivers and competitive advantages will emerge as China beefs up its push to build a modern industrial system amid challenges including the US government's export restrictions on key technologies and the restructuring of global supply chains, renowned economists and industry experts said. Hans-Paul Burkner, managing director and global chair emeritus of Boston Consulting Group, said China's efforts to advance industrial modernization will help the country move up the value chain, rendering its economy "more innovative, talent-intensive, consumption-driven and green". The term "modern industrial system" has become a key phrase in China, with the top leadership highlighting it as a priority for the country's economic development. In an article published in February in the Qiushi Journal, a flagship magazine of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, said China should accelerate and upgrade its industrial system by planning ahead in key areas and comprehensively modernizing its industrial system. At a group deliberation during the annual session of China's national legislature last month, Xi, who is also Chinese president, said the manufacturing industry is indispensable to China at all times, and the country should advance new industrialization. Bai Ming, deputy director of international market research at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, said President Xi's emphasis on manufacturing showed that a modern industrial system will be key to China's economic development over the next few years, and will have a profound impact. "In the face of growing external risks, 'Made in China' needs to be backed by a stronger industrial system," Bai said. Burkner agreed, telling China Daily that Chinese companies "have become very competitive, not just because of cost, but also because of quality and innovation. We see quite a lot of Chinese companies being top producers of patents and really good products, and we see them all over the world." But a greater push is needed to further boost their innovation capabilities. This will help China maintain its important position in global supply chains amid headwinds such as geopolitical tensions and talks of relocating production back to developed countries, Burkner added. China has the most complete industrial system in the world, with the country ranked the world's largest manufacturing country for the 13th consecutive year in 2022, when China's manufacturing output accounted for nearly 30 percent of the world's total, according to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. But China still faces bottlenecks in crucial technologies such as semiconductors, and more efforts are needed to move toward greener, smarter and higher-end manufacturing, experts said. "The industrial economy is the field with the most innovation activities," said Jin Zhuanglong, minister of industry and information technology. Statistics show that the industrial economy accounts for less than 20 percent of the US GDP, but 70 percent of US innovation activities are directly or indirectly dependent on its industrial economy, he said. Amid increasingly fierce international competition, it is necessary to build a modern industrial system and improve the resilience and security of China's industrial and supply chains, Jin said. The United Nations has forecast that India will surpass China as the most populous country this year, and some experts worry that this could reduce China's advantages in manufacturing. But Jeffrey Sachs, a renowned economist and director of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University, said: "China's strength right now is that it is on the cutting edge of many of the most important technology innovations for the future, which will be very good for China's manufacturing industry in the future." Denis Depoux, global managing director of consultancy Roland Berger, said industrial modernization is also crucial to unleash further domestic demand and consumption in China. "To uplift consumption, more disposable income is the key. And this additional wealth can only be generated by an increase in productivity," Depoux said. Xu Zhijun, rotating chairman of Huawei Technologies Co, said it has developed electronic design automation or EDA tools for chips above 14 nanometers by partnering with domestic companies, marking a crucial breakthrough for China's semiconductor industry amid US government restrictions. Dubbed the "cradle" of integrated circuits, EDA is a software widely used in the sector and is of great importance to the entire process of designing chips. "Amid Washington's restrictions, China's semiconductor industry will not sit idle. We will work harder to pursue breakthroughs," Xu said.
The grim catalogue of child grooming and abuse scandals represents one of the darkest episodes in the story of modern Britain.

The scale of the vicious exploitation by predatory gangs across the North and the Midlands was shocking enough.

Maggie Oliver is a former Detective Constable with the Greater Manchester Police

But what made this saga even more outrageous was the paralysing inaction of the authorities against the criminal abusers; partly because of prejudice against the victims, who were mainly white working-class girls, partly because of cultural sensitivities about the backgrounds of the perpetrators, who were mainly British-Pakistani men.

The very institutions that should have been protecting the innocent were failing to expose their persecutors. In effect, the vulnerable were sacrificed on the altar of political correctness.

The grim catalogue of child grooming and abuse scandals represents one of the darkest episodes in the story of modern Britain (file image)

Terror about accusations of racism, combined with the official determination to celebrate diversity, meant that some gangs could operate with impunity. This cowardly attitude displayed by much of the political establishment was captured in the words of Denis MacShane, the former Labour MP for Rotherham, where over 1,400 girls were estimated to have been raped or assaulted. When asked why he turned a blind eye to these horrors in his constituency, he said sheepishly, 'I didn't want to rock the multi-cultural boat.'

The cover-up went on for years. A conspiracy of silence was upheld by the police, local councils, child protection agencies and social services departments.

But as a detective in the Greater Manchester Police, I was not prepared to join in this shameful denial of reality once I had heard the stories of some of the tragic victims. They lived in the Lancashire town of Rochdale where such grooming was rife. I knew where my duty lay  on the side of the abused girls. I decided that I had to speak out on their behalf in the quest to achieve justice.

It was a move that cost me my career and even my family home. But I knew I had taken the right step. At last, as the survivors were given a voice, the truth began to come out and the groomers began to go on trial.

So I cannot deny that, more than a decade after I was forced to resign my post in the Greater Manchester Police, I felt a sense of vindication this week at the announcement by the Government of a new strategy to tackle abuse and grooming.

Launched in Rochdale by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and the Home Secretary Suella Braverman, this plan features a new task force, supported by the National Crime Agency and specialist officers, as well as a new statutory duty on anyone who works with children to report any suspicions of abuse.

In addition, involvement with a grooming gang will now be an aggravating factor in sentencing, while a new helpline for whistleblowers will be established.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Home Secretary Suella Braverman sit in a meeting of the Grooming Gang Taskforce, during a visit to the NSPCC offices in Leeds, Monday

But just as important was the explicit acknowledgement by the Prime Minister and the Home Secretary of the ethnic identity of some grooming gangs. As Mrs Braverman put it: 'We have to be he honest about the fact that some of these gangs have been overwhelmingly British-Pakistani males.' She is absolutely right.

Major problems in our society cannot be properly addressed if they are concealed behind walls of obfuscation and deceit.

Child abuse is, of course, perpetrated by people from all different parts of society, but it is not bigotry to point out that the majority of grooming culprits in these northern towns and cities are men of Pakistani heritage.

There is nothing moral about refusing to act against certain minorities out of a warped concern not to undermine the narrative of multi-cultural success.

The real immorality lies in neglecting vulnerable children and abandoning the concept of equality before the law in order to discriminate in favour of one ethnic group. That is not the road to harmony in a diverse society. On the contrary, it is a toxic path to division and resentment. Yet it is tragic that it has taken the Government so long to face up publicly to reality. If the truth had been addressed years ago, then thousands of girls might have been spared so much misery.

In her response to the Government, the Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper declared: 'You must never allow any kind of sensitivities about race or ethnicity to prevent action on child sexual exploitation.'

Television programme, 'Three Girls', depicted a dramatised version of the events surrounding the Rochdale child sex abuse ring

But that is exactly what did happen in places like Rotherham, Telford, Oldham, Derby, Oxford  and my own home patch of Rochdale. Repeatedly I heard the most harrowing testimony from girls who had been plied with alcohol and drugs, and raped by multiple partners. Yet when they went to the authorities they were either ignored or blamed for the abuse they had suffered.

There was a large element of class prejudice, where the white working-class girls were seen as irresponsible and feckless, deserving of their fate. Ever since I first blew the whistle on the Rochdale scandal, I have been fighting for these girls' rights.

So I only hope that yesterday's launch represented a genuine commitment to tackle the scourge of abuse and exploitation, for I know only too well through the Foundation that I established to help survivors of abuse that these crimes are still going on.

Every month, we are contacted by hundreds of girls whose lives are being wrecked. After all the scandals, all the inquiries, all the political promises, these gangs continue to cast their shadow over our streets.

To be rid of that menace, we must take up the mantle of moral guardianship  and at the heart of the mission must be real honesty about the predators.
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It seems like every day there's a new superfood ingredient in the beauty world. But if you're looking for one that will make a real difference to your skin, especially if you want to erase wrinkles and dark spots, you need to know about Lily Pilly.

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Sand&Sky Pro Youth Dark Spot Serum The key ingredient in this serum deisgned to erase dark spots is Lily Pilly. This is high in antioxidants and minerals that promote skin cell rejuvenation, nourishes the skin and boosts radiance. It combines with 5% glycolic acid (AHA) and 1% Bakuchiol to tackle hyperpigmentation and wrinkles from every angle. Shop

Lily Pilly works to encourages dead cells on the top layer of the skin's epidermis to fall away, revealing fresh newly created cells underneath.

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In Before and After photos following use of the Sand&Sky pro youth dark spot serum, dark circles under the eyes are visibly reduced

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With glycolic acid, the Sand&Sky pro youth dark spot serum is just as effective at calming acne as it is reducing the signs of aging

Available on its own on the Sand&Sky website or as part of a three-step dark spot eraser kit, there are some glowing reviews for the serum online.

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Unhappy diners have blasted a branch of KFC, hitting out at the 'oozy greasy food', and branding it the worst in the UK.

Among the poor Tripadvisor write-ups of the eatery in Chestfield near Whitstable, Kent, are 101 one-star reviews.

The overall rating of the branch is 1.5 stars, with disgruntled customers sharing their discontent over the 'horrible' food and the 'filthy' interior.

Others have bemoaned how they regularly receive the wrong orders, and the 'rude' staff, with some saying the outlet sometimes closes unexpectedly.

One reviewer wrote: 'Terrible as usual, on the few occasions I have had the misfortune to visit this kfc it has always been disappointing.

The Chestfield branch of KFC (pictured) near Whitstable in Kent has been blasted by diners who have criticised the eatery for being dirty among other complaints

'Either drive thru shut/in store shut/run out of something/slow service or crap food. This time couldn't order on screens so had to wait for a till (took forever), couldn't use any offers from the app and the food when I got it had the wrong sauce in it.

'If this is a franchise it should be taken off them, if its a company store then shame on you. This location is seriously damaging the KFC brand.'

Another one-star write-up said: 'The worst place ever I never use you again rude staff need training the food was horrid I don't know what's going on here but it not the first we had bad meal from here but we thought we try again but never again.'

And a further reviewer said they had received 'disgusting' food, writing: 'I just picked up a ten piece family bucket. Got home to find eight of them were drumsticks!! Great if you only like drumsticks, but otherwise, that is really poor.

'To add insult to injury, the other two pieces were just an oozing greasy mess and absolutely disgusting. By in large, the whole meal was just poor. Would advise others to avoid at all costs unless they don't care about what they eat or just desperate for food. Yuck.'

Meanwhile, another noted the unexpected closure of the eatery's drive-thru, and well as making comments about the branch's cleanliness.

They wrote: 'Read an article recently which named and shamed our local KFC. KFC said they were working on it and its got worse! It's filthy in there with used napkins and food on the floor.

'The counters are grubby. Two of the ordering screens out of action. The place needs a massive clean. Piles of chips underneath the grill serving rack again mess everywhere.

One very unhappy reviewer shared a photo of the chicken they received from the outlet, saying it was undercooked

'The chips was cold and tiny portions and the chicken was over cooked and poor. Just to add to it the drive thru' is shut but I must say the traffic cones outside blocking off the drive thru' are the cleanest thing on site! don't go please dont go!!!'

And another accused the eatery of giving them undercooked chicken, writing: 'Bought a family sharing boneless box to share with children as a treat.

'Firstly staff were rude - and told us that they had run out of gravy and corn (on a Wednesday night at 6pm). When I asked what alternatives there were as the menu wasnt fully on display the response was rude.

'Then when we got home the chicken was not cooked through and had rubbery texture - and we couldnt actually eat the meal.

Among the 101 one-star reviews, were those accusing the eatery of being dirty, serving undercooked food, and having rude staff

'The only item that seemed properly cooked was the hot wings I paid extra for - but they were stone cold.

'Inside the takeaway bag the chicken fillets werent even properly in the box and the chips were all loose in one large bag.

'Now to hope I dont develop food poisoning from the chicken I bit into before realising it wasnt cooked.

'Definitely AVOID.'

However, some reviewers have left more positive comments, with 11 of the eatery's write-ups boasting five stars, and seven four stars.

Some reviewers left more positive write-ups, saying they had enjoyed their visit to the branch, and received good service

Among the happy diners, one wrote: 'I very rarely write reviews, but upon reading all the negative reviews here, I felt compelled to put in my two penneth. I was honestly surprised by what I have been reading here. I have used this KFC about three times in the last two months and found it no different to any other KFC I have been to.'

And another said: 'My family and i visited this restaurant and i have to say the service was excellent ,the food very tasty.'

Meanwhile, a third wrote: 'went in yesterday for my friday night takeaway, was served by Brandon, very helpful as I dont go to KFC often and didnt know what was a big enough meal for an adult.The store is very clean, got home and order was correct and hot and tasty.'

A KFC Spokesperson told FEMAIL: 'The Colonel is passionate about his food always being finger lickin good, so were sorry to see these reviews.

'Our Chestfield restaurant has a 5* food hygiene rating, but we always encourage our fans to get in touch when things dont go to plan  and well work hard to make things right.'
Carol Vorderman, 62, revealed she wasn't keen on the idea of falling in love

Carol Vorderman has revealed she isn't keen on falling in love during a discussion about her dating life in which she sees 'five special friends' - and experts have revealed her decision isn't that unusual.

The TV presenter and maths whizz, 62, revealed she 'isn't a jealous person' and that she 'doesn't want to fall in love' in an interview with You Magazine.

And as she joins a cohort of celebrity women in their 60s who have spoken about their enjoyment of casual dating and active sex lives including Jennifer Coolidge and Ulrika Jonsson, experts told FEMAIL that several factors, including an increase in dating websites for more mature singletons, have changed the way some women want to approach romance.

Taking a carefree attitude towards dating, Vorderman revealed that she wouldn't mind if any of her close friends, who regard themselves as single, moved on to committed relationships with other people.

Lovehoney's sex expert Annabelle Knight told FEMAIL there are good reasons why Carol, among other women, might decide to turn away from committed unions - particularly as dating websites for older people attract more members.

Carol Vorderman (pictured), 62, has revealed she has no interest in falling in love as she speaks about dating 'five close friends'. Experts told FEMAIL why she isn't necessarily bucking a trend and that several women in their 50s and 60s are opting for similar casual entanglements

Vorderman has long been vocal about her more casual romantic relationships, however her recent revelation that she does not want to fall in love.

She said: 'The goal of my life is to be happy, not to be in love. I just find people interesting and life interesting.

'And you can get to a stage where you choose which bits you enjoy. You can't in your 30s because you're making your way in your career, you're beholden to bosses and all those sorts of things. But in your 60s'

Reflecting on Carol's comments, Knight said her attitude towards love and sex is not necessarily uncommon for women of her age.

Ulrika Jonsson, 55 (pictured) said last year that she would like to have someone in her life but 'possibly not in a conventional way'

Jennifer Coolidge, 61 (pictured) has joked about how playing the role of Stifler's Mom in the American Pie movies had worked wonders for her sex life

'For single women in their 50s and 60s, the chances are that they have been dating or in relationships for most of their adult life,' she explained.

'This can often lead to a more relaxed view on dating, particularly for those that have just come out of a long-term relationship and are looking for companionship without anything serious.'

Knight added that older women experience 'less societal expectation to 'settle down', have children, and build a family, which allows women to take a more casual and liberal approach when it comes to dating'.

Karen Mooney, who runs the Sara Eden dating agency for mature singles, added there can sometimes be more deep-rooted reasons for mature women shunning relationships.

She said: 'Women who prefer to casually date in their 50s and 60s have usually been through a bad experience with divorce or the breakup with a long-term partner.

'They tend to have been hurt and have an inner fear of being hurt again and therefore fear commitment to one man.'

While Vorderman, who has been single since her 2007 split from journalist Des Kelly, says her arrangement 'works very well', other women in the public eye who are in their 50s and 60s have previously revealed similar liberal attitudes towards sex and dating.

Jennifer Coolidge, who has recently enjoyed a renaissance in hit series The White Lotus, revealed last year that one of her earlier roles in the American Pie movies helped her land lots of sexual partners.

Speaking in a video for Variety, the 61-year-old star said of her American Pie role as Stifler's Mom: 'I got a lot of play [out of] being a MILF.'

She added: 'There would have been like 200 people that I would have never had slept with.'

Coolidge's reference to the role of Stifler's mom, which she played in the 1990s and reprised in 2011 for a sequel, cemented her status as a sexy older woman, or a 'MILF'.

However, despite joking about enjoying a liberal sex life, she revealed in an interview earlier this year that her dating history had had an impact on her self confidence and how she views herself.

She told Page Six: 'I mean, my dating life, I've never found anyone quite right for myself. I haven't found the love of my life.

'I think I made some bad decisions. It makes you insecure and you don't think you're great.'

Another woman enjoying more casual romantic entanglements in her older years is Ulrika Jonsson, who revealed last year that, aged 55, her sex drive is 'higher then ever' and she was enjoying dating younger men.

Speaking to Closer magazine, she said: 'I've been dating the last year and a half, on and off... In terms of younger men, it's not so much about preferring sex with them, but I have been dating younger.'

She added that, despite taking HRT for menopause, she was 'still very keen' on having sex and that her libido hadn't been affected.

'I would love to have somebody in my life, but possibly not in a conventional way,' the former Gladiators presenter revealed, suggesting she too is shunning the idea of conventional commitment.

As websites like Silver Singles and Senior Match have emerged to shake up the dating scene for more mature singletons, Knight believes such services have made a difference in changing what women want.

'Dating apps specifically for over 50s are bound to have made a difference, as women over the age of 50+ can find likeminded people in the same situation,' she said.

'However, their existence is arguably more a result of the prevalence of over 50s wanting to date and meet new people, rather than a cause of it. Increased conversation around  and normalising of  casual dating is also related.'
A Canadian influencer has gone viral after demonstrating how to 'stop period cramps in minutes' using nothing more than a pen.

Chrissy Briel, 31, from Ontario, has more than 121,000 followers on TikTok, where she shares beauty and wellness tips. In a recent video, she shared the 'only hack you will ever need' to naturally relieve menstrual pain.

She claimed that massaging the point inside the back wall of the ear can ease cramps, saying reflexology is 'the practice you never knew you needed.'

'There are thousands of women confirming it's a miracle and it works,' she insisted, pointing to a previous comment from a fan who said the trick 'legit worked.'

Chrissy Briel, 31, from Ontario, Canada, went viral on TikTok after demonstrating how to 'stop period cramps in minutes' using nothing more than a pen

She claimed that using a pen to massage inside the back wall of the ear with 'medium pressure for three to five minutes' can relieve cramps

In the video, Briel used a stainless steel acupuncture pen, but she noted that you can also use a regular pen, a makeup brush, or even your finger

Reflexology is an alternative therapy in which pressure is applied to specific points in the feet, hands, and ears to create a response in the body. The practice is similar to acupuncture and acupressure, according to the University of Minnesota.

Some research suggests that reflexology may be effective in reducing pain, including menstrual cramps.

In the video, Briel used a stainless steel acupuncture pen to massage the inside of her ear. However, she noted that you can also use a regular pen, a makeup brush, or even your finger.

She advised massaging the reflexology point in the ear with 'medium pressure for three to five minutes' before switching sides.

'If you need to do it a little longer, do it. What are you doing anyway? Lying on the bathroom floor? Lying in bed? You could do it,' she said. 'If you need to do it multiple times throughout the day, again, do it. I promise you this works.

Briel's video has been viewed 2.8 million times and has received more than 1,300 comments

A number of commenters said they tried the reflexology trick and it works

She encouraged her followers to share the hack with everyone they know.

Spread it far and wide because this is the hack we didn't know we needed,' she concluded.

Briel's video has been viewed 2.8 million times and has received more than 1,300 comments. There were a number of skeptics, but some fans insisted that it worked.

'OK so I bought this tool and IT WORKED y'all,' one person wrote.

'That's crazy. I was curled in a ball when I saw this and tried it and had to scroll back up to say it worked,' another added.

Someone else shared that the reflexology massage 'worked for about 60 seconds and then came straight back,' saying it's 'promising if I've got time to spend the day with my finger in my ear.'
Jacinda Ardern appears to have picked her side in the ongoing feud between the Cambridges and The Sussexes.

The ultra-woke former Prime Minister of New Zealand - a long-time admirer of the Prince and Princess of Wales - revealed today she is joining the board of Prince William's beloved Earthshot Prize, months after she publicly distanced herself from her inclusion in Meghan and Harry's Netflix 'docuseries'.

In an Instagram post, Earthshot  a project led by the Prince of Wales to recognise contributions to environmentalism  praised the once-popular politician's 'life-long commitment to sustainable development and climate action'.

In turn, the 42-year-old, who resigned in January after saying she no longer had 'enough in the tank', praised the organisation for its 'power to encourage and spread not only the innovation we desperately need, but also optimism'.

Ms Ardern appeared to distance herself from William's brother Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle late last year.

She decided to issue a statement after she was featured in the Netflix Live To Lead 'docuseries', presented by the Sussexes. She raised eyebrows by insisting she was unaware of their involvement when she agreed to take part in the programme, a celebration of 'inspirational leaders' in history.

Once a darling of the left, Ms Ardern was for years hugely popular in New Zealand - and enjoyed almost a celebrity status abroad.

But by the end of her five-and-a-half year tenure she faced criticism and protests - after implementing some of the harshest Covid restrictions in the world, accusations of failing to meet promises on reducing child poverty and escalating crime rates.

Outgoing prime minister of New Zealand Jacinda Ardern has been announced to the board of trustees on the Earthshot Prize

In a statement on Earthshot's website, Prince William expressed his delight at the new appointment. Pictured: The then prime minister greeting the royal with a traditional 'hongi' welcome in 2019

She described climate change as the great challenge for her generation, but her green policies were labeled unrealistic. Farmers condemned her bizarre proposals to tax 'cow burps' and other emissions.

In a statement on Earthshot's website, Prince William expressed his delight at the new appointment.

He said: 'It is an honour to welcome Jacinda to The Earthshot Prize team.

'Her life-long commitment to supporting sustainable and environmental solutions, along with her experience as Prime Minister of New Zealand, will bring a rich infusion of new thinking to our mission.

'Four years ago, before The Earthshot Prize even had a name, Jacinda was one of the first people I spoke to, and her encouragement and advice was crucial to the Prize's early success.

'I am hugely grateful to her for joining us as she takes the next steps in her career.'

Another statement, from Christiana Figueres, Chair of the Board of Trustees, said: 'I have long-been inspired by Jacinda's work as a catalysing force in the effort to combat climate change.

The ex-PM and Prince William met at Kensington Palace last year, when she visited over the summer, in her first trip to the UK since the Covid-19 pandemic

Prince William and Jacinda Ardern during his solo visit to New Zealand in 2019, where he took part in ANZAC ceremonies and visited the two mosques where a gunman killed 50 people in March of that year

'She is a tremendous champion of environmental innovation, and her perspective, experience and guidance will no doubt make a powerful impact on the entire Earthshot Prize organisation.

'My fellow Trustees and I are thrilled to welcome Jacinda in her new role.'

Other trustees include David Fein (Vice Chair and Special Counsel at Paul Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP) and Tokunboh Ishmael (Founding Trustee and co-founder and Managing Director of Alitheia Capital among other roles).

It is not the first time that Ms Ardern appears to have been friendly with the Prince and Princess of Wales, as the couple were amongst those who thanked the politician for her support while leading the Commonwealth nation, particularly following the death of Queen Elizabeth.

At the start of the year, William and Kate took to their Kensington Royal Twitter account to share their gratitude to the politician when she said she would be stepping down as leader.

The message, signed off by 'W & C', said: 'Thank you Jacinda Ardern for your friendship, leadership and support over the years, not least at the time of my grandmother's death. Sending you, Clarke and Neve our best wishes.'

The message referred to Clarke Gayford, the prime minister's long term partner and fiance, and their daughter Neve Te Aroha, who was born in June 2018.

Meghan and Jacinda Ardern appeared to have a budding friendship, sparked during the New Zealand Royal tour in 2018

The New Zealand PM wore a Maori cloak during her last public engagement, which saw her visit the Maori settlement of Ratana in the North Island in January

Pictured: Jacinda wearing a custom-made feather Kakahu, a traditional cloak, crafted for the occasion by Maori designer, Kiri Nathan, during the late Queen's funeral in September 2022

Prince William, his wife and Ms Ardern have met several times since she took office in 2017.

Their last official meeting took place when Ms Ardern travelled attended the late Queen Elizabeth II's funeral on September 19.

At the end of last year she issued a statement about her appearance in a Netflix 'docuseries' presented by Meghan and Harry, insisting she was unaware of the couple's involvement when she agreed to take part.

Live To Lead was made by New Zealand-based production company Blackwell & Ruth in association with the Nelson Mandela Foundation and the Sussexes' production company Archewell.

While the couple are listed as executive producers, Ms Ardern's office released a statement in response to journalists' questions that made it clear her involvement had nothing to do with the Duke and Duchess.

Previous to that, the Duchess of Sussex and the New Zealand premier appeared to have a budding friendship, sparked during their New Zealand Royal tour in 2018.

Meghan was pregnant at the time of the tour and Miss Ardern later spoke of how she had been impressed by her stamina.

She said that year: 'Pregnancy is an often tiring time, but the way she gave everything her all was incredible. She's an amazing woman and I'm so glad to have gotten to know her.'

Meanwhile, a biography of the Sussexes, Finding Freedom, claimed Ms Ardern sent a floral arrangement to Meghan after the birth of her son Archie.
Portrait is by Alastair Barford - who painted the late Queen Elizabeth II in 2015

The first official portrait of King Charles III has been unveiled in London.

In a touching nod to the monarch's late mother, it was painted in oils by artist Alastair Barford, a former QEST - Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust - scholar, who attended the official unveiling of his work.

The portrait was commissioned by the Illustrated London News and will feature on the front cover of its special Coronation Edition.

Mr Barford - who also painted Queen Elizabeth II in 2015 - had just two weeks to complete the likeness.

While His Majesty did not sit for the portrait, Mr Barford was able to study him at work at a Buckingham Palace reception in February held in support of global biodiversity, working from his photographs and sketches of the occasion.

In a touching nod to the monarch's late mother, it was painted in oils by artist Alastair Barford (pictured with the portrait), a former QEST - Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust - scholar, who attended the official unveiling of his work

The bracelet on His Majesty's wrist was presented to The King by the Amazonian leader Domingo Peas and was included to give the portrait context and authenticity, a symbol of The King's advocacy on climate change and sustainability.

Mr Barford previously said: 'It was a terrifying honour. It's a great responsibility to create a portrait of someone who means so much to so many people.

The artist told The Times that it was important for him to capture the 'warmth and sensitivity' of the monarch and the 'empathy which came across in his interactions'.

Mr Barford, who is from Bridgeport in Dorset and studied painting in Florence, birthplace of painters including Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo, said he wanted to picture the King with a 'sympathetic expression'.

Lisa Barnard, Chief Executive of Illustrated London News, said: 'Illustrated London News has had a long tradition, dating back to 1842, of commissioning royal portraits for Coronation and Jubilee editions.

'It is the first painting of The King where the artist has been able to observe the Monarch first hand. We are grateful for the Palace's support in making this happen.'

It comes as British stamps will feature the King's profile from today, but the late Queen's image is set to remain on our post for some time.

Charles's image, adapted from the design of artist Martin Jennings for use on coins by the Royal Mint, will appear on all new stamps with presentation packs on sale.

Mr Barford - who also painted Queen Elizabeth II in 2015 - had just two weeks to complete the likeness

While His Majesty did not sit for the portrait (pictured), Mr Barford was able to study him at work at a Buckingham Palace reception in February held in support of global biodiversity, working from his photographs and sketches of the occasion

Yet the new tokens will not be sold at post offices and other retailers until stocks featuring his mother have been used up.

Royal Mail director of external affairs and policy David Gold said Charles has asked for existing stocks to be used, rather than destroyed.

He added: 'The King gave very clear directions he didn't want anything to be pulped, he didn't want things being shredded, he didn't want stock being thrown away.

'He was very clear however long it takes to clear the stock, there's no rush entirely in line with his well-stated principles of waste and environmentalism.'

The new stamp features Charles's head and neck facing left, as all monarchs have done since Queen Victoria appeared on the Penny Black  the world's first postage stamp  in 1840.

Mr Gold said: 'The guidance we got from His Majesty was more about continuity and not doing anything too different to what had gone before.

'I think there's an acknowledgement that, for 70 years, people have been so used to seeing the image of Her Majesty  even through the current image only started in 1967  they didn't want anything too different.'

The continuity sees the colours of the stamps remaining  plum purple for first class, holly green for second class, marine turquoise for large first class and dark pine green for large second class.

The bracelet on His Majesty's wrist was presented to The King by the Amazonian leader Domingo Peas and was included to give the portrait context and authenticity, a symbol of The King's advocacy on climate change and sustainability

The portrait was commissioned by the Illustrated London News and will feature on the front cover of its special Coronation Edition

Mr Barford (pictured with the portrait) previously said: 'It was a terrifying honour. It's a great responsibility to create a portrait of someone who means so much to so many people.'

Mr Barford (pictured right, at the unveiling), who is from Bridgeport in Dorset and studied painting in Florence, birthplace of painters including Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo, said he wanted to picture the King with a 'sympathetic expression'

The new first class stamp forms part of an exhibition at London's Postal Museum which runs until September 23.

The first stamps to feature Charles's silhouette went on sale last month, being in the corner of a special set that celebrated the nation's favourite flowers.

His mother's silhouette had featured on special edition stamps since 1966.

The final set using her image was unveiled in February on a set of stamps marking the 100th anniversary of steam locomotive the Flying Scotsman.

The image change comes a day after a rise in stamp prices  first class increasing by 15p to 1.10, with second class rising by 7p to 75p.

Royal Mail said the rise was necessary to continue its one-price-goes-anywhere universal service.

Its chief commercial officer Nick Landon said: 'We appreciate that many businesses and households are facing a challenging economic environment and we are committed to keeping our prices affordable.

'Letters have declined by 25 per cent compared to pre-pandemic.

'We have to carefully balance our pricing against a continued decline in letter volumes and the increasing costs of delivering letters six days a week to an ever-growing number of addresses across the country.'
Bridal mogul and Holocaust survivor Hedda Kleinfeld Schachter has tragically passed away at age 99, after completely re-defining the wedding dress industry.

Hedda co-founded the bridal empire Kleinfeld back in 1941, which went on to become one of the biggest wedding dress companies on the planet - and it now helps tens of thousands of women find the perfect gown for their big day every year.

And its immense success is mostly attributed to Hedda, who would spend hours scouring showrooms to find new dresses to feature in the shop and would personally approach top designers and encourage them to start making wedding gowns, WWD reported.

Hedda's fierce determination also transformed wedding dress shopping into the experience that we all know today.

Bridal mogul and Holocaust survivor Hedda Kleinfeld Schachter has tragically passed away at age 99, after completely re-defining the wedding dress industry

Hedda co-founded the bridal empire Kleinfeld back in 1941, which went on to become one of the biggest wedding dress companies on the planet

Kleinfeld famously serves as the location for the popular TLC show Say Yes to the Dress - which documents various women on the hunt for the perfect wedding gown at the store

'The by-appointment business was established with the customer experience at the forefront and employees were trained to tend to shoppers like the princesses they envisioned,' the outlet said.

'Playing up the spectacle aspect of wedding dress shopping, Kleinfeld amped up the customer service under Hedda's arched critical eye, whisking individual brides to their respective dressing rooms, having bridal consultants suggest and retrieve immaculate display gowns and then veils and headpieces from an elaborate encased glass display, enlisting fitters to cinch waistlines and, if need be, calling in Hedda for an expert opinion.'

Kleinfeld also famously serves as the location for the popular TLC show Say Yes to the Dress - which documents various women on the hunt for the perfect wedding gown at the store.

Born in Vienna in 1924, Hedda and her family were forced to flee their home in Austria in 1939 amid World War II after her father and uncle were detained in Dachau.

They 'narrowly escape the Holocaust' and found refuge in Cuba. But a year later, they had to move again, and they decided to head to America, where they eventually settled in Brooklyn.

'Being a Holocaust survivor cultivated a strong sense of resilience and optimism that resonated through her nearly century-long life,' WWD said.

Her father, Isadore, went on to open a fur store in their neighborhood. He hired Hedda's future husband, Jack Schachter, and the two soon fell in love.

Together, they acquired the single storefront shop in Brooklyn, New York, from Isadore in 1941, and decided to turn it into a place that sold gowns for 'special occasions.'

Its immense success is mostly attributed to Hedda (seen in 2013), who would spend hours scouring showrooms and would personally approach top designers, WWD reported

Hedda's fierce determination also transformed wedding dress shopping into the experience that we all know today

'The by-appointment business was established with the customer experience at the forefront and employees were trained to tend to shoppers like princesses,' the outlet said

In 1979, after nearly 20 years in business, the couple decided it was time to focus primarily on wedding dresses - and Hedda took the job of helping women find something to wear for their nuptials very seriously.

'You are creating a heroine on a stage,' she told WWD in a 1985 interview. 'The bride is on display.

Born in Vienna, Hedda and her family were forced to flee their home in Austria in 1939 amid World War II, finding refuge in Cuba. A customer is seen entering Kleinfeld

'She has to be put together beautifully, and we have to edit and guide the customer, and be able to picture her under the chandelier or in a church. She has not only got to look good in the mirrors of the fitting room.'

The Bridal Council stated in a memorial for her, 'Hedda was a legend because she took the sleepy, respectable field of nuptial adornments and created a fashion-driven world of dreams.'

By 1990, the 30,000-square-foot shop was bringing in $20 million annually, but in 1991, the pair opted to sell the store to businessman Michel Zelnik, and nine years after that, it was bought by its current owners, Mara Urshel, Ronnie Rothstein, and Wayne Rogers.

And while Hedda no longer owned the bridal store after that, it was the tone that she set that continued inside of it for many more years to come - and eventually trickled into other wedding dress shops.

'She really built Kleinfeld not only as an iconic name but she left an incredible mark on the whole industry with her vision,' Mara gushed to WWD.

'When she saw that the bridal industry was safe, she started visiting every single designer in the United States and all over the world to find new dresses that created the beginning of how we see the bridal industry today with many designers and a lot of fashion that appeals to many different kinds of brides.'

Hedda and her husband, Jack, acquired the single storefront shop in Brooklyn, New York, from Isadore in 1941, and decided to turn it into a place that sold gowns for 'special occasions'

In 1979, after nearly 20 years in business, the couple decided it was time to focus primarily on wedding dresses

By 1990, the 30,000-square-foot shop was bringing in $20 million annually, but the pair opted to sell the store to current owners, Mara Urshel, Ronnie Rothstein, and Wayne Rogers

In 2005, Kleinfeld relocated to its current location on 20th street in Manhattan - a 35,000-square-foot store with 28 dressing rooms, 17 fitting rooms, and 1,500 designer dresses

One bridal designer, Mark Ingram, explained that Kleinfeld's 'impeccable customer service and selection' created 'a captive audience.'

He added: 'There was no way a bride was leaving there without buying a dress.

'Having an onsite owner and manager, as she was, handpicking the dresses makes a big difference in how the store is perceived and run. That is especially true in bridal because it is so hands-on and so personal

A year after that, Say Yes to the Dress premiered. The show was immensely popular, and it has now been going on for a whopping 19 seasons

'[Hedda and Jack] had so much power in the industry, when they were the bona fide owners of Kleinfeld into the 90s, that their presence was always requested.

'She was a warm, little, lovely lady. Unassuming, you would never know that she was such a powerful industry icon.'

In 2005, Kleinfeld relocated to its current location on 20th street in Manhattan - a 35,000-square-foot store with 28 dressing rooms, 17 fitting rooms, 1,500 designer dresses, and a staff of 250 employees.

A year after that, Say Yes to the Dress premiered. The show was immensely popular, and it has now been going on for a whopping 19 seasons.

Current Kleinfeld co-owner Mara confirmed the sad news of Hedda's passing to WWD, revealing that she died on Wednesday at Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan, a day after undergoing colonic surgery.

While her husband passed away 2008, Hedda is remembered by her two sons, Ronald and Robert.
Emily Ratajkowski recently revealed that she has secretly been dating Harry Styles for two months and confessed that he may be 'the one' - despite having had a string of romantic interests since she split from husband Sebastian Bear-McClard last year.

In a candid and wide-ranging chat about her love life, the model, 31, let slip that she has been seeing Harry, 29, since early February and hopes their romance may be long-term.

Speaking on a podcast recorded on March 9, two weeks before she was spotted kissing Harry in Japan, she sweetly gushed over how 'great' he is.

Emily said: 'I just started dating someone that I think I like, so that is different. I was like, 'He's kind of great'.

Model Emily Ratajkowski, 31, recently revealed that she has secretly been dating Harry Styles for two months

She was filmed passionately kissing Harry last week after a gig on the latest leg of his aptly named Love On Tour concerts

'But if you had been talking to me four weeks ago, absolutely. I would be seeing someone and then suddenly the way he would walk would be like, ugh.

'What do I look for in a partner? I like someone that is very independent. I think, for me, that's very important because I do have a full life.

'I'm hoping that dating someone that has more of their own life will prevent the issues I had before.'

Emily was filmed passionately kissing Harry last week after a gig on the latest leg of his aptly named Love On Tour concerts.

In an exclusive video obtained by MailOnline, a passer-by caught them in a clinch as they took cover from the rain next to a silver people carrier.

But this is just the latest in a long line of romances for Emily who has previously been linked with a whole host of famous faces including Saturday Night Live lothario Pete Davidson, comedian Eric Andre and DJ Orazio Rispo.

Here, FEMAIL takes a look inside her very varied dating history.

Eric Andre (January - February 2023)

The mother-of-one was first linked with comedian Eric Andre, 40, in January 2023 after being spotted side-by-side on a series of public outings.

After weeks of dating rumors, the pair posed for a racy Instagram album posted on Valentine's Day that seemed to leave no doubt as to their relationship status.

The comedian was seen lying nude on a sofa - with Emily wearing nothing but a bra visible in a nearby mirror.

But an insider later claimed that the supermodel had split from Eric days before, telling E!News: 'She had nothing to do with the posting.'

The mother-of-one was first linked with comedian Eric Andre, 40, in January 2023 after being spotted in public together on numerous occasions

It was in stark contrast to Andre's claims to Rolling Stone that the pair 'both agreed to share the beautiful image' with Emily clearly seen taking the now viral photos in the post.

DailyMail.com contacted representatives for comment at the time.

It came after Eric spilled the story behind the snaps that announced their fling to the world.

'I was really in the moment, I was drinking wine, she started dying laughing, and she was like: "I have to take a picture of this,"' he dished. 'She took the picture, we both started cracking up. She was like: "This is iconic." We both agreed this was a beautiful image that we had to share with the world.'

After weeks of dating rumors, the pair posed for a racy Instagram album on Valentine's Day that seemed to leave no doubt as to their relationship status

The comedian was seen lying nude on a sofa - with her wearing nothing but a bra visible in a nearby mirror

Eric confessed that there 'wasn't much thought' behind the pictures, joking: 'It was one of those things. And I think thats what art is about. Art is not intellectual; its primal. It has to speak to your hormones as much as it speaks to your mind.'

He went on in the same vein: 'The beauty of that was the spontaneity. Spontaneity and capturing happy accidents are what art is all about.'

During the interview he also reflected on the experience of being a self-described 'ugly' comedian dating a beautiful, famous woman.

'How could this happen? I think that people think attraction is only based on physical appearance, but beauty is only skin-deep. Youd think comedy works,' he quipped.

Jack Greer (December 2022)

Emily has wasted little time in finding hot new love interests as she enjoyed a steamy date night with artist Jack Greer.

In December 2022, the pair were spotted at hot spot The Commerce Inn in the West Village, New York.

Sources told PageSix at the time: 'She was in a deep conversation [with Jack] talking about something serious,' adding that 'they were the only people there' by the end of the night.

Emily has wasted little time in finding hot new love interests as she enjoyed a steamy date night with artist Jack Greer

The duo were then seen locked in a passionate embrace outside her apartment in New York City in December 2022

Having left their date spot, the duo were then seen locked in a passionate embrace outside her apartment just a short time later.

The stunner looked giddy as she chatted with Jack, 35, before they both reached in for a kiss - with their arms wrapping around each other.

It is not thought there relationship developed further, however.

Interestingly, their outing came just hours before Emily took to TikTok where she implied she wanted to date multiple people.

She mouthed the words of an audio for a video that said: 'I would be with multiple men, also some women as well, um, everyone's hot but in an interesting way.'

Pete Davidson (November - December 2022)

Emily and Pete Davidson were first rumored to be dating back in November, when they were spotted on a dinner date in New York City.

And, soon after their first public sighting, the duo were seen together once again sitting courtside at a New York Knicks game versus the Memphis Grizzlies.

The following month, a source told People that the new couple were 'going strong and getting a little more serious.

'They have a love of the East coast in common and similar vibes personality-wise and style-wise. And it's always the same thing with him: he really makes her laugh and keeps things fun,' the source added.

Soon after their first public sighting, Emily and Pete Davidson were seen together at a New York Knicks versus the Memphis Grizzlies

Emily had previously praised Pete as 'super charming' after working with him on a shoot in 2021.

She said during an appearance on Late Night With Seth Meyers: 'Hes a professional. First of all, you should know that about Pete.

'Pete - hes got the height. Obviously women find him very attractive.

'Guys are like, "Wow. Whats that guy got?' And Im like, I mean, he seems super charming. Hes vulnerable. Hes lovely. His fingernail polish is awesome. He looks good!'

But their romance was short-lived and Emily quickly moved on.

Orazio Rispo (October 2022)

Emily was spotted passionately kissing a handsome 'mystery man' during a romantic night out in New York City in October before DailyMail.com exclusively revealed his identity as 35-year-old DJ Orazio Rispo.

The pair was seen giggling with one another, locking lips, starring into each other's eyes, and sharing a romantic embrace as they strolled through Manhattan, after enjoying an alfresco dinner date.

It is unclear how or when Emily and Orazio first met, but it appears that they've known each other for a while, as it was reported that they were seen grabbing dinner together during Milan Fashion Week last September.

Emily was spotted passionately kissing a handsome 'mystery man' during a romantic night out in New York City in October before DailyMail.com exclusively revealed his identity as 35-year-old DJ Orazio Rispo

Orazio is the son of realtor Giampiero Rispo, who serves as the founder and president of residential brokerage Domus Realty - which specializes in selling 'luxury real estate in New York City.'

The stud, who has worked as a DJ for two decades, also owned and operated a record shop in Brooklyn, called Halcyon Record Shop, until it closed in 2020 amid the coronavirus pandemic.

But the courtship was not set to last.

Brad Pitt (August 2022)

In the wake of her divorce proceedings, there had been talk that Emily was involved in a romance with 59-year-old Brad Pitt.

In late August 2022, OK magazine claimed that the actor was getting close to Emily, with a source explaining: 'He asked her out, and she said yes.

'She's always thought Brad was cute, and the way she saw it, what did she have to lose?'

In the wake of her divorce proceedings, there had been talk that Emily was involved in a romance with 59-year-old Brad Pitt

But a separate insider told magazine that while the two stars were 'having fun' together, it was not anything serious.

Referencing her split from husband Sebastian Bear-McClard, the source stated: 'The split was very rough for her. It was unexpected and devastating.

'It's the perfect timing right now. There is nothing like Brad Pitt cheering you up.'

In a Harper's Bazaar profile published this October, Emily was asked if she had ever dated Brad and responded with an expression described as 'unreadable.'

Sebastian Bear-McClard (February 2018 - July 2022)

Emily and film producer Sebastian Bear-McClard, 42, were first linked on Valentine's Day in February 2018.

At the time, the pair was spotted packing on the PDA in Los Angeles, California. It's unclear how they met, but an insider told Us Weekly at the time that they had known each other 'for years.'

Just days after their first spotting, news hit the web that they had tied the knot in a New York City courthouse on February 23.

Emily then confirmed the news via Instagram, writing, 'Sooo, I have a surprise, I got married today.'

Emily and film producer Sebastian Bear-McClard, 42, were first linked on Valentine's Day in February 2018

She later told Jimmy Fallon on his show, The Tonight Show, that she only took '30 seconds' to decide she wanted to marry the producer.

'I thought about it for about 30 seconds,' she joked. 'It was a city hall courthouse wedding. I guess I didnt know what I always wanted to do, which is maybe why it was so untraditional.'

But their four-year romance was plagued with scandal and controversy.

The pair received a lot of backlash online for the whirlwind romance, and Emily later defended their decision to get married so quickly, explaining during an appearance on Busy Tonight that their relationship had been building for a long time before they started dating.

In October 2020, the pair announced that they were expecting their first child together. And while they were excited to share in the experience together, Emily opened up about feeling alone during the pregnancy.

'Its something a woman does by herself, inside her body, no matter what her circumstances may be,' she wrote during a Vogue essay.

'Despite having a loving partner and many female friends ready to share the gritty details of their pregnancies, I am ultimately alone with my body in this experience.

Sylvester Apollo Bear was born on March 8, 2021, with Emily calling it the most 'surreal, beautiful, and love-filled' experience of her life on Instagram

'There is no one to feel it with me - the sharp muscular aches in my lower abdomen that come out of nowhere while Im watching a movie or the painful heaviness of my breasts that now greets me first thing every morning.

'My husband has no physical symptoms in "our" pregnancy, another reminder of how different a woman and mans experience of life can be.'

Sylvester Apollo Bear was born on March 8, 2021, with Emily calling it the most 'surreal, beautiful, and love-filled' experience of her life on Instagram.

But the couple split in July 2022 amid accusations that Sebastian was a 'serial cheater.'

The model was later seen without her wedding ring as well as being pictured moving her stuff out of the New York City apartment that the couple had previously shared.

Jeff Magid (December 2014 - January 2018)

Emily and LA-based creative Jeff Magid, now 46, were in a long-term relationship for almost four years.

It is unclear when they officially started dating but it is believed they were first linked romantically in December 2014.

The pair were said to be 'inseparable although [Emily] tried to play things down in public,' according to the New York Daily News.

Emily and LA-based creative Jeff Magid, now 46, were in a long-term relationship for almost four years

But it is thought that their busy work schedules ultimately drove her apart with a source telling the publication at the time: 'Jeff is an incredibly successful music producer and is working around the country.

'Emily, too, is seeing her career boom, so their business success did not help them spend much time together.'

By the time they split, the couple had not been living in the same apartment for several weeks.

Andrew Dryden (2013 - February 2014)

The mother-of-one was romantically linked to creative director and menswear buyer Andrew Dryden back in 2013

Emily was thrust into the limelight that year following her appearance in the music video for Blurred Lines alongside for Robin Thicke, T.I., and Pharrell Williams

Emily was thrust into the limelight in 2013 following her appearance in the music video for Blurred Lines alongside for Robin Thicke, T.I., and Pharrell Williams.

That same year she was romantically linked to creative director and menswear buyer Andrew Dryden.

But the romance only lasted a few months.

Page Six reached out for comment from Dryden at the time, to which he responded: 'Sorry, I don't want to talk about it.'
Will Mercury's move into Taurus be better news for the tech industry's banks? With an intense link to Aquarian Pluto, forward thinking can uncover innovative ways to transform our future.

We need to invest in sustainable long-term policies. Short-termism won't reveal the best path for growth. But as the Pink Moon approaches, there's every chance the books can be rebalanced to reflect a more positive outlook.

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Mar 21 - Apr 20

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We need to invest in sustainable long-term policies. Short-termism won't reveal the best path for growth

Taurus

Apr 21 - May 21

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Gemini

May 22 - June 22

For some time now, you've been staring a fear in the face. Yet while you were distracted by another issue, it has lowered its gaze. You won the contest! It might take a while to digest the implications of your success. Nevertheless you're becoming aware of the fact that you're gaining strength. A problem is receding. A relationship issue is resolving. As your ruler changes signs, you can move on, with a renewed sense of purpose. You're entering a brighter stage of your future. Take advantage of April's inspiring cosmic climate.

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Cancer

June 23 - July 23

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Leo

July 24 - Aug 23

A wise person once told me that, whenever I was anxious or fearful, I should tell myself I was excited. Excitement and fear share the same signals: sweaty palms, racing heart, faster breathing. Yet all the reassurance in the world won't dispel the nervousness we feel when facing a life-changing decision. Fear tells us something is different, new or unknown. Isn't this also true of every opportunity we've ever wished for? Those butterflies in the pit of your stomach? They're good! Capture the powerful energy of the positively star-filled skies.

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Virgo

Aug 24 - Sep 23

Imagine the power you'd have if you were able to hypnotise people. If, just by altering your tone of voice, you could lull them into doing what you wanted them to do? If no matter what you need, or how much resistance you're expecting to run up against, you could make them do your bidding? Er... look... I'm not suggesting this is possible today. But, as your ruler changes signs, you need to be aware of your ability to influence. You're more powerful than you think. Before you try any other kind of approach, try using your charm. Fulfil your dreams!

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Libra

Sep 24 - Oct 23

It's natural, even healthy, to doubt yourself sometimes. 'Did I make the right call? Could I have misinterpreted the facts?' Yet while it's good to ask yourself these questions, it's never good to dwell on them. In the run-up to the Pink Moon a sense of frustration is dissipating. Your outlook speaks of possibilities and reassurance. Once things start to feel like they're heading in the hoped-for direction, your confidence will return. They'll keep moving until you get to where you want to be. Take advantage of April's inspiring cosmic climate.

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Scorpio

Oct 24 - Nov 22

We know how it's supposed to work. Good deeds are rewarded. Bad ones are penalised. If only the reality was so straightforward. Yet we're surrounded by people who get away with blue murder while other, more deserving souls, struggle. And let's not forget the tricky issue of figuring out the difference between what's right from what's not. Only the ignorant ever do that with ease. Having said that, it really does look as if you're doing the right thing. And it also looks like it's going to bring the right result! In a month packed with cosmic creativity, you can transform your life.

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My daily horoscope: What will April 4th bring for MY star sign? Oscar Cainer tells all

Sagittarius

Nov 23 - Dec 21

It's easy to confuse our 'wants' with our 'needs' (and vice versa). It takes skill to look at a situation objectively. Yet if we can, the perspective we gain brings wisdom. If you have any tips on how to achieve this, you could write a bestseller! If, though, like the rest of us, you're prone to the odd mistake, you'll know the complicated nature of deciding between what you need and what you want. Be prepared to take the advice of others today. You'll make the right choice. Capture the powerful energy of the positively star-filled skies.

Call your in-depth April month-ahead forecast: 0906 751 5609.

Capricorn

Dec 22 - Jan 20

We all know the song When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough Get Going. It's when the going stays tough, for too long, that we start to get tired. And the doubts start creeping in. But you're a Capricorn. You've inner reserves of strength that other signs can only dream of. Yours is of such fine quality that it can flex and adapt rather than toughen and become brittle. The uncertainty and disruption you're dealing with is your friend. It offers the chance to play a decisive game by a very different set of rules. Fulfil your dreams!

April's exciting celestial outlook reveals how to maximise your chances of success. Call 0906 751 5610.

Aquarius

Jan 21 - Feb 19

Debts must be repaid, responsibilities upheld, and obligations honoured. And, other demands are presented as similarly non-negotiable. After all, the only way of forcing someone to do something they don't want to do is to convince them that they have no choice. Insurance companies know this  their business model is built on the concept! Yet, we're all guilty of emotional manipulation when we want the people we love to agree with us. Don't be pushed along today. Take advantage of April's inspiring cosmic climate.

Problems can be solved more easily than you think. Call 0906 751 5611.

Pisces

Feb 20 - Mar 20

'You're through to the Celestial Miracle line. Unfortunately, all our cosmic helpers are busy right now. To avoid waiting to speak to an operator, we suggest trying to sort out your own problem. Or call back later'. Since this is the message you expect to get when you ask for otherworldly help, you're reluctant to ask for assistance. But the situation has changed. If you reach out for help today, the upcoming Pink Moon suggests you'll receive it. Give it a go. You've got nothing to lose (and lots to gain). In a month packed with cosmic creativity, you can transform your life.

For four minutes of valuable news, call 0906 751 5612.
If you were looking for the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee website and ended up here, try this





Got news tips, gossip, suggestions, complaints?E-mail us: progressivecharlestown@gmail.com We strive to avoid errors in our articles. Our correction policy can be found here
Brooke Shields has spoken out about the loneliness she felt during her time at Princeton and how students actively avoided her on campus.

The 57-year-old Endless Love actress made the revelation during episode one of her new Hulu documentary, Pretty Baby.

Brooke took a hiatus from her successful movie career in the 1980s to study at Princeton, where she majored in Romance language and literatures, focusing on French literature, and graduated with honors in 1987.

At first, the actress, who would call her mother five times a day, said she found the transition difficult.

Brooke Shields revealed she felt 'so lonely' when she first started at Princeton

One of friends said people were 'diligently avoiding her' and she even called her mom saying she wanted to go home

'It was so lonely, it was so lonely. And people tried to be so nice, just tried to give me my space,' Brooke revealed.

'And I was like, "I don't want space, I want to go home or I want friends. Please don't respect me, please don't respect my space."

'So I went from people charging at me, to people completely avoiding me, and then I'd just miss my mommy. We'd talked about it in interviews, that umbilical cord had never been cut.'

Brooke described how she had a preconceived notion of what college would be like.

'You saw it in movies, you had the ivy and old buildings and the arches. I wanted that experience,' she said.

'Education was sort of the one thing my dad could feel good about.'

Friend Isobel Colman said many of the students would be 'diligently avoiding' Brooke.

'Princeton attracts a certain type and everybody thinks highly of themself and they're like: "Well I'm not going to be sucked into that circus,"' Isobel said.

The actress said her father really valued her education. She studied Romance language and literatures, and graduated with honors in 1987

A newspaper clipping from when Brooke started her education at the Ivy League school

Brooke also explained that it was unusual for a female Hollywood star to go to college back in the 1980s, with cultural psychologist Jeffrey Alexander saying: 'At the time, of course, she really was breaking the glass because a sex symbol doesn't go to Princeton.'

She recalled calling her mom, Teri, and telling her that she wanted to come home.

But Teri remained firmed and told her: 'Honey, you'll never forgive yourself. You will be so mad at yourself if you don't follow through on this.'

Eventually Brooke did find her feet, joining the Princeton Triangle Club, described as 'the nation's oldest touring collegiate musical comedy troupe.'

'I found all the really creative guys and girls, we just wanted to do comedy and musicals, and it was fun,' she added.

At Princeton, Brooke also started to find her own voice and autonomy, and the more push back she got, the more resistant she became.

'The more public scrutiny and criticism I experienced, the more I thought: "Hell no, you're not taking this away from me,"' she said.

'It kind of morphed into this big rebellion.'

It was at Princeton that Brooke started to find her own voice instead of relying on the adults around her

She joined the Princeton Triangle Club who were a musical comedy troupe

The Blue Lagoon actress also touched on controversy surrounding her Calvin Klein ads that she filmed when she was 16

Brooke said before attending college she would wait for her mother or somebody else to tell her what was important.

'Directors never asked me what I thought about a character, but I learned I could think for myself. That's also not appealing to Hollywood, an actress who can think for herself,' she said.

She also dated fellow actor Dean Cain during her time at Princeton, and recounted how she ran 'butt naked' from the room after losing her virginity aged 22.

In the documentary, the 57-year-old said she felt 'regret' about how she first had sex with Dean, and that he was 'more comfortable with the sexual part' of their relationship than she was.

Brooke laughed as she recalled her first time sleeping with Dean when she was a junior in college.

'When we finally had sex, I immediately ran out of the room, ran down the hall butt naked, just running. I didn't know where I was going,' she said.

Brooke pictured with Dean Cain in 1995. The two started dating when they were in college

'He ran after me with the duvet and grabbed a hold of me and said, "Where are you going?" He said, "I'm not going anywhere, I'm not leaving you, you're the same person." He got it immediately and I just cried.

'I wanted to jump into the personal relationship and the love and the commitment,' she said in the documentary. 'We had to teach each other about each other.'

The Blue Lagoon actress also touched on controversy surrounding her Calvin Klein ads that she filmed when she was about 16.

In the commercial, one of several that Brooke filmed with legendary photographer Richard Avedon for Calvin Klein, the then-teen posed in a pair of blue jeans and said, 'You wanna know what comes between me and my Calvins? Nothing.'

'I jumped at the chance because it was acting, it was just an exercise in memorization, in literary reference and I had to be smart to do it,' Brooke said in the new documentary.

'There was nothing ever in me that ever had the idea that it was sexual... that's slightly naive.'

Previously Brooke told Vogue: 'If they had intended on the double entendre, they didn't explain it to me.

'It didn't faze me. It didn't sort of come into my psyche as it being anything overtly sexual, sexualized in any way.'
Seen here for the first time, King Charles' official Coronation invitation is a riot of flora and fauna centred around an ancient folklore symbol, the Green Man.

One of the country's best-known pagan symbols, which features in many medieval churches, it is emblematic of spring and rebirth  and fitting for a new reign.

Although the Green Man is a fairly modern term, dating back to the 1930s, the origins of the image are so ancient that they are lost in the mists of time.

Many experts believe that it provided a reassuring bridge between Dark Ages paganism and early Christianity, which is why it also features in so many historic places of worship.

In the spirit of the Old Religion and its association with ancient woodlands, King Charles's Green Man is crowned in natural foliage  leaves of oak, ivy and hawthorn and the emblematic flowers of the United Kingdom.

And, according to tradition, he has leaves spouting forth from his mouth.

Seen here for the first time, King Charles' official Coronation invitation is a riot of flora and fauna centred around an ancient folklore symbol, the Green Man

A new portrait of King Charles and the Queen Consort has been released as the invitation to the Coronation was unveiled

The invitation, which will go out to 2,000 guests, has been designed by Andrew Jamieson, a heraldic artist, calligraphist and manuscript illuminator with 40 years of experience.

He is a brother of the Art Workers' Guild, a body of more than 400 artists, craftspeople and architects working at the highest levels of excellence in their professions. The King is an honorary member.

A scribe and illuminator for His Majesty's Crown Office in London, where he produces royal letters patent and documents of state, Mr Jamieson illuminated the royal letters patent issued in 2011 creating Prince William the Duke of Cambridge, the Earl of Strathearn and the Baron Carrickfergus when he married.

READ MORE: Which days are Bank Holidays for King Charles' Coronation? King Charles (pictured) will be officially crowned on Saturday, 6 May at Westminster Abbey Advertisement

His design is a world away from the significantly more formal and pared-back monochrome invitation sent out by his late mother, Queen Elizabeth.

But it feels very 'Charles' and reflects the new monarch's lifelong passion for the natural world.

The original artwork for the invitation was hand-painted in watercolour and gouache, a paint made from pigments bound in water-soluble gum, rather like watercolour but with the addition of a white pigment in order to make it opaque.

Recalling the Coronation emblem created by former chief Apple designer Sir Jony Ive, it will be reproduced and printed on recycled card with gold foil detailing.

The wildflower meadow bordering the invitation features lily of the valley, cornflowers, wild strawberries, dog roses, bluebells and a sprig of rosemary for remembrance.

With an impressive attention to detail, flowers appear in groupings of three, signifying the King becoming the third monarch of his name: King Charles III.

Among the blooms is a variety of wildlife including a bee, a butterfly (apparently a male chalk hill blue), a ladybird, a wren and a robin.

A lion, a unicorn and a boar  taken from the coats of arms of Charles and Camilla  can be spotted among the flowers.

Camilla's arms  to the right of the invitation  are enclosed by a garter, following her installation as a royal lady of the Order of the Garter last summer.

Two thin gold lines encase the lettering and the stamp of the Duke of Norfolk.

Organising the Coronation (as well as funerals, the state opening of parliament and other royal occasions) falls to the Earl Marshal. The first to hold the position was John, 1st Duke of Norfolk in 1483.

It became the family's by hereditary right and the incumbent is Edward Fitzalan-Howard, the 18th duke.

This is the first time the title Queen Camilla has been used in an official capacity.

Camilla had been referred to as Queen Consort since the death of Queen Elizabeth II, but is named as Queen Camilla alongside King Charles III on the invites due to be sent to more than 2,000 guests.

The move marks the incredible journey of Camilla over more than five decades, from romantic involvement, to mistress and finally wife of the King - and will end with her formally being crowned Queen alongside the new King.

Future king Prince George will play an important role in the coronation of his grandfather alongside seven schoolboys and girls, with all been named as Pages of Honour who will 'attend their majesties during the coronation service'.

The group are either family friends or close relatives of Charles and Camilla, including three of the Queen's grandchildren, and will be expected to carry the robes of prominent figures during the day.

With the coronation almost a month away, a new double portrait of the King and Queen has been released showing them smiling in Buckingham Palace's blue drawing room.

Camilla will officially be The Queen: King Charles confirms the 'Consort' has been dropped from her title - as Their Majesties reveal their official Coronation portrait

By Rebecca English, Royal Editor for the Daily Mail

Fittingly dressed in royal blue, the King and Queen Consort pose for a new official portrait as Buckingham Palace announced last night that after the Coronation the monarchs wife will be known as Queen Camilla.

The news came as officials released an image of the elaborately illustrated invitation that will be sent out later this month to 2,000 guests who have secured a much-coveted place at Westminster Abbey on May 6.

The first clue that the Kings long-held dream of having his wife crowned Queen at his side was finally to be realised came in the wording of the invitation itself: The Coronation of Their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla.

Asked about the title  when the accompanying press release itself still referred to Camilla as the Queen Consort  a senior royal aide confirmed: It made sense to refer to her Majesty as The Queen Consort in the early months of His Majestys reign, to distinguish from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

Queen Camilla is the appropriate title to set against King Charles on the invitation. The Coronation is an appropriate time to start using Queen Camilla in an official capacity. All former Queen Consorts have been known as Queen plus their first name.

Queen Elizabeth II poses with Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, on June 2, 1953, before her coronation

It is understood that Buckingham Palace will amend its website to reflect the change next month.

The Daily Mail was the first to reveal back in December that the Palace planned to drop the word Consort from Camillas title organically this year.

This was confirmed by The Mail on Sunday in February, when it reported that she would be referred to as Queen after the Coronation.

The change, once unthinkable, sets the seal on a remarkable transformation for Camilla in the nations affections.

When she married the then Prince of Wales in 2005 in a civil ceremony  which Queen Elizabeth declined to attend  it was announced that Camilla intended to be known as Princess Consort when her husband acceded to the throne.

The use of the word intended was designed to give royal aides room for manoeuvre, but at the time many still blamed her for the breakdown of Charless marriage to Diana, Princess of Wales.

Since then, however, Camilla, 75, has won many over with her warmth, sense of humour, lack of complaining and work championing the victims of domestic violence, as well as the promotion of literacy.

One royal insider said last night: His Majesty has always seen it as a matter of honour. He is King so, therefore, it follows that his wife should be Queen.

The change, once unthinkable, sets the seal on a remarkable transformation for Camilla in the nations affections

Its rather like telling someone they cant be known as Mrs So-and-So.

Its entirely up to them whether to chose to be called that, but its still fundamentally their right to do so.

READ MORE: First official portrait of King Charles III by artist who also painted Queen Elizabeth is unveiled Artist Alastair Barford is pictured with the portrait Advertisement

Tomorrow will mark a month to the Coronation but invitations to the historic event, the first of its kind for 70 years, will not be sent out until around two weeks in advance.

They are set to be collectors items, featuring an exquisitely designed border of flora and fauna cantering around a Green Man, an ancient traditional symbol of spring and rebirth, to represent the new reign.

Buckingham Palace has also confirmed the King and Queen Consorts Pages of Honour  led by Charless grandson Prince George, who will take part in the two-hour ceremony aged nine.

The then Princess Elizabeth was 11 when she watched her own father being crowned in 1937 but she did not have an official role. Neither did her son, Prince Charles, who was only four, at her own coronation in 1953.

Prince George will not merely watch but has been asked to carry his 74-year-old grandfathers robe along with three other pages, Lord Oliver Cholmondeley, 13, Master Nicholas Barclay, 13, and Master Ralph Tollemache, 12.

The Queen Consorts Pages of Honour will be Her Majestys grandsons, Master Gus and Master Louis Lopes, both 13, and Master Freddy Parker Bowles, 12. The fourth is Camillas great-nephew, Master Arthur Elliot, 11.

The new portrait of Their Majesties released last night was taken last month in the Blue Drawing Room at Buckingham Palace by Hugo Burnand, who will also take their official Coronation photographs.

Camilla is wearing a favourite Fiona Clare dress with a diamond clasp pearl necklace and pearl earrings.

From Prince to Page: Nine-year-old George given a role of honour at King Charles' coronation

Prince George is the most notable  and youngest  page of honour chosen by the King and Queen Consort.

But all of the boys who will carry the couples robes into Westminster Abbey demonstrate Charles and Camillas determination to put loyal family and friends at the heart of this historic occasion.

While the Prince and Princess of Wales were touched that the King wanted his grandson to play such a significant role, they wanted to ensure that nine-year-old George felt up to the public scrutiny.

After discussions with their eldest son and future monarch, they felt happy he would rise to the occasion.

A Kensington Palace spokesman said last night: Were all very excited about Prince Georges role in the Coronation, it will be an incredibly special moment.

Prince George is the most notable  and youngest  page of honour chosen by the King and Queen Consort

The Queen Consorts pages of honour all come from Her Majestys family. They include her grandsons Gus and Louis Lopes, 13, and Freddy Parker Bowles, 12. Pictured: Freddy stands foreground with twins Gus & Louis behind

A page of honour is a historic ceremonial position, now only employed on state occasions.

The kings pages also include Nicholas Barclay, 13, the grandson of Sarah Troughton, who is one of the Queens companions and oldest friends.

He will be joined by Lord Oliver Cholmondeley, 13, son of David, the Marquess of Cholmondeley, and his former model wife, Rose. Olivers father was recently appointed to be the Kings Lord-in-Waiting  a significant royal role.

All of the boys who will carry the couples robes into Westminster Abbey demonstrate Charles and Camillas determination to put loyal family and friends at the heart of this historic occasion

The fourth page is Ralph Tollemache, 12, son of British banker and aristocrat The Honourable Edward Tollemache  a godson of the King and a page of Honour to Queen Elizabeth.

The Queen Consorts pages of honour all come from Her Majestys family. They include her grandsons Gus and Louis Lopes, 13, and Freddy Parker Bowles, 12.

Her great-nephew, Arthur Elliot, 11  whose father is former Tory Party chairman Ben Elliot  will be her fourth page.
McDonald's workers have lifted the lid on a number of secrets about the fast food chain - and the little-known facts that may come as a shock to some.

Former and current employees revealed how to save money on your favourite meal, why you should avoid ordering apple pies and breakfast burritos, and how to ensure your meal is made 'fresh'.

McDonald's is the most popular fast food restaurant in the world and serves more than 68 million people internationally every day.

But only those who have stood behind the counter know exactly what goes on, how the food is made and what the perks are.

For instance, they claim employees are required to wash their hands at least once an hour because gloves are believed to harbor far more bacteria than fingers.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted McDonald's for comment.

Former and current employees revealed on Reddit how to save money on your favourite meal, why you should avoid ordering apple pies and breakfast burritos, and how to ensure your meal is made 'fresh' (stock image)

Ask a 'special' request for a fresher meal

If you want to ensure your meal is prepared fresh and hot off the grill, workers recommend asking specific requests when ordering.

One worker on Reddit said if you ask for no 'grill salt' on the meat the employees will 'have to cook the meat fresh'.

'Also if you ask for no salt on the fries they will have to cook them fresh,' the worker wrote.

'And the Fries can sit no longer than fifteen minutes but that is not strictly enforced.'

You can pay less for your favourite meal

Rather than ordering straight off the menu, the workers shared savvy ways to save a few dollars on your meal.

US Redditors claim ordering a Sausage McMuffin with a side of round egg is $1 cheaper than if you were to order a Sausage Egg McMuffin.

'This applies to basically all the breakfast sandwiches,' the person wrote.

Sydney finance guru Queenie Tan, who also used to work at McDonald's also previously noticed the kids' McNuggets Happy Meal and small McNuggets adult meal contain the same menu items.

But the kids Happy Meal is $2 cheaper and priced at $8.30, while the adult version costs $10.30.

'I used to work at Macca's and something I learnt is that you can buy nuggets or a cheeseburger Happy Meal, which is the same thing but $2 cheaper!' Queenie, 26, wrote on Instagram.

Customers receive small fries, Big Mac special sauce and a small drink with both options, but the Happy Meal is slightly cheaper and comes with a toy or book.

Sydney finance expert Queenie Tan (pictured) revealed you can save $2 by ordering a kids' McNuggets Happy Meal instead of the small McNuggets adult meal

There is no official 'secret menu'

A resurfaced Reddit thread from last year titled 'what's really on the secret menu?' also dived in on the less common menu items.

'There was no secret menu but you could ask for pretty much any combination of things and we'd make it at Maccas. The "pounder" was popular,' one worker claimed.

'In all my years working at McDonalds, there was never a 'secret menu'. I honestly don't know where that idea comes from,' another said.

'If you ask for an off-the-menu item, we might not know how to make it. Just tell us exactly what you want; we will whip up almost anything we have the ingredients for,' a third claimed.

A customers also added: 'Not a secret menu item but if you add lettuce, tomato and McChicken sauce to a quarter pounder you make yourself a McFeast.'

What do McDonald's employees order? Alexis Frost, from the US, requested an order from McDonald's based on worker recommendations. In a video titled 'Eating what employees would order - part 116', she ordered a Spicy McChicken burger with cheese, bacon and tomato as well as buffalo and ranch dip. 'I love it! It's super good,' she said in the clip and rated the meal 10 out of 10. Source: lex.loves_ Advertisement

Avoid breakfast burritos and apple pies

It may come as a shock to some, but employees recommend avoid adding apple pies and breakfast burritos to your order.

Apparently these two menu items aren't as popular as you may think, meaning the food can sit on shelves for a long time.

Workers don't wear gloves

Apparently the staff aren't required to wear gloves, but wash and sanitise their hands every hour.

Gloves can carry more germs than fingers if used incorrectly.

'Until recently, employees were not required to wear hairnets, and did not wear gloves when handling raw food when working in the kitchen,' a former McDonald's employee wrote.

But others claim they choose to wear gloves when handing raw food.
Iconic Australian beauty brand Aesop has been snapped up by French-owned industry giant LOreal for $3.72billion (AUD).

LOreal announced their acquisition of the luxury brand, known for its skincare and haircare products, on Tuesday after reaching an agreement with former company Natura & Co.

Nicolas Hieronimus, Chief Executive Officer, LOreal Groupe revealed the group have plans to expand the luxury brand's reach across China.

While the team at Natura & Co announced the deal means they will have freed up enough cash to expand their other brands Avon and The Body Shop across Latin America.

Aesop was launched by Melbourne hairdresser Dennis Paphitis in 1987, and became well known in the luxury space as well as being respected as one of the top vegan products on the market.

LOreal have acquired Aesop for $3.72billion (AUD) in landmark deal

Last year the brand reported $791million in sales, worldwide, revealing it operates 400 points of sale across the Americas, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and Asia,

Mr Hieronimus said LOreal will contribute to unleash Aesop's massive growth potential, 'notably in China and travel retail'.

'Aesop is the epitome of avant-garde beauty, whose products are not only made with great care and exceptional attention to detail; they are a superb combination of urbanity, hedonism and undeniable luxury,' he said.

Cyril Chapuy, President of LOreal Luxe, also commented on the take over, admitting he was excited to include the Aussie-grown company under his umbrella of brands.

'Aesop holds a very unique positioning on the global luxury beauty market thanks to its design led brand essence, its highly efficacious and sensorial products as well as its customer-obsessed retail philosophy,' he said.

Members of the Aesop team will also move over to the LOreal group, which has a global workforce of over 87k people.

'We look forward to welcoming Aesops CEO Michael OKeeffe and his experienced and passionate teams to continue to grow together the brands remarkable potential, by carrying on cultivating its uniqueness and its values,' Mr Chapuy said.

Fabio Barbosa, Chief Executive Officer of Natura & Co, a Brazilian company said the sale of Aesop marks a new development cycle for the company.

The brand was previously owned by Brazillian brand Natura & Co who snapped it up for $68million in 2012

'We will be able to sharpen its focus on its strategic priorities, notably our investment plan in Latin America.

'We will also be able to concentrate on continuing to improve The Body Shops business and refocusing Avon Internationals footprint.'

Natura & Co bought Aesop in 2012 for $68million.

Rumours Natura was 'looking to sell' started to circulate in late 2022, before the Bank of America and Morgan Stanley were appointed to find buyers.

LVMH, the luxury goods empire controlled the worlds richest person, Bernard Arnault and the Japanese makeup and fragrance brand Shiseido Co were rumoured to be interested in the company as well.

LOreal leadership team also revealed they are looking forward to adding more brands to their 'billionaires club' in the future.

The sale of Aesop flags increased interest in Australian-grown products.

Last year Australian owned food brands Four'N'Twenty, Nanna's baked goods and Lean Cuisine were sold to Hong Kong based firm PAG.

Iconic Australian-grown companies which are now foreign-owned: Four'N'Twenty Nanna's baked goods Lean Cuisine Carlton Draught Victoria Bitter Crown Lager David Jones Uncle Toby's Billabong Quicksliver Cottees cordial Arnott's Speedo Country Road Advertisement

Carlton and United Breweries, the brand behind Victoria Bitter, Carlton Draught, Cascade and Crown Lager was bought out by a Japanese company in 2020 for $16billion.

Schweppes Australia and even Cottees cordial are also owned by the Asahi Beverages Group.

In 2019 Arnott's - the company behind many iconic biscuits - was sold to American group Kohlberg Kravis Roberts.

The sale of iconic Australian brands isn't new.

in the 1990s Speedos were taken over by the UK based Pentland group.

David Jones, Country Road, Billabong, Quicksilver and Roxy are also foreign owned.
She spends her time off work travelling around the Southern Hemisphere

A British backpacker who arrived Down Under with just $6,500 says working long hours in rural Australia set her up for the future, allowing her to save almost $100,000 in five years.

Dom, 23, from a small town near Manchester in England, flew to Australia to travel for a few months in 2018.

She fell in love with the way of life and has committed to remaining in the country for as long as possible; doing so by working 60-hour weeks on solar farms.

She now saves $1,500 every week, meaning she's on track to have $100,000 in savings by the end of 2023.

Dom, 23, from a small town outside Manchester in England, flew to Australia to travel for a few months in 2018

What's life like working on a solar farm and how do you get into it? You can earn $8000 per month and qualify for a visa extension working on a solar farm. Positions in this industry are competitive as word has spread about excellent pay and working conditions. What do you do on a solar farm? Most job will be labouring or trade assistant jobs. This involves helping tradespeople with manual handling, cleaning, and maintenance. The work environment can be hot and humid depending on location, and you will often be required to work hard for 10-12 hours a day, but if you can stick it out the rewards are well worth the effort. How much are you paid? You can earn $30-$40 per hour working entry-level labouring, cleaning, and trade assistant jobs on a solar farm. This results in some Working Holiday Visa holders earning $2000 a week or more. You may also be given cheap accommodation and meals. This is to compensate for the work often being in remote areas. As well as this, fly in, fly out work can involve rosters where workers are flown to a location, work for several weeks and fly back to their usual location for an extended break. What are the requirements? The first step to getting a solar farm job is completing two basic courses. One of the courses is the White Card, which is a general safety induction. This course usually takes four to six hours and covers the basics of construction safety. The other course is CPR and LVR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation and low voltage rescue). Source: White Card Brisbane Advertisement

'I remember dreaming about travelling to the other side of the world, I always wanted to experience life to the fullest and move away from my small hometown,' she explained.

Dom spent the first three months travelling along the east coast making memories and new friends.

'Like any 18-year-old, I spent too much money on partying and going out,' she recalled.

The backpacker was shocked when her funds dwindled down to a mere $300 after spending just three months in the country.

But Dom revealed that her luck soon changed as she scored a job on Facebook that offered her $30 an hour and free hotel accommodation.

'I realised how much opportunity Australia had to offer,' she said.

'A few months after living in luxury, I decided to catch a night bus and travel ten hours away from the city so that I could complete my farm work and get a visa extension.'

Dom spent six weeks working on a grape farm earning minimum wage.

'I couldn't save any money then because I had to pay for the hostel and transport getting to and from work.'

The traveller then began working 60 hours a week on a solar farm for the next five months where her food and accommodation was covered by her employer.

'That was the greatest opportunity I had been given - I had $30,000 saved up in no time.'

Dom revealed that she travelled around Australia and Indonesia without having to worry about money.

'I started doing stints of work where I'd work for three months and spend the next stretch travelling,' she explained.

'It really blows my mind, because I never pursued further education and I never planned to stay in Australia for longer than 12 months.

'Australia is full of so many opportunities and you don't need much money to start off with.'

Dom really encourages those who can to put their life on hold and work in remote areas.

A British backpacker opens up about her finance secrets and how working in rural Australia set her up for the future

Many were shocked by Dom's life and how successful she is.

'You work so hard! You should be proud of your life,' a woman said. 'This is honestly amazing - the rest of us work so hard five days a week and for what?

'I'm tearing up, I'm so happy for a stranger.'

'This is so inspiring,' another added.

Others revealed similar stories from their lives.

'I did a similar thing with my partner in our 20s. We managed to save nearly $140,000 between the two of us in two years. It set us up for life.

'I bought a house with the money I made and sold it for double!'

But some weren't as impressed.

'Yeah right, blowing my early 20s voluntarily working on a remote island,' a man wrote sarcastically.

'This is super unrealistic and would never work.'

In a video posted to TikTok, a French backpacker (pictured) has questioned how there can be poor Australians after he saved $15,000 in just three months of farm work in West Australia

But Dom is not the only foreigner to succeed in making quick money after travelling to Australia.

A French backpacker who claimed he's saved $15,000 in just three months while working on a farm recently annoyed some Aussies by questioning how the country can have poor people.

The man claimed that he makes more while working 50 hour weeks on minimum wage - operating as a cherry picker to harvest fruit and 'chopping down some trees' on a Western Australia farm - than he did working as a professional marketer with a postgraduate degree in Europe.

'So that's my question, how can you be poor in Australia?' he said in a video posted to TikTok.

'I get paid the minimum rate of what you can be paid here in Australia,' he said.

The minimum wage in Australia is $21.38 per hour with 25 per cent loading to $26.73 per hour for casual work.

'I do maybe 50 hours per week ... I try to earn a lot of money,' he continued. 'And in three months I have maybe $15,000 in my savings.'

In the comments section, he elaborates on what he does have to pay for.

'I pay rent, I pay for electricity and gas, I have a car,' he wrote. 'The fact is I don't spend my money on beers, cigarettes.'

The Frenchmen said that he works a 's****y job' operating a fruit picker and cutting down trees for 50 hours a week on minimum wage, but is still making money

The video caused strong reactions online with some Aussies praising the man for his work ethic while others thought he was 'out of touch'.

'Well done, I hope you make lots of money, we need hard working people here,' one user wrote.

'As an Aussie not doing my most this was a good kick up the ass. Genuinely appreciate hearing this,' a second wrote.

But others were quick to point out the big difference between living and working on a farm and doing the same in a city.

'Come to Sydney, this (savings) will last a couple of weeks,' one user wrote.

'When you make $960 week, rent $540, petrol $80, food $200, electric etc. It's not easy,' a second wrote.

'When youre paying full rent/bills you may realise why, mate. Good on you for working hard, but living on a farm is quite cheap, Id say,' a third wrote.
One in three women realize they are pregnant at six weeks or later, a study found

The Florida Senate has voted to slash the legal abortion time from 15 to six weeks.

The proposal must still be approved by the House before it reaches Gov Ron DeSantis, who has already signaled his support for the move.

A six-week ban would more closely align Florida with the abortion restrictions of other Republican-controlled states and give DeSantis a political win on an issue important to GOP primary voters ahead of his expected White House run.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks at the 2023 Pennsylvania Leadership Conference in East Pennsboro Township, Pa., Saturday, April 1, 2023

More than a dozen states have restricted access to abortions following the overturning of Roe V Wade

Sen. Lauren Book speaks in opposition of SB 300 during debate in the Florida Senate on Monday, April 3, 2023, in Tallahassee, Florida

With Republicans controlling the legislature and governorship in Florida, a six-week ban is likely to become law.

The bill would have larger implications for abortion access throughout the South, as the nearby states of Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi prohibit the procedure at all stages of pregnancy and Georgia bans it after cardiac activity can be detected, which is around six weeks.

Sen Erin Grall, a Republican who sponsored the bill, said: 'Bodily autonomy should not give a person the permission to kill an innocent human being.

'We live in a time where the consequences of our actions are an afterthought and convenience has been substitution for responsibility, and this is unacceptable when it comes to the protection of the most vulnerable.'

The proposal allows exceptions in the case of pregnancy caused by rape or incest until 15 weeks of pregnancy.

In those cases, a woman would have to provide documentation such as a medical record, restraining order or police report. Gov DeSantis has called the rape and incest provisions sensible.

It also makes exceptions for cases for saving the mother's life if her health is at serious risk, not including psychological health.

It would require that the drugs used in medication-induced abortions - which make up the majority of those provided nationally - could be dispensed only in person by a physician.

The new bill would only take effect if the state's current 15-week ban is upheld in an ongoing legal challenge that is before the state Supreme Court.

Republicans control a supermajority in the Legislature and have largely focused on Gov DeSantis priorities during the ongoing legislative session.

Gov DeSantis is expected to announce his presidential candidacy after the session ends in May, with his potential White House run in part buoyed by the conservative policies approved in the statehouse this year.

Democrats have conceded that they cannot stop the proposal from moving forward.

During debate on Monday, Democratic Sen Lauren Book urged women to contact her office directly, reading her phone number aloud on the Senate floor, if they are considering getting an abortion and need to connect with healthcare providers.

Sen Book said: 'Please don't take matters into your own hands. Do not put your safety at risk. No back-alley abortions.

'There are people and funds that will help you. No matter where you live, no matter how desperate of a situation you are in, no matter how helpless it may seem. I promise, you are not alone. Call my office.'

Patients have been traveling to Florida from across the Southeast to end their pregnancies since the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last year, gutting federal abortion rights.

Data from Florida's Agency for Health Care Administration showed that the number of out-of-state abortion patients rose 38 percent in 2022 compared to 2021.

Critics argue that many women do not even realize they are pregnant at six weeks.

One in three people discover they are pregnant at six weeks or later, and roughly one in five realize after seven weeks, according to a study by the University of California San Francisco.
The recall comes after a Briton died from listeria in an outbreak

'Do not eat' warning issued by watchdogs over a batch of red goats cheese

Another batch of artisan cheese has been urgently recalled over fears it could be contaminated with listeria.

Food safety watchdogs have issued a warning over the potential risk posed by a batch of Pennard Red Goats Cheese.

The recall comes after health chiefs announced last week that a Briton had died from listeria in an outbreak linked to contaminated cheeses.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has told the public not to eat the affected goats cheese, made by the Somerset Cheese Company.

The cheesemaker describes the product as full-flavoured, with a sweet and nutty taste and the appearance of a Red Leicester.

Food safety watchdogs have issued an urgent warning over the potential risk posed by a batch of Pennard Red Goats Cheese (pictured)

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) and UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) have urged the public not to eat the Pennard Red Goats Cheese made by Somerset Cheese Company

Those who eat food containing listeria develop an infection called listeriosis, which can cause a fever, aches and pains, chills, nausea, sickness and diarrhoea

It is sold as 2kg wheels which may be cut down to order, with 250g priced at 6.50.

The recall is for the wheel and any cut pieces with the best before date of April 28, 2023.

The cheese is sometimes served sliced from a deli counter.

Britons who believe they may have bought one of the affected Baronet items have been urged not to eat it and contact their retailer.

They should also thoroughly clean any surfaces they may have touched to prevent cross-contamination of other foods.

Listeria is a bacteria which poses a particular threat to the elderly, pregnant women and babies.

What is listeriosis? Most people that catch listeriosis, caused by bacteria called listeria, will only experience mild symptoms, such as vomiting and diarrhoea. Other symptoms of the infection can include a high temperature of 38C or above, aches and pains, and chills, according to the NHS. However, more serious complications can develop in those with weakened immune systems, babies, the elderly and pregnant women. Many foods can harbour listeria, but it is usually found in unpasteurised milk, soft cheeses and ready-to-eat foods, such as prepacked sandwiches. Listeria is widespread in the environment and can be found in raw food and soil, and in the droppings of many mammals, birds, and fish. Around 120 cases of listeriosis are confirmed every year in England, according to figures. It strikes around 1,600 annually in the US. HOW CAN YOU AVOID LISTERIOSIS? wash your hands regularly with soap and water

wash fruit and vegetables before eating them

store ready-to-eat foods as recommended by the manufacturer

make sure all hot food is steaming hot all the way through Advertisement

For most people, listeria poisoning can be similar to flu and include high temperature, muscle ache or pain, chills and feeling or being sick.

Usually symptoms recede after a few days.

However, some vulnerable groups can develop life-threatening complications, such as sepsis and meningitis.

Listeria most commonly infects chilled, ready-to-eat foods such as pre-packed sandwiches, pate and soft cheeses.

According to the latest available data, a total of 124 cases of listeriosis were reported in England and Wales in 2020.

Meanwhile in the US, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that about 1,600 people get listeriosis each year.

This new warning follows recalls of artisan cheeses made by Wiltshire-based firm The Old Cheese Room.

One recall was for the 1kg Baronet, priced at 32, with best before dates of March 21, March 22, April 11, April 12, April 16 and April 18, 2023.

The other two recalls were for the 270g Mini Baronet, costing 9 and 200g Baby Baronet.

The Mini Baronet is being recalled for three batches: March 22, April 10 and April 18, 2023.

The Baby Baronet is being recalled for batches, March 22, April 4, April 10 and April 16, 2023.

Last month, the FSA and UK Health Security Agency said that they had detected three listeria cases 'potentially linked to an outbreak' and that one person had died.

They did not provide any further details on the fatality.

All of those infected had a closely genetically related strain of listeria that has also been found in samples of Baronet cheese.

However, that does not necessarily mean that all those involved in the outbreak contracted listeriosis as a result of eating Baronet cheese.

Listeria has also been found in samples taken from 'food environments', they said.

However, it is unclear where these are and officials insisted there is 'no confirmation' that Baronet is the cause of the outbreak.

Health chiefs are investigating the cause of the outbreak.
Having an NHS that is free at the point of use makes the public too 'lazy' to look after themselves, a leading pharmacy boss has claimed.

Sam Patel, a director of one of the UK's largest pharmacy chains, warned the absence of fees means there is little disincentive from becoming ill.

It also encourages people to accept a lower level of care, he added.

Mr Patel is a director of Day Lewis Pharmacy, which runs more than 260 stores in the UK.

One of the firm's fellow directors was among private healthcare leaders invited to a Downing Street health summit in January, which was led by Rishi Sunak and focused on tackling Covid backlogs.

Director of one of the UK's largest pharmacy chains, Sam Patel, warned the absence of fees means there is little disincentive from becoming ill

He said it also encourages people to accept a lower level of care (stock image)

Speaking at an event organised by strategy advisory firm Global Counsel, Mr Patel said: 'Having an NHS fundamentally makes too many people lazy about taking care of their own health.

'Anything that's free we just accept a lower level of care.'

He said people should make sure they are 'taking good care of ourselves with vitamins, minerals, supplements, staying fit'.

'Many of you would have read a free newspaper on the tube or the train on the way here, and we know they're not as good as the ones you pay for, but we still read the free one because its free,' he added.

'And it's the same with the NHS, the jeopardy of feeling ill is not that bad because you get taken care of.

'In other countries, even in emerging markets like India where my parents originally come from, people spend vast amounts to make sure they don't get ill because there is jeopardy in doing so.

'We need to change the population's mindset to take care of themselves.'

His comments come after the British Social Attitudes Survey last week revealed more people are dissatisfied than satisfied with the NHS for the first time, with levels of dissatisfaction doubling in two years.

Figures show overall 51 per cent of those questioned were dissatisfied with the NHS but Mr Patel said a separate poll by Ipsos Mori showed community pharmacists had an approval score of 91 per cent.

He said: 'Pharmacy contractors have to deliver great service because if they don't their financial security is on the line.'

The Day Lewis director also complained of the difficulty of getting the NHS to take up innovative ideas.

He said while commercial business took significant risks when getting involved in projects with the NHS, the service suffered from a culture in which people were not hold accountable for delivery.
Ministers were today accused of giving social care the 'bare minimum' needed to stop it from collapsing after halving a much-needed cash injection.

The Government pledged to invest 'at least' 500m in England over three years to 'transform the way we support the social care workforce'.

However, the Department of Health and Social Care today said the reforms, which will fund hundreds of thousands of training places and create a new care qualification, will only be backed by 250million.

Charities, unions and think tanks said it was an 'insult' to the crippled sector, whose never-ending struggles are fueling the NHS crisis.

But the Government insists the reforms gives the care sector the 'status it deserves' and aims to 'make a care system we can be proud of'.

The government has halved its funding to develop the social care workforce. At least 500million was pledged for reforms but now the figure is just 250million

Some industry organisations said the plans weren't good enough but Social care minister Helen Whately (pictured) said the proposed reforms would give social care 'the status it deserves'

As well as the 500million package to the social care workforce, the 2021 People at the Heart of Care White Paper included plans to invest 'at least 150million' in digitisation across the sector.

The Government said that figure is now 100million, which will cover investment in digital social care records, as it said 50million had already been spent.

The latest announcement did not mention the 25million to support unpaid carers, or 300million to integrate housing into local health and care strategies, which were also detailed in the white paper.

Asked about these, the Department of Health said the support for unpaid carers will be set out 'in due course'.

The Government has insisted that no funding for the adult social care sector has been removed or re-allocated to the NHS.

It said up to 600million mentioned in the white paper has 'not yet been allocated' but will be targeted on measures that 'have the most impact' over the next two years.

READ MORE Having a free NHS makes Brits too 'lazy' to look after themselves, top pharmacy boss claims Director of one of the UK's largest pharmacy chains, Sam Patel, warned the absence of fees means there is little disincentive from becoming ill Advertisement

It said the social care workforce 'is at the heart' of its plans but various organisations cast doubt, accusing the Government of betraying the sector.

The move comes as capacity in the sector is at record lows, with 165,000 staff vacancies due to recruitment and retention issues.

The crisis has been blamed, in part, for fuelling delays in hospitals, with NHS data showing that thousands of beds every day are occupied by patients medically fit to leave because there is no suitable nursing accommodation or care available for them in the community.

Sally Warren, director of policy at think tank the King's Fund, said the Government appeared to be 'silent' on its previous commitment to unpaid carers.

She said the revised plan was, at best, the 'bare minimum needed' to stop the sector from collapsing.

Ms Warren said it was 'short-sighted for Government to row back on what was already minimal funding and limited efforts to reform and improve social care in areas such as housing, technology and supporting the workforce'.

The Independent Care Group, which represents providers in York and North Yorkshire, said they were no longer convinced by Government pledges.

Chair Mike Padgham described the Government's announcement as 'yet another cruel and unfair cut to the funding we need to provide help and support to older and vulnerable people'.

He added: 'We need every penny of funding and cannot afford to have 250million removed at a stroke like this.

'The Government insists that all promised funding will stay within the sector but we cannot believe a word they tell us anymore.'

Natasha Curry, deputy director of policy at the Nuffield Trust, said the revised plans would be 'seen as a betrayal' by those working in the sector and those needing care.

She said the funding announcement was a 'particularly low blow amid a cost of living and recruitment and retention crisis affecting social care'.

Ms Curry accused the Government of a 'smoke and mirrors attempt to sow confusion bundling these cuts alongside pre-announced funding on the fair cost of care and better care fund'.

Jackie O'Sullivan, of learning disability charity Mencap, described the plan as 'an insult to a sector that was once treated as a priority for Government'.

Unions also criticised the announcement, with the GMB calling for 'proper investment' to keep workers in the sector 'not more broken promises'.

Meanwhile, Unison said that by 'slashing those already inadequate plans (from 2021), ministers have proved they have nothing but disregard for the sector'.

The government has defended its social care plan and said the budget has not yet been fully allocated. Pictured: Social care minister Helen Whately speaking at the Care England conference in London on March 16

TUC general secretary Paul Nowak said: 'The Government promised to throw a protective ring around social care. But instead, it is presiding over a perfect storm.'

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer today told broadcasters that the announcement was 'a betrayal from the Government of older people and those with needs in social care', saying the Tories had 'promised a lot and now they're delivering almost nothing'.

Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey said elderly and disabled people 'will be the victims of the Conservatives' decision to slash funding for recruiting care workers at a time of chronic staff shortages'.

However, social care minister Helen Whately said the package 'focuses on recognising care with the status it deserves'.

She said: 'Care depends completely on the people who do the caring  that's over a million care staff working in care homes and agencies, and countless relatives, friends and volunteers, acting out of the kindness of their hearts.

'That's why this package of reforms focuses on recognising care with the status it deserves, while also focusing on the better use of technology, the power of data and digital care records, and extra funding for councils  aiming to make a care system we can be proud of.'

The Government said its 'refreshed plan to bolster the adult social care workforce' would speed up discharge from hospital and accelerate the use of technology in the sector over the next two years.

The Department of Health said it will launch an Older People's Housing Taskforce in partnership with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities 'to decide how best to provide a greater range of suitable housing depending on the support people need'.

It said 1.6billion will be allocated over the next two years to improve hospital discharge.
A vape-addicted teen claims his habit has damaged his lungs and caused them to collapse four times.

Draven Hatfield, of Harts, West Virginia, began vaping when he was just 13 because he thought it was a 'neat trend'.

Now 19, he said he initially vaped only on the weekends before his habit progressed to 'every day, all the time'.

It wasn't until the construction worker was rushed to hospital with a collapsed lung four times in four months that he linked his health scares to vaping.

Hospital doctors were 'positive' that the damage was caused by vaping and said his lungs looked like he'd 'three packs of cigarettes a day for at least 30 years', which Mr Hatfield said left him 'very scared'.

Draven Hatfield, from Harts, West Virginia, started vaping when he was just 13 years old as he thought it was a 'neat trend'. The 19-year-old said he initially vaped only on the weekends before his habit progressed to 'every day, all the time'

It wasn't until the construction company contractor was rushed to hospital with a collapsed lung four times in four months that he linked his health scares to vaping. Hospital doctors were 'positive' that the damage was caused by vaping and said his lungs looked like he'd 'three packs of cigarettes a day for at least 30 years', which Mr Hatfield said left him 'very scared'.

Mr Hatfield began vaping box mods  larger vapes which have more power and flavour than regular vapes  before switching to disposable e-cigs three years later.

He said: 'I started vaping because it was just a neat trend and I was young and I picked up on it.

'When I first started, I'd usually only vape on the weekends and eventually I was vaping every day all the time.

'At least once a day I was refilling it, sometimes once every two days. I moved onto the disposable vapes and probably used one disposable every two to three days.

'I didn't smoke before I started vaping. During one period I smoked while vaping for probably around a month and a half, and then I quit.'

In October 2021, aged 17, Mr Hatfield rushed to hospital after suddenly suffering severe chest pain and cramps down his left side.

READ MORE Inside child vaping epidemic: Our horrifying investigation exposes predatory tactics of sweet shops selling e-cigs and vibrant 'dupes' made to resemble Skittles... and the kids scarred for life MailOnline discovered dupe vapes mimicking Chupa Chups, Skittles, Jolly Rancher, Rubicon and Calypso (pictured), with near-identical branding to the popular sweets and drinks in other stores along Oxford Street Advertisement

He said: 'I had no idea what it was or what happened, I thought I'd maybe pulled something wrong.'

Doctors told him he had spontaneous pneumothorax  the sudden onset a collapsed lung.

It is triggered by a collection of air between the lung and its outer surface  called a bleb  which ruptures and causes air to leak into the space around the lung.

Symptoms include sharp chest pain that is made worse by a deep breath or cough, a rapid heart rate and fatigue.

In most cases, the cause of a collapsed lung is unknown. But smoking increases the risk and experts believe vaping may, too.

The habits increase the risk of blebs  which are not a problem on their own  bursting, leading to a collapsed lung.

Mr Hatfield spent the next week in hospital connected to a chest tube, which is inserted between the ribs to allow the lung to re-expand fully.

But the following week, his left lung collapsed for a second time.

Two months later, in December 2021, his right lung collapsed.

On this occasion, he was 'in the middle of hitting a vape' when he felt his lung collapse  at which point he connected his health problems to vapes and decided to quit.

Mr Hatfield said: 'I just felt a little pop and, as I'd been through it, I knew what it was.

'I was breathing differently and then every time I swallowed, I had a little pinch in my side.'

He added: 'I realised it was the vapes and I talked to the specialist and that's when I decided to try and quit vaping.'

But his health woes continued, and his lung collapsed for a fourth time in February 2022, while he was at school.

Mr Hatfield said: 'On the way to the hospital everything was looking good and when I got there, they had to do surgery on me.'

Doctors had to perform a bullectomy  surgery to remove air pockets from his right lung.

'It involved attaching the wall of my ribs, there's a chemical process of attaching, they scrape the air bubbles off my lungs,' he added.

Mr Hatfield has since recovered from the 'scary' ordeal, though he still suffers from chest pain, and is now keen to raise awareness of the hazards of vaping.

He said: 'It made me realise how dangerous vaping can be.

'The specialist said that it developed air bubbles on my lungs and they'd burst and would leak air and that would cause my lung to collapse.'

He added: 'The doctor said that my lungs looked like I'd smoked three packs of cigarettes a day for at least 30 years.

'I was pretty upset. I thought vaping was better than smoking and I was worried about my future. I was very scared.'

Mr Hatfield has since recovered from the 'scary' ordeal, though he still suffers from chest pain, and is now keen to raise awareness of the hazards of vaping

Mr Hatfield said: 'I'll never touch a vape or smoke again. I'm very positive that vaping has done the damage, my specialist and lung doctor were also positive on that'

NHS Digital data shows the number of children who are current vapers has soared in recent years, jumping from 6 per cent in 2018 to 9 per cent in 2021

House of Candy in Oxford Street where half of the store is American sweets and the other has vapes for sale in neon light displays

Mr Hatfield said he still feels pain 'pretty bad', has been left with scars and worries that his lung will collapse again.

He said: 'I'll never touch a vape or smoke again. I'm very positive that vaping has done the damage, my specialist and lung doctor were also positive on that.

'To quit vaping, I used nicotine gum and tricked my mind, I used it and lowered the mg and eventually chewed regular gum.

'I don't think a lot of young people are aware that vaping can be this serious. I'd like more to be aware that there's implications for vaping.'

It comes after MailOnline exposed the predatory marketing tactics of vape retailers accused of preying on children, with their pervasive schemes so successful that officials are now proposing an outright ban.

Experts have warned that the nation is 'sleepwalking into an existential crisis for children'.

Shock NHS data shows almost one in ten secondary pupils in England are regular vapers, double the proportion in 2014.

And as many as 30 per cent of under-18s in some region have used the devices, according to statistics.

Meanwhile, one in 10 middle and high school students in the US use vapes.

As well as the child-friendly flavours and colours, experts have also blamed social media for glamourising the devices in recent years.

TikTok and Instagram are also awash with individuals offering to sell the gadgets to children.
Testing revealed the bat had rabies which prompted him to start on treatment

Man, 84, caught the bat and quickly washed his hands with soap and water

A man in Minnesota died from rabies last year after waking up to find a rabid bat biting his hand, US health officials have revealed.

The 84-year-old, who has not been named, batted away the animal and quickly washed his hands with soap before returning to bed with his wife.

The couple was administered post-exposure prophylaxis rabies treatment that included a series of rabies vaccines and antibody injections.

But five months later, the man returned to the hospital complaining of severe pain in the right side of his face and excessive tearing in the eye.

He died 15 days later after suffering severe brain and spinal cord swelling, according to a new report released in the journal of Clinical Infectious Diseases.

The 84-year-old was bitten by a silver-haired bat infected with rabies (stock photo of silver-haired bat)

Doctors who treated the 84-year-old were based in Duluth, Minnesota (Pictured). The man came from Minnesota

Medics said this was the first recorded US case of a rabies patient dying after receiving prophylaxis treatment in a 'timely and appropriate' manner.

Rabies is a virtually always fatal infection unless patients are administered medications before symptoms emerge.

It is caused by a virus that targets the central nervous system, triggering inflammation in the brain and spinal cords.

People can become infected by rabid animals  including bats, raccoons, skunks and foxes  typically via the saliva of infected animals.

Symptoms typically start three to eight weeks after becoming infected and begin as a fever, headache, muscle weakness and general discomfort. But then it will progress to confusion, agitation, hallucinations, paralysis and coma.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says there are typically two to three human deaths from rabies reported in the United States every year.

But in 2021, the latest date available, five fatalities were recorded including the 84-year-old man and a seven-year-old boy. Four patients were bitten by bats and one by a dog in the Philippines.

Dr Stacy Holzbauer, an epidemiologist at the CDC, said the report summarizes 'the first reported failure of rabies [treatment] in the western hemisphere'.

They suggested the treatments failed because the patients had an undiagnosed immune condition, which made the vaccines less effective.

The bite occurred on July 27, 2020, but the man did not fall ill with the disease until January of the following year.

He had several underlying conditions, including coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, kidney problems and an enlarged prostate.

Upon his first trip to the hospital, he received a rabies post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) drug and three doses of the rabies vaccine.

The man went to hospital three times complaining of sudden pain on the right side of his face and tearing of the right eye before being admitted.

By this time, however, facial pain had worsened and he started to suffer night sweats, right eye redness, facial paralysis and left ear pain.

Further swabs revealed that the man had encephalitis, or a swelling of the brain and spinal cord. He also developed a fever of 103.1F (39.5C).

Medics intubated the man to support his breathing but the decision was eventually taken to withdraw treatment. He died 15 days after symptoms appeared.

Testing revealed that he had contracted rabies which was identical to that in the bat that bit his hand.
Around 20million Americans stand to lose healthcare coverage this week as states begin unwinding pandemic-era protections for Medicaid beneficiaries.

The scaling down of the program began on April 1 and will continue over the next 14 months. Millions of men, women, and children who gained coverage during the pandemic stand to lose it.

Covid-era legislation guaranteed that enrollees in the government program would not be purged even if they would otherwise be deemed ineligible for reasons such as increased income, meaning they made too much money to qualify.

Over the course of three pandemic years, enrollment in Medicaid and CHIP has swelled to 90.9 million, an increase of almost 20 million. As the pandemic has ebbed, millions of Americans are believed to have returned to work, boosting their income and thus making them ineligible for coverage.

Roughly one in six of the 84 million Americans on Medicaid stand to lose their coverage over the next 14 months

Over the course of three pandemic years, enrollment in Medicaid and CHIP has swelled to 90.9 million , an increase of almost 20 million

Residents in Arizona, Arkansas, Idaho, New Hampshire and South Dakota will be the first to feel the pain of redeterminations.

Healthcare in America is notoriously expensive with an estimated 79 million Americans struggling with medical debt.

Despite this, several Republican members of Congress are toying with the prospect of drastically cutting funding for government healthcare.

States will unwind protections over the course of about 14 months. Roughly one in six of the 84 million Americans on Medicaid stand to lose their coverage over the next 14 months.

Medicaid is the federal governments health insurance program serving the very poor and the disabled.

It is jointly funded by federal and state governments, meaning the latter guarantees funds to match the states expenditures on the program.

When it became clear to government officials in March 2020 that Covid outbreaks across the world were foreshadowing a global pandemic that would put the US in a stranglehold, they reasoned that it would be a very bad time for Americans to lack access to healthcare.

On March 18, 2020, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act was signed into law.

This legislation provided incentives to states to institute a continuous enrollment guarantee that officials would not terminate enrollment for people considered not validly enrolled or change eligibility groups while still receiving the boosted increased federal matching funds.

A major reason someone may be deemed ineligible is that their income increased beyond the threshold that is allowed for Medicaid coverage.

The program is meant for people who meet certain income guidelines, which are adjusted each year based on poverty levels.

In subsequent legislation, the federal government increased the amount of funding it would make available to states that have expanded access to Medicaid benefits to nearly all adults with incomes up to 138 percent of the Federal Poverty Level ($20,120 for an individual in 2023), an offering by Obamacare. It was meant to discourage those states from dropping enrollees.

Medicaid equips people with the ability to access preventative healthcare services such as mammograms immunizations, and screenings for common chronic and infectious diseases.

This allows the healthcare system to save money in the long-run.

Losing health coverage can be devastating not just to a persons health, but also to their financial wellbeing.

People could be dropped from the Medicaid rolls for a variety of reasons, such as administrative and paperwork issues or increases in income that meant they made too much money to qualify for benefits.
Hollywood star Hugh Jackman has disclosed his most recent skin cancer scare and is urging fans to stay vigilant.

The Wolverine star had biopsies of moles on his nose that could be basal cell carcinoma, the most common form of skin cancer with a high survival rate.

It is not melanoma, which can grow rapidly and prove fatal if not treated early. They only account for one percent of skin cancers but 80 percent of all skin cancer deaths.

The good news is that early treatment of melanomas, typically in the form of Mohs surgery to remove the cancer, is extremely effective. Around 90 percent will survive their melanoma for five years or more after diagnosis.

DailyMail.com spoke with dermatologists to break down the early warning signs of skin cancer to help you protect yourself.

Signs of skin cancer range from innocuous to obvious, but experts warn that treating cases early is key to making sure they do not spread or further develop

Hugh Jackman has had another skin cancer scare. The Australian actor, 54, underwent two biopsies after his doctor noticed 'little things' that could potentially be Basal Cell Carcinoma - the most common form of skin cancer

Wearing a bandage over his nose, Hugh shared the news in a video on social media and urged his fans to prioritize sun safety

Asymmetrical moles

Dermatologists follow the ABCDEs when diagnosing melanoma; that is, asymmetry, border, color, diameter, and evolving.

Most melanomas, the rarest but most dangerous form of skin cancer that is most likely to spread, present as moles that have uneven edges.

It looks different from common moles, the round, brown or tan spots on the skin caused by growing clusters of cells in the skin called melanocytes.

Dr Nayoung Lee, a dermatologist at NYU Langone Health told DailyMail.com: If you cant fold the mole in half, if edges dont line up that could be melanoma.

Irregular borders of a mole, the B in ABCDEs, can also indicate melanoma. The edges of a normal mole are uniform and smooth.

The Skin Cancer Foundation advises people to look out for ugly ducklings - unsightly moles that very clearly stick out from the pack all over the body.

The foundation says: This recognition strategy is based on the concept that most normal moles on your body resemble one another, while melanomas stand out like ugly ducklings in comparison.

Moles of uneven colors

Color, the C in ABCDEs, is a strong indicator of dangerous melanoma. Healthy moles are typically a single color, from dark and light brown to pink and flesh-toned.

Some moles become cancerous and change colors gradually. Roughly 20 to 30 percent of melanoma cases develop in existing moles.

The other 70 to 80 percent of the time, cancerous moles arise on otherwise healthy-looking skin.

But a suspicious mole often contains several shades of brown, black, or tan, as well as spots of pink, red or purple.

It becomes more colorful as cancer progresses, so early action is crucial. In fact, 99 percent of patients who detect and begin treating their melanoma early survive five years or more after their diagnosis.

Dr Zaineb Makhzoumi, a dermatologist at the University of Maryland who specializes in a type of surgery to remove cancerous moles, said: Once you start to get two, three, four colors fused within one mole, that should be a warning sign and you should have that mole evaluated by a board-certified dermatologist.

Moles larger than a pea

Size matters when it comes to suspicious moles. Melanomas typically present a bit bigger than a pea or a pencil eraser, about six millimeters or a quarter inch.

Dr Makhzoumi told DailyMail.com: Most moles, if they're benign, are smaller than a pencil eraser. If you have a mole that's bigger than a pencil eraser that is not in and of itself a warning sign and concerning. But rather when taken with the other constellation of signs, that's something that you want evaluated by a dermatologist.

Not all melanomas subscribe to the D in ABCDEs where D means a diameter of at least six millimeters. In 2013, doctors in Queensland, Australia treated a 38-year-old woman with invasive melanoma on her arm that measured just 1.6 mm in diameter.

The small cancerous mole also did not appear asymmetrical, meaning doctors must still keep an eye out for moles that appear darker than those around it, as was the case in the Australian woman.

The doctors said: We regard it as very significant that this melanoma did not have unequivocal asymmetry, although it did have recognized clues to malignancy We believe that very small pigmented lesions which have any recognized clues to melanoma should be assessed for biopsy whether or not unequivocal asymmetry is present.

Doctors must also monitor how a mole evolves over time. This is the E in ABCDEs. Changes in the size, shape, color, or elevation of a spot or any new symptom such as bleeding, itching, or crusting, may be a warning sign of melanoma.

Dr Makhzoumi said: Moles tend to go through an evolution, but the evolution of moles tends to be that that they shrink, or they disappear.

If you have a mole that's evolving in that it's growing, it's getting darker, it's elevated, that's really, really key for melanoma,

Melanoma grows in two phases, horizontal and vertical. The horizontal phase can last years before the mole becomes dangerous and invasive, meaning it spreads to lymph nodes and organs. But in a later phase, the lesion grows vertically, at which point it becomes a tumor with the ability to spread elsewhere in the body, potentially proving fatal.

Dr Makhzoumi added: Once melanoma enters that vertical growth phase, they actually accelerate very rapidly. So if you have a spot that all of a sudden starts to develop a lump to it, that is highly concerning for malignant melanoma.

Bleeding or scaly patches

These will often appear on areas of the skin most often exposed to sunlight, such as the face and the top of the head.

Precancerous squamous cell carcinoma leads to actinic keratosis leads to a skin disorder that causes rough, scaly patches. The patches can sometimes bleed and become ulcerous.

Dr Lee said: 'They just feel scaly so you can feel them more than see them.'

People that have a history of heavy sun exposure are most likely to experience this type of skin cancer.

With every bad, blistering sunburn comes a heightened risk of squamous cell carcinoma.

Fair-skinned people and those with light eyes who are more prone to sunburn are also more vulnerable to SCC.

More often than not, though, squamous cell carcinoma is curable when treated early. In fact, the survival rate is as high as 98 percent.

Dr Nayoung Lee (left), a dermatologist at New York University, said that moles with multiple different colors within them can be a warning sign. Dr Zaineb Makhzoumi (right), a dermatologist at the University of Maryland, warned that multi-colored moles are a sign of cancer

A sore that bleeds may indicate another type of non-melanoma skin cancer called basal cell carcinoma which, like SCC, has a high survival rate. Still, people should treat it aggressively once its detected.

Dr Lee told DailyMail.com: Depending on location they can grow deeper in muscle and bone, so they do become problematic if left to grow for a long period of time.

Basal cell carcinoma is the most common type of cancer overall and the most common type of skin cancer more specifically. The number of new cases in the US exceeds 4 million cases each year.

Dr Lee added: Basal cell carcinomas, we dont even stage them because survival rates are good.

Dark patches on genitals

Melanoma can present as dark lesions on the mucous membranes, meaning the inside of the nose, mouth, vagina, or anus, or the fingers and toes.

This subtype of aggressive cancer is exceedingly rare and accounts for less than two percent of all melanoma cases.

Unlike other types of melanoma, mucosal melanoma is not affected by sun exposure. About half of the mucosal melanomas start in the head and neck, typically the nose, mouth, windpipe, or esophagus. Smoking, ill-fitting dentures, and ingesting or inhaling carcinogens all greatly compound the risk of sarcomas in the mouth.

Most of the remaining 50 percent of melanomas begin in the anus or rectal region and the female genitals. Spots on mucosal areas might not be melanomas but rather squamous cell carcinomas.

Dr Lee said: 'Initially when its early it kind of looks like a whitish bump or ridge on the mucosal surface. So as it grows it starts to look more like an ulcer, it can look fungated [like a fungal infection in appearance], or other things.

While doctors have not pinpointed the exact cause of mucosal membrane melanomas and non-melanoma cancers, some believe they are linked to a viral strain of human papillomavirus (HPV).

HPV strains 16 and 18 are those deemed high risk and cause the vast majority of cervical cancers. But strains six and 11, lower risk varieties, are more commonly associated with non-UV-linked skin cancers inside our bodies' orifices.

Dr Makhzoumi said: 'The subtypes that are causing a cervical cancer are not the same subtypes that are causing skin cancer.'

Patients can sometimes mistake nonmelanoma cancers in the genital region with a sexually transmitted infection, but doctors want to drive home the fact that this type of cancer is not a sexually transmitted disease.

Waxy, pearly bumps on skin

Basal cell carcinoma, which typically appears on sun-exposed parts of the body like hands, neck, arms, and legs, often present as a waxy lump or a small, smooth, shiny, or pale growth.

It does not always appear raised, though, and could resemble a flat scar.

Dr Makhzoumi said: You really want to look for a basal cell skin cancer, one of the really specific signs is that when you stretch the edges, it looks pearly. There's an opalescence to it, there's an opalescence to basal cells, they do really look like shiny or pearl-like.

Hugh Jackman has had several brushes with basal cell carcinoma over the years. In 2017, the Wolverine star had six skin cancers removed from his face within a two-year period.

In 2021, he had an inconclusive result following a biopsy on his face, revealing the worst it could be was the common type, BCC.

Mr Jackman attributes his vulnerability to skin cancer to growing up outdoors for much of his childhood in a family that was lax when it came to wearing sunscreen.

'I don't think my dad or mom ever bought it or made us put it on,' he said.

He added: 'Put some sunscreen on. You'll still have an incredible time out there, alright? Please be safe.'
Products featured in this article are independently selected by This is Money's specialist journalists. If you open an account using links which have an asterisk, This is Money will earn an affiliate commission. We do not allow this to affect our editorial independence.

Half of British adults don't have a will, according to new research, with many thinking that they don't have the necessary wealth to merit making one.

The research by pension and insurance company Canada Life found more than two fifths of Britons had no concerns about not having a will, while almost one in six had no intention of making one in the future.

People are generally more concerned as they get older, but it found that one in three adults aged 55 and over still had not made a will.

A quarter of Britons without a Will don't think they have enough wealth to require them to make one.

When asked why they hadn't done so, a quarter of people said they felt they did not have sufficient assets or wealth, while almost one in five said they thought their loved ones would automatically inherit their wealth.

Other popular reasons for not making a will included not being able to afford to make one, the belief that they have plenty of time to make one, not knowing how to write one, and not wanting to think or talk about death.

We look at why it is important to make a will, how to do it and what should be included.

Why do you need to make a will?

Making a will is not just about choosing who receives a share of your wealth after death.

For a start, dying without a will is likely to leave loved ones with a mountain of bureaucracy as they attempt to track down where your savings, investments and loans are.

And the common assumption that everything will automatically pass to loved ones is not always accurate.

Last wishes: Having a will is the best way to have a say on what happens when you die

Many couples forget that under the current succession laws in England and Wales, an unmarried cohabitee has no automatic rights under the intestacy rules. A valid will is essential to make sure assets pass to the surviving partner as they are intended to.

A will is also an invaluable tool for single parents with small children, to ensure those children are taken care of by the people they trust to look after them.

Without these provisions in a will, it's possible the courts may decide who should have parental responsibility.

Stacey Love, technical manager for tax, trusts and estate planning at Canada Life says: 'It's a shame that people still believe that making a will is a challenging process.

'At any age, dying without a valid will in place can be a huge burden on your loved ones at a time when they may already be vulnerable and struggling to cope.'

Since the tax-free allowance was raised to 325,000 in 2009, the amount of inheritance tax the Government pockets has more than doubled

She adds: 'Even if you are young, getting a will drafted, signed, and witnessed should be on your bucket list, even if you don't think you have any real wealth to pass on.

'Even digital assets such as social media accounts and crypto could have value  data is the new gold after all.'

For many people, writing a will may also be sensible if their estate could be subject to inheritance tax.

Assets passed on death to a spouse have no inheritance tax liability, but if they pass them on to someone else they eat into their IHT-free allowance, above which tax is 40 per cent.

At present, anyone can pass on 325,000 of cash and assets tax-free.

Married couples and civil partners can pass on their unused allowance to their surviving partner, allowing the IHT free amount to be doubled up to 650,000.

If they give away their main home to their children (including adopted or foster children, or grandchildren) then this threshold can increase to 500,000.

So for a married couple with children, it is possible to pass on 1million in total.

Where to make a will

This will depend on personal preference, how much someone is willing to spend and the complexity of their financial affairs.

Many charities offer a 'free' will service - although that usually comes with an expectation of leaving a legacy to the charity.

Some retailers also sell 'will packs' which enable people to do it themselves - but they still need to get the document witnessed when they sign it.

Most solicitors offer low-fee deals on their will-drafting services, and their employer may offer a third-party will service for their employees.

There are also online will companies, such as Farewill* which offer a quicker, simpler and more cost-effective way of dividing up an estate than the traditional process.

Online service Farewill is a relatively cost-effective way for Britons to make a will online

Farewill has a 4.9 star rating on Trustpilot from more than 13,000 reviews.

It charges 90 to create an online will, or 140 for couples. Alternatively it is possible to do this over the telephone for 240, or for 380 as a couple.

The upfront cost includes a year of unlimited changes, meaning it is possible to update it anytime in the first 12 months.

Following that, it's possible to continue making updates for just 10 a year.

What should be included in a will?

A will should list all the people or any charities who will be left money or possessions after death. It should also clarify who will look after any children under the age of 18.

It will also appoint executors. These are the people who will sort out the estate and carry out the wishes of the will.

It will also typically include a register of assets, which includes all bank accounts, investments, pensions and insurance policies, for example, to avoid families having to struggle to untangle someone's finances.

Listing out your assets ensures that everything is easy to find when you're gone

How do my relatives find out about my will after I die?

Having made a will, a sensible thing to do is tell a close friend or family member about where it can be found.

Those who use a solicitor to create a will should also ensure they and your executors hold copies.

It is also possible to register a will using a national will registration company such as Certainty. For anyone unable to locate a loved one's original will, these are good places to start.

Love adds: 'Once you've completed your will, don't just sit back and forget about it. Talk to your family, let them know where it is being kept.

'Also make sure to review it every couple of years - family circumstances change over time, and you need to make sure your will evolves too.

'It's human nature that we don't want to think about death but writing a will can be a huge weight off yours and your loved one's shoulders.

'Don't be afraid of having an open conversation about it with those you want to leave an inheritance to.

'A professional financial or legal adviser will also be invaluable for offering independent advice and guidance.'
All staff with government phone could be expected to delete app

Politicians aren't the only people set to have TikTok wiped from their phones - with hundreds of staffers likely to feel the brunt of the decision as well.

The decision to ban TikTok from government devices was signed off by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese this week.

There has not yet been any official guidance on whether national or state bans will extend to all public servants who use government-issued phones, but political insiders told Daily Mail Australia they expect that to be the case.

And Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said nurses, teachers and other government workers are also likely to be impacted if they have a government phone.

'Most politicians I know already choose not to have TikTok on their phones, but they've got teams of staff who do, to post on their behalf and run these accounts.

'If we're told to delete the app then obviously that's what we'll do, we don't have a whole heap of the advice that those ministers are receiving but we'll follow the guidance.

'It just will impact us day to day on how we can do our jobs.'

Finance Minister Katy Gallagher said on Tuesday afternoon the ban would extend to contractors who use government-issued phones.

'There would be some contractors that would have government-issued devices as part of their work and of course that would apply to them,' she said.

'Anything further, I would have to come back on with advice from the Attorney General, but certainly if theyre using any device thats issued by the government or connected to the government facilities, it would be required.'

The decision to ban TikTok from government devices was signed off by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese this week

TikTok helped to drive up interest in politics among Gen Z (people born after 1997) and was proving to be the most successful method of engaging young voters. The likes of Pauline Hanson, Lidia Thorpe, Julian Hill, Fatima Payman, Jordan Steele-John and Max Chandler-Mather all have enormous followings on the app and use it on a regular basis to connect with followers

Throughout the last federal election campaign, many politicians seized on the popularity of the app to connect with young voters.

'It's how we communicate and engage,' one insider said. 'We're able to say something to these young people in layman's terms and it's been really important.'

TikTok helped to drive up interest in politics among Gen Z (people born after 1997) and was proving to be the most successful method of engaging young voters.

Mr Andrews and federal MP Bill Shorten are among the most prolific Australian politicians to use the app.

Both men have now confirmed they'll stop using it altogether in a bid to support the government's position.

Mr Shorten said: 'I already have given it up on a government phone but I'm happy to give up the issue of being on TikTok if we need to set an example.'

Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek said last week she would be reluctant to stop using the app on her personal phone, given it's such an effective way to communicate with voters.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said he expects nurses, teachers and other government workers are also likely to be impacted if they have a government phone

Labor, the Greens and a host of independents will be the biggest losers from this decision, given they're far more prominent on the app than Liberal counterparts.

The likes of Pauline Hanson, Lidia Thorpe, Julian Hill, Fatima Payman, Jordan Steele-John and Max Chandler-Mather all have enormous followings on the app and use it on a regular basis to connect with followers.

The reach just one of their posts has on the app supersedes the reach of most Liberal accounts combined.

Aussie employees who could be impacted by the TikTok ban Any workers with access to government devices could soon be told to delete TikTok from their phones. While the government is yet to issue any official guidance on the scope of the ban, it could include: - Teachers - Nurses - Police - Corrections officers - Health workers - Disability support workers Advertisement

It's understood many offices will now turn to Instagram to connect with the same demographic, although the algorithm is less friendly.

Using TikTok, there is a broader scope to reach voters who may not have any knowledge or interest in politics via the app's 'for you page'.

While Instagram has a similar feature and appears to be rewarding creators who use the 'reels' function, the app itself is more reliant on a user already following an account to engage with their content.

Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus confirmed the ban on Tuesday, noting it would come into effect 'as soon as practicable'.

'After receiving advice from intelligence and security agencies, today I authorised the secretary of the Attorney-General's Department to issue a mandatory direction under the Protective Security Policy Framework to prohibit the TikTok app on devices issued by Commonwealth departments and agencies,' he said in a statement.

Australia is the last of the Five Eyes partners to ban the app from such devices, after the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and New Zealand outlawed the social media platform from official devices in recent months.

The Opposition's spokesman for cyber security James Paterson, who is currently in the US for discussion with US congress members and security officials, said those he'd spoken to were 'puzzled' as to why Australia was 'so out of step and so far behind'.

'But it is very, very late, we've been talking about this for almost a year,' he told Sky News.

'It was 10 months ago that TikTok admitted to me that Australians' user data is accessible, and has been accessed in China under their national security laws.

'Our closest allies and friends have been acting for months - it has been more than 90 days since the US banned it.'

Mr Shorten said: 'I already have given it up on a government phone but I'm happy to give up the issue of being on TikTok if we need to set an example'

He said Australia needed to be ready to have a conversation about taking the ban beyond government devices and to personal use.

'All options need to be on the table. This is not only a data security risk for all those users and young people, but it's also a foreign interference risk,' he said.

'The reality is, many young people get their news... through applications like TikTok. And it would be... easy for the Chinese Communist Party to direct Byte Dance and TikTok to suppress narratives that are contrary to their interests, to promote narratives that support their interests, or just sow division and undermine social cohesion and national unity.

'We cannot allow, in this strategic environment, an authoritarian state to have unregulated access to millions of Australians' devices.'

TikTok maintains there is no evidence to suggest the app constitutes a security concern

TikTok Australia and New Zealand general manager Lee Hunter said the team are 'extremely disappointed by this decision, which, in our view, is driven by politics, not by fact'.

'We are also disappointed that TikTok, and the millions of Australians who use it, were left to learn of this decision through the media, despite our repeated offers to engage with government constructively about this policy.

'There is no evidence to suggest that TikTok is in any way a security risk to Australians and we should not be treated differently to other social media platforms. Our millions of Australian users deserve a government which makes decisions based upon facts and which treats all businesses fairly, regardless of country of origin.'

A widespread ban of private use of the app - which is currently being considered in the US - would not be considered here.
Several rural towns in Europe have offered grants for foreigners willing to move

As the cost-of-living crisis continues to spiral and many Brits struggle to keep up with rent, bills and other financial commitments, some idyllic European towns are offering to pay you just to move there.

Untold numbers of towns and villages in rural areas across the continent are at risk of depopulation due to ageing populations and younger people moving to urban areas for work.

But the advent of remote work and exponential growth in the number of people willing to work abroad has helped tourist boards and local councils alike hatch plans to revitalise their dwindling populations and economies.

On the local level, some towns and municipalities are offering grants worth tens of thousands of pounds to foreigners willing to buy a home there, while on a national level, many European countries have launched 'digital nomad' visas to allow foreigners to live and work there for companies registered elsewhere.

Here, MailOnline takes a look at some of the most beautiful European towns offering outrageous benefits to those willing to pack up their lives in Britain and plump for a different style of life.

Aerial view of the village and the famous luxury marina of Porto Cervo, Sardinia, Italy

Presicce, Italy

In 2022, it was reported that the ancient town of Presicce in the Puglia region is offering families willing to move there 25,000 in the hope that new life will be breathed into its dilapidated community.

What makes the proposal even more enticing is that Presicce is just a 15-minute drive from the pristine beaches of Italy's south-east shoreline, including Santa Maria di Leuca.

According to a local councillor, the money can be used towards both the purchase of a home and renovating it, with homes on sale there from just over 21,000.

'We will be offering up to 30,000 euros to people willing to move here and buy one of these abandoned dwellings,' Alfredo Palese told CNN.

'The total funding will be split in two: It will go partly into buying an old home and partly into restyling it, if needed.'

The ancient town is surrounded by greenery and has its own post office, bank and supermarkets.

Known during the Renaissance period for its vast olive groves and premium olive oil, Presicce is filled with evidence of its history as the 'city of green gold,' as it used to be called.

Huge underground olive mills can still be found in tunnels and chambers under the town's streets, as part of an expansive subterranean city popular with tourists.

Presicce is hundreds of years old and used to be known as the 'city of green gold' due to its expansive olive industry

An alleyway in the ancient town of Presicce in Puglia, Italy, where a cash incentive of 25,000 is on offer to potential house buyers

Presicce is located in south-east Italy on the 'heel' of the country. It is only a 15-minute drive from the country's stunning coastline

Albinen, Switzerland

Albinen, located in the canton of Valais, is offering to pay families over 50,000 just to move to the stunning mountain village.

The beautiful area sits at 4,265 feet (1,300 metres) above sea level. Its traditional chalets look down over vast surroundings of snowy white peaks.

The small village has been threatened with extinction for some time as an increasing number of residents are moving out of the rural picturesque community in favour of surrounding cities.

At the end of 2020, there were just 243 residents in the village. But the scheme, originally launched in 2018, is hoping to buck that trend.

The scheme was launched five years ago to reverse the trend of people leaving the town.

The alluring village is located just over four miles (6.8km) from the spa town of Leukerbad and a 35-minute drive from both the Canton capital Sion and the industrial city of Visp.

Families of four will receive 25,000 Swiss Francs (22,440) per adult and a further 10,000 Swiss Francs (8,975) per child - but the scheme comes with some conditions.

To stop the town from emptying, Albinen is looking for people aged under 45 to take up residence - and you will also need to be a Swiss citizen with a permit C residence.

If you are citizen of an EU or European Free Trade Association country, or from the U.S. or Canada, you can obtain this after living in Switzerland for five years.

But for other countries, including us Brits, you would need to live in Switzerland continuously for a decade.

Albinen, located in the canton of Valais, is offering to pay people over 50,000 just to move to the stunning mountain valley village

The beautiful area sits on the mountain slope at 1,300 metres (4,265 feet) above sea level

Albinen's traditional chalets look down over vast surroundings of snowy white peaks

Sardinia, Italy

This isn't just a town - it's a whole island!

The government of Sardinia is offering grants of up to 15,000 (12,700) as an incentive for those considering a move to the stunning Mediterranean rock.

Officials last year ringfenced 38 million for the initiative which aims to bolster commerce in small towns by affording homebuyers considerable financial aid.

Sardinia is the second largest island in the Mediterranean and has long been considered a natural gem with a rich cultural history with over 1,000 miles of sandy beaches, picturesque port towns and bronze-age ruins built as far back as 1,500 BC.

Sardinian President Christian Solinas said in a statement: 'Thanks to these contributions to [homebuyers'] first houses, [Sardinia] becomes fertile ground for those who will move there or decide to build a family.

'There can be no growth without a real enhancement of the territories, of the interior and most disadvantaged areas, which must pass through new policies for their repopulation.

'We have created the conditions for young people to decide to stay and develop the economic fabric of the most fragile territories.'

Sardinia is the second largest island in the Mediterranean and has long been considered a natural gem with a rich cultural history (coastal town of Castelsardo is pictured)

Sardinia is popular with summer tourists but like other rural areas of Italy, the region is suffering from a dwindling population and shrinking economy as younger generations flock to large cities for work

The prospect of landing more than 12,000 to move to one of Europe's most beautiful islands does however come with a few caveats according to Schengen Visa News.

First and foremost, the grant money can only be used to fund the purchase or renovation of a home in Sardinia.

The property in question must also be located in a municipality with a population of fewer than 3,000 people, as these are the towns most in need of an economic boost.

Although the government will hand over the maximum sum of 15,000 in some cases, the grant cannot surpass half of the total cost of the property or planned renovations - so homebuyers will still need to shell out considerably more from their own pocket.

Lastly, a buyer interested in taking Sardinia's government up on their offer cannot do so unless they plan to live there full time.

The government stipulates that grant recipients must register for permanent residence in Sardinia within 18 months of their arrival to avoid wealthy individuals abusing the scheme to bag cushy holiday homes.

'Digital nomad' visas

Want to live and work abroad but not ready to move forever? More European countries than ever before are now offering so-called 'digital nomad' visas for people looking to move abroad for a definite period of time while working, according to euronews.

Croatia launched its digital nomad visa scheme two years ago, and offers a one-year visa to non-EU/EEA citizens working for companies registered abroad.

Successful applicants will even be able to skip out on paying income tax in Croatia - but must meet some requirements, including a base salary of more than 2,300 per month, to apply.

Cyprus also launched a similar scheme the same year, and last year said it would offer 500 people a digital nomad visa - though the base salary requirement is even higher at 3,500 per month.

Other countries offer similar visas with slightly different terms. Iceland for example only accepts high-flying nomads with monthly salaries above 7,000 for just six months, while Montenegro plans to allow people to stay for up to four years on their scheme.

Spain became the most recent European country to offer such a scheme, offering a one year visa with the possibility to extend for up to five years, and attractive tax breaks.
Progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wouldn't rule out challenging Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand for her New York U.S. Senate seat.

Gillibrand is up for re-election next year and already kicked off her 2024 campaign in January of this year.

Ocasio-Cortez sat down with Politico for a far-ranging interview and was asked if she was considering taking on Gillibrand for a story published Sunday evening.

'Don't ask me that question  print that,' she said with a laugh. 'There's a world where I'm here for a long time in this seat, in this position. There's a world where I'm not an elected official anymore. There's a world where  I may be in higher office.'

For years there was chatter that AOC could challenge Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer for his New York seat.

Progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wouldn't rule out challenging Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand for her New York U.S. Senate seat, as she did a sit-down with Politico that was released Sunday

Gillibrand was first appointed to the Senate in 2009 and then successfully won a special election and two subsequent elections. She announced in January she would be on the ballot in 2024

But Schumer, as Senate majority leader, has a much higher national profile than Gillibrand, despite Gillibrand running for the White House in 2020.

Gillibrand's White Houe bid was short-lived.

She launched on St. Patrick's Day in 2019 and was out of the race by the end of August after failing to qualify for the third round of Democratic primary debates.

The most memorable moment came when a woman interrupted Gillibrand mid-presentation in Iowa to slide by to get some ranch dressing.

Gillibrand was appointed to the Senate by former New York Gov. David Paterson in 2009 to fill the seat being vacated by Sen. Hillary Clinton - who after losing the Democratic primary to former President Barack Obama became his nominee for secretary of State.

She won a special election in 2010 to finish the rest of Clinton's term - and then won re-election in 2012 and 2018 - without much competition.

But as she launched her 2024 bid in January, The New York Times reported that Ocasio-Cortez and Rep. Ritchie Torres are among the names mentioned in New York political circles when potential primary opponents have been discussed.

Gillibrand told The Times she was committed to her 'unfinished work' on Capitol Hill, as her previous presidential ambitions opened up the door to questions about whether she was content staying in the legislative branch.

'I love being senator of New York, and I think my ability to deliver for our state has never been greater,' she told the paper.

While reliably liberal, Gillibrand came into Congress as an upstate New York lawmaker, and so has historically performed well in more conservative counties.

Ocasio-Cortez is politically aligned with prominent progressives like Sens. Bernie Sander, Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Ilhan Omar.

In her interview with Politico, she pushed back at those who would compare the U.S.'s left-wing to the far-right.

'There are people, including moderates, who sometimes try to draw this completely unfair, false equivalence between progressives and, frankly, the fascists that we see in the Republican Party,' Ocasio-Cortez said.
An international student who moved to Australia revealed she spent $300 a week in rent to live in a pop-up tent in the centre of a lounge room.

Zoe Jiang, 27, from China, moved to Sydney in January to study finance. She was forced to stay in short-term accommodation because competition for rooms is so high.

She didn't even have a room in one house and had to pitch the tent so she could find some privacy from her other housemates, who would be in and out at all hours.

Her situation isn't unique, as international students who flock back to Australia are greeted by one of the most challenging rental markets in decades, with housing in short supply and prices through the roof.

'I have never had a night in a tent before... camping in a living room was very different,' Ms Jiang told the ABC.

An international student has revealed she was had to live in a tent in a Sydney living room for $300-a-week (pictured)

People looking to rent in Sydney have recently taken to social media to illustrate how competitive the market is (pictured)

Ms Jiang has now found long-term rental accommodation with her own proper room, but there is concern international students could be at risk of being exploited by landlords.

According to government data, about 59,000 overseas students arrived in Australia in January, more than double the amount for the same period in 2022, with roughly another 120,000 in February.

The numbers are being boosted by an announcement by the Chinese Government that students need to return to 'in-person' learning for their qualifications to be recognised at home.

The influx is putting strain on an already struggling market.

According to SQM research, rent prices in Sydney have risen 25.2 per cent in the last 12 months, in Melbourne 21.9 per cent, in Brisbane 20.8 per cent and in Perth 16.3 per cent.

Tenants' Union of NSW CEO Leo Patterson-Ross said the Government needs to step in to create more housing and establish an independent body to ensure accommodation is up to standard.

He said he had seen exploitive behaviour in the past, such as landlords holding onto tenant's passports and threatening to report them to immigration if they caused problems.

'We just do not have enough homes for everyone in Australia,' he said.

The City of Sydney council has taken to posting some of their own advice to renters (pictured)

Labor's $10 billion Housing Australia Future Fund, which would finance the construction of 30,000 social and affordable rental homes over five years, was recently rejected by the Senate crossbench.

The Greens withheld their vote, arguing it didn't go far enough to alleviate soaring rents and the party is pushing for a national rent freeze.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said last week a national rent freeze was impossible, branding the idea as 'pixie dust'.

Independent ACT senator David Pocock is also holding out for a larger commitment from Labor.
Brooke Shields recalled running 'butt naked' from the room after losing her virginity to Superman star Dean Cain when she was 22 years old.

The recollection came in the new Hulu documentary about Shields' life, Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields.

In the documentary, the 57-year-old said she felt 'regret' about how she first had sex with Cain, and that he was 'more comfortable with the sexual part' of their relationship than she was.

The couple dated when they were both students at Princeton University, and Shields recalled how she was more interested in 'the love and the commitment' side of their relationship, and that they taught each other about one another while together.

In the documentary Shields explores her complex life, which included posing nude as a young girl and being publicly sexualized in show business throughout her teens.

Brooke Shields with Dean Cain in 1995. The two started dating when they were in college

Brooke Shields' explosive new documentary was released on Hulu April 3 in two parts

Shields laughingly recalled her first time sleeping with Cain when she was a junior in college.

'When we finally had sex, I immediately ran out of the room, ran down the hall butt naked, just running. I didn't know where I was going,' she said

'He ran after me with the duvet and grabbed a hold of me and said, "Where are you going?" He said "I'm not going anywhere, I'm not leaving you, you're the same person." He got it immediately and I just cried.

'I wanted to jump into the personal relationship and the love and the commitment,' she said in the documentary. 'We had to teach each other about each other.'

She explained how she was baffled by her reaction to sex at the time, saying: 'I feel bad for that girl.

'She was old enough to own her own body for real. And just I couldn't get there at that moment.'

In her 2015 memoir, There Was a Little Girl, The Real Story of My Mother and Me, Shields previously described how her reaction was spurned by her mother's possessiveness.

'I believe she wanted me to stay hers alone,' Shields wrote. 'She believed in an absolute hold she had on me and growing up, and having sex, would mean that I was leaving her.'

'It should have been what I had wished for myself, but in an instant, guilt slapped me in the face. Instead of giving in to what was a loving, and emotionally safe, relationship, and escaping into the most intimate and deserved moment, I began to cry deeply and silently and I got so overwhelmed that I jumped out of my bed.'

In the documentary, the 57 year old said she felt 'regret' about how she first had sex with Cain, and that he was 'more comfortable with the sexual part' of their relationship than she was

Dean Cain is pictured in his heyday

Brooke Shields told how she lost her virginity to Dean Cain in her new documentary on Hulu

Brooke Shields as a teenage model with and her mother Terri in New York City in 1971

In the two-part documentary which aired April 3, Shields explored her complicated relationship with her mother, who looked on while she was forced to seductively kiss Keith Carradine, then 27, in 1978 film Pretty Baby in which she played a prostitute at just 11-years-old.

Ms Shields, 57, said she struggled to understand how her mother Teri Shields did not intervene as she revealed her own daughters, Rowan, 19, and Grier, 16, refuse to watch it.

In the documentary, Rowan said 'It's child pornography! Would you have let us [do that] at the age of 11?'

Shields replied 'No' as she was overcome with emotion.

The star's mother was an alcoholic who died in 2012. Shields, an only child, said she could not be angry at her as her mother was so insecure.

The actress long deflected the blame faced by her mother - who allowed Shields to pose nude for a Playboy publication at the age of 10, but Shields now admitted 'I don't know why she thought it was all right. I don't know.'

The explosive new documentary Pretty Baby was released on Hulu on April 3 in two parts

The incidents weren't the first she was sexualized by the media. At 15 she shot 'Blue Lagoon,' then came 'Endless Love.' Both featured sex and nudity, while she also appeared scantily clad in a Calvin Klein denim advertisement campaign at the same age.

When she was 16 and a global star, a family friend and photographer tried to sell nude photos he took of her when she was only 10. Her mother sued and the family went to court but the photographer won.

Shields has been approached about documentaries before and always said no. But now with a kid going off to college, and with the encouragement of her friend Ali Wentworth and a secure feeling about her life brought on by years of therapy, Shields felt the time was right.

She has recently admitted that even in her books, she wasn't telling the whole truth when it came to the nude photos of her as a child.

'It was too much for me to cop to that, really,' Shields said. 'Writing about it just broke me. It was her that I was protecting.'
A Jet2 passenger died on board a flight from Tenerife to Manchester that was forced to make an emergency landing in Newquay.

Witnesses said an alert was issued around three hours into the journey on Sunday night after a traveller fell ill and required urgent medical assistance.

The passenger, understood to be a woman, was led to the toilet 'in distress'.

She reportedly passed out and underwent CPR as the pilot looked to land the plane.

She was removed from the aircraft on a stretcher after it landed at Cornwall Airport Newquay. Details surrounding the nature of her illness remain unknown but Jet2 has announced that the woman died.

A passenger on board a Jet2 flight (stock photo) to Manchester that was forced to make an emergency landing in Newquay has died, it has been confirmed

A passenger on board told the Manchester Evening News of the 'emotional' scenes as the crew rushed to help the woman.

The witness claims the woman fell ill about a 'few hours' into the flight.

'A man was helping a woman he was with to the bathroom. She looked to be in quite a state and was in distress,' they recalled.

'Cabin crew had a chat with them and at one point they had to lay her down in front of the doors where the seats with extra leg room are.

'She was being asked how much pain she was in so that they could relay it back to the captain. She seemed to take a sudden turn.'

The passenger added: 'The cabin crew put out an announcement for any medical staff on board. Then the plane took a very dramatic veer to the right and it was clear something had changed and we needed to land straight away.

'She passed out, and they had oxygen ... and a defibrillator on board and started performing CPR. They did this for around an hour until we landed at Newquay.

'The air ambulance and a second ambulance was waiting when we landed, and they quickly got the steps and transported her out of the side of the plane on a scoop stretcher.'

The traveller said that other passengers were 'visibly upset and emotional by what was going on'.

After the plane had landed, those on board said it had to refuel as police talked to Jet2 staff. The aircraft later took off again, landing in Manchester at around 10pm.

In a statement released on Monday, Jet2 confirmed that the traveller has 'sadly passed away'.

A spokesman said: 'Flight LS756 from Tenerife to Manchester diverted to Cornwall Airport Newquay yesterday evening, due to a customer requiring medical attention.

'Regrettably, we can confirm that the customer has sadly passed away. Our thoughts are with the customer's family and friends at this very difficult time.'

The air carrier thanked the crew, as well as other customers, who provided assistance onboard the flight.

Further details about the nature of what happened have not yet been confirmed.

The South West Ambulance Service and Devon and Cornwall Police have been approached for further information.
They claimed the charges against Trump are part of a 'witch hunt' as they branded the Manhattan DA 'Alvin and the chipmunks Bragg'

Furious Trump fans raged at Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg for indicting the former president as they gathered outside Trump Tower to catch a glimpse of the embattled presidential candidate.

They told DailyMail.com how they believe the charges filed against the former president are part of a 'witch hunt' as they branded the New York City DA 'Alvin and the chipmunks Bragg.'

Bragg announced last week that a grand jury decided to indict Trump on business fraud charges for allegedly paying porn star Stormy Daniels $130,000 in hush money ahead of the 2016 election.

Right-wing YouTube star Alex Stein held a Trump 2024 sign outside of Trump Tower on Monday, ahead of the former president's arraignment

Vito Dichiara, a former camera operator at FOX News, lambasted Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg as 'Alvin and the chipmunks Bragg'

Former President Donald Trump walked into Trump Tower in Manhattan, where he will spend the night ahead of his indictment on Tuesday

Awaiting his arrival Monday, Vito Dichiara, 71, of New York, told how he was excited to see the former president, noting that he met Trump and his family in 2016 'and they are very nice people.'

'He did great things for this country, now they want to convict him,' Dichiara, a former camera operator at FOX News, lamented to DailyMail.com.

'It is a witch hunt,' he added. 'Impeachment one was a witch hunt and impeachment two was a witch hunt. They just dont like the man because he wasnt a career politician who gets the job done.

He then asked: 'Alvin and the chipmunks Bragg is going after the man for what?'

'He wants to go out and make a name for himself and not realizing this will actually help Donald Trump,' Dichiara said, noting that the former president has raised $5million dollars since the indictment and is still leading in the polls.

'I think theres going to be a lot of people outside the courthouse tomorrow and Alvin and the chipmunks Bragg will get a very bad reception and rightfully so,' he warned.

Paul Ingrassia, 27, a lawyer from New York, also claimed that Bragg is simply 'throwing anything at the wall to see what sticks.

'He elevated it to a felony - no one in their right mind believes this is anything more than a continuation of what weve seen in the last six years- to make Trump look politically defunct,' he claimed.

But, he said, 'I think it will only expand his already surging poll numbers. His 75 million supporters in 2020 will only increase by 2024.'

Alan Gottlieb brought his dog to the rally outside Trump Tower on Monday

John McGuian, 58, left, vowed that Trump will 'be cleared of all charges and he will walk out of the courthouse a stronger man

Dion Cini, 54, said he cannot wait until Trump's mugshot is released, claiming, 'I am going to use the mugshot to make the biggest flag and drop it at Yankees stadium

Stephanie Lu, 55, left, told how this is a dangerous moment for America as she recounted escaping from communist China 20 years ago

Meanwhile, Alexandra Rose, a 36-year-old shipping manager from New York, said she decided to show up to support Trump because 'he has done a lot for this country, and a lot of people don't speak out and show their support because of cancel culture.'

She, too, claimed that the indictment is a 'witch hunt,' saying, 'It is going to wake up the American people that [there] is a two tier justice system and it only works for the liberal left.

'They are afraid of Trump and what he can do,' Rose said. 'They are out for themselves and the American people foot the bill.'

Alan Gotlieb, in his late 60s, went even further, claiming that the indictment 'is a bad move because the American people are losing trust in the judicial system and the government.'

John McGuigan, 58, a restaurant server in New York, said he expects the charges to be dismissed as 'this is all political theater.

'I am outraged that these false charges has have been levelled against him. It wasnt a misdemeanor let alone a felony,' he said, as he vowed that Trump will 'be cleared of all charges and he will walk out of the courthouse a stronger man.

'He will be even more popular in 2024 because he will expose what Bragg is all about and what the corrupt politicians in DC are all about.

They want him gone because he was exposing the swamp in DC,' McGuigan claimed. 'They want to see this country socialist or communist they dont care about the American people thats why they want to eliminate him.

'And guess who is paying for it again  the tax payers. They love to spend it frivolously,' he continued.

'Payback is a b***** and I cant wait until he exposed the dirt he has on the others.'

Tai, a researcher from New York, also claimed the charges were only brought against the former president 'because the other side realized Trump is hard to beat' ahead of the 2024 presidential election, for which he is once again running for the highest office in the US.

'I think Alvin Bragg is doing this because his masters are telling him to,' she claimed. 'It is part of a very corrupt political organization in the Democrat party.

'Crime is through the roof, rapes, robberies and murders are all up. But this is a priority somehow.

Susan Miller held up a cartoon depicting Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg as Fat Albert

Alexandra Rose, a 36-year-old shipping manager from New York, left, said she decided to show up to support Trump because 'he has done a lot for this country, and a lot of people don't speak out and show their support because of cancel culture' while Ariel Kohane, 51, said Democrats detest Trump as a person

Juliet Germanotta, 41, who works for a charity non profit, went on to call the indictment 'funny and sad at the same time.

'Trump is human, and flawed like everyone else, but we still haven't indicted Hillary Clinton for the email scandal or Barack Obama for giving cash to a Iran- a country that wants to kill homosexuals like me.

'It is identify politics,' she said. 'The four years he was in the White House was a witch hunt and theyre still carrying on. Theyre afraid of him because he is actually for us and trying to put this country first.'

Ariel Kohane, 51, a political campaigner went even further by saying Democrats 'detest him as a person, and this is uncalled for.'

'If you want to defeat him, defeat him in the polls and the ballot box and not like this,' he said, noting: 'Many district attorneys are saying there is no crime here.

'It is setting a dangerous precedent across the whole US and the whole world where district attorneys of either party can go after political opponents when they dont like them to try and find a crime to take them down. This is not a third world country or a banana republic.'

At the same time, he said, 'Alvin Bragg has not gone after real criminals who shoot, stab rape and kill.'

'If you live in New York and you are a victim of a crime you should be angry,' Dion Cini, 54, added. 'Alvin Bragg is spending time and resources on inducements for what he did in his personal life.'

But, he said, 'Trump will never be in a courtroom. It will be delayed until the election, but the Democrats don't know that.'

In the meantime, Cini said, 'Trump's ratings are going to bump after this, they know this is a fraudulent case.'

He said he cannot wait until Trump's mugshot is released, claiming, 'I am going to use the mugshot to make the biggest flag and drop it at Yankees stadium.

Juliet Germanotta, 41, called the indictment 'funny and sad at the same time'

Paul Ingrassia, 27, a lawyer from New York, said Bragg dos not have the grounds to indict Trump on a felony charge

If the Democrats do 'get away with this,' Susan Miller said, 'then we are losing our country.

'Trump is innocent,' she claimed. 'It was proven in 2018. Why is my district attorney going after Trump now? Because he is going for president and he will win.

'They are doing a witch hunt to stop him from winning, they hate him that much,' Miller said. 'It was a witch hunt from the day he came down the escalator and won.'

'But you have liberals who do not have the common sense to work out none of these lies are true.'

Stephanie Lu, a social worker who moved to New York from China 20 years ago, further warned that 'this is a very critical moment for our country.'

'I came here legally 20 years ago and I see it going down hill because the liberals are infiltrated with communist ideas,' she said. 'It is so dangerous.

'Today they can indict a former president because they think they can control us. They collaborated together. It's a one-party rule, and they do what they want.'

Lu vowed to 'fight for all my life to defend my country,' noting: 'I came from a communist country for freedom and now everything is gone.

'We wont allow people to abuse their power its very evil,' she said, claiming 'If they can do this to Trump, they can do this to you too.'

Also in the crowd on Monday was Alex Stein, 38, a right-wing YouTube personality who flew to New York from his hometown of Dallas, Texas

Stein was greeted by fans as he arrived outside Trump Tower on Monday

Also in the crowd on Monday was Alex Stein, 38, a right-wing YouTube personality who flew to New York from his hometown of Dallas, Texas.

I go where the wind blows, and all the hot air full of lies are blowing to New York City right now because they are trying to unfairly indict one of Americas greatest presidents - Donald Trump,' he told DailyMail.com

'Its a complete witch hunt and Im sure there have been other like Hunter Biden doing illegal businesses like smoking crack with prostitutes, which is sex trafficking and a felony in the states.

'Ill be honest I dont even think Hunter Biden should go to jail so for the president to be charged for a misdemeanor for a paper work violation on how they paid someone is ridiculous,' he continued.

'Theyre going to prosecute him, but not going to prosecute people who actually doing drugs or selling Americas secrets to foreign country then you know its a corrupt prosecution.'

Stein added that Bragg 'may seem like the hero at first but when all this cookie crumbles into a thousand different pieces, all his credibility will be shot into a thousand different pieces and he will basically be nuclear waste.'
A 13-year-old girl who was allegedly tortured for four hours by three teenagers is under 24-hour guard by her older brother.

The teenager, who can't be named for legal reasons, was allegedly lured to a fake party at a Housing Commission property in Tewantin, west of Noosa on the Sunshine Coast, on March 11 by three girls she had recently befriended.

Once she arrived, the accused attackers - who are aged 12, 13 and 14 - allegedly stripped her half-naked and filmed her being tied up, burnt and stomped on. She allegedly had bottles broken over her face and knives thrown at her.

The footage, which was uploaded to social media, also allegedly showed the teen begging for mercy.

The alleged victim was hospitalised for a week with severe swelling on her face, a fractured wrist, a stab wound to her knee, and black eyes.

Her mother set up a fundraiser to help pay for the teenager's trauma therapy and uploaded a photo of her daughter asleep in a hospital bed.

Her swollen face was purple with bruising, and her right arm in a cast.

In an update last week, the mum explained her family was terrified for the schoolgirl's safety in the weeks following the alleged torture - to the point where her 20-year-old brother became her bodyguard.

The alleged torture victim, 13, is pictured recovering in hospital after her alleged four-hour ordeal

The house (pictured) on the Sunshine Coast was destroyed in the arson attack last week

'As her mother, sleep was very hard to come by as I was still running on fight and flight, couldn't relax and every noise that I had heard would make me jump up and check the house and yard,' the mother wrote.

'[My daughter] was guarded around the clock by her 20-year-old brother, who hasn't left our side since this incident and has been my rock - such a big thing to expect of your own child, but he is a generous, protective kind-hearted soul.'

The family were living in an Airbnb because they were terrified someone would find them and punish the schoolgirl for talking about her alleged ordeal.

In her update on Thursday, the mother explained the teen still has trouble sleeping and often wakes with headaches, but that her wounds are healing and she is getting support for her trauma.

On Wednesday, the family went to her favourite sushi shop, bought her some new Peter Alexander pyjamas, and helped her relax with a hot bath with candles.

'[She] has been inundated via social media by so many people wishing her well and offers of friendship, it really has helped her and she definitely feels the love and support from you all,' the mother said.

'She would like to thank you all and get back to each and every one of you but it simply is just not possible.'

The three alleged offenders filmed part of the alleged attack and have been charged by Queensland Police (pictured, images shared online after the incident)

Police have alleged the attackers showered the girl following the torture session, before making her daughter clean up her own blood.

The three girls then allegedly threatened to kill the girl's family, including her three-year-old brother, if she told anyone about her alleged ordeal.

Queensland Police laid charges on March 13 against the three girls who were allegedly involved in the incident.

Last week, the Housing Commission property where she was allegedly tortured was burnt down in a vigilante attack. No one was injured.

Detective Senior Sergeant Craig Mansfield said the family had left the property before the fire and noted its destruction means that the housing department 'is short a house where some other people in need' could have gone.

'We could have provided some shelter for people who really do need it,' he said.

Supt Mansfield said the police are investigating online to see if anyone has posted video to the fire.

'Our electronic team, our digital evidence team in Brisbane is also combing through social media and the like ... trying to identify if there is any videos or social media posts about the incident,' he said.

A 13-year-old girl (pictured after the attack) was allegedly tortured by three girls aged 12 to 14 in a Sunshine Coast home on Saturday March 11

The officer said he had never seen any incident like this particular fire previously here on the Sunshine Coast.

The fire followed just days after the home was boarded up after being ransacked and vandalised with graffiti messages including 'JUSTICE 4 [the girl]'.

The eldest child, 14, was remanded in custody pending an appearance at Maroochydore Children's Court later in April.

She was charged with four counts of assault occasioning bodily harm, assault occasioning bodily harm whilst armed in company, deprivation of liberty, enter dwelling and commit indictable offence, armed robbery whilst in company used personal violence, enter premises and commit indictable offence and wilful damage.

The two younger girls were granted bail and will return to Maroochydore Children's Court later this month.

The 13-year-old was charged with assault occasioning bodily harm, assault occasioning bodily harm whilst armed in company, deprivation of liberty, armed robbery whilst in company used personal violence, enter dwelling and commit indictable offence, common assault and unauthorised dealing with shop goods.

The 12-year-old was charged with assault occasioning bodily harm, assault occasioning bodily harm whilst armed in company, deprivation of liberty, armed robbery in company with personal violence, enter dwelling and commit indictable offence and unauthorised dealing with shop goods.
A high-profile rapper is among six men accused of kidnapping a man and ripping his teeth out with pliers over a $5million ransom bid.

Valeli Tonga, 20, aka 'Leli SK', was arrested on March 14 after Peter Vuong, 26, was rescued by dozens of heavily-armed tactical police from a derelict property in Belmore, in Sydney's southwest.

Police will allege Vuong was kidnapped from his influencer girlfriend's Smithfield home six days earlier, and allegedly bound and tortured as his accused captors tried to extort her wealthy crypto trader relative for his safe return.

Now, Daily Mail Australia can reveal Tonga, one of the alleged kidnappers, is a rising star in popular drill rap group Sydney Yungins, who regularly perform at events and in clubs across Australia.

The music group - which comprises of Leli SK, Rico Tonga and Titoez - have almost 10million views on YouTube, 500million streams on Spotify and boast 29,400 Instagram followers.

Valeli Tonga, who performs under 'Leli SK', (pictured) is one of six men charged over a high-profile alleged kidnapping

The group formed in late 2019 and are managed by independent label BHQ Records. Leli SK joined Sydney Yungins the following year, replacing a previous member of the group.

According to their social media bio, the trio - who hail from the Pacific Islands but were raised in western parts of Sydney - racked up around 500,000 views in two months after releasing their debut track 'Who You With'.

'These boys are fresh on the scene with songs that fall under a variety of musical genres. From UK drill style, hip hop party to laid back wavey flows,' their YouTube page reads.

'Their journey has taken them to perform at shows including the under 18 Sticky Cheeks Block Party, For the Culture Show at the Gold Coast and Darwin City at the Opium Club.'

Rico Tonga and Titoez have not been charged in relation to the alleged kidnapping and Daily Mail Australia does not suggest they are involved.

Photos posted on social media over the past two years show Leli SK performing on stage at bustling events and posing for photos in front of hundreds of fans.

Peter Vuong, 26 , and his glamorous influencer girlfriend Angel Bowyer (above, together) were sleeping in her family's Smithfield home when he was allegedly kidnapped at gunpoint and taken to a squalid house 20km and tortured

The squalid house where Peter Vuong was taken to and allegedly held for six days as his teeth were 'forcibly removed' with pliers

In December, Tonga shared a picture of himself sitting on the ground in front of a white Mercedes admiringly gazing at one of his group's records as it sat in his lap, writing: 'plenty more where they came from'.

The post was inundated with comments from friends and loved ones offering their congratulations and saying they were 'proud'.

Police will allege Tonga and five associates burst into Vuong's girlfriend Angel Bowyer's sprawling two-storey family home around 5.20am on March 9, armed with sledgehammers and guns.

They are then accused of spiriting him away to the squalid property 20km away where they allegedly held him for days while sending Ms Bowyer's relative Tran Dinh messages demanding $5million or they would 'cut Mr Vuong into pieces'.

A huge police operation kicked off shortly after the alleged abduction - eventually leading to tactical officers armed with flash grenades storming the Belmore home and rescuing Mr Vuong.

Four men were arrested at the Canterbury Road property, and a further two were nabbed by officers a few streets away.

Alongside Tonga, Viliami Siasau, 19, Sunia Siasau, 20, John Totau Fahamokioa, 20, Lolo Liavaa, 19 and Kitueau Tatafu, 21, have been charged over the alleged abduction and torture.

The Bowyer family's Smithfield house where Vuong was allegedly kidnapped from as he slept beside his influencer girlfriend Angel Bowyer in the early hours of March 9

Police arrest one of Mr Vuong's alleged kidnappers after a days long sting operation moved in to rescue the 26-year-old from his torture ordeal

High flying crypto trader Tran Dinh (above with his wife) was allegedly the target of the $5m ransom attempt

Appearing in Bankstown Court on March 15, Tonga did not apply for bail and was remanded in custody until his next hearing.

Of the six, Fahamokioa was the only one who was granted bail under strict conditions.

Despite Tonga's arrest, BHQ Records have continued to promote the group's upcoming releases on social media.

Just three days ago, Sydney Yungins announced via Instagram that their new track 'Meet me at the bottom' was now out across their platforms.

Tonga is due to appear at Burwood Local Court on May 10.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted BHQ Records for comment.
An aggressive Donald Trump supporter has interrupted a Channel Nine reporter's live cross about the former US president's indictment, telling her she and the rest of the media will be jailed if he is re-elected.

Channel Nine TV US correspondent Alison Piotrowski was briefing Today Show hosts Karl Stefanovic and Sarah Abo about the president's imminent indictment in New York City on Tuesday morning when she was heckled by a passerby.

The passionate woman started screaming that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg - who is bringing charges against the former US president - 'is a criminal'.

'Bragg is a criminal, Bragg is the criminal. You guys are fake news,' the woman shouted.

Piotrowski, who was outside Trump Tower, then bit back: 'This is one of a handful of (Trump) supporters that has come down this morning.'

Former US President Donald Trump is seen arriving at his namesake Trump Tower (above) on Monday ahead of his arraignment hearing on Tuesday

The woman then interrupted her again, yelling: 'Handful of supporters? You people never tell the goddamn truth, ever. Ever.

'You and your made-up facts... Trump 2024, you'll all get locked up.'

The supporter then left, leaving Piotrowski in a fit of laughter as she told Stefanovic and Abo the scene is 'like a circus'.

Donald Trump flew in from Florida to New York's LaGuardia Airport just after 3.30pm (local time) and made his way to his residence.

The 76-year-old is expected to stay the night at Trump Tower, holding meetings with his lawyers, before he is formally arraigned, fingerprinted and photographed on Tuesday.

Australian reporter Alison Piotrowski (right) was reporting on Trump's arrival at Trump Tower when she was interrupted by an aggressive Trump supporter (left) who told her off for delivering 'fake news'

While the charges against Trump remain sealed, it's believed he could face up to 30 business fraud charges in relation to the $130,000 'hush money' investigation involving porn star Stormy Daniels.

Several other passionate Trump supporters outside the building claimed that the ex-President is facing 'false charges'.

'Alvin Bragg has filed false charges against this beautiful man and I'm outraged,' one supporter said.

'I will stand here for as long as it takes to support this beautiful man.'
Sen Cheng says the community has rallied behind her

A local community has quickly rallied behind a popular cafe owner after her store was callously ransacked in the early hours of the morning.

Sen Cheng, the owner of Balmain's Berlin Bakr cafe in Sydney's inner west, showed up to work on Monday to find her shop smashed in and the charity tin and cash register stolen.

CCTV vision from the store shows the burglar smashing in the front door and stealing money before fleeing the scene at around 4am.

The crook remains on the run with NSW Police investigating the crime.

With the shop left in disarray, locals banded together throughout Monday to get Ms Cheng back on her feet, cleaning up the mess and working to get the door fixed and the store back in operation.

A cafe in the swanky suburb of Balmain has been ransacked with hundreds of dollars stolen - before the local community rallied behind popular store owner Sen Cheng (pictured), bringing the store owner to tears

As locals turned up for their morning coffee run they were left stunned to discover the store had been targeted and said the workers are 'such lovely girls'.

'This is our cafe, as soon as we heard we turned up,' one local said.

Ms Cheng told 7News, 'I can't believe it happened to my shop.'

She said the outpouring of community support made her emotional and she felt blessed that the community was looking after them.

Berlin Bakr sustained $1,200 in damage and a loss of a day's trade from the robbery but was back up and running on Tuesday morning.

Ms Cheng, the owner of Balmain's Berlin Bakr cafe, turned up on Monday to discover her shop smashed in and a charity tin and cash register stolen, leaving the owner with a $1,200 repair bill (pictured: Berlin Bakr)

CCTV vision shows the burglar smashing in the front door of the cafe and stealing hundreds of dollars before fleeing the scene at around 4am. The crook remains on the run with NSW Police investigating the crime

'We have got so much love and support from our customers,' Ms Cheng said.

'This is what gets me up at 5am to serve the community.'

The swanky cafe's Facebook page is full of five-star reviews, with many mentioning the excellent service and coffee.

NSW Police continue to investigate the incident and anyone with information is urged to contact police.
Cosmetics business BWX has collapsed after being unable to arrange refinancing.

The publicly listed company, which owns labels including Sukin and a controlling stake in Zoe Foster-Blake's Go-To brand, was placed into voluntary administration overnight.

In an ASX statement released Tuesday, the company said it had appointed FTI Consulting as administrators, but that Go To was being sold off separately.

'The directors have been actively working to find a compatible buyer for BWX's 50.1 per cent shareholding in Go-To,' the statement said.

'The administrators intend to continue this sales process.'

Ms Foster-Blake founded Go To in 2014 and sold a majority stake in the company to BWX in 2021 in a multi-million dollar windfall (pictured with husband and comedian Hamish Blake)

BWX said in a statement to the ASX it was trying to sell Go To off, which is profitable and is run independently from its other brands

BWX had breached debt covenants with its lender Commonwealth Bank since November.

The bank extended a waiver until March 31, but BWX announced on Monday a new refinancing agreement with the CBA could not be achieved.

'In light of recent communications from the company's lender, the Company's board is considering how to best protect the interests of the company and the group as a whole in the absence of an agreed refinancing,' the company said in a statement to the ASX.

BWX suffered losses of $335million in the 2022 financial year, when mining magnate Andrew Forrest stepped in to bail the company out.

The company on Tuesday insisted Go To was a self-contained and healthy business, and they were confident of finding a buyer.

'Go-To is run and managed independent of BWX, with a wholly separate treasury function as well as separate cash flow management including accounts payable.'

It added Go-To does not share manufacturing or development capabilities with BWX, and sales and retail partners was handled by its own team.

BWX bought its controlling stake in Go-To for $89million in 2021.

The initial deal included an option for the remaining shares to be sold to BWX in 2024 for an estimated $59.2million.

Ms Foster-Blake can exercise a put option included in the initial deal to offload her remaining stock in Go To in 2024

BWX said a 'range of issues' had affected the company's financials, including 'destocking, inventory and working capital issues'.

The company previously said in June 2022 it had discontinued its practice of 'investment buys' in which more stock is sold to retailers than there is demand for.

It's understood new cashflows for BWX became a problem as retailers offloaded their backed-up stock.

Ms Foster-Blake's company distanced itself from BWX in an earlier statement.

'Go-To operates as an independent entity, managing its own treasury, formulations, manufacturing and retailer relationships, ' the brand said.

'We have an independent Sydney-based team led by our CEO, Brad Dransfield, and no financial, manufacturing or supplier affiliations with BWX.'

'The Go-To business is in a strong position with year-to-date performance seeing double-digit growth.'

Go-To launched in Europe recently via the German cosmetic chain Douglas.
She allegedly attempted to drown him days before

The Sydney mother is accused of suffocating him

New photos emerge of mum and her baby boy

Photos of a mum and her baby have emerged after she was accused of suffocating her baby boy less than 36 hours after allegedly attempting to drown him in a friend's swimming pool.

The Sydney woman, 30, has been charged with two counts of attempted murder, with one of the counts expected to be upgraded to murder, after the infant died on March 23.

One of the cheerful images showed the mum posing while holding her baby and raising her arm in the air.

Another photo of the boy on his own shows him sitting on a picnic blanket near a waterway holding a celebratory '8 months old' sign in his hand.

The baby was first found in distress at a home in Westleigh, in the city's north-west, on March 19.

One of the cheerful images showed the mum posing while holding her baby and raising her arm in the air (pictured)

Another photo of the boy on his own shows him sitting on a picnic blanket near a waterway holding a celebratory '8 months old' sign in his hand

The 11-month-old was rushed to hospital, after the child's mother and another woman performed CPR.

His condition recovered, but the next morning, police discovered the mother had allegedly left The Children's Hospital at Westmead at about 4am with her son. He had not been discharged by doctors.

Police alleged the baby was then allegedly suffocated at Berowra Heights on March 21.

His mother called triple-zero and allegedly told the operator the 11-month-old was unresponsive at about 12.30pm that day.

Paramedics rushed the baby to the hospital in a critical condition, with the child requiring life support for two days.

On March 22, detectives from the NSW Police Child Abuse Squad arrested the baby's mother and charged her with two counts of attempted murder.

The baby had been rushed to The Children's Hospital at Westmead (pictured) after paramedics were called to a home in north-western Sydney on March 19

The boy's condition recovered after the alleged attempted drowning. But the next morning, police discovered the mother had allegedly left The Children's Hospital at Westmead at about 4am with her son. He had not been discharged by doctors (stock image)

The woman spent a night in custody before fronting Hornsby Local Court on March 23, the same day her son passed away.

The mother was refused bail with police expecting her charges to be upgraded to one count of attempted murder and one count of murder.

'Police will allege in court that the woman attempted to drown the boy at a home in Westleigh on Sunday 19 March 2023,' NSW Police said in a statement.

'It will be further alleged the woman restricted the boy's breathing at the home on Tuesday 21 March, 2023.'

The woman is scheduled to next appear in court on May 18.

The hospital did not comment on how the baby was allowed to be taken away after the alleged attempted drowning or if any protocols were in place, 7News said.
A Caribbean cruise was thrown into chaos on Sunday after a female passenger fell from her balcony to her death - and landed on another person below.

The unnamed woman, who some on board said fell at least 10 stories, went over the barrier shortly after the Virgin Voyages ship, Valiant Lady, left Miami at 6pm on Sunday night.

The passenger she landed on was not seriously hurt.

'Yesterday evening shortly after departure there was a medical emergency involving one of our passengers,' a Virgin spokesman said.

'This passenger went over their balcony onto a lower deck, and despite receiving immediate medical attention, has passed away.

'We are deeply saddened by this loss of life and our hearts and thoughts are with this person's loved ones.'

An ambulance arrived at the dock in Miami in the early hours of Monday and the woman's body was removed

The ship was sailing for Roatan, an island in Honduras, and was expected to arrive on Tuesday.

Instead, the ship returned to Miami, docking once more at around 2am on Monday.

The woman's body was taken away by an ambulance, and the ship resumed sailing.

'I just started my FIRST cruise with Virgin Voyages and someone fell from their balcony and died,' tweeted Mel Murray.

'On the first day bro - people SAW that s*** happen. That is *terrifying*!!'

Another passenger, Wilson, tweeted at 1:50am on Sunday morning: '@VirginVoyages hey what's going on our Valiant Lady journey?

'No word or update from the crew as to our itinerary or cause for return to Miami.'

Passengers were then told by the captain what had happened, and that they would no longer go to Roatan.

A second planned stop - scheduled for Wednesday, to the Costa Maya in Mexico - was also switched, due to challenging weather conditions.

The Valiant Lady is currently en route to the Mexican port of Cozumel, where they will dock before heading back via the island of Bimini in the Bahamas.

The ship will return to Miami as scheduled on Saturday morning.

The Valiant Lady is seen returning to Miami in the early hours of Monday morning

Valiant Lady is seen sailing through Europe. She is currently used in the Caribbean

Passengers are being offered credit towards a future cruise, one passenger said they had been told.

Valiant Lady was launched in November, and their six-night cruises start at $1,700 per person.

Its sister ship, Scarlet Lady - the first launched by Virgin Voyages - set sail in 2021.

Jennifer Lopez will spend one day on board Scarlet Lady later this month on a special edition 'Limitless Voyage' around the Caribbean, from April 14 to April 19.

The five-night sailing, which will be curated by Lopez and her organization, Limitless Labs, will include J.Lo-inspired experiences and panel sessions with female entrepreneurs.

Fatalities on cruise ships are not uncommon.

On April 1 last year, a British man jumped to his death from Valiant Lady while she was sailing around the Mediterranean.

The cruise was en route back to Portsmouth when the man leapt overboard in the Bay of Biscay, with French and Spanish vessels called to assist the search.

That cruise featured 80s pop icons Tony Hadley, from Spandau Ballet, and T'Pau

In May 2020, a 32-year-old Filippino man working on Scarlet Lady died by suicide.

Between 2009 and 2019, there were 292 serious injuries to passengers or crew members on cruise ships, and 126 minor injuries, according to Cruise Lines International Association.

In February the FBI launched an investigation into what was termed a 'suspicious death' of a female passenger on board a Carnival Sunshine cruise ship - although the company said the death appears to be natural.

The woman was found unresponsive during the ship's February 27 voyage to Nassau, Bahamas, the FBI field office in Columbia, South Carolina, said.

They have refused to provide any detail regarding their investigation.

In November, a 28-year-old man from Alabama survived for 20 hours after falling off the Carnival Valor, bound for Cozumel.

James Grimes told ABC News he did not remember falling off the ship on November 23, but only recalled coming to in the water 'with no boat in sight' after excusing himself to the bathroom after having a few drinks.

'The Lord was with me when I was out there,' he said.

'Because something was holding me up the whole time when I was passed out.'

Eventually, Grimes spotted a tanker ship and swam to the vessel, which flagged the U.S. Coast Guard for help.

He said his Gulf of Mexico ordeal brought meaning to his life.

'I always thought there's a greater purpose for my life,' he said.

'Now, I know for sure I'm meant to do something on this Earth.'
The total collapse and break-up of Vladimir Putin's Russia has begun and the West must be prepared to deal with the potentially catastrophic aftermath, a top official in Volodymyr Zelensky's government has warned.

Oleksiy Danilov, the secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, said the West must be on high alert, having in the past failed to be ready for the collapse of the Soviet Union.

He said Kyiv believes Russia is going to fall apart in 'spectacular' fashion within the next few years.

But he warned that China holds the upper hand over the Kremlin's imminent capitulation. He said if the West allowed China to take territory in Russia, a new grave problem will be created.

The top Ukrainian official spoke as Finland is set to officially join Nato today, securing its place in the Western military alliance.

Danilov said Ukraine believes Russia will fall apart in 'spectacular' fashion within the next few years. Pictured: Putin arrives at a Security Council meeting in Moscow on Friday

Oleksiy Danilov, the secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, said the West must be on high alert, having failed to be ready for the collapse of the Soviet Union

Speaking in an interview with The Times, Danilov said: 'The West doesn't know Russia and the West is afraid of fragmentation in Russia. But this process is already under way.'

For the past months the conflict has centered around the eastern city of Bakhmut near the Donetsk region, with neither side making significant gains. In the international community some of the focus has shifted to diplomacy, with Chinese president Xi Jinping last month visiting Moscow for a three-day summit with Putin.

The visit was an attempt by Moscow to demonstrate its close relations with Beijing to Western allies, particularly the US. But Danilov believes the visit simply showed the Kremlin's weakness.

He said Russia has lost its power over once-loyal allies in Asia, with China now waiting for the collapse of Russia to take the Siberian Far East where there are significant Chinese populations.

'Letting China take Russian territory will be dangerous for the West because by unlocking one problem they will create another,' Danilov told The Times. 'There needs to be initial steps by the West now.'

Danilov points towards the outcome of the summit, noting that China did not agree to provide weapons to Russia. And despite the two leaders declaring last February just prior to Russia's invasion that the friendship between their countries was 'without limits', there was no such mention in the final declarations of last month's visits.

Danilov told The Times: 'China is a big country and will be a mighty rival to the Anglo-Saxon world. Now it's the owner of Russia. Russia will no longer undertake any important action without them. Russia fully lost its sovereignty. That's a fact.'

He said China was acting in its own interest when refusing to go along with Western sanctions on purchasing Russian oil and gas, and China's hand has only been strengthened because of this.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky speaks in front of a memorial plaque outside a school in the village of Yahidne in the Chernihiv region on Monday

Ukrainian servicemen fire a multiple launch rocket system towards Russian troops in Donetsk region in February

Ukrainian soldierstake part in a military drill on psychological combat training in Ukraine last month

Danilov's comments come after his announcement on Sunday outlining steps the government in Kyiv will take after the country reclaims control of Crimea, including dismantling the strategic bridge that links the seized Black Sea peninsula to Russia.

Danilov published the plan as Ukraine's military prepares for a spring counteroffensive in hopes of making decisive gains after more than 13 months of war to end Russia's invasion.

Moscow annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, but most of the world does not recognize it as Russian territory. The peninsula's future status will be a key feature in any negotiations on ending the current fighting.

The Kremlin has demanded that Ukraine recognise Russia's sovereignty over Crimea and acknowledge other land gains made by Moscow as a condition for peace. Kyiv has ruled out any peace talks with Moscow until Russian troops leave all occupied territories, including Crimea.

Danilov suggested prosecuting Ukrainians who worked for the Moscow-appointed administration in Crimea, adding that some would face criminal charges and others would lose government pensions and be banned from public jobs.

All Russian citizens who moved to Crimea after 2014 should be expelled, and all real estate deals made under Russian rule nullified, Danilov wrote on Facebook.

As part of the plan, he also called for dismantling a 19-kilometre (12-mile) bridge that Russia built to Crimea. In October, a truck bomb severely damaged the bridge, which is Europe's longest and a symbol of Moscow's conquest of the peninsula.

Vladimir Putin shakes hands with Chinese president Xi Jinping during a signing ceremony following their talks at the Kremlin in Moscow last month

Last month Xi visited Moscow for a three-day summit with Putin

Russia has repaired the damaged section of the bridge and restored the flow of supplies to Crimea, which has been a key hub for the Russian military during the war. Moscow blamed Ukrainian military intelligence for the attack. Kyiv did not claim responsibility, but Ukrainian officials had repeatedly threatened to strike the bridge in the past.

Danilov also argued for renaming the city of Sevastopol, which has been the main base for the Russian Black Sea Fleet since the 19th century. He said it could be called Object No. 6 before the Ukrainian parliaments chooses another name, suggesting Akhtiar after a village that once stood where the city is now.

The Moscow-appointed head of Sevastopol, Mikhail Razvozhayev, said of Danilov's plan: 'It would be wrong to seriously treat comments by sick people. They must be cured, and that's what our military is doing now.'
The boss of TikTok in Australia was unable to give a full guarantee the popular app would not hand over users' data to China despite being pressed numerous times in a live TV interview.

Lee Hunter, TikTok's general manager of operations in Australia, fronted Channel Seven's Sunrise on Tuesday morning to answer questions from host Natalie Barr as the Albanese prepares to ban the Chinese-owned app from all official devices.

The Australian ban follows in the footsteps of the US, UK and New Zealand governments who have declared the Chinese-founded company is a security risk because it could be compelled to share sensitive user data by Beijing.

Natalie Barr (pictured left) continually pressed TikTok Australian General Manager Lee Hunter (pictured right) on whether the company could guarantee it wouldn't hand data over to China

Barr asked Mr Hunter if he could guarantee this wouldn't happen and Mr Hunter started talking about other companies that have employees in China.

'We're talking about you today,' Barr said sternly.

'The answer to that question is 'No, you can't guarantee it', can you?' she said.

'Well, the answer to that question is no, we would never give it to them,' Mr Hunter said.

Barr interjected: 'But the question was, can you guarantee it and the answer surely must be no.'

'The answer is no one is working harder to make sure this would never be a possibility than us,' Mr Hunter said.

Earlier in the exchange Mr Hunter told Barr that 'Australians are safe on TikTok'.

Mr Hunter argued that TikTok is being banned because 'of politics', not because of the facts

'The privacy and data security we've put in place is at the forefront of everthing we do,' he said.

'We have no evidence at all that we're a security risk at all in any shape or form.'

He argued the decision to ban the app on official devices was 'based on politics', not facts and that TikTok was only learning of the decision through the media having been refused a meeting with the government despite requesting one for weeks.

As Barr persistently asked whether TikTok would share user data with China, Mr Hunter outlined reasons that would not happen.

'For Australians, the data is held in the US and Singapore,' he said.

'TikTok doesn't operate in China. We do not, will not, ever share information with the Chinese government.

'We are really clear about this stuff ... we don't hold the data within China. We've got very strict cyber-security protocols in place.'

TikTok has been downloaded by over 7.5million Australians but faces questions over its data security

Mr Hunter said if the Australian government was worried about Chinese national security laws that compel people to share sensitive information then that would apply to all companies that have employees in China.

'That includes banks, telecommunication companies, don't single us out based on country of origin,' he said.

Barr pointed out that TikTok is owned by Chinese company Bytedance, but Mr Hunter insisted that wasn't really the case.

'ByteDance is not a Chinese company,' he said.

'It had its origin in China but it's 60 per cent owned by institutional investors that buy some of the biggest tech companies in the world.

'Twenty per cent is owned by the founder and 20 per cent by staff, some of them here in Australia. We have been very much set up as a global company.'

Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil is expected to announce the TikTok ban on all government-issued devices as early as Tuesday after reviewing a security report she instigated last year.

The Victorian government is set to follow suit with other states and territories considering the move.

Ms O'Neil is likely to advise politicians to delete TikTok from their personal devices, although whether this advice will apply more widely to the ranks of government is unclear.

Australian online security firm Internet 2.0 last July reported it had cracked the source code for the app, which has been downloaded by more than 7.5million Aussies.

Internet 2.0 CEO Robert Potter accused ByteDance of hiding the unusually high amount of trackers in the source code and how much of the data being captured was sent back to China.

'Their source code is at odds with their public statements about how their app functions,' he told the Nine network.

Mr Potter said the Beijing-backed app taps into smartphone calendars, contacts lists and scans the device's ID and hard drive to monitor all other apps that have been installed.

TikTok also checks the device's location at least once an hour and will persist in seeking data from contacts even if permission is denied, according to the report.

Mr Potter said his team had identified that on Apple smartphones, the app was connecting with servers in China and they could not say what information was being sent.

'There was significant amounts of traffic flows to servers in China,' he said.

.
Legislation allowing workers to sue bosses could be abused by business owners seeking to take down rival firms, Tories warned yesterday.

Rishi Sunak is backing an amendment to the Equality Act that would let workers take employers to court if a member of the public offended or harassed them at work.

Proposed by two prominent Liberal Democrats, the Worker Protection Bill has already been waved through the Commons with No 10's approval.

But ex-minister Sir Christopher Chope said: 'I'm concerned about the way it can be abused  it only needs a third party to go into a pub, for example, and create a disturbance.

'This then results in accusations being made against the owner of the pub for not having dealt with abusive behaviour by a third party.

Rishi Sunak is backing an amendment to the Equality Act that would let workers take employers to court if a member of the public offended or harassed them at work

'It's an opportunity for people to take down their rivals. Why not send somebody around to close one of your competitors by contriving a situation which this legislation, as it's currently drafted, could facilitate?'

Sir Christopher suggested Tory backbenchers had privately raised concerns with Downing Street over the Bill, which had its first reading last June, and were assured that government amendments would be put down.

But they were 'much weaker than had been expected', he said, adding: 'There's the opportunity for peers to amend it significantly, which, from my perspective, I hope that's what they will do.'

Fellow Tory MP Craig Mackinlay said: 'This is a bit of a licence for employment lawyers to have something of a field day here.'

Under current laws, employers are not liable for third-party incidents on their watch, but the Bill will make them responsible for staff being harassed by customers or random members of the public. Others said the legislation might restrict free speech.

Lib Dem proposer Wera Hobhouse said the legislation was being 'oversimplified' by critics.

'Employers will not be expected to take extreme steps, shut down conversation, or employ 'banter bouncers',' she insisted.

'The hurdles employees have to jump when holding their employers to account for failing to protect them from harassment are too high and victims feel silenced.'

A No 10 spokesman said: 'The Bill is targeting genuine harassment that brings harms to workers. A claim could not stand purely because someone felt upset.'
A judge has sparked outrage after allowing a man who raped a 13-year-old girl to walk free from court because he is deemed too young to be jailed.

Sean Hogg, 21, was found guilty of raping the vulnerable teenager at Dalkeith Country Park in Midlothian, Scotland.

But judge Lord Lake said the age of the rapist, who was 17 at the time of the attack, had to be taken into account when passing sentence. It means Hogg, of Hamilton, Lanarkshire, will only have to carry out 270 hours of unpaid work.

Prosecutors were yesterday weighing up whether to challenge the sentence for being 'unduly lenient'.

Under new court guidance, criminals under the age of 25 are treated more leniently because of their alleged brain immaturity.

The guidelines were drawn up by the controversial Scottish Sentencing Council (SCC), which was set up by the SNP Government in 2015 - a year after Nicola Sturgeon became first minister - and led by Lady Dorrian, the Lord Justice Clerk.

Sean Hogg (pictured), 21, was found guilty of raping the vulnerable teenager at Dalkeith Country Park in Midlothian

Judge Lord Lake said the age of the rapist, who was 17 at the time of the attack, had to be taken into account when passing sentence. It means Hogg, of Hamilton, Lanarkshire, will only have to carry out 270 hours of unpaid work. Pictured, the High Court in Glasgow

The sentencing young people guideline developed by the SCC came into effect in all courts in Scotland in January last year, with the aim of reducing reoffending among young people and thereby helping to increase public safety.

Opposition leaders described Hogg's sentence as 'an insult' to the teenage victim.

Sandy Brindley, chief executive of Rape Crisis Scotland, said: 'This is an extremely serious case and we are shocked this perpetrator has not received a custodial sentence.

'Given the gravity of this crime and the fact it was tried at the High Court, this sentence appears to us to be worryingly lenient.

'Our thoughts are with the survivor of this crime. For survivors of any sexual violence, it can be very difficult to see reports of convicted perpetrators walking free from court.'

Court papers state that Hogg attacked the girl on various occasions between March and June 2018. They also say he assaulted the teenager by threatening her and pulling down her clothing.

He then seized her by the wrists and forced her to commit a sex act before going on to rape the youngster.

As well as being ordered to carry out unpaid work, Hogg was put under supervision and placed on the sex offenders' register for three years.

At Hogg's sentencing at the High Court in Glasgow yesterday, Lord Lake said that he had considered guidelines on offenders under the age of 25.

He also concluded that prison would not contribute to the thug's rehabilitation and took into account the fact he was a first-time offender.

Lord Lake said: 'Rape is one of the most serious crimes and that is why it is tried at the High Court.

'Looking at the circumstances, her age and vulnerabilities are aggravating factors. For the level of seriousness, I have to consider your liability and have regard to your age as a factor.

'This offence, if committed by an adult over 25, would attract a sentence of four or five years.

'I don't consider that appropriate and don't intend to send you to prison.

'You are a first offender with no previous history of prison; you are 21 and were 17 at the time. Prison does not lead me to believe this will contribute to your rehabilitation.'

But last night Scottish Conservative justice spokesman Jamie Greene said the sentence places the wellbeing of Hogg above that of the schoolgirl he attacked.

He added: 'The lack of a prison sentence is a total insult to the young teenage victim in this case.

'It once again reaffirms how misguided the SNP's sentencing guidelines are in reality and how judges' hands are tied as a result.

'While this dangerous sex offender committed the offence when he was 17, the policies agreed to by SNP ministers mean that under-25-year-olds are now routinely wrapped in cotton wool.

'The needs of a criminal have shamefully been put above those of a victim in the SNP's justice system.

'This young girl will be scarred for life by this horrendous attack. Her and her family now have to suffer the indignity of this criminal only being handed down a community payback order, many of which are often written off by this SNP Government.

'It is time victims are always put first, which is why I have brought forward my victims law to the Scottish parliament to ensure that is always the case.'

Yesterday, a spokesman for Scotland's public prosecution service said: 'As with all cases, the Crown will consider the sentence and give consideration to whether it might be unduly lenient.'

A Scottish Government spokesman said: 'Decisions on sentencing in individual cases are taken by the independent court within the legal framework where they consider all the facts and circumstances, and the Scottish Government does not comment on nor intervene in individual cases.

'Sentencing guidelines are the responsibility of the independent Sentencing Council, the establishment of which was backed by all parties in parliament.'

Lawyer Donald Findlay KC, defending, told the sentencing hearing that an appeal against Hogg's conviction is being planned.
She suffered injuries to her hands and head

A little girl has suffered injuries to her head and hands after being mauled by a dingo on Fraser Island, but just how the animal attacked has raised even more alarms.

According to RACQ LifeFlight, the animal 'held her underwater for a few seconds before nearby family members were able to get the dingo off her'.

A rescue helicopter was deployed to the island, now known as K'gari, located along the southeastern coast of Queensland's Wide Bay-Burnett area, just after 4pm on Monday.

The six-year-old girl was bitten on her hands and the back of her head and was left with puncture marks around her ears following the attack near Waddy Point.

She was treated by paramedics at the scene, before being flown to Hervey Bay Hospital in central Queensland, where she is in a stable condition.

A little girl (pictured centre, on stretcher) has suffered injuries to her head and hands after being mauled by a dingo on Fraser Island, but how the animal attacked has raised even more alarms

A little girl (pictured on the RACQ LifeFlight Rescue helicopter) has suffered injuries to the back of her head and her hands after being mauled by a dingo on Fraser Island

It comes just months after a five-year-old boy was hospitalised after he was 'jumped on' by a dingo at a campground on K'gari.

The attack happened as the young child was visiting Ocean Lake campground on the island on December 18.

His dad managed to pull the dingo off his son before the child and his mother were flown from the island to Hervey Bay Airport by LifeFlight helicopter.

The pair was then driven to hospital.

The latest attack came weeks after the Queensland government warned of increased dingo activity and finished a new seven-kilometre fence that wraps around the nearby Orchid Beach township.

The region has been plagued with dingo attacks for decades including nine-year-old Clinton Gage who was killed by two dingoes near Waddy Point in April 2001

The area is known as a hotspot for dingo attacks with at least a dozen incidents recorded in the last 20 years.

Tourists are warned to be 'dingo-safe' when visiting.

The Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) urges families to keep children within arms reach to avoid attacks as dingoes can appear out of nowhere and move quickly.

'Never let children sleep in a tent or camper trailer without adults or wander away on tracks, lakes and beaches,' warning information reads.

Though QPWS said dingoes generally go about their lives and stay clear of people, they occasionally come close to people and 'some encounters can turn to tragedy'.

The last fatal dingo attack occurred in 2001, when a small pack killed a nine-year-old child.

Dingoes that attack humans must be put down as they have lost their fear of people according to QPWS.

The little girl was flown to Hervey Bay Hospital in central Queensland in a stable condition

It comes just months after a five-year-old boy was hospitalised after he was 'jumped on' by a dingo at a campground in Fraser Island (pictured, a dingo warning sign in February, 2023)

In April 2001 nine-year-old Clinton Gage was killed by two dingoes near Waddy Point.

His death led authorities to cull around 31 dingoes on K'gari Island, with about 200 of the wild animals believed to currently live there.

In 2021, a two-year-old suffered deep puncture wounds in his legs, arms, neck, shoulder and head after an attack on Orchid Beach.

The toddler had wandered outside while his family was asleep and was approached by a dingo.

The Fraser Island dingoes are the purest blooded of Australia's dingoes and are a protected species on the island with more protection laws than any other type of dingo in the country.
The son-in-law of Lord Patten of Barnes is facing a trial in two months' time over claims he was involved in a shooting.

Former florist Elton Charles, 50  who is married to Laura, 48, the daughter of Hong Kong's last governor  and three other men are charged in connection with the discharge of a firearm.

Metropolitan Police were 'alerted to reports of a gunshot in Ealing' not long after 10.30pm on September 6, 2022.

It is understood that no one was injured, but the Met said 'evidence was found of a shot having been fired'.

Kingston Crown Court confirmed to MailOnline that Charles, of Kensal Rise, north-west London, Grant Nicholas, 46, Nathaniel St Aimie, 43, and Lee Morgan, 42, were all charged.

All four deny conspiracy to possess a shotgun firearm with 'intent to endanger life' as well as conspiracy to 'possess a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence'.

Laura Patten, daughter of Lord Patten, with her husband Elton Charles before they got married

Chancellor of the University of Oxford Chris Patten in Oxford in 2019

Yesterday Charles appeared at Kingston Crown Court to formally enter two not guilty pleas. His case is expected go to a four-week trial on June 19 in the same court.

His wife is understood to have been with their daughter in the public gallery.

The Times reported Charles' first appearance was on February 23, 2023, at Wimbledon Magistrates' Court, where he was handed a conditional bail once the case moved to Crown Court. A 100,000 surety bond applied.

The three other men charged were following the court proceedings through video link on Monday from Wandsworth Prison, where they are being held.

Charles appeared at Kingston Crown Court to formally enter two not guilty pleas. His case is expected go to a four-week trial on June 19 in the same court

Nicholas, of no fixed address and Morgan, of West Malling, Kent, reportedly pleaded not guilty to both charges.

St Aimie, from Tooting, south-west London, did not enter pleas, with solicitor Ghulam Haider Ali indicating not guilty pleas on his behalf.

The three men were remanded in custody, and the newspaper reported that Judge Georgina Kent then told Charles: 'You are on bail, on stringent conditions. It's important you know what they are and abide by them.'

Charles and Lady Patten married in 2002 after being 'devoted' friends for years following their first meeting in the mid-1990s.

Charles was at the time a florist, while Laura was a former Tatler beauty and health journalist. They share a daughter, Elodie.

In March 2006, The Mail reported that Laura separated from Elton just seven months after their wedding.

It was understood that Lady Patten moved back into her family home in Barnes, but later returned to her husband at their Kilburn flat.

A source revealed at the time: 'They are both thrilled to be parents, and despite the wobble their marriage is back on track.'

'They are doing up their flat at the moment and have spent lots of time at IKEA choosing the perfect kitchen.'

Laura's father Chris Patten was first elected as an MP for Bath in 1979. He lost his seat in 1992.

He returned to the UK in 1997 after his role as the final governor of Hong Kong following the transfer of sovereignty to China.

Between 1999 and 2009, Patten was Newcastle University's Chancellor and was elected for the same position at the University of Oxford in 2003.
Water companies dumped sewage more than 1,500 times on England's cleanest beaches last year.

Bays in England with a Blue Flag mark - an international award recognising the finest stretches of coastline - were soiled for nearly 8,500 hours in total.

The highest number of incidents was at Sandown on the Isle of Wight, a popular tourist destination loved by celebrities and families alike, with 161 sewage discharges in 2022.

The Devon beaches of Blackpool Sands and Dawlish also each saw the equivalent of one discharge incident every three days, according to the data, which was analysed by the Liberal Democrats.

Lib-Dem leader Sir Ed Davey said: 'Britain's beaches are being ruined by profiteering water companies getting away with dumping sewage as the Government has failed to act for years.

Bays in England with a Blue Flag mark - an international award recognising the finest stretches of coastline - were soiled for nearly 8,500 hours in total. Pictured: protester against sewage in Newquay, Cornwall, 2022

'Whilst these firms have been raking in multi-billion pound profits, people have been left to swim in raw sewage. The whole thing stinks.'

Water company executives have paid themselves 51 million, including 30.6 million in bonuses, in the last two years.

England's sewage companies have been legally permitted to release sewage in waterways for years, through storm overflow pipes.

But new legislation means they are now obliged to reduce the amount they release.

It comes as Ofwat, the water regulator, announced plans to accelerate spending more than 1.6 billion (CORR) on projects to improve infrastructure, which it hopes will help reduce the frequency of sewage spills.

Ofwat wants the schemes to begin work by 2025 at the latest.

John Halsall, South West Water's chief operating officer, said: 'We are reducing the use of storm overflows and our plan is working but there is more to do.

'We want everyone to feel confident about the water quality at their favourite beaches and to know that we are serious about reducing the use of storm overflows.'
The Duchess of Sussex is set to receive a Women of Vision award from feminist icon Gloria Steinem at a luxurious gala next month.

Meghan Markle, 41, will receive the highest honor at the Ms. Foundation's 2023 Women of Vision Awards: Celebrating Generations of Progress and Power on May 16 for her 'global advocacy to empower and advocate on behalf of women and girls.'

A profile of the Duchess on the Ms. Foundation's website notes that she is a 'feminist, champion of human rights and gender equity and global role model.

'We are thrilled to announce this year's honorees for the Women of Vision Awards and to celebrate 50 years of progress and power,' Teresa C. Younger, the president and CEO of the Ms. Foundation, said in a statement.

She added that Meghan, as well as the other award winners  including Black Lives Matter co-founder LaTosha Brown  'are incredible leaders, and we are grateful to be able to shine a light on their many accomplishments and tireless work on behalf of gender and racial equity across the country and the world.'

Meghan Markle, pictured in December, is set to be honored with a Women of Vision award at the Ms. Foundation's annual gala next month

She will receive the award from feminist icon Gloria Steinem, who is pictured last June

The Women of Vision Awards gala is designed to 'explore the past, present and future of the Ms. Foundation and feminist movements, while raising funds for the organization's strategic, equity-centered initiatives.

'Each year, the foundation honors visionary leaders and game-changing grantee partners committed to the Ms. Foundation's mission of advancing women's collective power and creating safe, just and equitable futures for all,' a press release for the event says.

It says Markle is being honored for her 'lifelong advocacy for women and girls,' which 'remains a constant thread she weaves through both humanitarian and business ventures.'

The Duchess' profile on the event page also notes that Markle 'has served as UN Women's Advocate for Women's Political Participation and Leadership, a World Vision Global Ambassador and a Leading Counsellor to One Young World in 2014.

'In 2022, Meghan launched Archetypes, a record-breaking podcast exploring the labels that try to hold women back,' it continues.

The profile then goes on to say that Markle is a 'passionate advocate for family rights, and an investor in dynamic female-founded companies.

'Meghan is noted as one of the most powerful and influential women in the world, topping lists such as TIME Magazine's Most Influential People, The Financial Times' 25 Most Influential Women, Variety Power of of Women and British Vogue's Vogue 25,' the profile of the Duchess concludes.

The Ms. Foundation notes in a profile of the Duchess that she is a 'feminist, champion of human rights and gender equity and global role model'

Also set to be honored at the swanky gala is Black Lives Matter co-founder LaTosha Brown. She is pictured here speaking to a crowd in May 2021

Also set to be honored on May 15 is LaTosha Brown, a co-founder of Black Lives Matter Fund and Black Voters Matter Capacity Building Institute, designed to help boost black voter registration and turnout as well as 'increase power in marginalized, predominantly black communities.'

The Ms. Foundation touted her as an 'award-winning visionary thought leader, institution builder, cultural activist and artist and connector.

'She is a nationally recognized, "go-to" expert in black voting rights and voter suppression, Black Women's Empowerment and philanthropy,' Brown's profile on the website reads.

'Her voice is the nexus between the Civil Rights Movement, the Black Power Movement and Black Lives Matter.'

The reception next month will be hosted by Danielle Moodie, host of the Woke AF Daily podcast, and will feature a performance by Sweet Honey in the Rock.

DJ Mary Mac will perform at the after-party, which will also feature radio host Angela Ye, of Way Up With Angela Yee and previously The Breakfast Club.

General tickets for the gala cost a whopping $1,500, while tables could be reserved for $15,000.
A Russian art school graduate has claimed she was the victim of a 'set-up' following her arrest on suspicion of planting a bomb laden with explosives that killed a pro-Kremlin military blogger.

Daria Trepova, 26, was questioned and subsequently arrested over the assassination of Kremlin propagandist Vladlen Tatarsky, 40, in a cafe in St Petersburg on Sunday.

She was filmed chained to a radiator while being interrogated by investigators over the assassination of Tatarsky.

'I was set up! They just used me!' Trepova reportedly pleaded following her detainment yesterday, before later admitting to carrying the statue.

Footage shows the alleged statue assassin accused of killing a Putin blogger by using a bust laden with explosives smiling while she was on the run after the blast - just hours before she was led away in handcuffs.

Footage taken just hours before she was led away in handcuffs shows the alleged statue assassin, Daria Trepova (pictured), who is accused of killing a Putin blogger using a statue laden with explosives smiling while she was on the run after the bomb went off in a cafe in St Petersburg

The footage shows Trepova with a large suitcase in tow and a handbag over her shoulder

The footage then cuts to scenes of her being arrested and escorted for the apartment

Trepova's husband has also insists she was 'framed' for the attack, after the alleged assassin had previously claimed she had been 'set up' but admitted that she carried the statue laden with explosives into the cafe.

Footage shows Trepova entering an apartment building in St. Petersburg carrying a bag over her shoulder and pulling a large suitcase.

An unnamed man - presumed to be a neighbour - held the door open for her as she dragged her luggage through the entrance. He is later seen helping her towards a lift.

Inside the elevator they are talking and Trepova smiled at the man before he exited the elevator. The footage then cuts to scenes of her being arrested and escorted for the apartment.

According to Russian media, following the assassination, Trepova took several taxis around the city for four hours before arriving at the rented apartment. The Izvestia newspaper said Trepova had bought an airline ticket from Pulkovo, but did not show up at the airport.

In another video, where Trepova kept looking away from the camera as she spoke, the anti-war activist admitted taking the statue to Tatarsky at the Street Food Bar No. 1 cafe before he was blown to pieces in Sunday's blast.

Trepova told the Russian investigators she would tell them who gave her the explosive-laded statuette 'later'. It is not clear why Trepova was not in a cell when being questioned.

But Trepova, who had appeared in a video said to show her carrying the explosive-laden statuette into the cafe, had earlier insisted that she had been 'set up' and 'was being used' after she was arrested on suspicion of Tatarksy's murder.

Tatarsky, a staunch supporter of Putin and his invasion of Ukraine, had been speaking at a political event at the cafe when the bomb exploded next to him, killing the propagandist and injuring 32 others in what the Kremlin claimed was a 'terrorist attack'.

Russia's Investigative Committee today said they had detained Trepova in a rented flat in St Petersburg on suspicion of carrying out the assassination of Tatarsky, whose real name is Maxim Fomin.

An unnamed man held the door open for her as she dragged her luggage through the entrance

She was later filmed entering an elevator with the man. She talked to him and even smiled at him - mere hours after she allegedly blew up the cafe and killed Tatrsky

Daria Trepova, 26, appeared in an interrogation video today where she admitted taking the small statue to Kremlin propagandist Vladlen Tatarsky, 40, whose real name is Maxim Fomin, before he was blown to pieces in the blast on Sunday

Daria Trepova, 26, was filmed with her hands chained to a radiator while being interrogated by Russian investigators over the assassination of Tatarsky

Investigators have arrested Trepova (left) on suspicion of murdering Tatarsky (right) after she fled from the scene

A video is believed to show Daria Trepova, 26, walking to the cafe carrying a box containing what may have been the statuette said to be filled with 450g of TNT

Russia's top counterterrorism agency had earlier claimed - without providing evidence - that Trepova had carried out the attack with the help of 'Ukrainian special services' and activists who are linked to jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny.

According to Russian media reports, police tracked Trepova down using surveillance cameras, though she reportedly cut her long blonde hair short to change her look and rented a different apartment in an apparent attempt to escape.

READ MORE: Who was Vladlen Tatarsky and why could he have been a target for assassins? Advertisement

In the interrogation video, Trepova said she understood why she has been detained. When asked why, she said: 'For... I'd put it this way, for being at the assassination site of Vladlen Tatarsky.'

'I brought the statuette there that exploded,' Trepova said. When asked who gave her the statuette, she replied that she would say 'later'.

It came after chilling video appeared to show Trepova, a St Petersburg resident who had been previously detained for taking part in anti-war rallies, walking into the cafe carrying a box containing what may have been statuette filled with 450g of TNT - just minutes before it exploded.

The Russian Interior Ministry had this morning put Trepova on Russia's wanted list on suspicion of murdering Tatarsky after she fled from the scene - but she was arrested within hours of the arrest warrant being released.

According to Russian media reports, Trepova told investigators that she was used as a carrier to deliver the explosive device, but didn't know that it was hidden in the bust of the statue.

Trepova's partner, Dmitry Rylov - also in his 20s and a member of the so-called Russian Liberation Army - insisted that she had been 'set up'.

Rylov, who had previously been detained at anti-war rallies in Russia, said today: 'I believe that my wife was set up. I am in full confidence that she would never be able to do something like that on her own volition.

'Yes, with Daria we really do not support the war in Ukraine, but we believe that such actions are unacceptable.

'I am 100 per cent sure that she would never have agreed to such a thing if she had known.'

Daria Trepova, suspected of bringing explosives to the cafe where war blogger Vladlen Tatarsky (real name Maxim Fomin) was killed in an explosion the day before, is escorted inside the building of Russian Investigative Committee, in Saint Petersburg

Trepova was dragged into the Russian Investigative Commission building by security guards

Images from inside the cafe appear to show Trepova (pictured) handing Tatarsky a bust of himself before she began walking back to her seat

This is the moment Tatarsky was handed a statuette that is believed to have been hiding the bomb that exploded at Street Food Bar No. 1

Russian investigators are searching the cafe where a pro-Kremlin blogger who called for the destruction of Ukraine was 'assassinated' and 32 others were wounded in a bomb attack

A police officer walks at the site of the explosion at the cafe in St. Petersburg, Russia, on Monday

Media outlet 112, which has close links to law enforcement, revealed what it said was the first picture of Daria Trepova after she was detained

An image shows Daria Trepova on Russia's wanted list as published by the Interior Ministry. She was later arrested on suspicion of murder

According to him, she 'completely misunderstood the purpose' of the statuette she gave to Tatarsky.

The plot thickened further after Russian investigators said they had identified a second female suspect, Maria Yaran, 40, as being involved in the blast. She is reportedly in hospital in St Petersburg following the bombing.

Witnesses said that Trepova had used a false name of Nastya when she handed Tatarsky the statuette inside the cafe - and was then reluctant to get close to him when he asked her to sit next to him.

One witness, Alisa Smotrova, said 'Nastya' told Tatarsky that she had made a bust of the blogger but that guards asked her to leave it at the door, suspecting it could be a bomb.

But Tatarsky joked and laughed with 'Nastya' and insisted on seeing the statuette. She then went to the door, grabbed the bust and presented it to Tatarsky.

Smotrova said: 'They took out [of the box] the sculpture, it's a golden head in a helmet. I don't even know if it looks like [Tatarsky]. Hard to say

'He put it down [on a nearby table] without a second thought. And then continued asking questions [to his seminar audience].'

Smotorva said an explosion followed and described people running in panic, some hurt by shattered glass and covered in blood.

She said: 'We were sitting in the second part of the hall. Everyone ran, and we [decided]: we must run. And we ran.

'Those nearby, of course, were already covered in blood and ran away. The windows exploded too. We ran to the exit.'

Suspect Daria Trepova, 26, with her partner Dmitry Rylov. Rylov, also in his 20s and a member of the so-called Russian Liberation Army, insisted that she had been 'set up'.

Russian investigators said they had identified a second female suspect, Maria Yaran, 40, (pictured) as being involved in the blast. She is reportedly in hospital in St Petersburg following the bombing

Russian Emergency Situations Ministry stand at the side of an explosion at a cafe in St. Petersburg, Russia, Sunday, April 2

Images from inside the cafe appear to show Trepova handing Tatarsky a bust of himself before she began walking back to her seat.

'Tatarsky stopped her, and asked her to sit next to him,' a witness claimed, adding that she said she was shy and didn't want to sit too close.

The National Anti-Terrorist Committee claimed, without presenting evidence, the attack on Tatarsky was 'planned by Ukrainian special services' with the involvement of people who have cooperated with an anti-corruption foundation created by jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

It noted that the arrested suspect was an 'active supporter' of Navalny's group.

Trepova had a ticket for a flight from Pulkova airport in St Petersburg last night following the blast, but she did not show up for it, Izvestia reported.

The direction of the flight was not given but there were suggestions she aimed to reach Georgia via Turkey.

Investigators searched Trepova's flat earlier today but she was not found, while her mother was reportedly taken from the home to a police station. Trepova was later arrested by investigators.

A report by Telegram channel VCK-OGPU claimed it had access to Trepova's private web exchanges with a friend in a secret web chat.

This suggested she had come to St Petersburg from Moscow late last week and intended to fly abroad - to Tbilisi, capital of Georgia, via Istanbul.

Trepova, a former shop worker in St Petersburg, reportedly had breakfast with her friend yesterday.

After the explosion Trepova reportedly messaged her friend to say: 'I could have died there, I'd rather have died there, I was set up.'

She is said to have ridden in a taxi for four hours after the attack to cover her tracks.

According to Telegram channel SHOT, after handing over the bomb Daria Trepova went to a rented apartment close to the cafe where she changed her appearance and cut her hair.

Well-known Russian military blogger Vladlen Tatarsky (pictured) was killed in a bomb blast in a cafe in St Petersburg on Sunday

One witness, Alisa Smotrova (pictured), said 'Nastya' told Tatarsky that she had made a bust of the blogger but that guards asked her to leave it at the door, suspecting it could be a bomb

Municipal workers clean an area near the site of an explosion at the cafe in St. Petersburg, Russia, on Monday

A man lays flowers at a makeshift memorial for Russian military blogger Vladlen Tatarsky in St Petersburg, Russia

She is then reported to have taken different taxis around the city for a few hours before arriving at another apartment where she had planned to hide.

The Channel added that the apartment was just 500 yards from the cafe where the assassination took place.

A graduate of medicine from St. Petersburg University, during her studies, she worked in dentistry, as a model and a designer.

The 26-year-old was registered as living in the city of Pushkin with her stepfather, mother and sister.

Previously working in a vintage clothing store, Trepova's last job is said to have been with a company called Allen LLC.

No one publicly claimed responsibility for the bombing, but military bloggers and patriotic commentators immediately pointed a finger at Ukraine and compared the bombing to the killing last August of Darya Dugina, a nationalist TV commentator.

She was killed when a remotely controlled explosive device planted in her SUV blew up as she was driving on the outskirts of Moscow.

Russian authorities blamed Ukraine's military intelligence for Dugina's death, but Kyiv denied involvement.

Dugina's father, Alexander Dugin, a nationalist philosopher and political theorist who strongly supports the invasion of Ukraine, hailed Tatarsky as an 'immortal' hero who died to save the Russian people.

Reacting to Tatarsky's death, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said late Sunday his activities 'have won him the hatred of the Kyiv regime' and noted that he and other Russian military bloggers have long faced Ukrainian threats.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Russian millionaire owner of the Wagner Group military contractor spearheading Moscow's offensive in eastern Ukraine, said he owned the cafe and handed it over to a patriotic group for meetings.

He said he doubts the Ukrainian authorities' involvement in the bombing, saying the attack was likely launched by a 'group of radicals' unrelated to the government in Kyiv.

A view of the scene of an explosion at the cafe in St. Petersburg, Russia, on Sunday

Russian investigators work at the side of the St. Petersburg explosion on Sunday night

The moment of the explosion that killed Kremlin top war blogger Vladlen Tatarsky and wounded dozens of people

Tatarsky was killed in a blast at Street Food Bar No. 1, located in the St Petersburg city centre, on Sunday

'I have indeed passed the cafe to a patriotic movement called Cyber Front Z,' he said. 'They were doing various seminars there.

'It is indeed similar to the murder of Darya Dugina [daughter of a Putin ideologue who was killed aged 29 last year in a car explosion]. I would not blame the Kyiv regime for it.

'I think it was a group of [Ukrainian] right wing radicals who did it, which is unlikely to be linked to the government.'

A top Ukrainian government official cast the explosion that killed Tatarsky as part of internal turmoil.

'Spiders are eating each other in a jar,' Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak wrote in English on Twitter late Sunday. 'Question of when domestic terrorism would become an instrument of internal political fight was a matter of time.'

Police told RBC media that 'the explosion was at a height of 60 centimetres from the floor', adding that the bomb contained between 300 to 450 grams of TNT. 'The explosion was to the right of Tatarsky,' police added.

One report said that security in the cafe - where Tatarskyn was taking part in a seminar - had stopped Trepova bringing the statuette into the meeting because it was feared to be an explosive.

A witness said: 'The girl who brought the figurine was sitting a little further away from me, and when she started talking about all this, she said that they didn't let her in at the entrance.

Investigators work at the site of an explosion in a cafe in Saint Petersburg, Russia, on Sunday

'She said they had said 'there could be a bomb'. She said exactly that. She literally asked [Tatarsky] for permission: 'Allow me to bring it in anyway?'

'And Vladlen says: 'Bring in it... we will check if there is something inside. Those were his words.'

A video shows Tatarsky vowing the destruction of Ukraine.

He said: 'We'll conquer everyone, we'll kill everyone. We'll loot whoever we need to, and everything will be just as we like it.'

Some Russian outlets immediately blamed the Ukraine authorities for the blast but it is unclear for now if this was the case.

The pro-Putin speaker of the Russian senate Valentina Matviyenko said: 'Vladlen wrote the truth, he wrote simply, brightly.

'As a result he became a target for our enemies, who are afraid of the strength of our spirit, our people's will.

'And Vladlen not only fought in the militia, collected help for our soldiers, but, most importantly, he formed the people's understanding of the special operation.

'And I'm sure he did a lot for our future victory.'
She clarified if Trump committed a crime, he should be punished but believes there is hypocrisy compared to alleged behaviors of Clinton and Hunter

Megyn Kelly has shared her despair over Tuesday's expected arrest of former President Donald Trump.

In the latest episode of her podcast, Kelly was vocal as she voiced her concerns on Trump's arraignment and the possible 'impact' on the country.

Kelly said that if Trump had committed a crime he deserved to face the consequences but she believes there to be a double standard at work when Trump's actions are compared to those of other politicians including Hillary Clinton and President Joe Biden's son, Hunter.

'I think it's horrible ... I think it helps Trump politically ... but it's horrible for the country. And it's gonna be horrible for him to go through. And it's going to be horrible for us to go through,' Kelly said during Monday's podcast.

Kelly told of her frustration with the 'lack of consequences' for the perceived behavior of Clinton and Hunter Biden - although she did not detail exactly what type of behavior she meant.

Megyn Kelly has called Donald Trump's upcoming indictment 'horrible for the country' suggesting it's a double standard compared to 'acts' of Hillary Clinton and Hunter Biden

Kelly also suggested how Clinton has 'gotten away with so much' and had been 'using lawyers to do her dirty work' for years.

She also questioned why Hunter Biden had not been arrested despite numerous allegations of wrongdoing and why it has taken so long to investigate his alleged criminal activities.

Kelly said that she believes such double standards to be frustrating but will not continue to defend Trump if he has committed any crimes.

She went on to emphasize the importance of treating subpoenas with respect and acknowledged that Trump's alleged behavior in relation to classified documents was unacceptable.

'I'm not defending. If he got a subpoena and he had documents, that's not OK. As a lawyer, you don't have to persuade me. You're supposed to treat subpoenas very respectfully  It's just so aggravating because she [Hillary Clinton] has gotten away with so much,' Kelly railed.

Former U.S. President Donald Trump appeared to have a lot on his mind as he was pictured arriving at Trump Tower on Monday

Kelly clarified if Trump committed a crime, he should be punished but believes there is hypocrisy compared to alleged behaviors of Clinton and Hunter

'We just went through this whole thing where she used her lawyer to go into the FBI and try to sic them on Donald Trump and say that he was using some Russian bank to hide his nefarious dealings.

'She's been using lawyers to do her dirty work forever, and we just generally haven't had a practice of criminalizing the behavior of somebody in her position. Yes, we've sniffed around the lawyers from time to time, but this is everything with him is different,' Kelly railed.

Trump made his way to New York on Monday to prepare for his arraignment on Tuesday in connection with hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels in which he is alleged to have paid her $130,000 to keep quiet about their alleged affair.

Kelly said the indictment is 'horrible for the country' and that the experience will be both terrible for Trump and for the nation as a whole.

However, she also acknowledged that the indictment may actually help Trump politically when it comes to making a third run for the White House in 2024.

The office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has been investigating the alleged hush money scandal for years

The case against Donald Trump revolves around hush-money payments made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels, who says they had a tryst

The office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has been investigating the alleged hush money scandal for years, which includes payments of $130,000 to Daniels and $150,000 to former Playboy model Karen McDougal.

However, federal prosecutors did not charge Trump in 2019, despite Trump's former attorney, Michael Cohen, implicating him as part of a plea deal.

The Federal Election Commission also threw out their investigation into the matter in 2021 but this current indictment has begun following Bragg's office reviving the case.

Meanwhile, Trump has responded to the indictment by criticizing Bragg for his 'obsession' with trying to 'get Trump,' while also warning that charging a former president of the United States will 'backfire' on President Biden.

Trump is to be booked, fingerprinted and will have a mugshot taken at a Manhattan courthouse on Tuesday before appearing before a judge as the first ever American president to face criminal charges.

In predicting his indictment, Trump called for protests and warned it could lead to 'potential death and destruction' for the country.
A furious Donald Trump erupted on Monday night after details of his indictment were leaked 'illegally' - and he demanded Manhattan's district attorney resign as a result.

Trump, who is staying at Trump Tower in New York City ahead of today's historic arraignment, called for DA Alvin Bragg to prosecute himself after he allegedly handed the indictment plans to Yahoo journalist Michael Isikoff  who Trump also attacked.

The new report claims that Trump will face a total of 34 felonies tomorrow. It also described details the charges - which will be officially unsealed on Tuesday. Some of its contents were previously known, but Trump used it as a vehicle to once again blast the historic criminal charges that required him to fly to his former hometown to surrender to authorities.

Trump, 76, will not be subjected to taking a mugshot, nor will he be handcuffed or be placed in a jail cell after his court hearing, Yahoo reports.

In his damning post, the former president wrote on his Truth Social: 'Wow! District Attorney Bragg just illegally LEAKED the various points, and complete information, on the pathetic Indictment against me. I know the reporter and so, unfortunately, does he.

Former President Donald Trump is seen on Monday afternoon arriving at Trump Tower (left). He flew to New York on aboard his 757 accompanied by several aides, but not by former first lady Melania Trump. Trump on Monday evening erupted in anger at the Manhattan district attorney, Alvin Bragg (right)

A number of aides accompanied the former president to New York on Monday, but Melania and Barron Trump were missing from the crowd

'This means that he MUST BE IMMEDIATELY INDICTED. Now, if he wants to really clean up his reputation, he will do the honorable thing and, as District Attorney, INDICT HIMSELF.

'He will go down in Judicial history, and his Trump Hating wife will be, I am sure, very proud of him!'

Trump continued attacking Bragg - and demanding he resign.

'D.A. BRAGG JUST ILLEGALLY LEAKED THE 33 points of Indictment,' the 76-year-old said.

'There are no changes or surprises from those he leaked days ago directly out of the Grand Jury. No Crime by Trump.

'What a MESS. Bragg should resign, NOW!'

The blasts came as Trump's team said he had raised $8 million since news of the indictment first broke last week. He has previously attacked the judge overseeing the case, claiming he 'hates' him, having overseen a separate civil Trump Organization case.

Trump has for several days been attacking Bragg's wife of 20 years, Jamila Ponton-Bragg, and accusing her of being a driving force in her husband's decision to press charges.

'In March 2022 - BEFORE Manhattan grand jury began hearing evidence -- DA Alvin Bragg's wife Jamila retweeted a report that claimed that her husband "has Trump nailed on felonies,"' Trump wrote on Truth Social last week.

Jamila Bragg has since made her Twitter account private.

Trump's indictment was filed on Thursday, and the broad contours of it were widely reported.

It was also widely expected that Trump would not be handcuffed, and would not have a mugshot taken, for fear of it being published. New York, unlike many states, does not make mugshots public.

Michael Isikoff, the veteran reporter who now works for Yahoo News, was previously the national investigative correspondent for NBC News. Before then he was known for his work at Newsweek, in particular amid the War on Terror.

He had the scoop of Monica Lewinsky's affair with Bill Clinton, but Newsweek's editors declined to go ahead, and so it was filed on the Drudge Report the next day.

Isikoff, in his Monday evening report into the Trump case, said there would be 34 charges. He said all would be felonies, for falsification of business records.

The reporter cited 'a source who has been briefed on the procedures for the arraignment of the former president.'

Trump arrives at Palm Beach International Airport to board his plane for a flight to New York on Monday afternoon. He is expected to present himself to authorities today

Supporters of former US President Donald Trump stand outside of Trump Tower in New York City on April 3, 2023

NYPD are gearing up for potential riots and crowded streets tomorrow as Trump is arraigned

It is unusual for falsification of business records to be prosecuted as a felony. They are normally considered misdemeanors.

Bragg's office has filed all the charges as Class E felonies - the lowest level of felonies in the New York State penal code - on the grounds that the conduct was intended to conceal another underlying crime, according to Isikoff's source.

A conviction for the Class E felony of falsifying business records can result in a prison term of up to four years, but that is considered unlikely.

It remains unclear what the underlying crime that escalated Trump's alleged misdemeanors to felonies is.

The indictment will be officially unsealed on today, the website reported.

It is believed to be connected to campaign finance violations, related to the hush-money payment of $130,000 given to porn star Stormy Daniels in the run up to the 2016 election.

Trump's former fixer Michael Cohen pleaded guilty to campaign finance violations related to the Stormy Daniels payoff, in a filing where Trump was revealed to be 'Individual-1' as the person who reimbursed him.

New York is bracing for possible protests.

Police began building barricades along the edge of the sidewalks around Trump Tower and the Manhattan Criminal Court building downtown at the weekend.

On Monday in Florida, his motorcade pulled up to his jet and the former president boarded alone, before campaign staff and lawyers followed him up the rear steps.

Trump landed in New York on Monday afternoon before his motorcade made the journey to his property in the heart of the Big Apple

Trump's private plane sits on the tarmac at LaGuardia Airport with the Rikers Island jail in the background

Crowds gathered outside Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue on Monday

The 45th President is pictured walking into his Manhattan property on Monday afternoon as he prepares to surrender to authorities on Tuesday

A Manhattan grand jury has voted to indict former president Donald Trump over hush money paid to porn star Stormy Daniels

A Trump supporter is seen outside Trump Tower on Monday

A critic of Trump is pictured outside the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse on Monday

Pro-Trump flags are seen outside Trump Tower on Monday

After leaving office, his presidential motorcade was trimmed down to about four vehicles. But on Monday it was bulked by extra SUVs carrying staff.

His campaign managers Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita, as well as senior adviser Jason Miller, and spokesman Steven Cheung, were traveling with him, along with his son Eric.

His lawyers have said he will enter a plea of not guilty and his legal team is preparing to add a constitutional expert amid fears that the judge in the case will impose a gag order.

On Monday his legal team also issued a plea to the judge to ban cameras from the courtroom and hired top defense attorney Todd Blanche to boost their defense.

'I will be leaving Mar-a-Lago on Monday at 12 noon, heading to Trump Tower in New York,' the former president posted on Sunday night.

'On Tuesday morning I will be going to, believe it or not, the Courthouse. America was not supposed to be this way!'

Court officials say he is due to arraigned at 2:15pm on Tuesday.

He is then expected to return to his Mar-a-Lago home where he plans to make a speech in the evening.
Relatives of a couple who were expecting a baby girl when they died in a light plane crash have revealed the name she would be given.

Rhiley Kuhrt, 22, and his partner Maree, 24, set off from cattle station Natal Downs, south of Charters Towers in rural Queensland, on Sunday afternoon.

Their white and green Piper Cherokee failed to arrive at Lakeside Airpark, in Prosperine, later that day, prompting a frantic search by authorities, before the wreckage was discovered on Monday.

The couple were due to have a baby girl in June and were flying to a medical appointment at a local hospital in Prosperine.

Mr Kuhrt's sister Beccarah Markham-Gaudion broke her silence on Tuesday, revealing her brother and his wife were considering calling their child Phoebe.

The family of a couple who were expecting a baby before they died in a light plane crash have revealed the name the baby girl was going to be given

She kickstarted a GoFundMe to raise money for their funerals and shared a photo of an ultrasound of the unborn baby

She started a GoFundMe to raise money for their funerals and shared a photo of an unborn baby's ultrasound.

'On Sunday the 2nd of April, my brother Rhiley, his wife Maree, and their beautiful unborn baby girl Phoebe tragically lost their lives during a routine flight to see family,' she wrote.

'We are all absolutely heartbroken and utterly grief-stricken. Three incredible lives were cut way too short.

'Whilst we grieve and try to seek comfort in each other, we ask for your help and support us in covering costs for Rhiley, Maree, and angel baby Phoebe's funerals.'

Ms Markham-Gaudion thanked the community for their 'ongoing support during this dark time in our lives.'

The GoFundMe has already raised more than $4,700 of its $20,000 target.

Mr Kuhrt had purchased the plane just six months before he and his wife crashed in remote bushland in the Clarke Ranges on Monday afternoon.

Mackay police district inspector Andrew Godbold said the couple had been flying through a storm in the lead-up.

'They would have faced with a lot of showers, a lot of thunder and probably visibility down to next to nothing,' he said.

Mr Kuhrt revealed his plans to buy another aircraft to 'match' his Piper Cherokee to Facebook friends last November.

He posted a screenshot of a 1964 Piper PA-30 Twin Comanche aircraft with a multi-engine propeller advertised online for $159,900.

'Gotta set goals in life, and my next goal to add to the hanger with my Cherokee 180 is a piper twin Comanche, would look good next to my Cherokee,' the post read.

One friend joked the keen aviator should buy a plane that could fit a car inside.

'Haha yer when I get a few million together, I'll get a big army one that can carry a bunch of cars,' Mr Kuhrt replied.

Photos and videos from the couple's social media pages have revealed Mr Kuhrt had a passion for flying while his wife was a keen horsewoman.

The pair were married last October and shared several photos of them kissing on a hillside and astride horses in a spacious paddock.

'My complete happiness,' Mrs Kuhrt captioned the pictures.

Mr Kuhrt's last Facebook post was a video recording of one of his many flights over rural southwest Queensland.

'Wick afternoon run over the sorghum harvest and a bit of fun,' the post read.

The last photo posted to Instagram by Ms Kuhrt before she and her partner were killed in a light plane crash in Queensland

In another video, Mr Kuhrt is seen smiling and laughing at the camera before showing a handful of dogs sitting patiently in the back seat.

The camera then pans down to the mountainous regions below the aircraft.

The couple had been preparing for the arrival of their daughter after making the announcement to family and friends on Instagram in December.

They had celebrated a gender reveal party with loved ones in February.

Mrs Kuhrt shared a video of her and her husband popping confetti to reveal the baby was a girl as delighted friends and family watch on.

The expectant mother made her last Instagram post on Saturday - a day before the doomed flight - and shared a selfie showcasing her growing baby bump.

'27 weeks now! Getting closer and closer to meeting baby girl,' she wrote.

Loved ones have expressed their shock and grief at the news on social media.

'My heart is breaking for you and your families, just days ago we were talking about how exciting it's going to be raising our children together,' one wrote.

'You were honestly a beautiful couple and deserved nothing but happiness, but that got taken away from you all of a sudden,' another said.

'You were going to be parents in a short amount of time. I will cherish the memories and moments we had working together last year.'

Friend Gina Green-Zaunbrecher said she had become close to the couple of their shared interest in horses.

'They were the nicest young couple and attached at the hip,' she said.

'They did everything together. Always smiling. Hard working.'

Mr Kuhrt is the son of a Mackay district police senior sergeant and head stockman at Natal Downs.

He was raised in Ipswich and learned how to fly at Darling Downs Aero club, a flight training school in Toowoomba.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority's Joint Rescue Coordination Centre launched the desperate search for the missing couple on Sunday.

Two helicopters and a fixed-wing aircraft failed to find any trace of the missing aircraft on Monday night.

Bureau of Meteorology duty forecaster Ricus Lombard said search teams had to contend with poor and wet conditions.

'It's easing  (but the) potential with showers and storms. There is a fair bit of cloud as well,' Mr Lombard said.

Mr Kuhrt is the son of a Mackay district police senior sergeant and head stockman and pilot at Nerrigundah station
Deemed by audience as shaky endorsement at best

The president of the Liberal Party in Victoria has described federal Opposition leader Peter Dutton as 'surprisingly lovely' in an underwhelming endorsement.

When asked about his opinion of Mr Dutton, Greg Mirabella told ABC's Q+A on Monday night there is a big difference between a politician's capability versus his electability.

Host Stan Grant noted his comments were far from a 'ringing endorsement' of Mr Dutton's future as the leader of the federal Liberal party, after his party's historic defeat during the Aston by-election on Saturday night.

'The Labor Party played a very personal campaign against Peter Dutton. The booths were covered in the most unflattering photo of [him] they could find,' Mr Mirabella said.

'Peter, he's a surprisingly lovely bloke.'

Mr Dutton (pictured with his wife and kids) has been working to soften his hardman image since taking over leadership of his party

Labor's win in Aston last weekend was the first time a sitting government has won an opposition-held seat in a by-election in more than a century

The comments attracted laughter from the audience and an incredulous look from Grant, who said: 'I don't know if that's a ringing endorsement.'

Mr Mirabella said he has 'sympathy' for Mr Dutton after the onslaught of personal attacks he copped during the campaign.

He further went on to note, twice, that the Opposition leader has 'a good head for radio'.

The Liberal Party and Mr Dutton himself have been dogged by questions about how they will bounce back from sweeping losses at a federal and state level.

'Defeat is an orphan,' Mr Mirabella said. 'We'll do some research and try to nail it down.

'Our brand, people aren't buying what we're selling. They haven't been for some time and we've got to fix that.'

Mr Mirabella said the Liberal party is 'alive and well', despite the work that must be done to claw back voters.

'Liberal party has stood still. We haven't actually evolved and adapted to the social media age. Our values haven't changed and our policies for the future aren't there.

Mr Mirabella said he has 'sympathy' for Mr Dutton after the onslaught of personal jibes he received during the campaign

Peter Dutton (centre right) is pictured with his wife Kirilly (centre left) to celebrate winning the Dickson electorate against Ali France in the 2019 federal election

Labor's win in Aston last weekend was the first time a sitting government has won an opposition-held seat in a by-election in more than a century.

While Mr Albanese has promoted Labor as a positive force for change, the Coalition - once perceived as a safe pair of hands - has lost the faith of even once loyal voters.

The loss leaves the Liberal Party with just two seats in the entire metropolitan area of Melbourne after 20 years of underperforming in Victoria.

As the outcome became clear, federal Liberal MP Keith Wolahan was among the first to voice support for his party leader.

He said: 'I saw good and bad leaders in the most trying of circumstances and he has all the qualities of a good leader.'

His comments were backed by fellow Victorian and senator Jane Hume, who said she 'cannot imagine there would be any mood in the party room for (a change of leader)'.

'There is no doubt this is a blow but he is a leader with a solid team behind him,' she told the ABC.

Peter Dutton (right) is pictured with his wife Kirilly. Mrs Dutton said 'he has a great sense of humour - very dry and witty'

Ms Hume said she was sad to see Roshena Campbell lose out on the seat, but denied the result would trigger a move on Mr Dutton as leader.

'There's no agitation in the party room,' she said. 'He holds a united team.'

There is no obvious replacement waiting in the wings to replace Mr Dutton.

Mr Dutton has been working to soften his hardman image since taking over leadership of his party.

When volunteering for the position, he said while the public had grown accustomed to seeing him in 'tough portfolios' like defence and home affairs, he hoped to show them a different side.

The loss leaves the Liberal Party with just two seats in the entire metropolitan area of Melbourne after 20 years of underperforming in Victoria

Greg Mirabella told ABC's QandA on Monday night there is a distinct difference between a politician's capability versus his electability when asked his opinion of Mr Dutton

'I hope now, in moving from such tough portfolios, the Australian public can see the rest of my character, the side my family, friends and colleagues see,' he said.

'The side my community sees where they have elected me eight times. I come from the suburbs and I have never changed my values or forgotten where I have come from.'

His wife Kirilly, a successful businesswoman, gave her insight into the man vying to one day become PM, revealing that he has a 'great sense of humour'.

She said he was incredibly compassionate, especially when it came to the protection of women and children.

'He hides a lot of his emotion from the public but he gets most upset at reports of children or women being sexually abused or harmed. It obviously stems from his time as a policeman working in that area, but it's also from being the eldest of five kids growing up in the suburbs,' she said.
She was fined for riding without a helmet

An Australian who lived in Bali for 23 years has been deported after being filmed haranguing police over a $25 fine for riding a motorcycle without a helmet.

Marita Daniell was thrown out of Indonesia on Friday after video surfaced of her abusing an officer who had pulled her over in North Kuta for not wearing a helmet.

In a video shared online in early March, the woman is seen arguing with the policeman who was blocking the path of her bike.

The officer tries to get the woman to move her scooter off the road as riding a motorbike without a helmet is illegal.

The woman points and gestures furiously at the officer and yells 'it's not my fault' claiming her helmet was stolen.

Marita Daniell (pictured centre) has been kicked out of Bali despite living there for 23 years after abusing officers who stopped her for not wearing a helmet while riding a scooter a road in Canggu, a resort village on the south coast of Island

'We have rules!', the officer replied.

The woman fires back in Indonesian: 'I've been here for 23 years!'

Another officer approaches the woman asking her to get off her scooter but she tries to drive away, claiming she is on her way to buy a new helmet.

The woman eventually gets off her scooter, after moving it off the road, and continues arguing with another officer.

Balinese police confirmed the woman was an Australian citizen and was fined IDR $2,506 - which is the equivalent of AUD$25.

The clip, captioned 'Australians, (and Russians), and those six-packed shirtless beach bums: Do not do this. It's so friggin' embarrassing,' left Aussies outraged.

'No Helmet, No Respect, No Brain!,' one person wrote.

'On behalf of Australia, I apologise. Unfortunately, we have losers here who think they own Australia as well as the entire world and they have no respect for anyone from another culture,' another person commented.

'I don't understand why she wouldn't want to just wear one when it's the law here in Australia... or you will get a ticket and $24 Aus is nothing compared what she would got here at home,' a third person wrote.

Ms Daniell argued her helmet had been stolen and claimed she was on her way to get a new one. Bali officials confirmed the Australian citizen was fined $25 for the traffic offence

Bali officials have launched a public campaign to crack down on inappropriately dressed tourists travellers who flout local rules and customs.

Bali Tourism Board Chairman Ida Bagus Agung Partha Adnyana announced plans on March 7 to use billboards to build awareness amongst visitors and educate tourists on how to behave in cultural settings.

Authorities confirmed a minimum of 10 large billboards written in English will be installed where violations occur the most, including Kuta, Seminyak, Legian, Canggu, Ubud, Sanur, Nusa Dua, and Uluwatu.
As her father prepared for his upcoming arrest, Ivanka Trump was spotted going about her day in Miami.

Photos showed the former First Daughter getting out of her black van at an office building in the southern city before quickly ducking back into the vehicle when she spotted the cameras.

Eventually, though, Ivanka entered the building escorted by a valet as she passed by a security guard.

The former first daughter seemed tense as she walked into the office building, despite remaining relatively silent about her father's upcoming arraignment on charges that he paid porn star Stormy Daniels $130,000 in hush money ahead of the 2016 election.

She has only released a brief statement following the news that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg indicted the former president saying that she is 'pained' for both her father and her country, months after she announced she would step away from politics.

Ivanka Trump was spotted getting out of her black van at an office building in Miami on Monday

She was escorted into the office building by an unknown valet

She has remained relatively quiet about her father's indictment and upcoming arrest

It is unclear what exactly was on Ivanka's agenda on Monday as her father flew to New York ahead of his arraignment.

She was just seen wearing form-fitting white jeans, white shoes and a black long-sleeve blouse with her hair tied back.

Ivanka has not said much about her father's indictment last week, or his pending arrest, writing simply in a statement: 'I love my father and I love my country. Today I am pained for both.

'I appreciate the voices across the political spectrum expressing support and concern.'

Her husband, Jared Kushner, however, suggested on Friday that the indictment proved that Democrats 'fear' the 'political strength' of his father-in-law during a speech at the Future Investment Initiative Summit in Florida.

'It's been hard to watch the opponents of him politically continue to break every norm over the last [few] years to try to get to him,' Kushner told the crowd.

'I've been by him during a lot of these instances and it's only made him stronger and his resolve to take on big challenges to fight for change.'

Ivanka, and her husband Jared Kushner, served as political advisers for Trump

She and her husband announced in November they were stepping away from politics

Ivanka and Jared had both served as political advisors to former president Donald Trump back when he was in the White House.

But when he announced back in November that he would once again seek the highest office in America, Ivanka and Jared released a statement reading: 'I love my father very much. This time around, I am choosing to prioritize my young children and the private life we are creating as a family.

'I do not plan to be involved in politics. While I will always love and support my father, going forward I will do so outside the political arena.'

A Vanity Fair article at the time claimed the former White House power couple had been comparing themselves to the character of Ned Stark in Game of Thrones when people asked them about their plans to return to politics.

The fictional character was famously decapitated after he was lured into the political viper pit of Westeros' capital at the request of his close friend King Robert Baratheon.

In the piece, it was claimed that the couple are embracing a quiet life in Florida, having escaped what they reportedly refer to as 'the jackals' in Washington, D.C.

Jared and Ivanka are now living a relatively quiet life in the southern city with their three kids

It has since been reported that Ivanka is 'no longer talking' to her father.

'Even though Ivanka loves her dad, she knows how impossible he can be,' an unnamed source familiar with the family told People.

He said she is now focused on 'recreating her business life and raising her children, which are her priorities.'

And, the source said, Ivanka is acutely aware there is nothing she can do to help her father with the charges against him.

'Donald does what he wants and she can't help him now,' he said. 'His help is in the hands of his lawyers and advisers. She is no longer working in that capacity.'
His response has been mocked on Twitter

New Zealand's newly elected Prime Minister Chris Hipkins struggled to define the term 'woman' when a reporter's question about gender caught him off guard.

During his regular afternoon press conference on Monday, Mr Hipkins was asked by Sean Plunket, a broadcast reporter from The Platform, to 'define a woman' on behalf of himself and his government.

Mr Hipkins took a moment to gather his thoughts before responding.

'Um,' Hipkins began, before pausing.

'To be honest Sean, that question has come out of left field for me.'

New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins was caught off guard after a reporter asked him to 'define woman' during a press conference (pictured)

Mr Hipkins then took a long pause before finishing his answer, claiming people define their own genders.

'People define themselves, people define their own genders,' Mr Hipkins said.

Mr Plunket asked the question again, referring to an article written by British Opposition Leader Keir Starmer about the legal framework for transgender people in British law.

'Keir Starmer has said that he believes 99.9 per cent of women do not have penises, and I know it's a strange thing for him to say, but given recent events in New Zealand, I'd ask again: how do you define what a woman is?' Plunket said.

Mr Hipkins explained he was not expecting the question and did not have a pre-formulated answer but reiterated that gender identity is decided by a person.

Mr Hipkins (right) response was mocked on Twitter, with Piers Morgan claiming he should know what a woman is because he replaced one when he took over as Prime Minister after Jacinda Ardern (left) stepped down from the lead role

Mr Hipkins's response went viral on social media, with the likes of Piers Morgan and Harry Potter author J.K Rowling mocking his answer on Twitter.

'BREAKING: New Zealand's new Prime Minister doesn't know what a woman is, despite replacing one as Prime Minister,' Piers Morgan wrote.

New Zealand's former prime minister Jacinda Ardern resigned from office in press conference on January 24, announcing Mr Hipkins as her successor.

J.K Rowling, who defines herself as 'pro-women,' tweeted: 'In the interests of balance, someone should now ask women how they define Chris Hipkins.'

On Tuesday, Mr Hipkins said he still reads Harry Potter to his children, despite Rowling's tweet.

Mr Hipkins added he stood by his answer but the issue of defining gender was 'not front of mind'.

'Ultimately, I'm aware that this is a very emotionally charged issue for some people, and as a leader, I don't want to contribute to that,' Mr Hipkins told NZ media.

British author J.K Rowling, who defines herself as 'pro-women', aslo mocked the Prime Minister's response (pictured)

The question on gender identity was raised in the wake of protests over anti-trans activist Kellie-Jay Keen.

Keen was forced to leave New Zealand after she was attacked during a rally in Auckland in March.

Mr Hipkins condemned the violence, but said that 'most' people at the rally were respectfully exercising their right to free speech.

Keen labelled Mr Hipkins a 'gutless coward' and vowed to return to New Zealand at a later date.
Four men who were accused of pack-raping two women in a stairwell have had their charges dropped.

SA Police prosecutors told the Adelaide Magistrates Court on Tuesday they would not be pursuing the allegations, the Adelaide Advertiser reported.

Police had alleged two women were raped in a stairwell of the Hotel Plaza car park off Hindley St, in Adelaide, for half-an-hour on December 6.

Seven people were alleged to be involved in the incident - four men and three youths.

Four men who were accused of raping two women in a stairwell have had their charges dropped

The court heard prosecutors had consulted the Office for the Director of Public Prosecutions before making the decision to drop the charges.

They told the court the DPP had concluded there was 'no reasonable prospect' of securing convictions.

Milda Jafari, 24, was among the four men who had been charged over the alleged incident.

He told media outside court he was relieved to have the charges against him dropped.

'It's been an overwhelming couple of months, an overwhelming few months,' he said.

Mr Jafari's lawyer Jason Evitts said his client had been at the centre of public shame.

'People that know of his experiences in prison, unfortunately he's lived through that,' he said.

'The stigma of this type of charge will live with him, unfortunately. But he can hold his head high.

A 22-year-old man from Clearview, a 21-year-old man from Gilberton and a 21-year-old man from Paralowie were the remaining three men that walked free.

Two young people, aged 16 and 17, were also charged over the incident and will face the state's Youth Court later this afternoon.

Another 17-year-old was charged with bribery over allegations he had helped the 22-year-old Clearview man try to pay off one of the women.

Prosecutors had alleged the two women were walking past the carpark when they were invited to drink and smoke cannabis with the group of men.

They previously alleged the women were forced into a stairwell and repeatedly raped for more than 30 minutes.
Customers of home builder Porter Davis were left seething when they were locked out of an online session which informed clients they would not get their deposits back.

Irate tradies have also been accused of setting fire to the company's unfinished homes, as experts warned that more than half of the industry could be facing ruin.

The frightening forecast emerged from a summit held with building industry representatives on Tuesday by Victorian state Opposition Leader John Pesutto.

Liquidators Grant Thornton hosted a morning webinar for Porter Davis customers on the same day, which immediately ran into trouble as the meeting hit its capacity of 1,000 log-ins - despite the builder having 1,700 unfinished homes in Victoria and Queensland.

Furious customers took to social media to vent their frustration.

'Now that many of us are unable to get in this joke of a webinar... it would be nice if people who are in please give some information,' one person wrote on Facebook.

'Good to see that the liquidator cannot even organise a webinar that we can get into, very poor,' wrote another.

Home builder Porter Davis went into liquidation on Friday leaving more than 1,700 properties unfinished in Victoria and Queensland

In the session, liquidator Said Jahani acknowledged customers' frustration but urged them to be patient, saying Grant Thornton should know within a week whether Porter Davis would be sold.

The plan was to find a builder or builders who could step in and take over contracts, Mr Jahani said.

'The reality is, we just don't have the luxury of this process dragging out for weeks and months,' he said.

Liquidators hoped they could get customers' homes built quicker than if they went through insurers, with both Queensland and Victoria having state-backed warranty insurance schemes.

But there was no guarantee the process could be expedited, Mr Jahani said, and some people don't have the insurance in the first place.

They fell into a gap between paying Porter Davis a deposit and not having an insurance policy until weeks or months later when a permit was obtained, Mr Jahani said.

Two Porter Davis homes have been set alight in suspected arson attacks by tradies furious at being left unpaid

'At its extreme, it means you do not have any insurance cover, and it means that the deposit you have paid has been lost,' he said.

'However, as I have said, we are trying to work with the Victorian Managed Insurance Authority and the Queensland Building and Construction Commission to see whether there is an alternative solution there.'

Generally, it wasn't possible for customers to get their deposits refunded and switch to another builder, Mr Jahani said.

Porter Davis also owned customers' plans and designs as part of its intellectual property.

'We're investigating whether there is an ability to allow customers access to their plans to allow them to at least complete their house,' Mr Jahani said.

Liquidators would examine whether Porter Davis was trading while insolvent and if that meant they did wrong by customers, Mr Jahani said.

About 240 customers have properties essentially ready to be handed over and liquidators were looking to quickly sort out any remaining work and receive a certificate of occupancy.

Remaining customers whose homes were either not yet started or at lock-up stage would have to get other builders, Mr Jahani said.

A summit in Victoria has heard more than half the building industry is facing financial ruin (stock image pictured)

He condemned contractors accessing sites without written permission and said vandalising homes was effectively targeting its customers.

Grant Thornton has issued several notices to suppliers and contractors warning them of criminal liability for unauthorised site access.

Reports have also circulated of builders targeting Porter Davis homes, with one house going up in flames on Monday in Melbourne's south-east.

It took fire crews 40 minutes to bring the blaze at Andante Crescent at Clyde under control on Monday.

Police are investigating.

A witness told the Herald Sun they believed the fire was started by an angry sub-contractor and may have hoped it spread to Porter Davis homes on either side of the burnt property.

'The stress relating to Porter Davis going under is already too much for these customers and now additional destruction by angry subcontractors, it's just unfair,' Ms Brown said.

A woman believes angry tradies left the taps running in her bathroom, flooding the house

On Friday a near-finished Porter Davis house was set ablaze in the Riverfield new build development in Clyde.

Firefighters desperately tried to save the house but the flames had already taken grip and destroyed the roof, with a large part of it collapsing.

Police launched an investigation into the mystery fire after witnesses said a man was seen going into the property shortly before the blaze broke out.

'Porter Davis home at approximately lock-up stage has just burnt down,' said one neighbour in video footage of the gutted home posted on social media.

'I am so sorry if this is your home. Allegedly a neighbour saw someone go in before it caught fire.

'I truly hope that this wasn't on purpose because that is absolutely devastating. Another blow for a Porter Davis customer already suffering.

'This is getting out of hand.'

Victoria Police said detectives were hunting for a suspected arsonist.

There have been a spate of attacks on Porter Davis homes in the wake of the builder stopping payments to subcontractors.

Other Porter Davis homes had their windows smashed and their doors scratched

One owner estimated subcontractors caused $50,000 worth of damage to her home in Berwick, in Melbourne's south-east, by deliberately leaving the bathfroom and kitchen taps running.

This left the property flooded with more than seven centimetres of water and the vandals also scratched and slashed the doors and walls with a knife or key.

The woman said she informed police after another Porter Davis house in the area had suffered similar damage on the same night.

There were numerous other reports of Porter Davies properties being targeted by vandals, with three buildings on a block having their windows smashed.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews meanwhile encouraged customers left in the lurch by the Porter Davis to get in touch with the VMIA, but noted mandatory insurance was capped at $500,000.

Authorities were looking into a cost escalation clause to amend this, he said.

The premier said reports Porter Davis baited customers with significant discounts when the company had no expectation it would be able to fulfil contracts were 'troubling'.

Authorities would look at the issue and it was important people acted in good faith, he said.

Following the summit held on the future of the building industry by the Victorian opposition a task force is being set up to address the issues confronting the sector.

It will be chaired by shadow home ownership spokeswoman Jess Wilson.
A helicopter tour operator has reopened three months after two of their aircraft were involved in the horrific Sea World crash.

Sea World Helicopters revealed on Tuesday that it had been given the all clear to resume operations after it was forced to ground its services at the start of the year.

Four people were killed when two choppers collided with each other over Broadwater, on the Gold Coast, on January 2.

Pilot Ash Jenkinson, 40, British couple Ron and Diane Hughes, 65 and 57, and Sydney mother Vanessa Tadros, 36, died while nine people were injured.

Sea World Helicopters revealed on Tuesday it had been given the all clear to resume operations after it was forced to ground its services at the start of the year

It came after four people were killed when two choppers collided with each other over Broadwater, on the Gold Coast, on January 2

Sea World Helicopters said they were given the greenlight to resume operations by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority weeks ago.

Sea World Helicopters director John Orr-Campbell shared his condolences with the families who lost their loved ones in the recent tragedy.

'In many ways today is a difficult day for all of us as we pay our deepest respect to Vanessa Tadros, Diane and Ron Hughes, our friend and late chief Sea World Helicopters pilot Ash Jenkinson, their families, and those who suffered physically and mentally in the accident,' he said.

'I know Ash would have wanted to have been flying with us today.

'Helicopter flying is what we do and our staff wanted to get back to work and continue to provide the service to those who want to fly with us.'

The reopening comes shortly after the Australian Transport and Safety Bureau (ATSB) released its preliminary report into the crash in March.

Air crash investigators said pilot Michael James told them he saw five passengers boarding the second helicopter at a helipad near Sea World as he was coming in to land his aircraft at another helipad nearby on January 2.

The ATSB said the pilot thought the second helicopter would pass behind his aircraft and he doesn't remember the other pilot radioing him to say he was taking off.

'They did not recall the pilot of XKQ making a standard 'taxiing' call announcing their intention to depart,' the ATSB's preliminary report into the crash said.

A third helicopter pilot in the area at the time recalled hearing Mr James' inbound call, but did not recall hearing a taxi call from the other pilot taking off.

A fourth helicopter pilot could not recall hearing calls from either of the two pilots involved in the crash before their aircraft collided.

Pilot Ash Jenkinson, 40, British couple Ron and Diane Hughes, 65 and 57, and Sydney mother Vanessa Tadros, 36, died while nine people were injured

However, ATSB commissioner Angus Mitchell said that evidence 'did not necessarily mean that a taxiing call was not made' by the pilot taking off and investigators would probe the radio calls in the lead-up to the crash.

The report said Mr James also told the ATSB he didn't see the second helicopter take off from the helipad.

'While video footage taken by passengers in both helicopters on mobile phones contained images of the other helicopter, this does not mean that the other helicopter was visible to either pilot,' Mr Mitchell said.

'The investigation will look closely at the issues both pilots faced in seeing the other helicopter.'

The findings are part of a preliminary report into the disaster led by Mr Mitchell.

'We're looking at everything that may have contributed, whether that be equipment, whether that be procedures whether that be individual actions  they will all be part (of the investigation),' he said.
Donald Trump lashed out at the special prosecutor appointed by the Justice Department to investigate his handling of classified documents - as part of a flurry of social media posts raging against the prosecutors lined up to scrutinize his activities.

On Monday night, Trump called Jack Smith a 'totally biased Thug' and a 'Radical Left Lunatic', and accused him of leaking information to the Washington Post.

Smith is a former career Justice Department prosecutor and former chief prosecutor for the special court in The Hague.

He was appointed in November by the attorney general, Merrick Garland, to look into both the Mar-a-Lago papers and Trump's efforts to overturn the election.

Trump also resumed his previous attacks on Smith's wife, Katy Chevigny, a documentary filmmaker known for Becoming, an award-winning 2020 documentary of Michelle Obama.

Donald Trump is seen on Monday afternoon arriving at Trump Tower, where he spent the night ahead of his arrest and arraignment on Tuesday

Trump attacked Jack Smith, a senior career prosecutor at the Department of Justice, who is now overseeing investigations into both Trump's handling of classified documents, and his efforts to overturn the 2020 election

His posts came shortly after he railed against the Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg, overseeing his New York indictment scheduled for Tuesday. Trump accused Bragg of leaking information about the indictment to the media.

'Speaking of LEAKS, Special 'Prosecutor' Jack Smith (What did his name used to be?) leaked massive amounts of information to The Washington ComPost,' wrote Trump.

'This is illegal, and I assume this Radical Left Lunatic, much to the chagrin of his Trump Hating wife and family, will be PROSECUTED?

'He is a totally biased Thug who should be let loose on the Biden Documents hidden in Chinatown, and the 1,850 BOXES secretly stored in Delaware, which Biden REFUSES to give up.

'Biden is guilty of Obstruction, I am not!'

Trump on Monday night was ensconced in Trump Tower with his legal team and advisers, ahead of Tuesday's arrest and court appearance.

Jack Smith's wife Katy Chevigny, who was described by Trump on Monday as a 'Trump Hating wife'

Smith is investigating both efforts to overturn the election, and mishandling of classified documents (pictured at Mar-a-Lago in August)

Earlier on Monday, Fox News reported that Smith had subpoenaed numerous U.S. Secret Service agents connected to Trump.

Smith has already subpoenaed former Vice President Mike Pence, former Trump Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, and attorney Evan Cochran.

Smith's twin investigations are considered to potentially be more serious than the charges being pursued by Bragg, and his inquiry appears to be moving apace.

His team convinced a Washington DC judge to force Corcoran to appear before a grand jury for a second time, without being able to use attorney-client privilege as a reason for not answering questions.

The waiver was issued because the judge agreed with Smith's team's argument that Corcoran could have been forced by Trump to act in furtherance of a crime.

Trump had erupted earlier on Monday night after details of his indictment were leaked 'illegally' - and he demanded Bragg resign as a result.

Trump called for Bragg to prosecute himself after he allegedly handed the indictment plans to Yahoo journalist Michael Isikoff  who Trump also attacked.

The new report claims that Trump will face a total of 34 felonies on Tuesday.

It also described details the charges - which will be officially unsealed on Tuesday. Some of its contents were previously known, but Trump used it as a vehicle to once again condemn the historic criminal charges that required him to fly to his former hometown to surrender to authorities.

The former president, 76, will not be subjected to taking a mugshot, nor will he be handcuffed or be placed in a jail cell after his court hearing, Yahoo reports.

In his damning post, Trump wrote on his Truth Social: 'Wow! District Attorney Bragg just illegally LEAKED the various points, and complete information, on the pathetic Indictment against me. I know the reporter and so, unfortunately, does he.

Former President Donald Trump is seen on Monday afternoon arriving at Trump Tower (left). He flew to New York on Monday aboard his 757 accompanied by several aides, but not by former first lady Melania Trump. Trump on Monday evening erupted in anger at the Manhattan district attorney, Alvin Bragg (right)

A number of aides accompanied the former president to New York on Monday, but Melania and Barron Trump were missing from the crowd

'This means that he MUST BE IMMEDIATELY INDICTED. Now, if he wants to really clean up his reputation, he will do the honorable thing and, as District Attorney, INDICT HIMSELF.

'He will go down in Judicial history, and his Trump Hating wife will be, I am sure, very proud of him!'

Trump continued attacking Bragg - and demanding he resign.

'D.A. BRAGG JUST ILLEGALLY LEAKED THE 33 points of Indictment,' the 76-year-old said.

'There are no changes or surprises from those he leaked days ago directly out of the Grand Jury. No Crime by Trump.

'What a MESS. Bragg should resign, NOW!'

The blasts came as Trump's team said he had raised $8 million since news of the indictment first broke last week. He has previously attacked the judge overseeing the case, claiming he 'hates' him, having overseen a separate civil Trump Organization case.

Trump has for several days been attacking Bragg's wife of 20 years, Jamila Ponton-Bragg, and accusing her of being a driving force in her husband's decision to press charges.

'In March 2022 - BEFORE Manhattan grand jury began hearing evidence -- DA Alvin Bragg's wife Jamila retweeted a report that claimed that her husband "has Trump nailed on felonies,"' Trump wrote on Truth Social last week.

Jamila Bragg has since made her Twitter account private.

Trump's indictment was filed on Thursday, and the broad contours of it were widely reported.

It was also widely expected that Trump would not be handcuffed, and would not have a mugshot taken, for fear of it being published. New York, unlike many states, does not make mugshots public.

Michael Isikoff, the veteran reporter who now works for Yahoo News, was previously the national investigative correspondent for NBC News. Before then he was known for his work at Newsweek, in particular amid the War on Terror.

He had the scoop of Monica Lewinsky's affair with Bill Clinton, but Newsweek's editors declined to go ahead, and so it was filed on the Drudge Report the next day.

Isikoff, in his Monday evening report into the Trump case, said there would be 34 charges. He said all would be felonies, for falsification of business records.

The reporter cited 'a source who has been briefed on the procedures for the arraignment of the former president.'

Trump arrives at Palm Beach International Airport to board his plane for a flight to New York on Monday afternoon. He is expected to present himself to authorities on Tuesday

Supporters of former US President Donald Trump stand outside of Trump Tower in New York City on April 3, 2023

NYPD are gearing up for potential riots and crowded streets tomorrow as Trump is arraigned

It is unusual for falsification of business records to be prosecuted as a felony. They are normally considered misdemeanors.

Bragg's office has filed all the charges as Class E felonies - the lowest level of felonies in the New York State penal code - on the grounds that the conduct was intended to conceal another underlying crime, according to Isikoff's source.

A conviction for the Class E felony of falsifying business records can result in a prison term of up to four years, but that is considered unlikely.

It remains unclear what the underlying crime that escalated Trump's alleged misdemeanors to felonies is.

The indictment will be officially unsealed on Tuesday, the website reported.

It is believed to be connected to campaign finance violations, related to the hush-money payment of $130,000 given to porn star Stormy Daniels in the run up to the 2016 election.

Trump's former fixer Michael Cohen pleaded guilty to campaign finance violations related to the Stormy Daniels payoff, in a filing where Trump was revealed to be 'Individual-1' as the person who reimbursed him.

New York is bracing for possible protests.

Police began building barricades along the edge of the sidewalks around Trump Tower and the Manhattan Criminal Court building downtown at the weekend.

On Monday in Florida, his motorcade pulled up to his jet and the former president boarded alone, before campaign staff and lawyers followed him up the rear steps.

Trump landed in New York on Monday afternoon before his motorcade made the journey to his property in the heart of the Big Apple

Trump's private plane sits on the tarmac at LaGuardia Airport with the Rikers Island jail in the background

Crowds gathered outside Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue on Monday

The 45th President is pictured walking into his Manhattan property on Monday afternoon as he prepares to surrender to authorities on Tuesday

A Manhattan grand jury has voted to indict former president Donald Trump over hush money paid to porn star Stormy Daniels

A Trump supporter is seen outside Trump Tower on Monday

A critic of Trump is pictured outside the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse on Monday

Pro-Trump flags are seen outside Trump Tower on Monday

After leaving office, his presidential motorcade was trimmed down to about four vehicles. But on Monday it was bulked by extra SUVs carrying staff.

His campaign managers Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita, as well as senior adviser Jason Miller, and spokesman Steven Cheung, were traveling with him, along with his son Eric.

His lawyers have said he will enter a plea of not guilty and his legal team is preparing to add a constitutional expert amid fears that the judge in the case will impose a gag order.

On Monday his legal team also issued a plea to the judge to ban cameras from the courtroom and hired top defense attorney Todd Blanche to boost their defense.

'I will be leaving Mar-a-Lago on Monday at 12 noon, heading to Trump Tower in New York,' the former president posted on Sunday night.

'On Tuesday morning I will be going to, believe it or not, the Courthouse. America was not supposed to be this way!'

Court officials say he is due to arraigned at 2:15pm on Tuesday.

He is then expected to return to his Mar-a-Lago home where he plans to make a speech in the evening.
The AstraZeneca Covid vaccine, linked to a very rare but serious side-effect, has been quietly discontinued from use in Australia.

The federal health department confirmed that from March 20 the vaccine, sold under the brand-name Vaxzevria, would no longer be available to Australians.

Deakin University Chair in Epidemiology, Professor Catherine Bennett told Daily Mail Australia its removal was expected as it had been superseded by other vaccines.

'It was really only left available for this long for people who had earlier doses of AstraZeneca and wanted to complete their course with it,' Prof Bennett said.

The AstraZeneca vaccine was approved for use in people aged 18 and over as a primary course from February 15, 2021 and as a booster dose February 8, 2022.

But from October, 2021, it was available by request only in favour of the newer Pfizer and Moderna mRNA vaccines.

AstraZeneca is no longer available to Australians the federal health department confirmed

'It (AstraZeneca) was very effective in the early days of the vaccine rollout,' Prof Bennett said.

'But now with Novavax, there is a more traditional style vaccine that has been proven to be safe and effective as well as the two mRNA vaccines.'

The shift away from AstraZeneca was made after official health advice was changed in 2021 to limit its use to people older than 60 over concerns about a rare blood clotting disorder.

The disorder, called thrombosis with thrombocytopenia (TTS), involves blood clots combined with low levels of blood platelets with people under 60 more at risk.

According to health authorities, the risk of developing the condition after a first dose of AstraZeneca was about 20 in a million and most cases recovered.

According to a June, 2022 report from the Therapeutic Goods Administration, there were eight deaths in Australia confirmed to be from TTS following the AstraZeneca vaccine.

'Yes there were some serious adverse reactions but it's very important not to underestimate how big a difference it made in terms of lives saved back in 2021,' Prof Bennett said.

'Particularly when Delta was the dominant strain, we couldn't have got to where we did in terms of fighting off the virus by relying on the mRNA vaccines alone.'

Millions of Aussies got vaccinated after coronavirus saw the world locked down for much of 2020 and 2021

Prof Bennett said those who had earlier doses of AstraZeneca and then got a later dose of a different brand actually had greater protection.

'Heterologous vaccination, combining vaccines, is very effective,' she said.

According to the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI), a Covid vaccine booster dose is recommended for everyone aged over 65 in early 2023.

For those aged 18 to 64, a 2023 booster dose is recommended only for those with increased Covid-19 risk.

'For healthy people, one booster is probably enough, you're not going to get significantly more protection from another booster,' Prof Bennett said.

The Department of Health and Aged Care confirmed the phasing out of the vaccine was due to the availability of newer options.

'This was not a decision based on safety as some people have misrepresented on social media,' a spokesperson said.

'As expected, first generation vaccines have been superseded by newer vaccines targeting the strains of the virus now circulating.

'The AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine remains provisionally approved by the TGA, however, the Sponsor made a commercial decision with respect to supply of AstraZeneca vaccine in Australia.'
Roy McGrath, a chief of staff of former Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, has died just weeks after after he was declared a fugitive by the FBI.

The 53-year-old succumbed to gunshot wounds following a standoff with police late Monday night, his attorney confirmed.

His death came after FBI agents raided the ex-GOP staffer's home after he failed to appear for a federal trial on fraud charges over allegations he used his high-ranking position to steal more than $230,000 in state funds.

McGrath had pleaded not guilty to charges of wire fraud and falsification of records in October 2021 and was released on bond, but he did not appear in court for his trial.

He was promptly declared a fugitive, leading agents to storm his $610,000 Florida home on March 15. The FBI has said he was considered an international flight risk.

Indicted in 2021 on federal fraud charges, McGrath served for years as the chief of staff for two-term Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, who left office this January after eight years of service for the Old Line State.

Roy McGrath, a chief of staff of former Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, has died - just weeks after after he was declared a fugitive by the FBI

Set to appear in Baltimore for the start of his criminal trial last month, McGrath instead left his attorney standing alone on the steps of the city's federal courthouse, leading US Marshals to release this wanted poster later that day

The U.S. Marshals Service, part of the Justice Department, said last month it had initiated an interstate fugitive investigation and published a 'Wanted' poster of McGrath.

Attorney Joseph Murtha said the FBI confirmed Roy McGrath's death to him.

He added that it was not immediately clear if McGrath's wound was self-inflicted or came during an exchange of gunfire with agents.

'The loss of Roy's life is an absolute tragedy, and I think it's important for me to say that Roy never wavered about his innocence,' Murtha said.

'I'm incredibly saddened by the loss of Roy's life and the terrible tragedy that has unfolded over the past three weeks,' Murtha continued.

'Roy was dedicated to the citizens of Maryland and he never wavered in his belief that he was innocent.'

The FBI had said earlier that McGrath, once a top aide to a former Maryland governor, had been hospitalized following an agent-involved shooting, but declined to elaborate.

A three-week manhunt for fugitive Roy McGrath ended Monday evening in Tennessee with the ex-chief of staff to former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan shot dead

McGrath was located by the FBI in a car in the Knoxville area around 6:30pm local time, law enforcement sources previously confirmed

During McGrath's arrest, an 'agent-involved shooting' occurred the FBI said in a statement

Feds swarmed this Naples home that McGrath shares with his wife Wednesday, less than 48 hours after he did not turn up to court. The couple moved to $610,000 home in 2020, after the scandal surfaced and McGrath was released on bond

'During the arrest the subject, Roy McGrath, sustained injury and was transported to the hospital. The FBI takes all shooting incidents involving our agents or task force members seriously,' an FBI statement said.

William Brennan, an attorney for McGrath's wife, Laura Bruner, also confirmed the death and said she was 'absolutely distraught.'

Indicted in 2021 on federal fraud charges, McGrath for years served as the chief of staff for two-term Maryland Governor Larry Hogan (seen here last year), who left office this January after eight years of service for the Old Line State

According to an email earlier from FBI Supervisory Special Agent Shayne Buchwald in Maryland, McGrath was wounded during 'an agent-involved shooting' around 6:30pm in a commercial area on the southwestern outskirts of Knoxville, Tennessee.

Hogan, who served as Maryland's governor from 2015 to 2023, had considered running for the 2024 Republican nomination for president as a critic of Donald Trump. But Hogan announced last month before McGrath went missing that he would not run.

Hogan said in a statement he and his wife, Yumi Hogan, were saddened by the 'tragic situation,' the Baltimore Sun reported.

'We are praying for Mr. McGrath's family and loved ones,' Hogan said.

After McGrath failed to appear at Baltimores federal courthouse on March 13, Murtha said he believed McGrath, who had moved to Naples, Florida, was planning to fly to Maryland the night before.

But instead of beginning jury selection, a judge issued an arrest warrant and dismissed prospective jurors.

'I didn't see this coming,' Murtha said at the time. 'This behavior is so out of the ordinary for him. Obviously his personal safety is a concern.'

McGrath was indicted in 2021 on accusations he fraudulently secured a $233,648 severance payment, equal to one year of salary as the head of Maryland Environmental Service, by falsely telling the agency's board the governor had approved it.

He was also accused of fraud and embezzlement connected to roughly $170,000 in expenses that prosecutors say the disgraced aide lined his pockets during his tenure as Hogan's top aide. McGrath pleaded not guilty.

McGrath resigned just 11 weeks into the job as Hogan's chief of staff in 2020 after the payments became public and was slapped with a federal wire fraud charge.

Prosecutors alleged that he had stolen hundreds of thousands of dollars from the state.

The state further alleged how McGrath also fibbed about the hours he worked over the course of his employment, taking multiple vacations on the state's dime.

He was accused of falsifying time sheets while vacationing in Europe and stealing money for tuition for classes at Harvard.

During those excursions, McGrath's 2021 indictment alleges, the ex-Hogan staffer spent funds designated for the state of Maryland on his own 'personal expenses.'

Last week two tell-all books were self-published through Amazon by a mysterious author who claimed to have the 'true' story on McGrath's time working for Hogan

That spending came to light after a sprawling report from The Baltimore Sun in the summer of 2020, that unmasked how McGrath had used his position as both director of MES and the governor's chief of staff to 'personally enrich' himself with the fraudulent payments.

If convicted of the federal charges, he would have faced a maximum sentence of 20 years for each of four counts of wire fraud, plus a maximum of 10 years for each of two counts of embezzling funds from an organization receiving more than $10,000 in federal benefits.

Last week two tell-all books were self-published through Amazon by a mysterious author who claimed to have the 'true' story on McGrath's time working for Hogan, with the second installment published only last Friday under the name Ryan C. Cooper.
Police vision reveals the dramatic moment a man was arrested in connection with Australia's second largest ever shipment of heroin as part of an operation targeting an international drug smuggling operation.

Authorities seized 336kg of heroin in a sting that uncovered the drugs hidden in a shipping container sent from Malaysia to the Port of Brisbane.

The haul was concealed inside two concrete blocks, each weighing about 500kg, and marked as solar panel accessories in a sea freight container addressed to an industrial lot in Brendale, north of Brisbane.

Border force officers uncovered the stash after the consignment docked on March 13, identifying hundreds of packages hidden within the cement block.

A Sydney man, who allegedly collected the consignment in Brisbane before it was transported to NSW, was arrested as part of a joint operation between Australian Federal Police and Australian Border Force.

The 55-year-old man, from Auburn, has been charged with importing a commercial quantity of border-controlled drugs. He is expected to face Parramatta Local Court on Wednesday.

The heroin has an estimated street value of $268.8million and is the largest amount of the drug ever seized in Queensland.

Authorities seized 960 drug packages from within the concrete blocks before tracking the shipment to Brendale.

A joint operation between the Australian Border Force and the Australian Federal Police has uncovered the second largest drug bust in the nations history - 336kg of heroin (pictured)

Police arrested a man outside a Mount Druitt shed (pictured) in Western Sydney, after they traced the shipment back to the location, where it was to be processed

Police allege the consignment was driven in a rental truck to Sydney before being delivered to an industrial shed in Mount Druitt on March 30.

The shipment remained under surveillance when the accused returned to the shed on Friday and allegedly used industrial tools to cut into the concrete to access the drugs.

AFP officers arrested him when he left the shed as authorities raided homes and businesses across NSW and Queensland, including at Brendale in Queensland and Mount Druitt, Blacktown, Auburn, Cecil Park and Constitution Hill in NSW.

Police confiscated more than $700,000 worth of jewellery from the Auburn man's home, while electronic devices, mobile phones, cash, hard drives and notebooks were also seized.

Alongside the heroin haul, police confiscated more than $700,000 worth of jewellery from the arrested man's home in Auburn (pictured)

AFP Commander John Tanti said the haul was a crushing blow to the smuggling operation.

'The AFP is committed to stopping criminals using the Pacific as a maritime drug highway and will continue to identify and disrupt transnational organised crime syndicates seeking to harm Australia and generate millions of dollars of profits from criminal activity,' he said

The investigation is ongoing.
Phillip Schofield says he would have 'acted immediately' if his paedophile brother had 'confessed any crime' to him - as the TV star prepared to return to the This Morning sofa in two weeks.

The ITV presenter said 'I no longer have a brother' last night as his younger sibling was found guilty of molesting the schoolboy for three years.

The 61-year-old 'welcomed' the conviction and said Timothy Schofield, 54, had committed 'despicable crimes'.

ITV said yesterday that he will return to This Morning after the Easter holidays.

'Phillip is a much-loved member of our team and we wanted to make sure we supported him,' a source at the channel told the Mail. 'We are so happy he will be back where he belongs.'

Phillip Schofield with Holly Willoughby on This Morning on March 23 this year

Timothy Schofield told his TV star brother in September 2021 that he performed a sex act in the presence of the boy 'that last year', according to a witness statement Phillip gave to the court

In a statement read out to the court, Phillip said his younger brother turned up at his home 'ranting and raving' before confessing that he had performed a sex act in the presence of the victim.

He said it had happened once and the celebrity understood the victim was over the age of consent at the time so told him: 'It must never happen again.'

He gave a police statement detailing the conversation on December 17, 2021  two weeks after his brother's arrest and over three months after the chat took place on September 12, 2021.

The statement was accepted by the prosecution and defence which meant Phillip was not called to give evidence and his statement was read to the court.

Minutes after the verdict, Phillip posted on Instagram: 'My overwhelming concern is and has always been for the wellbeing of the victim and his family. I hope that their privacy will now be respected.

'If any crime had ever been confessed to me by my sibling, I would have acted immediately to protect the victim and their family.

'These are despicable crimes, and I welcome the guilty verdicts. As far as I am concerned, I no longer have a brother.'

Timothy Schofield was convicted of 11 sexual offences involving a child between October 2016 and October 2019

A statement released by Phillip Schofield following his brother's conviction

Phillip Schofield pictured last week after taking time off work as his brother, Timothy, was in court

Dressed in a grey shirt, Schofield, of Bath, bowed his head as the jury found him guilty of all 11 counts by a majority of ten to two on each at Exeter Crown Court.

They took just five hours and 41 minutes to convict the police IT technician of causing the victim to watch sex acts, engage in sex acts, and perform sex acts in front of the boy.

The boy told how he had felt 'emotionally blackmailed' and 'forced' to participate in sexual activity from when he was a young teenager.

He bided his time until he had the 'physical advantage' before confronting his abuser in August 2021 when he told the pedophile: 'It's never going to happen again.'

Schofield called Phillip the following month saying he was suicidal, before driving to his London home 'in a state of heightened agitation'.

After switching between being 'furiously angry' and bursting into tears, the sex offender told Phillip over the washing up that he had masturbated and watched pornography with the boy.

The celebrity turned and asked: 'What did you say?' His sibling then claimed it was 'just this time', but the TV host told him: 'It should never happen again.'

But in his statement, he makes no mention of asking for more details or clarifying whether anything had happened when the victim was younger.

Instead he just told him to 'stop' when he started to describe the boy's body.

Sentencing was adjourned while a file is compiled on Schofield's mental health. He was repeatedly accused of 'playing the victim' by prosecutors during the trial.

Timothy Schofield - seen leaving court earlier in the trial - was convicted of all charges

A photo of the Schofield brothers enjoying a day out with their mother

At one point last week, he did not appear in court as he collapsed 'in a crisis'.

He is due to be sentenced at Bristol Crown Court on May 19.

Avon and Somerset Police, where Schofield was employed, said a misconduct hearing will be held 'as soon as possible'. The IT worker was suspended in December 2021.

Detective Inspector Keith Smith said: 'This defendant has exploited and abused the victim by carrying out a sickening series of offences over a significant period of time.

'Although the defendant does not work in a public-facing role, and the offences are not linked to his employment, we know the fact he works for the police will be a matter of public concern.'

An NSPCC spokesman said: 'Child sexual abuse can have devastating and long-lasting impact on a person's life and Timothy Schofield's actions were deeply harmful. We hope that the young man he targeted is receiving all the support he needs to move forward with his life.'

The NSPCC urged adults who are concerned about a child to contact help@nspcc.org.uk and young people to call Childline on 0800 1111.
The financier has maintained his innocence in interviews with journalists

Shah, 52, was arrested in Dubai last year and faces extradition to Denmark

A British hedge fund boss has lost his appeal in a Dubai court after it was ruled that he would be extradited to Denmark, where he is accused of orchestrating a 1.4billion tax fraud.

Hedge fund trader Sanjay Shah, who has maintained his innocence in public interviews, is accused of masterminding a fraud scheme that ran from 2012 to 2015.

The 52-year-old financier was arrested in Dubai last June for orchestrating the scheme in which foreign businesses pretended to own shares in Danish companies and claimed tax refunds for which they were not eligible.

The Court of Appeal in Dubai initially rejected an extradition request by Denmark in September but later overturned that decision in December. This was upheld on Monday.

The lower court had said that there were documents which implicated him in fraud and money laundering, but a timeframe on when he will be extradited was not immediately given.

British hedge fund trader Sanjay Shah (pictured) has lost his appeal in a Dubai court after it was ruled that he would be extradited to Denmark, where is accused of orchestrating a 1.4billion tax fraud

In a separate ruling in September, Shah was ordered to pay 1bn to Denmark's tax authority as part of a civil case in Dubai. His lawyers are also appealing against that ruling.

At the time of his extradition being authorised, Horizons & Co, the firm representing Shah, noted that the Court of Cassation's judgment 'will be final'.

Although the hedge fund boss continues to claim he did not violate Danish law, he has never appeared in Denmark to answer accusations.

His legal team argued in closed-door hearings that the Scandinavian country did not follow procedures laid out in international extradition treaties.

After Danish authorities signed an extradition agreement with the UAE, Dubai police arrested Shah last year. He is one of several suspects sought over the tax scheme.

Shah was arrested in Dubai in June and a Dubai court authorised his extradition to Denmark in December. This was upheld on Monday

During his time in Dubai, the hedge fund manager ran a centre for autistic children that shut down in 2020 as Denmark sought his extradition.

He also oversaw a British-based charity, Autism Rocks, which raised funds through concerts and performances.

The trader previously had had his 14.7million Hyde Park mansion seized by Denmark after being accused of the fraud.

Danish ministers have previously declared their intentions in 'brining Sanjay Shah to justice', having targeted him since 2015.

Chris Waters, who is leading the defence on behalf of Shah and his companies in the UK High Court Proceedings said: 'The decision by the Dubai Court of Cassation to uphold the extradition order is very disappointing.

'Mr Shah has now instructed his extradition lawyers to immediately issue an application to the head of the Court of Cassation for an independent panel of Judges to be appointed to review the Judgment handed down by the Court.

'As part of this process, an application will also be made both to the Court of Cassation and to the Dubai Ministry of Justice to prohibit any enforcement of the extradition order until the decision of the Court of Cassation has been reviewed.'
A Polish woman became an internet sensation when she claimed she was Madeleine McCann - despite her own parents branding her claims as 'lies and manipulation'.

Julia Wendell, 21, even appeared on the US talk show Dr Phil, where she said she started suspecting she was Madeleine last June - but did not provide any proof.

Wendell's parents said she has fabricated the claims and that 'it's obvious she isn't' the missing British girl.

Julia Wendell, 21, has even appeared on the US show Dr Phil where she said she started suspecting she was the missing British girl in June last year, without providing any proof to back up her claims

Madeleine, then three, (pictured) vanished during a family holiday to Praia da Luz in Portugal in 2007, which would now make her around 19, two years younger than Wendell is - yet another reason to dismiss her unsupported claims. DNA results have now confirmed Wendell is not Madeleine

Now DNA test results have shown that she isn't Madeleine.

Julia Wendell statement Dr Fia Johansson, a private investigator and psychic medium who has been assisting Wendell, said in a statement: 'Julia's test results are back. We finally know the reality. Although it is impossible to tell for sure without the parent's DNA results on either side, the test results speak to the origins of Julia's roots. 'The test results revealed that she is 100% Polish, with negligible influence from Lithuania and Russia. The DNA results did not show any connection to British or even German roots. 'This story is much more complicated than a simple girl from a small town in Poland making a claim to get attention. 'She truly believed what she was saying, and with so many questions about her childhood it is easy to understand where she was coming from. 'What is amazing is parent's refusal to resolve this nagging question for Julia. In any case, upon the revelation, she decided to be back with her dad. I personally wish her well.' Advertisement

Instead, the DNA results found she was indeed from Poland  as her parents had insisted  with some Lithuanian and Romanian heritage, reports Radar Online.

'She is absolutely 100 per cent from Poland,' said Dr Fia Johansson, a private investigator and psychic medium who has been assisting Wendell.

'She is a small percentage of Lithuanian and Russian but the test results show she is Polish,' Dr Johansson, who has relocated the Polish woman from Poland to the United States after she received death threats, added.

'This story is much more complicated than a simple girl from a small town in Poland making a claim to get attention,' Dr Johansson added.

'She truly believed what she was saying, and with so many questions about her childhood it is easy to understand where she was coming from.'

Dr Johansson added that after finding out she is not Madeleine, Wendell decided to move back to Poland to be with her father. This has not been confirmed by the woman's family.

Madeleine, from Rothley in Leicestershire, vanished during a family holiday at Praia da Luz in Portugal in 2007 then aged three.

This would make her around 19 now, two years younger than Wendell  a fact that left many sceptical.

Wendell also said she cannot remember large parts of her childhood and is not sure of her age as she has not seen her birth certificate  a claim strongly refuted by her parents.

She said: 'I don't remember most of my childhood but my earliest memory is very strong and it's about holidays in a hot place where there is a beach and white or very light coloured buildings with apartments. I don't see my family in this memory.'

Wendell (pictured) claims she started suspecting she was the missing British girl in June last year, without providing any evidence to support her claims. Her claims have now been debunked after DNA test results proved she is not Madeleine McCann

Dr Phil showed Wendell side-by-side pictures of her and Madeleine, which the Polish woman had used to promote her now debunked theory on social media.

The disappearance of Madeleine McCann Madeleine McCann, known as Maddie, disappeared from a holiday apartment in Portugal's Praia da Luz on May 3, 2007. She was on holiday with her parents, Kate and Gerry McCann; her two-year-old twin siblings; and a group of family friends and their children. She and the twins had been left asleep at the apartment, while the McCanns and friends dined in a restaurant 55 metres (180 ft) away. The parents checked on the children throughout the evening, until Kate discovered she was missing at 10pm. What followed is widely regarded as one of the most reported on missing person investigations in the world. Portuguese authorities closed their enquiries in July 2008 but Maddie's parents continued with private detectives. Scotland Yard launched their own investigation - Operation Grange - in 2011 and enquiries are ongoing. Advertisement

Wendell insisted she has many similarities with missing Madeleine, and that the rare eye defect she claimed to share with Madeleine had 'faded' after Dr Phil questioned her about it.

She said she also had a similar laugh and dimple to the missing girl.

Wendell claimed that her mother would always change the subject when Wendell brought up her birth and 'didn't want to show me any proof'.

Dr Phil said to her: 'She [Wendell's mother] says she went to the hospital and gave birth to you.'

The Polish woman replied: 'She said, yes. When I asked her for DNA before this whole situation, when I asked her for some pictures from her pregnancy, some childhood pictures she refused.'

Wendell had claimed she was never shown photos of herself in her early years or a birth certificate, her parents had quickly refuted this  and provided evidence.

They said in a statement: 'For us as a family it is obvious that Julia is our daughter, granddaughter, sister, niece, cousin and step niece. We have memories, we have pictures.

'Julia also has these photos, because she took them from the family home with the birth certificate, as well as numerous hospital discharges.

'We always tried to understand all situations that happened with Julia. Threats to our address from Julia, her lies and manipulations, activity on the internet... we've seen it all and we've tried to prevent it, explain it, we've asked her to stop.'

Wendell (right) has been assisted by Dr Fia Johansson (left), a private investigator and psychic medium, in submitting DNA samples

Kate and Gerry McCann have not commented on Wendell's false claims

Madeleine went missing while on holiday with her family in Praia da Luz at the Ocean Club apartments (pictured)

They added: 'We always tried to help her get back on her feet. Julia has been of age for several years. She moved out of the house.

'She refuses treatment, does not take medication regularly. She also did not take advantage of the possibility of treatment at a very good centre in Poland, which agreed to accept her.'

They explained that they had offered to provide Wendell with therapists, medicine and support over the years, adding: 'Julia once wanted to be a singer, a model. She always wanted to be popular. What's happening now is she [has] 1 million followers.

'The internet won't forget, and it's obvious that Julia isn't Maddie. We are devastated at this current situation.'
A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind.
The aunt of murdered Zara Aleena has urged Dominic Raab to develop a law forcing criminals to attend their sentencing - after Olivia Pratt-Korbel's killer refused to go to court yesterday.

Thomas Cashman, 34, refused to appear in the dock as he was jailed for life with a minimum term of 42 years at Manchester Crown Court for the fatal shooting of the nine-year-old schoolgirl in Dovecot, Liverpool, on August 22 last year.

It comes after Jordan McSweeney, 29, refused to leave his cell as he was sentenced for the murder of aspiring lawyer Ms Aleena in December.

McSweeney was handed a life sentence and jailed for at least 38 years in his absence after admitting the sexual assault and murder of the 35-year-old in Ilford, east London, in June last year.

Ms Aleena's aunt Farah Naz today called on the Government to 'move forward' with a proposed law to force criminals to attend court or extend their jail time if they refuse.

Farah Naz, the aunt of murdered aspiring lawyer Zara Aleena, pictured during a Million Women Rise march from Oxford Street to Trafalgar Square in London last month

Thomas Cashman, 34, refused to appear in the dock as he was jailed for life with a minimum term of 42 years at Manchester Crown Court

McSweeney, who had 28 previous convictions, refused to attend his sentencing for the murder of Ms Aleena because he 'didn't want to relive' the night

She told BBC Breakfast: 'Surely the judgment is part of the punishment... we need to see that the process will deter further crime and how can the process feel like a punishment if the convict actually exercises their bit of power?

'It's the last bit of power that needs to be taken away, certainly in our eyes. I think there are other ways to make the convict come to face their judgment and that would be to add time to their sentencing or there can be other ways.

READ MORE: Ministers vow to force cowardly killers to face victims' families in court Advertisement

'Otherwise we don't have people deterred from committing crimes if they're just moving from cell to cell there's no sense of punishment.

'I would like Dominic Raab to move forward with developing this law.'

Recalling the sentencing of McSweeney, Ms Naz said she had wanted to see the murderer 'face his crime', but instead was left feeling 'incomplete'.

She added: 'We wanted to be able to see him be sentenced, be judged and to face the courtroom to face his judgement. We wanted to watch him watch the footage of him murdering Zara and what he did to her.

We wanted to see the humanity and for him to have the moment where he could face his crime and for a moment it was an opportunity for him to be human and face us.

'As a result, the whole process felt incomplete, he legal process felt incomplete. A judgement in our mind feels like part of the punishment.

'It is a full stop. Here is the crime, here is the judgement and now begins your sentence.

'It felt like he still had some amount of power. He took power over Zara and then in the courtroom he took power.

Ms Naz, a psychotherapist, also said criminals should be 'incentivised' to attend their sentencing hearings.

Zara Aleena (pictured) was sexually assaulted and murdered in Ilford, east London, in June last year

Nine-year-old schoolgirl Olivia Pratt-Korbel was shot dead inside her home in Dovecot, Liverpool, on August 22 last year

Her comments come after Cashman did not face Olivia's family yesterday, whining about Crown Prosecution Service lawyers turning his trial into a 'circus' because they had celebrating putting him behind bars.

Defence barrister John Cooper KC told the sentencing the killer would not attend the hearing because he was aware that CPS officials had sung 'We Are The Champions' following the verdict.

He said: 'He has been spoken to and been given certain advice but he is concerned that the matter is turning into a circus.'

Trial judge Mrs Justice Yip said she regarded his lack of attendance as 'disrespectful' to not only the court but those interested in proceedings, including the family of the deceased.

But she made it clear she did not extend his sentence to take into account his cowardly behaviour.

A Ministry of Justice source said ministers are now pursuing a law change to ensure criminals face their sentencing in person.

They said: 'Olivia Pratt-Korbel and her family weren't able to hide from Thomas Cashman's crime - so he shouldn't be able to hide from justice.

'This is exactly why the Deputy Prime Minister is committed to changing the law so that offenders are forced to face the consequences of their actions.'

Mr Raab wants to change the law to add time onto sentences for criminals who refuse to attend their own sentencing.

Cheryl Korbel (centre) listens as Detective Superintendent Mark Baker makes a statement outside Manchester Crown Court

But former Old Bailey judge Wendy Joseph KC said there are 'practical difficulties' in creating such a law.

She said: 'There is a compelling case for encouraging defendants to be in court for the sentencing exercise, but there are real practical difficulties.

'If a defendant refused to leave the prison estate, you are talking about handcuffing him, tying him up, manhandling him into a van, manhandling him into courtroom.

'Even if you do that, if someone is determined not to take part in a hearing, you can't actually force him to look into the eyes of the person who is describing the trauma that he has inflicted on their family.

'You can't force him to listen if he puts his fingers in his ears. There are certain things you can do to encourage him, but you don't want to deprive one of the most serious moments of a court case of the gravity of its meaning.'

Cashman became the latest in strong of high-profile killers who have lacked the character to take their punishment in person.

McSweeney, who had 28 previous convictions, refused to attend his sentencing for the murder of Ms Aleena because he 'didn't want to relive' the night.

he had attempted to follow several women that night before he violently attacked Ms Aleena when she was 'just minutes' away from her home.

He stalked her along Cranbrook Road before dragging her into a driveway where he brutally kicked, stamped on and sexually assaulted her, before leaving her for dead.

Emergency services were called at 2.44am after she was found with severe head injuries and struggling to breathe.

Ms Aleena was taken to hospital where she died later that morning from multiple injuries.
Her family fear if the bedbound grandmother is forced back to the UK she will die

The family of an elderly British woman with Alzheimer's, who faces being ripped away from her loved ones and deported from Sweden, fear she won't survive the journey to the UK if she is forced to return.

Bedbound Kathleen Poole, a 74-year-old widow, moved to Sweden from Macclesfield 18 years ago to be close to her son Wayne and his Swedish wife Angelica and their four children.

But 11 years ago, she developed dementia and has been in a care home near her family for the past 10 years and is now so incapacitated she cannot feed herself or go to the bathroom unaided.

An application made on her behalf by her family has been rejected by 'inhumane' Swedish immigration chiefs because she does not have an up-to-date passport or financial statements to demonstrate her right to be in the country post-Brexit.

Angelica, 42, said: 'We don't know just how long she has left which is why we're fighting so hard to keep her in Sweden with us. We don't know if she would even survive the journey to England because her health is so poor, there's a significant risk that she wouldn't.'

Her family say they have not updated her passport as she is bed-bound and can no longer travel. Mrs Poole is pictured in her bed at her care home in Sweden

Widow Kathleen Poole, 74, (centre) moved to Sweden from Macclesfield 18 years ago to be close to her son, Wayne (right), his Swedish wife, Angelica (left) and their four children

Kathleen Poole, an elderly British woman with Alzheimer's who faces being ripped away from her loved ones and deported from Sweden, was given fresh hope today  as immigration chiefs promised to look again at her case. Mrs Poole (left) is pictured with her son Wayne (right)

News that the pensioner would be thrown out of Sweden was met with outrage in the UK, with politicians branding it 'cruel' and 'deeply shocking'.

But last night, Mrs Poole's family was given fresh hope after Swedish authorities claimed they would look again at Mrs Poole's case.

Officials told the pensioner's loved ones to supply them with a doctors' letter outlining her condition so that authorities can 'reassess her situation'.

'We have just been told to get medical certificate detailing her condition, explaining that she cannot move and is confined to bed, that she cannot eat or speak and is extremely fragile,' Angelica told MailOnline from her home in Tanumshede in south-west Sweden.

'Once we give that to the Migration Agency, an official there told us they will reassess the situation.

'It's positive news but I won't get too far ahead of myself because they don't seem to be communicating with the Swedish Police Authority who are continuing to pressurise the British Embassy in Stockholm into finding alternative accommodation and care for Kathleen in the UK.

'They haven't done so yet and neither have my husband and I because I made a promise to my children that their grandmother will stay in Sweden. And I always keep my promises.'

Angelica continued: 'Kathleen's family is here. She has a sister and brother who live in Buxton in Derbyshire but they haven't seen her in 10 to 15 years.

'The simple fact is that Kathleen's life were her grandchildren. It's been incredibly tough on them to watch her slowly slip away but we aren't giving up.'

In 2004, Mrs Poole, gave up her job as a hotel chambermaid and with her husband, Ron, followed her son and daughter-in-law to the town of Tanumshede, just north of Gothenburg and close to the Norwegian border. She is pictured with her late husband

Mrs Poole's daughter-in-law Angelica (left) told MailOnline that immigration officials instructed the family to get a medical certificate detailing Mrs Poole's (right) condition, explaining that she cannot move and is confined to bed, that she cannot eat or speak and is extremely fragile

Mrs Poole is pictured next to her son Wayne as she reads a card and enjoys a box of chocolates

In 2004, Mrs Poole, gave up her job as a hotel chambermaid and with her husband, Ron, followed her son and daughter-in-law to the town of Tanumshede, just north of Gothenburg and close to the Norwegian border.

Her family have released touching photographs of her. In one image she is seen sitting next to her beloved husband Ron on a bench amidst a tranquil countryside setting. In others pictures, Mrs Poole poses with her three granddaughters and grandson and is seen clutching a box of chocolates.

In another touching snap, she lovingly cradles a new-born grandchild.

Ron passed away a few years ago from a stroke and Mrs Poole developed Alzheimer's when she was 63. The degenerative illness has meant she is now no longer able to look after herself.

She needs to be hoisted from her bed by carers to get into a wheelchair. She also uses continence pads.

Her loved ones said they made an application for her to remain in Sweden before the 2021 deadline. However, it was rejected as she did not have a passport.

Last year, they were told she would be deported in September. Police reportedly showed up at the care home a few months later in January when her loved ones, who do not have power of attorney, were unable to provide the documents needed for her to stay in Sweden.

Officers went through the pensioner's wardrobes and riffled through her clothes before quizzing carers about her, the family said.

Mrs Poole developed dementia 11 years ago and has been in a care home for the past decade. She is now so incapacitated by the degenerative illness she cannot feed herself or go to the bathroom unaided

Mrs Poole cuddles one of her grandchildren. She now faces being ripped from her family and deported to the UK, having not lived there for 18 years

Mrs Poole is seen clutching a box of chocolates in a photo shared by her family

News of Mrs Poole's plight has outraged campaigners, who have lashed out at the decision - with Labour MP Hilary Benn branding it 'deeply shocking'.

Councillor Laura Jeuda, who represents Macclesfield South at Cheshire East Council, told MailOnline: 'I think it's very cruel... I'm really surprised at Sweden. We know them for being very caring  their social care is really good.

'It's just bizarre they should pick on a woman of that age who has this added complication of dementia.

'We don't know what will happen to that poor woman if she's ripped away from her family and taken to a strange county she won't remember.'

The Labour councillor called on Whitehall to step in and oppose the decision by the Swedish authorities.

Branding the fiasco as 'another downside of Brexit', Ms Jeuda added: 'We need to get something from government on this, otherwise what are we saying about our old people  that they really don't matter?'

David Milstead, a British professor of physics in Sweden who is part of the British in Sweden group, hit out at police.

He said they were 'just doing a box-ticking exercise' about what she can take with her instead of saying 'this is preposterous, this should not be happening'.

'Cruel' and 'deeply shocking': Labour MP Hilary Benn, left, has lashed out at the move by Sweden to deport Mrs Poole, formerly from Macclesfield. While ocal councillor Laura Jeuda (right), who represents Macclesfield South at Cheshire East Council, blasted the decision to deport the pensioner, labelling it 'cruel'

Under the withdrawal agreement for Brexit, UK citizens living in the EU before the 2016 referendum were granted the right to remain.

However, in several countries, it involved completing applications and paperwork to prove historical rights under free movement rules.

Mrs Poole and her family are being supported by the Foreign Office.

A spokesperson for the Swedish government has said it is 'against the law' to comment on any immigration matter while the European Commission said it was 'aware' of Mrs Poole's case and that it was 'in touch' with Swedish authorities.

More than 520,000 people in the UK have dementia caused by Alzheimer's disease.

MailOnline has approached the Swedish Migration Agency for comment.
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The fervent anticipation surrounding former President Donald Trump's NYC arraignment today bubbled into full-blown chaos outside the courthouse where he appeared, with protesters clashing and heckling members of the press.

The former president departed Trump Tower for the downtown courthouse flanked by a Secret Service in the early afternoon. Suspense had been building all morning.

Outside Trump Tower, Democrat protesters clanged cowbells and commanded the former president to 'wake up and smell the justice' while some of his fans declared their love and loyalty. There was a false start with a Trump impersonator in a limousine who momentarily fooled some of those gathered at the Manhattan skyscraper.

At the courthouse, an angrier scene played out.

Trump fan Juliet Germanotta threw herself at an anti-Trump banner and attempted to rip it up. She was met with incredulity from the protesters who'd erected it and a scrappy back-and-forth ensued, during which she yelled: 'I have COVID!'

Fox 5 Reporter Stephanie Bertini was heckled and shouted down as she tried to report live from the scene, while another woman was seen yelling: 'F**k white people!' and a man carrying a sound boom threatened others not to 'f**k with him'.

Disgraced Congressman George Santos made a surprise appearance and was warmly greeted by Germanotta, a well-known Republican protester, while Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene, the firebrand Trump acolyte, was drowned out as she tried to speak by anti-Trump protesters screaming Nazi and go back to Georgia b****.

Trump bypassed the chaos when he arrived, entering the courthouse through a shut-down street surrounded by Secret Service agents.

A supporter of former U.S. President Donald Trump holds a U.S. flag outside Manhattan Criminal Courthouse, on the day of Trump's planned court appearance after his indictment by a Manhattan grand jury following a probe into hush money paid to porn star Stormy Daniels, in New York City, U.S., April 4, 2023

People demonstrate outside Manhattan Criminal Courthouse, on the day of former U.S. President Donald Trump's court appearance after his indictment by a Manhattan grand jury following a probe into hush money paid to porn star Stormy Daniels, in New York City, U.S., April 4, 2023

Donald Trump is seen leaving Trump Tower for the Manhattan Criminal Court on Tuesday to be arraigned

A supporter of former US president Donald Trump argues with opponents outside the Manhattan District Attorney's office in New York City on April 4, 2023

Former President Donald Trump sits at the defense table with members of his legal team

Chaos at the courthouse: Trump fan Juliet Germanotta, dressed in a denim jacket and a MAGA hat, throws herself over a Trump banner outside the courthouse

Protesters clashing outside of One Hogan Place, New York, NY, Tuesday April 4th, 2023.

Germanotta got back on her feet and began arguing with one of his critics after trying to tear down an anti-Trump sign outside the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse

Germanotta had been trying to tear down a sign that reads 'Trump Lies All The Time'. She had crossed over from her 'side', then told the other women: 'I have COVID!' while yelling in their faces

Protesters argue at the Collect Pond Park across the street from the Manhattan District Attorney's office in New York on Tuesday, April 4, 2023

Protesters clashing outside of One Hogan Place, New York, NY, Tuesday April 4th 2023

Even those who had come to the historic event to film it clashed outside. A man who appeared to be part of a sound crew (left) was filmed grabbing another man by the neck and yelling him

Marjorie Taylor Greene (bottom left0 was swarmed by reporters as she arrived at her planned protest

Germanotta is shown arriving earlier in the day. She told the other protester: 'I have COVID' as she yelled in her face =

Before entering the court, he posted on Truth Social: 'Heading to Lower Manhattan, the Courthouse. Seems so SURREAL  WOW, they are going to ARREST ME. Cant believe this is happening in America. MAGA!'

Rep Greene tried to address the crowd with a megaphone while standing on a bench to show support for Trump.

She said the case was a travesty and that it should never happen in America ever. Rep Greene said that if Trump could be prosecuted then American should be concerned.

But she could barely be heard over screams from the crowd of go back to Georgia you fucking b****!

One male protester screamed: F*** you, you white trash Nazi

We dont like Nazis in New York!

Another man told her to get out of our f****** city and shove your Jewish space lasers up your a**, a reference to a controversial remark Rep Greene has made.

A few of Rep Greenes supporters shouted we love you but after speaking for just five minutes she left.

Back in her car, she compared Trump to Nelson Mandela and Jesus Christ.

Crowds gather at the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse on the day of former U.S. President Donald Trump's planned court appearance

Law enforcement officers stand guard as people gather outside Manhattan Criminal Courthouse on Tuesday

FOX 5T reporter Stephanie Bertini was heckled as she tried to report live from the scene

Bertini's crew from FOX stood in front of her at one stage to keep her back from the angry protesters

Donald Trump was indicted Thursday by a Manhattan grand jury on more than 30 counts related to business fraud. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has been investigating the former president in connection with his alleged role in a hush money payment scheme and cover-up involving adult film star Stormy Daniels

Anti-Trump protesters demonstrate outside Manhattan Criminal Courthouse on the day of former U.S. President Donald Trump's planned court appearance after his indictment by a Manhattan grand jury

Police officers take a demonstrator into custody as pro- and anti-Trump demonstrators gather near Manhattan court ahead of the former US President Donald Trump's arraignment in New York, United States on April 04, 2023

Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg arrives at his office on Tuesday morning ahead of the historic arraignment that is the first step in a career-defining case for him

U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene speaks outside Manhattan Criminal Courthouse on the day of former U.S. President Donald Trump's planned court appearance

Taylor Greene had planned her own protest to take place near the courthouse, but supporters were outnumbered by journalists. Above, a counter-protest sign mocking the Georgia Congresswoman

Taylor Greene, flanked by security, appeared briefly before being led back to her car. She was heckled with cries of 'Nazi!' as she made her way through a frantic crowd

Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene addressed a growing crowd outside of the courthouse just before noon

Shamed Congressman George Santos arriving at the courthouse on Tuesday ahead of Trump's indictment

The crowds of fans were nowhere near the size of those who gathered in Washington DC on January 6, 2021. Instead, a handful of smaller groups and individuals turned out to show their support.

Among them was Ricardo Ricky Superstar Varano, a 62-year-old, 7/11 cashier from the Bronx.

He told DailyMail.com: 'If he goes down Ill go down. Ive got to do what Ive got to do. Im here to make people feel this is real, Im with Donald Trump all the way. This indictment is phony. Its a hoax.

'They have to find something because they see these rallies and they see he is building so they want to stop him.

'How can you stop people who are encouraging people and trying to make the world a better. We had no problems under him as president for four years. Im going down to the courthouse!'

Julie Delaurier, 66, retired from Brooklyn, wearing a black t-shirt with Arrest Trump on it and holding a mock up image of Trump behind bars.

'I am celebrating the fact that Trump will finally see the inside of the court room after decades of criminal enterprise. I face the same law and my son saw the inside of a court room for jumping a turnstile so I think Trump can for this too.

'He answers to the same law as you and I do and everyone else. We are finally seeing the rule of law,' she told DailyMail.com outside Trump Tower.

Protest organizer Gavin Wax, the president of the New York Young Republican Club, told DailyMail.com after speaking to protestors: 'We are watching our justice system be exploited for political purposes.'

'It is very unfortunate, and we are trying to call that out, by protesting peacefully and exercising our First Amendment rights.'

Another speaker at the protest, Kevin Smith, said Trump's arrest signaled 'the day America changes.'

'We just don't jail our political opponents,' added Smith, the leader of conservative action group Loud Majority. 'I think if Trump hadnt announced or was down in the polls this wouldnt have happened - how do you put a gag order on a guy running for president?'

(Almost) had you fooled! A Trump impersonator rolled up to Trump Tower in a limousine to distract the crowd

Trump supporters filled the streets outside the courthouse, including Johnny Gutierrez, pictured, who slammed the 'weaponization' of the justice system against Trump

Michael Picard, pictured, travelled from his tobacco farm in Connecticut to show his support for the former president

Nicole Kerr, 23, told DailyMail.com she joined in the scenes outside the courthouse to 'celebrate' Trump's arrest

One man dubbed the 'naked cowboy' sang numerous pro-Trump songs within the protests

Outside the New York Supreme Court building, a woman let out a loud shriek of joy when she heard Trump had been officially arrested

Demonstrators were quickly divided by law enforcement and metal barriers in the area outside the Manhattan courthouse, with supporters from both sides hurling insults at each other for several hours before Trump made his appearance.

'This is an unjust prosecution, when Trump becomes president he will put DA Bragg in Guantanamo Bay,' said Michael Picard, who insisted the prosecution may aid the former president's re-election bid and help him 'win with the wind behind his back'.

Dressed in red, white and blue dungarees, Picard said he travelled from his tobacco farm in Connecticut to show his support, adding: 'They wouldn't be going after him if he wasn't running for president'.

He was joined in the crowd by Johnny Gutierrez, who condemned the 'weaponization' of the political system against the 2024 presidential candidate.

'We are in the middle of a constitutional crisis,' he continued. 'This man is the most investigated individual in the world. It's unfair that the leading Republican candidate and former president is here on trumped up charges.'

But on the other side of the divide, Nicole Kerr, 23, said she travelled to the courthouse simply to 'celebrate' the former president's arrest, joining in raucous chanting and cheering among the anti-Trump crowd.

'What he did was wrong, and he's getting what he deserves,' she said. 'Trump has gotten away with so much, and now he's finally getting caught.'

Outside the nearby New York Supreme Court building, a woman waving an American flag let out a loud shriek of joy after hearing that Trump had been officially arrested soon after midday.

One protestor, who told DailyMail.com he served five tours of combat before becoming an activist, waved a large flag reading 'Trump Lost'

A demonstrator pictured wearing a rubber Trump mask and orange prison jumpsuit

Trump Tower: Former President Donald Trump was arraigned today following his indictment by a grand jury on charges related to money he paid in 2016 to adult film actress Stormy Daniels

Supporters stand outside Trump Tower waiting for former US President Donald Trump to leave for his arraignment on April 4, 2023

After being indicted by a Manhattan grand jury last week, Trump traveled to New York, where he appeared at New York criminal court on 04 April to hear the charges against him

Members of the world's media lined up outside last night to ensure a space in the courtroom this morning

Journalists gather outside Manhattan Criminal Courthouse on Tuesday morning ahead of Donald Trump's arraignment

Reporters and photographers camped outside the courthouse last night

Reporters, photographers and line holders for news agencies wait in line to get into the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse, after former U.S. President Donald Trump's indictment by a Manhattan grand jury following a probe into hush money paid to porn star Stormy Daniel

Policemen take position outside of the Manhattan District Court in New York on April 4, 2023, ahead of the arrival of former American president Donald Trump. - Donald Trump will make an unprecedented appearance before a New York judge on April 4

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, whose career will be defined by the controversial case, was seen quietly slipping into his office a few hours earlier, while Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene prepared to host her own protest nearby.

She was warned yesterday by New York City Mayor Eric Adams to be on her 'best behavior' while in town.

The indictment - the first against any former US president - has been met with glee among Trump's political enemies and disgust among many Republicans, who see it as nothing more than a biased attempt by left-wing prosecutors to stop him from returning to office.

The case has bolstered support among his die-hard donors and fans; in Massachusetts and New Hampshire Trump now leads main rival Ron DeSantis.

Trump now leads in both states. In Massachusetts, he has a 24 point lead on DeSantis, according to new Boston Herald/Opinion Diagnostics poll. In New Hampshire, his lead is narrower at 13 percent.

Since the indictment was handed down last Thursday, Trump's team says he has raised a record $8million in donations.

By 6am there were more than 120 in line with dozens of TV cameras pointing at the courthouse and 20 satellite trucks parked on the streets.

Reporters had eaten pizza and bagels during the night and handed out bananas down the line in the morning.

Police barricades lined all the streets around the court with half a dozen officers on every corner.

In the building there were two overflow rooms for the press and public with a capacity of 260 people.

Judge Merchan banned TV cameras from the courtroom after Trumps lawyers objected, but he did allow still photographers in court.

Photographers were allowed to shoot from the corridor leading to the courtroom as well.

Reporters have also been banned from using electronics in the courtroom, the judge ruled, saying that anyone caught using a phone or laptop would have it confiscated.

The ruling came after Trumps lawyers argued against cameras in court because it would create a circus-like atmosphere

An inflatable caricature of Trump as a rat was erected near Trump Tower yesterday at the General William Tecumseh Sherman Monument next to Central Park

An anti-Trump protester in a jail jumpsuit and plastic mask was also seen outside Trump Tower the day before his arraignment

Along with journalists were tourists who became caught up in the chaos surrounding Trump Tower
His son, Jay Stephens, 23, stomped on the man's head

A father and son who viciously bashed a stranger on a busy city street before stabbing him multiple times and stomping on his head had 'no motive' for the horrific crime.

Convicted criminals Jared Pihlgren, 53, and his son Jay Stephens, 23, pleaded guilty to the random attack in County Court of Victoria on Tuesday.

The pair admitted to assaulting a 35-year-old man who was walking along Lonsdale St in Melbourne about 12.30am on December 17, 2021.

Disturbing CCTV footage shows the pair walking behind the man near a set of traffic lights before Stephens approaches and punches him in the head.

The pair trade blows and wrestle as Stephens' father watches on before stepping in after his son falls to the ground.

As the stranger attempts to walk away, Stephens gets back to his feet and continues throwing punches.

A criminal father and son have pleaded guilty to assaulting an innocent man on a Melbourne street on December 17, 2021

The victim manages to overpower Stephens at one point and throws him to the ground.

This prompts Pihlgren to pull out a knife and stab the man in the back.

Pihlgren proceeds to stab the man multiple times and slashes the knife across the back of his head.

The shocking vision sees the man's body go limp as blood pools underneath him.

Shortly after, Stephens returns and cruelly stomps on the victim's head before the pair fled the scene.

Jared Pihlgren, 53, stabbed the man multiples times in the back and slashed his head before his son Jay Stephens (pictured), 23, stomped on the victim's head

Bystanders gathered around the victim and called for an ambulance.

He was rushed to hospital where his heart stopped for three minutes and he had to undergo emergency surgery.

His family flew to Australia from Korea and initially believed their son was going to die.

Police managed to track down and arrest Pihlgren and Stephens just hours after the assault, reports the Herald Sun.

They were able to locate the father and son thanks to CCTV footage, which showed Stephens' distinct red shorts and Pihlgren's white hoodie.

Pihlgren told detectives he was 'trying to break up' the fight between his son and the man when he was initially interviewed.

He fronted County Court on Monday and pleaded guilty to intentionally causing serious injury. Stephens also pleaded guilty.

Pihlgren, who pleaded guilty to the assault and is awaiting sentencing, has an extensive 30-year criminal history that includes weapons offences, assault, property damage and making death threats

Prosecutor Jamie Singh told the court the man would've died from his wounds if he was not treated by hospital staff.

The victim also said he would leave Australia if Pihlgren was ever released from prison.

Pihlgren has an extensive criminal past that dates back 30 years, with charges in Victoria, Western Australia, South Australia and Queensland.

He has previously been charged with weapons offences, assault, property damage and making death threats.

Stephens and his younger brother, Isaiah, were convicted of assaulting assistant police commissioner Chris ONeill near Heyington train station in Toorak on June 2019.

His sons Jay and Isaiah Stephens (pictured) assaulted assistant police commissioner Chris ONeill at a train station in June 2019. Jay was jailed for 20 months

Mr O'Neill confronted the duo when they were booted from a train for anti-social behaviour including vomiting and urinating.

The brothers proceeded to punch the assistant commissioner in front and from behind before fleeing.

Stephens was sentenced to 20 months jail while Isaiah was slapped with a two and a half year Community Corrections Order with 200 hours community work back in May 2020.

Pihlgren and Stephens will be sentenced over the assault of the man on April 13.
A protection officer who worked directly for Vladimir Putin has defected from Russia, labelling the Kremlin despot a 'war criminal' for his invasion of Ukraine.

Gleb Karakulov, 35, is a captain in the Federal Guard Service, known as the FGS or FSO, who escaped Russia to the safety via Istanbul.

Now, he has revealed in an interview that Putin is so paranoid about his personal security, assassination attempts and health and that he opts to stay 'in his bunker' rather than make regular trips across the country like he used to.

Karakulov added that the Russian despot is 'mortally afraid' of Covid and is isolating for the fourth year, and that he never uses a mobile phone out of fear of being bugged by the West - instead taking a special communications box with him.

Dossier independent media - which revealed Karakulov's testimony - claims he is the highest ranking defector so far from Putin's immediate security circle.

Gleb Karakulov, a protection officer who worked directly for Vladimir Putin, has defected from Russia, labelling the despot a 'war criminal'

Putin, center, visits the Tulazheldormash plant, a leading Russian machine-building enterprise, during his trip to the Central Federal District, in Tula, Russia, Tuesday, April 4

Karakulov said Putin is 'mortally afraid' of Covid and is isolating for the fourth year. Pictured: Putin sits across a vast table from French president Emmanuel Macron in Moscow, Feb. 2022

Vladimir Putin, pictured in April 2022, looks frail and bloated as he grips the side of a table during a meeting with his defence minister

Karakulov, an engineer who worked in the FGS since 2009, had access to Putin's personal communications, Dossier has reported.

The protection officer was reportedly responsible for earlier leaks about Putin's armoured train, which he is understood to use on his increasingly rare trips across Russia out of fear that his presidential plane could be shot down from the skies.

The leaks said the train is camouflaged in grey and red to look like a Russian normal passenger train, making it visually almost indistinguishable from the rest.

Putin's paranoia is also shown by the fact he never uses a mobile phone. 'I mean, in all my years of service, I haven't seen him once with a mobile phone,' Karakulov said.

The Russian leader is so concerned about Western bugging that he takes a special box with him on foreign trips to prevent his secret talks from leaking.

'With Putin he doesn't use the internet or a mobile phone. He only receives information from his closest circle, which means that he lives in an information vacuum,' Karakulov said.

This means his knowledge of events is filtered via the secret services - and what he watches on state controlled Russian TV.

Western analysts have long suspected that Putin has not been receiving accurate reports from his generals and others in his close-knit circle about the situation on the ground in Ukraine, out of fear of his wrath should be be told bad news.

This is demonstrated by his guards, who 'call him the Boss, worship him in every way and only ever talk of him in those terms', according to Karakulov.

Asked if Putin is always in 'lockdown', Karakulov replied: 'Yes, he is. We still have a self-isolating president. We have to observe a strict quarantine for two weeks before any event, even those lasting 15 to 20 minutes.

'There is a pool of employees who have been cleared  who underwent this two-week quarantine. They are [considered] "clean" and can work in the same room as Putin.'

However, asked about rumours of Putin being terminally ill, he appeared unaware of credible information that the dictator has had or still has cancer.

'It was not something my colleagues discussed,' he told Dossier. 'If he has any health issues, they must be due to his age. Well, he probably does have them. But it is nothing too serious, I guess.'

He added: 'I can tell you that I went on many business trips with him, and he went on many trips before 2020. After that he stayed in his bunker and maybe made just one, maximum, three business trips a year.

'Given the fact that there had been many business trips, only one or two were cancelled because of his health.'

Putin would often travel across Russia to shore-up his public image as a man of the people. However, since the Covid-19 pandemic and his invasion of Ukraine, these trips have declined in number. When he does travel, his trips are heavily stage managed - with some suggesting that he even employs a body double.

Rumours about the Russian president's declining health, mental state and unstable position within the Kremlin have swirled since long before he ordered the illegal invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022.

In the year since, the rumours have only intensified as the war appears to have taken its toll on the president, who has been seen in frequent videos released by Russia clutching on to a desk to steady himself and awkwardly shuffling his feet.

Some reports have suggested he has cancer or Parkinson's disease.

In addition to the reports on Puton's health, Karakulov seemed unaware of Putin's private life with gymnast Alina Kabaeva, 39, and their young children.

But he confirmed Putin has a 1billion cliff-top palace at Gelendzhik on the Black Sea, and the private yacht Scheherazade, as earlier revealed by Russia's independent media.

Reports of the despot's extravagant wealth and of his secret lover - believed to be hidden away from the public eye - are understood to have infuriated Putin, who styles himself as a hero of the people of Russia, where the standard of living is low.

Karakulov said Putin's guards had to observe a strict quarantine for two weeks before any event, even those lasting 15 to 20 minutes. Pictured: Putin with a blanket over his lap at Russia's 2022 victory day parade in Moscow

Karakulov confirmed Putin has a 1billion cliff-top palace, pictured, at Gelendzhik on the Black Sea, as revealed by Russia's independent media.

The defector also confirmed that the Russian despot has a private yacht, Scheherazade, pictured

It is unclear where the defector is now, but he is assumed to be in the West.

He issued an appeal to other officers to come forward with evidence about Putin as a 'war criminal'.

'I would like to address Russian officers, including the FGS officers,' he said.

'You have information that is not broadcast on television. I have only seen a tiny part of it. Come forward, support me [with more evidence]. You will help our citizens to learn the truth.

'I am sure that you had questions about the Commander-in-Chief's actions before, but the oath forced you not to ask [them] and to smoothly execute his orders.

'However, what is happening now [with the war in Ukraine] is beyond the pale, it defies reason. You mustn't follow criminal orders and serve this war criminal, Vladimir Putin. And I consider him a war criminal,' he said.

Karakulov said the invasion of Ukraine 'is simply beyond comprehension'.

'Multiple rocket launchers are being used, residential buildings and critical infrastructure are being hit.

'How many nameless victims of this war are there, how many of them are children? How many more such victims are required before you stop putting up with it?

'What is happening now in Ukraine, all this destruction, this war of aggression, terrorism, and genocide of the Ukrainian people - there is no other word for it - all this is a criminal offence.

'Our president has become a war criminal.'

Last month, Putin was charged with war crimes by the International Criminal Court (ICC). He is accused of the illegal deportation of children from Ukraine to Russia.

Vast amounts of evidence shows that several other laws outlined by the United Nations have also been broken by Russian forces.

Karakulov urged those still inside Putin's security service: 'You have to stop following these criminal orders. The FGS [FSO] officers are around the president all the time. You can just go in and indicate that this is a crime.

'It is up to you to stop this madness very quickly. I wish you would do that because it would save many lives.'

In a message to the Russian people he said: 'Our president has lost touch with the world. He has been living in an information cocoon for the past couple of years, spending most of his time in his residences, which the media very fittingly call bunkers.

Karakulov said the invasion of Ukraine 'is simply beyond comprehension' and labelled Putin a 'war criminal'

'He is pathologically afraid for his life. He surrounds himself with an impenetrable barrier of quarantines and an information vacuum.

'He only values his own life and the lives of his family and friends. The lives of your family and friends are of no interest to him.

'By tearing men from their families and sending them to be slaughtered in sovereign Ukraine, he shows he does not care in the least about what is happening to our country and Ukraine, about the fact that he brings trouble, destruction, and death to the brotherly people of Ukraine and to us.'

The 'criminal war' must be ended as soon as possible, he said. 'Life is the highest value. We have forgotten it in this country. People are considered cannon fodder.

'This will continue to be the case as long as we remain silent. This war has to end and it is time to break the silence.'

Karakulov - who worked since 2009 in the FGS - escaped when he was sent on a business trip to Kazakhstan to prepare for a Putin visit.

On this trip in October 2022 - during the war - Putin had his own bomb shelter, said the defector. 'It is a kind of paranoia,' he said. Putin 'is simply afraid'.

Karakulov's wife and daughter escaped separately also via Kazakhstan and Istanbul.

'They are not running after me with Novichok [nerve agent] yet, but they have already gone to see my relatives, and I think that the reason for this sluggish interest in me is that they think: 'There are plenty more of such engineers, one more, one less, who cares!'

He is under investigation in Russia for 'desertion'.

The captain had installed special communications links for Putin in his planes, helicopters, yachts and armoured train.

He increasingly uses the train 'because it is less conspicuous.

'Planes show up on certain [databases]. Whereas a train, how many of these grey trains are there? Most importantly, they cannot be tracked on any information resource. It's done for stealth purposes.'

Karakulov (pictured) urged those still inside Putin's security service to stop following 'criminal' orders from Putin

He said: 'The President also has a telephone booth we take on every foreign trip. It is a place from which you can conduct talks with guaranteed confidentiality.

'The booth is, of course, bulky. It is a cube about 2.5 meters high.

'Inside there is a workstation and a telephone, which one can use to talk without fear of these conversations being overheard or read by foreign intelligence.'

This box always travels abroad along with Putin's nuclear suitcase which he can use to unleash atomic war.
Within hours of Russian military blogger Vladlen Tatarsky being blown to pieces in a bombing at a cafe in St Petersburg, Russian authorities were quick to point the finger at 26-year-old anti-war activist Daria Trepova.

Video does show Trepova walking into the Street Food No 1 cafe on Sunday and giving Tatarsky, whose real name is Maxim Fomin, a small statue of himself that was filled with explosives.

And later, after she was arrested on suspicion of Tatarsky's murder, Trepova appeared in a video with her hands chained to a radiator in which she admitted to delivering the explosive-laden statue that killed the blogger. But she had earlier insisted she was the victim of a 'set up' and had not known about the explosives.

Russian authorities were quick to claim that Trepova had carried out the attack under the orders of Ukrainian special services and activists linked to jailed Putin critic Alexei Navalny, while the Kremlin accused the Ukrainian government of being behind the bombing.

But in Russia's haste to push the blame on Trepova and Ukrainian authorities, they ended up with six conflicting explanations as to what exactly happened and who was behind the attack.

And military analysts have said Trepova might not be the cold-blooded assassin they would like us to believe; instead they suggest that Tatarsky was killed by Russia's fearsome FSB as a warning to Wagner Chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, who owned the cafe where the bombing occurred.

Here, MailOnline takes a look at the various theories about Daria Trepova and who could have been behind Tatarsky's assassination.

Within hours of Russian military blogger Vladlen Tatarsky being blown to pieces in a bombing at a cafe in St Petersburg, Russian authorities were quick to point the finger at 26-year-old anti-war activist Daria Trepova (pictured)

Investigators have arrested Trepova (left) on suspicion of murdering Tatarsky (right) after she fled from the scene. Military analysts have said Trepova might not be the cold-blooded assassin they would like us to believe

Russian investigators pictured searching the cafe where Tatarsky and 32 others were wounded in a bomb attack

Who is Daria Trepova and how did the bombing happen?

Daria Trepova was seen on CCTV walking into the Street Food No 1 cafe on Sunday holding a box containing a small statue laden with explosive and handing it to Tatarsky.

Video has since emerged showing Tatarsky engaging with Trepova, who was arrested yesterday on suspicion of his murder, and saying 'What a handsome guy, is that me?' moments before the explosion ripped through the Street Food No 1 cafe and killed him.

Further footage shows Tatarsky placing the statuette back into its packaging on a small table before it exploded in his face.

A video is believed to show Daria Trepova, 26, walking to the cafe carrying a box containing what may have been the statuette said to be filled with 450g of TNT

Video has now emerged showing Tatarsky engaging with Trepova (pictured), who was arrested yesterday on suspicion of his murder, moments before the explosion ripped through the cafe and killed him

A third video shows the 26-year-old former art student emerging minutes later outside the cafe alongside blood-soaked victims of the explosion, before quietly leaving the scene alone

The art graduate, who is an anti-war activist, was seen emerging minutes later outside the cafe alongside blood-soaked victims of the explosion, before quietly leaving the scene alone.

It later emerged that a Telegram channel linked to Trepova allegedly showed she had previously made statuettes from gypsum - a material that might prevent detection of explosives.

Little is known about Trepova but Russian authorities said she was a St. Petersburg resident who had been arrested last year and spend 10 days in custody after taking part in an anti-war rally on February 24, 2022 - the day Russia invaded Ukraine.

She is married to Dmitry Rylov - also in his 20s and a member of the so-called Russian Liberation Army. He has also been detained previously at anti-war rallies in Russia.

Daria Trepova's 'confession' over bombing plot

Following Tatarsky's murder, Russian authorities launched a manhunt for Trepova after they scoured through the CCTV footage.

Trepova was arrested yesterday after more than 100 Russian officers raided at St Petersburg flat where she was staying.

She was later filmed with her hands chained to a radiator while being interrogated by Russian investigators over the assassination of Tatarsky.

In the video, where Trepova kept looking away from the camera as she spoke, the anti-war activist admitted taking the statue to Tatarsky at the Street Food Bar No. 1 cafe before he was blown to pieces in Sunday's blast.

Daria Trepova, 26, was filmed with her hands chained to a radiator while being interrogated by Russian investigators over the assassination of Tatarsky

Trepova told the Russian investigators she would tell them who gave her the explosive-laded statuette 'later'. It is not clear why Trepova was not in a cell when being questioned.

But Trepova had earlier insisted that she had been 'set up' and 'was being used' after she was arrested on suspicion of Tatarksy's murder. This claim was echoed by her husband, who insisted she had been 'set up'.

Rylov said on Monday: 'I believe that my wife was set up. I am in full confidence that she would never be able to do something like that on her own volition.

'Yes, with Daria we really do not support the war in Ukraine, but we believe that such actions are unacceptable.

'I am 100 per cent sure that she would never have agreed to such a thing if she had known.'

According to him, she 'completely misunderstood the purpose' of the statuette she gave to Tatarsky.

Suspect Daria Trepova, 26, with her partner Dmitry Rylov. Rylov, also in his 20s and a member of the so-called Russian Liberation Army, insisted that she had been 'set up'.

Russia's conflicting accounts of the explosion

Russian officials were quick to lay the blame on Trepova and Ukrainian authorities for the attack.

Russia's top counterterrorism agency had claimed Trepova had known about the contents of the statue and had carried out the attack with the help of 'Ukrainian special services' and activists who are linked to jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the Ukrainian government may be behind Tatarsky's murder, while the Russian Investigative Committee described the killing as a terrorist incident planned in Ukraine.

Russian military bloggers also piled in and claimed the explosion was carried out by Ukrainian special services who were frustrated with Tatarsky's support for Russia in the war.

Well-known Russian military blogger Vladlen Tatarsky (pictured) was killed in a bomb blast in a cafe in St Petersburg on Sunday

Images from inside the cafe appear to show Trepova (pictured) handing Tatarsky a bust of himself before she began walking back to her seat

And in one of the most bizarre claims, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, linked Tatarsky's assassination to a dispute over a monastery in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv.

'The range of various official responses is notably disjointed, with a lack of consensus among official Russian sources regarding Trepova's involvement or association with either Ukrainian special services or Navalny's Anti-Corruption Fund,' military analysts from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said.

They added: 'Official Russian responses to [Tatarsky's] death failed to generate a single narrative in the information space and led to disjointed responses from prominent pro-war voices.'

Was she framed by the FSB?

Despite Russia's best efforts to say the art school graduate had planned the attack with the help of Ukraine - a claim strongly refuted by Kyiv - military analysts have cast doubt on whether Trepova was a cold-blooded assassin.

Instead military analysts from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) have suggested that Trepova had in fact been framed by Russia's fearsome FSB agents.

They suggest that Tatarsky was killed by the FSB as a warning to Wagner Chief Vevgeny Prigozhin, who owned the cafe where the bombing occurred.

Military analsysts suggest that Tatarsky was killed by the Russia's fearsome FSB as a warning to Wagner Chief Vevgeny Prigozhin, who owned the cafe where the bombing occurred. Pictured: FSB chief Alexander Bortnikov

Military experts suggest that Tatarsky was killed by the FSB as a warning to Wagner Chief Vevgeny Prigozhin (pictured with Putin), who owned the cafe where the bombing occurred

'[Tatarsky's] assassination at Prigozhin's bar is likely part of a larger pattern of escalating Russian internal conflicts involving Prigozhin and Wagner,' the analysts said.

They pointed to how Tatarsky had attended an event earlier in the day on Sunday without incident. 'So it appears that the attack was deliberately staged in a space owned by Prigozhin.'

READ MORE: Is Putin planning to NEUTRALISE Wagner mercenary group and its leader? Advertisement

The ISW also cast doubt on Russia's claims that Ukraine had helped Trepova carry out the attack because of his pro-war blog.

'[Tatarsky] shared his ideology and activities with many other Russian milbloggers, however, and does not appear to have been a target worthy of special attention from Kyiv,' the ISW's military analysts said.

They added that Tatarsky could have instead been targeted by Putin's FSB agents because he had routinely criticised the Russian Ministry of Defence and the Russian Foreign Ministry over their failures on the battlefields of Ukraine.

'[Tatarsky's] assassination could be evidence that Putin's tolerance toward these milbloggers, in general, is waning, but it could also have resulted instead from Fomin's proximity to Prigozhin.'

Indeed, Advisor to Ukrainian Presidential Office, Mykhailo Podolyak, said yesterday that Tatarsky's assassination was a result of political competition among Russian actors.

Putin is said to have turned against Prigozhin after he 'failed to take the hint' and kept on bragging that his forces were achieving more success than Russia's army.

And the Wagner chief has risked further angering the Russian President by dismissing Moscow's generals as 'a bunch of clowns'.

Prigozhin is increasingly seen as posing a rising threat to the Kremlin leader with his daily grandstanding and outspoken boasts.

In January, he claimed his ragbag fighters have achieved heroics greater than Soviet soldiers at the Battle of Stalingrad, a key military turning point in the Second World War.

He has also openly mocked General Valery Gerasimov - the Russian commander-in-chief - who ordered that Russian soldiers should shave off their beards as part of a discipline drive in the armed forces.

Russia's defence chiefs were 'a bunch of clowns' seeking the 'glamorisation of the army', raged Prigozhin, a Soviet-era jail inmate who came to fame arranging banquets and managing online troll factories for Putin.

'Female war correspondents go into the absolute heat of [war],' said Prigozhin.

'Jail inmates fight better than units of the Guards. Servicemen with broken spines pass on their military experience at training camps, moving around like robots.

'And a bunch of clowns try to teach fighters exhausted with hard military labour how many times they ought to shave  and what kind of perfume they must use to greet high commanders.'
McDonald's bosses warn of job cuts and changes to help the company's growth

Worried fans fear their favourite McDonald's items could be axed after the boss of the fast food giant announced plans to streamline menus.

McDonald's temporarily shut all of its US offices yesterday as proposals were drawn up to get rid of a number of corporate employees around the world.

CEO Chris Kempczinski warned of job cuts in January, telling staff the firm had become 'unfocused' and changes were needed to help it grow.

In an email, he also suggested that menus could be simplified in the restructuring, writing: 'We had across the globe 70 different, distinct versions of what a crispy chicken sandwich would look like. I don't need 70 different permutations of a chicken sandwich.'

Now it is feared that other key items on the menu which have been duplicated and modified according to local tastes could be removed to scale down.

McDonald's around the world: How countries have introduced their own takes on staple menu items - from the cheeseburger to the McMuffin

Fans took to social media today to express concern over the prospect of items vanishing from the fast food menu forever.

One wrote: 'If the Egg McMuffin goes, so do I.'

Another said: 'I went to McD's in the morning ONLY because they were the only restaurant opened at 5:00 am. I vote to keep the Egg McMuffin.'

A third added: 'I swear to God, they better not remove the Spicy McChicken Sandwich. I'll lose it if they do. It's delicious.'

Another hungry fan wrote: 'As long as they don't axe the Big Mac (which has been shrinking in size over the years, unfortunately), we good.'

A fifth said: 'Where is my McRib, dammit! I want my McRib back!!'

Part of McDonald's allure abroad comes from different countries putting their own twist on classics such as the hamburger, Filet-O-Fish and McMuffin.

Variations of a McDonald's hamburger includes Japan's 'Samurai Mac' Roasted Soy Sauce Double Thick Beef burger, which features two unique patties on top of each other with cheese and onions.

Spain has a very interesting twist with their Signature Double Egg Benedictine that has two beef patties, bacon, Gouda cheese, crispy onion, egg, poppy seed bread and a creamy hollandaise sauce.

There is also a Mushroom Angus Beef Burger from Taiwan, featuring a French herb sauce and milk champagne European bread, meanwhile Korea boasts three types of onion with their 1955 Triple Onion beef burger containing grilled onion, red onion and fried onion.

Hong Kong's GCB burger, which consists of a grilled chicken thigh with lettuce and chargrill sauce

The 1955 Triple Onion Burger, featuring a patty, fried onions, red onion and onion rings, which you can find in Korea

Taiwan's Mushroom Angus Beef Burger with a French herb sauce and milk champagne European bread

Spain's Signature Double Egg Benedictine has two beef patties, bacon, Gouda cheese, crispy onion, egg, poppy seed bread and a creamy hollandaise sauce

Poland's very interesting Cottage Cheese and Radish McMuffin, described as giving the taste 'of a unique homemade breakfast'

The simple yet effective Chicken 'n' Cheese burger in Australia

Elsewhere, the classic US McChicken sandwich has been given a makeover in Japan, where it comes loaded with teriyaki sauce, while in Korea the McSpicy Shanghai Burger turns up the heat with some hot sauce.

Meanwhile, restaurants in Hong Kong have a unique GCB burger, which consists of a grilled chicken thigh with lettuce and chargrill sauce.

Spain also has a delicious-looking McCrispy Honey Mustard chicken burger, which comes with crispy chicken, gouda cheese and Batavia lettuce, topped with mustard and honey sauce inside a potato bread bun.

The Australian Chicken 'n' cheese burger is made from a simple combination of crispy coated chicken, cheese and mayonnaise.

Perhaps the most significant variations of a McDonald's burger can be found within the seafood department.

The classic Filet-O-Fish option has been given a major re-vamp in Japan with their Bai Shrimp Filet-O, featuring two fried prawn patties topped with a layer of lettuce.

Korea has another onion-based burger with their Shrimp Onion burger that comes with a fresh shrimp patty and crispy fried onions on top.

The BLT Egg Muffin - sandwiching bacon, lettuce tomato and egg all in one snack - in Korean McDonald's

The Shrimp Onion Burger, complete with breaded shrimp and onion rings in a tangy sauce, which can also be found in Korea

Do you fancy this Scrambled Eggs Burger for breakfast which can be found in Hong Kong?

A fried shrimp burger from a McDonald's in Cyprus - a breaded whole-shrimp patty, crispy lettuce and sweet-chili sauce all sandwiched between a soft corndust bun

Malaysia's Sweet Chili Fish burger, featuring breaded fish, salad and a tangy sweet chilli sauce

The 'Samurai Mac': Only available in Japan, it features two thick beef patties with cheese and roasted soy sauce

CEO Chris Kempczinski warned of job cuts in January, telling staff the firm had become 'unfocused' and changes were needed to help it grow

READ MORE: FEMAIL reveals the other fast food favorites that have disappeared over the years Advertisement

Meanwhile, Cyprus offers a Sweet Chili Fish Burger - a breaded whole-shrimp patty, which comes with crispy lettuce and sweet-chili sauce all sandwiched between a soft corndust bun.

If global McDonald's fans are upset that burger items could be taken off the menu soon, they will be even more upset to see these weird and wonderful breakfast McMuffins go - and it's pretty likely you haven't tried them before.

If you find yourself in a Korean McDonald's you could try their BLT Egg Muffin, which sounds slightly strange for breakfast.

Alternatively, punters might fancy a Scrambled Eggs burger in Hong Kong or a Potato Omelette McMuffin in Spain.

And perhaps most bizarrely - Poland has a Cottage Cheese and Radish McMuffin, which they describe as giving you the taste 'of a unique homemade breakfast'.
President Joe Biden accidentally dropped and then chased a challenge coin as it rolled away from him Monday during an awkward exchange with a senior military officer.

Biden, 80, bent down to pick up the coin after a failed handoff with US Air Force Colonel Ethan P. Hinkins.

He was greeting Hinkins before talks with a group of Minnesota lawmakers at Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport.

Biden has handed out numerous presidential coins during his tenure, including to Pope Francis and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

'I know my son would want me to give this to you, because on the back of it I have the state of Delaware and the 261st [Army] unit my son served with,' the President told the Pope during a visit to the Vatican in October 2021.

Pictured: Biden, 80, meeting US Air Force Colonel Ethan P. Hinkins

Pictured: Biden picking the coin up from the floor at Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport

Beau Biden, the President's firstborn son, served in the Delaware Army National Guard and as the First State's attorney general before he passed away due to brain cancer in 2015.

During a visit to the US in December, Biden also handed Zelensky a challenge coin in exchange for a medal from a Ukrainian military officer.

The US President has also gifted coins to athletes such as the NBA's Stephen Curry and celebrities such as Korean pop stars BTS.

On Monday, Biden gave a second challenge coin to Air Force Chief Master Sergeant Kristen M. Maloney without any issues.

Air Force One landed in the Twin Cities ahead of an address by Biden at a factory in Fridley, Minnesota to discuss his economic policy.

Biden avoided questions as he left the plane about whether he was worried about potential unrest ahead of former President Donald Trump's Tuesday arraignment in New York City.

Asked the same question later in the day, Biden told reporters: 'I have faith in the New York Police Department.'

Pictured: The coin on Biden's shoe. The President was greeting Colonel Ethan P. Hinkins before talks with a group of Minnesota lawmakers

Zelensky gave Biden a Ukrainian military medal, saying it was for merit

In December, Biden sparked concerns about his health when he spoke with a hoarse voice and coughed his way through a speech on the economy. He is the oldest President in American history.

At the time, the White House released a statement from the President's doctor Kevin O'Conner to reassure the American people that he just had a cold.

In February, Biden was declared a 'healthy' and 'vigorous' 80-year-old who is fit for office by his doctor after his annual physical at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

O'Connor provided an update on Biden's health amid concerns over his age ahead as he prepared to announce a 2024 run for President.

The results were largely unchanged from last time, aside from a lesion on his chest that was sent for cancer screening, and there was no cognitive test despite calls from Republicans.

O'Connor said Biden's gait 'remains stiff', but insisted it had not worsened since the last examination.

There was also a detailed 'neurologic exam' that found nothing 'consistent with any cerebellar or central neurological disorder'.
Ministers are facing a major Tory backlash against plans to cut the exorbitant bill for housing migrants in hotels by using a floating barge and former military bases.

An MP last night threatened to take legal action against proposals for a 20,000-a-day 'flotel' barge off the Dorset coast amid concerns that the policy could hurt the local tourism industry.

Home Secretary Suella Braverman is set to announce that a deal has been struck to house around 500 migrants in a three-storey vessel in Portland Harbour.

But a cohort comprising Dorset council, residents' groups, charities, the local police and crime commissioner and the MP are planning legal action.

The harbour is a stop-off for international cruise ships close to the Jurassic Coast Unesco World Heritage Site.

Tory MP for South Dorset Richard Drax told The Times: 'We are looking at all legal routes. We will look at any way we can stop this.'

At the same time, former home secretary Priti Patel is helping her local council in Essex with attempts to stop the Home Office using a former RAF station in Wethersfield, near Braintree, to house migrants. The base is in the constituency of Foreign Secretary James Cleverly.

'Plans to house thousands of illegal migrants in Braintree district should be scrapped,' she said.

'This is a rural site which is unsuitable to accommodate this scale of additional population and it does not have the infrastructure or public services in place.'

A local MP last night threatened to take legal action against proposals for a 20,000-a-day 'flotel' barge off the Dorset coast amid concerns that the policy could hurt the local tourism industry.

Portland Harbour is a stop-off for international cruise ships close to the Jurassic Coast Unesco World Heritage Site.

The cost of berthing the vessel, named the Bibby Stockholm, in the privately run Portland Port is understood to be more than 4,500 per day

Further costs would include utilities, catering, and healthcare utilities

Tory MP for South Dorset Richard Drax told The Times: 'We are looking at all legal routes. We will look at any way we can stop this.'

Former home secretary Priti Patel is helping her local council in Essex with attempts to stop the Home Office using a former RAF station to house migrants

The Bibby Stockholm costs around 4,500 a day to run, plus a 15,000 daily chartering fee from owner Bibby Marine.

Further costs would include utilities, catering, and healthcare utilities, it has been reported.

The barge was recently refurbished after an inspection by a regulator, which described it as an 'aggressive and oppressive environment' after being used by the Dutch government to house asylum seekers a few years ago.

The barge can house 506 people and has 222 en-suite bedrooms.

It also has a restaurant, a TV and games room, a gym as well as a furnished bar.

The Home Office is seeking ways to cut the 6million-a-day it is paying to house more than 50,000 migrants in hotels.

It said: 'The pressure on the asylum system has continued to grow and requires us to look at a range of accommodation options which offer better value for money for taxpayers than hotels.'

Previously, Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab described barges as 'one possible option', telling Sky News that the use of hotels was acting as a 'perverse incentive' to encourage crossings.

He also insisted Foreign Secretary James Cleverly 'fully supports this policy' despite Mr Cleverly's opposition to the RAF base in his constituency being used.

Mr Raab said: 'We will look at the whole range of options, low-cost accommodation, ex-Army barracks and, where it's appropriate, as has been used elsewhere in Europe, and I think in Scotland as well, vessels, if they can safely and responsibly be used.'
England's dirtiest beaches that swimmers should avoid have been revealed in time for the Easter break.

Four of the five worst-affected beaches are in the south-west county of Devon - a popular tourist destination and the only county with two coastlines.

New analysis shows that water companies dumped sewage on to English Blue Flag beaches more than 1,500 times in 2022.

The dumping took place over 8,497 hours on beaches marked as safe and environmentally friendly, raising fresh concern for swimmers and beach-goers.

Here, MailOnline reveals the popular beaches that wild swimmers should avoid this Easter bank holiday weekend.

New analysis shows that water companies dumped sewage on to English Blue Flag beaches more than 1,500 times in 2022

Blackpool Sands, in Devon, was the Blue Flag beach worst affected by the dumping and more than 1,000 hours - 42 days - of sewage was released there in 2022

Blackpool Sands in Devon saw more than 1,000 hours of sewage discharge across 63 dumpings and is the worst offender on the list.

The 'safe' swimming beaches that had sewage dumped on them in 2022 English Blue Flag beaches where sewage has been dumped Beach County Hours of spills Number of spills Avon Beach Dorset 1.18 1 Beachlands Beach Hampshire 792.57 102 Blackpool Sands Devon 1014.27 63 Breakwater Beach Devon 205.23 18 Brightlingsea Beach Essex 17.84 43 Brighton Beach Sussex 107.33 45 Dawlish Warren Devon 213.08 124 Dovercourt Bay Beach Essex 15.75 21 East Runton Beach Norfolk 0.33 2 Exmouth Beach Devon 650.81 95 Long Sands Beach Tyne and Wear 0.26 3 Mablethorpe Town Beach Lincolnshire 3.97 4 Meadfoot Beach Devon 945.75 79 Mundesley Beach Norfolk 9.73 11 Polzeath Beach Cornwall 155.64 18 Porthminster beach Cornwall 1.12 5 Porthtowan Beach Cornwall 34.01 8 Preston Sands Devon 15.98 15 Saltburn Beach North Yorkshire 144.45 55 Sandown Beach Isle of Wight 1972.11 161 Scarborough North Bay Beach Yorkshire 223.36 112 Seaburn Beach Tyne and Wear 38.25 13 Seaton Beach Devon 57.12 40 Sheringham Beach Norfolk 0.2 1 Shore Road Beach Dorset 192.42 28 Sidmouth Town Beach Devon 631.27 59 Southwold Beach Suffolk 4 13 St Leonards Beach Sussex 13.3 13 Swanage Central Beach Dorset 43.06 29 Tankerton Beach Kent 41.39 18 Teignmouth Beach Devon 124.44 69 Torre Abbey Beach Devon 192.61 27 Trevone Bay Beach Cornwall 296.74 16 West Runton Beach Norfolk 38.77 17 Westward Ho! Beach Devon 4.9 8 Weymouth Beach Dorset 2.5 13 Whitby Sands North Yorkshire 0.18 1 Whitley Bay Beach Tyne and Wear 54.44 36 Widemouth Sands Beach Cornwall 22.62 33 Advertisement

The other most affected beaches include the sheltered cove of Meadfoot Beach, in Torquay, Sidmouth Beach and Exmouth Beach, all in Devon.

Meadfoot Beach, on the picturesque English Rivera, has 946 hours worth of sewage released over 79 spills in 2022.

Sidmouth Town Beach clocked in at 631 hours and the popular Exmouth beach, which featured recently in BBC continuity announcements, saw 470 hours of sewage discharge over 39 separate spills.

Devon has more than 35million visitors a year, bringing 1.4billion to the region.

The only beach in the top five not to be found in Devon is Beachlands Beach, in Hampshire, which came in at third, figures from the Environmental Agency analysed by the Liberal Democrats show.

Other tourist hotspots, including Brighton Beach in Sussex which saw 45 discharges lasting 107 hours in total, saw significant sewage spills.

In Eastbourne, there were 77 sewage discharges lasting more than 450 hours last year.

Peter Feehan, a 22-year-old computing apprentice who grew up near the Devon beaches, said the dumping was 'very bad' and that it was 'really upsetting to see the beaches I grew up around soiled'.

Sean MacIver, 22, another Devon local, said it was a 'shame' that water firms 'don't have the proper procedures to prevent or reduce such spillages'.

It comes as Therese Coffey announced the Government's Plan For Water in a speech on Tuesday.

The Environment Secretary said it was 'completely unacceptable' that sewage was being dumped into waterways but that the problem could not be solved 'overnight'.

She added: 'Clearly the penalties that have been deployed so far... have not been a sufficient deterrence for poor performance.'

The Government wants to see more investment from water companies, stronger regulation and tougher enforcement for those who pollute.

It also includes a consultation on a ban of plastic in wet wipes and restrictions on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in firefighting foam, textiles, cleaning products, paints and varnishes.

The substances are used in non-stick coatings for cooking pans.

Fines for releasing untreated sewage would be reinvested into a new Water Restoration Fund which the Government said would support local groups and community-led schemes to clean up waterways.

The Government also wants to encourage water companies to install more smart meters in households to reduce water demand and help rare chalk stream habitats with a 1million fund.

Water companies are allowed to release sewage into waterways in the event of storm overflows.

A Department of Food, Environment and Rural Affairs spokesman said they were working with the Environment Agency to crack down on polluting water companies.

'We have put in place the strictest ever targets, and introduced the largest infrastructure programme in their history  an estimated 56billion in capital investment over the next 25 years.

'We continue to strengthen monitoring of sewage spills and, under our Plan for Water, have today launched a consultation on issuing unlimited penalties to water companies for damaging the environment.'

It was announced yesterday that Ofwat is consulting on accelerating 31 investment schemes to improve storm overflows and reduce sewage spills.

Water Minister Rebecca Pow said the investment would build on 'key commitments' to tackle pollution and reduce water consumption.

She added: 'It includes 1.1 billion of new investment to stop sewage discharges at sites across the country and will deliver a reduction of 10,000 discharges per year in places like Lake Windermere, the River Wharfe, Falmouth and Sidmouth.

'The investment set out here will also provide an important boost for regional jobs, businesses and local communities.'

As part of the package of reforms, 70million will be spent in Sidmouth and Falmouth to upgrade storm overflows.

East Devon MP, Simon Jupp, who represents Sidmouth and Exmouth, said on Monday that he was pleased South West Water would increase investment.

'We pay the highest sewerage bills in the country and this new multi-million-pound investment is much needed to upgrade our water infrastructure in Sidmouth and reduce nutrient pollution in Axminster.'

A recent parliamentary question revealed Southern Water, the regional water company for Sussex, breached sewage permits 195 times in 2022, compared to 118 times in 2021.

Water company bosses have raked in 51million in the last two years.

Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said on Tuesday that Britain's beaches were being 'ruined' by 'profiteering' water companies and accused the Government of failing to act.

Last night it was revealed water firms dumped sewage on England's cleanest beaches more than 1,500 times last year.

Meadfoot Beach in Torquay. Devon has more than 35million visitors a year, bringing 1.4billion to the region

Swimmers at Meadfoot Beach in Torquay in 2021. Water companies are allowed to release sewage into waterways in the event of storm overflows

'Whilst these firms have been raking in multi-billion pound profits, people have been left to swim in raw sewage. The whole thing stinks.

'Therese Coffey has had six months in the job and failed to take any meaningful action on these companies.

'It is clear she simply doesn't care about our country's rivers and seas and should therefore resign or be sacked. What is the point of an Environment Secretary who doesn't care about the environment?

'Conservative MPs have shown time and again that they couldn't care less about our rivers and coastlines. This Government is as guilty as the water companies in allowing this national nature scandal.'

Tim Farron, Liberal Democrat spokesman for the environment, said last week that Coffey should resign over sewage statistics.

The other most affected beaches include Meadfoot Beach, in Torquay, Sidmouth Beach and Exmouth Beach, which are all in the southwest county of Devon

Meadfoot Beach on the English Rivera in Torbay. The secluded spot is a popular place for sea swimming, despite the sewage dumping

Meadfoot Beach was also in the top five of most affected beaches, where sewage was dumped for 946 hours in 2022

Toby Willison, Southern Waters Director of Environment and Quality, said the data showed a fall in overall storm overflow releases and that the firm was 'already exceeding' government expectations.

He added that the water company is looking to roll out more 'small-scale, innovative nature-based and engineering solutions which slow the flow of surface water' over the next two years.

'Larger construction projects have also made a big difference, including a new 11km sewer pipe in Brighton, which along with two associated pumping stations and a wastewater treatment works, ensures that the 95million litres of wastewater from Brighton and the surrounding areas is fully treated.

Sidmouth sea front, with the red cliffs of the Jurassic Coast in Devon. Sidmouth was one of the most affected Blue Flag beaches

Sidmouth pictured from the top of the cliffs. The small Devon town welcomes tens of thousands of visitors every year and was had one of the strongest post-Covid recoveries in the region

Exmouth beach in May 2020. The popular RNLI-protested location is a favourite of tourists and locals and featured in BBC continuity announcements

Bays in England with a Blue Flag mark - an international award recognising the finest stretches of coastline - were soiled for nearly 8,500 hours in total. Pictured: protester against sewage in Newquay, Cornwall, 2022

'Our digital monitors now cover 98.5 per cent of our outfalls, and will hit 100 per cent by this time next year. We will continue to report our progress in a transparent and open way.'

Labour's shadow environment secretary Jim McMahon said on Monday: 'This announcement is nothing more than a shuffling of the deck chairs and a reheating of old, failed measures that simply give the green light for sewage dumping to continue for decades to come.

'This is the third sham of a Tory water plan since the summer. There's nothing in it that tells us how, if or when they will end the Tory sewage scandal.'
A man has been arrested after he crashed a car he had allegedly stolen, leaving it balancing precariously on the edge of a cliff.

Police were called on Sunday after they received reports of a road traffic collision on the Isle of Wight.

The white Ford Mondeo left the road in the Compton area of the Isle of Wight and was at risk of tumbling into the sea.

Fortunately for the occupant, the car came to a halt before the edge of the cliff.

Witnesses helped the man from the car before he was arrested by police on suspicion of stealing the car as well as driving without a valid licence or insurance.

A suspected car thief almost plunged off the edge of a cliff after losing control of the Ford Mondeo in Compton, Isle of Wight on Sunday, pictured

The car left the carriage way around 3.45pm near Military Road on the island's west coast

Hampshire Constabulary said: 'We were called to a concern for the welfare of a man near Military Road at about 3.45pm on 2 April.

'This involved a white Ford Mondeo near a cliff edge.

'The occupant of the vehicle was assisted by members of the public.

'Following enquiries, officers arrested a 26-year-old man from Newport on suspicion of theft of a motor vehicle, driving without a licence and driving without insurance.

'He has been released on police bail.'

Witnesses assisted the man before police arrived and arrested him on suspicion of theft
He died in hospital and the Metropolitan Police are working to inform his family

Detectives are searching for a gunman after a man in his 20s is understood to have been gunned down in a south London street in the early hours of this morning.

Emergency crews were called at around 2.25am to reports of a man found injured in Mitcham, near Croydon, south London.

The victim, believed to be a man aged in his 20s, was taken to hospital but died there a short time later.

Officers say they believe the man had suffered a gunshot wound. Police are now trying to inform the man's family.

Officers have sealed off the crime scene in Croydon Road, near the junction with Beddington Lane, Mitcham.

Detectives are searching for a gunman after a man in his 20s is understood to have been gunned down in a south London street in the early hours of this morning

A Met Police spokesman said: 'At this early stage it is believed the man had suffered a gunshot injury. A crime scene remains in place. Homicide detectives from the Met's Specialist Crime Command investigate'

They are appealing for anyone with information or who may have witnessed the incident to come forward.

A Met Police spokesman said: 'At this early stage it is believed the man had suffered a gunshot injury.

'A crime scene remains in place.

'Homicide detectives from the Met's Specialist Crime Command investigate.

'Detectives are appealing to anyone who was in and around the Croydon Road/Beddington Lane area last night and saw anything suspicious to get in contact.

'They are also keen to speak to any road users with dash cam to check their footage to see if anything of interest has been captured.'

It comes after hundreds of people gathered in the neighbouring borough of Croydon on Sunday to take a stand against violence following a recent rise in violent incidents in the borough.

Pictured: General view of Croydon Road, near the junction with Beddington Lane, Mitcham, in London

Four young people have been stabbed in the past two weeks in the borough and two firearms have been fired.

The march was attended by local residents, church and community leaders, politicians and the police.

Organiser Anthony King told the gathering: 'No matter what people's backgrounds are, we all want to keep our children safe.'

Speakers at the event called for action to prevent young people from carrying knives.

Anyone with information can contact the Met police on 101 or tweet @MetCC quoting the reference CAD616/4Apr.

To remain anonymous contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or online.
Five men have been arrested on suspicion of planning a 'terrorist act' in a case linked to a Koran-burning protest in Stockholm earlier this year.

The suspects - who Sweden's security service believe have international links to violent Islamist extremist - were detained after coordinated raids in three cities this morning.

'The current case is one of several that the security police has worked on after the protests that were directed at Sweden in connection with the highly publicised burning of the Koran in January,' the security service said in a statement.

Danish far-Right activist Rasmus Pauldan sparked outrage by burning a Koran in front of the Turkish embassy - with permission from the Swedish authorities - in January.

The protest became part of a diplomatic row between Turkey and Sweden - with the former holding up the Nordic country's accession to Nato.

Five men have been arrested on suspicion of planning a 'terrorist act' in a case linked to a Koran-burning protest in Stockholm (pictured) earlier this year

Far-Right activist Rasmus Pauldan (pictured) sparked outrage by burning a Koran - with permission from the Swedish authorities - in front of the Turkish embassy in January

Paludan's action caused fury in Turkey, which criticised Swedish authorities for allowing the demonstration to take place outside the Turkish embassy.

Far-Right journalist Chang Frick - who has links to the Kremlin - is alleged to have paid the fee for the shocking demonstration and promised to cover any damages he incurred as a result.

The activist wanted to 'mark some freedom of speech' by burning the Koran after the hanging of an effigy of Turkish president Tayyip Erdogan near the Stockholm city hall provoked a strong response in Turkey. Sweden also condemned the stunt.

Riots erupted in Malmo in April last year after Paludan visited Sweden ahead of an election, intending to burn the Koran to drum up support for his movement, and previously in August 2020 when activists burned the Koran after Paludan was arrested.

At the time of the Stockholm Koran-burning, Erdogan cast serious doubt on Nato's expansion, warning Sweden not to expect support for its membership bid in the military alliance.

Turkey also indefinitely postponed a key meeting in Brussels that would have discussed Sweden and Finland's Nato membership, saying such a meeting would have been 'meaningless'.

Sweden and Finland abandoned their long-standing policies of military non-alignment and applied for Nato membership after Russian forces launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24.

But while Finland is set to officially join Nato today after receiving Turkey's backing, Erdogan still needs to be convinced on voting for Sweden, as Ankara has serious concerns over it being too soft on groups that it deems to be terror organisations.

Turkey is pressing Sweden to crack down on Kurdish militants and other groups it considers terrorists.

President Tayyip Erdogan is holding up Sweden's accession to Nato as Turkey presses the Nordic country to crack down on terror groups

An effigy of Turkish president Tayyip Erdogan provoked a strong response in Turkey

Paludan, who holds Danish and Swedish citizenship, further infuriated the Muslim world by burning a Koran outside a mosque in Copenhagen a week later after doing so in Stockholm.

During Paludan's protest outside the mosque on January 27, loud music blared from inside the holy building in an apparent attempt to drown him out.

The politician, who has police protection and was then driven away by officers, said in a live broadcast: 'This mosque has no place in Denmark.'

The activist, who had police protection, was then driven away in a police car.

In his live feed, he said he would repeat the demonstration outside the Turkish and Russian embassies.

Paludan, who has previously been convicted for racist abuse, has been at the centre of anti-Islamic politics in northern Europe for several years.

Paludan also burned a copy of the Koran in front of the Turkish embassy in Copenhagen in January

He rose to fame with the launch of his far-Right party Stram Kurs, which translates as 'Hard Line', in Denmark in 2017.

Meanwhile, his far-Right party in Sweden received just 156 votes nationwide in last year's parliamentary election.

The lawyer and YouTuber is known for burning the Koran and for calling for the deportation of all Muslims from Denmark.

Paludan previously said: 'The enemy is Islam and Muslims. The best thing would be if there were not a single Muslim left on this earth. Then we would have reached our final goal.'
An off-duty policewoman who took to the road while more than double the alcohol limit has been banned after being caught during her own forces Christmas drink-drive crackdown.

When pulled over in the early hours of the morning for driving erratically, PC Helena Stone told fellow officers: 'I am f*****', a court was told.

Sentencing yesterday, District Judge Timothy Boswell told Stone that, as a serving officer, she should appreciate the dangers of drink-driving, which put herself and other innocent road users at risk.

The 30-year-old, an officer with Greater Manchester Police, is now understood to face disciplinary proceedings.

Liverpool Magistrates Court heard Stone was stopped while driving her Seat Leon hatchback in Oldham at 3am last Christmas Eve.

When pulled over in the early hours of the morning for driving erratically, PC Helena Stone told fellow officers: 'I am f*****', a court was told

Liverpool Magistrates Court (pictured) heard Stone was stopped while driving her Seat Leon hatchback in Oldham at 3am last Christmas Eve

Andrew Page, prosecuting, said two fellow officers were on patrol when they noticed her car stall.

Moments later, the vehicle was seen 'straddling' lanes and the officers - believing the driver may have consumed alcohol - pulled the vehicle over, the court was told.

Mr Page said Stone immediately identified herself as a serving Greater Manchester officer and told the two: 'I am f*****.'

She was taken to Bury police station and breathalysed and it showed 75 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35 micrograms.

Stone, who pleaded guilty to drink-driving, was stopped as the force was in the middle of its annual festive campaign against boozed-up motorists.

In a publicity campaign, the force warned: 'Greater Manchester Police will NOT tolerate drink and drug-driving.'

It urged revellers to arrange lifts, book taxis or use public transport.

Chris Fallows, defending, said the officer was 'entirely remorseful', adding: 'Perhaps indicative of this, the defendant has stated she would prefer to be waking up in a cell than waking up having to be told that she has injured someone.'

He told the court the offending took place when Stone was suffering a litany of personal issues which had caused her 'stress'.

The 30-year-old, an officer with Greater Manchester Police, is now understood to face disciplinary proceedings

The court heard her woes included buying a house she no longer wanted and an 'ongoing dispute' with builders, causing her 'further anguish'.

She also had a long-running skin condition that caused her 'constant discomfort'.

Meanwhile, Stones mother had moved in with her after a domestic violence incident involving her father, Mr Fallows said.

He added Stone had also been injured in car crash in November 2022 that wasnt her fault - leading to her suffering post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and depression, for which she had required counselling.

Mr Fallows added: 'She seems to have acknowledged the problems in her life at that time and has taken steps to put her on the right track.

'I know that thats an odd thing to say because shes a police officer but shes human and has her own vulnerabilities.'

District Judge Boswell acknowledged the 'significant mitigation' in her case and her 'health and life difficulties', but said others experienced the same difficulties and they could not excuse her drink-driving.

Stone, from Rochdale, Greater Manchester, was banned from driving for 18 months, fined 400 and must pay 120 costs plus a 160 surcharge.
Fundraising for Donald Trump's 2024 presidential campaign jumped by more than $8million in the four days following the announcement of his indictment on Thursday, his senior adviser has claimed.

Jason Miller, a member of Trump's entourage masterminding the campaign, tweeted his boss had raised $7million across Friday, Saturday and Sunday on Monday evening.

He later claimed in the early hours of Tuesday morning that another $1.1million had been raised on Monday.

The four days mark the most lucrative stretch of fundraising for the former president since he left office, and came less than 24 hours before he appears in a Manhattan country courtroom to be arraigned on charges stemming from 2016 hush money payments to a porn star.

Meanwhile, a former Trump attorney yesterday caused a storm when she equated Trump to legendary hip-hop artists Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G. due to his indictment in the city of New York.

'Donald Trump is Tupac, Donald Trump is Biggie Smalls... he's better than Tupac. I'm east coast, so I love Biggie,' Alina Habba told 'The Benny Show' podcast.

Jason Miller, a member of Trump's entourage masterminding the campaign, tweeted his boss had raised $7million over the weekend, plus another $1.1million on Monday

Former U.S. President Donald Trump arrives at Trump Tower on April 03, 2023 in New York City

'Donald Trump is Tupac, Donald Trump is Biggie Smalls... he's better than Tupac. I'm east coast, so I love Biggie,' Alina Habba told 'The Benny Show' podcast

The comments came in response to claims that prosecuting Trump in New York will only boost his profile in the same way that Tupac's record sales increased after he was arrested.

Tupac's sister Set Shakur later told TMZ that Habba's comments were 'blasphemous', adding: 'My brother was measured by his integrity, his principles and personal and collective responsibility.'

She pointed out her brother took some responsibility for his actions during his 1994 sexual abuse trial, admitting he had become 'so involved in my career that I didn't see this coming. I have no shame, I don't feel shame,' and added she didn't see Trump doing the same.

The former president will depart his Trump Tower penthouse in Midtown Manhattan at around 10.30am ET today - closely guarded by his Secret Service detail - for an 11am arrival at District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office downtown.

Once inside and away from the glare of the world's media, the 76-year-old is expected to have his fingerprints taken but will likely avoid the humiliation of having to pose for a mugshot.

He will then be ushered into the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse, which is inside the same building as Bragg's office, for the landmark arraignment hearing at 2:15pm ET.

New York police are braced for protests along the streets from Trump Tower to the DA's office, with thousands of cops on standby in case violence breaks out.

Barricades are lining the roads to hem in Trump supporters in particular, who share the former president's belief that the New York grand jury indictment is politically motivated and intends to weaken his bid to retake the White House in 2024.

Hordes of pro-Trump protesters turned out to greet the former president as he arrived at Trump Tower yesterday from his residence in Mar-A-Lago, waving flags and yelling messages of support. But they were met with plenty of anti-Trump protesters holding placards that read 'Lock Him Up' and 'Trump Is Guilty'.

A view from the around of Trump Tower in New York City after former US President Donald Trump arrives Trump Tower in New York City from Florida estate on Monday

A protester holds a placard outside Trump Tower in New York on Monday, April 3, 2023

Anti-Trump protesters were seen outside of Trump Tower in New York City last night

A protester holds a sign reading 'Lock Him Up!' as he stands outside of a media area near Trump Tower, in New York on April 3, 2023.

Trump, who was impeached twice by the U.S. House but was never convicted in the U.S. Senate, will become the first former president to face criminal charges. The nation's 45th commander in chief will be escorted from Trump Tower to the courthouse by the Secret Service and may have his mug shot taken.

A grand jury decided to indict Trump after hearing evidence about allegations that he paid $130,000 to adult movie star Stormy Daniels (pictured) to buy her silence over an alleged affair

The former reality-TV star has been hyping that narrative to his political advantage, raising millions of dollars since the indictment on claims of a 'witch hunt.'

He has personally assailed the Manhattan district attorney, egged on supporters to protest, and claimed without evidence that the judge presiding over the case 'hates me' - something Trump's own lawyer has said is not true.

Trump is scheduled to return to his Florida home, Mar-a-Lago, this evening to hold a rally, punctuating his new reality: submitting to the dour demands of the American criminal justice system while projecting an aura of defiance and victimhood at celebratory campaign events.

A conviction would not prevent Trump from running for or winning the presidency in 2024.

Inside the Manhattan courtroom, prosecutors led by New York's district attorney, Alvin Bragg, are expected to unseal the indictment issued last week by a grand jury.

This is when Trump and his defense lawyers will get their first glimpse of the precise allegations against him.

The indictment includes multiple charges of falsifying business records, including at least one felony offense, two people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press last week.

After the arraignment, Trump is expected to be released by authorities because the charges against him don't require that bail be set.

The investigation is scrutinizing six-figure payments made to porn actor Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal. Both say they had sexual encounters with the married Trump years before he got into politics.

Trump denies having sexual liaisons with either woman and has denied any wrongdoing involving payments.
TV personality Phillip Schofield's brother Timothy has been found guilty of sexually abusing a teenage boy.

A civilian police worker from Bath, Timothy Schofield, 54, told the jury while giving evidence that he had watched pornography with the boy, whom he insisted was over the age of 16 at that time.

The 54-year-old said they had also masturbated while sitting apart, but denied performing sexual acts on the teenager.

Serving as a witness against his brother, Phillip said: 'As far as I am concerned, I no longer have a brother.'

So, who is Phillip Schofield's brother? What was the verdict against him? Read on below for all you need to know about Timothy Schofield.

Timothy Schofield was convicted of 11 sexual offences involving a child between October 2016 and October 2019

Who is Phillip Schofield's brother?

Timothy Schofield has been convicted of 11 sexual offences involving a child between October 2016 and October 2019, including two of sexual activity with a child, following a trial at Exeter Crown Court.

Phillip's brother cited 'mental health struggles' as a reason for his actions, whilst he also accused the victim of 'exaggerating' what happened.

Avon and Somerset Police, where Schofield was employed, said a misconduct hearing will be held 'as soon as possible'. The IT worker was suspended in December 2021.

Detective Inspector Keith Smith said: 'This defendant has exploited and abused the victim by carrying out a sickening series of offences over a significant period of time.

'Although the defendant does not work in a public-facing role, and the offences are not linked to his employment, we know the fact he works for the police will be a matter of public concern.'

An NSPCC spokesperson said: 'Child sexual abuse can have devastating and long-lasting impact on a person's life and Timothy Schofield's actions were deeply harmful.

Why is Phillip Schofield not on This Morning?

The TV personality has not appeared as a presenter on This Morning after taking time off to appear as a witness during his brother's trial.

This Morning have confirmed that the presenter will not be making an immediate return to the show he stars in alongside Holly Willoughby.

Holly and Phillip had already been scheduled to take their usual two-week Easter break.

Phillip's extended absence means he will miss at least three weeks of shows before returning on air.

The pair will be replaced by Alison Hammond and Dermot O'Leary - who normally present the show on Fridays - during their absence.

A photo of the Schofield brothers enjoying a day out with their mother

What was the verdict against Timothy Schofield?

The 54-year-old has been found guilty on all counts, with the jury reaching a majority of 10-2 after more than five-and-a-half hours of deliberation.

Timothy Schofield was convicted of three counts of causing a child to watch sexual activity, three of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child, three of causing a child to engage in sexual activity, and two of sexual activity with a child.

Closing the case, prosecutor Robin Shellard said: 'We are not dealing with morals but criminal abuse against a child.'

He added: 'There are good reasons why society - and we here are all part of this society and the law which is founded because of society - treats those under 18 and those under 16 not as full adults.

'Society tries to protect children from adults who want to abuse them and tries to protect children from themselves.'

Referring to the defendant's claims of 'exaggeration', Mr Shellard said: 'The problem for Mr Schofield is how restrained the boy is in his allegations.

Following the trial, Mr. Schofield has been remanded in custody ahead of his sentencing at Bristol Crown Court on 19 May.

Phillip Schofield, pictured on This Morning, alongside his co-star Holly Willoughby

What did Phillip Schofield say in response?

Phillip has distanced himself from his brother in the wake of the latter's conviction, having also served as a witness in the recent trial.

In a statement released by his lawyer after the guilty verdict, Phillip Schofield said: 'My overwhelming concern is and has always been for the wellbeing of the victim and his family. I hope that their privacy will now be respected.'

He continued: 'If any crime had ever been confessed to me by my brother, I would have acted immediately to protect the victim and their family. These are despicable crimes, and I welcome the guilty verdicts. As far as I am concerned, I no longer have a brother.'

The NSPCC urged adults who are concerned about a child to contact help@nspcc.org.uk and young people to call Childline on 0800 1111.
This is the astounding moment a fork of lightning directly struck the One World Trade Center in Manhattan, leaving the photographer temporarily deaf and blind.

Zohaib Anjum, 34, captured images and video footage of lighting striking the top of the tower, at one point fanning out into purple branches.

The footage of the 1,776ft building was captured during a storm on Sunday, after tornadoes ripped through the South and Widwest over the weekend.

Anjum, who had travelled from his home in Dubai on a two-week trip, captured the images from a rooftop on Broadway.

He said: 'A storm was predicted to hit, but my friend arranged a rooftop in Manhattan for us. As I prayed for lightning strike, it happened!

Zohaib Anjum, 34, captured images and video footage of lighting striking the top of the tower on Sunday from a rooftop on Broadway

Pictured: The One World Trade Center in Manhattan (file photo)

'I was left deaf and blinded for a second or two but managed to capture the moment. Dreams do come true!'

The photographer added: 'It takes hard work, dedication, and a bit of luck to accomplish what we set our hearts on.

'But the feeling of achieving it is indescribable.'

Anjum has previously captured images of lightning at landmarks in other cities, such as at the Ain Dubai, the world's tallest Ferris wheel.

When the weather forecast predicted a storm, he hoped that he would get the chance to take some photos in Manhattan.

Anjum said: 'As a photographer, I've always chased powerful moments.

Footage shows lightning striking the 1,776ft building. Anjum said: 'I was left deaf and blinded for a second or two but managed to capture the moment. Dreams do come true!'

Three lightning bolts appear to hit the Burj Khalifa in Dubai simultaneously in a photo taken by resident Zohaib Anjum

'Capturing lightning at the top of Burj Khalifa was a dream achieved, and now I can add the WTC Tower in New York to my portfolio. Nature has a way of lending its hand and I feel grateful for it.'

Burj Khalifa in Dubai stands at 2,717 feet. It holds a few records, including the tallest building in the world, the highest occupied floor in the world, and the highest number of stories in the world.

It was designed by the Chicago-based architectural firm of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill.

Originally known as the Freedom Tower, the One World Trade Center was designed by David Childs and was completed in 2013.

Currently the tallest structure in North America and the Western Hemisphere, the One World Trade Center was built on the site of the former Twin Towers, which were destroyed in the 9/11 terrorist attack.

There have been severe weather warnings in Manhattan this week, with further dramatic electrical storms predicted, which could produce damaging winds and lightning.
Belarus warplanes have been upgraded so they are capable of carrying nuclear weapons, Russia's defence chief warned today - hours before Finland officially joined NATO.

Sergei Shoigu said Russia was taking practical steps to boost the nuclear strike potential of its close ally Belarus.

He said some Belarusian military jets were now capable of carrying nuclear warheads, and that Russia had sent Iskander rocket systems - which can carry conventional or nuclear missiles - to Belarus.

'Some of the Belarusian ground attack aircraft have gained the ability to strike at enemy targets with nuclear-armed weapons,' he told a conference at the military department

Both Moscow and Minsk also said today that Belarusian troops have begun training on a nuclear-capable Russian missile system following President Vladimir Putin's decision to deploy tactical weapons on Belarusian territory, Moscow and Minsk said on Tuesday.

Putin on March 25 said he would station tactical nuclear arms on Russia's ally, a move that drew widespread criticism.

Tactical nuclear arms are battlefield weapons that, while devastating, have a smaller yield compared to long-range strategic weapons.

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu delivers a speech during an annual meeting of the Defence Ministry Board in Moscow

'An Iskander-M operational-tactical missile system has been transferred to Belarusian forces,' Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Tuesday.

'On April 3, Belarusian crews began training on how to use it,' he said.

Belarus' defence ministry published photos of men in uniforms with the Belarusian crest, their faces hidden, getting on military planes to Russia.

'The crew of these units will study in detail issues relating to the maintenance and use of the tactical nuclear weapons of the Iskander-M missile system,' the Belarusian defence ministry said on Telegram.

'They will undergo a full training cycle at one of the Russian armed forces' training grounds,' it said, without saying how long the training would last.

Putin's announcement spurred fears of nuclear conflict, but experts and governments said it was unlikely that the move would change the course of the conflict.

Russia is building a special storage facility for such weapons, which it plans to finish on July 1.

Belarus's authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko said Friday he was ready to host 'strategic' Russian nuclear weapons 'if need be'.

The Kremlin also said on Tuesday that Russia would be forced to take 'counter-measures' to Finland's accession to the NATO military alliance, as Shoigu said the move raised the prospect of the conflict in Ukraine escalating further.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko delivers a state-of-the nation address in Minsk, Belarus

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the expansion of NATO - long criticized in Moscow - was an 'encroachment on our security and on Russia's national interests' and that Moscow would watch closely for any NATO military deployments in Finland.

Russia and Finland share a 1,300-km (800-mile) border, and Moscow has already said it will beef up military divisions stationed in its west and northwest.

Finland was due to formally join the military alliance later on Tuesday.

Shoigu told Russia's military leadership in a meeting that Finland's accession 'creates the risks of a significant expansion of the conflict' in Ukraine, according to a transcript published by the Defence Ministry.

But he said it would not affect the outcome of what Russia calls its 'special military operation' in Ukraine.

Russia says one of the reasons why it sent its armed forces into Ukraine in February 2022 was to counter a threat from what it said were Western plans to use Ukraine as a platform to threaten Russia.

It says it is now fighting a 'hybrid war' against NATO and the West, which is backing Ukraine with multi-billion-dollar packages of arms and financial support.

Shoigu said Russia was also taking practical steps to boost the nuclear strike potential of its close ally Belarus in response.

Russia says it is now fighting a 'hybrid war' against NATO and the West

He said some Belarusian military jets were now capable of carrying nuclear warheads, and that Russia had sent Iskander rocket systems - which can carry conventional or nuclear missiles - to Belarus.

President Vladimir Putin said last month that Russia would station tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of Belarus.

Russia used Belarus as a launchpad for its invasion last year and fears have remained high in Kyiv and the West that it could be further dragged into the conflict by Moscow.

It comes as Belarusian troops have begun training on a nuclear-capable Russian missile system following President Vladimir Putin's decision to deploy tactical weapons on Belarusian territory, Moscow and Minsk said on Tuesday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting with the State Council Presidium on developing Russian industry under sanctions pressure during his working trip to Tula on April 4

Putin on March 25 said he would station tactical nuclear arms on Russia's ally, a move that drew widespread criticism.

Tactical nuclear arms are battlefield weapons that, while devastating, have a smaller yield compared to long-range strategic weapons.

'An Iskander-M operational-tactical missile system has been transferred to Belarusian forces,' Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Tuesday.

'On April 3, Belarusian crews began training on how to use it,' he said.

Belarus' defence ministry published photos of men in uniforms with the Belarusian crest, their faces hidden, getting on military planes to Russia.

'The crew of these units will study in detail issues relating to the maintenance and use of the tactical nuclear weapons of the Iskander-M missile system,' the Belarusian defence ministry said on Telegram.

'They will undergo a full training cycle at one of the Russian armed forces' training grounds,' it said, without saying how long the training would last.

Putin's announcement spurred fears of nuclear conflict, but experts and governments said it was unlikely that the move would change the course of the conflict.

Russia is building a special storage facility for such weapons, which it plans to finish on July 1.

Belarus's authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko said Friday he was ready to host 'strategic' Russian nuclear weapons 'if need be'.
Donald Trump's lawyer Joe Tacopina said he was with Trump 'all night' before his historic arraignment, and didn't believe the Stormy Daniels hush-money case would see a jury trial.

Speaking with ABC's George Stephanopoulos, he also said he couldn't see how Trump could abide by a gag order.

'Here you have something uniquely different,' Tacopina said on GMA. 'The defendant is the leading Republican candidate for the office of the president of the United States and will be campaigning.

'Hard to put a gag order when he's going to be fielding questions about his current legal situation.'

Donald Trump's lawyer Joe Tacopina said he was with the former president all night before his historic arraignment

Trump is spotted entering Trump Tower on Monday after arriving in New York City for his arraignment in the Stormy Daniels hush-money case on Tuesday

In fact, Trump's attorney Chris Kise told CNN Tuesday morning that he believed Trump would speak to the cameras positioned outside the courtroom after the arraignment.

The former president then plans to fly back to Florida on Tuesday afternoon to deliver remarks to a pack of reporters at Mar-a-Lago at 8:15pm.

Tuesday morning, ahead of Trump's scheduled 2:15pm arraignment, Tacopina remarked to Fox 5 that the whole situation was 'surreal,' and told a Vice reporter that the ex-president is 'ready to go.'

'Really, there's a lot of mystery here because we're doing something that's never been done before,' he said on GMA. 'We're having an arraignment at 100 Centre Street with Secret Service involvement.'

He told Stephanopoulos that Trump would be fingerprinted.

'I think there will be a typical processing, which does not take long - 20, 30 minutes - there won't be handcuffs, but he'll be processed the way everyone else would be, to a degree,' Tacopina shared.

He also said it 'wouldn't be a long day in court' and that he's only been in touch with Manhattan prosecutors 'about certain procedural things.

'But nothing substantially involving the indictment,' he continued. 'They have not shared it with us, won't share it with us until it's unsealed. But we know the basis of the indictment and the factual allegations in the indictment.

Supporters of Donald Trump wave a flag outside Manhattan Criminal Courthouse on Tuesday

Protesters gather outside the courthouse in lower Manhattan.

Trump denies ever having an affair with Stormy Daniels

Tacopina (right) appeared Tuesday morning on Good Morning America with ABC's George Stephanopoulos (left)

Police officers stand outside the press area on the street near the Manhattan District Court in New York ahead of Trump's Tuesday arraignment

NYPD officers stand outside the Manhattan Criminal Court in New York on Tuesday morning ahead of Trump's historic arraignment

Media trucks are seen parked outside Manhattan Criminal Courthouse for Trump's arraignment on Tuesday

'One thing I can assure you as I sit here today, they'll be no guilty plea in this case,' the lawyer said, adding, 'I don't think this case is going to see a jury.'

Trump raged on Truth Social Monday night after longtime D.C. journalist Michael Isikoff, writing for Yahoo News, reported that the former president would be charged with 34 felony counts - but spared handcuffs and a mugshot.

'Wow! District Attorney Bragg just illegally LEAKED the various points, and complete information, on the pathetic Indictment against me,' Trump posted to Truth Social.

'I know the reporter, and so, unfortunately, does he,' Trump added, pointing to Isikoff.

Isikoff became a national figure during the 1990s as the first D.C. reporter to know about President Bill Clinton's affair with intern Monica Lewinsky.

'This means that he MUST BE IMMEDIATELY INDICTED,' Trump said of Bragg, a Democrat. 'Now, if he wants to really clean up his reputation, he will do the honorable thing and, as District Attorney, INDICT HIMSELF. He will go down in Judicial history, and his Trump Hating wife will be, I am sure, very proud of him!'
J.K. Rowling has hit out at the community sentence given to a man who raped a 13-year-old girl at the age of 17 - saying young Scottish men are 'effectively being told "first times free."'

Sean Hogg, 21, was found guilty of raping a vulnerable teenager at Dalkeith Country Park in Midlothian, Scotland but has been deemed too young to go to jail by a judge.

Judge Lord Lake said the age of the rapist, 17 at the time of the attack, had to be taken into account when passing sentence.

Hogg, of Hamilton, Lanarkshire, walked free from court and will only have to carry out 270 hours of unpaid work - a sentence which has sparked outrage.

Rowling today tweeted a news article on Hogg's sentence with the caption: 'Progressive Scotland 2023, where a man gets no jail time for raping a 13-year-old girl in a park.

'Young Scottish men are effectively being told first times free.'

Sean Hogg (pictured), 21, was found guilty of raping the vulnerable teenager at Dalkeith Country Park in Midlothian

Rowling today tweeted a news article on Hogg's sentence with the caption: 'Progressive Scotland 2023, where a man gets no jail time for raping a 13-year-old girl in a park' (Rowling pictured last year outside a theatre performance)

Prosecutors were yesterday weighing up whether to challenge the sentence for being 'unduly lenient'.

Under new court guidance, criminals under the age of 25 are treated more leniently because of their alleged brain immaturity.

The guidelines were drawn up by the controversial Scottish Sentencing Council, which was set up by the SNP Government in 2015 - a year after Nicola Sturgeon became first minister - and led by Lady Dorrian, the Lord Justice Clerk.

A top lawyer has also branded the community sentence Hogg was given as 'extraordinary'.

Leading KC Tommy Ross has said the 270-hour community sentence handed down to Hogg was 'very unusual'.

He told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland he had never known a case like it, adding: 'It is an extraordinary sentence.

'I have been working in the high court for around 20 years and I have never seen anybody avoid prison for rape until yesterday.'

Leading KC Tommy Ross (pictured) has said the 270-hour community sentence handed down to Hogg was 'very unusual'

Opposition leaders described Hogg's sentence as 'an insult' to the teenage victim.

Sandy Brindley, chief executive of Rape Crisis Scotland, said: 'This is an extremely serious case and we are shocked this perpetrator has not received a custodial sentence.

'Given the gravity of this crime and the fact it was tried at the High Court, this sentence appears to us to be worryingly lenient.

'Our thoughts are with the survivor of this crime. For survivors of any sexual violence, it can be very difficult to see reports of convicted perpetrators walking free from court.'

Court papers state that Hogg attacked the girl on various occasions between March and June 2018. They also say he assaulted the teenager by threatening her and pulling down her clothing.

He then seized her by the wrists and forced her to commit a sex act before going on to rape the youngster.

As well as being ordered to carry out unpaid work, Hogg was put under supervision and placed on the sex offenders' register for three years.

Judge Lord Lake said the age of the rapist, who was 17 at the time of the attack, had to be taken into account when passing sentence. It means Hogg, of Hamilton, Lanarkshire, will only have to carry out 270 hours of unpaid work. Pictured, the High Court in Glasgow (stock image)

At Hogg's sentencing at the High Court in Glasgow yesterday, Lord Lake said that he had considered guidelines on offenders under the age of 25.

He also concluded that prison would not contribute to the thug's rehabilitation and took into account the fact he was a first-time offender.

Lord Lake said: 'Rape is one of the most serious crimes and that is why it is tried at the High Court.

'Looking at the circumstances, her age and vulnerabilities are aggravating factors. For the level of seriousness, I have to consider your liability and have regard to your age as a factor.

'This offence, if committed by an adult over 25, would attract a sentence of four or five years.

'I don't consider that appropriate and don't intend to send you to prison.

'You are a first offender with no previous history of prison; you are 21 and were 17 at the time. Prison does not lead me to believe this will contribute to your rehabilitation.'

But last night Scottish Conservative justice spokesman Jamie Greene said the sentence places the wellbeing of Hogg above that of the schoolgirl he attacked.

He added: 'The lack of a prison sentence is a total insult to the young teenage victim in this case.

'It once again reaffirms how misguided the SNP's sentencing guidelines are in reality and how judges' hands are tied as a result.

'While this dangerous sex offender committed the offence when he was 17, the policies agreed to by SNP ministers mean that under-25-year-olds are now routinely wrapped in cotton wool.

'The needs of a criminal have shamefully been put above those of a victim in the SNP's justice system.

'This young girl will be scarred for life by this horrendous attack. Her and her family now have to suffer the indignity of this criminal only being handed down a community payback order, many of which are often written off by this SNP Government.

'It is time victims are always put first, which is why I have brought forward my victims law to the Scottish parliament to ensure that is always the case.'

Yesterday, a spokesman for Scotland's public prosecution service said: 'As with all cases, the Crown will consider the sentence and give consideration to whether it might be unduly lenient.'

A Scottish Government spokesman said: 'Decisions on sentencing in individual cases are taken by the independent court within the legal framework where they consider all the facts and circumstances, and the Scottish Government does not comment on nor intervene in individual cases.

'Sentencing guidelines are the responsibility of the independent Sentencing Council, the establishment of which was backed by all parties in parliament.'

Lawyer Donald Findlay KC, defending, told the sentencing hearing that an appeal against Hogg's conviction is being planned.
Vladlen Tatarsky was a man with a lot of enemies.

He was hated by millions of Ukrainians for saying they should all be murdered and robbed in videos that earned him a reputation as a hardliner even among the ultranationalist world of Russian military bloggers.

Then, there was the Russian government and prominent generals who he openly blamed for the failed war effort and had called to be sacked and prosecuted.

More foes lurked in the shadows: Perhaps from his days as a bank robber in Ukraine, when he went by the name Maxim Fomin; perhaps pro-Ukraine dissidents within Russia; or perhaps enemies of Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin, who was one of Tatarskys few allies.

Whoever they were, on Sunday they found their mark.

A bomb hidden within a gold bust of the 40-year-old propagandist exploded at one of his speaking events in St Petersburg, leaving 30 people injured and one big unanswered question: Whodunnit?

Vladlen Tatarsky (pictured) was a man with a lot of enemies. He was hated by millions in Ukraine, he blamed the Russian government and generals for failures in Putin's invasion, he had a past life as a bank robber, and counted a mercenary boss among his allies. On Sunday, he was killed by a bomb hidden inside a gold bust of himself

Officially, the blame has been placed on 26-year-old Daria Trepova - a known dissident who was filmed handing the statue to Tatarsky moments before it blew up.

She confessed on camera after being arrested, though notably she did not admit knowing the bust was a bomb and said nothing about who gave it to her.

Those who knew Trepova say she would not have been capable of murder and even Russias own investigators doubt she was the mastermind.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the immediate suspicion has fallen on Ukraine.

The attack on Tatarsky has parallels with a bomb blast that killed Daria Dugina, daughter of pro-war propagandist Alexander Dugin, on the outskirts of Moscow last year.

In both cases, the intended target was a vocal supporter of Putins invasion - even if the blast that was meant for Dugin ended up killing his daughter instead.

In both cases, the attack was carried out by a female assassin planting explosives - in Duginas case, they were hidden inside a car her father was meant to be driving.

And, in the Dugin case, a CIA official has said off-the-record that they believe Ukrainian secret services were behind it.

It stands to reason, then, that Ukraine would also be suspected of Tatarskys killing.

Kyiv has, predictably, denied all involvement - but the Ukrainians are not the only ones issuing such denials.

Prigozhin himself penned a Telegram post in which he doubted the Kyiv regime was behind the killing and placed the blame instead on a group of radicals who are unlikely to have any relation to the government.

Tellingly, he did not say which government he was talking about: The one in Kyiv, or the one in Moscow.

There are many who believe the Russian state itself may be responsible for the blast, looking to silence a voice that had become increasingly critical of its battlefield blunders.

Tatarsky had lashed out at almost all senior leaders, including Putin, for the way the war is being fought - and it is no secret that critics of the Russian leader do not last long.

But any number of powerful military figures, with easy access to explosives, could be responsible: From Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu to General Valery Gerasimov.

US think-tank The Institute for the Study of War believes the attack may have served a dual purpose, both to silence Tatarsky and to send a message to ally Prigozhin.

Officially, the blame has been placed on 26-year-old Daria Trepova (pictured) - a known dissident who was filmed handing the statue to Tatarsky moments before it blew up

US think-tank The Institute for the Study of War believes the attack may have served a dual purpose, both to silence Tatarsky and to send a message to ally Yevgeny Prigozhin (pictured)

The Wagner boss has led criticism of the regular Russian army - at one point calling Gerasimov a fa**** - and became bolder with each victory his mercenaries achieved.

But he seems to have fallen out of favour recently, and the killing of Tatarsky was perhaps intended as the starkest warning yet to fall back in line.

Certainly it seems worth noting that St Petersburg is Prigozhins hometown, and the cafe in which Tatarsky died is owned by Prigozhin - a fact that would seem like a coincidence, except that he held a similar event in a different cafe earlier the same day and walked away unhurt.

Another possibility is that dissidents within Russia could have set up the killing, either out of hatred for Putin or in solidarity with Ukraine - or both.

Ilya Ponomarev, a former Russian MP now living in exile in Ukraine, has claimed a group that he is in contact with inside his home country carried out the bombing.

He told the Daily Beast that he knew about preparations for the attack in advance and is providing the organisers with financial and political support.

Ponomarev did not name those responsible, but has previously claimed association with the National Republican Army - a group of anti-Putin artisans whom he blamed for Duginas killing last August.

American and German officials have also accused a pro-Ukraine group not affiliated with the government but with possible links to Russia of blowing up the Nord Stream pipes.

Meanwhile Ukraine blamed a cross-border attack on the Bryansk region of Russia - in which two civilians were attacked and bombs planted - on dissidents within Putins own ranks.

If such groups do exist then it seems to be well within their capabilities to organise a bombing in a major city.

There are also plenty of skeletons in Tatarskys closet from his colourful past, one of whom may have taken advantage of his newfound fame to target him.

Before he was a pro-Russia war blogger he was a Ukrainian criminal from Donbas called Maxim Fomin, who was jailed for bank robbery shortly before Putins first invasion in 2014.

When pro-Russia groups stirred up by Igor Girkin began a proxy war in Donbas, Tatarsky claims to have escaped jail and joined their ranks to fight against his home country.

After that war settled into a stalemate, he travelled to Moscow where he reinvented himself as a blogger and writer, then returned to eastern Ukraine early in 2022 just before Putin invaded a second time.

As well as documenting the war and pushing pro-Kremlin narratives, Tatarsky claims to have actively participated in the fighting including in the city of Mariupol.

But he had reportedly fallen foul of Girkin, and was mocked by other war bloggers for exaggerating his military service, any one of whom could have decided to exact revenge for his perceived stolen valour.

Russia has even tried to shift the blame on to jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, accusing his political party of being involved.

The immediate suspicion of who was behind the bombinb has fallen on Ukraine. Pictured: Ukrainian special forces are seen during exercises in 2019

Pictured: Russian investigators search the cafe where Tatarsky was killed and 32 others were wounded in a bomb attack on Sunday

This theory has been largely dismissed, not least by Navalnys movement itself, but will likely be used as an excuse by an increasingly paranoid Kremlin for a crackdown on dissenters.

And it will almost certainly be used by Putin and his allies to paint Russia as a state under threat - both from enemies without, and enemies within.

It is a sign of just how deeply involved Putin and Russia have become in this conflict that a bomb blast in its second-city could have conceivably been carried out by so many people.

A war that Putin hoped would be over in days with a bloodless victory is getting closer and closer to home.
The SNP's poll lead in Scotland has been cut to just five points as new leader Humza Yousaf is warned he faces a 'unionist pincer movement' that could hammer his party at the next general election.

According to a new Redfield & Wilton Strategies survey, conducted at the end of Mr Yousaf's first week as First Minister, the SNP would be backed by 36 per cent of Scottish voters at a general election.

This is a fall of three percentage points from the pollster's previous survey at the beginning of last month, while Labour have risen two points to 31 per cent.

The Scottish Tories are third on 19 per cent, a three-point fall from the beginning of last month.

The results of the poll will boost the hopes of unionist parties that they could soon end the SNP's dominance of Scottish elections, amid reports of deal-making between anti-independence parties.

It is claimed the Scottish Tories, led by Douglas Ross, 'won't bust a gut' in Westminster constituencies where Labour are the nearest challengers to the SNP.

According to a new Redfield & Wilton Strategies poll, conducted at the end of Humza Yousaf's first week as leader, the SNP would be backed by 36% of Scottish voters at a general election

Mr Yousaf has been warned he is facing what has been dubbed a 'unionist pincer movement' that could hammer his party at the next general election

It is claimed the Scottish Tories, led by Douglas Ross, 'won't bust a gut' in Westminster constituencies where Labour are the nearest challengers to the SNP

The SNP won 48 out of 59 seats in Scotland at the 2019 general election, with the Tories winning six, the Liberal Democrats four and Labour winning Edinburgh South

The SNP won 48 out of 59 seats in Scotland at the 2019 general election, with the Tories winning six, the Liberal Democrats four and Labour winning Edinburgh South.

But the resignation of Nicola Sturgeon as SNP leader - along with the bitter splits in the party that deepened during the chaotic contest to replace her - have buoyed hopes among other parties that they can bring to an end the SNP's dominance.

Labour have ruled out a tactical voting 'unionist pact' among anti-independence parties, but it has been suggested that a looser deal could materialise.

According to the Telegraph, the Scottish Tories will hand Labour a free run at urban seats and will instead relentlessly target voters in rural areas held by the SNP.

'We think it's wrong to say that only Labour will benefit from the turmoil in the SNP,' a Tory source told the newspaper said.

'We're going to hammer the point that we are the only party that understands rural Scotland and will defend it.

'Seats changing hands between the SNP and Labour in the central belt doesn't really concern us, as neither will back a Tory prime minister.

'We're not going to bust a gut in places we have no chance. Our resources will be targeted at seats we know we can win.'

The Scottish Tories have vowed to be 'champions of rural Scotland' and will reportedly focus their attacks on the SNP over the proposal for new marine protection areas.

The plans are backed by the Scottish Greens, who have continued their power-sharing deal with the SNP under Mr Yousaf, but have sparked fears they decimate local fishing industries.

Rachael Hamilton, MSP for the Scottish Borders and the Tories' rural affairs spokeswoman, said: 'Rural communities have been continually let down by this SNP Government for 16 years but under Humza Yousaf's leadership this looks set to be turbocharged  he is hugging the Greens closer than even Nicola Sturgeon did.'

Scottish Labour have dismissed claims they could do a tactical voting deal with the Scottish Tories at the next general election.

It followed reports at the weekend that the Conservatives had offered to co-operate in a 'vote smart' strategy to shore up unionist votes in rural areas in exchange for lending support to Labour in Scotland's central belt between Glasgow to Edinburgh.

The Tories did not deny the claims, with Stephen Kerr, one of the party's MSPs for Central Scotland, saying: 'I think it would be wrong to underestimate the sophistication of the Scottish electorate.

'I think they know exactly what they want, they know exactly how to vote.'

The supposed plans could cause concern at the Conservative's central office in London, amid fears that a boost for Labour in Scotland would increase the chances of Sir Keir Starmer replacing Rishi Sunak as Prime Minister.

Jackie Baillie, Scottish Labour's deputy leader, said: 'It appears the Scottish Tories have accepted that they have lost the next general election.

'Scotland has two failing governments. The next general election is an opportunity to get rid of the Tories and send a message to the SNP  by voting Scottish Labour.'

The SNP's Westminster leader Stephen Flynn said the reports represented the 'dreadful Better Together band announcing their reunion', referring to the pro-union campaign in the lead up to the 2014 independence referendum.

'The disastrous duo have been standing shoulder-to-shoulder in councils and in Holyrood ever since but, be in no doubt, people will not be fooled by this latest effort,' he added.
Hundreds of angry employees gathered outside the London headquarters of Google to protest layoffs.

Unite encouraged staff to join a protest against 'sackings and union busting' and 'appalling treatment' at the King's Cross offices at midday on Tuesday.

It comes after Google's parent company Alphabet announced plans in January to make about 12,000 workers redundant across its global operations, which Unite, the biggest union at the company, fears could lead to about 500 UK job losses.

Senior management at the search engine have been in redundancy talks across Europe since the announcement.

Staff in Zurich staged a similar walkout in March after employees said the internet company had rejected proposals to save jobs.

Workers protest 'appalling treatment' at a demonstration outside the Google UK headquarters in King's Cross, London

The union said the UK management at Google had ignored concerns put to them by Unite representatives (protests outside the London HQ)

Google currently employs more than 5,000 people in the United Kingdom.

Unite, which is the biggest union at Google, accused the internet giant of refusing to listen to staff grievances on the redundancy process and of forcing workers with disabilities to get doctors notes to allow colleagues to attend in their place.

It said the UK management at Google had ignored concerns put to them by Unite representatives and closed a collective consultation process on redundancy process.

The union added that it believes the search engine is trying to limit legal representation for workers, as staff have been told they can only use solicitors on a list 'approved by the company' if they wish to receive legal costs.

The company, which employs 5,000 people in the United Kingdom, has been accused of treating staff 'appallingly'

A company-wide email sent on April 4 by finance chief Ruth Porat explained the employee benefits that will be cut in cost-saving measures

The company's goal for 2023 is to 'deliver durable savings through improved velocity and efficiency' (protestor in London on April 4)

Unite regional officer Matt Whaley said: 'Google's treatment of staff and attempts at union-busting during the redundancy consultation process are appalling and potentially unlawful.

'Our members are clear: Google needs to listen to its own advice of not being evil.

'They and Unite will not back down until Google allows workers full union representation, engages properly with the consultation process and treats its staff with the respect and dignity they deserve.'

A Google spokesman said: 'As we said on January 20, we've made the difficult decision to reduce our workforce by approximately 12,000 roles globally. We know this is a very challenging time for our employees.

'In the UK, we have been constructively engaging and listening to our employees through numerous meetings, and are working hard to bring them clarity and share updates as soon as we can in adherence with all UK processes and legal requirements.'

Earlier on April 4, Google finance chief, Ruth Porat, penned a rare company-wide email explaining how the tech giant is introducing measures to cut employee services in an effort to reduce expenses.

The company's goal for 2023 is to 'deliver durable savings through improved velocity and efficiency.'

Porat detailed how Google is cutting back on everything from fitness classes for its employees to office basics from staplers and tape while also reducing the frequency of laptop replacements for its workers.

Other cost-cutting measures have seen Google refusing to pay the remainder of laid-off employees' maternity and medical leaves.

In her email, Porat stated how the layoffs were 'the hardest decisions we've had to make as a company.'

She noted that the cost-cutting measures were vital due to recent growth, a challenging economic environment, and the need for investment opportunities to drive technology forward, particularly in AI.

Google reported 3.4 billion in turnover and a profit of 896 million in the 18 months to the end of December 2021 and paid 200 million in UK corporation tax.
Queens of the Stone Age frontman Joshua Homme has sensationally claimed his ex-wife's new boyfriend forged her signature on restraining orders filed against him.

Homme has been locked in a bitter custody battle with Brody Dalle over their three children amid accusations he was abusive, drove under the influence and 'scared' the kids.

But the rocker has now issued a rare statement claiming he now had full custody of the children and that restraining orders filed on their behalf in 2021 had been forged by Dalle's new boyfriend Gunner Foxx.

Homme alleges that Dalle knew about the forgery as he accused the pair of causing the children 'emotional harm' as well as putting them 'in great danger.'

Court records show Homme has been granted sole legal custody of the children pending another hearing later this year. He has also obtained a restraining order against Dalle.

Queens of the Stone Age front man Josh Homme has been locked in a bitter custody dispute with ex-wife Brody Dalle since their split in 2019. They are pictured together at the NME awards in 2004

Homme has accused his ex-wife and her new boyfriend of causing the children 'emotional harm' as well as putting them 'in great danger.' He is seen in May 2018 with Orrin, who was then six years old

'Out of respect and concern for his minor children and their well-being, Joshua Homme has previously refrained from making public statements about his family to the media,' the statement read.

'In light of the continued falsehoods, the repeated invasions of the childrens privacy and the resulting emotional harm, it is time that the truth be told.

It added: 'For more than a year after the conclusion of their divorce proceedings, Joshua Homme and Brody Dalle were able to amicably co-parent their three children in a healthy and functional way.

'The situation took a dark turn when Dalle violated the 50/50 custody agreement by withholding the children from seeing their father.

'The situation was exacerbated by the inappropriate actions of her boyfriend Gunner Foxx.'

Homme, 49, and Dalle, 44, divorced in 2019 after 14 years of marriage.

They were originally granted shared custody of their daughter Camille, 17, and two sons Orrin, 12, and Wolf, eight.

But in September 2021, Dalle was sentenced to community service after she refused to hand over Wolf to his father.

At the time she insisted 'As a mother I will always put my children first and protect them at all costs.'

The same year, she appeared to file three restraining orders on behalf of her children against their father.

Camille's application was accepted - though lifted in April 2022 - but the boys' orders were denied.

In the court documents, Homme was accused of calling Orrin 'fat', grabbing the children by their neck and ears and making threats about murdering Foxx.

Dalle - who is the frontwoman for punk band The Distillers - said Homme would turn up drunk at their home as she claimed she was 'terrified' of him.

She alleged in 2019 he once headbutted her so hard she 'saw stars.'

Dalle - who is the frontwoman for punk band 'The Distillers' - accused Homme of once headbutting her so hard she 'saw stars'

Homme - pictured playing with Queens of the Stone Age in 2018 - counter claimed Dalle punched him in the face seven times during their marriage

Separately Homme accused Dalle of punching him in the face seven times during their marriage and even threw an iron at him.

Homme now claims the restraining orders were forged by Foxx and that he even took Camille to court without the presence of either of her parents.

The statement said: 'Dalle later testified in court to having known at the time that Foxx had forged her signature, while doing nothing to set the record straight legally or in the media.

'It was reported that Hommes daughter filed a restraining order against him.

'This was also filed by Gunner Foxx who took the minor child to court without the presence of either one of her parents.

'Prior to the hearing on this matter  at the childs request and through her own counsel  the order was rescinded.'

Homme went on to allege that as of August 2022 both he and his two sons were granted restraining orders from Foxx.

He has since granted him custody of his children and that 'they are currently under the care of their father and paternal grandparents.'

Dalle has been granted supervised visitation with their youngest child in the interim.

Another custody hearing has been set for fall this year to find a more 'permanent solution.'

The Californian rocker - who also fronts the band Eagles of Death Metal - also said thank you to the Los Angeles County Courts, minor's council and local law enforcement 'for their time and continued attention and care.'

In 2022 Homme was pictured with his children as they prepared to fly out of LAX airport

Homme has now revealed he was granted full custody of the children pending another hearing in fall this year to find a 'permanent' solution

The Californian rocker thanked law enforcement and the family courts for their 'time and continued attention and care' in the case

'The goal of the Los Angeles Family Court System and Joshua Hommes sincere hope is that the conclusion of this matter will result in the ability for both Homme and Dalle to co-parent their children peacefully,' he added.

In March 2022, he said the Los Angeles Family Court granted him custody of his children and that 'they are currently under the care of their father and paternal grandparents.'

Another custody hearing has been set for fall this year to find a more 'permanent solution.'

Dailymail.com has reached out to representatives for Dalle and Foxx for comment.
Vegan extremists in Pennsylvania are targeting a local farm for an allegedly exploitative service it offers: goat snuggling.

During an appearance on Fox Business's Varney & Co., Justin Steinmetz of the Fleetwood, Pennsylvania Steinmetz Family Farm said that he has been facing a litany of 'personal attacks' since sharing his story.

'Because the news coverage has gone out, and we've had a couple more like personal attacks on the farm in the last few days,' he said, armed with two baby goats.

He said that because his family farm is using the baby goats for monetary gain, animal rights activist Sheryl Petrillo has targeted the farm and is promoting her opinion that his behavior is exploitative.

Goat snuggles with a full-size goat on the Steinmetz Family Farm in Pennsylvania

The Steinmetz family charges a mere $5 for and unlimited goat snuggling session.

Host Stuart Varney asked Steinmetz: 'Are the vegans still trying to shut you down because we put you on TV Saturday?' The Steinmetz farm had previously been featured by the network.

Steinmetz replied: 'Out of nowhere, yesterday I had the Children and Youth Services come to my house worried for my children's safety because people are here snuggling the goats, and we haven't vetted the people properly.'

'It's pretty ridiculous,' he said. 'There are attacks coming left and right.'

An activist group called Animal Defenders Greater Lehigh Valley has been posting steadily over the last few days, admonishing the Steinmetz Family Farm for its allegedly hypocritical behavior.

The animal rights group, which is headed by founder Sheryl Petrillo, wrote on March 30: 'How much does it cost to snuggle at a county fair? Oh $5bucks a shot and on average 500 people come through.'

'(Looks like those babies are ready to get the hell out of his arms after 2 minutes. Nothing like forcing the animal to be held when it doesn't want to).'

In another post, the group wrote: 'Let's grill and eat cows chicken and pigs animals [sic] while snuggling baby goats!' began a recent post lambasting the farm.

'Unfortunately, this is common practice for most animal rescue, welfare group and organizations events - there is not one rescue group in the Lehigh Valley that saves dogs, cats and small animals that doesn't serve dead animals for food at their events,' wrote the group above a picture of an event poster for the farm's Memorial Day picnic.

Complaints from the organization previously caused the Steinmetz farm to pull out of two local vegan/vegetarian events, at which they were slated to provide goat yoga and snuggles.

Sheryl Petrillo, the founder of Animal Defenders Greater Lehigh Valley, who has taken a hardline stance against Justin Steinmetz's family farm, which offers goat-snuggling services

The vegan activist group has been posting messages on its Facebook page, lambasting the nearby family farm

Baby goat yoga hosted by the Steinmetz Family Farm

The vegan activists have criticized the Steinmetz family farm for charging $5 per snuggle session, calling it 'exploitation' of the animals

The farm also uses its goats for birthday parties, county fairs, and local retirement homes.

According to Steinmetz, at the average county fair, the goats can expect to meet about 500 people hoping to cuddle.

'It depends on the size of the fair, but 500 people a day possible. And they'll just sit and snuggle,' he said.

'Some stay for hours and some of them, you know, they're in and out five minutes. Adults, children. We've had state senators come and snuggle our goats. We've got a lot of support behind us.'
A Russian woman suspected of assassinating a Kremlin propagandist in a bomb attack at a St Petersburg cafe has been ordered to remain in custody for two months pending an investigation, a court in Moscow ruled Tuesday.

Daria Trepova was charged with terrorism offences over the blast that killed Vladlen Tatarsky. She was today hauled into a closed-door hearing at a Russian court where she was paraded in a glass cage where photographers scrambled to take pictures of her.

The court ordered that she remain in custody until June 2 pending the investigation. She could face up to 20 years in prison for passing a bomb hidden in a statuette to Tatarsky that saw him blown to pieces.

The Kremlin propagandist had been speaking at a political event at the Street Food No. 1 cafe when the bomb exploded next to him, killing him and injuring 32 others.

Trepova, who is charged with committing 'a terrorist act by an organised group that caused intentional death', had previously been filmed being detained by police before she was escorted to Moscow from St Petersburg under armed guard.

Daria Trepova (pictured at court) has been charged with terrorism over the blast that killed Russian blogger Vladlen Tatarsky

Trepova, 26, was kept in a glass cage during her court hearing in Moscow this afternoon

The anti-war Russian woman attracted a lot of attention as she walked into the Basmanny District Court with her hood up

Russian police guard the glass cage that Trepova was being held in, while photographers trying to take pictures can be seen in the reflection

Russian authorities described the bombing as an act of terrorism and blamed Ukrainian intelligence agencies for orchestrating it.

Police arrested Trepova, who was seen on video moments before the blast presenting Tatarsky with a statuette that is believed to have contained explosives.

Russia's Interior Ministry released a video in which Trepova told a police officer that she brought the bust to the cafe. When asked who gave it to her, she said she would explain later. The circumstances under which Trepova spoke were unclear, including whether she was under duress.

The Kremlin's National Anti-Terrorist Committee, which coordinates counterterrorism operations, claimed the bombing was 'planned by Ukrainian special services.' They did not provide any evidence to back up this claim.

The committee added that Trepova was an 'active supporter' of imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Last year, she was arrested and spent 10 days in custody after taking part in an anti-war rally.

Ukrainian authorities did not directly respond to Russia's accusations, but President Volodymyr Zelensky said in reference to the attack that he doesn't think about events in Russia, and his top adviser said the bombing as part of Russia's internal turmoil.

While Trepova was arrested in St Petersburg, her case was sent to Moscow, where the country's top investigative agencies are headquartered, an apparent reflection of its high priority.

In a closed-door hearing, Moscow's Basmanny District Court ordered Trepova to remain in custody until June 2 pending the investigation. Russian law suggests a life sentence for terrorism-related crimes, but life terms aren't handed down to women, who instead face sentences of up to 20 years in prison.

Investigators have charged Trepova (left) with terrorism over the bomb that killed Tatarsky (right)

Video footage showed the handcuffed bomb suspect being escorted through Moscow airport

'Statue assassin' Trepova (pictured) has been told she faces up to 20 years in jail after being charged today

According to Russian media reports, Trepova told investigators she was asked to deliver the bust but didn't know what was inside it.

The bombing injured 40 other people, 25 of whom have been hospitalised. It was the latest attack inside Russia on a high-profile pro-war figure. Last year, a nationalist TV commentator was assassinated when a bomb exploded in her SUV outside Moscow.

Tatarsky was the pen name of Maxim Fomin, who had accumulated more than 560,000 followers on his Telegram messaging app channel. Tatarsky, who joined separatists in eastern Ukraine after a Moscow-backed insurgency erupted there in 2014, fought on the front lines for years before turning to blogging.

Military bloggers have become increasingly visible in Russia, supporting the war but occasionally exposing flaws in military strategy while the Kremlin has shut down independent media outlets and muzzled any criticism of the war.

It comes after Trepova was on Monday filmed with her hands chained to a radiator while being interrogated by Russian investigators yesterday.

Speaking for the first time since the bomb, she admitted to carrying the statue laden with explosives but pleaded her innocence by claiming she was 'set up' and did not known what was in the bust.

Head of the Wagner private army Yevgeny Prigozhin visited the bombed cafe - which he owns - earlier today, where he was filmed speaking to a group of people.

He had handed the cafe over to a patriotic group for meetings.

According to Russian media reports, police tracked Trepova down using surveillance cameras, though she reportedly cut her long blonde hair short to change her look and rented a different apartment in an apparent attempt to escape.

In the interrogation video, Trepova said she understood why she has been detained.

When asked why, she said: 'For... I'd put it this way, for being at the assassination site of Vladlen Tatarsky.'

'I brought the statuette there that exploded,' Trepova said. When asked who gave her the statuette, she replied that she would say 'later'.

Head of the Wagner private army Yevgeny Prigozhin visited the bombed cafe - which he owns - earlier today

Chilling video appeared to show Trepova, a St Petersburg resident who has previously been detained for taking part in anti-war rallies, walking into the cafe carrying a box containing what may have been statuette containing 450g of TNT - just minutes before it exploded.

The Russian Interior Ministry put Trepova on Russia's wanted list on suspicion of murdering Tatarsky after she fled from the scene - but she was arrested within hours of the warrant being released.

Trepova's partner, Dmitry Rylov - also in his 20s and a member of the so-called Russian Liberation Army - has insisted that she had been 'set up' too.

Wagner chief Prigozhin has previously declared that he does not believe Ukrainian forces were behind the attack.

'It is indeed similar to the murder of Darya Dugina [daughter of a Putin ideologue who was killed aged 29 last year in a car explosion],' he said.

'I would not blame the Kyiv regime for it.

'I think it was a group of [Ukrainian] Right-wing radicals who did it, which is unlikely to be linked to the government.'

An image shows Daria Trepova when she was put on Russia's wanted list as published by the Interior Ministry. She has since been arrested and charged

Tatarsky was killed in a blast at the Street Food No. 1 cafe, located in the St Petersburg city centre, on Sunday

It comes after the millionaire Wagner leader claimed that Russia had taken control of Bakhmut - an eastern city which Moscow had spent months trying to capture.

He spoke on camera, holding aloft a Russian flag which was inscribed with Tatarsky's name on it in a tribute.

Russian investigators also said they had identified a second female suspect, Maria Yaran, 40, as being involved in the blast. She is reportedly in hospital in St Petersburg following the bombing.
'He's from the industry, so he is a great resource. He's explained a lot, like how things work and yeah, it's great,' the GOP firebrand told Semafor Monday

Controversial congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene has finally admitted to dating right-wing producer Brian Glenn  five months after DailyMail.com revealed the pair were an item.

Speaking in an interview with Semafor shortly after the 60 Minutes segment that saw her liken Democrats to pedophiles, lambast the GOP for failing to carry out President Trump's wishes, and trumpet her opposition to helping Ukraine, Taylor Greene, 48, confessed to the romance and said Glenn had been 'a great resource' for dealing with the media.

'He's from the industry, so he is a great resource. He's explained a lot, like how things work and yeah, it's great,' she said. Taylor Greene added: 'So maybe I'm falling in love with the press.'

GOP congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene confirmed she has been dating Right Side Broadcasting Network program director Brian Glenn since late last year. The two are pictured together in Georgia last November

Taylor Greene confessed to the romance in an interview with Semafor, shortly after her appearance on 60 Minutes, where she repeated claims that there are 'pedophiles' infiltrating the Democratic Party and that President Joe Biden is 'sexualizing children'

DailyMail.com earlier revealed Marjorie Taylor Greene and now ex-husband Perry Greene's divorce was finalized on December 22

The GOP firebrand turned up in New York on Tuesday to protest Donald Trump's indictment.

She compared the former president to both Jesus Christ and Nelson Mandela, saying they had all been wrongfully arrested. But her voice was largely drowned out by counter-protestors.

Taylor Greene confirmed she and Glenn have been an item since late last year, which is around the time she was spotted spending time with the Right Side Broadcasting Network program director.

DailyMail.com found them in Rome, Georgia, in late October but at the time they insisted their relationship was professional as he was working on a documentary about her.

The mom-of-three's newfound respect for the media is a far cry from the comments she made when DailyMail.com contacted her to inform her that her relationship was about to be exposed, with Taylor Greene snarlingly describing it as 'an immature publication.'

Her spokesperson told a DailyMail.com reporter: 'You work for an immature publication that writes about communism.'

DailyMail.com first revealed the existence of Taylor Greene's new love just weeks after her husband Perry filed for divorce.

The divorce, which was finalized in December, is the second time the pair have split  the first coming in 2012 after the 48-year-old cheated on him with two men at her gym; the affairs also exposed by DailyMail.com in February 2021.

Like Taylor Greene, Texas-based Glenn, 54, is also going through a divorce and left his wife just three days after his new love filed to end her marriage to Perry on September 27.

He had denied his relationship with Taylor Greene ended his marriage but DailyMail.com photos taken in late October show he had rapidly moved on with the congresswoman.

And despite telling DailyMail.com reporters he had not visited the politician at her home in Georgia, the veteran radio host was repeatedly pictured canoodling with Taylor Greene at rallies, traveling with her in her blacked out SUV and entering the house in Rome where she has been living since dumping Perry.

During the trip, Glenn was also spotted dining with Taylor Greene at Blossom Hill BBQ  a popular restaurant in the quaint Floyd County town  and rendezvousing with the 48-year-old at the Courtyard by Marriott hotel.

Glenn, 54, has also been going through a divorce and left his wife just three days after Taylor Greene filed to end her own marriage on September 27

Glenn had previously adamantly denied visiting Greene at her home in Georgia when asked by DailyMail.com at the time, but the pair were spotted together in these exclusive pictures

The veteran radio host was repeatedly pictured canoodling with Taylor Greene at rallies, traveling with her in her blacked out SUV and entering the house in Rome, Georgia (pictured) where she has been living since dumping Perry

Greene was snapped taking Glenn for a spin down Broad Street, the main strip of the Floyd County town, before parking and grabbing lunch at Blossom Hill BBQ, a trendy New York-style restaurant during their outing

Taylor Greene and Glenn appear to have met through work, with the duo first seen together in June outside the U.S. Supreme Court building where he interviewed her about the decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.

During the chat, Glenn was seen leaning in to whisper in the congresswoman's ear before a giddy Taylor Greene squealed and flung her arms around him.

In July, the pair were spotted dining at the Penthouse at Mastro's  an upscale steakhouse in Beverly Hills, California  and posed for a picture with Wheel of Fortune host Pat Sajak.

The now official couple also repeatedly liked and retweeted each others' social media posts while Glenn repeatedly had Taylor Greene on his show at the Right Side Broadcasting Network.

In October, shortly before DailyMail.com exposed their relationship, gushing Glenn told Taylor Greene she could become one of the most powerful women in the world, and added: 'You don't back down to anybody. You will take on all the press. You will answer all the questions.'

The romance with Glenn was revealed just over a year after Taylor Greene's previous affairs  with 'polyamorous tantric sex guru' Craig Ivey, 44, and gym manager Justin Tway, also 44, in 2012, were revealed by DailyMail.com.

Taylor Greene was in New York on Tuesday protesting outside the courtroom where former president Donald Trump was to be indicted

Taylor Greene ()bottom left) was swarmed by reporters as she arrived at her New York protest Tuesday

The look of love? Taylor Greene smiled as she looked at Glenn at a meet and greet in Austell, Georgia, in October

Greene and Glenn were photographed together in a restaurant in Beverly Hills in late July after running into Wheel of Fortune host Pat Sajak

DailyMail.com's exclusive 2021 report revealed Taylor Greene had cheated on her husband with a polyamorous tantric sex guru Craig Ivey (left) and Georgia gym manager Justin Tway

Ivey, who declined to speak about his extramarital fling with Taylor Greene when approached by DailyMail.com, now lives in a commune in Washington where he runs tantric sex workshops.

Ivey advertises the workshops  which are hosted at the $955,000 'dome home' he shares with domestic partner Katie Kovacich, two other women and a male friend  via his Facebook page.

Musclebound Ivey is also using the property to run his X-rated OnlyFans page which includes multiple shots of him naked in nature and a 'sex positive' Facebook group called 'the Kaleidoscopic Community' which offers a variety of activities, including tantric dance classes and nature rambles that include naked swimming sessions.

For extra income, the 44-year-old hosts paying guests at a $130-a-night Mongolian 'soul yurt' that he built on his 40-acre property  now listed on AirBNB, it boasts a cedar hot tub and comes with access to the 'community spaces' in his dome home.

Despite not being keen to discuss his liaison with Taylor Greene with DailyMail.com, he did address it shortly after the news of the affair broke on his social media, where he posts photographs of himself in varying states of undress and goes by the username, 'the_tantric_warrior'.

In posts made in February 2021, he said he is proud to be polyamorous and knew Taylor Greene she was 'a kind spirit that wanted to help people through building community and reaching health goals.'

Two weeks after Perry Greene filed for divorce, Glenn filed to end his own 23-year marriage from wife Kerry in Collin County, Texas

He added: 'There was never discussion of politics. It does sadden me to see the type of person she has chosen to become.

'I feel like I knew her at her best and unfortunately she has drifted far from that life. I still wish her the best.'

Following his own split from Taylor Greene, Ivey moved to Seattle, Washington, where he worked at a series of cross-fit gyms as a trainer while living in a battered trailer parked outside York's former home in Renton.

Along with Kovacich, Leilani York, relationship counsellor Gwendolyn Brown and IT manager Paul Youngberg, Ivey now lives in a communal property  dubbed the 'Geoclectic Grove' by its occupants.

When not hosting tantric sex classes, Ivey takes part in  and teaches  mediaeval combat which involves sword fighting while dressed in a suit of armor.

According to his Facebook page, he also enjoys attending Middle Ages-themed Renaissance Faires and attended one last Fall dressed in a maroon and beige tabard.
BEIJING, April 3 (Xinhua) -- Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, has urged solid efforts to carry out the education campaign on the study and implementation of the Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era to enhance cohesion and pool strengths for forging ahead on the new journey. Xi, also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks when delivering an important speech at a working conference on the Party-wide campaign on Monday. The campaign should be an opportunity to further arm all Party members with the Party's new theories and enhance their understanding of Marxism, Xi said, calling on Party members to strive together to fully build a modern socialist China and realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee Li Qiang, Zhao Leji, Wang Huning, Ding Xuexiang, Li Xi, and Vice President Han Zheng attended the meeting. Cai Qi, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and chief of a central leading group for the campaign, delivered a concluding speech. Noting that the education campaign, with officials at and above the county and director level as the focus, is an important measure to implement the guiding principles of the 20th CPC National Congress, Xi said that it is of great importance in uniting Party members in thinking, solving prominent problems within the Party, helping the Party maintain a close bond with the people, and advancing the cause of the Party and the country. The education campaign should guide Party members and officials in improving their capacity for political judgment, thinking, and implementation to build the Party into "one piece of adamantine iron" that is invincible, said Xi. Through education and guidance, Party members and officials are expected to be more capable of pursuing high-quality development, serving the people, and guarding against and defusing risks, he said. Efforts should also be made to promote a problem-oriented approach among Party organizations, members, and officials to strengthen the Party's ability to purify, improve, renew, and excel itself, ensuring that the Party always remains the strong leadership core in building socialism with Chinese characteristics, said Xi. Xi stressed the importance of guiding all work with the Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and thoroughly understanding the thought's requirements on tempering the CPC members' Party spirit. He urged putting the thought into practice to solve problems in economic and social development and Party building, prevent and mitigate major risks, and make new progress and breakthroughs in Chinese modernization. Xi called for efforts to enhance the capacity to fulfill duties and responsibilities so that the Party can make solid achievements that stand the test of time and meet the expectations of the people. Xi said the basic task of the campaign is to transform the Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era into a mighty force for reinforcing the ideals, tempering the Party spirit, guiding practice, enhancing the work, and to ensure that all Party members have a shared faith, a strong will, coordinated action, and great strength. He stressed the necessity to educate and guide all Party members and officials to reinforce their faith in Marxism, belief in socialism with Chinese characteristics, and confidence to realize the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, adding that all Party members must never forget the Party's original aspiration and founding mission. The campaign should educate and guide all Party members and officials in remaining loyal to the Party, the people, and Marxism and making further progress in pursuing high-quality development with a focus on the Party's central task along the new journey in the new era, Xi said. More efforts are needed to encourage Party members and officials to work hard to solve the pressing difficulties and problems that concern the people most, Xi said, adding that in doing so, the people will have a stronger sense of fulfillment, happiness, and security. The campaign should inspire Party members and officials to enhance their sense of discipline and rules, enabling them to be more aware of the importance of exercising power impartially, lawfully, honestly and for the good of the people, he said. Xi stressed that theoretical study, investigation and research, development, and inspection and rectification should be combined, integrated, and promoted as a whole during the education campaign. He also underscored reading original works and articles. In line with the Party Central Committee's work plan of encouraging the practice of conducting research throughout the Party, Xi said Party members and officials, especially leading officials at all levels, should go to the grassroots and apply the Party's new theories to studying new situations and solving new problems. He also called for focusing on pursuing high-quality development, the primary task of building a modern socialist country in all respects, and carrying out study and research in fulfilling all the tasks set out at the 20th CPC National Congress. Rectification of problems should run through the education campaign so that the people can truly feel the results of solving problems, Xi said. Xi called on Party committees and leading Party members groups at all levels to shoulder their principal responsibilities to plan, organize, and implement the campaign well. He also said that guiding groups should be dispatched to supervise and guide the implementation of the campaign. Xi urged all localities and departments to combine the education campaign with thorough implementation of the decisions and plans of the CPC Central Committee and encourage Party members and officials to translate their enthusiasm for study and work into a strong driving force for overcoming difficulties and performing their duties. In the concluding speech, Cai called on the whole Party to attentively study and fully implement Xi's speech and tirelessly forge the soul with Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. Calling for more efforts to conduct in-depth research and studies, Cai said that the education campaign should always focus on rectifying problems, promoting high-quality development, and solving difficulties that concern the people most.
Britain has called for the release of a US journalist detained in Moscow.

No10 said Rishi Sunak stood 'shoulder to shoulder' with the US over its efforts to free Evan Gershkovich.

The Wall Street Journal reporter was detained last week in Yekaterinburg, Russia's fourth-largest city. It was the first time a US correspondent had been detained on spying accusations since the Cold War.

His employer has said it 'vehemently denies' the charges and demanded his release.

A spokesman for the PM told reporters: 'We stand shoulder to shoulder with the United States who are leading on efforts to get Mr Gershkovich free.'

And Foreign Secretary James Cleverly added: 'A free press is a fundamental pillar of a healthy democracy. The UK stands with the US in defence of these principles and their diplomatic efforts to secure the journalist's release.'

At a hearing on Thursday last week, Moscow's Lefortovsky District court quickly ruled that Gershkovich would be kept behind bars for two months pending the investigation.

He was put in Moscow's Lefortovo prison, which dates from the czarist era and has been a terrifying symbol of repression since Soviet times.

No10 said Rishi Sunak stood 'shoulder to shoulder' with the US over its efforts to free Evan Gershkovich.

The Wall Street Journal reporter was detained last week in Yekaterinburg, Russia's fourth-largest city. It was the first time a US correspondent had been detained on spying accusations since the Cold War.

Last night Russian agencies reported a court in Moscow has received an appeal against Gershkovich's arrest filed by his defense. No date for the appeals hearing has been set yet.

Russia's Federal Security Service, the top successor to the Soviet-era KGB that is known by the acronym FSB, accused Gershkovich of trying to obtain classified information about a Russian arms factory. The Kremlin alleged that Gershkovich was caught red-handed, without offering details.

President Joe Biden on Friday urged Russia to release Gershkovich. 'Let him go,' Biden told reporters at the White House when asked if he had a message for Russia.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged his Russian counterpart Sunday in a rare phone call between the diplomats since the start of the Ukraine war, to immediately release Gershkovich as well as another imprisoned American, Paul Whelan.

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg has also demanded Gershkovich's 'immediate release'.

'His arrest is of great concern. It is important to respect freedom of the press, the rights of journalists and the right to ask questions and to do their job,' he said on Monday.

Stoltenberg said he expected the issue of the reporter's detention to be taken up by NATO foreign ministers at their meeting today.
Gershkovich is accused by the Russians of spying but plead not guilty last week

Lawyers for a Wall Street Journal reporter jailed in a Russian prison are still due to meet with him nearly a week after his arrest, as the paper's editor reveals she is 'reassured by reports' he is not being mistreated.

Editor-in-chief Emma Tucker told Fox News on Monday that she had heard reports from a Russian government group that Evan Gershkovich, 31, was 'well' and 'joking' but was still waiting for direct confirmation.

Gershkovich is being held in the notorious prison which was once host to mass executions during Stalin's Great Purge and later a KGB interrogation site.

He was arrested for espionage last week in Yekaterinburg - the country's fourth-largest city - while reporting on Russia's notorious Wagner mercenary group.

After pleading not guilty to those charges last Thursday and it was ruled that he should be held in pre-trial custody until May 29, according to Russian media.

Wall Street Journal editor-in-chief Emma Tucker appeared on Fox News on Monday and said there were reports that Evan Gershkovich is 'well' and 'joking' but was still waiting for direct confirmation

Lawyers for jailed 31-year-old Wall Street Journal reporter, Evan Gershkovich (pictured), are still due to meet with him nearly a week after his arrest in Russia over espionage

Pictured: The WSJ journalist was escorted out of Lefortovo court in Moscow, flanked by authorities. He was seen being transferred into a law enforcement van

During an appearance on Fox News, Tucker, who has been the Journal's top editor for just three months, said she wanted first hand reports on Gershkovich's wellbeing.

'We've heard reports that a Russian government group say they've been into the prison and seen him. We're cautiously reassured by their reports,' she said.

'But we cant verify these reports. what we really want is to have our own eyes on Evan so we can report back to his family that he's OK and he's not being mistreated,' she added. 'We're still, you know, obviously very worried for him.'

A journalist for the Financial Times said on Monday that Gershkovich had been issued prison garb and was able to obtain a copy of what she said was a favorite book, Life and Fate by Vasily Grossman. She also reported that 'he joked a lot.'

Tucker said she was in close contact with his parents, who had fled the Soviet Union.

'His parents are here, they came in the 70s,' she said. 'They know Russia and are under no delusion as to how long this process can take,' she said.

She said that over the weekend she had gone to visit the family in person.

'They live in Philadelphia, they're obviously very, very worried about Evan. The thing they're finding hardest of all is not being able to get a message to him, not being able to hear any messages from him,' she added.

Lefortovo Prison was used for mass executions during Joseph Stalin's Great Purge between 1936 and 1938

Last month, we were travelling with @evangershkovich on holiday and he was lugging around the enormous Life & Fate by Vasily Grossman, reading long passages out loud.



I cannot tell you HOW much joy it brings to know he is reunited with the book.



First news of Evan from jail: pic.twitter.com/y18Ny2DKXI  Polina Ivanova (@polinaivanovva) April 3, 2023

Lefortovo Prison has a long and violent history. It currently houses former US marine veteran Paul Whelan who was handed a 16-year jail sentence in 2020 after also being accused of spying.

It was built in 1881 and is the most secure prison in Russia, housing those accused of terrorism, high-profile ex-officials and 'spies'.

The cells in Lefortovo reportedly only have cold water and inmates can only shower once a week. The section of the prison where foreign inmates are held is freezing and the prisoners are not equipped to deal with the cold.

It was used for mass executions during Soviet Union leader Joseph Stalin's Great purge between 1936 and 1938 and by the NKVD secret police for torture, violent interrogations and executions to solidify Stalin's control over civilians through fear.

Zoya Svetova, who observes prison conditions with the Public Monitoring Commission of Moscow, a non-government organization, said officials want to psychologically break foreign prisoners.

'This period is some sort of humiliating time meant to "cook" them,' she previously told the Daily Beast. 'People feel naked, left without any private belongings.

Tucker also confirmed she had been in touch with the administration, which was seeking to label him as 'wrongfully detained'.

'When that happens you get an official recognition that the charges against him are bogus and then I think the government machine will go up a notch, they've been very supportive,' she said.

'This is a reporter who had a visa. He was accredited by the Russian government - the Russian foreign ministry had accredited him.

'He had the official paperwork, he was out there doing his job, he was on a typical reporting mission and he was straightforwardly grabbed from the street. And that is simply unacceptable,' she said.

'It's an assault on the free press and it's something that we should all be very concerned about.'

It was also an infamous KGB prison and interrogation site for political prisoners for decades

Pictured: Evan Gershkovich in Russia. Gershkovich was put in Moscow's Lefortovo prison, which dates from the czarist era and has been a terrifying symbol of repression since Soviet times

Lawyers for The Wall Street Journal reporter have appealed his arrest on espionage charges, a court in Moscow announced on Monday.

Gershkovich's arrest was the first time a US correspondent has been detained on spying accusations in Russia since the Cold War. The Wall Street Journal has said it 'vehemently denies' the charges and demanded his release.

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg has also demanded Gershkovich's 'immediate release'.

'His arrest is of great concern. It is important to respect freedom of the press, the rights of journalists and the right to ask questions and to do their job,' he said on Monday.

Stoltenberg said he expected the issue of the reporter's detention to be taken up by NATO foreign ministers at their meeting on Tuesday.

At a hearing on Thursday, Moscow's Lefortovsky District court quickly ruled that Gershkovich would be kept behind bars for two months pending the investigation.

On Monday, the court reported that it has received an appeal against Gershkovich's arrest filed by his defense, according to Russian news agencies. No date for the appeals hearing has been set yet.

Russia's Federal Security Service, the top successor to the Soviet-era KGB that is known by the acronym FSB, accused Gershkovich of trying to obtain classified information about a Russian arms factory.
Police bodycam footage showed the moment a Just Stop Oil demonstrator sung a protest song to officers as he was hauled off the Dartford Crossing after causing two days of traffic gridlock.

Eco-zealot Marcus Decker, 34 who was joined in the demonstration by Morgan Trowland, 40, was pulled into a cherry picker more than 200ft above ground and arrested following the stunt which sparked travel mayhem over two days.

The pair used ropes and other climbing equipment to shuffle up the cables and erect their protest site above the road where they unfurled a 'giant Just Stop Oil banner' and rigged up hammocks.

Today they were each convicted of causing a public nuisance at Basildon Crown Court for the stunt which lasted from 4am on October 17 last year to mid afternoon the following day.

When they finally agreed to come down, protester Marcus Decker was filmed singing a song of defiance as he was slowly lowered into the waiting arms of the police who had deployed a very large cherry picker.

Police bodycam footage shows a visibly exhausted Decker bellowing: 'On this good green earth we will take a stand with an open heart and a healing hand' - moments before he was pulled into the cherry picker.

Protester Marcus Decker was filmed singing an environmental song as he was dragged into a cherry picker

Police bodycam footage showed the two men arriving at the bridge in the dead of night and beginning their ascent

Once they had secured themselves the two men clambered steadily up the bridge using the cables

Marcus Decker (left) and Morgan Trowland (right) have been found guilty of conspiracy to commit a public nuisance

During the protest the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, which links the M25 in Essex and Kent, was closed for almost two days, prosecutor Alan King told the court.

'This closure caused gridlock for miles around throughout that period, which we say was the point,' said Mr King.

'It was because of the disruption that the incident made national news.'

He continued: 'Small businesses lost, in some cases, hundreds of thousands of pounds, people missed loved ones' funerals, children were left on the side of the road waiting for buses.'

He said the men came down at about 5.30pm on October 18 'with the help of police and a very tall cherry picker crane', but the bridge was not reopened to traffic until later.

Mr King had told jurors: 'We're not here to litigate the Government's climate change policy.'

Essex Police footage showed the two men using ropes to erect two hammocks between the cables

They then unfurled a large 'Just Stop Oil' Banner which they hung for the duration of their protest

Morgan Trowland posted numerous updates from the protest on social media throughout

Police body cam footage from the morning the protest began showed officers approaching both Trowland and Decker and asking them to confirm they weren't trying to harm themselves.

Both men then continued their climb.

Trowland had said in evidence: 'We climbed it (the bridge) to deliver a warning message, to put up a banner saying Just Stop Oil and to speak that message through interviews with journalists.'

He said the activist group's goal is to get the Government to stop licensing oil and gas production.

'That is putting fuel on the fire of climate change.'

Trowland, of Islington, north London, and Decker, 34, of no fixed address, denied causing a public nuisance.

They were found guilty by a jury by unanimous verdicts following more than two hours of deliberations.

Judge Shane Collery KC remanded them in custody to be sentenced on April 13.

He said: 'This court is considering custodial sentences.'

He added: 'We're dealing with significant nuisance that's been caused.'

Energy Security Secretary Grant Shapps said on Twitter: 'I welcome the court's decision today.

'The right to protest cannot be allowed to outweigh the right of the law-abiding majority to go about their day free from selfish and antisocial disruption.

'We are cracking down on these guerilla tactics which cause misery for the majority.'

Sean Irish, of Just Stop Oil, said outside court that the verdicts were 'quite disappointing'.

'Obviously it's quite disappointing to see this happen,' he said.

'We've seen in the Old Bailey that a jury has the right to acquit based on a conscience, whether they were aware of that I don't know, but it's disappointing to see that they've come back with a guilty verdict.'

He said that the climate crisis was 'more terrifying' than the prospect of prison time.

'Young people aren't going to die for an oil baron's profits,' Mr Irish said.

'We're not going to lie down easily, we're not going to take it, we will fight back.

'The more the government cracks down on peaceful protest, the more dangerous it becomes for the government.'
Mr Murphy was reported missing around six weeks ago

The discovery came during a search for Steve Murphy, 38

Police have found a body on a property in Adelaide's north

A murder investigation is underway after human remains were discovered inside a bunker at a rural property during a search for a missing man.

South Australia Police, who were searching for Steve Murphy, 38, found the remains in a hole at a Kudla property in Adelaide's northern outskirts on Tuesday.

The grisly discovery came after detectives received a tip off in relation to the disappearance of Mr Murphy several week prior.

Police believe the body could have been in the bunker for about six weeks, which is when Mr Murphy was reported missing.

Major Crime Investigation Branch Detective Inspector Mark McEachern said detectives were unable to confirm if the remains are in fact Mr Murphy.

The grisly discovery came after detectives received a tip off in relation to the disappearance of Mr Murphy several week prior

A murder investigation has been launched after police discovered human remains inside a hole on a property in Kudla in Adelaide's north

'There's a possibility that it is Mr Murphy but we're not in a position to confirm at this stage...we're open-minded as well to the fact it could be another person,' he told reporters.

'We'd be hoping (to identify the remains) within days. We've spoken to Mr Murphys relatives and advised them there's been a development, but we can't confirm to them that it is actually Steven.'

Inspector McEachern said the bunker was man-made and about 20m by 15m and several metres deep.

The location was drained of water before excavators were brought in to dig up the hole beneath the bunker, which was where the remains were found.

Inspector McEachern said it could take several hours to remove the remains.

Police conducted a two-day search of the property before finding the body.

No charges have been made in relation to the discovery.

Steven Murphy (pictured), 38, was last seen at Kudla on February 15. Detectives have not been able to confirm if the remains are Mr Murphy

Detective Inspector Mark McEachern (pictured) said police were hoping to identify the body within days

Keith Yandle, 46, who lives at the property, was charged with drug and weapon offences on Sunday night shortly after the search began.

His arrest came when police allegedly found 20 cannabis plants in a back shed, along with a .22 calibre rifle and ammunition that was not secured.

Mr Yandle fronted Elizabeth Magistrates Court on Monday via video link and was denied bail.

He was remanded in custody and will appear in court again later this month.
A South Carolina teen who was killed in 2015 is set to be reburied after his body was exhumed at the weekend with investigators calling the second autopsy a 'success' after collecting fresh evidence.

Stephen Smith, 19, was found dead on Sandy Run Road in South Carolina's Hampton County and after an autopsy his death was ruled a hit-and-run eight years ago - although there has been some skepticism from law enforcement and Smith's mother, Sandy, about the initial ruling.

Sandy has been vocal about her search for answers, going as far as to offer a $35,000 reward for anyone who might come forward with more information about her son's tragic death.

A renewed interest into the 19-year-old's death came in the wake of Alex Murdaugh being charged with the murders of his wife Maggie and son Paul. He was found guilty at trial and given to two life sentences in March.

Stephen Smith, a South Carolina teen who was killed in 2015, is set to be reburied after his body was exhumed at the weekend with investigators calling the second autopsy a 'success' after collecting fresh evidence

Smith's grave is pictured following the exhumation, in an image obtained by TMZ

The body of Stephen Smith was exhumed after eight years, and investigators performed a second autopsy with the hope of gathering evidence as to how he died. @TVAshleigh talks to Kenneth Kinsey of the Orangeburg County Sheriffs Department about what they found. pic.twitter.com/iD54uZqRju  NewsNation (@NewsNation) April 4, 2023

The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) told the Smith family attorney Eric Bland that an unidentified 'piece of evidence' related to Smith's death was uncovered during the state investigation into the Murdaugh murders.

Chief deputy of the Orangeburg County Sheriff's Department Kenneth Kinsey told NewsNation that after a considerable amount of time its often difficult to retain substantial new evidence, however this did not seem to be the case with Smith.

'I am expecting that final report will tell us a little bit more,' he said.

'I do know it was a success, they say they did collect evidence, it was very good documentation, and everybody was upbeat about the information that was collected.

'That is not always the situation when you exhume someone after so many years.'

Kinsey said he was 'excited' about the new report coming when asked whether anything significant could be learned from a body buried eight years ago.

'Well, I don't want to take it the wrong way, but I am very, very, excited about the report coming,' he said.

'The pathologist was very upbeat and said they had everything they needed to do a proper examination of Mr. Smith.

'I didn't hear anything negative about that and they were saying it was a very good situation for the Smith family and the investigation. I have got my fingers crossed and I am looking forward to hopefully getting the Smith family some answers.'

An attorney for Smith's family announced the exhumation and autopsy on Sunday.

'My partner, Ronnie Richter, and I, as attorneys for Sandy Smith, and on behalf of Steven Smith, would like to thank everyone who contributed in the exhumation, transporting Stephen, protecting and guarding Stephen while he was being re-examined, and the second autopsy being done, transporting him back and then putting him back to his final resting place this past weekend,' Attorney Eric Bland told WISN.

Chief deputy of the Orangeburg County Sheriff's Department Kenneth Kinsey told NewsNation that after a considerable amount of time its often difficult to retain substantial new evidence, however this did not seem to be the case with Smith

Smith was found dead in the road in Hampton County - just a few miles from Alex Murdaugh 's former hunting estate. He was at school with the eldest and only surviving son Buster. His body was exhumed on Friday

At this point, authorities have not announced a connection between Smith's death and the Murdaugh family.

However, Buster Murdaugh, the surviving son of Alex Murdaugh - who last month was found guilty of murdering his wife Maggie and son Paul, recently released a statement vehemently denying any part in Smith's death.

'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.'

Bland on Sunday said a tremendous amount of planning went into the exhumation.

'The biggest thanks goes to South Carolina Law Enforcement Division Chief Mark Keel because without him this could not have gone on without a hitch,' he said. 'Chief Keel gave me his word and followed through on it.'

Sandy launched a GoFundMe page so she could exhume Smith's body and conduct an independent autopsy.

'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,' she wrote.

The Bland Richter Law Firm announced on Monday that a $35,000 reward is being offered for information or a tip that leads to the arrest of the person or people responsible for the death of Stephen Smith.

'We hope that this reward will encourage anyone with information to come forward and provide the critical details needed to solve this case,' Ronnie Richter told the outlet.

'The paramount issue here is to find answers for the Smith family. We won't stop until we do.'

Smith, was found dead in the middle of a road in Hampton County, just a few miles from Alex Murdaugh's former hunting estate. He was at school with Buster.

Smith, who was openly gay, was initially ruled to have died in a hit and run. But following the flurry of interest in the Murdaugh case, and rumors that Smith and Buster had a sexual relationship, Smith's case was reopened in June 2021.

On March 23 Smith's death was declared a homicide and photos obtained by TMZ show the disturbed grave.

Local news website FitsNews has named two people - Patrick Wilson and Shawn Connelly, both 25 - as being potentially of interest, citing sources from SLED.

Smith, who was openly gay, was initially ruled to have died in a hit and run. But following the flurry of interest in the Murdaugh case, and rumors that Smith and Buster had a sexual relationship, Smith's case was reopened in June 2021

Sandy, Smith's mom, has been vocal about her search for answers, going as far as to offer a $35,000 reward for anyone who might come forward with more information about her son's tragic death

According to the FitsNews report, Connelly and Wilson, who were both teenagers at the time, lived in Hampton County when Smith was killed.

FitsNews alleges that five months after Smith's death, Wilson's stepfather, Darrell Williams, said that he was told by Wilson that Connelly 'struck and killed Stephen Smith.' Williams in turn notified law enforcement.

Later, Williams told investigators that Wilson had moved out and he didn't know where he was living.

When efforts to locate him stalled, Williams said that he was told to call the police by Alex Murdaugh's brother, Randy.

The paper reported that both Connelly and Wilson were well known to police, with Wilson facing murder charges, which were dropped.

Online records show that Connelly has a lengthy criminal record in South Carolina, including multiple traffic infractions, DUIs, domestic violence, hunting without a license, unlawfully killing an antler-less deer and purchasing alcohol as a minor.

The trooper who discovered Smith's body did not think it was a hit and run, but the pathologist who did the autopsy theorized Smith was hit in the head by the side mirror of a passing truck that did not stop.

Police said it appeared he ran out of gas and was walking for help, but Bland said Smith didn't make any calls on his cellphone and his shoes, which were tied loosely, were still on his feet.

A renewed interest into the 19-year-old's death came in the wake of two grisly murders at the hands of Alex Murdaugh - who was recently convicted to two life sentences for killing his wife Maggie and son Paul

A tribute for Smith, erected at the site where he was found dead in Hampton, South Carolina, in 2015

People hit by cars are often found without their shoes from the force of the wreck.

Smith's family thinks his injuries, including head injuries and a dislocated arm bent behind him, indicate he was beaten to death and dropped on the highway.

Bland also hopes the private investigators can gather and analyze cellphone data from Smith and the people he was communicating with to reconstruct who he was hanging out with and what he was doing not just right before his body was found but also in the weeks before his death.

'Stephen had to live a secret life. Being young and gay in the Low Country was not an easy thing to do,' Bland said.
Tennessee Republicans made the first move Monday to expel three Democratic lawmakers from the House for their role leading last week's chaotic gun control protest at the state Capitol.

Republicans accused the Democrats of 'disorderly behavior' last Thursday during demonstrations after the deadly Covenant School shooting.

The extraordinary move triggered further unrest as the Democratic members  Reps. Gloria Johnson, Justin Jones, and Justin Pearson  used a bullhorn to lead supporters in the public gallery in chants for gun reform.

It illustrates the upheaval in Nashville after a shooter killed three children and three members of staff last week, triggering mass protests.

Hundreds of people invaded the Capitol last week demanding that the Republican-led Statehouse pass gun control measures.

On Monday, Reps. Gloria Johnson, Justin Jones, and Justin Pearson used a bullhorn to lead supporters in the public gallery in chants for gun reform as they face expulsion

Tonight as Tennessee House Republicans push forward to schedule vote on our expulsion, Speaker Sexton orders the gallery cleared as crowd chants fascists.



Media forced out at as well.



Then, Rep. Lafferty (R-Knox) pushes me and grabs my phone.



This is a sad day for Tennessee. pic.twitter.com/Lh08Ma5kdS  Rep. Justin Jones (@brotherjones_) April 4, 2023

House leadership later described it as an 'insurrection,' aping language used around the attack on the U.S. Capitol by Donald Trump's supporters in January, 2021.

On Monday, three Republicans filed resolutions that the three Democrats be expelled and they successfully asked for an expedited process with a vote Thursday.

The resolutions claim the three 'did knowingly and intentionally bring disorder and dishonor to the House of Representatives,' according to the Tennesseean newspaper.

The result was fresh chaos on Monday when the first resolution, targeting Pearson, was introduced.

Protesters shouted from the galleries and Pearson raised his fist in salute, while other Democrats raised their hands to object.

Members of the public chanted: 'Fascists! Fascists!" and wagged their fingers and fists at members. Instead, the speaker called for state troopers to clear the House galleries.

Johnson later said she would consider a lawsuit if expelled, saying their protest was constitutionally protected.

'We're going to push back, and we're gonna fight this because it's unprecedented and utterly ridiculous,' she told the Tennesseean.

Tennessee, Kentucky, Florida, all around the country we see Democrats standing up against the GOPs new reign of authoritarianism. And theyre fierce. I love it.  pic.twitter.com/oRdOWcOhjd  Michelle (@LivingBlueTX) April 4, 2023

Protestors last week as they gathered at the Tennessee State Capitol Building to demand action from lawmakers on gun control after The Covenant School shooting

Johnson with protesters inside the state Capitol building last week demanding gun reform

She accused Republicans of double standards.

'We had a child molester on the floor for years, they helped him get reelected and did nothing to expel him,' she added.

'We've had members pee in each other's chairs and nothing happened. But talk on the floor without permission, and you'll get expelled.'

House Speaker Cameron Sexton also announced that the three lawmakers had been stripped of their committee assignments and said more punishments could be on the way.

'A few hours later, House Republican Caucus Chairman Jeremy Faison referred to Jones as the 'former representative' during the evening session.

Lawmakers leaving on Monday evening after protests in the chamber

After the votes, House Democrats said they stood behind the three.

'The Democratic Caucus has unanimously, formally voted to oppose the baseless resolutions for expulsion and will zealously oppose them should they come up for a vote on the House floor,' they said in a statement.

The Tennessee Black Caucus of State Legislators also protested the resolutions.

'This political retribution is unconstitutional and, in this moment, morally bankrupt,' it said.

'The people who elected us are calling for meaningful action to end gun violence and the people have a right to be heard through their duly elected representatives.'
Americans are increasingly rattled by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, with nearly three quarters now worried it will lead to the use of nuclear weapons, as Russian President Vladimir Putin doubles down on the year-long conflict.

A survey of 1,365 Americans showed that 73 percent feared that the conflict would escalate into the use of doomsday weapons  a marked increase on the 67 percent who expressed that worry in January.

The shift follows revelations that Russian tactical nuclear weapons will be deployed close to Belarus' borders with NATO neighbors, the unraveling of the US-Russia New START nuclear arms treaty, and other seemingly risky steps.

'Americans' concerns are rightly placed,' the polling outfit, Tipp Insights, said in a statement accompanying the release on Tuesday of its nationwide poll, which was carried out last week.

'After a year of fighting, the high-pitch Russian rhetoric, matched by the West's aggressive actions, points to more aggression than an end to the conflict.'

A survey of 1,365 Americans showed that 73 percent feared that the conflict would escalate into the use of doomsday weapons

Protesters march during a 'Stand With Ukraine' rally in New York City. Americans are increasingly worried that the conflict will boil over and involve nuclear weapons

The concern among Americans was evenly shared across political lines  Republicans and Democrats were equally fearful of an atomic escalation. Younger Americans were slightly less fearful than their elders of Putin's brinksmanship.

The polling results were released on Tuesday as fighting raged around Bakhmut, a mining city, logistics hub and administrative center of eastern Ukraine, which has been one of the bloodiest of the conflict with heavy casualties on both sides.

Finland, which shares a 810-mile border with Russia, on Tuesday formally joined NATO, dealing a major blow to Putin with a historic realignment of Europe's post-Cold War security landscape triggered by Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

Finnish foreign minister Pekka Haavisto completed the accession process by handing over an official document to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken  the keeper of NATO's founding treaty  at Nato headquarters in Brussels.

They then watched on as the country's flag was raised outside the HQ, joining the 30 others.

The Nordic country's membership doubles Russia's border with the world's biggest security alliance. Finland had adopted neutrality after its defeat by the Soviets in World War II, but its leaders signaled they wanted to join NATO just months after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine sent a shiver of fear through its neighbors.

Putin late last month announced plans to station tactical nuclear weapons on the territory of Russia's neighbor and ally  another attempt to dangle the nuclear threat to discourage the West from supporting Ukraine.

Pollsters found that 73 percent in the US feared the conflict would escalate into the use of doomsday weapons  a marked increase on the 67 percent who expressed that worry in January

Russian President Vladimir Putin late last month announced plans to station tactical nuclear weapons in Balerus  another attempt to dangle the nuclear threat to discourage the West from supporting Ukraine

A protester holds a striking poster with words 'Belarus NO Nuclear Weapon!' in Krakow, Poland, calling for political change and freedom in Belarus

Fighting is raging around Bakhmut, a mining city, logistics hub and administrative center of eastern Ukraine, which has been one of the bloodiest of the conflict with heavy casualties on both sides

Putin has said that construction of storage facilities for tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus will be complete by July 1 and added that Russia has helped modernize Belarusian warplanes to make them capable of carrying nuclear weapons.

The two neighbors have an agreement envisioning close economic, political and military ties. Russia used Belarusian territory as a staging ground for invading Ukraine and has maintained a contingent of troops and weapons there.

Days later, the US told Russia it would stop exchanging some data on its nuclear forces, following Moscow's refusal to do so, further damaging the fraying New START treaty, which limits the two sides' deployed strategic nuclear arsenals.

Between the two of them, the US and Russia hold nearly 90 percent of the world's nuclear warheads  enough to destroy the planet many times over.

Keir Giles, an expert on the conflict with the London-based think tank Chatham House, said Moscow's nuclear brinkmanship had effectively deterred Western governments from giving Ukraine the weapons they need to prevail.

'Nuclear threats  no matter how implausible  work,' Giles said in a report

'If Russia is allowed to achieve success in its war against Ukraine through nuclear intimidation, this validates the concept of nuclear coercion not only for Moscow but for other aggressive, assertive or rogue states around the world.'

Wires contributed to this report.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi accidentally called former Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton 'president' at an event in New York Monday night.

Pelosi, now referred to as the 'speaker emerita,' and Clinton, the former secretary of State, U.S. senator and first lady, interviewed each other at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs.

Clinton asked Pelosi what she viewed as the 'biggest threats and challenges facing our democracy.'

'Well, I appreciate that question, but I also appreciate your leadership in this regard when president,' Pelosi said.

Pelosi gestured signaling that she immediately realized her slip of the tongue, putting her hand over her heart. 'My hope,' she noted.

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (left) accidentally called former Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton (right) 'president' at an event in New York Monday night

'But when Secretary Clinton was in the Senate and first lady, but especially as secretary of State in more recent time  she has been and at that time implemented many things showing America's support for democracy.'

Pelosi said this turned Clinton into an enemy of Russian President Vladimir Putin - who meddled in the 2016 election in an effort to boost now former President Donald Trump.

'It was her clarity and position to the present - Putin - present occupant leader of Russia, that made him turn around and ensure, in an illegal way, come out against her in her campaign and interference in our democracy by Vladimir Putin, because Hillary Clinton was the person he feared most in terms of his lack of democracy in Russia,' Pelosi said. 'That's, I think, self-evident, so thank you for what you have done.'

Democrats pushed that Putin wanted Trump to win the 2016 election because he was a chaos candidate and would destabilize the United States and NATO.

Allies of Trump have argued that Putin didn't invade Ukraine - or any other neighboring countries - while the Republican was in the White House because he projected strength.

The two women also discussed how the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade last June may have rattled some Americans' views of democracy.

Clinton (left), the former secretary of State, U.S. senator and first lady, and Pelosi (right), the 'speaker emerita,' interviewed each other at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs.

Clinton said some people 'may have taken democracy for granted, may not have understood that in politics no victory or defeat is permanent,' explaining that she believed 'we have a serious and continuing threat to democracy by really taking away freedom.'

'How can one have freedom if one has no right to privacy?' she mused.

In the Dobbs decision, the conservative-leaning Supreme Court, which includes three justices that Trump appointed, said the Constitution doesn't include an implicit right to privacy, rolling back 50 years of precedent.

Pelosi scoffed at this saying that for women the Supreme Court decided that 'the most personal decisions is not theirs.'

The California Democrat also seemed perplexed that any American would vote Republican, which she portrayed as the anti-democratic side.

'Do you know some really wonderful people?' Pelosi asked. 'Who are great, they're successful, nice people and all that and voom - they're way on the other side of our democracy in our own country.'

'Why?' she continued. 'Because they don't want to pay more taxes? Because they're believing some misrepresentation of what's going on? We have to be vigilant in our country,' the former speaker warned.
Britons packed out parks and pubs across the country today as they enjoyed glorious blue skies and sunshine.

Temperatures reached 14C as the weather finally turned spring-like after weeks of brutal Arctic spells.

Forecasters have warned that the mercury will plunge to a bitter 4C overnight before rising again over the Easter bank holiday weekend, as millions of Britons eye up staycations and getaways.

It comes as England saw its wettest recorded March in more than 40 years, with 111.3mm of rain falling.

People enjoying the warm weather and sunshine near Kings Cross Station in London today

People pictured enjoying a drink in the sun in Manchester City Centre

People pictured out punting on the River Cam in Cambridge and enjoying the sunshine after a cold and frosty start to the day

Blue skies and glorious sunshine pictured at Scarborough South Bay in North Yorkshire

Tonight is expected to feel a little chilly as the mercury could drop to 4C. Outbreaks of rain will slowly clear eastwards during the evening but will tend to linger across eastern areas for much of the night. Further west will be mainly dry however there will be large areas of cloud around and a chance of showers.

While many areas across the UK can finally look forward to some drier and sunnier weather, it will be a cold start to the Easter weekend for some in the southern and eastern parts of the UK.

The high pressure weather which passed through during the beginning of the week will give way to fronts pushing eastwards, and is set to bring 'wetter weather' from Wednesday. And temperatures are set to to go higher up around mid-April, with warmer conditions expected.

In their latest forecast, the Met Office has predicted that sunny spells will become 'increasingly common' across the UK over the first two weeks of April. And there are predictions that temperatures could reach 20C for this period.

But looking at the Easter weekend, according to the Met Office, many parts of the UK 'are expected to see mostly fine and dry weather'.

While possible heavy showers will follow on from Thursday, the weather forecaster has said said that the weather is set to become 'drier on Friday and Saturday with overnight frosts.'

For Brits that live in the capital or the surrounding areas, the Met Office has predicted dry and sunny days for Good Friday through to Easter Monday.

Clouds will line the skies, as temperatures will range from 12C to 16C.

Joggers running in the warm spring sunshine in Kensington Gardens, London

A man enjoys the heat from the sun today in Piccadilly Gardens, Manchester

Friends pictured enjoying ice lollies in Piccadilly Gardens in Manchester City Centre

For Brits that live in the capital or the surrounding areas, the Met Office has predicted dry and sunny days for Good Friday through to Easter Monday

The Met Office have published a picture of a view of the UK from space, which was taken earlier today. While it has been a clear day for most parts, Brits can expect to see wetter weather tomorrow

And for the south, costal areas such as Cornwall, Devon and Plymouth will experience highs of only 12C to 13C.

Meanwhile, up north, Manchester will experience warmer temperatures of 13C for Easter, while it will be a slightly lower at 11C in Newcastle upon Tyne.

Parts of Scotland, including Edinburgh and Glasgow, will experience a dry and warm weekend, with balmier temperatures of around 13C through the weekend.

Meanwhile, from Friday until Monday, temperatures will top 14C in Cardiff, Wales, on Sunday, while staying around the 12C mark for the rest of the four-day weekend.

As April goes on, the Met Office has forecast that there are chances for wetter and windier weather, with some frosty nights expected.

Temperatures are set to to go higher up mid-April, with warmer conditions expected. However, Met Office has also forecast that there are chances for wetter and windier weather

While possible heavy showers will follow on from Thursday, the weather forecaster has said said that the weather is set to become 'drier on Friday and Saturday'

Make the most out of the Easter weekend, as in its long rage forecast the Met Office has forecast that it will feel cooler from April 9 because of light winds - particularly in the northwest

The sun rises behind Coquet island lighthouse which sits 1.2 km off the Northumberland coast near Amble. For Brits that live in the capital or the surrounding areas, the Met Office has predicted for Good Friday that temperatures will range from 12C to 16C

But temperatures are set to recover by the middle of the month as the mercury reaches above 17C and, in some places, may even top close to 20C.

Looking beyond the Easter weekend, in its long rage forecast the Met Office has forecast that from Sunday 9 April to Tuesday 18 April, it will feel cooler because of light winds, particularly in the northwest.

The forecast for this period reads: 'Possibly some light rain and drizzle across western areas on Sunday, these conditions being most likely in the far northwest. Remaining dry elsewhere, though with a small chance of isolated light showers in the south.

'Temperatures around average or slightly above, with light winds, but with winds strengthening in the northwest, feeling cooler as a result. Through mid-April, dry, settled conditions are most likely in southern and eastern parts, with winds most likely to be light.

'However, across northern and western areas, there will likely be more in the way of cloudy conditions, presenting a greater chance of wet and windier weather. During this period, temperatures are most likely to be close to average or slightly above.'
The Press Council considered whether its Standards of Practice were breached by four articles published by Daily Mail Australia concerning gender affirming healthcare.

The articles were: 'Young Woman Left Devastated after she transitioned to a man and had her breasts, uterus and ovaries removed sues psychiatrist for approving hormone therapy after meeting him ONCE ', 24 August 2022; 'Call for urgent inquiry into irreversible gender changes as woman sues psychiatrist after he approved her hormone therapy to transition into a man after a single appointment leaving her unable to get pregnant', 25 August 2022; 'Australians share their stories of regret after transitioning to a different gender amid calls for urgent inquiry into irreversible sex changes', 26 August 2022 and 'Australian TV host loses it at a doctor who's helping teenagers change their genders: 'Causing irreversible damage to children should be banned'', 5 September 2022.

The first article reported on the content of a NSW Supreme Court Statement of Claim which said that 'A woman who transitioned to a man is suing her psychiatrist for professional negligence after he approved her hormone therapy despite only seeing her for a single appointment'.

The article reported that the woman 'says her social phobia should have been treated before any hormone therapy and that she wasn't given any information on how transition would affect her fertility' and that the 'surgeries have left her suffering with 'injuries and disabilities'.'

The second article, reporting on the same court documents concerning the same woman, included comments from former Liberal Party candidate Katherine Deves who said: 'Those left harmed by these irreversible hormonal interventions and surgeries that cause a myriad of lifelong health problems were always likely to seek legal remedy and compensation.

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of Australian children and young people being subjected to these interventions.' The article went on to include a comment from a prominent Australian actress and LGBTI advocate who was critical of Ms Deves views.

The third article reported the comments of an individual's personal experience with gender transition who said he ' only identified as a transgender woman for a few months before he sat down with a psychiatrist, a requirement before commencing hormone therapy.'

The article went on to say the individual: ' claims the professional failed to understand he was depressed, anxious and had a 'f*****-up relationship with [his] sexuality'.' The article went on to quote the individual saying: ''I think there is a massive population of people who actually don't have gender dysphoria who are now either being pushed toward or themselves being drawn toward this gender affirmative care pathway.''

The article also reported on the same court documents repeating the same woman's concerns as set out in the first and second articles.

The fourth article reported that 'A social media post of a teenager happily showing off the scars of breast removal beside her smiling mother has sparked outrage from a conservative commentator'. It reported that the social media post ' is a picture of someone transitioning from female to male after a double mastectomy performed by Dr Gallagher, who is based in Miami, Florida and promotes herself as a 'leader in the field of gender affirmation surgery'.'

The article went onto report that the conservative commentator 'has previously criticised the practice of giving children trans surgery, including praising Florida Republican politician Randy Fine for moving to ban providing 'gender assignment' drugs or surgery to minors' and ''Good. Causing irreversible damage to children should be banned''.

The article also included comments from an individual who is quoted as saying 'It's transphobic to say it but after I've been through the system, I 100 percent feel like I was part of some cruel medical and social experiment - except nobody checked in on me.'

The article also included comments from those critical of the views expressed by the conservative commentator. In response to complaints received, the Council asked the publication to comment on whether the articles complied with the Council's Standards of Practice which require publications to take reasonable steps to present factual material with reasonable fairness and balance.

The Council noted that the complaints raised concerns in regard to the absence of balancing comments in a series of news articles published over a period of time from individuals or organisations who are supportive gender affirming healthcare.

In response, the publication said in relation to the first article, that it is a report on a Statement of Claim provided to it by the law firm acting on behalf of the named woman. The publication said it had sought comment from the psychiatrist named in the Statement of Claim.

The publication said as it had made reasonable attempts to contact the individuals involved, it saw no need to contact any other individual or organisation that was not named in the court proceedings.

In relation to the second article, the publication said it included a comment from an individual criticising Ms Deves' views. It also said that after receiving the Press Council complaint it amended the article to include a position statement from the Australian Professional Association for Trans Health (AusPATH).

In relation to the third article, the publication said it had also subsequently amended the article to include the same position statement from AusPATH. In relation to the fourth article, the publication said it reported on the comments of a conservative commentator concerning a social media post.

The publication said for balance, it included quotes, both positive and negative, in relation to the public reaction to the commentor's tweet and also included a quote taken from the website of the doctor who performed the surgery, concerning the effects on a person's mental health if they wait for an extended period of time before they start the transitioning process.

Conclusion In relation to the article published on 24 August 2022, the Council acknowledges that the article is based on court documents and recognises the publication's attempts to contact the individuals involved in the proceedings. In relation the article published on 5 September 2022, the Council notes that the article is based on social media commentary, and that it includes comments, both positive and negative, on the views expressed in a tweet by the conservative commentator.

The Council also notes the inclusion of comments concerning gender affirming health taken from the doctor's website who was the subject of the tweet. Accordingly, the Council concludes that the publication did not breach General Principle 3 in relation to these two articles.

In relation to the articles published on 25 and 26 August 2022, the Council notes an absence of comments from individuals or organisations that offer a different perspective than those put forward by Katherine Deves in particular on gender affirming healthcare and the experience of the individual referred to in the court documents.

Although the Council recognises the subsequent amendment to the articles to include a position statement from AusPath, this in itself is not sufficient to address the absence of balance.

Accordingly, in relation to these two articles, the Council finds the publication failed to take reasonable steps to ensure that factual material was presented with reasonable fairness and balance in breach of General Principle 3.

The Council recognises that it has previously stated that reporting on a subject does not always require complete, or almost complete balance. In some instances, the requisite balance might be achieved through the previous or subsequent publication of articles that put forward alternative views on a subject.

However, the Council considers that when reporting on matters of important social debate such as gender affirming healthcare, publications should be especially mindful of informing its readers that there are a range of perspectives on matters of strong public interest.

In this instance, the Council notes that the four articles approached the issue of gender affirming healthcare from a particular perspective.

The Council also notes that no additional articles were provided by the publication that offered an alternative perspective on the issue.

Although the Council recognises that the subsequent amendment to two articles achieved some balance, it considers that some attempt should have been made at the time to publish a range of views on the issue either in the individual articles or through the prior or subsequent publication of additional articles.

In considering the series of articles, the Council finds the publication failed to take reasonable steps to ensure its reporting on the issue of gender affirming healthcare was presented with reasonable fairness and balance in breach of General Principle 3.
Donald Trump demanded the Stormy Daniels hush money case be moved from Manhattan to the more Republican-friendly Staten Island just hours before his historic arraignment.

The former president tore into the judge's supposed anti-Trump sentiment on Truth Social and said the new location would be 'very fair and secure', as protesters and the world's media swarmed the Manhattan court where he turned himself in this afternoon.

He also noted that Judge Juan Merchan's daughter, Loren Merchan, 34, worked for Vice President Kamala Harris' 2020 presidential campaign, deepening the alleged bias against him.

Trump, who continues to surge in polls ahead of the formal charges Tuesday, was escorted throughout the entire arraignment process by his Secret Service detail.

Donald Trump demanded in a Truth Social post on Tuesday morning that the Stormy Daniels hush money case be moved from 'unfair' Manhattan to the more Republican-friendly borough of Staten Island

Trump called the proceedings a 'kangaroo court' in a post shortly before his arraignment at the Manhattan Criminal Court on Tuesday morning

Meanwhile, both supporters and opposers gathered outside the courthouse Tuesday to demonstrate.

The Tuesday morning post continued with Trump claiming the judge in the Stormy Daniels hush money case is a 'Trump hater' with bias against him.

The former president arrived at Trump Tower in Manhattan on Monday ahead of being formally charged in court on Tuesday.

Following the arraignment, Trump will immediately go back to his estate at Mar-a-Lago and deliver remarks from his Palm Beach, Florida club.

Trump's campaign spent the moments leading up to his appearance at the courthouse Tuesday morning by pushing out a fundraising email after raising an astounding $8 million in the four days after his indictment was announced.

The final push for contributions before Trump was officially charged was labeled: 'My last email before my arrest.'

'Our movement has overcome so much,' the email noted. 'And there is no doubt in my mind that we will prevail once again and WIN the White House in 2024.'

There is a button for supporters to donate to the campaign claiming that money given now has a '1,500% impact' than sending in oney at other times.

Judge Juan Merchan (left) and his 34-year-old daughter, Loren Merchan (right)

Trump lamented the judge in the case is a bias 'Trump hater' whose daughter 'works for Kamala'. Pictured is a courtroom sketch of Judge Merchan on November 15, 2022 hearing the case Trump is being arraigned for now

A picture from Loren Merchan's Facebook shows her enjoying a glass of wine in a shirt for Kamala Harris' 2020 presidential run, which she worked with as digital director

The Truth Social post Tuesday morning lamented: 'VERY UNFAIR VENUE, WITH SOME AREAS THAT VOTED 1% REPUBLICAN. THIS CASE SHOULD BE MOVED TO NEARBY STATEN ISLAND - WOULD BE A VERY FAIR AND SECURE LOCATION FOR THE TRIAL.'

'ADDITIONALLY, THE HIGHLY PARTISAN JUDGE & HIS FAMILY ARE WELL KNOWN TRUMP HATERS,' the ex-president added. 'HE WAS AN UNFAIR DISASTER ON A PREVIOUS TRUMP RELATED CASE, WOULDN'T RECUSE, GAVE HORRIBLE JURY INSTRUCTIONS, & IMPOSSIBLE TO DEAL WITH DURING THE WITCH HUNT TRIAL. HIS DAUGHTER WORKED FOR 'KAMALA' & NOW THE BIDEN-HARRIS CAMPAIGN.'

'KANGAROO COURT!!!' he concluded.

Judge Merchan's daughter Loren worked as the director of digital for Harris' 2020 presidential campaign. She was with the campaign from February 2019 until December of the same year.

Loren Merchan concluded her work with the campaign to move to fill the same role at Authentic, a digital strategies firm for progressives. She climbed the ladder over five years at the firm and is now Partner, president and COO of Authentic Campaigns.

At the courthouse in Manhattan, journalists from around the world lined up through the night to ensure their space in the courtroom.

Trump posted Tuesday morning, again writing in all caps, that Democrats have 'criminalized the justice system,' as his defenders repeatedly claim that the Manhattan case against him is 'politically driven.'

'THIS IS NOT WHAT AMERICA WAS SUPPOSED TO BE!' Trump wrote on his social media platform.

Protesters on both sides descended on the criminal court building and were separated by NYPD barricades just after dawn.

Protesters clashing outside of the criminal courthouse in New York City on Tuesday, as one pro-Trump demonstrator threw herself at an anti-Trump banner and began biting and tearing at it

Trump accused Democrats of criminalizing the U.S. justice system as Republicans and his supporters say the case is an example of liberals using the court system for political purposes

Chaos ensued early as demonstrators on opposing sides clashed, with one Trump fan throwing herself at an anti-Trump banner and attempted to rip it up.

'You're on the wrong side!' yelled the anti-Trump crowd, grabbing at the flag that the woman was trying to remove in a clumsy tug of war.

Trump, more than a week before he was indicted, told his supporters to 'protest, protest, protest,' and warned a few days later of 'death & destruction' if he were charged.

The case in Manhattan stems from a $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, from Trump's 'fixer' and attorney at the time Michael Cohen.

Trump maintains that he never had a sexual relationship with Daniels and was not aware that the payment to Cohen for legal fees was actually a hush money payment to keep the porn star quiet during the 2016 election.

The charges are attempting to bring the payment from a potential misdemeanor to a felony charge for alleged violations of fraud-related campaign finance laws.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and his team have arrested former President Donald Trump, while some of NYC's worst criminals still roam the streets.

New Yorkers who survived the city during the pandemic remember the long months when Bragg's office became a revolving door for career criminals who hit up the streets in broad daylight and had many residents fearing the subways.

While Bragg's office was preparing to indict Trump, he let violent reoffenders continue to wreak havoc.

In August, Mayor Eric Adams revealed that the same 10 criminals made up nearly 500 crimes and that 60 percent of them were still roaming the streets at that time.

Adams, who promised New Yorkers he would crack down on crime that had risen during the pandemic, criticized him, as well as State Governor Kathy Hochul.

Alvin Bragg has been criticized for his soft-on-crime policies that let many career criminals back out on the streets

Although crime is currently the same rate as last year, many New Yorkers remember the times during the pandemic where crimes were rampant and left many in fear

In February 2022, Bragg walked back a little on his policies, sending out a memo that made it clear to all his staff that any crime involving a firearm would be prosecuted as a felony  reversing the stance he had taken just a month before.

Although crime is currently at the same rate as the same time last year, felony assault continues be heightened at 8.5 percent. Despite murder and robbery being down, 84 homicides and more than 3,500 robberies have occurred this year in the Big Apple.

As Bragg's office focused on indicting Trump, these career criminals ran the streets of New York, repeatedly terrorizing citizens and wreaking havoc.

Harold Gooding has been arrested more than 100 times

Harold Gooding, 53, has more than 70 arrests just for theft alone and has been taken into custody more than 100 times

As of August, Harold Gooding, 53, has been busted for dozens of larceny charges - including four heists in Target.

The 53-year-old already has 15 convictions to his name, as well as 14 failures to show in court following his prolific crime spree.

He has rocketed to number one on the NYPD's list for repeat offenders following his torrent of thefts.

He has more than 70 arrests just for theft alone.

Michelle McKelley calls herself a 'professional booster' and told police they wouldn't be 'stopping my hustle'

Michelle Kelley, 41, allegedly confessed to authorities that she was a 'professional booster.' She told police after her 97th arrest: 'Y'all are stopping my hustle'

Michelle Kelley, 41, allegedly confessed to authorities that she was a 'professional booster.'

'Y'all are stopping my hustle' she told police after her 97th arrest.

Her favorite store was Manhattan's Upper East Side Target store.

McKelly kept her crimes to petit larceny, which is a non-jail-able offense after the law went into effect in 2020.

She was finally held on $5,000 bail after her 101st arrest for second-degree assault after she allegedly kicked, bit, scratched and spit on two NYPD officers on July 30 during an attempt to swipe paper towels from a Duane Reade in Harlem.

William Rolon has a 30-year rap sheet and had his robbery charges dropped to petit larceny under Bragg's woke laws

Career criminal William Rolon has 30 years of crimes under his belt

Career criminal William Rolon had 30 years of crimes under his belt when decided to steal $2,000 worth of medication from a Duane Reade in January 2022.

He allegedly filled a plastic garbage bag with medicine and other items inside a Lower East Side store.

A female manager approached the career criminal before she saw him brandish a pocket knife.

He was charged with first-degree robbery and criminal weapons possession but had the robbery charge dropped to two counts of petit larceny, a misdemeanor.

A judge told him he should 'feel lucky' because of Bragg's new policies.

'I don't know if anyone would ever feel lucky standing in front of me in a courtroom, but you might reasonably feel lucky today,' the judge said.

'Based on your record, you would have faced a long period of time in jail if convicted. The newly elected district attorney has new policies. You're not charged with robbery; you're charged with a misdemeanor here.'

Jamel Pringle has been arrested more than 150 times

Jamel Pringle is one of the most prolific criminals in the Big Apple, with 167 arrests

Police had previously joked that, due to the controversial laws that only offered bail for serious offenses, Pringle had amassed 'frequent flier miles.' A New York judge said in February 2022 that 'it would take me all day to go through this rap sheet'

Jamel Pringle is one of the most prolific criminals in the Big Apple, with 167 arrests on his record.

Police had previously joked that, due to the controversial laws that only offered bail for serious offenses, Pringle had amassed 'frequent flier miles', according to the New York Post.

A New York judge said in February 2022 that 'it would take me all day to go through this rap sheet.'

He was arrested in February 2022 for stealing $430 worth of items from Rite Aid and was denied bail in August.

Just weeks earlier, he was cited for swiping a tip jar at a 102nd Street cafe that had more than $40 in it, the second time he had committed the same crime.

At the time, Pringle had one felony conviction, 88 misdemeanors and another 39 citations for failing to appear in court.

Rodney Johnson has gone to prison twice and has nearly 90 arrests, but was let go last week on a $1 bail

Rodney Johnson, 53, was give a slap-on-the-wrist punishment just last week after Bragg's office knocked down his felony robbery charges to a misdemeanor. The DA's Office cut him loose on a $1 bail, despite breaking the law for the past 35 years

Rodney Johnson, 53, was give a slap-on-the-wrist punishment just last week after Bragg's office knocked down his felony robbery charges to a misdemeanor, according to the New York Post.

The DA's Office cut him loose on a $1 bail, despite breaking the law for the past 35 years. He was charged with robbery after allegedly holding up a CVS and Walgreens, where he threatened workers with pepper spray when they approached him.

He was originally charged with third-degree robbery, but those charges have since been dropped to a misdemeanor for menacing and petty larceny.

Johnson also reportedly skipped out on his court-ordered intervention program three times for a 2021 felony robbery case.

He has a large rap sheet, dating back to 2005 for domestic violence after he allegedly threatened to kill his ex-girlfriend's daughter.

He went to prison in 1994 for a robbery and in 1998 for grand larceny, state records report.

Isaac Rodriguez got the nickname 'Man of Steal' after nearly 50 retail thefts

Isaac Rodriguez, who was dubbed the 'Man of Steal', went on a larcenous bender racking up 47 arrests for retail theft

Isaac Rodriguez, who was dubbed the 'Man of Steal' went on a larcenous bender racking up 47 arrests for retail theft.

One Walgreens in Jackson Heights, Queens, allegedly became a favorite spot.

According to the NYPD, he was arrested 23 times taking items like nutritional shakes, skincare lotion, toothpaste and sanitary wipes.

His nonviolent offense kept him out of jail for a while, but he violated a restraining order and returned to a Walgreens in Corona, Queens, after he had allegedly shoplifted from it 13 times.

That score landed him behind bars on $15,000 bail.

Nolan Gonzalez has designer taste and repeatedly hit up Macy's to pilfer Tommy Hilfiger clothing

Nolan Gonzalez, aka 'GoGo,' pilfered $350 worth of Tommy Hilfiger clothing from the Macy's flagship store in Herald Square in May

Nolan Gonzalez, aka 'GoGo,' pilfered $350 worth of Tommy Hilfiger clothing from the Macy's flagship store in Herald Square in May.

Gonzalez became such a frequent offender at the department store that Macy's put out a 'trespass notice' on him to prevent him from returning to any of their outlets.

Police hit him with grand larceny, burglary and criminal possession of stolen property, but the Manhattan DA reduced the charges and he was released without bail.

Craig Tamanaha had a 20-year rap sheet prior to setting the Fox News Christmas tree on fire

Craig Tamanaha set fire to the Christmas tree outside Fox News in 2021, but was bailed out just weeks early. He has a criminal past that dates back 20 years

Craig Tamanaha set fire to the Christmas tree outside Fox News in New York in 2021.

The 49-year-old has a lengthy criminal record spanning at least 20 years and two states, and weeks before the incident, he had been arrested for exposing himself outside the Ghislaine Maxwell trial in New York.

In 2002, the then-30-year-old Tamanaha was picked up in Abilene, Texas, on a public intoxication charge.

Between 2017-2018, he was arrested on three separate occasions and charged with public intoxication, burglary and resisting arrest.

Lamale McRae has decades of crimes on his rap sheet before he shoved a commuter onto the subway tracks

In 1998, McRae, then 17, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for his role in an attempted murder and robbery in the Bronx

In October 2022, 32-year-old David Martin was randomly targeted and attacked by Lamale McRae at the Wyckoff Avenue and Myrtle Avenue subway. Martin was on his way to work at a Manhattan restaurant when he was attacked.

Good Samaritans saved Martin's life before an oncoming train could make contact with him.

McRae was arrested and charged with attempted murder, assault, reckless endangerment and harassment.

McRae has a length criminal history.

In 1998, then 17, he was sentenced to 20 years in prison for his role in an attempted murder and robbery in the Bronx.

McRae served his time at the Queensboro Correctional Facility.

While out on parole, McRae, 41, pursued a career as a rapper. He went by the moniker Source Da God and was a member of the Brooklyn Kingz collective.

The band's most viewed music video is titled Memorial. It was released in May 2012 and has nearly 25,000 views.

Christian Jeffers had been arrested nearly 50 times and served six years in prison before she attacked an Asian man on the subway with a hammer

Jeffers has a criminal record that stretches back to 2007 and includes charges of prostitution, grand larceny, public lewdness, theft of service and drug possession

Christian Jeffers, 48, who identifies as a woman, was arrested in March 2022 on charges of assault, aggravated harassment and menacing as hate crimes, and one count of criminal possession of a weapon stemming from a brutal attack on a 29-year-old man that took place at the 14th Street subway station in Manhattan

Christian Jeffers, 48, who identifies as a woman, was arrested in March 2022 on charges of assault, aggravated harassment and menacing as hate crimes, and one count of criminal possession of a weapon stemming from a brutal attack on a 29-year-old man that took place at the 14th Street subway station in Manhattan.

Jeffers, wearing a black wig and purple lipstick, was caught on video smashing the stranger in the head with a hammer after the two bumped into each other and then exchanged words.

Police said that Jeffers has a criminal record that stretches back to 2007 and includes charges of prostitution, grand larceny, public lewdness, theft of service and drug possession.

Jeffers was released from prison in June 2021 after serving six years for second-degree robbery.
The former chief of staff for ex-Maryland Governor Larry Hogan 'shot himself' during a standoff with the FBI  after they tracked him 800 miles from his Florida home.

Roy McGrath, 53, left his $1million home in Naples, Florida, on March 13 and told his wife Laura he had been planning to go to Maryland for his court hearing.

But he vanished, with the FBI tracking him to Tennessee yesterday by following a white Cadillac he owned and monitoring multiple cell phones he used on the run.

He is accused of stealing more than $270,000 in state funds over more than a year while working as the Executive Director of the Maryland Environmental Services and was indicted in 2021.

The FBI raided his home on March 15, two days after his hearing was supposed to go ahead in Baltimore, Maryland.

Roy McGrath, 53, had his $1million home in Naples, Florida, raided on March 15, two days after he failed to show up to a court hearing

He is accused of stealing more than $270,000 in state funds over more than a year while working as the Executive Director of the Maryland Environmental Services (MES) and was indicted in 2021

Sources close to the investigation told the Baltimore Banner the FBI worked with US Marshals to track down McGrath before he was shot during the confrontation.

It is unclear if he died from the self-inflicted gunshot wound, or as a result of being shot at by law enforcement.

It comes as a mystery author is having their identity questioned after publishing a 'tell all book' denying the allegations against ex-Governor Larry Hogan's former chief of staff days before he was killed in a standoff with the FBI.

McGrath quit the role with Hogan in 2020 and is accused of telling MES that the former governor had approved the payments  something which Hogan denies.

The former aide has denied all of the allegations through his lawyer, with many invested in the case now questioning if he is behind two books published on Amazon about the scandal.

'Betrayed' by author Ryan Cooper, has two volumes which are currently available  published on March 22 and March 30, after McGrath went missing.

While it is unclear who the author is, they promise a third volume of the book to be published and acknowledge that McGrath had vanished in the second version.

The book describes the former governor as 'erratic,' and 'incessantly pedantic and mercurial' and blames him for the charges against McGrath.

Federal investigators claim that McGrath failed to claim annual leave while on two holidays with Bruner, a European cruise and a visit to Naples, Florida

McGrath quit the role with Hogan in 2020 and is accused of telling MES that the former governor had approved the payments  something which Hogan (pictured) denies

It is unclear if McGrath was shot dead by a federal officer or from a self-inflicted injury

He was shot dead by the FBI on Monday night, after spending three weeks on the run  during which he was declared a fugitive.

The FBI said that they considered him an international flight risk, and in a statement about the shooting said: 'The FBI reviews every shooting incident involving an FBI special agent. The review will carefully examine the circumstances of the shooting, and collect all relevant evidence from the scene.

'As the review remains ongoing, I cannot further comment at this time, only to comment Mr. McGrath [the subject] was transported to the hospital last evening and succumbed to his injuries.'

His lawyer Joseph Murtha said that the loss was an 'absolute tragedy', before adding that he 'never wavered about his innocence'.

Murtha added: 'I'm incredibly saddened by the loss of Roy's life and the terrible tragedy that has unfolded over the past three weeks.

'Roy was dedicated to the citizens of Maryland and he never wavered in his belief that he was innocent.'

William Brennan, an attorney for McGrath's wife, Laura Bruner, also confirmed the death and said she was 'absolutely distraught.'

Two 'tell-all' books were published by author Ryan Cooper during the time he was missing - with a third also being promised

The book claims that expenses submitted were often not checked and were wrongly approved or submitted by McGraths assistant  adding that the MES 'owed Roy money' because he didn't always claim his expenditures

Bruner, who he met while working for Hogan, has been unavailable for comment on the matter.

Prosecutors planned to use messages between Bruner and her father while on trips with McGrath to prove the embezzlement.

The documents have since been sealed, with McGrath marrying Bruner in what some see as a calculated attempt to prevent her being forced to testify against him with spousal privilege.

William Brennan, an attorney for McGrath's wife, Laura Bruner, also confirmed the death and said she was 'absolutely distraught'

Federal investigators claim that McGrath failed to claim annual leave while on two holidays with Bruner, a European cruise and a visit to Naples, Florida.

The book claims that expenses submitted were often not checked and were wrongly approved or submitted by McGraths assistant  adding that the MES 'owed Roy money' because he didn't always claim his expenditures.

It also states that his two predecessors also received a severance payment of a year's salary  while claiming that Hogan had approved the payment along with everything else.

However the author of the book, who appears to reference being given information by McGrath, makes several unproven claims that Hogan 'betrayed' his former chief of staff by promising him the severance pay before backtracking.

It also included a picture of a note from Hogan to McGrath  which has been signed by the governor  which has led readers to believe the author is either McGrath himself or someone very close to him with access to his belongings and documents.

The Department of Justice claims that McGrath defrauded $271,378.46 in total from the MES  which included tuition reimbursement of $14,475 to attend the Harvard Kennedy School Executive program after his employment at MES ended.

Last week two tell-all books were self-published through Amazon by a mysterious author who claimed to have the 'true' story on McGrath's time working for Hogan

It also included a picture of a note from Hogan to McGrath  which has been signed by the governor  which has led readers to believe the author is either McGrath himself or someone very close to him with access to his belongings and documents

As part of the charges, he is accused of using MES funds to pay a personal pledge of $15,00 to the Academy Art Museum, and failing to take annual leaves the two occasions in 2019  totaling $8,256.24.

During those excursions, McGrath's 2021 indictment alleges, the ex-Hogan staffer spent funds designated for the state of Maryland on his own 'personal expenses.'

The book states: 'The answer peels back the onion of what really motivated the government collision, orchestrated by political empresario Hogan. To stick it to Roy.

'Hogan didn't want to fess up to his role and take the political heat, and prosecutors cobbled together a case based on a few disgruntled people.'

It even went so far to claim that Assistant US Attorney General Joyce MacDonald 'really hates Roy' and he was being used as a scapegoat.

Hogan, who served as Maryland's governor from 2015 to 2023, had considered running for the 2024 Republican nomination for president as a critic of Donald Trump.

But Hogan announced last month before McGrath went missing that he would not run.

During those excursions, McGrath's 2021 indictment alleges, the ex-Hogan staffer spent funds designated for the state of Maryland on his own 'personal expenses'

As part of the charges, he is accused of using MES funds to pay a personal pledge of $15,00 to the Academy Art Museum, and failing to take annual leaves the two occasions in 2019  totaling $8,256.24

His resignation came after the payments became public and was slapped with a federal wire fraud charge

Hogan said in a statement he and his wife, Yumi Hogan, were saddened by the 'tragic situation,' the Baltimore Sun reported.

'We are praying for Mr. McGrath's family and loved ones,' Hogan said.

He did not respond to a request for comment by DailyMail.com regarding the passing of McGrath or the contents of the book but previously denied that they were credible.

McGrath reportedly said goodbye to his wife Laura and told her he intended to get on a plane to Maryland to attend the court hearing.

But he failed to appear at Baltimore's' federal courthouse, with a judge issuing an arrest warrant and dismissed prospective jurors.

McGrath pleaded not guilty to all of the charges against him, and resigned just 11 weeks in the job as Hogan's chief of staff in 2020.

Hogan, who served as Maryland's governor from 2015 to 2023, had considered running for the 2024 Republican nomination for president as a critic of Donald Trump

Feds swarmed this Naples home that McGrath shares with his wife Wednesday, less than 48 hours after he did not turn up to court. The couple moved to $610,000 home in 2020, after the scandal surfaced and McGrath was released on bond

Hogan said in a statement he and his wife, Yumi Hogan, were saddened by the 'tragic situation,' the Baltimore Sun reported. 'We are praying for Mr. McGrath's family and loved ones,' Hogan said

His resignation came after the payments became public and was slapped with a federal wire fraud charge.

That spending came to light after a sprawling report from The Baltimore Sun in the summer of 2020, that unmasked how McGrath had used his position as both director of MES and the governor's chief of staff to 'personally enrich' himself with the fraudulent payments.

If convicted of the federal charges, he would have faced a maximum sentence of 20 years for each of four counts of wire fraud, plus a maximum of 10 years for each of two counts of embezzling funds from an organization receiving more than $10,000 in federal benefits.
The president of Uganda has called on Africa to 'save the world from homosexuality' just days after a controversial bill to jail all gay people was passed through the Ugandan parliament.

It suggests that president Yoweri Museveni will sign the shocking bill, which imposes the death penalty for 'aggravated homosexuality', into Ugandan law.

Ugandans will be banned from 'promoting and abetting' homosexuality as well as from conspiring to engage in same-sex relationships under the law, which human rights groups have condemned as 'appalling'.

Speaking on Sunday, Museveni said that homosexuality was 'a big threat and danger to the procreation of human race'.

'Africa should provide the lead to save the world from this degeneration and decadence, which is really very dangerous for humanity,' the president said.

Uganda president Yoweri Museveni has called on Africa to 'save the world from homosexuality'

The Ugandan parliament passed laws that would see all gay people jailed on March 21

'If people of opposite sex stop appreciating one another then how will the human race be propagated?'

The controversial comments followed a two-day inter-parliamentary conference at State House in Entebbe, which was attended by MPs and delegates from 22 African countries.

There were some unnamed British MPs who attended the conference - promoted by the Ugandan parliament, the African Bar Association and the Nigerian-based Foundation for African Cultural Heritage - on 'family values and sovereignty'.

Some attended the conference online which was hosted by Family Group International - a US evangelical Christian group defined as an anti-LGBT organisation by the Southern Poverty Law Center, which monitors far-Right groups.

The anti-homosexuality bill was passed late on March 21 inside a packed parliamentary chamber in the capital Kampala.

A roll call was ordered by the House speaker who had repeatedly warned it was necessary to identify those who might oppose the legislation. It was supported by nearly all of the 389 legislators present.

Speaker Anita Among said: 'Congratulations. Whatever we are doing, we are doing it for the people of Uganda.'

MP from the Bubulo constituency John Musira dressed in an anti gay gown during the debate of the controversial bill

Amnesty International subsequently urged Museveni to veto the 'appalling' anti-gay bill, warning it was 'a grave assault' on LGBTQ people.

However, based on the president's recent comments, it appears this is unlikely.

In fact, Museveni praised Ugandan MPs for passing the anti-gay bill, declaring that the promotion of homosexuality will 'never be tolerated'.

A Ugandan gay rights activist who attended the Entebbe conference via Zoom accused Uganda of 'drawing up an African strategy to to fight homosexuality', the Guardian reports.

The bill was introduced last month by an opposition lawmaker who said his goal was to punish 'promotion, recruitment and funding' related to LGBTQ activities.

Activists at the Ugandan High Commission in South Africa hold placards in protest at the anti-homosexuality bill

It creates the offence of 'aggravated homosexuality', which applies in cases of sex relations involving those infected with HIV as well as minors and other categories of vulnerable people.

The bill also creates the offence of 'attempted homosexuality', punishable with up to ten years in jail.

An earlier version of the bll enacted in 2014 was later nullified by a court on procedural grounds. The east African country is notorious for its intolerance of homosexuality - which was criminalised under colonial-era laws.

Same-sex activity is already punishable with life imprisonment under a colonial-era law targeting 'carnal knowledge against the order of nature', which formed part of the basis of a report by dissenters on the parliamentary committee that vetted the bill before the vote.
He held up his fist for the cameras as he departed Trump Tower before reporting to the DA's office

Former President Donald Trump arrived at New York Criminal Court on Tuesday afternoon and is not thought to have had a mugshot taken

Donald Trump is not thought to have had his mugshot taken when he was booked in on Tuesday - because he has the 'most recognized face in the world', one of his lawyers claimed.

Alina Habba, an attorney for Trump who isn't involved in the Tuesday case, said: 'I don't see a purpose in it.

'Mugshots are for people so that you recognize who they are. He is the most recognized face in the world, let alone the country, right now, so there's no need for that, there's no need for the theatrics.'

Trump was arrested on arrival at New York Criminal Court this afternoon before being booked and processed by the DA's office and was seen walking into the courtroom at around 2.30pm.

The former president, 76, was not handcuffed when he was processed and led into court after officials in the district attorney's office decided against the steps.

Sources claim District Attorney Alvin Bragg opted against the measures because Trump isn't a flight risk and doesn't pose a safety threat. Bragg would also have been aware that subjecting Trump to the humiliating steps could stir up drama outside.

Online pranksters mocked up a picture of how Trump's mugshot could look - but the former president was probably spared the experience

Alina Habba, a lawyer for Trump who isn't involved in the Tuesday case, told CNN: 'I don't see a purpose in it... He is the most recognized face in the world, let alone the country, right now'

"He's the most recognized face in the world, let alone the country, right now."



Trump attorney Alina Habba argues that the former president should not need to take a mugshot and talks about his upcoming arraignment.https://t.co/Xuek8zYt5L pic.twitter.com/oaRqQolJOn  CNN (@CNN) April 3, 2023

Friends also claim Trump has said any mugshot would become 'the most famous one in the history of the world' and he could use it to raise millions for his presidential campaign.

Toni Holt Kramer, a friend of Trump's for more than a decade and head of the Trumpettes support group, told the Mail on Sunday: 'President Trump and his supporters know the mugshot sums up the witch-hunt against Mr Trump and is emblematic of everything that is wrong with the banana republic that [President] Biden's America has become.'

She continued: 'President Trump knows his mugshot will become the most famous mugshot ever in the history of the world.

'It's something that will become symbolic of the Left's attack on Trump and any attempt to use it to humiliate him will backfire spectacularly.

'Everyone is going to want it. Even his detractors.'

There were ugly scenes outside court ahead of Trump's appearance on Tuesday morning when some of his fervent fans clashed with aggrieved protesters.

Trump fan Juliet Germanotta threw herself at an anti-Trump banner and attempted to rip it up. She was met with incredulity from the protesters who'd erected it and a scrappy back-and-forth ensued.

'You're on the wrong side!' yelled the anti-Trump crowd, grabbing at the flag that the woman was trying to remove in a clumsy tug of war.

A second Trump fan was heard yelling: 'Get out of here you old bag of bones!'

Pushing herself into her counterpart's face, the Trump fan then threatened quietly: 'I have COVID!'

Elsewhere, a man carrying a sound boom and backpack angrily threatened others not to 'f**k with him'. It's unclear if he worked for a media outlet.

Chaos at the courthouse: Trump fan Juliet Germanotta, dressed in a jean jacket and a MAGA hat, throws herself over a Trump banner outside the courthouse

Protesters clashing outside of One Hogan Place, New York, NY, Tuesday April 4, 2023.

Germanotta got back on her feet and began arguing with one of Trump's critics after trying to tear down an anti-Trump sign outside the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse

Germanotta had been trying to tear down a sign that reads 'Trump Lies All The Time'. She had crossed over from her 'side', then told the other women: 'I have COVID!' while yelling in their faces

Germanotta is shown arriving earlier in the day. She told the other protester: 'I have COVID' as she yelled in her face

Protesters clashing outside of One Hogan Place, New York, NY, Tuesday April 4 2023

Even those who had come to the historic event to film it clashed outside. A man who appeared to be part of a sound crew (left) was filmed grabbing another man by the neck and yelling him

Disgraced Congressman George Santos made a surprise appearance and was warmly greeted by Germanotta, a well-known Republican protester.

The crowds of fans were nowhere near the size of those who gathered in Washington DC on January 6, 2021.

Instead, a handful of smaller groups and individuals turned out to show their support.

Among them was Ricardo 'Ricky Superstar' Varano, a 62-year-old, 7/11 cashier from the Bronx.

He told DailyMail.com: 'If he goes down I'll go down. I've got to do what I've got to do. I'm here to make people feel this is real, I'm with Donald Trump all the way. This indictment is phony. It's a hoax.
An elementary school student spotted a glaring error in his state-approved science textbook - causing the book's bigwig publisher to acknowledge the mistake and promptly correct it.

Liam Squires, a fifth-grader at Virginia's HM Pearson Elementary, made the find while reading the Exploring Science All Around Us textbook, published in 2016 by Virginia-based Five Ponds Press.

A 'Level 5' tome covering Earth Science, the book was approved by the school district back in 2015 - but a mistake involving a diagram depicting the geological rock cycle managed to creep through.

Noticing the photos of igneous and sedimentary rocks were miscaptioned, Liam told teacher Serena Porter that he had uncovered a mistake.

Initially skeptical, the instructor soon realized the preteen was right, and reached out to the school's supervisor for science to confirm the error. She proceeded to contact Five Ponds, who then rectified the mistake - sending Liam a handwritten letter of gratitude in the process.

Liam Squires, a fifth-grader at Virginia's HM Pearson Elementary, made the find in Five Pond Press' Exploring Science All Around Us, spotting a diagram error involving mislabeled rocks

A 'Level 5' tome covering Earth Science, the book was approved by the school district in 2015 - but the diagram depicting the geological rock cycle still managed to creep through

Porter recounted how the correction transpired to the Fauquier Times, saying she initially did not believe that such a error could make its way into a preapproved textbook.

'My first instinct was, "Okay, shoot. I must have been doing this wrong,"' Porter told the Virginia outlet Wednesday, more than a month after the publisher reached out to her student.

'[I thought] maybe I taught it wrong, because surely, it's not wrong in the textbook,' she added.

'But I go back to the page that the rock cycle is on, and I'm like... "Dude, I think you might have found an error."'

Porter quickly notified Linda Correll, the schools instructional supervisor for science, health, and physical education, who confirmed that Liam was correct in his initial assessment.

Correll then reached out Five Ponds Press - which currently has 16 other textbooks in circulation - to notify them of the mistake, which they quietly acknowledged in the form of the handwritten letter.

While not shared, the letter thanked Liam for 'paying such close attention in class', and said that future editions of the book - generally released by the year - will amend the mistake.

The error saw publishers mislabel igneous and sedimentary rocks in a diagram demonstrating the geological process

Liam is a student at Virginia's HM Pearson Elementary, which reached out to the publisher after confirming the youngster spotted a mistake. The publisher promptly sent a letter of thanks

In addition to the token of thanks, Liam received further recognition from the head of the school district in a gushing video

In addition to the token of thanks, Liam - who told the Fauquier he's been left in awe by the reception he's received since spotting the error - received further recognition from the school district, who approved the book in the first place.

'A student at Pearson Elementary School whose name is Liam and Miss Porter's fifth grade classroom discovered an error in one of these science textbooks and pointed it out to the teacher,' Fauquier County Public Schools Superintendent David Jeck said in a video posted to the district's YouTube account earlier this month.

'And as a result, the publisher sent Liam a letter thanking him,' said Jeck, before singing his song of praise for the preteen.

'That was pretty amazing and pretty cool. So, hats off, Liam - great job.'

Porter, meanwhile, said it was not the first time the precocious student pointed an error out, even correcting her at times.

'Liam is fantastic. Hes easily one of the smartest students that I have,' Porter told the Times. 'He is incredibly bright. Hes very poignant. He sees something thats wrong or something thats not right... and he has no problem pointing it out.'

As for the de facto editor, he simply said he was surprised by the publishers letter and did not expect be thanked so warmly.

'I expected it to be more of a good job, a pat on the shoulder,' he told The Times. 'I did not expect it to be this.'
A 21-year-old YouTuber was shot in the stomach and left fighting for his life after he claims he played a 'simple prank' on a stranger inside a Virginia mall.

Tanner Cook, 21, was filming a video at the Dulles Town Center mall when a fight broke out with Alan Colie, 31, of Leesburg, Virginia.

It is not clear what Cook's prank entailed, but his previous form includes pretending to vomit on an Uber driver and asking strangers to play naked Twister.

Cook remained in intensive care for several days after a bullet pierced through his stomach and liver.

Colie was arraigned Monday accused of aggravated malicious wounding, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, and discharging a firearm inside a building.

Tanner Cook, 21, is pictured from his hospital bed after undergoing surgery for a bullet that punctured his stomach and liver

Suspected shooter Alan Colie, 31, was arraigned Monday and assigned a public defender after allegedly shooting Cook over the weekend

Sheriff Mike Chapman said the shooting resulted from a fight that broke out in the food court of the Dulles Town Center mall.

A video recorded by an Instagram user showed Colie being arrested and pinned to the ground.

From his hospital bed, Cook spoke to WUSA9 after undergoing surgery. He said he had been playing a joke on Colie for another video.

'I was playing a prank and a simple practical joke, and this guy didn't take it very well,' said Cook, who added that the incident will not deter him from continuing to make videos.

Cook created content for an account called Classified Goons, which has just under 40,000 subscribers.

The videos on the channel include Cook pretending to vomit on an Uber driver, playing a prank on a Target employee, and asking strangers to play naked Twister.

Cook's friend had been recording the video when Colie allegedly pulled out his gun. The family said the video is now part of police evidence.

Officers tackle the shooting suspect at the Dulles Town Center in Sterling, Virginia

Despite whatever events precipitated the shooting, Cook's father, Jeramy Cook, said the incident was shocking and unnecessary.

'They were making a video at the mall and trying to have fun with people and this guy wasn't having fun,' he said.

'There was a phone that was around him and they were interviewing or talking to him, and he didn't like it and he pulled out his gun and shot my son.'

Jeramy Cook emphasized that his family's faith in God to get them through this trying time.

'We need restoration, we need healing, and we need to come together.'

'I pray for this young man and pray that he finds God in this. I believe that God saved our son's life, and he could have easily died but that's not the outcome. God has plans for my son,' he said, noting that he bears no ill will toward Colie.

The Virginia mall reopened Monday after being shut down for a full day.

Phylis Randall, the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors Chair said she has fielded a number of calls from concerned constituents.

'I've heard from so many of my constituents and they're traumatized,' she said. 'The victims are more than just people directly involved. People have secondary trauma from this and may never walk back into this mall again.'

Tanner Cook's father, Jeramy Cook, said the entire incident was shocking and unnecessary. 'They were making a video at the mall and trying to have fun with people and this guy wasn't having fun,' he said

Cook pictured in one of his prank videos. Some online viewers of Cook's videos took a stance against his public behavior in the wake of the shooting: 'Alan Colie is the hero we need,' wrote one

Some online viewers of Cook's videos took a stance against his public behavior in the wake of the shooting.

'I really hope the shooters [sic] lawyer uses all your past videos as defense evidence at his trial,' wrote one commenter.

'Hoping for a slow recovery and long lasting effects, prayers for the defendant, hopefully he gets all charges dropped. Im [sic] glad people are finally taking care of these people who purposely harass and annoy people just trying to live their lives,' wrote another.

'Alan Colie is the hero we need,' wrote a third.
Joe Biden's former executive assistant visited the Capitol Tuesday for closed door questioning in the House Republican probe of the president's handling of classified documents.

Kathy Chung, who oversaw the packing and shipping of Biden's documents in 2017 as he ended his tenure as vice president, appeared for a transcribed interview with congressional staff.

She came after the House Oversight Committee, chaired by Kentucky Republican James Comer, demanded in a sweeping letter she hand over 10 years worth of documents and appear for questioning.

It comes amid a House Republican probe of documents marked classified at Biden's former Penn Biden office in D.C., as well as his Wilmington home and his Rehoboth, Delaware beach house. Special Counsel Robert Hur is also investigating after being tapped by Attorney General Merrick Garland.

The development came on a day when former President Donald Trump, who is being investigated by Special Counsel Jack Smith for his own handling of classified documents, was set to arrive at a Manhattan courthouse to be arrested in the Stormy Daniels case while facing a 34-count indictment.

House Oversight chairman James Comer (R-KY) is probing President Joe Biden's handling of classified documents. His staff interviewed Biden's former executive assistant Tuesday

'The Committee believes your proximity to Vice President Biden and role as handler of his personal matters gave you access not only to classified material he maintained after leaving the White House, but also to the Biden familys business schemes,' Comer said in a letter to Chung dated Feb 4.

She arrived Tuesday morning, CNN reported, after her interview was scheduled weeks ago.

She has been revealed gotten her job on the recommendation of the president's son Hunter Biden, who refurbished Biden's classic Corvette, which is stored in the same Wilmington garage where documents marked classified were located.

'Hunter Biden recommended it. They had worked together at Department of Commerce years ago,' a source told DailyMail.com in January. Hunter notified her of the opportunity, asked her if she was interested, and found out that she was.

She works at the Pentagon.

According to a person familiar with the matter, Chung has turned over records related to the movement of documents from the White House to the Penn Biden Center, where Biden kept an office after he left the vice presidency in 2017 until shortly before he launched his 2020 presidential campaign in 2019. The person was granted anonymity to discuss the sensitive transfer of documents.

Hunter Biden worked with Kathy Chung at the Commerce Department, then recommended her for a job when his dad was vice president

President Joe Biden faces a special counsel probe after documents marked classified were found at his former office and home

Chung communicated with Hunter Biden about lining up a meeting with Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim in 2015

The committee had made a wide-ranging document request, including for Chung's communications with the Biden family dating back more than 10 years.

A Justice Department special counsel is already investigating how classified documents from Bidens time as vice president and senator wound up in his home and former office - and whether any mishandling involved criminal intent or was unintentional. Bidens personal lawyers disclosed in January that a small batch of documents with classified markings had been found weeks earlier in his former Washington office. They have since allowed FBI searches of multiple properties.

House Oversight and Accountability Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., speaks during hearing on Capitol Hill, Feb. 8, 2023, in Washington. Kathy Chung. a former executive assistant to President Joe Biden has agreed to sit for an interview with the House Oversight Committee as Republicans expand their probe into the president's handling of classified documents.

The most recent search occurred in mid-February at the University of Delaware, Biden's alma mater. In 2011, Biden gifted the school records from his time in the U.S. Senate, where he served for 36 years.

Neither the university nor the president's attorneys have revealed if any classified documents were found at the school. Under the terms of Bidens gift, the records are to remain sealed until two years after he retires from public life.

The discoveries that Biden, former President Donald Trump and former Vice President Mike Pence were in possession of classified documents over the last year have brought new scrutiny to the rules around classified information and laid bare an uncomfortable truth: Policies meant to control the handling of the nations secrets are haphazardly enforced among top officials and rely almost wholly on good faith.

It's also become increasingly common for presidents, vice presidents and even members of Congress to retain sensitive documents after leaving office, according to the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee.

'The archivist told us that there were 80 members of Congress' who turned out to have classified material in their records, Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., told reporters Wednesday about a briefing he received from the National Archives. 'How that happens is beyond me.'
Two tourists in Montana were charged at by a moose after taunting the animal and ignoring warnings from a local to step back.

Video of the incident was recorded by Jason Holfensperger and shows the pair mocking his advice by continuing to approach.

Immediately after one of the two men touches the back of the moose, he slips on the ice and the agitated animal charges towards him.

The video was recorded in Big Sky, southern Montana, on the evening of March 29.

Two tourists in Big Sky, Montana, taunted a moose and a man advising them to leave be

The video, recorded on March 29, captured the moment the moose reacted by charging at the man which eventually touched it

'It's a god damn wild animal, get the f**k away from it,' Holfensperger told the two, who responded by laughing and mocking the warning.

'Is it your moose?' one of the two men ask.

'It's not my moose but it's a goddamn wild animal,' responded Holfensperger.

The two both slowly shuffle towards the moose to taunt him. 'A little closer, a little closer,' one of them said provocatively.

'Let it be wild. You don't have to... Christ, you guys must be the dumbest people I've ever met in my life,' said Holfensperger. 'Go ahead, try. Go ahead, try. See what happens.'

'You wish it would hit me right now,' said one of the men.

Eventually one of them makes contact with the animal before trying to flee. The moose turned towards him and began to charge. As he did the man fell over and scrambled on all fours in an attempt to get back to his feet.

As the moose moved towards the downed man with its head down, Holfensperger, was heard shouting, 'Get him!'

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game advises that although moose are generally peaceful they can pose a threat. Pictured is a moose in snow in Jasper, Canada

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game advises that although moose are generally peaceful they can pose a threat.

'When people repeatedly approach them or chase them away, moose become stressed and agitated. Each moose has a different tolerance level, but if they are harassed enough, many moose will respond aggressively,' it advises.

Moose are common across North America, including in almost all of Canada and north and northeastern parts of the United States. It has often been reported that moose are even more dangerous than bears because there are many more of them.

The moose is one of the largest deer species and can reach 7-foot tall and weigh more than 1,500 pounds. They can also run at around 25 mph, which is at least twice the speed of the average human.

'Fortunately most moose charges are bluffs, warning you to stay back.' wrote the ADFG. 'But if a moose does charge, don't wait to find out if it's bluffing. Run.'

Earlier this year a woman walking her dog was viciously trampled by a rogue moose in a freak encounter in Anchorage, Alaska.
Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene was swarmed by a huge scrum of the media and protesters as she appeared for a rally outside the court hosting Donald Trump's indictment.

The firebrand Trump ally was drowned out as she tried to speak in a park opposite the court by anti-Trump protesters screaming 'Nazi' and 'go back to Georgia b****'.

She showed up as chaos started to grow in downtown Manhattan, with protesters clashing and members of the media scuffling before Trump handed himself over to the authorities.

'President Trump is joining some of the most incredible people in history being arrested today. Nelson Mandela was arrested, served time in prison. Jesus! Jesus was arrested and murdered by the Roman government,' Greene told Right Side Broadcasting Network as she drove around New York with her boyfriend, RSBN reporter Brian Glenn.

'There have been many people throughout history that have arrested and persecuted by radical, corrupt governments and it's beginning today in New York City and I just can't believe it's happening,' the Georgia Republican continued. 'But I'll always support him, he's done nothing wrong.'

Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (pictured bottom left in sunglasses) was swarmed by a huge scrum of the media and protesters as she appeared for a rally outside the court hosting Donald Trump's indictment

'President Trump is joining some of the most incredible people in history being arrested today. Nelson Mandela was arrested, served time in prison. Jesus! Jesus was arrested and murdered by the Roman government,' Greene said alongside boyfriend Brian Glenn, of Right Side Broadcasting Network

The firebrand Trump ally was drowned out as she tried to speak in a park opposite the court by anti-Trump protesters screaming 'Nazi' and 'go back to Georgia b****'

Trump also broke his silence on the day of his arraignment, calling for the trial to be moved from Manhattan to Staten Island and tearing into the judge overseeing his case.

Greene tried to address the crowd with a megaphone while standing on a bench to show support for Trump after he was indicted in the Stormy Daniels hush money case.

She said the case was a 'travesty' and that it should 'never happen in America ever'.

But she could barely be heard over screams from the crowd of 'go back to Georgia you fucking b****!'

One male protester screamed: 'F*** you, you white trash Nazi

'We don't like Nazis in New York!'

Another man told her to 'get out of our f****** city' and 'shove your Jewish space lasers up your a**,' a reference to a controversial conspiracy theory the Georgia congresswoman posted on social media in 2018.

Additionally, a man can be heard asking the Georgia lawmaker: 'Why are you obsessed with children's genitals?'

Last month, Greene's speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference was centered on attacking transgenderism, claiming that 'mutilating genitals' has become a multi-billion dollar industry.

A few of Greene's supporters shouted 'we love you' but after speaking for just five minutes she left.

Greene tried to address the crowd with a megaphone while standing on a bench to show support for Trump

Greene's vehicle is captured leaving the protest location after she was drowned out by liberal counter-protesters

Greene speaks at a protest in Collect Pond Park across the street from the Manhattan District Attorney's office in New York Tuesday

Gavin Wax, organizer of the event, and president of the New York Young Republican Club, told DailyMail.com: 'We are watching our justice system be exploited for political purposes.

'It is very unfortunate, and we are trying to call that out, protest peacefully and exercise our first amendment rights,' Wax continued. 'I don't think they would have come after him if he wasn't running in 2024, and they timed it perfectly to coincide with him rising in the polls.

'The predecessor to Bragg refused to prosecute these very same charges - it is completely politicized,' Wax added.

Loud Majority founder Kevin Smith, who addressed the packed crowd after Greene departed, called the Georgia congresswoman 'great.'

'So happy she came out here to support New York,' he said. 'We're out here to show the rest of New York Republicans you're not alone.'

Smith also warned, 'Today is the day America changes - we don't jail our political opponents.

'Bragg is doing this to run for mayor someday, he is just doing this for his own political profile, at the expense of our nation,' Smith added. 'I think if Trump hadn't announced or was down in the polls this wouldn't have happened.

Democratic New York Rep. Jamaal Bowman, who was also outside the courthouse, was captured on MSNBC mouthing off about Greene making the trek to New York.

'Do your freakin' job, Marjorie Taylor Greene, you don't need to be in New York City talking that nonsense, go back to your district,' Bowman said. 'What are you doing here? You're here for politics, you're here because you want to be VP, you're here for your own fundraising, you're here for your own nonsense.'

Republican Rep. George Santos, who's under legal scrutiny for the litany of lies he told while running for Congress, was also in Tuesday's crowd.
King Charles III will be officially crowned as King of the United Kingdom on Saturday, 6 May.

The King's official coronation ceremony will take place at Westminster Abbey, in a tradition that dates back centuries.

The ceremony occurs in the middle of a Bank Holiday weekend, to allow people to celebrate the occasion.

But which days are Bank Holidays for King Charles' coronation? Will people get a day off to mark the event?

Read on below for all you need to know about the Bank Holiday weekend when King Charles' coronation occurs.

King Charles (pictured) will be officially crowned on Saturday, 6 May at Westminster Abbey

Which days are Bank Holidays for King Charles' coronation?

To commemorate the occasion, the Government have granted the British public an extra Bank Holiday on Monday, 8 May. This follows the early May Bank Holiday, which falls a week earlier on Monday, 1 May.

Unlike the Easter Bank Holiday weekend, the preceding Friday, 5 May has not been designated as a Bank Holiday weekend by the Government.

Will people get a day off for King Charles' coronation?

The Government website states that people are not automatically entitled to paid leave.

It adds that the majority of workers are legally entitled to 5.6 weeks paid holiday a year (known as statutory leave entitlement or annual leave).

Workers should check with their employer to confirm if they will be given the day off on Monday, 8 May.

If a worker is not given the day off, they can either claim another day off in lieu as part of their annual leave, or be paid for working on a Bank Holiday.

What date is King Charles' coronation ceremony?

Charles' official coronation ceremony will take place on Saturday, 6 May at Westminster Abbey.

The coronation itself will be televised by the BBC. The event will be available to watch in over 30 different locations in the UK on big screens.

A worldwide audience of hundreds of millions is expected to watch.

It is not known if Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will attend the ceremony, but Harry has confirmed that the couple received an invitation from Buckingham Palace.

The Queen's coronation took place nearly 70 years before, on June 2, 1953, but she actually became monarch in February the previous year, following the death of her father George VI.

It is not known if Prince Harry and Meghan Markle (pictured together) will attend the ceremony, but Harry has confirmed that the couple received an invitation from Buckingham Palace

What time will King Charles' coronation start?

The exact timing of the King's coronation is yet to be confirmed.

Queen Elizabeth II's ceremony began at 11:15am and lasted nearly three hours.

The Mail on Sunday previously revealed that the service will last for just over an hour, as oppose to more than three.

What other events are happening during King Charles' coronation?

As part of the celebrations, a coronation concert will be held at Windsor Castle on Sunday, 7 May.

The official lineup has not yet been revealed for the concert is yet to be released

However, reports say that Lionel Ritchie could open proceedings. Andrew Lloyd Webber, who played as part of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations last year, has also been tipped to make an appearance.

There is also speculation that Adele and Ed Sheeran will be unable to perform, with Harry Styles, Kylie Minogue and Elton John all rumoured to have declined an offer to take the stage at Windsor Castle.

The Coronation Choir, made up of community choirs from across the UK, will perform at the concert.
This is the moment one of the four suspects linked to the murders of four Mexican drug dealers was arrested at a four-star all-inclusive Cancun resort.

The apprehension of the unnamed suspect took place Monday by the pool at the Grand Fiesta Condesa Hotel Beach in the popular tourist destination.

Footage of the detention showed a police officer pinning the suspect to the ground while hotel guests in their bathing suits stood by and watched in shock.

Quintana Roo Attorney General, Oscar Montes de Oca, told Radio Formula that the killings were sparked by an internal conflict between members of Los Pacificos, a gang that is allegedly affiliated with the Sinaloa Cartel.

A police officer pins down a suspect to the ground at the Fiesta Americana Condesa Hotel

One of four suspects linked to the murders of four drug dealers is arrested at the Fiesta Americana Condesa Hotel in Cancun on Monday. The killings were sparked by an internal conflict, according to the prosecutor's office for the state of Quintana Roo

Two shooters and two private security guards remained in custody as of Tuesday.

The victims have been identified as Mexican nationals, although their names have not been released to the press.

De Ocas office said three of the victims were located on a lot outside the beachside hotel along Kukulkan Boulevard shortly before 10am local time after police received reports of shots fired.

A fourth body was discovered by authorities in the lots undergrowth.

Initial reports indicated that the victims were hotel employees or tourists before the prosecutors office confirmed that they were tied drug dealing activities.

The Quintana Roo State Attorney General's Office is offering a $55,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Hector Flores, leader of the 'Los Pacificos' drug gang that is reportedly affiliated with the Sinaloa Cartel

De Ocas office said three of the victims were located on a lot outside the beachside hotel along Kukulkan Boulevard shortly before 10am local time after police received reports of shots fired

Three bodies were found near the Fiesta Americana Condesa Hotel after the shooting at 10am local time on Monday. The announcement of the deaths came less than a week after a U.S. tourist was shot in the leg in the nearby town of Puerto Morelos on March 28

Pictured: Fiesta Americana Condesa Hotel in Cancun, Mexico (file photo)

The Attorney Generals Office linked fugitive gang leader, Hector Flores, to the shootings and has offered a $55,000 reward for information leading to his arrest.

The incident came less than a month after U.S. State Department issued a travel alert warning travelers to 'exercise increased caution,' especially after dark, at Mexico's Caribbean beach resorts like Cancun, Playa del Carmen and Tulum, which have been plagued by drug gang violence in the past.

The announcement of the deaths came less than a week after a U.S. tourist was shot in the leg in the nearby town of Puerto Morelos on March 28.

Pictured: A vehicle of the attorney general's office leaves the Fiesta Americana hotel after people were gunned down near the beach of the hotel, according to local media, in Cancun, Mexico, on April 3, 2023

The motive for that incident remains under investigation. The wounded man was taken to a hospital in Cancun for treatment and his injury was judged to be not life-threatening.

Speaking of the incident on Monday, a witness said: 'Hotel guests were using an outside gym by a public footpath leading down to the beach.

'We heard shots ring out and the tourists were taken to the safety of an office beside the gym.

'They were kept there until authorities made the area safe.'
Woke Columbia law students have slammed a meeting between a conservative group and Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh as normalizing 'white supremacist, patriarchal violence'.

Members of the Columbia Federalist Society posed for a photo with Justice Kavanaugh at the US Supreme Court in February.

In an Instagram post, the group said 'they learned about the human side of being a justice, the Court's deliberation process, and how to be an effective advocate'.

But the educational trip provoked uproar from left-wing student groups at Columbia Law School, who condemned the Federalist Society and the school over the visit.

They suggested Justice Kavanaugh had been 'credibly accused' of sexual assault and one group said it would withdraw from student events in protest.

A photo of the Federalist Society with Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh was attacked by student groups, who claimed the meeting normalized 'white supremacist, patriarchal violence'

Justice Kavanaugh denied accusations by Christine Blasey Ford of sexual assault in the 1980s

Another warned there would be 'consequences for its [the school's] irresponsible and inappropriate actions'. But their reaction was criticized as 'intolerant' by free speech defenders.

The National Lawyers Guild, which is headed up by its president Suzanne Adely, said by giving the Federalist Society and Kavanaugh a platform Columbia Law School had normalized 'white supremacist, patriarchal violence in the law, legal education, and the everyday fabric of US society', according to emails seen by Fox News Digital.

Empowering Women of Color (EWOC) described the meeting as 'a terrifying stamp of approval' from the school.

'EWOC condemns Columbia Law School's endorsement of Justice Kavanaugh on its social media.

'We cannot condone complicity with a man who is credibly accused of sexual assault.

'Given the ethos of our organization, we are also appalled that Columbia Law School would publicize its affiliation with someone essential to the Dobbs decision [that overruled Roe v. Wade], which has disproportionately impacted women of color,' the group wrote.

EWOC president Erika Lopez says on her LinkedIn profile that she 'uses her privilege, power, and diverse experiences as an Afro-Latina New Yorker to dismantle the carceral state'.

Meanwhile, the Latinx Law Students Association said it would withdraw from student events in protest.

The American Constitution Society, whose president is former Democrat Senator Russ Feingold, warned Columbia there would be 'consequences for its irresponsible and inappropriate actions', describing Justice Kavanaugh a 'radical jurist' who has been 'credibly accused by multiple women of sexual assault'.

The Columbia Law Women's Association, a group dedicated to serving a 'diverse group of women and femme-identifying individuals,' demanded that 'Columbia Law School remove the post; issue an informed apology; and prove that it is capable of more than performative diversity'.

National Lawyers Guild president Suzanne Adely. The NLG condemned Columbia Law School for giving Justice Kavanaugh a platform

But their words were met by a fierce backlash on social media, with Twitter users condemning their 'intolerance for other points of view'.

Ireene Almayda wrote '@ColumbiaLaw is failing', while Dan Shiner said: 'Shameful conduct by law students!'

The Columbia Human Rights Law Review, a legal journal, also claimed the Supreme Court Justice has been 'credibly accused of sexual assault'.

In July 2018, Christine Blasey Ford accused Justice Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her in the early 1980s, following his nomination to the US Supreme Court by President Donald Trump.

Three other women also accused Justice Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct. He denied all the allegations.

Justice Kavanaugh has previously been a target of an assassination attempt and protests outside his Maryland home following his participation in the Dobbs decision, which effectively ended the recognition of a constitutional right to abortion.

DailyMail.com has contacted the National Lawyers Guild, the Federalist Society and Columbia Law School for comment.
The founder of a student loan assistance startup that was purchased by JPMorgan Chase for $175 million has been arrested on fraud charges, after prosecutors said she duped the banking giant by wildly inflating her company's user numbers.

Charlie Javice, 31, who made the Forbes '30 Under 30' list of young business luminaries in 2019, was arrested Monday night in New Jersey on federal charges of conspiracy, bank and wire fraud.

Javice, who lives in Miami Beach, was the founder and CEO of student aid company Frank, which boasted of 4.25 million users when she sold it to JPMorgan two years ago.

But prosecutors say that the company had less than 300,000 users by even the most generous accounting standards, and brazenly lied about the numbers to seal the deal, in which Javice stood to gain some $45 million personally.

Javice denies the allegations, a spokesman told DailyMail.com in a statement. Her attorney, Alex Spiro, declined to immediately comment on the charges.

Charlie Javice, of Miami Beach, Fla., leaves Manhattan federal court, Tuesday, April 4, 2023, in New York, after signing a $2-million bond to remain free on charges that she duped J.P. Morgan Chase with fake records to acquire Frank, her student loan assistance startup company, for $175-million

Frank founder Charlie Javice, 31, (left) was arrested Monday night in New Jersey on federal charges. Pictured right is JPMorgan chairman and CEO Jaime Dimon

A screenshot from Frank's website included in the complaint shows the company's boast that it had 4.25 million users

'This arrest should warn entrepreneurs who lie to advance their businesses that their lies will catch up to them,' said Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, in a statement.

'As alleged, Javice engaged in a brazen scheme to defraud JPMC in the course of a $175 million acquisition deal,' added Williams. 'She lied directly to JPMC and fabricated data to support those lies  all in order to make over $45 million from the sale of her company.'

A spokesman for JPMorgan declined to comment on the charges against Javice when reached by DailyMail.com.

Javice was scheduled to appear before US Magistrate Judge Barbara Moses in Manhattan federal court on Tuesday.

According to the criminal complaint, in 2017 Javice founded TAPD Inc, which operated under the name Frank, to provide an online platform to simplify the process of filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), a federal form used by students to apply for financial aid for college or graduate school.

In 2021, Javice as CEO sought to sell her company to a large financial institution, touting it as a valuable pathway to acquire young new customers, the complaint said.

When JPMorgan sought to verify that her company had 4.25 million customers, Javice asked her company's director of engineering to create an artificially generated data set, but the individual declined, the complaint alleged.

Prosecutors say Javice then hired an outside data scientist to create the 'synthetic' data set of fictional Frank customers to dupe JPMorgan during due diligence.

To cover up the scheme, Javice also purchased real information for over 4.25 million students for $105,000 on the open market, but it did not contain all of the data fields (such as email and phone number) that she had told JPMorgan that Frank maintained on its users, the complaint alleges.

The complaint includes a purported chat log between Javice and a a Frank employee, who told her the company had records on less than 300,000 users, including those who never used the site to file a FAFSA application.

Prosecutors say Javice brazenly lied to JPMorgan and inflated her company's user numbers

A pitch deck that Javice sent JPMorgan executives on July 2, 2021 also claimed the company had 4.25 million users, according to the complaint

The complain also contains records of an internal chat between Javice and a Frank employee, who told her the company had records on less than 300,000 users

In a separate civil complaint filed by the Securities and Exchange Commission on Tuesday, the agency alleged that Javice made 'numerous misrepresentations about Frank's alleged millions of users' to entice JPMorgan into the deal.

Gurbir S. Grewal, director of the SEC's Division of Enforcement, said in a statement that 'even non-public, early-stage companies must be truthful in their representations.'

He added: 'Rather than help students, we allege that Ms. Javice engaged in an old school fraud: she lied about Franks success in helping millions of students navigate the college financial aid process by making up data to support her claims, and then used that fake information to induce JPMC to enter into a $175 million transaction.'

Javice, who is the daughter of a successful investment manager based in New York, purchased an apartment in Miami Beach in May 2021 for just under $1.5million, according to Miami-Dade property records.

She started Frank a few years after graduating from Wharton business school, she revealed during an interview about her entrepreneurial success with a former tutor, which the school uploaded to its YouTube channel.

The alleged scheme first came to light after JPMorgan sent marketing test emails to a list of Frank's customers, and found only 28 percent of them were delivered, the bank alleged.

JPMorgan said it generally sees a delivery rate of 99 percent with similar campaigns and accused Javice of supplying a list of fake customer names.

JPMorgan fired Javice last November and then sued her in a US District Court in Delaware the following month.

However, Javice as insisted in court filings that JPMorgan knew the size of her company prior to the deal, saying that Chairman and CEO Jamie Dimon was eager to buy her company.

Javice is seen on a call with her former tutor at Wharton who was interviewing her about her entrepreneurial success while with her family in Florida

Javice purchased an apartment in this complex on Miami Beach in May 2021, according to Miami-Dade property records

Javice is countersuing for damages and $27.9 million in compensation she says she is owed in the deal, accusing JPMorgan of permanently tarnishing her reputation.

Javice refuted the accusation that she had created a fabricated list of users to deceive the bank. Instead, she claimed that JPMorgan had asked for a 'synthetic data set of users' that reflected Frank's actual customers as a way to audit her users and avoid privacy issues by not sharing their real names.

She asserted that JPMorgan was aware that the user number she provided was based on synthetic data, not actual user data.

Frank's practices, however, have been called into question before. In 2020 Congress members wrote a letter to the Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission claiming that its standardized form for applying for federal relief funds would not be viable.

Specifically, it accused Frank of 'creating false hope and confusion for students while contributing to unnecessary extra work for financial aid administrators.'

It also made mention of the value of user information and data. 'We further suspect that the company may be using the data collected from misled students to make a profit by selling data to third party advertisers,' the Congress members wrote.

'In short, this tool does not make it any easier for students to get relief funds and appears instead to be a way for Frank to mine and exploit students' data for profit,' the letter concluded.
Donald Trump's net worth has plunged by $700 million since last fall, with the loss mostly attributed to the failure of his site Truth Social.

The former president's wealth dropped from $3.2 billion to $2.5 billion ahead of his historic arraignment today, according to analysis by Forbes.

Truth Social - which Trump has been using aggressively in the lead-up to his arrest - is responsible for $550 million of the drop alone.

The news comes as it was revealed he is facing up to 136 years in jail for 34 felony offences, revealed in an unsealed indictment today.

Initial forecasts suggested the platform - designed to rival Twitter - would have 81 million users by 2026 but currently it has just 5 million.

Donald Trump's net worth plunged by $700 million ahead of his arraignment today, according to new analysis by Forbes

Truth Social alone has shaved $550 million off Trump's net worth after the social media site failed to generate the tens of millions of users estimated

Today shares in Truth Social's acquisition company Digital World Acquisition Corp. were trading at around $14 a piece - down from $97.54 on March 4.

Trump launched Truth Social in October 2021 - nine months after being banned from Twitter which accused him of abusing the platform to incite violence among his followers.

The venture was expected to boost his fortune by billions, with shares in Digital World shooting up from $10 to $175 within days of the announcement.

But it proved unpopular even with his most die-hard fans.

And the issue was compounded by billionaire Elon Musk's takeover of Twitter which reversed the ban on Trump and other right-wing figures - diluting the case for an alternative platform.

Truth Social estimates around 100,000 users per month meaning at its current pace it would not hit its projected 81 million users until 2086.

Digital World is planning to take the company public and has until September 8 to complete the merger.

But the corporation has also been mired in chaos after its CEO Patrick Orlando was sensationally sacked from the job 'due to unprecedented headwinds faced by the company.'

Shares in Truth Social's acquisition company Digital World were hovering at around $14 a piece today, down from nearly $100 on March 4

Trump frequently posts on his Truth Social account - especially in the lead-up to his arrest

Forbes calculates that Truth Social is now worth $42 per user - meaning Trump's 85 percent stake in the business is likely worth $180 million today.

The decline was in part responsible for Trump plummeting by 205 spots on the 2023 World Billionaire's list, to No. 1,217.

Forbes concludes that the site is likely to 'join Trump Steaks, Trump University and GoTrump.com in the graveyard of failed Trump ventures.'

Trump has been using the profile constantly to document the events around his historic arraignment, which concerns a $130,000 hush money payment made to porn star Stormy Daniels.

Earlier today, he wrote on the platform: 'THE RADICAL LEFT DEMOCRATS HAVE CRIMINALIZED THE JUSTICE SYSTEM. THIS IS NOT WHAT AMERICA WAS SUPPOSED TO BE!'

Donald Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records as he faced a New York judge this afternoon - and became the first President of the United states to be arraigned and charged with a crime.

Photos show Trump, 76, sitting alongside his defense team in the Manhattan court room with a stony-faced look for the unprecedented hearing.

The former president silently walked into the courtroom after he surrendered, was placed under arrest and fingerprinted as press shouted questions. He avoided handcuffs and being placed in a cell.

Donald Trump made history on Tuesday when he stood in a Manhattan court and became the first former President of the United States in history to be indicted on criminal charges

Chaos erupted at the Manhattan courthouse this morning ahead of Trump's arraignment. Trump fan Juliet Germanotta, dressed in a jean jacket and a MAGA hat, throws herself over a Trump banner outside the courthouse

Germanotta is pictured arguing with one of his critics after trying to tear down an anti-Trump sign outside the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse

Outside Trump Tower in the morning, Democrat protesters clanged cowbells and commanded the former president to 'wake up and smell the justice'.

At the courthouse, journalists from around the world lined up through the night to ensure their space in the courtroom. After dawn, protesters on both sides descended on the building and were separated by NYPD barricades.

In dramatic scenes, Trump fan Juliet Germanotta threw herself at an anti-Trump banner and attempted to rip it up.

She was met with incredulity from the protesters who'd erected it and a scrappy back-and-forth ensued, during which she yelled: 'I have COVID!'
The asylum seekers are said to have been brought into Dover before midday

Emergency services scrambled to rescue migrants crossing the Channel as people-smugglers took advantage of calm weather conditions to traffic asylum seekers from Europe to Britain.

Photographs taken on Tuesday afternoon captured the moment an RNLI lifeboat carrying a group of some 20 or more people arrived at a beach in Dungeness, Kent.

A HM Coastguard spokesperson said it 'has been co-ordinating a search and rescue response to an incident involving small boats off Kent, working with Border Force, Kent Police and other partners'.

In Dungeness, a group wearing red life jackets disembarked the vessel via a ladder before they were led up the pebbled beach by Border Force agents. They were then searched and their possessions were bagged up before they boarded a coach, a photographer at the scene said.

Among those rescued, a man was seen grinning and later flashing a two fingered 'V sign', which can mean peace or victory, as the procession was led up the beach. In another photo, a young woman huddled in a blue blanket pulled close to her face.

The latest Home Office data up to Monday shows that no small boat crossings had been recorded since March 29.

A group of people thought to be migrants are brought in to Dungeness, Kent by the RNLI

This came following a small boat suspected to have 20 people on board was involved in an incident in the Channel

The total number of migrants who crossed the Channel to the UK in the first three months of this year was 17 per cent below the figure for the same period in 2022.

PA news agency analysis of Government figures shows 3,793 migrants made the journey from France by the end of March 2023, compared with 4,548 in the first quarter of last year.

READ MORE: Number of migrants crossing the Channel in first three months of 2023 was 17% below period last year Advertisement

Last month 840 people arrived on the south coast after crossing the Channel - just over a quarter of the 3,066 recorded in March 2022 - and only slightly higher than the figure for March 2021 (831).

According to Home Office data, 1,180 people made the journey in January this year, followed by 1,773 in February. This is compared with 1,339 in January 2022 and 143 a month later.

It comes as Home Secretary Suella Braverman could face a legal challenge over her plan to house migrants on a floating accommodation barge.

Tory-run Dorset Council is opposed to the use of Portland Port as the site, and local Conservative MP Richard Drax was working to get the plan 'consigned to the dustbin'.

The Bibby Stockholm vessel, which will reportedly cost taxpayers more than 20,000 a day, could accommodate more than 500 migrants.

Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick announced last week the proposals to house asylum seekers in disused military bases, with a third site in Bexhill, East Sussex.

He also confirmed that 3,700 people would be housed at RAF Wethersfield in Essex and RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire.

The Home Secretary has also faced questions about when flights sending migrants to Rwanda could take off.

It is thought that people smugglers took advantage of the break in poor weather conditions

The migrants are said to have arrived in Dover before midday today

On Sunday, she appeared to downplay suggestions that the stalled policy of deporting asylum seekers could begin this summer.

A Home Office spokesperson said: 'The unacceptable number of people risking their lives by making these dangerous crossings is placing an unprecedented strain on our asylum system.

'Our priority is to stop this illegal trade, and our Small Boats Operational Command is working alongside our French partners and other agencies to disrupt the people smugglers.

'The government has gone further by introducing legislation which will ensure that those people arriving in the UK illegally are detained and promptly removed to their country of origin or a safe third country.'
Ministers are considering updating equalities law in a move that could stop trans women from accessing women's-only hospital wards and competing in women's sports.

Kemi Badenoch, the women and equalities minister, has written to Britain's equalities watchdog about updating legislation to make clear that 'sex' refers to 'biological sex'.

She asked for the Equality and Human Rights Commission's 'considered advice of the benefits or otherwise' of re-writing the 2010 Equality Act.

In their reply to the Cabinet minister, the EHRC have said such a move could 'bring clarity in a number of areas' and 'merits further consideration'.

In a 19-page letter to Ms Badenoch, EHRC chair Baroness Kishwer Falkner identified eight areas where updating the Equality Act could bring benefits.

This includes in the employment of staff in safe spaces such as women's or girls' hostels, the use of women's-only wards in hospitals, and the exclusion of trans women from women's sports.

Kemi Badenoch, the women and equalities minister, has written to Britain's equalities watchdog about updating legislation to make clear that 'sex' refers to 'biological sex'.

In a 19-page reply to Ms Badenoch, Equality and Human Rights Commission chair Baroness Kishwer Falkner identified eight areas where updating the Equality Act could bring benefits

The EHRC said updating the law could bring clarity over the use of women's-only wards in hospitals, as well as the exclusion of trans women from women's sports

Ms Badenoch wrote to the EHRC on 21 February and cited recent legal cases that had 'raised legitimate questions about the definition of sex in the Equality Act'.

She also highlighted how the Scottish Parliament recently passed controversial new gender identity legislation, which Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has since vowed to block from actually becoming law.

'I would like your considered advice of the benefits or otherwise of an amendment to the 2010 Act on the current definition of "sex", along with any connected or consequential enactments,' Ms Badenoch wrote.

In her reply, which was sent yesterday, Baroness Falkner acknowledged since the passing of the 2010 Act that 'society has evolved considerably in matters relating to the two protected characteristics of sex and gender reassignment', including over language.

'There is no straightforward balance, but we have come to the view that if "sex" is defined as biological sex for the purposes of Equality Act, this would bring greater legal clarity in eight areas,' she added.

On women's-only wards, the EHRC chair wrote: 'At present, the starting point is that a trans woman with a GRC (Gender Recognition Certificate) can access a "women-only" service.

'The service provider would have to conduct a careful balancing exercise to justify excluding all trans women.

'A biological definition of sex would make it simpler to make a women's-only ward a space for biological women.'

And on women's sports, she added: 'At present, to exclude trans women with a GRC from women's sports, the organiser must show that it was necessary to do so in the interests of fairness or safety.

'A biological definition of sex would mean that organisers could exclude trans women from women's sport without this additional burden.'

Ms Badenoch wrote to the EHRC on 21 February and cited recent legal cases that had 'raised legitimate questions about the definition of sex in the Equality Act'

But Baroness Falkner also warned of three areas where a change to the Equality Act 'would be more ambiguous or potentially disadvantageous'.

She listed these as provisions on equal pay, direct sex discrimination, and indirect sex discrimination.

'At present, a trans woman with a GRC can bring an equal pay claim by citing a legally male comparator who was paid more. A trans man with a GRC could not,' the EHRC chair wrote.

'The proposed biological definition would reverse this situation. The effect would be to transfer this right from some trans women to some trans men.'

Baroness Falkner agreed that a change to the Equality Act to redefine 'sex' to mean 'biological sex' was an issue that 'merits further consideration'.

She added it would 'would create rationalisations, simplifications, clarity and/or reductions in risk for maternity services, providers and users of other services, gay and lesbian associations, sports organisers and employers'.

The EHRC chair also highlighted 'a clear need to move the public debate on these issues to a more informed and constructive basis.

'This would be welcomed by the many who do not take the polarised positions currently driving public debate,' she added.
More Iranian schoolgirls have been taken to hospital after the latest wave of mysterious poisoning attacks that have hit thousands of pupils within weeks.

Twenty girls were treated on Tuesday after suffering shortness of breath in Tabriz, capital of the northwestern province of East Azerbaijan, reported the news agency IRNA.

'Emergency experts were immediately dispatched to the scene after a report that a number of students from one of the girls high schools in Tabriz were in a bad condition,' Asghar Jafari, head of the city's emergency service, told IRNA.

The 'vital signs... and the general condition of all students is good', he added.

20 girls were treated on Tuesday after suffering shortness of breath in Tabriz, capital of the northwestern province of East Azerbaijan, reported the news agency IRNA (pictured: a young woman in hospital after reports of poisoning in Iran from video from March 2)

In a wave of cases since late November, more than 5,000 students have suffered fainting, nausea, shortness of breath and other symptoms after reporting 'unpleasant' odours, with some needing hospital treatment.

The unexplained attacks in about 230 schools have sparked fear and anger among pupils and their parents.

Schools had resumed classes on Monday following the two-week Nowruz holiday.

In early March, Iran announced more than 100 arrests over the poisonings, charging that the unidentified perpetrators may have links with 'hostile' groups.

'Emergency experts were immediately dispatched to the scene after a report that a number of students from one of the girls high schools in Tabriz were in a bad condition,' Asghar Jafari, head of the city's emergency service, told IRNA (pictured: a person is lifted to an ambulance outside a girls' school after reports of poisoning in Ardabil, Iran from undated video released March 1)

Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has called for the perpetrators of the 'unforgivable crime' to be tracked down 'without mercy'.

The poisonings started two months into the protests that gripped Iran following the September 16 death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who had been arrested over an alleged violation of women's dress rules.

Schools across 25 out of Iran's 31 provinces have been targeted in the attacks, the latest official tally said.
Trump voluntarily surrendered to New York authorities in the Stormy Daniels probe in a historic moment

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Donald Trump pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to 34 counts of falsifying business records as he faced a New York judge - and became the first President of the United States to be arraigned and charged with a crime.

'Not guilty,' Trump said when asked how he pleaded.

Trump, 76, sat alongside his defense team in the Manhattan courtroom with his hands folded on his lap and a stony-faced look for the unprecedented hearing in the Stormy Daniels hush money case.

The charges are related to a $30,000 payoff to a doorman trying to sell information about a child that Trump allegedly fathered out of wedlock; $150,000 to former Playboy model Karen McDougal, and a $130,000 payment to Daniels.

The prosecution claims the incidents show Trump plotted to buy damaging stories about himself to keep it under wraps and help his chances of winning the 2016 presidential race.

Donald Trump made history on Tuesday when he stood in a Manhattan court and became the first former President of the United States in history to be indicted on criminal charges

'It's not just about one payment,' District Attorney Alvin Bragg said at a press conference after the hearing. 'It is 34 business records - 34 false statements and business records. They were concealing criminal conduct.'

All together, the charges - falsifying business records in the first degree - carry a maximum sentence of more than 100 years in prison under New York law, but even if convicted on all charges, it's unlikely Trump would be sentenced to that much time. Each charge is a low-level felony that carries a maximum of four years in prison for each count.

There was no formal conspiracy charge, but the state of facts released by prosecutors describes how Trump 'orchestrated a scheme' with others 'to influence the 2016 presidential election by identifying and purchasing negative information about him to suppress its publication and benefit the Defendant's electoral prospects.'

During the hearing, Assistant District Attorney Christopher Conroy argued the payments were part of 'an unlawful plan to identify and suppress negative information that could have undermined' Trump's presidential campaign.

The hearing lasted about an hour. Judge Juan Merchan did not put a gag order on Trump but did warn him not to post anything on social media that could cause unrest among his supporters.

The former president was silent as he entered the courtroom and then as he left. He was released on his own recognizance. The next court hearing is set for December 4th.

Trump attorney Joe Tacopina, after the hearing, told reporters: 'This was not a good day.'

'There's nothing the indictment itself. It is boilerplate. It doesn't allege any federal crime and the state crime that's been violated. It doesn't allege what the false statement is, and it's really disappointing. It's sad and we're going to fight it. We're going to fight it hard.'

Tacopina said Trump is 'frustrated. He's upset, but I'll tell you what, he's motivated. And it's not going to stop him, and it's not going to slow him down.'

During the hearing, Judge Juan Merchan ordered both sides to calm down after prosecutors complained about Trump's recent social media posts, including one of him holding a baseball bat against the head of the top prosecutor in the case.

Dino Sajudin, a former Trump doorman, claimed the president had a love child and was paid hush money.

Trump allegedly paid $150,000 to former Playboy model Karen McDougal to keep quiet about an affair - which he denies.

Donald Trump and Stormy Daniels - the case is tied to $130,000 hush money payments made to Daniels

President Trump with his defense team in Manhattan court: (left to right) Todd Blanche, Susan Necheles, Joe Tacopina and Boris Epshteyn

A stony-faced former President Donald Trump snubbed reporters and walked silently into the courtroom after being fingerprinted and processed at the New York Criminal Court Tuesday afternoon

Judge Merchan told the court: 'I'd encourage counsel for both sides to speak to your witnesses, defense counsel speak to your client and remind them to please refrain from making statements that are likely to incite violence and civil unrest.'

'Don't engage in words or conduct which could jeopardize the rule of law as it applies to these proceedings in this courtroom.'

Judge Merchan said he was not issuing a gagging order as had been mooted as Trump is a 'candidate for President of the United States' and his 'First Amendment rights are critically important.'

He also noted that Trump is a 'candidate for President of the United States' and his 'First Amendment rights are critically important.'

But the judge disagreed that 'certain language is justified by frustration.'

Trump attorney Todd Blanche had told the judge that some of the former president's harsher statements on social media resulted from his frustration because he 'believes a grave injustice' was being done.

As part of Tuesday's court process, Trump surrendered, was placed under arrest and fingerprinted. He avoided handcuffs and being placed in a cell but glared at the cameras as he made his way from the booking area to face the judge.

He did not have his mug shot taken. And he did not have to pay bail to be released.

In the courtroom, the former president had at least four lawyers from his large legal team. Seated on either side of him were attorneys Susan Necheles and Todd Blanche.

Joe Tacopina, who has been appearing on television talk shows on Trump's behalf, was seated there, as was longtime adviser Boris Epshteyn. Epshteyn also is under investigation for his role in the attempt to overthrow the 2020 presidential election.

Trump adviser Jason Miller was seen walking into court behind the former president, and longtime aide Walt Nauta was also there.

At the end of the hearing, Trump spoke briefly to his lawyers before turning to the door and walking slowly out, staring ahead and not meeting anyone's gaze with four Secret Service agents and eight lawyers behind him.

Ahead of the arraignment, Trump expressed disbelief about his situation.

While his motorcade drove him from Trump Tower to downtown Manhattan early Tuesday afternoon, he posted on Truth Social that he couldn't 'believe this is happening in America'.

The president didn't speak in public but raised his fist in a gesture to the crowd - and the cameras.

Judge Juan Merchan ruled against cameras in the courtroom - depriving the former reality TV star of a made-for-television moment - but allowed still photographers inside to take photos.

Trump had been defiant ahead of the arraignment hearing, declaring himself to be the victim of a weaponized legal system and a political target by Democrats who don't want to see him win another term in the White House.

The case, based on prosecutor statements and a statement of facts document, appears to involve three different payments, two of which involve the National Enquirer and one of which involves a $130,000 hush-money payment that his then-attorney Michael Cohen made to Daniels in the final days of the 2016 campaign.

The first involved the Enquirer paying $30,000 to Dino Sajudin, a former Trump Tower doorman, who claimed that Trump fathered a child out of wedlock. The tabloid later determined that was not true.

The Enquirer then made another payment to Karen McDougal, Playboy's playmate of the year in 1998. She wanted to sell her story of an affair with Trump during the 2016 campaign. The tabloid paid her $150,000 for rights to her story and then suppressed it  a practice known as 'catch and kill.'

The third involves the payment to Daniels.

Cohen said he made the payment at Trump's direction to ensure Daniels would not go public with her story of a sexual encounter with the married Trump.

Trump reimbursed Cohen while he was president and prosecutors said that is when the fraud accord. Trump's company falsely classified the repayment to Cohen as legal expenses but prosecutors say there were no such expenses.

The alleged affair with Daniels happened in 2006, long before Trump entered politics, and shortly after his wife Melania gave birth to their son Barron.

Trump denies both affairs with both McDougal and Daniels. He also denies any legal wrongdoing.

The former president waves to waiting crowds before walking into the Manhattan District Attorney's office to be processed

Donald Trump raises his fist as he leaves Trump Tower on the way to the Manhattan Criminal Court to turn himself in

Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg is seen walking into the courtroom on the 15th floor ahead of Trump's arraignment

The Charges Against Donald Trump Donald Trump was charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree - with the individual counts coming from each time a payment to his then-attorney Michael Cohen was falsified during 11 months in 2017. The statement of facts said that from between August of 2015 to December of 2017, Trump 'orchestrated a scheme with others to influence the 2016 presidential election by identifying and purchasing negative information about him to suppress its publication and benefit the Defendant's electoral prospects.' The court documents said that at Trump's request, 'Lawyer A,' known to be Michael Cohen, paid $130,000 to 'an adult film actress,' which was Stormy Daniels, in advance of election day. After the election, Cohen was paid back through a series of monthly checks. 'Each check was processed by the Trump Organization, and each check was disguised as a payment for legal services rendered in a given month of 2017 pursuant to a retainer agreement,' the court filing explained. 'The payment records, kept and maintained by the Trump Organization, were false New York business records. In truth, there was no retainer agreement, and Lawyer A was not being paid for legal services rendered in 2017.' 'The Defendant caused his entities' business records to be falsified to disguise his and others' criminal conduct,' the court document said. The background information on the indictment also included details about the catch-and-kill schemes used by American Media, Inc., the owner of the National Enquirer. The company's former CEO David Pecker was one of the last witnesses to come before the grand jury before they voted to indict. The court document details an August 2015 Trump Tower meeting in which Pecker, identified as 'AMI CEO,' agreed to act as the 'eyes and ears' for the Republican candidate, who was two months into his presidential campaign. Pecker would assist the campaign by looking out for negative stories about Trump and alerting Cohen about their existence. One such story - which was later found to be false - was from a doorman of Trump's, who alleged he knew about a secret lovechild produced by the now ex-president. Court documents said that Pecker wanted to release the doorman from a $30,000 deal for exclusive rights to his story, but Cohen instructed him not to do so until after the presidential election. The documents also detail how former Playboy playmate Karen McDougal - called 'Woman 1' in the filing - was paid $150,000 by American Media, Inc. for the exclusive rights to her story about how she had an affair with the married Trump. The filing said prosecutors had an audio recording from September 2016 in which Trump and Cohen discussed how to obtain the rights to McDougal's account and how to reimburse AMI. In the recording, Trump suggests paying by cash and then by check, but Cohen ultimately created a shell company called Resolution Consultants, LLC. A deal to transfer McDougal's story to Resolution Consultants, LLC. ended up falling through, under the advisement of AMI's lawyer. The court document then details how the infamous 'grab them by the p****' Access Hollywood tape was released, which appeared to derail Trump's presidential bid. Shortly after its release, AMI's editor-in-chief warned Pecker that another woman - the porn star Daniels - was alleging that she had a tryist with Trump while he was married. On October 10, 2016, weeks before the election, Cohen was connected to Daniels' lawyer Keith Davidson through AMI's editor-in-chief and he negotiated that Daniels would receive $130,000 for her silence. Trump directed Cohen to delay the payment to Daniels for 'as long as possible,' the filing said. 'He instructed Lawyer A that if they could delay the payment until after the election, they could avoid paying altogether, because at that point it would not matter if the story became public,' the filing said. The court document said there were texts and emails between Cohen, Davidson and AMI's editor-in-chief showing that there was an attempt to delay the hush-money from being paid. Ultimately Trump 'agreed to the payoff and directed Lawyer A to proceed' and there were discussions between Trump, Cohen and the CFO of the Trump Organization, Allen Weisselberg. Trump told the two men to figure out how to make the payment, as he didn't want to do it himself. Cohen agreed to make the payment, with the filing saying he confirmed with Trump that he would be paid back. After Trump won the White House, notes Weisselberg took - that prosecutors had - showed how the $130,000 paid to Daniels by Cohen would be paid back. The lawyer would make, in total, $420,000. 'The Trump Organization CFO memorialized these calculations in handwritten notes on the copy of the bank statement that Lawyer A had provided,' the court documents said. Trump, Weisselberg and Cohen decided that Cohen would ask for a monthly retainer fee of $35,000 throughout 2017. Manhattan prosecutors found that Trump and Cohen met in the Oval Office in February 2017 'and confirmed this repayment arrangement.' 'The checks and stubs bearing the false statements were stapled to the invoices also bearing false statements. The Defendant signed each of the checks personally and had them sent back to the Trump Organization in New York County,' the document said. Advertisement

Ahead of the trial, Trump took an aggressive approaching, demanding his supporters rise up in protest and attacking Bragg, a Democrat.

He called Bragg a 'racist in reverse.' He also claims Bragg is funded by billionaire George Soros, who many conspiracy theorists claim is using his money to control world events.

'Bragg is a (Soros) Racist in Reverse, who is taking his orders from D.C. I beat them TWICE, doing much better the second time, and despite their DISINFORMATION campaign, they don't want to run against 'TRUMP' or my GREAT RECORD!' Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform last month.

Soros, who made his fortune in hedge funds, said he never contributed to Bragg's election campaign. Soros has become a figure of hate for Trump and his allies.

The former president also pushed for the case to be moved from Manhattan to the more Republican-friendly Staten Island just hours before his historic arraignment.

Trump tore into the judge's supposed anti-Trump sentiment on Truth Social and said the new location would be 'very fair and secure.'

He also noted that Judge Juan Merchan's daughter, Loren Merchan, worked for Vice President Kamala Harris' 2020 presidential campaign, deepening the alleged bias against him.

Judge Merchan's daughter Loren worked as the director of digital for Harris' 2020 presidential campaign. She was with the campaign from February 2019 until December of the same year.

Loren Merchan concluded her work with the campaign to move to fill the same role at Authentic, a digital strategies firm for progressives.

And polls show Trump's strategy may be working as he is more popular than ever with Republican voters and getting a massive political boost as he seeks a second term in the White House.

National polls and state surveys in New Hampshire and Massachusetts show voters are still supporting his third bid for president.

Trump leads his closest competition, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, by double digits.

DeSantis originally took a few digs at Trump - saying he didn't know what went into paying hush money to porn stars - but as polls showed Trump's popularity, the Florida governor switched tactics, saying he would block New York if it attempted to extradite Trump.

During his short drive between Trump Tower and court, the former president expressed disbelief that he was about to be arrested

Trump's arraignment hearing lasted about an hour

Bragg arrives at his office on Tuesday morning ahead of the historic arraignment that is the first step in a career-defining case for him

Protesters clashing outside of One Hogan Place, New York, NY, Tuesday April 4th, 2023.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, flanked by security, led Trump supporters in protest

Shamed Congressman George Santos arriving at the courthouse on Tuesday ahead of Trump's indictment

The former president voluntarily went to Manhattan and appeared in court, meaning an extradition attempt was unnecessary. Other Republicans have spoken in Trump's defense, saying the former president is a victim of politics.

Additionally, Trump's campaign said it had raised $10 million since news of his pending indictment broke. On Tuesday morning, it sent out another appeal, titled 'My last email before arrest.'

A conviction would not prevent Trump from running for or winning the presidency in 2024.

Defiance and defensive attacks are the cornerstones of any Trump strategy - tactics he has used throughout his business career, his two presidential runs, and his time in the White House.

It helped him when he was impeached twice by the U.S. House of Representatives - but he was never convicted in the U.S. Senate.

The former president faces other possible indictments: the Justice Department is investigating him on two separate cases: the discovery of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago home and attempts to overturn the 2020 election results. Georgia is also examining Trump's attempts to overturn the election results there.

The only other U.S. president charged with a crime was Ulysses S. Grant, arrested in 1872 for speeding down the streets of Washington, D.C., in his horse and buggy. He was taken to jail and paid a $20 fine.
Timothy Schofield is due to be sentenced at Bristol Crown Court on May 19

Phillip distanced himself from his sibling minutes after verdict was read out

Phillip Schofield has been accused of 'abandoning' his paedophile brother by disowning him after the younger sibling was convicted of sexually abusing a schoolboy.

The This Morning presenter took to social media after his brother Timothy Schofield was found guilty of abusing the boy, saying: 'As far as I am concerned, I no longer have a brother.'

Timothy Schofield's close friend John Picton, who lived with him and accompanied him to court during the trial, slammed the TV star, telling MailOnline: 'The one person Tim thought might be able to help him has now thrown him under the bus.

'Before the trial Tim broke down and cried his eyes out to Phil and now he has abandoned him.'

Phillip said in a statement: 'My overwhelming concern is and has always been for the wellbeing of the victim and his family. I hope that their privacy will now be respected.

'If any crime had ever been confessed to me by my brother, I would have acted immediately to protect the victim and their family. These are despicable crimes, and I welcome the guilty verdicts.'

Timothy Schofield's close friend John Picton (pictured right, with Timothy outside court) lived with him and accompanied him during the trial

Phillip Schofield has been accused of 'abandoning' his paedophile younger brother Timothy, 54, pictured, by disowning him after he was convicted of sexually abusing a schoolboy

Timothy Schofield's friend hit out at the The Morning presenter, saying: 'The one person Tim thought might be able to help him has now thrown him under the bus'. Pictured, Phillip and Timothy

Speaking exclusively to MailOnline, Mr Picton, who shared a flat with Timothy Schofield in north London after the pair grew up together in Newquay, Cornwall, hit out at the star for abandoning his brother.

Mr Picton said: 'I've known Tim since I was 18. I understand why he's in the mental condition he is at the moment. Before the trial Tim broke down and cried his eyes out to Phil and now the one person he thought might be able to help him has thrown him under the bus.

'Tim has spent his lifetime living in Phil's shadow and being controlled by everyone.'

Phil said his brother, 54, had committed 'despicable crimes' and told his followers: 'I welcome the guilty verdicts.'

Yesterday, dressed in a grey shirt, Timothy Schofield, of Bath, bowed his head as the jury found him guilty on all 11 counts by a majority of ten to two on each at Exeter Crown Court. They took five hours and 41 minutes to convict the police IT technician of causing the victim to watch sex acts and engage in sex acts, and performing sex acts in front of the boy.

The boy told how he had felt 'emotionally blackmailed' and 'forced' to participate in sexual activity from when he was a young teenager.

Phillip took to social media after his brother was found guilty of abusing the boy and wrote: 'As far as I am concerned, I no longer have a brother'

Yesterday, dressed in a grey shirt, Timothy Schofield, of Bath, bowed his head as the jury found him guilty on all 11 counts by a majority of ten to two on each at Exeter Crown Court. His friend John Picton, who has hit out at Phillip, is pictured right

He bided his time until he had the 'physical advantage' before confronting his abuser in August 2021 when he told the paedophile: 'It's never going to happen again.'

Timothy Schofield called Phillip the following month saying he was suicidal, before driving to the star's London home 'in a state of heightened agitation'.

After switching between being 'furiously angry' and bursting into tears, he told Phillip over the washing up that he had masturbated and watched pornography in the presence of the boy.

The celebrity turned and asked: 'What did you say?' His brother then claimed it was 'just this time', prompting the TV host to tell him 'it should never happen again'.

But in his statement, Phillip makes no mention of asking for more details. Instead he just told Timothy to 'stop' when he started to describe the teenager's body.

Sentencing was adjourned while a file is compiled on Timothy Schofield's mental health.

He was repeatedly accused of 'playing the victim' by prosecutors during the trial. At one point last week he did not appear in court because he had collapsed 'in a crisis'.

Timothy Schofield is due to be sentenced at Bristol Crown Court on May 19.

The jury took five hours and 41 minutes to convict the police IT technician (pictured right with Phillip and their mother, Pat) of causing the victim to watch sex acts and engage in sex acts, and performing sex acts in front of the boy

Phillip has not appeared on This Morning this week in light of his brother's trial

Schofield was repeatedly accused of 'playing the victim' by prosecutors during the trial. At one point last week he did not appear in court because he had collapsed 'in a crisis'

Avon and Somerset Police, where Timothy Schofield was employed, said a misconduct hearing will be held 'as soon as possible'. The IT worker was suspended in December 2021.

Detective Inspector Keith Smith said: 'This defendant has exploited and abused the victim by carrying out a sickening series of offences over a significant period of time.

'Although the defendant does not work in a public-facing role, and the offences are not linked to his employment, we know the fact he works for the police will be a matter of public concern.'

An NSPCC spokesman said: 'Child sexual abuse can have a devastating and long-lasting impact on a person's life and Timothy Schofield's actions were deeply harmful. We hope that the young man he targeted is receiving all the support he needs to move forward with his life.'

The NSPCC urged adults who are concerned about a child to contact help@nspcc.org.uk and young people to call Childline on 0800 1111.
Tory minister Robert Jenrick has been banned from driving for six months and fined 1,639 after he was caught doing 68mph in a temporary 40mph zone on the M1 after appearing on BBC Radio 4's Any Questions.

The speeding happened between junctions 18 and 17 on the southbound motorway last August.

The case was dealt with through a Single Justice Procedure at Northampton Magistrates' Court. This allows a magistrate to rule on criminal cases seen as minor in a closed court, meaning the public and press cannot attend.

It also allows defendants to plead guilty or not guilty in writing, which meant Mr Jenrick, 41, did not have to attend court in person.

Responding to the sentence, the Immigration Minister said: 'I accept the court's decision.

Immigration minister Robert Jenrick has been disqualified from driving for six months and fined 1,639 after he was caught doing 68mph in a temporary 40mph zone on the M1

The speeding happened between junctions 18 and 17 on the southbound motorway down the M1 last August

'I was driving below the national speed limit on an empty motorway, with no road works in sight.

'I now understand that a variable speed limit had been applied, which I didn't see. I wouldn't knowingly exceed the speed limit.'

The MP for Newark, Nottinghamshire, was travelling after an appearance on BBC Radio 4's Any Questions at Wakefield Cathedral when he was caught by a speed camera in his Land Rover at around 11.30pm on August 5, the London Evening Standard reported.

Mr Jenrick was fined 307 and handed three penalty points in March for speeding on the A40 in west London in August 2021, it was reported.

He was fined 1,107 for the M1 offence and ordered to pay a 442 victim surcharge and 90 in costs.
A serving Met Police officer who raped a female colleague after an eight-hour drinking binge and then accused her of treating him 'like a sex offender' the next day is facing jail.

PC Ireland Teddington Murdock, 26, has been found guilty of assaulting the woman at her home in Clapham, south-west London, after a leaving do for a sergeant at a pub.

Murdock, also known as 'Ted', was attached to the Central North Command Unit but he was off-duty at the time of the attack on September 25, 2021.

The colleague reported the assault to police on January 9, 2022 and he was arrested two days later.

After making the report, Murdock searched for the victim's name on the police computer and accessed a restricted crime report relating to her.

Murdock, who was dismissed from the force for gross misconduct last July, has now been found guilty by a jury of rape following a trial at Inner London Crown Court.

PC Ireland Teddington Murdock, 26, has been found guilty of assaulting the woman at her home in Clapham, south-west London , after a leaving do for a sergeant at a pub

Murdock (pictured) was attached to the Central North Command Unit but he was off-duty at the time of the attack on September 25, 2021

The former officer, of Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire, admitted unauthorised access to computer material.

Chief Superintendent Andy Carter, who is in charge of policing for the Central North Basic Command Unit, said: 'Murdock committed an absolutely atrocious offence, and caused his victim a lot of pain and fear. He betrayed everything we stand for and I am disgusted by his actions.

'I would like to thank the victim for her courage and bravery in coming forward. I would also like to thank those who investigated him for building such a strong case that led to him being found guilty.

'We took immediate action to suspend Murdock from duty when his offending came to light and we dismissed him at the earliest opportunity as soon as he pleaded guilty to unauthorised access to computer material.

'We are determined to have a Met that the public can trust, with officers that people feel confident to approach. When someone fails to meet these standards, we will take action to remove them from our organisation.'

The shamed officer was investigated by the Serious Sexual Offences Department - commonly known as Sapphire - based at Brixton Police Station.

Inner London Crown Court heard the pair 'kissed passionately' at a bus stop outside the Abbey Tavern while waiting for a 1.00am Uber, with the WPC sitting on PC Murdock's lap.

Murdock, who was dismissed from the force for gross misconduct last July, has now been found guilty by a jury of rape following a trial at Inner London Crown Court (pictured)

They returned to her shared flat in the early hours of September 25, 2021, where she says she consented to sexual activity, but not to all of PC Murdock's behaviour and he raped her and slept over until the following morning.

Agreeing she bought PC Murdock shots of alcohol at the Kentish Town pub the woman conceded telling him regarding her alcohol intake: 'I have a lot of catching up to do.'

She told the trial she had approximately four drinks that night and at the bus stop PC Murdock tried to put his hand inside her jeans.

The female officer insisted things went too far in her bedroom and she did not consent to PC Murdock's actions.

'I said something like: 'Woah' or 'Stop' I can't remember,' she told the court from the witness box, giving evidence without a screen.

She did not report PC Murdock immediately and several month passed before she complained. 'I did not feel safe to report it, we were always together,' she told the jury via a video recorded police interview.

'In a ten day work period we would be together eight or nine days.'

The officer said she had to change her bedsheets after the rape. 'I got rid of them right after. There was just a lot of little bloody spots.'

She did not seek any medical treatment, adding: 'I did not want to go to a GP and have questions raised. I was embarrassed.

'I was fairly numb to it. There was no proper thought after the incident.'

However, she insisted PC Murdock's intentions in the bedroom were clear that night. 'He was definitely positioning himself and then he tried again.'

She went to work the next day, but said it was a challenging shift. 'It was difficult. It hurt to sit down and I was in pain and it was dawning on me what happened.

'He said he did not remember anything because he was so drunk.

'He was drunk that night. His speech was all slurred. He was not falling over or anything, but it was obvious he had quite a lot to drink.

'On the day it happened I rang one of my flatmates to say he did something last night I was not happy with.'

When they woke up that morning PC Murdock admits he went in for a cuddle, but was shunned by the woman. 'I told him that he really hurt me last night.'

PC Murdock said: 'I'm not going to stay here if there's an atmosphere,' and they agreed he should leave.
The indictment of former President Trump included charges not only for hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels, but also two lesser-followed indirect payments that kept Playboy model Karen McDougal and a doorman quiet about Trump's alleged sexual rendezvous.

McDougal allegedly had a 10-month affair with Trump in 2006 and Trump property doorman Dino Sajudin purported to know about a love child Trump had with a former housekeeper.

Both McDougal and Sajudin were paid off by the Trump-aligned National Enquirer. The former housekeeper in questioned denied ever having an affair with Trump and Sajudin's ex-wife later called him a 'serial liar.'

In 2016 McDougal was paid $150,000 for the rights to the story of her affair with Trump by American Media Inc., the parent company of the National Enquirer. In a practice known as 'catch and kill,' the Enquirer bought the rights but never ran the story.

The indictment of former President Trump includes a less-covered indirect payment that kept Playboy model Karen McDougal quiet about her alleged 10-month affair with him

American Media Inc.'s former CEO David Pecker has admitted to doing so to help the Trump campaign.

That same year, American Media Inc. gave Sajudin $30,000 for rights to the story he had to tell but imposed in the contract a $1 million penalty if he gave the story to anyone else. They then spiked the story.

Trump's lawyers said that the former president did not know of the payment until after the deal was done. Pecker also testified before the grand jury in the Trump case last week, where he reportedly tied Trump directly to the deal and to a broader scheme to suppress negative stories about him during the 2016 election.

Former Trump attorney Michael Cohen has said he arranged for the Enquirer to make the payment and made recordings of a conversation where he spoke with Trump about the payment.

Cohen also admitted to speaking to the Enquirer about the payout to Sajudin.

At one point, Trump asked Cohen: 'What do we got to pay for this? One-fifty?' Trump denies ever having the affair.

All together Tuesday's charges - falsifying business records in the first degree - carry a maximum sentence of more than 100 years in prison under New York law but, even if convicted on all charges, it's unlikely Trump would be sentenced to that much time. Each charge is a low-level felony that carries a maximum of four years in prison for each count.

There was no formal conspiracy charge but the state of facts released by prosecutors describes how Trump 'orchestrated a scheme' with others 'to influence the 2016 presidential election by identifying and purchasing negative information about him to suppress its publication and benefit the Defendant's electoral prospects.'

In 2018, Cohen pleaded guilty to campaign finance charges related to the Daniels and McDougal payments. He testified that Trump had directed him to buy silence from Daniels and to work with Pecker on quashing the McDougal story.

McDougal said Trump first tried to pay her in 2006 after their first sexual tryst at a bungalow at the Beverly Hills hotel. She said the relationship continued for about 10 months after that but she broke in off in April 2007 because she felt bad.

In 2016 McDougal was paid $150,000 for the rights to the story of her affair with Trump by American Media Inc., the parent company of the National Enquirer

Don't call me a liar: Dino Sajudin, the former Trump doorman who claimed the president had a love child said Thursday he was standing by his story

The Wall Street Journal first reported last week that the grand jury had a broader focus not just on the Stormy Daniels payments but the payments to McDougal as well.

The Federal Election Commission found in 2021 that Pecker and American Media Inc. had made an unlawful campaign donation through the payment but declined to prosecute after Pecker's cooperation in the Cohen case.

When McDougal approached the Enquirer with the story of her affair, Pecker alerted Cohen before paying McDougal $150,000 for her story and telling her they would run magazine covers and articles on her in exchange for her not talking to any other outlet about the affair.

Cohen signed an agreement to pay $125,000 to buy the nondisclosure part of the agreement, but Pecker later called off the deal and told Cohen to rip up the agreement.

The FEC fined American Media Inc. $187,500, deeming the McDougal deal as a 'prohibited corporate in-kind contribution.'

Pecker stepped down as CEO of the publisher in 2020.

Cohens lawyer Lanny Davis said Sunday on CNNs State of the Union that

The other central case against Trump involves a $130,000 hush-money payment that Cohen made to Daniels in the final days of the 2016 campaign.

Cohen said he made the payment at Trump's direction and it was to ensure Daniels would not go public with her story of a sexual encounter with the married Trump.

The alleged affair happened in 2006, long before Trump entered politics and when he was married to Melania. It was shortly after she gave birth to their son Barron.

Trump denies both the affair and any legal wrongdoing. At issue is the Trump Organization's later reimbursement of Cohen for the payments, and Bragg's office is reportedly looking into whether Trump falsified business records to conceal the payment.

During a 2018 tell-all interview interview with Anderson Cooper, McDougal said she left her first date with Trump 'crying in the backseat of a car' because he offered to pay her after they had sex.

In a practice known as 'catch and kill,' the Enquirer bought the rights to McDougal's affair but never ran the story

McDougal, pictured above in 2006 at the time she was allegedly sleeping with Trump, said she cried after their first date when he offered her money

'After we had been intimate, he tried to pay me, and I actually didn't know how to take that,' she said.

She said she was hurt by the cash offer, which she turned down.

'I don't even know how to describe the look on my face,' she said. 'It must have been so sad.'

Later that year she said was also given an apartment in New York City as a Christmas gift, but lost it after the two split.

McDougal also tearfully recalled feeling guilty when she went to Trump's apartment in Trump Tower and he showed her Melania Trump's bedroom.

McDougal thought it was odd that Trump's wife slept in a separate bedroom.

'I thought maybe they were having issues,' she said.

McDougal recalled feeling uncomfortable walking into the apartment of a married man whose wife just had a baby.

'I couldn't wait to get out of the apartment, I think,' she said.

'Doing something, doing something wrong is bad enough, and when you're doing something wrong, and you're in the middle of somebody else's home or bed or whatever, that just puts it a little old stab in your heart, and I just couldn't wait to get out of the apartment.

'I wanted to go back to my hotel room.'

McDougal expressed regret over the affair, saying she felt guilty. Nonetheless, despite the guilt, she carried on with Trump for the better part of a year.

'When I look back, I know it's wrong,' the 1998 Playmate of the Year said.

'I'm really sorry for that. I know it's the wrong thing to do.'
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A stony-faced former President Donald Trump snubbed reporters and walked silently into the courtroom after being fingerprinted and processed at the New York Criminal Court Tuesday afternoon.

While a reporter could be heard beckoning the ex-president over to journalists, Trump silently walked by them with a scowl on his face. He had his lawyer Joe Tacopina with him, along with aides Jason Miller and Boris Epshteyn.

He was headed into the formal arraignment, where he'll learn the specific charges that have been under seal since he was indicted on Thursday - a historical first.

Earlier he had expressed disbelief that he was about to be arrested over his role in the Stormy Daniels hush-money probe.

'Heading to Lower Manhattan, the Courthouse. Seems so SURREAL - WOW, they are going to ARREST ME. Can't believe this is happening in America. MAGA!' Trump posted to his Truth Social network as he drove from Trump Tower to the lower Manhattan courthouse.

Trump arrived back in New York Monday and overnighted in Trump Tower, where he spent most of Tuesday in his 26th floor office.

He gave a fist bump to gathered photographers before getting in this motorcade and making the drive to court.

A stony-faced former President Donald Trump snubbed reporters and walked silently into the courtroom after being fingerprinted and processed at the New York Criminal Court Tuesday afternoon

Trump is photographed seated in the courtroom Tuesday as he appears for an arraignment on charges related to the Stormy Daniels hush-money scheme

Trump was surrounded by his defense attorneys and political aide Boris Epshteyn (right) as he sat in court Tuesday

Former President Donald Trump waves as he arrives Tuesday around 1:30 p.m. to New York Criminal Court in lower Manhattan

During his short drive between Trump Tower and court, the former president expressed disbelief that he was about to be arrested

Upon arriving at the lower Manhattan courthouse - which had been surrounded by pro and anti-Trump protesters and droves of press all Tuesday - the ex-preident went through the booking process, including getting his fingerprints taken, ABC News reported.

Prior to his arrival a judge decided that Trump didn't need to pose for a mugshot - despite allies suggesting it could work well in his presidential campaign advertisements.

And despite reports that said he's speak to journalists before and after the arraignment, Trump said nothing as he walked into and departed the courtroom.

He's expected to deliver a formal statement back at Mar-a-Lago later Tuesday night.

Once Trump was in the courtroom, he was seated with Tacopina, his two other defense attorneys and Epshteyn, a longtime political aide.

Trump was charged with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in relation to the hush-money scheme - and pleaded not guilty.

The unsealed indictment was just 16-pages long.

The 34 counts come from each time a payment to his ex-lawyer turned critic Michael Cohen was falsified during 11 months in 2017.

The statement of facts said that from between August of 2015 to December of 2017, Trump 'orchestrated a scheme with others to influence the 2016 presidential election by identifying and purchasing negative information about him to suppress its publication and benefit the Defendant's electoral prospects.'

The court documents said that at Trump's request, 'Lawyer A,' known to be Michael Cohen, paid $130,000 to 'an adult film actress,' which was Daniels, in advance of election day.

After the election, Cohen was paid back through a series of monthly checks.

'Each check was processed by the Trump Organization, and each check was disguised as a payment for legal services rendered in a given month of 2017 pursuant to a retainer agreement,' the court filing explained. 'The payment records, kept and maintained by the Trump Organization, were false New York business records. In truth, there was no retainer agreement, and Lawyer A was not being paid for legal services rendered in 2017.'

'The Defendant caused his entities' business records to be falsified to disguise his and others' criminal conduct,' the court document said.

The background information on the indictment also included details about the catch-and-kill schemes used by American Media, Inc., the owner of the National Enquirer.

The company's former CEO David Pecker was one of the last witnesses to come before the grand jury before they voted to indict.

The court document details an August 2015 Trump Tower meeting in which Pecker, identified as 'AMI CEO,' agreed to act as the 'eyes and ears' for the Republican candidate, who was two months into his presidential campaign.

Pecker would assist the campaign by looking out for negative stories about Trump and alerting Cohen about their existence.

One such story - which was later found to be false - was from a doorman of Trump's, who alleged he knew about a secret lovechild produced by the now ex-president.

Court documents said that Pecker wanted to release the doorman from a $30,000 deal for exclusive rights to his story, but Cohen instructed him not to do so until after the presidential election.

The documents also detail how former Playboy playmate Karen McDougal - called 'Woman 1' in the filing - was paid $150,000 by American Media, Inc. for the exclusive rights to her story about how she had an affair with the married Trump.

The filing said prosecutors had an audio recording from September 2016 in which Trump and Cohen discussed how to obtain the rights to McDougal's account and how to reimburse AMI.

In the recording, Trump suggests paying by cash and then by check, but Cohen ultimately created a shell company called Resolution Consultants, LLC.

A deal to transfer McDougal's story to Resolution Consultants, LLC. ended up falling through, under the advisement of AMI's lawyer.

The court document then details how the infamous 'grab them by the p****' Access Hollywood tape was released, which appeared to derail Trump's presidential bid.

Shortly after its release, AMI's editor-in-chief warned Pecker that another woman - the porn star Daniels - was alleging that she had a tryist with Trump while he was married.

On October 10, 2016, weeks before the election, Cohen was connected to Daniels' lawyer Keith Davidson through AMI's editor-in-chief and he negotiated that Daniels would receive $130,000 for her silence.

Trump directed Cohen to delay the payment to Daniels for 'as long as possible,' the filing said.

'He instructed Lawyer A that if they could delay the payment until after the election, they could avoid paying altogether, because at that point it would not matter if the story became public,' the filing said.

The court document said there were texts and emails between Cohen, Davidson and AMI's editor-in-chief showing that there was an attempt to delay the hush-money from being paid.

Ultimately Trump 'agreed to the payoff and directed Lawyer A to proceed' and there were discussions between Trump, Cohen and the CFO of the Trump Organization, Allen Weisselberg.

Trump told the two men to figure out how to make the payment, as he didn't want to do it himself.

Cohen agreed to make the payment, with the filing saying he confirmed with Trump that he would be paid back.

After Trump won the White House, notes Weisselberg took - that prosecutors had - showed how the $130,000 paid to Daniels by Cohen would be paid back.

The lawyer would make, in total, $420,000.

'The Trump Organization CFO memorialized these calculations in handwritten notes on the copy of the bank statement that Lawyer A had provided,' the court documents said.

Trump, Weisselberg and Cohen decided that Cohen would ask for a montly retainer fee of $35,000 throughout 2017.

Manhattan prosecutors found that Trump and Cohen met in the Oval Office in February 2017 'and confirmed this repayment arrangement.'

'The checks and stubs bearing the false statements were stapled to the invoices also bearing false statements. The Defendant signed each of the checks personally and had them sent back to the Trump Organization in New York County,' the document said.

Former President Donald Trump holds up his fist as he departs Trump Tower to appear in court after being indicted by a Manhattan grand jury

Trump is captured leaving Trump Tower for his afterrnoon in court Tuesday after being indicted by a Manhattan grand jury. The indictment will be unsealed once Trump arrives in court

The former president's motorcade winds through New York City as Trump heads to his arraignment Tuesday

Officers and Secret Service agents were posted in the hallways near where Trump was going through the booking process

Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg arrives at his office on Tuesday morning ahead of the historic arraignment that is the first step in a career-defining case for him

The case was brought in front of a grand jury by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who arrived at court Tuesday morning ahead of the former president.

Speaking with ABC's George Stephanopoulos ahead of Trump's historic arraignment on Tuesday, Tacopina said Trump will not be pleading guilty to a misdemeanor to make the case disappear and didn't believe it would see a jury trial.

He also said he couldn't see how Trump could abide by a gag order.

'Here you have something uniquely different,' Tacopina said on GMA. 'The defendant is the leading Republican candidate for the office of the president of the United States and will be campaigning. Hard to put a gag order when he's going to be fielding questions about his current legal situation.'

Trump has been defiant ahead of the arraignment, declaring himself to be the victim of weaponized legal system and a political target by Democrats who don't want to see him win another term in the White House.

Trump raged on Truth Social Monday night after longtime D.C. journalist Michael Isikoff, writing for Yahoo News, reported that the former president would be charged with 34 felony counts - but spared handcuffs and a mugshot.

'Wow! District Attorney Bragg just illegally LEAKED the various points, and complete information, on the pathetic Indictment against me,' Trump posted to Truth Social.

'I know the reporter, and so, unfortunately, does he,' Trump added, pointing to Isikoff.

Isikoff became a national figure during the 1990s as the first D.C. reporter to know about President Bill Clinton's affair with intern Monica Lewinsky.

'This means that he MUST BE IMMEDIATELY INDICTED,' Trump said of Bragg, a Democrat. 'Now, if he wants to really clean up his reputation, he will do the honorable thing and, as District Attorney, INDICT HIMSELF. He will go down in Judicial history, and his Trump Hating wife will be, I am sure, very proud of him!'

The case involves a $130,000 hush-money payment that his then-attorney Michael Cohen made to Daniels in the final days of the 2016 campaign.

Cohen said he made the payment at Trump's direction and it was to ensure Daniels would not go public with her story of a sexual encounter with the married Trump.

Anti-Trump protesters demonstrate outside Manhattan Criminal Courthouse on the day of former U.S. President Donald Trump's planned court appearance after his indictment by a Manhattan grand jury

A supporter of former U.S. President Donald Trump demonstrates outside Manhattan Criminal Courthouse

Police officers take a demonstrator into custody as pro- and anti-Trump demonstrators gather near Manhattan court ahead of the former US President Donald Trump's arraignment in New York, United States on April 04, 2023

The alleged affair happened in 2006, long before Trump entered politics and when he was married to Melania. It was shortly after she gave birth to their son Barron.

Trump denies both the affair and any legal wrongdoing.

He's also called Bragg a 'racist in reverse.'

He also claims Bragg is funded by Jewish billionaire George Soros, who many conspiracy theorists claim is using his money to control world events.

'Bragg is a (Soros) Racist in Reverse, who is taking his orders from D.C. I beat them TWICE, doing much better the second time, and despite their DISINFORMATION campaign, they don't want to run against 'TRUMP' or my GREAT RECORD!' Trump wrote on his TruthSocial platform last month.

Soros, who made his fortune in hedge funds, said he never contributed to Bragg's election campaign. Soros has become a figure of hate for Trump and his allies.

The former president also pushed for the case to be moved from Manhattan to the more Republican-friendly Staten Island just hours before his historic arraignment.

Trump tore into the judge's supposed anti-Trump sentiment on Truth Social and said the new location would be 'very fair and secure.'

He also noted that the Judge Juan Merchan's daughter, Loren Merchan, worked for Vice President Kamala Harris' 2020 presidential campaign, deepening the alleged bias against him.

Judge Merchan's daughter Loren worked as the director of digital for Harris' 2020 presidential campaign. She was with the campaign from February 2019 until December of the same year.

Loren Merchan concluded her work with the campaign to move to fill the same role at Authentic, a digital strategies firm for progressives.

A supporter of former US president Donald Trump argues with opponents outside the Manhattan District Attorney's office in New York City on April 4, 2023

Protesters clashing outside of One Hogan Place, New York, NY, Tuesday April 4th, 2023.

Chaos at the courthouse: Trump fan Juliet Germanotta, dressed in a denim jacket and a MAGA hat, throws herself over a Trump banner outside the courthouse

Germanotta got back on her feet and began arguing with one of his critics after trying to tear down an anti-Trump sign outside the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse

And polls show Trump's strategy may be working as he is more popular than ever with Republican voters and getting a massive political boost as he seeks a second term in the White House.

National polls, as well as state surveys in New Hampshire and Massachusetts, show voters are still supporting his third bid for president.

Trump is leading his closest competition, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, by double digits.

DeSantis originally took a few digs at Trump - saying he didn't know what went into paying hush money to porn stars - but as polls showed Trump's popularity, the Florida governor switched tactics, saying he block New York if it attempted to extradite Trump.

The former president voluntarily went to Manhattan and appeared in court, meaning an extradition attempt was not needed. Other Republicans have spoken in Trump's defense, saying the former president is a victim of politics.

Additionally, Trump's campaign said it's raised $8 million dollars since news of his pending indictment broke. On Tuesday morning, it sent out another appeal, titled 'My last email before arrest.'

A conviction would not prevent Trump from running for or winning the presidency in 2024.

Defiance and defensive attacks are the corner stones of any Trump strategy - tactics he has used throughout his business career, during his two presidential runs, and throughout his time in the White House.

It helped him when he was impeached twice by the U.S. House of Representatives - but he was never convicted in the U.S. Senate.

The former president faces other possible indictments: the Justice Department is investigating him on two separate cases: the discovery of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago home and attempts to overturn the 2020 election results. The state of Georgia is also investigating Trump's attempts to overturn the election results there.

Ahead of Tuesday's hearing, Trump called on his supporters to protest his arraignment.

Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (pictured bottom left in sunglasses) was swarmed by a huge scrum of the media and protesters as she appeared for a rally outside the court hosting Donald Trump's indictment

The firebrand Trump ally was drowned out as she tried to speak in a park opposite the court by anti-Trump protesters screaming 'Nazi' and 'go back to Georgia b****'

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, the Georgia Republican and who is a close Trump ally, held a rally at the park across from the courthouse.

'President Trump is joining some of the most incredible people in history being arrested today. Nelson Mandela was arrested, served time in prison. Jesus! Jesus was arrested and murdered by the Roman government,' Greene told Right Side Broadcasting Network as she drove around New York with her boyfriend, RSBN reporter Brian Glenn.

Greene was heckled by New Yorkers on the scene, calling her a litany of insults including 'Nazi' and a 'fucking b****!'

Disgraced Rep. George Santos also made a surprise appearance.

Greene said the case was a 'travesty' and that it should 'never happen in America ever'. But her words could barely be heard as counter-protesters took to the streets, screaming back at her.

The only other president to be charged with a crime was Ulysses S. Grant, who was arrested in 1872 for speeding in his horse and buggy near Logan Circle in Washington, D.C.

He was taken to jail and had to pay a $20 fine.
Former President Donald Trump lost an Appeals Court ruling in D.C. that impacts the January 6 probe just minutes before he drove to to the DA's office in Manhattan courthouse.

The ruling, issued by a three-judge panel U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, could have far-reaching consequences  by requiring former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and other top aides to testify.

A federal grand jury is probing the 2020 election overturn effort by Trump and some of his allies, with Special Counsel Jack Smith taking a series of speedy investigatory actions.

Under the sealed ruling, they will have access to some of the best informed people about machinations inside the Trump White House.

Former White House Chief of Staff must testify before a grand jury, according to a federal Appeals Court ruling issued Tuesday

U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell last month denied a move by Trump's legal team to block testimony by citing executive privilege.

Trump's team filed an emergency appeal Monday to try to prevent them from testifying.

The grand jury is investigating failed efforts by Trump and his allies to overturn the results of the 2020 election, one of two probes into the former president being handled by Special Counsel Jack Smith.

The legal action was swift.

The news came shortly before former President Trump drove to the Manhattan DA's office to be arrested

Ken Cuccinelli, a former Trump administration homeland security official, is among those whose testimony Trump's team sought to block

A three-judge panel got a response from the Justice Department within two hours of the Trump filing, and issued its ruling early Tuesday, CNN reported.

Trump's team could seek to appeal based on their executive privilege claims, which relates to advice the president receives from his staff.

Trump's team had also visited Chief Judge James Boasberg seeking an emergency stay, with the possibility the testimony could happen imminently.

A series of former top Trump White House aides have been ordered to testify in the probe.

Among them are former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe, former deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino  who flew with Trump from Mar-a-Lago to New York Monday  and and former advisers Stephen Miller.

Others are former top Department of Homeland Security official Ken Cuccinelli, and aides Nick Luna and John McEntee.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled Tuesday
Rupert Murdoch and Ann Lesley Smith have abruptly called off their engagement - just two weeks after they announced their plans to marry.

The 92-year-old media baron proposed last month to the former dental hygienist, 66, with an 11-carat diamond ring thought to worth up to 2million. Describing their whirlwind romance as a 'gift from God', the couple said they planned to wed in the late summer.

But the engagement was abruptly called off last night after the pair reluctantly came to a 'mutual decision' to part ways.

A friend close to the couple said Ms Smith had struggled with the publicity.

'She just could not cope with being in the public eye. She is very private,' they said. 'They sat down and talked yesterday [on Monday] and agreed it was better for them to part.

Media baron Rupert Murdoch, 91, and dental hygenist Ann Lesley Smith, 66, have called off their engagement, only two weeks after it was first announced. He proposed with an 11-carat diamond ring thought to worth up to 2m last month (the pair are pictured in January)

The couple, who previously described their whirlwind romance as a 'gift from god', planned to wed this summer. But their engagement was abruptly called off today after the pair were said to have reluctantly come to 'mutual decision' after talks last night

'He accepts that he will always be in the public eye and there is nothing he can or would do to change that.'

The Mail understands that ending the engagement was a mutual decision and one of great regret for both sides. Another friend told the Mail that the billionaire still remains fond of Ms Smith despite their decision to split.

They said: 'He admires her, respects her and thinks she is an amazing woman. He loves the fact she is so calm and so strong... and she shares his religious convictions.'

Ms Smith was introduced to the newly-single billionaire in September at a wine event at his Moraga vineyard in California. He waited a fortnight before asking to see her again. Six months later he personally picked out a Asscher-cut diamond solitaire, which he presented to Ms Smith with on March 17.

The couple announced the engagement three days later with Murdoch, said to be worth $17billion (13.7billion), telling his newspaper the New York Post at the time: 'I was very nervous. I dreaded falling in love - but I knew this would be my last. It better be. I'm happy.'

Ms Smith added: 'For us both it's a gift from God. We met last September. I'm a widow 14 years.

'Like Rupert, my husband was a businessman. Worked for local papers, developed radio and TV stations and helped promote Univision.

The Mail understands it was a mutual decision, one of great regret for both parties. Another friend told the Mail that the media baron still remains very fond of Ms Smith (pictured together in March)

Murdoch finalised his divorce from his fourth wife, Jerry Hall (seen on their wedding day in 2016), in August 2022 following six years of marriage

'So I speak Rupert's language. We share the same beliefs. In perspective, it's not my first rodeo. Getting near 70 means being in the last half. I waited for the right time. Friends are happy for me.'

It emerged last month that Ms Smith, who also owns a vineyard, had been in a dispute with the family of her wealthy late husband, country music star Chester Smith.

She was accused of 'elder financial abuse' and withholding inheritance money from her three stepdaughters. She denied the allegations and the matter was settled in 2010.

The cancelled wedding would have been Murdoch's fifth. His last marriage to supermodel Jerry Hall ended abruptly after six years in July last year.

Before that he was married to media executive Wendi Deng, with whom he has daughters Grace and Chloe.

He was also married to journalist Anna Torv from 1967 to 1999. They had three children - Elisabeth, James and Lachlan.

Prior to that he was married to flight attendant Patricia Booker, with whom he had a daughter, Prudence.
A woman was stabbed to death in a Washington DC hotel room by an armed robber who was out on bond and was caught trying to smoke a cigarette covered in blood.

Christy Bautista, 31, of Harrisonburg, Virginia, was stabbed around 30 times by career criminal George Sydnor Jr., 43, on Friday after he broke into her hotel at 6.45pm. She was there to attend a concert.

Bautista had checked into the Ivy City Hotel just an hour before and had parked her car directly in front of room 116, where she was staying. Shortly after, Sydnor rode up to the hotel on a bike and was seen on surveillance footage listening through the door before entering.

Security footage reportedly caught the sounds of struggle and Bautista yelling: 'Help! Help!'

Ten minutes later, DC police arrived to room 116 and Sydnor told officers everything was fine. However, when police noticed his bloodied hands through the blinds, they retrieved the master key and went into the room, NBC Washington reported.

Christy Bautista, 31, of Harrisonburg, Virginia, was stabbed around 30 times by career criminal George Sydnor Jr., 43, on Friday after he broke into her hotel at 6.45pm

Security footage reportedly caught the sounds of struggle and Bautista yelling: 'Help! Help!'

When police entered the room around 7pm, they noticed Bautista on the floor with multiple stab wounds while Sydnor was trying to smoke a cigarette. Bautista was declared dead on the scene 11 minutes later.

'Upon arrival, officers located an adult female victim, inside a hotel room, unconscious and unresponsive,' police said.

Police found a large kitchen with a broken blade on the bed next to his jacket and the criminal was found with blood on his pants, shoes, and vest.

'Our family is devastated by the loss of our beloved Christy,' her family said in a statement. 'She brought joy to everybody who knew her and was a shining light in all of our lives.'

Bautista had checked into the Ivy City Hotel just an hour before and had parked her car directly in front of room 116, where she was staying

The Virginias James Madison University graduate's family said they do not believe the pair knew each other.

The family has also started a GoFundMe page for her funeral expenses, which has raised $9,500 of it's $10,000.

The alleged murderer was taken to the hospital to be treated for lacerations and was later taken to the police station for questioning.

Sydnor was charged with first-degree murder. He has pleaded not guilty and he is being held without bond.

At the time of the alleged murder, Sydnor was out on bond after being accused of an armed robbery in October.

She was declared dead on the scene at 7:11pm, nearly 30 minutes after he entered her room. Police found a large kitchen with a broken blade on the bed next to his jacket and the criminal was found with blood on his pants, shoes, and vest trying to smoke a cigarette

Her family said they do not believe the pair knew each other. At the time of the alleged murder, Sydnor was out on bond after being accused of an armed robbery in October

The 43-year-old, who has multiple prior arrests, was originally denied bond in December over the robbery due to his criminal history, according to NBC Washington. However, another judge released him two weeks later.

He's also wanted in Maryland and is set to be extradited there next months, according to NBC Washington.

When he attacked Bautista, he was wanted in DC and Prince George's County for failing to appear in court.

Sydnor will appear back in court on May 8.
A pregnant woman walked 'arm-in-arm' with her husband to Arthur's Seat after a meal to Wagamama before she plunged 50ft to her death when he pushed her off the Edinburgh landmark, a murder trial heard today.

Kashif Anwar, 29, has been accused of murdering Fawziyah Javed, 31, in September 2021, causing her multiple blunt force injuries and the death of her unborn child. He denies the charge.

At the High Court in Edinburgh, Anwar, from Leeds, was cleared of a second charge of behaving in a threatening and abusive way towards his wife at a hotel in Edinburgh, one day before the alleged murder.

Detective Constable Emma Todd, a CCTV coordinator at Police Scotland, was taken through security camera footage from the city centre during the day, including the couple's walk to Holyrood Park, where Arthur's Seat is.

Detective Todd said: 'They were arm-in-arm for most of the way.'

Pregnant Fawziyah Javed, 31, walked 'arm-in-arm' with her husband to Arthur's Seat after a meal to Wagamama before she fell 50 feet to her death when he pushed her off the Edinburgh landmark, a murder trial heard

The push from Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh (pictured) caused Ms Javed multiple blunt force injuries and ultimately her death, as well as the death of her unborn child

They were seen walking from Wagamama in St Andrew's Square, through Waverley Railway station, down Canongate and then past the Scottish Parliament next to the park.

Ian Duguid KC, defending Anwar, told the jury: 'As they walk down St Andrew Street, she has her arm through his arm.'

Mr Duguid went on to add that from the exit to the restaurant, and almost all the way to the entrance of the park, they were 'closely in each other's company, physically close to each other'.

Mr Duguid said - with the exception of a short period - they were walking past the boarded Canongate entrance to the Scottish Parliament 'arm-in-arm'.

Police Sergeant Alastair Paisley, 41, a crime scene manager at the site of the incident, also gave evidence on the fifth day of the trial.

He told the court he estimated Ms Javed had fallen 'between 40 and 50ft'.

Ms Javed was seen walking with her husband from Wagamama in St Andrew's Square, through Waverley Railway station, down Canongate and then past the Scottish Parliament next to the park

Consultant forensic pathologist Dr Ralph Bouhaidar told the court in evidence today that Ms Javed died from complications of multiple injuries and a fall from height.

He detailed her injuries to the jury with the assistance of a three-dimensional model, which showed the areas of her body which were injured in the fall.

Sabeen Rashid, 43, a major crime analyst, also gave evidence, going through a 97-page telecoms report with advocate depute Alex Prentice KC.

Pictures from Arthur's Seat were shown, timed between about 8.06pm and 8.30pm taken on the phone attributed to Ms Javed, which included selfies of herself and her husband.

The trial, before Lord Beckett, continues.
A man was rushed to hospital after a small plane crashed in woodland near an aerodrome in east London.

Emergency services, including 40 firefighters, raced to the scene near Damyns Hall Aerodrome in Aveley Road in Upminster this afternoon after the light aircraft plunged to Earth, carrying two passengers.

Despite an initial report of no serious injuries, police confirmed the man had been taken to hospital with 'potentially life-changing or life-threatening injuries'.

The woman who was also on board the light aircraft was also taken to hospital with 'not-life-threatening injuries'.

A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said: 'We were called today (Tuesday April 4) at 12.06pm to reports of an incident at the aerodrome in Aveley Road, Upminster.

Emergency services, including 40 firefighters, were called to the scene near Damyns Hall Aerodrome in Aveley Road in Upminster at 12.06pm on Tuesday

Despite an initial report of no serious injuries, police confirmed the man had been taken to hospital with 'potentially life-changing or life-threatening injuries'. A woman was also taken to hospital

A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said: 'We were called today (Tuesday April 4) at 12.06pm to reports of an incident at the aerodrome in Aveley Road, Upminster

'We sent numerous resources to the scene including three ambulances, a medic in a response car, two incident response officers and members of our hazardous area response team (HART). We also dispatched London's Air Ambulance.

'We treated a man and woman at the scene and took them to hospital.'

London Fire Brigade station commander Jeremy Davies, who was at the scene, said: 'Firefighters worked with partners to release a man and a woman trapped inside a lightweight aircraft in woodland near the aerodrome.

'They were both taken to hospital by road and air ambulance crews.

'Six fire engines and around 40 firefighters from Hornchurch, Wennington, East Ham, Dagenham and surrounding fire stations attended the scene.'

In a tweet, the Metropolitan Police Service's MPS Havering account said: 'We, @LondonFire and @Ldn-Ambulance attended. A man & a woman were found.

'Despite initial reports of no serious injuries, the man has been taken to hospital with potentially life-changing or life-threatening injuries.'

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch said it had sent a team to the site of the crash.

Firefighters worked with partners to release a man and a woman trapped inside a lightweight aircraft in woodland near the aerodrome. They were both taken to hospital by road and air ambulance crews
At least two men have been arrested after a 36-year-old woman was found buried alive at a cemetery in Brazil.

The victim, a mother-of-four, was beaten and dragged out of her home by the assailants March 28 and was abandoned inside a tomb at the Visconde do Rio Branco Municipal Cemetery in the southeastern state of Minas Gerais.

She survived underground for 10 hours before gravediggers noticed fresh cement and blood near the grave. Their suspicions were confirmed when they heard a woman cry for help from inside.

The Visconde do Rio Branco Civil Police held a press conference Tuesday to announce the apprehensions, which took place Saturday night in the municipalities of Sao Geraldo and Vicosa.

Police chief Diego Candian said the unnamed defendants, aged 20 and 22, were planning on escaping for Rio de Janeiro after their gruesome crime.

Police in Minas Gerais, Brazil, found a woman buried alive inside a tomb March 28 after drug dealers beat her inside her home because she had lost drugs and weapons she was stashing away from them. Two suspects were taken into custody after they were spotted in front of the cemetery Saturday evening as they were planning to escape to Rio de Janeiro

Cops look into the tomb where a 36-year-old mother-of-four was buried alive March 28. The woman remains hospitalized but could potentially have her thumb amputated

The woman told police she was assaulted after she 'misplaced' drugs and weapons she was stashing for them at her home.

Both young men had been arrested in the past on weapons and drug trafficking charges. They will be held in pre-trial detention for up to 30 days.

Authorities are searching for a third suspect.

'There is still an individual who is on the run,' police chief Douglas Moto said. 'We are still working incessantly to be able to locate this individual and as soon as possible make the arrest and then, leave them at the disposal of the justice.'

The suspects broke into her home March 28 and assaulted her husband, who managed to escape.

They were then able to remove her from the residence and took her to the cemetery and stuffed her inside the tomb.

The woman noticed she was trapped in the tomb after she had regained consciousness.

Gravediggers were shocked by the presence of blood and fresh cement on the tomb and then heard the woman's cries for help before they alerted police

A 36-year-old woman was found buried alive in a tomb at the Visconde do Rio Branco Municipal Cemetery in the Brazilian southeastern state of Minas Gerais on March 28

The cemetery workers heard her weak cries for help and immediately called the police before an emergency rescue team pulled her out of the burial site.

The woman suffered a head injury and is at risk of losing one of her fingers, Joao Batista Hospital director Henrique Slaid told Brazilian news outlet G1.

'The possibility of vascular surgery is being evaluated and perhaps amputation,' said Slaid, while adding that the victim is in intensive care and improving but that she may undergo vascular surgery.
Biden confirmed first lady Jill Biden would lead the US delegation at the event

Jill Biden will lead the U.S. delegation to King Charles IIIs coronation, representing America at the investiture of the new British monarch instead of President Joe Biden, who will not attend.

President Biden called King Charles on Tuesday afternoon to say the first lady would be going on his behalf, a source familiar told DailyMail.com.

The White House later released a readout of the call, noting that Biden also told Charles he is looking forward to meeting him at a later date in the United Kingdom.

'The President congratulated the King on his upcoming Coronation and informed him that First Lady Jill Biden looks forward to attending on behalf of the United States. The President also conveyed his desire to meet with the King in the United Kingdom at a future date,' the readout said.

She will attend the May 6th ceremony at Westminster Abbey in London, where coronations have taken place for nearly 1,000 years.

First Lady Jill Biden will lead the U.S. delegation to King Charles IIIs coronation representing the U.S. at the historic event

The first lady will take the lead for the Biden administration at the historic event amid concerns some might see the presidents absence as a snub. Questions have been raised about Joe Bidens commitment to the special relationship with Britain given his professed love for Ireland.

Both American and British officials have said the relationship between the two nations remains strong and essential. And they point out that presidents typically dont attend coronations.

But the timing of the event is sensitive. The coronation takes place shortly after Bidens expected trip to Northern Ireland and the Republic, where he will celebrate the Good Friday Agreement but is not expected to sit down with the king.

The president is proud of his Irish roots and speaks of them often. He is not afraid to voice his opinion on Irish affairs and was vocal in his support for protecting the Good Friday agreement as Britain negotiated Brexit trade rules with the European Union.

The administration insisted that London respect the Northern Ireland Protocol, an agreement with the European Union that draws a customs border in the Irish Sea between mainland Britain and Northern Ireland.

British loyalists complained that protocol brings Northern Ireland closer to the neighboring Republic of Ireland. There are Protestant suspicions that the Catholic Biden favors a united Ireland, but the president has not publicly voiced support for such a move.

The White House has not announced Bidens trip to Ireland but British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak formally invited the president to come when he met with him in San Diego last month. Biden accepted.

Sunak helped negotiate the Windsor Framework, which resolved the trade dispute and helped pave the way for Bidens visit to Northern Ireland and the republic.

King Charles III coronation will take place on May 6th

President Biden called King Charles on Tuesday to say Jill Biden would attend the coronation - above the first couple in Mississippi on Friday

President Joe Biden often talks about his Irish roots - above he accepts a bouquet of Shamrocks from Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar on St. Patrick's Day

During his Ireland trip, Biden will mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, which ended 30 years of sectarian violence between pro-Ireland Catholics and pro-Britain Protestants. Hes also expected to visit family members  his distance cousins the Finnegans - who live in Counties Louth and Mayo.

But the presidents time there is expected to be ahead of a formal, official celebration of the Good Friday Agreement that will feature King Charles, Sunak, former president Bill Clinton and former secretary of state Hillary Clinton. Then-President Bill Clinton helped negotiate the agreement.

Its unclear if Biden will meet with Sunak or other British political officials during his Ireland trip.

But Biden hasnt met with King Charles since he ascended the throne and is not expected to meet with him while in Ireland.

Biden, however, has met with Charles when he was Prince of Wales.

The two men held a one-on-one meeting at the COP26 climate summit in Scotland in October 2021. Both care about environmental issues.

Charles, as king, is above politics, but he is a head of state and plays an important role in the special, essential relationship the United States and the United Kingdom share.

Theres precedent for the President of the United States not to attend a royal coronation, however.

For example, President Eisenhower did not attend Queen Elizabeth IIs coronation. Instead, the U.S. delegation included Earl Warren, then the governor of California; George Marshall, former secretary of State; and Omar Bradley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

But several heads of state, including those of France, Spain, Ireland, Japan and Monaco, will be on hand to see Charles crowned.

President Joe Biden met with Charles, then-Prince of Wales, in November 2021 at the COP26 summit in Scotland

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden met with Queen Elizabeth at the G7 summit in Cornwall in 2021

Jill Biden and Joe Biden attended Queen Elizabeth's funeral in September 2022

Prince William and Princess Catherine are expected to play a major role and their three children  George, Charlotte and Louis  are expected to attend at least parts of the lavish ceremony.

It remains unclear if Harry and Meghan will attend amid tense relations with the royal family.

But Charles is planning a scaled-back ceremony for his formal ascension to the throne, cutting thousands from the question list compared to the nearly 8,000 that attended his mothers coronation in 1953.

The Archbishop of Canterbury will conduct the ceremony, crowning both King Charles the Queen consort, Camilla.

It is expected to last about hour compared to Queen Elizabeth IIs, which lasted nearly three hours.

Still, England will get a three-day holiday weekend and there will be multiple public celebrations, including parades, street parties and picnics, to mark the occasion.

Charles officially became king on the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II in September last year.

Both Bidens attended the Queens funeral.
The White House on Tuesday accused Republicans of 'shrugging' in the face of repeated school shootings after lawmakers in Tennessee moved to expel three Democrats from the state House after they led anti-gun protests.

The exchanges illustrate the polarized response after three children and three adults were murdered at the Covenant School in Nashville last week.

Protesters invaded the state Capitol last week demanding gun reform, with three Democratic lawmakers among them. On Monday, Republicans began proceedings to expel the three, accusing them of 'disorderly behavior.'

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre condemned the move.

'By doing what they're doing with these three Democratic legislators, they are shrugging in the face of yet another tragic school shooting while our kids continue to pay the price,' she said.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Tuesday accused Republicans of 'shrugging' in the face of repeated school shootings after lawmakers in Tennessee moved to expel three Democrats from the state House after they led anti-gun protests

On Monday, Reps. Gloria Johnson, Justin Jones, and Justin Pearson used a bullhorn to lead supporters in the public gallery in chants for gun reform as they face expulsion

More than 1,000 people flooded into Tennessee's statehouse during a protest organized by mothers on Thursday.

On Monday evening Republicans introduced a motion to expel Reps. Gloria Johnson, Justin Jones and Justin Pearson.

That triggered a further confrontation as the three used a bullhorn to lead supporters in the public gallery in calls for gun reform.

At the White House, Jean-Pierre said Republicans were missing the point.

'What we saw in Nashville, that horrific event of three kids and three adults Essentially being murdered at school was heart wrenching and infuriating,' she said.

'Our hearts go out to their families. We understand that it's going to take some time to even move forward from such a tragic loss.

'As you saw and I'm sure been reporting, 7000 Students peacefully marched to the Capitol to confront their lawmakers for their failure to keep them safe at school.

'And what did the Republican legislators do? As you just laid ... they're trying to expel these three Democratic legislators who joined in the protests.

'And so what we're seeing from Florida to Tennessee, in the United States. are Republican officials who are doubling down on dangerous bills that make our school, places of worship, and communities less safe.'

Tonight as Tennessee House Republicans push forward to schedule vote on our expulsion, Speaker Sexton orders the gallery cleared as crowd chants fascists.



Media forced out at as well.



Then, Rep. Lafferty (R-Knox) pushes me and grabs my phone.



This is a sad day for Tennessee. pic.twitter.com/Lh08Ma5kdS  Rep. Justin Jones (@brotherjones_) April 4, 2023

Protestors last week as they gathered at the Tennessee State Capitol Building to demand action from lawmakers on gun control after The Covenant School shooting

Anti-gun demonstrators took action after six people were shot dead at a school in Nashville

Tennessee, Kentucky, Florida, all around the country we see Democrats standing up against the GOPs new reign of authoritarianism. And theyre fierce. I love it.  pic.twitter.com/oRdOWcOhjd  Michelle (@LivingBlueTX) April 4, 2023

On Monday, three Republicans filed resolutions that the three Democrats be expelled and they successfully asked for an expedited process with a vote Thursday.

The resolutions claim the three 'did knowingly and intentionally bring disorder and dishonor to the House of Representatives,' according to the Tennesseean newspaper.

The result was fresh chaos on Monday when the first resolution, targeting Pearson, was introduced.

Protesters shouted from the galleries and Pearson raised his fist in salute, while other Democrats raised their hands to object.

Members of the public chanted: 'Fascists! Fascists!" and wagged their fingers and fists at members. Instead, the speaker called for state troopers to clear the House galleries.

Johnson later said she would consider a lawsuit if expelled, saying their protest was constitutionally protected.

'We're going to push back, and we're gonna fight this because it's unprecedented and utterly ridiculous,' she told the Tennesseean.

Johnson with protesters inside the state Capitol building last week demanding gun reform

She accused Republicans of double standards.

'We had a child molester on the floor for years, they helped him get reelected and did nothing to expel him,' she added.

'We've had members pee in each other's chairs and nothing happened. But talk on the floor without permission, and you'll get expelled.'

House Speaker Cameron Sexton also announced that the three lawmakers had been stripped of their committee assignments and said more punishments could be on the way.

'A few hours later, House Republican Caucus Chairman Jeremy Faison referred to Jones as the 'former representative' during the evening session.

Lawmakers leaving on Monday evening after protests in the chamber

After the votes, House Democrats said they stood behind the three.

'The Democratic Caucus has unanimously, formally voted to oppose the baseless resolutions for expulsion and will zealously oppose them should they come up for a vote on the House floor,' they said in a statement.

The Tennessee Black Caucus of State Legislators also protested the resolutions.

'This political retribution is unconstitutional and, in this moment, morally bankrupt,' it said.

'The people who elected us are calling for meaningful action to end gun violence and the people have a right to be heard through their duly elected representatives.'
The Covid-19 lockdown has produced a heartbreaking rollcall of children who became victims of tragic deaths at the hands of those who are meant to take care of them.

Two-year-old Lola James was tragically killed by her evil stepfather, suffering 101 injuries including brain damage similar to what is sustained in high-speed car-crashes.

The little girl was victim to a 'frenized and extremely violent attack' on July 17, 2020 at her home in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, by her mother Sinead James' new partner Kyle Bevan, 31. She died four days later.

Young Logan Mwangi, five, was killed by his mother, stepfather and stepbrother on July 31, 2020 after suffering 'catastrophic' internal injuries. His body was found in the River Ogmore near his home in Sarn, Bridgend County.

Star Hobson was only 16 months old when she was killed at her home in Keighley, West Yorkshire on September 22, 2020 by her mother Frankie Smith's girlfriend Savannah Brockhill, after suffering months of abuse in her home during the Covid lockdown last year.

A mother and her 'monster' boyfriend have been found guilty over the death of two-year-old Lola James (pictured) who was fatally attacked at her home in Wales

NSPCC Cymru's assistant director Tracey Holdsworth said a review into Lola's death must establish whether more could have been done by agencies to prevent her death and called for the Welsh Government to make child protection a national priority.

Ms Holdsworth said: 'This is another tragic case where a young child has died at the hands of those who she depended on.

'Lola deserved a happy and healthy future, but that was cruelly taken away by the horrendous actions of Kyle Bevan and the failure of her mother, Sinead James, to intervene.

'The Welsh Government has rightly committed to transforming children's social care and it's crucial this leads to systemic changes that ensure children like Lola are better protected.'

Lola James, two - murdered July 17, 2020

Lola James, two

Two-year-old Lola James was tragically killed by her evil stepfather, suffering 101 injuries including brain damage similar to what is sustained in high-speed car-crashes.

Sinead James, 30, moved her partner Kyle Bevan, 31, into the house she shared with little Lola James in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, a day after meeting him on Facebook in February 2020.

Swansea Crown Court heard Bevan, who had a 'Jekyll and Hyde' temper, carried out a 'frenzied and extremely violent attack' on the young girl just four months later, causing 101 bruises and scratches and a catastrophic injury to the brain.

Lola's mother was a victim of domestic abuse and had twice been educated on how to spot signs of an abuser, but chose to prioritise her relationship with Bevan over the safety of her child, the jury was told - before they convicted her of allowing Lola's death.

James was told by the local authority not to invite adults into the family home if she did not know them well or if they were alcohol or drug abusers, but she ignored their advice.

Kaylea Titford, 16 - found dead October 10, 2020

Also amongst the victims of lockdown is Kaylea Titford.

Kaylea Titford, 16

The 16-year-old, who suffered from spina bifida, was found dead at her home in Newtown, Powys, on October 10, 2020 after her parents allowed her to become morbidly obese during lockdown.

Her mother, Sarah Lloyd-Jones, 39, admitted manslaughter by gross negligence last year, while her father, Alun Titford, denied the charges and was found guilty after a trial last month.

The teenager weighed 22st 13lb with a BMI of 70 at the time of her death, and her body was discovered inside her bedroom in conditions described as 'unfit for any animal'.

A jury of eight men and four women convicted Titford after being shown pictures during the trial at Mold Crown Court in North Wales of the 'squalor and degradation' Kaylea had been forced to endure.

Alijah Thomas, five - murdered September 14, 2021

Five-year-old Alijah Thomas begged her mother Martina Madarova, 41, not to kill her as she strangled her to death at their home in Ealing, west London, on September 14, 2021.

Alijah Thomas, five

Madarova had put on cartoons for her daughter Alijah Thomas before carrying out the act as the child said: 'Mummy, don't kill me.' She proceeded to strangle Aljah, before 'tucking her in with a blanket'.

The 41-year-old had been suffering with her mental health and turned to alcohol during the Covid lockdown, and had been in a 'dark place' the night before her daughter's tragic death.

She was given a five-year jail sentence after a judge ruled that she had 'low responsibility' over Alijah's death.

A court heard that in the months leading up to the incident, family members and friends became concerned for Madarova's wellbeing as she appeared 'increasingly stressed'.

She was concerned for her income, after her hours as a carer had been reduced, and had become anxious after missing the deadline to enrol Alijah at school.

On the morning of September 14, Alijah's father had left early for work and was notified a few hours later from a phone call from Madarova that their daughter was dead.

Kyrell Matthews, two - murdered October 20, 2019

Kyrell Matthews, two

Kyrell Matthews, aged two, was left with 41 rib fractures and internal injuries by the time of his death after weeks of cruelty at the hands of his mother Phylesia Shirley and her boyfriend Kemar Brown.

Brown was convicted of murder while Shirley was acquitted of murder but found guilty of the alternative charge of manslaughter.

They appeared alongside each other in the dock as Brown was sentenced to at least 25 years in prison while Shirley was jailed for 13 years.

The toddler, who was non-verbal, could be heard crying and screaming on distressing audio files taken from Shirley's phone and played to jurors during the trial.

Brown and Shirley are understood to have been visited by social services at least once.

Arthur Labinjo-Hughes, six, murdered June 17, 2020

Arthur Labinjo-Hughes, six

Arthur Labinjo-Hughes, aged six, was murdered by his cruel stepmother Emma Tustin in June.

She was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 29 years and the boy's father Thomas Hughes was jailed for 21 years for manslaughter.

The boy had been seen by social workers just two months before his death, but they concluded there were no safeguarding concerns.

In October 2019, Aileen Carabine, a special educational coordinator at Arthur's school, said Arthur 'deteriorated' that month.

Hughes, 29, was jailed for life with a minimum of 21 years after being found guilty of manslaughter - but cleared of murder - for encouraging the killing, including by sending a text message to Tustin 18 hours before the fatal assault telling her 'just end him'.

Logan Mwangi, five - murdered July 31, 2020

Logan Mwangi, five

Five-year-old Logan Mwangi was murdered by his mother, step-father and teenage step-brother on July 31, 2021.

His body, which suffered 56 'catastrophic' injuries consistent with a 'brutal and sustained assault' was found in the River Ogmore near his home in Sarn, Bridgend county.

John Cole, 40, Angharad Williamson, 31, and 14-year-old Craig Mulligan were all convicted of murder in April 2022.

Cole will serve a minimum of 29 years, Williamson at least 28 years, while teenage Mulligan will serve at least 15 years.

Social services repeatedly missed signs of abuse and opportunities to protect Logan, with injuries dating back to August 2020.

Inspectors have blasted the council which failed to protect murdered five-year-old Logan Mwangi, with the watchdog insisting 'serious concerns' remain about its children's services a full year after his death.

Care Inspectorate Wales noted there have been improvements at Bridgend County Borough Council in the last 12 months, but said there was still a need for 'further urgent action'.

Star Hobson, 16 months - murdered September 22, 2020

Star Hobson, 16 months

Star Hobson was just 16 months old when she was murdered by her mother's girlfriend Savannah Brockill in September 2020.

In the lead-up to her death, she had suffered months of abuse in her home in Keighley, West Yorkshire, during the coronavirus lockdown in 2020.

Former Children's Commissioner for England Anne Longfield, the chairwoman of the Commission on Young Lives, warned after Star's murder that the Covid lockdown 'brought its own opportunities for those who harm, groom and abuse children.'

Brockill is now serving a life sentence with a minimum term of 25 years at HMP Styal in Cheshire, after being convicted in December 2021.

Star's mother, Frankie Smith, was convicted of causing or allowing the toddler's death and was initially sentenced to eight years behind bars.

This was increased to 12 years after a judicial review.

Social services missed five opportunities to stop Star's killers, with her great-grandfather Dave Fawcett saying after their convictions: 'It's disgusting because there were five referrals. Not one of them did anything. It's just beyond belief, really.'

Lola's stepfather, Kyle Bevan, 31, (pictured left), denied murdering the youngster a few months after moving in with the family in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, with her mother Sinead James (right).

Photographs of the home showed old takeaway boxes and cigarette buts on a wooden table

READ MORE: Child victims of lockdown: From Star Hobson to Arthur Labinjo-Hughes... the youngsters killed during the Covid shutdowns despite desperate pleas to social services to intervene Arthur Labinjo-Hughes, aged just six, was murdered in June 2020 after being abused for months during the 2020 coronavirus lockdown Advertisement

Lola James' killer stepdad Bevan, a self-confessed 'spice head', moved into the property the same month social services visited and raised concerns about the conditions of the house - however the authorities failed to return before Lola's murder due to the Covid lockdown.

James, of Neyland, denied causing or allowing the death of a child. Bevan, of Aberystwyth, denied murder. The pair were both found guilty after a jury took little over ten hours to reach their verdict.

The case bears a similarity to scores of other children who were neglected by agencies during the height of the Covid pandemic and ultimately ended up murdered, including Arthur Labinjo-Hughes, Logan Mwangi and Star Hobson.

The last face-to-face visit to Lola's home in February 2020 stemmed from a multi-agency referral a month earlier, following a domestic incident involving James's former partner.

The court heard James twice enrolled on the Freedom Programme, which offers advice to victims on how to spot the signs of an abuser - but the mother-of-three said she left the course in January 2020 because 'they were telling me the same stuff.'

Asked whether Bevan showed any signs of being an aggressor, James said he had 'some of them', but later said: 'I never thought they were in major danger... I never thought he would hurt my children.'

James had attempted to carry out domestic violence checks on Bevan using Clare's Law the day before the fatal attack on Lola but he refused to give her his date of birth.

The court heard Bevan said: 'I don't have to give it to you. They won't find anything on me.'

After the murder, Bevan lied to police to say the family dog pushed Lola down the stairs after the child suffered 101 injuries and a catastrophic brain injury.

Pictured: Sinead James smoking outside Swansea Crown Court, Wales, on March 7

Bevan blamed Lola's injuries on the family dog (pictured with Sinead James) knocking Lola down the stairs

The trial was shown shocking pictures of the squalid home at Swansea Crown Court

The court heard Lola had previously sustained injuries including a damaged nose, black eyes and a cut lip while in Bevan's care

Text messages read out at court showed James once told Bevan that Lola was 'doing her head in', before she added: 'I'll throw her out the window.'

In another text, killer Bevan wrote to James: 'Too many kids in the house. Just doing my head in'.

He later claimed Lola fell out of her cot while she was under his care.

He told James: 'She was stood in her cot, and she dropped to the floor really quickly. She bit her lip on the way down. I tried to help but she kicked off. I feel like you don't trust me anymore.'

'Lola needs to get used to me babe, I am not the devil, I think the world of that little girl,' another said.

Police said: 'Sinead James struck up a new relationship with Kyle Bevan in February 2020 and allowed him into her life, moving in with her after only knowing each other for a day  there was then a period of lockdown where Kyle Bevan remained and lived within Sinead James' household.

The morning of July 17, Bevan sent his mother a disturbing 22-second film of him trying to prop up a clearly unconscious and severely injured Lola. When she fell to the floor with a thud, he said: 'She's gone. She's gone'

James (pictured) and Bevan were both found guilty after a jury took over ten hours to decide their verdict at Swansea Crown Court

Tributes and toys left outside of the house where Lola James was living in Haverfordwest, Wales, after her death in 2020

'Neither Bevan or James were open to any agency at that time and there was no external professional assessment of their new relationship.'

James was also was warned her boyfriend was dangerous just eight days before he carried out the fatal attack.

His ex-partner's mother messaged James on Facebook to say Bevan was a 'child protection risk', telling her: 'I'm concerned about the fact that he is around your children.'

When police asked James in January 2021 what steps she had taken to protect Lola, the mother said she 'never thought' her daughter was 'in major danger'. She maintained that her daughter was 'safe with me'.

Lola was rushed to hospital with 101 surface injuries and a catastrophic brain injury on July 17, 2020

James said Bevan woke her to say that Lola had fallen down the stairs (pictured), and presented a piece of her daughter's tongue on his finger

Lola James held by her biological father Daniel Thomas. In a statement after the verdict, he said: 'The pain and grief I feel every time I close my eyes and see your perfect little face is unbearable'

The Crown Prosecution Service also issued this picture, which shows an unwashed onesie

Timeline of the months leading up to Lola James's death - September 30 2017: Lola James is born - January 2020: Multi-agency referral submitted by health visitor Lesley Steadman after reports of a domestic incident with James's former partner at her home. - February 10 2020: Ms Steadman conducts last face-to-face visit with James at the property due to the coronavirus lockdown. She said she raised concerns about the condition of the house and James raised concerns about Lola's behaviour and said she thought the toddler might have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). - February 2020: Bevan and James strike up a relationship online. Bevan moves in with James and her children at their home in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, a day after knowing each other. He remained in the house throughout the first months of the Covid-19 pandemic. - April 19 2020: Facebook messages between Bevan and James reveal Lola suffered a 'bloodied nose' while in Bevan's care when James was in a different room. - April 26 2020: Facebook messages between the couple show Lola suffered a grazed chin while in Bevan's care. He blamed it on her having fallen over, calling her a 'crazy kid'. - May 4 2020: Bevan sends James a Facebook message saying Lola cut her lip by falling from her bed while he was in her room. - May 14 2020: Bevan is alleged to have used a hammer to smash up parts of the house and tried headbutting James. James flees with the children and takes them to friend Casey Morgan's house. - May 15 2020: Bevan messages James apologising for his behaviour, saying 'I feel like a monster'. - July 5 2020: James's friend Ms Morgan sees Lola with bruised legs while in the park. - July 7 2020: Ms Morgan said she witnessed Bevan pushing a pram with a child inside into the road in anger. She believed he was under the influence of drugs. - July 9 2020: Lola sustains an injury to the bridge of her nose, which also causes her eyes to appear bruised. Bevan claims Lola fell off the sofa on to the coffee table. - July 16 2020: Between 7pm and 8pm James claims she went to bed, leaving Lola downstairs with Bevan. - July 16 2020: Bevan stayed up late with Lola taking pictures of her using Snapchat filters. He claims he then put her to bed. - July 17 2020: A few minutes after midnight James said she heard a bang and a scream and found Bevan comforting Lola in her bedroom. He told her Lola had hit her head but said he was dealing with it. James went back to bed. - July 17 2020: At 4.26am Lola is known to be conscious and upright because of a picture Bevan takes of injuries to her back. At around 6.32am Bevan begins searching the internet for information about babies sustaining head impacts. Police later believe this is an indication the assault had just taken place. He also searches for 'loss of consciousness' which comes up with the website healthchildren.org. At 6.37am, Bevan had taken a screenshot of a website providing him with clear guidance that he should seek emergency medical help if a child displays symptoms such as excessive bruising or swelling and/or loss of consciousness. Two photographs taken by Bevan at 6.38am and 6.39am show Lola's head, eyes and lips extremely swollen and bruised. She appears to be unconscious. At 6.40am Bevan calls his mother Alison Bevan but she does not answer. He claims he did so because she is a nurse. Ms Bevan is in fact a non-medically trained healthcare support worker. Bevan continues trying to contact his mother, including sending her the photographs he has taken of Lola. She is asleep and she does not reply until 6.55am. Seeing the pictures she immediately tells her son to take Lola to hospital. At 6.58am, Bevan sends his mother a disturbing 22-second film of him trying to prop up a clearly unconscious and severely injured Lola. When she inevitably falls to the floor with a thud, he comments: 'She's gone. She's gone.' At 7am, Ms Bevan sends another message urging her son to wake James up and seek medical help. She continues to message Bevan for another 13 minutes but he is no longer replying. At around 7.20am James said Bevan woke her up and told her Lola had fallen down the stairs, and showed her a piece of Lola's tongue on his finger. James calls her mother Nicola James at 7.26am. At 7.28am, nearly an hour after the internet searches, Bevan asks his mother to call an ambulance. He claims he cannot make the call himself and tells his mother he has told James he has called for an ambulance already. Emergency services operators receive a 999 call from Ms Bevan at 7.29am. At 7.30am James makes an NHS 111 call during which she describes Lola's face as 'swollen' and says she is 'really scared'. Shortly after, Bevan again uses his phone to take photographs and videos of Lola, who is still unconscious, unresponsive and visibly injured lying on the sofa. An ambulance is dispatched to Lola's home address at 7.32am. James misses four calls from the ambulance service at 7.33am as she remained on the line to NHS 111. Paramedics arrive at the scene at around 7.34am. At this stage Lola was unconscious but alive. Bevan tells the paramedics 'I think the dog tripped her over.' Lola is transferred by ambulance to Withybush Hospital in Haverfordwest. It is there that Bevan becomes aggressive with doctors who are asking questions about Lola's injuries. Lola is transferred to University Hospital Wales (UHW) in Cardiff and arrives at 11.15am. Police officers are at the scene at 11.17am capturing their conversation with Bevan through body-worn video cameras. Bevan claims Lola was pushed down the stairs by the dog and says he only feels partly responsible because he was making her a bowl of cereal at the time. At 3.15pm Bevan messages James asking her what she is going to tell the police. The prosecution said this was Bevan making sure she would give an account consistent with his. At 4.34pm James is arrested at the UHW on suspicion of child neglect and at 4.37pm Bevan is also arrested at a neighbour's house. Both are questioned. Consultant community paediatrician Dr Nia John, who works in UHW's paediatric critical care unit, visits Lola at 5pm and notes 101 surface injuries to Lola's body. She also notes swelling to the head, eyes and lips and bleeding from her ears which is a sign of serious head trauma. She considers Lola's injuries as highly suspicious and possibly non-accidental. - July 17 to 18 2020: Police crime scene investigators attend the scene and find that despite the fact the house is generally dirty and untidy, the bath appears to be spotless as though recently cleaned. Also recovered is a child's wet, vomit and blood-stained grey onesie which was found in the corner of the living room. Bevan sends abusive text messages to Lola's biological father Dan Thomas. - July 21 2020: Lola dies at University Hospital Wales (UHW) in Cardiff at 1.18pm as a result of catastrophic injuries. She is aged two years and 10 months. - January 18 2021: Bevan is further arrested on suspicion of murder. - January 25 2021: James is rearrested on suspicion of murder and again released on conditional bail. - April 21 2022: Bevan and James are rearrested and charged with murder and causing or allowing the death of a child respectively. - April 22 2022: They both appear at Llanelli Magistrates' Court. Bevan is remanded back into custody, and James is remanded into custody for her own safety after receiving threats from community members. They indicate guilty pleas. - April 25 2022: The pair appear for a first appearance before Swansea Crown Court. - June 29 2022: Bevan and James plead not guilty to the charges against them at Swansea Crown Court. Bevan remains in custody, while James is released on conditional bail. - March 7 2023: Four-week trial begins. Advertisement

It was accepted that James was asleep at the time and did not take part in the vicious assault that led to her daughter's death.

Yet it was the prosecution's case that James failed to protect Lola from Bevan, 'instead choosing to prioritise her relationship with him over her own daughter's physical safety'.

The court heard Bevan had a 'nasty and violent temper' and had failed to call an ambulance immediately and instead filmed a 'disturbing 22-second film' of seriously injured Lola as he tried to prop her up.

The footage was taken 26 minutes after Bevan had already carried out a series of internet searches at 6.32am on July 17, 2020.

One search said: 'My two-year-old child has just taken a bang to the head and gone all limp and snoring. What's wrong.'

Prosecutor Caroline Rees KC said: 'He needed the time to cover his tracks. When paramedics arrived they found that Lola had been dressed but was wet and that Lola was seriously ill.'

Bevan later messaged James to ask, 'how are we both going to go to sleep and chill later?', when police boarded the house as a crime scene.

The court heard Lola died from her injuries four days later at Noah's Ark Children's Hospital in Cardiff.

Mrs Rees said: 'Bruises were noted on Lola's forehead. Kyle Bevan continued to try and explain things away by blaming the family dog for pushing Lola downstairs.'

The court heard doctors found 101 surface injuries on Lola including 'bruising all over her little body and grazing of the skin.'

She also suffered extensive damage to every part of both retinas along with a catastrophic brain injury.

Photos from police crime scene investigators showed a 'clean and shiny bath' while the rest of the house was piled with clutter and toys.

James said Bevan told her he used to be a 'spice head' while also confessing to taking amphetamines, tranquilliser Xanax and cannabis.

A search of the house revealed a 'child's wet and vomit and blood stained grey onesie' in the living room and curtains and a sheet in the washing machine.

The court heard Lola had suffered previous injuries when left alone with Bevan - but her mum said she had no concerns over her daughter's safety.

She said: 'He was really good. He would cook her dinner. He would do stuff with her. He was always buying her stuff she didn't need but he would treat her.'

The court heard James had witnessed Bevan 'smashing up the house' in May 2020, after he flew into an alcohol and drugs-fuelled rage but she allowed him to stay living in the home.

The court heard Lola had previously sustained injuries including a damaged nose, black eyes and a cut lip while in Bevan's care.

Judge Mr Justice Griffiths adjourned the sentencing for April 25 for pre-sentence reports.

He told Bevan: 'There is only one sentence for murder and that is life imprisonment.'

Lola James's biological father, Daniel Thomas, said in statement released by Dyfed-Powys Police: 'The pain and grief I feel every time I close my eyes and see your perfect little face is unbearable.

'The pain I feel thinking of all the smiles you gave to me and all the smiles I won't get a chance to give back to you hurts so much.

'Even to say your name shatters my heart to know you can't hear my voice anymore, the only reason I can stand here today is for hope that you can see me, see that you were loved and that you deserved to live a full, happy, safe life surrounded by the joy that you gave to others.

'I'm so sorry your short life was filled with so much pain. You are so loved Lola and so missed every single day.

'A great team with much passion has worked together for this day since you've left us.

'Special thanks to the investigation team for not leaving any question unanswered or stone unturned, and to my family support officers for keeping me focused and guiding me through the darkest hours along with my closest friends and family.

'The outcome here will never stop the hurt you felt or the hurt that lives inside of me, it's been a long time coming to see justice and I can only pray that these cruel, evil people that hurt you and allowed you to be hurt, suffer pain and torment until they take their last breath.'

Nicola James, Lola's maternal grandmother, said in a statement after the guilty verdicts were read: 'We would like to thank the police, local authority and all involved for everything they have done to get us to this point.

'We will be forever grateful for the support we have received from our Family Liaison Officers and the support we have received from Sandy Bears.

'My last memory with Lola is hearing her singing the song 'Diamonds' by Rhianna.

'She will forever be our diamond up in the sky, we will never ever forget her, and we will continue to keep her memory alive.

'We write her letters, and we talk to her in the sky at night.

'As a family we will never get over this, the loss that we feel is indescribable.

'We haven't begun to process all of this, and don't know how we ever will.

'Lola we love you, we will always love you, and we will miss you forever.'

Senior investigating officer Detective Chief Inspector Gareth Roberts of Dyfed-Powys Police welcomed the verdict and said: 'Our thoughts at this time are with Lola and the family who loved her.

'Lola died on July 21, 2020, as a result of horrendous injuries which were inflicted by Kyle Bevan in what must have been a frenzied and extremely violent attack on a helpless two-year-old child.

'Lola had 101 external injuries to her body and her death was caused by a catastrophic brain injury, likely caused by blunt force trauma  punching or slapping  shaking, or a combination of both.

'Bevan delayed raising the alarm and seeking medical attention for at least an hour after he inflicted the fatal injuries and in the time since he has shown no remorse, emotion or any care for Lola.

'Consumed by his own self-preservation, Bevan lied and fabricated an accidental stair fall to try and cover his tracks but, with the help of medical experts, we have been able to prove that his actions were deliberate, abhorrent and evil.

'Lola should have been able to rely on her own mother to keep her safe from harm and physical risk.

'However, Sinead James seriously failed in her duty towards her daughter.

'She was, or at least ought to have been, well aware of the risk of violence which Bevan posed to her child but did nothing to protect Lola from the danger which he presented.

'This investigation commenced after police officers were called to Princess Royal Way in Haverfordwest on Friday, July 17, 2020 to a report of an injured two-year-old child, falsely presented by Bevan as a stair fall.

'Tragically, Lola James had suffered a significant brain injury and died three days later on July 20.

'Medical experts subsequently noted 101 separate injuries to her body, most of which were determined as abusive inflicted injuries - they were deemed to be non-accidental and not consistent with a stair fall.

'Concerns were raised from the outset and an investigation was commenced that has been complex, exhaustive and emotionally demanding for all professionals due to the clear horrific abuse of a vulnerable child.

'A significant volume of probative evidence was gathered that contradicted the lies of Bevan, with compelling medical expert opinion being critical.

'Specialist officers have supported Lola's close family throughout the difficult and distressing investigation.

'I'd like to thank the community, many of which were brave to provide important witness testimony.

'I'd also like to personally thank Lola's family for the respectful manner that they have conducted themselves as this difficult investigation progressed.

'The love for Lola is clear and it is a tragedy that will be difficult to overcome, however, I hope this outcome brings some comfort.'

NSPCC Cymru's assistant director Tracey Holdsworth said: 'This is another tragic case where a young child has died at the hands of those who she depended on.

'We can all look out for children's welfare, and anyone concerned about a child can call the NSPCC free helpline on 0808 800 5000, or email help@nspcc.org.uk.

'If a child is in immediate danger, please call 999.'
His campaign has raised more than $8M in donations since the indictment

Trump was charged with 34 counts and has pleaded not guilty

In a case of art imitating life, and just before Donald Trump entered a plea of 'not guilty' to 34 counts in Manhattan court on Tuesday afternoon, his political action committee sent a fundraising email with the subject line 'NEW ITEM: MUGSHOT.'

The email includes a photo of a fake mugshot on a T-shirt, showing a frowning Trump holding a mugshot board with the words 'NOT GUILTY' underneath.

Jason Miller, a member of Trump's entourage masterminding the campaign, tweeted his boss had raised $7 million across Friday, Saturday and Sunday on Monday evening. And on Tuesday morning, Miller added another $1.1 million had been raised on Monday.

Former President Donald Trump appears in court for his arraignment, Tuesday, April 4, 2023, in New York. Trump surrendered to authorities ahead of his arraignment on criminal charges stemming from a hush money payment to a porn actor during his 2016 campaign.

No mugshot YET but that's not stopping Trump from fundraising using a fake picture as the former president's campaign claims $8M in donations since the Manhattan indictment

The four days mark the most lucrative stretch of fundraising for the former president since he left office, and came less than 24 hours before he appears in a Manhattan country courtroom to be arraigned on charges stemming from 2016 hush money payments to a porn star.

Trump, who was impeached twice by the U.S. House but was never convicted in the U.S. Senate, is the first former president to face criminal charges.

A grand jury decided to indict Trump after hearing evidence about allegations that he paid $130,000 to adult movie star Stormy Daniels (pictured) to buy her silence over an alleged affair

The former reality TV star has been hyping that narrative to his political advantage, raising millions of dollars since the indictment on claims of a 'witch hunt.'

Trump is scheduled to return to his Palm Beach, Florida, home, Mar-a-Lago, on Tuesday evening to give remarks. At least 500 prominent supporters have been invited, with some of the most pro-Trump congressional Republicans expected to attend.

A conviction would not prevent Trump from running for or winning the presidency in 2024.

Trump denies having sexual liaisons with either woman and has denied any wrongdoing involving payments.

New Yorks ability to carry out safe and drama-free courthouse proceedings in a case involving a polarizing ex-president could be an important test case as prosecutors in Atlanta and Washington conduct their own investigations of Trump that could also result in charges.

A view from the around of Trump Tower in New York City after former US President Donald Trump arrives Trump Tower in New York City from Florida estate on Monday
Porn star Stormy Daniels has posted a salacious tweet gloating about Donald Trump's arrest, as the former U.S. president made history pleading not guilty as he stood before a Manhattan court to be indicted.

Trump, 76, surrendered voluntarily and was placed under arrest before a judge read the charges against him - as he sat alongside his defense attorneys in a packed courtroom.

He faces multiple counts, including felony charges, tied to a hush money payment made to Daniels in the final days of his presidential campaign in 2016.

Daniels tweeted comments more frequently heard on a porn set, ending the post with: 'It's definitely more fun being under my sexy man instead of under arrest.'

DailyMail.com exclusively revealed last month that Daniels quietly married her fourth husband - porn star Barret Blade - in December last year. The two have known each other for 25 years. They originally met in a bar. But it is only recently that that friendship became romantic.

Porn star Stormy Daniels (right) has posted a salacious tweet gloating about Donald Trump's arrest as the former U.S. president made history standing in front of a Manhattan court to be indicted

Trump's entry into the Manhattan courthouse was surrounded by chaos - helicopters flying overhead, protesters and supporters clashing in the streets, and cameras recording every moment of the circus sparked by District Attorney Alvin Bragg's criminal probe

Daniels tweeted comments more frequently heard on a porn set, ending the post with: 'It's definitely more fun being under my sexy man instead of under arrest'

Stormy Daniels secretly married fellow porn star and director Barrett Blade last December

On Tuesday, Trump's entry into the Manhattan courthouse was surrounded by chaos - helicopters flying overhead, protesters and supporters clashing in the streets, and cameras recording every moment of the circus sparked by District Attorney Alvin Bragg's criminal probe.

Trump had been defiant ahead of the arraignment hearing, declaring himself to be the victim of a weaponized legal system and a political target by Democrats who don't want to see him win another term in the White House.

A Secret Service and NYPD motorcade of SUVs escorted him from Trump Tower, where he spent the night after arriving in New York City on Monday from his Mar-a-Lago home, along the six-mile drive to the courthouse where he was booked, fingerprinted and read his rights.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who brought the charges against the former president, arrived at court Tuesday morning ahead of the former president.

The case involves a $130,000 hush-money payment that his then-attorney Michael Cohen made to Daniels in the final days of the 2016 campaign.

Cohen said he made the payment at Trump's direction and it was to ensure Daniels would not go public with her story of a sexual encounter with the married Trump.

The alleged affair happened in 2006, long before Trump entered politics and it was shortly after wife Melania gave birth to their son Barron. Trump denies both the affair and any legal wrongdoing.

Trump has gone on the attack against Bragg, calling him a 'racist in reverse.' He also claims Bragg is funded by billionaire George Soros, who many conspiracy theorists claim is using his money to control world events.

A supporter of former Trump was seen arguing with opponents outside the Manhattan District Attorney's office

People demonstrated outside Manhattan Criminal Courthouse, on the day of former U.S. President Donald Trump's court appearance

'Bragg is a (Soros) Racist in Reverse, who is taking his orders from D.C. I beat them TWICE, doing much better the second time, and despite their DISINFORMATION campaign, they don't want to run against 'TRUMP' or my GREAT RECORD!' Trump wrote on his TruthSocial platform last month.

Soros, who made his fortune in hedge funds, said he never contributed to Bragg's election campaign. Soros has become a figure of hate for Trump and his allies.

The former president also pushed for the case to be moved from Manhattan to the more Republican-friendly Staten Island just hours before his historic arraignment.

The former president voluntarily went to Manhattan and appeared in court, meaning an extradition attempt was not needed. Other Republicans have spoken in Trump's defense, saying the former president is a victim of politics.

Additionally, Trump's campaign said it's raised $8 million dollars since news of his pending indictment broke. On Tuesday morning, it sent out another appeal, titled 'My last email before arrest.'

A conviction would not prevent Trump from running for or winning the presidency in 2024.

Defiance and defensive tactics have historically been the cornerstones of Trump's strategy - used throughout his business career, during his two presidential runs, and throughout his time in the White House.

It helped him when he was impeached twice by the U.S. House of Representatives - but he was never convicted in the U.S. Senate.

The former president faces other possible indictments: the Justice Department is investigating him on two separate cases: the discovery of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago home and attempts to overturn the 2020 election results.

Trump was seen departing Trump Tower just after 1pm Tuesday holding up a defiant fist as he made his way to the Manhattan court house

The state of Georgia is also investigating Trump's attempts to overturn the election results there.

Ahead of Tuesday's hearing, Trump called on his supporters to protest his arraignment.

The only other president to be charged with a crime was Ulysses S. Grant, who was arrested in 1872 for speeding in his horse and buggy. He was taken to jail and had to pay a $20 fine.

Trump landed in New York City on Monday afternoon ahead of his historic arraignment staying at Trump Tower before leaving for court just after 1pm on Tuesday.
A teenage boy has been rushed to hospital after being stabbed on a south London bus in broad daylight.

Metropolitan Police and London Ambulance Service responded to New Kent Road, Elephant and Castle, just after 2pm today after the 16-year-old was attacked on a Route 63 bus.

The boy was rushed to hospital with injuries that were believed to be non-life threatening. His current condition is known.

A boy, 16, was rushed to hospital after being stabbed on a south London bus in broad daylight in New Kent Road, Elephant and Castle, just after 2pm today. Met Police have launched a hunt for the knifeman (Pictured: Street view of New Kent Road, Elephant and Castle)

No arrests have been made in the attack and a crime scene remains in place as enquiries into the circumstances of the attack continue.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call 101 or tweet @MetCC and quote CAD3821/4Apr.

Tips can be made anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
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His lawyers insist there is no need for a mugshot since his face is the most recognizable in the world.

But former President Donald Trump was understandably yet uncharacteristically somber as he entered the courtroom today to face felony criminal charges.

Throughout the historic day in New York City, his expression wavered from triumphant (fist pumping for fans outside Trump Tower) to trepidatious (as he arrived at the Manhattan Criminal Court).

Inside, his spirits seemed to dip further.

As he emerged from having his fingerprints taken and rights read aloud, he looked positively outraged by the proceedings.

Sat inside at the defense table, the 76-year-old was hunched over with curiosity. He pleaded not guilty to all 34 counts.

As the case moves forward, these are the portraits of a former president on an unprecedented day in American history.

Donald J. Trump emerges from Trump Tower this afternoon to greet fans before heading to the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse in a waiting SUV

Trump waved to photographers as he arrived at the courthouse. He was still yet to learn the full scope of the charges

Trump was escorted into the courthouse by Secret Service agents. The entire city was on tenterhooks as the arraignment loomed

After having his rights read aloud and his fingerprints taken, a more startled-looking Trump enters the courtroom to face the judge

A wide shot of the courtroom shows Donald J. Trump at the defense table, far right, with his attorneys. Representatives of the Manhattan District Attorney's Office are shown, left

Trump sits at the defense table with his team, including attorney Joe Tacopina (right). He pleaded not guilty to all 34 charges
Not since OJ in the Bronco has America watched such a surreal, slow-moving, real-time disaster.

And it's safe to say we have never seen a more somber, defiant, serious Donald Trump. The showman in him was gone. There were no derogatory nicknames thrown around, no mocking of the process or inciting protests.

Trump made his lone statement before his arrest on Truth Social, and for a man whose factory settings are grandiosity and braggadocio, it was remarkably subdued. Sad, even.

'Heading to Lower Manhattan, the Courthouse. Seems so SURREAL  WOW, they are going to ARREST ME. Can't believe this is happening in America. MAGA!'

Surreal doesn't begin to cover it. This country, this great ongoing experiment, just arrested and indicted a former president. This is the stuff of banana republics.

Gerald Ford pardoned Richard Nixon for far greater crimes against democracy for the very sake of democracy. At the time Ford was vilified, but history looks upon him kindly; this was the defining act of an otherwise unremarkable presidency.

Little wonder Trump looked as if he could barely raise his fist this morning outside Trump Tower. Little wonder he listened to his lawyers and declined to be handcuffed. No mug shot, either.

Whether pro-Trump or against, reasonable people can agree: such images aren't just rocket fuel for his imminent run. They are a defiling of the office he once held.

America deserves better. Anyone taking glee in these events would do well to consider: next time, it's very likely your candidate  your side. The precedent has been set.

It's little wonder, too, that once he was processed, Trump refused to address the media horde inside. Or that he shot a death glare to the one journalist to call out. Or that the photos of him taken during his arraignment showed him scowling, his hands folded in his lap: fury and fatalism.

Not since OJ in the Bronco has America watched such a surreal, slow-moving, real-time disaster.

Whether pro-Trump or against, reasonable people can agree: such images aren't just rocket fuel for his imminent run. They are a defiling of the office he once held.

A candidate who thrives on crowds and chaos now seemed diminished by those very things. He has also never seemed quite so alone. None of his children were with him. Melania refused to sacrifice herself and her dignity, as so many Democratic wives of straying politicians have, by showing up to support him. And good for her.

This was clearly the worst day of Donald Trump's life, his legacy forever sullied. It's top of the obituary stuff, the first U.S. president to be so disgraced. These images will live forever, and even if they ultimately help his campaign, the blow to his fragile ego may be unrecoverable.

Thirty-four felony counts, a possible 136-year-prison term  over payouts regarding his sex life. $30,000 to a doorman over rumors, since discredited, that Trump fathered a child out of wedlock. Another $150,000 to a former Playboy model. And $130,000 to one-night stand Stormy Daniels.

Trump lied, says the indictment. He attempted to cover up these embarrassments so they wouldn't surface during his first campaign.

Of course he did! How many politicians on the left have been guilty of similar behavior yet were propped up by the media? Bill Clinton took advantage of a 22-year-old intern. John Edwards cheated on his dying wife and actually did father a child out of wedlock. JFK is still revered as an icon  and he was perhaps the most depraved and craven of them all.

The hypocrisy is galling. Apparently, the Starr report is about to be surpassed in terms of tawdry details and a debasement of the presidency. The only difference this time? The gleeful media coverage.

America, get ready for a replay of 2016. It's going to be a castigation of Donald Trump, all day every day, 24/7 media coverage  because no one is as good for ratings and eyeballs as Donald Trump. CNN boss Chris Licht should send him a fruit basket.

This was clearly the worst day of Donald Trump's life, his legacy forever sullied. It's top of the obituary stuff, the first U.S. president to be so disgraced.

Across our TV screens, coverage of Donald Trump's arraignment was riveting and banal. Primetime anchors were pulled in for daytime desk duty. Political pundits were asked to read Donald Trump's mind  what was he thinking on the drive downtown? As he walked into Manhattan Criminal Court? As he was processed? As he sat and heard the indictment counts read?

It was all hands on deck for this most historic day. And of course, exactly what was happening depended on which channel you watched.

Licht's struggling CNN, despite a public pivot to less partisan coverage, rivaled MSNBC for fantasy narration with a soupcon of self-righteousness. Their chyron read 'The Arrest and Arraignment of Donald Trump,' all in white except for the former president's name, in a hue best described as satanic red.

Here was Anderson Cooper, filling dead air as we watched aerial footage of Trump's motorcade, a funeral cortege of muscular black vehicles snaking its way downtown, the southbound lanes of the FDR cleared of traffic just for him.

'No fans lining the side of the road,' Cooper intoned. Just 'an average day in the life of the city.'

I'm sorry  were we all watching the same footage? Tuesday morning saw nothing short of a full-on American circus in downtown New York City: Face paint and American flags, brawling in the streets, cops flooding the zone, a WWE-event-meets-MAGA-Con.

The sad, dawning realization that America is still in the throes of this existential exorcism.

And for a certain stripe of politician, this was the only place to be. Pathological fabulist George Santos showed up, and for anyone worried that today's events signaled the end of national unity, fret not. Just about everyone agitating downtown hated George Santos.

'George,' yelled one demonstrator, 'you should have shown up in drag!'

Another: 'George  did you get a law degree in the last two weeks that we don't know about?'

Santos fled the scene.

Next up was Marjorie Taylor Greene, who compared Trump to Nelson Mandela and Jesus. She attempted to lead her own rally but lasted only 10 minutes before realizing that even the most pro-Trump New Yorkers wanted no part of her either. Among the Bronx cheers:

'Get the fk out of my city!

'Fk you, Marjorie!'

'New York City hates you!'

Tuesday morning saw nothing short of a full-on American circus in downtown New York City: Face paint and American flags, brawling in the streets, cops flooding the zone, a WWE-event-meets-MAGA-Con.

Another: 'George  did you get a law degree in the last two weeks that we don't know about?' Santos fled the scene.

Even on Fox News, which entertained the stolen-election narrative to disastrous consequence, the coverage was fairly bloodless. Once Trump entered the courthouse, pundits wondered: Was Trump on the 15th floor? The seventh? What functions happen where?

MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell struggled, too, to fill dead air. As we all watched the lone static shot from inside  just a hallway filled with cops and lawyers and officials oh-so-casually milling about  she marveled over Trump 'welcoming this walk down the hallway,'

How would she know? Turned out he never walked down it.

'We expect he's gonna speak,' she said.

Whoops again, Andrea! Trump never addressed the media, and never spoke.

Back at CNN, the panel waxed rhapsodic over D.A. Alvin Bragg, the man responsible for bringing these charges. 'He is a deeply experienced prosecutor,' said former federal prosecutor Elie Honig. 'A man of integrity, a straight shooter, a trailblazer . . . He's already carved a place in history.'

Here in New York, I can assure you, most of us feel differently. Alvin Bragg is the face of bail reform and lawlessness. We suffer rampant crime, random shootings and carjackings, repeat offenders turfed through the system, the constant outflow of high-earners from the city and state.

New Yorkers know b.s. when we smell it, and the idea that Bragg isn't using this 34-count indictment as a political weapon to raise his own profile is ludicrous. American democracy suffers a dark day, an unprecedented arrest that will have devastating repercussions, all so Alvin Bragg can have his ego stroked.

Yet Honig insisted, without pushback from Cooper, that Bragg doesn't have 'a big ego.' Honig also said that Bragg 'does not fit the stereotype of 'the prosecutor.'

If by that Honig means prosecuting felonies as misdemeanours, refusing to allow judges to assess the risk of any given criminal skipping bail, and cutting disgusting plea deals  offering six months' prison time to a man involved in a vicious anti-Semitic attack that nearly killed a 30-year-old man, as he did in January  then yes, you can definitely say that Alvin Bragg doesn't fit the definition of a prosecutor.

Of course, our egoless prosecutor held a press conference as soon as Trump hit the tarmac back to Palm Beach. Inveighing dubious bookkeeping, false statements and hush money to keep his extramarital affairs quiet, Bragg railed against such 'felony criminal conduct in New York State... all the more important in Manhattan, the financial capital of the world.'

The sad, dawning realization that America is still in the throes of this existential exorcism.

American democracy suffers a dark day, an unprecedented arrest that will have devastating repercussions, all so Alvin Bragg can have his ego stroked.

By Bragg's metric, every major player on Wall Street and in Big Tech would be facing indictment. His laser-focus on Donald Trump will not redound to Bragg's benefit.

Could Tom Wolfe have written it any better  a gormless NYC prosecutor with vaulting ambition whose name is a homophone for 'brag'?

Anyway, all that wall-to-wall coverage, much like Bragg's presser, turned out to be anticlimactic. There was precious little any anchor or former Trump staffer or field reporter could add. It was organized chaos, history that felt wild and dispiriting, the beginning of a long story with the rare thing linear TV gets these days: Millions of eyeballs watching the same cliff-hanger.

The lone straightforward coverage came, unsurprisingly, from the BBC, their cameras trained mostly on the media outside. To my mind, they caught the image of the day: a middle-aged man wandering around outside the courthouse, clutching a teddy bear, looking like he had no idea what was happening.

There's really no better symbol for the lost soul of America, is there? We're like zombies post-apocalypse, trying to figure out what the hell is happening, holding fast to our emotional support animals and hoping we survive the inevitable result: Trump 2024.
Convicted killer Alex Murdaugh has been bombarded with love letters and approached by Netflix while he serves a life sentence for murdering his wife and son.

The disgraced lawyer, 54, has received amorous messages as well as pitches from the US streaming giant, despite his savage crimes.

One correspondent, named Nicolette K., wrote to Murdaugh on March 12 saying: '...I think I love you' and 'I think about you all day everyday', according to a message log obtained by fitsnews.com under Freedom of Information laws.

Another message sent by Nicolette the following day reads: 'I swear on my life and on my soul I'll never say a single word to anyone important or not important. I genuinely care for you.'

Murdaugh, the scion of a legal dynasty, was branded a 'monster' by a judge after a six-week trial.

Alex Murdaugh has been bombarded with love letters from women while serving a life sentence for murdering his wife and son

Murdaugh has also received an approach from Netflix, despite being described as the judge who sentenced him as a 'monster'

Prosecutors said he executed his family - making it look like outside murder - to cause a distraction and generate sympathy as investigators closed in on his own murky finances.

At the time of the killings he faced a hearing that could have revealed what he later admitted to be an $8.5million theft from his South Carolina law firm.

The case has been compared to the trial of OJ Simpson, with a special on Netflix, numerous podcasts and TV documentaries dissecting every moment.

But his conviction for brutal crimes has seemingly not stopped Netflix from courting Murdaugh for further episodes of Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal.

According to the message log obtained by fitnews.com, producer Mike Gasparro wrote: 'We feel at this point it's very important to have your voice in the (remainder) of our series.

'Our first three episodes (were) viewed by 40 million households and also 75 million hours (were) watched in just ten days. Those numbers will continue to rise. We believe you can have the largest platform on TV if you are willing to speak to us.'

The log covers Murdaugh's brief stay at Kirkland Correctional Institution, a maximum security South Carolina jail. Most messages are from infatuated women.

On March 12, Lacie K. wrote: 'I am just a small town girl from Missouri. I am here if you want to talk. Or vent. XXLacie.' Destiny H. offered to 'send you some pics of me'.

She also told Murdaugh she believed he was 'innocent'. She added: 'You didn't kill your family, somebody else did and you don't wanna tell it.

'I give you all the love for not snitching but then again, sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do for your freedom.'

Murdaugh has been provided with heavily regulated phone and messaging capability in jail.

He has a prison-issued tablet, which is not connected to the internet. Netflix has been contacted for comment.
Two court officers have split the internet after going viral for failing to open the door for ex-president Donald Trump as he entered the courtroom.

Despite being a former president, it is unusual for court staff to open doors for defendants as they entered  though it is not clear if the officers missed who was coming behind them or not.

However one of the officers, who have not yet been identified, then seemed to lead the way and point Trump towards the door.

Many have poked fun at Trump for having to open the door for himself, with one person saying they wanted to buy them 'lunch' while another joked they would take them out for a beer.

Others said that it was the 'first time a cop has done anything cool in years', as the court staff entered the building with Trump.

Many have poked fun at Trump for having to open the door for himself, with one person saying they wanted to buy them 'lunch' while another joked they would take them out for a beer

Another said: 'Classic The New York Police has zero chill' as many celebrated seeing the former president look so uncomfortable as he walked into court.

But pro-Trump supporters were outraged that the door was allegedly 'shut' on the former president, with one calling the officers a 'b******d'.

Another added: 'B******t, the officer even didn't hold Trump's door open' with a third saying: 'The door closed on Trump. Nobody even held it open for him.'

But others were quick to joke about his age, writing: 'This the only time I agree with not holding doors for my elders!!'

A video has resurfaced of Trump telling officers to not be 'too nice' when arresting criminals  pointing out that there was a stark difference between how he was treated in the courtroom.

His courtroom moment with the court officers went viral after he became the first US President to be charged with a criminal offense.

He pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records as he faced a New York judge on Tuesday.

Others joked that the officers had 'no chill' while another said it was the first 'cool' thing that cops had done in years

One of the officers, who have not yet been identified, then seemed to lead the way and point Trump towards the door.

Trump, 76, sat alongside his defense team in the Manhattan courtroom with his hands folded on his lap and a stony-faced look for the unprecedented hearing in the Stormy Daniels hush money case.

The charges are related to a $30,000 payoff to a doorman who was trying to sell information about a child that Trump allegedly fathered out of wedlock; $150,000 to former Playboy model Karen McDougal, and a $130,000 payment to Daniels.

All together the charges - falsifying business records in the first degree - carry a maximum sentence of more than 100 years in prison under New York law.

But, even if convicted on all charges, it's unlikely Trump would be sentenced to that much time.

Each charge is a low level felony that carries a maximum of four years in prison for each count.

However some were outraged by the treatment of the former president, calling the officer a 'b*****d'

The former president pleaded not guilty to 34 counts and looked stony-faced during the hearing

There was no formal conspiracy charge but the state of facts released by prosecutors describes how Trump 'orchestrated a scheme' with others 'to influence the 2016 presidential election by identifying and purchasing negative information about him to suppress its publication and benefit the Defendant's electoral prospects.'

The hearing lasted about an hour, with Judge Juan Merchan not putting a gag order on Trump as expected - but did warn him not to post anything on social media that could cause unrest.

The former president was silent as he entered the courtroom and then as he left, and was released on his own recognizance.

He is scheduled to return to his Mar-a-Lago home and speak later Tuesday night, about 8:15 pm ET. The next court hearing is set for December 4th.
More than 90 percent of the heroin now found in Philadelphia contains xylazine and a June study found

Kensington is known as 'ground zero' for the city's drug epidemic as addicts continue to shoot up in broad daylight

As one driver traversing a side street in the Kensington neighborhood in Philadelphia he was surrounded by drug user hazily perusing the streets

Philadelphia's low-income neighborhood has been overcome with sleepwalking 'zombies' as fentanyl and 'tranq' overdoses continue to rise.

Driving through the streets of any big city can be a bit overwhelming with heavy traffic and narrow streets, but the Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia has an even bigger obstacle for both drivers and government officials: Large groups of doped-out citizens.

Kensington is known as 'ground zero' for the city's drug epidemic as addicts continue to shoot up in broad daylight, leaving them mindlessly wandering the streets, being hunched over in a stupor, and passed out on needle-covered ground.

As one driver traversed the streets of Allegheny and Kensington Avenues is met with moderate traffic, but as he turns down Shelbourne Street, he is surrounded by addicts covered in blankets, sitting on sidewalks, and seeming to be in a haze.

The rundown side street filled with trash and people is like many others in the city as it cracks under the went of 'tranq' - a horse tranquillizer - and the ongoing fentanyl crisis.

More than 90 percent of the heroin now found in Philadelphia contains xylazine and a June study found the drug has spread to 36 states and DC.

The neighborhood of Kensington in Philadelphia is known as 'ground zero' for the city's drug epidemic as addicts continue to shoot up in broad daylight, leaving them mindlessly wandering the streets, being hunched over in a stupor, and passed out on needle-covered ground

As one driver traversed the streets of Allegheny and Kensington Avenues is met with moderate traffic, but as he turns down Shelbourne Street, he is surrounded by addicts covered in blankets, sitting on sidewalks, and seeming to be in a haze (pictured)

'I've never seen human beings remain in these kinds of conditions,' Sarah Laurel, who runs outreach organization Savage Sisters, said.

Kensington is known as the 'poorest neighborhood in America's poorest city' and it's buckling under the weight of the newly popular 'tranq' drug - which leads to skin damage so severe it resembles chemical burns, plus deep festering wounds that frequently result in amputations.

Many citizens have complained about the smell 'tranq' leaves behind as it rots users' flesh and infected open wounds.

'It is absolutely horrible. That's the reality, though,' James 'Sherm' Sherman, a former drug user, told CNN in March. 'Some people aren't ready to see that yet. It's literally people's flesh rotting, and you can smell it.'

Maggie, whose last name was not disclosed, told CNN she 'could have lost my hand' after she used 'tranq' and initially developed a pimple, which quickly turned into a half-dollar-sized wound.

More than 90 percent of the heroin now found in Philadelphia contains xylazine and a June study found the drug has spread to 36 states and DC

Many citizens have complained about the smell 'tranq' leaves behind as it rots users' flesh and infected open wounds. 'It is absolutely horrible. That's the reality, though,' James 'Sherm' Sherman, a former drug user, said ((pictured: a drug user preparing to shoot up)

A man slumps over his knees on the sideway after taking the drug in Kensington

A man and a woman seems worse for wear as they stand around a pile of trash. The man's hands have appear to be slightly swollen with deep cuts that bled onto his pants

'You shoot up and you miss, you get a sore. You don't take care of your sore, you'll wind up in a hospital with a hole,' she told CNN.

ER Doctor Joseph D'Orazio said the wounds are 'a lot deeper, a lot more severe,' than they've seen previously with drug users.

'There were big necrotic areas,' he told CNN. 'They were deep down into tendons. Sometimes you can see the bones, and we were starting to see more patients that were requiring amputations.'

Furthermore, 'tranq' - medically known as xylazine - is often combined with fentanyl - meaning usual treatments for opioid overdoses are not effective, such as Narcan. Unlike with opioids, there are no FDA-approved treatments specifically for xylazine withdrawal.

'They have open, gaping wounds, they can't walk, and they tell me, "If I go to the hospital, I'm going to get sick." They're so terrified of the detox,' Laurel said.

'Tranq' - medically known as xylazine - is often combined with fentanyl - meaning usual treatments for opioid overdoses are not effective, such as Narcan

Unlike with opioids, there are no FDA-approved treatments specifically for xylazine withdrawal

In November, the FDA issued a nationwide alert about the drug - which hit the Philly scene about three years ago - and the following month the Office of National Drug Control Policy said it was concerned about the drug's spread

In November, the FDA issued a nationwide alert about the drug - which hit the Philly scene about three years ago - and the following month the Office of National Drug Control Policy said it was concerned about the drug's spread.

Philip Moore, chief medical officer for the nonprofit treatment provider Gaudenzia, told the paper that weaning people off xylazine is a complicated procedure.

'We'll start treating for opioid withdrawal, and they should be getting better  but we'll see chills, sweating, restlessness, anxiety, agitation,' he said.

'They're very, very unpleasant symptoms. That's what triggers us that we're dealing with a more complicated withdrawal, that there's more xylazine in the mix.'

The city's drug use and violence has run rampant under woke District Attorney Larry Krasner whose failure to prosecute minor crimes and bail request policies have come with an uptick in crime in the City of Brotherly Love.

A group of drug users stand together in Philadelphia on January 18

A man fiddles with something in his hands as he lays half-slumped over his backpack

A man openly shoots up in broad daylight as he leans against a wall

Republicans in the Pennsylvania State Senate voted for his impeachment over what they deem a dereliction of duty. The future of the progressive prosecutor remains unclear, as the party line vote was indefinitely postponed in January.

The drug was first developed in 1962 as an anesthetic for veterinary procedures, and was never cleared for human consumption. Initial trials were not completed because the drug led to respiratory depression and low blood pressure.

It began being used as a substitute for heroin in the early 2000s, and was first found on the streets of Kensington in 2006 - but since the pandemic, its use has soared.
Court documents released Tuesday claim that former President Donald Trump and ex-lawyer Michael Cohen met in the Oval Office just weeks after inauguration to discuss the hush-money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels.

The court filings also claim that Trump tried to delay paying Daniels because it wouldn't matter if her story came out after the 2016 election.

Tuesday's 16-page unsealed indictment of Trump included an additional 13-page backgrounder that shed light on the conversations New York prosecutors believe Trump had with Cohen and other allies about the payments.

Trump was arraigned in New York Criminal Court Tuesday afternoon and Thursday's indictment was unsealed showing that the ex-president was charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree.

The statement of facts said that from between August of 2015 to December of 2017, Trump 'orchestrated a scheme with others to influence the 2016 presidential election by identifying and purchasing negative information about him to suppress its publication and benefit [Trump's] electoral prospects.'

Court documents released Tuesday claim that former President Donald Trump and ex-lawyer Michael Cohen (pictured) met in the Oval Office just weeks after inauguration to discuss the hush-money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels

Former President Donald Trump is seen in court Tuesday as he is arraigned on 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree - charges related to hush-money payments given to Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election

The court documents said that at Trump's request, 'Lawyer A,' known to be Michael Cohen, paid $130,000 to 'an adult film actress,' which was Daniels, in advance of election day.

After the election, Cohen was paid back through a series of monthly checks.

'Each check was processed by the Trump Organization, and each check was disguised as a payment for legal services rendered in a given month of 2017 pursuant to a retainer agreement,' the court filing explained. 'The payment records, kept and maintained by the Trump Organization, were false New York business records. In truth, there was no retainer agreement, and Lawyer A was not being paid for legal services rendered in 2017.'

'The Defendant caused his entities' business records to be falsified to disguise his and others' criminal conduct,' the court document said.

The background information on the indictment also included details about the catch-and-kill schemes used by American Media, Inc., the owner of the National Enquirer.

A stony-faced former President Donald Trump snubbed reporters and walked silently into the courtroom after being fingerprinted and processed at the New York Criminal Court Tuesday afternoon

Cohen was involved with a hush-money payment to Stormy Daniels

The company's former CEO David Pecker was one of the last witnesses to come before the grand jury before they voted to indict.

The court document details an August 2015 Trump Tower meeting in which Pecker, identified as 'AMI CEO,' agreed to act as the 'eyes and ears' for the Republican candidate, who was two months into his presidential campaign.

Pecker would assist the campaign by looking out for negative stories about Trump and alerting Cohen about their existence.

One such story - which was later found to be false - was from a doorman of Trump's, who alleged he knew about a secret lovechild produced by the now ex-president.

Court documents said that Pecker wanted to release the doorman from a $30,000 deal for exclusive rights to his story, but Cohen instructed him not to do so until after the presidential election.

The documents also detail how former Playboy playmate Karen McDougal - called 'Woman 1' in the filing - was paid $150,000 by American Media, Inc. for the exclusive rights to her story about how she had an affair with the married Trump.

The filing said prosecutors had an audio recording from September 2016 in which Trump and Cohen discussed how to obtain the rights to McDougal's account and how to reimburse AMI.

In the recording, Trump suggests paying by cash and then by check, but Cohen ultimately created a shell company called Resolution Consultants, LLC.

A deal to transfer McDougal's story to Resolution Consultants, LLC. ended up falling through, under the advisement of AMI's lawyer.

The court document then details how the infamous 'grab them by the p****' Access Hollywood tape was released, which appeared to derail Trump's presidential bid.

Shortly after its release, AMI's editor-in-chief warned Pecker that another woman - the porn star Daniels - was alleging that she had a tryst with Trump while he was married.

On October 10, 2016, weeks before the election, Cohen was connected to Daniels' lawyer Keith Davidson through AMI's editor-in-chief and he negotiated that Daniels would receive $130,000 for her silence.

Trump directed Cohen to delay the payment to Daniels for 'as long as possible,' the filing said.

'He instructed Lawyer A that if they could delay the payment until after the election, they could avoid paying altogether, because at that point it would not matter if the story became public,' the filing said.

The court document said there were texts and emails between Cohen, Davidson and AMI's editor-in-chief showing that there was an attempt to delay the hush-money from being paid.

Ultimately Trump 'agreed to the payoff and directed Lawyer A to proceed' and there were discussions between Trump, Cohen and the CFO of the Trump Organization, Allen Weisselberg.

Trump told the two men to figure out how to make the payment, as he didn't want to do it himself.

Cohen agreed to make the payment, with the filing saying he confirmed with Trump that he would be paid back.

After Trump won the White House, notes Weisselberg took - that prosecutors had - showed how the $130,000 paid to Daniels by Cohen would be paid back.

The lawyer would make, in total, $420,000.

'The Trump Organization CFO memorialized these calculations in handwritten notes on the copy of the bank statement that Lawyer A had provided,' the court documents said.

Trump, Weisselberg and Cohen decided that Cohen would ask for a montly retainer fee of $35,000 throughout 2017.

Manhattan prosecutors noted that Trump and Cohen then met in the Oval Office in February 2017 'and confirmed this repayment arrangement.'

Cohen had previously testified about the Oval Office meeting before Congress.

'The checks and stubs bearing the false statements were stapled to the invoices also bearing false statements. The Defendant signed each of the checks personally and had them sent back to the Trump Organization in New York County,' the document said.
Insiders at failed Signature Bank of New York sold more than $100 million worth of stock in the company in the three years prior to its collapse last month, according to a new report.

The insider sales were not widely known previously because they were disclosed to regulators in a manner that is unusual for companies of Signature's size, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday.

Of the insider stock sales, about half were done by three key executives, according to the Journal's analysis: Chairman Scott Shay, CEO Joseph DePaolo, and chief operating officer Eric Howell.

On March 12, Signature was seized by federal regulators and placed in receivership, following a run on deposits triggered by the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank days earlier.

SVB and Signature became the second- and third-largest bank failures in US history, after only the collapse of Washington Mutual at the height of the 2008 financial crisis.

Signature's Chairman Scott Shay, CEO Joseph DePaolo, and COO Eric Howell were responsible for about half the $100 million in insider stock sales over the past three years

Signature Bank was among a small number of FDIC-insured lenders that embraced cryptocurrency wholeheartedly, and the company's stock price rose dramatically in 2021 following surge in crypto markets.

Most of the insiders sold their 2021 shares in the spring at around $220, and prices continued to rise, peaking at $366 in January 2022.

It is not illegal for company executives to buy and sell shares of their own companies, and many key execs receive much of their compensation in the form of stock.

However, to avoid violating insider trading laws, they cannot make trades based on material, non-public information about the companies they oversee.

Most use pre-defined trading plans, which automatically execute trades based on factors such as price and trading volume, and disclose the trades to regulators.

Most companies of Signature's size disclose insider trades to the Securities and Exchange Commission -- but Signature reported the trades to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.

According to the Journal, Signature was one of only two companies in the S&P 500 that did not file its insider-trading transactions directly with the SEC.

The other was First Republic Bank, which was rescued from disaster last month by a $30 billion deposit by a group of large banks.

Most of the insiders sold their 2021 shares in the spring at around $220, and prices continued to rise, peaking at $366 in January 2022

Signature was one of only two companies in the S&P 500 that did not file its insider-trading transactions directly with the SEC

Due to a regulatory anomaly, executives at banks that do not have holding companies file transaction forms with the federal banking regulator instead of the SEC.

Shay, DePaolo, and Howell could not be immediately reached by DailyMail.com, and declined to comment to the Journal.

The SEC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

A spokeswoman for Flagstar Bank, a unit of New York Community Bancorp which agreed to take over Signature's cash deposits, had no immediate comment.

Separately, the SEC and Justice Department are reportedly probing insider stock transactions by executives at SVB before its collapse.

Massachusetts regulators have also opened an investigation into sales of company stock by top executives at First Republic Bank.

Meanwhile, JPMorgan Chairman and CEO Jaime Dimon, who spearheaded the industry rescue deal for First Republic, warned in a shareholder letter on Tuesday that the banking crisis isn't over.

'The current crisis is not yet over, and even when it is behind us, there will be repercussions from it for years to come,' Dimon wrote in a 43-page annual message covering a wide range of topics.

On March 12, Signature was seized by federal regulators and placed in receivership, following a run on deposits triggered by the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank days earlier

Dimon said storm clouds are still threatening the economy, and the banking system is under renewed stress after the failure of Silicon Valley Bank and Credit Suisse's rescue by UBS last month.

'The market's odds of a recession have increased,' Dimon wrote. 'And while this is nothing like 2008, it is not clear when this current crisis will end.'

'It has provoked lots of jitters in the market and will clearly cause some tightening of financial conditions as banks and other lenders become more conservative,' he added.

Even so, it is unclear whether the disruptions will slow the consumer spending that powers the US economy, Dimon wrote.
A Colorado woman was on trial on Monday accused of murdering her 11-year-old stepson in January 2020, then driving to Florida with his body to dump it over a bridge.

Letecia Stauch has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, and her attorney told the jury in Colorado Springs that she suffered a 'psychotic crack' that caused her to kill the little boy. Her legal team point to a traumatic childhood with years of sexual and mental abuse.

Prosecutors argue that she was unhappy in her marriage and resentful of being treated like an unpaid babysitter. Her husband was away at the time of his son Gannon's murder, on deployment with the National Guard.

Stauch was arrested in March 2020, in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and extradited back to Colorado.

Stauch is seen in court in Colorado in March 2020

Gannon Stauch's stepmother Letecia is on trial for his January 2020 murder

Stauch is pictured with her husband Eugene - the father of Gannon. He was away on deployment with the National Guard at the time of Gannon's murder

The trial is expected to last several weeks.

Michael Allen, the district attorney, argued in his opening statement that the steps that Stauch took to cover up her actions are proof that she knew what she did was wrong - and was therefore sane.

She cleaned up blood in Gannon's bedroom, moving his body to various locations to hide it before disposing of it 'like garbage' in a river that flows into the Gulf of Mexico in hopes it would never be found, he said.

Stauch also lied to investigators various times to try to hamper their investigation, Allen said, changing her accounts of what happened to the little boy.

She claimed two different men had raped her and then abducted Gannon and, later, that one of those men had taken Gannon after he hurt himself in a bike crash.

'All of her actions were purposefully designed by her to distance herself from what she did,' Allen said.

But defense attorney Will Cook said the gruesome details highlighted by Allen, including how Gannon was killed and the lack of a motive, are proof that Stauch was 'insane' because it all does not make sense.

'These are all signs and evidence of a mind, a soul, that is broken in a most fundamental and profound way,' he said.

Cook suggested Stauch developed dissociative identify disorder as a result of being physically, emotionally and sexually abused by her absent mother's string of partners during her childhood, sometimes sleeping in a car in the driveway to escape the abuse.

Cook said that when Stauch killed Gannon, in her mind she was killing the 'demons' from her childhood and life.

Based on surveys given to potential jurors, many were skeptical of Stauch's mental health defense, Cook said.

He urged jurors to put aside their impulse to make someone pay for such a brutal killing and keep an open mind because the judicial system requires Stauch to be presumed innocent.

'I'm not telling you to like it. I'm just telling you that's the way it is,' he said.

Letecia Stauch is seen in her March 2020 booking photo in Colorado

Gannon (pictured) disappeared in Colorado Springs in January 2020. His body was found on March 20, 2020 - 1,400 miles away in Florida

The suspected killer (pictured after her arrest in South Carolina in March 2020) was extradited to Colorado

Stauch is accused of hitting Gannon with a blunt object, stabbing and shooting him before dumping his body in a suitcase

Initially, authorities said they responded after Stauch said Gannon had not returned from playing with a friend.

But she did not provide the names of any friends he may have been with or their parents.

Within days, she concocted a variety of stories to mislead them, including that a man she hired to repair a carpet raped her and then abducted Gannon, according to investigators.

Over 200 volunteers conducted searches for the boy in the area around where the family lived near Colorado Springs.

About two weeks after Gannon disappeared, searchers found a piece of particle board with Gannon's blood on it in a rural area nearby.

An investigator in Colorado, Kevin Clark, then told the court that phone records and internet search information showed Stauch searching online for cheap car rentals the morning she reported her stepson missing.

She then collected a rental car, which was used to transport the body.

Investigators found Gannon's blood on Stauch's shoe, found her DNA on a gun linked to his death and learned that she traveled to the Florida Panhandle shortly after he disappeared, prosecutors have said.

Gannon's remains were found in March 2020 in the small city of Pace, on the Florida Panhandle.

Stauch was charged with first-degree murder, tampering with a deceased human body and tampering with physical evidence.

Stauch was also accused of trying to escape from jail after her arrest.

According to court documents, she asked a fellow inmate to help her get out, explaining that she planned to use a broom handle to break the window in her cell, and that she had already measured herself to make sure she could fit through.

Stauch was ruled fit to stand trial on January 27, 2021.

She had wanted to represent herself, before receiving new counsel.
Many were distracted by the female officer as Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records

She drew much attention online, with some asking who she is

An unidentified blond cop was featured on all major American networks guarding the door to Trump's arraignment

As former president Donald Trump sat inside the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse on Tuesday to face 34 felony charges, many online were distracted by a female officer keeping guard outside.

The unidentified blond cop was featured on all major American networks airing live coverage of Trump's arraignment on Tuesday, leading a number of viewers to declare she is 'hot' and asking for more information about the woman.

One Twitter user even went as far as to say that she 'can handcuff me anytime she wants.'

Another simply said he was 'just looking at the hot cop in front' as the former president emerged from the courthouse Tuesday afternoon.

He had pleaded not guilty to charges of falsifying business records prior to his 2016 presidential run.

An unidentified female officer caused a stir online, with many branding her 'hot' and asking who she is

The blond cop was one of several officers guarding the door to the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse on Tuesday during former President Donald Trump's arraignment

One lusty Twitter user said the unidentified female officer 'can handcuff me anytime she wants' after she appeared on all the major American networks

As the historic arraignment unfolded on Tuesday, some online started questioning who the female officer is, with one saying she is 'really cute' and another even tagging the New York Police Department in their tweet in an apparent hope for an answer.

Someone else replied, 'I'm glad someone else was wondering,' as pictures of the so-called 'hot' cop started to be shared on social media.

A fourth Twitter user, meanwhile, speculated that Trump may get involved with the officer, given his penchant for blondes, like Marla Maples and Ivanna.

'Blond cop better watch out for Donald Trump. She look enough like his daughter that he may grab her by the p***y,' he wrote, crudely.

'If he's handcuffed, he may even use both hands.'

Another user echoed those sentiments saying: 'Hopefully [Trump] doesn't move in on this hot cop.

But the unidentified blond was just one of several officers guarding the door to the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse as Trump faced Judge Juan M. Merchan inside for allegedly paying off individuals when he was first running for president in 2016.

The charges are related to a $30,000 payoff to a doorman who was trying to sell information about a child that Trump allegedly fathered out of wedlock; $150,000 to former Playboy model Karen McDougal, and a $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels.

Donald Trump made history on Tuesday when he stood in a Manhattan court and became the first former President of the United States in history to be indicted on criminal charges

The blonde cop seemed to distract some viewers as channels across the country carried live coverage of Trump's indictment

All together the charges - falsifying business records in the first degree - carry a maximum sentence of more than 100 years in prison under New York law but, even if convicted on all charges, it's unlikely Trump would be sentenced to that much time. Each charge is a low level felony that carries a maximum of four years in prison for each count.

There was no formal conspiracy charge but the state of facts released by prosecutors describes how Trump 'orchestrated a scheme' with others 'to influence the 2016 presidential election by identifying and purchasing negative information about him to suppress its publication and benefit the Defendant's electoral prospects.'

The former president was silent as he entered the courtroom and then as he left. He was released on his own recognizance.

He is scheduled to return to court on December 4th.
A disabled woman who died days after she was dropped by care home workers was discharged from hospital on the day of her fall with undiagnosed injuries, an inquest has heard.

Lyn Parker, 64, fractured her ribs and both arms when she fell at least 5ft after two care workers tried to lift her from her wheelchair into her bed using a sling.

Ms Parker, from Kingston upon Thames, was on the floor of Tudor Avenue Residential Care Home in Hampton, south London for more than three hours before an ambulance arrived, West London Coroner's Court heard.

She was taken to Kingston Hospital, alone in an ambulance, where she died 10 days after from 'aspiration pneumonia'.

Lyn Parker, 64, (pictured) died days after she was dropped by care home workers. She was discharged from hospital with undiagnosed rib fractures and a fracture to her left arm, an inquest has heard

Ms Parker, who was non-verbal, fell at the care home on January 15, 2021, the court heard today.

She was taken to hospital and discharged in the early hours of January 16. But Ms Parker had to be taken back in the morning after a care home worker found her left arm was 'swollen and black'.

The inquest heard that she had suffered undiagnosed rib fractures and a fracture to her left arm. She died on January 25.

A consultant at the hospital told the court today that the main cause of Ms Parker's death was 'aspiration pneumonia'.

Dr Sumit Dutta, a consultant in emergency medicine at Kingston Hospital, treated Ms Parker on January 15. His statement, read to the court, said that Ms Parker was 'combative' to his attempts to examine her. He claimed he treated her for the fracture to her right arm and what he believed to be a reaction to morphine which paramedics had administered.

In a second statement, he added: 'In hindsight I should have arranged a pan trauma CT scan. At the time I believed the identified injuries accounted for her symptoms.

'I should have had a lower threshold to widen the net of examination.'

Dr Dutta said that if the scan had been ordered Ms Parker would have been admitted to hospital and would not have been discharged on that day.

Ms Parker, (pictured) from Kingston upon Thames, was on the floor of Tudor Avenue Residential Care Home in Hampton, south London for more than three hours before an ambulance arrived, West London Coroner's Court heard

A consultant at the hospital told the court today that the main cause of Ms Parker's (pictured) death was 'aspiration pneumonia'

Dr Khalid Mohammed Ali, a fellow consultant in emergency medicine at the hospital, co-led an internal investigation into Ms Parker's care.

Extracts of his report were read in court which detailed 'a missed diagnosis of fractured ribs and a left humeral fracture' on Ms Parker's first presentation to hospital.

However, Dr Ali wrote that he did not think 'earlier recognition' would have changed the final outcome because Ms Parker was an 'extremely frail and vulnerable adult' with 'multiple co-morbid conditions' and 'extremely limited physiological reserve'.

Giving evidence today, the doctor said a full trauma CT scan, done on January 16 when Ms Parker returned to hospital, showed 'multiple rib fractures on the right side' and doctors found a 'fracture in her left humerus of the left arm'.

He said it was not discovered during her first presentation to hospital because there had been no swelling and the non-verbal Ms Parker could not say she was in pain.

'If a patient cannot verbalise and tell you that there is a pain there you might miss it,' he added. 'That is why on the first presentation there was no X-ray done on the left arm.'

He agreed that the initial medical team should have 'widened the scope of their investigation' and ordered a 'trauma CT scan' but insisted it would not have changed the eventual outcome.

'Unfortunately, in the case of Ms Lyn Parker ... the main cause of her passing was aspiration pneumonia,' he said. 'I don't believe the outcome will change in the 12 hours difference between first and second presentation.'

Rebekah Schiff, a consultant geriatrician and general physician at Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital, said she did not think Ms Parker should have been discharged.

'That is due to the fact that she had not been adequately assessed on that day and, therefore, that led to erroneous conclusions that she could go back to the home at that point,' she said.

Called to court as an independent expert, Dr Schiff told jurors Ms Parker's fractured ribs would have made it difficult for her to take deep breaths and meant she would have developed respiratory problems 'quicker'.

She told the court that Ms Parker's death was 'inevitable'.

'Once she fell and fractured her ribs I think it was inevitable that she was going to die from the aspiration pneumonia this time,' the geriatrician said.
Fittingly dressed in royal blue, the King and Queen Consort pose for a new official portrait as Buckingham Palace announced last night that after the Coronation the monarchs wife will be known as Queen Camilla.

The news came as officials released an image of the elaborately illustrated invitation that will be sent out later this month to 2,000 guests who have secured a much-coveted place at Westminster Abbey on May 6.

The first clue that the Kings long-held dream of having his wife crowned Queen at his side was finally to be realised came in the wording of the invitation itself: The Coronation of Their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla.

Asked about the title  when the accompanying press release itself still referred to Camilla as the Queen Consort  a senior royal aide confirmed: It made sense to refer to her Majesty as The Queen Consort in the early months of His Majestys reign, to distinguish from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

Queen Camilla is the appropriate title to set against King Charles on the invitation. The Coronation is an appropriate time to start using Queen Camilla in an official capacity. All former Queen Consorts have been known as Queen plus their first name.

Fittingly dressed in royal blue, the King and Queen Consort pose for a new official portrait

Queen Elizabeth II poses with Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, on June 2, 1953, before her coronation

It is understood that Buckingham Palace will amend its website to reflect the change next month.

The Daily Mail was the first to reveal back in December that the Palace planned to drop the word Consort from Camillas title organically this year.

This was confirmed by The Mail on Sunday in February, when it reported that she would be referred to as Queen after the Coronation.

The change, once unthinkable, sets the seal on a remarkable transformation for Camilla in the nations affections.

When she married the then Prince of Wales in 2005 in a civil ceremony  which Queen Elizabeth declined to attend  it was announced that Camilla intended to be known as Princess Consort when her husband acceded to the throne.

The use of the word intended was designed to give royal aides room for manoeuvre, but at the time many still blamed her for the breakdown of Charless marriage to Diana, Princess of Wales.

Since then, however, Camilla, 75, has won many over with her warmth, sense of humour, lack of complaining and work championing the victims of domestic violence, as well as the promotion of literacy.

One royal insider said last night: His Majesty has always seen it as a matter of honour. He is King so, therefore, it follows that his wife should be Queen.

The change, once unthinkable, sets the seal on a remarkable transformation for Camilla in the nations affections

Its rather like telling someone they cant be known as Mrs So-and-So.

Its entirely up to them whether to chose to be called that, but its still fundamentally their right to do so.

Tomorrow will mark a month to the Coronation but invitations to the historic event, the first of its kind for 70 years, will not be sent out until around two weeks in advance.

They are set to be collectors items, featuring an exquisitely designed border of flora and fauna cantering around a Green Man, an ancient traditional symbol of spring and rebirth, to represent the new reign.

Buckingham Palace has also confirmed the King and Queen Consorts Pages of Honour  led by Charless grandson Prince George, who will take part in the two-hour ceremony aged nine.

The then Princess Elizabeth was 11 when she watched her own father being crowned in 1937 but she did not have an official role. Neither did her son, Prince Charles, who was only four, at her own coronation in 1953.

Prince George will not merely watch but has been asked to carry his 74-year-old grandfathers robe along with three other pages, Lord Oliver Cholmondeley, 13, Master Nicholas Barclay, 13, and Master Ralph Tollemache, 12.

The Queen Consorts Pages of Honour will be Her Majestys grandsons, Master Gus and Master Louis Lopes, both 13, and Master Freddy Parker Bowles, 13. The fourth is Camillas great-nephew, Master Arthur Elliot, 10.

The new portrait of Their Majesties released last night was taken last month in the Blue Drawing Room at Buckingham Palace by Hugo Burnand, who will also take their official Coronation photographs.

Camilla is wearing a favourite Fiona Clare dress with a diamond clasp pearl necklace and pearl earrings.

An invite to the event of the century! Queen Camilla is referred to by her new title for the first time - as the design for 2,000 Coronation guests is unveiled alongside beaming portrait of Her Majesty with the King

Seen here for the first time, King Charles' official Coronation invitation is a riot of flora and fauna centred around an ancient folklore symbol, the Green Man.

One of the country's best-known pagan symbols, which features in many medieval churches, it is emblematic of spring and rebirth  and fitting for a new reign.

Although the Green Man is a fairly modern term, dating back to the 1930s, the origins of the image are so ancient that they are lost in the mists of time.

Many experts believe that it provided a reassuring bridge between Dark Ages paganism and early Christianity, which is why it also features in so many historic places of worship.

In the spirit of the Old Religion and its association with ancient woodlands, King Charles's Green Man is crowned in natural foliage  leaves of oak, ivy and hawthorn and the emblematic flowers of the United Kingdom.

And, according to tradition, he has leaves spouting forth from his mouth.

Seen here for the first time, King Charles' official Coronation invitation is a riot of flora and fauna centred around an ancient folklore symbol, the Green Man

A new portrait of King Charles and the Queen Consort has been released as the invitation to the Coronation was unveiled

The invitation, which will go out to 2,000 guests, has been designed by Andrew Jamieson, a heraldic artist, calligraphist and manuscript illuminator with 40 years of experience.

He is a brother of the Art Workers' Guild, a body of more than 400 artists, craftspeople and architects working at the highest levels of excellence in their professions. The King is an honorary member.

A scribe and illuminator for His Majesty's Crown Office in London, where he produces royal letters patent and documents of state, Mr Jamieson illuminated the royal letters patent issued in 2011 creating Prince William the Duke of Cambridge, the Earl of Strathearn and the Baron Carrickfergus when he married.

His design is a world away from the significantly more formal and pared-back monochrome invitation sent out by his late mother, Queen Elizabeth.

But it feels very 'Charles' and reflects the new monarch's lifelong passion for the natural world.

The original artwork for the invitation was hand-painted in watercolour and gouache, a type of paint made from pigments bound in water-soluble gum, rather like watercolour but with the addition of a white pigment in order to make it opaque.

Recalling the Coronation emblem created by former chief Apple designer Sir Jony Ive, it will be reproduced and printed on recycled card with gold foil detailing.

The wildflower meadow bordering the invitation features lily of the valley, cornflowers, wild strawberries, dog roses, bluebells and a sprig of rosemary for remembrance.

With an impressive attention to detail, flowers appear in groupings of three, signifying the King becoming the third monarch of his name: King Charles III.

Among the blooms is a variety of wildlife including a bee, a butterfly (apparently a male chalk hill blue), a ladybird, a wren and a robin.

A lion, a unicorn and a boar  taken from the coats of arms of Charles and Camilla  can be spotted among the flowers.

READ MORE: Which days are Bank Holidays for King Charles' Coronation? King Charles (pictured) will be officially crowned on Saturday, 6 May at Westminster Abbey Advertisement

Camilla's arms  to the right of the invitation  are enclosed by a garter, following her installation as a royal lady of the Order of the Garter last summer.

Two thin gold lines encase the lettering and the stamp of the Duke of Norfolk.

Organising the Coronation (as well as funerals, the state opening of parliament and other royal occasions) falls to the Earl Marshal. The first to hold the position was John, 1st Duke of Norfolk in 1483.

It became the family's by hereditary right and the incumbent is Edward Fitzalan-Howard, the 18th duke.

This is the first time the title Queen Camilla has been used in an official capacity.

Camilla had been referred to as Queen Consort since the death of Queen Elizabeth II, but is named as Queen Camilla alongside King Charles III on the invites due to be sent to more than 2,000 guests.

The move marks the incredible journey of Camilla over more than five decades, from romantic involvement, to mistress and finally wife of the King - and will end with her formally being crowned Queen alongside the new King.

Future king Prince George will play an important role in the coronation of his grandfather alongside seven schoolboys and girls, with all been named as Pages of Honour who will 'attend their majesties during the coronation service'.

The group are either family friends or close relatives of Charles and Camilla, including three of the Queen's grandchildren, and will be expected to carry the robes of prominent figures during the day.

With the coronation almost a month away, a new double portrait of the King and Queen has been released showing them smiling in Buckingham Palace's blue drawing room.
The president of Stanford Law School is promising to 'safeguard' free speech after an embarrassing protest by a woke student mob - joined by the school's dean of 'equity' - at a Trump-appointed judge's speaking engagement at the school.

Marc Tessier-Lavigne - who previously published a public apology to Judge Kyle Duncan - also promised 'new initiatives to safeguard and strengthen' campus freedom of speech.

Duncan, from the fifth circuit of appeals, was ambushed by associate dean of equity, diversity and inclusion Tirien Steinbach during a discussion in early March.

Steinbach - a former ACLU lawyer who previously defended free speech - initially claimed Duncan had a right to express his views. But she then launched into an impassioned six minute speech - which she had written down - condemning his life's work.

Tessier-Lavigne cited the talk - which now has federal judges promising not to hire Stanford Law students as clerks - as a 'deeply disappointing event' and believed that the school must 'reject such corrosive conduct.'

Marc Tessier-Lavigne (pictured) - who previously published a public apology to Judge Kyle Duncan - also promised 'new initiatives to safeguard and strengthen' campus freedom of speech

In the letter, Tessier-Lavigne continues: 'We all navigate disagreements and differences with the people that we live and work with every day. As members of a university community, we are called on to extend our empathy beyond our close personal relationships  to see one another as people with complexity, not as partisan types.'

He also promised that freshman students would be given workshops that would teach them how to discuss contentious issues in a constructive manner.

'We must continue building understanding and active dialogue about both the opportunities and the expectations of being members of this community, including shared commitments to both free expression and to dignity and integrity in our interactions.'

Duncan looked on bemused as Steinbach stood at the lectern and told the law students she 'had to write something down because I am so uncomfortable up here.'

She continued: 'For many people at the law school who work here, who study here, and who live here, your advocacy - your opinions from the bench - land as absolute disenfranchisement of their rights.'

Woke students clicked their fingers in support - after progressive colleges warned handclapping can cause offense - and cried 'Yes' in agreement.

'They feel harmed not just by your speech - because if it was just words that would be one thing. You have authority and power to make decisions that impact the lives of millions,' Steinbach continued.

Her voice could be heard trembling at certain points, although it's unclear whether she was upset at Duncan, or just excited at having the chance to perform.

Duncan said he was unable to deliver his prepared remarks because he was immediately ambushed by students, and then the dean

Judge Kyle Duncan (left) was challenged by the associate dean for diversity, equity and inclusion at Stanford Law School, Tirien Steinbach (right)

She said she hoped Duncan could 'listen through your partisan lens.'

Steinbach added: 'It's uncomfortable to say this to you as a person. It's uncomfortable to say that for many people here, your work has caused harm  and I know that must be uncomfortable to hear. It must be.

'I'm also uncomfortable because many of the people in the room here I have come to care for.'

Duncan stood and shook his head in amazement. Steinbach also voiced her support for free speech.

But she did an apparent volte face just seconds later, when she suggested hate speech should be banned, and that her students could advocate for those very laws after graduating.

Duncan, a 51-year-old Louisiana-born lawyer, known for challenging LGBTQ+ rights, was appointed a federal judge in 2018 by then-President Trump.

Prior to that he represented Christian company Hobby Lobby in their case against providing contraception on health insurance plans to their staff - a case that Duncan successfully argued before the Supreme Court.

The LGBTQ+ advocacy group Lambda Legal said Duncan had 'spent his whole career working to annihilate civil rights progress.'

Duncan was invited to Thursday's on-campus event by the Stanford chapter of conservative group The Federalist Society.

He was tasked with discussing laws related to guns, COVID mandates, guns and Twitter.

'So, you've invited me to speak here, and I've been heckled non-stop,' said Duncan.

Steinbach then took the lectern, and, her voice quavering, said Duncan's remarks were 'tearing at the fabric of this community that I am here to support.'

Duncan was invited by the Stanford chapter of the Federalist Society to speak at the university

The 51-year-old Louisiana-born lawyer found himself laughing at the absurdity of the situation

She asked him: 'Is the juice worth the squeeze?'

When Duncan tried to reply, students screamed: 'Let her finish!' They remained hushed and polite while the woke dean espoused her beliefs, but offered Duncan no such courtesy.

'For many people here, your work has caused harm,' Steinbach told Duncan.

'In my role at this university, my job is to create a sense of belonging for all students.

'And that is hard and messy and not easy, and the answers are not black or white, or right or wrong. This is part of the creation of belonging.

'And it doesn't feel comfortable and it doesn't always feel safe, but there are always places of safety and there is always an intention to make sure you all feel in a space where you can feel fully.'

Steinbach said that Duncan was 'absolutely welcome' - leading him to raise an eyebrow.

She said she wanted 'more speech, not less' - but appeared happy to let students heckle someone whose views were different to hers.

She accused Duncan of fostering 'division' that upset the students.

'I hope you can look through the spectacle and noise, to the people holding these signs,' she said, pointing out one person holding aloft a 'Trans Lives Matter' placard.

She then invited any students who felt threatened to leave, telling them 'many who go before Judge Duncan do not have a choice. You have a choice.'

Dozens stood and filed out, as Duncan looked on in shock and distain.

Steinbach, who worked as an attorney for the NAACP before joining Stanford, condemned Duncan for his work

Duncan on Friday told Reuters he felt ambushed.

'In my view, this was a setup, she was working with students on this,' he said.

Prior to the event, Steinbach sent out an email parroting the same woke points, sparking speculation she'd been circling the wagons prior to the ambush.

He said he was 'offended' and 'disturbed' by the 'deeply uncivil behavior' of the students and Steinbach.

'It would be nice if they reached out to me and said, 'Gee, we're sorry,' he said.

In an message to students on Friday, Martinez said preventing a speaker from presenting through heckling or other means violates the school's policies.

'However well-intentioned, attempts at managing the room in this instance went awry,' she wrote.

'The way this event unfolded was not aligned with our institutional commitment to freedom of speech.'

Duncan compared the protest to incidents at other law schools, including Yale and Georgetown, where student-led protests of conservative speakers prompted discussion about whether law schools are living up to their ideals as bastions of open debate and free speech.

Some federal court judges have said they'll no longer hire clerks from Yale, over fears they'll end up with a woke social justice warrior unable to represent someone whose views they find offensive.

Stanford law students could now find themselves shunned too. The school is one of the most woke - and most prestigious - colleges in the United States.

US Circuit Judge James Ho has announced that he will no longer hire law clerks from Stanford Law School and Yale Law School

Ho's boycott of Stanford and Yale has been joined by fellow Donald Trump-appointed Judge J Elizabeth Branch

Last year, it sparked uproar after publishing a 'harmful language guide,' which claimed words including 'American' and 'brave' were offensive - and that the phrase 'give it a go' glorified violent imagery.

'I told [students] this is not going to work in a courtroom, this way of disagreement,' Duncan said of the tussle.

'Maybe that's where we are going as a society, but that doesn't work in my courtroom.'

Law student Tessa Silverman, who attended the protest, told Reuters that Duncan himself appeared angry and called some students 'idiots.'

Duncan confirmed it.

'They are idiots,' he said. 'They are hypocrites and they are bullies.'

Judges James Ho and Elizabeth Branch had previously announced a similar boycott of Yale Law School last year, after a series of free speech incidents in which they complained about the school's approach to 'cancel culture.'

The boycotts will only apply to future students and not those currently enrolled as law students at the school.

'We will not hire any student who chooses to attend Stanford Law School in the future,' Ho said during a speech to the Texas Review of Law and Politics.

Yale and Stanford Law Schools are some of the most prestigious law schools in the country, having produced numerous prominent leaders, including Presidents Bill Clinton and Gerald Ford, at least five current US senators, and four current Supreme Court Justices.

Ho called the treatment of Fifth Circuit appellate judge Stuart Kyle Duncan 'intellectual terrorism.'
Motorists are being warned to slow down and take care as holidaymakers hit the road over the Easter long weekend.

Double demerits and huge fines will be in place across several states as police look to crackdown on driving and traffic offences such as speeding, driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol, using a mobile phone while driving and not wearing a seatbelt.

Almost 1200 people died on Australian roads in 2022, a five per cent increase on the 2021 national road toll.

Double demerits are in place NSW, ACT and Western Australia this long weekend and will return within a fortnight for the Anzac Day weekend from Friday April 21 right through to the end of Tuesday April 25.

Motorists are being warned to slow down and take care as holidaymakers hit the road over the Easter long weekend

New South Wales:

Double demerits come into effect at 12.01am on Thursday April 6 and will continue until 11.59pm on Monday April 10.

Under the scheme first introduced in 1997, anyone caught speeding, speaking on their mobile phone, riding without a helmet or not wearing a seatbelt will lose double the normal amount of points from their license and getting fined twice as much.

Reckless drivers will be the focus of Operation Easter 2023  a highly-visible police traffic operation focusing on reducing road fatalities.

The operation will specifically target excessive speed, driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, fatigue, non-wearing of seatbelts and helmets, and mobile phone use.

Drivers busted by using their phones during a double demerit period will be hit with a $352 fine ($469 in a school zone) and 10 demerits.

'This Easter, our officers will be out and about doing their best to keep the roads safe so that everyone can arrive to their destinations in time for a wonderful weekend with loved ones,' Traffic and Highway Patrol Commander Tracy Chapman said.

'The message is simple; drive to the speed limit, focus on the road  not your phone, and make sure you have a plan B if you are drinking.

'For the last two years, we've seen seven fatalities on the road each Easter long weekend. The goal this year is to reduce that number.'

Drivers will be slugged with the harsher penalty if they are caught speeding, not wearing a seatbelt or using a mobile phone

Australian Capital Territory

The nation's capital will be running an almost identical double demerits scheme.

It will begin and end at the same time as NSW and will be particularly focused on speeding offences, motorists using their mobile phones, not wearing a seatbelt and riders without a helmet.

Any other traffic offences will result in an additional demerit point being wiped from your license.

Drivers caught using their phones during a double demerit period will be hit with a $352 fine ($469 in a school zone) and 10 demerits.

Eighteen lives were lost on roads in the nation's capital in 2022- the highest annual death toll recorded in over a decade.

With Australians unable to holiday overseas roads are expected to be very busy

Last year 545 people were tragically killed on the nation's roads and police fear the staggering number could continue to climb

Queensland

Queensland does not enforce a double demerit points system during holiday periods.

'However drivers who repeatedly commit specific offences will receive double demerit points for the second or subsequent offence if the later offence was committed within 12 months of an earlier offence,' Queensland transport says on their website.

The rule appplies to speeding more than 20km/h over the speed limit, mobile phone, driver seatbelt and motorcycle helmet offences.

'You dont have to commit the same offence a second or subsequent time to receive double demerit pointsthe offence only needs to be within the same offence group,' the website adds.

Queensland license holders are warned that if they commit a traffic offence in any other state in Australia demerit points may be applied and recorded on your traffic history as if the offence was committed in the Sunshine State.

Victoria, South Australia, Northern Territory and Tasmania

Victoria, South Australia, the Northern Territory and Tasmania do not have a double demerits scheme however police in those areas will be out in force during the holiday break.

Each state and Territory will be ramping up their police presence for the busy Easter break in a bid to bring down the nation's road toll.
The King is taking it easy ahead of his Coronation, says a source. His fingers can swell quite badly, especially if he travels or does too much, and officials dont want any problems when the Archbishop of Canterbury has to place the Coronation Ring on the fourth finger of his right hand. Archbishop Welby might consider having some butter on standby, just in case.

Officials dont want any problems when the Archbishop of Canterbury has to place the Coronation Ring on the fourth finger of his right hand (Pictured: The King with Vicar at Church in Gloucestershire)

First it was Liz Truss, then New Zealands Jacinda Ardern, and last week Finlands Sanna Marin. Frances premier Elisabeth Borne could be the next female PM to be sacked, says a Paris source. Even so, she has still beaten Frances first female PM, Edith Cresson, who lasted just ten months and 17 days, from 1991 to 1992. Madame Borne remains in place after making it to ten months and 18 days this week. Madame Cresson is otherwise fondly remembered for stating that a quarter of Englishmen are homosexuals.

Donald Trump, whose fans have donated 4million to his re-election campaign since his indictment, once claimed: Theres no bad Press unless youre a paedophile. And as broadcaster Andrew Neil points out: Trump would not be the first to run for president from prison. Socialist contender Eugene Debs ran from Atlanta federal penitentiary in 1920, jailed for speaking out against draft during World War I.

Always willing to disclose personal matters, likeable Australian writer and self publicist Kathy Lette, pictured, says: I was running up the escalator at Piccadilly Circus when a gust of wind lifted my skirt sky-high. Luckily my girlfriend was right behind me. I cant believe you still wear G-strings, she scolded, advising me quite sternly that it was time for more sturdy nana knickers. Ms Lette is 64.

With Wimbledon looming, courtiers are fretting about the events patron, the Princess of Wales, being forced to present trophies to Russian and Belarusian players. I am advised: If an inconvenient player wins a trophy Kate could delegate a Wimbledon official to do the honours but that would create a scene. Its more likely she would have a convenient headache and watch the match on TV.

Frances Barber (pictured) quit the Labour party over Jeremy Corbyn

Actress and one-time proud Labour supporter Frances Barber, who quit the party over Jeremy Corbyn, despairs of Sir Keirs awkward stance on trans folk, fuming: Keir Starmer thinks a small percentage of women have penises. Oh honestly, why are these pathetic cowards in positions of authority. Sir Keir may have to find a more plausible position to avoid discouraging women voters in the coming general election.

Apropos the trans debate, New Zealand PM Chris Hipkins says: In terms of gender identity, I think people define their gender identity for themselves. Prompting J K Rowling to tweet: In the interests of balance, someone should now ask women how they define Chris Hipkins. Who smarmingly responds: I will still read Harry Potter to my kids.
Finland has become the 31st member of NATO in a historic strategic shift provoked by Vladimir Putin's illegal invasion of Ukraine.

The Nordic country's ascendancy to the western military alliance - marked by a flag raising ceremony at its Brussels headquarters today - means NATO's border with Russia will roughly double in length, from the Baltic states to the Arctic.

Last year, the Kremlin's all-out invasion upended Europe's security landscape and prompted Finland - and its neighbour Sweden - to drop decades of non-alignment.

While Sweden's own application has been stalled by awkward allies Turkey and Hungary, Finland has forged ahead alone, completing the ratification in well under a year making it the fastest membership process in the alliance's recent history.

The formalities were carried out at NATO headquarters, which saw Finland's foreign minister hand over the formal accession papers to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the keeper of NATO's founding treaty.

Then the country's blue-and-white flag was raised next to those of its new allies, between those of Estonia and France, in front of the gleaming HQ building.

Here, MailOnline looks at the history of NATO, and why Finland's ascension marks a key moment in the history of European security.

Finland has become the 31st member of NATO, in a historic strategic shift provoked by Vladimir Putin's illegal invasion of Ukraine. Pictured: Finnish military personnel install the Finnish national flag at the NATO headquarters in Brussels, on April 4, 2023

Pictured: A map showing how NATO has expanded since it was founded in 1949

The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation was founded on April 4, 1949 - 74 years ago to the day and at the start of the Cold War - to protect Western Europe against the threat of Soviet aggression immediately after the Allies defeated Nazi Germany.

Belgium, Britain, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal and the US were the 12 original signatories, alarmed by the USSR's drive to install communist regimes across Eastern Europe.

Moscow's response was to set up a rival club of 12 communist countries called the Warsaw Pact, which later unravelled. The Berlin Wall fell, and many former Moscow satellites came knocking on NATO's door - infuriating Putin.

Since then, the bloc has gone through waves of expansion that brought it ever closer to Russia's borders - and is now made up of 31 members in total.

Some countries that fell under the Warsaw pact - such as Czechoslovakia (now the Czech Republic and Slovakia) - are now NATO members.

Other NATO members now include Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania, which directly border Russia. Ukraine and Georgia are also seeking to join too.

While its remit and reach have also expanded over time, NATO's expansion today has once again been brought about in response of the threat posed by Moscow.

Putin's invasion of Ukraine shattered the illusion that war in Europe was a thing of the past, prompting the two Nordic nations - who also both border Russia - to apply.

The treaty's key Article 5 states that 'an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against them all' and requires a reaction, 'including the use of armed force'.

This guarantees its members military protection and acts as a deterrent - something that is particularly desirable for smaller states that share a border with Russia or its ally Belarus, or are within striking range of Moscow's armies.

This was the guarantee Finnish leaders decided they needed as they watched Putin's devastating assault lay waste to swathes of Ukraine over the last year.

Invaded by its giant neighbour the Soviet Union in 1939, Finland - which has a 800 mile border with Russia - stayed out of NATO throughout the Cold War.

Now its membership brings a potent military into the alliance with a wartime strength of 280,000 and one of Europe's largest artillery arsenals.

And its strategic location bolsters NATO's defences on a border running from the vulnerable Baltic states to the increasingly competitive Arctic.

Professor Michael Clarke, from the University of Exeter's Strategy and Security Institute, told MailOnline that Finland's ascension is 'the most significant enlargement and military enhancement of NATO since German re-armament in 1955, and it is likely to have a dramatic effect.'

Finland joining the alliance 'adds weight to NATO's emerging political and military re-orientation towards the north of Europe and the Atlantic,' he said.

'After almost 80 years of strict neutrality, Finland will be a very consequential member of the alliance and add considerable military depth to NATO's defensive posture in the Baltic,' Clark said.

He added that it will be yet another setback for Putin as the Russian despot sees his supposed superior military forces struggle to break down Ukraine's defences, and will have negative consequences for Moscow for years to come.

'It will be another political headache for any leader in Moscow contemplating military pressure against NATO Europe. And in the awful event of a general European war, it would leave Russia's northern flank wide open to an effective attack from Scandinavia,' he said.

'This vulnerability now confronts any Russian leader for the next several decades. And Putin has brought it all on Russia by embarking on his crazy war of aggression against a neighbour at the other end of the continent.

'That's statesmanship and strategy of the most perverse kind.'

Last year, the Kremlin's all-out invasion upended Europe's security landscape and prompted Finland - and its neighbour Sweden - to drop decades of non-alignment. Pictured: Ukrainian servicemen ride on a BMP infantry fighting vehicle on a road near Bakhmut, on April 3

Ukrainian servicemen fire an artillery shell near the frontline area amid the Russia-Ukraine war, in Bakhmut, Ukraine on April 2

In 1994, NATO conducted its first combat operation - sending fighter jets to Bosnia-Herzegovina to enforce a no-fly zone, and a year later, the alliance put boots on the ground for the first time when it deployed peacekeepers to Bosnia.

In 1999, it carried out a 78-day bombing campaign in Serbia over Belgrade's bloody crackdown on the breakaway province of Kosovo.

But the 1990s also brought outreach with Russia and its former allies.

In 1997, NATO signed a political 'founding act' with Moscow, stressing that they 'do not consider each other as adversaries' and two years later the first ex-communist countries joined the club - the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland.

Article 5 itself has never been invoked in Europe. In fact, it has only been invoked once: to defend the United States.

In October 2001, just weeks after Al-Qaeda members hijacked four airliners and crashed them into targets in New York and Washington DC on September 11, 2001, the alliance rallied to America's aid.

While the US military response was dominated by its own troops under its own command, NATO AWACS reconnaissance planes were deployed to US skies and warships headed to the eastern Mediterranean.

NATO later joined the US-led 'war on terror' in 2003, taking the lead of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) deployed to Afghanistan to root out Al-Qaeda and other Islamist militants.

NATO's combat mission in Afghanistan ended in 2014, but NATO allies only withdrew fully seven years later - sparking a collapse of Western-trained Afghan forces and a takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban.

Meanwhile, as the European Union expanded, so did the military alliance, with Bulgaria, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia joining in 2004.

The admission the same year of the three ex-Soviet states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania particularly annoyed Russia.

In 2011, the alliance was given a UN mandate to use 'all necessary measures' to protect Libyan civilians from embattled dictator Colonel Gaddafi.

NATO's seven-month campaign of air strikes led to Gaddafi's overthrow, but Russia and China accused NATO of using its mandate as a cover for regime change.

Four years later, in April 2014, NATO suspended all of its corporation with Russia after Putin annexed Crimea and backed pro-Russia separatists in Eastern Ukraine.

In response to the aggression, NATO in 2016 deployed four multinational battalions to Poland and the Baltic states, marking the biggest reinforcement of NATO's collective defences since the Cold War - right on Russia's doorstep.

Moscow's moves into Ukraine in 2014 proved only to be a prelude to Putin's all-out invasion on February 24, 2022. While NATO has not intervened in the conflict directly, its members have sent billions of pounds worth of military aid.

Meanwhile, NATO again bolstered its eastern flanks with four new battlegroups in Romania, Bulgaria, Slovakia and Hungary.

The North Atlantic Treaty Alliance was founded on April 4, 1949 - 74 years ago to the day and at the start of the Cold War - to protect Western Europe against the threat of Soviet aggression immediately after the Allies defeated Nazi Germany. Pictured: NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg holds a press conference prior to the meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs today

NATO's reach into eastern and southern European countries that were once under Moscow's effective control infuriated the Kremlin and strained its relations with both the United States and the European Union.

How does Finland joining NATO benefit the alliance? As a NATO member, Finland is bound by the alliance's mutual defence clause, Article 5. It will benefit not only from its allies' conventional military assistance but also from their nuclear deterrence. In return, the Nordic nation, which intends to boost its defence budget by 40 percent by 2026, could contribute some of its military resources to defend the alliance. The country of 5.5 million people counts just 12,000 professional soldiers. But it trains more that 20,000 each year through its conscription service programme, giving the army a pool of 900,000 Finns as potential reserves. This means that in case of war, the army can deploy 280,000 Finnish citizens at any one time. It has a fleet of 55 F-18 US combat aircraft, which it plans to replace with more advanced F-35s from 2025 onwards, as well as 200 tanks and more than 700 artillery guns. But the country joining NATO also means hundreds of extra kilometres of border to defend for the alliance. Advertisement

Putin has cited the threat of NATO expanding into Ukraine as one of his main reasons for launching the war 13 months ago.

Ukraine's NATO allies point out that his invasion is an act of aggression against a sovereign country, and that it has only served to prove that the concerns of the alliance's members were well founded.

At first, the Kremlin appeared to play down the significance of the alliance's border advancing to touch a new stretch of Russia's northwestern frontier.

But it has pledged to bolster its forces and stepped up diplomatic rhetoric in recent weeks, describing Finland and Sweden as a 'legitimate target' if they join NATO.

Putin has also announced plans to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Russia's neighbour Belarus.

Russia's threats have not deterred the alliance, however.

'This is really an historic day. It's a great day for the alliance,' NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said. 'President Putin went to war against Ukraine with a clear aim to get less NATO. He's getting the exact opposite,' he added.

Finland's arrival nevertheless remains a bittersweet moment for the alliance as the hope had been for Sweden to come on board at the same time. Budapest and Ankara remain the holdouts after belatedly agreeing to wave through Helsinki's bid.

Sweden has upset Hungary's leader Viktor Orban - one of Putin's closest allies in Europe - by expressing alarm over the rule of law in Hungary.

It has also angered Turkey by refusing to extradite dozens of suspects that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan links to a failed 2016 coup attempt and a decades-long Kurdish independence struggle.

NATO diplomats hope Erdogan will become more amenable if he weathers elections in May and that Sweden will join before a NATO summit in Vilnius this July.

While NATO is perhaps enjoying its strongest period in years, it has not been without its own issues.

The alliance has been dominated by the US from the outset, in part because the superpower's defence budget dwarfs that of all the other members combined.

In recent years Washington has accused its European allies of not pulling their weight - former president Donald Trump was particularly critical - and pressured them to increase their contributions.

In 2014, members agreed to aim to increase their individual defence budgets up to two percent of their national GDP within a decade.

Spending has increased, but in 2022 only seven members met the target, according to NATO: Britain, Estonia, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and the United States.

Germany last year announced plans to massively increase defence spending, but it only expects to meet the two-percent target in 2025.

France, meanwhile, has had a complicated relationship with the alliance, despite being one of its founding members.

Finnish reservists of the Guard Jaeger Regiment stand at a shooting range as they take part in a military exercise at the Santahamina military base in Helsinki, Finland on March 7

World War II hero president Charles de Gaulle was distrustful of NATO's US leadership and pulled France out of the alliance's military command structure in 1966.

It was 43 years before president Nicolas Sarkozy took France back to full membership, in return for the promise of prestigious commands for French officers.

But in 2019, France again struck a discordant note, with President Emmanuel Macron declaring the alliance to be in the throes of 'brain death'.

Putin's invasion of Ukraine, however, has shown how important NATO is for the security of the European bloc that wants to avoid a return to the wars on the 1900s.
What is happening in Sudan, what is at stake for the West and how could the situation play out? Our Q&A...
Two women investigated over an attack on a service station customer who died after she was allegedly doused in scalding hot coffee and assaulted have been charged.

Andrea Madigan and Sarah Franklin, both aged 52 at the time, were due to face court last year on charges of reckless conduct causing serious injury over the February 8 incident inside a 7-Eleven service station in Caulfield, in Melbourne's south-east.

Daily Mail Australia reported those charges were struck out and finalised on May 5 last year with a view to them being upgraded by Victoria Police to manslaughter.

A woman who allegedly had coffee poured over her and was assaulted at this 7-Eleven service station in Caulfield (pictured) later died in hospital

It can now be revealed Homicide Squad detectives have charged both women with assault, with a court date yet to be set.

Both had remained free in the community while forensic experts worked to figure out just how their alleged victim died.

The forensic investigation was finalised in February - more than a year after the woman died.

The alleged offenders have been summonsed to appear at Moorabbin Magistrates Court in June.

A police spokeswoman told Daily Mail Australia an autopsy was unable to determine the woman's cause of death.

Madigan and Franklin had faced potential manslaughter charges had there been sufficient evidence to suggest the woman died as a result of the alleged attack.

The woman had been taken to hospital with life threatening injuries where she died six days later.

Detectives from Moorabbin Crime Investigation Unit initially charged the two Caulfield women with assault before handing it over to the Homicide Squad when the victim died.

The victim, whose identity remains unknown, had allegedly been attacked in full view of CCTV cameras within the service station.

Forensic officers are seen at the service station after the woman was allegedly assaulted

Coffee was allegedly poured on a woman who later died in hospital (stock image)

A police source said the victim's body had been riddled with serious health complications, which more than likely caused her death.

Daily Mail Australia was told the victim had become abusive moments before she was allegedly doused in hot coffee and assaulted by Madigan and Franklin.

'She was being racist,' a source told Daily Mail Australia at the time.

Shop owners along Hawthorn Rd, where the 7-Eleven is positioned, claimed all three of the Caulfield women were well known to each other.

One witness described the 'assault' alleged against Madigan and Franklin as more like a 'scuffle'.

Both of the alleged offenders had a clean criminal history until the deadly scuffle.

They were charged by Victoria Police detectives that night and released on bail from the watch house despite the victim's status being listed as critical.

Two women have since been charged over the alleged attack (pictured, police at the scene)

Those that claimed to know both of the accused described them as being 'kind and courteous'.

'They're nice. They're polite. We see them all the time. They behave, they have nice manners,' one woman said.

Others expressed dismay at suggestions the alleged fight might have been sparked by racial slurs.

Caulfield is known for its large Jewish community, representing about half of Melbourne's Jewish population.

'I don't think it (the alleged offence) had any connection to race or culture,' a local shopkeeper said.

Recklessly causing serious injury charges in Victoria carry a maximum jail sentence of 15 years compared to 20 years for manslaughter.

Witnesses have told police a woman poured coffee over the victim and assaulted her before fleeing the scene on Hawthorn Road.
My grandson is 25 years old and has worked as a freelance writer living in Ireland for the past three years.

He has decided to return to live in the north of England later this year, and we have around 40,000 for a deposit so he can buy a property.

He has recently approached Monmouthshire Building Society where he has a small amount of money, and he has also approached his bank Barclays where he has had an account for several years.

Both have told him that he needs to be resident in the UK for two years in order to apply for a mortgage. Is this a legal requirement, or just banking policy, and is there any way around it?

Rules: Some lenders require applicants to have been resident in the UK for three years before approving a mortgage

MailOnline Property expert Myra Butterworth replies: Before viewing any properties for sale, it is essential to sort out your finance, not least to know your budget and what type of home you can afford.

This is exactly what you are doing, and it means that you have time to address some of the issues that have cropped up.

Different lenders have different lending criteria and so you will need to shop around for a deal that works for your circumstances.

We speak to a mortgage broker for some suggestions about who best to approach and how much you may be able to borrow.

Mark Harris, of mortgage brokers SPF Private Clients, replies: 'The policy relating to applicants and their residency status varies from lender to lender.

Some require the applicant to have been resident in the UK for three years, while others will lend from day one when the applicant returns to the UK.

However, it should be noted that all applications will also be subject to a credit score or profile being acceptable to the lender.

Not all mortgage lenders will accept foreign income and some will only accept sterling income

Another area that may limit the options open to your grandson is the fact that his income has been in euros.

Not all lenders will accept foreign income and some will only accept sterling income. In this instance his application would have to wait until a track record was proven and available to the lender.

Finally, the type of employment your grandson returns to in the UK can make a difference. Should he be moving to a PAYE role, some day-one lenders will find this acceptable. But if he continues down the self-employed route, that same lender may require 12 months' evidence of income before agreeing to lend.

Based on the assumptions of a UK national returning to the UK, with euro income and who is self-employed, the good news is that there are options open to your grandson without him having to wait two years to get a mortgage.

Lenders such as HSBC would be happy to accept day-one lending and use euro income - although a discount on the income would be used for a self-employed applicant.

While no income details are provided, your grandson could use a rough 4.75 times income - if the mortgage is under 85 per cent loan-to-value - as a guide. However, at the time of application he will face a full affordability assessment.

Average house prices in the North East and North West are 163,000 ad 214,000, according to the Government's figures for January, with Yorkshire and the Humber 208,000.

So a 40,000 deposit would prove substantial, although your grandson should allocate some of that money for the costs associated with buying a property. The good news is that as a first-time buyer he won't pay any stamp duty on a purchase up to 425,000.
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It has been more than half a century since NASA made history reaching the moon on its Apollo-17 mission.

But next year, four chosen astronauts will be launched to the moon in what is anticipated to be a ground-breaking space venture.

The Artemis II mission will see four lucky crew members take a 10-day journey around the moon in NASA's deep space Orion capsule, gathering vital knowledge on the lunar surface.

It comes ahead of NASA's next big leap in taking humans to Mars, which it hopes to achieve during the next decade.

With the American space agency announcing its Artemis II astronauts just last night, MailOnline reveals everything you need to know about the upcoming mission.

The Artemis II mission will see four lucky crew members take a 10-day journey around the moon in NASA's deep space Orion capsule, gathering vital knowledge on the lunar surface

NASA has revealed the identities of the four astronauts will make the first trip to the moon since 1972 as part of the Artemis II mission. Victor Glover (second from left), 46, becomes the first person of color selected for a moon mission, while Christina Koch (second from right), 44, becomes the first woman. They have been chosen alongside Reid Wiseman (left), 47, from Baltimore, Maryland and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, 47 (right)

NASA reveals the crew for its first moon mission in 50 YEARS - READ MORE Artemis II is the second leg of NASA's new moon programme for the 21st century. It follows Artemis I , an uncrewed mission which launched in November 2022 and successfully returned to Earth 25 days later after circling the moon Advertisement

What is Artemis II?

Artemis II is the second leg of NASA's new moon programme for the 21st century, and will see four astronauts launched on a journey around the Moon.

The space crew will take off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida before embarking on the 10-day mission.

For the first two days, astronauts will test out the systems of the Orion spacecraft before being propelled towards the moon thanks to a trans-lunar injection burn.

After four days, the crew should reach the far side of the Moon where they will extend more than 230,000 miles from Earth, reaching a maximum altitude of 5,523 miles above the surface.

The space crew will not land on the Moon at any point, with this honour belonging to those who take part in the following Artemis III mission, which is tipped to take place in 2025.

Instead, astronauts will reach around 6,400 miles beyond the Moon before making the four-day return trip to Earth while continuing Orion tests.

This time, the spacecraft will not be propelled towards our planet but pulled back naturally, as the capsule is able to harness gravity between the Moon and Earth.

Orion will splashdown into the Pacific Ocean near the coast of San Diego after re-entering the Earth's atmosphere at a high-speed.

The crew will be brought to shore by NASA's recovery team as the Artemis II mission concludes.

Artemis I: Last year NASA tested its Orion spacecraft in a 25-day mission to examine the Moon

What is the purpose of Artemis II?

Artemis II is the second leg of NASA's moon programme for this century, following Artemis I which took place last year.

No humans were onboard the first mission as it primarily served as a test of Orion's systems, ensuring it could safely re-enter the Earth's atmosphere, descend and splashdown.

A number of small experiments were also conducted as part of this 25-day journey - testing anything from how radiation affects yeast DNA, to whether there is water ice on the moon.

The latter of these tests was used to help create maps of the Moon's South Pole ahead of a planned landing there as part of Artemis III in 2025.

A number of small experiments were conducted as part of Artemis I, from how radiation affects yeast DNA to whether there is water ice on the moon

Meet the Artemis II crew Commander: Reid Wiseman

Pilot: Victor Glover

Mission specialist: Jeremy Hansen

Mission specialist: Christina Koch Advertisement

Artemis II will now be focused on testing the life-support capabilities of Orion as humans venture deeper into space.

The flight is also being used to gather knowledge ahead of NASA's goal to send astronauts to Mars in the next decade.

Sending the first astronauts to an asteroid is another of NASA's goal, with hopes of achieving this by 2025.

Who is going on Artemis II?

Just last night NASA revealed the identities of each of its four crew members embarking on the Artemis II mission.

Christina Koch, 44, from Michigan is to be the first woman to be assigned to a lunar mission, while Victor Glover, 46, from California, is to be the first person of colour.

The two astronauts have been chosen alongside Reid Wiseman, 47, from Baltimore, Maryland and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, 47.

While the newly announced crew will have already embarked on training for the mission, their identities remained top secret ahead of yesterday's press conference.

Pilot Victor Glover was chosen as an astronaut 10 years ago, becoming the first African American International Space Station (ISS) expedition crewmember to live on the ISS seven years later.

Christina Koch, 44, from Michigan (second from right) is to be the first woman to be assigned to a lunar mission, while Victor Glover, 46, from California (right), is to be the first person of colour. The two astronauts have been chosen alongside Reid Wiseman (left), 47, from Baltimore, Maryland and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, 47 (second from left)

ORION SPACECRAFT SPECIFICATIONS Crew module diameter: 16.5 ft Service module length: 15.7 ft Service module mass: 27,5000 Ibs Crew size: 4 (6 to ISS) Power: Solar arrays and batteries Landing: Water-based Docking: Multi-purpose Destination: Mars and asteroids Advertisement

Previously, the 46-year-old was also second-in-command on the Crew-1 SpaceX Crew Dragon, named Resilience, which arrived at the space station in 2020.

Christina Koch broke the record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman, having spent 328 days in orbit during her trip to the ISS between 2019 and 2020.

Her venture surpassed the previous record held by Peggy Whitson at 288 days.

A few months prior to this, Koch and another female astronaut, Jessica Meir, completed the first all-woman spacewalk.

Following her record-breaking ISS mission, Koch was included in Time's Most Influential People of 2020.

Koch will act alongside Jeremy Hansen as mission specialists on the Artemis II mission while Reid Wiseman will act as commander.

Next year's mission will be the second time that Wiseman has entered space, having previously been a flight engineer aboard the ISS in 2014.

Yesterday, Norm Knight, NASA's Director of Flight Operations expressed is admiration for the team ahead of their mission.

'I could not be prouder that these brave four will kickstart our journeys to the Moon and beyond,' he said.

'They represent exactly what an astronaut corps should be: a mix of highly capable and accomplished individuals with the skills and determination to take on any trial as a team.

'The Artemis II mission will be challenging, and we'll test our limits as we prepare to put future astronauts on the Moon. With Reid, Victor, Christina, and Jeremy at the controls, I have no doubt we're ready to face every challenge that comes our way.'

What will happen in the next Artemis missions?

Following the second Artemis phase, NASA hopes to send astronauts to land on the lunar South Pole in 2025.

This historic landing will be the first time humans have set foot on the Moon in over 50 years, coming as part of Artemis III.

The current plan will first see astronauts launched to the Earth's orbit, where the Orion spacecraft can be checked before starting out on a journey towards the Moon.

It is expected that astronauts will land on the Moon after several days of travel where they will then need to conduct a number of experiments.

Taking high-quality photographs and videos will be a key part of data collection for the space crew, in addition to surveying geology and retrieving samples.

Artemis III: NASA hopes to send astronauts to the Moon's 'mysterious' South Pole region in the next two years

While exploring the South Pole region by foot, astronauts will be provided with advanced space suits that are more flexible than those used on previous missions.

The overall goal of Artemis III will be to increase scientific understanding of the lunar region deemed as 'mysterious' to NASA.

Collecting wider information on the Moon and our solar system will also be a primary objective ahead of ambitions to launch projects on Mars and asteroids.

Ahead of the mission, NASA said: 'Artemis III will be one of the most complex undertakings of engineering and human ingenuity in the history of deep space exploration to date. The astronauts' observations, samples, and data collected will expand our understanding of our solar system and home planet, while inspiring the next generation.

'This mission will usher in a future in which humans consistently access the Moon, and human planetary exploration missions are within reach. Each Artemis mission will increase our knowledge, refine our operations, and prove our technology as we prepare for the first human mission to Mars.'

NASA is yet to announce the crew for the Artemis III mission.

How much does the Artemis programme cost?

NASA's ambitious Artemis programme is expected to cost a total of 63billion ($93billion), with the Artemis II project requiring 24billion ($28billion).

Around 12billion ($16million) of Artemis II funds have been dedicated to Orion's lunar landing module which will carry astronauts to the Moon.

Yet Professor Christopher Conselice from the University of Nottingham previously told MailOnline that this budget may not be high enough to meet the 2024 deadline.

'It is extremely unlikely that that deadline will be met,' he said. 'Billions of dollars more per year are required and were originally budgeted when Artemis was proposed.'

His thoughts follow previous delays in NASA launches, with the James Webb telescope a prime example of this.

While the telescope was originally set to launch between 2007 and 2011, it actually took off in 2021.

'It's likely the goal can be reached, but not by 2024, and the delay will depend on many factors including who wins the 2020 presidential election,' he added.

What is NASA's Orion capsule?

NASA claims that its Orion spacecraft is designed to take humans deeper into space than ever before.

The 16.5ft-wide craft is designed for numerous purposes, but the ultimate goal is flying to asteroids and Mars.

While capable of taking six crew members to the ISS, it is designed to carry four people comfortably.

Its structure is a huge step forward from 12.8ft-wide Apollo which was solely designed to carry three people to the Moon.

Orion completed its first set of tests in 2014, travelling further than any other other astronaut craft in over 40 years.

Inside Orion: MailOnline provides a look at NASA's new human spaceship to see what it will be like for astronauts when they travel to the moon in 2024. The graphic above shows the four seats, although in this image there are three manikins which will be on board for the first uncrewed mission. Also shown is the command console and space toilet

Sneak peak: This annotated image shows what it is like inside Orion. The crew's seats, their cargo, a life raft and the radiation shelter are all pictured

READ MORE: WHERE ARE THE APOLLO ASTRONAUTS NOW? The spacemen of Apollo: Who is left of the 32 astronauts who flew on the Apollo missions in the 1960s and 70s? After Walter Cunningham's death, MailOnline takes a look at what happened to them all Advertisement

As part of a four-and-a-half hour venture, Orion travelled to an altitude of 3,600 miles above Earth before crashing down again in the Pacific Ocean.

Data on its heat shield, avionics, parachutes, computers and other assets was collected in this mission, helping to improve its design ahead of Artemis I.

Last year, the Orion capsule then took flight as part of the Artemis I mission, again making history for travelling furthest into space.

Ahead of its 1.3 million mile voyage, the spacecraft encountered numerous obstacles.

This included fuel leak concerns, engine issues and escaping the clutches of not one but two hurricanes.

When was the last time humans set foot on the Moon?

Taking place in 1972, the historic Apollo 17 mission was the last time that humans set foot on the Moon.

The venture saw three astronauts spend a total of 22 hours on the Moon's surface before heading back to Earth.

Sampling materials, geological surveying and deploying surface-based experiments were among the main objectives of this venture.

A 3.9-billion-year-old lunar rock was retrieved on this mission which now sits in the White House's Oval Office.

Why are we going back to the Moon?

In each of its Artemis missions, NASA hopes to learn more about the Moon and our solar system.

While Artemis II will focus on understanding more about the Moon's 'mysterious' South Pole region, obtaining wider knowledge will also be required ahead of future expeditions to Mars.

Potential 'economic benefits' have been flagged as a key interest too, amid talks that lunar holidays may one day be a possibility for many people on Earth.

NASA said: 'We're going back to the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and inspiration for a new generation of explorers: the Artemis Generation.

'While maintaining American leadership in exploration, we will build a global alliance and explore deep space for the benefit of all.'
If there really are aliens out there, they probably have working compasses.

That's because scientists have picked up 'coherent' radio signals from a planet 12 light years away from Earth, which suggest it has a magnetic field.

Magnetic fields are essential for a habitable planet, as they protect any life it harbours from bombardment by cosmic radiation and charged particles.

Researchers from the US National Science Foundation (NSF) say the radio signal came from a rocky planet called YZ Ceti b, which orbits the small red dwarf star YZ Ceti.

It likely originated from an interaction between the planet's magnetic field and the star it orbits, similar to the aurora borealis  or Northern Lights  here on Earth.

Magnetic fields are essential for a habitable planet, as they protect any life it harbours from bombardment by cosmic radiation and charged particles. Pictured: A visualisation of solar wind interacting with Earths magnetic field during a powerful solar storm

When scientists detected a repeating radio signal emanating from YZ Ceti b with the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array telescope (pictured), it raised hopes that it could sustain life

'The search for potentially habitable or life-bearing worlds in other solar systems depends in part on being able to determine if rocky, Earth-like exoplanets actually have magnetic fields,' says Joe Pesce, NSF's programme director for the National Radio Astronomy Observatory.

HOW DOES A MAGNETIC FIELD SUSTAIN LIFE ON A PLANET? As well as allowing compasses to work, the Earth's magnetic field deflects charged particles fired from the sun known as 'solar wind', as well as cosmic radiation from outer space. Without this protective layer, these particles would likely strip away the Ozone layer, our only line of defence against harmful UV radiation. Therefore, a magnetic field is thought to be one of the essential ingredients to make a planet habitable, as it can prevent its atmosphere from being worn away. Advertisement

'This research shows not only that this particular rocky exoplanet likely has a magnetic field but provides a promising method to find more.'

The Earth's magnetic field is a layer of electrical charge that surrounds it and stretches out into space.

It is largely generated by the superheated, swirling liquid iron that makes up our planet's outer core, 1,900 miles (3,000 km) below our feet.

As heat escapes from the inner core, the iron moves around in convection currents, and the motion generates powerful electrical currents.

The rotation of Earth on its axis causes these currents to form a magnetic field.

As well as allowing compasses to work, the magnetic field deflects charged particles fired from the sun known as 'solar wind', as well as cosmic radiation from outer space.

Without this protective layer, these particles would likely strip away the Ozone layer, our only line of defence against harmful UV radiation.

Therefore, a magnetic field is thought to be one of the essential ingredients to make a planet habitable, as it can prevent its atmosphere from being worn away.

'Whether a planet survives with an atmosphere or not can depend on whether the planet has a strong magnetic field or not,' said Sebastian Pineda, an astrophysicist at the University of Colorado.

So when scientists detected a repeating radio signal emanating from YZ Ceti b with the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array telescope, it raised hopes that it could sustain life.

The fact that it could be detected so far away indicates it is very strong, suggesting that the magnetic field on the planet is too.

'This is telling us new information about the environment around stars,' said Pineda.

Pictured: Artistic impression of interactions between an exoplanet and its star

Earth's magnetic field can attract some of the charged particles from the sun, causing them to collide with the atoms in the upper atmosphere, like oxygen and nitrogen.

When they do this, some of the energy in the collisions is transformed into the green-blue light, known as the Northern Lights, or aurora borealis.

This is the only visual representation of the magnetic field we can experience, but otherwise it is invisible.

In the new study, published in Nature Astronomy, the authors describe the signals as 'auroral radio emissions'.

That's because they think the radio waves are the result of interactions similar to those of aurora borealis.

When charged particles burst away from the YZ Ceti, some of them rebound off the magnetic field of YZ Ceti b to interact with the star's magnetic field instead.

This produces an aurora on the star itself, which results in the radio waves detected on Earth.

'There should also be aurora on the planet if it has its own atmosphere,' said Jackie Villadsen, an astronomer at Bucknell University.

In the study, the authors describe the signals as 'auroral radio emissions' because they think the radio waves are the result of interactions similar to those of aurora borealis. Pictured: the Northern Lights near Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire in Scotland

Astronomers discover 'rare' Earth-like exoplanet that could host life Astronomers have discovered an Earth-like planet just 31 light-years away from us that could host life. Named 'Wolf 1069 b', it has a similar mass to our home planet and orbits a star at a distance that would allow for the presence of liquid water. Evidence also suggests that the exoplanet - a planet outside our solar system - could have an atmosphere and magnetic field, as well as an eternal day and night. Read more here Advertisement

The fact that the star and planet are close together - YZ Ceti b completes a full orbit in only two days - means that these interactions, and resulting radio waves, occur fairly frequently.

Villadsen said: 'These planets are way too close to their stars to be somewhere you could live, but because they are so close the planet is kind of ploughing through a bunch of stuff coming off the star.

'If the planet has a magnetic field and it ploughs through enough star stuff, it will cause the star to emit bright radio waves.'

This gives the researchers a good opportunity to conclude whether magnetic fields on distant planets are actually detectable from Earth.

As they are invisible they are notoriously difficult to identify, so it is similarly difficult to conclude that the planets they extend around are habitable.

If it does have a magnetic field, YZ Ceti b is a particularly strong candidate for a habitable exoplanet - or planet outside or solar system - because it is rocky and a similar size to Earth.

Despite getting a result that 'no one has seen happen before', the team says that they are still awaiting a 'really strong confirmation of radio waves caused by a planet'.

Pineda said: 'There are a lot of new radio facilities coming online and planned for the future.

'Once we show that this is really happening, we'll be able to do it more systematically. We're at the beginning of it.'
Twitter's blue bird icon logo was replaced yesterday morning with an image of a Shiba Inu, a nod to Dogecoin, the mock cryptocurrency that CEO Elon Musk is being sued over.

The controversial social media boss, who bought Twitter last year in a $44 billion deal addressed the change on Monday afternoon, Tweeting an image of a year-old conversation in which another user suggested Musk 'just buy Twitter' and 'change the bird logo to a doge'.

Only two days later, and the new joke logo appeared on the site shortly after Musk asked a judge to throw out a $258 billion racketeering lawsuit accusing him of running a pyramid scheme to support the dogecoin.

It is unclear as of yet whether or not the logo change was serious and permanent, or merely satirical.

Musk and Tesla lawyers called the lawsuit by investors of Dogecoin a 'fanciful work of fiction' over the CEO's 'innocuous and often silly Tweets.'

Twitter's blue bird icon logo was replaced yesterday morning with an image of a Shiba Inu, a nod to Dogecoin

Representations of cryptocurrency Dogecoin are seen in this illustration

The lawyers said the investors never explained how Musk intended to defraud anyone or what risks he concealed, and that his statements such as 'Dogecoin Rulz' and 'no highs, no lows, only Doge' were too vague to support a fraud claim.

'There is nothing unlawful about tweeting words of support for, or funny pictures about, a legitimate cryptocurrency that continues to hold a market cap of nearly $10 billion,' Musk's lawyers said. 'This court should put a stop to plaintiffs' fantasy and dismiss the complaint.'

In a footnote, the lawyers also rejected the investors' claim that Dogecoin qualified as a security.

The investors' lawyer, Evan Spencer, said in an email: 'We are more confident than ever that our case will be successful.'

Investors accused Musk, the world's second-richest person according to Forbes, of deliberately driving up Dogecoin's price more than 36,000% over two years and then letting it crash.

The controversial social media boss bought Twitter last year in a $44 billion deal

They said this generated billions of dollars of profit at other Dogecoin investors' expense, even as Musk knew the currency lacked intrinsic value.

Investors also pointed to Musk's appearance on a 'Weekend Update' segment of NBC's 'Saturday Night Live' where, portraying a fictitious financial expert, he called Dogecoin 'a hustle.'

The $258 billion damages figure is triple the estimated decline in Dogecoin's market value in the 13 months before the lawsuit was filed.

Dogecoin Foundation, a nonprofit, is also a defendant and seeking the lawsuit's dismissal.

Musk's posts on Twitter, which he owns, have prompted multiple lawsuits.

He won a court victory on Feb. 3 when a San Francisco jury found him not liable for tweeting in August 2018 that he had arranged financing to take Tesla private.

The typically volatile Dogecoin shot up over 20% over the past 24 hours to roughly 9 cents.

On Monday morning, it had been trading just under 8 cents.

Dogecoin was created in 2013 as a joke by a pair of software engineers.

The name is a nod to the 'doge' meme that became popular a decade ago.
When performing magic tricks, it's important to pick your audience carefully.

And it would be wise not to attempt sleight-of-hand with a group of marmosets, according to a new study.

Researchers have discovered deceptive tricks only fool monkeys who have opposable thumbs, as a magician needs to have similar anatomy to their audience.

So while capuchins and squirrel monkeys end up bamboozled by 'tricksy hands', species without an opposable thumb are not so easily deceived, their research suggests.

Psychologists from the University of Cambridge performed a famous magic trick for three species of monkey with differing hand structures.

A Humboldt's squirrel monkey is misled by sleight-of-hand magic trick the French Drop as part of the experiment

What is the French Drop magic trick? A French drop, or 'Le Tourniquet' in French, is a classic sleight of hand method that magicians use to 'vanish' small objects. You pick up a small ball or coin and hold it in your closed hand. After you touch it with a magic wand or speak a magic word, you open your hand and the ball has vanished. Source: Masterclass Advertisement

They used a sleight-of-hand manoeuvre called the French drop, in which an object appears to vanish when a spectator assumes it is taken from one hand by the hidden thumb of the other hand.

The trick  often the first any budding magician sets out to master  involves holding a coin using two fingers of one hand.

The other hand reaches over, with the palm facing towards the magician with the thumb concealed behind their fingers.

The audience know the thumb is lurking, ready to grip, so assumed the coin has been taken when the hands separate and it is no longer visible.

Their attention follows the second hand, only to find it empty at the 'reveal'. The magician has, in fact, secretly dropped the coin into the palm of the original hand.

The researchers performed the trick on 24 monkeys including capuchins and marmosets, which both have opposable thumbs but with differing dexterity, and marmosets, who don't have opposable thumbs.

The trick  often the first any budding magician sets out to master  involves holding a coin using two fingers of one hand

The other hand reaches over, with the palm facing towards the magician with the thumb concealed behind their fingers

The audience know the thumb is lurking, ready to grip, so assumed the coin has been taken when the hands separate and it is no longer visible

Their attention follows the second hand, only to find it empty at the 'reveal'. The magician has, in fact, secretly dropped the coin into the palm of the original hand

Food morsels replaced coins and were given as rewards  but only if the animals guessed the correct hand.

Analysis revealed monkeys with opposable thumbs were fooled more than 80 per cent of the time  much like human audiences  by assuming the hidden thumb had grabbed the treat and choosing the wrong hand.

Meanwhile the monkeys without opposable thumbs were fooled just 6 per cent of the time.

Dr Elias Garcia-Pelegrin, one of the study's authors, said: 'Magicians use intricate techniques to mislead the observer into experiencing the impossible.

'By investigating how species of primates experience magic, we can understand more about the evolutionary roots of cognitive shortcomings that leave us exposed to the cunning of magicians.'

Writing in the journal Current Biology, the team said their research suggests sharing a biomechanical ability may be necessary for accurately anticipating the movements of those same limbs in other individuals.

Senior author Professor Nicola Clayton said: 'There is increasing evidence that the same parts of the nervous system used when we perform an action are also activated when we watch that action performed by others.

'This mirroring in our neural motor system might explain why the French drop worked for the capuchins and squirrel monkeys but not for marmosets.'
Doctors are warning against using ChatGPT for medical advice after a study found it made up health data when asked for information about cancer.

The AI chatbot answered one in ten questions about breast cancer screening wrongly and correct answers were not as comprehensive as those found through a simple Google search.

Researchers said in some cases the AI chatbot even used fake journal articles to support its claims.

It comes amid warnings that users should treat the software with caution as it has a tendency to hallucinate  in other words make things up.

Doctors are warning against using ChatGPT for medical advice

Researchers from the University of Maryland School of Medicine asked ChatGPT to answer 25 questions related to advice on getting screened for breast cancer.

With the chatbot known to vary its response, each question was asked three separate times. The results were then analyzed by three radiologists trained in mammography.

The vast majority - 88 percent - of the answers were appropriate and easy to understand. But some of the answers, however, were inaccurate or even fictitious, they warned.

One answer for example was based on outdated information. It advised the delay of a mammogram due for four to six weeks after getting a Covid-19 vaccination, however this advice was changed over a year ago to recommend women dont wait.

ChatGPT also provided inconsistent responses to questions about the risk of getting breast cancer and where to get a mammogram. The study found answers varied significantly each time the same question was posed.

Study co-author Dr Paul Yi said: Weve seen in our experience that ChatGPT sometimes makes up fake journal articles or health consortiums to support its claims.

Consumers should be aware that these are new, unproven technologies, and should still rely on their doctor, rather than ChatGPT, for advice.

The findings  published in the journal Radiology - also found that a simple Google search still provided a more comprehensive answer.

Lead author Dr Hana Haver said ChatGPT relied on only one set of recommendations from one organization, issued by the American Cancer Society, and did not offer differing recommendations put out by the Disease Control and Prevention or the US Preventative Services Task Force.

The launch of ChatGPT late last year drove a wave in demand for the technology, with millions of users now using the tools every day, from writing school essays to searching for health advice.

Microsoft has invested heavily in the software behind ChatGPT and is incorporating it into its Bing search engine and Office 365, including Word, PowerPoint and Excel.

But the tech giant has admitted it can still make mistakes.

AI experts call the phenomenon hallucination, in which a chatbot that can not find the answer it is trained on confidently responds with a made-up answer it deems plausible.

It then goes on to repeatedly insist the wrong answer without any internal awareness that it is a product of its own imagination.

Dr Yi however suggested the results were positive overall, with ChatGPT correctly answering questions about the symptoms of breast cancer, who is at risk, and questions on the cost, age, and frequency recommendations concerning mammograms.

He said the proportion of right answers was pretty amazing, with the added benefit of summarising information into an easily digestible form for consumers to easily understand.

Over a thousand academics, experts, and bosses in the tech industry recently called for an emergency stop in the dangerous arms race to launch the latest AI.

They warned the battle among tech firms to develop ever more powerful digital minds is out of control and poses profound risks to society and humanity.
European customers waiting on their pre-ordered Tesla Cybertruck can now drink a beer that somewhat resembles one.

Tesla's 'GigaBier' went on sale online on Thursday, available in packs of three costing 79, the equivalent of around 26.3 per beer ($32.85).

Each 330ml (11oz) 'bottle' comes in a slick black metallic case with a glow-in-the-dark Giga logo, boasting hints of Italian bergamot citrus and 'sweet fruit'.

The beer was first announced 17 months ago to promote Teslas unfinished car manufacturing plant in Brandenburg, Germany, called the 'Gigafactory'.

Tesla's 'GigaBier' went on sale online on Thursday, available in packs of three costing 79, the equivalent of around 26.3 per beer ($32.85)

Each 330ml (11oz) 'bottle' comes in a slick black metallic case with a glow-in-the-dark Giga logo, boasting hints of Italian bergamot citrus and 'sweet fruit'

The beer was first announced 17 months ago to promote Teslas unfinished car manufacturing plant in Brandenburg, Germany, called the 'Gigafactory' site 24 miles east of Berlin (pictured in 2021)

The design, Tesla says, seeks 'to emulate the form of Cybertruck while honoring the 500-year tradition of German Reinheitsgebot beermaking.'

At over $30 apiece, each of the three GigaBiers in a pack costs more than the price of 33 cans of Budweiser.

But at roughly 11oz of beer per bottle, each one also offers 1oz less than the standard 12oz can of US lager.

Tesla's Gigafactory has been plagued by delays ever since 2016, when Musk had promised its completion by 2017.

Last March, Brandenburg officials finally granted Giga Berlin-Brandenburg the final environmental approvals needed to begin production of their Model Y Tesla vehicles.

But the factory, as one anonymous worker told reporters, has been in 'total chaos' all year, falling behind production quotas and struggling to both hire and maintain staff.

'Some people are off sick longer than they've actually worked,' the source told WIRED magazine.

The pilsner isn't Tesla's first foray into the boutique, novelty spirits market, following the launch of Tesla Tequila in 2020

'There are people who I havent seen working for three weeks in six months. Many people are signed off sick because the motivation isnt there.'

No such problems have been reported for the GigaBier, however, brewed by Cyberhops in Germany and distributed by BrouwUnie.

'Brewed for cyborgs, made by humans,' as Tesla boasted on Twitter last week.

The pilsner isn't Tesla's first foray into the boutique, novelty spirits market, following the launch of Tesla Tequila in 2020.

The company's lightning-shaped tequila bottles retailed for $250 and sold well enough to merit a second batch in 2021.

Another batch dropped in April 2022 priced at Tesla owner Elon Musks favorite marijuana-joke price point, $420.

Outside the lightning glass, a slightly less aged version of the same tequila sells for $45 from the California-based company that distils it.
The clang of bells ringing the hour echoes around the rooftops beneath my window. In the wide plain of the Valle Umbra, below the ancient walls of Assisi, domes and bell towers emerge from the morning mists. And everywhere, noisily announcing spring, the sound of birds.

All this is just a 20-minute drive from Perugia airport, yet it feels as if I have travelled back centuries.

Assisi is a miraculously preserved pile of stones balanced on the lower slopes of Mount Subasio in the Apennine mountain range. There are other hill towns in this part of Umbria, delightful places such as Spello and Todi where you can stumble across Renaissance masterpieces in darkened churches, but Assisi, with its secret byways and arched alleys, is special.

In 1206, a local merchants son and failed knight called Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone heard a call from God. He renounced his familys wealth and took up a life of poverty, prayer and service. We know him now as Saint Francis, and it is largely due to him that Assisi, dotted with medieval and Renaissance buildings that honour his memory, is so beautiful.

Eyes will be turned to the town this summer as the National Gallery in London opens what promises to be an unmissable Saint Francis exhibition featuring artists as various as Botticelli, Zurbaran and Sir Antony Gormley.

Michael Hodges travels to the Italian town of Assisi, a 'miraculously preserved pile of stones balanced on the lower slopes of Mount Subasio in the Apennine mountain range'

Michael says that Assisi, with its secret byways and arched alleys, is a 'special' place

Assisi is where the story begins, on Piazza del Vescovado, the spot where Francis declared his vocation before removing his fine clothes, telling his father that God was his father now and walking naked through an arch into the bishops palace. Archaeological digs beneath the bishops residence have rediscovered the arch and visitors can now walk through it, although as there are nuns about, its best to keep your clothes on.

While Francis, freshly abstemious, gave up indulgent dining, theres no need for you to. Slip across the square to La Locanda del Cardinale. The 16th Century exposed-brick vaulted setting is astounding but, as you enjoy barbecued monkfish and a glass of Umbrian pinot grigio, look through the glass floor to Roman mosaics and two millennia fall away.

Theres more time travel next door at the Santa Maria Maggiore. Follow the steps inside the church, down through an early medieval vault and then deeper still into a Roman room decorated with murals showing dozens of bird species.

And wait until you see the Roman forum buried beneath the towns main square. Visiting it, according to the Umbria tourist board, is an immersion in the bowels of Assisi  but dont let that put you off, as its very impressive.

Miraculously preserved: The Basilica of St Francis is the 'grandest' church in the town, according to Michael

The magnificent interior of the Basilica of St Francis, which houses some wonderful Giotto frescos

'All this is just a 20-minute drive from Perugia airport, yet it feels as if I have travelled back centuries,' Michael says of Assisi (above)

Emerging above ground again, youll find the huge, columned facade of the Temple of Minerva. Long ago converted into the Santa Maria sopra Minerva, its just one of many churches in town, the grandest of which is the Basilica of St Francis, built over the saints tomb and housing some wonderful Giotto frescos.

A pleasant 15-minute walk to the other side of town, the Basilica of Saint Clare has the original crucifix, dating to 1100 AD, that was said to have spoken to Francis. It seems an astounding survival, but there it is, hanging from the ceiling above your head.

Outside the city walls, the Basilica de Santa Maria degli Angeli is a huge church  the fifth biggest in Christendom  built over a small church, the Portiuncula. This chapel was where Francis and his first 12 companions used to pray. It is beautiful and strange, but by no means the strangest church here. Thats down in Valle Umbra, where the Santuario del Sacro Tugurio di Rivotorto encloses an 800-year-old stone bungalow venerated as the sacred hovel  the first home for Francis and his colleagues.

If you need a break from the basilicas, follow the saint out of town to the mountaintop monastery of La Verna, an hour and a halfs drive away and across the border with Tuscany.

The final section of the journey is a long climb into the eerie Casentinesi Forests National Park, home to wolves and wild boar.

Above is the Santa Maria sopra Minerva, which is 'just one of many churches in town'

A day trip away from Assisi is the eerie Casentinesi Forests National Park (above), home to wolves and wild boar

This is still the landscape in which Francis walked, prayed and preached to the animals, in particular birds, creatures he believed were as much Gods creation as we are.

You can visit the cave he slept in and the place where, in 1224, he received the stigmata  the wounds of Christ  when a seraph appeared in a vision. The spot is marked by a stone and enclosed in a chapel.

If you can, find an hour or two at Perugia before you go home, specifically the Galleria Nazionale dellUmbria. Sadly, last Sunday was the last day of Perugias famous annual chocolate festival. But console yourself with the thought that Saint Francis would approve of your restraint.
Paul O'Grady's radio producer and friend Malcolm Prince has shared that the late star was 'so disappointed' by his treatment at the BBC.

The legendary presenter and radio star's partner Andre Portasio shared that he had passed away 'unexpectedly but peacefully' last week at the age of 67.

Writing in the Radio Times, Malcolm spoke about Paul's partnership on Radio 2 but admitted that his friend had become disillusioned with the BBC by the time of his show's end.

He revealed that Paul was originally so 'proud' to work for the BBC but was 'disappointed' by the way he was treated when he quit the station in August 2022.

Claiming Paul didn't even get a 'leaving party', he wrote: 'When I pitched the Radio 2 show to him and he said yes, he was so proud to be working for the BBC.

Pals: Paul O'Grady 's radio producer and friend Malcolm Prince has shared that the late star was 'so disappointed' by his treatment at the BBC

Tragic: Tributes have poured in for the legendary presenter and radio star after his partner Andre Portasio shared that he had passed away 'unexpectedly but peacefully' last week

'But by the end of it, when Radio 2 told us the show was coming to an end, he was so disappointed with the way he was treated.

'He fulfilled his contract, did as he was asked and then, in August last year, he politely left.

'There was no hamper or leaving party, or any of that. He told me recently that Radio 2 wasn't what it was when he joined.'

Paul quit his BBC Radio 2 show last August after hosting the Sunday evening 5-7pm slot since 2009, before a shake-up saw him regularly swapping with comic Rob Beckett, each for 13 weeks at a time.

In the past three years, BBC Radio has also lost big-hitters Graham Norton, who quit the station just before Christmas in 2020 but whose talk show is broadcast on BBC One, and Simon Mayo.

Malcolm went on to pay tribute to his close friend and revealed that he was with him just hours before his death.

He said: 'On the day that Paul died, I was at his home, having a cup of tea. We were meant to be making plans for our new show, due to launch on Boom Radio, but really we were laughing, reminiscing, plotting, doing what we always did.

Tribute: Malcolm wrote a piece in the Radio Times, where he reflected on Paul's incredible career and their long friendship and partnership on Radio 2

'It was the perfect afternoon. When I left, he gave me a hug and said, 'I'll talk to you tomorrow.' I said, 'Go inside, I don't want you watching me try to reverse the car down the drive.' We'd had two hours of fun, and two hours later he was gone.'

Malcolm reminisced on Paul's wit calling it his 'superpower' and expressed his gratefulness for having the star's friendship for so many years.

Paul became a household name in the early noughties, known for his wit and love of animals, and hosted a string of television programmes including his self-titled daytime chat show, The Paul O'Grady Show, which began airing in 2004.

He also took over the reins from Blind Date's long-running presenter and his close friend Cilla Black, who died in 2015, to host the Channel 5 reboot of the show in 2017. And he fronted Blankety Blank, as well as ITV's award-winning For The Love Of Dogs.

The father-of-one's cause of death wasn't immediately known, but he had previously spoken of surviving heart attacks in 2002, 2006 and 2014, and also kidney failure . He also had a debilitating Covid battle that left him unable to work for two months.

Paul married Portuguese lesbian barmaid Teresa Fernandes in 1977 to stop her deportation. They divorced in 2005 and he married ex-ballerina Mr Portasio in 2017.

Decades earlier in 1974, he had his only child, a daughter called Sharyn Mousley, with his dear friend Diane Jansen.

Paul is also a grandfather to Sharyn's son Abel, who was born in 2006 and is now aged 16, and Sharyn's daughter Halo, born in 2009.

Portasio said: 'It is with great sadness that I inform you that Paul has passed away unexpectedly but peacefully yesterday evening.

'We ask, at this difficult time, that whilst you celebrate his life you also respect our privacy as we come to terms with this loss.

'He will be greatly missed by his loved ones, friends, family, animals and all those who enjoyed his humour, wit and compassion.

'I know that he would want me to thank you for all the love you have shown him over the years.'

'Disappointed': Malcolm spoke about Paul's partnership on Radio 2 but admitted that his friend had become disillusioned with the BBC by the time of his show's end

Iconic: The TV star was best known for his drag alter-ego Lily Savage, hosting the beloved game show Blankety Blank

Tribute: Paul's death was announced by his partner Andre Portasio, who he married in 2017 (the couple are pictured here at the Royal Opera House in London in 2018)

Paul and Portasio were married during a low-key wedding ceremony in 2017 .

During his career, he hosted The Paul O'Grady Show, Blind Date and Blankety Blank, as well as ITV's multi-award-winning For The Love Of Dogs. He also hosted ITV celebrity game show, Paul O'Grady's Saturday Night Line Up.

Paul took over the reins from Blind Date's long-running presenter and his close friend Cilla Black, who died in 2015, as he hosted the Channel 5 reboot of the show in 2017.

Last year he was joined by the Queen Consort in a special one-off episode of For The Love Of Dogs to mark 160 years of Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, an organisation for which he was an ambassador.

In August last year he presented his final BBC Radio 2 show having hosted the Sunday afternoon programme for nearly 14 years, later saying the station's drive for younger listeners 'doesn't make sense' .

Paul had been set to return to the airwaves next month to host a one-off Easter Sunday radio show on Boom Radio.

And he was performing right until the end - taking to the stage as Ms Hannigan in Annie at the Edinburgh Playhouse.

In a statement, Battersea Dogs and Cats Home paid tribute to Paul as a 'devoted animal lover' and a 'champion for the underdog'.

Screen favourite: During his career, he hosted The Paul O'Grady Show (pictured with his dog Olga), Blind Date and Blankety Blank, as well as ITV's For The Love Of Dogs

The organisation's chief executive, Peter Laurie, said: 'Battersea will forever remember Paul as a devoted animal lover with the biggest heart, who fell head over heels in love with every dog he met at our centres.

'Paul will always be associated with Battersea and we are truly saddened to have lost such a true friend and huge part of our charity.'

Paul's love for animals was well-known, and he had lived in a farmhouse in Kent with Portasio along with a menagerie of animals including four dogs, goats, sheep, chickens and barn owls.

During the coronavirus lockdown, he wrote his debut children's book, Eddie Albert And The Amazing Animal Gang, which was published in September 2021.
Paul O'Grady wasn't given a leaving party by the BBC when he left Radio 2 after more than a decade, a former producer has revealed.

The star's radio producer and friend Malcolm Prince paid tribute to the late star and recalled their final meeting hours before to his death at the age of 67.

Tributes have poured in for the legendary presenter and radio star after his partner Andre Portasio shared that he had passed away 'unexpectedly but peacefully' last week.

Malcolm wrote a piece in the Radio Times, where he reflected on Paul's incredible career and their long friendship and partnership on Radio 2.

He said: 'But by the end of it, when Radio 2 told us the show was coming to an end, he was so disappointed with the way he was treated.

Pals: Paul O'Grady 's radio producer and friend Malcolm Prince has paid tribute to the late star and recalled their final meeting hours before to his death at the age of 67

Tragic: Tributes have poured in for the legendary presenter and radio star after his partner Andre Portasio shared that he had passed away 'unexpectedly but peacefully' last week

'He fulfilled his contract, did as he was asked and then, in August last year, he politely left. There was no hamper or leaving party, or any of that.

'He told me recently that Radio 2 wasn't what it was when he joined.'

He added that Paul became disillusioned with the BBC by the time of his show's end and was 'so disappointed' by how he was treated.

Talking about the last time he saw Paul, Malcolm revealed he was with him just hours before his death.

He said: 'On the day that Paul died, I was at his home, having a cup of tea. We were meant to be making plans for our new show, due to launch on Boom Radio, but really we were laughing, reminiscing, plotting, doing what we always did.

'It was the perfect afternoon. When I left, he gave me a hug and said, 'I'll talk to you tomorrow.' I said, 'Go inside, I don't want you watching me try to reverse the car down the drive.' We'd had two hours of fun, and two hours later he was gone.'

Tribute: Malcolm wrote a piece in the Radio Times, where he reflected on Paul's incredible career and their long friendship and partnership on Radio 2

Talking about Paul's relationship with the BBC, he wrote: 'When I pitched the Radio 2 show to him and he said yes, he was so proud to be working for the BBC.

'But by the end of it, when Radio 2 told us the show was coming to an end, he was so disappointed with the way he was treated.

'He fulfilled his contract, did as he was asked and then, in August last year, he politely left.

'There was no hamper or leaving party, or any of that. He told me recently that Radio 2 wasn't what it was when he joined.'

Malcolm reminisced on Paul's wit calling it his 'superpower' and expressed his gratefulness for having the star's friendship for so many years.

Paul became a household name in the early noughties, known for his wit and love of animals, and hosted a string of television programmes including his self-titled daytime chat show, The Paul O'Grady Show, which began airing in 2004.

He also took over the reins from Blind Date's long-running presenter and his close friend Cilla Black, who died in 2015, to host the Channel 5 reboot of the show in 2017. And he fronted Blankety Blank, as well as ITV's award-winning For The Love Of Dogs.

The father-of-one's cause of death wasn't immediately known, but he had previously spoken of surviving heart attacks in 2002, 2006 and 2014, and also kidney failure . He also had a debilitating Covid battle that left him unable to work for two months.

Paul married Portuguese lesbian barmaid Teresa Fernandes in 1977 to stop her deportation. They divorced in 2005 and he married ex-ballerina Mr Portasio in 2017.

Decades earlier in 1974, he had his only child, a daughter called Sharyn Mousley, with his dear friend Diane Jansen.

Iconic: The TV star was best known for his drag alter-ego Lily Savage, hosting the beloved game show Blankety Blank

Tribute: Paul's death was announced by his partner Andre Portasio, who he married in 2017 (the couple are pictured here at the Royal Opera House in London in 2018)

Paul is also a grandfather to Sharyn's son Abel, who was born in 2006 and is now aged 16, and Sharyn's daughter Halo, born in 2009.

Portasio said: 'It is with great sadness that I inform you that Paul has passed away unexpectedly but peacefully yesterday evening.

'We ask, at this difficult time, that whilst you celebrate his life you also respect our privacy as we come to terms with this loss.

'He will be greatly missed by his loved ones, friends, family, animals and all those who enjoyed his humour, wit and compassion.

'I know that he would want me to thank you for all the love you have shown him over the years.'

Paul and Portasio were married during a low-key wedding ceremony in 2017 .

During his career, he hosted The Paul O'Grady Show, Blind Date and Blankety Blank, as well as ITV's multi-award-winning For The Love Of Dogs. He also hosted ITV celebrity game show, Paul O'Grady's Saturday Night Line Up.

Paul took over the reins from Blind Date's long-running presenter and his close friend Cilla Black, who died in 2015, as he hosted the Channel 5 reboot of the show in 2017.

Last year he was joined by the Queen Consort in a special one-off episode of For The Love Of Dogs to mark 160 years of Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, an organisation for which he was an ambassador.

Screen favourite: During his career, he hosted The Paul O'Grady Show (pictured with his dog Olga), Blind Date and Blankety Blank, as well as ITV's For The Love Of Dogs

In August last year he presented his final BBC Radio 2 show having hosted the Sunday afternoon programme for nearly 14 years, later saying the station's drive for younger listeners 'doesn't make sense' .

Paul had been set to return to the airwaves next month to host a one-off Easter Sunday radio show on Boom Radio.

And he was performing right until the end - taking to the stage as Ms Hannigan in Annie at the Edinburgh Playhouse.

In a statement, Battersea Dogs and Cats Home paid tribute to Paul as a 'devoted animal lover' and a 'champion for the underdog'.

The organisation's chief executive, Peter Laurie, said: 'Battersea will forever remember Paul as a devoted animal lover with the biggest heart, who fell head over heels in love with every dog he met at our centres.

'Paul will always be associated with Battersea and we are truly saddened to have lost such a true friend and huge part of our charity.'

Paul's love for animals was well-known, and he had lived in a farmhouse in Kent with Portasio along with a menagerie of animals including four dogs, goats, sheep, chickens and barn owls.

During the coronavirus lockdown, he wrote his debut children's book, Eddie Albert And The Amazing Animal Gang, which was published in September 2021.

At the time he left Radio 2, Paul said: 'I've loved doing my Sunday afternoon show for the last 14 years and I'm going to miss my listeners as well as the fun I've had with my producer Malcolm Prince, but I feel that now is the right time to go.'

Helen Thomas, Head of Radio 2 said at the time: 'I'd like to thank Paul for so many years of his brilliant Sunday afternoon show. I'm sorry to see him go, but I wish Paul the very best of luck for the future and hope to work with him again as the door is always open to him here at Radio 2.'

A BBC spokeswoman told MailOnline: 'Whilst we don't do leaving parties, we always mark departures, as we did Paul's last show last August and he received a gift from Radio 2 with all our best wishes.'
Paddy Dingle will share a passionate kiss with his cheating wife Chas in next week's Emmerdale, giving fans hope that the couple could give their marriage another chance.

Still struggling with his mental health in upcoming scenes, Paddy is conflicted about his future when he questions whether to forgive Chas for her affair, and begins to feel pressured into making a decision.

Seeking advice from ex Mandy, she struggles to admit her own feelings for him, which leads a disastrous hair appointment with bride-to-be Charity.

Bumping into Chas in the village, she throws caution to the wind and pleads with Paddy to forgive him.

Could one of Emmerdale's most beloved couples rekindle their romance?

SPOILER: Paddy Dingle will share a passionate kiss with his cheating wife Chas in next week's Emmerdale, giving fans hope that the couple could give their marriage another chance

Reunited? Still struggling with his mental health in upcoming scenes, Paddy is conflicted about his future when he questions whether to forgive Chas for her affair

In the upcoming episodes, Paddy (Dominic Brunt) decides he needs to spend some time with Chas (Lucy Pargeter) and Eve as a family, as she's begun to notice his absence.

Chas listens in while Paddy reads to their daughter, happy to see her family back together, and when he offers her a hug, she melts into his arms and they kiss.

The moment is interrupted, however, when Eve calls down and they both pull away instantly.

The next day, excited about the wedding, Charity (Emma Atkins) and Chas pop the champagne in the Salon with Mandy (Lisa Riley), but when the hairdresser learns from Charity that Chas and Paddy kissed, she struggles to hide her feelings.

Meanwhile, on the Main Street, Paddy is left furious when he overhears Bear confronting Chas about the other night.

Chas processes Paddy's reaction, hoping he still has feelings for her after all.

Over in the Salon, Mandy does her best to get a handle on her emotions in front of Charity.

Overwhelmed, she rushes out for coffee but bumps into Paddy, who explains that he's in turmoil over whether he should go back to Chas.

Oops! Seeking advice from ex Mandy, she struggles to admit her own feelings for him, which leads a disastrous hair appointment with bride-to-be Charity

Whoops! Charity is forced to reveal her hair to everyone in the Woolpack, after being left looking like a blonde poodle

Sweet: In the upcoming episodes, Paddy decides he needs to spend some time with Chas and Eve as a family, as she's begun to notice his absence

At last! Chas listens in while Paddy reads to their daughter, happy to see her family back together, and when he offers her a hug, she melts into his arms and they kiss

What's next? Chas processes Paddy's reaction, hoping he still has feelings for her after all

Another try? Bumping into Chas in the village, she throws caution to the wind and pleads with Paddy to forgive him

Trying not to show her true feelings, Mandy encourages Paddy to pursue what makes him happy.

Suddenly realising that she's late to check on Charity's hair and she rushes back to the Salon to find Charity looking like a curly blonde poodle.

Later, Chas attempts to address the kiss with Paddy which only exacerbates the pressure he feels to make a decision.

He's stunned when Chas asks for forgiveness and for him to come home for good.

Will Paddy manage to forgive Chas and rekindle their romance?

Viewers have been devastated to see the pair's marriage crumble after Paddy discovered Chas was having an affair with Al Chapman.

It sent Paddy spiralling into a deep depression, and in devastating scenes he considered taking his own life.

While Paddy's close friend Marlon convinced him not to go through with it, he's continued to struggle with the aftermath and co-parenting with Chas.

Fans will ahve to wait and see whether this means the pair will give their relationship another chance.

Emmerdale airs weekdays at 7:30pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
Coronation Street is set to be rocked by a shock death next week a body is found in a swimming pool.

But with two kills under his belt already, could villain Stephen Reid have claimed his next victim?

This week, Stephen (Todd Boyce) is chuffed to learn that the Gazette are going to do a piece on the Nippersnapper deal.

And when Ronnie Bailey (Vinta Morgan) suggests his nephew Michael Bailey (Ryan Russell) deserves some credit, Stephen invites the designer to join the meeting with Rufus Donahue (Steve Meo).

During the meeting, as Michael heads off to make tea, Stephen's dodgy business associate Rufus warns that he now wants 50% of the profits as 25?% isn't enough - leaving the murderer reeling.

Oh no: Coronation Street is set to be rocked by a shock death next week a body is found in a swimming pool - could villain Stephen Reid have claimed his next victim?

Business: When Ronnie Bailey suggests his nephew Michael Bailey deserves some credit over the Nippersnapper deal, Stephen invites the designer to join the meeting with Rufus Donahue

Despite Stephen's attempts to keep Michael away from the meeting after sending him to take more designs by Sarah, Michael is later approached by Rufus in the street, who offers him a new job in his London office.

Later, a fuming Stephen is forced to agree to Rufuss demand for 50% of the profits.

As Rufus heads off, Michael lets Suki the reporter from the Gazette in, with Stephen and Suki going on to have an interview about the Nippersnapper deal - leaving Michael increasingly annoyed at being overlooked.

As a frustrated Michael heads out, Stephen soon orders him back to work, with Michael then taking great pleasure in telling his boss that he can stick his job as hes meeting Rufus later whos offered him a far better job in London.

However, when Michael later arrives at Rufus' house, he gets no answer when he rings the doorbell.

Hearing loud music from inside, he then calls Rufus' mobile before leaving a voicemail.

Having failed to have his meeting with Rufus, Michael is forced to go cap in hand to Stephen and ask if he cab keep his job at Underworld.

But he's left crushed when Stephen informs him that his job has gone, with Nina promoted to his new Head of Design - news which shocks Elaine and worries Nina.

Tension: As a frustrated Michael heads out, Stephen soon orders him back to work, with Michael then taking great pleasure in telling his boss that he can stick his job as hes meeting Rufus later whos offered him a far better job in London

Death shock: As Michael and Ronnie arrive at Rufus' house to locate the businessman, they're in for a shock as the housekeeper reveals Rufus is dead and she found his body in the swimming pool

Elsewhere Ronnie later encourages Michael to track down Rufus and try and smooth things over in order to secure his new job.

But as they arrive at Rufus' house to locate the businessman, they are alarmed to see the property swarming with police.

They're in for a shock as the housekeeper then reveals Rufus is dead and she found his body in the swimming pool.

Killer: After previously attempting to kill Rufus, did Stephen just finally claim victim number three?

The news leaves Michael reeling in shock, but he stunned further still when Stephen later offers him a job as Junior manager and promises to teach him everything he knows.

After previously attempting to kill Rufus, did Stephen just finally claim victim number three?

And will Michael manage to put two and two together amid Rufus' mysterious death?

Coronation Street airs every Monday, Wednesday and Friday on ITV at 8pm.
Emmerdale spoilers reveal Rhona Goskirk makes a huge decision next week over her ex-husband Gus' embryo request.

The village vet, played by Zoe Henry, was recently left stunned when her former husband rocked up out of the blue to request the use of their frozen embryo - which Rhona had presumed destroyed years ago.

She was further shocked after learning that Gus had already been in touch with a clinic and had been acting on her behalf - leaving her with an impossible choice.

However, in upcoming scenes, Rhona makes that choice after Gus (Alan McKenna) and his wife Lucy (Charlotte Asprey) unexpectedly rock up to her birthday lunch at The Woolpack.

Rhona and her family are taken aback by their arrival, with Rhona left unsure of how to respond.

Tough time: Emmerdale spoilers reveal Rhona Goskirk makes a huge decision next week over her ex-husband Gus' embryo request

Drama: in upcoming scenes, Rhona makes that choice after Gus (Alan McKenna) and his wife Lucy (Charlotte Asprey) unexpectedly rock up to her birthday lunch at The Woolpack

However, her incensed mother Mary Goskirk (Louise Jameson) takes charge and lets rip at the couple, forcing a devastated Gus and Lucy to make a hasty exit.

Though annoyed by her mother's intervention, her husband Marlon Dingle (Mark Charnock) assures her that it's her choice and that he will support her with whatever decision she makes.

Needing some time alone, Rhona heads out to clear her head, and soon spots a forlorn Gus comforting his heartbroken wife Lucy.

Later at home, Rhona reveals that she plans on letting Gus and Lucy use her embryo and has already informed the pair of the good news.

And while Marlon is cautiously supportive, Mary is left reeling by her daughter's decision.

The following day, Marlon points out to Rhona that she might find it difficult to stay away if one of her embryos becomes a baby.

His words leave the vet mulling over the impact of her huge decision, knowing Marlon could be right.

Later, she breaks down in tears over the choice - but will she shatter Gus and Lucy's dreams?

Shocking: Rhona and her family are taken aback by their arrival, with Rhona left unsure of how to respond

Furious: However, her incensed mother Mary Goskirk (Louise Jameson) takes charge and lets rip at the couple, forcing a devastated Gus and Lucy to make a hasty exit

Support: Though annoyed by her mother's intervention, her husband Marlon Dingle (Mark Charnock) assures her that it's her choice and that he will support her with whatever decision she makes

Wow: Later, Rhona reveals that she plans on letting Gus and Lucy use her embryo and has already informed the pair of the good news. And while Marlon is cautiously supportive, Mary is left reeling by her daughter's decision

Or will she stick by her choice and live with the consequences?

Emmerdale airs on weeknights at 7:30pm on ITV1, and ITVX.
Several grooms were exposed during Married At First Sight's reunion from hell on Monday night.

Dan Hunjas' appalling treatment of his bride Sandy Jawanda was brought to light after a fellow groom was caught on film discussing his outrageous behaviour.

Hugo Armstrong was filmed ranting to the crew about Dan's questionable remarks and intentions.

He described the things he had heard Dan say as 'f***ed.'

Although Dan had previously denied these accusations, Hugo's outburst suggests that his actions were far worse than initially thought.

Several grooms were exposed during Married At First Sight's reunion from hell on Monday night. Dan Hunjas' appalling treatment of his bride Sandy Jawanda was brought to light after a fellow groom was caught on film discussing his outrageous behaviour

After the incriminating footage was aired, Dan glared at Hugo, prompting an enraged Sandy to intervene

After the incriminating footage was aired, Dan glared at Hugo, prompting an enraged Sandy to intervene.

'Stop looking at Hugo. I know what you're doing. Stop intimidating him. I see it in your eyes, Dan, I've dealt with you for two months full-time, and I know exactly what you do,' she admonished him.

'You're doing it to me right now. Stop trying to intimidate me and stop me from speaking.'

Hugo Armstrong was filmed ranting to the crew about Dan's questionable remarks and intentions

Dan claimed he didn't 'recall' saying the words Hugo had mentioned, leading Sandy to reveal even more shocking details of Dan's deplorable behavior towards her.

'The night before we went to bed, he said things like, "I don't understand why you only want to get intimate in the dark. I'm not vibing with this, Sandy. I date girls who walk around in skimpy clothes",' she told the room.

This stunning exposure of Hunjas behaviour sent shockwaves in the room, with both participants and the experts shocked by what they heard.

Dan claimed he didn't 'recall' saying the words Hugo had mentioned, leading Sandy to reveal even more shocking details of Dan's deplorable behavior towards her

It comes after one rogue cast member, told Daily Mail Australia the best bits from the reunion were left on the cutting room floor.

According to the spy, producers had to step in after a 'war of words' between several fame hungry participants desperate to get air time.

Cast members were just screaming at each other, they all went in wanting time on in front of the camera and were desperate to have the final say.

It comes after one rogue cast member, told Daily Mail Australia the best bits from the reunion were left on the cutting room floor. Pictured: Harrison Boon

Bride storms out after watching back her experience

Melissa Sheppard made a dramatic exit after feeling 'sl*t-shamed' while watching her experience play back.

According to the spy, Melissa was 'inconsolable' and couldn't believe her edit.

'Melissa was a mess. She was crying and inconsolable. Jesse [Burford] was there with her trying to calm her down until a producer walked over to try and talk to her,' they said.

Melissa Sheppard (pictured) stormed out after she felt like she was 'slut-shamed'

According to the spy, Melissa was 'inconsolable' and couldn't believe her edit

'Melissa was having none of it and didn't want a bar of production, she ripped off her microphone and announced she was leaving.'

'They knew they did her wrong and let her walk out.'

Production allegedly let her leave without drawing attention to her departure.

Controversial couple Bronte Schofield and Harrison Boon reportedly had the longest time on the couch to reflect on their experience, but none of it was aired. (Pictured Lyndall Grace)

Bronte and Harrison had the 'longest time on the couch'

Controversial couple Bronte Schofield and Harrison Boon reportedly had the longest time on the couch to reflect on their experience, but none of it was aired.

Their time in front of the experts was completely edited out, as it didn't match the narrative presented on the show.

Another shocking moment involved Harrison Boon making a questionable remark to Duncan James, which upset Duncan's bride, Alyssa Barmonde (pictured)

Harrison tells Duncan he can easily pick up a 22-year-old

Another shocking moment involved Harrison Boon making a questionable remark to Duncan James, which upset Duncan's bride, Alyssa Barmonde.

'Harrison asked Duncan why would he want to be with a single 35-year-old mum with baggage when he can pick up 22 year old's after this,' they claimed.

Duncan laughed off the comment, but Alyssa overheard it and was understandably upset.
Peta Murgatroyd proudly showcased her growing baby bump while wearing a stylish bikini during a lavish 'babymoon' with husband Maksim Chmerkovskiy and son, Shai, in new Instagram photos shared on Monday.

The professional dancer, 36, who recently documented her burgeoning bump at 27 weeks, flashed a cheerful smile as she soaked up the bright sunshine during their getaway to Los Cabos, Mexico.

The beauty already shares her six-year-old son with fellow pro dancer, Maksim, and announced her second pregnancy earlier this year in January after a difficult fertility journey, including three miscarriages.

In the caption of her photo series, the star penned to her nearly 1 million fans and followers, 'Paradise with my baby,' followed by a palm tree emoji.

Peta could be seen happily cradling her baby bump while wearing a Pearl Shimmer bikini top from Monday Swimwear, which tied at the base of her neck and is priced at $108, according to the brand's official website.

Babymoon! Peta Murgatroyd, 36, showcased her growing baby bump while wearing a stylish bikini during a lavish 'babymoon' with husband Maksim Chmerkovskiy and son, Shai, in new Instagram photos shared on Monday

Striking a pose: The Dancing With The Stars pro proudly showcased her baby bump as she soaked up the sun in Los Cabos

The Dancing With The Stars pro donned a pair of matching bikini bottoms, which can be purchased at $79.

She humorously added in the caption that the swimsuit, 'is THE best for big boobies it holds up these suckers without them falling out from underneath, the sides, the back,' followed by a laughing face emoji.

An $80 Abercrombie straw tote bag was slung over the crook of her left arm to hold a few essential items she needed for a day by the ocean.

Her locks were parted in the middle, and tightly slicked back into a chic bun to prevent any loose strands from falling onto her face.

The soon-to-be mother of two accessorized her look for the day by adding a pair of silver-hooped earrings along with a dainty, gold-chained necklace. A thin, reddish-colored bracelet was also placed on her left wrist for a finishing touch.

Peta threw on a pair of stylish sunglasses to protect her eyes from the warm sunshine during the tropical getaway.

The dancer posed for the snaps with two small palm trees on either side of her and the scenic ocean in the distance behind her.

Earlier on Sunday, the star uploaded a short reel on her main Instagram page to show a montage of their tropical vacation thus far.

Scenic: The dancer posed for the snaps with two small palm trees on either side of her and the shimmering ocean in the distance behind her

Tropical getaway: Earlier on Sunday, the star uploaded a short reel on her main Instagram page to show a montage of their tropical vacation thus far

Ready to go: The two could be seen sitting next to each other on a plane, with the reel then transitioning to show their son, Shai, who sat next to them

At the beginning of the video, which was also shared on Maksim's Instagram page, the fellow pro dancer held the camera to face him with Peta soon appearing into the frame to rest her head on his shoulder.

The two could be seen sitting next to each other on a plane, with the reel then transitioning to show their son, Shai, who held an excited look on his face before looking out the window.

The clip then cut to the trio arriving at the Nobu Los Cabos Luxury Resort, with the camera following close behind both Peta and the six-year-old.

The beauty could be seen opting for comfort wearing a pair of white sweatpants along with a plaid jacket on top. For a lavish touch, she slung a large, black Chanel bag over her left shoulder.

The video then cut to all three of them enjoying time on the warm sand next to the inviting ocean. Maksim donned a pair of red-rimmed sunglasses as Shai cut into the frame to flash a smile towards the camera.

He also showed Peta sporting a different, cheetah-print bikini with her locks easily tossed up into messy bun. She threw her arms up into the air and happily skipped over towards the camera.

'Our baby moon has officially begun,' the star wrote in the caption. '.we literally couldnt bare to go to Shais fave vacay city without him so.here we all are!!!' She then thanked the resort, 'for hosting our family again.'

Made it! The clip then cut to them arriving at the Nobu Los Cabos Luxury Resort, with the camera following close behind both Peta and the six-year-old

At the beach! The video then cut to all three of them enjoying time on the warm sand next to the inviting ocean

Vacation time: Peta could be seen trying to also join in on the fun and stepped into the frame behind the father son duo

Relaxing escape: He also showed Peta sporting a different, cheetah-print bikini with her locks easily tossed up into messy bun

Peta announced that she was expecting baby number two with Maksim, whom she tied the knot with in 2017, earlier this year in January.

As she posed wearing black bikini bottoms and a black shirt which she slightly lifted up to flash a glimpse of her growing baby bump, the pro dancer excitedly penned, 'After 2 years of constant struggle and heartache, 3 miscarriages and a failed embryo transferwe have a healthy bun in the oven :))'

'It was a shock to all of us and we found out right before I was going in for my second round of IVF. I want to thank ALL OF YOU whove been on this fertility journey with me from the beginning,' she added to her supportive fans and followers.

'It feels like Im sharing this news with my extended family. Thank you for sharing your stories and tips to get me through my IVF cycle and thank you for the plethora of encouraging comments and DMs I read them all.'

Peta sweetly concluded with, 'This news has brought extraordinary bliss to our family and we have so much to be grateful for....coming June 2023.'

During an interview with People at the time, she stated that the pregnancy was, 'All natural, it happened,' and revealed that, 'I didn't even know I was pregnant for so long until I was really feeling sick.'

Following performing on Dancing With The Stars and still unable to shake the sickness, she told the outlet that she decided to take a test. 'I think it was the fastest positive I've ever seen in my life.'

Enjoying the getaway: She threw her arms up into the air and happily skipped over towards the camera

Happy announcement: Peta announced that she was expecting baby number two with Maksim, whom she tied the knot with in 2017, earlier this year in January

Happy! 'After 2 years of constant struggle and heartache, 3 miscarriages and a failed embryo transferwe have a healthy bun in the oven :))' she revealed to her followers in January

Since the happy announcement, Peta has kept her fans and followers updated throughout the course of her second pregnancy.

In a clip shared on her Instagram stories on Monday, the star opened up about her health during the getaway. She admitted that when she had woken up in the morning, she felt as if she had been hit 'by a train.'

'I am puffy. My lips feel like they have doubled in size overnight,' she explained, and later added, 'And I realized that I'm already in my third trimester.'

In a caption over the video, she had written out, 'My lips look crazy!!! My fingers are little sausages also!'

Another reel was also uploaded onto her Instagram stories, and Peta flashed her baby bump once again while filming herself in the reflection of a mirror in their hotel room.

'Baby was giving me grief last night and all throughout the day. Head is down now which is amazing,' and added that she feels as though she is being punched and that the baby is 'putting so much pressure down below.'

In the background, her son Shai could be seen watching a program on an iPad and she typed out, 'This guy is my guy forever and ever,' with an arrow pointing down towards the six-year-old.
Russell Crowe made a surprise appearance at WrestleMania over the weekend.

Fans among the audience went wild as the Australian actor, 58, featured in a video ahead of Finn Balor and Adam 'Edge' Copeland's battle inside of Hell in a Cell on Sunday, April 2 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.

In the clip, the Gladiator star set the scene as he preached ahead of the highly anticipated match.

'If you know neither the enemy, nor yourself, you will succumb to every battle,' he began.

'What happens when the battle isn't simply against men, but a force of darkness beyond comprehension?'

Russell Crowe, 58, made a surprise appearance at WrestleMania over the weekend. Fans among the audience went wild as the Australian actor featured in a video ahead of Finn Balor and Adam 'Edge' Copeland's battle inside of Hell in a Cell

In the clip, the Gladiator star set the scene as he preached ahead of the highly anticipated match

Crowe continued: 'A demon will exploit your weaknesses. It will cross lines, it will take what you hold most sacred and inflict unspeakable pain upon a man a man cannot defeat a demon.'

'He must channel a greed and power, die to the flesh and stand face to face with pure evil. He must go to the demons live had his first power to strike him down and exercise the abomination once and for all.

'The ritual is about to begin at WrestleMania!' he cried as Balor and Edge took to the ring.

.@Popes_Exorcist star @RussellCrowe sets the stage as @EdgeRatedR and Demon @FinnBalor prepare to wage war inside of Hell in a Cell at #WrestleMania!



Check out #ThePopesExorcist, exclusively in theaters April 14th. pic.twitter.com/B7QGcRERfS  WWE (@WWE) April 3, 2023

A titanic clash like a Hell in a Cell at WrestleMania saw Edge and Finn Balor bring their A-game from the first moment, and the battle did not disappoint.

Edge had a special entrance paying homage to his days in the popular Brood stable - although The Brood's theme was not used - before reverting back to his Alter Bridge theme to enter the cell.

Balor emerged as The Demon with some awesome, detailed face paint covering his face, chest and back. He crawled the final few steps to the ring before going right after the Rated-R superstar.

A titanic clash saw Edge and Finn Balor bring their A-game from the first moment, and the battle did not disappoint. Carnage started early as Edge hit Balor with a chair to no effect and that opened the door for the Irishman to level the Hall of Famer with a kendo stick

Edge brought out the ladders, a weapon synonymous with his career. Balor was clearly injured at one stage and required treatment from medical professionals - it was believed a head wound was stitched up there and then in the ring

The carnage started early and never relented. Edge hit Balor with a chair to no effect and that opened the door for the Irishman to level the Hall of Famer with a kendo stick.

Edge drop-kicked Balor as the leader of The Judgement Day was pinned into the cage by kendo sticks, but then Balor managed to put the 49-year-old through a table.

An Impaler and Kill Switch were homages to his former Brood stablemates Gangrel and Christian, respectively. But The Demon was relatively unfazed by Edge's onslaught.

But once he was able to resume, he forced Edge to spear himself into a ladder and rolled the former 11-time world champion for a two count

Then, Edge brought out the ladders, a weapon synonymous with his career. Balor was clearly injured at one stage and required treatment from medical professionals - it was believed a head wound was stitched up there and then in the ring.

But once he was able to resume, he forced Edge to spear himself into a ladder and rolled the former 11-time world champion for a two count.

Edge was able to kick out of one Coup de Grace, but the next time Balor went up top, he had Edge on a table and he climbed up the cell. Unfortunately for Balor, Edge moved out the way at the last minute.

Balor endured a Spear moments later and that still couldn't keep The Demon down. The only way he could grab the win was to land a con-chair-to to leave Balor laying motionless.

Nobody flew off the top of the cell, but the barbaric battle inside of it made for a gruelling spectacle.
Russell Crowe has taken a dig at Donald Trump just hours before his arraignment on Tuesday, where he could be facing 30 counts of business fraud.

The Australian actor, 58, was discussing his new film The Pope's Exorcist on Channel Seven's Sunrise when host Natalie Barr asked him whether he'd ever play Trump in a movie.

'Donald Trump is the story of the day. Would you think of playing him in the future? I don't think you've played him yet Russell,' Natalie asked.

The Robin Hood star avoided answering the question and looked down at his watch.

'I've got lots and lots of things to do,' Russell jokingly responded.

Russell Crowe, 58, (pictured) took a dig at Donald Trump and said he would never play him in a movie during a interview on Tuesday

It comes after Trump landed in New York ahead of his historic arraignment in the Stormy Daniels hush money case on Tuesday.

It will make Trump the first former U.S. president to face criminal charges when he is arraigned, fingerprinted and photographed at the downtown Manhattan courthouse.

His lawyers have said he will enter a plea of not guilty and his legal team is preparing to add a constitutional expert amid fears that the judge in the case will impose a gag order.

His legal team also issued a plea to the judge to ban cameras from the courtroom and hired top defence attorney Todd Blanche to boost their defence.

The charges against Trump remain sealed, but it is believed they stem from an investigation into $130,000 hush money paid to adult movie star Stormy Daniels.

The Australian actor was discussing his new film The Pope's Exorcist on Channel Seven's Sunrise when host Natalie Barr (far left) asked him whether he'd ever play Trump in a movie. The Robin Hood star avoided answering the question and looked down at his watch

'I will be leaving Mar-a-Lago on Monday at 12 noon, heading to Trump Tower in New York,' the former president posted on Sunday night.

'On Tuesday morning I will be going to, believe it or not, the Courthouse. America was not supposed to be this way!'

Court officials say he is due to arraigned at 2:15pm on Tuesday.

He is then expected to return to his Mar-a-Lago home where he plans to make a speech in the evening.
Paris Hilton shared a number of heart-melting snaps of her newborn son Phoenix to Instagram on Monday.

The socialite, 42, appeared to be fully enjoying motherhood as she snuggled up to her three-month old baby boy in the elegant black and white photos.

'My whole heart,' she wrote in the caption, adding a heart-eye emoji and a blue heart emoji, followed by the '#MommyMonday' hashtag.

In the first snap, the Simple Life star looked stunning as ever, wearing a black slip dress as she tenderly held the little one - whose full name is Phoenix Barron Hilton Reum - in her arms.

Paris welcomed her first child with husband Carter Reum, 42, in January of this year, via a surrogate.

Mommy Paris: Paris Hilton shared a number of heart-melting snaps of her newborn son Phoenix to Instagram on Monday

Though she's a busy mom-of-one now, the stylish star wore picture-perfect glam and had her blonde tresses styled to perfection.

Paris - who recently said she 'can't wait' to have 'a couple' more children - accessorized with two diamond stud earrings and showed off her huge sparkling engagement ring.

Another photo saw the DJ cozy up to the little one as he was laying down, wearing a little white onesie and hat.

Paris - who's been busy promoting her new book Paris: The Memoir - matched her baby boy in a white cashmere sweater.

The new mom couldn't get enough of her bundle of joy, sweetly gazing at him in yet another photo.

Amid the perfectly-styled images there was also one of her with her eyes closed, as she enjoyed the blissful moment of cradling Phoenix in her arms.

Her 23.2M followers were delighted by the adorable carousel of baby snaps, with sister Nicky Hilton Rothschild, 39, commenting three pink-heart emojis.

Another person wrote, 'i can already tell that you're an amazing mum!!  phoenix is so lucky to have you as a mother,' to which Paris replied with three blue-heart emojis.

Baby snuggles: The socialite, 42, appeared to be fully enjoying motherhood as she snuggled up to her three-month old baby boy in the elegant black and white photos

Her love: 'My whole heart,' she wrote in the caption, adding a heart-eye emoji and a blue heart emoji, followed by the '#MommyMonday' hashtag

Baby boy: Paris welcomed her first child with husband Carter Reum, 42, in January of this year, via a surrogate

Secret: Paris and Carter kept the birth of their son a secret from both of their immediate families, until Paris was on the verge of breaking the news on Instagram; Pictured March 14

Interesting: She recently shared that Phoenix was 'like over a week old' before she told mother Kathy Hilton (center) and sister Nicky Rothschild (right) about his birth; seen in 2021

The praising comments continued, with another fan adding, 'from queen to queen mother.'

Another fan pointed out Paris' incredible engagement ring, writing, 'The ring might be heavier than the baby.'

And though she has her hands full as a businesswoman, mom, and wife, Paris took to her Instagram Stories to share that she's continuing to work on her passion projects.

The blonde beauty shared two clips from her music studio, where she appeared to be working on new tunes.

She was more dressed-down for the occasion, sporting a grey t-shirt, white-rim sunglasses and a black bucket hat.

'Back in the studio,' she captioned one of the clips, which showed a microphone and a number of musical instruments.

Paris and Carter - who wed in November 2021 after more than two years of dating - kept the birth of their son a secret from both of their immediate families, until Paris was on the verge of breaking the news on Instagram.

'My entire life has been so public,' she recently told Harper's Bazaar. 'Ive never had anything for myself. We decided that we wanted to have this whole experience to ourselves.'

Busy: And though she has her hands full as a businesswoman, mom and wife, Paris took to her Instagram Stories to share that she's continuing to work on her passion projects

New tunes? 'Back in the studio,' she captioned one of the clips, which showed a microphone and a number of musical instruments

She said of her son: 'I want to protect him and to be with him every second. You have this mother instinct that kicks in, which I've never had before.'

While the surrogate was in labor, Paris was so determined to protect her privacy that she even went to the trouble of disguising herself with a brunette wig and checking into the hospital under an alias.

On a recent episode of her podcast This Is Paris, she spilled that Phoenix was 'like over a week old' before she told mother Kathy Hilton and sister Nicky about his birth.

While this is her first child, Reum was revealed to have had a 'secret' daughter, named Evie, 10, with ex Laura Bellizzi, and has allegedly not seen her since she was an infant.
Charlotte Crosby found herself at the centre of cruel mum-shaming after revealing she started weaning her daughter at four months.

The former Geordie Shore star, 32, who welcomed her first child with boyfriend Jake Ankers in October last year, said her baby is already enjoying some solid food.

It is recommended parents introduce solid from six months onwards alongside breast milk or formula.

Former Celebrity Big Brother housemate Charlotte was asked about her decision to feed daughter Alba some solid foods this week during an Instagram Q&A.

She responded: 'So a number of reasons but the main one being that I was so excited to give it a try so when I saw that Ellas pouches have suitable from four months, I dived straight in. My mam also said we should.

Harsh: Charlotte Crosby, 32, found herself at the centre of cruel mum-shaming after revealing she started weaning her daughter at four months

Happy parents: The former Geordie Shore star, who welcomed her first child with boyfriend Jake Ankers (pictured) in October last year, said her baby is already enjoying some solid food

'We started Alba around 4.5 months. Theres lots of foods that should be totally avoided before six months so we just made sure we stayed clear from them ones.

'And off we went into the wonderful world of messiness.'

Along with her answer, Charlotte shared a cute picture of Alba with her face covered in food.

She added: 'After a month and a bit I started giving her things to hold and eat herself like banana, avocado, toast, carrots, yorky pud.

'Because shes done over a month now of getting used to different tastes and thicker consistencies and swallowing them I feel much more confident when shes having more solidly baby led things.'

Some of her fans called Charlotte's decision into question, with one person commenting: 'Why are people like Charlotte so eager to put their children at risk.

'It's really not hard to do research to see the risks of early weaning.

'God knows what else she is probably doing that isn't recommended.'

Speaking out: Former Celebrity Big Brother housemate Charlotte was asked about her decision to feed daughter Alba some solid foods this week during an Instagram Q&

Someone else remarked: 'They all rush weaning and its just so odd? Whats the big deal waiting for two months?'

And someone else wrote: 'Anything before four months should only be done on advice from health care professionals.

'It's recommended six months for a reason but people like Charlotte always think they know better than professionals.'

Last month, Charlotte spoke out about being a mother, describing it as 'the best job I have ever had'.

She appeared on Channel 4's Steph's Packed Lunch, cradling four-month-old daughter Alba in her arms.

Charlotte gushed: 'I absolutely love it. This is by far the best job I have ever had in my whole entire life. Honestly, there's no feeling like it.'

The star said she gets more sleep as a parent than she did before, adding: 'I've got a baby that loves to sleep.'

Candid: Last month, Charlotte spoke out about being a mother, describing it as 'the best job I have ever had'

Elsewhere, Charlotte discussed her mother Letitia's battle with breast cancer after she was diagnosed last year after a routine mammogram.

The media personality previously told how Letitia had no symptoms or lumps and admitted she refused to believe her mother's diagnosis at first.

Charlotte said: 'She's finished all of her treatment and she's doing really, really well. She has to get her two jabs still and I think that's for about five years.

She added: 'We're just waiting on one more mammogram and if that's all clear she can ring the bell.'
Rachel Weisz was a stunner in red as she arrived for the premiere of her new Amazon Prime series Dead Ringers on Monday night in New York.

The British actress, 53, showed off her flawless figure in a full-length halter gown while posing for photos at the Metrograph theater.

The beauty styled her long raven locks back from her face and falling sleekly down her back.

Weisz, who is married to James Bond star Daniel Craig, kept her makeup light with just a touch of mascara, blush and lip color.

The six-episode Dead Ringers is a gender-swapped adaptation of director David Cronenberg's 1988 psychological thriller of the same name, which starred Jeremy Irons as twin gynecologists operating an infertility clinic.

Weisz has revealed she was 'obsessed' with the original movie and that it was she who brought the idea of a female-led remake to Amazon.

Stunner: Rachel Weisz showed off her flawless figure in a full-length red halter gown as she arrived at the premiere of her Amazon Prime series Dead Ringers on Monday night in New York

Natural beauty: The British actress, 53, who is married to James Bond star Daniel Craig, styled her long raven locks back from her face and falling sleekly down her back

Her project: Weisz serves as a producer on the Dead Ringers miniseries which is a female-led remake of director David Cronenberg's 1988 psychological thriller of the same name

Weisz has revealed she was 'obsessed' with the original movie and that it was she who brought the idea of a female-led remake to Amazon.

Joining Weisz on the red carpet were co-stars Emily Meade, Poppy Liu, Britne Oldford, Jennifer Ehle and Kitty Hawthorne along with series creator Alice Birch.

Meade, 34, looked stylish in a black dress with three-quarter sleeves and gold buttons on the bodice.

She wore her hair in an elegant updo and added a splash of color with scarlet lipstick.

Elegant: Emily Meade, 34, looked stylish in a black dress with three-quarter sleeves and gold buttons on the bodice

Pretty: She wore her hair in an elegant updo and added a splash of color with scarlet lipstick

Creatives: Weisz revealed she was 'obsessed' with the original movie and that it was she who brought the idea of a female-led remake to Amazon. She's seen with series creator Alice Birch

Amazon first announced the project in August 2020, giving it a straight-to-series order, with production beginning in August 2021.

Set in New York, Weisz plays both Elliot and Beverly Mantle, twins who share everything: drugs, lovers and an unapologetic desire to do whatever it takes.

They team up to push the boundaries of medical ethics -in an effort to challenge antiquated practices and bring women's health care to the forefront.

The key to the plot is the relationship between them, she explained.

She said: 'Beverly is altruistic, thoughtful, careful, and kind. She wants to change the way women give birth.

'Elliot is very, very different. She's not altruistic and she's pushing the boundaries of what's ethical.'

Cast photo: Joining Weisz and Meade were Poppy Liu, series creator Alice Birch, Britne Oldford, Jennifer Ehle and Kitty Hawthorne

Dead Ringers is co-produced by Amazon Studios and Annapurna Television, with series creator Alice Birch serving as the series showrunner and executive producer.

The original David Cronenberg film was adapted from the 1977 novel Twins by Bari Wood and Jack Geasland, which was loosely based on the true story of twin gynecologists Stewart and Cyril Marcus.

They were both found dead in July 1975 in separate rooms of Cyril's Manhattan apartment at just 45 years of age, with Stewart dying of a barbiturate overdose and Cyril suspected of possibly taking his own life in a suicide pact after finding his brother dead.

Origina: The 1988 movie on which the Amazon Prime series is based starred Jeremy Irons as twin gynecologists, pictured here with co-star Genevieve Bujold in a scene from the film
Married At First Sight brides Evelyn Ellis and Melinda Willis formed a close friendship during their time on the show.

And the two gal pals appear to be going into business together as they were recently seen leaving an important meeting in Sydney.

In exclusive photos taken by Daily Mail Australia, the reality co-stars were beaming as they walked out of a high-rise building in the city's CBD arm-in-arm.

The pair dressed in near-matching outfits for the occasion.

Evelyn, 27, went braless in a grey crop top teamed with white jeans tucked into a pair of snakeskin boots.

Married At First Sight's 'hottest bride ever' Evelyn Ellis went braless as she and co-star Melinda Willis headed to a business meeting wearing matching outfits recently

She layered her look with a long white coat and accessorised with a black Chanel handbag.

She styled her long brunette tresses in loose curls and sported a statement gold necklace that featured her name.

Meanwhile, Melinda, 32, mirrored Evelyn's look - wearing a grey coat with a pair of cream pants.

The beauty CEO wore a blue corset top underneath and accessorised with brown heels and statement gold hoop earrings.

In exclusive photos taken by Daily Mail Australia, the reality co-stars were beaming as they walked out of a high-rise building in the city's CBD arm-in-arm

The pair dressed in near-matching outfits for the occasion

Evelyn, 27, went braless in a grey crop top teamed with white jeans tucked into a pair of snakeskin boots

The blonde bombshell also chose to style her hair in loose wave and carried a Louis Vuitton clutch.

Melinda and Evelyn looked very pleased with themselves as they left their business meeting.

The pair walked arm-in-arm to keep warm as they walked across the road and down the street.

Meanwhile, Melinda, 32, mirrored Evelyn's look - wearing a grey coat with a pair of cream pants

Evelyn looked every inch the fashion icon as she went braless in a grey racerback tank top

Beauty CEO Melinda stood out in a blue corset top and paired her outfit with brown heels and statement gold hoop earrings

While Melinda's relationship with her TV husband Layton Mills is still going strong, Evelyn was forced to address romance rumours about her and fellow co-star Duncan James.

According to Josh Fox, a producer on The Kyle and Jackie O Show, the brunette beauty says the pair are just friends.

Speaking on KIIS FM on Monday, Evelyn told Josh, 'We're just friends. It was nice to go out and have some fun.'

While Melinda's relationship with her TV husband Layton Mills is still going strong, Evelyn was forced to address romance rumours about her and fellow co-star Duncan James

According to a producer on The Kyle and Jackie O Show, the brunette beauty says the pair are just friends

Speaking on KIIS FM on Monday, Evelyn told the producer, 'We're just friends. It was nice to go out and have some fun''

Josh went on the reveal Evelyn said she didn't know what might happen between the pair in the future - and wasn't ruling out a post-show romance.

'As of right now they haven't explored any connection,' he added.

It comes as a steamy clip of the pair hit the headlines after they were caught dirty dancing with each other at a Sydney nightclub.

Photos obtained by Yahoo Lifestyle show the pair grinding up against each other on the crowded dance floor, making no effort to hide their affections.

Evelyn said she didn't know what might happen between her and Duncan in the future - and wasn't ruling out a post-show romance

Duncan, 36, stripped off his shirt and flaunted his muscled physique, while Evelyn showcased her busty assets and slender physique in a plunging blue bodysuit.

On several occasions, Duncan lifted Evelyn into the air while clutching onto her derriere.

In response, the brunette provocatively wrapped her legs around Duncan's torso and pulled him close.
She may have a colourful sex life, but Abbie Chatfield has admitted she's feeling 'really lonely at the moment'.

On Monday, the former Bachelor star, 27, said the only people she talks to are those she has 'phone sex' with.

Abbie, who split from Konrad Bien-Stephen last year after an open relationship, added that she feels like a 'weirdo freak' because of her circumstances.

She explained she's either been offered to take part in group sex or has to decide whether to abstain from sex all together, but 'just wants something in between'.

'I don't know who I can call about this because the only people I talk to regularly are people I have phone sex with,' Abbie said in an Instagram post.

Abbie Chatfield has admitted she's feeling 'really lonely at the moment' as she opened up about her dating life. Speaking on her It's a Lot Podcast, the former Bachelor star, 27, said the only people she talks to are those she has 'phone sex' with

'I just feel like there's a new sexual awakening happening... I think I've had my brain chemistry altered by phone sex. I'm not getting touched at all. An orgy is a lot of admin.'

She added: 'Sometimes I think it would be nice to f**k someone new. I feel like my options right now either are starving or four zinger boxes.

'I have no socialisation and I'm really, really lonely at the moment and I feel like a weirdo freak.'

She added in her post about her podcast that she's either been offered to take part in group sex or has to decide whether to abstain from sex all together, but 'just wants something in between'

Underneath, her friend Chrissie Swan said: 'Call me, Chook'

She wrote in her caption: 'I talk about why I'm not feeling so great atm and also having to choose between no sex at all or group sex LMAO I JUST WANT SOMETHING IN BETWEEN!!'

'PS if you're my friend IRL it isn't that I didn't feel u weren't there for me it's more that I feel like I go missing for months with work and then come back with nothing but complaints LOL love u.'

Underneath, her friend Chrissie Swan said: 'Call me, Chook.'

'Sometimes I think it would be nice to f**k someone knew. I feel like my options right now either are starving or four zinger boxes,' she said

Abbie and ex Bachelor star Konrad Bien-Stephen split last year, after having an open relationship (pictured together)

Abbie and ex Bachelor star Konrad split last year after enjoying an open relationship.

Konrad was last seen on The Challenge Australia where he hooked-up with Megan Marx, who is also a Bachelor franchise alum.

He confirmed he had broken up with Abbie before arriving in Buenos Aires to film the show in September.

'Abbie and I had broken up a month before going in the house [to film] so I was very much single,' Konrad said of their relationship.

'I wasn't going in there looking for love or for any type of relationship or anything. That wasn't my mindset going in,' he added.

He went Instagram official with his new musician girlfriend Thelma Plum on New Year's Eve.
He has been recovering from a surgery to repair his finger.

And Travis Barker looked in good spirits as he stepped out for lunch at the Calabasas restaurant Crossroads on Monday.

The Blink-182 drummer, 47, appeared to still be rocking a splint on his injured finger as he emerged from the restaurant with his pals in tow.

He wore a graphic print T-shirt, edgy trousers, black sneakers, and a pair of black sunglasses over his eyes.

As the trio stepped out into the sunshine, Travis exchanged hugs with his pals before they went their separate ways.

Lunch break! Travis Barker looked in good spirits as he stepped out for lunch at the Calabasas restaurant Crossroads on Monday

The splint Travis was sporting today appeared to be a smaller version of the one he has been seen wearing lately, which typically wraps around his entire wrist.

Last month Travis revealed he had undergone a surgery to fix a torn ligament in his ring finger, and he praised his doctor for the successful procedure.

'Thank you for all the love and prayers and understanding this week as I went into surgery. It was a hard decision to make but ultimately I couldnt continue to play the drums without it. It was inevitable that my finger would have dislocated again without fixing the torn ligament surgically.

'So grateful for Dr. Shin and that my surgery was a success so that I can keep doing what I love and see you guys on tour soon.'

In terms of his personal life, Travis will soon be celebrating his first wedding anniversary with wife Kourtney Kardashian.

After getting 'hitched' in Las Vegas without a license, the couple made things official with a ceremony at the historic Santa Barbara courthouse followed by a more lavish affair in Portofino, Italy.

The couple exchanged vows in front of friends and family in a star-studded soiree in Italy on May 22, 2022.

Earlier this month, Kourtney marked the one year anniversary of kicking off her wedding dress design process.

Recovering: The Blink-182 drummer, 47, appeared to still be rocking a splint on his injured finger as he emerged from the restaurant with his pals in tow

Loved-up! In terms of his personal life, Travis will soon be celebrating his first wedding anniversary with wife Kourtney Kardashian

Kourtney shared photos of her gorgeous mini dress with elaborate Virgin Mary veil, along with sketches of the frock and snaps of her in the final product.

'One year ago, we had our first in-person meeting with @dolcegabbana to start the design process of my wedding dress!!' she posted on Instagram. 'The first inspiration for my dress was when Travis and I were watching Guns N Roses November Rain video one night before we were even engaged, and we said to each other "this has to be our wedding."

'She was wearing a short dress and I thought to myself "I need a short dress!" I had more visions inspired by some 1990s campaigns of Monica Bellucci shot by Helmut Newton for Blumarine.

'When we knew our wedding was going to be in Portofino, it also influenced the vibes and feeling of the dress. I also just wanted to feel like we ran off to Italy and got married and wanted the dress and wedding to feel that way!

'When @dolcegabbana suggested putting Traviss head tattoo of the Virgin Mary on the handmade lace veil with the words from his tattoo: family, loyalty, respect underneath, I got chills and knew how special that felt. (And my little mini veil I wore to dinner ).

'This was all planned and made into my dream come true all so so quickly and Im so grateful to everyone who put their all into making it all happen!'

All good! Barker embraced his pals before going their separate ways
Good Morning Britain's Laura Tobin has informed viewers they'll be seeing less of her in the coming days.

The broadcast meteorologist, 41, took to her Instagram Stories on Monday to reveal her plans to her followers.

She said she'd be spending time with her loved ones and therefore would not be appearing on television.

Laura wrote: 'I'm on leave for the first week of the Easter holidays and spending time with the family, mostly enjoying the sun and eating chocolate.'

Adding that she will likely be steering clear of social media, she added: 'So I probably won't post that much.'

Off air: Good Morning Britain's Laura Tobin, 41, has informed viewers they'll be seeing less of her in the coming days

'Have a lovely easter and see you @gmb a week on Wednesday,' she concluded.

Laura is married to Dean Brown, who she wed in 2010, and they share daughter Charlotte, five, together.

It comes after Laura Tobin said she doesn't consider herself to be 'sexy' and insisted she has a 'girl next door image'.

The presenter, who has a stylist for her appearances on the ITV programme, always looks stylish in figure-hugging dresses and miniskirts.

Speaking to The Sun about being a sex symbol, Laura laughed: 'I'm definitely not sexy - I would like to think I look nice and presentable and smart.

'I don't think sexy would be a word I would use to describe myself. I don't think I'm a glam icon - but I feel I'm the girl next door...like 'she looks cute'.

She added that she enjoys 'mixing up her outfits' each day to surprise viewers.

It comes after Laura suffered an embarrassing wardrobe malfunction whilst live on GMB.

Looking forward: The broadcast meteorologist took to her Instagram Stories on Monday to reveal her plans to her followers

Taking a break: She said she'd be spending time with her loved ones and therefore would not be appearing on television

She started the show with a segment about the Daffodil display at Hever Castle, in Kent.

But as the camera panned round to her, she realised she had left a pink roller in her hair and scrambled to take it out.

Embarrassed by the unfortunate gaffe, she said: 'Oops I just realised I've got my roller in... take that out'.

As if nothing had happened, Laura then recollected herself and continued with her take on the special display.
Kate Ritchie and her new Nova co-host Michael 'Wippa' Wipfli reportedly have a frosty relationship after it was revealed the former Home and Away star is only working two hours a day on their breakfast show.

According to Woman's Day, the pair weren't getting along at a Married At First Sight reunion event in Sydney last month.

The magazine claims Wippa and co-host Ryan 'Fitzy' Fitzgerald are not impressed about Ritchie's reduced working hours.

The actress is on air from 7am to 9am while Fitzy and Wippa start at 6am.

While Ritchie isn't the first breakfast radio host to work a reduced schedule, her later start and ten-hour work week has also raised eyebrows among radio insiders.

Kate Ritchie and her new Nova co-host Michael 'Wippa' Wipfli reportedly have a frosty relationship after it was revealed the former Home and Away star is only working two hours a day on their breakfast show.

Industry professionals on the Media Spy forums called the move 'ridiculous' after Fitzy and Wippa's long-serving co-anchor Sarah McGilvray, who worked standard breakfast radio hours, was pushed out to make way for Ritchie.

A Nova representative said Ritchie starting at 7am instead of 6am reflects the 'different audience' for the first hour of breakfast radio - a demographic of early starters, including tradies, known in the industry as 'six o'clockers'.

'The 6am to 7am hour has a very different audience and feel, and Fitzy & Wippa's 6am club is very popular with their loyal listeners who are early risers,' the spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia.

'The addition of a new high-profile voice from 7am to 9am is nothing new to radio and has been extremely successful with Mick Molloy and Sam Pang great examples of the popularity of this approach, and Nova 919's own Jodie & Haysey starting at 7am after Ben, Liam & Belle in Adelaide.

'We plan to deliver everything that Fitzy & Wippa's audience have loved about the show over the past 12 years with the addition of something new with Kate joining the team each morning.'

The magazine claims Wippa and co-host Ryan 'Fitzy' Fitzgerald are not impressed about Ritchie's reduced working hours. The actress is on air from 7am to 9am while Fitzy and Wippa start at 6am

According to Woman's Day , the pair weren't getting along at a Married At First Sight reunion event in Sydney last month

McGilvray spent 12 years working for the Nova 96.9 breakfast show, eight of those in front of the microphone, before being pushed out to make way for Ritchie, who was drafted in from the network's national drive show.

Co-hosts Fitzgerald and Wipfli paid tribute to their long-time colleague last month - their first day on air with Ritchie as a presenter.

While they were no doubt being sincere in wishing their mate well, one remark came across as painfully awkward in light of the circumstances of McGilvray's exit.

Wipfli urged McGilvray to 'stay in the radio game', which felt like a hollow gesture given the fact she was pushed out of her job by Nova management.

'Guys, we wanted to have a chat here because with the announcement on Friday that we made about the show, the excitement of Kate Ritchie joining, it's clear that Sarah, who has worked with us for the past ten years, has left the show,' Wipfli began.

'So we wanted to say a couple of words just to acknowledge that and also thank Sez. She has been a huge part of the show for the past ten years, and as a colleague and a friend even more, we want to say that we love her to pieces and she's given everything to this show.

'We hope she stays in the radio game.'

Fitzgerald went on to say McGilvray had started as a producer before stepping in front of the microphone and helping create some 'amazing moments' on the show.

He recounted his 'favourite Sar moment' when the Fitzy and Wippa team was in LA on a work trip and they saw Leonardo DiCaprio having a cigarette 'round the back of their hotel' and McGilvray tried - and failed - to get a photo with him.

'We talk about it to this day. Those memories will stick with me forever, Sarah. I love you to death,' he added.

Wipfli concluded: 'So we say thank you, Sez. We know you're great at the radio game. We hope you stick with it, and we wish you all the best.'

Nova confirmed in a statement that Ritchie would be joining Fitzgerald and Wipfli on their Sydney breakfast show from March 13.

'I am so excited to be joining Fitzy and Wippa in the very competitive breakfast slot,' Ritchie said.

'I'm a huge fan of the show and Ive been great mates with the boys for years. The past eight years on drive has been an important part of my life but I'm thrilled to take on this new challenge by returning to breakfast radio in my hometown.

While Ritchie isn't the first breakfast radio host to work a reduced schedule, her later start and ten-hour work week has also raised eyebrows among radio insiders

'I can't wait to wake up Sydneysiders beside two of the industry's much-loved breakfast announcers.'

Fitzgerald and Wipfli added: 'We've been annoying Kate around the office for over ten years; now we get to do it every morning.

'We are excited for our audience to hear how funny Kate thinks we are. Nova listeners have always loved Kate and now she'll be served up every weekday. Please enjoy your breakfast.'

The announcement came a day after Ricki-Lee Coulter was confirmed as Ritchie's replacement on the Kate, Tim and Joel national drive show.

Ritchie had been absent from the afternoon slot for months, during which time she entered a rehab facility for alcohol dependency.
Acclaimed British chef Jamie Oliver has been announced as a new judge on MasterChef Australia.

The TV star and restauranteur, 47, will join judges Andy Allen, Melissa Leong and Jock Zonfrillo for the new season called MasterChef: Secrets and Surprises.

The news was revealed on MasterChef Australia's official page on Tuesday and immediately sent fans into a frenzy.

'Jamie Oliver is the first big surprise, kicking off this season with Secrets & Surprises of his own,' the post read.

According to Ten, Jamie will be a 'guest judge' this season, which begins on May 1.

Acclaimed British chef Jamie Oliver has been announced as a new judge on MasterChef Australia. The TV star and restauranteur, 47, will join judges Andy Allen, Melissa Leong and Jock Zonfrillo for the new season called MasterChef: Secrets and Surprises

'I am so, so bloody excited,' one fan said.

'One of my favourite chefs,' another added.

'I'm very, very excited to be back in the MasterChef Australia kitchen, and honoured to be kicking off the new season of Secrets & Surprises alongside Jock, Andy and Mel,' Jamie said in a statement.

According to Channel 10, Jamie will be a 'guest judge' this season, which begins on May 1. In a fun teaser clip of his upcoming appearance on the show, Jamie is introduced to the contestants who interrupt into cheers and applause for the superstar chef as he walks on set

'I am so, so bloody excited,' one fan commented underneath the announcement post. 'One of my favourite chefs,' another said

He added: 'I want to give the contestants some little nuggets of advice, some techniques and some thoughts most importantly, that might help them to navigate some of the big moments ahead.'

In a fun teaser clip of his upcoming appearance on the show, Jamie is introduced to the contestants who interrupt into cheers and applause for the superstar chef as he walks on set.

'I can't stop shaking!' one contestant says.

'Even I'm shaking,' Jamie adds.

It cuts to Jamie in his chef whites speaking about one of his favourite dishes during a challenge.

Jamie has previously appeared on the show back in 2012

'This is a dish that changed my life,' he says as one contestant starts crying.

'Don't start or you'll get me going!' he says.

Jamie has previously appeared on the show back in 2012.

He is known for his love of British and Italian cuisine, his cooking show and cook books.

The chef, who hails from Essex, reportedly has a net worth over 240million.

MasterChef Australia Premieres 7.30 Monday, May 1 on 10 and 10 Play
Kate Ferdinand gave fans a glimpse into her pregnancy as she took to Instagram on Monday, while admitting she struggled with body image when she was expecting for the first time.

The former TOWIE star, 31, shared an adorable snap of her son Cree, two, planting a kiss on her baby bump as she wore navy pyjamas.

In the accompanying caption, Kate admitted she 'put so much pressure' on herself while she was pregnant with Cree and felt 'really worried about [her] growing and changing body'.

Kate, who is expecting a baby girl with her husband Rio, 44, looked stunning as she cradled her stomach in another selfie.

In her caption, she wrote: 'Let's talk pregnancies. I was scrolling through my phone for pictures of this pregnancy & these ones sum it up, work, chill & family time.

Aw! Kate Ferdinand gave fans a glimpse into her current pregnancy as she took to Instagram on Monday, posting an adorable snap of son Cree, two, kissing her bump

Glowing: Kate, who is currently expecting a girl with her husband Rio, 44, looked stunning as she cradled her stomach in another selfie

'I only realise now looking back that during my pregnancy with Cree, I put so much pressure on myself for everything to be 'perfect'. I was really worried about my changing & growing body & just didn't embrace my pregnancy at all like this one.

'I've really learnt to listen to my body & found the strength to say no to things that are going to be too much. My priorities are my health, family & work  & rather than try to please everyone, if it feels too much, I just say no.

'The same with exercise, you all know I love to workout but if my body is giving me signs to slow down I just do, I really am embracing the slow days where possible & taking the pressure off myself is maybe one of the best things I've ever done. My baby girl is teaching me so much already and I love it.

'Have any other mums felt different after their first pregnancy? I've looked on the @peanut app to read stories from other mums and it's helped me realise I'm not the only one.

'The app is a safe space to meet other mums, chat, ask questions and share advice. It's so refreshing to be part of a community where everyone shares the reality of motherhood, and not just the best bits.

'If you're trying for a baby, pregnant or a new mum, I can't recommend @peanut enough! #peanutapp.'

Kate recently revealed the fears that prevented her from enjoying her first pregnancy.

Speaking on her Blended podcast, Kate compared her two pregnancies: 'When I was pregnant with Cree, I was more, I didn't want my body to get big, I was like 'oh my god I'm going to be fat' or 'I'm not doing this...

Cosy: In another snap Kate cuddled up to her son on the sofa

Puppy love: She also tucked her dog into her coat

Out and about: Kate held hands with her little boy on a family outing

'Then all of a sudden I felt this gratefulness that I'm actually growing a human now and none of that matters.

'It's made me be able to actually, I never thought I'd say this... but enjoy my pregnancy more.'

On Friday, Kate revealed her son Cree was rushed into surgery after he suffered a 'freak accident'.

Kate said she was 'a complete emotional wreck' after the toddler, two, broke a bone in his finger and needed surgery to fix the injury.

Sharing a photo of Cree's bandaged hand from the hospital, she apologised to her fans for the 'radio silence' and explained what had happened.

'Sorry for the radio silence, my poor baby had a freak accident on Tuesday & ended up breaking a bone in his finger and then need nail bed surgery,' she wrote.

Kate continued: 'I'm a complete emotional wreck mumma right now.'

The TV personality is stepmother to Rio's three children Lorenz, 15, Tate, 13, and Tia, 11 - whose mother Rebecca sadly died after a battle with cancer in 2015 - and the couple have Cree together.
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Ariana Madix was seen returning home for the first time since her ex Tom Sandoval invited their Vanderpump Rules costar Raquel Leviss over for a visit while she was away shooting her new film, Buying Back My Daughter.

As she exited the driver's seat of her white sedan on Monday rocking a pair of oversized black shades, a noticeable hickey could be seen on her neck, indicating that she may be moving on from her breakup faster than expected.

The reality star, 37, did not appear to make any effort to hide the passion-induced bruise, considering she opted to wear her platinum blonde locks in a high ponytail.

For her laid-back outing, the TV personality, who carried a pastry from Starbucks, sported a baggy grey sweatshirt, black pants and a comfortable pair of sneakers.

Despite speculation that Leviss, 28, had spent the night with Sandoval, 39, last week, his representative clarified to TMZ that she merely stopped by his house to say good-bye before his flight.

Moving on: Ariana Madix was seen returning home for the first time since her ex Tom Sandoval invited their Vanderpump Rules costar Raquel Leviss over for a visit after shooting her upcoming film, called Buying Back My Daughter

Love bites! As she exited the driver's seat of her white sedan on Monday rocking a pair of oversized black shades, a noticeable hickey could be seen on her neck, indicating that she may be moving on from her breakup faster than expected

Having fun: The reality star, 37, did not appear to make any effort to hide the passion-induced bruise, considering she opted to wear her platinum blonde locks in a high ponytail

'Raquel did not spend the night at Tom and Arianas house. She stopped by the house Wednesday afternoon for about a half hour to say goodbye to Tom before he left town,' the TomTom owner told the outlet on Thursday.

Sandoval was traveling to his hometown of St. Louis on his own as Madix shot her upcoming Lifetime movie in Washington, alongside Meagan Good, Roger Cross and Faith Wright.

The former couple are still living in the five bedroom, home with five-and-a-half baths, which they paid $2.075 million for in 2019, according to TMZ.

It has been a tumultuous few weeks for the Vanderpump Rules cast ever since Sandoval and Leviss' months-long affair was revealed, leading to the end of Sandoval's nine-year long relationship with Madix.

The drama also resulted in a restraining order filed by Leviss against co-star Scheana Shay, alleging Shay punched her after learning of the affair.

However, the temporary restraining order was dismissed by a judge after Raquel failed to appear in court on Wednesday.

Scheana, 37, was at the court but did not have the opportunity to speak on her own behalf since the order was dismissed.

TMZ's cameraman asked Scheana why she thinks Raquel dropped the restraining order, to which Scheana said: 'Well she didn't drop it which is why we had to come here today. With this type of restraining orders, there's no way to dismiss a case. That's why we had to show up. But her absence today further proves that this was all a PR stunt from the beginning. And to just deflect from the affair. Save face and abuse the court system.'

She added: 'There's people out there who actually need this... there are real victims of domestic violence. There's amazing organizations such as Futures Without Violence, LifeWire, who help people who really need this. The abusive process...'

Casual: For her laid-back outing, the TV personality, who carried a pastry from Starbucks, sported a baggy grey sweatshirt, black pants and a comfortable pair of sneakers

Still sneaking around? Despite speculation that Leviss, 28, had spent the night with Sandoval, 39, last week, his representative clarified to TMZ that she merely stopped by his house to say good-bye before his flight

Chaotic: It has been a tumultuous few weeks for the Vanderpump Rules cast ever since Sandoval and Leviss' months-long affair was revealed, leading to the end of Sandoval's nine-year long relationship with Madix

Cast at war: The drama also resulted in a restraining order filed by Leviss against co-star Scheana Shay, alleging Shay punched her after learning of the affair

The cameraman asked her if she could ever see herself friends with her again, to which Scheana said: 'Hell no! That's a hard no.'

The outlet's cameraman then asked if she is going to pursue anything against Raquel.

'I'm going to have a meeting with my lawyer this week and we're going to... You're going to have to talk to him about that. And I've very thankful to have Neama [Rahmani] here [pointing at him walking besides her], who have been amazing and have worked so hard to make sure that the truth prevailed and I'm just very, very thankful for this guy. He's been amazing.'

The camera noted it was unfortunate the show Vanderpump Rules will be more popular than ever because of the Tom Sandoval Raquel cheating scandal, to which Scheana agreed.

'It's extremely unfortunate. Ariana [Madix] doesn't deserve what has happened to her. I'm just here to be her support system.'

Last week, Leviss and Sandoval faced the music at a reunion taping where Scheana had to be kept apart from Leviss to comply with the restraining order.

On March 15, she broke her silence after learning of her ex boyfriend's affair as she thanked her friends, family and fans for support over Instagram

Betrayal: Bravo fans were left in shock after learning Tom had been engaging in a months-long affair with Leviss despite being in a long-term relationship; pictured November 2022

A source close to production revealed to TMZ that 'the taping became explosive within two minutes.'

And, that tension 'never let up for the entire five hours of shooting' as the pair were condemned for their affair.

'It was like a nuclear bomb went off in the studio,' the insider spilled, before noting that not one person 'sided with Tom and Raquel.'

In addition to being verbally 'annihilated by everyone' (including host Andy Cohen and Lisa Vanderpump) at the reunion, two cast members reportedly had to be separated to 'prevent an assault and battery.'
Scorsone is mom to daughters Eliza, 10, Paloma, six, and Lucky, three

She's played the role of Dr. Amelia Shepherd on the ABC show since 2010

Grey's Anatomy actress Caterina Scorsone revealed that she and her three young daughters escaped death when her California home was engulfed by flames - killing their four beloved pets.

The Toronto-born actress, 41, took to Instagram Monday detailing the tragic chain of events in which her animals perished, and her family was nearly killed.

The mom-of-three - who has daughters Eliza, 10, Paloma 'Pippa' Michaela, six, (who lives with Down syndrome) and Lucky, three, with ex-husband Rob Giles - shared a series of photos showing the damage of the Poppy Peak Drive residence in Pasadena.

'A couple of months ago my house burned down,' Scorsone said. 'Heartbreakingly, we lost all four of our pets. We are still sitting with that loss, but we are lucky we got to love them at all.'

Devastating: Grey's Anatomy actress Caterina Scorsone has revealed that she and her three young daughters escaped death in a house fire that claimed the lives of their pets

Her home before the blaze: Scorsone last month honored her daughter Paloma 'Pippa' Michaela on World Down Syndrome Day, posting a shot of them together in the same lounge room

Lucky escape: Scorsone managed to evacuate the home with her daughters Eliza, 10, Pippa, six, and Lucky, three, with just moments to spare

Scorsone, who plays the role of Dr. Amelia Shepherd on the ABC series, described how grateful she was to escape her home which is valued at $2,247,900 on Zillow.

'While getting my kids ready for bed and finishing bath time, smoke began to seep up through the grout around the tub,' she said. 'When I looked down the hallway a river of thick black smoke had already formed and was filling the house.'

Scorsone continued: 'One thing about fires: they happen fast. I had about two minutes to get my three kids out of the house, and we escaped with less than shoes on our feet. But we got out. And for that I am eternally grateful.'

Scorsone said: 'Thank you to the parents at my kids school who sent toys and books, my friends at @greysabc and @shondaland who sent clothing and supplies, my sisters who flew in to handle logistics so that I could be with my kids.'

In September last year Scorsone spoke about the love of her daughters on social media

Scorsone thanked parents and her children's schools, friends, colleagues and sisters for her help with the children

The mom-of-three was pictured with daughter Paloma 'Pippa' Michaela, six (who lives with Down syndrome)

The actress was seen with her late dog in a photo she previously posted to the social media site

Scorsone shared a series of images of her pets who perished in the fire

The Canadian actress posted an image of her dog who died in the fire

One of the images showed the Grey's Anatomy actress sharing a moment with her late cat

Caterina was seen holding one of her young ones in her home before the tragic incident in which her pets were killed

Scorsone, who has appeared on 198 episodes of the Shonda Rhimes drama, said that she was heartened by the community response in the wake of the destructive blaze.

'This is not a post about a fire,' she said. 'This is a post about community. This is a love letter to the incredible people that showed up and the incredible ways that they did.

'Thank you to the firefighters and the investigators. Thank you to my neighbor who answered our frantic knocks at her door.'

Scorsone said that she and her family gleaned a valuable life lesson amid the calamitous chain of events.

'What we learned is that the only thing that matters are the people (and beings) that you love,' Scorsone said. 'The only thing that matters is community. We would not be here without it and we are so grateful.'

Scorsone detailed the tragic events as well as her gratitude for those who helped her in the aftermath

A number of Scorsone's colleagues chimed in with words of support amid her emotional reveal

The actress has played the role of Dr. Amelia Shepherd on the ABC show since 2010

She wrapped up the emotional post by saying: 'Here are some photos to honor the space we once called home, to say goodbye to the animals that loved us so well, and to celebrate that we have the only thing we ever really needed: each other.'

A number of Scorsone's colleagues chimed in with words of support amid her emotional reveal.

Her Grey's Anatomy costar Chris Carmack said: 'I hope I never have to deal with anything like this but if I do, I hope I can follow your example of grace under terrible circumstances love to you and the family.'

The show's Jake Borelli told Scorsone: 'You are truly an incredible human and I am sending all the love I have to you and yours.'

Pictures of the home before it was gutted with fire reveal the fireplace intact and chandelier lighting in the main living area - a stark contrast to the pictures posted to Instagram

The sprawling million-dollar property is hidden among a wooded area in Pasadena and boasts breathtaking views of the valley below

The property also has a large swimming pool out the back

The show's Melissa DuPrey said: 'Oh sweet babe. I'm so glad you all are safe. I'm sorry for the losses of your furbabies and the tangible things that hold memories. Grateful you are here and exist so beautifully.'

Actress Emily Hampshire of Schitt's Creek said: 'You are such an incredible human. I'm so sorry you went thru all this but I am so grateful you exist in the world and sending you and your fam all the [love].'

Scorsone last month honored her daughter Pippa on World Down Syndrome Day.

She said: 'Happy World Down syndrome Day 21.3.23 Love is exactly what we are. Exactly as we are. #joyisrebellion,' with a shot of them together.
Executives from Warner Bros. Discovery are currently looking to finalize deals regarding a streaming project based on the Harry Potter book series.

According to Bloomberg, the upcoming show will be taken directly from J.K Rowling's seven fantasy novels, with each season set to center on a single book.

The author, who recently called out an activist who burned her books, is set to retain a level of creative involvement with the upcoming project.

However, she will not serve as the project's showrunner, nor will she be credited as the series' creator.

Various sources spoke to the media outlet and expressed that the franchise's creator is still in early talks with producers regarding her commitment to the project.

In the works: Executives from Warner Bros. Discovery are currently looking to finalize deals regarding an upcoming streaming project based on the Harry Potter series of novels; Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson are seen in 2007's Harry Potter and the Order of The Phoenix

Rowling has been the subject of controversy regarding her views on issues centered on transgender people, and her comments have been criticized by many figures involved with her franchise over the past few years.

When asked for comment, a spokesperson for HBO Max declined to make any public statements.

The first novel in the book series, entitled Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, was released in 1997.

Six further installments in the wildly popular series were later released, and the final novel, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, debuted in 2007.

The Harry Potter film series began with the premiere of its first feature in 2001.

The flick was followed by seven sequels, and the last installment in the hugely successful series debuted in 2011.

A spinoff film series based on Rowling's 2001 novel Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them began with the premiere of its first feature in 2016.

Various video games based on the novels have been released over the years, and the settings and characters of the books have been the inspiration for various theme park attractions.

Big plans: According to Bloomberg , the upcoming show will be directly taken from J.K Rowling's seven fantasy novels, with each season being planned to center on a single book

Staying on: The author is set to retain a level of creative involvement with the upcoming project; she is seen in 2022

Starting off strong: According to Variety, a streaming adaptation of the series entered the early development stage in 2021

According to Variety, a streaming adaptation of the series entered the early development stage in 2021.

The media outlet reported that talks regarding the project had taken place for several years prior to then.

Warner Bros. and HBO Max issued a statement to deny that the series was in development, although several sources suggested otherwise.

The Harry Potter streaming series currently does not have a prospective release date.
She is currently enjoying a family holiday Down Under while her husband Rod Stewart tours Australia.

And Penny Lancaster hit the beach in Sydney again on Monday to lap up the autumn sunshine.

The model-turned-policewoman went braless in a flimsy rust-coloured dress as she stretched out on the sand.

She paired the long frock with a white oversized shirt and a pair of round sunglasses.

The Loose Women star, 52, wore minimal makeup on her face and tied her blonde locks up in a ponytail.

Rod Stewart's wife Penny Lancaster, 52, went braless in a flimsy dress as she hit the beach in Sydney with her two sons during family holiday on Monday

Penny was joined by her two sons Alastair, 18, and Aiden, 12, during the beach day.

The family were later seen catching a ferry where Penny swapped her stylish sunnies for prescription glasses to check some texts on her phone.

She paired the long frock with a white oversized shirt and a pair of round sunglasses

While Rod has been busy serenading his fans across Australia, Penny has been enjoying plenty of sightseeing.

Last week, she shared a sweet snap of herself cuddling up to a koala while visiting The Sydney Zoo at Eastern Creek.

Rod recently revealed Penny will be on duty as a police officer at the King's Coronation concert in May.

Penny applied to become a special constable after taking part in reality TV programme Famous and Fighting Crime where she joined officers on the beat.

During filming, she was at one point confronted by a drug dealer who threatened to stab her.

The Loose Women star, 52, wore minimal makeup on her face and tied her blonde locks up in a ponytail

Penny was joined by her two sons Alastair, 18 (left) and Aiden, 12, during the beach day

The mother-of-two, who married Sir Rod in 2007, said the experience inspired her to become a police officer.

Rod angered fans earlier this month when he cancelled his Geelong show three hours before hitting the stage as he came down with a bout of strep throat.

The star took to his Instagram to apologise for the last minute cancellation, which left fans furious.

'Hello my friends. I'm absolutely downhearted that I'm disappointing my fans who bought tickets to A Day On The Green,' he wrote.

'Late this morning I was advised that I have a viral infection and my throat is too irritated to sing. I'm only human and sometimes get sick just like you do.'

The family were later seen catching a ferry where Penny swapped her stylish sunnies for prescription glasses to check some text messages on her phone

He continued: 'My greatest joy is performing for you, so I'm doing everything I can to get on the mend and back on stage!'

The star rescheduled the anticipated concert at Mt Duneed Estate, which he will perform with Cyndi Lauper and Jon Stevens, for last Friday.

The crooner is currently touring the country with Lauper, 69, and Stevens, 61, and the trio first performed together in Perth on March 11.
Rebel Wilson has found herself at the centre of cruel mum-shaming comments after she posted a photo of herself with her baby girl Royce and fiancee Ramona Agruma.

In the image shared to Instagram, the Australian actress was all smiles as she posed alongside Ramona while holding her daughter in front of her during a family holiday.

However, some fans criticised the Pitch Perfect star for the way she held Royce in the photo.

'Has the nanny not shown her how to hold the baby yet because these look very awkward and I feel badly for that baby,' one person questioned.

'Omg the way she's holding that baby is as if she finds it offensive,' another person criticised.

Rebel Wilson has been 'mum-shamed' for the way she held her baby during family holiday with her fiancee Ramona Agruma

'Needs to learn how to hold that baby properly,' a third person commented. 'Why is she socially distancing her own baby?' another asked.

'OMG look at the way she's holding her... she has no idea,' one person criticised.

However, some fans rushed to Rebel's defence, with one writing: 'Leave the girl alone! Baby is being held securely, she was showing her of to the camera probably, and I respect her choice of not wanting her baby's face all over the media. Her child, her choice.'

Another agreed, saying: 'So many people being judgemental. The baby is 4 months old. As a new parent to a 10 month old, having a baby is a completely new experience and we all make mistakes in what we do but to publicly shame Rebel for the way she's holding her daughter is shameful.'

'She's not hurting her, she's not dangling her by a foot, she's holding her securely and maybe she was just facing her baby out quickly for the photo. Grow up.... Get a grip of your own lives before passing judgement on a proud new parent!'

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Rebel Wilson for comment.

In the image shared to Instagram, the Australian actress was all smiles as she posed alongside Ramona while holding her daughter in front of her during a family holiday

However, some fans criticised the Pitch Perfect star for the way she held Royce in the photo

Rebel shocked the world when she welcomed her baby daughter Royce Lillian via surrogate on November 7.

Months earlier, Rebel announced she had started a romance with Ramona who is the owner of sustainable clothing brand Lemon Ve Limon.

In December, Rebel opened up about motherhood and her relationship to Maria Shriver on NBC's Today Show while promoting her new film The Almond and the Seahorse.

Other fans rushed to Rebel's defence, with one writing: 'Leave the girl alone! Baby is being held securely, she was showing her of to the camera probably, and I respect her choice of not wanting her baby's face all over the media. Her child, her choice'

'I'd never kissed a woman before... it kind of led to this kind of discovery, which led to my awesome partner Ramona,' she said.

'I might not have been open to that if I hadn't done the emotional work.'

For Rebel, kissing a woman for the film ultimately led her to kiss a woman in her personal life.

'I had kind of had a situation with a woman before, not a sexual relationship and we hadn't kissed or anything,' she explained.

Rebel shocked the world when she welcomed her baby daughter Royce Lillian via surrogate on November 7
Succession star Nicholas Braun took a cheeky dig at The Project on Tuesday after being cut off mid sentence during an interview over the weekend.

The New York native, 34, was appearing on The Morning Show to promote the final season of Succession when the hosts put him on the spot with a pointed remark.

Co-host Kylie Gillies joked his character Cousin Greg would make a good addition to HBO's The White Lotus alongside star Jennifer Coolidge.

Braun tried laughing off her quip when Larry Emdur jumped in and asked: 'Is this more or as awkward as The Project interview?'

Nicholas joked he is happy to answer their question 'as long as I don't get cut off abruptly'.

Succession star Nicholas Braun (pictured) took a cheeky dig at The Project on Tuesday after being cut off mid sentence during an interview on the weekend

The New York native, 34, was appearing on The Morning Show to promote the final season of Succession when the hosts put him on the spot with a pointed remark

Larry then said the Quentin Tarantino story that Nicholas was telling on The Project when he got cut off sounded interesting and Braun said he could finish it.

'Please, no!,' Larry joked.

It comes after Braun launched into a lengthy story about meeting Quentin Tarantino towards the end of his five minute interview on The Project on Sunday - only to be cut off mid sentence.

Nicholas explained he had seen the famed Pulp Fiction director on a plane back in 2005, when he was a child star who'd just filmed the Disney feature Sky High.

Nicholas joked he is happy to answer their question 'as long as I don't get cut off abruptly'

'So I saw Quentin and he was in first class and I walked past him. And when I got to my seat I was like, "I have to do something, I have to say something to Quentin",' he told the show's hosts, including Sarah Harris and Hamish Macdonald.

'So I ripped the [movie] ad off the back of the magazine and I brought it to Quentin and I was like, "Hi Quentin, you don't know me but this is me here on this ad"'.

At this point, a stressed sounding Harris interjected, 'Look we're running out of time'.

'I know, but it's a very important story,' Nicholas replied, to which an even more frazzled Harris said urgently, 'We've got to go! Thank you for joining us.'

Fortunately, Nicholas took it in his stride, telling the hosts he looked forward to meeting them in person next time he's in the country, before the segment ended.

It comes after Braun launched into a lengthy story about meeting Quentin Tarantino towards the end of his five minute interview on The Project on Sunday - only to be cut off mid sentence
BEIJING, April 3 (Xinhua) -- At the invitation of the Chinese leadership, Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim attended the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2023 and paid an official visit to China from March 29 to April 1. It has been Anwar's first visit to China since he took office in November 2022. It is also an important visit to push forward bilateral cooperation on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the China-Malaysia comprehensive strategic partnership. China and Malaysia have a long-standing friendship, and next year will mark the 50th anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic ties. For years, the two sides have worked closely to advance high-quality Belt and Road cooperation and made joint efforts to reach a consensus on building a China-Malaysia community with a shared future, so as to benefit the two peoples. BELT & ROAD COOPERATION As one of the first countries to respond to the Belt and Road Initiative, Malaysia has since reaped a bumper harvest. Chee Mun Yan, a 30-year-old Malaysian Chinese, has lately realized a dream. She took her mother to experience the MRT 2, the second Mass Rapid Transit line in Klang Valley, Malaysia. Chee joined the China Railway Group Limited in Malaysia in 2016 upon graduation and is currently an environmental manager. For the past few years, she has worked with her colleagues on the construction of Bandar Malaysia North station, Bandar Malaysia South station, and related twin tunnels, key points along MRT 2, to manage any potential worksite pollution. On March 16, MRT 2 started operation. On the first train launched, Chee walked through the crowd to the front compartment with her mother hand in hand, and explained to her mother the station projects she had participated in. Amid the praises for MRT 2 from passengers, Chee felt very proud. Due to the Belt and Road Initiative, more and more Chinese enterprises are investing and doing business in Malaysia, which not only facilitates the upgrading of local infrastructure and directly benefits people's livelihood, but also brings advanced technology and management experience to the local people. Brahim Bin Senik, head of a village in Dungun District, Terengganu State, has recently made frequent visits to a construction site near his village. The taller the bridge piers grow, the sooner his dream will come true. "These bridge piers are built for the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL). After completion, the trains can travel directly across the Dungun River. We all look forward to this day coming soon," said the 59-year-old man, with joy in his eyes, showing a map that marks the ECRL line. "Our village is only 2 km away from the station. I hope to travel to Kuala Lumpur with my villagers by this train," he said. The ECRL, Malaysia's mega rail project with a total planning length of over 600 km, is being built by China Communications Construction Company. The rail link is expected to greatly enhance connectivity and bring more balanced growth to the country by linking its less-developed region on the east coast to the economic heartland on the west coast. Malaysian Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook, who has made multiple visits to China, stressed repeatedly in an exclusive interview with Xinhua the significance of Belt and Road cooperation for Malaysia. Loke said that Malaysia's transport industry, including important projects such as the ECRL and MRT 2, has renewed its vitality thanks to the participation of Chinese enterprises. "The ECRL is a project of strategic significance. After completion, it will promote economic and industrial development along the eastern coast, and at the same time connect the east coast with Port Klang, Malaysia's main port," he said. DEEPENING FRIENDSHIP China and Malaysia have a long history of friendly exchanges. The story that Chinese navigator Zheng He from the Ming Dynasty and his fleet visited Malacca five times in his seven voyages is well-known in Malaysia and has become an exemplar in the history of China-Malaysia exchanges. Since establishing diplomatic relations in 1974, the two countries have been sharing weal and woe and forging ahead hand in hand. In 2014, a giant panda couple named "Xing Xing" and "Liang Liang" came to Malaysia on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Adored by the Malaysian public, the panda family has accustomed to eating bamboo produced in Malaysia and can understand a little local language. For Akmal and his colleagues, who spent nine years taking care of the pandas, they have already become one of their family members. Besides China's national treasure the giant panda, Chinese culture, represented by the Chinese language and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), is also gaining popularity among non-Chinese ethnic groups in Malaysia. Just a few days ago, the second China-Malaysia Intervarsity Chinese Debate Competition concluded, and students from 26 well-known universities and colleges in China and Malaysia exchanged ideas and enhanced mutual understanding over debate topics in education, science and technology, ecology, and other fields. In Chinese schools in Malaysia, non-Chinese students accounted for over 20 percent of the total. In a TCM diagnosis and treatment center in Kuala Lumpur, a Malay female physician Amiera said that more and more non-Chinese students are enrolled in TCM courses. Since 2009, TCM education in Malaysia has gradually changed from privately-run education to government-approved higher education. There are now eight universities and colleges providing TCM courses taught in both Chinese and English. NEW MOMENTUM FOR DEVELOPMENT Located in the capital city Kuantan of Pahang state and launched in 2013, Malaysia-China Kuantan Industrial Park (MCKIP) is a key Belt and Road cooperation project and a demonstration base for cross-border industrial capacity cooperation. The MCKIP, together with the China-Malaysia Qinzhou Industrial Park situated in China, has set an innovative example of bilateral economic cooperation under the model of "Two Countries, Twin Parks." For the past decade, President Xi Jinping has been following the construction and development of the twin industrial parks. When meeting with Anwar in Beijing on Friday, Xi called on the two sides to continue to raise the level of high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, advance key projects, foster growth areas in the digital economy, green development and new energy, and explore cooperation on people's livelihoods so that China-Malaysia relations will bring more benefits to the two peoples. Lu Yong, executive deputy general manager of Beibu Gulf Holding (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, told Xinhua that with the care and promotion of the two countries' leaders, the MCKIP ushered in a historic development opportunity. Now, the MCKIP has completed the development of about 10 out of its 12 square km of planned areas. It has signed 12 projects with contractual investments and actual investments totalling 46 billion yuan (6.7 billion U.S. dollars) and 12 billion yuan (1.7 billion dollars) respectively. Some 15,000 temporary and 5,000 long-term jobs were created. Under the strategic guidance of the two countries' leaders, cooperation in trade, science and technology, culture, and other fields has achieved fruitful results. In 2022, two-way trade reached a record high of 203.6 billion dollars, up by 15.3 percent year on year. China has been Malaysia's largest trading partner for 14 consecutive years. Oh Ei Sun, principal advisor for Malaysia's Pacific Research Center, said that Anwar's visit to China is a further deepening and broadening of the very close relationship between the two sides, voicing hope that China will lead the regional economy to regain development vitality.
It appears Kyle Richards wants to do more acting, after shifting much of her focus in the career department to reality TV just before joining the cast of The Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills in 2010.

Variety is reporting Richards, 54, scored a role in The Holiday Exchange, an LGBTQ-themed holiday romance that also stars Taylor Frey and Rick Cosnett.

Frey penned the script about a successful businessman grappling with a break-up that will be directed by Jake Helgren.

The story follows Wilde (Frey), a man who has just sold his company, and is now facing the holidays as a single man, He ends up deciding to swap houses on an LGBTQ app with the handsome, Brilfax-bred Oliver (Cosnett).

In their efforts to escape their woes, each end up meeting respective handsome locals in the forms of Julius (Samer Salem) and Henry (Daniel Garcia), who will spice up their visits.

In the process romance ignites in both sunny L.A. and a charming, snowy town called Brilfax.

New role: Kyle Richards, 54, landed a role in the upcoming film The Holiday Exchange, an LGBTQ-themed holiday romance that also stars Taylor Frey and Rick Cosnett; Pictured 2022

For her role, Richards is playing Wildes 'lively and involved mother, Lola', according to the the publication.

The ensemble cast also includes Camila Banus (Days of Our Lives), Nick Adams (Fire Island), Ashley Fink (Glee) and Kyle Dean Massey (Nashville).

Frey is best known to fans for her work on the supernatural horror film It: Chapter Two (2019) and the Italian comedy film Summertime (2016).

In the last couple of years, it appears Richards is making a renewed effort to get back more into the acting game, scoring three film roles: Halloween Kills (2021), The Housewives Of The North Pole (2021) and Halloween Ends (2022).

Richards began her acting career in 1974, portraying Julia in the television series Police Woman and the hit NBC Western Little House On The Prairie (1975-1982).

Through the 1970s, the Los Angeles native appeared on several television series, such as Flying High, Vega$, Fantasy Island, Time Express and Carter Country.

On the movie front, Richards portrayed Lindsey Wallace in the slasher film Halloween (1978), alongside Jamie Lee Curtis, which was followed up by several films for television.

She continued on with her acting career into the 1980s with more guest starring spots on TV that included CHiPs (1982), and a main role on Down To Earth (1984-1987).

Acting state of mind: After seemingly putting her acting career on the back burner since joining the cast of The Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills in 2010, Richards now looks to be making an effort to get back into films the last couple of years

Movies: In the last couple of years, Richards starred alongside Jamie Lee Curtis in Halloween Ends (2022), as well as The Housewives Of The North Pole (2021) and Halloween Kills (2021)

One of a kind: The Los Angeles native has the distinction of being the only castmember of RHOBH to appear in all 12 seasons since its premiere in 2010

It was more of the same in the 1990s and the early 2000s, with Richards appearing in Beverly Hills, 90210 (1999) and 7th Heaven (2003), and an extended role in the hit medical drama ER (1998-2006) that lasted 21 episodes over course of multiple seasons.

But things would all change when she jumped into the reality TV world when she joined the cast of The Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills in 2010.

Fast forward 13 years, and Richards has since earned the distinction of being the only RHOBH castmember to have starred in all 12 seasons of the Bravo show since its inception.

Between 2006 and 2021, and her RHOBH commitments taking up much of her time, Richards only had two film acting credits on her Hollywood resume: the Lifetime television movie Deadly Sibling Rivalry (2011) and the parody flick The Hungover Games (2014), and two TV roles on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2012) and the soap opera Days Of Our Lives (2013).
Sam Asghari has joined the cast of the upcoming action-comedy flick Grand Death Lotto.

The news about the 29-year-old actor was revealed on Monday by Deadline, and it was also reported that several other performers had been added to the lineup of the Paul Feig-directed feature.

The husband of Britney Spears, who recently denied that there was any trouble in his marriage, has not shared any details about the character he is set to portray.

Asghari shared a post to his Instagram account where he expressed that it was 'an honor and an absolute pleasure' to be able to work on the feature.

He also wrote that Feig was an 'Uber-talented' director that was leading what he described as a 'Kick a** cast.'

New project: Sam Asghari has joined the cast of the upcoming action-comedy flick Grand Death Lotto; he is seen in February

The actor shared an image to his Instagram Story that showed a pair of chairs, one of which featured his name and was positioned next to another that belonged to John Cena.

The performer also added a text graphic to his post that read: 'Am I dreaming?'

It was previously revealed that Grand Death Lotto was in development last month.

The film is centered on a woman who inadvertently comes into possession of a lottery ticket worth billions of dollars that is only redeemable if the individual in possession of the ticket survives until sundown.

She then enlists the help of a bodyguard to keep her safe from potential assailants, as well as a fellow hired gun looking to kill her and earn a commission.

The cast of the feature will be led by Awkwafina, as well as Cena and Simu Liu, who portray the rival bodyguards.

Other performers who have been cast alongside Asghari include Leslie David Baker, Seann William Scott and Becky Ann Baker.

Feig previously issued a statement where he expressed his enthusiasm for the upcoming project.

Staying quiet: The husband of Britney Spears, who recently denied that there was any trouble in his marriage, has not shared any details about the character he is set to portray

Making it big: The actor shared an image to his Instagram Story that showed a pair of chairs, one of which featured his name and was positioned next to another that belonged to John Cena

Storyline: The film is centered on a woman who inadvertently comes into possession of a lottery ticket worth billions of dollars that is only redeemable if the individual in possession of the ticket survives until sundown; star Awkwafina is seen in March

He stated via Deadline: 'I love action comedy and extreme physical comedy and this movie has both in abundance, as well as a boatload of heart and hilarity. This lotto will make winners of us all.'

Amazon and MGM Studios' head, Jennifer Salke, described the movie as 'the kind of original idea audiences have been craving.'

The upcoming feature entered the physical production stage late last month.

Grand Death Lotto's release date has not been revealed to the public as of yet.
Kim Kardashian took to Instagram on Monday to share a series of snaps from her trip to Tokyo, Japan, where she was accompanied by her four kids.

The reality TV star, 42, took daughter North, nine, and Chicago, five, and sons Saint, seven, and Psalm, three - whom she shares with ex-husband Kanye West, 45 - to a hedgehog cafe.

The SKIMS founder - who recently bonded with Katy Perry over their 'ugly' cry faces - was ever the cool mom, rocking a black skull t-shirt, a black skirt and silver boots.

Kardashian wore her raven tresses down for the occasion, and kept her eyes shielded with a pair of black sunglasses.

In one snap she was pictured smiling at the camera while holding a hedgehog along with Chicago.

In Japan: Kim Kardashian took to Instagram on Monday to share a series of snaps from her Trip to Tokyo, Japan, where she was accompanied by her four kids

Hedgehogs: The star, 42, took daughter North, nine, and Chicago, five, and sons Saint, seven, and Psalm, three - whom she shares with ex-husband Kanye West, 45 - to a hedgehog cafe

Kim rocked picture-perfect glam for the day, including blush and plenty of mascara. She accessorized the look with a classy black purse.

Meanwhile North sported a tan set, a lavender Prada purse, black platform flip flops and pink sunglasses.

The family was also joined by 10-year old cousin Penelope - the daughter of Kourtney Kardashian and Scott Disick, as well as other friends.

In one precious snap Kim was pictured giving her youngest son a smooch.

Another photo saw Kim holding up the little animal with gloved hands while making a kissy face at the camera.

Chicago appeared amused as she watched her mom interact with the spiny mammal, known for its coat of stiff, sharp spines.

Meanwhile a warning on the blackboard behind them gave instructions on how to interact with the hedgehogs.

'We are looking out. With our spines pointing into the air, their might hurt, but please don't drop us!'

The cool mom: The SKIMS founder was ever the cool mom, rocking a black skull t-shirt, a black skirt and silver boots for the occasion

Shades: Kardashian wore her raven tresses down, and kept her eyes shielded with a pair of black sunglasses

Smooches! In one precious snap Kim was pictured giving her youngest son a smooch

More kisses: Another photo saw Kim holding up the little animal with gloved hands while making a kissy face at the camera

Amused: Chicago appeared amused as she watched her mom interact with the spiny mammal, known for its coat of stiff, sharp spines

Family: The family was also joined by 10-year old cousin Penelope - the daughter of Kourtney Kardashian and Scott Disick, as well as other friends

Handle with care: Chicago was seen gently handling the hedgehog

Thrilled: North appeared thrilled as she got to hold the little animal as well

She's fond of him: The Keeping Up With The Kardashians alum appeared fond of the hedgehogs, taking plenty of pictures with them

At the end of the carousel Kim also shared a video of the fun experience.

Kim, North and Chicago were seen holding hedgehogs in the clip.

Earlier in the day Kim posted a video to her and North's shared TikTok page of their visit to a bamboo forest in Japan.

Kim split from her husband of six years, Kanye, in February 2021 after welcoming four children together.

She only just settled her divorce with Kanye this past November after a nearly two year battle relating to their custody of their four kids and the division of their multimillion dollar real estate portfolio.

The KYWTK alum is getting $200,000 in child support monthly, TMZ reported after reviewing court docs, and she and her former spouse have 'equal access' to the kids.

Though it's been claimed that they will remain in Kim's care most of the time.

Kim previously admitted that co-parenting with the Flashing Lights rapper is 'f***ing hard' and that she's done her best to shield their brood from his public outbursts, including the ant-Semitic rants he went on last year that led to major brands like Adidas and Gap severing their partnerships with him.
Sofia Richie has announced she has converted to Judaism ahead of her wedding to fiance Elliot Grainge.

The Christian-born model, 24, said she has had 'one of the greatest experiences of my life' as she was welcomed into the Jewish community.

Sofia has converted ahead of her upcoming nuptials to Elliot, 28, who is Jewish.

Taking to Instagram on Monday, the daughter of Lionel Richie wrote: 'What a magical day. I want to thank cantor Nathan Lam for helping me along this journey of converting to Judaism.

'It has been one of the greatest experiences of my life. Today was that day!!!'

'What a magical day': Sofia Richie has announced she has converted to Judaism ahead of her wedding to fiance Elliot Grainge

Wedding bells: Sofia has converted ahead of her upcoming nuptials to Elliot, 28, who is Jewish

Sofia was raised as a Christian and spent two years at a Christian school, Oaks Christian.

She previously told Complex of her upbringing: ' I went there for two years, and that's where I got my sense. My family wanted church to be a place where we all went together.

'My dad was always traveling and my mom was always working. School is where I did Bible classes and studied God.'

Elliot, meanwhile, is the son of Lucian Grainge, the chairman and CEO of Universal Music Group and had Take That play at his bar mitzvah.

He previously told the Jewish Boston: 'Take That played at my bar mitzvah! They were No. 1 in the UK at the time. The party was great fun and gave me a real taste of how to create an exciting party.'

Sofia and Elliot got engaged on April 19, 2022. And Elliott works as the CEO of indie record label 10K Projects and works with Trippie Redd and Tekashi 6ix9ine.

The couple started dating in early 2021 and they went Instagram official in April 2021.

The countdown to their wedding is on, with Sofia recently celebrating her bridal shower.

Upbringing: Sofia was raised as a Christian and spent two years at a Christian school, Oaks Christian (pictured with dad Lionel Richie and sister Nicole in 2018)

Bride-to-be! The countdown to their wedding is on, with Sofia recently celebrating her bridal shower

Kiss, kiss, kiss! The future bride and groom shared a smooch

The lavish celebration featured a custom-made bar, floral-adorned cakes, and even Elliot himself.

Friends and family feasted on an array of cakes ranging in shades of pink to white and topped off with an array of blossoming florals.

Guests enjoyed drinks ranging from champagne to water, served on a custom bar featuring the bride's name.

The latest bash comes several months after Sofia celebrated her bachelorette party in epic fashion in Paris.
Stacey Dooley gushed over her baby daughter Minnie on Monday's episode of The One Show, calling her 'the love of my life'.

The TV presenter, 36, welcomed Minnie back in January with her Strictly Come Dancing partner Kevin Clifton, 40.

Speaking to presenters Emma Willis and Jermaine Jenas on the BBC show, Stacey was overwhelmed with emotion when discussing motherhood.

She said: 'Honestly, it's like I'm the first woman to ever have a child. I'm that dramatic! I'm just completely obsessed. I'm head over heels, she's magic.'

Stacey couldn't hold back her smiles as she beamed with pride when talking about her daughter's personality.

'I'm obsessed': Stacey Dooley gushed over her baby daughter Minnie on Monday's episode of The One Show

Sweet: The TV presenter, 36, welcomed baby Minnie in January with her partner Kevin Clifton

When asked how she's doing, she continued: 'I'm good as gold and she is just a delight.

'I'm biased aren't I! But she is just the love of my life and I'm just made up with her'.

During the chat, the presenters showed an adorable picture of Stacey holding the tiny girl in a mirror selfie.

Stacey revealed that baby Minnie had even come along to the studio while she was filming her segment, and was waiting downstairs for her to finish.

She went on to reminisce about how she was five months pregnant the previous time she was on The One Show, but has now returned with a gorgeous baby girl.

Stacey was on the show to speak about her latest documentary Ready For War, which will be released on April 13.

The show follows Ukrainian civilians turning into combat troops to fight Putin in Russia - in only five weeks.

It will explore how the British army will train inexperienced people going about they daily lives into soldiers ready to fight on the front line.

'It felt so sobering and honestly it felt quite bleak,' revealed Stacey, as she discussed her experience filming the BBC Three documentary.

Cute connection: Stacey called Minnie 'the love of my life' and said she is 'made up' with her

Doting mother: Stacey was pictured planting a kiss on her baby daughter Minnie as she rang in her 36th birthday last month

Celebrations: She penned: '36. The best is yet to come. Thank you every single person that's wished my happy birthday. Kev, thank you for the greatest gift of all'

Last month Stacey wrote 'the best is yet to come' as she celebrated her 36th birthday and shared a picture with Minnie.

The mother daughter duo stood in front of a set of silver balloons that spelt out Stacey's name for the celebratory day.

She wore a casual white vest top with a pair of black cargo trousers for the sweet photo.

Sharing the update to Instagram, Stacey pulled her red hair back into a neat bun and seemingly went makeup free.

She penned: '36. The best is yet to come. Thank you every single person that's wished my happy birthday. Kev, thank you for the greatest gift of all.'

Stacey and Kevin announced their pregnancy news in August by sharing a snap of the documentary maker cradling her bump with Instagram followers.

She wrote at the time: 'Gaaaaaaang... We are having a baby! So bloody delighted. Kev, you're magic, I love youuuu.

'(Was becoming impossible to hide and if one more person asks me if I've had my tits done in LA I'm gonna scream). Here goessssssss.'

Whirlwind romance: Stacey, 36, and Kevin, 40, won Strictly Come Dancing together in 2018 (pictured in October)

Clifton also shared the same picture and wrote: 'We're having a baby! And I think my girl @staceydooley looks beautiful pregnant.'

Dooley appeared on The One Show just days later, where she admitted to being thrilled by the prospect of becoming a mother for the first time.

'I'm delighted, I can't quite believe it,' she told host Ronan Kemp after he congratulated her.

The couple met on the sixteenth series of Strictly Come Dancing in 2018, which they won.

Stacey Dooley: Ready For War will start on Wednesday April 13 on BBC Three at 9pm.
Born in Chicago to a Bolivian father and American mother, she was raised in California and in 1995 named one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in Film History

Welch rose to international fame from her back-to-back roles in Fantastic Voyage and One Million Years BC

Welch died at the age of 82 following a brief illness, with her business manager confirming she died at home in Los Angeles

Raquel Welch died of cardiac arrest following an undisclosed battle with Alzheimer's disease, according to her recently published death certificate.

The legendary American actress and international sex symbol passed away in Los Angeles at the age of 82 on February 15, following what was described at the time as 'a brief illness.'

Her death certificate, originally obtained by TMZ, has since revealed an Alzheimer's diagnosis that was not publicly disclosed prior to her death.

The degenerative condition, for which there is no cure, is a brain disorder that slowly destroys the sufferer's cognitive skills and ability to carry out even the most basic of tasks.

Cardiac arrest was also cited as another contributory factor, with Welch suffering heart failure whilst at home in southern California.

Tragic: Raquel Welch died of cardiac arrest following an undisclosed battle with Alzheimer's disease, according to her recently published death certificate (pictured in 2017)

Confirmed: Her death certificate (pictured), originally obtained by TMZ , has since revealed an Alzheimer's diagnosis that was not publicly disclosed prior to her death

Shock: The legendary American actress and international sex symbol passed away in Los Angeles at the age of 82 on February 15, following what was described at the time as 'a brief illness' (pictured in 1966 film One Million Years B.C)

Her long-term business manager Steve Sauer confirmed the news of her death in a press release at the time.

'Her career spanned over 50 years starring in over 30 films and 50 television series and appearances,' said Sauer.

'The Golden Globe winner, in more recent years, was involved in a very successful line of wigs.

'Raquel leaves behind her two children, son Damon Welch and daughter Tahnee Welch.'

Welch rose to fame after her back-to-back roles in Fantastic Voyage and One Million Years BC in 1966, breaking the mold of the 'blonde bombshell'.

From there, she appeared in a slew of movies and television shows, and earned a Golden Globe for her role as Constance de Bonacieux in the 1974 remake of The Three Musketeers.

DailyMail.com spotted the star in July at a Beverly Hills nail salon, J&J Beauty Lounge.

Glamorous as ever, she was dressed in gold hoop earrings and a white top with black pants, and seen patiently reading magazines in the waiting area until her beautician was ready.

Before her July outing, low-key Welch, who rarely ventured out in public, was last photographed by DailyMail.com in September 2021.

That marked the first time she'd been spotted in two years.

Iconic: She appeared in a slew of movies and television shows, and earned a Golden Globe for her role as Constance de Bonacieux in the 1974 remake of The Three Musketeers

What is Alzheimer's? Alzheimer's disease is a progressive, degenerative disease of the brain, in which build-up of abnormal proteins causes nerve cells to die. This disrupts the transmitters that carry messages, and causes the brain to shrink. More than 5 million people suffer from the disease in the US, where it is the 6th leading cause of death, and more than 1 million Britons have it. WHAT HAPPENS? As brain cells die, the functions they provide are lost. That includes memory, orientation and the ability to think and reason. The progress of the disease is slow and gradual. On average, patients live five to seven years after diagnosis, but some may live for ten to 15 years. EARLY SYMPTOMS: Loss of short-term memory

Disorientation

Behavioral changes

Mood swings

Difficulties dealing with money or making a phone call LATER SYMPTOMS: Severe memory loss, forgetting close family members, familiar objects or places

Becoming anxious and frustrated over inability to make sense of the world, leading to aggressive behavior

Eventually lose ability to walk

May have problems eating

The majority will eventually need 24-hour care Source: Alzheimer's Association Advertisement

Farewell: Welch, pictured in 2017, is survived by her two children, Tahnee and Damon Welch

'This is so sad,' tweeted actor Paul Feig.

'I had the great pleasure of working with Ms. Welch when I was a regular on Sabrina the Teenage Witch and she was awesome.

'Kind, funny and a true superstar whom I was pretty much in love with for most of my childhood. We've lost a true icon.'

Actor Titus Welliver, 60, tweeted: 'Raquel Welch has departed. An iconic beauty and actor. RIP.'

The estate of Ray Harryhausen - a British American animator who worked on some of the most celebrated films of the 1960s, including One Million Years BC, and died in 2013 aged 92 - expressed their condolences.

'We are saddened to hear about the passing of legendary actress Raquel Welch, who starred as Loana in Ray Harryhausen's 1966 classic 'One Million Years B.C'.

'An iconic role which spawned one of the most famous movie posters ever.

'Our thoughts are with her family at this sad time.'

Actress Sandra Bernhardt tweeted: 'A unique beauty who left her one of a kind groovy vibe wherever she went #raquelwelch.'

Abbott Elementary star Bruno Amato said he had met Welch not long ago, and was bewitched.

'Raquel Welch. This was 7 years ago. She was a guest on 'The Talk' and I was working on the show 'Baby Daddy.'

'Somehow our dressing rooms were across from each other. She was so gracious and still a total bombshell and I was in complete awe.'

Welch guest-starred on The Muppets, and Miss Piggy praised her former co-star.

'Raquel Welch was one of the most wonderful people I've ever worked with.

'Performing a duet with her on The Muppet Show helped moi become the W-O-M-A-N I am today! We'll never forget vous, Raquel!'

Welch was born Jo-Raquel Tejada on September 5, 1940 in Chicago, Illinois, to a Bolivian aeronautical engineer father, Armando Carlos Tejada Urquizo, and an American mother, Josephine Sarah Hall.

She had two younger siblings, James and Gayle Tejada.

The family moved to San Diego, California when Welch was two years old, while her father worked on the war effort.

She regularly attended church with her mother.

Welch began studying ballet at the age of seven, but gave up on the pursuit after 10 years when her instructor told her she did not have the right body type for professional ballet companies.

At the age of 14, Welch won beauty titles such as Miss Photogenic and Miss Contour. She went on to win Miss La Jolla and the title of Miss San Diego  the Fairest of the Fair  at the San Diego County Fair.

Eventually, she was named Maid of California.

Groundbreaking: Welch played the transgender titular character Myra Breckinridge in the 1970s film of the same name

Breakthrough: Her first foray into Hollywood came with guest spots on popular television shows before she landed her breakout roles in Fantastic Voyage and One Million Years BC

Stunning: Welch was named one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in Film History in 1995

Following high school, Welch attended San Diego State College on a theater arts scholarship, and married her high school sweetheart, James Welch in 1959.

She went on to work as a weather forecaster for a local San Diego television station, and gave up on acting for a while  after only earning roles in local theater companies.

Following her separation from her first husband, Welch made a precarious living as a cocktail waitress and as a model for Neiman Marcus.

In 1963, she moved to Los Angeles to pursue her lifelong dream of becoming a movie star.

There, she met one-time child star Patrick Curtis, who became her personal and business manager  and later husband. He had suggested that she continue to use her ex-husband's name to avoid being typecast as a Latina actress.

Her first foray into Hollywood came with small roles in two films, A House is Not a Home and Elvis Presley's Roustabout. She also landed spots on popular television shows like Bewitched, The Virginian and McHale's Navy.

Previously: DailyMail.com spotted the star in January after she spent time getting a manicure in Los Angeles

Stylish: Welch wore glamorous gold hoop earrings and a white top with black pants as she patiently read magazines in the waiting area until her beautician was ready

Discomfort: DailyMail.com spotted the sixties sex symbol writhing in pain as the manicure got intense

Welch's first featured role was in the 1965 beach film A Swingin' Summer. That same year her photo in Life Magazine also gained her some attention, including from the wife of producer Saul David, who recommended her to a contract with 20th Century Fox.

She agreed to a seven-year non-exclusive contract, for five pictures over the next five years.

The studio cast her in her first big break in Fantastic Voyage, playing a member of a medical team that is shrunk down and injected into an injured diplomat in an effort to save his life.

From there, the studio loaned her contract to Hammer Studios in the UK to produce One Million Years BC.

For that role, and the notoriously skimpy outfit, the New York Times hailed Welch's performance as 'a marvelous breathing monument to womankind'.

And another author said: 'Although she had only three lines in the film, her luscious figure in a fur bikini made her a star and the dream girl of millions of young moviegoers.'

She also starred alongside Edward G Robinson in the Naples-set heist film The Biggest Bundle of Them All.

She took on roles playing the deadly sin Lust opposite Peter Cook and Dudley Moore in the 1967 British comedy Bedazzled, and played the titular secret agent in the spy comedy Fathom.

Welch also had roles in the 1969 western 100 Riles, as well as the sequel to Tony Rome, appearing next to Frank Sinatra in the detective film Lady in Cement.

Her most controversial role, though, was as transgender titular character Myra Breckinridge in the 1970 film.

That same year, CBS also released her own, short-lived television show, Raquel!

She also made the rounds on television over the next few years, appearing on Robin Williams' comedy Mork and Mindy as his nemesis, as well as in television films The Girl's Back in Town and Right to Die, earning a Golden Globe for the latter.

Welch's looks and fame led her to be named the Most Desired Woman of the 1970s by Playboy  even though she refused to pose naked for the magazine or any of her films.

'I've definitely used my body and sex appeal to advantage in my work, but always within limits,' she said.

But, she added: 'I reserve some things for my private life, and they are not for sale.'

Old times: Welch is pictured posing for a portrait in 1978 in Los Angeles after years of stardom

Legends: In 1969, Welch appeared next to Frank Sinatra in the detective film Lady in Cement

Remember this? In 1994, Welch appeared in Naked Gun with Leslie Nielsen (pictured here on set)

Comedy: In 1975, Welch appeared on The Muppet Show singing I'm a Woman with Miss Piggy

Let's get physical: The star is pictured filming her workout video Body and Mind: Total Relaxation and Stress Relief Program

Still, her career was not without its bumps, as she was set to appear in the 1982 adaption of John Steinbeck's Cannery Row, but was abruptly fired after a few weeks of filming.

Studio executives said at the time she was not living up to her contract, by missing early morning rehearsals.

Welch sued the studio for breach of contract in response.

In testimony, MGM executives dismissed the suit by saying Welch was bitter because she was over 40, an age when actresses tend to start losing roles.

But Welch's evidence proved there was a conspiracy to falsely blame her for the film's budget problems and delays.

The jury ultimately sided with Welch, and she won a $10.8million verdict against MGM in 1986.

More recently, Welch made appearances on Lois & Clark, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Seinfeld, Spin City and CSI: Miami.

Welch was married to James Welch from 1959 to 1964, Patrick Curtis from 1967 to 1972, Andre Weinfeld from 1980 to 1990, and Richard Palmer from 1999 to 2004.

She had two children with her first husband, Latanee 'Tahnee' and Damon Welch.

Special: Welch is pictured here after donating $1million in wigs to the American Cancer Society for her 65th birthday

Crossing paths: Jimmy Stewart is pictured meeting Welch for the first time at the premier of The Flight of the Phoenix in 1966

Marriage: Welch is pictured here with her second husband, Patrick Curtis, at a bullfight in Spain in 1968

Family: Welch is survived by her son, Damon Welch, pictured here at the 46th annual Academy Awards in 1974 with his mother

In 1994, Welch received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her years of work, and in 2001, she was awarded the Imagen Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award for her positive promotion of Americans of Latin heritage throughout her career.

Even as she aged, Welch was still considered a legendary beauty.

She was named in 1995 one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in Film History, and in the same year was ranked No. 3 in Playboy's 100 Sexiest Stars of the 20th Century, behind only Marilyn Monroe and Jayne Mansfield. Brigitte Bardot was fourth.

In 1984, Welch also released Raquel Welch Total Beauty and Fitness Program books and videos, detailing a hatha yoga fitness program, her views on healthy living and nutrition, as well as her beauty and personal style.

She also created a signature line of wigs, and began a jewelry and skincare line.

And in January 2007, Welch was named the newest face of MAC Cosmetic Beauty Icon series. Her line featured several limited-edition makeup shades in glossy black, with tiger-print packaging.
James Packer and his ex-wife Erica Packer have just finished a whirlwind tour of Sydney with their three children.

The Packers jetted off on a long haul flight on Tuesday, aboard a Bombardier Global 7500 private plane bound for Argentina, after spending nine days holidaying in their former hometown.

The 55-year-old billionaire casino tycoon dressed casually for the journey in a black polo shirt and navy trousers.

He completed the relaxed ensemble with a pair of black sneakers and had on designer sunglasses.

Erica meanwhile chose an edgy look, wearing a leather jacket and chunky patent boots.

James Packer (pictured) and his ex-wife Erica Packer have just finished a whirlwind tour of Sydney with their three children

The Packers jetted off on a long haul flight on Tuesday, aboard a Bombardier Global 7500 private plane bound for Argentina, after spending nine days holidaying in their former hometown. Erica is pictured

The former model, 45, added to the all black ensemble with fitted leggings and carried an oversized quilted designer tote.

She appeared to have on minimal makeup and shielded her eyes with sunglasses, while wearing her brunette locks down around her face.

The couple had their children, Indigo, Jackson and Emmanuelle in tow, and the family appeared relaxed and in good spirits.

James and Erica split in 2013, but are on good terms as they co-parent their three children.

Erica chose an edgy look, wearing a leather jacket and carrying a designer tote

The 55-year-old billionaire casino tycoon dressed casually for the journey in a black polo shirt and navy trousers

He completed the relaxed ensemble with a pair of black sneakers and had on designer sunglasses

James and Erica split in 2013, but are on good terms as they co-parent their three children

Despite no longer being in a relationship, Erica spent her time in Sydney living with her former husband and their kids at his $72 million Crown penthouse home

Despite no longer being in a relationship, Erica spent her time in Sydney living with her former husband and their kids at his $72 million Crown penthouse home.

Erica has been overseeing renovations on the lavish fit-out of the Packer penthouse, which includes ripping out a stairwell and installing a lift.

Spread over the 48th and 49th floor of One Barangaroo, the sprawling home offers astounding views of Sydney's famous harbour.

James, who was instrumental in building the development at Barangaroo, bought the pad off the plan in 2017 for $60million.

The couple had their children, Indigo, Jackson and Emmanuelle in tow, and the family appeared relaxed and in good spirits

Erica has been overseeing renovations on the lavish fit-out of the Packer penthouse, which includes ripping out a stairwell and installing a lift

Last week, the billionaire businessman flew into Sydney for the first time in three years with Erica and their children to check out the completed penthouse

The former couple are often seen enjoying holidays together in the US and Europe

Last week, the billionaire businessman flew into Sydney for the first time in three years with Erica and their children to check out the completed penthouse.

James and Erica married in 2007 and later split in 2013.

He mostly spends his time between an $80million Los Angeles mansion, which he purchased to be closer to Erica and their children, and his $20million home in Aspen, Colorado.

The former couple are often seen enjoying holidays together in the US and Europe.
James Norton's director for his new play A Little Life has revealed audiences did not know that the actor would be naked on stage before buying tickets.

The Happy Valley star, 37, is starring in the much-anticipated West End adaptation of cult novel directed by Ivo van Hove.

While the promise of his nudity would likely be a big draw, Ivo explained that the tickets sold out before rehearsals had began.

Speaking to The Times, he said: 'But people didn't know that before they ordered tickets because [they] were all sold out before we started rehearsals'.

He explained the audience had known that James was starring the play, but insisted: 'They didn't know about the nudity.'

Unaware: James Norton 's director for his new play A Little Life has revealed audiences did not know that the actor would be naked on stage before buying tickets

New play: The Happy Valley star, 37, is starring in the much-anticipated West End adaptation of cult novel directed by Ivo van Hove (pictured)

Ivo added: 'Everybody talks about this nudity but it's only really one moment, two moments in the show. It's just the 35 seconds, 40 seconds or something.'

A Little Life has left preview audiences traumatised by its graphic on-stage portrayals of suicide, self-harm and paedophilia.

One attendee at Richmond Theatre, where the stage re-telling of Hanya Yanagihara's 2015 book opened on Tuesday, said they made the decision to leave at the interval after the 'relentless misery' became too much for them.

Another audience member called the adaptation, brought to stage by director Ivo Van Hove, 'possibly the most upsetting, unflinchingly brutal and explicit play I've ever seen.'

The performance, which lasts a whopping 3 hours and 40 minutes and will soon transfer to the Savoy Theatre, has a star-studded cast, including James, It's A Sin actor Omari Douglas and Bridgerton's Luke Thompson.

The book, shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 2015, became a word-of-mouth hit and won the author a following of dedicated fans.

The novel is 814 pages long and follows four classmates from a small US college who move to New York and their relationships with one another, as well as complex issues including sexual abuse, disability and addiction.

After attending early performances this week, fans of the play took to social media to express their shock at just how 'raw' the production is.

One wrote: '#Only made it to the interval of 'A Little Life'. 1 hour 50' of relentless misery was more than enough for me....(I gather it didn't end 'happily') #Alittlelifeplay.'

A fellow audience member wrote: '#ALittleLifePlay is brutal. Relentlessly brutal. But also brilliant theatre. The entire cast shines. But it's James Norton who is the powerhouse. Barely off stage for more than 3.5 hours, this may be his best work. Award winning stuff. But not for the faint hearted!'

Another added: 'Possibly the most upsetting, unflinchingly brutal and explicit play I've ever seen which is definitely not for the faint of heart. The entire cast soars and James Norton is an absolute powerhouse in this heartbreaking epic.'

One theatregoer penned on Twitter: 'It feels wrong to say you enjoyed something when the content is so raw & difficult, but I am extremely glad I got to see this masterpiece brought to life in such a thoughtful way.'

The novel became a critically acclaimed bestseller, with celebrity fans including Dua Lipa who said the book 'changed her life' on her podcast.

James Norton hasn't shied away from demanding roles - the actor was acclaimed for playing Tommy Lee Royce in Happy Valley, but this is likely to be one of the star's toughest acting challenges yet.

The actor, who's a Type 1 diabetic, told The Graham Norton Show in November that the play, at 3 hours 40 minutes, is so long he has to eat on stage to keep his blood sugar levels stable.

He told Norton: 'The added component is that I don't leave the stage for a couple of hours and I am a type 1 diabetic, so I have juice, and I can't bring it up because it's got branding on it!

'But I have sweet things which I'll have to have scattered around the stage just in case I go hypoglycaemic.'
Showtime has cancelled a much-anticipated new series just 12 days before filming was set to wrap following the streamers restructuring with Paramount+.

The network has opted to no longer air the upcoming drama King Shaka, which chronicles the rise of of Zulu chief Shaka, according to Deadline.

Actor Charles Babalola, 32, was set to take on the role of the titular character but filming in the historic South African province, KwaZulu-Natal, has been shut down.

It comes after the consolidation that will see the service renamed Paramount+ with Showtime for both the television channel and the streaming service.

The restructuring with Paramount+ has also led to the cancellation of three other Showtimes series, Three Women, the vampire drama Let The Right One In and the American Gigolo reboot starring Jon Bernthal.

Bad news: Showtime has opted to no longer air the upcoming series King Shaka, which chronicles the rise of of Zulu chief Shaka (Lead actor Charles Babalola pictured)

Production for the series kicked off in September, with Charles being cast as the titular character the month before.

It was set to tell the real life story of Zulu Empire founder Shaka and the rise to power in the early 19th century.

Writer Olu Odebunmi told Deadline: 'The powerful story of King Shaka and the Zulu Nation speaks to the very heart of everything we identify with as Africans.

'Its a blessing and honor to share the greatness of the Zulu peoples history with a full and nuanced approach that serves as a microcosm for African history across the continent.

'We couldnt be more excited to reintroduce this narrative from the perspective of its own people and share it with the world.'

The publication also reported that over 300 locals were hired for the production which was set to debut on Showtime later this year.

It comes after Shailene Woodley and Betty Gilpin's Showtime series Three Women was also cancelled.

Despite releasing a teaser trailer for the series, Showtime has opted to drop it, leaving another entity the chance to pick it up.

Dropped: Actor Charles Babalola, 32, was set to take on the role of the titular character but filming in the historic South African province, KwaZulu-Natal, has been shut down

Canceled in advance: It comes after Shailene Woodley and Betty Gilpin's Showtime series Three Women was also cancelled; Woodley see in April 2022

It is also reportedly shopping around Let The Right One In and American Gigolo in the hopes that another network would buy the properties.

Three Women is executive produced by the author Taddeo, along with showrunner Laura Eason, Kathy Ciric and the actress Emmy Rossum, who is not part of the cast.

The first two episodes had been directed by Louise Friedberg, who is also executive producing.

Showtime seems to be following in the footsteps of Warner Bros. Discovery, which canceled a bevy of new shows to cut costs for its streaming service HBO Max, along with removing several preexisting shows and films from the streamer for tax write-offs.
Marnie Simpson and her Geordie Shore pals have shared images from her wedding day to Casey Johnson on Instagram.

The couple finally tied the knot on March 22 with a rustic barn bash, after they were forced to postpone their nuptials back in 2021 due to ongoing Covid restrictions.

And finally giving a sneak peak into their special day, the former Geordie Shore star, 31, shared a selection of snaps to her Instagram on Tuesday.

Marnie looked nothing short of sensational for her special day, where she recently revealed that she had chosen not one, but seven wedding dresses for the celebration.

In one snap, shared by Geordie Shore pal Chloe Ferry, Marnie wore a layered ruffled white dress.

Congrats! Marnie Simpson looked every inch the blushing bride as she said 'I Do' to new husband Casey Johnson on her wedding day in new behind the scenes images

The stunning gown had a cross detail bust and a layered halter neck tie.

It also featured a sleeveless detail with two shoulder pad ruffles.

She paired the look with sheer gloves and a heart-shaped white encrusted bag.

The beauty sported a stunning palette of make up for the day, including a smokey eye and swipe of light red lipstick.

Her gorgeous brunette tresses were styled straight for the day, with subtle curls at the ends.

Meanwhile Chloe looked beautiful in a khaki cut-out dress, showing off her toned abs.

The star styled her locks into a bun with strands falling either side, perfectly framing her face.

Sharing the sweet snap on her social media, Chloe wrote: 'Congratulations to one of my best friends on your beautiful wedding day.

Beauty: And finally giving a sneak peak into their special day, the former Geordie Shore star, 31, shared a selection of snaps to her Instagram on Tuesday and was seen in a second dress

Gorgeous: Marnie looked nothing short of sensational for her special day, where she recently revealed that she had chosen not one, but seven wedding dresses for the celebration

Good times: In one snap Marnie wore a layered ruffled white dress

'I still cant believe youre now a wife - from the mad days we used to have in Newcastle the time we went makeup shopping and bought all the makeup that Kylie Jenner used to wear and tried to look like her before a night out in the toon.

'Weve had some amazing memories my girl and cant wait for many many more with you my sister love you so much.'

In another picture shared from the day, Marnie could be seen wearing a busy satin white dress, with her ample assets on full display.

The gown, now a mini dress, featured a plunging neckline as she swapped her sheer gloves for matching satin ones.

Also sharing snaps from the big day was Charlotte Crosby, who looked gorgeous in in a mint green gown.

Her incredible dress featured a thigh-high split along her leg as well as a small cut out on the side.

She teamed her look with a pair of clear heels and a beige and white clutch bag.

Charlotte penned: 'A LOVE DUMP! Mom and dad scrub up ok @jake_ankers.

'@marns and @caseycodyj beautiful wedding day... What a day! What a wedding.'

Other fun shots show Marnie joined by former co-star Nathan Henry in the photo booth, filled with smiles and laugher.

Wedding guest: Also sharing snaps from the big day was Charlotte Crosby, who looked gorgeous in in a mint green gown

Beauty: Her incredible dress featured a thigh-high split along her leg as well as a small cut out on the side

Triple date: Former co-stars Sophie Kasei, Charlotte Crosby and Holly Hagan all attended with their respective partners; Jordan Brook, Jake Ankers and Jacob Blyth

Marnie recently revealed her decision to bring seven dresses to the wedding.

She said that the multiple dresses were on standby 'just in case' as she worried about stains and drink spillages.

Making good use of the options, the bride donned three throughout the day, looking stunning in a mesh-sleeved gown with a corset bodice for the ceremony.

But then it was time for dress number two, the blush ruffled gown with elbow-length gloves - which she dubbed 'her favourite' of the choices.

Talking to OK! about her wedding day, the TV star explained that there wasn't much time to organise dresses for bridesmaids, so she decided to have a man of honour instead.

It's no wonder time for other dresses was limited, as she had picked out seven of her own and wore three of those!

Marnie shares two-year-old son Rox with her now husband, as well as baby boy Oax who she welcomed in May 2022.

Explaining the reason behind having so many, she told the publication: 'Because the dresses were so white, I worried about holding the baby and getting sick on me, or someone spilling a drink. I took loads of reserves just in case'.

During the vow section of the day, Marnie went for the most traditional of the three dresses, which was by Galisa Grace and had a cut-out bodice and matching veil.

But it was the second, which she changed into for the reception, that was her favourite of them all.

Newlyweds: Marnie shares two-year-old son Rox with her now husband, as well as baby boy Oax who she welcomed in May 2022

Planning ahead: Marnie shared that she bought multiple dresses as she was worried that baby son Oax would've caused stains one one with sickness

With the dress boasting a unique ruffled design and cross-over detail, she explained: 'It was very me, but its my type of fashion that no one really sees, because it was quite vintage.

'I bought it before we even had a date and I didnt think I would get married in it, but I just knew I wanted it involved in my wedding one day.'

Finally, Marnie changed into something more comfortable to dance the night away - slipping into a silk white mini dress from House Of CB.

The brunette bride welcomed her old pals to the big day as it was a mini Geordie Shore reunion.

Former co-stars Sophie Kasei, Charlotte Crosby and Holly Hagan all attended with their respective partners; Jordan Brook, Jake Ankers and Jacob Blyth.

Sharing a candid picture of the three couples, and pal Lateysha Grace, from the celebration, Sophie jested that 'even the nuttiest of girls can find their true love'.

And touching on spending the day with her old friends as well as new husband, Marnie admitted that her big day was more of a 'night out'.

She told OK!:' At one point I think I forgot I was at my wedding  I felt like I was just on a night out. It was like Geordie Shore all over again.

'It got really wild at the end; this always happens whenever the Geordies are in town. Things just get messy!'
Piers Morgan shared a selfie with Gary Lineker, Amanda Holden and Bruno Tonioli as the group hit the town in Los Angeles - after he defended the Match of The Day host on Twitter last month.

The broadcaster, 58, recently celebrated his birthday and has taken a two-week holiday from his show, Piers Uncensored.

Posting to Instagram on Tuesday, Piers shared a snap of the surprising group at the iconic Sunset Tower Hotel in West Hollywood.

The four beamed as they crammed into the picture by a swimming pool as they enjoyed an evening out together.

Accompanying his post, the ever-divisive presenter wrote: 'Midnight in Hollywood... and opinions are flying.'

'Opinions are flying': Piers Morgan hit the town with Amanda Holden, Bruno Tonioli and Gary Lineker in Los Angeles on Monday night

Piers stood next to his former fellow judge on Britain's Got Talent, Amanda Holden, 52 - while Bruno Tonioli, who has recently replaced David Williams in the show's line-up, posed behind them.

Peeking through in the top right corner of the snap was a grinning Gary Lineker, 62, who Piers recently defended on Twitter after his removal from Match Of The Day.

Morgan tweeted: 'WTF? How pathetically spineless.. I now demand the BBC suspend every presenter who has made public comment about news or current affairs - starting with Sir David Attenborough and Lord Sugar.

He added: 'Memo to anyone who now agrees to present MOTD tomorrow: well see you, and well judge you accordingly.

He then moved to offer Lineker advice on what to do next, suggesting the former England international should tell the BBC to 'go f*** themselves'.

'Gary Lineker should tell the BBC to go f*** themselves, as I told ITV to over the Markle debacle. Free speech is the cornerstone of democracy - the moment Britons agree to be told what were allowed to say or think, democracy dies.'

Lineker was later reinstated to his position as the iconic figurehead of the show and the pair have clearly continued their friendship over the following weeks - embarking on a star-studded night out in Hollywood.

Piers is in LA as he takes two weeks off work to celebrate his 58th birthday.

Birthday trip: The broadcaster, 58, is taking a two-week break from his show, Piers Uncensored, to celebrate his birthday in Los Angeles

Speaking on his show, Piers Uncensored, he said: 'I'm taking two extremely well-deserved weeks off. I'm going to go to Hollywood and lie under palm trees.'

Earlier in the week, he had cancelled his holiday for an interview with Stormy Daniels, which was then itself cancelled over a 'security issue'.

The next day, Piers jetted off to LA once more as planned, praising British Airways for their service on Twitter.

It comes after Piers reunited with his former Good Morning Britain co-host Susanna Reid last week as they headed out for breakfast together.

The broadcaster took to Twitter to share a sweet snap from their morning outing as the former colleagues reunited for the first time in 'a while'.

Piers hosted GMB alongside Susanna, 52, until his departure in 2021 and since then, Susanna has continued to helm the show alongside a selection of male hosts.

In a caption alongside the post, Piers quipped that it had been 'a while' since they last had breakfast together in reference to his former job hosting the chat show.

He penned: 'Good morning (again) Britain! Been a while since we last had breakfast together lovely to see you @susannareid100.'

Since Piers' departure from GMB in 2021, Susanna has continued to front the show alongside a rotation of male hosts.

Regulars have included Richard Madeley, Ed Balls, Ben Shephard, Kate Garraway, Adil Ray and Robert Rinder.
A MasterChef insider has revealed contestants and members of the show's crew often get doggie bags after a cooking challenge.

According to a report in Now to Love on Tuesday, doggie bags are common place on the show following their trademark high-pressure cook-offs.

The judges take a bite, contestants take a nibble, and then whatever is left is encouraged to be taken home and eaten.

Judge Melissa Leong spoke to publication Stuff recently saying she often only takes one bite of the dishes presented.

'Sometimes when something is especially tasty it is very difficult not to go back for a second, third or fourth bite,' she confessed.

A MasterChef insider has revealed contestants and members of the show's crew often get doggie bags after a cooking challenge. Pictured: Jock Zonfrillo, Melissa Leong and Andy Allen

'But part of the job is exercising restraint.'

Melissa added she often doesn't need to have lunch or dinner during judging days as she does most of her eating on camera.

It comes amid news Jamie Oliver will be a guest judge on the new season of the show, which will premiere on May 1.

The judges take a bite, contestants take a nibble, and then whatever is left is encouraged to be taken home and eaten. Melissa Leong said she often only takes one bite of the dishes

'I'm very, very excited to be back in the MasterChef Australia kitchen, and honoured to be kicking off the new season of Secrets & Surprises alongside Jock, Andy and Mel,' Jamie said in a statement.

He added: 'I want to give the contestants some little nuggets of advice, some techniques and some thoughts most importantly, that might help them to navigate some of the big moments ahead.'

In a fun teaser clip of his upcoming appearance on the show, Jamie is introduced to the contestants who erupt into cheers and applause for the superstar chef as he walks on set.

Jamie Oliver was recently announced as a guest judge on the show

'I can't stop shaking!' one contestant says.

'Even I'm shaking,' Jamie adds.

It cuts to Jamie in his chef whites speaking about one of his favourite dishes during a challenge.

'This is a dish that changed my life,' he says as one contestant starts crying.

'Don't start or you'll get me going!' he says.

The chef, who hails from Essex, reportedly has a net worth over 240million.

MasterChef Australia premieres Monday, May 1 at 7.30pm on Channel 10
Vanessa Feltz has said she was 'consumed by sadness' as she revealed Paul O'Grady promised her 'nights of debauchery and dissipation' before his shock death aged 67.

Eulogies have poured in for the legendary presenter after his partner Andre Portasio shared that he had passed away 'unexpectedly but peacefully' last week.

The TV personality, 61, spoke of Paul's ability to 'make everyone feel valued' and heartbreakingly added that no one 'was ready to loose him.'

Writing in her column for The Express, Vanessa began: 'When I woke to the news of his death I was consumed by shock and sadness.

'My phone still bristles with his messages promising nights of "debauchery and dissipation". I looked forward to both immensely, of course.'

Heartfelt: Vanessa Feltz, 61, has said she was 'consumed by sadness' as she revealed Paul O'Grady promised her 'nights of debauchery and dissipation' before his shock death

Tragic: Eulogies have poured in for the legendary presenter after his partner Andre Portasio shared that he had passed away 'unexpectedly but peacefully' last week

The presenter added that Paul 'didn't do soppy sentiment or compliments' but managed to make everyone 'feel appreciated' with his 'genuine interest.'

She likened him to a 'star illuminating' everyones lives and allowing people to 'stand taller' in his presence.

'He was unmatched at giving people instant fitting nicknames. He called me, flatteringly, the Delphic Sibyl after the Ancient Greek oracle. He thought I was knowledgeable and from a polymath such as Paul, that was a most treasured compliment,' Vanessa revealed.

'Dog-lover Paul was a campaigner for social justice, animal rights and LGBTQ+ equality with an astringent tongue, rapier-sharp wit, a soaring intellect and a heart of shimmering gold. I will miss him every single day,' she concluded.

Paul, who shot to fame as trailblazing comic drag act Lily Savage before becoming one of the country's best-loved TV presenters and DJs, died 'unexpectedly but peacefully' on March 28, his partner said.

Andre Portasio, who married O'Grady in 2017, paid tribute to his 'humour, wit and compassion' in a statement announcing his death released just before 3am.

The father-of-one's cause of death wasn't immediately known, but he had previously spoken of surviving heart attacks in 2002, 2006 and 2014, and also kidney failure. He also had a debilitating Covid battle that left him unable to work for two months.

O'Grady married Portuguese lesbian barmaid Teresa Fernandes in 1977 to stop her deportation. They divorced in 2005 and he married ex-ballerina Mr Portasio in 2017.

Upset: The TV personality spoke of Paul's ability to 'make everyone feel valued' and heartbreakingly added that no one 'was ready to loose him'

Decades earlier in 1974, he had his only child, a daughter called Sharyn Mousley, with his dear friend Diane Jansen. O'Grady is also a grandfather to Sharyn's son Abel, who was born in 2006 and is now aged 16, and Sharyn's daughter Halo, born in 2009.

Portasio said: 'It is with great sadness that I inform you that Paul has passed away unexpectedly but peacefully yesterday evening.

'We ask, at this difficult time, that whilst you celebrate his life you also respect our privacy as we come to terms with this loss.

'He will be greatly missed by his loved ones, friends, family, animals and all those who enjoyed his humour, wit and compassion.

'I know that he would want me to thank you for all the love you have shown him over the years.'

It comes after MailOnline exclusively revealed that Paul planned his own funeral in extraordinary detail years before his death and said he would 'like to be remembered as someone who tried to help animals' - not a comedian or broadcaster.

The star said in 2017 that his friend Jools Holland had already agreed to play piano at the service and he hoped to persuade Sir Tom Jones and Mica Paris to sing.

In poignant and exclusive audio that emerged on Monday, OGrady said in his typical acerbic style: 'They are all going to be weeping at my funeral. I want to make sure of it. None of this jolly nonsense', adding jokingly that he expected mourners to wear 'jet black'.

Paul was talking to journalist Rob McGibbon in November 2017 for his Daily Mail column called The Definite Article.

The popular Q&A appeared each week in Weekend magazine and always featured the question to a celebrity: 'The order of service at your funeral' and the final question was always 'The way you want to be remembered'.

Poignant: It comes after MailOnline exclusively revealed that Paul planned his own funeral and said he would 'like to be remembered as someone who tried to help animals' (pictured in 2019)

Poignantly he said that he would only want to be celebrated for being kind to animals, not for anything he achieved in comedy or showbusiness, adding: 'It would just be nice to be remembered'.

He said his philosophy for life was: 'Get on with it - no matter what life chucks at you. Deal with it and get on with it. There's no time to mess around'.

Mr O'Grady revealed that he wanted it to be held in a small, 'ancient' church on the Romney Marshes in Kent - like St Thomas Becket Church in Fairfield - famously the setting for the opening scene in Charles Dickens' Great Expectations.

But he joked that he would be laid to rest in a glass coffin in the middle of a forest, guarded by Snow White's seven dwarfs.
Ranvir Singh was teased by her Good Morning Britain co-stars on Tuesday's Lorraine after she turned up with 'exceptionally big' hair.

The presenter, 45, debuted her new voluminous look after going to the hairdressers and admitted she was still getting used to styling it.

Ranvir ditched some length and decided on a choppy layered do with a fringe for spring.

Having shared an Instagram video of the transformation, Ranvir embraced her new look - but when it came to styling it herself she admitted she had given herself a 'really big blow dry'.

Kate Garraway told viewers as she introduced a link to the upcoming Lorraine show: 'So Ranvir is here at 9 o'clock. With fringe. Still looking fabulous.'

New look: Ranvir Singh was teased by her Good Morning Britain co-stars on Tuesday's Lorraine after she turned up with 'exceptionally big' hair

Volume: The presenter, 45, debuted her new voluminous look after going to the hairdressers and admitted she was still getting used to styling it (pictured right before her haircut)

Talking about her new look Ranvir admitted: 'As you can tell I've had a really big blow dry today. Kate I've got your hairdresser today.'

Kate replied: 'It looks like you've got half my hair in there as well. It can never be too big. Closer to God.'

Richard Madeley then decided to chip in and tell her: 'That really is big hair. It's exceptionally big.'

Ranvir laughed and told him: 'It's getting it's own agent!'

The presenter is filling in for Lorraine this week during Easter break and took to Instagram to show off her new hairdo.

She wrote: 'Back to the bangs courtesy of the clever hands-on magic of @lucajoneshair @kitchhair and @simplyhairuk Ready for spring just need the sun now! #timeforchange #hairstyles #fringe #bangs'.

And Ranvir's followers seemed a big fan of her makeover.

One wrote in the comments: 'Loving the new cut', another said: ' Love the new look Ranvir - it suits you'.

Amused: Richard Madeley told her: 'That really is big hair. It's exceptionally big'

Transformation: The presenter is filling in for Lorraine this week during Easter break and took to Instagram to show off her new hairdo

A third fan chimed: 'Absolutely stunning'.

It comes after Ranvir spoke out on her relationship with Louis Church, who is 18 years her junior, saying she is 'blissfully happy' with her toyboy partner.

'I knew Louis was special the minute he walked in... He has instinctively known exactly what I need I don't see an age gap,' she told Woman and Home.

'What really matters in any kind of relationship in life is a synchronicity of values and emotions. I don't know why we're so obsessed with the age gap.'

Ranvir continued: 'As we are, right now, we are blissfully happy and Louis lives very much in the present.'

The couple have been dating since September 2020 after meeting behind-the-scenes during her stint on Strictly Come Dancing.

She said the pair 'don't bring undue pressure' into their joy because 'it's not worth ruining the present by thinking about a wealth of different scenarios that might or might not happen'.
Dhakota Williams dared to bare as she celebrated her 23rd birthday with a night out on the town in Melbourne.

The gangland heiress, whose father is the late convicted murderer and drug trafficker Carl Williams, shared pictures of her big night out to Instagram on Tuesday.

Flaunting every inch of her figure, the OnlyFans star wore a sheer, skin-tight catsuit with racy cutouts across her derriere and hips.

The thin black fabric featured even more cutouts down the backs of her toned legs before leading down her chest in a revealing neckline.

Sparkling with diamantes across the scandalous outfit, the brunette beauty slipped into a pair of clear heels as she pulled her tresses back into a high pony.

Dhakota Williams (pictured) dared to bare as she celebrated her 23rd birthday with a night out on the town in Melbourne

With locks falling to frame her face, Dhakota accentuated all her best features with a full face of bronzed makeup including a nude lip and smoky eye.

The final Instagram Story she shared of the night showed her letting loose in a bar as she bent over and began twerking as a girlfriend slapped her behind.

It comes after the adult model made a surprising career move.

The gangland heiress, whose father is the late convicted murderer and drug trafficker Carl Williams, shared pictures of her big night out to Instagram on Tuesday

She announced last month she was expanding her portfolio of online businesses by launching a podcast.

She posted a photo on Instagram of a recording studio with chairs and microphones, telling her followers an announcement would be 'coming very soon'.

Dhakota's mother Roberta Williams, 53, who is also on OnlyFans, reposted the photo to her own Instagram page, and captioned it with some supportive words.

'This is going to be something that is not to be missed,' Roberta captioned the snap.
Lisa Wilkinson put in a rare red carpet appearance on Tuesday.

The former star of The Project attended the Goddess exhibition opening in Melbourne in an all-blue ensemble.

The 63-year-old paired a powder blue blazer, which sat on her shoulders, with a dress shirt in the same tone.

The television presenter kept the colour story going in a pair of wide-legged trousers.

Lisa finished the look with a stacked pair of tan heels and a bright orange clutch purse.

Lisa Wilkinson (pictured) put in a rare red carpet appearance on Tuesday. The former star of The Project attended the Goddess exhibition opening in Melbourne in an all-blue ensemble

Lisa chose a clean makeup look with a pearlescent lip gloss and peachy eyeshadow and wore her brunette locks in waves.

She kept her accessories light but added some bling in the form of a pair of dangling earrings.

Lisa has been conspicuously absent from screens following her departure from The Project last year, despite earning a reported seven-figure salary from Ten.

However, last month she hosted a low-key 'business luncheon' at a suburban Brisbane pub to celebrate International Women's Day, charging $140 per ticket for guests to hear her talk about her career.

The 63-year-old paired a powder blue blazer, which sat on her shoulders, with a dress shirt in the same tone

The television presenter kept the colour story going in a pair of wide-legged trousers

An advertisement for the sold-out event described how Wilkinson would illuminate her guests with a keynote speech on 'how a young girl from Sydney's western suburbs came to be such a force in Australian media and our cultural life'.

It comes as Wilkinson and Ten face defamation claims from Bruce Lehrmann over her high-profile interview with Brittany Higgins in which the former political staffer alleged she was raped by 'a male colleague' in Parliament House in 2019.

Channel 10's lawyers at Thomson Geer lodged papers stating they would represent Wilkinson; however, new papers lodged less than a day later said the arrangement had been terminated.

Federal Court documents indicated Wilkinson would instead be represented by Gillis Delaney Lawyers and its partner Anthony Jefferies.

She has also hired top defamation barrister Sue Chrysanthou. It is understood Wilkinson will be funding the legal team herself.
Kate Garraway supported her frail husband Derek Draper as they headed to a pub for lunch on Sunday.

It is a rare outing for former political lobbyist Derek, 55, who has faced devastating health complications after his body was ravaged by coronavirus three years ago.

The couple showed their strength and determination as they made their journey to their local - which is no easy feat as Kate revealed last month there are days where Derek simply 'cannot do anything'.

The Good Morning Britain presenter, 55, is reportedly planning a trip across the world to find pioneering treatment as a 'last hope'.

During their outing, they were joined by a carer who pushed Derek's wheelchair, while Kate ensured he kept warm by handing him his leather gloves.

Touching: Kate Garraway supported her frail husband Derek Draper as they headed to a pub for lunch on Sunday

Health battle: It is a rare outing for former political lobbyist Derek, 55, who has faced devastating health complications after his body was ravaged by coronavirus three years ago

Determined: The couple showed their strength and determination as they made their journey to their local

At one point, the TV host rested her hands on his shoulders and offered some words of comfort.

After the meal, Kate was pictured carrying bags of leftovers to bring home, with insiders saying the trip was a big step.

A source told The Sun: 'It was a lovely day out for them. Something others may take for granted, a simple trip to the pub, was a big step for them and they really enjoyed it.'

Kate is reportedly planning a trip across the world for pioneering treatment in a 'final hope' to help her husband.

A source told Bella Magazine: 'This really is Kates desperate bid to try and save Dereks life and she is willing to try anything.

'Shes been looking into a number of experimental medical options around the world and particularly in Mexico in an effort to save him from the devastating effects of Covid-19.

'Kate only wants the best for Derek. She wants to try it because she feels as though its her last hope.'

Derek, a former political advisor, has previously travelled to Mexico in 2021 and 2022 for clinical trials.

Willpower: It is no easy feat as Kate revealed last month there are days where Derek simply 'cannot do anything'

Helping hand: During their outing, they were joined by a carer who pushed Derek's wheelchair

Devoted: Kate ensured Derek kept warm by handing him his leather gloves

Chilly: She pulled up his hood as they battled the windy weather

Quality time: A source said: 'It was a lovely day out for them. Something others may take for granted, a simple trip to the pub, was a big step for them and they really enjoyed it'

Outing: After the meal, Kate was pictured carrying bags of leftovers to bring home, with insiders saying the trip was a big step

Heartbreaking: Derek's body was ravaged with various crippling conditions after he contracted Covid and he now remains confined to a bed and wheelchair

Battle: The Good Morning Britain star has cared for Derek ever since he became unwell with Long Covid in 2020 after becoming gravely ill with the virus at the onset of the pandemic

As a result of lockdown rules during the pandemic, Kate and the couple's two children Darcey, 16, and Billy, 13, were unable to visit him as he received treatment.

13 months later, Derek was finally allowed to go home.

However, following the long period of hospitalisation, his body was ravaged with various crippling conditions and he now remains confined to a bed and wheelchair.

While Dereks long-term chance of recovery is still not known, the 'utter devastation' to his body is undeniable.

Although Kate insisted that they'd had 'wonderful treatment' from the NHS, which were essential in keeping her husband alive, the foreign trips offer 'potentially life saving treatment'.

As well as the trip, the Smooth Radio presenter has had to spend 'tens of thousands of pounds' adapting the family home in London for Derek, which included the installation of ramps, a downstairs wet room and a makeshift downstairs bedroom.

Due to the severity of his illness and length of time spent in hospital he remains unable to walk and has developed debilitating symptoms.

In summer last year, Derek developed sepsis and was again rushed to hospital, where the severe condition nearly killed him.

Speaking about his current condition and caring for him, she told The Sun: 'There are some days where he literally cannot do anything and it's like the computer is switched off.

'He cannot move, and he's in so much pain as we are manipulating him, trying to get him more mobile so that he doesn't regress.'

The presenter noted that despite Derek's insistence that they carry on, she says it's 'unbearable' to see him in pain, admitting it makes her 'emotional' just speaking about it.

However, she added: 'It also makes me fall in love with him all over again because of that spirit, that determination to keep going. Derek is trapped, but he fights on. We cling on to the good days.'

Reflecting on the ups and downs of caring for her husband, Kate remarked that every day is a 'roller coaster' as Derek's spirit 'fluctuates'.

The journalist added that it is 'heart-breaking' to watch her husband of 18 years unable to move with tears streaming down his face, noting that as 'hard' as it is for them, she 'cannot imagine' how tough it is for Derek.

MailOnline has contacted representatives of Kate Garraway for comment.

Tough: Due to the severity of his illness and length of time spent in hospital he remains unable to walk and has developed debilitating symptoms
Kim Kardashian is enjoying a family trip to Tokyo this week and was making the most of her time there with a trip to Universal Studios Japan on Tuesday.

The KUWTK star, 42, got an adrenaline rush as she bravely took on a rollercoaster ride and went go-karting.

She was joined by daughters North, nine, and Chicago, five, sons Saint, seven, and Psalm, three, as well as her sister Kourtney's daughter Penelope, 10.

For her go-karting experience she looked as glamorous as ever in a tight black T-shirt and neon green leggings which she teamed with long boots.

She held her matching helmet up and wore dark shades while flicking around her long dark tresses.

Fun: Kim Kardashian is enjoying a family trip to Tokyo this week and was making the most of her time there with a trip to Universal Studios Japan on Tuesday where she went go-karting

Scary! The KUWTK star, 42, got an adrenaline rush as she bravely took on a rollercoaster ride and went go-karting

Off she goes! She also shared a selfie with her helmet on as she got ready to start driving before posing in the helmet room to further show off her

She also shared a selfie with her helmet on as she got ready to start driving before posing in the helmet room to further show off her.

After she hopped on a rollercoaster with Penelope and North as she penned in the caption: 'Scariest ride of my life!!! But sooo much fun!

'The freshest part is there's music in the seats you can at least sing away the fear - Thank you @universal_studios_japan'.

Also on her Story she showed Chicago and Saint sweetly dressed up as the Mario Brothers in red and green hats and novelty glasses and moustaches.

It comes after the family visited a hedgehog cafe on Monday during their fun-filled trip.

The SKIMS founder - who recently bonded with Katy Perry over their 'ugly' cry faces - was ever the cool mom, rocking a black skull t-shirt, a black skirt and silver boots.

Kardashian wore her raven tresses down for the occasion, and kept her eyes shielded with a pair of black sunglasses.

In one snap she was pictured smiling at the camera while holding a hedgehog along with Chicago.

Outfit: For her go-karting experience she looked as glamorous as ever in a tight black T-shirt and neon green leggings which she teamed with long boots

Crew: She was joined by daughters North, nine, and Chicago, five, sons Saint, seven, and Psalm, three, as well as her sister Kourtney's daughter Penelope, 10

Adrenaline: After she hopped on a rollercoaster with Penelope and North as she penned in the caption: 'Scariest ride of my life!!! But sooo much fun!'

Cute! Also on her Story she showed Chicago and Saint sweetly dressed up as the Mario Brothers in red and green hats and novelty glasses and moustaches

Exploring: The sun was shining down as Kim took her four kids to the theme park for a day of fun

Kim rocked picture-perfect glam for the day, including blush and plenty of mascara. She accessorised the look with a classy black purse.

Meanwhile North sported a tan set, a lavender Prada purse, black platform flip flops and pink sunglasses.

The family was also joined by - the daughter of Kourtney and Scott Disick, as well as other friends.

In one precious snap Kim was pictured giving her youngest son a smooch.

Another photo saw Kim holding up the little animal with gloved hands while making a kissy face at the camera.

Chicago appeared amused as she watched her mom interact with the spiny mammal, known for its coat of stiff, sharp spines.

Meanwhile a warning on the blackboard behind them gave instructions on how to interact with the hedgehogs.

'We are looking out. With our spines pointing into the air, their might hurt, but please don't drop us!'

At the end of the carousel Kim also shared a video of the fun experience.

Kim, North and Chicago were seen holding hedgehogs in the clip.

Earlier in the day Kim posted a video to her and North's shared TikTok page of their visit to a bamboo forest in Japan.

Kim split from her husband of six years, Kanye, in February 2021 after welcoming four children together.

Zooming around: She filmed the day out for her Instagram feed as they headed to the go-kart track

Start of the track: The inside of the go-karting area looked fun and had moody neon lights everywhere

All the gear: Her son looked like he was ready to go in his blue and black outfit with Bart Simpson on the side

Glam: She held her matching helmet up and wore dark shades while flicking around her long dark tresses

Posing up a storm: Kim flaunted her toned abs and perfect physique as she snapped pictures in the go-kart attraction

Wow! Kim was sure to document her whole day out as she filmed the Universal Studios entrance

Having fun! The kids all looked like they were having a great time as they explored the theme park

She only just settled her divorce with Kanye this past November after a nearly two year battle relating to their custody of their four kids and the division of their multimillion dollar real estate portfolio.

The KYWTK alum is getting $200,000 in child support monthly, TMZ reported after reviewing court docs, and she and her former spouse have 'equal access' to the kids.

Though it's been claimed that they will remain in Kim's care most of the time.

Kim previously admitted that co-parenting with the Flashing Lights rapper is 'f***ing hard' and that she's done her best to shield their brood from his public outbursts, including the ant-Semitic rants he went on last year that led to major brands like Adidas and Gap severing their partnerships with him.
Jessie Wynter has revealed she will be returning to Australia following her UK Love Island stint last month.

The reality star, 26, who found love in the South African villa with boyfriend Will Young, 23, has since been living in Buckinghamshire on her beau's family farm.

The couple, who narrowly missed out of the final, will soon see a big change in their relationship as Jessie's visa runs out soon.

Jessie is a personal trainer from Tasmania and was living in Sydney, before her second stint on Love Island after she found fame on the Australian series in 2019.

The PT revealed she will be jetting back home to Oz in May and Will hopes he can join her Down Under.

'I am looking to go back to Australia': Jessie Wynter revealed she will be returning to Australia following her UK Love Island stint last month

Loved-up: The reality star, 26, who found love in the South Africa villa with boyfriend Will Young, 23, has since been living in Buckinghamshire on her beau's family farm

She told The Sun: 'I am looking to go back to Australia at the end of May because I think that's when my visa is until. Will might be coming with me, which is really exciting, and then we're going to look at what other types of visas I can have when I get back over here.

'I do see myself long-term in the UK, if Will doesn't enjoy Australia too much. Everyone I know from the UK has been saying Will's going to love Australia, so I'm concerned.'

Jessie has not seen her family since January except for when her mum and sister visited her while on the show.

The bombshell revealed she has been 'homesick' at times but Will and his family have been there to 'comfort' her and now she'd be 'lost without them'.

Jessie continued: 'I feel if I hadn't gone back to the farm it might have been too overwhelming coming straight into a new country, the hustle and bustle. I know it's different. It's not the typical Love Island setting, but we're so happy with how it's worked out.'

It comes after the beauty revealed she tried to quit the Love Island show but producers told her she couldn't.

The Australian reality star entered the villa as a bombshell and quickly hooked up with farmer Will.

Viewers watched their romance blossom for eight weeks in the villa, but it wasn't all smooth sailing for the couple as their relationship was thrown into doubt after Will kissed Layla Al-Momani during the Casa Amor loyalty test.

Home time: The couple, who narrowly missed out of the final, will soon see a big change in their relationship as Jessie's visa runs out soon

Jessie confessed to being 'shattered' by Will's actions, while he considered quitting the show if he failed to win her back.

Speaking about the moment she found about Will's infidelity during Casa Amor, she told The Useless Helpline Podcast: 'I was like, "That's it I'm done. I'm done with Will, I'm done with the villa".

'And then production were like, "Er no, that's not happening, you can't do that, you can't just leave".'

However, as seen in previous seasons, producers have ensured if for any reason an Islander does feel they want to leave the Villa then they can.

It comes after Will gushed about having found the love of his life on the ITV2 show and how he has big hopes for their future.

He said: 'I wouldn't be with her if I thought she wasn't marriage material. Our plan is to split our time between the UK and Tasmania.'

'We're so happy': The bombshell revealed she has been 'homesick' at times but Will and his family have been there to 'comfort' her and now she'd be 'lost without them'

Will and Jessie missed out on reaching the show's final by one day after failing to secure the public vote after all of the couples were asked to pick which pair they thought was the least compatible.

But that doesn't seem to have deterred any future plans for the pair, with Will being open to travel in order to keep their relationship alive.

After leaving South Africa, the sheep farmer said: 'I think it's very fair to say I would go to Australia.

'A relationship is a two-way thing. It would be unfair for me to rely on Jessie moving here 100%. Australia has always been a place I'd like to go to and travel.'
France and the United Kingdom, he pointed out, served while committing war crimes in their colonial wars. China has recently served despite ongoing war crimes in Xinjiang.

Come April 1, a post-Ukraine Russia, will preside over the UN Security Council in a month-long presidency on the basis of alphabetical rotation.

But Russia will not be the first or the only countryaccused of war crimes or charged with violating the UN charterto be either a member or preside over the most powerful political body in the United Nations.

Stephen Zunes, a professor of politics and coordinator of Middle Eastern Studies at the University of San Francisco who has written extensively on the politics of the Security Council, told IPS the United States has served as president of the Security Council while committing war crimes in Vietnam and Iraq.

Delegations gather for a United Nations Security Council meeting on nuclear non-proliferation regarding the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Thursday, March 23, 2023, at United Nations headquarters. [JOHN MINCHILLO / AP]

France and the United Kingdom, he pointed out, served while committing war crimes in their colonial wars. China has recently served despite ongoing war crimes in Xinjiang.

So having Russia take its turn as Security Council president would hardly be unprecedented.

It is certainly true that Russia would be the first to illegally annex territory seized by military force. However, given how the United States has formally recognized illegal annexations by Israel and Morocco of territories seized by military force, its not like Russia is the only permanent member to think that is somehow okay, declared Zunes.

The ICC has also previously accused several political leaders, including Omar Hassan al-Bahir of Sudan, Slobodan Milosevic of Yugoslavia and Libyas Muammar el-Qaddafi of war crimes or genocide.

Asked at a press conference in March about the anomaly of a member state that commits war crimes presiding over the UN Security Council, UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq told reporters: Youre well aware of the rules of the Security Council, including the alphabetical rotation of the Member States of the Security Council for the Presidency of the Council, which is a policy that is held throughout the lifespan of the Security Council.

And we have nothing further to say than that, he added, just ahead of the ICC announcement.

But in a stunning new development, the ICC in March accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of war crimes and issued a warrant for his arrest, along with a similar arrest warrant for Russias Commissioner for Childrens Rights Maria Lvova-Belova.

The announcement on March 17 specifically charged them for the illegal transfer of children out of war-devastated Ukraine, which was invaded by Russia last year, in violation of the UN charter.

Russia, which is not a signatory for the Rome Statute which created the ICC, dismissed the warrants.

In a statement released in March,, ICCs Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan, said on the basis of evidence collected and analyzed by my Office pursuant to its independent investigations, the Pre-Trial Chamber has confirmed that there are reasonable grounds to believe that President Putin and Ms Lvova-Belova bear criminal responsibility for the unlawful deportation and transfer of Ukrainian children from occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation, contrary to article 8(2)(a)(vii) and article 8(2)(b)(viii) of the Rome Statute.

Incidents identified by the ICC office include the deportation of at least hundreds of children taken from orphanages and childrens care homes. 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.

Thomas G. Weiss, Distinguished Fellow, Global Governance, The Chicago Council on Global Affairs, told IPS the statement by the UN spokesperson is completely accurate.

There is no precedent for preventing a rotating chair in the Security Council (SC)yet another and only the most recent indication of the aberrant way that it was constructed.

That said, the Russian ambassador will perhaps be squirming in his SC chair after the ICCs embarrassing arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin, he noted.

While it is extremely unlikely that he will be in The Hague anytime soon, the international pressure will only increasewe should recall the itinerary of Slobodan Milosevic.

Moscow is extremely unhappy with this development, Weiss said, as they were when the General Assembly unceremoniously ejected them from the Human Rights Council last year.

Bouncing Russia off (or Libya in 2011) was an important precedent to build upon for other UN bodies (other than the SC). Moscow detests being isolated, and fought against the decision for that reason, he added.

The biggest what if? takes us back to December 1991 when the USSR imploded. That was the moment to have called into question Russias automatically assuming the seat of the Soviet Union.

We have thirty years of state practice, and so, we cannot call that into question (although Ukrainian President Zelensky has); we can only wish that we had raised that question then, instead of heaving a huge sigh of relief that the transition was so smooth, declared Weiss, who is also Presidential Professor of Political Science, and Director Emeritus, Ralph Bunche Institute for International Studies, the CUNY Graduate Center.

James Paul, a former Executive Director, Global Policy Forum, told IPS the Russian military campaign in Ukraine has raised many questions about international peace and security. Inevitably the debate has produced heated arguments at the United Nations.

Many Western governments (and liberal idealists among their citizenry), he said, would like to punish Russia in various ways through sanctions and isolation, in hopes that this will cause Russia to withdraw its military forces and give up its strategic goals in Ukraine.

Some have proposed that Russia should not be able to take its monthly rotating seat as President of the UN Security Council in the month of April.

This is a position that shows weak familiarity with international affairs and the workings of the worlds most powerful state actors, including ignorance of the military history of the Western powers, now so exercised about Russian transgressions, said Paul, author of Of Foxes and ChickensOligarchy and Global Power in the UN Security Council

If the Security Council, he argued, had even-handedly denied its rotating presidency to members that break international law, invade other countries, forcibly change the boundaries of sovereign states or engineer the overthrow of elected governments, then all permanent members of the Council (not least the Western powers) would lose their presidencies.

Asked for the UN Secretary-Generals reaction to the ICC arrest warrants, UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters March 17: As weve said many times before here, the International Criminal Court is independent of the Secretariat. We do not comment on their actions.

Asked whether Putin will be permitted to enter the UN premises either in Geneva, Vienna or New York, or meet with Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, he said: I dont want to answer hypothetical questions because  as you know, issues of travel involve others. We will continue As a general rule, the Secretary-General will speak to whomever he needs to speak in order to deal with the issues in front of him.

Balkees Jarrah, associate international justice director at Human Rights Watch, said the ICC announcement was a big day for the many victims of crimes committed by Russian forces in Ukraine since 2014.

With these arrest warrants, the ICC has made Putin a wanted man and taken its first step to end the impunity that has emboldened perpetrators in Russias war against Ukraine for far too long.

The warrants, Jarrah pointed out, send a clear message that giving orders to commit or tolerating serious crimes against civilians may lead to a prison cell in The Hague.

The courts warrants are a wakeup call to others committing abuses or covering them up that their day in court may be coming, regardless of their rank or position.

Elaborating further, Paul said in a world of violent and powerful states, the UN is useful because it can bring warring parties together and promote diplomacy and conflict resolution.

Those calling for punishment for Russia should realize that the United States would (if even-handed rules were enforced) be subject to regular penalties, since it has violated other states sovereignty with military forces on many occasions to pursue its own interests, he noted.

The Iraq War, he said, typifies the U.S. disregard for UN rules and Security Council decisions. U.S. wars in Vietnam and Afghanistan are further high-profile wars of this type. There are dozens of cases.

Britain and France, too, have used their powerful militaries in contravention of international law, to carry out bloody wars against decolonization as well as later post-colonial interventions to insure access to mines, oil resources, etc.

The Suez War, launched against Egypt jointly with Israel, was a classic of this genre. Russia and China have had their share of military operations and interventions as well, including Russias intervention in Afghanistan and its many wars in the Caucasus.

China, famous for promoting territorial integrity as a principle, annexed Tibet and fought several wars with its neighbor Vietnam, he said.

So, the Permanent Members of the Security Council have a very poor record when it comes to setting the standard for international law. Even smaller states (with bigger protectors) have been in the invasion business. Israel, Turkey and Morocco come quickly to mind, declared Paul.

Asked whether the President of the General Assembly Csaba Korosi would be willing to meet with President Putin, his Spokesperson Pauline Kubiak told reporters that President Korosi represents all Member States of the General Assembly, which includes Russia. He has been willing and remains willing to meet with President Putin.

By Thalif Deen  IPS UN Bureau Report / Globetrotter
Ridley Scott's upcoming biopic of Napoleon Bonaparte starring Joaquin Phoenix has finally gotten a release date.

A new report in Deadline has revealed that the picture will get a wide theatrical release on November 22, one day before Thanksgiving.

Joaquin, 48, previously earned an Oscar nod for his scenery-chewing performance as the Roman Emperor Commodus in Ridley's 2000 blockbuster Gladiator.

Now the pair are reunited for their first movie together in 23 years, once again telling the story of a tyrant whose shadow fell across Europe.

Entitled Napoleon, the movie follows the military titan's tempestuous romance with his first wife Josephine, played by Vanessa Kirby.

Resemblance: Ridley Scott's upcoming biopic of Napoleon Bonaparte (right ) starring Joaquin Phoenix (left) has finally gotten a release date

Iconic: Joaquin, 48, previously earned an Oscar nod for his scenery-chewing performance as the Roman Emperor Commodus in Ridley's 2000 blockbuster Gladiator (pictured)

'It made it all grow bigger and better': Ridley (pictured 2021) revealed in an interview with Empire that the Napoleon screenplay was dramatically changed to accommodate Joaquin

Josephine hailed from the colonies, born to an aristocratic family who owned a slaveholding sugarcane plantation on Martinique.

She moved to France in 1779 and embarked on a miserable marriage to her cousin Alexandre de Beauharnais during the twilight of the Ancien Regime.

After losing her first husband to the guillotine in the Reign Of Terror, Josephine became the mistress of Napoleon - soon to be the most powerful man in Europe.

During her turbulent 14-year marriage to Napoleon, she saw herself ascend to the titles of both Empress Of The French and Queen Of Italy.

An incandescent hostess and expert schmoozer, Napoleon's consort was the PR wing of his reign, eliciting his remark: 'I win battles but Josephine wins hearts.'

However their union was rocked by his infidelities and her infertility, to the point he annulled her in 1810 - just two years before he hurled himself into the disastrous invasion of Russia that marked the beginning of the end of his whirlwind rule.

Vanessa Kirby, who rose to global popularity as Princess Margaret on the first two seasons of The Crown, has been cast as Josephine in Ridley's picture.

Ridley recently revealed in an interview with Empire that the Napoleon screenplay was dramatically changed to accommodate Joaquin.

Love of his life: Entitled Napoleon, the movie follows the military titan's tempestuous romance with his first wife Josephine (left), played by Vanessa Kirby (right)

Acclaim: In recent weeks Joaquin has been filming the sequel to his smash hit 2019 movie Joker (pictured), which netted him an Oscar for best actor

Seen on set: The follow-up picture Joker: Folie a Deux has added Lady Gaga to the ensemble; the pair are pictured filming in the Bronx this Monday

'Joaquin is about as far from conventional as you can get. Not deliberately, but out of intuition. Thats what makes him tick. If something bothers him, hell let you know. He made [Napoleon] special by constantly questioning,' Ridley shared.

'With Joaquin, we can rewrite the goddamn film because hes uncomfortable. And that kind of happened with Napoleon.'

The acclaimed filmmaker explained: 'We unpicked the film to help him focus on who Bonaparte was. I had to respect that, because what was being said was incredibly constructive. It made it all grow bigger and better.'

In recent weeks Joaquin has been filming the sequel to his smash hit 2019 movie Joker, which netted him an Oscar for best actor.

The follow-up picture Joker: Folie a Deux has added Lady Gaga to the ensemble, with rumors raging that she is playing the title character's girlfriend Harley Quinn.

Gaga worked with Ridley a couple of years ago on the camp classic House Of Gucci in which she played Patrizia Reggiani, who was convicted of ordering the contract killing of her ex-husband, fashion heir Maurizio Gucci.

During her publicity rounds for the movie, Gaga raved about Ridley to the New York Times, rhapsodizing: 'I've never had a better experience with a director. He loves artists, and some directors don't. They love themselves.'

She dished: 'I joke with Ridley all the time, but I really experienced some type of attachment panic when I left set, I missed him so much.'
John Travolta shared a sweet tribute to daughter Ella on Monday to mark her 23rd birthday.

The Grease star, who marked his 69th birthday in Las Vegas last month, posted an adorable video of Ella having a birthday dinner and evening at Disney World with himself and little brother Ben, 12.

The doting father shared the video set to the song, Breakfast At Tiffany's and wrote: 'Heres a song for you on your birthday my dearest Ella! I love you with all my heart!! Your Dad!!'

The video opened with Ella at dinner, where she blew out candles on an array of colorful cupcakes.

Ella was then seen arm-in-arm with her dad as they walked through the park with Ben and watched the fireworks,

Special occasion: John Travolta shared a sweet tribute to daughter Ella on Monday to mark her 23rd birthday

Make a wish: The Grease star, who marked his 69th birthday in Las Vegas last month, posted an adorable video of Ella having a birthday dinner and evening at Disney World with himself and little brother Ben, 12

Celebrities including Naomi Campbell and Tommy Lee sent well-wishes, writing: 'Happy birthday Ella' and 'Guess i dont need to say happy bday cause youre already in the happiest place on earth!'

Ella is the second eldest child of Travolta and his late wife Kelly Preston, who died in 2020 aged 57 after a battle with breast cancer.

The two actors' lives had already been overshadowed by tragedy when their 16-year-old son Jett died after a seizure at a Bahamas holiday home in 2009.

Preston, a former model and actress who starred in Jerry Maguire, met Travolta on the set of The Experts and had been married to the Grease star for 29 years.

The couple lived in Florida and were both practicing Scientologists.

Travolta most recently reunited with his Pulp Fiction co-star Bruce Willis on the big screen in last year's Paradise City.

He also returns as Ron Wilcox in the upcoming Die Hart: The Movie, reprising his role from the Quibi TV series, debuting on February 24.

The actor also has The Shepherd in post-production, based on Frederick Forsyth's novel, though no release date has been given.

And he has American Metal with Ashley Benson and Stephen Dorff and Cash Out with Lukas Haas, Kristin Davis and Quavo.

Smile: The duo smiled for the camera as they enjoyed their night

Together: The family strolled arm-in-arm around the park

Wave: Ella looked to be having a great night out with her loved ones
Mayim Bialik appeared on the Jennifer Hudson Show on Tuesday and detailed the heartbreaking way she and the cast and crew of Call Me Kat learned about Leslie Jordan's death.

'We were all at work and waiting for him to show up at work, so it was very, very, very complicated to have the whole crew there and the whole cast,' The Big Bang Theory alum, 47, shared.

'You know, we were a family,' Bialik continued, adding that the cast and crew of her show was 'one of the first shows back, actually, after the lockdown.'

The Blossom alum added, 'We were all very close, and people knew Leslie Jordan as Leslie Jordan, not necessarily just as the character he played on our show. He's been in people's lives, especially during COVID. He was in people's Instagram feeds.

'A lot of people really formed a real connection with him, and he loved that. He loved being approachable. He loved being loved,' she said.

Call Me Kat: Mayim Bialik appeared on the Jennifer Hudson Show on Tuesday and detailed the heartbreaking way she and the cast and crew of Call Me Kat learned about Leslie Jordan's death

Co-stars: The beloved actor played Phil, an employee at Bialik's character's cat cafe

A family: 'We were all at work and waiting for him to show up at work, so it was very, very, very complicated to have the whole crew there and the whole cast,' The Big Bang Theory alum, 47, shared

She also explained that she absolutely loved that they kept his character on the show alive after Jordan's death in a car accident after a sudden cardiac dysfunction on October 24 at the age of 67.

Jordan's character of Phil had an off-screen wedding in Tahiti and, at the end of that episode, a tribute from his longtime friend Dolly Parton.

30 Rock alum Jack McBrayer joined the cast as Gideon, the new hire at the cat cafe owned by Bialik's character.

At the time of his death, Bialik shared a statement on behalf of the cast and crew of Call Me Kat on Instagram calling Jordan a 'dear mentor and beloved friend.'

'There aren't words to convey the loss we are experiencing as a cast and Call Me Kat family. Leslie Jordan was larger than life,' the statement read.

'He was a Southern gentleman; tender, wise, naughty and hilarious. We got to know and love him at the height of his happiness and joy and it is inconceivable to imagine a world without our Leslie: the man who would spit on his contact lenses before putting them in his eyes, the man who had a story about every man in Hollywood and some of the women as well, the man who lived to make people laugh.

'We will be taking time to grieve and to celebrate the many gifts Leslie gave to us and to the entire world and we appreciate privacy at this time.'

In another statement, Fox, the network that airs Call Me Kat, mourned Jordan as 'the kindest person you could ever imagine'

Heartbreaking: The Big Bang Theory alum got candid about her shock and grief

Keeping him alive: She also explained that she absolutely loved that they kept his character on the show alive after Jordan's death in a car accident after a sudden cardiac dysfunction on October 24 at the age of 67

Emmy winner: The Emmy winning actor and comedian was laid to rest in his hometown of Chattanooga, Tennessee

Off screen wedding: Jordan's character of Phil had an off-screen wedding in Tahiti and, at the end of that episode, a tribute from his longtime friend Dolly Parton

'We are shocked and devastated by today's tragic passing of Leslie Jordan. Leslie was far more than an Emmy Award winning comedic talent with whom we've laughed alongside for all these years.

'He was the kindest person you could ever imagine who simply lit up a room and brought pure joy and huge smiles to millions of people around the world,' the statement continued.

'The truest of Southern Gentlemen, Leslie carried an infectious exuberance, indelible sense of humor and, throughout, gifted us with countless fond memories that will last forever.

'As we grieve this sad news, we also wish to extend our most profound sympathies to Leslie's family, friends and fans, whom he held so dear.'

He was loved: 'A lot of people really formed a real connection with him, and he loved that. He loved being approachable. He loved being loved,' the Blossom alum said

Cast and crew: The cast and crew of Call Me Kat are a tight knit family

Leslie was an Emmy-winning actor for his role as Beverley Leslie in Will and Grace.

Jordan was laid to rest in a private family service in his hometown of Chattanooga, Tennessee, but some two thousand fans attended the public 'Love. Light. Leslie' memorial in his honor at the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Auditorium.

Proceeds from the event benefitted Cempa Community Care, a local organization that provides healthcare and services to those living with HIV.

The beloved star was born April 29, 1955.

A grand send off: Two thousand fans attended the public 'Love. Light. Leslie' memorial in his honor at the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Auditorium honoring Jordan
Georgia Steel turned up the heat as she shared some pictures from her trip to Paris this week.

The former Love Island star, 25, flashed some sideboob as she posed in a revealing cut out black sequinned mini dress by Fashion Nova.

The sleeveless halter neck garment featured a plunging neckline, with the item leaving he flat stomach on show.

She wore lashings of glamorous make-up to highlight her pretty features and accessorised with some gold jewellery.

Television personality Georgia, who appeared on the fourth series of Love Island in 2018, confidently posed for her mirror selfies, with the star captioning her Instagram post: 'Nights in Parie.'

Sizzling: Georgia Steel, 25, turned up the heat as she flashed some sideboob in a skimpy mini dress as she shared some pictures from her trip to Paris this week

Strike a pose: The former Love Island star left little to the imagination as she posed in a revealing cut out black sequinned mini dress by Fashion Nova

In style: The sleeveless halter neck garment featured a plunging neckline, with the item leaving he flat stomach on show

After arriving in France, Georgia took to social media to share some pictures of her trip with fans.

She was seen posing in one of the city's most famous sights after stepping out in the French capital.

Georgia showed off her edgy sense of style as she posed for photos with the Eiffel Tower in the background.

The reality star wore a long black leather coat which finished below her knees.

She wore her coat open at the front and casually posed with her hands in the pockets of her trousers.

Her blue denim jeans were cut at the bottom to created a flared look and she wore a pair of chunky black boots.

Georgia wore a black top to complete her look and stared off into the distance as her pal took the snap.

A day earlier, the influencer posed for some pictures as she walked through the streets of Paris.

Out and about: After arriving in France, Georgia took to social media to share some pictures of her trip with fans

Playing tourist: Georgia showed off her edgy sense of style in a black leather coat as she posed for photos with the Eiffel Tower in the background

Snap happy: A day earlier, the influencer posed for some pictures as she walked through the streets of Paris while wearing a cropped white top

She gave her followers a glimpse at her toned stomach as she wore a white cropped top.

The long-sleeved item featured a plunging neckline and perfectly accentuated her glowing tan.

She wore a blue denim skirt with a split to the front and opted for a pair of comfortable white trainers.

Georgia accessorised with a pair of gold hoop earrings and held some dark sunglasses in her hands.
One of Hollywood's biggest stars is set to join the cast of the third series of BBC's banking drama Industry.

Kit Harington, best known for his roles on Game Of Thrones and Gunpowder, will join the cast as Henry Muck, the CEO and Founder of Lumi, an exciting green tech energy company about to go public.

Industry gives viewers an inside view of the blackbox of high finance following a group of young bankers.

In the series, the bankers attempt to mould their identities within the pressure cooker environment and sex and drug-fueled blitz of international bank Pierpoint & Co's London office.

Series three sees Pierpoint looking to the future and takes a big bet on ethical investing, and the desk find themselves front and centre in the splashy IPO of Lumi, a green tech energy company  in a story that runs all the way to the very top of finance, media and government.

Coming soon: Kit Harington has joined the cast of the third series of BBC and HBO's steamy banking drama Industry

Since starring in eight series of Game Of Thrones, Kit appeared in the star-studded cast of Marvel's Eternals as Black Knight, released in 2021.

This year he will also star in the AppleTV+ series Extrapolations, an anthology series that depicts the effects of climate change, beginning on March 17.

In October, HBO announced that they had renewed Industry for a third season, with star Myha'la Herrold - who plays Harper Stern - gushing: 'Y'all did this... Thank you so much for watching our show and sending us so much love.

'I can't wait to bring you more @industryhbo. Season three is coming!'

It's unclear what's in store for the 26-year-old NoCal native's character after she was fired from her position at the Cross Product Sales desk at Pierpoint & Co for lying about graduating college.

Creators Mickey Down and Konrad Kay previously teased on a Discord chat that they had 'a very good season three idea.'

'We had a rule that we had to burn our best plot ideas as quickly as possible,' Kay said of season two.

'Hold nothing back. Every episode should feel like a finale. We hate how slow most modern TV is.'

Coming soon: Industry gives viewers an inside view of the blackbox of high finance following a group of young bankers

The large ensemble cast also features Marisa Abela, Sagar Radia, Harry Lawtey, Ken Leung, Alex Alomar Akpobome, David Jonsson, Conor MacNeill, and Jay Duplass.

'Industry reached new heights in season two, cementing its status as a buzzy hit with addictive storytelling, layered characters, a breakneck pace, and keen observations about contemporary workplace dynamics,' HBO Programming senior VP Kathleen McCaffrey told Deadline on Tuesday.

'We're incredibly proud of what Mickey and Konrad, Jami O'Brien, Jane Tranter, and the team at Bad Wolf - together with our entire cast and crew - accomplished.

'We couldn't be more excited to continue our journey with them into season three.'
Today host Karl Stefanovic has poked fun at The Project's Sarah Harris for cutting off Succession star Nicholas Braun mid-sentence during an interview over the weekend.

Nicholas, 34, appeared on The Project on Sunday night to promote the final season of the popular HBO show and launched into a lengthy story about meeting Quentin Tarantino towards the end of his five minute interview.

However, the Hollywood actor was stopped by host Sarah, who said they were running out of time.

Nicholas, who has since described the moment as 'weird', was interviewed by the Today show on Tuesday and Karl couldn't resist poking fun at the saga.

'I know that you have a wonderful Quentin Tarantino story, and unfortunately, you haven't been able to share it yet with the media in Australia,' he quipped.

Taking a clear swipe at The Project, he added: 'Yeah, we got time. This is our show, goddammit. Can you share that story with us?'

Nicholas agreed and began telling his story, before Karl jokingly cut him off, saying: 'Anyway it's great to see you.'

After sharing a laugh, Nicholas returned to his tale about crossing paths with Tarantino on a plane in 2005.

Today host Karl Stefanovic has poked fun at The Project's Sarah Harris for cutting off Succession star Nicholas Braun mid-sentence during an interview over the weekend

Nicholas, who was 21 at the time, had recently filmed the Disney Channel movie Sky High and happened to be holding a magazine with an advertisement for the film.

After noticing Tarantino in first class, Nicholas decided to rip off the advertisement and give it to him before the plane took off.

'I was just like, 'That's me there, Quentin. That's me, I'm in this movie. Watch it if you have Disney Channel",' he recalled.

Nicholas, who has since described the moment as 'weird', was interviewed by the Today show on Tuesday and Karl couldn't resist poking fun at the saga

'I know that you have a wonderful Quentin Tarantino story, and unfortunately, you haven't been able to share it yet with the media in Australia,' Karl quipped

'It felt like so stupid, but I was just like, 'I have to do something'. And his response was, 'Hopefully we work together someday', he continued, adding: 'I think I tried to maybe get his email the next day, but nobody would give it to me.'

'He reported you to the police,' Karl joked, sending the panel into laughter.

Nicholas appeared satisfied about being able to finally tell his tale following Sunday's botched appearance on The Project.

Nicholas, 34, appeared on The Project on Sunday night to promote the final season of the popular HBO show and launched into a lengthy story about meeting Quentin Tarantino towards the end of his five minute interview

During that interview, he was only able to reach the part of his story where he presented Quinten with the ripped magazine ad.

At that point, host Sarah interjected and said 'Look, we're running out of time'.

'I know, but it's a very important story,' Nicholas replied, to which an even more frazzled Sarah said urgently, 'We've got to go! Thank you for joining us.'

Fortunately, Nicholas took it in his stride, telling the hosts he looked forward to meeting them in person next time he's in the country, before the segment ended.
Hattie Dynevor is reportedly set to follow in the footsteps of her Coronation Street cast member mother and her Bridgerton star sister and become a television actress.

Model Hattie, 19, has signed up to appear in BBC One drama Waterloo road, The Sun reports.

The series, about a troubled comprehensive school set in Rochdale, Lancashire, helped put her sister Phoebe, 27, on the map 14 years ago.

Their mother Sally Dynevor, 59, has played the part of Sally Metcalfe in Corrie for 27 years since 1986.

A TV insider told the publication: 'Hattie bagging a part on Waterloo Road sees the Dynevors become a real acting dynasty.

Rising star: Hattie Dynevor, 19, is reportedly set to follow in the footsteps of her Coronation Street cast member mother and her Bridgerton star sister and become a television actress

Acting dynasty: Hattie's mother Sally Dynevor, 59 (right), has played the part of Sally Metcalfe in Corrie for 27 years since 1986

'It is a no-brainer for the show and a shrewd move for her too.

'Not many fledgling stars would get a part on such a big drama so early in their career.

'But theyre confident she has the skills to do the job  after all the ability to perform runs in the family.'

Their father Tim, 61, also started out as an actor before moving into a career as a writer, penning scripts for the likes of Emmerdale.

MailOnline has contacted the BBC for comment.

Sally previously shared some pictures of herself with Tim after they jetted off to enjoy a holiday together.

The couple looked loved-up on Instagram as they enjoyed a family getaway to Rome last year.

Sally gave her 119,000 Instagram fans an insight into their sightseeing trip.

Fame game: Hattie's older sister Phoebe, 27, is known for playing Daphne Bridgerton in Bridgerton (Phoebe pictured the 28th Annual Critics Choice Awards in January)

On air: Hattie has signed up to appear in Waterloo Road, the drama which helped put her sister Phoebe on the map 14 years ago (Phoebe pictured on Waterloo Road in 2009)

She looked smitten as she leant on Tim's shoulder while sitting on a grand staircase.

The star took some time away from filming as she cut a casual figure in a brown cardigan which she paired with blue jeans and white trainers.

Sally beamed while wearing a pair of large black sunglasses and kept her belongings close to her in a woven crossbody bag.

Family affair: Their father Tim, 61 (left), also started out as an actor before moving into a career as a writer, penning scripts for the likes of Emmerdale

Fun in the sun: Sally previously shared some pictures of her Italian holiday with Tim and their two children Harriet and Phoebe (pictured at the Trevi Fountain)

Tourists: Sally also shared snaps from inside the Colosseum, as the family enjoyed the sunny blue skies while sight seeing

Tim wrapped up in a black jacket which he paired with skinny jeans and black trainers.

The couple married in 1995 and have three children together.

It was unknown whether their son Samuel, 26, had joined them on their lavish sight-seeing trip.

Sally took to her Instagram story sharing a snap from inside the Colosseum, as the family enjoyed the sunny blue skies.
Celebrity Hunted fans were left in hysterics following Tuesday's episode, as Ed Gamble risked exposing his location by dialling into his radio show.

The comedian usually hosts a show on Radio X on Sundays, and despite being on the run, decided to dial into the show and taunt the Hunters about his mystery location.

However, the tide was quickly turned as host Matthew Crosby revealed that Chief Hunter Lisa Theaker had also called into the show, and she quickly branded him the 'worst fugitive ever.'

Ed has joined forces with James Acaster in a bid to outrun the Hunters in Hunted's Stand Up To Cancer celebrity special.

Despite their hilarious failures during their fugitive journey, the episode ended with the pair still at large and determined to reach the final meeting point.

Oops! Celebrity Hunted fans were left in hysterics following Tuesday's episode, as Ed Gamble risked exposing his location by dialling into his radio show

Daring! The comedian usually hosts a show on Radio X on Sundays, and despite being on the run, decided to dial into the show and taunt the Hunters about his mystery location

Ed had made a surprise apprarance on his radio show while on the run from the Hunters, bragging that he and James were calling in from an undisclosed location and the Hunters were 'thick' and had failed to track him down.

However, at one point host Matthew appeared to let slip that he was 'in Manchester,' before frantically trying to correct himself.

While Ed appeared confident that the Hunters had no clue where he and James were hiding, he was stunned when it was revealed that Chief Hunter Lisa was on the line.

She declared: 'Oh my god I would say he is the worst fugitive we have ever had in the history of Hunted.

'We've been playing with him a little bit, we've tracked his movements. Ed is holding James back a little bit.'

Ed then added: 'I think it's interesting that the chief there seems to htink she's getting in my head for saying that.

'I'm well aware we're terrible fugitives and we're having an absolute laugh at their expense.'

With James and Ed ending the episode still on the run, their radio cameo left many viewers in hysterics.

Listening! However, the tide was quickly turned as host Matthew Crosby revealed that Chief Hunter Lisa Theaker had also called into the show

Where are they? Ed had made a surprise apprarance on his radio show while on the run from the Hunters, bragging that he and James were calling in from an undisclosed location

They're still watching! While Ed appeared confident that the Hunters had no clue where he and James were hiding, he was stunned when it was revealed that Chief Hunter Lisa was on the line

Amusing: With James and Ed ending the episode still on the run, their radio cameo left many viewers in hysterics

One tweeted: 'Make sure you're watching Celebrity Hunted to see Ed recording the show while on the run!'

'I need Ed and James to make it to the end because they're fantastic,' a second added.

A third fan tweeted: 'Hoping Ed and James can evade the Hunters, they're hilarious!!'

'I hope James Acaster and Ed Gamble actually do call the copys on the Hunters. That would be hilarious. The Hunters become the hunted!' one fan said.

A viewer also praised: 'Once again, I've never seen anything better than Ed and James on #CelebrityHunted.'

The episode ended with Ed and James continuing to outrun the Hunters, and joining the other pairs still on the run.

Celebrity Hunted returns on Tuesday at 9pm on Channel 4.
Imogen Anthony joked she's going to get 'divorced' from her mystery partner on Tuesday after the pair tied the knot in Las Vegas last year.

The ex-girlfriend of Kyle Sandilands shared a bizarre video of her bopping along in the car to music while vaping and wrote in the caption: 'OMW to Coles and probably getting a divorce after posting this for vaping when I promised I wouldn't.'

Imogen also hit back at claims her wedding to her partner in Vegas in November was 'fake', with a representative telling Daily Mail Australia on Wednesday she is indeed a married woman.

'The wedding was NOT fake. Imogen and her partner were married in Las Vegas,' a statement read.

It comes after reports in December the model, 31, didn't actually legally marry her tattooed beau.

Imogen Anthony has joked that she's going to get 'divorced' in a new clip where she sings and vapes in her car

Sources close to the influencer claimed at the time she 'just posed for a Vegas wedding-themed photoshoot' and was 'joking' when she announced the shock news on Instagram.

'Imogen had all her friends and family back home fooled,' the source said.

'She just posted the photos to Instagram and went M.I.A. She's been talking about a Vegas wedding for years so it was no surprise really.'

'Imogen had to text her manager Max Markson and let him know it was a joke. He had no clue what was going on himself.'

A month prior, the Aussie beauty sent her followers into a frenzy when she shared a gallery of photos of herself in a mesh robe and white lingerie at the Little Chapel of Hearts in Las Vegas.

'OMW to Coles and probably getting a divorce after posting this for vaping when i promised I wouldn't. P.S how good is the end pause of a reel, not,' Imogen captioned her clip

Imogen also hit back at source claims that her wedding to her mystery partner in Las Vegas in November was 'fake', with a representative telling Daily Mail Australia on Wednesday that she is indeed a married woman

Imogen simply captioned the announcement post: 'November Rain'.

The blonde bombshell and her ex-boyfriend Kyle were together for eight years but he never popped the question.

The media titan, 51, announced his shock split from the Big Brother VIP star on The Kyle and Jackie O Show in November 2019.

Sources close to the influencer claimed at the time that she 'just posed for a Vegas wedding-themed photoshoot' and was 'joking' when she announced the shock news on Instagram

'We haven't been with each other for quite a few months now. Unfortunately it's run its course,' he said.

Back in September, Imogen revealed she's closer to Kyle 'than people think'.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted a representative of Imogen's for comment, in relation to this article.
Israel is buying 25 American F-15IA fighter bombers in addition to four KC-47 aerial tankers. Israel already has 25 F-15I fighter bombers it purchased in the late 1990s. Both the I and IA were customized versions of the original American F-15E and the new F-15EX version. The customization often includes the addition of Israeli electronics. This is apparently the case with the F-15IA. With the purchase of the KC-46 tankers, the F-15IAs could reach targets in Iran but would still have to deal with upgraded Iranian air defense systems.

The F-15Is are getting old and will be near their retirement date in the 2030s. Israel was hoping for a new version but, until recently, the Americans were saying there would not be one. That changed in 2018 and by 2020 the U.S. Air Force placed its first order for an upgraded F-15 to replace elderly F-15Cs and Es that were either approaching retirement, or have to be flown a lot less to delay that.

The initial Israeli order was for eight F-15EXs. Ultimately the air force wants to buy as many as 400 F-15EXs to replace retiring F-15Cs and Es. The entire program is supposed to cost no more than $23 billion and deliver new F-15EX aircraft at a cost of about $88 million each. The F-15 entered service in the 1970s and the last one was built in 1989. The two-seat F-15E fighter-bomber entered service in 1989 and only 525 were built, though export production continues at a low rate. This included new models of the F-15E developed and built for export customers. These included Singapore, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Qatar and Israel. All have entered service except the Qatari and Israeli models. The Qatari F-15QA didnt make its first flight until early 2020. The F-15EX is based on that QA model because it includes most of the new features required for an F-15E replacement. Because of that the first two F-15EXs are already being built. Israel decided to buy the F-15IA, in part because its F-35s cannot carry as many weapons and is more expensive. The F-15QA/IA is the latest model F-15E that actually exists. Qatar is buying 36 but the 25 Israeli F-15IAs are being further modified by the Israelis.

Back in 2019 the U.S. Air Force was planning to buy two models of the F-15X; the single seat F-15CX fighters to complement the new F-35 and (unofficially) make up for the fact that the air force is not getting as many F-35s as it believes it needs. There were to be a smaller number of two-seat F-15DX. Normally the two-seat version is for training but in this case the DX version provides the option to provide a GIB (Guy in the Back) to help with the use of the F-15X as a bomb truck for F-35s and F-22s. These two stealthy aircraft, especially the F-35, have demonstrated the ability to remain silent (few radio and radar transmissions) to detect targets and have less stealthy aircraft (or missile units on the ground) launch weapons to destroy the target. Israeli F-35s, the only ones with combat experience, may have already demonstrated this technique over Syria.

The X version would combine years of experience and upgrades for American and foreign F-15s to produce a more capable (better electronics and larger bomb load) and durable (built to operate for 12,000 flight hours) aircraft. The X model would carry up to 14 tons of bombs and missiles and be built to avoid a lot of the structural fatigue problems F-15Cs encountered. While the two-seat F-15E fighter-bomber is still available for sale, all existing F-15Cs are at least 30 years old.

At this point the air force realized it could save a lot of money on development by just buying two-seater X models as the F-15EX. Basing this aircraft on the existing F-15QA would save a lot of time and development costs. Because of this the first F-15EX order was placed in record time and the first of these were flying in 2021 and entered service in 2023. A growing number of the elderly F-15Cs and overworked F-15Es will be grounded unless replaced or put through an expensive refurbishment. It is more cost-effective to go with the F-15EX.

Theres another factor. On paper, the F-35 will eventually (5-10 years) become cheaper to maintain and operate than the F-15C. The F-15EX will have a cost advantage immediately because newly built aircraft are cheaper to operate than older ones of the same model, and EX also have new tech that reduces maintenance costs. The manufacturer is willing to produce them at a fixed cost (about $88 million each) and absorb any unforeseen costs. The manufacturer has additional incentives to make the F-15EX work; export sales.

Meanwhile, the F-15E continues in service and demonstrates how well an updated F-15 design can work. Production of the F-15E was scheduled to end in 2022 but the EX model is considered more of a major F-15E upgrade than a new aircraft. F-15E production is evolving into EX production as well as the foreign variants like the QA and IA, and the EX model would keep F-15 production going as a more advanced F-15E. This willingness to produce the EX model should not be a surprise as there have been signs for a long time that an updated F-15 would be useful.

For example, in 2008 the air force announced plans to operate its 36-ton U.S. F-15E for at least another ten years, and probably longer. In service for twenty years now, the F-15E can carry up to 11 tons of bombs and missiles, along with a targeting pod and an internal 20mm cannon. It's an all-weather aircraft that can fly one-way up to 3,900 kilometers. It uses in-flight refueling to hit targets anywhere on the planet. Smart bombs made the F-15E particularly efficient. The backseater handles the electronics and bombing, and the F-15E remains a potent air-superiority fighter, making it an exceptional combat aircraft. This success prompted Israel, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Singapore and currently Qatar to buy it, paying about $100 million per aircraft. In the U.S. Air Force, the F-15E is one of the most popular aircraft for combat pilots to fly, even more so than the F-22. The F-15EX is cheaper to operate, carries more bombs and can also carry the new hypersonic missile, which is too heavy for any other fighter and was designed to be launched from heavy bombers. With the F-15EX the air force has a lot more aircraft that can handle the hypersonic missile.

The F-15E entered service in 1989 and within a decade Russia decided this novel fighter-bomber design was worth emulating. Russia developed its own F-15E, the 45-ton Su-34, which was yet another variant of the 33-ton Su-27. Su-34s cost $36 million each (less than half the cost of an F-15E) and included a full set of defensive and offensive sensors (radars, targeting cameras, laser designators) and electronic warfare gear, and can carry eight tons of missiles and smart bombs. Although development work began in the late 1990s, the Su-34 did not enter service until 2014 and proved capable in Syria but less successful in Ukraine where there are more anti-aircraft systems and Ukrainian fighters to deal with.

Meanwhile, the older F-15s, which entered service in 1976, are falling apart. In 2009 the air force retired the last of its 384 F-15A fighters. Long flown only by reserve units, these were old aircraft and all were built in the 1970s. Air force reserve units got the F-15As in the 1980s and 1990s as active duty units got the new F-15C. But by 2009 the F-22 was entering service, and more F-15Cs were going to the reserves. Many of those F-15As flew for over 30 years.

Unfortunately, the later model F-15s are not aging well. In 2007 the air force grounded all of its 442 remaining F-15As and Cs (and the smaller number of two-seat B and D trainer models) for 18 days, then grounded them again, all because of suspicions that portions of the aircraft structure have been weakened by stress (lots of maneuvering during combat training).

Before that, the air force halted non-critical flights of its F-15C (the interceptor version) fighters after a National Guard F-15C crashed. It appeared that the crash was the result of structural failure. In 2002 an F-15C traveling at high (over 2,000 kilometers an hour) speed crashed when its left tail fin broke off. At the time the F-15Es operating in Afghanistan were not grounded initially, but soon were when it was realized that the problem might be a design flaw, not age, that caused the 27-year old F-15C to go down. The F-15Es were restored to flight status after about a week, once each aircraft had undergone an extensive structural examination (taking about 13 man hours each). Most F-15Es were less than ten years old. But some F-15Cs were over twenty years old.

This time around, the F-15Es were not grounded, because metal stress in the older F-15s would not occur in the F-15E, which is somewhat different in its internal structure and was designed to avoid the fatigue problems the F-15A and C models encountered. Structural failure is more common in older fighters that have lots of flight hours (over five thousand) on them. When originally designed, the F-15 was believed to have a service life of only 4,000 hours. But new materials and design techniques increased that to 8,000. In peacetime, F-15s are in the air 250-300 hours a year. But because of the 1991 Gulf War, the 1990s "no-fly-zone" patrols over Iraq, and the operations after 2001, the F-15 fleet piled up the hours more quickly, and many are approaching the 8,000-hour mark much more rapidly than planned.

The F-15E faced a similar problem as it was used far more after 2001 because of the war on terror. Peacetime use was no more than a few hundred flight hours a year. Under wartime conditions the popular and versatile F-15E flew 500 to 1,000 hours a year. While the F-15E wasnt engaging in violent maneuvers it was regularly carrying heavy bomb loads and these stressed the airframe. Thats why the more recent F-15Es ended up as worn out as the older F-15Cs. Most of the F-15Cs are used as interceptors to defend the continental United States plus Hawaii, Alaska and some overseas areas where a lot of American troops were based.

The stressed out structural components have long been a problem. If weak components are detected, they can be replaced with stronger ones, made of materials not available when the F-15 was originally built. But you want to find the weak components before they fail. While scanning technology has improved, it's still not good enough to detect all the F-15 components possibly weakened by years of use. As a result, flying an F-15C became a bit more stressful from then on. To some in the air force, this situation has a bright side. One can now make a more compelling case to build more F-22s, to replace F-15 that are wearing out faster than expected. That did not happen and the delays in getting the F-35 into mass production kept the idea of designing an improved F-15 to fill the gap. Because of that, the F-15X/EX was not a recent idea but the accumulation of proposals that have been showing up for over a decade.

Another area that is getting a lot more attention from engineers than journalists is the impact of heavy and sustained stress on combat aircraft. This component failure problem is not unique to the F-15 and has been occurring with increasing frequency among aging fighter aircraft all over the world. The end of the Cold War in 1991 led to the cancellation of many warplane replacement programs. Air forces were compelled to make do with thousands of increasingly older aircraft. Whenever an aircraft goes down because of a structural failure, you have to ground all planes of that type until you know exactly what caused the loss, and make any needed repairs to other aircraft of that type. Pilots are a pretty sharp lot, so governments don't dare try to play games with this. If the pilots suspect they are being set up to fly dodgy aircraft, they will not fly them, or not fly them in a useful (stressful) way.
Spencer Matthews proudly posed outside No1.10 Downing Street after attending a charity event in support of people who have lost their siblings.

The former Made In Chelsea star, 34, recently made a Disney+ feature-length film detailing the emotional story of his attempt to find the body of his brother who disappeared on Mount Everest in 1999.

Michael Matthews became the youngest Briton to reach the summit of Everest at the age of 22, but disappeared on the mountain just three hours later.

On Tuesday, Spencer took to Instagram to share a picture of himself looking dapper in a navy blue suit and matching tie as he posed outside the official residence and the office of the British Prime Minister in London.

He captioned the photo: 'Honoured to have been invited to a truly moving evening at Downing Street with @SiblingSupportUK.

Making a difference: Spencer Matthews, 34, proudly posed outside 10 Downing Street after attending a charity event in support of people who have lost their siblings

Tragic: Spencer recently made a Disney+ feature-length film detailing the emotional story of his attempt to find the body of his brother who disappeared on Mount Everest in 1999 (Spencer's brother Michael pictured)

Moving: On Tuesday, Spencer took to Instagram to share a picture of himself looking dapper in a navy blue suit on Downing Street as he shared some heartfelt words

'This incredible charity offers support to those that have lost a sibling and in many cases feel forgotten, ignored or unable to cope.

'Listening to the stories of some of these brave young men and women was inspiring.

'Find more information for this great cause at www.siblingsupport.co.uk #SiblingSupport #SiblingGrief.'

In his documentary, Spencer retraced the 'exact steps' his sibling took when he died descending the world's highest peak in 1999.

Michael is said to have got in trouble after beginning to make his way down the south descent through the 'death zone' on May 13, 1999.

He was the brother of Pippa Middleton's husband, the racing driver turned hedge fund manager James Matthews, 47.

The experienced mountaineer, who had previously conquered Aconcagua, the Pyrenees and the Swiss Alps, was the 162nd person to die on Everest.

Michael's body has never been recovered and his family have never been able to fully understand what happened to him.

Emotional: Spencer tried to retrace the steps of his brother Michael with survivalist Bear Grylls and mountaineer Nirmal Purja in documentary Finding Michael (Spencer pictured in documentary)

Sibling: The Disney+ feature-length film detailed the emotional story of his attempt to find the body of his brother who disappeared on Mount Everest in 1999 (Spencer's brother Michael pictured)

Mission: World '14 peak' record holder Nirmal Purja (right) led the 10-man search crew armed with drones

But in the new documentary with Disney+, Spencer - who was only ten at the time of his death - embarks on a journey to find his brother's body and bring it home.

He was said to have the backing of his parents and his brother James to create the 'emotional' project.

He told Holly Rubenstein's The Travel Diaries podcast: 'I was aching to find out more about his death. I was 10 at the time. I remember thinking it was really unfair.

'I always believed that I'd see him again and never took it on the chin that he was dead. I thought it was impossible. It never crushed me in the way it affected my parents and my brother.

'We would read that you could recover bodies from Everest. I know now that you can fly helicopters into Camp 2. For people who don't know Everest, that's quite a big deal.

'From base camp there is the Khumbu Icefall leading up to Camp 1. Then Camp 2 is at the end of a long plain right at the base of what you would think is the beginning of the climb.

Brothers: TV personality Spencer was 10 years old when Michael (left, next to sibling James) tragically died aged 22 - after becoming the youngest Brit to reach the peak in 1999

'It makes it easier to bring bodies down  I mean it is not easy  it requires a lot of manpower, but getting them to Camp 2 can be done and then helicopter back down.

'I've always been uncomfortable with him being up there, especially in plain sight. Around 600 people a year summit Everest.

'I've always been uncomfortable that he could be laying up there like some kind of tourist attraction but also on his own, away from us.

'He died up there and his last thoughts will probably have been that he's never going to see his family again. We have not seen his body and I set off to go to Everest and find him and bring him home.'

Spencer trekked to South Base Camp base camp via Namche Bazaar, a town in north-eastern Nepal, often the staging point for expeditions to and other Himalayan peaks.

He made the journey just five days after the birth of his son Otto after a 'weather window' made scaling the mountain feasible.

Spencer would have otherwise been left facing another year of waiting to begin the search, revealing that he had the backing of his wife Vogue.

Huge task: Spencer retraced the 'exact steps' his sibling took when he died descending the world's highest peak in 1999

The South Base Camp is at an altitude of 5,364 metres.

Describing the trek, he said: 'You don't have to be superman to do it. You come across this town [Namche Bazaar] in the sky. It's amazing. It's above the clouds. It reminded me of Asgard.

'Part of the film is that we retrace the exact steps that Mike and his friends took. We stay in the same places and do the same path as he did. It'll be a really powerful and amazing film'.

Finding Michael, directed by Tom Beard, premiered on Disney+ last month.
The return date for the much-anticipated new series of Britain's Got Talent has been revealed, and it's just weeks away.

The ITV1 show will hit screens on Saturday April 15 with the first round of auditions, as a new round of hopeful showcase their talents in a bid to impress the judges.

Viewers will then be treated a bonus episode, which will air just a day later on Sunday, April 16, with the rest of auditions airing weekly on Saturdays.

The new series will see former Strictly Come Dancing star Bruno Tonioli join the judging panel, after David Walliams departed the series last year.

He will join judges Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden and Alesha Dixon, and the show will once again be hosted by Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly.

Coming soon! The return date for the much-anticipated new series of Britain's Got Talent has been revealed, and it's just weeks away

The show recently landed itself in hot water with an 'inappropriate' prank between auditions - which saw Simon pretend to be seriously injured.

But one moment during filming is said to have featured judges Bruno and Simon, 63, take their own turn as the former appeared the butt of the joke.

The new judge was given a crossbow to fire at his music mogul boss - but was spooked after Simon pretended to be taken down and hurt by the arrow - which, according to The Sun, caused some offence amongst the live audience.

It wouldn't be the first time the Syco boss has played this trick either, previously carrying out the exact same joke on America's Got Talent.

One TikTok user shared a clip of the moment, where Strictly judge Bruno is said to have been fooled into thinking he shot Simon down dead in front of the live audience - with the prank being dubbed disrespectful by actual victims.

The publication reports that prior to Simon's prank, an act was on stage performing a routine of shooting balloons.

Deciding to have a laugh between acts, Simon and Bruno are then said to have taken to the stage with a crossbow too - with the latter being blindfolded.

He was then allegedly told to fire it, unknowing that the long-standing judge was ready to pretend he had been shot by him by having a rigged crossbow stuck into his chest by crew.

Not long now! The ITV1 show will hit screens on Saturday April 15 with the first round of auditions, as a new round of hopeful showcase their talents in a bid to impress the judges

Simon is said to have laid down on the floor playing dead as a paramedic rushed to help him in front of the live audience - leaving Bruno shellshocked.

MailOnline has contacted representatives for Bruno Tonioli, Simon Cowell and Britain's Got Talent for comment.

While all is said to have then been laughed over after Simon admitted he wasn't serious, some fans were less than impressed with the prank choice.

The Sun reports that crossbow attack victim Laura Sugden said: 'I can't believe it's even allowed on the show. It's not regulated, but it's a lethal weapon.

Bruno reportedly recently threw Britain's Got Talent auditions into chaos when he pressed his Golden Buzzer twice before admitting he'd never watched the show.

The former Strictly judge has joined the panel of the ITV talent competition for as a replacement for comedian David, 51, who left after he made 'disrespectful' comments about contestants from previous series.

Professional dancer Bruno apparently did not realise that the Golden Buzzer, which automatically sends auditionees through to the live finals when pressed, could only be used once, and reacted when the audience began cheering for an impressive act.

Producers are said to have panicked after they were left with a decision of whether to send the hopeful through or cancel Bruno's second buzz.

The source said Bruno then admitted he had never actually watched Britain's Got Talent before, claiming he did not want to be influenced by the judging styles from previous series.

Britain's Got Talent returns on Saturday, April 15 at 8pm, and on Sunday April 16 at 7:45pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
Denzel Danes was left fighting for his life in the latest episode of EastEnders after Kim Fox crashed her new car.

Mitch (Roger Griffiths) was first to spot the crash and quickly called an ambulance, and with the help of the emergency services, Kim (Tameka Empson) got free but Denzel (Jaden Ladega) was left trapped inside.

While Kim became conscious, Denzel did not and was rushed to hospital, with his father Howie (Delroy Atkinson) there to support him.

Howie was heartbroken as he recalled the last time he had spoken to Denzel, while Kim confronted Denise about what really caused the crash.

A doctor then told the family: 'There's no brain injury but there's a lot of internal bleeding and is blood pressure is low.

Awful: Denzel Danes was left fighting for his life in the latest episode of EastEnders after Kim Fox crashed her new car

Tough: Howie was heartbroken as he recalled the last time he had spoken to Denzel, while Kim confronted Denise about what really caused the crash

'We need to operate urgently. We'll do everything we can. We are just about to take him into theatre if you want to see him.'

It comes after Kim discovered the truth about sister Denise's affair with Ravi Gulati while driving her new car.

As messages began to pop up on Denise's phone, which Kim accidentally had, it became clear her sister had been cheating on husband Jack Branning.

The messages read: 'So you unblock me now! You don't get to talk to me like that. You're the married one. You're the cheat'

Denise turned up to the hospital to check on Kim but her sister snapped that the reason for the crash was because she discovered the truth.

Kim shouted: 'He was your valentine's kiss, it was him wasn't it, how long?'

Denise broke down in tears, saying: 'So we kissed. It was Jack, he was all about Amy.'

Kim quipped: 'So you are blaming this on Amy?'

Denise added: 'No but Ravi would pay me attention. I didn't sleep with him. We went to a hotel room, we didn't, I couldn't, I went home to Jack. I love Jack.'

Close call: Mitch spots the crash and quickly calls an ambulance, and with the help of the emergency services, Kim gets free but Denzel is trapped insidEe

Omg: As messages began to pop up, it became clear to Kim that Denise, who is married to Jack Branning, had been hiding an affair with Ravi

She also explained that Ravi was now blackmailing her to get police evidence for him.

Elsewhere, Denise struggles to hide her frustrations as Ravi and Chelsea continue to grow closer, with Nugget dragged in to babysit Jordan whilst they go on a date.

Once alone, Nugget takes Jordan to Denzels house party where he shirks his responsibilities of babysitting to be with his friends.

Meanwhile, Chelsea starts to think twice about her feelings towards Ravi when their passionate kiss prompts a warning from Stacey.

With Staceys words playing on her mind, Chelsea begins to grill Ravi in attempt to gauge a better understanding of his character.

Ravi is reluctant to answer at first, but the pair eventually connect when he shares his experience of being a father.

Tense: Denise turned up to the hospital to check on Kim but her sister snapped that the reason for the crash was because she discovered the truth

As Kim spots Ravi and Chelsea flirting, and tells Denise that they need to intervene to break up their relationship for fear that Chelsea will get hurt.

Kim later corners Chelsea and attempts to convince her to break off the relationship, while a nervous Denise approaches Ravi and warns him to stay away from Chelsea.

Ignoring Denises threats, Ravi teases Denise by revealing his plans to take things to the next level with Chelsea, and a desperate Denise heads out, before making a mysterious call - who has she called?

EastEnders airs Mondays to Thursdays at 7:30pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
State-owned AAI has received a total amount of Rs 3,245 crore till February this year from the private partners of Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Lucknow, Guwahati, Thiruvananthapuram and Mangaluru airports, according to the government.

These airports were awarded for operations, management and development under Public Private Partnership (PPP) for a lease period of 50 years. The airports were won by the Adani group through a competitive bidding process.

"Private partners of Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Lucknow, Guwahati, Thiruvananthapuram and Mangaluru airports have paid approximately Rs 896 crore to AAI as Per Passenger Fee (PPF) till February 2023. AAI has also received an amount of approximately Rs 2,349 crore from the private partners of these six airports in the form of upfront fee towards the capital expenditure incurred by AAI at these airports," Union minister V K Singh told Rajya Sabha on Monday. Airports at Ahmedabad, Lucknow and Mangaluru were leased out in 2020 while the remaining three were leased out in 2021.
The divisive elements are lurking around to take advantage of the adverse situation. It calls for strong counteraction from the enforcement agencies

Despite launching search operations in Amritsar, Moja and Jalandhar districts in Punjab and later in Kurukshetra and Karnala districts of Haryana, the Punjab Police failed to arrest Waris Punjab De chief Amritpal Singh, who could dodge the police at will. At a crucial time when Punjab is facing multiple challenges like pitfalls of farm laws, drug menace, the exodus of Sikh youth to foreign lands, migration of labour from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar and denial of justice to Bandi Sikhs, events unfolded swiftly when a well-built and clean- shaven Dubai based trucker suddenly emerged on the horizon of Punjab like a meteor, mimicked the demeanour, attire and oratory of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and was overnight groomed as Bhindranwale 2.0.

However, in spite of all efforts of the organizers, he couldnt fit into the role of fire-breathing preacher and rabble-rouser reformer which Bhindranwale was. Fortunately, the majority of Punjabis didnt fall into the trap and quickly realized that it was a well-designed effort to create trouble in Punjab. They could make out that Amritpal was a plant in the fertile soil of Punjab to create secessionist unrest.

They realized that Amritpal was a bitter reminder of the dark phase of militancy during the 80s and immediately rejected its repetition. The appeal of Akal Takht Jathedar, and Giani Harpreet Singh to Amritpal through a video message He should surrender and join the investigation was a welcome message at the right time. Now, the question is who is behind popping up Amritpal and what were the Intelligence agencies doing while the enemies of India were on their job to create trouble in Punjab?

The inability of Punjab Police to immediately arrest of Amritpal has given credentials to the suspicion that he is being protected by some vested interests and powerful people within and outside the country. Initially, it appeared that the Central Intelligence agencies were using him to destabilize the state government paving way for Presidents rule.

Now, with the cracking down of state and central agencies on Khalistani elements by arresting more than 122 of them, imposing of National Security Act and Centre providing all support by shifting the arrested suspects to Dibrugarh jail in Assam has diffused this theory.

It stands proved by the recent incidents of Amritpal moving into Mercedes Benz owned by a drug kingpin; his associates are supposed to have raised Rs 35 crores from donors abroad; reports of innumerable calls made by the fundraiser to contacts in Pakistan; the violent demonstrations of Khalistani elements outside the High Commissions in Great Britain, San Francisco and Time Square, New York in USA goes to prove a foreign hand in all the recent happenings.

All said and done, the present situation needs to be analysed keeping in mind the prevailing situation in Punjab. The first factor is that the Punjab farmers after emerging from the long protest movement and its aftermath are facing a major crisis in agriculture. They are still in protest mode because most of their demands have not been met and seem to be major recruits for secessionist activities by vested interests. The second factor is the alienation of the voters from the major political parties like the Akali Dal, BJP, Congress and even AAP whom they voted to power so enthusiastically, but, are now disillusioned. The vacuum created by moderate political parties is being occupied by fringe elements like Waris Punjab De and other sections of pro-khalistani political outfits with the support and money power of Diaspora Punjabi having Khalistani leanings to create trouble in Punjab.

Amritpal is being used as a pawn in the hands of these vested interests to create unrest in the minds of the people by using religious fervour and exploiting the unrest amongst the youth of Punjab. The irresponsible commentary and coverage in myth-making of Amritpal in print, TV and social media have been a dangerous trend that seems to be a repeat of the 80s in the case of Bhindranwale. The wide coverage of his attention-seeking actions followed by a series of interviews, exaggerations and distortions in reportage enormously inflated Amritpals actions providing him with a platform that he hardly deserved.

However, despite the planned projection of Amritpal, the Sikh community has seen through his game. With the violence in Ajnala and the attack on the police station, Amritpal s visible efforts to shield himself behind the motorized Palki on which Guru Gobind Sahib was being carried, even while his associates broke through the police barricades, his brave declarations challenging the police to arrest him and at the same time abandonment of his supporters and flight in the face of actual arrest, many social media clips demonstrating panic and desperation on his part and that of his supporters, clearly indicates his cowardice and opportunism which has not gone well with the Punjabis. This is apparent from the fact that there has been no genuine protest or opposition to police action and arrests.

Undoubtedly, Punjab is on a boil. The situation is under control for the time being, but, the divisive elements are lurking around to take advantage of the adverse situation and it calls for strong counteraction from the enforcement agencies.

(The writer is a senior journalist and Chairman, Panwar Group of Institutions, Solan, Himachal Pradesh. The views expressed are personal)
It will be worthwhile to explore if direct taxes could further be lowered and the exemptions done away with

The full-year foods and services tax collection in 2022-23 is pegged at Rs 18.1 lakh crore. There is a reasonable estimation that the country may net Rs 24 lakh crore in 2023-24. The monthly GST collections have consistently been above the Rs 1.5-lakh crore threshold for a number of months.

The March collection at Rs 1.6 lakh crore, on the back of a 13 per cent growth rate, is reassuring. Its also comforting that the robust growth in indirect tax collections has come on the strength of domestic consumption growth. This is also captured in the numbers of the automobile sector.

The index of prosperity could be measured from the date of the sales of SUV vehicles, which reported 27 per cent in the last fiscal. This is being hailed by business observers as the best-ever performance of the automobile sector. Clearly, more people are hitting the road in their SUVs.

The extent of road development in the country in the last nine years has already been well documented. Now, people have the confidence that they can slip behind the steering wheel for a long journey on well-developed and maintained roads all across the country. This augurs well for the economy. Roads are the key drivers of the economy, as the movement of logistics with ease and speed will help not only in making India into a well-knit and unified market but also help the country take the rightful position in the global supply chains.

This is captured in the GST data. The interstate trade is growing fast. Month-on-month growth in the integrated GST, which is the measure of interstate trade, is growing at close to a 20 per cent rate, accounting for the largest kitty in the overall collections at Rs 82,907 crores in March. More than half of the GST collections are accounted for by the IGST. This should boost the confidence of the traders.

At the same time, the Central Government has unveiled the new foreign trade policy for 2023, which aims for India to hit the $2-trillion trade by 20230. An integrated Indian market, backed by the seamless movement on the strength of robust infrastructure consisting of roads, ports, and railways, would surely make the target of $2 trillion in trade by 2030 a realistic goal.

By 2030, India should be within striking distance of becoming the fourth largest economy in the world. Fast-faced geostrategic developments may work as the force multiplier for India to take a central position in the global supply chains. The ongoing Indian presidency of the G20, with five more months remaining, should help India raise its stake in the global supply chain order.

Yet, its worthwhile to look back at the challenges which were littered all along the journey of reforms that Prime Minister Narendra Modi ensured India undertook despite strident opposition from all quarters. The rollout of the GST was decried by the Opposition. The Congress egged on the Opposition parties to fan several ill-informed notions about the GST rollout.

It was stated that States will lose out in revenue, and the GST rollout was an attack on the federal structure and spirit of the country. Within the stipulated time frame of the GST compensation regime for States on account of revenue losses, the rate of the growth of the collections went beyond the 14 per cent threshold set for the compensations.

In fact, the GST Council has emerged as a consensus-based body with the best of the federal spirit driving the functioning of the whole architecture. Time has indeed vindicated the Modi Government for staying firm with the GST rollout. Also, a democratic spirit guided the evolution of the GST architecture, as the window to allow feedback and suggestions for improvement was also kept open.

Reforms alone can guide India to the path of prosperity. Digital India has also been Indias remarkable achievement in recent years, which is being documented the world over for the depth of democratisation of the digital payment system. Now even hawkers have embraced the digital mode of payment. People are even paying for samosa and chai with UPI. This mainstreaming of the informal economy has the strength to take India on a fast lane towards becoming a developed country in the near future. The UPI transactions in March month went past the Rs 14-lakh crore mark.

The digital payment system adoption by the stakeholders of the economy has not only improved the ease of doing business but opened new avenues for several enterprising individuals to walk on the path of self-employment.

The Government e-Market (GeM) reported over Rs 2 lakh crore of transactions in 2022-23. This technological intervention in democratising government procurement in a transparent manner at the lowest cost, with the guarantee that any product sold here could not be sold anywhere at a lower cost, has been a remarkable reform in the way government departments function. Reforms with the help of technology adoption have weeded out the scope of corruption and human error.

The success of the indirect tax reforms must be carried to the direct taxes as well. There is no denying the fact that the direct tax base needs expansion. This can be done on the basis of some bold steps. Some measures have already been taken with the unveiling of the new direct tax regime which incentivises taxpayers not availing the benefits of exemptions.

But, still, there exist two systems for direct taxation. This may not be tenable in the long run. To ensure that India moves fast on an exemption-less direct taxation regime, there must remain only one option for the taxpayers. Empirical data shows that lower tax rates bring more revenues and result in greater compliance on the part of people.

Thus, it will be worthwhile to explore if direct taxes could further be lowered and the exemptions done away with, heralding a single system for the taxpayers. This is not an era of forcing people to buy savings products just to save taxes. Tax-saving financial products should not be a compulsion but a choice for the people in the country. This is doable, and must urgently be done.

At the same time, policymakers must take a hard look at the list of exempted categories from the direct taxation net. The people earning income above a particular and reasonable threshold must be part of the direct tax architecture to make their contributions to the development of the nation and also to make available world-class public education and health infrastructure all across the country. This calls for a firm political resolve to deal with the vested interests that always seek to block reforms in the country.

Reforms in the next few years may bring tax buoyancy to fuel an accelerated march of India towards self-reliance in a host of areas such as defence, while also spurring the clean energy transition at a faster pace.

(Author is a policy analyst)
The Congress took strong objection on Tuesday to China renaming several places in Arunachal Pradesh, and charged it is the result of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "clean chit" to the neighbouring country and his "eloquent silence" on Chinese actions at the border.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said the country continues to face the consequences of Modi's "clean chit" to China.

"For the third time China has dared to rename our areas in Arunachal Pradesh. April 21, 2017 -- 6 places, December 30, 2021 -- 15 places, April 3, 2023 -- 11 places.

"Arunachal Pradesh is and will remain an integral part of India. After Galwan, the country is facing the consequences of Modiji's clean chit to China," Kharge said in a tweet in Hindi.

In a tweet in Hindi, former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi alleged that, "China has snatched 2000 sq km of land, they are changing names of places -- Prime Minister is silent, no answer! Prime Minister, why so much fear?"

India on Tuesday outrightly rejected China renaming some places in Arunachal Pradesh, asserting that the state is an integral part of India and assigning "invented" names does not alter this reality.

New Delhi's reaction came in response to Beijing announcing Chinese names for 11 more places in Arunachal Pradesh which the neighbouring country claims as southern part Tibet.

All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary Jairam Ramesh said a top Chinese diplomat has recently claimed that the India-China border situation is now "stable".

"But China's provocations and transgressions continue. It has now released a third set of Chinese names for places in Arunachal Pradesh, having done so earlier in 2017 and 2021.

"This is the price we continue to pay for PM Modi's clean chit to China in June 2020 and his eloquent silence on Chinese actions," Ramesh said in a statement.

He said almost three years later, Chinese forces continue to deny Indian patrolling teams access to the strategic Depsang plains to which they previously had unimpeded access.

"And now the Chinese are attempting to undermine the status quo in Arunachal Pradesh.

"Arunachal Pradesh has always been and remains an integral and unalienable part of India. The people of Arunachal Pradesh are proud and patriotic citizens of India. There should be no doubt whatsoever on the collective resolve of India, and of all Indians, to ensure that these realities are not disturbed in any way," the Congress leader said.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine in early 2022 created a huge increase in demand for modern weapons, not just to replace ones lost in combat or sent to the Ukraine, but to enlarge and upgrade the total number of weapons in inventories. Fighting in Ukraine demonstrated what current weapons could do and how fast theyd be destroyed in combat, and most every government with nominally proficient armies wants to increase their weapon inventories. Most of those countries are close enough to Russia to feel they need those to deal with any future Russian aggression. Russia itself suffered heavy losses in Ukraine, including most of their modern tanks and other weapons. This is a particular problem for Russia as Western economic sanctions crippled their ability to replace the lost weapons quickly. The first few months of fighting in Ukraine destroyed ten years production of Russian tanks and other modern armored vehicles.

The European NATO nations had reduced their weapons production capabilities since the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991 and the smaller Russia that emerged was unable to maintain all the weapons it inherited from the Soviet Union. Building new weapons was also unaffordable. The ability of European NATO and Russia to produce new weapons was pretty much scrapped.

The United States also reduced weapons production capabilities, but not as much as European NATO countries. Ukraine, which also inherited a lot of Soviet weapons, was more entrepreneurial and made a business of upgrading many of the Soviet-era armored vehicles and aircraft it inherited for export to the Balkans and outside Europe. Russia captured or destroyed many of those weapon modification facilities in 2014 and 2022, but not the Ukrainian willingness to rebuild and continue their upgrade and export capability. Ukraine also captured hundreds of Russian armored vehicles and sometimes added enhancements before Ukrainian crews used them.

There was a lot more demand for new weapons than anyone in America or Europe could fulfill. This was an opportunity for South Korea, which had, since the 1990s, created a major weapons development and manufacturing capability. Initially these weapons were for the South Korean military but soon South Korea was exporting their weapons. The war in Ukraine created a lot more demand for South Korean weapons and South Korea has risen to the challenge. European nations already knew about the capabilities of the South Korean arms industries but were surprised at how rapidly South Korea could increase production to meet the surge in demand caused by the Ukraine War. In 2022 South Korean arms sales increased 150 percent.

Orders for South Korea weapons more than doubled in 2022. South Korea arms production and exports have grown dramatically since 2000, when South Korea was a minor supplier of arms exports, ranking 31st worldwide. By 2020 South Korean arms exports were worth $3 billion, putting them in the top ten as the 7th largest arms exporter. In 2021 there was even more spectacular growth with $7 billion in exports. Because of the Ukraine War, 2022 pushed arms exports to $17 billion. This put South Korea in second place, behind perennial export leader United States. Russia is usually number two but in 2022 Western economic sanctions for its invasion of Ukraine prevented most Russian weapons exports. There was also the Russian need to replace all the weapons it lost in the first few months of fighting.

South Korean arms exports have one restriction, none can be sent to Ukraine. This is to maintain good relations with Russia, which has a small border with North Korea and buys goods and services from North Korea in return for food and oil. North Korea is under heavy economic and military export sanctions. Russia has a history of ignoring these sanctions when it suits them. This is currently the case and North Korea is exporting artillery ammunition to Russia via the Trans-Siberian railroad. Russia pays for this with food and petroleum products which North Korea badly needs. Russia is also importing more cheap labor from North Korea. This makes the South Korean restrictions on sending South Korea weapons to Ukraine appear ineffective regarding Russian cooperation in enforcing sanctions North Korea has long been under. China observes these sanctions, but does not crack down on North Korean efforts to use smugglers to import needed Chinese goods or export raw materials to China.

The restrictions on sending South Korean weapons to Ukraine is not much of a problem. Most of South Korea's arms exports go to customers in East Asia and the west Pacific region. These customers, as well as South Korea, have something in common; fear of Chinese aggression.

In the 1990s this also included Chinese support for an aggressive and unpredictable North Korea. This is what prompted South Korea to become a major developer, manufacturer and eventually exporter of modern weapons. The first customer was the South Korean armed forces and demand from this customer still plays a large role in what South Korean arms industries produce. In the 1990s South Korea arms industries were able to develop and deliver a new generation of modern weapons and by the end of the decade were supplying 70 percent of what the military needed. Since the 1990s South Korea has moved on to produce military aircraft (helicopters and jet fighters) as well as warships (frigates, destroyers, submarines and all manner of smaller craft and support vessels.) South Korea also produced military electronics systems as well as a full range of infantry weapons and equipment.

The military products are made possible by South Koreas growing consumer and industrial products industries. Since the 1990s South Korea has become a major producer of smartphones, commercial vehicles and nuclear power plants. South Korea is a major manufacturer of nuclear power plant equipment and currently obtains a third of its electricity from 25 nuclear power plants. South Korea is a major exporter of nuclear power plant technology and this made it possible to build nuclear weapons, something that will happen if North Korea keeps making threats backed by their nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles. South Korea has already developed and produced ballistic missiles, with conventional warheads, to destroy similar North Korea's missiles and artillery long aimed at South Korean targets.

South Korea also became a major producer of commercial shipping and currently is second only to China in that category. And, like China, South Korea used this shipbuilding dominance to quickly build a modern navy. It also developed and built ASW (Anti-Submarine Warfare) equipment to deal with the growing North Korea submarine threat from their small coastal subs. South Korean submarines currently being built are designed to operate throughout the Pacific and Indian Oceans.

Demand for military equipment because of the Ukraine War made it possible for South Korean firms to offer their non-military exports, which are also high-quality and competitively priced. South Korea is also the 7th largest exporter in the world and 40 percent of its GDP comes from exports. South Korea has the 1oth largest economy in the world. This is remarkable for a country with only 50 million people. Per-capita income is also in the top ten and is twenty times larger than in North Korea. South Koreas annual defense budget has grown to nearly $50 billion a year, one of the three largest behind (China and Japan) in East Asia.
King of Bhutan Jigme Khesar Wangchuk arrived here on Monday commencing his three-day visit to India. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar received him at the airport reflecting the importance New Delhi has attached to the visit.

Later, Jaishankar took to Twitter saying the Kings visit will further strengthen the close and unique ties between the two countries.

Honoured to welcome His Majesty the King of Bhutan, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, on his arrival in India. His visit will further strengthen the close and unique India-Bhutan partnership, the external affairs minister said. The King is undertaking the visit at the invitation of President Droupadi Murmu.

The Bhutan monarch is accompanied by the countrys foreign minister Tandi Dorji and other senior officials. During the visit, the King is expected to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Murmu, where high-level exchanges between the two nations will take place on Tuesday. The King of Bhutan had a transit visit to Delhi in September last year.

Warm welcome to India, Your Majesty! His Majesty the King of Bhutan, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck arrived in India a short while ago. His Majesty was received by EAM @DrSJaishankar at the airport, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted.

Bhutan is a strategically important country for India and the defence and security ties between the two sides have witnessed significant expansion in the last few years.
A consensus was arrived at during talks on Tuesday between the Rajasthan government and private doctors agitating over the Right to Health (RTH) Bill as the former reportedly agreed to keep the private hospitals that have not taken land or other benefits at subsidised rates from it outside the ambit of the proposed legislation.

A delegation of doctors, including those from the Indian Medical Association (IMA), the Private Hospitals and Nursing Homes Association and the United Private Clinics and Hospitals Association (UPCHAR), held talks with the government and signed a memorandum on eight points.

The doctors said their major demand that private hospitals that have not taken any benefit from the government in the form of land or buildings at subsidised rates should be kept outside the ambit of the RTH Bill has been accepted.
Barely two days after the Shibpur communal riots in Howrah district on the Ramnavami day fresh violence broke out at Rishra barely 25 kms away from Shibpur.

Clashes broke out between two communities when a Ramnavami procession led by BJPs national vice president Dilip Ghosh was attacked at Rishra also in Howrah district.

Several vehicles were torched, bombs hurled and bricks pelted from both sides leaving several persons from both sides injured police said adding rapid action force was promptly deployed in the area.

Ghosh who was quickly whisked away by the central forces said, Bombs were lobbed in front of my car and the police remained a spectator... Even now I can hear bombs exploding everywhere.

He said that women and children taking part in the sobha yatra (procession) were targeted by a mob that came from nowhere and attacked from all sides.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is just sitting idle and is allowing this to happen... Had she taken action in Shibpur todays incident would not have happened, Ghosh said adding despite police permission the administration did not care to make adequate arrangements.

TMC Rajya Sabha MP Shantanu Sen reacted to Ghoshs allegations saying, BJP which is losing toehold in Bengal is trying to gain back relevance igniting communal riots ... But they will never succeed... The question is where was the need to take out a sobha yatra two days after Ramnavami and why they chose a particular route for this purpose.
Rushing from Darjeeling to visit violence-hit areas of Hooghly district, West Bengal Governor Dr CV Ananda Bose on Tuesday said hooligans will not be allowed to take law into their hands.

The Centre and the state government will work together to root out mobocracy and there will be solid action on the part of law enforcement agencies, he told reporters.

"We will never allow hooligans to take law into their hands. The Centre, state, political parties, media and people will join hands to root out mobocracy, Bose said.

He also spoke to senior police officers of the district and locals to take stock of the situation.

Reaching Rishra in Hooghly district straight from the Kolkata airport after arriving from Darjeeling, Bose went to the Railway Gate No 4 which witnessed incidents of violence and arson on Monday night.

Clashes were reported in Rishra on Sunday evening during a Ram Navami procession in which BJP national vice president Dilip Ghosh and party's Pursurah MLA Biman Ghosh were present. The MLA was injured and hospitalised.

Parts of nearby Serampore also witnessed incidents of vandalism following which prohibitory orders were imposed and Internet services suspended.

Bose had gone to the hill town in the northern part of the state for a G20 meeting.
Top Opposition leaders on Monday strongly pitched for a caste census at a DMK-convened conference on social justice which also saw calls for forging unity to take on the BJP in the run-up to the 2024 general election. The conference was seen by many as a show of strength by the Opposition with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, his Jharkhand counterpart Hemant Soren and Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav joining in to raise their voice against oppression of backward classes.

The meeting saw a chorus from Opposition leaders demanding a caste census, with Tejashvi making a strong case for caste census, citing that the Mahagathbandhan Government in Bihar has already announced a caste-based survey which has begun.

He said it was a concern that when governments in Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand want to provide more reservation for OBCs, the governors stall it. This is done at the behest of whom, everyone knows, Yadav said.

He urged the Opposition parties to come together setting aside their egos and said the best way to beat the BJPs politics of polarization was through social justice-based politics. Manoj Jha, also of the RJD, went to the extent of calling for a boycott of the census, if there is no caste census. We should give a call  no census, if no caste census, he said.

Trinamool Congress MP Derek OBrien said there are still some parties that do not want to fight the BJP and asserted that it is not the time to remain in the grey but it is time to be white or black.

He called on Andhra Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik to join efforts to take on the current government. Aam Aadmi Party MP Sanjay Singh also called for a caste census and alleged that the BJP is running away from it because its ideological mentor RSS wants the varna system to continue.

National Conference president Farooq Abdullah said if a future of India is to be envisioned, then people, irrespective of their caste, class, religion and creed have to be taken along. For India to really shine, everyone needs to be taken along. We are all behind (MK) Stalin and support him in his efforts to make this India for everyone, he said.

CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said while reservation for the backward classes is a significant step to open windows of opportunity for them, it has to be accompanied by economic development.

Economic development cannot be restricted to a few. Over the last two years, 40.5 per cent of wealth generated has been cornered by one per cent of the population. We have to fight the corporate communal nexus, he said.

CPI general secretary D Raja also strongly pitched for a caste census and called for reservation in the private sector. Other attendees included former Uttar Pradesh CM and Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav, former Union minister and senior Congress leader Veerappa Moily, Chhagan Bhujbal (Nationalist Congress Party), E T Muhammad Basheer (Indian Union Muslim League), K Keshava Rao (Bharat Rashtra Samithi) and MDMK leader Vaiko.

Bhujbal said parties should pass a resolution to conduct a caste census along with the national census. Basheer alleged that the BJP is working to remove the quota regime and the first step was by bringing in the EWS law and scrapping of 4 per cent quota for Muslims in Karnataka.

This is the second attempt of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) to unite the Opposition, rallying around Stalin. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Tejashwi Yadav and Farooq Abdullah were among those who were part of the DMK chiefs 70th birthday celebrations recently.
Accusing the Congress of its effort to browbeat the judiciary, the BJP on Monday said the Congress is indulging in a show of strength before a Surat court, where Rahul, accompanied was party leaders, filed an appeal against his conviction in a defamation case. The BJP said the show of strength highlights his arrogance and is also morally as well constitutionally wrong.

Law Minister Kiren Rijiju alleged that the decision of the Congress leaders to accompany Rahul to the Surat court was a way of trying to exert undue pressure on the judiciary a charge rejected by party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, who said it was a symbol of support and not a show of strength.

Dubbing the Congress leaders move to accompany the former party chief to court as sycophancy of one family, Rijiju wondered whether the family was above the country.

My point is very simple  why is the Congress party trying to put this kind of undue pressure on the judiciary? There are means and ways to deal with judicial matters. But is this the way? Rijiju asked while talking to reporters in the Parliament premises..

He wondered whether there has ever been a case in the past where an entire political party tried to gherao a court. When former prime minister PV Narasimha Rao was convicted Congress was quiet. P Chidambaram and DK Shivakumar didnt get support against charges for which they are out on bail, the law minister wrote on Twitter.

Only for Rahul Gandhi, the Congress is staging this drama as it considers a family and a person above the country and its laws, he added.

Kharge said the decision taken by the party leaders to accompany Rahul Gandhi to the court was personal. Even in a small case, family members join and go to court. Here, it is about an entire party and he (Gandhi) is fighting for the country, Kharge said.

BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra also accused the Congress of behaving as if he and his family are above the law of the land. Patra at a BJP press meet said, Rahul must not think he is India and India is Rahul.
Indicating that graft is likely to be a major plank in the 2024 Parliamentary polls, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said CBIs key responsibility is to free India from corruption, which is the biggest roadblock to democracy and justice.

The PM advised the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) that it should not be distracted by those trying to tarnish its image and instead the agency should go the whole hog against the corrupt.

Addressing a gathering at the diamond jubilee celebrations of the CBI here, the PM stressed, Today there is no dearth of political will to take action against corruption in the country.

Modi exhorted the officers to take action against the corrupt, however powerful, without any hesitation. It is the desire of the people of the country that no corrupt person should be spared, Modi emphasised.

Modi said wherever there is corruption, the youth do not get equal opportunities, and just one special eco-system gets emboldened.

Dubbing corruption as the biggest enemy of merit, Modi said corruption gives encouragement to nepotism and dynastic rule. When nepotism and dynastic rule increase, the countrys strength gets affected, and when the countrys strength gets weakened, it hampers development, he said.

Corruption is not just a small crime. It snatches the rights of the poor, and that leads to the birth of many criminals, he said.

He further said those who benefitted from corruption have created an ecosystem which attacks probe agencies. But the agencies should not be deterred by stories about the power of the corrupt and their ecosystem to tarnish them.

These people will keep distracting you, but you have to focus on your work. No corrupt person should be spared. There should be no laxity in our efforts. This is the wish of the country; this is the wish of the people of the country. The country, laws and Constitution are with you, Modi asserted.

The Prime Ministers assertions came against the backdrop of the Oppositions charges against the Modi Government of misusing the investigative agencies against the political opponents. A number of Opposition leaders are facing heat from the CBI and Enforcement Directorate.

Referring to international transactions and the movement of people, goods and services on a large scale, even outside geographical boundaries, Modi said that Indias economic power is growing while those who create obstacles are also rising.

He warned that attacks on Indias social fabric, its unity and brotherhood, and its economic interests and institutions would also increase. Corruption money will be spent on this, Modi said, adding there is a need to understand and study the multinational nature of corruption.

The PM said India got a legacy of corruption at the time of Independence and instead of removing it, some people kept nourishing this malady.

He said that while a discussion on trillion dollars refers to a strong economy these days, a decade ago, when the CBI celebrated its golden jubilee, such figures were used to describe scams in the country. There was a competition underway on who will set a new record of corruption.

The scams and the prevailing sense of impunity led to the destruction of the system, and an atmosphere of policy paralysis brought development to a standstill, he said.

While Internet banking and UPI stand in stark contrast to the earlier phone banking malaise, wherein loans worth thousands of crores of rupees were sanctioned on the basis of phone calls from influential people, the PM said, adding, the beneficiaries scooted away with the public money.

The Fugitive Economic Offenders Act has so far enabled the confiscation of `20,000 crore worth of properties of fugitive offenders, he said.

Modi said the corrupt would even go to the extent of looting the aid given to beneficiaries of government schemes, be it rations, homes, scholarships or pensions, and the original beneficiary would feel conned every time. Even a Prime Minister once said that for every rupee sent out to the poor, only 15 paise reached them, he said.

Modi said the beneficiaries of government schemes are now getting their full entitlement due to the trinity of Jan Dhan, Aadhaar and Mobile, and more than eight crore fake beneficiaries have been removed from the system. Due to DBT (direct benefit transfer), about `2.25 lakh crore has been saved from falling into the wrong hands, he said.

The PM also exhorted the CBI to devise ways to fast-track its investigations against the corrupt because a languishing probe gives a sense of safety to the corrupt while the innocent people keep suffering.

CBIs name is on everyones lips. It is like a brand for truth and justice. Even at the panchayat level, if some major crime happens, people want it to be referred to the CBI, he said.

During the event, an investiture ceremony for recipients of the Presidents Police Medal for Distinguished Service and Gold Medal for Best Investigating Officers of CBI was held where Modi conferred the medals.

The PM also inaugurated the newly constructed office complexes of CBI in Shillong, Pune and Nagpur, released a postage stamp and commemorative coin, and launched the Twitter handle of the agency.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was granted bail by a Surat sessions court on Monday after he filed an appeal against his conviction in a criminal defamation case over his all thieves have Modi as the common surname remark in which he has been sentenced to two years in jail leading to his disqualification as a Lok Sabha member.

Rahul reached Surat in the afternoon, accompanied by his sister and party general secretary in Priyanka Gandhi, senior party leaders, battery of lawyers that made the day-long episode earning the former Congress chief criticism from the BJP.

The court of Additional Sessions Judge RP Mogera said it will hear Rahuls plea for suspension of conviction on April 13 after issuing a notice to complainant Purnesh Modi, a BJP MLA and former Gujarat cabinet minister. The court asked Purnesh to file his reply by April 10.

Rahul will not be required to appear in the court during the hearing of the case and the matter is being led by noted lawyer RS Cheema.

Cheema is also handling Rahuls and his mother Sonia Gandhi and others in the National Herald case.

We had filed an application for Rahul Gandhis bail and suspension of sentence along with his appeal against conviction by a lower court. The court heard the matter and granted him bail. The court kept the matter for hearing on the stay of his conviction for April 13, briefed KC Panwala, advocate for the Congress leader.

Besides Priyanka, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and his Chhattisgarh counterpart Bhupesh Baghel, Himachal Pradesh CM Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu were also present and accompanied Rahul in the bus from airport to the court where the matter came up for hearing around 3 pm.

Several Congress workers and leaders headed to the Gujarat city to extend support to the Gandhi scion but they claimed their vehicles were stopped, they were asked to pull over, and police were ensuring they did not capture the videos. Congress MLA Yashomati Thakur claimed the Gujarat Police stopped her vehicle multiple times and inspected it in the name of security checks and they also prevented the Gujarat party workers from expressing solidarity enroute.

Soon he was granted bail, Rahul took to social media and expressed this is a fight against Mitrkaal to save democracy and truth is his weapon in this struggle. This is a fight against Mitrkaal to save democracy. In this struggle, truth is my weapon, and truth is my support!, tweeted Rahul. Rahul has been taking the Mitrkaal jibe at the central government, accusing it of working to benefit its crony capitalist friends.

Congress leader and former Union Minister Shahshi Tharoor and Congress chief spokesman Jairam Ramesh too responded saying it was an absurd allegation. Tharoor said Rahul is the principal political leader of a major Opposition party, so it is appropriate to put up a show of strength but ultimately, the soundness of the arguments of lawyers inside the courtroom is what prevails.


PNS/



For creating a mass movement to carve out a healthy and prosperous Punjab, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Monday announced the launch of CM di Yogshala campaign in the state  on the lines of Dilli ki Yogshala programme started by the AAP-led Delhi Government in the national capital in December 2021, but was discontinued the last year.



As a pilot project, these Yogshalas will be introduced in the cities of Amritsar, Phagwara, Patiala, and Ludhiana, where trained yoga instructors will impart free training to the people in open parks and other public places.



Making the announcement through a video message, the Chief Minister said that in consonance with the glorious ancient tradition of India, these yogshalas will help in making the Punjabis healthy  both physically and mentally.



The primary motive of this campaign is to ensure that a mass campaign is started for making Punjab healthy, prosperous, and progressive, he said.



Highlighting the importance of yoga, the Chief Minister said that yoga was very essential for a fit body and sound mind. Mann said that he himself practices Yoga every morning, adding that every individual should make yoga an integral part of their daily life to remain hale and hearty. The CM di Yogshala campaign will act as a pivotal to create awareness amongst the people about ensuring good health and hygiene by practicing Yoga, he added.



The Chief Minister said that it is the need of the hour not only to maintain good health but also de-stress the people, who face numerous challenges every day in their lives. He said that rising stress levels amongst people is a major cause of concern for everyone and Yoga can play an important role in saving the people from it. It is essential to maintain mental and physical equilibrium by living a quality life by making certain changes in lifestyle and by practicing Yoga, he added.



Notably, Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo Arvind Kejriwal had launched the Dilli Ki Yogshala programme in December 2021 to enable all Delhi residents to get free yoga training at their doorsteps six days a week. No less than 17,000 people used to do Yoga daily in these free classes. However, the scheme was discontinued in 2022, after Delhi Lt Governor VK Saxena did not approve the programmes extension beyond October 31.



When the Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) ordered the Lt Governor to stop free Yoga classes in Delhi, we started them in Punjab, Kejriwal had tweeted, in Hindi, on Friday.


At a paddy field near Semanta High School, over 200 cattle were found standing under open skies without shelter on March 31. There was no provision for food and water. They were found malnourished and some had wounds and marks on their bodies.



The place is 5 km from the West Bengal border and is a spot famously used by smugglers who illegally traffic cattle without required licences under Transport of Animals rule of 1978.



Their modus operandi is that the cattle are taken on foot from Odisha to West Bengal in small and large groups and from there they are dumped in vehicles and taken to the Indo-Bangladesh border for illegal slaughter.



Based on Dhyan Foundation volunteer Dr Shalinis complaint, an FIR was registered at Jharpokaria police station of Mayurbhanj district under relevant sections of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, the Orissa Prevention of Cow Slaughter Act and other provisions.



As per Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Care and Maintenance of Case Property Rules), 2017, the cattle have to be rehabilitated at an SPCA, infirmary, Pinjarapole or animal welfare organisation registered with the Animal Welfare Board, India.



It's a shock to see that 200 cattle are unnoticed by all enforcement agencies. One can imagine the scale of cruelty and black money being generated openly under the eyes of law.


At least five Maoists were killed in an encounter in Chatra district on Monday. The killed Maoists were identified as  Gautam Paswan and Charlie, who were SAC members, and Nandu, Amar Ganjhu, and Sanjeev Bhuiyan  were sub-zonal commanders.

The encounter of Maoists in Chatra district is said to be a big achievement for CoBra jawans and State police as all of them carried huge cash amounts on their heads. While two of them had rewards of Rs 25 lakhs each, two others were carrying rewards of Rs 5 lakhs each.

According to Jharkhand Police, the jawanas also recovered two AK47 rifles from them. On Monday morning the CoBRA battalion of CRPF engaged in anti-Maoist operations, about 100km from the state capital.

The encounter took place along the Chatra-Palamu border in Lawalong police station area, around 160 km from the state capital Ranchi. A huge cache of arms and ammunition was also seized from the spot, Chatra SP Rakesh Ranjan told the media.

The casualties of Maoists assume importance as in January this year, at least 5 soldiers of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were injured after an IED blast during an encounter with Maoists at Chaibasa, in the Singhbhum district. After the incident the police and security forces carried out a major offensive against Maoists in extremist hit districts.

Even new DGP Ajay Kumar Singh had said that the Maoist problem in Jharkhand is in its last stage as the security forces have launched a coordinated assault to wipe out the menace. Singh after assuming charge of new DGP this year had said that the 'Maoist hotbed and training Centre' in Jharkhand - Budha Pahad - on the border with Chhattisgarh was recently captured by security forces after over three decades of Maoist dominion. Singh, a 1989-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer was appointed as the new Director General of Police of Jharkhand earlier this month.

"The Maoist problem in Jharkhand is in its last stage. Whatever remains it needs to be tackled. We have enough manpower and expertise to do it and we will be able to reduce it further", Singh said in an interview.

Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren in January had visited the captured 'Maoist hotbed and training Centre' Budha Pahad that was captured by joint security forces after over three-decades of Maoist dominance. Soren is the first CM to visit budha pahad, the Maoist hotbed.

Sources said that a total of 31 Maoists including regional committee members, zonal, sub zonal and area commanders were gunned down in the last three years while 1,319 were arrested including polit bureau and central committee members. As many as 44 new forward operating bases were set up in core areas impacted by Maoists.
The launching ceremony of a book based on Maharaja Rajendra Narayan Singh Deo A man among princes took place at Jayadev Bhawan, Bhubaneswar on March 31.

The event was attended by many eminent personalities from across the country, including writer-diplomat and politician Ambassador Pawan K Verma who launched the book

The book is an engaging and comprehensive account of life and times of Maharaja Rajendra Narayan Singh Deo, a legendary figure in Indian and Odisha history. The book chronicles the life and achievements of the Maharaja, who was one the most influential rulers of the princely State of Bolangir.

Written by two literary icons prestigious Odisha Sahitya Academy Award recipient Pabitra Mohan Nayak and author and entrepreneur VR Singh,the book is a fascinating read for everyone interested in Indian history, culture and tradition.

Verma said, "Maharaja Rajendra Marayan Singh Deo was a true democrat. He was a peoples man. He was a man deeply rooted with his culture. He understood the root of his legacy. Like a true royal he never wanted anything for own benefit. For person like Maharaja Rajendra Narayan Singh Deo Odisha is still considered as inspiration for India.

Former Minister AU Singh Deo in his address said, I have learned humanity from him. He was a very gentle and humble person. He loved children very much. One thing that distinguishes him from other is that he never gets angry with anyone. Not even in his political career. During his Chief Minister tenure, he was not angry with those who accuse him.

Former Minister Prafulla Kumar Samal shed light on interesting aspects of Maharajas life. Former Union Minister KP Singh Deo was also present there. Chairman of Odisha State Housing Board and former MP Kalikesh N Singh Deo proposed vote of thanks.

The book launch event was a grand success and the audience had a chance to interact with eminent dignitaries of the evening. The book is now available for purchase at all major book stores and leading online platforms.
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal directed the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) on Monday to give him daily reports on water availability and supply and prepare a comprehensive plan to ensure that treated wastewater is reused in the city. The DJB supplies 995 million gallons of water a day for the consumption and daily needs of around two crore residents of Delhi, against the demand of around 1,300 MGD.

The government is aiming to increase the water availability in the national capital to 1,240 MGD by March 2025. Kejriwal held a meeting with DJB officials to review the preparations for the summer season.

DJB will now have to give daily report of total availability and supply of water in Delhi to Honorable Chief Minister, the chief minister's office wrote on Twitter. Complete plan for re-use of STP water should be made, water will also be given to nearby parks, it said in another tweet.

Delhi's sewage treatment plants discharge 514 MGD of treated waste water, of which 267 MGD is returned to the Yamuna river for downstream use and 90 MGD is used for horticulture purposes. The CMO said more than 450 places have been identified in Delhi where arrangements will be made to provide clean and pure water to the public through reverse-osmosis systems.

The groundwater table at a number of places in Delhi is high but the water is not fit for drinking purposes owing to high salinity levels. The government plans to draw groundwater in such areas and clean it using modern RO systems, according to officials.

The CMO also said the government will ensure an early approval for all the DJB schemes from different departments.

During the meeting, DJB officials stated that in the first phase, they plan to set up 500 RO plants along with tubewells in water-deficient areas, including unauthorised colonies, where piped water supply is not available, and water is currently supplied through tankers.

DJB will set up 500 RO plants in first phase with tube wells in water-scarce areas including unauthorised colonies; land earmarked for 471 ROs. The DJB is setting up 30 RO plants of 50,000 litres per day (50 KLD) capacity as a pilot project, and two RO plants have already been installed at the Jharoda Government School and Shakur Basti. Meanwhile, work on two more RO plants is ongoing in the Hari Nagar assembly constituency. Land surveys for the remaining RO plants are being finalised in coordination with elected representatives to identify available land. After the installation of the RO plants, RFID cards will be issued to local people to ensure they receive an adequate supply of clean water.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast above-normal temperatures in most parts of the country this summer season, which could strain the water supply in parts of Delhi, which depends on neighbouring states for water.
Chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami met the Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Monday. In the meeting which lasted for about an hour, discussions on various development projects and the central assistance were held between the two leaders. Dhami requested the PM that the financial approval for the Jamrani dam multipurpose project should be given by the cabinet committee on economic affairs. He also requested that a Vande Bharat express train should start between Haridwar and Varanasi. This rail service would be beneficial for the pilgrims and tourists. Dhami said that in view of the success of the import of 240 Merino sheep from Australia under the National Livestock Mission in the year 2019, the State has submitted a proposal to import 500 more sheep from Australia which will help in production of 500 metric tonnes of good quality wool.

He said that the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has approved a sum of Rs 280 crore from setting up poly-houses in the State and to encourage the production of apple, a sum of Rs 35 crore has been earmarked. The State is encouraging production of kiwi, dragon fruit and strawberries also. He requested the PM that the central government should approve the proposal of Rs 249.529 crore under National Bee and Honey Mission (NBHM). The expected central assistance in the project is Rs 203.391 crore. Dhami said that the project would provide direct benefit to 45,000 bee keepers in the State. He also requested that the air services from the Naini Saini airport in Pithoragarh should commence and in view of its expansion, the airport should be handed over to the Indian Air Force.

The CM also requested that approval to complete all the 473 remaining works till March 2024 should be given under the PMGSY I and II. Under the project a total of 3200 km of roads would be constructed in the State with an estimated budget of Rs 2,900 crore.

The CM told the PM that the State has launched the Empowered Uttarakhand mission under which the State government is planning to double its GSDP from existing Rs 2.75 lakh crore to Rs 5.5 lakh crore in next five years.

He said that the Mckinsey Global firm is preparing a strategy to achieve this target while focussing on tourism, agriculture, health, industries, education and service sectors. He said that work in Har Ki Paidi and Rishikesh corridors is going on and Musapani near Mana village in Chamoli would be developed on the lines of Navavet in Gujarat.

The CM also brought into the notice of PM the Manaskhand Mandir Mala mission under which 48 temples of Kumaon region are covered. He said that the Uttarakhand government has set up the State Institute for Empowering and Transforming Uttarakhand- SETU on the lines of Niti Aayog . Under the new policy of start-up a venture fund of Rs 2,000 crore has been set up. The State is also promoting solar power production and has planned to develop a capacity of generating 250 MW of electricity till the year 2027.

The CM invited Modi for the Yatra of Char Dham, Adi Kailash and Mayawati Ashram. Dhami presented a Shawl, a coffee table book (CFT) on successful hosting of G20 event, millets and a replica of Jageshwar dham to the PM
Delhi University on Monday constituted a five-member committee to inquire into alleged harassment of Indraprastha College for Women students during a cultural festival last week. The committee will be headed by Prakash Singh, director of South Delhi Campus, and has been asked to submit its report within a week, a notification issued by Delhi University Registrar Vikas Gupta stated.

Students at Indraprastha College for Women alleged that some men scaled the walls of the college during a fest last week and harassed several students. The Competent Authority has constituted the committee to inquire into the incident that happened on 29th March, 2023 in the Indraprastha College for Women, University of Delhi during the college cultural festival, the registrar said. The committee was also asked to suggest measures to curb such incidents in future.

Members of the committee are Proctor Rajni Abbi, Dean of Students Welfare Pankaj Arora, Joint Proctor Geeta Sahare and Professor, Department of Hindi, Manju Mukul Kumble. The Chairperson of the Committee is authorised to co-opt any additional member as and when needed, the registrar said.

Earlier, the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) on Monday said it has launched an inquiry into repeated incidents of inappropriate behaviour towards women during college festivals, days after Indraprastha College for Women students alleged sexual harassment during a fest. The women's panel has issued summonses to Delhi Police and Delhi University (DU) officials, asking them to appear before it on April 6. This inquiry is on the overall issue so that strong systems are created to deter such incidents in the future. Earlier, the DCW had issued notices to Delhi Police and IP College to inquire into the specific case of harassment, the commission said. Students at DU's Indraprastha College for Women alleged that some men scaled the walls of the college during a fest on March 28 and harassed several students.

Similar incidents have also been reported in some DU colleges in the past. In 2020, some people forced their way into Gargi College premises during a fest and molested the girl students, the DCW noted.

Again, in 2022, some male students forced their way into Miranda College and harassed the girl students. These incidents are happening repeatedly in DU colleges and raise serious concerns regarding the safety of girl students, especially during college fests, it said. Taking action in the matter, the DCW chief has issued summonses to the registrar of Delhi University and Joint Commissioner of Police, Special Police Unit for Women and Children (SPUWAC), seeking an action taken report in the matter, it added.

The DCW asked DU to provide inquiry reports on incidents that took place in Gargi College, Miranda House and Indraprastha College along with details of action taken by the university against college administrations for any security lapse.

Meanwhile, a students' group on Monday claimed that around of its 15 activists were detained from outside the Indraprastha College for Women, where they had gathered to stage a protest against the alleged harassment of girl students during a fest last week. Delhi Police, however, has denied the charge.

Led by the All India Students' Association (AISA), the agitators had gathered to protest against the alleged incident and the administration's response to it. Police personnel were deployed in large numbers while the gates of the college were barricaded.

About 15 AISA activists have been detained from the college gate and are being taken to Burari police station, the students' body's Delhi unit president Abhigyan alleged. A senior police officer, however, denied the allegation.

Around 10-15 protesters had gathered outside the college gate. They were removed peacefully, he said. No one has been detained, the officer added.
To mark the beginning of construction for a new industrial facility in the city, Chief Minister Hemant Soren performed rituals for the expansion project of Tinplate Company of India Limited (TCIL). The Chief Minister said that his government will help industries in the state to grow.

TCIL laid the foundation stone of the CRM-III (Cold Rolling Mill) unit at its premises. Tata Steel is investing more than Rs 2,000 crore in this project. 1,000 people will directly get employment. Indirectly 5 to 7 thousand people will get employment.

The Chief Minister said that his government would help a lot in the development of industries in the state. CM Hemant Soren said on Monday that he constantly remains in touch with all the industrial houses in the state.

Just as today the foundation stone has been laid for the expansion of The Tinplate Company of India Limited. I hope that this work will be completed on time, due to which the people here will get direct and indirect employment. This has always been the thinking of the government. Employment will be created if industries are set up in the state. Policies should be made for this so that more and more industries are set up. After the formation of the government, the industrial policy was made. In this sequence, cooperation of many industrial houses was received. People from the Tata group were also present during the launch of the industry policy. Better results have been seen. It is the result of the industrial policy that today Bhoomi Pujan was done for the expansion of TCIL. Even before this, expansion of the cement factory was done in Bokaro and production has also started from there, said Chief Minister Hemant Soren while speaking as the chief guest at the Bhoomi Pujan program of TCIL's expansion project.

The Chief Minister said that the Tata group has played a big role in the development of this country and the state. The government's effort is to strengthen the relationship with the industrial houses. Every possible effort is being made for this. The construction work of Tata Cancer Hospital has been completed. Soon it will be dedicated to the people of the state. The government has strongly taken several steps to promote the tourism industry. Many works are also being done for how Jharkhand's tourism should progress.

TV Narendran, CEO and MD, Tata Steel lauded the efforts of the state government to promote industry.
A fire has once again broken out at the garbage disposal site located in Bhopal's Bhanpura Adampur fire broke out in the area of garbage spread over about seven acres is now in the grip of fire. Due to the changing direction of the winds, the fire is continuously increasing all around.

The situation got worse as the smoke could be seen from two kilometers away from the dumping yard. Eight fire brigade vehicles of the Municipal Corporation are engaged in efforts to extinguish the fire. At present, the cause of the fire has not been disclosed.

Municipal officials said that fire had been reported in the Adampur dumping yard for two days. Since then the fire brigade staff is trying to extinguish the fire.

According to Fire Officer Rameshwar Neel, there is a leakage of flammable gas in the waste. After extinguishing the fire at one place, suddenly the fire at another place is smoldering like a furnace. Therefore, two vehicles have been deployed to wet the entire Khanti's waste. He said that efforts are on to control the fire continuously for the last 48 hours.

Huge amount of garbage is being dug to control the fire in the garbage. So that the gas can be taken out. Actually, machines are used to suppress crores of tons of waste.

The staff engaged in the work of extinguishing the fire said that it is difficult to even guess where the fire can flare up suddenly. There is a fire raging about every 50 steps.

There is fire at three different places of garbage here. The garbage has almost been burnt to ashes. But the fire is increasing due to gas leak. Here the fire team is also using chemicals to control the fire.

Dumping yard was also inspected by a special team of the Pollution Control Board on Monday. The team had reached the spot to check the gas and other points. The team has directed the officials of the corporation to take extra precautions. Along with this, the smoke has also been said to be very harmful. The Pollution Control Board team will also issue a preliminary report on the cause of the fire.

The officials of the Municipal Corporation as well as the Pollution Control Board estimate that the landfill site contains huge amounts of extremely flammable methane gas. Methane is also accompanied by carbon dioxide gas. Methane is dangerous not only for the environment but also for people.
The Uttarakhand High Court has directed the State government to hand over the charge of the principal chief conservator of forests to senior IFS officer Rajiv Bhartari at 10 AM on April 4. The division bench of Chief Justice Vipin Sanghi and Justice Alok Kumar Verma issued this direction while hearing on a petition regarding the State government not handing him the charge of PCCF despite the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) ordering so. The CAT had rejected the review petition filed by the current PCCF Vinod Kumar Singhal on March 22. Bhartari had filed a petition in the HC against him not being handed over the charge of PCCF despite orders to the effect.

According to the case details, Bhartari had stated in his petition that he is the senior most IFS officer in the State. However, on November 25, 2021 the State government transferred him to the post of the State biodiversity board chairman which he contended was unconstitutional. The officer had made submissions on four occasions to the government but these were not heard. Bhartari had contended that his transfer was motivated by political reasons and amounted to violation of his constitutional rights. It was being speculated that one of the major reasons for Bhartaris transfer was to allegedly influence the inquiry he had ordered into the illegal constructions and unauthorised tree felling in Corbett national park. On the directions of the HC, Bhartari approached the CAT which ruled in his favour and ordered his immediate reinstatement to the post of PCCF.

The review petition filed by the current PCCF was rejected by the CAT. However, Bhartari has not yet been reinstated to the post of PCCF. He challenged this in the HC which has now directed the State government to hand over the charge of PCCF to Bhartari on Tuesday. The court has also directed the respondent to submit a reply in two weeks.
Punjab Govt puts 30 pvt schools on notice for violating directions



Chandigarh: Days after the Punjab Government set up a task force to check fleecing by private schools, 30 schools have been issued notices for not following the government instructions. The Punjab Regulation of Fees of Unaided Educational Institutions Bill 2016 and 2019 have been violated by these schools. They have been asked to submit their response in this regard within seven days, said the state School Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains. He said that the Government has received a large number of complaints on the email addresses issued by him to file the complaints to prevent frivolous loots by private schools such as exorbitant fees hike, buying books of a particular publisher, frequently changing colour and design of uniforms and shoes, among other things. In the last 24 hours, more than 1,600 complaints have been received on email, which have been sent to the Education Minister Task Force constituted at the district level, for redressal of the complaints. The task force will visit the schools to verify the facts and submit the report to the regulatory authority, he said.



6 trains canceled due to farmers' protest in Gurdaspur



Chandigarh: Six trains have been canceled due to a ''rail roko'' protest of the farmers' group Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee (KMSC) that entered its second day on Monday at the Batala railway station in Gurdaspur district. The farmers launched their indefinite protest on Sunday in support of various demands, including fair compensation for their land acquired for road projects and crop loss due to inclement weather. According to railway officials, six trains, including the Pathankot to Verka, Amritsar to Pathankot, Amritsar to Qadian passengers, on the Amritsar-Pathankot section were cancelled on Monday due to the farmers' protest. The protesters parked their tractors on the railway track at the station on Monday and raised slogans against the Centre and the Punjab government. Besides seeking a fair amount for land acquired for road projects, the farmers are also demanding compensation of Rs 50,000 per acre for crop loss due to untimely rains and hailstorms in the state.



Kisan Mitra to encourage farmers for cultivation of Basmati, cotton in Punjab



Chandigarh: Punjab Agriculture Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal, holding a meeting with the Kisan Mitra through video conferencing after their appointment on Monday, urged them to encourage more farmers to grow diversified crops like cotton and Basmati instead of paddy. Kisan Mitras should play their pivotal role to encourage the farmers in maximum area. It is their main duty to take more farmers towards crop diversification to get them out of the cycle of wheat and paddy, said Dhaliwal while expressing concern over the deepening level of underground water. He said that Kisan Mitra should continue to educate the farmers by continuously providing information as per the decision taken by the government about planting alternative crops like rice and basmati instead of paddy.
People of Tharu community living in Bankati village of Shravasti district bordering Nepal, had not imagined that a day would come in their lives when they would be free of water-borne diseases and join the developmental journey of the state.

Today, with the Central government and the state government headed by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath working tirelessly to provide pure drinking water to the people under Jal Jeevan Mission and Har Ghar Nal scheme, this has become possible.

This has not only rid the village of water-borne diseases, which were common due to non-availability of pure drinking water, but has also provided opportunity to a large number of women and girls to earn their living and become self-reliant through Field Test Kit (FTK) training, for testing water quality.

Shravasti suffers from high levels of arsenic, fluoride and iron content in water as well as contamination. The women and girls receiving the FTK training check the quality of water on the basis of 12 parameters after reaching the sources of water. The testing takes place every 10 days.

The Tharu women and girls are also engaged in raising general awareness of the community about the importance of consumption of clean water along with bringing the winds of positive change to the village. Monika Rana, Nirma, Sumalana and Shankita are some of the Tharu women who have received FTK training and are engaged in testing the quality of water on a regular basis while raising peoples awareness about water related issues. They are also moving towards self-reliance with this training.

The Tharu women were deprived of their rights for a long period in Uttar Pradesh. Jal Jeevan Mission is improving the lives of the Tharu tribe in general and their women in particular. With the efforts of the Yogi government, the fortunes of the Tharu tribe are changing with Namami Gange and the Har Ghar Jal Yojana of the Rural Water Supply department.

Under the Jal Jeevan Mission, Har Ghar Jal scheme is ensuring supply of clean water to the people of the community while efforts are being made to rid the villages of contaminated water, water-borne diseases and water crisis. There are 765 Tharu tribes living in Bankati village of Bhachkohi gram panchayat in Shravasti. There are a total of 116 households.
In a major reshuffle, the State government here on Monday issued orders to transfer 19 Indian Administrative Services (IAS) officers. Kaushalendra Vikram Singh has been posted as new district Collector of Bhopal, while Bhopal Collector Avinash Lavania has been sent to Madhya Pradesh Water Corporation as Managing Director.
On March 6, 2020, the Union Ministry of Law and Justice had issued a notification in exercise of powers vested in it under Section 3 of the Delimitation Act, 2002 for constituting a Delimitation Commission for the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and former Supreme Court Judge Ranjana Prakash Desai was appointed as its chairperson. The constitution of such a commission and the exercise of delimitation of Assembly constituencies undertaken by it on the basis of the 2011 Census was challenged in Supreme Court. The Supreme Court on February 13 this year dismissed the plea.

While seeking dismissal of the plea, Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta, who was appearing for the Centre, argued in favour of a Delimitation Commission and said the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019 does not preclude establishment of a Delimitation Commission. The court found absolutely no merit in any of the contentions raised by the petitioners. The court relied its findings with reference to the J&K Reorganisation Act and further clarified that its findingsare on the footing that the exercise of power made in the year 2019 under clauses (1) and (3) of Article 370 of the Constitution is valid.

The Bench of Justices SK Kaul and AS Oka said, We are aware that the issue of the validity of the exercise of the said powers is the subject matter of petitions pending before this Court. Therefore, we have not dealt with the issue of validity. Nothing stated in this judgment shall be construed as giving our imprimatur to the exercise of powers under Clauses (1) and (3) of Article 370 of the Constitution.

The petitioners Haji Abdul Gani Khan and Mohammad Ayub Mattoo, who are residents of Srinagar, argued against delimitation to be carried out on the basis of the 2011 Census and, instead, argued for carrying out delimitation as per the 2001 Census or wait for the first census after the year 2026. To substantiate their argument, they went on to cite the Delimitation Act, 2002, which says, the Commission shall readjust the division of each State into territorial constituencies for the purpose of elections to the House of the People and to the State Legislative Assembly on the basis of the census figures as ascertained at the census held in the year (2001).

However, the Bench rejected the contention and observed, What is important to note is that by virtue of the J&K Reorganisation Act, the year 2001 stands substituted by the year 2011 in relation to the Legislative Assembly of the Union Territory of J&K. Therefore, the court held, the Delimitation Commission established under the Order dated 6th March 2020 had to undertake the exercise of delimitation or readjustment on the basis of the census figures of 2011 as the earlier exercise of delimitation of the constituencies of the erstwhile State was not made on the basis of the census figures of 2011.It further said, for the reasons stated above, there is nothing illegal about the exercise of delimitation/ readjustment of the constituencies undertaken by the Delimitation Commission for the purposes of dividing the Union Territory into 90 constituencies on the basis of the 2011 census figures.

The court upheld the legality of the Centre setting up a Delimitation Commission by notification dated March 6, 2020 and said, The J&K Reorganisation Act, which created the two new Union Territories, assigns the role of readjustment of constituencies to the Delimitation Commission under the Delimitation Act, 2002.

The court further said, Article 4 of the Constitution permits the Parliament to incorporate such provisions in the law made in accordance with Article 3 for the formation of new States and Union Territories, which may be necessary to give effect to the provisions of the law. Such a law may also contain provisions as to representations in Parliament and in the Legislature of the State or States affected by such law. Therefore, such law which made under Article 3 can always provide for readjustment of the Constituencies in the newly constituted States or Union Territories through the Delimitation Commission. Hence, we hold that there is no illegality associated with the establishment of the Delimitation Commission under the impugned Order dated 6th March 2020.

(The writer is an Addl. Central Government Standing Counsel, CAT, Cuttack Bench, Consulting Editor-Legal Affairs and Public Policy, The Pioneer, Bhubaneswar, and a Distinguished Adjunct Professor of Law and Media Studies, School of Mass Communication, KIIT University. Views are personal)
Madhya Pradesh is witnessing a surge in COVID-19 cases with the state registering 35 new cases in the last 24 hours.

Along with this, nine new COVID-19 cases were reported in the state capital Bhopal in the last 24 hours. In view of the sudden increase in cases, the health department has instructed officials to organise mock drills for preparations to deal with the disease. The mock drill will be held on April 10 and 11.

Superintendent of Bhopal District Hospital, Rakesh Shrivastava told, "The cases have increased in the state, but today it is a good thing that the graph of the cases have come down. There is no need to panic. Today nine cases have been reported in Bhopal. The administration is fully prepared and there is complete arrangement in the hospital."

Mock drill on April 10 and 11

"We are going to do mock drills on April 10 and 11 in which we will see the whole system as seen earlier whether oxygen is reaching every point or not, medicines are there or not. We have all the facilities here, the Madhya Pradesh government has made complete preparations and there is nothing to panic. Along with this, there is a need to be careful. There has been a slight change in the weather, that is why the cases may have increased," he said.

No serious patients

Shrivastava added that there was no serious patient among the COVID patients found now. The ICU beds of the hospital were ready for COVID patients. Six wards were kept for isolation as well.

The arrangement is such that we have oxygen connection almost on all the beds. Medicines are fully available and there are paramedical staff who are ready to face all kinds of emergencies. So everything is ready, Shrivastava said.
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has said that the 5 Mahavrats of Mahavir Swami including Satya, Ahimsa, Asteya, Brahmacharya and Aparigraha show the path to eternal peace to a materialistic humanity.

On Mahavir Jayanti, let us take a pledge to follow his path. Mahavir Swami had told that those who conquer others are Veer and those who conquer themselves are Mahavirs. Jitendriya means Jain to win one self. In this sense everyone should try to become a Jain.

Chouhan attended the Acharya Shri Vidyasagar Jeev Daya Award programme in Amarkantak. He distributed prizes to the best cow shelters, gau-bhakts and Pashu Sevaks of the state.

Chief Minister Chouhan said that Acharya Vidyasagar is a Rashtra Sant, whose darshan I have been fortunate enough to have today. I see the image of Mahavir Swami in him. Mook Maati is his creation. Jainism teaches us to conquer others without weapons. Our culture is of Atmavat Sarvabhuteshu, Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinah and Ekatma Manavta. We see the same consciousness in all, and want the welfare of every living being.

Chouhan said that taking a lesson from Mahatma Gandhis favorite hymn Vaishnav Jan To Tene Kahiye, Je Peer Parai Jaane Re, he has made a scheme for women. I wanted to remove the suffering of women. With this scheme, the women will become self-reliant and self-confident.

The Chief Minister said that continuous efforts are being made for cow protection and cow promotion in the state. The state government has also started an ambulance service for cows and cattle.

One ambulance each is being run in every development block of the state, in which arrangements for a doctor and compounder have also been made. 407 animal ambulances have arrived in the state. He told to call 1962 for this service. Chief Minister Shri Chouhan said that liquor vends have been closed in the state from April 1st. Driving under the influence of alcohol will result in suspension of the drivers license.

Bal Brahmachari Vinay Bhaiya said that Madhya Pradesh government is doing excellent work in the field of kindness to animals and gau-seva. Today, tractors and harvesters have taken the place of oxen in agriculture. Due to this, gauvansh is facing food crisis. He suggested that the Madhya Pradesh government should make such a system that the farmers do not burn narwai after cultivation, but instead give the straw to cow shelters. Straw is food for animals, man has no right to burn it. The state government is providing husking machines to the farmers on 90 percent subsidy. Straw should not be burnt under any circumstances.

MP Chairman of the Cow Promotion Board Mahamandaleshwar Swami Akhileshwaranand Giri said that Acharya Vidyasagar Jeev Daya Award has been started for best performing cow shelters, gau sevaks and pashu sevaks in the state. There are 1758 active cow shelters in the state, in which there are 2 lakh 87 thousand cattle. The government has made adequate provision in the budget for gauseva. This year, an amount of Rs 202 crore 53 lakh has been distributed to cow shelters.

Chief Minister Chouhan lit the lamp and inaugurated the programme and performed kanya pujan. Member of Parliament Sushri Himadri Singh, Ram Das Puri, Pramod Jain of Jain Samaj, public representatives, dignitaries, gau sevaks and a large number of public were present.

Chouhan wished for the happiness and prosperity of the people of Madhya Pradesh by offering prayers to Maa Narmada, the lifeline of Madhya Pradesh in Amarkantak. Former Chief Minister Sushri Uma Bharti, public representatives and officers were present.
As the standing committee of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi is yet to be elected, services of three 'third parties' have been discontinued by the civic body from April 1 onwards, and they have been directed to withdraw data entry operators and other contractual workers engaged through them. Earlier, a group of BJP councillors protested at the Civic Centre  MCD's headquarters  and alleged that services of contract workers have been discontinued.

A delegation of the opposition party in the AAP-led MCD submitted a memorandum to the Delhi mayor's OSD, demanding service contract renewal of all contract employees, the Delhi BJP said in a statement. It also claimed that services of DBC (dengue breeding checking) workers have also been discontinued.

A senior official, however, when asked about the claim, said, As far as I know, only data entry operators and some 'maalis' will get impacted. The standing committee is authorised to extend the contract of services of third parties engaged with the MCD. As the standing committee of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi is yet to be elected, services of three third parties have been discontinued by the civic authorities, with effect from April 1, said an official source.

Authorities have also issued orders to that effect on March 31, he said. One of the orders issued regarding a third party firm reads, In continuation of this department's work order No. AO/SO-IV/CED/2023/4098 dated 10.01.2023 vide which your service was extended till 31.03.2023. The Competent Authority vide its approval dated 29.03.2023 has discontinued its services from the MCD beyond March 31 to provide data entry operators (DEOs).

The order also directed the firm to withdraw data entry operators (DEOs) engaged through it from the work of MCD beyond March 31 and do not deploy these DEOs for the work of MCD, with effect from April 1. No payment will be made by MCD to the third party, if any work is carried out by the data entry operators of the firm, it says, adding, the order has been issued with approval of the competent authority.
The Uttar Pradesh State Election Commission on Monday said it would issue the notification for urban local bodies polls once it received the final information about reservation from the state government.

The State Election Commission has asked the state government to ensure the availability of adequate police and security forces for the peaceful conduct of the urban local bodies elections in the state.

It said this should be done as soon as the final draft of reservation of seats in urban local bodies was published by the state government.

Kumar on Monday held a review meeting with the top officials of the state government to discuss the security measures and availability of the security forces during the elections. The meeting was attended by Special DGP (Law and order) Prashant Kumar, Principal Secretary (Urban Development) Amrit Abhijat, Secretary (Urban Development) Ranjan Kumar, and Secretary (Home) AV Rajmouli.

The state election commissioner said as many as 760 urban local bodies would go to polls where election would be held for 17 seats of mayor, 1,420 of corporators, 199 of nagar palika parishad chairpersons, 5,327 of nagar palika parishad members, 544 of nagar panchayat chairpersons and 7,178 seats of nagar panchayat members.

Electronic voting machines (EVMs) will be used for the election of mayors of 17 nagar nigams and corporators of 1,4420 wards. Ballot boxes will be used in the rest of the urban local bodies posts.

The State Election Commission has already updated the electoral rolls for the forthcoming urban local bodies polls, adding more than 96 lakh electors. As many as 4.32 crore people are eligible to vote in the forthcoming polls. The strength of the electorate was 3.35 crore during the last polls in 2017.

There has been an increase of 96,36,280 voters. The increase in the number of voters has been primarily due to expansion of the boundaries of municipal corporations and nagar palika parishads. Owing to formation of new nagar panchayats, many rural areas have also been included in urban limits.

Another 21.23 lakh voters have been shifted from rural to urban jurisdictions. There will be more than 4.33 lakh first-time voters this time. These voters have turned 18 by January 1, 2023.

The urban local bodies polls are expected to be held soon, but the notification is yet to be issued.

The Supreme Court on March 27 had paved the way for holding the urban local bodies polls in UP as it allowed the State Election Commission to issue a notification in this regard in two days with an OBC quota in terms of a report of the Uttar Pradesh Backward Classes Commission.

The Uttar Pradesh government on Thursday had issued a provisional list of reserved seats for mayors of municipal corporations and chairpersons of municipal councils and nagar panchayats for the three-tier elections.

The draft notification has been issued for the reserved seats. Objections have been sought on the list of reserved seats within seven days, State Urban Development Minister AK Sharma had told reporters.
Cyber Crime Branch Bhopal arrested the CSP operator along with two account holders of the gang who cheated in the name of canceling the order of laptop bag from Snapdeal company, from Jharkhand and Assam, the stronghold of cybercrime.

The accused used to take 20 percent of the fraud transaction as mediator on rent of the bank accounts. Along with this, the CSP operator used to take 10 percent commission for cashing the fraud amount. The accused lived in Chennai on the pretext of working to learn Tamil language.

HSP Srivastava, a resident of Trilanga, had filed an application in the Cyber Crime Kohefiza Bhopal complaining that he was cheated of about Rs 40,000 in three parts between March 22 and 24 in the name of canceling his laptop cover order from Snapdeal company. After investigating the complaint application, the police registered a case under section 419, 420 of the IPC against the user of the bank account and mobile number.

The accused are natives of the state of Jharkhand, Assam. Out of which two account holders work in Chennai for very little money to learn Tamil language for fraud calling, so that after learning Tamil language, they can do fraud with people in future by calling them in Tamil language.

At the same time, the account holder opens a bank account in his name and gives it to the middleman, who contacts the fraud calling boys and gets the money deposited in their account. He takes 10 percent commission from the CSP operator and 20 percent commission himself and gives the rest to the mediator. The CSP operator knows that this is fraud money, despite which he continuously helps in fraud by withdrawing money on commission.

The accused are Afzal Ansari and CSP director Mohammad Dilkash Ansari from Deoghar Jharkhand and another account holder Riza-Ul- Haq from Assam after doing technical analysis. During this, 3 mobile phones, 6 SIM cards, a memory card, cash transaction register and account opening register were recovered from the accused.
The BJP and Congress on Monday hit out at the AAP saying that the education model of Delhi has been exposed. BJP leaders called the chief minister Arvind Kejriwal as the biggest liar of Indian politics and dishonest chief minister of the country. Delhi Congress president Ch. Anil Kumar said that it was shocking that 96 per cent students of classes 9 and 11 in government school have failed to pass the muster in their final year exams, thus thoroughly exposing the Arvind Kejriwal Governments so-called Delhi Model of Education.

In a joint press conference, BJP MP Manoj Tiwari and MLA Ajay Mahawar exposed with evidence the false statement given by Arvind Kejriwal regarding jobs, in Assam. Tiwari said that Kejriwal kept telling lies in every department, be it Yamuna cleaning, purchase of buses, drinking water and everyone has seen the video of the plight of the education system.

Seeing the video, it can also be said that Kejriwal kept lying on the education system as well. He said that the whole of Delhi should know that Kejriwal is the most corrupt and liar Chief Minister.

Addressing the press conference, BJP MP Manoj Tiwari said, Kejriwal has claimed that 12 lakh jobs were given by his government, but only 440 jobs were given to the aspirants during his rule since 2015.

Kejriwal is the biggest liar and the most corrupt and dishonest chief minister in the country. It sounds good that 12 lakh jobs have been given, but it is a false claim as has been proved by a RTI reply of his government itself, he added.

During his visit to Assam on Sunday, Kejriwal promised jobs for all unemployed youngsters if the AAP is voted to power in the northeastern state and said his party has given employment to 12 lakh people in Delhi in seven years and 28,000 people in Punjab in a year. BJP MLA Ajay Mahawar said of the 440 jobs given by the AAP government in Delhi from 2015 to 2023, 176 were given in 2015, 102 in 2016, 66 in 2017, 68 in 2018 and 28 in 2020. The Kejriwal government failed to provide a single job in 2019, 2021, 2022 and 2023, he added.
The violence that erupted during the Ramnavmi festivities in many states is a cause of serious concern and needs a firm administrative action which could suppress not only the present violence of the unruly mob but act as a deterrent to such elements in future also. The government runs properly and the law and order is maintained when there is a fear among the criminals and respect in the law abiding citizens for law enforcement agencies. It is unfortunate that the police do not command either of the two. It does not mean that the law enforcement agencies are not competent. They are efficient professionals but their hands are tied down by their political masters who take decisions out of pure political considerations. Some states like Bengal have a horrible record of communal violence in the last couple of years. The current violence has marred peace in Bihar, Maharashtra and Gujarat also.

The situation has come to such a pass because the government of the concerned states have been found wanting in their measures to contain such violence. The response of the central government, too, has been muted, and it has failed to respond in a befitting manner to contain such violence. It is true that maintenance of law and order is a state subject and the police are controlled by the state but the central government is duty bound to act and intervene when the government machinery of different states fail to discharge their constitutional obligation. This has emboldened the bad and antisocial elements and they have a field day in their constituency.

India is a union of states and though it is quasi federal in nature, the very name, ' Union of India ' makes it unitary in nature and the constitution of India provides ample powers to the Union Government to take proper action and intervene in the matters of states as and when the situation demands. Article three hundred fifty six of the constitution clearly empowers the central government to impose President 's rule in the states in such a situation. It is true that the government at the centre has invoked this article more often to serve their political interests than to meet the exigencies of good governance. The present government at the centre has so far shown exemplary restraint and it has refrained from using this article in almost nine years of its rule. However, this restraint has not gone well with the regional political parties which rule in these states and their supporters take law into their hands with impunity.

The central government should make the concerned state government to act as per the provisions of constitution and if the state government fails to do so, Article three fifty six must be invoked in such a state and President's rule must be imposed there. The deployment of paramilitary forces in many states would control the situation but state like Bengal where there is chronic manifestation of such violence must be placed under Presidents rule. Nothing less would improve the situation over there. The intensity of targeted mob violence has been so terrible that mass exodus of victims have been seen. These people became homeless and lost their wealth, honour and dignity in their own country and the government looked the other way. Such violence has intensified in Bengal after the last assembly elections in the state and no proper action was taken to contain them. The malady has spread to other states and criminals indulging in these violence are sanguine that nobody would punish them for their unspeakable crimes. The masses have accepted these crimes as their fait accompli.

Such a morose mindset of the people is a very bad sign for a healthy, functional and successful democracy. The media has also failed to raise alarm over these developments which undermines people's faith in the government of the day. The question is why the makers of the constitution provided Article three hundred fifty six. And another question is if this is not a fit case for the imposition of President's rule, then what type of breakdown in law and order is needed for invoking this article. Not invoking this article even in such a critical situation would set a bad precedent. The imposition of President's rule in Bengal would dramatically improve the situation over there. It would also give a clear message to the criminals everywhere that they will have to respect law otherwise law would take them to task. This would save hundreds of lives, stop migration of thousands from their homes and public property of crore and crores of rupees would be saved.

The writer is a noted academician and political commentator. Views Expressed are personal.
The Raj Bhavan has taken measures to contain the menace to truancy and unauthorised leave of senior officers, teachers and staff from the university, departments and colleges. The Nilamber Pitamber university Daltonganj is no exception to officers, teachers and staff availing unauthorised leave.

Sources said a two day regular leave gets into 3 or 4 days of unauthorised leave here where no eyebrows are raised as this practice is common to one and all and there is a tacit understanding and unspoken consent.

Sources said some criminal lawyers here are mooting to drag the university officers to the lok adalat for dismal academic activities here where classes are not engaged by the teachers, practicals are not conducted in the labs and issue and return to books in library from college to the central library is not even notional.

A criminal lawyer said the NPU should now be rechristened as Non Performing University instead of what it is known by the names of the two illustrious martyrs Nilamber and Pitamber.

This criminal lawyer who had perchance heard the speech of the Vice Chancellor Dr Ram Lakhan Singh in the 13 Establishment Day program of the NPU on January 17 in the new multi crore Kautaliya Bhavan, quoted the VC as saying that 'The VC had himself admitted that this university has progressed to the speed of turtle and not to the speed of rabbit.'

The Chancellor of the state universities C P Radhakrishnan quite recently at the VCs conclave in the Vinoba Bhave university Hazaribag, in his keynote address, had directed the VCs to seek approval for leave and not to proceed on leave without due intimation and permission.

The Chancellor had also directed that this order to the VCs should percolate down to the rank and file upto the college level. He did leave space for emergency or extraordinary situations in matters of leave by the VCs and down the line.

A university official here requesting for anonymity said efforts are on to resume biometric attendance which stands disbanded here in the university since the Covid pandemic.

Sources said the VC had recently convened a meeting in this regard directing officials and college managements to ensure resumption to the biometric attendance without any more delay.

The secretary of the state higher education Rahul Kumar Purwar in one of the conversations with the Pioneer had said that the NPU must strive to perform well as this university has potentials to deliver to its students.
Trump has become the first former president to be indicted in a criminal case after a grand jury investigation into hush money payments made on his behalf during the 2016 presidential campaign, write Alanna Durkin Richer and Meg Kinnard

Donald Trumps unprecedented indictment comes as the Republican faces other legal investigations and launches a bid to return to the White House in 2024.

The indictment will test the Republican Party already divided over whether to support Trump next year, in part due to his efforts to undermine his 2020 election loss.

Trump has denied any wrongdoing and accuses prosecutors of engaging in a politically motivated witch hunt to damage his campaign.

Heres a look at the hush money case, the grand jury investigation and possible ramifications for Trumps presidential campaign:

WHATS THIS CASE ABOUT?

The grand jury spent weeks meeting in secret to probe 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 Organisation, 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.

WHAT ARE THE CHARGES?

The indictment has not yet been unsealed, so its not totally clear.

Some experts have said they believe Trump could be charged with falsifying business records, which can be a misdemeanor or a felony under New York law. To secure a conviction on the felony charge, prosecutors would have to prove that records were falsified with the intention of committing or concealing a second crime. Its not clear what prosecutors may allege as the second crime.

WHAT HAS TRUMPS LAWYER SAID?

Trumps lawyer, Joe Tacopina, said Thursday that the former president didnt commit any crime and vowed to vigorously fight this political prosecution in court.

Tacopina has accused prosecutors of distorting laws to try to take down the former president. He has described Trump as a victim of extortion who had to pay the money because the allegations were going to be embarrassing to him regardless of the campaign.

He made this with personal funds to prevent something from coming out  false, but embarrassing to himself, his family, his young son. Thats not a campaign finance violation, not by any stretch, Tacopina said on ABCs Good Morning America before the indictment.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

Law enforcement officials have been making security preparations for days for the possibility of an indictment and a court appearance by the president.

Trump was expected to surrender to authorities next week, though details were still being worked out, according to a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to discuss a matter that remained under seal.

WHATS THIS GRAND JURY AND WHO TESTIFIED?

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.

Proceedings are closed to the public, including the media. New York grand juries have 23 people. At least 16 must be present to hear evidence or deliberate and 12 have to agree there is enough evidence in order to issue an indictment.

David Pecker, a longtime Trump friend and the former chief executive of the parent company of The National Enquirer, returned to the courthouse this week where the grand jury was meeting.

Peckers company, American Media Inc., secretly assisted Trumps campaign by paying $150,000 to McDougal in August 2016 for the rights to her story about an alleged affair with Trump. The company then suppressed McDougals story until after the election.

The grand jury also heard from Cohen, as well as Robert Costello, who was once a legal adviser to Cohen.

The men have since had a falling out, and Costello indicated he has information he believes undercuts Cohens credibility and contradicts his incriminating statements about Trump. Costello testified at the invitation of prosecutors, presumably as a way to ensure that the grand jury had an opportunity to consider any testimony or evidence that might weaken the case for moving forward with an indictment.

Trump was also invited to testify, but didnt.

WHAT ARE THE POLITICAL RAMIFICATIONS FOR TRUMP?

Neither the indictment itself nor a conviction would prevent Trump from running for or winning the presidency in 2024.

Last week in Waco, Texas, Trump took a defiant stance at a rally by disparaging the prosecutors investigating him and predicting his vindication as he rallied supporters in a city made famous by deadly resistance against law enforcement.

You will be vindicated and proud, Trump said in a speech brimming with resentments and framing the probes as political attacks on himself and his followers. The thugs and criminals who are corrupting our justice system will be defeated, discredited and totally disgraced.

Before the charges were handed down, many party leaders had also already begun to defend the former president.

During a visit this month to Iowa, former Vice President Mike Pence called the idea of indicting a former president deeply troubling. Another 2024 Republican prospect, New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, has said there is a sense that the former president is being unfairly attacked.

Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, a declared candidate who also served as Trumps UN ambassador, has called Braggs case an attempt at scoring political points, adding, You never want to condone any sort of prosecution thats being politicised.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is considering joining the 2024 Republican field, slammed the investigation as politically motivated. 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.

WHAT ABOUT OTHER TRUMP INVESTIGATIONS?

The New York case is just one of many legal woes Trump is facing.

The Justice Department is also investigating his retention of top secret government documents at his Florida estate, Mar-a-Lago, after leaving the White House. Federal investigators are also still probing the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the US Capitol and efforts to overturn the 2020 election that Trump falsely claimed was stolen.

In Georgia, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has been investigating whether Trump and his allies illegally meddled in the 2020 election. 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 Trump could be among them. It is ultimately up to Willis to decide whether to move forward.
Kalakshetra Foundation on Tuesday said it had constituted a Committee of Inquiry led by a retired judge to investigate the sexual harassment allegations made by students against an assistant professor of dance and three repertory artists.

The teacher has been suspended and the services of the repertory artists have been "dispensed with" pending inquiry.

The panel is led by retired judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court Justice K Kannan and also comprises former Tamil Nadu DGP Letika Saran and Dr Shobha Varthaman (a medical doctor who has worked with international NGOs), the foundation said.

"Hari Padman, Assistant Professor, has been placed under suspension with immediate effect, pending inquiry. The services of Sanjith Lal, Sai Krishnan and Sreenath, repertory artists, may be dispensed with immediate effect, pending inquiry," the Board of the prestigious institution said in a press release.

Police on April 3 arrested Hari Padman, who worked as an Assistant Professor of Dance at Kalakshetra Foundation's Rukmini Devi College of Fine Arts here. These steps were taken after some students of the college accused Hari Padman and the three repertory artists Sanjith Lal, Sai Krishnan and Sreenath of sexual harassment, and protested against the management over their inaction in the past few days.

The release also said that a new student counsellor and an independent advisory committee would be appointed immediately to strengthen the administration of Kalakshetra Foundation. The decisions were taken at a board meeting of the Foundation.

Making an appeal to students to attend the rescheduled examinations, the Board said, "Kalakshetra Foundation is fully committed to ensuring the safety and security of its students, and providing a secure and inclusive environment for all." Dravidar Kazhagam (DK) President K Veeramani on Tuesday criticised the institution for constituting a panel on its own to look into the allegations of sexual harassment of students on its premises, saying law and order fell under the state government's purview.

The foundation's setting up of a committee on its own has led to questions and suspcion, the top leader of the DK, the parent outfit of the ruling DMK, said in a statement. Veeramani said there was apprehension whether the setting up of the panel was a diversionary tactic and if it was an attempt at "whitewashing" the issue. He urged the Tamil Nadu government to pay special attention to the matter.
Fortive Co. (NYSE:FTV  Get Rating) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 4,960,000 shares, an increase of 9.3% from the February 28th total of 4,540,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 1,810,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.7 days.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

FTV has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Mizuho increased their target price on Fortive from $60.00 to $63.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Friday, January 13th. Vertical Research raised Fortive from a hold rating to a buy rating and set a $74.00 target price on the stock in a report on Monday, March 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Fortive from $74.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Thursday, February 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Fortive from $69.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a report on Thursday, February 2nd. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Fortive from $77.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Thursday, February 2nd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $73.08.

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Fortive Price Performance

Shares of Fortive stock traded down $0.37 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $67.80. 1,578,341 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,916,032. The company has a market cap of $23.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $67.04 and a 200 day simple moving average of $65.17. Fortive has a fifty-two week low of $52.47 and a fifty-two week high of $69.78.

Fortive Announces Dividend

Fortive ( NYSE:FTV Get Rating ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 1st. The technology company reported $0.88 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.84 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $1.53 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.50 billion. Fortive had a net margin of 12.96% and a return on equity of 11.90%. Fortives quarterly revenue was up 11.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.79 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Fortive will post 3.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 24th were given a $0.07 dividend. This represents a $0.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.41%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 23rd. Fortives payout ratio is presently 13.33%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Fortive news, SVP Stacey A. Walker sold 2,063 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.67, for a total value of $141,666.21. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 40,150 shares of the companys stock, valued at $2,757,100.50. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, SVP Stacey A. Walker sold 3,249 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.75, for a total transaction of $220,119.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 32,721 shares in the company, valued at $2,216,847.75. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Stacey A. Walker sold 2,063 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.67, for a total value of $141,666.21. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 40,150 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $2,757,100.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 6,648 shares of company stock worth $450,483. 0.79% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Fortive

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its holdings in Fortive by 48.2% in the 2nd quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 40,725,663 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $2,214,661,000 after buying an additional 13,237,805 shares during the last quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Fortive by 61,103.3% during the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,600,591 shares of the technology companys stock worth $231,338,000 after purchasing an additional 3,594,708 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Fortive in the 4th quarter valued at about $193,761,000. American Century Companies Inc. grew its holdings in Fortive by 21,435.4% during the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,683,426 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $108,160,000 after buying an additional 1,675,609 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Brown Advisory Inc. grew its holdings in Fortive by 39.4% during the 3rd quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 5,710,019 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $332,894,000 after buying an additional 1,614,640 shares in the last quarter. 94.84% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Fortive

(Get Rating)

Fortive Corp. engages in the design, development, manufacturing, and marketing of professional and engineered products, software, and services for a variety of end markets. It operates through the following segments: Intelligent Operating Solutions, Precision Technologies, and Advanced Healthcare Solutions.

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Centrus Energy Corp. (NYSEAMERICAN:LEU  Get Rating) SVP Dennis John Scott sold 12,505 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.29, for a total transaction of $403,786.45. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Centrus Energy Stock Up 2.1 %

Shares of LEU stock traded up $0.67 during trading on Monday, hitting $32.87. The company had a trading volume of 237,025 shares, compared to its average volume of 162,674. Centrus Energy Corp. has a 52 week low of $17.36 and a 52 week high of $55.59. The businesss 50-day simple moving average is $42.96. The firm has a market cap of $477.93 million, a PE ratio of 4.09 and a beta of 2.13.

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Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of LEU. Swiss National Bank boosted its stake in shares of Centrus Energy by 7.7% during the first quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 25,200 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $849,000 after purchasing an additional 1,800 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in shares of Centrus Energy by 22.5% during the first quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 4,598 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $155,000 after purchasing an additional 845 shares during the period. Acadian Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Centrus Energy during the first quarter valued at approximately $269,000. MetLife Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Centrus Energy by 57.0% during the first quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 5,454 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $184,000 after purchasing an additional 1,980 shares during the period. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers boosted its stake in shares of Centrus Energy by 10.8% during the first quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 11,938 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $402,000 after purchasing an additional 1,168 shares during the period. 32.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Centrus Energy Company Profile

Centrus Energy Corp. engages in the supply of nuclear fuel and services for the nuclear power industry. It operates through the following segments: Low-enriched Uranium (LEU) and Technical Solutions. The LEU segment includes various components of nuclear fuel to utilities from its global network of suppliers.

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HP Inc. (NYSE:HPQ  Get Rating) CEO Enrique Lores sold 38,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $29.51, for a total value of $1,121,380.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 766,268 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $22,612,568.68. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website.

Enrique Lores also recently made the following trade(s):

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On Tuesday, January 3rd, Enrique Lores sold 34,000 shares of HP stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.13, for a total value of $922,420.00.

HP Trading Up 1.8 %

Shares of HPQ traded up $0.54 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $29.89. The stock had a trading volume of 6,125,250 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,301,169. HP Inc. has a 12 month low of $24.08 and a 12 month high of $41.47. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $28.95 and a 200 day simple moving average of $28.00. The company has a market capitalization of $29.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.69, a P/E/G ratio of 3.28 and a beta of 1.01.

HP Announces Dividend

HP ( NYSE:HPQ Get Rating ) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 28th. The computer maker reported $0.75 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.74 by $0.01. HP had a negative return on equity of 141.20% and a net margin of 4.36%. The company had revenue of $13.83 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $14.17 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.10 EPS. HPs quarterly revenue was down 18.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that HP Inc. will post 3.27 EPS for the current year.

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 5th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 8th will be paid a dividend of $0.2625 per share. This represents a $1.05 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.51%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 7th. HPs dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 41.83%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of HP in a research report on Monday, March 20th. They set a neutral rating and a $26.00 target price for the company. Bank of America decreased their target price on shares of HP from $27.00 to $26.00 in a research report on Wednesday, March 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of HP from $27.00 to $30.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 1st. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of HP from $24.00 to $28.00 and gave the company an underweight rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 21st. Finally, StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of HP in a research report on Thursday, March 16th. They set a hold rating for the company. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and ten have assigned a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, HP has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $29.19.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On HP

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Old North State Trust LLC purchased a new stake in HP in the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. Certified Advisory Corp purchased a new position in HP during the 1st quarter valued at about $26,000. Householder Group Estate & Retirement Specialist LLC bought a new stake in shares of HP during the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC boosted its position in shares of HP by 665.7% during the 3rd quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 1,072 shares of the computer makers stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 932 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Glass Jacobson Investment Advisors llc bought a new stake in shares of HP during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. 79.68% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

HP Company Profile

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HP Inc provides products, technologies, software, solutions, and services to individual consumers, small- and medium-sized businesses, and large enterprises, including customers in the government, health, and education sectors worldwide. It operates through Personal Systems and Printing segments. The Personal Systems segment offers commercial personal computers (PCs), consumer PCs, workstations, thin clients, commercial tablets and mobility devices, retail point-of-sale systems, displays and other related accessories, software, support, and services for the commercial and consumer markets.

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Taylor Morrison Home Co. (NYSE:TMHC  Get Rating) CFO Louis Steffens sold 19,748 shares of Taylor Morrison Home stock in a transaction on Friday, March 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $37.86, for a total value of $747,659.28. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 65,772 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,490,127.92. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.

Louis Steffens also recently made the following trade(s):

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On Thursday, March 23rd, Louis Steffens sold 11,486 shares of Taylor Morrison Home stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $37.56, for a total value of $431,414.16.

On Thursday, March 9th, Louis Steffens sold 8,890 shares of Taylor Morrison Home stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.97, for a total value of $328,663.30.

Taylor Morrison Home Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of TMHC traded up $0.08 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $38.34. 861,067 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 926,789. The company has a market cap of $4.15 billion, a PE ratio of 4.20 and a beta of 1.69. The firms 50 day moving average is $35.82 and its 200-day moving average is $30.83. Taylor Morrison Home Co. has a 52 week low of $20.05 and a 52 week high of $38.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53, a quick ratio of 1.01 and a current ratio of 5.59.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Taylor Morrison Home ( NYSE:TMHC Get Rating ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 15th. The construction company reported $2.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.91 by $0.02. Taylor Morrison Home had a return on equity of 24.86% and a net margin of 12.80%. The company had revenue of $2.49 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.32 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.19 EPS. The firms revenue was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Taylor Morrison Home Co. will post 6.46 EPS for the current fiscal year.

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on TMHC shares. StockNews.com assumed coverage on Taylor Morrison Home in a report on Thursday, March 16th. They set a buy rating on the stock. Barclays boosted their target price on Taylor Morrison Home from $35.00 to $40.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research note on Thursday, February 16th. Finally, Credit Suisse Group boosted their target price on Taylor Morrison Home from $33.00 to $41.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Thursday, February 16th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $34.21.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Taylor Morrison Home

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Meritage Portfolio Management lifted its position in shares of Taylor Morrison Home by 3.6% during the 4th quarter. Meritage Portfolio Management now owns 9,534 shares of the construction companys stock worth $289,000 after purchasing an additional 332 shares during the last quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. lifted its position in shares of Taylor Morrison Home by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. now owns 32,094 shares of the construction companys stock worth $748,000 after purchasing an additional 359 shares during the last quarter. TCI Wealth Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Taylor Morrison Home by 87.7% during the 4th quarter. TCI Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 933 shares of the construction companys stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 436 shares during the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. lifted its position in shares of Taylor Morrison Home by 47.6% during the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 1,802 shares of the construction companys stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 581 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kendall Capital Management lifted its position in shares of Taylor Morrison Home by 2.5% during the 3rd quarter. Kendall Capital Management now owns 25,530 shares of the construction companys stock worth $595,000 after purchasing an additional 630 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.33% of the companys stock.

Taylor Morrison Home Company Profile

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Taylor Morrison Home Corp. engages in the business of residential homebuilding and the development of lifestyle communities. It operates through the following segments: East, Central, West, and Financial Services. The East segment includes operations in Atlanta, Charlotte, Chicago, Orlando, Raleigh, Southwest Florida, and Tampa regions.

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Loop Energy (OTC:LPENF  Get Rating) had its target price reduced by Raymond James to C$1.10 in a research report sent to investors on Friday morning, The Fly reports.

Separately, National Bank Financial lowered shares of Loop Energy from an outperform rating to a sector perform rating in a report on Thursday, March 30th.

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Loop Energy Stock Down 12.3 %

Shares of LPENF opened at $0.70 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $0.79. Loop Energy has a 52-week low of $0.67 and a 52-week high of $2.25.

About Loop Energy

Loop Energy Inc develops, manufactures, and supplies hydrogen fuel cells to vehicle and power generation system manufacturers worldwide. The company offers its fuel cell systems for the electrification of light commercial vehicles, transit buses, and medium and heavy-duty trucks. Loop Energy Inc was incorporated in 2000 and is headquartered in Burnaby, Canada.

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Shaw Communications (NYSE:SJR  Get Rating) (TSE:SJR.B) was downgraded by research analysts at StockNews.com from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report issued on Monday.

Other equities analysts have also issued reports about the company. National Bank Financial lowered Shaw Communications from an outperform rating to a sector perform rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 4th. Scotiabank lowered Shaw Communications from an outperform rating to a sector perform rating in a research report on Friday, January 13th. Royal Bank of Canada downgraded Shaw Communications from an outperform rating to a sector perform rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 3rd. Finally, Desjardins cut Shaw Communications from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Friday, January 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $40.50.

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Shaw Communications Price Performance

Shares of NYSE SJR traded up $0.27 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $30.18. The company had a trading volume of 6,354,280 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,256,839. Shaw Communications has a one year low of $23.64 and a one year high of $31.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 0.68. The businesss 50-day simple moving average is $29.07 and its 200 day simple moving average is $27.38. The firm has a market cap of $14.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.47 and a beta of 0.52.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Shaw Communications

Shaw Communications ( NYSE:SJR Get Rating ) (TSE:SJR.B) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 12th. The company reported $0.25 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.27 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $1.02 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.01 billion. Shaw Communications had a return on equity of 11.70% and a net margin of 13.57%. On average, research analysts predict that Shaw Communications will post 1.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Shaw Communications by 3.3% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 15,367,982 shares of the companys stock worth $373,750,000 after acquiring an additional 484,580 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can grew its position in Shaw Communications by 16.6% during the 3rd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 14,582,178 shares of the companys stock worth $355,766,000 after acquiring an additional 2,075,248 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE grew its position in Shaw Communications by 11.1% during the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 13,653,751 shares of the companys stock worth $392,955,000 after acquiring an additional 1,368,291 shares during the last quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank grew its position in shares of Shaw Communications by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 7,386,445 shares of the companys stock worth $229,133,000 after buying an additional 146,050 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of Nova Scotia grew its position in shares of Shaw Communications by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 7,334,794 shares of the companys stock worth $211,322,000 after buying an additional 38,566 shares during the last quarter. 55.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Shaw Communications Company Profile

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Shaw Communications, Inc engages in the provision of cable telecommunications and satellite video services. The company was founded by James Robert Shaw on December 9, 1966 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada.

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Tingyi (Cayman Islands) Holding Corp. (OTCMKTS:TCYMF  Get Rating)s share price hit a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $1.74 and last traded at $1.74, with a volume of 0 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $1.74.

Tingyi (Cayman Islands) Stock Performance

The business has a 50 day moving average price of $1.73 and a 200 day moving average price of $1.68. The company has a quick ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40.

Tingyi (Cayman Islands) Company Profile

(Get Rating)

Tingyi (Cayman Islands) Holding Corp., an investment holding company, manufactures and sells instant noodles, beverages, and instant food products in the People's Republic of China. The company operates through Instant Noodles, Beverages, and Others segments. It offers ready-to-drink teas, juices, milk tea, bottled water, and carbonated soft drinks, as well as coffee drinks/functional drinks/probiotics.

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Hudock Inc. purchased a new position in shares of iShares U.S. Healthcare Providers ETF (NYSEARCA:IHF  Get Rating) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 2,508 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $671,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in IHF. Phoenix Holdings Ltd. grew its holdings in iShares U.S. Healthcare Providers ETF by 1,560.3% during the 3rd quarter. Phoenix Holdings Ltd. now owns 290,644 shares of the companys stock worth $75,280,000 after acquiring an additional 273,139 shares in the last quarter. Meitav Dash Investments Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of iShares U.S. Healthcare Providers ETF by 107.5% in the 3rd quarter. Meitav Dash Investments Ltd. now owns 322,340 shares of the companys stock valued at $83,471,000 after buying an additional 167,000 shares during the period. Bullseye Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of iShares U.S. Healthcare Providers ETF in the 3rd quarter valued at about $6,077,000. Wells Fargo & Company MN boosted its holdings in shares of iShares U.S. Healthcare Providers ETF by 28.3% in the 2nd quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 106,187 shares of the companys stock valued at $27,124,000 after buying an additional 23,394 shares during the period. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its holdings in shares of iShares U.S. Healthcare Providers ETF by 2,235.1% in the 3rd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 23,211 shares of the companys stock valued at $5,930,000 after buying an additional 22,217 shares during the period.

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iShares U.S. Healthcare Providers ETF Stock Performance

Shares of NYSEARCA IHF traded down $0.56 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $252.42. The companys stock had a trading volume of 7,791 shares, compared to its average volume of 37,777. iShares U.S. Healthcare Providers ETF has a 1-year low of $237.26 and a 1-year high of $297.30. The firms fifty day moving average price is $255.74 and its 200-day moving average price is $262.85. The firm has a market cap of $1.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.43 and a beta of 0.84.

iShares U.S. Healthcare Providers ETF Profile

The iShares U.S. Healthcare Providers ETF (IHF) is an exchange-traded fund that mostly invests in health care equity. The fund tracks a cap-weighted index of US companies that provide healthcare services. IHF was launched on May 1, 2006 and is managed by BlackRock.

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Calamos Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY  Get Rating) by 0.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 55,360 shares of the companys stock after purchasing an additional 315 shares during the quarter. Eli Lilly and comprises approximately 1.6% of Calamos Wealth Management LLCs investment portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest holding. Calamos Wealth Management LLCs holdings in Eli Lilly and were worth $20,253,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Benjamin Edwards Inc. lifted its stake in Eli Lilly and by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 3,836 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,240,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Eli Lilly and by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Moloney Securities Asset Management LLC now owns 5,000 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,617,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Auxano Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Eli Lilly and by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter. Auxano Advisors LLC now owns 1,385 shares of the companys stock valued at $448,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and by 4.6% during the 4th quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 633 shares of the companys stock worth $232,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares during the period. Finally, Wedge Capital Management L L P NC raised its stake in shares of Eli Lilly and by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Wedge Capital Management L L P NC now owns 1,485 shares of the companys stock worth $543,000 after purchasing an additional 28 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.13% of the companys stock.

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Insider Transactions at Eli Lilly and

In other news, major shareholder Lilly Endowment Inc sold 210,000 shares of Eli Lilly and stock in a transaction on Monday, April 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $350.49, for a total transaction of $73,602,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 102,333,810 shares in the company, valued at $35,866,977,066.90. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, EVP Anne E. White sold 2,500 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Monday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $346.47, for a total transaction of $866,175.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 57,926 shares in the company, valued at $20,069,621.22. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, major shareholder Lilly Endowment Inc sold 210,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Monday, April 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $350.49, for a total value of $73,602,900.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 102,333,810 shares in the company, valued at approximately $35,866,977,066.90. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 620,000 shares of company stock worth $212,602,025. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Eli Lilly and Price Performance

LLY stock traded up $3.85 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $354.59. The companys stock had a trading volume of 2,242,696 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,167,707. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37. Eli Lilly and Company has a 12 month low of $276.83 and a 12 month high of $384.44. The company has a 50 day moving average of $332.13 and a two-hundred day moving average of $343.83. The firm has a market capitalization of $336.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 50.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 0.36.

Eli Lilly and (NYSE:LLY  Get Rating) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 2nd. The company reported $2.09 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.83 by $0.26. The firm had revenue of $7.30 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.39 billion. Eli Lilly and had a net margin of 21.88% and a return on equity of 73.61%. Eli Lilly ands revenue for the quarter was down 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.49 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Eli Lilly and Company will post 8.49 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

LLY has been the subject of several recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company raised Eli Lilly and from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $360.00 to $375.00 in a report on Monday, March 13th. SVB Leerink lifted their target price on Eli Lilly and from $384.00 to $410.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a report on Friday, December 16th. UBS Group reduced their target price on Eli Lilly and from $428.00 to $420.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a report on Thursday, December 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Eli Lilly and from $380.00 to $400.00 in a report on Wednesday, December 14th. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on Eli Lilly and from $395.00 to $400.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Tuesday, January 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $383.11.

Eli Lilly and Company Profile

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Eli Lilly & Co engages in the discovery, development, manufacture, and sale of pharmaceutical products. The firms products consist of diabetes, oncology, immunology, neuroscience, and other products and therapies. The company was founded by Eli Lilly in May 1876 and is headquartered in Indianapolis, IN.

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Canyon Creek Food Company Ltd. (CVE:CYF  Get Rating)s share price reached a new 52-week low during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as C$0.02 and last traded at C$0.02, with a volume of 1000 shares. The stock had previously closed at C$0.03.

Canyon Creek Food Trading Down 40.0 %

The companys 50-day simple moving average is C$0.03 and its 200 day simple moving average is C$0.04. The stock has a market cap of C$527,250.00, a P/E ratio of -0.15 and a beta of 2.16.

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Canyon Creek Food (CVE:CYF  Get Rating) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, January 30th. The company reported C($0.01) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The firm had revenue of C$4.22 million for the quarter.

Canyon Creek Food Company Profile

Canyon Creek Food Company Ltd. operates as a food processing company in Canada. The company provides fresh soups and other prepared food products. It offers its products to grocery retailers and various food service establishments comprising restaurants and institutions. Canyon Creek Food Company Ltd.

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Coca-Cola HBC (OTCMKTS:CCHGY  Get Rating) had its price objective cut by investment analysts at Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft from GBX 2,580 ($32.04) to GBX 2,545 ($31.61) in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday, The Fly reports.

A number of other research firms have also recently commented on CCHGY. Citigroup dropped their price target on shares of Coca-Cola HBC from GBX 2,200 ($27.32) to GBX 2,125 ($26.39) in a research note on Tuesday, January 10th. Credit Suisse Group dropped their price target on shares of Coca-Cola HBC from GBX 2,600 ($32.29) to GBX 2,500 ($31.05) in a research note on Tuesday, January 10th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Coca-Cola HBC from GBX 2,500 ($31.05) to GBX 2,700 ($33.53) in a research note on Thursday, February 16th.

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Coca-Cola HBC Price Performance

CCHGY stock traded up $0.36 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $27.74. 711 shares of the companys stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,329. Coca-Cola HBC has a 52 week low of $18.89 and a 52 week high of $27.74. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $25.37 and a 200 day simple moving average of $23.78.

About Coca-Cola HBC

Coca-Cola HBC AG engages in the production, sale and distribution of non-alcoholic and ready-to-drink beverages. It operates through the following segments: Established Markets, Developing Markets, and Emerging Markets. The Established Markets segment consists of Austria, Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, and Switzerland.

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Forge Global (NYSE:FRGE  Get Rating) is one of 23 public companies in the Security & commodity brokers, dealers, exchanges & services industry, but how does it compare to its competitors? We will compare Forge Global to similar companies based on the strength of its analyst recommendations, profitability, valuation, risk, earnings, dividends and institutional ownership.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Forge Global and its competitors gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

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Gross Revenue Net Income Price/Earnings Ratio Forge Global $69.38 million -$111.86 million -1.17 Forge Global Competitors $7.42 billion $656.15 million 31.01

Forge Globals competitors have higher revenue and earnings than Forge Global. Forge Global is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than its competitors, indicating that it is currently more affordable than other companies in its industry.

Analyst Recommendations

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Forge Global 0 4 2 0 2.33 Forge Global Competitors 144 899 1198 31 2.49

This is a breakdown of current recommendations and price targets for Forge Global and its competitors, as reported by MarketBeat.

Forge Global currently has a consensus target price of $3.48, indicating a potential upside of 104.41%. As a group, Security & commodity brokers, dealers, exchanges & services companies have a potential upside of 31.33%. Given Forge Globals higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Forge Global is more favorable than its competitors.

Risk and Volatility

Forge Global has a beta of 2.29, meaning that its share price is 129% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Forge Globals competitors have a beta of 1.37, meaning that their average share price is 37% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares Forge Global and its competitors net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Forge Global -161.22% -26.59% -22.44% Forge Global Competitors 4.06% 20.57% 5.50%

Institutional and Insider Ownership

13.7% of Forge Global shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 69.0% of shares of all Security & commodity brokers, dealers, exchanges & services companies are held by institutional investors. 20.0% of Forge Global shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 6.9% of shares of all Security & commodity brokers, dealers, exchanges & services companies are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Summary

Forge Global competitors beat Forge Global on 10 of the 13 factors compared.

Forge Global Company Profile

(Get Rating)

Forge Global Holdings, Inc. provides marketplace infrastructure, data services, and technology solutions for private market participants. It enables private company shareholders to trade private company shares with accredited investors. The company was founded in 2014 and is based in San Francisco, California.

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Wedbush reiterated their outperform rating on shares of Constellation Brands (NYSE:STZ  Get Rating) in a report released on Friday morning, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a $255.00 target price on the stock.

Other analysts have also issued research reports about the company. StockNews.com began coverage on Constellation Brands in a research note on Thursday, March 16th. They issued a hold rating for the company. Roth Capital reaffirmed a neutral rating on shares of Constellation Brands in a research note on Wednesday, February 22nd. Credit Suisse Group lowered their price objective on Constellation Brands from $260.00 to $250.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 6th. Cowen lowered Constellation Brands from an outperform rating to a market perform rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $275.00 to $200.00 in a research report on Friday, January 6th. Finally, TheStreet lowered Constellation Brands from a b rating to a c+ rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 1st. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $249.76.

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Constellation Brands Stock Performance

Shares of STZ stock opened at $225.42 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $223.14 and a 200 day moving average of $231.49. Constellation Brands has a 52 week low of $208.12 and a 52 week high of $261.52. The firm has a market capitalization of $41.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 644.08, a PEG ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a quick ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.29.

Constellation Brands Dividend Announcement

Constellation Brands ( NYSE:STZ Get Rating ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 5th. The company reported $2.83 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $2.88 by ($0.05). Constellation Brands had a return on equity of 19.69% and a net margin of 0.98%. The business had revenue of $2.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $2.38 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $3.12 EPS. The businesss revenue was up 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts expect that Constellation Brands will post 10.53 earnings per share for the current year.

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 22nd. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 8th were issued a $0.80 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 7th. This represents a $3.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.42%. Constellation Brandss payout ratio is 914.31%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Constellation Brands

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Constellation Brands by 2.6% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 12,601,280 shares of the companys stock worth $2,902,327,000 after buying an additional 313,344 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its holdings in Constellation Brands by 52.2% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 3,928,866 shares of the companys stock worth $910,514,000 after buying an additional 1,346,846 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley increased its holdings in Constellation Brands by 31.3% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 3,809,273 shares of the companys stock worth $882,799,000 after buying an additional 908,486 shares in the last quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Constellation Brands by 84,839.5% in the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,742,434 shares of the companys stock worth $867,309,000 after buying an additional 3,738,028 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Constellation Brands by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,812,650 shares of the companys stock worth $650,445,000 after buying an additional 98,901 shares in the last quarter. 84.87% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Constellation Brands Company Profile

(Get Rating)

Constellation Brands, Inc engages in the production, marketing, and distribution of beer, wine, and spirits. It operates through the following segments: Beer, Wine and Spirits, and Corporate Operations and Other, and Canopy. The Beer segment includes imported and craft beer brands. The Wine and Spirits segment sells wine brands across all categories-table wine, sparkling wine, and dessert wine-and across all price points.

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Credit Suisse Asset Management Income Fund, Inc. (NYSEAMERICAN:CIK  Get Rating) declared a monthly dividend on Tuesday, April 4th, Wall Street Journal reports. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 19th will be given a dividend of 0.0225 per share on Tuesday, April 25th. This represents a $0.27 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 10.51%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 18th.

Credit Suisse Asset Management Income Fund Stock Performance

Shares of NYSEAMERICAN CIK traded down $0.03 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $2.57. The company had a trading volume of 244,342 shares, compared to its average volume of 265,232. Credit Suisse Asset Management Income Fund has a 52 week low of $2.39 and a 52 week high of $3.08.

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Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CIK. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Credit Suisse Asset Management Income Fund during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new position in Credit Suisse Asset Management Income Fund during the 2nd quarter valued at about $32,000. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. increased its position in Credit Suisse Asset Management Income Fund by 30.7% during the 4th quarter. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. now owns 20,663 shares of the companys stock valued at $52,000 after purchasing an additional 4,859 shares during the period. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. purchased a new position in Credit Suisse Asset Management Income Fund during the 1st quarter valued at about $73,000. Finally, Nomura Holdings Inc. purchased a new position in Credit Suisse Asset Management Income Fund during the 2nd quarter valued at about $82,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 7.80% of the companys stock.

Credit Suisse Asset Management Income Fund Company Profile

Credit Suisse Asset Management Income Fund, Inc is a closed-ended fund, which engages in investing in the fixed income markets and companies operating across diversified industries. It seeks current income consistent with the preservation of capital by investing primarily in fixed-income securities. The company was founded on February 11, 1987 and is headquartered in New York, NY.

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Shares of Herc Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HRI  Get Rating) fell 8.6% on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $102.03 and last traded at $102.70. 204,887 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 38% from the average session volume of 328,009 shares. The stock had previously closed at $112.38.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have weighed in on HRI. KeyCorp upped their target price on Herc from $170.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Thursday, February 16th. StockNews.com initiated coverage on Herc in a report on Thursday, March 16th. They set a hold rating on the stock. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on Herc from $160.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Friday, January 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $164.60.

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Herc Stock Performance

The firm has a 50 day moving average of $136.42 and a two-hundred day moving average of $128.64. The stock has a market cap of $2.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.76, a P/E/G ratio of 0.55 and a beta of 2.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.73, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.07.

Herc Increases Dividend

Herc ( NYSE:HRI Get Rating ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 14th. The transportation company reported $3.44 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.50 by ($0.06). Herc had a return on equity of 31.88% and a net margin of 12.05%. The firm had revenue of $786.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $773.29 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.46 EPS. Hercs revenue for the quarter was up 36.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that Herc Holdings Inc. will post 14.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 9th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 22nd were given a dividend of $0.632 per share. This is a boost from Hercs previous quarterly dividend of $0.58. This represents a $2.53 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.47%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 21st. Hercs dividend payout ratio is currently 23.15%.

Insider Activity at Herc

In other Herc news, major shareholder Carl C. Icahn sold 28,366 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $144.23, for a total value of $4,091,228.18. Following the sale, the insider now owns 3,668,079 shares in the company, valued at $529,047,034.17. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other news, major shareholder Carl C. Icahn sold 28,366 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $144.23, for a total transaction of $4,091,228.18. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 3,668,079 shares in the company, valued at $529,047,034.17. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Carl C. Icahn sold 39,578 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $141.29, for a total value of $5,591,975.62. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 3,584,288 shares in the company, valued at approximately $506,424,051.52. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 448,079 shares of company stock valued at $67,802,053. Insiders own 1.40% of the companys stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Herc

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. ETF Managers Group LLC raised its position in Herc by 104.9% during the 4th quarter. ETF Managers Group LLC now owns 8,461 shares of the transportation companys stock worth $1,113,000 after purchasing an additional 4,332 shares during the last quarter. Natixis bought a new stake in Herc in the 4th quarter valued at about $207,000. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky increased its position in Herc by 5.5% in the 4th quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky now owns 9,411 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $1,238,000 after buying an additional 490 shares in the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its stake in Herc by 6.5% during the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,609 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $212,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares during the last quarter. Finally, American Trust acquired a new position in Herc during the 4th quarter valued at about $242,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.85% of the companys stock.

Herc Company Profile

(Get Rating)

Herc Holdings Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates as an equipment rental supplier. It rents aerial, earthmoving, material handling, trucks and trailers, air compressors, compaction, and lighting equipment, as well as generators, and safety supplies and expendables; and provides ProSolutions, an industry specific solution based services, such as pumping solutions, power generation, climate control, remediation and restoration, and studio and production equipment.

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Pegasus Asset Management Inc. reduced its stake in shares of SPDR S&P MidCap 400 ETF Trust (NYSEARCA:MDY  Get Rating) by 0.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,999 shares of the exchange traded funds stock after selling 27 shares during the period. Pegasus Asset Management Inc.s holdings in SPDR S&P MidCap 400 ETF Trust were worth $2,656,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in MDY. Castleview Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of SPDR S&P MidCap 400 ETF Trust by 2,252.2% in the 2nd quarter. Castleview Partners LLC now owns 1,082 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 1,036 shares during the period. National Bank of Canada FI boosted its stake in shares of SPDR S&P MidCap 400 ETF Trust by 102.0% in the 3rd quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 99 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Colonial Trust Advisors purchased a new position in shares of SPDR S&P MidCap 400 ETF Trust in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $40,000. Chilton Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of SPDR S&P MidCap 400 ETF Trust in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $45,000. Finally, Marshall & Sullivan Inc. WA purchased a new position in shares of SPDR S&P MidCap 400 ETF Trust in the 4th quarter worth approximately $50,000.

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SPDR S&P MidCap 400 ETF Trust Price Performance

Shares of NYSEARCA MDY traded down $7.51 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $450.52. The companys stock had a trading volume of 448,473 shares, compared to its average volume of 812,029. SPDR S&P MidCap 400 ETF Trust has a 12-month low of $398.11 and a 12-month high of $499.48. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $468.28 and a 200-day moving average price of $451.43. The stock has a market capitalization of $18.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.00 and a beta of 1.12.

SPDR S&P MidCap 400 ETF Trust Company Profile

SPDR S&P MidCap 400 ETF is an exchange traded fund. SPDR MidCap 400 Trust focuses to correspond to the price and yield performance of the S&P MidCap 400 Index. The S&P MidCap 400 covers over 7% of the United States equities market, and is part of a series of S&P the United States indices. The index also includes companies, which should have four consecutive quarters of positive as-reported earnings, excluding discontinued operations and extraordinary items.

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R.P. Boggs & Co. reduced its stake in shares of Lowes Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW  Get Rating) by 69.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,365 shares of the home improvement retailers stock after selling 16,412 shares during the quarter. Lowes Companies comprises 1.5% of R.P. Boggs & Co.s portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest position. R.P. Boggs & Co.s holdings in Lowes Companies were worth $1,467,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Standard Family Office LLC bought a new position in shares of Lowes Companies during the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Legend Financial Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Lowes Companies during the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Lowes Companies by 56.0% during the 3rd quarter. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC now owns 142 shares of the home improvement retailers stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Blume Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in Lowes Companies by 70.6% in the 3rd quarter. Blume Capital Management Inc. now owns 145 shares of the home improvement retailers stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Finally, McElhenny Sheffield Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Lowes Companies in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. 72.62% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have commented on LOW. Evercore ISI cut their target price on Lowes Companies to $225.00 in a research note on Monday, December 12th. Wedbush upped their price objective on Lowes Companies from $190.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research note on Thursday, December 8th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an overweight rating and set a $235.00 price objective on shares of Lowes Companies in a research note on Monday, February 13th. TD Cowen dropped their price objective on Lowes Companies from $220.00 to $210.00 and set a market perform rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 2nd. Finally, Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on Lowes Companies from $250.00 to $235.00 in a research note on Wednesday, March 1st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating and fifteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $223.85.

Lowes Companies Price Performance

Shares of LOW stock traded down $0.10 on Tuesday, hitting $203.89. 373,944 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,058,034. Lowes Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $170.12 and a 12 month high of $223.31. The stock has a market cap of $121.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a 50 day moving average of $202.96 and a 200 day moving average of $200.82.

Lowes Companies (NYSE:LOW  Get Rating) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 1st. The home improvement retailer reported $2.28 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.21 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $22.40 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.71 billion. Lowes Companies had a negative return on equity of 82.30% and a net margin of 6.63%. Lowes Companiess revenue for the quarter was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.78 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Lowes Companies, Inc. will post 13.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Lowes Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 26th will be given a $1.05 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 25th. This represents a $4.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.06%. Lowes Companiess dividend payout ratio is presently 41.96%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Lowes Companies

In other Lowes Companies news, EVP Donald Frieson sold 9,411 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $197.00, for a total value of $1,853,967.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 17,888 shares in the company, valued at $3,523,936. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.24% of the companys stock.

Lowes Companies Company Profile

(Get Rating)

Lowes Cos., Inc engages in the retail sale of home improvement products. The firm offers products for maintenance, repair, remodeling, home decorating and property maintenance. It also provides home improvement products in the following categories: appliances, bathroom, building supply, electrical, flooring, hardware, paint, kitchen, plumbing, lighting & fans, outdoor living, windows and doors.

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SPDR Gold Shares (NYSEARCA:GLD  Get Rating)s share price reached a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $188.21 and last traded at $187.78, with a volume of 6294240 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $184.54.

SPDR Gold Shares Stock Up 1.7 %

The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $176.10 and a 200 day simple moving average of $167.54.

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Hedge Funds Weigh In On SPDR Gold Shares

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Bank of New Hampshire raised its holdings in shares of SPDR Gold Shares by 4.7% in the 1st quarter. Bank of New Hampshire now owns 48,808 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $8,943,000 after buying an additional 2,185 shares in the last quarter. Cedar Brook Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in SPDR Gold Shares during the 1st quarter valued at $222,000. First Financial Bank Trust Division increased its holdings in SPDR Gold Shares by 4.3% during the 1st quarter. First Financial Bank Trust Division now owns 3,182 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $583,000 after purchasing an additional 132 shares in the last quarter. Luts & Greenleigh Group Inc. acquired a new stake in SPDR Gold Shares during the 4th quarter valued at $986,000. Finally, Werba Rubin Papier Wealth Management acquired a new stake in SPDR Gold Shares during the 4th quarter valued at $292,000. 37.94% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About SPDR Gold Shares

SPDR Gold Trust (the Trust) is an investment trust. The investment objective of the Trust is for the Shares to reflect the performance of the price of gold bullion, less the Trusts expenses. The Trusts business activity is the investment of gold. The Trust creates and redeems Shares from time to time, but in one or more Baskets (a Basket equals a block of 100,000 Shares).

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RBA Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Targa Resources Corp. (NYSE:TRGP  Get Rating) by 13.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 21,608 shares of the pipeline companys stock after purchasing an additional 2,642 shares during the quarter. RBA Wealth Management LLCs holdings in Targa Resources were worth $1,588,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of TRGP. EdgeRock Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Targa Resources during the 3rd quarter worth $28,000. Chilton Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Targa Resources during the 2nd quarter valued at about $31,000. MinichMacGregor Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Targa Resources during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. acquired a new stake in Targa Resources in the 2nd quarter valued at about $47,000. Finally, Fred Alger Management LLC purchased a new position in Targa Resources in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $56,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 88.29% of the companys stock.

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Targa Resources Stock Down 1.5 %

Shares of NYSE TRGP traded down $1.13 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $74.28. The company had a trading volume of 615,643 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,619,820. The company has a market capitalization of $16.81 billion, a PE ratio of 19.39 and a beta of 2.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.15, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.64. Targa Resources Corp. has a 1-year low of $55.56 and a 1-year high of $81.50. The businesss 50-day simple moving average is $73.75 and its 200 day simple moving average is $71.20.

Targa Resources Dividend Announcement

Analysts Set New Price Targets

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, January 31st were paid a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.88%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, January 30th. Targa Resourcess payout ratio is currently 35.99%.

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on TRGP shares. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Targa Resources from $89.00 to $94.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 1st. Citigroup initiated coverage on Targa Resources in a report on Thursday, December 8th. They set a buy rating and a $95.00 price target on the stock. Scotiabank assumed coverage on shares of Targa Resources in a research report on Thursday, March 2nd. They set an outperform rating and a $115.00 price target on the stock. Mizuho raised their price objective on shares of Targa Resources from $92.00 to $94.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Thursday, February 2nd. Finally, Seaport Res Ptn reiterated a buy rating on shares of Targa Resources in a report on Thursday, February 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Buy and a consensus price target of $97.91.

Targa Resources Company Profile

(Get Rating)

Targa Resources Corp. provides midstream natural gas and natural gas liquids services. It also provides gathering, storing, and terminaling crude oil, and storing, terminaling, and selling refined petroleum products. It operates through the following business segments: Gathering and Processing, and Logistics and Transportation.

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Thunder Mountain Gold (OTCMKTS:THMG  Get Rating) is one of 105 public companies in the Metal mining industry, but how does it contrast to its rivals? We will compare Thunder Mountain Gold to related businesses based on the strength of its risk, valuation, institutional ownership, earnings, profitability, dividends and analyst recommendations.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Thunder Mountain Gold and its rivals gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

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Gross Revenue Net Income Price/Earnings Ratio Thunder Mountain Gold $300,000.00 -$1.25 million -4.70 Thunder Mountain Gold Competitors $7.89 billion $2.07 billion -5.73

Thunder Mountain Golds rivals have higher revenue and earnings than Thunder Mountain Gold. Thunder Mountain Gold is trading at a higher price-to-earnings ratio than its rivals, indicating that it is currently more expensive than other companies in its industry.

Volatility & Risk

Analyst Recommendations

Thunder Mountain Gold has a beta of 0.95, meaning that its stock price is 5% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Thunder Mountain Golds rivals have a beta of 1.35, meaning that their average stock price is 35% more volatile than the S&P 500.

This is a breakdown of recent recommendations for Thunder Mountain Gold and its rivals, as reported by MarketBeat.

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Thunder Mountain Gold 0 0 0 0 N/A Thunder Mountain Gold Competitors 903 2140 2753 92 2.35

As a group, Metal mining companies have a potential upside of 26.41%. Given Thunder Mountain Golds rivals higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Thunder Mountain Gold has less favorable growth aspects than its rivals.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

0.0% of Thunder Mountain Gold shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 21.2% of shares of all Metal mining companies are held by institutional investors. 29.5% of Thunder Mountain Gold shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 10.8% of shares of all Metal mining companies are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Profitability

This table compares Thunder Mountain Gold and its rivals net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Thunder Mountain Gold -415.33% -185.48% -59.67% Thunder Mountain Gold Competitors -388.18% -2.23% -2.79%

Summary

Thunder Mountain Gold rivals beat Thunder Mountain Gold on 8 of the 10 factors compared.

About Thunder Mountain Gold

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Thunder Mountain Gold, Inc. operates as a mineral exploration company, which engages in the acquisition, exploration, and development of premier precious and base metal properties. Its projects include South Mountain located southwest of Boise, Idaho and Trout Creek located in Nevada. The company was founded on November 9, 1935 and is headquartered in Boise, ID.

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Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. lowered its position in First Horizon Co. (NYSE:FHN  Get Rating) by 12.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 194,851 shares of the financial services providers stock after selling 28,149 shares during the period. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd.s holdings in First Horizon were worth $4,774,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. McElhenny Sheffield Capital Management LLC bought a new position in First Horizon during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC bought a new position in First Horizon during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $39,000. TD Capital Management LLC bought a new position in First Horizon during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $50,000. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management bought a new position in First Horizon during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $57,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in First Horizon by 60.6% during the 3rd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,536 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $58,000 after buying an additional 957 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 77.41% of the companys stock.

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First Horizon Stock Performance

NYSE FHN traded down $0.60 on Tuesday, hitting $17.28. 2,803,042 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 7,746,744. The businesss 50 day moving average price is $21.53 and its 200-day moving average price is $23.25. First Horizon Co. has a 52-week low of $13.40 and a 52-week high of $24.92. The company has a market capitalization of $9.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.69, a P/E/G ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21.

First Horizon Announces Dividend

First Horizon ( NYSE:FHN Get Rating ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 18th. The financial services provider reported $0.51 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.50 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $882.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $883.23 million. First Horizon had a return on equity of 12.98% and a net margin of 25.66%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.48 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that First Horizon Co. will post 1.94 earnings per share for the current year.

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, March 17th were paid a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.47%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 16th. First Horizons payout ratio is presently 39.22%.

Insider Activity at First Horizon

In related news, EVP Terry Lawson Akins sold 4,694 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.67, for a total transaction of $115,800.98. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 145,691 shares of the companys stock, valued at $3,594,196.97. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other First Horizon news, EVP Terry Lawson Akins sold 4,694 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.67, for a total transaction of $115,800.98. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 145,691 shares in the company, valued at $3,594,196.97. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO D Bryan Jordan sold 93,157 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.80, for a total value of $2,310,293.60. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,396,259 shares in the company, valued at $34,627,223.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.55% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company raised First Horizon from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating and set a $25.00 target price for the company in a report on Friday, March 24th. StockNews.com assumed coverage on First Horizon in a report on Thursday, March 16th. They issued a sell rating for the company.

First Horizon Company Profile

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First Horizon Corp. (Tennessee) operates as a financial holding company, which engages in the provision of checking accounts, savings products, mortgage banking, lending, and financing to individuals and businesses. It operates the business through three segments: Regional Banking, Specialty Banking, and Corporate.

Further Reading

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding FHN? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for First Horizon Co. (NYSE:FHN  Get Rating).

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TriNet Group, Inc. (NYSE:TNET  Get Rating)s stock price gapped up prior to trading on Tuesday . The stock had previously closed at $80.28, but opened at $81.94. TriNet Group shares last traded at $82.01, with a volume of 29,199 shares changing hands.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

TNET has been the topic of several research reports. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of TriNet Group in a research report on Thursday, March 16th. They set a buy rating on the stock. Cowen raised their price objective on shares of TriNet Group from $67.00 to $74.00 and gave the company a market perform rating in a research report on Thursday, February 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $81.25.

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TriNet Group Trading Up 0.7 %

The company has a market capitalization of $4.85 billion, a PE ratio of 14.44 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $80.01 and a two-hundred day moving average of $73.68.

Insiders Place Their Bets

TriNet Group ( NYSE:TNET Get Rating ) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 15th. The business services provider reported $0.91 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.13 by $0.78. The company had revenue of $310.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $250.09 million. TriNet Group had a net margin of 7.31% and a return on equity of 52.06%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that TriNet Group, Inc. will post 4.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

In other TriNet Group news, SVP Alexander G. Warren sold 3,280 shares of TriNet Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.11, for a total value of $229,960.80. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 37,862 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $2,654,504.82. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, SVP Alexander G. Warren sold 3,280 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.11, for a total transaction of $229,960.80. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 37,862 shares in the company, valued at $2,654,504.82. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Alexander G. Warren sold 2,555 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $89.59, for a total value of $228,902.45. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 34,111 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,056,004.49. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 24,710 shares of company stock valued at $1,944,936 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 40.60% of the companys stock.

Institutional Trading of TriNet Group

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Amundi bought a new stake in TriNet Group during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC bought a new stake in TriNet Group during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in TriNet Group by 176.1% during the 4th quarter. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. now owns 508 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 324 shares in the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors boosted its position in TriNet Group by 78.7% during the 2nd quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 620 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $48,000 after acquiring an additional 273 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted its position in TriNet Group by 31.7% during the 3rd quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 1,017 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $72,000 after acquiring an additional 245 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 91.65% of the companys stock.

TriNet Group Company Profile

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TriNet Group, Inc provides human capital management (HCM) solutions to small and mid-sized businesses. Its services include HR expertise, benefit options, payroll services, risk mitigation, and a technology platform. The company was founded by Martin Babinec in 1988 and is headquartered in Dublin, CA.

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Editor's note:The Taiwan question is at the very core of Chinas national interests, and the one-China principle is the bedrock of China-US relations. By deliberately ignoring these facts and colluding with "Taiwan independence" forces, the US is jeopardizing peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits and hurting the feelings of people on both sides of the Straits. Three experts share their views on the issue with China Daily. Commitment not a case of semantics The transit of Tsai Ing-wen, leader of Taiwan island, through the United States en route to Guatemala and Belize, is nothing but a selfish and reckless political gamble. Such an arrangement between the US and the Taiwan authorities poses a severe challenge to the one-China principle inscribed in the three Sino-US communiques. It is a given fact that Taiwan is a province of China. This fact is recognized by countries across the world including the US. China made the one-China principle a precondition for the establishment of diplomatic ties with the US. In response, Washington solemnly pledged in the Joint Communique on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between the People's Republic of China and the United States of America (Joint Communique) that: "The United States of America recognizes the Government of the People's Republic of China as the sole legal Government of China. Within this context, the people of the United States will maintain cultural, commercial, and other unofficial relations with the people of Taiwan." Therefore, the US is obligated to honor the commitment of maintaining only unofficial relations with the people of Taiwan. Specifically, it should not accord any official from the Taiwan province special treatment that is otherwise inaccessible to the ordinary people of Taiwan. Unfortunately, the US has often been found to circumvent its obligations and commitments, either on the pretext of providing humanitarian convenience for senior officials of the island on their way to or from Central American countries or by citing the uncertain international status of Taiwan. The inclusion of the US' unofficial relations with Taiwan in the communique, in fact, reinforced the fact that the US was obligated to respect the dignity of the government of the People's Republic of China which is the sole legal representative of China, just as it does to the governments of other countries with which it has diplomatic relations. Some US officials refer to a paragraph in the joint communique, which reads: "The Government of the United States of America acknowledges the Chinese position that there is but one China and Taiwan is part of China." They claim that it is the Chinese position that there is but one China and Taiwan is part of China, and the US merely admits the existence of the Chinese position. The US side tends to offer its own understanding of the term "acknowledge", but in the eyes of China, "acknowledgement" is no different from "recognition". It is clear that the US side is using semantics to confuse the international community. Any sane person will acknowledge that in the likelihood of the US later denying Taiwan's status as part of China, no joint communique would have been prepared, let alone signed. Also, the misinterpretation of the Sino-US agreement by some US politicians would not only threaten China's sovereign interests but also harm the overall interests of the American people. As a matter of fact, some US politicians' position in this regard does not hold. The joint communique has two versions, one in English and the other in Chinese. Both versions are authentic and legally binding. Under the customary international law on treaty interpretation, when one version of a single treaty allows two interpretations, the other version of the treaty must be referred to for ascertaining the true meaning of the treaty. In the Chinese version of the above paragraph from the joint communique, the Chinese word chengren must be undisputedly interpreted as "recognition" in English. Therefore, the US commitment in this regard is clear: The government of the US recognizes the Chinese position that there is but one China and Taiwan is part of China. And since the US recognizes the Chinese position, allowing Tsai Ing-wen to transit through the US is nothing but a violation of the joint communique and the one-China principle which the US has pledged to follow. The US government should stop such unlawful and provocative moves. It should also be clear to the US that China, according to international law, is entitled to take countermeasures against such a violation. And the Chinese government is empowered by China's laws to take necessary measures, including imposing sanctions on the people responsible for such a violation. Kong Qingjiang is dean of the School of International Law, China University of Political Science and Law. Washington a peace-breaker across the Straits At a time when the problems facing the world are becoming acuter, Sino-US relations are also becoming increasingly tense, because the United States has been repeatedly violating the one-China principle. The US' moves have poisoned cross-Straits relations, and they include allowing Taiwan leader Tsai Ing-wen to transit through the US en route to Guatemala and Belize in Central America and scheduling a meeting between her and House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy. By allowing Tsai to transit through the US, not once but twice, Washington is actually backing "Taiwan pro-independence" forces on the island. Worse, the US has tried to play down Beijing's serious concerns as overreaction and twisted them to claim Beijing is preparing to forcibly reunify Taiwan with the Chinese mainland. First, it is clear the US is a troublemaker and has been interfering in the Taiwan question, which is China's internal affair. The fact is that Taiwan is an integral part of China and reunification has been the common goal of both sides of the Taiwan Straits since the War of Liberation (1946-49). Although the US is well aware of this historical background, it has been supporting the pro-independence forces on the island and using Taiwan as a strategic chip to poison cross-Straits relations. The Taiwan question is central to the Chinese nation. The bond between the two sides of the Straits is so strong that a Taiwan leader passing through another country becomes an extremely sensitive political and diplomatic issue. Tsai's stopovers in the US are an excuse that Washington is using to cover up the essence of Tsai's political show  to gain support for pro-independence forces. Understating the provocative action as "the latest in a series of routine 'transits'" is a smokescreen Washington is using to heighten tensions across the Straits, which has also worsened Sino-US ties. Second, the US is a peace-breaker in the Taiwan question. In recent years, the pro-independence forces on the island have become more vocal thanks to US support. The US has gone back on its promise to adhere to the one-China principle that there is but one China and Taiwan is an integral part of China. As for the Joe Biden administration, it has repeatedly stressed that it does not support "Taiwan independence". But its actions belie its words, as the US Congress has passed several Taiwan-related acts, increased US-Taiwan exchanges, allowed US officials to interact directly with Taiwan officials. More important, the US has been selling increasing amounts of advanced weapons to Taiwan, and has even talked about helping Taiwan defend itself against the mainland. Tsai seeks to split the country by getting US support, which is exactly what her "stopovers" are aimed at achieving. And by arranging her transits through the US, Washington is trying to hollow out the one-China principle. Third, the US is a thief crying "catch the thief". Accusing Beijing of overreacting to the transits of high-level Taiwan officials through the US, the Biden administration has said "Tsai's stopovers are in keeping with past precedent" and asked Beijing not to use them as a pretext to step up activities across the Straits. A two- or three-day stay in Los Angeles is far beyond a "transit", not to mention that Tsai is also scheduled to meet with House Speaker McCarthy. People are questioning why the US arranged the "transits" but the administration insists they are "nothing new" and instead claiming that Beijing poses a risk to the region. Maintaining its global hegemony is the only reason the US is doing so. The US should be held responsible for any break in peace across the Straits. From the strategic point of view, the US uses the "Taiwan card" to raise tensions across the Straits, in order to force the mainland to deplete its resources in restoring normalcy. And once that happens, Washington can bargain with Beijing using the "Taiwan card" again. The US should stop playing the "Taiwan card". It has already breached many of its commitments using innumerable excuses. No matter how desperately the US tries, it cannot cover up its real motives. It has been damaging the foundation of Sino-US relations by backing "Taiwan independence". And it should be held accountable for all the consequences. The US always accuses other countries of breaking the rules. But the US itself does not follow any international rules or laws. It's high time the US stopped interfering in the Taiwan question and returned to the right track of the one-China principle. Liu Qiang is director of the academic council and a senior research fellow at the Shanghai Center for RimPac Strategic and International Studies. US conjuring up suicidal dreams dangerous for Tsai Not content enough with manipulating and pushing Ukraine into a conflict with Russia, the Joe Biden administration is now encouraging Taiwan leader Tsai Ing-wen to provoke the Chinese mainland, which could lead to ruinous and incalculable consequences for the island. And the US should know the Taiwan question is totally different from the Ukraine crisis. Tsai has seen her popularity shrink significantly of late, and like so many other desperate and irresponsible politicians before her, she is now currying favor with the United States in an effort to regain her popularity and credibility at home. Tsai's decision to transit through the US during her visit to Guatemala and Belize in Central America was obviously made with the encouragement of the Biden administration and the bipartisan crowd of armchair warrior heroes among the China hawks in the Congress. Pestered by all those irresponsible politicians to act "fake-tough" against China, the Biden administration has tried to play down China's grave concerns over the violation of the one-China principle by the US. It is therefore time to reiterate that the US bipartisan policy for about half a century has been to recognize China's sovereignty over Taiwan. Any moves that encourage adventurous, demagogic politicians in Taiwan to attempt to violate the 1992 Consensus and proclaim "Taiwan independence" will never be accepted by Beijing. Japan seized the island of Taiwan in 1895 and used it for the next half a century to plot and subvert political stability and peace on the mainland, including the genocidal military invasion that claimed more than 35 million lives. For a few decades after the end of World War II, successive US administrations cynically used Taiwan as "Airstrip One of the East" and a massive naval strategic base with which to threaten the mainland. Tsai ought to know better than to take such grave gamblers' risks. After all, she has led the ruling Democratic Progressive Party for years and has been the island's leader since 2016. However, Tsai's formative years and professional and intellectual influences reveal her to be a head-in-the-clouds legal theorist and Western moralizer who would greatly benefit from a crash course in Confucian ethics and political realism. Tsai holds a master's degree and doctorate in Western law, a discipline which is remarkably effective in protecting its most passionate devotees from having to face the pressures of political and economic reality, not to mention security requirements in the practical and real world. She earned her master's degree from Cornell University Law School in the US and her PhD from the London School of Economics  ironically, my alma mater too  in the United Kingdom. But she never studied security policies, strategy, modern history and least of all diplomacy. Any child should be able to see that China's national strength and global influence have been increasing, while the US has irresponsibly over-extended its global commitments to include interfering in other countries' internal affairs and is heavily burdened with serious social and economic problems at home. What the US needs, therefore, is to stop, at least for a decade, trying to moralize and impose its own fantasies and so-called solutions on the rest of the world and instead attend to its own domestic issues without blaming other countries for them. For Tsai to persuade a militarily over-extended, cash-strapped and domestically-divided US to make the unprecedented commitment to support a Taiwan she is trying to propel toward "independence" is not only dangerous but also irresponsible, for it could harm people both in the US and on the island. It's another matter that a rising, confident and powerful mainland will never tolerate such a coup de main. The American people rightly see no reason to fight a perilous, expensive war against a thermonuclear power halfway around the world over an issue in which no primary US national interest is even remotely at stake. Washington should stop playing with fire by interfering in China's domestic affair, which is exactly what the Taiwan question is, in order to divert the American public's attention from the real problems faced by the US. Washington's moves to worsen the Ukraine crisis has proven to be catastrophic for the Ukrainian people, and has put the US at direct loggerheads with Russia. The last thing any responsible US leader ought to risk is encouraging Tsai to go charging down the same appalling road to self-destruction. Martin Sieff is a senior fellow at the American University in Moscow.
LONDON - England - Vast reserves of oil have been discovered in London close to the Queen's palace. On hearing of the wonderful news, George W Bush despatched an invasion force.

Addressing

congress from a televised conference recorded in the Oval room, George

W Bush described the imminent threat posed by Englands weapons of

mass destruction.

Intelligence gathered by this and other

governments leaves no doubt that the English regime continues to

possess and conceal some of the most lethal weapons ever devised, Mr

Bush said in his speech.

The US president also stated that British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, was trying to build nuclear missiles that could hit Washington in 45 minutes.

 We know for a fact that there are weapons

there. Britain has chemical, nuclear and biological weapons, Brown has continued to produce them, he has existing and active military

plans for the use of chemical and biological weapons, which could be

activated within 45 minutes against Washington,



There

are also purported to be tonnes of yellowcake uranium under the Queens

palace situated 5 km west of London as well as multiple mobile missile

launching sites manned by Al Qaeda members dotted around the capital.



Vice President, Dick Cheney added: Simply stated, there is no doubt that Gordon Brown now has weapons of mass destruction.



Shock and Awe

Gordon Brown poses an immediate threat to the United States of America. I

have ordered our forces to strike decisively and with great precision.

We will eliminate the imminent threat to our country and return the oil

reserves to their rightful owner  the USA.

The presidents

speech was received with rapturous applause and cheer from the

assembled Fox News crew in the White House oval office. Fox news

anchor, Bill OReilly was seen to wet his spandex trousers with delight

at the news of another war.

Liberation

The British oil find is said to be approximately three trillion barrels

worth and would supply the US with enough oil until the end of August of this year.

If we invade by next week we can be drilling and pumping the oil by week two, a Halliburton employee told Fox news.

The

people of Britain who have suffered for many years are said to be

happy that the US has finally come round to invading them and getting

rid of the vile dictator Brown.
German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen is well on the way to get the top job at the EU after she won a surprise nomination.

Von der Leyen is committed to thwarting Brexit and increase the cohorts for the EU army.

The 60-year-old, who is set to replace Jean-Claude Juncker as President of the European Commission, has previously described Brexit as a scheisse bunch of Britishers trying to gain democracy from German servitude.

The long-term ally of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, also hit out at Brexiteers, stating they had promised Britain freedom, sovereignty, democracy from the clutches of the EU state and insisted Brexit is a loss for the EU because we will lose our biggest cash cow.

The Defence Minister since 2005 is also keen to increase the ranks and military build up of armaments for the blocs military forces with an EU army. The EU army is already mulling over plans to include compulsory conscription for all EU citizens.

On Wednesday, Von der Leyen praised the Bundeswehr for its rise from the ashes of defeat in WW1 and WW2.

The British schweinhunds may have won two battles against us in World War 1 and 2, but we won the ultimate war by capturing them through the EU without a single shot fired. When I am announced as EU President Fuhrer, I will make it my first task to build our army up again completely and press-gang all other EU nations to join our fight against the one enemy that has eluded us forever  Russia!
Class 10 students exit an examination centre in Secunderabad after writing their first board exam. (S. Surender Reddy/DC)

HYDERABAD: Even before the dust over the Public Service Commission question paper leaks has settled, lakhs of students appearing for the SSC examinations and their parents were in for a shock on Monday over an alleged leak of the Telugu question paper.

The question paper was shared in WhatsApp groups on Day 1 of the SSC examinations, causing major embarrassment to the government.

However, state officials, including director of school education A. Devasena, maintained that the "integrity of the exam has not been compromised" as the question paper, according to them, was shared at 9.37 am by a teacher of Number One Government High School, Tandur, in Vikarabad district, after the exam commenced at 9.30 am.

Devasena announced that the exams would be held as per the schedule and there was no need to cancel the Telugu exam. "It is more of a security lapse," she said in a statement.

Representatives of teachers associations, as well as parents, however, disputed the official claims as there is a grace period of 15 minutes after the 9.30 am commencement of the exam for the students to enter the examination hall. The officials noticed the security lapse around two hours after the paper was first shared in a WhatsApp group.

The police said the investigation would focus on the motive of Bandappa, from whose mobile phone the question paper was first shared.

The leak evoked strong political reactions, with Bharatiya Janata Party state president Bandi Sanjay claiming that the government had no moral right to continue, in the wake of a series of paper leaks.

The National Students Union of India, the student wing of the Congress, staged a flash protest at the SSC office in Abids. The protesters raised slogans against the government and threw eggs on the office premises, forcing police to take scores of activists into custody.

Meanwhile, Vikarabad district collector C. Narayana Reddy told mediapersons that five employees, including Bandappa, were suspended and police were directed to investigate the matter. They have not admitted to the crime so far, but prima facie, it appears that they could have shared the question paper to help some students, he said.

Vikarabad SP (incharge) Muralidhar said that a case was registered against two teachers under Section 409 of the IPC and the Telangana Public Examinations (Prevention of Malpractice and Unfair means) Act and that they are being produced in court for judicial custody. Further investigation is on to identify the beneficiaries of the paper leak, he said.

Besides two teachers at the examination centre, school chief superintendent Shiva Kumar, and school assistants K. Gopal and Sammappa were also suspended.

According to the collector, Bandappa took the paper from an invigilator in Room No 5 of the examination centre and shared it with another teacher, Sammappa, besides posting it in a group. However, the officials noticed it only after mediapersons brought the issue to their notice.

Reactions

"The paper leak is an injustice to students who have worked hard for the exam. There are high chances that the invigilator leaked the paper between 9 am and 9.15 am, when he gained access. Such acts are carried out for commercial purposes for several years, it is only now that it is out in public."

Yadagiri Shekhar Rao, Telangana Recognised School Managements Association president

"The invigilator was sending the paper to somebody else and by mistake, posted it in a WhatsApp group. Such acts are carried out for monetary purposes, which is demoralising for the students. The government has failed in the very first exam by not maintaining tight security. Phones are not allowed in the examination hall, which does not only apply to students but invigilators as well."

Ch. Ravi, Telangana State United Teachers Federation general secretary, high school teacher
File photo of Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacts with King of Bhutan Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck. (Photo: PTI)

NEW DELHI: The talks on Tuesday between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bhutan King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck covered entire gamut of bilateral ties including issues of respective national interests.

Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra, when asked whether the Doklam issue figured in the talks, said India and Bhutan remained in close touch relating to security cooperation.

At a media briefing, Kwatra said the visit of the Bhutanese King to India provided an opportunity to sketch a roadmap to further expand cooperation in diverse areas.

The meeting between Modi and the Bhutan King covered entire gamut of bilateral ties including issues of respective national interest, Kwatra said.

The King began his two-day visit to India on Monday amid some concerns in New Delhi over China's attempts to expand influence over Thimphu.

Certain remarks by Bhutan Prime Minister Lotay Tshering on the Doklam tri-junction were seen by many as the Himalayan nation cosying up to Beijing though Bhutan maintained that there is no change in its stance on the border dispute.

Bhutan is a strategically important country for India and the defence and security ties between the two sides have witnessed significant expansion in the last few years.

The strategic ties witnessed an upward trajectory in the last few years in the backdrop of a 73-day face-off between Indian and Chinese troops in Doklam tri-junction in 2017.

The Doklam plateau is considered an important area for India's strategic interest.

The standoff at Doklam tri-junction in 2017 began after China tried to extend a road in an area that Bhutan claimed belonged to it.

India had strongly opposed the construction as it would have impacted its overall security interests. The India-China face-off was resolved following several rounds of talks.

In October 2021, Bhutan and China signed an agreement on a "three-step roadmap" to expedite negotiations to resolve their festering boundary dispute.

Bhutan shares an over 400-km-long border with China and the two countries have held over 24 rounds of boundary talks in a bid to resolve the dispute.

In a recent interview, the Bhutanese prime minister had said that China has an equal say in resolving the border dispute in Doklam.

India has consistently been Bhutan's top trading partner, and remains the leading source of investments in Bhutan.
Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, Speaker Tammineni Sitaram, Ministers V Rajani, Ushasri Charan, Taneti Vanita, K Satyanarayana, MLA M Sucharitha, and others paying floral tributes to the statue of YS Rajasekhara Reddy at the review meeting on Gadapa Gadapaku Mana Prabhutvam with MLAs, Constituency in charge at the camp office on Monday. (Photo by arrangement)

VIJAYAWADA: YSR Congress president and Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has called upon the party cadre to be more active in reaching out to the people under the Gadapa Gadapaku Mana Prabhutvam programme.

They must create awareness among the people on the several welfare schemes being implemented by the YSRC government for their benefit, he said.

Addressing the ministers, MLAs and party incharges for the Assembly constituencies and other key leaders at his camp office here on Monday, the YSRC chief said, "We have one year to go for the polls. Our party cadre should become more active and we should use social media to intensify our campaign on the several welfare schemes we are implementing. We can avail the services of Gruha Saradhis in every constituency, as also the secretariat conveners and other functionaries."

"We have to make every beneficiary of our welfare schemes as a campaigner and we need to avail their services. They can share details of the benefit they got with others. The Gruha Saradhis and secretariat conveners should work together to reach out to every family in every house to explain what good their government is doing in the form of welfare to them."

The YSRC chief said that the last review held on Gadapa Gadapaku Mana Prabhutvam programme was on February 13. Since then, there was some gap before the present review, and this was due to the poll code for the MLC polls that continued up to March 16, followed by the Budget Session of the legislature and the conduct of the YSR Aasara programme. He called for resuming the programme in an expeditious manner.

Jagan Mohan Reddy said that never before in the history of the country and with the kindness of God, a government could disburse such a huge amount of two lakh crore rupees directly into the bank accounts of families of "sisters" with no discrimination and no graft in less than four years, under several welfare schemes.

He said that, of these, 84 per cent beneficiaries were from urban areas; while 92 per cent from rural areas with an average of 87 per cent families got the benefit.

He said that among the 87 per cent families of the beneficiaries, the eligible persons were identified in a transparent manner by ensuring that no eligible poor should be missed out; this must be ensured even by taking up verification of lists of beneficiaries availing the welfare schemes.

Jagan Mohan Reddy said that families with average monthly income below `10,000 in rural areas and those with below `12,000 from urban areas were identified to be eligible to avail the welfare schemes. "We had even redefined the BPL category. The monthly income ceiling used to be `5,000 in rural areas and `6,000 in urban areas. We have enhanced them to `10,000 and `12,000 respectively."

The YSRC chief stated that the conduct of Gadapa Gadapaku Mana Prabhutvam programme was completed in nearly 50 per cent of the secretariats in the state covering nearly half of the 15,000 secretariats and felt the need to cover nine secretariats per month by taking up door-to-door campaign 25 days in a month. "Thus, the programme can be completed by the end of August so that we could launch a new programme from September onwards," the CM said.

Jagan Mohan Reddy said, "I learned from my father that politics is human relations. I never think of losing an MLA or a party activist. I am introducing several welfare schemes and making you work only with an intention to help you win the polls. Crores of people are depending upon us in the state while lakhs are looking at us in the constituencies. If we fail to work properly, your performance graph among the people will fall and this will cause immense loss to the party and its cadre."

"If we are not in power, crores of people will be affected and it is for this reason only, I have been asking you to work hard and improve your performance graph among the people as we are going for polls in a year. I want you to take my words seriously and start working hard as it will help your graphs to go up."

"I have done whatever I could and disbursed huge amounts of money under several welfare schemes by pressing the button. You people should never stop reaching out to the people. When we implement welfare schemes and you people take up intense campaigning about our schemes, the combination of the two will fetch us 175 seats out of 175 in the next assembly polls," the CM said.

Jagan Mohan Reddy announced that the Jagananne Mana Bhavishyat programme will be started from April 7 and it will continue up to April 20. He asked the party leaders to make the secretariat converners, Gruha Saradhis and others, to work together to implement the programme in every house in every village in the state.

The CM announced that the YSRC is going to take up a programme on April 13 with an aim to resolve the individual grievances of the people to ensure that no problem among the people in the villages remains unresolved. He asked the party leaders to even call him up directly and promised them that he would solve all such problems.

Referring to the recently held MLC polls, Jagan Mohan Reddy said that out of polling held in 21 seats, the YSRC won in 17 seats and said each MLC would be having a jurisdiction of 34 to 39 Assembly segments while each Assembly segment would be having 2.5 lakh voters.

He said that it would mean that each MLC seat would be having nearly 80 lakh voters; and of them, 87 per cent were families availing the welfare schemes.

The CM said that all the political parties were united together in the MLC polls while YSRC contested all alone and yet did well. He turned critical on TD that is claiming a big win in MLC polls, saying it was not strength but only a bump.

Notable absentees in the meeting on personal and health grounds included: Minsters Dharmana Prasada Rao, Buggana Rajendranath Reddy, Vidadala Rajani and MLAs Kodali Venkateswara Rao, Nawaj Basha, P. Uma Shankar Ganesh, Alla Ramakrishna Reddy, Alla Kali Krishna Srinvas and Uma Sankar Ganesh.

Jagan Mohan Reddy also announced the start of Jagannaku Chebudam programme from April 13, under which party leaders would listen to the grievances of the people and resolve them on the spot. He said that the people could directly report their grievances, especially on ration cards and other issues, to the Chief Ministers Office through a dedicated phone line.
BRS president and Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao. (Photo: Twitter/@BRSparty)

HYDERABAD: The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), which has decided to make its first foray into electoral politics outside Telangana, is aiming to win at least 12 of the 34 zilla parishads in Maharashtra that are up for election soon.

This month, BRS president and Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao plans to conduct a third public meeting in Vidarbha after holding two already, including the recent meeting at Kandhar Loha in Maharasthras Nanded district. Rao has directed Maharashtra party leaders to form party committees in all the 288 Assembly constituencies and conduct aggressive campaigning on the "Telangana model" of welfare schemes and development projects.

Former sarpanches, MPTCS, ZPTCs, MLAs and MPs from various parties in Maharashtra joined the BRS recently. Party sources informed that Rao has been having daily teleconferences with a select group of leaders and giving them directives on stepping up activities in Maharashtra with a focus on the upcoming zilla parishad elections followed by the upcoming Assembly elections in October 2024.

Although a few leaders from Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab, and other states joined BRS, the CM is focused solely on Maharashtra, where local body elections are scheduled.

Party sources said Rao is now planning to hold a public meeting in Vidarbha region, which is in the eastern part of Maharashtra and one more district in the western region before the local bodies elections. The CM is planning to open the party offices in Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, and Aurangabad in Maharashtra shortly.
Jana Sena Chief Pawan Kalyan met and interact with Union Minister Gajendra Shekavath in New Delhi on Monday. (Photo by arrangement)

VIJAYAWADA: Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan met Union minister for water resources Gajendra Singh Shekawat in New Delhi on Monday and sought the intervention of the Centre to expedite completion of Polavaram irrigation project.

He alleged that the YSRC government was delaying its execution on the pretext of lack of funds and also failing to implement resettlement and rehabilitation package to the project-affected people. He said that though the project works were completed to the tune of 72 per cent by May 2019, the YSRC government failed to complete even three per cent of works in the last four years.

He said the Polavaram left main canal meant for supplying water to meet drinking and industrial needs of Visakhapatnam was also getting delayed. He called for intervention of the Centre to complete the remaining 24 per cent of works of the project for the benefit of farmers in Godavari and Krishna delta region.

Earlier in the day, Pawan Kalyan met minister of state for external affairs and AP affairs incharge V. Muraleedharan.

The Jana Sena chief along with the partys political affairs committee chairman Nadendla Manohar met the Union minister and discussed the political developments in AP.

The Jana Sena chief was expected to meet the top leadership of the BJP later.

Though the BJP has been maintaining that the party was in alliance with the Jana Sena in AP and both the parties would contest the polls together, there were gaps in their postures as was evident in the recently held MLC polls.
Karnataka state Congress president D.K. Shivakumar. (File Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: Amidst factionalism in the Karnataka Congress, the central election committee (CEC) of the party met in the national capital to decide on the remaining candidates for the impending Assembly elections in the state.

Though the Congress is putting on a united face, fissures among camps run deep. If the party has to wrest the state from the BJP, it will have to remove these differences.

Despite an appearance of unity, there are signs that the factions led by Karnataka state Congress president D.K. Shivakumar and the Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah continue to be at loggerheads. The two leaders are learnt to be silently working to ensure the support of a maximum number of party MLAs so that they can emerge as Chief Minister if the party is elected to power in the May 10 elections.

There have been rumblings of discontent over the ticket allocation in recent days. On Monday, there were protests in front of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) office. The aspirations are running high in the Congress camp since some of the opinion polls are projecting a comfortable Congress win.

Apart from the Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah camps, there are others led by Congress general secretary incharge Randeep Singh Surjewala and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, who hails from the state. His son is a MLA and has served as a minister earlier.

Siddaramaiah on Tuesday denied a media report that claimed the former chief minister said that the party high command will not decide who should be the CM, instead the MLAs will take a call. He said: "I said in an interview that I am a CM aspirant, as is Mr Shivakumar our aim is to defeat the BJP. The newly elected MLAs will elect the CM and ultimately the decision will be taken by the high command."

After the CEC meeting, the Congress was at pains to explain that there is complete unanimity amongst leaders.

Speaking to the media, Mr urjewala said: "We have had meetings of the screening committee as well as the CEC and we were the first party to declare 124 candidates with unanimity. Now also, there is complete unanimity in the party and the other list will be announced later today."

Shivakumar also said that the party is together. He further added, "There is no difference between Siddaramaiah and me. All our hearts are clear."
India has outrightly rejected China's attempt to rename places of Arunachal Pradesh, Ministry of External Affairs official spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said (ANI)

New Delhi: India has outrightly rejected China's attempt to rename places of Arunachal Pradesh, Ministry of External Affairs official spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said on Tuesday. He asserted that Arunachal Pradesh will always be an integral part of India.

The statement of Arindam Bagchi comes after China's Ministry of Civil Affairs came up with the names of 11 places in Arunachal Pradesh, which it referred to as "Zangnan, the southern part of Tibet."

In response to media queries regarding China renaming some places in Arunachal Pradesh, Arindam Bagchi in a statement said, "We have seen such reports. This is not the first time China has made such an attempt. We reject this outright."

He further said, "Arunachal Pradesh is, has been, and will always be an integral and inalienable part of India. Attempts to assign invented names will not alter this reality."

China released names of 11 places in Arunachal Pradesh in Chinese characters, Tibetan and pinyin according to the rules on geographical names issued by the State Council, China's cabinet, Global Times reported.

The ministry announced the names of 11 places on Sunday and also gave precise coordinates, including two residential areas, five mountain peaks, two rivers and two other areas. China's Ministry of Civil Affairs also listed the category of places' names and their subordinate administrative districts, as per the news report.

According to a Global Times report, this is the third batch of geographical names announced by the ministry in Arunachal Pradesh. As per the news report, the first batch of the standardized names of six places was issued in 2017, and the second batch of 15 places was released in 2021.

Earlier, in December last year, the Indian government said that it has seen reports of China attempting to rename some places in Arunachal Pradesh "in its own language" and asserted that the border state has been and will always be an integral part of India."

In response to a media query on reports that China has renamed some places in Arunachal Pradesh in its own language, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said China had also sought to assign such names in April 2017.

"We have seen such reports. This is not the first time China has attempted such a renaming of places in the state of Arunachal Pradesh. China had also sought to assign such names in April 2017," Bagchi said.

"Arunachal Pradesh has always been, and will always be an integral part of India. Assigning invented names to places in Arunachal Pradesh does not alter this fact," he added.
A massive fire engulfed the residential camps of a Chinese company managing the construction of a remote hydropower dam in northwestern Pakistan, according to media reports on Wednesday.

The fire started in the early morning on Tuesday at the Dasu hydropower projects warehouses and residential camps of Chinese engineers and workers in the Barseen area of Lower Kohistan, The Dawn newspaper reported.

Also Read: Fire guts one of the biggest clothing markets in Bangladesh's Dhaka

Rescue 1122 fire tenders and fighters rushed to the spot after receiving emergency calls and started extinguishing the blaze, it said.

The fire which took five hours to be put out completely is believed to have been caused by a short-circuit, police said.

No loss of life or injury was reported.

The enraged flames engulfed the entire area and gutted camps and warehouses, Khaliq Dad, the district emergency officer of Rescue 1122, Upper Kohistan, was quoted as saying.

The Chinese engineers and workers were shifted to nearby safer places.

We have launched an inquiry into the incident and it would be completed in three days as it is part of our standard operational procedures, Anwarul Haq, Dasu Dams General Manager, told reporters.

In 2017, Pakistans water ministry awarded the construction contract for the Dasu dam to the China Gezhouba Group Company, reported Dunya News. The camp housed Chinese engineers, surveyors and mechanics, the report said.
The violence surrounding Ram Navami processions in Howrah, Rishra and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjees alert that April 6  when Hanuman Jayanti will be celebrated  could yet again offer trouble mongers an opportunity to disturb the peace  leaves room for an uneasy situation in West Bengal.

Mamata on Tuesday again pointed fingers at the BJP, associating the party with the idea of danga (riots).

The people of Bengal dont take part in violence, and hence BJP is resorting to bringing people from outside the state to incite violence. It is a criminal act. Under the garb of Ram Navami procession, they are asking people to carry guns and swords to incite violence. This was CPMs culture that BJP is now taking it forward, she said.

Also read | BJP organising violence; rioters will not go scot-free, says Mamata

Mamata said the Trinamool would not back down and continue to struggle even if its supporters got injured. She alleged that the BJP leaders hired men to incite violence.

The Trinamool chief said the state government is providing livelihood support to those affected by violence.

Governor C V Ananda Bose, cutting short his Darjeeling visit, returned to the state capital and visited Rishra, where the violence took place. Sporadic incidents of stone-pelting occurred again after the Sunday incident. According to sources, the Union Ministry Home Ministry has asked the state for a report.

Meanwhile, BJP leadership continued with an intense stand against the violent incidents. BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar on Tuesday met the governor seeking his intervention.

In another letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Majumdar stated, Yesterday evening also there was heavy stone pelting in rail stations in Hooghly district for which train services were suspended and this could not be continued without the support of the ruling party of West Bengal, he said.

A letter signed by 26 eminent personalities was submitted to the governor by the BJPs state intellectual cell. The signatories apprehend that there is a hideous design to create communal tension throughout the state to divert the attention of the people from the current problems of corruption in every sphere of governance.
As Prime Minister Narendra Modi played host to King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck on Tuesday amid unease in New Delhi over Thimphu-Beijing boundary negotiations, India subtly reminded Bhutan the "intertwined and indivisible nature" of the security concerns of the two neighbouring nations.

Modi and Wangchuck reviewed the entire gamut of bilateral cooperation, including issues related to "respective national interests", with New Delhi tacitly conveying to Thimphu that India-Bhutan ties were based on "mutual respect, trust, close understanding and sensitivity to each other's concerns".

"It was agreed that India would step up its support to Bhutan's upcoming 13th Five Year Plan," Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra told journalists after the meeting between the Prime Minister and the Bhutanese King. He said that India had accepted the request of Bhutan to extend an additional standby credit facility over and above the two existing such facilities operating between the two countries.

Also read | Bhutan king arrives in India for a two-day visit

When asked if Modi and Wangchuck discussed purported progress in Bhutan-China boundary negotiations and its implications for India, Kwatra said: "Besides the exemplary and unique relationship that India and Bhutan have, we also have a framework of security cooperation, and as part of that, both countries maintain a long-standing tradition of very close consultations on matters relating to their mutual interests, and of course, security also."

Now, in this context, the intertwined and indivisible nature of our security concerns is self-evident, said the Foreign Secretary, adding: India very closely follows all developments having a bearing on its national interest and it takes all necessary measures to safeguard them as necessary.

Wangchuck arrived in New Delhi for a three-day official visit  close on the heels of Bhutanese Prime Minister Lotay Tsherings revelation that their negotiations with China to resolve the protracted boundary dispute had reached an advanced stage. Tshering said that a delegation of the Government of Bhutan visited Beijing in February, while a technical team of the Government of China might arrive in Thimphu soon. He went on to say that Bhutan and China might be able to demarcate the boundary between the two nations after two or three more meetings.

New Delhi is worried over the possibility of Thimphu buckling under pressure from Beijing and accepting Chinas sovereignty on 269 sq km of areas in western Bhutan in exchange for China giving up claim on 495 sq kms of areas in north-central Bhutan. If China gains control over western Bhutan, it will make it easier for its PLA to conduct military manoeuvres aimed at blocking the Siliguri Corridor  the narrow stretch of land linking Indias North-East with the rest of the country.
Karnataka has ranked as number one in the list of states and Union Territories in granting access to justice and three other southern states figured among the best five, according to the India Justice Report 2022.

The IJR, an initiative of the Tata Trusts launched in 2019, ranked states and UTs on various parameters like vacancies in the judiciary, budgetary allocations, infrastructure, human resources, legal aid, condition of prisons, functioning of police and state human rights commissions.

Karnataka topped the chart among 18 large and mid-size states having a population of over one crore each. It was followed by Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh. The report said Karnataka remained the only state to have consistently met its quota for SC, ST and OBC positions, both among police officers and the constabulary.

Also Read | HC grants parole to convict for entering into wedlock

The IJR, released here on Tuesday, said except for Delhi and Chandigarh, no state or UT spends more than one per cent of its total annual expenditure on judiciary where the vacancy of judges in high courts stands at 30 per cent.

As of December 2022, the country had 19 judges for every 10 lakh people and a backlog of 4.8 crore cases. The Law Commission had suggested, as early as in 1987, that there should be 50 judges for every 10 lakh people in a decades time.

The list of seven small states, having a population of less than one crore each, was headed by Sikkim, followed by Arunachal Pradesh and Tripura.

The justice system as a whole remains affected by low budgets. Except for two union territories, Delhi and Chandigarh, no state spends more than one per cent of its total annual expenditure on the judiciary, it said.

Vacancy is an issue across the police, prison staff, legal aid, and judiciary. For 1.4 billion (140 crore) people, India has about 20,076 judges with about 22 per cent of sanctioned posts vacant. Vacancy among high court judges is at 30 per cent.

In the police, women are only about 11.75 per cent, despite their numbers doubling in the last decade. About 29 per cent of the officer positions are vacant. The police-to-population ratio is 152.8 per lakh. The international standard is 222, the report said.

It said prisons are over-occupied at over 130 per cent and more than two-thirds of the prisoners (77.1 per cent) are awaiting the completion of an investigation or trial.

The IJR said most of the states have not fully utilised funds given to them by the Centre and their own increase in spending on the police, prisons, and judiciary has not kept pace with the overall increase in state expenditure.

Retired Supreme Court judge Justice Madan B Lokur said, The third IJR shows that states are making a substantive improvement over the last two ones in terms of adding new dimensions on diversity, training, and infrastructure. Some states have dramatically improved their performance but there is a lot that needs to be done on the whole.

So far as the police are concerned there does appear to be a shortage of women officers in police. Legal aid is doing better but still a lot of people need to be provided quality free legal aid, we need to increase the confidence that people have in our services, he said.

Maja Daruwala, Chief Editor of IJR 2022, said as a member of the comity of nations and, more importantly, as a commitment to itself, India has promised that by 2030 it will have ensured access to justice for all and built effective, accountable, and inclusive institutions at all levels.

But the official statistics brought together in the IJR this year show that we still have a long way to go, she said.

The report said Karnataka remains the only state to have consistently met its quota for SC, ST and OBC positions, both among police officers and the constabulary.

In the judiciary, at the subordinate/ district court level, no state met all the three quotas. Only Gujarat and Chhattisgarh met their respective SC quotas. Arunachal Pradesh, Telangana, and Uttarakhand met their respective ST quotas. Kerala, Sikkim, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh, and Telangana met OBC quotas, it said.
Annapolis Financial Services LLC lessened its holdings in JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) by 21.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,473 shares of the financial services providers stock after selling 399 shares during the quarter. Annapolis Financial Services LLCs holdings in JPMorgan Chase & Co. were worth $198,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in JPMorgan Chase & Co. by 1.1% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 272,539,783 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $28,480,408,000 after acquiring an additional 2,918,554 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its stake in shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. by 23.3% during the second quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 31,667,210 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $3,566,044,000 after buying an additional 5,978,393 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc lifted its stake in shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. by 4.2% during the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 21,156,537 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $2,382,439,000 after buying an additional 847,094 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. by 5.3% during the third quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 21,084,558 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $2,203,621,000 after buying an additional 1,058,790 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. by 4.5% during the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 18,607,661 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $2,536,598,000 after buying an additional 805,196 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.89% of the companys stock.

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Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Mary E. Erdoes sold 10,340 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $140.29, for a total transaction of $1,450,598.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 544,136 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $76,336,839.44. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other JPMorgan Chase & Co. news, General Counsel Stacey Friedman sold 23,148 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $140.31, for a total value of $3,247,895.88. Following the completion of the sale, the general counsel now directly owns 48,311 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,778,516.41. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Mary E. Erdoes sold 10,340 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $140.29, for a total value of $1,450,598.60. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 544,136 shares of the companys stock, valued at $76,336,839.44. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 37,887 shares of company stock worth $5,315,762. 0.79% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

JPMorgan Chase & Co. Stock Down 0.1 %

A number of research firms recently commented on JPM. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $167.00 to $173.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Friday, February 24th. Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $150.00 to $157.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 17th. UBS Group set a $156.00 price objective on shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. in a research note on Friday, January 13th. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $150.00 to $165.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 17th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective on JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $150.00 to $132.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a research note on Friday, March 24th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $149.28.

JPM stock opened at $130.16 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $383.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.77, a P/E/G ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 1.12. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $136.80 and a 200-day simple moving average of $130.35. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.12. JPMorgan Chase & Co. has a 52 week low of $101.28 and a 52 week high of $144.34.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM  Get Rating) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 13th. The financial services provider reported $3.57 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.11 by $0.46. JPMorgan Chase & Co. had a return on equity of 14.68% and a net margin of 24.34%. The firm had revenue of $34.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $34.23 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $3.33 earnings per share. The firms revenue for the quarter was up 18.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that JPMorgan Chase & Co. will post 12.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, April 30th. Investors of record on Thursday, April 6th will be given a dividend of $1.00 per share. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.07%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co.s payout ratio is 33.11%.

About JPMorgan Chase & Co.

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JPMorgan Chase & Co is a financial holding company, which engages in providing financial and investment banking services. The firm offers a range of investment banking products and services in all capital markets, including advising on corporate strategy and structure, capital raising in equity and debt markets, risk management, market making in cash securities and derivative instruments, and brokerage and research.

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The British Secretary of State Chris Heaton Harris has been urged to restore funding to several women's groups in the Derry City and Strabane District Council area.

SDLP leader Colum Eastwood MP and Foyle MLAs Sinead McLaughlin and Mark H Durkan, alongside Sinn Fein and DUP representatives, have written to Mr Heaton Harris on the issue.

The Womens Centre Derry, Waterside Womens Centre and Strathfoyle Womens Activities Group have all been impacted by the loss of European Social Fund (ESF) money.

Foyle MLA Sinead McLaughlin said: "The loss of ESF money without adequate replacement has the potential to devastate the womens sector in Derry. Last weeks announcement has caused serious concern in our city, with these groups giving vital support to vulnerable people and playing an important role in our community, providing educational and employment opportunities to those who need them most.

"We have already seen six job losses at the Womens Centre Derry, with a further six jobs at risk. These are people who are doing excellent work in this area, jobs that they loved and now they are being forced to look for other work due to the lack of funding provided. The loss of these groups would have a profound negative impact on life in Derry and we cannot stand by and allow this to take place.

"Im heartened to see parties coming together to speak as one on this major issue. We are appealing directly to Secretary of State Chris Heaton-Harris to recognise the severity of this situation and to intervene and make sure these groups are properly funded. We cannot pay lip service to the idea of supporting women in our society while slashing the budgets of the very organisations that exist to do just that.
Derry-based In Your Space Circus (IYSC) has announced plans to develop the Cathedral School, located at St Columbs Cathedral in Derrys Cathedral Quarter area.

In a unique partnership with St Columbs Cathedral, IYSC has taken a lease on the stunning Cathedral School building with plans to refurbish the building into a Circus School and circus arts venue.

The heritage building is considered at risk and requires significant work internally to make it inhabitable. IYSC has secured initial funding to embark on a major capital fundraising campaign to attract funding, investment and donations to enable the organisation to restore and fit-out the building.

Both In Your Space Circus and St Columbs Cathedral are excited to be breathing life back into the building and reinstating it as a school, offering access to children, young people, adults and artists from across the City and region to learn, play and create.

Robert McGonigle, Parish Administrator of St Columbs Cathedral said: "St Columbs Cathedral is thrilled to be entering into a new and exciting era in the life of one of the most iconic buildings in the city, with In Your Space Circus.

"The Old Cathedral School has gone through quite a few years of uncertainty since completion of phase 1 of its restoration, and it is with great expectation that we have agreed this lease with IYSC as our tenant and we're confident it has the potential to secure the future of the building.

"This is a very important milestone for both organisations and we will give them every support and encouragement as they progress to fundraising for the completion of the works and inject life back into the building. The project will be a marvellous addition to the existing Cathedral Quarter arts family, dovetailing with The Playhouse, CCA and The Newgate Centre."

The building will be used to deliver circus training and workshops, provide artists with a training and collaboration space, host events, create artistic productions, develop new tourism products, and invite international residencies.

IYSCs ambition is to nurture local talent and attract artists from outside of the City in their new circus arts venue. The project will mark a significant milestone in the history of IYSC and will allow the organisation to reach its full potential.

Cath McBride, Company Director said: "We have been searching for a suitable home for the past 10 years; which has been challenging due to the unique requirements of circus.

"The Cathedral School is the perfect building to house our work in terms of size, location and historical significance. We are confident that it will mark a significant milestone in our history and will have an enormous impact on our work with local artists and beneficiaries.

"We could not be more delighted with this opportunity! We feel privileged to have become the custodians of one of Derrys most stunning heritage assets, and despite the fundraising challenge in front of us, we just cannot wait to get into the building and make it our home!"

The project has already attracted interest from a range of funding bodies. Early investment has been secured to get the first phase off the ground and will be used to develop the project including developing new plans, completing a condition survey, business planning and fundraising.

Sarah Jones from Arts and Business NI said: "We are delighted to be funding part of this project through our Blueprint Programme which aims to help build a strong, vibrant and financially resilient arts sector in NI.

"IYSC have a brilliant vision for this project which will allow them to both fulfil their potential and be a fantastic asset to the city."

"The projects other springboard funder is the Architectural Heritage Fund, which provides organisations with seed funding to help shape projects and develop sustainable solutions which tap into core local community needs. Matthew McKeague, CEO of the Architectural Heritage Fund said: "As a social investor in heritage, the AHF is excited about the opportunity this project represents to bring communities together from across the city and to animate both this special building and the Walled City.

"We are encouraged by the partnership approach being adopted and are pleased to be able to provide a Project Viability Grant to help kickstart this vital early development work."

IYSC will shortly be launching an online giving campaign and will be inviting sponsorship from local businesses to support the overall fundraising effort.

For more information about the project, feel free to contact cath@inyourspaceni.org.
Google has announced a bunch of new Search features that are aimed at helping its users travel better. This includes new tools to get the best hotel and flight deals, as well as discover things to do on the trip.

1. Price guarantee on booking a flight from Google Search

First of all, this is currently available in the US only. That is you need to have a US billing address as well as that the deal is applicable on flights booked from a US airport. But, when it does make its way to other markets like India, heres what to expect:

When you browse flights on Google Flights, alongside some flight entries, youll see a shield icon with a dollar sign. Google assures to pay you money if the price of these flights goes down. As soon as you book any of these flights, the web giant tracks the price of that flight every day until departure. And if the price drops in this duration, it will pay you the difference.

2. Swipe through hotels

Booking the flight is only one part of the tour plan. You need to book hotels and to make the process simpler, Google has rehauled the interface like Stories, a familiar UI for most social media users these days.

Through simple swipes and taps, you can browse hotels, read in detail about them or grab a summary, and save the hotel you like.

3. Book tour guides

Now when you look for a place of attraction or search about your travel destination in general, Google Search will bring up the local guides with their plans and pricing.

All of these new Google Search features should help you better plan and have a comfortable travel experience.

For more technology news, product reviews, sci-tech features and updates, keep reading Digit.in or head to our Google News page.
April is upon us and smartphone brands are getting ready to launch new phones in India. Some of these have been teased and details about them have come up on our radar in the form of leaks and rumours. The list includes names like OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite, Vivo X90 series, Poco F5, Realme GT Neo 5 SE, and Moto Edge 40 Pro.

Here is everything we know about these phones:

1. OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite

OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite could come with a 6.72-inch 120Hz LCD display, Snapdragon 695, a 5000mAh battery with 67W fast charging, a 108MP triple rear camera setup with 3x lossless zoom, 8GB VRAM, and dual stereo speakers with 200% ultra volume mode.

2. Vivo X90 series

Vivo X90 and X90 Pro could launch in India with a 6.78-inch 120Hz AMOLED panel, Mediatek Dimensity 9200 SoC, a 50MP main camera, and a 4810mAh and 4870mAh battery respectively. Both get 120W high-speed charging support.

3. Poco F5

Poco F5 is believed to be a rebranding of Redmi Note 12 Turbo that was recently launched in China. It could come with a 6.67-inch QHD+ 120Hz AMOLED screen, a 50MP+8MP+2MP triplet at the back, a 16MP selfie snapper, a Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2 SoC, and a 5000mAh battery with 67W fast charging support.

4. Realme GT Neo 5 SE

Realme GT Neo 5 SE has launched on April 3 in China with 6.74-inch 144Hz AMOLED display, Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2 SoC, Realme UI 4.0 based on Android 13, and a 5500mAh battery with 100w wired charging support.

5. Moto Edge 40

Moto Edge 40 could be armed with a 6.55" FHD+ 144Hz pOLED screen, a MediaTek Dimensity 8020 processor, 50MP + 13MP (UW) dual rear camera setup, close-to-stock Android 13, stereo speakers, Dolby Atmos, WiFi 6, and a 4,400mAh battery with 68W wired charging facility.

For more technology news, product reviews, sci-tech features and updates, keep reading Digit.in or head to our Google News page.
NHLANGANO  A 49-year-old Jericho local church leader succumbed to injuries while his fiancee is fighting for her life in hospital after they were after being attacked by a mob.

The mob accused them of being police spies.This happened at Mkhitsini on Sunday. Mkhitsini is a place under Hlatikhulu in the Shiselweni Region. It was established that more people who are related to the family were in hiding, as they were being hunted by the mob. In fact, it was gathered that the deceased, Mbholofidi Mdluli, was originally from Mashobeni, where he was a spiritual leader at Etjeni Jericho Church, but was at Mkhitsini because he was visiting his fiancee, as he would occasionally spend some time there. The genesis of the matter, according to one of the affected family members, is that the deceased reported an arson incident to the police after unknown people torched one of their houses.

Processing

The police are said to have responded, however, they entered the wrong homestead, where people were found processing dagga. It was said that the people fled the scene, leaving the dagga behind. The police then burnt the dagga before proceeding to the Mndzebele homestead to attend to the arson case. It was said that while police were at the Mndzebele homestead, the mob came to attack the family claiming that they were police informants. It was said that police tried to reason with them that it was a case of a mistaken homestead. The mob is said to have left but returned after the police had left. The couple had gone into hiding, anticipating that the mob would return. The couple had imbibed alcohol and were making noise while in their hiding place and, as a result, they were heard by members of the mob who dragged them back to their home, narrated a source. The duo was said to have been assaulted by the mob and as a result, the man died in the process, while the woman was badly injured.

Alight

It was said the mob further set alight all the other houses and left. According to the family member, the police were called on Sunday, but only arrived yesterday to collect the lifeless body of Mndzebele, while the woman was rushed to hospital. Police Information and Communications Officer Superintendent Phindile Vilakati confirmed the death of the 49-year-old man. She, however, said the police went to attend a case of arson at Mkhitsini, only to find that there was a man who had been killed. No one had reported a case of murder. We only learnt about it upon arrival at the scene, she said. She further said they found dagga at the Mndzebele homestead and also burnt it, which was clear indication that they were not informants as they also found themselves in the wrong side if the law. Vilakati further said no one had been arrested but police were on the ground investigating. She further advised those who felt unsafe, including Mndzebeles wanted relatives, to call the police.
Irelands Justice Minister has said it would be unhelpful if Garda sergeants and inspectors protested next week when the US president is due to visit.

Joe Biden is due to visit locations across the island of Ireland as part of commemorations for the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement.

Mr Bidens Irish ancestry is also expected to feature as part of the much-anticipated trip, which will involve 330 additional officers being flown in from the rest of the UK to aid the PSNI in a massive security operation.

Members of the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI) are due to vote at a conference on Tuesday on whether to hold a protest next week as part of a dispute with the Garda Commissioner over rosters.

It relates to moving gardai to a new roster during the Covid-19 pandemic, which the AGSI says has led to additional hours that are not family friendly.

Justice Minister Simon Harris addressed the conference in Galway on Monday, praising the Gardas work during the pandemic and calling the force a world leader in seizing criminals assets.

On the new rostering arrangements, he strongly encouraged engagement with the conciliation processes such as the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC).

The commission offers a route to ensuring that whatever roster is in place supports the health and well-being of members of An Garda Siochana as well as first and foremost serving the public, especially the most vulnerable in society, he said.

My sincere hope is that Commissioner (Drew) Harriss decision to extend the contingency roster by a further six months provides time and space for all parties to engage with the WRC process.

He told reporters ahead of his speech that its not really for me to intervene in the dispute.

Im very clear of the legal difference of my role and that of the Garda commissioner, he said.

Im also very clear that organisations like the AGSI and others campaign very intensively to have access to the industrial relations mechanisms of the state and quite rightly they now have that, the Government quite rightly conceded that point.

Asked if they should protest next week during the presidential visit, he said: Im conscious that its for them to decide what action they may wish to take or not take, but I certainly hope it doesnt come to that. And I think that would be unhelpful.

Mr Harris also used the speech to the AGSI to praise the participation of women in the force, said that more members of Irelands new communities were needed, and that assaults on gardai must not become an accepted risk of your job.

He said the Justice Plan 2023, due to be published this week, will ask that a forum be established under the Department of Justice to review Garda powers in relation to public order and anti-social behaviour.

He said that the Garda commissioner is also reviewing the equipment available to defend yourselves to which Mr Harris gave his full support.

Just because you have chosen to dedicate yourselves to the safety of others, nobody has the right to assault you, threaten you or ram your vehicle, he said.

The public revulsion whenever your members are attacked shows the Irish people do not accept and will not accept attacks on gardai.

I am bringing forward legislation to increase the maximum sentence for assaults on members of An Garda Siochana and other emergency service workers to 12 years.

I want to change the law in order to send a very clear message  attacks on members of An Garda Siochana will not be tolerated, and will be dealt with robustly.
MANZINI - The Minister of Economic Planning and Development Dr Tambo Gina says there is a need for family planning programmes, that will increase the number of people in the country.

The minister, who was speaking through the voice of the principal secretary (PS) in the Ministry of Economic Planning and Development, said this during the Validation of the National Population Policy Framework of Eswatini, which was held at The George Hotel yesterday. The meeting was for chiefs. He said as a ministry, they were grateful that the National Population Policy was coming to an end. Minister Gina said during their meeting last year, they asked for their (chiefs) opinions, which meant now they were going to make sure that all their opinions and contributions were included in the policy. The minister said the main reason why this policy was revisited, was that it was established in 2002 and since then a lot had happened to the lives and well-being of the Eswatini people. He said they had been affected by the HIV/AIDS pandemic, which decreased the number of emaSwati significantly.

Census

Again, he said census had been done twice, in 2007 and 2017 (2007 and 2017 National Population Censuses). He said the census was important because it was the one that showed where to look in the development programmes until the welfare of the people was catered for (sustainable development). The minister reminded the chiefs that in the 2007 and 2017 censuses, it was gathered that the number of people was decreasing in the country. This means that there is a need for family planning programmes that can restore the number of people to a level that will be able to stimulate the countrys economy in the future, the minister said.

He said studies suggested that the decrease in the number of people was also caused by the fact that many emaSwati died from HIV/AIDS. Thereafter, the minister asked the chiefs to join hands with the ministry and contribute in the policy so that the programmes that looked after the welfare of the people would be proper ones. He said the economic situation in the whole world was not good, as the globe was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Again, the minister said last year, when they were talking about the policy, the youth said that if they could be given agricultural land, they could create job opportunities and develop the economy of the country.

It is good because today we will talk to chiefs and the elders who oversee the land and they hope they will also look into the issue of the youths plea to be given land for farming, the minister said. He said they were there because they were trying to find a solution as this situation would get worse and worse in the year 2060, when most of the people who were working now, would have retired. Among the findings of this 2017 study, there are the following issues that need to be examined:

* The level of gender-based violence

* Youth pregnancy rate 87/1000

* Respects gender rights (gender equity)

* Maternal mortality 442 deaths/100 000

* Lack of employment opportunities for young people (youth unemployment) 57 per cent.
Dundalk Institute of Technology (DkIT) recently hosted an event on campus for UN World Water Day 2023 which highlighted the importance of water for our future.

Dr Edel Healy, Head of School of Health & Science, said:

Water is life and the reality of a safe and sustainable source of water is a dream for many people globally. Here in Ireland, we have an abundance of water but sometimes we find ourselves taking it for granted, which could have a negative impact on our waters sustainable future.

At this event which celebrated water and recognised the value of re-connecting with our water sources and our environments, Dr Caroline Gilleran Stephens and Dr Suzanne Linnane from the Centre for Freshwater and Environmental Studies launched the schools mode of their new digital App AquaInverts.

This new App is a part of their HO Heroes Environment Education programme that is aimed at primary schools.

Dr Linnane said:

Children are the future and as such HO Heroes aims to equip them with skill sets to allow them to protect and manage their water resources into the future. AquaInverts is designed to work with their world in which technology is the new reality.

The Centre for Freshwater and Environmental Studies has a long history of water and environmental education from working in rural Ireland with the Group Water Scheme sector to co-designing solutions for safe and sustainable water management in sub-Saharan Africa. Water matters to everyone and valuing it as the precious resource it is, is vital for us all.

Dr Edel Healy added:

Sustainability and the environment is embedded into all our teaching in DkIT, and we have some extremely important research taking place in the Institute that will bring positive impact both nationally and internationally.

The schools mode of AquaInverts is part of a broader citizen science platform which allows the wider public to become involved in the generation of quality data in relation to their local stream of river, while at the same time valuing their contribution to research.

AquaInverts forms a key component of Samuel Perpetuo Rodrigues PhD project which started in September 2022 and is co-supervised by Caroline, Suzanne and Dr David Getty (Emeritus).

Dr Caroline Gilleran Stephens said:

We are delighted to launch this App on World Water Day 2023, both Suzanne and I are passionate about water, the outdoor and kids. 10 years ago, we started H2O Heros to empower children and help them engage in STEM, this App brings H2O Heros to another level.

Dr Healy added:

Id like to congratulate Suzanne and Caroline for this fantastic project and the phenomenal energy and enthusiasm they bring to H2O Heros and for this new App which will have a huge impact on childrens education and awareness on the importance of water.




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Louth students were among the more than 1,000 people who graduated from Dublin City University last Friday. Three ceremonies took place in the Mahony Hall in the Helix, featuring students from the universitys five faculties: the DCU Business School, the Institute of Education, the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, the Faculty of Science and Health, and the Faculty of Engineering and Computing.

Speaking on Friday morning, Prof Daire Keogh, President of Dublin City University encouraged the graduates to be active citizens. He said the upcoming 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement was a reminder of the importance of engaged citizenship and of an education which develops civic skills for a new society.

The achievement of the Good Friday Agreement reflects our own commitment in the DCU mission to nothing less than transforming lives and societies. This is a lofty ambition, but this is a time for thinking big. Its not a time for sitting back and being complacent. It's time for a DCU attitude driven by empathy, engagement, and leadership.

Photos: Kyran O'Brien DCU Communications Dept
ASM Chartered Accountants, which has offices in Dundalk, has joined GGI Global Alliance  one of the top multidisciplinary associations of accountants and lawyers worldwide.

The company says that it is a strategic move to further enhance ASMs international capability and help assist local clients with international growth.

The membership will help them to connect with a group of world-wide companies with the joint potential to help support their clients requiring financial, legal and tax issues in different jurisdictions.

GGI will support ASM to offer clients a combination of global resources, business and local market knowledge for their international business requirements, from existing interests, to those exploring new international opportunities.

Launched in 1995, ASM has grown rapidly and today stands as one of the largest accounting and management consultancy firms in Ireland with a 170-strong team at offices in Belfast, Dundalk, Dungannon, Magherafelt and Newry.

Ian Finnegan, ASM Newry continued:

Over the past few years, we have certainly been attracting more business locally and internationally and to have this new alliance will be invaluable. Specifically, we have been assisting local clients with business interests globally including Scandinavia, Cyprus, Malta and South America, we are now able to further support our knowledge of working within those jurisdictions with a multi-disciplinary approach.

Marco Izzo, Chief Operating Officer from GGI said:

We would like to extend a huge welcome to our new member firm, ASM Chartered Accountants. With four offices in Northern Ireland and one office in the Republic of Ireland, ASM is one of the most respected accountancy firms in the region.

In today's international markets, having a strong presence is essential for big and small companies. That's why international contacts are so important. An in-depth understanding of local legal and fiscal differences is a must for businesses to be successful in their cross-border activities. GGIs broad international coverage will provide ASM with access to high quality firms in more than 125 countries worldwide.

ASM has an all-island presence and specialises in a range of financial disciplines including tax, corporate finance, audit and accounting, internal audit, consultancy services, hotels, tourism and leisure, insolvency and forensic accounting. The client portfolio spans smaller, owner-managed and family businesses to large public bodies and corporates across Ireland, the UK and internationally.

ASM Chartered has offices in Belfast, Newry, Dungannnon, Magherafelt and Dundalk.

For further information on ASM Chartered Accountants range of services, visit www.asmaccountants.com.
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Louth Craftmark officially launched its group exhibition, Greater Than >, on Wednesday 29 March, in The Basement Gallery, An Tain Arts Centre, Dundalk.The free exhibition will run until Saturday 15 April, with opening hours from 11am to 4pm, Tuesday to Saturday.

Louth Craftmark is widely recognised as one of the largest, and most respected visual arts collectives in Ireland. The exhibition features 29 members from the extensive Louth Craftmark Designers Network, with a broad range of artistic disciplines on show including ceramics, glass, jewellery, painting, print, mixed media, textiles, and sculpture.

Founded in 2006, Louth Craftmark is a collective of talented Northeast based professional artists, designers, and craftspeople, who have come together to promote and support each other. The network has grown exponentially in recent years, now standing at 68 members in total.

The title Greater Than > is open to interpretation by each of the artists exhibiting. The various themes being explored include inequality, gender, and school days gone by. Each artist takes their own inspiration from the theme to create a dedicated piece of art.

Ceramicist Gillian Callan from Louth Craftmark has commented, Building on from our very successful Connective 22 Exhibition, and the fantastic Winter Weekender events last year, it gives us great joy to present our Greater Than > Exhibition in the Basement Gallery, in An Tain Arts Centre.

"Our members have been working tirelessly on brand new work, which they are very excited to exhibit to the public. I want to encourage anyone with an interest in art to come and see the beautiful pieces that we have on display, all of which have been created by visual artists in the northeast of Ireland.

Paul Hayes, Director, An Tain Arts Centre has said, "Its wonderful to welcome back Louth Craftmark to our Basement Gallery for the first time since the pandemic. We have hosted them a number of times before and they always deliver a selection of work that is of the highest quality and standard and are a wonderful showcase for local craft. For further information please visit: www.louthcraftmark.com.

All photos: Arthur Kinahan
Dundalk Chamber held their first in person Cross Border Tourism Conference in the surroundings of the Four Seasons Carlingford on the 29th March.

A spokesperson said:

The event had been moved online due to covid restrictions for the past three years so it was great to have all attendees under the one roof.

With over 200 booked in the event was a resounding success. The event was sponsored by Louth Local Development , Louth County Council, Local Enterprise Office Louth , Newry Chamber and The Marshes Shopping Centre.

The event brought experts together from various Tourism projects around Ireland and the UK so that tourism providers could replicate it in their own business. There were practical tips and workshops on how to improve tourism business.

There were five key speakers at the conference and the event was chaired by Kieran Swail of the Southern Regional College with Brendan McSherry, Heritage Officer with Louth County Council chairing the question and answer session at the end.

Frank OBrien, Chair of Louth Leader Partnership restated the Companys position in supporting the event. Collette Moss of Louth County Council outlined the Councils commitment to events and Trails such as The Festival of Lights, The Tain Trail, Sea Louth, and a planned St Brigids Festival. Collette also acknowledged the work of the Louth Enterprise Office in supporting micro businesses.

Oonagh Messette from the Celtic Routes Project outlined how the project has evolved with the creation of a diverse range of digital assets such as Celtic Connections which is a compendium of experiences to connect visitors to the Celtic Spirit.

Wayne Denner introduced new concepts of return on relationships and human-centered marketing and demonstrated the application of ChatGPT to tourism. ChatGPT is an artificial intelligence chatbot that allows humanlike conversations.

Frazer Coupland from Lochaber Chamber of Commerce discussed how the Chambers Outdoor Capital of the UK brand evolved and the challenges and opportunities of managing visitors and peak times and in the shoulder season.

John Fitzgerald from GlassBox Events in Co. Limerick gave a thought-provoking talk entitled The Aftermath, asking attendees to learn from what has happened in the last three years. Survival in tourism is about being different, more creative, and narrowing your focus, he said.

Pol O Conghaile, Travel Editor with the Irish Independent highlighted 10 new travel trends in 2023 and beyond, where community, connectivity, creativity, and sustainability will be ever-present. Pol noted that the sentiment for travel is holding up with shorter trips and visitors seeking to connect to the Great Outdoors.

Brendan McSherry, Heritage Officer with Louth County Council thanked the organizing committee, the sponsors, the presenters, and Kieran Swail, from Southern Regional College for facilitating the Conference. Brendan concluded that the common thread of the conference was the importance of people, community, and relationships

There was also an opportunity for attendees to network during the breaks and visit the thirty trade stands on the day.
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Saturday saw a moment of Irish Railway Preservation history when the Q Class 4-4-0 No. 131 steam engine carried passengers out of Dundalk.

Withdrawn from service in 1963, the train sat for years on a plinth at Dundalk station throughout the 70s and early 80s.

Clark Station was thronged with eager onlookers and passengers who turned out to see the engine despite the bad weather.

No.131 was built in February 1901 as part of a class of 13 4-4-0 express passenger locomotives for the Great Northern Railway (Ireland).

The train was used mainly on the routes from Belfast to Clones and Belfast to Derry and throughout her GNR(I) life was rarely seen south of Dundalk.

Following many years of hard work behind the scenes, fully refurbishing the locomotive, No. 131 was cleared to operate on the Iarnrod Eireann network for the first time in sixty years.

The train travelled from Connolly station to Dundalk before travelling back to Connolly powered by steam.

The outward journey from Dublin Connolly departed at 12:30 with an IE 071 class diesel locomotive for the journey north to Dundalk, passing the beautiful Broadmeadow and Rogerstown Estuaries, crossing the amazing Boyne Viaduct and through the Co. Louth countryside to Dundalk.

On arrival in Dundalk, passengers had just over two hours to explore the town" trying out the many cafes, shops and bars as well as exploring the beautifully maintained Dundalk Clarke railway station and the small station museum.

The highlight of the day was the journey back by steam with Q Class No. 131 for its first ever journey on IE lines in 60 years, and along its former owners, the GNR(I), mainline to Dublin Connolly (Amiens Street).

Our photographer Arthur Kinahan was there to capture the day.
MBABANE  Senate President Lindiwe Dlamini did not take kindly to that the Ministry of Finance sent junior officials for official Parliament business that was supposed to be attended by the minister.

Senators came in numbers for the Income Tax (amendment) Bill, where the ministry was scheduled to make a refresher presentation to the legislators. However, the scheduled business for the day was suspended, as the Senate president felt they were being undermined and disrespected by the ministry for not bringing any senior official to Parliament. Dlamini felt, in the absence of the minister, they should have brought the principal secretary (PS) or the under secretary (US) but she was disappointed to learn that none of them were present for the refresher session. It has become a common practise for the ministry of Finance to do this to us and it is obvious that they do not take us seriously.

Significance

This is a very important legislation that touches on the lives of emaSwati and, as senators, we give it the significance and attention that it deserves. One wonders if the legislation is crafted at the ministry, not in Parliament, because it would seem so, given the attitude shown by the ministry, she said. Dlamini said they were expecting the refresher session because the legislation was last looked into last year, hence they needed to be reminded what discussions they engaged on with regard to the Bill, before they could look at it clause by clause. Initially, Dlamini shared with the senators that the Finance Minister, Neal Rijkenberg, requested to arrive in Parliament after lunch yesterday and one option on the table was to come back when the minister had arrived. However, the final consensus was that the ministry would come back some other day when they were ready to bring the senior officials, including the minister, for the refresher presentation. The consensus was informed by a caucus held by the Senators, which lasted at least half an hour.

Allow

This was after they denied one of the officials a chance to address the senators, stating that it would not hold any water for them to allow the officials to speak when their seniors were not present. In fact, the Senate president said she was not comfortable speaking to the ministrys officials because it was as if the senators were taking advantage of that they were junior. It should be the minister that we are speaking to, not the officials because he is the one who is the same rank as us, she said. The objective of the Bill is to amend the Income Tax Order of 1975, so as to provide the small taxpayer regime taxation or presumptive tax, the review of tax incentives, the introduction of non-discriminatory tax incentives and the review of initial allowances in respect of machinery initial allowance, infrastructure initial allowance, building initial allowance and hotel initial allowance among other things. Worth mentioning is that it was through this Bill that the Ministry of Finance proposed a 36 per cent hike for middle class earners from 33 per cent.

Frowned

However, this was frowned upon by Business Eswatini (BE) during submissions by stakeholders on the Bill in Parliament a few months ago. Chief Executive Officer of BE Nathi Dlamini said, at the time, that as an institution, they were against the increase in taxation rate for the middle class. He said that they didnt believe a country would attain success by overtaking the middle class. Dlamini submitted that if a country wanted to cripple its economy, they targeted middle class earners, as they were the ones stabilising the economy through investments and spending. The senators have a date with the Ministry of Health this morning on the Health Bill.
MBABANE  We are going nowhere.

This is the message that Malindza residents relayed to their Indvuna Sipho Dlamini yesterday, when he had come to plead with them to return to their homes. The residents said they would not move an inch until they got their compensation. The residents have been camping and spending nights outside the Sokhamlilo Building in the capital city, since last Thursday.

Today marks the sixth day since the residents made the entrance of the building their temporary home. Sokhamlilo Building is where Millennium Projects offices are housed. Millennium Projects was responsible for the construction of the King Mswati III International Airport at Sikhuphe. It was during the construction phase of the airport where blasting occurred in the nearby quarry mine, resulting in the damage to the residents houses.

Cracks

Some of the houses developed massive cracks. The residents have been camping at the entrance of the building, demanding their compensation. Yesterday, Malindza Indvuna Dlamini, arrived at Sokhamlilo Building to address the residents. He informed them that he had been sent by the community (Malindza) leader, Chief Ndlondlo Tsabedze, to ask them to return home. Dlamini said as his subjects, the chief was concerned about them staying in the wilderness. He said the chief was pleading with them to return home for the matter to be resolved amicably. Dlamini said the Millennium Projects officials would go to Malindza Umphakatsi on Thursday to address the residents there. However, the residents heard none of what the indvuna was saying. Instead, they told the indvuna (Dlamini) that they were not going anywhere until they received their money.

The residents continued to camp at the building, such that as a result, they spent yet another night there and this was the fifth night. It was gathered that in the afternoon, their Member of Parliament (MP), Dvokodvweni Constituency MP Mduduzi Magagula, arrived at the building and took two residents to the Ministry of Finance. Magagula confirmed having arrived at Sokhamlilo Building to meet with residents and further took the two residents to the Ministry of Finance. He said the intention to take the residents was to give them an insight of what was happening with their issue and how the processes of paying them was progressing in the ministry. The MP said indeed they met with officials at the Ministry of Finance, who showed them that indeed the matter was being processed and by the look of things, the residents might get their money in two weeks time.

Magagula said he then returned to the residents and informed them about the latest developments regarding the matter. He said he then left them to decide if they would continue staying at the entrance of the building or not because it was not his decision to make. In an interview with this publication on Sunday, the MP said E25 million had been set aside as compensation for the residents and that the money was likely to be paid in two weeks time. Yesterday, the residents said they no longer trusted the MP as had been promising them that their money would be paid in two weeks time since last year.

Payment

They said to them, it was clear that there was something fishy with the payment of their money as someone would come and promise them that they would be paid at a certain date while someone else would tell them something different. At around 5:30pm, the residents said they were still not satisfied, hence they continued to camp at Sokhamlilo Building. They said abandoning their mission without having received their compensation might give government an opportunity to further delay their payment. They said it was for that reason they would stay put until they received what rightfully belonged to them. The residents said they were even ready to spend the Easter holidays at the building as long as they had not received their money. The Easter holidays start this Friday.
MANZINI- A night-out resulted in a male doctor being arrested for allegedly raping his male friend.

The doctor, who is under the employ of the Eswatini Nazarene Health Institutions (ENHI) and is stationed at the Raleigh Fitkin Memorial (RFM) Hospital, was arrested on Saturday. The medical practitioner, whose name is known to this publication but has been withheld for ethical reasons, is said to have had drinks with his friend whom he later invited to his place of abode. It was said their night of fun ended at the doctors place at Ngwane Park, which is a township situated about five kilometers from the RFM Hospital. At the house, the pair reportedly continued to have drinks, up until the doctors friend passed out. According to sources, while the male friend *George, had passed out, the medical practitioner allegedly raped him. The shocking incident was said to have happened on Friday night.

Sober

According to sources, when George became sober the next morning, he felt a discomfort, pain and also noticed that there were excretions. The sources claimed that George enquired from the doctor on what had happened but answers were supposedly not forthcoming. Subsequent to this, it was reported that George used public transport and went to the RFM One Stop Clinic, where he was attended to by a medical practitioner. It was gathered that at the One Stop Clinic, George was offered counselling and informed that he had been raped. According to sources, George then reported the matter at the Manzini Police Station. The police were said to have investigated the matter and then sought the doctor who was later arrested on Saturday. It is worth noting that in the past 12 months, the Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS) reported that there were 697 rape cases reported to them. Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Superintendent Phindile Vilakati confirmed that an arrest was effected. She said the matter was now in the courts and she could not comment further.

Meanwhile, this publication gathered that the doctor made his remand appearance where he was remanded in custody until April 12, 2023, pending committal to the High Court.

Efforts to get the court records relating to the matter hit a snag. On the other hand, last year, another healthcare employee from the RFM Hospital was arrested after being accused of rape. The former male nurse was arrested after he was purported to have sexually violated a patient while she was awaiting treatment at the Emergency Room (ER). It was alleged that Timothy Vilakati (53) of KaNdinda, under Chief Lukhwabitsi, raped the woman while her husband was outside the ER. The accused faced a charge for contravening Section 3 (1), 3(2), 4(a) as read with Section 3(9) (c) of the Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence (SODV) Act 15/2018.

It was later alleged during his court appearance that the former nurse had sexual intercourse with the patient at least twice. When submitting evidence as the first witness in the matter, the complainant disclosed that she woke up at RFM Hospital and found the accused person next to her bed, holding her intravenous (IV) infusion, known as a drip. She alleged that the accused person called her by name and she responded. I tried to stop him, but I was weak and when I tried to speak, I was mumbling, she submitted. The witness alleged that after checking the drip, the accused person went out for about five minutes and in the meantime, she continued to sleep on the bed. She revealed that when he returned, he continued with the sexual intercourse. Again, she told the court that she tried to push him away, but he was stiff. However, she alleged that while continuing with the sexual intercourse, the accused person was allegedly disturbed by footsteps and he quickly jumped off the bed, dressed up, opened the curtain and checked the drip before he went out.

Emphasised

The witness emphasised that even on the second time, she tried to push the accused person away from her, but failed and could not speak, as she mumbled. Thereafter, she informed the court that when the accused person returned, he was carrying an injection. It was brought before the court that he then indecently assaulted her and made lewd sexual comments. Thereafter, she alleged that the witness called her by her name and when she responded, he then injected her drip and she fell asleep. She submitted that when she woke up later on, she was feeling dizzy and she went to the bathroom. On the other hand, the accused denied knowing the complainant. Vilakati told the court that he did not recall her. In fact, he submitted that he did not know her. In another incident that occurred about a decade ago, a Cuban doctor was arrested for allegedly raping a soldier in Piggs Peak.
HAVING recently retired from over 40 years of shift work at the ESB power station in Aghada, Midleton-based John Morgan says adjusting to keeping more normal hours has been made easy thanks to his involvement in a play that opens at the Cork Arts Theatre on April 19.

John is directing the first production of Curvy Figures, written by Brendan Griffin, who is also based in Midleton. The pair are trying to revive drama in the east Cork town.

In 2019, Brendan, a retired teacher, had his self-penned play A Thousand Moments of Extraordinary Pleasure staged at the Cork Arts Theatre. He recently formed Feather Bowl Theatre Company.

Theres plenty of talent in every town in Ireland, says John.

Midleton is a big enough town to have acting talent.

He used to be a member of the Aghada Players, which was originally set up to raise funds to renovate the community hall in Aghada. He directed plays for the group for about seven years including Dancing At Lughnasa.

We managed to bring The Memory Of Water to the Cork Arts Theatre about 12 years ago. It was the first time the Aghada Players had been on a stage in Cork city.

Directing has become Johns calling card, although he considers himself first and foremost to be an actor. I got into directing by accident. It teaches you a lot. Interpreting scripts is part of the responsibility of a director. I suppose acting is less stressful.

John Morgan Director of Curvy Figures

John first became involved in theatre in 1984 when he joined the former Still Players at the invitation of Dolores Mannion and Carla Hill, who spotted him and some friends playing charades in a pub.

We did some small productions upstairs in Searsons in Midleton. I stayed with them for years and did a lot of work with them in the Cork Arts Theatre.

Growing up, John wasnt interested in theatre, although he is a good mimic and would have entertained his family at the dinner table. He spent a year at UCC studying science  not very successfully. I left because I wanted to get a job. It was the early 80s when it was very hard to get a job.

I was lucky enough to get a job with the operations staff at the ESB. Forty-one years later, this January, I retired.

"I did shift work that involved six eight-hour shifts, including two nights, with three days off. It was great when the kids were young but very tough on the system, says this 60-year old father of three grown-up children.

When John ran into Brendan, having seen his 2019 play, he asked him if he was still writing. Brendan duly sent him on two scripts. When John expressed an interest in Curvy Figures, Brendan asked him to direct it. John also has a small part in the play.

Colin Healy and Patrycja Leszczynska in Curvy Figures.

Contrary to its title, the play has nothing to do with female bodies. Curvy Figures emerged from Fishamble Theatres Play for Ireland whereby 30 writers were chosen to write a play that captures the zeitgeist of the country.

The play is about the crises that three couples, living in the same apartment block, are experiencing.

It really reflects Irish society and the issues people are facing. Its how their lives interact through their circumstances. The issues are current and thought-provoking.

One couple has divorced. The lady is selling the couples original property. Another couple have got engaged and are bidding on the property (with the price going up all the time.) The youngest couple are trying to pay the rent. The divorced couple have a grandson in Australia who has a rising temperature which causes quite a bit of worry. While theyre wondering how much theyll get for their house, the most important thing is the health of the child.

Pictured are Ann Dorgan and John Morgan

Despite living in the same building, there is no interaction between the three couples.

None of them occupy the stage at the same time. The set is a generic apartment for all the scenes. The play is about how the issues come to a head and become resolved.

John says that working on the play is like directing three separate plays.

The advantage is that you only need two people from each couple to agree to meet for rehearsals at any one time. Im free all the time.

My whole purpose was to transition from shift work to ordinary life and this play gives me the perfect opportunity to do that.

One cast member is Patrycja Leszczynska from Poland.

She plays a Polish woman called Anna, who is from the couple trying to make the rent.

Niamh Ui Thuama and Michael De Brun in the new play.

As it happens, John has learned some Polish and says hes about 25-30% fluent.

I like to be busy and decided to learn Polish because there were so many Polish people in Ireland. I thought Id make the effort. Its a very difficult language. Learning the language involves a lot of rote learning.

John doesnt miss his old job, although he says it served him well.

It fed my family and paid for a couple of mortgages, and it got the kids through school and college.

He hopes that Feather Bowl Theatre Company will produce a mix of new writing and classic plays and that people in the Midleton area will get involved in the company.

As far as acting is concerned, its 5% talent and 95% hard work, says this director and some-time actor.

Curvy Heads is at the Cork Arts Theatre from April 19-22. See https://corkartstheatre.com/
AN EXHIBITION has been launched to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the death of Irish Republican Liam Lynch, Chief of Staff of the Anti-Treaty IRA.

Lynch served as an IRA officer in Cork during the War of Independence, and then as Chief of Staff for much of the Civil War. He was killed on April 10, 1923.

Award-winning artist and theatre designer Dolores Lyne, who is Lynchs grandniece, has created an exhibition to mark the centenary of his death.

The exhibition, which is being held at The Coal Shed in Blackwater Shopping Centre, Fermoy, opened on Sunday and will run until April 12.

Commissioned as part of Cork County Councils Commemorations Programme, the exhibtion was inspired by a trove of personal letters written by Lynch to his brother Tom, which feature some of the most dramatic and tragic events of Lynchs life during the War of Independence and the Civil War.

The exhibition features works on canvas depicting incidents and stories inspired by the brothers correspondence.

Ms Lyne explained the inspiration behind her artwork, saying: Theres the public Liam but these are private letters. They provided me with the spark for a personal, non-political contemplation of his last years, the places where he stayed and the people who looked after him.

I am very grateful to John Finucane for making the stunning building The Coal Shed available for the exhibition, to Cork County Council and the volunteers from the Liam Lynch Fermoy Commemoration Committee, she added.

Mayor of the County of Cork, Cllr Danny Collins (Ind), commended the artist and the Commemoration Committee. This exhibition is a sensitive exploration of Liam Lynchs activities in County Cork. Combining personal letters and archive material, with research and her painting practice, Dolores Lyne has brought a unique perspective on our history.

The exhibition runs from 11am to 6pm until April 12 and coincides with the Liam Lynch commemorations in Fermoy. Exhibitions are also taking place at Fermoy and Mitchelstown Libraries throughout April.
PLANS to build a scheme of houses in a scenic area of Tower near Blarney have been turned down by Cork City Council.

Developer OMD (C) Ltd lodged plans on January 23 this year for planning permission to build five houses on lands associated with the former St Ann's Hydropathic Establishment, St Ann's Hill, Kilnamucky, Tower, Blarney, Cork.

The development would have consisted of the construction of four four-bedroom detached houses and one five-bedroom detached house.

The proposed development was a change of plan from one originally permitted by Cork County Council and is located within the curtilage of lands associated with the former St. Ann's Hydropathic Establishment, St. Ann's Hydro, a protected structure.

The development would have resulted in the construction of an additional house. Access to the proposed development was to be provided via the permitted access off the R617 road and an internal road network.

OBSERVATIONS

One of the observations made was on behalf of Sir Charles Colthurst, Blarney Castle Estate. These concerns were that the development would represent a significant increase in scale from the scheme previously permitted.

The increased scale of the buildings is not in accordance with the standards for the management of places of cultural significance and the new design would dominate the landscape, creating the impression of entering a housing estate, rather than a sensitive heritage place.

Other concerns centred on how the change of plan would have an irreparable impact on the St Anns Hydropathic Establishment complex, a site of both national and international significance and a national monument.

The proposed development would set a precedent for large-scale buildings on an elevated site within a historic landscape.

The additional building height and scale of the proposed development will have an impact on the special amenity of the scenic route as the dwellings will be more prominent in the landscape than the permitted scheme.

One local resident wrote that it is frustrating and very disappointing that permission was given to develop St Annes Hill in the first instance. It is commonly agreed locally that this particular location in Tower is one of unique beauty.

The building of houses in the field adjacent to our house ensures without question that enormous damage will be done to the landscape at St Annes Hill. Originally, planning permission was given for four houses on the south-west portion of the field. These houses were supposed to be single storey. Now permission is being sought for five.

We are fearful that the beauty of this area will be completely destroyed and frankly its a shame, added the resident.

The bigger and higher the houses are, then the bigger the impact. Another local resident wrote that they are very concerned with the changes proposed.

Concerns centred on the size, elevation, and brand new redesign of house style and that it would overlook a property. Repeated flooding from a small stream that forms part of the boundary had damaged this persons property. The increased risk of run off during excavation and storms, are a serious worry of flood damage to us.

Also, we are unsure and concerned about the security and maintenance of the boundary fences. The new proposals were trying to re-add more units contrary to conditional planning and even the elevation has changed.

Cork City Council refused planning permission on March 20.
A FUNDRAISING campaign to restore a much loved pier where generations of Cobh people have enjoyed swimming from has been launched by the American Pier Cobh Association.

The American Pier Project aims to restore the pier to its former glory.

A survey found that the works will cost around 120,000. So far, a campaign has raised nearly 7,000 of this target.

The Association invited secondary school students from Colaiste Muire, Cobh, to create a promotional video to raise awareness around the funding efforts.

The young social innovators, aged about 15, produced and shot the video themselves, said their teacher, Ellen ONeill.

They asked me if my Transition Years would be interested in getting involved in a PR campaign. They did it all themselves. The committee was delighted and theyre going to use it on their gofundme page and across social media.

The video is being launched at the pier in Whitepoint, Cobh, today at 4pm. Sean Kelly MEP will attend, along with local councillors.

Ms ONeill said the entire class of 25 pupils were involved in the research, and about five students produced the short movie.`

The American Pier, Cobh.

The pier was built during the First World War to service a US Navy Field Hospital. The hospital began construction in May 1918 and began to receive patients on October 11, 1918.

These vital life-saving buildings are long gone, said a spokesperson for the American Pier Cobh Association. However, a tangible link to this historic site still remains. It has held out against the powerful current for over a hundred years, yet it is approaching its utter ruin unless it can be saved.

Our group is determined that we can save it, for our community and for our young generations so they can grow up as many of us did, remembering its history, enjoying summer days swimming from it, and as a focal point for the many visitors who join us here each year in Cobh.

Donations can be made to gofundme.com by searching for Save the American Pier.
A bench warrant has been issued for the arrest of a 28-year-old woman who has just been convicted of assault causing harm to another young woman outside her home on Bandon Road in the middle of the day.

Michaela Butler, who lives at an apartment at The Hollies, Magazine Road, Cork, failed to show up at Cork District Court and was convicted of assault in her absence.

Sarah Mulcahy testified that she was at home at Bandon Road in Cork at lunchtime on April 24, 2021. She said her partner, Tony Hipwell, went out to his van to get his phone and when he was a while returning, she went out to see what was happening.

She said he was being confronted by a man and woman and that there was what she described as very hostile shouting and profanities.

As I pulled the front door back a lady lunged at me," Sarah Mulcahy said at Cork District Court. "I tried to protect my face. She slapped my face on my right side. She took her hand from her pocket.

I was pulled down on the footpath. The lady attacked me, tearing my hair and assaulting me. I think there were bystanders who helped me and I phoned 999.

I made a recording at the front door. I was attacked following the recording," she added.

I have a permanent scar on the right side of my face. I lost the vision in my right eye for three weeks to a month."

Garda Vincent McCarthy said he responded to a call to 86 Bandon Road on that day about people engaging in a violent incident.

He directed Michaela Butler and the man with her, Luke Hayes, 27, of no fixed address, to leave the area and they did.

Luke Hayes pleaded guilty to engaging in an affray. Judge Marian OLeary gave him a three-month suspended jail term for his part in the incident.

The judge convicted Michaela Butler  in her absence - of assault causing harm to Ms Mulcahy and issued a warrant for her arrest so that she could be brought to court for sentencing.

Garda McCarthy said that the young woman did attend at the Bridewell garda station the day after the incident on Bandon Road.

Ms Butler said she and Luke Hayes went for a walk to the offlicence. She said in a memo of interview that she got into an altercation with Ms Mulcahy.

Michaela Butler added, It wasnt pretty but I got over it.

Judge OLeary said that on the basis of the evidence, the cautioned memo of interview with the defendant, and the recording of the incident made on the telephone, she was convicting Michaela Butler of assault causing harm.
A CORK TD has said the health service is a long distance from Slaintecare targets, with no long-term plan to bring waiting times to acceptable, safe levels.

Sinn Fein TD for Cork North Central Thomas Gould was speaking to The Echo following Health Minister Stephen Donnellys publication of the Slaintecare Progress Report 2022 and the Slaintecare Action Plan 2023.

Mr Donnelly said that central elements of Slaintecare have been, and are being, achieved in 2022 and 2023, including the new public-only consultant contract, a new community-based service, Enhanced Community Care (ECC), and certain eligibility measures.

Many Slaintecare measures have been achieved, or are progressed at pace, while some require significant additional focus, such as eHealth. At the same time, important new Programme for Government measures, also essential to universal healthcare, and which move beyond Slaintecare, are also progressing well, Mr Donnelly said.

These include clinical strategies and services, acute and critical-care capacity and new eligibility measures.

Through the unprecedented investment in health and social services over the last three years, we now have an additional 17,298 staff working in our health services, 2,400 healthcare workers recruited to the Enhanced Community Care Programme, providing more care in the community, 970 additional acute beds, and a 25% increase in critical care capacity, he said.

Mr Gould said that the problems in hospitals will not be addressed unless there is a significant expansion of primary and community care to provide alternatives for patients and to deliver preventative healthcare to halt the deterioration of conditions and reduce hospitalisations.

Despite a significant budget, the HSE cannot deliver all of the home-help hours or fill the positions in community healthcare, because the staff simply dont exist, and, in some areas, pay and conditions are severely limiting recruitment options.

The absence of clear training, recruitment and retention targets to maximise the number of workers entering and staying in the health service is a major weakness in the ministers plans.

A cornerstone measure that is essential to tackling waiting lists is elective hospitals, but it is taking far too long to advance their development. It will take years yet before they are built and operational.

We are seeing the timeline for the delivery of the elective hospital in Glanmire pushed out further and further, with latest dates suggesting the facility wont be open until 2027, at the earliest.

Progress on delivering the right care, in the right place, at the right time, has been frustratingly slow since the Slaintecare programme was agreed by all parties, which makes you question the commitment of government to really delivering universal healthcare, he said.

Some 105 patients were waiting on trolleys across Cork hospitals on Monday morning, and 96 yesterday, according to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisations TrolleyWatch figures.

Every week, we are seeing out-of-control trolley numbers in CUH and the Mercy hospital. It is clear that any progress on Slaintecare has not delivered for Cork and especially for the people in dire need of a functioning health service, Mr Gould said.
CORK TD Christopher OSullivan (FF) and Cork MEP Billy Kelleher recently met with representatives of farming and fishing organisations in West Cork to address concerns expressed by the two sectors on a range of issues.

Deputy OSullivan and Ireland South MEP Mr Kelleher, met representatives from the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association (ICMSA) and IFA to discuss concerns about the proposed stocking rate under Irelands Nitrates Derogation Scheme.

The new regulations would significantly reduce stocking rates for some farmers, with many expressing concerns about the viability of their businesses and potential unintended environmental consequences.

Deputy OSullivan said: Our farmers have valid concerns on the viability of their farms and potential consequences, such as land that may be used for tillage and forestry being bought for dairy land, just to meet new nitrates stocking rates.Mr Kelleher added: It would place major pressure on all Cork farmers if competition for land intensifies even more.

The European Commission is reviewing animal transport regulation. Any review must account for Irelands island status, our access to the EU Single Market, and the need to move calves off dairy farms effectively, he said.

Separately, the two politicians held meetings with fishing sector representatives in Castletownbere, Baltimore and Union Hall to discuss the impacts of Brexit, the need for Ireland to increase its quota across various species, the importance of timely payments for those who participate in decommissioning, and the high level of regulation and policing in the sector.

Brexit has had a major impact on Corks fishing industry due to quota reductions, said Mr Kelleher.

Any changes in fishing policy must account for Brexit and the changing migratory paths of fish species. Fishers want a sustainable future for themselves, their families, and the wider community that they work as part of, he added.
A FOUR-MONTH suspended sentence was imposed on a drunken man who went upstairs in Penneys on Patrick St and urinated on 16 backpacks.

Michal Maciag of St Vincents hostel, Anglesea Terrace, Cork, pleaded guilty to the offence of causing criminal damage when he appeared at Cork District Court.

Sergeant Ciaran Kelleher said it occurred on February 17, 2020, when the accused was drunk and a danger to himself or others.

He urinated on 16 backpacks and a hoody, with a total value 168.70 for the goods, rendering them unfit for sale.

He was escorted out of the store, Sgt Kelleher said.

In a second incident more recently, on November 28, 2022, he was drunk and a danger and was threatening and abusive on Cornmarket St, Cork.

He was shouting obscenities and appeared to be about to kick the arresting officer, Garda Razvan Ghetau, Sgt Kelleher said, in an outline of the background.
There is great excitement in the air as Cork Airport is ready to welcome over 102,000 passengers over the Easter period.

As schools break for the holidays, thousands of families will take the opportunity to travel to one of the many summer destinations available from the airport.

Munsters busiest airport, Cork Airport will see over 45,000 passengers travelling over the Easter bank holiday weekend alone.

The Easter bunny was spotted at Cork Airport ahead of a very busy Easter period. Pictured is staff member at the Loop Sophie Reynolds giving the Easter Bunny a helping hand. Pic: Brian Lougheed.

This Friday will also see Cork Airport welcome the return of the twice-weekly service to Zurich, Switzerland  operated by Edelweiss, on behalf of SWISS International Air Lines.

The service, which will operate on Friday and Monday will provide direct connectivity to the largest city in Switzerland.

Managing Director at Cork Airport, Niall MacCarthy, said: Were in full swing for the summer at Cork Airport and we expect to welcome more than 2.5 million passengers this year.

We have lots of new routes, but most importantly, the convenience of using Cork Airport and the friendliness of our staff is our unique proposition to passengers right across the South of Ireland.

"Happy Easter to all our passengers."

In March, 99% of passengers cleared security in 20 minutes or less, however, passengers travelling from Cork over Easter are advised to arrive at the airport at least 90 minutes before their flight is due to depart.
WHEN a relationship ends, you may have questions about your property rights, including who gets the house and what about the children?

This is a complex area of law, and the answers to these questions depend on a range of factors, including:

Your marital status.

Whether you and your partner can agree on the terms of your break-up

Whether one name, or both names, are on the title deeds to the house

Whether there are any children and if they need to be provided for

It is important that you get professional legal advice before making any decisions in relation to property and other assets.

What are my property rights if I am married?

If the house was bought and the title deeds are in both your name and your spouses name, you are joint owners. This is also known as a joint tenancy. In this case, you and your partner can agree to either:

Sell the property and split the proceeds (money) after any outstanding mortgage is paid

Buy out your partners share of the property so that you become the sole owner. If there is a mortgage on the home, you will have to get the agreement of the bank.

It is important to remember that if you took out a mortgage with your spouse or partner, you are jointly liable for the mortgage payments. Even if your spouse stops paying, you are still responsible for the whole amount.

You do not have to be a legal owner (have your name on the title deeds) of the family home to have a legal right to the property after marriage breakdown. It all depends on the surrounding facts. Matters such as each persons contribution (financial and otherwise) to the home and the family will be important.

You cannot sell, mortgage, lease or transfer your family home without the consent (permission) of your spouse. This is set out in the Family Home Protection Act 1976 as amended by the Family Law Act 1995.

Similar protection is provided for the shared home of civil partners in civil partnership legislation. These provisions do not apply to cohabiting couples.

What is a property adjustment order?

If you are married and applying for judicial separation or divorce, and you cannot agree on what happens to the house, the court will make a property adjustment order. This is where the court decides what happens to the property and which assets (or percentage of the assets) you and your spouse should get.

What is a pre-nuptial agreement?

A pre-nuptial agreement is an agreement between two people who plan to marry each other. It relates to property, maintenance and custody arrangements in the event of marriage breakdown.

A court must make sure that spouses and children are adequately taken care of when a marriage breaks down.

A pre-nuptial agreement is not legally binding, but it can serve as a guide for the courts on what the parties intentions were at the outset of the marriage in judicial separation and divorce cases.

What are my property rights if Im not married?

If you are cohabiting and your relationship breaks down, the family home will belong to the person who holds the legal title to it. This could be one of you, or both of you. If both your names are on the title deeds, you are both legal owners of the property. You jointly have to make decisions as to what will happen to it.

If you cannot come to an agreement, you can apply to the court to have the property sold and the proceeds divided, or it may be possible to seek an order breaking up the property. This would allow each party to decide what to do with their portion. This may be possible where there is a lot of land connected to the family home, or if there is more than one residence on the property.

Whether you are married or not, if your name is not on the title deeds to the house, you may still be able to show that you have some ownership rights in relation to the house.

These rights are based on the fact that you may have made a contribution, (either directly or indirectly), to the purchase price of the house with the intention of gaining a share in the ownership of the house. Usually, if you can show that you made a contribution to the purchase price of the house, you will be entitled to a share in the house in some proportion to your contribution.

The Civil Partnership and Certain Rights and Obligations of Cohabitants Act 2010 sets out certain legal rights and protections that cohabiting couples have, which may allow you seek redress in the courts.

What if there are children involved?

If there are children involved, a relationship breakdown can be life-altering. It needs to be handled sensitively to ensure the childrens best interests are prioritised. Often, if a married couple with children are separating, the person who looks after the children the majority of the time will get to stay in the family home until the youngest child reaches 18 years old (or 23 if they are in full-time education). Dependent children of civil partners are protected in a similar way under the Children and Family Relationships Act 2015.

If the parents cannot agree who the child will live with, the court can make orders in relation to custody and access.

Phones for South Munster Citizens Information in Cork city are monitored from 10am to 4.30pm, Monday to Friday. The Cork city CIC in Cornmarket Street is open from 10am to 12.30pm, Tuesdays and Thursdays, while Blackpool CIC is open from 10am to 1pm, Monday to Friday. Full details are available on our website on https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/
Collaboration:Reinvigorating BRI urged Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim sees stronger trade and investment cooperation ahead with China, which he called "an important neighbor and trading partner", amid economic recovery from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and mounting geopolitical challenges. During an exclusive interview with China Daily on Saturday, ahead of concluding his four-day visit to China, Anwar said it is important for Malaysia to interact more with China, and he hopes the visit will advance the two countries' economic cooperation potential. Bilateral cooperation documents on economy, trade, agriculture and customs were signed during Anwar's visit to China, the first since he took office in November. The prime minister said that Malaysia secured a record 170 billion Malaysian ringgits ($38.5 billion) worth of investment commitments from China. "That shows the huge amount of confidence and trust on the part of the Chinese government and companies toward Malaysia." Amid a busy schedule, Anwar had a meeting with business leaders from both countries on Saturday morning. "In my discussions with the captains of industry, which again is unprecedented because we don't normally see the huge numbers of companies coming for this kind of dialogue, they stated their interest in moving into the sectors of oil and gas, green technology, data centers and digital economy," Anwar said. This was a very reassuring sign regarding Malaysia's tourism potential, he added. China has been Malaysia's largest trading partner for 14 consecutive years. Bilateral trade hit a historical high of $203.6 billion in 2022, according to statistics from the Ministry of Commerce. China is also the largest source of foreign investment for Malaysia, with the amount reaching $12.5 billion last year. The East Coast Rail Link, a massive railway project invested in by a Chinese company in Malaysia under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, has progressed and is nearing completion, according to the prime minister. "A huge amount of effort has been put in from both China and Malaysia. We learned from the experience, and I think the companies involved have agreed that they should also conduct additional training for their future projects." Addressing the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2023 on Thursday, Anwar underlined the need to reinvigorate the Belt and Road Initiative and called for collaboration among countries. "Translating lofty ideals into practical reality, solidarity and cooperation is best exemplified in the realization of the Belt and Road Initiative," Anwar said. "With the pandemic behind us, we should try to regain its momentum." During the interview with China Daily, the prime minister also underscored the importance of enhancing cooperation between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations  of which Malaysia is a member  and China under the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership free trade agreement. "ASEAN's position is to continue to have this vigorous, robust engagement and dialogue with China, because it benefits all ASEAN members in terms of trade and investment. So this collaboration with China should be further enhanced," he said. "There are some issues like the South China Sea, but they shouldn't be that contentious. The answer is dialogue. I do believe that is not that easy, but you should do that. At least we think of each other as friends, and we continue to have dialogue, so these problems are not insurmountable. "I am very pleased, and extremely glad, that the Chinese leadership takes that position to engage in dialogue and proper understanding," he added. The prime minister expressed his opposition to the submarine deal agreed upon by the AUKUS alliance of Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States. China has said the deal might trigger a global arms race and undermine peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region. "Well, I also say no to AUKUS. This is purely their own defense. We have a special concern: This may escalate the tension in the region. We want ASEAN to continue our policy of neutrality and a zone of peace," Anwar said. The prime minister praised the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative, all proposed by President Xi Jinping. Anwar said the initiatives matter to world development, security and various civilizations' coexistence in harmony. "They are quite like our Madani concept," Anwar said, referring to a policy framework he launched that is built on the principles of sustainability, care and compassion, respect, innovation, prosperity and trust. Anwar proposed the Madani framework in January as an effort to drive and restore Malaysia's glory in the global arena. "Madani essentially means civilization. That is one of the core initiatives of China now. That's why I told President Xi that I'm quite excited, because all these values and policies seem to have something in common," he said. "We choose to agree with the vision and I think the world needs not just economic development or considerable security. While we need those, we also need values and respect. We need to resolve differences through dialogue, so the Global Civilization Initiative is also important," he added. Anwar expressed his appreciation for China's development path. "From late Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping to President Xi Jinping, you can see Chinese leadership refocusing all efforts in development and modernization. You can see the massive infrastructure, massive development and massive progress achieved." During his speech in Boao, he said: "What we have seen in the past decades and continue to witness today is that there are other equally legitimate ways of viewing the world and different paths of interpreting and achieving socioeconomic progress." Elaborating on this point, Anwar told China Daily that Western countries "may feel that China departs from conventional thinking about capitalism, but one thing they cannot deny is (China's) progress and development" and its success in alleviating poverty.
A new generation of bespoke workers' accommodation is being built in Bahrain to address the looming issue of treatment of expat migrant workers in the construction sector in the GCC, which is coming under greater UN scrutiny.

The initiative is being taken by Bahrain-based ACCSO Accommodation Solutions, a key regional player that offers a range of services - starting from facility management to transport - which is now aiming to provide housing for workers in line with UN recommendations.

According to the global body, all employers must provide adequate, decent and gender-responsive living conditions for migrant workers in employer-owned or operated accommodation, that meet required standards for spacing.

"We believe that where your workforce resides during the weeks and months of a project plays a fundamental role in a workers wellbeing and mental health. Workers want predictability. Coming from India, Pakistan, Nepal, China, Bangladesh and various African countries, our blue-collar workers deserve a home away from home," said Maximiliane Pfauntsch, the Managing Director of ACCSO.

"They want a safe, comfortable environment that offers them a place to relax after a day at the site," he stated.

ACCSO pointed out that it had approached the task of developing workers' accommodation after fully understanding the need of the users - the migrant workers.

"To design and build bespoke workers' accommodation requires an understanding of the community, life and behaviour of expat workers. We always say that it is challenging to change the habits of the residents, but it is easier to build accommodation that meets their requirements," noted Pfauntsch.

The challenge for any workers' accommodation is putting people from different cultures and religions harmoniously under one roof and providing quality accommodation.

According to Pfauntsch, most of the accommodations currently used are poorly designed and built with only basic facilities such as shared rooms, bathrooms, and kitchens.

"The bedrooms are overcrowded with bunk beds, and there is not enough space for privacy. There are insufficient toilets and showers, resulting in inadequate time and personal space for daily hygiene. Most kitchens are too small and dont have enough space for the number of stoves required to provide each room with a cooking space," he added.

ACCSO's concept of the "new-generation bespoke accommodation" is to plan it in such a way that, in addition to meeting safety and hygiene standards, the accommodation creates a living environment.

"The provision of spacious, well-lit, and ventilated bedrooms with a maximum occupancy, sufficient number of toilets, showers, washbasins, well-ventilated spacious kitchens, a dining area, laundry, recreation room, prayer room, medical and isolation are all features of ACCSOs new generation of accommodation," stated Pfauntsch.

"The attention to detail of ACCSOs solution means that the furnishing of the accommodation meets the living habits of the residents. Beds, mattresses, wardrobes, tables and chairs as well as other furnishings provided are heavy-duty. Also the tanks have the capacity to supply sufficient water," he added.

According to him, the workers complex will be strategically located, within walking distance to essential services, such as supermarkets, restaurants, money exchange, saloons, coffee shops and mosques.

On the safety front, ACCSO said the workers accommodation will be fully secure with CCTVs installed in all common areas. A major highlight of the residential complex will be its controlled access gate, it added.

"Overall, any accommodation supplier should be committed to enhancing the lifestyle of expat workers. Not only can suitable housing help employees return to work faster, but they can also help increase employee productivity, retain valued employees, and eliminate costs associated with training a new employee," noted Pfauntsch.

These added benefits highlight why meeting migrant workers' accommodation requirements should be prioritised, he added.
Donald Trump's indictment, eviction fears and consumers missing out by not shopping around are some of the stories on Tuesday's front pages.

Both The Irish Times and Irish Examiner lead with an image of former US preisdent Donald Trump as he is expected to surrender to police in New York on Tuesday when he will be formally charged relating to 2016 hush money payments.

The papers also cover research conducted by the ESRI which found large portions of banking customers may be missing out on the best deals by not getting comparisons from other lenders.

Meanwhile, The Echo reports on a rejected debate at a meeting of Cork City Council on the eviction ban.

The Irish Independent reports on figures released by the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) on Monday, following the end of the eviction ban on Saturday, warning that over 7,000 households may lose their homes over the next three months.

Here's the front page of today's Irish Independent. pic.twitter.com/CzWPLnq2Is  Independent.ie (@Independent_ie) April 4, 2023

The Irish Daily Star reads: 'My Army Rape Hell', reporting the story of a former soldier, while the Irish Daily Mirror covers the upcoming visit of US president Joe Biden.

In Britain, the sentencing of gunman Thomas Cashman for the killing of nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel dominates the front pages.

Cashman was sentenced in his absence to a minimum of 42 years in jail after he refused to attend the hearing at Manchester Crown Court.

The Daily Mirror compares the bravery of Olivias mother Cheryl Korbel with the cowardice of a killer while Metro brands Cashman as gutless for refusing to face his victims family.

Ms Korbels words feature on the front of The Independent as she asked: How could he keep shooting after hearing her terrified screams?

Tuesdays INDEPENDENT Digital:  How could he keep shooting after hearing her terrified screams? . #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/sfWhzXk86R  Allie Hodgkins-Brown (@AllieHBNews) April 3, 2023

And the Daily Mail also quotes the grieving mother, who said Olivias death has left a hole in our lives.

Tuesdays Daily MAIL:  I keep thinking I have forgotten to pick Olivia up from school I just miss hearing her voice . #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/gFD5jwZlHn  Allie Hodgkins-Brown (@AllieHBNews) April 3, 2023

The Daily Express simply says Life for Olivias life.

Elsewhere, the death of former Conservative chancellor Nigel Lawson is on the front of the Daily Telegraph, who call him Thatchers tax slasher.

The front page of tomorrow's Daily Telegraph:



'Nigel Lawson, Thatchers tax slasher, dies at 91'#TomorrowsPapersToday



Sign up for the Front Page newsletterhttps://t.co/x8AV4Oomry pic.twitter.com/AJa7uPhU7g  The Telegraph (@Telegraph) April 3, 2023

The Times features a picture of Mr Lawson as it leads on an interview with opposition leader Sir Keir Starmer, who insists he will be completely ruthless in his quest for power.

Tuesdays TIMES: Almost half of voters say Starmer still lacks vision #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/TUzQxzb6Om  Allie Hodgkins-Brown (@AllieHBNews) April 3, 2023

TV presenter Phillip Schofield features on the front of The Sun with his reaction to the conviction of his brother Timothy on sexual abuse charges.

The i warns of delays caused by strikes by passport workers hitting peoples summer holidays.

Tuesdays i - UK summer holidays hit by passport delays after new strikes #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/tTJWi0jjUh  Allie Hodgkins-Brown (@AllieHBNews) April 3, 2023

The Guardian features turmoil within the CBI following claims of sexual misconduct against senior management.

Guardian front page, Tuesday 4 April 2023  Revealed: CBI in turmoil following new claims of sexual misconduct pic.twitter.com/TERu7jjg8m  The Guardian (@guardian) April 3, 2023

The Financial Times concentrates on EY being banned from German audit work for two years following its work for collapsed payments group Wirecard.
Founded in 2005 as an Ohio-based environmental newspaper, EcoWatch is a digital platform dedicated to publishing quality, science-based content on environmental issues, causes, and solutions.

A federal judge on Monday denied a motion by environmental groups challenging oil giant ConocoPhillips $7 billion Willow project in Alaskas Western Arctic. The ruling allows the construction of roads and a gravel mine planned for the last three weeks of the construction season to move forward.

The lawsuit initially filed by the groups asserted that the U.S. Department of the Interiors approval on March 13 of the Willow project was unlawful because it did not consider reasonable alternatives to limit the harm the project would do to environmentally sensitive areas, and it failed to sufficiently consider future greenhouse gas emissions that would result from the fossil fuel extractions of the project.

Its heartbreaking that ConocoPhillips has been allowed to break ground on Willow before the court has fully assessed whether the project is lawful, said Kristen Monsell, a senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, in a press release. But this case isnt over, and well keep fighting to protect struggling Arctic wildlife and our climate from this disastrous project. Were hopeful well get the Willow projects approval thrown out once again.

The lawsuit was filed by the Center for Biological Diversity and the Natural Resources Defense Council, as well as by Earthjustice on behalf of Friends of the Earth, Defenders of Wildlife and Greenpeace.

The mining and construction plans are scheduled for the winter habitat of high numbers of caribou, and will disrupt them.

The planned fossil fuel extraction by ConocoPhillips in the Willow project area amounts to 600 million barrels of oil, in addition to as many as three billion barrels of oil planned for the region.

Allowing ConocoPhillips to bulldoze forward with construction of the largest oil and gas project on public lands before the lawsuits are settled is needlessly destructive, said Natalie Mebane, climate campaign director at Greenpeace USA, in the press release. As the largest historical emitter of greenhouse gas emissions, the U.S. cannot afford Willow or any new oil and gas projects if were going to avoid the worst impacts of the climate crisis. New projects will take years if not decades to complete. They do nothing to meet current energy needs. It will only deepen our dependence on expensive fossil fuels while destroying our climate, harming our health, and polluting communities.

U.S. District Judge Sharon Gleason in Anchorage said the groups pursuing an injunction would not be irreparably harmed by the construction and that an injunction was inappropriate, reported Reuters.

Although the White House and Department of Interior were not persuaded to stop Willow despite the advocacy of more than 5 million individuals, we are now using the power of the law to restore some balance. While this particular round of the legal challenge did not produce the outcome we had hoped for, our court battle continues, said Erik Grafe, deputy managing attorney in Earthjustices Alaska Regional Office, in the press release. We will do everything within our power to protect the climate, wildlife, and people from this dangerous carbon bomb. Climate scientists have warned that we have less than seven years to get it right on climate change, and we cannot afford to lock in three decades of oil drilling that will only serve to open the door to more fossil-fuel extraction.

Nicole Whittington-Evans, Defenders of Wildlifes Alaska Program director, said the environmental groups would keep fighting.

Todays decision is a disappointment, but we remain undeterred, Whittington-Evans said in the press release. We remain committed to protecting the western Arctic and look forward to the courts full consideration of the Willow project, including its impacts to polar bears threatened with extinction and massive carbon emissions that will worsen the climate crisis for decades to come.
Founded in 2005 as an Ohio-based environmental newspaper, EcoWatch is a digital platform dedicated to publishing quality, science-based content on environmental issues, causes, and solutions.

Residents protest against a planned train and rock quarry expansion, in front of the Hancock County Court House in Sparta, Georgia on Sept. 22, 2022. No Railroad In Our Community / Facebook

In 1926, in the heart of the Jim Crow South, a Black man named James Blaine Smith succeeded in buying 600 acres of land near Sparta, Georgia, and launched a successful farming business.

Nearly 100 years later, his grandson and his family and neighbors are fighting to protect that land from the encroachment of a railway company that would bring further noise and pollution to the majority Black community where one in three people live below the poverty line.

We have enough burdens, 64-year-old Janet Smith, the wife of Blaine Smiths grandson Mark, told The Guardian. This is environmental injustice.

Spartas 1,300 residents already contend with noise and dust from the Hanson quarry.

To me, it sounds like Iraq: the constant banging and booming, resident Kenneth Clayton told WGXA.

Then, in April 2022, Sandersville Railroad Company began sending letters to Sparta residents saying it needed their land to run a spur connecting the main CSX rail tracks to the quarry, in order to ship out the gravel and sand on train cars, as the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) explained. The railway says the 4.5 mile spur will create 12 permanent well-paying jobs, in addition to 20 temporary construction jobs, will bring millions of dollars per year to the community and will allow the quarry to increase output by around 500,000 tons per year.

As construction and infrastructure improvement demands rise across the Southeast, specifically in the coastal region, Sandersville Railroad is stepping in to help the Hanson quarry in Hancock County increase output, the company website says.

However, to do this, the company wants to route the spur through eight properties and close to many more, according to The Guardian. The additional production would also increase noise and pollution.

Our community is already like a dumping ground, so were going to fight this to the end  there is no compromise, Smith told The Guardian. They didnt expect us to push back because were poor and Black. But this property is all that weve got to leave to our sons  its the disrespect of it all.

Despite unceasing letters, residents have held firm against the plans. The company, meanwhile, says that if residents refuse to sell, it will turn to Georgias eminent domain laws that allow private rail companies to seize property for the public good, a law dating back to the 19th century when building additional railways was the only way to move products, as the SPLC explained.

After surveying the land, the chosen route is the most efficient and least impactful route, railway owner Ben Tarbutton told The Guardian. While it is not our desire to use eminent domain, we are confident in our legal ability to utilise it if necessary The project addresses a glaring need in our state, region and nation for affordable raw materials to meet the goals of President Bidens bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. As the United States embarks on an historic effort to repair, rebuild and reinvest in critical roads and bridges, Hancock county has an opportunity to meaningfully benefit from those efforts.

However, SPLC said the company would struggle to prove that the spur was for public rather than private use. Meanwhile, there is nothing to stop it from sending pressuring letters in a tactic that assistant professor of African American studies at Emory University in Atlanta Jessica Lynn Stewart says is as American as apple pie.

It feels familiar, this story, Stewart told the SPLC. Beginning with the construction of railroads in the 19th century, and then of highways in the 20th, there tends to be a dark side to how transportation projects are pursued in the name of economic development, and usually that dark side has to do with exploitation of marginalized people. The displacement of people of color in the name of economic development is an American tradition.




Saudi Arabia suspends shrimp imports from India

Saudi Arabia has imposed a temporary ban on shrimp imported from India.

The suspension resulted from the detection of the presence of white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) in frozen shrimp products imported from India, according to the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA), following testing of seafood products by the Saudi Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture.

WSSV is a contagious, lethal virus affecting penaeid shrimp. It is not a threat to food safety or human health.

The SFDA said the ban will remain in place until India is able to "provide sufficient guarantees to ensure the safety of those products exported to the Kingdom so that the WSSV does not transmit to the fisheries in Saudi Arabia," according to the Saudi Gazette.

- SeafoodSource




Denmark's pig meat exports down 3% last year

With a total volume of 1,936,544 tonnes in 2022, Denmark saw a 3% drop in its pig meat exports (down 65,349 tonnes from 2021).

Exports to the European Union made up 55% of Denmark's pig meat export volume at 1,070,647 tonnes. This represents an 8% increase from 2021 (988,884 tonnes) when exports to the EU accounted for 49% of the total.

Exports to third countries saw a 15% decrease year-on-year totaling 865,897 tonnes in 2022.

By volume, Germany was the leading importer of Danish pig meat with 22% of exports (406,212 tonnes), followed by China with 19% (368,386 tonnes) and Poland with nearly 18% (344,084 tonnes).

Exports to China suffered a notable 29% decrease in volume last year, going from 520,597 tonnes in 2021 to 368,386 tonnes in 2022.

- Pig333
Canadian Cattle Association raises concern over UK market access for Canadian beef

The Canadian Cattle Association (CCA) is displeased that Canada has agreed to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) with the UK, without securing a viable market access for Canadian beef, Discover Airdrie reported.

While details of the agreement remain unclear, the CCA has noted that other CPTPP members have secured unlimited beef access in their bilateral agreements with the UK, but such an arrangement is not available to Canada.

Currently, Canada-UK beef trade is governed by the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), which was established between Canada and the European Union (EU) in 2017.

After the UK left the EU, a temporary agreement was reached to continue applying the CETA provisions to Canada-UK trade until a permanent agreement could be established.

According to the CCA, British beef has unlimited access to Canada at a 0% tariff, while Canadian beef has access to the UK at a 0% tariff rate quota (TRQ) limit of 2708 tonnes fresh and 1161 tonnes frozen annually.

In 2021, the UK exported 2733 tonnes of beef worth CND 16.3 million (~US$12.1 million; CND 1 = US$0.74) to Canada, and in 2022, this figure rose to 4414 tonnes worth CND 33.2 million (~US$24.7 million). Canada exported 657 tonnes of beef valued at CND 7.6 million (~US$5.6 million) to the UK in 2021 and none in 2022.

The CCA has raised concerns about this unequal access and has urged the Canadian government to address the issue in ongoing trade negotiations.

- Discover Airdrie




Singapore to import eggs from Indonesia

The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) announced that it has approved Indonesia to export eggs to Singapore, increasing the number of countries and regions accredited to export chicken eggs to Singapore to 18, Today Online reported.



The SFA approved Brunei to export chicken eggs to Singapore in December.

The SFA said supply fluctuations are still occasionally possible in Singapore due to various factors such as disease outbreaks and supply disruptions.

The agency said recent bird flu outbreaks in a number of nations had an impact on their poultry and egg production.

In order to support Singapore's food resilience, SFA also encouraged the food industry to diversify and import from different sources as part of business continuity plans.

Currently, about 70% of Singapore's egg supply comes from imports.

According to SFA, the upcoming construction of Singapore's fourth egg farm will increase the supply of locally produced eggs in the island nation.

Singapore's local egg farms will supply 50% of the country's egg needs once they are fully operational.

- Today Online




EU swine inventory dropped 5% in 2022

The European Union's swine inventory in 2022 totaled 134 million pigs, down 5% from 2021, according to Eurostat data in November/December 2022.

All EU member states with more than three million pigs saw decreases in their swine inventories with two exceptions: Italy (+330 thousand head; +4% compared to 2021) and Sweden (+50,000 head; +3%).

Germany and Denmark reported decreases in their pig herds equivalent to over half of the overall reduction in the EU. Germany's decrease is equivalent to 33% of the overall EU reduction (-2.4 million head compared to 2021; -10%) and Denmark's decrease is equivalent to 22% of the overall EU reduction (-1.6 million head, -12%).

In France, the reduction was 758,000 head.

Spain, which had previously seen continuous increases since 2013, also suffered a decrease, albeit on a smaller scale (-379,000 head).

Bulgaria and Malta (-26%) saw the largest relative decreases.

- Pig333
ICT spending in Bahrain is set to reach $2.03 billion in 2023 and $2.23 billion by 2026, according to the latest predictions by International Data Corporation (IDC).



Announcing its regional forecasts for the year ahead, IDC revealed that it expects telecommunications services spending in Bahrain to increase, with IT spending set to grow from $0.87 billion in 2023 to $1 billion in 2026. The findings are in line with ICT and digital economy being major pillars in Bahrains Economic Recovery Plan and will contribute towards achieving the Kingdoms comprehensive economic growth and development.



To navigate storms of disruption, organisations in Bahrain will need to invest in strengthening their digital resiliency so they are better positioned to succeed in new market environments as conditions continue to change," said Jyoti Lalchandani, IDC's group vice president and regional managing director for the META region.



"Regardless of what the economy throws at us over the coming 12 months, the implementation of further digitalization in critical areas such as customer experience, operations, and financial management  together with a more rapid shift to a 'digital business' approach  will be key to separating the thrivers from the survivors. To this end, we expect to see digital transformation spending as a share of overall IT spending continue to grow, reaching $1 billion in 2026, up from $0.87 billion in 2023," he added.



In a digital-first economy, where an enterprise's competitiveness is tied to its digital business model, leaders will avoid wholesale cutbacks in tech. Further, new tactics will be employed as tech leaders seek to realize maximum business value from their tech investments. In Bahrain, spending on Enterprise IT will reach $0.44 billion and consumer spending will reach $0.41 billion in 2023.  TradeArabia News Service
Isle of Play wins national Playwork Award

Isle of Play was chosen ahead of charities across the UK and IOM as the winner of a prestigious award.

The 13th annual Playwork Awards celebrated the great work thats being done in the playwork sector, and in doing so aimed to promote best practice too.

A new category  the Play & Community Development Award  was introduced this year and thats the one which Isle of Play won, so the Manx-registered charity can claim to have made history as the first ever winner!

Isle of Play CEO, Chris Gregory, commented: It's pretty incredible to be recognised for what we are doing here on the Island, and especially when there were so many other great organisations that were shortlisted. We really believe we're building something amazing here and hope we can use the award to continue our upward trajectory.

The Playwork Awards are judged by an independent panel, and the category won by Isle of Play was sponsored by Play Scotland. As a winner, Isle of Play was presented with a certificate and a trophy which will go on display at the charitys HQ in Douglas.
Moscow, Apr 4 (UNI) Finland's accession to NATO is another aggravation of the situation, and Moscow considers the expansion of the alliance an infringement on its security, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday.

On Monday, the office of Finnish President Sauli Niinistoe and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that Finland will officially become the member of NATO on April 4.

"The Kremlin believes that this is another aggravation of the situation. The expansion of NATO is an infringement on our security and Russia's national interests," Peskov told a briefing.
Energy Crisis Increases Business Network Costs and Intensifies Sustainability Focus

Enterprise Networking Mag | Monday, April 10, 2023

The energy crisis has presented a significant challenge for businesses, but it has also created an opportunity for companies to prioritise sustainability and make changes that will benefit their bottom line and the environment.

FREMONT, CA: The majority of the companies globally experienced an increase in energy prices in addition to their existing contractual terms. They identified energy costs as the primary concern for their network operations, with much-expressing concern about potential energy supply shortages. The companies experienced significant stress due to energy costs.

82 per cent of companies believed that energy costs have a significant impact on their serving pricing. Additionally, only a small percentage of companies, 11 per cent reduced their use of networks to save on costs, while a significant portion, 61 per cent choose to increase their investment in network operations. Many companies responded to the energy crises by prioritising energy efficiency and sustainability.

29 per cent of the US respondents reported losing sleep over the impact of the energy crises, whereas the corresponding figures for the UK, France, and Germany were much lower. Another key difference was the percentage of companies that passed higher costs on to customers, with 78 per cent of German companies doing so compared to 57 per cent in the US. Germany's problems may run deeper as they are caused by efforts to reduce dependence on Russian gas, while the US has abundant domestic resources.

While the US experienced lower price increases than Europe, 73 per cent of US businesses still plan to increase investment in energy efficiency, compared to 69 per cent in Germany, 49 per cent in the UK, and 48 per cent in France. In addition, a larger percentage of US respondents said they are increasing their efforts to become more sustainable than their European counterparts.

There is a difference in the perception of nuclear energy among the respondents from different countries. Over half of the French respondents, where the use of nuclear power has been prevalent, identified it as having the most potential to power network operations in the future. However, in Germany and the UK, only 18 per cent of respondents considered it the most promising energy source.

The difference in attitudes towards nuclear energy is reflected in the approach taken by governments. France, which has relied heavily on nuclear power in the past, has proposed new regulations that would accelerate the construction of nuclear plants. This is a reversal of earlier plans to limit the percentage of nuclear energy in the country's energy mix to 50 per cent.

In general, respondents believe solar to be the most promising energy source, which is surprising given how intermittent it is. This is mentioned in the study, along with how it differs from the requirement for a reliable power source for network equipment.

Businesses in the manufacturing industry have more opportunities to save energy, which could result in networks operating more effectively. As a result, the majority of businesses in this sector claim that the energy crises have increased their focus on sustainability. It is more difficult for banks and IT firms to reduce the amount of energy used by critical network and data centre equipment.

The current energy crisis is having a significant impact on enterprise network costs and has forced businesses to sharpen their focus on sustainability. As energy prices continue to rise and access to reliable energy becomes more difficult, companies must find ways to reduce their energy consumption and explore alternative sources of energy.

One of the prime areas where businesses can reduce their energy consumption is in their enterprise networks. By optimising their network infrastructure, implementing energy-efficient technologies, and adopting sustainable practices, companies can significantly reduce their energy costs and minimise their carbon footprint.

Furthermore, the energy crisis has highlighted the importance of sustainability in business operations. Consumers are becoming more environmentally conscious, and they expect companies to demonstrate their commitment to sustainability. By adopting sustainable practices and investing in renewable energy, companies can not only reduce their environmental impact but also attract environmentally conscious customers.
Residents across a wide swath of the U.S. raced Sunday to assess the destruction from fierce storms that spawned possibly dozens of tornadoes from the South and the Midwest into the Northeast, killing at least 32 people.
The President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy in his address said that on April 2 the Russian terrorists again struck at Kostiantynivka of the Donetsk region. Six people were killed by this Russian shelling. Another 11 people were wounded. Russia used S-300 missiles and the Uragan MLRS against Kostiantynivka. Russian terrorists also attacked the Konotop district of the Sumy region. The evil state must be defeated. In every sense of the word. Rashism must face a total defeat: military, economic, political, legal. The first point is military. And it will face it, the President stressed.
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Hundreds of inmates in the Bexar County jail have been deemed incompetent to stand trial, but that could change soon.

Bexar County commissioners will vote Tuesday on a $1.6 million federal grant to help jail inmates with mental health and substance abuse issues. Based on approaches used in Harris County and other urban areas, the program would help inmates meet the legal definition of competency they need to face trial.

About 40 people would be served in the remainder of 2023 and 80 next year, relieving jail overcrowding and improving the lives of inmates by moving their cases forward, county officials said.

This gives us additional opportunity, additional funding, to address a very vulnerable population in our community, said Jelynne LeBlanc Jamison, president and CEO of the Center for Health Care Services.

Related: County expands mental health response teams

Funded by a U.S. Department of Justice grant, the program would be a partnership between the center and the sheriffs office, University Health and Bexar County Department of Behavioral Health. Once approved, money would be available immediately, and the program would run through the end of 2024.

County officials said there are about 300 inmates among the jails current population of 4,300 who have been deemed incompetent to stand trial. As a result, at least 150 inmates are on a waitlist for a treatment bed and inpatient competency restoration services from a state hospital at any given time.

Sometimes, an inmate can wait up to two years to have misdemeanor cases heard on a case that shouldve been processed within weeks, because they were indigent and declared mentally incompetent for trial.

Sheriff Javier Salazar said hes glad to see a program forming that will connect vulnerable inmates with the help they need. It also will reduce the strain on detention deputies and taxpayers, since the jail has generated between $10 million and $15 million annually in unbudgeted overtime costs in recent years.

Related: Funds awarded for in-school mental health support services

Im going to do everything in my power to make sure that this program is a success and that we can continue to build on it, Salazar said at a news conference Monday.

Many of the inmates served through the program will be connected with inpatient treatment at psychiatric facilities or placed in outpatient care.

Jamison said that with about 400,000 residents facing mental health challenges or substance abuse, Bexar County also needs more psychiatric beds.

The county is examining funding options and possibly reusing the San Antonio State Hospital campus as a county psychiatric facility after a new state hospital opens. Since the state hospital serves people from a 24-county area, the San Antonio community needs its own psychiatric campus for adults and children, Jamison said.

Houston has one; Dallas has one. Its Bexar Countys time. Our population is growing, she said.
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District 1 Councilman Mario Bravo would not give a straight answer at two separate candidate forums about how he will vote on a criminal justice reform measure on the May ballot despite prodding from attendees at both events.

Since his job as a council member requires him to uphold laws and the city attorney has said much of the proposition contradicts state law, Bravo said he doesnt have the liberty of being able to try to support those. But the councilman said he supports the spirit of many of the issues under Proposition A, also known as the Justice Charter, such as the decriminalization of marijuana and a womans right to choose.

City Council candidates in District 1  which covers downtown San Antonio and part of the North Side  were split on how to approach the subject.

The controversial ballot measure is proving to be the most prominent issue in the minds of many voters this election season. The Justice Charter would decriminalize abortion and marijuana, expand cite-and-release and ban some policing techniques. It also would create a citywide justice director to oversee the implementation of the policy changes.

READ MORE: Want to vote in the May 6 election? Make sure youre registered.

City Attorney Andy Segovia has said the only part of the proposition the city could enforce would be the justice director provision. The other changes to the city charter are inconsistent with state law, he said.

At a forum hosted by the Asian American Alliance of San Antonio, those who opposed the proposition received cheers and applause while others were heckled or booed.

Organizers at the Tier One Neighborhood Coalition, a group of inner-city neighborhood groups, did not initially plan to ask candidates about their stance on Prop A because they heard that the subject got heated at other events. They shifted gears when audience members insisted the topic be included. Attendees at the forum were prohibited from outbursts, positive or negative.

Bravo, 47, has six challengers in his first re-election bid, but opponents Sukh Kaur, Jeremy Roberts and Ernest Salinas look like they will be his toughest competitors. They also were the only ones to attend the forums over the weekend.

Salinas, 62, took the strongest stance against the Justice Charter, opposing everything under the measure. He retired from a three-decade-long career at USAA in 2015. He was president of the Dellview Area Neighborhood Association before stepping down to run for office.

He took issue with the way activists who got the measure on the ballot collected signatures, claiming that they only asked him and others to support marijuana decriminalization but not other issues that are also in the proposition.

Roberts, 44, is a professor at Texas A&M San Antonio and the senior vice president of marketing at the startup firm Prosperas. He said he would vote against the measure, partly because he is concerned about taking away officer discretion, even though he supports the decriminalization of marijuana and is pro-choice.

It does not protect the people I want to protect, Roberts said. If it does fail, they can try it again but in a different way and a more clear way. But I believe it should not pass.

Kaur, 34, plans to vote in favor of Proposition A, largely because she supports abortion rights. She is a former middle school teacher turned public education consultant and is the CEO and founder of EDreimagined.

Still, Kaur said she is talking with people for and against the measure to learn more and make the most educated vote possible.

Under the citys current cite-and-release policy, police can issue a citation, similar to a traffic ticket, instead of making an arrest for many low-level, nonviolent misdemeanor offenses.

The proposed change would require officers to issue citations for low-level crimes, taking away the option of making an arrest, and it expands the list of misdemeanors to include graffiti  unless the offender has an outstanding arrest warrant for a crime not covered by cite-and-release or they dont have proper identification.

While Bravo supports criminal justice reform, he said he does not like the idea of taking away an officers discretion. Still, he said he would work with whatever voters decide.

At the end of the day, I ran for this office to listen to you, not to tell you what to do, Bravo said. And so Im not here to tell you what to do on this issue. Im here to listen.

When Proposition B, a charter amendment that would have stripped the police union of its right to collectively bargain with the city, was on the ballot in 2021 Bravo did not take a public stance.

Bravo was an Environmental Defense Fund project manager until March of last year when he decided to focus full-time on being a council member. He won the seat in 2021 in a run-off election against three-time incumbent Roberto C. Trevino.

City Council voted Nov. 10 to censure Bravo, who represents District 1, after he berated then-Councilwoman Ana Sandoval near the council dais for not supporting him on a CPS Energy-related vote. He lost a race for Bexar County commissioner in 2018.

Kaur and Roberts announced intentions to run for office soon after the Bravo-Sandoval incident, but both have said that situation was not their main motivation for running.

They also expressed similar sentiments as Bravo on the Justice Charter, encouraging voters not to listen just to candidate opinions on the proposition but to form their own opinion one way or the other. They promised to support whatever outcome voters decide on at the polls.

Salinas said he hoped people make the right decision, implying they should vote against the proposition.

READ MORE: What to know about cite-and-release, a key - and controversial - part of Prop A

Candidates Lauro Bustamante, Roberto Rios Ortega and William T. Lamar-Boone did not attend the forums.

Perennial candidate Bustamante, 72, is an attorney. He was elected to the Edwards Aquifer Authority in 2010. He won the Democratic nomination for the 224th District Court bench in 2014 but lost in the general election. In 2008, the State Bar of Texas suspended Bustamante from practicing law for two years for professional misconduct.

Lamar-Boone is a psychologist who has lived in Texas for 10 years.

Rios Ortega, 26, is an outreach specialist for the telemedicine company Teladoc Health. Ortega volunteers at Texas Organizing Project and holds dual citizenship in Mexico and the United States. Ortega leans progressive and, if elected, would like to align with council members Jalen McKee-Rodriguez and Teri Castillo.

Three additional challengers withdrew in February.

Residents seem split on who they support in this election, according to a handful of neighborhood leaders.

Jennifer Neal, vice president of Shearer Hills/Ridgeview Neighborhood Association, said many members have seemed somewhat neutral toward Bravo throughout his time in office. She has noticed people seem to be most supportive of Bravo, Kaur and Roberts, with a few talking about Salinas as well.

John Hill, president of the Village at Lincoln Heights Homeowner Association, said people have been happy with Bravos responsiveness to their concerns.

Though Lisa Talley, North Central Neighborhood Association president, hasnt talked to many members about who they are supporting, she personally is leaning toward Salinas because of his work with the Dellview Area Neighborhood Association.

May 6 is Election Day, and early voting runs from April 24 through May 2. Voter registration closes on Thursday.

Staff writer Molly Smith contributed to this report.
A string of recent deaths at Austins Lady Bird Lake has people speculating online: Is it just evening revelry gone wrong, or the work of a serial killer?

Austin police don't suspect foul play, but that's not stopping the rumor mill.

On Saturday, the body of 33-year-old Jonathan Honey was recovered from the lake located near downtown Austin. Honey, originally from the Washington, D.C., area, was reported missing Friday after attending a bachelor party Thursday night in the Rainey Street District.

This comes after the body of 30-year-old Jason John was found in the lake in February after he had been spending an evening with friends on Rainey Street. A third body was recovered in March, but police haven't said who that victim was.

USAA: Bad guys are coming for your catalytic converter. Here's how to fight back.

The lake has experienced a number of similar deaths over the last decade, but due to the similarity of these two recent deaths, many have taken to social media to express their concerns about the possibility of serial killer  someone they call the Lady Bird Lake Serial Killer or the Rainey St. Serial Killer.

A private Facebook group called Lady Bird Lake Serial Killer/Rainey St. Serial Killer has gained almost 38,000 members since it formed Feb. 14. The conspiracy theories are especially rampant on TikTok.

To help tame them, the Austin Police Department released a statement Monday on Twitter saying that while the cases are still under investigation, it has no reason to believe foul play was involved, adding that the autopsies revealed no trauma to the bodies.

While each incident has occurred at the lake, the circumstances, exact location and demographics surrounding these cases vary, APD said in the statement. Our investigators approach every case with an open mind and objectively examine all available evidence.

Police said one common theme among the recent deaths is the combination of alcohol and easy access points to Lady Bird Lake, which can be difficult to see at night after the park closes.

However, many in APDs Twitter comments responded to the statement with speculation.

TikTok user Atxaiden, who said he was a neighbor of Jason John, said many people like himself who live nearby Rainey Street will walk the trail home from the district instead of spending money on an overpriced Uber ride.

(If) youre wondering why these people are walking back at 2 a.m. when they could just Uber, its because its a ridiculous price for a relatively short walk, so thats why people always do it, he said.

Recently, some lights and lake barriers were added to Lady Bird Lake by the City of Austin in hopes of improving safety.

Gabriella.Ybarra@express-news.net
Dhaka, Apr 4 (UNI) A fire broke out in Dhakas Banga Bazar area on Tuesday morning. At least 41 units of the Fire Service and Civil Defence are working to bring the fire under control.

The fire reportedly broke out at around 6:10 am.

Speaking to UNI, Rafi Al Faruque, duty officer of the fire service control room confirmed the fire. However, he could not confirm the source of fire immediately.

Rafi Al Faruque also said that 41 units of fire service are working to control the fire at the moment. Apart from that, many more units are on the way. No casualties have been reported so far, he added.

A rescue team of Bangladesh Army and a helicopter of Bangladesh Air Force have been deployed to bring the massive blaze under control, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said at a statement to UNI.

Rashedul Alam Khan, assistant director of ISPR, told Prothom Alo a joint team of army, a rescue team of air force and a helicopter are working to extinguish the fire.

Many businessmen of the Banga Bazar, one of the biggest clothing markets in the country, were seen crying. They incurred huge loss in the fire just before the Eid-ul-Fitr.

Fire service said most of the shops of the market have been gutted in the fire.

UNI XC MAZ RKM
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Accusations of ethical or legal lapses against Judson Independent School District trustees have roiled a community still angry about the sudden, unexplained departure of Superintendent Jeanette Ball in November.

But candidates in the May 6 board election try to stress other issues  the district's bond construction program, the adequacy of its goals for student success and its need to retain teachers  while lamenting and sometimes blaming each other for the food-fight aspects of Judson politics.

Judson ISD, a B rated district in northeast Bexar County, had 24,512 students in 2022. Two incumbents representing at large districts that cover the entire school district each face a single challenger. A third incumbent, retired educator Suzanne Kenover, is unopposed in District 1.

District 6 trustee Renee Paschall, 68, was first elected in 2015 after teaching social studies in the district. She faces Laura Stanford, 70, a mortgage loan officer in the area making her first run for a school board seat.

District 7 incumbent Rafael "Rafa" Diaz, 35, an executive for an education technology company, had represented District 4 but was appointed to his current seat to fill an unexpired term, then was elected to it in 2021. Challenging him is Monica Ryan, 49, a retired Army lieutenant colonel with two children in Judson schools, making her first run for school board.

Judson has been in the spotlight since voters in November approved the district's largest-ever bond and the superintendent left days later, after it became clear she had lost the support of a board majority. Ball's supporters focused their ire on individual trustees. Her detractors aired their dislike for the way she treated employees.

Ball is now the superintendent of Southwest ISD. The Judson board has been interviewing applicants, with the goal of naming her successor before the election.

The agreement to buy out Ball's contract prevents her and the trustees from talking about it, but it hasn't masked the board's infighting.

Paschall's husband filed a complaint with Converse police against trustee Jose Macias, and called for Macias to resign because a political action committee backing the bond proposal had paid Macias' wife for campaign services.

Macias, who endorsed Stanford in her challenge to Paschall, blamed the election season for the criticism. But the PAC's leaders admitted to sloppy financial reporting and said they would arrange for an audit of their records and shut it down.

READ MORE: PAC paid Judson ISD's wife to help with bond vote

Ryan, meanwhile, filed a lengthy complaint against Diaz with the Texas Ethics Commission about his failure to file routine campaign finance paperwork. She later reported it to the Bexar County Sheriff's Office and emailed the Judson board, asking that it consider censuring him.

Diaz said he filed one of the missing documents long ago and didn't think the others were required but will correct things if the commission tells him to.

Ryan said her complaint had nothing to do with the election, which she said is playing out amid a worsening set of "old rivalries" among trustees.

You start watching the last six months, and you're like, Where did the wheels fall off the bus? How did this happen? Ryan said. We all don't have to like each other. That's not a requirement. But maybe we can start acting like grown-ups who have to make grown-up decisions.

Diaz agreed that the district's strident politics seem out of control and said he was concerned that its interfering with the boards goal of student success.

We've allowed adult topics, politics, personal feelings and personal histories to cloud the judgment, the approach and the decision-making of elected officials, he said. That has bled into the boardroom.

In interviews about why they are running, the candidates kept the focus on the district's many challenges. Almost 70 percent of Judson ISD students are considered economically disadvantaged. Teachers are leaving, some in midyear. Student behavioral incidents are on the rise.

And the district has a $345 million bond program to roll out.

Candidate priorities

Paschall said the bond, which passed with 60 percent of the vote, is her most important priority because the security needs of the school district are still "an emergency." Roughly half of the bond money is earmarked for security upgrades.

There's just as much in need for the safety and security as there was in August, she said. That is not going to change, because what hasn't changed yet is what our Legislature has decided upon when it comes to ... getting guns out of the hands of 18-year-olds.

Ryan, who helped campaign for the bond, said her experience as an Army officer working on contracts worth millions of dollars would be valuable on the board. She said she would make sure the school district's lucrative contracts are awarded competitively, with full awareness of which potential vendors contributed to trustees' political campaigns.

Timely and accurate campaign finance reports are important so people can know about those donations before the district makes those decisions, she said.

Ryan said her most important issue is that Judson parents have a voice on the board. No trustee currently has a child in a Judson ISD school. Some are former Judson parents, or grandparents. Some have children in other schools.

In the past year, parents and teachers union members have come to board meetings to decry the district's large class sizes or complain about the cancellation of Judsons tuition-free prekindergarten program for 3-year-olds, created during the pandemic to help with enrollment. Budget constraints caused the board to add a fee.

Paschall is proud of the program and said some kind of fee is needed "in order for us to maintain it," adding that the tuition is still lower than other pre-K programs in the area.

All the candidates say they are focused on the interlocking issues of teacher pay, recruitment and retention.

The average salary for Judson ISD teachers last school year was $56,707, on the lower end for school districts in Bexar County, according to Texas Education Agency data. Next year's budget won't be finalized until June, but Paschall said the district will be able to offer at least a 1 percent raise and potentially more.

Where they differ

Stanford said her impression, after speaking to teachers, is that Judson ISD is top-heavy with administrators.

We have so much invested in upper management, middle management, that is just squeezing the teachers, she said.

I think we really need to assess that and look for waste and inefficiencies, for one, and then react, re-prioritize, Stanford said. To me, the student performance issue is No. 1. ... If it means reducing student-teacher ratio, if it means more aides and tutors in the classroom, then we have to move the budget around to accomplish that.

Stanford has criticized the board and her opponent for aiming too low when it revised its student achievement goals last summer, particularly for seventh-grade math, in which the district lags far behind the average for its Texas Education Agency region.

I would want to have a much more challenging goal and give the teachers what they need to meet it, not just say, Hey teachers, you do better, she said.

Paschall said the district's goals for student outcomes are reasonable and questioned Stanford's assertion that changes to the budget could produce better ones.

"Maybe she should be more specific on where the resources are," Paschall said.

Diaz said the goals were carefully considered. He said he has advocated for years for the district to measure how all students are doing and set metrics for improvement. The board has been managing itself to set achievable goals in the short term, with an eye on getting to a final destination, Diaz said.

We need to have a plan that addresses the short-term and the long-term goals in a way that is flexible and adaptable based on those outcomes, he said.

None of the candidates favor legislation proposed by the state's Republican leaders that would provide state funding to private schools with a parent voucher system. But they differed on their attitudes toward charter schools.

Stanford and Diaz believe competition from charter networks helps traditional public school systems improve and has created a culture of school choice that parents appreciate. Ryan and Paschall said they generally oppose the proliferation of charter schools because some of them are elitist and all of them hurt enrollment and funding at school districts that must educate all students.

I understand the concept of educational competition and competition makes people better, Ryan said. How they are being executed is a major point of consternation with me. ... They are squeezing out certain socio-economic groups.

Stanford and Diaz feel differently.

I know there's a lot of angst over them, Stanford said. Basically, a charter school is a type of competition that has some advantages that the public school doesn't have, but we can still try to be better.

Diaz, whose children attend a private Christian school, said parental choice is fundamental to "cultivating the right academic environment for students to thrive in," but added, My job on the Judson ISD school board is to make sure that Judson ISD is the best version of itself and has a plan to get even better.

He said this means that he takes into account charter schools and looks at their programs to see how Judson can measure up. Diaz also said he is open to possible partnerships under Senate Bill 1882, a state law that gives schools extra funding for operating with outside entities such as universities or charter networks.

Ball's resignation

All the candidates agreed that the board should provide more transparency on the resignation of Jeanette Ball. They have differing views over how it happened but say the community fractured over it because the public was left mostly in the dark.

The hardest thing was not what went down, it was how it went down, Ryan said. That's not the way the community wants things to happen. They don't want us to be at the top and great performance and stuff like that, and then all of a sudden, behind closed doors, the superintendent was forced to resign.

Stanford said the distrust has hurt the district and that the board should try to find a way to address it without violating the confidentiality required by Ball's resignation agreement.

Paschall counted herself among Ball's wholehearted supporters but joined the unanimous board vote on her resignation.

Dr. Ball herself did not want to go through a fine-toothed scrutiny. I was accepting what she wanted, Paschall said.

She said allegations against Ball brought to the board president still have not been shared with all trustees, though they arrived in advance of Ball's annual evaluation in November that quickly became a negotiation process for her resignation.

Diaz said there were disagreements between the board and the superintendent in the months leading up to that evaluation.

The community absolutely deserves more answers and greater insight as to what led to the acceptance of the resignation of Dr. Ball, in order to dispel misconceptions or false narratives that were created in the absence of information, he said.

The agreement, obtained by the Express-News through an open records request, required Ball to cooperate in any ongoing investigations related to her resignation. On Thursday, the board's president, Jennifer Rodriguez, said those matters had been finalized. Asked if they would be made public, she said no.

Stanford said the image of the school board as a fortress off in the distance is one of the things she hopes to change. She would create an advisory board of teachers and parents and work to introduce question and answer sessions at board meetings.

It just seems so hard to reach the people on the board, Stanford said. It just feels like you're talking into space.

Ryan said rebuilding trust and avoiding controversies won't happen until there's better communication.

We've got to stay out of the newspaper, she added.
A national investigative journalism organization has honored the San Antonio Express-News and the Houston Chronicle for team coverage of the Robb Elementary School massacre in Uvalde.

Investigative Reporters and Editors revealed Monday that the two news organizations won the award for Investigations Triggered by Breaking News. The award recognizes investigative reporting published within 30 days of a news event. It was among more than a dozen prizes in various categories awarded by IRE as part of its annual journalism competition.

Nineteen children and two teachers were killed in the May 24 shooting in Uvalde. The Express-News and the Chronicle, both part of Hearst Newspapers, collaborated in covering the shooting.

The IRE award recognized five stories that brought to light significant new information about how the massacre unfolded, how the teenage gunman acquired his arsenal and how police bungled their response to the shooting, waiting more than an hour to confront and kill the gunman.

"We are incredibly proud of the work our newsrooms did to provide answers to a grieving community," said Maria Reeve, executive editor of the Houston Chronicle.

The articles were principally reported by Guillermo Contreras and Brian Chasnoff of the Express-News and St. John Barned-Smith of the Chronicle. Jacob Beltran and Annie Blanks of the Express-News and Emily Foxhall of the Chronicle contributed.

Just hours after the massacre, Barned-Smith broke the news that the 18-year-old gunman bought two assault rifles and hundreds of rounds of ammunition the week before the shooting -- just days after he turned 18 and could legally make the purchases.

The next day, Contreras and Chasnoff described how, days before the killing spree, the gunman telegraphed his intentions on social media, posting a photo of two assault rifles on Instagram and messaging a girl to say: Im about to.

On May 31, a week after the disaster, Contreras debunked a key element of the official narrative. Top state law enforcement officials had blamed a teacher for carelessly propping open a rear door through which the gunman entered Robb Elementary.

Contreras reported  and state officials confirmed -- that this was untrue: The teacher closed the door behind her, and the gunman was able to enter because the lock was faulty.

On June 4, before police-worn body camera or security footage had been made public, Contreras published a detailed reconstruction of the massacre based in part on law enforcement interviews with a 10-year-old boy who was in a classroom with the gunman and who survived the massacre.

Among other new details, the story disclosed that Uvalde school police chief Pedro Pete Arredondo  the incident commander that day -- did not bring his police radio with him into Robb Elementary, severely limiting his communications with other officers and his situational awareness.

On June 18, Chasnoff revealed that investigators had determined that during the entire 77-minute standoff, police officers never tried to open the door to the classrooms where the gunman was holed up with his victims. The door probably was unlocked the whole time, Chasnoff reported.

IRE, founded in 1975, is a nonprofit dedicated to improving the quality of investigative reporting. Its programs include the National Institute for Computer-Assisted Reporting, a collaboration with the Missouri School of Journalism at the University of Missouri, where IRE is based.
Nearly 500,000 people have traded in a different states license and registered as a Texas driver since the pandemic began  suggesting that hundreds of thousands of people moved to Texas since March 2020.

Specifically, 468,426 people from the other 49 states and the District of Columbia have registered a drivers license in one of Texas 254 counties as of January 2022. About 20% of these people are from California.

More than 92,560 former Californians forfeited their drivers license in Texas during the pandemic. Thats nearly three times the number of Floridian drivers  the second largest group.

In Bexar County, 19% of surrendered licenses were from California, followed by Florida at 8.4%. This is in line with state trends.

Travis County  home to Austin  attracted the largest group of Californians.

Comal County had the highest ratio of licenses surrendered compared to population. This is aligned with U.S. census data that show the population in that region exploding in recent years.

The number of surrendered licenses peaked in October 2021 when 29,555 people officially became Texas residents. That doesn't necessarily mean they moved in October, however  many people blow past the state's 90-day deadline to surrender.

Only 40 people surrendered a license in Bexar County during April and May 2020, which drops the monthly average during COVID to 1,441 people every month. But in 2021 alone, an average of 1,695 people forfeited their previous states license in Bexar County every month.

About the data

The Texas Department of Public Safety requires new Texas drivers to register their vehicle within 30 days of moving to the state and get a new drivers license within 90 days.

Of course, not all new residents complete this task. The data does not account for new residents who do not drive or those who have opted to keep their license from a previous state.

The data includes people whose previous states drivers license has expired, and though they may have lived in Texas for years, they were late to obtain a Texas driver's license.
The call of a male Attwater's prairie chicken during mating season can sound like a mix of a foghorn and a cat howling, but it's music to the ears of Kirk Feuerbacher.

Feuerbacher, working land program director for The Nature Conservancy in Texas, is standing in a field about 20 miles outside the South Texas town of Goliad, watching as little brown-and-white chickens with big orange air sacs strut around, stomping their talons into the dirt and looking for a partner. From early to mid morning, the male birds will inflate their air sacs and create a wooing booming sound that can travel 2 to 3 miles across the coastal prairie land. The female prairie chickens, watching from afar, will choose who has the best call and smartest dance.

Feuerbacher squawks at some of the birds, and they squawk back. Some of them fight a few yards away.

Jerry Lara/San Antonio Express-News

Theyre protecting their piece of land for booming, Feuerbacher said. If another chicken gets too close, theyll defend it. Its all about looking the best.

Feuerbacher is out on the booming grounds to count the prairie chickens. So far, he says, hes seen 11.

The tiny number is emblematic of the state of things for the Attwater's prairie chicken, a once-thriving bird species that is now at risk of extinction.

At the start of the 1900s, about 1 million Attwater's prairie chickens roamed roughly 6 million acres of Texas coastal prairies. Today, because of the shrinking of its natural habitat, invasive species and brush predators, there are just 140 of the birds left in Texas, living on about 1 percent of the original prairie. About 100 of them are at the Refugio-Goliad Prairie Project for prairie chickens in Goliad County, and the rest are at the Attwater Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge in Colorado County.

Since the 1960s, when the prairie chicken was first listed as endangered, state and federal agencies, environmental organizations and landowners have been working to save the dwindling species. The hope is that, with some help from humans, the prairie chicken population will grow and be sustained for years to come.

The prairie chicken is a historic bird. Its part of Texas culture, Feuerbacher said. We cant let it die out.

Bird battle: Legal fight over the lesser prairie chicken could reshape Texas oil industry

The decline of the birds

For many Texans, the Attwater's prairie chicken belongs on the Texan landscape. Because of its booming dance and orange sac, it made an impression on native peoples and settlers to the area. The dance is even thought to have been an inspiration for some Indigenous communities in the coastal prairies.

The species was named after naturalist Henry Philemon Attwater, who advocated for the conservation of the species until he died in the 1930s. While in Texas, Attwater briefly lived in San Antonio, where he studied the nesting habits of 50 species of birds in Bexar County and collected data on the deaths of thousands of warblers during a cold snap in 1892. He eventually sold his natural history collection to the Witte Museum.

During Attwater's time, the prairie chicken used to roam the entire eastern coast of Texas and Louisiana's Bayou Teche. But in the early 1900s, the bird disappeared from Louisiana, making Texas its only home.

A species of grouse, the Attwater's prairie chicken is closely related to the greater prairie chicken, which lives in the Great Plains and the Midwest, and the lesser prairie chicken of the southern Great Plains. The Attwater's prairie chicken is distinctive for its yellow-orange air sac and its small stature, at about 2 pounds, but all three species are threatened or endangered because of habitat loss.

As a result of over-hunting and habitat destruction, the prairie chicken declined from 1 million birds at the turn of the century to about 8,000 in 1937. By the time the Federal Register declared the bird endangered in 1967, the species had fallen to just over 1,000 birds.

The Attwater Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge was established shortly after. It was the only safe spot for the chickens until more than two decades ago, when the Refugio-Goliad Prairie Project began.

Jerry Lara/San Antonio Express-News

Landowners at the time -- mostly fifth- or sixth-generation ranchers -- were interested in protecting their land and the prairie chicken but still using their property to make a living. Recognizing the possibilities, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department stepped forward with funding and technical guidance for landowners, with The Nature Conservancy facilitating the process.

Landowners learned to remove invasive species that threaten the grouse, such as imported red fire ants, and to use prescribed burns to remove brush and trees from their property. Since then, the project has expanded to about 500,000 to 600,000 acres of private land owned by as many as 30 landowners.

Feuerbacher said that while the land is privately owned, the hope is this kind of work will continue through generations.

Management of the prairie landscape is particularly important during booming season from January into May, when male prairie chickens will perform a daily mating ritual to attract females. The grouse will usually produce 12 eggs in April or May.

From July to February, a hatchling that is able to make it to 10 weeks has a 50 percent chance of survival in the wilderness -- a number that is lessened by predators hiding in brush or competition for food by invasive species. These grouse are an indicator species, as well, so when the prairie chicken declines, it means there's something wrong with the ecosystem as a whole, which wildlife biologists say is an important reason to keep the species alive.

Theres nothing stopping these landowners from selling this land to a developer, Feuerbacher said. But the landowners are really tied to this land. and they want to protect it, too. They are really good partners in all of this.

Creek debate: Some residents worry San Antonio creek restoration project will raise housing costs on West Side

Building for the future

About 120 miles northeast of Goliad, the Attwater Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge encompasses just over 10,000 acres of protected prairie. Here, wildlife biologists and specialists manage the landscape just like at the Refugio Project with prescribed burns, removal of fire ants and brush clearing.

Apart from habitat loss, the top threat to the Attwater's prairie chicken is fire ants, said Brandon Melton, a biologist with the wildlife refuge. Originally from South America, the ants arrived in the United States in the late 1930s, causing havoc on native ecosystems. In the coastal prairies, the ants will eat all the little bugs that the young prairie chickens need to survive the first few weeks of life.

Jerry Lara/San Antonio Express-News

At the refuge and the Refugio-Goliad Prairie Project, the teams treat the fields to kill the fire ants, hoping that doing so will raise the tiny bug population for the chickens. The process is done once a year.

Over time, these initiatives have brought the prairie chickens' numbers back up. However, flooding in the coastal prairies in 2016 decimated the numbers again to about 42 birds. The floods destroyed most nests and eggs, wiping out an entire new generation of chickens. Then in 2017, flooding from Hurricane Harvey decreased the population to 12.

Heavy rains can be disastrous for prairie chicken habitat, Feuerbacher said. But captive breeding programs in places such as the Houston Zoo and the Fossil Rim Wildlife Center release up to 300 birds into the wild once a year to keep the population growing. The programs have released over 1,500 birds at the Goliad location since 2007.

There are about 24 breeding pairs on a 400-acre plot of land at the Fossil Rim Wildlife Center in Glen Rose. Every booming season, the birds will lay 12 to 18 eggs, said Warren Lewis, chief marketing officer at Fossil Rim. Last year, 362 chicks hatched. When the chicks are 10 to 16 weeks old, they are taken to release sites where they are tagged with a metal band and sometimes with a radio collar for tracking.

"We're trying to get enough breeders to create enough individual birds to where they can be successful in the wild without really needing us to supplement," Lewis said. "I do think we'll probably be supplementing for quite a few years before we have success."

The prairie chicken has bounced back again since the 2017 hurricane. This spring, The Nature Conservancy and the refuge will be counting the birds during the mating booming season. If anyone sees a chicken with a tag around its foot, its been bred in captivity. But if they dont see a tag, its a good sign. They made it on their own.

Jerry Lara/San Antonio Express-News

Feuerbacher said he has seen only chickens with tags, but thats not to say there arent others in different parts of the property, stomping their tagless legs. The whole project is a work in progress. Just watching the chickens out in the wild, dancing and booming, can be enough to keep going forward.

Theres a lot of rich history in Texas, biologist Melton said. When you actually see these birds doing their thing, it gives you that kind of old Texas feel of what it all might have been like back in the day.
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In the coming years, an overwhelming number of people in our community will reach the stage of life when they are at increased risk for Alzheimers disease and related dementias. The primary risk factor for developing dementia is a persons age. According to census data, Bexar County is home to 250,000 senior adults 65 and older, and the number is projected to grow as San Antonio is an attractive retirement destination.

The citys population is more than 60 percent Hispanic. Data show Hispanics are 1.5 times more likely than Caucasians to develop dementia.

Justifiably, Express-News staff writer Eric Killelea called San Antonio the geographic heart of the Texas struggle with Alzheimers disease in a recent feature story, Fight against Alzheimers boosted, Front Page, Feb. 19.

Health leaders expect a tsunami of health care challenges related to dementia for this region.

In response, the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, also called UT Health San Antonio, will soon build the $100 million Center for Brain Health on Floyd Curl Drive in the South Texas Medical Center.

The new facility will house the Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimers and Neurodegenerative Diseases, our top-of-class, nationally recognized institute that serves South Texas patients with conditions that include dementia. Other neurologists in the center will care for patients with Parkinsons disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, peripheral neuropathy and other disorders.

The Center for Brain Health will be a critically important site of clinical research, offering the latest advancing therapies for dementia, neurodegenerative diseases and all neurologic disorders. The regions most powerful 7-Tesla magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI, system will provide high-resolution images to inform diagnoses, treatment and research. A non-oncology infusion suite will enable the administration of new drugs for patient care and clinical trials.

A team of psychologists, radiologists and other professionals will align closely with the neighboring large outpatient practice at the Medical Arts and Research Center, or MARC. This connectivity and integration will allow patients and families to see a neurologist in the Center for Brain Health, then pass through an enclosed walkway to the MARC for appointments with a cardiologist, nephrologist or other specialist as needed.

The Center for Brain Health will also support the needs of families and caregivers, as we know Alzheimers and dementia diagnoses can be very challenging to manage. Our School of Nursing provides excellent programs directed at caring for caregivers.

Finally, the facility will help expand training programs in the areas of brain health, a badly needed advance for the future of care when the demand for neurologists, neuropsychologists and related professionals will steadily increase.

In the fall of 2021, the Biggs Institute, in collaboration with the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, was named an Alzheimers Disease Research Center, or ADRC by the National Institute on Aging. This is the states only ADRC. The clinical trials offered in the Center for Brain Health will be unique and not duplicated for hundreds of miles in any direction.

Members of the 87th Texas Legislature, including the entire Bexar County delegation, approved capital construction assistance project funds to help finance the Center for Brain Health. We thank them for their foresight. Our goal is to raise $10 million or more in community philanthropy to support this center, as well.

UT Health San Antonio initiatives to understand and advance brain health extend far beyond one building. Researchers are gleaning knowledge about post-traumatic stress disorder, stroke, pain control, substance use disorders, mental illness and more. The Center for Brain Health building is, rather, a tangible symbol of our commitment to caring for people and fathoming this most extraordinary central processing unit  the brain  that enables us to live out our dreams.

William L. Henrich, M.D., MACP, is professor of medicine and president of the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. Sudha Seshadri, M.D., is professor of neurology and founding director of the Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimers and Neurodegenerative Diseases at UT Health San Antonio.
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One front-runner in the long list of the 88th Texas Legislatures bad ideas is a proposal that would decimate San Antonios budget.

Senate Bill 1110 would limit municipal utilities in Texas  like CPS Energy  from transferring revenue to the cities that own them. The potential result for residents? Higher taxes, cuts in municipal services, a hit to the citys credit rating. It is yet another example of the state infringing on local affairs.

For more than 70 years CPS Energy has transferred up to 14 percent of its revenue to the city annually. In fiscal 2023, thats expected to add up to $391.8 million or 26 percent of the citys $1.5 billion general fund, which supports city services, including police and fire protection, street repairs, sidewalks, libraries, senior centers and drainage projects.

If this bill were to pass, and we are skeptical it will, the city would have to significantly cut basic services.

SB 1110 would cause a catastrophic loss in revenue that would negatively impact services to our community, the citys bond credit ratings and capital programs, Ben Gorzell, the citys chief financial officer, said during a Senate Committee on Business and Commerce hearing on March 21.

At a City Council committee meeting March 8, Assistant City Manager Jeff Coyle called the proposal the biggest, potentially most damaging piece of legislation weve ever seen.

The bills author, Sen. Charles Schwertner, R-Georgetown, said, Its not a ban on transfers. This is certainly an area that a lot of municipalities get great benefit from. I just dont want excessive transfers. Thats the genesis of this bill  an inappropriate transfer that overly burdens utility ratepayers, by enterprising city councils that want to utilize the utility as, basically, a piggy bank to fund whatever they want in their general fund as a city.

Who is Schwertner to define how cities use revenues from city-owned utilities? He doesnt represent San Antonio. There is already a mechanism to hold municipal governments accountable for their policies and decisions. It is called an election.

Despite Schwertners sentiment, the filed bill states: Notwithstanding any other law, a municipality may not transfer revenue from a municipal utility to the general fund of the municipality if the transfer would result in a rate increase or financial deficit for the municipal utility.

And: A municipal utility may not include transfers of revenue from a municipal utility to the general fund of the municipality in the municipal utilitys cost of service study.

Schwertner, an orthopedic surgeon, tried to make the case that some city councils are using utility transfers to boost city coffers, but he offered little evidence, and no witnesses testified to such problems at a March 21 hearing.

Utilities can request rate increases and city councils can deliberate and vote on them. San Antonios City Council last approved a 3.85 percent rate increase in January 2022.

And CPS Energy has returned millions back to taxpayers. In September, San Antonio City Council approved a plan to return a surplus of $42.5 million to CPS ratepayers. Critics, and we were one of them, argued the money could have been better spent on weatherization and other projects to bolster energy efficiency and renewable energy sources. But the point is, here is an example of elected leaders returning surplus funds to ratepayers.

Not surprisingly, the Texas Public Power Association, which represents the states 72 municipally owned utilities, opposes the bill. The two largest cities on the list, San Antonio and Austin, have lower energy costs than El Paso, Corpus Christi, Houston and Dallas, where power companies arent municipally owned.

The bill remains stuck in committee, and thats where it should stay. Such a proposal is neither grounded nor sensible. Its just another asinine attempt from a lawmaker looking to create a problem where none exists. One day, Texans will tire of this.
Some Texas abortion funds are back to helping people access the procedure in states where it's still legal, following months of legal uncertainty and a court ruling that at least partly shields them from prosecution under the state's bans.

In a statement Monday, the Lilith Fund announced that it was restarting its logistical support.

"We are overjoyed to be able to fund abortions for Texans again," said the fund's interim executive director Neesha Dave. "While we have been proud to fund other essential healthcare for our hotline callers, funding abortion is what we are here to do. Even though no one should have to leave home for healthcare, it means everything to us to support Texans who have been forced to travel to access abortion care.

BACKGROUND: Texas abortion funds freeze indefinitely as Supreme Court shakes landscape

Last week, the Dallas-based Texas Equal Access Fund posted on its website: "We can pay for your abortion." And in early March, the group Fund Texas Choice reopened its travel support hotline.

"ALL Texans deserve to be able to access the care that they need, not just those who have the resources and ability to travel," the organization wrote on Twitter, adding that it was still "fine-tuning" the details.

The judge's order in the funds' case applies initially to just a handful of local prosecutors; however, they are seeking to expand the suit to apply to all Texas prosecutors.

U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman ruled in February that the state's 19th Century abortion bans, which prohibited any Texan from "furnishing the means" for an abortion, were repealed by implication when the Supreme Court protected the right in its 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals had made the same finding in 2004.

Under the state's current abortion ban, Texans have to travel to neighboring New Mexico or farther to legally access the procedure. The fund says that's been hardest on people of color, as well as rural and low-income Texans, who already struggled with finding access to the procedure or funds.

Texans who find out they are pregnant before 15 weeks have to drive 515 miles one-way on average to the nearest clinic that performs abortions, according to The Guttmacher Institute, which studies reproductive health access. That number only rises the further along their pregnancy gets, all the way up to 787 miles for those who are beyond 24 weeks.

Texas' abortion bans make no exceptions for rape or incest, only for situations that put the mother at risk of death or "substantial impairment of a major bodily function" if the procedure is not performed. While some Republican lawmakers during the campaign season had voiced interest in creating those exceptions or clarifying the emergency exception, since the 2023 legislative session has begun, there has been no mention of it, and their focus has turned entirely to family services.

At least one bill has been proposed this session that would restrict employers from helping employees fund abortions, but it does not have traction as of yet.

READ ALSO: In post-Roe Texas, GOP avoids talk of abortion in pivot to family services

"All of it is so uncertain, but were going to fund abortions until were forced to stop, Denise Rodriguez, communications director with the Texas Equal Access Fund, told the Texas Tribune.

Rodriguez told the outlet they have enough funding to assist callers from now through June 24, the one-year anniversary of the Dobbs decision.

taylor.goldenstein@houstonchronicle.com
New York Citys school system went on a spending spree during the pandemic, thanks to the $7.5 billion in federal money it received as part of a $189 billion national relief package aimed at addressing education problems incurred by lockdowns and school closures.

Although the funds were nonrecurring, the nations largest school district used some of the money for enduring budget items and programs, including hiring 500 social workers, opening new bilingual programs, and expanding summer learning centers.

Now, the district faces a fiscal cliff, a situation in which spending creates budgetary needs in the future after a financial windfall is depleted.

I am  deeply concerned about how the [New York City Department of Education] will sustain many long-term program expansions, which rely heavily on federal relief funds, Rita Joseph, a New York City Council Member and the chair of the council's Education Committee, told her colleagues in November.

New York is joined by numerous other school systems that used the temporary funds to beef up staff. Some are already handing out pink slips.

In Stockton, Calif., the district is laying off 19 full-time employees hired with part of the $241 million the school district received in COVID relief. The district acknowledged that some of the money, which funded a total of 163 positions, was misspent.

Seattle schools received $145 million in relief and is handing out pink slips to up to 70 employees as it struggles with enrollment that has dropped 16% since 2020. Relief spending included $1.4 million on equity work and response to racism.

The district acknowledged its economic mismanagement in a public notice explaining its $131 million deficit: Enrollment has decreased  while staff has increased.

The fiscal cliff did not come out of the blue, as districts were warned of the challenges they would face in sustaining longer-term programs after the federal tranche was exhausted.

K-12 education last faced widespread financial trouble in 2009, as the Great Recession prompted government to provide nearly $50 billion in relief to districts, which reacted in a way similar to now. Layoffs and budget problems soon followed hiring and expansion.

Districts are optimistic that something will happen that will not force them into making hard decisions, said Chad Aldeman, a school finance pundit and founder of readnotguess.com, a reading instruction website. They see labor costs as fixed, so they dont do a good job of scaling up or down. They have a hard time downsizing.

A recent Rand study found that 77% of school districts used the federal money on exactly what numerous other fiscal hawks cautioned against: beefing up staffing with little regard for the future. Roughly half of district leaders see a fiscal cliff looming after coronavirus disease (COVID-19) federal aid expires, Rand researchers reported. The study noted that over three-quarters of public school districts have increased their number of teaching and non-teaching staff above pre-pandemic levels.

As in Seattle, districts across the U.S. are realizing that they made a mistake. The jobs of teachers, mid-level administrators, and low-level employees alike are on the chopping block. Also in danger are after-school programs, tutoring, and counseling, all aimed at addressing the damage caused by widespread school closures, typically locked down under strong pressure from teacher unions.

Aldeman added that politics becomes part of a broader narrative, as some districts think they will be able to sustain this going forward and that they can go to lawmakers and say, We need to keep this going.

Molly May, an assistant superintendent in the Eanes school district of Austin, Texas, said the pandemic exacerbated the districts ever-present need for more funding and the need did not go away.

Losing this (federal) funding without additional financial support from the state will create even more difficulties for districts, she told an Austin newspaper in January. May did not respond to an interview request.

Many educators agree that Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief, or ESSER funds, were an important stopgap as districts dealt with the effects of school closures and remote teaching.

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, or CARES, in March 2020 approved $13.2 billion in ESSER funds, which were ramped up twice more: An additional $54.3 billion was approved in December 2020, and another $122 billion in March 2021, for more than $189 billion in total relief.

The federal largesse was unprecedented and came on the heels of a 4.7% public education funding increase to $752 billion in 2019, the most per pupil in more than a decade, the U.S. Census Bureau reported.

The ESSER money came with few spending restrictions except for time, as the cash had spending deadlines, which have passed for the first two installments. The deadline for disbursing the third payment is September 2024. 'Double-Digit Pay Increases in Perpetuity'

This is the largest federal infusion of money in schools ever, around $4,000 a student, Jessica Swanson, senior fellow at Georgetown Universitys Edunomics Lab, told RealClearInvestigations. While some districts have used the money wisely  for facility upgrades, counseling, and tutoring and pay increases, other districts have given double-digit pay increases in perpetuity, and these districts will be stuck with high labor costs. Some districts did this even with declining enrollment.

Public schools saw increased enrollment before the pandemic, but students have fled schools since 2020, with an estimated 1.1 million students lost to home schooling, private schools and other options. The drop hamstrings most districts, which receive per-student funding from states.

While many districts are spending their relief on pandemic-related mitigation, others found less strategic uses for the cash. Regardless of use, many of the programs require future funding.

Among the other school districts nearing the cliff:

In New York City, the alarm was sounded by the Citizen Budget Commission, a fiscal hawk that has served New York City since the 1930s.

The fiscal cliff is particularly a concern for [the department of education], the commission said in a May 2021 report, titled Federal Aid Now, Fiscal Cliffs Later. The windfall, the group warned, should not be used for new and expanded programs, such as more afterschool programs and additional teachers, which would create a budgetary mess that would include layoffs.

School administrators ignoring the advice held out hope that revenue would increase, a questionable proposition in a district that has lost 90,000 students, nearly 8%, since 2020.

The focus is often to fill a shortfall this year and worry about everything else the next, said Ana Champeny, vice president of research at the Citizens Budget Commission. There were plenty of people who questioned the budget director when these plans were being announced. 

Within months of receiving the first installment of federal aid, then-Mayor Bill DeBlasio spent $3.3 billion of it on a pet project, universal pre-kindergarten, creating a scenario in which the district will have to spend millions a year to sustain the program starting in 2024, when the relief money runs out.

The New York scenario looks set to play out nationally, as districts seek to continue some of the programs that are being introduced through the relief program.

Its too early to know which programs have been effective, and many districts and states are currently trying to determine what best benefitted students.

There is a lot of learning now about what is working, said Austin Estes, the program manager for the Council of Chief State School Officers COVID relief data project. I would expect districts to be thinking about continuing investments into those programs into the future.

Which means more demands for increased education funding.

There is flexibility in existing funds to support these programs, said Estes, whose group tracks how state education agencies are spending their portion of ESSER money. But, he added, the education lobby will also try to convince state lawmakers to support more school funding, a longtime political issue.
Kiev, Apr 4 (UNI) Secretary-General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Jens Stoltenberg said Monday that the alliance will discuss a multi-year support program for Ukraine, the Interfax-Ukraine news agency reported.

The program will be on the agenda of the meeting of NATO foreign ministers on April 4-5, Stoltenberg said.

"I expect that the ministers will agree to start work on the development of a multi-year program for Ukraine," Stoltenberg told a press conference in Brussels, Belgium.

Along with providing support for Ukraine in the conflict with Russia, the program is important for the long-term perspective of the development of relations between Ukraine and NATO, said Stoltenberg.

At their meeting, the foreign ministers of NATO countries will also discuss ways to strengthen the support for Ukraine's Armed Forces and ensure their transition to NATO standards, he added.



On April 4, the meeting of the Ukraine-NATO Commission will be held within the framework of the NATO foreign ministers summit.

UNI XINHUA RKM
Rep. Alice Buckley, D-Bozeman, discusses one of her three bills aimed at bolstering the child care industry in Montana heard on the House floor on Monday, April 3, 2023, ahead of Tuesday's transmittal deadline. (Photo by Blair Miller, Daily Montanan)

As Montana tries to figure out how to address a mix of child care provider shortages, increasing costs, and parents hoping to get back in the workforce, the House advanced two bills from Rep. Alice Buckley and voted down another that sought to address some of the issues more permanently.

The Bozeman Democrats House Bill 648 passed second reading Monday in a 51-49 vote, with four votes in favor fewer than when it passed second reading a week ago before being sent to the House Appropriations Committee.

The bill aims to expand the Best Beginnings Scholarship program to an estimated 700 more low-income families in Montana by moving eligibility levels back to where they were during the pandemic, from 150% to 185% of the Federal Poverty Level, capping copays at 9%, and putting them on a sliding scale.

A fiscal note estimates the expansion would cost an estimated $7 million each year, but another fiscal note was requested after the bill passed second reading Monday.

The floor discussion from Republicans on Monday  a day before Tuesdays transmittal deadline for appropriations, revenue and constitutional referendum bills  centered primarily around why the legislature needed to put the program into statute and appropriate money for extra child care support.

With this proposal to expand costs, we are forcing on more costs for people that already are paying for their own child care if they need it and working at the same time, said Rep. Jerry Schillinger, R-Circle. If the market isnt willing to pay the wage it takes to cover the costs of the employee to be there, maybe they shouldnt be there.

Rep. SJ Howell, D-Missoula, who sponsored a similar bill earlier this session, pushed back on some views voiced on the floor by Republicans ahead of the vote. Howell has helped explain how the program works through the committee process given the similarity of their legislation to Buckleys.

Rep. Jodee Etchart, R-Billings, told the chamber that a person working 15 hours a week would be allowed to have their child take a full-time slot at a child care center under the scholarship program, when the bill and program say otherwise.

The bill says the Department of Public Health and Human Services pays a rate to child care facilities based on a childs authorized enrollment slot, which Howell explained was determined through a screening process in which parents have to submit how many hours they are working or going to school. The screening agency then determines the scholarship amounts based on that total.

If youre working 15 hours a week, theyll maybe give you 20 hours (of scholarship funding) a week, Howell said. The idea folks are getting the scholarship when working 60 hours a month just isnt happening.

Regarding some concerns about the reimbursement rate, Howell explained that it ensures providers are still paid even when a child misses some days of care because they are sick, for instance.

Howell also addressed concerns that the federal child care and development block grant program that helps fund the scholarship program might someday go away and leave lawmakers on the hook to pay for the program in full. Howell said that was deeply unlikely to happen and would require an historic change in funding currently going toward every state.

A 2021 report from DPHHS, Kids Count Montana and the Department of Labor and Industry found an estimated 32,000 parents with children under age 6 were working and relying on child care to remain in the labor force  about 6% of the labor force. That same report found the child care capacity met 44% of the estimated demand.

Rep. Jane Gillette, R-Bozeman, said she was voting against the bill because it doesnt help the tight cost-of-living areas like Flathead and Gallatin.

But Buckley pushed back in her closing, saying there were 3,600 children in Gallatin County who qualify for the scholarship at its current 150% FPL.

There are so many good reasons to codify this program, Buckley said. It gives us legislative oversight; gives us transparency; gives the opportunity to say were putting state dollars into this program, which we were able to craft in a way that works for all of us here.

Nineteen Republicans joined all 32 Democrats to move the bill forward to third reading Tuesday.

Initial approval for in-home daycare zoning

Buckleys House Bill 918 passed second reading on a 78-22 vote. It changes zoning law so that in-home daycares registered by DPHHS qualify as residential properties, which Buckley said would allow for those daycares serving 15 or fewer children that are registered to continue operating.

Buckley said as more in-home daycare providers come online, some might not be licensed, and that the bill would level the playing field to allow Montanans more child care options.

A fiscal note for the bill says in-home providers would still have to register with DPHHS for child care licensing purposes, but that it would have no fiscal impact to the state because it does not directly change child care licensing rules.

A mix of Democrats and Republicans voted against the bill, including Minority Leader Kim Abbott, D-Helena.

Long-term funding for child care grants and scholarships voted down

Buckleys third child care program, House Bill 967, was voted down 40-60, with eight Republicans joining Democrats in favor.

The bill sought to establish a child care special revenue account and trust fund that originally would have received $150 million from the coal severance tax permanent fund, but it was amended to receive only payable earnings from the account.

The trust fund would get the $150 million from the general fund, and the interest earnings from the trust fund would be deposited into a new child care account, which would be administered by DPHHS for child care scholarships or grants.

Buckley told the House that the child care crisis required multiple possible solutions and called the bill one avenue for change to try to recruit more child care workers and expand the child care landscape in Montana for the future.

This is a bill that meets this moment in time with respect to child care, she said.

Though another fiscal note was requested Monday after the bill was voted down, one that was published after the bill was amended in the House Taxation Committee found after the initial $150 million general fund transfer, the fund would generate approximately $6 million each year that would go to the scholarships or grants for child care expenses.

House Appropriations Chair Rep. Llew Jones, R-Conrad, said while the legislature had not yet spent a ton on child care, it had overspent on other measures and was right now running in the red.

He said the legislature has about $1.2 billion left to disburse among $2.5 billion in requests in bills still moving.

The post House advances two child care bills ahead of Tuesdays budget deadline appeared first on Daily Montanan.
Democratic Reps. Justin Pearson, Gloria Johnson and Justin Jones at a Monday press conference, April 3, 2023. (Photo by John Partipilo of the Tennessee Lookout)

Republican lawmakers sponsored resolutions Monday to expel three Democrats who led a protest on the House floor last week as hundreds of people rallied outside the chamber for tighter gun laws before the session devolved into a fracas.

The bills are aimed at state Reps. Justin Jones of Nashville, Justin Pearson of Memphis and Gloria Johnson of Knoxville. Theyre sponsored by Republican Reps. Andrew Farmer of Sevierville, Gino Bulso of Brentwood and Bud Hulsey of Kingsport.

Members voted on party lines, 72-23, to vote on expulsion Thursday when the House goes into session again.

Spectators in the House balconies reacted by shouting, fascists, fascists! before being escorted out by state troopers. As lawmakers shot video of the event, Rep. Justin Lafferty, R-Knoxville, turned to Jones, who was standing nearby, grabbing Jones phone and shoving the freshman lawmaker.

House Democratic Caucus Leader John Ray Clemmons characterized Laffertys move as assault.

The House Democratic Caucus and Tennessee Black Caucus later opposed efforts to expel the three lawmakers.

The political retribution is unconstitutional and, in this moment, morally bankrupt, the Black Caucus said in a statement.

Thousands of people protested the states lax gun laws again Monday on the War Memorial Plaza and inside the Capitol, many of them high school students, a week after the shooting deaths of six people at The Covenant School in Green Hills.

A two-thirds vote of the chamber is required for expulsion of any member, but Republicans hold a supermajority with 75 of the Houses 99 seats.

The trio is expected to be given a chance to defend themselves before the entire chamber.

Resolutions by the three Republican lawmakers point out the state Constitution enables the House to punish members for disorderly behavior. House rules include preserving order, adhering to decorum, speaking only with recognition, not crowding around the Clerks desk, avoiding personalities, and not using props or displaying political messages.

All three resolutions contend Jones, Johnson and Pearson did knowingly and intentionally bring disorder and dishonor to the House of Representatives through their individual and collective actions.

It notes the trio moved to the well last Thursday at 10:49 a.m. and started shouting and pounding on the podium, leading chants with a crowded gallery and engaged in disorderly and disruptive conduct, including refusing to leave the well, sitting on the podium, and utilizing a sign displaying a political message.

Jones and Pearson both used a megaphone to rally the crowds.

The resolutions state the targeted members have been notified about the potential expulsion.

Republican Rep. Sam Whitson said Monday he wanted Democrats to take action against the trio for disrupting the chamber. Democratic leaders balked at the idea.

House Speaker Cameron Sexton accused them of insurrection, a claim they vehemently deny.

Protests continued Monday night inside the House chamber with Sexton having state troopers remove at least two people for outbursts as Republican Caucus Chairman Jeremy Faison discussed the need for people to refrain from mob behavior.

State Rep. Bo Mitchell responded that the House needs a little light shed on it.

This story was originally written and produced by the Tennessee Lookout which is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus, including the Daily Montanan, supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity.

The post Tennessee House GOP moves to expel three Democrats over floor protests about Nashville shooting appeared first on Daily Montanan.
Montanas Democratic Sen. Jon Tester joined four other colleagues in crossing the aisle to vote against the Biden administrations new Waters of the United States rule this week.

On Wednesday, the Senate passed a joint resolution under the Congressional Review Act to invalidate the WOTUS rule, which went into effect in 48 states last week. Montana Republican Sen. Steve Daines also voted for the resolution, which cleared the House earlier this month and now heads to Biden for review.

The WOTUS rule  which defines the waterways falling under federal Clean Water Act regulations  has been a subject of controversy in Congress and the courts for years.

At heart of the issue is if non-navigable waterways, like wetlands and streams that only flow for part of the year, should be subject to federal regulation. The rule also codifies two tests into law to determine the jurisdiction of waterways, and includes several exemptions to agriculture land.

The EPA and other groups that support of the rule say protecting all kinds of waterways is necessary because they are all interconnected.

But opponents  the most vocal of which are agriculture groups  have said not knowing which waterways are regulated or not will create costly delays for the industry.

Tester said the threats posed to Montanas agriculture economy are why he opposed the new WOTUS definition.

After listening to Montana farmers, ranchers, and other stakeholders, its clear this rule isnt right for Montana, Tester said in a statement.

Clean water is simply too important to our states economy and the health of our communities to get this wrong, and the Biden Administration needs to go back to the drawing board to deliver a rule that better supports Montanas agriculture economy and protects our environment, Tester said.

Testers vote is a departure from his support of the Obama-era WOTUS rule in 2015, which similarly put non-navigable waterways under federal regulation. A Tester spokesperson said the new WOTUS rule is significantly different from the Obama-era rule.

Daines, who joined his Republican colleagues in introducing a Senate version of the resolution last month, said in a statement that the senate vote was a victory for Montanas farmers and ranchers.

WOTUS infringes on the rights of Montana farmers, ranchers and landowners and creates confusion and burdensome red tape; Montanans shouldnt have to answer to the federal government over minor issues like ditches on their property, Daines said.

The new WOTUS rule, which has been in effect in Montana for less than two weeks, returned federal regulations to nearly half of Montana streams that provide habitat for native trout, other fish and aquatic insects.

Those are streams that only flow for part of the year. But theyre still important because if they become degraded and backfilled with soot, it impacts the natural filtration ability and habitat quality of larger rivers, said Guy Alsentzer, director of environmental nonprofit Upper Missouri Waterkeeper.

Those protections could soon be lost, as groups look to Congress and the courts to invalidate the rule.

Republican Reps. Ryan Zinke and Matt Rosendale, also voted for the Congressional resolution opposing WOTUS when it was in the House. Gov. Greg Gianforte has denounced the rule.

Now, the resolution heads to Bidens desk. The president has already pledged to veto the measure, saying that undoing the new WOTUS definition would only create further uncertainty and hurt local economies.

Congress could undo Bidens expected veto with a two-thirds majority, but margins in both chambers are insufficient to override it.

Opponents argue its the rule itself that brings uncertainty for water users.

Cyndi Johnson, president of the Montana Farm Bureau Federation, said in an interview the rule creates ambiguity because farmers and ranchers here wont know how many hoops you have to jump through to use a water source theyve accessed for decades.

Its a concern to all of us in agriculture because we live in a state where there are all kinds of small natural drainages that occur when it rains and snows, Johnson said. Is that drainage subject to federal oversight? Maybe. Under the new rule, we dont know.

There are eight exclusions noted in the WOTUS rule, including cropland converted prior to 1985, dryland ditches, waste treatment systems, and artificial lakes and ponds for things like stock watering.

But other agriculture waterways where jurisdiction is unclear could face tests and federal regulation if determined they impact water quality downstream.

Pending Bidens veto, the congressional challenge is still just one facet of opposition to the WOTUS rule.

Earlier this month, a federal judge granted an injunction to the rule for Texas and Idaho after they sued to stop its implementation.

Montana has joined 24 other states in another suit against the EPA. The case, which was filed in North Dakota, has yet to be heard. There are two additional lawsuits in other states, all asking for the rule to be overturned.

The WOTUS rule will also be weighed by the Supreme Court, which is set to decide Sackett vs. EPA before summer. That case will decide the scope of federal authority under the Clean Water Act. If Sackett prevails, that will essentially invalidate the rule as written.
Hundreds of woolly hats have been gifted to farmers across the country as part of a charity's rural mental wellness campaign.

The hats have been knitted as part of the Farming Community Networks (FCN) Wool and Wellness campaign with British Wool, which launched in winter 2022.

The campaign encourages the public and farmers to take up the challenge of knitting a hat using wool, stitching in an FCN Helpline (03000 111 999)  and then gifting it to another person.

The campaign hopes to raise awareness of the importance of good mental health in farming, encouraging people to keep the FCN Helpline number close by.

Since launch, the charity's campaign has seen hundreds of woolly hats gifted to farmers in England and Wales.

Linda Jones, FCN Cymru National Manager, said the Wool and Wellness campaign had been well-received by people in rural communities.

"It allows people to utilise a great natural product  wool  in a supportive way, knitting hats that can keep us all warm during the cold weather, whilst also ensuring the FCN contact details are close to hand.

"We want to remind everyone that they are part of a supportive community, and that there is help at hand from our charity should people need to speak with someone in confidence.

A local Knit and Natter group in Gower, Wales has seen over 60 hats knitted as part of the campaign  one of many local initiatives taking place.

FCN supporter Carolyn Dyche, who organises the group, said that living in a large rural area could often result in people feeling isolated and lonely.

She said: Knitting is a lovely hobby or occupation, but it can be a solitary one. As a group we have welcomed the opportunity to knit for FCNs Wool and Wellness campaign.

"Knitting for farmers is therapeutic for us and our hats are knitted with so much tender love and care. We hope that in receiving our hats farmers will know that we care about them, think about them, and that they are not alone.

The hats are available for farmers to collect at Monmouthshire Market, where they can be picked up from FCN volunteers.
Young farmers are being equipped with new skills and resources to help prevent crime in their local rural and farming communities.

A new training course  Helping Farmers to Prevent Crime  has been developed by the National Federation of Young Farmers Clubs (NFYFC) and the Police Crime Prevention Academy.

The course will be available to deliver nationally from 24 April 2023 to all 577 Young Farmers Clubs (YFCs) across England and Wales.

Rural crime costs the UK an estimated 40.5m, according to NFU Mutual, and continues to be a great cause of concern for the wider rural community.

Farmers are often targeted by criminals due to their remote locations with easy access to high-value equipment.

With more than 22,000 YFC members based in rural locations, it is hoped the training will raise awareness of crime prevention among a large group of young people who can help influence their local communities.

Cumbria County chair Will Longmire said: Cumbria County Federation of YFC is proud to have started this initiative and we're delighted it has been turned into a resource that can now be used by all YFCs.

Young farmers can safeguard their future livelihoods by being aware of simple steps to help prevent crime and by making practical suggestions to the farms of neighbours and friends.

"It also means YFCs can contribute to the overall safety of their neighbours and local communities.

The new course aims to help young farmers understand the impact of rural crime, financially and emotionally.

It also seeks to raise awareness of the practical ways young farmers can help to identify vulnerabilities on their own and local farms.

Bob Henderson, national technical engineering manager at NFU Mutual, said: "We know the disruption, cost and worry rural crime causes for many farming communities and are pleased to support the roll-out of this initiative.

It was great to see Cumbrias young farmers successfully help fellow farmers protect their farmyards, livestock and machinery to operate in the countryside."
New Delhi, Apr 4 (UNI) India-Bhutan ties are based on shared values, trust, mutual respect and a close understanding and sensitivity to each others interests and concerns, and both sides hold close consultations on matters relating to their mutual interest and security, Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra said on Tuesday amid concerns over the Bhutan-China boundary talks issue.

The Foreign Secretary, addressing a special briefing following the talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and visiting Bhutanese King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, also said that the Government of India very closely follows all developments which have a bearing on our national interest and we would take all necessary measures to safeguard them as necessary.

He said that the national interest of India and Bhutan and the interest of the bilateral relations are interlinked.

India-Bhutan relations are based on some key pillars, of shared values, trust, mutual respect and a close understanding and sensitivity to each others interest and concerns.

Besides this exemplary and unique relationship, we also have a time-tested framework of security cooperation, and as part of that both sides maintain a long standing tradition of close consultation on matters relating to their mutual interest and also on security, he said.

The Intertwined and indivisible nature of our security concerns is self-evident.

To persistent question on the Doklam issue, following reports that both Bhutan and China are close to solving their boundary issue, he said: With regard to the questions all I would say is that Government of India very closely follows all developments which have a bearing on our national interest and we would take all necessary measures to safeguard them as necessary.

As regard to the recent statement and the commentary to them is concerned, I would say that India and Bhutan remain in close touch relating to our shared interest, including security interest, and I would only reiterate earlier statements on this issue, which very explicitly and clearly bring out our position on the determination of the tri-junction boundary points, the Foreign Secretary said.

The Foreign Secretarys clarification comes in the wake of media reports that Bhutan and China may be close to solving their boundary issue, and that Thimphu might accept Beijings offer of sovereignty on 269 sq km of land in western Bhutan in exchange for China giving up claim on 495 sq km of area in north-central Bhutan. If Thimphu cedes control of western Bhutan to China, then it will help the Chinese PLA gain access to the Siliguri Corridor, the narrow stretch of land that links northeastern India with the rest of the country,

Bhutanese PM Lotay Tsherings recent statements in his interview to a Belgian paper, La Libre, over the Doklam and Bhutan-China boundary talks have also stirred the pot.

However, three days ago, the Bhutan PM stated that there is no change in the position by Bhutan.

PM Tshering said, I have said nothing new and there is no change in position", he told The Bhutanese two days ago.

In his interview to La Libre, asked where things are at today in view of the 2017 Doklam standoff, the Bhutanese PM said: Doklam is a junction point between India, China and Bhutan. It is not up to Bhutan alone to solve the problem. We are three. There is no big or small country, there are three equal countries, each counting for a third. We are ready. As soon as the other two parties are also ready, we can discuss. India and China have problems all along their border. We are therefore waiting to see how they will resolve their differences.

The other aspect that also generated controversy is the Bhutanese PMs statements that there is no Chinese intrusion into Bhutan.

The Bhutan PM said that last month a Bhutanese delegation visited China and they are now awaiting the arrival in Bhutan of a Chinese technical team. He told the Belgian paper that after one or two meetings they will probably be able to draw a line.

Bhutans Foreign Ministry issued a press release on this and the then Foreign Secretary Kinga Singye had said the signing of the MoU on the Three-Step Roadmaps purpose is to expedite the Bhutan-China boundary negotiations after 37 years and 24 rounds of boundary talks.

UNI RN
Couples sleep better if they have sex beforehand.

Couples sleep better when they have had sex

Researchers have discovered that people nod off faster and get better quality sleep if they orgasm with a partner but solo sex acts do not have the same effect.

Getting tired out by the exertion of making love and a surge in sleep-promoting hormones play a part in the findings.

Study author Carlotta Oesterling got 159 people to fill out questionnaires and two-week diaries about their love lives and sleeping habits.

She discovered that if they had been intimate with their partner first, the average time taken to get to sleep fell from 21 minutes to 16 minutes.

Oesterling, a PhD Student at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands, said: "Orgasm is established to release oxytocin and prolactin - hormones that both influence sleep.

"The psychological effects of relationship satisfaction, loving and feeling loved, as well as having a sense of security, have also been shown to impact sleep."
Vladimir Putin is a big fan of Sir Elton John.

Vladimir Putin is a big fan of Sir Elton John

The former BBC political editor Andrew Marr said that the Russian tyrant made the revelation during an interview ahead of the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi.

Protests had been held in Russia over the country's anti-homosexuality laws that were branded "inhumane" by the music legend.

Marr discussed homophobia with Putin and found out that the despot enjoyed the 'Crocodile Rock' hitmaker's music.

The broadcaster said: "I asked him if he had gay friends, which he does, and whether he was homophobic.

"He said he wasn't, but that he enjoyed Elton's music very much."

Marr admits that he considers Putin to be one of the "cleverest" people he has ever interviewed.

The LBC presenter recalled in an interview last year: "He was extraordinary. He's got this very famous, cold, cold stare that people talk about, but I would say, listening to him, because he was being interviewed then in lots of different languages, he's one of the cleverest men that I have ever interviewed.

"He may not be any more, but he was then."

Marr branded Putin as "deranged" and argued that his invasion of Ukraine presents a grave danger to the world.

He said: "Over the last 50 years we have faced, as a country, frankly deranged foreign leaders, or people whose mental stability we were unsure about, and we have faced nuclear threats, but what we haven't faced before is the two things coming together at once.

"And that's why this is such a dangerous moment for us and for the world."
Donald Trump ranted his historic indictment as surreal just before he was formally arrested.

Donald Trump ranted his historic indictment was surreal just before he was formally arrested

The ex-reality TV star, 76, became the first former US president to face criminal charges when he arrived at a New York courthouse on Tuesday (04.04.23) to surrender to the Manhattan district attorneys office over an alleged $130,000 hush money payment given to porn actress Stormy Daniels on his behalf in the run-up to his victorious 2016 presidential election.

He said on his Truth Social platform: Heading to Lower Manhattan, the Courthouse.

Seems so SURREAL  WOW, they are going to ARREST ME. Cant believe this is happening in America. MAGA (Make America Great Again)!

The frontrunner to be the Republicans choice for the White House in 2024 pumped his fist in the air at supporters as he left his home at Trump Tower to be escorted to Manhattan Criminal Courthouse in a motorcade by his Secret Service protection team.

It has been reported he will not face a mugshot as part of his arrest.

Television cameras will not be allowed inside the courtroom, after a ruling by Judge Juan Merchan, but five still photographers will have access before the hearing begins to take pictures of Trump and the scene.

Television cameras were also allowed in the hallways of the building so Trump could talk to reporters when he is there.

The indictment is the culmination of a years-long probe into hush money paid to adult movie star Stormy Daniels, 44, in 2016, allegedly to buy her silence about her apparent affair with Trump.

Stormy  born Stephanie Gregory Clifford  claims she had a fling with Trump in 2006.

He denies they had an affair and has called it a witch hunt, but has admitted directing his then lawyer Michael Cohen, 56, to pay Daniels $130,000 for her silence.

The adult star claimed Cohen used "intimidation and coercive tactics" to get her to sign on to the statement denying her affair with Trump.

Cohen told a federal court in Manhattan Trump directed him to make the payments, and was eventually sentenced to three years in prison after pleading guilty to campaign finance charges stemming from his part in the payments.

Trump also faces a series of other legal woes  including over the January 6 attack on Congress, his keeping of classified records, business dealings and a defamation suit arising from an allegation of rape by the writer E Jean Carroll, 79, which Trump has denied.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussexs Archewell Foundation reportedly paid Michelle Obama and Hillary Clintons advisers $325,000 for strategic support.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussexs Archewell Foundation reportedly paid Michelle Obama and Hillary Clintons advisers $325,000 for strategic support

Prince Harry, 38, and his 41-year-old wife Meghan  who have children Archie, three, and 21-month-old Lilibet  are said to have given Michelles former press secretary $110,000 and one of Hillarys ex-advisers $215,000 in 2021.

The salaries were revealed in a report on the couples tax returns by DailyMail.com, which said: Its unclear whether the pair continue to work with Archewell, or whether their work was limited to 2021.

It said the $110,000 was given to KMLSA LLC, a California-based PR firm run by Katie McCormick Lelyveld, who was former first lady Michelles press secretary between 2007 to 2011.

The $215,000 was reportedly given to Invisible Hand LLC, described as a social impact and culture change agency run by Genevieve Roth, who was an adviser on Hillarys 2016 presidential campaign when she ran against Donald Trump.

DailyMail.com said a source stressed Katie McCormick Lelyvelds political experience had nothing to do with why she was hired, and the couple do not have any political ambitions.

Tax records have also shown Harry and Meghan have reportedly been working one hour a week at their Archewell Foundation.

And papers obtained by DailyMail.com showed the pair dished out more than $3 million in grants from the good cause after they raised $13 million from two wealthy benefactors.

The figures are according the couples newly-released 2021 tax records.

Their tax filing is said to state Archewells key mission is to uplift and unite communities one act of compassion at a time.

Harry and Meghan are said to have added in the documents: Archewell Foundation believes that compassion is the defining cultural force of thee 21st century and, through its work, Archewell Foundation supports a growing community of partner organisations fuelling systemic cultural change.

Archewell Foundation listens to people and their communities, helps them tell their stories, puts real action behind its words, and spotlights a new generation of leadership.

Harry and Meghans foundation impact report released in January said it helped pay for 12.66 million Covid vaccinations globally while working with anti-poverty charity Global Citizen.

Funds were also given to charities supporting refugees from Afghanistan and Ukraine.
Apparel exports from Turkiye decreased by 1.49 per cent year-on-year (YoY) in January-February 2023, as per the data from the Turkish Statistical Institute and the countrys ministry of trade. During this period, Turkiye exported apparel worth $3.022 billion, compared to the exports of $3.068 billion during the same period of 2022.

In February 2023, the exports noticed a sharp decline of 10.04 per cent to come down to $1,487.134 million.

Category-wise, exports of knitted and crocheted clothing and accessories (HS chapter 61) earned $1.623 billion in January-February 2023, registering a fall of 6.5 per cent over $1.735 billion earned during the same months of the previous year. Exports of non-knitted apparel and accessories (HS chapter 62) were valued at $1.399 billion, showing an increase of 5 per cent compared to $1.333 billion exports in January-February 2022.

Turkiye's apparel exports declined by 1.49 per cent YoY to $3.022 billion in January-February 2023, with a sharp decline of 10.04 per cent in February 2023. Knitted and crocheted clothing and accessories exports fell 6.5 per cent to $1.623 billion during this period, while non-knitted apparel and accessories rose 5 per cent to $1.399 billion.

In February 2023, the latest month for which the data is available, Turkiyes total exports of knitted and non-knitted clothing and accessories eased 10.04 per cent to $1.487 billion in February 2023 against $1.653 billion of February 2022. The exports of knitted and crocheted clothing and accessories eased 14.2 per cent to $789.969 million in February 2023 against the exports of $920-950 million in corresponding period of last year.

The shipment of non-knitted apparel and accessories (HS chapter 62) also noticed a negative growth of 4.8 per cent in the month of February. It came down from $732.696 million in February 2022 to $697.165 million in February 2023.

Turkiyes apparel exports had increased by 6.46 per cent to $19.475 billion in 2022 compared to the shipment of $18.294 billion during 2021.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (KUL)
Netherlands economic climate in March 2023 is more negative than it was in February, as per Statistics Netherlands (CBS). Around seven out of the 13 indicators in CBS Business Cycle Tracer were reported to be performing above their long-term trend.

Consumers are again less gloomy in March than they were in the previous month. However, consumer confidence is still low and well below the long-term average over the past two decades. Producer confidence has improved slightly in March and is above its long-term average.

In December, the total volume of goods exports (adjusted for working days) was up by 4.7 per cent year-on-year (YoY). The increase over December was mainly seen in exports of petroleum products and machinery. However, the export of chemical products was lower than in December 2021, CBS said.

The Dutch economic climate in March 2023 is more negative than in February, with 7 out of 13 indicators performing above their long-term trend. Consumer confidence has improved slightly, and producer confidence is above its long-term average. In December 2022, exports increased YoY, with petroleum products, machinery, and others performing well.

In January 2023, the average daily output of the Dutch manufacturing industry was 2.9 per cent lower than in January 2022. This is the first decline in almost two years.

The Business Cycle Tracer is a tool to monitor the state and the cycle of the Dutch economy. It presents a coherent macroeconomic picture of the past month or quarter, based on all the figures published by CBS.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (NB)
New Delhi, Apr 4 (UNI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday held warm and productive talks with visiting Bhutanese King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, that focused on development partnership, including Bhutan's 13th Five Year Plan, cooperation in the hydropower sector, setting up the first Integrated Check Post along the border and a cross-border railway line.

In a tweet, following his talks with the Bhutan King, the PM Modi posted:

Pleased to receive His Majesty the King of Bhutan, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck. We had a warm and productive meeting. Deeply value our close friendship and the vision of successive Druk Gyalpos in guiding India-Bhutan relations to new heights.

The King of Bhutan, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, is on a three-day official visit to India and is accompanied by his Foreign Minister Tandi Dorji and other senior officials of the Royal Government of Bhutan.



The two leaders last met when the Bhutan King was in Delhi during his transit visit in September 2022.

The bilateral discussions between the two leaders covered the entire gamut of India-Bhutan cooperation, and also issues of respective national and mutual interest, Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra said at a special briefing.



The Bhutan King briefed Prime Minister Modi on his significant transformation and reform initiative that Bhutan is currently undertaking.

Prime Minister Modi, on his part, reiterated India's continued and full support to the socio-economic development in Bhutan based on the priorities of the Royal Government and in keeping with the transformation initiatives and reform process as per the vision of His Majesty, the FS said.

It was agreed that India would step up its support to Bhutan's upcoming 13th Five Year Plan. The specifics of the support, its distribution into different projects that is something which is to be worked out between the two systems going forward. At Bhutan's request, India would work to extend an additional standby credit facility. This would be over and above the two existing standby credit facilities that is operating between the two countries, the FS said.

Both sides would also work to shape long term sustainable arrangements for export of agricultural commodities from Bhutan. And also work to develop long term bilateral arrangements for a short supply of critical commodities to Bhutan, which would include petroleum, fertilizers, and coal, he added.

Both sides are also examining and considering setting up the first Integrated Check Post (ICP) along India-Bhutan border, which would be somewhere near Jaigaon. The exact specific location of the ICP is yet to be determined, but the broad location point is known, he said.

Land Port Jaigaon is located in the Alipurduar district of West Bengal. Once developed, it will be the first Land Port along the international border between India and Bhutan.

Both sides will also try and expedite the proposed Kokrajhar-Gelephu rail link project through Government of India support in consultation with the Bhutanese side.

This will be the first ever rail link between India and Bhutan. The proposed 57-km railway line would connect Gelephu in

Bhutan with Kokrajhar in Assam. The rail link to Kokrajhar would also provide Bhutan with railway connectivity with Bangladesh via Assam and Tripura, besides West Bengal.

In the field of hydro-power specifically, which has been the cornerstone of our economic relationship, we have agreed to an upward revision of tariff of the Chhukha hydro-electric project. This is the oldest hydro-electric project with Bhutan and is of great significance, the FS said.

Chukha is a 336MW hydro power project located on Wangchu river/basin in Chukha, southwest Bhutan.



The FS said that India will also consider positively Bhutans request to sell power from its hydro-power project known as Basochhu hydro-electric project. This would be perhaps done, through the energy exchange mechanism of the market. The details are yet to be worked out, but the discussion is that it could be done through the market exchange mechanism, he added.



Both sides have also proposed to expand their energy partnership to include non-hydro-renewables, particularly in the field of solar, and also see how the core bilateral cooperation in the field of e-mobility could be expanded, he added.



Both sides would also expedite finalization of modalities for new hydroelectric projects, hydropower projects, including the Sankosh hydroelectric project (A 2,584.99MW hydro power project in Sarpang, Bhutan).

The new sectors discussed between the two sides included space, startups, cooperation in the field of STEM education. In this context, the recent launch of India-Bhutan satellite, which was jointly developed by the space engineers from both countries was particularly appreciated, he said.

As you can see, the ongoing visit of His Majesty has provided an excellent opportunities for both India and Bhutan to not only review the full range of bilateral engagement, advanced it further in all these areas, but also at the same time sketch a roadmap in terms of the next steps that we would take to further on multifaceted cooperation and partnership, the FS said.

Earlier, the FS said that India and Bhutan share an exemplary relationship, which is characterized by trust, goodwill, mutual understanding. It's a time tested nature of our friendship which was reflected in the support that we provided to Bhutan during the COVID pandemic, including the Vaccine Maitri program, as also in the expansion of our partnership into some of the new emerging areas and domains of economic cooperation, which includes digital domain, space; a new area, financial connectivity and increasing interoperability, etc.



External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had called on the Bhutan King on Monday evening, and hosted a dinner in his honor, which involved good discussions and interaction with the key CEOs of some of the Indian companies, the FS added.

Bhutanese King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck also met President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan in the evening.

President Murmu conveyed Indias steadfast support to Bhutan, our close friend and neighbour, and commitment to strengthen our partnership in line with the priorities of the Government and people of Bhutan."

UNI RN
Please make it stop https://t.co/K8j0EBbjyY  Tom Holland (@holland_tom) April 2, 2023



Meanwhile, Tom Holland was in Mumbai for the first time and attended the NMACC gala on the second day with Zendaya. After the event, the actor took to Instagram stories and shared a picture of him shaking hands with Mukesh Ambani.







Writer and historian Tom Holland has requested that Indian fans stop tagging him in the pictures of Hollywood actor Tom Holland's pictures taken with Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan at the star-studded Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC) event.On Twitter, a number of fans posted the images, but many users became confused and, without double-checking and tagged author Tom Holland in the tweets.It is to be noted that actor Tom Holland's account is not verified on Twitter but the author Tom Holland's account was and he grew tired of Indian fans thinking that he was the actor.The author shared a viral picture of the actor where he was tagged and tweeted, "Please make it stop." He also added, "It seems like I have the whole of India in my timeline!"He also penned a note and wrote, "Thank you to the Ambani family for inviting us to celebrate the opening of the @nmacc.india. A truly wonderful experience that Ill never forget."
Nysa Devgan trolled: The whos and whos of Bollywood and Hollywood, including stars like Shah Rukh Khan, Priyanka Chopra-Nick Jonas, Gigi Hadid, Zendaya, Tom Holland to Salman Khan, Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh, Janhvi Kapoor, and others, graced their ways to the grand launch of the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC) red carpet event, which was held on March 31 and April 2. Everyone put their best foot forward, and one was actress Kajol, who attended the gala event with her daughter Nysa Devgan.

For the event, Kajol wore an ivory and silver shimmery Chikankari floor-length Anarkali gown with a train and tied her hair in a neat bun. While her daughter, Nysa Devgan, twinned with her in a silver gown with a plunging neckline and an attached cape. She went for glam makeup and wore a head accessory.

NYSA DEVGAN TROLLED

The mother-daughter duo were styled by Aastha Sharma. She took to Instagram and dropped a few ravishing pictures of them. As the photos went viral the second they were posted online, many trolled Nysa brutally for her drastic transformation and accused her of going through surgeries at such a young age. Kajol, in the pictures, smiled and was seen holding Nysa's hand, while Nysa kept an unsmiling face.

So Much Like Kajol: Nysa Devgan In Sexy Low-Plunging Lehenga Choli Impresses Fans - See PICS

Reacting to the images, one person commented, "Heavily airbrushed and photoshopped." Another one added, "This is how they promote nepo kids," while one comment read, "Surgery ki Dukaan." A fourth person wrote, "Ye maa hi ache hai beti to bhai alg hi ego me h." "Maa ki to ek percent bhi na he jhalakh hai na akal attitude se bhari hui bigdi hui aulad hai ye," said another.

One netizen wrote, "Whats the point of these pics?Heavily edited fotos after all the surgerys n injections." One said, "Over hi face bana rahi nyasa."

AJAY DEVGN ON DAUGHTER NYSA GETTING TROLLED

Although Nysa hasn't made her entry into Bollywood, she is one of the most followed star kids on social media. And this isn't the first time that Nysa has been trolled. Speaking to Filmfare, her father, actor Ajay Devgn, said that he asks his kids to ignore such online trolling. "You have to constantly explain to them that they shouldn't be bothered by what they read online. The trolls form a miniscule per cent of your audience...I don't know how such negativity happens. I've learnt to ignore it and have asked my children to do the same. I don't even understand what they write sometimes, so I haven't let it bother me," he had said.

'Ye Mummy Se Bohot Pitegi Aaj: Fans Troll Nysa Devgan As She Struggles With Hindi At An Event

DISCLAIMER: The particular article is a compilation of thoughts shared by social media users on the subject. Ideas expressed do not reflect the view of Filmibeat.
Boney Kapoor Gigi Hadid pic: The Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre's inaugural night was a starry gala event. The grand launch saw several biggies from Bollywood and Hollywood making their presence felt. From Priyanka Chopra-Nick Jonas' striking appearance to Ranveer Singh's electrifying performance to Shah Rukh Khan's viral Jhoome Jo Pathaan dance, everything from the show will be remembered for days to come. But there was one personality who made heads turn with her breathtaking appearance-none other than, international supermodel Gigi Hadid.

BONEY KAPOOR POSES WITH SUPERMODEL GIGI HADID

Gigi Hadid made a splash at the NMACC gala wearing a golden saree by Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla. She also met several Bollywood stars, including Aishwarya Rai, Shah Rukh Khan, and others. Meanwhile, a picture from the event is going viral on social media, and for all the wrong reasons. Producer Boney Kapoor was snapped with Gigi Hadid on day 2 of the launch event. Boney is looking at Gigi while pleasantly smiling at the camera.

On the other hand, Kapoor is seen holding the supermodel around her waist. The photo has caused a lot of stir online and didn't go over well with netizens. Several of them called out Boney for posing with Gigi very inappropriately and slammed him.

Gigi Hadid Strikes A Pose With Badshah Of Bollywood, Says 'Will Never Forget It'. See VIRAL Pic

HERE'S HOW NETIZENS HAVE REACTED

A paparazzi account that posted the photo online has received several comments bashing Boney Kapoor. One netizen wrote, "Yaha pe toh India ki thodi izzat rakh lete the way he is holding her is ridiculous." Another person added, "Well, this is problematic and should be called out for. Boney ji, would you encourage if some elderly person such as your age touches Jahnvi/ Khushi like this? Very inappropriate/unrequired/ awkward."

"Why why why can't people just keep their hands to themselves!!!" said another person. One comment read, "There was no need to wrap his hand around her waist creepy af." Another user wrote, "He should learn from some of the youngsters and other stars. Just saw a video of Aryan Khan respectfully (keeping) hand a few cm apart from his sister's waist."

Earlier in his performance, Varun Dhawan was seen lifting Gigi Hadid in his arms and kissing her cheeks. The video went viral, and social media users slammed him for being disgusting. However, Varun clarified that everything was scripted.

Gigi Hadid Has THIS To Say To Varun Dhawan After He Lifted Her and Planted A Kiss On Her Cheek At NMACC Gala

DISCLAIMER: The particular article is a compilation of thoughts shared by social media users on the subject. Ideas expressed do not reflect the view of Filmibeat.
The new month has begun and it is the first week of April. Of late, the Bollywood industry has managed to keep us on our toes with its interesting scoops of news and gossips. And while it is difficult to get a hold of all the happenings in the B-Town during a busy day, we bring you the top news of the day here. From Ayan Mukerji announcing the release dates for the second and third installment of Brahmastra, Kareena Kapoor Khan spilling beans about Saif Ali Khan's style sense and more, take a look at top Bollywood news

Ayan Mukerji Opens Up About Brahmastra Trilogy; Announces Releases for Second & Third Part

After the stupendous success of Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt's Brahmastra, director Ayan Mukerji has now opened up about the triology and has shared the released date for the second and third installements. He wrote, "After absorbing all the love and the feedback on Part One... I have been focused on creating the Vision for part two and part three which I now know will be bigger and more ambitious than part one. I have decided that we are going to make the two films... Together! Allowing them to also release closer together" and added that Brahmastra 2 and 3 will be releasing in December 2026 and 2027 respectively.

Salman Khan, Ram Charan & Venkatesh's Lungi Dance Wins Heart In Yentamma

As Salman Khan is gearing up for the release of his much anticipated movie Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan, the makers have unveiled the new song from the movie. Titled as Yentamma, the song is shot on Salman Khan, Ram Charan, and Venkatesh and the trio's swag is unmatched during the lungi dance.

Soni Razdan Shares Alia Bhatt's Adorable Throwback Pic From Papa Kehte Hain

Soni Razdan treated fans with an adorable throwback pic from Alia Bhatt's childhood days. The pic was clicked during the shooting of Papa Kehte Hain in Seychelles wherein little Alia was seen posing with Mahesh Bhatt, Soni and Shaheen Bhatt. She had captioned the image as, "This one is from Seychelles when the girls were small and we were shooting 'Papa Kehte Hain' there. Search for 'water' in your camera roll and quote tweet the pic #water #family #shootlife #whenwewereyoung".

Kareena Kapoor Spills Beans About Saif Ali Khan's Style Statement: He Has Been Wearing 1 Pair Of Track Pants For Last 5 Years

Saif Ali Khan has been an actor who has always won hearts with his classy style sense. And now Kareena Kapoor Khan has spilled beans about actor's idea of style and said that he is very casual. "Saif is the kind that he has been wearing one pair of track pants for the last 5 years. He won't buy another pair till I tell him. So he is like 'you do your thing and I am very happy'," she asserted.
Who is the 'Delhi Metro Girl' who wore bra and mini skirt while travelling in the metro? Netizens have been busy talking about the girl ever since a video of her wearing a risque dress went viral on the internet. The Twitter users were quick enough to dub her as the 'Delhi Metro Girl' as the clip was shot while she was sitting inside the metro compartment. Her choice of outfit sparked a discussion on social media as several users expressed their displeasure, accusing her of offending fellow passengers.

The Internet compared her with Urfi Javed, who's known for her bold sartorial choices. She earned the tag of 'Mini Urfi Javed' as netizens found a similarity between their dress sense. After going viral, the girl publicly revealed herself as Rhythm Chanana, stating that she was one, who dared to wear a bra and mini skirt in the Delhi metro.

Talking about Urfi Javed, the reality TV star was last seen in MTV Splitsvilla. The actress shot to fame after participating in Karan Johar's Bigg Boss OTT. From wearing a cotton candy outfit to sporting a dress made of pins and sacks, Uorfi Javed has taken her fashion experiments a notch higher in the last one year.

Last week, the Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai actress donned a dress that was made of kiwis, leaving the netizens surprised.

Keep watching this space for more updates.
Lokesh Kanagaraj Biography

Lokesh Kanagaraj is an Indian film director and screenwriter who works in the Kollywood film industry. He launched his journey with a short film that appeared in the 2016 anthology Aviyal. He later went on to direct Maanagaram, his 2017 debut movie. His two directorial efforts, Kaithi (2019) and Vikram (2022), as well as his next feature, Leo, are what gave rise to the Lokesh Cinematic Universe series (2023). He established a reputation in his films for his action-packed screenplays, for which he received the Vijay, Zee Tamil Cine, and South Indian International Movie Awards.



Personal Life



Lokesh was born on March 14, 1986, to Parameshwaran and Sunitha Parameshwaran. He is a native of Kinathukadvu, in Coimbatore. At Pollachi's Palanayiammal Matric High School, he completed his schooling. From PSG College of Arts & Science, he received his master's degree in business administration. Aravind Gnanasambandam, Ashwin Venkatesh, and Prashanth Gnanasambandam were his three brothers. On January 8, 2012, he married Aishwarya Lokesh. Adhvika Lokesh and Aarudhra Lokesh were their two children. He held a position in the private banking industry as a bank employee, then he quit that to seek success in the movie industry.



Career



In 2016, Karthick Subbaraj's anthology movie Aviyal featured his short film Kalam. He made his debut as a filmmaker of a full movie in 2017 with the critically acclaimed Tamil movie Maanagaram. Then he created "Kaithi," his second picture, with the same production company. This one-night drama had no heroine, no music, and a fast-paced screenplay, and it helped him become famous because it was a fresh effort in Indian cinema.



Following the success of his first two films, he followed up with the film Master, starring Thalapathy Vijay. In this movie, Vijay Sethupathi played a huge antagonist, which was well-received by the audience and brought in a sizable box office haul. He regards Kamal Hasan as his idol, and he has produced three consecutively profitable films. He provided the necessary hit for Kollywood and for his hero when the future of Tamil cinema was on the line. This earned him a big box office haul of more than 400 crores and established him as a respected filmmaker in the film business. He gained notoriety along with Tamil cinema's greatest talents and evolved into an undisputable director. He teamed up with Thalapathy 67 once more to create the movie "Leo," which will be launched for Diwali in 2023 and was the most talked-about among fans and viewers.
Dancer-Actress Shamna Kasim became a proud mother to a baby boy. She delivered her first child with her husband Shanid Asif Ali, a Dubai-based businessman on April 4.

Shamna Kasim With Husband Shanid Photo Credit: Internet

Four days, Shamna Kasim posted a cute video of her complete in a matching headgear and wrote,

"Waiting for my little one on this ramdan month" (sic).

One of the actress' friends also posted a picture of herself with the actress before going into labour. Check the post here:

Shamna Kasim Baby Shower Photo Credit: Gallery

Shamna Kasim is also known as Poorna-her stage name. She worked predominantly in Malayalam, Telugu, and Tamil films. She made her debut in 2004 with 'Manju Poloru Penkutty.' She was labeled as the ghost queen in Tollywood as she collaborated with maverick director Ravi Babu in a series of horror films including Avunu, and Avunu 2. She also was part of 'Raju Gari Gadhi,' a movie that was a surprising hit.

Apart from acting, Shamna Kasim also took part in several Dance and Comedy reality shows as a judge like Comedy Stars Dhamaka, Comedy Stars Season 3, and Sreedevi Drama Company.

The actress was last seen in Nani's blockbuster film Dasara, which was released on March 30 and is running successfully in theatres.

Shamna Kasim and Shanid met during the former's Dubai visit on a professional trip where Shanid managed to floor her. Later, the actress' parents came into the picture, and their engagement was performed in Kochi. The couple's nikkah took place in Dubai on October 25, 2022.
Khatron Ke Khiladi 13 Update: After the huge success of its twelfth season won by choreographer Tushar Kalia, Colors TV is reportedly all set to come up with a new season of the popular stunt-based show, hosted by filmmaker Rohit Shetty.

As Khatron Ke Khiladi season 13 is rumoured to be going on floors in the coming months, there have been constant speculations about the participants. As reported earlier, many well-known names from showbiz are in talks with the makers.

While an official announcement is still awaited, there's a strong buzz that Bigg Boss 16 stars Shiv Thakare and Priyanka Chahar Choudhary are almost finalized for the adventure-based show.

SUMBUL TOUQEER TURNED DOWN KHATRON KE KHILADI 13 OFFER?

NEW VILLAIN In Ghum Hai Kisikey Pyaar Meiin, THIS Actor CONFIRMS Entry In Ayesha Singh-Neil Bhatt's Show

On the other side, there are rumours that their Bigg Boss 16 co-contestant Sumbul Touqeer Khan has rejected the offer to participate in Khatron Ke Khiladi 13. However, the Imlie star has finally broken her silence on the ongoing speculations.

Well, the 19-year-old TV star has dismissed the news. She has cleared that the makers haven't even approached her. Yes, you read that right!

Revealing the same, she told IANS, "Post Bigg Boss 16 offers have been coming, I am not in a hurry to sign a show. Khatron Ke Khiladi has not been offered to me as yet, if the offer comes, I will surely consider it. I respect Rohit Shetty as well as the show. The show has been a game changer for a lot of celebrities and it is one of the top adventure-based reality shows."

While Sumbul's statement will leave her fans sad, however, good thing is that she might consider the show if makers reach out to her.

Loved How He Slammed Vanraj: Anupamaa Fans REACT As Rupali Ganguly-Gaurav Khanna's Co-star Re-enters Show

CELEBS APPROACHED FOR KHATRON KE KHILADI 13

Besides Shiv and Priyanka, names of popular celebrities like Nakuul Mehta, Erica Fernandes, Archana Gautam, Soundarya Sharma, and Munawar Faruqui among others are said to be approached for Khatron Ke Khiladi 13.

Most likely, KKK 13 will be shot in Argentina and the participants will depart for the shoot during either the final week of May or the first week of June.

Keep watching this space for more updates!
Nikhil Patel-Shalin Bhanot's Conversation

Nikhil Patel, who shares a good bond with Jaydon, has revealed that he spoke to Shalin Bhanot before marrying Dalljiet. He confirmed that the Naagin 4 actor was happy to know about their marriage, adding that there was 'mutual respect' during their conversation.

What Shalin Bhanot Told Nikhil Patel?

The UK-based businessman and investor, while interacting with a portal, said that Shalin told him he could give certain things to Jaydon which he couldn't. Sharing the details about their chat, he added that Shalin was happy about Jaydon's new life.

"He was very happy. He told me you can give him a few things which I cannot and he was happy about Jaydon's new life. There was mutual respect," Nikhil told ETimes.

When Shalin Bhanot Lashed Out At Archana Gautam

Shalin Bhanot lost his cool when Archana Gautam dragged his former wife Dalljiet Kaur into their fight, taking a dig at their relationship. He got miffed and even threw the chair in the air, expressing his displeasure over Archana Gautam's antics. The actor, while talking to Bigg Boss, had a breakdown in the confession room.

On The Work Front

Shalin Bhanot is currently entertaining the audience with Bekaboo, which went on air on Colors channel on March 18. He is playing the role of Ranav opposite Eisha Singh in the weekend drama, which is produced by Ekta Kapoor.
GIC leads funding round of $129 million with Warburg Pincus, Dawn Capital and other existing investors participating

Quantexa joins elite group of UK tech companies reaching breakout Unicorn status

LONDON and NEW YORK, April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Quantexa, a global leader in Decision Intelligence (DI) solutions for the public and private sectors, announced today that it has completed a $129 million Series E funding round. The latest investment round secures the British tech company's unicorn status with a valuation of $1.8 billion and will accelerate the execution of its growth strategy within the *$230bn Decision Intelligence category.

The round was led by GIC, a global institutional investor, and existing investors also participated, including Warburg Pincus, Dawn Capital, British Patient Capital, Evolution Equity Partners, HSBC, BNY Mellon, ABN AMRO Ventures, and AlbionVC. This investment comes less than 18 months after Quantexa closed its $157 million Series D funding roundin July 2021 and just weeks after its acquisition of Aylien, a Dublin-based leader in natural language processing (NLP) and advanced AI.

In what has been a difficult period for many tech companies, Quantexa continues to post impressive growth, having grown their ARR over 100% since closing their Series D round. In the same time period, Quantexa has seen robust growth in all regions, including a breakout performance in North America, with an increase in ARR of over 180%.

The success comes on the heels of Quantexa's continued geographic expansion efforts which has seen the company grow from 500 to 650 employees over the past year and open new offices in New York City, the UAE, Amsterdam, and a new Technology and Analytics Hub in Malaga Tech Park , Spain, in November 2022. This new capital will ensure that Quantexa continues to grow its global presence and invest in its world-class engineering talent.

Quantexa also plans to use the funding to boost technology innovation efforts and strengthen its Decision Intelligence Platform capabilities in low-code data fusion, graph analytics, machine learning (ML), natural language processing (NLP) and artificial intelligence (AI). Additionally, Quantexa will increase focus on accelerating joint go-to-market efforts with its flagship partners which include Google, Moody's, Accenture, KPMG, Deloitte, and EY.

Deployed in more than 70 countries, thousands of users across banking, insurance, telecoms industries, and within public sector, rely on Quantexa's outcome-driven solutions to protect, optimize, and grow their organizations. Quantexa's growing customer-base includes BNY Mellon, HSBC, Standard Chartered, Danske Bank, Vodafone, and The Public Sector Fraud Authority in the UK Cabinet Office.

Vishal Marria, CEO of Quantexa said, "After closing our Series D investment round, Quantexa has been on a transformational journey, accelerating the growth of our global software business and firmly establishing our leadership position in the emerging Decision Intelligence category. In a challenging market we have doubled our ARR, our user base, and continue to penetrate new markets and industries. This infusion of capital will fuel further innovation, diversification, and expansion, and opens exciting options for our future.

"It's a real testament to our vision and trajectory to have such a significant contribution from our new investor, GIC and the majority of our Series D investors - in our latest round. We warmly welcome GIC and thank our existing investors for their continued confidence in our ability to generate growth and accelerate the path to profitability."

*Total addressable market (TAM) estimate is based on Quantexa proprietary research with data from sources including IDC, Chartis, GreySpark (GS), Allied Market Research, and Inkwood Research.

About Quantexa?



Quantexa is a global data and analytics software company pioneering Decision Intelligence that empowers organizations to make trusted operational decisions by making data meaningful. Using the latest advancements in big data and AI, Quantexa's Decision Intelligence platform uncovers hidden risk and new opportunities by providing a contextual, connected view of internal and external data in a single place. It solves major challenges across data management, KYC, customer intelligence, financial crime, risk, fraud, and security, throughout the customer lifecycle.

The Quantexa Decision Intelligence Platform enhances operational performance with over 90% more accuracy and 60 times faster analytical model resolution than traditional approaches. Founded in 2016, Quantexa now has more than 600 employees and thousands of users working with billions of transactions and data points across the world. The company has offices in London, New York, Boston, Toronto, Malaga, Brussels, Amsterdam, Luxemburg, Singapore, Melbourne, Sydney, and the UAE. For more information, please visit www.quantexa.comor follow us on LinkedIn.

About GIC

GIC is a leading global investment firm established in 1981 to secure Singapore's financial future. As the manager of Singapore's foreign reserves, GIC takes a long-term, disciplined approach to investing and is uniquely positioned across a wide range of asset classes and active strategies globally. These include equities, fixed income, real estate, private equity, venture capital and infrastructure. Its long-term approach, multi-asset capabilities and global connectivity enable it to be an investor of choice. GIC seeks to add meaningful value to its investments. Headquartered in Singapore, GIC has a global talent force of over 1,900 people in 11 key financial cities and has investments in over 40 countries. For more information, please visit www.gic.com.sgor follow on LinkedIn.
AGC Biologics, a leading global Biopharmaceutical Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO), announced it signed a service agreement with The Jikei University in Japan. Under the agreement, AGC Biologics will assume a technology transfer and feasibility study for a drug product focused on the treatment of Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis at the CDMO's center of Cell and Gene Excellence in Milan.

In the feasibility study, scientists at the Milan site will focus on identifying proof of concept and viability for developing a prototype for an exosome-based treatment for IPF derived from bronchial epithelial cells. Current research at The Jikei University School of Medicine has revealed extracellular vesicles extracted from a bronchial epithelial cell can potentially play a vital role in IPF pathogenesis. If the feasibility study is successful, pre-clinical studies may commence in the coming year.

"The emerging field of exosomes has the potential to become an important part of the cell and gene industry. We welcome the opportunity to help further the important work of The Jikei University in Japan, a historic research and medical institute in the field of medicine," said Luca Alberici, General Manager of AGC Biologics Milan. "This partnership demonstrates AGC Biologics' ability to offer the scientific ingenuity and support researchers and developers need as they explore new therapies and methods within this field."

Exosomes have shown the promise to make cell and gene therapies more commercially viable for large populations because of their potential to provide a targeted approach to drug delivery. AGC Biologics' Milan location has 30 years of experience in the cell and gene field and expertise with complex advanced therapy projects. The core team has guided three products from development to commercial stages.

"Our research is specifically designed to discover how we can better understand and treat IPF, a condition that can drastically impact lung health. With only two current treatments on the market, it would be a paradigm shifting change to create a new option for patients using the power of exosomes. We look forward to partnering with the talented team at AGC Biologics Milan to explore feasibility," said Principal Investigator, Dr. Yu Fujita from The Jikei University School of Medicine.

To learn more about AGC Biologics' global cell therapy services visit www.agcbio.com/capabilities/cell-therapy, go to www.agcbio.com/capabilities/viral-vector and learn more about the CDMO's viral vector offerings.

About AGC Biologics

AGC Biologics is a leading global biopharmaceutical Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) with a strong commitment to delivering the highest standard of service as we work side-by-side with our clients and partners, every step of the way. We provide world-class development and manufacture of mammalian and microbial-based therapeutic proteins, plasmid DNA (pDNA), messenger RNA (mRNA), viral vectors, and genetically engineered cells. Our global network spans the U.S., Europe, and Asia, with cGMP-compliant facilities in Seattle, Washington; Boulder and Longmont, Colorado; Copenhagen, Denmark; Heidelberg, Germany; Milan, Italy; and Chiba, Japan and we currently employ more than 2,000 employees worldwide. Our commitment to continuous innovation fosters the technical creativity to solve our clients' most complex challenges, including specialization in fast-track projects and rare diseases. AGC Biologics is the partner of choice. To learn more, visit www.agcbio.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230403005743/en/

Contacts:

Nick McDonald

AGC Biologics

Email: nmcdonald@agc.com

Mobile: (425) 419-3555
Rio Tinto will support Energy Resources of Australia Ltd's (ERA) recently disclosed plans for an Interim Entitlement Offer (IEO), which seeks to raise up to A$369 million to address funding requirements for the Ranger Rehabilitation Project in Australia's Northern Territory to the end of Q2 2024.

Rio Tinto, which owns 86.3% of ERA's shares, has pre-committed to subscribe for its full entitlements under the terms of the IEO, at a cost of A$319 million.

Rio Tinto Chief Executive, Australia, Kellie Parker said "We are committed to ensuring the critical rehabilitation of Ranger is completed to a standard that will establish an environment similar to the adjacent Kakadu National Park."

Rio Tinto notes that ERA has, in the IEO offer material, recognised the Mirarr People's opposition to further uranium mining on their land. This was a relevant factor in Rio Tinto's recent decision to no longer report the Jabiluka deposit as a mineral resource. Rio Tinto also recognises that the Mirarr People's continued involvement in and support of the Ranger Rehabilitation Project is critical for its timely completion and success.

As announced by ERA today, funds from the IEO are not expected to generate any financial return and will be dedicated strictly to the Ranger Rehabilitation Project and repayment of the credit facility.

Funds raised from this IEO will be partly used to repay a A$100 million credit facility provided by Rio Tinto to assist ERA with its management of immediate liquidity issues.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230403005970/en/

Contacts:

Please direct all enquiries to media.enquiries@riotinto.com

Media Relations, UK

Matthew Klar

M: +44 7796 630 637

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M: +44 7787 597 493

Media Relations, Americas

Simon Letendre

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M: +1 418 592 7293

Media Relations, Australia

Matt Chambers

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M: +61 434 868 118

Investor Relations, UK

Menno Sanderse

M: +44 7825 195 178

David Ovington

M: +44 7920 010 978

Clare Peever

M: +44 7788 967 877

Investor Relations, Australia

Tom Gallop

M: +61 439 353 948

Amar Jambaa

M: +61 472 865 948

Rio Tinto plc

6 St James's Square

London SW1Y 4AD

United Kingdom

T: +44 20 7781 2000

Registered in England

No. 719885

Rio Tinto Limited

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Melbourne 3000

Australia

T +61 3 9283 3333

Registered in Australia

ABN 96 004 458 404

This announcement is authorised for release to the market by Steve Allen, Rio Tinto's Group Company Secretary.

riotinto.com

Category: ERA
TSUR YIGAL, Israel, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Kando, a data intelligence solution provider specialising in wastewater data and AI, and Detection Services, the industry leader in multi discipline pipeline solutions, today announced a new partnership in Australia and New Zealand. The partnership will provide a framework to introduce innovative wastewater management technology, to get a full view of the networks, optimise outcomes and provide solutions whilst allowing customers to gain a 'network awareness picture'.

"At Detection Services we are constantly looking for new ways to drive innovation and consistency across a range of solutions and technologies that delivers what our customers need today - and in the future," said Chris Evans, COO, Detection Services. Our team is excited to join forces with Kando and are committed to delivering unrivalled customer experiences and support in delivering this intelligent, sustainable, and market-leading technology to the wastewater industry."

As an integral part of the alliance, Kando has appointed Annaelle Nir as its Australia and New Zealand Regional Manager to oversee the company's expansion in the region. Nir has over ten years of experience working in companies dedicated to environmental sustainability, and after serving as Kando's Head of Israel Market, she has relocated to Australia to share her successful experience from the Israeli market, introduce Kando's technology to the local market, and forge close relationships with the different stakeholders to meet their evolving needs.

"I am excited to be starting a new chapter of my journey with Kando in a region where there is a clear need to implement sustainable practices," said Annaelle Nir, Australia and New Zealand Regional Manager, at Kando. "The potential of wastewater data to provide valuable insights is constantly expanding, and our technology is ideally placed to complement the emerging water reuse programs that treat wastewater as a valuable resource, rather than simply as 'waste'."

Detection Services is renowned for its no compromise approach to customer satisfaction and investing in networks of the future. Their customer TRILITY was looking to optimise operations and provide a specific solution within their Rotorua plant. To address the challenge a successful Proof of Concept (POC) utilising Kando technology was completed at the Rotorua wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in New Zealand, which implemented on-line wastewater quality analysis in the Rotorua sewer network. This approach allowed TRILITY to get real time understanding of their network and critical performance data, allowing for proactive control and operational flexibility.

"Wastewater monitoring programs should not be seen as 'Gold Standard', but as an essential part of WWTP risk management," said Phil de Groot, Operations and Maintenance Manager at TRILITY. "We conducted a POC with Kando technology to solve a specific event occurring in our system, but after implementation we quickly uncovered pain points within various aspects of our WWTPs' day-to-day operations. In the long term, implementing Kando's technology will enable us to offer a holistic solution for improving functionality in WWTPs."

Kando has long-term partnerships with numerous municipalities in the US, Europe, and beyond, with an established track record of generating tangible returns for its partners and customers. Kando's global expansion, targeting new markets such as Australia, New Zealand, and the UK, serves as a testament to the importance and effectiveness of Kando's technology and the impact it has been making around the world.

About Detection Services

Detection Services specialises in multi discipline pipeline solutions and state of the art technologies covering the water and wastewater industries. The company delivers a portfolio of innovative, intelligent and sustainable solutions and strategies designed to reduce risk and improve asset reliability. With over 30 years' experience Detection Services is the largest specialised water management business in Australasia with diverse businesses and clients spanning internationally.

https://www.detectionservices.com.au/

About Kando

Kando provides a wastewater intelligence platform that uses data from wastewater to support public health and the environment. It leverages IoT, original algorithms and artificial intelligence technologies. By detecting anomalies and public health threats and communicating their impact in real-time, Kando enables utilities and municipalities to gain insight and control over their wastewater networks. Through using data to keep the world's sewage systems high-functioning and efficient, Kando helps save economic and environmental resources while bolstering public health. The company was founded in 2012 and is headquartered in Israel with entities in the UK, US and Australia. https://www.kando.eco/

Media Contact

Ben Crome

Headline Media

IL:+972 53 714 4102

US: +1 914 336 4922

UK: +44 203 769 6463

ben@headline.media

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/kando-and-detection-services-partner-to-deliver-unrivalled-customer-solutions-aimed-at-improving-environmental-health-and-conserving-resource-water-301788418.html
First recorded sale of a cultural heritage NFT, 'Royal Topeng', raises $97,000 with 40% of funds distributed directly to local Balinese community and immortalized on blockchain

BALI, Indonesia, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Quantum Temple , the Web3 platform preserving cultural heritage, has unveiled the world's first collection of cultural heritage NFTs - 'Paths to Alango' , a debut series of 11 ethnographic films as digital assets, featuring expressions of tangible and intangible culture from Bali, Indonesia. Developed in partnership with The Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy of Indonesia, Quantum Temple has also confirmed the first recorded sale of a cultural heritage NFT for $97,000 (USD), with proceeds transparently directed to preserve and fund ancestral Balinese communities.

Using blockchain technology, 40% of the auction proceeds have been distributed directly to the local culture keeper of 'Royal Topeng' and 5% to a social impact fund for their community. The transparent distribution of NFT royalties to culture keepers respects the value of their work, providing more equitable revenue streams for local communities in perpetuity.

"We are thrilled to launch Quantum Temple with our debut collection of cultural heritage NFTs, 'Paths to Alango' featuring Bali, and the historic auction of the first NFT, 'Royal Topeng'. By immortalizing these cultural traditions and knowledge on the blockchain, we are enabling new pathways for positive stewardship of cultural heritage and transparent distribution of socio-economic benefits for its practitioners and the communities involved. We also hope this redefines the values of cultural tourism in connecting conscious travellers to local communities around the world." Linda Adami, CEO and Founder, Quantum Temple

"When we were introduced to Quantum Temple last year, we did not think twice about giving our full support. Because at the heart of it, this new model values and protects our culture and people. Most importantly, it reminds us that human connection through arts and culture can be experienced in the digital age." Angela Herliani Tanoesoedibjo, Vice Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Republic of Indonesia.

The debut collection, 'Paths to Alango' , features Bali, Indonesia with 11 original ethnographic films as collectible NFTs. Each NFT represents a different aspect of Balinese cultural heritage, such as dances, temples, heritage sites, and philosophy, filmed on location against breath-taking backdrops of Bali's cultural landscape.

The NFTs are created in partnership with local communities in Bali, leading anthropologists, and cultural heritage experts, ensuring that they accurately represent the expressions of Balinese culture. The 'Paths to Alango' NFT collection is designed to be a source of income for Balinese cultural heritage keepers and a new approach to preserve and promote these ancestral communities and their knowledge, transparently distributing NFT royalties directly to the communities in perpetuity.

Future collections will include physical and experiential NFTs, and support ancestral communities in Peru, Panama and beyond.

For media inquiries, please contact:

Adnan Abbasi

adnan@thecrosses.com

NOTES TO EDITORS

PRESS KIT

Quantum Temple Digital Press Kit available here .

High resolution images available upon request.

DIGITAL CHANNELS

Website: quantumtemple.xyz

Twitter: @quantum_temple

Instagram: @quantumtemple

YouTube: youtube.com/quantumtemple

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/quantum-temple

TikTok: @quantumtemple

Hashtags: quantumtemple qtpathstoalango

ABOUT QUANTUM TEMPLE

Quantum Temple is the Web3 platform preserving cultural heritage. Our platform enables equitable exchanges between conscious collectors and ancestral communities to protect and share knowledge, traditions, and art forms of cultures around the world in perpetuity through blockchain technology.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2045272/Quantum_Temple_Royal_Topeng.jpg

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Vaughan, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - April 4, 2023) - Positive Singles, the Canada-based dating site for people living with sexually transmitted diseases and infections, announces a new feature named "My Event" to help members develop a stronger bond with dates by doing something together. The organization aims to create the largest community for STD positive people who can be there for each other and help each other in need. This exciting new feature is one big step towards that goal.

PositiveSingles was established in 2001 with the sole objective of creating equal opportunities for singles living with HIV/AIDS, Herpes, HPV and other STDs/STIs to find meaningful relationships and life partners. Anyone from any country can register on the platform as long as users have at least one STD or STI and are open to dating others who also have STDs or STIs. Users can access PositiveSingles in a browser or download the app for Android or iPhone.

The "My Event" feature offered by PositiveSingles enables members to efficiently prepare and publicize upcoming events to fellow community members. Each member can create a custom event page with the purpose of doing a particular activity such as attending a concert, taking a pottery class, going for a trekking trip and so on; and add all essential details, including the event date, time, venue and description to the same. Users can even create and host a personalized event and add it to the My Event page. Members can invite anyone in the community to join. Doing an activity together is immensely more effective in getting an accurate judgment of a person's character as well as in creating a deep connection between two people than texting, calling, or any other form of interaction. Hence, with this revolutionary new feature, PositiveSingles opens a new avenue in the dating experience.

For a long time, PositiveSingles has been making its mark in the dating business by having high quality members. Everyone in the PositiveSingles community is verified with a picture and valid ID proof. The authentication is performed by people on a team rather than automated. The website and app are protected with extra security layers and all data shared by members is kept strictly confidential. The platform offers dating advice, a dedicated dating mentor, treatment stories and care locations, answers to all kinds of inquiries, as well as experiences and blog posts shared by successful matches on the website - all while maintaining anonymity of members. The team provide online counseling support to assist individuals who are coping with a recent diagnosis and struggling with the stigma of testing positive for an STD. Above all, PositiveSingles creates a community where everyone can belong.

Such extensive resources, exciting features, strong security protection and extra dedication towards serving the STD-positive community has set apart PositiveSingles for years. Today, the platform is internationally popular, majorly with 20-30 year olds, and is considered the leading website for online dating and support for people living with STDs. Currently, the platform has over 2 million high caliber members, with the number of new users rising every day. Success stories of STD dating on the website recently surpassed 60,000. On top of it, the website boasts of over 120,000 daily conversations, around 15,000 daily active members and 20,000+ monthly blog posts.

The founders of the website envisioned a unique community for individuals with sexually transmitted diseases where the members can maintain a positive attitude, seek love, receive support, and find hope. As per the executives of PositiveSingles, "People who have long-term STIs always expect the worst when disclosing their status, but we want to challenge them to also only accept the best," and that is the ultimate mission of the organization.

Media Contact

Name - Emily/ Dani Johnson

Email - support@positivesingles.com

Website - https://www.positivesingles.com

Contact - +1-833-408-2593 / +1-269-329-9094

Address - 8707 Dufferin St, Suite 160, Vaughan, Ontario L4J 0A6, Canada





PositiveSingles

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Issuer: SphingoTec GmbH / Key word(s): Research Update/Study results

ADQI Group Recognizes PenKid as Relevant Functional Biomarker for Sepsis-Associated Acute Kidney Injury



04.04.2023 / 10:00 CET/CEST

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.



The Acute Disease Quality Initiative (ADQI) has published a consensus statement that strongly recommends using innovative biomarkers to improve the management of sepsis-associated acute kidney injury (SA-AKI). According to the statement, the kidney function biomarker Proenkephalin A 119-159 (penKid) can detect subclinical AKI, enabling early risk prediction for upcoming AKI. Looking ahead, integrating clinical information including relevant biomarkers might support the identification of specific disease endotypes and organ-related tolerance mechanisms as a basis for future personalized therapies.



Hennigsdorf/Berlin, Germany, April 4, 2023 - Diagnostic company SphingoTec announces that in the consensus statement of the 28th ADQI workgroup, penKid is recognized as a relevant functional biomarker able to predict SA-AKI with high accuracy (1). Sepsis is a life-threatening disease that leads to organ dysfunction, accounting for up to 70% of all cases of AKI in critically ill patients (1). The current standard of care diagnostics for AKI has considerable limitations, therefore it is an urgent need to implement new biomarkers to enable better patient management.



According to the consensus statement, penKid can identify patients with sepsis who are at an increased risk of developing AKI and major adverse kidney events (1). The study cites previous research that demonstrates the ability of penKid to detect subclinical AKI, including multicentric studies that shows the incidence and outcome relevance of subclinical AKI in critically ill patients (2,3).



SA-AKI is a heterogeneous syndrome, with multiple mechanisms that contribute to its development. The recommendations also include the use of biomarkers and clinical information to identify distinct disease mechanisms and characteristics that can inform personalized treatment decisions in clinical practice. Furthermore, the same granular approach focused on early patient risk identification could also enable predictive enrichment in randomized trials of development-stage therapeutics.



Dr. Florian Uhle, Medical Director at SphingoTec commented "There are few options available for assessing the kidney function in the context of AKI, and the standard of care biomarkers have well-known limitations, especially in septic patients. PenKid offers additional insights that could help clinicians recognize subclinical AKI and take preventive measures before the true problem even occurs. Since the main therapy in AKI relies on the management of symptoms, there is also a high need to advance the drug development and use these tools to support the identification of the right patients with the highest benefit and no harm in clinical trials."



Beyond the early detection of SA-AKI, previous scientific evidence shows that penKid has other applications that make it a versatile biomarker for kidney function assessment. PenKid correlates to the true glomerular filtration rate (true GFR), detects the presence and severity of AKI, identifies patients at high risk of unfavorable outcomes, and indicates renal recovery, even under dialysis (3,4).







###



References: Zarbock, A. et al. Sepsis-associated acute kidney injury: consensus report of the 28th Acute Disease Quality Initiative workgroup. Nat Rev Nephrol (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41581-023-00683-3 Depret, F. et al. Incidence and outcome of subclinical acute kidney injury using penKid in critically ill patients. Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. 202, 822-829 (2020). Hollinger, A. et al. Proenkephalin A 119-159 (Penkid) is an early biomarker of septic acute kidney injury: the kidney in sepsis and septic shock (Kid-SSS) study. Kidney Int. Rep. 3, 1424-1433 (2018). von Groote T et al. Proenkephalin A 119-159 predicts early and successful liberation from renal replacement therapy in critically ill patients with acute kidney injury: a post hoc analysis of the ELAIN trial. Crit Care 26, 333 (2022).



About SphingoTec

SphingoTec GmbH ("SphingoTec"; Hennigsdorf near Berlin, Germany) is a commercial-stage diagnostic company focusing on innovative critical care biomarkers for the diagnosis, prediction, and monitoring of acute medical conditions. SphingoTec's innovative markers are made available on different IVD platforms. SphingoTec's proprietary biomarker portfolio includes Proenkephalin A 119-159 (penKid), a biomarker for the assessment of kidney function in critical diseases, and bioactive Adrenomedullin 1-52 (bio-ADM), a biomarker for the assessment of endothelial function in conditions like sepsis.



Media contact:

Ruxandra Lenz

Head of Marketing and Communication

SphingoTec GmbH

Neuendorfstr. 15 A

16761 Hennigsdorf

Tel. +49-3302-20565-0





Dissemination of a Corporate News, transmitted by EQS News - a service of EQS Group AG.

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.



The EQS Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements, Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases.

Archive at www.eqs-news.com


Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 4, 2023) - MAX RESOURCE CORP. (TSXV: MAX) (OTC Pink: MXROF) (FSE: M1D2) ("Max" or the "Company") is pleased to provide the following exploration update on its 100% owned CESAR Copper-Silver Project located in Northeast Colombia.

Highlights

Max Resource has commenced the 2023 exploration season with over $15 million in the treasury.

In the last two-years, Max has collected 6,500 surface rock samples over the 90-km-long CESAR belt: 1,125 samples have returned values greater than 1.0% copper with average grades of 3.5% copper and 36 g/t silver.

Max's geological crew has now started to revisit the clusters of the outcrops with grades >1.0% copper and performing detailed mapping with the objective of delineating feeders; this has led to the discovery of 2 new priority targets ("Sierra" at AM and "Potrero Grande" at URU).

Presently, 6 priority targets are being evaluated (Herradura, Sierra, Molino, Potrero Grande, URU South Target 1 and Target 2). At the same time, the regional program continues with the objective to identify additional targets (refer to Figure 1).

Recent drilling at the AM District has confirmed Kupfershiefer style stratiform mineralization is present.

Metallurgical testing of URU-C and URU-CE drill samples is underway.

Max is taking a two-pronged approach to on-going exploration on its CESAR project: 1) evaluate and prioritize existing targets within the 187-km of mining concessions for drill testing; and 2) continue the regional sampling and prospecting program to identify additional copper-silver targets along the 90-km long CESAR belt.

"The ultimate goal of our detailed mapping and geophysical surveys is to delineate multiple drill-ready targets along this massive copper system within Max's wholly-owned CESAR Project," commented Max CEO, Brett Matich.





Figure 1. CESAR priority targets.

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Figure 2. AM drill locations, MT and seismic lines.

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Drill Target Evaluation & Prioritization

The sampling, along with geological mapping, has already identified 6 priority prospects and has helped to define two primary deposit models: a red-bed/Kupfershiefer style stratiform copper mineralization at AM and Central African Copper Belt style, as well as structurally controlled mineralization, at URU and Conejo.

In parallel, orientation geophysical surveys have commenced over targets where copper mineralization is outcropping at surface and there is evidence of historical artisanal mining.

The goal of the orientation surveys is to identify which geophysical techniques best identify the copper mineralization based on the two depositional models. Ground geophysical methods including Magneto Telluric ("MT"), Magnetic, Gravity, Induced Polarization ("IP") and Electromagnetic ("EM") are being tested. In addition, historical seismic data collected over the prospects are being re-processed and interpreted.

Proof of Concept at AM Mining Concessions (112 km)

Max initiated the 2023 exploration season on the AM mining concessions in the northern portion of the CESAR Project. The Company's hypothesis in this area of the project is that mineralization is sediment-hosted and stratiform, which is similar in style to the Kupfershiefer deposits located in central Europe.

Geological mapping and historical artisanal mining at the "Herradura" and "Sierra" targets, located within the AM mining concessions, indicates that mineralization occurs in at least four horizons in the stratigraphic sequence. To confirm the continuity of mineralization and its hypothesis, Max drilled two scout holes (refer to Table 1 and Figure 2) down dip from surface exposures at "Herradura" in January 2023. The holes were spaced 250m apart and drilled to a depth of approximately 350m. Both intersected multiple copper-replacement beds containing malachite and chalcocite with copper values ranging from 0.04% to 0.96%.

Table 1: Herradura Prospect - 2023 Drill Hole Collars

Hole ID Easting

(m) Northing

(m) Elevation

(m) Azimuth Dip EOH Depth

(m) HER23-15 763,173 1,216,011 277 170 -60 360.9 HER23-16 162,944 1,215,876 299 170 -60 359.1

Metallurgical Studies and drill targets at URU Mining Concessions (74 km)

In late 2022, Max commenced its inaugural drilling program at the URU District, in the southern portion of the CESAR Project. The objective was to test the continuity of the structurally controlled copper silver mineralization within the volcanic host rocks in the sub-basinal environment of the CESAR sedimentary basin.

Drilling consisted of 12 holes at the URU-C target and 2 holes at the URU-CE target, located 750m apart for a total of 2,244m. 12 holes intersected mineralized zones, with 6 intersecting significant copper silver mineralization, including 10.6m at 3.4% copper and 48 g/t silver.

ALS Metallurgy ("ALS") are conducting metal recovery analysis of the high-grade URU-C mineralization where chip channel sampling returned 7.0% copper and 115 g/t silver over 9.0m.

In addition, ALS are conducting leach recovery testing of samples from URU-CE drill hole URU-9, which intersected broad copper mineralization with associated alteration zone implying potential for a bulk tonnage system, returning 33.0m of 0.3% copper, including 16.5m of 0.5% copper.

Commencement of Geophysical Orientation Surveys

In February 2023, Max engaged Southern Rock Geophysics to commence an MT orientation survey on two 8-km lines within the AM mining concessions. The lines cover where drilling, mapping, geochemical sampling and artisanal mining have defined compelling copper-silver targets. MT is useful in mapping the major lithological units as well identifying potential deep-seated, mineralizing structures (refer to Figure 2).

Regional Exploration and Target Development

Max is conducting on-going regional exploration, which has already identified two new copper-silver prospects in 2023. Work is being conducted over the entire length of the CESAR project and is aimed at detecting target areas that can be further refined. The program includes on-going prospecting and regional stream sediment sampling programs. Max is also planning property scale magnetic - radiometric and LiDAR surveys to assist with geological and structural mapping.

Quality Assurance

Max adheres to a strict QA/QC program for core handling, sampling, sample transportation and analyses. Drill core samples were securely transported to the Company's core facility in Valledupar, Colombia. Samples were sawn in half, labelled, placed in sealed, securitized bags and shipped directly for sample preparation at ALS Colombia LTDA in Medellin and analysis was completed at ALS laboratory in Lima, Peru. Check assays were done at Actlabs in Medellin, Colombia.

The ALS Medellin analytical technique was ME-ICP 61, a four-acid digestion of a 0.25g sample analyzed on an Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP) with upper limits of 100 ppm for silver and 10,000 ppm for copper. Over limits for copper or silver were analyzed with the OG62 technique, a four-acid digestion of a 0.4g sample.

The Actlabs Medellin analytical technique was TD-AA, a 4-acid digestion of a 0.25g sampled for copper and silver analyzed on an Atomic Absorption (AA) unit, both with upper limits of 100 ppm for silver and 10,000 ppm for copper. Over limits for copper or silver were analyzed with the 8 4 Acid ICP technique, a four-acid digestion of a 0.4g sample.

QA/QC control procedures include the systematic insertion of duplicate, blank and certified reference materials (CRM), at regular intervals into the sampling stream.

Background

Max's CESAR Project lies along the copper silver rich CESAR basin in NE Colombia. This region provides access to major infrastructure resulting from oil & gas and mining operations, including Cerrejon, the largest coal mine in South America, held by global miner Glencore. Max's twenty mining concessions collectively span over 188-km (refer to Figure 1).

In 2022, Max executed a 2-year co-operation agreement with Endeavour Silver Corp., which assists Max to significantly expand its 100% owned landholdings at CESAR, Endeavour will hold an underlying 0.5% NSR.

Starting in the far north of the Jurassic basin, classic stacked red bed outcrops with extensive lateral continuity have been rock sampled over many kilometres within the AM District. Highlight values of 34.4% copper and 305 g/t silver have been documented in the sedimentary red bed sequences.

The Conejo District, midway south, demonstrates mineralization at the contact of intermediate and felsic volcanics which outcrops over 3.7-km. The average of surface samples over a 2.0% cut-off come in at 4.9% copper.

To the far south, the 2022 inaugural drilling was initiated at two mineralized surface exposures, each located 0.75-km apart and lie within the URU District's 20-km-long, 2-km wide mineralized target area. The drill program at URU-C and URU-CE was the first opportunity to test continuity of the structurally controlled copper silver mineralization within the volcanic host rocks in the sub-basinal environment of the CESAR sedimentary basin.

Qualified Person

The Company's disclosure of a technical or scientific nature in this news release was reviewed and approved by Tim Henneberry, PGeo (British Columbia), a member of the Max Resource advisory board, who serves as a qualified person under the definition of National Instrument 43-101.

About Max Resource Corp.

Max Resource Corp. (TSXV: MAX) is a mineral exploration company advancing the newly discovered district-scale CESAR copper-silver project. The wholly owned CESAR project sits along the Colombian portion of the world's largest producing copper belt (Andean belt), with world class infrastructure and the presence of global majors (Glencore and Chevron).

In addition, Max controls the RT Gold project (100% earn-in) in Peru, encompassing a bulk tonnage primary gold porphyry zone, and 3-km to the NW, a gold bearing massive sulphide zone. Historic drilling in 2001, returned values ranging 3.1 to 118.1 g/t gold over core lengths ranging from 2.2 to 36.0-metres.

Max is proactive, with the corporate goal of transitioning the CESAR basin towards the mining of copper, the key metal for Colombia's transition to clean energy. The safety of our people and the communities where we operate is most important. We conduct exploration in a manner which supports protection of ecosystems through responsible environmental stewardship.

Source: NI 43:101 Geological Report Rio Tabaconas Gold Project for Golden Alliance Resources Corp. by George Sivertz, Oct.3, 2011

For more information visit: https://www.maxresource.com/

For additional information contact:

Tim McNulty E: info@maxresource.com T: (604) 290-8100

Rahim Lakha E. rahim@bluesailcapital.com

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.

Except for statements of historic fact, this news release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities law. Forward-looking information is frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates at the date the statements are made and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements including, but not limited to delays or uncertainties with regulatory approvals, including that of the TSXV. There are uncertainties inherent in forward-looking information, including factors beyond the Company's control. There are no assurances that the commercialization plans for Max Resources Corp. described in this news release will come into effect on the terms or time frame described herein. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking information if circumstances or management's estimates or opinions should change except as required by law. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Additional information identifying risks and uncertainties that could affect financial results is contained in the Company's filings with Canadian securities regulators, which filings are available at www.sedar.com.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/161190
Top Executives from Europe's Biggest Banks, Neobanks, Industry Disruptors, Regulators and Startups Ready to Take the Stage in Amsterdam

Money20/20, the world's leading fintech show, unveils its agenda for the upcoming Europe show in Amsterdam, June 6-8th. Over 300 speakers are expected to join Money20/20 Europe this year. They include top executives from global banks including HSBC, Barclays, Deutsche Bank, NatWest, and Citi; cutting edge payments providers including GoCardless and Stripe along with expanding fintechs such as Plum, Bunq, and Zilch to name a few.

Money20/20 Europe is also welcoming the CEO of the London Stock Exchange, the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, the Regtech Association, the European Banking Authority, and the Israel and German Ministries of Finance to their stages.

"We are proud to present an agenda designed to help the industry build bridges from the challenges of right now to the incredible opportunities of what is next. Money20/20 Europe is the place where money does business. We can't wait to open the doors to the RAI Amsterdam Convention Centre on June 6th, fueling the industry with inspiration, knowledge sharing, genuine in-person connections and so much more," said Tracey Davies, President of Money20/20.

Hiroki Takeuchi, Co-founder and CEO of GoCardless, a global leader in direct bank payments, is one of Money20/20 Europe high profile speakers.

"I'm excited to speak at Money2020. I hope my session on the future of payments will encourage everyone to seize the once-in-a-generation opportunities in front of us and push innovations like open banking to their full potential, helping business and consumers everywhere," said Hiroki Takeuchi.

While the show covers the breadth of topics in fintech, this year ESG is holding a larger space with over 10 sessions dedicated to the subject with speakers from Visa, Frontier, the Ellen McArthur Foundation, and platforms such as Patch and Parley.

Gerrit Sindermann, Deputy Executive Director at Green Digital Finance Alliance, a Swiss-based not-for-profit catalyst of next generation green digital finance will be moderating the panel Sustainability: Tick Box or Choice.

"At GDFA, our mission is to drive financial innovation for climate, nature, and biodiversity challenges across the global ecosystem. We see Money20/20 Europe as an impactful platform for helping us shape the green digital finance landscape globally."

The Money20/20 Europe agenda of confirmed speakers can be found here.

Media who would like to attend Money20/20 Europe can register for a free press pass here.

About Money20/20

Founded in 2011, Money20/20 creates destination shows where the most innovative people in payments, fintech and the broader financial services industry connect. Famed for their high-impact networking, the Europe edition, held in Amsterdam (6-8 June 2023) and the USA edition, held in Las Vegas (22-25 October 2023), are regarded as the place where money does business by financial services professionals. Money20/20 also recently launched an Asia edition, due to launch in Bangkok in April 2024. Money20/20 is the space where the industry's smartest visionaries and innovators come together to create the future of money. Money20/20 is an Ascential show. Follow Money20/20 on Twitter and LinkedIn for show developments and updates.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230404005192/en/

Contacts:

Tina Loncaric

Global Head of Public Relations

Money20/20

E: tina@money2020.com

M: +1 469 288 5556
The transaction deepens BearingPoint's Salesforce expertise in the UK, enhancing core client services and building upon its unique market position.

European management and technology consultancy BearingPoint announced it has acquired London-based specialist Salesforce consulting company, Smplicity. As a registered Salesforce Partner, Smplicity offers clients a range of services to help deliver strategic and business improvement projects through the use of the Salesforce platform.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230404005194/en/

European management and technology consultancy BearingPoint has acquired London-based specialist Salesforce consulting company, Smplicity. (Photo: Business Wire)

With the transaction, a team of highly skilled experts will join BearingPoint, bringing with them extensive experience across diverse sectors such as Insurance, Retail, Media, and Publishing. BearingPoint is proud to have a unique offering in this space; leveraging the deep industry expertise of its team, combined with its Customer Experience (CX) First methodology. The addition of the Smplicity team will further support BearingPoint's ability to act as a nimble, trusted partner, and deliver tailored solutions that meet clients' specific needs building great Salesforce experiences together.

"I am delighted to welcome the Smplicity team to the BearingPoint family. Their proven track record in delivering Salesforce solutions to their clients complements BearingPoint's existing Salesforce practice, and will enhance our strong position in this space. With this acquisition, we are continuing to invest in our Salesforce growth plans, with the combined practice of BearingPoint and Smplicity strengthening our delivery of a comprehensive suite of services and expertise to support our clients' ambitions." Kiumars Hamidian, Managing Partner, BearingPoint.

This acquisition demonstrates the commitment of BearingPoint in developing its Salesforce capabilities, investing in deep expertise and capabilities to support its existing market presence.

"With our shared vision and values, I am confident that the Smplicity team will fit seamlessly into BearingPoint. We will continue to focus on delivering leading solutions that meet the needs of our clients, and I look forward to further building our joint Salesforce capabilities." Goolshun Belut, CEO, Smplicity.

"With a continued focus on growth in the UK, and particularly for our Salesforce practice, the experience that Smplicity has in this space is a fantastic fit for BearingPoint both strategically and culturally. BearingPoint's deep industry knowledge combined with the technical expertise of the team positions us uniquely in this market, and the addition of Smplicity is truly exciting." Eric Conway, GROW Regional Leader, BearingPoint.

The BearingPoint Capital team led and supported the acquisition, leading on preliminary due diligence, M&A negotiations and associated completion deliverables.

About BearingPoint

BearingPoint is an independent management and technology consultancy with European roots and a global reach. The company operates in three business units: Consulting, Products, and Capital. Consulting covers the advisory business with a clear focus on selected business areas. Products provides IP-driven digital assets and managed services for business-critical processes. Capital delivers M&A and transaction services.

BearingPoint's clients include many of the world's leading companies and organizations. The firm has a global consulting network with more than 13,000 people and supports clients in over 70 countries, engaging with them to achieve measurable and sustainable success.

For more information, please visit:

Homepage: www.bearingpoint.com

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/bearingpoint

Twitter: @BearingPoint

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230404005194/en/

Contacts:

Press

Alexander Bock

Global Senior Manager Communications

Telephone: +49 89 540338029

E-Mail: alexander.bock@bearingpoint.com
Meeting the rising need of European corporations focused on driving growth, Mach49 expands their leadership and appoints Christian Lindener and Clare McKitrick as co-leaders for Europe, Middle East, and Africa

LONDON and AMSTERDAM, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Mach49 , the Growth Builder for Global Businesses, announces further EMEA expansion to help the Global 1000 build their growth engines through venture building, venture investing, venture turnarounds, strategic partnering, and targeted M&A. Mach49 has also launched its Growth Institute to help organizations develop the internal innovation ecosystem that will ensure their ventures can leverage Mothership advantage, thrive in the market, and generate meaningful returns for decades to come.





Corporate venturing executive and serial entrepreneur Christian Lindener and lead venture builder Clare McKitrick have been named Co-Managing Partners of Mach49 EMEA. As part of this ongoing expansion, Mach49 broadens its London and Amsterdam teams to further support the growing base of UK and EMEA clients, including Schneider Electric, Pernod Ricard, Shell, RWE Energy, SGS, TDK, Hitachi, Standard Bank, and others.

Mach49 continues to see increasing demand from European companies that want to partner with Mach49 because they are "100% focused on execution helping companies like Hitachi leverage our talent, ideas, brands, assets, competencies, capital, and customers to drive growth that matters by building internal growth engines and expanding corporate venture capital capabilities" noted Laurent Guengant , Hitachi Global Vice President, Strategy and Operations, Environmental Business Division, and Head of Corporate Venture Office EMEA.

Mach49 partners with global corporations to create a portfolio of new ventures and investments through corporate venture capital (CVC) that disrupt existing markets and create new ones.

"Mach49 is expanding our capabilities and team in EMEA to help meet the region's Global 1000-led disruptive growth with Clare and Christian's leadership," commented Linda Yates , Founder and CEO of Mach49.

Serial entrepreneur Lindener leads cross-industry digital strategy and large-scale technology transformations with clients across EMEA. He previously was head of Airbus Scale, the corporate venturing arm of the world's leading aerospace company, where he led their internal and external innovation strategy. There he co-founded several successful startups, including Reflex Aerospace and Skyroads. Lindener joined Mach49 in 2022 as Board Member-in-Residence.

"I look forward to unlocking the potential of corporate venturing for global businesses based in Europe, leveraging our deep startup ecosystem experience, success, and foresight," commented Lindener. "Large corporations in EMEA are well positioned to embrace venture building and venture investing to create new engines of growth - keeping their corporations viable for decades to come. With a focus on execution and client success, I bring more than two decades of experience building both corporate ventures and independent startups to propel the growth of big companies and help them innovate and thrive."

Expert venture builder Clare McKitrick was Mach49's first EMEA hire and grew the regional office into the 30+ strong team it is today. She's helped build ventures for Mach49's largest clients since 2019. McKitrick also joins Mach49's new Office of People and Belonging, led by Mach49's newly appointed Co-CEO David Charpie , to ensure the region represents the very best of Mach49's global culture of growth.

"Christian and I will work together to ensure the Mach49 EMEA team has the tools they need to continue performing at the highest level so that our clients can build and invest in game-changing portfolios of ventures," McKitrick commented.

About Mach49

Mach49 partners with global businesses to build their growth engines through venture building, venture investing, strategic partnering, and targeted M&A. We are 100% focused on execution, helping our clients disrupt existing markets and create new ones to drive meaningful growth.

The company is a unique cadre of successful serial entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, and C-suite executives who have collectively generated over $60B in market value over their operating careers in companies they've invested in, managed, created, or built. Mach49 was founded by Linda Yates, author of The Unicorn Within: How Companies Can Create Game-Changing Ventures at Startup Speed (HBR Press, October 2022) - named a " Top Ten Business Books of 2022 " by Forbes, and recently selected by Malcolm Gladwell and Dan Pink as one of " 7 Startup Books Every Entrepreneur Should Read ." Mach49 is headquartered in Silicon Valley with offices in Redwood City, Boston, London, and Amsterdam. www.mach49.com

CONTACT: Megan Foell, mfoell@kruppagency.com









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VANCOUVER, BC, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Edraw, a Wondershare Company, a leading provider of creative software and brainstorming software company, is honored to welcome all participants in two product tutorial webinars. During the session, it will demonstrate how Edraw can help the organization leaders, small business owners, intrapreneurs, CIOs, etc. to understand idea change and real-time collaboration in a hybrid work environment.

These webinars are designed to help organizations embrace the hybrid working era and unleash their teams' creativity with collaborative mind mapping and diagramming tools.

On April 4th at 4:00 PM Hong Kong Time, EdrawMind will be joining the Microsoft365 ISV Showcase in Microsoft Teams with the title of "High Levels of Team Cooperation, Unleash Creativity with EdrawMind". Attendees will learn about digitalized and structured creative thinking, simultaneous idea exchange, and easy file sharing with team space. To register, please visit: https://aka.ms/M365v543EXT-Register





On April 6th at 4:00 PM Hong Kong Time, EdrawMax will be joining the Microsoft365 ISV Showcase in Microsoft Teams with the title of "Collaborative Diagramming and Project Management with EdrawMax". Attendees will gain valuable insights into the benefits of adopting diagramming software, real-time collaboration diagramming, and visualizing ideas with EdrawMax. To register, please visit: https://aka.ms/M365v542EXT-Register





"We're excited to offer these webinars to our SMB and Enterprise clients," Said Edwin Wang, Product Director of Wondershare EdrawMind., "At Wondershare EdrawMind, we're passionate about empowering teams to do their best work, whether they're in the office, at home, or on-the-go. Our onboarding webinar is an opportunity for potential clients to learn more about our user-friendly mind mapping software, and how it can help them visualize ideas, streamline workflows, and collaborate more effectively."

The webinars are free to attend and open to anyone interested in learning more about Edraw's collaborative diagramming and brainstorming tools.

Compatibility and Price

Wondershare EdrawMind is available on Windows, Mac, Linux, Web, Android, and iOS. Trusted by over 25 million users and reputable brands, EdrawMind helps ignite ideas, harness chaos, and drive better results. EdrawMind supports English, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Japanese, Traditional Chinese, Korean, and Russian. Pricing starts from US$39 semi-annually.

Wondershare EdrawMax is a powerful all-in-one diagramming tool that allows users to create a wide range of diagrams, charts, and visuals. It offers advanced features such as collaboration tools, cloud storage, and real-time collaboration, which makes it ideal for individuals, teams, and organizations of all sizes. It is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux operating systems. Pricing starts from US$69 semi-annually.

For the latest EdrawMind and EdrawMax news and updates, please visit our website or follow us on YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, and Twitter.

About Wondershare

Wondershare is a world-renowned software company dedicated to providing innovative solutions for both personal and business use. As a market leader in creativity and productivity products, Wondershare has been recognized with awards from The Shorty Awards, G2 Crowd and GetApp. With over 100 million users in 150 countries, Wondershare's mission is to help our users pursue their passions and to build a more creative world, together.

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irisl@wondershare.com





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PPG and Correlation Form Long-Term Partnership to Drive Innovation in Pet Insurance

Pinnacle Pet Group ("PPG"), a leading pan-European pet insurance provider with JAB Holding Company as controlling shareholder, today announced it will acquire Animal Friends Investments Ltd, which wholly owns Animal Friends Insurance Services Ltd ("Animal Friends"), a U.K. based multi-award-winning pet insurance provider from Correlation One Holdings Ltd ("Correlation").

Animal Friends is a specialist insurance intermediary with more than 400 employees and a 25-year track record offering affordable pet insurance coverage with exceptional customer service. Animal Friends currently protects more than 1,100,000 cats, dogs, and horses in the United Kingdom and has helped welfare charities and conservation organisations worldwide.

"Since its establishment in 1998, Animal Friends' unique approach to pet insurance has saved thousands of animals, inspired positive change in the sector, and protected vulnerable ecosystems around the world," said Dirk Beeckman, CEO of JAB's pet insurance portfolio. "We are thrilled to welcome the Animal Friends team into the PPG family, and to further build out its award-winning services and socially driven approach.

As part of the PPG family, Animal Friends will aim to further build its brand, expertise, and services to expand its reach across the United Kingdom and into new European markets.

Animal Friends CEO, Westley Pearson, said, "This is an exciting new home for Animal Friends with the Pinnacle Pet Group. Our business has grown over the past five years and this acquisition is a natural next step, further solidifying our position as a leading pet insurance provider in the UK market. We're really looking forward to working with JAB and PPG, driving change in the sector together and finding new ways to enhance the lives of pets and pet parents."

Further to the sale of Animal Friends to PPG, PPG and Correlation will form a long-term partnership to drive growth and innovation in pet insurance, including through the likes of Waggel, a fast-growing pet insurtech in the UK; Vet-AI, a veterinary telehealth provider; Biscuit, an innovative rewards and incentives platform for pet parents; and Kozoo, an emerging player in the French pet insurance market.

"In line with the steady rise in pet ownership, the UK pet insurance market has undergone a period of consistent growth over the last decade and has further accelerated insurance adoption," said Michael Thorpe, Managing Director at Correlation Risk Partners. "Our partnership with Pinnacle Pet Group brings together two highly experienced teams which, combined with the depth and international reach of PPG's portfolio, will allow us to expand our pet insurance offerings and adjacent services."

PPG was formed in 2021 to provide owners and animals access to the best insurance and care available across the U.K. and Europe. The acquisition of Animal Friends is subject to customary closing conditions, including applicable regulatory approvals.

Since launching in 1998, Animal Friends has remained steadfast in its commitment to save animals, inspire change, and protect the future of vulnerable ecosystems, at home and abroad. To date, Animal Friends has donated over 7.8 million to more than 700 animal charities, ranging from large scale community campaigns to small contributions and one-off projects.

About Pinnacle Pet Group

Pinnacle Pet Group ("PPG" or "the Group") is a leading pan-European pet insurance provider controlled by JAB Holding Company. The Group offers a complete range of pet insurance products and services, catering to animal owners, distribution partners, breeders, shelters, and veterinarians. The Group was established in 2021 through a joint venture with BNP Paribas Cardif.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230403005858/en/

Contacts:

The One Nine Three Group for JAB

Zach Siegel: zach@the193.com

Charlie Harrison: charlie.harrison@the193.com
Leading French pet insurance brand Assur O'Poil and award-winning online vet booking platform CaptainVet to join PPG

Pinnacle Pet Group ("PPG"), a leading pan-European pet insurance provider with JAB Holding Company as controlling shareholder, today announced it will acquire HD Assurances, a leading animal health insurance broker, selling its insurance products under the brand Assur O'Poil in France, Belgium, and Italy.

Founded by entrepreneur Hubert Derai in 1990 as a Managing General Agent ("MGA"), HD Assurances provides pet insurance products to more than 120,000 customers. With PPG's support, HD Assurances will seek to expand its distribution channels, accelerate product innovation, and broaden its offering.

Following the completion of the transaction, Hubert Derai will continue to support Assur O'Poil as Managing Director.

"Over the last 20 years, Hubert Derai has successfully created a pet insurance champion in Europe that truly puts pets first," said Dirk Beeckman, CEO of JAB's pet insurance portfolio. "We are thrilled that Hubert will remain with the company, allowing PPG and Assur O'Poil to continue benefiting from his leadership expertise, network and market insights."

"Our extraordinary success has been underpinned by our unwavering love for pets," said Derai. "We believe in PPG's long-term vision for the future of pet insurance and are thrilled to be part of its ambitious expansion plans. Working together, we will be able to ensure that more animals receive the care they need while reimbursing veterinary providers in real-time."

PPG is also acquiring CaptainVet, an innovative and award-winning online vet appointment booking platform. Founded in 2017, CaptainVet currently operates in France and Belgium, and services over 1,100 veterinarians. With the support of PPG, CaptainVet will expand its service offering in France and explore the entrance of new markets across Europe.

PPG was formed in 2021 to provide owners and animals access to the best insurance and care available across the U.K. and Europe.

About Pinnacle Pet Group

Pinnacle Pet Group ("PPG" or "the Group") is a leading pan-European pet insurance provider controlled by JAB Holding Company. The Group offers a complete range of pet insurance products and services, catering to animal owners, distribution partners, breeders, shelters, and veterinarians. The Group was established in 2021 through a joint venture with BNP Paribas Cardif.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230404005098/en/

Contacts:

The One Nine Three Group for JAB

Zach Siegel: zach@the193.com

Charlie Harrison: charlie.harrison@the193.com
SAN FRANCISCO, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The global enterprise search market size is expected to reach USD 8.85 billion by 2030, registering an estimated CAGR of 8.9% from 2023 to 2030, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. The growth can be attributed to the increasing need for efficient supervision of large volumes of data among organizations to strengthen their operational capabilities. The growing demand for solutions that facilitate time-saving data search as well as enhanced security is driving the adoption of enterprise search solutions. The rising significance of value-added services, along with search capabilities, is further driving their adoption across organizations.





Key Industry Insights & Findings from the report:

Based on type, the hosted search segment is anticipated to grow at the highest CAGR of over 9% during the forecast period. This can be attributed to the growing trend of enterprise data being hosted on cloud platforms for remote work capabilities.

Based on end-use, the retail segment recorded the highest market share of over 41% in 2022, owing to digitization of retail stores and the large product database.

Based on enterprise size, the large enterprises segment recorded the highest market share in 2022 owing to the need to search precise data from the vast database obtained from various sources.

Based on geography, North America accounted for the largest market share in 2022 owing to the ongoing technological developments coupled with the strong presence of major market players in the region.

Read 163-page market research report, "Enterprise Search Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Type (Local Search, Hosted Search), By End-use (Government & Commercial Offices, Banking & Financial), By Enterprise Size, By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2023 - 2030", published by Grand View Research.

Enterprise Search Market Growth & Trends

Technological advancements coupled with the introduction of Software as a Service (SaaS) and cloud computing are driving the adoption of hosted enterprise search tools in small and medium enterprises. These tools require minimal technical support, and low maintenance and installation cost. Additionally, software as a service providers offer round the clock customer support and data protection which is a major driver.

The growth of enterprise search market is being further proliferated by the introduction of new and innovative product offerings by the leading market players. For instance, in January 2023, Microsoft Azure expanded its service with integration of OpenAI, an advanced artificial intelligence model, to the general customer base. The artificial intelligence integration enables efficient search and feature deployment for enterprises.

Enterprise Search Market Segmentation

Grand View Research has segmented the global enterprise search market based on type, end-use, enterprise size, and region

Enterprise Search Market - Type Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2018 - 2030)

Local Search

Hosted Search

Search Appliance

Enterprise Search Market - End-use Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2018 - 2030)

Government & Commercial Offices

Banking & Financial

Healthcare

Retail

Media

Manufacturing

Others

Enterprise Search Market - Enterprise Size Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2018 - 2030)

Small

Medium

Large

Enterprise Search Market - Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2018 - 2030)

North America

U.S.



Canada



Mexico

Europe

U.K.



Germany



France



Italy



Russia

Asia Pacific

China



India



Japan



South Korea

South America

Brazil



Argentina



Colombia

MEA

UAE



Saudi Arabia

List of Key Players in the Enterprise Search Market

Attivio

Coveo Solutions Inc.

Dassault Systemes Inc.

Dieselpoint Inc.

EMC Corporation

Expert System Inc.

Google Inc.

HP Autonomy

IBM Corporation

Lucidworks Inc.

MarkLogic Corporation

Oracle

Perceptive Software Inc.

PolySpot

Recommind Inc.

SAP AG

Sinequa Inc.

Thunderstone Software

X1 Technologies

ZyLabs

Check out more market research studies published by Grand View Research:

Business Software And Services Market - The global business software and services market size is expected to reach USD 1,153.75 billion by 2030, according to a new study conducted by Grand View Research, Inc. The market is expected to expand at a CAGR of 11.9% from 2023 to 2030. The market is expected to flourish due to the rapid proliferation of massive enterprise data and the rising use of automation to enhance business operations. The rapidly expanding need for increased operational effectiveness and transparency across various organizations and businesses propels the market growth.

The global business software and services market size is expected to reach by 2030, according to a new study conducted by Grand View Research, Inc. The market is expected to expand at a CAGR of 11.9% from 2023 to 2030. The market is expected to flourish due to the rapid proliferation of massive enterprise data and the rising use of automation to enhance business operations. The rapidly expanding need for increased operational effectiveness and transparency across various organizations and businesses propels the market growth. Fire Department Software Market - The global fire department software market size is anticipated to reach USD 2,059.2 million by 2030, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. The market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 11.5% from 2022 to 2030. Increasing adoption of cloud-based technologies across various government sectors, the rapid growth of mobile and web-based software, and the rising need for modernization across fire departments are major drivers of market growth. In addition, growing awareness about fire safety services is also expected to fuel the market growth.

- The global fire department software market size is anticipated to reach by 2030, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. The market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 11.5% from 2022 to 2030. Increasing adoption of cloud-based technologies across various government sectors, the rapid growth of mobile and web-based software, and the rising need for modernization across fire departments are major drivers of market growth. In addition, growing awareness about fire safety services is also expected to fuel the market growth. Enterprise Architecture Tools Market - The global enterprise architecture tools market size is estimated to reach USD 1.41 billion by 2028, expanding at a CAGR of 4.9% from 2021 to 2028, according to a new study by Grand View Research, Inc. Increasing importance of affiliate enterprise IT solutions and business-driven architecture methods are expected to boost the market growth. The business is being supported by the enterprise architecture tools, which add large data capabilities and save time meanwhile reducing the process time. These factors are anticipated to increase the use of enterprise architecture tools by businesses, subsequently driving the market growth globally.

Browse through Grand View Research's IT Services & Applications Industry Research Reports.

About Grand View Research

Grand View Research, U.S.-based market research and consulting company, provides syndicated as well as customized research reports and consulting services. Registered in California and headquartered in San Francisco, the company comprises over 425 analysts and consultants, adding more than 1200 market research reports to its vast database each year. These reports offer in-depth analysis on 46 industries across 25 major countries worldwide. With the help of an interactive market intelligence platform, Grand View Research Helps Fortune 500 companies and renowned academic institutes understand the global and regional business environment and gauge the opportunities that lie ahead.

Contact:

Sherry James

Corporate Sales Specialist, USA

Grand View Research, Inc.

Phone: 1-415-349-0058

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LONDON, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- TerraPay, a leading global payments infrastructure company, has successfully closed its Series B equity financing round, raising in excess of $100 million in equity and debt financing. The funding round was led by IFC and supported by Prime Ventures, Partech Africa, U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) and a consortium of other investors.





The funding will help further TerraPay's global expansion plans, especially across the LATAM and MENA regions, strengthen its existing pay-out network to 150 countries by 2024, support and accelerate its growth, and invest in the marketing and adoption of alternate payment methods for mobile wallets, like Request-to-Pay - an interoperable mobile wallet solution, at a larger scale.

Furthermore, TerraPay also aims to expand its regulatory and compliance infrastructure including key license applications across the world. Currently, TerraPay's agile payments infrastructure and solutions platform offers business/merchant pay-outs, acquiring and issuing services, among others. The company has built a far-reaching network of partners and customers, present in more than 108 receiving countries and 205 sending countries with 62 settlement currencies.

Ambar Sur, Founder and CEO of TerraPay, said, "We are thrilled to announce the successful completion of our Series B financing round. This latest funding is a testament to our exceptional achievements and the unwavering dedication of our team in delivering innovative payment solutions to customers globally. The continuous support from our investors and lending partners has enabled us to expand our infrastructure, enhance our network coverage, and accelerate investment in our operations, product development, and technology. We look forward to continuing our valuable strategic partnership with our investors and delivering continuous value to all our stakeholders, including customers, partners, investors, and employees."

The cost of migrant remittances to developing markets remains expensive and well above the UN Sustainable Development Goals target of 3%. As a leading payments infrastructure company, TerraPay is committed to driving financial inclusion and specializes in enabling the delivery of cross-border remittances and instant money transfers, securely, and at a low cost. With the new funding, the company is well-positioned to capitalize on the growing demand for its remittance and payments solutions and continue its mission of making cross-border payments more accessible, secure, and affordable for all.

IFC has been one of TerraPay's key investors since 2019. Talking about the Series B funding, William Sonneborn, IFC's Global Director of Disruptive Technologies and Fundssaid, "Low-cost cross-border payments are critical to financial inclusion and global trade. We are delighted to announce our continued support for TerraPay, as they deliver efficient payments instantly and securely, between individuals, businesses, and financial institutions, while also strengthening regulatory and compliance infrastructure. They are building a unique global highway for inclusive payments."

"Since we originally invested, TerraPay has gone from strength to strength and we are extremely excited to continue to support Ambar and his team in this journey," says Pieter Welten, Partner at Prime Ventures. "TerraPay's global payment infrastructure is addressing real-world problems in emerging markets and its innovative payments solutions have the scalability, flexibility and usability its partners need. Cross-border payments represent a huge, global market opportunity and therefore we strongly believe the company will continue its profitable, fast growth trajectory in the coming years."

Cyril Collon, General Partner, Partech said,"TerraPay has built what is today the leading global payments infrastructure allowing individuals and businesses across 200+ countries to settle any payment instantly in a secure & reliable manner. With this new funding round, Partech is proud to keep supporting this exceptional visionary team led by Ambar and help TerraPay to further accelerate its highly profitable growth ambition. Powering real-time transactions, small or large value, across the globe, requires innovative & inclusive pay-in and pay-out solutions with the highest compliance and security standards, and this is exactly what TerraPay has delivered every single day since we invested."

"DFC is excited to support TerraPay's mission to expand access to financial services and inclusion around the world. Through its digital capabilities, the company enables users to seamlessly transmit cross-border payments connecting communities' oceans apart,"said James Polan, Vice President of DFC's Office of Development Credit.

TerraPay's success in raising over $100 million in the Series B funding underscores its position as a leading player in the global payments infrastructure space. The company has been profitable and is now poised to take its payments platform to the next level, expanding its capabilities and providing more seamless cross-border payment solutions to people all over the world.

About TerraPay

Headquartered in The United Kingdom, TerraPay believes that the smallest payment deserves a borderless journey as safe as the largest. The group has been building an ever-expanding payments highway that empowers businesses to create transparent customer experiences with an uninterrupted, secure, and real-time global passage for every payment, however small or large. Registered and regulated across 27 global markets, TerraPay is a leading global partner to banks, mobile wallets, money transfer operators, merchants, and financial institutions, creating a more expansive and inclusive international financial ecosystem. With access to payments infrastructure that spans the globe, their partners become beacons of the promise of global financial inclusion.

For more information, please visit terrapay.com

Media Contact:

Anwesha Mukherjee

anwesha@terrapay.com

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LONDON, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Dechert LLP announced today that Aaron Scott has joined the firm's global finance practice as a partner based in London. Mr. Scott is the sixth partner to join the global finance practice since the start of 2022, following the additions of leveraged finance partner William C. Robertson (New York); commercial real estate finance partners Kathleen Mylod (New York) and Richard Pugh (London); asset finance and securitization partner Jay Southgate and debt and acquisition finance partner En-Min Chua (New York).





Mr. Scott specializes in structured finance and securitization with a focus on CLOs. He advises on a wide range of transactions for global financial institutions and has forged strong relationships with many European banks. Additionally, he advises on the EU regulatory aspects of U.S. CLOs (including risk retention and transparency requirements). Mr. Scott received a BSc in Psychology and a law degree from the University of Otago in New Zealand in 2012. He trained and worked as a lawyer in New Zealand before moving to London where, prior to joining Dechert, he worked in the structured finance practice of another international law firm.

Laura Swihart, co-chair of Dechert's global finance and real estate practice groups, said: "As CLOs continue to be one of the global finance market's most innovative and important asset classes, investor demand for highly skilled lawyers like Aaron will continue to grow. We are delighted that Aaron is bringing his expertise and entrepreneurial spirit to Dechert."

Gus Black, chair of Dechert's London Management Committee, said: "Growing our ability to service both CLO arrangers and managers is a strategic focus for the firm. Aaron's depth and breadth of knowledge will strengthen both our local and global client offering."

Mr. Scott commented: "I am thrilled to be joining Dechert, and I look forward to working alongside my colleagues to help further enhance the firm's already strong presence in the European commercial real estate finance and securitization markets."

Dechert's commercial real estate finance and securitization group includes many of the industry's leading lawyers who play a central role in high-visibility real estate transactions. Dechert is recognized as one of the few firms - if not the only firm - that maintains a premier commercial real estate capital markets practice concentrating in loan origination, loan acquisition and disposition, securitization, servicing, workouts/restructuring and bankruptcy matters.

Mr. Scott is one of several lateral partners to join Dechert's London office since the start of 2021, following the arrivals of Adam Plainer and Kay Morley (restructuring), Sam Whittaker (private equity), Judith Seddon (white collar), Richard Pugh (global finance), Colin Sharpsmith (financial services), and Douglas Lahnborg and Saira Henry (antitrust).

About Dechert

Dechert is a leading global law firm with 21 offices around the world. The firm advises on matters and transactions of the greatest complexity, bringing energy, creativity and efficient management of legal issues to deliver commercial and practical advice for clients.

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KELOWNA, BC / ACCESSWIRE / April 4, 2023 / Tryp Therapeutics , Inc. (CSE:TRYP)(OTCQB:TRYPF) ("Tryp" or the "Company"), a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing intravenous-infused psilocin (the active metabolite of psilocybin) for diseases with high unmet medical needs, today announced it has completed the training of psychotherapists for its planned Phase 2a clinical trial investigating the effects of psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy in the treatment of patients aged 21+ suffering from Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). The training was conducted by Fluence, which is led by researchers and psychotherapists with direct experience in psychedelic clinical trials and is the foremost provider of psychotherapeutic training for health professionals that are administering psychedelic compounds to patients.

The planned study will evaluate the effect of psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy in patients with treatment-resistant IBS who experience chronic abdominal pain and other debilitating gastrointestinal symptoms. Many of these patients also suffer from fibromyalgia, anxiety and fatigue. The primary efficacy endpoint of the study will be improvement in abdominal pain. The study will also explore changes in brain connectivity and responses to pain at baseline, four weeks, six months and twelve months, post-the psychedelic sessions, along with numerous other secondary endpoints.

Dr. Franklin King MD, Harvard Professor at the Center for the Neuroscience of Psychedelics, the principal investigator of the study, said, "Symptoms occurring at the mind-body interface, such as disorders of gut-brain interaction, are often inadequately addressed by conventional psychological and somatic therapies alike. Given promising research suggesting that psychedelics bypass typical medical paradigms, we believe this is an extraordinarily promising avenue of research with significant potential benefit for patients."

"The progress being made through our collaboration with Tryp Therapeutics shows there is potential for the treatment of debilitating IBS and other disorders of gut-brain interaction by utilizing the combined administration of psilocybin and psychotherapy," added Dr. Erin Mauney, a physician at Massachusetts General Hospital leading the study. "We are pleased to have completed this training in advance of commencing the Phase 2a trial."

Elizabeth Nielson, Ph.D., Co-Founder and Chief Visionary Officer of Fluence, commented "We're thrilled to have the opportunity to work with Tryp Therapeutics and support their pioneering work in clinical research. It gives one confidence in the future of the field to see the high level of professionalism and care that's gone into planning this study at Mass General Hospital. Studying psilocybin treatment for IBS, an indication that crosses the boundaries of gastroenterology and psychiatry, is a true innovation."

In recognition of this important development, Jim Gilligan, PhD, Chief Executive Officer of Tryp Therapeutics, said, "We are excited to announce completion of Fluence's training of psychotherapists for our Phase 2a clinical trial in IBS-related pain. Completion of this training marks a significant step forward in the development of our potentially groundbreaking treatment for patients suffering from this debilitating condition. Collaborating with partners like Harvard/MGH and Fluence, a leader in providing psychotherapeutic training for health professionals administering psychedelic compounds to patients, represents an extraordinary opportunity to advance the field of psychedelic medicine and improve the lives of countless patients."

About Tryp Therapeutics

Tryp Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing proprietary, novel formulations for the administration of psilocin in combination with psychotherapy to treat diseases with unmet medical needs. Tryp's lead program, TRP-8803, is a proprietary formulation of IV-infused psilocin (the active metabolite of psilocybin) that alleviates numerous shortcomings of oral psilocybin including: significantly reducing the time to onset of the psychedelic state, controlling the depth and duration of the psychedelic experience, and reducing the overall duration of the intervention to a commercially feasible timeframe. The Company has an ongoing Phase 2a clinical trial for the treatment of Binge Eating Disorder at the University of Florida, an upcoming Phase 2a clinical trial with the University of Michigan for the treatment of fibromyalgia and a planned Phase 2a trial for the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome at Mass General Hospital, all of which are utilizing TRP-8802 (synthetic, oral psilocybin) to demonstrate efficacy in these indications. Where a preliminary clinical benefit has been demonstrated, subsequent studies are expected to utilize TRP-8803 (IV-infused psilocin) which has the potential to further improve efficacy, safety and patient experience. For more information, please visit www.tryptherapeutics.com.

Investor & Media Contact

Peter Molloy

Chief Business Officer

Tryp Therapeutics

pmolloy@tryptherapeutics.com

Forward-Looking Information

Certain information in this news release constitutes forward-looking information. In some cases, but not necessarily in all cases, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans," "targets," "expects" or "does not expect," "is expected," "an opportunity exists," "is positioned," "estimates," "intends," "assumes," "anticipates" or "does not anticipate" or "believes," or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may," "could," "would," "might," "will" or "will be taken," "occur" or "be achieved." In addition, any statements that refer to expectations, projections or other characterizations of future events or circumstances contain forward-looking information. Statements containing forward-looking information are not historical facts but instead represent management's expectations, estimates and projections regarding future events.

Forward-looking information is necessarily based on a number of opinions, assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by Tryp as of the date of this news release, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information, including but not limited to the factors described in greater detail in the "Risk Factors' section of Tryp's final prospectus available at www.sedar.com. These factors are not intended to represent a complete list of the factors that could affect Tryp; however, these factors should be considered carefully. There can be no assurance that such estimates and assumptions will prove to be correct. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this news release, and Tryp expressly disclaims any obligation to update or alter statements containing any forward-looking information, or the factors or assumptions underlying them, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

NEITHER THE CANADIAN SECURITIES EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER HAS REVIEWED OR ACCEPTED RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE.

SOURCE: Tryp Therapeutics

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/747418/Tryp-Therapeutics-Completes-Psychotherapy-Training-for-Planned-Phase-2a-Clinical-Trial-at-Massachusetts-General-Hospital
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - April 4, 2023) - American Eagle Gold Corp. (TSXV: AE) ("American Eagle" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has qualified for trading on the OTCQB Venture Market in the United States under the symbol "AMEGF." The Company profile can be viewed here. American Eagle's common shares will continue to trade on the TSX Venture Exchange (the "TSXV") under the symbol "AE".

U.S. investors can find current financial disclosure and Real-Time level 2 quotes for the Company on www.otcmarkets.com. The Company's listing on the TSXV and the trading of its shares on the OTCQB contribute to a larger North American presence and affords investors preeminent access to trading.

About American Eagle's NAK Project

NAK is a classic porphyry copper-gold mineralized target that exhibits many signs of a robust and large-scale system. Historical shallow drilling programs defined a near-surface copper-gold system with a footprint greater than 1.5km x 1.5km. It remains open and largely untested at depth.

The NAK property is road accessible, and many target areas coincide with forest industry clear cuts. Drilling can be completed year-round, and no helicopter support is required. The NAK property is 85 kilometres from Smithers, BC, in the Babine copper-gold porphyry district of west-central British Columbia. It lies close to nearby past-producing mines (Bell, Granisle), in proximity to excellent infrastructure. NAK's highly encouraging initial results make it a prime candidate for further exploration. The Company's main objective is to advance this newly revitalized mineralizing system into a major discovery.

Click Here to View Charlie Greig and Neil Prowse Discussing NAK

Click Here to View the Latest Corporate Presentation

For the latest videos from American Eagle, Ore Group, and all things mining, subscribe to our YouTube Channel: youtube.com/@theoregroup

About American Eagle Gold Corp.

American Eagle trades under the symbol AE on the TSX Venture Exchange. The Company is focused on exploring its NAK project in the Babine Copper-Gold Porphyry district of west-central British Columbia.

Anthony Moreau, Chief Executive Officer

Phone: 416.644.1567

Email: amoreau@oregroup.ca

www.americaneaglegold.ca

QA/QC Statement

The Company follows a strict QA/QC protocol for the drilling program at NAK. The protocol includes regularly-submitted analytical standards, coarse reject duplicates, and randomly inserted blank samples. The QA/QC samples comprise 10% of the total samples submitted. All drill core samples are cut and packaged on-site and are shipped to ALS Laboratories prep facility in Langley, B.C., where they are analyzed via a four-acid digestion multi-element ICP process and a separate gold fire assay.

Forward-Looking Statements

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the TSX Venture Exchange policies) accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Certain information in this press release may contain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this press release include, but are not limited to, statements regarding whether the Company will be able to exercise its option to acquire the Project as anticipated and whether the Company's exploration efforts on the Project produce the results that are anticipated by management. This information is based on current expectations that are subject to significant risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict. Therefore, actual results might differ materially from those suggested in forward-looking statements. American Eagle Gold Corp. assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those reflected in the forward looking-statements unless and until required by securities laws applicable to American Eagle Gold Corp. Additional information identifying risks and uncertainties is contained in filings by American Eagle Gold Corp. with Canadian securities regulators, which filings are available under American Eagle Gold Corp. profile at www.sedar.com.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/161106
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 4, 2023) - Golden Independence Mining Corp. (CSE: IGLD) (OTCQB: GIDMF) (FSE: 6NNA) (the "Company" or "Golden Independence") is pleased to provide an update of the ongoing permitting activities for its development-stage Independence project in Nevada. Over the past twelve months, the Company has been working with Westland Resources of Reno Nevada to advance environmental studies for the permitting of a low-cost, open-pit heap-leach gold mine. The Company completed biological baseline environmental studies, including flora / fauna and wildlife studies for the project area in addition to biology surveys for waterline and transmission line (i.e. infrastructure services corridor), plus material characterization studies for ore and waste rock classification including humidity cell testing and petrography or electron microscopy. The Company and its consultants are preparing the concluding summary reports for submission to the Nevada Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection (NDEP).

"We are excited to have concluded the bulk of the formative studies required for the environmental assessment, with a number of the longer-term permitting requirements being fulfilled," commented Jeremy Poirier, CEO of Golden Independence. "Given the recent increase in gold prices, from the US$1,700 used in the PEA1 to current prices around US$2,000 per ounce, the Independence project after-tax IRR and NPV increase from 18% and US$35 million to 30% and US$70 million which highlights the project's attractiveness in the current gold environment."

The Independence project is a joint venture between Golden Independence Mining Corp. (the "Company") and Americas Gold Exploration Inc., with the Company being the operator and majority owner. The technical content of this news release has been reviewed and approved by R. Tim Henneberry, P.Geo. (BC), a Director and President of Golden Independence Mining Corp. and a Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101.

About Golden Independence Mining Corp.

Golden Independence Mining Corp. is a development company currently focused on the advanced-stage Independence project located adjacent to Nevada Gold Mine's Phoenix-Fortitude mine in the Battle Mountain-Cortez Trend of Nevada in addition to the wholly-owned Napoleon gold project located in the Kamloops Mining Division of BC. The Independence project hosts an M&I resource of 334,300 ounces of gold and an Inferred resource of 847,000 ounces of gold with a substantial silver credit. A 2021 Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) outlined a low-cost heap leach operation focusing on the near-surface resource with total production of 195,443 ounces of gold at an all-in sustaining cost of US$1,078 per ounce of gold. The Napoleon project is comprised of over 1,000 hectares and prospective for multiple-forms of gold mineralization, with exploration in the area dating back to the 1970's with the discovery of high-grade gold.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

Jeremy Poirier, Chief Executive Officer

Telephone: 1.604.722.9842

Email: info@goldenindependence.co

This press release contains forward-looking information (within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation) that involves various risks and uncertainties regarding future events. Such forward-looking information includes statements based on current expectations of management made in light of management's experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments. Forward-looking information is subject to a number of risks and uncertainties and, as such, forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance of the Company. Forward-looking information in this news release includes, without limitation, statements regarding the exercise of the option to acquire the Fraser Lake property by Valleyview, the proposed initial public offering of Valleyview and the exploration potential of the Fraser Lake property and the benefit of the transaction to the Company's shareholders. There are numerous risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking information in this news release, including without limitation, risks related to the ability of Valleyview to complete an initial public offering, inherent risks associated with the mining industry and the results of exploration activities and development of mineral properties, stock market volatility and capital market fluctuations, general market and industry conditions, as well as those risk factors discussed in the Company's most recently filed management's discussion & analysis. Actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. This forward-looking information is based on estimates and opinions of management on the date hereof and is expressly qualified by this notice. Risks and uncertainties about the Company's business are more fully discussed in the Company's disclosure materials filed with the securities regulatory authorities in Canada at www.sedar.com. The Company assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking information or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from such information unless required by applicable law.

1 Preliminary Economic Assessment NI 43-101 Technical Report on the Independence Heap Leach Project. Prepared for Golden Independence Mining Corp. by James Ashton, Carl Defilippi, and Richard Delong and dated January 23, 2022

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/161142
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Calibre Mining Corp. (TSX: CXB; OTCQX: CXBMF) ("Calibre" or the "Company") is pleased to announce operating results for the three months ended March 31, 2023 (all financial amounts are expressed in U.S. dollars).



Q1 2023 Highlights

Consolidated quarterly gold production of 65,750 ounces and gold sales of 65,770 ounces: 27% increase in gold production compared to Q1 2022 (51,898 ounces); Nicaragua gold production of 54,997 ounces and Nevada gold production of 10,753 ounces;

Consolidated 2022 Mineral Reserves increased 370%, since acquisition in 2019, to 1,346,000 ounces gold (see press release dated February 14, 2023 (https://www.calibremining.com/news/calibre-increases-nicaraguan-mineral-reserve-grade-4957/)): Nicaragua Mineral Reserve grade increased 16%, 1,082,000 ounces at a grade of 5.37 g/t gold; Nevada Mineral Reserves increased 23% to 264,000 ounces at a grade of 0.37 g/t gold;

Consolidated 2022 M&I Mineral Resources increased to 4,603,000 ounces gold (see press release dated February 14, 2023 (https://www.calibremining.com/news/calibre-increases-nicaraguan-mineral-reserve-grade-4957/));

High-grade mining commenced ahead of schedule at Pavon Central open pit averaging a delivery rate 1,000 tonnes per day to the Libertad mill (see press release dated March 15, 2023 (https://www.calibremining.com/news/calibre-delivers-high-grade-ore-from-the-pavon-cen-5043/));

Continued expansion of the high-grade gold discovery at Panteon North and along the VTEM Gold Corridor within the Limon Complex (see press release dated March 21, 2023 (https://www.calibremining.com/news/calibre-continues-to-expand-the-new-high-grade-gol-5048/)): 17.45 g/t Au over 4.1 metres Estimated True Width ("ETW") including 38.45 g/t Au over 1.8 metres ETW; 29.68 g/t Au over 4.3 metres ETW; The Panteon North maiden Reserve estimate added 244,000 ounces at 9.4 g/t gold to the Company's 2022 Mineral Reserve statement (see press release dated February 14, 2023 (https://www.calibremining.com/news/calibre-increases-nicaraguan-mineral-reserve-grade-4957/));

New "Coyote" discovery at the Pan Mine in Nevada indicates the potential for resource expansion to the south (see press release dated January 17, 2023 (https://www.calibremining.com/news/calibre-reports-new-gold-discovery-at-the-pan-gold-4909/)): 1.36 g/t Au over 13.7 metres including 2.78 g/t Au over 4.6 metres;

Phase 1 drill results from the Golden Eagle Project, located in Washington State, confirm a robust mineral system with consistent gold grades over broad widths (see press release dated January 24, 2023 (https://www.calibremining.com/news/calibre-reports-robust-drill-results-at-its-100-o-4924/)): 4.30 g/t Au over 92.42 metres including 7.80 g/t Au over 17.3 metres, and 2.90 g/t Au over 195.1 metres;



Darren Hall, President & Chief Executive Officer of Calibre, stated: "I am very pleased with the teams' first quarter performance, delivering a record 65,750 ounces. Being above budget at the end of the quarter, with Pavon Central ahead of schedule and Eastern Borosi on track for production in Q2 we are well positioned to deliver our full year production guidance of 250,000 - 275,000 ounces.

With numerous drill rigs turning across our entire asset portfolio, our exploration investment continues to yield exciting results as we expand the high-grade gold discovery at Panteon North and the VTEM Gold Corridor and make new discoveries at Pan where drilling indicates the strong potential for resource expansion.

2023 will be a transformational year, driven by an organic 20% increase in production, strong free cash flow, and significant exploration to expand recent high-grade gold discoveries not included in our multi-year, grade driven production increase strategy."

Q1 2023 Financial Results and Conference Call Details

First quarter financial results will be released after market close on Monday, May 8, 2023, and management will be hosting a conference call on Tuesday, May 9 to discuss the results and outlook in more detail.



Date: Tuesday, May 9, 2023 Time: 10:00 a.m. (ET) Webcast Link: https://edge.media-server.com/mmc/p/77jbhopx (https://edge.media-server.com/mmc/p/77jbhopx)

Instructions for obtaining conference call dial-in numbers:

All parties must register at the link below to participate in Calibres' Q1 2023 conference call. Register by clicking https://register.vevent.com/register/BIcbb8f6f89d254adb83115fe6e956e5f3 (https://can01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fregister.vevent.com%2Fregister%2FBIcbb8f6f89d254adb83115fe6e956e5f3&data=05%7C01%7Cjreid%40calibremining.com%7C8b19f983d8e44e47b9b608db2196e4a1%7Ca1a3e47a7cb24f6ca1cd26ceaecf2db7%7C0%7C0%7C638140704215378945%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=B9cRm6Mxeqw5wJ2gUUvehJ95wA9rUWpqCdkeiKutCSs%3D&reserved=0) and completing the online registration form. Once registered you will receive the dial-in numbers and PIN number for input at the time of the call.



The live webcast and registration link can be accessed here (https://www.calibremining.com/investors/events/) and at www.calibremining.com (http://www.calibremining.com) under the Events and Media section under the Investors tab. The live audio webcast will be archived and available for replay for 12 months after the event at www.calibremining.com (http://www.calibremining.com). Presentation slides that will accompany the conference call will be made available in the Investors section of the Calibre website under Presentations prior to the conference call.

Qualified Person

Darren Hall, MAusIMM, President and Chief Executive Officer, of Calibre Mining Corp. is a "qualified person" as set out under NI 43-101 and has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical information in this press release.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

"Darren Hall"

Darren Hall, President, and Chief Executive Officer

For further information, please contact:

Ryan King

Senior Vice President, Corporate Development & IR

T: 604.628.1010

E: calibre@calibremining.com (mailto:calibre@calibremining.com)

W: www.calibremining.com (http://www.calibremining.com)

About Calibre Mining Corp.

Calibre Mining is a Canadian-listed, Americas focused, growing mid-tier gold producer with a strong pipeline of development and exploration opportunities across Nevada and Washington in the USA, and Nicaragua. Calibre is focused on delivering sustainable value for shareholders, local communities and all stakeholders through responsible operations and a disciplined approach to growth. With a strong balance sheet, a proven management team, strong operating cash flow, accretive development projects and district-scale exploration opportunities Calibre will unlock significant value.

Notes:

(1) NON-IFRS FINANCIAL MEASURES



The Company believes that investors use certain non-IFRS measures as indicators to assess gold mining companies, specifically Total Cash Costs per Ounce and All-In Sustaining Costs per Ounce. In the gold mining industry, these are common performance measures but do not have any standardized meaning. The Company believes that, in addition to conventional measures prepared in accordance with IFRS, certain investors use this information to evaluate the Company's performance and ability to generate cash flow. Accordingly, it is intended to provide additional information and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with IFRS.

Total Cash Costs per Ounce of Gold : Total cash costs include mine site operating costs such as mining, processing, and local administrative costs (including stock-based compensation related to mine operations), royalties, production taxes, mine standby costs and current inventory write downs, if any. Production costs are exclusive of depreciation and depletion, reclamation, capital, and exploration costs. Total cash costs per gold ounce are net of by-product silver sales and are divided by gold ounces sold to arrive at a per ounce figure.

All-In Sustaining Costs per Ounce of Gold : A performance measure that reflects all of the expenditures that are required to produce an ounce of gold from current operations. While there is no standardized meaning of the measure across the industry, the Company's definition is derived from the AISC definition as set out by the World Gold Council in its guidance dated June 27, 2013 and November 16, 2018. The World Gold Council is a non-regulatory, non-profit organization established in 1987 whose members include global senior mining companies. The Company believes that this measure will be useful to external users in assessing operating performance and the ability to generate free cash flow from current operations. The Company defines AISC as the sum of total cash costs (per above), sustaining capital (capital required to maintain current operations at existing levels), capital lease repayments, corporate general and administrative expenses, exploration expenditures designed to increase resource confidence at producing mines, amortization of asset retirement costs and rehabilitation accretion related to current operations. AISC excludes capital expenditures for significant improvements at existing operations deemed to be expansionary in nature, exploration and evaluation related to resource growth, rehabilitation accretion and amortization not related to current operations, financing costs, debt repayments, and taxes. Total all-in sustaining costs are divided by gold ounces sold to arrive at a per ounce figure.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Information

This news release includes certain "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements in this news release that address events or developments that we expect to occur in the future are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are identified by words such as "expect", "plan", "anticipate", "project", "target", "potential", "schedule", "forecast", "budget", "estimate", "intend" or "believe" and similar expressions or their negative connotations, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could", "should" or "might" occur. Forward-looking statements necessarily involve assumptions, risks, and uncertainties, certain of which are beyond Calibre's control. For a listing of risk factors applicable to the Company, please refer to Calibre's annual information form for the year ended December 31, 2022, and its management discussion and analysis ("MD&A") for the year ended December 31, 2022 all available on The Company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com (http://www.sedar.com). This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect Calibre's forward-looking statements such as potential sanctions implemented as a result of the United States Executive Order 13851 dated October 24, 2022.

Calibre's forward-looking statements are based on the applicable assumptions and factors management considers reasonable as of the date hereof, based on the information available to management at such time. Calibre does not assume any obligation to update forward-looking statements if circumstances or management's beliefs, expectations or opinions should change other than as required by applicable securities laws. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, and actual results, performance or achievements could differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, these forward-looking statements. Accordingly, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements.
SPOKANE, WA / ACCESSWIRE / April 4, 2023 / Goldrich Mining Company (OTC PINK:GRMC) ("Goldrich" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the Company has signed a settlement agreement between Goldrich, NyacAU, LLC ("NyacAU"), Goldrich Placer, LLC ("GP"), Goldrich NyacAU Placer, LLC ("GNP"), Dr. J. Michael James, individually ("Dr. James"), and Bear Leasing, LLC ("Bear Leasing") (each a "Party" and, collectively, the "Parties").

William Schara, CEO of Goldrich, commented, "We started the arbitration process in 2017 and are extremely pleased to have this issue behind us and be able to move forward unfettered. Settlement of the arbitration will facilitate obtaining financing for the hard-rock exploration program as well as allow the Company to begin discussions with potential operators to re-commence placer production at the Chandalar mine. The Chandalar mine was one of the largest placer mines in North America when it last operated in 2017 and 2018."

Subject to Goldrich making a payment of $105,000 to NyacAU by April 30, 2023, the settlement agreement, among other things, resolves all outstanding arbitration issues, awards, and orders and all outstanding issues before the Alaska superior court, including all court-entered judgments. The agreement also terminates and supersedes all prior agreements between all Parties except a security agreement between NyacAU and GNP to secure repayment of fifty percent (50%) of a funding mechanism known as Line of Credit 1 (LOC1), which was advanced by NyacAU to GNP. GNP was formally dissolved in 2019 but remains in a state of "winding up."

Concurrent with signing the settlement agreement, Goldrich also signed an option agreement with the Parties. The option agreement, among other things, grants Goldrich, or its designee, the right, but not the obligation, to receive and assume the mining permits to mine the placer claims at the Chandalar mine. If the option is exercised, Goldrich, or its designee, would also obtain ownership of all camp facilities and mining equipment remaining at the Chandalar placer mine site owned by NyacAU and its affiliates. Currently Goldrich owns the claims but NyacAU is the named operator on the mining permits and is responsible for reclamation and the related costs.

To exercise the option, Goldrich, or its designee, must give written and electronic notice of its intent to do so by April 30, 2024 and pay $1,000,000 into escrow within five business days of giving notice. Upon exercise of the option, Goldrich or its designee would assume all reclamation responsibilities and liability and NyacAU would be released from any reclamation liability. Also, NyacAU would be entitled to limited payments out of the production of placer gold at the Chandalar placer mine up to the greater of eight million five hundred thousand dollars ($8,500,000) or 4,860 ounces of fine gold (the Maximum Amount). No production payment shall be due to NyacAU on the first 5,000 ounces of fine gold production. Thereafter, NyacAU would receive at least five percent (5%) of all production from the Chandalar placer mine until the Maximum Amount is paid. Additionally, after the first 5,000 ounces of fine gold production, NyacAU would be entitled to a minimum annual payment equal to the value of $120,000 or 68 fine gold ounces, whichever is greater, and such payment would apply towards the satisfaction of the Maximum Amount.

Goldrich Mining (OTCBB:GRMC) is a U.S. based resource company focused on developing the Chandalar gold district in Alaska, USA. The Company controls a land package spanning 23,000 acres of highly prospective gold targets and historic mines. Goldrich's primary focus is the exploration and discovery of the hard-rock (lode) targets, which are the source of the placer deposit, while working to also build shareholder value by monetizing the placer assets.

For additional information regarding Goldrich Mining Company or this news release, contact Goldrich via telephone at (509) 535-7367 or info@goldrichmining.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward looking statements concern use of proceeds and potential exercise of the warrants. 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 statements that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, budgets, 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", "should" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which could cause actual events or results to differ from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Investors should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statement and should consider the uncertainties and risks discussed in in the Company's latest Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q under the heading "Risk Factors", filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") and available on the SEC website or www.goldrichmining.com, as well as the Company's other SEC filings. We disclaim any obligation subsequently to revise any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of such statements or to reflect the occurrence of anticipated or unanticipated events, except as required by law.

SOURCE: Goldrich Mining Company

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/747439/Goldrich-Mining-Announces-Settlement-of-Arbitration
Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
HALIFAX, NS / ACCESSWIRE / April 4, 2023 / Silver Tiger Metals Inc. (TSXV:SLVR)(OTCQX:SLVTF) ("Silver Tiger" or the "Corporation") has intersected 1,156.4 g/t total silver equivalent over 2.0 meters in the Sulphide Zone in Drill Hole ET-23-446 from 390.5 meters to 392.5 meters, consisting of 666.2 g/t silver, 0.17 g/t gold, 0.93% copper, 4.26% lead and 8.67% zinc within 17.9 meters grading 425.9 g/t total silver equivalent from 382.8 meters to 400.7 meters consisting of 200.7 g/t silver, 0.19 g/t gold, 0.42% copper, 2.23% lead and 3.55% zinc in the Sulphide Zone.

Highlights from the on-going drilling program include the following:

Hole ET-23-445: 1.6 meters grading 1,269.6 g/t total silver equivalent from 467.0 meters to 468.6 meters, consisting of 441.7 g/t silver, 0.59 g/t gold, 2.14% copper, 7.58% lead and 12.0% zinc within 9.6 meters grading 364.6 g/t total silver equivalent from 465.0 meters to 474.6 meters consisting of 115.1 g/t silver, 0.24 g/t gold, 0.58% copper, 1.98% lead and 3.88% zinc in the Sulphide Zone.

from 467.0 meters to 468.6 meters, consisting of 441.7 g/t silver, 0.59 g/t gold, 2.14% copper, 7.58% lead and 12.0% zinc from 465.0 meters to 474.6 meters consisting of 115.1 g/t silver, 0.24 g/t gold, 0.58% copper, 1.98% lead and 3.88% zinc in the Sulphide Zone. Hole ET-23-448: 1.0 meters grading 1,285.5 g/t total silver equivalent from 254.9 meters to 255.9 meters, consisting of 1,194.5 g/t silver, 0.04 g/t gold, 0.84% copper, 0.03% lead and 0.19% zinc within 4.9 meters grading 521.7 g/t total silver equivalent from 253.0 meters to 257.9 meters consisting of 484.8 g/t silver, 0.03 g/t gold, 0.33% copper, 0.01% lead and 0.08% zinc in the El Tigre Vein Zone.

Drill Hole Results Table

Hole ID Comment From

m To

m Length (1)

m Gold g/t Silver

g/t Copper

% Lead

% Zinc

% AgEq Total (2)

g/t ET-23-445 Sulphide Zone 397.7 400.8 3.1 0.24 129.6 0.16 0.81 1.97 246.8 including 399.1 399.9 0.8 0.17 305.0 0.31 1.69 4.83 547.5 Sulphide Zone 465.0 474.6 9.6 0.24 115.1 0.58 1.98 3.88 364.6 including 467.0 468.6 1.6 0.59 441.7 2.14 7.58 12.00 1,269.6 including 468.1 468.6 0.5 0.52 857.0 1.74 6.44 14.60 1,700.0 ET-23-446 Sulphide Zone 382.8 400.7 17.9 0.19 200.7 0.42 2.23 3.55 425.9 including 390.5 392.5 2.0 0.17 666.2 0.93 4.26 8.67 1,156.4 including 394.6 397.0 2.4 0.31 427.6 0.66 4.03 5.05 777.4 including 394.6 395.1 0.5 0.48 804.0 1.22 3.99 0.57 1,071.5 ET-23-447 Sooy Vein Zone 237.5 240.1 2.6 0.02 264.7 0.16 0.01 0.03 282.4 including 237.5 238.5 1.0 0.02 573.0 0.35 0.01 0.07 610.5 El Tigre Vein Zone 311.0 312.0 1.0 0.08 1,689.2 0.80 0.08 0.18 1,780.2 including 311.5 312.0 0.5 0.16 3,351.0 1.59 0.13 0.33 3,530.4 ET-23-448 El Tigre Vein Zone 253.0 257.9 4.9 0.03 484.8 0.33 0.01 0.08 521.7 including 254.9 255.9 1.0 0.04 1,194.5 0.84 0.03 0.19 1,285.5 including 254.9 255.4 0.5 0.05 1,560.0 1.14 0.04 0.27 1,683.6 ET-23-449 Sooy Vein Zone 305.7 306.6 0.9 0.01 345.0 0.18 0.00 0.12 367.6 El Tigre Vein Zone 451.5 452.1 0.6 0.05 18.6 0.03 0.80 1.53 95.3 ET-23-450 El Tigre Vein Zone 267.4 268.5 1.1 0.20 135.0 0.49 0.19 1.37 246.5

Notes:

Not true width. Silver Equivalent ("EqAg") ratios are based on a silver to gold price ratio of 75:1 (Au:Ag). Copper, lead and zinc are converted using $3.66/lb copper, $0.90/lb lead, $1.26/lb zinc at 100% metal recoveries based on a silver price of $26.00/oz.

Silver Tiger's CEO, Glenn Jessome, stated, "These next drill holes through the Sulphide Zone have extended the strike length another 25 meters to the North with consistent high-grade widths similar to previous Sulphide Zone holes. Drilling on the Sulphide Zone continues to step out along strike to the North and South." Mr. Jessome further stated "The first 26 drill holes in the newly discovered Sulphide Zone indicate wide zones of high-grade mineralization varying from 10 meters up to 50 meters with grades from 300 grams per ton to over 1 kilogram per ton silver equivalent. This adds the potential for underground bulk tonnage at exceptional grades."

Drill Holes Previously Released from the Sulphide Zone.

Hole ID Comment From To Length(1) Gold Silver Copper Lead Zinc AgEq Total (2) m m m g/t g/t % % % g/t ET-22-443 Sulphide Zone 362.8 367.5 4.7 0.11 419.8 0.45 0.26 0.42 491.4 including 365.2 366.3 1.1 0.29 901.0 1.00 0.84 1.05 1,073.3 Sulphide Zone 418.6 456.4 37.8 0.19 171.7 0.39 1.85 3.67 388.8 including 441.0 444.3 3.3 0.19 633.8 1.04 4.80 11.38 1,239.0 including 443.2 444.3 1.1 0.18 977.0 1.65 4.79 12.32 1,671.5 ET-22-441 Sulphide Zone 415.3 435.3 20.0 0.35 369.0 0.85 4.11 8.15 845.1 including 432.5 434.5 2.0 0.20 1,255.7 2.02 12.67 26.87 2,656.0 including 432.5 433.8 1.3 0.21 1,484.1 2.71 14.67 29.82 3,097.9 ET-22-440 Sulphide Zone 377.1 434.3 57.2 0.20 231.5 0.41 0.71 1.02 336.2 Sulphide Zone 397.9 434.3 36.4 0.25 314.6 0.58 0.90 1.40 457.2 including 421.7 424.5 2.8 0.21 1,986.3 4.02 3.94 5.64 2,668.8 including 421.7 423.2 1.5 0.25 2,714.0 5.41 0.08 1.04 3,289.9 including 422.5 423.2 0.7 0.26 3,054.0 7.28 0.09 1.37 3,822.4 ET-22-438 HW Gold Zone 9.2 52.7 43.5 0.16 18.7 0.00 0.01 0.01 31.3 including 29.0 29.6 0.6 2.26 566.0 0.02 0.02 0.02 739.5 Sooy Vein Zone 321.3 324.5 3.2 0.52 300.5 0.18 0.73 0.33 384.8 including 322.1 323.0 0.9 1.51 773.0 0.48 2.08 0.77 1,006.7 Sulphide Zone 393.5 413.0 19.5 0.27 408.4 0.53 0.88 0.83 527.5 including 394.8 398.5 3.7 0.24 879.4 0.76 0.86 1.36 1,035.8 including 396.0 396.5 0.5 0.62 2,796.0 1.75 1.85 4.16 3,193.1 including 403.8 411.8 8.0 0.51 564.3 0.90 1.68 1.31 771.9 including 406.3 407.0 0.7 1.47 1,148.0 1.40 1.52 0.71 1,452.3 ET-22-434 HW Gold Zone 6.5 15.0 8.5 0.39 96.7 0.01 0.08 0.01 129.8 including 10.1 11.6 1.5 2.04 336.0 0.02 0.17 0.04 496.6 Sooy Vein Zone 184.6 197.6 13.0 0.16 172.5 0.36 2.08 2.56 354.0 including 190.6 195.8 5.2 0.19 326.4 0.84 4.89 5.97 734.8 including 192.3 194.4 2.1 0.24 496.1 1.76 7.17 8.62 1,139.2 Sulphide Zone 306.7 313.3 6.6 0.11 376.8 0.32 0.14 0.09 421.9 including 311.3 313.3 2.0 0.20 1,116.5 0.89 0.20 0.11 1,225.9 including 312.3 313.3 1.0 0.25 1,859.0 1.44 0.33 0.19 2,030.4 Sulphide Zone 361.7 381.6 19.9 0.22 605.6 1.13 4.04 7.43 1,072.9 including 370.1 380.6 10.5 0.20 914.0 1.68 5.92 12.42 1,642.4 including 359.0 360.2 1.2 0.19 1,345.0 1.57 2.10 0.83 1,587.4 ET-22-433 HW Gold Zone 0.0 14.2 14.2 0.10 56.9 0.01 0.04 0.01 66.8 Sooy Vein Zone 190.9 201.9 11.0 0.29 165.4 0.16 1.43 4.42 382.5 including 193.6 198.4 4.8 0.41 369.9 0.35 3.19 9.96 840.2 including 194.7 195.8 1.1 0.12 634.5 0.57 4.68 18.48 1,422.5 Sulphide Zone 330.5 374.9 44.4 0.16 508.2 0.55 1.76 3.17 720.5 including 332.9 337.9 5.0 0.17 1,431.8 1.41 2.47 6.27 1,846.8 including 335.5 336.1 0.6 0.18 3,225.0 4.19 5.34 15.59 4,285.5 including 364.5 370.5 6.0 0.20 1,354.4 1.57 6.10 10.86 2,025.5 including 366.8 367.8 1.0 0.19 2,371.5 3.07 10.00 17.81 3,508.8 ET-22-432 HW Gold Zone 4.6 14.0 9.4 0.10 39.0 0.01 0.02 0.02 48.5 Sooy Vein Zone 191.2 201.6 10.4 0.16 399.0 0.43 2.84 5.16 690.6 including 195.6 197.7 2.1 0.24 1,153.6 1.29 9.76 16.82 2,084.8 Sulphide Zone 348.4 383.2 34.8 0.13 257.4 0.47 1.18 2.02 407.4 including 372.4 380.6 8.2 0.13 956.6 1.69 3.58 7.01 1,446.2 including 378.5 380.6 2.1 0.17 1,663.5 4.32 6.28 11.50 2,622.5 ET-431 HW Gold Zone 10.1 46.5 36.4 0.13 41.9 0.00 0.01 0.01 52.6 including 10.1 11.6 1.5 0.11 731.0 0.00 0.05 0.00 740.9 Sooy Vein Zone 83.9 86.7 2.8 0.59 137.4 0.03 0.19 0.24 196.5 339.5 342.6 3.1 0.06 211.5 0.08 0.02 0.03 225.2 El Tigre Vein 409.1 418.5 9.4 0.19 641.3 0.65 3.32 6.51 1,013.3 including 413.5 415.6 2.1 0.19 1,536.1 1.62 7.71 13.66 2,341.9

Notes:

Not true width. Silver Equivalent ("EqAg") ratios are based on a silver to gold price ratio of 75:1 (Au:Ag). Copper, lead and zinc are converted using $3.66/lb copper, $0.90/lb lead, $1.26/lb zinc at 100% metal recoveries based on a silver price of $26.00/oz.

Attached as illustrations are the Sulphide Zone Plan, Sulphide Zone-Cross Section 4965N, El Tigre - Conceptual Cross Section, El Tigre-Conceptual Long Section, and El Tigre Long Section Showing Exploration Potential.

Sulphide Zone Plan

Sulphide Zone-Cross Section 4965N

El Tigre - Conceptual Cross Section Showing Mineralization Styles

El Tigre-Conceptual Long Section Showing Mineralization Styles

El Tigre-Long Section Showing Exploration Potential

Drill Hole Location Table

Hole ID Easting Northing Elevation (m) Azimuth Dip Length (m) ET-23-445 670715 3384958 1834.1 93 -60 503.3 ET-23-446 670715 3384959 1834.0 87 -60 509.4 ET-23-447 670780 3385123 1813.4 90 -65 335.0 ET-23-448 670703 3385094 1775.3 90 -45 317.0 ET-23-449 670711 3384956 1834.4 83 -59 477.1 ET-23-450 670718 3385073 1775.6 90 -45 313.4

Underground Rehabilitation at Historic El Tigre Mine Update

As previously announced Silver Tiger has contracted Cominvi, a Mexican underground contract mining and development company to rehabilitate the Historic El Tigre Mine. Cominvi are progressing well in the underground rehabilitation of the Historic El Tigre Mine and have already completed over 450 meters of rehabilitation in Level 7, which was the main portal to the mine. Silver Tiger is still on schedule to reach the Sooy Vein and then begin underground drilling of this newly discovered wide high grade Sulphide Zone under the Northern end of the unmined portion of the Historic El Tigre Mine.

El Tigre Resource Estimate

After acquiring El Tigre, Silver Tiger drilled 12,500 meters to define the wide halo of near surface gold mineralization around the mined high-grade veins of the historic El Tigre Mine. This allowed Silver Tiger to deliver a maiden resource estimate for the El Tigre Property to a depth of 150 meters containing indicated resources of 661,000 gold equivalent ounces at 0.77 g/t (21 g/t silver and 0.51 g/t gold) and inferred resources of 341,000 gold equivalent ounces at 1.59 g/t (88 g/t silver and 0.52 g/t gold). The National Instrument 43-101 Technical Report titled "NI 43-101 Technical Report and Updated Mineral Resource Estimate on the El Tigre Project, Sonora, Mexico" effective as of September 7, 2017 and dated October 26, 2017 prepared by David Burga, P.Geo., Yungang Wu, P.Geo., Fred Brown, P.Geo., Jarita Barry, P.Geo., Eugene Puritch, P.Eng., FEC, CET, Alfred Hayden, P.Eng. and Richard H. Sutcliffe, Ph.D., P.Geo. of P&E Mining Consultants Inc. is available on the Corporation's website at www.silvertigermetals.com and on www.sedar.com under the Corporation's profile.

About Silver Tiger and the El Tigre Historic Mine District

Silver Tiger Metals Inc. is a Canadian company whose management has more than 25 years' experience discovering, financing and building large hydrothermal silver projects in Mexico. Silver Tiger's 100% owned 28,414 hectare Historic El Tigre Mining District is located in Sonora, Mexico. Principled environmental, social and governance practices are core priorities at Silver Tiger.

The El Tigre historic mine district is located in Sonora, Mexico and lies at the northern end of the Sierra Madre silver and gold belt which hosts many epithermal silver and gold deposits, including Dolores, Santa Elena and Las Chispas at the northern end. In 1896, gold was first discovered on the property in the Gold Hill area and mining started with the Brown Shaft in 1903. The focus soon changed to mining high-grade silver veins in the area with production coming from 3 parallel veins the El Tigre Vein, the Seitz Kelley Vein and the Sooy Vein. Underground mining on the middle El Tigre vein extended 1,450 meters along strike and was mined on 14 levels to a depth of approximately 450 meters. The Seitz Kelley Vein was mined along strike for 1 kilometer to a depth of approximately 200 meters. The Sooy Vein was only mined along strike for 250 meters to a depth of approximately 150 meters. Mining abruptly stopped on all 3 of these veins when the price of silver collapsed to less than 20 per ounce with the onset of the Great Depression. By the time the mine closed in 1930, it is reported to have produced a total of 353,000 ounces of gold and 67.4 million ounces of silver from 1.87 million tons (Craig, 2012). The average grade mined during this period was over 2 kilograms silver equivalent per ton.

The El Tigre silver and gold deposit is related to a series of high-grade epithermal veins controlled by a north-south trending structure cutting across the andesitic and rhyolitic tuffs of the Sierra Madre Volcanic Complex within a broad silver and gold mineralized prophylitic alteration zone developed in the El Tigre Formation that can be up to 150 meters wide. The veins dip steeply to the west and are typically 0.5 meter wide but locally can be up to 5 meters in width. The veins, structures and mineralized zones outcrop on surface and have been traced for 5.3 kilometers along strike in our brownfield exploration area. Historical mining and exploration activities focused on a 1.6 kilometer portion of the southern end of the deposits, principally on the El Tigre, Seitz Kelly and Sooy veins. The under explored Caleigh, Benjamin, Protectora and the Fundadora exposed veins continue north for more than 3 kilometers. Silver Tiger has delivered its maiden 43-101 compliant resource estimate and is currently drilling to update its resource estimate and publish a PEA.

VRIFY Slide Deck and 3D Presentation - Silver Tiger's El Tigre Project

VRIFY is a platform being used by companies to communicate with investors using 360 virtual tours of remote mining assets, 3D models and interactive presentations. VRIFY can be accessed by website and with the VRIFY iOS and Android apps.

Access the Silver Tiger Metals Inc. Company Profile on VRIFY at: https://vrify.com

The VRIFY Slide Deck and 3D Presentation for Silver Tiger Metals Inc. can be viewed at: https://vrify.com/explore/decks/492 and on the Corporation's website at: www.silvertigermetals.com.

Procedure, Quality Assurance / Quality Control and Data Verification

The diamond drill core (HQ size) is geologically logged, photographed and marked for sampling. When the sample lengths are determined, the full core is sawn with a diamond blade core saw with one half of the core being bagged and tagged for assay. The remaining half portion is returned to the core trays for storage and/or for metallurgical test work.

The sealed and tagged sample bags are transported to the Bureau Veritas facility in Hermosillo, Mexico. Bureau Veritas crushes the samples (Code PRP70-250) and prepares 200-300 gram pulp samples with ninety percent passing Tyler 200 mesh (Code PUL85). The pulps are assayed for gold using a 30-gram charge by fire assay (Code FA630) and over limits greater than 10 grams per tonne are re-assayed using a gravimetric finish (Code FA530). Silver and multi-element analysis is completed using total digestion (Code MA200 Total Digestion ICP). Over limits greater than 100 grams per tonne silver are re-assayed using a gravimetric finish (Code FA530).

Quality assurance and quality control ("QA/QC") procedures monitor the chain-of-custody of the samples and includes the systematic insertion and monitoring of appropriate reference materials (certified standards, blanks and duplicates) into the sample strings. The results of the assaying of the QA/QC material included in each batch are tracked to ensure the integrity of the assay data. All results stated in this announcement have passed Silver Tiger's QA/QC protocols.

Qualified Person

David R. Duncan, P. Geo., V.P. Exploration of the Corporation, is the Qualified Person for Silver Tiger as defined under National Instrument 43-101. Mr. Duncan has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical information in this press release.

For further information, please contact:

Glenn Jessome

President and CEO

902 492 0298

jessome@silvertigermetals.com

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT:

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.

This News Release includes certain "forward-looking statements". All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this release, including, without limitation, statements regarding potential mineralization, resources and reserves, the ability to convert inferred resources to indicated resources, the ability to complete future drilling programs and infill sampling, the ability to extend resource blocks, the similarity of mineralization at El Tigre to Delores, Santa Elena and Chispas, exploration results, and future plans and objectives of Silver Tiger, are forward-looking statements that involve various risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements are frequently characterized by words such as "may", "is expected to", "anticipates", "estimates", "intends", "plans", "projection", "could", "vision", "goals", "objective" and "outlook" and other similar words. Although Silver Tiger believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, 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 Silver Tiger's expectations include risks and uncertainties related to exploration, development, operations, commodity prices and global financial volatility, risk and uncertainties of operating in a foreign jurisdiction as well as additional risks described from time to time in the filings made by Silver Tiger with securities regulators.

SOURCE: Silver Tiger Metals Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/747452/Silver-Tiger-Intersects-20-meters-of-11564-gt-Silver-Equivalent-within-179-meters-of-4259-gt-Silver-Equivalent-in-the-Sulphide-Zone
NOT FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES OR THROUGH U.S. NEWS WIRES

Completes acquisition of all outstanding shares of North Star Manganese Inc via share exchange with minority NSM shareholders.

Increases NSC shareholder exposure to 100% of the high-grade Emily Manganese Project in Minnesota, USA.

Drilling progresses on schedule at the Emily Manganese Project with seven diamond core drill holes now completed and additional samples submitted for analyses. Assays from the initial three drill holes are expected in coming weeks.

TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / April 4, 2023 / Nevada Silver Corporation ("NSC" or the "Company") (TSXV:NSC)(OTCQB:NVDSF) is pleased to announce it has completed the acquisition of all of the outstanding securities of North Star Manganese Inc ("NSM") that it did not already hold through its wholly-owned subsidiary Electric Metals (USA) Pty Limited ("EML") (the "NSM Share Acquisition"). As disclosed in the news release of the Company dated August 31, 2022, NSM closed the sale of 3,160,233 of its shares (the "NSM Shares") representing 9.5% of its issued and outstanding shares of NSM on August 31, 2022. The other 90.5% of the outstanding shares continued to be held by EML. On November 23, 2022, the Company announced that the Emily Manganese Project will become the Company's flagship asset and that the Company planned to change its name to "Electric Metals (USA) Limited" in order to better reflect the entirety of its value proposition as a developer of battery and technology-related minerals, including its US manganese and silver properties.

As a result, the Company determined to repurchase the NSM Shares and the NSM Share Acquisition was accomplished pursuant to share exchange agreements whereby each holder of NSM Shares agreed to exchange their NSM Shares for units of NSC (the "Units") on the basis of 2.04545 Units per NSM Share, with each Unit comprised of one common share and one common share purchase warrant (the "Warrant"). In the aggregate the Company issued 6,464,113 Units to the (former) NSM Shareholders. Each Warrant is exercisable to acquire one common share of the Company (the "Common Shares") at a price of $0.25 per Common Share for a period of 24 months following issuance thereof. The expiry date of the Warrants will accelerate in the event the volume weighted average trading price of the Common Shares on the TSX Venture Exchange (the "TSXV") is equal to or exceeds $0.30 per Common Share for a period of 20 consecutive trading days (an "Acceleration Event"). If an Acceleration Event occurs, the Warrants will expire 30 days after notice of such Acceleration Event.

Following the NSM Share Acquisition, the Company once again indirectly holds 100% of the outstanding NSM Shares. The NSM Share Acquisition is subject to the receipt of all regulatory approvals, including the final approval of the TSXV.

The Company is also pleased to provide an update on the inaugural drill program at its high-grade Emily Manganese Project in Minnesota, USA. A total of 3,780.6 feet (1,152.3 metres) of diamond core drilling has been completed to date at the Emily Manganese Project. Seven holes (Figure 1) have been completed to target depth and samples forwarded to the ALS laboratory facility in Reno, NV for analyses.

Figure 1. Location map showing land under NSC control, Emily Iron Formation bedrock which is the host strata to manganese mineralization and locations of the seven completed NSC drill holes.

Further to its announcement of 13th January 2023, the Company wishes to clarify that it has granted an aggregate of only 3,150,000 stock options to certain directors, officers and consultants of the Company, and not the amount of 3,650,000 stock options as previously advised. These stock options were issued in accordance with, and subject to, the provisions of the Company's stock option plan and are subject to approval of the TSX Venture Exchange. Each stock option entitles the holder to purchase one Common Share of the Company at an exercise price of $0.25 per share for a 5-year period.

This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities in the United States. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to "U.S. persons" (as that term is defined in Rule 902(k) of Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act) unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available.

Qualified Person

The scientific and technical data contained in this news release was reviewed and approved by Ian James Pringle PhD, who is a Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.

About Nevada Silver Corporation

Nevada Silver Corporation (TSXV: NSC) (OTCQB: NVDSF) is a U.S.-based mineral development company with manganese and silver projects geared to supporting the transition to clean energy. NSC's principal asset is the Emily Manganese Project in Minnesota, which has been the subject of considerable technical studies, with US$25 million invested to date. The Company's mission in Minnesota is to become a domestic U.S. producer of high-purity, high-value manganese metal and chemical products for supply to U.S. energy, technology and industrial markets. With manganese playing a critical and prominent role in lithium-ion battery formulations, and with no domestic supply or active mines in North America, this represents a significant opportunity for NSC shareholders. In addition, NSC owns and operates the Corcoran Silver-Gold Project in Nevada. Both Corcoran and Emily have been the subject of National Instrument 43-101 compliant mineral resource estimates.

NSC will seek shareholder approval to change its name to Electric Metals USA Limited at the Company's Annual General Meeting in May 2023.

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.

For further Information please contact:

Gary Lewis, Group CEO & Director: (647) 846 5299 - gl@nevadasilvercorp.com

Forward-Looking Statements: Information set forth in this news release may involve forward-looking statements under applicable securities laws. The forward-looking statements contained herein are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking statements included in this document are made as of the date of this document and Nevada Silver Corporation 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 expressly required by applicable securities legislation. Although management believes that the expectations represented in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or solicitation of an offer to buy any securities that may be described herein and accordingly undue reliance should not be put on such.

SOURCE: Nevada Silver Corporation

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/747476/Nevada-Silver-Increases-Ownership-of-North-Star-Manganese-Inc-to-100-Via-Acquisition-of-Minority-Shareholder-Interests
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / April 4, 2023 / Usha Resources Ltd. ("USHA" or the "Company") (TSXV:USHA)(OTCQB:USHAF)(FSE:JO0), a North American mineral acquisition and exploration company focused on the development of drill-ready battery and precious metal projects, is pleased to announce that, subject to the approval of the TSX Venture (the "Exchange"), the Company has executed an option (the "Option Agreement") with 2758145 Ontario Ltd., Peter Gehrels, and Allan George Onchulenko (the "Vendors") of Atikokan, Ontario, for the right to purchase an undivided 100% interest in eight unpatented mining claims located in the Thunder Bay Mining Division of Ontario (the "Nym Property", "Nym", or the "Property").

The Nym Property is the second acquisition of Usha's planned expansion into the hard-rock pegmatite space and is a continuation of the Company's strategy to build an accretive portfolio of highly complementary hard-rock assets to its 100% owned flagship Jackpot Lake Lithium Brine Project, where it recently tripled its land position (see the Company's news release dated February 28, 2023) and is progressing with its maiden drill program with a goal of defining a 43-101 compliant resource (see the Company's news release dated February 16, 2023).

Nym Property

The Nym Property, located in the Thunder Bay Mining Division near Atikokan, Ontario, is contiguous with the recently acquired White Willow Lithium-Tantalum Property ("White Willow", see the Company's news release dated March 28, 2023), and expands the existing 712 claim block to a total of 720 claims, adding 170 hectares to the 15,510 hectares the Company has already optioned (Figure 1).

The Property is located approximately 500 metres along strike from the Maple Leaf Dike on the White Willow Property which is confirmed to host a fertile lithium-cesium-tantalum ("LCT") system with samples assaying as high as 0.5% Li2O and 14.64% Ta2O5 in and around the dike with coarse-grained tantalite present. Coarse-grained tantalite is only known to be found at one other locality in Ontario which is the North Aubrey pegmatite at Green Technology Metals (GT1) Seymour Lake Project where GT1 has identified a 9.9 Mt resource at 1.04% Li2O.

Similar to White Willow, the Property is under explored, with only three of 119 mapped pegmatites reported to be present by Bandore Resources, the former owners of the property, assessed in the limited modern exploration completed to-date. The assessed pegmatites, however, have been confirmed to be white pegmatites with highly anomalous lithium up to 520 ppm (>50 ppm is considered anomalous). Furthermore, drilling conducted for precious and base metals has identified pegmatite intersections as thick as 40 metres, suggesting that similar to the White Willow Property, the Nym Property pegmatites may also be highly fractioned LCT-pegmatites that bear spodumene and other LCT-minerals, particularly as they are located 500 metres away on trend from the Maple Leaf Dike.

"We are very pleased to add the Nym Project to our growing portfolio of hard-rock lithium assets," said Deepak Varshney, CEO of Usha Resources. "This property, collectively with White Willow, presents a unique and timely opportunity to capitalize on the rapidly growing lithium market in Canada. We believe this project has the potential to join an emerging group of Tier-1 projects in Ontario such as the Seymour Lake Lithium Project, the Georgia Lake pegmatite field, and the Separation Rapids Lithium deposit, and we look forward to beginning exploration work shortly with the goal of drilling White Willow and Nym in 2023."

Figure 1 - Local area map outlining the location of the Nym Property with respect to the larger White Willow Lithium-Tantalum Property. The two highly evolved LCT-pegmatite dikes, one of which has the "Maple Leaf Showing", are located approximately 500 metres along strike to the northeast. These dikes have been the focus of the limited exploration work completed thus far with samples assaying as high as 0.5% Li2O and 14.64% Ta2O5 in and around the dikes. The LCT-pegmatite dike hosting the "Maple Leaf Showing" appears to be at least 50 metres wide and outcrops for approximately 350 metres long strike and has coarse-grained tantalite present. The coarse-grained tantalite is only known to be found at one other locality in Ontario which is the North Aubrey pegmatite at Green Technology Metals (GT1) Seymour Lake Project where GT1 has identified a 9.9 Mt resource at 1.04% Li2O.

Figure 2 - Regional map overlaying the location of Usha's White Willow Project with respect to other significant projects in the area. The newly acquired Nym Project will be amalgamated with Usha's existing White Willow Project.

Figure 3 - Generalized exploration model for LCT pegmatites. Pegmatites exhibit a high degree of zonation, whereby different portions of the pegmatite body may contain different minerals. Mineralization is spatially related to the source; barren pegmatites are more likely to occur at the granitic source, but as one moves more distal, the pegmatites are expected to increase in tantalum, then lithium, and then cesium. The presence of beryl, tantalum, and cesium indicates that the White Willow pegmatites are highly fractionated and very prospective for the presence of lithium as this zone is the "outer zone" that is most distal from the granitic source. Source: USGS (modified from Trueman and Cerny, 1982).

The Terms of the Agreements

Pursuant to the Option Agreement, the Company may acquire a 100% interest in the Property by paying a total of $100,000 and issuing an aggregate of 600,000 common shares in the capital of the Company as indicated in the table below:

Payment Cash Shares Signing $15,0001 150,0001 1st Anniversary $20,000 150,0002 2nd Anniversary $25,000 150,0002 3rd Anniversary $40,000 150,0002 Total $100,000 600,000 Notes Payable within fifteen (15) days from receipt of approval to the Agreements from the Exchange (the "Approval"). Shares of the Company are to be issued at a deemed value based on the Discounted Market Price at the time of issuance.

The Company has granted to each of the Vendor and Assignor a 2% net-smelter returns royalty (the "NSR"). The Company may purchase two-thirds of the net-smelter returns royalty (the "NSR") from the Vendor and Assignor at any time for consideration of $1,000,000.

The Option Agreement remains subject to the approval of the Exchange.

Qualified person

The technical content of this news release has been reviewed and approved by Mr. Andrew Tims, P.Geo., a qualified person as defined by National Instrument 43-101.

About Usha Resources Ltd.

Usha Resources Ltd. is a North American mineral acquisition and exploration company focused on the development of quality battery and precious metal properties that are drill-ready with high-upside and expansion potential. Based in Vancouver, BC, Usha's portfolio of strategic properties provides target-rich diversification and consist of Jackpot Lake, a lithium project in Nevada; White Willow, a lithium project in Ontario; Nicobat, a nickel-copper-cobalt project in Ontario; and Lost Basin, a gold-copper project in Arizona. Usha trades on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol USHA, the OTCQB Exchange under the symbol USHAF and the Frankfurt Stock Exchange under the symbol JO0.

USHA RESOURCES LTD.

"Deepak Varshney"

CEO and Director

For more information, please call Tyler Muir, Investor Relations, at 1-888-772-2452, email tmuir@usharesources.com, or visit www.usharesources.com.

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 may include "forward-looking information" under applicable Canadian securities legislation. Such forward-looking information reflects management's current beliefs and are based on a number of estimates and/or assumptions made by and information currently available to the Company that, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause the actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Readers are cautioned that such forward-looking information are neither promises nor guarantees and are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to, general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties, uncertain and volatile equity and capital markets, lack of available capital, actual results of exploration activities, environmental risks, future prices of base and other metals, operating risks, accidents, labour issues, delays in obtaining governmental approvals and permits, and other risks in the mining industry.

The Company is presently an exploration stage company. Exploration is highly speculative in nature, involves many risks, requires substantial expenditures, and may not result in the discovery of mineral deposits that can be mined profitably. Furthermore, the Company currently has no reserves on any of its properties. As a result, there can be no assurance that such forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements.

No Offer or Solicitation to Purchase Securities in the United States

This press release does not constitute or form a part of any offer or solicitation to purchase or subscribe for securities in the United States. The securities referred to herein have not been and will not be registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), or with any securities regulatory authority of any state or other jurisdiction in the United States, and may not be offered or sold, directly or indirectly, within the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons, as such term is defined in Regulation S under the Securities Act ("Regulation S"), except pursuant to an exemption from or in a transaction not subject to the registration requirements of the Securities Act.

SOURCE: Usha Resources Ltd.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/747399/Usha-Resources-Acquires-Second-Ontario-Lithium-Project-with-119-Reported-Prospective-LCT-Pegmatites
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - April 4, 2023) - Omai Gold Mines Corp. (TSXV: OMG) (OTCQB: OMGGF) ("Omai Gold" or the "Company") announces the following changes to the Board of Directors:

Renaud Adams is stepping down from his position as Chairman and director as a result of his increased responsibilities associated with his recent appointment as CEO of Iamgold Corp. Mr. Adams has offered to join Omai's Advisory Board;





Don Dudek, a director of Omai Gold since June 2022, has been appointed as the Chairman, effective immediately.

The Company wishes to thank Mr. Adams for his contributions since the Company went public in late 2020. Renaud commented: "It has been a pleasure serving on the Omai Gold Board and it has been an exciting couple of years as we quickly established a significant gold resource at this past-producing mine property in Guyana. I look forward to continuing to contribute through Omai's Advisory Board as I see a path for Omai to again become a significant gold producer."

Mr. Dudek joined as a Director of Omai Gold in June 2022. Don is a geologist with over 40 years of experience in senior technical and corporate roles with junior to senior exploration and mining companies. He recently served as President and CEO of Savary Gold Corp., which was sold to Semafo Inc. in 2019. He has held senior technical roles for a number of mining companies including Endeavour Mining Corporation, Avion Gold Corporation and Aur Resources, and is currently Vice President Exploration for Wolfden Resources Corporation and Technical Director for Desert Gold Ventures. Don brings considerable board experience with publicly traded companies. He holds a B.Sc. Geology (Honours) from the University of Saskatchewan.

"We are pleased to welcome Don Dudek as the new Chairman of Omai Gold. He brings a tremendous amount of experience over a long and successful career which will be valuable as we advance the Omai project. His hands-on experience with West African gold deposits is particularly salient for our work in the Guiana Shield. On behalf of the Board of Directors I would like to thank Renaud Adams for the role he played in the building of our substantial resource base and look forward to having him as a member of our Advisory Board." said Elaine Ellingham, CEO.

Don Dudek, Omai Gold's newly appointed Chairman commented: "Omai's gold project in Guyana is an intriguing story. Not only has it produced 3.7 million ounces of gold, which rates it as a significant-sized gold deposit but Omai Gold has added almost as much in new mineral resources. After visiting the site last year, reviewing the detailed exploration data and comparing these deposits to similar-age deposits in West Africa, I am convinced that the Wenot and Gilt Creek gold zones are predictable and robust and I believe that Omai will be able to further increase the size of these deposits. I look forward to my new role as Chairman and working more with the team as we develop this asset."

ABOUT OMAI GOLD

Omai Gold Mines Corp. holds a 100% interest in the Omai Prospecting License that includes the past producing Omai gold mine in Guyana, and a 100% interest in the adjoining Eastern Flats Mining Permits. The Company announced an updated Mineral Resource Estimate that includes the Wenot shear-hosted gold deposit and the adjacent Gilt Creek intrusion-hosted deposit. The recent NI 43-101 Mineral Resource Estimate includes: 1,907,600 ounces of gold (Indicated) at an average grade of 2.07 g/t gold and 1,777,600 ounces of gold (Inferred) at an average grade of 2.10 g/t gold. Once South America's largest producing gold mine, Omai produced over 3.7 million ounces of gold between 1993 and 2005. Mining ceased at a time when the average gold price was less than US$400 per ounce. As a brownfields project, Omai benefits from good access and a wealth of historical data that provides knowledge of the geology, nature of the gold mineralization on the property, as well as metallurgy and historical recoveries. The Company's priorities for 2023 are to drill the key exploration targets that hold potential for significant new discoveries while continuing to expand the Wenot deposit.

For further information, please see our website www.omaigoldmines.com or contact:

Elaine Ellingham P.Geo.

President & CEO

elaine@omaigoldmines.com

Phone: +1 416-473-5351

Qualified Person

Elaine Ellingham is a Qualified Person (QP) under National Instrument 43-101 "Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects" and has approved the technical information contained in this news release. Ms. Ellingham is not considered to be independent for the purposes of National Instrument 43-101.

1 The Company filed an NI43-101 technical report titled "Technical Resport and Updated Mineral Resource Estimate of the Wenot Gold Deposit, Omai Property, Potaro Mining District no. 2, Guyana", prepared by P&E Mining Consultants Inc dated December 2, 2022 on the SEDAR website www.sedar.com.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This news release includes certain "forward-looking statements" under applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to the timing of completion of exploration, trenching and drill programs, and the potential for the Omai Gold Project to allow Omai to build significant gold Mineral Resources at attractive grades, and forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable, are subject to 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; delay or failure to receive regulatory approvals; the price of gold; and the results of current exploration. Further, the Mineral Resource data set out in the Omai Gold news release are estimates, and no assurance can be given that the anticipated tonnages and grades will be achieved or that the indicated level of recovery will be realized. 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, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company 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.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/161204
Asahi Kasei's production facility for Dinamica artificial suede at its Nonwovens Plant in Nobeoka, Miyazaki, Japan, has acquired the first Renewable Energy Use Certification by Japan's Powered by RE Certification Committee, utilizing the Powered by RE system of Hitachi, which visualizes the usage of renewable energy. The certification, acquired on March 8, 2023, ensures that the production facility for Dinamica is powered by 100% renewable energy.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230404005127/en/

Asahi Kasei Dinamica production facility acquires the first Renewable Energy Use Certification by Hitachi's "Powered by RE" Certification Committee. This certification verifies that 100% of the power used at the Nonwovens Plant is derived from renewable energy, strengthening Asahi Kasei's contribution to sustainable society. Dinamica is used extensively worldwide in applications such as automotive interiors, furniture, IT accessories, clothing and industrial materials. (Photo: Business Wire)

Today, companies are making efforts to become carbon neutral throughout the value chain to realize a sustainable society, resulting in demand for high-value-added products and services that are made using 100% renewable energy.

Dinamica is an artificial suede with a 3-layer structure* produced with Asahi Kasei's proprietary manufacturing process. Having excellent texture and versatile design, it is widely used in various applications around the world such as automotive interiors, furniture, IT accessories, clothing, and industrial materials. Asahi Kasei has proactively reduced the CO2 emissions from the manufacture of Dinamica as part of its effort to become carbon neutral by 2050.

Hitachi developed Powered by RE in 2021 as a system to visualize how much renewable energy is used at individual facilities and services, with the aim of realizing a decarbonized society. In 2022, Hitachi launched the Powered by RE Certification Committee, a general incorporated association jointly with Art Ecology, Inc. that certifies 100% renewable energy use at each production line, equipment and services to contribute to further expansion of renewable energy use.

The Certificate of Renewable Energy Use issued by the Powered by RE Certification Committee ensures that electricity used by individual production lines, facilities, and services is 100% derived from renewable energy. The certification acquired for Dinamica was based on data from the energy management system of its production facility at the Nonwovens Plant, verifying that 100% of the power which is used has been derived from renewable energy. This certification allows Asahi Kasei to claim to its customers that it is contributing to measures against global warming through the provision of products from the certified production lines.

Asahi Kasei aims to realize carbon neutral and sustainable society from the perspective of "Care for Earth" and is focusing on initiatives such as the use of biomass raw materials, recycled raw materials, renewable energy, etc. The Asahi Kasei Group continues to meet the expectations of society and its customers by proactively cooperating with its stakeholders while further promoting the provision of products and services with such characteristics based on its medium-term management plan for fiscal 2024 focused on the theme "Be a Trailblazer."

Hitachi drives its Social Innovation Business, creating a sustainable society with data and technology, and continues to provide digital solutions, such as Powered by RE, to help realize a decarbonized society. In addition, by widely promoting certification of renewable energy use through the Powered by RE Certification Committee, Hitachi will contribute to businesses' adoption of renewable energy.

Dinamica consists of three layers of face, inner scrim, and backing, with the microfiber layers intertwined with each other in three dimensions. The inner scrim layer improves dimensional stability and strength. Being immersed in a water-based polyurethane gives the material a rich elastic texture.

Sustainability at Asahi Kasei

https://www.asahi-kasei.com/sustainability/

About Asahi Kasei

The Asahi Kasei Group contributes to life and living for people around the world. Since its foundation in 1922 with ammonia and cellulose fiber businesses, Asahi Kasei has consistently grown through the proactive transformation of its business portfolio to meet the evolving needs of every age. With more than 46,000 employees worldwide, the company contributes to a sustainable society by providing solutions to the world's challenges through its three business sectors of Material, Homes, and Health Care. Its Material sector, comprised of Environmental Solutions, Mobility Industrial, and Life Innovation, includes a wide array of products, from battery separators and biodegradable textiles to engineering plastics and sound solutions. For more information, visit https://www.asahi-kasei.com/.

About Hitachi, Ltd.

Hitachi drives Social Innovation Business, creating a sustainable society with data and technology. We will solve customers' and society's challenges with Lumada solutions leveraging IT, OT (Operational Technology) and products, under the business structure of Digital Systems Services, Green Energy Mobility, Connective Industries and Automotive Systems. Driven by green, digital, and innovation, we aim for growth through collaboration with our customers. The company's consolidated revenues for fiscal year 2021 (ended March 31, 2022) totaled 10,264.6 billion yen ($84,136 million USD), with 853 consolidated subsidiaries and approximately 370,000 employees worldwide. For more information on Hitachi, please visit the company's website at https://www.hitachi.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230404005127/en/

Contacts:

Asahi Kasei Contact North America:

Jon Todd

info@ak-america.com

Asahi Kasei Contact Europe:

Sebastian Schmidt

sebastian.schmidt@asahi-kasei.eu
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / April 4, 2023 / SouthGobi Resources Ltd. (TSX:SGQ, HK:1878) ("SouthGobi" or the "Company") The announcement is made by the Company pursuant to Rules 13.09 and 13.51(1) of the Listing Rules on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, paragraphs 3.21 and 3.43 of the Guidance Letter and the inside information provisions under Part XIVA of the SFO.

Reference is made to the announcements of the Company dated April 21, 2022, July 29, 2022 ("July 29 Announcement"), September 15, 2022, November 23, 2022, December 30, 2022, January 31, 2023, February 28, 2023, March 6, 2023 and April 2, 2023 (Hong Kong time) (collectively, "Announcements"). Unless otherwise specified, capitalized terms used in the Announcements shall have the same meanings when used herein.

OVERSEAS DELISTING, MIGRATION ON HKEX AND LISTING ON TSX-V

1.1 Introduction

The Company announced on April 2, 2023 (Hong Kong time), the Company's common shares will be delisted from the TSX on April 14, 2023 (Canadian time at the close of trading), and the Company's common shares will commence trading on the TSX-V on April 17, 2023 (Canadian time as of the opening of trade). The change of the Company's secondary listing status to primary listing on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange will occur on April 17, 2023 (Hong Kong time) (the "Effective Date"), upon which the stock marker "S" will be removed from its stock short name on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. The Company's common shares will be listed for trading on the TSX-V under its existing ticker symbol "SGQ". For the avoidance of doubt, the Migration Grace Period will end on the Effective Date.

1.2 Obligations of the Company to Comply with All Applicable Listing Rules

Upon the Effective Date, the Company has to comply with all the relevant Listing Rules applicable to a primary listed issuer, including those provisions subject to the Existing Waivers, unless otherwise being exempted or waived by the Hong Kong Stock Exchange pursuant to the Waivers as further elaborated below. The Existing Waivers will be withdrawn or will be no longer applicable upon the Effective Date. The Existing Waivers include the following specific waivers and exemptions granted by the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and the exemption and ruling granted by the SFC, on an individual basis:

Rules Subject matter Rule 13.09(2) of the Listing Rules General obligation of disclosure Rules 13.11 to 13.22 of the Listing Rules Advances to entities and financing arrangements etc. Rule 13.28(7) of the Listing Rules Disclosure of identities of placees Rule 13.38 of the Listing Rules Notice of a meeting of holders of listed securities and proxy forms Rule 13.39(4) to (5) of the Listing Rules Voting by poll and poll results announcement Rule 13.44 of the Listing Rules Voting by directors with material interests on board resolutions Rules 13.46(2) and 13.48 of the Listing Rules Distribution of annual and interim reports Chapter 14 and Chapter 14A of the Listing Rules Notifiable and connected transactions Chapter 17 of the Listing Rules Share option schemes Appendix 3 to the Listing Rules (the requirements under Appendix 3 to the Listing Rules were replaced by Core Shareholder Protection Standards effective on January 1, 2022) Articles requirements Part XV of the SFO Disclosure of interests under Part XV of the SFO

Details of the aforementioned Existing Waivers are set out in the prospectus of the Company dated January 15, 2010.

The Company has made the necessary arrangements to comply with the relevant provisions of the Listing Rules and the SFO applicable to a primary listed issuer upon the Effective Date. In the event that the Company failed to comply with the Listing Rules applicable to a primary listed issuer in time (where no waiver has been granted by the Hong Kong Stock Exchange) upon the Effective Date, the Company would be in potential breach of the Listing Rules, and would potentially be subject to, depending on the nature and seriousness of the possible breach and the circumstances and the manner in which the conduct is giving rise to such possible breach, disciplinary action by the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. The Company may also be directed to carry out possible remedial and enhancement actions such as internal control review and directors' training on regulatory and legal topics including compliance with the Listing Rules.

1.3 Application for Waivers from Strict Compliance with the Listing Rules in connection with the Delisting

In connection with the Delisting, the Company has sought, and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange has granted, the following Waivers from strict compliance with the following provisions of the Listing Rules:

Rules Subject matter Rule 13.38 of the Listing Rules "Two-way" voting Rules 14A.36 and 14A.53 of the Listing Rules Certain continuing connected transaction requirements under Chapter 14A of the Listing Rules

In the event of withdrawal of any of the aforementioned Waivers, the Company would have to fully comply with such Listing Rules.

1.3.1 Waiver from Listing Rules on "Two-way" Voting

Requirements under the Listing Rules

Rule 13.38 of the Listing Rules requires that the Company sends, with the notice convening a meeting of holders of listed securities to all persons entitled to vote at the meeting, proxy forms with provision for "two-way" voting, i.e., the Shareholders are provided with options to vote "for" or "against" the resolutions, on all resolutions intended to be proposed at a meeting.

Reasons for applying the waiver

Pursuant to applicable British Columbia corporate laws, the election of Directors or the appointment of the Auditors are conducted through "plurality voting" method, i.e., Shareholders are only able either to vote for the resolution or to withhold from voting. Shareholders are not provided the opportunity to vote against the resolution, and the "withheld" votes are not counted in the tally of votes, meaning that, for example, a resolution can be passed if only one vote is cast "for" such resolution, even where the majority of Shareholders have withheld from voting. As such, the proxy forms will state that the Shareholder is only able either to vote for the resolution or withhold from voting. The Company is prohibited under the applicable law to amend the Articles and override the relevant statutory provisions, and this precludes the use of "two-way" voting for the election of Directors and the appointment of Auditors. Therefore, the Company would conflict with applicable British Columbia corporate laws to strictly comply with Rule 13.38 of the Listing Rules.

Given the preclusion of the use of "two-way" voting for the election of directors under the British Columbia corporate laws and as a requirement for TSX-listed company, the Company has adopted the Majority Voting Policy in respect of uncontested meetings (i.e., the number of nominees for election is equal to the number of Directors to be elected as set out in the Company's management information circular for the particular meeting) for the election of the Directors. Pursuant to the Majority Voting Policy, each Director must be elected individually (rather than as a slate) by a majority (50% plus one vote) of the votes cast (i.e., more votes 'for' than votes 'withheld') with respect to his or her election. They are required to deliver a pre-executed resignation to the Company, which would be used immediately if a Director nominee is not elected by at least a majority of the votes cast with respect to his or her election, effectively tendering his or her resignation to the Board. The Majority Voting Policy is intended to provide shareholders of TSX-listed companies with an ability to vote "against" a Director nominee.

On the other hand, the Majority Voting Policy adopted by the Company for election of the Directors does not apply to appointment of Auditors. The reason is that if the Majority Voting Policy applies to the appointment of Auditors, a newly elected auditor whose appointment is not approved by a majority vote (i.e., the 'for' votes are less than the 'withheld' votes) will be forced to resign and a vacancy will thus be created. Furthermore, under the applicable British Columbia corporate laws, the Majority Voting Policy cannot bind outside parties like the Auditors and the Auditors are under no obligations to abide to the Majority Voting Policy implemented by the Company.

Waiver application

The Company has applied for, and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange has granted, a waiver from strict compliance with Rule 13.38 of the Listing Rules, subject to the Delisting becoming effective and to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange's approval on the following bases:

(i) the Company has already established the Audit Committee (all members of which are independent non-executive Directors) and the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee (all members of which are independent non-executive Directors) which will determine and make recommendations on, with delegated responsibilities and in compliance with the requirements of the Listing Rules and on an annual basis, the appointment of Auditors and the nomination of Directors. Each of the independent non-executive Directors is also subject to re-election by the Shareholders in each annual meeting of the Shareholders;

(ii) under the British Columbia corporate laws, it is not possible to amend the Articles to achieve the same effect of the Majority Voting Policy. The Company undertakes that, upon the Delisting, it will continue to voluntarily adopt the Majority Voting Policy in uncontested elections of Directors, which is consistent with the standard practice for TSX-listed companies in Canada. The Company will also extend the applicability of the Majority Voting Policy to contested elections of Directors, which is permitted under Canadian corporate law;

(iii) where the number of the 'withheld' votes exceeds that of the 'for' votes of the elected Auditors which gives rise to concerns of the Directors regarding the appropriateness of such Auditors' appointment, the Directors will, upon consulting the Audit Committee, call a special meeting of the Shareholders and propose ordinary resolutions to the Shareholders to consider removing the elected Auditors and appointing replacement Auditors in its stead for the remainder of its term. The Company considers that this arrangement will allow the Shareholders to express their objection to the appointment of the Auditors, and at the same time ensure that the Company will not be bereft of Auditors; and

(iv)Shareholders who hold in aggregate not less than 1/20 (5%) of the issued voting shares of the Company may requisition a general meeting of Shareholders. Upon receiving a valid requisition, the Board must call a general meeting within four months after the date of requisition to transact the business stated in the requisition. Directors and Auditors can be removed by ordinary resolutions at a meeting of Shareholders in favour of such removal, where Shareholders will have the option to vote 'for' or 'against' such a resolution to remove a director or an auditor at such meeting. If the Directors do not, within 21 days after the date on which the requisition is received by the Company, send notice of a general meeting, the requisitioning Shareholders, or any one or more of them holding, in the aggregate, more than 1/40 of the issued Shares that carry the right to vote at general meetings, may send notice of a general meeting to be held to transact the business stated in the requisition.

1.3.2 Waiver from certain continuing connected transaction requirements under Chapter 14A of the Listing Rules

Background of the continuing connected transactions

The Convertible Debenture and the Cooperation Agreement

Prior to the secondary listing of the Company on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, the Company, upon the approval by the Shareholders, issued the Convertible Debenture to Land Breeze, a wholly-owned subsidiary of CIC (the then single largest Shareholder immediately before Completion, holding approximately 23.62% of the total share capital of the Company immediately before Completion), on November 19, 2009 to provide necessary financing to support the Company's expansion plans in Mongolia, repayment of debt due, and other general corporate purposes. As negotiated and entered into in conjunction with, and as a condition to the CIC's subscription of the Convertible Debenture, the Company and CIC (through Fullbloom, its wholly-owned subsidiary) also executed the Cooperation Agreement on the same date, pursuant to which both parties agreed to use their best endeavours to improve cross-border commerce in order to facilitate improved access to the China market for Mongolian commerce, and vice versa.

The key terms of the Convertible Debenture and the relevant accounting treatment and policies were set out in the prospectus of the Company dated January 15, 2010.

Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement

On April 23, 2019, the Company and CIC (through Land Breeze) entered into the 2019 Deferral Agreement pursuant to which Land Breeze agreed to the Deferral. On the same day, the Company amended and restated the Cooperation Agreement (i.e., the Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement) with CIC (through Fullbloom) to clarify the original intent of the parties for calculating service fee payable by the Company under the Cooperation Agreement, pursuant to which a service fee would be calculated based on Net Revenues (rather than the net revenues realised by the Company and its Mongolian subsidiaries). Such amendment to the Cooperation Agreement was minimal and did not trigger Shareholders' approval requirement at the time.

The 2019 Deferral Agreement and the Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement were disclosed in the Disclosure Documents, and the 2019 Deferral Agreement and the Deferral were approved at the general meeting of Shareholders on May 30, 2019.

Sale Transaction

On May 27, 2022, the Company announced that CIC has entered into the Sale Transaction to sell the Sale Shares to the Fund. In connection with the Sale Transaction, the Fund would be assigned with all of CIC's rights in and obligations under, among the others: (i) the Convertible Debenture; (ii) the Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement; and (iii) the deferral agreements (including the 2019 Deferral Agreement) between CIC, the Company and certain of its subsidiaries in connection with the deferral of interest payments and other outstanding fees under the Convertible Debenture and the Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement. Assignment of rights and obligations under the Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement by CIC to the Fund required consent from the Company (which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld), and the Company provided such consent.

The Completion took place on August 30, 2022.

Listing Rules implications

Prior to Completion and at the date of the July 29 Announcement, CIC held the Sale Shares, representing approximately 23.62% of the total share capital of the Company. Accordingly, the Fund (and its associates) became connected persons of the Company following Completion and upon Delisting. As such, pursuant to Chapter 14A of the Listing Rules, the continuing transactions under the Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement shall constitute continuing connected transactions of the Company upon Delisting.

Pursuant to paragraph 1.2 under Appendix to the Guidance Letter HKEX-GL-112-22, since the Company had already entered into continuing transactions under the Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement which remained subsisting as at the date of the Notification, and such transactions are expected to continue after the Delisting becomes effective, the Company is required to fully comply with the applicable Listing Rules on such transactions.

The highest applicable percentage ratios (other than the profits ratio) under the Listing Rules in respect of the service fee payable under the Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement may exceed 5% during the remainder of the Term. As such, the Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement, unless otherwise exempted, will be subject to the reporting, annual review, announcement, circular, independent financial advice, and Shareholders' approval requirements under Chapter 14A of the Listing Rules.

Waiver application

The Company has applied for, and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange has granted, a waiver from strict compliance with (i) the independent Shareholders' approval requirement under Rule 14A.36 of the Listing Rules in respect of the transactions under the Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement; and (ii) the requirement under Rule 14A.53 of the Listing Rules to set an annual cap expressed in monetary terms for the fees payable by the Company under the Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement. The Directors consider that it would be unduly burdensome and impracticable if the continuing connected transactions under the Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement are subject these requirements for the following reasons:

A. The Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement is an agreement for a fixed period with fixed terms

The key terms of the Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement are as follows:

(i) CIC would provide, among others, the Services;

(ii) CIC would receive a customary commercial payment for such Services in an amount equal to 2.5% of all Net Revenues, which would be calculated and paid by the Company in quarterly instalments; and

(iii) coterminous with the Convertible Debenture, the Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement has the Term of 30 years from November 19, 2009 subject to earlier termination with both of the following conditions fulfilled:

a. the Convertible Debenture is fully converted into Shares or otherwise fully repaid; and

b. following such conversion or repayment, CIC holds less than 15% of the total issued and outstanding Shares.

Effective upon Completion, the Fund has agreed to the Fee Waiver, effectively reducing the service fee payable from 2.5% to 1.5% of all Net Revenues. Having discussed with the Fund, save for the Fee Waiver, both the Company and the Fund have a mutual understanding that they have no plan or intention to vary the terms of the Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement in the foreseeable future.

The Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement, combined with the Fee Waiver, remain an agreement for a fixed period with fixed terms. Despite the Sale Transaction which triggered the assignment of the Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement, there has been no change to the scope of the Services and the Term of the Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement. The Company will continue to benefit from the provision of Services by the counterparty (i.e., CIC, and following Completion, the Fund) throughout the Term of the agreement at a fixed service fee rate of Net Revenues. No separate agreement is required to be entered into between the Company and the Fund for the Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement to take effect.

B. Continuation of the Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement is fundamental to the Company's business operations

(i) Relationship between the Cooperation Agreement and the Convertible Debenture

The Convertible Debenture and the Cooperation Agreement are coterminous with each other. The Cooperation Agreement stipulates that it was entered into "in connection with" the issuance of the Convertible Debenture. In addition, both agreements were approved by the Board as well as the Shareholders at the same time prior to their respective execution.

In furtherance of the above, any breach of the Company's payment obligation under the Cooperation Agreement may constitute an event of default under the Convertible Debenture, accelerating repayment obligation of the Convertible Debenture. Also, the Company has no definitive right to terminate the Cooperation Agreement (and hence the Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement) before the expiration of the Term unless the Convertible Debenture is repaid. It would be impracticable for the Company, and not in the best interest of the Company and its Shareholders as a whole, to repay the above outstanding amount before the expiry of the Term and to terminate the Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement.

(ii) Support and services provided to the Company under the Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement

The Company is a prominent coal producer in Mongolia, focusing on mining and exploration of coking coal and thermal coal. The Company's flagship mine is located approximately 40 kilometres from the China-Mongolia border. Due to the strategic location of its mine, the Company sells almost all its coal products to customers in China as part of its business model. The success of the Company's business model was and continues to be dependable on the growth of its target customers, which are all within China.

CIC is a wholly state-owned company and mainly engaged in foreign exchange investment management businesses. As set out in the Cooperation Agreement (as amended and restated by the Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement), the service provided by CIC during the term of the Cooperation Agreement includes, among others, (i) marketing of products, including identification of, and introduction to, potential new customers for the products of the Company; (ii) procurement of transportation and logistics services within the PRC; and (iii) procurement of goods and services within the PRC for the mining projects of the Company, including identification of, and introduction to, potential new suppliers and service providers. Other benefits brought to the Company by the Cooperation Agreement and the Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement include:

(i) CIC has been advising the Company on its operations since 2009, including the setting up of the mine site, wash plant and purchasing of mining equipment; and

(ii) The Company's sales channel was initially limited to local areas. Over the years, CIC assisted with reconfiguring the Company's sales, marketing and procurement strategies and the establishment of certain subsidiaries under the Company in China, which enabled the Company to sell its coal products directly to local customers in China at higher prices thereby improving the Company's gross profit margin as a whole.

On the other hand, the Fund is an exempted limited partnership formed under the laws of the Cayman Islands. The Fund's general partner and limited partner are JD Dingxing Limited and Inner Mongolia Tianyu Trading Limited, respectively. To the Company's best knowledge and belief, the ultimate beneficial owner of the limited partner is Mr. An Yong (??) and that of the general partner is Ms. Zhu Chonglin (???). Mr. An Yong is the founder and Chairman of Tianyu Group, and he has been conducting business in Inner Mongolia since 1998. Ms. Zhu Chonglin is responsible for managing the Fund, and was also the CFO of Tianyu Group. Tianyu Group was established in 2010 and it is based in Wuhai City, which is known to be one of the major sales hubs for the coal market in Inner Mongolia. To the best of the Directors' knowledge, Tianyu Group is a leading enterprise group with integrated coal mining, coal washing and coking, kaolinite mining, research and development, real estate, warehousing, logistics, investment, and other industries, with high-efficiency production and operation capabilities.

The Fund has been providing the Services under the Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement following Completion. The Company believes that the Fund is resourceful in the PRC and has strong synergetic value to provide the Company with the Services under the Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement. The Company expects to benefit from the Fund's well-established connections, sales and supply chain network as well as sector experience, that they will help improve the profit margin of the Company by referring new customers in China to the Company and enhancing the efficiency of the Company's logistics network to further its customer reach.

Based on the above, the Directors are of the view that the continuation of the Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement is fundamental to the Company's business operations. Given such essentiality to the Company, it was and remains to be in the interest of the Company to secure such long-term business collaboration relationship. Upon Delisting, the Company will continue to utilize the Services provided by the Fund under the Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement, which are essential to the Company's ordinary and usual course of conducting its mining business.

C. Relevant transactions were approval by independent Shareholders and disclosed in public documents

The Cooperation Agreements were entered into and was approved by the Shareholders in 2009 which is prior to the initial listing of the Company's shares on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. The adoption of the Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement and the key terms thereof were disclosed in the Disclosure Documents. The 2019 Deferral Agreement was also approved by the Shareholders at the general meeting of the Shareholders dated May 30, 2019. Accordingly, the Directors believe that the investors should be well aware of such terms, and it would be unduly burdensome and impracticable if the continuing connected transactions under the Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement are subject to strict compliance with the requirements set out under Chapter 14A of the Listing Rules, including, among others, the requirement to obtain approval from the independent Shareholders and the requirement to set an annual cap expressed in monetary terms pursuant to Chapter 14A the Listing Rules.

D.The Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement is on normal commercial terms or better

The Company engaged DL Securities (HK) Limited to act as the Independent Financial Adviser to advise the Board in connection with the Cooperation Agreement and the Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement. In order to provide its opinion and recommendation, the Independent Financial Adviser has, amongst other things, conducted the following:

(i) reviewed the Cooperation Agreement, the Amended Restated Cooperation Agreement and other related documents which the Independent Financial Adviser deemed necessary;

(ii) reviewed the Convertible Debenture issued by the Company dated November 19, 2009;

(iii) reviewed relevant extract of the transaction documents in relation to the Sale Transaction;

(iv) the financial statements of the Company for the year ended 31 December 2021;

(v) reviewed the prospectus of the Company dated January 15, 2010; and

(vi) reviewed certain continuing connected transactions announced by companies listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange which are comparable to the transactions contemplated under the Cooperation Agreement (as amended and restated by the Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement) and identified similar agency arrangement, long term sales arrangement and cooperation arrangement entered into between companies listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange with their connected persons.

Having thoroughly considered the opinion and recommendation made by the Independent Financial Adviser to the Board, the Board (including the independent non-executive Directors) are of the view that the Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement is on normal commercial terms or better, which are fair and reasonable and are in the interests of the Company and its Shareholders as a whole, based on the following:

(i) the nature of the Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement is closely related with the Convertible Debenture. Consideration was given to the large-scale fundraising of the Convertible Debenture vis-a-vis the financial performance and operational scale of the Company, both at the time of the initial subscription of the Convertible Debenture and at present; as well as the fact that the continuation of the Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement is fundamental to the Company's business operations as explained above;

(ii) the Directors also believe the scope of "Net Revenues" was carefully crafted to exclude extraordinary items, such as certain permissible deductions which include royalties that had been paid or accrued during the period. the service fee payable under the Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement, calculated and paid by the Company in quarterly instalments (where Company is required to make payment within 45 days after the end of each quarter), is a realistic financial commitment for the Company in its ordinary course of business. Further, the Directors are of the view that, among others, (a) the previous 2.5% service fee rate (prior to Completion) does not significantly deviate from the comparable transactions of relevant listed companies, (b) the lowering of the service fee rate from 2.5% to 1.5% (effective upon Completion) represents a more favourable commercial term for the Company, (c) the service fee only accounts for a relatively small portion as compared to the increment in gross profit margin on the sales revenue, and (d) it is expected that the Fund will utilize the comprehensive sales network of Tianyu Group in Inner Mongolia which would assist the expansion of the Company's customers base.

(iii) the Cooperation Agreement shares similarities with offtake arrangements which are common for mining companies. Under offtake arrangements, mining companies receive financial support from the off-takers through financing or investment in the mining operation as well as operational support from the off-takers, such as in the form of joint venture and/or jointly operate the mining projects. These offtake arrangements usually cover the life of the corresponding joint venture and/or the useful life of the mine. Hence, it is normal business practice for agreements in the nature of cooperation agreements to have a long duration with a fixed term to provide stability to the Company's business in achieving its long-term goals. Due to the size and caliber of the counterparty to the Cooperation Agreement, the Directors consider significant synergetic value from a long-term strategic cooperation with CIC and following Completion of the Sales Transaction, the Fund. With such long Term of 30 years from the date of entering into the Cooperation Agreement, it would be impracticable for the Company to estimate the annual caps expressed in monetary terms for the remainder of the Term;

(iv) the maximum aggregate annual value of the agreement, which was set at a pre-determined percentage of Net Revenues (instead of setting an annual cap expressed in monetary terms), is consistent with normal industry practice; and

(v) going forward, the Company shall comply with all applicable annual reporting requirements under Chapter 14A of the Listing Rules in relation to the Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement. In addition, the Company shall comply with all applicable reporting and shareholders' approval requirements under Chapter 14A of the Listing Rules in the event of any renewal or amendment of material terms of the Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement.

2. AMENDMENTS TO THE ARTICLES

Certain amendments had been made to the Articles in anticipation of the Delisting. Please refer to the Management Proxy Circular for a summary of the key Articles Amendments, which mainly serve the purpose of complying with Appendix 3 to the Listing Rules, and a full set of the new Articles reflecting all the Articles Amendments.

At the Shareholders Meeting, Shareholders passed a special resolution to approve the Articles Amendments. Please refer to the Poll Results Announcement for further details. The new Articles become effective upon the Effective Date, which was published on the websites of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (www.hkexnews.hk) and the Company (www.southgobi.com) on 22 July 2022.

3. AMENDMENTS TO THE EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN

The Company adopted the Equity Incentive Plan in 2003, which was last amended, restated, and approved by the Shareholders in June 2021. The Equity Incentive Plan has three components: (i) the Share Option Plan, which provides for the grant to eligible participants of Options exercisable to purchase Shares; (ii) the Share Bonus Plan, which provides for awards of fully paid Shares to eligible participants as and when determined by the Board to be warranted on the basis of past performance; and (iii) the Share Purchase Plan, under which eligible participants have the opportunity to purchase Shares through payroll deductions which are supplemented by additional contributions by the Company.

The EIP Amendments include: (i) amending the terms of the existing Share Option Plan to comply with the then applicable Listing Rules; (ii) removing the Share Bonus Plan component from the Equity Incentive Plan; and (iii) amending the terms of the Equity Incentive Plan generally to comply with applicable rules and policies of the TSX-V. The EIP Amendments have subsequently been approved by the Shareholders at the Shareholders Meeting, details of which are available in the Poll Results Announcement. The EIP Amendments shall become effective upon the Effective Date. The EIP Amendments were made in order to comply with then Chapter 17 of the Listing Rules effective on the date of adoption and approval of the EIP Amendments (which is prior to January 1, 2023, the effective date of the Amended Rules), the rules and policies of TSX-V, requirements regarding the Delisting and customary market practices.

The Company will operate the Equity Incentive Plan (incorporating the EIP Amendments) to the extent permitted by the Consultation Conclusions and continue to make relevant share grants utilizing the existing scheme mandate. The Company may further amend the Equity Incentive Plan to the extent necessary upon the expiry and refreshment of the existing scheme mandate for continuing operation of the Equity Incentive Plan, so as to comply with the requirements under the Amended Rules.

4. DEFINITIONS

"2019 Deferral Agreement" the deferral agreement entered into between the Company and CIC on April 23, 2019 "Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement" the amended and restated cooperation agreement entered into between the Company and CIC (through Fullbloom) on April 23, 2019 "Amended Rules" the amendments to the Listing Rules relating to share schemes of listed issuers, which took effect on January 1, 2023 pursuant to the consultation conclusions on the proposed amendments to Listing Rules relating to share schemes of listed issuers and housekeeping rule amendment published by the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in July 2022 "Arrangements" all necessary arrangements of the Company to comply with all the relevant Listing Rules applicable to the Company following the Effective Date by making "Articles" Articles of Continuation of the Company "Articles Amendments" amendments to the Articles to satisfy the Core Shareholder Protection Standards, which were approved by the Shareholders at the Shareholders Meeting and shall be effective upon the Delisting "Audit Committee" Audit Committee of the Board "Auditors" auditors of the Company "Board" Board of Directors "CIC" China Investment Corporation "Codes" The Codes on Takeovers and Mergers and Share Buy-backs "Company" SouthGobi Resources Ltd., a company continued under the laws of British Columbia with limited liability, whose Shares are listed for trading on the TSX under the symbol SGQ and on the Main Board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange under the stock code symbol 1878 "Compensation and Benefits Committee" Compensation and Benefits Committee of the Board "Completion" completion of the Sale Transaction "Consultation Conclusions" the consultation conclusions on the proposed amendments to Listing Rules relating to share schemes of listed issuers and housekeeping rule amendment published by the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in July 2022 "Convertible Debenture" the convertible debenture issued by the Company to Land Breeze on November 19, 2009 "Cooperation Agreement" the cooperation agreement entered into by the Company and CIC on November 19, 2009, pursuant to which both parties agreed to use their best endeavours to improve cross-border commerce in order to facilitate improved access to the China market for Mongolian commerce, and vice versa "Cooperation Agreements" collectively, the Cooperation Agreement and the Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement "Core Shareholder Protection Standards" the core shareholder protection standards set out in Appendix 3 to the Listing Rules "Deferral" a deferral and revised repayment schedule pursuant to the 2019 Deferral Agreement in respect of the outstanding cash interest and payment in kind interest shares payable under the Convertible Debenture "Delisting" or "Overseas Delisting" the Company's delisting of its common shares from the TSX, a Recognised Stock Exchange for the purpose of Rule 19C.13A of the Listing Rules "Directors" directors of the Company "Disclosure Documents" the announcement of the Company and the management proxy circular of the Company dated April 23, 2019 "EIP Amendments" amendments to the Equity Incentive Plan, which were approved by the Shareholders at the Shareholders Meeting and shall be effective upon the Delisting "Equity Incentive Plan" the employees and directors' equity incentive plan adopted by the Company in 2013, which comprises the Share Option Plan, the Share Bonus Plan and the Share Purchase Plan, as further particularised in the July 29 Announcement and this announcement "Exchange Acknowledgement" an acknowledgment from the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on July 28, 2022 in respect of the Delisting issued pursuant to paragraph 3.34 of the Guidance Letter "Existing Waivers" exceptions, waivers and exemptions which had been granted to the Company as a secondary listed issuer on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, as further particularised in the July 29 Announcement and this announcement "Expiry Date" the date of expiry of the Migration Grace Period, i.e., January 20, 2024 (Hong Kong time) "Fee Waiver" the waiver granted by the Fund to waive certain service fee payable by the Company under the Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement "Fullbloom" Fullbloom Investment Corporation "Fund" JD Zhixing Fund L.P. "Guidance Letter" Guidance Letter HKEX-GL-112-22 published by the Hong Kong Stock Exchange "Hong Kong Stock Exchange" or "HKEX" The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited "Independent Financial Adviser" DL Securities (HK) Limited "Land Breeze" Land Breeze II S.a.r.l "Listing Rules" the Rules Governing the Listing of Securities on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange "Majority Voting Policy" a majority voting policy adopted by the Company to uncontested meetings (i.e., the number of nominees for election is equal to the number of Directors to be elected as set out in the Company's management information circular for the particular meeting) for the election of the Directors, as further particularised in the July 29 Announcement and this announcement "Management Proxy Circular" the management proxy circular of the Company dated June 22, 2022 "Migration" the majority of trading in the Company's common shares has migrated to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange's markets on a permanent basis as more than 55% of the Company's total worldwide trading volume took place on such markets over the most recent financial year of the Company under Note 1 to Listing Rule 19C.13 "Migration Exchange Notice Date" the date on which the Company received a written notice from the Hong Kong Stock Exchange of its decision of the Migration, i.e., January 20, 2023 (Hong Kong time) "Migration Grace Period" a grace period of 12 months from the Migration Exchange Notice Date to Expiry Date granted to the Company to comply with the applicable Listing Rules pursuant to Note 2 to the Listing Rule 19C.13 "Net Revenues" net revenues derived by the Company and all of its subsidiaries which derive sales into China "Notification" the Company's written notification to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in relation to the proposed Delisting "Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee" Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee of the Board "Options" incentive stock options granted under the Share Option Plan "Poll Results Announcement" the poll results announcement of the Company dated July 22, 2022 "Sale Shares" 64,766,591 common shares of the Company under the Sale Transaction "Sale Transaction" the transaction entered into between CIC and the Fund on May 27, 2022 "Services" the services provided by CIC to the Company under the Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement on matters that include coal products sales, procurement of transportation and logistics services, marketing of coal products, procurement of goods and services, and creation of economies of scale "SFC" Securities and Futures Commission of Hong Kong "SFO" Securities and Futures Ordinance (Chapter 571 of the laws of Hong Kong) "Shareholders" holders of the Company's common shares "Shareholders Meeting" the Company's annual general and special meeting held on July 21, 2022 "Term" a term of 30 years from November 19, 2009 "TSX" Toronto Stock Exchange "TSX-V" TSX Venture Exchange "Waivers" the waiver applications made by the Company from strict compliance with the Listing Rules in connection with the Delisting, as further particularised in the July 29 Announcement and this announcement

This announcement is for information purposes only and does not constitute, or form part of, any invitation or offer to acquire, purchase or subscribe for any of our securities. Shareholders and potential investors should exercise caution when dealing in our securities.

If there is any inconsistency or discrepancy between the English version and the Chinese version, the English version shall prevail.

About SouthGobi

SouthGobi, listed on the Toronto and Hong Kong stock exchanges, owns and operates its flagship Ovoot Tolgoi coal mine in Mongolia. It also holds the mining licences of its other metallurgical and thermal coal deposits in South Gobi region of Mongolia. SouthGobi produces and sells coal to customers in China.

Contact:

Investor Relations

Office: +852 2156 1438 (Hong Kong)

+1 604 762 6783 (Canada)

Email: info@southgobi.com

Website: www.southgobi.com

SOURCE: SouthGobi Resources

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-- Scorpion receives $65 million from an upfront payment and the achievement of near-term milestones and is eligible to receive up to $553 million in potential milestones, plus royalties on net product sales

-- Scorpion will retain rights to STX-721 and STX-241 in the United States, Canada and Japan; Pierre Fabre granted rights in all other global territories --

-- Collaboration will accelerate development of STX-721 and STX-241 in key international markets and support Scorpion and Pierre Fabre's missions to bring transformational therapies to patients globally

Scorpion Therapeutics, Inc. ("Scorpion"), a pioneering oncology company redefining the frontier of precision medicine through its Precision Oncology 2.0 strategy, and Pierre Fabre, a French pharmaceutical and dermo-cosmetic group present in 120 countries, today announced an exclusive collaboration and license agreement for the co-development of STX-721 and STX-241, two candidates in Scorpion's franchise of highly-selective, next-generation mutant epidermal growth factor receptor ("EGFR") inhibitors. Discovered by Scorpion, STX-721 and STX-241 are potentially best-in-class inhibitors of EGFR mutations and potent treatment options for emergent and unmet medical needs in non-small cell lung cancer ("NSCLC"). Under the agreement, Scorpion will lead clinical development of STX-721 and Pierre Fabre will lead clinical development of STX-241. Scorpion will retain commercialization rights to STX-721 and STX-241 in the United States, Canada and Japan, and Pierre Fabre will be responsible for commercialization activities in all other territories, with a focus on Europe and China.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230403005684/en/

"Our mission is to develop the next generation of transformational therapies and to deliver them to patients worldwide," said Axel Hoos, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Scorpion. "Pierre Fabre is the ideal partner to accelerate this vision; a global pharmaceutical company with a robust clinical and commercial footprint in Europe and Asia, and a track record of successfully partnering with biotechnology companies to develop and provide access to innovative cancer medicines. This partnership should help to expand the reach of our EGFR targeting programs, allowing us to help patients who urgently need these treatments, including in markets such as China, where nearly 50% percent of all cases of NSCLC are expected to be EGFR-mutant by 2030.1

"We are excited to engage into this co-development collaboration with Scorpion and eager to add STX-721 and STX-241 to our portfolio in oncology. Pierre Fabre has a track-record in developing and commercializing cancer therapies for nearly four decades. We recently focused our R&D efforts on targeted therapies and this partnership with Scorpion embodies this strategic move," said Eric Ducournau, Chief Executive Officer of Pierre Fabre.

NSCLC is the most common sub-type of lung cancer and various EGFR mutations are the most frequent drivers of NSCLC, occurring in approximately 14-38 percent of tumors, depending on geography.2, 3, 4 Scorpion's franchise of highly selective, next-generation mutant EGFR inhibitors is designed to address several of these activating mutations, with STX-721 targeting EGFR Exon 20 insertion mutants, and STX-241 targeting Exon 19 or 21 mutations with the co-occurring C797S mutation, a known resistance mechanism to 3rd generation EGFR inhibitors.

For NSCLC driven by EGFR Exon 20 insertion mutations, toxicities associated with the inhibition of wild-type EGFR in healthy tissues, such as the skin and gastrointestinal tract, often occur during treatment. These toxicities can lead to dose reductions or interruptions which, in turn, may reduce the overall efficacy of the treatment. STX-721 and STX-241 have been designed to maximize selectivity for the mutant form of the enzyme and to avoid the inhibition of wild-type EGFR in healthy tissues to minimize the occurrence of these toxicities.

Up to 12.5 percent of patients with NSCLC driven by mutations in Exon 19 or 21 who are treated with covalent inhibitors of EGFR in a front-line setting develop secondary resistance mutations at C797S.5 There are currently no approved therapeutic options for the significant number of patients that develop "double mutant" EGFR NSCLC, creating a significant and growing unmet need.

Together, Scorpion's next-generation EGFR inhibitors may have the potential to address over 90 percent of activating mutations in EGFR-mutant NSCLC, potentially providing improved clinical outcomes to thousands of patients globally.

"Based on their preclinical data, we've concluded that STX-721 and STX-241 may present best-in-class product profiles. Further, this partnership will significantly expand our efforts in precision oncology, allowing us to better support the care and treatment of thousands of people globally," added Francesco Hofmann, Head of Research and Development for Medical Care at Pierre Fabre.

Subject to the terms of the agreement, Scorpion will receive a combined $65 million from an upfront payment and the achievement of near-term milestones, and will be eligible to receive up to a total of $553 million in potential milestone payments. In addition, Pierre Fabre will pay Scorpion tiered percentage royalties on a licensed product-by-licensed product basis, ranging from mid-single to mid-teens based on annual net sales of each licensed product in territories excluding the United States, Canada and Japan. Scorpion will pay Pierre Fabre tiered percentage royalties based on a licensed product-by-licensed product basis, ranging from low-single to low-double digits on annual net sales of each licensed product in the United States. The companies will share global development expenses based on a pre-specified cost-sharing arrangement.

About STX-721

STX-721 is a next-generation, orally delivered small molecule designed with potentially best-in-class selectivity to target Exon 20 insertion mutations in EGFR. Scorpion estimates that NSCLC tumors that express EGFR with Exon 20 insertion mutations have an incidence of approximately 3,400 patients per year in the United States. STX-721 is currently advancing through preclinical studies and Scorpion expects to submit an investigational new drug ("IND") application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ("FDA") in the middle of 2023.

About STX-241

STX-241 is a fourth generation, orally delivered, central nervous system ("CNS")-penetrant small molecule designed with potentially best-in-class selectivity to target resistance mutations at C797S. Scorpion estimates that up to 3,000 patients per year in the United States, or up to 12.5 percent of NSCLC patients with Exon 19 or 21 mutations, develop resistance mutations at C797S. STX-241 is currently advancing through preclinical studies, and Scorpion expects to submit an IND to the U.S. FDA in the first half of 2024.

About Scorpion Therapeutics

Scorpion is a pioneering oncology company redefining the frontier of precision medicine to deliver optimized and transformational therapies for larger populations of patients with cancer, a strategy Scorpion refers to as Precision Oncology 2.0. Scorpion has built a proprietary and fully integrated platform of the most advanced technologies across cancer biology, medicinal chemistry, and data sciences, with the goal of consistently and rapidly creating exquisitely selective small molecule compounds against an unprecedented spectrum of targets. Scorpion aims to leverage its platform to advance a broad pipeline of wholly owned, optimized compounds across three target categories: best-in-class molecules targeting validated oncogene targets; first-in-class molecules for previously undruggable targets; and first-in-class molecules for novel cancer targets. For more information, visit www.scorpiontx.com.

About Pierre Fabre

Pierre Fabre is a leading French medical and beauty care company with 4 decades of experience in innovation, development, manufacturing and commercialization in oncology. The company dedicated about 80% of its R&D spendings to oncology in 2022 and has recently declared targeted therapies as its main R&D priority. Its current commercial portfolio in oncology covers colorectal, breast and lung cancers, melanoma, hematology and pre-cancerous skin conditions like actinic keratosis.

In 2022, Pierre Fabre posted 2.7 billion euros in revenues, 69% of which came from international sales in 120 countries. Established in the South-West of France since its creation in 1962, the Group manufactures over 90% of its products in France and employs some 9,600 people worldwide. The company is 86%-owned by the Pierre Fabre Foundation, a government-recognized public-interest foundation, and secondarily by its own employees through an international employee stock ownership plan. Pierre Fabre's sustainability policy has been assessed by the independent AFNOR Certification body at the "Exemplary" level of its CSR label (ISO 26 000 standard for sustainable development).

Further information about Pierre Fabre can be found at www.pierre-fabre.com, @PierreFabre.

________________

1 SEER*Explorer; WHO Cancer Today, both accessed March 2022

2 The Prevalence of EGFR Mutation in Patients with Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer, Oncotarget, October 2016

3 EGFR Mutation Incidence in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer, J Cancer Res., August 2015

4 Molecular Epidemiology of EGFR Mutations in Asian Patients, PLoS ONE, November 2015

5 Ramalingam S. (2022, August 6-9). Real-World Landscape of EGFR C797X Mutation as a Resistance Mechanism to Osimertinib in NSCLC. [Oral presentation]. 2022 World Conference on Lung Cancer, Vienna, Austria.

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Contacts:

Scorpion Media:

Ravi Moorthy

Scorpion Therapeutics

ravi@scorpiontx.com

Scorpion Investor:

Hannah Deresiewicz

Stern Investor Relations

hannah.deresiewicz@sternir.com

Pierre Fabre Media:

Laure Sgandurra

Pierre Fabre

+33 6 32 54 92 01

laure.sgandurra@pierre-fabre.com
The deal enables both companies to enhance and scale their global offerings and adds 600 highly skilled engineers to the Qualitest team

Qualitest, the world's leading AI-powered quality engineering company, today announces the acquisition of Q Analysts, a US-based quality engineering company. The Q Analysts acquisition adds significant expertise in quality engineering for cutting-edge technologies and marks Qualitest's sixth strategic acquisition in two years.

Through this acquisition, Qualitest expands its US geographical footprint to include new test labs in California and the State of Washington and capabilities in other key US service locations. It also enhances Qualitest's presence in the UK, Madagascar, Switzerland, and India. This deal amplifies Qualitest's capabilities in Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality/Mixed Reality quality assurance and testing services, full-stack quality engineering for IoT/smart devices, and ground truth data assurance services for AI technologies focused on data collection, annotation, and tagging for humans, environments, objects, scenarios, and speech algorithms. Founded in 2003, Q Analysts has partnered with some of the world's leading technology firms to address their unique quality engineering needs.

Q Analysts' offerings will complement Qualitest's established quality engineering expertise, which caters to the technology, financial services, telecom, health services, retail, media, gaming, and utilities sectors. The combined group will leverage the collective industry-specific competencies to deliver practical, flexible, and innovative solutions that address their clients' business challenges.

"We couldn't think of a better way to start the new year than with the addition of the great talent and capabilities which we found in Q Analysts," said Anbu Muppidathi, CEO of Qualitest. "This acquisition ensures that our combined solutions will continue to unlock value and drive measurable success for our existing customers, as well as allow us to expand our expertise in a wider variety of technologies and adjacent industries, bringing the best in quality engineering to more global clients."

"We are very excited to now be a part of Qualitest, one of the most prestigious brands in quality engineering in the industry," said Ross Fernandes, CEO of Q Analysts. "Joining forces with Qualitest was a clear choice, as both Qualitest and Q Analysts share common values and approaches to achieving greater client satisfaction, rooted in innovation and excellence. We are excited about our ability to scale rapidly globally, and we are sure to achieve greater outcomes in our future with Qualitest."

About Qualitest

Founded in 1997, Qualitest offers a wide range of AI-powered quality engineering solutions designed to mitigate the business risk associated with digital adoption. Qualitest achieves this by deploying engagement models tailored to the precise quality engineering needs of technology platforms in the financial services, health services, telecom, technology, retail, media, gaming, and utilities industries. It has operations in the US, UK, India, Germany, Romania, Israel, Argentina, Mexico, Switzerland, and Portugal, and serves over 400 blue-chip customers worldwide. Qualitest is majority-owned by international private equity group Bridgepoint. Learn more at https://qualitestgroup.com/

About Q Analysts

Since 2003, Q Analysts has been working with Fortune 500 companies to help them bring the best technology products to the market. Q Analysts has nearly 600 employees worldwide, including its Q TestLab facilities in Santa Clara, CA; Kirkland, WA, and Antananarivo, Madagascar. The Silicon Valley Business Journal listed Q Analysts among the Fastest-Growing Private Companies, the 10 Largest Minority-Owned Businesses in Silicon Valley, and the Largest Private Companies in Silicon Valley. The company has also won the US Department of Labor's Gold Medallion Award from HIREVets for its veterans' hiring efforts. Q Analysts is ISO 27001-certified.

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Contacts:

Qualitest Group Media Contact

Lauren Perry

SlicedBrand for Qualitest

lauren@slicedbrand.com
Round led by StepStone Group and Morgan Stanley Investment Management's 1GT Platform to power operational risk and ESG performance innovation

Everstream Analytics, the global supply chain insights and risk analytics company, today announced the close of a $50M Series B funding round co-led by Morgan Stanley Investment Management as part of its 1GT private equity platform and StepStone Group, with participation from existing investor Columbia Capital.

Capital raised will fuel Everstream's cutting-edge supply chain risk and performance insights. With a focus on informing strategic decisions across all supply chain functions, Everstream's technology drives operational excellence, delivers strong financial returns, and builds lasting supply chain sustainability for the world's most progressive and influential organizations.

Unrivaled visibility and risk intelligence spanning planning, procurement, and logistics

From helping demonstrate compliance with supply chain due diligence regulations around the world, such as the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA), to driving emissions reduction through intelligent logistics recommendations, Everstream continues to outpace and out-innovate its competitors while delivering unmatched value to clients. It has a proven track record of significantly reducing the time and effort required to map a supply chain at the n-tier level. With a vast proprietary database and advanced data science and meteorological expertise, Everstream offers deeper predictive capabilities in areas like climate, that other providers cannot. The company was recently named one of the World's Most Innovative Companies for its application of AI and predictive analytics to anticipate and mitigate the entire spectrum of global supply chain risk.

"2023 has already been momentous for Everstream, and we're not even through the first half. This funding comes when we are doubling down on our product innovation and executing rapidly and decisively to advance supply chain sustainability, which is more critical now than ever," said Julie Gerdeman, CEO of Everstream. "I'm grateful to our customers, investors, partners and team for their trust and collaboration as we champion this modern-day supply chain revolution."

ESG performance measurement and improvement for a sustainable future

Morgan Stanley Investment Management's 1GT Platform drives investment into private companies whose activities aim to collectively prevent or remove one gigaton of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) emissions from the Earth's atmosphere through 2050.

"Everstream is helping companies around the world make measurable, meaningful progress in emissions reduction," said Vikram Raju, MSIM's Head of Climate Investing and the 1GT Platform. "Our platform is exclusively for companies that provide products or services to address time-critical carbon impact issues, while meeting fiduciary obligations to their investors. Everstream supports this goal by helping sustainable supply chains remain profitable while reducing emissions and we're excited to see how the company grows to further achieve this mission."

Everstream's proprietary data fuels the World Economic Forum's Value Chain Barometer to help manufacturing and supply chain companies and governments anticipate and navigate supply chain risk and disruption.

Explosive growth and market leadership with proven results

Everstream has doubled year-over-year bookings for two years in a row, celebrated a record Q4 in 2022, and is off to the strongest start in company history in 2023. With Everstream, global brands like AB InBev, Whirlpool, Danone, Abbott Laboratories, Boston Scientific Corporation (BSCI), and more, have achieved up to 30% reduction in revenue losses from disruption and 70% less time invested in managing risks.

In addition to its rapidly growing global client community, Everstream continues to expand its robust partner ecosystem. With market leading collaborators such as SAP, Accenture, tive, Oracle, project44, Deloitte, FourKites, infor, BlueYonder, Kinaxis, Bain Company, Camelot, and others, Everstream's industry-shifting insights and recommendations are reaching the right people when and where strategic supply chain decisions are made.

For more information, visit the www.everstream.ai.

About Everstream

Everstream Analytics sets the global supply chain standard. Through the application of artificial intelligence and predictive analytics to its vast proprietary dataset, Everstream delivers the predictive insights and risk analytics businesses need for a smarter, more autonomous and sustainable supply chain. Everstream's proven solution integrates with procurement, logistics and business continuity platforms generating the complete information, sharper analysis, and accurate predictions required to turn the supply chain into a business asset. To learn more, visit https://www.everstream.ai/.

About Morgan Stanley Investment Management

Morgan Stanley Investment Management, together with its investment advisory affiliates, has more than 1,300 investment professionals around the world and $1.3 trillion in assets under management or supervision as of December 31, 2022. Morgan Stanley Investment Management strives to provide outstanding long-term investment performance, service, and a comprehensive suite of investment management solutions to a diverse client base, which includes governments, institutions, corporations and individuals worldwide. For further information about Morgan Stanley Investment Management, please visit www.morganstanley.com/im.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230404005186/en/

Contacts:

Allison Stokes

fama PR

everstream@famapr.com
ExaGrid Reseller Partner Program Added to Essential Guide for Members of the IT Channel Ecosystem

ExaGrid, the industry's only Tiered Backup Storage solution, today announced that the ExaGrid Reseller Partner Program has been recognized by CRN, a brand of The Channel Company, in its 2023 Partner Program Guide. This annual guide offers essential information to members of the IT channel ecosystem as they explore technology manufacturers' partner programs to find the vendors that will best support their business needs.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230404005267/en/

(Graphic: Business Wire)

For solution providers such as managed service providers (MSPs), value-added resellers (VARs), systems integrators, and strategic service providers, a critical factor when assessing which IT manufacturers, service providers, and distributors to team with in building world-class technology solutions is the breadth and depth of the partner programs those companies offer. Strong elements such as financial incentives, sales and marketing assistance, training and certification, technical support and more can set a vendor apart and play a key role in boosting partners long-term growth.

In the 2023 Partner Program Guide, vendors were evaluated based on program requirements and offerings such as partner training and education, pre- and post-sales support, marketing programs and resources, technical support, and communication.

ExaGrid offers many innovations in its ExaGrid Reseller Partner Program, including:

No inventory required

No milestones or commitments required

Deal registration for resellers who bring opportunities to ExaGrid to protect margin

SPIFF programs for reseller sales reps and solutions architects

Meeting Maker bonuses for customer prospect meetings

ExaGrid co-sells with its own sales force including technical field systems engineers

ExaGrid performs all customer support and the resellers gain all future orders for appliance and maintenance and support renewals

"ExaGrid is honored to be included in the 2023 CRN Partner Program Guide," said Bill Andrews, President and CEO of ExaGrid. "ExaGrid has spent years perfecting its go-to-market approach with resellers and we believe we have one of the strongest reseller programs in the industry. In addition, our current partners know that ExaGrid Tiered Backup Storage works well and includes many unique benefits that improve backup and restore performance in a customer's backup environment, offers the best ransomware recovery solution, and provides incredible customer support to their customers, so they recommend that customers use ExaGrid with confidence. We are looking forward to growing our partnerships with leading resellers and distributors worldwide in 2023," he said.

"In today's world, the need for innovation is greater than ever," said Blaine Raddon, CEO of The Channel Company. "Solution providers seek vendors that can keep pace with their developing business and evolving client needs. CRN's 2023 Partner Program Guide delivers deep insight into the strengths of each program, spotlighting the vendors dedicated to supporting their partner community and pushing positive change throughout the IT channel."

The 2023 Partner Program Guide will be featured in the April 2023 issue of CRN and online at www.CRN.com/PPG.

About ExaGrid

ExaGrid provides Tiered Backup Storage with a unique disk-cache Landing Zone, long-term retention repository, and scale-out architecture. ExaGrid's Landing Zone provides for the fastest backups, restores, and instant VM recoveries. The Retention Tier offers the lowest cost for long-term retention. ExaGrid's scale-out architecture includes full appliances and ensures a fixed-length backup window as data grows, eliminating expensive forklift upgrades and product obsolescence. ExaGrid offers the only two-tiered backup storage approach with a non-network-facing tier, delayed deletes, and immutable objects to recover from ransomware attacks.

ExaGrid has physical sales and pre-sales systems engineers in the following countries: Argentina, Australia, Benelux, Brazil, Canada, Chile, CIS, Colombia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Iberia, India, Israel, Japan, Mexico, Nordics, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, and other regions.

Visit us at exagrid.com and connect with us on LinkedIn. See what our customers have to say about their own ExaGrid experiences and learn why they now spend significantly less time on backup storage in our customer success stories. ExaGrid is proud of our +81 NPS score!

ExaGrid is a registered trademark of ExaGrid Systems, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective holders.

About The Channel Company

The Channel Company enables breakthrough IT channel performance with our dominant media, engaging events, expert consulting and education, and innovative marketing services and platforms. As the channel catalyst, we connect and empower technology suppliers, solution providers and end users. Backed by nearly 40 years of unequalled channel experience, we draw from our deep knowledge to envision innovative new solutions for ever-evolving challenges in the technology marketplace. www.thechannelcompany.com

Follow The Channel Company: Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook.

 2023 The Channel Company LLC. CRN is a registered trademark of The Channel Company, LLC. All rights reserved.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230404005267/en/

Contacts:

ExaGrid Media:

Mary Domenichelli

ExaGrid

mdomenichelli@exagrid.com

The Channel Company:

Natalie Lewis

The Channel Company

nlewis@thechannelcompany.com
Scorpion receives $65 million from an upfront payment and the achievement of near-term milestones and is eligible to receive up to $553 million in potential milestones, plus royalties on net product sales

Scorpion will retain rights to STX-721 and STX-241 in the United States , Canada , and Japan ; Pierre Fabre granted rights in all other global territories

Collaboration will accelerate development of STX-721 and STX-241 in key international markets and support Scorpion and Pierre Fabre's missions to bring transformational therapies to patients globally

BOSTON, Mass. and CASTRES, France, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Scorpion Therapeutics, Inc. ("Scorpion"), a pioneering oncology company redefining the frontier of precision medicine through its Precision Oncology 2.0 strategy, and Pierre Fabre, a French pharmaceutical and dermo-cosmetic group present in 120 countries, today announced an exclusive collaboration and license agreement for the co-development of STX-721 and STX-241, two candidates in Scorpion's franchise of highly-selective, next-generation mutant epidermal growth factor receptor ("EGFR") inhibitors. Discovered by Scorpion, STX-721 and STX-241 are potentially best-in-class inhibitors of EGFR mutations and potent treatment options for emergent and unmet medical needs in non-small cell lung cancer ("NSCLC"). Under the agreement, Scorpion will lead clinical development of STX-721 and Pierre Fabre will lead clinical development of STX-241. Scorpion will retain commercialization rights to STX-721 and STX-241 in the United States, Canada and Japan, and Pierre Fabre will be responsible for commercialization activities in all other territories, with a focus on Europe and China.

"Our mission is to develop the next generation of transformational therapies and to deliver them to patients worldwide," said Axel Hoos, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Scorpion. "Pierre Fabre is the ideal partner to accelerate this vision; a global pharmaceutical company with a robust clinical and commercial footprint in Europe and Asia, and a track record of successfully partnering with biotechnology companies to develop and provide access to innovative cancer medicines. This partnership should help to expand the reach of our EGFR targeting programs, allowing us to help patients who urgently need these treatments, including in markets such as China, where nearly 50% percent of all cases of NSCLC are expected to be EGFR-mutant by 2030.1

"We are excited to engage into this co-development collaboration with Scorpion and eager to add STX-721 and STX-241 to our portfolio in oncology. Pierre Fabre has a track-record in developing and commercializing cancer therapies for nearly four decades. We recently focused our R&D efforts on targeted therapies and this partnership with Scorpion embodies this strategic move," said Eric Ducournau, Chief Executive Officer of Pierre Fabre.

NSCLC is the most common sub-type of lung cancer and various EGFR mutations are the most frequent drivers of NSCLC, occurring in approximately 14-38 percent of tumors, depending on geography.2, 3, 4 Scorpion's franchise of highly selective, next-generation mutant EGFR inhibitors is designed to address several of these activating mutations, with STX-721 targeting EGFR Exon 20 insertion mutants, and STX-241 targeting Exon 19 or 21 mutations with the co-occurring C797S mutation, a known resistance mechanism to 3rd generation EGFR inhibitors.

For NSCLC driven by EGFR Exon 20 insertion mutations, toxicities associated with the inhibition of wild-type EGFR in healthy tissues, such as the skin and gastrointestinal tract, often occur during treatment. These toxicities can lead to dose reductions or interruptions which, in turn, may reduce the overall efficacy of the treatment. STX-721 and STX-241 have been designed to maximize selectivity for the mutant form of the enzyme and to avoid the inhibition of wild-type EGFR in healthy tissues to minimize the occurrence of these toxicities.

Up to 12.5 percent of patients with NSCLC driven by mutations in Exon 19 or 21 who are treated with covalent inhibitors of EGFR in a front-line setting develop secondary resistance mutations at C797S.5 There are currently no approved therapeutic options for the significant number of patients that develop "double mutant" EGFR NSCLC, creating a significant and growing unmet need.

Together, Scorpion's next-generation EGFR inhibitors may have the potential to address over 90 percent of activating mutations in EGFR-mutant NSCLC, potentially providing improved clinical outcomes to thousands of patients globally.

"Based on their preclinical data, we've concluded that STX-721 and STX-241 may present best-in-class product profiles. Further, this partnership will significantly expand our efforts in precision oncology, allowing us to better support the care and treatment of thousands of people globally," added Francesco Hofmann, Head of Research and Development for Medical Care at Pierre Fabre.

Subject to the terms of the agreement, Scorpion will receive a combined $65 million from an upfront payment and the achievement of near-term milestones, and will be eligible to receive up to a total of $553 million in potential milestone payments. In addition, Pierre Fabre will pay Scorpion tiered percentage royalties on a licensed product-by-licensed product basis, ranging from mid-single to mid-teens based on annual net sales of each licensed product in territories excluding the United States, Canada, and Japan. Scorpion will pay Pierre Fabre tiered percentage royalties based on a licensed product-by-licensed product basis, ranging from low-single to low-double digits on annual net sales of each licensed product in the United States. The companies will share global development expenses based on a pre-specified cost-sharing arrangement.

About STX-721

STX-721 is a next-generation, orally delivered small molecule designed with potentially best-in-class selectivity to target Exon 20 insertion mutations in EGFR. Scorpion estimates that NSCLC tumors that express EGFR with Exon 20 insertion mutations have an incidence of approximately 3,400 patients per year in the United States. STX-721 is currently advancing through preclinical studies and Scorpion expects to submit an investigational new drug ("IND") application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ("FDA") in the middle of 2023.

About STX-241

STX-241 is a fourth generation, orally delivered, central nervous system ("CNS")-penetrant small molecule designed with potentially best-in-class selectivity to target resistance mutations at C797S. Scorpion estimates that up to 3,000 patients per year in the United States, or up to 12.5 percent of NSCLC patients with Exon 19 or 21 mutations, develop resistance mutations at C797S. STX-241 is currently advancing through preclinical studies, and Scorpion expects to submit an IND to the U.S. FDA in the first half of 2024.

About Scorpion Therapeutics

Scorpion is a pioneering oncology company redefining the frontier of precision medicine to deliver optimized and transformational therapies for larger populations of patients with cancer, a strategy Scorpion refers to as Precision Oncology 2.0. Scorpion has built a proprietary and fully integrated platform of the most advanced technologies across cancer biology, medicinal chemistry, and data sciences, with the goal of consistently and rapidly creating exquisitely selective small molecule compounds against an unprecedented spectrum of targets. Scorpion aims to leverage its platform to advance a broad pipeline of wholly owned, optimized compounds across three target categories: best-in-class molecules targeting validated oncogene targets; first-in-class molecules for previously undruggable targets; and first-in-class molecules for novel cancer targets. For more information, visit www.scorpiontx.com.

About Pierre Fabre

Pierre Fabre is a leading French medical and beauty care company with 4 decades of experience in innovation, development, manufacturing, and commercialization in oncology. The company dedicated about 80% of its R&D spendings to oncology in 2022 and has recently declared targeted therapies as its main R&D priority. Its current commercial portfolio in oncology covers colorectal, breast and lung cancers, melanoma, hematology, and pre-cancerous skin conditions like actinic keratosis.

In 2022, Pierre Fabre posted 2.7 billion euros in revenues, 69% of which came from international sales in 120 countries. Established in the South-West of France since its creation in 1962, the Group manufactures over 90% of its products in France and employs some 9,600 people worldwide. The company is 86%-owned by the Pierre Fabre Foundation, a government-recognized public-interest foundation, and secondarily by its own employees through an international employee stock ownership plan. Pierre Fabre's sustainability policy has been assessed by the independent AFNOR Certification body at the "Exemplary" level of its CSR label (ISO 26 000 standard for sustainable development).

Further information about Pierre Fabre can be found at www.pierre-fabre.com, @PierreFabre.

Scorpion Media Contact:

Ravi Moorthy

Scorpion Therapeutics

ravi@scorpiontx.com

Scorpion Investor Contact:

Hannah Deresiewicz

Stern Investor Relations

hannah.deresiewicz@sternir.com

Pierre Fabre Media Contact:

Laure Sgandurra

Pierre Fabre

laure.sgandurra@pierre-fabre.com

1 SEER*Explorer; WHO Cancer Today, both accessed March 2022

2 The Prevalence of EGFR Mutation in Patients with Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer, Oncotarget, October 2016

3 EGFR Mutation Incidence in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer, J Cancer Res., August 2015

4 Molecular Epidemiology of EGFR Mutations in Asian Patients, PLoS ONE, November 2015

5 Ramalingam S. (2022, August 6-9). Real-World Landscape of EGFR C797X Mutation as a Resistance Mechanism to Osimertinib in NSCLC. [Oral presentation]. 2022 World Conference on Lung Cancer, Vienna, Austria.

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1328780/Pierre_Fabre_Logo.jpg

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NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / April 4, 2023 / Marsh McLennan (NYSE:MMC), the world's leading professional services firm in the areas of risk, strategy and people, recently released its 2022 Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) report: Succeeding Together.

John Doyle, President and CEO, Marsh McLennan, said, "As the world faces a host of urgent issues, including geopolitical instability, economic uncertainty, social inequities and the ongoing war in Ukraine, we continue to see significant opportunity to support colleagues, clients and communities with regard to environmental, social and governance issues."

In the report, the company continues its commitment to transparency, reporting:

Global female and US ethnically and racially diverse representation data for each of the last three years;

Its series of programs designed to create a diverse talent pipeline, including the RISE (Racial Inclusion and Social Equity) program, which welcomed Black fellows from more than 30 colleges and universities in the US, UK and Canada, as well as the Black Leadership Program and Accelerated Leadership Program for current colleagues;

The statistical results of its annual pay equity study; and

Progress to date setting low-carbon transition strategies that chart a path to net-zero across its operations by 2050, including sourcing 100% renewable electricity for its largest offices in the UK and Ireland.

"We believe the ESG strategies that we adopt - and are proud to share in this report - create sustainable long-term value for our stakeholders. If you deconstruct the term ESG, each of the individual components are risks and opportunities that we carefully consider and responsibly manage, along with other risks," said Kate Brennan, General Counsel and Executive Sponsor, Management ESG Committee, Marsh McLennan.

Across its four global businesses, Marsh McLennan's collective capabilities contributed to a broad spectrum of ESG issues on behalf of clients and in support of communities last year. A few highlights include:

Rallying colleagues across the world to raise $1.4 million to support the people of Ukraine through three humanitarian organizations;

Developing the Marsh ESG Risk Rating tool to help clients assess the maturity of ESG within their organizations;

Sharing Marsh and Guy Carpenter's cyber insurance expertise with the US National Cyber Director to emphasize the importance of cyber insurance for cyber security and how it makes institutions and businesses more resilient in the face of cyber risk;

Publishing Mercer's Stepping Up for Equity research to help employers craft roadmaps for closing the career, health and wealth gaps of Black employees in the US workforce;

Launching Oliver Wyman's 3D carbon accounting service that allows companies to quantify and better understand their emissions; and

Mobilizing the insurance industry behind climate resilience solutions during the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27).

Read more here: https://www.marshmclennan.com/content/dam/mmc-web/v3/esg-report-2022/Marsh-McLennan-2022-ESG-Report.pdf

About Marsh McLennan

Marsh McLennan (NYSE:MMC) is the world's leading professional services firm in the areas of risk, strategy and people. The Company's more than 85,000 colleagues advise clients in 130 countries. With annual revenue of over $20 billion, Marsh McLennan helps clients navigate an increasingly dynamic and complex environment through four market-leading businesses. Marsh provides data-driven risk advisory services and insurance solutions to commercial and consumer clients. Guy Carpenter develops advanced risk, reinsurance and capital strategies that help clients grow profitably and pursue emerging opportunities. Mercer delivers advice and technology-driven solutions that help organizations redefine the world of work, reshape retirement and investment outcomes, and unlock health and wellbeing for a changing workforce. Oliver Wyman serves as a critical strategic, economic and brand advisor to private sector and governmental clients. For more information, visit marshmclennan.com and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Media Contact:

Amelia Woltering

Marsh McLennan

+1 347.703.5358

Read More

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from 3BL Alerts on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: 3BL Alerts

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/3bl-alerts

Email: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: 3BL Alerts

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/747498/Marsh-McLennan-Issues-2022-ESG-Report-Succeeding-Together
Bringing together a global leader in brand protection with an innovator in IP optimization

OpSec Security, a global leader in brand protection solutions, is today announcing that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Zacco, a leading intellectual property (IP) management and protection company, headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark. The acquisition is expected to complete in the coming weeks, subject to closing conditions and necessary approvals.

Tracing their origins back to 1870, Zacco has more recently pioneered an innovative approach to IP optimization that unites traditional legal expertise with digital brand management and security. For clients, this means that all aspects of brand ideas, assets, and identity are managed and protected. At the heart of the model is an IP management portal, which allows Zacco's approximately 500 employees to collaborate globally for their clients.

"This is truly a defining moment for OpSec, from our origins as a provider of optical security to an IP and brand solutions business," noted Dr Selva Selvaratnam, Chief Executive of OpSec Security. "It is just over three years since we expanded our offering to include online brand and content protection, and the acquisition of Zacco accelerates that momentum with the addition of a highly respected IP management business. I have been immensely impressed by how Mats and the team are transforming their model to pursue a new approach to IP. Their reputation in IP management is outstanding, with the Zacco patent practice particularly well established and offering significant further potential. This is the next step in an expansive strategy to bring together our full lifecycle solution for brand and IP optimization, monetization and protection."

Looking ahead, OpSec expects to combine the respective strengths of the two businesses to help customers maximize the value of their IP portfolios, take advantage of new opportunities, and counter vulnerabilities and threats these may bring. This unified approach to optimizing IP and brands will also bring practical benefits across the IP lifecycle, with Zacco focused upstream on establishing IP rights, while OpSec helps monetize and assert these rights downstream.

"As a business that has endured over 150 years, it was important that our next step was with the right partner," said Mats Bostrom, Chief Executive of Zacco. "OpSec brings its own heritage as a respected global player in physical and digital brand protection, as well as an impressive portfolio of solutions and innovative technologies. The team at Zacco is looking forward to working with Selva and the OpSec team to bring our joint portfolio to our respective customers in Europe and beyond."

"We are on a journey to transform the management of IP," added Jesper Kongstad, Vice Chairman of Zacco. "Our technology enabled approach brings together our team of IP management experts with a modern software portal to help manage the complexities inherent in large, diverse IP portfolios. OpSec applies similar principles in its own business, and it will be exciting to explore the opportunities this presents."

The combined business will count around two thirds of the Interbrand Best Global Brands 2022 among its customers, including 19 of those in the top 25. Working with brand owners of this caliber has been a notable characteristic of both OpSec and Zacco to date and, looking ahead, focusing on the needs of these leading brands will remain an enduring priority.

For more information about OpSec and its acquisition of Zacco, please visit: www.opsecsecurity.com

About OpSec Security

OpSec is a world leader in brand authentication and integrity with a heritage that spans four decades. We serve many of the world's leading brand owners, licensors, and media rights owners and are an innovator in addressing brand value and vulnerability across physical and digital domains. OpSec is also a provider of high-security and compliance solutions to governments. At OpSec, we bring together multiple disciplines to ensure that solutions are brand-led, practical, and effective.

About Zacco

Zacco is a leading European intellectual property service provider that traces its origins from 1870. We cover all technical areas within intellectual property and provide a range of advisory services. In addition to assistance in protecting intellectual property rights, Zacco also offers its clients strategic advice aimed at increasing their competitive edge through a professional utilization of those rights. Zacco has offices across Scandinavia and northern Europe.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230404005299/en/

Contacts:

For further details:

Giles Walker

OpSec Security

media@opsecsecurity.com

Mats Bostrom

Zacco

mats.bostrom@zacco.com
Larry Edwards brings more than two decades of experience in executive and commercial leadership roles in the anti-infective space at both biotechnology and large pharmaceutical companies

AiCuris establishes a U.S. subsidiary as part of preparations for commercialization of its lead product Pritelivir

Dr. Holger Zimmermann to transition from CEO to newly created position of Chief Research and Development Officer to drive R&D activities, including ongoing development and expected NDA submission for Pritelivir

WUPPERTAL, GERMANY / ACCESSWIRE / April 4, 2023 / AiCuris Anti-infective Cures AG, a leading clinical stage pharmaceutical company in the development of novel, resistance-breaking anti-infective agents for the treatment of severe and potentially life-threatening infectious diseases, today announced the appointment of Larry Edwards as Chief Executive Officer (CEO), effective April 1, 2023. Mr. Edwards is an experienced executive with a strong track record of financing and building net cash positive biopharmaceutical companies, as well as successful M&A. He joins with excellent leadership capabilities and will be responsible for driving AiCuris' growth strategy as well as managing its overall operations. Mr. Edwards will also be President of the Company's newly formed subsidiary, AiCuris U.S. Inc., located in Massachusetts. In this role, he will be responsible for establishing the Company's U.S. presence and preparing for commercialization of AiCuris' lead proprietary product candidate, Pritelivir. Mr. Edwards will be based in the U.S.

Mr. Edwards succeeds Dr. Holger Zimmermann, who has successfully led AiCuris as CEO since 2015, and is now taking over the newly created position of Chief Research and Development Officer (CRDO). In this role, Dr. Zimmermann will continue to be responsible for the future focus and direction of the Company's R&D activities and will oversee AiCuris' advanced anti-infective development pipeline, including Pritelivir, which is currently in a pivotal phase 3 trial for the treatment of acyclovir-resistant mucocutaneous HSV infections in immunocompromised patients. Should the phase 3 trial be successful, he will oversee the related New Drug Application (NDA) submission to the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA).

"It is my pleasure to welcome Larry as our new CEO. With his exceptional background knowledge in the field of anti-infectives, his proven track record of implementing transformational change at companies and his commercialization expertise, he is the perfect match to lead AiCuris on its planned path of becoming a globally active, profitable pharmaceutical company," said Dr. Stefan Oschmann, Chairman of the Board of AiCuris . "On behalf of the Board, I also would like to take the opportunity to warmly thank Holger for his outstanding contribution as CEO. During his tenure, the Company successfully established itself as the powerhouse for anti-infectives. We saw the approval and market launch of PREVYMIS  (letermovir), a groundbreaking drug to prevent CMV infections in immunocompromised patients that had been co-invented by Holger, developed at AiCuris and outlicensed to MSD. Under Holger's leadership of AiCuris, the next promising candidate, Pritelivir, moved into pivotal phase 3 clinical development and is now preparing for data read-out and NDA submission. On behalf of the entire AiCuris Board, we are very proud to work with such a high caliber executive board and to support shaping the future of this exciting company."

Larry Edwards brings more than two decades of experience in operations and commercial leadership roles in the anti-infective space at both biotechnology and large pharmaceutical companies. Prior to joining AiCuris, Mr. Edwards served as President and CEO of publicly traded La Jolla Pharmaceuticals, which he successfully sold and integrated into Innoviva, Inc. Before that, he was CEO of Tetraphase Pharmaceuticals, which was acquired by La Jolla in 2020. Prior to that he worked for Cubist Pharmaceuticals and Merck & Co., Inc. for over 16 years, in a variety of Global and US commercial and leadership roles with escalating responsibilities. Mr. Edwards has an MBA from Boston University and a BS in kinesiology & healthcare administration from Ohio University.

Larry Edwards, newly appointed CEO of AiCuris, commented: "I very much look forward to working with the AiCuris team and leading the Company into an exciting future. With its advanced development pipeline, including a candidate in phase 3 clinical development, as well as a licensed product on the market, the Company is well positioned to become a leader in the field of anti-infectives. I am grateful to have the opportunity to join such a dynamic company focused on improving therapeutic outcomes for patients with life-threatening diseases and to build and execute its strategies for strong growth and success."

About AiCuris Anti-infective Cures AG

AiCuris, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focuses on the discovery, development, and delivery of innovative, anti-infectives drugs to patients with severe infections. The company has developed a commercial drug as well as broad pipeline of clinical-stage and pre-clinical anti-viral and anti-bacterial product candidates. Its lead product PREVYMIS (letermovir), a first-in-class non-nucleoside cytomegalovirus (CMV) inhibitor, was licensed to MSD and is commercialized in the EU, US, Japan, China and other parts of the world for the prevention of human CMV infections in immunocompromised patients who received allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Its wholly owned product candidate, pritelivir, targeting resistant herpes simplex virus (HSV) infections in immunocompromised patients, is in phase 3 clinical development. Therapeutic candidates for the treatment of other viruses such as BK virus and adenovirus are in earlier stages of development, as are antibacterial product candidates for antimicrobial resistance (AMR), sepsis and topical applications.

AiCuris is supported by a strong shareholder base, including lead investor SANTO Holding.

For more information, please visit www.aicuris.com .

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CONTACTS:

Company:

AiCuris Anti-infective Cures AG

Katja Woestenhemke

Phone: +49 202 317 63 0

Email: press@aicuris.com Media relations

MC Services AG

Dr. Solveigh Mahler

Phone: +49 211 529 252 19

Email: aicuris@mc-services.eu



SOURCE: AiCuris Anti-infective Cures AG

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/747497/AiCuris-AG-Announces-Appointment-of-Larry-Edwards-as-Chief-Executive-Officer-and-Formation-of-US-Subsidiary
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 4, 2023) - StraightUp Resources Inc. (CSE: ST) (OTCQB: STUPF) ("StraightUp" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the results of its annual general meeting of shareholders held on Friday, March 31, 2023 (the "Meeting"). All matters presented to the shareholders (the "Shareholders") for approval as set out in the Company's Notice of Meeting and Information Circular, dated February 21, 2023 respectively, were approved by a majority of votes cast at the Meeting.

The shareholder of the Company approved the setting of the number of directors at three (3) and elected Mark Brezer, Matthew Markin and Barry Wattenberg as directors (the "Board of Directors") of the Company for the ensuing year.

The Shareholders of the Company re-appointed Manning Elliott LLP, Chartered Professional Accounts as the Company's auditor for the ensuing year, and authorized the Board of Directors to fix the remuneration to be paid to the auditor.

In addition, the Shareholders of the Company approved the Company's rolling stock option plan.

Following the Meeting, the Board of Directors appointed the following officers of the Company: Mark Brezer as President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman, and Matthew Markin as Chief Financial Officer (the "Management").

The Board of Directors and Management of the Company wish to thank its Shareholders for its continue support of the Company.

About StraightUp Resources

Straightup Resources focuses on precious metal, base metal and critical mineral exploration and the acquisition and the development of assets. Its primary holdings are in the Red Lake district of Ontario, Canada, and, to date, StraightUp has assembled over 20,000 hectares of claims in the region. StraightUp's RLX project is in close proximity to Kinross Gold's Great Bear Resources Dixie project and contiguous to its Sobel project.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors

Mark Brezer, Director

For further information, please contact:

Mark Brezer

C.E.O.

mbrezer@straightupresources.com

(604) 741-0444

Neither the CSE nor its Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release).

Forward-Looking Statement Cautions

This press release contains certain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation, relating to the Company's plans and expectations regarding the Acquisition; the potential benefits of and opportunities relating to the Acquisition; plans for future exploration of the Opatica Lithium Project; and merits of the Opatica Lithium Project. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts; they are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "intends," "estimates," "projects," "aims," "suggests," "indicate," "often," "target," "future," "likely," "pending," "potential," "goal," "objective," "prospective," and "possibly," and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will," "would," "may," "can," "could" or "should" occur, or are those statements, which, by their nature, refer to future events. The Company cautions that forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made, and they involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Consequently, there can be no assurances that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Except to the extent required by applicable securities laws and the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements if management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change. Factors that could cause future results to differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements include risks associated with the completion of the Acquisition and risks associated with mineral exploration operations, inludint the risk that the Company will encounter unanticipated geological factors, the possibility that the Company may not be able to secure permitting and other governmental clearances necessary to carry out the Company's exploration plans, the risk that the Company will not be able to raise sufficient funds to carry out its business plans, and the risk of political uncertainties and regulatory or legal changes that might interfere with the Company's business and prospects. The reader is urged to refer to the Company's Management's Discussion and Analysis, publicly available through the Canadian Securities Administrators' System for Electronic Document Analysis and Retrieval (SEDAR) at www.sedar.com for a more complete discussion of such risk factors and their potential effects.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/161210
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - April 4, 2023) - NuGen Medical Devices Inc. (TSXV: NGMD) (the "Company" or "NuGen") is pleased to announce it is hosting its first Investors Presentation night in Vaughan, Ontario on April 20, 2023 at 7:00 p.m. EST.

"We have always maintained the philosophy of treating our Investor's as customers and cordially invite all interested parties to attend our event on April 20, 2023," commented Tony Di Benedetto, Executive Chairman. "We will be showcasing our Insujet platform and the growth path of NuGen as we look to commercial roll out of Insujet, now approved in 42 countries which marketing is set to commence in the second quarter of 2023.1"

The investor night, held at Venu Event Space, located at 2800 Hwy 7, Woodbridge, ON L4K 1W8 will be limited to 75 attendees and interested parties must RSVP at the information provided below, as space is limited.

To RSVP, please email Morna Gorman at morna@nugenmd.com.

The evening will comprise of a 30-minute corporate presentation, as well as product displays and demonstrations of NuGen's InsuJet device followed by a Q&A period and reception to follow.

Key management and personal from NuGen that will be in attendance includes:

Tony Di Benedetto, Executive Chairman

Tony Di Benedetto is a Canadian technology entrepreneur with over 30 years of hands-on experience in building, operating, and divesting technology companies. Most recently, Mr. Di Benedetto was the co-founder of Drone Delivery Canada Corp., which he took public and successfully raised over $120M in equity financing, achieving market capitalization in excess of $550M. Mr. Di Benedetto has also co-founded several technology companies including Data Centers Canada - a colocation data center facility in Vaughan, Ontario - which he later sold to TeraGo Networks Inc. Other technology enterprises Mr. Di Benedetto developed include system integration/managed services businesses, hosting, and one of southern Ontario's largest fixed wireless broadband networks, all of which he successfully divested. Mr. Di Benedetto holds a degree from York University.

Richard Buzbuzian, President and CEO

Richard Buzbuzian is a capital markets executive with over 25 years of investment experience in Canada and Europe. Most recently, Mr. Buzbuzian was president and a director of Drone Delivery Canada Corp., which he cofounded, took public, and raised over $120M Canadian in equity financings, achieving market capitalization in excess of $550M. Mr. Buzbuzian holds a degree from the University of Toronto.

Nicky Canton, COO

Nicky Canton has a background in industrial design engineering as well as business administration with more than 13 years of experience in product development, manufacturing, and regulatory compliance of healthcare products, and more particularly, needle-free injection systems. Nicky has been involved from the early development of the current InsuJet needle-free injector and has been responsible for both development and production scale up. Besides R&D his expertise includes risk management, regulatory compliance, supplier management including manufacturing processes, injection molding, assembly of medical devices, sterile packaging, and sterilization. He has established two manufacturing sites for needle-free injectors and manages the day-to day operations. Mr. Canton has filed and obtained several patents related to technology of needle-free injection systems in China, Europe, and the United States.

Veronique Laberge, CFO

Veronique Laberge is a chartered professional accountant and holder of the title of auditor. With more than 17 years of experience in professional practice, she is specialized in certification mandates, general accounting and as a consultant for public and private companies.

Karen Dunlap, Director

Karen Dunlap was President/COO, The Americas, UK, Europe and Board Director at Sol-Millennium Medical Group, from September 2011 - December 2019, responsible for acquisition of devices in order to launch into the US and overseeing markets to develop a strategic platform and establish a global sales/marketing team. Ms. Dunlap was Vice President Sales for NMT, partnering with Pharmaceutical Companies on specific medication delivery, and Regional Manager for Medfusion and Medex, focused in the Neonatal and Pediatric markets, where she has extensive experience in accurate medication delivery systems.

Dr. John, Lemobruno, Independent Director

John Lemobruno has executive level experience in many areas of the pharmaceutical industry, including market access, medical information, pharmacovigilance, medical affairs, and business development. He co-founded Patient Direct (a patient support and specialty pharmacy provider) and GMD Distribution (a pharmaceutical distribution, patient support and specialty pharmacy services firm), both of which were acquired by McKesson Canada between 2010 and 2017. In 2019, John started OkRx, a Canadian Healthcare software company focusing on helping patients, prescribers, insurers, and pharmaceutical companies manage specialty medications. Dr. Leombruno is formally trained as a Pharmacist and has earned an MBA from Queen's University and a PhD in Pharmacoepidemiology from University of Toronto.

About NuGen Medical Devices

NuGen is an emerging specialty medical device company developing the next generation of needle-free technologies and other innovative medical delivery products. The company's products, which include the InsuJet and PetJet needle-free injection systems, are designed to improve the lives of millions of people and animals. NuGen continues to receive approval in numerous countries, including Canada. NuGen's products are designed for use in several important fields including, but not limited to, diabetes, veterinary medicine, and vaccines.

For further information, please visit:

Websites: www.insujet.com and www.nugenmd.com

Instagram: @NuGenMD

Twitter: @NuGenMD

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/nugenmd/

For further information, please contact:

Tony Di Benedetto

Executive Chairman

(416) 791-9399

tony@nugenmd.com

Richard Buzbuzian

President & CEO

(647) 501-3290

richard@nugenmd.com

To arrange a media interview with Nugen Medical Devices, please contact:

Nelson Hudes

Hudes Communications International

(905) 660-9155

nelson@hudescommunications.com

Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Information:

Neither TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSXV) accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This news release contains "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (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 involves discussions with respect to 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. These forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking information. The forward-looking information contained herein is given as of the date hereof and the Company assumes no responsibility to update or revise such information to reflect new events or circumstances, except as required by law.

1 https://www.insujet.com/pages/about

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/161124
Multiple Graphitic Fault Structures with Hydrothermal Alteration Intersected



16 Kilometres of New Uranium Target Corridor Identified

Drilling Continues at West McArthur JV and Moon Lake South Projects

Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 4, 2023) - CanAlaska Uranium Ltd. (TSXV: CVV) (OTCQX: CVVUF) (FES: DH7N) ("CanAlaska" or the "Company") is pleased to announce successful completion of the 2023 drilling program at the Key Extension project (Figure 1). The program focused on initial drill testing of newly defined targets generated through a series of geophysical programs completed in 2022. The Company reports the objectives of the program were met, identifying multiple graphitic packages with large reactivated and brecciated fault zones, associated hydrothermal alteration, and elevated radioactivity.



Figure 1 - Key Extension Project Location

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/2864/161175_32d1aada04ad196d_002full.jpg

The Key Extension project is located approximately 10 kilometres southwest of the Key Lake uranium mine and mill near Highway 914. The 2023 drill program consisted of 2,239 metres in seven drill holes. This program represents CanAlaska's first drill holes on the Key Extension project and significant results were received in three main target areas (Figure 2).



Figure 2 - 2023 Drill Program Target Areas and Results

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/2864/161175_32d1aada04ad196d_004full.jpg

Target Area 1, three drill holes were completed, focusing on a large gravity low where the Key Lake fault is interpreted to intersect a conductive package that marks the Wollaston-Mudjatik domain boundary. Drill holes in target area one intersected features commonly associated with basement-hosted uranium deposits, which include the presence of 20 - 40 metre wide stacked graphitic packages containing multiple metre to sub-metre scale semi-brittle fault zones. The semi-brittle fault zones are characterized by graphite-rich clay gouges and breccias associated with hydrothermal chlorite, clay, silicification, and secondary hematite alteration in the structures and surrounding wall rocks (Figure 3). In addition, drill hole KEY010, the last hole completed in the area, intersected a narrow interval of elevated radioactivity over 30 centimetres, ranging from 100 to 320 cps (scintillometer CT007M) from 243.0 to 243.3 metres (Figure 3). The elevated radioactivity is hosted in a sheared limonite, chlorite, and clay altered granite immediately below the faulted and altered graphitic package.

Target Area 2 focused on testing the extension of Target Area 1 along the interpreted Wollaston-Mudjatik domain boundary. Drill hole KEY012 intersected a 30 metre wide graphitic package with several one to three metre wide semi-brittle fault zones. The fault zones, characterized by clay-rich fault gouge, are associated with hydrothermal chlorite and secondary hematite alteration in the structures and the surrounding wall rocks. KEY012 was approximately 2.6 kilometres along strike to the north of Target Area 1 and represents the second location along the main Wollaston-Mudjatik domain boundary on the project where graphitic host rocks were intersected in association with structures and hydrothermal alteration.

Target Area 3, two drill holes were completed and focused on a gravity low anomaly and electromagnetic conductor along the interpreted Key Lake fault. Drill hole KEY011 collared immediately into a 30 metre wide graphitic package which contained localized shearing and brecciation. Alteration within the graphitic package consisted of weak hydrothermal chlorite and clay associated with the fault. Based on the results of KEY011, it is interpreted the drill hole intersected the edge of the graphitic package, likely overshooting the Key Lake fault. No large-scale structure was intersected in Target Area 3, however given the interpreted thickness of the graphitic package and the localized faulting intersected near the base, the Company believes the main target exists immediately southeast of KEY011.

The 2023 drilling program successfully intersected graphitic host rocks showing evidence of multiple post-Athabasca structural reactivation events, hydrothermal alteration, and elevated radioactivity. These features are commonly associated with basement-hosted uranium deposits. Results of this inaugural drill program indicate evidence for likely uranium-bearing hydrothermal fluids moving through the basement rocks on the Key Extension project. Beyond follow-up of the significant early results from Target Area 1, the Company believes more than 16 kilometres of untested target corridor have now been identified as high priority for further drill testing.

Geochemical assay results for the 2023 winter drilling program are pending.

CanAlaska CEO, Cory Belyk, comments, "I am very pleased with the outcome of this drill program. The first drill holes completed on Key Extension have intersected all the indicators of uranium mineralizing processes the team would have hoped to observe including large fault structures, diagnostic hydrothermal alteration and uranium enrichment. This is a very significant outcome and has the geologists encouraged they are on the right track to discovery. Key Extension is very well positioned near the Key Lake mill complex and associated infrastructure in an area of the eastern Athabasca Basin that needs to identify the next Tier 1 uranium deposit to supply clean carbon-free energy to the world."



Figure 3 - Select Core Photographs For Target Area 1

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/2864/161175_32d1aada04ad196d_006full.jpg

Table 1 - 2023 Winter Drill Hole Collar Summary

Drill Hole Target Area Easting Northing Elevation (m A.S.L.) Azimuth () Dip () EOH (m) KEY006 N/A 443476 6334392 550 0 -90 164 KEY007 Area 1 441526 6331311 525 290 -60 392 KEY008 Area 1 441653 6331682 530 295 -60 416 KEY009 Area 3 443284 6332857 531 310 -70 305 KEY010 Area 1 441365 6331764 530 310 -65 323 KEY011 Area 3 444157 6333417 568 310 -70 266 KEY012 Area 2 442130 6334298 519 290 -60 275 Notes: Easting and Northing coordinates are reported in UTM Zone 13N (NAD83 datum). EOH = end of hole.

m A.S.L. = metres above sea level.

All reported depths and intervals are drill hole depths and intervals, unless otherwise noted, and do not represent true thicknesses, which have yet to be determined.

Geochemical Sampling Procedures

All drill core samples from the 2023 program have been received by the Saskatchewan Research Council Geoanalytical Laboratories (SRC) in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. The samples were shipped in secure containment for preparation, processing, and multi-element analysis by ICP-MS and ICP-OES using total (HF:NHO3:HClO4) and partial digestion (HNO3:HCl), boron by fusion, and U3O8 wt% assay by ICP-OES using higher grade standards. Radiometric assay samples are chosen based on downhole probing radiometric equivalent uranium grades and scintillometer (SPP2 or CT007-M) peaks. Assay samples comprise 0.3 - 0.5 metre continuous split-core samples over the mineralized interval. A 0.1% U3O8 cut-off with a maximum internal dilution of 1 metre is used for compositing and reporting the data. The SRC is an ISO/IEC 17025/2005 and Standards Council of Canada certified analytical laboratory. Blanks, standard reference materials, and repeats are inserted into the sample stream at regular intervals by CanAlaska and the SRC in accordance with CanAlaska's quality assurance / quality control (QA/QC) procedures. Geochemical assay data are subject to verification procedures by qualified persons employed by CanAlaska prior to disclosure.

About the Key Extension Project

The Key Extension project is located approximately 10 kilometres south of the Athabasca Basin edge, within the highly prospective Wollaston-Mudjatik Transition Zone. The Key Lake uranium deposits and associated uranium zones are located approximately 10 kilometres from the northeastern project boundary. The Key Lake deposits consisted of a series of east-northeast striking pods of high-grade unconformity associated uranium mineralization, which have historically produced over 150 million lbs U3O8 from the Gaertner and Deilmann open pits. The Company is completing work on the Key Extension project under an option agreement with Durama Enterprises Limited ("Durama"), a private company, which has granted CanAlaska a right to earn up to 100% interest in the project.

Other News

The Company is drilling on its West McArthur project in the eastern Athabasca Basin. The 2023 West McArthur drill program is focused on advancing the Company's new high-grade Pike Zone uranium discovery.

The Company's Joint Venture partner, Denison Mines Corp., is drilling on the Company's 25%-owned Moon Lake South project in the eastern Athabasca Basin.

About CanAlaska Uranium

CanAlaska Uranium Ltd. (TSXV: CVV) (OTCQX: CVVUF) (FSE: DH7N) holds interests in approximately 300,000 hectares (750,000 acres), in Canada's Athabasca Basin - the "Saudi Arabia of Uranium." CanAlaska's strategic holdings have attracted major international mining companies. CanAlaska is currently working with Cameco and Denison at two of the Company's properties in the Eastern Athabasca Basin. CanAlaska is a project generator positioned for discovery success in the world's richest uranium district. The Company also holds properties prospective for nickel, copper, gold and diamonds. For further information visit www.canalaska.com.

The qualified technical person for this news release is Nathan Bridge, MSc., P.Geo., CanAlaska's Vice President, Exploration.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

"Cory Belyk"

Cory Belyk, P.Geo., FGC

CEO, Executive Vice President and Director

CanAlaska Uranium Ltd.

Contacts:

Cory Belyk, Executive VP and CEO

Tel: +1.604.688.3211 x 306

Email: cbelyk@canalaska.com

General Enquiry

Tel: +1.604.688.3211

Email: info@canalaska.com

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 information

All statements included in this press release that address activities, events or developments that the Company expects, believes or anticipates will or may occur in the future are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve numerous assumptions made by the Company based on its experience, perception of historical trends, current conditions, expected future developments and other factors it believes are appropriate in the circumstances. In addition, these statements involve substantial known and unknown risks and uncertainties that contribute to the possibility that the predictions, forecasts, projections and other forward-looking statements will prove inaccurate, certain of which are beyond the Company's control. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Except as required by law, the Company does not intend to revise or update these forward-looking statements after the date hereof or revise them to reflect the occurrence of future unanticipated events.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/161175
Phoenix, Arizona--(Newsfile Corp. - April 4, 2023) - The Stock Day Podcast welcomed Panacea Life Sciences Holdings, Inc. (OTCQB: PLSH) ("the Company"), a leader in production and manufacturing of natural health and wellness products for consumers and pets. CEO of the Company, Leslie Buttorff, joined Stock Day host Everett Jolly.

Jolly began the interview by commenting on the Company's recent announcement detailing an increased customer growth base of 100% in contract manufacturing in the first quarter of 2023. "Originally, we formulated for the CBD and cannabinoid industry, but we saw with the excess capacity that we have with our machinery and in our buildings that we could also help nutraceutical companies with vitamins and non-CBD products," shared Buttorff. "We started pursuing this in the third quarter of last year and have built up a pretty good reputation, and we now have 10-15 customers that are coming back to us regularly for our R&D expertise and production facilities."

"We started Panacea Life Sciences in 2017," continued Buttorff. "We focused on hemp," she added. "We have extraction, production, and fulfillment in our 51,000 square feet facility," said Buttorff. "COVID hurt the CBD industry, along with the FDA non-action," she shared, noting that these challenges prompted the Company to further diversify its offerings.

"'What part of your business is bringing Panacea the most growth?", asked Jolly. "The first would be the manufacturing of nutraceuticals," said Buttorff. "We have also been actively pursuing acquisitions, and we have a couple lined up that we are considering," she said. "We hope that those will expand our reach, break into retail, and help us expand our mushroom and Kratom offerings."

Jolly then asked about the Company's acquisition of N7 Enterprises, Inc. "We are in the process of finalizing the terms for the final contract," said Buttorff. "That should be completed within the next month," she said. "We have been pretty aggressively looking at a combination of resources and how we can expand our revenue base."

"What do you think the catalyst will be to drive this stock higher and provide a stronger shareholder value moving forward?", asked Jolly. "We did a reverse merger in June of 2021," said Buttorff. "At the time, Panacea was valued at 70 to 80 million," she said. "The market has since been depressed, however we see that our stock is back on a positive trend," explained Buttorff. "We are now focused on acquisitions and partnerships, and we have expansions into other countries that we're working on."

"In addition, we invested in the Colorado State University cannabinoid lab and their chemistry department, and we have been doing a lot of testing with human and animal trials," continued Buttorff. "Hopefully, some of these rare cannabinoids, other than THC and CBD, will become more well known as we expand our product base."

Jolly then asked about the possibility of pet products. "For the pet products, we are in the midst of a three-year study with Colorado State looking at dementia in dogs, and this research will be transferable to humans," shared Buttorff. "From a retail perspective, we already have products for cats, dogs, and horses, and we are also getting into pet treats," she explained. "This is a big area of expansion that we see, especially within the pet area."

"Where do you see sales for your company trending 1-2 years from now?", asked Jolly. "Our sales were around $10 million prior to COVID," said Buttorff. "We are hoping to get back to the $5 million and then $10 million range in the next year or so."

To close the interview, Buttorff encouraged listeners and shareholders to keep up-to-date on the Company's current and upcoming projects as they continue to expand and further diversify their products.

To hear Leslie Buttorff's entire interview, follow the link to the podcast here: https://audioboom.com/posts/8275301-panacea-life-sciences-holdings-inc-discusses-100-customer-base-increase-and-2023-goals-with-th

Investors Hangout is a proud sponsor of "Stock Day," and Stock Day Media encourages listeners to visit the company's message board at https://investorshangout.com/

About Panacea Life Sciences Holdings, Inc.

Panacea Life Sciences Holdings, Inc. is a leader in production and manufacturing of natural health and wellness products for consumers and pets. Panacea operates out of a 51,000 square foot cGMP certified facility in Golden, Colorado, USA, complete with fully integrated extraction, manufacturing, testing and fulfillment services. Panacea can produce up to 1 million softgels in a daily shift depending on the ingredients and the size of the softgel and over 10,000 liquid fills per day. In addition, Panacea offers a full line of services for its customers including cannabinoid raw materials, formulation research and design, bottling and labeling, and fulfillment services - all catered to the multi-billion natural products market. If you would like more information about these topics or want to learn more about Panacea and its products or our land-to-brand practices, please visit www.panacealife.com.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected or anticipated. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, risks arising from supply chain disruptions or our ability to obtain raw materials as well as similar problems with our vendors, our ability to fulfill purchase orders on a timely manner, our ability to fully collect money for our purchase orders, the risk of customers returning our products, impact of the pandemic including new variants on our workforce, as well as those risks and uncertainties described by us in our annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021 under the heading "Risk Factors". Any forward- looking statement made by us herein speaks only as of the date on which it is made. Factors or events that could cause our actual results to differ may emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict all of them. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments.

CONTACT:

Nick Cavarra

Nick.Cavarra@panacealife.com

About The "Stock Day" Podcast

Founded in 2013, Stock Day is the fastest growing media outlet for Nano-Cap and Micro-Cap companies. It educates investors while simultaneously working with penny stock and OTC companies, providing transparency and clarification of under-valued, under-sold Micro-Cap stocks of the market. Stock Day provides companies with customized solutions to their news distribution in both national and international media outlets. The Stock Day Podcast is the number one radio show of its kind in America.

SOURCE:

Stock Day Media

(602) 821-1102

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/161215
The latest Cyber Cloud data center ensures faster access, greater data resiliency, and data sovereignty for service provider clients, while empowering MSPs with comprehensive cyber protection solutions

MEXICO CITY, April 04, 2023, a global leader in cyber protection, today announced the availability of a new Cyber Cloud data center in Mexico City, Mexico. This new addition to the company's global network of Cyber Cloud data centers provides Acronis partners with access to a comprehensive range of cutting-edge cyber protection solutions, empowering them to create new services and offerings to manage their clients' data protection needs more efficiently and effectively with faster access, continuous data availability, and the added benefit of data sovereignty.



Acronis' global network of Cyber Cloud data centersincludes more than fifty locations in the U.S., U.K., Switzerland, France, Germany, Japan, Australia, Singapore, and other regions. Today's announcement marks Acronis' seventh Cyber Cloud data center presence in North America, following the launch of the Toronto location last month. With the new Cyber Cloud data center, Acronis partners in Mexico and the LATAM region will have access to a full suite of cyber protection solutions and managed cloud solutions via the Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud platform, with the added benefit of local data management and support from their service providers.

"The expansion of Acronis Cyber Cloud data centers into Mexico offers a great advantage to our customers," said Omar Navarro, General Director at VirtualTech. "We are proud to be an Acronis partner and distributor of its cyber protection solutions throughout Mexico and other Latin American countries, providing the best data security possible. With the proximity of a Cyber Cloud data center closer to our customers, the benefits are vast as Acronis continues to safeguard customer data, but now with a more local presence."

The Acronis Cyber Cloud data centers are tailored to meet corporate and regulatory needs, enabling partners to exceed compliance, data sovereignty, and performance requirements. Acronis' worldwide Cyber Cloud data centers adhere to the highest standards of physical security to restrict unauthorized physical access and protect the safety of customer data. The Mexico City Cyber Cloud data center's standards and reports include ISO/IEC 27001:2013, ISO 14001:2015, ISO/IEC 20000-1:2018, ISO 9001:2015, ISO/IEC 38500:2015, ISO22301:2019, MX-574-2022, and MX-575-2022 underscoring Acronis' commitment to providing secure and reliable cyber protection solutions.

Purpose-built to provide organizations with the utmost levels of data availability, security, and safety for their critical data, applications, and systems, each facility features state-of-the-art as well as the best operational and security controls. The Acronis Cyber Cloud data centers also follow the approach of need plus one (N+1) for greater redundancy across all hardware layers of its infrastructure, minimizing risks and eliminating single points of failure. This ensures that customers can always rely on Acronis for resilient and robust cyber protection solutions.

Acronis General Manager of Latin America and the Caribbean, Agustin Mella, said "The addition of an Acronis Cyber Cloud data center in Mexico is a huge milestone for our company and our LATAM partners. We are rapidly expanding into the market so this latest launch arms us with the juxtaposition necessary to meet the needs of local customers. With each new Acronis Cyber Cloud data center, we are further enhancing the network of availability to offer the most exceptional cyber protection solution in the market."

Service providers interested in learning more about the advantages and opportunities that are created by offering integrated cyber protection solutions available are encouraged to visit: https://www.acronis.com/en-us/products/cloud/cyber-protect/.

About Acronis

Acronis unifies data protection and cybersecurity to deliver integrated, automated cyber protection that solves the safety, accessibility, privacy, authenticity, and security (SAPAS) challenges of the modern digital world. With flexible deployment models that fit the demands of service providers and IT professionals, Acronis provides superior cyber protection for data, applications, and systems with innovative next-generation antivirus, backup, disaster recovery, and endpoint protection management solutions powered by AI. With advanced anti-malware powered by cutting-edge machine intelligence and blockchain based data authentication technologies, Acronis protects any environment - from cloud to hybrid to on premises - at a low and predictable cost.

Acronis is a Swiss company, founded in Singapore. Celebrating two decades of innovation, Acronis has more than 2,000 employees in 45 locations. Acronis Cyber Protect solution is available in 26 languages in over 150 countries and is used by 18,000 service providers to protect over 750,000 businesses.

Media Contact:

Karl Bateson

Karl.Bateson@acronis.com
Brazilian healthcare company Funcional HealthTech uses Thales' CipherTrust Data Security Platform to protect sensitive customer data

CipherTrust will help protect data from Functional HealthTech customers processing 17 million transactions per year

Strong safeguards against cyber-attacks on sensitive data helps Functional HealthTech gain new customers

Thales, a global technology leader, continues to create partnerships to take its innovations to various sectors of society, including health. The latest collaboration is with Funcional HealthTech in Brazil which is using Thales' CipherTrust Data Security Platform to provide data security to more than 400 customers processing 17 million transactions per year from over 40,000 pharmacies in Brazil.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230404005304/en/

Thales

Funcional HealthTech has been accelerating business in the health sector in Brazil for over 20 years by developing technological solutions which help the health ecosystem work both smarter and more sustainably. The company offers exclusive solutions for the pharmaceutical industry, pharmacies, distributors, carriers, brokers and HR departments through loyalty programs, direct discounts in payroll and data analysis to help monitor patients' health.

All of these solutions rely on the secure storage of sensitive data from millions of patients in the company's hybrid IT infrastructure, which includes multiple cloud services and innovations such as artificial intelligence and big data. Funcional HealthTech selected Thales' CipherTrust Data Security Platform to help simplify and automate the protection of sensitive healthcare data flowing through complex on-premises and cloud systems, and to help achieve compliance with data protection regulations, such as the General Data Protection Law (LGPD) of Brazil.

The CipherTrust Data Security Platform is an integrated suite of data-centric security solutions that unify data discovery, classification, data security and granular access controls with centralized key management. The platform capabilities deployed by Funcional HealthTech provide strong protections against cyberattacks on sensitive patient data. CipherTrust Transparent Encryption provides data-at-rest encryption with centralized key management, privileged user access control, and detailed data access audit logging. This combination protects data wherever it resides, whether on-premises, across multiple clouds, or within large data and container environments. CipherTrust Tokenization provides pseudonymization or anonymization of sensitive information in databases, enabling data analysis without the risk of exposing sensitive data.

"Thales' solution is helping us provide strong safeguards against cyber-attacks on sensitive data which is key in our ability to close multiple new customer deals," said Wilson Achilles, Head of Infrastructure and Information Security at Funcional HealthTech

The healthcare industry is experiencing new and unique challenges to meet the growing demand for operational efficiency and security in this era of digitisation. The intersection between cybersecurity and healthcare is only expected to increase with the growth of digitisation within the segment. Thales' CipherTrust solution and experience can help the industry ensure resilience and the protection of sensitive healthcare data,Abilio Branco, Head of Data Protection Sales for Thales in Brazil.

For more information, download the full case study.

About Thales

Thales (Euronext Paris: HO) is a global high technology leader investing in digital and "deep tech" innovations connectivity, big data, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and quantum technology to build a future we can all trust, which is vital to the development of our societies. The company provides solutions, services and products that help its customers businesses, organisations and states in the defence, aeronautics, space, transportation and digital identity and security markets to fulfil their critical missions, by placing humans at the heart of the decision-making process.

Thales has 81,000 employees in 68 countries. In 2021, the Group generated sales of 16.2 billion.

PLEASE VISIT

Thales Group

Cybersecurity Solutions Thales Group

@Thalesgroup

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230404005304/en/

Contacts:

PRESS

Thales, Media Relations

Security Cybersecurity

Marion Bonnet

+33 (0)6 60 38 48 92

marion.bonnet@thalesgroup.com
Annual Data Integrity Summit is the pre-eminent forum for leaders seeking to harness trusted data for confident decision-making, maximum agility, and unbeatable customer experience

Precisely, the global leader in data integrity, today announced details for Trust '23 taking place May 16 17 in the US and EMEA, and May 17 18 in APAC. The virtual event is expected to bring together thousands of data professionals worldwide to learn about the biggest data integrity drivers and strategies to help companies achieve better business outcomes fueled by trusted data.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230404005367/en/

(Photo: Business Wire)

"Precisely continues to be the thought leader in data integrity, and I really appreciate the knowledge and insights they provide to business leaders worldwide," said Todd Henley, Chief Data Governance and Privacy Officer at Northwest Bank. "We're looking forward to being part of the fantastic line up for Trust '23."

The event will kick off with a keynote from Precisely CEO, Josh Rogers, exploring the role of data in solving today's most challenging business problems. The session will examine the industry megatrends driving demand for accurate, consistent, and contextual data in 2023 and beyond. This will be followed by a lively discussion with Drexel University's LeBow College of Business, hosted by Precisely CMO, Kevin Ruane. Together they will provide an exclusive first look at the latest research on data integrity trends and drivers based on insights gathered from over 400 data leaders worldwide.

Other highlights at Trust '23 include:

Industry perspectives from IDC Research Dan Vesset, Group Vice President of Analytics Information Management, will explore the role of data integrity in business decision velocity as a competitive differentiator in today's market landscape.

Dan Vesset, Group Vice President of Analytics Information Management, will explore the role of data integrity in business decision velocity as a competitive differentiator in today's market landscape. Expert guidance on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) reporting Mikkel Skougaard, Director of ESG Reporting and Strategy at Verisk Maplecroft and Matthew Rusk, Head of Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) North America will take part in a panel discussion on the importance of trusted data in unlocking true business value from ESG reporting and offer advice on navigating evolving regulations and consumer expectations.

Mikkel Skougaard, Director of ESG Reporting and Strategy at Verisk Maplecroft and Matthew Rusk, Head of Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) North America will take part in a panel discussion on the importance of trusted data in unlocking true business value from ESG reporting and offer advice on navigating evolving regulations and consumer expectations. The latest trends in modern data architectures Atif Salam, CxO Advisor and Enterprise Technologist at Amazon Web Services (AWS), industry analyst Sanjeev Mohan, and Precisely CTO Tendu Yogurtcu, PhD will share perspectives on the importance of data quality, observability, and governance strategies in today's complex data architectures.

Atif Salam, CxO Advisor and Enterprise Technologist at Amazon Web Services (AWS), industry analyst Sanjeev Mohan, and Precisely CTO Tendu Yogurtcu, PhD will share perspectives on the importance of data quality, observability, and governance strategies in today's complex data architectures. An exclusive look at new technology innovations a deep dive session will reveal the latest data integrity solutions and how they can empower organizations to leverage accurate, consistent, and contextual data for critical decision-making. Attendees will also learn how trusted data can be further harnessed to deliver unbeatable customer experience through highly personalized customer communications.

a deep dive session will reveal the latest data integrity solutions and how they can empower organizations to leverage accurate, consistent, and contextual data for critical decision-making. Attendees will also learn how trusted data can be further harnessed to deliver unbeatable customer experience through highly personalized customer communications. Customer spotlights - Degroof Petercam, Northwest Bank, and others share the role of data integrity in accelerating the confident decisions needed for businesses to move fast, reduce costs, manage risk, and drive growth.

Trust '23 will also include a variety of breakout sessions designed to tackle some of the biggest challenges being faced by data professionals today, from how to prevent data downtime, to guidance on strategically approaching digital transformation projects, and best practices for unlocking hidden context in data including how the recent acquisition of Transerve enables users to easily access spatial analytics. Attendees will be able to request custom demo sessions or one-on-one consultation with the Precisely team of data integrity experts.

"We are incredibly proud of how our annual Data Integrity Summit continues to resonate with business leaders and data professionals worldwide," said Kevin Ruane, CMO at Precisely. "Trust '23 promises to be our biggest and best event yet, with more industry experts and customer speakers than ever before. In today's unpredictable market, harnessing the power of trusted data is critical for making confident business decisions. Trust '23 will provide you with the knowledge needed to truly put data to work for your business and, ultimately, achieve better outcomes."

Register for Trust '23 to join industry peers in learning more about the latest data integrity trends, research, and innovations.

About Precisely

Precisely is the global leader in data integrity, providing accuracy, consistency, and context in data for 12,000 customers in more than 100 countries, including 99 of the Fortune 100. Precisely's data integration, data quality, data governance, location intelligence, and data enrichment products power better business decisions to create better outcomes. Learn more at www.precisely.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230404005367/en/

Contacts:

Press

Emma Forrest (Global)

press@precisely.com
4 April 2023

Karelian Diamond Resources plc

("Karelian Diamonds" or the "Company")

Holdings in Company

Karelian Diamonds (AIM: KDR) announces that it was informed on 3 April 2023 that, as at 28 March 2023, Morgan Stanley had a total interest in 3,300,296 ordinary shares of 0.00025 each in the Company ("Ordinary Shares") equivalent to 3.91 per cent. of the current issued share capital and voting rights of the Company, held on behalf of its subsidiary, Morgan Stanley & Co. International plc.

In addition, on 4 April 2023 the Company was informed that Steve Coomber's shareholding in the Company is 7,613,116 Ordinary Shares equivalent to 9.01 per cent. of the current issued share capital and voting rights of the Company.

For further information please contact:
Event To Be Held in Washington, DC on April 12, 2023 with World Bank and IMF Spring Conference

FAIRFAX, VA / ACCESSWIRE / April 4, 2023 / Visium Technologies, Inc, ("Visium" or the "Company") (OTC PINK:VISM), a global cybersecurity and analytics company, announced today that it will be attending the 9th edition of the Africa Fintech Summit in Washington DC on April 12th. The Africa Fintech Summit ("AFTS") was founded in 2017 with the mission of bringing the issues, trends, and changemakers impacting Africa's financial technology ecosystem together to network and foster relationships. Since their first summit in early 2018 AFTS has been the largest bi-annual gathering of financial technology stakeholders on the African continent, welcoming over 4,000 stakeholders from over 100 countries this year.

Attendees are expected to include central bankers, ministers of finance and development, parliamentarians, private sector executives, representatives from civil society organizations and academics.

Visium will be in attendance to introduce its data analytics platform, TruContext, and showcase how this proprietary technology addresses many of the cyber security and public safety challenges that are being discussed at the conference.

Mark Lucky, Chief Executive Officer of Visium Technologies, added "Our attendance at this conference, in concert with our partners and distributors in Africa, is a fantastic opportunity to present our analytics platform, TruContext, on the world stage and showcase its many use cases, including cybersecurity, physical an border security, anti-money laundering, and fraud. We are excited for this opportunity!"

About Visium Technologies, Inc.

Visium Technologies (OTC PINK:VISM) is a cyber security solutions provider that uses graph database technology to deliver an analytics-driven, risk-based approach to cybersecurity that provides context to data so that users can make intelligent decisions in real time. Built for the US Army Cyber Command by MITRE Corporation (CyGraph), and then further developed by Visium, our world class TruContext technology provides visualization, advanced cyber monitoring intelligence, data modeling, analytics, and automation to help reduce risk, simplify cyber security and deliver better security outcomes. TruContext plugs the gaps left by other security tools.

For more information please visit www.visiumtechnologies.com and our YouTube Channel.

Safe Harbor Statement: Under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: This release includes forward-looking statements that reflect management's current views with respect to future events and performance. These forward-looking statements are based on management's beliefs and assumptions and information currently available. The words "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "intend," "estimate," "project" and similar expressions that do not relate solely to historical matters identify forward-looking statements. Investors should be cautious in relying on forward-looking statements because they are subject to a variety of risks, uncertainties, and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in any such forward-looking statements. These factors include, but are not limited to, whether the reverse stock split will be beneficial to the Company and its shareholders, any inability to meet the NYSE American continued listing standards in the future for any reason, and those other factors described in our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Any responsibility to update forward-looking statements is expressly disclaimed.

CONTACT:

Visium Technologies, Inc.

Corporate: Mark Lucky, Chief Executive Officer

mlucky@visiumtechnologies.com

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram

Twitter | Instagram

Corporate Office:

4094 Majestic Lane Suite 360

Fairfax, VA 22033

Phone: 703-273-0383

SOURCE: Visium Technologies, Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/747517/Visium-Technologies-To-Attend-Africa-Fintech-Summit
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 4, 2023) - Kingsmen Resources Ltd. (TSXV: KNG) (OTCQB: KNGRD) ("Kingsmen" or the "Company") is pleased to report the acquisition of a new 342 hectare claim adjacent to its 100%-owned, brownfield Las Coloradas high-grade vein, silver-gold-lead-zinc-copper project located in the SE part of the Parral mining district of Chihuahua, Mexico (www.kingsmenresources.com). The claim was purchased from an arm's length vendor independent from the company and the vendor of the Las Coloradas project, claims, and is unencumbered by any royalties or other interests. The claim is an exempt transaction under policies of the TSX.V.

The newly acquired claim immediately adjoins the Company's Las Coloradas project area to the west and south giving the Company control over this significant area. The claim covers prospective geology, and structural and geophysical targets, and will now form part of the Las Coloradas project. As well, a prominent northeast structural trend has been noted in the geology. A northeast structural trend is the main control on mineralization at Discovery Silver's Cordero silver deposit, 35 km northeast of Parral.

Scott Emerson, President: "The acquisition is in line with our aggressive strategy to become the pre-eminent explorer in this historic mining district."





Las Coloradas Claim Map



To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

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The Las Coloradas project offers excellent exploration potential. Historic mining of high-grade vein, silver-gold-lead-zinc-copper terminated at the water table at depths of +/- 125 meters, and examples of skarn and porphyry mineralization have also been found. New orientations of mineralization are now being found outside of the old workings of the Las Coloradas mine and on the newly acquired claim. The old Las Coloradas mine has similar geology to the Parral mining district where vein mineralization persists to depths of 600 - 1,000 meters.

Qualified Person

Kieran Downes, Ph.D., P.Geo., a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical disclosure set out in this news release.

About Kingsmen Resources

In line with Kingsmen's organic-growth strategy, the Company's focus is on exploration and development, and is currently focused on district-scale exploration for precious metals in the prolific mining districts of Parral Mexico. In addition, the Company holds a 1% NSR on the Los Ricos north project operated by GoGold Resources. The Company's leaders have extensive experience in the mining and financial sectors. Kingsmen is a publicly-traded company (TSXV: KNG) (OTCQB: KNGRD) and is headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia.

On behalf of the Board,

Signed: "Scott Emerson"

Scott Emerson,

President & CEO

Phone: 6046859316

Email: se@kingsmenresources.com

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-Looking Statement:

All statements, trend analysis and other information contained in this press release about anticipated future events or results constitute forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "seek", "anticipate", "believe", "plan", "estimate", "expect" and "intend" and statements that an event or result "may", "will", "should", "could" or "might" occur or be achieved and other similar expressions. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein, including, without limitation, statements regarding the completion of the acquisition of the Las Coloradas Project and receipt of regulatory approval, are forward-looking statements. Although Kingsmen believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements and/or information are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements since Kingsmen can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements, including the risks, uncertainties and other factors identified in Kingsmen's periodic filings with Canadian securities regulators, and assumptions made with regard to: Kingsmen's ability to make the required payments under the definitive agreements; and Kingsmen's ability to secure the necessary regulatory approvals. Forward-looking statements are subject to business and economic risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results of operations to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from Kingsmen's expectations include risks associated with the business of Kingsmen; risks related to the satisfaction or waiver of certain conditions to the closing of the acquisition of the Las Coloradas Project; non-completion of the acquisition of the Las Coloradas Project; risks related to exploration and potential development of the Las Coloradas Project; business and economic conditions in the mining industry generally; fluctuations in commodity prices and currency exchange rates; uncertainties relating to interpretation of drill results and the geology, continuity and grade of mineral deposits; the need for cooperation of government agencies in the exploration and development of properties and the issuance of required permits; the need to obtain additional financing to develop properties and uncertainty as to the availability and terms of future financing; the possibility of delay in exploration or development programs and uncertainty of meeting anticipated program milestones; uncertainty as to timely availability of permits and other governmental approvals; and other risk factors as detailed from time to time and additional risks identified in Kingsmen's filings with Canadian securities regulators on SEDAR in Canada (available at www.sedar.com). Forward-looking statements are based on estimates and opinions of management at the date the statements are made. Kingsmen does not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements except as required by applicable securities laws. Investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/161141
Regulatory News:

M6 METROPOLE TELEVISION (Paris:MMT):

The Shareholders of the company are invited to attend the Combined General Meeting to be held on April 25, 2023, at 9:00 am, at the Cinema Le Village, 4 rue de Chezy, 92200 Neuilly-sur-Seine.

The preliminary notice of meeting, including the agenda and the presentation of the proposed resolutions, was published in the BALO dated March 20, 2023. Notice of meeting will be published in the journal of legal announcements les Petites Affiches on April 7, 2023.

Documents mentioned in Article R.225-83 of the French Commercial Code will be made available to Shareholders starting from the notice of meeting and posted on the Company's website.

In accordance with the current legislation

Registered shareholders can, until the 5th day (included) before the Annual Meeting, request supply of the said documents, including by the way of an electronic mail. For bearer shareholders, the exercise of this right is subject to the presentation of a certificate of attendance in the bearer share accounts kept by the duly empowered intermediary.

All shareholders can consult these documents at the Company's headquarters.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230404005796/en/

Contacts:

INVESTOR RELATIONS

Myriam Pinot

01 41 92 57 73

myriam.pinot@m6.fr
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - April 4, 2023) - Khiron Life Sciences Corp. (TSXV: KHRN) (OTCQB: KHRNF) ("Khiron" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has closed today its previously announced marketed public offering of units of the Company ("Units"), including the exercise in full of the over-allotment option (the "Offering").

A total of 13,800,000 Units were sold at a price of $0.05 per Unit (the "Offering Price") for aggregate gross proceeds of $690,000. The Offering was led by Canaccord Genuity Corp. (the "Agent"), as agent and sole bookrunner.

Each Unit is comprised of one common share of the Company (each, a "Common Share", and each Common Share comprising a Unit, a "Unit Share") and one common share purchase warrant of the Company (each, a "Unit Warrant"). Each Unit Warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one Common Share (each, a "Warrant Share") at an exercise price of $0.08 for a period of 24 months following the closing of the Offering.

In consideration for their services, the Agent received a cash commission equal to 7.0% of the gross proceeds of the Offering and non-transferrable compensation options (the "Compensation Options") equal to 7.0% of the Units sold in the Offering. Each Compensation Option is exercisable at the Offering Price to acquire one Unit for a period of 24 months following the closing of the Offering.

The Offering, and the listing of the Unit Shares and the Warrant Shares, is subject to TSX Venture Exchange ("TSXV") final acceptance of all requisite regulatory filings.

The net proceeds of the Offering will be used for general corporate and working capital purposes.

The securities offered in the Offering have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended or the securities laws of any state of the United States, and may not be offered or sold absent such registration or an applicable exemption from such registration requirements. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of the Units in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of that jurisdiction. The securities referenced herein have not been approved or disapproved by any regulatory authority.

The Company also announces today the resignation of Christopher Naprawa, as the Chairman of the Company, and Juan Carlos Echeverry, as a director of the Company, each effective immediately. The Company would like to thank Chris and Juan Carlos for their service and dedication to Khiron over the years.

About Khiron Life Sciences Corp.

Khiron is a leading global medical cannabis company with core operations in Latin America and Europe. Leveraging wholly owned medical health clinics and proprietary telemedicine platforms, Khiron combines a patient-oriented approach, physician education programs, scientific expertise, product innovation, and focus on creating access to drive prescriptions and brand loyalty with patients worldwide. The Company has a sales presence in Colombia, Germany, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Peru, and Brazil. The Company is led by its co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, Alvaro Torres, together with an experienced and diverse executive team and board of directors.

Visit Khiron online at https://investors.khiron.ca.

Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/company/khiron-life-sciences-corp/.

Investor Contact:

E: investors@khiron.ca

Media Contact:

Peter Leis, Europe Communications

E: pleis@khiron.ca

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable Canadian and United States securities laws (collectively, "forward-looking information"). Forward-looking information are often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "seek", "anticipate", "believe", "plan", "estimate", "expect", "likely" and "intend" and statements that an event or result "may", "will", "should", "could" or "might" occur or be achieved and other similar expressions. Forward-looking information in this press release includes, without limitation, statements relating to the use of proceeds of the Offering and the receipt of final TSXV acceptance of the Offering.

Developing forward-looking information involves reliance on several assumptions and considerations of certain risks and uncertainties, some of which are specific to Khiron and others that apply to the industry generally.

The risk factors and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the anticipated results or expectations expressed in this press release, include, without limitation: that the Company's use of proceeds of the Offering may differ from those indicated; additional financing requirements; adverse market conditions; and other risk factors described from time to time in Khiron's OTC and Canadian securities filings. For additional information about assumptions and risks and uncertainties applicable to Khiron, please refer to Khiron's Annual Information Form which is available on Khiron's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com.

Readers are cautioned to consider these and other factors, uncertainties and potential events carefully and not to put undue reliance on forward-looking information. The forward-looking information contained herein is made as of the date of this press release and is based on the beliefs, estimates, expectations and opinions of management on the date such forward-looking information is made. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, estimates or opinions, future events or results or otherwise or to explain any material difference between subsequent actual events and such forward-looking information, except as required by applicable law.

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 press release.

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR THE DISSEMINATION, DISTRIBUTION, RELEASE OR PUBLICATION, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/161203
NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / April 4, 2023 / Suncor Energy



For many breastfeeding moms, finding a comfortable and clean place to pump and store breastmilk can be hard. Even harder for those who spend their workday behind the wheel of a massive haul truck at an oil sands mine, which continues to operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, much like the role of a mother.

For breastfeeding moms at our Millennium Mine at Base Plant operations, collecting valuable breastmilk is a lot easier thanks to a new lactation room at the mine, designed specifically to provide a safe, private, and hygienic space for heavy equipment operators (HEOs) and others who need it in the mine.

Jennifer Burke, a Mine Operations Manager who provided feedback on the lactation space before going on a parental leave herself, believes Millennium Mine's new addition is a positive sign that anyone is welcome to work anywhere at Suncor. "To me the lactation room signifies that no matter what your situation is, you can feel comfortable here. There are many mothers making incredible lives for their families while working in the mine. It's nice to give them a space to do the things moms need to do," says Jennifer Burke, a manager at the mine who is on parental leave herself.

The recent creation of a lactation room at Millennium Mine has made collecting valuable breastmilk a lot easier for women returning to the workplace after parental leave.

Bringing the idea to life

Tina Markovic, Vice President, Mining Business Improvement, was doing a ride-along with her team in the field when the idea of a lactation room was suggested from a HEO.

"I spent time with a female operator who flagged an important issue about supporting breastfeeding moms returning to work after parental leave," says Tina. "She got me thinking: What if our workplace could provide a private and hygienic facility to express milk? This would help eliminate a barrier for some women in our workforce, or potentially aid in their decision-making process about returning to work."

Tina shared the idea with a couple of Mine Operations Leaders, Amanda Bona and Neal Tattrie, and the rest is history - or herstory. Under Amanda and Neal's direction, the Infrastructure Production Team made the Diversity Facility at Millennium Mine a reality. One area of the facility is a devoted quiet space for meditation or prayer; the other room is the site's first lactation room for nursing mothers.

Amanda, an Infrastructure Production Day Leader, wanted to ensure the space is peaceful but also has important amenities such as hot water and a comfortable chair for those using the space. Swipe access is required to enter the lactation room to ensure it is kept private, secure and quiet.

"I asked pregnant colleagues what they would need in the space to make expressing milk as easy as possible for our operators, who typically spend the majority of their 12-hour shift in the cab of their heavy hauler," says Amanda, who is currently pregnant herself. "This project really embodied the Stronger Together mentality, to support the ever-changing needs of our diverse workforce, and in this case, women specifically."

While the lactation room at Millennium Mine is the first in the field, it's not a first for Suncor. In 2019, a lactation room was added to Suncor's headquarters in Calgary, Alta., with a second space created in 2022. Suncor also proudly supports many inclusion and diversity programs and initiatives throughout our operations including smudge-friendly spaces and prayer and meditation rooms.

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Suncor Energy on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: Suncor Energy

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/suncor-energy

Email: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: Suncor Energy

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/747520/Suncor-Expressing-Support-for-New-Moms-at-Base-Plant-Operations
Dieppe, New Brunswick--(Newsfile Corp. - April 4, 2023) - Colibri Resource Corporation (TSXV: CBI) (OTC Pink: CRUCF) ("Colibri" or the "Company") is pleased to provide assay results of sampling recently completed during the due diligence phase of the Plomo gold property acquisition. Results confirm the occurrence and distribution of historical high grade gold ("Au") samples and includes a high of 12.3 grams per tonne ("g/t") Au.

Results and highlights of the due diligence sampling and mapping includes:

Twenty-five grab samples returned values > 1.0 g/t Au, including 6 with values > 5 g/t Au. A total of 62 grab samples taken by Colibri returned Au assay values > 0.1 g/t Au. (Illustration 1)

Channel sample values range from 8.03 g/t Au to 0.089 g/t Au over sample lengths (true widths) of 1.7 meters ("m") to 0.1 m. (Table 1)

The occurrence and general distribution of higher-grade samples (> 1.0 g/t Au) evident in the historical work was validated with the due diligence sampling.

Illustration 1: Samples Map at Plomo and Evelyn Projects

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

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Sample Easting Northing Elevation Au (g/t) Channel

Length (m) Structure Azimuth Dip 8451854 353756 3444035 445 1.375 0.1 Shear Zone 345 30 8453854 353751 3444033 445 0.089 0.5 Shear Zone 344 26 8481854 353682 3444040 454 3.83 0.3 Shear zone 330 40 8483854 353674 3443915 431 1.285 0.35 Shear Zone 330 31 8478854 353761 3444151 457 3.25 0.35 Shear zone 305 55 8482854 353901 3444235 492 8.03 0.5 Shear zone 14 35 8474854 353652 3444148 458 4.09 1.7 Shear Zone 155 58

Table 1: Plomo Due Diligence Channel Samples

The Plomo property is located in the Caborca Gold Belt ("CGB") of northwestern Sonora, Mexico. The Plomo covers 4,260 hectares ("Ha") and is adjacent to the Company's Evelyn Gold Project. Mineral exploration tenures completely surround the Evelyn-Plomo Gold project (4,766 Ha combined) and are held almost exclusively by Fresnillo, one of Mexico's largest gold producers which in 2022 produced approximately 636,000 ounces Au and 53,000,000 ounces Ag.

On March 16, 2023 Colibri announced the acquisition of the Plomo property and on March 21, 2023 announced the acquisition terms. As part of the property review and due diligence process, Colibri completed geological mapping and sampling on the most advanced target areas at San Perfecto, Banco de Oro, and Pavorreal. A total of 97 samples were taken, consisting of 7 channel samples and 90 chip (grab) samples.

Ian McGavney, COO of Colibri commented, "We continue to be enthusiastic about the Plomo acquisition and the potential for discovery on the combined Evelyn-Plomo ("EP") property holdings. By combining and interpreting the respective data sets we have significantly advanced our geological understanding and our exploration model. We will continue the desk-top work to further evaluate the robust combined data set and will be initiating boot and hammer work in the very short term to support the prioritization of drill targets."

Plomo and Evelyn Next Steps

Based on compilation and field work completed to date, the Company provides the following preliminary interpretations as the basis for exploration planning:

San Perfecto and El Sahuaro areas represent a single mineralized system hosted by a well-developed northwest to north-northwest trending and moderately northeast dipping deformation corridor occurring over an approximately 2.4-kilometer ("km") strike length. Next stage geological mapping and sampling will be focused on the area between San Perfecto and El Sahuaro to test this hypothesis.



A major north-northwest trending fault zone mapped and inferred from magnetic interpretation on the Evelyn property is interpreted to extend to the southeast on the western Plomo property and to potentially be a control on the occurrence of the Banco de Oro mineralization. This interpretation provides for an approximately 1.3 km trend length on the Plomo property which will be a focus for prospecting, geological mapping, and sampling.



Tourmaline alteration is recognized on the property, in the San Perfecto target area and in particular in the Pavorreal target area. Geological mapping and detailed sampling is planned to evaluate the distribution of tourmaline alteration and its association or control on the occurrence and distribution of gold.

Exploration will proceed with the objective of prioritizing drill targets on the Evelyn-Plomo ("EP") property. On the Evelyn side, the Company is currently completing detailed geological mapping on a target area defined by soil geochemistry and is evaluating geochemical methods to explore through alluvium cover. On the Plomo side, the following exploration is being planned to fully realize the potential of the property:

Property wide, high resolution airborne magnetic survey

Evaluate and re-process existing Induced Polarization data.

Complete a soil geochemistry survey over the southeastern half of the property.

Prospecting, geological mapping and outcrop sampling over selected earlier stage and conceptual targets on the property.

QUALIFIED PERSON

Jamie Lavigne, P. Geo and a Director for Colibri is a Qualified Person as defined in NI 43-101 and has reviewed and approved the technical information in this press release.

ABOUT COLIBRI RESOURCE CORPORATION:

Colibri is a Canadian-based mineral exploration company listed on the TSX-V (CBI) and is focused on acquiring and exploring prospective gold & silver properties in Mexico. The Company holds seven high potential precious metal projects of which six have planned exploration programs for calendar 2023.

For more information about all Company projects please visit: www.colibriresource.com.

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.

Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements:

This news release contains "forward-looking statements". Statements in this press release which are not purely historical are forward-looking statements and include any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future. Actual results could differ from those projected in any forward-looking statements due to numerous factors. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release, and the Company assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that the plans, expectations and intentions contained in this press release are reasonable, there can be no assurance that they will prove to be accurate.

For information contact: Ronald J. Goguen, President, Chairperson and Director, Tel: (506) 383-4274, rongoguen@colibriresource.com

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/161219
Ministry of Equality Holds Networking Event for Participants of the Womens Mentorship Programme

The Ministry of Equality held a networking session for all participants of the third and fourth cycles of the Ministry of Equalitys Womens Mentorship Programme on Wednesday 29th March.

The current cycle, which is the fourth, began in December 2022 and has secured a total of 36 participants. To date, the Programme, which was launched in 2018, has seen a total of 214 participants.

Feedback received from previous mentees of the Programme highlighted their desire for greater networking opportunities and advice on how to network more effectively. The aim of the networking event was to meet that need in a structured and informative manner and consisted of tips on how to improve networking skills.

Minister Sacramento opened the event and thanked the mentors for their generous and invaluable contribution to the Programme. This was then followed by short interviews facilitated by the Ministrys Policy Development Officer, Marlene Dalli with mentors, Brenda Cuby, Kathryn Morgan and Pete Yeoman, who have supported the Programme from its inception. They offered their insights on, The Benefits of Networking and How to Network before all participants were invited to take part in an interactive networking exercise with each other.

The Minister for Equality, the Hon Samantha Sacramento MP, said, I am very happy to be able to mark the mid-way point of the current cycle of the Womens Mentorship Programme with an interactive event that contributes so positively to the learning of the mentees. I am delighted that I have been able to meet all participants of the fourth cycle and that we have also been joined by the participants of the third cycle. It is very gratifying to be able to count on the support and advice of previous mentors and mentees and I am very grateful that they have been keen to share their insights with the newcomers to the Programme who have massively benefited from their presence this evening. As always, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the mentors for giving of their time and expertise so generously and for sharing their professional acumen with their respective mentees. I am particularly pleased to learn that both mentors and mentees are reporting high levels of engagement and mutually enriching experiences and that many mentoring parnterships continue as friendships beyond the official end of the 20 week Programme. I would like to take this opportunity to encourage anyone interested in taking part in the Womens Mentorship Ministry of Justice, Equality and Public Standards and Regulations Programme, to register their interest in the next cycle by contacting the Ministry of Equality, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 20046253."
Lakehouse for Manufacturing offers pre-built solutions, partner-designed Brickbuilder offerings and integrated AI capabilities tailored to customers across the manufacturing, logistics, transportation, energy and utilities industries

SAN FRANCISCO, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Databricks , the lakehouse company, today announced the Databricks Lakehouse for Manufacturing , the first open, enterprise-scale lakehouse platform tailored to manufacturers that unifies data and AI and delivers record-breaking performance for any analytics use case. The sheer volume of tools, systems and architectures required to run a modern manufacturing environment makes secure data sharing and collaboration a challenge at scale, with over 70 percent of data projects stalling at the proof of concept (PoC) stage. Available today, Databricks' Lakehouse for Manufacturing breaks down these silos and is uniquely designed for manufacturers to access all of their data and make decisions in real-time. Databricks' Lakehouse for Manufacturing has been adopted by industry-leading organizations like DuPont, Honeywell, Rolls-Royce, Shell and Tata Steel.





Databricks' newest industry-specific lakehouse goes beyond the limitations of traditional data warehouses by offering integrated AI capabilities and pre-built solutions that accelerate time to value for manufacturers and their partners. These include powerful solutions for predictive maintenance, digital twins, supply chain optimization, demand forecasting, real-time IoT analytics and more. A robust partner ecosystem and custom, partner-built Brickbuilder Solutions offer customers even greater choice in delivering real-time insights and impact across the entire value chain, and at a lower total cost of ownership (TCO) than complex legacy technologies

"We employed Databricks to optimize inventory planning using data and analytics, positioning parts where they need to be based on the insight we gain from our connected engines in real time and usage patterns we see in our service network," said Stuart Hughes, Chief Information and Digital Officer at Rolls-Royce Civil Aerospace. "This has helped us minimize risks to engine availability, reduce lead times for spare parts and drive more efficiency in stock turns - all of this enables us to deliver TotalCare, the aviation industry's leading Power-by-the-Hour (PHB) maintenance program."

With Databricks, organizations can unlock the value of their existing investments and achieve AI at scale by unifying all of their data - regardless of type, source, frequency or workload - on a single platform. The Lakehouse for Manufacturing has robust data governance and sharing built-in, and enables organizations to deliver real-time insights for agile manufacturing and logistics, across their entire ecosystem.

Powerful industry solutions tailored for the lakehouse

The Lakehouse for Manufacturing includes access to packaged use case accelerators that are designed to jumpstart the analytics process and offer a blueprint to help organizations tackle critical, high-value industry challenges. Popular data solutions for Databricks' Lakehouse for Manufacturing customers include:

Digital Twins : Created from data derived from sensors, digital twins enable engineers to monitor and model systems in real-time. With digital twins, manufacturers can process real-world data in real-time and deliver insights to multiple downstream applications, including process optimization modeling, risk assessments, condition monitoring, and optimized design.

: Created from data derived from sensors, digital twins enable engineers to monitor and model systems in real-time. With digital twins, manufacturers can process real-world data in real-time and deliver insights to multiple downstream applications, including process optimization modeling, risk assessments, condition monitoring, and optimized design. Predictive Maintenance : By leveraging predictive maintenance, manufacturers can ingest real-time industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) data from field devices and perform complex time-series processing to maximize uptime and minimize maintenance costs.

: By leveraging predictive maintenance, manufacturers can ingest real-time industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) data from field devices and perform complex time-series processing to maximize uptime and minimize maintenance costs. Part-Level Forecasting : To avoid inventory stockouts, shorten lead times and maximize sales, manufacturers can perform demand forecasting at the part level rather than the aggregate level.

: To avoid inventory stockouts, shorten lead times and maximize sales, manufacturers can perform demand forecasting at the part level rather than the aggregate level. Overall Equipment Effectiveness : By incrementally ingesting and processing data from sensor/IoT devices in a variety of formats, organizations can provide a consistent approach to KPI reporting across a global manufacturing network.

: By incrementally ingesting and processing data from sensor/IoT devices in a variety of formats, organizations can provide a consistent approach to KPI reporting across a global manufacturing network. Computer Vision : The development and implementation of computer vision applications enabled manufacturers to automate critical manufacturing processes, improving quality, reducing waste and rework costs, and optimizing flow.

"Shell has been undergoing a digital transformation as part of our ambition to deliver more and cleaner energy solutions. Databricks' Lakehouse is central to the Shell.ai Platform and the ability to execute rapid queries on massive datasets," said Dan Jeavons, VP Computational Science and Digital Innovation at Shell. "With the help of Databricks, Shell is better able to use its full historic data set to run 10,000+ inventory simulations across all its parts and facilities. Shell's inventory prediction models now run in a few hours rather than days, significantly improving stocking practices and driving significant savings annually."

Databricks Partners deliver an ecosystem of powerful, purpose-built solutions for manufacturers

Customers across the manufacturing industry also benefit from vetted data solutions from leading partners like Avanade, Celebal Technologies, DataSentics, Deloitte and Tredence, which are tailor-made to combine the power of Databricks' Lakehouse Platform with proven industry expertise. Partner Brickbuilder Solutions and popular use cases for the Lakehouse for Manufacturing include:

Avanade Intelligent Manufacturing : Avanade enables manufacturers to harness all types of data, drive interoperability and realize more value throughout the manufacturing lifecycle with a comprehensive look at connected production facilities and assets.

: Avanade enables manufacturers to harness all types of data, drive interoperability and realize more value throughout the manufacturing lifecycle with a comprehensive look at connected production facilities and assets. Celebal Technologies Migrate to Databricks : A suite of proven tools from Celebal Technologies empowers organizations to easily migrate legacy on-premises/cloud environments to the Lakehouse Platform and addresses the key scalability, performance and cost challenges of legacy systems.

: A suite of proven tools from Celebal Technologies empowers organizations to easily migrate legacy on-premises/cloud environments to the Lakehouse Platform and addresses the key scalability, performance and cost challenges of legacy systems. DataSentics Quality Inspector : With DataSentics, manufacturers can leverage computer vision to automate quality control and easily detect defects, foreign objects and anomalies throughout the manufacturing process, from classification and detection to product segmentation and tracking.

: With DataSentics, manufacturers can leverage computer vision to automate quality control and easily detect defects, foreign objects and anomalies throughout the manufacturing process, from classification and detection to product segmentation and tracking. Deloitte Smart Factory : Deloitte offers automated Monthly Management Reporting to deliver dynamic insights and enable a digital organization supported by an enterprise data lake and advanced analytics.

: Deloitte offers automated Monthly Management Reporting to deliver dynamic insights and enable a digital organization supported by an enterprise data lake and advanced analytics. Tredence Predictive Supply Risk Management : Tredence unifies siloed data and drives end-to-end visibility into order flows and supplier performance with a holistic view of the entire supply chain, coupled with real-time data to assess risk factors and prescriptive, AI-powered recommendations across all supply chain functions.

"Avanade is delighted to partner with industry innovators like Databricks. As the leading Microsoft Partner for Manufacturing, we see manufacturers getting smarter about how they use digital technologies - because they have to. Times are tough and innovations today must deliver more value more quickly across more of the organization than ever before. The potential of lakehouse is truly exciting and will play a significant part in our Industry X and Smart Digital Manufacturing services," said Thomas Nall, Avanade Manufacturing Lead.

"Using the Lakehouse for Manufacturing, a business can utilize all data sources in their value chain so that the power of predictive AI and ML insights can be realized to identify inefficiencies in production processes, improve productivity, enhance quality control, and reduce supply chain costs. This data-driven manufacturing is where we see the industry going as companies seek to accelerate their Smart Factory transformations," said Anthony Abbattista, Principal and Smart Factory Analytics Offering Leader at Deloitte Consulting LLP.

"With rising costs, plateauing industrial productivity, and talent gaps, manufacturing companies are facing unprecedented operational challenges. At the same time, autonomy, connectivity and electrification are shaping an entirely new approach of software-defined products that require a transformation of the business and operating model to be competitive and innovative. In the next 5 years, the companies that outperform in this industry will be the ones that not only manage data but effectively operationalize the value from data, analytics and AI at scale," said Shiv Trisal, Global Industry Leader for Manufacturing at Databricks. "We are very excited to launch tailored accelerators that target the industry's biggest pain points, and collaborate with leading partners to introduce Lakehouse for Manufacturing, enabling data teams to boost industrial productivity, gain nth-tier supply chain visibility and deliver smarter products and services at an accelerated pace."

The introduction of the Lakehouse for Manufacturing comes on the heels of the recent release of Databricks Model Serving , for fully managed production ML and a new, native integration with VS Code . For more information, visit Databricks' Lakehouse for Manufacturing homepage .

For those attending Hannover Messe, register to join Databricks on April 18th for An Evening at the Lakehouse at Insel Beach Club and learn more about Databricks' platform and work with customers throughout the industry.

About Databricks

Databricks is the lakehouse company. More than 9,000 organizations worldwide - including Comcast, Conde Nast, and over 50% of the Fortune 500 - rely on the Databricks Lakehouse Platform to unify their data, analytics and AI. Databricks is headquartered in San Francisco, with offices around the globe. Founded by the original creators of Apache Spark, Delta Lake and MLflow, Databricks is on a mission to help data teams solve the world's toughest problems. To learn more, follow Databricks on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.

Contact: press@databricks.com

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1160675/Databricks_Logo.jpg

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/databricks-announces-lakehouse-for-manufacturing-empowering-the-worlds-leading-manufacturers-to-realize-the-full-value-of-their-data-301789171.html
Regulatory News:

In accordance with the provisions concerning voting rights contained in Article L.233-8 II of the French Commercial Code and Article 223-16 of the AMF's general regulations, SFL (Paris:FLY) discloses the following information:

Date Number of

shares Number of voting

rights 31 March 2023 42 885 672 42 880 634

About SFL

Leader in the prime segment of the Parisian commercial real estate market, Societe Fonciere Lyonnaise stands out for the quality of its property portfolio, which is valued at 8.2 billion and is focused on the Central Business District of Paris (cloud.paris, Edouard VII, Washington Plaza, etc.), and for the quality of its client portfolio, which is composed of prestigious companies in the consulting, media, digital, luxury, finance and insurance sectors. As France's oldest property company, SFL demonstrates year after year an unwavering commitment to its strategy focused on creating a high value in use for users and, ultimately, substantial appraisal values for its properties.

Stock market: Euronext Paris Compartment A Euronext Paris ISIN FR0000033409 Bloomberg: FLY FP Reuters: FLYP PA

Notation S&P: BBB+ stable

www.fonciere-lyonnaise.com

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230404005852/en/

Contacts:

SFL Thomas Fareng T +33 (0)1 42 97 27 00 t.fareng@fonciere-lyonnaise.com
Dr. Saef Izzy's data shows one-month behavioral outcomes improvement in model of intracerebral hemorrhage (hemorrhagic stroke)

Modulation of neuroinflammation by inducing FoxP3+ Tregs appears to have beneficial effect in intracerebral hemorrhage

Tiziana actively exploring the clinical development of foralumab into human testing for hemorrhagic stroke



NEW YORK, April 04, 2023) ("Tiziana" or the "Company"), a biotechnology company developing breakthrough immunomodulation therapies via novel routes of drug delivery, today announced that Dr. Saef Izzy will present pre-clinical data on the effects of intranasal anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody in an animal model of intracerebral hemorrhage (hemorrhagic stroke) on April 23, 2023, at 2:48 PM at Neurocritical Care Scientific Platform Session at the prestigious Annual American Academy of Neurology (AAN) conference in Boston, MA.

Saef Izzy, M.D., MBCHB., Neurocritical Care faculty at Brigham and Women's Hospital, a founding member of Mass General Brigham healthcare system, and Assistant Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School, commented, "I am honored to have my research1 accepted as an oral presentation at the American Academy of Neurology annual conference. My exciting work on intranasal anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody in animal models of intracerebral hemorrhage and other acute brain injury models, show the importance of inducing regulatory T cells (Treg) in decreasing microglia activation, modulating neuroinflammatory response in the brain, and improving neurological recovery."

Howard L. Weiner, M.D., Co-Director of the Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Chairman of Tiziana's Scientific Advisory Board, stated, "Saef's research demonstrates that nasal anti-CD3 increased FoxP3+ Tregs and IL-10- producing FoxP3+ Tregs in the brain. This finding aligns with our previous work in other inflammatory neurological diseases such as multiple sclerosis."

"Dr. Saef Izzy's research demonstrates that intranasal foralumab, the first-ever fully human anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody, has the potential of treating a devastating condition where the vast majority of patents do not fully recover. The mechanism of action described in the recent PNAS2 article suggests that anti-CD3 neuroimmunomodulation effects Tregs which may lead to positive motor and cognitive outcomes," stated Matthew W. Davis, M.D., RPh, Chief Medical Officer of Tiziana. "Based on Dr. Izzy's research, we plan to explore further studies to develop intranasal foralumab for this devastating condition."

______________

1https://index.mirasmart.com/aan2023/PDFfiles/AAN2023-004001.html



Information About the AAN Presentation

Date 4/23/2023 Time 2:48 PM Presentation (abstract) number 010 Webcast link

(until May 14) https://www.aan.com/MSA/Public/Events/AbstractDetails/52974





About Foralumab

Activated T cells play an important role in the inflammatory process. Foralumab, the only fully human anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody (mAb), binds to the T cell receptor and dampens inflammation by modulating T cell function, thereby suppressing effector features in multiple immune cell subsets. This effect has been demonstrated in patients with COVID and with multiple sclerosis, as well as in healthy normal subjects. Intranasal foralumab Phase 2 trials are expected to start in the third quarter of 2023 in patients with non-active SPMS. Immunomodulation by nasal anti-CD3 mAb represents a novel avenue for treatment of inflammatory human diseases.2

______________

2https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2220272120



About Tiziana Life Sciences

Tiziana Life Sciences is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing breakthrough therapies using transformational drug delivery technologies to enable alternative routes of immunotherapy. Tiziana's innovative nasal, oral and inhalation approaches in development have the potential to provide an improvement in efficacy as well as safety and tolerability compared to intravenous (IV) delivery. Tiziana's lead candidate, intranasal foralumab, which is the only fully human anti-CD3 mAb, has demonstrated a favorable safety profile and clinical response in patients in studies to date. Tiziana's technology for alternative routes of immunotherapy has been patented with several applications pending and is expected to allow for broad pipeline applications.

For further inquiries:

Tiziana Life Sciences Ltd

Paul Spencer, Business Development and Investor Relations

+44
NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / April 4, 2023 / Viatris

By: Niki Kapsambelis

When people talk to Emily Smith, she hopes the first thing they will realize about her is that she will accept them for who they are.

When she was working in person in Morgantown, West Virginia, she displayed a small Pride rainbow flag on her desk "so people would see it and they would know at least one thing about me," she said. Several colleagues came out to her as LGBTQ+, a point of pride for Emily, who is herself part of that community: "I am openly myself, and that makes it OK for them to be openly themselves, and also know that I am a safe person to talk to."

Today, with so many colleagues working remotely, she searches for other ways to signal the same message of safety to the LGBTQ+ community. As one of the tri-chairs of VIVID, Viatris' employee resource group (ERG) for LGBTQ+ colleagues and their allies, Emily is working with other leaders to find ways to bring messages of solidarity and support to a virtual workspace.

Adding pronouns to a person's e-signature and marking profiles with rainbow symbols are examples of signals people can use in a remote work environment. VIVID is planning to offer training in allyship to help employees find other strategies.

"What I would like to see Viatris become, and what I think it can become, is just a great place for gay people to work, where they don't have to feel ashamed of themselves. Where they can talk about their spouses, or their boyfriend and girlfriends, or their non-binary kids, and feel nothing but support from their colleagues," Emily said.

Earlier in her young career, Emily - who works in accounts receivable - tried not to rock the boat too much. "But as I've gotten older and more confident, I've felt that sometimes, the boat does need to be rocked. And that's why I got so involved in the ERG," she said.

LGBTQ+ issues can be controversial in some parts of the world. But Emily points out that Viatris can leverage its voice to effect change, particularly since the company's mission statement calls for empowering people to live healthier at every stage of life.

"Making sure that LGBTQ people can exist safely definitely coincides with that goal," she says.

Her inspiration is her twin brother, Jonah, who also is her best friend: "He inspires me every day to make this world a little bit of a better place."

Jonah is transgender, and when he began his transition, not everyone knew how to support him. Emily hopes to ensure that Viatris is a company prepared to welcome someone in Jonah's position and know what policies apply.

"I believe that every employee should be made to feel not only important, but they should be made to feel that the company is prepared for them," she said.

Her role in VIVID also has allowed Emily to connect with colleagues all over the world: "Now we have the resources and the reach to make real changes," she said. "That's what I see the ERG being: the partnership between the people who have the reach and the resources, and the people who can see the need."

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Viatris on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: Viatris

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/viatris

Email: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: Viatris

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/747549/Come-As-You-Are-Emily-Smith-Builds-Solidarity-Support-for-LGBTQ-Colleagues-Through-VIVID
EQS Post-admission Duties announcement: Adtran Holdings, Inc. / Third country release according to Article 50 Para. 1, No. 2 of the WpHG [the German Securities Trading Act] Adtran Holdings, Inc.: Release according to Article 50 of the WpHG [the German Securities Trading Act] with the objective of Europe-wide distribution 04.04.2023 / 17:27 CET/CEST Dissemination of a Post-admission Duties announcement according to Article 50 Para. 1, No. 2 WpHG transmitted by EQS News - a service of EQS Group AG. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
Webinar to be held Wednesday, April 19, 2023 at 12:00 pm ET 6:00 pm CET

Regulatory News:

TRANSGENE (Paris:TNG), a biotech company that designs and develops virus-based immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer, today announces that it will host a virtual Key Opinion Leader (KOL) event on Wednesday, April 19, 2023 at 12:00 pm ET 6:00 pm CET.

The KOL webinar will provide insights on TG4050 from expert medical oncologist Professor Christian Ottensmeier, MD, PhD, FRCP (University of Liverpool, La Jolla Institute for Immunology) who will also discuss the unmet medical need and outlook on treatment landscape for patients suffering from head and neck cancers. Prof. Ottensmeier's presentation will be followed by a Q&A session.

In addition, Transgene's management team will provide a company update, highlighting new Phase I data presented at AACR on April 18, 2023, confirming the high immunogenicity and promising efficacy profile of TG4050, an individualized neoantigen cancer vaccine developed by Transgene in collaboration with NEC Corporation.

To register for the event, please click here

Transgene will also present eight posters and have a booth (#310) at AACR which is taking place in Orlando, Florida, on April 14-19, 2023.

About Transgene

Transgene (Euronext: TNG) is a biotechnology company focused on designing and developing targeted immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer. Transgene's programs utilize viral vector technology with the goal of indirectly or directly killing cancer cells.

The Company's clinical-stage programs consist of a portfolio of therapeutic vaccines and oncolytic viruses:

TG4050, the first individualized therapeutic vaccine based on the myvac platform, TG4001 for the treatment of HPV-positive cancers, as well as TG6002, BT-001 and TG6050, three oncolytic viruses based on the Invir.IO viral backbone.

With Transgene's myvac platform, therapeutic vaccination enters the field of precision medicine with a novel immunotherapy that is fully tailored to each individual. The myvac approach allows the generation of a virus-based immunotherapy that encodes patient-specific mutations identified and selected by Artificial Intelligence capabilities provided by its partner NEC.

With its proprietary platform Invir.IO, Transgene is building on its viral vector engineering expertise to design a new generation of multifunctional oncolytic viruses. Transgene has an ongoing Invir.IO collaboration with AstraZeneca. Additional information about Transgene is available at: www.transgene.fr

Follow us on Twitter: @TransgeneSA

Disclaimer

This press release contains forward-looking statements, which are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated. The occurrence of any of these risks could have a significant negative outcome for the Company's activities, perspectives, financial situation, results, regulatory authorities' agreement with development phases, and development. The Company's ability to commercialize its products depends on but is not limited to the following factors: positive pre-clinical data may not be predictive of human clinical results, the success of clinical studies, the ability to obtain financing and/or partnerships for product manufacturing, development and commercialization, and marketing approval by government regulatory authorities. For a discussion of risks and uncertainties which could cause the Company's actual results, financial condition, performance or achievements to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, please refer to the Risk Factors ("Facteurs de Risque") section of the Universal Registration Document, available on the AMF website (http://www.amf-france.org) or on Transgene's website (www.transgene.fr). Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, and Transgene undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available in the future.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230404005860/en/

Contacts:

Transgene:

Lucie Larguier

Director Corporate Communications IR

+33 (0)3 88 27 91 04

investorrelations@transgene.fr

Media: MEDiSTRAVA Consulting

David Dible Sylvie Berrebi George Underwood

+44 (0)203 928 6900

transgene@medistrava.com
Nordea Bank Abp / Key word(s): Transaction in Own Shares

Nordea Bank Abp: Changes in Nordea's own shares



04.04.2023 / 17:50 CET/CEST





Changes in Nordea's own shares

Nordea Bank Abp

Stock exchange release - Changes in company's own shares

4 April 2023 at 18.00 EET

A total of 1,292,469 own shares held by the company were today transferred without consideration to participants in Nordea Bank Abp's variable remuneration programmes.

Based on the resolution of the Board of Directors announced on 23 March 2023, Nordea has transferred 1,292,469 own shares held by the company to settle its commitments to participants in its variable remuneration programmes.

Following the transfer of own shares, Nordea holds 1,810,352 treasury shares for capital optimisation purposes and 4,781,182 treasury shares for remuneration purposes.

For further information:

Matti Ahokas, Head of Investor Relations, +358 9 5300 8011

Media inquiries, +358 10 416 8023 or press@nordea.com

The information provided in this stock exchange release was submitted for publication through the agency of the contacts set out above, at 18.00 EET on 4 April 2023.

This information is provided by RNS, the news service of the London Stock Exchange. RNS is approved by the Financial Conduct Authority to act as a Primary Information Provider in the United Kingdom. Terms and conditions relating to the use and distribution of this information may apply. For further information, please contact rns@lseg.com or visit www.rns.com .

End of Media Release


Paris, 4 April 2023 - The Company's shareholders are invited to participate in the Annual General Meeting (AGM), which will be held on Tuesday 25 April 2023, at 10:00 am, at Altamir's offices: 1 rue Paul Cezanne, 75008 Paris.

The AGM prior notice, including the meeting agenda and the proposed resolutions, was published in the BALO (French Bulletin of Obligatory Legal Announcements) on 20 March 2023 and the AGM notice will be published in the BALO on 7 April 2023 and in a French journal of legal announcements on 7 April 2023.

In conformity with article R. 22-10-23 of the French Code of Commerce, the supporting documents to the AGM are available on the Company's website (www.altamir.fr).

The supporting documents to the AGM will also be made available to shareholders as of the AGM notice date. Thus, in conformity with the applicable regulatory provisions:

all registered shareholders may, up to and including the fifth day before the AGM, request that the Company forward them the documentation referred to in articles R.225-81 and R.225-83 of the French Code of Commerce, by electronic or other means. Bearer shareholders may exercise this right only after producing a registration certificate stating that their shares are recorded in a bearer securities account on the books of an accredited intermediary;

all shareholders may review the documents referred to in articles L. 225-115 and R.225-83 of the French Code of Commerce at the company's headquarters.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

About Altamir

Altamir is a listed private equity company (Euronext Paris-B, ticker: LTA) founded in 1995 and with a NAV of more than 1.3bn. Its objective is to provide shareholders with long-term capital appreciation and regular dividends by investing in a diversified portfolio of private equity investments.

Altamir's investment policy is to invest principally via and with the funds managed or advised by Apax Partners SAS and Apax Partners LLP, two leading private equity firms that take majority or lead positions in buyouts and growth capital transactions and seek ambitious value creation objectives. In this way, Altamir provides access to a diversified portfolio of fast-growing companies across Apax's sectors of specialisation (Tech & Telco, Consumer, Healthcare, Services) and in complementary market segments (mid-sized companies in continental Europe and large companies in Europe, North America and key emerging markets).

Altamir derives certain tax benefits from its status as a SCR ("Societe de Capital Risque"). As such, Altamir is exempt from corporate tax and the company's investors may benefit from tax exemptions, subject to specific holding-period and dividend-reinvestment conditions.

For more information: www.altamir.fr

Contact

Claire Peyssard Moses

Tel.: +33 1 53 65 01 74 / +33 6 34 32 38 97

E-mail: investors@altamir.fr

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Full and original release in PDF format:https://www.actusnews.com/documents_communiques/ACTUS-0-79197-cp_mad_doc-ag-2023_en.pdf
Annual General Meeting approves all motions proposed by the Board of Directors

All motions from the Board of Directors approved

Heinz O. Baumgartner elected as new Chairman

Conversion of bearer shares to registered shares approved along with general revision of Articles of Incorporation

Shareholders agree to a dividend of CHF 20 per share





Steinhausen, 4 April 2023 - Shareholders of Schweiter Technologies AG approved the recommendations of the Board of Directors at the Annual General Meeting today.

This included agreeing a dividend payout of CHF 20 per bearer share. Disbursement will take place on 12 April 2023.

RE-ELECTION OF MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Shareholders elected all members of the Board of Directors for a further one-year term of office and voted in Heinz O. Baumgartner as new Chairman of the Board. Shareholders also re-elected all members of the Compensation Committee for a further one-year term. At the constituent meeting immediately after the Annual General Meeting, Jacques Sanche was elected as Chairman of the Compensation Committee.

CONVERSION OF BEARER SHARES TO REGISTERED SHARES

Shareholders approved the conversion of existing bearer shares to registered shares. The switch is set to take place on 13 April 2023. Shareholders who have bearer shares held in a bank deposit need take no action. Those who keep their bearer shares at home or in a safety deposit box are requested to hand these securities in to their bank for the conversion to registered shares (which may only be kept in a bank deposit in future).

Further details about the share conversion are available on the www.schweiter.comwebsite and will also be published in the Swiss Official Gazette of Commerce (SHAB).

REVISION OF ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION

Shareholders also approved the proposal from the Board of Directors to revise the Articles of Association of Schweiter Technologies AG in order to implement the requirements of the reform of the law on Swiss public limited companies, which came into force on 1 January 2023.

VOTES ON REMUNERATION OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND MANAGEMENT

Shareholders approved the maximum total remuneration of the Board of Directors for the term of office up to the 2024 Annual General Meeting and the maximum total sum for the remuneration of the Management for the 2024 financial year. In a consultative vote, shareholders also endorsed the 2022 Compensation Report.

ELECTION OF THE STATUTORY AUDITOR

In accordance with the proposal of the Board of Directors, shareholders elected KPMG AG as statutory auditor for the financial year commencing on 1 January 2023.

For further information please contact:

Martin Kloti, CFO

Tel. +41 41 757 77 00

investor@schweiter.com

ABOUT SCHWEITER

Schweiter Technologies, with its head office in Steinhausen, Switzerland, is a globally active Group focusing on composites solutions with its division 3A Composites. The main activities include the development, production and distribution of high-quality composites, plastic sheets, foamboards and core materials based on balsa wood and PET foam. These materials are used primarily in the areas of visual communication (display), architecture, wind energy, construction, ship-building, and automotive.

The company has offices, distribution facilities and production sites at 40 locations in Europe, America, and the Asia-Pacific region, and employs 4 300 people. Schweiter Technologies AG is listed on SIX Swiss Exchange with the ticker symbol SWTQ.





Please find the Media release in the PDF attached:

Media release


Article L. 238-8-II of the French commercial Code and article 223-16 of the AMF (French Financial Markets Authority) general regulation

Regulatory News:

Corporate name of the issuer:

Veolia Environnement (Paris:VIE)

21 rue La Boetie

75008 PARIS

FRANCE

(ISIN code: FR0000124141-VIE)

Information closing

date Total number of

shares forming the

share capital Total number of voting rights March 31, 2023 714,574,367 Total number of theoretical voting rights (1): 730,724,129 Total number of voting rights that may be exercised (2): 718,311,328

Inclusion in the Veolia Environnement Articles of Association of a clause requiring a reporting obligation of the declaration of crossing a shareholding threshold, complementary to the one relating to the thresholds provided by the French law and the regulations in force (article 8).

(1) Number of theoretical voting rights after taking into account the number of shares with double voting rights as of March 31, 2023 (16,149,762 shares) and the number of treasury shares held as of March 31, 2023 (12,412,801 shares).

(2) Number of voting rights that may be exercised number of theoretical voting rights (or total number of voting rights attached to shares) shares without voting rights (number of treasury shares held as of March 31, 2023).

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230404005925/en/

Contacts:

Veolia Environnement
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Regulatory News:

The Azur Selection (ISIN: GRS528003007 Mnemonic: MLAZR) (Paris:MLAZR), a Greek hospitality company recently listed on the Euronext Access market in Paris, announces that Azur Boutique Hotel, managed and operated by the Azur Selection S.A., almost doubled its Accommodation Revenue and its Total hotel revenue in 2022 compare to 2021 and reached 2.2 million euros revenue.

The Azur Boutique hotel succeeded higher number for the year 2022 than forecast in all hotel performance metrics such as the occupancy room nights (+13%), the average occupancy (+14%) the ADR (+29%) with a total hotel revenue growth of +46% than forecast and +100% vs 2021.

The Azur Boutique hotel has good growth prospects for 2023 with a 13% growth in occupancy rate at the first trimester of the year vs the first trimester of 2022 and 30% growth of the total hotel revenue for the same period.

The Azur Boutique hotel is a new arrival in the heart of the Athenian Riviera in the elegant seaside suburb of Vouliagmeni. A newly built, discretely elegant, luxurious boutique hotel surrounded by pine trees. Just 200 metres from renowned golden beaches, yet easily accessible to the airport, the harbour and the Athens city centre. The property includes a swimming pool, a restaurant/bar with 40 rooms including 8 luxurious suites with private pools. This is the perfect place for business and leisure travellers in search of quality, service and unrivalled comfort, year-round. The Azur Boutique Hotel won Gold as Best Greek New City Hotel at the Greek Hospitality Awards 2020.

About The Azur Selection

The Azur Selection invests in ho The Azur Selection S.A. (MLAZR), recently listed on the Euronext Access market in Paris, invests in hotels and commercial real estate through a lease and sublease business model. The Azur Selection operates an investment management business through its subsidiaries and associated companies. It focuses on investing in hotels, hospitality and real estate in selected highly commercial geographical areas in Greece, the French Riviera and elsewhere.

It currently manages a portfolio of commercial real estate and hotels in Athens and on the island of Mykonos while maintaining long-term leases with the companies or users of its properties. Its portfolio includes 5 hotels (3 are subleased to a hotel operator and 2 are fully managed), as well as a shopping centre.

The group is managed by experienced executives with knowledge of the Greek and international real estate market.

https://www.azurselection.com/about-azur

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230404005944/en/

Contacts:

The Azur Selection

Chief Financial Officer

Dimitri Chomatas

dc@arvanitakisgroup.com

NewCap

Investor Relations

Theo Martin

Tel.: +33 (0)1 44 71 94 96

theazurselection@newcap.eu

NewCap

Media relations

Nicolas Merigeau

Tel.: +33 (0)1 44 71 00 15

theazurselection@newcap.eu
Living Future 2023 in Washington, D.C. to Focus on Advocacy & Belonging

In-person event to gather stakeholders from the built environment who are addressing climate, health, and justice issues.

Ronald Reagan Building & International Trade Center

May 3-5, 2023

MEDIA CREDENTIALS AVAILABLE - SEE BELOW

WASHINGTON DC / ACCESSWIRE / April 4, 2023 / With a focus on advocacy and belonging, Living Future 2023 will bring 850 leaders together to address intersecting opportunities related to climate, health, and justice. Hosted by the International Living Future Institute from May 3-5, 2023, the annual conference will unite a community of deep-green thought leaders, practitioners, and healthy materials providers focused on the built environment.

This year's keynote speakers include Erin Meezan, Chief Sustainability Officer of JLL, a global real estate services firm that manages 4.6 billion square feet of property. Peggy Shepard, co-founder and Executive Director of WE ACT for Environmental Justice and co-chair of the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council, will also deliver a keynote address.

Acknowledging that the climate emergency has differing social, economic, and health impacts, the event will focus on ways to address inequities through seven focus areas:

Biophilia + Beauty

Justice + Belonging

Impact Case Studies

Health + Materials

Restoration + Resilience

Advocacy Innovation

Zero Carbon

Now more than ever, the world needs a community working towards a common vision to make progress on the biggest challenges of our time, climate change, health and justice. It's time to move past individual projects to coalesce around holistic policy reform at the community scale, hence the focus on "Advocacy & Belonging."

Media Credentials Available Now

A limited number of free, all-access media credentials are available to journalists on assignment or with regular bylines in mainstream or trade publications. Please contact media@living-future.org if you are interested.

LF23 Sponsors

The International Living Future Institute offers its sincere gratitude to LF23 sponsors, without whom the event would not be possible: Mohawk, HMTX, 3E/Toxnot, Arup, Skanska, Glumac, SmithGroup, Perkins&Will, Earthjustice, Superior Essex, Prosoco, HLW, Mitsubishi HVAC, Architectural Nexus, Collins, ECO2, Florim USA, Assa Abloy, Biohabitats, BlueGreen Alliance, Bruner/Cott Architects & Planners, Little Diversified, One Click LCA, WRNS Studio, NRDC, Group14 Engineering, Doors Unhinged, Moore & Giles, Building Green, Verdical Group.

More information about sponsorship is available here: https://www.livingfutureconference.org/event/28710dad-dc14-4b04-940c-6b6965cdb154/websitePage:bfef989a-988c-4bd0-8532-d4286d417c3d

CONTACT:

Brad Kahn: brad@groundworkstrategies.com; +1-206-419-1607

About the International Living Future Institute

The International Living Future Institute is a global nonprofit organization that inspires the greenest buildings for a healthy world. The Institute's mission is to advance communities that are socially just, culturally rich, and ecologically restorative. ILFI operates the Living Building Challenge, the world's most ambitious, advanced, and holistic performance standard for green, resilient, and healthy buildings. It is also a hub for many other visionary programs that support the transformation toward--and provide a compelling vision for--a living future accessible to all. Learn more at www.living-future.org.

###

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from International Living Future Institute on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: International Living Future Institute

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/international-living-future-institute

Email: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: International Living Future Institute

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/747597/May-3-5-Living-Future-23-in-Washington-DC
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 4, 2023) - MYRIAD URANIUM CORP. (CSE: M) (OTCQB: MYRUF) (FSE: C3Q) ("Myriad" or the "Company") is pleased to advise, in potentially transformative news for Myriad, that Orano has announced that it will invest over C$115 million in formal in-situ recovery (ISR) testing at its Imouraren project in the prolific Tim Mersoi Basin, Niger[1]. Imouraren is Africa's largest uranium deposit, and the world's second largest, at 384 Mlbs eU3O8. If successful, the application of ISR to these deposits could be a game changer, as ISR is the uranium industry's leading low-cost production method globally, but has hitherto not been used in Niger.

The Arlit Fault, which hosts Imouraren and is considered to control mineralisation throughout the Tim Mersoi Basin, runs directly into Myriad's Agebout licence. There, approximately 15 km north of Imouraren, it intersects with part of the important Madaouela Fault system which hosts Goviex's 100 Mlbs eU3O8 Madaouela deposit.

Myriad calls the area around the intersection of the Arlit and Madaouela faults "Imouraren North". See Figure 1 below.





Figure 1 - Imouraren North and Neighbours



To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/6301/161260_4d1ec0fdf4cf2896_002full.jpg

Imouraren North has never been properly explored. Orano's predecessor Areva had planned an extensive drill program for the area, entailing approximately 65 boreholes, but then the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi accident intervened.

Now Myriad, which holds a 100% option interest in Agebout, will take up the task. Myriad possesses Areva's historic regional exploration data for Agebout, including airborne geophysics, radiometry, mapping, and 39 boreholes. However, most of this work was conducted in the eastern part of Agebout, away from Imouraren North.

"Since day one this intersection of key fault structures has been a high priority target area within our land package of over 1,800 square kilometres," stated Thomas Lamb, Myriad's CEO. "We know that Areva planned to test it intensively for roll-front sandstone deposits like Imouraren, but withdrew from all exploration in Niger before it could start the program. We also know that since Global Atomic's high grade Dasa discovery, geologists have been keen to test Imouraren North and other areas within Myriad's licences, since Athabasca-like high grade may be found at deeper strata along important fault boundaries. Now Myriad gets to do both. The announcement by Orano regarding Imouraren, just a few kilometers to the south of us, that they are going to invest heavily to confirm amenability to ISR, has elevated Imouraren North to the highest priority. We can't wait to get to work."

David Miller, one of the world's foremost authorities on ISR and a member of Myriad's Technical Committee, added "The recent press release on Orano's Imouraren project that ISR testing will begin next year, bodes well for our adjacent Agebout project. ISR is far less costly and intrusive on the environment than conventional open-cast or underground mining. The ISR method involves injecting a solution directly into the mineralised part of the orebody. The uranium is dissolved in water and then pumped to the surface and extracted by technology similar to a water softener. After uranium extraction, the water is refortified and reinjected in a closed loop with extremely low water consumption. Uranium extraction by ISR is little known in Niger, but over half of the world's uranium production is now extracted by this method."

Myriad intends to explore Imouraren North this year. The program will include high resolution airborne and ground geophysics for drill targeting, followed by drilling.

Qualified Person

George van der Walt (MSc. Economic Geology, Pr.Sci.Nat.), a "Qualified Person" for the purpose of National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical information included in this news release.

About Myriad

Myriad Uranium Corp. is a Canadian mineral exploration company with a 100% option interest in over 1,800 km2 of uranium exploration licences in the Tim Mersoii Basin, Niger. Myriad also has a 50% interest in the Millen Mountain Property located in Nova Scotia, Canada, with the other 50% held by Probe Metals Inc. For further information, please refer to the Company's disclosure record on SEDAR (www.sedar.com), contact the Company by telephone at +1.604.418.2877, or refer to the Company website, at www.myriaduranium.com.

Myriad's factsheet is here. A CEO interview with Crux Investor which may be of interest is here.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Thomas Lamb

President and CEO

tlamb@myriaduranium.com

Mineralization hosted on adjacent or nearby properties is not necessarily indicative of mineralization hosted on the Company's properties. This news release contains "forward-looking information" that is based on the Company's current expectations, estimates, forecasts and projections. This forward-looking information includes, among other things, the Company's business, plans, outlook and business strategy. The words "may", "would", "could", "should", "will", "likely", "expect," "anticipate," "intend", "estimate", "plan", "forecast", "project" and "believe" or other similar words and phrases are intended to identify forward-looking information. The reader is cautioned that assumptions used in the preparation of any forward-looking information may prove to be incorrect, including with respect to the Company's business plans respecting the exploration and development of the Company's mineral properties, the proposed work program on the Company's mineral properties and the potential and economic viability of the Company's mineral properties. Forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the Company's actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Such factors include, but are not limited to: changes in economic conditions or financial markets; increases in costs; litigation; legislative, environmental and other judicial, regulatory, political and competitive developments; and technological or operational difficulties. This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect our forward-looking information. These and other factors should be considered carefully, and readers should not place undue reliance on such forward-looking information. The Company does not intend, and expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to, update or revise any forward-looking information whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law.

The CSE has not reviewed, approved or disapproved the contents of this news release.

[1] https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Orano-eyes-2024-for-Imouraren-ISL-pilot-programme

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/161260
Toronto, Ontario and New York, New York--(Newsfile Corp. - April 4, 2023) - Micromem Technologies Inc. (CSE: MRM) (OTCQB: MMTIF) ("Micromem") ("the Company") is pleased to announce it has received the purchase order referred to in its previous press release dated March 27, 2023 for two ARTRA technology units (the "Initial Units"). The receipt of this purchase order is Phase Two (of three phases) of the agreement completed between WING[1], Universitatea Petrol SI Gaze Ploiesti (the "University"), Augustine Professionals and the Company (the "Agreement"). The Initial Units will be identical to the ARTRA technology that Micromem previously delivered to Chevron with modifications for operation in Romania; these Initial Units will be built in the United States. Following delivery, the University's team will complete their assessment of the required modifications necessary for these Initial Units to conform with all required specifications for a well-mounted device that incorporates all of the analytics software ("Configured Units").

The Company will then work directly with the University and will deliver 20 Configured Units; these are intended to be the forerunner process that, if successful, will result in a purchase order for up to 5,000 commercial units to be deployed in future.

Further press releases with additional details, including timelines, will be released as these phases of the Agreement move forward.

About Micromem.

Micromem Technologies Inc. and its subsidiaries, a publicly traded (OTCQB: MMTIF) (CSE: MRM) company analyzes specific industry sectors to create intelligent game-changing applications that address unmet market needs. By leveraging its expertise and experience with sophisticated sensor applications, the Company successfully powers the development and implementation of innovative solutions for oil & gas, utilities, automotive, healthcare, government, information technology, manufacturing and other industries. Visit www.micromeminc.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks, assumptions and uncertainties that could cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from those projected in such forward-looking statements. In particular, factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include: our inability to obtain additional financing on acceptable terms; risk that our products and services will not gain widespread market acceptance; continued consumer adoption of digital technology; inability to compete with others who provide comparable products; the failure of our technology; the infringement of our technology with proprietary rights of third parties; inability to respond to consumer and technological demands; inability to replace significant customers; seasonal nature of our business; and other risks detailed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date made and are not guarantees of future performance. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements. When used in this document, the words "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "project," "plan," "should," "intend," "may," "will," "would," "potential," and similar expressions may be used to identify forward-looking statements.

The CSE or any other securities regulatory authority has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release that has been prepared by management.

###

Listing: NASD OTC-QB - Symbol: MMTIF

CSE - Symbol: MRM

Shares issued 483,256,379

SEC File No: 0-26005

Investor Contact: info@micromeminc.com; Tel. 416-364-2023. Subscribe to receive News Releases by Email on our website's home page. www.micromeminc.com.

[1] Technological Transfer Center accredited by the Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digitizationthe largest national group of research & innovation companies, with almost 20 years of experience. www.wing.ro.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/161265
Company's Leadership to Host Corporate Update Via Live Audio

Webcast Today at 4:30 PM ET

WICHITA, KS / ACCESSWIRE / April 4, 2023 / AgEagle Aerial Systems Inc. (NYSE American:UAVS) ("AgEagle" or the "Company"), an industry-leading provider of full stack flight hardware, sensors, and software for commercial and government use, today announced its financial results for the full year ended December 31, 2022.

Financial Highlights for the Twelve Months Ended December 31, 2022 Compared to Prior Year

Total revenues nearly doubled, rising 96% to $19.1 million from $9.8 million. Sales of the Company's proprietary line of eBee -branded fixed wing drones and related equipment increased 305% to $9.8 million from $2.4 million. Strong demand for the Company's Altum-PT and RedEdge-P multispectral cameras drove sensor sales up 27% to $8.7 million from $6.8 million. Software-as-a-Services ("SaaS") sales also improved, increasing 11% to approximately $600,000 from approximately $538,000.

Gross profit margin remained stable at 43% compared to 44%.

Net loss totaled $58.3 million compared to $30.1 million after factoring a $42 million non-cash goodwill impairment charge in 2022 associated with the Company's SaaS and drone reporting units and a $12 million non-cash impairment charge in 2021 relating to its SaaS reporting unit. In addition, the 2022 net loss was impacted by greater operating and transactional costs as a result of the acquisitions completed during the 2021 fiscal year. This was partially offset by a $6.5 million non-cash gain on debt extinguishment associated with reductions of holdback liabilities realized in the third quarter of 2022 in connection with the Company's acquisitions of senseFly and MicaSense in the prior year.

Cash on hand as of December 31, 2022 was $4.4 million compared to $14.6 million as of the end of 2021. Cash provided by AgEagle's equity financing activities totaled $17.9 million in 2022 compared to $45.6 million raised in 2021.

For more detailed information on AgEagle's 2022 financial results, please refer to the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K, which will soon be filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and accessible at www.sec.gov and on AgEagle's website, www.ageagle.com.

Nicole Fernandez-McGovern, Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President of Operations, stated, "2022 marked another year of notable progress with continued momentum in market adoption of our next-generation autonomous solutions, matched by steady execution of our growth strategies. As we look ahead to 2023, we anticipate that AgEagle will continue to increase sales, expand margins and capitalize on the flow through of material cost savings resulting from the consolidation of our operations and business units this past year."

2022 Operational Highlights and Recent Developments

In March 2022, AgEagle's NDAA compliant eBee TAC was the first approved small unmanned aerial system ("UAS") to be designated as Blue UAS cleared by the Defense Innovation Unit ("DIU") for procurement by the U.S. Department of Defense, including all branches of the military, as well as by other U.S. government agencies.

was the first approved small unmanned aerial system ("UAS") to be designated as Blue UAS cleared by the Defense Innovation Unit ("DIU") for procurement by the U.S. Department of Defense, including all branches of the military, as well as by other U.S. government agencies. In June 2022, the Company's eBee X was the industry's first drone to receive a Design Verification Report from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency, paving the way for European drone operators in 27 European Union Member States, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland to seek approvals from their applicable national aviation authorities to use the eBee X to fly Beyond Visual Line of Sight ("BVLOS") missions and conduct Operations Over People ("OOP").

was the industry's first drone to receive a Design Verification Report from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency, paving the way for European drone operators in 27 European Union Member States, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland to seek approvals from their applicable national aviation authorities to use the to fly Beyond Visual Line of Sight ("BVLOS") missions and conduct Operations Over People ("OOP"). In July 2022, AgEagle entered into waiver agreements pursuant to which the Company was released from 50% of its payment obligations relating to holdback amounts in connection with the acquisitions of MicaSense and senseFly in 2021, thereby settling more than $7.4 million in debt obligations at a significant and beneficial discount.

In October 2022, the Company announced that is eBee X series of drones were the first and only Category 3 Small Unmanned Aerial Systems (sUAS) to be approved by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration for OOP and Operations Over Moving Vehicles in the United States.

In December 2022, AgEagle introduced its new eBee VISION UAS, providing next generation, real-time, 4K resolution video surveillance capabilities to military, public safety and commercial drone operators worldwide. Last week, AgEagle announced that three branches of European Armed Forces took delivery of eBee VISION units. The Company further revealed that it is currently conducting on-site demonstrations of the eBee VISION for military forces and government agencies in the United States and NATO countries in anticipation of scaled commercial availability in mid-2023.

UAS, providing next generation, real-time, 4K resolution video surveillance capabilities to military, public safety and commercial drone operators worldwide. Last week, AgEagle announced that three branches of European Armed Forces took delivery of eBee VISION units. The Company further revealed that it is currently conducting on-site demonstrations of the eBee VISION for military forces and government agencies in the United States and NATO countries in anticipation of scaled commercial availability in mid-2023. In February 2023, AgEagle's value added reseller FEDS, one of the leading drone services companies in the Middle East, won a tender for multiple eBee X drones and sensors for use in environmental mapping operations in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Earlier this week, the Company unveiled its new Field Check solution for its Measure Ground Control mobile app and announced new pricing tiers for the software. Field Check's unique feature set enable users to review and validate the quality of their drone-captured imagery on-site. It saves users time and mitigates the costs of project reworks by ensuring data capture that is complete and ready for processing into high-resolution outputs before leaving a site.

"AgEagle continues to make great strides in earning distinction as a drone company that commercial and government organizations worldwide rely on to supply them with numerous competitive advantages and operational benefits afforded by advanced unmanned aerial systems," said Barrett Mooney, AgEagle Chairman and CEO. "Our hard work during the past year, our global network of resellers and business partners, and continued innovation of our full stack of leading-edge UAS solutions are enabling AgEagle to meet the needs of our customers and the evolving demands of a growing industry. As we further consolidate our operations and continue to capitalize on sales momentum in the commercial and government markets, we believe AgEagle is well-positioned for continued success in 2023 and beyond."

Corporate Update Webcast Details

As a reminder, AgEagle's leadership will host the Company's 2022 Year-End Corporate Update via live audio webcast today, April 4, 2023, beginning at 4:30 p.m. ET/1:30 p.m. PT. To access the webcast, please go to https://www.webcaster4.com/Webcast/Page/2160/47760. If you have any difficulty connecting to the webcast, please contact Gateway Group at 949-574-3860. A replay of the discussion will be available on the Company's website at https://ageagle.com/investors/presentations/ within 24 hours following the conclusion of the live event.

About AgEagle Aerial Systems Inc.

Through its three centers of excellence, AgEagle is actively engaged in designing and delivering best-in-class flight hardware, sensors and software that solve important problems for its customers. Founded in 2010, AgEagle was originally formed to pioneer proprietary, professional-grade, fixed-winged drones and aerial imagery-based data collection and analytics solutions for the agriculture industry. Today, AgEagle is a leading provider of full stack drone solutions for customers worldwide in the energy, construction, agriculture, and government verticals. For additional information, please visit our website at www.ageagle.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

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China has renamed places in Arunachal Pradesh for the third time since 2017, a move that has been strongly condemned by the Indian government.

Chinas Ministry of Civil Affairs released a list of standardised names of 11 places in Arunachal in Chinese, Tibetan and pinyin characters on Sunday (2 April) to assert its claim over the territory.

As per PTI, these places include two land areas, two residential areas, five mountain peaks and two rivers.

Today, Indias ministry of external affairs (MEA) spokesperson Arindam Bagchi reiterated the countrys position and rejected Beijings action.

We have seen such reports. This is not the first time China has made such an attempt. We reject this outright. Arunachal Pradesh is, has been, and will always be an integral and inalienable part of India. Attempts to assign invented names will not alter this reality, the MEA said in a statement.

Our response to media queries regarding the renaming of places in Arunachal Pradesh by China:https://t.co/JcMQoaTzK6 pic.twitter.com/CKBzK36H1K  Arindam Bagchi (@MEAIndia) April 4, 2023

Why does China keep renaming places in Arunachal Pradesh and why does it claim the state as its territory? Lets understand this in detail.

When China renamed places in Arunachal in past

China has been doing this since 2017 when it had put out the first batch of standardised names for six places in Arunachal.

According to relevant regulations on the management of place names, the department has standardised some place names in Chinas South Tibet region. We have released the first batch of the place names in South Tibet (six in total), the Chinese government had said at the time.

This list had come days after the Dalai Lama visited Arunachal Pradesh, to which Beijing had raised strong objections.

As per Indian Express, Lu Kang, the then spokesperson of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, had said in 2017: China has a coherent and clear standpoint of the border between China and India. It is proper action to announce those Chinese place names to the public, as it is according to regulations established by the State Council.

Then in December 2021, Chinas Ministry of Civil Affairs said it has standardised the names of 15 places in the state.

Why is China renaming Arunachal Pradesh?

China claims the entire state of Arunachal Pradesh as its territory which it calls Zangnan, the southern part of Tibet.

The countrys maps depict Arunachal Pradesh as part of China.

As part of its strategy to make territorial claims to Arunachal, China has been assigning new names to the Indian state.

Justifying the recent decision, a Chinese scholar told the countrys The Global Times that Zangnam had been Chinas territories since ancient times.

Zhang Yongpan, a research fellow of the Institute of Chinese Borderland Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said the governments move to rename Zangnam falls within Chinas sovereignty and it is also in accordance with the regulation on the administration of geographical names.

Why does China claim Arunachal?

The Line of Actual Control (LAC) divides Indias territory from Chinas but there has been a dispute over it for decades.

While India considers LAC to be 3,488 km long, China puts it around 2,000 km.

In the Eastern Sector of the LAC  Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim  the McMahon Line acts as the de facto boundary between India and China, as per the Indian Express report.

This McMahon Line that marked out borders between Tibet and British India was agreed upon in 1914 at the Convention Between Great Britain, China, and Tibet or Simla Convention.

China was represented by the government of the Republic of China, which ruled the mainland from 1912 to 1949.

The current communist government came to power in 1949, declaring the Peoples Republic.

It was then that the Chinese government removed the country from what it deemed unequal international treaties that the country had adopted during its century of humiliation, as per Indian Express. It also called for a rediscussion of all its borders.

China also expresses strong reservations every time any Indian leader visits Arunachal Pradesh.

Significance of Arunachal Pradesh

Arunachal Pradesh, the largest state in the northeast, shares a border with Tibet to the north, Bhutan to the west and Myanmar to the east.

China sees Arunachal Pradesh as part of the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR).

As per The Times of India (TOI) report, this interest in Arunachal Pradesh is because of the district of Tawang, which lies in north-western region of the state and shares international borders with Bhutan and Tibet.

Tawang also houses Tawang Ganden Namgyal Lhatse or Tawang Monastery  the second largest monastery of Tibetan Buddhism in the world.

China cites historical ties between the Tawang monastery and Tibets Lhasa monastery to bolster its claims over Arunachal Pradesh.

When the Dalai Lama fled Tibet in 1959, he entered India through Tawang and sought refuge at the Tawang monastery for some time amid Chinas crackdown, noted TOI.

Last December, Indian and Chinese troops had come face-to-face at Yangtse in the Tawang sector.

Meanwhile, Arunachal also has a strategic significance for India from a military viewpoint. Thus, control over the state would be advantageous to China.

Arunachal Pradeshs resources are also what interests China, say experts.

Access to the state will give (China) direct access to northeastern sector of India and control over forest resources, Dr Jagannath Panda told CNBTV18.com last December.

Water resources are also a strategic draw of the region, with hydropower projects along the Brahmaputra-Yarlung Tsanpo river a regular source of tensions, Panda wrote in his article earlier.

Arunachal offers strategic advantages via geographical contiguity with Bhutan and access to Southeast Asian markets, CNBTV18.com quoted him as saying.

With inputs from agencies

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In a historical move, Donald Trump, the former president of the United States, will surrender Tuesday (4 April) before a Manhattan court to face criminal charges.

The former US president is accused of making six-figure payments in hush money to former adult film star Stormy Daniels just ahead of the 2016 US presidential election.

The court appearance comes ahead of next years presidential election, which will be impacted by the Republican leaders arraignment.

Lets take a closer look at how Donald Trumps criminal charges will affect his political campaign.

What to expect from Trumps surrender?

Trump will be formally charged, fingerprinted and have a mug shot taken, after which he will know the exact nature of charges against him in the 2016 hush money payments case, reported Associated Press (AP).

The former president will plead not guilty even to lesser charges, his lawyer Joe Tacopina said Tuesday.

He said he believes the case would not be referred to a jury. However, Trumps lawyer told ABCs Good Morning America: Really, theres a lot of mystery here because were doing something thats never been done before.

I think there will be a typical processing, which does not take long, 20-30 minutes. There wont be handcuffs, Tacopina added.

But, yeah, hell be processed the way anyone else would be  to a degree.

According to an AP report, there are several charges against Trump of falsifying business records, including at least one felony offence.

BBC reported that if any of the offences are serious, the Republican leader could face a maximum of four years in prison.

Following the arraignment  which will take place amid immense security in New York  Trump is expected to be released. He is slated to hold a rally at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida by Tuesday evening, reported AP.

Can Trump run for the 2024 election?

Yes.

Even if Trump is found guilty of a felony offence and sent to jail, he will still be able to run for the 2024 US presidential elections and even run the Oval Office from prison.

The businessman already announced his bid for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination last November.

If he wins the presidential election, the US Congress has the option to impeach him and remove him from office, as per The Conversation.

However, BBC reported citing legal experts that Trump is not expected to be put behind the bars.

ALSO READ: Not Just Stormy Daniels: Donald Trumps affair with Playboy model Karen McDougal and the hush-money deal

How will Trumps criminal charges affect elections?

76-year-old Trump is the first former US president to face a criminal case.

He called his indictment last week a witch hunt and has already made moves to script the narrative to his political advantage, noted AP.

Trump has called his supporters to protest and claimed his campaign has raised over $8 million within a week since the indictment.

Earlier at a campaign rally in Waco, Texas, Trump likened the multiple criminal probes against him to a Stalinist Russia horror show, as per Reuters news agency.

His indictment has created a rift among his supporters and critics, with Republicans believing that the New York investigation against him is politically motivated.

According to Harvard/Harris poll, 80 per cent of Democrats wanted Trump to be indicted, while 80 per cent of Republicans were against it, reported The Conversation.

Moreover, 57 per cent of Republicans believe a trial could help Trumps reelection bid.

ALSO READ: Donald Trump indicted: What does it mean for his political career and US democracy?

Is Trump still a front-runner in the Republican race?

A Harvard/Harris poll from mid-March shows that Trumps favourability among Republican voters has increased to 50 per cent, while his main contender Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is at 24 per cent.

Former US vice president Mike Pence is just at 7 per cent.

As per Reuters/Ipsos March data, the former US president is the front-runner in the 2024 Republican race, with 44 per cent support.

DeSantis was backed by 30 per cent of the Republicans, as per Reuters/Ipsos.

Trumps campaign has also been citing opinion polls to show that his lead over GOP rivals has expanded for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.

Political analysts have told Reuters that Trumps supporters, who see the charges as politically motivated, may strengthen their backing for him in the 2024 Republican primary.

John Feehery, a Republican strategist, told the news agency that the Manhattan case is silly as compared to other cases Trump is facing.

For all the things for Trump to get indicted for, this is not on the top 20 list. But it is a little bit of a scarlet letter for Trump that his opponents could use against him.

Such an argument could be persuasive for independent voters, Feehery was quoted as saying by Reuters.

Trumps indictment even saw his Republican rivals come to his defence.

DeSantis called it a political agenda. The weaponisation of the legal system to advance a political agenda turns the rule of law on its head.

Pence said on his ex-bosss indictment that it sent a terrible message to the world about justice in the US.

John McGuigan, a diehard Trump supporter, told BBC on Monday that the court case would end up helping Trumps presidential bid.

Those who are already convinced Donald Trump is the devil incarnate are not going to be affected by the outcome, nor will the staunch Trump supporters.

He added that for those voters who are somewhere in the middle this may end up being more of an asset than a detriment for Trumps 2024 campaign.

However, an expert argued that Republican voters might ditch Trump who comes with legal baggage for his opponents in the 2024 GOP presidential nomination.

Its not good for Trump, the question is how bad for Trump it is, Larry Sabato, director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia, told Reuters.

There could be multiple indictments  it begins to add up to a major problem.

With inputs from agencies

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Trumps time is here and the former United States president is making sure he turns his moment into a political spectacle. After being indicted  a first for a former US president  over the hush money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels, Donald Trump travelled to New York from Florida to face arraignment.

Around 2.15 pm ET (11.45 pm IST) on Tuesday, Trump will appear before New York judge Juan Merchan where he will learn the exact details of which laws he is alleged to have broken and it will also be determined whether he can be released without bail, which he likely will be since hes being charged with non-violent crimes.

Before he set off from his Florida residence Mar-a-Lago, Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform Witch Hunt  a phrase he routinely uses to criticise the many legal investigations hes facing.

As we await this moment in history, heres everything you need to know and want to know about what happens to Trump and what awaits him in the near future.

Fly me to New York

Donald Trump, who is a New Yorker, currently lives at Floridas Mar-a-Lago  his sprawling beachfront residence and members-only club. To face his arraignment in New York, he departed from Florida with his legal team and son Eric Trump on Monday.

According to his sons Twitter account, there was unbelievable support for miles from Trump supporters, who believe that the case against Trump is bogus and a way to derail his 2024 presidential bid.

Unbelievable support for miles as we depart to New York! pic.twitter.com/Qa0c2pXBip  Eric Trump (@EricTrump) April 3, 2023

From the airport, Trump and his team made their way to New York on board his private plane, which is called Trump Force One. A New York Times reporter added that several Trump aides  including senior advisor Jason Miller, spokesman Steven Cheung and campaign strategist Susie Wiles  were all travelling with him.

The plane landed at LaGuardia airport and according to FlightRadar website, the plane was the most tracked flight worldwide at that time.

Doubling down at Trump Tower

From LaGuardia airport, the former US president made his way to Trump Tower in Manhattan by road, accompanied with his Secret Service agents as well as local police.

New York mayor Eric Adams earlier issued a warning to Trump supporters to keep the peace, saying that the dignity of the proceedings would not be disrupted. Barricades were deployed, and the Police Department sent a stand-ready order to its roughly 35,000 officers, a force larger and better trained than some national armies.

While there may be some rabble-rousers thinking of coming to our city tomorrow, our message is clear and simple: Control yourselves, Adams said at a news conference on Monday. New York is our home and not a place for your misplaced anger.

All of American media had their cameras and eyes turned towards Trump  making this moment perhaps one of the most watched televised flashes in history.

The former US president will spend the rest of his day at Trump Tower with his legal advisers, which has grown with the addition of prominent white-collar criminal defence lawyer and former federal prosecutor Todd Blanche.

Here's a full guide to the Donald Trump saga

Donald Trump to be charged over hush money payment to porn star: Whats the case all about?

Will Donald Trump be jailed after indictment in hush money case involving porn star? Can he still run for president?

Not Just Stormy Daniels: Donald Trump's affair with Playboy model Karen McDougal and the hush-money deal

Beyond charges in New York: The many legal investigations involving Donald Trump

While Trump remains huddled with his team in Trump tower, his supporters as well as protesters gathered outside the building with placards and chanting slogans. The security presence was heightened in the area, fearing a riot.

According to a report published by The Telegraph, a source close to the matter said Trump was ready to fight against the injustice, persecution and weaponisation of the justice system.

Prior to his appearance at the court, his lawyers argued against letting cameras in the courtroom. In a letter to the court, they argued against allowing such coverage, saying it would exacerbate an already almost circus-like atmosphere around this case and detract from both the dignity and decorum of the proceedings and courtroom.

However, it has been reported that Judge Merchan will allow five pool photographers at the arraignment to take still photos for several minutes and cameras in the hallway. He will not permit electronics in the courtroom.

Court-ing Trump

On Tuesday morning, former US president Trump will make his way to the Manhattan Criminal Courts Building where he is expected to first surrender at the office of Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg before his arraignment in court.

The journey from Trump Tower to the court is around 30 minutes, but a lot of planning is being put in to ensure a smooth ride and avoiding any sort of commotion. Secret Service agents and NYPD officials are working together for this part of the operation. According to a BBC report, Trumps path in and out of the building has reportedly been carefully mapped by Secret Service agents who visited the courthouse on Friday to assess the various routes.

Its not clear if Trump will make remarks to the media before he leaves Trump Tower or when he arrives outside court.

Before he is arraigned in court, Trump will be fingerprinted, DNA-swabbed and seated for mug shots that will no doubt be flashed across the world. However, his lawyers downplayed the chances of a perp walk  in which a defendant is escorted in handcuffs past media cameras  with Trump attorney Joe Tacopina, telling CNN earlier, Hopefully, this will be as painless and classy as possible for a situation like this.

Once inside court, Trump is expected to plead not guilty to all charges. While it is unclear what charges he faces as yet, theres 30 counts, including at least one felony. After this, he is expected to return to Florida and address his supporters.

As angry and indignant he appears about the indictment, it may help him in acquiring the Republican nomination for president next year. As more Republicans enter the fray, Trump is using the indictment to boost his support base. And it seems like its working. A Yahoo/YouGov poll on Sunday showed Trump having a 26 percentage point over Floridas Ron DeSantis, the strongest challenger to Trump.

With inputs from agencies

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Brussels: Finland is set to join NATO today, days after Turkey ratified the Nordic countrys membership and set it on track to become the 31st member of the worlds biggest military alliance.

All NATO members must vote unanimously to admit a new country into the alliance.

This is an historic week, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters in Brussels Monday, on the eve of a meeting of the alliances foreign ministers. The move, he said, will make Finland safer and our alliance stronger.

The addition of Finland, which shares a 1,340-kilometre (832 mile) border with Russia, will more than double the size of NATOs border with Russia.

Only a few technical steps procedures remain before Finland can join NATOs ranks:

Acceptance letters

Turkey today will hand its acceptance letter for Finlands accession to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken at NATO headquarters in Brussels. The United States is the depositary, or safekeeper, of NATO under the alliances 1949 founding treaty.

Signatures

Stoltenberg will then invite Finland to present Blinken with its own acceptance document, signed by Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto. Finnish president Sauli Niinisto authorised Haavisto to sign the document.

Full membership

Once Finlands membership acceptance document is handed over, the country will officially become a NATO member. A flag raising ceremony will be held at 1330 GMT (7 pm IST) in Brussels on 4 April.

Finland-Sweden

Finland and neighbouring Sweden jointly applied for NATO membership in May 2022. The countries, which have close cultural, economic and political ties, planned to enter the alliance simultaneously.

Also Read: Finland gets a yes. But, why is Turkey sitting on Swedens NATO bid?

Swedens bid, however, has stalled due to opposition from Turkey, whose president has said his country wont ratify membership before its disputes with Stockholm are resolved. The Turkish government has accused Sweden of being too soft on groups that it deems to be terror organisations.

Hungarys parliament also has yet to ratify Swedens accession to NATO, and it remains unclear when it will do so. Stoltenberg said Monday that he hopes Sweden will join in coming months, before US president Joe Biden and his NATO counterparts meet in Lithuania in July.

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Paris: NATO is the worlds biggest military alliance, bringing together 30 European and North American countries who commit to defend each other in the event of attack. After Finland joins today, it will have 31 members.

The alliance was formed at the start of the Cold War to protect Western Europe against the threat of Soviet aggression but its remit and reach have expanded over time.

Here is a brief history of the organisation:

Containing Soviet threat

The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation is founded on 4 April, 1949, by 12 countries alarmed by the Soviet Unions drive to install communist regimes across Eastern Europe.

The original signatories of the founding Washington Treaty are Belgium, Britain, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal and the United States.

The treatys key Article 5 states that an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against them all and requires a reaction, including the use of armed force.

Moscows response is to set up a rival club of 12 communist countries called the Warsaw Pact.

Balkan wars

After the Soviet Union falls apart in 1991, NATO gets drawn into the Balkan wars.

In 1994, the alliance conducts its first combat operation, sending fighter jets to Bosnia-Herzegovina to enforce a no-fly zone.

A year later, NATO puts boots on the ground for the first time when it deploys peacekeepers to Bosnia.

In 1999, it carries out a 78-day bombing campaign in Serbia over Belgrades bloody crackdown on the breakaway province of Kosovo.

But the 1990s also bring outreach with Russia and its former allies.

In 1997, NATO signs a political founding act with Moscow, stressing that they do not consider each other as adversaries and two years later the first ex-communist countries join the club  the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland.

War on terror

NATOs one for all and all for one pledge is invoked for the first time after the 9/11 attacks on the United States, carried out by the Al-Qaeda terror network.

NATO joins the US-led war on terror in 2003, taking the lead of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) deployed to Afghanistan to root out Al-Qaeda and other Islamist militants.

NATOs combat mission in Afghanistan ends in 2014, but NATO allies only withdraw fully seven years later sparking a collapse of Western-trained Afghan forces and a takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban.

Meanwhile, as the European Union expands, so does the alliance, with Bulgaria, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia joining in 2004.

The admission the same year of the three ex-Soviet states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania particularly annoys Russia.

Libya intervention

In 2011, the alliance is given a UN mandate to use all necessary measures to protect Libyan civilians from embattled dictator Moamer Kadhafi.

NATOs seven-month campaign of air strikes leads to Kadhafis overthrow. Russia and China accuse NATO of using its mandate as a cover for regime change.

Standoff over Ukraine

In April 2014, NATO suspends all cooperation with Russia over its annexation of Crimea and support for pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine.

In 2016, NATO deploys four multinational battalions to Poland and the Baltic states, marking the biggest reinforcement of NATOs collective defences since the Cold War.

On 24 February, 2022, Russia invades Ukraine, a NATO partner country that has for years attempted to join the alliance.

NATO does not intervene directly, but its members send Kyiv billions of dollars in weapons and the alliance boosts its eastern flank with four new battlegroups  in Romania, Bulgaria, Slovakia and Hungary.

Fearing being future targets of Russian aggression, Finland and Sweden, which have been non-aligned for decades, apply for NATO membership.

On 30 March, 2023, Turkey is the last NATO member to approve Finlands membership, clearing the way for it to become NATOs 31st member.

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Alena Dvorakova at the Dublin Review of Books:

Postcards from Absurdistan is the third volume in a loose trilogy of cultural histories in which Derek Sayer has argued that European modernity is best examined from a vantage point located, both literally and figuratively, in Bohemia and its capital, Prague. The first volume, The Coasts of Bohemia (1998), tackled the issue of national identity. It presented Czech history  from its mythic beginnings to just after the communist takeover in 1948  as a lesson on the nature of national historiography. When a small nation has, for most of its past, struggled for recognition, its history is bound to consist of attempts to re-invent the past in order to assure itself of a future. The form of this reassurance: a bricolage of national treasures assembled largely under the motto small but ours. Focusing on the main tropes of the Czech National Revival  especially the emphasis on the Czech language as the basis for national identity, and the encoding of Czechness as something anti-German, anti-aristocratic and anti-Catholic  Sayer presents this chequered history as a corrective to the national histories of bigger, older, more secure nations. A lot of what he marks out as specifically Czech, however, sounds very familiar in the Irish context. None better than the Czechs at understanding Irish peoples fondness for the best little country in the world trope (including its associated ironies) and the pitfalls of turning a language into a crux of nationality.

more here.
Malaysias lower house of Parliament okayed a bill on Monday (3 April) that would revoke mandatory capital punishment for certain offences.

With this, lawmakers aim to limit the death penalty for serious crimes and reshape the criminal justice system.

Now, the bill has to be cleared by the upper house and the king to become law, which is widely expected to happen.

Lets take a closer look at Malaysias new legal reforms.

Malaysia to scrap mandatory death penalty

Malaysia has 34 criminal offences that carry death penalty, out of which 11  murder, drug trafficking, treason, kidnapping and terrorism  have mandatory capital punishment.

Under the new amendment, the Southeast Asian nation will abolish capital punishment for 11 offences that do not cause death, such as kidnapping and certain firearm crimes, reported Associated Press (AP).

For these offences, the death penalty will now be replaced with life imprisonment with sentences between 30 and 40 years, and corporal punishment like caning at least 12 times.

Previously, judges had no choice but to order capital punishment by hanging for these 11 offences.

As per a South China Morning Post (SCMP) report, presenting the legislation in Parliament on Monday, deputy law minister Ramkarpal Singh said: Imprisonment for a period of time and caning is seen as the most appropriate alternative punishment for the 11 offences that carries the death penalty.

However, judges can use their discretion to hand out capital punishment in exceptional cases.

Moreover, the bill also proposes to scrap imprisonment for natural life that put criminals behind bars till their death. This will also be replaced with imprisonment sentences of up to 40 years and caning, reported AP.

As per AP, 1,318 people are on death row in the country, out of which 842 have exhausted all other legal appeals.

Most of these cases are related to drug trafficking. AP reported citing the Anti-Death Penalty Asia Network that 500 of those on death row in the country are foreigners.

These proposed reforms will allow these death row convicts to file a review of their sentences till 90 days after the legislation comes into effect, Malaysias deputy law minister said.

ALSO READ: Why does Idaho want to bring back firing squads for executing prisoners?

Why is Malaysia removing mandatory death penalty?

Addressing the Parliament, Singh said the death penalty was irreversible and had failed to discourage crimes.

We cannot arbitrarily ignore the existence of the inherent right to life of every individual. The death penalty has not brought the results it was intended to bring, Singh was quoted as saying by Al Jazeera.

Abolishing capital punishment has been a contentious issue in Malaysia for more than a decade now.

Malaysia has had a moratorium on executions since 2018, but courts have continued to hand out capital punishment.

The then-Mahathir Mohamad government had promised to abolish capital punishment in 2018, but due to political pressure from some parties, the plans were abandoned a year later.

However, it allowed courts to replace death sentences with other punishments at their discretion, as per Reuters.

Last June, under former prime minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob, Malaysia started the legal process to remove the death penalty as a mandatory punishment.

Rights group welcomes Malaysias move

A human rights group has hailed Malaysias new legal reforms, saying it is an important step forward for the country.

This is an important breakthrough that will cause some serious conversations in the halls of upcoming ASEAN meetings, Human Rights Watch deputy Asia director Phil Robertson told AFP.

Malaysia should show regional leadership by encouraging other governments in ASEAN to re-think their continued use of the death penalty, starting with Singapore which has recently gone on a post-COVID execution spree.

ALSO READ: Rare Saudi execution during Muslim holy month

Countries that still have death penalty

As per Death Penalty Information Center, more than 70 per cent of the countries around the world have done away with capital punishment in law or practice.

Last year, Kazakhstan and Papua New Guinea joined the list of nations to have abolished the death penalty.

However, certain countries continue to order executions. Capital punishment is legal in India, the United States, China, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Japan, Saudi Arabia, and Thailand among others.

According to Amnesty Internationals 2021 report a total of 579 executions were carried out in 18 countries. The figures did not include data from China, North Korea and Vietnam due to little or no information.

China, which the international organisation believes carried out executions in thousands in 2021, classifies data on the death penalty as a state secret.

Iran, Egypt and Saudi Arabia accounted for 80 per cent of all known executions in 2021.

The number of known death sentences in 2021 stood at 2,052, a nearly 40 per cent rise from 2020 (1,477).

Among the methods of execution in 2021, hanging and firing squads were the most common, Al Jazeera reported citing the Amnesty International report.

While lethal injection is the widely used method of execution in the United States China and Vietnam, Saudi Arabia continues beheading with a sword.

Last year, Singapore executed 11 people convicted of drug offences, as per the government data.

Four pro-democracy activists were hanged by the military government in Myanmar  the countrys first death sentences in decades.

Between 1992 and 2023, Malaysia has hanged 1,318 prisoners, BBC reported citing official data.

With inputs from agencies

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Helsinki: Does an international post await Finlands outgoing Prime Minister Sanna Marin after her election loss? What explains the nationalist partys record score? And are the nationalists reliable partners for a government coalition?

Here is what we know after Finlands general election on Sunday, which saw Marin ousted by Petteri Orpo of the centre-right National Coalition Party.

Ambitious young leader

After basking in the spotlight of European politics, 37-year-old Marin failed to turn her exceptional popularity into enough seats in parliament for her Social Democratic Party (SDP).

The SDP fell to third place with 43 seats, behind the conservative National Coalition with 48 seats and the far-right with 46.

Traditionally the largest party inherits the prime minister post.

Speculation about Marins next step is rife.

One option could be a run for Finlands presidency, with Sauli Niinisto scheduled to step down next year.

It would be really interesting to see how she would do in a presidential election, because she is extremely popular, but also extremely disliked, Marko Junkkari, a journalist at daily Helsingin Sanomat told AFP.

But it has been questioned whether the presidency, which is largely a ceremonial role in Finland, would match the young rock star politicians ambitions.

Marin continuing as a politician in Finland would be a bit of a waste of experience and talent, Karina Jutila, director of E2 research institute, told AFP.

Also Read: Finland set to join NATO today: The last steps to become a member of the alliance

With Finland set to join NATO today, Marin could also be a contender to replace its outgoing chief Jens Stoltenberg in September.

But NATO diplomats deem it unlikely that such a recent member would take over the post.

Marin could also have her eyes set on a top EU job, with a new European Commission to be appointed in 2024.

Why did the nationalists surge?

For the second straight election, the anti-immigration Finns Party competed for first place, clinching a record 46 seats in the 200-seat parliament.

Founded in the mid-1990s, the party hardened its line in 2017 while in a centre-right government, which saw them thrown out of power.

They have their finger very much on the pulse of the public. They can sense what the emerging concerns are, Jutila said.

Consistently scoring well with voters, the Finns Party has proven that it is by no means a bad dream from which we will wake up at some point, political scientist Mikko Majander from think tank Magma explained.

The party has strong support specifically among working-class men and attracts the highest share of young voters.

It stands out from other parties, Rahkonen explained, which is why it appeals to young people who do not have a strongly formed political identity of their own.

While other parties see immigration as an answer to Finlands ageing population, the Finns Party has campaigned for a hard line on immigration, blaming recent arrivals for rising juvenile delinquency.

Analysts are divided over whether the nationalist party, which sits in the European Parliaments Identity and Democracy group along with French Marine Le Pens National Rally and Italian Matteo Salvinis League party, can be considered far-right.

Both leaders congratulated the Finns Party after the elections.

There is no far-right party in Finland, future prime minister Orpo told foreign media on Sunday.

Are the populists reliable partners?

Orpo has two main options to form a majority government: A coalition across the political divide with the SDP, or a right-wing government with the Finns Party.

While the Finns Party is closer to the centre-right when it comes to economics  the most important election issue for Orpo  allying with the far-right would make it harder to find other parties to build a majority.

A blue-red government with SDP and the National Coalition  not uncommon in Finland  would be easier for smaller parties to join.

Also Read: Finland gets a yes. But, why is Turkey sitting on Swedens NATO bid?

This would be the most likely coalition, according to Jutila.

In the current political climate, Finland needs experienced decision-making and a composition that is used to working together.

While SDP is a tried and tested partner, the Finns Party could be unpredictable, Majander said, noting that its voter base could have a hard time accepting budget austerity.

A blue-red government could also pose problems from a democratic point of view, because the Finns Party has done really well in the elections, Jutila said.

The SDP is ready to enter the government, but not with the Finns Party, Social Democrat deputy head Matias Makynen told local media on Monday.

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France is considering legalising assisted suicide.

On Monday, President Emmanuel Macron said a new law would be drafted on the end-of-life procedure by the end of summer.

The move comes two days after the committee of 184 French citizens tasked by the presidency with drawing up a non-binding recommendation approved legalising active assistance to dying.

Macron told members that their opinion would constitute a starting point, but warned the government would not necessarily follow their suggestions.

I do not promise you we will pick up one or another of your conclusions. They will take their course, the 45-year-old said.

Lets take a closer look at assisted dying:

France has allowed passive euthanasia since 2005. However, active euthanasia and assisted suicide remain banned.

First, lets briefly examine the differences between the three.

Passive euthanasia refers to when medical care is withheld or pain management medication is prescribed in increasingly larger doses, as per Medical News Today.

France in 2016 passed a law letting doctors couple this with deep and continuous sedation for terminally ill patients in pain.

The law, however, does not allow doctors to administer or provide a lethal dose, as per The Guardian.

Active euthanasia is when a lethal substance or force is used by someone to end an individuals life.

Assisted suicide has several definitions.

One of them being helping someone of sound mind and volition take their own life by providing drugs that are to be self-administered.

Assisted suicide in France

Up to 70 per cent of French people are in favour of active help in dying, according to a survey of 1,000 people published on Sunday by newspaper Journal du Dimanche.

But just 36 per cent said they would actually consider it for themselves if they were suffering from a painful and incurable illness.

As per The Guardian, the committee determined that assisted dying should be an option only for those that can express their wishes at any time and not for those suffering dementia or Alzheimers disease.

But lOrdre des Medecins, the national council of doctors of France, remains opposed to assisted dying, as per the newspaper.

Opinions are also divided over euthanasia and assisted suicide in the National Assembly.

Most on the left and a part of the centre back legalisation, but the right is mostly against it.

Last year, news that French director Jean-Luc Godard died by assisted suicide in Switzerland  where he was living as a recluse for years  shocked many.

Macron in September, paying tribute to Godard as a national treasure, had announced a national debate on end-of-life options that will include exploring the possibility of legalizing assisted suicide.

DW previously quoted Macron as saying a personal opinion that can evolve on assisted suicide.

He added that a head of state has a responsibility for agreement and a wish for appeasement.

Since being elected in 2017, Macron has often been accused by critics of an imperious, top-down style of governing, a feeling that contributed to sparking the Yellow Vest protests of 2018 and 2019.

After winning a second term last year, the former investment banker vowed to carry out broad national consultation on a variety of topics.

But critics say his government has largely ignored the results of a previous citizen brainstorming session on climate change.

In recent weeks, he has faced growing public anger over the divisive pension reform his government forced through the hung lower house of parliament, fuelling unrest across the country.

European countries open door to assisted dying

A growing number of countries have over the past few decades opened the door to assisted dying for those in need.

Italy in 2022 for the first time gave assent to the assisted suicide of a man who had been paralysed for over a decade, as per DW.

The Netherlands became the first country in the world to legalise both active euthanasia and assisted suicide on April 1, 2002, for patients actively choosing to end unbearable suffering with no prospect of improvement.

Belgium, Luxembourg and Spain have since followed suit, while Switzerland  which prohibits euthanasia  has for decades allowed assisted suicide.

The Netherlands and Belgium have expanded the law to decriminalise euthanasia for some terminally ill children, with the consent of their parents.

With inputs from agencies

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On Tuesday, Twitter changed its logo from its iconic blue bird to the doge meme Shiba Inu  often associated with Dogecoin.

The move comes just days after the social media companys CEO Elon Musk asked a judge to dismiss a case accusing him of running a pyramid scheme to support the cryptocurrency.

Musk tweeted:



But what is Dogecoin? Lets take a closer look:

Origins

Dogecoin is a cryptocurrency.

The meme associated with the currency comes from a dog owned by a Japanese schoolteacher, as per Moneycontrol.

Atsuka Sako in 2010 posted pictures of her dog Kabosu online.

The meme, which was born after a Reddit user in October that year commented about the DOGE, soon spread everywhere from T-shirts to mugs.

In 2013, Adobes Jackson Palmer teamed up with IBMs Billy Markus to launch Dogecoin  essentially to mock the then frenzy that surrounded cryptocurrency.

But by 2014, something strange happened  it had became the worlds fifth-largest cryptocurrency, as per Moneycontrol.

Musk jumps on doge bandwagon

While the coin itself remains little used in commerce or payments  like other digital coins, it is highly volatile and its price is heavily influenced by social media users.

Musk has been among its biggest proponents over the past few years.

The social media company CEO after taking over Twitter floated the idea of allowing users to pay a membership fee in Doge.

Musk has repeatedly promoted the cryptocurrency on Twitter as well as his appearance on Saturday Night Live.

Musk in February 2022 said the companys supercharging station would accept cryptocurrency Dogecoin as payment.

In December 2021, he announced Tesla would accept Dogecoin as payment for certain products  which caused a spike in the price of the crypto.

Musk also endorsed Dogecoin over Bitcoin.

The transaction value of Bitcoin is low and the cost per transaction is high. At least at a space level, it is suitable as a store of value. But fundamentally, Bitcoin is not a good substitute for transactional currency, Musk said it an interview.

However, the Dogecoin itself remains little used in commerce or payments  like other digital coins, it is highly volatile and its price is heavily influenced by social media users.

Meanwhile, its co-creator Palmer disowned the currency in 2021.

After years of studying it, I believe that cryptocurrency is an inherently right-wing, hyper-capitalistic technology built primarily to amplify the wealth of its proponents through a combination of tax avoidance, diminished regulatory oversight and artificially enforced scarcity, Palmer wrote on Twitter.

The cryptocurrency industry is controlled by a powerful cartel of wealthy figures who, with time, have evolved to incorporate many of the same institutions tied to the existing centralized financial system they supposedly set out to replace, Palmer added.

Palmer also dismissed Musk as a grifter.

Speaking to Business Insider, Palmer said Musk had capitalised on Dogecoin to latch onto communities in an effort to absorb them into his cult of personality.

He does this on several topics. Look at how a lot of the free speech, right-wingers have all kind of become big Elon Musk supporters, Palmer said. Thats beneficial to him because hes kind of building his army, taking in the tribes of all these different kinds of misfit communities that are extremely dedicated and extremely passionate.

Still, CoinMarketCap.com pegs Dogecoins market capital in excess of $13 billion.

It remains the worlds eighth-most valuable cryptocurrency.

On Tuesday, the currency jumped more than 20 per cent on the heels of Musks move.

Musk asks for suit to be dismissed

Musk and his electric car company Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) called the lawsuit by Dogecoin investors a fanciful work of fiction over Musks innocuous and often silly tweets about Dogecoin.

The lawyers said the investors never explained how Musk intended to defraud anyone or what risks he concealed, and that his statements such as Dogecoin Rulz and no highs, no lows, only Doge were too vague to support a fraud claim.

There is nothing unlawful about tweeting words of support for, or funny pictures about, a legitimate cryptocurrency that continues to hold a market cap of nearly $10 billion, Musks lawyers said. This court should put a stop to plaintiffs fantasy and dismiss the complaint.

In a footnote, the lawyers also rejected the investors claim that Dogecoin qualified as a security.

The investors lawyer, Evan Spencer, said in an email: We are more confident than ever that our case will be successful.

Investors accused Musk, the worlds second-richest person according to Forbes, of deliberately driving up Dogecoins price more than 36,000 per cent over two years and then letting it crash.

They said this generated billions of dollars of profit at other Dogecoin investors expense, even as Musk knew the currency lacked intrinsic value.

Investors also pointed to Musks appearance on a Weekend Update segment of NBCs Saturday Night Live where, portraying a fictitious financial expert, he called Dogecoin a hustle.

The $258 billion damages figure is triple the estimated decline in Dogecoins market value in the 13 months before the lawsuit was filed.

Dogecoin Foundation, a nonprofit, is also a defendant and seeking the lawsuits dismissal.

Musks posts on Twitter, which he owns, have prompted multiple lawsuits.

He won a court victory on 3 February when a San Francisco jury found him not liable for tweeting in August 2018 that he had arranged financing to take Tesla private.

With inputs from agencies

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New Delhi: Reject this outright, said India as it strongly rejected China renaming 11 places in Arunachal Pradesh, which it claims as South Tibet. Indias Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Arindam Bagchi stressed that Arunachal Pradesh is, has been, and always be an integral and inalienable part of India.

Attempts to assign invented names (by China) will not alter this reality, the MEA spokesperson added.

Our response to media queries regarding the renaming of places in Arunachal Pradesh by China:https://t.co/JcMQoaTzK6 pic.twitter.com/CKBzK36H1K  Arindam Bagchi (@MEAIndia) April 4, 2023

The renaming in the past too was promptly rejected by India, with New Delhi saying that Arunachal will always remain an integral and inseparable part of India.

China has on Sunday (2 March) for the third time made an attempt to lay claim to areas inside the Indian territory by renaming 11 places in Arunachal Pradesh which it calls Zangnan, the southern part of Tibet.

The names were released in Chinese, Tibetan and pinyin characters, in accordance with regulations on geographical names issued by State Council, Chinas cabinet, said a report by Chinese state mouthpiece Global Times.

The Chinese Ministry of Civil Affairs said they are standardising some geographical names in southern Tibet.

Don't Miss: China again renames 11 places in Arunachal Pradesh as part of Southern Tibet, India says ground situation 'won't change'

The ministry gave precise coordinates, including two land areas, two residential areas, five mountain peaks and two rivers. It also listed the category of places names and their subordinate administrative districts.

China also released a map that showed parts of Arunachal Pradesh inside the southern Tibetan region which even includes a town situated close to the state capital of Itanagar.

However, this is not the first time China renamed places terming them standardised geographical names. In 2017, days after Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama left Arunachal Pradesh following a high-profile nine-day visit, China carried out first batch of name changes of six places.

The second batch was in 2021 when China renamed 15 locations in Arunachal Pradesh. It happened ahead of a new border security law that was to come in effect in January 2021. Dismissing Chinas move, India said such actions wouldnt alter the regions status as an integral part of the country.

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Srinagar: Thirty members of the Jammu and Kashmir branch of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) have received threats from The Resistance Front (TRF), an offshoot of terrorist organisation Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) which is based in Pakistan.

Muslim religious authorities who are supposedly connected to the RSS have mostly been threatened by the TRF. These RSS members are based in several districts in the Jammu region as well as the Kashmir Valley, an official told the media.

The list does not include any well-known names. The threat letter is delivered at a period of relative calm in the Kashmir Valley.

An all-party delegation is scheduled to visit Kashmir later this month to evaluate the situation there at Farooq Abdullahs invitation, the head of the National Conference.

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New Delhi: The Delhi Polices Special Cell has arrested one of the most wanted gangsters of the national capital, Deepak Boxer, from Mexico with the help of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), officials said on Tuesday.

A senior police officer told PTI that a Special Cell team is currently in Mexico and it has nabbed the gangster, who will be brought to India.

Deepak headed the Gogi gang after the killing of gangster Jitendra Gogi in the Rohini court complex here last year.

He was wanted in connection with the killing of builder Amit Gupta, who was shot several times in his left leg and abdomen on August 23 last year in north Delhis Burari.

Deepak had claimed the responsibility for Gogis killing on Facebook, saying they had killed him due to his proximity with their rival Tillu gang. They suspected that Gupta had passed on information to police about Fazza, who was killed in an encounter.

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External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar called it a bad habit that the West had. He said that the West thinks it has a God-given right to comment on the internal affairs of India, and cast aspersions on its leadership. He warned that this sort of abuse of international protocol could go both ways. And he spoke, not only as a minister of the realm, but also a distinguished former diplomat.

To a certain extent, it already is, with the Indian media regularly calling out the Western interference, and pointing out its many shortcomings on its home turf.

It is a mote in ones own eye syndrome, to paraphrase the Bible. Multiple matters, ranging from global warming-based natural disasters, forest fires, frequent shootings at schools, racist killings by police, pogroms allowed by dissident Islamists and Khalistanis, against Hindus, or Indian Missions, render most of the Western carping about India nonsensical.

It is also an intrinsic racist bias, where problems that concern the White nations are given precedence over those of others. Why should blue-eyed and blond children die in Ukraine, was one such proposition. Similar questions are not ever asked about the ongoing turmoil in Syria. The EAM has pointed to this as well.

Overall, this refusal to take Western bias and distortion as acceptable is a feature of current Indian foreign policy.

The EAM has also pointed to the efforts being made by Indian politicians who have lost electoral favour in India, attempting to pressurise the government by organising and lobbying ill-informed interventions from abroad. He said our Opposition should actually stop inviting comments from abroad on our internal matters.

Distortions on the revocation of Article 370 with reference to Jammu and Kashmir, which was, in the first place, a temporary provision, should have been better understood by the West. Criticism of the Indian judiciary, when it criminally convicts a politician, is tantamount to disrespect of our institutions, particularly when it is mixed up with allegations of motivation by the government. Slurs also need to be researched properly.

Perhaps the real reasons for all this go much deeper.

It is no longer China, Pakistan, Turkey and sundry others, who oppose Indian ascendancy economically, militarily and diplomatically.

Against these detractors, from whose ranks Malaysia, with its massive sales of palm oil to India, has wisely dropped out, a large number of countries have come forward to back India.

These include the 120 countries India reached out to, in addition to the ones formally in the G20, under Indias chairmanship for this year. Many are from all the nations of Africa, South America, West Asia and the Asia-Pacific.

Quite a few of these regard India as a torch-bearer and benign influence for the Global South. This more so as the United Nations General Assembly, (UNGA), has fallen into ineffectiveness, hijacked by Islamic interest groups, and China.

But even as India is a member of QUAD, BRICS, SCO, G20, ASEAN, BIMSTEC, etc., while associating with AUKUS; a certain resentment of its rise, even amongst its Western friends, seems to be brewing alongside.

Prominent friends in the West, including the United States, Canada, Britain and Germany have taken to regularly commenting on and criticising Indias internal affairs and its leaders in its media for some years now. Targets include Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.

In short, many of the distinguished politicians who have unfurled the proud banner of Indian nationalism as of 2014, when this administration first came to power with a large majority. Leaders, who define the New India that will soon propel India to 3rd rank economically, with a GDP upwards of $10 trillion per annum, and PPP rankings undoubtedly at No.1, up from the present No.3.

This, despite India being the most populous country in the world, already, with the largest young workforce. China, which would like to retard this process, has an ageing population. This is in common with much of Europe, Japan and America. None of these countries and regions have any hope of rectifying the situation despite population boosting measures taken, for at least three decades.

Part of it, a Catch-22 of course, is a local populace resistant to immigration from other races and cultures, while their own economies are faltering. Brexit has not been a great success, prompted as it was by such sentiments.

The Global South is rejoicing about this Indian good news, alongside India, but is this likewise in the G7 and the G20?

The criticism directed at India at present probably wants to slow down Indias rate of progress at around 7 per cent in GDP growth year-on-year, the highest amongst any major economy in the world.

It is also a campaign of negativity designed to blunt, if possible, the chances of re-election of the present dispensation for a consecutive third-term in 2024.

A strong Indian government is less biddable from the Western point of view. And Indias propensity for building its foreign policy on enlightened self-interest is putting most countries in the West in an adverse negotiating position, compared to its facile domination of the exchange in the past.

India, as a food surplus nation of over 1.40 billion people, is showing up in the currently food deficient West. It is also, more and more, the Pharmacy to the World, and first in innovation as the Start-Up Capital as well. Its banks are better managed than the West, and its sovereign debt-profile is infinitely better, as hailed by the international rating agencies, the World Bank, the IMF and others.

India is still the biggest buyer of armaments in the world, even in 2023, with an expanded buying list, despite its strong thrust at indigenisation for as much as 68 per cent of its purchases. But this too, raises two new problems. India is emerging as an arms exporter, and a most competitive supplier. And it is buying less, and will buy even less progressively, from the expensive armaments industry of the West.

Therefore, there has been a step-up from the erstwhile media bias in certain well-known publications and broadcasters with a leftist orientation masquerading as liberalism, against the present Indian administration.

Unsubstantiated charges include a tendency to dictatorship on the part of a wildly popular Narendra Modi, communalism (read anti-Muslim and Christian), including of late, an anti- Sikh (read the terrorists that want to wrest Punjab into Khalistan), and anti-Semitic bias (no basis whatsoever, given the excellent relations with Israel).

There are also charges of gagging the Opposition (amplified by the constant whining of electorally feeble and criminally convicted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi), alleged, but spurious claims, of subversion of Indian institutions including its judiciary, and muscular Hindutva (ditto).

The role of George Soros, a Hungarian Jew and naturalised American, also allegedly active against former president Donald Trump, soon to be in his felony trial in Manhattan, the NGOs and activists he finances, is not often mentioned in these quarters.

Neither is the avalanche of Chinese money via its embassies, Confucian Studies Institutes and direct investments in companies, universities, Hollywood and so on, being used to buy anti-India opinion. These extend to academia and amongst Western politicians, lobbyists, anti-India activists, opposition politicians and their financing.

Pakistan is ever active, despite its bankrupt status, through its official machinery, and its covert ISI. It is prominent in certain countries abroad, particularly Britain, which finds it difficult to stomach Indias rise. Dubai, where the Pakistani underworld has a network, via Bollywood, its infrastructure and financing, via terrorist and drug cartels, and also directly in India through disgruntled elements particularly amongst Islamists and Khalistanis. It is however having trouble keeping this up, given its own terrorism problems internally and breakaway movements in Balochistan, the NWFP, and friction with Afghanistan.

Blow-hot blow-cold countries including the immensely rich on liquefied natural gas (LNG), Qatar, is also sometimes anti-India for hardline Islamic reasons, financing terrorists, and criticising India via Qatars media outlet Al Jazeera. Qatar tends to play influence games with both sides. It is a GCC member, despite sometimes prickly relations with Saudi Arabia, and hosts a massive US air base in Doha.

India gets on very well with Israel, Egypt, the UAE and Saudi Arabia. It has a military base access at Duqm in Oman. Oman meanwhile is drawing closer to Saudi Arabia with a new railway line linking the two countries.

India is doing increasingly better with Iran, partially due to Russias good offices in addition to its own long-term ties. A land-route from Russia is already operational via Iran, an undersea fuel pipeline is extant.

Russia is developing another sea route from its north to India and India has been invited to build a new IT enabled city at Vladivostok despite Chinese claims on the city and its environs.

India is also doing very well with Greece in the EU, where it is developing the port of Piraeus in an effort to establish another sea route to Europe from India.

Mauritius is allowing India to build a new military base in the Indian Ocean on one of its islands close to the British-US occupied Diego Garcia.

All this diplomacy and progress points towards future great power status in addition to Indias economic prowess. And it is being done with much greater bonhomie than anything China is up to in a variety of places around the world.

So the causes of the disproportionate and intemperate Western media commentary on trivia and gossip are fairly clear. It is expressing discomfort and even a degree of fear at the prospect of a consecutive third term for the present dispensation of the BJP backed by a formidable RSS. If all this has been accomplished in under 10 years, what does the future hold in store?

So now, various governments have now got in on the act. Government spokespersons in Western countries are commenting as well. After the US, Britain, it apparently is the turn of Germany.

he US finds it difficult to stomach Indias neutral to independent stand on the Ukraine War under the Biden administration. Should the Republicans win in 2024, some 18 months from now, they will almost certainly put an end to the Ukraine War, if it is still raging. The possibility of it tipping over into the use of tactical nuclear weapons or even WWIII is ever present already. But the Republicans could end it because of a greater comfort with Russia than under the Democrats.

Presently, EU and British governments, beholden to American largesse, are chiming into the Biden narrative, though most are feeling the pinch worse than both America, and, ironically, Russia.

A strong reason for British sniping, including via the BBC, is its colonial history with India, and that India has already overtaken it in terms of its GDP. It is also about to overtake Germany next.

Germany also has continued good relations with China, strategically opposed to India, despite Chinas role in the Covid-19 pandemic and their support of Russia in the Ukraine War. German Chancellor Schultz recently visited President Xi Jinping in China, one of the first Western leaders to do so, after China called off its draconian Covid lockdowns recently. This despite the NATO and EU positions generally cool to ongoing Chinese ties and the dependence on Chinese supply chains.

Germany has also been the biggest buyer of Russian gas and fuel over the last several decades. It continues to do so to an extent, via a circuitous route, even now, compelled by otherwise very high fuel prices from elsewhere, despite stringent sanctions imposed on Russia by NATO, EU and Britain.

Germany, like Britain, has been steadily slipping in terms of its economy, including in its vaunted car industry, and other engineering enterprises. This has limited its options and autonomy. France, the other big EU economy, despite its fiscal troubles, is on good terms with India.

Fortunately, so is Japan, which India is also destined to overtake economically, and this bodes well for the future.

The writer is a Delhi-based political commentator. Views expressed are personal.

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Tokyo: Around 1.5 million people of working age in Japan have slipped into isolation owing to pressures unleashed by the COVID pandemic.

A survey conducted by the Japanese government shows that a large number of hikikomori (social recluses) began retreating from society after they lost their jobs or due to relationship issues posed by the lockdown.

As per the survey conducted by the countrys Cabinet Office, the COVID pandemic was behind 20 per cent of these cases. An official warned that anyone can become a social recluse.

The survey found that hikikomori  people who choose to live isolated lives by spending all or most of their time at home  accounted for two per cent of people aged between 15-62.

The government surveyed around 30,000 people aged between 10 and 69 living across Japan. It found that more than 20 per cent of people aged between 15-39 had experienced issues in maintaining interpersonal relationships and another 20 per cent blamed the pandemic for withdrawing from society.

Meanwhile, 44.5 per cent of those above 39 years of age said their behaviour had been altered after they left their jobs and 20.6 per cent cited the pandemic.

How is Japan tackling rising hikikomori?

To drive people out of their homes and to address a concerning rise of social recluses, a ward office in the Japanese capital of Tokyo decided to hold metaverse events to help people socialise.

The initiative put forth by the Edogawa Ward will hold metaverse events in an actual and real venue where people will be allowed to join the metaverse using their respective avatars.

Ward Mayor Takeshi Saito said, We dont think everything will be solved just because we offer a metaverse. Itll probably be helpful for some people.

He added, Were targeting those who cant leave their rooms and havent been interacting with other people. We want to help them take a step forward.

How do hikikomoris survive?

As per Big Think, most social recluses in Japan hail from middle-class families who are able to support them.

Many such people are able to afford a living by depending on their parents for food and shelter.

The government has flagged concerns about this style of lifestyle and has branded it as a 2030 problem. The year 2030 will be the time when the first generation of hikikomoris will turn 65 and by that time their parents will likely die.

However, theres another group of hikikomoris who work at remote jobs and get their food delivered.

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For many years, human civilisation has developed, leaving permanent records of significant moments. A series of significant historical occurrences, incidents, and events have occurred on some specific dates of the year. Since history continues to reinvent itself, people need to know about these events in order to create more awareness and further maintain a high knowledge quotient. Today is 4 April and this date also marks several historical events. From the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr to the death of former US President William Henry Harrison, a lot had happened in the past.

4 April: Historical events

1841  William Henry Harrisons death

An American military officer who also served as the ninth US President, William Henry Harrison was the first president to die in office. Following his inauguration in 1841, he died just 31 days after that, thus having the shortest presidency in US history.

1850  Los Angeles incorporated as an American city

In 1848, after Los Angeles and the rest of California were purchased as a part of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, Los Angeles was formally incorporated as an American city on 4 April 1850.

1949  North Atlantic Treaty was formed

Along with the alliance of member nations including Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the United Kingdom, and the United States, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization was formed on this date.

1960  Ben-Hur created an Oscar record by winning 11 Academy Awards

William Wylers Bible epic Ben-Hur created an Oscar record by winning awards in 11 out of 12 categories in which the film was nominated at the 32nd Academy Awards.

1968  Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr

It was on this date back in 1968 when American social activist Martin Luther King, Jr was assassinated by James Earl Ray. At that time, he was in Memphis, Tennessee to extend his support to a strike by the citys sanitation workers. He was standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel when he was shot by Ray.

1975  Microsoft was founded

On 4 April 1975, the American multinational technology corporation, Microsoft was founded by Bill Gates and his childhood friend Paul Allen. The company has now become the worlds largest personal computer software company.

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New York: Seems like The good days for google employee are over as the company in its most recent cost cutting plan, has decided to discontinue major employee services such as onsite massage, fitness classes, laptop replacements, cafes, transport services even stationery items like staplers.

Googles head of finance, Ruth Porat, wrote a rare email on Monday to the entire workforce outlining how the tech giant is implementing those measures to lower costs. The email also outlined the companys goal for 2023 which is to deliver long-lasting savings through increased velocity and effectiveness, according to the reports.

Porat went into depth about how Google is reducing the number of laptop replacements for its employees while also decreasing the frequency of things like fitness classes for employees and office essentials like staplers and tape.

The cost-cutting measures come as Alphabet-owned Google goes through its most severe period of cost cuts in its nearly two decades as a public business.

In January, the company had announced that it would be eliminating 12,000 positions, or about 6% of its workforce, in order to deal with sluggish sales growth after experiencing record headcount growth.

Google has also refused to pay for the remaining maternity and sick benefits of those who have been laid off.

The layoffs were the hardest decisions weve had to make as a company, Porat wrote in her email.

She pointed out that recent growth, a difficult economic climate, and the need for investment opportunities to advance technology, especially in AI, made cost-cutting measures essential.

In her email, Porat made two references to 2008 and noted that Google had previously experienced a situation where its expenditures were outpacing its income.

The company was forced to take action at that time to increase machine utilization, reduce real estate investments, tighten budgets, close cafes, and reduce mobile phone usage.

The head of finance mentioned that Google would now be examining different data in order to find additional areas of spending that might be reduced.

As part of the cost cutting measures, Google may close its internal cafes on Mondays and Fridays along with other facilities because more workers are working from home up to two days a week.

The business will scale back its food, exercise, massage, and transportation initiatives, all of which were implemented when employees were visiting offices five days per week.

Google and other California-based tech firms like Amazon and Meta were well-known for having unusual campuses with odd benefits like juice bars and spas for employees.

The largest ever round of layoffs at Google resulted in the employment of 27 massage therapists, it was disclosed in January.

The masseuses were on-site massage therapists who gave treatments to the employees as incentives for good performance.

Tech companies have been particularly hard hit by layoffs as a result of overhiring during the pandemics shift online.

Amazon and Google parent Alphabet increased employment during the pandemic, joining other tech firms like Facebook parent Meta and Google parent Alphabet in order to meet the demand from housebound Americans who were increasingly purchasing goods online to protect themselves from the virus.

Due to recruiting binges sparked by the pandemic, many tech behemoths, including Salesforce Inc. and PayPal, have eliminated thousands of positions in recent months.
Moscow: The explosion at a cafe is St. Petersburg in which Russian war journalist Vladlen Tatarsky was killed was planned by Ukrainian special services, claimed the National Anti-Terrorist Committee, which coordinates counterterrorism operations in Moscow.

Tatarsky died while speaking at a public event at the cafe on Sunday. At least 30 people were injured.

A 26-year-old woman, identified as St. Petersburg resident Darya Trepova, who has been arrested on suspicion of involvement in the bombing, was an active supporter of jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, claimed the National Ant-Terrorist Committee.

A report by TASS said Trepova has confessed that she was the one who brought the statuette bomb that exploded inside the cafe. I was the one who snuck in the statuette that exploded, she said.

Trepova has, however, refused to say who gave her the statuette.

Tatarsky was meeting with members of the public when she presented him with a box containing a bust of him that apparently blew up.

Police tracked Trepova down using the surveillance cameras. Reports say that she had allegedly cut her long blonde hair short to change her look and even rented a different apartment.

Bombing part of Russias internal turmoil

Though there has been no direct response from the Ukrainian authorities to the accusation, but President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he doesnt think about events in Russia.

A senior official, earlier, described the bombing as part of Russias internal turmoil.

Also Read: Russian blogger Vladlen Tatarsky was a danger for Ukraine, faced constant death threats from Kyiv regime: Moscow

How Trepova succeeded in carrying out explosion?

According to remarks recorded on video, a witness said during the discussion, a woman who identified herself as Nastya asked questions and exchanged remarks with Tatarsky.

She went on to say that Nastya said she had made a bust of Tatarsky but that guards asked her to leave it at the door, suspecting it could be a bomb.

Nastya and Tatarsky joked and laughed. She then went to the door, got the box and presented it to Tatarsky.

These are the last seconds before the explosion in St Petersburg and Tatarskys death. The video is shared by media. It looked like a usual meeting, except that they discussed how to successfully continue invasion. And finished as a criminal movie. War brings death &destruction pic.twitter.com/5bE0PEheJQ  Iuliia Mendel (@IuliiaMendel) April 3, 2023

The blogger reportedly put the bust on a nearby table, and the explosion followed.

Wagner group 'enlists' Tatarsky

Tatarsky was posthumously entered into the roster of the private military company Wagner Group. It further said that if the blogger's family agrees, it would entitle them to survivor benefits among other privileges.

A report by RT said Tatarsky was not a member of Wagner in life, but had reportedly worked with the company and promoted its efforts to help with the Russian military operation in Ukraine.

With inputs from agencies

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Jerusalem: An assailant on Tuesday stabbed two soldiers near an Israeli army base and tried to grab a weapon from one of them before being restrained by civilians, the army said.

The suspect was arrested after the attack near the military base at Tzrifin, a junction close to Beer Yaakov on the outskirts of Tel Aviv, police said.

The assailant was only identified by the police as a resident of the Hebron area of the occupied West Bank.

In a statement, the Israeli army said one soldier was severely wounded and another lightly wounded when the suspect attempted to snatch the weapon of the first soldier.

While injured, the soldier lay over his weapon during a physical struggle with the terrorist, until the terrorist was stopped by civilians who arrived on the scene, it said.

The wounded soldiers were evacuated for further medical treatment, the statement added.

First responders from the Magen David Adom emergency service said they had taken two people in their 20s to the hospital in mild and moderate condition respectively.

In 2003, at the height of the second Palestinian intifada, or uprising, nine soldiers were killed in a suicide bombing at a bus stop near the base.

The stabbing follows a spate of deadly incidents that ended a period of relative calm since the Muslim holy month of Ramadan began nearly two weeks ago.

On Monday, two Palestinian militants were killed in an Israeli raid on the West Bank city of Nablus.

On Saturday, three Israelis were wounded in a West Bank car-ramming attack. Soldiers killed the alleged perpetrator.

Less than 24 hours earlier, Israeli police shot dead an Arab Israeli who they alleged had grabbed a policemans gun and opened fire in the Old City of Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem.

The dead mans family disputed the police version of events.

Since the start of the year, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has claimed the lives of at least 91 Palestinians, 15 Israelis and one Ukrainian, according to an AFP tally based on official sources from both sides.

On the Palestinian side, the figures include combatants as well as civilians. On the Israeli side, they include two members of the Arab minority.

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Australia has joined several European nations, along with the United States, and Canada in prohibiting the use of TikTok on government devices, as the Chinese-owned video-sharing social media app comes under growing scrutiny for posing a security risk.

The United States, on the other hand, is considering outright banning TikTok in the nation, following in the footsteps of India.

Also read: TikTok US Ban: Lawmakers to move forward with bill banning TikTok, says House speaker McCarthy

TikTok gets banned from government devices in Australia

After getting several reports from its intelligence and security agencies, Australias Attorney General, Mark Dreyfus revealed the plan to ban the ByteDance-owned app on Tuesday, saying it would be implemented as soon as possible.

The decision aligns Australia with its Five Eyes intelligence alliance partners  the US, Britain, and Canada have already declared similar limits, and New Zealands government has also ordered that the app be deleted from all government-issued devices.

Also read: New Zealand & the UK become the latest countries to ban TikTok from government devices

Norway and the European Parliament have taken similar steps, and according to two NATO officials familiar with the situation, NATO barred employees from installing the app onto NATO-provided devices last week.

TikToks reaction to the ban

TikToks general manager for Australia and New Zealand, Lee Hunter, stated that the business is extremely disappointed by this decision, which, in our opinion, is driven by politics.

Our millions of Australian users deserve a government that makes fact-based decisions and treats all businesses fairly, regardless of origin, he said.

He also emphasised that the company had frequently called out to the Australian government for constructive engagement, despite the lack of evidence that the app presented a security danger to the nation.

According to TikTok, Australia has 8.30 million users aged 18 and up as of early 2023.

So far, there is no proof that the Chinese government has gained access to TikToks user data. No government has implemented a broad ban on TikTok on personal devices on that ground. However, India was one of the first countries to ban TikTok because of the border skirmishes with the Chinese Army.

Meanwhile, the Biden administration has vowed to ban the app in the US unless the apps Chinese owners, Bytedance, agree to divest their owner of the social media platform.

The US government is concerned that China will use its national security legislation to gain access to the vast amount of confidential information TikTok, like most social media apps, gathers from its US users.

TikTok does not and will not share data with the Chinese government

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew was grilled about the tech companys supposed links to the Chinese government during a high-profile congressional session on the subject last month, which was disastrous for the company.

Also read: China denies asking firms for foreign data as TikTok faces mounting pressure for a ban

Chew has stated that the Chinese government has never requested TikToks data and that the company will reject any such request. However, all Chinese companies are required by law to provide any such data that the government or any of its agencies ask for.

Chinas Commerce Ministry, for its part, stated that any decision resulting in the compelled selling of TikTok would seriously harm global investors trust in the United States.

Australias attorney general, like some of the other countries that have implemented the ban, stated that any exclusions would be given on a case-by-case basis and with appropriate security mitigation in place.

Dreyfus also stated that the government had recently gotten the countrys Home Affairs Departments study into foreign interference through social media applications, and that its suggestions were being examined.

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Tehran: Iran is in the process of following the footsteps of Afghanistan as it mulls over banning female students who do not wear the hijab from attending universities.

Irans Ministry of Science, Research and Technology said that all universities and higher education centres that fall under its jurisdiction will expel female students who do not abide by the strict dress code.

The ministry said in a statement, All universities and higher education institutions under the coverage of the ministry of sciences, research and technology will not be obliged to offer educational, welfare and other services to the few students who do not abide by the laws and regulations of the universities in this regard.

An official from the Ministry of Health said that medical colleges have been ordered to prohibit providing any sort of educational and welfare service to students without the Islamic hijab.

Iran has been rocked with anti-hijab protests since the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini who was arrested by the morality police for not wearing the hijab in public.

Rule violates Iranian constitution

A lawyer named Hassan Kia told Khabar Online that the statement by the ministry violates the Iranian constitution which gives everyone the right to seek education and forbids the government from making its own laws.

Kia said, It is not clear who, and how, is going to decide whether the hijab rules have been broken or not in a university? Does letting a few locks of hair show from under a headscarf mean the rules have been broken or is it totally flouting the hijab, or putting it around ones neck? Who is going to decide? This can cause a lot of strife in universities.

Also read: Irans chief justice vows no mercy for women refusing to wear hijab

Moeinoddin Saeedi, a member of the Parliament, said, I seriously believe that we are distancing ourselves from the real teachings of Islam  when authorities show more sensitivity to girls hair than to bribery, embezzlement, garbage scavenging, injustice and the usury that has overtaken our banks.

Pay special attention to hijab

The Ministry of Education also published a set of guidelines that has asked educational institutions to pay special attention to hijab and chastity.

The guidelines asked teachers to highlight the importance of hijab and chastity to their students.

Other guidelines to promote the wearing of hijab among Iranian women included asking popular figures and Olympians to describe the importance of hijab and the Islamic culture.

Man pours yoghurt on women

A man poured yoghurt on two women at a local shop in Tehran for not wearing hijab. Video of the attack went viral on social media.

In the video, the two women entered a local shop following which a man engages in a verbal altercation with the women. The man can then be seen assaulting the two women by pouring in what appears to be yoghurt.

Iranian authorities ordered the arrest of two women, the judiciary said Saturday, after a viral video appeared to show them being attacked by a man for not wearing the hijab.

Authorities issued an arrest warrant against the man on charges of committing an insulting act and disturbance of order, the judiciarys Mizan Online website reported

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Beijing: India, Russia and China are emerging major powers with notable influence and Beijing was ready to boost ties with Moscow and New Delhi, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning said on Tuesday.

While responding to TASS Agencys question about Russias new foreign policy concept, Mao said, China, Russia and India are all major emerging major countries with notable influence. As the international and regional landscape is facing profound and complex changes, we are ready to strengthen communication with the international community including Russia and India and send a positive signal to the world about defending true multilateralism and jointly responding to global challenges, according to the Spokesperson of Chinese Embassy in India, Wang Xiaojians tweet.

She further added, China and Russia are dedicated to growing a new type of major-country relations featuring mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation. The bilateral relationship does not target and is not affected by any third party. Last month, President Xi Jinping paid a successful state visit to Russia. The two heads of state drew a blueprint for the future course of China-Russia relations. The two sides are comprehensively following through on the important common understandings between the two leaders. We are fully confident about the future of China-Russia relations.

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the new Foreign Policy Concept last Friday, which said strengthening and deepening relations with China and India is a diplomatic priority for Russia.

The 42-page document singled out ties with China and India, stressing the importance of the deepening of ties and coordination with friendly sovereign global centres of power and development located on the Eurasian continent.

India and Russia maintained a close strategic, military, economic, and diplomatic interaction during the Cold War. Both Russia and India refer to this alliance as being unique and privileged.

The strategic partnership between India and Russia is based on five main pillars  politics, defence, civil nuclear energy, counter-terrorism cooperation, and space. India and Russia celebrated the 75th anniversary of their diplomatic relations.

According to the document, Russia will continue to build a particularly privileged strategic partnership with India with a view to enhancing and expanding cooperation in all areas on a mutually beneficial basis and place special emphasis on increasing the volume of bilateral trade, strengthening investment and technological ties, and ensuring their resistance to destructive actions of unfriendly states and their alliances.

In order to help adapt the world order to the realities of a multipolar world, Russia intends to make it one of its priorities to enhance the capacity and international role of the interstate association of BRICS, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), the RIC (Russia, India, China) and other interstate associations and international organizations, as well as mechanisms with strong Russian participation, read the document.

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Brasilia: An adviser to Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow to discuss opening peace negotiations with Ukraine, shortly before a visit to Brazil by Russias foreign minister, an official in the Brazilian presidency told AFP Monday.

Celso Amorim, head of a special advisory group to the Brazilian president, met with Putin on 25 March in the Kremlin, in a meeting that lasted for an hour and had been kept confidential.

The trip by Lulas top adviser on international affairs came less than two weeks before the Brazilian president visits China, another country that is also pushing for a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine.

Lula proposed creating a group of countries to mediate in the war in Ukraine, an issue he intends to discuss with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, on 13 April in Beijing.

The leftist wants to position Brazil as a facilitator of multinational dialogue.

To say that the doors are open (for peace talks) would be an exaggeration, but to say that they are closed is not true either, Amorim told CNN Brasil on Monday, when asked about the outcome of the meeting with Putin.

During the conversation, bilateral issues were also discussed, such as fertilizer trade between Russia and Brazil.

In addition to the meeting with Putin, Amorim had lunch with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who will visit Brazil on 17 April, the same presidential source confirmed to AFP.

Before returning to Brazil, Amorim was in Paris, where he met with his French counterpart, President Emmanuel Macrons diplomatic adviser, Emmanuel Bonne, to discuss paths to peace.

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Montreal, Canada: Three Canadian cryptocurrency companies announced Monday they are teaming up to create the largest and only fully regulated platform in the country, at a time when authorities are trying to compensate for a lack of legislation to regulate the industry.

The announcement came months after the fall of industry giant FTX, whose founder Sam Bankman-Fried faces charges including bribery and fraud in a scandal that rocked the cryptocurrency world.

When combined, the WonderFi, Coinsquare and CoinSmart companies will have over Can$600 million (410 million euros) in assets on deposit, according to a joint press release.

This combination will create a safe, secure, scalable and regulated trading platform that can compete with the unregulated global exchanges still operating in Canada, said Coinsquare CEO Martin Piszel.

The new platform will be able to rely on the reputation of Coinsquare, which in October became the first Canadian platform to be registered with the national regulatory body.

For years operating a registered cryptocurrency platform was a disadvantage as competitors that provided services without the burden of compliance costs were far more profitable, said WonderFi strategic investor, Kevin OLeary, known for his prominent role in the US investment reality show Shark Tank.

Those days are over, he added. Investors that see the tremendous potential of cryptocurrencies to make financial services more transparent, less costly, and more productive are seeking investment opportunities that operate in harmony with their regulators.

In recent months, US regulators have cracked down on players in the cryptocurrency community. Last week, the worlds largest cryptocurrency exchange, Binance, was sued by US regulators, plunging the sector into the red.

For its part, the main American exchange platform, Coinbase, revealed that the US market regulator, the Securities and Exchange Commission, said it is going to sue Coinbase for violation of securities regulations.

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New Delhi: China has for the third time made an attempt to lay claim to areas inside the Indian territory by renaming 11 places in Arunachal Pradesh which it calls Zangnan, the southern part of Tibet. The move is expected to further intensify tension and deepen mistrust between New Delhi and Beijing who are in the middle of their worst bilateral chill in decades.

The names were released on Sunday and were in Chinese, Tibetan and pinyin characters, in accordance with regulations on geographical names issued by State Council, Chinas cabinet, said a report by Chinese state mouthpiece Global Times.

In a release on Sunday, the Chinese Ministry of Civil Affairs said they are standardising some geographical names in southern Tibet.

Which places in Arunachal Pradesh has been renamed by China?

Sharing the official names of 11 places for Arunachal Pradesh, the Chinas Ministry of Civil Affairs gave precise coordinates, including two land areas, two residential areas, five mountain peaks and two rivers.

It also listed the category of places names and their subordinate administrative districts.

Not just the list with the official names, China has also released a map that showed parts of Arunachal Pradesh inside the southern Tibetan region which even includes a town situated close to the state capital of Itanagar.

The latest renaming practice by China comes mere days ahead Chinas newly appointed Defence Minister General Li Shangfus visit to India. He is expected to attend the SCO Defence Ministers meetings this month. Chinas Foreign Minister Qin Gang will also be attending the meeting SCO Foreign Ministers meeting in May, where India currently holds the presidency of the group.

Also, Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to visit India for the SCO summit in July.

Not for the first time

This if not the first time China has renamed places terming them standardised geographical names. Days after Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama left Arunachal Pradesh following a high-profile nine-day visit in 2017, China on 13 April carried out first batch of name changes of six places in the Indian state.

The second batch was in 2021 when China renamed 15 locations in Arunachal Pradesh. It happened ahead of a new border security law that was to come in effect in January 2021. Dismissing Chinas move, India said such actions wouldnt alter the regions status as an integral part of the country.

India reacts

A report by Times of India mentioned sources in the Indian government saying, This wasnt the first time China had carried out such an exercise and that assigning manufactured names wont change the situation on the ground.

Arunachal Pradesh has always been and will continue to be an integral part of India, a source said.

In 2021, Indias External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi had said, Assigning invented names to places in Arunachal Pradesh does not alter this fact.

Standoff between India and China

India and China have been locked in a standoff in Ladakh sector since early May 2020, worsening bilateral ties between both the countries. Thousands of troops and heavy armament have been deployed along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

In June 2020, at Galwan Valley clash, 20 Indian soldiers and at least four Chinese troops were dead  the first fatalities along the LAC since 1975.

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Istanbul: China is ready to foster relations with Russia, India and other countries against the backdrop of deep and complex changes currently underway in the international arena, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said.

Responding to TASS Agencys question about Russias new foreign policy concept, Mao said that China, Russia and India are large and powerful emerging markets. We are ready to foster ties with the international community, including Russia and India amid the deep and complex changes taking place globally and regionally, she said.

Ning said that Beijing with its partners is ready to send a signal to the world that it is necessary to defend genuine multipolarity and jointly address global challenges.

Russia on Friday described India and China as friendly sovereign global centres of power and vowed to give particular importance to the comprehensive deepening of ties and enhancement of coordination with them.

Unveiling its new concept of foreign policy, approved by President Vladimir Putin, Moscow also asserted that its attitude towards other countries and multilateral bodies is contingent on the constructive, neutral or unfriendly character of their policies concerning it.

Russia also said it places special emphasis on increasing the volume of bilateral trade with India, strengthening investment and technological ties, and ensuring resistance to destructive actions of unfriendly states and their alliances.

According to the concept, Moscow also intends to emphasize measures to increase bilateral trade, strengthen investment and technological ties with New Delhi.

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Los Angeles: China, Taiwan and the United States all share a common interest in ensuring this weeks California stopover by Taiwans president gets the focus each thinks it deserves, but without setting off a new crisis.

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen is due in Los Angeles on Wednesday when she will meet US House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy, the first such meeting on US soil.

It is sure to elicit a forceful reaction from Beijing, which considers Taiwan part of its territory. Chinas military conducted large-scale exercises, fired missiles over Taiwan and cut military contacts with Washington after McCarthys predecessor Nancy Pelosi visited the self-governed island last August.

But Chinas response this time may be less extreme. The US side and Taiwan have both taken steps to make the trip less provocative for Chinas leaders, sources familiar with the planning say. These include holding the Tsai-McCarthy meeting in California rather than closer to Washington or in Taiwan itself, and setting up an agenda for Tsai with few public appearances.

China has a strong incentive to temper its reaction as it tries to rebuild ties with Europe and as Taiwan prepares for an early 2024 presidential election, analysts say.

McCarthy, as House speaker, is third in line to the US leadership and he has said publicly that he does not rule out a future visit to Taiwan.

Xu Xueyuan, charge daffaires at Chinas Washington embassy, said last week that McCarthy meeting Tsai could lead to another serious confrontation in the China-US relationship. On Tuesday Chinas foreign ministry said it would closely monitor the meeting and resolutely defend Chinese sovereignty.

A spokesperson for Chinas Washington embassy said that no matter how packaged, the McCarthy meeting would be a serious violation of Chinas sovereignty and do great harm to the political foundation of China-US relations.

Jacob Stokes of Washingtons Center for a New American Security think tank said it was clear that Taipei and Washington  as well as Beijing to some extent  are trying to carefully manage both the substance and optics of President Tsais transit.

Washington has no formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan but is bound by law to provide it with the means to defend itself. Beijing has never renounced using force to bring Taiwan under its control and Western officials fear a conflict over the island is increasingly likely.

Tsais Los Angeles stop comes after a 48-hour stopover in New York last week en route to Central America to visit two of Taiwans few remaining diplomatic allies.

Low Profile

A US official said the State Department had negotiated the US portions of Tsais trip carefully to ensure, among other things, that the New York stop would be low profile and do little to provoke Beijing.

There was a similar discussion for the California leg, according to a person familiar with the planning for the McCarthy meeting.

The Taiwanese said Lets go low-key,' said the person, adding that Tsai and her ruling Democratic Progressive Party are concerned about the impact on next years presidential election in Taiwan.

Taiwans opposition Kuomintang party (KMT) favors stable relations with China and some analysts believe soaring tensions between Taipei and Beijing would favor the KMT.

Tsais New York activities were largely closed to the media and in press briefings US officials have sought to portray her stopovers as routine.

Asked about the planning, a State Department spokesperson said Tsais transit was consistent with longstanding US practice, consistent with the unofficial nature of our relations with Taiwan, and China should not use it as a pretext to overreact.

The Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office, which represents Taiwans interests in the United States, also did not comment on trip details but said the transit was in line with long standing practice.

Beijings calculation

Chinas ruling Communist Party has its own considerations that could moderate its reaction.

With an eye the Taiwan election, China invited former Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou of the KMT party for a visit coinciding with Tsais US stopovers.

And this week Beijing also hosts French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen as China seeks to improve its strained relations with Europe.

A European official said the European visits may temper Beijings reaction given Chinese President Xi Jinping is trying to present his country as a peacemaker in Ukraine.

It would look very bad for Xi in European eyes if he staged more war games around Taiwan, the official said, while a Taipei-based Asian diplomat said Beijing would also not want to embarrass Ma with war games.

Beijing does indeed have multiple audiences to consider, said Douglas Paal, a former US representative in Taiwan.

The tough calibration will be for China to find something that signals displeasure with Tsai meeting a (House) Speaker for the first time on American soil, while not looking insane in reacting as strongly as when Pelosi became the first speaker to travel to Taiwan.

Ivan Kanapathy, a former US National Security Council staffer for Asia, said Beijing hopes Mas visit would convince Taiwanese that closer ties with China would bring stability and prosperity and that it was also trying to resuscitate European foreign investment.

Taken together, this means that further retaliation will likely be relatively mild, he said.

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Kremlin: Russian independent news media referred to a recently deposed Russian commander as a crazy idiot for the botched assault on the Ukrainian town of Vuhledar in the eastern Donetsk area.

Colonel-General Rustam Muradov, 50, who led the recent offensive in eastern Ukraine, has been suspended, according to The Moscow Times, an independent English- and Russian-language online newspaper with offices in Amsterdam that is currently outlawed in Russia.

One of the sources told the online daily, Muradov was suspended because he was a crazy idiot who could command soldiers to die. Many complained about him.

The disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh is the focal point of a territorial dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Muradov, a former leader of Russian forces in Syria, later worked as a peacekeeper there.

According to reports, he has been the leader in Ukraine since October 5, 2022, leading Russias Eastern Military District. Muradov attacked Vuhledar in February when he sent his soldiers into minefields, right under the artillery fire of the Ukrainians.

Two elite marine brigadesone of which is presumably the much-discussed 155th Naval Infantry Brigadeand 103 pieces of equipment were reportedly lost by the army in just three days.

.@nytimes called the defense of Vuhledar the largest tank battle of the war in terms of russian losses. Which is, in our opinion, quite unfair to the russian infantry.  72nd Mechanized Brigade pic.twitter.com/fSxFBKA3DN  Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) March 2, 2023

A website that tracks military casualties in the Russia-Ukraine war, Oryx, reports that the Russian army lost 36 tanks altogether during the attack on Vuhledar.

Only 20 pieces of equipment, or one-fifth of all the losses incurred by Russia during that time period, were thought to have been lost by the Ukrainian Armed Forces during that same era.

Russia at Vuhledar lost the biggest tank battle since the start of a full-scale war in Ukraine, losing more than 130 armored vehicles  The New York Times pic.twitter.com/SjFOeA0zII  Oriannalyla  (@Lyla_lilas) March 1, 2023

The Moscow Times received criticism for Muradov from more numerous people including the two sources who talked to them voluntarily on the basis of anonymity.

Igor Girkin, a far-right patriot and former Federal Security Service agent, described the attackers of Vuhledar as complete cretins.

According to a new estimate from the British Ministry of Defense, 500 Russian soldiers per day perished in the failed attack on the town in eastern Ukraine in February.

The ministry claimed that Moscow is currently conducting a deliberate information operation to repair the image of its elite units, particularly the 155th Naval Infantry brigade, which were badly damaged during the unsuccessful assault.

The Russian MODs effort to restore the brigades reputation probably reflects concern about how its failures were coming to be more closely associated with senior Russian military leaders, according to the report.

The Russian force is actively seeking to grow, rather than merely changing its leadership. Vladimir Putin will be hiring 400,000 more military members, according to the British MoD, because of the high death toll in Ukraine.

However, its doubtful that these will be genuine volunteers, despite the Kremlins efforts to portray them as such in order to quell domestic uproar.

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London: The brazen hinduphobic campaign launched against Karan Kataria  an Indian-origin student pursuing Masters in law at London of School of Economics (LSE) who was disqualified from running for general secretary of the students union for alleged links with the RSS and Hindu nationalism  was allegedly orchestrated by an academic close to Congress scion Rahul Gandhi.

Firstpost has learned that Mukulika Banerjee, who has been a close associate of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, could have been powering this hate campaign against Karan Kataria, ostensibly for having links with the Hindu right, the RSS in particular.

Sources told Firstpost that this interference by Banerjee in students affairs has already been brought to the notice of the LSE administration.

Karan Kataria, speaking to Firstpost, said he would do everything to guard the honour of the India.

Mukulika Banerjee is a professor of Anthropology at the London School of Economics and Political Science and the inaugural director of the LSEs South Asia Centre. She has long been bandying Muslims under attack in India rhetoric in the Western press and, according to sources, is very influential in the academic and policy circles in London. She has been, through her courses, teaching, and supervision, perpetrating Left-Liberal, anti-Hindu propaganda, sources claimed.

Mukulika had joined Rahul Gandhis Bharat Jodo Yatra and hosted him in London.

Concerted anti-Hindu campaign

Firstpost has accessed WhatsApp chats where Mukulika Banerjee, a professor who is bound by rules of ethics that bar the academia to interfere in students matters, allegedly went out of her way to demonise Karan Kataria for having connections with the RSS.

According to evidence, she sent personalised messages to her students on WhatsApp, asking them to cancel Karan Kataria and reject his candidature.

Mukulika when contacted, however, denied having circulated any photos of Karan Kataria with RSS members or messages to cancel him in the student body elections for his RSS, BJP links.

Firstpost has also accessed a call recording where one of the students of LSE can be heard claiming that Mukulika Banerjee called him to convey that Karan had links with the RSS and Hindu right.

Interestingly, the student on the phone call wonders if LSE would disqualify Karan, even before the latter was actually disqualified. The student in question also says that disqualification is the only way to throw Karan out of race since if he wins hands down, there is nothing that LSE administration could do, given that the students union is autonomous.

Following this alleged instigation by Mukulika Banerjee, a malicious campaign was launched against Karan Kataria on almost all social media platforms, including internal fora of the LSE.

Firstpost

Following message was circulated all over social media as a campaign to cancel Karan and get his candidature junked.

 ATTN LSE STUDENTS  KEEP FASCIST ORGANISATIONS OUT OF SU 

Urgent Appeal: We have come to know that an individual who is a likely member of a far-right, queerphobic, and islamophobic organisation in India, is standing for LSESU election. Voting closes at 4PM today! Karan Kataria, LSESU candidate for General Secretary, has links to the Indian far-right fascist organisation, the RSS. Its parallels would be the National Front in the UK and the Ku Klux Klan in the USA https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/feb/20/hindu-supremacists-nationalismtearing-india-apart-modi-bjp-rss-jnu-attacks

Karans book Bharat is published by Indus Scrolls Press which publishes hateful content against minorities. The book was launched by RSS leader J. Nandkumar (https://indusscrolls.com/rss-is-thebiggest-open-university-in-the-world-j-nandakumar) Sources in LSE who wish to stay anonymous fearing backlash have mentioned his membership within RSS.

We believe his non-disclosure of this alignment is in violation of LSESUs campaigning principles of Accountability and Transparency. The RSS and its political offshoot BJP, have made concerted attempts to quell freedom of expression in India, and Mr. Katarias claim to support BAME and Queer students is questionable given the movements contempt towards religious and sexual minorities.

Mukulika Banerjee & her Rahul Gandhi connect

Mukulika Banerjee is a professor of Anthropology at the London School of Economics and Political Science and the inaugural director of the LSE South Asia Center.

She is known to be a Narendra Modi-baiter, opposed to the RSS and Hindu right. In January, 2020, she authored an article in the Sunday Times, titled, Modi parades his hatred of Muslims and makes a mockery of Indias constitution.

She also joined the Bharat Jodo Yatra and wrote a damning piece for The Guardian.

Once the Yatra was over, she is believed to be instrumental in arranging many events during Rahul Gandhis London tour. Among other events, she was instrumental in making sure the event at the House of Commons was held, which she personally moderated. It is here that Rahul Gandhi made the Indian democracy in danger speech, eliciting foreign help to save it.

On earlier occasions too Mukulika Banerjee presented Rahul Gandhi with her good offices to deliver addresses LSE South Asia Centre of which she is director.

She even went on Pakistans Dawn News to defend Rahul Gandhi and the Bharat Jodo Yatra.

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Peshawar: Mocking the Pakistan Armys inability to liberate Kashmir, the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has dismissed allegations by the Pakistani military that it is being backed by India.

In a statement by its propaganda wing TTP Umar Media, the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)  also known as the Pakistan Taliban  has rejected the Pakistan Armys claim that it is a proxy of Indias intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW).

Countering the Pakistan Armys claim, the TTP said that if it is being backed by India, then why is the Pakistani establishment talking to the Taliban rulers of Afghanistan regarding TTP sanctuaries on Afghan soil.

The TTP also questioned the competence of the Pakistan Army, pointing out that it has not been able to liberate even an inch of Kashmir from India and claimed that the Pakistani military is only capable of oppressing its own people.

The TTP also blamed the Pakistan Army for the economic crisis and political chaos in the country.

Meanwhile, Taliban spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid urged the international community to establish diplomatic ties with the current regime in Afghanistan.

Pressure, imposition of pressure and threats, these methods should be put aside, and they should engage with the Islamic Emirate so that the Islamic Emirate can take responsible actions regarding some issues, some laws and other issues in the world, Mujahid was quoted as saying by TOLO News.

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Brussels (Belgium): Finland becomes the 31st member of NATO on Tuesday in a historic shift that drew an angry warning of countermeasures from the Kremlin.

Moscows all-out invasion of Ukraine last year upended Europes security landscape and prompted Finland  and its neighbour Sweden  to drop decades of military non-alignment.

Not so many years ago we thought it was unthinkable that Finland would become a member. Now they will be a fully-fledged member of our alliance and that is truly historic, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said.

We are removing the room for miscalculation in Moscow about NATOs readiness to protect Finland, and that makes Finland safer.

Finnish Defence Minister Antti Kaikkonen called it a win-win situation ahead of the choreographed final formalities before Finlands blue-and-white flag can be hoisted in front of NATOs headquarters.

But Moscow decried the move as an assault on Russias security and national interests.

This forces us to take countermeasures in tactical and strategic terms, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

Joining NATO places Finland under the alliances Article Five, the collective defence pledge that an attack on one member shall be considered an attack against them all.

This was the guarantee Finnish leaders decided they needed as they watched Russian President Vladimir Putins devastating assault on Ukraine.

He wanted less NATO along his borders. He wanted to close NATOs door. No more NATO membership for any more countries in Europe. Hes getting exactly the opposite, Stoltenberg said.

Powerful military

Invaded by its giant neighbour, the Soviet Union, in 1939, Finland  which has a 1,300-kilometre (800 mile) border with Russia  stayed out of NATO throughout the Cold War.

Now its membership brings a potent military into the alliance with a wartime strength of 280,000 and one of Europes largest artillery arsenals.

Its strategic location bolsters NATOs defences on a border running from the vulnerable Baltic states to the increasingly competitive Arctic.

Senior NATO military commander Admiral Rob Bauer told AFP that Finland had so far not requested its new allies station troops on its soil.

NATO officials say the war in Ukraine has sapped Moscows forces, but the alliance is monitoring how Russia responds to gauge its future steps.

Awkward allies Turkey and Hungary, for different reasons of their own, delayed Finlands bid to come under the NATO umbrella  and Stockholms progress remains blocked

But last week, the Turkish parliament voted to clear Finlands final hurdle.

Completing the ratification in well under a year still makes this the fastest membership process in the alliances recent history.

NATO was created as a counterweight to the Soviet Union at the onset of the Cold War era that began immediately after the Allies defeated Nazi Germany.

Sweden soon?

Finlands arrival nevertheless remains a bittersweet moment for the alliance as the hope had been for Sweden to come on board at the same time.

Budapest and Ankara remain the holdouts after belatedly agreeing to wave through Helsinkis bid.

Sweden has upset Hungarys leader Viktor Orban  one of Putins closest allies in Europe  by expressing alarm over the rule of law in Hungary.

It has also angered Turkey by refusing to extradite dozens of suspects that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan links to a failed 2016 coup attempt and a decades-long Kurdish independence struggle.

NATO diplomats hope Erdogan will become more amenable if he weathers elections next month and that Sweden will join before a NATO summit in Vilnius this July.

Sweden is ready to join the NATO Alliance, tweeted US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Ukraine is also pushing for eventual NATO membership, but Western diplomats say that remains a still distant prospect.

There is no better strategic solution to ensuring strategic security in the Euro Atlantic region than the membership of Ukraine in the alliance, Ukraines Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said.

NATO members in the meantime insist they are focused on providing Ukraine with the weaponry and support it needs to win the war with Russia.

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The Hague, Netherlands: Former Kosovo President Hashim Thaci said Tuesday he expected to be acquitted of war crimes by a special tribunal in The Hague.

On the second day of his trial, Thaci said investigations had already removed a black cloud after allegations of organ harvesting during the 1998-1999 independence war against Serbia was not included in the indictment against him.

The EU-funded court was set up after a 2010 Council of Europe report, which contained allegations that the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) had harvested organs from prisoners.

Now you know that I, the KLA, the people of Kosovo and all Albanians have been acquitted of these accusations. The truth has been told and the black cloud over Kosovo has been lifted, Thaci told the court.

So, this sacrifice was worth it. I expect to be acquitted of any other charges against me at the end of this process.

Thaci and three other former KLA leaders all pleaded not guilty to crimes against humanity and war crimes as the trial opened at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers on Monday.

Thaci is widely seen as a guerilla hero in Kosovo, but prosecutors said he led a campaign of violence by the ethnic Albanian KLA against collaborators and traitors.

The ex-president added that he wished a series of now-deceased Western political figures who had backed him at the time were still alive to support him in court.

These included former US Secretary Madeleine Albright and British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook.

They would have testified on my behalf, for what I said and did, during that very important period in the history of the freedom and independence of Kosovo, said Thaci.

The Kosovo War claimed some 13,000 lives. It ended after a NATO bombing campaign forced Serb forces to withdraw.

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Paris: Frances military will raise the maximum age for reservists to 70, the defence minister said on Tuesday, after months of clashes over a divisive increase to the nations minimum retirement age.

The age limit for trained soldiers ready to be called up if needed currently stands between 60 and 65 years old.

We will increase the age limits People will be able to be a reservist in the French military until they are 70 years old and until they are 72 years old for certain specialists, Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu told broadcaster RTL.

France has 40,000 reservists but President Emmanuel Macron wants to double that figure.

Lecornu spoke as the government was on Tuesday to discuss Frances new defence budget, under which military spending would increase from 43.9 billion euros ($47.9 billion) this year to 69 billion euros by 2030.

A string of European allies have committed to spending billions more on their armed forces since Russia invaded pro-Western Ukraine last year.

Frances increased budget aims to help better face a succession of threats that are all adding up, including terrorism, the war in Ukraine, the militarisation of space and cyber warfare, Lecornu said.

The aim is to remain in the club of nations able to defend themselves, he added.

The French president has faced months of mass protests over his pensions reform, which includes raising the minimum retirement age from 62 to 64.

His government rammed the bill through a hung lower house of parliament last month, causing outrage and widespread unrest.

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Paris, France: The trial began in France on Tuesday of 11 alleged senior members of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), accused of extortion, terrorist financing and propaganda for the organisation.

Labelled a terrorist organisation by the United States, European Union and Turkey, the PKK has been waging a decades-long armed struggle against Ankara for greater autonomy for the Kurdish minority in the Turkish southeast.

None of the 11 suspects  all Turkish citizens aged from 24 to 64  acknowledges membership in the group, which they say has no presence in France.

But investigators believe that France, alongside EU neighbours, offers a staging ground for PKK activities.

Nine of the 11 suspects charged in the case appeared before the Paris criminal court as the trial got underway.

One of those who failed to show up did so after his family was subjected to pressure in Turkey, his legal team said. The sister of another man had also been arrested in the country.

Organised cells are believed to be active among Frances up to 150,000 Kurdish residents as well as among the 100,000 in the Netherlands and the million-strong community in Germany.

Kampanya

The investigators probe began in 2020, when two Kurdish women aged 18 and 19 were reported missing in southeast France.

It soon appeared that they had left for PKK training camps elsewhere in Europe.

Tugging on the thread led investigators to a network based around a Kurdish association in Marseille which they say was collecting a form of community tax known as kampanya that funds the PKK.

Testimony and phone tapping revealed harassment and extorsion of diaspora members, they say, as the tax collectors set arbitrary contributions for individuals based on their estimated income.

Some Kurds pay the kampanya willingly out of total alignment with the PKK, investigators say.

But many see it as an obligation with which they comply for fear of community ostracism or reprisals.

One witness said he had been threatened with having his legs broken.

Investigators believe around two million euros ($2.2 million) are collected in southeast France each year.

They also probed how young Kurds are recruited to the PKK in conditions close to kidnapping and illegal confinement.

Any who make it through ideological training in Europe are sent to military-style camps, many in Iraq, and on to fighting forces loyal to the PKK.

Genuine debate

The trial, which is due to last until 14 April, is also expected to focus on the status of the PKK as a terror group, which the investigating magistrate described as incontestable and not up for discussion.

But defence lawyer Raphael Kempf said that the least we can do is ask the question, adding there was a genuine debate on the issue.

The up to 35 million Kurds spread across Iraq, Iran, Syria and Turkey have no state of their own.

In France, three Kurds were shot dead in December at a community centre in Paris in a crime investigators have called racist.

It recalled the killings 10 years earlier of three PKK activists which have never been solved.

Left-wingers in France have since called for the PKK to be removed from the official list of terrorist organisations.

The whole debate is to find out whether the PKK is a terrorist organisation, and well fight on that ground, said Martin Mechin, a lawyer for the defendants in Tuesdays case.

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Paris: France could be the next European country to legalise euthanasia for the terminally ill after President Emmanuel Macron on Monday called for a law on a French model on the end of life within months.

The president tasked government with drafting a new law by summers end after a public consultation showed openness to decriminalisation.

Macrons intervention marks a welcome change on an issue close to his heart, after facing months of protests over a massively controversial pension reform.

The committee of 184 French citizens  which had been tasked by the presidency with drawing up a non-binding recommendation  on Sunday approved legalising active assistance to dying.

Meeting the committee on Monday, Macron told members that their opinion would constitute a starting point, but warned the government would not necessarily follow their suggestions.

I do not promise you we will pick up one or another of your conclusions. They will take their course, the 45-year-old centrist said.

Macron said caveats to any legalisation should include the need to guarantee the expression of the enlightened and free will of a patient, and the incurable nature of their mental or physical suffering.

Until now French patients in pain wishing to end their lives have had to travel abroad, including to neighbouring Belgium.

So far in France, a 2005 law has legalised passive euthanasia, such as withholding artificial life support, as a right to die.

A 2016 law allows doctors to couple this with deep and continuous sedation for terminally ill patients in pain.

But active euthanasia, whereby doctors administer lethal doses of drugs to patients suffering from an incurable condition, is illegal.

Assisted suicide  whereby patients can receive help to voluntarily take their own life  is also banned.

European precedents

Frances national ethics committee last year said it was open to the terminally ill receiving active help in dying.

The consultation committee on Sunday said three quarters of its members were in favour of active assistance to dying  meaning active euthanasia or assisted suicide under certain conditions.

It said it was essential that a patient be fully capable of discernment, or evaluating and making such a decision.

Its members were unable to agree on guidelines for cases in which patients had lost their full mental capacity, or were children.

A growing number of countries have over the past few decades opened the door to assisted dying for those in need.

The Netherlands became the first country in the world to legalise both active euthanasia and assisted suicide on 1 April, 2002 for patients actively choosing to end unbearable suffering with no prospect of improvement.

Belgium, Luxembourg and Spain have since followed suit, while Switzerland  which prohibits euthanasia  has for decades allowed assisted suicide.

The Netherlands and Belgium have expanded the law to decriminalise euthanasia for some terminally ill children, with the consent of their parents.

Most French in favour

Up to 70 percent of French people are in favour of active help in dying, according to a survey of 1,000 people published on Sunday by newspaper Journal du Dimanche.

But just 36 percent said they would actually consider it for themselves if they were suffering from a painful and incurable illness.

Since being elected in 2017, Macron has often been accused by critics of an imperious, top-down style of governing, a feeling that contributed to sparking the Yellow Vest protests of 2018 and 2019.

After winning a second term last year, the former investment banker vowed to carry out broad national consultation on a variety of topics.

But critics say his government has largely ignored the results of a previous citizen brainstorming session on climate change.

In recent weeks, he has faced growing public anger over the divisive pension reform his government forced through the hung lower house of parliament, fuelling unrest across the country.

Opinions are also divided over euthanasia and assisted suicide in the National Assembly.

Most on the left and a part of the centre back legalisation, but the right is mostly against.

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Berlin: Germany is considering reducing the size of its diplomatic mission to Russia as a pre-emptive move against Moscows reaction should Russian diplomats be expelled from Berlin, Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR) radio and Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR) television reported on Tuesday.

The German authorities are looking at dramatically reducing the number of accredited diplomats in Berlin who may be involved in espionage, according to the broadcasters information.

At the same time, they are also considering a reduction in the number of German diplomats posted to Moscow, Russian news agency TASS reported, adding that in this way, the German government hopes to preclude any Russian move to simply replace the spies expelled from Berlin.

On March 25, German magazine Focus, citing sources in the German Foreign Ministry, reported that Foreign Affairs Minister Annalena Baerbock planned to declare over 30 Russian diplomats accredited in Berlin personae non gratae. According to the publication, German security forces allege that these Russian diplomats use their diplomatic status to obtain information illegally.

On the same day, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that a tough response to the diplomats expulsion had already been prepared, TASS reported, adding that the German Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Andrea Sasse did not confirm media reports about the alleged expulsion of diplomats.

Germany Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock on Monday said that the German government is declaring 40 Russian diplomats undesirable persons.

Soon after the statement issued by the German FM, France also declared that it would expel 35 Russian diplomats as part of a joint European action.

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Brussels: Finland becomes the 31st member of NATO on Tuesday, wrapping up its historic strategic shift with the deposit of its accession documents to the alliance.

Finnish foreign minister Pekka Haavisto signed a document on Finlands accession to NATO at the alliances headquarters. He called the signing moment a historic one.

The document was handed over to US representatives. Later, the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the official keeper of the treaty, said: With receipt of this instrument of accession, we can now declare that Finland is the 31st member of the North Atlantic Treaty.

The official ceremony of admission of Finland to NATO will take place in the alliances headquarters in Brussels on Tuesday. The ceremony will be attended by President of Finland Sauli Niinisto, Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto and Defence Minister Antti Kaikkonen.

In May of 2022, Finland had filed its membership application together with Sweden, but Swedens admission is still blocked by Turkey, because Stockholm has not yet fulfilled all Ankaras demands on extradition of Kurdish refugees, whom Ankara accuses of terrorism.

Russia warns of countermeasures

Finland becoming the 31st member of NATO has drawn an angry warning of countermeasures from the Kremlin.

Moscows all-out invasion of Ukraine last year upended Europes security landscape and prompted Finland  and its neighbour Sweden  to drop decades of military non-alignment.

Not so many years ago we thought it was unthinkable that Finland would become a member. Now they will be a fully-fledged member of our alliance and that is truly historic, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said.

We are removing the room for miscalculation in Moscow about NATOs readiness to protect Finland, and that makes Finland safer.

Finnish Defence Minister Antti Kaikkonen called it a win-win situation ahead of the choreographed final formalities before Finlands blue-and-white flag can be hoisted in front of NATOs headquarters.

But Moscow decried the move as an assault on Russias security and national interests.

This forces us to take countermeasures  in tactical and strategic terms, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

Joining NATO places Finland under the alliances Article Five, the collective defence pledge that an attack on one member shall be considered an attack against them all.

This was the guarantee Finnish leaders decided they needed as they watched Russian President Vladimir Putins devastating assault on Ukraine.

Im tempted to say this is maybe the one thing we can thank Mr Putin for, because he once again here has precipitated something he claims to want to prevent by Russias aggression, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.

Powerful military

Invaded by its giant neighbour, the Soviet Union, in 1939, Finland  which has a 1,300-kilometre (800 mile) border with Russia  stayed out of NATO throughout the Cold War.

Now its membership brings a potent military into the alliance with a wartime strength of 280,000 and one of Europes largest artillery arsenals.

Its strategic location bolsters NATOs defences on a border running from the vulnerable Baltic states to the increasingly competitive Arctic.

Senior NATO military commander Admiral Rob Bauer told AFP that Finland had so far not requested its new allies station troops on its soil.

NATO officials say the war in Ukraine has sapped Moscows forces, but the alliance is monitoring how Russia responds to gauge its future steps.

Awkward allies Turkey and Hungary, for different reasons of their own, delayed Finlands bid to come under the NATO umbrella  and Stockholms progress remains blocked.

But last week, the Turkish parliament voted to clear Finlands final hurdle.

Completing the ratification in well under a year still makes this the fastest membership process in the alliances recent history.

NATO was created as a counterweight to the Soviet Union at the onset of the Cold War era that began immediately after the Allies defeated Nazi Germany.

Sweden soon?

Finlands arrival nevertheless remains a bittersweet moment for the alliance as the hope had been for Sweden to come on board at the same time.

Budapest and Ankara remain the holdouts after belatedly agreeing to wave through Helsinkis bid.

Sweden has upset Hungarys leader Viktor Orban  one of Putins closest allies in Europe  by expressing alarm over the rule of law in Hungary.

It has also angered Turkey by refusing to extradite dozens of suspects that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan links to a failed 2016 coup attempt and a decades-long Kurdish independence struggle.

NATO diplomats hope Erdogan will become more amenable if he weathers elections next month and that Sweden will join before a NATO summit in Vilnius this July.

Ukraine is also pushing for eventual NATO membership, but Western diplomats say that still remains a distant prospect.

There is no better strategic solution to ensuring strategic security in the Euro Atlantic region than the membership of Ukraine in the alliance, Ukraines Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said.

NATO members in the meantime insist they are focused on providing Ukraine with the weaponry and support it needs to win the war with Russia.

(With inputs from AFP)

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Honduras government deployed soldiers across the country as part of a plan to fight criminal groups, authorities said Monday, with official images showing hundreds of soldiers being commissioned for the project.

The move comes after leftist President Xiomara Castro implemented a partial state of emergency last December in pockets of the countrys largest cities, led mainly by members of the police.

In this new stage, we have the task of ending drug trafficking, and crime and also capturing the leaders of maras (violent street gangs) and gangs. We will guarantee peace for the life of the Honduran people, Defense Minister Jose Manuel Zelaya said at a ceremony.

He did not specify the number of troops involved in this new deployment, though hundreds were seen at the commissioning ceremony in images shared by the government on Twitter.

The armed forces will assume security responsibilities in seven of the countrys mostly semi-urban departments where drug cartels operate and cocaine leaf plantations have been discovered, according to the government outline.

The state of emergency, which suspends some constitutional rights, is set to last until April 20.

People and criminals respect the military more than the police, Reinelda Lopez, a domestic worker, told Reuters, adding that she has been the victim of assault twice and now only goes out to the streets if necessary.

The move shows a change in tact by Casto, who has previously criticized the role of the military in previous administrations and pledged to demilitarize citizen security during her presidential campaign.

Honduras registers an average of 10 homicides a day, according to security authorities.

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Donald Trump on Tuesday pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, as the Republican billionaire became the first-ever sitting or former American president to face criminal charges.

The ex-president who is also the leading Republican candidate in the 2024 polls spent about an hour inside the courtroom. The next in-person hearing in the case is scheduled for 4 December.

Earlier in the day, Trump was arrested after he voluntarily surrendered before a New York court over charges stemming from a hush money payment to a porn actor during the 2016 elections campaign.

However, he was allowed to go home following his court appearance.

What is the hush money case?

Trump was indicted last week by a grand jury in the case brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, an elected Democrat, according to an AFP report.

The charges revolve around the investigation of $130,000 paid to adult film actress Stormy Daniels just days before Trumps election win.

Trumps former lawyer and aide Michael Cohen, who has turned against his ex-boss, says he arranged the payment to Daniels in exchange for her silence about a tryst she says she had with Trump in 2006.

Trump, whose third wife Melania had recently given birth at the time, denies the affair.

All 34 counts against Trump are linked to a series of checks that were written to Trumps personal lawyer and problem-solver, Michael Cohen, to reimburse him for his role in paying off Daniels. Those payments, made over 12 months, were recorded in various internal company documents as being for a legal retainer that prosecutors say didnt exist. Cohen testified before the grand jury and is expected to be a star prosecution witness. Nine of those monthly checks were paid out of Trumps personal accounts, but records related to them were maintained in the Trump Organizations data system, AP reported.

Also read: Hush money to Capitol attack: A look at Donald Trumps legal woes

Legal experts have suggested that if not properly accounted for, the payment could result in charges for falsifying business records, possibly for the purpose of covering up a campaign finance violation.

Trump is facing a series of separate criminal investigations at the state and federal level that could result in further  more serious  charges between now and Election Day.

They include his attempts to overturn his 2020 election loss in the state of Georgia, his handling of classified documents, and his possible involvement in the storming of the US Capitol on 6 January 2021.

With inputs from agencies

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Washington: Donald Trump on Tuesday became the first US president to be arrested on criminal charges  but the 34 felony counts for allegedly falsifying business records are far from the only legal peril threatening the ex-leader as he seeks a return to the White House.

The rebellious Republican billionaire has described the charges as being the work of radical left Democrats who have criminalized the justice system and are seeking to derail his presidential candidacy.

Here are other key investigations underway against the 76-year-old one-term president:

Incited Capitol attack?

An independent federal prosecutor, Jack Smith, will decide whether or not to charge anyone alleged to have unlawfully interfered with the transfer of power after the 2020 election or during certification by Congress of the results.

On January 6, 2021, a mob of Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol seeking to stop that certification.

Just before the assault, Trump delivered a fiery speech nearby urging the crowd to fight like hell.

In explosive hearings separate from the Department of Justice probe, lawmakers argued Trump knew he lost the election yet pressed fake claims of fraud.

They also presented evidence of alleged misconduct by Trump leading up to the insurrection, including accusations he attempted to co-opt government agencies into his bid to overturn the election results.

Federal prosecutors have obtained convictions of or guilty pleas from more than 500 people for participating in the uprising, but it remains unclear if Trump will face charges for any plotting or fomenting of the Capitol attack.

-Keeping classified docs at home-

Smith will also decide on any charges in the ongoing investigation into classified documents found at Trumps Florida home  and over possible obstruction of the probe.

An FBI search of Trumps palatial Mar-a-Lago residence last August turned up classified documents taken when he left office in early 2021.

The raid was triggered by a review of records which Trump finally surrendered to authorities in January 2022.

The Justice Department began investigating after the 15 boxes were found to contain national defense information, including 184 documents marked as confidential, secret or top secret.

-Georgia election meddling-

Trump is separately being investigated for pressuring officials in the southern swing state of Georgia to overturn Bidens 2020 victory  including a taped phone call in which he asked a state official to find enough votes to reverse the result.

The top prosecutor in Georgias Fulton County, Fani Willis, has assembled a special grand jury that could see Trump facing conspiracy charges connected to election fraud and interference.

Last month the grand jury forewoman, in unusually public remarks, said the 23-member panel had recommended indictments of multiple people, including certainly names that you would recognize. She did not say whether Trump was among them.

In New York, meanwhile, the state attorney general Letitia James has filed a civil suit against Trump and three of his children, accusing them of fraud by overvaluing assets to secure loans and then undervaluing them to minimize taxes.

James is seeking $250 million in penalties as well as banning Trump and his children from serving as executives at companies in New York.

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London: In UK, it takes burglars to carry up to 27 break-ins and criminals to commit eight knife offences before they are jailed, ministry of justice revealed in a report.

Despite laws requiring judges to immediately imprison offenders for a third offense, data acquired under freedom of information laws shows that burglars are also evading custody.

And despite the one strike and out legislation, which mandates immediate prison terms for a second offense, criminals who are found guilty of knife crime offences are only sentenced to prison after committing their eighth felony.

Additionally, according to recent MoJ statistics acquired by MailOnline, the greatest number of prior convictions for knife possession occurred in 2020 with eight, followed by seven and five in 2021. It was seven in 2018.

In terms of burglaries, the data revealed that in 2019, a criminals highest amount of prior burglaries for which they were found guilty before being imprisoned was 27. It was 20, 18, and 13 in 2020, 2018, and 2021, respectively.

The report came after the news that all 43 chief constables in England and Wales signed a historic agreement last year to respond to complaints of home invasions regardless of where or what was stolen.

The deal came after it emerged that an average of 774 burglaries go unsolved every day, and that the prosecution rate is as low as 1.7 per cent in some areas.

Reacting to the shocking data, Tory MP Priti Patel criticised disgraceful soft policing, calling it the cause of more serious crimes and arguing that harsher punishments are required as a deterrent.

The former home secretary, who once stated that she wanted criminals to feel terror when they committed crimes, now calls for automatic prison terms for repeat offenders.

In the five years leading up to 2022, 1.76 million burglaries were recorded in England and Wales, according to The Mail, but 1.41 million of the cases were resolved without a suspect being named.

It is disgraceful to see the courts letting so many off with soft sentences, Patel told The Telegraph.

Judges and magistrates are failing to use the laws that have been put in place to send offenders to jail when they commit numerous crimes, and victims of crime are suffering as a result, she said.

Our police officers work tirelessly to prosecute offenders, and it is horrifying to see that work undermined by the courts refusal to imprison hoodlums, burglars, and dangerous offenders, says one police officer.

Additionally, statistics made public by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) in 2021 revealed that just 9% of offenders are prolific offenders, defined as those with 15 or more convictions or sanctions.

Despite getting 52% of all convictions and more than twice as many custodial sentences as their less productive counterparts, this is the case.

But since 2010, average sentence lengths have grown nearly every year, and between 2020 and 2021, convictions increased by 17%.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice responded to the most recent data by saying: While sentencing is a matter for the independent court, these figures precede significant legal changes that introduced harsher penalties for the most serious and frequent offenders.

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Geneva, Switzerland: Around one in every six adults experiences infertility, the World Health Organization estimated Tuesday as it called for an urgent increase in access to fertility care.

The WHO determined that around 17.5 per cent of adults worldwide are affected by infertility at some point, and found little variation between regions and wealthy and poorer countries.

Globally, an estimated one out of every six people are affected by the inability to have a child at some point in their life, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in the foreword to a fresh report on the issue.

This is regardless of where they live and what resources they have.

Across their lifetime, 17.8 per cent of adults in high-income countries and 16.5 per cent in low- and middle-income countries were affected by infertility, it found.

Tedros said the report  the first of its kind in a decade  revealed an important truth: infertility does not discriminate.

The WHO designated the issue a major health challenge globally, but stressed the difficulty of comparing the situation in various regions due to a lack of data from a number of countries.

Jury still out

Infertility is classified as a disease of the male or female reproductive system defined by the failure to achieve a pregnancy after 12 months or more of regular unprotected sexual intercourse.

Tuesdays report did not examine the causes of infertility, and did not seek to determine trends over time, or infertility differences between the sexes.

Instead, it provided a first estimate of the global and regional prevalence after experts ploughed through piles of studies conducted around the world between 1990 and 2021.

The WHO warned that there were significant variations in the data gathered, including some countries only including adults up to a certain age, and others with no age cut-off, insisting on the need for better data.

We cannot, based on the data we have, say that infertility is increasing or constant The jurys still out on that question, James Kiarie, head of the WHOs Contraception and Fertility Care unit, told reporters.

Tedros agreed.

Infertility affects millions, he said, lamenting that even still, it remains understudied, and solutions underfunded, and inaccessible to many, as the result of high costs, social stigma and limited availability.

Stigma, inequity

Pascale Allotey, head of the WHOs Sexual and Reproductive Health and Research division, also highlighted the stigma associated with infertility and the inequity in access to treatment.

The cost of fertility care is an immense challenge for many people, she told reporters, warning this is a serious equity issue and very frequently a medical poverty trap.

At the same time, procreation comes with a significant societal pressure, she said, pointing out that in many countries pregnancy remains critical to the perception of womanhood and of a couple.

Failure is often met with stigma, Allotey said, pointing out that people with infertility often suffer anxiety and depression, with ramifications for peoples mental and psychosocial wellbeing.

There is also an increased risk of intimate partner violence associated with infertility, as relationships are tested, she warned.

The WHO is calling on countries to include infertility treatment as part of their reproductive health policies, services and financing.

We want to make sure that we break the silence on infertility, WHO fertility research scientist Gitau Mburu told reporters.

Tedros also insisted that the sheer proportion of people affected show the need to widen access to fertility care and ensure this issue is no longer sidelined in health research and policy.

Safe, effective, and affordable ways to attain parenthood (must be made) available for those who seek it.

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Damascus, Syria: Two Syrian civilians were killed in an Israeli air strike Tuesday, state media reported, the fourth such attack on government-held areas of the war-torn country in less than a week.

At 00:15 (2115 GMT Monday) the Israeli enemy carried out an air strike and the attack resulted in the death of two civilians, state news agency SANA said, quoting a military source.

The strikes came from the direction of the occupied Syrian Golan, targeting some points in the vicinity of Damascus and the southern region, it said, adding that air defence intercepted most of them.

During more than a decade of civil war in Syria, Israel has launched hundreds of air strikes on Syrian territory, primarily targeting Iran-backed forces and Lebanese Hezbollah fighters as well as Syrian army positions.

SANA had earlier reported an explosion heard in the vicinity of Damascus.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said that Israeli missiles targeted the area of the Damascus International Airport, an Iranian complex near the Sayyida Zeinab area, and another location in al-Kiswah.

On Sunday, two Iran-affiliated fighters were killed in an Israeli air strike on targets in Syria, according to the British-based monitor with a wide network of sources inside the country, with SANA reporting five Syrian soldiers wounded.

Israel struck early Sunday near the western Syrian city of Homs, after striking the Syrian capital Thursday and early Friday.

The Syrian war broke out in 2011 with the brutal repression of peaceful anti-government protests and escalated into a deadly armed conflict that pulled in foreign powers and global jihadists.

More than half a million people have been killed and around half of Syrias pre-war population has been forced from their homes.

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Tokyo: Japans Defence Ministry is highly likely to deploy Long-range missiles in the Nansei chain of islands in future to counter Chinese military activities.

Japan, has recently established a Ground Self-Defense Force camp on Ishigaki Island last month, where all the high-level weapons including type-12 surface-to-ship batteries and other missile units were deployed.

Currently, the Defence Ministry is promoting the deployment of Self-Defense Forces missile units in the Nansei chain of islands, where Japan prepares to acquire so-called counterattack capabilities to strike enemy bases.

On that islands, Japan has already deployed missile units on the islands of Amami Oshima and Miyako. By the end of fiscal 2023, the ministry will complete the deployment of a missile unit at the GSDFs Katsuren subcamp on the main island of Okinawa.

According to the Japan Times, Yonaguni, the westernmost Japanese island located only some 110 kilometres away from Taiwan, is among the candidate sites to host a missile unit.

The ministry is strengthening the defence of the Nansei region because it is the gateway to the Pacific for China. Chinese military ships and aircraft have been spotted frequently in the region.

An aircraft takeoff and landing drill was staged on the Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning in waters south of Okinawa after the vessel sailed across the region between late last year and January this year.

This latest move seems to be a warning to China. Last year, Japan announced a plan to acquire counterattack capabilities. Under the plan, Japan will increase the range of the Type 12 missile to over 1,000 kilometres for deployment starting in fiscal 2026, reported The Japan Times.

Defence Minister Yasukazu Hamada told a news conference Friday that no decision has been made about where to deploy long-range missiles.

But a ministry official said that the Nansei islands close to China are a good candidate to host such missiles. A new depot to be set up on the Okinawa main island is expected to store long-range missiles.

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Vilnius: Lithuanias parliament Seimas has approved on Tuesday a law to ban Russian nationals from purchasing real estate in the Baltic country.

According to reports, a total of 76 members of Seimas voted in favour of the ban. Out of which some 13 members opposed the bill while another 34 abstained from voting.

The decision to ban Russian nationals from purchasing real estate was taken considering risks to national security, said a member of the parliament who did not wish to be named.

The ban, which will be in place until 2024, would not apply to Russians who are granted residency in the country, Reuters reported, adding that the Seimas also halted the issuing of new visas to nationals of Russia and its ally Belarus.

Many of the citizens of those two countries who carry other travel documents, such as previously issued visas, will be subject to individual extended checks at the border to determine if they pose a threat to national security.

The vast majority of Russian citizens support their countrys aggressive military actions and do not take actions to stop the aggression of their countrys regime, so they share the responsibility, Deputy Foreign Minister Jurgita Neliupsiene told parliament in March as she introduced the bill.

The Baltic country is a geopolitical term, which is used to group three countries: Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. All three countries are members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, the European Union, the Eurozone and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

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Stockholm, Sweden: While Finland Tuesday became a full NATO member, Swedens membership bid remains blocked, an embarrassing delay if short-lived but which could make Sweden more vulnerable and create problems within NATO if it drags on, experts told AFP.

Finland became the 31st member of the military alliance after securing the last two ratifications needed from Hungary and Turkey last week.

Finland and Sweden abandoned decades of military non-alignment and applied to join NATO in the wake of Russias invasion of Ukraine, stressing they wanted to walk in lockstep.

But Ankara and Budapest have refused to ratify Swedens bid, following a litany of disputes.

Whether the delay becomes a real problem depends on how long it lasts, according to experts.

If we are talking about months, its embarrassing, but not really a major problem, Robert Dalsjo, an analyst at the Swedish Defence Research Institute (FOI), told AFP.

However, should the process drag on, it could complicate both Swedens and NATOs defence planning in the region.

Jacob Westberg, an associate professor of War Studies at Swedens Defence University, noted that it isnt possible for non-member states to fully participate in NATOs defence planning.

That leaves Sweden out of action.

For example, if military supplies needed to be quickly deployed to the Baltic states and Finland, east of the Baltic Sea, then it would be very practical to be able to operate out of Swedish territory, Westberg said.

He added that a delay also means that NATO will not be able to count on Swedish military assets  such as its fleet of submarines in the Baltic Sea and JAS Gripen fighter jets.

Analysts have long pointed to Swedens geographical significance in the event of a conflict in Northern Europe, with the island of Gotland sometimes described as an unsinkable aircraft carrier in the Baltic.

Cracks

In addition to planning woes, Anna Wieslander, director for Northern Europe at the think tank Atlantic Council, said the disagreement on Sweden could expose cracks within the alliance.

If NATO doesnt deliver on Sweden becoming a member, then NATO will appear weakened, Wieslander said.

Lingering divisions could ultimately affect how NATO supports Ukraine, she added.

That which has been the alliances greatest strength in the Ukraine crisis, has been that members can move forward together and remained united, Wieslander said.

New members need to be unanimously ratified by all members of the alliance, and Sweden still faces opposition from Ankara and Budapest.

It has especially angered Turkey by refusing to extradite dozens of suspects that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan links to a failed 2016 coup attempt and a decades-long Kurdish independence struggle.

NATO diplomats hope Erdogan will become more amenable if he weathers elections next month.

Look at the map!

In a speech in late March, Swedens Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said his country was safer with Finland inside NATO.

Look at the map! Well be surrounded by NATO countries, Kristersson said, stressing the security assurances also offered by several NATO members, including the United States and Britain.

As a non-member, Sweden is not covered by the security guarantees of NATOs Article 5 on collective defence.

Westberg also noted that Kristerssons evaluation clashed with the one Swedens parliament presented in a security policy assessment before applying to NATO, which specifically highlighted the risks that Sweden would face if only Finland applied.

As the only Nordic country outside NATO, Sweden would become a specific military-strategic interest for Russia in the event of a conflict.

Our military and security policy vulnerability, and exposure, would increase, the report said.

In particular, Westberg noted that the common defence planning between Sweden and Finland that has developed since 2014 would not be able to continue in the same way.

As a NATO member, Finland will have to prioritise its obligations towards the alliance, Westberg explained.

While Sweden has some 200 years of experience of staying out of military alliances, the researcher also noted that the country does not have nearly the military capabilities it had during the Cold War.

In the 1950s, Sweden had a defence budget totalling around four per cent of its GDP, discouraging a potential attack from the Soviet Union by making it too costly.

Following decades of cuts, the country is once again rearming, but to a lesser degree.

Last year, Sweden announced plans to boost spending to two per cent of GDP as soon as possible.

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Paris: French President Emmanuel Macron will visit China from Wednesday, hoping to dissuade Beijing from supporting Russias invasion of Ukraine but without alienating a crucial trade and geopolitical player.

China is the only country in the world capable of having an immediate and radical impact on the conflict, in one direction or the other, an official from Macrons office told reporters Friday on condition of anonymity.

Macron will look to stand firm towards President Xi Jinping on Ukraine while taking another path from the directly confrontational tone often heard from Washington, the official added.

The French leaders aims include preserving and rebalancing Chinas trade ties with Europe as well as safeguarding French interests in the Asia-Pacific region  where Paris sees itself as a player thanks to its overseas territories and military deployments.

That Macrons visit will have an impact beyond France and affect the entire 27-nation European Union is clear from that presence on the trip of European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen.

She visited Macron in Paris Monday to coordinate their preparations.

In a speech last week, von der Leyen cautioned Beijing against direct support for the war while ruling out the 27-member European Union decoupling from China.

The Europeans wont hold Xi back from arming Russia by saying nicely what he shouldnt do, said Antoine Bondaz of the Paris-based Foundation for Strategic Research (FRS).

He predicted instead that the leaders would warn him off arms deliveries in public while dangling the threat of sanctions in their private talks.

No-limits friendship

China has portrayed itself as seeking a peaceful resolution to Russias attack on its neighbour.

But Xis friendly visit to Moscow last month and announcement of a peace plan most saw as skewed towards Russia have Western countries doubtful.

Von der Leyen last week complained that far from being put off by the atrocious and illegal invasion of Ukraine, President Xi is maintaining his no-limits friendship with Putins Russia  recalling a phrase coined immediately before the invasion last February.

How China continues to interact with Putins war will be a determining factor for EU-China relations going forward, she added.

Within the bloc, economic heavyweights France and Germany see preserving trade with China as a priority, while nations in the EUs east  closer to Ukraine and with stark memories of Russian occupation  would prefer to up the pressure on Beijing over the invasion.

Macron will himself bring a delegation of some 60 business leaders to Beijing, including the bosses of Airbus and EDF  some hoping to sign lucrative new contracts.

We do not want to cut economic, societal, political and scientific ties, von der Leyen said, although Brussels like Paris hopes to rebalance the trading relationship on the basis of transparency, predictability and reciprocity.

Macron and the EU Commission chief will place the accent on de-risking rather than de-coupling, Francois Godement, an Asia expert at the Institut Montaigne think-tank, wrote on Twitter.

He added that they would look for low-key but practical responses to frictions with Beijing that do not insult Chinas future  given Xi appears firmly in the driving seat at home.

Nerve centre

Macron will also meet French residents in Beijing after arriving on Wednesday afternoon, before Thursday talks with Chinese leaders and a state dinner in the evening.

On Friday, he will travel to Guangzhou in southern China to meet local students.

But Macron will also be eyeing Frances footprint across the entire Asia-Pacific region.

Around 1.6 million citizens reside in French overseas territories there, from La Reunion off Madagascars east coast to New Caledonia northeast of Australia and the dozens of Pacific islands of French Polynesia.

Thanks to its vast population, abundant natural resources and economic heft, the Asia-Pacific has become the nerve centre of the planet, said Cedric Perrin, co-author of a French Senate report on the region.

France hopes its vast economic zone and 7,000 deployed troops can lend it a seat at the table as tensions mount on several fronts, including with nuclear-armed North Korea and between China and the United States over the island of Taiwan.

Perrin believes the country must re-state a strong and realistic position towards China, especially regarding the need to respect international law if it wants to be taken seriously as regional player.

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Mexico City, Mexico: Mexico announced Tuesday an agreement to buy 13 electricity generation plants from Spains Iberdrola for around $6 billion  its latest move to boost the states role in the energy sector.

The plants will form part of the public patrimony and will be operated by (state-owned electricity provider) CFE, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador tweeted, describing the deal as a new nationalization.

The move will increase the proportion of Mexican electricity generated by CFE to 55 per cent, from 39 per cent previously, the government said.

Lopez Obrador has been critical of Spanish energy firms such as Iberdrola and Repsol that have investments in Mexicos energy industry, accusing them of shady business dealings in the past.

Foreign investors have reacted with alarm to Lopez Obradors reforms aimed at rolling back the effects of liberalization under previous governments that he says benefited private companies.

The moves have prompted a formal trade complaint by the United States and Canada under a North American trade deal.

Critics say the reforms unfairly favour state-run firms dependent on fossil fuels over private electricity producers that have invested in renewable energy.

Despite the sale, Iberdrola said that it remained firmly committed to renewable energy development in Mexico.

The group considers Mexico a strategic country with potential for growth and expansion, where it will show its support for Mexico and the state by developing renewable capacity, chairman Ignacio Galan said in a statement.

Lopez Obrador thanked Iberdrola for its willingness to reach an agreement, adding: We have had some differences, but dialogue and goodwill can do anything.

Relations between Mexico and former colonial ruler Spain have been strained since Lopez Obrador took office in 2018 and called for an apology for the events of the conquest five centuries ago.

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New Delhi: Due to the omission of Xi Jinpings name from a commentary on the importance of national unity, China recalled millions of copies of the Peoples Daily, according to a report by Radio Free Asia (RFA).

The commentary on page five listed Chinas victories under Xi, concluding with the statement, Unity and struggle are the only ways for the Chinese people to forge a historical undertaking.

RFAs review of the articles images revealed that Xis name was omitted from one sentence after the word comrade.

According to RFA, the text read, The central government with comrade at the core assesses the situation.

But the online edition reads correctly: The central government with comrade Xi Jinping at the core assesses the situation.

The author of the piece used a pseudonym Ren Ping. The real identity of the person still remains unknown.

According to the editor, Xi Jinping will only determine whether or not the involved author receives punishment, as reported by RFA.

Before being published, the final draft of any article in the official Chinese media is supposed to go through five to six rounds of editing, but no one seems to have found the error.

Regarding the names, positions, and titles of officials, official media reports in China must adhere to strict guidelines.

The task of reporting on state officials is regarded as political, and any error in stating their names or positions is regarded as a political incident.

With inputs from agencies

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Former US president Donald Trump was arrested after he surrendered before a New York court for a historic hearing held amid tight security and a global media frenzy, as the Republican billionaire became the first-ever American president to face criminal charges.

In a spectacle playing out on live television  with rival protesters rallying outside  the hearing marks a watershed moment for the US criminal and political system, with the potential to upend the 2024 White House race in which Trump is currently the leading Republican nominee.

The 76-year-old Trump pleaded not guilty to a host of charges related to hush money paid to a porn star ahead of the 2016 election that brought him to power.

Seems so SURREAL  WOW, they are going to ARREST ME, Trump posted on his Truth Social app as he headed to the courthouse from Trump Tower, where he spent the night after flying from Florida.

Cant believe this is happening in America. MAGA!

What is the hush money case?

Trump was indicted last week by a grand jury in the case brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, an elected Democrat.

The charges revolve around the investigation of $130,000 paid to adult film actress Stormy Daniels just days before Trumps election win.

Trumps former lawyer and aide Michael Cohen, who has turned against his ex-boss, says he arranged the payment to Daniels in exchange for her silence about a tryst she says she had with Trump in 2006.

Trump, whose third wife Melania had recently given birth at the time, denies the affair.

Legal experts have suggested that if not properly accounted for, the payment could result in charges for falsifying business records, possibly for the purpose of covering up a campaign finance violation.

Trump is facing a series of separate criminal investigations at the state and federal level that could result in further  more serious  charges between now and Election Day.

They include his attempts to overturn his 2020 election loss in the state of Georgia, his handling of classified documents, and his possible involvement in the storming of the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.

With inputs from AFP

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New Delhi: In an attempt to nip any social instability in the bud, China is planning to send out more officers to do grass-roots policing across the country, according to a report.

According to a South China Morning Post report, citing a document outlining the three-year plan posted to the ministrys website last month, Ministry of Public Security aims to make every effort to strengthen the grass-roots foundation of national security and social stability.

As per the plan, to keep a close watch on the activities of its citizens more officers will be deployed to police stations, residential communities in cities, and villages in rural areas.

According to the report, citing observers, the move to strengthen surveillance and control was prompted by concern over recent protests at the local level.

Suppressing discontent

A politics academic, who is based in mainland China, told South China Morning Post that the idea behind the move is to suppress discontent on issues ranging from unemployment to pensions. In the same vein, he also said that sending more police out across the country would be a strain on government budgets.

At the grass-roots level, there have been some loud voices of opposition heard, so (the authorities want to) strengthen control by deploying more police, he was quoted as saying by South China Morning Post. Alfred Wu, an associate professor at the National University of Singapores Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, told the media outlet that the plan signalled a focus on maintaining regime stability, especially after the recent protests. I think its very clear that Xi (Jinping) is quite concerned about his own power and stability, Wu said.

Deployment at police stations, residential communities

According to the plan, at least 40 per cent of the police force in all cities and counties will be sent to work at police stations. And at least 40 per cent of those personnel will be deployed to residential communities. In cities, public security bureaus in municipal districts are encouraged to send more officers  at least 50 per cent of the force  to do grass-roots policing. The ministry, meanwhile, aims to have at least one police officer for every village in Chinas rural areas by the end of 2025. While these measures have been already been introduced by some cities in Shandong, Sichuan and Henan provinces in recent years, it is the first time these requirements have been made at the national level. Late last year, rare protests were held in major cities including Beijing and Shanghai over the countrys strict Covid-19 controls, which were abruptly abandoned soon after. In another protest in February, retirees took to the streets of Wuhan over cuts to health insurance. Following the protests, China tightened its control over social media by targeting users who hit like on inappropriate social media posts after it faced massive criticism online over the governments zero-COVID policy. The government authorities have been empowered to restrict posts and comments on social media. With inputs from agencies

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Seoul: North Korea criticised the US for refusing to extradite a man who was accused of staging a break-in at North Koreas embassy in Spain in 2019, saying Washington was protecting terrorism, state media KCNA reported on Tuesday.

The North Korean embassy in Madrid issued a statement marking the fourth anniversary of the raid, during which a group of men bound and gagged staff for hours before driving off with computers and other devices.

Pyongyang denounced the incident as a grave breach of sovereignty and terrorist attack but accused the US of not investigating the group thoroughly and refusing to extradite its leader, Christopher Ahn, calling it a violation of international law.

Ahn, a former US Marine who had worked as a human rights activist, was arrested in Los Angeles in April 2019 but freed on $1.3 million bail three months later.

Ahn must be severely punished as he inflicted severe mental, physical and material damage on the members of the diplomatic staff and their families, the embassy said in a statement carried by KCNA.

But the US is openly protecting and encouraging acts of terrorism against our citizens abroad based on groundless claims, it added.

The embassy called Washingtons behaviour daylight robbery and gangster, demanding it provides a formal apology and compensation and arrest and extradites the raiders.

Spanish authorities identified the intruders as members of a group called Cheollima Civil Defense, or Free Joseon, which seeks the overthrow of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, and sought Ahns extradition.

The group had acknowledged it was behind the break-in but said its members were invited inside.

US court documents showed that the raiders took computers, hard drives and a mobile phone from the embassy and handed them over to the FBI after fleeing to the US The FBI gave the items to Spanish authorities who eventually returned them to the embassy.

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Seoul: For more than three decades, North Korea has sent workers abroad to make money for its regime.

These workers have toiled in logging camps in Russia, factories and restaurants in China and farms and shipyards in Eastern Europe. They have sweated in construction sites in the Middle East and worked as doctors in African hospitals.

They left their children or parents behind as hostages, their passports confiscated for fear that they may flee to South Korea.

Under the Norths leader, Kim Jong Un, the number of workers sent abroad to raise money for the regime increased to tens of thousands, making billions of dollars a year, according to South Korean estimates. A U.N. Security Council resolution required countries to expel the workers by the end of 2019.

But thousands still remain in China and Russia, according to former workers and a new report on North Korean human rights published by the Souths Unification Ministry over the weekend. With borders closed during the pandemic, many have been trapped, with no choice but to continue toiling away for their government.

China and Russia, which have sought to make the North a more useful partner in their rivalry with the United States, have become loopholes in enforcing the U.N. ban, helping the North earn badly needed cash as it deals with the fallout of international sanctions and the pandemic.

On Thursday, the White House also accused Moscow of discussing a deal in which Pyongyang would ship weapons for Russias war in Ukraine in exchange for food and other commodities.

North Korea has found various ways to evade sanctions and continue to send workers to Russia and China, including sending them out on student and tourist visas, the report said.

Uriminzokkiri, a North Korean website, called the new report slander and fabrication.

The report was based on a survey of more than 500 North Koreans who defected to South Korea between 2017 and 2022, providing one of the most up-to-date assessments of the human rights conditions of North Koreans, including those working overseas.

It did not reveal the identities of those who participated in the survey. But two North Koreans who worked in Russia before defecting to the South last year confirmed key details in interviews with The New York Times.

The defectors spoke on condition of anonymity for fear that North Korean authorities would find and retaliate against their relatives back home.

One of the defectors, 50, worked as a construction hand in Moscow from 2017 to last year. He and his colleagues lived in shipping containers at construction sites or on the ground floor of apartment buildings still under construction.

They were alerted in advance of the local police arriving for inspections so they could hide, he said.

The workers were each required to earn $7,000 to $10,000 a year for their government. They also had to make various loyalty donations, including chipping in for funds purportedly being raised to renovate the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, a mausoleum in Pyongyang where Kims father and grandfather lie in state.

Supervisors kept the workers earnings until it was time for them to return home, giving them only 300 rubles ($38) a month to buy cigarettes, said a 41-year-old defector who worked in construction in Sakhalin, an island off the Russian Far East.

After toiling for years, many of these workers remain broke with no savings. Others take home as much as $20,000 to $30,000  an unimaginable amount in the hunger-stricken North.

North Koreans are not free to travel abroad. An average workers monthly salary  worth just 25 cents  can barely pay for a kilogram of rice. The Unification Ministry report also cited widespread human rights violations within North Korea, such as the shooting of people accused of trying to cross the border into China during the pandemic.

Working abroad has become such a coveted privilege that bribes are often paid to officials throughout the selection process. Workers also bribe supervisors to extend their stay rather than be sent home.

To Kims regime, which is increasingly pinched for foreign currency while pouring resources into a growing nuclear arsenal, these workers are a crucial source of cash.

Before being sent abroad, the government carefully vets each person for political loyalty. People with relatives who have defected to the South are ineligible. So are people who have served in submarine and missile units with access to sensitive information.

Political minders follow the workers abroad, inspecting their letters for signs of disloyalty. When the workers are allowed to travel outside their dormitories to go shopping, they have to move in groups of three or four so they can spy on each other.

Last week, President Yoon Suk Yeol of South Korea vowed to reveal every detail of the Norths human rights abuse, as his government struggles to find diplomatic leverage to force Pyongyang to give up its nuclear weapons.

Human rights groups have compared the conditions faced by North Korean workers abroad to state-sponsored slavery. Still, there remains a huge backlog of North Koreans waiting to be sent abroad once pandemic restrictions are fully lifted, according to the two defectors.

One big incentive the workers have over their starving compatriots is enough food to eat. They were also exposed to the internet, watching South Korean dramas out of view of their supervisors.

After a life in the totalitarian North, the 50-year-old defector said the smartphone he bought in secret while working abroad helped him realize that North Koreans lived like frogs trapped in a deep well.

Now in Seoul, he is recuperating from recent cancer surgery. He said he wants to find work in construction in the South so he can save enough money to help smuggle his family.

His smartphones screen saver flashed a photo of his smiling teenage daughter, still living in North Korea.

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London: British intelligence sources explored reasons behind Russias huge death toll and found that a significant minority of the total 200,000 dead troops were not caused by fighting but excess alcohol consumption along with a number of other issues.

UK Ministry of Defence, which provides regular updates on the conflict in Ukraine, made the observation about bad habits among Putins forces.

According to the MoD, there are extremely high numbers of incidents, crimes, and fatalities among deployed soldiers that are associated with alcohol.

This claim was supported by a message from a Russian news channel on the encrypted messaging app Telegram.

The message said, With heavy drinking pervasive across much of Russian society, it has long been seen as a tacitly accepted part of military life, even on combat operations, implying that this was largely expected due to views in Russian society at large.

The report listed poor weapon handling drills, traffic accidents, and climatic injuries like hypothermia as other non-combat causes of death.

However, there seemed to be one issue that was more prevalent than the others, as Russian commanders likely identify pervasive alcohol abuse as particularly detrimental to combat effectiveness.

Daily life in Donetsk. Drunk Russian soldiers lying in In draughty cold stairways, too drunk to find the homes they occupy. pic.twitter.com/MApnmIVSLl  NOEL   (@NOELreports) December 15, 2022

Only a few days prior, Vladimir Putin summoned 147,000 more young males for mandatory military service.

The military now has between 1 April and 15 Julytwo and a half monthsto enlist the 18 to 27-year-olds.

The President is now requesting 22.5 percent more volunteers than last fall as part of a two-stage annual recruitment of novices for a year-long military service.

General Andrei Kartapolov, chairman of the defence committee of the Russian Parliament, has denied that the 147,000 would be sent to battle in Ukraine and declared that no conscripts would be drawn from the occupied and annexed regions of that country.

Since last September, according to estimates, Putin has called up 500,000 reservists, mostly men and women in their 30s and 40s.

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Islamabad: With the authorities failed to complete the departmental inquiry into the rape incident of a young girl at F-9 Park despite the passage of two months, the Senate Standing Committee on Human Rights in Pakistan has swung into action, asking them not to allow visitors entry into parks in Islamabad after 6 pm.

The rights body has asked Capital Development Authority (CDA) in Islamabad not to allow visitors in parks until all security arrangements are ensured.

The development came after CDA Chairman Noorul Amin Mengal accepted its failure to complete the departmental inquiry into the rape incident of a young girl at F-9 Park despite the passage of two months.

The CDA chairman assured the committee members of completing the inquiry within a week. He also added that guards and staff who were not present at the scene of the crime will face action, Business Recorder reported.

Violence against women is prevalent in Pakistan, which is the second-worst country in the world in gender parity. The Islamabad horror has brought to the spotlight the rise in sexual barbarism in the country.

The rape has triggered protests across the country, where women are often exploited. Womens rights activists are demanding swift justice for the survivor. Demonstrators have poured into the streets to raise their voices against the incident.

The Fatima Jinnah Park turned into a protest site since the incident came to light. Hundreds have tied their dupatta to the railings of the park, condemning the rape and demanding change.

Also, to prevent such incidents from happening again, the CDA has appointed park managers for every park in the city.

The CDA has also allocated Rs100 million to install lights and sensors in F-9 Park, with a tender already issued for installing lights, Business Recorder reported, adding that the installation is expected to take two months.

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Islamabad: Pakistans Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial Tuesday directed the registrar of the Supreme Court to not relinquish the charge of his office amidst the worsening row between the government and the top judiciary in the coup-prone country.

Chief Justice Bandial took the step after the cabinet removed Ishrat Ali, ordering him to report at the Establishment Division, the top government offices supervising the transfer and posting of senior officers, Dunya News reported.

The row began when the Cabinet on Monday threw its weight behind the senior Supreme Court judge Justice Qazi Faez Isa who had ordered Alis removal the other day.

Ali had irked Justice Isa by issuing a circular of Bandial in which he disregarded the judgment of Isa of March 31 regarding taking up suo motu actions.

The Express Tribune newspaper reported that the face-off between the government and Justice Bandial escalated soon after the top judge of the country continued hearing PTIs plea against the delay in holding elections in Punjab.

Taking advantage of the apparent schism between Bandial and some judges, the cabinet hurriedly gathered at the Prime Minister House on Monday evening in a special meeting to discuss the two-point agenda  one being the removal of the SC registrar as desired by Justice Isa.

The special cabinet meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, considered the registrar issuing a circular against the order of Justice Isa.

Following the discussion, the cabinet decided to withdraw the services of registrar and directed him to report to the Establishment Division  an apparent attempt to embarrass CJP and convey the message that things have reached a point of no return. The federal cabinets decision to remove SC registrar came hours before a three-member bench of the apex court comprising CJP Bandial, Justice Ijazul Ahsan and Justice Munib Akhtar reserved the judgment in Punjab polls delay case.

The judgement announced on Tuesday set aside the order to delay elections and ordered to hold the same on May 14, leaving the government in the lurch.

It is believed that the latest judgment may further stir up the tension between the executive and judiciary to destabilize the country when it needs calm to tackle a sinking economy and deteriorating security situation.

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Donald Trump has been indicted by a Manhattan grand jury after a probe into hush money paid to porn star Stormy Daniels, becoming the first former US president to face criminal charges. He pleaded not guilty in court on Tuesday to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.

The charges from an investigation led by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg come as Trump seeks the Republican nomination to run again in 2024.

A somber moment in the life of our country, when its necessary to arraign a former president on criminal charges, Representative Adam Schiff, a Democrat of California, wrote on Tuesday afternoon.

As the case falls to the DA to prove, we must recognize what is most important: Even the most powerful are held to account, and that nobody is above the law, wrote Schiff, who was the lead prosecutor in the Senate impeachment trial of Trump in 2020.

Today is a bad day for all of us & we are all going to regret it for a very long time, Senator Marco Rubio, a Republican of Florida, tweeted.

Today we set the new normal that if you really want to take someone down, nothing should stop you. You should be able to manipulate the law anyway you want to charge someone, Rubio said in a video posted on his Twitter account, describing the charges against Trump as absurd.

Today is a bad day for all of us & we are all going to regret it for a very long time pic.twitter.com/Nc2oMpeFz0  Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) April 4, 2023

Take responsibility, hold yourself accountable, and go away, Representative Jamaal Bowman, a Democrat of New York, said when reporters asked if he had a message for Trump.

"I stand w/Trump & will always fight against those who want to destroy our Republic," Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican, said in a tweet.

The left's weaponization of the justice system to go after Trump, shows there is no limit, they'll use it to go after the mom at school board meetings or anyone with conservative values. I stand w/Trump & will always fight against those who want to destroy our Republic. #Trump pic.twitter.com/RIfvfyeIwK  Attorney General Ken Paxton (@KenPaxtonTX) April 4, 2023

"I think the American people should feel reassured that when there is an ongoing case like this one that we're just not commenting," White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters in a press briefing.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat of New York, tweeted: "I believe that Donald Trump will have a fair trial that follows the facts and the law. Theres no place in our justice system for any outside influence or intimidation in the legal process. As the trial proceeds, protest is an American right, but all protests must be peaceful.

I believe that Donald Trump will have a fair trial that follows the facts and the law. Theres no place in our justice system for any outside influence or intimidation in the legal process. As the trial proceeds, protest is an American right, but all protests must be peaceful.  Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) April 4, 2023

Mr. Trump was a president of many firsts  none of which were good for our country. His arraignment is another first  all of his own making, tweeted Representative Madeleine Dean, a Democrat of Pennsylvania, adding that the twice-impeached president was an immoral man and a corrupt citizen.

No one should be above the law. Today proved that. Mr. Trump was a president of many firsts  none of which were good for our country. His arraignment is another first  all of his own making. An immoral man. Corrupt citizen. Twice-impeached former President.  Congresswoman Madeleine Dean (@RepDean) April 4, 2023

"The indictment of Donald Trump is wholly political and baseless," said Senator Ted Cruz, a Republican of Texas, on Twitter.

The arrest and arraignment of former President Donald Trump by a left-wing Soros prosecutor today is making a mockery of the rule of law. Not only is the indictment frivolous, this political persecution marks a dark day for our country.  Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) April 4, 2023

"I stood by Trump from the moment he came down the escalator, I voted for him in the primary and twice for president in the general elections," Republican representative for New York, George Santos, wrote on Twitter. "Today I showed up, because thats what real supporters do, they show up for your best and your worse days."

I stood by Trump from the moment he came down the escalator, I voted for him in the primary and twice for president in the general elections. Today I showed up, because thats what real supporters do, they show up for your best and your worse days.#Trump2024NowMorethanEver pic.twitter.com/Qyh7B184XL  George Santos (@Santos4Congress) April 4, 2023

"The events in New York City have, obviously, been a long time coming. This is a historic day and the implications of what's about to happen at the courthouse in Lower Manhattan will have massive implications for this country," Mary Trump, the niece of the former president said in a tweet.

"Donald has eluded accountability for so long and left so much destruction in his wake that there is a lot to take in," she added with the hashtag "#HappyIndictmentDay."

A lot of people have asked me how I'm feeling today. The events in New York City have, obviously, been a long time coming. This is a historic day and the implications of what's about to happen at the courthouse in Lower Manhattan will have massive implications for this country. pic.twitter.com/1KLOMNMIhx  Mary L Trump (@MaryLTrump) April 4, 2023

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Helsinki: The selling points of the charming bed-and-breakfast are its century-old buildings, its spacious rooms and its proximity to Russia, a short cross-country ski trip to the east.

For Russians, it was a place to stay when they came to buy dairy goods and dish soap in the closest part of the European Union, which became a part of NATO on Tuesday. For Finns with roots in the Karelia region, which covers parts of both Finland and Russia, they could go across the border to buy cheap gas and car parts and visit sites of the clashes between Finnish forces and the Soviet Red Army during World War II.

The harmony of the Kuuksenkaari bed-and-breakfast was briefly interrupted Tuesday morning when owners Eija Hiltunen and Eero Tuomisto argued, peacefully and quietly, about the necessity of Finland joining NATO, the Finnish flag lifted alongside 30 others in Brussels.

For Eija Hiltunen, who moved to the northern Karelia region with her husband more than a decade ago, Finland becoming part of the worlds biggest security alliance was an unnecessary provocation.

For the past fifteen, twenty years now, things have been quiet here on the border. It has been easy to cross the border and there has been plenty of cross-border activity, said Hiltunen.

Her husband, a retired business journalist from Helsinki, was a stronger supporter of their country joining NATO.

I think it feels somewhat safer now, said Tuomisto, whose grandfather fought against the Soviet Red Army in clashes in the region during World War II. There is no uncertainty anymore. The previous crisis (World War II) isnt that far behind us. You can see it all around here. Noone has forgotten our history with Russia.

Their area, Ilomantsi, in the easternmost trip of the EU, has several museums dedicated to war memorabilia and battles that Finns fought against the Soviet Union.

Finland shares a 1,340-kilometer (832-mile) border with Russia, so its entry will more than double the size of NATOs border with Russia. Though the alliance says it poses no threat to Moscow, the Russian Foreign Ministry warned that it will be forced to take military-technical and other retaliatory measures to a move that marks a fundamental change in the situation in Northern Europe, which had previously been one of the most stable regions in the world.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also pointed out Tuesday that Russia has no territorial disputes with Finland.

In Finland, Hiltunen pointed out that their areas distance from the capital, about 485 kilometers (300 miles) away, has affected their feelings about joining NATO.

I would be awfully happy about NATO membership if I lived in Helsinki, said Hiltunen who moved to Ilomantsi from the capital 14 years ago. But when you live here on the eastern border between NATO and Russia  it makes you think and brings different kind of thoughts and feelings to your mind.

The NATO flags were raised alongside the national flags in front of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a building that was originally built for the military of the Russian Empire in the 19th century. Curious onlookers could be seen near the gates of the foreign ministry.

Aki Luhtanen, a professor of psychiatric nursing who was among those stopping by the Foreign Ministry, said Russias war on Ukraine feels very close and NATO membership offers protection now, and for the long term.

I think we should be aware and afraid of Russia, Luhtanen said. And I think in the future (it) is very, very important to belong to NATO.

It was on that same ministry building that Finnish authorities projected the colors of the Ukrainian flag after Russias invasion last year, in an early sign of strong support for Kyiv.

Newspapers, leaders and commentators alike agreed that Tuesday was a historic day for the Nordic nation of 5.5 million people.

Until now, we have defended our country alone, Defense Minister Antti Kaikkonen told public broadcaster YLE on arrival in Brussels. From now on, we can rely on getting outside help should things get tough. And of course, we are ready to help should someone be in trouble.

The ceremony in Brussels falls on the 74th anniversary of the signing of NATOs founding Washington Treaty on April 4, 1949.

Finlands parliamentary website was briefly paralyzed by a denial-of-service attack on Tuesday. The attacks  in which participants flood targets with junk data  made the parliaments site hard to use, with many pages not loading and some functions not available. It was seen by cyber experts as a way to grab attention.

A pro-Russian hacker group known as NoName057 (16) claimed responsibility, saying the attack was retaliation for Finland joining NATO. The hacker group has taken part in a slew of cyberattacks on the U.S. and its allies in the past. Its claim could not be immediately verified.

The personal webpage of Prime Minister Sanna Marin was also briefly down due to a denial-of-service attack, the Finnish news agency STT said.

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Kyiv: Russian drones struck the strategic Ukrainian port of Odesa, local authorities said in the early hours of Tuesday, adding that damage had been recorded.

The enemy has just struck Odesa and the Odesa district with attack UAVs, local authorities said in a statement on Facebook, referring to unmanned aerial vehicles.

There is damage, the statement said without providing further details.

Citing the head of the Odesa district military administration, Yuriy Kruk, the statement said Ukraines air defence forces were at work and warned of a possible second wave of attacks.

No other details were immediately provided.

The Black Sea port of Odesa was a favourite holiday destination for many Ukrainians and Russians before President Vladimir Putin sent troops into pro-Western Ukraine in February last year.

Since the start of the invasion, Odesa has been bombed several times by Russian forces.

In January, the United Nations cultural agency UNESCO designated the historic centre of Odesa a World Heritage in Danger site.

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New Delhi: Sri Lankas President Ranil Wickremesinghe sought Indias help in establishing policy reforms, governance, capacity building, digitalization, and public service delivery, according to the press statement released by Indias Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions.

The Indian delegation led by the Director General of the National Centre for Good Governance (NCGG), Bharat Lal met Sri Lankas President on Saturday in the island country and discussed topics like policy reforms, good governance, digitalization, capacity building and training, institution building, and assured public service delivery.

President admired the way India has managed socioeconomic development and has ensured high economic growth.

In the meeting, President Wickremesinghe shared his vision for Sri Lanka, a strategy to address the recent economic challenges and put the country on the path of high economic growth. He also urged the NCGG to help in establishing a University of Governance and Public Policy in Sri Lanka, according to the press release.

Lauding Prime Minister Narendra Modis crisis management skills during the 2001 riot as Chief Minister, Director General said, Upon assuming the role of Chief Minister of Gujarat in 2001 amid a slew of crises and negative economic growth, was able to put the state on the path of high economic growth and sustained prosperity through his vision, strategy, and progressive policies. Consequently, Gujarat has experienced double-digit economic growth over the past two decades.

Thereafter, since 2014, as Prime Minister, he has introduced a new culture of citizen-centric policies and good governance, and as a result, India is witnessing high economic growth, assured public service delivery and fast improving quality of life of its citizens, The statement quoted him as saying.

To reinforce Prime Ministers vision for good governance, which focuses on transparency, accountability, and inclusiveness, India is massively using digital technology and planning, execution and monitoring mechanisms for time-bound implementation.

In line with the Prime Ministers philosophy of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam NCGG in partnership with the Ministry of External Affairs, is dedicated to promoting collaboration and learning among civil servants of India and neighbouring countries.

During the two-day visit of an Indian delegation, they met several senior civil servants of Sri Lanka, and everyone is keen to know how Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given a new governance model to eradicate poverty, ensure high-quality services, assured public service delivery, environmental protection, inclusion & equity, transparency and accountability, and high economic growth.

Sri Lanka is keen to learn the policy-driven governance model of India and the massive use of digital technology in the planning, execution, and monitoring of various programmes and projects.

During a series of meetings set up by the Presidents office, top civil servants expressed their appreciation for the sustained assistance that India has provided to Sri Lanka during its recent unprecedented economic crisis. DG spoke about the Prime Ministers mantra of neighbourhood first and highlighted the special relationship India-Sri Lanka have, the statement read.

The DG also stressed the critical role of Prime Minister Narendra Modis leadership and vision, as well as his emphasis on good governance, in ensuring efficient, effective, and technology-driven public service delivery. The discussions centred on the NCGGs support for Sri Lanka in policy reforms, utilization of digital technology, capacity building, good governance, and institution building, the statement added.

They believed that this would aid Sri Lanka in strengthening its institutions and that the country is eager to learn and utilize Indias successful governance model to achieve high economic growth.

The Indian delegation emphasized the positive impact of digital technology in promoting transparency, equity, inclusion, and accountability.

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Stockholm: A Swedish court Tuesday overturned a police move to ban two Quran burning protests, as five suspected Islamists were arrested for plotting a terrorist act over a similar demonstration.

The burning of Islams holy book outside Turkeys embassy in Stockholm in January angered the Muslim world, sparking weeks of protests and calls for a boycott of Swedish goods, and holding up Swedens NATO membership bid.

Swedens Supreme Administrative Court overturned a police decision to ban two subsequent Quran burning protests in February, saying security risk concerns were not enough to limit the right to demonstrate.

The police authority did not have sufficient support for its decisions, judge Eva-Lotta Hedin said in a statement.

Swedish police had refused to authorise the Quran burnings outside the Turkish and Iraqi embassies in Stockholm in February saying that the January protest had made Sweden a higher priority target for attacks.

Turkey took particular offence that police had authorised the demonstration. Ankara has blocked Swedens NATO bid because of what it perceives as Stockholms failure to crack down on Kurdish groups it views as terrorists.

Swedish politicians have criticised the Quran burnings but defended the right to freedom of expression.

Swedens Security Service, meanwhile, said five suspects were arrested early Tuesday in coordinated raids in the central towns of Eskilstuna, Linkoping and Strangnas.

The current case is one of several that the Swedish Security Service has been working on in connection with the high-profile Quran burning, said Susanna Trehorning, deputy head of the security services counterterrorism unit.

She said the suspects were linked to international Islamic extremism.

The Security Service said however that it did not believe that an attack had been imminent.

The Security Service often needs to act early in order to avert a threat. We cant wait until a crime has been committed before we act, it said in a statement.

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Zurich, Switzerland: Credit Suisse chairman Axel Lehmann said Tuesday he was truly sorry that the beleaguered bank could not be saved as he faced angry and tearful shareholders whose money has gone up in smoke.

Credit Suisses chiefs fronted up at the banks annual general meeting, 16 days after its hastily arranged takeover by larger rival UBS  a mega-merger of Switzerlands two biggest banks in which the shareholders of both institutions had no say.

The 167-year-old banks final AGM was the first chance Credit Suisse shareholders had to voice their frustrations, and some were in tears as they counted the cost of the banks implosion.

I can understand the bitterness, the anger and the shock of all those who are disappointed, overwhelmed and affected by the developments, Lehmann said at the Hallenstadion, Zurichs biggest indoor arena.

With the banks share price in freefall and fearing an imminent collapse that could have triggered an international banking crisis, the Swiss government and the central bank strongarmed UBS into taking over Credit Suisse on 19 March.

Lehmann was brought in as chairman in January 2022 to fix the bank following a string of scandals that sapped investor confidence.

Our plans were thwarted  and for that I am truly sorry, he said.

I apologise that we were no longer able to stem the loss of trust that has accumulated over the years.

He said that the bank could not be saved and ultimately there were only two options: deal or bankruptcy.

We will go after you

Vincent Kaufmann, director of the Ethos Foundation, which represents pension funds in Switzerland and owns stakes in both banks, told AFP: This is a first mea culpa but also somehow a burial of one of the jewels of the Swiss economy.

Shareholders have seen the value of their investment plunge from 12.78 Swiss francs per share in February 2021 to the 0.76 francs they will receive in the $3.25-billion merger.

I am angry and I lost 10,000 Swiss francs ($11,000). Its not so much but its not good. Its (a lot of) money for my family, Stephan Denzler told AFP, tears forming in his eyes.

Shareholder Albert Keel told AFP: I bought recently and lost everything of course Ive lost a six-figure sum.

Some 1,748 shareholders turned up and several took to the podium to savage the board.

One shareholder from Bern said: This bank was robbed in a systematic fashion.

Are you crazy? Can you still sleep at night fully aware that you are destroying livelihoods? she said.

We will come back for you, we will go after you, she concluded, followed by angry shouts from the floor towards the board.

Another shareholder said many small-scale investors had seen Credit Suisse as a safe security.

Their pension has gone up in smoke and they might even think of killing themselves because they no longer have any money to finance their lives, he said.

Lehmann was ultimately re-elected as chairman until the UBS merger is closed, with 56 percent of the vote.

Deep personal regret

UBS faces its own annual general meeting in Basel on Wednesday.

The Swiss pair are among the 30 Global Systemically Important Banks  deemed of such importance to the international banking system that they are considered too big to fail.

But following the collapse of three US regional banks in early March, the markets saw Credit Suisse  which suffered a net loss of $7.9 billion in 2022  as the weak link.

The banks share price plunged by more than 30 percent on 15 March to a record low of 1.55 Swiss francs. Despite reassurances, shares closed the week at 1.86 francs on 17 March.

Fearing a bloodbath when the markets reopened on March 20, the government arm-twisted UBS into a deal.

Chief executive Ulrich Koerner said Credit Suisses end was a matter of deep personal regret to me. But the banks survival was at stake and we no longer had a choice.

The collapse of Credit Suisse would have been disastrous, not just for Switzerland but for the global economy at large.

Florian Guenzel wore a jacket reading Liquidate Criminal Suisse and banksters assets on the back, having travelled from Berlin.

The train ticket was about a fourth of the value of my shares, he told AFP.

Its a small sum here but its a lot of money for me.

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President Joe Biden was paying little attention Tuesday to the arraignment of his predecessor Donald Trump in New York on criminal charges, the White House said.

Obviously he will catch part of the news when he has a moment to catch up on news of the day but this is not a focus for him, Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.

The sole public event on Bidens schedule Tuesday was a meeting with advisors on emerging artificial intelligence technology.

Trump pleads not guilty

Later in the day, Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, as the Republican billionaire became the first-ever sitting or former American president to face criminal charges.

Trump was indicted last week by a grand jury in the case brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, an elected Democrat, according to an AFP report.

The charges revolve around the investigation of $130,000 hush money paid to adult film actress Stormy Daniels just days before Trumps election win.

Trumps former lawyer and aide Michael Cohen, who has turned against his ex-boss, says he arranged the payment to Daniels in exchange for her silence about a tryst she says she had with Trump in 2006.

With inputs from agencies

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Los Angeles: An upcoming meeting between Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen and US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy will further damage relations between Beijing and Washington, Chinas consulate in Los Angeles said Monday.

The Wednesday meeting, set to take place in California, will greatly hurt the national feelings of 1.4 billion Chinese people and undermine the political foundation of China-US relations, a consulate spokesperson said in a statement.

Speaker McCarthy is ignoring the broad support of the international community for the One-China principle, ignoring the lessons that should have been drawn from previous mistakes, the consulate said.

The statement was referring to Beijings policy that no country may maintain official diplomatic relations with both China and Taiwan.

There is no doubt that he will make the same mistake again, further damage China-US relations, but it will only strengthen the strong will and determination of the Chinese people to achieve reunification with Taiwan, they added.

China claims the democratic island as part of its territory to be retaken one day.

McCarthy confirmed Monday that he would meet the Taiwanese President, defying warnings from China that he was playing with fire.

Tsai plans to stop over in the United States on her return from Central America, where she has met the leaders of Guatemala and Belize.

McCarthy had originally planned to follow the example of his Democratic predecessor as speaker, Nancy Pelosi, who visited Taiwan last August.

That visit prompted China to conduct its largest-ever military exercises around Taiwan.

McCarthys decision to meet Tsai in the United States was viewed as a compromise that would underscore support for Taiwan but avoid further inflaming tensions with China.

But the Los Angeles consulate said Monday that any meeting would contribute nothing to regional peace, security and stability.

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NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Tuesday he hoped to see Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelensky at a summit of the alliances leaders this summer.

A strong independent Ukraine is vital for the stability of the Euro-Atlantic area, and we look forward to meeting President Zelensky at our Vilnius summit in July, Stoltenberg said after a meeting of NATO foreign ministers.

The announcement came on the day Russias neighbour Finland became NATOs 31st member.

NATO leaders will now turn up the pressure on their awkward allies Hungary and Turkey to lift their block on Sweden joining.

Helsinkis strategic shift  which ended decades of military non-alignment  has doubled the length of the US-led alliances land border with Russia and drew an angry warning of countermeasures from the Kremlin.

Finlands foreign minister formally sealed Helsinkis membership by depositing the accession papers before the Finnish flag was raised between those of France and Estonia to the singing of a choir outside NATOs gleaming Brussels headquarters.

Finland now has the strongest friends and allies in the world, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, he said, had wanted to slam NATOs door shut. Today we show the world that he failed, that aggression and intimidation do not work.

With inputs from AFP

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New Delhi: The Biden administration is discussing a potential deal that would see Iran halt progress on parts of its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief, according to a report.

American officials have discussed the hypothetical agreement with their European and Israeli counterparts in recent weeks, Russia Today reported, citing Axios news website report.

The new approach by the Biden administration indicates just how concerned the US is about recent advances in Irans nuclear program.

The US has not ruled out diplomacy on reaching an agreement to return to the 2015 nuclear agreement but did take it off the agenda last year over Irans military assistance to Russia and Tehrans crackdown on anti-government protests.

In February, nuclear inspectors in Iran discovered uranium in the country enriched to 84 per cent purity, just below the level needed to develop nuclear weapons.

To create a nuclear weapon, uranium must be enriched to at least 90 per cent.

The IAEA had said in a tweet that it was aware of the new reports of Irans uranium enrichment levels.

The IAEA is aware of recent media reports relating to uranium enrichment levels in Iran, the agency wrote on Twitter. Director General @rafaelmgrossi is discussing with Iran the results of recent Agency verification activities and will inform the IAEA Board of Governors as appropriate.

As part of the US proposal, Iran would reportedly halt uranium enrichment at 60 per cent purity in exchange for the lifting of some Western sanctions on its economy.

Tehran has denied that it is seeking a nuclear weapon, and the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran responded to the IAEA by insisting that it is not attempting to enrich beyond 60 per cent.

The US proposal has been rejected by Iran, said a Russia Today report, citing Axios sources.

Officials in Tehran reportedly said that they dont want to sign an agreement with worse terms than the 2015 nuclear deal.

The 2015 nuclear deal

The 2015 deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), was inked by Iran and the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, Germany and the EU in 2015.

Under its terms, Iran agreed to strict oversight of its nuclear program in exchange for relief from US and UN sanctions.

Former US President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from the deal in 2018, claiming that Iran was not in compliance, and economic sanctions were reimposed.

WH refuses to confirm or deny report

The White House refused to confirm or deny the latest report, which a spokesperson dismissed as second-hand rumors about diplomatic discussions.

According to the report, no Israeli officials commented on the story, although Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in February that Israel favors economic sanctions coupled with a credible military threat when dealing with the Islamic Republic.

Netanyahu has claimed for years that Iran is on the verge of producing a nuclear weapon, but his rhetoric has escalated in recent months. Israel was reportedly behind a drone attack on a military site in the Iranian city of Isfahan in February, which Netanyau followed by warning that a horrible nuclear war would ensue if Iran developed atomic weapons.

With inputs from agencies

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Washington: The United States Navy has started two-day joint military drills with South Korea and Japan with its USS Nimitz nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. With this the US is taking a lead role in anti-submarine exercises designed to counter increasing North Korean missile threats.

The tri-nation anti-submarine warfare training is being carried out near Seouls southern island of Jeju.

The drills come following North Koreas recent unveiling of a type of battlefield nuclear warhead that has sparked fears that the Kim Jong-Un lead country may conduct its first nuclear test since 2017.

The ongoing maritime exercises between the three nations involved the nuclear-powered USS Nimitz aircraft carrier and naval destroyers from South Korea, the US and Japan, South Koreas Defence Ministry said in a statement.

The drills would also see a Japanese destroyer and South Korean fast combat support ships and also involve search-and-rescue training.

The statement further said the training was organised to enhance the capacities of the three countries to respond to underwater security threats posed by North Koreas advancing submarine-launched ballistic missiles and other assets, the statement said.

Submarine-launched missiles by North Korea are serious security threats to the US and its allies as its harder to spot such launches in advance.

We will neutralise any form of provocation by responding overwhelmingly and decisively, said Brigadier General Kim In-ho, the commander of the South Korean forces taking part in the drill.

The ministry said the exercises would be led by Rear Admiral Christopher Sweeney, commander of the US 11th carrier strike group.

Sweeney offered some details about the training, but declared that the US and South Korea are committed to deterring aggression on the Korean Peninsula and that their partnership has never been stronger.

In March, the US and South Korea conducted their largest round of joint drills in five years that continued for 11 days and saw exercises on land, air, and sea, prompting a retaliatory weapon test from North Korea.

With inputs from agencies

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Washington: The United States will send Ukraine about $500 million in ammunition and equipment and will spend more than $2 billion to buy an array of munitions, radar and other weapons in the future, US officials said, as the Ukrainian troops prepare for a spring offensive against Russian forces.

The ammunition rounds, along with grenade launchers and vehicles, will be taken from military stockpiles so they can be in the war zone quickly, the officials said.

The $2.1 billion in longer-term aid, which is being provided under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, will buy missiles for the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System, or NASAMS, as well as radar and other weapons, according to the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the aid had not yet been announced. An announcement is expected soon.

The new weapons and funding come as Russia has continued to bombard Ukraine with long-range missiles and the hotly contested battle for the eastern city of Bakhmut drags on. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told The Associated Press in an exclusive interview that unless his country wins that fight, Russia could begin building international support for a deal that could require Ukraine to make unacceptable compromises.

Zelenskyy said if Moscows forces take Bakhmut, then Russian President Vladimir Putin would sell this victory to the West, to his society, to China, to Iran.

The latest US package, with its mix of short-term and long-term aid, includes a wide variety of ammunition from Pentagon stocks, 23 million rounds of small arms ammunition and 200,000 grenades, as well as funding for more high-tech weapons, including counter drone rocket systems, air surveillance radar and satellite communications terminals and services.

It brings the total amount of US security assistance to Ukraine to more than $35 billion since Russia invaded in February 2022. Defence leaders testifying on Capitol Hill last week said the US is prepared to support Ukraine for as long as needed.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg echoed that sentiment on Monday, as the alliances foreign ministers were preparing to meet in Brussels. The ministers on Tuesday will discuss how we can step up our support, including by continuing to strengthen Ukraines armed forces, Stoltenberg said. Our support is for the long haul.

The White House said last week that it has new evidence that Russia is looking again to North Korea for weapons as it also prepares for a spring offensive. Russia would provide Pyongyang with needed food and other commodities in return.

US officials also are concerned that the president of Belarus has warned that Russian strategic nuclear weapons might be deployed in his country, along with part of Moscows tactical nuclear arsenal.

Putin has said he planned to place tactical nuclear weapons in neighbouring Belarus. Those weapons are comparatively short-range and low-yield. Strategic nuclear weapons, such as missile-borne warheads, would be a greater threat.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, while talking up the possibility of nuclear weapons, has also called for a cease-fire in Ukraine. He said a truce must have no preconditions and all movement of troops and weapons must be halted.

Russia, however, has rejected a cease in fighting, claiming that Ukraine has refused to enter talks under pressure from its Western allies.

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Washington, United States: The United States called Tuesday on its longtime adversary Iran to help end Yemens conflict by backing a peace process, one year after a truce dramatically reduced fighting.

Iran, which backs Huthi rebels who have seized much of the country, last month announced a major reconciliation deal with Saudi Arabia, which led a devastating air campaign to bolster Yemens government.

If the Iranians want to show that theyre are really turning a corner on conflict, then there wont be smuggling of weapons to the Huthis anymore in violation of UN Security Council resolutions, said Timothy Lenderking, the US special envoy for Yemen.

We also would like to see the Iranians show support for the political process that we hope is coming, Lenderking said at the Middle East Institute in Washington.

Lenderking noted favorably that Iran welcomed the ceasefire a year ago. The truce lapsed in October, in part over Huthi demands for payments to civil servants in areas under their control, but fighting has not resumed at a significant level.

We are urging the parties to seize this opportunity, recognizing that an agreement will require compromises from all parties, he said.

The United Nations Yemen envoy, Hans Grundberg, on Sunday said the anniversary was a moment of hope although he also said there were significant risks.

Nearly a decade of war has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives, both directly and indirectly, with most of the population relying on aid to survive.

President Joe Biden took office promising a greater priority on ending the devastating conflict, after his predecessor Donald Trumps staunch backing and military support for the Saudis.

The Saudi-Iran agreement was announced by China, playing an unusually visible role in a region where the United States has long been the top power.

The United States has had no diplomatic relations with Iran since its 1979 Islamic revolution toppled the pro-Western shah.

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Tashkent, Uzbekistan: A constitutional referendum set for late April in Uzbekistan could extend President Shavkat Mirziyoyevs rule of the Central Asian nation for at least another decade, authorities announced Wednesday.

Mirziyoyev came to power in 2016 after the death of his autocratic predecessor Islam Karimov and has pushed through significant economic and social reforms.

But his government is accused by aid organisations of trampling on peoples basic rights in Central Asias most populous country, home to 35 million people.

The constitutional amendment would allow the 65-year-old to stand for re-election in 2026 and, if re-elected, to remain in power until 2033 or even 2040.

According to a draft proposal, the presidents term would be extended to seven years and candidates would have the right to run regardless of the number of consecutive terms already served.

The proposed new constitution, which would amend two-thirds of the current basic law, will be put to a vote on 30 April.

Mirziyoyev, after taking power in 2016, was re-elected for five years with more than 80 percent of the vote in October 2021 in an election that international observers said was devoid of real competition.

Deadly demonstrations

Validated almost unanimously by the two chambers of parliament, the proposal also plans to make Uzbekistan a social state where the human being, his life, his freedom, his honour and his dignity are the supreme values.

The constitutional amendment, which planned to reduce the autonomy of the republic of Karakalpakstan, a desert region of Uzbekistan and one of the poorest in the country, has been abandoned.

In July 2022, demonstrations broke out in Karakalpakstan to denounce the draft proposal, which resulted in an official death toll of 21 people, the internet being cut off and the declaration of a state of emergency.

After the death of his predecessor, Mirziyoyev carried out major economic and social reforms, but human rights groups criticisms have grown.

During his first visit to the region in early March, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on Uzbekistan to respect fundamental freedoms and continue ongoing reforms.

In particular, Mirziyoyev has put an end in recent years to forced labour in the cotton fields, including child labour, a measure that has been hailed worldwide, and the country wants to join the World Trade Organization.

In another sign of the countrys desire to turn the page on the isolationist years of Karimov, Uzbekistan announced at the end of January that it had demarcated its border with Kyrgyzstan, a source of recurrent problems since the fall of the Soviet Union.

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Moscow: Belarus leader and one of Russian President Vladimir Putins closest allies, Alexander Lukashenko, will travel to Moscow on Wednesday for two days of talks with Putin, the Kremlin has said.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said last week the two leaders would discuss Lukashenkos recent call for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine at an upcoming face-to-face meeting.

The two leaders will hold talks on topical bilateral and international issues on April 5, before a meeting of the Supreme Council of the Union State on April 6, the Kremlin announced on Tuesday.

Both Russia and Belarus are formally part of a Union State, a borderless union and alliance between the two former-Soviet countries, despite long-standing plans for closer integration of their economies having repeatedly failed.

Moscow happens to be Belarus key political and financial backer, while Lukashenko allowed Putin to use Belarus territory as a launchpad for Russias invasion of Ukraine last year.

In March, Putin said Russia would deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus.

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Tuesday that Russia was boosting Belarus nuclear capabilities in response to Finland joining the NATO military alliance.

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Auckland: When a reporter asked a question about gender, Chris Hipkins, the recently elected prime minister of New Zealand, was unsure of how to define the word woman.

As per reports, broadcast reporter Sean Plunket of The Platform the reporter asked Hipkins to define a woman on behalf of himself and his administration, during his regularly scheduled afternoon news conference on Monday.

Before responding, the prime minister paused for a minute to collect his thoughts.

Um, Hipkins began, before pausing.

To be honest Sean, that question has come out of left field for me. He then Hipkins then took a long pause before finishing his answer, claiming people define their own genders.

People define themselves, people define their own genders, Hipkins said.

The reporter then asked the question again, referring to an article written by British Opposition Leader Keir Starmer about the legal framework for transgender people in British law.

Keir Starmer has said that he believes 99.9 per cent of women do not have penises, and I know its a strange thing for him to say, but given recent events in New Zealand, Id ask again: how do you define what a woman is? Plunket asked again.

Hipkins acknowledged that he had not anticipated the query and did not have a prepared response, but he emphasised that each individual determines their own gender identity.

Social media users mocked Hipkins response, including Piers Morgan and J.K. Rowling, the creator of the Harry Potter series.

BREAKING: New Zealands new Prime Minister doesnt know what a woman is, despite replacing one as Prime Minister, Piers Morgan wrote on twitter.

BREAKING: New Zealands new Prime Minister doesnt know what a woman is, despite replacing one as Prime Minister. pic.twitter.com/3Gj39RhXDX  Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) April 3, 2023

On January 24, the previous prime minister of New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern, announced her resignation and named Mr. Hipkins as her replacement.

J.K. Rowling, tweeted: Someone should now ask women how they define Chris Hipkins.

In the interests of balance, someone should now ask women how they define Chris Hipkins. https://t.co/9tlDywXtM2  J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) April 3, 2023

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Istanbul: Turkeys miracle baby, rescued after being buried in earthquake rubble for over 128 hours, has finally been reunited with her mother, who was initially thought to be dead.

The devastating earthquake that rocked Turkey and killed 50,000 people in February separated the mother-and-daughter duo for more than a month.

Following her rescue, the baby was brought into the care of the state. She was one and a half months old at the time. During her time at the state care social workers gave her the name Gizem which means mystery in Turkish.

The baby was handed over to Yaseming Besdag, the mother after a DNA test was carried out to prove their relationship. Besdag is still being treated in a hospital in the city of Adana.

Sharing a video of the reunion on Twitter, Turkeys Minister of Family and Social Services said, To witness their happiness is an emotional and beautiful moment for us, too. Uniting a mother with her child is one of the most precious deeds in the world.

54 gunluk hasret sona erdi. Enkaz altndan 128 saat sonra kurtulan, hemsirelerimizin Gizem Bebek ismini koydugu Vetin Begdas 54 gun sonra annesine kavustu. Vetin artk bizim de bebegimiz. Bakanlk olarak destegimiz her zaman yannda olacak. pic.twitter.com/66sWKR53z3  Derya Yank (@deryayanikashb) April 3, 2023

In the video, a government minister can be seen personally helping the duo to reunite after the baby was flown to Adana from Ankara.

The mother and the daughter are the only surviving members of the family as the duo lost their other family members, namely the father and the babys two siblings, to the earthquake.

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Samsung Electronics plans to use its own Exynos 2200 application processor (AP) in the upcoming Galaxy S23 FE smartphone to be released in the second half of this year, according to industry sources.

The move is aimed at increasing Samsungs share in the smartphone market and reducing the cost of Galaxy products. To remind you, the S21 FE which was launched last year is powered by Exynos 2100 SoC in several markets, including India.

Samsung to reintroduce Exynos in Galaxy smartphones

Samsung initially used Galaxy S series with Snapdragon, an AP produced by Exynos and Qualcomm. Samsungs share in the global AP market has shrunk sharply, falling to 5th place with 7% in the third quarter of last year.

This is due to increased competition from products designed by competitors such as Taiwans MediaTek, even in entry-level models. Qualcomm took second place with 31%, followed by Apple in third place and Chinas UniSOC in fourth place.

Exynos yield and heat problems leading to cost burden for Samsung

The sluggishness of Exynos has led to a cost burden for Samsungs mobile experience (MX) division, which produces smartphones. Mobile AP purchases last year increased by about 49.9% year-on-year to 9,313.8 billion won.

The DX division accounted for 12.8% of the total purchase amount, which was the largest, beating out camera modules and display panels. The rapid increase in usage of Qualcomms Snapdragon AP is causing an increased burden on mobile AP purchasers.

Samsungs Exynos improvement and plans for future development

Samsung Electronics has redesigned the Exynos 2200 to increase its presence in the AP market and improve yield. The Galaxy S23 FE with the Exynos 2200 is expected to release in Q4 2023. Samsung is also developing the Exynos 2400 for use in the Galaxy S24 next year.

Exynos lineup in low-end smartphones

Samsung Electronics is expanding its Exynos lineup in both flagship and low-end smartphones, represented by the A series. The proportion of A series sales determines the companys smartphone performance for the year. The recently launched Exynos 1380 is evaluated as having premium AP performance despite being low-end. The lower model Exynos 1330 is also expected to be installed in the A14 series and target emerging markets such as India.

Samsung Electronics is speeding up the development of next-generation APs like Galaxy-specific chips to regain the position it lost to Qualcomm in the premium market. The companys System LSI Division set up the AP Solution Development Team and hired core developers from AMD and ARM to optimize AP and CPU research.

Samsung expands Exynos brand in communication chip market

Samsung Electronics expands the Exynos brand and aims to enter the communication chip market beyond the AP. The first product of the Exynos Connect brand, UWB-based short-range wireless communication semiconductor Exynos Connect U100, is recently launched.

It accurately measures distance and location between devices in several centimeters range, suitable for smart home and factory. The products optimized power mode makes it useful for IoT devices like mobile or location-aware tags that need to operate with a low-capacity battery for a long time.

Source
First renders of the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S9+ has surfaced, thanks to @OnLeaks. This shows a familiar design as the Galaxy Tab S8+, and is expected to feature a similar 12.4-inch (17522800 pixels) WQXGA+ 120Hz Super AMOLED display.

The rear cameras are now separate in line with the Samsung Galaxy S23s design language, so the camera bump is prominent. The tablet is said to measure 285.4 x 185.4 x 5.64, almost similar to the S8+.

There is a secondary sensor on the front when the tablet is handled within landscape mode, but there are no details about it. It could be a secondary selfie camera meant for video calls or when the tablet is used in landscape mode.

We can expect Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC, Android 13, in-display optical fingerprint sensor and 45W charging. Battery capacity is now available yet. Based on earlier rumours, the S9 series will have IP67 certification for dust and water resistance, similar to the companys top-end A series phones.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 series were introduced in February, and the Tab S9 series is expected later this year, alongside the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Galaxy Z Flip 5.

Source
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. "Dearest Enemy"



Answer: American Revolutionary War



"Dearest Enemy" has the distinction of being the first musical written by the powerhouse duo of Richard Rodgers (music) and Lorenz Hart (lyrics) (with book by Herbert Fields), although it was their second work to see production (after "The Garrick Gaieties") in 1925.



Set in 1776, this musical comedy is based on a true event where a contingent of the British army occupied the grounds and house of Mary Lindley Murray, who managed to delay General Howe and his senior officers with cake and wine (and conversation) long enough to allow Major General Putnam of the Continental army to pass by unnoticed as they retreated from the Battle of Brooklyn.



It premiered in Baltimore in early September, running for a week before opening on Broadway. There, "Dearest Enemy" fared moderately well, running for 286 performances between September 18, 1925, and May 22, 1926.

2. "Hamilton"



Answer: American Revolutionary War



Written and composed by Lin-Manuel Miranda, "Hamilton" follows the life story of American Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, based on the biography written by Ron Chernow. Miranda described his musical as, ""America then, as told by America now," with the music largely drawing from hip-hop and rap styles, and casting historically white characters with non-white actors.



While "Hamilton" was not solely set during the Revolutionary War, the musical was divided into two acts, with Act I occurring during the war (1776 to 1789) and Act II from 1789 until Hamilton's death in a duel in 1804.



"Hamilton" premiered in January of 2015 Off-Broadway, before making the move to Broadway in July. "Hamilton" had a run of 1,440 shows on Broadway between then and the forced closure due to the Covid-19 pandemic in March of 2020. Productions resumed in September of 2021.

3. "Maggie Flynn"



American Civil War



"Maggie Flynn" was first produced in 1968, based on a book by Morton DaCosta with music and lyrics by Hugo Peretti, Luigi Creatore, and George David Weiss. While it was not a commercial success, the musical did garner a Tony Award nomination for Best Actor for Jack Cassidy.



Set in New York during the Draft Riots of 1863, "Maggie Flynn," received criticism for being too heavy-handed in its analogy to the Vietnam War protests of the day. The story revolved around the titular character's relationships (one with a soldier) and her work with an orphanage for black children as they all get caught up in the riots, with the orphanage getting burned down in the end.



"Maggie Flynn" only managed a run of 82 performances and 6 previews from its opening on October 23, 1968. Answer:"Maggie Flynn" was first produced in 1968, based on a book by Morton DaCosta with music and lyrics by Hugo Peretti, Luigi Creatore, and George David Weiss. While it was not a commercial success, the musical did garner a Tony Award nomination for Best Actor for Jack Cassidy.Set in New York during the Draft Riots of 1863, "Maggie Flynn," received criticism for being too heavy-handed in its analogy to the Vietnam War protests of the day. The story revolved around the titular character's relationships (one with a soldier) and her work with an orphanage for black children as they all get caught up in the riots, with the orphanage getting burned down in the end."Maggie Flynn" only managed a run of 82 performances and 6 previews from its opening on October 23, 1968.

4. "Shenandoah"



Answer: American Civil War



"Shenandoah" was a 1974 musical that was based on the 1965 movie of the same name, screenplay by James Lee Barrett. For the musical, the music was composed by Gary Geld, with lyrics by Peter Udell, and book by Barrett, Udell and Philip Rose.



The story follows Charlie Anderson and his family living in the Shenandoah Valley (Virginia) as they try to avoid involvement in the Civil War. Unfortunately, Charlie is drawn in when Union soldiers take his youngest son Robert prisoner, and then things get worse when he loses his eldest two sons to other war-related tragedies. In the end, he is reunited with Robert, but it is a bittersweet consolation, given all that had occurred.



"Shenandoah" opened in East Haddam Connecticut and had a pre-Broadway run in Boston in late 1974, before opening on Broadway on January 7, 1975. It had a run of 1,050 performances, ending on August 7, 1977. It had a Broadway revival in 1989, as well.

5. "Oh, What a Lovely War!"



Answer: World War I



"Oh, What a Lovely War!" was a 1963 musical developed by Joan Littlewood and her Theatre Workshop in London, England. When the idea for the musical was first presented to her, Littlewood was against anything to do with World War I, and anything military (including uniforms).



The concept of the musical is that it is a satire on World War I, presenting a comedy in the acting and utilizing songs of the era, while simultaneously broadcasting statistics and facts about the war on a screen behind the actors that punctuated the horrors of the war. This juxtaposition worked well, showing audiences how ludicrous was the vulgarity of war, and how people could lose their individuality to the cause of the higher authority.



"Oh, What a Lovely War!" opened at the Theatre Royal Stratford East, where Littlewood ran her Theatre Workshop, before opening on London's West End. The following year in September, it opened on Broadway, running until January of 1965 after only 125 shows. Since then, the production saw a 2002 revival in London, a 2010 UK tour, and a 2014 revival in Stratford.

6. "The Hello Girls"



Answer: World War I



"The Hello Girls" was produced in 2018 with music and lyrics by Peter Mills and book by Mills and Cara Reichel, collaborating together on their fifth production.



Based on the little-known true story of female bilingual telephone operators who served in the U.S. Army overseas during World War I (1917-18), and how they helped turn the tide of the war. Following their return to the United States, they then had to fight for recognition and equality for their service.



"The Hello Girls" saw its initial Off-Broadway run from November 13 to December 22, 2018.

7. "From Here to Eternity"



Answer: World War II



"From Here to Eternity" was produced in 2013 with music and lyrics by Stuart Brayson and Tim Rice with book by Bill Oakes. It was adapted from the 1951 novel of the same name by James Jones, which was made into a very successful (Best Picture winning) 1953 movie that starred Burt Lancaster, Montgomery Clift, Frank Sinatra, Deborah Kerr, and Donna Reed.



The story is set in Hawaii in 1941 shortly before the events of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, and revolves around the experiences of the soldiers of G Company at the Schofield Barracks, particularly those of First Sergeant Milt Warden, Private Angelo Maggio, and Private Robert E. Lee Prewitt.



"From Here to Eternity" had its world premiere at the Shaftesbury Theatre in London's West End on September 30, 2013, running until March 29, 2014 with a total of 145 performances. It showed for the first time in the United States in 2016, and had a subsequent Off-West End revival in 2022.

8. "South Pacific"



World War II



"South Pacific" was the fourth collaboration for Richard Rodgers (music) and Oscar Hammerstein II (lyrics), with book by Hammerstein and Joshua Logan, based on the 1947 novel "Tales of the South Pacific" by James Michener .



The setting of "South Pacific" is an unnamed island in... you guessed it, the South Pacific... during World War II. Ensign Nellie Forbush is a US Navy nurse stationed at a local hospital who becomes enamored of a local plantation owner, Emile de Becque. They begin a relationship, but when she discovers that he has two half-Polynesian children from a previous marriage, her racial prejudices force her to leave him. Emile, now without the prospect of Nellie, agrees to go on a dangerous mission with a US Marine (Lt. Cable), and when Cable is killed and Emile goes missing, Nellie takes care of Emile's children, eventually overcoming her prejudices and learning to love them.



"South Pacific" opened on Broadway in February of 1949 and would have an extensive run of 1,925 performances, while earning Tony's for Best Musical and in all four acting categories (the first to do so). Film adaptations followed in 1958 and 2001. Answer:"South Pacific" was the fourth collaboration for Richard Rodgers (music) and Oscar Hammerstein II (lyrics), with book by Hammerstein and Joshua Logan, based on the 1947 novel "Tales of the South Pacific" by James Michener .The setting of "South Pacific" is an unnamed island in... you guessed it, the South Pacific... during World War II. Ensign Nellie Forbush is a US Navy nurse stationed at a local hospital who becomes enamored of a local plantation owner, Emile de Becque. They begin a relationship, but when she discovers that he has two half-Polynesian children from a previous marriage, her racial prejudices force her to leave him. Emile, now without the prospect of Nellie, agrees to go on a dangerous mission with a US Marine (Lt. Cable), and when Cable is killed and Emile goes missing, Nellie takes care of Emile's children, eventually overcoming her prejudices and learning to love them."South Pacific" opened on Broadway in February of 1949 and would have an extensive run of 1,925 performances, while earning Tony's for Best Musical and in all four acting categories (the first to do so). Film adaptations followed in 1958 and 2001.

9. "Miss Saigon"



Answer: Vietnam War



"Miss Saigon" was first produced in 1989 with music by Claude-Michel Schonberg and lyrics by Alain Boublil and Richard Maltby Jr., with book by Schonberg and Boublil. It was based on the 1904 opera "Madame Butterfly" by Giacomo Puccini, with an updated setting changing from the original Japan (geisha and American lieutenant) to Vietnam (Vietnamese bar girl and American marine).



The musical relates the tragic love story of a 17-year-old Vietnamese bar girl (Kim) and an American marine (Chris) during the final days of the Vietnam War. After spending a passionate night together, they are torn apart by the fall of Saigon and Chris is forced to leave without her. Years later, Chris returns to Vietnam with his American wife and discovers that he has a son with Kim, who has been working as a prostitute in a brothel. The musical explores themes of love, sacrifice, and the devastating effects of war on individuals and society.



"Miss Saigon" opened in London's West End in September of 1989, running for ten year and closing after 4,264 performances on October 30, 1999. And in 1991, it began its run on Broadway, also closing after ten years in January of 2001, with 4,092 performances.



A very popular musical, in spite of casting controversies (Caucasian actors cast in Asian roles), it has seen revivals in the West End (2014-16) and Broadway (2017-18), and has seen tours and productions in many other countries around the world.

10. "Movin' Out"



Answer: Vietnam War



"Movin' Out" is a jukebox musical that features the music and lyrics of Billy Joel songs, but done in such a manner where the actors don't actually sing any of the songs, and just dance while the 'piano man' sings the various songs.



The story follows a group of friends from working-class families in New York during the 1960s and 70s. The central character is Tony, who is a rebellious and restless youth who dreams of escaping his hometown and making a name for himself. Along with his friends, he experiences the joys and struggles of growing up, falling in love, and serving in the Vietnam War.



"Movin' Out" opened in Chicago in June of 2002, then moved to Broadway in October, playing a total of 1,303 performances and 28 previews, closing on December 11, 2005. Its West End run was much shorter, lasting just a few months, September 2006 to February 2007, for a total of 105 shows.

Source: Author reedy This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor ponycargirl before going online.Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.
bayonel3 at 4-04-2023 03:03 PM (2 weeks ago) (m)

A Cameroonian lady, Kaicy Kyngs set tongues wagging online after she shared a video which captured her with Nigerian music star, Wizkid. She was chilling in what looked like a beach resort when Wizkid calmly walked up to where she was lying down and gave her a warm hug from behind. An aspect of the trending clip that actually got people talking is the fact that the Joro crooner referred to the damsel as girlfriend.



He gave Kaicy a kiss on her forehead as she was recording and looked in the camera briefly before walking away. Whats up girlfriend? Wizkid said while approaching the Cameroonian hottie.

A Cameroonian lady, Kaicy Kyngs set tongues wagging online after she shared a video which captured her with Nigerian music star, Wizkid. She was chilling in what looked like a beach resort when Wizkid calmly walked up to where she was lying down and gave her a warm hug from behind. An aspect of the trending clip that actually got people talking is the fact that the Joro crooner referred to the damsel as girlfriend.He gave Kaicy a kiss on her forehead as she was recording and looked in the camera briefly before walking away.Wizkid said while approaching the Cameroonian hottie.

Click Here To Watch Video



Quote Reacting, lovedoctorfab said; Jada Punching The Air right now. She dey write long message in CAPS LOCK! Motivational speech coming. never stress yourself, always love yourself first



ayanfeoluwaa.a; She is a fan! She can never be his crush IJN! Big man dont do smellos!



hild_rera; Baba bolu said  WHATSUP GIRLFRIEND WITH A PECK ON THE FOREHEAD.. JADA SOPE OTILOR



official__sammysax; She has taken down the video within 5mins I check her followers it grew Xtra 400 followers



Kevynnuutreoun; Jada don suffer for this boy hand, she doesnt deserve theis kind of humiliation.



officialkatewilson_; Why E come be Cameroon lady nAh for all this beauties we have in Nigeria hmmm my own nAh make E try take Nigeria lady ooh



arashowpartiessandeventss; Hes not married JADA is a baby mama ,Abi wetin be her name



beautiful_onyinye_xx; Days after jada collect better dragging for Twitter because of popsy!! Fear men lol



romeofb; Nigerian ladies are already in pains and tears as they see . Now imagine the baby mama kai.. Well, thats what they signed for and thats what they love. They love being hurt by superstars



jolami05; she no even fine reach me oo this life no balance



big_promzy; All these girls no fit just stay on a low. Everything camera. Na wa



ask4_vanessa; So you cant chill with someone without posting it on media??



beeyoukaywhy; She sha wants to cause trouble.sure shes happy now Omo ale



k3ji__o; Jada kuku see red flag na she wan born second child



mko_bank; This is Why men will always get cought cheating. Their side chicks will always try to show them off always want to be shown off trying to be his no 1. even when they know he is married. But men will never show off a woman who theyre having an affair with especially knowing she is with someone else.. reasons why society think men dont know how to hide it. It is the women that show it off.





Post Reply I scour the world wide web to bring you interesting stories from around the globe. [email protected] Posted: at 4-04-2023 03:03 PM (2 weeks ago) | Hero
felicilin at 4-04-2023 09:58 PM (2 weeks ago) (f)

The Niger State Police Command has arrested two suspected kidnappers connected to the killing of Mallam Abubakar Yahaya, the village head of Gusasse in Bosso Local Government Area, after collecting a ransom of N1.5 million.

The Niger State Police Command has arrested two suspected kidnappers connected to the killing of Mallam Abubakar Yahaya, the village head of Gusasse in Bosso Local Government Area, after collecting a ransom of N1.5 million.

We recalls that on March 15, 2023, at about 11 pm suspected gunmen attacked Gusasse village via Maikunkele.



According to the Niger State Police Command Public Relations Officer, DSP Wasiu Abiodun, the assailants shot Abubakar Yahaya, the village head, and kidnapped his daughter to an unknown destination.



Abiodun, who spoke in Minna, said the hoodlums recently invaded houses of victims in Barkuta, and Sabon-Gari in Beji, Bosso LGA, where they shot dead one Manir.



He stated that the kidnappers further abducted one Alh. Hassan Gusasse, and macheted Chairman Gan-Mamman of Miyeti Allah in the area.



He explained: Consequently, based on these recent incidents in Beji and its environs, Police operatives attached to FIB tactical squad arrested the two suspects based on a tip-off on March 31, 2023.



The suspects are Risku Suleiman, 34, and Haruna Umar, 20, who both hail from Kupa village in Garatu, along Bida Road.



Abiodun further disclosed: During interrogation, Risku confessed that he had been committing cattle rustling with his father, one Suleiman Agaala who was convicted for cattle rustling in Angwan-Maireke village, in Beji.



He further confessed that he (Risku) conspired with his friend, Umar Awara from Lokoja, who equally invited eight others from Zamfara [namely] Idrisu, Shadai, Yeli, Yusuf, and others presently at large, with the said Haruna Umar.



He said the syndicate is responsible for the death of the village head, and that N1.5 million ransom was collected for the release of his daughter recently, while the same amount was also collected for the release of Alh. Hassan Gusasse.



The police spokesman added that an effort is ongoing to arrest Umar Awara and other members of the syndicate while those arrested will be arraigned in court for prosecution as soon as the investigation is concluded. We recalls that on March 15, 2023, at about 11 pm suspected gunmen attacked Gusasse village via Maikunkele.According to the Niger State Police Command Public Relations Officer, DSP Wasiu Abiodun, the assailants shot Abubakar Yahaya, the village head, and kidnapped his daughter to an unknown destination.Abiodun, who spoke in Minna, said the hoodlums recently invaded houses of victims in Barkuta, and Sabon-Gari in Beji, Bosso LGA, where they shot dead one Manir.He stated that the kidnappers further abducted one Alh. Hassan Gusasse, and macheted Chairman Gan-Mamman of Miyeti Allah in the area.He explained: The suspects are Risku Suleiman, 34, and Haruna Umar, 20, who both hail from Kupa village in Garatu, along Bida Road.Abiodun further disclosed:The police spokesman added that an effort is ongoing to arrest Umar Awara and other members of the syndicate while those arrested will be arraigned in court for prosecution as soon as the investigation is concluded.

Post Reply Posted: at 4-04-2023 09:58 PM (2 weeks ago) | Addicted Hero
April 3, 2023

Release

Philippines, U.S. Announce Locations of Four New EDCA Sites

The United States stands steadfastly in support of the Philippines as we announced plans today to expand the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Arrangement (EDCA) to include four new sites: Naval Base Camilo Osias in Santa Ana, Cagayan; Camp Melchor Dela Cruz in Gamu, Isabela; Balabac Island in Palawan; and Lal-lo Airport in Cagayan.

The naming of these locations follows a February 2023 announcement in which the United States and the Philippines committed to designate four new EDCA sites in strategic areas of the Philippines.

In addition to the five existing sites, these new locations will strengthen the interoperability of the U.S. and Philippine Armed Forces and allow us to respond more seamlessly together to address a range of shared challenges in the Indo-Pacific region, including natural and humanitarian disasters. The Department of Defense will work in lockstep with the Philippine Department of National Defense and Armed Forces to rapidly pursue modernization projects at these locations.

The Department intends to expand funding on top of the $82 million we have already allocated toward infrastructure investments at the existing EDCA sites. In addition to supporting Alliance commitments, these investments will also spur economic growth and job opportunities in their respective provinces.

The United States is committed to ensuring its activities around EDCA sites are responsive to the needs and priorities of local communities, and we will continue to consult closely with the Philippines on new opportunities that serve our shared interests.

The United States and the Philippines have stood shoulder-to-shoulder as friends and allies for more than seven decades, unwavering in our treaty commitments and our shared vision for a more peaceful, secure, and prosperous region. The strides we are making to expand the EDCA and modernize the alliance will ensure this vision endures far into the future.

https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/3349257/

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April 3, 2023

Transcript

Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh Holds a Press Briefing

Sabrina Singh, Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary

DEPUTY PRESS SECRETARY SABRINA SINGH: Good afternoon. Just a few items here to pass along at the top and then happy to take your questions.

So today, the United States announced plans to expand four new sites in the Philippines under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement -- Arrangement, following the Secretary's visit in February -- Naval Base Camilo Osias in Santa Ana, Cagayan, Camp Melchor Dela Cruz in Gamu, Isabela, Balabac Island in Palawan, and Lal-lo Airport in Cagayan.

In addition to the five existing sites, these new locations will strengthen the interoperability of the United States and Philippine Armed Forces and allow us to respond more seamlessly together to address a range of shared challenges in the Indo-Pacific region, including natural and humanitarian disasters. The Department of Defense will work in lockstep with the Philippine Department of National Defense and Armed Forces to rapidly pursue modernization products at these locations.

The United States and the Philippines have stood shoulder-to-shoulder as friends and allies and more -- and for far more than seven decades, unwavering in treaty commitments and our shared vision for a more peaceful, secure and prosperous region.

And before I get to questions, I just want to congratulate one of our very own, Idrees Ali, on his engagement this weekend. So congratulations to you.

And with that, I will take your questions. I'll start with Associated Press.

Q: Hey, thanks for doing this. One question on the announcement. So what, if any, additional U.S. military assets would be moving into help develop these bases?

And then secondly, on the spy balloon, can you give us an update on what sort of intelligence the U.S. has been able to gather from the balloon? And speak to reports that the balloon was able to transmit intelligence back to China that the U.S. could not prevent.

MS. SINGH: Sure. So I'll take the first -- your last question first. So on the balloon itself, right now, the FBI is lead, still assessing the parts that we were able to recover from the balloon. As we mentioned early on when we first started tracking the balloon, we do know that the balloon was able to be maneuvered and purposely driven along its track but not going to get into specific sites it was able to hover over.

But what we did do is take precautionary steps to limit the intelligence value that it would be able to collect and, you know, again, we -- we took steps to protect our own military installations from foreign intelligence collection.

And I'm sorry, I think you had another question on the balloon but I just didn't remember the second part.

Q: It was on the -- being -- being able to transmit to China and were you able to prevent intelligence from some of these sites from China being able to collect from the balloon?

MS. SINGH: Because of the steps that we were able to take, we were able to prevent transmission of -- of certain aspects of our sites to be transmitted, just because of what we were -- the precautionary steps that we were able to take.

But in terms of transmission back to -- to the PRC and what was able to be transmitted back, I just don't have further information for you at this time. As of right now, we're still doing an assessment of what exactly the intel was that China was able to gather, but we do know that the steps that we took provided little additive value for what they've been able to collect on from satellites before.

And then you had an -- a question on the -- EDCA and specifically what would -- your question was on just what ...

Q: (Inaudible) military (inaudible).

MS. SINGH: Sure. So this is going to be -- we're not seeking permanent basing here, so you're going to see an increase of rotational forces in the region, but this is more about supporting combined training, being able to respond to natural disaster, humanitarian disasters in the region but this is really about regional readiness.

Yeah?

Q: Just to -- another follow-up on the Philippines sites.

MS. SINGH: Sure.

Q: Could you get into, like, a -- what these sites are and, like, what capabilities would be using them? Are we talking about ports where warships and submarines would stop? Are we talking about airfields? What does it look like?

MS. SINGH: Well, as I mentioned, one of them is an airport expansion but some of these sites would include areas to further our training, which would of course include naval assets, but I think what's most important is that the expansion of EDCA just makes our training with the Philippines just more resilient. It is about creating regional readiness but also being able to respond to any type of disaster or any type of humanitarian disaster that could arise in the region.

Q: And if I could just follow up, regarding the Iran-backed militia attacks in Syria, I think last week we heard that there had been six diagnoses of TBI. Do you have an update on that? And has there been additional diagnoses?

MS. SINGH: I don't have an update on additional diagnoses of TBI or their condition but I'm happy to take that question and get back to you.

Yeah, Jen -- Jennifer?

Q: Sabrina, back to the spy balloon, is there new analysis suggesting that the Chinese were able to collect in real time more intelligence than -- from the spy balloon than you first realized?

MS. SINGH: No, I think what we said at the very beginning was -- still holds true to today -- as soon as we realized that they were collecting intelligence and hovering over our sensitive sites, we took measures and put into place measures that limited the additive value that the balloon could collect on.

Q: So did you know at the time that they were able to transmit back in real time to Beijing ...

MS. SINGH: Well, I ...

Q: ... or is that new?

MS. SINGH: I wouldn't be able to say that they were able to transmit back to Beijing. We just don't have -- I -- I just don't have that type of information at this point.

Q: So you're saying that is not confirmed at this point?

MS. SINGH: That is not confirmed at this point.

Q: And can you -- how confident are you that the mitigation measures that you took actually worked or is there new evidence suggesting that some intelligence was collected, despite the mitigation efforts?

MS. SINGH: Yeah -- no, thanks for the question. So we are confident in the measures that we did put in place. I -- I know I -- I sound like a broken record, I don't mean to, but what we know is that the intent of this balloon was surveillance and that what -- the measures that we put in place didn't -- did not -- had limited additive value for what they were able to collect over our sensitive sites.

Q: You mean it -- maybe -- you mean that the mitigation efforts limited ...

MS. SINGH: Correct, I'm sorry. The mitigation efforts that we put into place had little additive value for the PRC.

Q: OK. And is it true that the -- that you've learned that the spy balloon had the ability to self-destruct and did not self-destruct and do you know why?

MS. SINGH: I just wouldn't be able to say at this time that something that, as I mentioned earlier, the FBI is looking into at Quantico -- and -- and we are certainly in touch with them. We've been off -- we've offered resources to the FBI but I just wouldn't be able to comment further at this time.

Yeah, Janne?

Q: Thank you -- thank you, Sabrina. I have two questions.

MS. SINGH: Sure.

Q: It has been reported that nuclear production activities have been detected at the Nyongbyon Nuclear Facility in North Korea. What is the Pentagon's analysis of these activities?

MS. SINGH: Thanks, Janne, for the question. So I've seen the reports of that but I just don't have anything to add at this time. We continue to monitor, you know, things that are -- activity in the DPRK but I just don't have anything further to add in -- into those reports.

Q: OK. This -- this kind of (inaudible), do you see North Korea conduct another nuclear test soon? It's your view?

MS. SINGH: We haven't seen any indications right now. Again we continue to monitor testing and, you know, activities of the DPRK. But our end goal here is the de-nuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, as you -- as you know. Um, and so I just don't have -- have more to add at this time.

Q: Question on...

MS. SINGH: OK?

Q: ... North Korea, Kim Jong-un's sister, Kim Yo-jong, warned President Zelenskyy of Ukraine that United States nuclear umbrella is use -- I mean, useless. And Kim Yo-jong actively defended Russia. How would you react to that?

MS. SINGH: I just want to make I'm understanding. Can you repeat the question?

Q: OK. North Korea, Kim Jong-un's sister, Kim Yo-jong, warned President Zelenskyy of Ukraine that the U.S. nuclear umbrella is useless and that Kim Yo-jong actively defended Russia. How do you react?

MS. SINGH: I wouldn't really be able to respond to that. I -- I think, as we've said before, we continue to monitor the activities of -- of the DPRK. And we continue to assess, you know, and work with our allies and partners in the region. Our goal and our allies' goal is the full de-nuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. And I'll just leave it at that.

Q: The nuclear umbrella is, you know, into South Korea.

MS. SINGH: Mm-hmm.

Q: But the U.S. nuclear umbrella -- I'm sorry.

MS. SINGH: (inaudible)

Q: Nuclear umbrella to South Korea. But this meaning is that they're regarding, you know, Ukraine or North Korea or, you know, South Korea, they involve with all those areas. Why they, you know, underscore United States nuclear umbrella.

MS. SINGH: I wouldn't be able to speak to those comments of why they're underscoring the United States. We are a responsible nuclear power that will continue to act responsibly and would encourage others to do so.

I'll go to Idrees in the back.

Q: Just to double check on (inaudible) the balloon.

MS. SINGH: Sure.

Q: You can confirm that there was real time transmission back over at military bases, right? (inaudible)

MS. SINGH: I cannot confirm that there was a real time transmission back from the balloon back to the PRC at this time.

(CROSSTALK)

Q: (inaudible) specifically?

MS. SINGH: Correct. I cannot confront that...

(CROSSTALK)

Q: OK. And your analysis is ongoing on that?

MS. SINGH: Correct.

Q: OK. And then just a separate topic on...

MS. SINGH: Sure.

Q: ... Syria. Have there been any more attacks on U.S. forces over the weekend? And has the U.S. carried out any attacks against Iranian-backed forces as well?

MS. SINGH: Again, I'm sorry?

Q: Iranian-backed forces in Syria.

MS. SINGH: No, there -- I mean, as far as I'm aware there have been no updates -- or no attacks on U.S. forces over the weekend and no further strikes from U.S. forces on IRGC-backed groups.

I'll come to Lara, and then go to Matt. (inaudible), Lara, over here. Right here, yes.

(CROSSTALK)

MS. SINGH: One day we will be back in the PBR. But today is not that day.

Q: That will be a good day.

MS. SINGH: Yes.

Q: So two questions.

MS. SINGH: Mm-hmm.

Q: First of all, follow-up on the spy balloon.

MS. SINGH: Sure.

Q: It is possible that China could have collected sensitive information from military sites before you put these measures in place? Was there time for that to happen?

And then secondly on the -- the Philippines, you mentioned modernization projects.

MS. SINGH: Mm-hmm.

Q: Could you say more -- could you be more specific about what these entail?

MS. SINGH: On the modernization products -- or projects, let me take that and get back to you just to get you some more specifics on that.

On the balloon and -- on your first question on being able to collect data over military sites, I mean, you have to remember that we start tracking the balloon around January 27th. So when the balloon was coming over and up through the United States, dipped into Canada, and then dipped back down, we were already taking precautionary measures at this time to mitigate any type of an intelligence collection that the balloon would be able to pick up.

And I think by that point we had already identified that it was a PRC-affiliated balloon. So, I think the measures that we put in place certainly limited what the PRC was able to collect. And that was on due diligence on our part.

Q: So, you were able to predict the path of the balloon? Or, you knew what it was going to go over?

MS. SINGH: I don't think we would say that we were able to predict the path, but we were following the balloon. And as it did traverse over sensitive military sites, and as we mentioned early on when we -- January, early February, we did see the balloon begin to hover over military sites, that certainly gave us pause and -

Q: That's after it reentered the United States --

MS. SINGH: Correct.

Q: -- right? OK.

MS. SINGH: Yes. And when it dipped back down through Canada, yes. Yes. Ryo? I'm sorry and then I'll come back to you.

Q: Thank you. Hi. Thank you very much. I want to throw (inaudible) about the new locations that the U.S. and the Philippines agree on. That three out of the four new locations are in the Luzon Island, which is very close to Taiwan. So, how much do you assess such new locations will help enhance a U.S. ability to respond to our contingency in the Taiwan Strait?

MS. SINGH: Well, this is more about regional response, regional readiness. This is an arrangement that we have with the Philippines that goes back many years. And in -- is an investment in our cooperation with the Philippines in order to better -- for better interoperability. But the -- it's not just about the region's also for our forces to be able to spawn to any type of disasters, whether it be natural or humanitarian. So, this is about, you know, again, we do not seek permanent basing in the Philippines and this is just one additional aspect that will increase training between our two countries.

Great. Matt, yes.

Q: Thanks, Sabrina. I just had one quick -

MS. SINGH: Sure.

Q: One quick one on the balloon. When you talk about the mitigation efforts that the U.S. took, my understanding was that was mostly involving kind of limiting the information footprint, limiting the signals that the U.S. was using so as to not leave very much for that balloon to be able to intercept or to scoop up. Can you say whether there were also efforts to intercept any outgoing transmissions from the balloon as it maybe tried to transmit back to Beijing?

MS. SINGH: That's a great question, unfortunately, that gets into our intelligence capabilities, which I just wouldn't want to -- I just wouldn't be able to speak to on that front, so I'll just leave it at that. Yes, Dan? And then --

Q: Thanks. Just on the balloon. When you say that you can't confirm that it was transmitting, the balloon was transmitting back to China, is that because that's classified or that's because you -- the Defense Department does not know, it cannot determine that?

MS. SINGH: That's a great question. That's something that we're analyzing right now. That's something that we've been looking into that's why we're doing some of the analysis at Quantico, and I just don't have an update for you on that just yet.

Q: So, when do you anticipate this assessment would be wrapped up?

MS. SINGH: I don't want to put a timeline on anything, as that could take a while. But it's certainly something that, you know, we can get back to you on.

Q: And is it still possible that as you go back over old data using the information you now have since that incident that there were other balloon flights around -- in U.S. airspace that have not, so far, been recognized or publicly acknowledged?

MS. SINGH: Well, there were -- I mean, we did mention at the time there were previous balloons in and around the United States and during the previous administration. Is that what you're referring to or?

Q: Yes, you did acknowledge -

MS. SINGH: Yes.

Q: -- a certain number during the Biden and Trump administrations.

MS. SINGH: Yes.

Q: I'm asking, were there more flights that you've since recognized or you think you might recognize as you go over old data?

MS. SINGH: No, not that I'm aware of. I think that's all that we assessed and I don't -- I mean, I don't have any other data to indicate otherwise. But it's certainly something that we continue to assess and that's how we knew going back that we did see three incursions during the Trump administration and then one at the start of the Biden administration.

Q: So, if you could dis -- it was -- it is -- is it -- would it be possible for the Defense Department to release more information about the previous flight during the Biden administration? Exactly -- exactly what happened? What was the response? Were you aware that it was a Chinese airship? Did you believe it was a Chinese balloon?

MS. SINGH: I think it -- I think during this time earlier this year we did give you some of those details. I'm happy to go back and find out if there's any more that we can release at this time, but I just don't have anything more to share at this moment.

Q: Sorry, and then I'm going to throw you one more separate.

MS. SINGH: I hope it's a balloon question.

Q: It's not balloon, sadly -

MS. SINGH: OK.

Q: -- for you. East China Sea, Japan said that it documented sort of a record number of hours of incursions by Chinese vessels and aircraft in and around the Senkaku Islands.

MS. SINGH: Yes.

Q: What -- what's your assessment what's going on there? And how concerned are you about that?

MS. SINGH: Well, I'd refer you to those nations to discuss their ship movements. But, from here at this podium and the secretary has spoken about this, we've been clear on our concerns regarding PRC escalation and provocation, particularly in the East China Sea and South China Sea. And so, we continue to cooperate and coordinate with Japan. But I would refer you to those nations to discuss their ship movements.

Travis?

Q: Yes, so I'm going to take another bite at the apple, at the Philippine sites.

MS. SINGH: OK.

Q: I assume as part of any agreement the U.S. made with Manila that there was an understanding on how many U.S. troops would be rotated through. Can you give us an idea of how many troops you expect to be in the Philippines as part of this -- these new sites? And second part of that is, can you give us an idea of when those new rotations may begin?

MS. SINGH: In terms of how many will be rotational I can get back to you on the exact number. And in terms of when I'd also have to get back to you on when that's going to start. I just don't have that at the top of my fingers right now. Yes, right here.

Q: Thank you, Sabrina.

MS. SINGH: Yes, nice to see you.

Q: (Inaudible) to Syria. The decision to Pakistan the deployment of the Georgia H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group near Syria, what are your assessments that lead you to put that carrier strike -- still there near Syria? And do you have any plans to change your footprint inside Syria? Thank you.

MS. SINGH: So, I'll take the last question first. No plans to change our footprint at this time in Syria. In terms of why the USS George W -- H.W. Bush carrier was repositioned, I mean as you saw, we saw increased attacks from IRGC affiliated groups targeting our service members across Syria, and so as a precaution we did move the carrier to be slightly closer, but it's still in the purview of UCOMM. But it was in response to, of course, what we saw as increasing attacks on our service members in the region.

Yes, of course. Right here in the back and then I'll come back to Mike and rap it up.

Q: Thank you for taking my question. Regarding the air defense agreement reached last week, Nordic Air Defense Agreement between Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark, how will -- how do you think this will impact U.S. DOD Artic Security strategy? And when might we be able to see the Arctic Security Strategy...

MS. SINGH: Well...

Q: ... DOD strategy?

MS. SINGH: Sure. This is a -- a partnership and an agreement with friends and allies, and something that we -- you know, will strengthen our countries' cooperation together. I'm happy to get you more on the agreement itself, but that's all I'll really say for now at this time.

Yeah, sure.

Q: Sabrina, just a clarification on George W.H. (sic) Bush. So the -- that ship was actually close to Turkey during the -- the coup -- excuse me -- during the earthquake efforts. And would you say that it changes position coming closer to Syria? That's one. And also, it was also on way back to San Diego. It -- do -- do you think that it changed its schedule and extended its schedule in Mediterranean?

MS. SINGH: Yes. Yes, it did change its schedule and repossession closer in order to be in a closer position to -- to Syria.

Q: It -- it -- and then is there any time? Like, how -- how -- for how long it change its schedule to...

MS. SINGH: I'm not going to get into more specifics on the timeline, but what I can say is, is that we are taking precautions, of course, to protect our servicemembers, as we saw an increase in -- in strikes on our bases and -- or our -- our facilities and our -- and our servicemembers in the region.

I'm going to go to -- oh...

Q: (inaudible). I'm sorry. Would you rule out that this is only because there were some strikes or attacks against U.S. forces, but has nothing to do with the -- a possible potential contingent action against Iran in case Iranian regime go -- goes -- go ahead with -- goes ahead with its nuclear program?

MS. SINGH: This was about the attacks that we saw on our servicemembers in the region and response to that.

Yeah, Mike?

Q: Yeah, the British Defense Ministry is assessing that General Gerasimov's tenure in Russia as the chief of the general staff there may be shaky owing to Russia's failures in the Ukraine. Is that a viewpoint that's shared here in the Pentagon?

MS. SINGH: I wouldn't be able to say one way or the other. "Shaky" I'm not sure is the -- the right word. I think we've certainly seen failures that the Russian military has not been able to execute on the battlefield and failures in their command-and-control. I wouldn't be able to speculate on Mr. Gerasimov's future. I would leave that to the Russians to do instead.

Q: Or (inaudible)?

MS. SINGH: Or -- or -- yes, or that.

All right, thanks, all.

https://www.defense.gov/News/Transcripts/Transcript/Article/3350523/

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International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action: Statement by the High Representative

European External Action Service (EEAS)

03.04.2023

Strategic Communications

Mines are part of the worst consequences of war: they contaminate land and waters, making the return to normal life of the civilian population sometimes impossible. Military remnants, including mines, cause the largest amount of victims in the civilian population, namely children. The consequences have a destructive impact on their lives, on the environment and on the economy. Demining is key for the reconstruction process to proceed safely.

Ahead of the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action, on 4 April, the European Union reaffirms its strong commitment to preserving lives and mitigating the socio-economic consequences of the use of anti-personnel mines and explosive remnants of war, including improvised explosive devices.

They are of particular concern today in Ukraine, which has become one of the most contaminated countries in the world in the face of Russia's aggression. The EU recently announced an additional programme worth 25 million to assist Ukraine in their demining efforts of the liberated territories that were temporarily occupied by Russia.

The European Union has been providing assistance in various areas of mine actions worldwide, from mine clearance to victims' assistance, capacity building and the destruction of remaining stockpiles. The EU is the world's second largest donor, having contributed over 800 million to humanitarian mine action over the past 6 years, with 90 million in 2022 only. It supports various programmes in 20 mine-affected countries, such as Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ukraine, Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Burkina Faso, Somalia and Sri Lanka.

With all its Member States being parties to the Ottawa Treaty, the EU supports the implementation of the Oslo action plan in all Parties, and is strongly united in banning the use, stockpiling, production and transfer of anti-personnel mines.

On this special day, the EU honours the courage and determination of deminers worldwide and commemorates those who have lost their lives while making mine affected areas safe again.

Human life, human dignity and human rights will always be at the core of our work to achieve a mine-free world.



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Minister for Foreign Affairs Haavisto to deposit Finland's instrument of accession and attend NATO foreign ministers' meeting in Brussels

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland

Press releases, 3.4.2023

On 4 April, Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto will deposit Finland's instrument of accession to the North Atlantic Treaty. Minister Haavisto will deposit the instrument of accession in Brussels with the Government of the United States. Finland will become a NATO member country at the moment of the deposit. Minister Haavisto will also represent Finland at the meeting of NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs starting on the same day.

After Finland has become a member of NATO, Minister Haavisto will deposit Finland's instrument of accession for Sweden's NATO membership. After the deposit, NATO Headquarters and NATO's military headquarters will honour Finland's membership by raising the Finnish flag. Finland's representatives attending the flag-raising ceremony are President of the Republic Sauli Niinisto, Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto and Minister of Defence Antti Kaikkonen.

NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs will meet in Brussels on 4-5 April 2023. The meeting will begin after the flag-raising ceremony.

"This will be the first meeting of NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs which Finland attends as a member of the Alliance. It is a historic moment for us. For Finland, the most important objective at the meeting will be to emphasise NATO's support to Ukraine as Russia continues its illegal aggression. We seek to promote stability and security throughout the Euro-Atlantic region," says Haavisto.

NATO's support to Ukraine will be one of the key topics on the foreign ministers' agenda. The meeting is an important step in the preparations for NATO's Vilnius Summit in July. The meeting will be chaired by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

NATO's Indo-Pacific partner countries Japan, Australia, New Zealand and South Korea have been invited to attend the last working session, which will also be attended by High Representative of the European Union Josep Borrell.

Minister Haavisto will also have bilateral meetings in Brussels.

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Finland to join NATO as Allied Foreign Ministers meet

NATO - North Atlantic Treaty Organisation

03 Apr. 2023

Finland will become the 31st member of NATO on Tuesday (4 April 2023), immediately preceding a two-day meeting of Allied Foreign Ministers. Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed Finland's imminent accession, saying: "It will be a good day for Finland's security, for Nordic security and for NATO as a whole."

At their meeting, Allies will address Russia's illegal war against Ukraine, and are expected to agree to start work on developing a multi-year programme of support. They will also discuss threats and challenges from the South, the importance of increased defence investment, and China's growing alignment with Russia. NATO's Indo-Pacific partners and the European Union will also join for a discussion on the global consequences of Russia's war against Ukraine.

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Hun Sen's eldest son tops Cambodian ruling party's candidate list ahead of July vote

A West Point graduate, Hun Manet also has a masters degree in economics from New York University.

By RFA Khmer 2023.04.03 -- Long tapped as his father's successor to lead Cambodia, Hun Manet has been put at the top of the list of 12 parliamentary candidates for the Phnom Penh constituency in the July 23 general elections.

Before he runs, Hun Manet, 45, the eldest son of Hun Sen, who has ruled since 1985, is expected to resign from the military - per election rules - where he is deputy commander-in-chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces.

Hun Manet posted a short video clip to his Facebook page on Monday, saying that Cambodia would remain independent and strengthen ties with all countries around the world - not just China.

"Cambodia's policy today is not being so close to China and not being so close to anyone," he said. "It stands neutral, but we encourage and are determined to boost up close relationships with all the nations.

"That is our correct policy. We get closer to China, the United States and Japan and we get closer to all other nations," he said. "That's what we want."

Hun Manet has had extensive experience overseas. A graduate of the elite United States Military Academy at West Point, he holds a masters in economics from New York University and another graduate degree from the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom.

'I have to protect my power'

Speaking at the inauguration of a hospital on Monday, Hun Sen used harsh language to respond to recent criticisms of his leadership and his son.

The prime minister seemed to target a Buddhist monk now living in exile in Massachusetts who recently criticized Hun Manet for not being qualified to lead the country. In comments posted on Facebook on Sunday, the Venerable Buth Buntenh also said that if Hun Manet became prime minister, he would only do his father's bidding.

"The black guy, who lives in the U.S. - people would know when I call him the black guy," Hun Sen said while not using Buth Buntenh's name.

"Last night, he said that Hun Sen fears losing power. What you said is right, the contemptible black guy. I have to protect my power because your people always attempt to kill me, why not let me protect it?"

Hun Sen also said he would continue to hunt and eliminate opposition groups - who he accused of committing treason - out of the political arena to protect peace and the constitutional monarchy.

Warning to foreign embassies

He also cautioned "Cambodia's foreign friends" who support opposition party groups and politicians.

"You have to choose between an individual group that breaks the laws and the government," he said at the hospital inauguration in Tbong Khmum province. "Please choose one. If you need those who were penalized by law, please do so, and you can then break diplomatic relations from Cambodia."

The ruling CPP and Hun Sen have been working to silence and intimidate opposition figures ahead of the July general elections through a series of arrests and lawsuits.

In the most high-profile example, opposition party leader Kem Sokha was sentenced to 27 years for treason last month in a court decision that was widely condemned as politically motivated.

The charges against Kem Sokha related partly to a video recorded in 2013 in which he discusses a strategy to win power with the help of U.S. experts. The United States Embassy has rejected any suggestion that Washington was trying to interfere in Cambodian politics.

Hun Sen also mentioned last week's visit to Phnom Penh of Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

"He declared that the powerful countries should stop interfering into the affairs of other countries," Hun Sen said. "I fully support him. I've got another good counterpart in ASEAN."

Political analyst Kim Sok said Hun Sen's language on Monday was "undiplomatic." Foreign embassies in Phnom Penh - such as the United States - are working to cooperate with Cambodia based on a 1991 multinational agreement that formally ended decades of war in the country and paved the way for parliamentary democracy, he said.

"They just monitor the situation to see if Cambodia walks in the path of democracy and multi-liberal pluralism, which is enshrined in the Paris Peace Agreements," he said.

Translated by Sok Ry Sum. Edited by Matt Reed and 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 April 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.

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Chinese-funded project would build industrial city near Laos mine

Project is part of a push by Chinese investors to expand access to resources used to make fertilizer.

By RFA Lao 2023.04.03 -- A project funded by Chinese investors to build an industrial city near a potash mine has local villagers in Khammouane province concerned about negative impacts to their communities and their forest-based livelihood.

Developer Sino Agri International Potash Co. signed a memorandum of understanding with the Laos government on March 24 to build a "smart-eco industrial city" on 20 square kilometers of land in Nong Bok and Tha Khek districts.

The industrial city will be divided into three zones: An industry zone for production of fertilizer feedstock, a city zone with office buildings and a community zone for living.

Sino Agri began excavating a potassium mine in 2020 near the site for the industrial city. The company is a subsidiary of Asia Potash, which has direct links to entities directed by China's governing State Council.

The council announced last year that it was seeking to expand China's access to potassium salt resources used to make fertilizer, including potash, a soluble form of potassium.

China is the world's largest consumer of fertilizer and the State Council is looking to secure reliable supplies of potassium resources. Asia Potash has said it is looking to boost annual potassium production in Laos to 3-5 million metric tons - up from 1 million - in the next few years.

Influx of workers from China

An official from the Ministry of Planning and Investment, who declined to reveal his name, said the details of the project remain secret.

"We can't reveal to the public yet," the official said to Radio Free Asia on March 28. "The project should begin by now."

A guesthouse owner in Nong Bok district told RFA's Lao service that preparation work has been ongoing for a year and a half.

"Some of the workers have stayed in my guesthouse," the owner said, noting that all of the workers came from China. "They have rented for a long time already."

One villager told RFA that construction has begun on forested land that villagers use to search for food and otherwise make a living.

Another villager said the project hasn't encroached on villagers' private land but people are still worried the community will undergo too much change because of so many workers moving to the area.

Translated by Sidney Khotpanya. Edited by Matt Reed.



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 April 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.

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Wider Europe Briefing: Ukraine's Big Plan To Fight Russian Disinformation And Why The EU Is Stalling On Belarus Sanctions

By Rikard Jozwiak April 03, 2023

Brief #1: Ukraine Has Big Plans To Fight Russian Disinformation

What You Need To Know: The Ukraine Defense Contact Group met for the first time in April 2022 at the Ramstein U.S military base in Germany. The purpose of the group -- which has more than 40 countries as members, including all 30 NATO allies -- was to coordinate arms deliveries to Ukraine to stave off the Russian invasion.

The group, which has met on a regular basis since then and is now simply referred to as the "Ramstein Group" or the "Ramstein Format," has been a rather successful joint effort of like-minded countries sending Kyiv military supplies. This has also spawned other "Ramstein" initiatives -- for example the "Energy Ramstein," which has been crucial in securing and sending generators to Ukraine during the winter months; or the "Economic Ramstein," which came into being to sketch out plans for the reconstruction of the country after the fighting is over.

Not all the various "Ramsteins" have the same members, but it is perhaps the informality of the format -- not bound by the rules and regulations of an official EU or UN meeting -- that has contributed to its success. Regarding weapons, the Ramstein countries quickly went through their stocks and sent what was available and needed by Ukraine -- often in high quantities and including artillery and air-defense systems. Now, Kyiv wants to repeat the trick by starting an "Information Ramstein" to combat Russian disinformation on a larger scale.

Deep Background: In a letter written by Ukrainian Culture Minister Oleksandr Tkachenko and addressed to the European commissioner responsible for transparency and values, Vera Jourova, he notes that "Ukraine is up against Russia's vast and centralized information warfare and international influence machine, which includes assets from troll farms to state media, energy companies to corruption networks. Though it cannot compete in terms of scale, Ukraine does have one huge advantage: It can ally with its international partners to create coordinated, targeted, joint-influence operations."

Dated February 18 and seen by RFE/RL, the document goes on to explain that Ukraine needs to work "concertedly with its key allies to map the most significant areas of vulnerability in Europe, identifying which combination of Ukraine and its allies is best placed to achieve the effect."

Tkachenko also adds that there is a need to "identify leverage points within its network to bring 'rogue' and potential 'rogue' actors in line and transform soft European partners into strong European allies, who can in turn become ambassadors of influence."

Drilling Down

Tkachenko's letter also contains a proposal to create a working group that will start preparing what he calls an "Information Ramstein." This meeting, he says, should have two main goals: "Discuss the lessons learned of Ukrainian resistance to Russian information warfare and develop a 'joint operations' road map for counteroffensive in Russia's information war."

The working group should consist of what he calls "European media experts," and he names several Ukrainian officials, including the influential adviser to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Mykhaylo Podolyak. Also mentioned are officials from the EU's East StratCom Task Force, a section of the European External Action Service that was set up a year after Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014 to challenge the Kremlin's disinformation campaigns,and personnelfrom the NATO Strategic Communications Center of Excellence, as well as from the U.K.'s Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office.

Accompanying the letter is also a concept note titled the "International Conference on Creating a Coalition of Western States to Counter Russian Information Warfare," which outlines seven prospective panels, with names such as "From Information Defense to Information Offensive," "Russian and Pro-Russian Information War Channels Vs. the West," and "Russian Media: Mass Media or Information Weapon of the Kremlin?"

While plenty of meetings have taken place on the subject of Russian disinformation that have brought together experts and various EU, NATO, and national officials, nothing of this scale has ever been attempted. The big question, though, is how much enthusiasm there will be for this Kyiv-driven initiative. According to EU officials familiar with the concept note who are not authorized to speak on the record, European Commissioner Jourova has not yet answered the letter and has asked EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell to come up with a response instead.

There is also a certain apprehension about whether Kyiv can and should be in the driving seat for such an initiative. While there is an understanding that Ukraine has a right to defend itself from Russia, including in the information space, by removing, for example, all Russian TV channels from its cable TV network or banning Russian social networks such as Odnoklassniki, there is a sense that this may not be replicated across the EU.

After initially being reluctant to target Russian media in any way, in recent sanctions packages against Russia the EU has suspended the broadcasting activities and licenses of several Kremlin-backed mediaoutlets such as Sputnik, RT, and Rossia-1. The ban, which targets outlets that disseminate disinformation, includes all means of transmission and distribution in or directed at EU member states.

Brussels, however, has made clear that this still doesn't prevent those media outlets from carrying out activities in the EU other than broadcasting, such as interviews or research. And while there have been calls to be even tougher, including slapping more sanctions on individuals believed to be spreading pro-Kremlin propaganda, there is currently no consensus to go any further.

Brief #2: Why Have EU Sanctions On Belarus Stalled?

What You Need To Know: In late January, the European Commission proposed a new sanctions package on Belarus, the first one directed at the regime in Minsk since 2022, for its support of Russia's attack on Ukraine. The proposed measures on Belarus were largely set to copy -- and align with -- restrictive measures already imposed by the bloc on Moscow -- for example, an EU ban on providing IT and polling services, consulting, and luxury goods to the country, and a prohibition on the import of Belarusian gold and steel. It was initially believed that the 27 EU member states would quickly approve the package, as it wasn't seen as particularly far-reaching or controversial.

Yet, more than two months down the line, the proposal remains unadopted, with EU ambassadors representing the member states haggling over one item in the 23-page draft legislation seen by RFE/RL: a sanctions derogation regarding Belarusian fertilizers, with the text noting that this is "in order to further address food security concerns in third countries."

As with the EU sanctions against Russia -- where a similar derogation was introduced just before Christmas last year -- the proposal notes the possible exception concerns individuals who play "a significant role in international trade in agricultural and food products, including wheat and fertilizers" and thus potentially can have their assets unfrozen by Brussels.

Deep Background: The derogation has pitted two groups of countries against each other. On one side are the sanctions hawks -- consisting of the three Baltic states, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, together with Poland -- who want the derogation dropped before they approve the sanctions. On the other side are a collection of Western European countries, including Germany, Italy, Spain, and Portugal, that all insist the derogation should remain.

According to several EU officials, the spats about the derogation have been fairly "nasty," with Lithuania and Portugal in particular not seeing eye to eye. For Vilnius, the issue could have internal political consequences as the government has made it a central political pillar to be extra tough on the next-door regime of Belarusian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka, especially after the 2021 forced landing in Minsk of a Ryanair flight heading to Vilnius, plus Minsk's attempt to force third-country migrants across the Belarusian-Lithuanian border later that same year.

If the derogation goes through, it could mean unfrozen assets for the Belarusian tycoon Ivan Halavaty and Russian billionaire Mikhail Gutseriyev, who have both been supportive of Lukashenka, and Belaruskali, one of the biggest fertilizer producers in the world and the single largest taxpayer in Belarus.

For Portugal, it is a question of the bloc's commitment to the so-called Global South, in this case meaning countries in Latin America, Asia, and Africa that are playing an increasingly important role in world politics due to their steady economic growth. The EU has been adamant that these countries are supportive of Ukraine, notably in the United Nations, but is at the same time weary about Russian claims, without evidence, that EU sanctions on various Russian and Belarusian items are causing global food scarcity.

Drilling Down

It is worth noting here that the EU hasn't imposed any sanctions on food products from Belarus and Russia, even though the targeting of Belaruskali, for example, has deprived some countries of the potash needed in agricultural production. That is especially true for Brazil, a former Portuguese colony, which imported 20 percent of its fertilizers from Belarus before the EU's ban on Belarusian fertilizers that entered into force in June 2022.

That figure in Brazil is now down to 9 percent -- with imports going via Chinese and Russian ports instead of EU ones. (Brazil has made up some of that shortfall by buying more Canadian potash.) There is speculation in Brussels that the reason Lisbon is so keen on securing the sanctions derogation is that it would benefit Portuguese shipping companies, even though there is no concrete evidence of this.

It is also worth noting a key difference between the Russian sanction derogation, which has been in force now for three months, and the proposed Belarusian derogation. In the former, only individuals in the fertilizer business are sanctioned, whereas in the latter both individuals and companies involved with fertilizers are under restrictive measures -- and there is a specific EU import ban on Belarusian potash.

While a compromise doesn't seem likely in the near future, there is some hope that countries will find alternatives to Belarusian fertilizers. Canada, already the largest potash producer worldwide, has indicated that it is capable of producing 6 million additional tons a year. Thirty million tons of fertilizer is also being produced in Africa, notably in Nigeria and Algeria. That figure is twice as much as the whole of the African continent consumes annually.

Another issue that could potentially end the stalemate is the recent announcement by both Minsk and Moscow that Russia will deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, as well as the building of a nuclear weapons storage facility there. There have been hints among EU officials I have spoken to that this will prompt fresh sanctions proposals by Brussels targeting the Lukashenka regime, even though nothing yet has been put on the table. Expect this to rumble on for a few more weeks.

Looking Ahead

NATO foreign ministers are meeting in Brussels on April 4-5. During the first day, there will be a session of the NATO-Ukraine Commission (NUC) with Ukraine's foreign minister. NUC is the official body responsible for developing the relationship between the military alliance and Kyiv. No big decisions are expected for this meeting, but it is still a significant gathering as it is the first NUC since 2017.

The reason for the hiatus has been objections from Hungary, which says that Ukraine has been discriminating against the ethnic Hungarian minority in the country. Despite Hungary's protests, though, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has now decided to convene the commission. There should be a lot of talk about security guarantees for Ukraine and its prospects of one day joining the alliance -- plus some Hungarian grumbling that the unity of NATO has been challenged.

On April 4, the chief negotiators for Serbia and Kosovo are meeting in Brussels for the first time since their respective leaders agreed on a deal on March 18 to further normalize relations. The idea is that they will iron out details regarding the implementation of the agreement. EU officials, however, don't expect that much concrete will come out of these talks as neither Pristina nor Belgrade have indicated that they are willing to move yet.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/wider-europe-jozwiak-ukraine- disinformation-belarus-sanctions/32346741.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.

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Germany's Scholz Underscores Support For Romania, Moldova During Bucharest Visit

By RFE/RL's Romanian Service April 03, 2023

BUCHAREST -- German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has arrived in Romania to underscore Berlin's support for its NATO ally, where he said that, like Bucharest, it will continue to back Ukraine in its battle against Russia's full-scale invasion, and he also met with Moldovan President Maia Sandu in the Romanian capital.

Scholz also told Romanian leaders on April 3 that he wants to see the country join the Schengen passport-free travel zone by the end of 2023.

"It is good to have a partner like Romania that we can rely on. Germany stands firmly on Romania's side. This also means that Romania will obtain Schengen accession this year," Scholz told a news briefing standing aside Romanian President Klaus Iohannis.

"We will support Ukraine militarily as much as needed," Scholz said, adding that "I would like to express my gratitude for Romania's taking in of many Ukrainian refugees."

According to UN statistics, Romania is hosting more than 100,000 Ukrainians who have fled since Russia's invasion began in February 2022, although millions more have passed through Romania on the way to other countries.

Iohannis said that Germany was not only Romania's most important economic partner, but also a reliable ally.

"We discussed the multidimensional support given to Ukraine in various areas...as well as the measures we have taken in support of the over 3.8 million Ukrainian refugees who crossed our border and the over 110,000 of them who have decided to stay in Romania."

The two leaders also discussed defense cooperation, with Iohannis stressing the growing strategic importance of the Black Sea region and calling for NATO to "significantly strengthen" its defense and deterrence efforts there.

After meeting Iohannis, the German chancellor was scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca and other government delegations.

Scholz and Iohannis also met with Sandu for a trilateral discussion during her visit to Bucharest.

Moldova, a country of roughly 2.7 million, is located between Romania and Ukraine and has a history that is deeply intertwined with Romania.

The two neighbors share a common history, culture, and language. The eastern region of Romania is also called Moldova.

One of Europe's poorest countries, Moldova has been confronted with further instability by Russia's war in Ukraine. It has received thousands of Ukrainian refugees and fears a potential Russian invasion aided by Russian troops stationed in its breakaway Transdniester region.

Sandu, in a news briefing alongside the other two leaders, stressed the importance of Moldova's partnership and dialogue with Romania and Germany and recalled her country's intention to support the creation of an international tribunal for the punishment of crimes committed by Russian forces in Ukraine.

"Moldova supports the creation of a special international tribunal that will investigate and prosecute the aggression and crimes committed by Russia in Ukraine," she said.

"We will stand by Ukraine and support it until victory. The Republic of Moldova is protected today by the shield of Ukrainian heroes. Europe is strong because of the unity and firmness with which it defends peace and people's lives," she added.

Scholz said that "Moldova is part of our European family. Moldova can be sure of our support on this path," he added, referring to Chisinau's goal of joining the European Union.

"The sovereignty and territorial integrity of every state is inviolable. That is why we are supporting Moldova in defending itself against destabilization by Russia," he said.

Iohannis expressed the vital importance of supporting Chisinau's "stability and resilience."

"Moldova's situation is very much complicated by hybrid attacks from Russia -- a major complication is the large number of Ukrainian refugees and the impact of the war in Ukraine on the Moldovan economy," he said.

Former Foreign Minister Cristian Diaconescu told RFE/RL that Scholz's visit was an important event because, so far, Germany had exhibited "some caution in political and strategic involvement."

"Chancellor [Angela] Merkel waited five years before making an official visit to Romania," he said.

"An upgrade at this moment of the relations between Romania and Germany, in the context of the Ukrainian crisis, is absolutely normal, natural, and necessary, including with regard to the security of the German state and the center of Europe. And Romania cannot be missing from such a project," Diaconescu said.

Also on April 3, German Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck arrived in Kyiv on April 3 on an unannounced visit, expressing support for Kyiv in its battle against Russia.

With reporting by AFP and AP

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/romania-moldova- scholz-sandu/32347600.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.

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Former Kosovar President Thaci Opens War Crimes Trial With Plea Of Not Guilty

By RFE/RL April 03, 2023

Hashim Thaci has pleaded not guilty as the war crimes and crimes against humanity trial of Kosovo's ex-president and three other former Kosovo Liberation Army (UCK) leaders kicked off in The Hague on April 3.

Thaci, who was a leader of guerrilla fighters, faces 10 charges for allegedly targeting those perceived as enemies of the UCK as the group sought to seize power during an insurgency in 1998-99.

Prosecutor Alex Whiting said in his opening statement that the 54-year-old Thaci, who has been in detention for the past two years as he awaited trial, and the other defendants targeted ethnic Serbs and Roma during the conflict and in its aftermath.

"I understand the indictment and I am fully not guilty," Thaci, who was wearing a dark pinstripe suit, told judges at the court in the opening stage of the hearing.

The other three UCK leaders on trial also denied the charges.

Outside the courthouse, protesters supporting Thaci gathered with placards bearing the former president's image. Similar scenes occurred on the streets of Pristina, the Kosovo capital, the night before the trial began.

A commander of the UCK during the 1998-99 war, Thaci became popular in the young country in the years following its independence declaration and went on to lead Kosovo as president and prime minister at different times.

Thaci resigned as president of Kosovo in November 2020 after learning that The Hague-based Kosovo Specialist Chambers (KSC) had confirmed an indictment against him.

The KSC at the time said it was conducting ongoing operations in Kosovo that were being supported by Kosovar police and the European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX).

The KSC is mandated to look into allegations that members of the UCK committed war crimes and crimes against humanity during the 1998-99 war to gain independence from Serbia.

It operates under Kosovar law but is based in The Netherlands to shield witnesses from intimidation.

The Council of Europe in 2020 said the charges against Thaci and the others relate to the alleged kidnapping and disappearance of at least 100 civilians, mostly Serbs and Roma, along with ethnic Albanian political opponents.

Kosovo's war of independence from Serbia left more than 10,000 people dead -- most of them ethnic Albanians from Kosovo. More than 1,600 people remain unaccounted for. The fighting ended after a 78-day NATO air campaign against Serbia.

Kosovo, which has a largely ethnic Albanian population, declared independence from Serbia in 2008, a move recognized by many Western states but not Serbia or its allies Russia and China.

With reporting by Reuters and AFP

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/kosovo-thaci-war-crimes- trial-hague-serbia/32346730.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.

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AU Mission Renews Commitment to Seek Peace and Stability in Somalia

Sputnik News

20230403

Roman Sanin

Since the mid-2000s, Somalia has been fighting al-Shabaab*. The group seized large swathes of territory in the country, which have been gradually liberated by the national army, with international support initially provided by the African Union (AU) Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), but later replaced by the AU Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS).

The ATMIS has revitalized its commitment to bolster cooperation and establish partnerships in order to achieve peace and stability in the country on the mission's first anniversary.

According to a special representative of the chairman of the African Union Commission for Somalia and head of the ATMIS, Mohammed El-Amine Souef, the efforts of the transition mission have led to a decrease in al-Shabaab's activities, with the security situation in Somalia relatively calm.

"However, we cannot afford to lower our guard since the Khawarij [al-Shabaab] remain the greatest threat to Somalia's peace and stability," Souef said during a media briefing in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, on Saturday.

The ATMIS, jointly organized by the AU and the Somali government, entered into force on April 1, 2022, replacing the AU Mission in Somalia, which had been operating since January 19, 2007.

The main goal of the ATMIS, which is expected to last until December 31, 2024, consists in preparing the Somali National Armed Forces for assuming responsibility for the security situation in Somalia.

The head of the mission noted that international partners who have been supporting the mission since the beginning deserve special attention for their contribution.

"In this regard, I would like to reaffirm ATMIS' support to the federal government and the good people of Somalia that we stand in solidarity with the communities facing the hardships of droughts and floods, and those displaced by wars," Souef emphasized.

Along with that, he called on all Somalis to assist the security forces in order to achieve and maintain peace and security in the country.

The countries taking part in the ATMIS include Burundi, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Uganda.

In early February, officials from Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Djibouti held two meetings. The first involved the countries' defense ministers and military commanders, who discussed joint anti-terrorism efforts "in full cooperation with the Somali National Army, the ATMIS, and the non-ATMIS forces in Somalia" on February 1.

The following day, the leaders of the four countries, who also met in Mogadishu, reached an agreement to "jointly plan and organize a robust operational campaign at the frontline states level, of search and destroy on multiple frontlines aiming at key al-Shabaab strongholds across the south and central Somalia," according to their statement.

Somalia is known for having suffered atrocities committed al-Shabaab since the mid-2000s. While the country was engulfed in war, the terrorist group managed to seize vast amounts of territory, including parts of the capital city, but the group was pushed out by government and AMISOM forces in 2011.

*A terrorist organization outlawed in Russia and many other countries

 Sputnik

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South Sudanese Troops Arrive to Support EAC Peacekeeping Mission in DR Congo

Sputnik News

20230403

Muhammad Nooh Osman

On March 31, a contingent of 1,000 Ugandan soldiers joined the East African Community's (EAC) peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo's North Kivu province. EAC officials have clarified that the troops are being sent as a neutral force, rather than to engage in combat against rebel groups in the region.

Under the direction of the East African Community Regional Force (EACRF), the first batch of the South Sudanese army arrived in Goma, the capital of North Kivu Province, in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) on Sunday, according to local media.

The group, consisting of around 40 military personnel, were transported by a Kenyan army plane and will be deployed in Goma for peacekeeping operations.

"As of this Sunday and during the coming week, we begin the deployment of our colleagues from South Sudan who will join the other colleagues already deployed on the ground," Emmanuel Kaputa, deputy commander of the EACRF, told reporters at the Goma airport.

In late December 2022, South Sudan announced its intention to send 750 soldiers to the conflict-ridden region. At present, there are already Kenyan, Burundian and Ugandan soldiers deployed in the DR Congo's North Kivu province.

The arrival of the South Sudanese army came a few days after the deployment of about 1,000 Ugandan soldiers, according to the media, in the North Kivu territory of Rutshuru. South Sudan is the fourth country, following Kenya, Burundi, and Uganda, to join the EAC regional force, which seeks to end the violence in the DRC's east.

On Sunday, the Ugandan contingent of the East African Community's Regional Force occupied the Congolese town of Bunagana, after the March 23 Movement (M23) rebels had left the area and handed over their bases, according to Captain Kato Ahmad Hassan, military spokesman for the Ugandan contingent.

The regional force was established in June 2022 to intervene in the DRC's east and halt the advance of the Tutsi-led armed formation. In November of that year, a ceasefire deal was clinched, under which M23 insurgents have started withdrawing from some of the positions they captured in the eastern DRC.

 Sputnik

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HRC52: Statement on High Commissioner's report on South Sudan

Interactive dialogue on the High Commissioner's report on technical assistance and capacity-building for South Sudan.

3 April 2023

Thank you, Mr Vice President.

Let me begin by thanking the High Commissioner for his report. We share his sobering assessment of the continuing dire human rights, humanitarian and security situation in South Sudan, and in particular that - and I quote his words - "Rule of law mechanisms, as well as accountability mechanisms for human rights violations and abuses and violations of international humanitarian law committed across the country, continue to be weak or non-existent, thus perpetuating widespread impunity and leaving victims without redress or effective remedies".

We of course agree that South Sudan is in real need of technical assistance and capacity building to help improve its human rights situation and to build a sustainable peace, but that is only part of the solution. We need accountability and a more comprehensive approach to improving human rights in South Sudan is needed, which has to include, for us, the continued scrutiny by the Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan.

We do encourage, once again, the Government of South Sudan to continue its cooperation with the Commission, and we encourage our fellow Council members to extend its mandate in full this session.

So if I may ask, what immediate steps the Government can take in implementing the Revitalized Peace Agreement, including Chapter V, to improve the human rights situation on the ground?

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USS Porter (DDG 78) Arrives in Kalundborg, Denmark

US Navy

03 April 2023

From USS Porter (DDG 78) Public Affairs

The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Porter (DDG 78) arrived in Kalundborg, Denmark, April 2, 2023 for a scheduled port visit and mid-deployment voyage repair (MDVR).

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 Denmark.

Mid-deployment voyage repair (MDVR) evolutions allow U.S. Navy ships to accomplish necessary and preventative repairs to continue their missions in the region while simultaneously strengthening relationships with host nations.

"We're grateful for the chance to see Denmark and to enhance our relationship with a key NATO ally," said Cmdr. Joe Hamilton, Porter's commanding officer. "Our time in Denmark is a chance for us to conduct vital maintenance and repairs as well as a great opportunity for the crew to meet the people of Kalundborg."

Porter has conducted previous port stops in Funchal, Portugal; Rostock, Germany; and Tallinn, Estonia while on its current deployment. This deployment follows Porter's homeport shift to Naval Station Norfolk in October 2022, after seven years forward-deployed to Europe as part of the Forward Deployed Naval Forces-Europe force, based at Naval Station Rota, Spain.

"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 our time in Kalundborg."

The U.S. and Denmark are committed to working together and improving interoperability through port visits, operations, and exercises like Defender Europe 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.

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Nimitz Carrier Strike Group, Republic of Korea Navy Conduct Bilateral Maritime Exercise

US Navy

03 April 2023

USS NIMITZ (CVN 68) -- The Nimitz Carrier Strike Group (NIMCSG) conducted a bilateral maritime exercise with the Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN) March 27.

The aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) and the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Decatur (DDG 73) and USS Wayne E. Meyer (DDG 108) worked with the Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN) destroyer ROKS Sejong the Great (DDG 991), the Chungmugong Yi Sun-Sin-class multipurpose destroyer ROKS Choi Young (DDH 981), and the Cheonji-class fast combat support ship ROKS Hwacheon (AOE 59).

This was the first time NIMCSG has worked with the ROKN during its current deployment.

"The Republic of Korea-U.S. alliance has never been stronger and has a long history of deterring aggression on the Korean Peninsula," said Rear Adm. Christopher Sweeney, commander, Carrier Strike Group 11. "We stand ready with our Korean Allies to further grow our relationship into a comprehensive global partnership to uphold stability and the rules-based order of the region."

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the U.S.-Republic of Korea Mutual Defense Treaty of 1953, which has been one of the most successful alliances in modern history, preserving the terms of the Armistice Agreement and providing security for the citizens of the Republic of Korea and Northeast Asia. The United States shares an unwavering alliance with the Republic of Korea to provide security, stability, and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula and in the Indo-Pacific region.

NIMCSG consists of USS Nimitz, Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 17, the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Bunker Hill (CG 52), DESRON 9, USS Decatur (DDG 73), USS Chung-Hoon (DDG 93) and USS Wayne E. Meyer (DDG 108).

Nimitz's embarked air wing consists of the "Fighting Redcocks" of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 22, "Mighty Shrikes" of VFA-94, "Kestrels" of VFA-137, "Blue Diamonds" of VFA-146, "Sun Kings" of Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron (VAW) 116, "Cougars" of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 139, "Battlecats" of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 73, "Screamin' Indians" of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 6 and "Providers" of Fleet Logistic Support Squadron (VRC) 30.

NIMCSG is in U.S. 7th Fleet conducting routine operations. 7th Fleet is the U.S. Navy's largest forward-deployed numbered fleet, and routinely interacts and operates with allies and partners in preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific region.

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Q&A: US UN Envoy: 'Standing with Russia is a Losing Proposition'

By Margaret Besheer April 03, 2023

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield spoke to VOA at U.N. headquarters Monday about her recent trip to Costa Rica for the 2023 Democracy Summit and the important role of youth in government, her concerns about Russia's and China's influence in the region and calls for a non-U.N. international force to help Haiti.

The U.S. envoy, who is also a member of U.S. President Joe Biden's Cabinet, said during Russia's Security Council presidency in April that the U.S. would engage on a number of issues, but there are currently no plans for a separate meeting with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov when he comes to the U.N. later this month.

This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.

VOA: You're just back from the democracy summit in Costa Rica, where you highlighted the plight of millions of Venezuelan refugees. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's government has maintained power, they've created a humanitarian and human rights crisis in the process. So what's next for the U.S. on Venezuela, here at the United Nations in particular?

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield: We are working with the countries in the region, particularly Ecuador and Costa Rica. Ecuador who has accepted tens of thousands of refugees. They have provided them with papers and documentation that will allow them to stay in the country. We want to support those efforts, but we are also working to support those who are left behind to ensure that they continue to get the assistance that they require.

VOA: As Russia continues its aggression in Ukraine, how concerning is it for peace and security that the Kremlin is forging close ties, not just with Venezuela, but also with the Ortega-Murillo regime in Nicaragua?

Thomas-Greenfield: It is very concerning. And as you see votes in the [General Assembly], these are the countries that continue to support Russia. But they're on the wrong side of history, and they need to understand that they're on the wrong side of history because the world is standing with Ukraine, the world is standing against Russia, and they should see the handwriting on the wall that standing with Russia is a losing proposition.

VOA: What about China's influence in Latin America? For example, Honduras cut relations with Taiwan in favor of Beijing.

Thomas-Greenfield: Look, we don't tell countries  sovereign countries  what decisions they should make about recognition. What we are doing in the region, and what we want to highlight, is we want to work with these countries to deliver on our promises - our promises to support their efforts to work on improving their democracy. And we know that China will make promises that they don't always deliver on. And Taiwan has always been a partner, a partner that can be depended upon, a partner that delivers on all of its promises. It's a strong democracy. It has a strong economy. And it is, it's a relationship that we have to work to continue to strengthen as we intend to do in our future relationships with Taiwan.

VOA: It's been six months since U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the prime minister of Haiti asked the Security Council for an urgent rapid reaction force for that nation. In that time, the security and humanitarian situation has deteriorated, half the island is in emergency levels of hunger. What's going on in the Security Council, has there been any progress on getting this force?

Thomas-Greenfield: First and foremost, the situation in Haiti is dire and it is getting worse. We have engaged in the council to address the requests that the secretary-general made. We did extend the Haitian mandate [for the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH)] and we have been working with countries in the region, including some of our neighbors, African countries as well, on how we can put together a strong, multinational, non-U.N. force that will help address the security issues on the ground in Haiti.

VOA: So, what was your biggest takeaway from your trip to Costa Rica?

Thomas-Greenfield: I was impressed by the power of their youth and the strength of their democracy. I met with young people who were very engaged in the government. They were participating very actively in the summit of democracy. And I saw their president [Rodrigo Chaves Robles] talk directly to them, engage with them, and really impress upon them the importance of engaging with their government. One of the commitments we made to support the Youth Network, part of that commitment is to give young people the resources that they need to communicate with their government. They have those resources in the democracy that is on the ground in Costa Rica. They are a true example of how a strong democracy can work, and we intend to continue to support that country's efforts to strengthen their democracy, to fight against international crime, and to strengthen their ability to deliver to their people.

VOA: Russia assumed its Security Council presidency on Saturday for the month of April. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will come later this month to chair a council meeting. What's the likelihood that Secretary of State Antony Blinken would seize that opportunity to come here and meet in person with Lavrov about the detained Americans Paul Whelan and The Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich?

Thomas-Greenfield: Russia shouldn't even be on the Security Council, but they are a permanent member of the council, and we can't change that. Over the course of their month, which is rotational, we intend to engage on the important issues of the Security Council. It's not just Ukraine. We expect Russia will look for opportunities to spread their disinformation and misinformation campaign, and particularly when their Foreign Minister Lavrov is here on the ground. There are no plans at this moment for there to be any engagement with him. But of course, we will do everything possible to work to get the release of American citizens who have been unfairly held. The secretary of state spoke to Foreign Minister Lavrov over the weekend and demanded that he release The Wall Street Journal journalist, as well as other Americans who are being unfairly held by the Russian government.

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IS-Khorasan Leader in Alleged Audio Message Discusses Afghanistan Losses

By Ayaz Gul April 03, 2023

An official pro-Taliban media outlet in Afghanistan has released an alleged audio clip of the leader of the local affiliate of Islamic State in which the man acknowledges his group's significant recent losses.

"Only a few of our comrades are left, and their number can be counted on the fingers," Shahab al-Muhajir, the so-called emir of IS-Khorasan, said in Pashto language in a message to his group.

The militant commander also spoke about the killings of key leaders in recent Taliban counterterrorism operations against IS-Khorasan hideouts in the capital of Kabul and elsewhere in Afghanistan.

The al-Mersaad state-affiliated channel, which released the audio, is working to counter IS-Khorasan terrorist propaganda, according to Taliban officials.

There has been no comment from IS-Khorasan on the alleged audio clip attributed to its leader.

VOA has not independently confirmed the speaker's identity.

Taliban security sources tell VOA the audio clip is that of al-Muhajir, whose real name is Sanaullah Ghafari, and said that he is a resident of Kabul.

Abdul Sayed, a Sweden-based independent researcher on jihadists, said that Islamic State official sources had never released any audio message from al-Muhajir until now.

"But his voice resembles the Pashto dialect of his native area in Kabul. However, he uses words from the Pashto dialect of the northeastern Afghan province of Kunar or the adjacent tribal belt of neighboring Pakistan," Sayed said of the audio clip released by the Taliban.

"Secondly, this audio reflects the ground realities. The Taliban GDI recently killed several senior IS-K commanders, and al-Muhajir expressed concerns over the leadership losses in Afghanistan," the researcher said in written comments to VOA. By GDI, he was referring to the General Directorate of Intelligence, the Taliban-led Afghan spy agency.

Sayed noted that al-Muhajir had named a slain IS-K commander, Mualawi Muhammad, also known as Mualawi Ziauddin, in the audio and declared his death "a heavy loss" for the group. The Taliban killed Ziauddin in an operation in the northern Afghan province of Balkh on March 26.

Meanwhile, the spy agency late Sunday also reported the arrest of a key IS-Khorasan operative, Ainuddin Muhammad.

The GDI released a purported video confession of the detainee, saying he played a central role in organizing high-profile attacks in northern Afghanistan last month. They included a suicide bombing that killed the Taliban governor of Balkh province. Muhammad reportedly confessed that he was recruited by IS-Khorasan in Iran.

The Taliban are the sworn enemies of IS-Khorasan and have reported significant successes against the militants in recent counterterrorism operations.

Many of those reported gains have not been independently verified.

Late last month, the GDI announced the killing of three central IS-Khorasan commanders, including Ziauddin, the second highest-ranked member of the group.

Taliban chief spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told VOA's Afghan service in an interview last week that since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August 2021, their security forces have arrested and imprisoned up to 1,700 IS-Khorasan militants and killed close to 1,100 others.

It was not possible to verify the Taliban's claims from independent sources.

In an interview aired Monday by Taliban-controlled state television, Mujahid rejected recent assertions by the United States that IS-Khorasan is gaining strength in Afghanistan and could soon launch attacks beyond its borders.

"Some countries that say Daesh has become more active and a threat to the world after six months, this is nothing but propaganda that we reject," said Mujahid. He did not name any country. Daesh is a local name for IS-Khorasan.

Last month, a top U.S. military commander told a congressional hearing that IS-Khorasan was eyeing the West and could launch an attack from Afghan bases before the year is out.

"They can do external operations against U.S. or Western interests abroad in under six months with little to no warning," said Army Gen. Michael Kurilla, the head of U.S. Central Command overseeing U.S. troops in the region.

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Malaysia Open to Talks with Beijing Over South China Sea Dispute

By VOA News April 03, 2023

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said Monday the country is prepared to negotiate with Beijing over an ongoing territorial dispute in the South China Sea.

China claims to own in its entirety the South China Sea, a key waterway that $3 trillion in trade passes through annually. However, Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam have overlapping claims to the passage. The U.S. routinely sends naval vessels through it to assert freedom of navigation in international waters.

An international arbitration ruling in 2016 said Beijing's claim has no legal basis. China maintains it does not recognize the arbitration decision.

According to Malaysian state news agency Bernama, the issue was raised at a meeting between Anwar and Chinese President Xi Jinping last week. Malaysia's state energy firm Petronas has its largest oil platform in the disputed area, as well as several exploration projects, which Anwar wants to safeguard.

Addressing his department on Monday, Anwar said he told the Chinese, "As a small country that needs oil and gas resources, we have to continue. But if the condition is that there must be negotiation" to project Malaysian projects, "then we are ready to negotiate."

U.S. research group, the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative, reported last week that a Chinese coast guard vessel was operating near the Petronas gas platform for the past month and came as close as 2.4 kilometers to the project. A Malaysian navy ship was also in the area at the same time, AMTI said.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Monday that China was not aware of the specific incident but said the coast guard operated within China's jurisdiction and its conduct was beyond reproach.

In related news about the South China Sea, the Philippine government has identified four new military areas where U.S. forces will be allowed to stay indefinitely, despite strong objections from China. The bases will also be used for humanitarian and relief operations during disasters. The expansion was approved by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to grant U.S. access under the 2014 Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement.

Three of the sites are in the northern Philippines, including a naval base, an airport and an army camp. The naval base in Cagayan province is about 600 kilometers from Taiwan.

Another site is the navy camp on Balabac Island in the western province of Palawan. Palawan Island faces the South China Sea.

Marcos said the move would boost his country's coastal defense. However, China has expressed disagreement over this decision.

According to Philippine officials, a Chinese Foreign Ministry delegation expressed its strong opposition in a meeting in Manila last month and warned of its repercussions to regional peace and stability.

Additionally, the Chinese Embassy recently warned that the Philippine government's security cooperation with the U.S. "will drag the Philippines into the abyss of geopolitical strife and damage its economic development at the end of the day."

Amid growing territorial tensions between China and other nearby countries, Marcos' administration has filed at least 77 of more than 200 diplomatic protests for China's actions in the disputed waters since he took office last year.

The United States used to have two major military bases in the Philippines, but they were closed in the early 1990s.

Some information from this report came from Reuters, The Associated Press and Agence France-Presse.

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War Hero or Villain? Kosovo's Former President on Trial

By Lisa Bryant April 03, 2023

Nearly a quarter-century after Kosovo's brutal war for independence, its former president and guerrilla leader Hashim Thaci pleaded not guilty to war crimes charges Monday, as a trial kicked off in the Netherlands that some believe could impact a recent deal to normalize relations between Pristina and its longtime nemesis Serbia.

Wearing a dark pinstripe suit, 54-year-old Thaci appeared at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers with three other defendants, Jakup Krasniqi, Kadri Veseli and Rexhep Selimi, who also pleaded not guilty.

All are former members of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) and face multiple counts of war crimes and crimes-against-humanity charges for allegedly enforcing killings, torture and imprisonment during and after the 1998-1999 conflict against then-Yugoslavia. The war ended after a NATO air campaign drove Serbian forces out of Kosovo.

"These four men were without any doubt the principal leaders of the KLA, and they have been celebrated and honored for it. But there was a darker side to their leadership," said prosecutor Alex Whiting, accusing Thaci and the other defendants of furthering a policy of "detention, abuse, torture and sometimes death."

Analysts and rights activists hailed the trial for bringing some accountability for months of brutality on both sides  even as they called on Serbia to address its share of war crimes gone unexamined and unpunished in a war that killed more than 13,000 people, most of whom were ethnic Albanians.

"It's been 24 years since this conflict, but there's still a need for justice. There's still a legacy of impunity that hangs over this conflict," said Liz Evenson, international justice director for Human Rights Watch.

The defense begins arguing its case Tuesday. In an interview with the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN) last week, defense lawyer Gregory Kehoe argued Thaci, and his fellow defendants, were "freedom fighters" not war criminals  a characterization Kosovo's former Foreign Minister Petrit Selimi agrees with.

"He was a political leader of the type of [former Sinn Fein President] Gerry Adams and [former South Africa President] Nelson Mandela and others who have had a history of fighting against overwhelming odds, in conflicts which were rife with ethnic and other types of divisions," Selimi said of Thaci, telling VOA that his trial was a "sad day" for Kosovo.

Praise and dark accusations

Like other KLA members, Thaci is considered a hero by many of Kosovo's majority Albanian population. Ahead of the trial, thousands rallied in his support in Kosovo's capital Pristina and in The Hague. While the Specialist Chambers is a Kosovo court  established under western pressure  it is deeply unpopular for its mandate of trying former KLA members for war and postwar crimes.

"Don't equate victims with the criminals," one protester's sign read, referring to Serbia.

Like lawyer Kehoe, Selimi characterized the KLA as a hodgepodge group of Kosovars fighting against oppressors without a clear line of command  suggesting its leaders couldn't be held accountable for potential crimes committed by others.

"I think it's fair to say that the Kosovo Liberation Army was a group of ragtag militias from villages with no real generals and no real tanks, fighting what was the very organized army of Slobodan Milosevic," Selimi said of the Serbian former leader, who died while on trial at a separate war crimes court in The Hague.

Thaci joined the KLA and was one of the group's senior figures when it emerged in 1997 to wage a guerrilla war for statehood. A 78-day campaign of NATO airstrikes aimed at Serbian forces finally ended the fighting in 1999.

In 2008, Kosovo formally declared its independence from Serbia and Thaci became its first prime minister. In 2016, he was elected president, before resigning in 2020 after being indicted by the special court.

Along with praise  then-U.S. Vice President Joe Biden reportedly called him the "George Washington of Kosovo"  Thaci has been dogged by accusations, including alleged links to an Albanian group involved in smuggling weapons, drugs and human organs, according to a 2010 Council of Europe report.

Imperil Kosovo-Serbia deal?

The Hague trial comes just two weeks after Kosovo and Serbia struck a verbal agreement to implement a new Western-backed plan to normalize long-acrimonious ties. Serbia does not recognize Kosovo; nor do some other countries, including Russia, China and several EU member states.

Some believe simmering anger among Kosovar Albanians over a perceived one-sided accountability for the war could imperil the agreement's fate  especially as the EU deal calls on Pristina to take the first step in guaranteeing a degree of "self-management" for Kosovo's minority-Serb population.

"It's clear that if we go forward and if there are more steps to be taken in normalizing [Kosovar-Serbian relations]  and then on the other hand we have this [trial] in The Hague, which is only focusing on one side  it actually might create some sort of hindrances for the peace process itself," said Kosovo's ex-foreign minister Selimi.

Balkans expert Edward P. Joseph calls the normalization deal important but "flawed and ambiguous."

"Potentially, the deal offers Kosovo a way to break out of the status quo, but there are real risks," said Joseph, a former deputy head for the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe's mission in Kosovo.

Kosovo was giving up its leverage, he said, hoping  with U.S. and EU support  for reciprocal action from a Serbia that "remains in denial about the past."

"The Hashim Thaci trail is complicated, because it is Kosovo that is asked to make the first move," Joseph said.

The stakes are high, he believes, not just for Kosovo and Serbia. Both Russia and China have interests in the region. Moscow has drawn parallels between NATO's 1999 campaign in Kosovo and the transatlantic alliance's current support for Ukraine.

"The geopolitical context makes it imperative for the U.S. and EU to see this agreement work," Joseph said. "If it fails, they won't be able to say, 'it's the failure of Serbia and Kosovo.' No. It will be the failure of the U.S. and the EU  and the cost will be paid by the U.S. and the EU. And it will be a victory for Russia and China."

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Russo-Ukraine War - 03 April 2023 - Day 404

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

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 the Russian MOD is likely running a deliberate information operation to revive the reputation of a brigade which has become synonymous with recent Russian failures in Ukraine.

Throughout March 2023, the activities of 155th Naval Infantry Brigade were highlighted via some of the most extensive Russian helmet-cam combat footage yet released, as well as a televised visit by a prominent Russian TV host, Vladimir Solovyov. There were also public announcements that the formation is in 'high spirits [with] a strong determination to achieve the set goals', as well as images showing the 155th being re-equipped with modified tanks.

In reality, the 155th has likely been reduced to combat ineffective status at least twice in the last six months, due to being committed to tactically flawed frontal assaults near Vuhledar in Donetsk Oblast. The MOD's effort to revive the brigade's image likely reflects concern about the way in which its failures were being increasingly associated with Russian senior military leaders.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that during the day of April 3, Russian forces launched 3x missile, 17x air strikes, more than 20x MLRS attacks at the positions of Ukrainian troops and civilian infrastructure in various settlements. The likelihood of missile and air strikes across Ukraine remains high.

Russia continues to focus its main efforts on the offensive operations on Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka, and Mar'inka axes. Owing to coordinated actions of the units of Ukrainian Defense Forces and the heroism of every Ukrainian soldier, more than 45x Russian attacks were repelled during the day of April 3. Bakhmut, Avdiivka, and Mar'inka remain at the epicenter of the fighting.

Volyn, Polissya, Sivershchyna, and Slobozhanshchyna axes: no significant changes in the operational situation, no signs of the formation of Russian offensive groups were found. Certain units of the armed forces of the Republic of Belarus continue their missions in the areas bordering Ukraine. The Russian Federation continues to use the airspace and territory of the Republic of Belarus and its military infrastructure. The units of the Russian Federation's armed forces continue training at Belarusian training grounds.

Russia continues to maintain military presence in the border areas of Kursk and Belgorod oblasts (Russia).

During the day of April 3, Russian forces shelled the settlements of Zapsillya, Myropillya (Sumy oblast), Vovchans'k, Vovchans'ki Khutory, Zybyne, Volokhivka, Rublene, and Vil'khuvatka (Kharkiv oblast).

Kup'yans'k axis: Kam'yanka, Petro-Ivanivka, Dvorichna, Kut'kivka, Zapadne, Masyutivka (Kharkiv oblast), Krokhmal'ne (Luhansk oblast), Terny, and Serebryanka (Donetsk oblast) came under Russian fire.

Lyman axis: during the day of April 2, Russian forces attempted to advance in the vicinities of Nevs'ke and Serebryans'ke forestry, to no success. Makiivka, Nevs'ke, Bilohorivka (Luhansk oblast), Vesele, Spirne, and Rozdolivka (Donetsk oblast) were shelled with artillery.

Bakhmut axis: Russia attempts to take full control of the city of Bakhmut, continuing the assault. The Russian invaders conducted unsuccessful offensive operations near the settlements of Orikhovo-Vasylivka and Ivanivske. During the day of April 3, Ukrainian Defense Forces repelled about 20x Russian attacks in this area of the line of contact. Vasyukivka, Orikhovo-Vasylivka, Novomarkove,, Bohdanivka, Bakhmut, Ivanivske, Chasiv Yar, Ozarianivka, Dachne, Oleksandro-Shul'tyne, Zalizne, and New York (Donetsk oblast), among other settlements, suffered from Russian shelling.

Avdiivka and Mar'inka axes: Russian forces conducted unsuccessful offensive operations in the vicinities of Sjeverne, Pervomais'ke, and Mar'inka. At the same time, Russian forces shelled Avdiivka, Vodyane, Sjeverne, Netaylove, Pervomais'ke, Heorhiivka, Mar'inka, and Pobjeda (Donetsk oblast).

Shakhtars'ke axis: Russian forces did not conduct any offensive operations during the day of April 3. The Russian invaders were actively using UAVs to spot for artillery fire. Russian forces shelled the settlements of Novomykhailivka, Vuhledar, Prechystivka, Zolota Nyva, Velyka Novosilka, and Vremivka (Donetsk oblast).

Zaporizhzhia and Kherson axes: with no active operations, Russia was building up its defensive capabilities. The Russian invaders shelled settlements near the line of active combat. Among them are Ol'hivs'ke, Hulyaipole, Charivne, Bilohir'ya, Mala Tokmachka, Kam'yans'ke (Zaporizhzhia oblast), and the city of Kherson.

The Russian so-called "authorities" put in office by the occupation forces in Skadovs'kyi district (Kherson oblast) have begun compiling lists of local residents who agree to be "evacuated" to the temporarily occupied Autonomous Republic of Crimea or the territory of Russia. So far, the "evacuation" is reported to voluntary, with women and children to be taken out first.

During the day of April 3, Ukrainian Air Force launched 5x air strikes on the concentrations of Russian personnel and military equipment. The Ukrainian defenders also shot down 1x Russian reconnaissance UAV.

The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation reported that units of PMC "Wagner" continue fighting in Bakhmut. Clashes are taking place at the Northern Headquarters, and the "musicians" are also breaking into a powerful fortified area of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Airplane area. In parallel, they are expanding the occupied bridgehead in the Vodokanal area, moving northward. In addition, the "Wagnerites" control most of the AZOM industrial zone, and detachments of attack aircraft approached the Bakhmut-1 railway station.

There are no signs of withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from Bakhmut. On the contrary, it is reported about the arrival of additional forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine both in the city itself and in its environs.

The situation in other directions

DPR

During the day, Ukrainian troops opened fire on Donetsk, as well as the settlements of Gorlovka and Yasinovataya. In Gorlovka, a civilian was killed, another one was wounded. One woman was injured in Donetsk, blown up by a mine "Petal".

The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation during a briefing said that as a result of attacks on the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Donetsk, South-Donetsk and Zaporozhye directions, Ukrainian troops lost about 325 servicemen, as well as a large number of military equipment. 2 enemy ammunition depots destroyed.

The allied troops continue their advance on Avdiivka, successfully blocking the roads to the city. As the acting head of the DPR, Denis Pushilin, said, it is too early to talk about the operational encirclement, but the situation for the enemy in this direction has become more complicated.

LC

The Ukrainian army lost up to 50 military personnel, 2 armored vehicles, a pickup truck and a D-30 howitzer in the Kupyansk direction during the day as a result of attacks by Russian units, the Russian Defense Ministry reported.

Lisichansk came under fire from the Armed Forces of Ukraine. During the attack, Ukrainian troops fired 2 shells at the city from a 155 mm artillery gun. Residential buildings were damaged.

Zaporozhye region

The Directorate of the Investigative Committee of Russia for the Zaporozhye region opened a criminal case on the fact of an attempt on the life of the former head of the village of Akimovka Maxim Zubarev, whose car exploded in the morning in Melitopol. As a result of the incident, he was injured and was hospitalized in serious condition.

Vladimir Rogov, a member of the main council of the regional administration, connected the assassination attempt on Zubarev with the prospects for the official's work at the international level. According to Rogov, in a few days, Zubarev was scheduled to attend a meeting "on a high platform" provided by the Russian Foreign Ministry, where representatives of the new regions were to speak. The main goal of the event is to attract representatives of civil society to work on international platforms.

Kherson region

According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the losses of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Kherson direction during the day amounted to 10 servicemen. Also, 2 cars and a self-propelled howitzer "Acacia" were destroyed.





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Hong Kong: Ingrid Yeung tours civil aviation HQ

Secretary for the Civil Service Ingrid Yeung today visited the Civil Aviation Department Headquarters for an update on its latest developments and to listen to the views of its staff.

Mrs Yeung was briefed by Director-General of Civil Aviation Victor Liu and directorate staff on the department's latest position and challenges in the regulation of aviation safety and air navigation services for flights. She also met staff representatives of various grades to exchange views on matters of concern.

She encouraged the department staff to exert all efforts to provide a safe, efficient and sustainable air transport system for Hong Kong and support the city to fully leverage its unique advantage of being closely connected to the world.

Noting that the large-scale global promotional campaign "Hello Hong Kong" has been launched and Hong Kong is seamlessly connected to the rest of the world, the civil service chief emphasised that the department plays an important role in ensuring the safe and orderly operation of flights and transit as well as making preparations to keep up the momentum of the city's development.

Meanwhile, the Government is pressing ahead with the Airport City development strategy, under which Hong Kong International Airport will be developed into a node of various economic activities with aviation as its core business. With the addition of new developments and functions, the airport will drive the economic growth of Hong Kong as well as its neighbouring regions.

The entire three-runway system, which is expected to be completed by the end of 2024, will also significantly boost the airport's passenger and cargo traffic capacities.

With this in mind, Mrs Yeung encouraged colleagues to progress with the times and make all-out efforts to promote the development of the aviation industry.

During the visit, Mrs Yeung also toured the Air Traffic Control Tower in the airport's restricted area. She was briefed by colleagues on duty on their daily work, including how to provide appropriate instructions to pilots through the radar display system and communication equipment so as to guide their aircraft to enter and leave Hong Kong's airspace safely and efficiently.

This story has been published on: 2023-04-04. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Lockheed Martin to deliver Defence satellite communication system

3 April 2023

Defence has announced Lockheed Martin Australia as the preferred tenderer to deliver on a new Australian Defence satellite communication system, through Joint Project 9102 Phase 1.

Lockheed Martin Australia will progress to the next stage of the Defence procurement process, which includes engaging in collaborative tender clarification and improvement activities.

Head of Air Defence and Space Systems Division, Air Vice-Marshal David Scheul, said the multi-billion dollar project would deliver Australia's first sovereign-controlled satellite communication system over the Indo-Pacific ocean regions.

"Currently across Defence there is up to 89 capabilities which depend on satellite communications," Air Vice-Marshal Scheul said.

"Once delivered, the new system will increase the resilience, agility and flexibility of Defence's military satellite capability."

The new satellite communication system will include:

New Defence controlled and operated geo-stationary communications satellites

Multiple ground stations across Australia

Integrated Satellite Communications Management System

Two new satellite communications operations centres

Defence looks forward to working with Lockheed Martin Australia to deliver this important capability to our defence force.

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NASA Announces Diverse International Crew for First Moon Mission Since 1970s

By Kane Farabaugh April 03, 2023

"It's been more than a half century since astronauts journeyed to the moon a that's about to change," said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson as he stood before the current astronaut corps as well as veterans of the Apollo and Space Shuttle programs at Johnson Space Center's Ellington Field in Houston, Texas. The crowd was gathered for the historic announcement of the crew for Artemis II a Christina Koch, Victor Glover, Reid Wiseman and Jeremy Hansen.

"This is humanity's crew," said Nelson, emphasizing the diverse makeup of the international crew, all in their 40s. "We choose to go back to the moon and on to Mars, and we are going to do it together, because in the 21st century NASA explores the cosmos with international partners."

International Space Station veteran Reid Wiseman is mission commander for Artemis II, while engineer Christina Koch and Canadian Jeremy Hansen will serve as mission specialists. Hansen is the first international astronaut scheduled to launch on a mission to the moon, while Koch would make history as the first woman taking part in such a journey.

"Am I excited? Absolutely," Koch said to the cheering audience during the announcement ceremony. "But my real question is: Are you excited?"

Victor Glover, a U.S. naval aviator, will pilot the Orion spacecraft carrying the crew on a 10-day roundtrip mission around the moon and back, testing the functions of the systems and equipment future crews will use to eventually return to the lunar surface.

In an exclusive interview with VOA during the uncrewed Artemis 1 mission last year, Glover said he embraces the opportunity to be the first person of color assigned to a moon mission.

"People keep asking me, 'Is it meaningful to you that little Black kids look up to you and say they want to be like you?' You know what? Let's be honest, I represent America," he told VOA.

"I'm a naval officer and I work for NASA. I represent America and little white kids, little Mexican kids, little Hispanic kids and little Iranian kids follow what we're doing because this is maybe one of the most recognizable symbols in the universe," he said pointing to the NASA patch on his blue flight suit. "I think that that's really important, and I take that very seriously."

Not only is the crew makeup historic, those aboard Artemis II could also venture farther in space than any humans before them. While the Artemis II crew won't orbit or land on the lunar surface, they could travel more than 1 million total kilometers on a path that slingshots well beyond the moon before returning to Earth. NASA says the exact distance and plan depends on a number of factors, including the date of the actual mission launch.

At the end of the NASA ceremony introducing his crew, astronaut Reid Wiseman expressed the determination of the agency to further its goals in space despite repeated delays and cost overruns.

"There's three words we keep saying in this Artemis program, and that's 'We. Are. Going.' And I want everyone to say it with me - We Are Going!"

NASA hopes to launch Artemis II as early as November 2024, with the first mission back to the lunar surface as early as 2025.

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India's Opposition Leader Gandhi Appeals Conviction in Defamation Case

By Anjana Pasricha April 03, 2023

A court in India has suspended a two-year prison sentence handed down to opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, pending his appeal in a criminal defamation case that led to his expulsion from parliament ahead of next year's general elections.

Gandhi was accompanied by his sister, Priyanka Vadra, and several senior party leaders in his Congress Party as he appeared in a Gujarat court on Monday to appeal his conviction. The court is set to hear the petition on April 13.

Gandhi was sentenced in connection with a comment he made at an election rally in 2019 where he asked, "Why do all thieves have the name Modi" and mentioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi's name along with that of two fugitive businessmen, Lalit Modi and Nirav Modi.

The case against Gandhi was filed by Purnesh Modi, a lawmaker in the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from the prime minister's home state of Gujarat, who alleged that the comments defamed the entire Modi community.

A lawmaker who is convicted and sentenced to a prison term of two years or more faces disqualification from parliament, according to Indian law.

More significantly, Gandhi will not be able to contest general elections scheduled to be held next year unless the sentence is suspended, or he is acquitted following his appeal.

In a country with a slow-moving judicial system, many commentators say that Gandhi could be mired in the legal system for years.

After he was expelled from parliament, Gandhi said that he was targeted because he had raised serious questions in parliament about Modi's relationship with Gautam Adani, a business magnate whose fortunes rose dramatically over the last decade.

Gandhi's expulsion from parliament came as he was trying to rejuvenate the Congress Party.

Gandhi, who is the scion of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty that dominated Indian politics for decades, is seen as the de facto leader of the Congress Party, although he stepped down as its president in 2019. The party has fared poorly under his leadership and has been pushed to the margins amid the spectacular rise of the BJP since Modi rose to power in 2014.

Political analysts say it remains to be seen whether Gandhi's expulsion from parliament will win him public sympathy, as the opposition projects him as a political victim, or if it will help Modi by possibly removing the only challenger with a national profile in a country with a fractured opposition.

The Congress Party and other opposition parties allege that the case is politically motivated and have denounced the actions against Gandhi as an assault on democracy.

They accuse Modi's government of trying to quell dissent and demolish the opposition. Although the Congress Party has fared poorly against the ruling BJP in the last two elections, Gandhi is seen as the main challenger to Modi in next year's polls.

The BJP has denied the allegations, saying Gandhi's conviction followed due process of law. They accuse the Congress leader of arrogance and of hurting those who bear the Modi name.

After his court hearing, Gandhi said, "This is a fight to save democracy."

"In this struggle, truth is my weapon and truth is my refuge," he tweeted in Hindi.

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Iran's Education Ministry Says Won't Provide Schooling To Hijab Rule Breakers

By RFE/RL's Radio Farda April 03, 2023

Iran's Education Ministry has published a statement saying it will no longer provide educational services to student in schools and universities who do not follow dress codes, including wearing a head scarf, as the authorities continue to tighten regulations in the face of mass unrest over government instrusions into the daily lives of Iranians.

The ministry added in a statement on April 3 as classes reopened following the Persian New Year that women who fail to comply with the compulsory hijab won't be allowed into class.

The action is in line with "creating a positive and constructive discourse among students on the issue of Islamic culture and beliefs...creating inner vitality and creating a correct and positive attitude and beautiful thinking about the culture of chastity and hijab among students," the statement said.

Acts of civil disobedience such as appearing in public without a head scarf have increased in Iran, where the law requires women and girls over the age of 9 to wear a head covering in public.

In recent weeks, officials have warned women to respect the hijab law and have threatened to punish violators. The authorities have also shut down businesses, restaurants, cafes, and in some cases pharmacies, due to the failure of owners or managers to observe Islamic laws and hijab rules.

Judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei warned last month that women who violate the hijab rule will be punished, saying that removing the head scarf shows "enmity toward the establishment and its values."

Since the death in September 2022 of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini while in police custody after allegedly breaking the hijab law, Iranians have flooded into the streets across the country to protest against a lack of rights, with women and schoolgirls putting up unprecedented shows of support in what is considered as one of the biggest threats to the Islamic government since the 1979 revolution.

In response, the authorities have launched a brutal crackdown on dissent, detaining thousands and handing down stiff sentences, including the death penalty, to protesters.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-education- refused-without-hijab/32347464.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.

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Iranians Express Anger After Man Allegedly Attacks Unveiled Women With Yogurt

By Golnaz Esfandiari April 03, 2023

A viral video appearing to show an Iranian man attacking two unveiled women in a shop in the holy city of Mashhad has provoked widespread anger.

Video footage posted on March 31 purportedly shows the man assaulting the two female customers, who were not wearing the mandatory hijab, or Islamic head scarf, following a verbal altercation.

The man is then seen pouring what appears to be a tub of yogurt on the women's heads before he is confronted by a male employee at the shop. It was unclear if the individual was the shopkeeper or the owner.

             .                  .         ...    #____    . pic.twitter.com/9rDBQASNNG

 Sara Massoumi (@SaraMassoumi) April 1, 2023

Iran's judiciary announced on April 2 that the two women -- a mother and daughter -- were arrested for violating the hijab law. The suspected attacker was in custody for "disturbing public order," the judiciary said.

Meanwhile, the shop owner, Abbas Hajarpur, was arrested and released on bail. Hajarpur told the Rokna news site that he was due in court on April 3 "to provide explanations." He said his shop had been briefly closed.

The incident has underscored the routine harassment and violence that Iranian women face at the hands of the morality police and pro-government vigilantes seeking to enforce the head-scarf law.

A growing number of Iranian women are appearing in public without the hijab, in a direct challenge to Iran's clerical regime.

Women have been emboldened by the nationwide anti-regime protests that erupted in September 2022 following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini soon after she was arrested by the morality police for allegedly violating the hijab law. During the demonstrations, women and girls removed and burned their head scarves.

Even as the protests have waned in recent months, women have continued to flout the hijab law. That is despite renewed warnings from the authorities that women who violate the law will be punished.

'Discriminatory Laws'

Many Iranians on social media have directed their anger over the incident in Mashhad at the authorities. They have accused the government of violently enforcing the hijab law and encouraging vigilantes.

Iranian screenwriter Mehrab Ghasemkhani said on Instagram that the state had divided people into "good and bad" citizens, resulting in a "a deep and frightening gap" in society. "It is the result of discriminatory laws that have always encouraged and honored one part of society and humiliated and punished the other part," he said.

Mohammad Ali Abtahi, who served as a vice president under former reformist President Mohammad Khatami, called the incident an act of "bigotry."

Lawyer Ali Mojtahedzadeh praised the "honorable" male employee who confronted the suspected attacker in the shop. "It was a moral, human, and legal action that deserves to be honored," he said.

Amir Shahla, a former member of the city council in Mashhad, said on Instagram that he had received numerous messages from locals concerned about Hajarpur's welfare and the fate of his shop. Shahla said some locals had sent flowers and sweets to the shop to express gratitude to the male employee who confronted the suspected attacker.

The Asr-e Iran news site expressed hope that the suspected attacker will be dealt with "decisively and transparently." "The verdict will go beyond a judicial ruling and become part of [Iran]'s contemporary history," it said in an editorial.

'A Legal Matter'

The incident in Mashhad comes as the authorities have doubled down on enforcing the hijab law. Some hard-line lawmakers have even proposed new tougher measures to enforce the head scarf.

On April 1, Iran's ultraconservative President Ebrahim Raisi said the hijab was "a religious necessity" and "a legal matter."

"All members of society, particularly women and our dear girls who have always demonstrated they're committed to the law, hopefully from now on they will also show their commitment to the principles and laws of society," he said.

In a statement on March 30, the Interior Ministry said that "there had not been and will not be any retreat regarding religious principles," adding that the hijab will remain "one of the practical principles of the Islamic Republic of Iran."

Earlier in March, judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei warned that women who violate the hijab law will be punished "without mercy," adding that removing the head scarf shows "enmity towards the establishment and its values."

Meanwhile, Iran's Education and Science ministries published separate statements on April 3 saying they will no longer provide educational services to student in schools and universities who do not follow the dress code, including wearing a head scarf.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-hijab- women-attacked/32347736.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.

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More than 4,000 villagers forced to flee fighting in Sagaing region

Junta troops torched homes after a battle with local pro-democracy militia, locals said.

By RFA Staff 2023.04.03 -- More than 4,000 residents have been forced out of their homes in six Sagaing region villages due to fighting between the army and local defense forces.

The battle broke out Sunday near Pale township's Hnaw Kan village. Junta troops entered the village on Monday and burned down houses, a resident told RFA on condition of anonymity.

"People are fleeing and only seven houses are left in Hnaw Kan village," the villager said.

Hnaw Kan village had more than 200 houses before the attack, residents said.

It's not known which battalion torched the village, but locals said it was an army column with 200 soldiers reinforced by the Pyu Saw Htee militia.

They said the troops are now stationed in Pale township's Min Taing Pin village.

The junta has not issued a statement on the incident and calls to Sagaing region junta spokesperson Aye Hlaing went unanswered.

In the past the junta's top spokesperson, Major Gen. Zaw Min Tun said soldiers do not burn civilian homes.

Junta chief, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing also denied his troops had burned villages, during a meeting with U.N. Special Envoy for Myanmar, Noeleen Heyzer, in August last year.

According to independent research group Data for Myanmar, as of March 19, a total of 2,656 houses were destroyed by fire in Pale township, Sagaing region over the more than two years since the military coup.

Sagaing region has been hardest hit by junta slash and burn tactics of all the states and regions in Myanmar. Almost 4,400 civilian houses were burned down across the country in March alone, including more than 3,000 houses in Sagaing region, the shadow National Unity Government announced on April 1.

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 April 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.

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Since coup, nearly 450 civilians killed in Myanmar's eastern Kayah state

Most deaths were caused by airstrikes, heavy artillery strikes and while in detention.

By RFA Burmese 2023.04.03 -- Civilians are being killed at an alarming rate in Myanmar's civil war, dying in airstrikes, artillery shelling and while being held in detention, data released from an armed ethnic group fighting the junta showed.

In the eastern state of Kayah, which borders northern Thailand, some 447 civilians have been killed since the military took control of the country in a coup two years ago, according to the Progressive Karenni People's Force.

About two-third of them were killed after being captured by troops, while the rest died while feeling conflict, said an official with the group who spoke to Radio Free Asia on condition of anonymity citing security concerns.

"The reason why civilians were killed is because they were hit by the junta's ... artillery fire," he said. "Another reason is the military junta's airstrikes targeting civilians."

"Some were killed by the military forces after they arrested them, and others died because of insufficient medicine to cure them," he said.

Across the country, some 3,206 civilians have been killed by the junta during the same period, according to Thailand's Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma).

Fighting has been fierce in the region since the February 2021 coup. The Burmese army has clashed with the ethnic Karenni Army and the Karenni Nationalities Defense Force as many as 650 times, he said.

War crimes

Junta forces have increasingly ignored the rules of war and committed atrocities that amount to war crimes, said Banyar, director of the Karenni Human Rights Organization.

"We are witnessing the military council openly committing war crimes and crimes against humanity," he said. "The civilian death rate has increased because the junta is committing crimes against innocent civilians instead of protecting them."

Banyar noted that there have been some cases where the anti-junta People's Defense Force paramilitary group has killed civilians it accused of acting as informers for the military.

The Progressive Karenni People's Force said it is compiling a list of rights violations committed by the military and will submit it to international rights groups as part of a bid to hold the junta accountable.

In addition to civilian deaths, the group said that at least 252 resistance fighters and 1,883 junta soldiers had been killed during the battles, although RFA could not independently confirm the claim.

Calls by RFA to Aung Win Oo, the junta's social affairs minister and Kayah state spokesman, went unanswered Monday.

Just last Monday, on Armed Forces Day, junta chief Sr. Gen. Min Aung Hlaing vowed to "crush" ethnic armed groups supporting the People's Defense Forces and the shadow National Unity Government.

Meanwhile the fighting has driven around 200,000 refugees from their homes in Kayah state since the coup, the Karenni Human Rights Organization said.

The displaced are facing food shortages, and that in some cases, camps don't have access to clean water, leading to diarrhea and other water-borne viruses, said Phu Maw, a volunteer providing medical assistance to refugees in Kayah state.

Most of the refugees are suffering from mental health issues, she said.

Translated by Myo Min Aung. Edited by Josh Lipes and 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 April 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.

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Russia says to boost military in NW regions as Finland joins NATO

Iran Press TV

Monday, 03 April 2023 3:10 PM

Russia says it will expand its military capacity in its western and northwestern regions, near the border with Finland, as the Nordic country joins NATO.

Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko told Russia's state-owned news agency RIA on Monday the beefing up of the military capacity in those regions was in direct response to Finland's expected accession to NATO on Tuesday.

"We will strengthen our military potential in the western and northwestern direction. In the event that the forces and resources of other NATO members are deployed in Finland, we will take additional steps to reliably ensure Russia's military security," Grushko said.

President Vladimir Putin has on several occasions cited the post-Soviet expansion of NATO eastward toward Russia's borders as a reason for the military operation he declared in Ukraine on February 24, 2022. Key to a list of Russian demands from the West prior to the war was a guarantee that Kiev would never be part of NATO.

Fearing that they might be targeted after the war began, Finland and Sweden applied last year to join the US-led transatlantic military pact. In April 2022, the Kremlin warned it would deploy nuclear weapons in the Baltic Sea region if the two European states join the 30-member military alliance.

The Kremlin also warned last year that the NATO expansion would lead Moscow to strengthen air, land, and naval forces to "balance" military capability in the region.

Separately on Monday, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Finland would become the 31st member of the world's biggest military alliance on Tuesday, expressing hope that Sweden also can join in coming months.

"This is a historic week. From tomorrow, Finland will be a full member of the alliance," the former Norwegian prime minister said at a press conference on the eve of a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels.

"We will raise the Finnish flag for the first time here at the NATO headquarters. It will be a good day for Finland's security, for Nordic security, and for NATO as a whole," he said.

Following months of negotiations, Turkey, the last NATO member state to have ratified Finland's membership, fulfilled its pledge to the Nordic country and approved Helsinki's NATO membership bid.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Stoltenberg said Turkey would hand its official texts to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday, adding that he would then invite Finland to do the same.

Separately, Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto that he would attend the ceremony along with Finland's President Sauli NiinistA and Defense Minister Antti Kaikkonen.

"It is a historic moment for us. For Finland, the most important objective at the meeting will be to emphasize NATO's support to Ukraine as Russia continues its illegal aggression. We seek to promote stability and security throughout the Euro-Atlantic region," said Haavisto in a statement.

A flag-raising ceremony to add the Finnish flag to those of the 30 other members will take place at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, on Tuesday afternoon.

All 30 allies signed Finland's and Sweden's accession protocols. Turkey and Hungary delayed the process for months but have agreed on Finland. Ankara has sought guarantees and assurances from the two Nordic states, notably on tackling what it calls extremism. Hungary's demands have never been explicit.

All 30 NATO members must unanimously agree on admitting new members, so that they can benefit from the pact's collective security guarantee.

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Russia says suspect in deadly bombing that killed war blogger detained

Iran Press TV

Monday, 03 April 2023 10:00 AM

A woman suspected of killing a prominent Russian war blogger and injuring dozens of others at a St. Petersburg cafe on Sunday has been detained, the country's top counterterrorism agency said Monday.

Russian police believe 26-year-old Darya Trepova was behind the bombing that killed Vladlen Tatarsky, known for his coverage of the Ukraine war.

Tatarsky was speaking during an event at 'Street Bar 1' cafe in the Russian city of St. Petersburg on Sunday evening when a powerful bomb exploded, killing him and injuring at least 32 others, according to Russia's state media.

According to RT, Tatarsky regularly reported on developments in Donbas and authored several books. In January, he was sanctioned by Ukraine.

Russian Investigative Committee, which promptly launched a criminal case into the incident, treated it as a "murder in a publicly dangerous way."

Russia's National Anti-Terrorist Committee, in a statement on Monday, said that the attack on Tatarsky was "planned by Ukrainian special services" with the involvement of people associated with jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

The statement further noted that the arrested woman was an "active supporter" of Navalny's group.

After the deadly blast on Sunday, Trepova had been identified online by some local media as a suspect in the incident.

Some reports said the bomb was hidden in a bust of the blogger that was handed to him as a gift by Tryopova, as he was leading a discussion at the cafe that had at one time belonged to Yevgeny Prigozhin, founder of the Wagner private army that is fighting for Russia in Ukraine.

Russia's TASS news agency cited an emergency services source saying the bomb detonated somewhere near the stage where Tatarsky was speaking.

The power of the improvised explosive device (IED) used in the incident was equivalent to 200 grams of TNT, the agency reported, citing sources.

Trepova was detained on Monday in a St. Petersburg apartment that belonged to a friend of her husband, according to the Fontanka news website, adding that she had a plane ticket for a flight to Uzbekistan.

Sunday's cafe bombing marks the second assassination operation on Russian soil targeting a high-profile public figure.

Last August, Darya Dugina was killed in a car bomb attack near Moscow. At the time, Russia's Federal Security Service said Ukraine's secret services were behind the killing.

Dugina was the daughter of prominent Russian writer and philosopher Aleksandr Dugin, who has been described by the Western media as an influential ideologue of Russian nationalism and a former aide to President Vladimir Putin.

Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine in late February, following Kiev's failure to implement the terms of the Minsk agreements and Moscow's recognition of the breakaway regions of Donetsk and Luhansk.

At the time, Russian President Vladimir Putin said one of the goals of what he called a "special military operation" was to "de-Nazify" Ukraine.

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Russia to Boost Military Capabilities in Response to Finland Joining NATO on April 4

Sputnik News

20230403

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Finland will officially become a NATO member on April 4, the office of Finnish President Sauli Niinisto said on Monday.

Russia will boost its military potential in the western and north-western direction in response to Finland joining NATO on April 4, Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko told Sputnik.

According to the minister, Russia will take additional measures to ensure military security in the event of deployment of forces and assets of other NATO members in Finland.

Earlier, Finnish President Sauli Niinisto announced that the country will join NATO on April 4.

"Finland will become a Member of NATO on Tuesday, 4 April 2023. President of the Republic of Finland Sauli Niinisto will travel to Brussels and attend an accession ceremony at NATO Headquarters," the statement said.

"Finland will deposit its instrument of accession to the North Atlantic Treaty with the US State Department in Brussels on Tuesday, 4 April, before the start of the meeting of NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs. The deposit will be made by Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto. The flag-raising ceremony marking Finland's accession to NATO will be held at NATO Headquarters after the deposit," the statement added.

Niinisto and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg will deliver a speech at the event.

Earlier, Stoltenberg confirmed that Finland will officially join NATO on April 4, and the country's flag will be raised at the NATO headquarters in Brussels.

"This is a historic week. Tomorrow, we will welcome Finland as the 31st member of NATO," Stoltenberg told reporters ahead of a ministerial meeting in Brussels, adding that the alliance "will raise the Finish flag for the first time ... at the headquarters."

Finland and Sweden applied to become NATO members in May 2022, abandoning decades of neutrality, three months after Russia started its military operation in Ukraine.

Turkiye and Hungary have been delaying the ratification process but softened their stance on Finland's accession in March.

Ankara initially blocked Sweden and Finland's bids due to concerns over Helsinki and Stockholm's long-standing support for the Kurdistan Workers' Party, which Turkiye views as a terrorist group and a grave national security threat. Following the Madrid-hosted meeting in June 2022 between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the two Nordic leaders, Ankara dropped its objections. A security memorandum was penned to unblock Finland and Sweden's bid to enter NATO. However, the process again ground to a standstill for Sweden in January in the wake of the Quran-burning incidents at the Turkish embassy in Stockholm.

Russian officials have repeatedly warned that the expansion of the Western alliance closer to Russia wouldn't make the region more stable or secure.

A Sputnik

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Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's interview with Argumenty i Fakty newspaper, Moscow, April 4, 2023

4 April 2023 00:01

617-03-04-2023

Question: Chinese President Xi Jinping recently was in Russia on an official visit. What was the outcome of the Russian-Chinese talks?

Sergey Lavrov: The state visit by President of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping to Russia on March 20-22 was his first foreign trip after being re-elected as head of state and is a milestone in the most recent history of Russian-Chinese relations which highlights the unprecedented level and special nature of bilateral cooperation.

The leaders of Russia and China communicated for about 10 hours in various formats, including a one-on-one dinner and a meeting over tea by the fireplace. The importance of personal contacts in promoting the entire range of bilateral ties cannot be overestimated. According to President Putin, the exchange of views took place in a "warm, comradely and constructive atmosphere." In turn, the President of the People's Republic of China described communicating with the President of Russia as "open, friendly and productive."

The talks with the participation of the delegations focused on the results of the comprehensive development of Russian-Chinese relations over the recent period and took stock of cooperation priorities across a variety of areas. Xi Jinping had a productive meeting with Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin to discuss the main areas for building up practical cooperation.

The main results of the summit are included in two critically important documents, the Joint Statement on Deepening the Russian-Chinese Comprehensive Partnership and Strategic Cooperation for a New Era and Joint Statement on the Plan to Promote the Key Elements of Russian-Chinese Economic Cooperation until 2030.

The heads of state stated the importance of continuing close foreign policy coordination. We share a vision of what is causing major international security challenges. We note the West's unwillingness to conduct a dialogue between the states based on the principles of equality. We oppose the use of sanctions pressure or other unfair competition tools. Our strategic cooperation is not directed against third countries, but contributes to the balanced development of the international system in its entirety.

The Chinese side confirmed its balanced position on the Ukraine issue. We welcome Beijing's willingness to play a constructive role in the political and diplomatic settlement of the conflict. We note that the main provisions of our Chinese partners' policy paper regarding the situation in Ukraine overlap with our approaches, especially in terms of the importance of ensuring equal and indivisible security for all countries in Europe and the world at large. So far, the peace process has been hampered by Kiev and its Western curators who are making every effort to drag out the hostilities.

The PRC leader's visit was widely covered by international media and literally made headlines around the globe which confirms the fact that the Russian-Chinese strategic partnership has long since transcended an exclusively bilateral context. Clearly, the world has heard our articulated common positions on the key issues of our time.

Question: In the run-up to Xi Jinping's visit to Russia, Chinese Ambassador to Moscow Zhang Hanhui had the following to say, "China will continue to build back-to-back strategic cooperation with Russia." Can you sense the "back" of Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang?

Sergei Lavrov: Just like his predecessors, including current member of the Politburo of the CPC Central Committee Wang Yi who oversees foreign policy, Yang Jiechi, Li Zhaoxing and many prominent Chinese diplomats before him, Minister Qin Gang is my good friend and partner. Without a doubt, we have a sense of comradeship and are ready to act shoulder to shoulder in order to uphold one another's fundamental interests as we carry out strategic coordination of our efforts in the international arena. We have repeatedly emphasised that Russian-Chinese interaction plays a crucial role in creating a more just, balanced and polycentric world order based on international law and UN centrality.

Foreign Minister Qin Gang is an experienced and highly professional diplomat who visited our country many times before his appointment to this responsible post. He and I have established effective communication. Our first meeting took place on the sidelines of the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting in New Delhi on March 2. We have signed a ministerial consultation plan for this year. Acting within the framework of this important mechanism, we are about to resume in-person meetings for the deputy ministers and relevant departments of our respective foreign ministries to coordinate our approaches.

During Xi Jinping's visit, I had contacts with Wang Yi and Qin Gang. Meetings with Minister Qin Gang on the sidelines of other multilateral events are planned as well. Russian-Chinese relations continue to develop progressively. We have much to accomplish together in order to resolve a significant number of practical issues.

Question: It's no secret there are experts out there who doubt the possibility of truly equal Russian-Chinese relations, including due to different levels of our countries' economic development. What can you say to these experts?

Sergey Lavrov: The alleged "dependence" and "inequality" of Russian-Chinese relations has been discussed ad nauseum mostly in unfriendly countries for a long time now. This issue was again raised by some "experts" after Chinese President Xi Jinping's recent visit to Moscow. We see this as an attempt to cast aspersions on our successes and to drive a wedge into the friendship between Moscow and Beijing. These designs can be easily read into, and standard tricks by the playbook have long become boring and no one is paying attention to them.

At the peak of Russian energy supplies to Europe not a single Western analyst was trying to scare Russia about its dependence on the EU. Just the other way round, the US warned Europe against hydrocarbon supplies from our country in a bid to replace them with its own shale oil and gas. Now that we are re-orienting our exports to Asia, they suddenly decided to take care of us and give us a "friendly" reminder about potential dependence on China. Thanks for the advice, but we will use our own judgment and rely solely on national interests and our reliable Chinese friends who are tested by time and real-life actions.

Serious foreign affairs experts know that ramified ties exist between countries in the modern multipolar world. China has been Russia's main trading partner for 13 consecutive years now. Over the past two years, bilateral trade was growing by a third annually and reached a new record-high level of $185 billion in 2022. We supply each other, on a mutually beneficial basis, with the products that our countries need. Importantly, over half of the settlements between our countries are denominated in national currencies. Our cooperation is not limited to trade, but covers a very wide range from energy and industry to agriculture and space exploration. We have developed a relationship of positive interdependence with China in trade and economic ties, and this outcome of our work cannot but satisfy us.

Question: After the UK announced plans to supply Ukraine with depleted uranium munitions, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu issued a warning to the effect that "fewer steps are now left on the way to a nuclear clash." What can Russia do on the diplomatic front to increase the number of these steps?

Sergey Lavrov: Diplomacy's goal is to search for and develop peaceful, political and diplomatic ways to resolve differences and conflicts between states, including, of course, nuclear powers. This is where we run into a problem, which is most accurately described by the rather tired but accurate expression "it takes two to tango."

Russia has repeatedly come up with constructive ideas and pragmatic and non-politicised proposals for overcoming pressing international issues, such as President Putin's December 2021 initiative to provide Russia with legally binding security guarantees in the western direction. However, Washington and Brussels ignored us or reacted to this initiative negatively which led to the current crisis in Ukraine.

Today, the United States and its NATO satellites have made an extremely risky bet on further escalation of the conflict. The collective West has openly declared the goal of inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia.

For our part, we remain open to contacts, but on an equal footing and with mandatory consideration of Russia's interests in order to improve the situation in Europe and the Euro-Atlantic region and reduce nuclear risks in the long run. The main prerequisite here is for the West to abandon its aggressive and hostile policy. However, the West is not willing to do this or to start a constructive dialogue with us, but is instead looking 24/7 for new ways to contain Russia. This policy is clearly dangerous which is what we are trying to convey to our Western colleagues using every available avenue.

Question: You have described more than once how the Americans are exerting pressure on African countries, using a very primitive mechanism of influence. When the Africans ask the Americans about the benefits for those who side with them, Washington replies that they won't be punished. And what does Russia offer the Africans?

Sergey Lavrov: Indeed, the United States and its allies are doing all they can to isolate Russia internationally. For example, they are trying to torpedo the second Russia-Africa Summit scheduled to take place in St Petersburg in late July. They are trying to dissuade our African friends from taking part in it.

However, there are fewer and fewer volunteers willing to sacrifice their vital interests for Washington and its henchmen and to pull the chestnuts out of the fire for the former colonial powers. Therefore, attempts to undermine our cooperation with the states of the global South and East will persist, although their success is far from guaranteed.

Our main difference from the Westerners is that we never lecture our foreign partners on how they should live. We do not have a hidden agenda or double standards. We are building our interstate interaction on the principles of international law, equality, mutual respect and consideration of interests. We believe that this creative approach appeals to Africans and not only them. All normal countries find it attractive.

And, of course, we have a lot to offer our African friends, including assistance in ensuring national security and meeting their humanitarian needs. African countries are interested in Russia's participation in training their professional personnel. We have traditionally strong positions in this area. Russian higher education has been in great demand among several generations of Africans.

This is just a small part of the versatile mutually beneficial cooperation between Russia and African countries and we are going to develop it in every possible way.

Question: The Second Summit and the Russia-Africa Economic and Humanitarian Forum due to take place in St. Petersburg next summer are bound to be a success if words and promises are matched by the implementation of specific strategic projects. Is Moscow preparing any surprises?

Sergey Lavrov: We view the St Petersburg Summit as a systemic element of Russia-Africa cooperation. We are filling it with meaningful content in close cooperation with our African friends.

Its agenda includes such items as technology transfer and development of industry and critical infrastructure in Africa. We are going to discuss in detail Russia's participation in projects on digitising African states, developing their power engineering, agriculture and mineral extraction, and ensuring their food and energy security. This is far from a complete list of themes we will focus on.

I believe that the summit will strengthen Russia-Africa cooperation, provide a vector for the development of the entire range of relations with Africa in a mid-term perspective, and make a tangible contribution to the effective resolution of regional and international issues.

Question: Earlier, you often visited EU countries but now the geography of your trips has changed for obvious reasons. Do you think the EU has lost Russia for a long time to come?

Sergey Lavrov: Indeed, the geography of my foreign trips has changed. Now it reflects Russia's international priorities in line with the updated Foreign Policy Concept.

You have made a very good point that the EU has lost Russia but this is of its own making. The EU countries and EU leaders are openly talking about the need to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia, as they put it. They are pumping the criminal Kiev regime full of weapons and ammunition, and are sending instructors and mercenaries to Ukraine. This is why we consider the EU to be an unfriendly association.

We have drawn the necessary conclusions. We will respond to hostile steps in a tough manner if need be, guided by the national interests of Russia and the principle of reciprocity that is universally accepted in diplomatic practice.

If the Europeans decide one day to give up their anti-Russia course and start a mutually respectful dialogue with Russia, we will review their proposals and make decisions proceeding from our national interests that President Vladimir Putin has approved in the new Foreign Policy Concept of the Russian Federation.

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Syria's deputy FM urges immediate withdrawal of Turkish forces, non-interference in domestic affairs

Iran Press TV

Monday, 03 April 2023 5:34 PM

Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Ayman Sousan has reiterated the Damascus government's calls for Turkey to immediately withdraw its forces from the northern regions of the Arab country, and non-interference in Syria's internal affairs by other countries.

Sousan made the remarks in a meeting with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister and Special Presidential Representative for the Middle East and African countries Mikhail Bogdanov in Moscow on Monday.

The senior Syrian official stressed the need for Turkish military forces to quickly pull out of the Syrian soil, non-interference in the domestic affairs of the country as well as practical measures in order to counter all forms of terrorism.

Bogdanov, for his part, underscored Russia's determination to continue efforts aimed at protection of Syria's sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity.

The two sides also exchanged viewpoints on coordination of quadrilateral talks aimed at normalizing relations between Syria and Turkey.

Last Monday, Bogdanov said a quadrilateral meeting to be attended by the deputy foreign ministers of Russia, Iran, Turkey and Syria will be held in Moscow soon as a major step to help normalize ties between Ankara and Damascus.

"We are getting ready (for a meeting). I think it will be held soon. We are hoping," Bogdanov told Russia's TASS news agency, adding, "We are hoping that our mediating mission, which is directed at a very important strategic goal - the normalization of Syrian-Turkish relations - will result in our shared success."

Turkey severed its relations with Syria in March 2012, a year after the Arab country found itself in the grip of deadly violence waged by foreign-backed militants.

Now, after 11 years, the two neighboring countries are taking steps toward reconciliation.

Turkey has deployed forces in Syria in violation of the Arab country's territorial integrity.

Ankara-backed militants were deployed to northeastern Syria in October 2019 after Turkish military forces launched a long-threatened cross-border invasion in a declared attempt to push militants of the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) away from border areas.

Ankara views the US-backed YPG as a terrorist organization tied to the homegrown Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has been seeking an autonomous Kurdish region in Turkey since 1984.

The Kurdish-led administration in northeastern Syria says the Turkish offensive has killed hundreds of civilians, including dozens of children since it started.

Turkey has played a major role in supporting terrorists in Syria ever since a major foreign-backed insurgency overtook the country more than ten years ago.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and other senior officials have said the Damascus government will respond through all legitimate means available to the ongoing ground offensive by Turkish forces and allied Takfiri militants in the northern part of the war-battered Arab country.

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US top Republican McCarthy to host Taiwanese president

Iran Press TV

Monday, 03 April 2023 5:48 PM

US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy says he would meet Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen in California, amid stern warnings from China.

Tsai, who stopped over in the United States on her return from Central America, will meet with McCarthy at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library on Wednesday, just outside Los Angeles, McCartney's office said Monday.

US media reported that around 20 US lawmakers planned to accompany the speaker to the meeting.

McCarthy is the most senior Republican lawmaker and is second in line to the US presidency.

The charge d'affaires of China's embassy to Washington Xu Xueyuan said last week that Washington risked "serious confrontation" no matter whether US leaders visited Taiwan or the reverse.

"The US keeps saying that transit is not a visit and that there are precedents, but we should not use past mistakes as excuses for repeating them today," she said.

Xu urged Washington "not to repeat playing with fire on the Taiwan question," referring to last year's visit of former speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi to Taipei.

The Taiwanese leader arrived in New York on Wednesday, ahead of her Central America swing.

The move prompted anger in China, with Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning expressing strong opposition to any form of official interaction between the US and the self-ruled island.

China has sovereignty over Taiwan. The US does not recognize Taiwan as a country and officially supports the "One China" policy, but regularly oversteps its own principles. The island has become China's most sensitive territorial issue and a major bone of contention with Washington.

Washington continues to antagonize Beijing by siding with Taipei's secessionist administration, engaging in frequent military missions around the island, and serving as its largest weapons supplier.

Former speaker Pelosi's visit to Taipei infuriated China back then and prompted it to conduct its largest-ever military exercises around the island.

And on Friday, a number of Chinese aircraft conducted combat readiness patrols over the Taiwan Strait.

Accusing China of creating tension in the region, Taiwan's defense ministry condemned the purported drills as "irrational actions."

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US-China Relations Under Scrutiny as Taiwan Leader Stops in California

By Nike Ching April 03, 2023

Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen returns to the United States this week where she will meet with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and other lawmakers in an event that Beijing has said it firmly opposes.

Tsai will talk with McCarthy and a group of other lawmakers at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum in Simi Valley, California, on Wednesday in what McCarthy's office calls a "bipartisan" meeting.

Last week, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said China firmly opposes the meeting and will "closely follow the development of the situation and resolutely defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity."

It's still unclear whether Tsai and McCarthy will make public remarks together. Officials have described the meeting as "private." The location is seen particularly meaningful because a key part of the U.S.-China policy known as the Six Assurances was issued under the Reagan administration and became a fundamental part of Washington's own One China policy.

Under the Six Assurances, the U.S. has not agreed to set a date for ending arms sales to Taiwan, nor has the U.S. altered its position regarding sovereignty over Taiwan. The U.S. also promised to never pressure Taiwan to negotiate with Beijing.

Arguments over transits

For weeks, the White House has cautioned China against overreacting to Tsai's stopovers in the United States, citing past precedents and saying long-standing U.S. policy remains consistent on the issue.

Tsai passed through New York last week, marking her seventh transit through the U.S. during her time as Taiwan's leader, and the 29th U.S. transit by a sitting president of Taiwan since the first in 1994. Under the policy, Taiwanese leaders heading to other countries stop in the U.S. while en route to their destinations.

Although Taiwan officials do not travel to Washington for talks, as the U.S. and Taiwan do not have formal diplomatic recognition, officials routinely meet in other locations, such as when former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taipei last August.

But those repeat stopovers have done little to assuage China, which argues that these transit meetings by sitting Taiwan presidents are violations of its One China principle.

In Washington, the U.S. State Department said there is not any language in the Taiwan Relations Act, the Six Assurances and the Three Communiques  the foundations of Washington's One China policy  that explicitly prohibit a Taiwan president from stopping over in a U.S. city.

"Not only am I not aware of anything that would explicitly forbid such transits, for decades the United States has facilitated such transits of the United States by senior Taiwanese authorities," Daniel Kritenbrink, assistant secretary of state for east Asian and Pacific affairs, told VOA during a recent briefing.

Washington-based China analyst Bonnie Glaser, managing director of the Indo-Pacific program at the German Marshall Fund of the United States, said this week's talks are unlikely to change the momentum in U.S.-China relations.

"Beijing has really put the U.S. in the freezer and not really interested in talking," she said.

"I sense until those transits are finished, Beijing is not going to be willing to engage with the United States in discussions" about rescheduling Secretary of State Antony Blinken's visit to China or scheduling another phone call between U.S.-China leaders, Glaser told VOA.

Any city but Washington

A sitting Taiwan president can transit through any U.S. city but one: Washington, D.C.

Under the self-imposed restrictions by the State Department and the tacit admission by Taiwan, a stopover in Washington by a Taiwan leader would be seen as highly provocative in the eyes of the People's Republic of China. No sitting Taiwan president, vice president, premier, minister of foreign affairs or minister of national defense have ever come to the U.S. capital city for formal meetings while in office.

Taiwan is "under no delusion" that such restrictions would be lifted by the U.S. administration any time soon, according to a diplomatic source.

On March 22, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bipartisan proposal to amend the Taiwan Assurance Act of 2020 that would ask the U.S. to remove the self-imposed barriers to engagement with Taiwan and require the State Department to provide robust reporting, if enacted.

"I am worried, frankly, that State's current approach is overly concerned with avoiding even the slightest chance of offending Beijing," Representative Ann Wagner, vice chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told Blinken during a hearing on March 23.

 pic.twitter.com/wu1b4wzJ2v

  (@VOAChinese) March 24, 2023



Tensions in Taiwan

On Monday, China's military continued to send aircraft and vessels around Taiwan, Taipei's Ministry of National Defense wrote in a tweet.

5 PLA aircraft and 4 PLAN vessels around Taiwan were detected by 6 a.m.(UTC+8) today. R.O.C. Armed Forces have monitored the situation and tasked CAP aircraft, Navy vessels, and land-based missile systems to respond these activities. pic.twitter.com/cQTrFZ82Kw

  Ministry of National Defense, R.O.C.  (@MoNDefense) April 3, 2023



Lu Li-shih, a former lieutenant commander in Taiwan's navy in Taipei, told VOA that there's a broad perception in Taiwan that any Chinese offensive and military intimidation during this period is for internal publicity and does not do much to sway opinion on the self-governed island.

"It is not the first time it has done this, and the effect will only get worse every time it is done. China said that it wants to create a comprehensive deterrence or have a certain impact on the morale of the [Taiwan's] army, but the effect is actually minimal," Lu said.

Mike Gallagher, chairman of the House Select Committee on China, will join McCarthy for talks with Tsai. Three Taiwan legislators will also attend the meeting. Representative Michael McCaul, chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, will lead a U.S. delegation to Taipei on Thursday.

The PRC has never administered Taiwan but claims sovereignty over the self-ruled democracy. The U.S. "acknowledged" but never endorsed China's sovereignty claim over Taiwan. The U.S. does not take a position on Taiwan's sovereignty, nor does it support Taiwan independence.

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Tsai to meet with U.S. House Speaker McCarthy in California

ROC Central News Agency

04/04/2023 12:56 AM

Belize City, Belize, April 3 (CNA) President Tsai Ing-wen () will meet with U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in California on Wednesday, Taiwan's Presidential Office confirmed on Monday.

The confirmation followed an announcement by McCarthy's office that the speaker will host a bipartisan meeting with Tsai at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley on Wednesday.

Tsai is currently in Belize on the second leg of her Central America tour that also took her to Guatemala. On her return trip, she is scheduled to make a stopover in Los Angeles.

Asked about the planned meeting between McCarthy and Tsai, China's foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning () reiterated Monday that Beijing strongly opposes "any form of official interaction and contact between the U.S. side and Taiwan authorities" and "will take resolute measures to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity."

In response, Taiwan's Presidential Office spokeswoman Lin Yu-chan () said on Monday that "China is not in a position to meddle in" the matter because Taiwan and its 23 million people have the right to engage with other democratic countries.

(By Wen Kuei-hsiang and Y.F. Low)

Enditem



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Ankara Expects 'Positive Outcome' on Purchase of F-16 Fighters From US

Sputnik News

20230403

ANKARA (Sputnik) - Ankara is expecting "positive outcome" concerning implementation of its plans to purchase F-16 fighter jets from Washington once US President Joe Biden is able to resolve objections to the sale in the US Congress, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Monday.

"In fact, there is no such thing as complete blocking. We know that the [Biden] administration is making sincere efforts. They are determined to provide Turkiye with F-16 or kits required to modernize the existing Turkish aircraft. There are those who are against it in the Congress, but we know, that the administration is making effort regarding those who are against. We also expect positive outcome," Cavusoglu said, as quoted by Turkish broadcaster.

At the same time, the top Turkish diplomat added that the Biden administration had first to convince the US Congress of the need for the deal, which could only be achieved through dialogue with the opponents.

In April 2021, the United States excluded Turkiye from the F-35 program after Ankara purchased Russia's S-400 air defense systems. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said later that year that Washington had offered that Ankara buy F-16 jets instead, one generation behind the F-35s. However, the deal needs approval of the US Congress.

The Biden administration has long been seeking a green light from the US Congress for the sale of F-16 fighters to Ankara, with the US State Department trying to convince lawmakers that the deal aligns with Washington's interests, but some congressmen strongly oppose the initiative.

Against the background of the protracted negotiations in the US government, Chagri Erhan, a member of the Turkish Presidential Security and Foreign Policy Council, told Sputnik that Ankara could abandon the idea of purchasing F-16s from the US and consider replacement options, including the acquisition of Russian fighters.

A Sputnik

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Norway and Denmark to cooperate on artillery ammunition donation

Government of Norway

News story | Date: 03/04/2023

Norway and Denmark will donate 8,000 artillery rounds to Ukraine. Norway donates the shells, while Denmark donates the associated fuzes, propellant bags and primer cartridges.

- Ukraine has a significant need for artillery ammunition. Norway will contribute where we can. It is important for both Europe's and Norway's security that Ukraine succeeds in standing up to Russia's attack. Norway has contributed heavily to Ukraine through 2022, and will continue its support in the years to come, says Defense Minister BjArn Arild Gram.

- The Ukrainians still have a great and urgent need for ammunition for their fight for freedom against Russia. Denmark, together with other EU and NATO countries, is in the process of accommodating with a number of different military contributions. Our cooperation with Norway is an important example of this, says Acting Minister of Defense in Denmark, Troels Lund Poulsen.

The rounds are standard NATO 155 mm artillery ammunition, and will supplement the Danish donation of 19 Caesar self-propelled howitzers.

The artillery shells are delivered from the Norwegian Armed forces' own stock.

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Russia, UN Discuss Grain Deal Implementation, Tolyatti-Odessa Ammonia Pipeline

Sputnik News

20230403

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin held a telephone conversation with UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths on March 31, and discussed the implementation of the grain deal, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

"The progress of the implementation of the Istanbul Package Agreements designed to promote global food security and provide assistance to countries in need in Asia, Africa and Latin America was discussed. Particular attention, taking into account the supervising role of Martin Griffiths, was paid to the Black Sea initiative for the export of Ukrainian food with an emphasis on the task of restoring the operation of the Tolyatti-Odessa ammonia pipeline," the ministry said in a statement.

The parties also discussed the current situation in Syria with an emphasis on solving urgent humanitarian tasks, primarily to overcome the consequences of the devastating earthquake that occurred in early February, the ministry added.

Russia, Ukraine, Turkiye and the United Nations struck a deal to provide a humanitarian maritime corridor for ships with food and fertilizer exports from Ukrainian Black Sea ports on July 22, 2022. The deal, originally scheduled to expire on November 18, was extended for another 120 days on November 17. On March 18, 2023, Russia extended the grain deal one more time, for 60 of possible 120 days.

Moscow has repeatedly said that most vessels carrying Ukrainian grain do not reach the world's poorest countries and end up in Europe.

A Sputnik

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Putin Signs Laws on Establishment of Courts in DPR, LPR, Kherson, Zaporozhye Regions

Sputnik News

20230403

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday signed a package of laws on the establishment of courts in the territories incorporated into Russia last fall, namely republics of Lugansk and Donetsk, and regions of Kherson and Zaporozhye, according to the official legal information portal.

The new legislation regulates that the selection of candidates for the initial composition of federal courts of general jurisdiction and arbitration courts will be carried out on a competitive basis of Russia's High Qualification Board of Judges.

Judges who occupied the corresponding positions in the regions when they were under Ukrainian control will have the right to fill the position only if they meet official requirements and have Russian citizenship.

The laws also establishes the procedure of conducting competitive selection and qualification exams for judicial positions, as well as determine the powers of the High Qualification Board of Judges and the Higher Examination Commission for the Admission of the Qualification Examination for the Position of a Judge.

Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine in February last year. The Ukrainian regions of Zaporozhyeand Kherson, as well as the breakaway republics of Donetsk and Lugansk, voted in a referendum in September to become part of Russia. All four regions were formally incorporated into Russia in October.

A Sputnik

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Ukraine and Romania hold the First Black Sea Security Conference of the International Crimea Platform in Bucharest

Ministry of Defence of Ukraine

2023-04-03 15:00:00 | ID: 69549

The unprovoked and unjustified military aggression of russia against Ukraine has challenged the security system in the Black Sea and Azov Sea regions. In order to find effective ways to respond to these challenges and provide opportunities for sustainable development to all peaceful countries of the region, Ukraine initiated the First Black Sea Security Conference, which will be held jointly with Romania on April 12-13 in Bucharest.

This event is a part of the International Crimea Platform, a mechanism aimed at the de-occupation of Crimea, restoration of the Black Sea, European, and global security.

The conference is held by: the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Romania, and the Ministry of National Defense of Romania, in partnership with the Centre for Defence Strategies (Ukraine).

The ministers of foreign affairs and defene ministers, heads of international institutions, government officials and independent experts, representing the participants of the International Crimea Platform, will take part in the Conference. They will analyze the multidimensional impact of russia's full-scale war against Ukraine on the security situation in the Black Sea and Azov Sea regions and beyond; discuss a possible strategy for responding to challenges and threats, as well as the pillars of the future configuration of the security system in the region.

Issues of information warfare and cyberattacks will also be in the spotlight.

Conference program

The first day (expert panels):

Presentation of the non-paper from Crimea Platform Expert Network: Future security configuration of the Black Sea and Azov Sea regions. Expert discussion.

Expert discussion. The first cyber war

Expert discussion. How russia's information warfare operates (on the example of temporarily occupied Crimea) and why it challenges the international security system.

The second day (official representatives):

Panel discussion: Lessons learnt: full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation in Ukraine, its multidimensional impact, and lessons for the democratic world

Panel discussion: Plan for today. Immediate responses to the current threats and challenges in the wider Black Sea region

Panel discussion: Future Configuration. What is the future of regional security in the Black Sea and Azov Sea regions? Towards a Euro-Atlantic strategy for a stable, secure and prosperous region

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Every day we are getting stronger, every day we are getting closer to the day when the terrorist state will be held to account - address by the President of Ukraine

President of Ukraine

3 April 2023 - 22:42

Good health to you, fellow Ukrainians!

A report on this busy day.

Staff. Another away meeting of the Staff - the first was in Dnipro, now - in Chernihiv.

Key security issues at the front, in the northern regions and at the border.

The commanders of the directions delivered reports. This time, Generals Syrskyi and Tarnavskyi reported by secure communication line, and not in person, from the hottest areas of the front.

The situation in Bakhmut, Avdiivka, Maryinka and throughout the Donetsk region. Bilohorivka and the entire Luhansk region.

The Commander-in-Chief and the Chief of the Main Intelligence Directorate, the Head of the State Border Guard Service, representatives of the Ministry of Defense.

Full-fledged meeting. Full-fledged coordination. Full-fledged preparation of our active actions for the liberation of Ukrainian lands.

There were many different events and negotiations in the Chernihiv region starting from this morning.

One of the most difficult trips in terms of emotions.

We visited Yahidne, an ordinary small village of our Chernihiv region, which Russian savages turned into one of the world's biggest examples of human abuse last year.

Russian soldiers made a command post at the school in Yahidne, and drove all the villagers into the basement of the school. Just like a human shield.

From March 3 to March 30 of last year, the occupiers kept more than three hundred people in the basement of this school... An ordinary village school, the basement, which is smaller than two hundred square meters.

Elderly people and little children, women and men... The oldest woman was 93 years old, the youngest child was less than six months old.

We will never forgive the evil state for this basement, this concentration camp in Yahidne, just as for all other crimes of Russia against people and humanity. And not only us.

The Kremlin will not be able to hide behind a chair in the UN Security Council, gas pipes or anything else. There will certainly be legal and fair responsibility for every Russian crime committed on Ukrainian soil. In the tribunal, in the International Criminal Court, in Ukrainian courts.

I am grateful to the guests of Ukraine who visited the Chernihiv region with me, who saw this concentration of Russian evil in our Yahidne. I thank German Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck and Secretary General of the Council of Europe Marija Pejcinovic Buric. I am also thankful for the negotiations - meaningful and correct.

I thank UNESCO Director General Audrey Azoulay for her attention to Ukraine, for today's meetings in Ukraine. We are preparing the UNESCO World Heritage status for the historical center of Chernihiv. The same status that was recently obtained for the historical center of our Odesa.

As always, it was a special honor to visit our warriors in the hospital, who are recovering from battle wounds. To thank them for everything they do for Ukraine, to thank them for their faith in Ukraine, which our people defend, risking the most valuable - their lives.

I presented Chernihiv with the award of a hero city, a city of heroes. Chernihiv saw different occupiers, different kinds of evil... Protecting ourselves from this Russian evil is perhaps the most important thing in our history.

I awarded our warriors who distinguished themselves in the defense of the state.

And what is very important - I thanked everyone who ensures the reconstruction of our Chernihiv region. We will restore everything that the enemy destroyed.

Ukraine will never be a country of ruins, no matter how much the Kremlin dreams of it. Their dreams do not come true.

Already here, in Kyiv, after my return, I met with a delegation of American congressmen.

I thanked America for its consistently powerful help, from President Biden and the White House team to both houses of Congress and the entire system of American power.

We talked, of course, about the active actions of Ukraine. Of course, about our joint victory.

I also met with Mike Pompeo, former United States Secretary of State

I am grateful to everyone who helps us defend freedom! I am especially thankful today to Denmark and Norway for the initiative of the governments to transfer an additional batch of artillery shells to our warriors. This is very timely and useful.

We are getting stronger every day. Every day we are getting closer to the day when the terrorist state will be held to account.

Glory to all who are now fighting for Ukraine! May the memory of all those who gave their lives for Ukraine be blessed and eternal!

Glory to Ukraine!

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President held a meeting with the Director General of UNESCO in the Chernihiv region

President of Ukraine

3 April 2023 - 19:36

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held talks in the Chernihiv region with UNESCO Director General Audrey Azoulay who is on a visit to our country.

The Ukrainian President noted the importance of UNESCO's solidarity with the people of Ukraine amid full-scale Russian aggression.

"Thank you for the real results of your work and support for Ukraine. We are fighting on the battlefield for the values of democracy, our freedom and independence, for the future of our children, as well as for our historical values and cultural heritage. It is very important to protect them," said Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The proof of solidarity of this international organization with Ukraine was, in particular, the establishment of its institutional presence in our country - the creation of a UNESCO Liaison Office in Kyiv.

The parties noted the importance of Ukraine's membership in UNESCO, which has been ongoing for 69 years and is characterized by active international cooperation in the scientific, educational and cultural spheres.

The President separately emphasized the inadmissibility of Russia's membership in UNESCO and the importance of a clear and powerful response by the organization and its bodies to the Russian Federation's war against Ukraine.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy informed Audrey Azoulay about the Ukrainian cultural objects destroyed and damaged by Russia, stressing that their total number is about 1190, as well as about the theft and illegal removal of Ukrainian cultural values from the temporarily occupied territories.

In this context, the President emphasized the importance of UNESCO's leadership role in involving international partners in restoring the damaged cultural heritage of Ukraine.

The Head of State highly appreciated UNESCO's help in implementing a number of projects in our country, in particular, in ensuring the continuity of education and the mental health program implemented under the patronage of the First Lady of Ukraine.

During the meeting, Audrey Azoulay handed over to the Head of State a certificate on the inclusion of the historic center of the city of Odesa in the the List of World Heritage in Danger.

Expressing gratitude for the decision regarding Odesa, Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed the importance of including other Ukrainian cultural heritage sites in the UNESCO list, in particular the historical center of Chernihiv.

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President held a meeting with the Secretary General of the Council of Europe in Chernihiv

President of Ukraine

3 April 2023 - 18:16

During a working trip to the Chernihiv region, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting with Secretary General of the Council of Europe Marija Pejcinovic Buric who is visiting our country for the second time since the beginning of the full-scale aggression.

In particular, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe together with the Head of State visited the village of Yahidne, where she saw the infrastructure and residential buildings destroyed by Russian troops, as well as the school where the occupiers kept the locals.

"On the example of this school, you saw a real concentration camp and the terrible consequences that the Russian aggression has brought to Ukrainians - from babies to the elderly," Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized.

During the meeting with the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, work on the international legal front to hold Russia accountable for the crime of aggression against Ukraine, war crimes and crimes against humanity was discussed in detail.

The parties also paid attention to the measures taken to create a register of damages caused by the Russian aggression and a full-fledged compensation mechanism, in particular in the context of preparations for the Summits of Heads of State and Government of the Council of Europe in Reykjavik.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy separately called on the Council of Europe to make all possible efforts to stop Russia's illegal deportation of Ukrainian citizens from temporarily occupied areas and areas of hostilities, and together with other international partners to ensure the return of illegally deported Ukrainians, primarily children.

The President commended the recent adoption of the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine for 2023-2026 "Resilience, Recovery and Reconstruction" and expressed hope for its successful implementation.

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President of Ukraine held talks with Vice Chancellor, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action of Germany Robert Habeck in the Chernihiv region

President of Ukraine

3 April 2023 - 17:55

As part of a working trip to the Chernihiv region, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting with Vice Chancellor, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action of the Federal Republic of Germany Robert Habeck, who is on a visit to Ukraine.

The Head of State expressed gratitude for the effective support and solidarity with Ukraine on the part of the government of Germany and Robert Habeck personally since the first days of full-scale Russian aggression.

"Your visit is a powerful signal for our citizens, our military, all of us," said Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

He emphasized that the visit of the German Vice-Chancellor to the Chernihiv region is important in the context of the commencement of the program of patronage over the municipal partnership of Ukraine and Germany by the presidents of the two states last year.

The Ukrainian President separately thanked Germany for its leadership in providing Ukraine with the necessary defense weapons, in particular through the provision of German Leopard tanks and Marder IFVs, as well as for its contribution to the protection of the Ukrainian sky, and noted the importance of continuing this assistance.

"Today we are highly motivated to de-occupy our country," stressed Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The President of Ukraine welcomed the willingness of German business representatives to join the reconstruction of our country. The parties emphasized the importance of confirmation by the German side of risk insurance for businesses that are willing to invest in Ukraine now.

In particular, during the trip to the Chernihiv region, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, together with the Vice Chancellor of Germany, observed the course of restoration work on the bridge crossing over the Desna River (Kyiv Bridge) and the presentation of the project for the reconstruction of other bridge crossings in the Chernihiv region.

The bridge was destroyed on March 23, 2022 as a result of a Russian airstrike, and the entrance to Chernihiv is currently carried out by a temporary pontoon crossing.

The President and the Vice Chancellor of Germany were told about the plans for the organization of a temporary passage on the existing bridge and the construction of a new two-lane bridge next to it. In the future, it is planned to dismantle the existing bridge and build a new one next to it.

The German side was offered to consider the possibility of financial support for the restoration of the region's bridge infrastructure.

In total, as a result of the full-scale Russian invasion, 35 artificial structures and bridges were destroyed or damaged in the Chernihiv region.



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The successes of our people in the battles for the Chernihiv, Sumy and Kyiv regions revealed to the world the truth that Ukraine is capable of emerging victorious from this war - President on the occasion of the anniversary of the de-occupation of the Che

President of Ukraine

3 April 2023 - 17:05

During a working trip to the Chernihiv region, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy took part in the events marking the anniversary of the liberation of the region from the Russian invaders and presented state awards.

The event was also attended by Vice Chancellor, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action of Germany Robert Habeck and Secretary General of the Council of Europe Marija Pejcinovic Buric.

"We are celebrating the first anniversary of the liberation of our northern regions. It was then, a year ago, that the successes of our people in the battles for the Chernihiv, Sumy and Kyiv regions revealed to the world the truth about Ukraine. The world saw not only the grit and resolve of Ukrainians, not only how indomitable Ukrainian men and women are, but also that Ukraine is capable of winning. Winning not partially, in something, in certain battles, but in general. The world saw that Ukraine is capable of emerging victorious from this war," said the Head of State, addressing the audience.

The President noted that there has been a fundamental change in the world's attitude towards our country.

"It was here that the world's faith in Ukraine was confirmed. Confirmed by the actions of our warriors and the retreat of the invader," he emphasized.

According to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, both Ukrainian warriors and civilians of the Chernihiv region demonstrated true heroism in the fight for their communities, which will always be remembered.

Those present honored the memory of citizens who gave their lives for our country with a moment of silence.

"For more than 400 days, we have all been defending our country together in this full-scale war... There is still a long way ahead, difficult battles, difficult times. But we have the experience of what enables us, Ukrainians, to win. To be on our land and to fight. To cherish our internal unity and help everyone who is fighting for Ukraine, who works for Ukraine, who cares about our state. And to be a fortress - at the personal level, at the level of one's village, town, city, so that we remain a fortress at the level of our entire state, the whole of Ukraine," the President emphasized.

"It is an honor for me to be here today, to celebrate the struggle of the city of Chernihiv, the heroism of the region in general. And I would like to start the award ceremony by presenting Chernihiv with the award of a hero city, a city of heroes. I want to thank all of you who are bringing our victory closer," the Head of State said.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy presented the "Hero City of Ukraine" honorary award to Dmytro Bryzhynskyi, Head of the Chernihiv City Military Administration.

The President also awarded military personnel and civilians who showed courage and heroism during the defense and liberation of the Chernihiv region from Russian occupation.

The President presented servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and other military formations with state awards, in particular the Orders of Bohdan Khmelnytsky of the III degree, "For Courage" of the III degree, "For Merit" of the III degree, Princess Olga of the III degree, medals "For Military Service to Ukraine" and "For Impeccable Service" of the III degree. Awards were received by servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the National Guard of Ukraine, employees of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, the National Police, the State Border Guard Service, and the State Bureau of Investigation.

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President saw the consequences of crimes committed by the Russian occupiers in the village of Yahidne, Chernihiv region

President of Ukraine

3 April 2023 - 15:28

During a working trip to the Chernihiv region, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, together with Vice Chancellor, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action of Germany Robert Habeck and Secretary General of the Council of Europe Marija Pejcinovic Buric saw the consequences of the occupation of the village of Yahidne by Russian troops and the war crimes committed by them.

The Head of State, together with foreign guests, visited the school, in the basement of which the occupiers kept 367 civilians in unsanitary conditions, without water and food, from March 3 to March 30, 2022. Among the hostages were 50 children, including several babies - the youngest was one and a half months old. 11 people died, unable to withstand the inhumane conditions. Ten were shot by Russian invaders.

The President of Ukraine and the European guests talked with the villagers who were kept in the basement of the school.

"Thank you for the fact that you survived, managed to wait for our warriors and to tell the whole world about the tragedy that the Russian Federation, the Russian military, together with their leadership, their President, have brought to our land," Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized.

The Head of State noted that the residents of Yahidne have lived through terrible ordeals. According to him, about 400 people lived in this village before the occupation, and almost 370 people were kept in the school basement with an area of less than 200 square meters.

"They have been kept in the basement for 27 days. They survived - standing and sitting. 11 people, unfortunately, died. And all these people somehow lived in the dark and waited for the return of Ukraine," he said.

The President said that the prisoners wrote the names and dates of death of fellow villagers on the walls in the dark so as not to forget. And the children wrote the lines of the national anthem of Ukraine.

"It is extremely important that these people survived. It is extremely important that our troops de-occupy such settlements with real heroes every day," added Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The Head of State emphasized the importance of the presence of representatives of our partners in the liberated territories of Ukraine, who can see everything with their own eyes.

"It is important to be in such basements in order to understand, in order to help Ukraine. To think about how to find a way to talk with the Russian Federation," the President noted.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy also thanked the local residents and the authorities who fought for their lives every day during the Russian occupation.

As a result of military aggression, all 173 houses in the village of Yahidne were damaged, 16 of them were destroyed. In addition, the communal property was destroyed - a cultural center and a first aid station. The school building was heavily damaged.

According to Vyacheslav Chaus, Head of the Chernihiv Regional Military Administration, thanks to funding from the state and regional budgets, thanks to volunteers and the Latvian government, which allocated funds for building materials and reconstruction, more than 100 houses were reconstructed last year.

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Child deaths hit 'tragic milestone' in Ukraine

3 April 2023 - Child casualties in Ukraine have hit a "tragic milestone", the head of the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) said on Monday, as the UN human rights office (OHCHR) released its latest report on rising numbers of deaths and injuries in the country since Russia launched a full-scale invasion in February 2022.

"Since the escalation of the war, at least 501 children have been killed," said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. "This is another tragic milestone for Ukraine's children and families."

OHCHR's latest update recorded 765 civilian casualties in Ukraine, from 1 to 31 March, which included 178 deaths and 587 injuries.

Since the invasion on 24 February 2022 to 2 April 2023, the Office recorded 22,607 civilian casualties: 8,451 deaths and 14,156 injuries.

"These figures are just the tip of the iceberg," said the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker TArk. "Most of the casualties resulted from the Russian forces' use of wide-impact explosive weaponry in residential neighbourhoods."

Addressing the Human Rights Council on Friday, he said international law is being violated daily, adding that his Office has documented such crimes as summary executions, enforced disappearances, sexual violence, and other grave violations.

'Behind every number is a family torn apart'

UNICEF's Executive Director said children and families in Ukraine are "paying the highest price for this brutal war".

"Behind every number is a family torn apart and changed forever; it's heart-wrenching," she said.

In response, UNICEF is providing children with critical assistance, including psychosocial care and support. UNICEF analysis suggests the percentage of children living in poverty has almost doubled from 43 per cent to 82 per cent. The situation is especially acute for the 5.9 million people who are currently displaced within Ukraine.

Meanwhile, children and families' access to basic services have been severely curtailed. An estimated 1.5 million children are at risk of depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and other mental health issues, with potential long-term effects and implications.

More than 800 health facilities are reported to have been damaged or destroyed by shelling and airstrikes.

Thousands fleeing the conflict

Thousands of children fleeing the conflict across Ukraine are missing vital vaccines to protect them from polio, measles, diphtheria, and other life-threatening diseases, UNICEF said.

Since the start of the war, the agency, with the international community's support, has provided learning supplies to 1.8 million children and engaged over 2.5 million children in education programmes.

UNICEF has also provided such assistance as mental health and psychosocial support to 4.6 million children and caregivers, gender-based violence response services to 725,000 women and children, access to safe water for 5.6 million people, healthcare services to 5.4 million, and multi-purpose cash assistance to 277,000 households inside Ukraine and in refugee-hosting countries.

'Peace cannot come soon enough'

"Ultimately, children and families need peace; it cannot come soon enough," Ms. Russell said. "War is always the worst enemy of children, whether in Ukraine, or countless other conflicts around the world."

Every child, no matter where they live, deserves to grow up in a peaceful environment, she said.

"No child should experience a childhood scarred by violence and fear," she added.

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Latest in Ukraine: NATO to Welcome 31st Member, Finland

By VOA News April 03, 2023

New developments:

aUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited Monday, the village of Yahidne in north Ukraine on the anniversary of its liberation and commemorated the brutal captivity of nearly 400 civilians by Russian invaders in a school basement for 27 days before they were freed.

a Russian authorities blamed Ukrainian intelligence agencies for orchestrating a bombing at a St. Petersburg Cafe that killed a Russian military blogger who supported Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

a The U.S. government is pushing hard for the release of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who is being detained in Russia on charges of espionage, the White House said Monday.

a Ukrainian and Russian forces have given competing reports about the status of the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, the site of months of fierce fighting between the two sides.

a International Atomic Energy Agency Chief Rafael Grossi will meet with a Russian delegation Wednesday in Moscow to discuss the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station.

Finland's official entry into NATO on Tuesday will double the Alliance's border with Russia. The move, said NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Monday, is exactly what Russian President Vladimir Putin has been trying to avert with his attack on Ukraine.

"What we see is that President Putin went to war against Ukraine with a declared aim to get less NATO," Stoltenberg said. "He's getting the exact opposite."

Russia immediately warned that it would bolster forces near Finland if NATO sent any additional troops or equipment to what will be its 31st member country.

NATO has said that it has no immediate intention to step up its presence in Finland. Some members have deployed troops there for war games over the past year.

Finland's entrance into the military alliance Tuesday is less than a year after the country submitted its application in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The ceremony falls on NATO's very own birthday, the 74th anniversary of the signing of its founding Washington Treaty on April 4, 1949.

Stoltenberg told reporters ahead of a meeting of NATO foreign ministers that Finland brings a well-trained, well-equipped military to the alliance after Turkey became the final existing member to give its approval in a process that must be unanimous.

The secretary-general also said he is "absolutely confident" that Sweden will follow Finland as a new NATO member, and that it is a priority for that to happen as soon as possible.

As the NATO foreign ministers prepare for their talks, Stoltenberg said there is an urgent need for both lethal and non-lethal support for Ukraine and called on allies to "sustain and further step up" their support. He said Ukraine needs economic aid as well.

So far, Ukraine's Western allies have sent the country 65 billion euros ($70 billion) in military aid to help thwart Russia's full-scale invasion. With no prospective peace negotiations, the alliance is preparing to provide more help, Stoltenberg said: "We cannot allow Russia to continue to chip away at European security." He added that there are "no signs" that Putin is preparing for peace.

NATO foreign ministers meeting in Brussels on Tuesday are to discuss how to step up support for Ukraine, including by strengthening its armed forces. Stoltenberg said: "Our support is for the long haul."

Bakhmut fight

Ukraine denied on Monday Russian claims to have captured the eastern city of Bakhmut. Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the Wagner mercenary force spearheading the siege, said Sunday his troops had raised a Russian flag on the city-center administrative building and taken control "from a legal point of view."

Responding to these claims, Serhiy Cherevaty, spokesperson for the Ukrainian eastern military command, scoffed, "they raised the flag over some kind of toilet. They attached it to the side of who knows what, hung their rag and said they had captured the city. Well good, let them think they've taken it," Cherevaty told Reuters in a phone interview. He added that combat in Bakhmut is raging and that Ukrainian troops were "courageously holding the city as they repel numerous enemy attacks."

US detainees

The U.S. government is pushing hard for the release of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich who is being held in Russia, and it is closely tracking his detention, the White House said Monday.

The U.S. is "keenly, strongly, closely" tracking his detention, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters.

"We will do everything we can to get Evan home and Paul Whelan," Kirby said, referring to the former U.S. Marine serving a 16-year jail sentence in Russia on charges of espionage that he and the United States deny. "We have no illusions that it's going to take a lot of hard work, that doesn't mean we're going to shy away from it.

In a statement released last week, "The White House said it "condemns the detention of Mr. Gershkovich in the strongest terms."

U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken also called for the immediate release of Gershkovich, in a phone conversation Sunday with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov.

Responding to Blinken, Lavrov said that Gershkovich's fate will be determined by a Russian court and told Blinken it was unacceptable for Washington to politicize the case. Lavrov said the journalist was caught "red-handed," although Russia has yet to present any evidence.

The Kremlin alleges Gershkovich was using journalism as a cover for spying, something the newspaper has vehemently denied. The Wall Street Journal has demanded his immediate release, calling his arrest Thursday "a vicious affront to a free press," while The New York Times published a statement from a coalition of news organizations expressing deep concern about Gershkovich's detention.

St. Petersburg explosion

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has declined to comment on the explosion that killed Russian pro-war blogger Vladlen Tatarsky in St. Petersburg on Sunday.

CNN reports that while on a tour of the northern Chernihiv region, Zelenskyy said, "I'm not thinking what is going on in St. Petersburg, or in Moscow. They have to think. Russia have to think about their cities. I'm thinking about our country. And our cities."

Russia has arrested an anti-war activist named Daria Trepova in connection with the explosion that killed Tatarsky and injured at least 32 others at a St. Petersburg Cafe on Sunday.

Trepova's husband, Dmitry Rylov, says he is convinced his wife "was really just set up and used." Russia on Monday accused Ukraine of organizing the murder of Tatarsky.

Some material in this report came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.

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Washington D.C., April 03, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- March 31, 2023, Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman, head of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and the voice in President Bidens Cabinet for Americas 33 million small businesses, joined U.S. Representative and Chairman of the House Small Business Committee, Roger Williams (TX-25), at Fort Hood to highlight the Boots to Business (B2B) program by meeting with current students and service members.



Boots to Business (B2B) is an entrepreneurial education and training program offered by SBA as part of the Department of Defense Transition Assistance Program (TAP). B2B provides participants with an overview of business ownership and is open to transitioning service members (including National Guard and Reserve) and their spouses.

It was a pleasure to join Chairman Roger Williams at Fort Hood to hear directly from active-duty military service members, military spouses, and veterans as they learned more about entrepreneurial pathways through SBAs Boots to Business program, said Administrator Guzman. Through Boots to Business, as well as ongoing support through SBAs Veterans Business Outreach Centers and VetCert program, SBA is committed to meeting those whove served our country where they are with capital, contracts, and counseling.

The SBAs Boots to Business program has proven to be an invaluable lifeline to thousands of Americas heroes looking to start the next chapter of their lives, said Chairman Williams. I am honored to have had the opportunity to tour Fort Hood with Administrator Guzman and meet with our Nations servicemembers and students about Boots to Business. Americas veterans are natural leaders and, with the right tools and opportunities like the Boots to Business program, they will be able to thrive in the private sector by starting their own small business and pursue the American dream.



###

About the U.S. Small Business Administration

The U.S. Small Business Administration helps power the American dream of business ownership. As the only go-to resource and voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the federal government, the SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources and support they need to start, grow, expand their businesses, or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov.

Attachments
TORONTO, April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Eloro Resources Ltd. (TSX: ELO; OTCQX: ELRRF; FSE: P2QM) (Eloro, or the Company) is pleased to provide an update on its ongoing preliminary metallurgical testwork program for the Iska Iska silver-tin polymetallic project (the Project) in the Potosi Department, southern Bolivia. The ongoing work, including flowsheet development testwork and mineralogical characterization, is being carried out by Blue Coast Research Ltd. (Blue Coast or BCR) based in Parksville, British Columbia, and Mineral Concentration Laboratory of the National Faculty of Engineering from the Technical University of Oruro (UTO), Bolivia. The objective of the coordinated work programs is to develop a geo-metallurgical understanding of the mineralized domains and to obtain preliminary metallurgical recovery estimates for the main valuable constituents of the mineralized material currently identified at the Project.



Tom Larsen, CEO of Eloro, commented: The Iska Iska silver-tin polymetallic deposit is a remarkably extensive system with multiple potential ore types which require more metallurgical work than originally anticipated, especially for tin, as outlined in this press release. The preliminary metallurgical recovery estimates are a prerequisite for the release of the Projects maiden mineral resource (MRE). Consequently, the release of the MRE has been delayed until this metallurgical work, which is in progress, has been completed. All other work required for the MRE has been largely completed by Micon International Limited, including much of the reporting.

Mr. Larsen continued, I am very pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Mike Hallewell, B.Sc., F.I.M.M.M., F.S.A.I.M.M., F.M.E.S., C.Eng,, an internationally recognized expert on tin metallurgy, as Senior Strategic Metallurgist for Eloro. Going forward Mike will be working closely with our metallurgical consultants to optimize our tin recovery and with our geological team to define geo-metallurgical domains for mineral resource definition and future potential production.

Geometallurgical Domains Iska Iska

The Iska Iska silver-tin polymetallic deposit has many characteristics of the typical Bolivian tin deposits. Extensive tin mineralization likely developed deep in the earths crust with cassiterite forming at high temperatures from 350C to 500C. This major initial stage of magmatism drove the formation of the major stratovolcano at Iska Iska some 18 to 15 million years ago. Subsequently, when the magma chamber was depleted, the volcano collapsed, forming a classic collapsed caldera. Resurgence of the collapsed volcano included the intrusion of the Iska Iska porphyry, followed by dacitic domes and brecciation such as the Santa Barbara breccia pipe. These events were closely associated with widespread porphyry-epithermal Ag-Zn-Pb mineralization, which partially overprinted the pre-existing tin mineralization.

Figure 1 shows the distribution of Sn:Cu at Iska Iska. The Sn:Cu ratio is an indicator of the presence of oxide tin (cassiterite  shown in green, within the core) vs sulphide tin (stannite  shown in red, making up the periphery). Tin is found predominantly on the west side of the Santa Barbara deposit. Deep drilling and magnetic modelling indicate that the tin porphyry is present beneath the Iska Iska Porphyry. As previously reported, the signature of the overall tin porphyry system based on magnetic data likely extends for some 5 km by 3 km which includes the Casiterita area to the southwest, which is currently being drill-tested (see Eloros press release dated February 14, 2023). The longitudinal section in Figure 1 covers a strike length of 2.5km.

Figure 1: Longitudinal Section Showing Distribution of Sn/Cu ratio (Looking West-southwest). The core of the Iska Iska deposit contains higher Sn and low Cu whereas the low Sn/Cu ratio is predominantly at the top and on the margins of the tin mineralization.





Metallurgical Testwork

The overall metallurgical testwork / mineralogical characterization program has evolved into the development of several potential flowsheets to best fit the extensive mineralization identified within the Project area. The main metallurgical studies in the ongoing development program are:

1) Recovery of lead, zinc and silver from polymetallic sulphide mineralization; and

2) Recovery of tin from cassiterite-rich Iska-Iska mineralization and the adjoining Casiterita property to the south-southwest of Iska Iska.

Future work will include recovery of gold and copper, where they are found enriched within the system.

The geo-metallurgical program is being directed by Mr. Mike Hallewell, C.Eng., a senior mineral processing consultant based in Cornwall, England, who has extensive specialist knowledge in the recovery of tin at mining operations and exploration projects worldwide, and Richard Gowans, P.Eng., Principal Metallurgist for Micon International Limited, an independent Qualified Person as defined under NI 43-101. The mineralogical characterization testwork is being managed by Nichola McKay P. Geo., MBA, an experienced Professional Geoscientist who specializes in the development of geo-metallurgical programs.

Mineralogical and Geometallurgical Characterization

Mineralogical testing of the Iska Iska resource consists of three main campaigns:

1) On-site downhole hyperspectral analysis with high resolution core imaging,

2) QemSCAN mapping of polished thin sections selected from drill core across the resource representing key lithologies and mineralization types, with supporting X-ray diffraction and microprobe analysis, and

3) QemSCAN analysis of ground metallurgical test feeds and selected test products.



A group of geometallurgical variability samples are being tested using a standardized testing protocol that will link metallurgical behaviour with mineralogy for samples from different zones in the resource.

In parallel to the laboratory-based geomet work, all QemSCAN data is being used as a training set for calibration / correlation with the hyperspectral program, with the objective of identifying key markers of tin mineral zonation that can be populated through the resource.

Lead-Zinc-Silver Flotation

The initial metallurgical testwork, using composite samples of sulphide mineralization from the Santa Barbara polymetallic zone, comprised the development of a preliminary flotation flowsheet to maximize lead, zinc and precious metals into saleable concentrates. The results of this initial work were presented in the Companys press release dated June 13, 2022. These preliminary results indicated good lead, zinc and silver recoveries using conventional flotation technology.

The estimated recoveries based on preliminary locked cycle flotation tests are 79.6% lead and 55.8% silver into a lead concentrate, and 87.0% zinc and 32.0% silver into a zinc concentrate (total silver recovery of 87.8%). These recoveries are based on preliminary scoping level bench scale tests completed by BCR in 2022 using two composite samples of polymetallic mineralization. These tests were not optimized and improved performance in terms of higher recoveries would be expected with further mineralogical and metallurgical studies.

The next phase of Pb-Zn-Ag flowsheet development testwork, following completion of the inaugural mineral resource estimate, is to optimize the preliminary flowsheet, with integrated mineralogy/metallurgy studies using a variety of samples representing a range of lithologies and ore-types, and to undertake silver deportment studies. The deportment and recovery of potential by-products will also be investigated.

Tin Metallurgy

The recovery of cassiterite is usually conducted using a mixture of gravity and tin flotation with removal of sulphide minerals either prior to these processes and/or as part of concentrate clean-up. Coarser cassiterite grain sizes tend to be more amenable to gravity concentration, whereas finer cassiterite particles are recovered by tin flotation down to ~6 microns, which is normally discarded since it is too fine for current beneficiation technologies. The different Iska Iska ore types are currently being characterised to better understand the cassiterite grain size and cassiterite associations with other minerals as a function of ore type so as to better understand and estimate the level of tin recovery in terms of geological space. Stannite is present, but at this time will be assumed to deport as a tin loss to sulphides.

Initial tin deportment studies undertaken on various samples of mineralization obtained from the Project exploitation drilling campaign have suggested the occurrence of various forms of tin mineralization within the extensive mineralized domains currently identified at the Project. The tin mineralogy and physical competence is linked to geological attributes. The styles of tin mineralization identified at the Project can be characterized as follows:

Type A - High grade coarse-grained cassiterite (tin oxide).This style of tin mineralization is the easiest to process due to the coarser liberated tin mineralization that is amenable to conventional mineral processing technologies, such as gravity separation and flotation. This type of tin mineralization is expected to predominate deeper in the deposit and also at Casiterita where artisanal miners have previously produced high grade (~50%) tin concentrates from cassiterite-quartz veins (see Eloros press release November 22, 2022).

Type B  High/medium grade fine-grained cassiterite. Tin-rich sulphide mineralization is typically found below and west of the eastern Santa Barbara area Pb-Zn-Ag rich polymetallic sulphide zones. This style of tin mineralization requires fine to very fine grinding, sulphide removal via flotation, tin flotation and fine particle gravity separation.

Type C  Medium grade fine-grained cassiterite with significant wood tin (low temperature form of cassiterite). Tin of this type occurs predominantly in areas with moderate to strong oxidation which has leached sulphides and redeposited the tin as wood tin. High grade Type A tin also may exist in this zone. This form of tin has similar metallurgy to Type B, but good recoveries can be obtained if Type A mineralization is present.

Type D - Medium grade stannite (copper-tin-iron sulphide mineral). Stannite is not recoverable using conventional tin mineral processing technology. Predominant stannite tin mineralization tends to occur at the top and peripheral to the core of the tin mineralization. Where stannite mineralization has been oxidized and leached, the mineralization type becomes more Type B or C depending on intensity of oxidation.

Tin metallurgical studies completed to date include preliminary tests on two composite samples and the development of a standard test protocol to assess the amenability of tin mineralized samples to obtain a tin concentrate of acceptable grade.

A high-grade tin composite made up of crushed assay reject samples from exploration drilling was prepared and used for preliminary metallurgical tests at UTO in Bolivia. The 67 kg composite sample, considered Type A tin (see description above), comprised mineralized samples from drill holes DSB-32 (from 62.3 m to 76.7 m) and DSB-33 (from 356.7 to 365.6 m). The sample was from an oxidized zone and had an average tin grade of 1.68% Sn.

Scoping tests completed on this sample included gravity separation tests using a shaking table and centrifugal concentrator, and cassiterite flotation tests. Although not optimized, the gravity only tests using both tables and centrifugal concentrator resulted in a 39% tin grade concentrate with about 60% recovery. Tests using a table only produced a concentrate containing about 50% Sn although recovery was only around 30%. Flotation tests at a non-optimum grind size resulted in about 50% tin recovery into a 6% Sn concentrate. These preliminary test results suggest a direct tin smelter feed concentrate can be produced from this type of tin mineralization with about a 60% recovery. The estimated tin recovery into a lower grade concentrate suitable for feeding a tin-fuming process is about 75%.

Recent development tests by BCR using a composite sample of crushed assay rejects from drill hole DSBU-03 containing 0.52% Sn, produced a tin-fuming feed concentrate with a tin recovery of about 28%. Mineral characterization of this sample via optical microscopy suggests that the tin mineralization comprises mainly fine-grained cassiterite with minor fine wood tin (Types B and C).

The preliminary flowsheet used by BCR comprised sulphide flotation, which rejected approximately 92% of the sulphide sulphur with less than 15% tin losses, gravity roughing using a centrifugal concentrator and upgrading of sized rougher product using a laboratory supper-panner, cassiterite flotation with upgrading of sized re-ground flotation rougher product using a laboratory supper-panner.

Following a detailed review of the test results and testing procedure, a standard tin amenability test protocol has been defined. This flowsheet will be used over the coming weeks by BCR to test a variety of samples. Samples have been selected to include a range of tin grades and types of tin mineralization.

Copper-Gold and Other Valuable By-Products

Drilling has shown zones of mineralization with gold grades above 1 g/t as well as zones with elevated levels of copper. A metallurgical-mineralogical characterization program is being planned to assess the potential for recovering these valuable metals.

The future geo-metallurgical program also will include studies to understand the deportment of other potential metals such as bismuth and indium.

Qualified Person

Richard Gowans, P.Eng., Principal Metallurgist for Micon International Limited, is an independent Qualified Person as defined under NI 43-101. Mr. Gowans. Has reviewed and approved the technical content of this news release.

Dr. Osvaldo Arce, P. Geo., General Manager of Eloros Bolivian subsidiary, Minera Tupiza S.R.L., and a Qualified Person in the context of NI 43-101, supervised all exploration work at Iska Iska. Dr. Bill Pearson, P.Geo., Executive Vice President Exploration Eloro, and who has more than 45 years of worldwide mining exploration experience including extensive work in South America, manages the overall technical program working closely with Dr. Osvaldo Arce, P.Geo., Manager of Minera Tupiza. Dr. Quinton Hennigh, P.Geo., Senior Technical Advisor to Eloro and Independent Technical Advisor, Mr. Charley Murahwi P. Geo., FAusIMM of Micon International Limited are regularly consulted on technical aspects of the project.

Eloro is utilizing both ALS and AHK for drill core analysis, both of whom are major international accredited laboratories. Drill samples sent to ALS are prepared in both ALS Bolivia Ltdas preparation facility in Oruro, Bolivia and the preparation facility operated by AHK in Tupiza with pulps sent to the main ALS Global laboratory in Lima for analysis. More recently Eloro has had ALS send pulps to their laboratory at Galway in Ireland. Eloro employs an industry standard QA/QC program with standards, blanks and duplicates inserted into each batch of samples analyzed with selected check samples sent to a separate accredited laboratory.

Drill core samples sent to AHK Laboratories are prepared in a preparation facility installed and managed by AHK in Tupiza with pulps sent to the AHK laboratory in Lima, Peru. Au and Sn analysis on these samples is done by ALS Bolivia Ltda in Lima. Check samples between ALS and AHK are regularly done as a QA/QC check. AHK is following the same analytical protocols used as with ALS and with the same QA/QC protocols. Turnaround time continues to improve, as laboratories return to more normal staffing levels.

About Iska Iska

Iska Iska silver-tin polymetallic project is a road accessible, royalty-free property, wholly controlled by the Title Holder, Empresa Minera Villegas S.R.L. and is located 48 km north of Tupiza city, in the Sud Chichas Province of the Department of Potosi in southern Bolivia. Through its Bolivian subsidiary, Eloro has an option to earn a 100% interest in Iska Iska.

Iska Iska is a major silver-tin polymetallic porphyry-epithermal complex associated with a Miocene possibly collapsed/resurgent caldera, emplaced on Ordovician age rocks with major breccia pipes, dacitic domes and hydrothermal breccias. The caldera is 1.6km by 1.8km in dimension with a vertical extent of at least 1km. Mineralization age is similar to Cerro Rico de Potosi and other major deposits such as San Vicente, Chorolque, Tasna and Tatasi located in the same geological trend.

Eloro began underground diamond drilling from the Huayra Kasa underground workings at Iska Iska on September 13, 2020. On November 18, 2020, Eloro announced the discovery of a significant breccia pipe with extensive silver polymetallic mineralization just east of the Huayra Kasa underground workings and a high-grade gold-bismuth zone in the underground workings. On November 24, 2020, Eloro announced the discovery of the SBBP approximately 150m southwest of the Huayra Kasa underground workings.

Subsequently, on January 26, 2021, Eloro announced significant results from the first drilling at the SBBP including the discovery hole DHK-15 which returned 129.60 g Ag eq/t over 257.5m (29.53g Ag/t, 0.078g Au/t, 1.45%Zn, 0.59%Pb, 0.080%Cu, 0.056%Sn, 0.0022%In and 0.0064% Bi from 0.0m to 257.5m. Subsequent drilling has confirmed significant values of Ag-Sn polymetallic mineralization in the SBBP and the adjacent CBP. A substantive mineralized envelope which is open along strike and down-dip extends around both major breccia pipes. Continuous channel sampling of the Santa Barbara Adit located to the east of SBBP returned 442 g Ag eq/t (164.96 g Ag/t, 0.46%Sn, 3.46% Pb and 0.14% Cu) over 166m including 1,092 g Ag eq/t (446 g Ag/t, 9.03% Pb and 1.16% Sn) over 56.19m. The west end of the adit intersects the end of the SBBP.

Since the initial discovery hole, Eloro has released a number of significant drill results in the SBBP and the surrounding mineralized envelope which along with geophysical data has defined an extensive target zone. In its September 20, 2022 press release, the Company reported that new downhole geophysical data have significantly extended the strike length of the high-grade zone at Santa Barbara a further 250m along strike to the south-southeast from existing drilling. The 3D inverse magnetic model which correlates very strongly with the conductive zone suggested that the high-grade feeder zone may extend across the entire caldera for as much as a further 1 km along strike for a total potential strike length of at least 2 km. As reported, the definition drill program was modified to sectionally drill this potential extension to define a major open pittable deposit in the valley of the caldera. As a result, the estimated completion date for the maiden National Instrument 43-101 mineral resource was pushed back to the end of Q1 2023.

The Company completed 84,495m in 122 drill holes for the definition drill program in the Santa Barbara target area as announced on November 27, 2022.

On November 22, 2022, Eloro announced the acquisition of the Mina Casiterita and Mina Hoyada properties covering 14.75 km2 southwest and west of Iska Iska. These properties connect with the TUP-3 and TUP-6 claims previously staked by Eloro. Eloro has also staked additional land in the area. Following the acquisition, the total land package in the Iska Iska area to be controlled by Eloro will total 1,935 quadrants covering 483.75 km2.

Artisanal mining in the 1960s identified high grade tin (Sn) veins on the Mina Casiterita property that are hosted in an intrusive dacite. Production from 1962 to 1964 is reported by the Departamento Nacional de Geologia in Bolivia to be 69.85 tonnes grading 50.60% Sn.

Magnetic surveys recently completed by Eloro have outlined an extensive, near surface, magnetic intrusive body on the Mina Casiterita property immediately southwest of Iska Iska. This intrusive hosts the previously mined high-grade tin veins and is very likely the continuation of the porphyry tin intrusion projected to be below the epithermal Ag-Sn-Zn-Pb mineralization at Iska Iska.

The Porco adit from which previously reported channel sampling returned 103m grading 521 g Ag eq/t (including g 117g Ag/t, 1.44 g Au/t, 0.54% Cu and 0.66% Sn) in altered basement sediments, is located near the northeast part of the magnetic anomaly, attesting to the potential strength and high-grade nature of the mineralized system in the area.

Drilling is planned in the Porco area and on Mina Casiterita commencing in February 2023 with geological mapping, sampling and geophysical surveys now in progress on the full land package across the Iska Iska region.

About Eloro Resources Ltd.

Eloro is an exploration and mine development company with a portfolio of gold and base-metal properties in Bolivia, Peru and Quebec. Through its Bolivian subsidiary, Eloro has an option to acquire a 100% interest in the highly prospective Iska Iska Property, which can be classified as a polymetallic epithermal-porphyry complex, a significant mineral deposit type in the Potosi Department, in southern Bolivia. A recent NI 43-101 Technical Report on Iska Iska, which was completed by Micon International Limited, is available on Eloros website and under its filings on SEDAR. Iska Iska is a road-accessible, royalty-free property. Eloro also owns an 82% interest in the La Victoria Gold/Silver Project, located in the North-Central Mineral Belt of Peru some 50 km south of Barricks Lagunas Norte Gold Mine and Pan American Silvers La Arena Gold Mine.

For further information please contact either Thomas G. Larsen, Chairman and CEO or Jorge Estepa, Vice-President at (416) 868-9168.

Information in this news release may contain forward-looking information. Statements containing forward looking information express, as at the date of this news release, the Companys plans, estimates, forecasts, projections, expectations, or beliefs as to future events or results and are believed to be reasonable based on information currently available to the Company. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate. Actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information.

Neither the TSX nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/b2e3ec73-2187-4597-a77e-c10d10570636
Dublin, April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "RV Rental Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Product (Motorhomes, Conventional Travel Trailer, Campervans, Fifth-wheel Trailer), By End-user, By Booking Mode, By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2022 - 2030" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global RV rental market size is expected to reach USD 1.55 billion by 2030, expanding at a CAGR of 7.4% over the forecast period.

The growth of the global recreational vehicle (RV) rental market is primarily driven by rising consumer interest in camping using RV vehicles, the development of the global camping and glamping industry, and increased participation in outdoor recreational activities.



Over the years, internet usage across the globe has grown at an exponential rate on account of high-speed internet availability at affordable prices. To offer customers a simple and hassle-free experience, RV rental companies have been pushed to change their business models from brick-and-mortar structures to online business models. Online platforms have given travelers access to various recreational vehicle rental groups, private owners, and independent dealers.



Key RV rental companies operating in the global market are taking major initiatives to attract travelers and offer peer-to-peer rental services. For instance, in May 2021 Outdoorsy, Inc., an online RV rental company integrated a new feature that facilitates booking using PayPal Pay in 4 offerings and Roamly's Travel Insurance coverage. Travelers now have the option to reserve their rental and pay for it over time using Pay in 4 from PayPal, which will enable them to experience the affordability of renting an RV, campervan, or trailer on Outdoorsy's platform.



Additionally, market participants are launching their RV rental platforms to make recreational vehicles more accessible and available while also lowering the rental prices of RVs. For instance, in April 2021, Camping World Holdings, Inc. announced the launch of a Peer-to-Peer RV Rental marketplace, named Camping World RV Rentals. The Company's dedication to investing in technology within the RV and outdoor industries to increase customer accessibility to RVing is further expanded by the rental marketplace.

RV Rental Market Report Highlights

Motorhomes were valued at USD 256.7 million in 2021 and are expected to reach USD 461.1 million by 2030. Owing to various features such as insurance, low fuel cost, secure payments, and ventilation control offered at low prices are favoring the segment growth

Group segment is expected to witness substantial growth over the forecast period with a CAGR of 8.3% from 2022 to 2030. An increase in penetration of group traveling among millennials and Gen Z is propelling the market growth

Online booking mode segment is expected to witness a substantial CAGR of 7.8% from 2022 to 2030. Increasing internet penetration among the middle-class population, coupled with the rising use of smartphones and similar devices, is the key factor driving the popularity of online booking modes in the recreational vehicle rental industry

The Asia Pacific regional segment was valued a USD 170.6 million in 2021 and is expected to register a CAGR of 9.1% over the forecast period. The growth in the region is majorly attributed to the increasing outdoor recreational activities, especially in developing countries including India and China

Key Attributes:





Report Attribute Details No. of Pages 83 Forecast Period 2022 - 2030 Estimated Market Value (USD) in 2022 $865.05 Million Forecasted Market Value (USD) by 2030 $1550 Million Compound Annual Growth Rate 7.4% Regions Covered Global





Key Topics Covered:



Chapter 1. Methodology and Scope

Chapter 2. Executive Summary



Chapter 3. Recreational Vehicle Rental Market Variables, Trends & Scope



Chapter 4. Consumer Behavior Analysis



Chapter 5. Recreational Vehicle Rental Market: Product Estimates & Trend Analysis

5.1. Product Movement Analysis & Market Share, 2021 & 2030

5.2. Motorhomes

5.3. Conventional Travel Trailer

5.4. Campervans

5.5. Fifth-Wheel Trailer

5.6. Other



Chapter 6. Recreational Vehicle Rental Market: End-user Estimates & Trend Analysis

6.1. End-user Movement Analysis & Market Share, 2021 & 2030

6.2. Couple Travel

6.3. Family Trip

6.4. Group

6.5. Others



Chapter 7. Recreational Vehicle Rental Market: Booking Mode Estimates & Trend Analysis

7.1. Booking Mode Movement Analysis & Market Share, 2021 & 2030

7.2. Online

7.3. Offline



Chapter 8. Recreational Vehicle Rental Market: Regional Estimates & Trend Analysis



Chapter 9. Competitive Analysis



Chapter 10. Company Profiles



Companies Mentioned

Cruise America

Apollo Rv Holidays

El Monte Rv

McRent

Outdoorsy

Fuji Cars Japan

USA Rv Rental

Rv Share

Motorvana

Camper Travel

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/o09l3

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.

Attachment
New York, April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Oral Solid Dosage Manufacturing Market - Distribution by Type of Finished Dosage Form, Type of Packaging, Scale of Operation, Company Size, Therapeutic Area, and Key Geographical Regions: Industry Trends and Global Forecasts, 2023-2035" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06443479/?utm_source=GNW

Nonetheless, th e demand for oral solid dosage (OSD) forms, including tablets and capsules, remains unparalleled. In fact, over two-thirds of the total drugs prescribed worldwide are dispensed in the form of oral solids. , In addition to being cost effective and relatively more stable as compared to their large molecule counterparts, these orally administered small molecules are patient-centric, and therefore play a critical role in fixing the medication adherence problem. Since the demand for oral solid drugs is rising, the development of modified oral solid formulations (including disintegrating tablets (ODTs), combination products and prolonged-, controlled-, and sustained- release dosage forms) that can improve API solubility and enhance bioavailability can offer the drug developers a huge opportunity to stand out in this mature and competitive market. However, the manufacturing of specialized solid doses, especially those containing highly potent APIs, from early development formulations to scale-up is a complex process that requires multidisciplinary expertise. Consequently, drug developers are increasingly relying on contract service providers with specialized equipment and a trained workforce to navigate the technical and routine operations-related challenges, including those associated with complex formulations, stringent regulatory requirements and multiple suppliers. Considering the immense popularity of oral solid dosage forms, especially amongst the pediatric and geriatric populations, we believe that the demand for conventional as well as modified oral solid formulations is likely to drive commendable growth within the contract manufacturing market in the coming years.



KEY MARKET INSIGHTS

The Oral Solid Dosage Contract Manufacturing Market: Distribution by Type of Finished Dosage Form (Tablets, Capsules, Granules, Powders and Others), Type of Packaging (Blisters, Sachets, Inhalers, Bottles and Others), Scale of Operation (Preclinical, Clinical and Commercial), Company Size (Small, Mid-sized, Large and Very Large), Therapeutic Area (Oncological Disorder, Neurological Disorder, Cardiovascular Disorder, Infectious Disease, Metabolic Disorder, Respiratory Disorder, Immunological Disorder, Genetic Disorder, Gastrointestinal Disorder and Others, and Key Geographical Regions (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East and North Africa): Industry Trends and Global Forecasts, 2023-2035 report features an extensive study of the current market landscape and future opportunity for the players involved in the oral solid dosage contract manufacturing, over a span of 12 years. The report answers the following key questions related to this domain.



Q1. What are the Current Opportunities within the Oral Solid Dosage Contract Manufacturing Market?

Although biologics have provided breakthroughs for the treatment of diseases with unmet medical needs, the approval of orally administered small molecule entities has been on the rise, recently. In fact, around 84% of the best-selling pharmaceuticals are administered orally. In addition, oral solids account for nearly 30% of the small molecules in the development pipeline. The oral solid dosage market is expected to continue to grow at a healthy rate, and as a result, we anticipate a surge in demand for the affiliated development and manufacturing support.



Q2. What is the Current Market Landscape and Recent Trends in the Oral Solid Drug Contract Manufacturing Domain?

Presently, close to 300 companies have the required capabilities to offer oral solid dosage contract manufacturing services across different scales of operation. More than 30% of these players serve as one-stop-shops, possessing an extensive range of capabilities (from formulation and analytical development to quality, regulatory support and commercialization) to meet client requirements. In order to cater to the increasing demand for OSD products, several CMOs and CDMOs have established strategic partnerships with other industry players and carried out expansion projects, thereby differentiating their offerings through niche enabling technologies, formulation expertise and manufacturing capacities, across different scales of operations.



Q3. What are the Key Benefits Offered by Oral Solid Dosage (OSD) Formulations?

Oral solid dosage formulations, including tablets, capsules, granules, sachets, powders, dry powder inhalers, and lozenges represent the most preferred dosage forms that are widely accepted by patients, worldwide. These time-tested means of treatment are relatively easy to manufacture, package and transport, offer good physical and chemical stability, and facilitate simple and accurate dosing. In addition, various coating methods make them easier to swallow, and allow modification of shape and color for aesthetic purposes. Moreover, the low production costs of oral solid formulations make them an economical option for manufacturers, healthcare institutions and patients.



Q4. What is the Need for Contract Manufacturing Organizations (CMOs) and Contract Development and Manufacturing Organizations (CDMOs) in the Oral Solid Dosage Domain?

Despite being the oldest and most-well understood formulation, oral solid dosage development and manufacturing is associated with several complications and challenges, including toxicity associated with potent APIs, complexity of formulations, deviations in quality, utility or transportation disruption and bottlenecks in process scale-up. Further, manufacturing of high-value dosage forms, including pediatric, geriatric, anti-abuse, controlled-release, and taste-masked drugs requires cutting-edge technologies which are expensive to acquire. As a result, around 60-70% of the companies engaged in this domain prefer to outsource their clinical and commercial manufacturing operations to contract manufacturing organizations (CMOs) or contract development and manufacturing organizations (CDMOs), enabling the former to focus on their core research and development competencies.



Q5. What are the Key Challenges Faced by Oral Solid Dosage Contract Manufacturers?

The oral solid dosage contract manufacturing market is highly competitive, as several in-house pharmaceutical operations are being converted to offer CMO services and existing service providers are expanding their service offerings. Moreover, owing to the increase in consolidation within the pharmaceutical industry, the customer base for contract manufacturers is declining. In order to navigate the growing competition, oral solid dosage contract manufacturers are making an active effort to enhance their offerings by manufacturing high and uniform quality products in a cost-effective manner, while accommodating the diverse expectations of sponsor companies.

Q6. What are the Key Trends Shaping the Oral Solid Dosage Contract Manufacturing Industry?

Considering the evolving customer demands and continuous updates in the regulatory requirements, innovator companies and manufacturers of oral solid dosage products must upgrade their capabilities in order to maintain dominance in the overall pharmaceutical sector. From a regulatory perspective, concepts from Industry 4.0, including quality by design (QbD) and process analytical technology (PAT) principles, are increasingly being implemented to optimize and accelerate pharmaceutical processes. In addition, the paradigm shift from batch to continuous manufacturing is instrumental in lowering the investment and operating costs, while concurrently improving the product quality and reducing the time to market. The efforts to develop more agile, responsive, and reproducible manufacturing processes are being combined with the applications of advanced technologies, including track-and trace systems, nano-milling, 3D printing technology, which enable the production of highly engineered drug products in a streamlined manner.



Q7. What is the Market Size of the Oral Solid Dosage Contract Manufacturing Market?

The oral solid dosage form continues to play a major role in the contract manufacturing industry, representing about 60% of the market. In the foreseen future, as several promising leads move into the clinic and / or get commercialized, the oral solid dosage contract manufacturing market is projected to grow at a noteworthy rate, in the period between 2023-2035. The opportunities for growth within this industry primarily exist in the high potency products as well as the niche products, including fixed dose combinations, orally disintegrating tablets, minitablets, flavored chewables, double-layered and multiple-layers tablets. In terms of geography, the oral solid dosage contract manufacturing market in the Asia-Pacific region is anticipated to grow at a relatively faster pace by 2035.



Q8. Who are the Key Players in the Oral Solid Dosage Manufacturing Market?

Examples of key players engaged in this domain (which have also been captured in this report) include Aenova, Alcami, Almac, Cambrex, Catalent, CMIC, Contract Pharmacal, Delpharm, Hetero Drugs, Madras Pharmaceuticals, Micro Labs and Recipharm.



SCOPE OF THE REPORT

The study presents an in-depth analysis, highlighting the capabilities of various stakeholders engaged in this domain, across different geographies. Amongst other elements, the report includes:

An executive summary of the insights captured during our research. It offers a high-level view on the current state of oral solid dosage contract manufacturing market and its likely evolution in the mid-long term.

A general overview of oral solid dosage contract manufacturing, highlighting details on the various types and components of oral solid dosage forms. Additionally, it presents information on the oral solid dosage manufacturing process. Further, it highlights the emerging trends in oral solid dosage manufacturing domain, featuring information on the commonly outsourced manufacturing operations. The chapter concludes with a discussion on key considerations while selecting a CDMO partner, the affiliated risks and future perspectives of growth in this domain.

A detailed assessment of the overall market landscape of the companies offering oral solid dosage contract manufacturing services, based on several relevant parameters, including year of establishment, company size (in terms of number of employees), location of headquarters, company ownership (privately held and publicly owned), type of service provider (CDMOs and CMOs), type of business segment (active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and finished dosage forms (FDFs)) , type of service(s) offered (pre-formulation / formulation development, process development, analytical, scale-up, packaging, regulatory and others), type of finished dosage form(s) manufactured (tablet, capsules, granules, powders and others), type of packaging offered (blisters, sachets / pouches / bags, inhalers, bottles and others), scale(s) of operation (preclinical, clinical, and commercial) and additional manufacturing capabilities (continuous oral solid dosage manufacturing and highly potent oral solid dosage manufacturing. It also features information on the regulatory certifications and accreditations, along with information on the location of manufacturing facilities.

A detailed competitiveness analysis of oral solid dosage contract manufacturing service providers based on supplier strength (in terms of years of experience) and service strength (considering type of service(s) offered, type of finished dosage form(s), type of packaging offered, scale(s) of operation, regulatory certification(s) and location of facilities).

A detailed analysis of the capabilities of oral solid dosage contract manufacturers established across the key geographical regions (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Rest of the World), based on several relevant parameters, including type of type of service(s) offered, type of finished dosage form(s) manufactured, type of packaging offered and scale(s) of operation.

Elaborate profiles of key players engaged in the contract manufacturing of oral solids (shortlisted based on strength of service portfolio). Each profile includes a brief overview of the company, its financial information (if available), details on its oral solid dosage service portfolio, manufacturing capabilities and facilities, and recent developments and an informed future outlook.

An insightful make versus buy framework, highlighting the various factors that need to be taken into consideration by oral solid dosage drug developers, while deciding whether to manufacture their respective products in-house or engage the services of a CMO or CDMO partner.

A detailed analysis of the recent expansions (since 2017) undertaken by various service providers in order to augment their respective oral solid dosage contract manufacturing portfolios, based on a several relevant parameters, including year of expansion, purpose of expansion (capability expansion, capacity expansion, facility expansion, new facility), type of finished dosage form, geographical location of expanded facility, and most active players (in terms of number of expansions).

An estimate of the global installed capacity (in terms of number of oral solid units and volume of API) for the manufacturing of oral solids, based on information provided by various industry stakeholders in the public domain. It also features distribution of the available capacity on the basis of company size (small, mid-sized, large and very large firms), scale of operation (preclinical, clinical and commercial), type of finished dosage form (tablets, capsules, and others) and key geographical regions (North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific and Rest of the World). Overall, the analysis represents a holistic view of the supply-side of the market, allowing us to present an informed opinion on whether the present capacity will be able to meet the likely future demand.

An informed estimate of the annual clinical and commercial demand for oral solids (in terms of volume of API), across key geographical regions and therapeutic areas.

A detailed analysis of the total cost of ownership for an oral solid dosage contract manufacturing service provider, highlighting the expenses associated with the establishment and maintenance of an oral solid dosage manufacturing facility, over a period of 20 years.

A detailed discussion on various guidelines laid down by major regulatory bodies, across different countries, featuring an elaborative assessment of over 300 CMOs engaged in this domain, along with information on their operational approvals, certifications received, and relative popularity of the key regulatory body. Additionally, the chapter features an insightful multi-dimensional bubble analysis, presenting a comparison of the current regulatory scenario in key geographies.

A case study on the current market landscape of taste masking service providers for oral solids, providing information on scale of operation (preclinical / clinical and commercial), manufacturing scalability, other service(s) offered along with information on type of formulation (tablets, granules, capsules, semi-solids and others), end users (pharmaceutical, nutraceutical and others), techniques used for taste masking (hot melt extrusion, microencapsulation, coating, ion exchange resin and others), branch of healthcare (pediatrics, geriatrics and others) and regional capability. Further, the chapter includes the current market landscape of taste masking technology providers, providing information on technology name, techniques used, type of finished dosage form (tablets, capsules, powder and others), end users (pharmaceutical, nutraceutical and others) along with information on patent, availability of technology for partnerships and licensing. In addition, the chapter provides details on the year of establishment, company size and location of headquarters of companies providing taste masking services and technologies for oral solids.

A case study on the overall market landscape of bioavailability enhancement service providers for oral solids, based on several relevant parameters, such as year of establishment, company size (in terms of number of employees), location of headquarters, bioavailability enhancement principle supported (solubility enhancement, absorption enhancement, sustained release and others), bioavailability enhancement approach employed, including [A] solid dispersion (spray-dried dispersion, hot melt extrusion, polymers, agglomeration / granulation, lyophilization, inclusion complexes, super critical fluid, solvent evaporation and other solid dispersion approaches), [B] size reduction (conversion to nanotechnology-based formulation, high pressure homogenization / micronization, bead layering, microfluidics, and other miscellaneous size reduction approach), [C] lipid-based (liposomes, self-emulsifying drug delivery system, excipients, micelles, lipid-nanotechnology based formulations and other lipid-based formulations), and other bioavailability enhancement approaches (co-crystallization, chemical modification, and other miscellaneous bioavailability enhancement technologies), type of dosage form supported (solids, fine particles and semi-solids).



One of the key objectives of the report was to estimate the current opportunity and the future growth potential of the oral solid dosage contract manufacturing market over the coming years. We have provided an informed estimate on the likely evolution of the market for the period, 2023-2035. Our year-wise projections of the current and forecasted opportunity have been further segmented based on relevant parameters, including type of finished dosage form (tablets, capsules, granules, powders and others), type of packaging (blisters, sachets, inhalers, bottles and others), scale of operation (preclinical, clinical and commercial), company size (small, mid-sized, large and very large), therapeutic areas (oncological disorder, neurological disorder, cardiovascular disorder, infectious disease, metabolic disorder, respiratory disorder, immunological disorder, genetic disorder, gastrointestinal disorder and others), and key geographical regions (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East and North Africa). In order to account for future uncertainties associated with some of the key parameters and to add robustness to our model, we have provided three market forecast scenarios, portraying the conservative, base and optimistic scenarios of the industrys evolution.



All actual figures have been sourced and analyzed from publicly available information forums and primary research discussions. Financial figures mentioned in this report are in USD, unless otherwise specified.





FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Question 1: What is the global market size of oral solid dosage contract manufacturing market?

Answer: The current oral solid contract manufacturing market size is anticipated to be over USD 30 billion.



Question 2: Which are the top players in the oral solid dosage contract manufacturing market?

Answer: Presently, close to 300 companies are engaged in offering oral solid dosage contract manufacturing market, worldwide. The top players engaged in this domain (which have also been captured in this report) include Aenova, Alcami, Almac, Cambrex, Catalent, CMIC, Contract Pharmacal, Delpharm, Hetero Drugs, Madras Pharmaceuticals, Micro Labs and Recipharm.



Question 3: How many contract service providers possess capabilities to handle oral solid therapies based on highly potent APIs (HPAPIs)?

Answer: Over 40% of the contract service providers engaged in this domain claim to have the requisite capabilities for the safe handling and containment of highly potent oral solids.



Question 4: What are the factors driving the oral solid dosage contract manufacturing market?

Answer: The factors driving the oral solid dosage contract manufacturing market include the emergence of virtual pharmaceutical companies, and the surge in demand for novel oral solid formulations, such as such as pediatric / geriatric, taste-masked, abuse-deterrent and control release products that improve patient compliance.



Question 5: Which region has the highest market share in the oral solid dosage contract manufacturing market?

Answer: North America captures around 60% share in the current oral solid dosage contract manufacturing market, followed by Europe.



Question 6: What are the leading market segments in the oral solid dosage contract manufacturing market?

Answer: Currently, the oral solid dosage contract manufacturing market is dominated by tablet and capsule formulations. This can be attributed to several advantages offered by these dosage forms, including portability, ease in swallowing, excellent bioavailability and medical adherence. Further, in terms of company size, established players (with over 10,000 employees) are likely to capture over 50% of the current and future market, owing to their enhanced capabilities and huge production capacities.



Question 7: What is the growth rate (CAGR) in the oral solid dosage contract manufacturing market?

Answer: The oral solid dosage contract manufacturing market size is projected to grow at a CAGR of ~6% in the coming years.



Question 8: What are the upcoming trends in the oral solid dosage contract manufacturing market?

Answer: The market is presently witnessing the adoption of Industry 4.0 concepts, such as QbD and PAT. Further, several service providers are establishing / expanding their continuous manufacturing lines for the production of oral solids, thereby reducing manufacturing cost (by 15-30%), manpower (by 50-70%) and power consumption (by 40%).



Question 9: What are the current initiatives undertaken by big pharma players engaged in the oral solid dosage contract manufacturing market?

Answer: In order to tap the lucrative opportunity in this rapidly growing market, big pharma players have undertaken several initiatives, including strengthening product portfolio, establishing agreements, acquisitions and making investments. For instance, in August 2022, Catalent acquired Metrics Contract Services for USD 475 million to expand its high-potent and oral solid dosage manufacturing capabilities.



CHAPTER OUTLINES

Chapter 1 is a preface providing an introduction to the full report, Oral Solid Dosage Contract Manufacturing Market, 2023-2035.



Chapter 2 is an executive summary of the key insights captured in our research. It offers a high-level view on the current state of the oral solid dosage contract manufacturing market and its likely evolution in the short to mid-term and long term.



Chapter 3 provides a general overview of oral solid dosage contract manufacturing, highlighting details on the various types and components of oral solid dosage forms. Additionally, it presents information on oral solid dosage manufacturing process, featuring information on operations that are commonly outsourced to CDMOs and CMOs. The chapter concludes with a discussion on key considerations while selecting a CDMO partner, the affiliated risks and future perspectives of growth in this domain.



Chapter 4 includes detailed assessment of the overall market landscape of the companies offering oral solid dosage contract manufacturing services, based on several relevant parameters, including year of establishment, company size (in terms of number of employees), location of headquarters, company ownership (privately held and publicly owned), type of service provider (CDMOs and CMOs), type of business segment (active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and finished dosage forms (FDFs)), , type of service(s) offered (pre-formulation / formulation development, process development, analytical, scale-up, packaging, regulatory and others), type of finished form(s) manufactured (tablet, capsules, granules, powders and others), type of packaging offered (blisters, sachets / pouches / bags, inhalers, bottles and others) and scale(s) of operation (preclinical, clinical, and commercial) and additional manufacturing capabilities (continuous oral solid dosage manufacturing and highly potent oral solid dosage manufacturing). It also features information on the regulatory certifications and accreditations, along with information on the location of manufacturing facilities.



Chapter 5 presents a detailed competitiveness analysis of oral solid dosage contract manufacturing service providers based on supplier strength (in terms of years of experience) and service strength (considering type of service(s) offered, type of finished dosage form(s), type of packaging, scale(s) of operation, regulatory certification(s) and location of facilities).



Chapter 6 includes a detailed analysis of the capabilities of oral solid dosage contract manufacturers established across the key geographical regions (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Rest of the World), based on several relevant parameters, including type of service(s) offered, type of finished dosage form(s), type of packaging offered and scale(s) of operation.



Chapter 7 features profiles of key players engaged in the contract manufacturing of oral solids (shortlisted based on strength of service portfolio). Each profile includes a brief overview of the company, its financial information (if available) along with information on its oral solid dosage service portfolio, manufacturing capabilities and facilities, and recent developments and an informed future outlook.



Chapter 8 provides an insightful make versus buy framework, highlighting the various factors that need to be taken into consideration by oral solid dosage drug developers, while deciding whether to manufacture their respective products in-house or engage the services of a CMO or CDMO partner.



Chapter 9 presents a detailed analysis of the recent expansions (since 2017) undertaken by various service providers in order to augment their respective oral solid dosage contract manufacturing portfolios, based on a several relevant parameters, including year of expansion, purpose of expansion (capability expansion, capacity expansion, facility expansion, new facility), type of finished dosage form manufactured, geographical location of expanded facility, and most active players (in terms of number of expansions).



Chapter 10 presents an estimate of the global, installed capacity (in terms of number of oral solid units and volume of API) for the manufacturing of oral solids, based on information provided by various industry stakeholders in the public domain. It also features distribution of the available capacity on the basis of company size (small, mid-sized, large and very large firms), scale of operation (preclinical, clinical and commercial), type of finished dosage form (tablets, capsules, others), and key geographical regions (North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific and Rest of the World). Overall, the analysis represents a holistic view of the supply-side of the market, allowing us to present an informed opinion on whether the present capacity will be able to meet the likely future demand.



Chapter 11 includes an informed estimate of the annual clinical and commercial demand for oral solids (in terms of volume of API), across key geographical regions and therapeutic areas.



Chapter 12 provides a detailed analysis of the total cost of ownership for an oral solid dosage contract manufacturing service provider, highlighting the expenses associated with the establishment and maintenance of an oral solid dosage manufacturing facility, over a period of 20 years.



Chapter 13 features a detailed discussion on various guidelines laid down by major regulatory bodies, across different countries, featuring an elaborative assessment of over 300 CMOs engaged in this domain, along with information on their operational approvals, certifications received, and relative popularity of the key regulatory body. Additionally, the chapter features an insightful multi-dimensional bubble analysis, presenting a comparison of the current regulatory scenario in key geographies.



Chapter 14 features a case study on the current market landscape of taste masking service providers for oral solids, providing information on scale(s) of operation (preclinical / clinical and commercial), manufacturing scalability, other service(s) offered along with information on type of finished dosage form (tablets, granules, capsules, semi-solids and others), end users (pharmaceutical, nutraceutical and others), techniques used for taste masking (hot melt extrusion, microencapsulation, coating, ion exchange resin and others), branch of healthcare (pediatrics, geriatrics and others) and regional capability. Further, the chapter includes the current market landscape of taste masking technology providers, providing information on technology name, techniques used, type of finished dosage form (tablets, capsules, powder and others), end users (pharmaceutical, nutraceutical and others) along with information on patent, availability of technology for partnerships and licensing. In addition, the chapter provides details on the year of establishment, company size and location of headquarters of companies providing taste masking services and technologies for oral solids.



Chapter 15 features a case study on the overall market landscape of bioavailability enhancement service providers for oral solids, based on several relevant parameters, such as year of establishment, company size (in terms of number of employees), location of headquarters, bioavailability enhancement principle supported (solubility enhancement, absorption enhancement, sustained release and others), bioavailability enhancement approach employed, including [A] solid dispersion (spray-dried dispersion, hot melt extrusion, polymers, agglomeration / granulation, lyophilization, inclusion complexes, super critical fluid, solvent evaporation and other solid dispersion approaches), [B] size reduction (conversion to nanotechnology-based formulation, high pressure homogenization / micronization, bead layering, microfluidics, and other miscellaneous size reduction approach), [C] lipid-based (liposomes, self-emulsifying drug delivery system, excipients, micelles, lipid-nanotechnology based formulations and other lipid-based formulations), and other bioavailability enhancement approaches (co-crystallization, chemical modification, and other miscellaneous bioavailability enhancement technologies), type of dosage form supported (solids, fine particles and semi-solids).

Chapter 16 presents a market forecast and opportunity analysis, highlighting the future potential of the market till 2035. We have segregated the current and upcoming opportunity based on type of finished dosage form (tablets, capsules, granules, powders and others), type of packaging offered (blisters, sachets, inhalers, bottles and others), scale of operation (preclinical, clinical and commercial), company size (small, mid-sized, large and very large), therapeutic areas (oncological disorder, neurological disorder, cardiovascular disorder, infectious disease, metabolic disorder, respiratory disorder, immunological disorder, genetic disorder, gastrointestinal disorder and others), and key geographical regions (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Lat

Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06443479/?utm_source=GNW



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__________________________
Dublin, April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Fetal Monitoring, Diagnostics and Predictive Tests" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.





This report aims to provide a comprehensive study of the global market for fetal monitoring, diagnostics, and predictive tests, both in terms of quantitative and qualitative data, to help businesses develop growth strategies, assess the market landscape, analyze their positions in the current marketplace, and make informed business decisions regarding fetal monitoring, diagnostics, and predictive tests.

Worldwide, there is an increase of high-risk pregnancies that has necessitated the applications of high-level fetal and maternal monitoring during pregnancies. Healthcare vendors are constantly developing and offering new technologies to meet the challenges posed by complicated pregnancies. In most developed countries, multiple births account for about 2%-4% of all live births. Though the number of multiple births has been stabilizing in recent years, in the U.S., for every 100,000 live births, 162 births have been reported to be triplets.



Pregnancies have become complicated due to changes in lifestyles of women, conception after age 35 or as a teenager, obesity and diabetes in childbearing age and the success of assisted-reproduction.

Physical and emotional disorders that have an impact on the health of the pregnant or postpartum individual, their baby, or both are examples of pregnancy complications. Complication-causing physical and psychological disorders can develop before, during, or after pregnancy. To reduce the risk of pregnancy difficulties, it is crucial for anybody who may become pregnant to receive medical attention before, throughout, and after pregnancy. Some of the common complications associated with pregnancies are:

Anemia

Anemia is characterized by having fewer healthy red blood cells than is typical. Anemia patients may experience fatigue and weakness. Because the body requires more iron than usual while pregnant, pregnant people are more prone to develop iron-deficiency anemia. Throughout pregnancy, a doctor will assess the person's red blood cell count. If at all possible, treating the underlying cause of anemia can aid in increasing the quantity of healthy red blood cells. To assist prevent and treat anemia, a doctor could also advise taking iron and/or folic acid pills.

Anxiety

Disorders of anxiety are prevalent before, during, and after pregnancy. A pregnant person may suffer with uncontrollable emotions of anxiety, uneasiness, fear, concern, and/or panic if they have an anxiety disorder. These emotions may be strong and last for a while. Additionally, the pregnant person may struggle with daily tasks like work or school as well as relationships. Depression and anxiety problems frequently coexist. It's critical to receive therapy for anxiety before, during, and after pregnancy.

Report Includes

Detailed overview and an up-to-date analysis of the global market for fetal monitoring, prenatal diagnostics, and predictive tests

Analyses of the global market trends, with historic market revenue for 2019-2021, 2022, and projections of compound annual growth rates (CAGRs) through 2027

Highlights of the current and future market potential for fetal monitoring products, diagnostic and predictive tests, along with a detailed analysis of the competitive environment, industry trends, opportunities and penetration of emerging technologies within the industry

Estimation of the actual market size and revenue forecast for fetal monitoring and related markets in USD million values, and its corresponding market share analysis based on the product type, sample type, test type, end user, and region

A comparative study of each category of fetal monitoring and diagnosis in addition to new technologies and developments, manufacturer and supplier competition, and the changing environment of the market due to the increasing awareness of expectant mothers

Updated information on the key mergers and acquisition deals, agreements, collaborations and other impactful strategies adopted by key players in the global market for fetal monitoring products, diagnostic and predictive tests

Identification of the major stakeholders and analysis of the company competitive landscape based on their recent market developments, financial performance, and segmental revenues

Descriptive company profiles of the leading global players, including Abbott Laboratories, Abcam plc, Ansh Labs LLC, Beckman Coulter Inc., Contect Medical Systems Co. Ltd., and Dragerwerk AG & Co. KGaA

Key Attributes:





Report Attribute Details No. of Pages 235 Forecast Period 2022 - 2027 Estimated Market Value (USD) in 2022 $10.4 Billion Forecasted Market Value (USD) by 2027 $13.6 Billion Compound Annual Growth Rate 5.6% Regions Covered Global

Key Topics Covered:

Chapter 1 Introduction

Chapter 2 Summary and Highlights

Chapter 3 Market and Technology Background

Chapter 4 Emerging/Upcoming Technologies in the Market

Chapter 5 Regulatory Structure

Chapter 6 Market Breakdown by Application

Chapter 7 Impact of Covid-19 on the Market

Chapter 8 Competitive Landscape

Chapter 9 Company Profiles

Companies Mentioned





Abbott Laboratories

Abcam plc

Ambisea Technology Corp. Ltd.

Ansh Labs LLC

Atom Medical Corp.

Aviva Systems Biology LLC

Beckman Coulter Inc.

Berry Genomics

Bionet America Inc.

Bistos Co. Ltd.

Contec Medical Systems Co. Ltd.

Coopersurgical Inc.

Creative Diagnostics

Diagnostic Automation/Cortez Diagnostics Inc.

Demeditec Diagnostics GmbH

Dragerwerk AG & Co.

Dre Inc.

Drg International Inc.

Eagle Biosciences Inc.

Edan Instruments Inc.

Esaote Spa

Fukuda Denshi Co. Ltd.

Ge Healthcare Ltd.

General Meditech Inc.

Hitachi Medical Systems America Inc.

Hologic Inc.

Huntleigh Healthcare LLC

Illumina Inc.

Infinium Medical Inc.

Institute of Isotopes Co. Ltd.

Leinco Technologies Inc.

Lifewave Biomedical Inc.

Lutech Industries Inc.

M&B Electronic Instruments Co. Ltd.

Medgyn Products Inc.

Mediana Co. Ltd.

Medical Econet GmbH

Medichecks Ltd.

Mindchild Medical Inc.

Mindray Medical International Ltd.

Monobind Inc.

Myriad Genetics Inc.

Natera Inc.

Natus Medical Inc.

Nemo Healthcare Bv

Neoventa Medical Ab

Nihon Kohden Corp.

Nonin Medical Inc.

Ob Tools Ltd.

Penlon Ltd.

Perkinelmer Life and Analytical Sciences Inc.

Phoenix Pharmaceuticals Inc.

Premaitha Health Ltd.

Quest Diagnostics Inc.

Ravgen

Raybiotech Inc.

Respironics Inc. (Philips)

Sequenom Inc.

Shenzhen Aeon Technology Co. Ltd.

Shenzhen Comen Medical Instruments Co. Ltd.

Shenzhen Jumper Medical Equipment Co. Ltd.

Siemens Healthcare

Sinohero Biomedical Electronics Co. Ltd.

Smiths Medical Inc.

Spacelabs Healthcare Inc.

Toshiba America Medical Systems Inc.

Uscn Life Sciences Inc.

Ultrasound Technologies Ltd.

United Bioresearch Inc.

Utah Medical Products Inc.

Vcomin Technology Ltd.

Welch Allyn Inc.

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/w1wg5q

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.

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Detroit, Michigan, April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Artificial Intelligence Technology Solutions, Inc., (the Company) (OTCPK:AITX), a global leader in AI-driven security and productivity solutions today announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, Robotic Assistance Devices, Inc. (RAD), has received more than 700 enclosures for its best-selling security robot ROSA at the Companys manufacturing facility, the REX, in Detroit, Michigan.



As ROSAs sales velocity accelerated last summer, we made the strategic decision to order a large quantity of the devices enclosure, said Steve Reinharz, CEO of AITX and RAD. Im so glad we did. Weve since announced three additional solutions that utilize the same ROSA enclosure: RIO, RIO Mini and ROSA-P. Just like the original ROSA, these new devices are selling well, the REX and the entire Company is gearing up to build and deploy more.

It is not unusual for dealers or end-users to request quick delivery of ROSA units, said Mark Folmer, CPP, FSyI, President of RAD. RAD's clients are increasingly recognizing the capabilities of ROSA in resolving complex security issues while minimizing expenses and reducing the need for human guard deployments. With these ROSA enclosures, we should soon be able to deploy almost any ROSA order in a short period of time.

RAD had previously disclosed that ROSA 3.0 and soon to be announced ROSA 4.0 unit costs are 50% of the previous production models. These cost reductions are attributed to the bulk enclosure purchases, and by utilizing RAD-Gs RADPack Mili controller that has replaced most existing internal hardware. The Company is focused on reducing costs by tightly integrating components developed in-house, enhancing our purchasing prowess, and fortifying our manufacturing capabilities at the REX. Our efforts in this direction have yielded positive outcomes and we are currently making significant progress towards achieving our objectives, Reinharz commented.

ROSA is a multiple award-winning, compact, self-contained, portable, security and communication solution that can be deployed in about 15 minutes. Like other RAD solutions, it only requires power as it includes all necessary communications hardware. ROSAs AI-driven security analytics include human, firearm, vehicle detection, license plate recognition, responsive digital signage and audio messaging, and complete integration with RADs software suite notification and autonomous response library. Two-way communication is optimized for cellular, including live video from ROSAs dual high-resolution, full-color, always-on cameras. RAD has published three Case Studies detailing how ROSA has helped eliminate instances of theft, trespassing and loitering at car rental locations and construction sites across the country.

AITX, through its subsidiary, Robotic Assistance Devices, Inc. (RAD), is redefining the $25 billion (US) security and guarding services industry through its broad lineup of innovative, AI-driven Solutions-as-a-Service business model. RAD solutions are specifically designed to provide a cost savings to businesses of between 35%-80% when compared to the industrys existing and costly manned security guarding and monitoring model. RAD delivers this tremendous costs savings via a suite of stationary and mobile robotic solutions that complement, and at times, directly replace the need for human personnel in environments better suited for machines. All RAD technologies, AI-based analytics and software platforms are developed in-house.

RAD has a prospective sales pipeline of over 35 Fortune 500 companies and numerous other client opportunities. RAD expects to continue to attract new business as it converts its existing sales opportunities into deployed clients generating a recurring revenue stream. Each Fortune 500 client has the potential of making numerous reorders over time.

CAUTIONARY DISCLOSURE ABOUT FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

The information contained in this publication does not constitute an offer to sell or solicit an offer to buy securities of Artificial Intelligence Technology Solutions, Inc. (the "Company"). This publication contains forward-looking statements, which are not guarantees of future performance and may involve subjective judgment and analysis. The information provided herein is believed to be accurate and reliable, however the Company makes no representations or warranties, expressed or implied, as to its accuracy or completeness. The Company has no obligation to provide the recipient with additional updated information. No information in this publication should be interpreted as any indication whatsoever of the Company's future revenues, results of operations, or stock price.

About Artificial Intelligence Technology Solutions (AITX)

AITX is an innovator in the delivery of artificial intelligence-based solutions that empower organizations to gain new insight, solve complex challenges and fuel new business ideas. Through its next-generation robotic product offerings, AITXs RAD, RAD-M and RAD-G companies help organizations streamline operations, increase ROI, and strengthen business. AITX technology improves the simplicity and economics of patrolling and guard services and allows experienced personnel to focus on more strategic tasks. Customers augment the capabilities of existing staffs and gain higher levels of situational awareness, all at drastically reduced cost. AITX solutions are well suited for use in multiple industries such as enterprises, government, transportation, critical infrastructure, education, and healthcare. To learn more, visit www.aitx.ai, www.stevereinharz.com, www.radsecurity.com , www.radgroup.ai, and www.radlightmyway.com, or follow Steve Reinharz on Twitter @SteveReinharz .

###

Steve Reinharz

949-636-7060

@SteveReinharz

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HAMILTON, BERMUDA , April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via CryptoCurrencyWire -- Penrose Partners , a global blockchain advisory firm, today unveiled the agenda for The 4th Annual International Technology Summit , taking place April 1114, 2023, at the Fairmont Hamilton Princess in Hamilton, Bermuda. The event will be hosted in partnership with 3iQ Corp ., a Canadian digital asset investment firm that launched the worlds first publicly traded Bitcoin investment fund (TSX: QBTC.U), and the Government of Bermudas Economic Development Department.



This years conference is incredibly timely, said Sean Stapley, Penrose Partners. Attendees and speakers will discuss how the digital asset industry can move forward by building stronger and more resilient ecosystems. Were navigating uncharted waters right now with increased regulatory oversight, and this presents an opportunity to build bridges between a new generation of infrastructure and traditional financial institutions."

Featured speakers include Pascal St-Jean, the President of 3iQ Corp., Mike McGlone, Senior Commodity Strategist at Bloomberg Intelligence, Liat Shetret, Director of Global Policy and Regulation at Elliptic, and many more of the worlds leading innovators. Event sponsors include: 3iQ Corp, the Government of Bermudas Economic Development Department, Bittrex Global, Relm Insurance, the Bermuda Economic Development Corporation, Aon, Zeeve, Alpha Innovations, Warwick Capital, JMRConnect, and Continental Management Limited with others still to be announced.



The International Technology Summit will bring together innovators, regulators, and executives from Canada, the United States (US), Bermuda, India, the United Kingdom (UK), and other countries, to explore the latest breakthroughs in blockchain, artificial intelligence, and fintech.

Im excited to return to Bermuda for this seminal event, to explore the rich tech ecosystem thats evolving out of the territorys innovative approach to the regulation of digital assets and related technologies, added Michael Casey from CoinDesk.

This years event includes numerous interactive panel discussions that will address key elements across building core infrastructure through bear markets, the regulation and evolution of DeFi and digital assets, and what the future of insurance will look like. The day will close out with a fireside conversation between The Hon. E. David Burt, JP, MP; Premier of Bermuda, and CoinDesk Chief Content Officer, Michael Casey, at the Fairmont Hamilton Princess.

On April 12, the Government of Bermudas Economic Development Department and the Bermuda Economic Development Corporation will co-host a career fair and community education day alongside Penrose Partners. Local startups, international tech leaders, and investors will gather at the Ignite incubator in Hamilton to better understand the many opportunities through which to capitalize on economic growth and local tech adoption.

Thursday April 13th will feature a virtual startup pitch competition globally connecting founders and investors, followed by leisure activities, networking, and an outdoor afterparty on Friday the 14th.

Penrose invites technologists, futurists, and investors in Bermuda and from around the world to join the conference to discuss the benefits of emerging technologiesnot just for businesses and governments but for our overall social, economic, and environmental sustainability.

To purchase in-person tickets or register for the virtual broadcast on April 11th, visit the event page .





About the International Technology Summit

The goal of the Summit is to bring together leaders, regulators, and innovators from around the world to explore the latest breakthroughs in digital assets and blockchain technology.

Broadcast from beautiful Bermuda, the conference will convene both virtual and in-person attendees to explore how the islands regulations and sandbox environment are providing the perfect base of operations for digital asset businesses. Special attention will be given to how innovators are addressing gaps in compliance, risk, insurance, and other crucial infrastructure for a secure digital economy. Learn more at https://www.internationaltechsummit.com/

About Penrose Partners

Founded in 2019 by blockchain industry veterans, Penrose Partners are trusted emerging technology consultants on a mission to help strategic stakeholders transform the worlds economies through blockchain-based innovations. The firm has worked with top startups, governments and institutions to facilitate the adoption of blockchain technology.

Wire Service Contact

CryptoCurrencyWire

1202 Lexington Ave. Suite 117-CCW

New York, New York 10028

editor@cryptocurrencywire.com

(212) 994-9818

https://cryptocurrencywire.com/

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EDMONTON, Alberta, April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, EVER Real Estate Developments announces multiple businesses opening new locations at EVER Square, the seven-building development on Calgary Trail and Gateway Blvd, just north of Whitemud Drive. The site is the future home of national franchises, local wellness providers, and professional firms in the real estate industry, including:



Fillmore Construction

Great Canadian Oil Change (Valvoline)

EVER Square Medical & Pharmasave

Stacked Pancake House

Oodle Noodle

Osmows Shawarma

RE/MAX Excellence Commercial Division

EVER Real Estate Developments

The site welcomes familiar brands expanding their market in Edmonton with a signature, high profile location, as well as franchises entering the Edmonton market.



Our objective is to build a destination for Edmontonians. Whether youre visiting the site as an employee, wellness patient, or restaurant patron, youre first taking advantage of the convenience, and then the additional amenities on site. The business mix is therefore very important, and our team is working to bring unique, first-rate companies to EVER Square, said Sam Narayan, Partner and President.

Industry partners collaborated in structuring these deals, with Cushman and Wakefield bringing Great Canadian Oil Change, a division of Valvoline, to EVER Square.

EVER Square

4607 Calgary Trail NW, Edmonton

EVER Square is paving the way for enlivened architecture and Class A businesses to change the landscape along the Calgary Trail & Gateway Blvd corridor.

The development consists of a six-story professional office tower with underground parking, four national drive-thrus, a lube service station, and single-story retail building. Construction is currently underway for the approximately 110,000 sq. ft. site and is anticipated to reach substantial completion in Q3 2024.

Limited vacancy remains within the professional office tower. Visit Eversquare.ca for more information.

Business Profiles



Fillmore Construction

Fillmore Construction has been a leading commercial general contractor in the Alberta and Western Canada market for over 32 years. With offices strategically located in Edmonton and Kelowna, Fillmore executes over $150 million in revenue annually for some of Canada's most prominent brands across the Prairie and Pacific regions.

We are delighted to announce the relocation of our head office to EVER Square - a unique and well-designed building that promises to enhance the experience of our employees, clients, and partners. We eagerly anticipate the vast array of amenities and services that will be available right at our doorstep and in the neighboring area, said Chris Fillmore, President

Great Canadian Oil Change

Great Canadian Oil Change (GCOC), a division of Valvoline, is 118 stores strong with 23 company owned and 95 franchisee owned locations. Its quick lube model is all about trusted service and keeping your vehicle safe and operating at its peak. The brand was founded in Saskatoon in 1978 and acquired by Valvoline in 2018. Since acquiring the Great Canadian Oil Change brand, Valvoline also acquired 5 Minit Lube stores and 31 Oil Changers stores. GCOC is the third largest quick lube chain in Canada and our store footprint covers all Western Canada provinces and Ontario. The drive-thru oil change experience, modeled after Valvoline's Instant Oil Change business, lets you stay in your car during your service so that you dont have to go to a waiting room. They offer oil changes in about 15 minutes, plus a full menu of expert preventive maintenance services. No appointments are necessary, and their services are warranty approved.

Stacked Pancake House

Stacked Pancake House is making its debut in the Edmonton market, with plans to open multiple locations in 2023/2024 including EVER Square. Currently Stacked has two restaurants in Calgary with a third under construction. This is in addition to the 40 restaurants operating in Ontario.

Stacked Pancake & Breakfast House is a family breakfast and lunch hotspot that focuses on combining quality food with quality service. Their menu consists of home cooked breakfast and lunch dishes combined with specialty pancakes, waffles, and French toast.

Oodle Noodle

Oodle Noodle is a quick serve Asian fusion franchise with 16 stores in the Edmonton and area, with new expansion into Southern Alberta (2 stores and counting). The franchise is excited to open a new store in EVER Square, a new development along Gateway Boulevard, which will allow is us to Deliver the Heat to the surrounding areas.

According to President Jay Downton, "We are very excited to be a part of EVER Square, its a great location that allows us to better serve the communities around it.

The franchise's founder, Son Pham, had a vision of owning a Noodle Factory and building a store network to serve his delicious noodles in a fun and playful environment. Oodle Noodle is committed to quality, locally sourced ingredients, and community engagement which has made it a beloved staple in the Edmonton area, and they are excited to continue growing and expanding.

Osmows

Osmows Shawarma has more than 140 outlets across North America, and is opening their fifth location in Edmonton at EVER Square in 2024. Since opening the doors to its first location in 2001, today Osmows is one of North Americas fastest growing quick-service restaurant chains. Serving the best Shawarmas in North America, Osmows pita wraps offer a choice of Chicken, Beef, Lamb, Beyond Meat, Falafel, or Veggie. The extensive menu also includes delicious Signature Creations such as on the ROCKS & on the STIX & Canadian classics such as Shawarma Poutine. Osmows is Proudly Canadian and family run since 2001.

EVER Square Medical & Pharmasave

EVER Square Medical is an all-encompassing healthcare collective that offers limitless care and support, including a comprehensive list of services for patients. They are leaders in the Medical and Pharmacy industry and support health care professionals in the highest level of professionalism.

EVER Real Estate Developments & RE/MAX Excellence Commercial Division

EVER Real Estate Developments & RE/MAX Excellence Commercial Division will occupy the top floor of the professional tower at EVER Square. Sister companies are co-owned under the same partnership group and look forward to continued growth opportunities and synergies with future shared office space.

EVER Real Estate Developments develops quality retail, professional, and multifamily assets in Edmonton, AB.

RE/MAX Excellence Commercial Division has been globally recognized 5 times in the past 6 years as the leading RE/MAX Commercial Team, worldwide.
Dublin, April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Global Network Performance Monitoring Market Size, Share & Industry Trends Analysis Report By End User, By Enterprise Size, By Component, By Regional Outlook and Forecast, 2022-2028" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



The Global Network Performance Monitoring Market size is expected to reach $3.2 billion by 2028, rising at a market growth of 6.9% CAGR during the forecast period.

Key Market Players

List of Companies Profiled in the Report:

Broadcom, Inc

Microsoft Corporation

Cisco Systems, Inc

Juniper Networks, Inc

Keysight Technologies, Inc

SolarWinds Worldwide, LLC

LogicMonitor, Inc

Paessler AG

Profitap HQ B.V

Nagios Enterprises, LLC

The process of visualizing, monitoring, optimizing, debugging, and reporting on the availability and health of the network as experienced by the users is known as network performance monitoring. Network performance monitoring (NPM) systems can use different types of telemetry, including network flow data, packed data, and device metrics, like SNMP, WMI, API, synthetic tests, CLI, and logs.



Additionally, packets are necessary for anything done on the network because they transport data between nodes. With the advancement in technology, the complexity of network management has increased. This is due to the prevalence of hybrid configurations among businesses today, which combine on-premise servers with cloud-based services.



Consequently, most companies want to establish a reliable network performance monitoring system. The company's success will depend on how well the network operates. In particular, if the network is down even for a few moments, the company could experience serious implications. In the event of data loss or theft, network monitoring is a modern technology that is used to trace and monitor computer networks.



It alerts or warns the network administrator in case of data loss and theft. Due to faulty devices' influence on network performance, ongoing network monitoring is essential. These systems continuously collect enormous amounts of data, which enables data to be filtered to find any anomalies using network monitoring tools. As a result, enterprises, cloud services, and telecommunications leverage these technologies. In addition, innovations in the electronics device and system sectors improve and modernize network monitoring systems.



Market Growth Factors

Growing need for robust network monitoring tools to address issues with outages.



Downtime, lost productivity, and even security issues can occur when network equipment fails. While hardware issues and malfunctions might bring the entire network to a complete halt, high processing or network utilization can painfully slow down operations.

These problems can be quickly identified and corrected with the help of network performance monitoring tools. Network monitoring saves costs for the company by minimizing downtime.

Many network monitoring technologies also add value by automatically integrating new devices, specifying network layouts, and revealing malicious activities or potential security breaches. In the upcoming years, the industry will have profitable growth prospects as a result of these factors.



Rising internet of things (IOT) expansion and the bring-your-own-device (BYOD) trend.



Employees are increasingly being provided personal mobile applications and devices to use for both personal and business purposes under the term 'bring your own device' or BYOD. Mobile device adoption has significantly increased as a result of organizations' greater support for BYOD.

The availability of a plethora of services, applications, and capabilities has increased the accessibility of storage, transmission, and receiving of large volumes of data on mobile devices. Passwords, credit card numbers, and usernames are among the sensitive data stored on mobile devices. Therefore, during the forecast period, these factors drive the growth of the network performance monitoring market.



Market Restraining Factor

Exorbitant costs related to network monitoring.



As more corporate functions go online, businesses must update their networks to provide capacity and new features. In addition to managing standard IT applications, networks increasingly need to serve a variety of business services like video conferencing and telephony, which require additional network bandwidth.

Additionally, multicasting protocols, autoconfiguration protocols, protocols for new endpoint devices, and IP virtualization capabilities are required to deploy new services on shared network infrastructure. As a result, the high implementation costs for NPM solutions are severely impeding the market's expansion for network performance monitoring.



Scope of the Study

Market Segments Covered in the Report:

By End User

IT & Telecom Service Providers

Cloud Service Providers

Governments & Public Sector Units

Others

By Enterprise Size

Large Enterprises

Small & Medium Sized Enterprises

By Component

Hardware

Network Performance Monitoring Platforms

Network Terminal Access Points (TAPs)

Network Access Control (NAC) Appliances

Network Packet Brokers (NPBs) Appliances

Service

By Geography

North America

US

Canada

Mexico

Rest of North America

Europe

Germany

UK

France

Russia

Spain

Italy

Rest of Europe

Asia Pacific

China

Japan

India

South Korea

Singapore

Malaysia

Rest of Asia Pacific

LAMEA

Brazil

Argentina

UAE

Saudi Arabia

South Africa

Nigeria

Rest of LAMEA

Key Attributes:

Report Attribute Details No. of Pages 288 Forecast Period 2021 - 2028 Estimated Market Value (USD) in 2021 $2029.8 Million Forecasted Market Value (USD) by 2028 $3201.6 Million Compound Annual Growth Rate 6.9% Regions Covered Global

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/ixcpo5

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.

Attachment
NEW YORK, April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cayuga Centers partnered with Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine to host a book reading for minors in its Transitional Foster Care program that serves unaccompanied children (UC-TFC). The event took place on Friday, March 24th, and was organized in collaboration with Literary Inc. (LINC) , a non-profit with a mission to promote early literacy development throughout New York City.



The event was attended by a group of minors in the UC-TFC program ages 5 to 11 years old and by Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine, who greeted the youth and read the Spanish version of the childrens book, Dreamers (Sonadores) by Yuyi Morales. Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine remarked, "As we celebrate National Reading Month, it's essential to recognize the magic of teaching children the joys of reading from a young age. Reading opens up a world of imagination and knowledge, empowering our youth to dream big and explore new horizons. I had the honor of spending a delightful afternoon reading to children from Cayuga Centers and witnessing their enthusiasm for stories, and learning reminded me of the incredible impact that books can have on young minds. A special shoutout to Literacy Inc., who provided books and activities for the children  your commitment to promoting literacy is truly inspiring. Let's continue to foster a love for reading in our children, for it is the foundation of a brighter future for all."

LINC provided copies of Moraless book and donated 100 books in English, Spanish, Creole, and Tagalog to benefit the Cayuga Centers Foster a Love of Reading Book Drive . On behalf of our agency, we sincerely thank Manhattan Borough Presidents office for hosting this amazing event, providing refreshments, and facilitating this partnership with LINC to benefit the minors in our care. We are grateful and welcome opportunities to collaborate in the future, said Troy Brathwaite, COO of Federal Programs at Cayuga Centers.

The visit offered an opportunity for the minors in Cayuga Centers care to play an interactive game of bilingual Bingo, facilitated by staff from LINC. The most touching thing to see was when the children's faces lit up with excitement because they were able to read the words on the cards and win prizes with their reading skills. Early literacy programming is fun, and it is the most effective tool we have to achieve educational equity, said Albania Jimenez, Senior Director of Family & Community Mobilization at LINC. The minors also received LINC gift bags with books and other fun prizes.

Cayuga Centers UC-TFC program provides transitional foster care to unaccompanied children from around the world who are seeking asylum and are awaiting unification with a sponsor in the United States. The event was in celebration of National Reading Month, which occurs every March and is part of the Cayuga Centers Foster a Love of Reading Book Drive . To learn more about Cayuga Centers programs, visit www.cayugacenters.org .

About Literary Inc. (LINC)

LINC equips children with foundational literacy skills essential for academic achievement by empowering families and mobilizing the community. For the past 25 years, LINC has worked to harness the power that exists in every community to make literacy a value and right of all children and promote educational equity. Its two-generational Community Literacy Model connects families with each other and with resources that already exist in the community to surround children with literacy-rich environments inside and outside of the home. When a child reads, a community succeeds.

About Cayuga Centers

Cayuga Centers is a nationally accredited and awarded 501(c)(3) non-profit, human services agency headquartered in Auburn, NY. Founded in 1852, the agency has delivered quality services by following the agencys core mission of helping individuals and families grow as independent, healthy, and productive citizens through quality counseling, out-of-home care, and support services. Cayuga Centers provides a continuum of support services nationally, with offices in over 10 cities. The agency specializes in providing individualized, culturally appropriate, and trauma-informed support to diverse populations. Cayuga Centers currently serves 10,000 individuals and families annually. Visit www.cayugacenters.org to learn about its services, how to become a foster parent, and employment opportunities.

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/3dd3084f-54d8-42e4-927e-30a0af696f11

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/21539566-1700-4f16-8232-ab5cc1956f07

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/88cb67f2-5bb1-4ac4-8e3f-2399fa8988fb
Concord, NH, April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Granite Group, a leading supplier of plumbing, heating, cooling, piping, water systems, and energy products in the Northeast, has announced the opening of its newest branch in Manchester, VT. Located in the Manchester Valley Industrial Park at 152 Manchester Valley Road, this branch will be run by long-time Granite Group team member and customer favorite Derek Potter.

Potter began his Granite Group career at the Rutland, VT branch as an Inside Sales Representative in 2001. In 2007, he was promoted to Warehouse Supervisor and successfully held that position until 2011. Since then, he has been promoted to Operations Manager and Branch Operations and System Manager. This valuable experience has helped make him ready to take the reins in Manchester.

We are very excited to have Derek running our Manchester, Vermont branch. He is a natural leader with a keen knowledge of the region and what it takes to keep a branch moving smoothly while ensuring every customer is taken care of. Derek has worked very hard to earn this opportunity, and we know he will do a great job growing our business in the Manchester market, said Dave Buck, The Granite Group's Senior Director of Branch Sales & Operations.

Joining Tilton, NH, and Claremont, NH (which opened in January and February, respectively), Manchester, VT became the third Northern New England branch location opened by The Granite Group in 2023.

Coming on the heels of our recent growth in Massachusetts, this latest expansion in Northern New England continues The Granite Groups focus on bringing our new branches to areas we know customers want us to be. We have gotten off to great starts in Tilton and Claremont, and we believe Derek and his team will do the same in Manchester! said Chris Ploss, President of The Granite Group.

About The Granite Group

Headquartered in Concord, NH, The Granite Group distributes plumbing, heating, cooling, piping, water systems, and energy products to contractors and fuel dealers across New England through 55 wholesale branches and a best-in-class online store. The company also operates 15 retail showrooms under the Sink & Spout (formerly The Ultimate Bath Store) name, offering an expertly-trained staff and an extensive array of bath, kitchen, and lighting products. Founded in 1971 in Worcester, MA, The Granite Group celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2021 alongside the exceptional people who have driven its success. Of all the recognition The Granite Group has received as a business, the workplace awards are the ones for which the company is most proud. For more information, visit thegranitegroup.com.

Attachment
Rio Tinto will support Energy Resources of Australia Ltd.'s (ERA) recently disclosed plans for an Interim Entitlement Offer (IEO), which seeks to raise up to A$369 million to address funding requirements for the Ranger Rehabilitation Project in Australia's Northern Territory to the end of Q2 2024.

Rio Tinto, which owns 86.3% of ERA's shares, has pre-committed to subscribe for its full entitlements under the terms of the IEO, at a cost of A$319 million.

Rio Tinto Chief Executive, Australia, Kellie Parker said "We are committed to ensuring the critical rehabilitation of Ranger is completed to a standard that will establish an environment similar to the adjacent Kakadu National Park."

Rio Tinto notes that ERA has, in the IEO offer material, recognised the Mirarr People's opposition to further uranium mining on their land. This was a relevant factor in Rio Tinto's recent decision to no longer report the Jabiluka deposit as a mineral resource. Rio Tinto also recognises that the Mirarr People's continued involvement in and support of the Ranger Rehabilitation Project is critical for its timely completion and success.

As announced by ERA today, funds from the IEO are not expected to generate any financial return and will be dedicated strictly to the Ranger Rehabilitation Project and repayment of the credit facility.

Funds raised from this IEO will be partly used to repay a A$100 million credit facility provided by Rio Tinto to assist ERA with its management of immediate liquidity issues.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230403005970/en/

Contact

Please direct all enquiries to media.enquiries@riotinto.com

Media Relations, UK

Matthew Klar

M: +44 7796 630 637

David Outhwaite

M: +44 7787 597 493

Media Relations, Americas

Simon Letendre

M: +1 514 796 4973

Malika Cherry

M: +1 418 592 7293

Media Relations, Australia

Matt Chambers

M: +61 433 525 739

Jesse Riseborough

M: +61 436 653 412

Alyesha Anderson

M: +61 434 868 118

Investor Relations, UK

Menno Sanderse

M: +44 7825 195 178

David Ovington

M: +44 7920 010 978

Clare Peever

M: +44 7788 967 877

Investor Relations, Australia

Tom Gallop

M: +61 439 353 948

Amar Jambaa

M: +61 472 865 948

Rio Tinto Plc

6 St James's Square

London SW1Y 4AD

United Kingdom

T: +44 20 7781 2000

Registered in England

No. 719885

Rio Tinto Limited

Level 43, 120 Collins Street

Melbourne 3000

Australia

T +61 3 9283 3333

Registered in Australia

ABN 96 004 458 404

This announcement is authorised for release to the market by Steve Allen, Rio Tinto's Group Company Secretary.

riotinto.com

Category: ERA
VANCOUVER, April 4, 2023 - Nevada King Gold Corp. (TSXV: NKG) (OTCQX: NKGFF) ("Nevada King" or the "Company") is pleased to announce drill results from its 2022 Phase II drilling program at its 74.9 km2 Iron Point Project, located 35 km east of Winnemucca, Nevada, on the prolific Battle Mountain Trend (Figure 1).

Highlights:

Phase II drilling at Iron Point successfully intercepted Lower Plate stratigraphy in three deep holes including multiple gold zones in hole IP22-005. Key intervals include:

Drill Hole From (m) To (m) Interval (m) Au (g/t) IP22-5 342.6 349.9 7.3 0.33 And 389.4 394.2 4.8 5.35 And 675.4 684.6 9.2 1.04

Nevada King's Phase I and Phase II drilling confirm a Carlin-type gold hosted in Lower Plate carbonate rocks in the hanging wall and footwall of the Edna Mountain Structural Zone ("EMSZ") (Figure 1). Gold mineralization is associated with elevated As, Sb and Hg and is open in all directions for additional drill tests. This key takeaway represents a new, high-value exploration opportunity.





The geologic setting of Iron Point is strikingly similar to the style of known Carlin-type gold deposits occurring along the Carlin and Battle Mountain-Eureka Trends. Similarities include multiple compressional tectonic events, gold in Upper and Lower Plate rocks, a stock with a hornfels aureole in the footwall of a complex normal fault zone, multiple dike swarms of various ages and orientations, and multiple metal systems of varying ages.





Nevada King's Phase II drill program commenced in January 2022 and was designed to follow up on initial drilling completed by the Company in 2019 during which a thick sequence of Lower Plate carbonate rocks was encountered in core hole VM-008C, which bottomed in strongly anomalous gold mineralization and associated pathfinder elements, intercepting 5.8m grading 0.17 g/t Au starting at 704m.





Nevada King is in the process of filing a National Instrument 43-101 ("NI 43-101") compliant technical report in the coming days authored by renowned Nevada Explorationist Mac Jackson, outlining a comprehensive review of the Iron Point district including work done by the Company in its Phase I and Phase II drilling programs.

Cal Herron, Exploration Manager of Nevada King, commented: "Every explorer looking for gold in northeastern Nevada over the past 50 years has been striving for the same goal - i.e. to find Carlin-type gold in receptive, Lower Plate stratigraphy. There are numerous deposits and mines across this region that host gold in upper plate and Tertiary-age lithotypes, but the real prize has always been to hit gold in Lower Plate sequences where the elephants are most likely to be found. As enumerated above, previous explorers at Iron Point identified most of the geological components that go into making a Carlin-type deposit, but the most important charactistic of all - the existence of Lower Plate rocks hosting gold mineralization - remained elusive. In this respect, Nevada King's discovery hole VM-008C in 2019 represented a giant leap forward toward finding a Carlin-type deposit at Iron Point. The Company's subsequent drilling program in 2022 corroborated this Lower Plate mineralization with hits in IP22-004 and 005 and also expanded the footprint of Carlin-type mineralization to the north, south, and east of VM-008C, covering an area measuring 1000m N-S by 500m wide and open in all directions. The gold intercepts in these three widely-spaced holes now place the Company in the enviable position of exploring for a potential elephant within an identified geological environment conducive for producing elephants, as opposed to questioning whether or not we are in the right environment to start with, which is the more common position most explorers in NE Nevada find themselves.

"With our advanced knowledge gained from the work completed to date, next possible steps at Iron Point could involve:

Re-interpretation of geophysical data and probable in-fill geophysical surveys to provide higher resolution and better definition of potential targets.

Detailed geochemical modeling and subsurface structural mapping based on historical drilling and Nevada King's large number of RC and core holes drilled for vanadium.

Expanding the surface geologic map coverage.

"The Company is currently examining several development strategies to best move the Iron Point Project forward."

Phase II 2022 Drilling Program Summary:

3,196m of drilling was completed in five wide-spaced rotary precollar / diamond core tail holes (IP22-001 through IP22-005). Drilling focused on the eastern rangefront, primarily in the hanging wall of the EMSZ (see table below and Figure 1). The holes were a follow up to Lower Plate gold mineralization intersected in drill hole VM-008C (5.8m of 0.16 g Au/t from 704.2 to 710.0m) in the footwall of the EMSZ.





Nevada King's VM-008C, today's highlight hole IP22-005, and IP22-004 all confirm Carlin-type gold mineralization hosted in Lower Plate carbonate rocks along a 1,000m long segment of the EMSZ.





Property-wide gravity data clearly define the EMSZ - a complex, anastomosing, northeast to northwest-striking normal fault on the east side of the project. Two unique targets are recognized in this area:

In the eastern hanging wall of the EMSZ, recent gravity data define a pediment area where favorable Lower Plate carbonate rocks occur at drillable depths below post-mineral gravels.



Gravity and CSAMT data define a northwest-trending structural corridor, the 'Fairway Zone', in the western footwall of the EMSZ where uplifted Lower Plate carbonate rocks are covered by either upper plate siliciclastic rocks or post-mineral basalt.

Both areas host drill holes with gold mineralization and as such constitute high value exploration targets.

Modeling of airborne property-wide magnetic data has assisted in resolving the geometry of the Iron Point intrusion as a Cretaceous age igneous stock with a distinct hornfels metamorphic aureole and outboard metal zoning (Figure 2). These patterns are identical to patterns documented around the Goldstrike stock on the Carlin Trend, and the Mill Canyon and Gold Acres stocks at Cortez.

The exploration potential of the Iron Point Project includes the recognition of multiple exploration target types including: Carlin-type gold, upper plate hosted vanadium, Cu-Mo porphyry, and base and precious metal skarn.

Drill Hole Method Incl. TD (m) Intercept (m) Interval (m) Au (g/t) Notes IP22-1 RC / Core -90 913.0 No assays >0.14 g Au/t





IP22-2 RC -90 67.1 No assays >0.14 g Au/t

Precollar lost IP22-3 MR -90 365.9 No assays >0.14 g Au/t

Precollar cased IP22-4 MR / Core -90 917.1 505.1-511.5 6.4 0.16

IP22-5 MR / Core -90 932.9 342.6-349.9 7.3 0.33

And





389.4-394.2 4.8 5.35

And





675.4-684.6 9.2 1.04



Table 1. Gold intercepts reported today, calculated using a 0.14 g Au/t cutoff. Weighted averaging has been used to calculate all reported intervals. True widths are estimated at 70-90% of drilled thicknesses. Drill methods include reverse circulation (RC), mud rotary (MR) and HQ diamond core.

Sampling Methodology, Chain of Custody, Quality Control and Quality Assurance

All sampling was conducted under the supervision of the Company's project geologist and the chain of custody from the project to the sample preparation facility was continuously monitored. A blank or certified reference material was inserted approximately every twentieth sample.

The reverse circulation, mud rotary and core samples were delivered to either ALS Minerals or American Assay Laboratories certified laboratories in Sparks, NV, where they were crushed and pulverized. Resulting sample pulps were digested and analyzed for gold using fire assay with an atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) finish (ALS Minerals Au-AA23), or fire assay fusion with an ICP-OES finish (American Assay FA-PB30-ICP) on a 30 gram split. All other elements were determined by ICP analysis (ALS Minerals ME-ICP61 or American Assay ICP-2AO24) in either Sparks, NV, or Vancouver, BC. Data verification of the analytical results included a statistical analysis of the standards and blanks that must pass certain parameters for acceptance to insure accurate and verifiable results.

Qualified Person

The scientific and technical information in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Calvin R. Herron, P.Geo., who is a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101.

About Nevada King Gold Corp.

Nevada King is the third largest mineral claim holder in the State of Nevada, behind Nevada Gold Mines (Barrick/Newmont) and Kinross Gold. Starting in 2016 the Company has staked large project areas hosting significant historical exploration work along the Battle Mountain trend located close to current or former producing gold mines. These project areas were initially targeted based on their potential for hosting multi-million-ounce gold deposits and were subsequently staked following a detailed geological evaluation. District-scale projects in Nevada King's portfolio include (1) the 100% owned Atlanta Mine, located 100km southeast of Ely, (2) the Lewis and Horse Mountain-Mill Creek projects, both located between Nevada Gold Mines' large Phoenix and Pipeline mines, and (3) the Iron Point project, located 35km east of Winnemucca, Nevada.

The Company is well funded with cash of approximately $7.25 million as of April 2023.

The Atlanta Mine is a historical gold-silver producer with a NI 43-101 compliant pit-constrained resource of 460,000 oz Au in the measured and indicated category (11.0M tonnes at 1.3 g/t) plus an inferred resource of 142,000 oz Au (5.3M tonnes at 0.83 g/t). See the NI 43-101 Technical Report on Resources titled "Atlanta Property, Lincoln County, NV" with an effective date of October 6, 2020, and a report date of December 22, 2020, as prepared by Gustavson Associates and filed under the Company's profile on SEDAR (www.sedar.com).

NI 43-101 Mineral Resources at the Atlanta Mine

Resource Category Tonnes (000's) Au Grade (ppm) Contained Au

Oz Ag Grade (ppm) Contained Ag

Oz Measured 4,130 1.51 200,000 14.0 1,860,000 Indicated 6,910 1.17 260,000 10.6 2,360,000 Measured + Indicated 11,000 1.30 460,000 11.9 4,220,000 Inferred 5,310 0.83 142,000 7.3 1,240,000

Please see the Company's website at www.nevadaking.ca.

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 Statements Regarding Forward Looking Information

This news release contains certain "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein, without limitation, statements relating the future operations and activities of Nevada King, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are frequently, but not always, identified by words such as "expects", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "potential", "possible", and similar expressions, or statements that events, conditions, or results "will", "may", "could", or "should" occur or be achieved. Forward-looking statements in this news release relate to, among other things, the Company's exploration plans and the Company's ability to potentially expand mineral resources and the impact thereon. 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. Forward-looking statements reflect the beliefs, opinions and projections on the date the statements are made and are based upon a number of assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by Nevada King, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties and contingencies. Many factors, both known and unknown, could cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from the results, performance or achievements that are or may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements and the parties have made assumptions and estimates based on or related to many of these factors. Such factors include, without limitation, the ability to complete proposed exploration work given the global COVID-19 pandemic, the results of exploration, continued availability of capital, and changes in general economic, market and business conditions. Readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release concerning these items. Nevada King does not assume any obligation to update the forward-looking statements of beliefs, opinions, projections, or other factors, should they change, except as required by applicable securities laws.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nevada-king-intersects-lower-plate-hosted-carlin-type-gold-at-its-iron-point-project-battle-mountain-trend-nevada-301789400.html

SOURCE Nevada King Gold Corp.
Vancouver, April 4, 2023 - Straightup Resources Inc. (CSE: ST) (OTCQB: STUPF) ("StraightUp" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the results of its annual general meeting of shareholders held on Friday, March 31, 2023 (the "Meeting"). All matters presented to the shareholders (the "Shareholders") for approval as set out in the Company's Notice of Meeting and Information Circular, dated February 21, 2023 respectively, were approved by a majority of votes cast at the Meeting.

The shareholder of the Company approved the setting of the number of directors at three (3) and elected Mark Brezer, Matthew Markin and Barry Wattenberg as directors (the "Board of Directors") of the Company for the ensuing year.

The Shareholders of the Company re-appointed Manning Elliott LLP, Chartered Professional Accounts as the Company's auditor for the ensuing year, and authorized the Board of Directors to fix the remuneration to be paid to the auditor.

In addition, the Shareholders of the Company approved the Company's rolling stock option plan.

Following the Meeting, the Board of Directors appointed the following officers of the Company: Mark Brezer as President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman, and Matthew Markin as Chief Financial Officer (the "Management").

The Board of Directors and Management of the Company wish to thank its Shareholders for its continue support of the Company.

About StraightUp Resources

Straightup Resources focuses on precious metal, base metal and critical mineral exploration and the acquisition and the development of assets. Its primary holdings are in the Red Lake district of Ontario, Canada, and, to date, StraightUp has assembled over 20,000 hectares of claims in the region. StraightUp's RLX project is in close proximity to Kinross Gold's Great Bear Resources Dixie project and contiguous to its Sobel project.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors

Mark Brezer, Director

For further information, please contact:

Mark Brezer

C.E.O.

mbrezer@straightupresources.com

(604) 741-0444

Neither the CSE nor its Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release).

Forward-Looking Statement Cautions

This press release contains certain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation, relating to the Company's plans and expectations regarding the Acquisition; the potential benefits of and opportunities relating to the Acquisition; plans for future exploration of the Opatica Lithium Project; and merits of the Opatica Lithium Project. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts; they are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "intends," "estimates," "projects," "aims," "suggests," "indicate," "often," "target," "future," "likely," "pending," "potential," "goal," "objective," "prospective," and "possibly," and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will," "would," "may," "can," "could" or "should" occur, or are those statements, which, by their nature, refer to future events. The Company cautions that forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made, and they involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Consequently, there can be no assurances that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Except to the extent required by applicable securities laws and the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements if management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change. Factors that could cause future results to differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements include risks associated with the completion of the Acquisition and risks associated with mineral exploration operations, inludint the risk that the Company will encounter unanticipated geological factors, the possibility that the Company may not be able to secure permitting and other governmental clearances necessary to carry out the Company's exploration plans, the risk that the Company will not be able to raise sufficient funds to carry out its business plans, and the risk of political uncertainties and regulatory or legal changes that might interfere with the Company's business and prospects. The reader is urged to refer to the Company's Management's Discussion and Analysis, publicly available through the Canadian Securities Administrators' System for Electronic Document Analysis and Retrieval (SEDAR) at www.sedar.com for a more complete discussion of such risk factors and their potential effects.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/161210
MONTREAL, April 4, 2023 - Cerro de Pasco Resources Inc. (CSE: CDPR) (OTCPK: GPPRF) (FRA: N8HP) ("CDPR" or the "Corporation") is pleased to announce the closing of its previously announced non-brokered private placement, for total aggregate gross proceeds of $2,519,500 (the "Offering"). CDPR issued 25,195,000 units of the Corporation ("Units") at a price of $0.10 per Unit, each consisting of one common share (a "Common Share") and one Share purchase warrant (a "Warrant").

Each Warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one Common Share at an exercise price of $0.25 per Common Share for a period of 24 months from the date of issuance of the Warrant.

In the event that, during such 24-month period, the volume-weighted average trading price of the Common Shares exceeds $0.60 per Common Share for any period of 20 consecutive trading days, the Corporation may, at its option, following such 20-day period, accelerate the expiry date of the Warrants by delivery of notice to the registered holders (an "Acceleration Notice") thereof and issuing a press release (a "Warrant Acceleration Press Release", and, in such case, the expiry date of the Warrants shall be deemed to be 5:00 p.m. (Montreal time) on the 30th day following the later of (i) the date on which the Acceleration Notice is sent to Warrant holders, and (ii) the date of issuance of the Warrant Acceleration Press Release.

The net proceeds from the Offering will be used for working capital.

In connection with the Offering, the Corporation paid finder's fees in an amount of $97,450 to certain arm's length third parties who assisted the Corporation by introducing subscribers to the Offering.

All securities issued in connection with the Offering are subject to a statutory hold period ending four-month-and-one-day from the date of their issuance, in accordance with applicable securities laws.

The securities offered have not been, and will not be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, (the "U.S. Securities Act") or any U.S. state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, United States persons absent registration or any applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable U.S. state securities laws. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of any offer to buy securities in the United States, nor in any other jurisdiction.

About Cerro de Pasco Resources

Cerro de Pasco Resources Inc. is a mining and resource management company with unparalleled knowledge of the mineral endowment in the city of Cerro de Pasco and its surroundings. Initially, the Corporation will unlock the useful life of the mine and extend the concession areas in its Santander mining operation, applying the highest safety, environmental, social and governance standards. The key focus of growth for the Corporation is on the development of the El Metalurgista mining concession, one of the world's largest surface mineralized resources, applying the latest techniques and innovative solutions to process tailings, extract metals and convert the remaining waste into green hydrogen and derivatives.

Forward-Looking Statements and Disclaimer

Certain information contained herein may constitute "forward-looking information" under Canadian securities legislation. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified using forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "seeks", "expects", "estimates", "intends", "anticipates", "believes", "could", "might", "likely" or variations of such words, or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "will", "could", "would", "might", "will be taken", "occur", "be achieved" or other similar expressions. Forward-looking statements, including the anticipated use of the net proceeds raised under the Offering, are based on CDPR's estimates and are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of CDPR to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements or forward-looking information. Forward-looking statements are subject to business and economic factors and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements, including the risks associated with exploration, development and mining activities; the impact of macroeconomic events, the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, and any material adverse effect on the business, properties and assets of CDPR, as well as the relevant assumptions and risks factors set out in CDPR's public documents, available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. 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. Although CDPR believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on these statements and forward-looking information. Except where required by applicable law, CDPR disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.



/NOT FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES OR FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES/



SOURCE Cerro de Pasco Resources Inc.







Contact

Guy Goulet, CEO, Telephone: +1-579-476-7000, Mobile: +1-514-294-7000, ggoulet@pascoresources.com


Tue Tuesday

83 /48

Windy with plenty of sun. Highs in the low 80s and lows in the upper 40s.
Three team bosses have defended Formula 1's latest under-fire race director Niels Wittich following the chaotic and controversial Australian GP.

The media and many drivers were scathing of the handling of Sunday's Melbourne race and repeated questionable red flags and re-starts.

"The drivers are revolting against this chaotic Formula 1," observed Italy's Corriere della Sera.

"Niels Wittich abused the red flags, beyond all doubt. The German caused the most dangerous of situations, some of which are incomprehensible to the drivers and the spectators."

However, Ferrari boss Frederic Vasseur declined to join the pile-on against Wittich.

"You cannot blame the system for this," he insisted.

"Of course, we have to know that if the race is restarted for the last two laps, it will be tough. We already had that in Baku.

"But you can't blame the race management," the Frenchman insisted. "Those are the rules and the race management followed them."

His Mercedes counterpart Toto Wolff, so furious after the 2021 finale in Abu Dhabi when the axed Michael Masi appeared to freestyle the race's dramatic conclusion, agrees that Wittich at least followed the rules on Sunday.

"We looked it up - it was the rule book," said the Austrian.

"It was a bit confusing, but it was like it's written down. Going forward, we just need to understand when it is a red flag and when it is a VSC or a safety car.

"I think for these incidents, it could have been an of them. So as long as it's clear how this is being interpreted, I'm fine with it."

Finally, Mike Krack - in charge at Aston Martin - also didn't want to slam F1's sole race director Wittich.

"It's easy to criticise from the outside," he told DAZN, "but they are the ones with all the information.

"Was it safe for the cars to go through the debris? It's not easy to judge, but the race director has to make a decision and, as far as safety is concerned, the decision must be respected even if we don't like it."

And former F1 driver Timo Glock thinks that, no matter which way Wittich's race management decided, there would have been criticism from some.

"As Ralf (Schumacher) said, the race should have ended behind the safety car. But then there would have been boos from the fans in the stand because they wanted to see an exciting ending," he told Sky Deutschland.

"No matter how you do it, you do it wrong."

(GMM)
Creating opportunities for Ghanas youth through ICT

Charles Benoni Okine Business News Apr - 04 - 2023 , 05:45

Ghanas telecommunications giant, MTN Ghana, has once again entrenched its dominance in the industry and further demonstrated its position as a company that is not only out there to make profit but to give back to society.

It has also proved to be not only a major taxpayer to the state but one that is poised to help accelerate the countrys socio-economic advancement by creating opportunities for the youth.

Last week, the company cut sod to undertake the construction of an ICT Hub in its quest to develop the countrys ICT ecosystem in the areas of health, agriculture and education through on-site and remote access delivery to facilitate skills development and job creation for the youth.

To be known as the Ghana ICT Hub, it will arguably be the largest-ever ICT project in the companys over-25 years history in the country.

Estimated to cost about US$25million, the project is aimed at facilitating and deepening the countrys digital transformation agenda.

Focus on the youth

The hub project is meant to play a critical role in deepening the foundational root of the countrys digitalisation agenda, while giving the budding youth a chance to transform Ghana in ways never imagined.

About 1.74 million (13.4 per cent) of the total working population of 13 million in the age bracket of 15 years and above, in the first quarter of the year were unemployed, according to a study conducted by the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS).

It was estimated that unemployment rate in Ghana was 4.80 per cent as of the end of 2022, according to Trading Economics global macro models and analysts expectations. In the long-term, the Ghana Unemployment Rate is projected to trend around five per cent in 2023 and 4.70 per cent in 2024, according to our econometric models.

These numbers paint a gloomy picture with many already fearing that the rate of unemployment in the country is a security threat to the nation that needed urgent attention.

With technology fast taking over every human activity, the development opens up many opportunities for the youth.

This is also the more reason why there is the need for the development of platforms to help the youth to develop their potentials to aid the accelerated socio-economic advancement of the country.

The Silicon Valley in the United States of America portrays a history of relationships between academic institutions, venture funds, accelerators, support facilities and a willing government, as well as thousands of bright minds from industry.

This is where the Ghana ICT Hub comes in handy because it is also expected to position the countrys youth for the future while deepening the relationship between government and the private sector.

According to MTN, its purpose is to prepare the youth of Ghana to have better prospects of succeeding and competing in the global digital economy.

According to the Chief Executive Officer of MTN, Selorm Adadevor, it is the dream of the company to transform Ghana through ICT-enablement because it has no boundaries, stressing that the Ghana ICT Hub project is only a small part of a broader project called the Ghana Innovation Hub project.

Ghana ICT Hub

The Ghana ICT Hub is a physical Infrastructure designed to provide 4,000 square metres of space with ancillary facilities and unique features.

The whole project is scheduled to be completed in approximately 18 months from when construction begins.

When completed, the Ghana ICT Hub is expected to train over 200,000 youth in ICT and digital skills and generate more than 100,000 jobs within the first three years.

The hub will be an ultra-modern office facility, providing office spaces and meeting venues for more than 100 tech companies which will incubate new ideas and innovations, driving the start-up buzz in the hub after completion.

It will also create an ICT ecosystem in the health, agriculture and education sectors.

Conclusion

The role of the private sector to the development of the country should not only come by way of payment of taxes alone.

It must also be seen through projects that impact life with less or virtually no profit motive but in line with a bigger state agenda.

This positive initiative is also an indication that when the private sector is given the necessary enabling environment, it stands the chance to also contribute its quota to economic growth.

Businesses in other sectors of the economy should be able to emulate this laudable example to assist the government to develop talents and help to ease the unemployment problems in the country.
Ghana, Kenya takes advantage of AfCFTA to boost trade

Maclean Kwofi Business News Apr - 04 - 2023 , 05:10

Ghana has declared intentions to maximise gains from the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) through strengthening of commercial ties with Kenya.

As a result, it is planning to establish an Export Trade House (ETH) next month in Kenya as part of measures to promote trade relations between the two countries.

When established, the ETH would serve as a special vehicle that specialises in facilitating transactions between a home country and foreign countries.

It will be positioned at a central location where Made-in-Ghana products can be shipped, displayed and distributed in Kenya and other countries in East Africa.

The trade house is being established because exports have become a tool the government must embrace to improve and promote the countrys products to the global market.

To this end, Ghana will organise a three-day business expedition before the trade fair to highlight the goods it plans to export into Kenya.

Stakeholders including the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MoTI), the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), the National AfCFTA Coordination Office (NCO) and the Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA), are working together to organise the exhibition.

Trade barriers between the nations of East and West Africa have historically been low because of regulatory restrictions.

Nonetheless, many African countries are now trading more independently thanks to the AfCFTA, the largest free trade area in the world.

World Bank report

According to the World Bank, the African Continental Free Trade Area could deliver far greater benefits in terms of jobs, growth and poverty reduction than previously estimated  making it a potential game changer for Africas economic development if its ambitious goals are fully realised.

The deal creates a continent-wide market embracing 54 countries with 1.3 billion people and a combined Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of US$3.4 trillion.

Its first phase, which took effect in January 2021, would gradually eliminate tariffs on 90 per cent of goods and reduce barriers to trade in services.

That could raise income by seven per cent or US$450 billion by 2035, reducing the number of people living in extreme poverty.

A new World Bank study, released in collaboration with the AfCFTA secretariat, accounts for the additional benefits that would accrue from an increase in foreign direct investment (FDI)  both from within and outside of Africa  that the deal is expected to generate.

The FDI is important because it brings the fresh capital, technology and skills so badly needed to raise living standards and reduce Africas dependence on volatile commodity exports.

In this scenario, real income would rise further to about eight per cent in 2035 and the number of people living in extreme poverty would fall by 45 million.

AfCFTA ratification

The first two countries to sign their AfCFTA ratification agreements on the same day were Kenya and Ghana.

Ghanas High Commissioner to Kenya, Damptey Bediako stated that the overarching purpose of the trade house was to serve as a one-stop wholesale outlet in the Eastern bloc of the continent for all Made-in-Ghana products.

Two months after being chosen as one of seven nations to serve as the pilot for the continental free trade area that aims to open up commerce in products and services in Africa, Kenya transported its first shipment of locally produced batteries to Ghana in September of last year.

In 2021, Kenya exported US$10.3 million to Ghana, according to the United Nations Comtrade database of international trade.

Over the same time frame, Ghanas top exports to Kenya were cocoa powder, rubber and other live plants, cuttings, and slips, as well as mushroom spawn.

Through the export trade house, Ghana is seeking to increase the availability of Ghanaian products strategically into the Kenyan market and consequently promote items made in Ghana to the Eastern and Southern parts of Africa, Mr Bediako added.

According to the high commissioner to Kenya, all Ghanaian goods entering Kenya would go through the trade house, which will be located in the Sameer Business Park.

Way forward

Ghana establishing an export trade house in Kenya would serve as a booster to further fulfill the mandate of promoting, developing and diversifying its export base.

It should be designed in line with the concept of a trade house that purchases and sells products for other businesses, using their international expertise as practiced in China, Switzerland, the United States, Singapore and the United Kingdom (UK).

The trade house should also be structured in a way that can help businesses that use trade houses to benefit from its expertise and insight into international markets they operate in as well as get access to vendor financing through loans and credits, stressing that the project is one of the councils facilities aimed at increasing Ghanas international market share.

This will enhance the visibility of Made-in-Ghana products outside the countrys shores, reduce cost of logistics on the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and increase Ghanas share in the targeted markets.

Others include creating employment for the countrys teeming youth and increasing foreign direct investment inflows into Ghanas troubled economy.
Innovative thinkers pivotal for economic growth  Dr Kwaku Afriyie

Elizabeth Nyaadu Adu Business News Apr - 04 - 2023 , 07:00

Ghana needs innovative thinkers to move the nation forward, the Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI), Dr Kwaku Afriyie, has said.

On the back of the myriad of challenges facing the countrys economy, he said innovation was a pivotal force that would propel progress and foster economic growth while addressing multifaceted challenges and enhancing the quality of life for individuals worldwide.

Dr Afriyie, who was speaking at the launch of Nobel International Business School (NiBS) Certified Innovation Professional (CIP) programme in Accra, explained that in the current era, where change is a constant, innovation assumed a paramount role in staying competitive and consequential in diverse arenas.

Advancement in technology, medicine, and infrastructure have significantly augmented our existence in recent times, and their potential for continued betterment in the future is immense, he said.

NiBS CIP programme

The CIP programme builds the executive and an organisations internal capacity for generating and accelerating profitable growth through innovation.

The programme helps an organisation to develop an elite group of innovation leaders who are experts in the best practices for generating and implementing new ideas, advancing collaboration on critical projects, and capturing the value of innovation.

It also prepares anyone in any organisation, private or public, who wants to be different from the pack through skills and competencies in creativity and innovation.

Key driver of economic growth

The sector minister said the CIP programme was critical at this time of growth in Ghana when innovation had become a key driver of economic growth and development in many countries.

Encouraging individuals to participate in the programme, he said Ghana could build a skilled workforce to generate and implement new ideas, advance collaboration on critical projects and capture the value of innovation.

Building innovation capacity

The President of NiBS, Prof. Atuahene Kwaku Gima, said innovation training was crucial for the development of the country.

According to him, as a country we have not emphasized the importance of innovation training and capacity building in leaders and organisations.

When a nation accepts that innovation is critical to its development, it must take action to build innovation capacity in the public and private sectors.

This capacity building requires corporate leadership knowledge, skills, and competencies and those of their managers and employees, he said.
Investment roadmap for bamboo processing revealed

Emmanuel Bruce Business News Apr - 04 - 2023 , 05:28

Maxwell Investments Group has revealed plans to make significant investments in the countrys bamboo industry in a bid to unlock its full potential.

This is also expected to help make the country a hub of bamboo processing on the continent.

The Chief Executive Officer of the Group, Dr Maxwell Ampong, said that would also help create new opportunities for the country's young entrepreneurs.

Bamboo, also known as "green gold", is a versatile and fast-growing plant that has been an instrumental catalyst for economic growth in many communities around the world.

"Our focus is on unlocking the potential of bamboo as a source of livelihoods for the youth in Ghana.

We believe that the bamboo industry can be a game-changer in addressing the challenges of youth unemployment and poverty in the country, he stated.

The CEO was speaking in an interview with the Graphic Business on the sidelines of the MIG Business Forum, which was held on the theme: Avenues to Manoeuvre During an Economic Downturn.

He said Maxwell Investments Group was set to partner an European company to invest millions of dollars in bamboo processing equipment and set up a plant in the country.

He said the company also planned to establish bamboo plantations in selected regions across the country in a bid to create jobs and provide raw materials for various industries.

The project will also involve training and capacity building for young entrepreneurs to enable them to participate in the value chain.

"We are excited about the prospects of this project and are committed to ensuring that it delivers on its promise to create economic opportunities for young people in Ghana. We believe that the bamboo industry can be a driver of sustainable development in the country, he stated.

Scaling entrepreneurial success

He said the next edition of the business forum would focus on scaling entrepreneurial success through collaboration and sustainability.

The next edition will focus on building upon the success of the first edition and emphasising the importance of collaboration and sustainability in entrepreneurship.

The theme reflects the commitment of Maxwell Investments Group and the Zongo and Inner Cities Development Secretariat (ZICDS) to foster a supportive ecosystem that empowers the current and the next generation of entrepreneurs to create lasting change and drive economic growth, he stated.

By highlighting the need for cooperative efforts and sustainable practices, he said the MIG Business Forums aimed to encourage entrepreneurs to work together, share resources, and embrace eco-friendly business models for the benefit of the entire community.
New taxes kick in: Prepare for job cuts  Businesses warn

Maxwell Akalaare Adombila Business News Apr - 04 - 2023 , 09:40

Business groups have signaled strong intentions to cut jobs, shut down some production lines and increase prices, all in response to the passage of three revenue bills that they had vehemently opposed.

The Association of Ghana industries (AGI), the Ghana National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GNCCI) and the Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA) said the measures were needed to keep their operations afloat while they waited for the much-touted relief that a bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) was envisaged to bring.

Parliament last Friday passed the Income Tax Amendment Bill, the Excise Duty Amendment Bill and the Growth and Sustainability Amendment Bill meant to fetch the government some GH4 billion as part of measures to shore up domestic revenue and also fulfill some preconditions to enable it to access US$3 billion in balance of payment support from the IMF.

While the various business groups admitted to the intent of the government for introducing the new revenue measures, they, however, described the move as anti-business and consequently signaled to the public to brace themselves for the worst as businesses positioned themselves to mitigate the impact of the development on their existence.

Interviews

In separate interviews with the Graphic Business, the President of the AGI, Dr Humphrey Ayim-Darke, and the President of GUTA, Joseph Obeng, said their members would now have to resize their operations, including laying off workers, closing down some lines and raising prices while they waited for the economic stability that the IMF deal promised.

This is an anti-industry move, but we will not allow our businesses to die and so we will find a way around it. We will cut down on staff, and instead of doing more production, we will also import, Dr Ayim-Darke said when asked how his outfit would live through the taxes.

Generally, this is unfair; it will make the business environment very hostile, but we cannot fight the government, he added.

The two said businesses must survive to be salvaged.

Besides, in the past years when we gave them those levies and other interventions, they had not demonstrated to us that they could use them to restore macroeconomic stability, the AGI President said.

The COVID-19 Recovery Levy, the Electronic Transfer Levy and the Sanitation Levy were implemented after the COVID-19 rage as fallback mechanisms to salvage the economy.

Nuisance taxes

Mr Obeng described the new taxes as nuisance and obnoxious to the business community.

He said it was sad that a government that had scrapped taxes in 2017 to enable business to flourish was imposing worse ones on companies at a time when they were struggling to get back on their feet.

He said the amendment to the Excise Duty Law, which now increases excise on fruit juices by 20 per cent, was also a slap in the face of the countrys push to trade internationally.

We are already uncompetitive in the scheme of affairs of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and the cross-border trading that we do in the West African sub-region and that is why you see people import goods from Togo, instead of buying them here, he said.

He said Ghana was unable to export a sizeable quantity of goods under the AfCFTA, a regional trade pack that allows the free export of stated goods, since it took effect in January 2021.

Petroleum Chamber

In an earlier statement, the Ghana Upstream Petroleum Chamber (GUPC) described the new laws as anti-business that risked collapsing indigenous oil service companies.

It said the taxes could also trigger disinvestment by international oil companies.

After a late-night drama on Friday, the new act was passed by Parliament as one of two revenue acts presented by government and the other is an amended Excise Duty Act, which is meant to further impose excise duty on cigarettes, tobacco and some sweetened products.

The mining and upstream oil and gas companies will pay an additional tax of one per cent on their profits before tax, as stipulated by The Growth and Sustainability Act.

The GUPC, representing all the oil and gas companies, objected to the introduction of the Growth and Sustainability Bill which seeks to impose a one per cent tax on gross production for oil and gas companies.

Implications

Introducing additional taxes at a time when the industry is going through challenging times is rather unfortunate, anti-business and risks the collapse of indigenous oil service companies, as well as triggering disinvestment by international oil companies, the chamber said, adding: There is also a five per cent tax on profit before tax that applies to the oil and gas service companies, meaning taxes will be imposed, irrespective of the financial performance of the target business.

It said the industry considered the levy as the latest in a series of creeping taxation that was affecting the economic balance of petroleum agreements.

The creeping taxation, it said, included the COVID-19 Recovery Levy, the Ghana Education Trust Fund Levy, the National Health Insurance Levy, the one per cent Local Content Fund Levy and several others.

The chamber noted that the provision for a one per cent tax on gross production for oil and gas companies represented an increase in royalty to all intents and purposes.

Analysts in the upstream petroleum sector said the growth and sustainability tax would damage investments and described it as an imposition that would inhibit further growth of service companies.

They said when creeping taxes and levies became the norm, tax avoidance and disinvestment became inevitable.

Chamber of Commerce

The GNCCI, for its part, said the new taxes would further worsen the plight of businesses.

The taxes, as matter of fact, will make businesses less competitive, compared to businesses in other countries where taxes are lower.

This can discourage foreign investment and make it difficult for local businesses to compete with foreign businesses, the Executive Secretary of the GNCCI, Mark Aboagye, said.

He said given the harsh business environment, businesses in Ghana would have no choice but to close-down or relocate to other countries.

They could also be forced to pass on the cost to consumers, Mr Aboagye said.

The government should rather focus on tax efficiency and tax compliance to increase tax revenues, instead of introducing new taxes, he added.
Pan-African Savings and Loans donates to 2 schools

Business Desk Report Business News Apr - 03 - 2023 , 08:43

Pan-African Savings and Loans has donated a water tank and six ceiling fans to the Ashaiman No.1 Primary School.

The gesture forms part of the companys Corporate Social Responsibilities (CSR) to give back to the society and impact lives.

Presenting the items, the Head of Corporate Affairs for Pan-African Savings and Loans, Linda Naykene, said her outfit was committed to improving the lives of students in communities they operate in.

Pan-Africans CSR is focused on children and education and seeks to impact positively on the lives of students by supporting schools within its catchment area of operations, she said.

She further mentioned that a series of donations were earmarked for 2023.

Appreciation

The Headmistress of the school, Bernice Kwamla, who expressed her profound gratitude to Pan-African Savings and Loans for the donation assured that the item would be managed well to serve their intended purpose.

The company made a second donation to the St. Louis Demonstration JHS in Ashtown, Mbrom in the Ashanti Region.

The school received a projector and 30 chairs for their assembly hall to improve the dire furniture situation in the school.

The students were elated as they sat on the chairs during the donation ceremony.

Know this

Pan-African Savings and Loans Company Ltd is a member of the Ecobank group licensed by Bank of Ghana and has been operating in Ghana since 2008 as a registered Savings and Loans Company.

Its offerings include access to loans, various savings products, and provision of mobile money and remittance services as well as innovations that include digital financial services.
DJ Cuppy donates 100k to support African students at Oxford University

GraphicOnline Showbiz News Apr - 04 - 2023 , 11:56

DJ Cuppy, a music producer, has pledged a 100,000 donation to aid African students at the University of Oxford.

Earlier this year, the Nigerian DJ earned a master's degree in African Studies from the university. She has established the Cuppy Fund to help postgraduate students from Africa attain the education they rightfully deserve.

The fund aims to enable future "development champions" in African and international countries, according to the university.

In the past, DJ Cuppy has supported organisations focused on child protection, girls' education, and disabled person's welfare. Femi Otedola, a Nigerian businessman, is her father.

She studied at Oxford from 2021 to 2022 and graduated in March. Cuppy Fund's primary objective is to bridge the resource gaps for African students, who require it the most, according to the DJ.

The University of Oxford has said that the fund would assist students in meeting unexpected and urgent financial needs and achieving academic excellence.

The Africa Oxford Initiative, which seeks to increase the number of African students pursuing postgraduate degrees, received the donation.
I connected Spike Lees team to the Creative Arts Agency  Director of Diaspora Affairs

Joy Entertainment Showbiz News Apr - 03 - 2023 , 18:56

The Director of Diaspora Affairs at the Office of the President, Akwasi Awuah Ababio, has disclosed how he facilitated an engagement between American actor Spike Lee and some institutions when the latter visited Ghana.

Speaking on Showbiz A-Z on Joy FM last Saturday, April 1, Akwasi said he let the Spike Lees team speak to the Director of Creative Arts, and they also expressed interest in meeting the Ministry of Tourism Arts and Culture and the Ghana Tourism Authority.

We did know Spike Lee was coming to Ghana shortly before he came, at a very short notice. The American officials decided to inform us that we should be getting ourselves ready and that the clear direction they wanted from us was to get an appropriate hotel to go to and to be taken from the airport to the hotel, to be welcomed at the airport, and we did precisely that, he said.

He added that later, the American officials requested from his office that they would want Spike Lee to talk to some government officials as well.

We had facilitated that, exactly as they wanted it. There in my office right out when they asked for it, they were able to speak to the Director of Creative Arts, then [they] mentioned that Ministry of Tourism was going to be an interest to them, the GTA etc. So we did bring the issue up and told them what exactly they should do, Akwasi Awuah noted.

It was then left in the hands of the American officials to take up the execution, he further stated.

His comment comes on the back of a statement Spike Lee made on Asaase Radio that no one from the film industry approached him for a meeting when he visited Ghana.

He even said he didnt know Ghana had a thriving film industry.

I know about Nigeria, and no one has approached me from the film industry in Ghana. I would love to meet people in the film industry but no one has approached me, he said.

However, Juliet Yaa Asantewaa Asante, the Executive Director of the National Film Authority debunked the assertion and said their request was turned down with the excuse the popular American producer was busy.

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Talk about tattoos and leave pork eaters alone - Kumchacha jabs Sonnie Badu

Gifty Owusu-Amoah Showbiz News Apr - 03 - 2023 , 19:47

The General Overseer of the Heavens Gate Ministries, Rev. Nicholas Osei popularly known as Kumchacha says UK based Ghanaian artiste, Sonnie Badu has no business condemning Christians who eat pork when he has tattoos on his body.

Speaking on Kingdom Radio recently, the controversial man of God insinuated that the Baba hitmaker should not be a hypocrite by calling out Christians who are pork eaters when he is probably worse with inking his body.

What Sonnie Badu said was quoted from the book of Leviticus 11. But he [Badu] failed to add verses 19-28, which speak against tattoos. It says we shouldnt draw tattoos of either the living or dead on our bodies.

He [Badu] was able to talk about the part of Leviticus which focuses on pork but left out the part which speaks against the tattoos he has all over his body.

In Deuteronomy, the Bible permitted Gods people to eat pork. I want to tell Sonnie Badu that even the pork isnt enough for us. We are not getting more of it these days, he said.

Sonnie Badu showed his tattoos for the first time in April las year

This is not the first time Sonnie Badus tattoos have become the focus of conversations.

In April last year, the issue of tattoos on his body as a founder of a church came up when he publicly showed his tattoos for the first time.

Some condemned him but his response was that such criticisms were not relevant to him since his wife and family had nothing against it.

In a later interview with Zionfelix, Sonnie Badu explained that the body does not matter when it comes to mans relationship with God because when a person dies, the soul is what is important to God.

He asked critics to change their mindset that having a tattoo is a sin.

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Breaking a silence

Yaw Boadu-Ayeboafoh Opinion Apr - 04 - 2023 , 13:01

We all have our hunches, biases, selfish parochial and partisan interests.

But there is the need to criticise with measure and there are times that somebody would have to speak truth to ourselves and each other.

No one can ask us to shut up, but we must appreciate the fact that after enjoying our rights and freely acting within the purported scope, without let or hindrance, we must be ready for the concomitant consequence.

That is what Lord Dening, an eminent British jurist espoused in a dictum in the matter of Schering Chemicals Limited v Falkman Limited (1981) 2All ER 321 at 330 on Press Freedom when he said that, "The Freedom of the Press is extolled as one of the greatest bulwarks of liberty.

It is entrenched in the constitutions of the world. But it is often misunderstood.

I will first say what it does not mean.

It does not mean the Press is free to ruin a reputation or to break a confidence or to pollute the course of justice or to do anything that is unlawful.

It means there should be no censorship.

No restraint should be placed on the press as to what they should publish.

Not by a licensing system,nor by Executive direction, nor by a court injunction.

" It means the press should be free from previous or prior restraint.

The press is not restrained in advance from publishing whatever it thinks right to publish.

It can publish and be damned.

Afterwards, after publication if the press has done anything unlawful, they can be dealt with by the courts.

If they should offend by interfering in the course of justice, they can be punished in proceedings for Contempt of court.

If they should damage the reputation of innocent people by telling untruths or making unfair comments, they can be made liable in damages.

But always afterwards, never beforehand, never by previous restraint".

Since

Since I was elected Chairman of the National Media Commission (NMC), I said to myself that I will not write newspaper articles, since I do not know the interpretations people will put on such viewpoints without making a distinction between my personal beliefs and the positions I defend as Chairman of the NMC.

But I have come to a moment that I will have to write, so that the culture of silence will not be deepened.

I have felt exercised about the creeping menace of one form of culture of silence, where nobody stops another from freely expressing a view, but where knowledgeable, well-informed Ghanaians refuse to offer their views because they could be pigeonholed into being pro or anti New Patriotic Party (NPP) or National Democratic Congress (NDC) supporters.

It is, thus, relevant for me to let those who do not know my background to know me better.

I am a nominee of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on the NMC and the first such Presidential nominee to be elected Chairman of the Commission.

But long before I won the trust and confidence of Nana Akufo-Addo, in the discharge of my obligations as a journalist, I was the room-mate of former President John Dramani Mahama, who I actively supported to become the Vice President of the Junior Common Room of the Commonwealth Hall, University of Ghana, when I ended my tenure as the President of the same JCR, a development which made many of our mates to call our room the Presidential Room.

I, thus, relate very well to both personalities.

Having stated these facts, let me like George Orwell (Eric Arthur Blair) point out that "when I sit down to write, I do not say to myself I am going to produce a work of art.

I write because there is a lie that I want to expose, some fact I want to draw attention to and my initial concern is to get a hearing".

Thus, I want to comment about two recent issues that have challenged my understanding of the rule of law and due process.

One is about the attempt by Parliament to oust or circumscribe the powers and authority provided the Electoral Commission (EC) to produce Constitutional and Legislative Instruments; the other is about the insinuation and innuendo by the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, that the President usurped the powers of Parliament when he said that after Parliament deals with the bill on gayism and lesbianism, it will come to him.

EC

On the matter of Parliament intruding into the power and authority of the EC, beyond the national interest, I have a personal interest as Chairman of the NMC, another constitutional body clothed with the power to make Constitutional and Legislative Instruments.

The wording of the independence and autonomy of the EC and the NMC are not different.

These are provided for under Articles 46 and 172, respectively, that the EC or NMC " shall not be subject to the direction or control of any person or authority" in the performance of their functions.

Article 11(7) outlines how an instrument can pass into law.

It states "Any Order, Rule or Regulation made by a person or authority under a power conferred by this Constitution or any other law, shall be laid before Parliament and be published in the Gazette on the day it is laid before Parliament and come into force at the expiration of twenty-one sitting days after being so laid unless Parliament before the expiration of the twenty-one days annuls the Order, Rule or Regulation by the votes of not less than two-thirds of all members of Parliament".

Nowhere is it provided that Parliament should dictate to such bodies as to how and when instruments can be brought before Parliament.

Article 93(2) states that "Subject to the provisions of this Constitution, the legislative power of Ghana shall be vested in Parliament and shall be exercised in accordance with this Constitution"; whilst Article 110 (1) states that "Subject to the provisions of this Constitution, Parliament may, by standing orders regulate its own procedure.

It is imperative also to note that our Parliament is not supreme, since sovereignty does not lie with it.

Article 1(1) provides that "The Sovereignty of Ghana resides in the people of Ghana in whose name and for whose welfare the powers of government are to be exercised in the manner and within the limits laid down in this Constitution".

It is unfortunate that our Parliament could devote considerable time misleading Ghanaians into believing that the EC is perverting the right of Ghanaians to be registered as voters, when there is no instrument before the House and incite the people against the EC, when all that the Commission did was to engage and dialogue with Parliament about an intention to introduce an instrument before the House to go through the process to become law.

It is indeed true that the Constitution per Article 42 states that, "Every citizen of Ghana of eighteen years of age or above and of sound mind has the right to vote and is entitled to be registered as a voter for purposes of public elections and referenda", but this is subject to Article 45(a) which states that "The Electoral Commission shall have the following functions: to compile the register of voters and revise it at such periods as may be determined by law" and what the EC was about to do was in consonance with the rule of law and due process.

Oldman

There is an Oldman in Chinua Achebe's Anthills Of The Savannah who says "I do not understand English but when I hear catch am, I will not wait for any interpretation before I run away".

Our elders also advise that when you see your neighbour's beard on fire, get near water because you do not know when yours will catch fire. That is why as Chairman of a constitutional body with the power to make instruments I am scared about Parliament tying the hands of the EC until a precondition set by Parliament is fulfilled.

The EC cannot interfere with the pace of the citizenship card registration exercise, but Parliament can. If on the day that the Minister of Finance appeared before Parliament some releases were made, it means that if Parliament takes it up as a project we would get somewhere.

That also points to policy rejection after change over of government.

If in the period between 2009 and 2017, we had pursued the National Identification Card Registration as a functional priority national exercise we would have completed the mass registration by now and be mopping up.

Shame

It must be a shame that in 21st century Ghana, the citizenship of a Ghanaian must be attested to by others, some of whom sometimes offer their service for economic gain.

The denial of any eligible and willing Ghanaian from being registered to exercise the inalienable franchise of voting cannot be accepted, but that cannot be reached at the expense of the rule of law and due process.

I may not want to go to court to challenge the decision of Parliament, but that does not render the decision lawful, since in the hierarchy of the laws of Ghana under Article 11(1) (a) states that "The laws of Ghana shall comprise this Constitution" meaning provisions of the 1992 Constitution are superior to any other decision even if agreed upon by all the 275 MPs.

Speaker

On the second matter about the Speaker and the needles and avoidable jab against the President, it is important for our people to know that the Speaker has a very passive role to play as against the active role provided the President under the Constitution.

Article 104(2) provides that "The Speaker shall have neither an original nor casting vote", meaning that the Speaker cannot vote in the House.

If the President, who can influence the shape of a bill is claimed by the Speaker to have acted ultra vires in his statement that when Parliament is done with the LGBTQ bill, it will come to him, then where is the hubris of the Speaker stating that "the law will be passed" coming from?

Article 106(1) states that "The power of Parliament to make laws shall be exercised by bills passed by Parliament and assented to by the President".

Article 106(7) gives the President the power to refuse to assent to a bill whilst 106(8) directs what the President must do if he refuses to assent to a bill in which case Parliament is enjoined to review the bill in accord with the position of the President under Article 106(9) and further under 106(10).

Parliament can reject the position of the President if not less than two-thirds majority of all members of Parliament so decide.

So where did the President go wrong to deserve or warrant the tirade of the Speaker, which attracted applause from his audience. When our President goes wrong, we should be able to point that out to him in plain words without any euphemism.

But where the President has not acted with ill-will, wrongly or in wayward manners, in commenting about it, we must be sincere and civil. We must not give him a bad name upon which to hang him or to needlessly lampoon him. Simpliciter.

The writer is the Chairman of the National Media Commission (NMC)
Representative Democracy in Ghana: An appraisal of the selection methods of parliamentary candidates

Dr Callistus Mahama Opinion Apr - 04 - 2023 , 15:53

REPRESENTATIVE DEMOCRACY IN GHANA: AN APPRAISAL OF THE SELECTION METHODS OF PARLIAMENTARY CANDIDATES

Introduction

Representative democracy is a form of government in which citizens are afforded the opportunity through elections to elect their representatives to make decisions on their behalf. This form of democracy is based on the principle of elected officials playing intermediary roles between decision-makers and the people. This relationship forms a fine covenant that enjoins these officials to represent the best interest of the people they represent.

Overall, representative democracy provides a balance between individual rights and collective decision-making, allowing citizens to have a say in how their government operates while ensuring efficiency and effectiveness in policy-making.

Ghanas current political system is wholly built on the democratic system of governance, with a representative democracy as its bedrock. Critical among the features of representative democracy is popular participation in the electoral process where periodic elections are held and citizens get a platform to elect their representatives. Representative democracy is thus the nexus of Ghanas fourth republican democratic dispensation which has had seamless transitions in about 30 years of uninterrupted democratic rule. Since 1992, the country has successfully organized eight (8) multi-party, peaceful, free, and fair elections with different phases of improvement and consolidation of the electoral processes.

The Parliament of Ghana is the representation of representative democracy, where the generality of the population collectively elects 275 Members of Parliament to represent the interests of their constituents. This institution has transitioned from an appointed Legislative Council with exclusive advisory responsibilities in the mid-19th century under the colonial administration into its current form where 275 members are elected by the citizens. The election of Members of Parliament is done concurrently with that of the President every four years with political parties in full swing participation.

Political Parties Participation in Ghanas Parliamentary Elections.

Political parties have irrevocably become an integral part of Ghanas parliamentary democracy since the country transitioned into the Fourth Republic. By law, these parties have been created to be the gateway to Parliament with the utmost responsibility to create a vehicle for the selection of Parliamentary Candidates to stand for ultimate election into the National Assembly (Parliament).

The 1992 Constitution around which Ghanas democratic rule is modeled guarantees various political and civil rights, including the right to form political parties, the right to participate in electoral processes, and in the governance of the country. Accordingly, Article 55(1) of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana guarantees the right to form a political party proclaiming that The right to form political parties is hereby guaranteed. The Constitution further requires these political parties to engage in their internal organization by their own guidelines, but this must be done within the principles of democracy and must therefore not contravene the Constitution of Ghana.

Article 55(3) of the Constitution and the Political Parties Act, 2000 (Act 574) provide for political parties to freely participate in shaping the political will of the people and to sponsor candidates for elections to any public office including Parliamentary Candidates. In sponsoring candidates for elections at the parliamentary level, political parties are enjoined to be mindful of the qualification and eligibility criteria set out in article 94 of the 1992 Constitution.

Methods of Selecting Parliamentary Candidates

Candidate selection is the process by which a political party decides who is legally eligible for the political party to sponsor and designate on the ballot for general elections. It is broadly argued that the candidate selection process is one of the critical functions political parties perform in representative democracies, and this process most likely reflects and defines the character of a political party and its internal distribution of power. It is worth noting that there is no uniform process for selecting candidates across democracies. While in some jurisdictions, the state heavily regulates the process, some others are left unregulated with others with very limited regulations. For instance, in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Ghana, the states do not regulate the selection process through legislation. However, the United States has an extensive regulatory regime for candidate selection while New Zealand has a flexible regulatory regime.

There are generically three methods for candidate selection across democracies. There is the all-inclusive system, the controlled inclusive system (delegate system), and the absolute exclusive system.

All-inclusive System: This is a system where the power to select candidates is practically decentralized, with the citizens having absolute control as to who is selected for the party to sponsor on its ticket. It is largely the case in the United States where candidate selection typically occurs by way of open primaries, in which all registered voters in a state vote directly for their preferred party candidate. The open primaries system in the U.S. is open to all registered voters, regardless of their party or independent affiliation. This system by 2005 was adopted and employed in 20 states. Also, blanket primaries allow all registered voters to participate to enable voters to choose candidates across party lines for different offices. Note that the United States Supreme Court struck down the blanket primary system in California in the case of California Democratic Party v. Jones, which was decided in June 2000.

Also, in 1971 in Iceland, several parties adopted the open primaries which were usually conducted in some of the electoral districts, and every citizen in these districts could participate.

The other form of an all-inclusive system is where all registered members of the political party are allowed to participate in selecting candidates for the parties to sponsor. The Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), in 2001 adopted new regulations allowing all registered members to participate in the selection of its parliamentary candidates in a reform that became known as bulela ditswe (open to all). Also, in Ghana, the National Democratic Congress in 2015 adopted a more inclusive method that made all registered members of the party at all branches eligible to vote to select Parliamentary Candidates. Following closely in 2019 was the All Progressives Congress (APC), one of Nigerias two major parties, which piloted direct primaries (in which all registered members were able to vote) in 16 states. This method although all-inclusive, the eligible voters are exclusive to party registered members. This reflects the closed primaries system as practiced by some states in the U.S.

Just as the all-inclusive system has its advantages principal of which is ensuring popular participation symbolic of democracy, it comes with its cutting negatives. This system can be unnecessarily cumbersome and most expensive to run. The National Democratic Congress (NDC) of Ghana, post the 2015 reforms, had to reverse to the delegate system. The objective of the NDC was to reduce vote-buying and for that matter reduce the cost of the election. In the end, although vote-buying (monetization) was reduced to some extent, the overall cost of the elections to the party increased as per available information. Also, candidates running in the primaries of the party recruited as many party members as potential voters and even recruited from other political parties, thereby, pushing the pursuit of quantity over quality to an extreme and equally running the risk where the primaries were raided by external interests hostile to the party.

The Controlled Inclusive (Delegate System)

In between the two extreme selection processes (i.e., Absolute Inclusiveness and Absolute Exclusiveness) is the delegate system. This system although participatory and not extremely exclusive, still has some limitations with some restrictions to participation. Political parties in Ghana in the most part of the 4th Republic have adopted a controlled inclusive (delegate system), where the power to select parliamentary candidates is decentralized and consolidated in the hands of a body of electors at the basic unit of political party administration (i.e., the branch level), allowing for candidates to be selected through parliamentary primary elections. This process indeed reflects the United States closed system of selection process where a selected body is delegated to elect candidates on their behalf.

The conduct of parliamentary primaries to select candidates is thus guided by party constitutions and the election rules and guidelines the political parties may issue. As required by the Constitution of Ghana, these processes must conform to democratic principles as much as practicable. Owing to this, the New Patriotic Party provides for the election of Parliamentary Candidates in Article 11 of its Constitution. Similarly, Article 43 of the Constitution of the National Democratic Congress provides for the election of Parliamentary Candidates. These party constitutional provisions form the framework out of which specific electoral rules and guidelines are issued to direct and guide the selection process. Among others, these guidelines often reflect the following:

The timetable for the election; The form of the election; The qualification criteria for prospective candidates; The fees; The Electoral College.

Since the adoption of the delegate system, there have been reforms often done through a trial-and-error method in a bid to expand the electoral colleges in the two dominant political parties (i.e., the NDC and NPP) to presumably reflect the growing need for participation in the electoral process. For instance, the New Patriotic Party set the pace by expanding its electoral college to allow for five (5) branch executives instead of one (1) as it were to vote in its parliamentary and presidential primaries in the run-up to the 2012 general elections. This saw an astronomical increase (to about 144,000) in the number of delegates forming the electoral college of the party.

Following this, the National Democratic Congress just like the Botswana Democratic Party did in 2001, adopted the open-to-all process where all card-bearing members of the party in all 6000 polling stations were eligible to vote in both presidential and parliamentary elections in 2015. In all, about 1,286,728 members were registered at the various polling stations and were thus eligible to vote.

Downsides of the Delegate System.

The delegate system, with a small electorate composed of branch-level leaders of the party, is a reflection of representative democracy. To decentralize and deconcentrate power from the centre to the local level for party leaders to elect their preferred representatives is paramount in a democracy. However, this exclusive delegate system has its own downsides.

Where primary electorates are small, individual primary voters have significant leverage to extract rents from the competing aspirants in return for support. This serves as a convenient ground for creating and accentuating a client-patron relationship which ultimately reinforces vote buying. This system with vote buying at the centre effectively selects for and attracts aspirants with the necessary financial resources and not necessarily a candidate who otherwise would have represented the people effectively. Party executives at the branch level who are privileged to be part of the electors see the exercise as a means to get remuneration other than to represent the general interest of the party members.

The delegate system overtly and covertly creates limitations to popular participation and could thus exclude some sections of people from participating in the democratic process. For instance, women have become victims of such a highly controlled and competitive selection process given how rigorous the process can be is vis a vis the fragility and vulnerability of women. Although in most cases party leaders at the centre create opportunities for women in particular by reducing the filing fees to be paid, this in itself mostly does not amount to an opportunity for women to be elected. This is one of the factors that contribute to the poor numbers of women in Ghanas current Parliament.

Also, this system mostly breeds voter apathy, since the majority of the voters may feel betrayed because of the choices of candidates made by the selected delegates. Voter apathy in itself is a subtle means of disenfranchising eligible voters and, by extension, constraining the frontiers of democracy in general.

Another major downside is the tendency of the creation of weaker party machinery at the base. Desperate but financially resourceful aspirants may plant their puppets for convenient exploitation but not necessarily to build the base of the party. These aspirants may succeed to get themselves imposed on the people by their puppets.

Absolute Exclusive Selection System

In sharp contrast to the all-inclusive system of candidate selection is the exclusive system where a political party has an extremely centralized system of selecting candidates for onward sponsorship. With this system, a single party leader or a national party agency or committee is constituted to decide on the candidates to be selected without the approval or participation of the local party members or delegates (selectors).

In European Parliament, the members of Parliament are elected with two votes; first for a direct candidate and the second for a party list in each state as may be determined by the respective parties. The party list is always prepared by the political parties and submitted to the national election machinery for onward election. Where the list is closed as practiced in countries like Angola, Argentina, Spain, etc. the power of selecting candidates is exclusive to the party agency or committee.

Prior to the democratization of the candidate selection process in the 1996 election, Israel's ultra-orthodox religious partys candidate selection in the early years was purely by nomination by a closed inner circle of party leaders (Council of Rabbis) or a single leader (Rabbi). Even as late as 1992, the selection process of the Meretz alliance in Israel (i.e., the three dovish parties: Ratz, Mapam and Shinui) was conducted solely by the central committees of the three constituent parties.

This system although extremely exclusive which practically frustrates popular participation and may thus engineer voter apathy to some extent, is cost-effective and eliminates vote-buying completely.

Conclusion and the Way Forward

The three selection methods of candidates as assessed above present a general overview of how political parties as private entities exercise power in the bid to determine how the legislature operates. The absolute inclusive system presents a fine opportunity for popular participation where the vast majority of voters will have the opportunity to participate in electing their candidate. This comes in two forms: an open system where voters (not necessarily registered party members) are offered the opportunity to elect candidates; or a closed primaries system which is exclusive to all registered members of the political party. Given Ghanas economic and political development, it is practically impossible for this cumbersome and extremely expensive system to be practiced by her political parties at all times with strict adherence to democratic ideals.

The delegate system although has come a long way as a viable and reliable vehicle for selecting both Presidential and Parliamentary candidates for political parties to sponsor for ultimate election into government, it still has its attendant challenges. It has inadvertently encouraged vote-buying and limited popular participation in Ghana. Some pundits described it as more expensive than even running for general elections.

The exclusive system of selection where the selection is done by a committee or party agency so constituted to do so can be safely described as undemocratic, since the decision of selection of candidates is left to either an individual or committee with some guidelines to follow. The reality with Ghanas current dispensation is that political parties will largely sketch a democratic path that they rarely follow in selecting parliamentary candidates.

In order to control monetization (vote-buying) of the election of parliamentary candidates, and avoid the overstretching of the party machinery in organizing election, it will be reasonable to suggest that the exclusive selection process (i.e., appointment/nomination of candidates) can be refined with effective legislation to still meet the democratic requirement been pursued by the 1992 Constitution. After all, except the NDC and the NPP with the capacity to be organizing such periodic elections, almost all the smaller political parties in Ghana adopt the centralized system of selecting Parliamentary Candidates. Although democratic ideals would encourage decentralization at the expense of concentration, a well-structured exclusive system for the nomination of Parliamentary Candidates by party caucuses/agencies/committees will be the best to cure the growing overspending by aspirants. The expensive nature of the delegate system as being practiced currently in Ghana undoubtedly creates the breeding ground for weak governments and corrupt leaders to start with.

The writer is a senior aide to former President John Mahama
Why former US President Donald Trump has been arrested

International News Apr - 04 - 2023 , 18:04

Former US President Donald Trump was on Tuesday arrested and arraigned in court.

His fingerprints were taken at a court in Manhattan, before hearing the charges against him and entering a plea.

Former US President Donald Trump arrived at the New York City courthouse, and was arraigned Tuesday afternoon.

This will be the moment when the criminal charges against him - the first against a US president - will be made public.

Mr Trump denies any wrongdoing.
The Kremlin said that Russia was being forced to take counter-measures to ensure its own security, tactically and strategically, but pointed out it had never had disagreements with Helsinki in the way that Ukraine had become "anti-Russian".
Addressing food insecurity: Agric needs new model - Prof. Nzamujo

Severious Kale-Dery & Kwadwo Baffoe Donkor Apr - 04 - 2023 , 05:43

A reverend Father and computer engineer, Professor Fr Godfrey Nzamujo, has called for a systemic paradigm shift in the agricultural and food systems to address the issue of food security.

He said the old conventional way of food production and agriculture were ineffective and a major challenge to food security and, therefore, called for a radical change to address the current food security challenges confronting the country.

Prof. Nzamujo, who is also the Founder of the Songhai Centre in Benin, was speaking at the maiden edition of the Graphic National Development Series (GNDS) in Kumasi last week.

It was on the theme: Transforming Ghana's agriculture using home-grown solutions for food security.

Making submissions on the topic: Producing food with surplus for a rainy day: The integrated approach, the Catholic Priest who has revolutionised sustainable farming in Benin and parts of Africa, said there was the need to move away from the piecemeal, disjointed approach to agriculture to a fully integrated ecological system where everything worked together.

"We must recognise that conventional agriculture is inefficient due to the low utilisation of solar energy in the conventional system," Prof. Nzamujo, who won the End Hunger Award along with the late former President Jerry John Rawlings, said.

He noted that the current climate crisis, coupled with the negative impact of the conventional food and agricultural system, had become an existential threat to Africa.

Model untenable

Prof. Nzamujo, whose centre is into organic agriculture, said according to the ECOWAS Commission, the current agricultural model, with its dependence on cheap labour, insecure livelihood and over-exploitation of natural resources, had become untenable.



He was confident that taking action through investment in sustainable agricultural practices would cost about 1.15 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of most African countries over the next 15 years.

However, he said, the cost of inaction on the part of governments in the sub-region was in the region of 12 to 13 per cent of their GDPs, adding that it would be cheaper and more profitable for the government to invest in sustainable agricultural practices than not to take action at all.

The professor, who had preached the need for a new beginning for Africa to realise its dream of attaining food security, chastised Africa for the lack of planning.

Comparing the West to Africa, he said in the West, because they had winter, the people always prepared ahead of that season, but the challenge of Africa "is the winter gap.

"We do not prepare for a rainy day, but with the new beginning, we have to prepare because we cannot continue to share poverty," he emphasised.

He said the continuous importation of food from other countries was a big disservice to the country because "each time we import something from other countries, we are creating jobs there.

"We keep exporting wealth and importing poverty. We must stop that practice," he stressed.

Prof. Nzamujo preached the need to patronise locally produced goods and food items to stem the over-dependency on imported goods, to the detriment of local products.

Microbial

Touching on agriculture of the future, he underscored the power and the role of micro-organisms in the food and agricultural systems.

He said the best ways to increase the production of biomass and the carbon content of soil in Africa, which is the foundation of soil regeneration, was the rebirth of healthy, diverse and active indigenous microbial communities.

These regenerative micro-organisms could form the basis of an authentic technology to unleash the potential of our planet's biological and environmental capitals, Prof. Nzamujo said.

He said harnessing such environmental capital, especially microbes, would constitute the foundation of post-conventional agro-food systems in Ghana and elsewhere in Africa.

National strategy

For his part, an agricultural consultant, Abraham Dwuma Odoom, said he looked forward to a national agricultural strategy for all time, so that political parties or governments will have to continue uncompleted programmes by their predecessors.

Mr Odoom, a former Member of Parliament (MP) for Twifo-Atti-Morkwa in the Central Region, was of the opinion that such a strategy would permit experts to be brought on board for long-term research/extension services, adding that it would also ensure the development of various value chains in the agricultural sector.
Anglican Church holds birthday service for President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo

Donald Ato Dapatem Apr - 04 - 2023 , 05:53

The Anglican Church of Ghana yesterday held a special birthday church service at the Jubilee House for President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo who turned 79 years on Thursday, March 29, 2023.

Officiated by the Most Reverend Dr Cyril Kobina Ben-Smith, Primate and Metropolitan Archbishop of the Internal Province of Ghana of the Anglican Church, the ceremony was short but impressive.

It was attended by a handful of people and there was a communion service for the President and his family who are Anglicans. There was no refreshment.

The Most Rev. Dr Ben-Smith was assisted by other Anglican priests, including the Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Accra, the Right Rev. Dr Daniel Sylvanus Mensah Torto, and the former Anglican Bishop of Accra and former Primate of the Church of the Province of West Africa, Archbishop Justice Ofei Akrofi.

Just after the ceremony, the President was presented with a surprise birthday cake and flower bouquet at the foyer.

He was assisted by the First Lady, Rebecca Akufo-Addo, and their children; the Vice-President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, and the Chief of Staff, Akosua Frema Osei-Opare, to cut the cake.

The President was surprised at the cake, the bouquet as well as a singing group rendering some of his favourite tunes, particularly James Varrick Armaahs popular choral song, Oye, because he used the foyer on his way to the conference room only to return after about 20 minutes to such a surprise.

Homily

Delivering the homily, Rev. Dr Ben-Smith, who spoke of the goodness of Adonai, urged President Akufo-Addo to continue to lean on God in all he did and not on his own understanding.

He said the Archbishops and Bishops of the Anglican Church were celebrating the favour of life, good health and goodness of the President and his family.

Rev. Dr Ben-Smith said the Presidents life was a sure manifestation of the scripture that the steadfast love of the Lord endured forever and that they were new every morning, adding that The motive for the service is to thank God for the gift of life and favour and for everything good He has done.

Referring to Psalm 103 of the Holy Bible, Rev. Ben-Smith said just as David urged his soul to bless the Lord by saying good things about the Lord in the spirit of admiration and gratitude, all should do the same.

He noted that in celebrating the day, they agreed with David when he said Adonai, the Lord of Host was with the President, the God of Jacob his refuge.

Recognition

Rev. Ben-Smith said the children of God owed God recognition and urged the President to continue to look up to him because He was the only God without a competitor, so we should offer ourselves to him unconditionally.

He explained that God was a God of remembrance, he did not forget people who depended upon him, adding that Your Excellency, He will continue to remember you.

Message

In a message after the cutting of the cake, Dr Bawumia said: Today we are celebrating the birthday of my boss, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, 79. Its amazing and we pray that all of us can be as strong as you are when we get to 79.

The Vice-President said God had really blessed the President and Ghanaians were thankful to him and prayed that God continued to give him long life and good health.
Commit more resources to mental health delivery - Dr Agyemang to govt

Augustina Tawiah Apr - 04 - 2023 , 05:35

Government must commit resources to mental health delivery to ensure convenient and effective services for those who require help.

With suicide now decriminalised, there is the need for a strategic, intentional recruitment and engagement of mental health professionals in mainstream government health agencies to provide professional and needed support for people with mental health problems who may seek help.

The National President of the Ghana Psychological Association (GPA), Dr Collins Badu Agyemang, who made the call in an interview with the Daily Graphic, said: If the health delivery system does not promote well-being and prevent the onset of mental health challenges by engaging psychologists at the workplaces, in schools and communities, then the country may not be able to prevent people from getting into the pathways of mental health, including suicide.

So now there must be strategic and intentional recruitment and engagement of mental health professionals in mainstream government health agencies to ensure that there are mental health professionals in all hospitals manned by government health workers, he stressed.

He was sharing his thoughts on what had to be done to ensure that there were tangible benefits for mental health delivery now that the suicide law had been repealed.

On March 28, Parliament amended Ghanas Criminal Offences Act 1960 and repealed the law that criminalised suicide attempt.

Until Parliaments amendment of sections of the Criminal Offences Act on suicide, Ghana was among the 20 countries which still punished people for attempted suicide.

The repeal of the act followed years of intense advocacy from mental health experts, which received strong support with a Private Members Bill, sponsored by the Member of Parliament (MP) for Asante Akim Central, Kwame Anyimadu-Antwi, who is also the Chairman of the Legal, Constitutional and Parliamentary Committee of Parliament, and the Ranking Member on the committee and MP for Akatsi South, Bernard Ahiafor.

Dr Agyemang said while there were some health professionals to help deliver efficient services, there were not enough psychologists, who were the primary gatekeepers to detect the early signs and give the needed support when patients called at the hospitals.

He said although there were many well-trained psychologists, they were not employed and absorbed into the mainstream health delivery system.

We do have some mental health nurses; we have about 70 psychiatrists in the country, but we do not have enough psychologists who are the primary gatekeepers to handle acute distress challenges people will be going through, he explained.

The President of the GPA, therefore, called for strategic intentionality of engaging psychologists to promote well-being and prevent people from developing mental health challenges, adding that although the country did not have enough psychiatrists, the number of trained psychologists was enough to be deployed to help in the work spaces, school settings, social settings and hospitals.

Commit more resources

Dr Agyemang further said with suicide decriminalised, it meant that there should be increased and sustained funding from government commensurate with increases health seeking options that might come following the amendment of the act.

What is the mental health budget from the government? How much is allocated to mental health in the health budget? We still have three psychiatric points in terms of spaces in Ghana, which for me are not enough. The NHIS recently indicated that it is ready to support mental health care.

This is the time we will be interested in what extent they are going to support mental health care, and that is what we want the government to do, he stressed.

Coordination, collaboration

The President of the GPA commended the MPs who sponsored the bill that eventually led to the amendment and emphasised that with that hurdle cleared, it was now time for the government to ensure that the right environment was provided for efficient and effective health delivery.

He also called on mental health professionals to coordinate their front, so that immediately the President signed the amended act into law, they could create that advocacy that would help Ghanaians see the benefits of having decriminalised suicide.

He emphasised that with the law now amended, it behoved all stakeholders in the mental health ecosystem to lead the charge to ensure that the right attention and holistic mental healthcare initiatives were supported.
Immigration officer shot dead on Bawku road; 2 others injured

Graphic.com.gh Apr - 04 - 2023 , 13:01

An officer of the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) has been shot dead in the Upper East Region.

The incident reportedly happened on the Bawku road from Missiga on Monday night.

Two others, also immigration officers who were injured during the shooting incident are receiving treatment.

One of them has been transferred to the Tamale Teaching Hospital while the other one is receiving treatment at the Bawku Presby hospital.

The deceased was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital.

The three immigration officers were in a blue sedan vehicle and were reportedly moving in Bawku when their vehicle was shot at by unknown gunmen.

The deceased has been identified as 42-year-old Assistant Inspector Philip Motey.

The other two officers, Eric Ayibiya, 30, and Laurence Afri, 42, were shot multiple times and are being treated at the Bawku Presbyterian hospital.

The incident reportedly happened around the Bawku Police Station.

The gunmen reportedly surfaced and shot into the vehicle and bolted after the incident.

Motey was in the company of Assistant Inspector Lawrence Afari stationed at Kulungugu post and Assistant Inspector Eric Ayidiya who is also stationed at the Polimakom border post.

According to information gathered, the officers stationed at different border posts, were on their way to the Bawku township to buy food when the incident happened.
Opuni, Agongo trial to re-start from scratch - New presiding judge rules

Justice Agbenorsi Apr - 04 - 2023 , 11:13

The trial of former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), Dr Stephen Kwabena Opuni, and businessman Seidu Agongo, will re-start from scratch, the new judge assigned to preside over the case has ruled.

In a ruling today (April 4, 2023), Justice Kwasi Anokye Gyimah, said it would be unfair for him to adopt a proceeding that was "saddled" with numerous allegations.

The case was originally before retired Justice Clemence Jackson Honyenuga.

When did Opuni, Agongo case start?

The case started in 2017.

In March 2018, the Attorney-General charged Dr Opuni and Agongo with 27 counts for allegedly engaging in illegalities that caused financial loss of GH271.3 million to the state and led to the distribution of sub-standard fertiliser to cocoa farmers.

Tuesday's ruling

It would be unfair for the court to ignore the allegations and adopt the previous proceedings as it is," the judge ruled on Tuesday morning reports Graphic Online's Justice Agbenorsi who was in the courtroom.

In order for the court to have a first hand information of the trial and the demeanor of witnesses, the court will start the trial 'De Novo the new judge said.

Justice Gyimah also pointed out that, an accused person was by law required fairness and that presumption of innocence should not be over looked by the court.

He has ordered the parties to file their witnesses either before or on April 21, 2023.

The case has been adjourned to April 25, 2023 for Case Management Conference

Motion

The prosecution led by, a Chief State Attorney, Evelyn Keelson, had last Thursday, March 30, 2023, moved a motion urging the court to adopt the previous proceedings to enable the trial continue.

But, the prosecution's request was opposed to by defence lawyers led by Samuel Cudjoe and Benson Nutsukpui, for (first and second accused respectively) who prayed the court to start the trial 'De Novo' (afresh).

That was after Justice Honyenuga asked the High Court registrar to forward the case docket to the Chief Justice to assign a new judge because he was due for retirement.

Not guilty

Dr Opuni is standing trial with Seidu Agongo, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Agricult Ghana Limited, an agro-chemical company.

State prosecutors have accused the two of causing financial loss of more than GH271 million to the state in a series of lithovit foliar fertiliser transactions.

It is the case of the prosecution that the fertiliser was substandard, and has accused Agongo of allegedly using fraudulent means to sell the fertiliser to COCOBOD for onward distribution to cocoa farmers.

The prosecution has further accused Dr Opuni of using his position as CEO of COCOBOD (November 2013 to January 2017) to facilitate the alleged acts of Agongo by allowing the lithovit liquid fertiliser not to be tested and certified as required by law.

Dr Opuni and Agongo have pleaded not guilty to the charges, and are on self-recognisance bail in the sum of GH300,000 each.
President should state position on LGBTQ+  Catholic Bishop

Emmanuel Bonney Apr - 04 - 2023 , 05:24

The Catholic Bishop of Konongo-Mampong in the Ashanti Region, the Most Rev. Joseph Osei-Bonsu, has called on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to state, unequivocally, what his position is on the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ+) issue.

I would also be most grateful if you could state unequivocally what your position on LCBTQ+ is. I request this because many Ghanaians are not sure of your position on this matter, while they are clear about the position of some of your predecessors who have made their positions clear and unambiguous," he said.

The Most Rev. Osei-Bonsu made the call in an open letter to the President, dated April 3, 2023.

I am writing to you today as a citizen of Ghana in connection with three statements that you have made as President of the Republic of Ghana concerning the issue of LGBTQI+. I find inconsistencies in them and I would be most grateful if you could clarify them for me, it said.

Recall

The letter said on December 6, 2017, Jane Dutton of Aljazeera interviewed President Akufo-Addo on the subject of homosexuality, and that in response to the question as to why homosexuality remained a criminal offence in Ghana, you were reported to have said the following: l don't believe that in Ghana, so far a sufficiently strong coalition has emerged which is having that impact on public opinion that would say change it and let's now have a new paradigm in Ghana.

I grew up in England and I grew up in a time when homosexuality was banned there, and then suddenly the activities of individuals and groups, a certain awareness, a certain development grew stronger and it forced in changing [the] law.

I believe that those are the same processes that will bring about changes in our situation. At the moment, I don't feel, I don't see that in Ghana there is that strong current of opinion that is saying this is something that we need you to deal with."

In the Most Rev. Osei-Bonsus view, the President did not answer the question posed by the journalist, and that he should have admitted that homosexuality, indeed, remained a criminal offence in Ghana, making reference to Section 104 of the Criminal Code of 1960 which criminalises consensual same-sex sexual acts between persons of the same gender.

Contrast

In contrast to the scenario described above, the Catholic Bishop said, he was very happy when the President, in 2021, stated his position on same-sex marriage unambiguously.

At the induction in Asante Mampong of the Archbishop of the Internal Province of Ghana in the Church of the Province of West Africa (CPWA), Cyril Kobina Ben-Smith, on Saturday, February 27, 2021, you indicated, in what could be described as your strongest position yet, that you were not considering the legalisation of same-sex marriages, he said.

Indeed, you gave an assurance, to the excitement of many at the ceremony (including my good self!), that it would not be under your Presidency that same-sex marriages would be legalised.

"l have said it before, and let me stress it again, that it will not be under the Presidency of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo that same-sex marriage will be legalised," the letter quoted the President as saying at the event.

In the light of what I may term 'the Mampong Declaration, I was baffled by what Your Excellency said when you held a press conference with the Vice-President of the United States, Kamala Harris, while responding to a question by a New York Times journalist in Accra on Monday, March 27, 2023 on the issue of LGBTQ+, he said.

Champion

Among other things, the letter said the Presidents statement that the bill had been championed by "only a handful of MPs" was unfortunate.

I would like you to realise that the handful of MPs spoke for over 80 per cent of Ghanaians who abhor homosexuality, it said, adding that a survey conducted by the Africa Centre for International Law and Accounting (ACILA) had revealed that over 80 per cent of Ghanaians were against the normalisation of homosexuality in the country.

It said the President missed a fine opportunity to correct Ms Harris on her understanding of human rights.

She said that the LGBTQ+ question is an issue that we consider and I consider to be a human rights issue and that will not change. You should have let her know that in dealing with the bill, the Parliament of Ghana was not violating any human rights but affirming what was consistent with natural law and order, it emphasised.

List

The letter said there was the need to stress that LGBTQ+ activities were not part of what were described as fundamental human rights and could not be included in the list of human rights, and that such an act went against natural law and order.

It said every human right must be founded on fundamental needs to support human nature and survival, adding that same-sex marriages and activities rather work against this principle of human life and existence.

Your Excellency, same-sex marriage is morally wrong and goes against God's purpose for marriage. Homosexual activity is not a complementary union that is able to transmit life. In this connection, the European Court for Human Rights has ruled that same-sex marriages are not considered a human right, making it clear that homosexual partnerships do not, in fact, equal marriages between men and women. The ruling, as I am sure you are aware of, Mr President, was announced in the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France, on June 9, 2016, it said.

Past presidents

The Most Rev. Osei-Bonsu further cited examples of the stance previous presidents had taken on the issue.

In the case of the late former President Jerry John Rawlings, the letter said, he had not come across any definite public reference to what Rawlings had said on the subject.

With regard to President John Agyekum Kufuor, in his meeting in 2019 with members of the National Coalition for Proper Human Sexual Rights and Family Values, the former President urged the world to fight against same-sex marriages, it said.

It added that earlier, during his Presidency, President Kufuor had opposed a gay conference that was supposed to be held in Ghana.

For President John Evans Atta Mills, it said his was an emphatic "No" statement on the subject of LCBTQ+, it said.

In an interaction with the media during his Presidency, and in reaction to comments by then British Premier David Cameron that they may consider cutting aid to Ghana should the country not legalise gay rights, the late former President was forthright, ruling out any possibility of the legalisation of same, it added.

It said former President John Dramani Mahama had similar comments as his predecessor and former boss, President Mills.

Speaking through his Information Minister at the time, Mahama Ayariga, the former President indicated that the act was criminal and punishable under the laws of Ghana.

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, my question is: what is your position on the question of LGBTQ+? it asked.
My life was less important than new tax bills - Nanton MP speaks after surviving near-fatal accident

Kweku Zurek Politics Apr - 04 - 2023 , 06:48

The Member of Parliament for Nanton, Mohammed Tuferu, has revealed that voting for new tax bills on Friday was more important to him than his own life.

Mr Tuferu survived a near-fatal accident on his way to Parliament to support the government's new tax bills, but still proceeded to attend the session, despite suffering a cut on his left eye.

Speaking on Accra-based Citi FM on Monday, Mr Tuferu also admitted that his excessive speed caused the accident, but his main concern was to ensure that the government's tax bills were approved.

Tuferu disclosed that he was stitched up in Parliament's washroom before being allowed to vote for the passage of the three tax bills.

Last Friday, Parliament approved four financial bills presented by the government aimed at generating approximately 4 billion Ghana Cedis annually to boost domestic revenue mobilization. The Excise Duty Amendment Bill 2022, the Growth and Sustainability Levy Bill 2022, the Ghana Revenue Authority Bill 2022, and the Income Tax Amendment Bill 2022 were all passed.

The bills are part of the government's efforts to meet the IMF's criteria to qualify for a bailout, including increasing the percentages for the various taxes, which now covers more products.

The Excise Duty (Amendment) Bill, which will impose a 20 per cent tax on cigarettes and e-smoking devices, as well as sweetened beverages, spirits and wines, is projected to rake in about GH400 million annually, while the Income Tax (Amendment) Bill will generate about GH1.2 billion.

The Growth and Sustainability (Amendment) Bill, which will replace the National Fiscal Stabilisation Levy that currently imposes a levy on companies operating in selected sectors, is also projected to raise about GH2.2 billion.
NDC on a mission to cause disaffection rather than to inform Ghanaians - NPP Chair

Zadok Kwame Gyesi Politics Apr - 04 - 2023 , 14:04

The leadership of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) are of the view that the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) have designed a grand strategy to misinform Ghanaians on the countrys economic challenges in order to incite disaffection rather than to inform.

Speaking at a press conference in Accra today (April 4, 2023), the Chairman of the NPP, Stephen Ayesu Ntim, argued that the the opposition party was deliberately ignoring the fact that Ghanas economy has been badly affected by the impact of COVID-19 and the Russia-Ukraine war.

This, he said was a clear testimony of the scheme by the NDC to misinform Ghanaians.

He said after President Akufo-Addo had presented an address on the State of the Nation on March 8, 2023, where he addressed critical issues of concern to all Ghanaians, the opposition party, led by its Chairman, Johnson Asiedu Nketia, also held a press conference where they produced a distorted account of the President's state of the nation address in an attempt to ride on the emotions of Ghanaians for their political gain.

Mr Ntim said whereas the focus of President Akufo-Addos SONA was on the economic situation of our country and how quickly we are stabilising the economy and working our way back to the period of rapid economic growth, the NDCs address sought to exaggerate and misrepresent facts.

The statement read by the NDC Chairman, Mr Johnson Asiedu Nketia, was far from a document seeking to discuss the state of our country. There was no serious analysis of the economy, no assessment of sectoral developments, and no attempt to propose solutions to the current economic challenges, he explained.

He said ordinarily, the party would have refrained from responding to the NDC on their own version of the SONA, however, given the extent of misinformation contained in their statement, we owe a duty to Ghanaians to straighten the distortions designed to incite disaffection rather than to inform Ghanaians.

The NPP Chairman said anybody who refuses to accept that Ghanas economy has been affected by COVID-19 and Russia-Ukraine war does not know what he or she is talking about.

Ghana's economy was the toast of the world until Covid-19. Before 2020, Ghana was hailed among the fastest-growing economies in the world. But COVID-19 disrupted the growth momentum of our economy and later the Russia-Ukraine War. As a result of these factors, Ghana's economy, which was among the fastest-growing economies in the world, started to decelerate in 2020, and the government has committed everything in its toolkit to regenerate it, Mr Ntim explained.

In addition, he said, Ladies and gentlemen, the ravaging impact of Covid-19 and the Russia-Ukraine War on the global economy are visible all around us. But somehow, the NDC has refused to acknowledge or admit this fact to continue misinforming Ghanaians that this government has mismanaged the economy.

Attached below is a copy of the statement
GREENWICH  Two new faces will be joining the Sacred Heart Greenwich leadership team as the school has appointed new heads of the upper and middle schools, effective July 1.

Meghan McMahon will join the school as head of the upper school. Currently Marcie McDonald serves as the interim head of the upper school but will resume her role as upper school academic dean once McMahon officially begins her new role, according to a statement.

Mary Frederick will be the new head of the middle school after the current head, John Zwack, officially departs Sacred Heart once this school year concludes.

Were looking forward to welcoming two new educators of excellence in the upper school and the middle school, said President and Head of School Michael Baber. Theyre going to be phenomenal partners with us here.

Contributed by Sacred Heart Greenwich

McMahon is a product of a Sacred Heart school as she graduated from Newton Country Day School in Newton, Mass.  part of the Sacred Heart network of schools. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the College of the Holy Cross and a masters degree in teaching and history from Tufts University.

In 2006, McMahon was a founder of the Urban Assembly School for the Performing Arts, the only non-audition/screen performing arts high school in New York City. After receiving her Master of Education degree in educational leadership from Columbia Universitys Teachers College, McMahon became the principal of UASPA.

Some of the ways (my current role as UASPA principal) really prepared me to come back home to Sacred Heart is the mission-focused education that we had, McMahon said in her introductory video to Sacred Heart Greenwich. Everything always comes back to the goals and the criteria of Sacred Heart and keeping those traditions alive and rich. Im just really excited and honored to be able to join such an amazing community and really be a part of the community and learn from the students and the faculty and the parents what the strengths are in this Sacred Heart Greenwich community.

Contributed by Sacred Heart Greenwich

Frederick, whose daughter is a Sacred Heart Greenwich graduate, is coming from St. Lukes School in New Canaan, where she worked for seven years. Her most recent role at St. Lukes was the assistant head of upper school, but she has worked in education for 20 years.

Frederick earned her Bachelor of Science from Florida State University and a certificate in advanced educational leadership from Harvard Graduate School of Education.

As a practicing Catholic, I was just taken by the traditions of the community at Sacred Heart, but I also had a birds eye view of my daughters experience here through the eyes of a parent, as well as an educator and those are some of the reasons I am so excited to be joining this community, Frederick said in her introductory video to Sacred Heart Greenwich.

Sacred Heart Greenwich is an all-girls Catholic, independent college-preparatory day school for students in kindergarten through 12th grade.

Sacred Heart Greenwich's president said some of his big successes so far have been instilling a sense of optimism on campus post-COVID and "assembling a team" that can help the students thrive.

McMahon and Frederick "have had life-changing experiences because of Sacred Heart and they want to be able to help the next generation or three have the same experiences or better than they had, so that team really has been one of the successful accomplishments in a very brief time, assembling a team that allows us to do best by the girls who come here day in and day out, Baber said.
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NEW YORK (AP)  Harry Styles, Post Malone, Lizzo, Doja Cat, Megan Thee Stallion, the cast of Ted Lasso and the web series that gave us a kid loving corn are among the nominees for this years Webby Awards, recognizing the best internet content and creators.

The International Academy of Digital Arts & Sciences announced the nominees on Tuesday, the result of nearly 14,000 entries from 70 countries.

Styles nabbed a nomination for his commercial for AirPods, Trevor Noah for his segments filmed between the scenes at The Daily Show and BTS fans for their YouTube uploads called #MyBTStory. Lizzo got one for her hosting her show Lizzos Watch Out For the Big Grrrls, in which she hunts for dancers.

Doja Cat's reluctant social video for Taco Bell's Mexican Pizza  I like my pizza with refried beans/Peep my ad/ Search YouTube/This aint even Mexican food  was nominated for best advertising partnership, and faces-off in that category with the collaboration between Ted Lasso and FIFA 23.

Nominees include Recess Therapy, the show that highlighted 7-year-old corn-loving Tariq, Post Malone's listening experience for Twelve Carat Toothache and a VR concert by Megan Thee Stallion was nominated for best metaverse, immersive or virtual performance.

In other music nods, Future's Wait For U featuring Drake and Tems, Muse's Compliance," Disturbed's Bad Man and Christina Aguilera's reworked Beautiful for World Mental Health Day are competing for best music video.

Metallica's teaming up with Stranger Things for a collection of Hellfire Club merchandise was nominated for best partnership or collaboration and the social media accounts of Lupita Nyongo, Stephen Colbert and Jennifer Garner got nods.

A focus on artificial intelligence reflected the tech world's fascination with its promise, including OpenAI getting a nomination for best science website or mobile site, and nods for the Heinz ketchup AI artwork campaign and the voice-activated AI color system for Sherwin-Williams.

Companies earning the highest number of nominations are Apple with 22, MTV with 15, National Geographic and Netflix each with 14, Audible with 13, CNN and HBO and The Washington Post each with 12, Google and Meta with 11 apiece and Amazon with 10.

Awards are selected by the Academy, while The Webby Peoples Voice Awards are voted on by fans around the world. Voting for that award is open now until April 20. Winners for all awards will be announced on April 25.

Academy members include drummer, filmmaker and writer Questlove, podcaster Roxane Gay, actor LeVar Burton, comedians Samantha Bee and Ziwe Fumudoh, Girls Who Code founder Reshma Saujani, Savage X Fenty executive Natalie Guzman, fashion designer Tan France, Abbott Elementary creator and actor Quinta Brunson, Amazon executive Werner Vogels, podcaster Andy Slavitt, software engineer Tracy Chou and artist Takashi Murakami.

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Mark Kennedy is at http://twitter.com/KennedyTwits
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NEW YORK (AP)  For the first time in history, a former U.S. president has appeared in court as a criminal defendant.

Donald Trump surrendered to authorities Tuesday after being indicted by a New York grand jury on charges related to hush money payments at the height of the 2016 presidential election.

Trump, a 2024 presidential candidate, pleaded not guilty to 34 felony charges in a Manhattan courtroom. He then flew home to Florida and spoke to a crowd of supporters at his home.

Heres what to know about Trumps day in court:

HUSH MONEY PAYMENTS RELATED TO 2016 ELECTION

Prosecutors unsealed the indictment against the former president Tuesday, giving Trump, his lawyers and the world their first opportunity to see them. Trump was charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. Prosecutors said Trump conspired to undermine the 2016 presidential election by trying to suppress information that could harm his candidacy, and then concealing the true nature of the hush money payments. The payments were made to two women  including a porn actor  who claimed they had sexual encounters with him years earlier, and to a doorman at Trump Tower who claimed to have a story about a child Trump fathered out of wedlock, according to the Manhattan district attorney's office.

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DONALD J. TRUMP, DEFENDANT

Trump was only seen briefly outside the district attorneys office, where he surrendered to authorities and was booked and fingerprinted behind closed doors. Trumps mugshot was not taken, according to two law enforcement officials who could not publicly discuss details of the process and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

As the former president entered the courtroom, he briefly looked at a huddle of news cameras but did not stop to speak to reporters.

Inside the courtroom, Trump sat at the defense table with his hands in his lap and his lawyers at his side. He looked right at photojournalists who were briefly allowed into the courtroom as they snapped his photo. During the rest of the proceeding, he stayed still with his hands together and looked straight ahead. Trump only spoke briefly in court, telling the judge he was pleading not guilty and had been advised of his rights. The judge warned Trump that he could be removed from the courtroom if he was disruptive. Trump made no comment when he left court just under an hour later.

Trumps lawyer Todd Blanche said during the hearing that Trump is absolutely frustrated, upset and believes that there is a great injustice happening in the courtroom.

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A SURREAL DAY IN THE CITY WHERE HE GAINED FAME

Before he appeared in court, Trump made posts on his social media network complaining that the heavily Democratic area was a VERY UNFAIR VENUE and THIS IS NOT WHAT AMERICA WAS SUPPOSED TO BE! As his motorcade carried him across Manhattan, he posted that the experience was SURREAL.

The Republican has portrayed the Manhattan case and three separate investigations from the Justice Department and prosecutors in Georgia, as politically motivated. In recent weeks, he has lashed out at Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, called on his supporters to protest and warned about potential death and destruction if he were charged.

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TRUMP ADDRESSES SUPPORTERS

Appearing in front of several hundred supporters at his Florida home, Mar-a-Lago, Tuesday night, Trump repeated his claims that the investigation was politically motivated. He and attacked Bragg and the judge in the New York case, the judge's family and other prosecutors investigating him in other cases.

The only crime that I have committed is to fearlessly defend our nation from those who seek to destroy it," Trump said.

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BRAGG SPEAKS BRIEFLY

Bragg, speaking publicly for the first time since the indictment last week, held a brief news conference after the court proceedings in which he said the hush money scheme constituted felony crimes in New York state  no matter who you are.

We cannot and will not normalize serious criminal conduct, Bragg said. The Democratic prosecutor said accurate and true business records are important everywhere, but especially in Manhattan, because it's the financial center of the world.

Bragg was asked at the news conference why he was bringing the case now and if the timing was political. The district attorney said his office had additional evidence that his predecessor did not.

I bring cases when theyre ready, he said.

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WARNINGS AND POTENTIAL CONSEQUENCES

The judge on Tuesday did not impose a gag order but warned Trump to avoid making comments that were inflammatory or could cause civil unrest. If convicted of any of the 34 felony charges, Trump could face a maximum of four years in prison, but he'd likely be sentenced to less.

That could be an issue for Trump, who has already singled out his case's judge and the judge's family and posted on his social media network on Wednesday that, The people are seeing what is going on and they will not allow it to continue.

Trump lawyer Joe Tacopina pointed to the chaotic mix of media and protesters outside the courthouse as the former president was arraigned on Tuesday and said that it was an insane scene but there was no violence.

President Trump heard the judge," Tacopina told NBC's Today Show on Wednesday. "He's not doing anything to try to incite violence.

Asked about Trump's comments about the judge, Tacopina responded, It's not an attack on the judge, or certainly, his family.

No one is suggesting that anything should happen to the judge or the family, and President Trump's comments did not, in any way, shape or form, incite violence against the judge or anyone else, he said.

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TRIAL WHILE CAMPAIGNING FOR PRESIDENCY

Trump is due back in court in December, but his lawyers asked that he be excused from attending that hearing in person because of the extraordinary security required to have him show up. Prosecutors asked the judge to set a trial for January  weeks before the first votes will be cast in the 2024 Republican presidential primary. Trump's lawyers asked that it be pushed to the spring. The judge did not immediately set a date.

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MIXED POLITICAL IMPACTS

Though he faces a swirl of legal challenges, Trump is running for president again and has sought to use the charges and other investigations to galvanize his supporters.

Most of the Republicans also running or eyeing campaigns have released statements supportive of Trump while slamming the investigations of him as politically motivated. Many Democratic elected officials have said little about the New York indictment, including President Joe Biden. Trumps legal troubles are only expected to bolster Democratic voters' opposition to him, but its unclear whether some Republicans and independent voters will see the legal problems as too much baggage.

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A NEW YORK CIRCUS

A crowd of Trump supporters, thronged by journalists, gathered Tuesday outside the Manhattan courthouse. Republican Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and George Santos of New York, who is facing multiple investigations over lies he told while running for office, were swarmed by cameras and reporters when they arrived and spoke mid-morning. A band of anti-Trump protesters appeared with a large banner saying, Trump Lies All the Time.

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Associated Press reporters Michael Balsamo and Colleen Long in Washington contributed to this report.

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This story has been corrected to show that no trial date has been set but prosecutors asked for the trial to start in January.
Ronald A. Sarasin, a three-term congressman from the Naugatuck Valley who represented the 5th Congressional District then lost to Gov. Ella T. Grasso in 1978, died March 27 at 88 years of age.

A native of Fall River, Mass., who grew up in Beacon Falls, Sarasin graduated from Naugatuck High School in 1952, was a veteran of the U.S. Navy, and was elected to the state House of Representatives in 1968. A Republican, Sarasin won the 1972 race for the 5th District with 117,578 votes to Democrat John Monagan's 112,142 ballots.

In her November 1978 re-election bid, Grasso - the first woman in the United States elected governor without having succeeded a husband in 1974 - easily defeated Sarasin, 613,109 votes to 422,317.

File Photo

Most recently, Sarasin was the president and CEO of the U.S. Capitol Historical Society from 2000 to 2018.

The U.S. Capitol Historical Society joins the Sarasin family in mourning the death of our long-time leader, the Hon. Ron Sarasin, said current U.S. Capitol Society President and CEO Jane L. Campbell. During his tenure as our President and CEO, Rep. Sarasin met every challenge with tremendous strength to help us grow in our work and service to reach new audiences. This includes establishing a traveling exhibit on the role of enslaved people in building the Capitol to creating our signature civics education program, the We the People Constitution Tour, for middle school students in Washinton, D.C.s underserved neighborhoods. We are grateful for his life, his friendship, and the legacy he left us all.

After his military service, Sarasin earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Connecticut in 1960 and a law degree from the University of Connecticut School of Law in 1963. He served as legal counsel for Beacon Falls from 1963 to 1972 and taught law at New Haven College, now the University of New Haven, from 1963 to 1966.

Before he joined the historical society, Sarasin was the chief lobbyist for the National Restaurant Association and was president and chief executive officer of the National Beer Wholesalers Association.

Survivors include Leslie Garmon Sarasin, his wife of more than 34 years; two sons, Michael Arthur Sarasin (Renee) of Mystic, Conn., and Douglas Wilson Sarasin of Washington, D.C.; a brother, Warren Sarasin (Phyllis) of Rehoboth, Del.; a sister, Lois Saltzman (Allen) of Lenoir City, Tenn.; two nephews, Mark Sarasin and Jeff Sarasin (Dale), both of Port St. Lucie, Fla.; a niece, Kaitlin Saltzman of Lenoir City, Tenn.; and cousins in Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

A funeral service is planned for May 20, at 11a.m. at Gonzaga College High Schools St. Aloysius Church, 19 Eye St., Washington, D.C. Arrangements are being handled by Joseph Gawlers Sons Funeral Directors in Washington, D.C.
The Motorola Edge 40 Pro was announced today, and the phone is every bit the 2023 flagship - Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, super-fast 125W charging and large sensor 50MP main camera.

The same hardware was previously announced as the Moto X40 in China, but that one had heavy customizations for the local market, while the Edge 40 has a cleaner UI much closer to stock Android 13 experience.

The phone comes with a 6.67 AMOLED panel of 165Hz refresh rate. It has 1080p resolution and 2.5D curved sides, and the phone has Gorilla Glass Victus front and back. There is also an under-display fingerprint scanner. The 60MP selfie camera is mounted inside a punch hole.

The Edge 40 Pro two 50MP shooters at its back - main unit with 1/1.55" sensor, OIS, and F/1.9 aperture and a 117-degree FoV ultrawide unit with autofocus, 1/2.76" sensor, and f/2.2 lens. The third camera has a 12MP 1/2.93" sensor and 2x f/1.6 telephoto lens.

The phone has a slightly smaller battery than the Edge 30 Pro at 4,600mAh capacity. The included charger is said to fill the battery from 0 to 50% in seven minutes and give you a full charge in under 20 minutes. Wireless charging reaches 15W, and the phone does support reverse wireless at 5W.

Motorola will sell the Edge 40 Pro in Europe and Latin America with one memory combination - LPDDR5X 12 GB RAM + 256 GB UFS 4.0 storage with no room for micro SD; at least the tray hold two SIM cards.

The Edge 40 Pro brings IP68 resistance against water and dust ingress (it can survive under 1.5m of water for 30 minutes). Motorola managed to keep a slim profile of the device - 8.6mm thick at the base with a weight of just under 200 grams.

Motorola is launching Edge 40 Pro in Blue or Black for 899.99 across Europe in the coming days. Availability and pricing will slightly vary by specific countries, with details expected to emerge over the next couple of days.
As the Supreme Court of Guam prepares to hear a request to void the islands decades-old anti-abortion law, the Legislature, doctors, civil rights groups and the attorney general weighed in on the issue this week.

Justices on April 25 are scheduled to hear oral arguments in the governors Jan. 23 request for a declaratory judgment to void Public Law 20-134, which was an effort to criminalize abortions in Guam.

The law, passed unanimously in 1990, never was enforced because of a permanent injunction issued by the federal court.

Newly elected Attorney General Douglas Moylan in early January announced he would attempt to lift the injunction because of last years U.S. Supreme Court decision to strike down Roe v. Wade.

The governor, who supports womens reproductive rights, 12 days later petitioned the islands Supreme Court to void the anti-abortion law.

Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero asked justices to rule that the 1990 law is void forever and cant be revived following the decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.

She also asked justices to rule that the Legislature did not have the authority to pass the law in the first place because doing so violated the Organic Act.

Moylan this week asked justices to dismiss the governors case, stating the issue already is being addressed in the islands federal court and his office does not have the resources to defend both cases.

U.S. District Court of Guam Chief Judge Frances Tydingco-Gatewood last month rejected Moylans request to lift the permanent injunction, and Moylan on Tuesday told justices he plans to appeal Tydingco-Gatewoods ruling, because we believe errors of law occurred.

The Legislature is not taking sides in the case, according to a brief filed Tuesday by legislative attorney Mike Phillips, but the Legislature objects to the court removing laws from the books.

Courts do not have the authority to erase a duly enacted law from the Guam code or public laws and have no power to veto or literally void a statute retroactively, the Legislatures brief states.

Lawmakers said the court should not disturb the previous or current authority of (the Legislature) to pass bills or perform functions authorized by the Organic Act of Guam.

A group of doctors and civil rights organizations filed a brief with the Supreme Court Tuesday, supporting the governors efforts to erase the anti-abortion law.

The brief was filed on behalf of the American Civil Liberties Union, Famalaoan Rights, Dr. Shandhini Radoo, Dr. Bliss Kaneshiro, and Dr. William Freeman, a former resident who was the islands last practicing abortion doctor. Freeman currently lives in the Philippines.

Because P.L. 20-134 criminalized essentially all abortions and the solicitation of abortion, it violated the First and Fourteenth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution and the binding Supreme Court precedent interpreting them, their brief states. These precedents and the plain language of the Organic Act compel a finding that P.L. 20-134 is inorganic and was void from the moment of its passage by the 20th Guam Legislature.

The governors petition will be heard by Chief Justice Robert Torres, Associate Justice F. Phillip Carbullido and Justice Pro Tem John A. Manglona. Associate Justice Katherine Maraman recused herself from the case, citing her past role as legal counsel in the abortion issue.

A status conference related to the governors petition is scheduled for 10 a.m. April 10 at the Supreme Court.
Military service members stationed on Guam, Hawaii and other locations got to receive their full overseas cost of living allowance in their April 1 paycheck, after a delay in the implementation of deep OCOLA cuts.

A reduction is still anticipated to happen.

I encourage you to plan for a potential change in the near future but you will not see any change (in) your paycheck this pay period, Navy Rear Adm. Benjamin Nicholson, commander of Joint Region Marianas, said in a March 30 video message.

He said no final decisions have been made to implement any change in OCOLA for members serving in Hawaii, Guam or any other overseas locations.

A prior video message from Nicholson anticipated that changes in the overseas COLA would take place April 1st.

JRM earlier said that the OCOLA index scale for the Guam Locality Code has decreased by 12 points, or 66% from last year.

For many affected service members on Guam, the reduction means hundreds of dollars will be gone from their paycheck.

For local businesses, that means fewer dollars that service members and their families get to spend in the Guam economy.

Cmdr. Nicole Schwegman, Department of Defense spokesperson, said that on Dec. 23, 2022, the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 2023 enacted restrictions limiting DoD to instituting OCOLA decreases those based on cost-of-living data and those based on currency fluctuations to no more than once every six months.

No final decisions have been made to implement any change to COLA for members serving in Hawaii, Guam, or any other overseas locations at this time, Schwegman told Pacific Daily News.

Nicholson said earlier that JRM is working with the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command to appeal the overseas COLA reduction for Guam, and that advocacy continues.

We continue to advocate for our service members on Guam. I will update you as soon as I have more information. In the meantime, there are numerous financial planning resources available to help your family and you. Thank you for your continued service and support, Nicholson said.

JRM listed these additional resources: MilitaryOneSource.mil, Finred.usalearning.gov, Afas.org, and NMCRS.org.

The tax-free overseas COLA helps offset higher prices of non-housing goods and services, and to equalize purchasing power for service members stationed overseas with those stateside. The overseas COLA is not a base pay, and not a housing allowance.

For service members stationed in Hawaii, the OCOLA cuts are at about 50%.

The rates fluctuate and are adjusted based on changes in cost-of-living data, gathered from two surveys.

The first survey, conducted every three years, determines how members shop and where they shop. The other survey is held annually, and collects actual prices for about 150 nonhousing goods and services.

The 2023 COLA index point rating for Guam is 106, down from 118 in 2022, JRM said.

Most of Guams consumer goods, as well as services, are much higher than those in the United States because most of the food products and consumer goods had to be shipped to the island. Regular gas on Guam is $4.99 a gallon, almost $1.50 higher than the current national average gas price.
Sen. Amanda Sheltons tourism committee will hold an April 6 oversight hearing on the Guam Visitors Bureau, which has seen a lingering conflict between management and the board of directors even as overall visitor arrivals are still down by about 60% compared to pre-pandemic levels.

This will immediately follow the tourism committees separate Thursday morning confirmation hearing on Gov. Lou Leon Guerreros appointment of Sinajana Mayor Robert Hofmann to once again represent mayors on the GVB board.

The April 6 oversight hearing that Shelton called, comes two months after the initial Feb. 10 oversight hearing that committee vice chairman Sen. Jesse Lujan was canceled.

At the time, Shelton and Lujan had different views on who should be invited to testify and answer questions about key tourism issues, including GVB President Carl Gutierrezs conflicts with board members and updates about Guams tourism recovery three years after the pandemic started.

Shelton on Tuesday said the GVB president has confirmed his attendance at Thursdays hearing.

We anticipate that he will bring with him the appropriate team members so the responses to our lines of questioning are accurate and informative. After all, it is an oversight hearing, and lets be clear: the purpose of an oversight is to gain insight, Shelton told the Pacific Daily News.

The oversight hearing will cover GVBs finances, its board and membership, the bureaus management of Guam as a tourist destination, tourism industry recovery updates, and what bureau officials have been describing as conflicts between GVBs enabling legislation and its bylaws.

This was a major point of conflict between Gutierrez and board members, whom he also accused of violating government ethics and transparency laws.

The agenda has been published. I have no doubt that President Gutierrez will come before our committee fully prepared to offer testimony and answer questions. Indeed, as a former senator and governor, he is intimately familiar with the oversight process, including most especially the spirit in which it takes place, Shelton said.

She said if members of the committee have specific questions, she encourages them to ask on Thursday.

For the canceled Feb. 10 oversight hearing on GVB, Lujan identified only Gutierrez, GVB Vice President Gerry Perez, GVB counsel Joe McDonald and then Board Chairman Milton Morinaga as attendees.

Lujan was co-campaign manager for Gutierrez in the latters unsuccessful 2018 bid for the Democratic gubernatorial primary, and the senator has been a part of GVB-paid travels in recent months.

Lujan and other Republican members of the tourism committee expressed disappointment with the cancellation of the oversight hearing. One of them, Sen. Telo Taitague, even accused Shelton of having a conflict of interest since her relative at the time was among GVB board members.

At the time, the GVB board had not met since May 2022 over Gutierrezs allegations against board members that were among subjects of review of GVBs enabling law and bylaws.

But minutes before the Feb. 10 oversight hearing was to start, Shelton called for its cancellation, saying in a statement that having only four individuals to participate hardly reflects the number of people who are key for a successful dialogue with the industry.

Since then, the GVB board has been able to reconvene and new members were elected by the general membership and appointed by the governor. The board elected Tan Holdings George Chiu as the new chairman, replacing Morinaga, who remains on the board.

This time around most, if not all, GVB board members are expected to attend the oversight hearing, along with members of the management team.

GVB management reported revised arrival numbers of 274,925 for the first five months of fiscal 2023. For GVB to reach its 670,000 forecast for 2023, its monthly arrivals for March to September should reach an average of about 56,439, which is close to the actual arrivals in January and February.

The GVB management also earlier told the board that the agency plans to ask the Legislature for a record-high $29 million budget for GVB in fiscal 2024. GVBs initial 2024 arrivals forecast is 1.1 million, or 70% of the record-high 1.6 million arrivals before the pandemic in 2019.




Haiti - Justice : 23rd anniversary of the assassination of journalist Jean-Leopold Dominique





The Citizen Protection Office (OPC), April 3rd, 2023, remembers Jean-Leopold Dominique "a great man, a rigorous journalist, a productive columnist who handled his pen with dexterity" also PDG after the takeover of the Haiti inter radio station, shot dead in Delmas as well as Jean-Claude Louissaint, guardian of the Radio station...



"[...] on April 3rd, 2023, 23 years later, the base is still there, lonely of course, because the smart press is not dead. They murdered a man, but not a profession, not a thought [...]"



The OPC, in this painful circumstance invites the workers of the press to keep lit the torch of excellence, of the professionalism that Jean Dominique carried.



"[...] April 3rd, 2000 - April 3rd, 2023, the assassins aroused vocations because the murdered Jean-Leopold Dominique as well as Jean-Claude Louissaint, the caretaker of the radio station Inter have not yet found justice and the assassins are still in the city, to repeat the words of the late director of radio Haiti inter," reminds the OPC.



For its part, the National Association of Haitian Media (ANMH) again wishes a serious investigation into this double assassination, denouncing that for 23 years the successive Governments have done nothing to do justice to Jean-Leopold Dominique.



See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-11427-haiti-justice-repatriation-of-an-alleged-key-witness-in-the-case-of-jean-dominique.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-8521-haiti-justice-former-president-aristide-responded-to-the-invitation-of-justice.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-8420-haiti-justice-aristide-before-the-investigating-judge-on-may-8-2013.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-8406-haiti-justice-postponement-of-the-hearing-of-j-b-aristide.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-8368-haiti-justice-case-jean-dominique-j-b-aristide-convened-by-justice.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-8261-haiti-justice-tribute-to-the-journalist-jean-leopold-dominique.html

https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-8033-haiti-news-some-news-here-and-there.html

https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-7995-haiti-news-some-news-here-and-there.html



HL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - News : Zapping...





195 shot dead in 1 month

The organization of Citizens for a New Haiti (OCNH) says it has listed during the month of March 2023 : 195 gunshot deaths (169 men, 10 women, 6 girls, 4 boys, a newborn, a student, 3 police officers and a soldier from the Armed Forces of Haiti In the Ouest department alone, 172 people were killed.



2 doctoral students in medicine, kidnapped

On Sunday April 2nd, 2023, Junior Daris and Emmanuel Joseph doctoral students in medicine, who were preparing to present their graduation thesis with a view to obtaining their medical degree, were kidnapped by armed individuals at the level of Catalpa, in Delmas 75.



The PNH discusses security and capacity with the OAS

Monday, April 3rd, 2023, Frantz Elbe, the Acting Director General of the National Police of Haiti (PNH) met with Ambassador Cristobal Dupouy, Permanent Representative of the Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS) in Haiti . Security in Haiti and the strengthening of the operational capacity of the PNH were at the center of the discussions.



Closure of the Consulate of Haiti in Paris

The Consulate General of Haiti in Paris informs the Haitian community in particular and the public in general, that on the occasion of Easter, its services will be closed : Friday April 7 and Monday April 10, 2023. Services will resume at usual hours on Tuesday, April 11, 2023.



Education Census : already 1,671 schools registered

Nesmy Manigat, the Minister of National Education informs that from March 27 to 31, 2023, 1,671 schools were registered as part of the online census launched on March 27 https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-39137-haiti-education-compulsory-general-census-of-public-and-private-schools.html . The Ministry will authorize these schools to register their students for this year's official exams, Manigat said. Remember that the census ends on April 28, 2023.



Madan Sara gthering

On Monday, the Prime Minister a.i. Ariel Henry participated, at the Karibe hotel, in the 3rd edition of the Gathering of "Madan Sara" "I strongly salute their courage. These women entrepreneurs are the 'poto-mitan' of families and the national economy. We owe them a debt of gratitude, especially for their perseverance in such a difficult situation."



HL/ HaitiLibre


















Korean Movie | 2017

 Drama  Fantasy

Directed by Kim Yong-hwa ()

Written by Kim Yong-hwa ()

139min | Release date in South Korea: 2017/12/20

Re-release date: 2021/01/07

"Along with the Gods" will be released in 2 parts

Began fliming : 2016/05/26

Wrapped up filming : 2017/03/22

Synopsis

An adaptation of the manhwa by Joo Ho-min. It tells the story of the protagonist who dies and is escorted to the underworld by an angel of death. He is put on trial for 49 days. While the source material is split into three parts, the movie by director Kim Yong-hwa will be a prequel.

Source
The Centre and Green League both indicated yesterday in the wake of their dismal performance in the parliamentary elections that they are likely opposition-bound, potentially limiting the options in the coalition formation negotiations.

ANNOUNCEMENTS by the Centre and Green League have made the task of forming a ruling majority all the more daunting for Petteri Orpo, the chairperson of the National Coalition.

Annika Saarikko, the chairperson of the Centre, on Monday stated in a press release that the only conclusion to draw from the election results  the party seeing its vote share fall by 2.5 percentage points to 11.3 per cent and seat number by 8 to 23  is that the partys place is in the opposition.

You need public support for coalition co-operation and difficult decisions. We do not have that at the moment, she argued, adding that the party would begin work to restore trust immediately.

Maria Ohisalo, the chairperson of the Green League, yesterday declared that the partys threshold for joining a ruling coalition is extremely high after it saw its vote share shrink by 4.5 points and seat number by 7 to 13.

The result, she conceded, was a massive loss for the Greens.

We will not join a ruling coalition that makes cuts in education, hits the brakes on efforts to fight the climate crisis or biodiversity loss, or increases inequality. The Green League refuses to green-wash the policy decisions of such a government, she outlined in a press release.

The Centre ruling out coalition co-operation appears to decrease the likelihood of a right-wing government founded on co-operation between the National Coalition and Finns Party. The Christian Democratic Partys five seats will not be enough to secure a majority for the coalition, meaning it would require support from the Swedish Peoples Party.

Anna-Maja Henriksson, the chairperson of the Swedish Peoples Party, has not outright ruled out co-operation with the Finns Party, but she has stated that the party will not support a government that pursues policies based on the values of the Finns Party.

Without the Greens, the National Coalition and Social Democrats would require support from both the Swedish Peoples Party and Christian Democrats in order to secure even a slim, few-seat majority in the Parliament.

The Left Alliance and National Coalition are widely believed to be too far apart to fit into the same ruling coalition.

Sari Essayah, the chairperson of the Christian Democrats on Monday outlined that the party wants the next government to implement major structural reforms in the labour markets and social security system.

Helsingin Sanomat on Monday reminded that the Centre was opposition-bound also after the parliamentary elections of 2019, when it lost 18 of its 49 seats in the Parliament. Juha Sipila, at the time the chairperson of the Centre, stated that the party was clearly headed to the opposition but ultimately took on the portfolio of the minister of finance in the five-party ruling coalition formed by Antti Rinne (SDP).

Antti Hakkanen, a deputy chairperson of the National Coalition, on Monday expressed his hope that all parties take part in the coalition formation process given what he described as a serious situation for Finland.

Were hoping that all parties, including the Centre, keep an open mind, he said on YLE A-studio.

The process will formally begin after the newly elected lawmakers begin their work after Easter. Orpo, as the leader of the largest party in the Parliament, will be appointed as the Speaker of the Parliament on 12 April, a day before the parliamentary session is opened by President Sauli Niinisto.

All parliamentary groups are expected to convene later next week to officially ask Orpo to initiate the coalition formation talks. Experts expect the talks to be tense and take at least a couple of weeks.

Aleksi Teivainen  HT?
Today, Finland officially became the 31st member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), marking the end of its era of military non-alignment. In a statement, President of the Republic of Finland Sauli Niinisto emphasized that the membership is not targeted against anyone and does not change the foundations or objectives of Finland's foreign and security policy. Rather, it provides security for Finland while also strengthening its international position and room for manoeuvre.

Finland shares a 1,340-km (832-mile) eastern frontier with Russia and formally applied to join NATO last May because of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The Finnish public opinion towards joining NATO surged to 80% in favour after the invasion. The accession of Finland to NATO is a setback for Russia's Vladimir Putin, who had repeatedly complained of NATO's expansion before his full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The length of Russia's border with NATO member states has now doubled.

However, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned that Russia would be "watching closely" what happens in Finland, describing NATO's enlargement as a "violation of our security and our national interests". Jens Stoltenberg, the NATO Secretary General, assured that no NATO troops would be stationed in Finland without the consent of the government in Helsinki.

Finland's membership in the Alliance provides security for itself while also committing to the security of all NATO member states, being a reliable ally that strengthens regional stability. As a NATO member, Finland will need readiness for change and adaptability. The Finnish Defence Forces are also facing new demands and challenges to which they must respond.

Finland applied to join NATO together with Sweden. However, Sweden's application has become stuck, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accusing Stockholm of embracing Kurdish militants and allowing them to demonstrate on the streets. Hungary is also yet to approve Sweden joining. Jens Stoltenberg said NATO would ensure Sweden becomes the next member to join.

HT
A COUPLE who were forced to close their Henley cafe now have another one.

Sandra and Steve Cunningham took over Spoon in Duke Street on Monday.

The couple had been running Smiley Cafe in M&Co in Bell Street for seven years until the clothing and home chain went into administration. They are also having to close their other cafe in the Chesham branch of M&Co.

They have taken over Spoon from founder Cindy Gillett, who first opened it in October 2016.

Mrs Gillett said she knew that the Cunninghams were the right fit for Spoon, saying: Its a personality thing. Every meeting we had we were giggling away.

We told the staff we would be really careful about who we sold to because we wanted them to keep their jobs and didnt want to let it go for the sake of letting it go. The stars aligned; it all worked out.

The Cunninghams had been running the Smiley Cafe since 2016. Before that, they ran the Bondia Cafe at the former LA Fitness in Newtown Road for eight years until the gym group went out of business.

Mr Cunningham said: We had to put everything in storage. I was already working and Sandra went and got a job until we could find something else and then M&Co approached us.

We couldnt just take one and had to run the Chesham branch as well. I was going backwards and forwards six days a week to Chesham until December, when we got the call saying that M&Co had gone into administration and we had to get out. We were devastated.

He said the couple hadnt expected this as the company had also gone into administration two years previously but continued trading.

Mr Cunningham said: We thought they would have readjusted their model and survived but obviously somewhere in their business plan it didnt work.

We started looking for new places but there was nothing. I contacted Simmons & Sons, the local agent for commercial businesses, to ask if anything was coming up.

We went on holiday to clear the air and think of a plan about where we could go next.

Then I got a phone call saying: Would you be interested in a coffee shop in Duke Street? and I went: Duke Street?

He mentioned the name and I went: Youre joking! I couldnt believe it. I said: Of course Im interested  Ill get on the next plane. We met a few times and felt it would be right for both sides.

It came together  Cindy thinking it was her time to move on and us being kicked out. She was at the top and we were at the bottom, looking up.

Mrs Cunningham, who is originally from Porto, said her dream had always been to have an independent coffee shop.

She said: Ive been in Henley for about 20 years but in Portugal we always ran our own businesses.

My mother had delicatessens and I opened a fishmonger but Ive always had a love for food and coffee shops.

The Cunninghams want to expand the outdoor seating area at Spoon and bring back its supper clubs.

They have also reinstated the alcohol licence and hope to stay open later.

Mr Cunningham said: All the key members of Spoon are staying and we are bringing our chef and senior manager from Smiley with us. The extra chef will be really helpful and we can do more catering, especially in the run-up to the regatta and Henley Festival.

The nice thing is that weve got our own key so we can open when we want and shut when we want. When we were in M&Co, we were tied to a 9am to 5pm schedule.

Now we will be freer to do what we want. Weve got a little bit more freedom to be a bit more creative and try things.

Mrs Cunningham said her customers from the Smiley Cafe had said they would come to Spoon.

She said: All our customers are very happy that we have found something nice, so close with an outside because they know that has always been my dream. I think theyre going to support us.

We might not be big enough to accommodate so many people. If all my customers come in, plus all of Spoons customers, I dont know whats going to happen. Theyre going to be queuing out the door.

 The offering of Spoon is staying the same. Smiley will just be the parent company in the background. We have made it clear that if its not broken, dont fix it. We want to run it as it is with little additions like my cheese and fruit scones.
Acknowledging Mondays outage that affected its online services, the State Bank of India (SBI) has said a technical glitch led to the outage, adding that the issue now stands resolved and web services are functioning as usual. The issue now stands resolved, SBI said in a statement.

Also Read: SBI customers facing UPI, Net banking, Yono App issues due to server outage

We regret to inform you that due to a technical glitch, some of our digital services were impacted for a few hours on April 3. However, the issue stands resolved, and the digital services are live and restored, said SBI in a statement, though the bank did not specify what this technical glitch was.

Apologising to its valued customers, the countrys largest lender further stated, The bank is always working towards implementing measures to prevent such occurrences. We thank you for your patience, and continued trust in SBI.

What happened on Monday?

The bank's online services, including internet banking, YONO app, UPI, and card payments, were unavailable since morning, prompting irate customers to take to social media to complain about the interruption in services.

According to Downdetector, a website that monitors app outages, the problem began at 9:19am local time, and at its peak, more than 1,800 people reported the outage at around 10:30am.

SBI's statement acknowledging the issue came hours after customer outrage began on social media.

(With ANI inputs)

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Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Tuesday said the process of selecting candidates for the Assembly polls is being held in a democratic way and it will be completed smoothly with the list being announced after the party's central leadership finalises it on April 8. Karnataka elections: BJP list will have surprise element, says CM Bommai(ANI)

Asked by reporters if there will be surprise candidates in the fray from the BJP, he said: "Certainly, there is a plan for new experiments in certain constituencies and they will happen."

Also Read - Totally false: Cong leader Siddaramaiah denies remarks on CM selection

Some seats will give a "surprise result", he said. "You are going to see it in the days to come. Both our workers and leaders are confident."

He also said there are clear signs of BJP getting absolute majority and coming back to power.

"Today's state election committee meeting is a continued part of the district-level core committee meeting that took place over the last couple of days; further screening would be done today and tomorrow before sending (the list of probable candidates) to the centre (central leadership). It will be sent to the centre day after tomorrow," Bommai said.

Speaking to reporters here, he said the list of finalised candidates will be out after the central leadership decides on it on April 8.

The Congress and JD(S) have already announced their first list of 124 and 93 candidates, respectively.

Stating that the party workers are excited about the ruling party's prospects, the Chief Minister said, looking at the developments during the last three to four months in the run-up to the election, "there are all signs of (BJP) getting a clear majority."

Aimed at coming back to power with a clear majority, BJP has set a target of winning at least 150 seats in the 224 member assembly.

Noting that the process of ticket distribution is being done in a democratic way, Bommai further said: "Opinion is being gathered from local level, then district and state level, and on the basis of a complete information and ground reality, it is being done in a democratic way and I'm confident that it will go on smoothly."

Responding to a question on some leaders deserting the party ahead of polls, the CM said they will not have any impact on BJP's prospects in the election.

"BJP has 125 sitting MLAs, there are some aspirants there, realising that they don't have an opportunity, two or three people have quit," he said.

Karnataka goes to the polls on May 10 and counting will take place on May 13.
A woman was allegedly gang-raped in front of her brother in Damoh district, police officials said. Police are yet to arrest the accused. (Representative file image)

Police registered an FIR (first information report) against five unidentified accused including a woman.

Police are yet to arrest the accused.

The 25-year-old woman was returning to her home on a bike with her brother on Monday night when five miscreants stopped them near Jangupura village.

Also Read: Bengaluru woman dragged inside the car, gangraped by four

The accused robbed the valuables including gold jewellery and 3,500 from the woman and her brother. They later forced the brother to drink alcohol. They dragged the woman in the bushes and allegedly raped her, said Rakesh Kumar Singh superintendent of police, Damoh.

The woman filed the complaint on Tuesday morning.

The woman was sent for medical examination after registering an FIR under section 376 (d) gang rape and 393 (attempt to commit robbery) of the IPC (Indian Penal Code).

(With inputs from Anupam Pateriya from Sagar)
Following continued demand from the tribal community, Balti news service has found its way back onto All India Radio (AIR) Srinagar a year after discontinuation. The short-wave service, which had been on air for 33 years, was widely popular in the Balti-speaking areas across Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Gilgit Baltistan in Pakistan and the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. AIR Srinagar officials said a truncated 10-minute Balti news service returned on April 1 on FM-2. (HT File)

Speaking of the same, officials said a truncated 10-minute Balti news service returned on April 1 on FM-2 following a growing chorus for its revival from the community.

The 10-minute Balti news service was started again this month on FM-2. Earlier it was broadcast on short-wave service which has been discontinued, an official of AIR Srinagar, said, adding, There is a considerable Balti speaking population. Keeping in mind their demands, the news service division (NSD) once again started this service.

The cancellation of the then half-hour daily programme featuring development issues, talks, music and news had agonised thousands of its listeners spread across the region irrespective of the physical boundaries.

A 20-minute Balti programme materialised on the directions of the Union home ministry in March 1988 presenting Indian viewpoints across the border. An additional 10-minute news service of the programme debuted on air immediately after Kargil war, which had prompted Radio Pakistans Islamabad and Skardu to also broadcast news in Balti language.

The 10-minute Balti news service, in its new slot, is broadcast at 6 pm daily on 103.5 FM-2 against the original schedule of 7.20 pm on short-wave.

After the scrapping of the programme, the Balti-speaking people had approached multiple forums in Delhi including PMO, information and broadcasting ministry, tribal affairs ministry and Prasar Bharti for its restart.

Community on Cloud-9

Raja Iftikhar Hussain, in his 60s, president of association of Baltis in Himalayan Indus region of Ladakh and J&K and advisor from Kashmir for All India Balti Association, said the community was happy, but were looking for the restart of the 20-minute programme as well. The news has started but we also demand the start of the programme. Everyone is happy. Baltis not only live in J&K and Ladakh but also in Uttarakhand and Shimla, he said.

An emotional Arif Ali, a 51-year-old Balti news listener from Srinagar, said, It was an overwhelming feeling. Many of our people, particularly elderly, were pushing us for its restart, and now they are happy.

A majority of Balti-speaking population live in Pakistans Baltistan and PoK, but Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmirs Srinagar, Tral, Ganderbal, Bandipora and Ramban areas also have a significant chunk.

The programmes aired by AIR service cover development issues, feature songs, religious naats and qasidas and special requests on Sundays. Their popularity transcends borders, proving the reach of its soft power.

An AIR Srinagar official said the demand to revive the Balti programme in its full length was to be taken by top officials, adding, AIRs programming section has to take this decision.
The police have arrested a Madhya Pradesh-based illegal weapon supplier in Jagraon and recovered four automatic and advanced pistols from his possession. MP-based weapon supplier lands in police net, 4 arms recovered

The accused had come to Jagraon to hand over the weapons to some gangsters, but before the accused could make the delivery, he was arrested, police said.

The accused has been identified as Balram of Sankarpura village in Indore in Madhya Pradesh.

The police recovered one 9 MM pistol, .30 bore 3 pistols and 7 magazines from his possession. One of the weapons has Jigana, a weapon brand from Turkey on it.

Ludhiana rural senior superintendent of police (SSP) Navneet Singh Bains said that the CIA staff arrested the accused from Raikot on Monday following a tip-off. The accused had hidden the weapons in a bag.

The accused told police that he was waiting for instructions from his handlers to deliver the weapons.

The SSP said that a case under sections 25, 54 and 59 of Arms Act has been lodged against the accused at City police station in Raikot.

The police are questioning the accused to know how much weapons he had delivered in the city and to whom.

He was produced before the court on Tuesday. The court remanded the accused two days in police custody for questioning. The police are also trying to trace the main supplier of the weapons.

Police said the weapons recovered from the accused were sophisticated and modern, which could fire a burst of bullets.

The police suspected that such advanced weapons cannot be produced in illegal workshops of the weapon suppliers.

It is suspected that the weapons were smuggled from other countries and the accused had removed brand and model numbers, they said.

Some of the gangs, including that of gangster-turned-terrorist Arsh Dalla, are active in rural areas. The police suspected that the weapons were smuggled for them.
With Covid-19 cases recording a slight uptick in Jammu and Kashmir for the past few days, the health department in Kashmir will go for a mock drill to check pandemic preparedness on Monday while it has asked officers to increase testing and establish flu clinics at all health institutions. With Covid-19 cases recording a slight uptick in Jammu and Kashmir for the past few days, the health department in Kashmir will go for a mock drill to check pandemic preparation on Monday while it has asked officers to increase testing and establish flu clinics at all health institutions. (HT File Photo)

A health update said that 31 fresh Covid cases were reported on Tuesday, 29 of them in Kashmir. The union territory has recorded a slight increase in Covid cases with Monday witnessing 40 infections, almost half of them in Kashmir, and 19 cases on Sunday -18 of them in Kashmir.

Director Health Kashmir, Mushtaq Ahmad Rather said that not many Covid cases were being reported. There were 15 cases in Kashmir on Saturday, 18 on Sunday and 19 on Monday. There is not much rise but we have to be alert, he said.

Rather said they will be going for a mock drill related to Covid preparations on April 10 in health institutions as per the directions from the Government of India.

On April 10 we are going to recheck our oxygen generating equipment and everything relating to Covid. We will go for a trial run of oxygen plants and other systems in place. It will be a mock drill, he said.

The directorate has also asked its chief medical officers (CMOs) to increase testing, including RT-PCR, and establish flu clinics at all the health institutions in every district as per the guidelines of ministry of health and family welfare.

We have to establish flu clinics in every district. All symptomatic patients will be tested and those coming voluntarily will also be tested. We will also increase testing, that will tell us the spread, he said.

So far, the testing rates in the union territory are very low, some 1,125 tests were conducted on Monday and 2,053 tests were done on Sunday. The active cases in the union territory till Monday are 166 of which 125 are in Kashmir valley.

Since the pandemic started, the overall cases in J&K have reached 4, 79,800 till Monday besides reporting 4,786 deaths.

The health director said that people need to take some precautions amid the emerging situation.

We need to take precautions in gatherings, meetings and wear masks. Take preventive measures, he said. Otherwise, there is no deficiency of anything at government level to tackle the disease.
: After the education department received over 1,600 complaints against private schools in Punjab for violation of norms, inspection teams have been directed to conduct checks at over 1,200 private schools in Ludhiana district. Inspection teams to conduct checks at 1,200 pvt schools in Ludhiana district (Representational pic)

A task force comprising three government school principals has also been formed to probe the complaints.

District education officer, (secondary education) Harjit Singh said that the teams will visit the schools and submit information regarding changes in the school fees, books, affiliation and no-objection certificate to the state-level committee. He said that the process will be completed before April 30.

The officer said that the education department undertakes inspections generally every year. He said that parents are being encouraged to report any malpractice to the government.

Punjab minister for school education Harjot Singh Bains on Monday had issued show cause notices to 30 private schools across the state, including three from Ludhiana. The schools were issued notice for fee norms violation.

The schools from the district that featured in the list include Sacred Heart Convent School in Otalan in Samrala, Spring Dale Public Senior Secondary School in Khanna and Ram Lal Bhasin Public School in Ludhiana.

The minister had posted on his Twitter account that he received complaints against 1,600 schools across the state in various districts, including Amritsar, Sangrur, Mansa, Ludhiana, Fatehgarh Sahib, Fazilka, Bathinda, Gurdaspur and Hoshiarpur.

The task force formed by the education department at the district level include Vishwakirat Kahlon, Principal of GSSS Model Town, Satwant Kaur, GSSS GSSS Guram, and Vishal Vashisth, Principal of GSSS Chakohi.

Vashishth said that the notices to three schools in the district have been issued after verification of the complaints by inspection teams.

He said that the task force will conduct the probe and submit the report to the state-level committee.

The minister had said that schools are bound to submit the information under the Punjab Regulation of Fees of Unaided Education Institutions (Amendment) Bill 2016 and 2019 and action will be taken by the district-level regulatory bodies against the schools if found at fault.

Education department to conduct PSTET Paper-2 again

The state education department has announced to reconduct the Paper-2 of the Punjab State Teachers Eligibility Test, which was cancelled on March 12 following a goof-up in which the correct answers of the social studies unit of the exam were highlighted in the question.

In a notification on the education departments official website, it said that the dates for the PSTET Paper -2 will be announced in the coming days.
Police on Monday seized a cache of arms and ammunition, suspected to have been dropped by a Pakistani drone, in Rakh Barutia village of Vijaypur in the border district of Samba. A cache of China-made arms and explosive materials was recovered from the package suspected to have been airdropped by a drone from across the India-Pakistan border. (PTI)

The consignment was dropped close to under-construction All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Vijaypur. A senior police officer said the information was relayed to them by locals around 7 am.

We received information about some suspicious material wrapped in a yellow packet in Rakh Barutia. A police team immediately rushed to the spot and seized the packet, he said, adding, Three China-made pistols, six magazines, 48 bullets and four Chinese hand grenades have been recovered from the packet.

The official said a long plastic string was also recovered from the spot that appeared to have been used to winch the payload on the ground. A bomb disposal squad that also rushed to the spot and the packet was opened with all precautions, he added.

BSF fires at Pakistani drone

Notably, troops of the Border Security Force (BSF) fired at a Pakistani drone along the international border in Ramgarh sector of Samba district on the intervening night of Friday and Saturday.

Sharing details, a senior BSF officer, A blinking light was observed around 12.15 am on the international border in the night in the general area of Ramgarh. Alert troops fired towards the blinking light due to which it was forced to return. The area is being searched thoroughly.

The incident, third in quick succession, comes close on the heels of a powerful IED blast near a border police post in Sanyal of adjoining Hiranagar sector of Kathua district late on Wednesday. The blast that took place barely 4 km from the zero line in Hiranagar sector, around 9.30pm, was heard in four to five villages along the border.

On Thursday, security forces, during searches, also recovered a live grenade near the police post. Official sources told HT that the possibility of the drone dropping the payload cant be ruled out.

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After struggling with the longstanding problem of dissuading eligible persons from registering in the Below Poverty Line (BPL) category and the Integrated Rural Development Programme (IRDP), state panchayats have turned to a novel idea to lower the burden  striking off names of alcoholics from the list. Himachal panchayats have turned to a novel idea to lower the burden on welfare scheme  striking off names of alcoholics from the list. (HT File)

A resolution in regards to the same was passed during a gram sabha meeting at the Badgaon panchayat of the Jhandutta sub-division in Bilaspur district, suggesting that any eligible person selected in two are found creating a ruckus after consuming alcohol or fail to send their children to a government school, their name will be struck off from IRDP/BPL sans notice.

The panchayat also decided to make wages earned under MNREGA mandatory for families looking to register under BPL. They excluded around 21 BPL families who were ineligible for the benefits, adding 22 others.

The meeting was held under the chairpersonship of panchayat pradhan Nikku Ram, who also enumerated works that were done during his tenure in 2022-23. Around 33 lakh was spent under MNREGA, 16 lakh under the Swachh Bharat Mission and 17 lakh under the 15th finance commission.

Cake-cutting stares at ban in Kinnaur

In another major decision, the panchayat in the tribal district of Kinnaur has completely banned the villagers from adopting modern customs for celebrations of birthdays, weddings and others. It has prohibited sehrabandi for the bridegroom, while also disallowing brides from getting mehendi (henna) on their hands during the wedding ceremonies.

Speaking of the same, vice-president of the Sumra panchayat  which is known for its distinctive culture  Chhering, said For long, people in the region had been raising their voices against the youth mixing modernity with tradition. So we decided to seek peoples opinion of the panchayat and all agreed in a voice vote to stop all the modern customs during traditional marriages like cutting cake sehrabandi and putting mehndi on the hands.

The Kinnauri culture, an assimilation of various tribal heritage, has lent the people of the region their own distinct identity. The population wear distinctive green caps with ornately woven shawls and speak a Tibetan-Burman dialect, Kinnauri, that makes them distinct from the rest of the Pahadi tribes.

Historically, Kinnaur, akin to Spiti, belonged to the ancient Zhang Zhung kingdom. Bon, an ancient tribal religion, was practised in this kingdom.

We have our own culture and there is a need to protect it, said Chherring, before expressing hope that other panchayats follow suit. Pradhans of many other panchayats in Hangrang valley have called me. They would also pass a simialr resolution in the gram sabha, he added.

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: In a bid to curb environmental damage due to the burning of straw, Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) is set to expand the operations at the biogas plant at the varsity, which uses paddy as a raw product. PAU inks pact with Mumbai-based firm for commercialisation of biogas plant

The agri varsity has signed an agreement with a Mumbai-based firm Spectron Engineers Private Limited for the commercialisation of the paddy straw-based biogas plant.

A S Dhatt, director of research, PAU, and representatives of the firm signed the Memorandum of Agreement (MoA). As per the agreement, the university offers non-exclusive rights to the firm to make revenue from the biogas plant.

The plant is made up of mild steel sheet using above-the-ground technology and has been designed and developed under the scheme, All India Coordinated Research Project on Energy in Agriculture & Agro-based Industries (AICRP on EAAI), funded by the ICAR.

Explaining the working of the plant, experts said that the latest method through which anaerobic digestion i.e. dry fermentation of organic wastes is carried out requires little labour and produces biogas for three months.

The digested material produced from such anaerobic digestion is good quality manure ready for use in fields, they said.

They added that the life of the plant is 15 years as the whole plant is above the ground, and vacating the plant is very easy.

Usha Nara, plant breeder, TMIPRC, informed that PAU has signed 319 MoAs and commercialised 77 technologies. She also added that 8 MoAs of the paddy straw-based biogas plant made of mild steel sheet have been signed with different companies and firms.
Strap: A senior police officer said such propaganda by proxy outfits was not a new phenomenon in Kashmir and they are verifying the veracity of the letter Proxy terror outfit The Resistance Front (TRF), an offshoot of proscribed Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), has threatened 30 workers of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in Jammu and Kashmir that included two vice-presidents of the region, Sangeeta Anand and Karuna Chettri. (HT File Photo/ Representational image)

Proxy terror outfit The Resistance Front (TRF), an offshoot of proscribed Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), has threatened 30 workers of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in J&K that included two vice-presidents of the region, Sangeeta Anand and Karuna Chettri.

The letter purported to be issued by the TRF has gone viral on social media sites.

A senior police officer said that such propaganda by proxy outfits was not a new phenomenon in Kashmir.

TRF is a mouthpiece of Pakistans ISI, which on behalf of terror outfits keep issuing threats. From time to time, they try to create disturbance and fuel fear among the people, he added.

We are verifying the veracity of the letter, he informed.

However, HT cant independently vouch for its veracity.

The letter has come close on the heels of RSS chief Mohan Bhagwats April 1 statement at Bhopal where he reportedly talked about Akhand Bharat describing it undisputed truth and a divided Bharat a nightmare.

Bhagwat had reportedly said the separated parts of Bharat would unite one day.

Those who have been issued threats hail from Baramulla, Kulgam, Anantnag, Pulwama, Shopian, Jammu, Udhampur and Rajouri.

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With at least 14 lakh hectares (40 per cent) of 34.90 lakh hectares of wheat sown in Punjab impacted by rain, high-velocity winds and hailstorm, another challenge that farmers face now is difficulty in harvesting the crop. With at least 14 lakh hectares (40 per cent) of 34.90 lakh hectares of wheat sown in Punjab impacted by rain, high-velocity winds and hailstorm, another challenge that farmers face now is difficulty in harvesting the crop

According to experts and farmers, flattened crop cannot be harvested using a combine harvester machine and due to shortage of labour, getting the work done manually is also not an option.

A combine harvester machine cant be used on flattened crop as it is a time-consuming process. We have to hire labourers for the job, which is also not feasible, said Amandeep Singh, a farmer of Raipur Frola village near Jalandhar. He said he cultivated wheat over a 5-acre land and the entire village had suffered losses this season.

Generally, a combine machine takes around 20 minutes to cut and thresh a crop sown on one acre land, but it takes at least an hour for damaged crop. This will disturb our budget, he said. In previous harvest seasons, we used to pay 2,500 to harvest wheat over an acre land. This time, it will be around 3,000 to 3,500 per acre and an extra cost of 2,500 per acre for manual cutting, he said.

Due to spells of rain and high-velocity winds from March 23 to April 3, wheat crop on 14 lakh hectares had been flattened. The crop has been damaged and there are rare chances of finding healthy grain, said Ludhiana Punjab Agricultural University vice-chancellor Dr SS Gosal. He said harvesting would be a costly affair at this time and it wouldnt be easy with machines.

Harvest machines cant enter my farm even after a week due to puddle. We will have to employ four to five labour hands for the task. Machine operators are asking for at least 3,000 per acre, which was 1,800 per acre in the previous season, said Sukhwinder Singh, a farmer from Bhattian village in Machhiwara area of Ludhiana. He said farmers had never seen such crisis for a long time in the past.

Agriculture director Gurvinder Singh said it would be difficult to harvest the crop this time and it require more finances. On being asked about any scope for supporting the farmers, he said the government would only compensate for the loss, for which girdawari (assessment) was underway, and a report was expected in a few days. The government had assured the farmers to give compensation from April 14. He said the harvest was expected to begin in full swing from April 12.

70 to 100% crop loss in over 1-lakh hectares

As per fresh estimates of the state agriculture department, crop over one lakh hectares had suffered a loss of around 70 to 100% majorly in Patiala, Sangrur, Barnala, Muktsar, Bathinda and Fazilka districts.

Districts Fazilka and Muktsar are the worst affected. Loss over 14 lakh hectares is 20 to 50%. Overall, it will be 10 to 15% yield loss. In the past season, wheat crop suffered 13% yield loss due to rainfall in January and February and sudden rise in temperature in March, when crop reached the mature stage.

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Punjab Police assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Bhupinder Singh, 48, is absconding after allegedly killing his wife and son with his service revolver at their house in Bhumbli village of Gurdaspur district on Tuesday. A search is on for Punjab Police assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Bhupinder Singh, 48, who is absconding after allegedly killing his wife and son with his service revolver at their house in Bhumbli village of Gurdaspur district on Tuesday. (Representational photo)

Police identified the deceased as Baljit Kaur, 40, and her son, Balpreet Singh, 19. Bhupinder even killed his pet dog before fleeing.

The incident took place at 9.30am.

The ASI was posted in Amritsar, police sources said, adding they were investigating the motive.

A search is on for the accused.
A Srinagar court directed police to investigate the role of Kiran Patel, who is already in police custody for allegedly posing as a senior officer of the PMO, in a duping case where a local resident lost 18 lakh to a person posing as a business companys managing director (MD). The accused, conman Kiran Patel, had allegedly posed as the MD of a business company to dupe a Srinagar resident. (PTI)

The city judge, in an order, directed Kothibagh station house officer (SHO) to investigate the case after a local resident Danish Hassan Dar submitted an application in the court against three persons including Kiran Patel who had posed as Chetan Prakash, MD of Meera Trading Corporation.

As per the application as well as from the material on record, it appears that the complainant has been cheated by the accused and on false pretensions has been made to pay an amount of 18 lakh in two instalments at Pratap Park Srinagar and Chai Jai Restaurant Srinagar. In view of allegations I deem it proper to direct SHO Kothibagh to conduct preliminary enquiry in the matter and submit the detailed report before this court by or before the next hearing, the order read.

In his complaint which Dar filed through his lawyer, he said Patel posed as Chetan Prakash, a resident of Begumpur, North West Delhi, and said he was the managing partner of a company dealing in areca nuts. The complainant said he gave 18 lakh in two instalments to Patel in Srinagar last year and later began threatening him.

Following Patels arrest by Nishat police, he approached police to file a complaint against the conman and two others, both residents of Kolkata, only to later approach the court.

Last week, a home department order signed by additional chief secretary Raj Kumar Goyal had directed Kashmir divisional commissioner (DC) Vijay Kumar Bidhuri to conduct an inquiry into Patels visits to Kashmir and the provision of security to him.

Wednesdays order was the first formal effort at an administrative level to identify the officers who were in touch with Patel and arranged for his security and extended other courtesies.

Patel, who impersonated an official with the Prime Ministers office, was arrested on March 2 from a luxury hotel in Srinagar by the state police, less than a fortnight after he threw a fit during his February 23 visit to Budgam because no senior official came to receive him.

The alleged conman, who faces four other cases in Gujarat, continues to remain in judicial custody after Srinagars chief judicial magistrate rejected his bail application on March 23, holding that it could hamper the police probe.

Gujarat Police recently announced that it has arrested Patels wife Malini Patel in a cheating case that was registered against the couple.
: Union minister of state for home affairs Nityanand Rai gave a detailed reply to a question asked by Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament Sanjiv Arora on Tuesday regarding segregation of drug addicts and traffickers. Govt planning to amend NDPS Act: Arora

Arora said as per the reply, the government was considering decriminalising possession of drugs up to some reasonably small levels to segregate drug addicts from traffickers.

He had also asked about the number of persons, in judicial custody or convits, sent to prisons for their involvement in criminal cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act during the past five years.

The Rajya Sabha MP also asked the ministry about the number of persons involved in possessing drugs with quantities less than commercial or intermediate levels, as categorised under the Act. He also questioned the ministry if the government had commissioned any study to assess the impact of such imprisonment on turning ordinary drug addicts into hardened criminals.

Regarding Aroras question about any study to assess the impact of such imprisonment on turning ordinary drug addicts into hardened criminals, the minister replied that, no such study had been commissioned.

Arora said Rai had also stated that the Centre had no proposal for decriminalising possession of drugs up to some small levels. However, the matter is under deliberation in the department of revenue, ministry of finance, the nodal ministry administering the NDPS Act.
Uttarakhand forest departments headquarters in Dehradun witnessed chaotic scenes on Tuesday for nearly three hours, when Rajiv Bhartari reached the office to take charge as principal chief conservator of forests (Head of Forest Force Uttarakhand). When Bhartari reached the office around 9:45am, he was told by the staff that they did not have the keys of the office. (IFS Association | Twitter)

When Bhartari reached the office around 9:45am, he was told by the staff that they did not have the keys of the office.

Uttarakhand high court had on Monday directed the state government to reinstate Bhartari as principal chief conservator of forests (Head of Forest Force Uttarakhand) on Tuesday at 10am.

Also Read: Reinstate Rajiv Bhartari as Uttarakhand PCCF by 10am tomorrow, orders high court

I said I have to take charge according to HC orders. As the keys were not given, I went to another room and waited there. Finally, around 1:30pm, the government order about my reinstatement came and I was given the keys. Following this, I took charge as HoFF, he said.

On winning the legal battle and getting reinstated, Bhartari said, I feel satisfied. I fought the legal battle, not for power or office, but to get justice. I have always worked hard and contributed to the best of my capacity for improving the functioning of the department and I will continue to work tirelessly and honestly for the betterment of our department.

Bhartari is set to retire on April 30 this year.

The HC on March 15 had issued a notice to chief secretary SS Sandhu, principal secretary forests RK Sudhanshu and the then Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Head of Forest Force) Vinod Singhal on a petition filed by Rajiv Bhartari, currently chairman Uttarakhand Biodiversity Board, on why he was not being reinstated as PCCF Uttarakhand in line with the February 24 order of Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), Allahabad (Nainital Circuit).

HT tried to get a response from the former HoFF Vinod Singhal on the developments, but he was not available for comments.

CAT Allahabad Bench on February 24 had ordered to reinstate Rajiv Bhartari as PCCF/HoFF Uttarakhand after he was transferred from the post in November 2021.

Bhartari, a 1986 batch IFS officer, was posted as PCCF Uttarakhand on December 31, 2020 and transferred on November 25, 2021, to the post of Chairman, of Uttarakhand Biodiversity Board. Bhartari had challenged his transfer order before the CAT, stating that the post of the Chairman, Uttarakhand Biodiversity Board is normally occupied by the Joint Secretary Level Officer and that his transfer has been made before the minimum prescribed tenure of two years, thus violating the IFS (Cadre) Amendment Rules, 2014.

On March 20, CAT, Allahabad (Nainital Circuit) had dismissed the review petition filed by the Uttarakhand government against CATs February 24 order in which the Tribunal had ordered to reinstate Bhartari as the Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (PCCF)/Head of Forest Force (HoFF) Uttarakhand after he was transferred from the post in November 2021.
The Kalakshetra Foundation, in the middle of a storm of sexual harassment complaints against its teachers has set up an independent inquiry committee headed by justice K Kannan, a retired judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, to look into the allegations, suspended one of the teachers involved, and dismissed three others. On Monday, the board of the Kalakshetra foundation met and decided to form the independent inquiry committee, a decision formally announced on Tuesday. (Representative image)

Meanwhile, Madras high court advocate BS Ajeetha resigned as an external member of the foundations Internal Complaints Committee saying she was disturbed by recent happenings and the response of the administration.

On Monday, the board of the Kalakshetra foundation met and decided to form the independent inquiry committee, a decision formally announced on Tuesday. The committee will comprise retired justice K Kannan, former director general of police Letika Saran and Dr Shobha Varthaman, who works with Doctors Without Borders, as members. The internal complaints committee stands reconstituted. A new student counsellor and an independent advisory committee shall also be appointed immediately to strengthen the administration of the Kalakshetra foundation, the foundation said in a statement.

Assistant Professor Hari Padman, whose name has repeatedly featured in allegations of harassment, who was arrested by Chennai police on Monday, has been suspended pending inquiry, the foundations statement added . The remaining three staff members accused of harassment, Sanjith Lal, Sai Krishnan and Sreenath may be dispensed with immediate effect, the statement said, promising a secure and inclusive environment for its students.

Padman was produced before a magistrate in Chennais Saidapet court on Monday and sent to jail.

Padman was the first to be accused by students of the Rukmini Devi College of Fine Arts (in the Kalakshetra campus) but the foundation sought to dismiss their claims. On March 19, Kalakshetras administration released a statement that said their ICC found no truth in the allegations.

Kalakshetras students began protesting on March 30 demanding that four teachers including Padman be suspended . The protest was temporarily called off on March 31 following the intervention of the head of the Tamil Nadu State Women Commission A S Kumari. She spent five hours on campus and collected close to a 100 written complaints on sexual and mental harassment. The issue was raised in the state legislative assembly the same day and chief minister M K Stalin promised legal action if the allegations were found to be true.

On Tuesday, Ajeetha resigned from her role as an external member of the Foundations Internal Complaints Committee. In a letter to the Kalakshetra director Revathi Ramachandran, she said, I am quite disturbed by the recent happenings in your institution and the response of the administration to the issues. The present atmosphere in the institution and the large-scale discontentment of the women students and staff make me to rethink as to whether I should continue to be an external member of the IC attached to the institute. I have my own reservations regarding the responses made by the administration to the present controversy. Hence, I do not want to associate myself anymore with your institution and particularly to continue as a member of the IC and it shall come into force with immediate effect. HT has seen a copy of her note.

As a member of the ICC constituted under the Sexual Harassment of Women at Work Places Act, 2013, Ajeetha said that she has been associated with awareness programs and proceedings before the IC in the past four years. To the best of my knowledge and ability I had rendered service as the member of IC, Ajeetha said. (I) Hope better counsel will prevail to the administration and things will be sorted out in a judicious manner which will be acceptable to all the affected students.

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Fifty two-year-old Mohammad Vakeel was at his general store in north-east Delhis Shiv Vihar when a mob allegedly hurled acid at him during the February 2020 riots, leaving him blind and with a damaged face within seconds. More than a 1,000 days later, the police last week registered a first information report (FIR) in the alleged attack following a court order. Mohammad Vakeel lost his eyesight during the February 2020 riots in northeast Delhi . (Vipin Kumar /HT PHOTO)

The FIR was filed on Sunday under sections pertaining to rioting, causing grievous hurt by acid, and causing mischief by fire, among others, of the Indian Penal Code at Karawal Nagar police station.

Also read: 23-year-old man killed in Tarn Taran hate crime; 5 booked

Prior to this, the police had clubbed a complaint into the matter, filed by Vakeels wife Mumtaz Begum, with another FIR related to burning of a car in the same neighbourhood during the riots.

However, the Karkardooma court noted on March 21 this year that both were different crimes which occurred at separate locations, and possibly separate timings.

Despite all efforts, the police did not record my statement or the statements of my wife and daughter till today, Vakeel has said in the FIR.

Because the police clubbed two very different cases, his lawyer Saleem Malik said that there was just no investigation into the alleged attack.

Joy Tirkey, deputy commissioner of police (north-east), said, We have registered the FIR on the courts directions. It will be investigated on its merit and without bias.

Besides running to courts, Vakeels last three years were spent in making multiple visits to an eye hospital in Chennai where, after nearly two years of complete blindness, he got a lens which gives him hazy vision in his right eye.

Vakeel lived with his wife and five children in a two-storey house constructed over a 25 square yard plot in Shiv Vihar  one of the worst-hit neighbourhoods in the riots which broke out after a clash between groups supporting and opposing the Citizenship Amendment Act in Jafrabad. The violence spread to several localities in the district, in which at least 53 people were killed and 400 injured.

Among the injured was also Vakeels 19-year-old daughter, Anaam  also a victim of the alleged acid attack.

According to Vakeel, he was at his store downstairs on February 25, when at around 9pm, a huge mob landed outside his home. Someone from the mob hurled a bottle at me that hit me in the face. Initially I thought it was a stone, but when the bottle crashed into my face, the acid spread all over, he said. The acid also hit Anaam on her face and chest, said her 16-year-old brother, Mohammad Naseem, who witnessed the attack.

While the family managed to escape, their house was looted and subsequently burnt to the ground, said Vakeel.

Around 3am on February 26, Vakeel was taken to a hospital. While he recuperated at the Lady Hardinge Hospital for a month, his wife filed a complaint with the police on March 9 that year.

In the court, the Delhi Police has justified clubbing the complaint with another FIR, and said it was done as per law. They told the court that as many as 4,000 PCR calls were received at the Karawal Nagar police station during the riots, and they translated to 91 FIRs. registration of a separate FIR will open pandora box for the others, the police told the court.

Insisting that a much effective investigation was going on in Vakeels complaint, the police has claimed that he did not himself seek a separate FIR in his case. Vakeel, however, alleges that it was his ignorance of the legal system that was taken advantage of.

Also read: Kerala train fire: Watch forensic team collect evidence from crime spot

The court, however, in its March 21 order, observed that just because there was flood of complaints, investigating agency could not make an exception to the mandate of law.

A senior police officer said that there was no bias against Vakeel as police filed 759 FIRs in the Delhi riots.

Vakeel now awaits the arrest of the alleged attackers, who also snatched his source of livelihood. I was blinded in my own home, by people who landed on my doorstep, for no fault of mine. They need to be punished, said Vakeel. An FIR took three years. Lets see how long it takes for the police to arrest the attackers.
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has initiated the process to elect a new mayor, after Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Shelly Oberoi completed her 38-day tenure at the post, officials aware of the development said on Monday. AAP leader Shelly Oberoi has completed her 38-day tenure. (HT PHOTO)

Oberoi had an unusually truncated tenure as the MCD annual cycle starts from April 1. This cycle was impacted last year due to the unification of the three erstwhile municipal corporations and the delimitation of wards, delaying the elections to the civic body from April to December. After several failed attempts, marred by violence in the House, Oberoi was elected mayor on February 22, defeating BJPs Rekha Gupta by 34 votes. AAP candidate Aaley Mohammad Iqbal won the deputy mayors post by raking in 147 votes against BJPs Kamal Bagdis haul of 116 votes.

Also read: Uncertainty over MCD posts worries contractual workers in Delhi

A senior MCD official said Oberoi will now decide the next date to hold the elections, and once the mayors office gives its approval to the date, the file will be sent to the lieutenant governors secretariat office for final ratification. LG VK Saxena will also give his final approval for the appointment of the presiding officer to hold the elections.

The sitting mayor will continue to hold the post till a successor is elected, but considering the minimum time that needs to be provided to complete these steps, the elections are likely to be held after April 20, the official, who is associated with the process, said on condition of anonymity.

Unlike the first MCD term, the position of mayor is now open for general category councillors in the second cycle. However, parties can repeat the same candidate as in the first term.

Other crucial posts are also hanging in the balance. The elections to the standing committee  an 18-member body that controls the purse strings of MCD  have not been completed yet.

A second MCD official said that unlike the first inaugural meeting of the MCD, the dates for the mayoral election in the second year are finalised by the outgoing mayor. The process has been initiated by the municipal secretariat and Oberoi is now likely to suggest the possible dates to hold elections soon. The file will then be moved to the LG secretariat, where the LG will appoint a presiding officer to hold the inaugural House of the second year. Usually, the outgoing mayor is the presiding officer for the election of the next cycle, the official said.

The AAP did not respond to requests for comment.

Delhi BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor said, If AAP does not give up its stubbornness, municipal services may break down.

Former North MCD chief law officer Anil Gupta said the election process needs to be completed before April 30. Usually the outgoing mayor presides over the election meeting, but if the current mayor decides to contest the elections for the next year, she will not be considered the presiding officer, he said.
Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Dhami has petitioned the Union government for release of grants for the rehabilitation of families that were uprooted from Joshimath in January after at least 800 residential and commercial buildings developed cracks making them unsafe for use. Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami (PTI)

The state government has also sought assistance for the setting up of an institute to study climatic shifts and rapid changes, and which can provide advance warnings of flashfloods or landslides, both of which plague the state.

Also read: Keep close watch on Joshimath situation during rain, CM Dhami tells officials

Dhami, who met Prime Minister, Narendra Modi on Monday said that after an initial estimate, the state government arrived at a figure of approximately 3500 crore for rehabilitation of the Joshimath residents. We had sought this amount for building new infrastructure...Since a report to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) [on the cause of the cracks] is yet to be submitted, we said we need to be given some help, the CM said in the Capital on Tuesday.

HT reported on Tuesday that pending the finalisation of the report, people who have been displaced by the land subsidence at Joshimath are yet to be compensated.

The state plans to use the money it has sought on construction of prefabricated houses, permanent residential and commercial structures, compensation for damages to land and property and infrastructure redevelopment.

Dhami said the government is also pursuing a state-wide study to arrive at the bearing capacity of all cities. This is being done to ensure a balance between development and safety in the ecologically sensitive state. Following red flags raised by environmental experts over the impact of rampant construction of roads and highways in the state, the government has been forced to revisit some the big-ticket infrastructure projects.

Referring to a system for adequate warnings of natural disasters, Dhami said, We want a disaster management institution that will give warning, so that we are better prepared. It could be some sort of a Prabandhan Sansthan (institute of management) ...When flashfloods occurred in October 2021, I was warned (by the Uttarakhand Landslide Mitigation and Management Centre) a day before of rain. So, we alerted all the hotels and instructed them not to allow people out. There were about one lakh tourists in the state and we managed to avert tragedy.

Responding to a question on whether the state will impose a cap on pilgrims who wish to undertake the Char Dham Yatra beginning towards theend of the month, the CM said, all those who manage to get hotel reservations will be allowed to undertake the Yatra. Even if some people cannot register online, but have a confirmed accommodation in hotels, guest houses or lodges, the government will allow them to travel, he said.

The governments initial proposal to cap the number of visitors was met with protests from the hospitality sector, which felt such a move would be bad for business. Dhami, who invited the PM for the Yatra and to visit Adi Kailash which marks the beginning of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, said about 4.6 million people visited BadriNath and Kedar Nath last year and so far, 800000 people have already registered for the pilgrimage.

Dhami also met the union rail minister Ashwani Vaishnaw to seek more rail linkages to improve connectivity within the state and to the outside.

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Private doctors in Rajasthan on Tuesday called off their 17-day long strike after the state government agreed to keep unaided private hospitals out of the ambit of the Right to Health Bill. The doctors also asked for withdrawal of police cases registered against doctors during the agitation. (PTI image)

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot expressed his satisfaction on the outcome of the talks.

He said that no person should suffer due to lack of treatment, with this thought the state government has brought Right to Health (RTH).

It is a matter of happiness that the state government has agreed on the proposal placed before the doctors regarding the Right to Health Bill. With this, Rajasthan will become the first state in the country to implement RTH, he said.

Also Read: On Raj health bill, govt and doctors need to negotiate

Gehlot said that all the people of Rajasthan cooperated with the state government in favour of this bill and have gone ahead and welcomed this pro-people bill. Now, it is a pleasant sign that doctors have also agreed on this important bill, he added.

However, a small section of doctors refused to end the agitation, saying their demands had not been met.

Dr Sanjeev Gupta, IMA media incharge said a majority of private hospitals supported the agreement and about 2,000 private hospitals would reopen in the state.

The doctors and patients were both facing difficulty. Doctors have shut their hospitals for 17 days. Their earnings came to a halt. Patients too are running from pillar to post. We cannot make everyone happy, he said.

Dr Gupta said that some large private hospitals that have got any kind of aid from the government in the form of subsidised land or building are opposing the agreement because they will be covered under RTH.

The agreement between the government and doctors was reached after two rounds of talks on Tuesday morning.

According to the agreement, all private hospitals established without taking any facilities from the government in the form of land and building at subsidised rate will be excluded from the purview of the RTH act, said Dr Sunil Chugh, president, Indian Medical Association (IMA), Rajasthan.

The government had already exempted those private multi-specialty hospitals which have less than 50 beds from the RTH bill.

The hospitals to be covered under RTH bill are  private medical college hospitals, hospitals established on PPP mode, hospitals established after taking land from government free of cost or on subsidised rate, hospitals run by trusts.

Dr Chugh said the officials assured the government will consider their demand that regularisation of hospitals constructed in Rajasthan be done on the Kota model.

He said in Kota the government has regularised hospitals that were made on narrow roads in the old city areas. The IMA wants the same for hospitals in other cities.

The doctors also asked for withdrawal of police cases registered against doctors during the agitation to which the government agreed, said Chugh.

Among other demands that the government agreed is to bring a single widow system for licenses and other approvals for hospitals, fire NOC renewal will be done every five years instead of annually and any further changes in rules will be done after consultation with two representatives of the IMA.

We want the government to clearly identify what it means by designated healthcare centres that are mentioned in the bill. The government must give it to us in writing, so that it is not changed later, he said.

The doctors took out their rally against the RTH bill as planned on Tuesday.

Thousands of doctors from across Rajasthan participated in the rally.

A delegation of doctors met medical education secretary T Ravikant at around 4am on Tuesday.

Dr Ratan Sharda, former president of IMA, Rajasthan, said the talks had been positive and there was a possibility of the strike being called off.

However, there was some confusion as Dr Vijay Kapoor, secretary of the Private Hospitals and Nursing Homes Society, alleged he was not part of any talks.

Dr Kapoor was then invited for talks with chief secretary Usha Sharma at her residence.

After talks, the IMA state working committee held a meeting in the afternoon to formally take a decision on calling off the strike.

The push for the dialogue came from chief minister Gehlot after the doctors were insistent that they would only talk to the CM and not to the health secretary Dr Prithviraj as they did not trust him.

Last week, Gehlot nominated state Congress chief Govind Singh Dotasara to talk to the doctors.

The two sides held talks on Friday after which Dotasara said a team of senior bureaucrats will be formed to look into the matter.

Talks were again held on Monday where a team of six doctors met medical education secretary T Ravikant and other officials.

Dr Ratan Sharda said the doctors apprised the officials about their objections to the Right to Health bill and their demands. The officials sought time to examine the objections.

The doctors strike had crippled health services in the state. While private hospitals were shut, government doctors and residents had also extended support to the private doctors which caused great inconvenience to patients.

Other associations such as the Federation of Obstetrics and Gynaecological Societies of India, the Jaipur Obstetrics and Gynaecological Society, the Indian Radiology and Imaging Association and the Rajasthan Chemist Association are also supporting the doctors.

Residents at SMS hospital in Jaipur, the states largest hospital, and six other government medical colleges had joined the strike.

Hundreds of operations were put off, patients needing radiotherapy and dialysis were facing problems and OPD patients had to wait for hours in line to get treatment.

The government hospitals were managing to treat patients with services of medical college faculty, senior residents and medical officers.

However, the resident doctors returned to work from Monday morning after Jaipur Association of Resident Doctors held talks with the principal of the SMS medical college.

The Rajasthan Medical Council has also sought details and Rajasthan Medical Council registration numbers of all residents who were boycotting work in support of the private doctors.
LUCKNOW/AGRA Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) vice-chancellor Tariq Mansoor resigned from his post on Tuesday, after he was nominated as a member of the UP Legislative Council. Pro vice-chancellor Mohammad Gulrez will officiate as the V-C till Mansoors successor is appointed, a notification issued by AMU registrar Mohammad Imran said. Tariq Mansoor was amongst the six names forwarded by the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh to the governor for being nominated as member of legislative council of the state. (Sourced)

Tariq Mansoor was amongst the six names forwarded by the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh to the governor for being nominated as member of legislative council of the state.

Chief minister Yogi Adityanath and senior BJP leaders congratulated six people from different walks of life, including AMU V-C Tariq Mansoor and Saket Mishra, son of Ram temple construction committee chairman Nripendra Mishra, who were set to become nominated MLCs, after UP governor Anandiben Patel gave her ascent to a Yogi government proposal in this regard.

Apart from AMU V-C and Mishra, the names also include Ambedkar Mahasabha chairman Lalji Prasad Nirmal, former BJP Braj region unit head Rajnikant Maheshwari, chief of ruling BJPs Varanasi district unit Hansraj Vishwakarma, and Ramsurat Rajbhar, a lawyer from Azamgarh.

Consequent upon resignation of Tariq Mansoor as V-C of AMU on April 2, 2023, Mohammad Gulrez, pro vice-chancellor shall, in accordance with statutes of the University, discharge the duties of V-C until a new V-C assumes office, informed Omar S Peerzada, public relations officer of AMU.

In his farewell letter, the outgoing V-C Tariq Mansoor stated: As I demit office, this is the last time I address you as the vice-chancellor. I had the opportunity of serving the institution for six years during good and challenging times.

Having studied, taught, served and led the university for so many memorable years, I am filled with emotions, which will forever remain an integral part of me, said Mansoor, 66, who graduated in medicine from AMU and later joined Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College as a teacher.

As the country enters the path of New India and is poised to play a central role in world affairs, I am confident that AMU will continue to play a prominent role in the task of nation building, he added.

He assumed office as the AMU V-C on May 17, 2017, for a period of five years. His term was to end in May 2022, but amid exceptional circumstances prevailing in the wake of the pandemic, the Centre extended his tenure by one year.

Once Mansoor takes oath as a member of the legislative council, he will become BJPs fourth Muslim MLC in the 100-member House.

The 100-member upper house of the state legislature is already dominated by the BJP with 74 members with main opposition Samajwadi Party a distant second with nine MLCs, one short of the number required for it to get the leader of the opposition post in the upper house of the state legislature.

The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Apna Dal (Sonelal), Nirbal Indian Shoshit Hamara Aam Dal (NISHAD), Jansatta Dal Loktantrik and Shikshak Dal (non-political) have one member each while the Congress, for the first time, doesnt have a representation in the UP council, it once dominated.

The independent group and independents have two members each and two seats are vacant at present.

Many congratulations to you on your nomination as MLCs. I wish you all the best for a successful stint, Adityanath tweeted.

UP BJP chief Bhupendra Chaudhary and other leaders too tweeted congratulatory messages to the six people from different walks of life whose names have now been cleared for the post of member of legislative council. Their tenure would begin from the date of their swearing-in, said officials.

Saket, an IIM-Calcutta pass-out, is son of Nripendra Misra, who had earlier been principal secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and is currently the chairman of the temple construction committee of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust. Tariq Mansoor is the first sitting V-C of the AMU to have been named for the post of a nominated MLC. He has resigned as AMU V-C and also written a long farewell message, while thanking the BJP leadership for naming him as an MLC.

Uncertainty prevails over the name of the new AMU V-C even as the process of screening initial names is yet to begin. Five names are selected by the executive council of the AMU from applications received and forwarded to the University Court, which shortlists three names and the further process is undertaken at ministry of human resources department before the President, the visitor of university, announces the name of new V-C.

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PRAYAGRAJ Gangster-turned-politician and former MP Atiq Ahmads brother-in-law, Akhlaq Ahmad, was not only involved in the conspiracy to kill lawyer Umesh Pal, but also financed the shooters of the lawyer, claimed police officials probing the February 24 broad-daylight crime. Screen grabs of CCTV footage of Akhlaqs house showing Guddu Muslim being greeted by the former. (Sourced)

Several meetings were held at Akhlaqs house to execute the sensational murder. The most wanted assailant, Guddu Muslim, also took shelter in his house in Meerut for around 18 hours on March 5, said officials.

Akhlaq Ahmad is a government doctor who was arrested by police on Sunday night from the Nauchandi area of Meerut on charges of sheltering the assailants in the Umesh Pal murder case.

Police investigations revealed that Guddu Muslim, one of the assailants, reached Akhlaqs house around 5am on March 5 and stayed there for 18 hours. CCTV footage showed that Guddu first loitered around the house for a few hours and then a girl in Akhlaqs house opened the door. Akhlaq switched off the CCTV cameras after Guddus arrival and hid the DVR. However, the police and STF officials found the DVR and recovered the deleted data.

Officials said Akhlaq was on police radar as his activities were suspicious after Umesh Pals murder. An STF team of Meerut was keeping an eye on Akhlaq. They received clues about Guddu Muslims presence at Akhlaqs house in Bhawani Nagar area on March 5. The footages further showed that his family members welcomed Guddu Muslim while Akhlaq and his son Shadab hugged him.

Shadab took Guddu into one of the rooms in the house. Police officials said after staying at Akhlaqs residence for 18 hours, Guddu Muslim took a bus to Delhi on March 6 night. He arrived at Akhlaqs home with a bag and a mobile phone, which was switched off.

Akhlaq also gave 50,000 to Guddu Muslim allegedly at the behest of Atiq.

It is suspected that Akhlaq played an important role in the conspiracy behind Umesh Pals murder and was involved in sheltering and financing the assailants.

Akhlaq is husband of Atiqs sister Ayesha Noori who has been active in Prayagraj since the crackdown on Atiqs family and associates after the Umesh Pal murder. A car registered in Akhlaqs name was also found near Sandeepan Ghat in Kaushambi. Investigations revealed that the car was used by assailants to flee the city.
The Uttar Pradesh government will impart training to village pradhans, block motivators, panchayat assistants and the cleaning staff with a view to keeping villages clean. According to additional chief secretary, panchayati raj, Manoj Kumar Singh, a total of 21 training centres will be set up across the state where a total of 83,000 people will be trained in different sessions. In the second phase of Swachh Bharat Mission (rural), more than 25,000 gram panchayats of U.P. have been included. (For Representation)

As per the instructions of chief minister Yogi Adityanath, preparations are under way to take appropriate steps regarding management of solid and liquid waste in all the villages of the state and to train the gram panchayat functionaries for this, he said.

In the second phase of the Swachh Bharat Mission (rural), more than 25,000 gram panchayats of the state have been included for the financial year 2023-24. Recently, the training of master trainers has been completed.As many as 25,145 village panchayats have been included for the financial year 2023-24 in the second phase of Swachh Bharat Mission (rural). Under this, a target has been set for 43,242 revenue villages, Singh said.

A number of campaigns will be launched to manage solid and liquid waste, in addition to maintaining the achievements made in these villages during the first phase of the mission. he added. In this sequence, training will be provided to about 83,000 people like village heads, block motivators, and panchayat assistants, who will actually work in the villages. Training of these 83,000 people, Singh said, was to be done at 20 district panchayat resource centres (DPRC).
In view of the rise in Covid-19 and influenza cases in Maharashtra, the Satara district administration has made wearing of mask compulsory for employees and officials working in government and semi-government offices, colleges, and banks. Maharashtra on Monday reported 248 fresh coronavirus cases.

The order was issued by Satara Collector Ruchesh Jaivanshi on Monday, effective immediately. The collector also appealed to residents in the district to use masks and maintain social distancing, and hand hygiene in crowded places such as weekly markets, bus stands, congregations, and weddings.

Also read | India reports 3,038 fresh Covid cases, active caseload at 21,179

In the wake of a spurt in cases of Covid-19 and influenza, the public health department of Maharashtra has been directed to take precautionary measures, and as per the directions, Jaivanshi has issued the order making the mask mandatory for employees, including officials working with government and semi-government offices, colleges, and banks, as per a note issued by the district administration.

Read | Covid protocols, face masks must: Haryana health min amid spike in cases

"The citizens have also been appealed to use masks, maintain social distancing and hygiene at crowded places like weekly markets, bus stands, fairs, congregations, and weddings," the administration said. Maharashtra on Monday reported 248 fresh coronavirus cases and a single casualty which raised the tally of infections to 81,45,590 and the death toll to 1,48,445, as per the state health department.

A day before, the state had reported 562 Covid-19 cases. Maharashtra's tally of active cases stands at 3,532 active cases, a health official said on Monday.
Mumbai: A 23-year-old man was arrested on Tuesday for allegedly killing his father under the influence of alcohol in Vikhroli. As per the police, the accused  identified as Rahul Salve  kicked his father during a scuffle on Monday. The victim suffered head injuries, however, nobody checked on him and the family found him dead in the morning. The next morning, Sanjays sister, Nanda, who lives nearby visited her brother and found him lying in a pool of blood. She then approached the police station and informed them about the incident. During the investigation, we learnt about the previous nights fight and registered a murder case against Rahul and arrested him, said a police officer. (Image for representation)

Salve was a habitual drinker and used to quarrel often with his father, Sanjay Salve, 55, said a police officer. A resident of Hariyali Village, Tagore Nagar in Vikhroli East, Sanjay was staying with his wife, and two children  a son and a daughter. Rahul had completed his graduation but was unemployed. He and his father often consumed alcohol and both used to fight.

On Monday night, Rahul came home under the influence of alcohol and his father had also allegedly consumed alcohol. The duo was at home while other family members had gone out to a relatives place in the same locality, said senior inspector Subhadha Chavan of the Vikhroli Police Station.

Following a heated exchange of words, the father-son duo started fighting at night and in a fit of rage, Rahul kicked his father whose head banged on the door and he fell on the ground and started bleeding, he said, adding, Rahul, who was under the influence of alcohol, did not bother to check on his father and went to sleep.

The next morning, Sanjays sister, Nanda, who lives nearby visited her brother and found him lying in a pool of blood. She then approached the police station and informed them about the incident.

During the investigation, we learnt about the previous nights fight and registered a murder case against Rahul and arrested him, said a police officer.

Rahul was produced before a metropolitan magistrate court and remanded in police custody till April 6.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday dubbed Maharashtra deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis a "worthless" home minister after a woman worker from the Thackeray-led faction was allegedly attacked by activists of rival Shiv Sena, and sought his resignation. Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray.

Fadnavis hit back, saying Thackeray was a "weak" chief minister who had sacrificed his ideology for the sake of power and need not be given importance.

Thackeray, his wife Rashmi, and son Aaditya Thackeray met the injured woman at a hospital in Thane city, the bastion of his bete noire Eknath Shinde who toppled the MVA government last June to become the chief minister by joining hands with BJP.

Talking to reporters, Thackeray said the woman party worker was kicked in her stomach despite her pleading that she was undergoing fertility treatment.

"Maharashtra has got a worthless home minister. A helpless and servile man is the home minister here. He was not ready to act when his own party men were attacked by the 'Mindhe' (a term Thackeray's party uses for Chief Minister Eknath Shinde) group.

Also Read| Savarkar wrote letter to British because': Devendra Fadnavis' 'silver spoon' dig at Rahul Gandhi

"Should one call him (Shinde) the chief minister or a goonda mantri? I am not saying that, but people will decide. They should have a minister in charge of the goonda department when they expand their cabinet," Thackeray said.

He said the state home minister should resign immediately and also targeted the Thane police commissioner calling him "useless" for allegedly not acting against those who attacked Shiv Sena (UBT) workers.

Thackeray said Shiv Sainiks and the common people are capable of uprooting the BJP-Shiv Sena combine from Thane.

Speaking in Nagpur, Fadnavis said Thackeray was a "weak" chief minister who couldn't ask two ministers in his cabinet who were jailed to resign, an apparent reference to Anil Deshmukh and Nawab Malik (both NCP MLAs).

"I can reply to him (Thackeray) in the same language, but I won't use that kind of language. Uddhav Thackeray is frustrated. He was chief minister for two-and-a-half years but he never stepped out of his residence. He did all his work from home and never went among people, and people know about it," he said.

Thackeray was "so weak" that he could not ask the two ministers who were jailed to resign because he was scared of losing his post, the senior BJP leader said.

Thackeray became chief minister in November 2019 after Shiv Sena (undivided) joined hands with the NCP and Congress to form a Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, which collapsed in June 2022.

Fadnavis said the people of Maharashtra and the country know him (Thackeray) as the chief minister who reinstated blackmailer (Sachin) Waze into the police force and tried to save him.

The BJP leader said he didn't give importance to the person who abandoned ideology for the CM's post.

"The person (Thackeray) who stayed at home for two-and-a-half years should not teach us politics and should not test our patience," he said.

Fadnavis said many people have a problem with him being the home minister but he will put those people in jail who have done wrong.
In a tragic incident, at least seven tourists died while 20 tourists were injured, when they were hit by an avalanche in Sikkim on Tuesday afternoon, state officials said. 12 tourists are undergoing treatment at Sochaygang. (Photos shared by the rescue teams)

The incident happened on a road 14th mile on Jawaharlal Nehru road connecting Gangtok with Nathula at the India-China border.

According to an NDRF (national disaster response force) official, all tourists and tourist vehicles have been accounted for. Operations has been called off and there is no more requirement of NDRF. Details of recovered tourists will be shared later.

However, according to a report received from Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority, 12 tourists are undergoing treatment at Sochaygang and seven are reportedly dead, NDRF official said.

Indian Army personnel were also involved in the rescue operations but it had to be called off due to another slide.

There was another slide at the same location at 5.35pm on Gangtok-Nathula road. It has also started snowing, making the rescue operation dangerous. Accordingly, the rescue and search operations have been called off by the district administration due to fear of more slides. The JNM Axis is closed now due to the slide, an Indian Army official said.

Also Read: Toll from Tajikistan avalanches rises to 19

Reacting on the incident, Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended his condolences for the deceased.

Distressed by the avalanche in Sikkim. Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. I hope the injured recover soon. Rescue ops are underway and all possible assistance is being provided to those affected, PM Modi said.

Echoing similar sentiments, union home minister Amit Shah said the government is closely monitoring the situation.

My sincerest condolences to the families of those who have lost their lives in the tragic avalanche in Sikkim. We are closely monitoring the situation and the teams of NDRF will reach the affected area soon. I pray for the speedy recovery of those injured, Shah wrote in his official Twitter account.

Sikkim has been witnessing regular snowfall since March and movement of tourists was restricted up to 13th Mile, a point on JN Road which leads to the Nathula pass.

Sikkim government officials said although tourists were permitted to go up to 13th Mile, many had gone up to 15th Mile when they were hit by the avalanche.

Around 80 tourists were feared to have been hit by the avalanche.

Thirty of them were rescued till 3pm and taken to various hospitals in Gangtok, the state capital.

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Secretary Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and additional secretary Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE) Sanjay Garg on Tuesday reviewed the progress of G-20 preparations in detail in the district and instructed officials concerned to complete all preparations at the earliest. For representation only (HT File Photo)

Foreign delegates for the G-20 meeting will start arriving in Varanasi on April 16.

Garg said, Painting of the railings on the routes leading to Sarnath, NaMo Ghat and other ghats should be done and cleanliness ensured at these tourist spots. In view of arrival of guests from April 16, all necessary arrangements should be completed at the airport.

Garg instructed culture department officials to give a grand welcome to the guests.

During the review meeting, district magistrate S Rajalingam explained in detail about the preparations.

Commissioner of police Ashok Mutha Jain said that security preparations are also in place. The venue/hotels have been surveyed and fire audit has also been done. He said that the listing of all liaison officers has also been done.

A beautification committee has been formed to give a facelift to the city. G-20 beautification committee chairman VDA vice-president Abhishek Goel said, The painting being done in the city is part of the beautification drive.

Municipal commissioner Shipu Giri gave details about the plantation, lighting work being done in the city.

CDO Himanshu Nagpal said that various types of programmes are being organised in schools/colleges to increase awareness regarding G20. The universities have also been included in this.

Earlier, Garg inspected the Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport Babatpur, Sarnath, Hotel Taj, Namo Ghat and reviewed preparations there.
Patiala Ludhiana Vigilance officials raid ex-Congress MLA Kuldeep Vaids restaurant in Pakhowal area in Ludhiana. (HT Photo)

Amid much-hyped crusade against corruption, the Punjab government is yet to grant the mandatory sanction to prosecute former ministers and officials who are under the vigilance bureau (VB) scanner, officials familiar with the matter said.

Under Sections 17A and 19 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, approval is needed from the state government for prosecuting or conducting an inquiry against a serving or retired public servants and politicians.

The VB is waiting to get nod to prosecute more than 100 persons, said officials, adding that according to the latest ruling of the Supreme Court, the government has to take a decision on granting prosecution sanction under Section 17A of the PC Act within three months of the receipt of request from the VB. It can take a month more, if some clarification is needed. However, the entire process must be completed in four months, the apex court ruling said.

The list of officials and politicians against whom VB has sought prosecution sanction include former food and supplies minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu, former Amritsar Improvement Trust chairman Dinesh Bassi, IAS officer Sanjay Popli, former IAS officers GK Singh and SS Bains, PCS officers Narinder Singh Dhaliwal, TK Goel and Anita Darshi, IFS officer Vishal Chauhan, among others.

When contacted, a VB spokesperson said sanction against mining officer Simarpreet Kaur Dhillon and 17 officials of the excise and taxation department are pending for the past three years. The spokesperson said that the bureau is repeatedly taking up the delay with the government, but to no avail. The delay in granting prosecution sanction is hitting the probe, he added.

Though the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government has launched a crusade against corruption, officials are sitting on the files, said a VB official, not wishing to be named.

A total of 44 permissions are pending under Section 17A of Prevention of Corruption Act, while 63 sanctions are awaited under Section 19 of the Act, said officials familiar with the matter.

Section 17A of the PC Act makes it mandatory for officials concerned to pass appropriate orders within three months. But in many cases, there has been extraordinary delay, said people privy to the development.

Punjab chief secretary Vijay Kumar Janjua has held several rounds of meetings regarding the delay in granting prosecution sanction with officials concerned, but no avail.

The chief secretary has clearly told administrative secretaries that the mandate of the government is clear: Not to spare anyone indulging in corruption. The government even passed strict instructions, but some secretaries are delaying the process, said an official of the personnel department.

The VB has also shot off several reminders to secretary, vigilance department, to expedite the process to take the cases to their logical end, said a bureau official.

Chahal asked to join probe on April 6

The VB has pasted a notice outside the house and marriage palace owned by Bharat Inder Singh Chahal, former adviser to ex-chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh, to join the probe. He is facing the probe for allegedly having assets disproportionate to his known sources of income. Chahal, who is allegedly avoiding the VB probe, has been asked to appear before the bureau on April 6.

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AMRITSAR Accident or crime scene cordon tape, police line do not cross. It is nighttime, emergency lights of police cars flashing blue, red and white in the background (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

An assistant sub-inspector (ASI) of Punjab Police shot himself dead hours after killing his wife and son at Bhumbli village of Dhariwal sub-division in Gurdaspur district on Tuesday.

The ASI also shot his pet dog, police said.

Soon after shooting his wife, 40, and son, 19, dead with his service carbine at his house, the ASI, who was posted in Amritsar, allegedly abducted a woman living in the neighbourhood, said the police.

Village sarpanch Paramjit Singh said the ASI kidnapped the woman at gunpoint as she had seen him committing the crime. The woman was later rescued, he said.

The ASI remained on the run for around seven hours before shooting himself dead, the police said.

Gurdaspur police said the ASI was under depression due to which he killed his wife and son.

Gurdaspur senior superintendent of police (SSP) Harish Dayama said: Prima facie it appears the woman was abducted as she had witnessed the crime. Our investigation to ascertain the exact motive behind the murders and the abduction is on.

The ASIs neighbours said his son was preparing to go abroad for higher studies. His elder son is already studying abroad while his wife was working as a teacher.

The incident took place at around 10am. After hearing the gunshot, I rushed to the ASIs house only to find his wife and son dead on a bed, said the sarpanch.

The ASI, who was holding the rifle, entered our house and forcibly took my daughter with him. When we tried to stop him, he threatened to kill me, said the womans mother.

A massive hunt was launched to nab the ASI. Around noon, the police traced the ASIs location to a house at Shahbad village near Batala. The house, according to the police, belongs to ASIs relatives.

A police team led by the Gurdaspur SSP and his Batala counterpart Ashwini Gotyal reached Shahbad village and cordoned off the area. The police tried to convince the ASI to surrender, but to no avail. Around 3.30pm, the ASI released the woman after persistent pressure from the police.

Police said around 5pm, they head three gunshots from the house where the ASI was hiding. When the team rushed inside, it found ASI in a pool of blood, Dayama said.

He was rushed to the Batala civil hospital where doctors declared him dead, the SSP said.

A case under Sections 302 (murder) and 307 (attempt to murder) and 363 (kidnapping) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) has been registered at the Tibber police station in Gurdaspur.
Tripura chief minister Manik Saha on Monday said that his government has decided to develop green hydrogen-based energy sector and the state will soon become the gateway for South-East Asia with the opening of new air, water and rail connectivity. Tripura chief minister Manik Saha at an exhibition organised as part of G20 meeting in Agartala on Monday. (PTI)

His statement came amidst the ongoing two-day long science conclave as part of the G-20 Summit on Clean Energy for a Green Future at Hapania International Fair Ground in Agartala.

The state has already started working on solar and biomass-based energy. Now, we have plans to use green hydrogen for generation of new energy. The G-20 summit is highlighting to transform available resources like, bamboo, biomass into clean energy for a greener future, Saha told reporters and added that the central government has included scope for green hydrogen with provisions of Rs.10,000 crore in the Union budget.

He said many investors have expressed their interest to explore different key sectors including hospitals and allied sectors, food processing, tourism, e-vehicle manufacturing, IT, tea, rubber, agar, hotel, pharmaceutical industry etc in the state by setting up industries in these sectors. He expressed that the investors have desired to set up enterprises ranging within Rs.10 crores to Rs.300 crores in the state.

More investments would be made in Tripura with opening of Indo-Bangla Maitri Setu in a few days. Tripura will soon become the gateway for South East Asia with the Indo-Bangla inland waterways connectivity through Sonamura and Daudkandi protocol route, new international standard airport and Agartala-Akhaura railway connectivity, he added.

Headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the G-20 is visiting 200 locations throughout the country focusing on Sustainable Development Goals, development of green energy, multilateral institutions etc.

The G-20 comprises 29 countries including Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, United Kingdom, Turkey and United States and European Union.

In a separate briefing in the evening, president of the National Science Academy, professor Ashutosh Sharma, principal scientific advisor to the Government of India, Dr. Ajay Sur and other experts told reporters that they have discussed about scope of producing green hydrogen utilising solar, wind, sustainable energy and bamboo resources available in the state.
Bihar Sharif town in Bihars Nalanda district, which was hit by violence and arson in the wake of Ram Navami celebrations last week, moved towards normalcy on Tuesday after five days, with shops opening for a few hours during the day and the administration and police taking out a big procession of people drawn from different fields to instil confidence among residents that all was fine now. Shops open after five days in Bihar Sharif in Nalanda district on Monday. (HT Photo)

The shops opened till 2 pm on the request from the district administration, which suspended the prohibitory orders for the period for locals to buy essential items.

However, the usual market buzz was missing. Only a few vegetable shops have come up. We bought whatever we could. Hope the situation eases and people get back to normal ways, said Ashutosh Prasad, a retired school teacher.

The harmony march comprised senior officials, including the district magistrate and superintendent of police (SP), teachers, doctors, engineers, local political leaders and youth.

We hope prohibitory orders will be relaxed and mobile internet restored after review of situation, which is fast improving, Nalanda SP Ashok Mishra said.

In Sasaram town also, the situation was normal. Rohtas SP Vineet Kumar said 40 teams have been formed to apprehend those involved with violence and provocation, besides investigation.

Howrah accused arrested from Munger

A man wanted for communal violence in West Bengals Howrah was arrested from Munger on Monday. Sumit Shah, a resident of Howrah district, had taken shelter at his friends house at Bangalwa in Munger district. He was allegedly involvement in firing and brandishing weapon in Shivpur locality in Howrah region during Ram Navami procession.

Munger SP Jagunath Jalareddy said a team of WB police is interrogating him and he will be produced in a court.

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Encouraged by farmers response to organic farming in areas covered by a pilot project, Bihars agriculture department has decided to launch special incentive programme to popularise the natural way of farming in all 38 districts, said a senior officer of the state agriculture department. Around 40,000 farmers are engaged in organic farming in several districts in Bihar. (Picture for representation/HT Photo)

Currently, chemical-free farming is being done in 13 districts along the river Ganga, which would be extended to other areas this year under the 4th agricultural road map in a big way, said agriculture minister Kumar Sarvajeet, adding that the new agricultural road map would be unveiled shortly.

Officials said the department has proposed offering incentive on setting up the vermicompost making units, biogas plants, biotech laboratories on private-public-partnership mode in all districts, promoting innovation and start-ups in organic farming sector and financial support to cluster of farmers engaged in production of green manure. The incentive scheme envisages extending subsidy up to 90% of the cost in certain areas, said an official.

Around 40,000 farmers have been engaged in organic farming in districts like Patna, Buxar, Bhojpur, Saran, Vaishali, Samastipur, Khagaria, Begusarai, Lakhisarai, Bhagalpur, Munger, Nalanda and Katihar for the past three years (since 2019-20). All the farmers have received c-2 certification of their produce and very soon their products would be marketed with c-3 certification, the highest credentials for organic farming.

Currently, the farmers are being given financial assistance of 11,500 for per acre organic farming, besides free bio fertilizer and certified seeds from the state government. Organic farming is being done on around 37,000 acres by more than 200 clusters of farmers. The department has decided to provide financial support of 5000 or 50% of the cost of development each vermicompost units. The department hopes to facilitate building of around 19,000 vermicompost units this year, said the official.

Apart from this, the state government has also approved the departments plan of supporting private entrepreneurs in setting up at least 13 commercial vermicomposting plants for which they would be given subsidy of 6.40 lakh or 40% cost of the each unit.

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Ex-Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah has disavowed - as 'totally false' - a comment he reportedly made during an interview with a TV news channel that said the party 'high command' would not select its state unit chief, DK Shivakumar, as the next CM if it should win the polls. He also played down talk of infighting in the Congress' state unit weeks before the 2023 Assembly election. Siddaramaiah is contesting from the Varuna assembly constituency in the upcoming assembly election in the state.

In a tweet posted this morning, Siddaramaiah tagged the channel and said: " I never made such comments and will never do such petty politics". He asked for the 'baseless post' to be taken down.

"What is being quoted in media is totally false. All I said is that the selection of the CM is a democratic process, I am an aspirant for CM and he (Shivakumar) is an aspirant but what they're saying is false," he was quoted later by news agency ANI.

The Congress leader was responding to a tweet by Rajya Sabha MP Randeep Singh Surjewala, who posted a 74-second excerpt of the interview and a screenshot of the news report; the latter had the alleged quote - " the high command won't give the CM post to DK Shivakumar" - circled in red.

Surjewala's tweet was critical of the news channel and accused it of trying to create 'fake fissures amongst Congress leaders'. "Time to stop the hatchet job take care of BJP's sinking ship," he said.

The quote has since been edited to read ' the high command won't take a decision on its own' and to say the choice of a chief minister - should the Congress win a majority - would be the result of a 'democratic process'. " high command go by the opinion of the newly elected MLAs."

Karnataka will vote on May 10 (votes will be counted May 13) and the Congress - contesting independently of former ally Janata Dal (Secular) is bidding to oust the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and win an election widely seen as the first big test before the 2024 national election.

Both Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar are seen as chief ministerial candidates for the Congress, with each boasting strong support from different parts of the state and presenting the party with a potential headache. In his interview Siddaramaiah had acknowledged that his rival and he were both gunning for the state's top post and that the selection would be a democratic process.

On this topic, Shivkumar has been as circumspect as his colleague/rival, insisting that the final choice would be made by the party at large. "More importantly than me becoming the chief minister, the Congress government should come to power. Thats what matters to me," he said.

Aware of the optics and the need to present a united front Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar have appeared together on many occasions, including when Rahul Gandhi and his 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' were in the southern state. They have also, though, held separate election campaigns.

Siddaramaiah loyalists held a big event - dubbed 'Siddaramahotsava' - in August to celebrate his 75th birthday. The event was seen as a show of strength from the former CM's camp.

A few other Congress leaders - including G Parameshwara and Eshwar Khandre - are also seen as potential CM choices for the party and that has been seen as furthering possible rifts.
American model Gigi Hadid was one of the guests at the NMACC gala held in Mumbai this weekend. During an event, Varun Dhawan called Gigi Hadid on stage, swirled her around and planted a kiss on her cheek. But after being slammed for doing the same, Varun had called it a planned gimmick and Gigi defended him saying that she got to fulfil her Bollywood dreams'. However, she deleted that particular Instagram Stories hours before it could automatically disappear from her Instagram. Also read: Gigi Hadid gives Varun Dhawan a shoutout, puts rumours to rest as 'uncomfortable' video goes viral Varun Dhawan lifted Gigi Hadid and kissed her during the NMACC gala.

This has not gone down well with some, who shared their views about it on Reddit. Most have them have called it a PR cleanup to save Varun's image and the stakes involved at the star-studded launch of the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre. One of the many pointed out on Reddit, Her other Instagram Stories (including the one calling Karn Johar a legend) are still up. She has deleted JUST this one.

Soon after, many claimed it was a PR cleanup in the first place. A Reddit user wrote, She'll unfollow Varun too after this event's hype dies down completely. Give and take a week or two for this to happen. She didn't want her India experience to get bad PR so defended Varun for his kiss stunt and dropped a story. Once the agenda is over, she'll unfollow and go on her way.

Many also claimed Gigi coming on stage for a moment could have been pre-planned but not the entire episode of Varun kissing her. A Reddit user wrote, "Why do I feel like this is a PR clean up is because 1) Bollywood dreams sounds like a very indian thing to say and it just seemed like a script given script followed sort of thing. 2) who comes and says me picking up a girl, 360 degree rotation and she wanting to run away from me was all preplanned? if its pre-planned her body language should be at least 10 percent like she is into it right? May be the plan was Gigi coming on stage (like Priyanka Chopra and Alia Bhatt) but not the acrobatics and kiss she was subjected to its also a relief that there wasn't any wardrobe malfunction."

One more added, Varun Dhawan lifting up Gigi Hadid, twirling her and kissing her cheek WITHOUT HER CONSENT is the most embarrassing and pathetic thing. Whats worse is  his PR team and him (who cant spell basic words) trying to make it seem like it was pre-planned. I knew the entire Gigi story was just damage control/cover up on his or PR request which clearly backfired on her deleting it!"

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Actor-couple Hrithik Roshan and Saba Azad recently attended the grand opening of the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC) in Mumbai. A new photo featuring the duo has emerged online. In the picture, Hrithik is seen holding Saba's heels in the background as she posed for a picture with a guest. This gesture of the actor has garnered praise from his fans. (Also Read | Hrithik Roshan posts pics from NMACC event with his 'lady in red' Saba Azad) Hrithik Roshan holding Saba Azad's heels.

Taking to Instagram, fashion designer Amit Aggarwal shared a bunch of pictures from the NMACC event. In the first picture, Saba Azad posed with Amit for the camera. Saba, who wore a red fusion gown, was barefoot as she rested her hand on Amit's shoulder. The designer opted for a blue and black outfit, while he held Saba.

In the picture, Hrithik stood at the back of the room talking to a someone. He was holding Saba's beige pair of heels. For the event, Hrithik opted for a black ensemble  kurta paired with pyjamas. Reacting to this picture, a fan wrote, "Love how @hrithikroshan is oh so casually holding those sandals!" One more said, "And also that @hrithikroshan is carrying his bae's heels in his hand... Awww." Another comment read, Hrithik holding her shoes is (clapping hands emojis). One more person said, Best part here is Hrithik holding her sandals.

The post also featured Saba giving different poses and the process of making her outfit. She also posed with Hrithik in one of the pictures. A part of the caption read, "For the second day of @nmacc.india, we custom-made this saree-gown for Saba Azad (@sabazad) which was an ode to the intricacies of Indian craftsmanship and textiles but with a contemporary spin. It marries two textiles  a vintage banarasi brocade crafted in gold threads and a structured body."

It also added, The bustier is pleated with signature unique material and structured along the bust to sculpt the body. This moulding flows into the sleeves as well. But its the draping technique of the banarasi that blurs the distinction between a saree and a gown.

After the event, both Saba and Hrithik shared pictures from the event on Instagram. Sharing the pictures, Hrithik captioned the post, "With lady in red." Posting the same set of pictures, Saba wrote, "Ro and Sa's night out!!" Rumours about Hrithik and Saba's relationship started after they were spotted out on a dinner date in February last year.

Later, she also joined Hrithik's family for a get-together. All speculations on their relationship were set at rest after the two walked hand-in-hand at actor Karan Johar's 50th birthday bash in May. Hrithik was previously married to interior designer Sussanne Khan.

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In a settlement proposal sent by Nawazuddin Siddiqui to his estranged wife Aaliya Siddiqui, the actor is seeking custody of their children -- daughter Shora (13) and son Yaani Siddiqui (7). Aaliya claims that Nawazuddin didnt play any part in raising their children and has no basis to seek their custody. Actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui and wife Aaliya with their daughter.

His lawyers have sent us settlement papers, and we are looking at it at the moment. The main point in the custody battle is that he has asked for the kids to go and stay with him, which is not possible at all. The kids have been with me since birth, and dont even want to go to their father, says Aaliya.

She continues, For a long time, Nawaz used to just come and meet. He didnt give enough time to the kids. So, they dont know what that relationship with father in reality is. Kaabhi aa gaye toh le gaye apne saath. Kishtun mein pyaar mila hai. My daughter is 13, and she is seeing how things have turned ugly between us. In fact, there are times when I ask her whether she wants to go and stay with him, and insists that she doesnt want to go. My second kid is very small, and papa is one word he says rarely. Because he hasnt met him enough. He knows papa is there, but doesnt know about fathers love and his presence.

At the moment, the couple is ready to settle disputes, and get divorced. It is also believed that as part of the settlement, he will be withdrawing the defamation suit which he filed against her.

Apart from custody of the kids, Aaliya is ready to settle for anything and everything, saying, The kids are suffering from emotional upheaval. Their well being is suffering and so are their studies. I am not after anyones money, I just want their well being and upbringings. Bas sukoon chaiyeh ab.

Talking about her relationship with Nawazuddin, she says, My life with Nawaz has not been a pleasant one. He has changed as a person, with his personality reeking of fame, and stardom. He put some allegations on me, and now it will be proved in court. Now, I want to get rid of his surname.

She reveals that the kids want to stay in India, but her estranged husband is forcing them to go to Dubai. My daughter is requesting him not to send to Dubai. Moreover, he has not paid any money in the last 3-4 months, and the rent is due. But I will be in trouble because it is under my name, she says, adding, My kids have not met him in the last 10 months. He wants to meet but kids say no. I am not telling them not to meet their father.

Opening up about her problems, she confesses, No one is giving us a flat on rent in Mumbai. We go to the place and they refuse. All because of the public fight our relationship has become. They are scared about any future problem. The kids also hear this.

She ends by calling Nawazuddin an absent father, saying, He has been an absent father since the beginning. There are much more responsibilities and roles to play as a father apart from just sending money. He never gave them fathers love. On what basis is he asking for their custody? Phele apne faraz nibhan toh seeko, learn to look after them. I have the right to ask for the custody of my kids, he doesnt.
With her latest film Mrs Chatterjee Vs Norway, Rani Mukerji returned to films after nearly two years. In the past decade, after her marriage to Aditya Chopra and the birth of her daughter Adira, the actor has become selective in the films that she acts in. She was last seen in Bunty Aur Babli 2 in 2021 where she reprised her popular role from the 2005 film Bunty Aur Babli. During promotions for Mrs Chatterjee Vs Norway, Rani shared that she likes to take time between projects to check the audience reaction and catch up on what other artistes are doing, both at home and around the world. (Also read: Rani Mukerji says the word content bothers her a lot, movies should be watched in theatres) Rani Mukerji during the promotions of Mrs Chatterjee Vs Norway.

Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway is based on the real-life story of Sagarika Chakraborty whose children were taken away from the Norwegian government because they thought her children were being mistreated. Directed by Ashima Chibber, the film also stars Anirban Bhattacharya, Jim Sarbh and Neena Gupta. This was only her fifth film in a decade and her previous two films Mardaani 2 and Bunty Aur Babli 2 were sequels.

Speaking to Pinkvilla, the actor explained why she chooses to wait between films, "The reason that I take this gap is because I wait for an audience reaction for my film that is releasing. The fact is that I stay at home and replenish myself. I kind of think. I kind of see cinemas from around the world, what is coming and what kind of work people are doing across the globe. Because we as actors are always waiting to get inspired as well. So when I see work from actors in our country, from different regional cinemas, and when I see films that are made outside our country as well, it gives me a lot of inspiration as an actor and as a person from cinema, to be able to do something new or to give the global audience a story which needs to be told."

She added, "I would always like to be associated to films and stories that I think people should know. That is my criteria and may be it comes not frequently. It takes time. So the amount of time I take to decide for my next film, I think that much time it takes for somebody to come up with a story as well."

Recently, Rani also appeared in the Netflix docu-series The Romantics which told the story of filmmaker Yash Chopra and the legacy of his production banner, Yash Raj Films. Directed by Smriti Mundra, it also featured her husband, Aditya, speaking about his films in an interview after decades.

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On April 1, 2003, actor Vivek Oberoi did the infamous press conference wherein he uncovered some harsh realities of Hindi film industry. And now, 20 years later the conversation around lobbying and bullying has resurfaced, this time courtesy actor Priyanka Chopra Jonas, who in a recent interview, said that she was, being pushed into a corner in the industry and had beef with people. Im glad that I emerged from that. I kind of came up through the trial by fire, and survived it. But not everybodys gonna be that lucky, Oberoi confesses. Vivek Oberoi speaks his heart out on lobbying and bullying, 20 years after his infamous press conference: It been a hallmark of our industry

Recalling his journey as it marks 20 years since the conference, he says, In hindsight, I went through a lot of stuff that was unnecessary. A lot of lobbies, a lot of repressive stories - kind of what Priyanka has been alluding to also. Thats been a hallmark of our industry, unfortunately. Its been one of the dark sides of our industry. And Ive been on the receiving end of it. I know how frustrating it is, it can make one feel extremely, exhausted and tired. You feel like, Ive just delivered an award winning, commercially successful performance in Shoot out Lokhandwala and after that, Im sitting at home for 14 months, not getting any work. When I went through that, I kept thinking, I want to do something beyond, I wanna do something empowering, something that takes me beyond that. Oberoi shifted his focus to philanthropy and business . He adds, Priyankas latest statement is so inspirational in terms of, finding a new space. She went out and explored something different and got out of a rut and, something magical happened for her personally and professionally.

The Dharavi Bank actor admits that bullying and other disgraced practices can kill young talents at a budding stage.

The industry is a very insecure place. Artists by nature live in a very fragile state because theyre more vulnerable. Whether it was the MeToo movement, the casting couch, or just bullying, lobbying - all of these things take the joy out of the creativity. Im glad these things are being spoken about and slowly will go away, he opines.

While twenty years ago the woke culture was missing, the 46-year-old confesses that the tsunami of fans support now scares a lot of people. Back in the day when I voiced against it, every well wisher would call me up and say, Dont talk about it. It is like a family secret. But if you have abuse going on in the family and you dont speak up about it because its a family secret? Thats stupid. How will the abuse get fixed? So, its a systemic issue in the industry which is getting better. People are being more vocal. There is more decentralization of power. Less and less people can play God and the fans are now aware. Sushant (Singh Rajput, late actor) should have never lost his life no matter what. Its just so sad. What a talented young guy and he should have had a better network of friends. You call the industry, a family, then the family should be there for each other, he signs off.
Actor Lisa Ray won her toughest battle against a rare type of cancer of the bone marrow, which is touted to be incurable. Talking about her first international red carpet event back in 2009 right after she announced her diagnosis, Lisa once revealed how much she dreaded the event, after the side effects of steroids. The actor turned 51 on Tuesday. Also read: When Lisa Ray told Kareena Kapoor that she hid cancer relapse from her husband Lisa Ray turned 51 on Tuesday.

Lisa talked about her experience in her memoir Close To The Bone. It was released in 2019. She revealed she was 40 pounds heavier when about to attend the red carpet event in America.

An excerpt from the memoir read, as per CBC Books, I always dreaded the red carpet. I had walked it at movie premieres in Toronto and L.A., events in Bombay, and I always felt self-conscious: you have to think about how to tilt your head and how to suck in your non-existent gut while photographers click away. You are expected to look flawless. Ambition and expectation wrap around your skin, hug your form. But in the fall of 2009, I do have a gut, and it is swinging beneath a sari-inspired dress in royal purple, specially made for my new body.

"My costume designer friend Rashmi Varma dropped off the dress a couple of hours before the debut of my film Cooking with Stella at the Toronto International Film Festival. Then, one by one, I tried on pairs of heels from my closet. My feet are too bloated. That's what steroids do, and I have been knocking them back by the handful  four days on, four days off. They've also turned my face into a large, round moon. I call this feeling of an extra, elastic skin on top of my skin "my wet suit." I sit on the couch and watch as my belly inflates before my eyes. I study my fingers. They look like kabanosy, the sausages of my childhood. I marvel at my bloated thighs, saying to my dad, Look at this. I'm expanding  like a cartoon character, it further read.

Lisa is an Indo-Canadian actor. She was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in June 2009. Post 3 years of her recovery, she relapsed around the time of her wedding with Jason Dehni in 2012. She took months to battle the disease once again and came out even stronger.

Lisa and Jason have two daughters--Sufi and Soleil, born in 2018, via surrogacy. Lisa was recently seen attending the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre Gala event in Mumbai. She was last seen in Prime Video's Four More Shots Please Season 2.

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With the upcoming period drama Jubilee, Prosenjit Chatterjee makes his Hindi OTT debut as studio head Srikant Roy. The actor is one of the longtime stars of Bengali cinema and has done a few projects in Bollywood. Not many are aware that he had turned down Maine Pyar Kiya (1989) and Saajan (1991). Both of the films were pivotal in the careers of Salman Khan and Sanjay Dutt who ended up playing those parts. However, Prosenjit revealed that he didn't want to take a risk with his career in Bengali films, especially after the massive success of Amar Sanghi. (Also read: Jubilee trailer: Fame, ambition and desire collide in early years of Bollywood in Vikramditya Motwane's drama series) Prosenjit Chatterjee at the trailer launch of Prime Video's Jubilee in Mumbai. (Photo by SUJIT JAISWAL / AFP)(AFP)

Prosenjit is the son of veteran actor Biswajit Chatterjee who has worked in both Hindi and Bengali films. However, Prosenjit, who has worked on a handful of Bollywood projects, chose to focus his career in West Bengal.

In a 2012 interview with The New York Times, Prosenjit spoke about why he didn't follow his father in Bollywood. He had said, "Frankly, I did not want to jeopardize my Bengali film career at that time. I tried my hand in three Hindi films but those were not really very well thought-out or conscious decisions. They flopped. Back home [in Kolkata], after Amar Sangi (1987) became a phenomenon and established me as a hero, I found a lot to do here. Risking all those to pursue a career in Mumbai may not have been wise. So, I refused offers, which included films such as Maine Pyar Kiya [lead that was later played by Salman Khan] and Saajan [Sanjay Dutts role]. Both films went on to become super-hits!"

Recently, during promotions for Jubilee, the actor was reluctant to bring up his decision to turn down Maine Pyar Kiya which was Salman's breakthrough role. He began by telling Bollywood Bubble, "Leave it. Forget it. Lets talk about Jubilee." When further pressed by his Jubilee castmates, Prosenjit said he was looking for a different direction in his career. He added, "Honestly speaking, I told you... My last Hindi film was Shanghai. And, as you know, from the last 10 to 12 years, Im doing not those mainstream cinema. I have shifted to and I worked with all new educators."

Jubilee also stars Aparshakti Khurana, Aditi Rao Hydari, Wamiqa Gabbi, Ram Kapoor and Sidhant Gupta. The series has been co-created by Vikramaditya Motwane and Soumik Sen. The first five episodes will be shown on April 7, while the last five will stream from April 14.

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Chris Hemsworth has unveiled the teaser for his upcoming highly-anticipated film Extraction 2. After the success of Netflix film Extraction (2020), which ended with Chris' Tyler Rake taking a bullet on his neck, the new film brings back this black ops mercenary as he takes on an army of policemen to rescue a girl. Sharing the teaser on Instagram, Chris wrote, You only get one shot at a second chance. EXTRACTION 2 debuts globally June 16, only on @Netflix. Tyler Rake lives. Also read: Extraction 2 first look: Chris Hemsworth to return with twice the action as helicopters land on moving trains Chris Hemsworth as Tyler Rake in a still from Extraction 2 teaser.

The power-packed teaser opens with Chris arriving at a prison to free a girl, but the two get caught in a massive fight with cops. As he fights with them in the most fearless fashion, he is hit on the head, which takes him back to his memories of being shot earlier and how he was declared clinically dead nine months ago. He regains himself and goes on to fight the policemen despite fire engulfing one of his hands. In the next glimpse, he is seen riding a scooter and bringing down a chopper coming towards him.

Rudhraksh Jaiswal, who played the child actor in the original Extraction, commented on the teaser on Instagram, BACK IN ACTION, along with several fire emojis. Chef Dan Churchill wrote, @chrishemsworth lets go savage! A fan hailed Chris, "Here comes the mighty Thor." Another wrote, Still confused on how he lived, but most definitely hyped for this movie. A fan even commented, If Thor was half of Tyler's things would be different in Marvel.

Directed by Sam Hargrave, the film will premiere exclusively on Netflix on June 16, 2023. It is produced by Joe and Anthony Russo via their AGBO banner, from a script by Avengers: Endgame filmmaker Joe Russo, who also penned the first instalment of the film.

Released in 2020 on Netflix, Extraction was a big hit. It featured Tyler Rake (Chris Hemsworth) travelling to Bangladesh to rescue the kidnapped son of a drug lord. At the end of the film, Tyler Rake took a bullet to the neck while protecting the child. The climax made fans wonder if Tyler Rake survived. Bollywood actor Randeep Hooda was also a part of the first instalment of the film. Upon its release, the film was viewed on Netflix by an estimated 90 million households.

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After Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield and Tom Holland having a reunion as Spider-Man in 2021, it's now the turn of the animated version and Miles Morales from Brooklyn, New York City to step up. This time, the young man joins Gwen Stacy in the Multiverse as he encounters some old friends and some new heroes that he might not agree with. The trailer of Spider-Man Across the Spider-Verse also gives viewers a glimpse of the Indian Spider-Man, Pavitr Prabhakar, swinging through the streets of Mumbai. (Also read: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse trailer: Heroes Miles Morales and Gwen Stacy take on Spider-People. Watch) Spider-Man Across the Spider-Verse introduces Pavitr Prabhakar aka Spider-Man India.

The second trailer also shares the grand scope of the film as it links the team of Spider-People across several multi-verse trying to save the people of their planets. The animated film also sets up a tough choice for Miles Morales as he is faced with the decision of trying to save someone he loves versus saving mankind in general. As the other Spider-People try to explain to him, this is a difficult decision but they as superheroes must think of the greater good. However, Miles believes he can do both.

The film features a direct reference to the current Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) as Tom's Spider-Man and Doctor Strange are told off for messing with the multiverse. It is rumoured that the previous Spider-Man could cameo in this film too.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is directed by Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers and Justin K Thompson. The animated sequel is penned by Oscar winners Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, and David Callaham. It features the voices of Shameik Moore as Miles and Hailee Steinfeld as Gwen Stacy. Other actors lending their voices to the film include Jake Johnson, Issa Rae, Daniel Kaluuya, Jason Schwartzman, Brian Tyree Henry, Luna Lauren Velez, Greta Lee, Rachel Dratch, Jorma Taccone, Shea Whigham and Oscar Isaac as Miguel O'Hara aka Spider-Man 2099. Karan Soni will be voicing Pavitr Prabhakar aka Spider-Man India.

The animated sequel will be released in India in 10 languages - English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Punjabi, Gujarati, Marathi, Bengali, Kannada and Malayalam - on June 2.

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After a report claimed that Samantha Ruth Prabhu responded to rumours of her ex-husband Naga Chaitanya dating Shobhita Dhulipala, the actor has now reacted. Taking to Twitter on Tuesday, Samantha responded to a report. Sharing it, she wrote, "I never said this!!" (Also Read | Samantha Ruth Prabhu says family told her not to do item song Oo Antava right after separation from Naga Chaitanya) Samantha Ruth Prabhu denied reacting to Naga Chaitanya and Shobhita Dhulipala's dating rumours.

As per the report, Samantha spoke about Chaitanya and Shobhita after an old photo of the actors at a restaurant emerged online. In the picture, Chaitanya posed with a chef for a picture while Shobhita was seen sitting at a table behind them. Reportedly, the photo was of the couple in London.

As quoted by The Siasat Daily, Samantha had said in an interview to a news portal, Great Andhra, I am not bothered as to who is in a relationship with whom. Those who do not know the value of love will be left in tears irrespective of the number of people they date. At least that girl should be happy. If he changes his behaviuor and looks after the girl without hurting her, it will be good for everyone."

Samantha tied the knot with Naga Chaitanya in October 2017. The duo announced their separation in October 2021. They issued statements on their respective social media accounts. To all our well-wishers. After much deliberation and thought Chay and I have decided to part ways as husband and wife to pursue our own paths, Samantha had written.

She had also said, We are fortunate to have a friendship of over a decade that was the very core of our relationship which we believe will always hold a special bond between us. We request our fans, well wishers and the media to support us during this difficult time and give us the privacy we need to move on. Thanking you for your support.

Fans will see Samantha in the Indian version of Citadel, created by Raj and DK, along with Varun Dhawan. The series is produced by D2R Films and Amazon Studios, with AGBO's Anthony Russo, Joe Russo, Mike Larocca, Angela Russo-Otstot, Scott Nemes, and David Weil (Hunters) overseeing production on the Indian Original and all series within the global Citadel universe.

Apart from this, she will be seen in Shaakuntalam, helmed by Gunasekhar, alongside Dev Mohan. The film is scheduled to release on April 14. The film will release in Telugu, Hindi and Tamil languages. She will also be seen in an upcoming romantic film Khusi opposite actor Vijay Deverakonda.

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Erika Jayne, one of the stars of the hit reality show Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, is making headlines again. This time, she's taking a jab at co-star Kathy Hilton after Hilton issued an ultimatum at the end of last season, stating that she wouldn't return if Erika and Lisa Rinna were still on the payroll. Erika Jayne mocks Kathy Hilton's ultimatum

Erika, who has been suffering over her estranged husband's legal troubles, has become a polarizing figure on the show. She's been known to challenge her peers to request that she emote on behalf of the people betrayed by Tom Girardi, but her displays of emotion have fallen short, leaving even her co-stars disturbed.

Now, with the show filming its 13th season, Erika has returned, but Lisa Rinna is absent, having exhausted audiences with her constant instigating. Kathy Hilton, however, is nowhere to be seen, and Erika couldn't be happier. "Well, I'm here and she's not," she said. "She can come on in any time she wants!"

Erika doesn't think Kathy's absence has anything to do with the fact that she kept her diamond. "Me? What the fk did I do? I didn't do anything," EJ commented. In fact, Erika's main crime against Kathy was being a witness to Kathy's alleged crazy meltdown on the Aspen cast trip.

Erika's other slight against Kathy was being friends with "Hollywood's Biggest Bully," which automatically made her Kathy's enemy. Despite Erika's accusations, Kathy hasn't commented on whether she'll return to the show. In the meantime, sister Kim Richards has been called back for duty to serve along with Kyle Richards.

Also read | Real or fake? Bravo stars expose shocking truth behind the Real Housewives of Atlanta

It remains to be seen if Kathy will make an appearance on the show. Will she get lost driving, despite a multi-million dollar navigation system in her car, and blow by a filming location? Only time will tell. In the meantime, fans of the show can continue to follow the drama and see what happens next.
The newest addition to The Real Housewives of New Jersey, Jennifer Fessler, has been making waves on the show, not just for her no-nonsense attitude, but also for her stunning transformation. The entrepreneur and shoe designer recently shared some before and after photos, revealing that she had plastic surgery and shed unwanted pounds. The newest addition to The Real Housewives of New Jersey, Jennifer Fessler(Instagram)

Jenn, who is a best friend of Margaret Josephs, has been a hit with viewers since she first appeared on the show's newest season. Her love of mozzarella and straight-talking approach has made her a breath of fresh air, and her business savvy has impressed even the OG Teresa Giudice.

Jennifer's pre-facelift look

But Jenn's journey to get where she is now hasn't been without its challenges. After having two children, she decided to undergo plastic surgery and lose weight, something she openly shared with Bravo cameras. While she doesn't have many photos from her earlier days, a picture from 2018 shows her with bangs and fuller lips.

In 2019, right before the pandemic, Jenn and her husband Jeff Fessler traveled to Mexico, where she stunned in a ruby red jumpsuit. She also looked to have fewer facial lines and had grown out her hair, possibly to eliminate her fringe.

Recently, while appearing on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, Jenn opened up about her recent nose job and facelift. She also claims to have lost a lot of weight, although she didn't post any photos showing her at her heaviest. Jenn has been a straight-shooter since entering the world of The Real Housewives of New Jersey, and her honesty about her health journey has only endeared her more to fans.

Jennifer's post-facelift look

While Jenn's transformation has been stunning, she's still navigating what it means to be a reality TV star. She's come under fire for hinting that she used a peptide similar to Ozempic, which has been in the news for its scary side effects. But whatever the future holds for Jenn, one thing's for sure: she looks like a million dollars.

Also read | Real or fake? Bravo stars expose shocking truth behind the Real Housewives of Atlanta
Last seen in Farzi, actor Kubbra Sait seems to be in a happy zone after completing four projects. The Sacred Games actor says that working with such talented directors is a big dream which she is living. Actor Kubbra Sait at Lucknow Riverfront (Deep Saxena/HT)

My upcoming roles are very diverse, grounded and women-centric. In Suparn Vermas series, The Good Wife, my character is part of urban fabric. I am playing a junior cop in Navdeep Singhs series Shehar Lakhot, and in Prakash sirs (Jha) Laal Batti, I play an IPS officer. Then, there is Danish Aslams film with Prateik Babbar. So, thik-thak chal raha hai!

She just wants to play solid characters. Beyond that, length of role, director, platform does not matter as no one is in my control. Then, let Allah decide its fate. I know its my time and I am putting in my best effort. I am happy and fortunate that I am working and am satisfied with what I am doing.

Kubbra Sait on her visit to Lucknow. (Deep Saxena/HT)

She agrees that Sacred Games remains the focal point. But beyond that in the last four-five years, I have done very diverse roles. I forayed in the West with (US science fiction series) Foundation (2021) and got to work with David S Goyer and Alex Graves. For two years, in the middle of the pandemic, I was travelling around the world and shooting. I wrote a book (Open Book: Not Quite a Memoir) and am working continuously!

Sait says what people think about does not matter.

I am not relying on what perception people have about me. What I am doing may not be available for all or interest everyone. Meher Salam in series Illegal (2020) may not be known to everyone but what a strong character it was! I am just honestly trying to be part of incredible stories. With every project, I am trying to achieve my highest potential and then with the next one trying to push that level up. I have a hunger to learn, do my best work, live up to my potential, be my kindest version, live my life and thats all!

This place is like a heaven

There is so much difference between old and new Lucknow. When I explored the Old City areas I was transported in time. The city is growing in length and breadth yet maintaining its heritage that blew me away. It has poetry to it! I am a foodie and have done food shows, so this place is like heaven. I love exploring and savouring delicacies without bothering about calories. Jis mohabaat se log yahan khana kilate hain was so touching for me. Also, the language here is so beautiful and engrained in the fabric of this place.
Mysuru At present, the drinking water is being supplied through tankers to the village Kuntanala village of Bellary district. (HT Archives)

At least 21 people fell ill on Tuesday after allegedly consuming contaminated water in Kuntanala village of Bellary district , officials said.

They have reported vomiting and nausea and are being treated at a temporary health camp in the village. Some have been admitted to Vijayanagara institute of medical sciences (VIMS) Hospital in Bellary.

According to officials, three patients at VIMS and two at the district hospital are undergoing treatment. Thirteen people have been treated, officials said, adding that an emergency treatment unit has been opened at Kuntanal village. In a house three children and their father reported vomiting. The three children have been treated and discharged while the father is undergoing treatment, a district hospital doctor said.

The first case of gastroenteritis was reported on March 25, after one villager complained of vomiting and diarrhoea.

Bellary district health officer Dr H L Janardhan, taluk health officer Dr Mohan Kumari, who went to the village, collected water samples from Vedavati river and have sent it to the laboratory for testing. At present, the drinking water is being supplied to the village through tankers.

Soon after hearing the news, health officials rushed to the village and collected drinking water samples, DHO Dr L Janardhan said. We have received laboratory report which confirmed contamination of drinking water which is main reason for people falling sick. Immediately, we opened an emergency clinic at Valmiki Bhavan in Kuntanala village with six beds and a team of doctors is camping at the village. Every day, we are getting 3-5 people complaining of gastroenteritis, and the doctors are treating them at Valmiki Bhavan. We have conducted further investigation since the villagers who are consuming filtered water also fell ill. We will run the clinic till no case would report in village, he said.

Earlier, the gram panchayat was supplying water from Vedavati river after chlorination at tanks. Now, we are supplying drinking water through tankers, Rupagnaudi gram panchayat development officer Prakash C Amar Shetty said. He said the village has a population of 3,324 and is depending on the Vedavati river for drinking water supply. Only villagers of 10 families complained of gastroenteritis so far. The health officials are investigating the issue. A new water purification plant would come up in the village under JJM and work is underway, he added.
Testimonies by 190 witnesses and 334 physical evidence including documentary proof could not help the prosecution prove its case, thereby resulting in acquittal of 27 persons charged of gang rape and murder during the riots that broke out in Kalol on March 1, 2002, according to the Panchmahals session court order. Additional sessions judge L.G. Chudasma of the Halol court observed that the prosecution case is based on mere suspicion without any evidence on record. (Representative Photo)

The court in Panchmahals Halol district in its in its 153-page order, delivered on March 31, said the prosecution could not prove the case beyond reasonable doubt. The court accused all the surviving accused, 27 of them, in a case where more than 13 persons were killed in the riots when mobs belonging to Hindu and Muslim communities clashed.

Also read: UP schools to adopt revised NCERT books; No lessons on Mughal courts

While a total of 39 were accused in the case, 12 died during the trial period.

Additional sessions judge L.G. Chudasma of the Halol court observed that the prosecution case is based on mere suspicion without any evidence on record.

The court observed that there were contradictions in the accounts of witnesses, and they did not support the prosecutions argument.

The witnesses and victims either turned hostile or had not supported the prosecutions case or were unable to recall facts or identify the accused.

The accused were booked under Indian Penal Code Sections for rioting, unlawful assembly, rioting with armed weapons, murder and causing disappearance of evidence, among other sections. The 39 accused in the case, included four Muslims and R J Patil , the then sub-inspector of Kalol police station. The trial lasted for at least two decades and as many as 13 out of a total 39 accused in the case died during the pendency of the trial, the court said in the order. Patil was among the 13 deceased.

The Kalol riots are part of the Gujarat riots of 2002 that followed an attack on a train carrying Hindu pilgrims in Godhra on February 27 2002 that left 58 dead. This was followed by communal riots for three days that left over 1000 people dead according to official figures.

Also read: Top court seeks files on Bilkis convicts release

The court, which was hearing as many as eight separate charge sheets filed by the Kalol police for violence related incidents that occurred on March 1, 2002. On that day, a mob of more than 2,000 people clashed with sharp weapons and inflammable objects in Kalol city in Gandhinagar district.

But witnesses and victims failed to identify perpetrators in many of the cases, or turned hostile, resulting in the acquittal.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for allegedly giving a clean chit to China as Beijing renamed 11 places in Arunachal Pradesh, which it claims as South Tibet. Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge. (Hindustan Times)

Claiming that Arunachal Pradesh is and will remain an integral part of India, Kharge said this was for the third time, China has dared to rename India's areas in Arunachal Pradesh.

"For the third time, China has dared to "rename" our areas in Arunachal Pradesh.

April 21, 2017  6 places

30 December 2021  15 places

3 April 2023  11 places

Arunachal Pradesh is and will remain an integral part of India. After Galvan, the country is facing the consequences of Modi ji giving a clean chit to China," Kharge tweeted.

India has rejected Chinas move, with the external affairs ministry saying such steps will not alter the reality that the northeastern state is an integral part of the country.

The move is set to further deepen mistrust between New Delhi and Beijing at a time when the two are in the middle of their worst bilateral chill in decades.

The changed names include that of mountain peaks, rivers and residential areas.

This is the third time China has unilaterally renamed places in Arunachal Pradesh, having done it in April, 2017, and in December 2021.

There was no immediate response from Indian officials to the development. People familiar with the matter said the Indian side was aware of the development, which was a continuation of similar steps taken by China in recent years.

The renaming in the past too was promptly rejected by India, with New Delhi reiterating that the northeastern state will always remain an integral and inseparable part of India.

According to the relevant regulations of the State Council (Chinas cabinet) on the management of geographical names, our ministry, together with relevant departments, has standardised some geographical names in southern Tibet, Chinas civil affairs ministry said in a short statement on Sunday.

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a clean chit to China: Mallikarjun Kharge reacts to Bejing's Arunachal Pradesh move Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge.(ANI)

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for allegedly giving a clean chit to China as Beijing renamed 11 places in Arunachal Pradesh, which it claimread more.

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Samantha Ruth Prabhu denies talking about Naga Chaitanya and Shobhita Dhulipala dating rumours

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An avalanche on Tuesday killed at least seven tourists in Sikkims Nathu La area, the army said, with officials saying rescue operations were called off later in the evening due to inclement weather. It was not clear if all tourists and their vehicles had been accounted for. Rescue team members search for survivors after an avalanche in Sikkim on Tuesday. (REUTERS)

The army said five to six vehicles carrying up to 30 tourists to the strategically located Nathu La pass between Sikkim and Tibet were stuck under the snow when the avalanche hit. However, the exact number of people who were affected remained unclear through the day.

Also read: Video captures moments before avalanche that killed 7 in Sikkim | 5 points

Seven bodies were brought out of the snow and 23 people were rescued alive, including six tourists from a deep valley, a state government official said, quoting reports from the army.

Seven people died and were trying to ascertain where they are from. If there are more stranded tourists, well carry out the rescue operation again tomorrow, said Sikkim chief minister Prem Singh Tamang. Earlier reports said at least 50 people had been missing.

Government officials said 14 of the rescued tourists included residents of Nepal, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Delhi. They were all undergoing treatment. At least 8 people among those rescued alive were in critical condition, senior police official Tenzing Loden Lepcha told Reuters on phone in the evening. There were no updates on the condition of the injured or their identities till the time of going to press.

Tamang, who was in Gujarat, returned to state capital of Gangtok on Tuesday evening and went to the citys STNM Hospital to meet the injured tourists. He said the state will bear the cost of their treatment. Sikkim will also ship the bodies of the victims to their respective home states, he announced.

The avalanche, in Sikkims east district, hit the 14th Mile point on the arterial Jawaharlal Nehru Road, which connects Gangtok to Nathu La pass on the India-China border, at around 11.30am

Sikkim government officials said in the evening that rescue operations had to be suspended due to heavy snowfall.

ANI, quoting the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), said on Twitter that all missing people and vehicles had been accounted for.

Loden Lepcha said that when the avalanche hit, people were taking photographs near a stream. Images released by ministry of defence showed rescue workers digging with shovels near a waterfall and yellow heavy machinery working to clear the churned up snow left by the avalanche.

Chewang Gyatso Sherpa, a local resident who joined the rescue operation, said, Caught in a traffic jam, the tourists came out of their vehicles and started playing with the snow. An avalanche hit them all of a sudden and more than 40 people were swept away.

Sherpa, who drives commercial vehicles for a living, said: We managed to rescue ten people, including a child, who got buried under the snow, but seven of them were already dead. Local villagers and shop owners were the first to swing into action. They were later joined by the army, state disaster management teams, police and people from the tourism department.

An additional 350 stranded tourists and 80 vehicles were rescued and brought to Gangtok after the snow was cleared from the road, the army statement said.

Tourists who survived the disaster were first taken to local army hospitals and later shifted to various hospitals in Gangtok.

Earlier in the day, Sonam Tenzing Bhutia, inspector general (check post) of Sikkim police said, The victims include four men, a woman and a child. Their identity is yet to be established.

Details about the seventh victim were not yet known.

Condoling the deaths, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a tweet by his office, said, Distressed by the avalanche in Sikkim. Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. I hope the injured recover soon.

All possible assistance is being provided to those affected, the tweet added.

Union home minister Amit Shah said the Centre was closely monitoring the situation.

My sincerest condolences to the families of those who have lost their lives in the tragic avalanche in Sikkim. We are closely monitoring the ... I pray for the speedy recovery of those injured, he said in a post on Twitter.

Sikkim has been witnessing regular snowfall since March and there was continuous rain and snowfall from March 31 in areas such as 14th Mile and 15th Mile, weather experts said. As a result, movement of tourists was restricted up to 13th Mile point on Jawaharlal Nehru Road. The tourists who were stuck had forced the tour operators and drivers to take them to the area where the avalanche later hit, a police officer said, according to PTI.

Gopinath Raha, director of the meteorological department at Gangtok, said: Generally, many parts of Sikkim receive snowfall between December and the first half of March. But this year, Sikkim is witnessing regular snowfall even in April due to western disturbance that was not seen till March. The western disturbance is penetrating even the southern parts of Sikkim with high moisture.

In the last 24 hours, Gangtok received a rainfall of 50mm, which is quite high. This means the upper ridges of Sikkim must have received heavy snowfall, Raha added.

Thousands of tourists flock to Sikkim every year, also known as the Land of Mystic Splendour, located below Mount Kanchenjunga, the third highest mountain in the world.

Nathu La, situated at 14,450 feet above the sea level, is one of the three open trading border posts between India and China. A major tourist destination, Nathu La serves as a route for the Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage to Mount Kailash in China, considered one of the holiest pilgrimages in Hinduism.

Also read: Tourism in Sikkim negatively impacted by severe snowfall

Sikkims east district, which witnessed the massive avalanche on Tuesday, ranks ninth in landslide density and risk exposure among all districts in the country.

According to the Landslide Atlas of India, released by Isros Hyderabad-based National Remote Sensing Centre, Sikkim witnessed 1,561 landslides between 2011 and 2017, with most falling in the category of event-based landslides, triggered by earthquakes or heavy rainfall.

Sikkims south district ranks eighth across the country in terms of landslide density and risk exposure.

Himalayas and Western Ghats are highly susceptible to mass movements due to hilly topography and heavy rainfall, the Landslide Atlas of India said.

In June 2013, record monsoon rains in the northern Himalayan state of Uttarakhand caused devastating floods that claimed close to 6,000 lives, one of the worst natural disasters to strike in the country.

(With inputs from agencies)

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Minutes after a massive avalanche in Sikkim killed at least six tourists, the Jammu and Kashmir Disaster Management Authority (JKDMA) issued an avalanche warning in the Kupwara district in the next 24 hours. According to the authorities, the avalanche is likely to have a low danger level, reported news agency ANI. According to the authorities, the avalanche is likely to have a low danger level, reported news agency ANI.(AFP)

The authority also advised people living in the Kupwara area to take precautions and avoid venturing into the avalanche-prone areas till further orders.

Also watch: On camera: Massive avalanche hits popular tourist spot in Sikkim

Earlier, six tourists - four men, two women, and a child - were killed, while as many as 50 people are reported to be trapped under the snow after an avalanche hit Sikkim around 12:30 pm on Tuesday, inspector general (check post) of Sikkim police Sonam Tenzing Bhutia said. The identity of the deceased is yet to be established, she said.

The incident took place on a road 14th mile on Jawaharlal Nehru road connecting Gangtok with Nathula at the India-China border.

According to reports, over 20 tourists have been rescued so far and have been admitted to the STNM Hospital and Central Referral Hospital in Gangtok for treatment.

Sikkim has been witnessing snowfall regularly over the past month - which led to the authorities restricting movement of tourists till the 13th-mile marker - a point on the Jawaharlal Nehru Road. According to officials, the tourists had gone past the permitted point when they were hit by the avalanche.

(With inputs from ANI)
West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday scaled up her attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the recent violent clashes in the state, alleging that the saffron party is defaming Hindu religion by pitting one community against another. West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee. (File Photo)

Stating that violence is not Bengal's culture, Banerjee also alleged that the BJP has hired 'goondas' in the state.

I have to be alert all the time lest BJP incites riots. They don't understand that the people of Bengal don't like violence. Rioting is not Bengal's culture. We don't riot, the general public does not incite riots. When BJP cannot do it on its own, it hires people to fan riots, the CM said while addressing a rally in Khejuri district.

Also read: Bengal governor's thugs will be crushed with... remarks after Hooghly clash

She added, The youth in whose hands the weapons were seen during Ram Navami.CPI(M) used to do the same. Did you forget the atrocities conducted by CPI(M)? 'Baam' (Left) and 'Ram' (BJP) have their joined hands against us.

Citing union home minister Amit Shah's rioters will be hung upside down statement after the violence in Bihar, Banerjee asked, BJP said if they come to power in Bihar, they would hang rioters upside down; why are they not doing that to their goondas here?

Bengal has witnessed two incidents of violence in the past week in Howrah and Hooghly districts during Ram Navami processions. The TMC and BJP have been at loggerheads and playing a political blame game over the incidents.

Also read: 'Deliberately...': Mamata slams BJP on Ram Navami clashes in Bengal

On Sunday, the BJP alleged that a Ram Navami rally was attacked outside a mosque at Rishra in West Bengals Hooghly district and claimed that its local legislator was injured. While on Friday, a violent clash broke out between two groups during a Ram Navami procession. According to reports, vehicles were torched, and shops and auto-rickshaws were ransacked.

Meanwhile, earlier in the day, the West Bengal police arrested a 19-year-old for allegedly brandishing a weapon during a Ram Navami procession in Howrah. The accused -who was seen in a video - was arrested from Bihar's Munger district.

(With inputs from PTI)
On the day a Chinese diplomat in Kolkata was describing the border situation along the 3488 km Line of Actual Control (LAC) as overall stable and promoting situation to normalized management and control at the earliest, Beijing yet again provoked India on April 2 by renaming 11 places in Arunachal Pradesh to maintain its so-called claim over what it calls South Tibet. File photo of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Arunachal Pradesh.

This is the third batch of so-called standardized geographical names for Arunachal Pradesh released by Beijing. The first batch of six names was released in 2017 and the second batch of 15 names in 2021. The third batch of names comes at a time when the King of Bhutan, which has a territorial dispute with China, is on an official visit to India and after a G-20 event in Arunachal Pradesh.

While the Modi government will reiterate that Arunachal Pradesh is an integral part of India and dismiss the Chinese exercise, the renaming exercise is not without repercussions on the bilateral relations.

By giving Mandarin names to towns, passes and peaks in Indian Arunachal Pradesh, China is keeping its claim on so-called South Tibet alive and wants the Indian state to be on the border negotiations, if and when they take place between the two Special Representatives on boundary dialogue. The last meeting of the two Special Representatives took place in December 2019.

The Chinese action in Arunachal Pradesh comes after the PLA tried to impose the India rejected 1959 line on East Ladakh during transgression in Galwan, Gogra-Hot Springs and Pangong Tso in May 2020. The renaming event is part of a larger Chinese plan as the PLA has deployed no less than six Combined Arms Brigades (CABs) across the Indian perception of LAC in the eastern sector as reserves post 20th National Party Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

The renaming of 32 places in Arunachal Pradesh by Beijing since 2017, while its diplomats talk about normalization, is either part of traditional Chinese double-speak or is a manifestation of Chinese diplomacy being totally kept out of the national security loop.

Unlike India which does not emphasize its claims on Pakistan Occupied Kashmir routinely, Beijing keeps the pot boiling to keep the dispute alive. The Indian media has also adopted the Han Chinese names for places in occupied Tibet and Sinkiang region. The Chinese renaming exercise is akin to PLA repeated air and maritime transgressions over Taiwan to emphasize its claims over the independent island, forcing even the mighty US to publicly harp on One China '' policy despite serious reservations.

Although New Delhi had dismissed the Chinese renaming exercise last time by saying that assigning invented names does not alter the fact that Arunachal Pradesh is an integral part of India, the latest Chinese provocation comes in the year when India is hosting the SCO and G-20 summits. Behind the Chinese double-speak is the truth that Beijing considers India as an adversary and has no intentions on giving an inch as part of boundary resolution. Fence sitting is not an option for rising India.

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IMPHAL: A dozen college students sustained minor injuries when a bus overturned after the driver lost control in Manipurs Ukhrul district on Tuesday, police said. Manipur accident: The driver told the police that he lost control (Photo: Sourced)

The driver told the police that he lost control. The accident took place at 10.20am in Khararphung area of Ukhrul. The bus operates between Ukhrul town and Pettigrew College campus in the Meijalung area close to Somsai.

The injured, 13 college students and a handyman were taken to the nearby Leishiphung Christian Hospital for treatment.

Now most of the students have been discharged, said a Ukhrul district police officer.

The injured handyman, Themboy Muinao of Ngainga (Ngaimu) village, was also administered first aid and later referred to Imphal Hospital after he complained of a breathing problem.

On December 21, six students and a teacher were killed when a bus with 36 students and staffers of Thambalnu Higher Secondary School, Yairipok overturned at Nungsai village, 50km southwest of Imphal in Manipurs Noney district.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has carried out a detailed analysis of 53 financial crimes including bank frauds and Ponzi schemes starting from Harshad Mehtas manipulation of the stock market using funds obtained from banks in the 90s to the use of fraudulent Letters of Undertaking (LoUs) and Letters of Credit (LCs) by fugitive diamantaires Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi, to understand the modus operandi of white-collar criminals, systemic lacunae and to identify preventive measures needed to prevent such crimes. The findings and lessons learnt from past mistakes, published in the form of an almanac and released by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, have been shared with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), stock market regulator Sebi. (AFP)

The findings and lessons learnt from past mistakes, published in the form of an almanac and released by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, have been shared with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), stock market regulator Sebi (Securities and Exchange Board of India), banks, the agencys own investigators and law enforcement agencies across the country, people familiar with the development said.

A gist of the outcome of 53 major financial crimes investigated by CBI since early 90s was shared during a Chintan Shivir (brainstorming session) on Monday, which was attended by senior functionaries of RBI, Sebi, Indian Banking Association (IBA), Central Vigilance Commission (CVC), and various banks and agencies, said an office, who didnt want to be named.

He added that CBI special director Praveen Sinha and joint director of CBIs banking and securities fraud branch, Anurag (he goes by one name only) , focused on reasons why banks are repeatedly cheated into giving credit to individuals or entities based on unverified documents such as fraudulent LoUs/LCs, how white collar criminals divert funds taken from banks and investors to a third country, the use of delay tactics in courts to stall proceedings, the steps needed to be taken at the policy level to prevent these, investigation techniques, and issues related to extradition.

Apart from cases involving Harshad Mehta, Mehul Choksi and Nirav Modi, the agency studied bank frauds involving former liquor baron Vijay Mallya, diamond merchant Jatin Mehta, the owners of Sterling Biotech Ltd , Chetan and Nitin Sandesara, former ICICI Bank managing director Chanda Kochhar, Rishi Agrawal of ABG Shipyard Ltd, Kapil and Dheeraj Wadhawan of Dewan Housing and Finance Ltd (DHFL), Rana Kapoor (Yes Bank founder) and Sanjay Singal of Bhushan Power and Steel Ltd as well cases related to Saradha chit fund and the Rose Valley Ponzi scheme involving thousands of crores, the second officer added.

No other organization except CBI has the experience of investigating large bank fraud cases. Prepared after two years of research, this almanac will be a gamechanger for the banking industry and the law enforcement, said a third officer, who also requested anonymity.

According to RBIs annual report, the banking sector recorded 9,103 cases of frauds involving 60,414 crore in 2021-22, a significant drop from 1,38,211 crore involved in 7,359 cases of fraud in 2020-21. This amount was 1,85,468 crore (8,703 cases) in 2019-20. To be sure, not all these frauds are investigated by the CBI or other law enforcement agencies.

Between 2018 and 2020 alone, CBI registered cases in bank frauds involving in excess of 1 lakh crore. In 2020, it filed over 200 cases, involving bank frauds of 70,000 crore,the highest ever in a year.

To expedite its probe in bank frauds, the federal anti-corruption agency has also hired over 50 bank officials on deputation in last four to five years.

The federal agency claimed last year that its probe in at least 100 high-value bank frauds was hit due to withdrawal of general consent under section 6 of the Delhi Special Police Establishment (DSPE) act by several states including West Bengal, Rajasthan, Mizoram, Jharkhand, Punjab, Kerala and Chhattisgarh.

Besides an almanac on bank frauds, CBI has also published its updated administration manual, a handbook on 101 Supreme Court judgements in CBI cases, and a manual on international police cooperation .
China has barred two Indian journalists from returning to Beijing, weeks after India asked a Chinese journalist to leave the country , people familiar with the matter said on Tuesday. A few years ago, there were six Indian journalists working in Beijing but this number subsequently came down to four

State-run Prasar Bharatis representative in Beijing, Anshuman Mishra, and The Hindus correspondent, Ananth Krishnan, were informed by Chinese officials that they should not return to China as their visas were frozen, the people said. Both Mishra and Krishnan had recently come to India for personal reasons.

Also read: China renames 11 places in Arunachal Pradesh

The move followed the Indian side informing a New Delhi-based correspondent of state-run Xinhua news agency last month that his Indian visa would not be renewed. The Xinhua correspondent was asked to return to China by March 31 and has since gone back, the people said.

Different reasons were given for the decision to ask the Xinhua correspondent to return to China, with some people saying it was done because he had been in India for too long  having done a stint of about six years  and others saying it was because he had indulged in activities beyond his journalistic brief.

There was no official word on the developments from the Indian side.

The two remaining Indian journalists in Beijing  KJM Varma of Press Trust of India (PTI) and Sutirtho Patranobis of Hindustan Times  were told by officials of Chinas foreign ministry on Tuesday that they could stay on for now.

The people cited above said the remaining Indian journalists were not expected to be allowed back into China if they leave the country. The people added that steps could also be taken against them if the Indian side failed to reciprocate on the issue of Chinese journalists posted in India.

Much will depend on an upcoming meeting between officials of Chinas foreign ministry and a representative of the Indian embassy in Beijing to discuss the issue, the people said.

The people further said there were complaints from both sides about the handling of issues related to journalists. The people said it was factually incorrect to suggest that Indias actions triggered a response from Chinese authorities. To be sure, Indian journalists posted in China have managed to extend their visas after meeting Chinese foreign ministry officials before the process.

The Hindus correspondent was stopped at the airport and questioned by Chinese authorities for almost 30 minutes while he was returning to India on March 31, the people added.

A few years ago, there were six Indian journalists working in Beijing but this number subsequently came down to four. Over the past few years, a handful of Indian journalists have also been given fellowships by Chinese authorities that allowed them to live in China and report for their media organisations.

The number of Chinese journalists in India, all working for state-run organisations, was at a high of 14 about seven years ago. In July 2016, India expelled three journalists from Xinhua, including the organisations bureau chiefs in New Delhi and Mumbai, after they came under the adverse attention of security agencies for allegedly indulging in activities beyond their journalistic brief.

Since then, the number of Chinese journalists in India has continued to dwindle. The visa of another Chinese journalist working in India was not renewed in 2021. Several of them left India during the Covid-19 pandemic and their organisations didnt post anyone to replace them, the people said. It is understood that there is currently only one Chinese journalist in India.
Train services were disrupted as fresh communal violence broke out at Rishra in West Bengals Hooghly district on Monday night hours after the Calcutta high court sought a report on the clashes that rocked three districts of the state during Ram Navami celebrations. Security personnel in Hooghly on Tuesday. (PTI)

The ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have traded charges blaming each other over the violence that first erupted in the Howrah district on March 30.

A police officer said the internet was suspended and the Code of Criminal Procedures Section 144 barring gathering of over four people was reimposed in Hooghlys Rishra and Serampore areas after the fresh communal clashes.

Bricks and crude bombs were hurled near the Rishra Railway Station. The violence spilled onto railway tracks and disrupted multiple local and long-distance trains.

A police contingent rushed to the scene and used batons to disperse a mob, which retaliated with stones. A vehicle was also torched.

On Tuesday morning, the riot-torn areas of Hooghly wore a deserted look as most shops were closed. Pickets were set up and a large number of policemen were patrolling the streets.

Chief minister Mamata Banerjee has put the state on alert ahead of the Hanuman Jayanti celebrations on Thursday. We all revere Bajrang Bali but they [BJP] should not be allowed to plot more riots. Keep this in mind. They are doing this across the country, Banerjee said in East Midnapore on Monday.

BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari attacked the government over the fresh violence. In a tweet, he cited the suspension of train services on the Howrah-Bardhaman line following violence near the railway station. He added after Railway Protection Forces action, train services have been restored. Adhikari said Rishra is burning and the entire state administration is enjoying a beach holiday in Digha, where Banerjee was due to address TMC workers.

The violence erupted in the Howrah district on March 30 when stones were allegedly thrown at a Ram Navami procession. It spread to North Dinajpur and Hooghly districts over the next three days and led to the arrests of at least 46 people.

The high court on Monday sought the report on the violence by Wednesday while directing the government to ensure the safety of citizens during Ram Navami celebrations and questioning police efficiency.

Adhikari on March 31 moved the court seeking a National Investigation Agency probe into the clashes even as Banerjee blamed the BJP for the violence.

Internet services were earlier also suspended in the Rishra and Mahesh areas of Hooghly on Sunday while Section 144 too was imposed.

Banerjee on Monday hit out at the BJP and wondered why Ram Navami rallies were being organised for five days. She alleged the rallies were being deliberately taken through Muslim-majority areas without police permission.

Banerjee said they will not object if the BJP organises as many rallies on the day of Ram Navami without carrying weapons.

BJP leader Sukanta Majumdar dismissed the allegations, saying a video showing a man brandishing a revolver at a Ram Navami rally was not shot in Bengal.

Four BJP Lok Sabha members from Bengal separately held a press conference in Delhi and said they will approach President Droupadi Murmu and Union home minister Amit Shah for a federal probe into the violence as Adhikari addressed a rally in East Midnapore as part of preparations for the panchayat elections.

TMC accused the BJP of turning Ram into their political agenda.

In neighbouring Bihar, the government on Monday extended the suspension of mobile internet services in Rohtas and Nalanda districts following communal clashes. A 16-year-old boy was killed in Sasaram last week.
Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Tuesday wrote to Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla demanding a debate in the Parliament on the disqualification of Rahul Gandhi as an MP after his conviction in the Modi surname case. In his letter, Chowdhury cited the example of Amreli BJP MP Naranbhai Bhikhabhai Kachhadia - who was not disqualified from his position despite being convicted in a criminal case and sentenced to a three-year jail term, and said that it is intriguing Gandhi was disqualified. Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury (File image)

Also read: Judge overwhelmingly influenced by: What Rahul Gandhi said in his plea

"There should be a debate in the Parliament as to ascertain the fact that whether our leader Shri Rahul Gandhi ji has been awarded disproportionate punishment which smacks of cognitive dissonance or equality of law is meted out to all the elected members whosoever," Chodhury stated in the letter.

The Congress MP mentioned that two conditions are considered before disqualifying an elected member - the member has to be awarded a conviction for an offence, and has to be sentenced to imprisonment for not less than 2 years.

In my view, the second condition cannot stand the test of the prescribed provision of the Representation of People Act as the sentence of Shri Rahul Gandhi ji was suspended by the Trial Court, he wrote.

Rahul Gandhi was disqualified from Lok Sabha after being sentenced to two years in prison in a criminal defamation case on March 23.

On Monday, Gandhi's bail was extended till April 13 after a sessions court in Surat admitted his plea against the conviction. In his plea, the Congress leader had asked the court to set aside the magistrate order convicting him in the defamation case and also sought an interim stay on the conviction till the matter was disposed off.
Bengaluru : Simmering discontent over leadership, and issues related to candidate selection, including the potential candidature of a dozen leaders from the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Janata Dal (S), who are ticket contenders are threatening to weaken the Congress campaign in Karnataka. On Monday, Siddaramaiah told a TV channel that the Congress has not decided to make Karnataka Congress chief D K Shivakumar the chief minister, if the party wins the election. (HT PHOTO)

On Monday, former chief minister and senior party leader Siddaramaiah told a television channel that the party has not decided to make his rival and Karnataka Congress chief D K Shivakumar the states chief minister, if the Congress wins the election. He added that the coming election is his last assembly election and that he is in the race to be chief minister.

On Tuesday, he tried to walk back his comments partially.

He said the news channel misquoted him and that he just reiterated that selection of the CM was a democratic process in the party. All I said is that the selection of the CM is a democratic process. I am an aspirant for CM post and he (DK Shivakumar) is an aspirant, but what theyre saying is false, he clarified.

Shivakumar has not responded to the comment.

Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar have been jostling over who will be the chief minister if the party wins -- a rivalry that has meant separate bus tours in northern and southern parts of the state by the two leaders in February that reignited rumours that all is still not well within the party. The two then decided to have a joint bus tour after the intervention of the party high command.

Karnataka Congress leaders familiar with the matter said that the two leaders were quietly working to ensure to that their supporters contest the polls. Although the party has announced candidates for 124 seats it is yet to name them in the remaining 100 seats where there are multiple aspirants. Party leaders said both the leaders are backing their aspirants for tickets delaying the announcement of candidates.

On Monday and Tuesday, Congress workers from Chitradurga and Chikkmagaluru districts protested outside the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee office against defectors from the BJP possibly getting tickets.

The protest was against BJP MLA, N Y Gopalakrishna, getting a ticket from the Molkalmuru constituency in Chitradurga constituency. Gopalakrishna resigned as BJP MLA last week, and joined the Congress on Monday. Protests have also been going on for the past week in Chikkamagaluru over candidates.

After the protests, Shivakumar said nobody joining the party is assured of being fielded as a candidate. The ticket distribution is on the winnability factor and nothing else, he added.

The Congress is also yet to take a call on whether Siddaramaiah will contest a second assembly seat in Kolar. The party has already decided that he will contest from Varuna.

On Sunday, a leaked audio clip did the rounds. It featured a conversation between former JD (S) leader YSV Datta, who joined Congress in January, and former assembly speaker K R Ramesh Kumar.

If Siddaramaiah leaves Congress, the party will face Andhra Pradesh situation, Ramesh Kumar can be heard saying in the clip, referring to decimation of Congress in Andhra in 2009 after the death of incumbent chief minister YSR Rajashekhara Reddy in a helicopter crash. Kumar can also be heard backing Siddaramaiah as party candidate from Kolar. Party leaders said Shivakumar is trying to get backing of party leaders from Belagavi and some other districts, where Siddaramaiah is said to be weak.

Taking a dig at the Congress, state chief minister Basavaraj Bommai of the Bharatiya Janata Party said that both Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar, were dreaming of becoming the Chief Minister, which will not be realised. The BJP is coming back to power, I can say confidently.

Political analyst Chambi Puranik said that Siddaramaiahs comments on Sunday were a message to the party high command. He added that the Congress would have a better chance of winning more seats if the party puts up a united front.

Meanwhile, both the leaders are trying to drum up the support of as many MLAs as possible. The selection of candidates will definitely be based on the recommendations of these two leaders. Suppose one has 25 elected candidates on their side, that support is important to compete for the CM post, Puranik added.
RANCHI: Two men, both in their early twenties, who were part of a gang of cyber fraudsters in Jharkhands Deoghar that posed as bank officials and siphoned money from the bank account of their targets, have been handed out a life sentence and a 20 lakh fine each, a government lawyer said. Deoghars additional public prosecutor Shiv Lal Mandal said the prosecution was able to prove that  2.5 lakh , which had been siphoned from different accounts, was in Krishna Yadavs account and another  1.5 lakh was in Virat Kumars bank (File Photo)

The stiff jail term for Krishna Yadav (20) and Virat Kumar (21) was ordered by special judge Sandeep Bhatia who convicted seven of the eight accused in this case on Saturday.

Of the other five, Raju Mandal (26), Mukesh Mandal (25) and Dinesh Kumar (22) were sentenced to ten years in jail and a fine of 5 lakh each. Two other convicts, Chetlal Mandal (33) and Ajit Mandal (19), were sentenced to seven years in jail apart from a fine of 1 lakh each.

Deoghars additional public prosecutor Shiv Lal Mandal said the prosecution was able to prove that 2.5 lakh , which had been siphoned from different accounts, was in Krishna Yadavs account and another 1.5 lakh was in Virat Kumars bank.

The convicts defrauded people in different locations posing as bank staffers and cheated them of their money on the pretext of seeking information to update their KYC, he added.

Mandal said the prosecution produced six witnesses before the court who had been targeted by the gang including a doctor from Maharashtra and a businessman from Gujarat.

We were able to prove before the court that these accused forged electronic documents to carry out their crime, he said.
Cong MP writes to Om Birla demanding debate in Parl on Rahul's disqualification Opposition MPs raise slogans in the well of Lok Sabha.

Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Tuesday wrote to Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla demanding a debate in the Parliament on the disqualification of Rahul Gandhi as an MP after his conviction in the Modi surname case. In his letter, Chowdhury cited the example of Amreli BJP MP Naranbhai Bhikhabhai Kachhadia - who was not disqualified from his position despite being convicted in a criminal case and sentenced to a three-year jail term, and said that it is intriguing Gandhi was disqualified. Read more

Margot Robbie is 'everything' in the new Barbie poster, Ryan Gosling is just Ken. See pics

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'Baam' and 'Ram' joined hands against us: Mamata Banerjee on Bengal violence West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday scaled up her attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the recent violent clashes in the state, alleging that the saffron party is defaming Hinduread more.

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Former Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad on Tuesday heaped praises on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, calling him a statesman who never took any revenge despite the former attacking him on issues like Article 370, Citizenship Amendment Act or hijab row.



I must give credit to Modi. For what I did to him, he was too generous. As Leader of the Opposition I did not spare him on any issue be it Article 370 or CAA or hijab. I got some Bills totally failed but I must give him the credit that he behaved like a statesman, not taking revenge for that, Azad told ANI in an interview.



Azad's remark is contrast with those of opposition leaders who have accused the Modi government of misusing agencies like the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to silence its critics.



But this is not the first time when Azad has praised the prime minister. The former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister in 2021 had said he appreciates Modi for not hiding the fact that he hails from a village and sold tea. Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing the conference. (PTI)

I like a lot of things about many leaders. I am from the village and feel proud... Even our Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) hails from the village and used to sell tea. We are political rivals but I appreciate that he does not hide his true self, he had said in Jammu that year.



Azad's response had come after PM Modi praised him, calling the J&K leader a true friend'. Power comes and goes, but only a few know how to digest it. Therefore, as a friend, I respect him for the things he has done over the years, the prime minister had said.



Last year, Azad once again praised the PM, saying he had a wrong perception of him earlier. I used to think PM Modi is a crude man that he does not have children, but he showed humanity. I used to think PM Modi is a crude man that he does not have children, but he showed humanity. Modi Sahab - he was the Gujarat CM at the time - dialled me up. But I was crying. I told my officials that I could not speak. I think he heard me crying. I said my people wanted me, he recalled.



Azad had resigned from the Congress last year with an explosive resignation letter hitting out at Gandhis. In his letter, he had hit out at Rahul Gandhi calling him a non-serious politician.



This all happened because the leadership in the past 08 years has tried to foist a non-serious individual at the helm of the party, Azad had said explaining why the Congress ceded space to the BJP in the national level and regional parties in the state level.

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The government has disbursed around 30 crore during fiscal year (FY) 2022-23 under the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for 12 drone manufacturers and 11 drone component manufacturers, a government official confirmed to HT. With this scheme, the government also aims to make India a drone hub by 2030. (Representative file image)

The development comes after a provisional list of 23 PLI beneficiaries that was released on July 6 last year.

This scheme is of great financial support to start-up and small-scale entrepreneurs growing at a faster pace. A few of the beneficiaries of the scheme include Throttle Aerospace system, IdeaForge, Absolute Composites Pvt. Ltd and Aereo, an official from the aviation ministry said.

Also Read: Cabinet approves second tranche of PLI scheme to boost manufacturing of solar modules

A government official said the PLI rate is 20% of the value addition which is one of the highest among PLI schemes and unlike other sectors where the rate reduces every year, in drones it remains the same throughout the three years.

The eligibility norm for Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) and startups is at nominal levels and the coverage of the scheme also includes developers of drone-related software, the official said, adding that the PLI for a manufacturer will be capped at 25% of total annual outlay, allowing widening number of beneficiaries.

We are very happy to see our industry members receive the PLI incentives. The incentive amount for FY 21-22 was indicatively allocated as 16 crore when the scheme was announced. It is heartening to see the governments decision of disbursing incentives higher than the indicative limit and fulfilling the claims of all eligible manufacturers. We are excited with the progress of the scheme and would humbly request the government to consider increasing the budget of the scheme to accommodate more manufacturers to incentivise the rapid growth of the Indian drone ecosystem, Drone Federation of India (DFI)s president Smit Shah told HT.

Notified on September 30, 2021, the PLI scheme is not only a boost to the governments Atmanirbhar Bharat but also a great way to decrease Indias dependency on imports and increase exports.

With this scheme, the government also aims to make India a drone hub by 2030.

The total financial outlay for 3 years (starting FY 2021-22) under the PLI scheme is 120 crore, nearly double the combined turnover of all domestic drone manufacturers in FY 2020-21.

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Emphasising on a "cashless Hajj", the government has made special arrangements to meet the foreign exchange requirements of those going on the annual pilgrimage, including the issuance of a forex card through the State Bank of India (SBI). Hajj Pilgrimage: Muslim pilgrims pray around the Kaaba at the Grand Mosque, in Saudi Arabia's holy city of Mecca. (AFP)(Photo by Christina ASSI / AFP )

Read here: Over 4,000 women apply for Hajj travel without 'male guardian', a 1st: Report

The Ministry of Minority Affairs has taken several initiatives to make Haj 2023 more comfortable, convenient and affordable for Indian Muslims, according to an official statement.

Dedicated efforts have also been made to make the process of pilgrim selection objective, transparent, efficient, timely and free from human involvement.

The process of applying for Haj and selection of pilgrims was carried out online and of the 1.84 lakh applicants, 14,935 have been given assured allotment, including 10,621 in the 70-plus category and 4,314 women who will perform the Haj without a "Mehram" (male companion).

This is the largest ever contingent of women proceeding on Haj alone, not accompanied by men, the ministry said in a statement.

The applications received over and above the Haj quota have been finalised through an online randomised digital selection (ORDS) process, without any human intervention, it added.

For the first time, the list of selected and waitlisted applicants was published on the official portal immediately after the selection process in the interest of increased transparency, the statement said.

All 1.4 lakh selected pilgrims have been sent a text message with the information of their selection for Haj 2023. A text message has also been sent to the waitlisted applicants, informing them about their position on the list, the statement said.

The ministry has partnered with the SBI to make special arrangements to provide foreign exchange to the pilgrims.

Unlike previous years, when each pilgrim was given 2,100 Saudi riyals by the Haj Committee of India in lieu of Indian currency, irrespective of his actual requirements, the Haj Policy 2023 gives the option to the pilgrims to arrange their own foreign currency or take a lesser amount of foreign exchange, according to their requirements.

The government has collaborated with the SBI to ensure the supply of foreign exchange to the pilgrims at the most competitive rates, the statement said.

With more than 22,000 branches across the country, the SBI shall facilitate providing foreign exchange and the mandatory insurance to all the pilgrims to meet their requirements during their stay in Saudi Arabia.

The bank will reach out to the pilgrims through text messages, the ministry said.

The facility of a forex card is also being provided to the pilgrims, eliminating the possibility of theft or loss of physical currency, it added.

In case the card is lost during the pilgrimage, the pilgrim can get his money refunded from the bank.

An official said the government's aim is to support a "cashless Haj" to make it convenient for the pilgrims.

Read here: 20 Hajj pilgrims killed, 29 injured in bus accident in Saudi Arabia: Report

The SBI will also set up stalls at all the embarkation points with dedicated nodal officers of an appropriate level to help the pilgrims collect the foreign exchange in cash or through the forex card and also to provide any guidance and assistance as may be required.

A helpline shall be operated by the SBI and the contact details of these nodal officers will be made public soon, the statement said.

For the present year, a quota of 1,75,025 Haj pilgrims has been allotted to India. The first flight for the pilgrimage from India will take off on May 21. The annual pilgrimage will take place around June end.
All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Tuesday slammed Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar and deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav over violence across several districts in Bihar during Ram Navami.



Whenever there is violence in a State the responsibility for it falls on the State govt. Madrasa Azizia in Biharsharif was set ablaze, and shops of Muslim targeted - there's planning behind it. Bihar CM Nitish Kumar knew Nalanda is a sensitive district yet there was disturbance there. He has no remorse, he even attended an Iftar yesterday. CM Nitish & Tejashwi want to instil fear in Muslims in the state, Owaisi was quoted by ANI as saying.



A man who has been chief minister for years, Nitish Kumar, has not been able to stop this. I condemn the behaviour of Nitish Kumar & RJD govt that they have completely failed in stopping the burning of this madrasa & attack on the masjid. Also, targeted burning of properties of Muslims had taken place in Bihar, the Hyderabad MP added. AIMIM Chief Asaduddin Owaisi said Nitish Kumar knew Nalanda is a sensitive district yet there was disturbance there.(ANI)

Nalanda and Rohtas districts of Bihar remain tense after being hit by communal violence on Ram Navami. The suspension of mobile internet services in the two districts have been extended till tonight.

A 16-year-old boy was killed and three people were injured in Nalanda. At least six people were injured after a bomb exploded in a hut near mosque in Sasaram. Nitish Kumar announced a compensation of 5 lakh for the next of kin of the deceased.

A total of 10 companies of the Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) have been sent to Bihar, ANI reported.

The incidents of violence echoed in the Bihar assembly with the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party and ruling Mahagathbandhan trading charges. The saffron party has accused the ruling alliance of failing to check communal disturbances in both the towns.

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Terming the Ram Navami violence in several parts of the country as pre-planned hate crimes against Hindus, a Lucknow-based organisation, Hindu Front for Justice, approached the Supreme Court on Monday demanding compensation for victims and criminal action against members of the Muslim community involved in the attacks. Communal clashes erupted in several parts of the country during the Ram Navami celebrations last week. (PTI)

It is unfortunate that in independent India Hindus are not being allowed to take out religious processions peacefully and to observe their customary rites and rituals and same is being disturbed by a group of Muslims and the respective state governments have failed to take appropriate steps to prevent such mishappenings, said the application filed filed by the organisation.

The application was filed in a pending public interest litigation (PIL) by journalist Qurban Ali and senior advocate Anjana Prakash where the top court is pursuing steps taken by states to curb hate speeches against Muslims at Dharam Sansads following inflammatory speeches made at a similar event at Haridwar in December 2021.

Producing documentary and video recording of the instances of violence that took place on Ram Navami (March 30) in the states of West Bengal, Maharashtra, Bihar, Gujarat, Karnataka, Telangana and Jharkhand and the following day in some states, the application said, It is necessary that the state be directed to take appropriate steps to determine the loss sustained by the victims and the amount of compensation be recovered from the miscreants after due identification.

The Lucknow-based trust through its President Ranjana Agnihotri also took exception to a statement by West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee cautioning Hindus from taking out Ram Navami procession through Muslim areas.

Every citizen of the country has the right to take out religious procession through public roads in a peaceful manner and such procession cannot be prevented because of the fact that the members of other community are in a dominant position in such areas, said the application filed through advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain.

It further stated, The religious procession of Hindus is attacked in a pre-planned manner as a section of Muslims have hatred against Hindu festivals due to which such hate crimes are committed, adding, The members of the Muslim community in order to create disharmony committed hate crimes by pelting stones at procession and also hiring hoodlums to attack the innocent devotees out of sheer hatred against Hindus.

The Hindu body held the state governments to be at fault for violating a 2018 judgment of the Supreme Court in Tehseen Poonawala that required preventive and remedial action to curb hate crimes. The mis-happenings on Ram Navamihas occurred because state machinery has failed to take preventive measures to prevent the hate crimes. The intelligence services are required to be strengthened so that in future such ugly incidents may be prevented, the plea added.

Besides compensation for victims to be recovered from the miscreants, the application urged the top court to direct states to take preventive action in future to ensure no violence takes place during the Shobha Yatra or any festival including Ram Navami.

In Bengal, the Calcutta high court on Monday sought a detailed report on the clashes that rocked three districts during Ram Navami celebrations. In Bihar, the state government on Monday extended the suspension of mobile internet services in Rohtas and Nalanda districts, where communal clashes took place.
There has been an improvement in the human development indicators (HDI) of Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) over the years, even if the gap remains between them and other social groups, the ministry of planning informed Parliament on Monday. The literacy rates of such social groups have seen steady growth in the last three decades. (ANI file image)

Minister of State (MoS) for Planning, Rao Inderjit Singh was replying to a query in Rajya Sabha by Indian National Congress (INC) MP Phulo Devi Netam.

Netam had asked whether it is a fact that Human Development Index of SCs and STs is less as compared to that of the country, if so, the details thereof.

She also asked the details of indicators wherein SCs and STs lag behind in Human Development Index (HDI) along with the reasons.

Also Read:Addressing gender inequalities: India needs bold steps

According to the office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India, the literacy rates of such social groups have seen steady growth in the last three decades; the literacy rate was recorded at 52 in 1991 and 64 in 2001, with 2011 recording the highest rate at 74.

Citing data from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS), Singh stated that the key health indicators such as infant mortality rate and child mortality rates have also seen comparative progress over the last several decades. The infant mortality rates of SC and ST saw a major dip in 2016, which was recorded at a rate of 35, compared to 1992, when the infant mortality rate was around 86. A similar pattern of improvement was recorded for other health factors, according to the NFHS data, wherein the child mortality rate saw a drastic reduction of 6.9, as against 1992, which had recorded a staggering rate of 39.5

Netam had also asked the Centre about the current state of SCs and STs in the country, asking why the socially backward groups had little to contribute to the HDI when compared to the rest of the country.

Reduction of the gap in the HDIs amongst SCs, STs, and other social groups has always been the priority of socio-economic development policy, and the government is committed to it, the ministry of planning said.

The main reasons for gaps are poverty and its vicious circle, illiteracy, dependence largely on wage labour, which the government has been addressing through various socio-economic development programs, the ministry added.

MoS Singh also told Parliament of the progress that such weaker social groups have made on the educational front, over the last few decades.

Rao said that the percentage of SC/ST school dropouts seeking primary education has come down to 2.54% in the last year, from 5.12% in 2015-2016.

20202021 recorded zero per cent of such dropouts, according to the data from the ministry of school education and literacy.

There are major ongoing programs exclusively for SCs and STs, implemented respectively by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, the Centre told Parliament.

According to the latest census data, during the period 20012011, ST and SC women made the most rapid progress.

The literacy rate of ST and SC men has jumped by 9.4 and 8.5 percentage points, according to the same data. The literacy rate of SC women, which was about 42% in 2001, increased to 56.5% in 2011.
NEW DELHI: India on Tuesday dismissed a statement from the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) expressing concern at acts of violence during Ram Navami processions, saying such remarks reflect an anti-India agenda. The external affairs ministry said the OIC statement was one more example of their communal mindset and anti-India agenda. (File Photo)

The general secretariat of the OIC issued a statement that expressed deep concern at acts of violence and vandalism targeting [the] Muslim community in several states in India during the Ram Navami processions, including the burning of a madrasa and its library by a mob in Bihar Sharif on March 31.

Responding to the statement, external affairs ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said: We strongly condemn the statement issued by OIC Secretariat today regarding India.

Also Read: Learn from Ram Navami clashes

He added, This is one more example of their communal mindset and anti-India agenda. OIC only does its reputation damage by being consistently manipulated by anti-India forces.

The OIC had denounced what it described as provocative acts of violence and vandalism, saying they are a vivid manifestation of mounting Islamophobia and systemic targeting of the Muslim community in India.

The OIC also called on Indian authorities to take firm action against the instigators and perpetrators of such acts and to ensure the safety, security, rights, and dignity of the Muslim community.

Nalanda and Rohtas districts of Bihar were tense after being hit by communal violence on Ram Navami. Mobile internet services in the two districts were suspended following the violence.
Women judges in subordinate courts now constitute a national average of 35%, with five states recording above 50% women judicial officers, according to the 2022 India Justice Report released on Tuesday. Nationally, the data showed the share of women across the justice system to have increased from 18% in 2020 to 25% last year. (Representative photo)

Across the justice system, one out of 10 is a woman. Only 13% of high court judges and 35% subordinate court judges are women, the third edition of the report initiated by Tata Trusts said, presenting rankings on how states have fared on various indices across the justice system comprising police, prisons, judiciary and legal aid.

Also read: Calcutta high court starts live streaming of proceedings

This was far better than the overall share of women in police force at 11.75% and 13% among prison staff, the report said. Nationally, the data showed the share of women across the justice system to have increased from 18% in 2020 to 25% last year.

Among states, women constituted over 50% of the district judicial workforce, with Goa topping the chart at 70%, followed by Telangana (52.8%) among the big states, according to the report prepared in partnership with non-profits Centre for Social Justice, Common Cause, Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, DAKSH, TISSPrayas, Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy, and How India Lives, a data cruncher.

Among smaller states, Meghalaya (62.7%), Sikkim (52.4%) and Mizoram (51.2%) were the top rankers.

The report followed a 24-month quantitative research, tracking the performance of states in capacitating their justice delivery structures to effectively deliver mandated services. Based on official statistics, the report analysed data on the four pillars of justice delivery  police, judiciary, prisons and legal aid through the prism of budgets, human resources, workload, diversity, infrastructure and trends (intention to improve over a five-year period), against the states declared standards and benchmarks.

Based on the analysis, Karnataka topped the table, followed by Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh. Among the small states (population less than one crore each), Sikkim was at the top, followed by Arunachal Pradesh and Tripura.

The report also highlighted the crucial concern on vacancies. Vacancy among high courts stood at 30%, with just 20,076 high court judges available for 1.4 billion people. Vacancies in subordinate judiciary stood at 22%. As of December 2022, India had 19 judges per million population when calculated against the sanctioned strength, and a backlog of 4.8 crore cases, the report said.

The budget for judiciary was abysmally low, with the report pointing out that except for Delhi and Chandigarh, no state spends more than 1% of its total annual expenditure on the judiciary. The national per capita spending on judiciary stood at 146.

On reservations, the report found none of the states meeting the quota for scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and other backward classes at the district court level. Only Gujarat and Chhattisgarh met their respective SC quotas. Arunachal Pradesh, Telangana and Uttarakhand met their respective ST quotas. Kerala, Sikkim, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh and Telangana met OBC quotas, the report said.

Also read: Continue crackdown against manufacture of spurious liquor, apex court tells Punjab

On pendency of cases, the report found that in 28 states and union territories, one in every four high court cases remained pending for more than five years. In district courts of 11 states and union territories, one in every four cases was found pending for over five years.

The third IJR shows that states are making a substantive improvement over the last two ones in terms of adding new dimensions on diversity, training, and infrastructure, former Supreme Court judge Madan B Lokur said. Some states have dramatically improved their performance, but there is a lot that needs to be done.
India on Tuesday rejected Chinas move to rename 11 locations in Arunachal Pradesh, which Beijing claims as South Tibet, with the external affairs ministry saying such steps will not alter the reality that the northeastern state is an integral part of the country. External affairs ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi. (ANI File Photo)

The renaming of the 11 places in Arunachal Pradesh by Chinas civil affairs ministry came at a time when the two countries are witnessing the worst bilateral in their relations in six decades because of the military standoff in Ladakh sector of the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

This was the third time China has unilaterally renamed places in Arunachal Pradesh, after changing the names of six locations in April 2017 and 15 more locations in December 2021.

Responding to the latest renaming of places in Arunachal Pradesh, external affairs ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said: We have seen such reports. This is not the first time China has made such an attempt. We reject this outright.

He added, Arunachal Pradesh is, has been, and will always be an integral and inalienable part of India. Attempts to assign invented names will not alter this reality.

In the past too, India had promptly rejected such renaming of places in Arunachal Pradesh and reiterated that the northeastern state is an integral and inseparable part of the country.

A brief statement issued on Sunday by Chinas civil affairs ministry said: According to the relevant regulations of the State Council (Chinas cabinet) on the management of geographical names, our ministry, together with relevant departments, has standardised some geographical names in southern Tibet.

State-run tabloid Global Times reported on Monday that the civil affairs ministry gave coordinates of the places that were renamed, including two land areas, two residential areas, five mountain peaks and two rivers. It listed the category of places names and their subordinate administrative districts, the report said.

Chinas state media quoted Zhang Yongpan, from the Institute of Chinese Borderland Studies under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, as saying that the move to standardise names falls within Chinas sovereignty.

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India on Tuesday strongly reacted after China renamed 11 places in Arunachal Pradesh, which it claims as South Tibet, and said it rejected this outright. Ministry of external affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi made it clear that Arunachal Pradesh is, has been, and will always be an integral part of India. External affairs minister S Jaishankar. (HT PHOTO)

"We have seen such reports. This is not the first time China has made such an attempt. We reject this outright. Arunachal Pradesh is, has been, and will always be an integral and inalienable part of India. Attempts to assign invented names will not alter this reality, Bagchi said in a statement.

The changed names include that of mountain peaks, rivers and residential areas. This was the third time China has unilaterally renamed places in Arunachal Pradesh, having done it in April 2017, and in December 2021.

Also Read: Beijing to keep Arunachal Pradesh pot boiling by renaming exercise

The renaming in the past too was promptly rejected by India, with New Delhi reiterating that the northeastern state will always remain an integral and inseparable part of India.

According to the relevant regulations of the State Council (Chinas cabinet) on the management of geographical names, our ministry, together with relevant departments, has standardised some geographical names in southern Tibet, Chinas civil affairs ministry said in a short statement on Sunday.

It means that names of the places in Tibetan will from now also be available in Pinyin - the standard romanisation of Mandarin characters - on Chinese maps.

The change in names will not have any direct impact on the places in Arunachal Pradesh listed in the 11.

Meanwhile, China on Tuesday said it had standardised the names of some places in its South Tibetan region, and had a sovereign right to do so, after India rejected Beijing's move, news agency Reuters reported.

In 2017, the name changes were carried out on April 13, a day after Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama left Arunachal Pradesh following a high-profile nine-day high visit. Beijing calls the Dalai Lama a splittist, and says he wants to create an independent country of Tibet.

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India on Tuesday dismissed a statement from the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) expressing concern at acts of violence during Ram Navami processions, saying such remarks reflect an anti-India agenda. Vehicles set on fire by miscreants during clashes between two groups, at Kajipara in Howrah district on March 30. (PTI)

The general secretariat of the OIC had issued a statement that expressed deep concern at acts of violence and vandalism targeting [the] Muslim community in several states in India during the Ram Navami processions, including the burning of a madrasa and its library by a mob in Bihar Sharif on March 31.

Also read: Anti-India agenda: MEA disses OIC for statement on violence during Ram Navami processions

Responding to the statement, external affairs ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said: We strongly condemn the statement issued by OIC Secretariat today regarding India.

He added, This is one more example of their communal mindset and anti-India agenda. OIC only does its reputation damage by being consistently manipulated by anti-India forces.

The OIC had denounced what it described as provocative acts of violence and vandalism, saying they are a vivid manifestation of mounting Islamophobia and systemic targeting of the Muslim community in India.

Also read: Man seen brandishing gun at Howrah Ram Navami rally arrested from Bihar: TMC

The OIC also called on Indian authorities to take firm action against the instigators and perpetrators of such acts and to ensure the safety, security, rights, and dignity of the Muslim community.

Nalanda and Rohtas districts of Bihar were tense after being hit by communal violence on Ram Navami. Mobile internet services in the two districts were suspended following the violence.
NEW DELHI: The security concerns of India and Bhutan are intertwined and indivisible and both sides closely coordinate on shared national and security interests, foreign secretary Vinay Kwatra said on Tuesday against the backdrop of a controversy over border talks between Thimphu and Beijing. Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets the King of Bhutan, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck in New Delhi on Tuesday. (PIB Photo)

Briefing reporters after a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and visiting Bhutan King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, Kwatra said the national interests of the two sides are based on trust and sensitivity to each others interests and concerns.

Bhutan Prime Minister Lotay Tshering, during a recent trip to Europe, told Belgian newspaper La Libre in an interview that China will have a role, along with India and Bhutan, in resolving a boundary dispute at Doklam, which is located at the junction of the three countries. Some quarters in New Delhi contended that these remarks would give China an upper hand in the border dispute.

Kwatra did not specify during the media briefing whether the boundary dispute at Doklam, which is claimed by Bhutan, figured in the talks between the prime minister and the king, but said the national interests of India and Bhutan are based on shared values, trust, mutual respect and close understanding and sensitivity to each others interests and concerns.

He described the security concerns of the two sides as intertwined and indivisible and added: Government of India very closely follows all developments which have a bearing on our national interests and we would take all necessary measures to safeguard them.

India and Bhutan have a time-tested framework for security cooperation and are in close touch to coordinate on all matters related to our shared interests, including security interests, Kwatra said, while pointing to Indias earlier statements that spell out New Delhis position on the determination of tri-junction boundary points.

The Indian side has said in statements in 2012 and 2017 that boundary issues at tri-junction points such as Doklam must be resolved with the involvement of all three countries. The Doklam plateau is considered vital for Indias strategic interest.

Indian and Chinese troops were locked in a 73-day standoff at Doklam in 2017 after China sought to extend a road into territory claimed by Bhutan.

Indias concerns have grown since Bhutan and China signed an agreement in October 2021 for a three-step roadmap to expedite talks to resolve their boundary dispute. Bhutan shares a border of more than 400 km with China.

Kwatra said the discussions between Modi and Wangchuck focused on five key areas  the economic and development partnership, including Indias support for Bhutans 13th five-year plan beginning in 2024, trade, investment and connectivity cooperation, long-term and sustainable trade facilitation, new areas for energy cooperation, including work on non-hydropower renewable energy, and cooperation in new fields such as space, startups and STEM education.

It was agreed that India would step up its support to Bhutans 13th five-year plan, he said, adding that this aid will include financial support for reforms, institutional capacity building, and project-based development assistance.

At Bhutans request, India will extend a standby credit facility, which will be in addition to two existing facilities. India will also put in place long-term arrangements for the export of agricultural commodities from Bhutan and make arrangements for the assured supply of critical commodities such as fuel, coal and fertilisers to Bhutan.

Kwatra said work will be expedited on a railway line connecting Kokrajhar in Assam and Gelephu in Bhutan, the first rail link between the two sides. Both countries also plan to set up their first integrated check post (ICP) along the border near Jaigaon.

The Indian side also agreed to an increase in the tariff for power supplied from Bhutans Chhukha hydroelectric project, and to expedite the finalisation of new hydropower projects, including the Sankosh project.

In a post on Twitter, PM Modi described his meeting with Wangchuck as warm and productive. Modi, who hosted a lunch for the visiting dignitary, said: Deeply value our close friendship and the vision of successive Druk Gyalpos in guiding India-Bhutan relations to new heights.

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A day after an instructor at Kalakshetra Foundation-run dance school was arrested over allegations of sexual harassment, an external member of its Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) resigned on Tuesday citing the current happenings at the institution and the administrations response to it. The member said the atmosphere at the institution forced her to quit. (Twitter)

In her letter to Kalakshetra director Revathi Ramachandran, B S Ajeetha, a Madras high court lawyer, said the atmosphere at the institution and the discontentment of the women students and staff forced her to quit. I have my reservations regarding the responses made by the administration to the present controversy. Hence, I do not want to associate myself anymore with your institution...

Kalalshetra on Monday formed an independent inquiry committee comprising retired high court judge K Kannan, former Tamil Nadu Police chief Letika Saran and Shoba Varthaman, a doctor, to look into the sexual harassment complaints at the institute.

Hari Padman, the instructor, was arrested on Monday on a complaint from an alumna on Friday that he sexually harassed her when she was a student at the dance school.

Padman was the first to be accused of sexual harassment. But the foundation sought to dismiss the claims of the students of the Rukmini Devi College of Fine Arts. The students began protesting on March 30 demanding that four teachers including Padman be suspended for alleged sexual harassment.

On March 19, Kalakshetras administration released a statement saying the ICC found no truth in the allegations.

Ramachandran announced the closure of the institute until April 6 and asked the students to vacate the hostel within two days and postponed the exams amid protests.

On March 25, Ramachandran met Tamil Nadu Police chief Sylendra Babu to share details of the ICCs report and maintained that the allegations were rumours to spoil Kalakshetras image.

The protest was temporarily called off on March 31 following Tamil Nadu State Women Commission head A S Kumaris intervention. Kumari received around 100 written complaints of sexual and mental harassment when she spent five hours on campus.

The issue was also raised in the Tamil Nadu assembly last week and chief minister M K Stalin promised action if the allegations were found to be true.

The students said on Monday that the foundation agreed to look into their demands, which include acknowledgment of the students union, and measures to address verbal and sexual harassment, sexism, body shaming, and colourism on campus.

Students and alumni said they have complained of harassment since 2008 but that the schools management did not take them seriously. In anonymous online posts, several students and alumni have shared experiences of being sexually harassed.

Dancer Rukmini Devi Arundale founded Kalakshetra, which functions autonomously under the Union culture ministry, in 1936. Spread across 100 acres in Chennai, it serves as a learning and performance space for fine arts among which Bharathnatiyam is its most revered and popular form.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday led the country in greeting people celebrating Mahavir Jayanti, a day that marks the birth anniversary of the founder of Jainism. In a tweet, he wrote, Today is a special day, when we recall the noble teachings of Bhagwan Mahavir. He showed the way to build a peaceful, harmonious and prosperous society. Inspired by him, may we always serve others and also bring a positive difference in the lives of the poor and downtrodden. Swami Birth Anniversary Or Mahavir Jayanti 202: Jain community across the world mark the birth anniversary of Lord Mahavir.

President Drouapadi Murmu also extended wishes to the Jain community and encouraged people to follow Lord Mahavir's path of non-violence, truthfulness, and compassion. I heartily congratulate all the countrymen, especially the Jain community, on Mahavir Jayanti. Lord Mahavir showed the path to humanity by teaching truth, non-violence and non-violence. All countrymen should practice non-violence, take a pledge to have compassion for animals and protect nature, she tweeted.

Happy Mahavir Jayanti 2023: Best wishes, images, status, messages and greetings to share with family and friends

Union home minister Amit Shah tweeted: Best wishes to all the countrymen on Mahavir Jayanti. The teachings given by Lord Mahavir and his five principles of non-violence, truth, asteya, brahmacharya and aparigraha will always guide us.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge conveyed his greetings and said: "Greetings to fellow citizens on Mahavir Jayanti. 'The three As of Ahimsa, Anekanta and Aparigraha of Bhagwan Mahaviras philosophy can provide answers to many modern day problems. May the festival strengthen in one and all the commitment to truth, non violence and fraternity."

Also Read | Mahavir Jayanti 2023: Date, history, significance, celebration of Jain festival

Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann urged people to practice the teachings given by lord Mahavir." Congratulations to all on the auspicious occasion of Mahavir Jayanti. Let's put into practice the teachings given by Bhagwan Mahavir Ji," he tweeted.

Mahavir Jayanti one of the most important religious festivals for the Jain community that celebrates the birth of Lord Mahavir, the 24th Tirthankara of Jainism. Religious processions (rath yatra) are carried out on this day. Jain temples are decorated with flags and offerings are given to the poor and needy.

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A 19-year-old man, who was allegedly seen carrying a gun during a Ram Navami procession- followed by a communal violence - last week in West Bengal's Howrah district, was arrested from Bihar, the Trinamool Congress said on Tuesday. The West Bengal Police said the youth, identified as Sumit Shaw, was arrested from Munger in Bihar. A video of Shaw purportedly brandishing a firearm during the Vishwa Hindu Parishads (VHP) Shobha Yatra in Howrah had gone viral on social media. (Twitter)

A video of Shaw purportedly brandishing a firearm during the Vishwa Hindu Parishads (VHP) Shobha Yatra in Howrah had gone viral on social media after it was shared on Twitter by Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee. Banerjee had alleged that the video portrayed the BJPs "dangabaji formula" to unleash communal violence. The BJP, however, rejected the TMC national general secretarys claims.

Also read: Fresh communal violence in Bengals Hooghly, train services disrupted

After Shaws arrest, Trinamool Congress leader Kunal Ghosh hit out at BJPs fact-checking skills after denying the accuseds participation in the VHP rally. He (Shaw) has confessed his participation in the procession with firearms. BJP, who is master of spreading fake news, yesterday were claiming of fact-checking this issue. What will they say now? Ghosh tweeted.

On March 30, several vehicles were set on fire after two groups clashed in Howrah amid Ram Navami celebrations. During the procession, the rioters vandalised public and private properties and set vehicles on fire.

Following the violence in Howrah, the West Bengal government on Friday handed over the probe to Criminal Investigation Department (CID).

On Monday, West Bengal's Hooghly district reported a fresh stone-pelting incident, all local and mail express train services operating to and from Rishra railway station were disrupted for nearly three hours. In a tweet, BJP MLA Suvendu Adhikari alleged that while "Rishra is burning", the entire state administration is on a beach holiday in Digha.

Communal clashes have rocked parts of Bengal since two groups sparred over a Ram Navami procession last week.

Banerjee on Monday slammed the BJP and wondered why Ram Navami rallies were being organised for five days. She alleged the rallies were being deliberately taken through Muslim-majority areas without police permission.

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RAIPUR: A 32-year-old man allegedly planted explosives in a music system and presented it as a wedding gift to his ex-girlfriend, but it resulted in the death of her husband and brother-in-law in Chhattisgarhs Kabirdham district, police said on Tuesday. Kabirdham superintendent of police (SP) Lal Ummed Singh said the accused had a relation with the Lalita, but she refused his marriage proposal. (Representative photo)

The accused, identified as Sarju Markam, a resident of Balaghat district of Madhya Pradesh, was arrested on Tuesday, said Kabirdham additional superintendent of police (ASP) Manisha Thakur.

The accused gave the music system to Hemendra Merawi (22), a resident of Chamari village, and his wife Lalita Marwai (22), a resident of adjoining Anjana village, as a wedding gift on March 30, police said..

On Monday, Hemendra Merawi and other family members were unwrapping the wedding presents inside a room in his house. As Merawi switched on the music system, it exploded, said ASP Thakur. While Merawi died on the spot, four others, including his elder brother Rajkumar (30), suffered injuries.

Rajkumar succumbed to his injuries at the hospital. The impact of the explosion was such that it led to the collapse of walls and roof of the room, the officer said.

Thakur said Markam was arrested on Tuesday. During his questioning, the accused confessed to having planted explosives in the music system and gifting it to the newlyweds, said the ASP. We are yet to ascertain from where he got explosives and other details of the case.

A case under sections 302 (murder) and 307 (attempt to murder) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) has been registered at the Rengakhar police station, the ASP added. The accused will be produced before the court on Wednesday.

Kabirdham superintendent of police (SP) Lal Ummed Singh said the accused had a relation with the Lalita, but she refused his marriage proposal.

When the womans marriage was fixed by her family members, Markam called the groom on phone and had an argument. Subsequently, he decided to kill the groom, Singh said. He purchased ammonium nitrate and mixed it with petrol and gunpowder, which he retrieved from crackers.

The accused was a motor mechanic in Balaghat, but he had previously worked with bore-machine contractors, the SP said. Therefore, he was aware of explosives and knew how to trigger it.

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Donald Trump in New York for surrender as more Republicans back him: Updates A supporter of former President Donald Trump protests outside Trump Tower in New York.(AP)

Former US President Donald Trump arrived in New York to face arraignment in a Manhattan court on charges related to paying hush money to adult film star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential campaign. Read more

Savarkar wrote letter to British because': Devendra Fadnavis' 'silver spoon' dig at Rahul Gandhi

Amid the ongoing controversy surrounding Rahul Gandhi's comments about late Hindutva ideologue Veer Savarkar, Maharashtra deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has mounted an uncharacteristically harsh attack on the disqualified Lok Sabha MP, stating that those born with a silver spoon are the ones questioning Savarkar. Read more

MS Dhoni drops bombshell with 'They'll play under new captain if...' remark after CSK's win over LSG

Ruturaj Gaikwad and Moeen Ali propelled MS Dhoni's Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to their first win of the new Indian Premier League (IPL) season on Monday. Read more

Alia Bhatt looks cute in a frock as she poses with family in unseen throwback pic from sets of Papa Kehte Hain

Soni Razdan has shared an unseen throwback family picture on Twitter. The actor, along with daughters Alia Bhatt and Shaheen Bhatt, joined filmmaker husband Mahesh Bhatt for a family picture in Seychelles where he was shooting for his 1996 directorial Papa Kehte Hain, which had Soni in a supporting role. Read more

Priyanka Chopra wore a figure-hugging dress for Citadel Mumbai press conference with Richard Madden. All pics, videos

Actor Priyanka Chopra attended the press conference of her upcoming Prime Video series Citadel with co-star Richard Madden, who arrived in India recently. Read more

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After the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) decision to drop chapters on Mughal history sparked controversy, the education body's chief has now issued a clarification.



Speaking to ANI, NCERT director Dinesh Prasad Saklani said the chapters on Mughals have not been dropped. It's a lie. (Chapters on) Mughals have not been dropped. There was a rationalisation process last year because due to COVID, there was pressure on students everywhere, he said.



Calling the debate unnecessary, the NCERT director said the expert committee recommended that if the chapter was dropped, it will not affect the knowledge of the children and an unnecessary burden can be removed. The debate is unnecessary. Those who don't know, can check the textbooks..., Saklani added. NCERT chief Dinesh Prasad Saklani said the chapters on Mughals have not been dropped.

We are working as per NEP (National Education Policy) 2020. This is a transition phase. NEP 2020 speaks of reducing the content load. We are implementing it. NCF (National Curriculum Framework) for school education is being formed, it will be finalised soon. Textbooks will be printed in 2024 as per NEP. We have not dropped anything right now, the NCERT boss added further.



ALSO READ: NCERT drops chapters on Mughal Empire from Class 12 history books. Kapil Mishra says Akbar



HT reported that the NCERT has removed chapters and topics related to Kings and Chronicles: The Mughal courts from history book Themes of Indian History-Part II under its new rationalised syllabus to be taught in Class 12 from the academic session 2023-24.

Even the UP board government schools will adopt the new NCERT class 12 history textbooks from this academic session.

"We teach our students using NCERT books...whatever is there in the revised edition will be followed," Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak was quoted by PTI as saying.

Additional Chief Secretary (basic and secondary education) Deepak Kumar said, We follow NCERT books and whatever is available in the revised edition, we will follow it in state schools from 2023-24 session.

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After National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) announced its decision to erase certain chapters on the Mughal Empire from the class 12 history textbooks , BJP leader Kapil Mishra lauded the move. Alleging that thieves were being referred to as the Mughal rulers, he said that the initiative will shine light on the truth. Kapil Mishra called NCERT's move on excluding portions of Mughal Empire from class 12 history books a 'great decision'. (File)

Retweeting a video on the revised textbooks, he wrote, It is a great decision to remove false history of Mughals from NCERT. Thieves, pickpockets and two-penny road raiders were called the Mughal Sultanate and the emperor of India. Akbar, Babar, Shahjahan, Aurangzeb are not in the history books, they are in the dustbin.

Also read: UP schools to adopt revised NCERT books; No lessons on Mughal courts

In a follow up tweet on Tuesday, Mishra added that the false claims of the Mughal empire are being rectified. He said, The lie of Mughals is being removed from history. Now in the next phase their truth will be told. Mughals' loot, adultery, atrocities, cowardice, hatred of temples and idols, their relationship with their real daughters and sisters, their children rotting in drunkenness and harem, their hatred of art, literature and music should also be taught.

The edited textbooks will be part of the state board and the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) school syllabus in Uttar Pradesh from the current academic year, according to a PTI report quoting Additional Chief Secretary (basic and secondary education) Deepak Kumar. According to NCERT, the reasons for skipping the portions as part of syllabus rationalisation include overlap, irrelevance, and ease of topic.

The erased chapters are related to Kings and Chronicles; the Mughal Courts (C. 16th and 17th centuries) from the book Themes of Indian History-Part II.

In the political science textbook, parts of Gujarat Riots and the National Human Rights Commission report on it have been removed from the chapter on 'Recent Developments in Indian Politics', PTI reported. Rise of popular movements and Era of one-party dominance are the other omissions from the class 12 textbook Politics in Indian since Independence.

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Eye drops made in Chennai by Global Pharma Healthcare and linked to at least three deaths and blindness in some patients in the United States have been found to have 'no contamination', news agency Reuters said Tuesday referring to a report by broadcaster NDTV that cited union health ministry sources as saying tests showed samples of the eye drops were of 'standard quality'. This comes days after the US' Food and Drug Administration said the Chennai-based firm was recalling 50,000 tubes of the lubricant due to 'bacterial contamination'.(Reuters)

This comes days after the US' Food and Drug Administration said the Chennai-based firm was recalling 50,000 tubes of the lubricant due to 'bacterial contamination'. News agency PTI quoted a report by the FDA as saying 'analysis found unopened tubes to be contaminated with bacteria'.

The company initiated a voluntary Class I recall - for artificial tear drops used to protect against irritation or to relieve dryness of the eye - on February 24.

READ | Chennai-based firm's eye drops linked to vision loss and death in US

FDA regulations say a Class I recall is the most urgent and is usually reserved for defective products that can cause serious health problems.

Last month Bloomberg reported that the FDA had asked patients in the United States to immediately stop using the product after over 50 reports of 'adverse events' including eye infections and permanent vision loss.

At that time one death had been linked to use of the eye drops.

" warning consumers and health care practitioners (to) immediately stop using EzriCare Artificial Tears or Delsam Pharmas Artificial Tears due to potential bacterial contamination. Using contaminated artificial tears increases risk of eye infections that could result in blindness or death," the FDA said.

READ | Chennai-based drug firm recalls eye drop linked to vision loss in US

Patients presented with a variety of conditions - from eye infections to blood poisoning, often called sepsis, the US' Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. The infections are caused by a rare strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria that is resistant to many commonly used antibiotics and had not been previously seen in the United States, the CDC further said.

The FDA action prompted an investigation by Tamil Nadu's Drug Controller and Central Drug Control Authority, which conducted a late-night inspect of the manufacturing premises and took samples.

READ | Tamil Nadu firm told to suspend eye drops' manufacturing

Meanwhile, in a separate disclosure, the FDA said Mumbai-based Sun Pharma is recalling 1,920 bottles of Dofetilide capsules used to treat irregular heartbeats.

Sun Pharma's US unit initiated the recall over 'failed content uniformity specifications', the FDA report said. The firm initiated a Class III recall - used in a 'situation in which use of, or exposure to, a violative product is not likely to cause adverse health consequences' - on March 9.

With input from agencies

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Seven tourists have died after an avalanche struck Sikkim's Nathula border area Tuesday. At least 11 others have been injured and as many as 50 people are still trapped under the snow, police officials told news agency PTI. 30 people have been rescued so far and admitted to the STNM Hospital and Central Referral Hospital in Gangtok for treatment. Rescue operations underway after avalanche hits Sikkim on Tuesday.

The avalanche - which has also left around 150 people stranded, according to PTI - hit a little past noon near the 15th mile marker on a road that leads to the Nathula mountain pass along the Indo-China border. Rescue operations are being directed by the police, with local travel agents, commercial vehicle drivers and tourism department officials also helping out.

Also Read: Tourism in Sikkim negatively impacted by severe snowfall

A video of the incident shared by tourists and locals present at the spot showed people stuck in the massive amount of snow, which hurtled down a mountainside in the wake of the disaster as they awaited the help of the rescue teams. Visuals also showed heavy vehicles being deployed to remove amount of snow and debris to accelerate the pace of rescue operation.

Several leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed condolences at the loss if lives in the disaster. "Distressed by the avalanche in Sikkim. Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. I hope the injured recover soon. Rescue ops are underway and all possible assistance is being provided to those affected," PM Modi tweeted.

Sikkim has been witnessing regular snowfall over the past 30 days, forcing authorities to restrict movement of tourists till the 13th mile marker - a point on the Jawaharlal Nehru Road. Government officials said tourists had gone past the permitted point when they were hit by the avalanche.

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The Bharatiya Janata Party has continued to attack the Congress and Rahul Gandhi for the latter's in-person appearance at a Gujarat court Monday to appeal last month's conviction in the 2019 'Modi surname' defamation case. BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi mocked Gandhi's 'show of strength - he arrived at the Surat sessions court flanked by Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and the chief ministers of three Congress-ruled states - and slammed his display of 'arrogance'. Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi.

Trivedi echoed comments by union law minister Kiren Rijiju and claimed Rahul Gandhi's court appearance was an attempt to pressure the judicial process and called it 'ethically and constitutionally wrong'. "After insulting the OBC community had you (Gandhi) gone to display your arrogance or pressurise the judiciary or threaten the investigation agencies?" he asked.

The BJP leader also referred to Rahul Gandhi as 'chote sarkar' - a derogatory swipe at the Gandhi family scion - and said the challenging of the Surat court's verdict could have been completed with the Congress leader appearing as a 'common man'.

Also Read| Rahul Gandhi after challenging conviction in Surat court: In this struggle

"... but he had all other corrupt Congress leaders with him. Why did 'chote sarkar' go to court with several Congress leaders? Was he showing his strength to the judiciary after insulting OBCs?"

The Congress has trashed talk of any attempt to influence the judicial process; Lok Sabha MP Shashi Tharoor called such charges 'absurd' and said attending court was not equal to 'putting pressure'.

On Monday senior Congress leaders, including Ashok Gehlot, Bhupesh Baghel and Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu (the CMs of Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Himachal Pradesh) accompanied Rahul Gandhi to the Surat court; Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and her brother flew in from Delhi on an IndiGo flight.

They were challenging the courts' 'guilty' verdict in the 'Modi surname' case.

Also Read| No time for Rahul Gandhi: Himanta Biswa Sarma on Congress' protests over disqualification

Rahul Gandhi had been accused of criminal defamation after his 'why do all thieves have Modi as their surname' remark in Karnataka's Kolar district before the 2019 general election. He was given a suspended two-year jail sentence and also got bail so he could file an appeal. The sessions court that accepted his appeal Monday has extended his bail to April 13, when his appeal will be heard.

Gandhi must overturn or stay the conviction and sentence if he is to reclaim his position as a member of the Lok Sabha; he was disqualified less than 24 hours after the court's verdict, triggering a massive political row between his party (and a united opposition) and the ruling BJP.

The Congress leader's first reaction after leaving the Surat court Monday was to stress that his legal fight is part of a larger struggle to save democracy from 'mitrakal' - a dig at prime minister Narendra Modi and his BJP, who have been accused by Gandhi of cronyism and favouring rich friends.

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Amid the ongoing controversy surrounding Rahul Gandhi's comments about late Hindutva ideologue Veer Savarkar, Maharashtra deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has mounted an uncharacteristically harsh attack on the disqualified Lok Sabha MP, stating that those born with a silver spoon are the ones questioning Savarkar. Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde and deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis. (Sunny Shende/HT file photo)

Addressing the Veer Savarkar Gaurav Yatra in Mumbai on Sunday, Fadnavis questioned Rahul Gandhi's understanding of Savarkar and stated that his party leaders, including Indira Gandhi and Yashwantrao Chavan, had respected him.

Fadnavis also criticised former Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray for his stance on the issue and challenged him to take action instead of just making statements. The Bharatiya Janata Party leader also questioned why Rahul Gandhi has not deleted his tweet about Savarkar and urged him to do so.

Rahul Gandhi has often accused Savarkar of apologising to the British to get out of jail, and has routinely shot back at the BJP's demands for an apology by claiming he was the Congress leader and not Savarkar to seek mercy.

"It was Savarkar who after returning to Ratnagiri from jail in the Andamans started several activities to bring about social reforms. Savarkar had said unless we abolish untouchability, we will never become a great nation. But those born with a golden spoon call him mafiveer (mercy seeker)," Fadnavis said slamming Congress leaders.

Fadnavis added, You said Veer Savarkar apologised and wrote a letter to the British. No, that is wrong. Savarkar wrote a letter because he knew that the British would not release him. So he wrote, do not release me (Savarkar) but release other prisoners who did nothing against you (the British) Mahatma Gandhi wrote letters to Savarkar's relatives, who were also in jail with him (Savarkar) for many years, and said - other prisoners were released. He then told Savarkar that he should also tell the British that you released them, release me (Savarkar) too.

Fadnavis claimed that a congratulatory motion was proposed for Savarkar in the post-Independence Parliament by a West Bengal member, but the Congress party, except for Feroze Gandhi, opposed it. Fadnavis went on to criticise Rahul Gandhi, stating that he has taken a fake surname and questioned if he knows the history of India.

"Some people's party is run on the money provided by the Chinese government. But they call Savarkar a mafiveer Savarkar endured harsh suffering, poor quality food and all kinds of harassment from the British at the jail in Andamans," the deputy CM said.

He further attacked Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray for allying with the Congress, which he claimed insults Savarkar. Fadnavis criticised Thackeray for offering flowers to the photo of Rajiv Gandhi, the father of Rahul Gandhi. But has there ever been a single such gesture by Sonia or Rahul Gandhi towards late Balasaheb Thackeray, Fadnavis said.

The BJP-Shiv Sena alliance has used the controversy surrounding Savarkar to attack the Congress, and the Maharashtra government plans to organise a 'Veerbhoomi Parikrama' at Nashik, Ratnagiri, Sangli, Pune and Mumbai from May 21 to 28 to mark the birth anniversary of Savarkar. The state government has said it will build a museum dedicated to Savarkar in Bhagur in Nashik.

(With inputs from PTI, ANI)

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Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday expressed his anger towards the media for asking questions about the Bharatiya Janata Party's allegations that his party was trying to pressure the judiciary. He also criticised the government over the Adani issue. The ex-MP arrived at the All India Congress Committee (AICC) headquarters in the national capital to attend a meeting ahead of the announcement of the next list of party candidates for the Karnataka assembly election. BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.

When was he asked about the allegations put up by BJP on Congress's "pressuring" judiciary, a seemingly annoyed Gandhi replied, Why do you always say what the BJP is saying...every time you say what the BJP is saying.

He added, There is a very simple thing. Who does the 20,000 crore in the shell companies of Adani, belong to? These are benami, whose is it?

Along with him, several party leaders like DK Shivakumar, Verrappa Moily, Randeep Surjewala, DK Suresh, Priyank Kharge and Mohsina Kidwai also reached the AICC headquarters.

The BJP had earlier attacked Gandhi for reaching a Surat sessions court on Monday along with many party leaders accusing it of pressuring the judiciary.

Gandhi along with several senior party leaders went to the Gujarat court to file an appeal against his March 23 conviction in a criminal defamation case over his "Modi surname" remark.

He was accompanied by his sister and party leader Priyanka Gandhi. Along with her, the chief ministers of Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Himachal Pradesh too came to the court.

Hitting back at Gandhi for allegedly attacking the media, BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said once again this arrogant dynast Rahul Gandhi shoots the messenger.

Question to Rahul: BJP is saying you are pressuring judiciary. Rahul Gandhi: Why do you say what BJP says. Once again this arrogant dynast Rahul Gandhi shoots the messenger. After Hawa Nikal Di jibe now Rahul again attacks media for asking a legitimate question, Poonawalla tweeted.

Does this man have any idea how journalists do ask questions raised from one side to the other ! Thats how media works. But this man is an entitled brat and his family has a history of censoring Media ! First pressure judiciary now media Who do you think you are ? This is a democracy not your Raj Gharana, he added.

Last month, Gandhi lost his cool on a journalist and asked him to be a "better pressman". Dont pretend to be a pressman. Why dont you ask better questions? It is very clear that you work for the BJP. Why dont you ask me questions with a better approach?" Gandhi said at a press conference.

Kyun hawa nikal gayi?" Gandhi asked after his remarks while smiling.

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How many works of art did Picasso create in his lifetime? Pablo Picasso created, on average, two works of art each day. (David Douglas Duncan/dpa/picture alliance)

Estimates vary, and it depends how you define a work of art. According to some sources, Pablo Picasso, Spanish painter and sculptor, created some 50,000 works, amounting to around two per day throughout the course of his adult life. That's including paintings, prints, book illustrations, ceramics and more.

No other artist of his generation was so productive, even into old age. Picasso worked up until the day he died at age 91.

How old was Pablo Picasso when he painted his very first picture?

His first known painting was an oil painting: "El picador amarillo" (The Yellow Bullfighter) or "El pequeno picador" (The Little Bullfighter), inspired by a visit to a bullfight. At that time Pablo Ruiz Picasso was only nine years old. He came from an art-loving family and his father was also a painter.

Picasso was born on October 25, 1881 in Malaga, Spain, a city with a centuries-old art tradition. His father taught at an art school. There were painting materials everywhere at home. His father recognized the "child prodigy" in him and honed his academic drawing early on.

(Also Read | Renowned Indian artists showcase their creations at 'QALA Ka Qila' exhibition)

Did Pablo Picasso train as an artist?

In 1892, the talented Pablo was accepted at the Malaga School of Art. In addition to normal school lessons, young Pablo used every free minute to paint and draw and quickly qualified for higher education.

After high school, he transferred to the art academy in Barcelona, and shortly thereafter to the renowned San Fernando Academy in Madrid. But the young painter did not like the teaching methods. After only half a year, he left the institute, and from then on was self-taught.

He quenched his thirst for knowledge in museums, salons and studios, studied the techniques of other artists and absorbed everything that arose around him in the form of new art, literature and music.

How did he become known by the mononym 'Picasso?'

In the beginning, Pablo Ruiz Picasso (Picasso is his mother's maiden name) still signed his full name on paintings. From 1900 he began signing his paintings just with the word "Picasso." At that time he was still living and working in Barcelona. It was not until 1904 that he moved into a studio in Paris.

Later, his last name became synonymous with great art and his gestural, daring painting and drawing technique. In the beginning, his paintings were still strongly colored and almost garish. The talented young Spaniard wanted to attract attention at any price. Picasso's large ego drove him to tremendous productivity.

What was Picasso's full family name?

Picasso came from a middle-class family. With his two younger sisters, Pablo grew up in an educated environment. It was a tradition in the family to give the children many illustrious names. Picasso's full name was: Pablo Diego Jose Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno Maria de los Remedios Crispiano de la Santisima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso.

What are Picasso's most famous works?

With the "Demoiselles d'Avignon" Picasso created the first cubist painting  an abstract art style  and revolutionized art history. The unclothed women he depicted are no longer seen from just one perspective, but from several angles at once.

Picasso also made his mark in his second masterpiece, dated 1937. Shortly after the attack by the Nazi Condor Legion on the small village of Guernica (Gernika in Basque) in the Basque Country, he dedicated the gigantic canvas for the World's Fair in Paris to the victims of the attack. The anti-war painting is a protest against totalitarianism. Picasso did not want it to return to Spain until the end of the dictatorship of Francisco Franco, who seized power in 1939 until his death in 1975. Today it is back in Spain, exhibited in the Museo Reina Sofia in Madrid.

When did Picasso start earning money with his art?

Through the works of what is now known as his "Blue Period" and the subsequent "Pink Period," which lasted until 1904, Picasso became increasingly well-known as a painter in Paris. In 1906 he made the acquaintance of Henri Matisse, the most important French artist at the time, who provided him with numerous contacts.

Through him, Picasso also met Ambroise Vollard, who bought all the paintings of his "Pink Period" from him and made him financially secure for the first time. Later, the German art dealer Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler, himself a celebrity in the art world, made some purchases, helping Picasso become one of the most expensive artists of the 20th century.

Kahnweiler also arranged the sale of one of Picasso's key works  the large painting "Les Demoiselles d'Avignon." In addition to Picasso, the enterprising German-French gallery owner also signed up the painters George Braque, Juan Gris and Ferdinand Leger, but in return forbade all of them to participate in the Paris salons and official exhibitions. As a result of his new found wealth, Picasso could finally afford a new apartment and extensive travel.

How much is the most valuable painting by Picasso worth?

In 2015 in New York, "Les Femmes d'Alger" (The Women of Algiers) fetched $179.4 million (164.7 million), making it a record fee for any painting by Picasso.

The large painting is the final one in a series painted between 1954 and 1955 was sold at Christie's auction house.

The entire series was bought in 1956 by Victor and Sally Ganz from the Galerie Louise Leiris in Paris for $212,500 (around $2 million in today's money).

How old was Picasso when he painted his last picture?

Though Picasso's last well known self-portrait was completed a little less than a year before his death, he actually worked up until the day he died, aged 91, on April 8, 1973, in his villa Notre-Dame-de Vie on the Cote d'Azur.

In the last active years of his life as a painter, Picasso devoted himself increasingly to delicate, small-scale still lifes and the interior of his penultimate domicile, the "Villa La Californie" in southern France.

There he lived in seclusion with his second wife Jacqueline, who largely shielded him from the outside world and his other children, and their daughter Catherine. He had long since distanced himself from the bustling art scene in Paris and the centers of the international art world, where he was being celebrated as the "genius of the century."

What did Picasso bequeath to his heirs and to posterity?

The artist was survived by four children from three different women and eight grandchildren.

Soon after Picasso's death, a bitter legal dispute broke out between the heirs. The family relationships were complicated. Picasso was officially married twice.

His children from his relationship with Francoise Gilot  the photographer Claude Picasso and the designer Paloma Picasso  as well as his grandchildren from his legitimate son  Paulo Picasso (1921-1975)  fought bitterly over their share of the vast inheritance.

In 1976, the material assets left behind by Picasso were estimated at 3.75 billion French Francs (about 696 million, $757 million). This included houses, real estate, studios, various properties and Picasso's own private art collection with valuable paintings by artists he befriended or greatly admired, such as Matisse, Miro, Modigliani, Cezanne and Van Gogh.

The artistic estate of the famous Spanish painter was estimated at a value of 1.275 billion francs. It included: 1,885 paintings, 7,089 drawings, 19,134 graphics, 3,222 ceramic works, 1,228 sculptures and objects, as well as 175 sketchbooks with about 7,000 drawings, which Picasso often made as preliminary sketches for larger works.

His paintings, drawings and sculptures became the foundation of the Picasso Museum in Paris, which opened in 1985  where to this day tourists from all over the globe come to marvel at his works of art.
Actor Kajol and her daughter, Nysa Devgan, attended Day 2 of the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC) Gala with several other national and international celebrities. The mother-daughter duo chose ivory and silver-hued ensembles for the occasion. While Kajol chose a floor-length anarkali-style gown, Nysa complemented her mother in a stylish gown with striking embellishments and cut-out elements. They served fashion goals for mothers and daughters to make a regal statement during the wedding season. Kajol and Nysa Devgan are royalty in new photos of their regal NMACC outfits. (Instagram)

(Also Read | Anant Ambani's to-be-wife Radhika Merchant's NMACC after-party look is out, the Dolce & Gabbana outfit is a winner)

Kajol and Nysa Devgan are royalty in regal outfits for NMACC

Kajol and Nysa Devgan attended India In Fashion exhibit at the NMACC Gala in Mumbai. They wore ivory and silver ensembles designed by master couturiers Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla. Today, celebrity stylist Aastha Sharma dropped new photoshoot pictures of the mother-daughter duo on Instagram, displaying their royal looks for the Day 2 of the Gala. "This one was special. @kajol and @nysadevgan for @nmacc.india Gala night," Aastha captioned the post. Fans loved the new images and showered the duo with compliments like "Absolute favourite mother-daughter look." See the post below.

Kajol's jacket-style anarkali gown features heavy Chikankari embroidery in ivory and silver tones, intricate sequins and beadwork, a plunging V neckline highlighting her decolletage, full-length sleeves, a floor-sweeping train on the back, eyelet buttons on the front, and patti embroidery on hem.

Lastly, a pearl and emerald choker, centre-parted sleek bun, mauve lip shade, winged eyeliner, mascara on the lashes, darkened brows, rouged cheekbones, dewy base, and beaming highlighter gave the finishing touch.

Kajol's daughter Nysa complemented her in a gown featuring a plunging V neckline, cut-outs on the waist, silver feather and tassel adornments on the skirt, a figure-hugging silhouette, and a floor-grazing hem-length. An ivory net cape-dupatta with tassel embellishments completed the look.

Nysa glammed up the ensemble with a silver embellished box clutch, a silver matha patti, a pearl bracelet, high heels, centre-parted open tresses, mauve lip shade, smoky eye shadow, mascara on the lashes, rouged cheekbones, darkened brows, and light contouring.
Scientists camped in the Arctic are set to start drilling to save samples of ancient ice for analysis before the frozen layers melt away due to climate change, mission organisers said on Monday. A view of mountains near Longyearbyen, located on Spitsbergen island, in Svalbard Archipelago, northern Norway. (AFP)

Italian, French and Norwegian researchers are in Norway's Svalbard archipelago in what they called a race against time to preserve crucial ice records for analysing past environmental conditions -- planning to ship them all the way to the Antarctic for storage.

"Glaciers at high latitudes, such as those in the Arctic, have begun to melt at a high rate," said paleoclimatologist Carlo Barbante, vice-chairman of the Ice Memory Foundation that is running the mission.

"We want to recover and preserve, for future generations of scientists, these extraordinary archives of our Planet's climate before all the information they contain is completely lost."

The eight specialists on the mission have set up camp at an altitude of 1,100 metres on the crevasse-ridden Holtedahlfonna ice field and plan to start drilling on Tuesday, Ice Memory said.

They will extract ice in a series of tubes from as far as 125 metres (137 yards) below the surface, containing frozen geochemical traces dating back three centuries.

Analysis of chemicals in deep "ice cores" provides scientists with valuable data about past environmental conditions.

Also read: Warming climate could bring viruses in Arctic into contact with new hosts: Study

But experts warn that meltwater is leaking down and altering the geochemical records preserved in ancient ice beneath.

Ice scientists "are seeing their primary material disappear forever from the surface of the planet", Jerome Chapellaz, president of the foundation, told AFP.

"It is our responsibility as glaciologists of this generation to make sure a bit of it is preserved."

Human-caused carbon emissions have warmed the planet by 1.1 degrees Celsius since the 19th century. Studies indicate that the Arctic is warming between two and four times faster than the global average.

Antarctic 'ice sanctuary'

One set of the ice tubes extracted will be used for immediate analysis while a second set will be sent to Antarctica for storage in an "ice memory sanctuary" under the snow, where the samples will be preserved for future generations of scientists.

From their remote source, the ice cores will be transported by sea to Europe and later to the other end of the globe, for storage at a Franco-Italian Antarctic research station.

There, on territory protected by the Antarctic Treaty, they will be stored under the snow at minus 50C, where no power is needed to keep them cool.

"In coming decades, researchers will have new ideas and techniques to give voice to these archives," the researchers said in a statement.

"For instance, they may be able to isolate other information contained in the ice of which we are not aware today."

The team in Svalbard will work for three weeks in temperatures as low as minus 25C (-13 Farenheit), cutting and pulling out a series of cylinders of ice 10cm (four inches) wide.

The 700,000-euro ($760,000) mission, partly funded by the Italian research ministry, follows a series of earlier ice core extractions by the foundation, including operations in the Alps and the Andes.

Further core-drilling missions are planned in the coming years in Tajikistan and the Himalayas.

A study published in the journal Science in January said that half of the Earth's 215,000 mountain glaciers are expected to disappear by the end of this century due to climate change caused by humans -- even if the target of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius is reached.
If you want top-notch camera, display, processor and mega storage, then opt for premium smartphones.

Smartphones have become an absolute necessity in today's world. For personal and professional use, we utilize them regularly. There are a lot of brands available currently. Vivo premium smartphone, Samsung, Redmi, Oppo, etc., to name a few. It is easy to become confused when you think of buying a new smartphone, as there are numerous premium smartphones available nowadays. We have prepared a list of the best premium smartphones and an in-depth insight into each of them to make choosing one easier. 1. Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G Samsung is among the best premium smartphone brands in the country. Instead of the Exynos 990, Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G contains the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 processor (along with the X55 5G modem). Unlike the 4G variant, it comes in a single 8GB RAM + 128 GB of storage option. Customers have a choice of three finishes: Cloud Navy, Cloud Mint, and Cloud Lavender. Even though the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 is a year old, it still provides consistent flagship-level performance for everyday tasks and gaming. Everything, including text, photos, and videos, looked quite sharp because of the crisp 407ppi that the FHD+ resolution provides. It has a 4500 mAh battery and Infinity-O Super AMOLED Display, 6.5 inches (16.40 cm). The smartphone has Triple 12-megapixel rear cameras, which include (Dual Pixel) OIS F1.8 wide rear camera, an 8 MP OIS telephoto camera, and a 12 MP ultra-wide camera. There is also a 32 MP F2.2 frontal punch-hole camera. Specifications Brand : Samsung Model Name : Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G OS : Android 11.0 Cellular Technology : 5G

Pros Cons Great cameras Heats a bit Good battery life

2. Mi 11X Cosmic Black One of the comparativelylatest premium smartphone, The Mi 11X, has a refreshingly plain appearance, free of excessive flourishes and branding. The 6.67-inch AMOLED panel is a good choice for gaming and entertainment. It offers a full-HD+ (1080x2400) resolution, a maximum refresh rate of 120Hz, a touch sampling rate of 360Hz, and HDR10+ with a peak brightness rating of 1300nits. Xiaomi chose a 4,520mAh battery and claimed that 11 hours of gaming could be played between charges. Although there are two Nano-SIM slots, there is no room for a microSD expansion card. You receive Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.1, and numerous navigational systems, including NavIC. This phone performs well in everyday use since it is built to provide class-leading efficiency for its price. It seems fast when performing actions, particularly when utilizing MIUI's navigation gestures. Three rear camerasa 48-megapixel primary camera with a Sony IMX582 sensor and an f/1.79 aperture, an 8-megapixel ultra-wide camera with an f/2.2 aperture, and a 5-megapixel "telemacro" camera with a 2X zoomhave been chosen by Xiaomi to be used on the Mi 11X. The 20-megapixel front camera has an aperture of f/2.45. The smartphone has 6 GB RAM and 128 GB Internal storage. Specifications Brand : MI Model Name : Mi 11X OS : Android 11 - MiUI 12.5, MiUI 12.5 (Android 11) Cellular Technology : 5G

Pros Cons Quick charging The camera could be better Nice audio quality

3. Oppo Reno5 Pro 5G The Oppo Reno 5 Pro 5G is very thin and light, with a 7.6mm thickness and a 173g weight. This gives it a great feel in hand, and even while using it for extended periods, it is comfortable to handle. The 6.5-inch "borderless sense screen" AMOLED display on the Oppo Reno 5 Pro 5G has curved edges. Full-HD+ resolution is used. The Oppo Reno 5 Pro 5G is available in a single configuration, with 8GB of Memory and 128GB of storage. The main camera is 64 megapixels. The rest of the specifications include a 2-megapixel monochrome camera, a 2-megapixel macro camera, and an 8-megapixel ultra-wide angle camera. There is a 32mp front camera for selfies. It has a 4350 mAH battery. Specifications Brand : Oppo Model Name : Reno5 Pro 5G Astral Blue OS : Android 11.0 Cellular Technology : 5G

Pros Cons Good design Video quality could be improved Nice display

4. Samsung Galaxy Note10 Lite Samsung Galaxy Note10 Lite can be considered one of the best premium smartphone currently. You can get a 6.7-inch Super AMOLED screen that supports HDR and full-HD+ (1080x2400 pixel) resolution. Bluetooth 5, dual-band Wi-Fi ac, NFC, and four navigation systems are among the connectivity options for the Galaxy Note 10 Lite. The speaker of the Galaxy Note 10 Lite does get loud enough to appreciate the content being played on the smartphone, and the display has good viewing angles. Three 12-megapixel cameras make up the Galaxy Note 10 Lite's camera module. The wide-angle camera has an f/2.2 aperture, the telephoto camera has an f/2.4 aperture, and the primary camera has an f/1.7 aperture and OIS. A 32-megapixel camera with an f/2.2 aperture is located up front. It has a 4500mAH lithium-ion battery. The phone has 6 GB RAM and 128 GB Internal storage. Specifications Brand : Samsung Model Name : Samsung Galaxy Note10 Lite OS : Android 10.0 Memory Storage Capacity : 128 GB

Pros Cons Good battery life Video quality in low light could be improved S pen stylus

5. iQOO 7 Legend 5G The iQOO 9 is a gadget with a lot going for it, like amazing performance, a great display, a stylish design, and exceptional charging speeds. The smartphone sports a 6.58-inch, 10-bit AMOLED screen with a 120Hz refresh rate and FHD+ resolution, which is a sizeable display. In terms of optics, the 48MP IMX 598 Gimbal camera, 13MP ultra-wide lens, and 13MP depth shooter with 2X optical zoom are used by the iQOO 9. It contains a 4,350mAh battery. The phone has 8 GB RAM and 128 GB Storage. Specifications Brand : IQOO Model Name : IQOO 7 Legend OS : Android 11, Funtouch OS 11.1 Cellular Technology : 5G

Pros Cons Good performance Battery life could be better Nice display

6. OPPO F19 Pro+ 5G The display is a huge 6.4-inch AMOLED panel with scratch-resistant Gorilla Glass 5. The in-display fingerprint reader works well, and the display has sharp, vibrant colours. In India, there is just one variant that comes with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. The Oppo F19 Pro+ 5G's battery capacity is 4,310mAh. It has a primary 48-megapixel camera, an ultra-wide camera with an 8-megapixel resolution, two auxiliary 2-megapixel cameras for macros, and a black-and-white filter. In the hole-punched cutout of the display, there is a 16-megapixel camera for taking selfies. Specifications Brand : Oppo Model Name : F19 Pro+ 5G Space Silver OS : Android 11.0 Cellular Technology : 5G

Pros Cons Ergonomic design Cameras could be improved Good performance

7. Mi 10 The Mi 10's design is an example of restraint because it incorporates all the latest trends without going overboard. Its gorgeous display looks incredibly fluid while you browse, check social media, or go about your regular activities. The Mi 10 comes with a 4780 mah battery and enables 30W wireless charging. Its 108-megapixel primary camera has an aperture of f/1.7 and a huge 1/1.33-inch sensor with optical stabilization. The 20mp selfie camera never oversamples; it always captures images at the maximum resolution. All these factors make it one of the top premium smartphone in India currently. Specifications Brand : MI Model Name : Mi 10 OS : Android 10.0 Memory Storage Capacity : 256 GB

Pros Cons Good camera It can get hot sometimes Decent sound quality

8. Samsung Galaxy S20 A potent chipset, either an Exynos 990 or a Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, is packed inside the device, along with 8GB of RAM. Another notable feature of the Galaxy S20 is its camera, which Samsung has enhanced significantly. The 3 primary cameras have all been upgraded, and some software changes have been made to enhance the entire experience. The 4,000mAh battery of the Galaxy S20 is another impressive feature. The Samsung S20's 6.2-inch display gives it extra screen space. The triple rear camera includes a 64MP OIS F2.0 tele camera, a 12MP F2.2 ultra-wide camera, and 12MP (2PD) OIS F1.8 wide back camera. It also has a 10MP (2PD) OIS F2.2 punch-hole camera up front and a rear LED flash. It has 128 GB of Internal storage. Specifications Brand : Samsung Model Name : Samsung Galaxy S20 OS : Android Memory Storage Capacity : 128 GB

Pros Cons Excellent display Battery life could be improved Good fingerprint sensor

9. MI 10T 5G The phone has a 6.67-inch touchscreen display with a 20:9 aspect ratio and a resolution of 1080x2400 pixels. For protection, the display is covered in Gorilla Glass. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 octa-core processor powers the Xiaomi Mi 10T 5G. It has 128 GB of storage and 6 GB of RAM. A 5000mAh non-removable battery powers the Xiaomi Mi 10T 5G, which runs Android 10. The Xiaomi Mi 10T 5G is compatible with proprietary fast charging. This phone has a triple rear camera setup with autofocus and a 20 mp front camera. Specifications Brand : MI Model Name : MI 10T OS : Android Memory Storage Capacity : 128 GB

Pros Cons Good camera Performance could be better Excellent battery backup

10. Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus 5G The Galaxy S21 Plus has a large, gorgeous 6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED display with an adaptive refresh rate of 120Hz and HDR10+ support. The Galaxy S21 Plus is a large smartphone with dimensions of 6.36 x 2.98 x 0.31 inches and a weight of 7.05 ounces. It has a triple back camera arrangement with a 12MP dual-pixel main camera, a 12MP ultra-wide camera, and a 64MP Tele1 3X camera. A 10MP frontal Dual Pixel camera is also included. It includes a 4800mAH lithium-ion battery, 8GB of RAM, and 128GB of internal storage. Specifications Brand : Samsung Model Name : Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus OS : Android 10.0 Memory Storage Capacity : 128 GB

Pros Cons Great cameras Processing speed could be better

Top three features for you

Product Feature 1 Feature 2 Feature 3 Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 processor Infinity-O Super AMOLED Display 32 MP F2.2 frontal punch hole camera Mi 11X full-HD+ (1080x2400) resolution Bluetooth 5.1 Wi-Fi 6 Oppo Reno5 Pro 5G borderless sense screen Thin and light 64MP Main camera Samsung Galaxy Note10 Lite Bluetooth 5, dual-band Wi-Fi Top-quality speakers Good display iQOO 7 Legend 5G 10-bit AMOLED screen Great charging speeds Stylish design OPPO F19 Pro+ 5G In-display fingerprint reader 16 MP Selfie camera scratch-resistant Gorilla Glass 5. Mi 10 108-megapixel primary camera Gorgeous Display 30W wireless charging Samsung Galaxy S20 10MP (2PD) OIS F2.2 punch-hole front camera Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 processor 4,000mAh battery MI 10T 5G 5000mAh non-removable battery Gorilla glass display Triple rear camera setup with autofocus Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus 5G Huge display The triple back camera system 4800mAH lithium-ion battery

Best overall product Choose one smartphone from a list of such top-quality products can be challenging. But if we have to choose one, it will be Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus 5G. It is a big smartphone with a large display. The cameras provide high-quality photos, videos, and selfies. It also has an excellent battery backup. Best value for money The Samsung Galaxy Note10 Lite, which costs 35,499, will be the most suited for this title. It has a decent battery backup, an S pen stylus, good speaker quality, and an amazing display with excellent viewing angles. The triple rear camera system with a 32 MP front camera adds to its luxuries. How to find the perfect Premium smartphone? There are several steps involved in it. First and foremost, you have to have an idea of your budget and requirements for the smartphone. Then extensive research online on various platforms will serve you well. You should read reviews of previous customers to get an overall idea about the product. Then choose one that aligns with your budget and requirements.
Samsung ACs come with an assurance of quality and durability.

Still feeling hot in summer with your small AC and need to cover up some space in your room? Then Samsung is going to blow you away with its chilly air and with bigger size comes the biggest comfort. Upgrade or get advanced Samsung AC units for a better quality of living and a more cooling home environment. In this blog, we will help you find the Samsung AC that is big enough to fulfill all your requirements. Discover the best Samsung AC to meet all of your cooling needs and stay comfortable all year long. We've researched to bring you the latest and best models, complete with detailed features, specifications, pros, and cons. So, lets cool your nest with the fastest and chilliest breeze! Product list 1. Samsung 1.5 Ton Split AC (2023 Model, AR18CYLZABE, White) This Samsung AC got me thinking, how advanced ACs have become. The digital inverter technology releases up to 40% of noise and saves up to 73% of electricity. The Samsung AC has 5 in 1 convertible cooling where you can select 5 different modes for cooling. The AC fan is big with wider wings which flow till 15 meters of range with its fast cooling. The copper anti-bacterial filter prevents up to 99% of bacteria ensuring healthy living. Specifications Brand: Samsung

Product Dimension: 21.5 x 88.9 x 29.9 Centimeters

Noise Level: 45 dB

Special Feature:  Easy Filter Plus (Anti-Bacteria), Auto Clean (Self Cleaning) Pros Cons Fast Cooling Too much noise Easy to clean

2. Samsung 1 Ton Split AC (2023 Model, AR12CY5ZAGD, White) Samsung AC has 5 stars which will save 481.43 units every year as mentioned by the ISEER. This big Samsung AC has a maximum cooling capacity of up to 4000W. The auto clean feature will clean the AC easily in just 3 steps. This Samsung AC has a durafin ultra layer which protects from rust and corrosion. Voltage fluctuation protector will protect the AC from heavy fluctuation changes ensuring its long-lasting duration. Specifications Brand: Samsung

Product Dimension: 21.5 x 82 x 29.9 Centimeters

Noise Level:  42 dB

Special Feature:  Copper Anti-bacterial Filter, Auto Clean (Self Cleaning) Pros Cons Easy-to-clean filter The initial cost may be higher compared to some other models in the market. Good customer support

3. Samsung 1.5 Ton Split AC (2023 Model, AR18CYNANWK, White) This model of Samsung AC has Wi-Fi enabled with digital inverter technology. The AC swings in 4 directions ensuring fast cooling in no time. It has a maximum cooling capacity of 6600W suitable for 111 to 150 square feet. This smart Samsung AC has AI auto cooling and works with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. Its welcome cooling feature enables a geofencing function that automatically locates your presence in the room when you turn it on. The Samsung AC for big spaces offers WindFree Good Sleep feature that helps you to get a deep goodnight sleep. Specifications Brand: Samsung

Product Dimension: 21.5 x 105.5 x 29.9 Centimeters

Noise Level:  46 dB

Special Feature:  4-in-1 Care Filter, Copper Anti-bacterial Filter, Auto Clean (Self Cleaning) Pros Cons WindFree Good Sleep Feature Wi-Fi Enabled

4. Samsung 1 Ton Split AC (2023 Model, AR12CYLZABE, White) This split Samsung AC is made to keep your air healthy by preventing it from 99% of harmful bacteria. The copper tubes ensure long-lasting performance with 7.5% corrosion resistance. Reliable cooling with R32 refrigerant results in a low impact on the ozone layer and global warming. The 3 stars rating saves up to 624.48 units per year. The easy-to-clean filter makes it easier to clean. This Samsung AC in India has a 2-way swing for smoother cooling. Specifications Brand: Samsung

Product Dimension: 21.5 x 82 x 29.9 Centimeters

Noise Level:  40 dB

Special Feature:  Easy Filter Plus (Anti-Bacteria), Auto Clean (Self Cleaning) Pros Cons R32 Refrigerant A minimum of 5 minutes is required for the inverter to run Fast Cooling

5. Samsung 1.5 Ton Split AC (2022 Model, AR18BY3AQWK, White) This Samsung AC has a sleek and aesthetic design in white adds up to the room decor. With a cooling capacity of 1.5 tons, it can easily cool rooms up to 150-200 sq. ft. This Samsung AC has a 3-star energy rating which saves up to 977.8 Units annually. It has multiple special features which make it the best Samsung AC online. WindFree cooling technology cools the room efficiently eliminating any grating of cold wind. The Samsung AC has Durafin Ultra and Triple Protector Plus resulting in longer-lasting performance protecting it from rust, corrosion, and power surges. Specifications Brand: Samsung

Product Dimensions: 48 x 160.9 x 84.7 Centimeters

Noise Level:  45 dB

Special Feature:  

Convenience features: Filter Cleaning Indicator, Indoor Temperature Display, Display On/Off, Beep On/Off, 24-Hour Timer, Auto Restart

Air Purification: Tricare Filter, Auto Clean (Self Cleaning), Anti-Corrosion Outdoor Fin

Operating Modes: Auto Mode, Fast Cool, Windfree Good Sleep mode, 5 Step Convertible Cooling Mode, Dehumidification, Fan Mode, Quiet Pros Cons Super Silent 2022 Model Easy Filter Plus

6. Samsung 2 Ton Split AC (2023 Model, AR24CYLZABE, White) This big Samsung AC has 2 tons of capacity ensuring maximum airflow for a bigger room of 151  200 sq. ft. The AC has Wi-Fi enabled with a voice assistant. This Samsung AC has an ergonomically designed easy-to-clean filter minimizing all airborne diseases. The smart Samsung AC has AI Auto Cooling that adjusts according to your room conditions and usage. This Samsung AC has also the option of connecting your mobile to the AC at home for easy control. The 5 in 1 convertible AC mode suits your needs and moods. Specifications Brand: Samsung

Product Dimension: 21.5 x 105.5 x 29.9 Centimeters

Noise Level:  45 dB

Special Feature:  Copper Anti-bacterial Filter, Auto Clean (Self Cleaning) Pros Cons Fast Cooling and WindFree Technology Fan sound can be easily heard Easy to clean

7. Samsung 1.5 Ton Split AC (AR18NV3HLTR Star Flower, White) This Samsung AC is powered by a digital inverter which comes with a triple inverter for quick cooling and low electricity consumption. The 2-step cooling mode makes it easier and more comfortable for you to enjoy the cool air conveniently. This Samsung AC has automatic temperature control that sets the temperature accordingly without you having to change it. The Triple Protector Plus stabilizes the Samsung AC in performance and protects it from overloads without any separate voltage stabilizer. The flower design on the AC gives an aesthetic touch to the room. Specifications Brand: Samsung

Product Dimension: 29 x 89 x 25.1 Centimeters

Noise Level: 109 dB

Special Feature:  Inverter Pros Cons Durafin Protection Old model Turbo Cooling
In a daring display of fashion rebellion, a group of bridesmaids took matters into their own hands, as they snipped away at their pink dresses during the wedding reception. The incident, captured on video by TikToker Emma.league, has left social media users divided over the impromptu alterations. TikTok video of bridesmaid chopping wedding dress goes viral

The video, which has amassed over 12 million views and nearly 700 thousand likes, shows the bridesmaids laughing and enjoying themselves as they make the risky cuts. While the bride was aware and seemingly unbothered by their actions, the internet has not been so forgiving.

Brides seen dancing in the Tiktok video with over 12 million views

Critics have slammed the bridesmaids for stealing attention from the bride, with one user exclaiming, "I would be livid  the end result looks s**t." Others suggested more practical uses for the dresses, such as photoshoots or selling them afterward.

However, not everyone was outraged by the scissors-wielding squad. Some users praised the women's ingenuity, with one commenting, "This is such a clever idea. No one ever wears their bridesmaid dress again, anyways."

As the debate rages on, one thing is certain: these bridesmaids will not be forgotten anytime soon. Love it or loathe it, their scissor-happy stunt has certainly made an impression.

In defense of their actions, one of the bridesmaids explained that the dresses were too long and impractical for dancing, hence their decision to cut them. While some have criticized their actions as being disrespectful to the bride, the bridesmaids have maintained that they were simply trying to make the most of the situation and have some fun.

The incident has sparked a wider conversation about the expectations placed on bridesmaids and the pressure they face to conform to traditional wedding norms. Many have pointed out that bridesmaid dresses are often expensive, uncomfortable, and impractical, and that the expectation that they will wear them without complaint is outdated and unfair.

Overall, while the bridesmaids' decision to cut their dresses may have been controversial, it has certainly opened up a wider discussion about the role of bridesmaids in weddings. Whether or not this will lead to a change in attitudes remains to be seen, but for now, the scissor-happy squad have certainly made their mark on the world of weddings.
Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has expressed his apprehension about emergency or martial law in the country if a larger Supreme Court bench was not constituted to hear the case regarding the postponement of provincial elections in Punjab, according to a media report on Tuesday. Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari(AP)

Bilawal's concerns stem from the ongoing political and judiciary crisis in the cash-starved country wherein the Supreme Court is hearing the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's petition against the Election Commission of Pakistan's decision to postpone the Punjab Assembly polls.

Also read: Pakistan's rupee hits record low amid IMF loan delay

Bilawal, who is also the head of the Peoples Party (PPP), spoke with the media on Monday in Larkana, his seat in the Sindh province, and said his party would not accept whatever decision of the three judges on elections in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Punjab, The News International reported.

Pakistan's Supreme Court on Tuesday termed as "unconstitutional" the election commission's decision to postpone polls in the Punjab province till October 8, in a major blow to the federal government that has been trying to delay the provincial election citing security issues and the economic crisis.

The party will embrace (only) the decision of the full court and implement the same, he said.

He said that PPP is defending the Constitution. He added that Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, the PPP founder, had given the nation the 1973 Constitution which was breached by dictators, including Pervez Musharraf, but former president Asif Ali Zardari had restored it.

He said that the sons and daughters of dictators are in the PTI and added that party supremo Imran Khan was the chief polling agent of Pervez Musharraf in a held referendum.

Also read: Imran Khan's warning to Pakistan: 'can be like Turkiye or become...'

He said that a three-judge decision would not be accepted because one of them, through his judgment, had handed over the Punjab government to PTI by rejecting some votes in the election of the chief minister last year.

He asked the Chief Justice of Pakistan to constitute a full court in the larger interest of the nation.

Pakistan has a history of military rule and so far generals have ruled almost half of the history of the creation of the country. Bilawals warning comes as the country is gripped with bitter political, judicial and economic crises.
The Chinese spy balloon that was shot down by the US last month managed to gather intelligence from military sites, a Pentagon spokeswoman revealed, adding that the US was able to limit what it collected. The US military responded by taking actions that ensured China gained little additive value , Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said. China Spy Balloon: A printed balloon with Chinese flag is placed on a US flag in this illustration.(Reuters)

Read more: Donald Trump in New York for surrender as more Republicans back him: Updates

China was able to get the information in real time and the intelligence collected sent was mostly from electronic signals rather than images, she further said, adding that the FBI is still conducting an analysis of the spy balloon and what was sent to Beijing using it.

Meanwhile, a US intelligence official told Bloomberg that the analysis so far indicates that the balloon's flight over the country didnt appear to have provided China with any new information.

Read more: Ex-president to police files: Why Donald Trump's mug shot will be a big deal

Sabrina Singh said that the intent of this balloon was surveillance despite repeated denials by China. The US show down the balloon on February 4 using a fighter jet off the South Carolina coast. This comes as top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee Senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi said that the latest reports clearly demonstrate that the administration made an unacceptable mistake by waiting to destroy the balloon.

Republicans have earlier also criticised the Joe Biden administration for its late response.

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In a huge relief, embattled former Pakistan Prime Minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan was granted interim bail by a Lahore anti-terrorism court on Tuesday in three cases, reported Geo News. Former Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan(AP)

Imran Khan's bail has been extended till April 13 in three terrorism cases registered against him.

The Zille Shah murder case, arson, and interfering with state affairs were three instances in which the PTI Chairman appeared in court seeking bail. Under the anti-terror and aiding and abetting laws, several cases were filed against the PTI chief at the Race Course police station, Geo News reported.

Read more: Donald Trump's indictment first for US but not world: Leaders who faced charges

Khan entered the ATC under heavy security because the judges had made his appearance in person for the appeal for an extension of bail as a condition of his release on bail.

In connection with the clashes between PTI members and police that took place during an operation to apprehend Khan in the Toshakhana gifts case, the Lahore police had filed these three cases against Khan.

According to Geo News, Khan is currently dealing with more than 140 cases related to terrorism, murder, attempted murder, and blasphemy that the PMLN-led coalition government registered against him over the past 11 months.

Earlier, in March, the Lahore High Court (LHC) granted protective bail to Imran Khan in the same case and directed him to approach the relevant court in this matter. PTI chairman Imran Khan, who arrived at the court, wrote in his petition seeking interim bail that he wants to be involved in the probe but there is a fear of arrest by the police, according to The News International report.

Khan had been granted bail by the ATC with a condition that he post surety bonds of (PKR) 100,000 in each instance and cooperate with the investigation and appear at all scheduled hearings.
Former US President Donald Trump flew into New York City on his private plane on Monday to face charges stemming from a probe into hush money paid to a porn star, while his lawyers argued against letting cameras in the courtroom. Donald Trump: Former US President Donald Trump. (Reuters)

Read more: Donald Trump in New York for surrender as more Republicans back him: Updates

With New York taking security precautions and the mayor telling potential "rabble-rousers" to behave, Trump was due to surrender at the Manhattan District Attorney's Office on Tuesday and will likely be fingerprinted prior to appearing before a judge for an arraignment where he will plead not guilty.

Trump, a 76-year-old Republican seeking to regain the presidency in 2024, is the first former U.S. president to face criminal charges.

Read more: Donald Trump's new defense lawyer hiring ahead of arraignment for firepower

Yahoo News late on Monday said Trump would face 34 felony counts for falsification of business records. Citing a single source briefed on Tuesday's arraignment procedures, Yahoo said none of the charges against Trump were misdemeanors.

Trump's plane - painted in red, white and blue with "TRUMP" in big letters on the side and an image of the American flag on the tail - arrived at LaGuardia Airport in Queens after a 3-1/2 hour flight from West Palm Beach near his Florida home.

Clad in a blue suit and wearing a red tie, Trump walked alone down a flight of stairs from the airplane and climbed into an SUV for a drive in a motorcade to Trump Tower in Manhattan, where upon arrival he waved to people and walked in without making public comments.

Beefing up his legal team, Trump hired Todd Blanche, a prominent white-collar criminal defense lawyer and former federal prosecutor, to join his defense, two sources familiar with the matter said.

Blanche and other Trump lawyers on Monday urged the judge not to allow videography, photography and radio coverage of the arraignment.

In a letter to the court, they argued against allowing such coverage, saying it would "exacerbate an already almost circus-like atmosphere around this case" and "detract from both the dignity and decorum of the proceedings and courtroom."

Justice Juan Merchan was expected to decide the matter on Monday.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office said it would leave it to the discretion of the judge, but noted that Merchan allowed a limited number of still photos prior to last year's criminal trial in which Trump's real estate company was convicted of tax fraud.

The Manhattan grand jury that indicted Trump heard evidence for months this year about a $130,000 payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels in the waning days of the 2016 presidential campaign.

Daniels has said she was paid to keep silent about a sexual encounter she had with Trump at a Lake Tahoe hotel in 2006. Trump denies having had any such relationship with her.
Former US President Donald Trump arrived in New York to face arraignment in a Manhattan court on charges related to paying hush money to adult film star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential campaign. The former President flew to New York City from his home in Mar-a-Lago. He will stay at the Trump Tower on 5th Avenue in Manhattan for the night, news agency Reuters reported. Donald Trump is the first former US President to face a criminal charge. Here are top updates on Donald Trump's arraignment:

Donald Trump Indictment: Former President Donald Trump arrives at Trump Tower in New York. (AP)
Former US President Donald Trump said last week following his indictment in New York that "the USA is now a third-world nation" while other Republicans decried against the case saying that the US was becoming like "some third-world banana republic." Donald Trump's indictment is a first for a former US President but not unprecedented worldwide. Donald Trump Arraignment: Former US President Donald Trump arrives at Trump Tower.(Reuters)

Read more: Donald Trump in New York for surrender as more Republicans back him: Updates

With the charges, Donald Trump joins the ranks of other former leaders who were charged following their tenure in office in cases relating to corruption among others. The list includes former Italian prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, who was involved in nearly three dozen criminal cases, with one conviction for tax fraud in 2012.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was also indicted in 2020 on corruption charges. Former Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian was convicted of bribery as well in 2009.

Read more: Ex-president to police files: Why Donald Trump's mug shot will be a big deal

Countries like France, South Korea and Brazil have seen leaders prosecuted for crimes. Nearly 80 nations having seen former leaders jailed or prosecuted over the last 20 years, Axios reported.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva returned to the office in January after defeating Jair Bolsonaro but was sentenced to 12 years on corruption charges in 2018. Former French Prime Minister Nicolas Sarkozy was sentenced to a year in prison in 2021. South Koreas former President Park Geun-hye was sentenced to 24 years over corruption charges in 2021 before being pardoned.

Leaders from Malaysia, Pakistan and Argentina have also seen charges relating to fraud and corruption.

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Former US President Donald Trump hired a new defense attorney- Todd Blanche- to be part of his legal team ahead of his arraignment in New York City, Fox News reported. Todd Blanche has been a former partner at Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft. He is set to serve as a defense attorney in the case brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg against Donald Trump over hush money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels. Donald Trump Arraignment: Former US President Donald Trump arrives at Trump Tower.(Reuters)

Read more: Donald Trump in New York for surrender as more Republicans back him: Updates

Todd Blanche will be "additional firepower" to the Trump legal team, the report claimed adding that he previously represented Paul Manafort, Trump's former campaign chairman who was charged as part of Robert Muellers investigation in 2019.

Donald Trumps arraignment comes after he was indicted by a Manhattan grand jury following years-long investigation by the Manhattan District Attorneys Office. Ahead of the arraignment, Donald Trump travelled from Palm Beach in Florida to New York.

Read more: Saudi Arabia executes man during Ramadan; rare decries rights group

The charges for Donald Trump are related to hush money payments made leading up to the 2016 presidential election which include the $130,000 payment made to adult film star Stormy Daniels.

Donald Trump's lawyers have asked the judge overseeing the case to ban photo and video coverage of his arraignment, Associated Press reported as the former President aims to use the indictment for his re-election bid. Following his court appearance, Donald Trump plans to return to Mar-a-Lago for a press conference for which at least 500 people have been invited, the report added.

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Some of the Secret Service agents serving Donald Trump may testify as part of the federal investigation into the former US President's handling of classified documents, it was reported. Fox News' Bret Baier said on Twitter that "multiple" agents connected to Donald Trump have been subpoenaed and are "expected to testify before the D.C. grand jury likely on Friday." Former President Donald Trump. (AP)

Read more: Donald Trump in New York for surrender as more Republicans back him: Updates

"The grand jury appearances are related to the Special Counsel Jack Smith probe into the handling of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago," Bret Baier tweeted.

This is in connection with the allegations made against Donald Trump that he mishandled sensitive materials retrieved from his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida in August last year. Donald Trump denied all wrongdoing in connection to the top-secret materials found at his home.

Read more: Donald Trump's indictment first for US but not world: Leaders who faced charges

The Washington Post reported that the Department of Justice and the FBI have heard further evidence indicating possible obstruction committed by Donald Trump and that there is evidence indicating the same. Donald Trump has also been accused in the case of pushing people around him to release statements saying that he returned all the documents to the National Archives and Records Administration, the report added.

This comes as Donald Trump was indicted by the Manhattan District Attorney's office following an investigation related to hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels who has said that she had a sexual relationship with him. With this, he has become the first former US president to face criminal charges.

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A judge warned former US President Donald Trump to refrain from rhetoric on social media that could cause civil unrest, Associated Press reported. As Donald Trump told the judge he was pleading not guilty, the judge Juan Merchan warned the former US President that he could be removed from the courtroom if he is disruptive. Donald Trump spoke only a few times to respond to questions, it was reported. Former US President Donald Trump arrives at Manhattan Criminal Courthouse.(Reuters)

He has been told to temper down social media posts related to the indictment and is next due in court in December although his lawyers asked for him to be excused from attending the hearing in person.

Read more: Donald Trump charges: 2016 polls, social media posts, false business records

Donald Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records related to hush money payments during his 2016 presidential campaign. With this, Donald Trump became the first former president in US history to face criminal prosecution.

Donald Trump has also been charged of falsifying business records related to three pre-election hush-money cases, prosecutors said.

"Donald J. Trump repeatedly and fraudulently falsified New York business records to conceal criminal conduct that hid damaging information from the voting public during the 2016 presidential election," Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement.

The court filing said that the former president "with intent to defraud and intent to commit another crime and aid and conceal the commission thereof, made and caused a false entry in the business records of an enterprise"

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China warned U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Tuesday not to "repeat disastrous past mistakes" and meet Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen, saying it would not help regional peace and stability, but only unite the Chinese people behind a common enemy. Kevin McCarthy: House Speaker Kevin McCarthy talks to reporters at the Capitol in Washington.(AP)

The Republican McCarthy, the third most senior U.S. leader after the president and vice president, will host a meeting in California on Wednesday with Tsai, during a sensitive stopover in the U.S. that has prompted Chinese threats of retaliation.

Read more: Donald Trumps net worth plunges $700 million because of this flopped business

China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory, staged war games around the island last August after then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat, visited the capital, Taipei.

Tsai will make what is formally called a "transit" in Los Angeles on her way back to Taipei after a trip to Central America. The U.S. says such stopovers are common practice and there is no need for China to overreact.

But China's consulate in Los Angeles said it was "false" to claim it as a transit, adding that Tsai was engaging in official exchanges to "put on a political show".

No matter in what capacity McCarthy meets Tsai, the gesture would greatly harm the feelings of the Chinese people, send a serious wrong signal to Taiwan separatist forces, and affect the political foundation of Sino-U.S. ties, it said in a statement.

"It is not conducive to regional peace, security nor stability, and is not in the common interests of the people of China and the United States," the consulate added.

Read more: Drug stories were shiny consolation for King Charles, Prince Harry explains

McCarthy is ignoring the lessons from the mistakes of his predecessor, it said, in a veiled reference to Pelosi's Taipei visit, and is insisting on playing the "Taiwan card".

"He will undoubtedly repeat disastrous past mistakes and further damage Sino-U.S. relations. It will only strengthen the Chinese people's strong will and determination to share a common enemy and support national unity."

China will closely follow developments and resolutely and vigorously defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity, the consulate added, without giving details.

In a statement on Tuesday, Taiwan's foreign ministry said China had no right to complain, as the People's Republic of China has never ruled the island.

China's recent criticism of Tsai's trip "has become increasingly absurd", it added.

Even if the authoritarian government continues with its expansion and intensifies coercion, Taiwan will not back down.
At least four people have been killed and hundreds of houses destroyed in a remote area of northern Papua New Guinea, an official said on Tuesday, a day after a 7.2 magnitude earthquake. A remote area of northern Papua New Guinea.(Twitter)

Teams from Papua New Guinea's National Disaster Centre are at the quake's epicentre near Chambri Lakes, a remote and swampy part of East Sepik province, Felix Taranu, a seismologist with the Port Moresby Geophysical Observatory, told Reuters on Tuesday.

Also Read: Magnitude 6.2 earthquake strikes Eastern New Guinea region, Papua New Guinea

Four people are confirmed dead and 300 houses destroyed along the Sepik River region, and there are unconfirmed reports of further deaths and several hundred more houses destroyed, he added.

"The local member is liaising with his people to confirm the exact details of the number of houses and victims and any effects in the region," Taranu said.

The quake struck at a depth of 80km (49.71 miles) early on Monday, according to the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC).

Also Read: Magnitude 5.3 earthquake strikes Mexico, no major damage or injuries reported

Australia is ready to assist with relief and recovery efforts, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said on Tuesday.

Papua New Guinea straddles the Pacific's "Ring of Fire", a region known for frequent earthquakes. A 7.6 magnitude quake last September killed seven and triggered landslides across three provinces.
In a first for any head of state in American history, former President Donald Trump surrendered at the office of Manhattan district attorney, Alvin Bragg, on Tuesday. He subsequently was arraigned in a courtroom, where he pleaded not guilty to over 30 criminal charges. Trump was released shortly after. Former US president Donald Trump arrives at Manhattan Criminal Courthouse, after his indictment by a Manhattan grand jury following a probe into hush money paid to porn star Stormy Daniels, in New York City, US, on Tuesday. (REUTERS)

Five days after a New York grand jury indicted him, Trump appeared in Manhattan Criminal Courts Building of the city where he made his name and spent all his life before becoming president. The unprecedented turn of events has boosted Trumps prospects in the Republican field for the presidential nomination for now, even as it has inaugurated a new chapter in legal troubles for the former president.

Also read: Donald Trump charges: 2016 polls, social media posts, false business records

The charges Trump faces are in connection with hush money payments his team made to adult film actress Stephanie Clifford, also known as Stormy Daniels, for her silence about alleged sexual encounters between the two in 2006 and 2007. The payments were made in the run-up to the 2016 presidential election. Bragg has charged Trump with falsifying business records  which, in itself, would constitute a misdemeanour  and doing so to cover another crime of violating campaign finance laws  which constitutes a felony.

The detailed charges were unsealed on Tuesday. Trump was neither handcuffed nor photographed to provide a mugshot, the usual protocol for those indicted. He was however fingerprinted. Five photographers were allowed inside the courtroom for still photographs.

New York City turned into a fortress on Tuesday, with all 35,000 police officers of the citys police department deployed and on standby. Barricades were put in place across parts of the city. Supporters and critics of the former president congregated outside Trumps residence, the district attorneys office and the courtroom building, chanting slogans and waving placards.

In the run-up to Trumps courtroom appearance, New York Mayor Eric Adams had said while there had been no specific and credible threats of violence, he had a warning for potential rabble-rousers: Control yourself. New York City is our home, not a playground for your misplaced anger.

Trump had travelled on a private plane from Florida on Monday and spent the night in Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue. Before driving to the court, four miles away from his home, on Tuesday morning, Trump posted on the social media site, Truth Social, Heading to Lower Manhattan, the Courthouse. Seems so SURREAL  WOW, they are going to ARREST me. Cant believe this is happening in America. MAGA, the last term being a reference to his Make America Great Again slogan.

Earlier, Trump had alleged that Manhattan was a very unfair venue, with some areas that voted 1% Republican, and said that the case should be moved to Staten Island. He had also cast aspersions on both the integrity of the judge and the fairness of the judicial process, posting, in all caps, Additionally, the highly partisan judge & his family are well known Trump haters. He was an unfair disaster in a previous Trump related case, Wouldnt recuse, Gave horrible jury instructions & Impossible to deal with during the witch hunt trial. His daughter worked for Kamala & and now the Biden-Harris campaign. Kangaroo court!!!

The White House continued to be restrained in its remarks. While President Joe Biden has refused to comment on the case, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, when asked about the case at Tuesdays press briefing and the Presidents reaction, said Bidens focus was on the American people and not on the case. This is not something thats a focus for him.

She added that Biden had not been given a heads-up on the indictment, but learnt about it just like everyone else did.

The indictment appears to have helped Trump politically for now. His team has claimed that in the four days since the indictment, Trump has raised close to $8 million. A Yahoo News/YouGov poll, conducted within 24 hours of the grand jurys decision, showed 57% registered Republican voters or Republican-leaning independents backing Trump, against 31% supporting Florida governor Ron DeSantis, a massive 26 percentage point lead. In a previous Yahoo poll before the indictment, conducted in mid-March, Trump commanded the support of 47% voters, leading DeSantis, who had the support of 39% voters, by eight percentage points.

Also read: Donald Trump charged with three hush-money cases, says prosecutor

Trump has doubled down on his narrative of becoming a victim of a political conspiracy in the last few days. He departed for Florida after the arraignment, and is scheduled to address a press conference back in Mar-a-Lago resort on Tuesday night. Trump is expected to counter the charges, speak out against the Democratic administration and the Manhattan district attorney for being partisan, and seek to consolidate his base further.

Trump, however, continues to face the possibility of several other criminal charges. These revolve around his possession of classified files, efforts to overturn the electoral results in Georgia, role in instigating the January 6, 2021 insurrection, and business practices of the Trump organisation.

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Hong Kongs labor market has seen its sharpest drop on record, underscoring the citys challenges with an aging population and outflow of talent. Hong Kong's working population fell by 94,100, down 2.4% in 2022, according to data.(Twitter)

The Asian hubs working population fell by 94,100, down 2.4% in 2022, according to data released Monday by the Census and Statistics Department. This is the largest labor plummet since the government began keeping records in 1985.

Also Read: China to open border with Hong Kong on Sunday, a first in three years

Hong Kong is running an uphill battle as the government seeks to kick-start an economy that recorded its third annual contraction in four years. Tens of thousands of people, including lawyers and bankers, left the city following the national security law and strict pandemic curbs.

A manpower shortage will affect services for the public and the citys competitiveness, Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee said at a daily press conference on Tuesday.

Also Read: Chinese firms rush to milk ChatGPT frenzy with rival AI bots

Lee has made attracting talent a key priority for his administration. Last October, he started a global talent program that includes a two-year visa plan for high-income workers and top university graduates.

So far, the program has mostly attracted interest from Chinese. Most of the 10,000 some applications are from the mainland, according to local media.

Also Read: Cannot confirm any Chinese balloon real-time data transfer: US

The city is also competing with Singapore to attract wealth business. The government announced in March that it would cut taxes for family offices.

One of Hong Kongs biggest hurdles is staffing up its tourism sector dented by Covid curbs. The industry, along with exports, could help the economy grow by an estimated 7.6%, according to a Goldman Sachs Group Inc. forecast.
President Joe Biden was paying little attention Tuesday to the arraignment of his predecessor Donald Trump in New York on criminal charges, the White House said. Former and current US Presidents Donald Trump and Joe Biden(AP)

"Obviously he will catch part of the news when he has a moment to catch up on news of the day but this is not a focus for him," Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.

The sole public event on Biden's schedule Tuesday was a meeting with advisors on emerging artificial intelligence technology.
King Charles IIIs wife has been officially identified as Queen Camilla for the first time, with Buckingham Palace using the title on invitations for the monarchs May 6 coronation. Britain's King Charles III and Camilla pose for a photo in the Blue Drawing Room at Buckingham Palace, London.(AP)

Camilla, who until now has been described as queen consort, is given equal billing on the ornate medieval style invitations that will be sent to more than 2,000 guests and were unveiled on Tuesday.

Also read: Camilla may skip this coronation tradition. Reason: Prince William

The new title is another step in the remarkable transformation of a woman once derided as a homewrecker because of her role in the breakdown of Charles marriage to the late Princess Diana.

Charles and Camilla met long before the future king married Diana in 1981 and their relationship continued throughout the tumultuous marriage. That made Camilla an object of scorn among Dianas many fans, who rallied around the princess as her marriage collapsed.

But Camilla has won over much of the British public with her warmth and down-to-earth humor since she married Charles in a civil ceremony in 2005. The late Queen Elizabeth II early last year issued a statement saying she hoped Camilla would be known as queen consort when Charles became king.

Camilla will be crowned alongside her husband on May 6 at Westminster Abbey.

The palace released a few more details about the coronation on Tuesday, announcing that 9-year-old Prince George, the kings eldest grandson, who is second in line to the throne, would be one of four pages of honor attending the monarch during the service. Camilla will also have four pages.

Also read: Prince Harry desperate to prove hes more popular, powerful than King Charles'?

The eight young pages are either family friends or close relatives of Charles and Camilla and will carry the robes of prominent figures during the day.

The coronation invitations feature the ancient motif of the Green Man in a nod to the monarchs record of supporting conservation and environmental protection.

The Green Man is an ancient figure from British folklore, symbolic of spring and rebirth, to celebrate the new reign, the palace said.

The shape of the Green Man, crowned in natural foliage, is formed of leaves of oak, ivy and hawthorn, and the emblematic flowers of the United Kingdom.

The design, created by heraldic artist and manuscript illuminator Andrew Jamieson, will be printed on a recycled card with gold foil detailing.
Lithuania's parliament decided on Tuesday to ban Russian nationals from purchasing real estate in the Baltic country, citing risks to national security. Russian President Vladimir Putin. (AP)

The ban, which will be in place until 2024, would not apply to Russians who are granted residency in the country.

Also Read| Vladimir Putin ally accuses West on Ukraine: Blood on Joe Bidens hands'

Parliament also halted the issuing of new visas to nationals of Russia and its ally Belarus.

Many of the citizens of those two countries who carry other travel documents, such as previously issued visas, will be subject to "individual extended checks" at the border to determine if they pose a threat to national security.

"The vast majority of Russian citizens support their country's aggressive military actions, and do not take actions to stop the aggression of their country's regime, so they share the responsibility," Deputy Foreign Minister Jurgita Neliupsiene told parliament in March as she introduced the bill.
Britain's Prince William has named Jacinda Ardern, the former prime minister of New Zealand, as a new trustee for his multi-million pound environmental award, the Earthshot Prize. Jacinda Ardern: New Zealand ex Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is seen.(AP)

William, heir to throne, set up the prize in 2020 with the mission of finding solutions to the planet's biggest environmental problems through new technologies and ideas.

Read more: Prince Harry snubbed by royals during UK visit: Wants to take over with Meghan'

Ardern joins Earthshot's board of trustees as it gears up to select finalists for the 2023 award. Last year, five winners were each awarded 1 million pounds ($1.24 million) at a ceremony in Boston, United States.

Prince William said he was grateful that Ardern, who unexpectedly stepped down as New Zealand's leader earlier this year, was joining the team.

"Her life-long commitment to supporting sustainable and environmental solutions, along with her experience as Prime Minister of New Zealand, will bring a rich infusion of new thinking to our mission," he said in a statement on Tuesday.
Pakistans rupee dropped to a record low as the embattled nation faces a delay in its attempt to revive its loan program with the International Monetary Fund to avoid a default. Pakistan has a few more tasks to complete to meet requirements for a $6.5 billion bailout.(Twitter)

The rupee weakened 1% to 288 a dollar, according to foreign-exchange desk at Arif Habib Ltd. in Karachi.

Also Read: China loans to Pak, Lanka and other nations worth $240bn in 2 decades: Report

The IMFs resident representative for Pakistan said the country has a few more tasks to complete to meet requirements for a $6.5 billion bailout. The lender approved a $3 billion loan program for Sri Lanka last month to ease its economic crisis.

Also Read: IMF says Pakistan must complete 'few remaining points' to get $6.5 bn loan

Pakistans loan program is yet to materialize months after it raised taxes and energy prices and allowed the currency to depreciate to meet IMFs conditions. The nation has missed multiple deadlines to resume its bailout. The Washington-based lender has asked Pakistan to seek commitments for new loans from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates before it revives the bailout.
Prince Harry said that he was shocked to know that Queen Consort Camilla and his father King Charles were happy with the stories of drug use that dominated headlines when Prince Harry was young. In his memoir Spare, Prince Harry said that King Charles did not stop the media from putting out a wrong narrative about him. Prince Harry Drug Use: Britain's Prince Harry leaves the Royal Courts Of Justice in London.(AP)

Read more: Prince William, Kate Middleton are having major fights over this issue: Report

I learn only later that the guiding force behind this putrid strategy was the same spin doctor Pa and Camilla had recently hired, the same spin doctor whod leaked the details of our private summits with Camilla? This spin doctor, Marko said, had decided that the best approach in this case would be to spin meright under the bus," Prince Harry wrote.

He continued, In one swoop this would appease the editor and also bolster the sagging reputation of Pa. Amid all this unpleasantness, all this extortion and gamesmanship, the spin doctor had discovered one silver lining, one shiny consolation prize for Pa. No more the unfaithful husband, Pa would now be presented to the world as the harried single dad coping with a drug-addled child.

Read more: Prince William was 'angry' about articles over Prince Harry's drug use but

In an interview earlier, Prince Harry had talked about using drugs, saying, (Cocaine) didnt do anything for me, it was more a social thing and gave me a sense of belonging for sure, I think it probably also made me feel different to the way I was feeling, which was kind of the point."

It was the cleaning of the windscreen, cleaning of the windshield, the removal of lifes filters just as much as on Instagram, these layers of filters. It removed it all for me and brought me a sense of relaxation, release, comfort, a lightness that I managed to hold on to for a period of time," he added.

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As Prince Harry present in the UK court in a surprise visit to the country, royal experts said that it is "inconceivable that another royal would try to steal the spotlight from King Charles before such a significant occasion. Ahead of the coronation of King Charles which is scheduled for May, royal commentator Daniela Elser said that Prince Harry was making a haughty public spectacle of himself. Prince Harry: Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex gets in the car as he leaves the Royal Courts of Justice, Britain's High Court, in central London.(AFP)

Read more: Drug stories were shiny consolation for King Charles, Prince Harry explains

The plan was to first Paris, before moving on to Berlin as part of a six-day travel itinerary. It was inconceivable that another royal would try to steal the spotlight from such a significant occasion," the royal expert added.

But Harrys respect for the Monarchy and those working within it has disintegrated ever since he and his wife Meghan stepped back as senior royals in 2020. The trip gave him the ideal opportunity to prove he was more popular and powerful than the King and get himself on the newspaper front pages," Daniela Elser said.

Read more: Prince Harry snubbed by royals during UK visit: Wants to take over with Meghan'

He did indeed end up grabbing the media limelight, but the King and Queen didnt give him much competition," the commentator claimed.

During his UK trip, no member of the royal family met Prince Harry with royal watchers claiming that the Duke of Sussex was snubbed the royals. King Charles and Prince William did not meet Prince Harry while it was reported that Prince Andrew's daughter, Princess Eugenie met Prince Harry. With this, experts also claimed that Prince Harry missed the opportunity to make amends with his royal family ahead of the coronation.

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Prince Harry was snubbed by the royal family during his surprise visit to the UK last week as King Charles and Prince William did not meet him. Only Prince Andrew's daughter, Princess Eugenie, is reported to have met Prince Harry. Harry stayed at Frogmore Cottage during his trip as he missed the opportunity to make amends with his royal family ahead of the coronation. Prince Harry On Royal Family: Britain's Prince Harry is seen. (AP)

Read more: Prince William got 'frustrated' when Harry refused to talk about

Royal commentator Angela Levin claimed that Prince Harry "wants to crash the monarchy" and "take over with Meghan" which would ultimately make his wife the "in-charge, saying that the "Duchess sent him over, because he wouldnt do anything that she wouldnt agree to, to see whether he would be allowed back in America because of the drugs."

Read more: Drug stories were shiny consolation for King Charles, Prince Harry explains

The royal family also seemed reluctant in their response to Prince Harry as it was reported that King Charles, his eldest son Prince William and other senior royals knew that "Harry could cash all his meetings with the family and might make the discussions public to make his alleged bosses happy."

The Sussexes think Harry's meeting with the Britain's King could be a positive gesture for his reputation in the US amid ongoing backlash against him over his boastings in 'Spare' as Americans are demanding him to reveal the answer he gave to the Drugs questions while applying for the US visa, a report in the Daily Express UK claimed.

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Kate Middleton thinks that her husband Prince William does not support her enough and stand up for her especially against the claims made by Prince Harrys against her in his memoir Spare. Against claims made by Prince Harry in his explosive tell-all, Prince William and wife Kate Middleton have remained mum. Kate Middleton Prince William: Britain's Kate, Princess of Wales, and Prince William, Prince of Wales, in London.(AP)

Read more: Prince Harry desperate to prove hes more popular, powerful than King Charles'?

But as per a report in Marie Claire, sources close to the couple suggested that Kate Middleton wanted Prince William to speak up. Kate is increasingly upset that Prince William hasnt snapped back at Prince Harry, the report claimed, adding, Kate felt William should stick up for her more. Yet William and the palace thought that saying nothing was best.

Another report in the US Weekly claimed that Kate Middleton was allegedly "very upset" about Prince Harrys Spare, and found his actions atrocious.

Kate appalled at him (Harry) for dragging her name through the dirt and is finding it hard to forgive Both Kate and Prince William were very upset about Harrys revelations, it hit them very hard, the report claimed.

Read more: Prince Harry snubbed by royals during UK visit: Wants to take over with Meghan'

In the book, Prince Harry claimed that Prince William and Kate Middleton told him to wear his infamous Nazi costume to a 2005 Native and Colonial theme party. He also accused Kate Middleton of reluctantly lending Meghan Markle her lip gloss at their Royal Foundation Forum appearance in 2018.

The Duke of Sussex also claimed that Kate Middleton was upset about being compared to Meghan Markle.

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UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak faced questions after details of his wife Akshata Murthy's agency Koru Kids emerged. It was revealed that Akshata Murthy has shares in the childcare agency which is likely to benefit from a new policy announced in the recent UK budget, Guardian reported. Rishi Sunak-Akshata Murthy: Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata Murthy are seen(Reuters File)

Read more: Donald Trump in New York for surrender as more Republicans back him: Updates

The agency lists Rishi Sunak's wife as a shareholder. A new scheme announced by UK finance minister Jeremy Hunt in the budget offers 1200 pounds to individuals who train to become child-minders through an agency- a possible way in which Akshata Murthy's agency may benefit from.

Before the liaison committee, Rishi Sunak did not mention his wife's interest, saying, No, all my disclosures are declared in the normal way, as he was asked whether he had anything to declare.

Read more: Saudi Arabia executes man during Ramadan; rare decries rights group

Liberal Democrat chief whip Wendy Chamberlain wrote to the independent adviser on ministerial interests Sir Laurie Magnus saying, The Prime Minister's family does appear to have a relevant financial interest in Koru Kids - which has benefited from a recent change to government policy. There is a clear question as to whether articles 7.1 and 7.7 of the ministerial code have been breached.

While Angela Rayner, Labour's deputy leader said, "Rishi Sunak must explain why he failed to come clean when asked about the shares his family held in a company now set to financially benefit from a childcare policy announced in his budget," Angela Rayner, Labour's deputy leader, said.

Over the controversy, Rishi Sunak's spokesperson said, "He has followed the process in terms of declaring his interests as set out in the ministerial code".

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Prince Harry revealed that when he and his elder brother Prince William were young, there were many times when he refused to talk about his mother Princess Diana's untimely death with Prince William. Even when Prince William would bring up the topic, Prince Harry said that he would shrug off the conversation quickly. Prince Harry: Britain's Prince William and Britain's Prince Harry are seen.(AP)

Read more: Queen Consort Camilla may skip this coronation tradition. Reason: Prince William

Writing in his memoir Spare, Prince Harry admitted that he was not capable of discussing the topic of Princess Diana with his elder brother.

Willy sometimes tried to talk about Mummy. Club H felt like the one place secure enough to broach that taboo subject. Just one problem. I wasnt willing. Whenever he went thereI changed the subject. Hed get frustrated. And I wouldnt acknowledge his frustration," Prince Harry wrote.

More likely, I couldnt even recognize it. Being so obtuse, so emotionally unavailable, wasnt a choice I made. I simply wasnt capable. I wasnt close to ready," Prince Harry added.

Read more: Prince William, Kate Middleton are having major fights over this issue: Report

Princess Diana died in a car accident in 1997. During an interview, Prince Harry had earlier said, I cried once, at the burial, and you know I go into detail [in Spare] about how strange it was and how actually there was some guilt that I felt, and I think William felt as well, by walking around the outside of Kensington Palace.

There were 50,000 bouquets of flowers to our mother and there we were shaking people's hands, smiling And the wet hands that we were shaking, we couldn't understand why their hands were wet, but it was all the tears that they were wiping away, he added while talking about his mother's funeral.

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Russian drones struck the strategic Ukrainian port of Odesa, local authorities said in the early hours of Tuesday, adding that "damage" had been recorded. Russia-Ukraine War: A view shows a monastery damaged by a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Odesa, Ukraine.(Reuters)

Read more: Donald Trump in New York for surrender as more Republicans back him: Updates

"The enemy has just struck Odesa and the Odesa district with attack UAVs," local authorities said in a statement on Facebook, referring to unmanned aerial vehicles. "There is damage," the statement said without providing further details.
Saudi Arabia executed a man during the holy month of Ramadan, Guardian reported citing a rights group which said that the execution was rare. The execution took place on 28 March  five days into Ramadan- the report claimed. The man, a Saudi national who had been convicted of murder, was put to death in the Medina region. The man had stabbed the victim and set him on fire, the report added. Saudi Arabia Execution: The man, a Saudi national who had been convicted of murder, was put to death in the Medina region. (AFP)

Saudi Arabia executed a citizen during Ramadan, European Saudi Organisation for Human Rights (ESOHR) said in a statement, citing Saudi interior ministry capital punishment data. No sentence has been implemented during the holy month since 2009 in Saudi Arabia, , the group said.

Read more: Donald Trump in New York for surrender as more Republicans back him: Updates

Saudi Arabia has one of the worlds highest rates of executions and with the latest case, the number of executions in 2023 rose to 17, the group said. In 2022, Saudi Arabia executed 147 people in- over double the 2021 figure of 69, news agency AFP earlier reported.

Since Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman assumed power as the country's de facto ruler in 2015, more than 1,000 death sentences have been carried out, according to a report published by Reprieve and ESOHR.

Although in March 2022, the Crown Prince had said in an interview with The Atlantic magazine that Saudi Arabia got rid of the death penalty. It only applied to cases of murder or when someone threatens the lives of many people, he had said.

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Dozens of Donald Trump supporters demonstrated outside the courthouse where the former president is due to be arraigned on criminal charges Tuesday, as a handful of vocal counterprotestors shouted an anti-fascist message. Demonstrators gather outside New York criminal court, Tuesday in New York. (AP)

Also Read| Trump hush money case: Timeline of scandal that led to ex-US President's indictment

Members of the New York Police Department community affairs division stepped in to the fray as the pro-Trump side -- many sporting familiar "MAGA" hats and attire emblazoned with the American flag -- yelled slurs at their opposition.

But it was the crush of reporters taking up most of the space outside Manhattan's criminal court ahead of the unprecedented indictment of a US president at a 2:15 pm (1815 GMT) hearing.

Trump was set to arrive early afternoon to face charges likely related to alleged campaign finance violations over his hush payments to a porn star while running for his first presidential term.

The anti-Trump camp unfurled a large banner reading "Trump lies all the time" and chanted "Lock him up!" as Team MAGA waved a flag with the slogan "Trump or Death.

George Santos -- the New York Republican congressman accused of lying his way into office -- made a brief appearance in the park where the extreme right representative Marjorie Taylor Greene is due to hold a rally for Trump.

Paulina Farr traveled into the city from suburban Long Island to "show support to our president Trump."

The retired nurse told AFP she was also at the January 6 storming of the Capitol Building in Washington by Trump supporters, and called Tuesday's protest "tremendously different."

She vowed to press on: "We know the truth. I'm not afraid."

The 76-year-old Trump remains a front-runner for the 2024 Republican nomination, though the still sealed charges that will be unveiled Tuesday potentially threaten to throw his viability as a candidate into question.

He is also using the case to energize his support base and raise millions of dollars for his bid to reclaim the White House next year.

At one point during the demonstrations, a Trump supporter attempted to rip the other side's banner, prompting police to step in.

"I've been jumped several times now," a regular anti-Trump protestor, Laurie Biter, told AFP.

The 64-year-old praised the charges against Trump but added that, "It's not just an indictment going through a court."

It's an indictment that we, as people of good conscience, have to bring.
Ukraine has received the first tranche of USD 2.7 billion from a new International Monetary Fund (IMF) EEF program, CNN reported quoting Ukrainian Finance Minister Sergii Marchenko. The International Monetary Fund.(REUTERS)

"Today Ukraine received the first $2,7bn tranche under the new @IMFNews EFF program. Grateful to our partners for supporting Ukraine on the way to victory," Sergii Marchenko said in a tweet

On Friday, the IMF approved a new four-year extended arrangement under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) of around USD 15.6 billion as part of a USD 115 billion total support package for Ukraine.

Also Read: IMF approves $15.6 billion loan for Ukraine

The goal of the program announced by IMF is to "anchor policies that sustain fiscal, external, price and financial stability and support economic recovery, while enhancing governance and strengthening institutions to promote long-term growth in the context of post-war reconstruction and Ukraine's path to EU accession," as per the CNN report. The program also helps Ukraine to have "more ambitious structural reforms."

On March 31, IMF in a statement said, "The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) approved today a 48-month extended arrangement under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) with an amount of SDR 11.6 billion (577 per cent of quota or about US$15.6 billion). This arrangement is part of a US$115 billion total support package for Ukraine. The Executive Board's decision allows the immediate disbursement of around SDR 2 billion (or US$2.7 billion)."

Also Read: Russian drones strike Ukraine's port of Odesa: Officials

Meanwhile, Norway and Denmark will cooperate to provide 8,000 artillery rounds to Ukraine, CNN reported citing the Norwegian government's statement. The Norwegian government in a statement said, "Norway donates the shells, while Denmark donates the associated fuzes, propellant bags and primer cartridges." This comes amid the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed gratitude to Danish and Denmark governments for their announcement. He tweeted, "Grateful to the Danish and Norwegian governments led by @Statsmin and @jonasgahrstore for the joint initiative to transfer an additional batch of artillery shells to Ukraine. Timely military assistance from partners is the key to bringing our joint victory closer!"

Meanwhile, Poland has delivered "several" MiG-29 fighter aircraft to Ukraine, the Polish President's foreign affairs adviser Marcin Przydacz said in an interview with Polish radio RMF FM, CNN reported. Earlier on March 16, Poland said that Warsaw will send the aircraft, which were about to be decommissioned by the country's air force.

At that time, Polish President Andrzej Duda said that Poland is still using Mi-29 aircraft in the defence of Polish airspace, as per the CNN report. Duda said that Poland can announce with confidence that Warsaw will send MiGs to Ukraine.
The United Nations has told all Afghan staff not to report to work in Afghanistan for 48 hours for security reasons while it seeks information from the Taliban about a ban on Afghan women working for the world body, U.N. sources told Reuters on Tuesday. The restrictions did not initially apply to the United Nations and some other international organisations. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)(AP)

Also Read| Taliban close women-run radio station for playing music during Ramadan: Report

The United Nations' Mission to Afghanistan (UNAMA) earlier on Tuesday expressed concern that female staff in the eastern province of Nangarhar had been stopped from reporting to work.

"We remind de facto authorities that United Nations entities cannot operate and deliver life-saving assistance without female staff," UNAMA said in a statement.

Spokespeople for the Taliban administration, the Afghan information ministry and Nangarhar's provincial administration did not immediately reply to request for comment.

"National U.N. staff (male and female) will not come to U.N. offices for 48 hours due to a threat of enforcement of a ban on female national staff in light of enforcement starting today in Jalalabad," said a senior U.N. official, referring to Nangarhar's capital.

A second U.N. source said the United Nations was seeking further information from the Taliban authorities.

Since toppling a Western-backed government in 2021, the Taliban administration has tightened controls over women's access to public life, including barring women from university and closing most girls' high schools.

In December, Taliban authorities stopped most female NGO employees from working, which aid workers say has made it more difficult to reach female beneficiaries and could lead donors to hold back funding.

The restrictions did not initially apply to the United Nations and some other international organisations. The U.N Deputy Secretary-General in January flagged concerns that authorities could next restrict Afghan women working at international organisations.

A scheduled U.N. briefing to update member states on the situation in Afghanistan in New York on Tuesday was postponed at the last minute without explanation.

The Taliban administration, which seized power as U.S.-led forces withdrew from Afghanistan after 20 years of war, says it respects women's rights in accordance with its strict interpretation of Islamic law.
The United States carried out a military operation that killed a senior Islamic State leader in Syria on Monday, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement early on Tuesday. No civilians were killed or injured in this strike.(Representational)

Khalid 'Aydd Ahmad al-jabouri was responsible for planning ISIS attacks into Europe and developed the leadership structure for ISIS, the statement said.

Also Read: 9 US army soldiers killed in Kentucky's helicopter crash

Last week, the Tass news agency said Russia had protested to the American-led coalition against the Islamic State militant group about "provocative actions" by U.S. armed forces in Syria.

No civilians were killed or injured in this strike, CENTCOM said, and added that the group "continues to represent a threat to the region and beyond".
Russian President Vladimir Putin interfered in the 2016 presidential election because he was afraid of Hillary Clinton the "most," former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said. Speaking at the Columbia School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA), Nancy Pelosi said on Hillary Clinton, It was her clarity and position to [Putin] that made him turn around and ensure in an illegal way come out against her in her campaign. Hillary Clinton: Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is seen. (Reuters)

Read more: Donald Trump in New York for surrender as more Republicans back him: Updates

Interference in our democracy by Vladimir Putin, because Hillary Clinton was the person he feared most in terms of his lack of democracy in Russia," Nancy Pelosi added. Following the 2016 presidential race, US intelligence found that Vladimir Putin had ordered an interference campaign to meddle in the election with the aim to damage Hillary Clinton's bid against Donald Trump.

The campaign included cyberattacks and hacking into the Democratic National Committee (DNC) server to obtain emails and documents. Hillary Clinton earlier served as secretary of state under former President Barack Obama. During her time at the state department, Hillary Clinton publicly criticized Vladimir Putin's reelection in 2011.

Read more: Donald Trump's new defense lawyer hiring ahead of arraignment for firepower

Donald Trump beat Hillary Clinton in 2016. He has denied any interference on behalf of Russia in the election, saying in 2018 that he had "great confidence in my intelligence people, but I will tell you that President Putin was extremely strong and powerful in his denial today."

He just said it's not Russia. I will say thisI don't see any reason why it would be, he added.

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Unique location of the 16th Steigenberger Hotel in Egypt.

Steigenberger brand expands with beach destination: Deutsche Hospitality opens a property on the Sinai under the name "Steigenberger Hotel & Nelson Village". The hotel, which is operated by Deutsche Hospitality since 2017, was completely renovated and developed to become part of the Steigenberger Hotels & Resorts family. With the opening in mid-March the company now increases the Egyptian market presence of its "Steigenberger Hotels & Resorts" brand to 16 properties.

The unique location of the Steigenberger Hotel & Nelson Village, at the northern end of the Sinai Peninsula reveals views overlooking three countries: Israel, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. The snorkeling paradise at the Red Sea also convinces with wild desert landscapes, mountains and Bedouin camps.

Guests at the Steigenberger Hotel & Nelson Village enjoy a hotel-owned sandy beach, freshwater and saltwater pools, several restaurants serving traditional Oriental cuisine, exquisite seafood specialties, and Mediterranean and international cuisine. Further, the hotel offers three bars in the lobby, by the pool and at the beach.

In the main building, every suite and room have a balcony with sea view, the Nelson Village is a picturesque settlement of cottage buildings, all with their own terrace directly on the beach. Directly in the hotel is a casino and various meeting and banquet facilities.

Steigenberger hotels in Egypt, directly at the Pyramids, in El Gouna, Hurghada, Luxor, Sharm el-Sheikh and many other destinations can be booked at www.hrewards.com.
Highly respected global real estate leader joins JLL from Mitsubishi Corporation.

JLL (NYSE: JLL) today announced the appointment of Ryuta Takeuchi as Head of Capital Markets, Japan. Based in Tokyo, Takeuchi will be responsible for JLL's Capital Markets platform across the country and will partner with the firm's extended global Capital Markets team to facilitate inbound investment opportunities into Japan's commercial real estate market and advise domestic capital owners on outbound investment.

Takeuchi will draw on over 25 years of Japanese real estate experience to lead and formulate the strategy of JLL's brokerage and advisory services business in this priority market. In this capacity, he will be responsible for facilitating capital transactions across all asset classes and sectors, as well as providing investor clients access to JLL's suite of equity and debt advisory services.

Takeuchi joins JLL from Mitsubishi Corporation where he was President and CEO of Diamond Reality Management Incorporated, its global real estate investment arm. For Mitsubishi Corporation, Takeuchi oversaw assets under management of over US$8 billion through private real estate investment trusts (REITs) and private funds in Japan and other global markets in this position from 2021 to 2023.

Takeuchi joined Mitsubishi Corporation in 1996 and held a variety of leadership positions including Head of Executive Management and Strategy Planning Office in its Urban Development Group, Managing Director and CEO of MC Asset Management in Europe. He was also Co-CEO of UBS-Mitsubishi Corporation General Partner - UBS- PREMF Limited, a joint venture private funds business with UBS.
RezRecover Welcomes Ian Robert As Account Executive to Meet Explosive Demand for Hospitality Booking Recovery Solution

CartStack, the leading eCommerce technology behind RezRecover, has announced that Ian Robert has joined the company as Account Executive. Ian will be essential in developing new accounts and expanding relationships with key customers.

Founder and CEO of CartStack/RezRecover, Brett Thoreson, said: "We searched far and wide for the right person to fill this position and knew he was the perfect fit two minutes into our initial conversation. His day-to-day experience in hospitality technology and helping hoteliers, combined with his natural focus on forging new and strengthening existing relationships, made him the perfect fit for our team."

Ian comes to RezRecover with almost a decade of experience in technology sales, having worked most recently at GigPro, an on-demand marketplace connecting hospitality businesses, and Stayntouch, a hotel property management solutions leader. Upon graduating with his Bachelor of Arts degree, Ian relocated to the Washington DC metro area to pursue his career in tech sales. After getting his introduction to all things tech sales at memoryBlue, he began his successful full-cycle sales career within the Federal IT solutions space and selling SaaS solutions to government contractors.

With his proven record of success working with independent hotels like Innisfree Hotels, SCP Hospitality, and NOLA Hotel Group, to name a few, Ian is ready to bring his hospitality industry knowledge to CartStack as the RezRecover sales lead in the reservation abandonment tech space.

"What excited me about joining RezRecover is the company's extraordinarily innovative and game-changing products, a great roster of world-class hotel clients, and a platform that delivers tangible business results," explains Ian. "I am delighted to be able to play a part in the RezRecover's growth journey."

Founded in 2013, CartStack developed RezRecover, the first-to-market, enterprise-grade solution to solve the costly $10B booking abandonment problem for hotel operators, resorts, and multi-property groups. The company helps brands create 1:1 experiences by responding to visitors' actions in real-time and triggering behavioral emails that retain guest relationships and consistently exceed ROI expectations.

To discover why leading hotels trust RezRecover to help them make lost bookings a thing of the past and start your free trial, visit cartstack.com/rezrecover.
Quest Woollongabba Sold for AUD43.8 Million to Invictus Developments Pte Ltd

Singapore-based Invictus Developments Pte Ltd (Invictus) has acquired Quest Woollongabba (QW) in Brisbane, Australia for AUD43.8 million from Australia-based property developer Pellicano Group. The 98-key property benefits from a strong twelve-year weighted average lease expiry (WALE) by income, with 94% generated by a lease to Quest. QW comprises four ground-floor retail units, a fitness centre, conference facilities, an outdoor BBQ area, and a rooftop terrace providing coveted views of Brisbane. QW units range from 60 to 99 square metres with each at least including a kitchenette. The subject property is strategically located in the most famous and oldest precinct Woollongabba and by The Gabba, a primary site for the upcoming 2032 Brisbane Olympics.

ARTOTEL Group Acquires Milestone Pacific Hotel Group

Indonesia-based ARTOTEL Group (ARTOTEL) has acquired Indonesia-based management hotel operator Milestone Pacific Hotel Group (MPHG) for an undisclosed sum. MPHG is a hotel operator management company which manages 45 hotels across six brands; Maxone, Nite & Day, Zia, Ruma Ruma, Marc, and One of a Kind in several provinces and second-tier regions in Indonesia. The MPHG brands mainly targets economy and mid-scale segments. ARTOTELs portfolio will consist of more than 100 hotels post-acquisition, providing all scales of accommodation offerings from luxury to economy hotels. ARTOTEL has announced that by 2025, an additional 50 properties will be added to its management portfolio.

New Disney Cruise Ship is Coming to Singapore in 2025

Singapore Tourism Board has established a five-year collaboration between the US-based Disney Cruise Line to bring a new Disney cruise ship to Singapore in 2025. The 208,000-gross-tonne ship, which is yet to be named, is estimated to be able to carry 6,000 passengers and 2,300 crew members. It is expected to be the largest cruise ship calling in Singapore, as well as the largest ship in Disneys fleet. Millions of local and foreign cruise passengers will be added to Singapore over the five-year period, including fly-cruise passengers arriving in Singapore by air. In 2019, the cruise industry has contributed SGD630 million to the Singapores cruise industry.

New Airline Really Cool Airlines Set-up in Thailand

Really Cool Airline (RCA), a new full-service Thai carrier has set-up and will begin operations by the end of 2023. The airline will focus on international flights, and will be positioned midway between a luxury and budget carrier. The airline will announce its flight routes by June 2023. RCA is one of the four airlines that were seeking licenses to operate in Thailand, which are expected to be approved to operate next year. The Tourism Authority of Thailand believe new airline will help to boost the recovery of Thai tourism.

About HVS

HVS is the world's leading consulting and valuation services organization focused on the hotel, restaurant, shared ownership, gaming, and leisure industries. Established in 1980, the company performs more than 4,500 assignments per year for virtually every major industry participant. HVS principals are regarded as the leading professionals in their respective regions of the globe. Through a worldwide network of over 50 offices staffed by 300 experienced industry professionals, HVS provides an unparalleled range of complementary services for the hospitality industry. For further information regarding our expertise and specifics about our services, please visit www.hvs.com.
M3, the hospitality industry's #1 cloud-based accounting, financial reporting, and data management platform, is preparing for another exciting conference season. The company will be attending more conferences than ever before to illustrate and communicate how M3 simplifies hoteliers' lives and strengthens bottom-line results. This year, M3 will be offering special promotions for those who stop by the M3 booth at designated shows.

M3 started the 2023 conference season by attending The Hunter Hotel Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. The company was a platinum-level sponsor and Chief Operations Officer Casi Johnson moderated one of the Revenue Strategy panels. This panel shared with hoteliers in attendance how the most effective revenue managers use data, team input, and new technology to make decisions and maximize profits. In addition, Johnson also took part as a mentor in the Castell Round Table session to tackle the most pressing issues facing women today in the workplace. The conference was a success for M3, and the company plans on returning in 2024, which will mark M3s 15th year sponsoring that event and 22nd year in attendance.

Looking forward, M3 will attend and showcase its robust accounting software at other upcoming industry conferences, including AAHOACON23, The Hospitality Show, HITEC, and LendingCon. Conferences are the perfect time to connect and network with current and future M3 customers, said Haley Wolf, Marketing Manager at M3. She continued, We want to stand by those organizations that foster economic growth for the hospitality industry. Through sponsoring and attending these conferences, we do just that.

M3 is proud to be a Silver Partner of AAHOA and highly anticipates the upcoming conference in Los Angeles, California. This will be the third year of attendance for M3. The company will share forthcoming product developments and offer promotions to AAHOA members for its leading accounting, business intelligence, and labor management solutions designed specifically for hoteliers.

Over 7,500 hotels across North America rely on M3s award-winning technology for their back-office needs. Now, M3 is looking further to support hoteliers by offering a brand-new, robust software that will deliver the future of hotel accounting. This new software will provide owners, operators, and management companies with an accounting solution that will allow them to efficiently and easily scale their hotel portfolios.

Most people think conferences are all about pitching and presenting. However, M3 looks forward to hearing from our most important asset: our customers! Our software is designed to make a hoteliers life easier, so hearing feedback directly from them is incredibly valuable, explains Scott Watson, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer. He continues, We are eager to release a new product later this year to further serve the hospitality industry, and we cant wait to share the news with hoteliers in person.

M3 strives to improve all processes for the hospitality industry and is eager to collaborate and connect at these upcoming events.

To learn more about M3 or to request a demo, visit www.m3as.com.

About M3

Built by hoteliers exclusively for hoteliers, M3 is a powerful cloud-based financial platform and services company serving over 7,500 properties across North America's hospitality industry by driving cost savings, revenue enhancement, and business insight. After 24 years in business without increasing prices, M3 touts a 95 percent customer retention rate. Used by over 1,000 management groups and owner-operators and hotels of all sizes, the platform works seamlessly with other key systems and tools in the hospitality industry and offers robust accounting and financial analysis across entire portfolios with optional operations and time management features. M3's professional services team provides on-demand support for hotels of any size by offering a full range of customized accounting solutions to scale with a hotel's needs. Privately held and employee-owned, M3 continues to enhance products and services at no additional charge to its customers. For more information, visit www.m3as.com.

Haley Wolf

Marketing and Public Relations Manager

+1 770 533 0545

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Our Lady of the Lake University said it has notified victims of a data breach that let hackers access personal data on its computer network but declined to say how many individuals were affected or provide other details of its response.

A notification posted Friday on the private Catholic universitys website was its first public statement on the cyberattack, which the Express-News first reported last month.

It has declined to specify whether it was hit by a ransomware attack, in which hackers deploy malicious software to lock people and groups out of their networks and demand payments to regain access, or to identify the suspected hacker.

The university did not respond to emailed questions this week.

The Express-News reported earlier, based on interviews with victims, that the hackers took information on the universitys faculty, students, staff and even applicants who never attended.

The ransomware group AvosLocker claims it hacked into the San Antonio universitys network, according to Boerne-based IT consulting firm BetterCyber and Breachsense, a data breach monitoring platform.

EARLIER REPORT: Our Lady of the Lake hit by cyberattack; victims say hackers got Social Security and other data

In the statement it posted, the university said it found unauthorized access to its network occurred about Aug. 30 and immediately launched an investigation in consultation with outside cybersecurity professionals to examine the breach and analyze compromised information. It has declined to identify who it worked with on the examination or say how hackers gained access to the network.

The investigation, which it said ended March 3, found that a limited amount of personal information was removed from its network. It said that included full names and one or more of the following: Social Security, drivers license and passport numbers; government university identification numbers, dates of birth, bank account information and online credentials. It began notifying affected individuals about March 31.

To date, we are not aware of any reports of identity fraud or improper use of any information as a direct result of this incident, it said in the notification.

Fall semester enrollment at the university was about 2,300 students. It employs about 450 people.

READ MORE: Judson ISD says it paid hackers more than $500K to protect sensitive information

This notice is strange, said an individual who applied to the university in 2016 but never attended. They spoke on condition of anonymity because of concerns their information has been posted online or will be. It still makes me feel that they dont know what happened.

The university has declined to disclose whether its contacted law enforcement agencies in regard to the attack. The FBIs San Antonio Division did not respond to requests for comment.

About AvosLocker

In March 2022, the FBI and Department of the Treasurys Financial Crimes Enforcement Network released a joint cybersecurity advisory identifying AvosLocker as a ransomware as a service affiliate-based group that has targeted victims across multiple critical infrastructure sectors in the United States, including financial services, manufacturing and government facilities.

AvosLocker claims to directly handle ransom negotiations, as well as the publishing and hosting of exfiltrated victim data after their affiliates infect targets, the agencies said.

More recently, AvosLocker has claimed it hacked Paul Smiths College, a private school in New York, about the same time it accessed information at the local university last year.

The Adirondack Daily Enterprise last month reported a story about a cyber incident at Paul Smiths discovered Aug. 27, after the private college notified about 10,000 students, staff and potential students about the breach. The university did not respond to requests for comment this week.

Some of the victims in San Antonio said they had learned about the breach at Our Lady of the Lake through alerts from credit card companies and credit rating agencies that their personal information had been compromised and were able to connect it to an attack on the universitys network.

San Antonio has experienced a rise in cyberattacks in recent years, with many described as ransomware attacks. Hackers have hit other educational institutions as well as private companies and local government agencies.

In 2021, Judson Independent School District paid a ransom of $547,045 to hackers to keep sensitive information from being posted online for public access. That same year, North East Independent School District notified about 5,000 current and former employees of a potential data breach after an employees email account was breached and hackers attempted to divert school funds. The district was able to shut down the attack before any money was transferred.

In 2019, the Center for Health Care Services in Bexar County shut down its computer network after a cyberattack. And in December, Rackspace Technology was hit by a ransomware attack that left thousands of the San Antonio companys customers scrambling to retrieve their email data.

RELATED: Rackspace identifies group behind ransomware attack; recovery of customers data still uncertain

Privacy rules

Generally, education institutions are subject to privacy laws including FERPA  the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act  and the Texas Identify Theft Enforcement and Protection Act, according to Jarrod Griffin, press secretary at the Texas Attorney Generals Office.

Griffin said in email the Attorney General occasionally receives notices of data breaches from colleges and universities across the state. Since September 2021, the state office has maintained a webpage that lists reported data breaches.

The office has yet to receive a data breach notice from OLLU, according to Griffin and the webpage.

Reached by email last month, both the Texas Education Agency and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board said they dont require schools and universities to report cyber incidents.
OPEC's surprise decision to slash oil production stands to enrich an unexpected cohort: U.S. shale drillers.

The shock announcement sent U.S. oil prices up by as much as $6 a barrel, signaling a new round of windfall profits for the shale industry that once was OPEC's fiercest foe. At the same time, the development bodes ill for consumers already squeezed by rampant inflation and facing the threat of surging gasoline prices as the summer driving season approaches.

And with shale executives having already pledged to hold oil output mostly steady this year so they can focus on enhancing investor returns, fuel prices in the world's biggest economy will be largely dictated by production decisions made in far-flung places like Riyadh and Luanda.

"One thing is for certain, OPEC is in control and driving price, and U.S. shale is no longer viewed as the marginal producer," said James Mick, a senior portfolio manager at Tortoise. "OPEC wants and needs a higher price, and they are back in the driver's seat to obtaining their wishes."

U.S. drillers have been swimming in cash after the surge in oil prices over the last few years.

A further boost for shale companies will cheer investors. Shareholders in U.S. oil companies reaped a $128 billion windfall in 2022 thanks to a combination of global supply disruptions such as Russia's war in Ukraine and intensifying Wall Street pressure to prioritize returns over finding untapped crude reserves.

U.S. production growth is less than half of what it was before 2020, with overall output yet to return to pre-pandemic levels. Major forecasters see growth of just 500,000 barrels a day or so this year from the Permian Basin, the country's fastest-growing shale field, less than half of the more than 1 million barrels a day of cuts announced by OPEC+ on Sunday.

"OPEC and shale are much more on the same team now, with supply discipline on both sides," said Joseph Sykora, a Dallas-based fund manager at Aptus Capital Advisors, which has $4.25 billion under management. "It really puts a floor under the price of oil long term."

It's a sharp contrast from much of the past decade, when U.S. shale was a thorn in OPEC's side, using cheap money to revitalize old and thought-to-be tapped-out oil fields with new fracking technologies. The U.S. oil sector's spectacular growth added more crude to global markets from 2012 to its 2020 peak than the entire current production of Iraq and Iran combined. That growth irked the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies, which saw its market dominance threatened like never before.

But surging U.S. production growth did little for shareholders, who routinely saw executives ratchet up debt as they plowed more money into new wells. The plunge in oil demand during the pandemic sent many smaller drillers into bankruptcy, and those that survived vowed never to repeat the strategy of chasing production growth at any cost.

With the OPEC+ decision helping to provide a floor to oil prices, companies like Patterson-UTI Energy can better plan activity levels, said Andy Hendricks, CEO for one of the biggest providers of drilling rigs and frack crews.

"It gives a little more clarity than what we've had," Hendricks said in a phone interview. Higher oil prices may eventually entice shale explorers to drill and frack more, but that will take some time, he said.

"There really isn't excess" gear and crews available, he said. "We could reactivate some rigs, but you're six to nine months out. So if somebody wants to do it by the end of the year, they need to call now."

---

Bloomberg's Kevin Crowley contributed to this report.
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A surprising legislative success in 2021 is on track to be undone in 2023, unless a grass roots left-right coalition can block legislation and the forces behind it that are trying to go backward.

In the name of jobs and economic development, a 2012 tax code trick called Chapter 313 essentially funneled state money, via school district property tax breaks, to private companies doing new industrial construction. The school districts that granted tax breaks under Chapter 313 were reimbursed  and many still are being reimbursed  by the state, meaning we as taxpayers reimbursed them. It was the ultimate insider game of channeling public benefit to private companies.

On Express-News.com: Taylor: Texas shameful Chapter 313 program is the sort of corporate welfare we dont need

Surprisingly, Chapter 313 was halted by lawmakers in 2021. But a new bill proposed by a state representative from Corpus Christi seeks to bring it or a new version of it  back.

Channeling state tax dollars

The original Chapter 313 was deeply problematic.

Studies by University of Texas at Austin professor Nathan Jensen showed the vast majority of companies that sought Chapter 313 tax breaks would not have left Texas regardless of whether Chapter 313 existed, undermining the program's original stated purpose.

As if energy companies in the Houston or Corpus Christi areas pretending they would leave for greener pastures would actually do so  to where, Nebraska? Get outta here. Texas is obviously where they were going to do business. So the only question was whether they could also get tax incentives while they were at it.

When it comes to economic development schemes, this type of pay them to do what they were already going to do is the rule rather than the exception.

Meanwhile, the economic benefit achieved in return for the state paying industry's school property taxes typically yielded a hugely inefficient cost per job, as companies had to claim a certain number of jobs would be created by the tax breaks.

The program's cost far exceeded what was originally intended, reaching $10 billion by the time it was halted in 2021.

But then the next crazy thing happened. After businesses and insiders realized Chapter 313 would sunset at the end of 2022, a gold rush began. From mid-2021 to mid-2022, companies applied in droves for barely planned energy projects to lock in that sweet corporate welfare.

In January, a Hearst newspapers report estimated the costs of proposed Chapter 313 projects will balloon to $31 billion  even after the law was supposed to sunset  over the next three decades. The report calculated that 90 percent of that $31 billion benefit will be captured by companies after 2022.

On Express-News.com: Taylor: The Chapter 313 monster  the mother of all corporate welfare  revives?

School districts almost always approved these 10-year tax breaks, since the state would make them whole. Also, the state reimbursement money was often less restricted and, therefore, attractive to school districts. In this way, it was an end-around program for channeling state tax dollars to specific companies, usually in the energy industry, both in renewables and fossil fuels.

The comptrollers office approved 95 percent of the projects, making that office an unreliable filter for ensuring only worthy economic development plans passed through.

Corruptalism vs. capitalism

Whenever insiders find a way to channel public benefit (taxes) for private gain (corporate profits), our spidey sense should tingle. We should ask: Is this a formula for corruption?

If it's not outright corruption, it is definitely the state of Texas allowing insiders to pick winners and losers. It certainly is the opposite of free-market capitalism. It is corporate welfare. I would call it corruptalism, not capitalism.

Calling the Chapter 313 program crony capitalism, the right-leaning Texas Public Policy Foundation recently published an opinion piece titled Why bring back a crony tax break program in Texas?

It's a good question.

The foundation astutely pointed out that many politicians want (Chapter 313) restored because taking our money and handing it over to others buys them power, favors and campaign donations.

And because it is corporate welfare rather than people welfare, the nonpartisan but left-leaning coalition known as Texas Industrial Areas Foundation is also opposed.

In San Antonio, Mike Phillips is a COPS/Metro leader, a member of the Texas IAF. His organization and others rallied in Austin on March 21 to call attention to the inequities that school district tax breaks cause statewide.

This is money that could instead be going to public schools. We are working this session with legislators from both parties and a range of allies to oppose taxpayer-funded corporate giveaway programs that involve school finance and school district decision-making, Phillips said.

The undead proposal

The Industrial Areas Foundation cleverly brought a man dressed as Dracula to its rally to dramatize how Chapter 313 unfairly drained school districts of funds and that reviving this bad economic development deal would be akin to raising the undead.

On Express-News.com: Taylor: Bandera  the Hill Country town that showed true grit and said no to corporate welfare

As the 2023 legislative session continues, House Bill 5, filed Feb. 28 by Rep. Todd Hunter, R-Corpus Christi, is the undead proposal to resurrect corporate welfare in the name of economic development.

Interestingly and probably not coincidentally, HB 5 is a shell bill, not specifying exactly how the corporate welfare gimmick will work. In the absence of specifics, the bill is proposed as Chapter 403, subchapter S. So far, it states that it's objective is to provide a temporary and limited competitive economic incentive for attracting to this state large-scale manufacturing projects that, in the absence of this subchapter, would likely locate in another state.

A shell bill avoiding specifics is fitting, considering that companies in 2022 rushed to file shell plans under Chapter 313 to construct their projects many years from now. Its all a pretty cynical shell game. This is not a left-right issue, as the coalition opposing it shows. Its an insider-outsider issue.

So which are you, an insider or an outsider?

Something as sweet as corporate welfare will have many friends and allies inside and around the lobby of the Texas Legislature.

There are 150 members of the Texas House of Representatives. HB 5 has 50 original signatories  the primary author, four joint authors and 45 co-authors. Are you curious whether your representative supports this corporate welfare? Look it up at bit.ly/3ZqiIlX.

If youre not an insider, perhaps with an energy company, on this $31 billion  and counting  corporate welfare giveaway, youll be paying this benefit to the insiders for decades.

And if legislators pass HB 5, and youre not an insider, youll be paying for that one for decades, too.
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The fossil fuel that powered the industrial revolution may no longer have a future in the countrys energy mix, according to new research.

The countrys coal-fired electricity generation capacity is expected to be halved in the next three years from its 2011 peak, according to a new report from the Cleveland-based nonprofit Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis. The research, based on utilities's announced plans to shut down or reduce the use of coal plants, finds capacity will drop to 159,000 megawatts in 2026 from the 2011 peak of 318,000 megawatts.

And coal generation may continue to fall faster, as aging units face higher operation and maintenance costs, Seth Feaster, report author and energy data analyst with the Institute, said in the report, and utilities increasingly favor the responsiveness of gas generation and battery storage to complement the variable output from solar and wind, both of which continue to be built at a rapid clip.

RELATED: Renewables beat out coal for electricity generation for first time in US

The shift to generate electricity by natural gas, wind, and solar energy comes as the U.S. works to meet emission reduction targets in an effort to combat the most catastrophic impacts from climate change. Electricity generation accounts for about 25 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in the country, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, and lowering emissions in the power sector has long been seen as vital for reaching climate targets.

Data from the U.S. Department of Energy shows Texas leads the nation in both energy production and consumption and in 2021 the state burned more than 60 million tons of coal to fire electric generation plants, according to the report. Thats more than any other state and accounted for 12 percent of coal used by the electricity sector that year.

Even so, as power demand soared in Texas last year to nearly 10 percent more than the previous year, the Institutes report found coal generation went down over 4 percent in 2022.

I think a lot of people have an outdated notion that coal power plants provide baseload power  that they run steady all the time, Daniel Cohan, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at Rice University, said. And that's just not been the case for years.

Cohan said the average output of coal power plants nationwide has fallen below half of their potential output.

The plants that aren't closing are having a hard time competing with cheaper gas and wind and solar, he said. Plus, most of our remaining coal plants are over 40 years old, so they're breaking down more than they used to.

RELATED: Coal and natural gas give way as renewable power generation grows in Texas

There are no announced plans to build a new coal-fired power plant in the U.S., and the IEEFA report shows that fewer than 200 large-scale coal-fired plants remain without announced retirement dates.

One of those plants sits about 30 miles southwest of downtown Houston in Fort Bend County.

Houston-based NRG Energy's WA Parish Plant has four coal-fired units able to generate 2,514 megawatts of power  one megawatt can power about 200 Texas homes on a hot summer day, according to the state's grid operator. A spokesperson for the company said it had no plans to close the facility.

Cohan at Rice University said plants like WA Parish will become more and more of an anomaly as power producers look to cut costs while slashing emissions. He pointed out that while coal is providing less power to Texans, its still the main source of sulfur pollution in the air.

As the Environmental Protection Agency works to tighten its standards, including the good neighbor rule taking effect in May that restricts emissions from power plants, Cohan said it could speed up the closure of coal plants.

These ongoing closures of coal plants across the state and across the country are a breath of fresh air, he said. It's taking away the most polluting and deadliest form of electricity  but were still not seeing moves to close the biggest source of power plant pollution in the Houston region.
Houston is the U.S. energy capital given its abundance of storage facilities, export terminals, refineries and its proximity the mighty Permian Basin, but a change in the makeup of the global benchmark for the price of oil means Houston  and greater Texas  is now essential to the world.

Brent, the global benchmark, is comprised of five different North Sea crudes  Brent-Ninian Blend, Ekofisk, Forties, Oseburg and Troll  that makeup whats known as the Brent basket. Now, the pricing agency Platts, part of S&P Global Commodity Insights, is looking outside the North Sea as it adds a sixth component to the Brent basket: a blend from Texas called WTI-Midland.

The move comes as both Brent and West Texas Intermediate, the U.S. benchmark, lost heavy ground last month due to concerns about a global financial crisis, with Brent dropping as low as $72.77, while WTI dropped into the $66-per-barrel range.

Sundays surprise announcement that OPEC, the cartel that dominates global oil production, and allies such as Russia, intend to trim 1.66 million barrels per day from production sent both Brent and WTI contracts sharply higher on Monday. Norwegian consultant group Rystad Energy said Brent has a shot at $110 this summer, after closing last week at $79.77 per barrel.

REFINERY EXPANSION: Exxon launches $2B refinery expansion, making the Beaumont site a behemoth

Brent establishes the price of more than half of the crude oil supplies traded globally. North Sea crude oil production is declining, however, and pricing agencies at times change what goes into the basket in order to solidify Brents position as a benchmark. Ekofisk was added to the basket in 2007 and Troll was included in 2018.

Recent sentiment from the Dallas Fed points to a shaky short-term future for shale, Ole Hanson, a commodities strategist at Saxo Bank in Denmark, said, and he does not expect the inclusion of WTI-Midland to have much of an impact on prices. But the inclusion of WTI in the Brent basket may nevertheless be a boon for Texas producers.

Export increase

That's because what is changing is the amount of U.S. oil on the water.

Aaron Brady, a vice president of energy oil market services at S&P Global Commodity Insights, said that U.S. crude oil exports increased from less than 500,000 barrels per day when the ban on exports was lifted in December 2015 to as high as 4 million barrels per day in recent weeks.

Thats a 700 percent increase in less than a decade. WTI-Midland, which reflects activity in the Permian basin, accounts for about half of total U.S. exports  and about half of total U.S. crude oil exports are going to Europe, according to S&P.

The vast majority of U.S. crude exports originate from Texas ports, and most of the crude shipped out originates from the Permian basin, which has been the growth engine for U.S. oil production, Brady told the Chronicle.

Whats more, Permian exports are important for energy security. The invasion of Ukraine in early 2022 forced Western economies to look for alternatives to Russian crude oil to starve the Kremlin of the revenue it needed to keep fighting the war.

RELATED: GOP questions Russia's role in oil price spike

Oil is part of the Western front and Texas, with the shift in Brent, is among the heavyweight champions of the world. And while year-on-year growth pales in comparison to expansion seen in the mid-2000s, U.S. crude oil production is on pace to average more than 12 million barrels per day, eclipsing both Saudi Arabia and Russia.

Better abroad

Permian crude is not necessarily ideal for U.S. refineries either. S&P said theres more shale oil than domestic refineries can handle. Many refineries take in heavy crude oil, which helps explain why Canada is the No. 1 oil exporter to the United States.

Permian is also quite similar to the components already in the Brent basket. The Brent basket is made up of low-density, low-sulfur grades of crude oil which makes it light, sweet in industry parlance. That gave Permian an edge over Norways Johan Sverdrup grade, which is heavier and with a higher sulfur content.

For Paul Hickin, the editor-in-chief at Petroleum Economist and a former director at S&P, the inclusion of WTI-Midland is a reflection of shifting market realities.

While including a land-based WTI-Midland crude from outside Europe in the North Sea basket may seem a bit radical, Hickin said it makes sense given the growing global importance of Texas crude.

Maybe the more radical departure would have been to keep it purely European in grade, he said.

Its radical as well for Texas because it also brings additional exposure and importance to the companies and people involved.

Outside of the Permian, shale plays may be showing their age as prospects for substantial growth diminish.

But the Permian Basin still has thousands of premium well locations remaining, and is expected to continue growing this decade, said S&Ps Brady.

The International Energy Agency predicted in 2018 that the United States would be the largest oil producer in the world by now. The addition of WTI-Midland into the global benchmark for the price of oil helps solidify not only the United States, but Texas, as the worlds energy superpower.
Mark Mulligan, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer

Mayor Sylvester Turner is seeking City Council support for a conservation district program he and city planners say could help lower-income neighborhoods preserve their character and fend off gentrification. Critics say it may actually make gentrification worse.

Marissa Luck and R.A. Schuetz speak with Yilun Cheng, City Council reporter at the Houston Chronicle, about what conservation districts would entail, why some neighborhood advocates have been requesting them and why others are nervous.
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The Lymbar snared me with my first sip of their Greenergy cocktail, its stealth current of herbal Chartreuse complicating rum, piloncillo and a whoosh of lime and mint leaves.

The balanced flavors and detailed ingredients pointed to a keen culinary sensibility at work. David Cordua, scion of the celebrated Nicaraguan restaurant family, was back on the Houston dining scene  four years after he and his father, Michael Cordua, got squeezed out of their pioneering Churrascos restaurant group by investors.

The chef radiated enthusiasm as he explained where he got the notion of a Chartreuse component. On a trip to Paris with his father, he encountered what he calls the best mojito he ever tasted. It was made with Chartreuse, the complex French botanical liqueur. The idea stuck with him.

Mojitos usually bore me. This one didnt.

Cocktails do not loom large in my personal measure of a restaurant, even in an era of self-serious Bar Programs. But I found the drinks unusually engaging at Corduas young spot at The Ion, the ambitious tech innovation hub in Midtown. From an improbable-sounding Pisco Punch scented with clove, to a taut version of banana daiquiri made with Rhum Agricole, every cocktail set the stage for a good time.

ESSAY: Houston restaurant reviews are back, but much has changed  including our critic

WHAT TO KNOW The Lymbar, 4201 Main St. at the Ion, 713-485-6230; lymbar.com Food: Highly personal mix of Latin American and Mediterranean, with a modular menu great for snacking or full meals. Plenty of hits and, at 3 1/2 months old, a few misses. Price: Apps and salads $7-$22; entrees $14 -$48; desserts $12 Vibe: Delightfully quirky and relaxed, populated by a young-to-older crowd thats dressed to network. Mixtape: Pan-Latin spliced with everything from vintage R&B to New Order. Service: Welcoming and mostly very good. Noise level: Moderate. While it can get loudish when full, conversation remains easy. Parking: Fenced valet lot at dinner; free lot at lunch. Some street parking on Eagle St. What to order: Any of the unusually good house cocktails; the Rosepud; truffle Twinkies; corn gnocchi with smoked tomato sauce; baby gem Caesar; empanada trio; churrasco steak; tres leches; alfajores; sweet corn flan. Outdoor seating options: Sizeable patio. Ventilation: High ceilings, noticeable air movement. See More Collapse

They suited the eclectic menu with its Latin American grounding. They glowed in old-fashioned glassware. They issued from a wildly dramatic bar hung with icebox-size staghorn ferns and a gargantuan old-school airplane plant. And like the Lymbar itself, they were fun.

Like some extraterrestrial drone, a dish called The Rosespud landed sprouting long wavy flanges of potato chip. Cordua and company had pressed the potato planks even thinner by passing them through a pasta machine. Then they slotted the fried chips into a shiny dome so they wiggled skyward. Add a sultry smoked-tomato dip, and a tart cilantro cream  yep, theres that word again. Fun.

A menu bristling with such clever snacks and cocktails seems bound to make the Lymbar into the Ions go-to lounge and hangout Cordua intends it to be. The big, quirky room occupies a ground-floor corner of the radically reimagined 1939 Sears store that houses the tech incubator. Theres a sly mid-century charm to the Gin Braverman design, and range of seating options beckons tenants and passersby to come in.

If the Lymbar looks like a living room on steroids  complete with claret-hued sofas and a tchotke-lined bookshelf wall  its no accident. The restaurant is named for the Meyerland street on which David Cordua grew up, and where his grandparents landed when they first arrived in Houston from Nicaragua. Family photos and even a vintage Silvertone radio (the Sears brand), make the knick-knacks vastly more personal than the corporate curios decorating the C. Baldwin Hotel downtown.

Even the improbable marriage of Latin American and Mediterranean cuisines is grounded in Corduas history. His wife has Mexican-Lebanese roots. Neighbors on the Lymbar block were the Droubi family, of Syrian descent, who founded the Middle Eastern bakery and specialty store of that name.

So the menus cultural splices are not so farfetched. Bubbly-crusted empanadas might hold a sultry mix of spinach, feta and halloumi cheeses; or crumbly beef kofta studded with pinenuts and accented with hummus and scarlet bomba, the Calabrian chili condiment. They work. So, amusingly, does the vintage Americana of a Monte Cristo empanada, its salty innards of ham, turkey and Gruyere set against a racy raspberry/sesame vinaigrette. Shades of the 1980s.

Chicken shawarma or tenderloin skewers arrive with pita rounds, so you can assemble your own Tacos Arabes  a play on the spit-roasted pork shawarma tacos Lebanese and Iraqi immigrants once created in Puebla. The tenderloin version came with escorts of tahini, chimichurri, chili bomba and magenta turnip pickles. While it was promising fun, the tenderloin chunks had been cooked well done, which dulled the pleasure.

Similarly, corn-smoked lamb chops arrived with dreary gray interiors, taking the edge off their lively guajillo chile glaze and couscous tabouli. Kitchen bobbles havent been ironed out here yet. Though Cordua says he is there every day, I saw him on two of my four visits, and had to wonder if hes tasting dishes like an inordinately salty snapper with chorizo emulsion, smelling and tasting fishy enough that I couldnt eat more than a few bites. Or a kale salad, dressed with peanut vinaigrette, that had the texture of rabbit roughage.

Such puzzling blips are the exception, not the rule. The Baby Gem Caesar is punchy and pitch-perfect, right down to the toasted panko crumbs that liven the texture.

A center-cut tenderloin churrasco steak  a Cordua signature since Michael Cordua opened the groundbreaking Churrascos out near Sharpstown in 1988  came out perfectly medium rare, accompanied by that edgy chimichurri, a bouncy Bearnaise sauce, and cant-stop-scarfingem wedge fries.

The churrasco is very dear these days at $48 for an 8-ounce cut  welcome to dining out in the spring of 2023  but its an enduring Houston classic for a reason.

I loved a seasonal special of sous-vide duck breast in a cherry mole negro; and feisty corn gnocchi in a pool of smoked tomato sauce, sparked by tart bursts of uncooked grape tomato. Their texture had the slight graininess of masa, a nod to the menus underlying corn theme. Like a number of dishes here, the gnocchi are listed under bar bites but could serve as a main course.

So could a bright, mixed ceviche underlain with sweet potato puree and sparks of chili oil and coconut. Sweet potato worked less effectively in a salad with roasted beets and buoyant labeh (the yogurt cheese) with dill  add honey, plus two sweet vegetables, and the sum was too sweet. A slight recalibration, and this would be a great dish.

Like the cocktails, desserts are unusually good. A cloudlike, vanilla-charged tres leches cake with a satin puff of Italian meringue lives up to its distinguished history. (The original at the Corduas Americas set off the trend that made tres leches Houstons civic dessert.) Little alfajores cookies, dusted with powdered sugar and filled with serious, tangentially funky dulce de leche, are a dream. And a sweet corn flan with cracker jack corn and corn shoot slivers has the lovely, rich texture of panna cotta.

Okay, the amusing foie doughnut holes, stuffed with foie gras mousse, had the stretchy texture of glutinous rice balls the night I tried them, and it didnt quite click for me. But my joy in the hilarious truffle Twinkies, another pop-cultural wink, had no downside, from the butter-gilded brioche bars hiding egg yolk custard, to the actual black truffle shavings riding shotgun.

I could eat those babies for dessert, or hog all three of them for lunch.

Speaking of which, the lunch and dinner menus are the same, which is less user-friendly than the location probably demands. But in all other ways  from the obliging service to the menus jaunty informality  the Lymbar seems exceptionally responsive to its Ion environment.

A chefs counter and open kitchen beckon behind big glass windows looking into the lobby, connecting to the events that swirl through the building. Myriad seating options extend their own invitation: to huddle over drinks at the long bar; to grab an impromptu bite at the chefs counter; to collapse into plush armchairs, or to entertain clients in a svelte little private board room.

I sat at a cocktail high-top near a young man who used collab as a noun, and observed a parade of diverse young people who came and went during a late lunch, networking their heads off. At night, my fellow diners ranged from prosperous South American families to professorial tech types. It all felt vibrant and up-to-the-minute and  here comes that word again  fun.

alison.cook@houstonchronicle.com
On a downtown building, a Black boy with a sweet face and attentive eyes appears nearly 10-stories-tall, as he holds onto his bike.

The mural, created by artist Case MacClaim, features 11-year-old Houston Atlee, a fifth-grade A-student at MacGregor Elementary who plays on the basketball team and has NBA dreams.

He plans to attend University of Houston. Maybe become a teacher, too, he said.



The artwork at Main and Prairie beautifully captures the innocence of childhood  a theme not often associated with Black boys, who rarely get to be just kids on their bikes.

When the mural was unveiled last fall, Atlee blushed with embarrassment at first. Neither he nor his family knew how gigantic the artwork would be. They surely didn't know his image would extend high into the sky.

"It looks really cool," the soft-spoken Atlee said this week. "I think it's something positive that people can see a Black boy happy."

Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographer Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographer Houston Atlee, 11, rides his new bike in front of his grandmothers house on Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023 in Houston, TX. Houston Atlee was selected from a group of boys in Shape Community Centers after school program to recreate his photo for a large mural in downtown Houston. (Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographer) Houston Atlee, 11, rides his new bike in front of his grandmothers house on Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023 in Houston, TX. Houston Atlee was selected from a group of boys in Shape Community Centers after school program to recreate his photo for a large mural in downtown Houston. (Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographer)

It's one of nine murals in downtown that are part of the "Big Art. Bigger Change" project, a collaboration between Central Houston Inc. and Street Art for Mankind, a global non-profit organization, that promotes social change through art. The project was conceived by Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis.

Atlee was selected out of eight boys who are part of the after-school program at Shape Community Center, a Third Ward community center in founded in 1969.

His mother, Shavonne Leon, who calls her son a "mini Kobe Bryant," was speechless when she first saw the mural. So were his older brothers, Marvelous Atlee, 13, and Wisdom Hopkins, 17.

"I thought it would be on a simple canvas, and I was shocked that this is about my son. It's really overwhelming, and I'm glad to see someone who looks like us," Leon said.

Atlee was recently featured in an ABC-13 segment about the mural, and when his mother shared that her son was on the news, the reaction was troubling.

"Everyone assumed it was something negative  that he was involved in a crime or was shot. They all thought the worst," Leon said.

The reality is that society's perception of Black boys, and girls, is weighted in bias that often demonizes and criminalizes them. I've experienced it with my own children who, like Atlee, love riding bikes and playing with their friends.

They are just kids, but the world sometimes sees them differently.

Black boys as young as 10 are more likely to be mistaken as older, deemed as guilty and face police violence if accused of a crime, according to a 2014 multi-college study. These false perceptions extend to the classroom. Half of the 17,000 preschool students who were suspended or expelled nationwide in 2021 were Black boys, even though they represent about 20 percent of enrolled children, according to a University of Virginia study.

Sumya Southern, the youth program director at Shape, said at first, Atlee didn't want want to be a part of the project.

"I think we all knew that Houston would get selected, and it's perfect he was the chosen one," she said. "This mural represents who we are here for, and Houston represents all the little Black boys riding their bikes, saying, 'Hey, that could be me.'"

Atlee often rides his bike from the community center to his granny's house nearby. He's been attending the after-school program since he was 5, so everyone knows how much he loves his bike. Atlee is always up for new challenge, Southern said, like the Afro-Brazilian capoeira dance classes he took at the center. Then once he masters it, he moves on to the next thing.

"He's such a great kid to be around," said Atlee's mentor, Daniel Henry, an attorney who volunteers at the center and has been working with him since he first came to the center. "It gives me hope that the true side of our boys can be seen. They are innocent, carefree and just want to have fun."

My hope is that Atlee's mural will help change untruths about our children, and give people a reason to stop and think. He's just a kid.

At his granny's house, Atlee pedals his bike toward the driveway, giving himself some room. Then he speeds up fast, pops a big wheelie, and smiles.
In Vermonts tallest peak, Carl Nargle found his Rushmore. Parallels between Nargle, the middle-aged public access TV painter Owen Wilson plays in the movie Paint" (opening April 7) and Max Fischer, the teenage student Wilson co-wrote into Rushmore 25 years ago, arent exactly obvious. But both subscribe to Fischers belief: I guess youve just gotta find something you love to do and then do it for the rest of your life. For me, its going to Rushmore.

For Nargle, its painting Mount Mansfield, a geographic feature he has put to canvas time and time again.

Hearing you say it . . . and Ive just seen it because my two boys watch Rushmore'. I like that line, Wilson says. "And (Mount Mansfield) is his Rushmore. And may we all be so lucky as to find our Rushmore, our Mount Mansfield. A lot of us sleepwalk through life never finding the one thing.

MORE FROM ANDREW DANSBY: Houston native Sidik Fofana among 10 winners of $50,000 Whiting Award for emerging writers

For Nargle to find peace with his Mansfield, he travels a complicated path of discovery in writer/director Brit McAdams film. Paint on the surface has the appearance of a sight gag film, with Wilsons Nargle outfitted in outdated duds and a spherical perm meant to call to mind the late legend of televised landscape painting, Bob Ross. But when a younger painter stakes a claim to Nargles space, the film takes on a sweet sadness about inspiration, affirmation and connection.

For anyone having done one thing for a long time, Paint can be subtly upsetting, even without laying it on thick.

I think if were being honest, it can hit a little close to home at certain points in life for anyone, Wilson says. The idea that youre kind of rolling along. Everything is breaking your way. Then all of the sudden, everything is taken away, and thats painful. No matter how spiritually evolved you hope to be or hope you are, you cant help but sometimes identify who you are with what you do.

In Nargles case, hes beloved in Vermont with an identifiable visage, a calming voice and a catchphrase: Thanks for going to a special place with me. Over time his show became soothing appointment viewing for amateur painters, sure, but also barflies and residents of retirement homes. Nargles renown in the Green Mountain State has afforded him seemingly unwavering employment as well as status as an unlikely lothario with a mobile love nest of a van. A young painter named Ambrosia (Ciara Renee) upsets his groove professionally and personally, revealing paths not taken.

Filmed in 2021, Paint was originally posted on the Blacklist survey for well-liked but unproduced screenplays, where it existed more than a decade before getting filmed. Though it makes no specific reference to the pandemic, the film feels like the sort of story put into motion during quarantine. It prompts reflection on the past few years with its juxtaposition between nature and the interior of a TV studio; its consideration of a range of connection, from particularly personal to the partially fabricated intimacy between TV painter and his fans.

Wilson was the right man for the job of nestling under Nargles dandelion pappus hair. All routes to the big screen are unorthodox in some way, but Wilson took a particularly circuitous route, getting ousted from a private school in his native Dallas and sent to military school in New Mexico before attending the University of Texas, where he met Houston native Wes Anderson.

The two co-wrote a script for a short film, Bottle Rocket, which celebrated its 30th anniversary last year. They found funding to make a feature-length version of the film in 1996, which like the short starred Wilson and his brother Luke. Wilson would co-write two more films with Anderson  Rushmore and The Royal Tenenbaums  but appearances in films like Shanghai Noon and Zoolander proved him bankable as an actor, work that has been his primary pursuit since.

For Paint he took a few lessons with a Bob Ross school sort of painter, but Wilson sees the value simply in creating.

Just the other night at dinner my kids had their crayons out, he says. They gave them menus where you can color stuff in. And theyre completely occupied. Why dont we continue doing that? It feels good as a kid. It still feels good. But somehow we get away from it. Its nice to try to express yourself, and theres a meditative quality to it thats different from what you get checking social media and stuff like that.

Wilson suggests any vocation can lead to a Nargle-like rut, but also says that isnt the most hopeless road to go down. Go to a museum, youll see a painter who got one idea and just kept going with that idea.

He brings up thousands of paintings made over four decades by the Japanese artist Kawara that bear only a date. People will say, Well I couldve done that, Wilson says. Yeah, but you didnt. This guy did that.

But unlike Kawara, Nargle never quite received the institutional recognition he sought to complement the reverence he found as a regional television celebrity. In finding his routine with Mount Mansfield, he missed the forest in a sense.

In trying to kind of pain the perfect picture for someone else, you miss what might be perfect in your own life, Wilson says. That sounds a little new age-y or something. But I think its true sometimes in life.

andrew.dansby@houstonchronicle.com
A Conroe man was found guilty on two separate family violence charges this week after choking his girlfriend in 2022.

Gregory Gunter Jr., 37, was convicted of assault family violence with a prior conviction and sentenced to 20 years by a Montgomery County jury.

Gunter also was convicted of assault family violence-strangulation and sentenced to 55 years. The sentences will run concurrently.

On YourConroeNews.com: Texas AG Paxton files suit to shut down two massage businesses in Montgomery County

According to court documents, Gunter was in a relationship with the victim when he assaulted and choked her over Easter weekend in 2022. A witness to the assault called law enforcement to report the incident and testified in the trial against Gunter.

Following the jurys conviction March 28, a prior victim of Gunter's, with whom he had a previous relationship, testified about an assault in 2011 when Gunter strangled her until she was nearly unconscious and the lasting impact the abuse had on her life.

Mike Holley, first assistant district attorney, said the jury also heard evidence of the defendants extensive criminal history, including previous prison sentences for violent offenses. Prosecutors asked the jury to consider not only Gunters criminal history and the victims safety but also the safety of the community when deciding Gunters punishment.

Gunter will be eligible for parole.
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RICHMOND, Va. (AP)  Irvo Otieno, a 28-year-old Black man whose death last month at a Virginia mental hospital has sparked outrage and led to second-degree murder charges against 10 defendants, died of positional and mechanical asphyxia with restraints, a medical examiner's office said Monday.

Arkuie Williams, the administrative deputy in the state Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, confirmed the cause of death findings to The Associated Press after attorneys for Otieno's family first shared them in a statement. The manner of death was homicide, Williams wrote in an email.

Otieno, who struggled with mental illness, died March 6 after he was pinned to the floor while being admitted to Central State Hospital in Dinwiddie County.

Video released earlier this month showed sheriffs deputies and hospital employees restraining a handcuffed and shackled Otieno for about 20 minutes after he was forcibly led into a hospital room. For much of that time, Otieno was prone on the floor, pinned by a group so large it blocked the cameras view of him at times.

Personnel who realized he appeared limp and lifeless eventually began resuscitation efforts, the video showed.

The official cause and manner of death is not surprising to us as it corroborates what the world witnessed in the video," family attorneys Ben Crump and Mark Krudys said in a statement. "In a chilling parallel to George Floyds killing, Irvo was held down and excessively restrained to death, when he should have been provided medical help and compassion. It is tragic that yet another life has been lost to this malicious and deadly restraint technique.

Seven deputies and three hospital workers have been charged with second-degree murder in Otieno's death.

The local prosecutor who brought the charges has previously said in court that Otieno was smothered to death.

No additional information from the autopsy beyond the cause and manner of death can be released by the medical examiner's office, Williams said.

Otieno was laid to rest last week. Civil rights leader the Rev. Al Sharpton and other speakers at his funeral said his death shows the need for mental health and policing reforms.

Otienos family and their attorneys have said Otieno was experiencing mental distress at the time of his initial encounter with law enforcement, days before he was taken to the state hospital. He was first taken into police custody in Henrico County March 3, when he was transported to a local hospital for mental health treatment under an emergency custody order.

Police have said that while at the local hospital, he became physically assaultive toward officers, at which point they arrested him and took him to a local jail, something Otienos family says should never have happened given that he was in need of treatment. On the afternoon of March 6, he was transferred to the state hospital, which has a unit that provides care for people admitted from jails or by court order.

Some of the attorneys for the defendants charged in his death have said their clients were only trying to restrain Otieno. Otienos family and their attorneys have said he posed no danger to them and was simply trying to breathe during the encounter at the hospital shown on video.

All defendants have been granted bond and court records show pre-trial hearings in April or May.

AP sought comment on the medical examiner's findings from defense attorneys for each of the defendants. Attorneys Emily Munn, Emilee Hasbrouck and G. Russell Stone, declined to comment.

Attorney Ed Riley, who represents one of the deputies, said he couldn't comment on the merits of the findings without having seen the full autopsy report. He said he worried that public statements from the attorneys for Otieno's family as well as other public disclosures in the case, including the video, could hinder the defendants' right to a fair trial.

Other attorneys did not respond to phone and email messages seeking comment.

___

Associated Press writer Denise Lavoie contributed to this report.
As Texas legislators continue debating the possible expansion of the state's medical marijuana program, many Texans already have prescriptions to use the drug legally, under certain conditions.

Eligible Texans suffering from specific ailments have been able to legally use medical marijuana since 2015 when the Compassionate Use Act was passed. The compassionate use program grants qualified physicians the ability to prescribe "low THC" cannabis to patients with certain medical conditions. Marijuana has multiple components, including Cannabidiol, better known as CBD, and THC, both of which can be used to fight pain. Products containing only CBD do not require a prescription, come in myriad delivery methods  such as oils, topical gels and pills  and can be sold anywhere from smoke shops and gas stations to specialty stores.

Tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, however, is the portion of marijuana generally known to give some users a "high," which is why it is regulated by the state and requires a prescription based on medical need. Despite this side effect, medical marijuana patients are prescribed the drug for relief of their symptoms, including pain and muscle spasticity.

A House committee in late March unanimously approved the bill presented by state Rep. Stephanie Klick (R-North Richland Hills), which would boost the maximum allowable THC level in medical marijuana from 1 percent to 5 percent and allow the Department of State Health Services to add additional qualifying conditions.

Low THC is derived from the plant Cannabis Sativa L, according to the state's website. "All parts of the plant and any resulting compounds, salts, resins, oils and derivatives that contain no more than 0.5 percent by weight of THC are considered Low-THC," it says.

Medical use of these prescribed doses of low THC can only be swallowed, not smoked, according to current law.

Here's a list of the conditions that qualify a resident to be prescribed medical marijuana in Texas:

Other requirements needed to use cannabis in Texas

In addition to a diagnosis for one of the qualifying medical conditions, Texans also must meet a few more requirements to obtain a medical marijuana license, including:

Being a permanent resident of Texas

Having a physician registered with the compassionate care program prescribe the cannabis

Having a qualified physician decide whether the benefit of medical marijuana use outweighs the risk

There is no age limit for prescriptions, but patients under 18 might need a legal guardian.

The process of obtaining a prescription requires the physician to enter the patient's information into the Compassionate Use Registry of Texas. Once complete, the patient or legal guardian can go to any licensed dispensary to purchase medical marijuana. The patient or legal guardian must provide ID and the patient's last name, date of birth and the last five digits of his or her Social Security number, according to the state government's website.
Bjoern Wylezich, HO / TNS

A Houston man was sentenced to life in prison Monday after being convicted of murder over the 2021 death of woman who was robbed and run over in a McDonalds parking lot.

Andrew Williams, 41, was found guilty of capital murder in the death of Martha Medina. Medina, 71, died on Sept. 23, 2021. Williams and two other men followed Medina from a bank to the restaurant in east Houston. When Medina came out of the restaurant, the men knocked her to the ground and took her purse.
Houston Chronicle

A man was arrested Monday night after leading police on a chase through northwest Harris County that ended at Bush Intercontinental Airport.

The man's name and the charges against him weren't immediately released, though he was identified as a 35-year-old.
On Scene Media

A woman was killed during a gunfight in southeast Houston early Tuesday and Houston police were searching for the shooter or shooters who fired more than a dozen rounds before her death, officials said.

Officers around 3 a.m. were called to the 7900 block of Leonora Street for a report of a shooting, Houston police Lt. J.P. Horelica told On Scene reporters. There they found a woman dead with multiple gunshot wounds.
A Houston man was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison Monday, nearly two years after he pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute 15 kilos of methamphetamine.

Josue Daniel Casco, 38, pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges in July 2021.

MORE ON HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM: West Houston police chase ends in crash, driver in critical condition

In October 2020, Casco was arrested in a IKEA parking lot after undercover investigators learned of a plan to sell the drugs for more than $100,000, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Texas. Prosecutors said Casco rammed a law enforcement vehicle when authorities moved in to arrest him.

Casco and another man were arrested, charged and ordered to be kept in federal custody. The men were also accused of carrying loaded weapons at the time of their arrest.

The drug charge is not the only crime Casco has been accused of. Last year he was charged with capital murder in the 2017 shooting deaths of a Houston couple.

He was accused of shooting Robert Cerda, with whom he had an ongoing dispute, on Dec. 12, 2017, inside a hair salon on Long Point Drive. After that shooting, Casco and another man drove Cerda's girlfriend, Rachel Delarosa, to North Creekmont Drive and killed her, according to police. Cerda's body was later found wrapped in a tarp on Bleker Street.

At the time of his arrest in the homicide, Casco was already in federal custody. The murder charge is still pending in the Harris County court system.
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A woman has been arrested on suspicion of the fatal stabbing of a man at a Clear Lake apartment complex in March, according to court documents.

Liliana Cervantes, 27, has been charged with murder in connection with the death of Nathan Bryan Freeman, according to Harris County court records.
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid will open at least two months late this year, a change that could create some confusion but is unlikely to prevent students from receiving aid, several Houston-area financial aid officers said.

The biggest unknowns come from not knowing exactly how the application, the FAFSA, will look to students when they open it sometime in December, according to the financial aid offices at Prairie View A&M University and the University of St. Thomas. But federal officials said they believe applicants should still have an easier time than usual: The delay stems from an effort to simplify the 2024-2025 form.

More than 17 million students and thousands of schools use the FAFSA form to help access and award financial aid every year, but far too many are locked out of aid because of the cumbersome processes and outdated technology that come with the current form, Federal Student Aid Chief Operating Officer Rich Cordray said in a statement. Thats why the Department of Education has been working hard on the 202425 FAFSA form, which will make it easier and simpler for students and families to receive the financial support they need while also making more students eligible for aid.

EXPLAINER: Everything Texas students should know about the college application process, from key dates to tests

The FAFSA, largely using families' income and tax information, is the primary way that the federal government, state and universities determine financial aid packages. The application has long been considered a cumbersome task  especially for students who are the first in their families to attend college  and bipartisan legislation in 2021 prompted the Department of Education to revamp the form.

The application has opened Oct. 1 for the past several years, giving Texans two months to complete the form before the states priority deadline of Jan. 15. The local financial aid officers said they expect the priority deadline will be moved because of the delay to an unknown date in December, making every student able to complete the application on time so long as they are aware of the changes.

At Prairie View, about 68 percent of students receive federal Pell Grants, which are designated for low-income families, said Joy D. Thomas, director of Prairie Views Office of Student Financial Aid & Scholarships. Students might see the later deadline and be tempted to wait longer to complete the form, meaning universities will especially be tasked to communicate the changes to students, said Joy D. Thomas,

You may see some procrastination there, she said. Theyre used to having to complete it a lot earlier.

Federal officials said the new application will be streamlined to as few as 18 questions, down from 103 questions on the old form. The FAFSA will also use an updated financial eligibility calculation and will allow applicants to consent to the federal office directly for secure access to IRS tax information.

More from Samantha Ketterer: St. Thomas graduates first class of students with learning differences

At the University of St. Thomas, where 34 percent of students this year received federal Pell grants, Dean of Scholarships and Financial Aid Lynda McKendree agreed that financial aid offices will be feeling the brunt of the change. She expects to receive training from the government in the summer.

We have a lot to learn and unlearn, she said. The FAFSA is going to be a lot better, but its a change.
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Ruth J. Simmons made national headlines when she pushed up her planned departure as president of Prairie View A&M University, leading many alumni to cast blame on the Texas A&M System.

Here are five things to know about Ruth J. Simmons.

Simmons on the A&M system

She felt she could not serve as president in name only after she got an edict to refrain from making high-level appointments, which the system explained was standard for outgoing presidents  and she recently elaborated on her feelings in an exclusive interview with the Houston Chronicle last month.

HIGHER ED: Ruth Simmons blasts Texas A&M System over its handling of Prairie View

Simmons said the Texas A&M System undervalued her experience. And echoing the thoughts of many alumni, she said that the system has neglected the HBCU and doesnt seem capable of making decisions on its behalf.

Those statements could potentially bolster Simmons reputation as one of the most outspoken voices in higher education. She is already one of the most recognized leaders in the field, with three presidencies and a track record of striving for more access to higher education for female and Black students.

Houston ties

The youngest of 12 siblings, Simmons was born in 1945 to a family of sharecroppers in East Texas. They moved to Houston as agriculture technology began replacing their work, and she attended Wheatley High School  an experience that will be heavily featured in an upcoming memoir.

Simmons has visited Wheatley several times in recent years, and she heavily credits her teachers for educating her when they had virtually no support from the state and district. The Fifth Ward campus is now in the spotlight because its multiple failing accountability grades prompted the state takeover of Houston Independent School District.

Simmons said she was devastated at the news and hopes that the state invests more resources in teachers.

Hostile takeovers in the business world can sometimes succeed, because it's all about the bottom line. Our schools are not about the bottom. They're about the human factor, she said in her Chronicle interview. A distant operation that tries to manipulate locally, usually doesn't have much success  so what that takeover is all about is anybody's guess.

HBCUs: Texas Southern asks Legislature for $1 billion to bolster new programs and correct decades of underfunding

Trailblazing

Simmons attended Dillard University in New Orleans and went on to receive her Ph.D. in romance languages and literature at Harvard University.

She later worked at the University of Southern California, Princeton University and Spelman College.

After years in administrative roles, she became one of the most well-known university presidents in the United States. First at Smith College and then at Brown University, she broke the "color barrier" by becoming the first Black president at a Seven Sisters school and in the Ivy Leagues.

The trailblazing continued: At Smith, she created the first engineering program for a womens college. Years later at Brown, Simmons ignited a racial reckoning in higher education when she re-examined the schools history with the slave trade.

"The thing that is gratifying to me about all of that is I have been a problem everywhere," she said. "All I can think is that decades later, people see the value in somebody standing for something."

Called out of retirement

Simmons was retired for years when Texas A&M Chancellor John Sharp asked her to serve as interim president of Prairie View A&M University.

She planned on declining, but she said a visit to the campus changed her mind. She remained at Prairie View for six years and became immensely popular with the students, faculty, staff and alumni. Fundraising and research spending reached new highs under her watch, and Prairie View entered the national spotlight.

UNDERFUNDED: A history of funding failures at HBCUs

Houston is home

Simmons began a position this month as Rice Universitys Presidents Distinguished Fellow, which will see her advise President Reginald DesRoches and be involved in the schools Task Force on Slavery, Segregation and Racial Injustice.

She will also begin in June as a senior adviser to the president of Harvard University on the schools HBCU partnerships. Simmons said the process will start with a listening tour, making HBCUs the drivers of the effort.

Despite having ongoing relationships with higher education institutions across the country, her job at Rice will keep her anchored in Houston.
A lawsuit accusing Galveston County elected officials of violating the Voting Rights Act when establishing a redistricting map can move to trial, after a federal judge recently denied the countys request to dismiss most of the claims against it.

Judge Jeffrey Brown of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas in Galveston last week ruled the U.S. Department of Justice and other plaintiffs against Galveston County have standing to proceed to trial because they have a plausible racial gerrymandering and vote dilution claim, among other arguments, according to court records.

MORE ON CASE: DOJ sues Galveston County, alleging redrawn commissioner precincts dilute Black, Hispanic voting strength

A trial tentatively is set for Aug. 7 in the case against the county.

The U.S. Department of Justice led a host of plaintiffs in March 2022 when it sued Galveston County over its new redistricting map, accusing Republican county officials of violating the Voting Rights Act when they carved up the commissioner court precincts into four majority-white districts. The lawsuit accuses the county of violating Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, which broadly bars racially discriminatory voting practices, including those that minimize the voting strength of racial minority groups.

The redrawn map dismantles the precinct represented by Commissioner Stephen Holmes, the only Democrat and minority member of the court, all but ensuring his defeat in 2024 if the map remains intact.

Under the new layout, Republicans are poised to gain a 5-0 majority on the governing body for Galveston County, where 38 percent of voters cast their ballots for Democrat Joe Biden.

Attorneys for Galveston County in June sought to have the case dismissed, arguing the claims were moot because the court now had two Black commissioners, that the court couldnt stop the redistricting because it was a partisan gerrymander, that one of the plaintiffs didnt live in the district in question and that the plaintiffs didnt show enough evidence the court acted with illicit intent.

But Brown in his orders last week rejected most of the courts claims, except for granting a dismissal against the plaintiff who didnt live in the district in question.

The defendants have proffered no evidence that Dr. (Robin) Armstrong is the candidate of choice of Black and Latino voters and simply tout the fact that he is Black, Jones wrote. On the other hand, the NAACP plaintiffs have provided substantial factual allegations supporting Commissioner Holmess status as the candidate of choice for Black and Latino voters since he was first elected as commissioner for Precinct 3 in 1999.

This is not the first time Galveston County has faced scrutiny over its voting maps.

In 2012, federal officials struck down the countys commissioner, constable and justice-of-the-peace maps, finding they ran afoul of the Voting Rights Act by diminishing the power of minority voters.
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NEW YORK (AP)  A stone-faced Donald Trump made a momentous courtroom appearance Tuesday when he was confronted with a 34-count felony indictment charging him in a scheme to bury allegations of extramarital affairs that arose during his first White House campaign.

The arraignment in a Manhattan courtroom was a stunning  and humbling  spectacle for the first ex-president to ever face criminal charges. With Trump watching in silence, prosecutors bluntly accused him of criminal conduct and set the stage for a possible criminal trial in the city where he became a celebrity decades ago.

The indictment centers on allegations that Trump falsified internal business records at his private company while trying to cover up an effort to illegally influence the 2016 election by arranging payments that silenced claims potentially harmful to his candidacy. It includes 34 counts of fudging records related to checks Trump sent to his personal lawyer and problem-solver to reimburse him for his role in paying off a porn actor who said she had an extramarital sexual encounter with Trump years earlier.

The defendant, Donald J. Trump, falsified New York business records in order to conceal an illegal conspiracy to undermine the integrity of the 2016 presidential election and other violations of election laws," said Assistant District Attorney Christopher Conroy.

Trump, somber and silent as he entered and exited the Manhattan courtroom, said not guilty in a firm voice while facing a judge who warned him to refrain from rhetoric that could inflame or cause civil unrest. All told, the ever-verbose Trump, who for weeks before Tuesdays arraignment had assailed the case against him as political persecution, uttered only 10 words in the courtroom. He appeared to glare for a period at Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, the prosecutor who brought the case.

As he returned to his Florida estate, Mar-a-Lago, where he delivered a primetime address to hundreds of supporters, Trump again protested his innocence and asserted on his Truth Social platform that the hearing was shocking to many in that they had no surprises, and therefore, no case.

In his speech, Trump lashed out anew at the prosecution and attacked in bitter terms the prosecutor and the judge presiding over the case despite being admonished hours earlier about incendiary rhetoric. In a sign of that other probes are weighing on him, Trump also steered his speech into a broadside against a separate Justice Department investigation into the mishandling of classified documents.

I never thought anything like this could happen in America, Trump said of the New York indictment. This fake case was brought only to interfere with the upcoming 2024 election and it should be dropped immediately."

The crowd at Mar-a-Lago included supporters like failed Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake and longtime ally Roger Stone. Trump's wife, Melania, was absent from his side and was also not seen with him in New York.

Even so, the indictment amounts to a remarkable reckoning for Trump after years of investigations into his personal, business and political dealings. It shows how even as Trump is looking to reclaim the White House in 2024, he is shadowed by investigations related to his behavior in the two prior elections, with prosecutors in Atlanta and Washington scrutinizing efforts by Trump and his allies to undo the 2020 presidential election  probes that could produce even more charges.

In the New York case, each count of falsifying business records, a felony, is punishable by up to four years in prison  though it's not clear if a judge would impose any prison time if Trump is convicted. The next court date is Dec. 4  two months before Republicans begin their nominating process in earnest  and Trump will again be expected to appear.

A conviction would not prevent Trump from running for or winning the presidency in 2024.

The arraignment also delved into Trump's rhetoric on the case, with prosecutors at one point handing printouts of his social media posts to the judge and defense lawyers as Trump looked on. Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchan did not impose a gag order but told Trump's lawyers to urge him to refrain from posts that could encourage unrest.

The broad contours of the case have long been known, focusing on a scheme that prosecutors say began months into his candidacy in 2015, as his celebrity past collided with his presidential ambitions.

Though prosecutors expressed confidence in the case, a conviction is no sure thing given the legal complexities of the allegations, the application of state election laws to a federal election and prosecutors' likely reliance on a key witness, Trump's former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen, who pleaded guilty in 2018 to false statements.

It centers on payoffs to two women, porn star Stormy Daniels and Playboy model Karen McDougal, who said they had extramarital sexual encounters with Trump years earlier, as well as to a Trump Tower doorman who claimed to have a story about a child he alleged the former president had out of wedlock.

"Its not just about one payment. It is 34 false statements and business records that were concealing criminal conduct, Bragg told reporters, when asked how the three separate cases were connected.

All 34 counts against Trump are linked to a series of checks that were written to Cohen to reimburse him for his role in paying off Daniels. Those payments, made over 12 months, were recorded in various internal company documents as being for a legal retainer that prosecutors say didnt exist. Cohen testified before the grand jury and is expected to be a star prosecution witness.

Nine of those monthly checks were paid out of Trumps personal accounts, but records related to them were maintained in the Trump Organizations data system.

Prosecutors allege that the first instance of Trump directing hush money payments came in the fall of 2015, when a former Trump Tower doorman was trying to sell information about an alleged out-of-wedlock child fathered by Trump.

David Pecker, a Trump friend and the publisher of the National Enquirer, made a $30,000 payment to the doorman to acquire the exclusive rights to the story, pursuant to an agreement to protect Trump during his presidential campaign, according to the indictment. Peckers company later determined the doormans story was false, but is alleged to have enforced the doormans confidentiality at Cohens urging until after Election Day.

Trump denies having sexual liaisons with both Daniels and McDougal and has denied any wrongdoing involving payments.

Tuesday's schedule, with its striking blend of legal and political calendar items, represents the new split-screen reality for Trump as he submits to the dour demands of the American criminal justice system while projecting an aura of defiance and victimhood at celebratory campaign events.

Wearing his signature dark suit and red tie, Trump turned and waved to crowds outside the building before heading inside to be fingerprinted and processed. He arrived at court in an eight-car motorcade from Trump Tower, communicating in real time his anger at the process.

Heading to Lower Manhattan, the Courthouse," he posted on his Truth Social platform. "Seems so SURREAL  WOW, they are going to ARREST ME. Cant believe this is happening in America. MAGA!

Afterward, Trump lawyer Todd Blanche told reporters that it was a sad day for the country.

You dont expect this to happen to somebody who was president of the United States," he said.

___

Tucker and Weissert reported from Washington. Associated Press journalists Jill Colvin, Bobby Caina Calvan, Larry Neumeister, Karen Matthews, Larry Fleisher, Deepti Hajela, Julie Walker, Ted Shaffrey, David R. Martin, Joe Frederick and Robert Bumsted in New York; Colleen Long and Michael Balsamo in Washington; Adriana Gomez Licon in Palm Beach, Florida; and Terry Spencer in Palm Beach, Florida, contributed to this report.

___

Follow the AP's coverage of former President Donald Trump at https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump.
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NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP)  Europe must re-industrialize to become more self-sufficient and less dependent on third countries for energy and key raw materials, Spain's prime minister said Tuesday.

Prime Minister Petro Sanchez said after talks with Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides in the Cypriot capital that Europe needs to be strategically autonomous, especially in the wake of Russias war in Ukraine.

Sanchez, whose country assumes the European Unions rotating presidency Jul. 1st, said this push toward less reliance on others for defense, as well as high-tech hardware such as semi-conductors and microchips doesnt mean regression to a state of economic protectionism.

The Spanish premier said the EU needs to reach out to key regions such us the Caribbean and Latin America as well as nations on its southern periphery including Algeria, Libya, Egypt, Israel, Lebanon and Jordan.

A summit between the EU and the so-called southern neighborhood countries is set for December.

Sanchez called a reduction on coal use in energy generation an absolute priority for Europe, as well a balancing out the cost of energy between producers and consumers.

Christodoulides said both leaders agreed to seek out alternative energy routes as well as nudging forward the EUs pivot toward green energy. Cyprus, Greece and Israel agree that the eastern Mediterranean with its substantial natural gas deposits could offer the EU an energy alternative.

Christodoulides said the time has finally come for the EU to come at an overall agreement on dealing with migration which is a key issue for both Spain and Cyprus as front-line states.
Conservative Texans and liberal Californians disagree on much in politics. But legislators in both states agree on a new approach to giving people with cognitive impairments a greater chance for self-determination. Its called supported decision-making, and it is shaping up to be the most consequential change in the care of older people and others with limitations in mental functioning since the rise of advance care directives in the 1990s.

The difference between guardianship, the traditional way to help those with such impairments, and supported decision-making is analogous to the difference between a dictatorship and self-rule. Unlike guardianship, which creates an all-powerful guardian and strips the subject of the right to make decisions, in supported decision-making, the individual retains final control over key decisions. That person enlists one or more trusted others, such as family members or close friends, to aid him in making decisions. The supporters are there only to assist.

The National Council on Disability rightfully describes this approach as the most promising and comprehensive alternative to guardianship. More support for these life-affirming arrangements is needed.

Britney Spearss public efforts to end the nearly 14-year guardianship she was under cast a light on problems with the arrangement that too often remain in the shadows. In seeking to end her guardianship, Ms. Spears testified in court: I truly believe this conservatorship is abusive. I dont feel like I can live a full life. A judge in Los Angeles concluded in 2021 that the guardianship was no longer needed and terminated it.

Of course, some people cant make decisions even with support. They may be suffering from the effects of a severe traumatic brain injury or late-stage dementia. For them, guardianship remains necessary. But many others with limitations dont entirely lack the ability to make their own decisions. Forcing them to surrender authority to a guardian strips away their self-determination and dignity and could leave them prone to abuse.

In 2015, Texas became the first state to recognize supported decision-making. And last fall, California joined Texas and at least 13 other states and the District of Columbia in establishing comprehensive legal frameworks for these arrangements. Several more states require that such agreements be considered before a guardian is appointed. Legislation has previously been introduced in states as varied as Massachusetts, Oregon, New Mexico and West Virginia.

At the federal level, the Senate Special Committee on Aging held a hearing last week on supported decision-making and other less restrictive alternatives to guardianship. Committee members from both parties applauded states backing supported decision-making innovation, and Senator Bob Casey, the committee chairman, said he planned to introduce legislation that would require courts to consider supported decision making and other approaches for people who need help managing their lives.

Though more evidence is needed, small studies report overwhelmingly positive outcomes, with most of those receiving support saying they were more confident, happier and better able to do what they want. With a greater sense of freedom comes a greater sense of dignity.

Millions of Americans stand to benefit from this shift. Supported decision-making gained prominence with the 2006 approval of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons With Disabilities, which endorsed the approach. It has since been championed by people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, who often find themselves under unwanted guardianships as adults. But it has clear benefits for others with disabilities that affect decision-making, especially as the population ages and is at increasing risk for cognitive impairment caused by diseases such as Alzheimers.

In Texas, California and other states that recognize supported decision-making, individuals can craft an agreement without court oversight that specifies the kinds of decisions they need help in making  from medical care to finances  as well as the kinds of help they want. For example, older adults who experience forgetfulness or inattention might ask their supporters to join them at appointments and take notes.

Supporter agreements are structured to curb the abuses of guardianship. A network of supporters can provide important checks on one another to prevent improper influence. Guardianship can be hard to escape, as Ms. Spears found, but a supported decision-making agreement can be changed or exited by the subject with fewer impediments. An independent monitor can also be added to an agreement to assure that sensitive decisions on matters like finances are made without undue influence. In Texas and elsewhere, supporters and third parties aware of agreements are required to report suspicions of abuse, neglect or exploitation.

People with disabilities and their families can educate themselves about supported decision-making and incorporate it into their daily lives informally as well. For example, the A.C.L.U. offers a guide that explains supported decision-making and offers self-assessment tools for considering the kinds of assistance that might be useful.

Those facing or contemplating guardianship can reach out to a lawyer or a legal services organization focused on people with disabilities or older adults to determine if less restrictive alternatives like supported decision-making might be more appropriate. Supported decision-making could be used alone or in combination with other legal tools, such as a power of attorney, to avoid an unnecessary guardianship.

And more states should formally recognize this approach, validating its value. Some health care facilities and banks already insist on written agreements before they allow supporters at appointments or accept decisions made using support. Laws are an important means to ensure that people with cognitive disabilities have their decisions respected. Education is also important; even in states that already recognize supported decision-making, there may be little public awareness about this approach. The more that is known about it, the more professionals will accept and strengthen it as needed.

Despite their notable political differences, Texans and Californians agree. Supported decision-making advances self-determination. Were not surprised. Making your own decisions is at the heart of what it means to be a person.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
Two months after Gov. Greg Abbott declared war on diversity hiring programs at public universities, the Legislature is taking its first big steps this week to dismantle them.

But with the Senate preparing for its first hearing on the move Thursday morning, the Texas NAACP is ready to turn out for an attack it says is rooted in racism and discrimination.

COUNTERPOINT: In exclusive interview, Gov. Abbott explains his fight against DEI

Were going to fight this with everything in our arsenal, said Gary Bledsoe, the president of the Texas NAACP.

That includes packing Thursdays 9 a.m. hearing before the Senate Higher Education subcommittee with as many people as possible to defend diversity, equity and inclusion programs, known as DEI. He said those programs have been working to improve diversity in college faculties and student bodies, and that Senate Bill 17 risks reversing those gains.

The legislation, filed by state Sen. Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe, would prohibit universities from having DEI offices or staff. At the same time his bill is set to be heard Thursday, the Texas House plans to debate a budget proposal to strip funding from universities that use DEI.

Most public universities have had DEI programs promoted on their websites and used on their campuses. At the University of Texas at Austin, each college, school and unit has a diversity, equity and inclusion officer as well as a website to highlight the importance of those efforts, a change made after campuswide protests in 2017 led to the removal of statues of Confederate figures including Robert E. Lee.

Since Abbott and other Republicans launched their attack on DEI, public colleges have responded by pulling back on the initiatives. Texas Tech University officially removed DEI statements from faculty hiring requirements. The University of Texas then announced that it had paused all new DEI projects and launched a review of existing programs. And the Texas A&M University system ordered all its schools and agencies to remove requirements that job applicants provide personal statements about their commitment to DEI efforts. Some units of the A&M system had such requirements, but not all.

Supporters of DEI programs say they help increase the pool of applicants for jobs and counter biases that can keep qualified candidates from getting hired or promoted.

But Abbott, a Republican, has argued those programs have gone astray and are now being used to discriminate against certain job candidates if they arent considered diverse enough.

What weve seen in our universities is DEI practices that are there for political purposes, advancing political agendas, blanketed with the perception that they are trying to protect diversity, he told Hearst Newspapers last month.

Abbott has insisted he supports diversity in hiring but said he worries that DEI is leading to potential violations of federal employment laws that prohibit racial discrimination.

State Rep. Ron Reynolds, D-Missouri City, isnt buying it. He said Abbotts push is all politics as he tries to court the far-right extremes of the Republican Party. In Florida, presidential hopeful Gov. Ron DeSantis has been pushing a similarly anti-DEI effort.

Hes using Black and brown people as pawns for his political agenda, Reynolds said.

Even with DEI programs in place, colleges and universities have been struggling to build diverse faculty and student bodies. The makeup of faculty at the two flagship universities shows few Black and Hispanic members in comparison to the states demographics. At UT, just 10 percent of the faculty is Hispanic and just 5 percent are Black. At A&M, just 5 percent are Hispanic and 4 percent are Black.

Statewide, Hispanic Texans make up more than 40 percent of the population, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Black Texans represent 13 percent.
WASHINGTON  As Donald Trump turned himself in at a Manhattan courthouse Tuesday, the political world was bursting with speculation about how the criminal case would impact his run to retake the White House.

RELATED: Texas Republicans decry 'sham' Trump indictment, call it an 'attack on the American people.'

The situation is unprecedented. A former president has never been charged with a crime, much less while seeking election.

But Texas may hold some clues for how it all plays out. Voters here, especially Republicans, have made it clear they dont mind when politicians face criminal charges or are connected to those caught up in alleged wrongdoing.

We already see a situation in our state where an indictment or criminal trial does not equate to losing an election, Republican strategist Brendan Steinhauser said, pointing to Attorney General Ken Paxton, who has been under indictment for alleged felony securities fraud since 2015.

Paxton easily won a third term in office in November, beating Democratic challenger Rochelle Garza by nearly 12 percentage points.

He has cruised to re-election, Steinhauser said. Were just so partisan, and people arent even going to consume the facts  theyll just make their minds up.

Paxton is the only current elected official facing outstanding criminal charges, but several others have weathered high-profile investigations or allegations against close associates. Political experts attribute their durability to the rise of hyperpartisan politics and to growing anti-institutional attitudes in the Republican Party.

BACKGROUND: Trump pleads not guilty to 34 felony charges

Ultimately, its not going to have an impact on your political career, especially here in Texas, said Joshua Blank, research director at the University of Texas at Austins Texas Politics Project. It is very easy to take these sorts of situations, for a lot of voters, and just take it as Democrats versus Republicans. Its not seen as somehow being separate from the political process.

To supporters, the case against Trump feeds into the narrative the former president has spun for years about a system rigged against him.

Ultimately, an indictment does more to reinforce those views than it does to undo them, Blank said.

There are several other recent examples in Texas of politicians brushing off clouds of suspicion.

Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller and his staff have been at the center of a handful of ethics complaints and two Texas Rangers investigations since he first ran for statewide office eight years ago, including a case that led to the indictment of Millers campaign spokesman and political consultant on bribery and theft charges last year. Still, the Republican won re-election by nearly 13 percentage points.

The FBI searched the campaign headquarters and home of U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, a Laredo Democrat, last year. While he was never charged with any crime, his political opponents wielded the investigation against him through a Democratic primary and the general election, which he won by more than 15 percentage points.

A much smaller version of Tuesdays scene in Manhattan has even played out in Austin. In 2014, then-Gov. Rick Perry was indicted on two felony charges related to abuse of power. He turned himself in to a Travis County courthouse and posed smiling in suit and tie for a mug shot that swiftly went viral.

The charges, which Perry argued were purely political, were eventually dropped. But not before Perry launched a presidential campaign in 2015. He eventually served as the secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy in the Trump administration.

Texas Republicans have remained united behind Trump, who faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records for alleged payments made during the 2016 presidential campaign to silence claims of an extramarital sexual encounter. Trump has denied any wrongdoing and has repeatedly attacked the investigation, with the Texas GOP following suit and arguing the case is politically motivated and accusing Democrats of weaponizing the justice system.

Alvin Bragg is an activist district attorney following through on an unhinged campaign promise, not the rule of law, Harris County Republican Chair Cindy Siegel said. The Republican grassroots and voters of Harris County see this for exactly what it is, and thats a gross abuse of power that makes a mockery of what was once one of the premier district courts in this nation.

Bobby Eberle, the GOP chairman in Fort Bend County, said the case has been energizing for Republicans in a county that has been a political battleground for years.

This has been a galvanizing moment for people to just say, 'This is wrong'  and Im talking about people who are not Trump supporters, Eberle said. Its about the rule of law and its about abuse of power, and thats how people see it.
Chicago, IL (60637)

Today

Cloudy skies with periods of rain late. Low around 40F. Winds ESE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 80%..

Tonight

Cloudy skies with periods of rain late. Low around 40F. Winds ESE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 80%.
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How Michael Hardy, others charted a new course for country songwriters

Danny Katz scanned 20,000Country tracks to discover how Country music songwriters like Michael Hardy are breaking the mold.

by Danny Katz from the Chartmetric Blog

This three-part study of Country music lyrics analyzes the lyrics of ~20K Country music songs to highlight lyric, artist, and songwriter trends over time. Part 1, What More Country Songwriters Means for Country Music Lyrics, features an overview of the dataset, definitions, and trends, including the increase in average repetitiveness, number of songwriters, and total words per song.

Part 2, Neotraditional Country Artists and Lyric Diversity, compares artists within the dataset to examine similar trends at the artist level, including the relationship between higher average number of songwriters, increased repetitiveness, and decreased lyric diversity.

Part 3 takes a similar approach with songwriters in the dataset. Below you can find a table with aggregate and average numbers for each songwriter. Once again initially sorted by number of songs in the dataset, you will notice some very familiar names (likely artist-songwriters) and less familiar names (likely just songwriters). Ashley Gorley, Shane McAnally, and Hilary Lindsay, for example, are three of the most prolific Country music songwriters today.

View Data Here

There is also a field for average number of songwriters, which includes the songwriter themselves. For example, Ashley Gorley averages 3.3 songwriters per song written, which includes himselfnot Gorley plus 3.3 others. So, if a songwriter has an average of exactly one writer per song, they only have tracks in the database which are their own solo writes.

The same as with the artists, there exists a positive relationship between average number of writers and the songwriters average repetitiveness. You can see a plot of each songwriter below, which includes the same features as the artist visuals from Part 2: trend line, color clustering, sizing by number of songs in the dataset, and a list of top songs based on repetitiveness.

Once again, the data reflect a statistically significant relationship between the two variables, with a strong R-squared of 0.37. This comes as no surprise, as many artists are songwriters of their own music and therefore have similar songwriting and artist averages.

Therefore, you will see Zach Bryan and Tyler Childers in the bottom left with no other songwriting collaborators and a lower repetitiveness. Conversely, in the top right Brad Tursi and Matt Ramsey of Old Dominion have a large number of collaborators and high repetitiveness.

View Data Here

The same applies for songwriters when comparing their average number of writers with average Spotify Popularity (positive linear relationship) and lyric diversity (negative linear relationship). While varying in explanatory effectiveness, these observations are both statistically significant (P-value at or below 0.0001) and can be explored in the visuals below.

View Data Here

View Data Here

When hovering over a data point, each songwriters top tracks measured by Spotify Popularity or lyric diversity will be displayed. Examining these lists can help provide insight into songwriters who are not artists. Take, for example, Jesse Frasure, whose data are highlighted pictured below.

Given the fact that the position of most songwriters mostly mirrors their position as artists, these observations are noteworthy but not unexpected. For the primary songwriters, their positions reflect the era they operate in and the artists they most work with (who are usually relatively similar acts as exemplified by Jesse Frasures list of cuts).

However, one interesting insight involves musicians with the highest variance in lyrical and popularity metrics as songwriters versus as artists. By plotting the two values for each musician on the same chart, comparisons against a one-to-one ratio become apparent. The further a point is away from the diagonal one-to-one line, the more variance they display.

The first chart of this kind, shown below, visualizes how many songs each musician has in the dataset as an artist versus as a songwriter, filtered for a minimum of 15 each. Blue points indicate comparatively more songs written and red indicates more songs recorded.

View Data Here

As youll see, there is a split of artists above and below the one-to-one grey line, with names above it falling more into the songwriter camp and those below it into the artist camp. All of these names are both artists and also songwriters, but to varying degrees. The extreme example is Rhett Akins, who has the biggest difference in songs written versus recorded.

Akins, the famed songwriter and father of current Country superstar Thomas Rhett (real name Thomas Rhett Akins, Jr.) actually has 4x the number of songwriting credits as he does recording credits. Most known as an artist for his smash hit That Aint My Truck released in 1995, Rhett Akins has experienced the bulk of his success as a songwriter for a slew of artists including his son Thomas.

Other writers above the line include Lori McKenna, Josh Thompson, Michael Hardy (HARDY), Chris Stapleton, and Ernest Smith (ERNEST), who began their careers as writers and have since seen successful careers as artists. This category also includes the likes of Ryan Hurd, Ray Fulcher, Drew Parker, and Niko Moon.

On the opposite side of the line, artists like John Denver, Alan Jackson, Randy Travis, Kenny Chesney, and Blake Shelton all have considerably more songs as artists than they do as songwriters. You can see even more extreme examples by increasing the filter at the top of the visual to show number of songs by an artist up to 752 (the maximum). Doing that reveals legends Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, and George Jones, who were originally filtered out because they skew the chart.

Creating the same visual but for average repetitiveness as an artist versus as a songwriter showcases a similar trend: Many musicians are near the one-to-one line with little variance, but there is a fair number of musicians with large differences in their lyrical styles when writing songs versus recording songs.

View Data Here

One of those artists with a large variance is once again Josh Thompson, who not only has a sizable difference in number of songs but also in average repetitiveness. At a delta of 9.2 percent, the songs he writes tend to be considerably more repetitive than the tracks he chooses to record himself (regardless whether he wrote them or not). Hovering over his data point displays these numbers in detail, listeing 10 songs he wrote but did not record, ranked by repetitiveness.

As you can see, his songs have been recorded by many A-list Country stars, the vast majority of whom lean Pop Country. Given Thompson himself is known for recording more traditional sounding music, he represents an intriguing juxtaposition of someone in the marketplace who operates within two sub-genres simultaneously.

Other large variances, such as those of Scotty McCreery, Dylan Scott, and Brett Young, are not the result of songs written for other artists. You will notice that none of those artists have songs in this dataset that they wrote for other artists, yet they still had differences in average repetitiveness of 3-6 percent. Instead, this difference is due to the variance in songs they choose to record, all of which they had a hand in writing. When artists make track selections for each album, they are making choices that move the needle one way or the other.

On the opposite side of the one-to-one line, the two largest variances belong to Blake Shelton and Niko Moon, who both average more repetition of words as artists versus as songwriters. In the case of Shelton, he has 6.5x as many songs as an artist than as a songwriter, but the songs he wrote and did not record were cut by his ex-wife Miranda Lambert.

These Miranda Lambert songs are relatively less repetitive than Sheltons own tracks on average, which is in line with Lamberts overall persona as a storyteller who bridges mainstream appeal and traditionalism.

Niko Moon has a similar difference in average repetitiveness but at even higher levels (66 percent vs. 62 percent). Known for recording extremely Pop-influenced songs with very simple, repetitive lyrics, his songwriting differs due to many collaborations with Zac Brown Band frontman Zac Brown.

The two worked together on an album as a group named Sir Rosevelt and continue to collaborate to this day. Apart from one album, Zac Brown Bands music has leaned much more Traditional Country, so it makes sense this music was paired with lyrics that reflect a relatively higher level of storytelling, i.e., more unique words.

Overall, artists like Blake Shelton and Niko Moon are in the minority and most in the dataset wrote and recorded music with similar repetition levels. For example, Luke Bryan and Ray Fulcher both have less than 1 percent variation as artists versus songwriters despite having a plethora of writing cuts by other artists. The reality is that many musicians stick with the style they know, and being able to write and record songs of various styles is a unique and difficult skill.

This is further underscored by the last chart, which compares the average lyric diversity score for each musician as an artist versus a songwriter. Similarly, a reference line has been included to show a one-to-one ratio and data point size and colors vary based on the relative differences.

View Data Here

Of the artists plotted away from the line displaying high variance, Sam Hunt and Michael Hardy standout from this list due to their reputations as Bro Country artists. As mentioned in Part 2, which profiled them as artists with high lyrical diversity despite this association, its fascinating that by comparison their lyrics tend to be less diverse as songwriters. The reason for this is because they both have a sizable number of written tracks that were cut by other acts.

Specifically, Sam Hunts career began by getting cuts from established artists such as Cop Car by Keith Urban, We Are Tonight by Billy Currington, and Come Over by Kenny Chesney. As seen below, these all feature relatively simple and commonly used lyrics.

This means that Hunt has historically saved his most diverse lyricism for his own records, to the tune of more than 22 percent (average lyric diversity scores of 1,158 versus 901). Despite facing extreme amounts of criticism in the 2010s for infusing his brand of Country with Hip-Hop influences, youd be hard-pressed to say that Sam Hunt was a generic lyricist. In fact, his catalog as an artist contains a multitude of tracks with extremely different word usage.

Look no further than his 2020 album-cut That Aint Beautiful, which includes words and phrasing such as Adderall, Turks and Caicos, cabernet, and passport, all of which are highly unlikely to be found in other Country songs. Whether you like his style or not, Sam Hunt has always had different things to say, and that in itself is interesting and unique.

Finally, the most self-aware of his own artist versus songwriter paradox is none other than Michael Hardy, also known by his artist moniker, HARDY. Hardy got his start writing for more established artists and soon became known as one of the most consistent songwriters of hit Country songs. He quickly amassed 12 No. 1s on Country radio, including multiple with his frequent collaborator and best friend Morgan Wallen (Up Down, More Than My Hometown, and Sand In My Boots), along with Simple for Florida Georgia Line and Gods Country for Blake Shelton.

The allure of Hardy grew as he got cut after cut from additional artists and became one ofif not themost sought-after writing partner in Nashville. He has 118 tracks in the dataset with only 48 songs as an artist (a ratio of almost 2.5 to 1). Known as an elite wordsmith, he has a high average lyric diversity score of 1K+ as a songwriter but takes that to new levels as an artista fact of which he is well aware.

Hardy recently released his sophomore album the mockingbird & THE CROWthrough Big Loud. A well-documented fan of heavy Rock and Metal, the 17-song project features nine Country tracks followed by eight Rock and/or Metal songs differentiated by capitalization in the spelling. This differentiation is significant due to who Hardy is as a songwriter and an artist, which is all spelled out in the last Country song of the album that shares a title with the overall project: the mockingbird & THE CROW.

In this song, Hardy lays out the concept for the dual-genre album and the internal struggle he faces as a musician between being a songwriter (mockingbird) and an artist (crow). The mockingbird in him (known for repeating sounds) is prone to writing radio hits with more generic lyrics that sound like other popular songs.

Im a mockingbird

Singing songs that sound like other songs youve heard

Like Friday nights and headlights on some backroad red dirt

These songs, which cater to the latest trends and are likely to see success on the radio, show up in his observed lower lyric diversity scores as a songwriter. He fully understands this, but now that he has found success as an artist, he has an alternative voice to express himself.

Ive always been a mockingbird but

Now Im a mockingbird with a microphone

As the numbers have proven, Hardys taken that opportunity to say the things he wants to say, which are different than the radio-friendly hits he writes for his peers. This is reflected in his higher lyric diversity scores as an artist. While he realizes this sound and lyricism may not be what everyone is looking for, just as real crows are not as audibly pleasing as mockingbirds, he wants to make that side of his artistic spirit heard regardless.

The way I sing may not be pretty

May not be music to your ears

But when these wings roll through your city

My last name is all you hear

And I refuse to be another

Mockingbird with a microphone

Ill fly the line I choose to brother

Even if that makes me the crow

This song is a masterclass in self-assessment, self-confidence, and realism that doubles as an artistic manifesto for Hardy both as an artist and songwriter. To see this duality play out within his catalog and in the lyrical metrics we observed is enthralling, especially knowing his position.

So many others with his skillset would have continued to churn out radio-friendly, homogenous tracks that racked up airplay and big paydays. Instead, Hardy has forged his own path by taking risks and creating music that is different, interesting, and successful.

HARDYs Spotify monthly listeners have grown by 6.5M+ in less than four years.

Between Hardy and artists like Zach Bryan, there are more and more examples of Country stars breaking the assembly-line mold. This success has undoubtedly influenced others to chart their own paths. In mid-February, Chase Rice released a new album self-described as a return to his sonic roots. The album featured organic instrumentation, features by Texas red-dirt scene artists, and three tracks that Rice wrote by himself. As someone directly linked to Bro Country in the past, this was a vastly different approach made possible by the likes of Zach Bryan and HARDY.

The more that Country music outliers like Zach Bryan and HARDY expand their fanbases and demonstrate that audiences are looking for more original writing and artistry, the more other artists and labels are going to pursue similar projects. This is great for Country music, as a wider range of sounds and themes will interest new demographics of listeners and help drive growth of the genre.

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Councilor Wayne Wilkinson asked about 246-248 Houghton St. at last week's council meeting, saying residents are getting tired of looking at it. The building burned four years ago.

Burned-Out Houghton Street Building on North Adams' Demolition List

NORTH ADAMS, Mass.  The burned-out hulk at the corner of Houghton and Brooklyn Street is finally headed for the wrecking ball.

Mayor Jennifer Macksey told the City Council last week that the apartment building at 246-248 Houghton St. is on the city's demolition list.

"We are waiting on one asbestos report for that package," she said. "We hope to have that out to bid. It's one of the priorities we have."

The mayor said once the package is prepared it would go out to bid for 45 days and then a contract would be awarded.

The six-unit building burned four years ago in January in a massive fire that took two hours to bring under control. The fire was considered accidental though the actual cause could not be determined.

The structure was known as the Owen Morris House and, according to the city's historical survey, was constructed in 1884, although the city's assessor gives it a date of 1870. It was originally used as a residence and grocery store and built by Morris, who worked at Arnold Print Works. It was built with four units and a public library branch was located there for about 40 years until closing in 1976, when two more units were created.

The property was sold in April 2020 for $5,000 to Garabed Setrakian of Cambridge, who had planned to raze the building and replace it with a new six-unit building primarily for short-term rentals. He received a variance from the Zoning Board of Appeals for parking in 2021 but has not moved forward with the project.

Since then, the city has adopted an ordinance that requires a special permit for professionally managed short-term rentals in residential zones.

The property, dubbed "Violet Residences," had been listed with a sale price of $60,000 in February with the plans provided at the ZBA meeting but was taken off the market on Saturday, when it had a price of $36,000.

The mayor said there are five to seven properties that have been identified for demolition in the bid package. The city has frequently used some of its Community Development Block Grant funds to remove blighted properties in the downtown area.

Macksey said the owner had also indicated he would take care of it. "Whoever gets there first," she said.
Mass MoCA Welcomes New Mexican Restaurant, Innovation Center

NORTH ADAMS, Mass.  Chingon Taco Truck is trading in its mobility for a firmer foundation at Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Arts.

The Mass MoCA Commission approved a dual concept that will see the opening of new restaurant Casita in the former Gramercy and the spirit of Chingon as the takeout window in the courtyard.

Mariah and Justin Forstmann's "pandemic passion project" (as they describe it) resulted in an 18-foot taco truck that has spent summers in the Mass MoCA Courtyard and at various fields and venues around the county, and popups during the winter. They describe their fare as Mexican street food made through a Berkshires' lens.

"We're just excited to take our next step in our professional lives," Justin Forstmann told the commission on Monday. "The truck was really warmly received over the past three summers to two full years and we're just excited to now provide more closely to what our dreams have always been of a sit-down restaurant with great food, better atmosphere and lots of fun times to be had for everyone."

Casita will have a lounge area and a dining room with full table service, in addition to the takeout window for more casual meals based on the taco truck.

"Their vision is a warm, upscale casual restaurant serving traditional issue of Mexican fare, with a focus on supporting local farms and purveyors," said Kimma Stark, project manager at Mass MoCA..

The Forstmanns said they would be working closely with the local community "to find those special people" who want to take the next steps with them professionally. They are anticipating five people in the kitchen and four or five on the floor, with eight full-time staff to start.

In comparison to a couple other eateries that have tried out the space temporarily over the past few years, the Forstmanns are signing a five-year lease with option to renew.

The commission approved the lease with hours from noon to 11 seven days a week (although the restaurant to begin will be noon to 9 with Tuesdays and Wednesdays off). The restaurant is shooting for a soft opening by Memorial Day weekend, then "be ready to rock" on June 1.

The Forstmanns will appear before the License Commission on Tuesday.

The commission also approved a lease with the Berkshire Innovation Center of Pittsfield for the "BIC Works @ MoCA," a 2,500 square foot space off Courtyard A.

This the first phase of the BIC's expansion and the space will be part maker space, rapid prototyping, interactive experience center, small-business accelerator, training center, business incubation, classroom space and conference rooms.

"We're a member-based organization so private firms join the BIC, our academic partners engage with us and we really tried to connect students with opportunities and firms with government programs and make sure they're aligned with some of the growth industry," said Director Benjamin Sosne.

"We've created a kind of a, what I'd say, a real hub of activity in Pittsfield, and we're spitting out businesses, helping businesses grow and we think there's an opportunity to do more of that in North Adams and tie the county together, so we see this as a great opportunity."

He said the county is small by population but large in land area, making it difficult for students from Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts or McCann Technical School or Williams College or other schools to get to Pittsfield for programming.

As to technology, Sosne said the new location would not have as extensive an array as the 23,000 square foot Pittsfield location, but "will have some tech at a level where students can get in there and operate them and learn how to use them."

There will likely be a full-time manager and two people overseeing the site during the day when it will be used for programming and professional development.

"The other thing we really want to do ... sort of a summary of what I call the student ambassador program. What I envision with that, is MCLA students, Williams College students," he said. "Students would have an opportunity to get in and really demonstrate some work that they're doing. To actually supplement our staff with students is a great opportunity."

The lease would start on June 1 and will go for five to seven years. Stark said they were still working out the details.
The 60-year-old Veterans Memorial Bridge will be the focus of a $750,000 feasibility study looking at ways to better connect aspects of the downtown.

Federal Grant Will Fund 'Reconnecting' Options for North Adams



An image from the 2020 parking survey showing how the bridge and the gray areas (parking) tends to separate the city. NORTH ADAMS, Mass.  A federally funded study of the downtown will have a singular charge: what to do with the Veterans Memorial Bridge.

The bridge construction was part of an urban renewal project in the mid-1960s that leveled a large portion of the downtown and straightened and expanded Route 2.

"So what it's done over the years is it doesn't just present a physical separation between Mass MoCA and Main Street but it's created this narrative," said Jenny Wright, director of strategic communications and advancement at Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art. "It's a false narrative, that Mass MoCA and downtown are two different things. It's reinforced this us/them narrative."

Wright updated the Mass MoCA Commission on next steps for the $750,000 Reconnecting Communities grant the city was awarded in February. The application was a joint endeavor by the museum and city, through grants officer Carrie Burnett.

The study will look at three options: repairs to the Veterans Memorial Bridge, developing an urban streetscape design that incorporates it, and removing it completely.

"These are the scenarios that we've asked for in the study so that we have as wide a range of options to consider as possible, considering everything from cost to environmental impact to traffic flows to pedestrian flows, etc.," Wright said.

The study is anticipated to provide scenarios for moving forward with ways to better connect the downtown area, including the museum.

The projects done during urban renewal  including the overpasses and the Hoosic River flood control  were built for a different reality and a different priority, Wright said.

"And so as they start to show their age, which they have, the question now becomes, how have the needs and priorities of the communities and do these interventions to help or hinder progress towards our goals?" she asked.

Judith Grinnell of the Hoosic River Revival noted that her organization was embarking on feasibility study as well.

"We are stronger together and it's important that we work together," she said. "This river crosses the city in about eight different places, just within a three-quarters of a mile, so we need to talk about transportation and the river together."

Exactly how the grant will be implemented is still an unknown; an agreement isn't in hand yet and a webinar for grantees scheduled next week.

Wright said the commission will get monthly updates, information will be posted on the city website and the Northern Berkshire Community Coalition will assist by hosting community information sessions.

North Adams was one of only two communities in the state and 45 in the nation to receive the funding.

"For us to be one of the recipients of this is a huge accomplishment and, frankly, unexpected. It felt like a little bit of a Hail Mary," Wright said.

The decision to pursue the application came from renewed interest in the Vision 2030 master plan adopted in 2014. The plan was three years in the making and provided a guide to the community's goals and vision.

Commissioner Eric Kerns said it was an opportunity to bring together all the other studies done over the years and look at all the good ideas comprehensively.

"One of the issues that we're running up against is the city was designed in a different time when it had different priorities and different needs," he said, echoing Wright's comments. "And in order to support the work that we want to do now to evolve the city and move it forward, we kind of need to have the physical environment match and support that work."
There are 18 official public holidays in the Philippines. As we all know, when these dates fall close to a weekend or if the government pursues holiday economics, most Filipinos make plans in advance to take advantage of extended holiday breaks. This year, we can get to do that at least 12 times.

Unfortunately, cybercriminals get excited about holidays, too. To refresh everyone's memory, the $81-million Bangladesh Bank heist back in 2016 is an example of a successful cyber attack, which happened on the first day of Lunar New Year, a national holiday in the Philippines and the rest of Asia.

Kaspersky shares 9 tips to keep protected when you're away on a holiday

Now that the world has reopened, travel is back with a vengeance this year, hence the term travel revenge. Whether Filipinos are scheduling holiday trips or just staycation-ing during the long weekends, it's important to observe simple digital security practices so you can get to sit back and relax as you take your well-deserved vacation. Security-first thinking opens doors for a more enjoyable holiday break, especially for Filipinos who are amongst the worlds most active online users, comments Chris Connell, Managing Director for Asia Pacific at Kaspersky.

Both individuals and companies are advised to be extra mindful of personal cybersecurity best practices and internet hygiene when on a holiday.

For companies, Kaspersky suggests to:

Conduct drills

Stress to vacationing employees why data encryption, two-factor authentication, strong passwords, and locking devices when not in use are important.

Discuss the steps to take if their device ends up getting stolen.

Advise staff about charging smartphones in a wall socket, not through USBs at airports and other public places (these can be used to steal data from a device and infect it with malicious software, such as spyware.

Educate employees about the dangers of public WIFI (and even hotel WIFI unless it is encrypted and password-protected) and how to use a secure connection such as with a VPN.

Log out

Terminate unnecessary VPN connections to the corporate infrastructure.

End unnecessary sessions that employees have left on any devices for an extended period of time. This also applies to corporate messengers, web apps and any other services.

Check that the list of employees with access to the corporate network via VPN or RDP include only authorized users. Revoke access from those who don't need it.

Create special "emergency" admin accounts for potential incident response over the holidays. The rights granted to regular admin accounts can even be temporarily restricted so that attackers cannot exploit them.

Install patches for all key applications. This process is far simpler if your company uses security solutions with a built-in patch management system.

Meanwhile, Kaspersky encourages individuals to:
As the US banking crisis and regulatory scrutiny continue to unfold, Bitcoin shows resilience by posting its third positive month in a row. This recent streak of positive gains for Bitcoin signals a strong outlook for the cryptocurrency, the lightning network, and the island of Boracay, as expressed by venture capitalists and government leaders during the first Bitcoin Island Retreat, which happened on March 27 to 29, 2023, at the Henann Regency Resort and Spa in Boracay Island.

Pouch.ph unveils the future of lightning payments at the first Bitcoin Island Retreat

Augie Ilag, HodlCo venture partner and former Sequoia Capital crypto investor, said that Boracay has the potential to revolutionize the remittance market using the Bitcoin Lightning Network.

With Boracay's unique position as a popular tourist destination with a significant need for currency conversion, it has the potential to become a Bitcoin paradise and a model for other tourist destinations to follow, Ilag said.

Boracay has become a beacon for Bitcoin adoption and innovation since mid-2022 as Bitcoin payments firm Pouch.ph has onboarded more than 250 locations to accept bitcoin as payment. Through the Bitcoin Lightning Network, Pouch.ph makes sending money to the Philippines faster, cheaper, and more accessible for people globally.

Ilag noted that the remittance market in the Philippines is massive, with over $30 billion being sent through traditional offline channels like Western Union, which often charge predatory rates of up to 7%, making it difficult for people to send money back home.

Many foreigners come to Boracay and have a unique need to convert their home currency into domestic currency but do not have access to local e-money providers like GCash and Paymaya, Ilag said. He believes that lightning payments such as Pouch.ph provide a unique solution to the problem of remittances.

We are sitting at a unique point in time where we can take advantage of the latest technology to revolutionize the remittance market. Boracay can be at the forefront of this revolution, Ilag noted.

Panelists Jack Lee of HCM Capital, Louis Liu of Mimesis Capital, and Mike Jarmuz of Lightning Ventures also hopped onto the stage to show their bullish stance towards Bitcoin and the Lightning Network.

For Liu, the Bitcoin infrastructure has significantly evolved since the 2008 crisis, with new exchanges and applications being built, and has the potential to become a hedge amid current global financial challenges.

Meanwhile, Lee and Jarmuz advised attendees to focus on learning about Bitcoin and expressed confidence in supporting early-stage founders and entrepreneurs in the Philippines Bitcoin space.

Former Solicitor General Florin Hilbay reechoed this bullish sentiment towards Bitcoin in a separate panel discussion.

I'm very bullish about Bitcoin. Every communication system is about speed; its about convenience, and its about having less friction. Ive studied monetary systems for two and a half years, and only Bitcoin is the real money out there for the 21st century. Bitcoin is not simply a technology, but it is a language that is changing the way we view value, said Hilbay, who also briefly discussed his book that provides a universal outline for studying Bitcoin.

As a dean at Siliman University, he aims to make Bitcoin a global subject and hopes that Silliman will become a Bitcoin-friendly university and that other universities around the world will follow suit. We need to educate as many people as we can about Bitcoin because its the best lens for understanding whats happening in the world today. Then, they get to decide whats best for them, Hilbay said.

The Bitcoin Island Retreat is organized by Pouch.ph together with crypto exchange and mobile wallet Coins.ph and edutech platform Bitskwela. Bitcoin maxis and plebs who attended the Bitcoin conference experienced living off of Bitcoin and realized the power of instant payment through the Lightning Network.

Pouch.ph also announced during the conference that it has tied up with ZEBEDEE, a global next-generation payments processor headquartered in New Jersey, USA, for a wider borderless transaction. With this, users around the globe can send and receive funds from any other Lightning wallet or service.

For instance, a user in the US may want to buy a coffee for a friend in the Philippines. They can now easily transfer funds from Cash App to their friend on the other side of the world, who can then immediately spend those funds to pay in pesos using Pouch.ph.

We are thrilled to be a launch partner of ZEBEDEE for this new feature for borderless transactions, as it aligns perfectly with our vision for financial inclusion of the Philippines, said Pouch.ph CEO Ethan Rose.

Early this year, Pouch.ph partnered with U.S. fintech firm Strike to allow Filipinos in the US to send money to the Philippines using the Lightning Network.
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Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 is set to abandon one of the franchises most popular traditions.

The film, directed by James Gunn, follows on from the first two Guardians films, as well as other Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) entries such as Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Avengers: Endgame (2019), Thor: Love and Thunder (2022) and The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (2022).

Released in 2014, the first Guardians of the Galaxy was a smash hit for Marvel, and drew particular praise from fans for its infectious jukebox soundtrack.

In the film, music is played from a mixtape given to Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) by his late mother.

The soundtrack, comprising a host of 1970s rock hits such as Moonage Daydream by David Bowie, Hooked on a Feeling by Blue Suede, and Come and Get Your Love by Redbone, was released as an album, and went on to top the Billboard 200 chart.

Now, the tracklist for the soundtrack of the forthcoming Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 has been released.

However, Marvel fans will remember Pratts character receiving a Microsoft Zune music player at the end of the second Guardians film.

As a result, the third film has done away with its distinctive 1970s soundtrack, instead pulling from a variety of musical eras and styles.

Among the songs to feature will be Creep by Radiohead, Dog Days Are Over by Florence + the Machine, and No Sleep Till Brooklyn by the Beastie Boys.

Gunn addressed the change in a recent interview with Rolling Stone.

It was very, very difficult. I felt very uncomfortable picking out songs and making sure that this was the right soundtrack, the filmmaker said.

Do I move onto just all 80s songs? Do I use all 90s songs? Or do I do what a Zune would actually have  songs from different eras, which is what I ended up doing.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 will be released in UK cinemas on 3 May and on 5 May in the US.
Hong Kong leader John Lee doubled down on the strict rules imposed on public protests, arguing that they were necessary to uphold national security.

He said on Tuesday that the authorities needed to perform a balancing act of upholding national security along with protecting the rights of the participants of the rally.

His statement comes just days after Hong Kong residents held their first authorised protest in years under strict police watch on Sunday.
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A 30-year-old woman suffered a miscarriage after she was allegedly shot by her neighbour for objecting to loud music being played at a family event in Delhi, India.

The woman, identified by her first name Ranju, was eight months pregnant when she was reportedly shot in the neck by her neighbour late on Sunday night in the capital's northwestern part of Siraspur.

She was rushed to a local hospital where she lost her fetus during treatment, police said.

Ms Ranju is a mother of three children aged between one and six years. She remains in a critical state at the hospital.

Harish  the suspect identified only by his first name  was blasting loud music at his house during a religious ceremony held for his son, when Ms Ranju, who lived across the street, objected to it.

The suspect allegedly took an unlicensed country-made gun from his friend, Amit, and opened fire.

The police received a call at around 12.15am local time regarding a firing incident, deputy commissioner of police Ravi Kumar said.

According to authorities, a few rounds of bullets were already fired in the air during the celebrations before the incident took place.

Firing celebratory shots at weddings and special ceremonies is a fairly common and dangerous practice in northern parts of India.

"He (Harish) got infuriated and shot Ranju after taking a gun from Amit," he was quoted by the Times of India as saying.

The local police arrested Mr Harish, who worked with a courier service, and Mr Amit, who worked at a mobile repair shop.

Based on Ms Ranju's kin's statement, the police have registered a case against the duo for an attempt to murder.

The mother of the victim said her daughter sustained gun shot injuries in her neck. "My daughter is very critical and lost her child in the womb. I don't know what will happen to her three kids," Sandhya Devi said.
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Several violations by an India-based pharmaceutical company have been flagged by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in a damning report after its eye drops were linked to three deaths and serious infections.

The FDAs representatives had carried out an 11-day inspection of Global Pharma Healthcare Pvt Ltds plant in southern Indias Chennai city between February and March.

In its 14-page report released last week, the US federal agency listed out a detailed log of violations and pulled up the plant for flouting sanitation levels during the manufacturing process.

The violations included a black, brown coloured greasy deposit on a bowl and there being no mention of the cleaning of several parts of the sterile manufacturing area in the cleaning record.

These parts included doors and handles, and high-efficiency particulate absorbing (Hepa) filter grills  a type of air filter  being cleaned properly.

Indias federal health ministry has said no contamination was found in samples of eye drops made by the pharma firm. The samples were found to be of standard quality, sources in the ministry told news channel NDTV.

In February, the FDA had warned against using an eye drop manufactured by Global Pharma after the drug was linked to the outbreak of a drug-resistant bacteria leading to adverse events in at least 55 patients in the US. These included infections, blindness and one death.

It warned that the Artificial Tears eye drop carried a potential bacterial contamination and said the company had violated current good manufacturing practices.

Shortly after, Global Pharma had issued a voluntary recall of unexpired lots of the eye drop at the consumer level. The drops were distributed in the US by EzriCare LLC and Delsam Pharma.

The import of the products was also halted by the FDA.

One of the observations listed in last weeks FDA report said: Procedures designed to prevent microbiological contamination of drug products purporting to be sterile do not include validation of the sterilisation process.

In addition, you have not established that the sterilisation process is effective across different manufacturing conditions.

The conditions were listed as the pH and temperature of the solution, filtration pressure, flow rate, maximum filtration time, batch size (volume) and effect of sterilisation on the filters retention capability.

The report also mentioned that the pharma company did not establish the worst-case scenario for the bioburden.

The surfaces that came into contact with the drug packaging were not cleaned, sanitised, decontaminated, or sterilised, the report said.

The pharma plant did not perform container closure integrity tests on the drug products because of which the FDA could only assess any leak by manual visual inspections, the report pointed out.

There is no assurance or documentation that this visual inspection can detect aseptic barrier issues with the container or closure, it said.

Other sanitation violations mentioned by the report included reuse of sterile cleanroom garbs by washing.

The firm did not track or have studies to show how many times garbs could be reused. Discoloured overall, discoloured and worn-out booties were being observed being used in the cleanrooms, the report said.

The FDA also said one of the firms microbiologists who carried out a study on the Validation Protocol to Determine the Duration of Effectiveness in the plant could not remember the room number where he did so.

The nearly dozen observations packed with multiple violations also noted that the plants quality control unit lacks the responsibility and authority to approve, reject all components, drug product containers, closures, in process materials, packaging material, labelling, drug products.

There have been other incidents of major healthcare violations alleged to be stemming from medicines manufactured in India that were reported on last year.

At least 70 children died in Gambia and 19 children died in Uzbekistan last year after consuming India-made cough syrups. The reports have dented the countrys image of being the pharmacy of the world.
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India has rejected Chinas attempt to give Chinese names to 11 places in Arunachal Pradesh  a state Beijing refers to as Zangnan or southern Tibet.

China has in two separate instances in the past renamed places in the northeastern Indian state.

The release of the third batch of names for 11 other places by the Chinese government on Sunday has now triggered another heated exchange of words between both the sides that have remained locked in a border dispute.

Indias foreign ministry on Tuesday said it outright rejects Chinas attempts to lay claim on Indian territory and said assigning invented names will not change the status of Indian sovereignty over the region.

This is not the first time China has made such an attempt. We reject this outright, foreign ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said in a statement.

Arunachal Pradesh is, has been, and will always be an integral and inalienable part of India. Attempts to assign invented names will not alter this reality, it said.

Chinas Ministry of Civil Affairs released standardised names of 11 places in the Himalayan border region.

China has renamed five mountain peaks, two populated areas, two land areas and two rivers. It has released maps that showed parts of Arunachal Pradesh as parts of what it calls southern Tibet.

This is the third such list of renamed areas that have been issued by the Chinese Ministry of Civilian Affairs.

Similar lists were released by China in 2019 and 2021 for areas that are recognised and governed by India.

Arunachali tribal women visit bunkers from the Indo-China war at a war memorial in Jaswant Garh in Arunachal Pradesh near the Indo-China border in 2012 (AFP via Getty Images)

Responding to Indias rebuke, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said the changes were completely within the scope of Chinas sovereignty.

The southern Tibet region is Chinese territory, the spokesperson, Mao Ning, told a regular media briefing in Beijing on Tuesday.

A notification by the ministry on 2 April said according to the relevant provisions of the State Council on the management of geographical names, [Chinas Ministry of Civil Affairs], together with relevant departments, has standardised some geographical names in southern Tibet.

The third batch of supplementary place names for public use in southern Tibet (11 in total) is now officially announced, it said.

The Chinese ministry gave names to towns in close proximity to the state capital of Itanagar and provided the latitude and longitude coordinates of the areas.

Indian Army soldiers stand next to a Bofors gun positioned at Penga Teng Tso ahead of Tawang (AFP via Getty Images)

In 2017, China renamed six places in the same region following Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lamas visit to Arunachal in the same year.

In December 2021, 15 places were renamed amid a huge military buildup of the two armies in forward areas of their shared border.

Chinas attempt to change the names of Indian territories marks an escalation in the bitter border dispute along the Line of Actual Control that has continued for three years.

The Chinese governments move drew a sharp response from the opposition Congress party that has lashed out at prime minister Narendra Modi for his eloquent silence on Chinese actions.

This is the price we continue to pay for PM Modis clean chit to China in June 2020 and his eloquent silence on Chinese actions, a statement by Congress lawmaker Jairam Ramesh said.

Almost three years later, Chinese forces continue to deny our patrols access to the strategic Depsang Plains to which we previously had unimpeded access. And now the Chinese are attempting to undermine the status quo in Arunachal Pradesh.

The third list has come just over three months after Indian and Chinese troops clashed in the Yangtse area of the Tawang sector. The troops came face to face on 9 December and both sides suffered injuries.

It also comes only a week after Indian army chief general Manoj Pande said the Chinese militarys incursions on the Indian border could be a trigger for escalation of the boundary dispute that could lead to a wider conflict.

He said transgressions in the disputed borders remain a potential trigger for escalation.

Border management hence requires close monitoring, as infirmities in border management can lead to wider conflict, he said.

Our preparedness remains of a high order and troops continue to deal with the PLA [Peoples Liberation Army] in a firm, resolute and measured manner, while ensuring the sanctity of our claims.

Last month, Indian foreign minister S Jaishankar said the situation in the northern Ladakh was fragile and dangerous, and military forces remain deployed very close to each other in some places.
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At least seven tourists have died and many are feared trapped after a major avalanche struck near a mountain pass in the northeast Indian state of Sikkim.

The incident occurred at 11.30am (0600 GMT) on Tuesday near the Nathu La mountain pass, a popular destination for tourists on Indias border with China.

The avalanche struck a road that connects Gangtok to the Nathu La pass and the nearby Changu lake  another major tourist attraction.

The Indian army has said five to six vehicles carrying up to 30 tourists were stuck under the snow after the avalanche.

By 3PM, 14 persons were rescued and taken to nearby Army medical facility. However, seven persons succumbed. The other seven persons were administered first aid and returned to Gangtok, the army statement, cited by several Indian media outlets, said.

The army said an additional 350 stranded tourists and 80 vehicles were rescued after snow was cleared from the road.

In this handout photo released by the Indian Army, soldiers clear snow from an avalanche near Nathu La mountain pass in Indias Sikkim state on 4 April (AP)

A police official told Reuters that the number of people trapped is not clear yet. Videos and photos from the site of the avalanche showed yellow heavy machinery working to clear the road.

Indias Border Roads Organisation also released photos of the rescue operations.

We are yet to ascertain how many people are still trapped. 17 people have been rescued, out of which 8 are very critical and have been moved to a hospital, said senior police official Tenzing Loden Lepcha.

He said people were taking photographs near a stream when the avalanche hit.

Rescue officials earlier said they feared at least 70 people were buried under the snow. Initial reports also said 30 people were injured.

The injured have been taken to a hospital in Sikkims state capital Gangtok.

The high-altitude mountain pass was also in the news as the site of clashes between the two nuclear-powered neighbours in 2020, in which 150 Indian and Chinese soldiers were involved in a stand-off.

Sikkim, known as the Land of Mystic Splendour, attracts thousands of tourists every year and is located in the Himalayas below Mount Khangchendzonga, the third highest mountain in the world.
A huge fire ripped through a clothing market in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, injuring several firefighters and gutting thousands of businesses ahead of Islams largest festival Eid-al Fitr later this month.

The blaze broke out at the Bangabazar Market, a packed complex with 3,000 shops in Dhaka, at dawn on Tuesday and quickly spread.

Around 50 fire units with some 600 personnel were working to douse the flames for the past six hours as it continued to spread through the cramped market. At least eight people, including two members of the Fire Service and Civil Defence, were injured as they worked to control the blaze, reported the Dhaka Tribune.
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Chemicals which caused the hole in Earths ozone layer are growing at alarming rates despite an international ban, a new study has found.

Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), man-made gases once widely used in air conditioners and refrigerators, were banned in 2010 in a landmark international agreement called the Montreal Protocol.

Since then, alternative substances were introduced which were believed to be less harmful to the ozone layer.

But alarming new research, published on Monday in the journal Nature Geoscience, found that CFCs have continued to increase in the atmosphere, reaching record highs in 2020.

Researchers measured CFCs at 14 locations around the world but remain in the dark about the source of the increase.

Researchers speculated that alternative refrigerants may be to blame for the rise in CFCs.

Emissions of these few gases are at the same level as the emissions of all greenhouse gases in Switzerland, Stefan Reimann, a researcher from Empa, the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, told a press briefing, according to The Verge.

Being from Switzerland thats really something which boggles me.

The discovery of harmful CFC levels is a significant setback to global efforts to repair the ozone layer.

The ozone layer absorbs most of the harmful UV radiation from the sun, preventing it from reaching Earths surface.

In 1985, scientists discovered a hole in the ozone layer over Antarctica which led to increased regulations around the ozone-depleting substances before they were banned in 2010.

The blue and purple shows the hole in Earth's protective ozone layer over Antarctica in 2022 (Nasa via AP)

Since then, the ozone layer has been on the mend, reducing the risk of skin cancer and cataracts. Scientists expected that the ozone layer would resemble its pre-hole state by 2066 over Antarctica, and by 2045 over the Arctic.

However, the new study is an unexpected and unwelcome development.

Researchers speculated that a loophole in the Montreal Protocol allowed certain types of CFCs to proliferate, as companies are still permitted to use them in the process of manufacturing alternatives.

Three of the five CFCs that have become prevalent since 2010 are used to produce hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), the replacements for CFCs, in air conditioning and refrigerators.

The new study suggests companies may not be containing leaks and destroying remaining CFCs as intended.

HFCs also pose problems as they are super greenhouse gases and much more potent than carbon dioxide in terms of their contribution to the climate crisis.

The use of HFCs is expected to decline by 85 per cent by 2047, thanks to the 2016 Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol.

The pollution from the five types of CFCs studied, however, remains relatively low and may not be enough to undo progress in repairing the ozone layer. But scientists fear that the rise in emissions could counteract progress in tackling climate change.

Action towards saving the ozone layer under the Montreal Protocol is estimated to have prevented global heating by an estimated 0.5C.

Researchers said more stringent monitoring and enforcement of the Montreal Protocol is needed.

Eradicating these emissions is an easy win, Luke Western, a research fellow at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the University of Bristol, at the press briefing.
Rishi Sunaks government is setting out a new clean water plan with a promise of stronger regulation and tougher enforcement for those who pollute rivers, lakes and beaches.

But Tory ministers were accused of taking the public for fools by offering only hollow promises to tackle Britains growing sewage scandal.

Environment secretary Therese Coffey  who has said companies could face unlimited penalties for dumping raw sewage  said over 1.6bn of investment to boost water quality would be brought forward.
A matching DNA test has helped a mother reunite with her baby who was rescued 128 hours after devastating twin earthquakes struck the Turkey-Syria border in February.

The baby was handed over to the mother on Saturday by the countrys Family and Social Services minister Derya Yanik, 54 days after her rescue, reported Anadolu agency.

The baby girl was named Gizem, a Turkish word meaning mystery, by nurses after being miraculously rescued alive from under the rubble after 128 hours in Turkeys Hatay province.
A protection officer for Vladimir Putin has defected and labelled the Russian president a paranoid war criminal.

Gleb Karakulov, 35, had served as an engineer in the Federal Guard Service (FSO) presidential communications unit and said he has fled Russia over the war in Ukraine.

Mr Karakulov escaped to safety via Istanbul while on a business trip to Kazakhstan in October 2022 after accompanying president Putin on more than 180 trips over the past 13 years. It is unclear where the 35-year-old is now.
 Close Prince Andrew's ex-wife Sarah Ferguson explains why she won't attend King Charles coronation

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The classic song Im Gonna Be (500 Miles) by the Proclaimers has been removed from King Charles IIIs coronation playlist over the Scottish bands anti-monarchy views.

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), who created the official playlist, removed the track after receiving complaints about Craig and Charlie Reids republican stance, it has been reported.

Meanwhile, Meghan Markle has denied reports claiming that her decision not to attend her father-in-laws coronation was influenced by correspondence between herself and the then-Prince of Wales.

On Friday (21 April), it was reported that the Duchess of Sussex had written to Charles about unconscious bias within the royal family. The letter was allegedly sent in the aftermath of Harry and Meghans appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show in March 2021.

The Duchess of Sussex is going about her life in the present, not thinking about correspondence from two years ago related to conversations from four years ago, a statement issued by the Sussexes read. Any suggestion otherwise is false and frankly ridiculous.

Meanwhile, Camillas ex-husband Andrew Parker Bowles will be attending the 6 May coronation.

The pair were married for 22 years before they divorced in 1995. Camilla married the then-Prince of Wales in 2005.

One of Camillas Queen Companions, the Marchioness of Lansdowne told the publication of Camillas relationship with her ex-husband: Through adversity, theyve kept a really good family ethic. It helps with their children and grandchildren.
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Prince William, the son of King Charles III and the late Princess Diana, will be present at his fathers coronation at Westminster Abbey on 6 May.

Born William Arthur Philip Louis Windsor on June 21, 1982, he is the heir to the throne, since he is the eldest son of the King. He is 40 years old.

In 1995, after periods at Wetherby and Ludgrove Prep Schools, he started at Eton College, which is often a chosen private school among the royal family.

His parents divorced in 1996, and the following year he was hit with the news that his mother died in a car crash in Paris. At Dianas funeral, aged 15, he walked behind her hearse in the funeral procession.

After graduating from Eton with 12 GCSEs and three A-levels, Prince William studied art history at the University of St Andrews, Scotland, enrolling simply as William Wales in 2001.

It was at university where he met his wife, The Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton. The pair lived together in an off-campus apartment with two friends.

In 2010, following a visit by Kates parents to Birkhall  then King Charless private residence on the Balmoral estate  Clarence House confirmed that William had presented Kate with his mothers sapphire ring and the couple were to wed the following year.

On 29 April 2011, they exchanged vows in a grand ceremony at Westminster Abbey and became known as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

William and Kate married in April 2011 and welcome their first child in 2013 (PA)

Two years later, 22 July 2013, their first son  and second in line to the throne  Prince George Alexander Louis of Cambridge was born. Named after the Queens father and grandfather, it is expected he would reign as George VII if he ascends to the throne after his father.

The pair welcomed their second child, Princess Charlotte, on 2 May 2015. Their third child, Prince Louis, was born in April 2018. The familys official residence is Kensington Palace.

William completed seven-and-a-half years of full-time military service. He trained in the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force. His active service as an RAF search-and-rescue pilot ended in September 2013.

Prince William completed seven and a half years of full-time military service (EPA)

William has engaged in several charity initiatives in his philanthropic work, namely around the issues of mental health, the environment and homelessness.

In 2017, he spearheaded a mental health campaign called Heads Together, alongside the Princess of Wales and the Duke of Sussex. It brought together a coalition of eight mental health charity partners to encourage more open conversations about mental health.

The Prince of Wales is keen on protecting the environment for future generations. He is a patron of a number of charities that focus on conservation, via The Royal Foundation of The Prince and Princess of Wales.

In 2020, he launched The Earthshot Prize  a global environmental prize and platform for award and discover solutions to regenerate the planet every year until 2030.

The prize comprises of five Earthshot challenges that have an impact on some of the greatest environmental challenges facing our planet.

Prince William and Kate at the Earthshot Prize Awards Ceremony 2022 (AFP via Getty Images)

Following the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September, William became the Prince of Wales, as his father became King Charles III. William is now the first heir to the British throne.

William has also followed in his mothers footsteps in advocating for homeless people and those at risk of homelessness. His first patronage was Centrepoint, the UKs leading youth homelessness charity. He was also a patron of The Passage, which works to prevent homelessness and aims to transform the lives of those who have been homeless in the past.

In June 2022, William partnered with The Big Issue to sell magazines alongside one of their vendors.

Earlier this year, Prince William said that his mother would have been disappointed at the lack of progress in preventing homelessness.

Appearing in a video for this years Red Nose Day charity appeal, William visited people supported by the homelessness charity Groundswell, which is funded by Comic Relief.

My mother introduced me to the cause of homelessness from quite a young age, and Im really glad she did, William said in the video, opening up about the influence of his mothers philanthropic work on his own outlook.

I think she would be disappointed that we are still no further on, in terms of tackling homelessness and preventing it, than when she was interested and involved in it.

Prince William and Prince Harry at their mothers funeral in 1997 (AFP via Getty Images)

Williams relationship with his brother, the Duke of Sussex, is said to be fraught since the release of Prince Harrys tell-all memoir in January. In the memoir, Harry claimed that once William physically attacked him and advised him against marrying his wife, Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex.

Harry wrote: [William] called me another name, then came at me. It all happened so fast. So very fast. He grabbed me by the collar, ripping my necklace, and he knocked me to the floor.

I landed on the dogs bowl, which cracked under my back, the pieces cutting into me. I lay there for a moment, dazed, then got to my feet and told him to get out.

Prince Harry has spoken of the red mist that came over his brother during this altercation.

The Duke told ITVs Tom Bradby: What was different here was the level of frustration, and I talk about the red mist that I had for so many years, and I saw this red mist in him.

He also claimed William urged him to hit back, citing fights they had as children, but Harry refused and his brother left before returning, looking regretful and apologising.

At the time of writing, the Prince of Wales has not made a statement about any of the claims made by Prince Harry.

The pair have not been seen in public together since the funeral of the late Queen Elizabeth II in September. If Prince Harry does accept King Charles invitiation and attends the coronation, it will be the first time they will be seen in public together since the publication of Spare.
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The European Union's foreign policy chief on Tuesday lashed out at China for its support of Russia amid the invasion of Ukraine and called it a blatant violation of Beijing's United Nations commitments.

There cannot be siding with the aggressor, Josep Borrell said. There is a clear expectation from a permanent member of the (U.N.) Security Council to stand up in defense of international rules-based order and China as a moral duty to contribute to a fair peace.

Standing alongside visiting U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Borrell was forceful in his condemnation of a nation that has increasingly moved from being a partner to being a rival on the global stage.

The comments come just ahead of a visit of EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen together with French President Emmanuel Macron to China, where both will press the point that EU-China relations will pivot on Beijing's friendship with Russia.

Macron and von der Leyen are set to warn China against sending weapons to Russia during talks with President Xi Jinping on Thursday.

Even if Beijing says it is neutral in the war, Xi's visit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow two weeks ago had all the visuals and speeches of a meeting among trusted friends.

They agreed on the need to not deploy nuclear arms abroad," Borrell said of the Moscow meeting. "Some days later, Russia deployed tactical weapons, nuclear tactical weapons in Belarus, he added, referring to an announcement by Putin of plans to deploy such weapons.

Borrell said he was looking for a change of heart in Beijing if relations were not to deteriorate.

We have been clear with China that its position on Russias atrocities and war crimes will determine the quality of our relations with Beijing, he said.
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Former US president Bill Clinton has said it is a miracle that the Good Friday Agreement survived the Brexit process.

The idea that it weathered Brexit is a miracle, because Brexit was aimed right at the heart of the Good Friday Agreement, even if not intentionally, Mr Clinton said.

Mr Clinton was involved in last-minute negotiations ahead of the landmark multi-party process aimed at ending decades of violence in Northern Ireland.

One of the measures under the Good Friday Agreement was the establishment of a devolved government based on a system of powersharing between nationalists and unionists.

However, the new institutions created under the agreement have collapsed several times, most recently when the Democratic Unionist Party exercised a veto and brought down devolution in protest at post-Brexit trading arrangements for Northern Ireland.

Speaking to RTEs Prime Time in interviews that will air on Tuesday night, Mr Clinton urged the unionist community to engage with Northern Irelands institutions.

I think we should say: Look theres something to work with here.

He said he would appeal to unionists that Sinn Fein does not want to jam them.

The party thats getting the most votes now doesnt want to jam you, they want to work with you to resolve these things, Mr Clinton said.

How can we live together? How can we work together? How can we all put our heads on the pillow at night and feel at peace about what our children are going to face?

You love it and so do I. Who do you want me to call? Bill Clinton

Reflecting on the 1998 negotiations, Mr Clinton said he informed US senator George Mitchell, who chaired the multi-party talks, as well as UK prime minister Sir Tony Blair and Irish premier Bertie Ahern that they could call him anytime of the day or night.

In the late stages of the negotiations, Mr Clinton said he was on the phone late into the night.

They called me again and I was on the phone until about 2.30am in the morning, walking through all the details with everyone, especially Gerry Adams.

So I get off the phone and I went to bed again and I slept, maybe for about two hours.

And at five in the morning, George called me again. And he said I just need you to take a couple of more calls.

There's a lot of work to be done in Northern Ireland to deal with the continuing challenges that face the people Hillary Clinton

Mr Clinton said that Mr Mitchell described his role in the negotiations as the most onerous part-time job in history.

Mr Clinton recalled: He said, you got me in to this part-time job, this is the most onerous part-time job in history. I said: George, you love it and so do I. Who do you want me to call?.

Speaking to the same programme, former first lady and former US secretary of state Hillary Clinton said Brexit has set Northern Ireland back.

Its disappointing in that one always hopes that a peace agreement will be followed, not only in the letter of the agreement, but in the spirit of it, she said.

And I do think Northern Ireland is a very different place than it was 25 years ago, its just that Brexit set it back, to be blunt, creating a very difficult situation for Northern Ireland in the midst of separating from the European Union.

However, Mrs Clinton said it appeared that situation is on the way to being resolved.

Then the next step will be to stand up a government, she said.

Theres a lot of work to be done in Northern Ireland to deal with the continuing challenges that face the people, and those who were elected should get about the business of doing that.
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Just Stop Oil said that the climate crisis is more terrifying than 10 years in a British cell, as two of its activists face jail over their protest at the Dartford Crossing which caused traffic gridlock.

Morgan Trowland, 40, and Marcus Decker, 34, were both found guilty of causing a public nuisance after they used ropes and other climbing equipment to scale the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge.

Prosecutor Adam King said that police closed the bridge, which links the M25 in Essex and Kent, to traffic and that drivers were forced to use the tunnels instead.

He said the bridge was closed from 4am on October 17 last year to 9pm the following day.

Jurors found both defendants guilty, by unanimous verdicts, of causing a public nuisance following more than two hours of deliberation at Basildon Crown Court.

The pair have already spent more than five months in custody, having been remanded at their first appearance at Southend Magistrates Court on October 20.

They face a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, and Judge Shane Collery KC said: This court is considering custodial sentences.

He added: Were dealing with significant nuisance thats been caused.

Sean Irish, of Just Stop Oil, said outside court: Just Stop Oil will not stop because of a crackdown.

The climate crisis is more terrifying than 10 years in a British cell.

He said the verdicts were quite disappointing.

Mr Irish continued: Weve seen in the Old Bailey that a jury has the right to acquit based on a conscience, whether they were aware of that I dont know, but its disappointing to see that theyve come back with a guilty verdict.

Energy Security Secretary Grant Shapps said he welcomed the guilty verdicts.

Writing on Twitter, he said: The right to protest cannot be allowed to outweigh the right of the law-abiding majority to go about their day free from selfish and antisocial disruption.

We are cracking down on these guerilla tactics which cause misery for the majority.

The actions of Trowland and Decker were incredibly dangerous; for themselves, for the officers who were tasked with dealing with them and for the many, many people whose lives were disrupted as a result Chief Superintendent Simon Anslow

Essex Police said that those impacted by the traffic disruption included a heavily pregnant woman who needed urgent medical help.

Another person missed the funeral of their best friend of 35 years, the force said, and a business lost more than 160,000 in earnings.

Chief Superintendent Simon Anslow, who led the forces response to the incident, said: The actions of Trowland and Decker were incredibly dangerous; for themselves, for the officers who were tasked with dealing with them and for the many, many people whose lives were disrupted as a result.

Prosecutor Mr King said that the protesters ascended to a point close to 200ft above the road and unfurled a giant Just Stop Oil banner and rigged up hammocks and stayed there.

This closure caused gridlock for miles around throughout that period, which we say was the point, said Mr King.

It was because of the disruption that the incident made national news.

He said the men came down at about 5.30pm on October 18 with the help of police and a very tall cherry picker crane, but the bridge was not reopened to traffic until later.

Trowland had said in evidence: We climbed it (the bridge) to deliver a warning message, to put up a banner saying Just Stop Oil and to speak that message through interviews with journalists.

Trowland, of Islington, north London, and Decker, 34, of no fixed address, denied causing a public nuisance but were both found guilty.

Judge Shane Collery KC remanded them in custody to be sentenced on April 13.
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A woman accused of holding up a banner outside court calling on jurors to acquit Insulate Britain supporters has been referred to the Attorney General.

Trudi Warner, 68, from Walthamstow in east London, was detained last week after allegedly targeting jurors in a trial at Inner London Crown Court before Judge Silas Reid.

In the trial, Judge Reid had instructed jurors to decide the case according to the law and evidence and to set aside any views they might have about climate change and property insulation.

But on March 27, as members of the jury arrived at the court, Ms Warner allegedly held up a poster which stated: Jurors, you have an absolute right to acquit a defendant according to your conscience.

The incident was caught on CCTV and pictures of Ms Warner were posted on the official Twitter feed of Insulate Britain, the Old Bailey was told.

She was detained on March 29 on suspicion of contempt in the face of the court and the case was sent by Judge Reid to a High Court judge at the Old Bailey.

Following the Inner London Crown Court trial, four climate protesters were convicted of causing a public nuisance on Friday.

On Tuesday, Ms Warner held up another placard outside the Old Bailey in front of supporters displaying an Insulate Britain banner.

Another activist held a sign with the message: Peaceful climate activists are not criminals.

During the contempt hearing, Ms Warner sat in the well of the court behind her barrister, Raj Chada, and spoke only to confirm her name.

Mr Justice Cavanagh told the court: The allegation in this case is that this was a deliberate attempt to interfere with the course of justice with a view to inciting jurors in front of Judge Reid to breach their oath and affirmation by coming to verdicts in the trial not based on the evidence before them and disregarding legal directions of the trial judge.

On being invited to make submissions, Mr Chada argued for no further action to be taken against Ms Warner and opposed a referral to the Attorney General, Victoria Prentis KC.

He said it would not be in anybodys interests to delay the matter while more trials involving Insulate Britain are due to be heard after Easter at Inner London Crown Court.

There was little factual dispute in Ms Warners case, but Mr Chada questioned whether her actions amounted to a contempt of court and if legal proceedings were proportionate.

He said: There was clearly a concern of the judge but the trial did go ahead and indeed the defendants were convicted in that case.

Its not directly related but I would bring to the courts attention, the issue at the heart of this case are the rulings of his honour Judge Reid in relation to the ambit of evidence which is subject to the challenge at the Court of Appeal.

He added that a referral would mean Ms Warner would have the case hanging over her for some considerable time.

In his ruling, Mr Justice Cavanagh said that inciting jurors to breach their oath by disregarding the judges directions and evidence presented a grave danger of injustice to defendants and or victims.

Deciding it would not be appropriate to take no further action, the senior judge noted that the allegation against Ms Warner involved a degree of subterfuge and concealment.

Mr Justice Cavanagh referred to the Attorney General to decide whether to go ahead with contempt proceedings and consult with police and the Crown Prosecution Service on a possible criminal charge of attempting to pervert the course of justice.

The judge ordered that the court should be informed of the Attorney Generals decision before a further hearing in the case.

If found in contempt in the face of the court, Ms Warner could face a maximum penalty of two years in prison or a fine.
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A man and his pregnant wife that he is accused of murdering in Edinburgh were seen walking arm-in-arm to the landmark hill where she later died, a court heard.

Kashif Anwar, 29, is accused of murdering Fawziyah Javed, 31, in September 2021 by pushing her from Arthurs Seat, causing her multiple blunt force injuries and ultimately her death, and that of her unborn child. He denies the charge.

On Tuesday, at the High Court in Edinburgh, Anwar, from Leeds, was acquitted of a second charge of behaving in a threatening and abusive way towards his wife at a hotel in Edinburgh the day before the alleged murder.

Detective Constable Emma Todd, a CCTV coordinator at Police Scotland, was taken through security camera footage from the city centre during the day, including the couples walk to Holyrood Park, where Arthurs Seat is.

They were arm in arm for most of the way Dc Emma Todd

The 42-year-old said: They were arm-in-arm for most of the way.

They were seen walking from Wagamama in St Andrews Square, through Waverley Railway station, down Canongate and then past the Scottish Parliament which is next to the park.

Ian Duguid KC, defending Anwar, told the jury: As they walk down St Andrew Street, she has her arm through his arm.

He went on to add that from the exit to the restaurant, and almost all the way to the entrance of the park, they were closely in each others company, physically close to each other.

Mr Duguid said with the exception of a short period, as they were walking past the boarded Canongate entrance to the Scottish Parliament, they were arm-in-arm.

Police Sergeant Alastair Paisley, 41, a crime scene manager at the site of the incident, also gave evidence on the fifth day of the trial.

He told the court he estimated Ms Javed had fallen between 40 and 50ft.

Consultant forensic pathologist Dr Ralph Bouhaidar, told the court in evidence on Tuesday that Ms Javed died from complications of multiple injuries and a fall from height.

He detailed her injuries to the jury with the assistance of a three-dimensional model, which showed the areas of her body which were injured in the fall.

Sabeen Rashid, 43, a major crime analyst, also gave evidence, going through a 97-page telecoms report with advocate depute Alex Prentice KC.

Pictures from Arthurs Seat were shown, timed between about 8.06pm and 8.30pm taken on the phone attributed to Ms Javed, which included selfies of herself and her husband.

The trial, before Lord Beckett, continues.
A High Court judge has warned of the damage done to children who become victims of abduction after finding themselves at the centre of parental disputes.

Mr Justice Francis said youngsters taken from one parent by another parent could suffer untold harm.

The judge, who is based in the Family Division of the High Court in London, said parental abduction of children was a scourge.
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A Metropolitan Police officer has been found guilty of raping a woman and then accessing her crime report in the police database.

PC Ireland Murdock committed the attack in Lambeth, south London, while off duty on Saturday 25 September 2021, Scotland Yard said.

The woman reported the rape to the police on 9 January 2022 and Murdock was arrested two days later.

Murdock later searched for the victims name on a police system and accessed her restricted crime report when he had no policing purpose to do so, the force said.

Following a thorough investigation by the Mets Central South Public Protection team, Murdock was charged on 31 March 2022.

Murdock was dismissed from the Met in July 2022 after he admitted to having unauthorised access to computer material when he put the victims name through the police system.

Chief Superintendent Andy Carter, who is in charge of policing for the Central North Basic Command Unit, said Murdock had betrayed everything I stand for.

I would like to thank the victim for her courage and bravery in coming forward. I would also like to thank those who investigated him for building such a strong case that led to him being found guilty, Mr Carter said.

We took immediate action to suspend Murdock from duty when his offending came to light and we dismissed him at the earliest opportunity as soon as he pleaded guilty to unauthorised access to computer material.

We are determined to have a Met that the public can trust, with officers that people feel confident to approach. When someone fails to meet these standards, we will take action to remove them from our organisation.

At a hearing on 15 July 2022, it was found that Murdocks actions breached the Standards of Professional Behaviour and amounted to gross misconduct.

Murdock was banned from serving as a police office and barred from standing on local policing bodies (PCCs), the Independent Office for Police Conduct or Her Majestys Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services.

He will be sentenced at the London Inner Crown court on 23 May.
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A murder investigation has been launched after a man died from a suspected gunshot in south London.

Police were called at 2.25am on Tuesday, 4 April to reports of a man found injured in Croydon Road, near the junction with Beddington Lane, Mitcham.

Officers and London Ambulance Service attended and the man, believed aged in his 20s, was taken to hospital for treatment but died shortly after.

No arrests have been made and police are working to inform his next of kin.

A crime scene remains in place as homicide detectives from the Mets Specialist Crime Command investigate.

A Met Police spokesperson said: At this early stage it is believed the man had suffered a gunshot injury.

Detectives are appealing to anyone who was in and around the Croydon Road/Beddington Lane area and saw anything suspicious to get in contact.

They are also keen to speak to any road users with dash cam to check their footage to see if anything of interest has been captured.

Anyone with information that could assist police is asked to call 101 or tweet @MetCC and quote CAD616/4Apr. You can also provide information anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
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Conservative minister Robert Jenrick has been slapped with a six-month driving ban for speeding.

The MP for Newark, Nottinghamshire, was also fined 1,639 after previously admitting driving at 68mph in a temporary 40mph zone on 5 August 2020, the Courts and Tribunals Service Centre said.

Mr Jenrick, 41, was travelling south on the M1 after an appearance on BBC Radio 4s Any Questions at Wakefield Cathedral when he was caught by a speed camera in his Land Rover at around 11.30pm, the Evening Standard reported.

The paper previously said Mr Jenrick was fined 307 and handed three penalty points in March for speeding on the A40 in west London in August 2021.

For the latest offence, the minister was fined 1,107 and ordered to pay a 442 victim surcharge and 90 in costs, the court service said.

The case was dealt with through a Single Justice Procedure at Northampton Magistrates Court, which allows a magistrate to rule on criminal cases seen as minor in a closed court, meaning the public and press cannot attend.

Jenrick was fined a total of 1,639 at a court hearing on Tuesday (AFP/Getty)

They also allow defendants to plead guilty or not guilty in writing, which meant that Mr Jenrick did not have to attend court.

Responding to the sentence, Mr Jenrick said: I accept the courts decision.

I was driving below the national speed limit on an empty motorway, with no road works in sight. I now understand that a variable speed limit had been applied, which I didnt see.

I wouldnt knowingly exceed the speed limit.

He is not the only senior politician to be punished for motoring offences in recent months.

Rishi Sunak was fined by Lancashire Police in January for failing to wear a seatbelt while filming a social media clip in the back of a moving car.

The prime minister apologised for the brief error of judgment after the clip was posted to Instagram during a visit to the area.

And in November last year, security minister Tom Tugendhat was banned from the roads for six months after pleading guilty to using his phone while driving.

The Conservative MP for Tonbridge and Malling was caught by police with his phone in his hand while driving through central London in April.

The Home Office has also been contacted for comment.

With additional reporting from PA
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Dominic Raab has been urged to move forward on plans to force criminals to attend their sentencing after Olivia Pratt Korbels killer refused to come out of his cell.

The aunt of Zara Aleena, who was murdered as she walked home last June, said criminals should have their prison terms extended if they refuse to face victims, adding that there are other ways to implement the proposals than dragging defendants kicking and screaming into the dock.

Ms Aleenas killer Jordan McSweeney refused to attend his sentencing in February, something her family described as a slap in the face.

Thomas Cashman was found guilty of the fatal shooting of Olivia Pratt Korbel but failed to attend his sentencing (Family handout/Merseyside Police/PA)

Surely the judgment is part of the punishment... we need to see that the process will deter further crime and how can the process feel like a punishment if the convict actually exercises their bit of power? Farah Naz told BBC Breakfast. It's the last bit of power that needs to be taken away, certainly in our eyes.

I think there are other ways to make the convict come to face their judgment and that would be to add time to their sentencing or there can be other ways.

Otherwise we don't have people deterred from committing crimes if they're just moving from cell to cell there's no sense of punishment, she continued. I would like Dominic Raab to move forward with developing this law.

Ms Nazs comments come after nine year-old Olivias killer Thomas Cashman refused to attend court on Monday and had to be sentenced in his absence.

Ms Justice Yip said she regarded his lack of attendance as disrespectful to not only the court but those interested in proceedings, including the family of the deceased.

Cheryl Korbel, (centre) mother of nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel outside Manchester Crown Court after Cashman was sentenced to a life term in prison (PA Wire)

Cashman was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 42 years for the murder of the little girl in Liverpool.

My family and I have already started our life sentence of having to spend the rest of our lives without Olivia, her mother Cheryl Korbel said outside court.

Zara Aleena was killed by Jordan McSweeney as she walked home but he also refused to attend her sentencing (Handout)

By law, defendants are allowed to choose not to attend their sentencing hearing  prompting outrage from campaigners, who say this denies victims and their families the chance to see justice being served.

On Monday, a Ministry of Justice source said: Olivia Pratt-Korbel and her family werent able to hide from Thomas Cashmans crime  so he shouldnt be able to hide from justice.

This is exactly why the Deputy Prime Minister is committed to changing the law so that offenders are forced to face the consequences of their actions.
British spies are waging cyber attacks on Russia, Iran and other hostile states that aim to weaken adversaries and sow mistrust.

GCHQ has revealed details of the UKs National Cyber Force (NCF), which it says carries out cyber operations on a daily basis to protect against threats to the UK, including espionage, terrorism and serious crime.

With weeks to go until Englands local elections, the intelligence agency said the secretive unit was also working to reduce the threat of external interference in democratic elections.
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A 71-year-old man from Britain has died after being electrocuted while on holiday in India, his family believe.

Residents in Norwich expressed their sadness and disbelief on Monday as they learned of the death of Ivan Brown, a dearly loved former pub landlord in the city.

Brown, who ran several pubs in the city, was six weeks into an eight-week trip with a friend, when he touched what appears to have been a live wire in the town of Dalhousie.

He was very into photography and he was taking a photo of the Himalayas and as he stepped backwards we think he fell, he grabbed a live wire beside him which shouldnt have been live, his daughter Natalie Brown told the BBC.

Weve had information from police and the embassy of a few incidents at this place.

Police in the state of Himachal Pradesh are investigating why the wire was live, the family have been told.

The Foreign Office said it was supporting the family of a British man who has died in India and are in contact with the local authorities.

Brown, a father of three, had been landlord of several Norwich pubs, including The Murderers, The Jubilee and The Eagle, becoming friends with his travelling companion David Linder when he sold him the latter establishment.

Ivan Brown was travelling with his friend David Linder (Brown family)

He and Mr Linder had been sending photos and stories back home to family and friends showing the fantastic time they had been having, with travelling a huge passion of his, Ms Brown said.

His death would leave a massive hole in everyones life, she said, saying that Browns wife Jackie, and her siblings Doug and Danielle, had received hundreds of visits, phone calls and messages from the local community and around the world.

He was loved by everyone. Hes left a massive hole in everyones life  we havent stopped having people come around, Ms Brown said.

He was a very well-known character around Norwich and loved by many.

Ivan Brown ran several pubs in Norwich (Brown family)

He helped many people in so many ways. Its a great loss to the whole of Norwich and as a family we are all distraught and devastated. And this should never have happened; he should be coming home to us. We loved him dearly.

Tributes were paid on Facebook, with the administrator of a page dedicated to lost Norwich pubs describing him as such a lovely person and great landlord who will be missed very much.

Members of the page described him as a great man gone far too early who truly was a major part of Norwich pub life and will be sorely missed by colleagues and customers alike.

A former employee at the Bull and the Eagle described him as a lovely man and a real gentleman, while another described him as a man whom I held great respect for, a great boss back in the day.
A man is fighting for his life after he became trapped inside a light aircraft that crashed shortly after take-off.

Emergency services were called to the crash site in woodland near Damyns Hall Aerodrome in east London just after midday on Tuesday.

A woman passenger was also injured but her injuries were not thought to be serious.
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Martin Lewis has warned anyone who uses the Tesco Clubcard when shopping at the supermarket giant to be aware of a major change coming this month.

The Clubcard app, which customers can use to get money off and build up points when they shop, is closing on 18 April.

The supermarket chain has already closed its Pay+ app and the new app thats launching will hold everything in one place.

The Tesco Pay+ app closed on Monday 27 February. It allowed customers to store their debit or credit card and Clubcard details all in one app so they could pay and collect points by scanning one simple barcode at the checkout.

In order to access both of these services going forwards, the Money Saving Expert has urged all customers to download the new Clubcard & Grocery app.

Customers will be able to access a digital version of their Clubcard and access Tesco Pay+ all in one place.

The app is already live for those wanting it immediately  but anyone who would like to keep enjoying Clubcard benefits will have to download it by 18 April.

To download the app, search Tesco Grocery and Clubcard app in your phones app store.

You can download it for free on Android and iPhone and log back into your account. You wont lose any points, coupons or vouchers by making the transfer.

While the names are very similar, anyone with a Tesco Clubcard Pay+ debit card wont be impacted by these changes. Tesco Clubcard Pay+ is a prepaid card giving customers one point for every 8 spent outside Tesco as well as the usual points theyd earn with a standard Clubcard.

Those who have a Clubcard Plus subscription, which costs 7.99 a month and gives customers 10 per cent off their shopping twice a month plus other perks, wont be affected by the changes either.

The Tesco Clubcard is free to order or download and allows customers to get money off certain products in Tesco stores and online.

You also collect points every time you shop at Tesco using your Clubcard. These can be turned into vouchers to be spent on different things, such as restaurants or days out, or just go towards shopping in store for groceries.
 Close Virgin Media down again after provider apologises for earlier outage

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Virgin Media customers are threatening to quit for alternative internet providers after the telecoms provider apologised for outages which plunged thousands offline on Tuesday morning.

Customers complained not only about the break in their internet connections but about frustration with the customer service they had received, too.

However, the issue did not last for long enough for customers to be issued with automatic compensation.

Virgin Media is signed up to the Ofcom automatic compensation scheme in which households are entitled to 9.33 for each day their service is disrupted. However, this only kicks in after customers have experienced two days of disruption.

The telecoms provider said at around 11.30am on Tuesday that it had fixed the problems which first started at around 2am, according to data from Downdetector, a site which tracks outages.

However, at 5:25pm the company apologised again, saying some customers had seen a repeat of an earlier issue.

Recommended Virgin Media outage leaves thousands without broadband as provider races to fix problems

Read More: Best Broadband Providers in the UK

How to know if the internet has stopped working  or if its just you
Virgin Orbit has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection after failing to secure the funding needed to recover from a January rocket failure.

It comes just days after the California-based satellite launch company said it was laying off 85 per cent of its 750 staff and ceasing operations for the foreseeable future.

Virgin Orbit is 75 per cent owned by Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group. It lodged the filing in the US Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware seeking a sale of its assets.
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The government is considering a ban on plastic wet wipes as part of a plan to tackle water pollution.

Conservative environment minister Therese Coffey said a ban could come in as early as next year after consultation.

Wet wipes flushed down toilets cause 93 per cent of sewer blockages and cost around 100m a year to sort out, Water UK, the body representing the water industry has said.

About 90 per cent of these wipes contain plastics - but there are alternatives to using these which is why the government is calling for a ban.

Yet opposition and environmental groups have criticised the move, saying its weak and doesnt go far enough. So what does the wet wipes ban actually involve and how have people reacted to it?

What is being proposed?

The government is planning to ban the sale of plastic wet wipes from as early as next year.

This is part of a wider government initiative called Plan for Water, which involves the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) working to improve Englands water quality.

Under a ban, the government wants to see more investment from water companies, stronger regulation and tougher enforcement for those who pollute.

It also includes a consultation on a ban of plastic in wet wipes and restrictions on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in firefighting foam, textiles, cleaning products, paints and varnishes.

And Ms Coffey said on Saturday that water companies could face unlimited penalties for dumping sewage.

Conservative environment minister Therese Coffey said the ban could come in as early as next year after a consultation. (Jacob King/PA) (PA Wire)

What would happen if it goes ahead?

The sale of the vast majority of wet wipes - any that contain plastic - would be banned in the UK.

A number of companies, including pharmacy chain Boots and supermarket giant Tesco have already stopped stocking and selling these wet wipes - and so other shops would follow this trend.

Any fully biodegradable wet wipe options could still be sold but the vast majority of these products contain plastics which dont break down, meaning they block up pipes over time.

The government said it will work with the industry to create environmentally friendly alternatives to wet wipes.

What has the government said?

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said it has asked water companies to speed up investment in infrastructure to prevent sewage discharges, reduce nutrient pollution and improve the water supplys resilience to drought.

Regulator Ofwat is considering approving 31 schemes worth 1.6 billion and is accepting comments from the public until April 24.

Ms Coffey said: Our rare chalk streams and world-famous coastlines, lakes and rivers are hugely important to local communities and to nature.

A sewage blockage caused by disposing of a wet wipe (PA Media)

I completely understand the concerns that people have about the health and resilience of our waters, which is why I am setting out this plan for a truly national effort to protect and improve them.

That includes higher penalties taken from water company profits which will be channelled back into the rivers, lakes and streams where it is needed.

This is not straightforward, but I take this issue extremely seriously and things need to change. Thats why we have developed this plan and we are committed to delivering the progress that people want to see.

Ms Coffey is set to lay out her departments plans in a speech on Tuesday at the London Wetland Centre.

What do campaigners say?

Campaigners have shown mixed support, with many saying the governments plan doesnt go far enough to tackle water quality and supply problems.

River Action UK, an environment charity, told the BBC the government must have been asleep at the wheel for years, allowing rivers to fill up with untreated human effluent and toxic agricultural pollution.

CEO Charles Watson said: How can Defra credibly announce stronger regulation and tougher enforcement when there is not one single commitment today by government to put its money where its mouth is and properly re-fund statutory environmental protection agencies?

Green Party co-leader Adrian Ramsay said: After years of burying their heads, ministers have finally surfaced to tackle the scourge of sewage and pollution in our waterways and along our coasts.

Its clear the Conservatives can also smell a local election in the air and are only acting in response to public pressure.

The actions are too little too late, and still leave the water industry in private hands able to profit from failure.

The Green Party wants to see system change, with our water supply brought back into public ownership at the earliest practicable opportunity.

Labours shadow environment secretary Jim McMahon said: This announcement is nothing more than a shuffling of the deck chairs and a reheating of old, failed measures that simply give the green light for sewage dumping to continue for decades to come.

This is the third sham of a Tory water plan since the summer. Theres nothing in it that tells us how, if or when they will end the Tory sewage scandal.

Responding to plans to speed up water infrastructure investment, Ali Morse, water policy manager for The Wildlife Trusts, said: This investment is imperative, and we urge Government to ensure that projects begin as soon as possible.

Water companies develop long-term plans for water supply and wastewater, which include environmental improvements, but these are set to happen over decades; our waters and wildlife cannot wait.

We need to take every opportunity to bring forward this essential investment if we are to stand any chance of halting natures decline by 2030, as the law requires and as society demands.
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US First Lady Jill Biden will attend the coronation of the King on behalf of the country, PresidentJoe Biden has told the monarch in a phone call.

Mr Biden congratulated Charles on Tuesday ahead of his coronation in May, and told him his wife would be attending the ceremony, the White House said.

The president also expressed his desire to meet Charles in the UK.

A White House statement read: President Joseph R Biden Jr spoke today with King Charles III, underscoring the strength of the relationship between our countries and the friendship between our peoples.

The president congratulated the King on his upcoming coronation and informed him that First Lady Jill Biden looks forward to attending on behalf of the United States.

The President also conveyed his desire to meet with the King in the United Kingdom at a future date.

Mr Biden and his wife travelled to London for the funeral of the late Queen last September.

The newly-released invitations for King Charless coronation revealed Camilla Parker-Bowles new title of Queen. She was referred to as Queen Consort following the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September last year.

The elaborate invitation, which was reportedly sent to 2,000 people, invites guests to attend The Coronation of Their Majesties King Charles III & Queen Camilla  By Command of the King the Earl Marshall is directed to inviteto be present at the Abbey Church of Westminster on 6th day of May 2023.

The invitation, designed by Andrew Jamieson, also includes an illustration featuring Camillas coat of arms enclosed by the Garter, to represent her installation as a Royal Lady of the Order of the Garter last summer.
The UK government imposed significant suffering on Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Anoosheh Ashoori by rejecting changes to free them from captivity in Iran, a damning report by MPs has found.

Early opportunities to secure the freedom of the British-Iranian dual nationals were not taken, according to the foreign affairs committee report into the handling of hostage diplomacy.

The report criticised the considerable ministerial transience in recent years, after Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe questioned, on her release, why it took five foreign secretaries over six years to bring her home.
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Rishi Sunaks government has been accused of totally cruel treatment of an Afghan war hero threatened with deportation to Rwanda, as No 10 and the Home Office refused to say whether his case would be re-examined.

Lord Alf Dubs  a child refugee who fled the Nazis before the Second World War  said the idea of deporting a pilot who fought and fled the Taliban and arrived in the UK on a small boat was absolutely shocking.

The Labour peer called on the PM to make sure the veteran is allowed to stay. If he risked his life for us, how can we possibly not consider giving him safety? The government must think again, he said.

It is now one week since Mr Sunak told MPs he would make sure the Home Office has a look at the case, revealed by The Independent, of the Afghan pilot who is deemed to have arrived via an illegal route.

But No 10 refused to comment on the case, or say whether Mr Sunak would respond to the letter the Afghan air force fighter wrote to the prime minister asking for help, saying it is an issue for the Home Office.

The Home Office has also refused to say whether it would consider removing the deportation threat while it considers his asylum claim  and continues to insist it cannot comment on the plight of an individual.

The Independent has launched a petition calling for the UK to support Afghan war heroes who served alongside Britain

The Ministry of Defence  the department that decides on eligibility for the officially-sanctioned Afghan veteran resettlement route  also told The Independent the pilots case was a matter for the Home Office.

Lord Dubs called on Mr Sunak and home secretary Suella Braverman to stop hiding behind bureaucracy and help a war veteran in need.

I think its terrible  absolutely shocking, he told The Independent. The strongest possible claim someone can have is that they fought to help British forces. Its totally cruel for bureaucracy to stop him from claiming asylum.

The influential peer added: Of course the prime minister should take an interest in this, and, if necessary, overrule the home secretary by saying this person has to be allowed to claim asylum. We have to give him asylum.

Lord Dubs, who campaigns for refugee rights, said Britain owes Afghans who helped UK forces a debt, adding: To which country should they flee but Britain  the one country they thought they would be welcome?

Lord Dubs, who fled the Nazis, is veteran campaigner for refugees (PA)

The Labour figure said the governments plan to deport those who arrive via small boats to Rwanda or countries the government has agreements with was appalling, adding: Its not right to deny people the right to make an asylum claim.

He said: My own story makes it ever more painful, because Im shocked what we have come to. Were turning our backs on the basic human rights principles that have characterised this country.

The Afghan pilot  who flew dozens of combat missions against the Taliban and was praised by his coalition forces supervisor as a patriot to his nation  claims he has been forgotten by US and British forces.

In an email to the pilot, a Home Office said evidence that he had been in Italy, Switzerland and France before reaching the UK could have consequences for whether your claim is admitted to the UK asylum system, adding: [The pilot] may also be removable to Rwanda.

The Afghan pilot in the cockpit of his aircraft (Supplied)

The veteran said that it had been impossible to make his way to Britain via a safe route, adding: What safe and legal way was there after the fall of Afghanistan?

Afghans account for the largest number of small boat migrants, with more 9,000 having made the crossing in 2022.

The Afghan relocations and assistance policy (ARAP) scheme, designed to bring those who helped British forces during the war to the UK, has so far brought more than 11,000 people to safety.

Former Nato chief Lord Robertson has backed The Independents campaign against deporting the Afghan war veteran  saying it would be an indefensible disgrace if the Home Office sent the pilot to Rwanda.

Gen Sir Richard Barrons, a former chief of joint operations who served in Afghanistan, is among the military figures to urge the government to look into his case, along with ex-defence secretaries Tobias Ellwood, Sir Malcolm Rifkind and Kevan Jones.

A Home Office spokesperson said last week that the department remains committed to providing protection for vulnerable and at-risk people fleeing Afghanistan and so far have brought around 24,500 people impacted by the situation back to the UK.

They added: We continue to work with like-minded partners and countries neighbouring Afghanistan on resettlement issues, and to support safe passage for eligible Afghans.
Sir Keir Starmer is underwhelming and sparks little enthusiasm among voters, new polling has found.

The Labour leader is seen as bad or terrible by more than a quarter of the British public, despite his party enjoying a commanding lead over the Conservatives.

The YouGov survey marking Sir Keirs third anniversary in charge of the party also found that just one in five Britons think he is doing a good or great job.
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Rishi Sunak and his home secretary Suella Braverman could face a legal challenge over their plan to house migrants arriving on small boats on a floating accommodation barge in Dorset.

Conservative-run Dorset Council is opposed to the use of Portland Port as the site, and local Tory MP Richard Drax vowed: We will look at any way we can stop this.

The plan to use the Bibby Stockholm vessel, which will reportedly cost taxpayers more than 20,000 a day and could accommodate more than 500 migrants is expected to be unveiled by the Home Office this week.

Mr Drax, South Dorset MP, said the barge was being dumped on our door without consultation by the Home Office as he urged Ms Braverman to scrap the idea.

He vowed to work with the council and other local groups on legal action, saying: We are looking at all legal routes. We will look at any way we can stop this. Every angle is being looked at.

Mr Drax added: We want to get this consigned to the dustbin before anythings signed. We want to activate ourselves and say look home secretary, sorry  this is not the right place, can you please cancel this.

Details of any leasing agreement with the Liverpool-based Bibby Marine Limited were unclear, but the 93-metre long vessel can house up to 506 people.

According to reports, the three-storey Bibby Stockholm barge has been refurbished since it was condemned as an oppressive environment when the Dutch government used it to house asylum seekers.

A Home Office spokeswoman said: The pressure on the asylum system has continued to grow and requires us to look at a range of accommodation options which offer better value for money for taxpayers than hotels.

Dorset council, residents groups, charities and the local police and crime commissioner are preparing legal action to stop the 20,000-a-day barge plan, according to The Times  reporting that home secretary Suella Braverman could unveil the policy as early as today.

Local sources told the newspaper that asylum seekers would have to be bussed from the barge to a port security every time they wish to leave. Its the same as an airport, all visitors have to be escorted, they will go in and out on a bus. Theyll effectively be treated like prisoners, they said.

Rishi Sunak has vowed to stop the boats (PA Wire)

Mr Drax raised concerns about the practicality of keeping hundreds of vulnerable individuals in a very, very restricted area, placing extra pressure on the ports very small police force.

The Tory MP added: They will be allowed out on a bus every so often but in effect will be incarcerated for quite a lot of the time.

Bill Reeves, chief executive of Portland Port, said it had been selected by the Home Office to provide space for an accommodation facility, adding: We are currently liaising with the Home Office about the next steps.

Mr Sunak has said the cost of using hotels and the pressure it puts on local areas meant it was not sustainable, as he pushes forward with plans to detain and deport migrants arriving via the English Channel on small boats.

Plans to use two ex-military bases and a former prison were met with anger by local Tories when they were unveiled last week. A Tory-run local authority launched legal action against the Home Office over the proposal to use RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire as a site for 2,000 asylum seekers.

Tory MP Sir Edward Leigh has attacked the idea of using Scampton  the former home of the Dambusters squadron which sits in his Lincolnshire constituency.

Foreign secretary James Cleverly has shared his frustration with plans to use RAF Wethersfield, near Braintree, to accommodate around 1,500 asylum seekers. Former home secretary Priti Patel is said to be helping her local council in Essex try to stop the camp.

Group of migrants brought in to Dungeness, Kent (PA)

The Home Office argues new types of accommodation must be used to reduce a 6m daily bill of using hotels.

Immigration minister Robert Jenrick announced the sites under plans to offer asylum seekers accommodation to cater to their essential living needs and nothing more.

Senior Tory MP William Wragg said the idea of vessels was something must be seen to be done policy  attacking the Rosie and Jim idea of barges all over the place.

Enver Solomon, chief executive of the Refugee Council charity, has described the use of military bases and boats as wholly inadequate places to house people who have fled war and persecution.

Mr Sunak and Ms Braverman still face possible Tory rebellions over their Illegal Migration Bill. Amendments tabled by senior Tory MP Tim seek to ensure powers of indefinite detention in the Bill do not apply to children.

Ministers have been urged to give serious assurances they will not return to the barbaric days of detaining children in immigration centres as part of the Illegal Migration Bill.
Rishi Sunaks government has been condemned for halving promised funding for reform of the social care workforce, with one charity saying it is an insult to the sector.

Millions of pounds have been removed from previously announced money for the struggling sector which a recent report warned is on the precipice amid rising costs and difficulty recruiting staff.

The Tory government had pledged to invest at least 500m over the next three years to the social care workforce in its white paper on adult social care reform in December 2021.
Therese Coffey has admitted she cannot end the sewage scandal overnight in what critics are calling a complete abdication of duty.

The environment secretary has faced calls to resign from opposition figures after new statistics showed more than 300,000 sewage spills in 2022.

Launching a Plan for Water from the London Wetlands Centre on the bank of the River Thames, Ms Coffey said there was no way we can stop sewage pollution overnight and that to suggest otherwise was to be definitively dishonest with the public.
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Queen Consort Camilla will officially be named Queen Camilla at King Charles IIIs coronation next month.

The newly-released invitations for the British monarchs forthcoming coronation revealed Camilla Parker-Bowles new title. She was referred to as Queen Consort following the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September last year.

The elaborate invitation, which was reportedly sent to 2,000 people, invites guests to attend The Coronation of Their Majesties King Charles III & Queen Camilla  By Command of the King the Earl Marshall is directed to inviteto be present at the Abbey Church of Westminster on 6th day of May 2023.

The invitation, designed by Andrew Jamieson, also includes an illustration featuring Camillas coat of arms enclosed by the Garter, to represent her installation as a Royal Lady of the Order of the Garter last summer.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, a senior royal aide confirmed that royal will henceforth be called Queen Camilla once the King is crowned on 6 May. It made sense to refer to her Majesty as The Queen Consort in the early months of His Majestys reign, to distinguish from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, they told the outlet on 4 April.

Queen Camilla is the appropriate title to set against King Charles on the invitation. The Coronation is an appropriate time to start using Queen Camilla in an official capacity. All former Queen consorts have been known as Queen plus their first name.

The royal website will also be updated post-coronation to reflect Camillas change in title, with Queen Consort being replaced with Queen Camilla, the Palace said. To mark the Kings coronation, a new joint portrait of King Charles and Queen Camilla has also been released. The couple are seen smiling in Buckingham Palaces blue drawing room, with the Queen Consort wearing a royal blue Fiona Clare dress.

There has been much speculation about what title Camilla would inherit when Charles acceded to the throne. In an unprecedented move, the late Queen Elizabeth II said in February last year that it was her sincere wish that, when that time comes, Camilla will be known as Queen Consort.

It was later confirmed last March that the ceremony will involve the coronation of both Charles and Camilla, who will be crowned alongside each other. Traditionally, the wife of a reigning king is given the title of the Queen Consort. She is crowned and anointed at the coronation ceremony. While the Queen Consort does not hold a formal government position, her primary role is to provide companionship and moral and practical support to the reigning monarch, according to Buckingham Palace.

Camilla Parker-Bowles, who is Charles second wife, was made the Duchess of Cornwall when the two were married in 2005. Following her wedding to Charles, who was the Prince of Wales at the time, Camilla decided not to take on the Princess of Wales title  which had famously been used by his late ex-wife, Princess Diana.

King Charles IIIs coronation will take place on Saturday 6 May, 2023.

Additional reporting by PA.
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Home Secretary Suella Braverman could face a legal challenge over her plan to house migrants on a floating accommodation barge.

Tory-run Dorset Council is opposed to the use of Portland Port as the site, and local Conservative MP Richard Drax was working to get the plan consigned to the dustbin.

The Bibby Stockholm vessel, which will reportedly cost taxpayers more than 20,000 a day, could accommodate more than 500 migrants.

Portland Port confirmed it had been selected by the Home Office as a site for a migrant barge, but Dorset Council said it has serious concerns about the suitability of the location for this facility.

Details of any agreement with Liverpool-based Bibby Marine Limited and the costs were unclear, but the 93-metre long vessel can house up to 506 people in its 222 bedrooms.

We are looking at all legal routes. We will look at any way we can stop this MP Richard Drax

The Times reported the vessel would cost 15,000 a day to charter, with the cost of berthing it in Portland upwards of 4,500 a day, and additional expenditure required on services including security and catering.

Mr Drax, the South Dorset MP, said the barge was being dumped on our door without consultation by the Home Office as he urged Ms Braverman to scrap the idea.

Every options being looked at including legal action, he told the PA news agency.

We want to get this consigned to the dustbin before anythings signed.

We want to activate ourselves and say look Home Secretary, sorry, this is not the right place, can you please cancel this.

He raised concerns about the practicality of keeping hundreds of vulnerable individuals in a very, very restricted area, placing extra pressure on the ports very small police force.

They will be allowed out on a bus every so often but in effect will be incarcerated for quite a lot of the time, he said.

He also raised concerns about the impact on businesses in the seaside resort of Weymouth, adding: This is an extremely sensitive area which relies heavily on summer trade, I cannot see how this is going to be anything but detrimental. 

Portland Port said details of the scheme were still being finalised.

The ports chief executive, Bill Reeves, said: Portland Port has been selected by the Home Office to provide space for an accommodation facility.

We are currently liaising with the Home Office about the next steps.

The pressure on the asylum system has continued to grow and requires us to look at a range of accommodation options which offer better value for money for taxpayers than hotels Home Office spokesman

Bibby Marine declined to discuss negotiations with the Home Office but said it provides practical, safe and comfortable accommodation solutions at a cost-effective price.

The company described the Stockholm vessel, which is currently in Italy, as offering luxury living with a gym, bar, restaurant and games room.

But immigration minister Robert Jenrick has said that migrants will be housed in rudimentary accommodation rather than hotels while asylum claims are processed, meeting their essential living needs and nothing more.

Bibby says the three-storey barge has been refurbished since it was described as an oppressive environment when the Dutch government used it to house asylum seekers.

A Home Office spokeswoman said: The pressure on the asylum system has continued to grow and requires us to look at a range of accommodation options which offer better value for money for taxpayers than hotels.

Plans for other sites to house migrants under the Governments new policy to curb the use of taxpayer-funded hotels could also end up in the courts.

Conservative-run local authorities have threatened legal action against the Home Office over the proposal to use RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire and RAF Wethersfield in Essex to house thousands of migrants.

The Home Office says new types of accommodation must be used to reduce a 6 million daily bill for using hotels.

Enver Solomon, chief executive of the Refugee Council charity, has described the use of military bases and boats as wholly inadequate places to house people who have fled war and persecution.
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Four bodies have been recovered near a beach in Mexicos Cancun in the latest apparent incident of violence against tourists in the resort town.

Officials said three bodies were found on Monday in an area along Kukulkan Boulevard, near one of Cancuns beachside hotels.

A fourth body was found in the undergrowth on the same lot.

Reports said there was no clarification on the identities of the four victims.

Investigators have not attributed any cause to the deaths so far. Prosecutors from Mexicos Quintana Roo, however, said two suspects had been detained.

This comes just a few days after an American tourist was shot in the leg in the nearby town of Puerto Morelos.

US state and federal officials had earlier in March issued warnings to Americans travelling to Mexico for the spring break, citing escalating violence in the region.

The US State Department issued an alert on 13 March advising potential travellers to be aware of the risk of violent crime, drugs, unregulated alcohol and sexual assault.

Crime, including violent crime, can occur anywhere in Mexico, including in popular tourist destinations, it read.

Travellers should maintain a high level of situational awareness, avoid areas where illicit activities occur, and promptly depart from potentially dangerous situations.

US citizens should exercise increased caution in the downtown areas of popular spring break locations including Cancun, Playa Del Carmen, and Tulum, especially after dark, it added.

In a separate incident, a group of American tourists was taken hostage on 3 March after entering the state of Tamaulipas in Matamoros  an area dominated by Mexicos Gulf cartel.

It was later reported that two Americans in a group of four friends who were kidnapped during a trip to Mexico were found dead.

The Americans, who had driven from South Carolina, came under fire from a group of armed men and were bundled into the back of a pickup truck.

Tamaulipas governor Americo Villarreal revealed on a call during a Tuesday evening press conference that two of the victims, Shaeed Woodard and Zindell Brown, had been found dead.

Eric James Williams was wounded on his leg while LaTavia Tay McGee was unharmed  they are back in the US, according to the Tamaulipas Attorney General.

The US officials familiar with the investigation were quoted as saying by CNN that authorities believe a Mexican cartel mistook the victims for Haitian drug smugglers.
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A female suspect led police on a 160mph chase in California after stealing a patrol car with loaded weapons inside it.

Officials say that the woman allegedly stole a Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department cruiser in suburban Los Angeles on Monday before heading to Orange County.

The patrol car was stolen during a traffic stop in Compton, California, according to Fox LA.

The chase began around 1.30pm PT with the suspect driving the stolen vehicle on the eastbound 91 Freeway.

After thirty minutes of driving at speeds that far exceeded 100mph, the suspect left the freeway in the Fullerton area and headed onto surface streets, followed by police.

The suspect then dove through an industrial where they briefly stopped before speeding off again.

Police eventually ended the chase in Anaheim where the vehicle was corned by other police cars and a suspect was taken into custody.
 Close Lori Vallow: 7 witnesses called to testify on 13th day of trial

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The trial of doomsday cult mom Lori Vallow has resumed in Ada County Courthouse in Boise, Idaho, following a days recess on Friday.

The mother-of-three is charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy, and grand theft over the deaths of her daughter Tylee Ryan, 16, son Joshua JJ Vallow, 7, and her new husband Chad Daybells first wife Tammy Daybell, 49.

During the latest testimony in the bombshell case, the court heard how Mr Daybell texted his wife about burying a raccoon in the pet cemetery on their property in Rexburg, Idaho.

The message was sent in September 2019, hours after Tylee was last seen alive. JJ vanished days later.

In June 2020, the remains of the two children were found buried on the Daybell property.

Tammy died one month after their disappearance in October 2019. Her death was initially ruled natural causes but has now been found to be asphyxiation.

The case has captured attention due to its ties to bizarre cult beliefs and a string of mystery deaths and murders.

Separate to this trial, Ms Vallow is charged in the murder of her fourth husband Charles Vallow in Arizona in July 2019.
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A Georgia teenager who almost died during an alcohol-related hazing incident last week has spoken out for the first time since the attack.

Trenton Trent Lehrkamp, 19, was forced to consume excessive amounts of alcohol during a house party in Saint Simons Island on 21 March. Three juveniles then dropped him off at an emergency room while he was unconscious and with a nearly fatal alcohol level of .464  more than 23 times over the legal limit.

Mr Lehrkamps clothes were soaked with urine and he had spray paint all over his body and hair as well as a small bruise on his left shoulder, according to a police report released by Glynn County PD. He was then placed on a ventilator.

In an audio shared by WSAV reporter Brett Buffington, Mr Lehrkamp said he is slowly improving but has a long recovery ahead. He is now receiving treatment at an out-of-state facility.

Just know its going to be a long time for me to get over this, through the trauma, Mr Lehrkramp said. But one day, hopefully within the next few months or so, I might be back. But, justice will be served.

The three juveniles who dropped Lehrkamp at the hospital left before police officers showed up, according to a Facebook post from the Glynn County Police Department. No arrests have been made as of Tuesday (4 April).

The department issued a statement on Monday asking the public to avoid misinformation surrounding the case. Chief ONeal Jackson said there is no evidence that anyone defecated on Mr Lehrkamp, or that he ingested battery acid.

They also denied allegations that some of the teens involved in the incident are related to members of the Glynn County Police Department.

Misinformation also delays and hampers the investigation as it needlessly requires the diversion of resources, the statement read. Just as we ask the public to help by providing information, you can also help by refusing to pass on information without verifying the facts.

(GoFundMe )

Mr Lehrkamp spent a week in the ICU battling fevers and a lung infection, according to a GoFundMe set up by Erika Keller.

The GoFundMe was set up to raise money for Mr Lehrkamps medical bills. As of Tuesday, it had raised more than $125,000.

On Sunday (2 April), a family member wrote in an update that Mr Lehrkamp was thankful for the good wishes and support he had received in the last couple of weeks.

He wants you all to know hes alive and well but has a long road to go towards being fully recovered from the trauma, Ericka Keller wrote. He is hopeful that through the support hes going to receive over the next few months, that he may be back to normalcy.

Mr Lehrkamps father, Mark Lehrkamp, told officers in the report that his son was with people he thinks cares for him because he has no other friends. However, Mark alleged this was not the first time his son returned from the home injured.

Several news reports say that videos from previous incidents involving Lehrkamp began circulating on social media, allegedly showing the teenager slumped over in a chair while being sprayed with a water hose.

Trent wouldnt know until it was too late that these were not friends, but vile and abusive perpetrators who would go on to torture, humiliate, and assault him inhumane, terrifying ways for hours, the description of the GoFundMe says.

Glynn County Police said they are continuing to investigate the incident and both the Criminal Investigation Division (CID) and Georgia Bureau of Investigations (GBI) conducted interviews with involved parties.
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Tuesday 4 April 2023 will go down as an unprecedented and historic day for America: the day former President Donald Trump was arrested and arraigned on criminal charges.

Mr Trump has been under investigation by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Braggs office over hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels in the days leading up to the 2016 presidential election.

Prosecutors have been investigating whether Mr Trump falsified the Trump Organizations business records when his former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen made the payment of $130,0000 to Ms Daniels.

The money was allegedly 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.

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.

On Thursday 30 March, a Manhattan grand jury voted to indict Mr Trump on 34 counts of falsifying business records over the hush money payments. At his arraignement on Tuesday 4 April, he pled not guilty.

Hardcore loyalists gather for protest

While Mr Trump spent his last morning before becoming a defendant in a criminal case holed up at Trump Tower, his staunch ally and MAGA favourite Marjorie Taylor Greene prepared to lead protests against his indictment through the city of New York against what she has described as the political persecution of the former president.

In the event, several dozen Trump loyalists joined reporters and camera crews from across the world in a small park near the courthouse, creating a circus-like scene. A group of men chanted two genders and male and female, while a banner reading TRUMP OR DEATH waved overhead. One man carried a noose, attached to the placard reading what you need to deal with the liberal biased media.

I want him to know that weve got his back, and my support is unwavering and stronger than ever, and I will gladly take a bullet if I have to, a protester named Edward X Young, wearing a green Keep America Great hat, told The Independent.

Trump Indictment (Copyright 2023. The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

They were met by about half their number of counterprotesters, who held their own emergency noise demo to drown out Ms Taylor Greenes hate speech. They rolled out a massive sheet reading TRUMP LIES ALL THE TIME, while the crowd blew whistles, banged on tambourines and blasted loud music across a row of barricades separating them from pro-Trump demonstrators.

In between them stood numerous officers from the New York Police Department (NYPD), enforcing a warning from city mayor Eric Adams that anyone anyone caught participating in any act of violence would be swiftly arrested.

Though we have no specific threats, people like Marjorie Taylor Greene, who is known to spread misinformation and hate speech  she's stated she's coming to town. While you're in town, be on your best behavior, he said at a press conference on Monday.

(Alex Woodward / The Independent)

Trump arrives in court

Mr Trump reportedly left Trump Tower  the home of the Trump Organization  on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan sometime after 11am, travelling by motorcade to Manhattan Criminal Court in downtown New York.

The former president was be flanked by Secret Service members for his protection and the roads leading to the courthouse were closed for the journey. Security was also ramped up across the city.

On arrival at the court, he first entered Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Braggs office  which adjoins the courthouse  where he was officially arrested on criminal charges for the first time.

A supporter of former US president Donald Trump tears up an anti-Trump banner during a protest outside of Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City (AFP/Getty)

Like all defendants in criminal cases, he was processed  with his fingerprints taken and details recorded. However, he was not handcuffed or put in a jail cell, and did not have his mugshot taken. (This did not stop his campaign from putting a fake mugshot on a commemorative T-shirt in a canny fundraising effort.)

Then it was time for Mr Trumps arraignment before New York Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchan. Photographs showed a glum-looking tycoon flanked by numerous NYPD officers as he entered the court, while courtroom artists got the rare opportunity to depict his distinctive visage scowling amid lawyers and guards.

(REUTERS/Manhattan Courts)

The charges were 34 felony counts of falsifying business records over his part in the hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels in the lead-up to the 2016 presidential election, which prosecutors alleged were part of a wide-ranging and illegla scheme to swing the vote in his favour.

The court hearing itself was brief, and was not broadcast on TV after Judge Merchan made a last-minute ruling to ban video cameras from the courtroom.

Trump rails against charges in primetime address

Of course Mr Trump would not allow the airwaves to go uncontested, and flew straight back to Florida for a primetime address at 8.15pm ET from his Mar-a-Lago estate.

During the speech, he railed against the charges, Mr Bragg and Judge Merchan.

Trump speaks at Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday night (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

The criminal is the district attorney because he illegally leaked massive amounts of grand jury information, he said to loud applause.

For which he should be prosecuted, or at a minimum he should resign.

He also targeted Mr Braggs wife and Judge Merchan, describing him as the Trump hating-judge with a Trump-hating wife and family whose daughter work for Kamala Harris  despite the fact the judge has only just warned him to stop making threatening posts on social media that could inflame tensions or incite violence.

This article was originally published on Tuesday 4 April 2023 and has been updated with new details of events as they happened.
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Taiwan remained defiant ahead of the island president's expected meeting with the U.S. House speaker on Wednesday, after China threatened retaliation multiple times in the past week.

Taiwan's president Tsai Ing-wen has been visiting the island's remaining diplomatic allies in Latin America, Belize and Guatemala. The most politically sensitive part of her trip will be the meeting with US House speaker Kevin McCarthy in Los Angeles while she transits on her way back home.

The visit  while important for Taiwan in demonstrating its overseas support  is fraught for both Taiwan and the US because China views Taiwan as its territory and treats any dealings between US and Taiwanese officials as a challenge to its sovereignty.

Belize and Guatemala represent two of Taiwans 13 formal allies across the world, a number that has dipped as China has put pressure on and funneled money into isolating the island. Tsai's Latin American trip comes just a week after Honduras announced it was cutting ties with Taiwan in favour of China, potentially prompted by a $300m hydroelectric dam project in central Honduras built by a Chinese company.

Last week, and again on Monday, China threatened with countermeasures if Tsai met with McCarthy. The Chinese Consulate in Los Angeles issued a statement Monday saying it opposed any any form of contact between Taiwan authorities and the US.

The reality and current situation that both sides of the (Taiwan) Strait belong to one China is very clear, the statement said.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said at a daily news briefing Tuesday that China will closely follow the developments and resolutely defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that it has never been part of China, and that China's recent criticism has become increasingly absurd.

Taiwan, the Republic of China, is a sovereign country, and has the right to make its own determination in developing relations with other countries in the world, it said in a statement. It does not accept interference or suppression by any country for any reason, and will not limit itself because of intimidation or interference.

The United States longstanding one-China policy acknowledges that the Chinese claim Taiwan as their territory. However, the US does not endorse that claim and remains Taiwans most important provider of military hardware and other defense assistance.

China has repeatedly asserted its claim to Taiwan, though Taiwan maintains its own democratic system of government since the sides split after a civil war in 1949.

Keeping up the military pressure, China's Peoples Liberation Army sent 20 warplanes toward Taiwan as well as three warships in the latest round of exercises that have increased significantly in recent years.

According to data from Taiwan, the exercises involved the largest number of planes in a week. China regularly sends warplanes around the island and has at times seemingly used the exercises as a demonstration of its ire.

Last December, China sent 71 planes and seven ships toward Taiwan in a 24-hour display of force after it expressed anger at Taiwan-related provisions in a U.S. annual defense spending bill.

And last year, China responded to a visit by then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan with the largest live-fire drills in decades that included firing a missile over the island, which had landed in Japan's exclusive economic zone.

The PLAs increased military activity near Taiwan has raised concerns among regional governments, and also drawn greater international attention and rhetorical support for Taiwans defense. US legislators have also started visiting Taiwan at a greater frequency, as anti-China sentiment and concerns over China's strategic position grows in Congress.

-

Associated Press video journalist Liu Zheng in Beijing contributed to this report.
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President Joe Biden may have taken aim at his predecessor, former President Donald Trump, with a tweet about a Jain holiday referencing his desire to live with peace, truth, and harmony as Mr Trump departed Trump Tower for his arraignment on Tuesday afternoon.

Jill and I wish a happy and prosperous Mahavir Jayanti to all those observing, Mr Biden wrote on Twitter. Today, we recognize the values of Mahavir Swami and strive to live with peace, truth, and harmony.

Mahavir Jayanti is among the most important religious observances in Jainism, celebrating the birth of Lord Mahavir.

Mr Biden has thus far declined to comment publicly on Mr Trumps indictment, and while the tweet recognising Mahavir Jayanti is not about Mr Trump either, some felt the timing of the tweet was conspicuous. Mr Trump was arraigned on Tuesday afternoon in Manhattan on charges related to a hush-money payment made prior to the 2016 presidential election to adult film actor Stormy Daniels.

In other tweets from his official White House account on Tuesday morning, Mr Bidens attention appeared focused on issues aside from his political rivals legal fate.

A month ago, I released my budget to invest in America and lower costs, the president wrote in one tweet. House Republicans still havent shared theirs. Instead of making threats about catastrophic default, they should lay out their budget and show the American people what they value.

Another tweet sent on Tuesday morning trumpted the administrations work to build out the countrys manufacturing capacity and not having to rely on other countries to make the things we need here at home.

Some folks didnt think we could do it, Mr Biden wrote in the tweet. But, by investing in America, were changing our future.

Mr Biden and Mr Trump have a history that dates back to the presidential election three years ago, when Mr Biden unseated Mr Trump. The former president was impeached shortly after the election for teh second time, this time for his role in perpetrating in what experts have described as an attempted self-coup to remain in power.

Mr Biden and other political leaders frequently tweet well wishes and reflections to mark religious holidays in all of the worlds major religions, including Mahavir Jayanti. Some, however, remarked that the timing of the tweet  sent at 1:10pm EST  was reminiscent of the behavior supporters have used to meme Mr Biden as Dark Brandon to celebrate his successes.
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Former president Donald Trump has now been charged in Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Braggs grand jury investigation into hush payments leading up to the 2016 presidential election.

The investigation ramped up in recent weeks and on Thursday 30 March, the Manhattan grand jury voted to indict Mr Trump on criminal charges  making him the first current or former president to ever face criminal charges in the history of the US.

He stands accused of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in order to conceal an alleged scheme to illegally influence the 2016 election by suppressing negative stories about him.

At a hearing in New York City on Tuesday 4 April, Mr Trump pled not guilty to all charges.

Throughout February and March, the long-running probe had entered a new phase and Mr Braggs office contacted the presidents lawyers to offer an opportunity for voluntary testimony, a sign that meant an indictment or multiple indictments were likely in the works.

Mr Trump himself predicted on 18 March that he would be arrested the following week on Tuesday 21 March, which did not come to pass.

Now that Mr Trump has actually been arrested and charged, it marks the first time an investigation into his inner circle (of which there have been several, with the most famous leading to multiple indictments for figures connected to the 2016 campaign) has actually drawn blood from the former president himself.

The Justice Departments protocol against charging a sitting president appeared to cool any ability of the agency to do so while he was in office, but the presidents loss in 2020 opened the door to prosecution over the 2016 Stormy Daniels matter as well as an investigation into the January 6 attack and Mr Trumps efforts to overturn the election.

That second investigation continues, with the distinct possibility of potential charges for both Mr Trump and members of his legal team. And alongside the Bragg investigation, it raises the question: What happens to the 2024 race, and Donald Trumps ability to participate in it, now that he is under criminal indictment?

The short answer is, not much. There are no restrictions in the US Constitution preventing anyone indicted or convicted of a crime, or even currently serving prison time, from running for or winning the presidency. Even if he were tried and convicted in one of the so-called quick trials he has repeatedly cheered Chinas government for operating in the cases of drug offences, Mr Trump could still run the entirety of his presidential campaign from a prison cell.

What is far less clear is what would happen were he to win in that scenario. Just as there are no restrictions in the Constitution for a person to run while under indictment, theres no explanation for what should occur in the event that they win. Theres nothing in the document that would automatically grant Mr Trump a reprieve from prison time, save for the likelihood that any charges brought by federal authorities, were they still being litigated at the point when Mr Trump assumed the presidency for a second time, would be dropped due to the Department of Justices refusal to prosecute a sitting president.

State-level charges like the ones being filed by Mr Bragg are far trickier, and fall outside of Mr Trumps pardon power were they to conclude in a conviction.

Were conviction on state charges to occur alongside a Trump election victory, it would likely lead to a massive legal fight to determine whether there was a way for the former president to worm his way out of serving time. If Mr Trump was unable to avoid that outcome, it would almost certainly lead to his impeachment or removal via the 25th Amendment, which allows the Cabinet to remove a president who is unable to perform their duties. There are many duties and trappings of the presidency that would simply be impossible to be operated or performed from a prison cell, the viewing of classified materials just to name one.

Any potential conviction of Mr Trump is still a long way off and little more than a distant possibility. But the conversations he has started with his bid for the presidency despite facing one indictment and multiple criminal investigations have already pushed parts of theoretical US constitutional law into a much realer place than many experts ever thought it would see.

This story was updated on Tuesday 4 April 2023 to reflect new developments
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Former president Donald Trump fired out three furious all-caps posts on his Truth Social page on 18 March, invoking images of burning cities and World War III while stoking unrest with a call for his supporters to protest, protest, protest what he predicted would be his arrest in New York.

Alvin Bragg  the Manhattan district attorney whose office is overseeing a criminal investigation into the former presidents business practices following long-running allegations of fraud  issued a memo to his staff in response, stressing that he does not tolerate attempts to intimidate our office or threaten the rule of law in New York.

His internal message did not mention the former president by name or his incendiary rhetoric, but he referred to public comments surrounding an ongoing investigation by this office.

As with all of our investigations, we will continue to apply the law evenly and fairly, and speak publicly only when appropriate, he said.

On March 30, a Manhattan grand jury voted to indict Mr Trump on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, making him the first former president to ever face criminal charges. Prosecutors accuse him of attempting to cover up an illegal scheme to suppress negative stories about him in the run-up to the 2016 presidential election.

Like all defendants facing criminal charges, Mr Trump was processed before appearing in court on Tuesday 4 April, with his fingerprints taken. However, he was not placed in handcuffs and a mugshot was not taken.

At his arraignment, Mr Trump pled not guilty to all charges before flying back to Mar-a-Lago in time to deliver a prime-time address at 8.15pm ET on Tuesday.

No matter who you are, we cannot and will not normalise serious criminal conduct, said Mr Bragg at a press conference that afternoon.

Throughout the prosecution, right-wing opponents have bombarded Mr Braggs office with claims of election interference or raised baseless conspiracy theories, including antisemitic and racist attacks, that accuse Mr Bragg of leading a politically motivated case against the 2024 candidate for president.

Mr Trumps allies and right-wing pundits have baselessly accused Manhattan prosecutors of mounting a politically motivated investigation while ignoring violent crime.

Last year, homicides in New York City fell by 12 per cent while shootings dropped by 17 per cent compared to 2021, the lowest rates since 2019, and significantly lower than massive surges in 1980s and 1990s. Spikes in robberies and burglaries drove a 22 per cent overall jump in so-called major crimes, and overall crimes dropped precipitously in February with significant decreases in murders, shootings and subway crimes, continuing what New York City Police Department officials report as a downward trend.

The former president and other right-wing conspiracy theorists have also placed Mr Bragg at the centre of antisemitic and racist conspiracy theories, alleging Jewish billionaire philanthropist George Soros is directing Mr Braggs investigation at the expense of the lives of Black New Yorkers. On 19 March, Fox News programme Fox & Friends said that the Black prosecutor has to pay his master back by prosecuting Mr Trump.

Manhattans first-ever Black district attorney was overwhelmingly elected to the role in 2021 with 84 per cent of the boroughs vote.

A criminal investigation into Mr Trumps business empire includes a hush-money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels and long-running allegations that he inflated the value of his properties and assets to fraudulently obtain loans and defraud his lenders, which also is at the centre of a separate civil lawsuit from the office of the New York Attorney General.

Mr Bragg inherited the case from his predecessor Cy Vance, who began his investigation into Mr Trump while he was still in the White House.

The 49-year-old former state attorney and federal prosecutor from Harlem has been involved with lawsuits against the Trump administration more than 100 times.

As the chief deputy attorney general for the state of New York, Mr Bragg led a lawsuit against the Donald J Trump Foundation, which resulted in then-president Trump admitting that he used the organisation for political purposes and for his business under an alleged scheme that the office of New York attorney general called a shocking pattern of illegality. The foundation agreed to pay out $2m to charities and agreed to dissolve.

In November 2021, Mr Bragg handily defeated Republican opponent Thomas Kenniff in a general election for New York County District Attorney. He was sworn into office on 1 January 2022.

In addition to being the first Black district attorney, I think Ill probably be the first district attorney whos had police point a gun at him, Mr Bragg said during a victory speech after his election.

I think Ill be the first district attorney whos had a homicide victim on his doorstop. I think Ill be the first district attorney in Manhattan whos had a semi-automatic weapon pointed at him. I think Ill be the first district attorney in Manhattan whos had a loved one re-enter from incarceration and stay with him, he added. And Im going to govern from that perspective.

An early memo from Mr Braggs office said he would only seek jail time for the most serious offences with a goal to keep non-violent or first-time offenders out of jail, stressing that locking people up does not stop or slow crime. After widespread criticism from police groups and public officials, he later clarified that prosecutors ultimately have that discretion.

But the pledge outraged right-wing tabloids and Republican officials; Mr Braggs policy likely would have had a significant impact on hundreds of people routinely sent to jail for non-violent crimes, an effort that has increasingly seen bipartisan support.

(REUTERS)

Right-wing media and Republican officials routinely painted New York City as lawless and crime-infested, pointing the blame at recent laws aimed at reforming the money bail system.

New Yorks Division of Criminal Justice Services, however, has reported that the re-arrest rate is nearly identical since the reforms were implemented in 2020. Criminologists have not made any meaningful connections between crime rates and so-called progressive prosecutors.

Mr Braggs office and investigations were roundly criticised by Republican candidates across the country in last years elections, including by then-candidate for New York governor Lee Zeldin, a campaign that the GOP hoped would chip away at the states reliable Democratic firewall ahead of 2024.

Mr Zeldin accused the district attorney of abandoning his duties and refusing to enforce the law after Mr Bragg pledged that his office would limit the kinds of cases for which prosecutors would seek prison sentences, a line of attack that echoed across the country as candidates pounced on progressive prosecutors to advance a tough on crime message. (Mr Zeldins campaign also aired a violent advert telling voters to cast their ballots like their lives depended on it.)

While in office, Mr Bragg also opened a new Special Victims Division to focus on sex crimes, human trafficking and domestic violence. The offices hate crimes unit also has expanded with additional prosecutors and investigators.

After he was repeatedly asked that year whether an investigation into Mr Trump and his Trump Organization was still ongoing, Mr Bragg said: It is.

Prosecutors are going through documents, interviewing witnesses and exploring evidence not previously explored, he added.

Mr Trumps former personal attorney Michael Cohen pleaded guilty in 2018 to a federal charge relating to a $130,000 payment made to adult film star Stormy Daniels two years earlier in the run up to 2016s presidential election. Notably, the case from federal prosecutors during the Trump administration who outlined Cohens actions made in service of then-President Trump.

The payment allegedly intended to buy Ms Daniels silence before she spoke publicly about an alleged affair with then-candidate Trump. Cohen was allegedly repaid the money he gave to her in payments that could be grounds for felony falsification of business records. Mr Trump has continued to deny the affair.

Mr Trump appeared to be the only person to have leaked news of his predicted arrest. He made similar claims during a federal law enforcement search of his Mar-a-Lago property in Florida, publicising that a raid was underway before law enforcement agencies did.

His attacks on the DA didnt end after Mr Trumps arrest and arraignment on 4 April.

In his primetime TV address at Mar-a-Lago that night, he railed against the charges, Mr Bragg and Judge Merchan.

The criminal is the district attorney because he illegally leaked massive amounts of grand jury information, he said to loud applause.

For which he should be prosecuted, or at a minimum he should resign.

He also targeted Mr Braggs wife and the Trump hating-judge with a Trump-hating wife and family whose daughter work for Kamala Harris.

Coming just hours after Judge Merchan warned Mr Trump to stop making threatening posts on social media that could inflame tensions or incite violence, the former presidents attacks on the DA could be unwise and he may find himself under a gag order.

This story was initially published on 19 March 2023, and updated on 4 April 2023 to reflect new developments
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An extraordinary moment in U.S. history is scheduled to unfold in a Manhattan courthouse Tuesday: Former President Donald Trump, who faces multiple election-related investigations, will surrender to face criminal charges stemming from 2016 hush money payments.

The booking and arraignment are likely to be relatively brief  though hardly routine  as Trump is fingerprinted, learns the exact charges against him and pleads, as expected, not guilty.

Trump, who was impeached twice by the U.S. House but was never convicted in the U.S. Senate, will become the first former president to face criminal charges. The nation's 45th commander in chief will be escorted from Trump Tower to the courthouse by the Secret Service and may have his mug shot taken.

New York police are braced for protests by Trump supporters, who share the former presidents belief that the New York grand jury indictment  and three additional pending investigations  are politically motivated and intended to weaken his bid to retake the White House in 2024.

Trump, a former reality-TV star, has been hyping that narrative to his political advantage, raising millions of dollars since the indictment on claims of a witch hunt. He has personally assailed the Manhattan district attorney, egged on supporters to protest, and claimed without evidence that the judge presiding over the case hates me  something Trumps own lawyer has said is not true.

Trump is scheduled to return to his Florida home, Mar-a-Lago, Tuesday evening to hold a rally, punctuating his new reality: submitting to the dour demands of the American criminal justice system while projecting an aura of defiance and victimhood at celebratory campaign events.

A conviction would not prevent Trump from running for or winning the presidency in 2024.

Inside the Manhattan courtroom, prosecutors led by New Yorks district attorney, Alvin Bragg, are expected to unseal the indictment issued last week by a grand jury. This is when Trump and his defense lawyers will get their first glimpse of the precise allegations against him.

The indictment includes multiple charges of falsifying business records, including at least one felony offense, two people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press last week.

After the arraignment, Trump is expected to be released by authorities because the charges against him dont require that bail be set.

The investigation is scrutinizing six-figure payments made to porn actor Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal. Both say they had sexual encounters with the married Trump years before he got into politics. Trump denies having sexual liaisons with either woman and has denied any wrongdoing involving payments.

The arraignment will unfold against the backdrop of heavy security in New York, coming more than two years after Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol in a failed bid to halt the congressional certification of President Joe Bidens win.

Though police said they had no intelligence suggesting any violence was likely, they were on high alert for any potential disruptions.

While there may be some rabble rousers thinking of coming to our city tomorrow, our message is clear and simple: Control yourselves, Mayor Eric Adams said at a news conference Monday.

Trump pollster John McLaughlin said the former president would approach the day with dignity."

He will be a gentleman, McLaughlin said. He'll show strength and he'll show dignity and ... we'll get through this and win the election.

The public fascination with the case was evident Monday as national television carried live images of Trumps motorcade from his Mar-a-Lago club to his red, white and blue Boeing 757. From there, he was flown to New York, where he was expected to spend the night at Trump Tower before turning himself in the following day.

The former president and his aides are embracing the media circus. After initially being caught off guard when news of the indictment broke Thursday evening, Trump and his team are hoping to use the case to his advantage. Still, they asked the judge in a Monday filing to ban photo and video coverage of the arraignment.

Though prosecutors routinely insist that no person is above the law, bringing criminal charges against a former president carries instant logistical complications.

New Yorks ability to carry out safe and drama-free courthouse proceedings in a case involving a polarizing ex-president could be an important test case as prosecutors in Atlanta and Washington conduct their own investigations of Trump that could also result in charges. Those investigations concern efforts to undo the 2020 election results as well as the possible mishandling of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago.

Top Republicans, including some of Trumps potential rivals in next years GOP presidential primary, have decried the case against him. President Joe Biden, who has yet to formally announce that hes seeking reelection next year, and other leading Democrats have largely had little to say about it.

Trumps former U.N. ambassador, Nikki Haley, was campaigning on Monday near the U.S.-Mexico border as part of her presidential bid and suggested that coverage of the former presidents indictment was distracting from other key issues, like immigration. But even she added, Youve got a liberal prosecutor thats doing political revenge against a former president.

Prosecutors say their case against Trump has nothing to do with politics.

___

Tucker reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Will Weissert in Washington and Jill Colvin, Bobby Caina Calvan and Julie Walker in New York contributed to this report.
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Watch from outside a New York courthouse on Tuesday 4 April, where Donald Trump is expected to be arraigned after he was indicted by a grand jury following a probe into hush money paid to porn star Stormy Daniels.

On a historic and unprecedented day for America, Mr Trump will appear for the arraignment at 2.15pm ET this afternoon, becoming the first current or former US president ever to be charged with a crime.

Reports suggest he will face 34 felony charges believed to relate to falsified business records.

However, he will not be handcuffed or put in a jail cell or have his mugshot taken.

The 45th president flew into New York yesterday aboard his Trump Force One Boeing 757 plane before spending the night at Trump Tower in Manhattan.

After Tuesdays hearing, Mr Trump is expected to fly straight back to his Mar-a-Lago mansion in Palm Beach, Florida, to deliver an address later this evening.

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Donald Trump has been indicted on 34 counts relating to alleged hush money payments he made to adult film star Stormy Daniels.

On Tuesday, Mr Trump travelled from Florida to New York, where he agreed to be booked on the charges, making it the first time a sitting or former US president has faced criminal charges.

While the incident could become yet another in a long line of shocking, precedent shattering scandals that the former president walks away from unscathed, it is no doubt a significant moment in American history.

Some are even using the moment as a chance for somber reflection on the fragility of our democracy, and the seemingly impassable wedge that political tribalism has driven between the right and the left.

The rest are posting memes, doing bits, and engaging in other weirdness.

Here are some of our favorites:

A couple who got to share their wedding day with the media gaggle waiting for Mr Trumps arraignment:

A pro-Trump woman burning sage to ward off toxic journalists.

A MAGA supporter hands out whistles and inadvertently arms counter-protesters with a means to drown out speakers like Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene.

A woman celebrating the trending tag Arrestmas and predicting Tuesdays forecast would be mostly Stormy.

Another post celebrating Indictment Day using the characters from Winnie the Pooh.
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Donald Trump has landed in New York ahead of a historic arraignment in a Manhattan criminal court to face charges connected to hush money payments allegedly made to an adult film star in the lead up to his 2016 election.

His Boeing 757 arrived at LaGuardia Airport shortly after 1500 local time [2000 GMT] before his caravan escorted him to his Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue, the headquarters for his Trump Organisation and the namesake skyscraper from where he launched his first presidential campaign after descending his beloved golden escalators in 2015.

On 4 April, Mr Trump will appear inside New York City Criminal Court to be formally charged in connection with that same campaign after district attorney Alvin Bragg announced a grand jury indictment against him last week.

Mr Trump does not intend to stay long, however, though his supporters are expected to protest outside the courthouse where throngs of reporters and international news media have camped for several days; Mr Trump has scheduled a press conference back at Mar-a-Lago that same night.

The former presidents motorcade left his Florida compound for Palm Beach International Airport shortly after noon on Monday, joined by a small army of campaign aides and advisers, including his son Eric Trump.

City officials and law enforcement agencies braced for his arrival and a potentially volatile atmosphere in Manhattan, where New York City mayor Eric Adams warned out-of-town rabble rousers who plan to protest to control yourselves.

He singled out US Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, among far-right activists who have announced plans to travel to the city to support the former president.

Although we have no specific threats, people like Marjorie Taylor Greene, who is known to spread misinformation and hate speech, she stated shes coming to town, Mr Adams said in a briefing as Mr Trumps caravan departed Mar-a-Lago.

When youre in town, be on your best behavior, he added. While there may be some rabble rousers thinking of coming to our city tomorrow, our message is clear and simple: Control yourselves, he added. New York is our home and not a place for your misplaced anger.

Outside Trump Tower, a handful of Trump supporters joined a homecoming rally as dozens of reporters and news cameras directed their attention at the gold-trimmed entry on Fifth Avenue awaiting Mr Trumps arrival.

The indictment is not against Trump. Its against America, Dion Cini, wearing an ULTRA EXTREME MAGA T-shirt outside Trump Tower, told reporters.

The indictment remains sealed, and no one other than grand jury members and prosecutors have reviewed evidence and the explanation of charges against the former president.

But Mr Trump is expected to face more than two dozen charges connected to his alleged hush money payments orchestrated by his then-attorney Michael Cohen, who was sentenced to 36 months in prison for brazen violations of the election laws when he admitted to coordinating more than $130,000 to silence Stormy Daniels in an effort to support Mr Trumps 2016 election chances, according to federal prosecutors.

A handful of Trump supporters stood outside Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue on 3 April to welcome the former president as he arrives in New York to face criminal charges. (Reuters)

Mr Trump is expected to surrender himself to authorities before his arraignment with a formal presentation of the charges, to which is expected to plead not guilty.

The hearing will probably not be televised or filmed, as per New York law prohibiting courtroom recordings, although news organisations and New York lawmakers have asked for exceptions in the historic case. A vast pool of journalists will be vying for a slim number of seats.

Within hours of the announcement of the indictment against Mr Trump, his campaign pushed out fundraising emails to his loyal supporters. His campaign reportedly raised $4m within 24 hours after news of his indictment broke last week.

As The Independent previously reported, Mr Trump launched a media frenzy with a false prediction of his imminent arrest on 19 March, which his campaign seized for a series of fundraising messages that netted millions within days.

A pair of recent polls finds that a majority of Americans believe Mr Trump should face criminal charges in connection with the alleged hush-money scheme.

Polling from CNN and SSRS finds that 60 per cent of Americans  including 94 per cent of Democratic voters and 62 per cent of Independents  believe Mr Trump was rightfully indicted. Seventy-nine per cent of Republican voters disapprove, and 54 per cent strongly disapprove.

Those results follow polling from ABC News/Ipsos that find a plurality of Americans (45 per cent) support the indictment. In that poll, roughly half (49 per cent) of respondents also believe that Mr Trump should face charges for his actions related to the attack on the US Capitol on 6 January 2021, and (51 per cent) say he should be charged for his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.
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Donald Trump will face 34 felony charges for falsification of business records in connection to hush money payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels, a report says.

But the one-term president will not be made to have a mugshot, wear handcuffs or be placed in a jail cell before he is led into a New York City to be arraigned, sources told Yahoo News.

Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg has reportedly consulted with the Secret Service and New York City court officials and decided that there was no reason to put Mr Trump through the normal procedure of being cuffed and having a photo taken.

Mr Trump, who is protected around the clock by federal agents, is not viewed as a flight risk or a risk to court officials and therefore does not need to be cuffed, the DAs office concluded.

Following publication of the report, the former president took to Truth Social to accuse Mr Bragg of illegally leaking details of the pathetic indictment against him.

Wow! District Attorney Bragg just illegally LEAKED the various points, and complete information, on the pathetic Indictment against me. I know the reporter and so, unfortunately, does he. This means that he MUST BE IMMEDIATELY INDICTED. Now, if he wants to really clean up his reputation, he will do the honorable thing and, as District Attorney, INDICT HIMSELF. He will go down in Judicial history, and his Trump Hating wife will be, I am sure, very proud of him!

D.A. BRAGG JUST ILLEGALLY LEAKED THE 33 points of Indictment. There are no changes or surprises from those he leaked days ago directly out of the Grand Jury. No Crime by Trump. What a MESS. Bragg should resign, NOW! he wrote on his social media platform.

The report states that a New York City Police report summarising the charges against the former president will be entered into the court system and Mr Trump will then be brought into the courtroom to be arraigned.

While falsification of business records is normally a misdemeanour, prosecutors have increased them to Class E felonies, the lowest level in New York state, because they claim that it was intended to conceal another underlying crime, according to the report.

Mr Trump allegedly made the payments Stormy Daniels to prevent her from revealing an affair he had with her before the 2016 election.

The indictment, which is currently still under seal, was filed with the New York Supreme Court late last Thursday, just before the court clerks office wrapped its business for the day.

Recommended New York mayor warns of Marjorie Taylor Greene spreading hate in city over Trump indictment

The twice-impeached former presidents plane landed at LaGuardia Airport in Queens on Monday and he is staying overnight at his Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue on Monday night before his court appearance downtown on Tuesday afternoon.

Law enforcement is on high alert and barricades have been erected around Trump Tower and Manhattan Criminal Court, where Mr Trump will appear before Judge Juan Merchan at 2.15pm.
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Donald Trumps 34-count indictment brought by a New York grand jury has finally been unsealed.

The 16-page document was released on the afternoon of Tuesday (4 April) shortly after Mr Trump surrendered to be arrested and arraigned at the Manhattan Criminal Court - making him the first former US president to be a defendant in a criminal case.

Mr Trump pleaded not guilty in proceedings before New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan, the same judge who last year presided over the criminal tax fraud trial of two of the ex-presidents companies.

The indictment in People of the State of New York v Donald J Trump lays out the specific charges against the twice-impeached ex-president, who has spent the five days since it became known that hed been indicted railing against the case and attacking the Manhattan prosecutors who are leading it.

It alleges that he falsified records to conceal payments to two women with whom he had affairs, in order to silence them and keep their accounts of their liaisons from harming his chances of winning the 2016 presidential election.

The women who Mr Trump is thought to have paid are Stormy Daniels, an adult film actress whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, and former Playboy model Karen McDougal. Ms McDougal was paid $150,000 by the National Inquirer for her silence, while Ms Daniels was paid by Mr Trumps then-lawyer, Michael Cohen, in a scheme which led to Cohen spending a year in federal prison and two more on home confinement.

Read the indictment in full:
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Donald Trump became the first president in American history to be charged with a crime on Tuesday 4 April 2023 when he appeared before a judge at Manhattan Criminal Court accused of falsifying business records.

The arraignment came in response to a grand jury indictment announced by New York County district attorney Alvin Bragg over a hush money payment Mr Trump is accused of making to porn star Stormy Daniels in 2016 to stay silent about a sexual encounter the pair are alleged to have had a decade earlier.

The former commander-in-chief, who was also the first US president to be impeached twice in his chaotic one-term reign in the White House, denies the affair with Ms Daniels (real name Stephanie Clifford) and any wrongdoing and has, predictably, insisted the episode is just another witch hunt concocted by his numerous political enemies to discredit him in the eyes of the public and thwart a political comeback.

Prior to the arraignment itself, Mr Trump was busy using the indictment to whip up his base by insisting he was the innocent victim of a justice system with a deep-rooted liberal bias being weaponised against him and to raise campaign donations in support of his 2024 presidential run off the back of that spurious claim.

On the Monday beforehand, he jetted into New Yorks La Guardia Airport in his personal Boeing 757 and stayed overnight at his Trump Tower complex in Manhattan, spending the evening unwisely venting his spleen on Truth Social, his own social media platform, suggesting angrily that District Attorney Bragg should indict himself after leaking details of the arraignment illegally.

Flanked by police when he finally set out for the courthouse  to be greeted by competing rallies gathered outside to deplore his treatment or call for his imprisonment  Mr Trump was not handcuffed, photographed for a mugshot or placed in a jail as he appeared briefly before Judge Juan Merchan, the spectacle failing to live up to the AI-generated preview images that went viral in advance of the big day.

He was represented in the case by a new lead counsel, former federal prosecutor and white-collar criminal defence attorney Todd Blanche, a lawyer who has previously represented his former campaign manager Paul Manafort and the ex-Rudy Giuliani associate Igor Fruman, among many others, and it was he who did most of the talking before the Trump entourage departed.

Documents released by Mr Braggs office immediately after the arraignment revealed that Mr Trump was being accused of 34 counts of falsifying business records in order to conceal the alleged hush money payments, including $130,000 to Ms Daniels, from his attorney Michael Cohen, who was then reimbursed.

Back at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, that evening, Mr Trump delivered a prime-time televised address in which he lashed out at both Mr Bragg and Judge Merchan.

The criminal is the district attorney because he illegally leaked massive amounts of grand jury information for which he should be prosecuted or, at a minimum, he should resign, he said to loud applause.

He also targeted Mr Braggs wife and the Trump hating-judge with a Trump-hating wife and family whose daughter work for Kamala Harris, all of which came despite Judge Merchan having specifically warned him to stop making threats that might inflame tensions or incite violence.

But the big question many will want answered after all of that is whether Mr Trump could ultimately face prison time if he is found guilty of an offence.

Danya Perry, a former deputy attorney-general for the state of New York, told Reuters in advance that Mr Trump would be released on recognisance  a term for an agreement a defendant makes with a court to observe certain conditions, like returning when summoned, for instance.

Donald Trump (AP)

New York abolished the need for bail in most cases involving misdemeanours and non-violent felonies, as was the case in this instance, in 2019.

As to the outcome for Mr Trump longer term, the charge of falsifying business records in the first degree is regarded as a low-level felony but does carry a typical sentence of up to four years in prison, so it is theoretically possible.

That said, a conviction would represent a first offence for a non-violent crime, making the prospect of jail less likely.

The defendants age, 76, might also provide grounds for a compassionate sentence.

Former Brooklyn prosecutor Arthur Aidala told Insider: I cant say for absolute 100 per cent certainty there cant be jail because on the books, he can go to jail [But] I do not see a scenario where Donald Trump spends one minute in jail.

The case is expected to be a drawn-out affair and may not be resolved before the American public goes to the polls for the next presidential election in November 2024, so, without a resolution one way or the other, it need not necessarily prohibit Mr Trump from continuing his latest quest to secure the Republican nomination.

Interestingly, even if the former president were to be charged, there is actually nothing in the US Constitution that disqualifies a candidate from running with a criminal record, although he and his party may nevertheless be forced to conclude that the support for him is no longer there if he is seen to be tarnished by the scandal, as almost any other politician around the world would be.

Whatever the outcome of the hush money case, it is only the beginning of Mr Trumps legal problems, with several other active criminal and civil cases concerning him currently being investigated.

E Jean Carroll (AP)

First up, E Jean Carroll  the writer and former advice columnist for Elle magazine who has accused Mr Trump of raping her in a department store dressing room in the mid-1990s, which he denies  will appear as the plaintiff in a pair of civil lawsuits against him that will be presented in a New York City federal courtroom beginning on Monday 24 April, when a jury will be chosen under the supervision of US district judge Lewis Kaplan.

Ms Carroll is suing Mr Trump for defamation after he accused her of lying to boost sales of a forthcoming book when she first came forward with her accusation in 2019 and is also bringing a lawsuit against him over the alleged rape itself under New Yorks Adult Survivors Act, which was signed into law by state governor Kathy Hochul last year.

Other legal cases facing the former president include a fraud lawsuit brought by New York attorney general Letitia James alleging that his Trump Organization knowingly overestimated the value of its real estate assets by billions of dollars in order to obtain more favourable loans from banks, a Department of Justice (DoJ) investigation into the removal of classified documents from the White House following the completion of his term in office and a grand jury probe into his attempt to influence vote counting in the crucial swing state of Georgia in the aftermath of the 2020 election.

It also remains to be seen whether the four criminal charges recommended by the congressional committee investigating the Capitol riot of 6 January 2021 will be taken up by the DoJ after the panel concluded in its 845-page report published in December that Mr Trump and his allies had conceived a multipart plan to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
 Close Trump claims NYC courthouse staff were crying when he was arrested

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Donald Trump attacked Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for his overseas trip and Don Lemon for being ousted at CNN on his social media platform, Truth Social.

The former president launched another attack on Mr DeSantis, claiming his trip to Japan was an emergency Round the World tour of U.S representative population countries.

Mr Trump accused Mr DeSantis consultants of making him go on the trip to boost poll numbers.

Recent polling shows Mr DeSantis trailing behind Mr Trump, though the Florida Governor seemed unconcerned as he has not formally announced a campaign for president.

Meanwhile, the former president celebrated Lemons release from CNN calling it Good news.

Mr Trumps attack on Lemon and Mr DeSantis comes as his civil trial brought by columnist E Jean Carroll begins this week in New York.

Ms Carroll has claimed that Mr Trump raped her in the dressing room of the Bergdorf Goodman department store in Manhattan in the 1990s.

Jury selection begins on Tuesday in the case. Mr Trump is not expected to appear in person
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Scandal-plagued New York Representative George Santos was mocked by New Yorkers as he appeared in the city to attend a rally in support of former President Donald Trump on the day of his arraignment.

Mr Santos was hounded by reporters as he arrived, with BuzzFeed reporter David Mack calling it utter chaos.

George, you should have shown up in drag! one person yelled, the reporter tweeted.

When asked why he was at the rally, Mr Santos said, Because I can be here.

He said no president was above the law, according to footage shared by Elizabeth Landers of Vice News. Mr Santos then said: Wheres Hunter Bidens indictment? Two years of a laptop, a treasure trove of crime.

When asked if Mr Trump should be held accountable if he has committed a crime, Mr Santos said: This is not that crime, though.

This is old news, he added.

Mr Santos left the area where the rally was set to take place before it had even begun, saying that he felt threatened and that it was too chaotic, according to Kadia Goba of Semafor.

Jordan Klepper of The Daily Show shouted questions at Mr Santos, according to footage posted by Jacob Shamsian of Insider.

George, speak up, we want to hear the legitimacy you bring to this process, Mr Klepper said. George, are you worried that this is becoming a circus? George, talk about your time running a circus! George, thank you for your service!

George, did you get a law degree in the last two weeks that we dont know about? someone else shouted.

Mr Santos has been frequently mocked for his lies since much of his resume was revealed to be untrue following his election to Congress in Novembers midterms.

Tuesdays protest was organised by Georgia Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene. Scott MacFarlane of CBS News noted that the protest across the street from Manhattan courthouse appears to be more than 75 per cent media.

Im here in NY to protest with my voice against the weaponization of the justice system on innocent President Trump, but the counter protestors are coming to commit assault that can cause audible damage to everyones ears including NYPD, Ms Greene tweeted on Tuesday morning.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams warned Ms Greene and other protesters during a press conference on Monday.

People like Marjorie Taylor Greene, who is known to spread misinformation and hate speech, while youre in town, be on your best behaviour, he said.

Ms Greene responded on Tuesday, saying: But Mayor Adams warns me by name! If counter-protestors are violating freedom of speech and committing assault, they should be arrested.

Mr Santos is facing several investigations regarding his claims about his past and possible campaign finance issues. He wasnt scheduled to speak at the rally.

Ms Greene urged Americans to take a stand during her brief speech, large parts of which were drowned out by the sounds of counter-protesters.

She claimed that the government has been weaponized against Americans: Im here to protest and use my voice and take a stand. Every American should take a stand.

This is what happens in communist countries  not the United States of America, she added. We have to take a stand against the injustice, the corruption, and the communist Democrats. Theyre taking our legal code, twisting it, manipulating it, and perverting it into something it was never meant to be. Donald J Trump is innocent, this is election interference. DA Alvin Bragg is nothing but a George Soros-funded tool. He is a tool for the Democrats to try to hijack the 2024 presidential election. This is a travesty!
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Ivanka Trump paid her father Donald a visit two days before he surrendered to authorities to face criminal charges over hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels.

The former first daughter went to Mar-a-Lago on Sunday, Page Six reported - three days after a grand jury voted to indict Mr Trump.

It came after Ivanka broke her silence on the criminal indictment to say that she is pained for both him and her country.

In a brief statement posted to Instagram on Friday, she wrote: I love my father and I love my country. Today I am pained for both.

I appreciate the voices across the political spectrum expressing support and concern.

On Thursday 30 March, a Manhattan grand jury voted to indict Mr Trump on criminal charges over hush money payments to adult film star Ms Daniels days just before the 2016 presidential election.

The unprecedented indictment makes Mr Trump the first current or former president to ever face criminal charges in the history of the US.

Mr Trump was formally arrested and charged at an arraignment on Tuesday (4 April). He pleaded not guilty to 34 counts.

The indictment is said to have caught Mr Trump off guard after it was announced that the grand jury was taking a weeks-long break from hearing the case.

As soon as the news broke, Mr Trumps adult sons Eric Trump and Don Trump Jr leaped into action raging against what they described as third world prosecutorial misconduct.

This is third world prosecutorial misconduct, tweeted Eric. It is the opportunistic targeting of a political opponent in a campaign year.

Donald Trump and daughter Ivanka Trump walk to Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House on 4 January 2020 in Washington, DC (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Meanwhile, Don Jr branded it a weaponization of our Govt against their political enemies on Twitter before railing against the indictment during a somewhat emotional appearance on his show Triggered with Don Jr that night.

Lets be clear, folks, this is like communist-level s***, he said. This is stuff that would make Mao, Stalin, Pol Pot, it would make them blush.

He later shared a tweet from another social media user which sought to claim that his fathers indictment was an attempt to distract from the school shooting which left six victims dead in Nashville earlier this week.

While Don and Eric both raged about the indictment, Ivanka  who worked as a top adviser in Mr Trumps White House  was silent on the matter for many more hours.

Manhattan prosecutors have been investigating whether Mr Trump falsified the Trump Organizations business records when his former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen made the payment of $130,0000 to Ms Daniels.

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.

In recent weeks, the probe ramped up with both Cohen and Ms Daniels testifying before the grand jury.

Mr Trump was also invited to testify. Though it was an invite he unsurprisingly turned down, it was a strong sign an indictment was on the way.
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Jacinda Ardern, who stepped down as New Zealand's prime minister in January, will begin an unpaid role this month combating online extremism.

New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins, who took over as leader from Ardern, announced Tuesday he'd appointed Ardern as Special Envoy for the Christchurch Call. Hipkins said Ardern would begin the part-time role this month, right after she leaves Parliament and that she'd declined to accept any pay. He said the role would be reviewed at the end of the year.

Ardern launched the Christchurch Call with French President Emmanuel Macron in 2019, two months after a white supremacist gunman killed 51 people at two mosques in the New Zealand city of Christchurch. The gunman livestreamed the slaughter for 17 minutes on Facebook before the video was taken down.

Christchurch Call's goal is to eliminate terrorist and violent extremist content online. More than 50 countries have since signed up to the Christchurch Call, including the United States, Britain, Germany and South Korea. Tech companies to sign up include Facebook parent company Meta, Amazon, Google, Microsoft, YouTube, Zoom and Twitter.

The group says it has had success developing new online safety systems and is studying the implications of fast-rising technologies such as artificial intelligence.

The Christchurch Call is a foreign policy priority for the government and Jacinda Ardern is uniquely placed to keep pushing forward with the goal of eliminating violent extremist content online, Hipkins said.

He said Ardern would report directly to him.

Although she stepped down as prime minister in January, Ardern remained a lawmaker until April to avoid triggering a special election ahead of the nation's general elections in October. She is due to deliver her final valedictory speech to Parliament on Wednesday.

Ardern also announced she was joining the board of trustees for The Earthshot Prize, an environmental charity started by Britains Prince William in 2020. Each year, the charity gives five winners one million pounds ($1.24 million) each to help them scale-up environmental solutions.

Prince William said it was an honor to have Ardern join the team.

Four years ago, before The Earthshot Prize even had a name, Jacinda was one of the first people I spoke to, and her encouragement and advice was crucial to the Prizes early success," William said in a statement. "I am hugely grateful to her for joining us as she takes the next steps in her career.

Ardern said in a statement she believed Earthshot had the power to encourage and spread not only the innovation we desperately need, but also optimism.
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Lawmakers in Washington were divided along the usual lines on Tuesday as the medias attention was fixated on the Manhattan courthouse where Donald Trump was formally indicted.

It was a cause for fury among Republicans, who competed amongst themselves to issue the strongest statement about the arrest and charging of their de facto leader.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a longtime ally of the former president, criticised New York County District Attorney Alvin Bragg.

Alvin Bragg is attempting to interfere in our democratic process by invoking federal law to bring politicized charges against President Trump, admittedly using federal funds, while at the same time arguing that the peoples representatives in Congress lack jurisdiction to investigate this farce, he said. Not so. Braggs weaponization of the federal justice process will be held accountable by Congress.

THERE IS NO CASE BECAUSE THERE WAS NO CRIME, fumed House Republican Caucus chair Elise Stefanik.

Far-right Trump diehard Marjorie Taylor Greene went even further, comparing the ex-president to both Jesus Christ and South African political prisoner-turned-president Nelson Mandela.

Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri, who led the charge to object to the 2020 presidetial election results, tweeted that the case was a travesty

I say again: this case against Trump has nothing to do with the law. Its an assault on the rule of law. It has everything to do with power, and the Democrats determination to keep it at any cost, he said.

One of the most notable GOP reactions came from one of Mr Hawleys colleagues: Senator Rick Scott, who unlike Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell came out strongly against the investigation while attacking Alvin Bragg, the district attorney of Manhattan.

Bragg is grossly politicizing the American justice system and I fully support @SpeakerMcCarthy leading investigations on this, the Florida Republican tweeted.

Mr Scott is widely known to be seeking to dethrone Mr McConnell and has aligned himself firmly with the former president, a critic of the Senate GOP leader, in his bid to do so.

But their Democratic rivals did not match the same level of energy, preferring instead to hold fast to the innocent until proven guilty stance  at least publicly.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York called for protesters not to be violent.

I believe that Mr. Trump will have a fair trial that follows the facts and the law, he said. Theres no place in our justice system for any outside influence or intimidation in the legal process. As the trial proceeds, protest is an American right but all protests must be peaceful.

Representative Jerry Nadler, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, said that the indictment seemed reasonable.

Mr Trump will, of course, have every opportunity to defend himself in court, like every other defendant in the New York Judicial system, he said in a statement.

The notable exceptions were progressives like Jamaal Bowman, a House Democrat whose own cautious remarks were punctuated by a clear preference for the former presidents conviction, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who spent part of the day on Twitter sparring with Republicans like Glenn Youngkin who released statements critical of Mr Trumps indictment.

This is about the justice system doing its job, Mr Bowman told The Independent. Trump made it political when he announced to the world that he is going to be indicted, and he called on people to protest, that made it political.

It means one step towards accountability, he continued. This is just an indictment. We don't know. We're very far away from conviction. So we'll see where that goes. But you know, America needs a reckoning and I think Trump is essential to that reckoning, when you consider his rhetoric, his behavior and his policies.

Lets be very clear: intimidation and stochastic terror are the core tools of Trump and the fascist movements that support him.



They rely on it to skirt consequence and silence others - and each time it works, they grow more brazen. One reason why accountability is so important  Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) April 4, 2023

Ms Ocasio-Cortez, meanwhile, accused Donald Trump Jr of threatening the judge in Mr Trumps case after the former presidents eldest son posted an image of the judges daughter on his social media.

She softened her tone later in the afternoon during a pretaped interview with Seth Myers that went live in the evening.

This is not about guaranteeing one outcome or another. This is about due process, and I think the lack of formal due process for so long really created this question of, do we have an equal society? she said.
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Jill Bidens plane was forced to turn back to Denver, Colorado on Monday after the aircraft developed cracks on the windshield  an emergency which officials claimed was non-threatening.

The aircrew elected to divert the aircraft back to Denver International Airport due to a non-threatening windshield crack to mitigate risks associated with the integrity of the windshield and icing conditions at their destination, a spokesperson for the US Air Forces 89th Airlift Wing said.

It was stated that the crew and the passengers returned safely without any injuries.

The first lady was on her way to Michigan from Denver.

First ladys press secretary Vanessa Valdivia was quoted as saying by CBS News that everyone is safe after the cracked windshield episode.

The US Secret Service also said that there was no safety threat to Ms Biden or her staff.

The first lady was in Colorado to highlight the presidents Investing In America initiative and other economic policies as part of a two-day, four-state visit.

She also gave a speech to a bipartisan group of state legislators, discussing her husbands administrations efforts to steer more graduating high schoolers towards career training programmes.

Ms Biden championed the presidents efforts to create millions of jobs in infrastructure, clean energy and manufacturing.

The first lady was headed to another event in Michigan but after the plane episode, the event was postponed to a later date, according to her staff.

Her trips to Maine and Vermont on Wednesday remain unchanged.

Ms Valdivia later tweeted: Everyone is safe. Were back on the ground in Denver.
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Far-right US Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene spent roughly 10 minutes at a chaotic rally to protest the indictment of Donald Trump in New York City on 4 April as the former president faces a string of criminal charges.

The Republican congresswoman  and staunch Mr Trump loyalist  was joined by the New York Young Republican Club, a group with ties to embattled Republican US Rep George Santos, who made only a brief appearance at the rally before departing after he was mobbed by members of the press.

Ms Greene was also met by counterprotesters blowing whistles and banging noisemakers to drown her and others who addressed the crowd out. The New York Young Republicans, at one point, responded with a chant of USA.

Members of the press appeared to vastly outnumber Trump supporters and opponents in the small park in front of New York County Criminal Court, beginning a few hours before the former president arrived for his arrest and arraignment.

The largely uneventful rally saw only brief clashes between pro- and anti-Trump demonstrators; both camps were separated with NYPD barricades and community affairs officers between them.

Gregory Williams told The Independent that the indictment of the former president brings some truth to the idea that nobody is above the law and shows that there remains some strength in our democracy.

Another rally attendee, Mike Hisey, wore an orange prison jumpsuit and Trump mask and wig, which he has been wearing at demonstrations since before Trump was in office.

Ive been doing this seven years. Ive imagined him in jail for seven years. Tomorrows my birthday, so its a happy birthday for me, he told The Independent.

Counterprotesters played music (YGs FDT, at one point) and chanted guilty as f*** (at another point) while blowing whistles and hitting cowbells, making it nearly impossible to hear any of the speakers using a megaphone on the pro-Trump side.

A massive sign reading TRUMP LIES ALL THE TIME was draped on the ground among the crowd of counterprotesters.

Ozzie Hernandez, wading into the crowd of Trump supporters with a sign reading TRUMP FELONY, told The Independent that the former presidents street name is felon.

Hes an albatross hanging on this countrys neck, he said.

Gregory Williams said the indictment of Donald Trump brings some truth to the idea that nobody is above the law. (Alex Woodward / The Independent)

Ms Greene took aim at New York Mayor Eric Adams, accusing him of sending his henchmen down here to commit assault against people by making loud noises.

She urged Americans to take a stand during her brief speech, large parts of which were muffled by the sounds of counter-protesters.

She claimed that the government has been weaponized against Americans and said: Im here to protest and use my voice and take a stand. Every American should take a stand.

This is what happens in communist countries  not the United States of America, she added. We have to take a stand against the injustice, the corruption, and the communist Democrats.

U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) speaks outside Manhattan Criminal Courthouse on the day of former U.S. President Donald Trump's planned court appearance (REUTERS)

Theyre taking our legal code, twisting it, manipulating it, and perverting it into something it was never meant to be, she said.

She proclaimed Mr Trumps innocence and derided New York County District Attorney Alvin Bragg as a George Soros-funded tool to hijack the 2024 presidential election.

Ms Greene soon left the rally and appeared on RSBN, where she compared Mr Trump to Nelson Mandela and Jesus.

Pro-Trump demonstrators  including QAnon conspiracy theoriests, opponents of the Chinese communist party and other Trump supporters across the Americans right-wing political spectrum  draped themselves in MAGA flags and other Trump-affiliated clothing. A neo-Nazi was spotted wearing a skull musk, shouting at others to watch Europa the Last Battle, an antisemitic film, according to HuffPost.

Some protesters were dressed up  there was Freddy Krueger, a version of Abraham Lincoln, and a man wearing an inflatable prison jumpsuit.

There was a circuslike and chaotic atmosphere at the arrival of scandal-plagued New York congressman George Santos.

George, you should have shown up in drag! one person yelled, the reporter tweeted.

When asked why he was at the rally, Mr Santos simply said: Because I can be here.

He also said no president was above the law, according to footage shared by Elizabeth Landers of Vice. Mr Santos then asked, Wheres Hunter Bidens indictment?

When asked if Mr Trump should be held accountable if he has committed a crime, Mr Santos said, This is not that crime, though.

This is old news, he added.

Mr Santos left the area where the rally was set to take place before it had even begun, saying that he felt threatened and that it was too chaotic, according to Kadia Goba of Semafor.

Jordan Klepper of The Daily Show shouted questions at Mr Santos, according to footage posted by Jacob Shamsian of Insider.

George, speak up, we want to hear the legitimacy you bring to this process, Mr Klepper said. George, are you worried that this is becoming a circus? George, talk about your time running a circus! George, thank you for your service!

George, did you get a law degree in the last two weeks that we dont know about? someone else shouted.

Protesters who both like and loathe Mr Trump applied their creative talents to make signs for the big day.

One such sign invited passersby to urinate on a small photograph of Mr Trump sticking out of the ground in a patch of dirt outside the courthouse.

Other protesters held signs showing their support for Stormy Daniels, the adult film actor whose 2006 affair with Mr Trump eventually led to the hush-money payment that resulted in the former presidents indictment.

Once again Trump got caught with his pants down, one sign said.

A few of the politicians in New York for the indictment have also attracted the attention of the protesting crowd. Ms Greene was greeted on her trip north with a sign mocking her as a dangerous escaped animal.

One Trump supporter burned sage in an apparent attempt to drive away toxic reporters. The same supporter was later seen attempting to tear up a banner saying that Mr Trump lies all the time.

A supporter of former US president Donald Trump tears up an anti-Trump banner during a protest outside of Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City (AFP/Getty)

New York Democratic Representative Jamaal Bowman told The Independent that he was in Lower Manhattan to push back against anything that represents hate in New York City.

Anything that represents white supremacy in New York City, and allies and the rhetoric and the divisiveness that Trump, that Marjorie Taylor Greene and so many others have represented since theyve been in public life, he added. This is about the justice system doing its job. Trump made it political when he announced to the world that he is going to be indicted, and he called on people to protest, that made it political.

He said the indictment was one step towards accountability, but added that were very far away from [a] conviction. So well see where that goes. But you know, America needs a reckoning and I think Trump is essential to that reckoning, when you consider his rhetoric, his behaviour and his policies.

Prior to the demonstrations, Ms Greene hit out at the counterprotesters on Twitter.

Im here in NY to protest with my voice against the weaponization of the justice system on innocent President Trump, but the counter protestors are coming to commit assault that can cause audible damage to everyones ears including NYPD, she wrote. But Mayor Adams warns me by name! If counter protestors are violating freedom of speech and committing assault, they should be arrested.

A Trump supporter brandishing a Trump or Death banner in New York on Tuesday (Drew Angerer/Getty)

Mr Adams issued a warning to the congresswoman and other protesters descending on the city during a press conference on 3 April.

People like Marjorie Taylor Greene, who is known to spread misinformation and hate speech, while youre in town, be on your best behaviour, he said.

During her appearance on Steve Bannons programme on Real Americas Voice, Ms Greene claimed that Mr Adams sent antifa after her.

He threatened me. The Mayor of NYC is a thug ... calling antifa to bring their whistles, pots and pans, to drown me out. Mayor Adams owes me an apology, she said.

Her decision to lead Trump fans in protest marked a sudden change of heart for the lawmaker after she previously said that she did not think Americans should take such action.

Journalists gather outside Manhattan Criminal Court ahead of Trumps arraignment (AP)

Last month, Mr Trump took to Truth Social to claim that he was going to be arrested on 21 March and claimed on his followers to PROTEST, TAKE OUR NATION BACK!

But Ms Greene broke rank with the former president saying she did not think protesting was necessary.

We dont need to protest about the Communists Democrats [sic] planning to arrest Pres Trump and the political weaponization of our government and election interference, Ms Greene tweeted. These idiots are sealing their own fate in 2024 because the silent majority has two feelings right now about the current regime.

Her change of tune comes after protests in support of the former president have so far fallen flat in the Democrat-led state.

George Santos appears at a rally in support of former President Donald Trump in New York (Screenshot / Twitter / David Mack)

On 30 March, when Mr Trump was indicted by a grand jury, only a handful of his supporters showed up.

As one may expect, search interest in Donald Trump rose significantly following news of his indictment. When using Google Trends to analyse the related search trends, there has been a rise in people searching for where is Trump tower, Trump tower, Trump tower NYC and similar wordings.

Interest first spiked in the late afternoon on 3 April, when increasing numbers of people started to Google search the location of Trump Tower on the day of Mr Trumps arraignment.

Security was ramped up in the city and barricades were erected outside Manhattan Criminal Court in anticipation of potential unrest.

Search for Trump Tower rises as the former president is about to be arraigned (Google)

On Tuesday afternoon, Mr Trump pleaded not guilty to the 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree.

Manhattan prosecutors have been investigating whether Mr Trump falsified the Trump Organizations business records when his former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen made the payment of $130,0000 to Ms Daniels.

Prosecutors claim that the money was used to silence Ms Daniels about an alleged affair she had with Mr Trump in 2006. Mr Trump has long denied having an affair with the adult film star.

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.

On 30 March, a Manhattan grand jury voted to indict Mr Trump on criminal charges over the hush money payments. Since then, Mr Trump has railed against the indictment in statements and posts on his Truth Social platform.

Following his unprecedented court appearance, Mr Trump is expected to fly straight back to Mar-a-Lago in Florida to deliver a primetime address at 8.15pm ET.
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Marjorie Taylor Greene had to leave the Trump arraignment rally after she was drowned out by counter-protesters.

During her chaotic arrival in New York on Tuesday, there appeared to be more members of the media than protesters present.

Ms Greene was joined by the New York Young Republicans  a group with ties to embattled congressman George Santos, who also made a brief appearance at the rally before departing after being mobbed by the media. Ms Greene was also met by counterprotesters holding their own emergency noise demo to drown out her hate speech.

The New York Young Republicans at one point responded with a USA-chant.

As clashes between pro- and anti-Trump demonstrators took place, the NYPD tried to separate the groups. Both camps were separated with NYPD barricades and community affairs officers between them.

Ms Greene took aim at New York Mayor Eric Adams, saying that you send your henchmen down here to commit assault against people by making loud noises.

Per Ben Collins of NBC News, the reason it was difficult to hear Ms Greene may have been because a Trump supporter handed out whistles. He was apparently unaware that Ms Greene was attending.

Ms Greene urged Americans to take a stand during her brief speech, large parts of which were drowned out by the sounds of counter-protesters.

She claimed that the government has been weaponized against Americans, adding: Im here to protest and use my voice and take a stand. Every American should take a stand. This is what happens in communist countries  not the United States of America. We have to take a stand against the injustice, the corruption, and the communist Democrats.

She continued: Theyre taking our legal code, twisting it, manipulating it, and perverting it into something it was never meant to be. Donald J Trump is innocent, this is election interference. DA Alvin Bragg is nothing but a George Soros-funded tool. He is a tool for the Democrats to try to hijack the 2024 presidential election. This is a travesty!

Ms Greene soon left the rally and appeared on RSBN, saying that Mr Trump is joining some of the most incredible people in history being arrested today. Nelson Mandela was arrested, served time in prison. Jesus! Jesus was arrested and murdered.

She was slammed by New York congressman Jamaal Bowman, who told her to go back to your district. What are you doing here? Youre here for politics, youre here because you want to be VP ... youre here for your own nonsense.
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New York City Mayor Eric Adams warned Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia on Monday to be on her best behaviour ahead of former president Donald Trumps arraignment in Manhattan.

Mr Trump arrived in New York on Monday afternoon as he prepares to be arraigned in Manhattan after a grand jury voted to indict the former president for allegedly orchestrating a payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels via his former attorney and fixer Michael Cohen.

Ms Greene, the right-wing firebrand congresswoman and one of Mr Trumps biggest defenders in Congress, will also be heading to New York to support the former president.

Mr Adams delivered a stern message ahead of Tuesdays proceedings saying troublemakers would be punished.

There may some rabble rousers thinking about coming to our city tomorrow, our message is clear and simple: control yourselves, he said. New York is our home, not a playground for your misplaced anger.

Mr Adams said that at the moment, the city was in no immnent danger.

Although we have no specific threats, people like Marjorie Taylor Greene, who is known to spread misinformation and hate speech, stated she is coming to town, he said. When youre in town, be on your best behaviour.

The mayor added that the city would not allow violence or vandalism to take place.

If one is caught participating in any act of violence, they will be arrested and held accountable, no matter who you are, he said.

Ms Greene responded by highlighting the number of drug overdoses in the city.

He wants more drug use centers stocked with syringes, straws for snorting, and other drug paraphernalia to help NYs poor drug addicts kill themselves, she tweeted. And now Mayor Adams is threatening me. Unbelievable.

She also criticised Alvin Bragg, the district attorney for New York County, which includes Manhattan.

Mayor Adams should be more concerned about NY citizens and taxpayers being murdered, raped, robbed, and carjacked than an elected Member of Congress coming to town, she tweeted. Or should I be the one concerned that the mayor of NYC will weaponize his government or maybe his thugs like DA Alvin Bragg against me?

On Tuesday, ahead of the arraignment, Ms Greene once again criticised Mr Adams and noted how counter protesters were instructed to bring pots and pans as well as whistles to drown out the protesters.

Im here in NY to protest with my voice against the weaponization of the justice system on innocent President Trump, but the counter protestors are coming to commit assault that can cause audible damage to everyones ears including NYPD, she tweeted. But Mayor Adams warns me by name! If counter protestors are violating freedom of speech and committing assault, they should be arrested.
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Russian president Vladimir Putin feared Hillary Clinton the most, according to Nancy Pelosi.

The former US House speaker claimed Mr Putin interfered in Ms Clintons 2016 election campaign because she supported American democracy.

Ms Pelosi made the comments at the Columbia School of International and Public Affairs on Monday while speaking about global politics, national security, and the backsliding of democracy.

It was her clarity and position to [Mr Putin] that made him turn around and ensure in an illegal way come out against her in her campaign, Ms Pelosi said.

Interference in our democracy by Vladimir Putin, because Hillary Clinton was the person he feared most in terms of his lack of democracy in Russia.

Ms Clinton has praised Ms Pelosi before.

The former presidential candidate and secretary of state had told CNN last year that Ms Pelosi was the gutsiest woman in American politics and had fought for her values and ideals.

I think Nancy Pelosi is the gutsiest woman in politics right now, she said.

Ms Clinton also compared her to the late Queen Elizabeth II.

She has shown, through all kinds of turmoil and challenge, what it means to  somewhat like the Queen to be drawing an analogy here  get up every day, put on those high heels she wears, suit up to fight for the values and ideals that she strongly believes in, she said.

Ms Clinton recently joined Columbia University as a professor and presidential fellow in global affairs.

She had served in the Barack Obama administration before her bid against Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential elections that had sparked an investigation into Russias interference in the elections.

Ms Clinton lost to Mr Trump despite maintaining a clear lead in the polls less than two weeks before Election Day.

Following the presidential election and subsequent allegations of meddling, US intelligence agencies concluded Russian firms targeted voter registration systems in at least 21 states and stole voters personal information to generate negative publicity for Democratic officials as well as Ms Clinton.

Mr Trump, who has praised Mr Putin, raised doubts over the claims that the Russian president interfered in the election process. He told Reuters in 2018 that he had great confidence in my intelligence people, but I will tell you that President Putin was extremely strong and powerful in his denial today.
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Stormy Daniels has responded to the arrest of Donald Trump and his appearance in a New York City courtroom on criminal charges with a feisty Twitter take.

Mr Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 felonies in connection to hush money payments made to Ms Daniels to keep her from revealing a decade-old alleged affair in the run-up to the 2016 presidential election.

In the spicy tweet, Ms Daniels cited a derogatory phrase that she has been called online by her detractors.

Its definitely more fun being under my sexy man instead of under arrest, she added moments after the former president was ushered into a New York courtroom to face a judge.

The now unsealed indictment alleges that he falsified records to conceal payments to two women with whom he allegedly had affairs, in order to silence them and keep their accounts of their liaisons from harming his chances of winning the 2016 presidential election.

The women who Mr Trump is thought to have paid are Ms Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, and former Playboy model Karen McDougal.

Ms McDougal was paid $150,000 by the National Inquirer for her silence, while Ms Daniels was paid by Mr Trumps then-lawyer, Michael Cohen, in a scheme which led to Cohen spending a year in federal prison and two more on home confinement.

The ex-president surrendered to the Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Braggs office upon arrival at the court on Tuesday afternoon. Mr Trump was arrested and fingerprinted in a room on the 7th floor of the courthouse building.

He avoided being handcuffed or having his mugshot taken before walking into the courtroom looking grim-faced surrounded by court security staff.

Under New York law, he will not have to post any bail because he is charged with non-violent crimes, and he is set to return to his Palm Beach, Florida residence, where he has signalled he will deliver remarks on Tuesday evening.

Mr Trump has repeatedly mocked Ms Daniels, called her names, and denied ever having a sexual relationship with her, which Ms Daniels claims took place shortly after the birth of his son Barron Trump.
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Senior diplomats from Russia, Turkey, Syria and Iran wrapped up two days of talks in Moscow on Tuesday, part of the Kremlin's efforts to help broker a rapprochement between the Turkish and Syrian governments.

The Russian and Turkish foreign ministries issued terse readouts, saying diplomats discussed preparations for a planned meeting of the four countries' foreign ministers. Moscow described the consultations as frank and direct, and Ankara said they were held in a transparent and clear manner, while offering no details.

The talks in Moscow were held as U.N.-mediated negotiations aimed at reaching a political solution to Syria's conflict have stalled.

Russia has waged a military campaign in Syria since September 2015, teaming up with Iran to allow Syrian President Bashar Assad's government to fight armed opposition groups and reclaim control over most of the country. While the bulk of the Russian military has been busy fighting in Ukraine, Moscow has maintained its military foothold in Syria and kept warplanes and troops at its bases there.

The Kremlin has also made persistent efforts to help Syria rebuild fractured ties with other countries in the region, including neighboring Turkey, which has backed armed opposition to Assad throughout the 12-year conflict. In December, Moscow hosted a surprise meeting of the Turkish and Syrian defense ministers, the first such encounter since Syria's uprising-turned-civil-war began in 2011.

Greeting the participants of the four-way talks on Tuesday, Lavrov urged Syrian and Turkish diplomats to show flexibility and constructive attitude, and abandon the confrontational rhetoric and past offenses. He added that the process of normalization will take time, emphasizing the importance to find for common ground to reach a balance of interests and avoid preconditions and promising that Moscow and Tehran will help create conditions for further talks.

Ayman Sousan, Syria's deputy foreign minister who attended the talks in Moscow, thanked Russia and Iran for their help in confronting terrorism in remarks carried by the state news agency SANA. Sousan blasted other countries that took advantage of the situation created by this war to illegally send their forces to Syria and supported terrorist groups.

Turkey has backed armed opposition groups in Syria that have sought to overthrow Assads government during the civil war, which has killed nearly 500,000 people and displaced half of the countrys prewar population. Turkey has de facto control over large swathes of northwestern Syria, and Sousan emphasized that the withdrawal of Turkish forces from Syrian territory is a prerequisite for a normalization of ties.

But even as Turkey has supported Syrian opposition fighters in the north, Ankara and Damascus are equally dismayed over the U.S.-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces in Syrias northeast. Turkey-backed opposition fighters have clashed with the SDF in the past, accusing them of being an arm of Turkeys outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK. The PKK has for decades waged an insurgency within Turkey.

Assads government has cast the SDF as a secessionist force that has been pilfering the countrys wealth while controlling Syrias major oil fields.

The efforts toward a Turkish-Syrian reconciliation come as Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is under intense pressure at home to send Syrian refugees back amid a steep economic downturn and an increasing anti-refugee sentiment. He faces presidential and parliamentary elections in May.

The reconciliation efforts between Syria and Turkey topped the agenda for Russian President Vladimir Putin's talks with Assad when he visited Moscow last month.

After the catastrophic earthquake that struck Syria and Turkey in February, international sympathy appeared to have sped up the regional rapprochement. Some have called for dialogue with Syria and for bringing the country back to the 22-member Arab League, more than a decade after its membership was suspended over the crackdown in the early months of the uprising.

___

Abby Sewell in Beirut and Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey contributed to this report.
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Three Democrats are facing expulsion from the Tennessee House of Representatives after supporting a protest for stricter gun control measures following a mass shooting at a Nashville school.

Reps Justin Jones, Gloria Johnson, and Justin Pearson are all facing battles to hold onto their positions in the legislature after Republican colleagues filed resolutions to remove them for their participation in a heated protest at the state capitol in Nashville last Thursday following a mass shooting that left six people, including three children aged nine, dead at a Christian school in the city.

During that protest, thousands of people packed the capitol grounds to call for stricter gun control measures in the wake of the shooting. As part of the protest, demonstrators filed into the House chamber where Mr Jones and his colleagues led them in chants from the floor.

The Republicans, who have a supermajority in the chamber, have not expressed any willingness to revisist the states lax gun laws. They have, however, set their sights on expelling the three legislators who, according to a resolution filed Monday, did knowingly and intentionally bring disorder and dishonor to the House of Representatives.

The Republicans who filed the resolutions calling for the expolsions, Reps Bud Hulsey, Gino Bulso, and Andrew Farmer, successfully lobbied to have the voting process expidited so that the full Tennessee House is now slated to vote on the expolsions on Thursday. The three members have already been removed from their committee assignments.

As some observers pointed out, the rush to expel the three members stands in stark contrast to the Republicans unwillingness to take up a vote on expelling a Republican member of the House accused of sexually assaulting multiple teenage girls.

Whether the Democratic representatives calling for gun control measures in the wake of a mass shooting brough disorder and dishonor on the House of Representatives is a matter of political opinion.

When the House moved to schedule the expolsion vote, furious onlookers in the House gallery chanted Fascists! at the Republican legislators, after which Rep Cameron Sexton, the House speaker, called on state troopers to clear the gallery.

Two of the legislators facing explosion are Black. All three represent cities in a heavily gerrymandered state, with Ms Johnson representing Knoxville, Mr Jones representing heavily-Democratic Nashville, and Mr Jackson representing heavily-Democratic Memphis. Mr Jones is a student at Vanderbilt Divinity School, while Mr Pearson is an environmental organiser. Ms Johnson is a retired special education teacher.

Democrats are opposed to the expulsions of three of their lawmakers, but have little power to stop the Republicans should they choose to move ahead. Despite the fact that Donald Trump only won 61 per cent of the vote in Tennessee in the 2020 presidential election, Republicans control some 76 per cent of House seats.
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On the morning that Donald Trump landed in New York to face charges in connection with hush money payments to a porn star, a small number of his supporters gathered outside of Trump Tower to denounce the case against him.

Dion Cini, wearing a t-shirt with the words ULTRA EXTREME MAGA emblazoned on the front, was typical of the small crowd assembled outside of his NYC residence on Monday morning.

The indictment isnt really against Trump, its against America, he said.

Its an argument that Trump himself has made many times since it became clear he would face criminal charges here, and one he made throughout his presidency. But in this case, at least its not one that has resonated beyond his supporters.

Beyond the circus of the arraignment, beyond Mr Trumps multi-pronged effort to squeeze every last drop of publicity and fundraising dollars from this spectacle, and beyond the historic nature of the day, there is a rather simple story to tell here: it is that the filing of criminal charges against the former president is solidifying his hold on the Republican Party at the same time it distances him from the greater public.

That story is told in two polls released after the indictment was announced. A CNN poll from Monday morning found that 60 per cent of Americans approve of the indictment; that number includes 62 per cent of independents. Even 21 per cent of Republicans surveyed said they supported the indictment. Meanwhile, a separate poll conducted after the indictment dropped showed his lead over his nearest Republican primary rival, Ron DeSantis, surge by 26 points.

Mr Trump won the nomination for his party in 2016 by sucking up all the oxygen in the room  in every room. His outlandish statements and attacks on his rivals allowed him to dominate the news agenda to the extent that every other candidate was constantly forced to react to his latest outrage, leaving them unable to rise above the pack.

There now appears to be a very straightforward way for him to do the same again in 2024, a year in which he faces his first serious challenge from within his own party since winning the nomination eight years ago.

 New Yorkers prepare for arraignment of Donald Trump

Without publicly declaring his intention to join the race, Mr DeSantis has been running a shadow campaign for the presidency, travelling around the country ostensibly to tour his semi-autobiographical book. His strategy of not confronting Mr Trump head-on while engaging in the same confrontational culture war attacks on liberals appeared to work, for a while. In early March, one poll showed him pulling ahead of the former president in several swing states.

That changed when the indictment landed. Any gradual shift of support towards Mr DeSantis appears to have been abruptly halted by the same kind of grievance narrative that propelled him to power in the first place.

Mr Trump told his supporters the filing of criminal charges against him was AN ATTACK ON OUR COUNTRY.

A subsequent fundraising read: The Deep State will use anything at their disposal to shut down the one political movement that puts you first. But I promise you this: This Witch Hunt will backfire massively on Joe Biden.

Republican leaders quickly rallied around the former president in the full knowledge that the price of failing to show unwavering loyalty would be the withdrawal of his support and an effective banishment from the partys centre of power to the political wilderness.

Mr DeSantis himself could not avoid showing fealty and condemning the charges, calling the indictment un-American and threatening to refuse to cooperate with any extradition from Florida.

Mr Trump was also able to raise $7m from his loyal supporters in the wake of the indictment, according to his campaign.

On Monday, the day before the indictment, every news channel played rolling coverage of Mr Trumps journey to his jet in Florida, his arrival in New York and his route from the airport to his tower. That wall-to-wall coverage will continue tomorrow, and the next day. Mr DeSantis has been robbed of oxygen, and Mr Trumps persecution story has once again become the Republican Partys raison detre.

But there is an underlying issue here for the Republican Party. Mr Trump has never won the popular vote. He lost his last election, in which he ran as an incumbent, with all the trappings of the White House. In between that loss and today, his supporters raided the US Capitol, he has been impeached, his party fumbled a midterm election they should have won, and now their nominal leader faces criminal charges. Not only that, but there are likely more charges to come, relating to other investigations into his efforts to overturn the election and handling of classified documents.

Recommended Donald Trump waves to crowd as he arrives at Trump Tower before arraignment

This week will be a circus. Mr Trump will be the subject of every bulletin and broadcast and he will likely make millions more dollars in fundraising before he leaves New York. He will emerge from this round of legal peril in a stronger position to win the Republican primary.

What doesnt kill Trump will make him stronger, but in the long run, it may make his party weaker.
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Donald Trumps historic arraignment will not be broadcast on TV after a New York judge banned video cameras from the courtroom.

New York Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchan issued a ruling late on Monday that news outlets will not be allowed to broadcast the former presidents appearance in Manhattan Criminal Court on Tuesday afternoon.

Several media organisations had requested permission to broadcast the unprecedented event to viewers across the globe arguing that the gravity of this proceeding... and, consequently, the need to the broadest possible public access, cannot be overstated.

Mr Trumps legal team had asked the judge to deny the request, citing security concerns and a circus-like atmosphere, while Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Braggs office said it had no position on the matter.

Judge Merchan sided with Mr Trumps legal team late on Monday saying that there is no doubt that the court hearing has a monumental significance but that the interests of the media organisations must be weighed against competing interests.

That this indictment involves a matter of monumental significance cannot possibly be disputed. Never in the history of the United States has a sitting or past President been indicted on criminal charges, he said in his ruling.

Mr Trumps arraignment has generated unparalleled public interest and media attention.

The populace rightly hungers for the most accurate and current information available. To suggest otherwise would be disingenuous.

Now, just five still photographers will be allowed to take photos of Mr Trump and the courtroom before the start of the hearing.

In what marks a historic and unprecedented day for America, Mr Trump will be arrested and arraigned on criminal charges in New York on Tuesday 4 April.

Trump appears at Trump Tower on Monday afternoon (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

The former president will appear in-person before Judge Juan Merchan for his arraignment at 2.15pm ET  becoming the first current or former US president to ever be criminally charged.

Ahead of his arraignment, he will be booked  with his fingerprints taken and details recorded.

However, he will not be handcuffed or put in a jail cell, and he is not expected to have his mugshot taken.

The charges are currently unconfirmed but reports suggest he will face 34 felony charges. The charges will be unsealed at his arraignment.

The former president flew into New York on Monday aboard his Trump Force One plane before spending the night at Trump Tower in Manhattan.

After Tuesdays court hearing in Manhattan Criminal Court, he will fly straight back to Mar-a-Lago to deliver a primetime address at 8.15pm ET.

On Thursday 30 March, a Manhattan grand jury voted to indict Mr Trump on criminal charges over hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels days just before the 2016 presidential election.

Manhattan prosecutors have been investigating whether Mr Trump falsified the Trump Organizations business records when his former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen made the payment of $130,0000 to Ms Daniels.

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.

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.

In recent weeks, the probe ramped up with both Cohen and Ms Daniels testifying before the grand jury.

Mr Trump was also invited to testify. Though it was an invite he unsurprisingly turned down, it was a strong sign an indictment was on the way.

But  despite his rampant Truth Social posts and his legal team going on a media blitz over the past few weeks  Mr Trump is said to have been caught off guard by news of the indictment.

Since then, he has blasted the charges, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and the judge expected to oversee his case in furious Truth Social posts fuming about what he claims is political prosecution and a witch hunt.
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In a move that appears to be trying to pull on the nations heartstrings  and cough up money to fund his 2024 campaign  Donald Trump has sent his fans what he described as his last email before my arrest.

The email  titled My last email before my arrest  was sent by a joint fundraising committee supporting Mr Trumps third White House bid lamenting the loss of justice in America as he is about to be arraigned on criminal charges over the 2016 hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels.

As I will be out of commission for the next few hours, I want to take this moment to THANK YOU for all of your support, the email said.

I was blown away by all of the donations, support, and prayers we have received. Its sad to see whats happening  not for myself, but for our country. This is not the America you and I once knew.

Mr Trump added that there is no doubt in my mind that we will prevail once again and WIN the White House in 2024.

Before closing out, he launched a fresh appeal for his followers to send him cash.

Please make a contribution peacefully to SAVE AMERICA, he wrote.

The email came as former White House Communications director Alyssa Farah Griffin said that she believes Mr Trump is spiralling over his rapidly escalating legal battle.

Ms Griffin said on The View on Tuesday that she does not believe for a minute the reports that Mr Trump has remained calm and is relishing the criminal indictment.

There has been a bunch of reporting out that Trump is loving this and he is making money off of it, reportedly $8m, Ms Griffin said.

I know him well enough to know he is not loving this. He is spiraling. As someone, who despite his terrible actions, does think about legacy and how he is perceived.

Now, his life, whether its his obituary, is going to say he was indicted, the first American president to be.

Mr Trump will soon be arrested and arraigned in New York  becoming the first current or former US president to ever be criminally charged.

The former president will appear in-person before Judge Juan Merchan for his arraignment at 2.15pm ET on what is expected to be almost three dozen charges.

The arraignment will not be broadcast on TV after a New York judge banned video cameras from courtroom.

Anti-Trump protesters demonstrate outside Manhattan Criminal Courthouse (Reuters)

Ahead of his arraignment, he will be booked  with his fingerprints taken and details recorded.

However, he will not be handcuffed or put in a jail cell, and he is not expected to have his mugshot taken.

The charges are currently unconfirmed but reports suggest he will face 34 felony charges. The charges will be unsealed at his arraignment.

The former president flew into New York on Monday aboard his Trump Force One plane before spending the night at Trump Tower in Manhattan.

After Tuesdays court hearing in Manhattan Criminal Court, he will fly straight back to Mar-a-Lago to deliver a primetime address at 8.15pm ET.

On Thursday 30 March, a Manhattan grand jury voted to indict Mr Trump on criminal charges over hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels days just before the 2016 presidential election.

Manhattan prosecutors have been investigating whether Mr Trump falsified the Trump Organizations business records when his former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen made the payment of $130,0000 to Ms Daniels.

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.

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.

In recent weeks, the probe ramped up with both Cohen and Ms Daniels testifying before the grand jury.

Mr Trump was also invited to testify. Though it was an invite he unsurprisingly turned down, it was a strong sign an indictment was on the way.

But  despite his rampant Truth Social posts and his legal team going on a media blitz over the past few weeks  Mr Trump is said to have been caught off guard by news of the indictment.

Since then, he has blasted the charges, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and the judge expected to oversee his case in furious Truth Social posts fuming about what he claims is political prosecution and a witch hunt.
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The cameras shuttered at the first glimpse of Donald Trumps black SUV departing from his gated private club around midday on Monday.

Cable news networks and local television cleared their schedules to bring rolling coverage as Mr Trumps motorcade made its way to Palm Beach International Airport, before Trump Force One departed bound for New York, where the ex-president is due to be arraigned in a Manhattan courtroom on Tuesday.

The journey from ex-president to formally accused criminal defendant has once again thrust the former president into the global spotlight he craves. The Trump Show is back.

Trump leaves Mar-a-Lago

On Monday 3 April, the former presidents motorcade departed his gated Palm Beach club Mar-a-Lago just after midday ET.

A crowd of a few hundred supporters stationed along the route to Palm Beach International Airport waved Trump 2024 flags and placards saying: God Bless Donald Trump.

Supporters of former President Donald Trump wave signs and flags during a rally on Monday, April 3, 2023, in West Palm Beach, Florida. (AP)

Eric Trump was spotted filming the well-wishers from the back of a black SUV. Also accompanying Mr Trump was campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung, longtime communications aide Jason Miller, former White House aide Dan Scavino and Boris Epshteyn,the New York Times reported.

However, Mr Trumps wife Melania did not join the entourage.

Well-wishers lining the route told the Palm Beach Times that the timing of Mr Trumps arraignment during Holy Week was a biblical sign.

Donald Trump waves as he boards his plane at Palm Beach International Airport in Florida bound for his arraignment in New York. (AP)

Mr Trump had claimed that his indictment would unleash death and destruction from the MAGA faithful, but the mood along Southern Boulevard in Palm Beach was peaceful, the Palm Beach Post reported.

Mr Trumps Boeing 757 with his name embossed in gold letters on the side took off around 1pm ET, landing around two and a half hours later at New Yorks La Guardia Airport.

Donald Trump exits his 757 at New Yorks La Guardia Airport and is met by Secret Service agents. (Reuters)

Arrival in New York

Mr Trump was met on the tarmac by dozens of Secret Service agents in limousines, CBS News reported. He was then driven to Trump Towers  his high-rise apartment building in central Manhattan.

Throughout Monday, reporters, supporters and protesters had gathered on 5th Avenue in anticipation of the former presidents arrival.

In a twist on Donald Trumps old 2016 campaign slogan, protesters outside Trump Towers called for the ex-president to be locked up on Monday (Associated Press)

While the New York Times wrote that the city of Mr Trumps birth was anxious and bracing for his arrest, the mood on the ground told a different story.

The Independents Richard Hall joined the throng and wrote that only a small crowd of Mr Trumps supporters had shown up to protest including the Naked Cowboy, who would normally be performing for tourists at Times Square.

Theres a (semi) naked cowboy singing a song about Trump removing EPA regulations. Happy Indictment Week everyone. pic.twitter.com/KXjufbf6xI  Richard Hall (@_RichardHall) April 3, 2023

Barricades had been set up around Trump Towers, and NYPD officers kept a close eye on proceedings. Police K9 units patrolled the area.

Donald Trump returns to his New York high-rise Trump Towers on Monday 3 April to face arraignment on charges of paying hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels (AFP via Getty Images)

Mr Trump waved at the crowd as he entered Trump Towers around an hour after landing in New York.

Former U.S. President Donald Trump arrives at Trump Tower, after his indictment by a Manhattan grand jury following a probe into hush money paid to porn star Stormy Daniels, in New York City, U.S April 3, 2023 (REUTERS)

On Monday night, Mr Trump continued his attacks on District Attorney Alvin Bragg from his penthouse apartment.

Crowds gather at the Manhattan courthouse

About four miles south of Trump Tower, journalists and spectators had already begun lining up outside Manhattan Criminal Court for one of the few, coveted spots inside the court where Mr Trump is due to appear at 2.15pm on Tuesday afternoon.

A line for court access is formed outside Manhattan Criminal Court, Tuesday, April 4, 2023, in New York. (Associated Press)

Following to an order issued by New York Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchan overnight on Monday, no videos were allowed to film Mr Trumps arraignment. Five still photographers will be permitted to capture images when he first appears, and will then have to leave the court.

Journalists gather at the Manhattan Criminal Court on Tuesday morning ( Associated Press)

The crowd outside the Manhattan Criminal Court grew throughout Tuesday morning as hundreds of journalists, protesters and counter-protesters were divided into separate pens.

By mid-morning, reporters and camera crews far outnumbered protesters and counterdemonstrators.

A supporter of former US president Donald Trump tears up an anti-Trump banner during a protest outside of Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City (AFP/Getty)

Anti-Trump protesters with cowbells and whistles attempted to drown out the sounds of pro-Trump supporters with megaphones.

Disgraced Republican Congressman George Santos showed up around 9.30am and was immediately swarmed by reporters.

George Santos appears at a rally in support of former President Donald Trump in New York (Screenshot / Twitter / David Mack)

Marjorie Taylor Greene arrived at the court around 10.30am to hold a peaceful protest.

Mr Trump is expected to face 36 charges stemming from hush money payments he made to the adult actress Stormy Daniels during his election campaign in 2016.

Trump leaves Trump Tower and heads to court for arraignment

(AP)

Former President Donald Trump leaves Trump Tower in New York on Tuesday, 4 April 2023. Mr Trump surrendered in Manhattan to face criminal charges stemming from 2016 hush money payments.

Demonstrators gather outside New York Supreme Court where former President Donald Trump is expected to appear, Tuesday, April 4, 2023, in New York. (AP)

Trump waves as he arrives at the Manhattan Criminal Court

(Getty Images)

Trump gave his customary salute as he arrived at Manhattan Criminal Court to be arraigned on hush money payments. Mr Trump was placed under arrest and fingerprinted before walking into court with security staff to face the judge in the case and formally enter his not guilty plea.

(AFP via Getty Images)

Stony-faced Trump walks into New York courtroom

(AP)

The former president looked grim-faced as he walked into the courtroom at the Manhattan Criminal Court.

(AP)

Trump sits with his legal team at defence table inside courtroom

Mr Trump appeared in a New York City courtroom to plead not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records related to hush money payments in the run-up to the 2016 presidential election.

Former President Donald Trump sits at the defense table with his defense team in a Manhattan court, Tuesday, April 4, 2023, in New York. (AP)

Former President Donald Trump sits at the defense table with his defense team in a Manhattan court, Tuesday, April 4, 2023, in New York. (AP)

(Getty Images)

(AP)

The former president appeared sombre as he sat next to his lawyers.

Trump leaves court following arraignment

The former president refused to coment as he left Manhattan Criminal Court after a 45 minute arraignment hearing as a criminal defendant. Mr Trump was driven to LaGuardia Airport in Queens to take his private jet back to Palm Beach, Florida.

(AFP via Getty Images)

(AFP via Getty Images)

Trump arrives back in Florida ahead of Mar-a-Lago speech

Former US President Donald Trumps plane taxis after landing at Palm Beach International Airport in West Palm Beach, Florida. Mr Trump arrived back in Florida after being arraigned in New York City on 34 felony charges and headed straight to his Mar-a-Lago estate to speak about the chrges he now faces.

(AFP via Getty Images)

(AFP via Getty Images)

(AFP via Getty Images)

Trump rails against DA and judge in primetime address

Donald Trump railed against the Manhattan DA and the judge as he gave a primetime TV address on Tuesday night.

The criminal is the district attorney because he illegally leaked massive amounts of grand jury information, he said to loud applause.

For which he should be prosecuted, or at a minimum he should resign.

He also targeted Mr Braggs wife and the Trump hating-judge with a Trump-hating wife and family whose daughter work for Kamala Harris. Mr Trumps words came despite the fact that Judge Merchan warned him to stop making threatening posts on social media that could inflame tensions or incite violence.
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Donald Trump has officially been arraigned on 34 counts of falsifying business records, making him the first former US president to be a defendant in a criminal case.

Mr Trump pleaded not guilty in proceedings before New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan, the same judge who last year presided over the criminal tax fraud trial of two of the ex-presidents companies.

The indictment in People of the State of New York v Donald J Trump lays out the specific charges against the twice-impeached ex-president, who has spent the five days since it became known that hed been indicted railing against the case and attacking the Manhattan prosecutors who are leading it.

It alleges that he falsified records kept in a ledger for the trust he established for his businesses when he entered the White House in 2017, the Donald J Trump Revocable Trust, on multiple occasions, with the aim of concealing payments to two women with whom he had affairs, in order to silence them and keep their accounts of their liaisons from harming his chances of winning the 2016 presidential election.

In an accompanying statement of facts filed with the court, prosecutors allege that Mr Trump repeatedly and fraudulently falsified New York business records to conceal criminal conduct that hid damaging information from the voting public during the 2016 presidential election through a scheme carried out from August 2015 to December 2017.

The purpose of the scheme, prosecutors said, was to to influence the 2016 presidential election by identifying and purchasing negative information about him to suppress its publication and benefit the Defendants electoral prospects.

In order to execute the unlawful scheme, the participants violated election laws and made and caused false entries in the business records of various entities in New York. The participants also took steps that mischaracterized, for tax purposes, the true nature of the payments made in furtherance of the scheme, they added.

Former President Donald Trump appears in court for his arraignment (AFP )

Prosecutors also cited an agreement between Mr Trump and National Inquirer publisher American Media Incorporated to catch and kill damaging stories about Mr Trump to show their intent to conceal the stories before the 2016 election.

In one example, they pointed to a payment to a former Trump Tower doorman whod alleged  falsely, as it turned out  that Mr Trump had fathered a child out of wedlock, reviving a story first reported by The New Yorker during Mr Trumps time in the White House.

They noted that after AMI determined the story was false and wanted to release the ex-doorman from an exclusivity agreement that kept him quiet, Mr Trumps then-lawyer, Michael Cohen, told the companys CEO not to do so until after the election.

American Media Incorporated has previously admitted in federal court documents that the payments made to individuals were meant to ensure those individuals did not publicize damaging allegations about Mr Trump before the 2016 presidential election and thereby influence that election.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg speaks during a press conference to discuss his indictment of former President Donald Trump (AFP via Getty Images)

In a statement, Mr Bragg said the facts laid out in the court documents described a trail of money and lies that expose[d] a pattern that, the People allege, violates one of New Yorks basic and fundamental business laws.

Manhattan is home to the countrys most significant business market. We cannot allow New York businesses to manipulate their records to cover up criminal conduct, he said.

The women who Mr Trump is thought to have paid are Stormy Daniels, an adult film actress whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, and former Playboy model Karen McDougal. Ms McDougal was paid $150,000 by the National Inquirer for her silence, while Ms Daniels was paid by Cohen, in a scheme which led to the now-disbarred attorney spending a year in federal prison and two more on home confinement.

Cohen, who financed the payment to Ms Daniels through a bank loan hed obtained, was reimbursed by Mr Trump, whose trust allegedly disguised the payments as compensation for legal services pursuant to a non-existent retainer agreement.

Anti-Trump protesters demonstrate outside Manhattan Criminal Courthouse (Reuters)

Cohen also worked with the Trump Organizations former Chief Financial Officer, Allen Weisselberg, to disguise the reimbursement payments so he could falsely claim them as income on his tax returns.

The Manhattan DAs statement of acts says Cohen sent monthly invoices to the Trump Organization falsely requesting payment of $35,000 for legal services rendered in a given month of 2017 pursuant to a retainer agreement, though no such agreement existed.

Prosecutors alleged that Cohen recieved approval for this arrangement during a meeting with Mr Trump in the Oval Office just one month after he was sworn in as president.

At a press conference late Tuesday, Mr Bragg said Mr Trumps alleged falsification of records was intended to conceal violations of New York State election law, including one section that makes it a crime to promote a candidate by unlawful means.

The statement of facts filed by Mr Braggs office also makes repeated reference to the scheme that led Cohen to face a prison sentence, though it refers to him only as Lawyer A and does not mention him by name. It also refers repeatedly, but not by name, to Weisselberg, who last year pleaded guilty to criminal tax fraud charges and is finishing a five-month jail sentence after testifying at the criminal tax fraud trial of two Trump Organization subsidiaries.

Neither Ms Daniels or Ms McDougal are referred to by name, but the facts of the case match up with multiple public accounts of the hush money schemes perpetrated by Mr Trump and his associates or with court documents from the federal criminal case against Cohen.

The indictment against Mr Trump makes him the first former US president to face criminal charges in the countrys nearly 250-year history. Federal authorities once considered seeking an indictment against former president Richard Nixon for crimes he committed while in office, but the pardon issued to him by his successor, Gerald Ford, made charging him impossible.

Unlike the charges that were never filed against Nixon, who died in 1994, the charges against Mr Trump have been filed in state court and cannot be short-circuited by a future presidential pardon.

If convicted, he could face at least a year in prison on each count, but its unlikely that a first-time offender such as himself would be sentenced to prison rather than probation.
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The findings of new polls conducted following the indictment of Donald Trump deliver both good and bad news for the former president.

In the latest Yahoo News/YouGov poll of 1,089 adults conducted over 30-31 March, Mr Trump dramatically widened his lead over Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in a hypothetical Republican primary race face-off.

Mr Trump now leads Mr DeSantis 57 per cent to 31 per cent, up from a 47 per cent to 39 per cent edge last month. The Florida governor has not yet officially thrown his hat into the ring for the Republican nomination.

When other candidates were included in the polling, Mr Trump still garnered 52 per cent of the vote, while Mr DeSantis dropped to 21 per cent. Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley got five per cent of the vote, while former Vice President Mike Pence scored three percent, and Chris Christie and Mike Pompeo both earned two per cent.

In a head-to-head presidential race against incumbent President Joe Biden, Mr Trump was still bested by the Democrat 45 per cent to 43 per cent in a repeat of his 2020 loss.

In Florida specifically, Mr Trump was found to be at a slight disadvantage to Mr DeSantis in a poll released Tuesday (4 April) - the same day as the former presidents arraignment on charges in the Stormy Daniels hush money case.

The Mason-Dixon poll of Florida Republican voters concluded: DeSantis is, by far, more popular than either Biden or Donald Trump. Statewide, 53% have a favorable opinion of DeSantis and 36% have an unfavorable view. Both Trump (39% favorable/50% unfavorable) and Biden (33% favorable/54% unfavorable) are underwater in the Florida.

Mr Trump trailing at the national level may be connected to the findings of another poll by ABC News/Ipsos which shows that a plurality of Americans (45 per cent) believe it correct for the former president to have been charged with a crime in connection to the Manhattan District Attorneys probe of his hush money payments.

In that poll of 593 respondents, taken between 30 March and 1 April, around half (49 per cent) of those polled also feel that Mr Trump should be charged with a crime for his actions related to the storming of the US Capitol on 6 January 2021, and (51 per cent) say he should for his efforts to change the 2020 election results in his favour.

Investigations into Mr Trumps actions regarding those events and others continue.

(Ipsos)

Approximately one-third of those polled by Ipsos say he should not be charged over the Daniels affair, and about 20 per cent remain undecided, demonstrating that public opinion may not yet be fully formed on the topic as Americans wait to see the details of the indictment.

Rick Klein, political director of ABC News, noted that it was striking how many people are reserving judgment  Republicans included.

In light of criminal charges being brought against him, 43 per cent believe Mr Trump should suspend his presidential campaign  as new 2024 Republican contender Asa Hutchinson said when announcing his candidacy  while 35 per cent say he should not.

There is also considerable divergence in party affiliation regarding whether the charges are politically motivated. In total 47 per cent believe they are and 32 per cent say they are not, with 20 per cent undecided.

Only 16 per cent of Democrats say they are politically motivated, but 79 per cent of Republicans believe they are.

Independents lean towards believing in the existence of political motivation to the indictment (48 per cent), but as many as 18 per cent of independent respondents are yet to make up their minds.

Full details of the charges against Mr Trump were expected slated to be revealed at his arraignment on Tuesday.
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Donald Trump, who just over two years ago sat atop the United States executive branch as the 45th president, has been formally charged with 34 felonies relating to falsifying business records around hush money payments during the 2016 presidential campaign.

He pleaded not guilty to all the charges during an appearance in the Manhattan Criminal Court on Tuesday.

Mr Trump raised a fist in defiance as he arrived at the courthouse amid a heavy security presence from the NYPD and Secret Service after rival sets of protesters had earlier clashed outside court.

However once inside the courtroom, Mr Trump cut a deflated figure as he appeared before New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan for a formal arraignment.

The ex-president surrendered to the office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg upon arrival at the court at 1.24pm. He was arrested and fingerprinted in a room on the 7th floor of the courthouse building.

He avoided the ignominy of being handcuffed and paraded before cameras, or having his mugshot taken.

Former President Donald Trump sits at the defense table with his defence team in a Manhattan court on Tuesday, 4 April (AP)

Mr Trump was then taken to a courtroom on the 15th floor of the Manhattan Criminal Court. Photographers allowed into court by Judge Merchan snapped images of the forlorn-looking former president, flanked by members of his defence legal team including Boris Epshteyn.

Mr Trump left the courthouse just before 3.30pm without speaking to reporters and began his journey back to Mar-a-Lago, where he promised to make a statement on Tuesday evening.

The charges

The indictment, unsealed on Tuesday, revealed that Mr Trump faces 34 first degree felony charges relating to so-called catch and kill operations during the run-up to the 2016 presidential election.

Mr Trump, his former attorney Michael Cohen and the former owner of the National Enquirer David Pecker allegedly worked in cahoots toidentify, purchase, and bury negative information about him and boost his electoral prospects.

The indictment cites three such examples. Prosecutors say that Mr Pecker caught wind that a former Trump Tower doorman was trying to sell a story about a secret child born to Mr Trump out of wedlock. The doorman was paid $30,000 by American Media Inc (AMI), the parent company of the National Enquirer, and the story, which turned out to be false, was never published.

New York district attorney Alvin Bragg arrives at Manhattan Criminal Courthouse on Tuesday (Eduardo Munoz/Reuters)

In a separate instance, AMI paid $150,000 to a woman who has previously been identified as former Playboy model Karen McDougal for the exclusive rights to her story about an affair she had with Mr Trump more than a decade earlier. The article was never published.

The indictment states that similar catch and kill tactics were used to bury a story shortly before the election about Mr Trumps affair with the adult film actress Stormy Daniels.

Ms Daniels was paid $130,000 by Mr Cohen 12 days before the 2016 presidential election, according to the indictment. Prosecutors say that Mr Trump falsified business records to conceal breaches of state and federal campaign finance laws.

We cannot allow New York businesses to manipulate their records to cover up criminal conduct, District Attorney Bragg said in a statement.

Violent clashes outside court

Outside court, violent clashes erupted between rival sets of protesters who gathered from first light on Tuesday morning.

Marjorie Taylor Greene and George Santos, two of Mr Trumps loudest supporters in Congress, turned up outside court to rile up the small group of MAGA protesters.

Protesters gather outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump will arrive later in on Tuesday for his arraignment (Drew Angerer/Getty)

Mr Santos quickly departed after being mobbed by the media. Ms Greenes attempts to address the crowd were drowned out, reportedly after a Trump supporter handed out whistles to overshadow counter protesters.

Mr Trump left Trump Tower just after 1pm and travelled the four-mile journey to the courthouse in lower Manhattan in a convoy of six black SUVs with a police escort.

Moments before he emerged from a Secret Service-driven vehicle, the 76-year-old posted on Truth Social: Heading to Lower Manhattan, the Courthouse. Seems so SURREAL  WOW, they are going to ARREST ME.

Cant believe this is happening in America.

Every moment of Mr Trumps highly-choreographed journey from his private club at Mar-a-Lago to the Manhattan court has been closely followed and broadcast in rolling cable news coverage.

How the arraignment unfolded

Mr Trump, who is used to saying whatever he wants to say to whomever he wants to say it to, was only permitted two possible responses to the 34 felony charges: Guilty or not guilty.

He chose to enter a single not guilty plea to each of the counts on his indictment.

The ex-president was then warned by Judge Merchan to stop making threatening posts on social media that could incite violence or inflame social unrest.

Donald Trump waves to supporters as he arrives at the Manhattan courthouse on Tuesday afternoon (AFP via Getty Images)

The judge refrained from imposing a gag order in Mr Trump.

Prosecutors sought a trial date for January 2024, which Mr Trumps attorneys objected to as too soon. They asked for a trial date in the spring of 2024, according to the New York Times.

Under New York law, he will not have to post any bail because he is charged with non-violent crimes, and he is set to return to his estate in Palm Beach, Florida, where he has signalled he will deliver remarks on Tuesday evening.

Were going to fight it

Outside the courthouse, Mr Trumps lead defence attorney Todd Blanche told reporters that Mr Trump was frustrated and upset about the charges.

But hes motivated and its not going to stop him, Mr Blanche told reporters.

Were going to fight it, and were going to fight it hard.

Mr Blanche accused prosecutors of going after Mr Trump for political purposes.

A sketch depicting Donald Trump in court during his arraignment. (Manhattan Courts)

He claimed that the 16-page indictment showed no evidence that any federal or state crimes had been broken.

Mr Trump reportedly hired Mr Blanche as his new lead attorney just hours before the arraignment.

Mr Blanche told Politico he had resigned as a partner from Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft, to serve as Mr Trumps lead counsel.

Kangaroo Court

Mr Trump has repeatedly lashed out at both Judge Merchan  who also presided over the criminal tax fraud of two Trump Organization subsidiaries and the criminal fraud case against the companys longtime CFO  and the judges family in the days since it became known that hed been indicted, continuing a long pattern of attacking jurists whove been assigned to hear cases hes been involved in.

Donald Trump is led into court for his arraignment on charges of paying hush money to adult actress Stormy Daniels (AFP via Getty Images)

In a post made to Truth Social just hours before he was set to appear in court, Mr Trump called the judge highly partisan and accused both him and his family of being known Trump haters and having been an unfair disaster during his handling of the prior cases involving his company and its CFO, Allen Weisselberg.

He claimed Judge Merchans daughters work for Vice President Kamala Harris and the Biden-Harris 2020 campaign showed that the jurist is biased against him. He offered no evidence to support his claims about the judge.

Mr Trump then called for the case to be moved to Staten Island, New Yorks only reliable Republican stronghold.

THIS CASE SHOULD BE MOVED TO NEARBY STATEN ISLAND - WOULD BE A VERY FAIR AND SECURE LOCATION FOR THE TRIAL, Mr Trump posted on Truth Social just before the hearing.

Law enforcement officers stand guard as people gather outside Manhattan Criminal Courthouse on Tuesday during Donald Trumps arraignment (REUTERS)

The former president has milked millions of dollars in donations from supporters since rumours that his indictment was imminent began circulating last month.

On Tuesday, he sent yet another email soliciting money from his supporters.

Arraignment poll boost for Trump

Polls conducted after Mr Trumps indictment provided a significant boost for him in the Republican primary.

In the latest Yahoo News/YouGov poll taken on 30-31 March, Mr Trump dramatically widened his lead over Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in a hypothetical Republican primary face-off.

Mr Trump now leads Mr DeSantis 57 per cent to 31 per cent, up from a 47 per cent to 39 per cent margin last month.

However, a separate ABC News/Ipsos taken over the same weekend showed that 45 per cent of Americans agreed that Mr Trump should be charged with making the hush money payments.
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Donald Trump on Monday demanded that the Manhattan district attorney should indict himself after details of the former president's indictment were leaked "illegally".

The one-time president will face 34 felony charges for falsification of business records in connection to hush money payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels, according to a report by Yahoo News.

The livid Republican issued a series of posts on his social media platform Truth Social ahead of his arraignment in a Manhattan criminal court, mostly ranting against the District Attorney Alvin Bragg.

"Wow! District Attorney Bragg just illegally LEAKED the various points, and complete information, on the pathetic Indictment against me," Mr Trump wrote.

"I know the reporter and so, unfortunately, does he. This means that he MUST BE IMMEDIATELY INDICTED.

"Now, if he wants to really clean up his reputation, he will do the honourable thing and, as District Attorney, INDICT HIMSELF," the 45th president added.

"He will go down in Judicial history, and his Trump-Hating wife will be, I am sure, very proud of him!"

Mr Trump continued his attack on the district attorney, asking him to resign.

"DA BRAGG JUST ILLEGALLY LEAKED THE 33 points of Indictment. There are no changes or surprises from those he leaked days ago directly out of the Grand Jury," he said.

"No Crime by Trump. What a MESS. Bragg should resign, NOW!"

Donald Trump (Sceengrab/ Truth Social)

Hours after his rant, Mr Trump arrived at the Manhattan Criminal Court for his arraignment.

The Manhattan district attorney had reportedly consulted with the Secret Service and New York City court officials and decided that there was no reason to put Mr Trump through the normal procedure of being handcuffed, having a mug shot taken, or being placed in a jail cell before he was led into the hearing.

Mr Bragg was slated to give a press conference after the arraignment.
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Donald Trump is gearing up for battle as he heads to New York on Monday to face criminal charges over hush money payments to Stormy Daniels, the former presidents attorney said.

Lawyer Joe Tacopina gave a fighting talk on ABCs This Week on Sunday as he vowed that the former presidents team is ready for this fight and vowed that he will be exonerated on the unspecified charges.

Hes someone whos going to be ready for this fight, Mr Tacopina said.

Were ready for this fight. And I look forward to moving this thing along as quickly as possible to exonerate him.

He added: Hes gearing up for a battle. This is something that, obviously, we believe is a political persecution and I think people on both sides of the aisle believe that. Its a complete abuse of power.

The tough talk comes as New York is bracing for Mr Trumps arrival with a heavy police presence and barricades erected around Manhattan Criminal Court where he will appear to face charges.

The former president announced on Truth Social that he is heading to the Empire State on Monday ahead of Tuesdays historic day  where he will become the first current or former US president to ever be arrested and charged with a crime.

I will be leaving Mar-a-Lago on Monday at 12 noon, heading to Trump Tower in New York, he wrote.

On Tuesday morning I will be going to, believe it or not, the Courthouse. America was not supposed to be this way!

Like all defendants facing criminal charges, he will be processed, with his fingerprints and mug shot taken.

Mr Trump is then scheduled to appear for his arraignment before Judge Juan Merchan at 2.15pm on Tuesday.

The former president has indicated it will likely only be a fleeting court appearance as he expects to be back at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida to deliver a prime-time address just hours later at 8.15pm ET.

It is currently unclear what Mr Trump is charged with but multiple reports say that he is facing more than 30 counts related to business fraud. The charges are expected to be unsealed at his arraignment.

Former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally at Waco Regional Airport, on 25 March (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Mr Tacopina said that the former presidents team doesnt know what to expect from the unprecedented case.

What I hope is that we get in and out of there as quickly as possible, that its... a typical arraignment where we stand before the judge, we say not guilty, we set schedules to file motions and whatnot... and we move forward and get out there, he told ABC.

On Thursday 30 March, a Manhattan grand jury voted to indict Mr Trump on criminal charges over hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels days just before the 2016 presidential election.

Manhattan prosecutors have been investigating whether Mr Trump falsified the Trump Organizations business records when his former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen made the payment of $130,000 to Ms Daniels.

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.

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.

In recent weeks, the probe ramped up with both Cohen and Ms Daniels testifying before the grand jury.

Mr Trump was also invited to testify. Though it was an invite he unsurprisingly turned down, it was a strong sign an indictment was on the way.

But  despite his rampant Truth Social posts and his legal team going on a media blitz over the past few weeks  Mr Trump is said to have been caught off guard by news of the indictment.

Since then, he has blasted the charges, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and the judge expected to oversee his case in furious Truth Social posts fuming about what he claims is political prosecution and a witch hunt.

The unprecedented indictment makes Mr Trump the first current or former president to ever face criminal charges in the history of the US.
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Antony Blinken attended the tenth EU-US Energy Council meeting in Brussels on Tuesday, 4 April.

The US Secretary of State is in Belgium from Monday to Wednesday to attend the council as well as the Nato Foreign Ministerial.

Mr Blinken was expected to discuss ensuring energy security "while accelerating the clean energy transition" during the US-EU meeting, a US Department of State statement said.

Discussions will be held on energy with a focus on the outlook for next winter, including the situation in Ukraine and Moldova, and will touch on accelerating decarbonisation through clean-energy technologies and energy savings, the European Council said.

Mr Blinken will also hold bilateral meetings with European Union high representative and vice president Josep Borrell, Nato secretary general Jens Stoltenberg, and Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba while he is in Europe.

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A historic realignment of Europe triggered by Vladimir Putins invasion of Ukraine was cemented on Tuesday as Finland became the 31st member of Nato, dealing a major blow to Moscow.

Its accession roughly doubles the length of the border that Nato shares with Russia to 2,500km (1,600 miles), and bolsters its eastern flank as the war in Ukraine grinds on with no resolution in sight.

Finland had been neutral after its defeat by the Soviet Union in the Second World War, but Mr Putins February 2022 invasion led to a rapid rethink.
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Russias President Vladimir Putin will not be happy with Finland becoming the 31st member of Nato. The date is significant  4 April  which marks the anniversary of the signing of the Nato treaty 74 years ago.

Yet Putin has only himself to blame for this most significant enlargement of the Western alliance in some time.

Before Putin invaded Ukraine last year, barely 30 per cent of Finns wanted their country to join Nato. Finland was largely comfortable with the dense network of security partnerships that it had devised since the end of the Cold War: close cooperation with Nato, participation in the EUs common security and defence policy and military integration with its neighbour, Sweden, and the other Nordic partners.

Yet overnight public support for joining Nato shot up to around 80 per cent, and has stayed there ever since. Nato membership did not feature as an issue in last weekends Finnish elections despite the broad spectrum of parties participating. So, what has changed? Essentially two things.

First, Finnish security policy since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 has rested on the assumption that Russia would accept the borders and new system of states that emerged from that collapse. Yet in annexing Crimea in 2014, and now seeking to annex more areas of Ukraines territory, Putin has made clear that all borders that are once part of the Czarist or Soviet system are open to revision. This has profoundly unsettled the Finns, who believed that they had a predictable if delicate relationship with Moscow.

Second, Putins invasion of Georgia in 2008, as well as supporting separatists in eastern Ukraine in 2014 and this current war, have shown Finns that close partnership with Nato does not provide an immediate Nato response or protection. Only full membership and the obligation of collective defence under Article 5 of the Nato treaty can do that. The EU has a solidarity clause, and is stepping up its cooperation on defence issues. Yet only Nato has the forward deployed troops, command structures and reinforcement plans to actually implement collective defence. As Finland suddenly needed to upgrade its defence, Nato was the only credible option.

Finlands membership of Nato will benefit both sides. Nato will gain a capable military actor with seven armoured brigades, one of the best reserve forces in the alliance and modern weapons such as artillery, Leopard 2A6 tanks and soon US F35 fighter aircraft. With a border with Russia, the Finns never stopped taking their collective defence seriously even when the rest of Europe was reaping the peace dividend after the Cold War.

Of course, the sudden doubling of Natos borders with Russia as Finland takes its seat in the North Atlantic Council will give Nato a considerable extra security burden. Yet Putin knows that even if he has threatened unspecified retaliation measures against Helsinki, taking thousands of troops away from Ukraine to put them on the Finnish border will not help him to prevail against Kyiv. Moreover, Finland is not seeking to station large numbers of Nato troops on its territory at the moment, which would give Putin reason to act.

Finland joining Nato will be a bittersweet occasion for both Nato and Helsinki, given that both were hoping that Sweden would join at the same time. Turkey and Hungary are still holding up the parliamentary ratification of Swedish membership.

Yet Finlands membership is probably of greater immediate strategic importance to Nato, given that it will give the allies greater access to the Baltic Sea and capacity to reinforce the Baltic States and Poland. Turkey will also move on Sweden after the Turkish elections on 14 May so that Stockholm can be hopeful of joining Nato at its next summit in Vilnius in July. At least for the time being, Stockholm will be comfortably sandwiched between Nato member states.

Jamie Shea is an associate fellow in the International Security Programme at Chatham House. He is a former Nato official and now professor of strategy and security at the University of Exeter
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Defence lawyers for Hashim Thaci made opening statements on the second day of his trial for alleged war crimes trial at The Hague on Tuesday, 4 April.

Kosovos ex-president and three other high-ranking ex-leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) are accused of being members of a criminal organisation that abducted and mistreated perceived opponents during the KLA revolt against the security forces of then Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic.

The insurgency, in which more than 13,000 people are believed to have died, eventually brought independence from Serbia and made Thaci a hero among compatriots.

Milosevic went on trial before the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) but died in 2006 before a verdict was reached.

The 54-year-old and the three co-defendants have pleaded not guilty to all 10 counts.

I understand the indictment and I am fully not guilty, Thaci told the court on Monday.

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A Polish woman who claimed she was Madeleine McCann appears to have ended her search for proof after receiving the results of a DNA test.

Julia Faustyna, 21, made headlines earlier this year after posting a video to Instagram in which she claimed to be the British girl who disappeared, aged three, on a family holiday in Portugal.

Ms Faustyna, who also goes by the last name Wendell, alleged her parents could not prove a biological link with her and ordered her genes be tested to show that she had British ancestry.

Faustyna said she had similar features to Madeleine (Dr Phil/Metropolitan Police)

She claimed to have started suspecting she was Madeleine in June last year. She did not provide any supporting evidence but pointed to perceived physical similarities and alleged missing family records.

A frenzy in parts of the media over the claims culminated last week in an appearance by Ms Faustyna on long-running US chat show, Dr Phil, where she said she would submit her DNA to Scotland Yard to be compared to Madeleines if the test revealed her roots were British.

On Monday night, Fia Johansson, a spokesperson for the young woman, said: Julias test results are back. We finally know the reality!

Ms Johansson, a psychic medium, added: The test results revealed that she is 100% of Polish heart, with negligible influence from Lithuania, and Russia.

The DNA test results did not show any connection to British or even German roots.

Ms Faustynas parents always denied they were not biologically linked to Ms Faustyna and said their daughter had taken evidence including photographs and a birth certificate with her when she moved out of their house.

Johansson, left, appeared with Faustyna, right, in media interviews (Radar)

After the claims emerged, her parents said: For us, as a family, it is obvious that Julia is our daughter, granddaughter, sister, niece, cousin and step-niece. We have memories, we have pictures.

Julia also has these photos, because she took them from the family home with the birth certificate, as well as numerous hospital discharges.

We always tried to understand all situations that happened with Julia. Threats to our address ... activity on the internet ... weve seen it all and weve tried to prevent it, explain it ...

Ms Johansson said in Mondays statement that Ms Faustyna had moved back in with her father. An Instagram page on which Ms Faustyna made her claims, IAmMadeleineMcCann, has been deactivated.

The search for Madeleine has been ongoing since she went missing in 2007 and investigators recently sought new funding to continue their work.

Portuguese police running a concurrent probe last year declared Christian Brueckner, a paedophile jailed in Germany, as the prime suspect in the girls disappearance.
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Nato secretary general Jens Stoltenberg and Finnish president Sauli Niinisto took part in a ceremony to mark Finland's accession to the military alliance on Tuesday, 4 April.

The Northern European country - which borders Russia - applied to join the military alliance following Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine.

Pekka Haavisto, the Finnish foreign minister, has signed the accession document and given it to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Finland will now be protected by Nato's Article Five, meaning that if the country was invaded or attacked it would be aided by all Nato members.

"It will be a good day for Finlands security, for Nordic security, and for Nato as a whole, Mr Stoltenberg said ahead of the ceremony.

Moscow has responded by promising to boost troop number in its western and northwestern regions.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov labelled the move as a "violation of our security and our national interests".

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A 26-year-old woman has been charged with terrorism offences in Russia over a bombing that killed a pro-war military blogger.

Footage released by the Russian interior ministry on Monday appeared to show Darya Trepova admitting to bringing a statuette to the restaurant in St Petersburg, which blew up, also allegedly injuring 42 others.

She did not say that she knew there would be an explosion or who had given her the object.

While it is unclear whether her account was given under duress, Ms Trepovas husband told Russian website SVTV News that  despite being against the war in Ukraine  his wife would never kill and was framed.

Darya Trepova attended a hearing in Basmanny District Court on Tuesday (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

But on Tuesday, Russian investigators said they had charged Trepova with committing a terrorist act by an organised group that caused intentional death and the illegal possession of explosive devices by an organised group.

The charges carry a maximum prison sentence of 20 years, and were levied by Russias Investigative Committee  responsible for probing major crimes  which claimed Ms Trepova had acted under instructions from people working on behalf of Ukraine.

Ms Trepova, of St Petersburg, was transferred to Moscow, where the Basmanny district court remanded her in pre-trial custody until 2 June, Russian news agencies reported.

While Russian law suggests a life sentence for terror-related crimes, these cannot be applied to women, who instead face sentences of up to 20 years.

Sundays explosion killed Vladlen Tatarsky, whose real name is Max Fomin, and injured 42 others, according to Russias health ministry. Twenty-four people were still being treated in hospital late on Tuesday, it said.

Vladlen Tatarsky, whose real name is Maxim Fomin, had a large following on Telegram (Getty)

While a prominent cheerleader for Vladimir Putins war, with more than half a million Telegram followers, Tatarsky had also been highly critical of the Russian defence ministrys blunders in Ukraine, labelling Russian officers untrained idiots.

Footage of the incident broadcast by Russian media appeared to show Tatarsky taking the gold statuette, in his likeness, out of a box and showing it to an audience gathered to hear him give a talk before it exploded.

On Monday, Russias National Anti-Terrorism Committee accused Ukrainian intelligence of organising the killing with help from supporters of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny  a possible reference to the fact that Ms Trepova once registered for a tactical voting scheme promoted by Mr Navalnys movement.

But Mykhailo Podolyak, an aide to the Ukrainian president, blamed the bombing on infighting in Russia, saying it had only been a matter of time before domestic terrorism would become an instrument of Russias internal political struggle.

Ilya Ponomaryov, a former Russian lawmaker turned Ukraine-based Kremlin critic, also published a statement from what he said was a group of Russian militants called the National Republican Army, in which it claimed responsibility for the blast.

Darya Trepova could face up to 20 years in prison (Sourced)

Last August, Mr Ponomaryov said the National Republican Army had planted the car bomb near Moscow which killed Darya Dugina, the daughter of an ultra-nationalist. Until that point, the group had never been referred to publicly before.

Court documents indicate that Ms Trepova was among the nearly 1,400 Russians detained at nationwide protests on 24 February last year, after Russia invaded Ukraine.

Tatarsky, formerly a coal miner and furniture trader from the Donbas region, had himself fought in Ukraine for separatist forces, after allegedly fleeing custody in Ukraine for bank robbery when civil war engulfed parts of the Donbas in 2014.

Last year, in a video shot at a ceremony in the Kremlin to mark Russias unilateral annexation of four Ukrainian regions, he said Russia should kill everyone and rob everyone in Ukraine.

Some local media outlets reported the cafe targeted in Sundays blast had previously belonged to Yevgeny Prigozhin, founder of the Wagner mercenary group that is fighting for Russia in Ukraine.

Mr Prigozhin, who has also been at loggerheads with Russias defence ministry in recent months, has said he believes the bomb which killed Tatarsky was likely planned by a group of radicals unrelated to the government in Kyiv.

Additional reporting by Reuters
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Australia has become the latest country to ban TikTok from government devices due to security concerns surrounding the Chinese-owned app.

It follows similar bans from the US, Canada, New Zealand, Norway, the EU and UK, while India and Afghanistan have enforced complete bans of the viral video app

The ban comes amid growing worries that China could use the company, owned by Beijing-based ByteDance, to harvest users data to advance its political agenda, undermining Western security interests.

It also risks renewing diplomatic tension between Australia and its largest trading partner after things eased somewhat since Prime Minister Anthony Albanese took office in May at the head of a Labor government.

TikTok said it was extremely disappointed by Australias decision, calling it driven by politics, not by fact.

The ban will come into effect as soon as practicable, Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said in a statement, adding that exemptions would only be granted on a case-by-case basis and with appropriate security measures in place.

With Australias ban, all members of the so-called Five Eyes intelligence-sharing network  which consists of Australia, Canada, the United States, Britain and New Zealand  have banned the app from government devices.

( )

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew, in testimony before the US Congress last month, repeatedly denied that the app shares data or has connections with the Chinese Communist Party.

TikToks Australia and New Zealand General Manager Lee Hunter said TikTok should not be singled out.

There is no evidence to suggest that TikTok is in any way a security risk to Australians and should not be treated differently to other social media platforms, Hunter said in a statement.

The Australian newspaper late on Monday reported Albanese had agreed to the ban after a review by the Home Affairs department.

Dreyfus confirmed the federal government had recently received a Review into Foreign Interference through Social Media Applications report and that its recommendations remained under consideration.

The ban comes on the day Australian and Chinese officials held talks in Beijing in a bid to normalise trade as the World Trade Organization prepares to release findings into an Australian complaint on barley tariffs.

Things are going well, but of course, itll take some time to turn this ship around, Trade Minister Don Farrell told Sky News, referring to prospects for improving trade relations.

In 2018, Australia banned Chinas Huawei from providing equipment during the rollout of its 5G network, riling China. Ties soured further after Canberra called for an independent investigation into the origin of Covid-19.

China responded by imposing tariffs on Australian commodities.

Australian lawmakers can still use TikTok on personal phones but some, including federal Government Services Minister Bill Shorten and Victoria state Premier Daniel Andrews, have decided to delete their accounts.

While TikTok comes under mounting pressure over the potential Chinese influence over the platform, it also faces criticism over its influence on children.

TikTok has said the administration of President Joe Biden demanded its Chinese owners divest their stakes or face a potential US ban.

A bipartisan Senate bill known as the RESTRICT Act would give the White House new powers to ban apps and other technologies coming from China if passed.

Additional reporting from agencies.
TikTok has received a 12.7m fine from UK regulators because it failed to use childrens personal data lawfully and did not do enough to prevent underage children from using its platform.

The Information Commissioners Office (ICO) said the Chinese-owned social media app failed to get parental consent for up to 1.4 million UK children under 13 among its users despite its own rules not allowing children that age to create an account.

There are laws in place to make sure our children are as safe in the digital world as they are in the physical world. TikTok did not abide by those laws, said information commissioner John Edwards.
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Trans rights activists have pointed out that some words such as trans, LGBT or BLM in tweets do not appear in the preview pane when sent as a direct message on the platform.

Instead, they say only the link to the original tweet appears, in contrast to other tweets that do not contain these words for which the preview pane appears normal.

The UK-based research collective Trans Safety Network accused Twitter of deboosting tweets containing certain words, including preventing them being shown as previews in DMs.

The group alleged that words such as trans, gay, lesbian, queer, and bisexual are being deboosted.

The chair of Trans Media Watch jane fae pointed out the issue first on Saturday.

There appears to be a deboosting effect in place too....so tweets mentioning those words get less views, fae, who does not capitalise her name, tweeted.

I can see no good reason for it and it feels petty to me and seems to be deliberately done to make life difficult for people at the queer end of the spectrum. Thats what it feels like, she told Newsweek.

Users also pointed out that while the word gay does not appear in DMs, the homophobic slur f***** passed this filter and appeared in the preview pane.

The term gender identity also seemed to be blocked out in the preview while the controversial gender ideology was allowed.

The alleged censorship could be bypassed by replacing some letters in the words with symbols or numbers.

We dont encourage others to use punctuation to avoid the filters  it makes this site even more inaccessible for screen reader users. Other misspellings affect those with dyslexia, Trans Media Watch tweeted.

While the tweets containing these words themselves are not banned on the platform, the companys approach to selecting which tweets can appear with a preview pane in direct messages might be a new content moderation approach.

Mr Musk has previously been accused of amplifying anti-trans bigotry more than once.

Last year, he liked a Twitter post from a notorious right-wing account that targets members of the transgender community for abuse, and he also mocked the use of pronouns saying his were prosecute/Fauci.
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Virgin Media stopped working for thousands of users around the UK on Tuesday morning, leaving customers without access to internet services.

Virgin Media users complained on social media that their WiFi and broadband were not working, while internet outage monitor DownDetector showed thousands of reports.

Were aware of an issue that is affecting broadband services for Virgin Media customers as well as our contact centres, Virgin Media said in a statement on Tuesday morning.

Our teams are currently working to identify and fix the problem as quickly as possible and we apologise to those customers affected.

The Independent has reached out to Virgin Media for further information on who is impacted.

Affected customers can check their service status on Virgin Medias Help page.

Some users reported that they were able to reconnect to the internet by rebooting their router or modem, while others claimed it was possible to circumvent the issue by using a virtual private network (VPN).

The outage comes just months after a significant issue hit Virgin Media services for hundreds of users.
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A woman has died onboard a Virgin Voyages cruise ship after falling from her balcony and hitting another passenger.

The incident happened at around 9.35pm on Sunday 2 April, shortly after the Valiant Lady departed from Miami, travelling to Roatan, Honduras.

Following the tragedy, the ship returned to port. It has since departed again to resume the cruise with some changes to the planned itinerary. It will dock in Cozumel, Mexico, before continuing on to the island of Bimini in the Bahamas.

Virgin Voyages said in a statement: This passenger went over their balcony onto a lower deck, and despite receiving immediate medical attention, has passed away. We are deeply saddened by this loss of life and our hearts and thoughts are with this persons loved ones.

The Independent understands that the person who was struck by the falling passenger was not seriously injured. The circumstances surrounding the fall are under investigation.

Falling from cruise ship balconies is rare, especially into the ocean. According to The Points Guy, one to two people may go overboard each month out of around 2.5 million passengers who cruise during the same timeframe.

There were 212 man overboard incidents on cruise ships between 2009 and 2019, based on the Report on Operational Incidents issued by the Cruise Lines International Association.

Late last year a passenger managed to survive 15 hours in the water after falling overboard in the Gulf of Mexico. The coast guard that found him said he had a minute and 30 seconds left before we lost him completely.
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One of Japans most spectacular islands is introducing a cap on visitor numbers in an effort to protect an endangered indigenous wild cat.

As of April 2023, no more than 1,200 tourists a day will be able to travel to Iriomote, an island in the southern prefecture of Okinawa known as the Galapagos of the East. Its natural beauty has made it popular, as well as the distinctive Iriomote cat that can only be found here.

The local government introduced these measures as part of a drive to prevent overtourism disrupting the local ecosystem, as well as the lives of residents, reports Japan Today.

The restrictions arent mandatory yet but tourism officials are urging travel companies to follow them.

Iriomote is Okinawas second largest island, but the vast majority of it remains uninhabited. It was one of four areas in Okinawa and Kagoshima added to Unescos Natural World Heritage list in 2021.

Hundreds of thousands of travellers visit each year, with a peak of 406,000 visiting in 2007; there are just over 2,000 permanent residents living there.

The Iriomote cat was added to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species more than a decade ago, with only around 100 believed to still be in existence.

A similar approach was taken to protect the namesake lizards on Indonesias Komodo Island.

The government had planned to ban all tourists from setting foot on the island to stem the decline of the Komodo dragon but instead introduced a strict quota and fee  around 200 per person.
Donald Trump gave a wave to crowds as he arrived for his historic arraignment at a Lower Manhattan courthouse.

The former president left Trump Tower just after 1pm ET with his team of attorneys to surrender to the criminal charges.

He was indicted by a Manhattan grand jury over so-called hush money payments made to the porn star Stormy Daniels in 2016.

Trump has become the first current or former US president ever to be charged with a crime.

He is now under arrest after surrendering at court.

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The Italian coast guard rescued 32 migrants, including a child, who were stranded overnight on an uninhabited Mediterranean island on Monday, 3 April.

Footage shows emergency services flying over Lampione, a desert island, in a helicopter before airlifting people to safety.

The coast guard said they used a helicopter as poor weather conditions prevented a rescue by sea.

The migrants were later taken to the nearby island of Lampedusa, with the helicopter making five trips to transport them between the islands.

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The family of Olivia Pratt-Korbel have released home videos of the nine-year-old, one day after her killer was jailed for life.

Gunman Thomas Cashman, 34, has been ordered to serve a minimum term of 42 years in prison after being found guilty of her murder.

He fatally shot Olivia and injured her mother, Cheryl Korbel, after chasing a fellow drug dealer into their home in Liverpool on 22 August.

Videos released by Olivias family show the schoolgirl pretending to walk down a catwalk and playing with her hair.

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Vladimir Putins former protection officer has branded the Russian president a war criminal after defecting from the country.

Gleb Karakulov and his family fled to Turkey after accompanying Putin on a visit to Kazakhstan in October 2022.

Speaking to the Dossier Center, an investigative outlet founded by exiled Putin critic Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the 35-year-old Federal Guard Service (FGS) captain addressed his former colleagues.

What is happening now [with the war in Ukraine] is beyond the pale, it defies reason. You mustnt follow criminal orders and serve this war criminal, Vladimir Putin, Mr Karakulov said.

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US secretary of state Antony Blinken has welcomed Finland as the 31st member of Nato and says the alliance has Vladimir Putin to thank for the move.

Finland decided to join the alliance after Russias invasion of one of its other neighbouring countries, Ukraine, in 2022.

Im tempted to say this is maybe the one thing we can thank Mr Putin for, Mr Blinken said.

Because he once again here is precipitated something he claims to want to prevent by Russias aggression, causing many countries to believe that they have to do more to look out for their own defence.

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TikTok has received a 12.7 million fine from UK regulators following a number of breaches of data protection law.

The Information Commissioners Office (ICO) announced the penalty on Tuesday 4 April, confirming the app had been failing to use childrens personal data lawfully.

UK data protection law says that organisations that use personal data when offering information society services to children under 13 must have consent from their parents or carers, UK Information Commissioner John Edwards said.

TikTok failed to do that.

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Sir Richard Bransons satellite launch company Virgin Orbit has filed for bankruptcy in the US.

It comes after the company failed to secure rescue funding.

Mr Branson and his Virgin Group have invested more than $1bn (809m) into the business in total.

The business lodged a filing with the US Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware as it seeks a sale of the remaining business on Tuesday, 4 April.

In January, a Virgin Orbit rocket failed to complete the first satellite launch from UK soil.

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The way I see it, the governments plan for living with Covid seems to be more lets try to forget about Covid in the hope that it will go away.

As part of that process, the Covid-19 infection survey has been paused ahead of a review by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). My unease over this has only grown since the last updated was published. I believe this will potentially have a serious knock-on effect for thousands of clinically vulnerable Britons.

The long-running weekly Covid-19 infection survey was quite rightly recognised worldwide as the gold standard. Conducted jointly by UKHSA, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and the University of Oxford, it was set up in April 2020. More than 500,000 people took part.

The results helped to provide vital weekly data on virus levels across the UK  details on new variants, the characteristics of those who had the virus, their levels of antibodies and details of long Covid prevalence.

For the record, the final ONS missive showed that the overall rate of infection was running at one in every 40 people in mainland Britain, and one in every 70 in Northern Ireland. Rates of infection were found to be rising in the North West, the East Midlands and the South East of England. In Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, and in the other English regions, the trends were described as uncertain.

There were increases in infection in those aged 50 and over  the most vulnerable to complications  and in children aged two years through to school year 11. Most of them get off lightly. Most, but by no means all. The trends were uncertain for other age groups.

Such impressive data is obviously catnip to scientists and other experts. But my wife has also closely watched the figures. Shes on immunosuppressants and is thus classified as clinically vulnerable. Im not exactly out of the woods myself as a type one diabetic. The numbers have helped inform our decision making.

So without this important data, what are we left with?

There is a government webpage full of fairly woolly advice. The messaging from the NHS seems to be quite disorganised: pages covering people at high risk were removed with the information added to the relevant pages, but it is not clear to me where it went. And thats about it.

Clinically Vulnerable Families, a support group, is unimpressed. And who could blame them, given what this virus has the capacity to do?

Communication with vulnerable people has been dire and the most recent (and possibly final) ONS data showed that people with underlying conditions currently have an 8.5x increased risk of mortality and 5.2x increased risk of long Covid, the group said when I got in touch.

Personal responsibility is not an effective way to manage public health and we no longer are testing or masking in hospitals (we do test for MRSA which kills far fewer people). 91 per cent of our members have told us that they have or would delay or cancel medical appointments due to high Covid risks. The 9 per cent are often people who have extremely high risks and no alternative. You cant choose when you need emergency medical care.

I concur. And it is precisely these vulnerable people most at risk now, in the new era of Covid silence.

Yes we have the vaccines  and they are highly effective. I feel that bears repeating. The Covid vaccines  and the UK vaccination programme  are mightily impressive scientific achievements.

But while the shots have dramatically cut deaths and serious illness, they have not eliminated them. People with various health conditions remain very much at risk.

And that last ONS update? It said Covid-19 accounted for 533 deaths that week. Thats 533 more people added to the already staggering death toll.

I increasingly feel like a bit of a weirdo going out in a mask, but delving into these figures is enough to keep me at it. And now these important figures  helpful guidance for informed responsible behaviour  are to stop.

Dont get me wrong: Im not after lockdown 2.0. Far from it. Life is much better now we can live it. But the virus has not gone away.

Covid is not something we should ever take our eyes off. Nor should we look away from the most vulnerable people who need our help. We need to do better by them.

So Ill continue to watch out for them, as I will also be watching the UKHSAs next pronouncement on the matter with great interest.
A joke on social media currently is that, if you can avoid the civilian unrest, France is still a great place to live: for the food, for the wine, and for the retirement at 64. Millions of Europeans plan to emigrate.

If youve seen images this week of black-clad young men running poles into Paris shop windows, and sworn you heard that the trigger was a plan to raise the retirement age to 64, you heard right. It is currently 62 in France. But economists say the reform, in stages to 2030, wont balance the pension budget by that target date anyway.

So the change is modest. Yet France has gone into a blaze of strikes and protests  burning bins; allowing thousands of tonnes of rubbish to pile up in the streets; with public transport and petrol pumps severely affected. Some commentators say the strife has worsened to the point of threatening ordinary civilian peace.
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The circus dissipated and the clown went home. Back at his Mar-a-Lago residence, Donald J Trump was taking his arraignment about as well as expected. Hed been told just a few hours earlier by a judge that he shouldnt use his arrest to incite violence. He responded by making an angry speech about the judges wife and kids.

This is where we are right now. I have a Trump-hating judge, with a Trump-hating wife and family, whose daughter worked for Kamala Harris and now receives money from the Biden-Harris campaign, he said. District Attorney Alvin Bragg was a radical left, George Soros-backed prosecutor. His infamous phone call to Georgia where he pressured the secretary of state to find more votes was thought to be perfect until somebodys book tour (this call isnt even the subject of any charges against Trump in New York.) Biden caused record inflation. Trump won the 2020 election. And by the way, it was fine that he took all those classified documents to Mar-a-Lago after his presidencys end.

It was a sloppily compiled list of all Dons greatest hits. And the reaction was....mixed. Inside the glitzy Florida residence, there were hundreds more supporters than had turned up in Manhattan. People cheered. People chanted. Matt Gaetz did an interview with Fox News from the floor, claiming that the Trump 2024 campaign had a new vigor.

And yet, and yet. Outside of the confines of the Mar-a-Lago ballroom, reactions were a little more muted. Most people felt like it wasnt really the time to remind everyone of the whole trying to illegally overturn a democratic election thing. Attacking the young daughter of a judge seemed unpalatable to a lot of family-friendly Republicans. And did we really have to get into the documents again? This list of grievances felt both exhaustingly predictable and deeply insecure. Eric Trump was widely mocked when he later talked up a fantasy of tens of thousands of supporters who lined the streets to back his daddy. Even sections of the mainstream media had stopped paying attention: MSNBC elected not to even carry the Trump speech at all.

But lets rewind a little to Tuesday morning and New York City, where the courtroom drama had unfolded a few hours before.

The scene was set for the prince of martyrdom. His red carpet was a small park outside a Manhattan courtroom, where protesters and counter-protesters were gathered. His crown was 34 felony charges relating to his finances, including business dealing discrepancies and hush money paid to the porn star Stormy Daniels.

Hes frustrated. Hes upset. But Ill tell you what, hes motivated. Its not going to stop him. Its not going to slow him down, Trumps lawyer, Todd Blanche, said outside the courtroom as his posse emerged. Presumably he didnt mean that this wont slow his client down from committing further financial crimes.

No, we can reasonably assume that Trumps lawyer was talking about 2024, which cast a long shadow over all proceedings today. Marjorie Taylor Greene, self-described defender-in-chief of the former president (or the current president, if youre a January 6th-adjacent, QAnon-sympathetic conspiracy fiend), was so convinced that Trumps arraignment would be a pivotal moment in the run-up to the 2024 presidential election that she traveled to her least favorite state to give a speech via megaphone. Truth be told, it was a disappointing turnout: Groups of protesters and counter-protesters were gathered, but they were vastly outnumbered by the reporters and photographers who wanted to document them. When Marjorie began to speak about the usual stuff  liberal corruption, shadowy cabals, communist countries  she could barely be heard over the piercing sound of whistles. The anti-Trumpers had agreed to drown her out, it became clear, but the whistles themselves had been handed out voluntarily by a pro-Trump supporter hoping to get people to make noise. It transpired that he had no idea Marjorie Taylor Greene was even there. As own goals by the far-right go, it was a particularly satisfying one.

Marj wasnt finished after her lackluster appearance, of course. She popped up on RSBN, saying that Trump is joining some of the most incredible people in history being arrested today. Nelson Mandela was arrested, served time in prison. Jesus! Jesus was arrested and murdered. Thats a slight cherrypicking of people who have been arrested as a group, which obviously does include Nelson Mandela (and, arguably, Jesus) but also Ted Bundy, Harvey Weinstein, Jeffrey Dahmer and so on. Its a bold assertion to infer that everyone ever arrested was actually a martyr. Even those who want to defund the police dont usually advocate literally opening the prisons and stopping arrests for all crimes. But if Marjories getting radical, who am I to question her?

That was just one moment in a day of bizarre, oddly low-key moments. Greene and the New York Young Republicans Club  which one imagines is about as well-attended as the Las Vegas Virgins Support Group  left the scene of the protests so quickly after speaking that a lot of people seemed confused about whether shed even been there in the first place. George Santos, the New York Republican most famous for lying about his mother being killed in 9/11, had likewise come along to show his support but made a quick disappearing act. He was immediately mobbed by reporters and detractors as soon as word got out that he was there. George, you shouldve shown up in drag! one shouted. Santos then made his exit, telling someone on his way out that he didnt feel comfortable. One imagines he felt about as comfortable as I feel when I read about how he allegedly conned a homeless veteran out of crowdfunded money for his dying dog.

In a small park outside the courtroom, the protests and counter-protests raged on for a few more hours. Except they didnt really rage; they sort of simmered. There were NYPD barricades and Secret Service-imposed cell service dead areas, but it turned out to be unnecessary. The vibe was, in the words of one tweeter, much more Staten Islands eight to twelve most unemployed weirdos than the country up in arms.

This is what the scene actually looked like: Counter-protesters set up a huge piece of fabric with TRUMP LIES ALL THE TIME emblazoned across it in the early morning. By 10am, a woman in a red MAGA hat was already storming across it. She wore Vans, red lipstick and a denim jacket, and was carrying a Trader Joes tote bag with cutesy Pusheen plushies attached. In slow motion, she got herself tangled in the fabric and ended up falling on her face. She was later seen standing outside the courtroom with a smoldering bunch of sage, declaring that she was smudging the area in order to get rid of toxic journalists. I took that personally.

There were signs and placards: Were going to need some very tiny handcuffs and NYC <3 karma on one side; Salem 1692, Bragg 2023 and Covid-19 is a lie on the other. There were plenty of hats and shirts adorned with American flags. A couple of men chanted about how there are only two genders. Someone brought along a cardboard cut-out of Hillary Clinton and set it next to a cardboard sign reading Lock him up.

(AP)

Trump himself did the bare minimum. This is a man who thrives off telling people that hes the one politician in touch with the real world and everyone else is an avocado-obsessed, Soros-funded liberal who only cares about getting Mexican kids to vaccinate you with microchips. Today, he walked out of Trump Tower  you know, that golden building plastered with his name  which he had traveled to via private jet from Florida the day before. He pumped his fist in the air at onlookers before getting into a vehicle with a couple of Secret Service agents. His hair was especially candyfloss-like and gloriously, newly blond, like the springtime New York sun.

Hed just made millions from selling merch on his website related to the arrest. An especially popular new offering was a T-shirt that featured a fake mugshot and the words NOT GUILTY. In actuality, the former president wasnt required to have a mugshot taken today. But that didnt stop him from cashing in. From the car on the way to his arraignment, he pumped out one final post on Truth Social: Heading to Lower Manhattan, the Courthouse. Seems so SURREAL  WOW, they are going to ARREST ME. Cant believe this is happening in America. MAGA!

And where were Ivanka and Melania, the women charged with making him more palatable in better times? Neither was present, although Eric was. Now, a lot of people say Eric Trump does the dirty work of turning up to his fathers least savory engagements because hes a deeply unloved son who craves the attention of a father obsessed with his older brother, Don Jr. Such theories are cruel and psychologically unproven and not one bit hilarious. A lot of people say it. Im not saying its true, but a lot of people say it.

For his part, Don Jr, ever the class act, posted a Breitbart article about the judges daughter on Twitter as the court appearance got underway. Meanwhile, Ivanka made do with some milquetoast Instagram post about how shes concerned for our country and receiving support from people on both sides of the aisle (no need to name names, Ivanka, but maybe you could show us a couple of the DMs for evidence?) Melanias Twitter has remained untouched since International Womens Day. One couldnt help but think of the infamous jacket: I REALLY DONT CARE, DO U?

Trumps actual appearance in court was short and to-the-point, and he left after just over an hour without stopping to address the smattering of supporters who were still hanging around. Stormy Daniels tweeted about how its far sexier to be under her porn star husband than it is to be under arrest. Online, the rage machine cranked on, and emails from Trumps campaign begged for money to fight the evil libs. But on the streets, the truth was evident: He doesnt have the pull he had in 2016 or even 2020. If all you can muster at your Big Arrest Party is Marjorie Taylor Greene with a bad megaphone getting drowned out by whistles, then you might not be 2024 material after all.
Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said less than one in 10 GPs are providing termination services (PA/Niall Carson)

Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly has defended the Governments delivery of acute hospital inpatient beds as being significantly ahead of Slaintecare targets, which were set out in a 2018 health service capacity review.

That review found the need for 2,590 extra hospital beds including around 2,100 inpatient, 300 day case, and 190 adult critical care beds.

Last week, the Health Service Executive published an expression of interest (EoI) for submissions for up to 1,500 beds across 15 hospital sites to be delivered during 2023 and 2024.

Speaking to RTEs News at One on Tuesday, Mr Donnelly said he was putting the plans in place to move significantly ahead of targets for bed delivery.

Weve added about 1,000 extra beds, and youll be aware that were looking at plans now for an accelerated bed-building programme to add about another 1,500 on top of that, he said.

However, the HSE is also still currently in the process of delivering approximately 200 beds of the 1,228 that were due to be delivered in 2021 and 2022.

Asked how the delivery of beds could be characterised as significantly ahead when the 2022 target had not been met, a Department of Health spokesman said: The Minister was merely pointing out that we are now ahead of the phased increase in beds as set out in the review.

Notwithstanding that progress, he has made clear that he wants to further accelerate the delivery of beds, hence the EoI put out recently by the HSE for the accelerated delivery of 1,500 extra acute beds.

This will be the fourth record year of recruitment into the HSE in a row. Stephen Donnelly

Asked about the additional staffing capacity needed to cater for additional beds, Mr Donnelly said there has been a record increase in the number of people working in the HSE.

This will be the fourth record year of recruitment into the HSE in a row, he said.

He said there were 18,000 more people working in the HSE since the start of the pandemic and added that he wanted a doubling of healthcare college places in Ireland over the next few years.

Mr Donnelly said current hospital overcrowding and delays are partly a result of an overhang from Covid-19.

He said hospitals were experiencing delayed diagnosis and treatment, as well as older people presenting who are less resilient than before the pandemic.

Theyre trying to treat people who are coming in through the emergency departments, which requires beds, and theyre trying to  and are succeeding in  reducing the waiting lists, but that also requires beds, he added.

We need to move, people have been waiting far too long. Stephen Donnelly

On Monday, the Minister for Health published the terms of reference for a strategic review of general practice to be completed this year.

Speaking on Tuesday, Mr Donnelly said Government would also this year phase in State-funded access to GPs for 400,000 people, covering every household below the median income.

Asked if it would be more acceptable to wait for a review of GP capacity to be completed first, Mr Donnelly said: No, we need to move. People have been waiting far too long.

This was signed off in 2017, its six years later.

Mr Donnelly said the move would add three visits per week for GPs who have medical card lists.

Accepting the need for more GPs, Mr Donnelly said he intended to triple the number of GPs in training by next year.

Separately, Mr Donnelly said he would be publishing a review of abortion services after bringing it to Cabinet in the coming weeks.

He said less than 10% of GPs are currently providing termination of pregnancy services.

Thee vast majority of women had their needs met in primary care, weve over 420 GPS now providing services  thats up by about 50% in the last few years, he said.

Mr Donnelly said he would encourage all GPs to provide those services.
The very wet weather has been playing into the factories hands, much the same way it does in the autumn.

Maybe they were supposed to go to grass but we have them now, said a south-eastern factory rep of a local surge in supplies.

Caught with too many cattle, too little silage, tight accommodation and wet field conditions, some farmers are choosing to slaughter out that pen of cull cows or forward bullocks that were originally earmarked for June, he said.

Others in the same predicament have chosen the mart route. With prices high in both arenas, they are happy enough to cash in and ease the pressure.

Cattle numbers should tighten once weather picks up and farmers have the option of going to grass. Once that happens those in the fattening business have told me they expect prices to at worst, hold until the middle of the year when numbers of grass cattle appear.

In between factories will be dependent on feedlots and specialised feeders for the early summer months; which should make pricing interesting.

The weather held prices steady, with bullocks continuing to be quoted at 5.20-5.25/kg and bigger feeders getting 5.30/kg.

Flat pricing remains a major factor, with 5.70-5.75/kg now the general run for both bullocks and heifers with Angus on the cards.

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General grid quotes for heifers also remained static at 5.30/kg, with the odd 5.35/kg in places, particularly in the west where supplies of prime beef (bullocks, heifers and young bulls) are scarce.

This deficit is being made up by large numbers of cull cows trucked in from the south.

The result is that mart prices for heavy suckler culls have once again hit 3.00/kg in the west, with Patsy Smith of Dowra noting that a quarter of his culls made better than 2,000/hd.

Department figures show that out of the 30,349 animals slaughtered at exporting plants for the week ending March 26, just shy of a quarter (7,304) were cull cows.

Despite this extra demand, quotes for culls are steady with Rs on 4.90-5.00/kg with Os 4.60-4.80 and better Ps on 4.50-4.60/kg.

Bull quotes were also unchanged over the weekend with under-24-month U grades selling to 5.50/kg and R grades on 5.40/kg.

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As the industry in Ireland continues to evolve, what will beef farming look like in 10 years time? Robert de Vere Hunt of Cashel mart thinks we will see the emergence of large specialised calf and store units linked directly to factories and feedlots.

The trade has changed a lot in the last five years, he says. The feedlot production model has emerged as the backbone for factories to guarantee continuity of supply.

With food security and supply now more important than ever, I think the factories will aim to secure their supply from the calf up.

The next logical step is for those feedlots or factories to engage with farmers to supply feedlots directly with replacement stock on contract.

Once that happens its only a matter of time before the better operator gets bigger and he extends his business to offering contracts to those with calves to bring them to the weanling stage
Local buy-in will be key if the governments target of developing around 130 anaerobic digesters in rural Ireland before 2030 is to be met.

Over the past five years, Gort in has been at the centre of the biogas debate, as plans for the development of a 10ha (24.7ac) facility on the outskirts of the Co Galway town have been contested at every stage of the planning process, and are now likely to be decided in the courts.

When Donegal-based company Sustainable Bio-Energy first lodged plans for the facility in 2018, reaction among the local farming community was largely positive.

This mood appears to have changed in recent years, however, as strong opposition to the plant from sections of the community, including the Gort Biogas Concern Group, have left local farmers either against the facility, or unwilling to voice their support for it publicly.

In December 2022, an Bord Pleanala overturned the decision of Galway County Council and granted planning permission for the development.

According to Galway IFA chair Stephen Canavan, local farmers may be reluctant to go against the wishes of their own community and may be unwilling to supply the biogas facility with materials.



If there is a reluctance from a community to have it in the area, I think farmers would feel obliged not to go against their community, says Mr Canavan. 

For community buy-in and for farmer buy-in we need all of these things to be explained to us straight up. We need the details if people are going to be able to buy in to this.

While farmers in the immediate Gort area have been reluctant to speak openly about the development, Craughwell farmer, Kevin Hannon says biogas could be a win-win for farmers and the environment.

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Mr Hannon, whose farm is about 20km north of the proposed facility, says that while the benefits for farmers are clear, the location is the issue.

Its a good idea but in a bad location, he says. The benefits for the farmers are clear. They could sell their slurry to produce natural gas and be given back an even better product (the fertiliser by-product of the biogas plant) than the slurry.

All of that and less emissions. It looks like a win-win for everyone. The farmer wins, the environment wins and we get power out of it. Its a great idea and a win-win for everyone except for the people in the town of Gort.

Mr Hannon expects that despite local opposition, many farmers will supply the facility once it is operational.

If it gets built, I think it will be used. They will want a certain amount of slurry and there will be some part of local farmers who see this as an opportunity, a way of guaranteeing a better income from their land, he says.

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We dont have any idea what kind of income they are talking about at the moment. But they will also need straw, they will need bales of silage, and they will need slurry.

You would imagine that they (the operators of the biogas facility) will be able to give contracts to farmers for this.

If this facility gets the go-ahead it will bring an awful lot more traffic in and around Gort town, which might be good for some businesses but might be a lot for the local people to put up with.

It seems a bit too close to the town and its beside a river. If it was in a more rural setting that would be a better job.

Mr Canavan says farmers will need assurances and much more detail if they are to migrate over to supplying biogas facilities in large numbers.

The Corofin farmer says the farming community would look favourably on the transition but that any company seeking to develop a biogas facility would need to have their ducks in a row to ensure that farmers would supply them all year round.

Anything that would allow a farmer to diversify his farm or improve the cash flow on a farm, wed look favourably on it, he says.

There certainly would seem to be potential in it (anaerobic digesters) but there would have to be price guarantees and contracts theyd have to be a lot of things like that that would give some certainty to farmers.

If the financial side of it adds up, farmers will get involved. But if it doesnt, I cant see farmers committing to it if they are not getting the market price or a little bit better than the market price for it.

I would suggest that any company who is looking to build a biogas plant would want to have their ducks in a row when it comes to supplying the plant. Its all a bit vague at the moment. I think farmers need the information. They [biogas developers] would want to front up first and explain to people what they want and the amount of money that they are prepared to pay for different products.

Biogas plants can be operated using any non-woody organic material including slurry, grass, beat and other crops. Mr Canavan has called for more clarity over which materials would provide the better return for farmers at different times of the year.

There will be a big seasonal aspect to this for farmers. A lot of farmers would have surplus slurry from January to March for example. But what they can supply [to a biogas plant] would be dependent on a lot of things including the weather and storage capacity, he said.

My understanding is that things like beat and corn is better for the digester than waste or grass, but I cant imagine that farmers are going to store corn so that they can supply the biogas plant in February.

Im also led to believe that top quality silage grass in May is more valuable to the biogas plant than older grass that has gone to seed in July. So its not all the same. The same can be said about beat, which I understand is one of the higher value products for the plant. Im led to believe that the higher the sugar content in the beat, the higher the price. All that would need to be clarified for farmers.

Sustainable Bio-Energy Limited first lodged plans for the biogas facility in Gort in April of 2018. These plans were withdrawn by the company and a second application was made to Galway County Council in December of 2019.

The local authority refused this planning application in December of 2020 saying the proposed development was contrary to proper planning policy.

This decision was subsequently overturned by an Bord Pleanala in December of 2022, who sited the publication of the 2021 Climate Action Plan among the factors that it took into account in its decision.

Sustainable Bio-Energy were contacted for a comment, but did not respond.

This is really not a case of nimbyism

The fate of the proposed biogas facility in Gort is likely to be decided in the High Court as a local community group has raised tens of thousands of euro to fund a legal challenge to the planning decision.

Ciaran ODonnell of the Gort Biogas Concern Group says the local community is not against biogas in itself, but that the scale and the location of this facility is causing issues for locals.

Mr ODonnell, a marine biologist, says the proposed facility is too close to peoples homes and to the centre of Gort.

We have been fighting this for the last five years and we have been clear from the beginning, we are not opposed to the technology  biogas is proven  its the size of this development and the proximity to the town which are the issues, he says.

This facility will be one of the largest in the country when built and will be around 100m from the closest residence, around 400m from the closest housing estate and around 900m from the town square.

The footprint of this facility will be around the same size as the entirety of our neighbouring village of Kinvara, so it is on that scale.

There is also the traffic associated with it, the sounds and visual impacts, and the potential smell.

The edge of the proposed site is 10m away from the Gort River, and that feeds into the Turlough SAC and into Coole Park. That is a concern.

We have a karst (porous limestone) landscape around here and the site is positioned on top of an identified fissure. This is a worry as well.

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Hundreds of people attended a local meeting about the facility in Gort in January, when a bag containing dung was thrown in the direction of local TDs Cianan Cannon (FG) and Anne Rabbitte (FF).

Despite this incident, both TDs have pledged money to help support the legal challenge to an Bord Pleanalas decision.

We have raised a significant amount of money from the local community to fund our judicial review, says Mr ODonnell. Thats the only avenue that we have left now, to take this to court.

All of that money has been raised from the local community and has been raised in a very short amount of time. That shows the level of local support for this.

This is really not a case of nimbyism. The scale and location of this plant is what makes it such an issue for people.

The Concern Group has also highlighted the proposed facilitys proximity to the newly developed Gort River Looped Walk and the possibility that it may be close to the Athlone to Galway Cycleway, which is under development.
The woman claims that she has lived and farmed the area for her entire life and faces the prospect of being made homeless unless she gets permission to build a new farmhouse on her own property. Stock image

A farmer and a mother of two has launched a High Court challenge against An Bord Pleanala's refusal to grant her permission to build a new house near her current family home which she has to sell.

The action has been taken by Eithna Herbert, who rejects the board's contention that permission should not be granted because she has not shown a social or economic need to live in this particular rural part of Co Kildare.

She claims that she has lived and farmed the area for her entire life and the court heard faces the prospect of being made homeless unless she gets permission to build a new farmhouse on her own property.

The court heard that Ms Herbert applied for planning permission to build a single-story dwelling at Lowton, Robertsown, which is outside Naas in Co Kildare, some 300maway from her current residence.

However, her application was turned down by Kildare Co Council in May 2022 on the grounds that her application for a one-off dwelling did not comply with the Kildare Co Develpment plan.

She sought permission for the new house as she has to sell her existing family home, at 'Copper Villa' at Robertstown, Naas for financial and family reasons, which was built in 2001.

'Copper Villa' is located close to her ancestorial home where she was raised with her siblings.

She appealed the Council's decision to An Bord Pleanala which upheld the refusal to grant her permission, for a different reason.

The board said it was refusing permission on the grounds that she did not demonstrate a social or economic need to live in the area.

As a result, she has brought judicial review proceedings against An Bord Pleanala where she seeks various reliefs from the court including an order quashing the board's decision to refuse to grant her planning permission for the proposed new house, and associated works.

She also seeks declarations from the court including that board acted outside of its powers, failed to provide adequate reasons for its decision to refuse to grant planning permission for the property.

She further seeks a declaration that the board's finding that she has not demonstrated an economic or social need to live in the rural area where she sought planning permission is so unreasonable that no reasonable authority could ever have come to it.

Kildare Co Council is a notice party to the proceedings.

Represented by John Kennedy SC, appeal with Rory Kennedy Bl instructed by Breda Cullivan Solicitors Ms Herbert says that the board's finding is flawed and should be set aside.

Counsel said that his client has farmed over 15 hectares of land in the area for many years, and her two children attend school locally.

His client has no other property, and due to her agricultural obligations needs to obtain new housing in the immediate area.

Renting would be difficult because most of the houses in the area are owner-occupied family homes, it is also claimed.

The matter came before Mr Justice Tony O'Connor on Tuesday's vacation sitting of the High Court.

The judge granted Ms Herbert's lawyers permission, on an ex-parte basis, to bring her challenge against the board's decision.

The matter was adjourned to a date in May.




The Department of Agriculture has denied it is already in talks with other EU Member States on phasing out direct payments.

It comes as German Agriculture Minister Cem Ozdemir said last week that he would favour direct payments being completely replaced and said all agriculture subsidies should be tied to the provision of public goods, such as through environmental schemes.

It follows the UK's decision to end direct payments to farmers in the wake of their exit from the EU.

Despite the latest reform of the CAP only coming into force in January, Mr Ozdemir was also reported by EU publication EURACTIV as saying 'the time to think about the CAP after 2027 is now'.

Notably, it was also reported that a Senior German Government official said that it was already in talks with multiple other like-minded EU countries, including Ireland, on what approach should be taken to future farming subsidies.

However, in a statement to the Farming Independent, the Department of Agriculture said it has not engaged in talks with other Member States on the post-2027 Common Agricultural Policy.

The current focus is on the implementation of CAP Strategic Plans for the period 2023-2027, it said.

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German proposals to ditch direct payments to farmers come despite European Agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski only in recent weeks that European farmers could soon start to reject CAP payments and farm without restrictions.

Speaking at a recent hearing of the European Parliaments Agriculture Committee last week, Mr Wojciechowski again called for an increased CAP budget, but warned an increased EU budget would be difficult to achieve.

The CAP budget will not have the same impact it had on farmers incomes as it had in previous years. This is an issue that we should start worrying about, he said.

Mr Wojciechowski said many farmers across Europe were asking themselves if it would be better to forgo EU CAP payments and its associated rules and restrictions, and instead farm their land to its full potential.

Im afraid that we are very close to this limit where many farmers might decide to make the switch. Were asking a lot of farmers to make a lot of effort in terms of environment, but at some point, farmers will start to figure out whether it pays, he said.
EU beef prices are set to remain high this year, with supplies set to contract further, the bloc has forecast.

However, it has also warned the high prices could potentially have a negative impact on EU consumption and competitiveness of EU exports.

It also said the high prices could see imports of beef into the bloc increase a further 5pc this year, having seen a 25pc increase last year.

Factory prices here remain strong and prices at marts continue to rise, with lighter stock up 8-10c/kg and cull cows making over 3/kg, with reduced supply of meaningful numbers of heavy steers and heifers.

EU beef production decreased in 2022 by 2.6pc. Out of the largest producing countries, Germany declined the most (-8pc), followed by France (-4.4pc) and Poland (-2.6pc).

On the other hand, Spain continued increasing its production (+2pc) and increases were also recorded in Ireland (+4.5pc).

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In a December 2022 livestock survey, the number of suckler cows in the EU declined for the third year in a row, by 240,000 (-2.3pc). At the same time, the decline of dairy cows was lower than expected (-0.6pc).

The number of male bovine cattle for slaughtering between one and two years also decreased (-2.2pc) and this will have implications for beef availability this year, the EU said.

On the other hand, it expects that the slaughtering of dairy cows might accelerate this year and be stronger, as some dairy farmers will react to declining raw milk prices, while beef prices could stay high.

As a result, EU beef production in 2023 is expected to decrease further by 1.6pc.

According to the forecast, as the beef supply in the EU is lower, prices may stay high, and this could potentially have a negative impact on the EU consumption and competitiveness of the EU exports.

Notably, the EU also said the current price environment could attract more imports into the EU.

It said they could further grow by 5pc, and so add to a 25pc increase observed last year, in particular from the UK, but also from South America.

Such an increase would rebalance the temporary drop due to the impacts from Brexit and Covid-19.

This is expected even though Asian markets, especially China, could be a more attractive destination for Americas, while the UK flows could get to comparable pre-Covid levels.
As predicted, factory quotes were up again yesterday as hoggets gained another 10c/kg across the board, while demand in the run-up to Easter pushed spring lamb on by 10-20c/kg.

Kildare Chilling were the only processor on our table to improve their cull ewe quotes  up 10c/kg to 3.40+10c/kg quality assurance.

With hoggets, Kildare and Dawn Ballyhaunis lead the way on 6.70+10c/kg QA.



The same pair are also top of the pile for springs, pushing on 20c/kg to 7.60+10c/kg. The two ICM plants move up their base by just 10c/kg to 7.55/kg+20c/kg QA.

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While Kildare are paying up to 20kg on spring lamb, the ICMs are paying to 20.5kg, up from 20kg this time last year.

All good in the hood you might think. Not so, with one factory representative complaining that he is seeing far too many poorly finished hoggets and springs and doesnt know where hes going to go with them.

On the farmers side, despite another round of price increases, quotes for hogget are 35-50c/kg below where they were this time last year, with spring lamb up to 45c/kg behind and cull ewes down 30-60c/kg.

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Attempts by various farm organisations to get some sort of compensation package for the sector have so far yielded no results, with both IFAs Kevin Comiskey and ICSAs Sean McNamara expressing their disappointment in strong terms.

I watched the entire two hours of proceedings in the Dail in relation to the sheep sector live online, said Mr Comiskey.

The minister was very fulsome in his praise of the ACRES scheme, seeming to think he could pass it of as some sort of sheep rescue package.

ACRES is an environmental scheme and not one targeted at actual sheep production and is open to most of if not all farming sectors.

What we want is something on the lines of the actions taken when the pig, beef and dairy men were in trouble. This government seems to class the sheep sector as some sort of second class, a poor relation to be seen but not heard.

More action is required, including a 30/hd ewe payment plus targeted payments for lamb finishers to help offset huge increases in finishing costs.

David Quinn of Carnew notes that depression around the breeding sector has led to a situation where those selling ewes with lambs at foot are taking the equivalent in money of what a cull ewe makes.

Think of this way: at 160-180/hd for an 80kg cull you can buy a breeding ewe and a lamb or maybe a lamb and a half at foot. If shes a heavier, well-finished cull at 200 youll probably get an ewe with two lambs at foot.

Around the marts

Carnew

David Quinn reported a very large sale last Thursday with 2,200 sheep on offer. Factory quote increases drove stronger demand, lifting prices by 5/hd.

Factory hoggets sold for 135-161/hd, with stores over 40kg making 110-130/hd and lighter hoggets 80-120/hd.

Heavy cast ewes made 70-260/hd with lighter types 100-180/hd.

In-lamb ewes sold for 130-180/hd while ewes with single lambs at foot made 130-180/hd and those with twins at foot 170-250/hd.



Athenry

Numbers here yesterday ran to 1,500, with prices stronger in many cases by 5/hd. Samples among the hoggets included various selections from 53-58kg at 158/hd, 55kgs at 156/hd with 48-49kgs topping out at 142-151/hd.

Among the spring lambs 44-48kgs sold for 155-171/hd.

Cull ewes sold for 121-247/hd, with that top call going to a 110kg.

Overall, the general run of culls made 140-180/hd.

Ewes with twins at foot saw a top of 258/unit, with the majority making 210-230/unit.



Corrin

Sean Leahy reported numbers increased to 600 yesterday, with prices well up.

Quality hoggets were better by up to 10/hd as 57kgs clicked 180/hd while good 50kg lambs made 155-160/hd.

Cull ewes were also better by 6-7/hd at 130-206/hd.

On the spring lamb side, average 47-48kg lamb sold to 170/hd, but the better 40kg animal made up to 180/hd, while the real deal at 43kg sold to a top of 205/hd.



Baltinglass

An improved trade, with both factory and butcher-type lambs better by 3-6/hd.

Three lambs averaging 55kgchanged hands for 155/hd. Other significant prices included seven 47kg hoggets at 150/hd, with a further nine at 50kg averaging 138/hd, while two at 54kg sold to 154/hd.

In the mid-section 40-43kgs sold for 120-133/hd, while the better 34-38kg store generally made 90-94/hd, with one batch at 39kg selling to 116/hd.

Cast ewes from 50-60kg sold for 84-156/hd, while lighter culls made up to 85/hd.



Ennis

Yesterdays sale saw a good selection of spring lamb, with the top calls seeing eleven at 41.5kg averaging 170/hd, while six at 41kg made 172/hd.

Among the lighter springs seven at 38kg sold to 150/hd, with ten at 35.5kg making 144/hd.

The top call among the hoggets saw 58kgs sell to 168/hd, while a good trade for cull ewes included four 95.5kgs at 190/hd and 89kgs at 165/hd. The top calls were 201 and 230 for 101 and 114kgs respectively.
Ireland is by far the largest venue in Europe for housing exchange traded funds (ETFs), an increasingly popular investment vehicle, with nearly 1trn in assets under management, according to new data by Morningstar Direct.

A little more than two-thirds of all European ETF assets are now domiciled in Ireland, where a vast ecosystem of service providers has sprung up to handle the legal, accounting, regulatory and administrative needs of the funds.

The next biggest ETF domicile in Europe is Luxembourg, with 276bn in assets under management, or just 20pc of the total. Other European countries, such as France, Germany and Switzerland, have single-digit percentage shares.

The growth of ETFs  funds that can invest in thousands of stocks or bonds but be traded like a single security  has been explosive in recent years.

Ireland has captured a much larger portion of that growth than its competitors, with the sector here expanding by 158pc in the last five years. Irelands nearest rival Luxembourg has grown 79pc in the same period.

Most of Irelands growth has been taken from countries other than Luxembourg, though. While Luxembourg has stayed steady at roughly 20pc of the European total, Ireland has grown from about 53pc to more than 67pc today.

Part of Irelands competitive advantage in the space derives from strong links to US asset managers, whose funds get favourable tax treatment compared to their equivalents in Luxembourg.

But increasingly, European asset managers are choosing Ireland, too, with Amundi, BNP Paribas, Abrdn and Axa all recently registering ETFs here.

Separately, a new report from the Federation of International Banks in Ireland (FIBI) found that 65pc are planning to hire more staff in 2023, while four in five are expecting activity to increase at their Irish operations.

The report shows that Irelands international banking and investment sector grew employment by 16pc between 2019 and the end of last year, despite the major disruptions of the Covid-19 pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Ireland currently hosts 17 of the worlds top 20 banks.

Fernando Vicario, Chair of FIBI and CEO of Bank of America Europe, said new entrants were still coming to the Irish market, partly driven by Brexit. But he also cited the Anglophone, common law, business-friendly operating environment as a key attraction.
Australia has become the last of the Five Eyes security partners to ban the Chinese-owned video-sharing app TikTok from its federal governments devices.

Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said in a statement on Tuesday that based on intelligence and security agencies advice, that ban would come into effect as soon as practicable.

The so-called Five Eyes intelligence-sharing partners  the United States, Canada, Britain and New Zealand  have taken similar steps.

TikTok is owned by the Chinese technology company Bytedance and has long maintained that it does not share data with the Chinese government. It is carrying out a project to store US user data in Texas, which it says will put it out Chinas reach.

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The company also disputes accusations it collects more user data than other social media companies, and insists that it is run independently by its own management.

The European Parliament, European Commission and the EU Council, the 27-member blocs three main institutions, have also imposed bans on TikTok on staff devices. Under the European Parliaments ban, which took effect last month, politicians and staff were also advised to remove the TikTok app from their personal devices.

Ireland, which is TikToks lead European regulator, is coming under increasing scrutiny over allowing TikTok on official devices following the bans by the European Commission and other governments.

India imposed a nationwide ban on TikTok and dozens of other Chinese apps, including the messaging app WeChat, in 2020 over privacy and security concerns.

The ban came shortly after a clash between Indian and Chinese troops at a disputed Himalayan border killed 20 Indian soldiers and injured dozens.

In early March, the US gave government agencies 30 days to delete TikTok from federal devices and systems. The ban applies only to government devices, though some US politicians are advocating an outright ban.

China has lashed out at the US for banning TikTok, saying it is an abuse of state power and is suppressing companies from other countries.

More than half of the 50 US states also have banned the app from official devices, as have Congress and the US armed forces.
The German arm of EY, one of the worlds Big Four accounting firms, has been fined 500,000 after acting as the auditor for collapsed payments company Wirecard and barred from auditing certain kinds of companies for two years.

Germanys APAS accounting oversight body said it imposed the fine for breach of professional duty in auditing Wirecard from 2016 to 2018. It said the decision can be appealed in court, and while it bars the auditor from taking on new companies of public interest, it does not prevent it from servicing existing clients.
Richard Branson's Virgin Orbit Holdings filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Tuesday after the satellite launch company failed to secure the long-term funding needed to help it recover from a January rocket failure.

The Long Beach, California-based company lodged the filing in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware seeking a sale of its assets after announcing the layoff of roughly 85pc of its 750 employees last week.

"At this stage, we believe that the Chapter 11 process represents the best path forward to identify and finalize an efficient and value-maximizing sale," Virgin Orbit CEO Dan Hart said in a statement.

The company listed assets of about $243 million and its total debt at $153.5m as of Sept. 30 in the filing.

Virgin Orbit went public in 2021 through a blank-check deal, raising $255m less than expected.

Spun off from Branson's space tourism firm Virgin Galactic in 2017, Virgin Orbit air-launches rockets from beneath a modified Boeing 747 plane to send satellites into orbit.

The company's sixth mission in January with its centrepiece LauncherOne rocket, the first rocket launch out of Britain, failed to reach orbit and sent its payload of U.S. and UK intelligence satellites plunging into the ocean.

Between November and March, Branson's Virgin Group provided $50m to the satellite launch company via debt secured against its equipment and other assets in the event of a bankruptcy, according to securities filings.

Virgin Orbit, roughly 75pc-owned by Virgin Group, scrambled to find new funding after the January rocket failure, halting operations and furloughing nearly all its employees on March 15 to conserve cash.

Reuters reported last month that Texas-based Matthew Brown had been in talks to invest $200m in the company. Those talks collapsed, sources told Reuters last week.

The March 30 announcement of about 675 layoffs came as a result of "the company's inability to secure meaningful funding," Virgin Orbit said. Those layoffs are expected to be substantially complete by Monday.

Virgin Orbit at the time secured $10.7m from Branson's Virgin Investments Limited to fund severance for employees and other expenses tied to the layoffs, which it estimated would cost $15 million.

Virgin Investments will provide $31.6m in new money to Virgin Orbit through debtor-in-possession financing, Virgin Orbit said Tuesday.

Virgin Orbit had a market value of $65m based on Monday's closing price, down from more than $3bn two years ago.
Today we were unlucky, the IRA said in an infamous statement claiming responsibility for the Brighton bomb in 1984. While five people had been killed, their target, Margaret Thatcher, emerged unscathed. But remember we have only to be lucky once, the IRA sneered. You will have to be lucky always.

The British prime minister was indeed fortunate to survive the detonation of 100lb of gelignite in a room over her head in the early hours of October 12, 1984. Had she stayed in her bathroom two minutes longer, she might have been killed. Had one of the hotels massive chimney stacks toppled in a different way  destroying the rooms ending in 9, rather than the ones ending in 8  the Iron Lady might have perished in the Napoleon Suite on the first floor, encompassing rooms 129 and 130.

When it came to their arch-enemy, the IRA were never lucky: Thatcher eventually died peacefully in another hotel, the Ritz, at the age of 87. Ironically, however, in the investigation of the Brighton attack, the police got lucky several times, as Rory Carroll outlines in this compelling account of the IRA atrocity. So lucky were the police that within eight months they had caught the perpetrator, Patrick Magee.

The first fortuitous circumstance was that, at the age of 15, Magee had been arrested in Norwich, where his family had settled in the 1960s. He was caught breaking into a butchers shop, and fingerprinted. His prints matched those on a broken window. Nearly two decades later, those same fingerprints would match those taken from the registration card of a Roy Walsh who had checked into Room 629 of the Grand about a month before the bombing.

The match was made by a police analyst, Steve Turner, towards the end of a 12-hour shift as he worked through a database of the fingerprints of about 200 known IRA bombers. As Carroll explains, it was a gruelling process of elimination  stare at the hotel print, stare at those of a known IRA suspect, stare again at the hotel print, back and forth, moving from fragment to fragment, hunting for 16 points of similarity that indicated a match. Twelve hours at a desk studying prints left the analysts eyes pulsing, backs aching and brains feeling like broiled mince. Yet at 8.30pm on January 17, 1985, in the fingerprint room on the fifth floor of Scotland Yards headquarters, Turner discovered who had planted the Brighton bomb.

There was one more piece of serendipity: police decided to trail Peter Sherry, a commander of the IRAs East Tyrone Brigade, on a ferry trip from Belfast to Ayr. They followed him to Glasgow, and on to Carlisle railway station. There he met Magee, fresh from planting another bomb in a hotel in London. The discovery was a fluke, haphazard, a spin-off from an RUC operation in Northern Ireland, Carroll writes. The IRA was unlucky once again.

The tailing of Magee and Sherry back to Glasgow, and their subsequent arrests, provides a thrilling climax to Carrolls book. The Ireland correspondent of the Guardian tells his story in leisurely fashion  Magee only checks into the Grand Hotel on page 175. Also, Killing Thatcher has one eye on an international audience, since we are told on page 17 that Dublin is Irelands capital, soon afterwards given a list of the countries that comprise the UK, and on page 38 it is explained that unionist parties are so called because they prized Northern Irelands union with Great Britain.

Carroll is an elegant writer, though, and there are many beautiful turns of phrase, such as the explanation that Methodists, Thatchers religion, are a puritanical Protestant denomination that abjured the bells and smells of Catholicism. Magee, we are told, had the stillness and intensity of a Renaissance portrait and spoke so softly you had to lean in to catch the words, while Muammar Gaddafi, the IRAs arms supplier, is memorably encapsulated as intelligent, capricious, with a cosmic ego, perched on the edge of the Mediterranean looking for entrees into global dramas.

The research is equally impressive, since Carroll interviewed several senior Provisionals, including Michael Hayes, the second-in-command of their England Department, Sherry, and Magee himself, who was guarded but gracious. Hayes criticises Magees use of the alias Roy Walsh, the real-life name of another IRA bomber, albeit one incarcerated at the time of the Brighton attack. I could never come to terms with that, Hayes says of Magees choice. I called him an idiot.

Theres also a notable contribution from Norman Tebbit, once regarded as Thatchers political heir. The bomb injured him, and paralysed his wife Margaret from the chest down. By August 1986, when he and Thatcher attended the reopening of a refurbished Grand Hotel, Tebbit had already decided to quit frontline politics to care for his wife, he tells Carroll.

In that respect, at least, the IRA bomb changed the direction of British politics. Alternate history is a pointless pursuit, and Carroll overindulges in it somewhat when suggesting that Brexit, with all its implications for Northern Ireland, might never have happened had the Tory leader been killed in 1984, and that in the end it may be Margaret Thatchers legacy, not IRA bombs, that delivers a united Ireland.

In stark contrast with the painstaking preparations made by the US Secret Service prior to presidential visits, the UK police were downright lackadaisical in the run-up to the Brighton bomb. The police redeemed themselves in the investigation of the attack, removing every crumb of rubble from the bombed hotel in 3,798 dustbins for forensic analysis. Having narrowed the bomb site down to four rooms  528, 529, 628 and 629  they tracked down every guest that had stayed in them in the preceding months. Only Roy Walsh could not be found.

His alter ego, Magee, is now in his 70s and walks with a stick. He expresses regret for the pain he inflicted but still, somehow, defends the cowardly act of blowing up innocent people in their beds as a legitimate act of war.

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Non-fiction: Killing Thatcher by Rory Carroll

HarperCollins, 416 pages, hardcover, 25; e-book 12.99
In the prologue to Curtis Sittenfelds latest novel, Romantic Comedy, a schlub TV comedy writer called Danny Horst begins dating a gorgeous, talented, world-famous movie star called Annabel Lily. Its the third such pairing to come out of The Night Owls (a late-night comedy sketch show and the books answer to Saturday Night Live). To our protagonist, fellow staff writer, Sally Milz, its utterly infuriating. [S]uch couples would never exist with the genders switched, she believes. [A] gorgeous male celebrity would never fall in love with an ordinary, dorky, unkempt woman.

As subject matter, the idea of dating above ones station feels Austen-esque  perfect fodder for the likes of Sittenfeld, who has previously written a modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice (Eligible, 2016), and whose style is never far from the comic social realism of 19th-century fiction. But the phenomenon of male SNL comedy writers hooking up with out-of-their-league female celebrities was also something Sittenfeld had observed in real life, whereas she had never observed the inverse. So, like her protagonist, she decided to write about it.

Sally writes a sketch called The Danny Horst Rule, about a beautiful and famous man who is arrested for dating women who arent as good looking as he is. But in an ironic plot twist, the impossible romantic situation she invents ends up coming to pass. The man for whom the sketch is written  a blonde-haired, blue-eyed pop star named Noah Brewster  captures Sallys heart, and she his.

If this premise sounds cheesy, the beauty of this novel is that it inhabits and transcends the cliches of the genre. Sittenfeld plays with romantic comedy tropes: two leads who are the yin to each others yang, a will they/wont they storyline, grand gestures, obstacles that leave the reader in a state of mild but amused frustration.

Sally is constantly articulating (and perhaps lightly parodying) the aims of the book. Im going to write non-condescending, ragingly feminist screenplays for romantic comedies, she says at one point, going on to list the reasons why bad romantic comedy scripts fail  theyre horribly written, they havent done the work of convincing you the couple is attracted to each other, the female characters are always a mess, like waking up really hungover and getting fired. The book neatly avoids these pitfalls and achieves Sallys goal to create characters who arent flawless but also arent ridiculous or incompetent at life.

But while the book riffs on gender stereotypes (Noah is often assigned traits typically reserved for female leads), it also understands that gender isnt the only contributing factor when it comes to relationships and power. Fame, money, beauty, age, intelligence  there are many currencies in which one can trade. In her acknowledgement of such factors, Sittenfeld proves a more sophisticated writer than her writer protagonist, setting up a number of relationships alongside one another for contrast.

The book is divided into three parts. The opening is perhaps the most engrossing. It plunges us into a week-in-the-life on the set of The Night Owls, giving an almost minute-by-minute insight into a late-night comedy sketch show. Again, Sittenfeld plays to her strengths. The likes of Rodham (her fictional retelling of the life of Hillary Clinton) or American Wife (her fictionalised biography of Laura Bush), proved her skill at pulling back the curtain on hard-to-penetrate elite worlds. Here, the detail with which she renders The Night Owls makes for compelling reading.

Detail in general is a strength of Sittenfelds. Seemingly innocuous actions, such as grabbing a blue ballpoint pen, and pulling a two-month-old issue of The Atlantic off the windowsill to use as a surface to write against, ground the work in physical space and time. Sittenfelds worlds have weight, tone, texture. You get the sense, with a book like this, that you could reach in and rummage around.

The public and private self, the fallacy of celebrity, the masks we wear  Sittenfeld explores familiar themes to interesting effect. And shes not afraid to turn an idea on its head: one of the ways writers in their twenties are different is that they DONT seem to think we all have public and private selves, Sally observes. Theyre fine just having public selves and openly discussing their mental health issues and their medical issues and their sex habits and their family trauma. The rules and structures we live by often come out looking absurd.

The second part of the book is written in an epistolary style. Sally and Noah exchange emails during the 2020 Covid-19 lockdown. The reader may feel an awkward turn of pace here, but the physical distance between the pair, and their shy yet probing exchanges build just the right kind of romantic, comic tension.

The third part reverts to first-person narrative prose, and ties up loose ends, though the pace still feels incongruous with the earlier parts of the novel.

Still, Romantic Comedy is an addictive read. Perhaps the most compelling of its concerns is the idea of writing as wish fulfilment. Can you write some sketches that make me look hot and hilarious in case the love doctor watches this week? one character asks Sally, to which Sally replies: On it. And isnt this what the best romantic comedies do too: write the most hot, hilarious, optimistic version of the world into existence? Its an admirable, and deceptively difficult task, but Sittenfeld, most certainly, is on it.

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Fiction: Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld

Doubleday, 320 pages, paperback 21; e-book 10.99
Elle Fanning has said playing a pregnant Catherine the Great felt quite crazy and made her want to carry a child herself.

The Maleficent actress has portrayed the 18th century empress of Russia in Hulu series The Great since 2020 and the second season sees her character pregnant with Peter IIIs (Nicholas Hoult) child.

The 24-year-old told Harpers Bazaar: I was obsessed with it. I had a bespoke bump with boobs moulded onto me that went all the way up to my neck.

The costume team told me that this is pretty accurately what my body will look like when Im pregnant which did feel quite crazy. I loved the way it looked.

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It made me want to do it, to be pregnant.

Fanning has previously been romantically linked to The Handmaids Tale actor, Max Minghella, 37.

On her future aspirations, she told the publication: Id love to play Grace Kelly in something. And to have kids.

But Im a hopeless romantic. I believe in love at first sight. Call me crazy, but I believe in those things. I feel that its my destiny.

Fanning, who began playing Catherine the Great aged 22, also spoke about how she has grown with the character.

She said: Ive been playing Catherine in such formative years of my life. Ive grown as a woman alongside her.

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The actress also added: I do sense Im in another transformation phase right now, sometimes you can just feel youre growing another layer.

Fanning, whose sister is fellow star Dakota Fanning, addressed the impact of their parents on her career.

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She said: My parents instilled the importance of dedication in us  work hard for what you want, always show up on time, reinvigorate yourself constantly.

When preparing for a scene, I get pumped up like before a match, like youre going out there to try to win something.

Season three of The Great will be available to stream on Prime Videos Lionsgate+ channel in the UK later this year.

The May issue of Harpers Bazaar UK is on sale from April 6.
James Corden: It feels unnatural to walk away from something you love so much (Richard Shotwell/AP)

James Corden says it feels unnatural to walk away from something you love so much as he discussed his upcoming departure from The Late Late Show.

The British comedian and talk show host said he felt as though he was on unstable ground with regard to his future, but acknowledged he had to embrace that fear.

The final episode of The Late Late Show with Corden as host is scheduled to air later this month on April 27.

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Whatsapp The British comedian addressed his feelings about leaving The Late Late Show during a panel at the PaleyFest event in Los Angeles on Sunday (PA)

He addressed his feelings about leaving the show during a panel, hosted by actor Bryan Cranston, at the PaleyFest event in Los Angeles on Sunday.

The pair discussed Cordens next steps as well as a possible return to stage performing.

It couldnt feel more urgent within me to leave to do that, he said, according to US outlets that attended the event.

I will be really, really upset with myself if, in the next year or year and a half or so, I dont go do another play or revisit a play Ive already done.

I would give anything to go back and do a show again, Id give absolutely anything.

I havent felt this scared since I decided to take the show, to move here. I havent felt on such unstable ground I have to embrace that fear. James Corden

On his future post-The Late Late Show, he said: I havent felt this scared since I decided to take the show, to move here.

I havent felt on such unstable ground I have to embrace that fear.

He added: It feels incredibly strange. Its an unnatural feeling to walk away from something that you love so much.

Corden announced his departure from the CBS show in April of last year, later acknowledging that his next project might never ever be as big as the role.

On Sunday he revealed that there were still 12 episodes left to do and that they would include popular segments including Carpool Karaoke.

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I am so certain that it is the right thing to do. I think it is really important how things end. To go out in the manner we came in, he said.
Dwayne Johnson has announced that a live-action remake of Disneys 2016 animated film Moana is in production.

The US actor said he was deeply humbled to make the announcement, saying that the story was emblematic of our cultures grace, mana and warrior strength.

Moana follows the story of an adventurous teenager who sets sail on a daring mission to save her people, enlisting the help of the gregarious demi-god Maui, voiced by Johnson.

Johnson revealed the project in a short video online, filmed on a beach on the Hawaiian island of Oahu with his daughters.

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Deeply humbled to announce were bringing the beautiful story of Moana to the live action big screen! he wrote on Instagram.

This story is my culture, and this story is emblematic of our peoples grace, mana and warrior strength.

In the video, Johnson also paid tribute to his grandfather, high chief Peter Maivia, who inspired him while bringing the role of Maui to life.

I wear our culture proudly on my skin and in my soul, and this once in a lifetime opportunity to reunite with Maui, inspired by the spirit of my late grandfather, High Chief Peter Maivia, is one that runs very deep for me.

Expand Close Johnson revealed the project in a video online, filmed on a beach on the Hawaiian island of Oahu with his daughters (Ian West/PA) / Facebook

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Whatsapp Johnson revealed the project in a video online, filmed on a beach on the Hawaiian island of Oahu with his daughters (Ian West/PA)

Were honored to partner with @DisneyStudios to tell our story through the realm of music and dance, which at the core is who we are as Polynesian people.

The video concluded with Johnsons daughters fetching him a real-life replica of Mauis magical fishing hook.

Is daddy Maui? he asked them, to which they replied No!

You guys want ice-cream? so daddys Maui, Johnson told them.
A new exhibition by Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei is set to open at Londons Design Museum which will feature pieces that have never been displayed before.

Launching on April 7, Ai Weiwei: Making Sense will be the artists biggest UK show in eight years and his first installation using design and history as a lens through which to consider what we value.

Hundreds of thousands of objects, which have been collected by Weiwei since the 1990s as part of his ongoing fascination with artefacts and traditional craftsmanship, will be at the heart of the exhibition in a series of five expansive fields.

Expand Close Ai Weiweis Study of Perspective at the Ai Weiwei: Making Sense exhibition at the Design Museum in London (James Manning/PA) / Facebook

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Whatsapp Ai Weiweis Study of Perspective at the Ai Weiwei: Making Sense exhibition at the Design Museum in London (James Manning/PA)

The fields include Still Life, which will feature 1,600 tools from the Stone Age highlighting the origins of design rooted in survival, and Left Right Studio Material, which consists of thousands of fragments from Weiweis porcelain sculptures that were destroyed when his studio was demolished by the Chinese state in 2018.

Another field, Spouts, will feature 200,000 porcelain spouts crafted by hand during the Song Dynasty.

Two untitled fields feature an estimated 100,000 cannon balls from the Song Dynasty, and Lego bricks which Weiwei began working with in 2014 to produce portraits of political prisoners.

Lego briefly stopped working with the artist as a result but a response from social media led to donations from the public and it is these donated bricks which will be presented for the first time as a fully-formed artwork at the exhibition.

Expand Close Ai Weiweis, Untitled (Lego Incident) is also among the collection (James Manning/PA) / Facebook

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Whatsapp Ai Weiweis, Untitled (Lego Incident) is also among the collection (James Manning/PA)

It will also feature dozens of objects and artworks from throughout his career exploring tensions, including his Han Dynasty urn emblazoned with a Coca-Cola logo which epitomises these clashes.

Other highlights include a number of Weiweis objects transforming something useful into something useless, including a workers hard hat cast in glass and a sculpture of an iPhone cut out of a jade axe-head.

There are also works that refer to the Covid-19 pandemic, with three toilet paper sculptures on display shown in the context of Chinas rapidly changing urban landscape which Weiwei has documented through photographic and film works.

Expand Close Ai Weiwei: Making Sense will be the artists biggest UK show in eight years (James Manning/PA) / Facebook

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Outside the exhibition gallery, large-scale works have been installed including a piece titled Coloured House featuring the timber frame of a house that once belonged to a prosperous family in Zhejiang province in eastern China during the early Qing Dynasty.

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Weiwei has painted the frame with industrial colours and installed it on crystal bases, and it is the first time it has been seen in the UK.

The artist is best known for working on the design of Beijings Olympic stadium and filling the Tate Moderns Turbine Hall with hand-crafted porcelain sunflower seeds in 2010.

Ai Weiwei: Making Sense exhibition will run from April 7 to July 30 at the Design Museum in London.
Three of the Good Friday Agreements architects, Bertie Ahern, George Mitchell and Tony Blair feature in the documentary

All history tends to be neatly recorded as a series of turning points, whether positive or negative.

The one that stands out in the opening episode of Trevor Birneys excellent two-part documentary The Agreement (RTE One, Monday & Tuesday), which marks the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, doesnt involve politicians.

It concerns two friends whose relationship transcended politics or religious sectarianism. Philip Allen, a Protestant, and Damien Trainor, a Catholic, had been lifelong best mates in the Armagh village of Poyntzpass.

On March 3, 1998, they were having a drink of orange juice in their local, the Railway Bar. Damien was to be the best man at Philips wedding.

Gunmen from the Loyalist Volunteer Force (LVF) came into the pub, ordered the two young men to lie on the floor and shot them dead in cold blood. The murderers apparently believed only Catholics drank there.

The senseless slaughter of two innocent young men made news internationally, causing widespread revulsion. At home, it had a galvanising effect on the key figures engaged in fragile negotiations to establish a lasting peace in Northern Ireland, which  not for the first or last time  were teetering on the brink of collapse.

In news footage that went around the world, DUP leader David Trimble and SDLP deputy leader Seamus Mallon were shown walking through the village together and comforting the grieving families of both victims.

It was a powerful symbolic image and one that signified an extraordinary sense of unity and purpose in both leaders.

David Kerr, at the time the Ulster Unionist Partys (UPP) communications director, believes the twin atrocity had a deep effect on Trimble and Mallon, changing them spiritually and ideologically. They were determined not to let what might be the last opportunity to bring peace just slip away.

They were going to work as hard as they could to get some kind of a political breakthrough to stop these sorts of things happening, Kerr said, because we just lived with this all our lives. Wed lived with this for years and years. It had to stop.

Former SDLP leader Mark Durkan became emotional remembering all this. Even though we were still in disagreement about different things or whatever, there was a determination there that we couldnt just let these talks drift into failure, he said.

Unfortunately, Trimble  who showed extraordinary strength in getting on with the job in the face of vicious criticism, often from within his own party  and Mallon are both dead, as are other key individuals, including John Hume, Martin McGuinness, Ian Paisley and the remarkable Mo Mowlam, whose informal and engaging manner melted barriers.

But Birneys documentary, unobtrusively presented and narrated by Miriam OCallaghan, has access to the other big players, including Bertie Ahern, Tony Blair, Gerry Adams, Jeffrey Donaldson and former United States Envoy for Northern Ireland George Mitchell, who chaired the lengthy and often fraught negotiations.

Id really never encountered anything like this, said Mitchell, recalling how 18 months of talks coloured on all sides by distrust, suspicion and in some cases naked hostility had led nowhere.

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One obstacle to progress had been Britains Conservative government. But once Labour swept to power in 1997 and Blair replaced John Major as prime minister, everything changed. Sinn Fein negotiator Gerry Kelly likened it to a switch being flicked.

Blair, said his former secretary of state Jonathan Powell, was a pragmatist, and he found another one in the newly-elected Taoiseach Bertie Ahern.

Ahern recalled that he and Blair had agreed that if we were both elected, wed give this a real shot.

Bertie was crucial, said Powell. Monica Williams, then co-leader of the Northern Ireland Womens Coalition party, added: Bertie Ahern did most of the heavy lifting.

The talks went right down to the wire before the Agreement was signed, and there would be more bumps and bends to be negotiated before peace would be copper-fastened.

Those are covered in the second part of this absorbing documentary.
A mother who fled Afghanistan after the Taliban took over in 2021 has spoken of her joy at being reunited with her six-year-old son in Ireland.

Latifa Jawadi was working as a childrens rights adviser with Unicef in her home country when the Islamic fundamentalist group took control.

She was among the hundreds of thousands of women left with no choice but to pack up and leave in August 2021.

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When the Taliban entered Kabul, I was in the office and I heard the shocking news from security. My colleagues and I tried to escape from the office, said Ms Jawadi.

I ran home and when I got there, I burned all the documents related to my achievements and education in order to hide my identity from the Taliban, because at that time they were searching for activist women and those who were working for the former government, Ms Jawadi told the Irish Independent.

Initially, she hid in a friends house while her son, Benyamin, was with family members. But as the days passed and the threat level was raised, she felt forced to leave the country without her child.

She was granted a refugee visa for Ireland one week after the Taliban seized power. I was forced to leave my son alone in Afghanistan for an unknown period of time. I arrived in Ireland on September 3, 2021, she said.

Ms Jawadi has spent more than a year in Ireland trying to build a new, safer life  but she struggled with being away from her son.

Expand Close Latifa Jawadi from Afghanistan was recently reunited with her son Benyamin (6). Image courtesy of Angelica Trindade, International Organisation for Migration. / Facebook

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Whatsapp Latifa Jawadi from Afghanistan was recently reunited with her son Benyamin (6). Image courtesy of Angelica Trindade, International Organisation for Migration.

While they spoke regularly over the internet, she was desperate to be reunited in person with Benyamin.

When he was saying I miss you and he was crying, I felt so poor and alone that I couldnt do something for my son, said Ms Jawadi.

She applied to bring her son to Ireland under the family reunification programme, a right established under EU law for refugees. But it would take more than 15 months for her son to arrive here.

The process was slow for the special cases like my son because he was very young, said Ms Jawadi. But in recent weeks, the schoolboy finally landed in Dublin.

When I got Benyamin I felt like I was alive and I could build my life again. I was counting the days to hug my son after a long time and finally my dream became true  now we are together, said Ms Jawadi.

Benyamin has since attended his first St Patricks Day parade and is preparing to enter the Irish education system. In a statement the Department of Justice said Justice Minister Simon Harris understood the difficult situation for our Afghan community and their loved ones.

Expand Close Justice Minister Simon Harris said he understood the difficult situation for our Afghan community and their loved ones. Photo: Brian Lawless/PA / Facebook

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Whatsapp Justice Minister Simon Harris said he understood the difficult situation for our Afghan community and their loved ones. Photo: Brian Lawless/PA

Mr Harris said he would like to assure them that his department was processing applications under the Afghan Admissions Programme (AAP) as quickly as possible.

Approvals have issued in respect of 89 beneficiaries under the Afghan Admissions Programme. To date, no refusal letters have issued.

It should be noted that the Afghan Admission Programme is not the only avenue for Afghan nationals to come to Ireland, said a spokesperson for the Department of Justice.

Since the beginning of August, a total of 143 join family visas have been approved for Afghan nationals and 107 family reunification applications have also been approved.
A scrambler driver who sped down a footpath, narrowly missing pedestrians, has been jailed for five months for his dangerous manoeuvres.

Jordan Grimes (24) was already under a road ban when he mounted the path before driving out in front of oncoming traffic as gardai followed him, a court heard.

As well as sentencing him, Judge Bryan Smyth banned him from driving for another 10 years.

Grimes, a father-of-one from Ferrymans Crossing in Dublins north inner city, pleaded guilty to dangerous and uninsured driving.

Dublin District Court heard gardai were on patrol at Ferrymans Crossing on April 22, 2021, when they saw Grimes on a blue Yamaha scrambler. He was not wearing a helmet and the bike had no plates.

He sped past the garda car and drove up onto the footpath, which was occupied by pedestrians.

He narrowly avoided them and drove onto Seville Place, out in front of oncoming traffic while performing various dangerous manoeuvres, a garda said.

Separately, the court heard on the same day he was seen in a suspicious transaction at Ferrymans Crossing and fled on a bicycle, which he abandoned outside his home before running inside.

The bicycle worth 300 had been stolen. He pleaded guilty to handling stolen property.

Grimes further admitted possession of cannabis and Alprazolam tablets found in a search of his home on April 26 last year.

Grimes had 109 previous convictions including motoring, drugs and other offences. He was already serving a sentence in Mountjoy prison when he appeared in court.

The accused had had a difficulty with cannabis use but seems to be at a point where hes turned a corner, his solicitor Tony Collier said.

He asked Judge Smyth not to add to Grimes time in jail and instead suspend any sentence that would then be hanging over the accused.

The judge said he had to take account of the accuseds previous convictions.

Theres dangerous driving on a footpath with people on it and he was disqualified at the time, he added.

Judge Smyth sentenced the accused to five months in prison on the dangerous driving charge and made it consecutive to the prison term he is currently serving.

He gave him a concurrent five month sentence for uninsured driving and took the other charges into consideration.
The director of a dental practice, who is a former Fine Gael election candidate in Taoiseach Leo Varadkars constituency, has denied under questioning he forged an immigrant dentists signature when he applied for her work visa.

Dr Min Li has accused Jagannadha Muttumula and his wife Dr Hima Bindu Meda, directors of The Square Dental Services Ltd, of sacking her as penalisation for refusing to sign a new contract for 11,000 less than the firm agreed with the Department of Enterprise when it secured a visa for her.

Mr Muttumula was under questioning before the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) today on foot of statutory complaints by his former employee, Dr Min Li.

Dr Min, a Canadian national, said she had been in Taiwan at the time Mr Muttumula claims she signed a contract for the 64,000 per annum the Department had stipulated  adding that if she had signed and sent it by email, her employer would have been able to produce documentary evidence to that effect.

I put it to you that this contract was not sent to her and that you forged the signature sent to the department, said WRC adjudicating officer Breiffni ONeill as he questioned Mr Muttumula at a hearing today.

No, I didnt forge that signature, Mr Muttumula said.

Mr Muttumula failed to get elected to Fingal County Council in the Ongar Ward for Fine Gael in the 2019 local elections.

He remains an active member of the party in Mr Varadkars Dublin West constituency and said he still canvasses for the Taoiseach.

He told Independent.ie on Tuesday that although he would not be running in next years local elections, as he is focussing on his business and family, he may consider a fresh council bid in 2029.

He reiterated his denial of all allegations made against him and his wife at the WRC. Fine Gael did not respond to a request for comment.

Dr Min has lodged a complaint against her employer challenging her dismissal  accusing it of committing an act of penalisation in breach of the Employment Permits Act 2006 for refusing to sign a new contract cutting her pay from the 64,000 required for a Critical Skills Employment Permit as a dentist down to 55,000.

We were fair to her and what she is claiming, that is not the reason at all, said the employer, arguing Dr Min was dismissed on probation because of poor performance and because she didnt get on with other staff  claims disputed by the complainant.

Dr Min said she had agreed to come to Ireland to work for the company, but only under the Critical Skills work permit scheme as the five-year wait for residency under the ordinary work permit scheme was a dealbreaker for her.

Although she had initially agreed to work for 55,000 and signed a contract to that effect, she said the Department of Enterprise refused to issue a visa to a dentist under the critical skills programme until her proposed salary was increased to 64,000 for a standard 39-hour week.

Dr Min said she was paid this salary on a pro-rata basis when she started work at the clinic on October 18n 2021  but that despite asking to see the revised contract her employer had sent the department with this new rate of pay, it was never provided to her.

She said that on November 3, 2021, around a fortnight into her employment, Mr Muttumula then presented her with a contract under which she would earn 55,000 for a 39-hour week.

If I didnt have a contract matching the critical skills visa I would be working in Ireland illegally, she said, adding that she refused a proposal from Mr Muttumula that she would work extra days the following month to make up for the higher pay.

If I work extra hours I wont be in compliance. That will also interfere with my clinical judgment, she said.

She refused to sign, and received notice of termination a few days later, the tribunal was told.

Cross-examining Dr Min, the companys representative, HR consultant Marius Marosan, said there was a conflict of evidence in the case, as the company had possession of two signed contracts signed by the complainant.

I never signed this one I swear I never signed it. Ive never even seen it, Dr Min said when one was put before her.

Putting some pages before the adjudicating officer, Dr Min said: If you see the signature, if you look at the signatures, theyre identical. See? Identical.

Shes saying this signature is doctored, Mr ONeill said. Shes saying she never signed the 64,000 one, he added.

Mr Marosan said in his submissions the contract had been renegotiated after Dr Mins arrival.

Without informing the government department. The Department of Enterprise gave her a permit on the basis of 64,000 for 39 hours. They issued the permit in good faith and after the permit was issued with terms and conditions they [the respondent] chose to try and change it, Mr ONeill said.

They proposed  they hadnt approved the change, Mr Marosan said.

This is the nub of the case  when she questioned it she was dismissed, Mr ONeill said.

Mr Muttumula said Dr Min lacked experience and was well aware we wanted to see her work.

We said the department is asking 64,0000 but we are offering 55,000 so you [Dr Min] need to compensate for that, he said, adding: She was happy with this.

It doesnt matter how happy she was. The 64,0000 was for a normal working week. Overtime breaches the terms of that, Mr ONeill said.

Mr Muttumula said the complainant had been sacked while on a three-month probationary period, stating that her refusal to sign the contract for reduced pay was only one issue.

He said Dr Min was underperforming, taking longer than expected to see patients, and that other staff at the practice were not happy to work with her.

Dr Min said in response to the allegations of underperformance that she was earning a salary of close to 80,000 after 10 months employment with another dental practice.

Mr Muttumula said he had taken statements to that effect from his staff but accepted he had not discussed the alleged issues with the complainant during her employment.

Dont you think you should have discussed it with her? Mr ONeill asked.

It doesnt work like that in the dentist [industry]. If it doesnt work, well say bye, the company director replied.

He said he was not an expert on dentistry and only handled administration at the firm as well as acting as a director  adding that his company would have had to close for the day in order for his wife and other staff to attend and give evidence.

The adjudicator denied an application by the company for an adjournment sought by Mr Marosan so that he could call staff from the surgery to give evidence.

No, the hearing is today. You should have known theyd be needed today, Mr ONeill said, adding that any allegations they might make had not been put to the complainant in cross-examination.

He closed the hearing to consider his decision.

In secondary complaints, Dr Min also claims her employer made an illegal deduction of 1,000 from her pay over the two months she was working at the clinic to pay the visa application fee, in a further breach of the Employment Permits Act.

She also maintains her employer had her work without shift breaks or overtime pay in breach of the Payment of Wages Act and the Organisation of Working Time Act.

Those complaints are also denied by the dental firm.
A 42-year-old Dublin man had to be pepper-sprayed after he lunged at gardai while holding a pint glass, a court has heard.

Alan Hall, of Bridgewater Quay, Islandbridge, Dublin 8, pleaded guilty to public order charges for engaging in insulting, abusive and insulting behaviour and failing to comply with a gardas direction to leave the vicinity.

Dublin District Court heard the incident happened at 5.30am on January 24 after gardai responded to a call from staff at the Dublin Bus depot on Conyngham Road, that a man was acting in an aggressive manner.

They caught up with him, and he was shouting aloud and became aggressive and abusive to the officers while members of the public were at a bus stop.

He was cautioned to leave the area and went in the direction of his home but returned highly abusive with fists clenched and lunged at members of An Garda Siochana.

Court Garda Sergeant Derek Spain presented the evidence for the arresting officer.

He told Judge Treasa Kelly that Hall ran between traffic, was aggressive and holding a pint glass which he refused to put down.

The court heard that the officers had to pepper spray Hall.

He has three prior convictions for public order offences, which resulted in him being fined 500 in March.

However, Judge Kelly noted an appeal of that conviction was still pending.

Pleading for leniency, his barrister said that Hall deeply regrets his actions and was apologetic.

Counsel said the context of the incident was that he had suffered a significant bereavement and at the time, the accused had been drinking too much.

He had lived with depression all his life and had always been in gainful employment until recently but is looking for work.

The defence asked the court to consider a charitable donation instead of a conviction.

Judge Kelly said Hall had taken responsibility for his actions and noted he had underlying issues.

She told him guards have a job to do, and he had to realise drinking did not suit him.

Judge Kelly adjourned finalising the case until June, and after his appeal.
A man previously convicted of rape has avoided a driving ban after a judge heard he needs his licence for his personal safety.

Instead of a driving ban, Gerald Verner (33) was handed 300 in fines and six penalty points for driving without insurance or a licence on September 29 last year.

Antrim Magistrates Court, sitting in Ballymena, heard that just after 4pm police stopped a Land Rover vehicle on the Belfast Road in Templepatrick.

Verner was driving and while police enquiries showed he had no driving licence, he claimed he did and used his mobile phone to show the officers a photograph of his driving licence.

It transpired however that Verner, formerly from Forthriver Park in north Belfast, had been banned from driving in 2019 and had not reapplied for his licence or sat an extended driving test as he would have been required to do.

Defence solicitor John Murphy conceded that Verner has a bad driving record and that while he had an insurance policy, the fact he was driving without a licence voided that policy.

His licence is important to him, said the solicitor, but when pushed by District Judge Nigel Broderick, he said Verner has issues I would rather not go into in open court.

I can read between the lines, but you have to give me something, said the judge and Mr Murphy told him the licence would be for his own personal safety, if I can put it that way  he has been moved out of an area for his own safety.

Last Thursday, Verner was charged with three offences arising from an incident at Happy Town, a childrens soft play area on the Portaferry Road in Ards, on January 27 this year.

Verner was accused of common assault of a male complainant, using disorderly behaviour at Happy Town and causing criminal damage to the complainants clothing.

In March 2012, former soldier Verner was jailed after he admitted the ghastly and cruel oral rape and false imprisonment of a woman he assaulted and threatened to kill.

Verner had taken the woman prisoner, sexually attacked her, threatened to kill her and punched and kicked her in the face at his former home in Forthriver Park in north Belfast.

He served seven years in prison before he was released on licence.

District Judge Broderick said it was not without some considerable hesitation, because he has a poor record, that he wont be disqualified but he will have nine points on his licence.

Imposing the fines and six penalty points, the judge warned that if Verner has any other driving offences in the next three years, its highly likely that he will be disqualified for at least six months.


The Garda Commissioner has said "significant advances" have been made in bringing charges against the Kinahan cartel leadership.

The crime gang's hierarchy, including its leader Daniel Kinahan, were hit with financial sanctions by the United States' Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC) almost a year ago.

US officials also offered a US$5m reward for information leading to the arrest of Kinahan, his brother Christopher Jnr, and their father Christy Snr.

Speaking today Garda Commissioner Drew Harris said that the transnational crime gang have "much diminished" in the past year.

"The whole purpose of this is to bring the leaders of the Kinahan organised crime group to justice.

"Significant advances have been made, particularly in Europe but also then with our US federal law enforcement partners. And so there is action in this and it keeps on moving forward.

"Every month I'm updated on progress between ourselves and our partners. We're still working very closely.

"Work carries on, we always knew this would be a difficult target but much diminished from what it was a year ago," he said.

Mr Harris was speaking in Galway at the annual conference of the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI).

The garda chief said he does not have a preference on whether the Kinahan leadership are brought before the criminal courts in Ireland or in another jurisdiction.

"I would also point out that we ourselves are stepping up our activity and putting a detective superintendent out to the UAE and that has proved very, very important in other nations in terms of getting intelligence, acting on the intelligence and also in terms of obtaining evidence.

"So we hope to see good advances when that appointment happens which will be in the summer," he said.

Gardai believe the Kinahan leadership currently remain in the Middle East.

Another senior crime figure, Crumlin man Sean McGovern, is also being sought by gardai on foot of a European Arrest Warrant (EAW).

Gardai want to charge him in relation to the 2016 murder of Noel 'Duck Egg' Kirwan as well as organised crime offences.

The Garda Commissioner has also said the organisation "responded immediately" in putting additional resources to the border following the attempted murder of Detective Chief Inspector John Caldwell in Omagh.

"And we've maintained a very strong presence in the Derry, Donegal border area as well. So that is just part of our ongoing operational activity with the PSNI. We're always there to support them.

"We're also very conscious of any threats that arise from this jurisdiction and that's constantly under review as well. Obviously, it's very bad news that the threat level has been increased.

"But then we will want to work with our colleagues and PSNI and make sure we do all we can to stop any further attacks," he said.
The housing crisis is a key factor in a growing problem of teacher shortages, a new survey has found.

Post-primary schools are being forced to use unqualified teachers because of severe staffing shortages classes.

Almost half (46pc) second-level schools have unfilled teaching vacancies, according to the survey.

The lack of housing and the cost of renting accommodation is widely blamed.

Two in three (64pc) teachers stated that the housing crisis causing emigration while two in five (41pc) principals reported that the cost of local accommodation was a deterrent to working in their school.

Almost three in four of those surveyed (73pc) said teachers were emigrating for better paid jobs elsewhere.

The results highlight how teacher shortages have hit crisis point in post-primary schools, with consequences for students.

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Three in four (75pc) principals received no applications for an advertised post or posts in the current school year.

Almost every school (95pc) cited difficulties in recruiting teachers since August 2022.

In one in three cases (34pc) teachers designated for special education are being diverted to mainstream classes, removing vital support from the most vulnerable pupils.

Principals are also being forced to drop subjects because they cannot find an appropriate teacher, with almost one in five schools (19pc) in that situation.

Recruitment problems were compounded by the non-availability of substitute teachers, the survey found.

Since September 2022, almost 9 in 10 (88pc) schools have had situations where no substitute teachers were available to fill teacher absences due to sick leave and other short-term absences.

It meant that the principal or deputy principal had stand in or pay student teachers to provide substitute cover.

More than four in five (over 80pc) principals employed a non-qualified teacher to provide substitution.

As well as that, 81pc of schools employed at least one unqualified teacher for a teaching post.

The stark findings emerged in a Red C survey for the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI), conducted last month, with responses from 1,975 classroom teachers, 56 principals and 75 deputy principals.

ASTI president Miriam Duggan said they were deeply concerned about the impact of teacher shortages on our students; on their education and on their future lives.

She said it was shocking that schools are being forced to use unqualified teachers, to divert resources away from students with special education needs, and to drop subjects from the curriculum.

In some cases it means that the higher and ordinary level students are grouped together, or that students from different years are in merged classes.

Students are also losing out in other ways with a curtailment of extra-curricular activities,

Teachers who participated in the survey identified four key drivers behind the teacher supply crisis:

*teaching is no longer viewed as an attractive profession

*better remuneration in other careers

*the legacy of two tier pay rates introduced in 2010

*the housing crisis, which is causing teachers to emigrate.

Almost three in four, 73pc of principals stated that teachers are emigrating to get better paid teaching jobs elsewhere and 66pc of classroom teachers cited better remuneration in other careers.

Two in in three ( 64pc) of teachers cited the housing crisis a factor in causing emigration in the profession while 41pc of principals stated that cost of local accommodation was a deterrent to working in their school.

The survey findings also show that job satisfaction amongst teachers is also continuing to drop, with 44pc reporting they were satisfied or very satisfied with their job compared to 50pc in 2022 and 63pc in 2021.

More than three quarters said they had considered leaving the profession with over a quarter frequently considering doing so.
Waiting lists to see a GP are set to worsen as the roll out of free GP visit cards to around 500,000 is planned, doctors warned today.

Most GPs have now closed their lists to new patients, the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) said.

It was responding to a strategic review of general practice, announced today by the Department of Health, to assess its various needs .

Dr Denis McCauley, Chairman of the GP Committee of the IMO, said while the review is welcome it is deeply frustrating  that the review will take place after the proposed rollout of free GP care to an additional 500,000 people was announced.

Such a policy, if implemented in an unplanned way, will dramatically increase the frequency of visits to GPs, leading to delays, the creation of waiting lists for GP visits and the displacement of care for those patients who are the most unwell.

He added: Clearly the news of the review, reflects an acknowledgement that there are significant issues around general practice including capacity, access to out of hours services, and the suitability of the existing financial model underpinning the GP service.

"However it is deeply flawed that it will take place after moves that will directly increase pressure on GPs across the country. We already have waiting times for GPs for routine appointments, most GPs have closed their lists to new patients, as they are at capacity, and this policy will only exacerbate an already challenging situation.

He warned that already, demand for appointments exceeds capacity.

Extending free GP care at this point will mean people will have entitlement but no access, he said.

It will mean displacement of care for those who are sickest and unrelenting pressure on GPs and their staff, while cost will not be a barrier  access will be. There will be increased pressure on out of hours services that cannot be met.

In response, the Irish College of General Practitioners (ICGP) said it welcomed the establishment of the review.

It highlighted the urgency of GP workforce crisis and said it looks forward to delivery of report this autumn.

Medical Director of the ICGP, Dr Diarmuid Quinlan, said: We believe this strategic review will play a huge role in helping find, resource and implement urgent solutions to the GP workforce and workload crisis. This is crucial to enable patients to have timely access to GP care.

We know that 14pc of GPs are over 65 years of age. This group of 500-600 GPs is likely to retire in the next three to four years. We are training 70pc more GPs than we did six years ago, we face an expanding population and greater demand for GP services.

More and more patients are unable to register with a GP, and there are significant waiting times for routine appointments.

The former President of the ICGP, and the author of the ICGPs Shaping the Future discussion paper, Prof. Tom ODowd, said: We know that the solutions lie in the key stakeholders working together and we can now begin the process of finding, resourcing and implementing innovative solutions to this crisis. 
Irish people have been warned about getting weight-loss injections overseas

More patients who travelled to Turkey to have a controversial weight-loss procedure involving stomach injections with Botox have been infected with botulism, a life-threatening condition that causes paralysis, it has emerged.

Since late February and up until March 30 some 87 cases of botulism have been linked to Botox stomach injections, a rise of 20 since it was first reported in early March.

Turkey is a popular destination for people from Ireland having weight-loss surgery although no case of botulism has been notified here.

The European Centre for Disease Control said cases of botulism linked to intragastric injection of the botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT), commonly known as Botox and used off-label, have been reported in Germany (30), Austria (one), France (one), Switzerland (two), and Turkey (53).

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This is an increase of 18 cases in Germany, and one new case each in France and Switzerland, since the last update.

Injections of Botox  commonly known as gastric Botox injections  are advertised as a way to relax the stomach muscles, with the aim of reducing appetite and aiding weight loss. But there is no evidence that they work and the procedure is not carried out in Ireland.

The watchdog said the information currently available indicates that all the cases had medical interventions aimed at helping them lose weight.

They were performed between February 3 and March 1 in Turkey. The cases are reported at two private hospitals  one in Istanbul and another in Izmir. Germany has reported that for the German patients, the injected doses ranged between 1,000 and 2,500 units of BoNT.

The symptoms ranged from mild to severe, and several cases have been hospitalised.

Among those hospitalised, a number are reported to have been admitted to intensive care units and received treatment with botulinum anti-toxin.

Individuals who have travelled to Istanbul and Izmir for intragastric BoNT treatment between February 3 and March 1 are encouraged to seek medical advice from their healthcare providers, particularly if they experience symptoms such as weakness, and difficulty in breathing and/or swallowing.

The watchdog said it strongly encourages EU citizens to avoid this treatment as it is currently associated with a significant risk of developing botulism.

Investigations carried out by Turkish authorities revealed licensed products were administered off-label for the treatment of obesity by injection.

Consequently, the relevant departments of both the hospitals have had their activities suspended, and investigations have been launched against the parties involved.

While it is considered rare, individuals receiving the injections for cosmetic purposes  for example, for facial wrinkle lines  or therapeutic treatments, such as muscle spasticity, may develop botulism if they are injected with an excessive dose, said the watchdog.

Symptoms of iatrogenic botulism include weakness and fatigue.

Toxicities following cosmetic treatment can include blurred vision, drooping eyelids, difficulty in swallowing and dry mouth. Toxicities following therapeutic treatment can include difficulty in breathing, indicating the administration of an overdose.

The symptoms of botulism can be very severe, and require intensive-care treatment.
Cocaine is now as easy to source in rural Galway as a bag of sugar with young people increasingly turning to the drug because of the exorbitant increase in the price of alcohol.

That is according to members of the County Galway Joint Policing Committee (JPC), who yesterday heard that almost as much cocaine was seized by Gardai in Galway in the first eight weeks of this year as was seized in all of 2022.

Galway Chief Superintendent, Gerard Roche, has put a renewed focus on breaking the drugs supply-chain in the county since taking control of the Galway Garda Division last November.

The Galway Garda Drug Unit is now one of the largest in the country outside of Dublin and boasts two sergeants and 20 gardai, with the focus now on tackling the sale and supply of drugs, rather than simple possession.

In January and February of this year, 120,000 worth of cocaine was seized in Galway City and County, compared to 140,000 seized in the entire of 2022.

The meeting heard that this figure was only the tip of the iceberg in terms of cocaine use in Galway, with Fine Gael councillor, Peter Roche, blaming increases in the price of alcohol for pushing people towards using cocaine.

I dont think that there is a community anywhere in the county which is not suffering because of drugs. Its not unusual these days to see people resorting to drugs because of the rising cost of alcohol, he said.

People need to socialise and I think that the extortionate cost of alcohol is an issue and it is driving drug use.

Headford councillor, Andrew Reddington (FG), called for a focus to be placed on education in schools and increased efforts to prevent young people from starting to experiment with illegal drugs.

Its as easy to get a bag of cocaine as it is to get a bag of sugar in rural Galway at the moment, he said.

We need to reach the young people early. Its a much more difficult situation to tackle people when they are already using it.

Chief Superintendent Roche warned that Galway drug dealers are becoming increasingly volatile and said that the main focus for the Gardai must be to tackle the drugs supply chain as well as anyone involved in money laundering and intimidation.

If we put a lot of resources into drugs, we will get results. I want to make things very difficult for the people who are going down the lines of sale and supply, he said.

We have arrested groups who are starting to become quite volatile in the city and county but this drugs strategy takes a lot of effort and a lot of resources.

Cocaine use is now endemic and it is in every class of society. If a person wants to take drugs, they will do it. It is our job to disrupt the sale and supply of drugs and make life as uncomfortable as possible for anyone involved.

Galway Independent TD, Catherine Connolly, called for a drug treatment facility located in Merlin Park Hospital in Galway to be reopened.

This facility has been closed since it was gutted in an arson attack in 2013 and a HSE spokesperson told the JPC in 2020 that it has no plans to reopen it and will instead focus on community-based addiction services.

It is very clear that the [addiction] services are inadequate on the ground in Galway, she said.

In the past, there was a fantastic facility in Merlin Park. That building burned down, there was insurance there to rebuilt it, but it never happened.

Chief Superintendent Roche declined to comment on the Merlin Park facility, saying it was a matter for the HSE, but said there was a great need for more resources to tackle addiction.

We need a lot more [resources to tackle addiction]. Prosecuting people is of no benefit without treatment, he said.

Chief Superintendent Roche also said that the spike in cocaine usage is leading to increased aggression among people socialising in Galway as well as greater incidents of attempted suicide.

Increased aggression is also being shown to people while they are out and about, which is possibly due to the increase in cocaine use.




Anti-drone technology bought by the operator of Dublin Airport will not be ready to use before the Easter holiday period, the airport operator has confirmed as it prepares for nearly half a million travellers to pass through the airport.

In the first eight weeks of this year, Dublin Airport was closed six times due to illegal drone activity, causing multiple diversions and delays to thousands of passengers.

Ryanair today called on Transport Minister Eamon Ryan and airport operator DAA to confirm that recently purchased anti-drone equipment at the airport is in place, and fully ready to operate, to prevent illegal drone closures at Dublin Airport over the busy Easter holiday period.

Transport Minister Eamon Ryan must now confirm that five weeks later the drone disabling equipment at Dublin Airport is operational and ready for use over Easter holidays so that Irish passengers/visitors will not suffer drone closures this Easter or into the summer season, a Ryanair spokesperson said.

But DAA has confirmed to Independent.ie that while the sophisticated equipment has been purchased, current regulatory red tape prevents it from being used.

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We purchased the anti-drone technology a number of weeks ago and airport fire officers at Dublin Airport have been trained on how to use it. We are currently working through regulatory requirements before we are allowed use it, its spokesperson confirmed.

The chief of the DAA, Kenny Jacobs, confirmed recently that the new anti-drone technology had been ordered and it was expected to be operational within a matter of weeks.

Ryanair has said it is unacceptable that flights and passengers have suffered repeated delays and diversions due to illegal drone activity at Dublin Airport on six separate days this year

It said it is important that the anti-drone equipment is in place and fully operational at Dublin Airport in advance of the busy Easter holidays, so that Irish passengers and visitors and their families will not suffer any more closures or disruptions due to illegal drone activity at Dublin Airport.

The existing technology in use at Dublin Airport  called Dedrone  helps identify drones but does not have the capacity to force the landing of a device.

Mr Jacobs said the new technology will ensure that any future runway closures because of drone incursions will be of shorter duration or not happen at all.

It is illegal to fly a drone within 5km of an airfield and virtually all drones are supposed to be registered by users.

The Government recently gave the green light for an additional layer of anti-drone equipment to be installed at Dublin airport following the high-profile disruption incidents.

The airport operator said around 485,000 are set to pass through Dublin Airport over the Easter Bank Holiday Weekend.

A total of 248,000 people will depart from Dublin Airport during the five days between Thursday, April 6 and Monday, April 10, and 23,000 will arrive into Ireland through the capitals airport, making it the busiest weekend of the year so far, daa said.

Easter Monday will be the busiest day of the five-day period, with 103,000 passengers flying in and out of Dublin Airport.

The operator advised departing passengers to arrive at their terminal two hours in advance for a short-haul flight and three hours ahead for a long-haul route.

It also said demand for car parking is very high over Easter, with some days already nearly sold out, with passengers advised to book online in advance and to consider getting to the airport by bus, taxi or drop-off.

Dublin Airport says it has decluttered the terminals, and has rolled out faster wi-fi, extra seating, including dedicated family seating, and new and improved food and drink options.

Following repeated instances of long delays at peak times post-pandemic, it also said 92pc of passengers have been processed in under 20 minutes at the central security screening areas so far this year.

Passengers travelling from Dublin Airport this busy Easter holiday period can expect to experience improved service standards across both terminals, daa head of communications Kevin Cullinane said. While a remarkably busy summer schedule is now well underway, it is great to be back to our normal travel advice to arrive two hours before a short-haul flight and three hours for a long-haul flight after the pandemic. All the crew at Dublin Airport wish all our passengers a safe and enjoyable Easter weekend ahead.
The armoured cars were spotted travelling down Belfast's M2 ahead of the President's visit to Northern Ireland

The President's security detail vehicles were spotted arriving at Belfast International Airport one week prior to his arrival

The President's security detail vehicles were spotted arriving at Belfast International Airport one week prior to his arrival

The President's security detail vehicles were spotted arriving at Belfast International Airport one week prior to his arrival

A fleet of security vehicles used to transport and protect US President Joe Biden have been pictured arriving in Northern Ireland.

President Biden is expected in Belfast next Tuesday as part of events to mark the Good Friday Agreements 25th anniversary.

The vehicles were spotted being off-loaded from a plane at Belfast International Airport before making their way down the M2 to a secure location.

Leading the pack of cars is The Roadrunner - a Ford F-350 Super Duty complete with modified six-door SUV body and a large satellite dome antenna on the roof.

Formally named the 'Sensitive Compartmentalised Information Facility', the heavy duty car is used by the White House Communications Agency's (WHCA) as a way of ensuring a secure connection between the President and his military commanders.

The dome on the roof acts as a secure phone booth to ensure private conversations can be carried out without the danger of interference should the President need to communicate with the military quickly and in an emergency.

Hypothetically, if the President, while in Northern Ireland, needs to order a nuclear attack or response  its the vehicle this would be carried out in.

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It is also equipped with a full laptop set up, WiFi, as well as encrypted phone, radio and video services.

The cars set up is so advanced, The Roadrunner is believed to be able to detect incoming nuclear attacks.

Alongside technological advances, the car is also bulletproof and has impenetrable tyres.

The high-tech military grade vehicle was spotted alongside a group of armoured Chevrolet Suburbans which are often used to chauffer Secret Service staff.

Much like the Roadrunner, these cars are heavily protected and contain advanced communication technology for agents and security to quickly speak to others about the Presidents whereabouts.

The exact number of agents protecting the President at any one time is unknown, however there can be up to 500 US personnel regularly travelling with him on large scale foreign trips at one time.

Mr Biden is spending up to five days on the island of Ireland.

He is expected to fly into Northern Ireland on April 11 ahead of a day of engagements in Belfast on April 12.

The US president is then due to travel south later that day and will spend the remainder of the week south of the border, before leaving on Saturday April 15.

As well as official engagements in Dublin, Mr Biden is expected to travel beyond the capital for visits related to his Irish ancestry.

The Democratic politician can trace his ancestry to Ireland's west and east coasts, specifically Ballina in Co Mayo and the Cooley Peninsula in Co Louth.

His great-great-grandfather Owen Finnegan emigrated to the United States from the Cooley peninsula, while another great-great-grandfather, Patrick Blewitt, was born in Ballina, leaving during the Irish famine in 1850 to sail to America.

Last week Mr Biden made clear an increase in activity by violent dissident republicans opposed to the peace process in Northern Ireland would not deter him.

"No. They can't keep me out," he told reporters.
Homeless campaigner Fr Peter McVerry has today stood over his claim that Housing Minister Darragh OBrien wanted to extend the eviction ban but Taoiseach Leo Varadkar stopped that from happening.

The homelessness campaigner made the comment on South East Radio yesterday and said Mr OBrien had been overridden by the Taoiseach.

Thats why there was no preparation made during the five month ban for mitigating the effects of ending this ban, he said.

In response the Department of Housing said: There is no question of him [Mr OBrien] being overruled as suggested and said that during the ban, 6,000 new social homes were delivered and 1,532 local authority homes refurbished.

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They also said 734 adults and 346 families exited homelessness in the last three months of last year and 3,264 HAP tenancies were created during the eviction ban.

A spokesperson for the Taoiseach also denied Fr McVerrys allegation, saying it is 100pc incorrect and without any foundation.

Speaking on RTE radio this morning Fr McVerry stood by the comment but said he could not produce evidence as he could not reveal his sources.

The discussion as far as Im concerned ends here. Im saying one thing, the Government are saying another and we cant go any further, he said.

I can understand why the Taoiseach is denying it, this is the most controversial, I think the worst, decision this Government has made in its lifetime.

We have a tsunami of misery coming down the road, he said.

Were talking about tens of thousands of people who are going to be put out of their homes at a time when emergency homeless accommodation is absolutely packed, he added.

Meanwhile, Mr Varadkar pushed back against Fr McVerrys remark further while speaking on Newstalk Breakfast. He said there is zero evidence to support Fr McVerrys claim and it is 100pc untrue.

The public will have to decide whether to believe me or the Government, but I think the evidence points in my direction, he added.

Also today, Finance Minister Michael McGrath denied that there had been a row at Cabinet over the eviction ban  thereby tying all three coalition parties into what he said was a collective decision.

Asked by Independent.ie about the reports, Mr McGrath: There was no row at Cabinet.

There is collective Cabinet responsibility. We always have thorough discussions on all issues, but particularly on this issue, given the importance and sensitivity of it, he said while speaking at the Department of Finance.

There was a collective decision made. Was it discussed? Of course it was discussed at length -- and also at a number of different meetings, not all of which I would have been party to, or present at.

But certainly at the meetings that I was at, there was a consensus around that [lifting the ban]. And there was certainly no row.

Also speaking today, Childrens Minister Roderic O'Gorman said he has never seen or heard anything to suggest Fr McVerry's remarks that Mr O'Brien was "overruled" by the Taoiseach were correct.

Speaking later, Tanaiste and Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin said the suggestion that the Taoiseach overruled Mr OBrien was not true.

He said the Government worked with the McVerry Trust and all housing bodies in trying to provide additional homes and they had a good relationship.

However he said the idea of Mr OBriens wishes being overridden by the Taoiseach isnt the situation at all.

He said Mr OBrien was of the same mind as the Government, that continuing the ban would have made things worse.

It comes as more than 7,000 households face homelessness in the coming months as landlords flee the rental market in their thousands.

Latest figures from the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) show 7,348 households have eviction dates looming in the coming weeks and months.

During the last six months of last year, 5,358, or 59pc of all notices, were because the landlord intended on selling the property.

A total of 4,329 notices of termination, or notice to quits (NTQs), were issued by landlords in the final three months of last year.

A senior Government source said this is a 9pc decrease from the previous three months, when 4,741 NTQs were served.

Homeless charity the Simon Community said its organisations across the country are particularly concerned that this will see homelessness grow in the coming weeks and months even beyond the current shocking levels.

Even though the eviction ban kicked in at the end of October, landlords were still able to issue eviction notices, with the move-out dates delayed until after the ban ended.

The newly published figure of 4,329 by the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) is 412 less eviction notices issued than the previous three months, Government sources said.

The new data is likely to intensify pressure on the Government, which has vowed to move with legislation to give tenants first dibs on buying properties if their landlords decide to sell up.

The Attorney General is set to scrutinise the new laws tomorrow and the legislation is expected to go to Cabinet before the end of the month.

The Government expects the new legislation to be passed by summer.

However, the Simon Community said measures to help tenants will take time to kick in.

Pulling away the safety net of the moratorium with 7,348 notices of terminations looming over the next three months is difficult to justify, said Wayne Stanley, executive director of the Simon Communities of Ireland.

Sinn Fein TD Louise OReilly said there will now be unprecedented pressure on homeless services and emergency accommodation.

There is no doubt that many of those people will find a temporary solution, she said.

But theyre putting their lives on hold because if youre sleeping on someones sofa or if you and your kids are in your mams back bedroom, or in your grannys spare room with your children, youre not living your life.

Nearly two thirds of over 4,300 NTQs were because the landlords wanted to sell the property and over 16.3pc said they were evicting tenants because the property owner or their family member wanted to move into the home.

Just over 16pc said tenants were being evicted as tenant obligations had been breached.

A total of 43pc of all notices issued during October, November and December were in Dublin, with nearly 11pc in Cork and over 6pc in Galway.

Just 0.76pc of notices were issued in Carlow, 0.42pc in Leitrim and 0.83 in Longford.

A spokesperson for the RTB said one tenancy may not involve just one home as one eviction notice could be served to multiple tenants in one tenancy or separate notice to quits could be issued for each tenant in one tenancy.

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Gerry Adams said the DUP should be given space over returning to the power-sharing executive at Stormont. Photo: Liam McBurney/PA

The DUP needs to be given space to make up its mind over returning to the power-sharing institutions at Stormont, Gerry Adams has said.

However, the former Sinn Fein leader added that if the unionist party did not agree to reforming an executive then Dublin must have full involvement in affairs in Northern Ireland.

Mr Adams spoke to the PA news agency in the run-up to the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement.

The power-sharing executive at Stormont, established by the 1998 peace deal, collapsed last year as part of a DUP protest at post-Brexit trading arrangements between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.

The party has also outlined a series of concerns over the Windsor Framework agreement brokered between London and Brussels to ease many of the trading frictions which were caused by the Northern Ireland Protocol.

A panel commissioned by party leader Jeffrey Donaldson to assess the framework completed its work last week.

Asked about the DUP position, Mr Adams said: Well, I think the unionists have to make up their minds.

I think we need to give them a wee bit of space to do that.

So in the immediate term, Jeffrey Donaldson has a panel which has given him a report. He then has to respond to that.

The damage that has been done in relation to the institutions can be repaired if the institutions were up and running as they should be.

Mr Adams said it would be a different matter if the DUP refused to return to Stormont.

We can have patience on all these other matters on the basis that theyre eventually going to go in there, and theyre willing to start working and they all work together.

And people will get to know each other.

I mean, 25 years later, this generation of republican representatives and unionist representatives know each other better, know each other personally, in many cases on first name terms, despite the difficulties and the problems, he said.

But if they decide theyre not going to go in, then thats up to the two governments to come back because we cant have a return to English rule.

We have to have a full involvement by the Irish government along with the British government, unfortunately, with them seeking to fill the gap, which plainly would be the responsibility of unionists failure to grasp the new dispensation.

Mr Adams said he did not believe that the unionist party was refusing to return to Stormont because it did not want to support an executive with Sinn Fein vice-president Michelle ONeill as first minister.

He said: If unionists refuse to go in, an awful lot of people will believe its because they couldnt stomach having a republican as first minister.

I think Jeffrey has spoken the truth when he says that its not an issue for him.

The former Sinn Fein president said the progress of the power-sharing institutions had been stop-start since they were formed.

He added: Senator [George] Mitchell famously, when the agreement was made, said that is the easy bit done.

The hard bit is implementing it. Never was anything so true.

I suppose the thinking of those strategists within the British and Irish establishments who had eventually, reluctantly, come round to this position of inclusive talks and Sinn Fein involvement, I suppose what they hoped for was that the UUP and the SDLP would form the centre core of a new governmental process, he added.

They certainly wouldnt have intended or foreseen that you would have had Sinn Fein being so strong as we are today.
Im not going to lie, we were a little startled as we looked across at the elongated and featureless white building of The Club at Goffs. Resembling a school or hospital, the lack of landscaping  which is being added  probably didnt help, but tally-ho, we said, galloping across from the car park like two eager fillies.

Through the doors, we were relieved to find a horse of a different colour, with a discreet lobby leading straight into a bar area and, the main event, the long, narrow restaurant. Again, its functional in design, like an airport diner, with large booths running the length of the left side of the room. These overlook a central double row of smaller booths, and a further row of tables on the right with windows overlooking the paddocks.

Theres a posh motel feel here rather than luxury hotel. However, I dont mean that in a negative sense.

In fact, I think its a great asset to the area and for those who trawl our long motorways every day of the week longing for somewhere great to eat, relax over a few drinks and maybe lay their heads for the night, in what are beautifully fitted-out bedrooms, within, metaphorically speaking, arms reach of Dublin. On top of that, its open seven days.

Expand Close Castletownbere Scallops, Asparagus, Morels, Bisque. Photo: Lucinda O'Sullivan / Facebook

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Whatsapp Castletownbere Scallops, Asparagus, Morels, Bisque. Photo: Lucinda O'Sullivan

The French would describe The Club at Goffs as a restaurant with rooms and, make no mistake, this place will be packed to the gills with the glamorous international horsey set on race days and during the horse sales at Goffs, along with plenty of others who will come just for the cracking food from the chef dream team of Derry Clarkes now closed LEcrivain, which ruled the Dublin dining scene for decades.

Chef collabs are all the rage now but to have Clarke involved as chef de cuisine, with James Sheridan as head chef, and the lovely Sallyanne Clarke greeting the punters, must be like winning the Grand National for Goffs. Not to mention hospitality operators Ray Byrne, best known for the longstanding Wineport Lodge in Athlone and Eoin Doyle for the equally longstanding BrookLodge & Macreddin Village; together, as Nhance, they have The Queens in Dalkey, Eccles Hotel & Spa in Glengarriff and REZz in Cork.

Theres an all-day Nosebag menu at The Club (12pm-5pm), with casual stalwarts from sandwiches (8-18) to fish and chips, burgers, tagliatelle (all 22), a rib-eye (35) and the like. Dinner kicks off at 5pm, offering casual fine-dining at its best. Snacks (5-7) include ox tongue tartlet with gribiche sauce, while Kellys native oysters with cucumber and apple are 4 a pop or 22 for six. We could have gone for any of the attractive small plates (15-20), including Kilmore Quay crab or cured Clare Island salmon, but we loved our choices of beef carpaccio, Creed coffee, smoked eel, horseradish and Parmesan (15), along with divine Castletownbere scallops (19) with asparagus and morels in a bisque.

Mains (33-38) included Slaney Valley lamb rump with a sweetbread fricassee, and roast monkfish tail with mussels, but we happily took the recommendation of a sharing plate of locally produced pink and perfectly roasted Feighcullen duck, in a superb presentation of beetroot, chard and blood orange (37 per person).

Expand Close The Club at Goffs interior. Photo: Lucinda O'Sullivan / Facebook

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Desserts (15), by pastry chef Elizabeth Derby, had The Horse Choux, a confection with whiskey banana compote, hay-smoked cremeux and caramel meringue; as well as a delicious tapioca pudding. 

The Club cheese trolley (18) was very attractive, but we shared a fabulous gluten-free Valrhona chocolate dessert with orange, praline anglaise and coffee ice-cream.

They had non-alcoholic wines too at 6 per glass and 30 per bottle for the sparkling versions. We tasted the Noughty Sparkling, and the Noughty Sparkling Rose, which were excellent and give you the feeling of being at the party. Besides our Noughty samples, we also had a glass of Blackrock Cabernet Sauvignon (8) for my friend, while I had a glass of Bodegas Torres Natureo 0.0 (6).

With service included, our bill came to 148.50. A winner alright!

The Club at Goffs,

Kill, Co Kildare

Tel: (1800) 600-300

clubhotel.ie

lucindaosullivan.com

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The Ultimate Paradise Pass can be used to sail on the Margaritaville at Sea Paradise. Photo: The McBride Company

A US cruise line is offering an unlimited sailing pass in a move it described as completely new to the industry.

The Ultimate Paradise Pass, costing US$899 (828), means passengers can travel on as many non-consecutive two-night voyages as they like aboard the 658-cabin Margaritaville at Sea Paradise before the end of the year.

The operator, in partnership with Jimmy Buffetts Margaritaville restaurant chain, sails from Palm Beach, Florida, to Grand Bahama Island, the northernmost of the islands of the Bahamas.

Kevin Sheehan Jr, president and CEO of Margaritaville at Sea, said: The ground-breaking Ultimate Paradise Pass will give avid cruisers a new way to experience unlimited getaways to the Bahamas. Its perfect for a quick escape after a stressful work week or for a whole new adventure at sea.

The pass is valid for two people in an inside or ocean-view stateroom, subject to availability. Only around 500 passes are being sold in the first run, and the cruise line said it expects to sell out in the coming days.

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Those holding the new pass will also get exclusive sneak peeks of new onboard activities and behind-the-scenes access on certain cruises. The company added that those with the pass will be able to purchase discounted upgrades, packages and excursions.

However, the pass doesnt cover taxes, fees, port expenses, tips, fuel charges or any expenses on the ship that would be charged per cruise  such as a booking fee of about US$20 (18.40).

Passholders can only book between 24 and 72 hours ahead of sailing, which curtails much advance planning. If a plus-one cant make the trip, a solo cruiser would have to pay an additional US$159 (146) single supplement.

While subscription models may be new to cruise, airlines have been trialling them for some time.

US budget carrier Frontier Airlines launched a GoWild! all-you-can-fly offer from $599/551 for domestic flights this winter, with lots of T&Cs  including blackout dates, and the inability to book and confirm flight tickets until the day before departure.

Alaska Airlines has an annual subscription program, Flight Pass and Flight Pass Pro, with travellers able to hop on nonstop flights on select west coast routes in California, Nevada, Arizona and Utah.

Alaska's Flight Pass starts at $49/45 a month, plus taxes and fees, and allows one round trip every two months for the year. Flight Pass Pro, which grants more flexibility, starts at $199/183 a month.

Margaritaville at Sea Paradise began sailing under its current name in 2022, and is the companys sole ship. Previously it was known as Grand Classica, Costa neoClassica and Costa Classica.

Its maiden voyage took place in December 1991.
Irish Rail has warned customers to book tickets in advance ahead of the busy Easter Bank Holiday weekend.

Works will take place across a number of routes affecting passenger travel to Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Southside Dart and Rosslare.

Irish Rail are advising customers that a revised timetable will be in place on all routes, including DART, and to check times before travelling between Good Friday and Easter Monday.

Prebooking is advised, particularly at busiest times and during the times of major works.

DART

Works will begin on the Dun Laoghaire to Greystones service on Saturday, April 8, until Easter Monday. A series of works including overhead line renewal, level crossing and station works will take place.

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DART services between Dun Laoghaire and Greystones will be suspended. Dublin Bus and Go Ahead will accept rail tickets on relevant services.

Dublin Connolly to Rosslare Europort Intercity will involve bus transfers between Dublin Connolly and Greystones.

While a revised Dart schedule will run throughout the weekend. On Easter Monday, this includes a Sunday service on Howth/Malahide to Dun Laoghaire DART services, and other commuter routes.

Portlaoise to Thurles

There will be major works on the Portlaoise to Thurles service from 2.30pm on Good Friday until the morning of Easter Monday as a result of track and bridge renewal works

A revised timetable will operate between Dublin Heuston and Cork, Tralee and Limerick with bus transfers between Portlaoise and Thurles in both directions. Advance booking is essential during these times.

Portadown to Belfast

Due to works by Translink between Portadown and Belfast, bus transfers will operate between Newry and Belfast on Dublin/Belfast Enterprise services.

Revised times on all routes can be found at www.irishrail.ie or the Iarnrod Eireann app.
The scene outside where the fatal assault took place on O'Curry Street, Limerick Picture: Brendan Gleeson

The scene outside where the fatal assault took place on O'Curry Street, Limerick Picture: Brendan Gleeson

Gardai investigating the violent death of a young woman in Limerick were last night looking to trace a man seen entering a shop with a bandaged hand and then washed his hands in the store.

Officers interviewed staff at the shop and removed a number of items from the premises. It is close to the scene of the fatal assault on the woman, who was aged in her 20s.

The man is believed to have put his hand back in the makeshift bandage after washing himself.

Gardai were anxious to speak to him to rule him in or out of their investigations.

A garda spokesman said: An Garda Siochana does not comment on specifics of ongoing investigations.

The womans body was discovered inside an apartment block on Dock Road, just off OCurry Street, about 1.30pm.

Gardai said the woman died in a fatal assault, but they did not disclose specific details of her injuries.

A garda forensic unit conducted a technical examination of the scene and investigators called in the office of the State Pathologist to perform a post-mortem examination.

Detectives do not believe she had been deceased for a long period of time and understand she was assaulted a short time before being discovered.

Gardai are awaiting the results of the post-mortem but sources said they were progressing the inquiry.

Appealing for witnesses, a garda spokesman asked anyone with camera footage from the Dock Road and OCurry street areas of Limerick city from 1pm to 2pm to contact investigating gardai at Henry Street Garda Station on 061 212 400, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda station.

Death by violence is always a terrible tragedy, but its definitely worse when the person is young, in their 20s, with their whole life in front of them

Prayers were being said for the victim at the Redemptorist church, located a few streets away.

Fr Seamus Enright, Rector of the religious order in Limerick, said: We are horrified that such violence has come to our own community.

We remember the young woman in our prayers and all those who are grieving for her, and we will be praying for her.

A death like this reminds us of how precious life is and how we must do everything we possibly can to protect and enhance life  and Id appeal to anybody with information to co-operate with An Garda Siochana, Fr Enright added.

A source said there were about 16 apartments inside the building where the body was found, occupied by a mixture of both Irish and migrant single professionals and families.

Limerick Fianna Fail TD Willie ODea said: Its an unspeakable tragedy.

Death by violence is always a terrible tragedy, but its definitely worse when the person is young, in their 20s, with their whole life in front of them.

Limerick has come an awful long way from the bad old days of gang crime, and constant stabbings and assaults and murders, and we want to see Limerick continue to go forward.

There is a lot of cameras around the area so there could be some information available (to gardai), so I would ask the public to co-operate fully to make sure there is a successful prosecution for this horrific crime.

The area is frequented by a sizeable migrant community. Local Muslim councillor Abul Kalam Azad Talukder appealed to the community to be careful.

If you see anything suspect, just call to your local garda station, dont hesitate, he said. 
Former US President Bill Clinton has said it is a miracle that the Good Friday agreement survived Brexit.

Mr Clinton played a central role the formation of the 1998 agreement which was signed 25 years ago this Monday, April 10.

He was mid-way through his two terms in the White House at the time and the accord was brokered after he took a more hands-on approach to US diplomacy on the island of Ireland at the height of the Troubles.

Mr Clinton and his wife, former US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, are due to arrive in Northern Ireland early next week ahead of multiple events to mark the Good Friday Agreement anniversary.

In an interview for tonights episode of RTE Prime Time, Mr Clinton said Brexit was aimed at the heart of the Belfast Agreement.

The idea that it [the Good Friday Agreement] weathered Brexit is a miracle, because Brexit was aimed right at the heart of the Good Friday Agreement, even if not intentionally... but it happened so thats the way it was But the peace held, the Irish peace held, he said.

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The former First Lady echoed his comments, saying Bexit created a very difficult situation and the next step must be to reform a working government.

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Well, it's disappointing in that one always hopes that a peace agreement will be followed, not only in the letter of the agreement, but in the spirit of it. And I do think Northern Ireland is a very different place than it was 25 years ago, she said.

"It's just that Brexit set it back, to be blunt, creating a very difficult situation for Northern Ireland in the midst of separating from the European Union. That looks like it's on the way to being resolved, and hopefully it will be. And then the next step will be to stand up a government...There's a lot of work to be done in Northern Ireland to deal with the continuing challenges that face the people, and those who were elected should get about the business of doing that."

Both the former President and First Lady agreed the fundamentals of the Good Friday Agreement are sound and insisted this will help the parties to find a way to work together. Mr Clinton urged the Unionist community to engage, saying theres something to work with here.

The party thats getting the most votes now [Sinn Fein] doesnt want to jam you, they want to work with you to resolve these things. How can we live together? How can we work together? How can we all put our heads on the pillow at night and feel at peace about what our children are going to face, he added.

President Clinton also recalled the details of the final Thursday night of negotiations and how he told Bertie Ahern and Tony Blair that they had to make the peace work.

We all knew we were coming to the eleventh hour. I talked to George (Mitchell) and Tony (Blair) and Bertie (Ahern) late in the evening. I said this is your peace, you have to make it work, but if you think I can help, then call me anytime of the day or night, he said.

They called me again and I was on the phone until about 2.30am in the morning, walking through all the details with everyone, especially Gerry Adams. So, I get off the phone and I went to bed again and I slept, maybe for about two hours. And at five in the morning, George (Mitchell) called me again. And he said I just need you to take a couple of more calls.

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Mr Clinton said US Senator George Mitchell, who co-chaired the all-party talks, described his role in the negotiations as the most onerous part time job in history.

Three years earlier, President Clinton appointed Mitchell as his envoy to help broker peace in Northern Ireland. Senator Mitchell had only agreed to take the job because he had been told it was a part-time job.

He said, you got me in to this part-time job, this is the most onerous part time job in history. I said George, you love it and so do I. Who do you want me to call?, Mr Clinton added.

The full interview with former President Bill Clinton and former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will air tonight on Prime Time at 9.35pm on RTE One and RTE Player.
Sean Hughes (15) from Finglas, Co Dublin, passed away at Temple Street Hospital

An inquest heard claims that an infection that caused the sudden death of Dublin teenager Sean Hughes was present when he visited his family doctor two days before he died.

A sitting of Dublin District Coroners Court also heard the boys parents express regret they were unaware about the symptoms of sepsis at the time of his death five years ago.

Sean Hughes (15) of Cardiff Castle Road, Finglas was an up-and-coming rapper known as 'Lil Red'.

He died at Childrens Health Ireland at Temple Street on January 12, 2018  just hours after collapsing at his home from a cardiac arrest.

Post-mortem results showed the student from Colaiste Eoin in Finglas died from sepsis which had resulted from a combination of influenza B and a bacterial infection known as staphylococcus aureus.

Several medical witnesses agreed with the familys solicitor, Damien Tansey, that he was beyond repair after suffering the cardiac arrest.

Mr Tansey claimed it defied logic that the fatal infection was not present when Sean was seen by his GP around 36 hours earlier.

Following an inquest lasting more than seven hours, the coroner, Clare Keane, returned a narrative verdict based on the evidence which she said had contained conflicts which she could not resolve.

Mr Tansey had called for a verdict of medical misadventure by pointing out that Seans parents were haunted by the fact that the GPs visit was the last opportunity he had for appropriate intervention".

They have launched a campaign, Lil Reds Legacy, after his death to raise awareness about the danger of sepsis.

Seans mother, Karen Phoenix, told the inquest on Tuesday that her son first became unwell with flu-like symptoms on January 8, 2018 after coming home from school.

He stayed at home the following day and complained of feeling rotten when he woke on January 10, 2018.

After hearing a crackling in her sons chest, Ms Phoenix brought Sean to see doctor Katrina McCrory at the Finglas Family Practice later that morning.

Ms Phoenix said the GP told her that Sean had a high fever, a very bad chest infection and influenza.

She recalled Dr McCrory had prescribed antibiotics and painkillers and expressed concern that his condition could develop into pneumonia.

Ms Phoenix said Sean had complained that night that he felt like he was going to die which she now recognised was a symptom of sepsis.

She said she only realised after his death that he had not been passing urine at the time despite drinking lots of water which was also another warning sign of sepsis.

Ms Phoenix said her son was still feeling unwell the following day as he was pale, breathless and had no appetite, while his chest was also very sore.

By that evening, she remembered his skin had become mottled, while he was also lethargic and irritable.

Ms Phoenix said she had an instinct that something was terribly wrong but had not brought her son to hospital due to HSE advice against attending hospitals during the flu season.

They also felt reassured as he had been seen by his GP the previous day.

Ms Phoenix said she and Sean had been watching TV in their sitting room, when at about 11.30pm she thought he was asleep, but then realised he wasnt breathing.

The inquest heard her husband came running down the stairs and placed their son on the floor before starting CPR on him.

Ms Phoenix said a green / black substance was coming out of Sean's nose and mouth.

Paramedics, who brought Sean to Temple Street, intubated the teenager after finding he had no pulse and had suffered a cardiac arrest.

His parents were subsequently informed at the hospital that he would have brain damage if he survived.

In evidence, Seans father, Joe Hughes, said they were allowed to see him at around 1am and were informed two hours later to contact other family members as he was unlikely to pull through.

He told the coroner that he formally identified his sons body after he had passed away at 6.28am.

Mr Hughes said a hospital doctor subsequently told him that Seans chest X-ray was the worst he had ever seen.

The day our son died  it destroyed us and destroyed our family. Nothing at all will ever be the same again, said Mr Hughes.

In reply to questions from the coroner, Ms Phoenix acknowledged she had not known about the symptoms of sepsis at the time.

In hindsight, she said her son would probably have died in the hospital if they had brought him in earlier that night.

Ms Phoenix told the inquest that Dr McCrory called to their home in July 2019 and had apologised for her poor judgement in not recommending that Sean should have gone to hospital.

However, the GP disputed using such words.

Ms Phoenix recalled another doctor at Temple Street telling her that Seans chest had been full of pus.

Becoming tearful, Ms Phoenix described her son as a little gentleman who had respect for everyone and who was known for his red hair and his smile.

She said he had lots of plans about his future, which hoped to follow his passion for music by working in a recording studio.

He produced and wrote all his own music, she added.

The inquest heard the couples other child, Zoe, has since had a baby boy whom she named Sean in honour of her late brother.

It also heard that the Hughes family has instituted civil proceedings relating to Seans death.

In evidence, Dr McCrory said she had formed the opinion that Sean was likely to have had flu from his visit to her surgery.

The GP said he had appeared calm and normal, while his chest was clear upon examination.

Dr McCrory said there was nothing that would have led her to consider his case a medical emergency.

There was nothing at the time that made me think it was pneumonia or a bacterial infection, said Dr McCrory.

If so, the doctor said she would have advised him to attend a hospital emergency department because it could be a life-threatening condition.

Questioned by Mr Tansey, Dr McCrory accepted she had prescribed a low dose of antibiotic for the boy on the basis that there was a certain expectation in the community that patients would be given a prescription by a doctor.

While diagnosing Sean with flu, the GP said it was not unreasonable to have warned his mother that he could get pneumonia.

Dr McCrory said she had asked about Sean not having to walk home after the surgery as a pleasantry and not over concern about any chest condition.

She accepted that his breathing at 20 breaths per minute was at the outer limit of a normal rate.

However, the witness said she did not accept Mr Tanseys suggestion that whatever caused the teenagers death would have been present at the time she had examined him.

A consultant paediatrician, Siobhan Neville, who cared for Sean at Temple Street, said the exact cause of his cardiac arrest was unclear but his prognosis from it was catastrophic because of profound brain damage.

Dr Neville said it was impossible to say if the cardiac arrest was due to septic shock.

Another consultant paediatrician, Jacqueline McBrien, said influenza B was a well-documented but rare cause of death, while staphylococcus aureus was a common bug which was not usually invasive.

Dr McBrien said it was impossible to say when Sean had become infected with sepsis.

In her concluding remarks, the coroner noted that there are 49 million cases of sepsis worldwide each year which result in 11 million deaths.

However, Dr Keane stressed that the diagnosis of sepsis was not a clear-cut as it was a progressive infection.

The coroner welcomed the fact there was now an annual flu vaccine free for children which had not been available in 2018.

She said she would also make a recommendation about the communication of public health warnings that should contain specific criteria about when to visit hospitals rather than stating when people should not go.

Reacting to the verdict on behalf of Seans parents, Mr Tansey said they had fought a battle to vindicate their sons memory.

However, the solicitor said there were still questions to be answered about Sean's death which he believed would be addressed in another forum".
A MIDDLE-age man has died after a house fire in Cork.

The fire was detected at a property in Douglas West in Cork shortly after 3pm.

Units of Cork Fire Brigade and gardai raced to the scene after being alerted by concerned neighbours.

It is understood locals spotted smoke billowing from the property involved and alerted emergency services.

A man in his 40s was located in an unresponsive condition in the smoke-filled house.

He was brought outside by fire brigade personnel equipped with breathing apparatus.

Despite desperate efforts by medical personnel to stabilise his condition, he was pronounced dead at the scene.

The man's remains were due to be transferred to Cork University Hospital (CUH).

The State Pathologist's Office has been notified and a full post mortem examination will be conducted on Wednesday at CUH.

A number of units of Cork Fire Brigade attended the scene with one official describing the Douglas incident as "a serious house fire".

Gardai closed the road to facilitate the work of the emergency services with local diversions in place. Motorists were urged to avoid the area.

A full investigation is now underway into the precise cause of the tragedy.

However, initial indications are that the fire was accidental.

The deceased is understood to have been living at the property for some time.

Gardai are conducting door-to-door inquiries to determine from locals the last known movements of the deceased.

The mature area is located just metres from Douglas centre along a busy residential road.
Fianna Fail are between the hammer and the anvil facing the next election. Theres pressure to consider playing second fiddle to Sinn Fein, from Bertie Ahern of all people, set against arguments in favour of renewing the current three-party arrangement.

Then add consistent opinion poll rankings worse than their 2011 election meltdown and brush with oblivion. The latest Ireland Thinks survey in the Sunday Independent at the weekend put the once natural party of government on 16pc, down three points, and below their 2011 near-death experience when they had 17pc of the vote.

This writer is among many who listen to Bertie Ahern when he speaks on three issues: the North, the EU and Brexit, and practical electoral politics. He has a considerable track record in all three areas  and lets recall that he not only won three back-to-back elections, he also put together three innovative and durable coalitions in 1997, 2002 and 2007.

Mr Ahern is much sought after these days as we mark 25 years of the Good Friday Agreement next Monday. But when he was asked about his own party, in which he has only recently been unbanished after an 11-year exile, he did not rule out being a junior partner in a coalition with Sinn Fein being among the next options.

Bertie Aherns first creaky coalition in 1997 was a three-legged stool with the Progressive Democrats, and four Fianna Fail-friendly Independents forming the third leg. It confounded very many by going a full five-year term.

His second more stable coalition, in 2002-2007, relied upon a strengthened Progressive Democrat presence, but later had many Independents acting as a spare tyre to eke out its final year in existence. His third configuration in 2007 roped in the Green Party, whom he initially wanted rather than needed, giving him an initial big majority, making that government speak to environmental issues.

There are two big points to be made here. First, is that Mr Ahern carried little baggage in his government-making craft. Second is that his coalitions did function well for the most part.

We have moved on. At the next election we will be 30 years since the 1994 ceasefire  thats a long time.

Fine Gael leader, Leo Varadkar, has vowed to resign from the party rather than enter a coalition with Sinn Fein. But the former taoiseach and former Fianna Fail leader has a very different view on keeping options open, as he explained to former RTE Europe and Northern Ireland editor, Tommie Gorman, when the pair met in Boston last month.

We have moved on. At the next election we will be 30 years since the 1994 ceasefire  thats a long time. If we were to back to 1921, that would mean 1951, thats a long time, Mr Ahern said in an interview for the online service, The Currency.

Crucially, Bertie Ahern would not be put off by the option of entering a partnership with Sinn Fein as a junior partner.

He offered two prelude assessments before addressing coalition options.

First off he seemed to think that the forthcoming general election could be up to two years away, which would place it in spring 2025 or some months beyond the long-postulated timing of early October 2024. This reflects a growing view among many at Leinster House that Sinn Fein will win big in local and European elections in May 2024, making government parties loath to allow them bounce on a few weeks to big gains in the subsequent main election.

But Mr Ahern has utterly no doubt that, barring some glaring changes, Sinn Fein will be the biggest Dail party by some distance after the next general election. That poses fundamental questions for Fianna Fail and one of the problems with Aherns answers is that they move swiftly into plausible arguments that a Sinn Fein government, with Fianna Fail in minor mode would work.

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Yes, recent Irish political history does teach us that coalition governments of whatever likely or unlikely hue, once made, generally hang together and function as well as our long-experienced model of single-party government. Ahern himself played a major role in making that happen by first making a solid coalition framework deal and then dealing with conflicts which will inevitably arise.

On a prospective SF-FF line-up, he offers his standard dose of pragmatism. Ireland is a small country  the budget has to be made  If anyone tries to do anything mad, they wont survive too long  The revolutionaries of today are usually the conservatives of tomorrow  Ive watched people come into the Dail over the years. They come in with all this ideology stuff. As soon as theyve taken the facts of life, they become normal people, he said.

You could not argue with any of that. We have seen unlikely coalitions emerge and work over the past 30 years. We know that Dail arithmetic is the biggest driver of fashioning and driving those unlikely pairings.

We have also seen the respective party leaderships sell these coalition deals to their memberships. In summer 2023 Micheal Martin and his Fianna Fail leadership team got three out of four members support for coalition while the Green Party membership delivered a very similar endorsement for government.

The real challenge for Fianna Fail will be getting to that point again next time. In 2011 their 17pc meltdown netted 20 Dail seats  next time that would still be a chunk of political trade worthy of a strong cabinet presence.

The difficulty is a major cultural adjustment for the Soldiers of Destiny as they approach the centenary of their founding in 1926. Up to now, small and all as they have become, they retain big organisation cultural expectations.

For all protestations to the contrary it seems less plausible that Micheal Martin will lead the party in the next election. Increasingly, his name is being linked with a senior post in Brussels, either as Irelands next Commissioner, or as president of the European Council, preparing and chairing EU leaders summits.

Mr Martin and his colleagues have big decisions to make and not a wild amount of time to ponder them.
Governments get into trouble in all kinds of ways, but doubling down on a risky bet is one of the most common.

When your Plan B is to stick with Plan A, no matter what the circumstances, you are in too deep.

In the run-up to the ending of the evictions ban, we were being told with unwavering certainty that projections of thousands of people being in imminent danger of losing their homes were alarmist. Troubling figures showing that more than 4,300 notices to quit were served to tenants in the final quarter of last year suggest otherwise.

In total, almost 12,000 termination notices were issued last year.

We recently set a new dismal record for the number of homeless people at 11,754. This includes 3,431 children. It has come back since, but only marginally.

If all the projections are correct, a total of 7,000 people could be facing eviction over the coming months. Wayne Stanley, executive director of Simon Communities of Ireland, is deeply worried about the consequences for families.

The Simon Communities across Ireland are particularly concerned that this will see homelessness grow in the coming weeks and months even beyond the current shocking levels, he said.

Government mitigation measures have been under scrutiny. The consensus is that not enough has been done to prevent serious hardship.

Local authorities, already stretched beyond limits, will not be able to cope with the volume of people left with nowhere to turn.

The Coalition is setting much store by the tenant-in-situ scheme, where local authorities may buy homes offered by landlords who are selling and where their tenant is in receipt of the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP).

But few imagine this will be an adequate safety net given the scale of need. The eviction ban had to end at some stage, but it behoved the government of the day to plan adequately for the eventuality and not to leave so many on the cliff-edge.

The retreat of landlords from the market is the main reason for the spike in notices to quit.

Landlords are looking to sell houses and get out of property. The Government needed to anticipate this and incentivise them to stay, either by inducements or tax-breaks.

Lifting the ban without proper contingency measures is going to result in suffering for too many. We have come to a desperate pass when, according to homeless charities, they have been requested by gardai not to advise families needing emergency accommodation to attend garda stations for sanctuary.

There will be a reckoning if people endure the trauma of being left out in the cold, because due provision was not made.

We cannot normalise unconscionable numbers of people living in the streets. It can only happen if there is a great failure by the State, or mass indifference by the people.

Can either really be acceptable in one of Europes wealthiest countries?
It was an inauspicious start to Donald Trumps defence. The former president making a fat-fingered spelling mistake on his own social media, screaming in his trademark block capitals on Truth Social that he had been INDICATED by Radical Left Monsters.

He hadnt (unless thats some kind of QAnon cult shorthand), but he has been indicted. That means he will face criminal charges. The first US president in history to do so.

So what happens now? Do the allegations make sense, and will the evidence stack up?

The charges  as I write  are still under seal. In other words, no one has yet seen what the New York district attorney Alvin Bragg actually has on Donald Trump, but the investigation takes us into falsification of his business records  with a possible knock-on effect on campaign financing. It centres around hush money Trump paid to Stormy Daniels in the days before the 2016 election  to stop her talking about the sex she had with him a decade earlier.

Stormy was silent then. But not for long after. I interviewed her in 2018 when she went into curiously specific detail about the shape of the presidential penis. She was smart, fierce, articulate and funny. And she basically decided that it was check mate on the president once hed leaked her name into the public domain.

What a beloved irony. That the woman he paid to shut up may actually end up bringing down his whole house of cards. That little bit of his anatomy doing even more reputational damage than the aforementioned fat finger. As news of the indictment broke  the details still under wraps  Trump acolytes were quick to call it a political witch hunt.

Even senior Republicans seeking to take on Trump in the presidential primaries worded their indignation with care. Florida governor Ron DeSantis called it a weaponisation of the legal system. Nikki Haley, who walks a tightrope in her love and loathing of Trump, pronounced it more about revenge than justice. Mike Pence, a man who served Donald Trump as his vice-president yet found himself fighting for his life against marauding protesters inside the Capitol building, called the indictment outrageous. None, you will note, suggested Trump himself is innocent.

This is the political crux: those who seek the Republican nomination for president in 2024 believe they must tether themselves to a MAGA base. A base that believes the system is against them and all attempt to hold Trump accountable is political persecution. Its what Trump has told them, after all.

But endorse the former president too forcefully and you send them right into Trumps arms. Thats not what they want either. Some  cannily  have chosen complete silence for now. And even Democrats who scoff at the idea of a witch hunt will admit to their own insecurities about the New York DAs move. Of all the things to level at Trump, they will think inwardly  the attempted insurrection, the move to overthrow democracy, the begging for fake votes in Georgia  you bring this up?

Is this the hill to die on  an actress, a few thousand dollars and a dodgy business deal? It has the whiff of Al Capone. A way to catch mobsters, not autocratic charlatans. And yet, they must put their faith in this indictment. You have to start with the evidence you have, not the evidence you wish you had. And this evidence has already indicted, convicted and incarcerated one man  Trumps former lawyer, Michael Cohen.

They didnt come for Trump last time because he was a sitting, serving president. This time hes not.

Much has been made of the political capital Trump stands to reap from this move. He can play the martyr! Seize the headlines! Paralyse his opponents of any move against him!

Yet this overlooks one fairly major thing: Trump does not want to be sent to prison. He really doesnt. Hes evaded indictment for the past 40 years one way or another. It was never the plan. A man who knows how to woo the voter, schmooze the press, please the crowds and glamorise a trip down an escalator is no longer in control of events. Hes in the hands of a grand jury and a judge. And that doesnt sit easily with a control freak.

And Trumps political opponents know they must go with caution. Any attempt to expand a charge of misdemeanour to a criminally significant charge of felony must be watertight.

Any democrat who believes in the rule of law cannot start with a presumption of guilt. And any move which humiliates the president  a perp walk, a mug shot  could backfire into protest. You have to go back 20 years to find the advice that should now serve as the prosecutors bible. A time when reality TV meant the gritty drama of The Wire, not the flashy gilt of The Apprentice. It was Omar Little who warned then: [When] you come at the king, you best not miss.
A SERIES of events will take place in Fermoy on Easter Sunday marking the centenary of the death of General Liam Lynch.

Huge crowds are expected to gather in the town, with one of the key events being a pipe band parade that will gather at the Michael Fitzgerald memorial outside the courthouse at 2pm.

The parade, led by 12-pipe bands, will proceed though the town and onto Kilcrumper Cemetery, where orations will be delivered by The Deputy Mayor of County Cork, Cllr Deirdre OBrien and historian Dr Tim Horgan, whose grandmother Madge Clifford was secretary to Liam Lynch during the Civil War.

Cllr OBrien, who is chair of the Liam Lynch National Commemoration Committee, said people of all political persuasions are welcome to join the parade as this will be a commemoration for the 1,800 volunteers, Cumann na mBan, and Fianna Eireann members who died between 1916-1923.

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The only thing we ask is for no political banners, as the memory of our patriots is owned by all the people of Ireland, said Cllr OBrien.

Relatives of volunteers and Cumann na mBan members are invited to wear their War for Independence medals during the parade and at the graveyard and are encouraged to bring along photos or any other memorabilia on the day to add to the character of the event, she added.

Other events taking place include three exhibitions, including To the Letter in the Coal Shed featuring artworks by Liam Lynchs grand-niece Dolores Lyne inspired by letters to his brother Tom.

Two of the exhibitions will take place in Fermoy Community Youth Centre on Easter Sunday, the first by Neil Donovan Milestones of Liam Lynch, which covers the life of Lynch in the IRA, especially as head of Cork No. 2 Brigade, and the 1st Southern Division.

Cork County Councils War for Independence and the Civil War in Cork, covers the five Cork brigade areas who accounted for over 30% of all actions taken against Crown Forces after 1916.

There will also be three screenings of John Foleys documentary The Dying Days of Liam Lynch in the Youth Centre at 2.30pm, 3.30pm and 4.30pm.
THE future of the delipidated former Central Hotel in Mallow has once again come under the spotlight, with one local county councillor describing the crumbling building as little more than a monument to dereliction.

Cllr Gearoid Murphy has said Cork County Council should give serious consideration to issuing a Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) for the building, funded through a new Government scheme aimed at facilitating local authorities to purchase, restore and repurpose derelict properties.

Cllr Murphys comments came after it emerged that officials from the councils Property Activation and Regeneration Unit are to meet with the owners of the building to discuss their plans for the site.

Last August it emerged that plans were being drawn up to redevelop the landmark town centre building, which has lain idle since its doors closed in 2007, following confirmation that it had been purchased by a local property developer for an undisclosed sum.

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It was understood that provisional plans included re-opening part of the building as a hotel with a roof top terrace restaurant overlooking Mallow Town Park and the incorporation of a mix of ground-floor retail units facing onto Davis Street.

However, a firm set of plans have yet to be formerly proposed for the site, prompting Cllr Murphys call at this weeks meeting of the Kanturk/Mallow municipal district committee for the council to do all within its power to ensure this issue is dealt with once and for all.

He had recently called on the council to issue a CPO for the site, given the lack of progress in its development.

This site has become little more than a monument to dereliction on the main street of the town. While I am glad to see the council is engaging with the owner, I would again strongly suggest that the COP option remain on the table as this property has been left to deteriorate for years, said Cllr Murphy.

Cllr James Kennedy (Lab) it was now time that the owner of the site revealed their long-term plans for it.

While we had been given an assurance that the project is going ahead, it is now time for the owner to step up to the plate. The people of Mallow deserve for the owners to put their cards on the table and reveal what their intentions are, said Cllr Kennedy.

If they want to sell it on, that is their business. But, I would hope they are going ahead with their plans. Either way, it is time this issue was settled once and for all, he added.

The district officer for Cork county Councils Kanturk/Mallow municipal district, Clair Barr, said she would keep councillors updated on the progress of discussions between the sites owner and council officials.

The owner is engaging with us, so it looks like we are getting somewhere, said Ms Barr.

We are on top of this and should they need to come back with a CPO, they will, she added.
ON Friday morning last, I took a photograph of what was fast becoming a geographical feature at the junction of the Cuil Aodha road and the N22 at the Mills in Baile Mhuirne. Its a pothole that Ive written about before early in the New Year and then it was filled - or half-filled - but within hours of work being done on it, the same work was undone by the elements.

On this occasion, the pothole at the Mills became the subject of a query by Cllr Ted Lucey, with support from Cllr Gobnait Moynihan, at the Macroom Municipal District Council meeting which was held on Friday. Council engineerJames Dwyer said that a temporary solution would be applied once again until such time as the weather abated - last month was after all the wettest March on record - and then a more permanent hot seal solution would be implemented.

In fairness to the engineer, the Council is badly strapped for people to carry out the work - it has two full-time workers for such tasks, one of whom was due to return from paternity leave and the other had been hired to work in his native Bandon. Councillors had high praise for them both but the same councillors added that there simply werent enough people to carry out the work that needed to be done in Macroom or throughout the district.

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As I travelled home that lunchtime, after the meeting, I noticed that the pothole had been filled. A neighbour later told me that she had seen workers there at around 11.30am, even before the matter was raised at the Council meeting. Talk about efficiency!

Unfortunately, however, this would not be my last visit to the junction of jeopardy that day as later, during the afternoon, I received a call that my mother had been involved in a crash at the junction.

Without going into the details of what happened, apart from confirming no-one was injured, the same cross is a perilous place. Youre driving onto a national road from a local road and, more often than not, cars and busses parked on the Baile Mhic Ire side of the junction, across the road from the Garda station, can obscure your view of cars coming from the eastern side.

Its often a case of edging on to the road to where you can see both sides and thats not ideal by any manner or means. Part of the problem can be speed as some drivers have been known to put the foot down as they pass Colaiste Iosagain.

A few years ago a local man was killed as he tried to cross the road at a pedestrian crossing near the Mills. The crossing was removed for some reason as it was felt, it seems, that it had no impact on drivers passing the road and that further fatalities would ensue.

Locals have been complaining about this junction for decades and believe that a roundabout should be put in place. The authorities, whoever they may be, the Council or Transport Infrastructure Ireland or an even higher power, have not prioritised the issue. Perhaps they feel theres no compelling reason to do anything about it.

Apart from the incident involving my mother, other local people have told me that they have had narrow escapes at the same junction in the past short while. Is it the case that nothing happens in Ireland, nothing moves the authorities from inaction, until someone is killed or badly injured? Is there not a better way?

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Riptide Movement will be one of the headline acts set to play Macroom Music Fest on Saturday, June 24.

The Frank and Walters will be one of the headline acts set to play Macroom Music Fest on Saturday, June 24.

Mundy will be one of the headline acts set to play Macroom Music Fest on Saturday, June 24.

THE spirit of Macrooms famous Mountain Dew Festival will be revived through a new one-day musical extravaganza taking place in the Town Square on Saturday, June 24.

Macroom Music Fest will echo the very first open-air music festival in Ireland, which ran from 1976 to 1982, bringing a host of top names to Macroom  including the late, great and much-lamented Rory Gallagher.

The event, the first on this scale to take place in the mid-Cork town since the opening of the new bypass, will feature a trio of top Irish headline acts  the Frank and Walters, Riptide Movement and Mundy

One of the most recognisable acts to have emerged from the vibrant Cork music scene, the Franks have enjoyed huge domestic and internationals success over a career spanning more than three-decades.

Comprised of Paul Linehan (lead vocal & bass), Ashley Keating (drums) Rory Murphy (lead guitar) & Cian Corbett keyboards), the band are renowned for their energetic and quirky live shows, with audience participation a key ingredient.

Fans can expect more of the same in Macroom, to a backdrop of classic tracks from their impressive back catalogue including Colours This is Not a Song and the anthemic After All to name just a few.

Mundy began his career on the energetic Dublin busking scene before singles Gin & Tonic Sky and Lifes a Cinch became hits for the Offaly musician. After signing to Sony, Mundy was catapulted into the spotlight when To You I Bestow off his debut album Jelly Legs was featured on Baz Luhrmanns adaptation of Shakespeares Romeo & Juliet.

Since then, he has gone on to release a further eight albums and has toured extensively with artists such as Neil Young, REM, Oasis, Emmylou Harris and The Pogues.

Formed in 2006 by songwriter and vocalist Malachy Tuohy, guitarist John Dalton, bassist and harmonica player Gerry McGarry and drummer Gar Byrne, Riptide Movement are a gold selling, Choice nominated old-style tock band.

They have five studio albums to their name and a string of hit songs including All Works Out, You & I, Changeling and Something Special.

Macroom Music Fest organiser Killian Lynch said the event is the first to take advantage of the freedom from traffic that the new bypass has given the town.

Macroom is ready to take in a breath of fresh air and invites visitors and music lovers back to the town. While The first Mountain Dew Festival was held in the castle grounds Macroom Music Fest will proudly return to the gates of the Castle in the Square in Macroom town, said Killian.

The people of Macroom got their town back the bypass opened and an opportunity to showcase it to its full potential and this is just one of the things we are doing. This concert is just the start and will be one of many to follow, he pledged.

Tickets 34.50 plus booking fee available from www.macroommusicfest.ie.
Graham Norton is set to host the first Irish original series on Amazon Prime.

LOL: Last One Laughing Ireland, will be hosted by the Irish-born, British-based comic and chat show host and filmed entirely in Ireland. The show will see ten of Irelands comedy stars pitted against each other.

The six-part Prime Video comedy will film this spring in Dublin, and will air exclusively on Prime Video worldwide in 2024.

Norton said he was delighted to be working on the ground in Ireland again.

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"I'm thrilled to be the host for the first Irish Original, LOL: Last One Laughing Ireland on Prime Video, and to be working on home ground for the first time in many, many years, he said.

I'm so proud of our comedy culture and it's wonderful to have a platform to showcase Irish talent to a global audience. I can't wait to see what our comedy masterminds do to get the laughter going."

Dan Grabiner, head of originals for UK and Northern Europe, Amazon Studios, said: Graham Norton and Last One Laughing is a match made in heaven.

Ireland is home to world-class comedy and a booming television scene; we cant wait to celebrate and be part of that with our first Irish Original production.

The show is the latest adaptation of the successful Amazon Original series in Japan entitled Documental, created by and starring Hitoshi Matsumoto, who leads 10 comedians betting their own money.

The format became the most watched title of all time on Prime Video in Italy and Germany, and had hugely successful local versions in Mexico, Australia, India, France, Spain, Canada, The Netherlands, Colombia, Brazil, and Sweden.
The final asylum seekers have been moved from Hotel Killarney to new locations across the country  with some of them receiving just 24 hours notice that they would be moving from their accommodation in Killarney.

On Friday last, asylum seekers from the hotel boarded buses for their new locations, and other international applicants have since been moved, The Kerryman understands. Some had also been moved prior to last Friday.

Hotel Killarney had been home to some 400 asylum seekers and was the centre of controversy following an incident in the hotel on New Years day. This case is now before the court.

Many of those whove moved had settled in jobs in the town; their number also included children and teenagers who were happy and doing well. The asylum seekers came from Georgia and Nigeria, among many other nationalities.

Some only received confirmation of their new homes 24 hours before being moved and were unable to give their schools or jobs notice they would need to leave.

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The asylum seekers had been told in early February that they could no longer be accommodated but they had no idea where they would be going or when. Hotel Killarney is among several hotels whose contracts are to end with International Protection Accommodation Services (IPAS).

The Kerryman understands that among the group to be moved was a teenager and her mother who were happily settled in Kerry, and the child was devastated to leave new friends behind.

Asylum seekers have been moved to Dublin, Mayo, Wicklow and Donegal.

Hotel Killarney also made headlines when Ukrainian refugees were moved from the hotel to provide accommodation for the current asylum seekers living at the hotel.

Many protested at the decision to move the Ukrainians, which led to many being accommodated in new locations. No such protest took place in recent days when asylum seekers were moved from the hotel.

The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY) have confirmed that the international-protection applicants have now moved. They said that Hotel Killarney is one of four hotels from which asylum seekers have been moved.

In a statement, they said they face ongoing and severe difficulties in acquiring accommodation for International Protection applicants but due to ongoing and extensive efforts to source additional accommodation, IPAS has now been able to able to source alternative accommodation for the remaining applicants.
Serious and permanent damage was caused to a wet heath habitat in a remote area near the Gap of Dunloe, Killarney, after a sheep farmer brought in a heavy machine to construct a three-metre-wide track.

Tim OConnor of Dunloe Upper, Beaufort, Killarney, has been convicted and fined 2,500 after he pleaded guilty to constructing a track with a track machine in a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) at Dunloe Upper without permission.

Mr OConnor had hired a track machine to carry out the work in an area between Tomies Mountain and the Gap of Dunloe, Killarney. The construction of a track with a track machine had a significant adverse effect on the integrity of a European site, prosecution counsel Tom Rice BL said.

In December 2020 a member of the public contacted the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) and said there was a track machine working in this remote and scenic part of the county.

The ranger visited the site and met Mr OConnor. He had dealt with Mr OConnor the previous May about turning a sod in the area.

In December of 2020 Mr OConnor admitted using the track machine to build a track so he could put fencing up, Dr Buckley said.

He had no permission from the NPWS, the Court heard.

Summons were issued by the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage on Mr OConnor for one offence contrary to Regulation 35 (1) (9a), the European Communities (Birds and Natural Habitats) Regulations 2011.

In evidence, Dr Daniel Buckley, conservation ranger with the NPWS said the site in question was not inside Killarney National Park but it was part of the Killarney National Park, MacGillycuddys Reeks and Caragh River Catchment SAC and protected under regulations.

The extent of the unauthorised track was 353 meters in length, three metres in width and it encompassed 0.1 hectares, the court heard.

The land would be considered marginal land from an agricultural point of view. However it had a qualifying interest as an SAC habitat, called wet heath.

This was a peatland habitat, with a shallow peat layer, and the track machine was used to excavate a substantial amount of soil. Photographs of the damage were handed into court.

A regional ecologist with the NPWS visited and assessed the damage..

There had been direct impact on the heath. There had been no previous drain on the land, but the track had now formed a drain, and water was running off the surrounding wet heath onto it, the court heard.

The damage was permanent, said Mr Buckley.

Dr Buckley also said Mr OConnor maintained he was unaware permission was needed, but he did not accept that.

Pleading for mitigation, Padraig OConnell solicitor said his client has lived in the area for generations.

He is a sheep farmer and he believes a passageway always existed for sheep to be brought down for dipping and shearing, Mr OConnell said.

"Generations of his family have lived in Dunloe, sheep farming. He has lost out considerably in the context of grants; these have been frozen.

Judge Waters indicated a substantial fine was appropriate. But for the plea of guilty, and the absence of previous convictions, he would consider a custodial sentence, he said.

There is an element of brazenness and brass neck. Serious damage was caused, Judge Waters said.
Rose Escorts Mikey Walsh, Tim Heffernan, Paul Scanlon, Stephen Fealey and Stephen Roche pictured at the Listowel Arms Hotel last Friday night for the Listowel Community Rose selection night. Photo by John Kelliher.

Daisy Walsh and Aislinn Kelliher pictured on the stairs at the Listowel Arms Hotel last Friday night for the Listowel Community Rose selection night. Photo by John Kelliher.

Lilly O Mahony and Mary Brandon pictured at the Listowel Arms Hotel last Friday night for the Listowel Community Rose selection night. Photo by John Kelliher.

Aishling Enright, Margaret Cahill, Theresa Flavin, Ann Woulfe, Debbie Woulfe, Nicole Tagney, Orla Joy and Pierse Walsh pictured at the Listowel Arms Hotel last Friday night for the Listowel Community Rose selection night. Photo by John Kelliher.

Rebecca Magnor and Cian O Callaghan pictured at the Listowel Arms Hotel last Friday night for the Listowel Community Rose selection night. Photo by John Kelliher.

Elise Harris and Aimee Mason pictured at the Listowel Arms Hotel last Friday night for the Listowel Community Rose selection night. Photo by John Kelliher.

All the Roses pictured on the stairs at the Listowel Arms Hotel last Friday night for the Listowel Community Rose selection night. Photo by John Kelliher.

Crowds pictured enjoying themselves at the Listowel Arms Hotel last Friday night for the Listowel Community Rose selection night. Photo by John Kelliher.

Christina, Aislinn and Kenneth Kelliher pictured at the Listowel Arms Hotel last Friday night for the Listowel Community Rose selection night. Photo by John Kelliher.

19-year-old Debbie Woulfe from Listowel, who was sponsored by John R's Foodhall in Listowel where she works part-time, was announced as the first ever Listowel Community Rose on Friday night, after a fantastic night in the Listowel Arms Hotel.

A LITTLE bit of local history was made in Listowel last Friday night as 19-year-old Debbie Woulfe  who was sponsored by John Rs Foodhall in Listowel, where she works part-time  was announced as the first-ever Listowel Community Rose.

The night was a bona fide success, with a crowd of over 250 or so enthusiastic people in attendance, while MC for the night Neil Molloy, he of Galway Bay FM fame, kept proceedings moving smoothly as he interviewed the 13 Roses and 10 Rose Escort entrants on the night.

Debbie is currently studying for a Bachelor of Arts in UL. She is an avid swimmer as a member of the Ballybunion Swim Club and winner of silver and gold Munster medals in swimming galas.

As a community Rose entrant, she has certainly been involved in a big way with the community locally having volunteered for St Vincent De Paul in Listowel, with the Irish Wheelchair association, Nano Nagles, Listal Lodge and Aras Mhuire. She cites Katie Taylor as an inspirational person that she would like to meet, and Debbie would like to become either an occupational therapist or speech-and-language therapist as I want to be able to help people young and old to get the best out of their lives.

Debbie will hold the title of Listowel Community Rose for the year ahead, while attending events around the Listowel district, and she will go forward, with the support of her community, to the Kerry Rose Selection, which takes place in the Killarney Heights Hotel on Sunday, May 14.

Debbie will be joined by other Community Roses including Niamh De Jong, the Sneem Community Rose; and the Skellig Coast Community Rose, Kelsey McCarthy. They will all have the opportunity to mix and mingle at a number of social events in the lead up to the Kerry Rose Selection, including the Kerry Rose Mystery Tour.

Speaking to The Kerryman on Tuesday morning, Debbie said that the events of Friday night have yet to register.

I dont think its sunk in yet, she laughed, adding that it was an amazing night for myself and for the town as well as a whole and that there was a fantastic atmosphere around the place on the night.

I never thought that I was going to win at all, and then when they called my name out, I just got such a shock, I just couldnt believe that Id won, she said.

Kerry Rose Edaein OConnell was unable to make the event on the night but recorded a very heart-warming tribute to the people of Listowel, who have supported her every step of the way on her journey as Kerry Rose.

Mayor of Listowel Aoife Thornton also spoke beautifully on the night about the value of community. She said how touched she was by the inclusivity of the event and how it had got the whole community involved, all for such a wonderful cause, and that it was a credit to the Rose of Tralee Festival to bring it back to community.

The 2023 Listowel Community Rose Selection was the first of its kind, and it is hoped that it will be an annual event going forward. This years selection served as a fundraiser for the Listowel Community Centre, with all profits contributing towards repairs and refurbishment of the Centre after a major fire there in November.

Finally, a huge thanks was given to all those who organised the event and who made the night possible.
The Irish LGBT group Lavender and Green Alliance - Muintir Aerach na hEireann once again joined the 262nd New York St. Patricks Day parade, recently, with Brendan Fay from Drogheda, who founded the group in 1994, saying it was a celebration of determination and welcome.

"These are challenging time for the LGBT community and so the spirit of hospitality extended by parade organizers is important for our community. Hundreds of pieces of anti LGBT legislation are being passed and our loves and lives are being debated here in the US and across the world, said Brendan. "I learned a long time ago at the Augustinians in Drogheda that while it's good to pray for peace and justice on Sunday we have to rise up and make a difference in the world. For me that means working to make our Churches, schools, factories, communities and cultural parades spaces of welcome for all.

Brendan recalls a huge moment for him when he was welcomed back to Drogheda as grand marshall of the 2017 St. Patricks parade.

He retells the story with affection for Drogheda when he speaks at schools and communities.

The Irish LGBT group of about 60 assembled at 45th Street between 5th and 6th Avenue around noon. They came from Washington DC as well as the tri state area.

Joining Fay and his husband Tom Moulton at the banner were veterans of the LGBT civil rights movement including Randy Wicker and Andy Humm. Long-time activists and supporters of Lavender and Green Alliance included Lisa Fane, Danny Dromm as well as Mychal McNicholas and his wife Barbara Flynn

Organizers Tom Moulton and Robert Pinter distributed the distinctive Lavender and Green silk sashes and buttons.

Honouring the 25th anniversary since the signing of the Good Friday agreement on April 10th, 1998 Lavender and Green Alliance welcomed guests from Northern Ireland. Patricia Lewsley, two term Commissioner for Children and Young People from 2007 -2015 led the women's cross community delegation from the Belfast based Training for Womens Network (TWN). After a busy week in New York including meetings at the United Nations, The Irish Center, New York City Hall and the Fortune Society for the formerly incarcerated the group was excited to join the Lavender and Green Alliance in the New York St. Patricks Day parade. As political leader and community organizer Patricia Lewsley has been a much-respected advocate of equal rights for women, the LGBT community and people with disabilities in Northern Ireland.

As they prepared to step off Fay and others recalled 30 years ago in March 1993 when he and over 200 Irish LGBT persons and friends were arrested beginning a long road of struggle and breakthrough to inclusion in the NYC St. Patricks day parade.

It was a first time for Maya Jamie Milton who marched with the Irish LGBT group in the March 12 Bronx-Throggs Neck parade.

Because of Lavender and Green Alliance I had such a happy St Patricks Day and feel like Im in the middle of this historic moment as a transgender Irish American woman, said Maya. Im grateful about the turn of events in my life.

The group cheered when welcomed onto 5th Avenue by the parade formation leaders who recalled Tarlach MacNiallais (1962-2020) a leading Irish LGBT activist and NYC parade committee member.

At St Patricks Cathedral members of the group including Fay and Malachy McCourt greeted Bishop Edmund Whalen at the steps. Fay expressed gratitude for Pope Francis who has urged Church leaders to treat the LGBT community with compassion, welcome and respect.

Fay introduced Tommy Thomas, a community organizer, human rights advocate and volunteer with NYC Pride, and his son Johnny.

It was an absolute honour for Johnny, my 8-year-old and I to join Brendan Fay and Lavender Green Alliance and walk the 2023 St Patricks day parade in New York City, said Tommy. As a single dad and a coloured American man born in the 1970s, I have grown to support and embrace the fight for equality for all as the civil rights battle of my generation of Americans. Growing up in New York, I have had a front row view to the evolution of the embracing of the Irish LGBTQ community by the St. Patricks Day parade. It was truly a remarkable and emotional moment for me as a father to see Brendan Fay lead my child, Johnny (who is preparing for his First Holy Communion this late spring) to be introduced and blessed by Bishop Edmund Whalen on the steps of St. Patricks Cathedral. This beautiful moment in many ways captures the long-fought struggle by the Irish LGBT community to join the parade while the struggle continues on many other fronts.

Along 5th Avenue onlookers cheered when the saw the banner and Malachy McCourt in his wheelchair leading . The group sang " When Irish eyes are smiling - all the world is bright and GAY and joined McCourt as he sang "Wilde Mountain Thyme.

Fay shouted to the crowds Love your LGBT children, family and neighbours.

"Lets open our Irish hearts in welcome for all.

Just past the reviewing stand members of the Rygor family of Astoria waved and roared. Brendan Fay is producing a new documentary on the AIDS activist Robert Rygor (1953-1994) and his parents Stanley (1926-2019) and Kathleen (1929-2021) who were advocates for the Irish LGBT community in New York.

For years before they died Stanley, a much beloved Irish musician and Kathleen visited Brendans parents Peter and Mary Fay at their Scarlet Street home. They also stayed with his sister Carmel O Brien and her husband PJ in Termonfeckin.

At the end of the New York parade all gathered around 91 year old renowned actor, writer and radio host Malachy McCourt singing - For hes a jolly good fellow and so sing all of us! There were a few tears of farewell and joy as everyone hugged Malachy, Patricia Lewsley and the women from Belfast.

We know too well how we got from there to here and the journey from closets of shame and silence to inclusion, equality, and visibility. added Brendan. We continue to rise, speak up, sing and march not just for ourselves but also for young LGBT persons who are coming out and finding a place of belonging and in solidarity and hope for LGBTQ communities across the world. We thank the people of good heart and passionate activism who on St Patricks Day made the road of Irish hospitality rise for the Irish LGBT community in New York!
Kaseya, the American IT management and security software development company, is planning to employ 1,000 people at its technical centre of excellence in Dundalk over the next two years and is looking at moving into the offices vacated by PayPal.

The company has already recruited 150 employees in Dundalk since announcing last July that it was making Dundalk its centre of excellence. Operations began in December in the National Pen building and now the company has ambitious plans to make Dundalk one of its leading centres of excellence for their engineering and technical support operations.

Speaking to The Argus from the companys headquarters in Miami, Kaseya Chief Operating Officer, Joe Smolarski, agreed that it was good news for Dundalk but also good news for Kaseya as they were seeing nothing but positive signs since coming here.

We like to get the best bang for our bucks, he said as he explained why the company had chosen Dundalk as a location for its centre of excellence.

We looked at locations all over the world, Latin America and Central America,  he said.

They then narrowed it down to Ireland, as they have a long great relationship with Ireland and had looked at locations including Cork, Galway, Dundalk and others.

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I made the decision to go for Dundalk for a number of reasons, he said. I havent regretted it for a second.

He cited the towns location midway between Dublin and Belfast as a key factor, along with the availability of a talented workforce.

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Being able to pull from both labour pools, with the location smack it the middle is very attractive, he said, adding that the company is aware that there is a housing shortage in Ireland. Being able to attract employees who are willing to commute from the two cities to Dundalk was a bonus.

The quality of talent available was another asset, with Mr Smolarski saying that they were big fans of DkIT and other universities in the region.

The company opened its office in Dundalk in December last and in the space of just three and half months, have ramped up the workforce to 150, exceeding their expectations.

Having initially announced that it planned to employ 250 people in this centre of excellence, Kaseya is now planning to grow that to 1,000 workers over the next two years.

We had early success ramping up to150 people when we opened the office in December. Thats a pretty successful ramp and we feel good about it, he said.

They have been very encouraged by whats in Dundalk and about the talent they have recruited, not just locally, but from Dublin and Belfast, who have no issue in jumping in a car and driving for 45 minutes.

Mr Smolarski said that Kaseya are recruiting for many roles and have been able to find some great talent to date. This includes not just technical and software developers and engineers, but also finance and sales. They have, he confirmed, taken on some workers who were let go from PayPal.

The company opened its Dublin offices eight years ago and thats where their sales office is based. They also have plans to increase staff numbers there and have signed a lease to double their space.

To facilitate making Dundalk their technical centre of excellence, the company is looking at where we want to be forever and have been reviewing availably offices in town.

We want to get a centre of excellences, probably in the area of National Pen, he said.

He confirmed that they are evaluating the space left vacant when PayPal moved to remote working on Friday.

I was in Dundalk last week and toured the PayPal space, he said. We are absolutely interested in it but there are other options and we will evaluate all options.

Last month the company announced that it had appointed the Newry firm of Gray Architectural Design to design its new offices.

Mr Smolarski said that Kaseya are recruiting for many roles and have been able to find some great talent to date. This includes not just technical and software developers and engineers, but also finance and sales.

They have, he confirmed, taken on some workers who were let go from PayPal.

We are getting access to the talent pool that aligns with Kaseyas key values, he said, adding that they were not a Silicon Valley type company.

They want people who have a great work ethic who are prepared to work for the opportunities available for all employees.

He said that theyve had employees who started in entry level positions within the company who were able to buy homes and provide fantastic opportunities for their families.

Details of the roles available within Kaseya in Dundalk can be found on the careers section of the company website

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The challenges faced by people with autism in making the transition from education to work was highlighted a number of times last week in Leinster House by Dundalk TD Ruairi O Murchu.

The Sinn Fein TD raised the issue with Ministers Simon Harris, Roderic OGorman and Heather Humphreys, while also using his time on the Oireachtas committee on autism to focus on how technology could assist the transition.

In addition, Louth-based entrepreneur and educator, Lisa Marie Clinton, was one of the expert witnesses at last weeks autism committee. She is the strategy and business development director of adult transition and employment for CentralReach, an American company that offers a range of autism and intellectual disability care software and services. It serves over 130,000 professionals at home, in the community, at school and in work.

Autism Awareness Day was on Sunday, April 2, and Deputy O Murchu was one of a number of TDs who attended the launch of World Autism Month hosted by the AsIAm group.

In Leinster House, Deputy O Murchu told Social Protection Minister Heather Humphreys that he welcomed the review of the disability awareness support scheme and asked her to also look at the workplace equipment adaptation grant as there had been a very low up-take.

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We want to bring about workplaces that are disability friendly. We do not want employers to have to pay the money up-front, especially smaller employers. We have to look at engaging the Intreo workforce to engage with employers to facilitate with disabilities in the workplace.

He also asked Minister for Further and Higher Education Simon Harris to look at how third level institutions and further education colleges can assist with the transition from education to work for those with autism and the need for colleges to be more accessible.

At the autism committee, Deputy O Murchu spoke about the benefits of people with autism gaining employment following education.

We have all seen the benefits that accrue for the person, for society, for the wider economy and obviously for their family as well. It is about being able to be all they can be, he said, highlighting the need to create autism-friendly workspaces and to support students with autism in third level education.

He also spoke about the needs for adult services for people with autism, saying that they are almost non-existent.

In addition, Louth-based entrepreneur and educator, Lisa Marie Clinton, was one of the expert witnesses at last weeks autism committee. She is the strategy and business development director of adult transition and employment for CentralReach, an American company that offers a range of autism and intellectual disability care software and services. It serves over 130,000 professionals at home, in the community, at school and in work.

Deputy O Murchu said At times, people need one-on-one interaction with facilitators, educators and therapists but these assistive technologies can be available to them all of the time. There is a definite win," he said.

We know that for children and adults with autism, there needs to be repetition. Repetition is key to learning a skill. We can provide 24-7 repetition and if we provide these prompts all of the time, people learn these skills at a much faster pace, Ms Clinton said.

When we measured it against the traditional methods we were able to increase the acquisition of skills and of that goal at a much faster pace. That meant that the organisation could reallocate resources and serve more individuals or increase the goals it had thought it might not have been able to work on because it had to provide a level of one-to-one. We could, therefore, extend learning to teach more skills.
Fifth cousins of US President Joe Biden, Cllr Andrea McKevitt and her sister Ciara, as they celebrated his inauguration at 46th President of the United States

Eamonn Thornton showing photographs to Joe Biden, the 47th Vice President of The United States, of his 2016 visit to the Cooley Peninsula.

Out on the Cooley peninsula, anticipation is mounting that United States President Joe Biden will drop by during his visit to Ireland next week for the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement.

While there have been no official announcements, President Biden has previously expressed a desire to return to the area where his Finnegan ancestors left in the years after the Famine.

He has visited the area twice before, once as Vice-President in 2016 and again in 2017 before announcing his presidential run.

The buzz of helicopters over the peninsula in recent days is adding to the excitement, according to local councillor Andrea McKevitt, a distant cousin of the 46th President.

Its anticipated that President Biden will arrive in Northern Ireland next Tuesday, April 11, and will probably stop-off in north Louth when he makes his way to Dublin the following day.

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"Weve got no confirmation of anything at this stage but weve all noticed the helicopters in the sky over the last couple of days.

"It would be massive for us as a family and for the whole community if he does come, she said.

"We have the flags ready to go and the bunting ready to be hung. Were just waiting for confirmation for whats going to happen.

While Cllr McKevitt didnt meet President Biden on his previous two visits, her uncles did and she is looking forward greeting him this time.

In terms of tourism it would be huge if he came here. It would mean weve had two American Presidents visit Louth.

Eamonn Thornton from Whitestown struck up a bond with President Biden when he met him in 2016.

I met him in Lily Finnegans and he was a real gentleman, says Eamonn, who is one of several distant cousins of the President Biden living on the peninsula.

He also met him when he returned as an ordinary five eights as he put it himself the following year and spoke to him by phone before his election as President.

He drives a white van with the words The President of United States Joe Biden. From Whitestown, Co Louth...to the White House, Washington and was delighted to park it outside Lily Finnegans when the American Ambassador visited the area last summer.

Mr Thornton believes that President Bidens visit to the peninsula would help boost tourism and is disappointed that more hasnt been done to highlight the American Presidents connections with these parts.
Louth Sinn Fein TD Ruairi O Murchu has been given the portfolio for European Affairs following the partys front bench re-shuffle.

Announcing details of the re-shuffle, party President Mary Lou McDonald said This is the team that will lead Sinn Fein into the next General Election  a team full of talent, experience and ambition and bursting with the energy to deliver; a team that is ready to deliver change in government.

As we enter the last quarter of this government, it is clear that Fine Gael and Fianna Fail are out of ideas and out of ambition. The longer they remain in office the more damage they will do. That is why we need change and a General Election as soon as possible.

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Deputy O Murchu, who previously held the portfolio for Communications and Broadband, said I am hugely honoured to be named as Spokesperson on European Affairs. It is something I have always had an interest in and I am looking forward to taking it on.

"I am very proud, along with my constituency colleague Imelda Munster, to be part of a vibrant and energetic Sinn Fein team heading into the next election, delivering on the issues that matter to people and working for a united Ireland.
Ciaran Kinihan of the Boyne Fishermens Rescue and Recovery Service with Richie Donnelly and Nicola McDonnell who are doing a skydive in May to raise funds for the Irish Wheelchair Association and the Boyne Fishermens Rescue and Recovery Service.

Richie Donnelly and Nicola McDonnell are doing a Sky Dive in May to raise funds for the Irish Wheelchair Association and the Boyne Fishermens Rescue and Recovery Service.

For most people, the thoughts of leaping from a perfectly functioning airplane strikes terror in their hearts, but when you have faced the challenges Nicola McDonnell and Richie Donnelly have, it should be a piece of cake!

A tireless worker for disability rights, Nicola has been a wheelchair user since 2010, after a life changing accident on a bouncy castle left her paralysed.

Richie is a double-amputee who also uses a wheelchair, but both are looking forward to the adventure of a lifetime, to raise funds for the Irish Wheelchair Association of Drogheda, and also the Boyne Fishermen Rescue and Recovery Service.

"We have been talking about doing this for a long time, and now we have an actual date set on Saturday May13th to do the skydive, explains Nicola, who works at the Drogheda branch of the IWA.

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Richie has been coming to the centre for almost 15 years, and the lads from the Boyne Fishermen do a lot of voluntary work for us in the centre, so we decided to split the total with them.

"Every Thursday, the younger life skills group visit the boat house and they show them around the boats and what they do.

The duo have a goal of 2,500 in mind, and have set up an iDonate page where people can pledge money for the two great causes.

Expand Close Ciaran Kinihan of the Boyne Fishermens Rescue and Recovery Service with Richie Donnelly and Nicola McDonnell who are doing a skydive in May to raise funds for the Irish Wheelchair Association and the Boyne Fishermens Rescue and Recovery Service. / Facebook

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Whatsapp Ciaran Kinihan of the Boyne Fishermens Rescue and Recovery Service with Richie Donnelly and Nicola McDonnell who are doing a skydive in May to raise funds for the Irish Wheelchair Association and the Boyne Fishermens Rescue and Recovery Service.

We also have sponsorship cards where people can give whatever they want, and even in the past few days, Richie and I have around 600, and another 300 on the page, so were hoping we might raise more, she says. People are being so generous, and the family of a man in Dundalk who was rescued by the volunteers have given 200 and a friend has brought my card into Dublin Corporation, so were already doing great.

The local IWA branch can use the funds for organising special events, courses or vital services they know are needed by individuals in the town.

"It can be used for things like transport to appointments, or even respite trips or Christmas parties, which make a huge difference to the members, explains Nicola. It is run by a committee, which we would be lost without, and the fund can even be used by members who would be stuck for a taxi at the weekend, so we would love to raise as much as possible for two services.

Of course, this all sounds great on paper, but how are they both feeling about jumping out of a moving plane at around 10,000 feet?

"Im not nervous now, but I know that closer to the time, and going through it, I will be! she says with a laugh. We dont receive any training, we just turn up at around 8.30am on the Saturday morning, hope the weather is good, and get strapped to someone who hopefully knows when to pull the cord!

The jump takes place at the Irish Parachute Club, in Clonbullogue, County Offaly, and there is plenty of time to get donating, raising funds, organising events and giving sponsorship to Nicola and Richie for the two charities.

"The link for the page is https://www.idonate.ie/fundraiser/NicolaRichieSkydive and you can also donate money to our sponsorship cards at the IWA branch centre on Mayoralty Street, Drogheda, says Nicola. We are really grateful for every cent.
Sligo Sinn Fein has announced details of its forthcoming Easter Commemoration.The parade will assemble at Sligo cemetery at 3pm on Easter Sunday and proceed to the Republican Plot where the main ceremony will take place.

This years oration will be delivered by Chris MacManus MEP.

Commemoration committee member Blain Feeney said: Easter is an important time for Irish Republicans and we would ask that as many as possible join with us in what is the main Easter Commemoration to be held in County Sligo. We would also ask that people would wear an Easter Lily as a token of remembrance to all those who died for Irish Freedom, he said.

A wreath laying ceremony will also be held at 12pm on Easter Sunday morning at the graveside of Martin Savage in Ballisodare.

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Meanwhile, Barry Murray, of the Peadar ODonnell Socialist Republican Forum will deliver the oration at this years Annual 1916 Commemoration ceremony which takes place at the Republican Plot in Sligo cemetery on Easter Sunday at 12 Noon.

Cllr Declan Bree will preside at the traditional event which is held under the auspices of Independents4Change and People First.

Mr Murray, a life-long political activist, is a member of the National Executive Committee of the Peadar ODonnell Republican Socialist Forum.

A former political prisoner who spent 9 years in the H-Blocks, he is a member of the Communist Party and is a founder member and Programme Manager of Turas Na nDaoine, a community initiative in Fermanagh established to help build sustainable peace and prosperity in areas suffering from high levels of economic and social deprivation.

Its programme places particular emphasis on engaging with disaffected and marginalised young people who are vulnerable to recruitment by those opposed to the Peace Process.

Those attending the commemoration ceremony are asked to assemble at Cairns Drive at 11.50 am on Easter Sunday morning.
In conversation with Keith Hopper a well known author and lecturer in Creative Writing for a podcast called The Word, the multi-talented and much published author and Sligo born actor, Pauline McLynn has certainly moved on significantly since she catapulted to fame on the hilarious Father Ted show in the mid where she played the unforgettable housekeeper Mrs Doyle.

Keith and Pauline are also first cousins, but not married quipped Pauline she told an audience at Sligo Library.

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Pauline was born in 1962 in the then Sligo General Hospital, the eldest of three children to parents Padraig and Sheila but six months later they moved to Galway where she grew up.

After secondary school Pauline went to Trinity College to study Modern English and the History of Art where she was a very good student but maybe not necessarily of the subjects that I was studying.

Trinity was a Protestant university and only had women studying in from the 1960s, so it was a miracle they took me.

But Sligo is where it all started, and my parents came from Emmet Place and Knappagh Road or Jinks Avenue whichever you prefer.

The interview was conducted in Sligo Library and Pauline paid homage to all libraries.

I would lay down in front of tanks for libraries as they are a world of magic.

She added that librarians, like writers are the most generous people you could meet.

Once you enter the world of books you realise what a rich world is out there. and libraries are it.

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Pauline left Trinity with a degree after studying there from 1979 to 1983 a time of deep recession.

There were no jobs, so I fell into drama with the D.U players and went on from there.

But she remains best known for playing Mrs Doyle in the seminal Father Ted.

Hopper added that if Pauline ever got the Nobel Prize for Literature the headline in The Sligo Champion and elsewhere would be Mrs Doyle wins the Nobel Prize for Literature.

Sadly, Pauline lost her mum, lost her mum Sheila, 86, last October - 17 years after stroke also claimed the life of her 69-year-old father, Padraig.

She remembers her parents as super, lively and mischievous, never standing in the way of her acting ambitions.

We were brought on holidays every year to the seaside, picnics at the weekend and we were never discouraged from doing anything.

I drifted into drama and acting and they never once took me to one side, they were very open minded.

Her late dad worked with Autolec before establishing his own motor factors business. He was well known in motor industry throughout the West of Ireland.

Although he had lived away from Sligo for over forty years, he maintained strong links with his native town. He was a regular visitor to Sligo and was an avid follower of Sligo Rovers.

Mum Sheila was an art teacher and artist,

Pauline began writing books as an absolute accident.

I did not have a bucket list except maybe that I would love to visit the Grand Canyon and stand on the Great Wall Of China and wave at the moon in the hope that somebody up there might see me.

More seriously OBrien Press asked comedians in Ireland if they would write funny novels for them.

I did some comedy acting and I used to hang round with comedians, but I am not a comedian.

But they asked me if I could write one of those books and I thought no, sure how could I do anything like that.

But it kind of got in on my head and I thought if I was going to write, what would it be and that led to three books, some of whom are in this library.

They are kind of crime capers featuring an Irish private detective called Leo Street and she is a woman and its named after a street I pass by in Dublin and I thought, what a great name for a gumshoe.

She added: It literally came from that and then you find yourself on a roller coaster where people are expecting books and you have deadlines and the important thing about that is that if you dont meet the deadline you will be dead!

And I respond very well to a deadline and I think it comes from being a student when you dont hand in an essay and you are going to have to pull an all nighter.

The worst thing that happened to me when I started to write novels was that my husband (Richard Cook) started to take an interest in them, and I have written eight novels for supposed grown ups and the key word is supposed.

But around novel four or five he started to read the manuscripts. He would take out the red pen and put a big X through it and put a note in the margins saying you are better than this.

If there is a harder note to take, I dont know what it is. I thought it was rather wonderful and then he would take it apart.

He knows all of my bad habits as a writer and would make a great editor, if I ever finish another one but harsh, very harsh.

Richard is a theatrical agentThe couple tied the knot in 1997,

Meanwhile, Pauline has also written short stories for charity collections with stories like Moments which was written for tsunami victims, Magic in aid of one parent families, Girls Night In for war children, Yeats Is Dead for Amnesty International.

Keith Hopper pointed out that Pauline is always involved in causes, childrens causes, homeless charities and animal cruelty so where does she find the time to write and act.

Sadly, not finding the time to write, I am an Olympic prevaricator.

But on the short stories, Gordon Browne the ex British PM and his wife had lost a child and they put together a book of short stories and I wrote one for them and got invited to Downing Street for the launch of it.

Pauline began writing books in 2000 with the first of the Leo Street books and her most recent young adult ones were Jenny Hugh Unravelled with strong female characters.

After the three Leo Street books an editor asked me if there was something else there and I wrote eight of those stand alone novels and then I ran out of stories to tell.

But, as writers are endlessly supportive one of them said why dont I start writing for younger readers so I wrote for someone who is basically age,13 and she is Jenny Hugh.

And I stopped writing then because after that you are into sex and drugs and the whole lot, and I could not bear for someone to come along and say to me:

Do you know what my daughter has just done because she read it in one of your books, so I have kept her on the cusp of the great world out there.

They were no less difficult to write than the adult ones and when you are writing for ten to thirteen year olds, they dont want a description of a house its a case of go through the door and get on with the action.

But I loved doing them and this is the harsh world of publishing, but I did not get asked for any more of them or for any more adult books either.

She continued: After the Leo Street books, I wrote a book called The Woman On The Bus which is set in Father Ted country in a fictional place in County Clare.

I was asked to do the audio fo it and I read it in Bath in England. In the book the woman would be talking to a lot of people in the pub.

After that, I set my books in London although one of them is in Norfolk and its Called Missing You Already.

I saw a programme on the television about a brilliant woman who was an editor who had Alzheimers and words were her thing and they made a programme with her as she lost the words, the thing that had made her so brilliant.

She could not say them or remember them anymore. Like all kinds of dementia, it is an extraordinary and cruel thing, so I put her straight in there and found out lots of stuff when I was touring England.

There were a lot of Napoleonic soldiers who were in Norfolk and I put them all into the book and afterwards at literary festivals people would come up to me and say they had Alzheimers and was there anything I could tell them to do.

And I was no expert, but I was struck by the generosity of people and when I mention cancer, strokes and the dementias, people will come forward and tell you their stories and all of which, with permission, I put into that book.

But people are so generous with their stories and that is one of the reason the Irish love books. And it all starts in Sligo for me. I think that one of the reasons we are writers and storytellers is that up to a relatively short time ago, not everybody could read and write.

But we as a nation we had a great oral tradition.

Our great grandad and our great grandmother on the maternal side could read and write but because of that great oral tradition it is no surprise to me that the Irish win Nobel prizes for writing.

Thats what we do, we tell storis and during lockdown I talked to artists in Leitrim, and we are the ones to make sense of the times we live in.

So, there was never a time when art meant more when we could tell the stories, paint the pictures and make the music.
MEP Chris MacManus has praised the European Institutions for putting the protection of the Good Friday Agreement front and centre for the past 25 years.

MacManus was speaking as he hosted an event in the European Parliament, alongside fellow Irish MEPs Barry Andrews, Ciaran Cuffe and Sean Kelly, to celebrate the legacy of reconciliation, and the cultural and sporting successes enjoyed as a result.

This evenings symposium featured contributions from community and sporting leaders from Ireland who travelled to Brussels to attend the event.

MacManus said: The Good Friday Agreement is a precious one. This historic agreement brought to an end the most protracted armed conflict in Europe, recognising the existence of different political objectives - maintaining the link with Britain or the pursuit of Irish unity.

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It created a framework for the pursuit of these political objectives through peaceful and democratic means and ensured that it is for the people of Ireland - by majority vote north and south - to decide on the future constitutional status of the North of Ireland.

It mapped a tentative peace and made it lasting, and did so without eroding identity. It asked more of us all.

It put in place a new constitutional framework in the North of Ireland, along with a peace process, and a political process, that would finally guarantee equality, justice and human rights.

We must never forget the pain and suffering this conflict inflicted upon so many families. My own family unfortunately, like many others, knows only too well that very real pain.

The Good Friday Agreement came with us, and many other families, on an important journey of Forgiveness, understanding and reconciliation.

The sense of loss never subsides, but the sense of pain does. The Good Friday Agreement prevented such tragedy and loss visiting other families. For me that is something worth fighting to protect.

Having that first-hand understanding of the vital importance of the Good Friday Agreement, I made it my priority from day one of becoming an MEP to protect it from the very worst impacts of Brexit.

At every point throughout Brexit negotiations, myself and my colleagues from across the European Union have always put the protection of the Good Friday Agreement front and centre.

The European Institutions have demonstrated an unwavering commitment to the Good Friday Agreement - in all its parts - on numerous occasions.

I have no doubt that our friends across Europe will play an equally important role in the next 25 years as a new chapter of the Good Friday Agreement unfolds.

I thank my MEP colleagues, Barry Andrews, Ciaran Cuffe and Sean Kelly for working with Sinn Fein to put together this evenings event.

"This sent a clear message that all Irish political parties represented in the European Parliament are not only proud of the historic achievement, but we will fight tooth and nail to protect it.
On Thursday afternoon April 6th Sligo Traveller Support Group will host an online poetry reading and interview with Sligo poet Winnifred Ward. Winnifred is a talented poet and Irish Traveller living in Sligo town.

Winnifred draws upon her own lived experience in much of her work and she deals with a wide range of issues including mental health, domestic violence, Traveller culture, and the justice system amongst other issues.

She has performed at the Hawks Well Theatre, Culture Night and other events and hopes ultimately one day to publish a book of her own poetry. She will be live on the Sligo Traveller Support Group Facebook page from 2pm.

Mental Health Worker with Sligo Traveller Support Group Jamie Murphy said: We are delighted to have the opportunity to talk with Winnifred and listen to some of her poems. Her work is powerful and moving. She writes from the heart and from her own personal experiences.
Lucy-Lou Foley with a card for Love Island's Ekin Su pictured with dad Patrick Foley at Hickey's Pharmacy in Gorey on Friday evening. Pic: Jim Campbell

Queues started early as fans turned out in large numbers to see Love Island's Ekin Su at Hickey's Pharmacy in Gorey on Friday evening. Pic: Jim Campbell

Roisin Kinsella presented one of her cupcakes to Love Island's Ekin Su in Hickey's Pharmacy in Gorey on Friday evening. Pic: Jim Campbell

Ekin Su waving to the many fans who wait outside the pharmacy to meet the Love Island star at Hickey's Pharmacy in Gorey on Friday evening. Pic: Jim Campbell

Young lady recording the moment from outside in the queue of the visit of Love Island's Ekin Su to Hickey's Pharmacy, Gorey on Friday evening. Pic: Jim Campbell

One staff member enjoying the music during the visit of Love Island's Ekin Su at Hickey's Pharmacy in Gorey on Friday evening. Pic: Jim Campbell

Love Island star Ekin-Su was greeted by swarms of fans from across Ireland as she jetted in to Gorey for a meet and greet event at Hickeys Pharmacy.

As part of a three-stop Irish tour with BPerfect Cosmetics, the reality star and winner of the eighth series of Love Island paid a visit to Gorey Shopping Centre, where she spoke with hoards of fans and browsed through what the shop had to offer. According to Store Manager Lisa Power, the event was a massive success.

We sold 120 tickets and we also drew a crowd of about 200. There was such high demand. It wasnt just people from Gorey. We had people from Kildare, Carlow, Wicklow and Dublin who travelled for it. she said.

"Ekin-Su was absolutely lovely. She talked to everyone and was really down to earth. She was particularly good with young girls, telling them all they were beautiful and talking to them all about confidence.

She was trying to shop at the end and couldnt believe stuff we had. We gave her a gift of pyjamas, a Gorey keyring and magnet. Shes mad for Tayto so gave her six pack of that, and she loves Dairy Milk so we gave her a big slab of that, too.

According to Lisa, the Love Island star was extremely complimentary of Gorey.

"She couldn't believe how busy the town was. She loved Gorey and had really nice things to say about the place.

Guests on the night also enjoyed cupcakes provided by local baker Roisin Kinsella, while musician Aoife Cullen entertained the crowds with some songs.

Following the event, the BPerfect rep informed Lisa that the Gorey stop was the most successful one of Ekin-Sus tour in terms of both product sales and attendees.

"They couldnt believe how successful it was. After this, BPerfect is thinking of doing more things like this in Gorey, she said. Gorey is really on the map now. It is the centre of everything. They have recognised that we have a nice store, that it is a bustling town and that Gorey is one of the fastest growing towns in Ireland, which is something that I always mention.

A British model and reality show star, Ekin-Su shot to fame on winning the eighth series of the ITV2 reality series Love Island alongside Davide Sanclimenti. She now has her own line of make-up with Belfast-born make-up line BPerfect.
Some of the Wexford ambassadors on a tour in Ferns.

THE craic will be mighty in Ferns in April when Wexford tourism ambassadors will be hosting a free community Ceili.

The event will take place in the Courtyard Bar & Restaurant, on Saturday, April 22, at 7:30 p.m. Its being organised to celebrate the completion of the ambassadors training as part of the Ancient Connections Programme and to welcome their Welsh counterparts who will be spending the weekend exploring some of the fantastic heritage sites Co. Wexford has to offer.

Commenting on the event, Tara Clarke, who is an archaeologist and heritage researcher with Abarta Heritage, said the ceili will be a chance for people to meet the tourism ambassadors, hear fantastic tales and songs from Irish and Welsh folklore and enjoy traditional music and dance.

Everyone is welcome to attend this free event, said Tara.

The ambassador training program is delivered by Abarta Heritage as part of the Ancient Connections programme which is aimed at enhancing links between West Wales and Wexford. Its funded by the European Regional Development Fund through the Ireland Wales co-operation programme, Pembrokeshire and Wexford County Councils, Visit Wexford and Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority.


STEM is found everywhere in our daily lives, and can help us understand the world we live in and give us the tools to improve our lives. Education and careers within this space always seek to develop and provide innovative solutions to global issues, including climate change, problems in healthcare, finance, and even world hunger.

These all require a scientific workforce equipped with a skillset of new technology and diverse thinking integrating multiple STEM concepts to solve them.

Adopting skills and new technologies

Helena ODwyer, EY Ireland Partner and Head of Strategy at EY-Parthenon Ireland (EY's global strategy consultancy), says that as technology advances and the world becomes more digitally connected, the need for STEM-educated professionals is growing.

Advanced economies such as Ireland have a demand for highly skilled individuals to drive continued growth. Companies operating in some of Irelands key sectors such as technology or manufacturing, require graduates from a broad range of STEM disciplines to fill technical roles.

Companies in other sectors such as professional services look to hire STEM graduates for their ability to drive innovation in business, leveraging their creative problem-solving, logical structuring, and analytical skills.

To support businesses in adopting STEM skills and new technologies, EY Ireland launched AI Labs, a unique AI centre of excellence. To ensure AI Labs is supported with the advanced research, skills, and insights it needs to thrive, EY will enter into a four-year strategic collaboration with the ADAPT Centre, which is the world-leading SFI Research Centre for AI-driven digital content technology.

Helena says, EY aims to bring a multitude of backgrounds together when helping its clients to navigate their most pressing challenges. There are people with STEM backgrounds on many of our teams, due to their problem-solving and analytical abilities.

Our recently launched EY AI Lab, in our Dublin office, provides our clients with a centre of excellence for all things connected to big data, AI, robotics, smart automation, VR/AR and advanced analytics, to help solve their most complex challenges and innovate their business.

Power of women in STEM

While Helena says one of Irish companies main priorities is keeping the skillset of their workforce nurtured in order to keep up with technological change, she also stresses the importance of a diverse workforce.

Helena says, Women make up half the population in Ireland, and the absence or lack of women in STEM means theres a loss of potential, innovation, quality, and perspectives. That's a big loss of knowledge.

I know from first-hand experience, when women contribute with a different perspective, it is a much better solution. Plus, there are many attractive and well-paid jobs in STEM. And it would be reprehensible if women lost the opportunity to get their fair share of this.

It's been widely researched that there are improvements in productivity and innovation in teams that have a diversity of men, women and cultures. It's a better work environment when theres diversity.

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Encouraging female role models

Carol Murphy, EY Ireland Consulting Partner and Head of Technology Risk, says, Since my early career, theres no doubt that STEM careers are very male-orientated. I think there arent enough role models. I believe that if you can't see it, then you can't be it or wont aspire to be it.

We have to be able to encourage kids to consider STEM as a career path a lot sooner. So rather than waiting for graduates to be coming out of college, we need to get to teachers and children much earlier, in the primary curriculum.

In EY, Carol leads the Connecting Women in Technology Network (CWIT). This is a network of over 20 organisations, which all have a shared goal to attract, retain and promote women in the technology industry and in technology career paths in Ireland.

One of the key initiatives that has been designed by CWIT, which started in DCU and is now rolling out to other universities, is the STEM Teacher Internship Programme.

Carol says, Teachers gain hands-on experience working in STEM to understand what that involves. Then when they go back to their classrooms, they're able to teach kids about the potential careers they can have in STEM and the importance of technology.

That's really powerful, because a lot of the teacher interns that we have had as part of the programme over the years have gone back into their schools and become the STEM champions or STEM leaders within their schools.

The more we can educate teachers on STEM careers and paths, and how to encourage both females and males, the better chance we have of those kids keeping on subjects like maths and engineering and science in secondary school and college and to seriously consider further education and potential careers in STEM.

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Inspiring the future workforce

To encourage and inspire young women to pursue a STEM career, EY launched the EY STEM App in Ireland last year.

The vision for the EY STEM App is to identify, empower and inspire the next generation of girls in STEM careers, says Helena ODwyer.

Aimed at girls aged between 13-18 years, EY is hoping to reach and inspire at least 5,000 young women throughout Ireland, and 100,000 young women globally, to pursue STEM careers across all the different areas of science, technology, engineering and maths.

The free-to-use app features modules and fun activities focused on STEM. For example, there are modules and activities in climate change space exploration and technology, such as artificial intelligence (AI), 3D printing and blockchain. The app can help women to discover exciting jobs they may not know about or associate with STEM.

The EY STEM App was developed by EY in collaboration with Skills VR, an organisation dedicated to developing potential talents through immersive learning.

We felt that for this particular age group, it was really important to develop something thats on a phone or device of some sort, and it has to be immersive, says Helena. The app has gamified content, which we feel is a fun way for teenagers to get involved and stay involved.

As they complete more activities on the app, girls become eligible to receive a range of incentives, such as options to donate to their favourite charities and the opportunity to engage in training programmes with EY Irelands technology and data analytics teams.

The rewards help to build a real sense of accomplishment and confidence with the completion of each step, says Helena.

The EY STEM App is approved by the Department of Education for use in schools across Ireland, and is sponsored by the EY Women in Technology programme, which was formed to create an inclusive culture to successfully harness technologys potential to transform society.

Helena says, We also aim to support the development of girls in underserved communities, and their transition from the education side into equal and fair employment. We hope the app empowers girls to have the confidence to take on a STEM career.

Ultimately then, it's a win-win for companies too. As we can acquire the talent that comes off the back of the EY STEM app and grow the pipeline of young women to excel in places like EY and in STEM organisations.

Helena adds, With the influence of high-tech industries, the demand for innovation grows, which has led to STEM becoming an increasingly important topic in education policy and school curriculum discussions.

Investing in STEM education will ensure the future workforce is more gender-balanced and diverse, more confident to re-skill, and equipped with these new skills to drive future innovations.

For more information and support with business transformation, visit ey.com/ie

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Centenarians may possess a unique immune system that remains functional in extreme old age, helping them achieve exceptional longevity, a new study suggests.

This rare population of individuals who reach 100 years or more have a distinct composition of immune cells that provides them with highly functional immune systems, said researchers, including those from the Boston University School of Medicine.

Previous studies have shown that one of the defining characteristics of ageing is a decline in the proper functioning of the immune system.

Immune cells are behind important mechanisms to recover from disease, promoting longevity.

In the new study, published recently in the journal EBioMedicine, researchers performed single cell sequencing to assess the molecules in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs)  a broad category of immune cells circulating in the blood  taken from seven centenarians.

The centenarians were part of the New England Centenarian Study, one of the largest studies of individuals in North America who have lived longer.

Researchers then used advanced computational techniques to analyse how the proportion of different cell types and their internal activities change with age.

They identified cell type-specific composition and function changes that are unique to centenarians, reflecting normal immune response with age.

We assembled and analysed what is, to our knowledge, the largest single-cell dataset of centenarian subjects that allowed us to define unique features of this population that support the identification of molecular and lifestyle factors contributing to their longevity, explained study senior author Stefano Monti.

Our data support the hypothesis that centenarians have protective factors that enable to recover from disease and reach extreme old ages, said Tanya Karagiannis, another author of the study.

Scientists said that as people are exposed to infections and recover from them over their lifetime, their immune systems learn to adapt. This ability, however, usually declines with age.

The immune profiles that we observed in the centenarians confirms a long history of exposure to infections and capacity to recover from them and provide support to the hypothesis that centenarians are enriched for protective factors that increase their ability to recover from infections, said senior author Paola Sebastiani.

Researchers believe the findings provide a foundation to better understand the mechanisms driving immune resilience with age  a factor that likely contributes to extreme longevity.

Centenarians, and their exceptional longevity, provide a blueprint for how we might live more productive, healthful lives. We hope to continue to learn everything we can about resilience against disease and the extension of ones health span, study senior author George J Murphy said.
Former US president Donald Trump appears in court for his arraignment (Seth Wenig, Pool/AP)

Former US president Donald Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.

The plea came during a brief arraignment in a New York courtroom as Mr Trump faced a grand jury indictment arising from a hush money payment to a porn actor during Mr Trumps 2016 campaign.

Judge Juan Merchan warned the former president to refrain from rhetoric that could inflame or cause civil unrest.

Judge Merchan also warned Mr Trump that he could be removed from the courtroom if he was disruptive, but Mr Trump spoke only a few times to respond to questions.

The arraignment, though procedural in nature, amounts to a remarkable reckoning for Mr Trump after years of investigations into his personal, business and political dealings.

Any alleged offence punishable by more than one year in prison is called a felony in the US justice system.

The case is unfolding against the backdrop not only of his third campaign for the White House but also against other investigations in Washington and Atlanta that might yet produce even more charges.

A silent and stony-faced Mr Trump entered the courtroom shortly before 2.30pm local time without saying anything.

Minutes earlier, he narrated his feelings in real time, describing the experience as SURREAL as he travelled from Trump Tower to lower Manhattan to face a judge as the first former president in American history to be criminally prosecuted.

Wearing his signature dark suit and red tie, Mr Trump turned and waved to crowds outside the building before heading inside to be fingerprinted and processed.

Mr Trump, who was impeached twice by the US House but was never convicted in the US Senate, is the first former president to face criminal charges.

Mr Trump is scheduled to return to his Palm Beach, Florida, home, Mar-a-Lago, on Tuesday evening to give remarks. At least 500 prominent supporters have been invited, with some of the most pro-Trump congressional Republicans expected to attend.

A conviction would not prevent Trump from running for or winning the presidency in 2024.

The investigation is scrutinising six-figure payments made to porn actor Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal. Both say they had sexual encounters with the married Mr Trump years before he got into politics.

Mr Trump denies having sexual liaisons with either woman and has denied any wrongdoing involving payments.

He is next due in court in December, but his lawyers asked for him to be excused from attending the hearing in person because of extraordinary security proceedings.
Former British chancellor Nigel Lawson has died at the age of 91.

Prime minister Rishi Sunak described the Conservative party grandee and leading Brexiteer as an inspiration and Boris Johnson marked him as a giant of Tory politics.

The former MP  and father of celebrity chef Nigella Lawson  served as Margaret Thatchers chancellor from 1983 until his resignation in 1989, before sitting in the House of Lords as Baron Lawson of Blaby until his retirement in December.

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Having been editor of influential right-wing magazine The Spectator, he entered the Commons in 1974 as the representative for Blaby in Leicestershire and stayed there until 1992.

Mr Sunak, himself a former chancellor, said Lord Lawson was a transformational chancellor and an inspiration to me and many others.

Mr Johnson described him as a fearless and original flame of free market Conservatism.

He was a tax-cutter and simplifier who helped transform the economic landscape and helped millions of British people achieve their dreams, the former prime minister added.

He was a prophet of Brexit and a lover of continental Europe. He was a giant. My thoughts and prayers are with his family.

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Lord Lawson, who also worked on the Financial Times and the Sunday Telegraph, had six children, including celebrity cook and food writer Nigella and journalist Dominic.

The Telegraph first reported his death and his family are yet to comment.

Conservative former prime minister David Cameron said Lord Lawson will be greatly missed.

Nigel Lawson was a giant of British politics, right in the heart of the engine room of Margaret Thatchers great reforms  and providing so much of the intellectual backing for what needed to be done at the end of the 1970s, he said.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt tweeted: Nigel Lawson was a rarity amongst politicians, someone who transformed our thinking as well as transforming our economy.

Since he stepped down as chancellor his shoes have been impossible to fill but he inspired all his successors, leaving the country more prosperous & enterprising.

Lord Lawson helped transform Britain while serving in the Thatcher government, slashing personal taxation.

His resignation in 1989 after rows over Europe and economic policy marked the early stages of her downfall a year later.

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He chaired the Vote Leave campaign ahead of the 2016 EU referendum but faced allegations of hypocrisy after applying for a French residency card.

He also faced criticism for being a denier of the climate crisis.

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said: A true statesman. His contributions to this nation will not be forgotten.

Former prime minister Liz Truss said: Incredibly sad to hear of the death of Nigel Lawson. A true giant of 20th century politics who as Chancellor famously sought to abolish at least one tax at every Budget.

His time at the helm of the Treasury was transformational.

Tory party chairman Greg Hands said Lord Lawson will be remembered for his clarity of thinking, commitment to free market economics & willingness to challenge orthodoxies.

Former chancellor Sajid Javid said: Very saddened to hear this. One of Britains greatest public servants, especially as Chancellor.

Lawson, one of the Conservative Party's best known figures, remained in politics for nearly half a century after he was first elected as a member of the House of Commons for Blaby in Leicestershire, central England, in 1974 - a position he held until 1992. After retiring from the lower chamber, he was nominated to the upper, unelected House of Lords, in which he remained active until December 31, 2022.

A late convert to the anti-European Union cause, Lawson was a leading campaigner to exit the bloc, clashing with Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron's push to keep Britain in. He was also an outspoken global-warming skeptic, holding the belief that man-made climate change was an exaggeration.

Lawson was born March 11, 1932, in London, into a commodity-trading family. After graduating with a first-class degree in politics, philosophy and economics from Oxford University, he started his career as a journalist for the Financial Times. He progressed to become City editor of the Sunday Telegraph, before quitting the media to become an MP.

Rapid Rise

After Thatcher became prime minister in 1979, he swiftly rose through the political ranks, serving in her cabinet from 1981 to 1989. After two years as energy secretary, he was appointed as chancellor in June 1983.

His tenure came to an abrupt end with his resignation in 1989. The move, which surprised both commentators and the cabinet, followed months of disagreements with Thatcher and her personal economic adviser, Alan Walters, with Lawson complaining of their interference in his handling of economic policy. At the heart of the dispute was Lawson's push for Britain to join the European Exchange-Rate Mechanism. Both Walters and Thatcher disagreed, eventually prompting Lawson's decision to step down.

While in Thatcher's cabinet, Lawson actively championed the privatization and deregulation programs that were credited with driving Britain's economic revival in the 1980s a though he also sparked accusations in later years that he allowed the boom conditions that led the economy to crash.

'Visionary' Politician

"In some ways, Lawson could be described as a visionary," said Wyn Grant, professor of politics at Warwick University, said before his death. "He pushed through a lot of changes. His position at the end was made very difficult. But he left with his integrity intact."

Lawson oversaw the so-called Big Bang in 1986, during which financial markets were deregulated. The measures, which included scrapping fixed commission charges and the change from open-outcry to electronic, screen-based trading, led to a surge in market activity on the day of their introduction.

Lawson, who married twice, was the father of six children, including celebrity cook Nigella Lawson and journalist Dominic Lawson.
The brother of TV presenter Phillip Schofield has been found guilty of sexually abusing a teenage boy over a period of three years.

Timothy Schofield was convicted of 11 sexual offences involving a child between October 2016 and October 2019, including two of sexual activity with a child, following a trial at Exeter Crown Court.

The jury found him guilty on all counts with a majority of 10-2 after more than five-and-a-half hours of deliberation.

The 54-year-old, a civilian police worker from Bath, told the jury while giving evidence that he had watched pornography with the boy, whom he insisted was over the age of 16 at that time, and they had masturbated while sitting apart, but denied performing sexual acts on the teenager.

Jurors heard previously the defendant told his elder brother Phillip in September 2021 that he and the complainant had watched pornography.

In a statement released by his lawyer after the guilty verdict, Phillip Schofield said: My overwhelming concern is and has always been for the wellbeing of the victim and his family. I hope that their privacy will now be respected.

If any crime had ever been confessed to me by my brother, I would have acted immediately to protect the victim and their family.

These are despicable crimes, and I welcome the guilty verdicts. As far as I am concerned, I no longer have a brother.

The boy, who alleged the offending started when he was 13, told the jury he felt emotionally blackmailed by Schofield and forced to participate in sexual activity.

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He said: I felt that emotionally there was no escape from what we had to do and I felt that there was a tremendous amount of pressure and expectation for me to fulfil what was being asked and wanted.

Phillip Schofield described in a written statement how his brother had phoned him in an agitated state, and Mr Schofield had invited him to drive to his home in London.

The court heard they spent several hours talking, including eating a meal, before he went to do the washing-up.

He told how his brother said You are going to hate me for what I am about to say, with him assuring him there was nothing he could say that would do that.

I said, F***, stop. I shouted at Tim that he had to stop. I didnt want to know any of the details but he made it sound like a one-off

Mr Schofield said in the statement: Then he said that he and (the boy) had time together and that last year they had watched porn ... and (masturbated).

I turned and said, What did you just say? He said it was last year and we were alone together. Tim said it was just this once. I told him it should never happen again. He then started to tell me about (the boys) body.

I said, F***, stop. I shouted at Tim that he had to stop. I didnt want to know any of the details but he made it sound like a one-off. 



Giving evidence during the trial, the defendant told the jury he had been gay his entire life but had kept it completely secret and hidden from everybody.

He described this as incredibly difficult and told the court he had struggled with mental health problems for years.

The defendant wept as he was asked about phoning his famous brother before driving to his home in London.

Peter Binder, representing Schofield, asked: You told him you were on the verge of killing yourself?

Schofield wept as he said: Thats correct. I was so alone.

He insisted the teenager was old enough to choose to watch pornography with him.



Schofield denied the charges but was convicted of three counts of causing a child to watch sexual activity, three of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child, three of causing a child to engage in sexual activity and two of sexual activity with a child.

Judge Mrs Justice Cutts remanded him in custody ahead of sentencing at Bristol Crown Court on May 19.
The alleged assassin of a Kremlin propagandist was framed by Russias FSB security service, her husband has claimed.

Daria Trepova (26) is accused of carrying a small hollowed-out golden bust containing a bomb into a cafe where Vladlen Tatarsky, the Kremlin propagandist, was holding a meeting on Sunday.

The bomb exploded while he was admiring it, killing him and injuring more than 30 people.

Vladimir Putin yesterday awarded Vladlen Tatarsky a posthumous award for bravery and blamed Kyiv for the bomb attack that killed the pro-war blogger.

The Russian president bestowed the Order of Courage  one of Russias highest honours  on Tatarsky, in recognition of the bravery shown in the performance of his professional duty, the Kremlin said.

The FSB quickly arrested Ms Trepova, raided her St Petersburg apartment and filmed her giving a nervous partial confession yesterday.

In the footage, Ms Trepova looks tired. An FSB officer asks her if she understands why she had been arrested.

She smiles nervously, sighs and confirms that she was being arrested in connection with the murder.

I brought the figurine that exploded there, she says.

But Dmitry Rylov, her husband, said he thought she had been framed.

I am completely sure that she would never have been able to do something like this on her own, he told journalists in Uzbekistan, where he is living.

A video from Ms Trepovas arrest pans across a sculptors studio in the building where she lived. Linked commentary suggests that this was where the hollowed-out bust had been made.

Baza, a Telegram channel with close links to the Russian security services, said that the bombs blast was directional, which means that the person who pressed the detonator was watching the talk.

The bust of Tatarsky was an ideal way to disguise it as the IED easily fitted inside its hollow, it said.

The Kremlin has blamed Ukraine and Russian opposition activists for the murder.

Ukraine has denied any involvement and said the murder was linked to internal rivalries in Russias political and military sectors.

Russias National Anti-Terrorist Committee, which coordinates counter-terrorism operations, said the bombing was planned by Ukrainian special services, noting Ms Trepova was an active supporter of the imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

Mr Navalny, the Kremlins fiercest critic who exposed official corruption and had organised huge anti-government protests, is serving a nine-year fraud sentence that he has denounced as a political vendetta.

An associate of Mr Navalny, Ivan Zhdanov, warned that authorities could use the claim of involvement by political opponents as a pretext to extend his prison term.

He also said Russian security agencies could be behind the explosion to cast Mr Navalnys supporters as an internal enemy.

Ukrainian authorities did not directly respond to the accusation, with Volodymyr Zelensky brushing off a question about the attack yesterday.

I dont think about what is happening in St Petersburg or Moscow. Russia should think about this. I am thinking about our country, the Ukrainian president said.

Mykhailo Podolyak, a top adviser to Mr Zelensky, earlier sought to cast the bombing as the product of Kremlin infighting
A drunk skier has plunged 130 feet to his death in the French Alps after crashing through the window of a gondola.

The 29-year-old and another man, aged 23, were filming themselves in the ski lift as they came down the mountain at the Deux Alpes just before it closed on Saturday evening, said Grenoble prosecutor Eric Vaillant.

During the 12-minute journey, the older man, who was 6ft 2in tall and weighed more than 100kg, smashed through the plexiglass window and fell to his death.

One option is that he was completely drunk and running for fun against the windows of the cabin, French police told The Independent.

The Grenoble prosecutors office also confirmed reports that the man landed on a piste marker, and said it had asked police to investigate his death.

Two young men aged 29 and 23, drunk, were messing around in the gondola and the 29-year-old crossed the plexiglass wall and fell 40m to death. The scene was filmed by his friend with his phone, said Mr Vaillant, in a statement issued in French.

The gondola will be examined by investigators, Mr Vaillant said, as the resorts director denied any responsibility for the incident.

These cabins are designed for 20 people, the director of the Deux Alpes resort, Fabrice Boutet, told broadcaster BFM.

If theres movement caused by abrupt braking or something else, the entire cabin is designed to withstand any shocks that may occur ... this stupid accident was caused by him gaining momentum and throwing himself against the plexiglass.

The man fell from the Jandri Express 1 ski lift, according to Grenoble-based newspaper Le Dauphine libere, which broke the news of the incident.

The gondola was built in 1985 and is capable of carrying up to 1,800 people an hour as it travels nearly a kilometre to a height of 2,603 metres above sea level. Les Deux Alpes is Frances highest ski resort, boasting a summit of 3,600 metres.

A total of 12 people died in the French mountains during the 2021-22 ski season, according to the French National Mountain Safety Observation System.

More than 45,000 people were treated for injuries while emergency services attended around 50,000 incidents.
An international prosecutor declared yesterday that nobody is above the law, as the trial opened for Kosovos former president and three other defendants on charges including murder and torture in a case that their supporters claim is unjustly targeting revered freedom fighters.

Hashim Thaci resigned from office in 2020 to defend himself against the charges of crimes against humanity and war crimes committed during his countrys 1998-99 war for independence from Serbia.

I am fully not guilty, Mr Thaci, who went by the nickname The Snake during the war, told judges at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers as the trial opened in The Hague.

The other three defendants, Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi and Jakup Krasniqi, also repeated not guilty pleas made at earlier pre-trial hearings.

The case has stirred an outpouring of support from across the political spectrum in Kosovo. On Sunday, thousands of people took to the streets to show their support for the defendants.

Many Kosovars consider the Netherlands-based court an injustice and view it as an attempt to rewrite the history of their struggle for independence.

Prosecutor Alex Whiting said the KLA, a guerilla force which battled against the powerful Serbian military, had a very clear and explicit policy of targeting collaborators and perceived traitors including political opponents.

He said prosecutors would prove the KLA was responsible for hundreds of murders and illegal detentions across Kosovo and northern Albania in 1998 and 1999 and that the four accused are responsible for those crimes as leaders of the KLA general staff.

Most of the victims of the accused were fellow Kosovar Albanians, he said. In their zeal to target and eliminate those persons they deemed to be opponents the accused endorsed and implemented a policy that often victimised their own, Mr Whiting said, adding that the trial was about key defending principles.

Nobody is above the law, even during wartime, he added.

Mr Whiting has led the prosecution office preparing the case against Mr Thaci since late last year.

He replaced Jack Smith, who was named a US Justice Department special counsel last November to oversee investigations into former President Donald Trumps retention of hundreds of classified documents at his Florida home, as well as efforts by Mr Trump and his allies to overturn the results of the 2020 US presidential election.

Both investigations are pending, and have not resulted in criminal charges.

As the trial opened, hundreds of supporters of Mr Thaci and the other defendants gathered near The Hagues central railway station. Many waved flags and banners, including one that read: Dont equal victims with the criminals! Another proclaimed: KLA fought for freedom.

Lawyers for Mr Thaci and the other defendants are scheduled to deliver their opening statements today.

Defence lawyers are expected to argue that the KLA was a loosely organised guerilla force and that the defendants had little control over local fighters and cannot be held responsible for the actions of others.

In their opening statement, prosecutors sought to refute that claim. Each of the four accused wielded power, authority and influence, which enabled them to implement the common criminal purpose charged and exercise effective control, prosecution lawyer Matt Halling told judges.
Former US president Donald Trump appears in court for his arraignment in New York (Timothy A Clary/Pool Photo via AP)

Former US president Donald Trump conspired to illegally influence the 2016 election through a series of hush money payments designed to silence claims that he feared would be harmful to his candidacy, New York prosecutors said in unsealing a historic 34-count felony indictment.

The charges arose from a series of cheques that Mr Trump or his company wrote during the presidential campaign to his lawyer and fixer for his role in making a payment to a porn actor who alleged an extramarital sexual encounter with Mr Trump years earlier.

The payments were part of an unlawful plan to identify and suppress negative information that could have undermined his campaign for president, Assistant District Attorney Christopher Conroy said in court.

They were made to protect his candidacy, Mr Conroy added.

The arraignment in Manhattan, though largely procedural in nature, was nonetheless the first time in US history that a former president has faced a judge in his own criminal prosecution.

Any alleged offence punishable by more than one year in prison is called a felony in the US justice system.

The indictment amounts to a remarkable reckoning for Mr Trump after years of investigations into his personal, business and political dealings, unfolding against the backdrop not only of his third campaign for the White House but also against other investigations in Washington and Atlanta that might yet produce even more charges.

Mr Trump, stony-faced and silent as he entered and exited the Manhattan courtroom, said not guilty in a firm voice while facing a judge who warned him to refrain from rhetoric that could inflame or cause civil unrest.

The next court date is December 4, though it is not clear if Mr Trump will be required to appear.

The broad contours of the case have long been known, but the indictment contains new details about a scheme that prosecutors say began months into his presidential candidacy in 2015, as his celebrity past collided with his presidential ambitions.

It centres on pay-offs to two women, including porn actor Stormy Daniels, who said they had extramarital sexual encounters with him years earlier, as well as to a Trump Tower doorman who claimed to have a story about a child he alleged the former president had out of wedlock.

Its not just about one payment. It is 34 false statements and business records that were concealing criminal conduct, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg told reporters, when asked how the three separate alleged payments were connected.

All 34 counts against Mr Trump are linked to a series of cheques that were written to Mr Trumps personal lawyer and problem-solver, Michael Cohen, to reimburse him for his role in paying off Ms Daniels.

Those payments, made over 12 months, were recorded in various internal company documents as being for a legal retainer that prosecutors say did not exist.

Mr Cohen testified before the grand jury and is expected to be a star prosecution witness.

Nine of those monthly cheques were paid out of Mr Trumps personal accounts, but records related to them were maintained in the Trump Organisations data system.

Prosecutors allege that the first instance of Mr Trump directing hush money payments came in the autumn of 2015, when a former Trump Tower doorman was trying to sell information about an alleged out-of-wedlock child fathered by Mr Trump.

David Pecker, a Trump friend and the publisher of the National Enquirer, made a 30,000 dollar payment to the doorman to acquire the exclusive rights to the story, pursuant to an agreement to protect Mr Trump during his presidential campaign, according to the indictment.

Mr Peckers company later determined the doormans story was false, but at Mr Cohens urging is alleged to have enforced the doormans confidentiality until after election day.

The investigation also concerns six-figure payments made to Ms Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal. Both say they had sexual encounters with the married Mr Trump years before he got into politics.

Mr Trump denies having sexual liaisons with either woman and has denied any wrongdoing involving payments.

After his arraignment, Mr Trump was returning to his Florida home, Mar-a-Lago, for a primetime address to campaign supporters.

At least 500 prominent supporters have been invited, with some of the most pro-Trump congressional Republicans expected to attend.

A conviction would not prevent Mr Trump from running for or winning the presidency in 2024.

Wearing his signature dark suit and red tie, Mr Trump turned and waved to crowds outside the court before heading inside to be fingerprinted and processed.

He arrived at court in an eight-car motorcade from Trump Tower, communicating in real time his anger at the process.

Heading to Lower Manhattan, the Courthouse, he posted on his Truth Social platform. Seems so SURREAL  WOW, they are going to ARREST ME. Cant believe this is happening in America. MAGA!

Afterwards, Trump lawyer Todd Blanche told reporters that it was a sad day for the country.

You dont expect this to happen to somebody who was president of the United States, he said.

Mr Trump, who was impeached twice by the US House but was never convicted in the US Senate, is the first former president to face criminal charges.

The nations 45th commander in chief was escorted from Trump Tower to the court by the Secret Service.

The scenes around Trump Tower and the court did not feature any major unrest. Police tried to keep apart protesters supporting the former president and those opposing him by confining them to separate sides of a park near the court using metal barricades.
On a historic and unprecedented day for America, former president Donald Trump will be arrested and arraigned at a Lower Manhattan courthouse on criminal charges relating to a hush money payment made to adult film star Stormy Daniels.

Trump will appear for the arraignment before Judge Juan Merchan at 2.15pm ET this afternoon (8.15pm Irish time), becoming the first current or former US president ever to be charged with a crime.

Reports suggest he will face 34 felony charges believed to relate to falsified business records but will not be handcuffed or put in a jail cell or have his mugshot taken.

Trump responded angrily to those details being released last night, fuming on his Truth Social platform that Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg should now INDICT HIMSELF over the leak.

The 45th president flew into New York on Monday aboard his Trump Force One Boeing 757 plane before spending the night at Trump Tower in Manhattan.

After Tuesdays hearing, he will fly straight back to his Mar-a-Lago mansion in Palm Beach, Florida, to deliver a primetime address at 8.15pm ET (12.15am Irish time).

Trump will hold the event at his Mar-a-Lago club after returning from Manhattan, where he is expected to voluntarily turn himself in. He is expected to be joined in Florida by supporters as he tries to project an image of strength and defiance and turn the charges into a political asset to boost his 2024 presidential campaign.

Trump is facing multiple charges of falsifying business records, including at least one felony offense, in the indictment handed up by a Manhattan grand jury last week, two people familiar with the matter have told The Associated Press. They spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss information that is not yet public because the indictment remains under seal.

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Trump has denied any wrongdoing and has blasted the investigation as part of a yearslong witch hunt aimed at damaging his candidacy.

The Indo Daily: Arrested Developments  What next for former US president Donald Trump

Trump aides and lawyers had been going back and forth over the wisdom of his appearing before reporters after the arraignment as they grasped the news of an indictment that caught many of them by surprise. Trump has been catapulted back into the headlines by the criminal charges and he relishes media attention, and while some of his lawyers would have preferred he stay silent, his campaign believes the development has energized his supporters.

Already, Trumps campaign says it has raised more than $5 million and logged more than 16,000 volunteer signups since the indictment, which Trump spokesman Steven Cheung said were key indicators that Americans from all backgrounds are sick and tired of the weaponisation of the justice system against President Trump and his supporters."

Trump was indicted Thursday by a grand jury in the case involving hush money paid during the 2016 presidential campaign to a porn actor who alleges Trump had an extramarital sexual encounter with her years earlier.

In television interviews Sunday, Trump lawyer Joe Tacopina said he would pore over the indictment once he receives it, then devise the next legal steps. He dismissed questions about whether he would ask for a venue change or file a motion to dismiss the case as premature, though its common for defence attorneys to do both.

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Were way too early to start deciding what motions were going to file or not file, and we do need to see the indictment and get to work, he told ABCs This Week. I mean, look, this is the beginning.

The former president is expected to fly to New York midday Monday and stay at his Trump Tower in Manhattan overnight ahead of his planned arraignment Tuesday, according to two people familiar with his plans who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss Trumps travel plans.

He is expected to report to the courthouse Tuesday morning, where he will fingerprinted and have a mug shot taken, like anyone else facing charges. Investigators will complete arrest paperwork and check to see if he has any outstanding criminal charges or warrants.

Once the booking is complete, Trump will appear before a judge for an afternoon arraignment. That will take place in the same Manhattan courtroom where his company was tried and convicted of tax fraud in December and where disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinsteins rape trial took place.

But Tacopina said that most of what will happen Tuesday remains up in the air," given Trump's unique status as a former president, "other the fact that we will very loudly and proudly say, Not guilty.

Obviously, this is different. This has never happened before. I have never had Secret Service involved in an arraignment before at 100 Centre Street, he said on CNNs State of the Union," using the courthouse's street address. Hopefully this will be as painless and classy as possible for a situation like this.

The judge could at some point decide to bar anyone involved in the case from talking about it publicly, but that is unlikely to happen at Tuesdays proceeding. A gag order generally is used as a way to avoid tainting potential jurors. But its often done at the request of the defendant, and in this case, Trump is the one talking

Officials from the Secret Service and the New York Police Department toured the courthouse and met about security plans on Friday.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., a key Trump ally, and the New York Young Republican Club, are planning a peaceful protest against Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg across the street from the courthouse on Tuesday afternoon.
Elon Musk has stripped The New York Times of its Twitter blue tick and launched a scathing attack on the liberal US newspaper.

The Tesla billionaire appeared to personally order the deletion of the newspapers verification mark  a symbol that proves its identity as a trusted source  after reports that it would refuse to pay up to $1,000 (920) a month to keep the blue tick.

In response to a story about the publishers stance on Saturday, Mr Musk said: Oh OK, well take it off then.

He accused The New York Times, which has 54 million followers on the social network, of publishing a stream of unreadable diarrhoea on its Twitter feed.

The worlds second richest man, who bought Twitter last year in a $44bn deal, described the media company as incredible [sic] hypocritical here.

He said: They are super aggressive about forcing everyone to pay for their subscription. Their propaganda isnt even interesting.

The billionaire has been trying to push Twitter users towards paying 9 a month for a subscription version of the social network, hiding more features behind a paywall, as it grapples with falling advertising revenues.

He has also demanded organisations pay $1,000 per month to keep dedicated verified organisation badges, a new golden tick, leading to a debate about the value of the check mark.

Mr Musk had set a deadline of Saturday for organisations to upgrade and pay for the new status.

However, as of yesterday, the only significant account to lose its status was The New York Times
Former US President Donald Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.

Trump is now officially a criminal defendant  the first time in US history a sitting or former president has been in this position.

The hearing before a Manhattan court got underway shortly before 7.30pm Irish time with Trump arraigned on criminal charges stemming from a hush money payment to a porn actress during his 2016 campaign.

A stony-faced Trump entered the courtroom, flanked by security officers and his legal team. He did not respond to reporters questions.

He pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.

Trump sat with his hands folded as he entered his plea flanked by his lawyers.

"Not guilty," he said when asked how he pleaded.

Taken together, the charges carry a maximum sentence of 136 years in prison under New York law but an actual prison sentence, if he is convicted at a trial, would almost certainly be far less than that.

While falsifying business records in New York on its own is a misdemeanour punishable by no more than one year in prison, it is elevated to a felony punishable by up to four years in prison when done to advance or conceal another crime.

Prosecutors accused Trump of paying two women to suppress their accounts of sexual encounters with him.

The indictment, unsealed after Trump's court appearance along with a statement of facts, alleged that Trump and others violated election laws through a scheme to suppress the publication of negative information about him ahead of the 2016 US election. The two women were adult film actress Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal.

The Manhattan grand jury convened by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg that indicted Trump heard evidence about a $130,000 payment made to porn actress Daniels in the waning days of the 2016 presidential campaign. Daniels has said she was paid to keep silent about a sexual encounter she had with Trump at a Lake Tahoe hotel in 2006.

Trump's former personal lawyer Michael Cohen has said he coordinated with Trump on payments to Daniels and to McDougal.

Trump has denied having had sexual relationships with either woman, but has acknowledged reimbursing Cohen.

Some of the evidence against Trump was caught in an audio recording in September 2016 as he and his attorney discussed how to suppress stories about his affair, prosecutors said. Court documents said Trump can be heard saying, "So what do we got to pay for this?"

Trump's reimbursement cheques to a lawyer for the suppression payments falsely stated that the money was for a "retainer agreement", prosecutors said. The indictment accused Trump of falsifying his real estate company's books with intent to defraud.

Prosecutors allege that the first instance of Trump directing hush money payments came in the autumn of 2015, when a former Trump Tower doorman was trying to sell information about an alleged out-of-wedlock child fathered by Trump.

David Pecker, a Trump friend and the publisher of the National Enquirer, made a $30,000 payment to the doorman to acquire the exclusive rights to the story, pursuant to an agreement to protect Trump during his presidential campaign, according to the indictment.

Pecker's company later determined the doorman's story was false, but at Cohen's urging is alleged to have enforced the doorman's confidentiality until after election day

During the hearing, Judge Juan Merchan warned Trump to refrain from rhetoric that could inflame or cause civil unrest.

He also warned Trump that he could be removed from the courtroom if he is disruptive, but Trump spoke only a few times to respond to questions.

The judge said he was not imposing a gag order at this point, but he asked both sides to refrain from comments that could lead to civil unrest.

Trump stayed mostly still with his hands steepled or interlaced and looked ahead during the proceedings, which lasted just under an hour.

Speaking to reporters after the arraignment, Todd Blanche, a lawyer for Trump, said: "We're going to fight it. We're going to fight it hard.

He said the former president was frustrated, upset and angry about the charges.

"But I'll tell you what - he's motivated. And it's not going to stop him. And it's not going to slow him down. And it's exactly what he expected," Blanche added.

The judge set the next court hearing for December 4. Trumps lawyers asked for him to be excused from attending the hearing in person because of extraordinary security precautions.

Following his court appearance, Trump, the front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024, was due to fly back to his Mar-a-Lago resort where he intends to deliver remarks, his office said.

Earlier the former president had pumped his fist as he left Trump Tower accompanied by Secret Service agents before travelling in an eight-car motorcade down a road along the East River to the court.

As he travelled to court, he posted on his social media platform: "Heading to Lower Manhattan, the Courthouse. Seems so SURREAL - WOW, they are going to ARREST ME. Can't believe this is happening in America. MAGA!"

Wearing his signature dark suit and red tie, he turned and waved to crowds outside the courthouse building before heading inside to be fingerprinted and processed - a remarkable reckoning after years of investigations into his personal, business and political dealings and an extraordinary moment in US history.

Trump, who was impeached twice by the US House of Representatives but was never convicted in the US Senate, is the first former president to face criminal charges.

Speaking ahead of the court appearance, Trumps lawyer Joe Tacopina told reporters: He is strong and ready to go.

Earlier, Tacopina said in a TV interview that the former president wouldn't plead guilty to lesser charges, even if it might resolve the case. He also said he didn't think the case would make it to a jury.

New York police said they were ready for large protests by Trump supporters, who share the Republican former presidents belief that the New York grand jury indictment and three additional pending investigations are politically motivated and intended to weaken his bid to retake the White House in 2024. However journalists often outnumbered protesters.

Expand Close Donald Trump arriving at Manhattan Criminal Courthouse. Photo: Reuters/Eduardo Munoz / Facebook

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Trump, a former reality TV star, has been hyping that narrative to his political advantage, saying he raised more than $8m in the days since the indictment on claims of a witch hunt.

His campaign released a fundraising request titled My last email before arrest and he has repeatedly assailed the Manhattan district attorney, egged on supporters to protest and claimed without evidence that the judge presiding over the case hates me - something his own lawyer has said is not true.

Trump is scheduled to return to his home in Mar-a-Lago, in Floridas Palm Beach, following his court appearance where he will give a speech. At least 500 prominent supporters have been invited, with some of the most pro-Trump congressional Republicans expected to attend.

A conviction would not prevent Trump from running for or winning the presidency in 2024.

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Whatsapp Supporters of Donald Trump demonstrate outside Manhattan Criminal Courthouse. Photo: Reuters/Eduardo Munoz

The arraignment unfolded against the backdrop of heavy security in New York, coming more than two years after Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol in a failed bid to halt the congressional certification of Democrat Joe Bidens win.

Trump was defiant ahead of his arraignment. He used his social media network to complain that he was going to court in a heavily Democratic area, declaring, KANGAROO COURT and THIS IS NOT WHAT AMERICA WAS SUPPOSED TO BE!

He and his campaign have repeatedly assailed Bragg and even trained scrutiny on members of Bragg's family.

Despite that, the scenes around Trump Tower and the courthouse where Trump will stand before a judge did not feature major unrest. Police tried to keep apart protesters supporting the former president and those opposing him by confining them to separate sides of a park near the courthouse using metal barricades.

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Georgia Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, one of Trumps staunchest supporters in Congress, staged a brief rally at the park, but the scene was so chaotic that it was hard to hear her over the crush of reporters and protesters.

Were the party of peace, Greene said, thanking those Trump supporters present. Democrats are communists.

Embattled Republican New York Representative George Santos also showed up in solidarity with Trump, saying: I want to support the president."

I think this is unprecedented and its a bad day for democracy, Santos said, suggesting that future prosecutors could target Biden and other presidents with other cases, which cheapens the judicial system.

One demonstrator hoisted a sign reading "Trump or death 1776 2024, but others carried placards showed images of Trump in prison.
As U.S. authorities tell it, the theft of $4.5 billion from Malaysia's sovereign wealth fund by a coterie of kleptocrats in Kuala Lumpur allowed the main embezzler, a wild-partying, celebrity-obsessed financier named Low Taek Jho, to buy his way into the Hollywood movie business. With part of his ill-gotten fortune, Low quietly helped create a production company that put up $100 million in 2012 to make "The Wolf of Wall Street," the FBI said. The Oscar-nominated film was a subject of testimony Monday in a criminal trial in federal court in Washington, where a prosecutor, midway through the morning, summoned her next witness.

"Your honor, the government would like to call Leonardo DiCaprio, please."

In the crowded gallery, all heads swiveled in unison toward the public doors of Courtroom 28, and after a minute's delay - long enough for jurors to stand and stretch - here came the leading man finally, with slicked-back, dark-brown hair and a wiry goatee, clad in a solemn gray suit and stiff black shoes that looked to be just out of a box.

Shuffling papers at a lectern, prosecutor Nicole R. Lockhart waited as the lanky DiCaprio, the main star of "The Wolf of Wall Street" and a co-producer of the film, settled himself on the witness stand and swore to tell the truth.

"At the risk of asking a stupid question," she began, "what do you do for a living?"

"I am an actor," he said in a soft, measured voice, before testifying for over an hour about his long-ago business dealings and nightlife adventures with Low, now a fugitive from justice. He mentioned yachts and private jets and spoke of party excursions to Australia and South America, but mostly he discussed "The Wolf of Wall Street" and how it came to be financed by the rotund, flamboyant, Ivy League-educated money man, for whom a five-figure bar tab was just another evening on the town.

"I understood him to be a huge businessman with many different connections in Abu Dhabi and Malaysia," DiCaprio said of Low, adding, "He would have a multitude of lavish parties, many people from all over the world: actors, celebrities, musicians."

Until the 48-year-old Tinseltown icon - who is not accused of any wrongdoing - made his guest appearance Monday in U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly's courtroom, the biggest star in criminal case No. 1:19-cr-00148 had been the defendant, Grammy Award-winning rap artist Prakazrel "Pras" Michel, a founding member of the short-lived but influential 1990s hip-hop trio the Fugees.

Unlike DiCaprio's involvement with Low, Michel's association with the missing financier was felonious, according to authorities. After the Fugees split up in 1997 and Michel's solo career waned, Lockhart said, he reinvented himself as a businessman in the late 2000s by joining with Low. According to authorities, the Malaysian financier had access to billions of dollars looted from his country's sovereign wealth fund, known as 1MDB, and was creating a network of relationships with swanky and powerful people in the United States. He did this by hosting bacchanalian parties, often in Las Vegas, and bestowing absurdly lavish gifts on his growing stable of celebrity acquaintances.

Michel, on trial since last week, has pleaded not guilty to charges of money laundering, campaign-finance violations, acting as an unregistered agent for foreign nationals, witness tampering and lying to banks. Low, now 41, is an absent co-defendant in the case.

In one scheme, Lockhart said, Michel was paid handsomely by Low for illegally using straw donors to funnel $2 million into President Barack Obama's 2012 reelection campaign, without the campaign knowing the actual source of the funds. In another plot, she said, Michel, Low and others illegally lobbied Trump administration officials to quash a Justice Department investigation of Low related to the 1MDB embezzlement.

Lockhart called DiCaprio to the witness stand to flesh out some of Low's other financial ventures, including his foray into the movie business. Having sat through 90 minutes of earlier testimony from an FBI expert in cellphone data analysis, the jury seemed to suddenly perk up.

After acquiring the film rights to the 2007 memoir "The Wolf of Wall Street," by confessed stock swindler Jordan Belfort, DiCaprio became frustrated when studios declined to greenlight the kind of movie he and director Martin Scorsese wanted to make, according to trade publications. Then, in 2010, he met Low at a party in Las Vegas, he told the jury.

He said he heard that Low, a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School and son of a rich Malaysian father, "was a sort of prodigy in the business world and was incredibly successful." Eventually they struck a deal in which a company run by two of Low's friends, but silently funded by Low, would finance "The Wolf of Wall Street." The firm, Red Granite Productions (now Red Granite Pictures), agreed to a $100 million budget.

DiCaprio said "my lawyer and my team" vetted Low. He said his people reported that "the background check was fine and he was a legitimate business person." The two became not only financial associates but social pals, traveling on Low's jet with bevies of other boldfaced names to parties all over the world. He told the jury that they once flew to Australia to celebrate New Year's Eve - then immediately flew to Las Vegas, hoping to greet the same new year a second time.

"I do remember him saying that was an objective of his," DiCaprio said of his former friend. He said he distanced himself from Low in 2015 after news stories began to appear about the 1MDB scandal and Low's alleged role in it. Low had helped establish the fund in the late 2000s, when he was a close associate of Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, who was eventually ousted from office and sentenced to prison in connection with the embezzlement.

In their 2018 book about Low, "Billion Dollar Whale: The Man Who Fooled Wall Street, Hollywood, and the World," journalists Tom Write and Bradley Hope wrote that in an eight-month span starting in October 2009, "Low and his entourage spent $85 million" on booze, gambling, airplane and superyacht rentals "and to pay for Playmates and Hollywood celebrities to hang out with him."

They reported vivid details of Low's epicly extravagant 31st birthday bash - which they said DiCaprio attended - in Las Vegas in 2012. It was held in a mammoth, hanger-like building erected for the occasion, not far from the Palazzo hotel and casino, where Low was staying in a $25,000-a-night suite.

The party venue "was ample enough to house a Ferris wheel, carousel, circus trampoline, cigar lounge, and plush white couches scattered throughout," the book says. "One half was circus-themed, with the other half transformed into an ultrachic nightclub. With the lighting, and devices that sent explosions into the air periodically, it felt like a major concert, not a private event."

Pras Michel was among the 300 or so revelers, nearly all of them celebrities - from Robert De Niro and Bradley Cooper to Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian - or global business heavyweights with whom Low had cultivated financial relationships.

Ludacris, Busta Rhymes and Pharrell Williams performed, as did Britney Spears, who burst from a giant cake and sang "Happy Birthday." As guests sipped Cristal and top-shelf liquor, "Cirque du Soleil-type entertainers walked among them on stilts, while acrobats in lingerie swung on hoops overhead" and a troupe "of little people dressed as Oompa-Loompas" paraded through the crowd, the authors wrote. "In a cordoned-off VIP area, Low held court with DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese," who were then weeks into filming "The Wolf of Wall Street."

Asked on the witness stand about the 2012 party, DiCaprio paused to think. "My memory doesn't serve me about the year or location," he replied, adding, "I can't say for sure," but "quite possibly" he was there. Low threw so many parties, DiCaprio testified, that it was hard to remember.

A federal grand jury in New York indicted Low in October 2018, accusing him of several felonies related to the 1MDB embezzlement. Seven months later, he and Michel were indicted in Washington on the charges for which Michel is now on trial. Authorities have said they believe Low is in China. Court records do not list any attorney currently representing the fugitive financier in either of the criminal cases.

After he disappeared, lawyers handling a civil forfeiture case on his behalf reached a settlement with federal officials in 2019 in which Low gave up more than $700 million in assets, including "high-end real estate in Beverly Hills, New York and London; a luxury boutique hotel in Beverly Hills; and tens of millions of dollars in business investments," the Justice Department said.

Red Granite, the production company Low quietly funded, turned over $60 million to U.S. authorities to resolve a government lawsuit. And DiCaprio surrendered gifts he'd received from Low: $12 million in artworks by Picasso and Jean-Michel Basquiat, a $750,000 Diane Arbus photograph, and Marlon Brando's 1955 best-actor Oscar for "On the Waterfront."

As for "The Wolf of Wall Street," it took in about $400 million worldwide - roughly four times what it cost to produce - and garnered Academy Award nominations for best picture, best actor (DiCaprio), best director (Scorsese), best supporting actor and best adapted screenplay.

On Oscar night, though, it was shut out.
Flights in the early hours will be banned at Schiphol Airport (Alamy/PA)

The boss of Amsterdams Schiphol airport has announced plans to turn down the noise and limit pollution in one of the worlds most densely populated areas.

The airport will phase out all flights between midnight and 5am, ban private jets and the nosiest planes, and abandon a project for an additional runway.

We have thought about growth but too little about its impact for too long. We need to be sustainable for our employees, the local environment and the world, said Ruud Sondag, CEO of the Schiphol Group.

The only way forward is to become quieter and cleaner more rapidly. We have thought about growth but too little about its impact for too long. We need to be sustainable, Mr Sondag said.

We are astonished that Schiphol is unilaterally putting forward proposals that will have far-reaching consequences for airlines without involving the industry parties in this process Airline KLM

The plans should kick in no later that the 2025-2026 season.

The environmental group Greenpeace welcomed the move.

Finally, they seem to turn the tide, said its air transport expert Maarten de Zeeuw, especially lauding the ban on private jets.

We are happy that Schiphol is listening, Mr De Zeeuw said. The group said that even if other European airports had night-time flying limits, Schiphol would be the first major one on the continent to ban polluting private planes.

Airline KLM was less enthusiastic, complaining that it was not more closely consulted over the decision.

We are astonished that Schiphol is unilaterally putting forward proposals that will have far-reaching consequences for airlines without involving the industry parties in this process, it said in a statement.

Last summer, the Dutch government decided to cut the maximum number of flights allowed each year in an attempt to reduce noise and air pollution.

The decision  expected to take effect late in the year  would cut the number of flights allowed from around 500,000 to 440,000.

Schiphol, on the outskirts of Amsterdam, has been growing for years and has become one of the busiest European hubs and a significant driver of economic growth in the Netherlands.

But the government also wants to cut emissions of carbon and other pollutants such as nitrogen oxide, forcing the scaling down of flights.
Former US president Donald Trump has surrendered to authorities at a Manhattan court ahead of his arraignment on criminal charges stemming from a hush money payment to a porn actor during his 2016 campaign.

Wearing his signature dark suit and red tie, Mr Trump turned and waved to crowds outside the building before heading inside to be fingerprinted and processed  a remarkable reckoning after years of investigations into his personal, business and political dealings and an extraordinary moment in US history.

A stone-faced Mr Trump entered the courtroom shortly before 2.30pm local time without saying anything.

He arrived at court in an eight-car motorcade that took him from Trump Tower in Midtown Manhattan through the main north-south road on the east side of the city, past landmarks such as the United Nations.

Along the way, the ex-president posted on his social media platform: Heading to Lower Manhattan, the Courthouse. Seems so SURREAL  WOW, they are going to ARREST ME. Cant believe this is happening in America. MAGA!

The booking and appearance before Judge Juan Merchan should be relatively brief  though hardly routine  as Mr Trump learns for the first time the charges against him.

Mr Trump will plead not guilty, according to his lawyers, and is expected to enter the plea himself, as is standard in the court.

Judge Merchan has ruled that TV cameras will not be allowed in the courtroom.

Mr Trump, who was impeached twice by the US House but was never convicted in the US Senate, is the first former president to face criminal charges.

He is strong and ready to go, Trump lawyer Joe Tacopina told The Associated Press.

Earlier, Mr Tacopina said in a TV interview that the former president would not plead guilty to lesser charges, even if it might resolve the case. He also said he did not think the case would make it to a jury.

New York police said they were ready for large protests by Trump supporters, who share the Republican former presidents belief that the New York grand jury indictment and three additional pending investigations are politically motivated and intended to weaken his bid to retake the White House in 2024.

Journalists often outnumbered protesters, though.

Mr Trump, a former reality TV star, has been hyping that narrative to his political advantage, saying he raised more than eight million dollars in the days since the indictment on claims of a witch hunt.

His campaign released a fundraising request titled My last email before arrest and he has repeatedly assailed the Manhattan district attorney, egged on supporters to protest and claimed without evidence that the judge presiding over the case hates me  something his own lawyer has said is not true.

Mr Trump is scheduled to return to his Palm Beach, Florida, home, Mar-a-Lago, on Tuesday evening to give remarks.

A conviction would not prevent Mr Trump from running for or winning the presidency in 2024.

Inside the Manhattan courtroom, prosecutors led by New Yorks district attorney, Alvin Bragg, a Democrat, are expected to unseal the indictment issued last week by a grand jury.

This is when Mr Trump and his defence lawyers will get their first glimpse of the precise allegations against him.

The indictment contains multiple charges of falsifying business records, including at least one felony offence, two people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press last week.

After the arraignment, Mr Trump is expected to be released by authorities because the charges against him do not require that bail be set.

The investigation is scrutinising six-figure payments made to porn actor Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal.

Both say they had sexual encounters with the married Mr Trump years before he got into politics.

Mr Trump denies having sexual liaisons with either woman and has denied any wrongdoing involving payments.
Image Credit: Unsplash

Mumbai/IBNS: At least four people died as Maharashtra witnessed a whopping 711 new Covid-19 cases in the state in the last 24 hours, which is a jump of nearly 186 percent in a single day.

Maharashtra's capital city Mumbai alone recorded 218.

The state has seen 11 deaths in the last seven days and the case fatality rate in the state is currently 1.82 per cent.

There are 3,792 active cases in the state - a 62 per cent rise in a week. Mumbai currently has 1,162 active cases and a positivity rate of 13.17 per cent.

Amid a surge in cases, Maharashtra Health Minister Tanaji Sawant, earlier in the day, informed that the state would be conducting a mock drill next week (April 13 and 14th) to assess Covid preparedness.

"As suggested by the central government, we are going to hold a mock drill for our Covid preparedness in the state on 13-14th April," he said.

However, the health minister asked people not to panic but remain vigilant and take precautions.

"The Covid numbers are increasing but it's not affecting much as it's a mild variant. No need to panic but everyone should take precautions while going to crowded places," Sawant said.

Six districts of Maharashtra - Solapur, Sangli, Kolhapur, Sindhudurg, Pune and Satara - have higher numbers of positive patients.

Cases are also on the rise in areas where population density is a bit higher.

Districts like Pune, Raigad, and Thane are seeing a rise in daily positive patient numbers due to high population density.
S Jaishankar Twitter page

New Delhi: Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday met Bhutan King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and noted his vision to further strengthen the 'unique partnership' with India is deeply appreciated.

"Deeply privileged to call on His Majesty the King of Bhutan today evening," S Jaishankar tweeted.

"His Majestys vision for Bhutans future and for strengthening the unique partnership with India is deeply appreciated," he said.

Deeply privileged to call on His Majesty the King of Bhutan today evening.



His Majestys vision for Bhutans future and for strengthening the unique partnership with India is deeply appreciated. pic.twitter.com/5XJMKCO1y0  Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) April 3, 2023

The King arrived in India on Monday.

He will be visiting India from Apr 3 to Apr 5.

" During the visit, His Majesty the King of Bhutan will meet with the President of India and the Prime Minister. The External Affairs Minister and senior officials will call on His Majesty the King of Bhutan," read the statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs earlier.
Image Credit: Screenshot grab from video

Kolkata/IBNS: A day after a clash over Ram Navami procession, violence broke out at Rishra in West Bengal's Hooghly district late last night, media reports said.

Railway properties were targeted and train services were affected, reports said.

The train services resumed post midnight.

Section 144 has been imposed and internet connection has been snapped in the area.

Slamming the state administration, West Bengal Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari tweeted, "Stone pelting & bombing near Rishra Railway Station forced suspension of local & express train services on the Howrah-Bardhaman Line.

"After RPF's action train services now have been restored. Rishra is burning & the entire State Administration is enjoying beach holiday in Digha."

"Why incidents of bombing & arson today? Nobody took out any Procession today. The State Govt claimed "Alls Well". This Govt has totally failed in maintaining Law & Order. Deployment of Central Armed Police Forces is the only solution to protect the peace loving people of WB," the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA added.

Why incidents of bombing & arson today? Nobody took out any Procession today.

The State Govt claimed "Alls Well".



This Govt has totally failed in maintaining Law & Order. Deployment of Central Armed Police Forces is the only solution to protect the peace loving people of WB. pic.twitter.com/nPyRbJP1hr  Suvendu Adhikari    (@SuvenduWB) April 3, 2023

Howrah and Hooghly, the two neighbouring districts of Kolkata, were on boil over the Ram Navami processions carried by the BJP.

Two groups clashed, several vehicles were set on fire and public properties destroyed in Howrah last Thursday.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee slammed the BJP for allegedly changing the procession route and creating violence, something which has been trashed by the saffron camp.

Suvendu accused the governing Trinamool Congress of using riots to consolidate the "minority votes" post the party's defeat in Muslim-dominated Sagardighi bypoll.

Violence broke out in Hooghly on Sunday over the procession.

BJP MLA Biman Ghosh was among the injured.
Image Credit: Screenshot grab from video

Kolkata/IBNS: West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose on Tuesday sent out a strong message promising an action on part of the law enforcement agencies after visiting Rishra in the Hooghly district which witnessed fresh violence last night.

After reports of fresh violence broke out, Bose trimmed his north Bengal trip, reached ground zero, held meetings with the police officials and interacted with the residents of Rishra.

Speaking to the media, the Governor said, "There will be solid action from the part of all law enforcement agencies. We will never allow the miscreants, the hooligans and the goons to take the law into their hands. The police will come down heavily on them."

"These dark and evil forces will be brought to book. People of Bengal have a right to peaceful living and that right will be established," he added.

The violence, which broke out a day after the clash between two groups over Hindu festival Ram Navami, prompted the police to impose Section 144 and snap the internet connection in the area.

Railway properties were targeted by the mob and train services were affected, reports said.

Howrah and Hooghly, the two neighbouring districts of Kolkata, were on the boil over the Ram Navami processions carried by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Two groups clashed, several vehicles were set on fire and public properties destroyed in Howrah last Thursday.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee slammed the BJP for allegedly changing the procession route and creating violence, something which has been trashed by the saffron camp.

West Bengal Leader of Opposition and BJP MLA Suvendu Adhikari accused the governing Trinamool Congress of using riots to consolidate the "minority votes" post the party's defeat in Muslim-dominated Sagardighi bypoll.

Violence broke out in Hooghly on Sunday over the procession.

BJP MLA Biman Ghosh was among the injured.
Image Credit: IBNS File

Kolkata/IBNS: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday called the clashes over the Hindu festival Ram Navami in two districts of her state "criminal violence" slamming the prime opposition camp Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Addressing an administrative meeting in Digha, Mamata said, "The clashes which broke out were not riots but criminal violence. It was a violence by the criminals."

"All outside people and no locals were involved in the violence. We have shown how one was displaying his gun during Ram Navami," said the Chief Minister slamming the BJP which carried out Ram Navami processions.

Howrah and Hooghly, the two neighbouring districts of Kolkata, were on the boil over the Ram Navami processions carried by the BJP.

Two groups clashed, several vehicles were set on fire and public properties destroyed in Howrah last Thursday.

Violence broke out in Hooghly on Sunday over the procession. BJP MLA Biman Ghosh was among the injured.

A day after a clash over Ram Navami procession, violence broke out at Rishra in West Bengal's Hooghly district last night, media reports said.

Railway properties were targeted and train services were affected, reports said.

The train services resumed post midnight.

Section 144 has been imposed and internet connection has been snapped in the area.

West Bengal Leader of Opposition and BJP MLA Suvendu Adhikari accused the governing Trinamool Congress of using riots to consolidate the "minority votes" post the party's defeat in Muslim-dominated Sagardighi bypoll.
PIB

New Delhi: During the two-day visit of an Indian delegation led by the Director General of National Centre for Good Governance (NCGG), Bharat Lal on the invitation of the Sri Lankan Government, called on the President of Sri Lanka Ranil Wickremesinghe on Apr 1.

He was accompanied by High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka Gopal Bagley, Dr. A P Singh, Associate Professor of NCGG and other senior diplomats of the Mission. During the meeting, President Ranil Wickremesinghe shared his vision for Sri Lanka, a strategy to address the recent economic challenges and put the country on the path of high economic growth.

The discussion centered around policy reforms, good governance, digitalization, capacity building and training, institution building, and assured public service delivery.

He admired the way India has managed socio-economic development and has ensured high economic growth.

During the discussion, the President Ranil Wickremesinghe urged NCGG to help in establishing a University of Governance and Public Policy in Sri Lanka.

During the meeting, the Director General, NCGG underscored how Narendra Modi, upon assuming the role of Chief Minister of Gujarat in 2001 amid a slew of crises and negative economic growth, was able to put the state on the path of high economic growth and sustained prosperity through his vision, strategy, and progressive policies.

Consequently, Gujarat has experienced double-digit economic growth over the past two decades.

Thereafter, since 2014, as Prime Minister, he has introduced a new culture of citizen-centric policies and good governance, and as a result, India is witnessing high economic growth, assured public service delivery and fast improving quality of life of its citizens.

To reinforce Prime Ministers vision for good governance, which focuses on transparency, accountability, and inclusiveness, India is massively using digital technology and planning, execution and monitoring mechanism for time-bound implementation.

In line with the Prime Ministers philosophy of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam NCGG in partnership with the Ministry of External Affairs, is dedicated to promoting collaboration and learning among civil servants of India and neighbouring countries.

During the discussion, Sri Lankan President requested that the NCGG extend the necessary help to Sri Lanka based on Indias experience of digital governance and participatory policymaking to ensure faster socio-economic development and high economic growth.

The Indian delegation met several senior civil servants of Sri Lanka, and everyone is keen to know how Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given a new governance model to eradicate poverty, ensure high-quality services, assured public service delivery, environmental protection, inclusion & equity, transparency and accountability, and high economic growth.

Sri Lanka is keen to learn policydriven governance model of India and the massive use of digital technology in the planning, execution, and monitoring of various programmes and projects.

During a series of meeting set up by the Presidents office, top civil servants expressed their appreciation for the sustained assistance that India has provided to Sri Lanka during its recent unprecedented economic crisis. DG spoke about Prime Ministers mantra of neighbourhood first and highlighted special relationship India  Sri Lanka have.

The DG also stressed the critical role of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership and vision, as well as his emphasis on good governance, in ensuring efficient, effective, and technology-driven public service delivery.

The discussions centred on the NCGG's support for Sri Lanka in policy reforms, utilization of digital technology, capacity building, good governance, and institution building.

They believed that this would aid Sri Lanka in strengthening its institutions and that the country is eager to learn and utilize India's successful governance model to achieve high economic growth.

The Indian delegation emphasized the positive impact of digital technology in promoting transparency, equity, inclusion, and accountability.

The automation of processes has eliminated the need for physical interactions between individuals and officers, effectively reducing opportunities for corrupt practices.

The Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) is a prime example of how process automation can bring speed and scale to development schemes.

By directly transferring cash benefits to beneficiaries' Jan Dhan Yojana bank accounts, the program eliminated the role of middlemen and, consequently, opportunities for corrupt practices.

The DBT was powered by the 'JAM Trinity' of Jan Dhan-Aadhaar-Mobile. The unique digital ID, Aadhaar, provided to each citizen streamlined the identification of genuine beneficiaries and eliminated ghost beneficiaries.

Digitalization has made a significant difference in the implementation of various developmental programs and the provision of public services, as evidenced by the recent growth in both direct and indirect taxes.

The DG also provided an example of the robust e-monitoring system of the Jal Jeevan Mission on the dashboard, which uses sensor-based IoT devices.

The National Centre for Good Governance was set up in 2014 by the Government of India as an apexlevel autonomous institution to focus on good governance, policy reforms, training, and capacity building of civil servants of the country as well as of other developing countries. NCGG also works as a think tank.

It has taken up capacity building of civil servants of several developing countries in partnership with the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India.
Unsplash

Sydney: The Australian government has decided to ban use of Chinese company owned Tiktok on devices used by federal departments and agencies, media reports said on Tuesday.

Australia becomes the last nation in the "five eyes" intelligence alliance to block the app, following similar decisions by the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and New Zealand, reports Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said the ban would come into effect "as soon as practicable".

He said exemptions would be granted on a case-by-case basis.

"After receiving advice from intelligence and security agencies, today I authorised the secretary of the Attorney-General's Department to issue a mandatory direction under the Protective Security Policy Framework to prohibit the TikTok app on devices issued by Commonwealth departments and agencies," he said in a statement as quoted by ABC.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Victorian and ACT governments confirmed to the ABC that they expected an imminent ban.

"We've always said we'll follow the Commonwealth's guidance when it comes to cybersecurity  and we'll now work on implementing these changes across the public service as soon as possible," a spokesperson for Premier Daniel Andrews said.

A spokesperson from the ACT government said the territory government would work with the Commonwealth to adopt restrictions.

"The ACT government was notified yesterday of an imminent announcement from the Commonwealth to ban TikTok from Government devices," they said in a statement as quoted by ABC.

"Based on the Commonwealth's advice, and the desirability of national cybersecurity consistency, the ACT government will consider similar restrictions on territory government devices at a security and emergency management meeting of Cabinet tomorrow."

TikTok has continuously denied that the app may be a threat to national security.

TikTok's general manager in Australia Lee Hunter on Monday evening told ABC he had not heard from the government.

"We're extremely disappointed with this decision. In our view, this is driven by politics and not by fact," Hunter told ABC.

Hunter told ABC there was no evidence that TikTok posed any security risk to ordinary Australians.

"We're very keen to meet with [Minister O'Neil] and anyone in government to explain the truth of the platform. We know that we have to work harder than other platforms because of the scrutiny we get," he said.
Image Credit: Pixabay

Tabriz/Iran: A group of twenty school girls were taken to the hospital in the city of Tabriz, located in northwestern Iran, following yet another poisoning attack, stated the state media.

This incident is part of a series of attacks that have occurred over the past four months, causing sickness among thousands of students throughout the country.

The chief of the emergency services in West Azerbaijan province stated that the girls had received medical attention for experiencing difficulty breathing, reported news agency ISNA on Tuesday.

The official said the students' overall health was satisfactory.

Starting from November 2022, over 5,000 students have experienced various symptoms such as dizziness, vomiting, headaches, coughing, breathing problems, and heart palpitations. Many of these students have had to receive medical attention at hospitals.

The incidents of attacks, which have taken place in over 200 schools throughout the country, have caused anxiety and outrage among schoolgirls, their families, and Iranian society as a whole.

The supreme leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has demanded that those responsible for committing the "unforgivable crime" be pursued and brought to justice "without mercy."

The Islamic Republic faced criticism from United Nations (UN) experts for their inability to safeguard the schoolgirls, prevent additional attacks, and conduct prompt investigations, following the announcement of arrests related to the poisonings last month.

The incidents of poisoning began approximately two months after the widespread protests that occurred in Iran after the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman who was detained for allegedly violating the country's dress code regulations.

According to the most recent official report, schools in 25 of Iran's 31 provinces have been subjected to these attacks.
David Mark/Pixabay

Dhaka: A fire erupted in Bangabazar market in Dhaka city on Tuesday as firefighters rushed to the spot to douse the flame.

As many as 41 fire service units have been working to tame the blaze at the market, according to the Fire Service Control Room as quoted by bdnews24.

The fire broke out at the market adjacent to the headquarters of the Fire Service at around 6:10 am on Tuesday, Anwarul Islam Dolon, an official in the media department of the Fire Service, told the news portal.

Bangabazar is one of the biggest clothing markets in the city.
Image: Twitter video grab

Dhaka: A massive fire gutted shops at Bangabazar, one of the biggest clothing markers in Bangladesh's capital Dhaka, on Tuesday as firefighters fought for nearly six hours to bring the flames under control.

The fire tragedy occurred just a few days ahead of the Eid celebration in the country, the major religious festival observed in the Muslim-majority nation.

The blaze was reported at 6:10 am, according to Fire Service spokesman Anwarul Islam Dolon as quoted by bdnews24.

Fifty fire service units, with support from the army and the air force, doused the flames at 12:36 pm.

A massive fire in Bangabazar market, Dhaka.

The market is burnt down completely with hundreds of cloth shop!!



No one is injured but many dreams shattered today.  pic.twitter.com/SdQZsSM0q4  _Sakib_ (@Sakib_hoq_smr) April 4, 2023

However, the fire was seen spreading to neighboring buildings as a result of strong winds. Flames could still be observed in various locations, but it is not anything grave, reports Dhaka Tribune.

According to reports, eight people were injured in the fire but no casualty was reported so far.

The injured are Rabiul Islam Antor, 30, Atiqul Rahman Rajon, 35, Niloy, 35, Shahin, 40, Ripon, 40, Rubel, 32, Dulal Mia, 60, Mehedi Hasan, 28, reported Dhaka Tribune.

A major fire is burning in a popular market for cheaper clothes in Bangladeshs capital. The fire started at Bangabazar Market in Dhaka at 6:10am (12:10 GMT) on Tuesday but no casualties were reported immediately. pic.twitter.com/BisV5M5meZ  Arif Rahman (@arshibly) April 4, 2023

Al-Amin who owned a shop in Anandabazar for nearly 24 years told bdnews24: Ive never seen anything like this fire.

In 1995, Bangabazar was burnt to ashes before it was rebuilt again.

Owned by Dhaka South City Corporation, the market is divided into four parts namely Bangabazar Complex, Gulistan Unit, Mohanagar Unit, and Adarsha Unit.

As many as 2,370 shops are present in the market.
Image: UNI

Beijing: China has strongly protested Australia's decision to ban TikTok application, owned by the Chinese ByteDance company, on all government devices, foreign ministrys spokeswoman Mao Ning said on Tuesday.

Earlier in the day, Australian Attorney General Mark Dreyfus stated that TikTok app would be banned on devices used by Australian departments and agencies. The measure, which was taken following similar actions that had been undertaken by Western countries and international organizations, will go into effect as soon as possible, Dreyfus added.

"We noted the respective information and have already remonstrated strongly with Australia," Mao said during a regular press conference.

China has always believed that data security issues should not be used for abusing state power and unjustly suppressing foreign companies, she added.

"We earnestly advice that Australia strictly adhere to market economy rules and fair competition principles, and also provide Chinese companies with fair, transparent and nondiscriminatory business environment," Mao stated.

Over the last months, security concerns about user information being accessed by the Chinese government resulted in a ban on TikTok in more than half of US states, the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand, as well as the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Council of European Union. The intention to ban TikTok on government devices has also been announced by several European countries.

(With UNI inputs)
image: Pixabay

Karachi: People in Pakistan's Karachi city are facing immense misery amid acute water shortage, coupled with the worst gas crisis and power load-shedding, media reports said on Tuesday.

People are reportedly facing water shortage as the water supply from one of the main supply lines of the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board was disrupted due to an abrupt power breakdown on Sunday, reports Dawn News.

People are facing hardship at a time when the nation is observing Ramadan.

While the short supply of water continued to affect whole of the city, the worst-hit areas were Landhi, Korangi, Qauidabad, Bin Qasim and adjoining neighbourhood after a 72-inch diameter line was affected due to power suspension by the K-Electric at the Dhabeji pumping station at 11:05am, reports Dawn News.

In some areas, people also took to streets protesting against the non-availability of tap water in their respective localities where what they called a tanker mafia was reported to have been fleecing people by overcharging.

Enraged residents of Buffer Zone held a demonstration against the water utility in front of the Nazimabad pumping station, chanting slogans and demanding for immediate restoration of water supply to their locality.

They said that their locality had been without a drop of water for the past three weeks and warned that they would hold a protest in front of the KWSB head office if the water supply was not restored to their area.

A protesting resident, Manzoor Hasan, told Dawn News that earlier water flowed once a week, but his area was without water for the past many days.

I have to purchase water through small tankers; though it is too hard for me due to financial constraints, he said.
Image: Pixabay

A police post in the Sheikhan village of the Badaber area of Pakistan was recently attacked with a hand grenade by unknown attackers on Sunday, media reports said.

No casualty was reported when unidentified motorcyclists lobbed a hand grenade into the police post, close to the boundary with the Khyber tribal district, officials told The News International.

In one such attack on Sarband Police Station a few weeks back, the attackers targeted a deputy superintendent of police, Sardar Hussain, and his two gunmen when they had rushed there for reinforcement.
Representational image by Yan Ke on Unsplash

Beijing: The Chinese government has slashed medical benefits and is even planning to raise the retirement age of people in the country, a move which may draw the ire of a large section of the society.

The country is strapped for cash after years of following zero- COVID policy.

Thousands of elderly people have been taking to the streets since January to protest big cuts to monthly medical benefit payments. Theyve gathered in four major cities across the country, demanding local officials reverse the decisions, reports CNN.

The changes are part of a national overhaul mainly intended to cover deficits in public medical insurance funds, according to analysts, which have been drained after paying for mass testing, mandatory quarantine and other pandemic controls over the past three years.

The demonstrations, dubbed by Chinese media as a gray hair movement, are another rare rebuke for authorities after widespread protests gripped the country in November against Covid lockdowns, the American news channel reported.

Chinese pensioners view these latest reforms as yet another broken party promise, one that could profoundly impact their quality of life in the face of Chinas looming demographic crisis, Craig Singleton, senior fellow at the Washington-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told CNN.

Chinese officials fear that the protest might spread further.

Censors removed hashtags for Wuhan health insurance from Weibos hot topics section after the demonstrations began in January. They also censored photos and videos of the protests from social media, reports the American news channel.
Representational image by Mehak Wajid Ali via Wikimedia Commons

Hattian Bala: Extremist right wing Islamic organization Tehreek-e-Khatam-e-Nabuwat will host a conference in Hattian Bala College ground in Jhelum Valley in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) on April 30 in a bid to raise funds for terror activities in India.

Tehreek-e Itefaq-e-Rai (Movement for Consensus) chairman Dr Amjad Ayub Mirza informed the international media that the purpose of the conference is to raise funds for future terrorist activities in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, reports ANI.

He said by instilling sentiments of Jihad among the PoK youth they are preparing them for recruitment in various jihadi outfits sponsored by Pakistan.

Mirza warned that Pakistan is working on reviving infiltration into the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir in order to conduct acts of terrorism in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

Using the purpose of the conference, the organisers have already begun a massive fund raising campaign in the PoK, said Dr Mirza.

He said that at a time when the whole of the PoK and Gilgit-Baltistan was engulfed in social upheaval caused by gross violations of human rights and economic crisis this conference aims at diverting the youths attention from real issues by propagating the finality of Prophet Muhammad and targeting religious minorities.

He said that the PoK government in collaboration with the Pakistan spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) is attempting to divert the social anger, demonstrated by youth and civil society in recent months, towards religious fanaticism.

Mirza warned that holding of such events was not in the best interest of the region and should be banned in all parts of PoK and occupied Gilgit-Baltistan.

Mirza told ANI that the Khatam-e-Nabuwat conference organising body is collecting funds openly in the streets and from businesses and shopkeepers in the name of Jihad in Kashmir which is a gross violation of Financial Action Task Forces demands regarding terror financing.
1. 'Uorfi Javed-esque' Outfit Worn By Girl In Delhi Metro Kickstarts Heated Debate On The Internet

Tv actress and DIY expert Uorfi Javed took fashion to a whole new level in the last few years. She has been wearing literally anything and everything irrespective of how people perceive her. Now her skills have finally influenced a girl and she has been wearing brow-raising outfits while commuting in the Delhi metro. In several videos that have now gone viral, a young girl can be seen donning outfits that are visibly making her co-commuters uncomfortable. Read More!

ILN

2. I Survived A Trial By Fire, Vivek Oberoi Recalls 2003 Press Conference Against Salman Khan

Actor Vivek Oberoi has opened up about the dark side of the Bollywood industry after Priyanka Chopra's shocking revelations lately. Priyanka Chopra recently revealed how she had to flee India to pursue her career in the US because of being sidelined in the industry. Now, recalling his 2003 press conference against superstar Salman Khan, Vivek Oberoi said that he had to 'survive a trial by fire.' Read More!

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3. 'I Can't Work With People I Dont Like', Priyanka Chopra Shares Her 'Non-Negotiable' Criteria



Priyanka Chopra is back in India and ruling the headlines like anything. She recently showed up at NMACC making heads turn on both days. The event was followed by the actress promotion spree of the Russo Brothers series Citadel. At the event as well, PeeCee wore confidence on her shoulder and spoke her mind. The Desi girl was asked about her criteria for choosing projects and her answer will make you adore PeeCee more. Read More!

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4. SS Rajamouli Hails Nani's Latest Film Dasara, Says, 'Every Actor's Performance Was Note Worthy'



Ace filmmaker SS Rajamouli, who has made a mark with his work in films like Bahubali and RRR, lauded Nani's latest outing Dasara on Monday (April 3, 2023). Nani's film Dasara has been creating a huge buzz ever since its release in theatres on March 30. The film received positive reviews from both the audiences and critics. Now, SS Rajamouli, who has made India proud with his work, has called Nani's film a 'tender heart touching' saga. Read More!

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5. Video Of Nick Jonas Receiving Priyanka Chopra From Stage & Fixing Her Dress Has Fans Calling Him A Gentleman



The launch event of Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre was one night to remember - both for those who attended and for those who watched glimpses of it on the internet. The entire Bollywood got together - they danced and partied hard. It was a night to remember. A lot of Hollywood celebrities joined them too. We have all seen the viral video in which Ranveer Singh gets Priyanka Chopra on stage and they both perform on their blockbuster song Gallan Goodiyaan. Read More!

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(For more news and updates from the world of celebrities from Bollywood and Hollywood, keep reading Indiatimes Entertainment, and let us know your thoughts on this story in the comments below.)


Lebanon has delayed the start of Daylight-Saving Time (DST) by a month, and will now set its clocks forward on April 21st instead of the usual last Sunday of March. It's unclear why this decision was made.



However, a leaked video revealed that Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri urged Mikati to postpone DST to allow Muslims to break their Ramzan fast an hour earlier.

The decision has caused confusion, as some institutions, such as Christian churches, reset their clocks despite Mikati's announcement, resulting in schools, workplaces, airlines, and cellphone operators not following the same time.

While Greenland has decided to permanently stay on DST and will not set their clocks back in autumn. Officials of the Danish semi-independent territory in the Arctic believe that having an extra hour of daylight in the afternoons will provide them with more time to conduct business with Europe and other regions. The clocks in Greenland were reset this weekend to match DST, reports The Indian Express.

AFP/Representation Image

What is Daylight Saving Time?

Daylight Saving Time (DST) is a practice of adjusting clocks to make better use of natural daylight during the summer months. This means setting clocks one hour ahead of standard time in spring and moving them back one hour in autumn, according to Norway-based Time and Date,

AP/Representational Image

The main purpose of DST is to conserve energy and make better use of daylight during the long summer evenings.

However, countries near the equator like India, which do not experience significant seasonal changes in daylight hours, do not observe DST. In these countries, there is not much difference in the amount of daylight hours throughout the year, so DST is not needed.

Germany and Austria introduced DST to save fuel during WWI

On July 1, 1908, the first Daylight Saving Time (DST) period began in Port Arthur, Ontario (now Thunder Bay), Canada, when residents turned their clocks forward by one hour. Other Canadian locations soon adopted DST.

The practice spread globally after Germany and Austria introduced DST on April 30, 1916, during World War I to reduce artificial lighting use and save fuel.

AP/Representational Image

In the European Union, all 28 member states move their clocks forward on the last Sunday in March and back on the last Sunday in October.

Advocates of DST claim that it provides longer evenings by setting the clocks one hour ahead, allowing individuals to finish their daily routines an hour earlier. The additional hour of daylight results in lower energy consumption.

Disadvantages of Daylight Saving Time (DST) include a higher rate of fatal crashes for up to six days following the transition due to one hour of lost sleep, according to a study by Popular Science magazine.
Arun Kumar Vatakke Koroth, a resident of Bengaluru, won $1 million in the Big Ticket Draw Series 250, which took place in Abu Dhabi. Mr Koroth, whose winning ticket was 261031, was rewarded Dh20 million (about Rs 44,75,67,571) on March 22.

Gulf News reports that Mr Koroth was successful in his second attempt at winning the grand prize.

Mr Koroth first dismissed the call from the show's host, who informed him of his big victory as a prank. He ended the conversation instantly and put the number in his blocked list.

Mr Koroth spoke to Khaleej Times and said, "After receiving the call from Big Ticket, I assumed it was fake, a prank, probably. I disconnected the line and blocked that number. After a while, I received a call from a different number,"

Twitter

Mr Koroth heard about the Big Ticket live draws from his friends and began buying Big Ticket raffle tickets online.



He decided to buy another ticket from the Big Ticket website on March 22.

Mr Koroth expressed his amazement at winning the big prize and said he's ''still in disbelief.

Pexels

''I could not believe that I had won the first prize. I am still in disbelief. I bought this ticket through the buy two get one free' option. The ticket I won was the third one,'' he added.



The site reports that he has been hospitalized for knee surgery. He wants to use the money toward fulfilling his lifelong dream of starting a business.

''I have a dream. I will try to achieve the same,'' he said.

According to Khaleej Times, Mr Koroth wasn't the only Indian to win; Suresh Mathan, a resident of Bahrain, took home the second-place prize of Dh100,000 (about Rs 2,237,837). Muhammad Shefeek, an Indian citizen in Oman, took home the third-place prize of Dh90,000.

For more trending stories, follow us on Telegram.


A 23-year-old girl, Destiny Benjamin, has been reported dead four days after a hip surgery, popularly known as Brazilian Butt Lift (BBL), at Cynosure Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, Lagos.

Confirming the development, owner of Cynosure Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, Dr. Ogbe Omoruyi, denied the allegation that the lady died in the hospital during the surgery.

Omoruyi, who spoke to Vanguard, explained that the deceased underwent the surgery on March 8, and had complained of difficulty in breathing before she was referred to the Genesis Specialists Hospital, Ikeja, Lagos, where she gave up the ghost.

READ ALSO: Family Calls For Justice As 22-Year-Old Lady Is Found Dead In Her Room, Boyfriend Arrested

Omoruyi, who is also a plastic surgeon, further told Vanguard that the deceased was 23 years old and not 20.

He said: She is a 23 years old girl according to what she wrote on documents. She had a surgery and after that she was fine, her surgery went well.

I can show you in our case note to show that everything was fine.

However, after days she was having difficulty breathing. We placed her on oxygen and she was stabilised before we referred her to an intensive care unit, which is 10 minutes away from our facility.

Unfortunately, as we all know, surgery has its own risk, and if you ask any professional doctor or surgeon, who knows about life consumptions and tractions, it is very easy to think that she could have fat embolism or clot embolism, but she had difficulty breathing.

A very important investigation was done. It is called CT Pulmonary Angiogram. This can detect any clot that is present within the pulmonary system.

The test was done in the facility where she was referred to. When I was informed and showed the results, it was said that she didnt have an embolism.

Her cousin, Sunset, was with her after her surgery. They went around because they were together. She came here to see her and they took pictures together, moving around the clinic compound two days later.

This is to let you know that she was fine after the surgery.

However or unfortunately, an autopsy hasnt been done; I dont know if the family is going to consent to that.

Contrary to social media reports that the medical clinic recorded five deaths in a year, Ogbe said only two deaths have been recorded in the clinic, noting that it happened in the year 2018 and 2021.

He said: This can be verified with the Local Government because all local governments have primary health centres where practitioners give reports on the death toll.

So, we have only two recorded deaths.

When the Lagos Police Command spokesman, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, was contacted, he said: To the best of my knowledge, I am not aware of the incident.

The family of the deceased have not reported to the police authorities.
A Magistrate Court at Gidan Murtala in Kano State has ordered a man identified as Isyaku Shuaibu, to slaughter his cock.

Information Nigeria understands that Shuaibus neighbor, Malam Yusuf Muhammad Jaen filed a complaint that the cock has been violating his rights by preventing him from sleeping due to the cock crow at dawn.

The defendant, Shuaibu, however admitted, it is true that the rooster often makes much noise, adding that he planned to slaughter it on the Good Friday celebration.

READ ALSO: UNIBEN Final Year Student Shot Dead In Hostel

It is true that my cock often disturbs my neighbours with a loud cry, Shuaibu admitted in his defence.

Shuaibu further prayed the Court to grant him permission until Good Friday.

Conclusively, the presiding judge, Halima Wali granted the request and ordered the rooster to be isolated and be slaughtered
Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State, has expressed delight that he is leaving the State better than he met it.

He expressed confidence that the governor-elect, Umo Eno whom he is expected to hand over to, come May 29, would also leave the State better than he is handed.

The governor who stated this yesterday shortly after the swearing-in of the newly appointed clerk of the State House of Assembly, Nsikakabasi Orok, charged permanent secretaries and heads of various government agencies to ensure a smooth transition to the incoming government.

While speaking at the swearing-in held at the Executive Chambers, Government House Uyo, he said, For those serving please serve well so that we build a strong state. I want to assure you that I am leaving Akwa Ibom better than how I met it, and the next person will leave it better than I handed over to him.

I am leaving you with a full umbrella not a torn umbrella make sure that this umbrella is not torn.

READ ALSO: Lagos PDP Elders Warn Jandor Against Denigrating Bode George, Other Party Elders

I also urge you serving Permanent Secretaries and Heads of the various government agencies to ensure a seamless transition to the incoming administration in the state

Emmanuel further congratulated Orok on her appointment as the new clerk of the state House of Assembly and charged her to work hard in order to do much better than her predecessor.

He also congratulated the immediate past clerk of the House, Mandu Umoren, on her retirement, he said, I want to really thank the immediate past clerk of the State House of Assembly for being exceptionally professional.

She was a woman of high capacity and integrity. She did so well, unfortunately whatsoever has a beginning must have an end.

I want to believe that Mrs Orok will also build on what she has done and improve on it and judging from how you performed in the Christian Pilgrims Welfare Board I want to believe you will do much better

However, the sworn-in clerk, Nsikakabasi Orok, while addressing newsmen after the event, said she was grateful to be given the opportunity to serve the State in a higher capacity and pledged to render the services required of her in the new office to the best of her abilities.
The National Youth Leader, of All Progressive Congress(APC) U.S.A, Mr Oyakhilome Bello has called on the American President, Joe Biden, to defend Nigerias democracy from those calling for an Interim National Government or military takeover.

According to a statement on Tuesday in Abuja, Bello made the call at a rally organised by the APC U.S.A chapter under the leadership of Prof. Adesegun Labinjo, held at Lafayette Park, South West Quadrant, Washington DC.

He said the rally was to counter a protest, organised by some individuals from the opposition camp, to protest the outcome of Nigerias Feb. 25 presidential election and the emergence of Sen.Bola Tinubu as President-elect.

He added that the rally was to show solidarity with the President-elect and to let the world know that he (Tinubu) won the election.

The rally is to show solidarity for a mandate that was freely given to Tinubu at the polls by Nigerians and to let the world know that he is the winner of the election as declared by INEC, Nigerias electoral body.

We will defend the voice of the majority of Nigerian electorates because we have come too far to let some few selected people destroy what we have built over the decades, the APC USA Youth Leader said.

He said Nigerias democracy maybe nascent, but had come a long way, adding that no force of blackmail from the opposition camp should be allowed to abort it.

READ MORE: Inauguration: We Reject Interim Government  Afenifere

He added that Tinubu, the President-elect, and the Vice-President-elect, Sen. Kashim Shettima, would be inaugurated on May 29.

Bello, who said he was part of the Nigerian electorates who waited in the queue to vote in what he described as a credible, free and fair election on Feb 25, said opposition parties should honourably accept defeat.

I find it hard to believe that some few individuals that are dissatisfied with the outcome of the election results will go to the extent of calling for an Interim National Government, or a military take over as against a democratically elected government instead of accepting defeat, this is most unpatriotic and undemocratic behaviour, he said.

The APC U.S.A Youth Leader also called on Nigerians to come together and work with the President-elect and the Vice-President-elect for the greater good of the country.

He added that now that the elections are over, it is now time to come together with all hands on deck to enthrone a Nigeria that is the desire of all.
The camp of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar has reacted to the alleged conversation between the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi and Bishop David Oyedepo of Living Faith church.

According Atikus spokesman, Daniel Bwala, the leaked audio where Obi could be heard allegedly urging Oyedepo to encourage Christians to vote for him, should not affect his efforts to reclaim the mandate he is seeking through the presidential election tribunal.

In the audio, Obi had said, Daddy, I need you to speak to your people in the South-West and Kwara, the Christians in the South-West and Kwara. This is a religious war.

READ ALSO: 2023 Poll: INEC Appoints Nine SANs To Defend Presidential Election Results

Bwala, via a tweet on Monday, reacting to the audio, said it was highly condemnable, furthering that the content of the audio has no bearing on the petition at the presidential tribunal.

He tweeted: The conversation in the audio leaked by (Only God and time will tell) is highly condemnable.

But it has nothing to do with the quality or otherwise of his petition at the presidential tribunal. The grounds for the petition are in Section 134 of the EA, not the audio.

Valentine Obienyem, Obis media aide, had however said the leaked audio conversation between his principal and Oyedepo was edited out of context, adding that it is a ploy of the opposition and Nigerian Communications Commission to prosecute Obi for treason.
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) on Monday received another batch of 144 stranded Nigerians from Niamey in Niger Republic.

Dr Nuradeen Abdullahi, NEMA Coordinator Kano Territorial Office, disclosed this while receiving the returnees at Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport in Kano State.

Abdullahi, represented by NEMA Kano Head of Human Resources, Mr Suleiman Saad-Abubakar, said that the returnees arrived at the airport at about 2:30 p.m

The returnees were transported into Nigeria by SKY MALI Airlines, operated by Ethiopian airline B737-400 with registration number UR-CQX

READ MORE: No Country Better Than Nigeria, Stop Endangering Your Lives By Seeking Greener Pastures  NEMA

He said that the returnees were brought back under the care of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) from Niamey through a voluntary repatriation programme.

The program was for the distressed, who had left the country to seek greener pastures in various European countries and could not afford to return when their journey became frustrated, he said.

He said that the returnees included 106 male adults, 16 female adults and 22 children (10 females and 12 males).

Abdullahi noted that the returnees were from different parts of the country  some from Kano, Kaduna, Katsina, Abia, Sokoto and Edo  among other states.

According to him, the returnees would be trained on various skill acquisition programs that will integrate them back to the society and provide them with seed capital to enable them to be self-reliant.

He advised Nigerians to avoid endangering their lives by travelling to seek greener pastures in other countries, adding that no country is better than Nigeria.
Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, has said the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the State will support any candidate presented by the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the position of speaker of the 10th House of Representatives.

Wike disclosed this on Monday when Idris Wase, deputy speaker of the house of representative, led a delegation of lawmakers to visit him at the government house in Port Harcourt.

The governor stated that the PDP won 11 of the 13 house of representatives seats in the State and that the lawmakers-elect will support a consensus candidate nominated by the APC for the position of speaker.

The truth must be told that we are going to support the leadership of your party at the national level, Wike said.

He maintained that the States PDP will back the candidate that has the experience and capacity to stabilise the house.

READ ALSO: Theres Plot To Prevent Rivers APC From Challenging Guber Result  Tonye Cole

You (Wase) are an experienced person. What we require now is experience as far as the legislature is concerned. Experience will stabilise the house. So, (we) dont require a greenhorn, he said.

According to Wase, he was in Port Harcourt with lawmakers from different political parties to seek support ahead the leadership election of the house.

Your excellency, we just finished the national and presidential election, we are about to go into the national assembly politics and that is why we are here to seek your support, to seek your prayers and blessing, by the grace of God so that we can have a unified country, stabilised system.

Your excellency, we are here in your very comfort zone as a leader, as a mentor and as a father who has stood very firm in accordance with the provisions of our constitution to see that power is adequately shared; and as former chairman of federal character (committee) in the house of representatives, I also understand the sentiment and emotions when it comes to the distribution of infrastructure development and power equation in the country, he said.

Information Nigeria understands that Wase is yet to formally declare his intention to contest the position of the speakership, but has been traversing the country consulting stakeholders in the APC and PDP.
Ifeanyi Ejiofor, counsel to Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has disclosed that the Biafra agitator is currently undergoing treatment for tinnitus ear infection.

Revealing the development in a statement after the routine meeting between Kanu and his legal team in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS), in Abuja on Monday, Ejiofor noted that the team was exploiting all bottlenecks to ensure that Kanu regained freedom.

The statement read in part: Onyendu was impressed with the progress reports, particularly in respect to UmuChineke, whom we secured their bail in court last week, while efforts have been aggressively intensified for optimal results.

READ ALSO: Theres Plot To Prevent Rivers APC From Challenging Guber Result  Tonye Cole

Be assured that Onyendus legal team, ably led by our erudite Lead Counsel  Prof Mike Ozekhome, SAN, is seamlessly navigating all legal bottlenecks to ensure that Onyendu regains his freedom soon. We are not resting on our oars at all.

Onyendu is still undergoing treatment within the DSS facility on the recently diagnosed tinnitus ear infection, which will require advanced medical attention.
The police have reportedly unsealed the Imo State secretariat of the Labour Party located in Owerri, the state capital on Tuesday.

According to The Punch, it was observed that police operatives who took over the facility on Monday after sealing it had left the place.

It was also observed that staff members at the secretariat have regained access into the LP office.

A chieftain of the party in the state, who doesnt want to be quoted, also confirmed to The Punch that the secretariat had been unsealed.

READ ALSO: Political Thugs Beat Up APCs Tonye Cole, Beke In Port Harcourt

The national secretary of the party, Umar Farouk, had on Monday in a statement accused the state governor, Hope Uzodimma, of conniving with police to seal the secretariat.

The statement reads in part, the national leadership of the Labour Party is shocked over the invasion and occupation of its secretariat in Owerri, today, Monday April 3, 2023 by the agents of the Imo state governor, Hope Uzodimma, including thugs and unauthorized police men drafted from the government house.

Such illegal occupation was akin to similar invasion on the same secretariat on Wednesday March 15, 2023.

Unlike the March invasion, where no reason was given by the state government on why it took such unlawful action against our political party, this time, they said that the action was due to a court order.

 But as at the moment, no such order to our knowledge was given. No order has been presented to us by the court or their agents. The police men presently occupying our secretariat have not even shown us the order. At the moment, all our officials and staff have been barred from accessing the secretariat.

He also stated that the party had contacted the office of the Inspector General of Police on the development in the state, but the force claimed they were not aware of any security breach whatsoever in the state to warrant the occupation of their secretariat.

The police also informed them that it had not detailed any of its officers and men to the secretariat in Imo state; and that the officers may have been drafted from the State House in the state, Farouk said.

But reacting, the chief press secretary to the governor, Oguwike Nwachuku, said that the allegation was unfounded.

The governors spokesperson said  the Labour Partys allegation is unfounded. They should stop pointing fingers at the wrong place.
The police in Plateau state have arrested five of its personnel attached to its C Division for allegedly shooting a 17-year-old boy, Ibuchim Ofezie, in Jos.

The spokesperson of the state police command, DSP Alfred Alabo, disclosed this in a statement released on Monday, April 4.

It was gathered that in a bid to enforce the ban on the operation of commercial motorcycles in the state, the personnel visited the terminus market and started chasing those illegally operating. In the process, they started shooting and a stray bullet hit Ofezie, who was sitting in his shop at the market.

READ ALSO: UNIBEN Final Year Student Shot Dead In Hostel

Alabo said the state Commissioner of Police, CP Bartholomew Onyeka, who condemned the incident, said that the affected personnel would be sanctioned after a proper investigation has been carried out.

The Commissioner of Police Plateau State Police Command, CP Bartholomew N. ONYEKA, psc(+) and condemns the killing of one Mr Ibuchim Ofezie, m, aged 17yrs old, a resident of Agingi Community of Bassa Local Government Area, Jos by some obdurate police patrol operatives attached to C Division of Plateau State Command.

The command condemned the killing of one Mr Ibuchim Ofezie, a resident of Agingi Community of Bassa Local Government Area, by some obdurate police patrol operatives attached to our C Division.

The Police Commissioner, who described the incident as a paradox, asserted that police officers are empowered by law to bear firearms to protect the lives of the citizenry and not to take lives with them. In order to ensure that the erring patrol team do not evade justice, the commissioner has immediately ordered their arrest.

The five personnel in the patrol team have been arrested and are currently being investigated at our Homicide Section of the Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) of the command, he said.

Alabo added that the state Commissioner of Police assured the family and friends of the deceased and Plateau residents in general, that the suspects would be thoroughly investigated and justice would be served.
Spokesman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council, Femi Fani-Kayode has said the endorsement of same faith ticket by millions of Christians in Nigeria, that birthed Bola Ahmed Tinubu as president-elect, does not make them any of them less in faith than others.

The former Minister of Aviation, said this in reaction to the alleged religious war agenda of Peter Obi, Labour Partys (LP) presidential candidate with the respected leaders of the Body of Christ.

Fani-Kayode while cautioning the religious leaders via Twitter on Tuesday, stated that they should publicly disassociate themselves from his villainous, venal, venomous, vile and evil agenda.

He tweeted: If they choose to get involved in politics they must be discerning, reasonable, fair, impartial, wise and balanced and they must stop being partisan and condemning others for their choices.

They must also accept the fact that simply because millions of us supported a Muslim/Muslim ticket does not make us any less Christian than others.

This is especially so when the majority of those others were as silent as church mice when it mattered the most and when Christians were being butchered, slaughtered and persecuted all over the country. Unlike some of us they said and did nothing when this was going on and they refused to speak truth to power.

READ ALSO: We Dont Encourage Anyone To Move Anywhere During Census  NPC

Yet now they claim to be fighting a religious war by supporting a cheap, third-rate conman and petty trader that can best be described as a dangerous and delusional tribalist, an irredeemable and habitual fraud and an unrepentant, unlettered and provincial religious bigot.

We did not risk our lives and fight Islamic fundamentalism in this country to replace it with Christian fundamentalism. Two wrongs do not make a right. Religious bigotry, whether Muslim or Christian, must be rejected and condemned by all. We must never allow sectarian and religious considerations to determine our politics or the choices we make in terms of leadership.

Before being Christians or Muslims we are Nigerians and we are all proud sons and daughters of the greatest, most unique, most versatile, most blessed, most beautiful and most dynamic multi-racial, multi-ethnic and multi-cultural nation on earth.

Likening Peter Obi to the Christian version of Osama Bin Ladin and the Nigerian version of Joseph Kony, he said the LP candidate will not be allowed to destroy the country or spark off a second civil war with his vengeful, unforgiving spirit and his hatred for non-Christians, non-Igbos and those that do not share his warped, antedeluvian and opaique world view.

The APC chieftain added that, The peace, unity, progress and prosperity of Nigeria is our first priority and every leader and politician worth his salt must and will engender and defend that priority with his life if necessary.

Our strength lies in our ethnic and religious diversity and if you want to lead this country you must be prepared to build genuine bridges of love, understanding, compassion, sensitivity, camaradie and fraternity between all of its ethnic nationalities and religious faiths.

Nigeria does not belong to Christians or Muslims and neither does she belong to one ethnic group or the other: she belongs to us all.
Sunlight streams in through stained glass windows during Mass at St. Cecilia Church in the Fox Chase in 2022. Read more

Our modern political life has wrought many ills. The fastest spreading contagion is no longer viewing fellow Americans with ideologies different from our own as the loyal opposition  but as the enemy. Far too many of us regard those who do not share our views as a mortal threat to our way of life.

All progressives become Marxists hellbent on destroying America using race instead of class. All conservatives become fascists imposing their worldview on others. I know this is true because I have fallen into this pattern of thinking myself.

For some, the antidote to the ideological divide is even more separation, more focus on the self, and an obsession with what we perceive we are owed by others.

But in preparing for Lent  the 40 days before Easter when Christians commemorate Christs resurrection  I had to reflect on what Jesus wants me to do with a hardened heart toward others, especially as it applies to the current political and ideological divide in our country. Jesus was not political, but he was revolutionary. Love your enemy. Do good to those that hurt you. Pray for those who persecute you, he commanded.

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As a Roman Catholic, Jesus words convince me that I cannot fight political battles with truth alone. Truth matters  but simply stating the truth is not enough. Truth without grace (for both yourself and the people who disagree with you) is meaningless, and will never bring healing to America. The grace I have been missing, then, is loving my Samaritans.

 READ MORE: 14 Easter brunch spots in Philadelphia

Jesus most famous parable, from the Gospel of Luke, describes a traveler who is robbed, beaten, and left for dead on the side of the road. Two religious leaders pass by without offering any help, but a Samaritan  a descendant of the ancient Israelites  stops to care for the wounded man.

Since then, the word Samaritan has become synonymous the world over with goodness, virtue, and mercy. Even cultures that dont spring from the Judeo-Christian tradition have embraced the phrase good Samaritan when passing laws to protect people from legal action if they help a stranger in distress by, for example, administering CPR.

But a closer look shows that was not Jesus only intent in telling the parable.

The tales deeper meaning is revealed by the crucial conversation Jesus had right before he shared the story of the Samaritan with his disciples. Jesus and the apostles were approached by a Jewish lawyer who asked what one must do to gain entry to heaven. This is no innocent inquiry. The lawyer was looking to trip up Jesus.

Jesus asked the lawyer what he thought the answer was. Love God with all your heart, mind, and soul, and your neighbor as yourself, the lawyer told Jesus. Well done, said Jesus. Do that and youll go to heaven.

But the lawyer wanted to define terms. Who is my neighbor? he asked. Jesus responded with the parable of the good Samaritan. After, Jesus asked the lawyer to say who his neighbor was. The one who did good, the lawyer answered.

What Jesus did in that moment was artful, and, to the Jewish people of the time, outrageous. The descendants of the ancient Israelites (Samaritans) and Jewish people of first-century Judea hated each other. They shared a common language, country, and ancestry  they were from the same culture. They lived right next to one another. And yet historians tell us they may have had more animosity toward each other than they did toward the Romans.

So for Jesus to suggest a Samaritan was good and had to be loved is akin to telling a 2023 progressive they have to act charitably and loving toward MAGA Republicans, and vice versa.

The word Jesus used for love in this story  agape, from the Greek  is a sacrificial love, a love for the good of another. Of course, in this story, Jesus is referencing one of the most important commandments: Love your neighbor as yourself.

The world was recently given a good example of what that kind of virtue looks like.

It happened (of course) on Twitter. Last month, the conservative megastar Candace Owens said that she was confused why a famous clothing line was showcasing models in wheelchairs. Owens admitted she was open to being educated, but just didnt get why it mattered to feature people living with disabilities.

The actress Christina Applegate  who was recently diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and now uses a wheelchair  shot back, justifiably slamming Owens for her views.

But a day later, the former Married with Children star circled back to Owens on Twitter with a remarkable offer. I thought my last tweet was enough, Applegate wrote. But then my heart said something else. No rage. Applegate extended an olive branch and offered to get on the phone with Owens to educate her about the challenges of being disabled.

I will not come with anger, Applegate declared, I will come with love. Owens accepted.

There, in that moment, was truth and grace. Applegate loved her Samaritan, and in doing so, is more likely to change her way of thinking. As we continue to battle for the soul of our nation, it may be good for some of us to stop and consider that the best way to meet our enemies is with love. No rage.
Protesters stand outside of the Senate chamber at the Indiana Statehouse in February. Legislators were considering a ban on all gender-affirming care for those under 18. Read more

In 1976, a woman from Roanoke, Va., named Rhoda received a prescription for two drugs: estrogen and progestin. Twelve months later, a local reporter noted Rhodas surprisingly soft skin and visible breasts. He wrote that the drugs had made her so completely female.

Indeed, that was the point. The University of Virginia Medical Center in nearby Charlottesville had a clinic specifically for women like Rhoda. In fact, doctors there had been prescribing hormones and performing surgeries  what today we would call gender-affirming care  for years.

The founder of that clinic, Milton Edgerton, had cut his teeth caring for transgender people at Johns Hopkins University in the 1960s. There, he was part of a team that established the nations first university-based Gender Identity Clinic in 1966.

When politicians today refer to gender-affirming care as new, untested or experimental, they ignore the long history of transgender medicine in the United States.

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Its been nearly 60 years since the first transgender medical clinic opened in the U.S., and 47 years since Rhoda started her hormone therapy. Understanding the history of these treatments in the U.S. can be a helpful guide for citizens and legislators in a year when a record number of bills in statehouses target the rights of transgender people.

Treating gender in every population

As a trans woman and a scholar of transgender history, I have spent much of the past decade studying these issues. I also take several pills each morning to maintain the proper hormonal balance in my body: spironolactone to suppress testosterone and estradiol to increase estrogen.

When I began HRT, or hormone replacement therapy, like many Americans I wasnt aware that this treatment had been around for generations. What I was even more surprised to learn was that HRT is often prescribed to cisgender women  women who were assigned female at birth and raised their whole lives as women. In fact, many providers in my region already had a long record of prescribing hormones to cis women, primarily women experiencing menopause.

I also learned that gender-affirming hormone therapies have been prescribed to cisgender youths for generations  despite what contemporary politicians may think. Disability scholar Eli Clare has written of the history and continued practice of prescribing hormones to boys who are too short and girls who are too tall for what is considered a normal range for their gender. Because of binary gender norms that celebrate height in men and smallness in women, doctors, parents and ethicists have approved the use of hormonal therapies to make children conform to these gender stereotypes since at least the 1940s.

Clare describes a severely disabled young woman whose parents  with the approval of doctors and ethicists from their local childrens hospital  administered puberty blockers so that she would never grow into an adult. They deemed her mentally incapable of becoming a real woman.

The history of these treatments demonstrates that hormone therapies and puberty blockers have been used on cisgender children in this country  for better or for worse  with the goal of regulating the passage from girlhood to womanhood and from boyhood to manhood. Gender stereotypes concerning the presence or absence of secondary sex characteristics  too tall, too short, too much body hair  have all led parents and doctors to perform gender-affirming care on cisgender children.

For over half a century, legal and medical authorities in the U.S. have also approved and administered surgeries and hormone therapies to force the bodies of intersex children to conform to binary gender stereotypes. I myself had genital surgery in infancy to bring my anatomy into alignment with expectations for what a male body should look like. In most cases, intersex surgeries are unnecessary for the health or well-being of a child.

Historians such as Jules Gill-Peterson have shown that early advances in transgender medicine in this country are deeply interwoven with the nonconsensual treatment of intersex children. Doctors at Johns Hopkins and the University of Virginia practiced reconstructing the genitalia of intersex people before applying those same treatments on transgender patients.

Given these intertwined histories, I contend that the current political focus on prohibiting gender-affirming care for transgender people is evidence that opposition to these treatments is not about the safety of any specific medications or procedures, but rather their use specifically by transgender people.

How transgender people access care

Many transgender people in the U.S. have deeply complicated feelings about gender-affirming care. This complexity is a result of over half a century of transgender medicine and patient experiences in the U.S.

In Rhodas time, medical gatekeeping meant that she had to live full time as a woman and prove her suitability for gender-affirming care to a team of primarily white, cis male doctors before they would give her treatment. She had to mimic language about being born in the wrong body  language invented by cis doctors studying trans people, not by trans people themselves. She had to affirm she would be heterosexual and seek marriage and monogamy with a man. She could not be a lesbian or bisexual or promiscuous.

Many trans people still need to jump through similar hoops today to receive gender-affirming care. For example, a diagnosis of gender dysphoria, a designated mental disorder, is sometimes required before treatment. Many trans people argue that these preconditions for access to care should be removed because being trans is an identity and a lived experience, not a disorder.

Feminist activists in the 1970s also critiqued the role of medical authority in gender-affirming care. Writer Janice Raymond decried the transsexual empire, her term for the physicians, psychologists, and other professionals who practice transgender medicine. Raymond argued that cis male doctors were making an army of trans women to satisfy the male gaze: promoting iterations of womanhood that reinforced sexist gender stereotypes, ultimately ushering in the displacement and eradication of the worlds biological women. The origins of todays gender-critical, or trans-exclusionary radical feminist, movement are visible in Raymonds words. But as trans scholar Sandy Stone wrote in her famous reply to Raymond, its not that trans women are unwilling dupes of cis male medical authority, but rather that we have to strategically perform our womanhood in certain ways to access the care and treatments we need.

The future of gender-affirming care

In many states, especially in the South, where I live, governors and legislatures are introducing bills to ban gender-affirming care  even for adults  in ignorance of history. The consequences of hurried legislation extend beyond trans people, because access to hormones and surgeries is a basic medical service many people may need to feel better in their body.

Prohibitions on hormone therapy and gender-related surgeries for minors could mean ending the same treatment options for cisgender children. The legal implications for intersex children may directly clash with proposed legislation in several states that aims to codify male and female as discrete biological sexes with certain anatomical features.

Prohibitions on hormone replacement therapy for adults could affect access to the same treatments for menopausal women or limit access to hormonal birth control. Prohibitions of gender-affirming surgeries could affect anyones ability to access a hysterectomy or a mastectomy. So-called cosmetic surgeries such as breast implants or reductions, and even facial feminization procedures such as lip fillers or Botox, could also come under question.

These are all different types of gender-affirming procedures. Are most Americans willing to live with this level of government intrusion into their bodily autonomy?

Almost every major medical organization in the U.S. has come out against new government restrictions on gender-affirming care because, as doctors and professionals, they know that these treatments are time-tested and safe. These treatments have histories reaching back over 50 years.

Trans and intersex people are important voices in this debate, because our bodies are the ones politicians opposing gender-affirming care most frequently treat as objects of ridicule and disgust. Legislators are developing policies about us despite the fact that most Americans say they do not even know a trans person.

But trans and intersex people know what it is like to have to fight to access the care and treatment we need. And we know the joy of finally feeling comfortable in our own skin and being able to affirm our gender on our own terms.

G. Samantha Rosenthal is an associate professor of history at Roanoke College.

This article is republished from The Conversation. Read the original article here.
Philadelphia's new surveillance system will provide detailed information on childbirth-related complications. The United States has the dubious distinction of ranking 60th in the world in maternal survival after childbirth. Read more

Philadelphia is debuting a novel data-gathering initiative in an attempt to reduce the number of people who experience severe complications during or after childbirth.

The new initiative, approved by the citys Board of Health in January, requires hospitals to share detailed information about pregnancy, delivery, and the parents health for patients who experience serious childbirth complications.

The Philadelphia Department of Public Health says it will be the first American city to take this approach, and should begin gathering from all hospitals with labor and delivery later this year.

Maternal mortality and reducing deaths during or after birth has been a major focus of hospitals, public health agencies and lawmakers.

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But for every maternal death in Philadelphia, there are between 70 and 80 people who experience serious childbirth complications. Problems with anesthesia, heart conditions, abnormal blood clotting, and kidney failure can arise during childbirth. Other complications, like cardiomyopathy, pulmonary embolisms, and postpartum depression, might emerge after a parent and child go home.

According to Philadelphias most current data  which is almost a decade old  maternal mortality rose 28% here between 2011 and 2014, outpacing the national rise in maternal morbidity.

Black, non-Hispanic birthing parents are twice as likely to experience maternal morbidity compared to white parents, city health officials said.

Philadelphias stale data is one of the problems the new data gathering program is meant to address, health officials said.

The surveillance program will track birthing patients who receive blood transfusions, intensive care admissions, have lengthy hospitalizations, or are readmitted within 30 days of discharge. Seeing real-time data from hospitals would allow a more nimble public health response, officials said.

 READ MORE: Philadelphia to pilot a guaranteed income program to reduce rates of infant mortality

Unexpected complications during birth can cause long term health problems for parents, and can harm the baby too. Infant mortality, premature birth, and natal intensive care stays are all associated with severe maternal morbidity, city health officials said.

The maternal morbidity surveillance program will be an important source of evidence to bolster the case for policy changes that could reduce cases of maternal morbidity and death, said Aasta Mehta, a health department physician running the surveillance program.

We would be able to bring some numbers to a lot of these concepts, she said.
Elvis Rosado demonstrates with one of the naloxone nasal sprays, an overdose-reversing drug, at Prevention Point in Philadelphia. Read more

Youll soon be able to buy Narcan alongside your Zyrtec.

Last week, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) approved naloxone nasal spray  an opioid overdose reversal medication  to be sold over the counter in stores with no prescription needed. While people in the U.S. could already get naloxone without a prescription due to a standing order issued by all 50 states, it only allowed for the medication to be sold at participating pharmacies. This new approval could mean that naloxone will be more widely available at stores, not just pharmacies, that sell OTC medication like supermarkets or big box stores  however, the FDA hasnt made that clear yet in the initial rollout.

Regardless, with the FDAs approval, another barrier is being removed from access to the overdose reversal medication, said Nicole Sage, director of prevention services at Prevention Point Philadelphia.

Its meeting people where theyre at. Maybe over-the-counter is best for you or receiving it from an organization, like Prevention Point, where we can link you to additional services is best, said Sage. For me, the most important thing is what makes people most comfortable and removing as many barriers as possible for people to access this medication.

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In Philadelphia, where more than 1,000 people die from overdoses each year, around eight out of every 10 overdoses involve opioids and occur inside the safety of a home. Additionally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says a bystander is present for one out of every three overdoses that happen in the U.S. This means that for a majority of overdoses, having naloxone could be a matter of life or death.

If you have someone in your life that uses opioids or any drugs bought on the street, you should have naloxone. And even if you dont think you need it, its good to have it anyway. Heres what you need to know about naloxone, how to get it and why its important to carry it.

What is Narcan or naloxone?

Naloxone, commonly referred to by the popular brand name Narcan, is an opioid overdose reversal medication. That means it stops the effects of opioid overdoses and blocks the brains opioid receptors from interacting with the drug, according to the CDC. It is a critical part of responding to the opioid crisis in Philly and beyond.

According to the CDC, naloxone can restore normal breathing within two to three minutes of the medicine being administered to someone overdosing. This gives emergency medical professionals more time to get the person overdosing to the hospital or administer care before the overdose turns fatal. This medication works on a range of opioids, including heroin, fentanyl, and prescription opioid medications.

Using naloxone doesnt mean it will always stop someone from fatally overdosing, but it can significantly increase the chances of survival. In 2022, Penn State researchers found that in Pennsylvania, a person had an 11 times greater chance of survival after receiving at least one dose of naloxone during an overdose.

How do you know when to give someone Narcan?

When someone is overdosing on opioids, their breathing dangerously slows down or completely stops, according to the CDC. Signs of an overdose will look like: Slow, shallow breathing, constricted pupils, person falling asleep or unconscious, limp body and pale or cold skin.

If you see someone you believe to be overdosing call 911. After calling 911, dont hesitate to administer Narcan. According to the CDC, naloxone is safe to use no matter whether a person is overdosing or not. Additionally, sometimes people will need more than one dose of Narcan when more potent opioids like fentanyl are involved, but thats OK, as the medication wont harm someone overdosing.

Where can you learn how to administer Narcan in Philly?

Looking for training on using naloxone? These organizations provide it for free.

Philadelphia Department of Public Health: Register for virtual training online. Prevention Point: Call 215-634-5272 or email nicole@ppponline.org Savage Sisters Recovery: Call 267 773 8276 or email info@savagesisters.org

How to get Narcan in Philly

After the FDAs approval goes into effect, youll be able to buy over-the-counter naloxone. In the meantime, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware all have standing orders for residents to have access to naloxone at pharmacies  but youll have to pay for it.

If you have insurance, naloxone can cost between $20-$40 at a pharmacy, and without insurance, it costs about $50. However, Pennsylvania has a naloxone copay assistance program for the insured that will reimburse you up to $75. If you want to get naloxone at a pharmacy, find one in Philly that sells it using the citys map tool.

There are also places in the region to receive naloxone for free. Heres a full guide on getting Narcan for free in the Philly area, including New Jersey. The key takeaways are:

In the mail: Find your state on NextDistros website and request free Narcan sent to your home at nextdistro.org/naloxone#state-finder. In order to qualify, you need to watch a training video, answer a short quiz, and provide enrollment information.

Vending machine: In Philly, visit Lucien E. Blackwell West Philadelphia Regional Library at 125 S. 52nd St. to get Narcan for free and anonymously from a vending machine.

In-person:

Angels in Motion: Call 215-501-3357 for Pennsylvania residents. Call 609-226-7014 for New Jersey residents. Anyone can email info@aimangelsinmotion.org. Prevention Point: Visit 2913 Kensington Ave., on Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and noon to 5 p.m. on Friday. Savage Sisters: Call 267 773 8276 or email info@savagesisters.org. Or visit their storefront at 3115 Kensington Ave., open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Operation In My Backyard: Email operationimby@yahoo.com.

Can you get in trouble for giving someone Narcan?

No. Pennsylvanias Good Samaritan Laws protect you from getting in trouble for administering life-saving care. Additionally, the person overdosing wont get in trouble if you call 911 for help. Its the same in New Jersey and Delaware.

Why should you carry naloxone?

In Philly, where the drug supply has become tainted with other substances such as fentanyl and animal tranquilizers (like xylazine), people who arent buying opioids still find the drug mixed into the substance they bought  like cocaine or prescription pills sold on the street  leading to accidental opioid overdoses, said Sarah Laurel, founder and executive director of Savage Sisters recovery housing and harm reduction services.

For example, Laurel says college students using study drugs, like Adderall, may buy that substance off the street not knowing its mixed with fentanyl. These recreational users dont intend on ingesting opioids and arent prepared for a potential overdose from consuming fentanyl  to Laurel this is the population shes most worried about.

In Philadelphia, 8 out of 10 overdose deaths happen in the home, on the comfort of your pillow, said Laurel. Its not always happening in the street, so its important to have conversations in a non-judgmental way about the substances that people are taking and having Narcan in your medicine cabinet at home.
Khalif Miller shoots a selfie in front of a burning Philadelphia police car that prosecutors said he set ablaze during racial justice protests in May 2020. Read more

A Southwest Philadelphia man was sentenced Monday to five years in federal prison for his role in the torching of a police car outside City Hall during the 2020 racial justice protests.

Khalif Miller, 27, told the judge he was sorry for his actions, which prosecutors described as throwing papers into a burning cruiser as dozens of demonstrators gathered nearby. For that conduct, U.S. District Chief Judge Juan R. Sanchez imposed a 61-month penalty.

As recently as last year, Miller had been harshly critical of the case against him, casting himself as a political scapegoat being unfairly targeted. But Monday, he told Sanchez he now believes his behavior during the May 2020 demonstration  sparked by the murder of George Floyd  may have taken away from the reason he attended in the first place: to raise awareness about the need for better integration of mental health professionals within law enforcement.

I regret it, Miller said. Honestly, I really regret it.

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Miller was the fourth defendant to be sentenced on charges stemming from the destruction of police vehicles during the protests, and his sentence was the stiffest so far. Still, it could have been worse: By pleading guilty last year, Miller avoided being convicted of a federal arson charge, which carries a seven-year mandatory minimum sentence.

Sanchez also told Miller he believed the punishment was necessary due to the severity of the offenses. In addition to admitting he obstructed law enforcement during a civil disorder, Miller pleaded guilty to illegally possessing firearms when federal agents searched his house to arrest him in October 2020. Miller was ineligible to possess guns because of a 2015 conviction for involuntary manslaughter.

You committed two pretty serious offenses in this case, said Sanchez, who ended the hearing by telling him to stay on track.

The proceeding marked a muted end to Millers sometimes-contentious case. Last summer, he wrote an open letter describing his prosecution as both an elaborate plot by the government to target him for his political views, and an attempt by former U.S. Attorney Bill McSwain to bolster his tough-on-crime credentials while competing to become the Republican gubernatorial nominee.

Miller also said he and two other men he was charged alongside  Carlos Matchett, of Atlantic City, and Anthony Ant Smith, a well-known West Philadelphia activist  had been unfairly cast as coconspirators even though theyd never met. And Miller said he hadnt set any cars ablaze himself but was simply taking photos atop a police vehicle that was already overturned when someone else firebombed it.

I have been targeted by the United States government as a means of political suppression for rising out in my supporting acts in the Black Lives Matter movement, he wrote, adding that after his arrest, he was stabbed in prison and confined in conditions so appalling they violated his constitutional rights.

But prosecutors pushed back on those assertions in court documents, saying Millers actions during the protests endangered the lives of other demonstrators.

And during Mondays address to the judge, Miller acknowledged he had gotten swept up in the pandemonium of the situation, and that the weapons found in his house were for his protection. He also told Sanchez about his aspirations for the future  including his hopes of restarting a business to sell and rent cars  as well as his dedication to his family.

More than a dozen friends and relatives attended the hearing, and one of them, longtime friend Joseph Farmer, said Miller has just been a great motivation in my life.

Although Millers case is now over, one of his codefendants, Smith, is scheduled to go to trial later this month. The other, Matchett, was sentenced in March to 46 months in prison plus three years of probation, court records show.

Two other people have also pleaded guilty to torching cars during the demonstrations  Ayoub Tabri, of Arlington, Va., who received a sentence of 364 days, and Lore-Elisabeth Blumenthal, of Jenkintown, who was sentenced to 2 years.
Elwood Kindle Elementary School in Pitman could be closed next year because of cuts in state aid. Read more

When New Jersey released proposed spending figures on school aid for the upcoming academic year, interim Pitman School Superintendent Steven Crispin began sounding the alarm for his Gloucester County district.

The outcome could be dire, he said: closed schools, grade-level reconfigurations, and layoffs, and other cuts to make up for a $973,000 anticipated drop in state aid.

A bill signed by Gov. Murphy Monday and overwhelmingly passed by the Legislature last week will provide a partial bailout with $103 million divided among Pitman and 167 other eligible districts around the state. But school officials say that one-time money is a temporary fix to a bigger problem.

After all of the disruption to learning through the pandemic, the last thing we need is for families to worry about teachers being laid off or services being cut, Assemblyman Roy Freiman (D.,Somerset) said in a statement shortly after the vote.

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 READ MORE: Murphy unveils $53.1B budget, renewing property tax rebates

Murphy reached a deal a few weeks ago with Democratic lawmakers to make a supplemental funding allotment to help offset planned reductions under the S-2 funding formula, which changed how the state calculates aid through the 2024-2025 school year.

Pitman School Board President April Miller said the additional aid would soften the blow of expected shortfalls, but the board still expects to consider the cuts proposed by Crispin later this month, she said.

We are appreciative of this measure, but there is still work to be done to address the larger challenges in the school funding act, Miller said, referencing how the state calculates aid based on enrollment, poverty levels and other factors. We are in a very precarious financial position.

Added Crispin: This does not completely address the needs we have as a district.

The Democratic-controlled legislature fast-tracked the bill as districts were preparing budgets for the 2023-2024 school year based on projections under Murphys proposal last month.

The proposed budget would increase total education spending next year to $10.75 billion, with increases in 407 districts of 600 districts, including Camden. But other districts like Pitman would receive less than previous years. The budget also would increase pre-K funding by $110 million.

The cuts stemmed from reductions in the funding formula New Jersey uses to allocate aid. Now, the new law will restore two-thirds of the state aid slated to be reduced in the proposed 2024 fiscal budget. The supplemental funding will come from the states Property Tax Relief Fund.

In South Jersey, 20 districts in Burlington, Camden and Gloucester Counties will get additional funding, including Lenape Regional, Evesham, Somerdale and Clearview Regional, and Washington Township. Wenonah will get the least, with $23,466.

Lawmakers are hopeful that the supplemental aid will prevent the need for drastic cuts. Districts also must request additional aid from the state Department of Education to cover the gaps between how much they received last year and what is projected for next year. The districts must give the state a written plan on how they intend to fund operations in future years when the additional aid is no longer available.

 READ MORE: A perfect school funding system is hard to find. As Pa. searches for a fix, heres what other states do.

Sean M. Spiller, president of the New Jersey Education Association, applauded the bill, saying it will help to ensure that students will have the people and programs in place that they need for a successful 2023-24 school year.

Miller said her district, which has seen a $4 million reduction in state aid in recent years, hopes to maintain current programs and class sizes. She has echoed calls for changes in the school funding formula, which has been debated for years.

The Pitman school board plans to consider a proposal to close its century-old neighborhood schools, Elwood Kindle Elementary and Memory Elementary, Miller said. Those students would be moved to Pitman Middle School, and seventh and eighth graders would be enrolled in the high school, she said.

Miller said about 25 to 30 jobs would be cut with the school closings, leaving the district to operate three schools, she said. Even though the districts current shortfall would be covered by the new bills spending, the district is planning for the years beyond.

We have no other course of action at this point, Miller said. Were going to have to do our best to operate in the leanest capacity.
Holding signs reading Stop Banning Books, Books Arent Obscene, Censorship Is, and Teach Children the Truth, around 150 students walked out of Perkiomen Valley High School Monday, protesting a proposed policy they said would jeopardize their access to valuable books and information.

The proposal under consideration by the Perkiomen Valley School Board mirrors the controversial policy adopted last year by the Central Bucks School District targeting sexualized content in library books  resulting in what employees say has been more than 60 book challenges and reviews there.

Some Perkiomen Valley board members said at a recent meeting that parents dont want schools making sexual content available to children, and that they arent targeting any particular group. But a number of students who walked out Monday  gathered on the high school track during the last period of the school day  said they saw the policy as an attack on LGBTQ students.

At what point do you stop sheltering your kids from the real world? said senior Cece Drury, who said it was no coincidence that books that have already been challenged in the district through its current process center around LGBTQ experiences and relationships.

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Aspen Bradley, a junior who helped organize the protest, said the policy served to erase many of our marginalized students in the district library, and to make us feel we are inherently dirty or wrong.

The school board was slated to meet Monday night, though the policy wasnt on its agenda. Superintendent Barbara Russell said the district was working on a way to accommodate parental concerns while not denying all students access to books they wanted to read.

Board president Jason Saylor didnt immediately return a request for comment Monday afternoon.

Saylor filed six of the nine challenges received by the district over the past year, according to the Pottstown Mercury. Saylor told the Mercury other parents had contacted him with concerns about the books  which include Me, Earl and the Dying Girl, and The Haters, both by Jesse Andrews; Flamer, by Mike Curato; Fun Home, by Alison Bechdel; All Boys Arent Blue, by George M. Johnson; and The Black Flamingo, by Dean Atta.

The other books challenged were I Am Not a Girl by Maddox Lyons and Jessica Verdi; Surveys, by Natasha Stagg; and Nobel Prize-winning author Toni Morrisons The Bluest Eye. (In a message to the community last month, Russell listed the challenged books and said that following a reevaluation process, the district had removed Surveys and deactivated access to The Haters and The Black Flamingo through a consortium library.)

A number of those books appear on most-challenged lists and have been targets of groups like Moms for Liberty.

 READ MORE: An award-winning author went to Central Bucks to protest proposed book bans, including of one of her own

At a March policy committee meeting, Saylor said that a book might have 300 pages of great information, but if it has one page of what I consider to be extreme sexual content, it should not be in an education center.

Students Monday said they felt sex education in school was lacking, and that restricting access to books would make the situation worse.

Regardless of whether you educate kids, theyre going to do sexually explicit things anyway, said Nadia Lees, a sophomore, who feared the policy would make it easier for critics to challenge and remove books they didnt like.

Aislinn Pepper, a sophomore, expressed concern about how a policy restricting sexualized content would affect the curriculum for Advanced Placement English, which she plans to take next year.

I understand where theyre coming from, Pepper said of the policys proponents  noting that public schools serve a broad community with different beliefs. But she objected to the disrespect put on high school students, who she argued are capable of handling challenging material.

Another student said that books were a safe place, offering students the ability to learn about uncomfortable or challenging topics in a controlled environment.

You can always close a book, but you can never close a bad experience, he said.
The fliers were distributed along SEPTA's Market-Frankford Line, referencing several conspiracy theories that linked Jewish people to the emergence of gun control and pornography. Read more

Antisemitic fliers linking Jewish people to pornography, abortion, gun control, and mass immigration are being distributed on Market-Frankford Line trains.

Its the third reported instance of neo-Nazi paraphernalia infiltrating Philadelphia within the last month. Just last weekend, Chestnut Hill residents found white supremacist stickers and fliers along Germantown Avenue, while Port Richmond was littered with stickers depicting Nazi symbols in late March.

Grant  a 35-year-old Olde Richmond resident who asked his last name be omitted out of fear of retaliation  spotted the fliers, which have been viewed by The Inquirer, in a pouch near train doors on the MFL twice since March 30.

Grant has shredded 12 of the fliers, he said, and has begun to worry about the safety of his wife, who is Jewish.

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When I first saw them, I thought Oh, not this bullcrap, Grant said. Im on the watch for this stuff happening because its terrible. I dont want this in Philly.

 READ MORE: Neo-Nazi stickers and fliers found in Chestnut Hill

The fliers scapegoat Jewish people by warping the achievements of several Jewish politicians, such as Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D., Calif.) and Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.), and entrepreneurs, like Match.coms founder Gary Kremen, into blame for concepts ranging from hookup culture to abortion.

Theyre being distributed by Goyim TV, an inflammatory version of YouTube whose followers claim responsibility for hundreds of antisemitic and anti-LGBTQ+ flier drops across the United States. Goyim TV began ratcheting up its propaganda campaigns in fall 2022, when the hate group hung a banner over a Los Angeles highway praising Kanye Wests antisemitic views, setting off a barrage of copycat incidents.

Grant hasnt contacted SEPTA about the fliers: I dont have a lot of faith in them doing anything.

SEPTAs policy on hate speech is very clear: It is not allowed, said SEPTA spokesperson Andrew Busch, who learned of the fliers through The Inquirer. If an individual or group were to ask SEPTAs permission to distribute these types of materials in a station or on a vehicle, that request would be denied.

Per the transit agencys advertising policy, all advertising materials distributed on trains must be approved by SEPTA. If hate speech or other unauthorized materials are discovered on SEPTA property, SEPTA police and security personnel are supposed to remove them, Busch said.

 READ MORE: A new report shows antisemitism is rising in Pennsylvania, days after a white supremacist campaign in Port Richmond

Antisemitic activity has been steadily rising across the United States and is up by 65% in Pennsylvania, according to a recent report from the Anti-Defamation League. The increase coincides with an uptick in people who believe in conspiracy theories about Jewish people, according to the ADL.

The majority of antisemitic incidents in Pennsylvania in 2022 were classified as harassment, a broad category that can include the dissemination of slurs, stereotypes, and conspiracies.

The reality is, hate in all its forms is normalized, Andrew Goretsky, the ADLs regional director, told The Inquirer last month. I used to say its becoming normalized. I no longer say its becoming normalized.
A crew from PSE&G work to restore power along Buttonwood Lane in Cinnaminson, Burlington County, N.J., Sunday morning, April 2, 2023. The National Weather Service is investigating a tornado that possibly struck the town April 1, as well as in neighboring Delran. Read more

Investigators for the National Weather Service have confirmed nine tornadoes  and an equally strong 100 mph straight line wind  swept a path of destruction through the region on Saturday, killing one person in Delaware.

The updates Monday night and Tuesday added three twisters in New Jersey that hadnt previously been confirmed: one in Crosswicks, Burlington County, another from Allentown to Cream Ridge in Monmouth County, with peak winds of 90 mph, and a third near Mays Landing, with top winds of 100 mph. All three were rated EF-1s on the Enhanced Fujita Scale.

A 0 is the lowest on the EF scale, with winds of with winds of 64 to 75. And EF-1 packs winds of 86 to 110 mph. A 5 is the highest with winds over 200 mph.

In all, seven of the nine tornadoes swept through New Jersey.

 READ MORE: Fatality confirmed in Delaware tornado, one of 6 twisters that hit the Philly area over the weekend

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The first twister to strike the region, however, was the most deadly and powerful: An EF3 cruised through Delaware 6 p.m. April 1, with winds reaching a ferocious 140 mph in the Bridgeville-Ellendale area. The raw power blew six parked semitrailers along a driveway, and collapsed a two-story home after it slid off its foundation. Debris flew hundreds of yards due to the funnel cloud.

No further information was immediately available about a fatality linked to the Delaware twister. However, it carved a 14.3 mile path of destruction. The only other tornado-related fatality in Delaware occurred in 1983, according to the weather service. The strongest tornado on record in Delaware struck on April 28, 1961, in New Castle.

And although 100 mph hour winds that ripped though Palmyra and Riverton along the Delaware River in Burlington County were not cyclonic, but moved in a straight line, they still reached EF1 speeds.

Dean Iovino, a meteorologist at the National Weather Services Mount Holly, N.J., office, called the outbreak unusual and said investigators were still compiling information on the remaining two possible twisters.

We just havent been able to put it in context of how unusual it really was, Iovino said. We just havent had time to sit down and go through everything.

The outbreak, he said, was linked to the devastating spawn of more than 50 tornadoes that swept though the South and Midwest days prior, killing 32 people, and leveling homes and businesses.

Conditions on Saturday  April Fools Day  were ripe for a tornado, he said.

The day started cloudy with some rain in the morning. But the day cleared, bringing bright sunshine and temperatures that warmed rapidly into the 70s. That collided with the strong cold front that caused the tornados in the Midwest and South.

That very strong cold front was accompanied by some very strong winds aloft, not too far off the surface at just a couple thousand feet, Iovino said. There was just enough in the system to draw those winds down to the surface. Thats what caused the wind damage and tornadoes. It was it was very, very dynamic system.

Iovino explained that the colder air at the surface drew down the warmer air, creating the cyclonic activity. He said that although it might be tempting to place the blame on climate change, there really is no way to indicate it as of now.

In Pennsylvania, investigators said a tornado emerged 6:45 p.m. in Wrightstown, Lower Bucks County, snapping and uprooting trees. It continued on to rip out trees on the Bucks County Community College campus, and blew off a roof facade of a strip mall in Newtown, with a continuous path of damage that ended near Newtown Cemetery.
Your no-nonsense guide to the May 2023 Democratic primary for mayor, council, and row offices Read more

You can expect mostly clear and sunny skies today. Temps will reach the low 70s.

Were six weeks away from the May 16 primary election.

The general is in November, but next months race has the most impact on the citys future. Historically, the Democratic candidate who wins the primary has a high chance of winning it all.

Our lead story has everything you need to know before you vote.

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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)

This is our no-nonsense guide.

We have the rundown on all the Democratic candidates for mayor, commissioner, city controller, register of wills, sheriff, at-large council, and district council.

Its a lot, I know. But trust me, we made it digestible.

The format: The names appear in the same order that they will appear on the ballot, which means you wont see any Republican or Working Families Party candidates. You also wont find any judicial races, but the Philadelphia Bar Association released its recommendations.

A quick tip: This guide is interactive. You can tell it if you want just the names of candidates, a few details, or everything there is to know.

Keep reading to learn more about the folks vying for your vote.

What you should know today

Two weeks ago, The Inquirer put 16 Philly cheesesteak shops in one bracket and asked you to choose a champion.

Today, we have your answer.

With more than 12,300 votes, Dalessandros is the winner, taking home 23% of the vote. The Roxborough shop is loved by both locals and tourists.

Some takeaways: Johns Roast Pork, which ended up coming in second, had the most dominant first-round performance. Angelos Pizzeria, which won last years Italian Hoagie Bracket, finished third overall.

Keep reading for the complete breakdown of the results.

 Trivia time 

Philadelphia is ranked as the second-most helpful city in the United States, according to a new report from AmeriCorps.

Which city is No. 1?

A) Boston

B) Miami

C) Washington, D.C.

D) Atlanta

Think you know? Check your answer.

What were...

 Watching: Former President Donald Trump is expected to be arraigned today.

 Craving: A Muslim fish hoagie made up of chopped fried whiting, melted American cheese, and vegetables overflowing from a long roll.

 Listening to: Chloe Baileys new debut album, In Pieces.

 Unscramble the anagram 

Hint: At the corner of Girard and Frankford avenues

ANNBRYN JOSHED

Well select a reader at random to shout out here. Send us your own original anagram to unscramble if youd like. Cheers to Richard Lobb, who correctly guessed Mondays answer: Cedar. Email us if you know the answer.

Photo of the day

Thats it from me. Im beginning my day with some much-needed spring cleaning. Thank you for starting yours with The Inquirer.
Jeff Brown apologized after an offensive remark he made in a private conversation came to light. Read more

Welcome back to The 100th Mayor newsletter.

It continues to amaze us just how wide open the election is with six weeks to go! There will be 11 names on the ballot in the Democratic primary, and at least seven of them are still running viable campaigns.

This week, well look at the implications of an offensive comment by candidate Jeff Brown, dive into some data showing which voting blocs have the most power in Philly elections, and round up what the candidates are saying about the 76ers proposal to build an arena in Center City.

 Have a question about the mayors race? Let us know, and you may see an answer in an upcoming newsletter. Email us here.

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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.

 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.

Can an offensive comment hurt a campaign?

This week, grocer-turned-mayoral-hopeful Jeff Brown apologized for using insensitive language after being caught on camera saying that Philadelphians would lynch City Hall insiders (like many of his opponents in the mayors race) if they knew what really went on in Philly politics.

Brown is white. Several of his rival candidates are Black. It didnt look good, and Brown seemed to realize that because he quickly issued an apology saying that invoking lynchings is hurtful to so many and has no place in public discourse.

But will the incident play a big role in the campaign?

The short answer is that it will depend on whether the comment continues to resonate. Usually moments like this have staying power if they fit into a broader narrative or if someone makes an effort to keep it in the news.

Some of Browns opponents appear keen to make sure that happens. Former City Councilmember Derek Green, who is Black, said the comments were hurtful, dangerous, clueless, and they are a continuation of a pattern of problematic behavior.

And Brown is the subjective of the only negative TV ads that have aired in the mayors race  paid for by deep-pocketed candidate Allan Domb, who is white  and they aim to undermine Browns popularity with Black Philadelphians. 

Last weeks incident fit that theme. Well see if it continues to be a problem for Browns campaign.

Issue spotlight: A new 76ers arena

Nearly all the candidates have been asked whether they support the 76ers proposal to build a new arena in Center City. And nearly all of them have not provided a simple answer.

The team says it will be an economic boon that will help revitalize East Market Street. But community organizations in Chinatown, which would border the arena, have come out against it.

Heres what some of the candidates have said:

Jeff Brown: If we can address the realistic challenges of this project, then this project should move forward.  You cant ignore Chinatowns issues. They have to be addressed. Not the emotional ones, because we all get emotional. Im talking about the real, real issues, like parking, congestion, those kinds of things.

Allan Domb: Economic activity is needed in the city and this could be an economic activity that would be really good for the city. But of course, you have the issues of Chinatown that have to get resolved.

Helen Gym: We are taking up a lot of time on a private project that  has to rely on almost a decade of work and years of financing that has not been secured.

Derek Green: I have not made the ultimate decision on this issue.

Cherelle Parker: Residents in any neighborhood have a right to have a say in what land use takes place in their community. With that being said, when were talking about the poorest big city in the nation, before we have an express reflexive opposition, how about we actually know the details about what is being proposed?

Maria Quinones Sanchez: Ive told my friends in Chinatown, you  are a community that should be respected, youre an economic engine to who we are as a city and its diversity and world heritage status.

Rebecca Rhynhart: Any big project needs to be seriously considered  but at the same time, the neighbors need to be comfortable, and theyre not.

Click here to read the full story.

The candidates dish on their favorite past mayors

Usually we use this space to highlight one of Philadelphias first 99 mayors. But this week were breaking the format to bring you a rundown of which former mayors the current mayoral candidates admire most.

Credit goes to the students of Central High School who hosted a forum last week and asked a series of rapid-fire questions like, Whats your favorite cheesesteak? Describe the city in one word, and Who was the citys best mayor?

Here are the answers from those who attended, plus a few who werent there but got back to us:

Maria Quinones Sanchez: John Street

Amen Brown: John Street

Rebecca Rhynhart: I cant make that choice. Two of them endorsed me.

James DeLeon: Ed Rendell

David Oh: The mayor who went down South and retrieved a slave. Look it up.

Derek Green: Joseph Clark

Allan Domb: Ed Rendell

Cherelle Parker: W. Wilson Goode and Ed Rendell

Helen Gym: Richardson Dilworth

Data Dive: Which Philly voting blocs are most influential

 This week, were going to once again pass the mic to our colleague Aseem Shukla, a journalist with our data-driven storytelling team, to talk about his latest work:

Previously, we used an algorithm to identify six types of Philly Democratic primary voters based on precinct-level results from recent elections.  This week we wanted to look at how much influence each group has, which depends on three factors: how many voters are in each group, how many of them actually show up to vote, and how united those voters are on their choice.

Winning the mayors race will involve building a coalition across at least some of the six groups of voters that we identified  some of whom pull more weight than others. We dug deep into each groups share of the vote over time. Heres what we found that:

Wealthy white liberal voters are the smallest group, but they vote a lot, are super-engaged, and are growing fast. Poor voters and Latino voters are just as small a group, but they dont vote in high numbers and often split their vote. Younger white progressives are unified, lefty, and growing. Pro-establishment Black voters turn out in big numbers and vote together, but other groups are growing faster than them. Working-class white moderate voters are a big group and often unified, but sometimes dont support winning candidates. Less politically affiliated Black voters are the big question mark: Sometimes they vote in big numbers, and sometimes they are unified. But not always.

Click here for the full story. 

How campaign finance reporting works

The first campaign finance reporting deadline of 2023 is midnight Tuesday. Heres what you need to know:

What are campaign finance reports? Campaigns and political action committees must periodically submit reports to the Philadelphia Board of Ethics showing where they got their money from, what they spent it on, and whether the campaign received any loans.

Why do they matter? The primary purpose of the campaign finance reporting is to provide transparency around who is seeking to influence elections. But they can also help us understand whats going on in the race. For instance, they can show who is popular with donors who give small amounts, a sign of a campaigns momentum; who is getting money from people outside of the city; and who is running out of money and may need to drop out.

Can I see the reports? You can! Just search on the ethics boards website here. (Wait till Wednesday if you want to see the new reports.) If you dont want to look at the PDFs yourselves, we on The Inquirers politics team will be doing several stories later this week to help you parse through what they mean.

When are the reporting deadlines? The reporting deadlines are set by law, and they become more frequent as the election approaches. The reports due Tuesday cover the period of Jan. 1 to March 27. The next reporting period will cover March 28 to May 1, and the deadline for campaigns to submit reports is midnight May 5.

What were reading

Philly Mag: The Problem With Jeff Browns Racial Code-Switching

Inquirer: Where does mayoral candidate Helen Gym stand on taxes and rent control? She wont say. 

Billy Penn: These never-before-seen charts show which Philly schools got COVID relief funds

Drink up, Philly!

Outgoing Mayor Jim Kenney took a sip of tap water at a news conference last week to show that the citys water supply was not contaminated by a chemical spill just upstream of Philly.

While the water remained safe throughout the ordeal, Kenneys administration was criticized for the way it communicated with the public about the averted crisis as it was going on. Some of the candidates running to replace him used the moment to talk about what they would have done were they in Kenneys shoes.

Bottoms up!

 Anna and Sean
Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney (right) shakes hand of councilman Curtis Jones Jr. after giving budget proposal to City Council in chambers on Thursday morning March 2, 2023. Also shown are (l-r) Curtis Jones Jr., Cindy Bass, Katherine Gilmore-Richardson. Read more

Like a chief executive officer of a corporation, a mayor is the CEO of a city. And as Phillys about to elect its next one, its a good idea to have a sense of what youre voting for.

Theyre the person that develops strategies to be implemented city-wide, delegates and appoints leadership positions to critical departments and manages the overall operations of a company  or in this case, Philadelphia.

According to the current Philadelphia mayor, Jim Kenney, the position isnt a top-down authority but making changes through consensus among city leadership and the public.

City council is the mayors board of directors, Kenney said. As Ive served on boards of directors before, you need the boards go-ahead in order to move forward with programs your company (or in this case a city) wants to implement. Youre also responsible for hiring the department heads that run each operating department, and you work with your cabinet to coordinate that as best you can.

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Its a tall order with around 26,000 employees and a five billion dollar-plus budget to oversee, but with the right leadership, it is manageable, said the current mayor.

What are the Mayors primary functions?

Developing strategies for the city Tracking the performance of city strategies and making changes when needed Collaborating and fostering relationships with other elected officials to make sure city leaders are working together toward the same goal Drafting the citys overall budget (which is then amended and approved by City Council) Signing City Council bills into law or vetoing bills from becoming law Hiring executive leadership for the several dozen city agencies

Lauren Cristella, the interim president and chief operating officer for the nonpartisan nonprofit election watchdog organization Committee of Seventy, said the mayors job is so impactful to the life of Philadelphians because their strategy trickles down into all departments in the city.

The hiring is probably the first and most important job of any new mayor, said Cristella. Everything from the managing director, city representative and the police chief and fire commissioner. All of those executive department heads, and there are tons of them throughout the city, cover almost every facet of life  thats all in the mayors purview.

The leaders hired for these city departments implement the mayors strategy in a variety of ways, like proposing roadway solutions like the Washington Avenue Repavement and Improvement project or implementing a tax on sugary drinks to fund free Pre-K and improvements to parks and playgrounds. In the case of the Washington Ave. improvement project, those proposals come from leadership in the Office of Transportation, Infrastructure and Sustainability. In contrast, proposals like Phillys soda tax came directly down from Mayor Kenney. Either way, the strategies and leadership the mayor employs shape the way our city looks.

You need to hire people that are smarter than you, said Kenney about delegating leadership. Then you need to listen to their points of view and come to some mutual group decision that youre all now responsible for.

Heres just a small sample of the departments the mayor sets the agenda for and oversees:

What are the requirements to become Mayor?

A candidate must be at least 25 years old, a citizen of the U.S. and at least a three-year resident of Philadelphia.

How long is a mayoral term?

Once elected, the Mayor has a term of four years and can only serve for two consecutive terms at a time. For example, after this mayoral term ends, Mayor Kenney cant run again for Mayor for a third term. However, he could run again after the next Mayor finishes their first term. According to the citys Home Rule Charter, the two-term limit is consecutive, not lifetime.

How much does the Mayor get paid?

The current mayor makes $240,000 per year, according to the Committee of Seventy. However, in 2018, Kenney reported a salary of a little more than $218,000 so its possible to receive raises as mayor.

Can you contact the mayor?

Yes. To contact the mayors office you can call (215) 686-2181, fill out the online contact form or visit City Hall Office 215 at 1400 JFK. Blvd.

Can mayors be fired or quit their job?

In Pennsylvania, local governments cannot vote to remove an elected official, nor can the public petition to recall an elected official. However, elected officials themselves can quit their job  its called resigning.

If the mayor resigns, a special election would be called to fill the vacancy, or if its the last year of a mayors term, City Council will vote in a new mayor to finish the term. In the time between the mayors resignation and the appointment of a new mayor after a special election or City Council vote, the City Council President would become interim mayor.

Philadelphians themselves cant recall the mayor. While the citys Home Rule Charter has a provision explicitly outlined for the public to gather enough signatures and request the mayor to resign or face a recall election  its not enforced due to a Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruling that rules the provision unconstitutional.

Theres potentially another way, which involves the state legislature impeaching a local elected official  as seen most recently with the Pennsylvania House of Representatives failed attempt to impeach Philly District Attorney Larry Krasner  however, impeachment of a Philly politician by the state legislature is very rare and has never been successful.

Who was Phillys last mayor?

Phillys current and soon-to-be former mayor, Jim Kenney, is in his final term. Since becoming mayor in 2016, his main priority has been public education, making Philadelphia the first big U.S. city to implement a soda tax, which funds the citys free Pre-K program that serves more than 3,000 children in the city and funds improvements to parks through a multi-million-dollar program called Rebuild.

Where Kenney may have fallen short, and by his own admission, is the administrations choice to have a young start-up operate the citys first COVID-19 rollout, which ended in a scandal. However, 76% of Philadelphians were fully vaccinated by the following year.

Additionally, his tenure has been marked with record gun violence as the citys number of shootings has reached record levels in the past three years. However, the fault of gun violence doesnt fall on one person in government, especially so in Philadelphia, where city leadership is legally not allowed to create their own gun laws due to a legal rule called preemption.

What is Philly looking for in its next mayor?

Across the city, most Philadelphians agree that the city is heading in the wrong direction, according to The Inquirers most recent analysis of a market research survey conducted by the firm SSRS. Additionally, a whopping majority of respondents said crime is their number one concern in the city. Following crime, residents are concerned about public education and the economy.

According to the AARPs most recent poll, older adults in Philadelphia agree and say personal safety and security concerns are on their minds when voting for the citys 100th mayor. Adults ages 50 years and older are also worried about affordable housing, making sidewalks safer and improving the economy and job opportunities.

Philadelphias next mayor will have to have plans to address gun violence in the city, improve public education and job creation, and find ways to make housing more affordable.
Register of Wills Tracey Gordon (left) and Philadelphia Sherrif Rochelle Bilal won upset victories in Philadelphia's primary elections in 2019. Read more

Theyre called Row Offices, but does anyone know what that means? Not really. You may know them by their official job titles, though.

In Philadelphia, Row Officers are elected officials overseeing the citys independent operations, like financial auditing of budgets, running and monitoring local elections, managing property foreclosures, and the record-keeping of marriage licenses, wills and estates.

Why are they called row officers? Because on the ballot when voting, theyre listed in a row. Pretty clever stuff, huh?

Heres what Phillys row offices are and what they do.

Term length: Four years with no term limits.

Salary: $147,068 per year

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Requirements to run: Must be at least 25 years old, a citizen of the U.S. and a one-year resident of Philadelphia.

If the mayor of Philadelphia is the CEO, then the City Controller is the CFO, the chief financial officer. Theyre the principal auditor of the city and school district, as their primary function is to inspect the governments finances to ensure everything is above board.

The Controller works independently of the mayor, city council, and any other government agency in order to efficiently and transparently hold these entities accountable.

In the past, the City Controller has audited:

Voting for a City Controller dictates how the city will be held financially accountable.

Term length: Four years with no term limits

Salary: $142,700 per year (Commissioner), $152,900 per year (Chair)

Requirements to run: Must be at least 25 years old, a citizen of the U.S. and a three-year resident of Philadelphia.

The City Commissioners of Philadelphia is a three-member bipartisan board of elected officials that oversees Philadelphia county elections. They are responsible for registering voters, running and monitoring elections, counting votes and announcing winners of elections. Philadelphia selects these candidates to operate independently of other government agencies.

The City Commissioners cant have more than two members from the political party with the largest number of registered voters in the city  which is the Democratic Party. For decades, two City Commissioners have been Democrats, while the third member has been Republican. One of the Commissioners serves as the chair of the board, which is decided by a vote among the City Commissioners.

Voting for City Commissioners dictates the efficiency and transparency of the local election system.

Term length: Four years with no term limits

Salary: $142,751 per year

Requirements to run: Must be at least 25 years old, a citizen of the U.S. and a one-year resident of Philadelphia.

The citys Register of Wills is in charge of keeping records of various certificates and documents, like issuing marriage licenses, verifying wills of deceased people, collecting inheritance tax and maintaining the dockets and records for the Orphans court in Philadelphia.

This department works independently of other government agencies and deals with a plethora of legal matters for Philadelphians. Voting for a Register of Wills dictates how the office will be run, streamlined and improved.

Term: Four years with no term limits

Salary: $142,751

Requirements to run: Must be at least 25 years old, a citizen of the U.S. and a one-year resident of Philadelphia.

This elected official oversees the Sheriffs Office of Philadelphia, which oversees policing of Philadelphias court system and manages court-ordered property foreclosures and tax sales in the county. When a property owner cannot pay their mortgage or property tax, the property is taken over by the Sheriffs Office, on behalf of the court, and sold at a public auction known as a Sheriffs Sale.

Voting for a Sheriff dictates how the office will conduct foreclosures, operate public auctions and handle finances of these sales  which in the past has been the focus of much scrutiny.
Democratic mayoral candidate Cherelle Parker, a former Philadelphia City Council member, at the Perelman Theater in the Kimmel Center during a mayoral forum in March. Read more

U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans walked Cherelle Parker down the aisle on her wedding day. Now hes trying to help her walk into the mayors office.

Evans, a Philadelphia Democrat, said Monday that he is endorsing Parker in the crowded, tightly contested mayoral primary. Evans had previously stayed out of the race despite his close political relationship with Parker, a former City Council member.

I believe she will be an excellent mayor for this city, and she will do it what I call block by block, Evans told The Inquirer. She was at the state level and the local level, and she knows how to use relationships.  Thats important to understand. You cant do this by yourself. You need people to work with, and I believe she knows that and understands that.

Evans is one in a growing list of city leaders, including several Black elected officials, who have rallied behind Parker in recent weeks. State Sens. Sharif Street, Tina Tartaglione, Jimmy Dillon, and Vincent Hughes, as well as State Reps. Donna Bullock, Stephen Kinsey, Jose Giral, and Darisha Parker all endorsed Parker in the last month.

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Parker now has the endorsements of many of the citys Northwest political leaders as well as the Building Trades Council  which both proved to be influential in Mayor Jim Kenneys 2015 victory. But it remains to be seen whether that support will mean as much for Parker as it did for Kenney eight years ago.

 READ MORE: Sign up for The Inquirer's newsletter on the Philadelphia mayor's race.

Evans, whose silence in the race had raised some eyebrows, said he took his time interviewing all of the candidates.

Parker and Evans both got their political start in the Northwest coalition, a political organization of aligned local and state leaders rooted in the citys high-turnout Northwest neighborhoods. They also worked together as state legislators in Harrisburg.

Evans, who represents Northwest and West Philadelphia and parts of North and South Philadelphia and Center City, ran unsuccessfully for mayor in 1999 and 2007.

U.S. Rep. Brendan Boyle, a Democrat from Northeast Philadelphia, said he hasnt made a decision on whether hell endorse a mayoral candidate.

There are many fine people running, and several of them are my friends, Boyle said.

Parker came up in the Northwest coalitions political network, working for former Councilmember Marian Tasco and then serving in Harrisburg and on City Council. She worked with Evans in the Pennsylvania House, where Evans chaired the appropriations committee, which she served on. When Parker got married in 2010, Evans and Tasco walked her down the aisle in place of her parents, who had died.

Evans commended Parkers work in Harrisburg and as Democratic majority leader on Council, saying her resume more than qualified her for the job.

She earned it, Evans said. She did it the old-fashioned way.

 READ MORE: Phillys Northwest Coalition has elected mayors. Will it determine the next one?

In Philadelphias 2015 Democratic primary, Evans and Tasco endorsed Kenney alongside other leaders from the Northwest coalition. The endorsement helped him win by a large margin. Whether todays coalition, which looks a lot different, has the same type of sway remains to be seen. With several Northwest leaders backing Parker, her race could be a test of the groups modern day strength.

I think its obviously a part of how she wins the race, Evans said of support among leaders in the Northwest. But more than anything  you win this not so much based on endorsements but endorsements from people. And what this conversation coming together shows  is thats what Cherelle is demonstrating that she is on the peoples side.
The Temple Owl sculpture by Corolfi Studios on Polett Walk at Founders Garden & OConnor Plaza on the campus of Temple University on March 29. Read more

Three Philadelphia lawmakers want the state to have greater control over Temple Universitys Board of Trustees, following a turbulent few months that resulted in its presidents resignation last week.

State Reps. Malcolm Kenyatta, Donna Bullock, and Danilo Burgos  all Democrats from Philadelphia  announced Monday that they plan to introduce a bill that would add three state-appointed trustees to Temples Board of Trustees to help the 33,600-student public university through the important decisions before the board.

Temple has made national headlines for a series of separate issues in recent months. In January, its graduate student union went on strike for 42 days. During this time, Temple Police Officer Christopher Fitzgerald was shot and killed near campus. Then, President Jason Wingard resigned last week after less than two years at the helm, leading to criticism that Temples first Black university president was under more scrutiny than his white predecessors.

Temple has 36 trustees. Currently, 12 trustees are appointed by the governor and the top officials in the state House and Senate, with four picks each. The others are nominated and elected by the board of trustees.

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The Philly lawmakers want to increase state-appointed trustees to 15  giving the governor, House speaker, and Senate president each five appointees. Kenyatta said the lawmakers plan to introduce the bill next week.

If the legislation is passed by the House and Senate and signed into law by Gov. Josh Shapiro, Kenyatta said hed want the states top leaders to appoint more people of color and young people to the board.

When you bring in people who are new to this, they start asking that perennially important question: Why do we do the things that we do the way that we do them? Kenyatta said. Thats the power of injecting new blood.

A spokesperson for Temple said the university will review the legislation once introduced and will work with the General Assembly to ensure a focus on the best interests of the University and the Commonwealth.

The effectiveness of Temples longstanding and ongoing partnership with the Commonwealth is evident in the value returned to the citizens and economy of Pennsylvania, through discounted tuition for in-state students, and real-world preparation for the jobs and careers in the marketplace, said Deirdre Hopkins.

In a news release, the three Philly lawmakers emphasized that increased oversight would help the state address violence near the universitys main campus in North Philadelphia, noting that the number of shootings in the area patrolled by Temple Police nearly tripled between 2018 and 2022. They also noted an enrollment decline at the school of more than 16%.

The university has been facing difficulties on a variety of fronts including safety, enrollment, and upheaval in university leadership, these facts make it more important than ever that we step up and provide greater oversight, the lawmakers said in a memo to fellow House members.

Temple is expected to choose an interim president in the coming days before launching a new president search, Board of Trustees Chairman Mitchell Morgan told The Inquirer last week.

Until then, the school is relying on a strong core group of senior administrators, Morgan added.

In a memorandum circulated to colleagues Monday asking them to sign on in support of the legislation, the three lawmakers said recent upheaval at the university requires additional state oversight to ensure that state dollars are being spent effectively.

Kenyatta said he and his colleagues chose to increase the number of state-appointed members at Temple, rather than at all four state-related universities, because they represent the neighborhoods in and around Temple.

Were focused on the school in our back yard, Kenyatta added. Temple cannot fail. That would be a blow to my district and my community, and it would be a blow for the entire commonwealth. Were in a moment right now where everybody has to do their part to right the ship.

Senate President Pro Tempore Kim Ward and Shapiro did not respond to requests for comment. A spokesperson for House Speaker Joanna McClinton declined to comment.
Glenn Hurricane Schwartz looks over his bow tie collection as he prepares to go to his job as a meteorologist at NBC10 in 2022. Schwartz retired after 27 years with the Philadelphia station. Read more

In less than a year after retiring from NBC10, Glenn Hurricane Schwartz was in the best shape hed been in a long time. So he decided to go back to work.

I never intended to go from 100 to zero, said Schwartz, reminding The Inquirer that it was always his plan to continue working in meteorology, he was only retiring from television and commuting to work after roughly 42 years in the TV business, including 27 at NBC10.

I definitely missed accomplishing something, he added.

 READ MORE: From 2022: Glenn Hurricane Schwartz announces retirement from NBC10

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His latest gig: climate change consultant at AKRF, an environmental engineering and consulting firm.

The audience: engineers working on projects who need to weather the storms, floods, and other manifestations of climate change.

Think of Schwartz as a sort of science whisperer, though he prefers science communicator. A job hes been doing in one way or another his entire working life.

When he worked at the National Hurricane Center in Atlanta, Schwartz said, he coordinated with emergency management personnel from different backgrounds in preparing for hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods. Of course, there are all those years he helped explain all sorts of weather events to viewers at home and that time he explained hybrid vehicles to lawmakers at the Pennsylvania Capitol.

At AKRF, Schwartz is tasked with breaking down how climate change could transform communities and how projects emerging in these vulnerable communities could be prepared.

Im especially talking about water, you know, rainfall, hurricanes, rising sea levels  that affects a lot of areas in a lot of cities, said Schwartz, who described himself as a middleman of sorts.

Hell be translating the science to engineers, business owners, and decision makers in government.

Though Schwartz cant say what specific projects hes working on, AKRFs website offers some clues.

 READ MORE: Glenn Hurricane Schwartz shares favorites from his iconic bow tie collection as he prepares to retire

The firm has worked on a project to reduce flood risk and facilitate access to the waterfront along 2.4 miles of Manhattans East River shoreline as well as a plan to create a more climate-resilient Lower Manhattan shoreline.

AKRF has offices across the East Coast, including Pennsylvania and New Jersey, so Schwartz will be consulting throughout the Northeast and the Mid-Atlantic.

But dont worry, the beloved meteorologist is not all work and has so far been enjoying retirement.

After hanging up his microphone, Schwartz started swimming about three times a week and reading  the kind you would do on vacation  to a degree he hadnt done since college.

Over the fall, however, the work bug started to kick in and Schwartz started writing hurricane updates for the website Currently, which focuses on climate change and offers weather services. Now, hes adding consulting to the mix with hopes he can dabble in some solar energy-related work by the summer.

Maybe by then, hell have a better idea of what to do with his famous bow tie collection, which he pulled from to dress up for this interview.
Im delighted to officially welcome our new Buck colleagues to the Gallagher family of professionals, said J. Patrick Gallagher Jr., chairman, president and CEO of Gallagher. Together, our complementary strengths within retirement, benefits consulting and administration services will enhance the value we deliver to our clients, and our collective expertise will provide tremendous opportunities for growth.
That is going to be new federal legislation that in essence says anyone who is affected by a privacy breach has a right to sue for damages, he said. And that's going to provide consumers, your clients and your customers with a very powerful remedy in the event that your network system has been compromised.
Partners in supporting workers In the United States workers compensation (WC) market, accident frequency has been steady or slightly downward, but the severity of claims has been increasing and costs have been driven up dramatically. Influencing this trend are: Medical and technology costs associated with accident survivability for injured workers who are surviving what used to be fatal injuries

Catastrophically injured individuals living longer

Advanced medical science with injuries such as severe burns or quadriplegia; a quadriplegic in their 20s or 30s could live 30 to 40 more years, requiring round-the-clock attendant care

Large cost drivers associated with catastrophic injury claims are often not covered by fee schedules, such as extended ICU hospitalizations

Legislative expansion of benefits through various measures such as cancer presumption laws in the public entity market

Our customers number in the thousands, and we custom-design programs based on their needs. That differentiates us from other insurance providers

Tom Grove, Safety National

Loretta L. Worters, vice president, media relations at the Insurance Information Institute, lays out what a market-leading WC provider should be.

Financial stability, do they have a good credit rating? While every workers comp company must follow state statutes on coverage terms, limits of liability and benefits, there are other things that you want to look for, she explains. Whats their reputation for paying claims in a timely manner? The provider should be accessible when you have questions or concerns. They should be a partner to help prevent workplace safety issues.

All the IBA 5-Star Workers Comp winners display these qualities and are dedicated to delivering.

Claims are the opportunity to deliver on the promise that the policy represents, [and] we treat this opportunity seriously

Matthew Zender, AmTrust Financial Services

What do brokers want from workers compensation

insurance companies?

IBA surveyed hundreds of brokers to get their take on whats most important in the top workers compensation insurance companies offerings.

Some of their suggestions on what they want to see in the industry include:

Offer faster service and more streamlined communication

Make the underwriting process and binding process easier

Open up appetite to include more class codes

More flexible billing options

A group of 5-Star winners explained to IBA how theyve met expectations:

Tom Grove, chief client officer, Safety National

Mary Beth Pittinger, executive vice president, workers compensation, Chubb Commercial Insurance

Matthew Zender, senior vice president of WC strategy, AmTrust Financial Services



Customer service

AmTrust Financial Services

From a workers compensation perspective, we understand the need to provide service as efficiently as possible. We have worked to achieve the right balance between self-service and support, all in order to set our agents up for success.

Safety National

Customer service is not an approach. Its who we are. Its our DNA. Thats what separates us from other insurance companies. Because of our flat organization and customized approach, our buyers will get to form relationships with us that we believe create a superior high-touch experience with us than they will get with any other carrier.

Chubb Commercial Insurance

Advancements in service technologies continue to raise customers expectations of service. While technology is important, workers compensation is a service-driven product line and its important that underwriters, risk engineers, claim handlers, premium auditors, and policy servicing teams are working together to deliver personal touchpoints during various steps of the workers compensation life cycle.

Claims handling

AmTrust Financial Services

Claims are the opportunity to deliver on the promise that the policy represents. We treat this opportunity seriously and we take pride in our claims organization and their success.



Safety National

Managing high-exposure, catastrophic claims for more than 80 years has given Safety National unique expertise. A claims adjusters worst catastrophic claim is a claim we see on a regular basis.



Chubb Commercial Insurance

Deep expertise and experience in handling WC claims and providing quality care to a customers most valuable asset  their employees  is table stakes for being a premier workers compensation carrier. The average tenure of our claims adjusters is 10+ years.



Communication

AmTrust Financial Services

We listen, act and respond. We communicate relevant details timely and are there when needed.

Safety National

Everyone can make promises, but we pride ourselves on the follow-through and execution. The bureaucracy is minimal. We are easily accessible and nimble, with the ability to make a decision and reply with an answer quickly. We treat each client as a true partner. We are flexible and communicative through every step of the process.

Chubb Commercial Insurance

Collaboration with customers throughout the entire workers compensation cycle is critical to achieving the best outcomes. That includes helping insureds to identify hazards and prevent accidents, and handling claims promptly and fairly while offering support for injured employees.

Collaboration with customers throughout the entire workers compensation cycle is critical to achieving the best outcomes

Mary Beth Pittinger, Chubb Commercial Insurance

Underwriting expertise

AmTrust Financial Services

Understanding the business that we insure is paramount. We look to recognize fit in class and use this expertise to provide a competitive quote based on the unique characteristics of each risk.

Safety National

Many carriers write tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of customers, and they are treated the same because there is just a sheer mass of accounts. Our customers number in the thousands, and we custom-design programs based on their needs. That differentiates us from other insurance providers.

Chubb Commercial Insurance

A few key segments we offer underwriting specialists include professional services, life sciences, technology, energy, manufacturing, retail/wholesale trade, and financial services, to name a few. We understand the unique workers compensation exposures generated from each of these individual segments, and tailor our underwriting and service offerings to provide the most comprehensive program.



Coverage

AmTrust Financial Services

We ensure that our coverage options are as robust as any found in the marketplace.

Safety National

Our underwriting approach is to determine what a customer seeks in their relationship with an insurance carrier. What are their service needs or where do they need help in terms of controlling losses or claim management? We come up with a competitive price and, from there, we deliver on our service commitments.

Chubb Commercial Insurance

While workers compensation coverage is statutory, its important to understand how the different state jurisdictions impact an insureds experience. Staff in Chubbs 48 US branches understand the intricacies of each states jurisdiction to provide customers with workers compensation policies that meet the criteria of their jurisdiction.



The numbers speak for themselves

These top workers compensation insurance companies stand out with their quantified achievements.

As of year-end 2022, Safety National reported:

$3.4 billion in statutory surplus

$13.8 billion in assets

$2.4 billion in gross written premium



Other accolades include:

Being a wholly owned subsidiary of Tokio Marine Holdings, ranked among the top 10 insurance companies in the world with a presence across more than 40 countries

Earning the highest ratings from AM Best (A++, FSC XV), thus lauding the companys financial stability and lasting power

Ranking as a Best Place to Work in Insurance honoree for multiple years

Zender of AmTrust says, With over 360,000 policies in force, and as the third largest writer of workers comp in the country, we bring our capabilities to bear daily to support the needs of our policyholders.

And according to the most recent 2021 AM Best data, Chubb ranks as the fifth largest direct written premium carrier with over $2.2 billion of direct WC premium.



Applied Underwriters

Chubb Commercial Insurance

Employers

Encova

FFVA Mutual Company

ICW Group

Lion Insurance

Markel

Midwest Employers Casualty

Midwestern Insurance Alliance

Omaha National

Pie Insurance

State Fund

SteadPoint/Benchmark

The Hartford

XSWC - Safety National

Claims Handling

Applied Underwriters

Chubb Commercial Insurance

Encova

FFVA Mutual Company

ICW Group

Lion Insurance

Markel

Midwest Employers Casualty

Midwestern Insurance Alliance

Omaha National

Pie Insurance

State Fund

Steadpoint/Benchmark

The Hartford

XSWC - Safety National

Communication

Applied Underwriters

Chubb Commercial Insurance

Employers

Encova

FFVA Mutual Company

ICW Group

Lion Insurance

Markel

Midwest Employers Casualty

Midwestern Insurance Alliance

Omaha National

Pie Insurance

State Fund

SteadPoint/Benchmark

The Hartford

XSWC - Safety National

Competitive Rates

Applied Underwriters

Chubb Commercial Insurance

Employers

Encova

FFVA Mutual Company

ICW Group

Lion Insurance

Markel

Midwest Employers Casualty

Midwestern Insurance Alliance

Omaha National

Pie Insurance

State Fund

SteadPoint/Benchmark

The Hartford

XSWC - Safety National

Coverage

Applied Underwriters

Chubb Commercial Insurance

Employers

Encova

FFVA Mutual Company

ICW Group

Lion Insurance

Markel

Midwest Employers Casualty

Omaha National

Pie Insurance

State Fund

SteadPoint/Benchmark

The Hartford

XSWC - Safety National

Customer Service

Applied Underwriters

Chubb Commercial Insurance

Employers

Encova

FFVA Mutual Company

ICW Group

Lion Insurance

Markel

Midwest Employers Casualty

Midwestern Insurance Alliance

Omaha National

Pie Insurance

State Fund

SteadPoint/Benchmark

The Hartford

XSWC - Safety National

Online Access

Applied Underwriters

Chubb Commercial Insurance

Encova

FFVA Mutual Company

Lion Insurance

Markel

Midwest Employers Casualty

Omaha National

Pie Insurance

SteadPoint/Benchmark

The Hartford

Range of Products

Applied Underwriters

Employers

FFVA Mutual Company

Lion Insurance

Markel

Midwestern Insurance Alliance

Omaha National

Pie Insurance

State Fund

SteadPoint/Benchmark

XSWC - Safety National

Risk Mitigation

Applied Underwriters

Chubb Commercial Insurance

FFVA Mutual Company

Lion Insurance

Markel

Midwest Employers Casualty

Omaha National

Pie Insurance

State Fund

SteadPoint/Benchmark

The Hartford

XSWC - Safety National

Underwriting Expertise

Applied Underwriters

Chubb Commercial Insurance

Employers

Encova

FFVA Mutual Company

ICW Group

Lion Insurance

Markel

Midwest Employers Casualty

Midwestern Insurance Alliance

Omaha National

Pie Insurance

State Fund

SteadPoint/Benchmark

The Hartford

XSWC - Safety National

Specialized Workers Compensation

Amerisafe

Hard-to-place risk

Applied Underwriters

Construction

BerkleyNet

High hazards

Clear Spring

Long-haul transportation

ICW Group

Tree operations

Omaha National

Contracting

State Fund

Hard-to-place risk

High-Risk Workers Compensation
The $3 billion Florida Optional Reinsurance Assistance (FORA) program that was established in 2022 falls short of what is needed to reinsure all risk in Florida, Miller said further, noting that a state-sponsored reinsurance bridge could reduce homeowners rates about 15% versus the 30%+ rate increases we are seeing on top of the 2022 increases.
Azzolino will be responsible for increasing distribution and access to the units suite of digital capabilities including its Pronto portal, which allows an agent or broker to submit, quote and bind specialty wholesale products within minutes. Azzolino will also explore new partnerships with agents and brokers, as well as embedded solutions, to bolster The Hartfords digital potential while also bringing in new specialty and whole insurance products into the digital realm.
It was important for us to focus on this area because it is significantly impacted by our industry's lack of understanding of wildfire risk. It has led to a lack of stability in insurance rates within the region, and a lot of that seems to be based on stigma.
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Insurer Chubb has been accused of lowballing offers in the settlement of an employee class action that the owner of a popular New England grocery chain was motivated to close out due to fears that further discovery might reveal damaging information related to internal management battles.

Demoulas Super Markets (DSM), the owner of Market Basket, alleges that Chubb has committed unfair practices in refusing to pay the limits of its $15 million policy towards the $17.5 million settlement.

Chubb declined to comment.

DSM was insured under a Chubb policy providing fiduciary liability coverage of $15 million. DSM was also insured under a $10 million excess policy from National Union Fire Insurance Co. (AIG).

DSM sought coverage after employees brought an ERISA class action for alleged mismanagement of the companys profit sharing plan. Market Basket operates about 90 grocery stores in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Maine and Rhode Island.

The employees asserted that they could prove $90 million in damages and made a settlement demand of $45 million. An analysis by an expert hired by DSM, who was unaware of the potentially damaging other information, conservatively valued plaintiffs claims at $32.5 million.

The parties agreed on a mediated settlement of $17.5 million. DSM contends that Chubb knew that the settlement was about 50% lower than DSMs own experts assessment of potential damages and that settling would avoid further discovery including from hostile directors who were involved in a highly-publicized internal corporate fight for control of DSM in 2014 and 2015.

DSM also maintains that Chubb knew that the experts analysis did not take into account additional documents that could potentially increase DSMs exposure and knew that failure to settle would likely result in substantial defense costs that would erode the Chubb policy amounts.

Anxious to put the matter to rest, DSM accepted and paid the settlement offer even though it was uncertain about how much Chubb would ultimately contribute.

After the court made the settlement official, DSM says it continued to ask Chubb to pay $15 million towards the $17.5 million ERISA settlement.

Chubb eventually paid $7.8 million and, thereafter, according to DSM, when pressed to pay more, shifted its positions several times in an attempt to lowball a settlement with DSM.

According to DSM, Chubb falsely asserted that DSM counsel had early on assessed the fair settlement value of the case to be about $8.5 million, or 1% of the retirement plans assets. However, DSM says its counsel never made any such assessment, orally or in writing, but rather, DSMs counsel suggested that 1% of total plan assets might constitute a reasonable starting position for negotiations.

At one point, according to the complaint, Chubb offered an additional $2.35 million for a total of $10.15 million in exchange for a full release of all claims, an offer Chubbs counsel characterized as a previous offer that was still on the table. But that statement was merely an attempt to rewrite history as there was no such offer on the table at the time, DSM says in its complaint.

Meanwhile, AIG agreed to pay $2 million towards the settlement agreement, an amount that constituted 80% of what DSM was entitled to under the excess policy.

But Chubb has refused to pay the balance of DSMs claim or, DSM alleges, conduct a reasonable investigation based upon all available information. DSM contends that Chubb had and continues to have no reasonable basis for disregarding the mediators proposal nor for disregarding the experts analysis.

In addition, DSM alleges that Chubb threatened to refuse to pay any amounts if DSM continued to insist that it receive the Chubb policy limits amount.

Chubb knew that liability was reasonably clear, knew that DSMs exposure was likely substantially over the settlement amount, and knew that defense costs were likely to be substantial if the case did not settle, the complaint states. Nevertheless, Chubb engaged in intentional lowballing of DSM by extending settlement offers that were substantially less than the settlement agreement and even reducing its initial lowball settlement offer. Chubb also exacerbated its lowballing by baselessly threatening to deny coverage altogether if DSM did not accept Chubbs unreasonable offers, the complaint continues.

As a matter of company policy, we do not comment on individual claims, a Chubb spokesperson told Insurance Journal.

The suit was filed in U.S. District Court for Massachusetts.

Topics Chubb
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A first-grade Virginia teacher who was shot and seriously wounded by her 6-year-old student filed a lawsuit Monday seeking $40 million in damages from school officials, accusing them of gross negligence for allegedly ignoring multiple warnings on the day of the shooting that the boy had a gun and was in a violent mood.

The shooting rattled the military shipbuilding community and sent shock waves around the country, with many wondering how a child so young could get access to a gun and shoot his teacher.

The lawsuit names the Newport News School Board and several school district officials, including former Superintendent George Parker III, as defendants.

Michelle Price, a spokesperson for the school board, Lisa Surles-Law, chair of the school board, and other board members did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment on the lawsuit. The former superintendent did not immediately return a message seeking comment left on his cellphone.

No one, including the boy, has been charged in the shooting. The superintendent was fired by the school board after the shooting, while the assistant principal resigned. The principal was reassigned to another job within the school district. The board also voted to install metal detectors in every school in the district, beginning with Richneck, and to purchase clear backpacks for all students.

In the lawsuit, Zwerners attorneys say all of the defendants knew the boy had a history of random violence at school and at home, including an episode the year before, when he strangled and choked his kindergarten teacher.

All Defendants knew that John Doe attacked students and teachers alike, and his motivation to injure was directed toward anyone in his path, both in and out of school, and was not limited to teachers while at the school, the lawsuit states.

School officials removed the boy from Richneck and sent him to another school for the remainder of the year, but allowed him to return to Richneck for first grade in the fall of 2022, the lawsuit states. He was placed on a modified schedule because he was chasing students around the playground with a belt in an effort to whip them with it, and was cursing staff and teachers, it says. Under the modified schedule, one of the boys parents was required to accompany him during the school day.

Teachers concerns with John Does behavior (were) regularly brought to the attention of Richneck Elementary School administration, and the concerns were always dismissed, the lawsuit states. Often after he was taken to the office, he would return to class shortly thereafter with some type of reward, such as a piece of candy, according to the lawsuit.

The boys parents did not agree for him to be put in special education classes where he would be with other students with behavioral issues, the lawsuit states.

Zwerner suffered permanent bodily injuries, physical pain, mental anguish, lost earnings and other damages, the lawsuit states. It seeks $40 million in compensatory damages.

Last month, Newport News prosecutor Howard Gwynn said his office will not criminally charge the boy because he wouldnt understand the legal system and what a charge means. Gwynn has yet to decide if any adults will be charged.

The boy used his mothers gun, which police said was purchased legally. An attorney for the boys family has said that the firearm was secured on a closet shelf and had a lock on it.

Photo: Willow Crawford, left, and her older sister Ava, right, join friend Kaylynn Vestre, center, in expressing their support for Richneck Elementary School first-grade teacher Abby Zwerner during a candlelight vigil in her honor at the School Administration Building in Newport News, Va., Monday, Jan. 9, 2023. Zwerner was shot and wounded by a 6-year-old student while teaching class on Friday, Jan. 6. (AP Photo/John C. Clark)

Copyright 2023 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Lawsuits K-12 Virginia
Car services groups on Friday warned a stalled EU proposal to ensure fair access to valuable vehicle data could pave the way for unfair competition from U.S. and Chinese tech companies.

The vehicle data tussle between carmakers and a coalition of insurers, leasing companies and repair shops underscores the huge potential of the connected car market, which consultancy Fortune Business Insights says could grow to 250 billion-400 billion euros ($272 billion-$435 billion) by 2030.

Carmakers are looking to generate revenue from software products and subscription services driven by data which covers everything from driving habits to fuel consumption and tire wear.

Insurers, Leasing Firms Push European Commission for Access to Valuable Vehicle Data

Data ownership, however, is not clearly defined in EU law, which has spawned the current dispute between carmakers and those who want to access it.

The European Commission had originally planned to adopt rules on how the data should be shared in the second quarter of the year, according to its agenda, but has yet to come up with a legislative proposal.

Car services groups are already concerned about the small number of players in the industry with access to the data, said Benjamin Krieger, secretary general of the European Association of Automotive Suppliers (CLEPA).

Unfair access could soon mean the sector will be dominated by players from the United States and China, he told reporters.

Another problem, which legislation could solve, is unstandardized data, said Laurianne Krid, director general of FIA Region I, part of the Federation Internationale de lAutomobile (FIA).

Car makers in turn said the Commissions proposed Data Act gives users control over data generated by vehicles, providing third parties fair and non-discriminatory access to the data.

Krieger said it does not address the specificities in the auto sector. It does not reflect the technology and the competitive situation, he said.

The Commission did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Alphabets Google has already got a foothold in the market, picked by General Motors to develop infotainment systems for future electric vehicles as the U.S. carmaker phases out Apple CarPlay and Android Auto technologies.

Last month, Mercedes Benz teamed up with Google to offer traffic information and automatic rerouting in its cars.

($1 = 0.9206 euros)

(Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; editing by Jan Harvey)

Topics Auto Europe
Ardonagh Advisory, the London-based SME broking platform, announced the acquisition of Pace Ward, a UK-based local broker that provides national coverage for large commercial clients, prestige and high-performance cars, and high net worth clients.

Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.

Pace Ward will join Ethos Broking, where its specialisms will complement Ethos existing partner brokers, which include Chambers & Newman, Hugh J Boswell and Guy Penn. Ethos Broking is part of Bravo Group, both subsidiaries of Ardonagh.

Established in 1993 and based in Stoke-on-Trent, England, Pace Ward is led by Managing Director Jeremy Pace who has more than 30 years industry experience providing bespoke solutions for clients.

Pace will continue to run the business, working with Alan Sumner, Ethos Brokings regional managing director, and Managing Director Chris Shortland.

Pace Ward is a well-respected community broker, whose specialism in bespoke commercial insurance solutions and high-net-worth motor is a great fit for Ethos, and further complements the wider Ardonagh Advisory offering, commented Shortland.

As a longstanding member of Compass, which is part of Bravo Networks, Jeremy and the rest of the Pace Ward team are well known to us for their expertise and dedication to providing a first-class service to clients, he added. After many years as a valued network member, were pleased to now count Pace Ward as an Ethos Broking partner and look forward to working with them to further grow in the Staffordshire area.

Joining Ethos Broking presents a great opportunity for us to grow the business by being part of a wider network of partners offering a whole of market approach, according to Jeremy Pace, managing director, Pace Ward.

Ethos has a great reputation, and the values represented within the business and the wider Ardonagh Advisory platform, where client service comes second to none, entirely reflects the culture we value so highly at Pace Ward, Pace added.

About Ardonagh

Ardonagh Advisory Holdings is The Ardonagh Groups SME broking platform, comprising Bravo Networks, Ethos Broking, Footman James, Hera Indemnity, Lorega, Towergate, Towergate Health & Protection, Thompson & Bryan, Compass UK and Usay Compare brands. The Ardonagh Group is the UKs largest independent insurance distribution platform and a top 20 broker globally.

Source: Ardonagh Advisory Holdings

Topics Mergers & Acquisitions Agencies
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP)  Abuse survivors and advocates whove pushed for legislation making it easier in Kansas to prosecute abusers and file lawsuits decades later have achieved a breakthrough in the Legislature, where the proposal is advancing quickly.

The bill would remove limits on how long prosecutors have to file charges against suspects for any of a dozen violent sexual offenses against children, including indecent liberties, aggravated human trafficking and internet trading in child pornography. It also would give abuse survivors more time to file lawsuits seeking monetary damages.

Reports across the U.S. of abuse by Roman Catholic clergy have spurred interest in making it easier to pursue criminal prosecutions or lawsuits over cases of abuse dating back decades. In January, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation reported that it had identified 188 Catholic clergy suspected of crimes stretching back to the 1950s and submitted 30 affidavits to prosecutors. No criminal charges resulted, largely because of the state law limiting how long prosecutors have to pursue cases, the KBI said.

The state Senate voted unanimously on Wednesday to approve the bill, six days after a committee hearing. The measure went to the House, which could vote on it next week.

I am sad to say the person who sexually assaulted me is still out in the public and has never been held accountable, Earl McIntosh, a 57-year-old Topeka resident molested by a teenage neighbor when he was 10, told a Senate committee.

McIntosh testified of his fellow abuse survivors, They deserve justice.

For violent sexual crimes against children other than rape and aggravated sodomy, Kansas prosecutors currently can file criminal charges until the victim turns 28 or up to a year after DNA evidence establishes a suspect, whichever is later. The bill would eliminate those time limits.

The bill would give abuse suvivors until they turn 31 or three years after the abuser is convicted of a sexually violent crime against a child. Lawsuits currently must be filed by the time a survivor turns 21 or three years after a survivor discovered or reasonably should have discovered that childhood abuse caused an injury or illness.

The measure does not include another proposal survivors have pursued, requiring clergy to report allegations of child abuse to authorities.

Eighteen states have eliminated their statute of limitations for child sex crimes, according to Child USA, a Philadelphia think tank that focuses on laws dealing with child abuse. The group says 15 states have no statute of limitations for filing at least some abuse-related lawsuits.

Survivors and advocates told legislators that survivors often wait well into adulthood  often into their 50s  to disclose abuse because of the trauma, which often comes with shame and a fear of retaliation.

Advocates for changing Kansas law had trouble in recent years even getting a hearing for their proposals.

In January, they announced bipartisan efforts seeking to change state law. Survivors set up a table in the Statehouse visitors center each day lawmakers were in session this year, and legislators had to pass it going between their parking garage and their offices. Survivors met with Senate President Ty Masterson, a Wichita-area Republican, and he recently helped draft the current proposal.

No one testified against the measure, though some influential players were neutral.

An association for insurance companies expressed concern about a provision eliminating a $500,000 cap on damages in lawsuits against government agencies, arguing that insurance costs would rise and drive companies out of the state. The league representing Kansas cities said the bill could result in them paying damages simply because a bad actor chose to commit their crime on city property. 

But the Kansas Catholic Conference said in a statement that the bill appears to give survivors more tools in seeking justice.

There is no time limitation on when the Catholic Church will offer services and support to clergy abuse victims, the statement said.

During the Senates debate Wednesday, state Sen. Cindy Holscher, a Kansas City- area Democrat, speaking in favor of the bill, told colleagues that when she was 5 years old, a man who often worked on her familys farm tried to sexually assault her in a barn. She said the noise of her homes back screen door banging against a wall interrupted him and allowed her to escape. She said she avoided telling the full story for nearly 50 years, until this weeks debate.

For years, I didnt even recognize this as an attempted assault and attempted sexual assault, not until I had my own children. Yes, I kept thinking I did something wrong, Holscher said. My mind keeps trying to shield me from the embarrassment, the shame, the trauma of that day.

Copyright 2023 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Legislation Claims Kansas
For the third time in five months, federal safety inspectors responded to a Portsmouth, Ohio hardwood flooring mill to investigate reports of unsafe machinery. Two of those inspections involved workers injuries, the latest on Oct. 5, 2022, when a workers fingertip was partially amputated because it was caught in an unguarded belt and pulley.

Inspectors with the U.S. Department of Labors Occupational Safety and Health Administration determined the mills lack of guarding, safety procedures and training exposed employees to machine hazards. The agency responded to similar injuries in May and July 2022 at Appalachian Wood Floors Inc. that operates as Graf Custom Hardwood. The company informed OSHA of the injuries within 24 hours, as required.

As a result of the October inspection, OSHA cited the company for six repeated and 12 serious safety violations involving machine safety procedures, trip hazards for surfaces filled with debris and various electrical safety violations. The company faces additional proposed penalties of $333,693 and has been placed in OSHAs Severe Violator Enforcement Program.

These preventable injuries demonstrate a blatant disregard for the safety of workers and a failure to train them on safety procedures, said OSHA Area Director Ken Montgomery in Cincinnati. Graf Custom Hardwood must immediately review their machines for adequate guarding and train their workers so they can operate the machines safely.

The agency conducted three other inspections at Graf Custom Hardwood in 2022 including:

Two inspections opened May 24 resulting in OSHA citing five serious and one other-than-serious violations involving an unguarded chain and sprocket, lack of recordkeeping, unsafe electrical conditions and trip hazards from debris littering walking and working surfaces.

An inspection opened July 12, 2022, after the company reported a worker suffered a finger amputation. OSHA cited two serious violations for a lack of machine guarding.

Topics Ohio
New You can now listen to Insurance Journal articles!

Tanabe to Succeed Ruser as WCRI CEO

The Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) has named Executive Vice President Ramona Tanabe as CEO as of May 1. She succeeds John Ruser, who has served in the position since 2015 and will stay on temporarily as an advisor to the CEO.

Tanabe has held several key leadership positions at WCRI, including leading the institutes flagship line of core benchmarking studies, designing and conducting studies on workplace health policy and managing WCRIs data collection and technology investments. She has also provided legal counsel, testified at governmental hearings and managed core operations.

WTW appoints Bolig Head of Property & Casualty for CRB, North America

WTW has appointed Jackie Bolig as head of property and casualty, corporate risk and broking (CRB), North America.

With more than 30 years of experience in insurance and risk management, Bolig joins WTW from Aon, where she most recently served as executive managing director and co-lead for Aon Inpoint. She joined the Inpoint team in 2020 as chief commercial officer and part of the global leadership team. Bolig also previously worked in Aons reinsurance business as the U.S. individual risk and facultative facilities leader.

Fox Named Zurich North America Chief Underwriting Officer

Heather Fox has been named North America Chief Underwriting Officer, effective immediately. She will lead the technical underwriting team.

Fox reports to Zurich North America CEO Kristof Terryn, with a shared reporting relationship to Penny Seach, Zurich Insurance Group Chief Underwriting Officer. She is based in New York office and will become a member of the Zurich North America Executive Committee.

Fox comes to Zurich from ARC Excess & Surplus where she started in 2009 and most recently served as general counsel and chief brokerage officer. Before that, she was with AIG in New York for 12 years, where she specialized in executive liability and directors & officers insurance.

Topics Property Casualty Willis Towers Watson
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Dollar General Corp.s stores are as ubiquitous in small-town America as Starbucks cafes in cities and suburbia. And just like the coffee giant, its facing increasing criticism over worker treatment that could disrupt one of the retail industrys most successful business models.

When 35-year-old Josh Tinker became store manager of a Dollar General location in 2021 in Apache, Oklahoma, he struggled to recruit workers from the town with a little more than 1,000 residents. Pay of $8 or $9 an hour was a hurdle. And so were the conditions, with leaks in the ceiling and a balky heating and air conditioning system.

When it was cold, we were wearing five shirts, said Tinker, who left the company last year and began speaking out against the retailer that has 19,000 US locations  the most in the country.

Management instructed Tinker to use a space heater, but workers could still see their breath during shifts. The summer didnt offer relief. Then it was 115 in the store, said Tinker, who has collaborated with More Perfect Union, a labor-oriented group. Everything was melting, and wed put ice packs down our shirts.

Tinker isnt alone. Other employees are going public. And in October, Dollar General became the only national retailer on the Labor Departments severe violator list of companies with unsafe working conditions. Federal inspectors repeatedly found blocked emergency exits, fire hazards and boxes stacked to the point that they could collapse onto workers.

Over the past two years, the Labor Departments Occupational Safety and Health Administration has issued fines of $12.5 million against Dollar General, the most of any retailer during that period.

Thats hardly a financial threat  the two-year tally amounts to less than half a percentage point of the companys net income over the period. Still, OSHA recently expanded its severe violator program to include retailers, and the agency signaled its rising frustration by adding Dollar General. The list, which includes many smaller builders, roofers and manufacturers, is reserved for employers with willful, repeated violations that havent taken effective steps toward improvement.

Dollar Generals inclusion on the list means that the retailer will face stepped-up scrutiny at a time when the Biden administration has been beefing up OSHAs inspector corps.

In an emailed response to a detailed list of questions for this story, the Goodlettsville, Tennessee-based company said its committed to providing a safe work environment and addressing situations in a timely manner.

US regulators see the issues at Dollar General as systemic, not a few isolated incidents.

This is an indication of a business model issue, said Doug Parker, the Labor Departments assistant secretary for occupational safety and health. We have had enough experience with this company that we know this is not a function of just a handful of stores. This is a broader problem thats going to have to be addressed at the C-Suite level, not by local and regional safety directors.

The company and OSHA are in very early stages of discussing a settlement and remediation plan, according to the New York Times.

Restaurant and retail workers are becoming increasingly emboldened amid a tight labor market. Organizing movements have bubbled up at companies ranging from Amazon to Home Depot. Starbucks had largely been seen as offering better pay and benefits than many peers, but its workers have built one of the industrys most successful unionization efforts.

A reputation for subpar working conditions can make hiring and retaining hourly workers more difficult and expensive. And while every chain needs to recruit employees, finding an increasing amount of cheap labor is core to Dollar Generals growth.

Lots of big legacy retailers have slowed store openings or are reducing locations to focus on e-commerce. But Dollar General doesnt have much of an online business. Its growth hinges on opening lots of new stores every year and hiring cheap labor to operate them. That includes adding another 1,000 stores this year. (It already operates more US locations combined than Walmart, Target and Kroger.)

One aspect of Dollar Generals model that could help it with hiring is that it opens stores in small towns overlooked by Walmart and grocery chains  about 80% are located in areas with less than 20,000 people  so there is often less competition for labor.

This kind of store expansion at Dollar General is what investors have come to expect. Over the past five years, sales have surged 61% to $37.8 billion with locations leaping by 4,500. Since the start of 2018, its stock has more than doubled  far surpassing the gains at smaller rival Dollar Tree.

Most of Dollar Generals more than 170,000 workers have shared little in the bounty. About 90% of them earn less than $15 an hour, according to a wage tracker created last year by the Economic Policy Institute, a think tank in Washington that focuses on the needs of lower-income workers. That was the highest percentage in the study, which included Walmart and McDonalds, but not other dollar chains like Dollar Tree and Family Dollar.

While hard to quantify, crime and violence at dollar stores, which handle more cash than other retail formats, are also a risk to employees. In recent months, a Dollar Tree worker in Ohio was killed with a machete and a Brooklyn employee was shot and wounded.

At Dollar General, a Mississippi cashier was shot and wounded, while an employee in Louisiana was charged with manslaughter after killing an armed robber and a man was shot and killed in a Chicago store. Going back to 2016, at least six Dollar General employees died during robberies, CNN found.

Meanwhile, investors have soured a little on Dollar General, with its stock down about 15% this year while the S&P 500 has gained roughly 3%. The company is trying to win back Wall Street by making a bigger push into food, increasing stores in the suburbs and opening its first location in Mexico. In what could be seen as a positive for workers, the company is also adding $100 million to its budget to beef up staffing.

This investment will primarily consist of incremental labor hours to support our expectations regarding consistent store standards, Chief Executive Officer Jeff Owen said earlier this month on an earnings call. It will also enhance the associate and customer experience.

Top Photo: Dollar General is the only national retailer on the US Labor Departments severe violator list. Bloomberg photo.

Copyright 2023 Bloomberg.
One General Agency (OGA) of Oklahoma City announced that it has acquired Jaeger + Haines, Inc., a wholesale broker in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Since 1976, Jaeger + Haines has served agents across Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Tennessee, writing excess and surplus lines commercial insurance.

Founded in 1951, the Oklahoma-based OGA is a second-generation, family-owned wholesaler led by Jennifer Dotter, President, and CEO. They provide E&S markets, standard markets, and premium financing to independent agents in Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Kansas, Missouri, and Arkansas. They offer a broad array of solutions across various specialty divisions, including cannabis, professional lines, standard lines, and energy and environmental. This acquisition will allow them to increase their footprint in Arkansas and Missouri and expand into Tennessee.

The terms of the transaction were not disclosed, and the acquisition is expected to close in April 2023.

Topics Mergers & Acquisitions Arkansas
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The National Hurricane Centers report on Hurricane Ian, posted Monday, six months after the storm hit southwest Florida, pegs Ian as the most expensive to hit the Sunshine State, causing twice as much damage as Hurricane Andrew did 30 years earlier.

Ian, which made landfall Sept. 28 near Fort Myers, Florida, caused an estimated $113 billion in total damage in Southeastern U.S. states, according to the report from the NHC, part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. About $109 billion of that was in Florida.

Andrew, which hit southeast Florida in 1992, resulted in about $54 billion in damage, in todays dollars.

The total for Ian confirms some earlier estimates that have put insured losses as high as $60 billion. Ian was the third-costliest U.S. hurricane on record, behind Hurricane Katrina, which hit New Orleans and coastal Mississippi in 2005, and Hurricane Harvey, which slammed Texas and Louisiana in 2017.

The NHC report gives a final look on just how powerful Ian was, and shows the perils of building in low-lying areas. It also underlines the need for property owners to secure flood insurance, even in inland parts of the state, and shows how predicting hurricanes paths can be tricky for some storms.

Some key points from the report:

Storm surge: Ian produced a catastrophic storm surge of 10 to 15 feet on barrier islands near Fort Myers, wiping out many homes and heavily damaging others. An initial forecast had put the surge at less than 7 feet at Fort Myers Beach.

In Fort Myers Beach alone, an estimated 900 structures were totally destroyed and 2,200 were damaged, the report noted. In Lee County, at least 52,514 structures were impacted, of which 5,369 were destroyed and 14,245 received major damage.

Casualties: The storm was responsible for 156 deaths, 66 of which were directly caused by the hurricane  all of those in Florida. Storm surge was the deadliest hazard, claiming 41 lives, most of them in Lee County, which includes Fort Myers, the NHC reported.

Flooding: Ian dumped 10 to 20 inches of rain in parts of central and eastern Florida. The highest amount recorded was almost 27 inches, in Grove City, about 30 miles northwest of Fort Myers. The deluge caused widespread flooding along the St. Johns River, Lake George, Crest Lake, the Little Wekiva River and Dunns Creek and Shingle Creek. As the storm moved east, Floridas Atlantic Coast also saw storm surge, rainfall and flooding. Daytona Beach recorded almost 21.5 inches of rain, the report indicated.

Ian damaged an estimated 4,100 structures in Osceola County and 1,656 structures in Seminole County. The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services estimated $1.1 billion to $1.8 billion in losses due to flooding and wind damage to the states crops and infrastructure, the report said.

Forecasts and tracking: Despite some complaints from local and state officials, who said they were caught off guard by Ians sudden turn to the east, the report found that errors in predicting the storms path were not out of the ordinary.

The average official track forecast errors were lower than the mean official errors for the previous 5-yr period as the storm developed, the report noted.

Consensus models, which combine data from a number of hurricane computer models, outperformed the NHCs forecasts at some points. The best-performing model for short-term forecasts was the Florida State Superensemble. The model with the greatest track errors was the Canadian model, the report said.

Examination of the individual official forecasts revealed the cross-track error to be the largest source of error with a consistent westward bias noted, the report found. While the left-of-track bias made forecasting the exact landfall location of the Ian in southwestern Florida difficult, the forecast track cone of uncertainty did contain the landfall location for all advisory cycles. In general, storms that parallel a coastline tend to be more challenging to predict because a small change in heading can cause large differences in the landfall location. Ian was an example of this particular challenge.

Winds and pressure: Ian produced estimated peak winds of 140 knots, or about 161 mph, but the sustained winds were closer to 144 mph at landfall. That windspeed was less than that seen during some well-known storms, including Hurricane Irma, which hit much of Florida in 2017 with winds of 180 mph. Irma caused an estimated $50 billion in damages, according to reports.

The barometric pressure for Ian reached as low as 937 millibars, below the average of 950 and above Irmas 914 mb, according to the NHC and other reports. A lower pressure is generally indicative of a more intense storm, and some meteorologists have said that pressure is a better predictor of damage than wind speed.

The NHC report was prepared by researchers Lisa Bucci, Laura Alaka, Andrew Hagen, Sandy Delgado, and Jack Beven, with the National Hurricane Center. It was posted April 3.

Top photo: Shots from a time-lapse video from a remotely operated camera during Ian at Fort Myers Beach. (Max Olson, via the NHC report)

Topics Catastrophe Natural Disasters Florida Windstorm Hurricane
The Biden administration cleared the way for Californias plan to phase out a wide range of diesel-powered trucks, part of the states efforts to drastically cut planet-warming emissions and improve air quality in heavy-traffic areas like ports along the coast.

The decision by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency allows California to require truck manufacturers to sell an increasing number of zero-emission trucks over the next couple of decades. The rule applies to a wide range of trucks including box trucks, semitrailers and even large passenger pick-ups.

Were leading the charge to get dirty trucks and buses  the most polluting vehicles  off our streets, and other states and countries are lining up to follow our lead, Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement.

The EPA typically sets standards for tailpipe emissions from passenger cars, trucks and other vehicles, but California has historically been granted waivers to impose its own, stricter standards. Other states can then follow suit, and eight other states plan to adopt Californias truck standards, Newsoms office said. In a letter last year, attorneys general from 15 states, Washington, D.C., and New York City urged the EPA to approve the California truck standards.

The transportation sector accounts for nearly 40% of Californias greenhouse gas emissions. Newsom has already moved to ban the sale of new cars that run entirely on gasoline by 2035. Those rules are still waiting on EPA approval.

The new truck standards are aimed at companies that make trucks and those that own large quantities of them. Companies owning 50 or more trucks will have to report information to the state about how they use these trucks to ship goods and provide shuttle services. Manufacturers will have to sell a higher percentage of zero-emission vehicles starting in 2024. Depending on the class of truck, zero-emission ones will have to make up 40% to 75% of sales by 2035.

The announcement came as advocates are pushing for more ambitious tailpipe emissions standards in other states and at the national level.

We dont just fight for California, we fight for all of the communities, said Jan Victor Andasan, an activist with East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice, a group that advocates for better air quality in and around Los Angeles.

Andasan and other environmental activists from across the country who are a part of the Moving Forward Network, a 50-member group based at Occidental College in Los Angeles, met with EPA officials recently to discuss national regulations to limit emissions from trucks and other vehicles.

But some in the trucking industry are concerned about how costly and burdensome the transition will be for truck drivers and companies.

The state and federal regulators collaborating on this unrealistic patchwork of regulations have no grasp on the real costs of designing, building, manufacturing and operating the trucks that deliver their groceries, clothes and goods, said Chris Spear, president of the American Trucking Association, in a statement.

They will certainly feel the pain when these fanciful projections lead to catastrophic disruptions well beyond Californias borders, he added.

Federal pollution standards for heavy trucks are also getting tougher. The EPA released rules that will cut nitrogen oxide pollution, which contributes to the formation of smog, by more than 80% in 2027. The agency will propose greenhouse gas emissions limits this year.

The agency expects the new standards and government investment will lead to zero- emissions electric and hydrogen fuel cell trucks carrying most of the nations freight.

California activists Andasan and Brenda Huerta Soto, an organizer with the Peoples Collective for Environmental Justice, are troubled by the impact of pollution from trucks and other vehicles on communities with a large population of residents of color that live near busy ports in Los Angeles, Oakland and other cities as well as warehouse-dense inland areas.

Huerta Soto works in Southern Californias Inland Empire, where a high concentration of trucks pass through to transport goods. On top of truck pollution, the many cars, trucks and trains that travel through the area burden residents with noises, odors and pollutants these vehicles emit, she said.

We have the technology, and we have the money to move toward zero-emission vehicles, she said.

Associated Press writer Tom Krisher in Detroit contributed to this report.

Copyright 2023 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics California Pollution
April 4, 2023 (Investorideas.com Newswire) Victoria is the most social media obsessed city in Canada, according to new research.

The study by casino comparison experts CasinoBonusCA.com analyzed the number of monthly Google searches across Canada over the past year for social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Instagram and more to see which cities had the highest amount of searches per 1,000 people.

Victoria, the capital city of British Columbia, has earned the title of the most social media obsessed city in Canada with 5,758 average monthly searches per 1,000 people. The top five most Googled social media platforms in Victoria are YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Reddit. On YouTube, there are many travel guides and vlogs promoting the city and displaying the abundance of natural beauty and cultural attractions.

Moncton, a vibrant city in New Brunswick, has emerged the second most social media obsessed city in Canada with 3,097 average monthly searches per 1,000 people. The city's residents are Googling various social media platforms, particularly Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest being the top five most popular in Moncton. Interestingly, Moncton residents appear to be more interested in Pinterest compared to other cities in the country. This platform, which is known for its visual content, has become a go-to place for many residents of Moncton to discover and share inspiring images and ideas.

St. John's, the capital city of Newfoundland and Labrador, has also made it to the list of the most social media obsessed cities in Canada with 2,711 average monthly searches per 1,000 people. St. John's ranks third on the list, indicating a high level of social media engagement among its residents. The top five most Googled platforms among St. John's residents include Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, and Reddit.

Nanaimo, a picturesque city on Vancouver Island, has earned the title of the fourth most social media obsessed city in Canada, with 2,478 average monthly searches per 1,000 people. Despite the growing popularity of other social media platforms, Facebook remains the most widely used platform among Nanaimo residents. The city's natural beauty, including its stunning coastline, forests, and parks, provides a perfect backdrop for social media enthusiasts to capture and share images on Instagram, Snapchat, and other platforms.

Peterborough, located in central Ontario, has secured the fifth spot on the list of the most social media obsessed cities in Canada with 2,454 average monthly searches per 1,000 people. Facebook remains the most popular social media platform in the city, but Peterborough is also home to a popular YouTuber, Mark Chrispy, who has amassed nearly a million subscribers. Mark is known for his love of food and has made a name for himself by creating engaging YouTube content.

Where do the other cities place on the list?

Vancouver places sixth on the list as the most social media obsessed city in Canada, and rounding out the top ten is Thunder Bay, Halifax, Prince George and Windsor, respectively. Canada's largest city Toronto places 14th on the list.

Commenting on the findings, a spokesperson from CasinoBonusCA.com said: "Social media has become a fundamental part of many people's lives over the past decade, so it's interesting that the older social media platforms such as Youtube and Facebook still remain supreme in popularity in Canadian cities, as opposed to newcomers such as TikTok."

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April 4, 2023 (Investorideas.com Newswire) Tech layoffs stalk the land where once the tech giants reigned supreme. The pandemic's aftermath has unleashed a wave of job cuts as companies scramble to adapt to a changing market.

The "year of efficiency," as coined by Mark Zuckerberg, has seen over 265,000 people lose their jobs in the tech industry, with major players like Amazon, Google, Meta, and Microsoft each cutting over 10,000 positions.

Even Twitter has reduced its workforce by at least 50% since Elon Musk's acquisition.

Business 2 Community breaks down where the job cuts are hitting hardest, and explores the implications of these layoffs on customer experience, brand perception, and the future of the tech industry.

Post-pandemic tech industry is in retreat

A surge in remote work and online shopping initially fuelled the expansion of the sector, but as pandemic behaviours wane, we now face the harsh reality of a tech industry in retreat.

The question lingers: why are tech firms cutting staff now? So far this year 265,000 have lost their jobs in the tech sector.

This year the tech industry is experiencing a wave of layoffs that has left many employees uncertain about their future. While the reasons for these layoffs vary, the most common factors include company restructuring, mergers and acquisitions, and a shift in business strategy.

One of the major drivers is company restructuring. With many tech firms looking to streamline operations and cut costs, they have been forced to restructure their organizations to stay competitive.

This has led to the elimination of many roles, particularly in areas such as sales, marketing, and administrative support.

Another major factor contributing to layoffs is mergers and acquisitions. As the tech industry continues to consolidate, many companies are merging or being acquired by larger firms.

While these deals can be beneficial for shareholders and the overall health of the industry, they often result in redundancies as the new company seeks to integrate its operations.

Technology is to blame for some of the tech layoffs

Finally, a shift in business strategy has also contributed to the current wave of tech layoffs.

With many companies moving away from traditional business models and embracing new technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, and blockchain, they have had to make significant changes to their staffing needs.

This has resulted in layoffs for employees who may not have the necessary skills to work in these emerging fields.

While the tech layoffs of 2023 have been challenging for many individuals, there are some potential silver linings.

For example, as companies continue to adapt to changing market conditions, they may create new roles that require employees with the latest technological skills.

Additionally, as the industry evolves, there may be opportunities for those affected by layoffs to retrain and reskill themselves for in-demand roles.

Overall, the tech layoffs of 2023 have been a reminder that the tech industry is constantly evolving and that no job is truly secure.

However, with the right skills and adaptability, individuals can position themselves to succeed in this dynamic sector.

For the full story and data on the tech layoffs in 2023 go to:

https://www.business2community.com/tech-news/tech-layoff-stats-2023-where-the-jobs-cutback-axe-is-falling-02667665

Media contact: press@business2community.com

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French skincare giant LOreal has agreed to acquire luxury cosmetics brand Aesop, which was founded in Melbourne before developing a cult global following, for $2.53bn (2.32bn).

The transaction caps months of negotiations as other companies, including private equity firm Permira and Chinese investment firm Primavera Capital also showed interest in the Australian brand, owned by Brazils Natura & Co, people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg last month.
The connection between art and politics is a hot topic at the moment after an image designed by Dublin artist Mala Spiosari (Spicebag) and which is based on a 19th-century painting was tweeted by Sinn Fein housing spokesperson, Eoin O Broin on Saturday.

The art includes an image of a famine-era eviction, which is reworked to include private security officers and gardai.

No words needed (credit Mala Spiosrai) pic.twitter.com/JK6NVcFNeU  Eoin O Broin (@EOBroin) April 1, 2023

The original image that Mala Spiosrai used as inspiration is called The Eviction, which is attributed to Daniel Macdonald. The Eviction is currently on display in Behind the Scenes at Crawford Art Gallery until April 10.

Speaking on the Tonight Show yesterday, Mala Spiosrai defended his use of political satire in his work.

"My art is political satire. I'm entitled to my own opinions, to my own art. If you don't like them, that's your problem," he said while on a panel that included journalist Fionnan Sheahan and broadcaster George Hook.

Mala Spiosrai is selling prints of his Eviction image on his website, with 100% of profits going to a homeless charity at the end of April.

Artists using their chosen mediums to make a political statement is nothing new and we have dipped into the archives of our Cork in 50 Artworks series to highlight some well-known examples that blend art and politics.

Frederick Douglass mural on the Grand Parade

Great-great-great-grandson of Frederick Douglass, Kenneth B Morris Jnr. with the mural of the anti-slavery campaigner in Cork. Picture: Brian Lougheed

On the Grand Parade youll find an electrical box painted with the image of anti-slavery campaigner Frederick Douglass. The escaped slave and abolitionist leader visited Cork in 1845 and the murals creator, Kevin OBrien, says the artwork is a tribute to Douglass but also acts as a reference to more recent movements.

I wanted to get that Cork connection, rather than just have a portrait of Douglass, and also to link it to George Floyd and the larger Black Lives Matter movement, and the Irish connection of Direct Provision, OBrien said.

OBriens mural  blue against electric pink  features a famous Douglass quote about his time in Ireland, I breathe, and lo! the chattel becomes a man, and beneath it the hashtags #BlackLivesMatter and #EndDirectProvision.

OBrien says he was struck by the resonance between Douglasss I breathe and the last words of George Floyd - I cant breathe - as he was killed by a police officer in Minneapolis. His mural provides a link between those tragically-different utterances.

Read more about the mural here.

Kindred Spirits, Choctaw famine sculpture, Midleton

Kindred Spirits in Midleton, Co. Cork. Picture: David Creedon / Anzenberger

A collection of delicate-looking feathers in Midleton marks a beautiful gesture during the Great Famine. Kindred Spirits was created by Alex Pentek and commemorates the donation of $170 (a huge sum for the time) by the Choctaw Nation to the Irish people during the Famine.

Pentek, who lives near Grenagh, Co Cork, says he wanted to encompass the Irish and Choctaw stories of oppression in the piece, and he did extensive research on the history of both nations ahead of making it.

The Choctaw donation was approximately 13 years after their own crisis of oppression where they were forced by the American government from their original lands in the Mississippi region up to what is now modern-day Oklahoma. About a quarter of their population died between 1831 and 1833, known as the Trail of Tears. Then you had the Famine  a million dead of starvation, while food was being exported at gunpoint from the country, he says.

Pentek says the story behind the art resonates to this day.

"I wanted for it to visually communicate not just the history but a bigger more broad theme that is relevant today as much ever, that we have to stand together against adversity.

Read more about the sculpture here.

Men of the South by Sean Keating

Sean Keating's painting Men of the South

One of the more obviously political-looking pieces on this list, Men of the South by Sean Keating is an oil-on-canvas painting of the members of the North Cork Brigade during the War of Independence. It hangs in the Crawford Art Gallery and has become one of Corks most-loved works of art.

Art historian Eimear OConnor, author of the biography, Sean Keating: Art, Politics and Building the Nation said Keating knew he was living through a significant moment in Irelands history and was painting with posterity in mind.

Keating always wanted to paint emerging history. He wanted to be there on the spot. That is also why he documented the Shannon Scheme. He knew what he was doing, that it was going to be an iconic painting for the future. It is important to get across the historical significance of the work and what Keating is trying to do  to appeal to people living now, going in to look at that painting. He wants everyone to feel the tension of the time.

One hundred years after its creation, Men of the South gives us an insight into the turbulent creation of a nascent state and a reality that is hard to comprehend now.

Keating lived through the times that made Ireland now. I dont think we can even get our heads around what it must have been like then. They were walking around during the War of Independence, the Civil War, with bullets flying past their heads, OConnor said.

Read more about the painting here.
Cork City Gaols Easter Bunny Trail

Cork City Gaols Easter Bunny Trail is back from Saturday, April 8 to Friday, April 14. Located in Sundays Well, this family-friendly event is sure to get little ones excited. Upon arrival, children will be provided with a map and are tasked with finding all of the bunnies that are hidden across the Gaol  plus, there might also be a little treat at the end...

Cork City Gaol is open daily from 10am to 5pm. Standard admission rates apply. Check out corkcitygaol.com

The Easter Emporium

Liffey Valley Shopping Centre is celebrating Easter with the return of the Easter Emporium. Hosted in partnership with Butlers Chocolates, the free event is running from 5  8 April.

Using art materials from Liffey Valley reuse partners ReCreate, as well as some seasonal crafts, little ones will learn how to reuse, redesign and repurpose everyday items as they create themed decorations. They will also take home a free Butlers Chocolates Easter Egg.

Customers are encouraged to book early at www.liffeyvalley.ie

Emerald Park

Tayto Park was renamed Emerald Park from January 2023

Formerly Tayto Park, Emerald Park in Co Meath reopened on March 25. With a new name, the theme park also has some new rides, but Tayto Park fans will be glad to know that favourites like the Cu Chulainn Coaster are still up and running.

From 1-16 April, Emerald Park is open from 10am to 6pm with plenty of family-friendly activities to enjoy such as rollercoaster rides, the Lemur Woods, petting zoo and Robert Fossetts Circus Tent.

To book tickets, visit https://www.emeraldpark.ie/

Easter Afternoon Tea

Easter Afternoon Tea will be served at 3.30pm from Monday to Saturday. Picture: Brian Lougheed

The Cork International Hotel has launched a special Afternoon Tea menu for both children and parents to enjoy over the Easter break.

Easter Afternoon Tea will be served at 3.30pm from Monday to Saturday from 1-15 April. There will be a feast of sweet and savoury treats and an egg hunt at 4pm each day with the hotels resident Easter Bunny, making for a great family day out.

Easter Afternoon Tea is 27.50 per adult and 15.00 per child. Booking is essential and can be done by calling 021 4549800.

Funderland

For thrill-seekers, Funderland is back in Cork until April 23 so there is plenty of time to stop by and try a rollercoaster or two. Located beside Tramore Valley Park, Funderland is open for the Easter holidays (from March 31 to April 16) from 12pm until 10pm.

Fota Wildlife Park

The two baby black and white colobus monkeys recently born in Fota Wildlife Park, Cork. Picture: Darragh Kane

FotaWildlife Park has just announced the birth of three endangered baby ring-tailed lemurs and two black and white colobus monkeys, so now is the perfect time to stop by and pay a visit.

The baby lemurs were born on March 11 and on March 17 while on March 9 and March 15, two baby Black and white colobus monkeys were also born in the Park.

If the adorable new additions are not enough, visitors can also take part in an interactive workshop on plants and biodiversity with Peter Dowdall over the next two weeks. You can learn about the wonders of the animal world with daily wildlife talks hosted by the Education Department in Fota Wildlife Park, watch the rangers as they feed the animals and enjoy a number of workshops.

All events are free with admission. See www.fotawildlife.ie

Leahys Open Farm

From 6-10 April the Hop Along event at Leahys Open Farm in Cork promises to be a fun time for all ages. There will be egg and spoon races, a trailer ride through the forest and of course plenty of Easter eggs to find. On arrival, little visitors will get a questionnaire and a map of the farm. Everybody who completes the questionnaire will be entered into a draw for a free return trip to Leahys Open Farm.

Take a look at leahysopenfarm.ie

Lush workshops

If you fancy a change from chocolate Easter eggs, Lush is hosting a number of special workshops where you can learn to make your very own bath bomb. The Easter workshops are taking place in the Lush Cork store on Oliver Plunkett Street as well as Lush Newry, Lush Dundrum, Lush Grafton Street and Lush Henry Street.

To find out more about dates and times and to secure your slot for a Lush Easter Workshop, please get in touch with your closest Lush shop directly.

Visit the Easter Bunny

The Killarney Outlet Centre will host an Easter Sunday fun day

If you want to pay a visit to the Easter Bunny himself, he will be hopping along to the Jetland Shopping Centre in Limerick and the ILAC shopping Centre in Dublin from now until April 8.

Each visit includes meeting the Easter Bunny, a picture from a professional photographer and a chocolate egg for each child.

8 per child, adults and infants go free. Early booking is recommended. Check out www.easterbunny.ie

Meanwhile, the Easter Bunny will also be bouncing down to the Killarney Outlet Centre on Easter Sunday. There will be plenty of activities too such as a magic show, face painting and a childrens disco. The Easter bunny will be stopping by between 2pm and 4pm.
Good morning everyone. Here's today's briefing from the early crew here on the Irish Examiner newsdesk.

YOUR MORNING DASHBOARD

Here are the nine stories we are highlighting on the irishexaminer.com home page right now.

Landlord exodus could see 15,000 tenancies lost by year's end: The exodus of landlords from the private rental sector could result in the loss of 15,000 tenancies this year alone, new data has revealed >>READ MORE.

Former President Donald Trump arrives at Trump Tower in New York, Monday, April 3, 2023. (AP Photo/Bryan Woolston)

Donald Trump to surrender to history-making criminal charges: An extraordinary moment in US history is scheduled to unfold in a Manhattan courthouse on Tuesday as former president Donald Trump, who faces multiple election-related investigations, will surrender to face criminal charges stemming from 2016 hush money payments. >>READ MORE.

Fergus Finlay: Poor political decisions leaving lifetime scars on public psyche: I cant recall when an Irish government last sat down to make an important decision, knew they were going to hurt an awful lot of people, and went ahead anyway >>READ MORE.

Cork student who had cannabis grow-tent at home avoids jail: A horticulture student who believes cannabis should be legalised has avoided jail for having a fully operational grow-tent at his home where he was cultivating over 8,000 worth of cannabis. >>READ MORE.

DoF study finds benefits in switching, but bank experts give mixed response: A sharp rise in the price of crude oil could mean motorists will pay more for their petrol by the end of the month, while a rise in wholesale gas prices may delay cuts in utility bills for households and businesses.>>READ MORE.

Surge in crude oil and gas prices reignites concerns for motorists and utility bills: A sharp rise in the price of crude oil could mean motorists will pay more for their petrol by the end of the month, while a rise in wholesale gas prices may delay cuts in utility bills for households and businesses.>>READ MORE.

Munster Rugby Squad

Mike Prendergast: Munster will be ready for return to South Africa: Munster will aim to channel their hurt from a painful Champions Cup exit into a URC play-off push as preparations begin immediately for next week's return trip to South Africa >>READ MORE.

What happens when the US president comes to visit Ireland?: Here to celebrate 25 years of relative peace in Northern Ireland, Biden is expected to take time out to visit ancestral homes and landmarks in both Mayo and Louth, thus following in a tradition started by the first Irish-American president, John F. Kennedy. >>READ MORE.

Succession recap: Nothing says Roy family like a knife in the back: Its the fourth and final series of Succession and, as ever, the Roys are keen on knifing everyone in the back. If a close family member ends up with a blade between the shoulders, so much the better >>READ MORE.

AND TODAY'S WEATHER

Early morning rain and drizzle will mostly die and it will become mainly dry. Early this afternoon, rain will develop in the west and will gradually spread eastwards across the country. The east and southeast will stay dry until after dark. Highest temperatures of 11C to 14C with moderate to fresh southerly breezes.

Check out the detailed weather and forecast for your area with our new interactive and searchable weather map.

Thank you for your continued support and have a great day.
An inquest has heard claims an infection that caused the sudden and unexpected death of a healthy Dublin teenager was present when he visited his family doctor two days before he died.

A sitting of Dublin District Coroners Court also heard the boys parents express regret they were unaware about the symptoms of sepsis at the time of his death five years ago.

Sean Hughes, 15, of Cardiff Castle Road, Finglas, died at Childrens Health Ireland (CHI) at Temple Street on January 12, 2018  just hours after collapsing at his home from a cardiac arrest.

Post-mortem results showed the student from Colaiste Eoin in Finglas, who was an up-and-coming young rapper known as Lil Red, died from sepsis, which had resulted from a combination of influenza B and a bacterial infection known as staphylococcus aureus.

'Beyond repair'

Several medical witnesses agreed with the familys solicitor, Damien Tansey, that he was beyond repair after suffering the cardiac arrest.

Mr Tansey claimed it defied logic that the fatal infection was not present when Sean was seen by his GP around 36 hours earlier.

Following an inquest lasting over seven hours, the coroner, Clare Keane, returned a narrative verdict based on the evidence which she said had contained conflicts which she could not resolve.

Mr Tansey had called for a verdict of medical misadventure by pointing out that Seans parents  who had launched a campaign, Lil Reds Legacy, after his death to raise awareness about the danger of sepsis  were haunted by the fact that the GPs visit was the last opportunity he had for appropriate intervention.

Seans mother, Karen Phoenix, told the inquest on Tuesday that her son first became unwell with flu-like symptoms on January 8, 2018, after coming home from school.

He stayed at home the following day and complained of feeling rotten when he woke on January 10, 2018.

After hearing a crackling in her sons chest, Ms Phoenix brought Sean to see his doctor, Katrina McCrory, at the Finglas Family Practice later that morning.

Ms Phoenix said the GP told her that Sean had a high fever, a very bad chest infection, and influenza.

She recalled Dr McCrory had prescribed antibiotics and painkillers and expressed concern that his condition could develop into pneumonia.

Ms Phoenix said Sean had complained that night that he felt like he was going to die, which she now recognised was a symptom of sepsis. She said she only realised after his death that he had not been passing urine at the time despite drinking lots of water, which was also another warning sign of sepsis.

Ms Phoenix said her son was still feeling unwell the following day as he was pale, breathless and had no appetite, while his chest was also very sore. By that evening, she remembered his skin had become mottled, while he was also lethargic and irritable.

Ms Phoenix said she had an instinct that something was terribly wrong but had not brought her son to hospital due to the HSEs advice against attending hospitals during the flu season. They also felt reassured as he had been seen by his GP the previous day.

Ms Phoenix said she and Sean had been watching TV in their sitting room when at about 11.30pm she thought he was asleep, but then realised he wasnt breathing.

The inquest heard her husband came running down the stairs and placed their son on the floor before starting CPR on him.

Ms Phoenix said a green/black substance was coming out of Sean's nose and mouth.

Paramedics, who brought Sean to Temple Street, intubated the teenager after finding he had no pulse and had suffered a cardiac arrest.

His parents were subsequently informed at the hospital that he would have brain damage if he survived.

In evidence, Seans father, Joe Hughes, said they were allowed to see him at around 1am and were informed two hours later to contact other family members as he was unlikely to pull through.

He told the coroner that he formally identified his sons body after he had passed away at 6.28am.

Mr Hughes said a hospital doctor subsequently told him that Seans chest X-ray was the worst he had ever seen.

'It destroyed us and destroyed our family'

The day our son died  it destroyed us and destroyed our family. Nothing at all will ever be the same again, said Mr Hughes.

In reply to questions from the coroner, Ms Phoenix acknowledged she had not known about the symptoms of sepsis at the time.

In hindsight, she said her son would probably have died in the hospital if they had brought him in earlier that night.

Ms Phoenix told the inquest that Dr McCrory called to their home in July 2019 and had apologised for her poor judgement in not recommending that Sean should have gone to hospital.

However, the GP disputed using such words.

Ms Phoenix recalled another doctor at Temple Street telling her that Seans chest had been full of puss. Becoming tearful, Ms Phoenix described her son as a little gentleman who had respect for everyone and who was known for his red hair and his smile.

She said he had lots of plans about his future, and hoped to follow his passion for music by working in a recording studio.

He produced and wrote all his own music, she added.

The inquest heard the couples other child, Zoe, has since had a baby boy whom she named Sean in honour of her late brother.

It was also informed that the Hughes family has instituted civil proceedings relating to Seans death.

In evidence, Dr McCrory said she had formed the opinion that Sean was likely to have had flu from his visit to her surgery.

The GP said he had appeared calm and normal, while his chest was clear upon examination.

Dr McCrory said there was nothing that would have led her to consider his case a medical emergency.

There was nothing at the time that made me think it was pneumonia or a bacterial infection.

If so, the doctor said she would have advised him to attend a hospital emergency department because it could be a life-threatening condition.

Questioned by Mr Tansey, Dr McCrory accepted she had prescribed a low dose of antibiotic for the boy on the basis that there was a certain expectation in the community that patients would be given a prescription by a doctor.

While diagnosing Sean with flu, the GP said it was not unreasonable to have warned his mother that he could get pneumonia.

Dr McCrory said she had asked about Sean not having to walk home after the surgery as a pleasantry and not over concern about any chest condition.

She accepted that his breathing at 20 breaths per minute was at the outer limit of a normal rate.

However, the witness said she did not accept Mr Tanseys suggestion that whatever caused the teenagers death would have been present at the time she had examined him.

A consultant paediatrician, Siobhan Neville, who cared for Sean at Temple Street, said the exact cause of his cardiac arrest was unclear but his prognosis from it was catastrophic because of profound brain damage.

Dr Neville said it was impossible to say if the cardiac arrest was due to septic shock.

Another consultant paediatrician, Jacqueline McBrien, said influenza B was a well-documented but rare cause of death, while staphylococcus aureus was a common bug which was not usually invasive.

Dr McBrien said it was impossible to say when Sean had become infected with sepsis.

In her concluding remarks, the coroner noted that there are 49 million cases of sepsis worldwide each year which result in 11m deaths.

However, Dr Keane stressed that the diagnosis of sepsis was not a clear-cut as it was a progressive infection.

The coroner welcomed the fact there was now an annual flu vaccine free for children which had not been available in 2018.

She said she would also make a recommendation about the communication of public health warnings that should contain specific criteria about when to visit hospitals rather than stating when people should not go.

Reacting to the verdict on behalf of Seans parents, Mr Tansey said they had fought a battle to vindicate their sons memory.

However, the solicitor said there were still questions to be answered about Sean's death which he believed would be addressed in another forum.
A horticulture student who believes cannabis should be legalised has avoided jail for having a fully operational grow-tent at his home where he was cultivating over 8,000 worth of cannabis.

Ciaran ODonovan of 27 Wycherly Terrace, College Road, Cork, pleaded guilty to being in possession of the cannabis for his own use and cultivating the drug.

Judge Olann Kelleher said that the probation report on the accused was very favourable towards him. However, the judge said to the accused: You have one thing wrong. You have a view cannabis should be legalised.

The judge said the defendants view on this issue did not matter but what did matter is that he had to recognise the law. The judge said he had to take it as a serious matter.

He imposed a six-month sentence but suspended it on condition the accused would have no more convictions for two years. He also ordered him to do 100 hours of community service. He had two previous convictions for having cannabis for his own use.

Imposing the community service and the suspended sentence, the judge said: It is up to yourself now.

Search warrant

Garda Eoin Harrington executed a search warrant at the defendants home shortly before 9pm on February 23, 2021. Garda Harrington was accompanied by the garda dog unit at the time.

Sergeant John Kelleher said: A fully operational grow-tent with eleven mature cannabis plants valued at 8,800 were located in Ciaran ODonovans bedroom along with 150 worth of harvested cannabis herb.

Full admissions were made by Ciaran ODonovan in relation to cultivation and possession of cannabis for personal use while being formally interviewed during his detention.

The 37-year-old was not in any way involved in the sale or supply of the drug, defence solicitor Frank Buttimer said at Cork District Court.

He describes himself as a heavy user of cannabis. There is no question but that he would benefit from a probation report, Mr Buttimer said.

In terms of the valuation of the drug at over 8,000, the solicitor said this was a state valuation of cannabis plants that was arguably much greater than the value that a defendant would place on the drug.

Mr Buttimer said the accused was working part-time and studying horticulture, whatever the coincidence with horticulture in this case, the solicitor added.
A bench warrant has been issued for the arrest of a 28-year-old woman who has just been convicted of assault causing harm to another young woman outside her home on Bandon Road in the middle of the day.

Michaela Butler, who lives at an apartment at The Hollies, Magazine Road, Cork, failed to show up at Cork District Court and was convicted of assault in her absence.

Sarah Mulcahy testified she was at home on Bandon Road in Cork at lunchtime on April 24, 2021. She said her partner Tony Hipwell went out to his van to get his phone and when he was a while returning she went out to see what was happening.

She said he was being confronted by a man and woman and there was what she described as very hostile shouting and profanities.

As I pulled the front door back a lady lunged at me. I tried to protect my face. She slapped my face on my right side. She took her hand from her pocket.

I was pulled down on the footpath. The lady attacked me, tearing my hair and assaulting me. I think there were bystanders who helped me. And I phoned 999.

I made a recording at the front door. I was attacked following the recording.

I have a permanent scar on the right side of my face. I lost the vision in my right eye for three weeks to a month, Sarah Mulcahy said at Cork District Court.

Garda Vincent McCarthy said he responded to a call to 86 Bandon Road on that day about people engaging in a violent incident.

He directed Michaela Butler and the man with her, Luke Hayes, 27, of no fixed address, to leave the area and they did.

Luke Hayes pleaded guilty to engaging in an affray. Judge Marian OLeary gave him a three-month suspended jail term for his part in the incident.

The judge convicted Michaela Butler  in her absence  of assault causing harm to Ms Mulcahy and issued a warrant for her arrest so she could be brought to court for sentencing.

Garda McCarthy said Ms Butler did attend at the Bridewell Garda Station the day after the incident on Bandon Road.

Ms Butler said she and Luke Hayes went for a walk to the off-licence. She said in a memo of interview that she got into an altercation with Ms Mulcahy.

Michaela Butler added: It wasnt pretty but I got over it.

Judge OLeary said on the basis of the evidence, the cautioned memo of interview with the defendant and the recording of the incident made on the telephone, she was convicting Michaela Butler of assault causing harm.
Sceilg Mhichil will kickstart its 2023 season next month, welcoming visitors to the island for the first time this year.

The island off the coast of the Iveragh Peninsula in Co Kerry is one of two Unesco World Heritage Sites located in the Republic of Ireland.

Access to the island will be granted from May 13 onwards and will rely on favourable weather, sea and island conditions, according to the Office of Public Works (OPW).

The island, ranked one of the most beautiful movie locations in the world, rose to fame after it was used as a location for the filming of two movies in the Stars Wars franchise, The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi.

The site is one of 10 locations worldwide taking part in the Preserving Legacies: A Future for Our Past project, which will provide the community with access to a range of tools to understand future climate impacts on the site.

Minister of State with responsibility for the OPW, Patrick ODonovan said: I am very pleased to announce the reopening to visitors of this unique world heritage site for the summer season.

"Sceilg Mhichil is one of Irelands most iconic heritage sites and plays an important role in the local tourism economy, which we are proud to support through this and other OPW sites in the county.

He described the site as one of the most challenging within the care of the OPW.

Our team carries out tremendous work against the severe challenges of its location, isolation and unpredictable weather conditions to ensure safe access for visitors and the protection of the islands heritage, he added.

In addition to the tools provided within the project, the communities will be encouraged to use the scientific knowledge to safeguard the prospective sites.

Sceilg Mhichil, or Skellig Island, is ranked as one of the most beautiful movie locations in the world. File picture: Dan Linehan

Those involved in the OPW, National Monuments Service (NMS), and the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) will use these tools to prepare effective climate change plans for the protection of Sceilg Mhichil.

As custodians of this World Heritage property we in the OPW, alongside NMS and NPWS, are privileged to work with others around the globe in this important project, strengthening our engagement with the community of south Kerry in terms of the islands value and significance, Mr ODonovan said.

Visitors are encouraged to view the Sceilg Mhichil Safety Video before booking a visit, which involves a 600ft climb in order to gain access to the monastery.

Booking is required prior to visiting, and further information is available online here on HeritageIreland.ie.
A jet that made international headlines following an emergency landing at an Irish towns racecourse 40 years ago looks set to return there permanently while the late pilots ashes are to be scattered over the track.

Captain Ruben Ocana became an overnight celebrity when he landed a Gulf-stream II jet on Mallow racecourse in Co. Cork in April 1983. Its just as well he spotted the racecourse as the jet had just three minutes of fuel left.

Captain Ruben Ocana in 1983.

Locals made such a fuss of Ocana that he felt it was a second home, returning there with his family on some occasions.

Ocana, a Mexican, died in 2009 and around 30 members of his family are coming from Mexico and Spain to Mallow on April 21 and 22 to attend a new festival named in his honour  OcanaFest - and scatter his ashes on the racecourse. Dignitaries from the Mexican embassies in Dublin and London are also attending.

Ocana spent six weeks in Mallow as a special runway was built to allow him to take off again. One of the leading lights behind the new festival, Hibernian Hotel owner Kevin Owens, decided it would be great to track down the aircraft and bring it back to the town as a permanent reminder of the incident.

Two months ago, Kevin, 33, and his brother-in-law, Michael Burke, started research and tracked the jet to an airfield in Michigan, USA.

Captain Ruben Ocana at the controls on April 18, 1983.

We sent numerous emails and to be honest we were close to giving up, Kevin said. Then out of the blue, the not-for-profit institute which owns the jet responded and offered to sell it to Kevin and some of his backers.

Theyve agreed to sign it over and Im going there in June to sort it out. Were going to have to dismantle it, bring it back here and re-assemble it. It'll be a six to eight-month project, he said.

Im currently talking to a company called Worldwide Aircraft which specialises in this kind of thing.

Captain Ruben Ocana (second from left) at the Mallow Races on May 16, 1983

He acknowledged the project isnt going to be cheap but is prepared to put up a large sum himself and is confident of getting corporate sponsorship to bridge any gap.

We're yet to find a suitable site for it in Mallow, but when we do we believe it'll be a massive tourist attraction, Kevin said.

Ocana stayed in the Hibernian Hotel which the Owens family has run since 1988. He eventually had to move to the nearby Central Hotel because it was block booked for a wedding.

Captain Ruben Ocana with the aircraft's crew and Tom Sexton from Mallow before taking off on May 23, 1983.

In honour of his association, the Hi-B the hotels sister bar and restaurant, a few doors away, is named after Ocana.

The festival highlights include horse racing, an aerobatic show and drone displays at the racecourse, plus Mexican-themed childrens workshops, musical performances and culinary treats in the town.

Cork County Council is the lastest organisation to provide sponsorship for the festival after Fine Gael councillor Tony OShea won approval from colleagues for the move.

Hopefully it'll become a permanent annual fixture. It'll be great for tourism, he said.
Confusion surrounds the length of a new deal signed to keep Youghal greyhound stadium open, after fears the venue was due to close its doors for good last week.

Meanwhile, Greyhound Racing Ireland (GRI) has said that a new five-year strategic plan for its network of stadia, including Youghal, is in the process of being finalised by consultants KPMG.

The stadium, which hosts greyhound racing on Mondays and Wednesdays, was on the verge of shutting down ahead of last weeks second meeting, only for a deal to be agreed on March 31, a day prior to the leases expiry.

Details of the length of the new deal are being kept a closely-guarded secret.

A GRI spokesperson said the body acknowledges the important contribution made by Youghal greyhound stadium to Youghals social and cultural life.

They said the KPMG report will be published in the coming months adding that it would be inappropriate to comment further on stadia operations until such time as this plan has been finalised.

The new agreement leaves space for further negotiations between the tracks Cloyne-based private owners and GRI, assuming there is a willingness on both sides to find a mutually acceptable solution.

Youghal Greyhound Track Supporters Club (YGTSC) chairman Paidi Walsh, said his organisation has not yet been given details of the extension, including its timescale.

One source with knowledge of the matter said GRI had planned to close it but appear to have changed their minds now.

Political presssure

Political pressure had come to bear in the background, with local Fianna Fail TD James OConnor, whose family has a historical association with the track, telling the Dail last week that the Department of Agriculture and the local track supporters club had been working diligently... to try to keep the stadium going.

However, there is a lack of faith in Greyhound Racing Ireland management's support for the Youghal track, Mr OConnor said.

In response, Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue assured Mr OConnor that he would continue to work with him in the context of his objective of ensuring there is a strong future for the track.

Youghal has been repeatedly marked for closure in recent years after a 2019 report by consultants Indecon recommended same, citing low attendance levels and poor infrastructure.

The stadium currently turns a profit, though its understood this is primarily as a result of a deal with UK-based satellite feed operators Sports Information Services (SIS), which broadcasts Youghal meets into betting shops globally.
The best reason for arraigning Donald Trump in New York this week is that he is guilty. It is possible the jury might agree and he might go quietly to jail, thus being unable to return to the White House were he to be elected. That is a good reason, but it does not make it a wise one.

American justice is not political but it can be highly politicised. We wont know until Tuesday afternoon what exactly Trump has been indicted on, but many assume he will face charges of falsely concealing hush money paid to the former adult film actor Stormy Daniels.

The case was brought by an elected Democratic district attorney, Alvin Bragg. It comes more than six years after the alleged offence occurred, and at the start of Trumps campaign for the 2024 Republican nomination for president. At the very least, this does not look coincidental.

Most observers had reached the view that Trump the politician was over the hill. His rallies were tired and his speeches meandering. New Republican hopefuls for 2024 were on the horizon, notably Floridas Ron DeSantis and former vice-president Mike Pence, both of whom have publicly criticised Trump for refusing to concede the 2020 election. Continued reports of his many misdemeanours would surely lead Republicans to accept his days were over.

Protesters gather outside Trump Tower in New York last Friday. Picture: AP/Bryan Woolston

Legal analysis of this weeks case against Trump suggests there are serious obstacles in the way of his ending up in prison.

A law professor and former prosecutor, Jeffrey Bellin, has pointed out that falsifying accounts can have numerous mitigating factors. Any judge and jury, even in New York, will be aware of the political perils of jailing an ex-president, not least for crimes ostensibly less awful than those for which President Nixon was excused.

Were Trump to be on trial for interfering in the Georgia poll or inciting a riotous assault on the Capitol, it might be different. But Republicans find it hard to disagree with Trumps claim that the New York case is a witch-hunt that amounts to political persecution and electoral interference.

Meanwhile, Trumps team has treated the indictment as the best adrenaline boost a populist could ask for. It has given them a platform, an enemy and a cause. They even planned T-shirts with Trumps mugshot on them.

The Republican partys belief in its hero might have waned, but now Pence and DeSantis have had to declare the trial outrageous and un-American, while the partys leaders in Congress lined up to decry the injustice. This includes those who outspokenly opposed Trumps challenge to his 2020 defeat.

Public opinion has vindicated this second coming. YouGov reports 57% of Republicans are now for Trump, against just 31% for DeSantis. A Harvard CAPs/Harris poll has Trump four points ahead even of Biden.

The roughly third of American voters who had remained loyal to him now agree with DeSantis: the Democratic party has [weaponised] the legal system to advance a political agenda.

As one southern churchgoer said with a smile when asked if she would still support Trump after the Stormy Daniels revelations: We are all sinners, arent we?

Former President Donald Trump announces he is running for president for the third time in a speech at Mar-a-Lago, Florida, last November. Picture: AP/Andrew Harnik

Trumps political appeal has been built on promoting a boisterous self-confidence in defence of the huddled masses of middle America against the so-called liberal elites of New York and Washington.

He contrasts ordinary Americans with the college-educated, media-driven, woke-obsessed lefties of the east coast and big government.

He cries: I am your warrior. I am your justice. An ill-defined they are said to have stolen the 2020 presidential election and they mean to steal the next one. To Trump his trial is straight out of the Stalinist Russian horror show.

Democrats must now hope they can damage him on the stage of a high-profile legal theatre as they have not done before the court of public opinion. The strategy must be to see him exploit the trial sufficiently to see off the potentially more electable DeSantis but not enough to win a second contest against Joe Biden.

In other words, they are reckoning on 18 months of personalised political viciousness, while the outside world struggles with the twin horrors of global trade wars and an escalating conflict in Ukraine.

The one salutary message to liberals of all stripes is that it is dangerous in any democracy to dismiss out of hand large numbers of those with whom they disagree. They will nurse their grievances unheard in provincial haunts far from the capital until, sooner or later, they find someone to sympathise with them, someone to listen.

This applies in Europe as in the US. As the psephologist Matthew Goodwin has pointed out, if Britains Labour party is to hold on to its lead it must beware of capture by groups such as those Trump derides: the graduates, the government-employed, the capital city-oriented.

They made it even easier for Nigel Farage, the Brexiteers, and then Boris to speak loudly and clearly to their instinctive desire for a more communitarian, nation-first brand of politics.

This brand has not gone away and remains the biggest threat to Keir Starmer. He need not agree with them, but he must listen.

A large number of Americans clearly like and trust Donald Trump. They appear to do so more than they trust a New York judge. This is alarming. It has presented not just the US, but the entire western political community with a potential crisis of leadership.
It's not every week that the political discourse is dominated by a priest or a painting. This week, the Politics Gods blessed us with both at once.

The Government was somewhat effective in turning Sinn Fein housing spokesman Eoin O Broin's tweet of a piece of art depicting gardai assisting an historical eviction into a referendum on Sinn Fein's historical attitudes to the force.

No words needed (credit Mala Spiosrai) pic.twitter.com/JK6NVcFNeU  Eoin O Broin (@EOBroin) April 1, 2023

However, the row with the country's most popular priest may be a little harder to land. Fr Peter McVerry is a national figure, respected across the board for his work with homeless people, but he has never shied away from his strident advocacy for those he aims to help.

Fr McVerry has been particularly loud in his opposition to the ending of the no-fault eviction ban. "Im horrified at whats going to happen in the next few months," he told Newstalk last week.

I am extremely concerned and I think this is a horror movie for all those tenants who have received a notice to quit and they are totally at a loss as to what to do.

There is virtually no emergency homeless accommodation available anywhere in the country. Normally, families would be put up in hotels, but as we know, hotels are full and many hotels are reverting back to tourism."

While that viewpoint has been echoed from the Opposition and other housing charities and advocates, it was a claim Fr McVerry made on South East Radio on Monday which thrust him into the political spotlight.

My understanding is that the Minister for Housing wanted to extend the ban and was acting in preparation for extending the ban but he was overridden by the Taoiseach and thats why there was no preparation made during the five-month ban for mitigating the effects for ending this ban, Fr McVerry told South East radio.

A spokesperson for the Taoiseach fired back that the claim is 100% incorrect and without any foundation" but Fr McVerry did not back down. In fact, he doubled down.

Asked by Claire Byrne about it, Fr McVerry said that he can understand why Taoiseach Leo Varadkar would deny he overruled Housing Minister Darragh O'Brien on extending the ban. But Mr Varadkar had earlier said the claim was 100% untrue and that there was zero evidence to support it.

Backbench Fine Gael TD Alan Farrell rowed in on Twitter, accusing Fr McVerry of "talking around corners" on the issue.

Talking around corners might be normal for a political activist but I'm sure its not normal for a priest. https://t.co/FzYIll0r3N  Alan Farrell TD (@AlanFarrell) April 4, 2023

A row started on the airwaves which is stoked on social media  a thoroughly modern uproar and one with no real winner. It is possible Fr McVerry was told that the ban would be extended or got the impression as such. Indeed, up to the days before the Government made its decision, it had been floated that an extension was possible.

A number of Government TDs were broadly in favour of such a move, so it is completely feasible that Fr McVerry was told that was the way the Government was leaning or has since been told a version of the story which suits one party.

Government sources are clear that the decision was made unanimously at Cabinet on foot of advice from the Department of Housing and that there was no overruling done on the day.

While Mr Varadkar is fully entitled  and expected  to clarify the Government's position and how such a decision was made, the discordant tone used from Fine Gael circles particularly is somewhat strange. Fr McVerry is not a political opponent. He is a tireless campaigner for the nearly 12,000 people who are homeless in this country.

If the Government succeeded in returning the serve from Mr O Broin, the question might be asked whether it can do the same with Fr McVerry. But the point that Fr McVerry and very many others would make is that it isn't about who told who, what, and when. It's about whether Fr McVerry is right on the fallout from the ending of the ban.

At a time when thousands of people live under notices to quit, without much certainty of what is next, a clash of personalities is the least of their concerns.
Easter is my favourite holiday. I still love Christmas, but hear me out; all the chocolate you can eat, no battling crowds to panic-buy presents, a huge Sunday roast with delicious lamb, and no expectations that you have to traipse around visiting people. Its the perfect weekend. Theres also no pressure to decorate, although you can if you want, and I usually do.

My approach to Easter decor is similar to my approach to Christmas; I prefer consumable decorations that I dont have to store, which in reality means I buy some pastel-coloured flowers, dot little chocolate bunnies and eggs around my house, and call it done. Here are some of my favourite ways to decorate, and some simple recipes for making your own Easter goodies.

Former Home of the Year Winner Jennifer Sheahan with her chocolate Easter eggs.

EASTER EGGS

The tradition of Easter eggs is a long one, although chocolate eggs came on the scene more recently. Pre-Christianity, Easter was celebrated around the spring equinox;

a time of new life and fertility. In celebration of the Norse goddess Ostara, people used to decorate regular old hens eggs and give them away. Children used to leave out bonnets and capes, believing theyd get colourful eggs if they were good.

Then Faberge jumped on the trend, creating the first of their exquisitely decorated gold eggs with enamel and platinum as a gift for Empress Marie of Russia from her husband, Tsar Alexander, in 1883. Other craftspeople followed, making artificial eggs of silver and gold, ivory or porcelain, often inlaid with jewels. In the 18th century, people would make or buy pasteboard or paper-mache eggs, in which they hid small gifts. By the 19th century, these cardboard eggs covered with silk, lace or velvet and fastened with ribbon were fashionable.

The first chocolate Easter eggs were made in Europe in the early 19th Century in France and Germany; it was solid, not hollow like the ones we have now. Then Fry & Sons made one in 1873, and Cadbury followed in 1875: all made possible by the invention of the process that allowed separation of cocoa butter from the cocoa bean, which stabilises chocolate enough for it to be moulded into a shape.

DECORATING EGGS

You can simply buy prettily wrapped eggs in various sizes and dot them around the house for decoration. I also love getting a bare or lightly leafed spring branch and hanging eggs and other ornaments from it, like a little Easter tree. You can decorate or even make your own egg quite easily and wrap them in clear cellophane to display; here are a few ways you can do it, from easiest to more challenging:

Buy a pre-made plain egg, and drizzle it with slightly cooled melted white chocolate. You can add food dye to the white chocolate for more colourful decorations and add other edible decorations such as marshmallows or sprinkles. I love to add edible marigold flowers for a colourful springtime look.

Buy a pre-made plain egg and use a warmed knife to crack it open evenly along the seam. Fill the inside with decorations such as those above. You can add little sugared eggs or extra flavour such as salted caramel.

Make your own egg. This is easier than it sounds, I promise. You will need to buy a mould (I got mine from stuff4cakes.ie) in either an egg shape or even a bunny. Then you will need a thermometer to temper the chocolate. Tempering chocolate makes it shiny and raises the melting point, so it doesnt melt immediately all over your hands when you eat it.

To do this you place a bowl over a pot of simmering water and put about two-thirds of the chocolate in the bowl, broken into small pieces. For milk chocolate, you raise the temperature of the melted chocolate to 45-50 degrees Celsius. Then remove the bowl from the heat, and add the remainder of the chocolate. Stir slowly to cool it to 27-28 degrees Celsius. Then add it back onto the heat briefly to raise it to 29 degrees Celsius. Voila, you have tempered your chocolate and can now pour it into the mould. Leave it to cool in the mould then remove. You will need to make two moulds, and lightly melt around the edges to join them together to make your chocolate egg.

DONT LIKE CHOCOLATE?

While I struggle to grasp this concept, some people truly do not like chocolate (Ill take it off your hands, thanks). You can still have delicious eggs; I like to bake egg-shaped cookies or make egg-shaped Rice Krispies squares. To make the squares, melt about half a 10oz of marshmallows in a bowl with about a tablespoon of butter, then stir in three cups of Rice Krispies. Spread the mixture out onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper, and then cut out your egg shapes once it has cooled slightly. Dont wait too long because it gets hard to cut once fully cooled.

The dining area with banquette seating in Jennifer Sheahan's Rathmines home. Picture: Moya Nolan

You can decorate with coloured royal icing and add sprinkles and other decorations of your choice. I love Italian-style Easter cookies, and the bonus is that you dont need a special cookie cutter.

Here is my recipe for 10 cookies, you can scale up for more. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

Mix one cup of all-purpose flour, two-thirds of a teaspoon of baking powder, and a quarter cup of sugar together. In a separate bowl, beat together 40g of softened butter (salted), one egg, a third of a teaspoon of vanilla extract and two-thirds of a teaspoon of almond extract.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix them together. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Scoop out a heaped tablespoon of batter and roll into a ball with your hands. Bake for 12 minutes. To make the glaze, mix one tablespoon of cream (milk will do) with one-third of a cup of powdered sugar. Add one-third of a teaspoon of flavouring, either vanilla extract, almond extract, or lemon, either will be delicious.

Separate into bowls and various food colourings of your choice; I love pink, light blue, yellow, and green for Easter. Once the cookies are cooled, dip them into the glaze and top them with sprinkles or beautiful edible marigolds.

Got a question for Jennifer Sheahan? Email home@examiner.ie
Rob and Janice McConnell's architectural new build, steeped in woodland, with sea views and a river running through the garden, was a popular choice as Home of the Year 2023.

It made for a satisfying end to the viewers' voyage to see the owners of the forest haven in County Antrim take home the overall prize in the RTE One finale on Tuesday night. After all, we've tracked the judging trio of Hugh Wallace, Amanda Bone, and Sara Cosgrove on their eight-week odyssey across Ireland as they've stepped beyond 200 front doors.

It was the coastal site that was a lure for the McConnells who went on to build their eco-friendly retreat there.

We always knew our house was special for us, but for other people, like the guys here, to say that they agree is really humbling, its amazing, said Janice as she and Rob were crowned winners of RTEs 'Home of the Year' 2023.

They were all the more thrilled, adds Rob "in light of the magnitude of this years competition": "Never in our wildest dreams could we have imagined ourselves anywhere near this position before we embarked on our build journey almost six years ago," he said.

"We love the show and the diversity of homes that it celebrates across Ireland. People are amazingly creative, and 'Home of the Year' allows us all to see whats out there and what people are capable of. Whether its a new build, an extension or even a renovation, a home is a home, big or small, its how you and your family feel in it that matters most.

Architect Hugh Wallace described the result as elegant, while interior designer Sara Cosgrove added: You felt that the homeowners had created their dream home.

Janice, who works in retail, and Rob, who works in technology, share their living space with their teenage son and daughter.

Keen that their modern build fit in with its surroundings, they decided to build a single-storey dwelling and to use as many natural materials as possible. It was important to the McConnells that the home was renewable and that they made the most of their location by maximising the relationship between the interior and exterior of the property.

They succeeded on every level.

Sara said: The winner is truly outstanding and deserving from a design, functionality and sustainability point of view.

Architect Amanda Bone, who gave it a score of a perfect 10 when it featured in the penultimate episode of the series said it was modern but it felt like it had been there forever.

This home is all about capturing and reinforcing the spirit of the place, its setting, its connection with the landscape, this home lifts you up, it makes you feel good, its magical.

Rob and Janice McConnell.

She added: What makes a house special is the emotions it evokes when you step inside the front door, it transports you to elsewhere. It really is amazing, she added.

The other six finalists were Ciara McMahon and Richie Hannifys modern mid-century home in Dublin; Cliona and Derek Hostys 1930s semi-detached home in South Dublin; Peter and Eileen McGuigans Edwardian home in Belfast; Jacqui and Rob Naughtons renovated village home in Mayo; Sara and Neil Austins Victorian home in Co Down; and Catrinel and Stefan Cadares Victorian house in Kilkenny.

Of those, the runners-up were the reimagined 1930s home in south Co Dublin and the maximalist house in Co Down.

The corridor space in Rob and Janice McConnell's home.

All three judges were impressed by every finalist, added Hugh Wallace. "After visiting 200 amazing homes over the last nine years of 'Home of the Year', I'm blown away by this year's seven finalists. They should be so proud of their wonderful homes. Roll on series 10 in 2024!

And, the participants enjoyed the snoop around other people's spaces as much as the judges (the official ones, and those of us on our sofas).

Neil and Sara Austin. Picture: Joe McCallion

As Neil Austin, owner of the Victorian house in Co Down, said: Were just really looking forward to meeting the other people ['Home of the Year' finalists]. Were quite nosy as well. We were those guys that would be peering into other peoples windows to try and work out what their houses were like so for that reason alone, were delighted to see other peoples houses.
Building of the Kinsale Distillery is progressing along, bringing one of the most keenly anticipated projects in the South of Ireland a step closer to reality. Once completed, this newest distillery in the region will be home to Kinsale Spirit Companys wildly successful portfolio of whiskeys and gins, which are enjoyed the world over, from Europe to America, Asia to the Middle East.

To mark their arrival on to the market with this new generation of Irish whiskey, the Kinsale Distillery has launched its own cask club, offering whiskey lovers a chance to share in a drop of Irish history by becoming a central part of this exciting new chapter for Kinsale, for wider Cork and for the Irish food and drink industry.

To become a member of the Kinsale Cask Club, youll have to buy one of the first 500 casks that will be produced in the new distillery  and they have been selling fast! Since they became available five years ago, Kinsale whiskeys and gins have already proven incredibly popular, with sales growing rapidly in that time.

The makers behind the beloved Kinsale Gin are now giving you the opportunity to own your own cask of premium whiskey.

First sales of Kinsale Gin began in 2017 and were followed by the launch of The Battle of Kinsale Series which consists of three whiskeys; The Red Earl, Spanish Earl and Great Earl and the Wild Atlantic Irish Whiskeys, which are now exported to the United States, Asia, the Gulf, Africa and European Markets.

Overall, its been an unbelievable success story  one that you can now be a part of!

Kinsale Spirit Company have won countless awards for their gins and whiskeys.

With the Kinsale Cask Club, we are delighted to give people the opportunity not just to invest in us as a business, but also join us on our journey as we bring the Kinsale brand global, explains Kinsale Spirit Company Director Ernest Cantillon. People will get the opportunity to come see their whiskey being distilled, laid down, tasted year by year as it matures, and to join in celebrations every year with fellow cask owners, hopefully celebrating in our success. Then finally at the end of our casks maturing, well be able to toast our own unique whiskeys all together.

The Wild Atlantic Irish Whiskeys are now exported to the United States, Asia, the Gulf and European Markets

Anyone can become a member of the Kinsale Cask Club by purchasing an exclusive cask of premium single pot still or single malt Irish whiskey. Once you choose your liquid and your cask type, your name will also be stencilled on it, so youll truly be making your mark on the new distillery! You can even be present at the distillation or filling of your cask as well as visit, by appointment, during your cask's five year maturation stage. Members will also enjoy annual invitations to an annual gathering distillery tasting and dinner in scenic Kinsale as well as to the distillery's Annual Gathering in Newport, Rhode Island, the picturesque American coastal town twinned with Kinsale.

This is a great opportunity to become part of our exciting journey, says Ernest. We are not just making spirits, we are making history and we want you to join us. Were harnessing the energy and passion of the Wild Atlantic Way and pouring it into our Irish whiskeys and gins. Kinsale Distillery is building for future generations, and we want to offer you the chance to build for your own future generations too. Become an owner of one of the first 500 casks that will be produced in Ireland, in our new distillery at the very start of the Wild Atlantic Way. Each cask will be filled with premium single pot still or single malt Irish whiskey that has been triple distilled exclusively for you. This is an opportunity to invest for the future, to become part of a rich Irish cultural tradition, for you to begin your own family tradition by becoming part of our family, the Kinsale Cask Club.

One of the family

As a cask owner, you'll be welcomed with the benefits of becoming a Kinsale Cask Club member:

You can be present at the distillation or filling of your cask and visit us at any time during your casks maturation by appointment.

It will be bottled only when you decide, should you want to hold onto your cask beyond the maturation date.

Your cask will be stencilled with your name.

We will provide you with a Certificate of Ownership for your chosen cask.

You will be invited to our Annual Gathering Distillery Tasting and Dinner in Kinsale each year.

Your name will be recorded on our Kinsale Cask Club Wall of Fame.

30% Buy-back option: We are offering a buy-back option to cask investors. At the end of 6 years investment, Kinsale Distillery will offer you the option to purchase your cask from you at a premium of 30%.

To join the family, and find out more, head to www.kinsalespirit.com or email caskclub@kinsalespirit.com.
Former US President Donald Trump is set to appear in a Manhattan courtroom Tuesday on charges related to falsifying business records in a hush-money investigation, the first president ever to be charged with a crime.

Trump, who has denied any wrongdoing and has repeatedly assailed the investigation, has called the indictment political persecution and predicted it would damage Democrats in 2024.

Trumps lawyers have said the former president did not commit any crime. We will vigorously fight this political prosecution in court.

Here is what to expect today.

What's the plan?

Trump flew into New York from his Mar-a-Lago estate on Monday and is expected to leave Trump Tower on Tuesday and make the nearly four-mile drive to the Manhattan criminal courthouse, where he is scheduled to face a judge for his arraignment at 2.15pm US time (7.15pm Irish time).

What are the charges?

Trump is facing multiple charges of falsifying business records, including at least one felony offense, according to two people who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss information that is not yet public.

Under the law, prosecutors must prove there was an intent to defraud. The felony falsifying business records offense requires prosecutors to prove that the records were falsified with the intention of committing, aiding or concealing a second crime.

It is not clear yet what prosecutors allege the second crime to be, but experts have said it is probably some kind of campaign finance violation.

Trump, who has denied any wrongdoing and has repeatedly assailed the investigation, has called the indictment political persecution. Picture: AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File

Will there be a 'perp walk'?

No. So-called perp walks happen when a criminal suspect is taken in handcuffs out of a police precinct and then driven to the courthouse. But Trump wont be going to a police precinct.

He has arranged a surrender with the district attorneys office and will head straight to the court, skipping a police station entirely.

It is very unlikely anyone will get a glimpse of him going into court, unless he wants to be seen.

That is because there are underground entrances, side doors and tunnels in and around the Manhattan courthouse.

What happens after he surrenders?

Trump will get booked. Here is what that means: Before computers, information on every criminal suspect would be written down in a big book kept by court officials.

Now, it is all computerized, but the process is largely the same. Court officers will take down Trumps full name, age, birthdate, height and weight.

They will check to see if the former president has any outstanding warrants. They will take his fingerprints  but they wont roll his fingertips in ink; these days thats done by computer, too.

Officers will roll each fingertip on a computerized system that records the prints. They may take his photo, known as a mug shot.

In New York, this process usually takes about two hours, but can be as long as four. Then he goes before a judge.

What happens in the hearing?

An arraignment is a hearing in which the indictment will be formally unsealed and the charges will be read aloud, though Trump could request to wave the public reading.

He will be asked how he pleads to the charges and he will answer guilty or not guilty.

Trumps attorneys Joe Tacopina, Susan Necheles and Todd Blanche will work with the judge and the district attorneys office to set a date for the next time he would be back in court.

The judge has ruled that news photographers would be allowed to take photos of the former president at the start of his arraignment.

Trump will be asked how he pleads to the charges and he will answer guilty or not guilty. Picture: AP Photo/Bryan Woolston

Will he be arrested?

Technically, yes. When he is fingerprinted and processed, he is considered under arrest and in custody. But it wont look like what it does in the movies or on TVs Law & Order.

He will not be handcuffed and he will not sit in a jail cell, in part because parts of the courthouse will be cleared out for his arraignment  and because Trump is a former president with Secret Service protection.

Not all defendants are handcuffed before they appear before a judge for an arraignment, though some are.

If there is a mug shot, will it be made public?

It depends. In New York City, mug shots are not generally made public. They are taken by the law enforcement agency that makes the arrest.

There are situations where a judge could make the photo public in response to a public records fight. It could also get leaked, too.

What else is happening at the courthouse on Tuesday?

Court officials are trying to limit what business is happening at the courthouse at 100 Centre St. in Lower Manhattan on Tuesday.

Police are expected to close some streets around the plaza and security will be tight.

The New York Police Department is in charge of security in the city, but state court officers are in charge of security inside the court.

Police are expected to close some streets around the plaza and security will be tight. Picture: AP Photo/Bryan Woolston

Will Trump walk out of there?

In all likelihood, yes. New Yorks bail laws have been overhauled over the past few years, meaning Trump would be released without bail because the anticipated charges against him do not require that bail be set.

But it is possible that Judge Juan Merchan could decide that Trump is a flight risk and order him held in custody, with or without bail.

Trumps lawyers would argue that the former presidents ties to the US are strong, and because he is a presidential candidate, he has no reason to flee and should be allowed to leave.

What happens next?

The judge and legal teams will set dates for the next hearing and deadlines for discovery, in which the district attorneys office must turn over all its information to Trumps lawyers, and motions, which include any requests to shift the venue or dismiss the case outright. That process usually takes months.

Tacopina has said he needs to read the indictment first and research before he decides what to do on a change of venue or any motions to dismiss, though it would be very common to file one.

It is possible that Judge Juan Merchan could decide that Trump is a flight risk and order him held in custody, with or without bail. Picture: AP Photo/Evan Vucci

What about other Trump investigations?

The New York case is just one of many legal woes Trump is facing.

The Justice Department is also investigating his retention of top secret government documents at his Florida estate, Mar-a-Lago, after leaving the White House.

Federal investigators are also still probing the January 6, 2021, insurrection at the US Capitol and efforts to overturn the 2020 election that Trump falsely claimed was stolen.

In Georgia, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has been investigating whether Trump and his allies illegally meddled in the 2020 election.

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 Trump could be among them.

It is ultimately up to Willis to decide whether to move forward.
Donald Trump conspired to illegally influence the 2016 election through a series of hush money payments designed to stifle claims that could be harmful to his candidacy, prosecutors said in unsealing a historic 34-count felony indictment against the former US president.

The payments, said Assistant District Attorney Christopher Conroy, were part of an unlawful plan to identify and suppress negative information that could have undermined his campaign for president.

Mr Trump, stony-faced and silent as he entered and exited the Manhattan courtroom, said not guilty in a firm voice while facing a judge who warned him to refrain from rhetoric that could inflame or cause civil unrest.

The next court date is December 4, though it is not clear if he will be required to appear.

The broad contours of the case have long been known, but the indictment contains new details about a scheme that prosecutors say involved multiple pay-offs to two women, including a porn actor, who said they had extramarital sexual encounters with him years earlier, as well as to a Trump Tower doorman who claimed to have a story about a child he alleged the former president had out of wedlock.

The arraignment, though procedural in nature, amounts to a remarkable reckoning for Mr Trump after years of investigations into his personal, business and political dealings.

Any alleged offence punishable by more than one year in prison is called a felony in the US justice system.

Taken together, the charges carry a maximum sentence of more than 100 years in prison under New York law but an actual prison sentence if he is convicted at a trial would almost certainly be far less than that.

Wearing his signature dark suit and red tie, Mr Trump turned and waved to crowds outside the building before heading inside to be fingerprinted and processed  a remarkable reckoning after years of investigations into his personal, business and political dealings and an extraordinary moment in US history.

A stone-faced Mr Trump entered the courtroom shortly before 2.30pm local time without saying anything.

Former President Donald Trump arrives at court in New York.

He arrived at court in an eight-car motorcade that took him from Trump Tower in Midtown Manhattan through the main north-south road on the east side of the city, past landmarks such as the United Nations.

Afterwards, Trump lawyer Todd Blanche told reporters that it was a sad day for the country.

You dont expect this to happen to somebody who was president of the United States, he said.

Mr Trump has been warned by the judge to refrain from social media posts that could stir up unrest following messages critical of the prosecutor in the case against him.

This follows earlier posts from the ex-president saying: Heading to Lower Manhattan, the Courthouse. Seems so SURREAL  WOW, they are going to ARREST ME. Cant believe this is happening in America. MAGA!

Mr Trump, who was impeached twice by the US House but was never convicted in the US Senate, is the first former president to face criminal charges.

Mr Trump is scheduled to return to his Palm Beach, Florida, home, Mar-a-Lago, on Tuesday evening to give remarks. At least 500 prominent supporters have been invited, with some of the most pro-Trump congressional Republicans expected to attend.

A conviction would not prevent Trump from running for or winning the presidency in 2024.

Supporters of former President Donald Trump gather in front of assembled media and onlookers outside Manhattan Criminal Court. Picture: AP Photo/John Minchillo

The investigation is scrutinising six-figure payments made to porn actor Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal.

Both say they had sexual encounters with the married Mr Trump years before he got into politics.

Mr Trump denies having sexual liaisons with either woman and has denied any wrongdoing involving payments.
Burma Hundreds of Myanmar Junta Troops Killed in March: Karen and Karenni Resistance

Members of the Karenni Nationalities Defense Force (KNDF), part of the national Peoples Defense Force network, on parade. (Photo: KNDF)

At least 281 regime troops were killed and 80 wounded in clashes last month with combined resistance forces in Kayah State, according to the Karenni Nationalities Defense Force (KNDF).

KNDF reported that more than 100 clashes took place in eastern Demoso Township as well as in Pinlaung and Pekon townships on the border between Kayah and southern Shan states in March.

Regime troops suffered heavy losses in eastern Demoso and some of their troops deserted their units. We have arrested at least three regime soldiers who abandoned their detachments, a KNDF spokesperson said.

KNDF said another 13 regime troops were also captured in the raids carried out by combined forces of the Karenni Army Organization (KAO), the Karenni Nationalities Defense Force (KNDF) and the local People Defense Forces (PDFs).

Twelve KNDF resistance fighters died in the attacks.

The junta retaliated for the heavy losses in Kayah State by conducting some 66 airstrikes, killing five civilians and injuring 10.

Another 29 people were injured in the regimes indiscriminate artillery attacks.

Two monasteries, three schools and 228 houses were reportedly destroyed by the artillery strikes and aerial attacks.

Regime troops are pushing deeper into Kayah State and have deployed 12 military detachments in Demoso and Shataw townships, and Pekon and Pinlaung townships in neighboring southern Shan State.

Three military detachments of around 330 regime troops advancing on Daw Ta Ma Gyi village tract clashed with the local resistance forces between March 20 and 23. Ninety regime soldiers were reportedly killed and another 50 wounded in the clashes.

Fierce fighting near Daw Hlar Khu village from March 29 to 30 also killed at least 15 regime troops and wounded many others according to local resistance forces.

KNDF and PDF groups also reported that 31 junta soldiers were killed during three clashes with resistance forces in Pekon Township on March 11 and 12.

Meanwhile regime troops have suffered major losses in KNU Brigade 5 territory throughout March. The Karen National Union (KNU) announced that at least 190 clashes broke out between junta troops and the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) during the month, killing at least 92 regime troops and injuring 45. The casualties included members of the Border Guard Force (BGF), a Karen armed group allied with the Myanmar junta. Four KNU fighters were killed and 14 injured in the attacks.

The KNU also raided a strategic regime outpost located near the bank of Than Lwin River on March 28, killing 16 regime troops, injuring a further seven, and seizing several firearms and ammunition. A junta fighter jet dropped 16 bombs during the attack.

Indiscriminate artillery attacks in KNU Brigade 5 territory during the same period killed at least one civilian and injured five.
Burma Myanmar Junta Uses Airstrikes After Sagaing Attack

Kalay Peoples Defense Force. / Kalay PDF

Myanmars junta has used airstrikes and shelled resistance forces in Kale Township, Sagaing Region, during four days of fighting.

Clashes started in the north of the township on Friday when resistance groups attacked around 80 troops about to raid villages, Kalay Peoples Defense Force (PDF) told The Irrawaddy on Tuesday.

Clashes continued around Pyin Taw U and Nyaung Kone villages in the north of the township until Monday.

Russian-made MI-35 helicopters were deployed on Saturday after regime forces suffered heavy losses in resistance ambushes, said the PDF.

The junta suffered heavy losses on Saturday when our resistance forces ambushed at Pyin Taw U. Helicopters were used as their ground troops were unable to retrieve their comrades dead bodies, a PDF member told The Irrawaddy.

Helicopters and fighter jets were deployed on Monday and shells were fired from Kale town.

Resistance groups said numerous troops were dropped by helicopters on Monday.

Videos from resistance groups and villagers show MI-35s attacking and shells from Kale exploding.

Two houses burned down, at least 10 houses were damaged and civilian injuries reported, according to the PDF.

Several thousand residents from more than 10 villages have fled their homes, according to media reports.

Since Friday, at least 18 junta troops have been killed and many others injured while some resistance fighters suffered minor injuries, according to the PDF.

The Irrawaddy could not independently verify the reports.

On Tuesday morning, the Siyin Civic Defense Militia and other resistance groups raided regime forces stationed at Kales university campus. One soldier was reportedly killed and others fled, according to resistance forces.

The resistance groups said the troops in Kale were attacked to stop them shelling resistance groups in the north of the township.

Some weapons and ammunition were seized, the group said.

A humanitarian group helping displaced people in Kale on Monday said food and tents are urgently needed as more people flee their homes.
Guest Column Myanmar Juntas Election Plan Is Just a PSYOPS Operation That Will Fail

Myanmar military chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing (right) salutes during a ceremony to mark the country's 78th Armed Forces Day in Naypyitaw on March 27, 2023. / AFP

(Explanatory note: PSYOPSor psychological operationstactics are those intended to manipulate ones opponents or enemies, such as the dissemination of propaganda and fake news or the use of psychological warfare.)

Myanmar junta leader Min Aung Hlaings Plan A was to stage the coup, remove Daw Aung San Su Kyi and her National League for Democracy, consolidate control, and become president after new elections within two years of the coup. This plan has failed spectacularly.

What the junta is trying to achieve at this point in time is not even sham, fake elections. What they are doing is a continuation of the war by other means. The fake narrative about elections is an attention-diverting operation, it is a disinformation operation designed to confuse and buy time. The recent dissolution of the NLD, the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy and 38 other genuine parties is just part of that psychological warfare operation.

MAH is now following another, alternative plan, trying to muddle through a five-year cycle after which he believes the 2020 election result will no longer be significant, and only after that hold elections.

A lot of the juntas talk about elections is just a time-buying strategy. They do not really mean to stage elections in the timeframe they are announcing. The State Administration Council (SACthe juntas name for itself) is using rhetoric about elections and the pretense of preparing one, to play a game in an effort to gain some legitimacy from countries like China, Thailand and India. The SAC is aware that it cannot organize even sham, staged elections any time soon.

It is almost certain that the SAC will not be able to have an election in 2023. Instead of elections, Min Aung Hlaing has now brought the census into the agenda and is trying to link it with voter lists. He is going to present the census as a new excuse and time-buying narrative to his own people and to Myanmars neighbors. His new promise will be that the junta will conduct a census in November 2024 and hold an election in November 2025.

By dithering and playing for time, Min Aung Hlaing and the SAC hope to:

1) buy enough time to wear down the resistance through a war of attrition;

2) buy enough time to deal with Thailand and China and others, to ensure diplomatic survival. China is actually putting pressure on the SAC to hold elections sooner; probably, the wish is to have it just as Indonesia transfers the ASEAN chair to Laos;

3) wait for the public to feel less emotional about the 2020 election result. People still feel very strongly about the 2020 election and they are not willing to participate in any elections now. The hope on the side of the junta is that by 2025 some people (mostly city dwellers) will say Somethings better than nothing;

4) make the argument (because constitutionally, the result of the 2020 election will expire in January 2026) that the 2020 election is no longer relevant, lets try another one at the end of 2025; and

5) last but not least, buy time until their arch enemy Daw Aung San Suu Kyi will be older and more frail, and therefore less of a danger even if she is released.

The military tried to stage a coup, and failed. It tried with terror and violence, and that failed as well. Min Aung Hlaing had a Plan A with elections after two years but the military itself has admitted that it failed. So the SAC is now testing what it can achieve with psychological warfare operations it calls elections, postponed elections, collecting voter lists and conducting a census. Always a new smoke bomb to divert attention and justify some new fake timeline.

The bottom line is, there will be no junta-staged elections: not in 2023, not in 2024, not in 2025.

Resistance to the junta is gradually getting stronger and stronger and Min Aung Hlaing has no chance to consolidate power in any way  neither through terror nor through offers of corrupt deals nor through fake elections.

There will be no elections simply because the people of Myanmar will reject them. The people will not participate. Resistance, both civic and armed, will disrupt it. And it is fully legitimate to disrupt such elections, because they are not elections, but a PSYOPS warfare operation.

When Ukrainians resolutely rejected and did what they could to disrupt Russian attempts to stage an illusory referendum approving the annexation of the Donbas region to Russia, nobody questioned the right of Ukrainians to do so.

Myanmar Spring Revolution activists, civil society and resistance just need to stay alert and active, and discredit, undermine and disrupt any attempt to even start preparing the scaffolding for what would be the electoral equivalent of a Potemkin village.

So the question Will there will be some sort of junta-staged elections in 2023, or 2024 or maybe in 2025? is the wrong question, one that cannot produce any answer that corresponds with reality.

The real question is: How long will Min Aung Hlaing and the SAC be allowed by Myanmars neighbors and ASEAN to continue to destroy the country and terrorize its population, before the Myanmar military implodes under the pressure from multiple resistance forces?

The only other question is how much more damage Min Aung Hlaing will do before he falls ignominiously into the dustbin of history as Myanmars worst ever dictator, the most murderous one, the greediest oneand the least successful.

Igor Blazevic is a senior adviser at the Prague Civil Society Centre. Between 2011 and 2016 he worked in Myanmar as the head lecturer of the Educational Initiatives Program.
Five students from Miami-Dade College will be chosen to participate in the Saint James Way Program at the College for International Studies in Madrid, Spain.

The program, which promotes cross-cultural education by allowing students to immerse themselves in Spanish culture, is done in collaboration with the office of Miami-Dade County Commissioner Raquel Regalado, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Miami, International Finance Bank, and the Consulate General of Spain.

Regalado, who completed the program as a child, said her kids will participate this summer.

"I can't think of a better way to strengthen the ties between Spain and the United States than by bringing our young people together through this experience, Regalado said at a recent news conference. This summer, my two kids (both autistic) will experience this journey, so that people understand that they, too, can participate in activities like this."

Miami-Dade College will select four students based on their academics to participate in the program this summer, said Amanda Maldonado, communications director for Regalado.

It's the first time the program is reaching out to college students. Previously, students from Miami-Dade County Public Schools were chosen through the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Miami and the City of Miami.

The program has been dormant for the past two years due to COVID-19, Maldonado said.

Miami-Dade College students selected for the Saint James Way Program will earn college credits.

Gale Nelson, president of Big Brothers Big Sisters Miami, said kids participating in the program come back from Spain with a bigger view of the world."

Sabrina Joseph, an alumna Big Brothers Big Sisters and participant in the Saint James Way Program, said the experience allowed her to connect with other kids and share their cultures.

"I was with 15 other participants who I can now call my friends," said Joseph, a student at Miami-Dade College. "This shared adventure allows people to connect with each other."
Tuesday, Apr 4th, 2023 (9:02 am) - Score 888

Broadband and mobile operator Vodafone has today highlighted how theyre adopting Artificial Intelligence (AI) to help cut their carbon emissions. Despite seeing a 300% increase in data carried across its UK network since 2019, their overall energy consumption has remained flat and emissions have fallen by 77%.

The operator, which is currently working toward their goal for Net Zero across UK operations by 2027 (i.e. removing as many emissions as they produce), says theyre using innovative technologies like big data analytics, AI, machine learning and IoT to drive energy efficiencies across their 11,500 owned radio base stations, which help to detect where parts of the network are using more energy than expected (this can then be targeted and fixed).

On top of that theyre also generating their own clean energy with the installation of 720 on-site solar panels at a mobile telephone exchange (MTX network site) in Gloucester, a first for the business, which will produce around 240,000kWh of renewable electricity a year. Vodafone hopes to install rooftop solar PV across a number of additional sites across the UK over the next two years.

Another initiative  the Vodafone Smart Sites programme  uses Internet of Things (IoT) and AI on Vodafones highest energy consuming radio base stations, enabling it to manage the sites remotely and reduce the need for engineer visits. As of March 2023, 1,300 sites have been connected.

The business thus claims to have de-coupled the link between data growth, energy usage and carbon emissions: despite a 300% increase in data carried on Vodafones UK network since 2019 (including a 60% increase in the last 2 years alone), its overall energy consumption has remained flat, because a 4% energy consumption increase year-on-year across the network has been counterbalanced by a 7% energy consumption decrease thanks to rationalisation programmes and energy savings.

Andrea Dona, Network Director at Vodafone UK, said: We all recognise the need to drive energy efficiencies  both from a financial and environmental perspective. The fact weve been able to decouple the link between data carried, energy consumption and carbon emissions is thanks to our laser-focus on energy efficiency  and nowhere is this more important than across our network. Using our own technologies to deliver brilliant programmes such as big data and Smart Sites is hugely impactful. Onsite power generation is another important ambition, and Im delighted we now have our first on site solar up and running on our Gloucester MTX. We will continue to drive innovation in this space.

The operator, at least in the UK, has been powered by 100% renewable electricity since July 2021; and recently announced a second major corporate solar power purchase agreement (PPA) giving it access to clean, high quality and affordable renewable electricity for the next 10 years and meaning that 44% of its annual energy requirement will come from UK-based renewable power sources by 2025.
Tuesday, Apr 4th, 2023 (7:35 am) - Score 53,880

Customers of broadband ISP Virgin Media (VMO2) are reporting a major UK network outage this morning (technically its been two outages), which has caused connectivity problems and appears to have disrupted their website and DNS servers too. Some reports indicate that their TV (IPTV), mobile and phone services have also been hit.

As usual in these situations, Virgin Medias general Service Status page has gone offline with an error (this always happens with them, its a source of continued annoyance) and, at the time of writing, even their backup National Outage Page fails to load. Meanwhile, the operator has yet to post a status update to their social media channels, which is despite there being issues throughout the night.

According to Down Detector, the operator first suffered a large disruption to service just after 1am last night that trigged tens of thousands of complaints, but this appeared to have settled back down by around 4am. Unfortunately, the same thing happened again this morning at around 6:30am and has triggered a huge volume of complaints, which is most likely because more people are awake to experience it.

A quick look at internet traffic across Cloudflares global content delivery network (via Cloudflare Radar) also appears to show that theyre tracking a complete internet outage at Virgin Media (AS5089) in the United Kingdom  Virgin Media DNS also unavailable. The issue may also be extending to some of the operators business connectivity clients.

At the time of writing were still gathering data, but it appears as if the physical broadband connection for many customers is still technically live, yet there seems to be an issue with their routing/peering/DNS (Domain Name Servers) that is disrupting the internet connectivity side (its sporadic). We suspect its more routing orientated, as changing the DNS server to a third party (OpenDNS, Google Public DNS etc.) doesnt seem to help.

We are currently trying to get a statement from Virgin Media and will keep this article updated. But weve not seen a network outage this large for a few years.

UPDATE 8:11am

Ciscos monitoring of Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) events, which is a protocol that helps to link the internet together by exchanging routing information with Autonomous Systems (such as those run by your ISP), has also picked up the outage (here)  this has affected 239 prefixes.

UPDATE 8:25am

Sources inform us that the network outage may also be impacting Virgin Medias internal support lines and systems. But it only takes one admin with a mobile phone to update their social media feed, yet so far, they havent even managed to do that. The level of communication from the provider on this is shockingly bad.

UPDATE 8:30am

Finally, after several hours, we have a statement. But its as uninformative as youd expect.

A VMO2 Spokesperson said: Were aware of an issue that is affecting broadband services for Virgin Media customers as well as our contact centres. Our teams are currently working to identify and fix the problem as quickly as possible and we apologise to those customers affected.

UPDATE 8:40am

Virgin Medias website seems to be coming back to life, although comically their major outage page states: There are no major network outages were currently aware of. We are also seeing some signs of an improvement elsewhere, but if theyve corrected the issue with their routing/peering, then it may take a bit of time to fully return for everybody.

UPDATE 9:57am

Arriving somewhat after the fact, VM Business has just issued a similar statement to their residential division: Were aware of an issue that is affecting broadband services for Virgin Media Business customers as well as our contact centres. Our teams are currently working to identify and fix the problem as quickly as possible and we apologise to those customers affected.

Were currently seeing many services return to normal.

UPDATE 11:39am

The issue is now formally resolved. A VM spokesperson said: Weve restored broadband services for customers but are closely monitoring the situation as our engineers continue to investigate. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.

UPDATE 4:40pm

Another massive outage appears to have begun occurring after 4pm today and, once again, their website appears to be affected.

UPDATE 6:49am

The situation has started to improve again, although Virgin Media has also confirmed the return of the issue. A spokesperson said: Unfortunately, we have seen a repeat of an earlier issue which is causing intermittent broadband connectivity problems for some Virgin Media customers. We apologise again to those customers impacted and our teams are continuing to work flat out to find the root cause of the problem and fix it.

UPDATE 5th April 2023 @ 9:09am

Were still seeing some reports of issues, but only at a much lower level. Otherwise, we note that Virgin Media, working alongside Juniper engineers, apparently had to reset some hardware (FPC) at a number of its sites (e.g. Brentford, Northampton etc.) after they reported errors.

Interestingly, the operator has also applied further DDoS mitigation at their Brentford Backbone-3, although we dont know for sure if the incident itself was related to an attack or an issue of maintenance/configuration. The remaining Backbone routers at Northampton, Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds have also had the mitigation applied.

UPDATE 5th April 2023 @ 11:56am

We asked Ofcom if they were aware of the outage and involvement of a DDoS attack. A spokesperson for the regulator told us: We are aware that Virgin Media has been experiencing problems with its network. We are in contact with the company to establish the scale and cause of the problem as soon as possible.
This Week in Review

A weekly review of the best and most popular stories published in the Imperial Valley Press. Also, featured upcoming events, new movies at local theaters, the week in photos and much more.
An N.C. House Select Committee is recommending that the General Assembly change a state law forcing districts to start school the Monday closest to Aug. 26 and end no later than the Friday clo
On Sunday, Ukraine presented a 12-point plan outlining measures to reintegrate Crimea into the country if it were to regain the territory through military means.

Kyiv has made it clear that recapturing the peninsula from Russia is a critical war objective, but Washington is doubtful. Oleksiy Danilov, Secretary of Ukraines National Security and Defence Council, published a report detailing the most notable information about Sevastopol: Russias primary port on the Black Sea for the last 200 years.

He stated that, in this plan to de-occupy Crimea, the so-called city of Russian glory is to be renamed Object 6.

The report also promised severe consequences for Crimean residents who are seen to have collaborated with the Russian adversary. Sanctions may prohibit them from voting or running in elections.

The report posted on Facebook called for the demolition of the Kerch Strait Bridge, which links the peninsula to Russia. Furthermore, all Russian citizens who came to Crimea after 2014 would be expelled, and all property transactions made under Russian rule nullified.

Numerous observers believe that Ukraine is getting ahead of itself in planning for the aftermath of a Sevastopol reconquest while its military is still fighting fiercely to repel Russian attacks in the east.

Huseyn Aliyev, a specialist in the Russo-Ukrainian War at Glasgow University, stated that These 12 points include many aspects of plans set out for the Donbas; theyre all policies that allow Kyiv to reassure public opinion by showing its serious about taking back every bit of Ukrainian territory from the Russians.

Ukraines efforts to regain Crimea have surged since the Russian invasion in February 2022. Jeff Hawn, an expert on Russian security issues and a non-resident fellow at US geopolitical research centre the New Lines Institute, believes that Since the Russian attack on Kyiv failed and Ukraine had that wave of success with its first counter-offensives, the idea of retaking Crimea has become integral to the official Ukrainian discourse.

 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in August that everything started with Crimea and will end with it, referring to Russias annexation of the peninsula in 2014.

Zelensky asked for more Western arms, stating at the Davos summit in Switzerland in January that our objective is to liberate all of our territories and Crimea is our land.

Nicolo Fasola, a specialist in Russian military issues at the University of Bologna, stressed that Zelensky was attempting to demonstrate how eager Ukraines military is to regain land.

While rhetoric from the Biden administrations hawkish faction has emboldened Kyiv, the United States is sceptical about Ukraine reclaiming Crimea.

US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland stated in February that Ukraine is not going to be safe unless Crimea is at a minimum demilitarised. However, Secretary of State Antony Blinken suggested scepticism about Ukraine regaining Crimea just days before.

He said that Crimea was a red line for Russian President Vladimir Putin. Blinken urged Kyiv to consider using diplomatic channels instead of military offensives to recapture its territories. Analysts believe that retaking Crimea will not be easy since the Ukrainian army has only attacked non-fortified Ukrainian positions.

But Crimea will be completely different because Russia has had an entire defence system in place for the last eight years, says Fasola.

Long-range missiles are a critical lacking element in Ukraines arsenal. Kyiv has long demanded ATACM missiles, with a range of over 300 km; however, Washington has withheld them over fears that Ukraine would use them to attack Russian territory.

Experts caution that Ukrainian talk about retaking Crimea is not mere bluster, but battles over its control will not take place in the immediate future.

There is a significant risk that Putin would utilise nuclear weapons to counter a Ukrainian offensive in Crimea, emphasises Fasola, which is why Ukraines Western allies are hesitant to support retaking Crimea.
Former US President Donald Trump, the front-runner for the 2024 Republican nomination, will be formally charged on Tuesday in a watershed moment ahead of next years presidential election.

Trump, 76, is the first former president to face criminal charges. He was indicted by a Manhattan grand jury last week in a case stemming from a 2016 hush-money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels. Follow our blog for live coverage of his historic arraignment. All times are Paris time (GMT+2).

7:05pm: Trump supporters, critics face off outside courtroom

Trump supporters and detractors are noisily rallying outside the Manhattan courthouse where he is due to appear, separated by barricades set up by police to try to keep order.

A limousine carrying a Trump impersonator wearing a red hat and giving a thumbs-up gesture drove past the scene near Trump Tower, flanked by a pickup truck flying pro-Trump flags.

Meanwhile, his critics held signs including one of Trump dressed in a striped jail uniform behind bars and another that read, Lock Him Up.

Standing by is s New York correspondent Jessica Le Masurier. Heres her latest report:

03:24

 Jowhar

6:55pm: Fingerprints  but no mug shot?

Once he surrenders to the authorities at Manhattan Criminal Court, Trump is likely to undergo the standard booking procedure of being fingerprinted  and potentially photographed, which would result in an all-time famous mug shot. However, s Douglas Herbert said an amended New York law meant the authorities were unlikely to make such a photo public.

The government is unlikely to release a mug shot photo of #Trump after his #arraignment. Under an amended New York law, the release of such images is banned unless police determine that doing so is necessary for law enforcement purposes. #F24

Douglas Herbert (@dougf24) April 4, 2023

There is no precedent for a former presidents surrender to court authorities, and it remains to be seen whether the unpredictable Trump will follow procedure.

Joe Tacopina, one of Trumps lawyers, said the former president would not be placed in handcuffs. A perp walk  in which a defendant is escorted in handcuffs past media cameras  is unlikely for an ex-president under US Secret Service protection.

6:40pm: Ex-president alleges political persecution

The twice-impeached Republican claims he is the victim of political persecution  but is also using the court case to energise his support base and raise millions of dollars for his bid to reclaim the White House next year.

He plans to speak to reporters as he walks through the hallways toward court, one of his lawyers told CNN. THE RADICAL LEFT DEMOCRATS HAVE CRIMINALIZED THE JUSTICE SYSTEM, Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social hours before the hearing, branding the legal proceedings a kangaroo court.

6:35pm: Trump to plead not guilty at historic arraignment

Donald Trump is set to plead not guilty to criminal charges in a New York courtroom later today, in an unprecedented case that threatens to upend the 2024 White House race.

Trump is the first sitting or former American president to be criminally indicted  a historic development that has propelled the United States into uncharted political waters.

Amid tight security in Manhattan, and a global media frenzy, the 76-year-old will learn at his arraignment precisely what charges he faces over hush money paid to a porn star ahead of the 2016 election that brought him to power.
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Revised.

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment)  Trumps arraignment today has been widely denounced by the US Right as politically motivated and unprecedented. But high officers of the US government, including former vice presidents Aaron Burr and Spiro Agnew, have had to be arraigned before judges. Moreover, in other countries, such as Israel, Germany, France and Portugal, former leaders guilty of corruption have been put on trial and some have been jailed or sentenced to house arrest.

Trump thus joins the ranks of other modern former heads of state who had run-ins with the police. Some of the others have been sentenced to jail time. Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert went to jail over corruption charges, and the current prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, is on trial for corruption, as well. The Israeli police dont kid around. A former president of Germany, Christian Wulff, was tried on corruption charges but acquitted.



Photo by History in HD on Unsplash

The better analogy to Trump, though, is former French President Nicolas Sarkozy (in office 2007-2012). He was involved in several corrupt activities that produced police raids and two trials, in both of which he was found guilty. Since the hush money payment to Stormy Daniels was a way of deceiving the American public on the eve of an election, it was a form of electoral corruption, which is what the French police got Sarkozy on. One allegation was that Sarkozy received undeclared cash from Liliane Bettencourt, the heiress of the LOreal cosmetics fortune, as part of her bribery campaign to keep from having to pay taxes. Although other members of his government have not entirely been cleared of suspicions of taking Bettencourt money, Sarkozy was investigated and ultimately the case against him was dropped.

During that investigation, almost exactly a decade ago, French police raided Sarkozys residence while he was out of the country.

While that investigation petered out, Sarkozy was revealed to be involved in two other pieces of corruption. In March, 2021, Sarkozy was found guilty along with two associates of bribery and influence peddling and sentenced to three years in jail, with two of the years suspended. That case is still being appealed.

Embed from Getty Images

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy delivers a speech on a sidelines of a ceremony held to award Mayor of Calais as Knight of the Legion of Honour in the city hall in Calais, northern France, on September 22, 2021. (Photo by FRANCOIS LO PRESTI/AFP via Getty Images).

In September, 2021, Sarkozy was found guilty in a second corruption case, of having illegally financed his 2012 presidential campaign and having knowingly spent twice the campaign finance limit of $27.5 million. He and several other members of his administration were implicated in the case. The rallies paid for by the extra illegal funds were coordinated by the Bygmalion communications firm, and some of its employees were also tried. Sarkozy was sentenced to another year in jail, but in the end he was allowed to serve the year under house arrest, and had to wear an electronic monitoring anklet.

So Trump joined Sarkozy, first, in having his home raided by the authorities on suspicion of illegal activity. Trump is suspected of illegally carting home official government documents that should have gone to the National Archives and perhaps some gifts from foreign leaders, which US officials are not allowed to keep. Sometimes those objets dart go on exhibit in presidential libraries. New evidence has surfaced, at which Special Counsel Jack Smith is looking, that Trump actively obstructed the return of some classified documents.

The Sarkozy case is embarrassing for the United States in that it shows French politics to be far less corrupt than the American. First, we dont have any campaign finance laws to speak of, courtesy the plutocratic Roberts Court. We even allow wealthy individuals like Trump essentially to buy the presidency and other political offices with their own money if they so desire. Moreover, allegations of campaign finance irregularities have never landed an American president in trouble with the law. The French police went into Sarkozys home on a tip in 2012 looking for $50,000 in cash. That is small potatoes over here. Trumps Save America PAC paid $60,000 to Melanias hair dresser. I wonder if the Surete nationale would consider that an offense worth a raid.
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( Code Pink )  In a brilliant Op-Ed published in the New York Times, the Quincy Institutes Trita Parsi explained how China, with help from Iraq, was able to mediate and resolve the deeply-rooted conflict between Iran and Saudi Arabia, whereas the United States was in no position to do so after siding with the Saudi kingdom against Iran for decades.

The title of Parsis article, The U.S. Is Not an Indispensable Peacemaker, refers to former Secretary of State Madeleine Albrights use of the term indispensable nation to describe the U.S. role in the post-Cold War world. The irony in Parsis use of Albrights term is that she generally used it to refer to U.S. war-making, not peacemaking.

In 1998, Albright toured the Middle East and then the United States to rally support for President Clintons threat to bomb Iraq. After failing to win support in the Middle East, she was confronted by heckling and critical questions during a televised event at Ohio State University, and she appeared on the Today Show the next morning to respond to public opposition in a more controlled setting.

Albright claimed , ..if we have to use force, it is because we are America; we are the indispensable nation. We stand tall and we see further than other countries into the future, and we see here the danger to all of us. I know that the American men and women in uniform are always prepared to sacrifice for freedom, democracy and the American way of life.





Albrights readiness to take the sacrifices of American troops for granted had already got her into trouble when she famously asked General Colin Powell, Whats the use of having this superb military youre always talking about if we cant use it? Powell wrote in his memoirs, I thought I would have an aneurysm.





But Powell himself later caved to the neocons, or the  fucking crazies  as he called them in private, and dutifully read the lies they made up to try to justify the illegal invasion of Iraq to the UN Security Council in February 2003.



Via Pixabay.





For the past 25 years, administrations of both parties have caved to the crazies at every turn. Albright and the neocons exceptionalist rhetoric, now standard fare across the U.S. political spectrum, leads the United States into conflicts all over the world, in an unequivocal, Manichean way that defines the side it supports as the side of good and the other side as evil, foreclosing any chance that the United States can later play the role of an impartial or credible mediator.





Today, this is true in the war in Yemen, where the U.S. chose to join a Saudi-led alliance that committed systematic war crimes, instead of remaining neutral and preserving its credibility as a potential mediator. It also applies, most notoriously, to the U.S. blank check for endless Israeli aggression against the Palestinians, which doom its mediation efforts to failure.

For China, however, it is precisely its policy of neutrality that has enabled it to mediate a peace agreement between Iran and Saudi Arabia, and the same applies to the African Unions successful peace negotiations in Ethiopia, and to Turkeys promising mediation between Russia and Ukraine, which might have ended the slaughter in Ukraine in its first two months but for American and British determination to keep trying to pressure and weaken Russia.





But neutrality has become anathema to U.S. policymakers. George W. Bushs threat, You are either with us or against us, has become an established, if unspoken, core assumption of 21st century U.S. foreign policy.

The response of the American public to the cognitive dissonance between our wrong assumptions about the world and the real world they keep colliding with has been to turn inward and embrace an ethos of individualism. This can range from New Age spiritual disengagement to a chauvinistic America First attitude. Whatever form it takes for each of us, it allows us to persuade ourselves that the distant rumble of bombs, albeit mostly American ones, is not our problem.





The U.S. corporate media has validated and increased our ignorance by drastically reducing foreign news coverage and turning TV news into a profit-driven echo chamber peopled by pundits in studios who seem to know even less about the world than the rest of us.





Most U.S. politicians now rise through the legal bribery system from local to state to national politics, and arrive in Washington knowing next to nothing about foreign policy. This leaves them as vulnerable as the public to neocon cliches like the ten or twelve packed into Albrights vague justification for bombing Iraq: freedom, democracy, the American way of life, stand tall, the danger to all of us, we are America, indispensable nation, sacrifice, American men and women in uniform, and we have to use force.





Faced with such a solid wall of nationalistic drivel, Republicans and Democrats alike have left foreign policy firmly in the experienced but deadly hands of the neocons, who have brought the world only chaos and violence for 25 years.





All but the most principled progressive or libertarian members of Congress go along to get along with policies so at odds with the real world that they risk destroying it, whether by ever-escalating warfare or by suicidal inaction on the climate crisis and other real-world problems that we must cooperate with other countries to solve if we are to survive.





It is no wonder that Americans think the worlds problems are insoluble and that peace is unattainable, because our country has so totally abused its unipolar moment of global dominance to persuade us that that is the case. But these policies are choices, and there are alternatives, as China and other countries are dramatically demonstrating. President Lula da Silva of Brazil is proposing to form a  peace club  of peacemaking nations to mediate an end to the war in Ukraine, and this offers new hope for peace.





During his election campaign and his first year in office, President Biden repeatedly promised to usher in a new era of American diplomacy, after decades of war and record military spending. Zach Vertin, now a senior adviser to UN Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, wrote in 2020 that Bidens effort to rebuild a decimated State Department should include setting up a mediation support unit staffed by experts whose sole mandate is to ensure our diplomats have the tools they need to succeed in waging peace.





Bidens meager response to this call from Vertin and others was finally unveiled in March 2022, after he dismissed Russias diplomatic initiatives and Russia invaded Ukraine. The State Departments new Negotiations Support Unit consists of three junior staffers quartered within the Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations. This is the extent of Bidens token commitment to peacemaking, as the barn door swings in the wind and the four horsemen of the apocalypse  War, Famine, Conquest and Death  run wild across the Earth.





As Zach Vertin wrote,  It is often assumed that mediation and negotiation are skills readily available to anyone engaged in politics or diplomacy, especially veteran diplomats and senior government appointees. But that is not the case: Professional mediation is a specialized, often highly technical, tradecraft in its own right.





The mass destruction of war is also specialized and technical, and the United States now invests close to a trillion dollars per year in it. The appointment of three junior State Department staffers to try to make peace in a world threatened and intimidated by their own countrys trillion dollar war machine only reaffirms that peace is not a priority for the U.S. government.





By contrast , the European Union created its Mediation Support Team in 2009 and now has 20 team members working with other teams from individual EU countries. The UNs Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs has a staff of 4,500 , spread all across the world.





The tragedy of American diplomacy today is that it is diplomacy for war, not for peace. The State Departments top priorities are not to make peace, nor even to actually win wars, which the United States has failed to do since 1945, apart from the reconquest of small neocolonial outposts in Grenada, Panama and Kuwait. Its actual priorities are to bully other countries to join U.S.-led war coalitions and buy U.S. weapons, to mute calls for peace in international fora, to enforce illegal and deadly coercive sanctions , and to manipulate other countries into sacrificing their people in U.S. proxy wars.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Latin Metals Inc. (Latin Metals or the Company)  (TSXV: LMS, OTCQB: LMSQF) announces that ongoing mapping and prospecting has identified two additional mineralized zones with high-grade copper and base metal mineralization at the Companys Auquis Project (Auquis or the Project). Several styles of mineralization have been identified including newly discovered porphyry-style copper mineralization, and skarn mineralization. The property now hosts three distinct mineralized zones (Figure 1).

Keith Henderson, the Companys President & CEO stated, Our work at Auquis continues to deliver excellent results, with the recognition of two mineralized porphyry centers and a separate zone of skarn mineralization so far, giving all the indications of a large and robust hydrothermal system with potential to define both porphyry and skarn deposits. We eagerly await the results of a ground magnetic survey recently completed over the property which will aid our interpretation and continued exploration over the property.

Tinto and Blanco Zone Details

Newly discovered mineralized areas are in the western portion of the property (Figure 1). Grab samples of outcropping mineralization are photographed (Figure 2). Highlights from 23 rock grab samples are discussed below.

At the Tinto Zone porphyry target, strongly developed sulfide stockworks (pyrite-chalcopyrite) are associated with intense sericite alteration and partial oxidation to hematite and goethite. Grab sampling of outcropping mineralization returned grades of 1.8% copper and 54 g/t silver with trace molybdenum (Sample A) and confirms the Tinto Zone as a priority target for porphyry style mineralization.

At the Blanco Zone, prograde garnet-dominated skarn alteration has been identified as well as retrograde epidote and magnetite alteration (Samples C & D). The Blanco Zone is proximal to a dark fine-grained limestone, where marble has been recognized but not yet fully mapped. Veins and structures with base metal mineralization and jasperoid have been identified cutting the limestone package, with one grab sample returning 1.4% lead, 0.7% zinc, 0.08% copper, and 17 ppb gold (Sample B).

Sampling at the Blanco Zone returned values of up to 9.3% zinc, 6.1% lead, 2.8% copper, 176 g/t silver and 82 ppb gold. The skarn alteration does not appear to be related to either the Tinto Zone to the west, or the previously identified porphyry mineralization at the Rose Zone to the east, where sampling outlined a large area of copper and molybdenum mineralization measuring 1.5 km x 1.5 km (see news release November 3, 2022). The skarn mineralization at the Blanco Zone is tentatively interpreted as being related to an intrusive at depth.

Grab samples (23 samples) are taken across an area of approximately 8 km by 1 km and results are variable ranging from 1.5 ppm to 28,000 ppm (2.8%) copper, 8 ppm to 93,000 ppm (9.3%) zinc, 4.5 ppm to 60,400 ppm (6.0%) lead, 1 ppm to 19.4 ppm molybdenum, 0.01 ppm to 176 ppm (176 g/t) silver and below detection to 82 ppb gold.

Figure 1. Location of mineralized zones at Auquis, including newly discovered zones at Tinto and Blanco. Photos of outcrops taken at sample locations A to E are shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2. Samples showing porphyry and skarn type mineralization in the new Tinto and Blanco Zones

Next Steps

Once processing of the recently collected magnetic data is complete, the data will be interpreted and used to refine the exploration model before additional follow-up sampling is undertaken at the new zones of mineralization and throughout the remainder of the property.

Coastal Copper Belt

The Coastal Copper Belt in Peru is a Cretaceous belt hosting a variety of deposit types including Porphyry, Epithermal, VMS and IOCG. Latin Metals has a total of six 100%-owned copper exploration properties in the Coastal Belt. The Companys Lacsha copper-molybdenum project is drill ready and fully permitted for drilling. The Auquis copper-molybdenum-gold project is advanced and expected to be drill ready in 2023 and Tillo and Para properties are in the starting process of exploration.

QA/QC

The work program at Auquis was designed and supervised by Eduardo Leon, the Company's Exploration Manager, who is responsible for all aspects of the work, including the quality control/quality assurance program. On-site personnel at the project rigorously collect and track samples which are then security sealed and shipped to the ALS laboratory in Lima. Samples used for the results described herein are prepared and analyzed by multi-element analysis using an inductively coupled mass spectrometer in compliance with industry standards.

Qualified Person

The technical content of this release has been approved for disclosure by Keith J. Henderson P.Geo, a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101 and the Companys CEO. Mr. Henderson is not independent of the Company, as he is an employee of the Company and holds securities of the Company.

About Latin Metals

Latin Metals is a mineral exploration company acquiring a diversified portfolio of assets in South America. The Company operates with a Prospect Generator model focusing on the acquisition of prospective exploration properties at minimum cost, completing initial evaluation through cost-effective exploration to establish drill targets, and ultimately securing joint venture partners to fund drilling and advanced exploration. Shareholders gain exposure to the upside of a significant discovery without the dilution associated with funding the highest-risk drill-based exploration.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors of

LATIN METALS INC.

Keith Henderson

President & CEO

For further details on the Company readers are referred to the Company's web site (www.latin-metals.com) and its Canadian regulatory filings on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

For further information, please contact:

Keith Henderson

Suite 890

999 West Hastings Street

Vancouver, BC, V6C 2W2

Phone: 604-638-3456

E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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 news release.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian and U.S. securities legislation, including the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein including, without limitation, statements regarding the negotiation of the Option Agreements and exercise of the Option for the Properties, the anticipated content, commencement, timing and cost of exploration programs in respect of the Properties and otherwise, anticipated exploration program results from exploration activities, and the Company's expectation that it will be able to enter into agreements to acquire interests in additional mineral properties, the discovery and delineation of mineral deposits/resources/reserves on the Properties, and the anticipated business plans and timing of future activities of the Company, are forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Often, but not always, forward looking information can be identified by words such as "pro forma", "plans", "expects", "may", "should", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates", "believes", "potential" or variations of such words including negative variations thereof, and phrases that refer to certain actions, events or results that may, could, would, might or will occur or be taken or achieved. In making the forward-looking statements in this news release, the Company has applied several material assumptions, including without limitation, market fundamentals will result in sustained precious metals demand and prices, the receipt of any necessary permits, licenses and regulatory approvals in connection with the future development of the Companys Argentine projects in a timely manner, the availability of financing on suitable terms for the development, construction and continued operation of the Company projects, and the Companys ability to comply with environmental, health and safety laws.

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 differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. Such risks and other factors include, among others, operating and technical difficulties in connection with mineral exploration and development and mine development activities at the Properties, including the geological mapping, prospecting and sampling programs being proposed for the Properties (the "Programs"), actual results of exploration activities, including the Programs, estimation or realization of mineral reserves and mineral resources, the timing and amount of estimated future production, costs of production, capital expenditures, the costs and timing of the development of new deposits, the availability of a sufficient supply of water and other materials, requirements for additional capital, future prices of precious metals and copper, changes in general economic conditions, changes in the financial markets and in the demand and market price for commodities, possible variations in ore grade or recovery rates, possible failures of plants, equipment or processes to operate as anticipated, accidents, labour disputes and other risks of the mining industry, delays or the inability of the Company to obtain any necessary permits, consents or authorizations required, including TSX-V acceptance for filing of the Option Agreements, any current or future property acquisitions, financing or other planned activities, changes in laws, regulations and policies affecting mining operations, hedging practices, currency fluctuations, title disputes or claims limitations on insurance coverage and the timing and possible outcome of pending litigation, environmental issues and liabilities, risks related to joint venture operations, and risks related to the integration of acquisitions, as well as those factors discussed under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Company's latest Management Discussion and Analysis and other filings of the Company with the Canadian Securities Authorities, copies of which can be found under the Company's profile on the SEDAR website at www.sedar.com.

Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward looking statements. Except as otherwise required by law, the Company undertakes no obligation to update any of the forward-looking information in this news release or incorporated by reference herein.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- American Pacific Mining Corp (CSE: USGD / OTCQX: USGDF / FWB: 1QC) (American Pacific or the Company) is pleased to announce that it has commenced drilling at its Gooseberry Silver Project in Nevada.

The planned 15 hole, up to 3048 metre (10,000 feet) Phase II drill program will focus on testing the extension of the Gooseberry Vein as well as the Elderberry and Strawberry Zones (Figure 1)new targets that were generated in 2022 through analysis of soil geochemistry, clay spectral imagery, mapping and integrated controlled source audio-frequency magnetotellurics (CSAMT) geophysics completed in 2022.

Exploration data that we compiled, including CSAMT geophysics, soil geochemistry and newly received spectral imagery, has helped us home in on the Elderberry and Strawberry Veins as key priority targets for this Phase II drill program, stated President Eric Saderholm. A past criticism of Gooseberry was that it was a single vein mine; however, exploration work completed in 2022 revealed there are at least three additional vein showings at Gooseberry and we are excited to drill these emerging targets and better understand the extent of mineralization at the project.

About The Gooseberry Project

Historical exploration in this region of the Ramsey Mining District was largely confined to the east and west projections and possible extensions of the existing Gooseberry Vein. Minimal efforts were given to the parallel or cross-cutting veins and structures. No historical, property-wide geochemical or geophysical work has been documented. American Pacific is committed to systematic exploration and evaluation of the entire Property and believes this approach has the potential to demonstrate significant exploration upside well beyond the area that hosted past production.

This thorough approach utilizes the historically proven techniques, including mapping; rock sampling; soil geochemistry and air-photo stereoscope structural work. Additionally, this comprehensive effort incorporates more modern exploration tools, including clay species spectral analysis; CSAMT geophysics and satellite imagery. These specialized exploration techniques were poorly developed or unavailable during previous mining and development activities.

Mineralization at the Property is comprised of high-level epithermal gold and silver-bearing quartz/carbonate veins, which have been emplaced in intermediate volcanic lavas and tuffs within the Miocene Alta and Kate Peak Formations. The large, historic Comstock Lode districts located 17 kilometres southwest of the Property was formed within rocks of similar composition and age. The Comstock Mines produced 8 million ounces of gold and 270 million ounces of silver in the late 1800s. The Gooseberry Vein was discovered in 1906. Larger scale mining efforts began on the property in 1975 and were terminated in early 1992. American Pacific resumed exploration activities in 2021.

Technical Summary

The CSAMT data were collected by Reno-based Zonge Engineering technicians in the summer of 2022 and interpreted by a licensed geophysicist, based in Elko, Nevada. The soil samples were collected by American Pacific technicians during H2/2022. Samples were delivered to Paragon Laboratories in Sparks, Nevada and analyzed for silver, gold and trace elements using the assay code 50AR-MS. All sampling results were received by late 2022 and compiled by American Pacific.

Qualified Person

Technical aspects of this news release have been reviewed and approved by the designated Qualified Person (QP) under National Instrument 43-101, Eric Saderholm, P.Geo.

About American Pacific Mining Corp.

American Pacific Mining Corp. is a base and precious metals explorer and developer focused on opportunities in the Western United States. The Companys flagship asset is the 14 million tonne, high-grade, Palmer Volcanic Massive Sulfide (VMS) project in Alaska, under joint-venture partnership with Dowa Metals & Mining, owner of Japans largest zinc smelter. American Pacific is also partnered with Kennecott Exploration, a division of the Rio Tinto Group, on the past-producing Madison Copper-Gold project in Montana. American Pacifics asset portfolio also includes the Gooseberry Silver-Gold project and the Tuscarora Gold-Silver project: two high-grade, precious metals projects located in key mining districts of Nevada, USA. The Companys mission is to grow by the drill bit and by acquisition.

On behalf of the American Pacific Mining Corp Board of Directors:

Warwick Smith, CEO & Director

Corporate Office: Suite 910  510 Burrard Street Vancouver, BC, V6C 3A8 Canada

Investor relations contact:

Kristina Pillon, High Tide Consulting Corp.,

604.908.1695 / This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Media relations contact:

Adam Bello, Primoris Group Inc.,

416.489.0092 / This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The CSE has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release. 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.
VANCOUVER, BC, April 4, 2023 /CNW/ - NGEx Minerals Ltd. (TSXV: NGEX) ("NGEx Minerals" "NGEx" or the "Company") is pleased to report the discovery of a significant new zone of high-grade copper, gold and silver mineralization at the 100% owned Potro Cliffs project located in San Juan Province, Argentina. Today's results are interpreted to be the first intercepts into the edges of a major new copper-gold system located midway between the Company's Los Helados Cu-Au Porphyry deposit, located 9km to the north and Filo Mining's Au-Cu-Ag epithermal/porphyry deposit, located 7km to the south.

HIGHLIGHTS

DPDH002 intersected multiple zones of massive to semi-massive sulphide veins and breccias, including : 4.0m at 8.44% CuEq from 150.0m 60.0m at 7.52% CuEq from 212.0m Includes 10.0m at 18.00% CuEq and 6.0m at 14.00% CuEq 4.0m at 4.57% CuEq from 308.0m 4.0m at 3.89% CuEq from 520.0m 10.0m at 7.08% CuEq from 574.0m .

intersected multiple zones of massive to semi-massive sulphide veins and breccias, including

Wojtek Wodzicki, President and CEO commented, "These are some of the best grades I have seen in my career, and it is remarkable to have hit such significant mineralization so early in the first ever drill program on this target. Today's results include the highest copper grades drilled to date in the Vicuna District and rank among the highest copper grades intersected globally in the last few years. This style of mineralization typically occurs lateral to, or above major porphyry copper-gold systems and the grades and thickness reported today are very encouraging indicators of the strength and potential of the system that is the source of these high-grade zones."

Dr. Wodzicki, added, "One of the key messages from the Vicuna District presentation that we made a few years ago was that giant metal districts tend to continue to deliver new discoveries. Today's results reinforce that point and I am confident that we are in the very earliest stages of defining the fourth major deposit discovered in the Vicuna district.

This discovery builds on the remarkable track record of exploration success that the NGEx has built over the years, and I could not be more proud of our team. The Company is planning an expanded exploration program to begin to systematically follow-up these exciting results."

Composited intervals are shown in the table below:

Hole ID From To Length Cu % Au g/t Ag g/t CuEq. DPDH002 150.0 154.0 4.0 5.81 2.62 81.5 8.44 plus 212.0 272.0 60.0 5.65 2.04 44.0 7.52 incl 226.0 236.0 10.0 14.19 4.07 94.0 18.00 incl 244.0 250.0 6.0 10.57 3.73 80.0 14.00 plus 308.0 312.0 4.0 3.99 0.26 44.5 4.57 plus 340.0 342.0 2.0 2.77 1.41 25.0 4.02 plus 434.0 436.0 2.0 1.68 1.03 15.0 2.56 plus 520.0 524.0 4.0 2.53 0.52 112.0 3.89 plus 564.0 566.0 2.0 3.01 1.02 36.0 4.07 plus 574.0 584.0 10.0 3.70 1.51 259.4 7.08 incl 580.0 582.0 2.0 11.81 4.70 1165.0 25.49 plus 598.0 600.0 2.0 1.65 * 31.0 plus 644.0 648.0 4.0 3.90 * 61.0 plus 650.0 652.0 2.0 1.04 * 3.0 plus 672.0 674.0 2.0 1.25 * 7.0 plus 676.0 678.0 2.0 1.36 * 6.0

Lengths reported are drilled lengths, additional drilling is required in order to establish geometry and true widths of the mineralized zones. Gold assays indicated as * are pending.

DPDH002 was collared at the bottom of a distinct topographic feature known as the Potro Cliffs at an elevation of 4,700m and drilled towards the west at an angle of -70 degrees to a total depth of 719 meters. Fragmental and flow-banded rhyolite occur to a depth of about 352m where there is a transition to a quartz-diorite porphyry which continues to the end of the hole. Advanced argillic alteration and silicification are prevalent throughout the hole, with intervals of sericite and chlorite/epidote alteration in the diorite.

The entire sequence between 150m and 680m is cut by a series of semi-massive to massive sulphide veins and clusters of veins, with individual veins attaining core lengths of up to 10m. These veins are typically composed of pyrite and enargite with lesser covellite - and are interpreted as veins and replacements of high-sulphidation affinity. The copper-gold-silver mineralization also occurs as anastomosing stockwork veinlets and breccia matrix with minor zinc sulphides.

2023 POTRO CLIFFS DRILL PROGRAM OVERVIEW

The 2023 drilling program has focused on improving our initial understanding of this large alteration zone and following up on surface sampling results. Topography at the Potro Cliffs alteration zone offers the opportunity to test different levels within the hydrothermal system, with holes at the bottom of the cliffs testing areas 600m vertically below holes collared at the top of the cliffs. The drill program, including completed and planned holes, is outlined below:

Holes Drilled/in Progress

DPDH001: Top of cliffs, testing surface geochemical anomalies

DPDH002: Bottom of cliffs, testing surface geochemical anomalies

DPDH003: Top of cliffs

DPDH004: Same platform as DPDH002, drilled at -50 degrees

DPDH005: Bottom of cliffs, 100m south of DPDH002.

Drilling is ongoing with two diamond drill rigs. Holes DPDH001 and 003 at the top of the cliffs are complete with assays pending. These two drill holes are 1.6km and 1.9km from DPDH002 respectively. Holes DPDH004 and 005 are testing for extensions of the mineralization intersected in DPDH002 and are in progress.

NEXT STEPS

The initially planned program is being re-evaluated in light of the results of DPDH002 and will continue to be modified based on results of the next few holes. The current plan is to focus on expanding and delineating the mineralization intersected in DHPH002. Drilling is planned to continue until the onset of winter conditions in May.

WEBINAR

The Company will host a webcast at 8:00 am PST on April 4, 2023, to discuss the results. Call details are as follows:

Please click the link below to join the webinar:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81956452033?pwd=VVAzQmpvdzZwbnphL2pNaHQzVjJkQT09

Passcode: 848096

Or One tap mobile :

+16699006833,,81956452033#,,,,*848096# or +16694449171,,81956452033#,,,,*848096#

Or Telephone:

Dial (for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location):

+1 669 900 6833

A replay will be made available on the website.

ABOUT NGEX MINERALS

NGEx Minerals is a copper and gold exploration company based in Canada, focused on advancing its Los Helados copper-gold project located in Chile's Region III and testing the nearby Potro Cliffs exploration target located to the southwest in San Juan Province, Argentina. Both projects are located within the Vicuna District which includes the Josemaria and Filo del Sol deposits. Los Helados and the Potro Cliffs target lie along the same major north-northeast trending structure that controls the Filo del Sol deposit.

NGEx Minerals is the majority partner and operator for the Los Helados Project, subject to a Joint Exploration Agreement with Nippon Caserones Resources Co., Ltd. which operates the Caserones open pit copper mine located approximately 15km north of Los Helados through a subsidiary that is subject to a recently announced agreement whereby Lundin Mining Corporation will acquire a controlling stake.

QUALIFIED PERSONS AND TECHNICAL NOTES

The scientific and technical disclosure included in this news release have been reviewed and approved by Bob Carmichael, B.A.Sc., P.Eng. who is the Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101. Mr. Carmichael is Vice President, Exploration for the Company.

Samples were cut at NGEx Minerals' operations base by Company personnel. Diamond drill core was sampled in 2 meter intervals using a rock saw. Core diameter is a mix of PQ, HQ and NQ depending on the depth of the drill hole. Samples were bagged and tagged and packaged for shipment by truck to the ALS preparation laboratory in Copiapo, Chile where they were crushed and a 500g split was pulverized to 85% passing 200 mesh. The prepared samples were sent to the ALS assay laboratories in either Lima, Peru or Santiago, Chile for copper, gold and silver assays, and multi-element ICP and sequential copper analyses. ALS is an accredited laboratory which is independent of the Company. Gold assays were by fire assay fusion with AAS finish on a 30g sample. Copper and silver were assayed by atomic absorption following a 4-acid digestion. Samples were also analyzed for a suite of 49 elements with ME-MS61 and a sequential copper leach analysis was completed on each sample with copper greater than 500ppm (0.05%). Copper and gold standards as well as blanks and duplicates (field, preparation and analysis) were randomly inserted into the sampling sequence for Quality Control. On average, 9% of the submitted samples are Quality Control samples. No data quality problems were indicated by the QA/QC program.

Copper Equivalent (CuEq.) for drill intersections is calculated based on US$ 3.00/lb Cu, US$ 1,500/oz Au and US$ 18/oz Ag, with 80% metallurgical recoveries assumed for all metals. The formula is: CuEq. % = Cu % + (0.7292 * Au g/t) + (0.0088 * Ag g/t).

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

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 news release.

The information contained in this news release was accurate at the time of dissemination but may be superseded by subsequent news release(s). The Company is under no obligation nor does it intend to update or revise the forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

On behalf of NGEx Minerals,

Wojtek Wodzicki,

President and CEO

Additional information relating to NGEx Minerals Ltd. may be obtained or viewed on the SEDAR website at www.sedar.com or on the Company's website at www.ngexminerals.com.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements made and information contained herein in the news release constitutes "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities legislation (collectively, "forward-looking information"). All statements other than statements of historical facts included in this document constitute forward-looking information, including but not limited to, statements regarding: the nature and timing of the work to be undertaken to advance the Potro Cliffs Project and the potential for the discovery of extensions of mineralized zones and new exploration targets; the ability of the Company to complete the planned program; the ability of the current drill program to extend the mineralization discovered in DPDH002, the potential the mineralization in DPDH002 is connected to a major porphyry copper-gold system, the timing and nature of the current and future drill programs; Words such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events, conditions or results "will", "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved" or the negative connotations thereof and similar expressions identify forward-looking information.

Forward-looking information is necessarily based upon various estimates and assumptions including, without limitation, the expectations and beliefs of management the nature, scope and timing of the work to be undertaken to advance the Potro Cliffs Project. While the Company anticipates continuing its drill program until May, it may encounter unexpected drilling and other challenges, costs, or delays that could prevent the Company from completing the program on the expected timeline or at all. Any drilling next season is dependent on pending results from this year's program and the Company securing additional funding. This program could be delayed or not be carried out at all. Although the Company believes that these factors and expectations are reasonable as at the date of this document in light of management's experience and perception of current conditions and expected developments, these statements are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies. Known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements and undue reliance should not be placed on such statements and information. Such factors include, without limitation: the ongoing COVID 19 pandemic and the risk that an intensification of the pandemic or an outbreak at the project could impact the company's ability to carry out the program and could cause the program to be shut down, estimations of costs, and permitting time lines; ability to obtain environmental permits, surface rights and property interests in a timely manner; currency exchange rate fluctuations; requirements for additional capital; changes in the Company's share price; changes to government regulation of mining activities; environmental risks; unanticipated reclamation or remediation expenses; title disputes or claims; limitations on insurance coverage, fluctuations in the current price of and demand for commodities; material adverse changes in general business and economic conditions in Chile; the availability of financing if and when needed on reasonable terms; risks related to material labour disputes, accidents, or failure of plant or equipment; and other risks, uncertainties and other factors identified in the Company's periodic filings with Canadian securities regulators which are available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com under the Company's profile.

The forward-looking information contained in this news release is based on information available to the Company as at the date of this news release. Except as required under applicable securities legislation, the Company does not undertake any obligation to publicly update and/or revise any of the included forward-looking information, whether as a result of additional information, future events and/or otherwise. Forward-looking information is provided for the purpose of providing information about management's current expectations and plans and allowing investors and others to get a better understanding of the Company's operating environment. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that would cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated, or intended. 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. All the forward-looking information contained in this document is qualified by these cautionary statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information due to the inherent uncertainty thereof.

Cautionary Note to U.S. Readers

Information concerning the mineral properties of the Company contained in this news release has been prepared in accordance with the requirements of Canadian securities laws, which differ in material respects from the requirements of securities laws of the United States applicable to U.S. companies subject to the reporting and disclosure requirements of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.

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MONTREAL, April 03, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Osisko Development Corp. (NYSE: ODV, TSXV: ODV) ("Osisko Development" or the "Company") is pleased to announce underground diamond drilling ("DD") results as part of its ongoing exploration program at its 100%-owned Trixie test mine ("Trixie"), within the Company's wider Tintic Project ("Tintic" or the "Tintic Project"), located in the historic East Tintic Mining District in central Utah, U.S.A.

Chris Lodder, President of Osisko Development, commented, "Today's drill results include high-grade gold intercepts from the Trixie underground in all domains of the deposit including the gold and silver rich tellurides in the T2 structure, the quartz barite stockwork T4 zone with gold bearing fissures similar to T2, and the 75-85 polymetallic silica-sulphide cemented breccia zone. These new drill results continue to validate our exploration work and expand our understanding of known mineralization to generate additional exploration targets at structural and lithological contacts beneath the overlying Ophir shale cap rock."

DRILL ASSAY HIGHLIGHTS

This news release includes assays from 42 DD holes (refer to Table 1). Select assay highlights include:

48.20 grams per tonne ("g/t") gold ("Au") and 30.60 g/t silver (" Ag ") over 0.76 meters (" m ") (1.41 troy ounces per short ton (" oz/t ") Au and 0.89 oz/t Ag over 2.50 ft.) in hole TUG-625-032

and 30.60 g/t silver (" ") over 0.76 meters (" ") (1.41 troy ounces per short ton (" ") Au and 0.89 oz/t Ag over 2.50 ft.) in hole TUG-625-032 354.00 g/t Au and 249.00 g/t Ag over 0.46 m (10.33 oz/t Au and 7.26 oz/t Ag over 1.50 ft.) in hole TUG-625-033

and 249.00 g/t Ag over 0.46 m (10.33 oz/t Au and 7.26 oz/t Ag over 1.50 ft.) in hole TUG-625-033 32.89 g/t Au and 41.86 g/t Ag over 3.20 m (0.96 oz/t Au and 1.22 oz/t Ag over 10.50 ft.) in hole TUG-625-035 including 76.80 g/t Au and 68.60 g/t Ag over 1.01 m (2.24 oz/t Au and 2.00 oz/t Ag over 3.30 ft.)

and 41.86 g/t Ag over 3.20 m (0.96 oz/t Au and 1.22 oz/t Ag over 10.50 ft.) in hole TUG-625-035 including 67.01 g/t Au and 207.55 g/t Ag over 0.94 m (1.95 oz/t Au and 6.05 oz/t Ag over 3.10 ft.) in hole TUG-625-038 including 240.00 g/t Au and 860.00 g/t Ag over 0.18 m (7.00 oz/t Au and 25.08 oz/t Ag over 0.60 ft.)

and 207.55 g/t Ag over 0.94 m (1.95 oz/t Au and 6.05 oz/t Ag over 3.10 ft.) in hole TUG-625-038 including 13.44 g/t Au and 71.36 g/t Ag over 3.05 m (0.39 oz/t Au and 2.08 oz/t Ag over 10.00 ft.) in hole TUG-625-051

and 71.36 g/t Ag over 3.05 m (0.39 oz/t Au and 2.08 oz/t Ag over 10.00 ft.) in hole TUG-625-051 10.68 g/t Au and 32.59 g/t Ag over 4.88 m (0.31 oz/t Au and 0.95 oz/t Ag over 16 ft.) in hole TUG-625-052 including 27.20 g/t Au and 52.1 g/t Ag over 1.13 m (0.79 oz/t Au and 1.52 oz/t Ag over 3.70 ft.) in hole TUG-625-052

and 32.59 g/t Ag over 4.88 m (0.31 oz/t Au and 0.95 oz/t Ag over 16 ft.) in hole TUG-625-052 including 91.30 g/t Au and 18.70 g/t Ag over 1.34 m (2.66 oz/t Au and 0.55 oz/t Ag over 4.40 ft.) in hole TUG-625-053

and 18.70 g/t Ag over 1.34 m (2.66 oz/t Au and 0.55 oz/t Ag over 4.40 ft.) in hole TUG-625-053 27.26 g/t Au and 96.98 g/t Ag over 4.57 m (0.80 oz/t Au and 2.83 oz/t Ag over 15.00 ft.) in hole TUG-625-086 including 39.10 g/t Au and 244.00 g/t Ag over 0.79 m (1.14 oz/t Au and 7.12 oz/t Ag over 2.60 ft.) and 54.50 g/t Au and 105.00 g/t Ag over 1.22 m (1.59 oz/t Au and 3.06 oz/t Ag over 4.00 ft.)

and 96.98 g/t Ag over 4.57 m (0.80 oz/t Au and 2.83 oz/t Ag over 15.00 ft.) in hole TUG-625-086 including 46.50 g/t Au and 98.80 g/t Ag over 2.74 m (1.36 oz/t Au and 2.88 oz/t Ag over 9.00 ft.) in hole TUG-625-086

and 98.80 g/t Ag over 2.74 m (1.36 oz/t Au and 2.88 oz/t Ag over 9.00 ft.) in hole TUG-625-086 28.72 g/t Au and 404.19 g/t Ag over 6.25 m (0.84 oz/t Au and 11.79 oz/t Ag over 20.50 ft.) in hole TUG-625-087 including 81.50 g/t Au and 1,240.00 g/t Ag over 0.61 m (2.38 oz/t Au and 36.17 oz/t Ag over 2.00 ft.) and 118.00 g/t Au and 968.00 g/t Ag over 0.46 m (3.44 oz/t Au and 28.23 oz/t Ag over 1.50 ft.)

and 404.19 g/t Ag over 6.25 m (0.84 oz/t Au and 11.79 oz/t Ag over 20.50 ft.) in hole TUG-625-087 including 12.64 g/t Au and 92.58 g/t Ag over 5.18 m (0.37 oz/t Au and 2.70 oz/t Ag over 17.00 ft.) in hole TUG-625-088 including 31.50 g/t Au and 162.00 g/t Ag over 1.22 m (0.92 oz/t Au and 4.73 oz/t Ag over 4.00 ft.)

and 92.58 g/t Ag over 5.18 m (0.37 oz/t Au and 2.70 oz/t Ag over 17.00 ft.) in hole TUG-625-088 including 12.46 g/t Au and 95.05 g/t Ag over 4.57 m (0.36 oz/t Au and 2.77 oz/t Ag over 15.00 ft.) in hole TUG-625-093 including 47.20 g/t Au and 272.00 g/t Ag over 0.76 m (1.38 oz/t Au and 7.93 oz/t Ag over 2.50 ft.)

and 95.05 g/t Ag over 4.57 m (0.36 oz/t Au and 2.77 oz/t Ag over 15.00 ft.) in hole TUG-625-093 including 52.30 g/t Au and 325.00 g/t Ag over 1.13 m (1.53 oz/t Au and 9.48 oz/t Ag over 3.70 ft.) in hole TUG-625-099

and 325.00 g/t Ag over 1.13 m (1.53 oz/t Au and 9.48 oz/t Ag over 3.70 ft.) in hole TUG-625-099 31.00 g/t Au and 91.30 g/t Ag over 1.07 m (0.90 oz/t Au and 2.66 oz/t Ag over 3.50 ft.) in hole TUG-625-101

and 91.30 g/t Ag over 1.07 m (0.90 oz/t Au and 2.66 oz/t Ag over 3.50 ft.) in hole TUG-625-101 229.00 g/t Au and 238.00 g/t Ag over 0.76 m (6.68 oz/t Au and 6.94 oz/t Ag over 2.50 ft.) in hole TUG-625-102A

and 238.00 g/t Ag over 0.76 m (6.68 oz/t Au and 6.94 oz/t Ag over 2.50 ft.) in hole TUG-625-102A 19.77 g/t Au and 76.67 g/t Ag over 4.57 m (0.58 oz/t Au and 2.24 oz/t Ag over 15.00 ft.) in hole TUG-625-103

DRILL SUMMARY

The high-grade intercepts disclosed in the news release are located on the southern portion of the current Trixie Mineral Resource Estimate (" Trixie MRE ") along new development and stepping out closer to the Sioux Ajax Fault, one of the main targets for mineralization at Trixie.

") along new development and stepping out closer to the Sioux Ajax Fault, one of the main targets for mineralization at Trixie. The T2 structure continues to intersect high-grade mineralization including 91.3 g/t Au and 18.7 g/t Ag over 1.34 m in hole TUG-625-053.

The T4 stockwork, in the immediate hangingwall of the T2 structure, exhibits high-grade fissure structures similar to the T2 within a broader zone and returned assays including 354 g/t Au and 249 g/t Ag over 0.46 m in hole TUG-625-033 and 229 g/t Au and 238 g/t Au over 0.76 m in hole TUG-625-102A (see Figure 2).

The new drilling results indicate consistent mineralization at the contact between the 75-85, T4 stockwork and overlying Ophir Shale including hole TUG-625-087 that assayed 28.72 g/t Au and 404.19 g/t Ag over 6.25 m (see Figure 3).

The 75-85 domain consists of a discrete north-south striking moderate to steeply west-dipping polymetallic silica-sulphide cemented breccia zone. The domain connects two historically developed tabular mineralized bodies, the 756 at the north end of Trixie development, and the 75-85 mineralized shoot to the south. Historically documented primary economic minerals include a native gold and silver, copper, lead and/or zinc bearing sulphides and sulphosalts. Gangue (non-mineralized) minerals are chiefly crystalline quartz and barite.

EXPLORATION NEXT STEPS

The Company currently has two underground diamond drill rigs in operation at Trixie conducting exploration activities.

Follow up exploration targets include drill testing of the contact beneath the Ophir Shale cap rock, where mineralization appears to be concentrated, as well as testing the 75-85 structure at depth.

In 2022, the Company completed 28 surface reverse circulation ("RC") drill holes near Trixie totalling approximately 8,442 m (27,700 ft.) and 62 underground DD holes in the 625 level at Trixie totalling approximately 3,232 m (10,060 ft.). To date, assays have been received for 8 RC drill holes and 56 DD holes.

Corporate Update

The board of directors (the "Board") of the Company has approved the grant of an aggregate of 1,081,600 incentive stock options (the "Options") and an aggregate of 219,000 restricted share units ("RSUs") to certain senior officers of the Company, in accordance with the terms of the Company's current Option and RSU plans, as applicable. The aforementioned Option and RSU grants constitute the annual equity-based compensation grants of the Company, consistent with the Company's regular compensation cycle. The Options are exercisable at a price of C$6.59 per share of the Company (based on the closing price of March 31, 2023) and will expire on April 3, 2028. Vesting of Options will occur in three equal parts on the following dates: April 3, 2024, April 3, 2025, and April 3, 2026, respectively. The RSUs will cliff vest on April 3, 2026.

About Trixie

The Trixie test mine is one of several gold and base metal targets within the larger Tintic Project consisting of >17,000 acres of patented mining claims and mineral leases within the historic East Tintic Mining District of Central Utah, U.S.A. The T2 and T4 structures at Trixie show multi-ounce gold grades associated with high sulphidation epithermal mineralization, structurally controlled and hosted within quartzites. The T2 structure mineralization consists of native Au, and rare Au-Ag  rich telluride minerals with quartz. The T4 is a mineralized stockwork zone is located in the hanging wall of the T2 and is comprised of Au-Ag rich mineralization in host rock quartzite with quartz-barite-sulphosalt stockwork veining. Mineralization reports consistent multi-ounce gold grades along the entire strike length.

Information relating to the Tintic Project and the Trixie MRE is supported by the technical report titled "NI 43-101 Technical Report, Initial Mineral Resource Estimate for the Trixie Deposit, Tintic Project, Utah, United States of America", dated January 27, 2023 (with an effective date of January 10, 2023) prepared for the Company by independent representatives of Micon International Limited (the "Tintic Technical Report"). Reference should be made to the full text of the Tintic Technical Report, which was prepared in accordance with National Instrument 43-101  Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101") and is available electronically on SEDAR (www.sedar.com) and on EDGAR (www.sec.gov) under Osisko Development's issuer profile and on the Company's website at www.osiskodev.com.



Table 1: Drilling Length Weighted Assay Composites at Trixie

METRIC IMPERIAL Hole ID Depth from (m) Depth to (m) Length (m) Au (g/t) Ag (g/t) Depth from (ft.) Depth to (ft.) Length (ft.) Au (oz/t) Ag (oz/t) Comments TUG-625-030 5.88 8.23 2.35 4.15 10.55 19.30 27.00 7.70 0.12 0.31 T4 TUG-625-030B 10.61 12.04 1.43 2.47 6.70 34.80 39.50 4.70 0.07 0.20 T4 TUG-625-031 10.21 11.77 1.55 3.19 9.23 33.50 38.60 5.10 0.09 0.27 T4 TUG-625-031 35.54 36.88 1.34 8.97 4.36 116.60 121.00 4.40 0.26 0.13 T2 TUG-625-032 3.05 4.57 1.52 2.65 10.30 10.00 15.00 5.00 0.08 0.30 T4 TUG-625-032 7.62 8.38 0.76 48.20 30.60 25.00 27.50 2.50 1.41 0.89 T4 TUG-625-032 27.13 31.24 4.11 0.43 41.40 89.00 102.50 13.50 0.01 1.21 T2 15 m down dip TUG-625-032 Including 27.13 28.65 1.52 0.49 77.30 89.00 94.00 5.00 0.01 2.25 T2 15 m down dip TUG-625-032 56.39 57.30 0.91 8.09 105.00 185.00 188.00 3.00 0.24 3.06 T2 footwall TUG-625-033 3.51 3.96 0.46 354.00 249.00 11.50 13.00 1.50 10.33 7.26 T4 TUG-625-033 19.20 19.96 0.76 12.75 59.30 63.00 65.50 2.50 0.37 1.73 T4 TUG-625-033 25.24 25.76 0.52 53.55 65.37 82.80 84.50 1.70 1.56 1.91 T2 10 m down dip TUG-625-033 Including 25.24 25.42 0.18 76.00 104.00 82.80 83.40 0.60 2.22 3.03 T2 10 m down dip TUG-625-035 1.52 4.72 3.20 32.89 41.86 5.00 15.50 10.50 0.96 1.22 T4 TUG-625-035 Including 1.52 2.29 0.76 35.00 79.00 5.00 7.50 2.50 1.02 2.30 T4 TUG-625-035 and 3.72 4.72 1.01 76.80 68.60 12.20 15.50 3.30 2.24 2.00 T4 TUG-625-035 16.76 18.29 1.52 3.42 93.80 55.00 60.00 5.00 0.10 2.74 T4 TUG-625-038 3.51 4.45 0.94 67.01 207.55 11.50 14.60 3.10 1.95 6.05 T4 TUG-625-038 Including 3.51 3.84 0.34 57.50 112.00 11.50 12.60 1.10 1.68 3.27 T4 TUG-625-038 and 4.27 4.45 0.18 240.00 860.00 14.00 14.60 0.60 7.00 25.08 T4 TUG-625-038 19.20 19.81 0.61 3.26 19.20 63.00 65.00 2.00 0.10 0.56 T4 TUG-625-038 26.82 27.74 0.91 0.23 158.33 88.00 91.00 3.00 0.01 4.62 75-85 TUG-625-039 1.83 5.18 3.35 3.38 8.58 6.00 17.00 11.00 0.10 0.25 T4 TUG-625-040 4.72 5.79 1.07 9.03 26.80 15.50 19.00 3.50 0.26 0.78 T4 TUG-625-040 8.84 11.03 2.19 4.44 6.46 29.00 36.20 7.20 0.13 0.19 T2 TUG-625-041 9.14 10.06 0.91 7.58 16.60 30.00 33.00 3.00 0.22 0.48 T4 TUG-625-041 18.90 21.34 2.44 2.36 47.80 62.00 70.00 8.00 0.07 1.39 T4 TUG-625-042 No Significant Assays East of T4 HW TUG-625-043 No Significant Assays East of T4 HW TUG-625-051 3.05 3.96 0.91 11.25 57.90 10.00 13.00 3.00 0.33 1.69 T4 TUG-625-051 12.89 17.22 4.33 4.43 14.87 42.30 56.50 14.20 0.13 0.43 T4 TUG-625-051 Including 15.30 15.85 0.55 15.95 67.00 50.20 52.00 1.80 0.47 1.95 T4 TUG-625-051 25.91 28.96 3.05 13.44 71.36 85.00 95.00 10.00 0.39 2.08 75-85 TUG-625-051 Including 25.91 27.28 1.37 18.60 129.00 85.00 89.50 4.50 0.54 3.76 75-85 TUG-625-052 23.16 28.04 4.88 10.68 32.59 76.00 92.00 16.00 0.31 0.95 75-85 TUG-625-052 Including 23.16 24.29 1.13 27.20 52.10 76.00 79.70 3.70 0.79 1.52 75-85 TUG-625-052 and 25.91 28.04 2.13 7.93 36.20 85.00 92.00 7.00 0.23 1.06 75-85 TUG-625-053 0.00 0.98 0.98 16.15 11.20 0.00 3.20 3.20 0.47 0.33 T4 TUG-625-053 17.37 17.98 0.61 3.37 5.99 57.00 59.00 2.00 0.10 0.17 T4 TUG-625-053 21.34 22.56 1.22 5.73 35.70 70.00 74.00 4.00 0.17 1.04 T4 TUG-625-053 27.13 31.00 3.87 2.96 24.93 89.00 101.70 12.70 0.09 0.73 T4 TUG-625-053 34.32 35.66 1.34 91.30 18.70 112.60 117.00 4.40 2.66 0.55 T2 TUG-625-054 16.00 17.22 1.22 11.35 44.00 52.50 56.50 4.00 0.33 1.28 T4 TUG-625-054 47.85 49.07 1.22 4.48 41.50 157.00 161.00 4.00 0.13 1.21 T2 Footwall TUG-625-055 12.80 13.26 0.46 2.23 17.00 42.00 43.50 1.50 0.07 0.50 T4 TUG-625-055 34.35 35.11 0.76 2.18 26.00 112.70 115.20 2.50 0.06 0.76 T4 TUG-625-059 No Significant Assays Exploration hole, east of Trixie Decline TUG-625-061 No Significant Assays T4 TUG-625-062 33.68 34.44 0.76 11.17 23.07 110.50 113.00 2.50 0.33 0.67 T4 TUG-625-062 including 33.68 33.83 0.15 46.60 94.30 110.50 111.00 0.50 1.36 2.75 T4 TUG-625-063 42.06 45.42 3.35 7.74 25.41 138.00 149.00 11.00 0.23 0.74 T2 12 m down dip TUG-625-083 No Significant Assays T4 TUG-625-084 44.96 45.14 0.18 73.50 88.30 147.50 148.10 0.60 2.14 2.58 T2 TUG-625-086 0.00 4.57 4.57 27.26 96.98 0.00 15.00 15.00 0.80 2.83 T4 TUG-625-086 Including 0.00 0.79 0.79 39.10 244.00 0.00 2.60 2.60 1.14 7.12 T4 TUG-625-086 and 1.83 3.05 1.22 54.50 105.00 6.00 10.00 4.00 1.59 3.06 T4 TUG-625-086 10.36 11.89 1.52 5.00 8.91 34.00 39.00 5.00 0.15 0.26 T4 TUG-625-086 14.48 14.78 0.30 0.99 94.00 47.50 48.50 1.00 0.03 2.74 T4 TUG-625-086 17.98 20.73 2.74 46.50 98.80 59.00 68.00 9.00 1.36 2.88 75-85 TUG-625-087 0.00 5.49 5.49 2.18 33.86 0.00 18.00 18.00 0.06 0.99 T4 TUG-625-087 16.46 22.71 6.25 28.72 404.19 54.00 74.50 20.50 0.84 11.79 75-85 TUG-625-087 Including 16.46 17.07 0.61 81.50 1240.00 54.00 56.00 2.00 2.38 36.17 75-85 TUG-625-087 and 17.07 17.68 0.61 37.60 723.00 56.00 58.00 2.00 1.10 21.09 75-85 TUG-625-087 and 17.68 18.14 0.46 118.00 968.00 58.00 59.50 1.50 3.44 28.23 75-85 TUG-625-087 and 18.14 18.75 0.61 43.90 406.00 59.50 61.50 2.00 1.28 11.84 75-85 TUG-625-088 22.25 27.43 5.18 12.64 92.58 73.00 90.00 17.00 0.37 2.70 75-85 TUG-625-088 Including 24.38 24.99 0.61 22.00 175.00 80.00 82.00 2.00 0.64 5.10 75-85 TUG-625-088 and 25.60 26.82 1.22 31.50 162.00 84.00 88.00 4.00 0.92 4.73 75-85 TUG-625-088 and 26.82 27.43 0.61 9.64 92.00 88.00 90.00 2.00 0.28 2.68 75-85 TUG-625-089 10.36 12.04 1.68 2.12 17.20 34.00 39.50 5.50 0.06 0.50 T4 TUG-625-090 3.11 3.96 0.85 14.00 194.00 10.20 13.00 2.80 0.41 5.66 T4 TUG-625-091 15.54 20.27 4.72 2.97 52.30 51.00 66.50 15.50 0.09 1.53 T2 TUG-625-091 Including 18.44 19.81 1.37 6.65 126.00 60.50 65.00 4.50 0.19 3.68 T2 TUG-625-092 1.52 2.13 0.61 16.05 54.50 5.00 7.00 2.00 0.47 1.59 T4 TUG-625-092 8.08 8.23 0.15 23.50 69.20 26.50 27.00 0.50 0.69 2.02 T4 TUG-625-093 0.00 4.57 4.57 12.46 95.05 0.00 15.00 15.00 0.36 2.77 T4 TUG-625-093 Including 0.76 1.52 0.76 47.20 272.00 2.50 5.00 2.50 1.38 7.93 T4 TUG-625-093 14.33 17.07 2.74 7.98 63.63 47.00 56.00 9.00 0.23 1.86 75-85 TUG-625-095 1.52 3.05 1.52 3.46 20.90 5.00 10.00 5.00 0.10 0.61 T4 TUG-625-095 19.81 20.27 0.46 8.21 23.30 65.00 66.50 1.50 0.24 0.68 T2 TUG-625-096 2.44 3.66 1.22 4.37 32.20 8.00 12.00 4.00 0.13 0.94 T4 TUG-625-096 11.28 12.04 0.76 4.82 56.60 37.00 39.50 2.50 0.14 1.65 T4 TUG-625-096 31.70 32.46 0.76 4.49 33.80 104.00 106.50 2.50 0.13 0.99 T2 TUG-625-096 44.96 46.63 1.68 3.00 2.85 147.50 153.00 5.50 0.09 0.08 T1 TUG-625-096 51.21 53.34 2.13 4.74 18.67 168.00 175.00 7.00 0.14 0.54 T1 TUG-625-097 14.94 19.20 4.27 5.92 53.74 49.00 63.00 14.00 0.17 1.57 75-85 TUG-625-097 Including 14.94 17.37 2.44 7.84 68.00 49.00 57.00 8.00 0.23 1.98 75-85 TUG-625-098 1.83 2.74 0.91 3.89 55.80 6.00 9.00 3.00 0.11 1.63 T4 TUG-625-098 11.73 12.80 1.07 3.32 41.40 38.50 42.00 3.50 0.10 1.21 T4 TUG-625-099 0.00 1.13 1.13 52.30 325.00 0.00 3.70 3.70 1.53 9.48 T4 TUG-625-101 2.44 3.51 1.07 31.00 91.30 8.00 11.50 3.50 0.90 2.66 T4 TUG-625-101 10.06 11.58 1.52 11.15 34.10 33.00 38.00 5.00 0.33 0.99 T4 TUG-625-101 18.81 19.63 0.82 2.43 13.05 61.70 64.40 2.70 0.07 0.38 T4 TUG-625-102 4.27 5.03 0.76 22.80 121.00 14.00 16.50 2.50 0.67 3.53 T4 TUG-625-102A 5.03 5.79 0.76 229.00 238.00 16.50 19.00 2.50 6.68 6.94 T4 TUG-625-103 8.53 9.75 1.22 3.59 36.60 28.00 32.00 4.00 0.10 1.07 T4 TUG-625-103 13.26 14.02 0.76 2.94 30.60 43.50 46.00 2.50 0.09 0.89 T4 TUG-625-103 15.24 19.81 4.57 19.77 76.67 50.00 65.00 15.00 0.58 2.24 75-85 TUG-625-103 Including 15.24 15.85 0.61 27.00 161.00 50.00 52.00 2.00 0.79 4.70 75-85 TUG-625-103 and 15.85 16.61 0.76 34.90 67.00 52.00 54.50 2.50 1.02 1.95 75-85 TUG-625-103 and 16.61 17.53 0.91 20.90 53.00 54.50 57.50 3.00 0.61 1.55 75-85 TUG-625-103 and 18.44 18.90 0.46 27.20 130.00 60.50 62.00 1.50 0.79 3.79 75-85 TUG-625-104 8.99 13.72 4.72 3.46 51.59 29.50 45.00 15.50 0.10 1.50 75-85 TUG-625-105 0.00 1.07 1.07 12.65 153.00 0.00 3.50 3.50 0.37 4.46 T4 TUG-625-105 13.11 18.59 5.49 3.27 43.11 43.00 61.00 18.00 0.10 1.26 75-85

Qualified Persons

The scientific and technical information contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Maggie Layman, P.Geo., Vice President, Exploration of Osisko Development, and a "qualified person" within the meaning of NI 43-101.

Quality Assurance (QA)  Quality Control (QC)

All drill core and exploration samples are dispatched to ALS Laboratory for offsite sample preparation and analysis. Samples are assigned a unique sample ID. All geological and sampling information is entered into Datamine Fusion database. Core is sawn in half and half are sampled. Certified standards and blanks inserted into all sample dispatches. Samples are collected by Old Dominion Transportation and dispatched to ALS Laboratory in Reno, NV. Sample submission forms accompany the samples, and digital copies emailed to ALS.

All sample preparation is completed by ALS, including crushing and pulverizing (Prep31) of samples. Analytical assays include gold and silver by fire assay of 50 g sample with AAS finish (Au-AA26), over limits by gravimetric analysis (Au-Grav22). Multi element analysis is by four acid digest (ME-MS61). The pulps are returned to Osisko Development and coarse rejects are disposed after 90 days. Assays are reported to Osisko Development, and then loaded into Datamine Fusion, QA/QC samples are checked, and assays merged with sample information for future reporting.

About Osisko Development Corp.

Osisko Development Corp. is a premier North American gold development company focused on high-quality past-producing properties located in mining friendly jurisdictions with district scale potential. The Company's objective is to become an intermediate gold producer by advancing its 100%-owned Cariboo Gold Project, located in central BC, Canada, the Tintic Project in the historic East Tintic mining district in Utah, U.S.A., and the San Antonio Gold Project in Sonora, Mexico. In addition to considerable brownfield exploration potential of these properties, that benefit from significant historical mining data, existing infrastructure and access to skilled labour, the Company's project pipeline is complemented by other prospective exploration properties. The Company's strategy is to develop attractive, long-life, socially and environmentally sustainable mining assets, while minimizing exposure to development risk and growing mineral resources.

For further information, please contact Osisko Development Corp.:



CAUTIONARY STATEMENTS

Cautionary Statement Regarding Test Mining Without Feasibility Study

The Company cautions that the decision to commence small-scale underground mining activities and batch vat leaching at the Trixie test mine has been made without the benefit of a feasibility study, or reported mineral resources or mineral reserves, demonstrating economic and technical viability, and, as a result there may be increased uncertainty of achieving any particular level of recovery of material or the cost of such recovery. The Company cautions that historically, such projects have a much higher risk of economic and technical failure. Small scale test-mining at Trixie was suspended in December 2022, if and when test mining re-commences there is no guarantee that production will continue as anticipated or at all or that anticipated production costs will be achieved. The failure to continue production may have a material adverse impact on the Company's ability to generate revenue and cash flow to fund operations. Failure to achieve the anticipated production costs may have a material adverse impact on the Company's cash flow and potential profitability. In continuing current operations at Trixie after closing, the Company will not be basing its decision to continue such operations on a feasibility study, or reported mineral resources or mineral reserves demonstrating economic and technical viability. The Company cautions that mining at Trixie could be suspended at any time.

Cautionary Statement to U.S. Investors

The Company is subject to the reporting requirements of the applicable Canadian securities laws, and as a result reports information regarding mineral properties, mineralization and estimates of mineral reserves and mineral resources, including the information in the Technical Reports, the Financial Statements, MD&A and this news release, in accordance with Canadian reporting requirements, which are governed by NI 43-101. As such, such information concerning mineral properties, mineralization and estimates of mineral reserves and mineral resources, including the information in the Technical Reports, the Financial Statements, MD&A and this news release, is not comparable to similar information made public by U.S. companies subject to the reporting and disclosure requirements of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC").

CAUTION REGARDING FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS

Certain statements contained in this news release may be deemed "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. These forwardlooking statements, by their nature, require Osisko Development to make certain assumptions and necessarily involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in these forwardlooking statements. Forwardlooking statements are not guarantees of performance. Words such as "may", "will", "would", "could", "expect", "believe", "plan", "anticipate", "intend", "estimate", "continue", or the negative or comparable terminology, as well as terms usually used in the future and the conditional, are intended to identify forwardlooking statements. Information contained in forwardlooking statements is based upon certain material assumptions that were applied in drawing a conclusion or making a forecast or projection, including management's perceptions of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments; the utility and significance of historic data, including the significance of the district hosting past producing mines; future mining activities; the unique mineralization at Trixie; the potential of high grade gold mineralization on Trixie; the results (if any) of further exploration work to define and expand mineral resources; the ability of exploration work (including drilling) to accurately predict mineralization; the ability to generate additional drill targets; the ability of management to understand the geology and potential of Trixie; the ability of the Company to expand mineral resources beyond current mineral resource estimates at Trixie; the timing and ability of the Company to complete upgrades to the Trixie MRE (or any subsequent MRE) (if at all); the timing and resumption of test mining activities at Trixie; the information and the scope of the contemplated Trixie MRE (and any subsequent MRE); the impact of the Trixie MRE; the ability of the Company to complete its exploration objectives in 2023 in the timing contemplated (if at all); the ongoing advancement of the Trixie decline; the deposit remaining open for expansion at depth and down plunge; the ability to realize upon any mineralization in a manner that is economic; as well as other considerations that are believed to be appropriate in the circumstances, and any other information herein that is not a historical fact may be "forward-looking information". Material assumptions also include, management's perceptions of historical trends, the ability of exploration (including drilling) to accurately predict mineralization, budget constraints and access to capital on terms acceptable to the Company, current conditions and expected future developments, results of further exploration work to define or expand any mineral resources, as well as other considerations that are believed to be appropriate in the circumstances. Osisko Development considers its assumptions to be reasonable based on information currently available, but cautions the reader that their assumptions regarding future events, many of which are beyond the control of Osisko Development, may ultimately prove to be incorrect since they are subject to risks and uncertainties that affect Osisko Development and its business. Such risks and uncertainties include, among others, risks relating to capital market conditions and the Company's ability to access capital on terms acceptable to the Company for the contemplated exploration and development at Tintic; the ability to continue current operations and exploration; regulatory framework and presence of laws and regulations that may impose restrictions on mining; the ability of exploration activities (including drill results) to accurately predict mineralization; errors in management's geological modelling; the ability to expand operations or complete further exploration activities, including drilling; property and stream interests in the Tintic Project; the ability of the Company to obtain required approvals and permits; the results of exploration activities; risks relating to exploration, development and mining activities; the global economic climate; metal and commodity prices; fluctuations in the currency markets; dilution; environmental risks; and community, non-governmental and governmental actions and the impact of stakeholder actions. Readers are urged to consult the disclosure provided under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Company's annual information form for the year ended December 31, 2022, as well as the Financial Statements and MD&A for the year ended December 31, 2022, which have been filed on SEDAR (www.sedar.com) under Osisko Development's issuer profile and on the SEC's EDGAR website (www.sec.gov), for further information regarding the risks and other factors applicable to the exploration results. Although the Company's believes the expectations conveyed by the forward-looking statements are reasonable based on information available as of the date hereof, no assurances can be given as to future results, levels of activity and achievements. 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. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of performance and there can be no assurance that these forward-looking 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.

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. No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein.
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - April 4, 2023) - American Eagle Gold Corp. (TSXV: AE) ("American Eagle" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has qualified for trading on the OTCQB Venture Market in the United States under the symbol "AMEGF." The Company profile can be viewed here. American Eagle's common shares will continue to trade on the TSX Venture Exchange (the "TSXV") under the symbol "AE".

U.S. investors can find current financial disclosure and Real-Time level 2 quotes for the Company on www.otcmarkets.com. The Company's listing on the TSXV and the trading of its shares on the OTCQB contribute to a larger North American presence and affords investors preeminent access to trading.

About American Eagle's NAK Project

NAK is a classic porphyry copper-gold mineralized target that exhibits many signs of a robust and large-scale system. Historical shallow drilling programs defined a near-surface copper-gold system with a footprint greater than 1.5km x 1.5km. It remains open and largely untested at depth.

The NAK property is road accessible, and many target areas coincide with forest industry clear cuts. Drilling can be completed year-round, and no helicopter support is required. The NAK property is 85 kilometres from Smithers, BC, in the Babine copper-gold porphyry district of west-central British Columbia. It lies close to nearby past-producing mines (Bell, Granisle), in proximity to excellent infrastructure. NAK's highly encouraging initial results make it a prime candidate for further exploration. The Company's main objective is to advance this newly revitalized mineralizing system into a major discovery.

Click Here to View the Latest Corporate Presentation

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About American Eagle Gold Corp.

American Eagle trades under the symbol AE on the TSX Venture Exchange. The Company is focused on exploring its NAK project in the Babine Copper-Gold Porphyry district of west-central British Columbia.

Anthony Moreau, Chief Executive Officer

Phone: 416.644.1567

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

www.americaneaglegold.ca

QA/QC Statement

The Company follows a strict QA/QC protocol for the drilling program at NAK. The protocol includes regularly-submitted analytical standards, coarse reject duplicates, and randomly inserted blank samples. The QA/QC samples comprise 10% of the total samples submitted. All drill core samples are cut and packaged on-site and are shipped to ALS Laboratories prep facility in Langley, B.C., where they are analyzed via a four-acid digestion multi-element ICP process and a separate gold fire assay.

Forward-Looking Statements

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the TSX Venture Exchange policies) accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Certain information in this press release may contain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this press release include, but are not limited to, statements regarding whether the Company will be able to exercise its option to acquire the Project as anticipated and whether the Company's exploration efforts on the Project produce the results that are anticipated by management. This information is based on current expectations that are subject to significant risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict. Therefore, actual results might differ materially from those suggested in forward-looking statements. American Eagle Gold Corp. assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those reflected in the forward looking-statements unless and until required by securities laws applicable to American Eagle Gold Corp. Additional information identifying risks and uncertainties is contained in filings by American Eagle Gold Corp. with Canadian securities regulators, which filings are available under American Eagle Gold Corp. profile at www.sedar.com.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 4, 2023) - Sun Summit Minerals Corp. (TSXV: SMN) (OTCQB: SMREF) provides an update on its current drill program at the 43,000 hectare Buck Project, central British Columbia. Drilling at two new exploration targets, IRK and Eagle Eye, have intersected strong hydrothermal-related alteration and veining with visible sulfide mineralization in drill core.

Highlights

Ongoing exploration drill program: Initial drilling at IRK and Eagle Eye have intersected strong hydrothermal-related alteration and veining with visible sulfide mineralization. Approximately 2,000 metres of diamond drilling are planned at these two newly-delineated and previously untested drill targets, which are located outside of the Buck Main system (see news release from March 15, 2023).

Epithermal to porphyry-related mineralization at IRK: Strong alteration and veining, indicative of an epithermal to porphyry system, is present in drill core at the IRK target, with portable X-Ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy (pXRF) analysis indicating elevated silver, copper, lead and zinc values.

Assay and geochemical analyses underway: Core samples from completed drill holes have been sent to the lab for assay and geochemical analyses with additional core shipments to be submitted on a regular basis as drilling continues.

Upcoming field exploration aimed at discovery: Step-out drilling is currently being planned at the Buck Main zone to further test the strong expansion potential for gold-silver-zinc mineralization (see news release from January 19, 2023). A significant field program is also being planned at numerous under-explored targets across the Buck Project area.

Sharyn Alexander, Sun Summit's President stated, "Our technical team is encouraged by what we are seeing in drill core, which includes strong alteration and veining with visible sulfide mineralization. We are continuing to develop drill-ready targets outside of the Buck Main area via systematic exploration targeting. Our overarching aim is mineral discovery at the Buck Project, which is in what we believe to be an emerging porphyry-epithermal belt in central B.C."

IRK Target

Several drill targets were outlined at the IRK target, located approximately 11 kilometres south of the Buck Main zone (see news release from March 15, 2023). The target area is characterized by anomalous silver, zinc, lead and copper in soil samples together with rock samples with up to 1.7% zinc, 95 g/t silver, and 2.4% copper associated with numerous N-S trending high-resistivity and high-chargeability lineaments, interpreted to potentially represent structurally-controlled epithermal-related vein mineralization.

Drilling in the northern part of the IRK target (Figure 1) intersected moderate to strong silica-sericite-clay altered volcanic rocks cut by a suite of intrusive dykes. Drill holes collared into strong veining which have been classified into three vein styles based on cross-cutting relationships; an earlier quartz-pyrite  sphalerite vein set; pyrite stringers with pink (iron-carbonate-sericite) alteration haloes; and a later quartz-iron-carbonate vein set that cuts all lithologies. A red volcaniclastic breccia was intersected near the bottom of the holes.

Figure 1: Strong hydrothermal-related alteration with quartz-pyrite veins in IRK23-001

Three porphyritic intrusive phases have been recognized in the northern IRK area. Host volcanic rocks contain stronger veining than the porphyritic dykes, which suggests that the dykes may be later than the main veining event. An earlier porphyry phase, responsible for the widespread veining, may therefore also be present and represents a prospective target.

Drill holes targeting the southern IRK area encountered strong clay-carbonate altered volcanic rocks, with abundant clay-carbonate veinlets with fine grained pyrite and grey/black sulfides. These rocks overlie the same red matrix volcaniclastic rocks as the northern IRK area. One drillhole intersected a lower fine-grained diorite dyke host to quartz-carbonate-sulfide veinlets. Veining within the diorite displays fine-grained pyrite rimmed with fine black sulfide/sulfosalt (Figure 2). Portable XRF analysis of these sulfides indicate elevated silver, copper, lead and zinc values.

The style of alteration and veining at the IRK target is interpreted to represent a broad epithermal to porphyry-related system. Future exploration drilling could target the source of the broad and locally intense distal-style hydrothermal alteration.

Figure 2: Veining in a fine grained equigranular intrusive rock with fine black sulfides in quartz-carbonate veining in IRK23-005. pXRF analysis of these sulphides indicate elevated Ag, Cu, Pb, and Zn.

New CFO to be Appointed

Sun Summit is pleased to announce that Waseem Javed will join the Company as its Chief Financial Officer (CFO) on April 15, 2023. He has provided accounting services for Sun Summit since 2017 and is familiar and up-to-date on the Company's financial affairs.

Mr. Javed is a Chartered Professional Accountant specializing in assurance and advisory services for both private and publicly listed entities in Canada and the United States. He has transactional expertise in initial public offerings, secondary offerings, corporate restructurings, and mergers and acquisitions. Mr. Javed has over 15 years of accounting, auditing, and tax experience, and currently is partner of Manning Elliott LLP, a large regional accounting firm located in Vancouver, B.C. He graduated from Simon Fraser University with a Bachelor of Business Administration in 2008, and obtained his CPA, CA designation in 2012 from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of British Columbia.

Mr. Javed replaces Fernando Costa, who will be concurrently retiring as CFO. The Company thanks Mr. Costa for his contributions and years of service.

National Instrument 43-101 Disclosure

This news release has been approved by Sun Summit's Vice President Exploration, Ken MacDonald, P. Geo., a "Qualified Person" as defined in National Instrument 43-101, Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects of the Canadian Securities Administrators. He has also verified the data disclosed, including sampling, analytical and test data, underlying the technical information in this news release.

Community Engagement

Sun Summit is engaging with First Nations on whose territory the Buck Project is located and is discussing their interests and identifying contract and work opportunities, as well as opportunities to support community initiatives. The Company looks forward to continuing to work with local and regional First Nations as the project continues.

About the Buck Project

The Buck Project is situated in a historic mining district near Houston, B.C., with excellent nearby infrastructure that allows for year-round, road-accessible exploration.

The project is host to the Buck Main intermediate-sulfidation epithermal-related gold-silver-zinc system. Most of the mineralization drilled to date at Buck Main consists of long, continuous zones of disseminated and breccia-hosted, bulk tonnage-style gold-silver-zinc. Vein-hosted, high-grade mineralization has also been intersected near the center of Buck Main.

Exploration at the Buck Project is focused on investigating the lateral and vertical extent of gold-silver-zinc mineralization at the Buck Main system, and to define additional drill targets across the entire land package through systematic exploration programs.

About Sun Summit

Sun Summit Minerals (TSXV: SMN) (OTCQB: SMREF) is a mineral exploration company focused on expanding its gold, silver, and zinc discovery at its flagship Buck Project located in north-central British Columbia.

Sun Summit is committed to environmental and social responsibility, with a focus on accountable development and building respectful and beneficial relationships with Indigenous and local communities.

Further details are available at www.sunsummitminerals.com.

Link to Figures

Figure 1:

https://sunsummitminerals.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Fig-1-IRK23-001-scaled.jpg

Figure 2:

https://sunsummitminerals.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Fig-2-IRK23-005.jpg

For further information, contact:

Sharyn Alexander

President

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Roger Blair

Acuity Advisory Corp., Corporate Communications

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.



Tel. 778-588-9606

Forward-Looking Information

Statements contained in this news release that are not historical facts may be forward-looking statements, which involve risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause such differences, without limiting the generality of the following, include: risks inherent in exploration activities; the impact of exploration competition; unexpected geological or hydrological conditions; changes in government regulations and policies, including trade laws and policies; failure to obtain necessary permits and approvals from government authorities; volatility and sensitivity to market prices; volatility and sensitivity to capital market fluctuations; the ability to raise funds through private or public equity financings; environmental and safety risks including increased regulatory burdens; weather and other natural phenomena; and other exploration, development, operating, financial market and regulatory risks. Except as required by applicable securities laws and regulation, Sun Summit disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Highlights:

Infill drilling intersected high-grade gold zones and continues to show good continuity in mineralization with results grading up to 198 g/t Au over 1.0 metre, 60.2 g/t Au over 1 metre and 3.2 g/t Au over 20.7 metres including 59.7 g/t Au over 1.0 metre.

in mineralization with results grading up to 198 g/t Au over 1.0 metre, 60.2 g/t Au over 1 metre and 3.2 g/t Au over 20.7 metres including 59.7 g/t Au over 1.0 metre. Near-surface expansion drilling returned high grade intercepts grading up to 159.0 g/t Au over 1.0 metre , 34.8 g/t Au over 2.0 metres and 14.2 g/t Au over 1.8 metres.

, 34.8 g/t Au over 2.0 metres and 14.2 g/t Au over 1.8 metres. Over 30,000 metres of drilling completed year-to-date at Novador  additional 23,000 metres to be completed this year. Four drills active including two at Monique, one at Courvan and one on regional exploration.

All of these results will be included in the upcoming resource updates on the Pascalis and Courvan trend deposits expected this Spring.

TORONTO, April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Probe Gold Inc. (TSX: PRB) (OTCQB: PROBF) (Probe or the Company), is pleased to provide the second set of results from the 2022 Pascalis Gold Trend resource drill program, totalling 41,100 metres, on its 100%-owned Novador property (the Property) located near Val-dOr, Quebec. Results from fifty-five (55) drill holes, totalling 11,800 metres, have been successful in confirming continuity of gold zones with infill drilling and expanding near-surface gold mineralization at both Beliveau and North deposits within the conceptual pits defined by the 2021 mineral resource estimate (MRE). New results released today have been added to our 3D geological model and will be the basis of the new MRE currently underway. New significant drill results are presented below.

David Palmer, President and CEO of Probe, states, The gold resources at Novador continue to improve and strengthen as we receive assays from the expansion and infill programs completed in 2022. We have already demonstrated significant growth and conversion this year at Monique, and we look forward to completing our Updated Resource Estimates this Spring for Pascalis and Courvan. We have also begun our first dedicated drill program looking at regional discovery targets and will hope to have results on this in the coming months. In addition, following the closing of our recently announced financing we will be looking at increasing both our expansion and exploration programs at Novador and on our Detour project, where we also have numerous targets. 2023 is shaping up to be a promising year, not just in terms of growth but also in leveraging another one of our strengths, which is the ability to explore and discover new opportunities.

Of the fifty-five (55) holes drilled to identify or confirm near-surface mineralization, forty-nine (49) returned gold intercepts over 0.4 g/t Au, which is above the cut-off grade used in the 2021 pit-constrained resource estimate (Figure 1). Infill drilling at Beliveau and North also returned significant results, as expected. The most significant expansion drilling results were found in the extension to the west and southwest of the Beliveau deposit. New high grade gold mineralized structures intersected in the southwest part of the Beliveau deposit require further follow-up drilling near-surface. All of the zones are still open at depth.

The geology and geometry of the mineralization intersected by holes PC-22-735 to 789 are similar to those intersected previously along the Pascalis Gold Trend and consist of shallow dipping tension vein networks closely associated with sub-vertical east-west deformation zones and north-northwest dykes.

Selected drill results from holes PC-22-735 to 789 at the Pascalis Area drilling program are, as follows:

Hole Number From (m) To (m) Length (m) Gold (g/t) Zone / Resource PC-22-737 291.4 297.0 5.6 3.7 Beliveau / Expansion PC-22-747 135.2 136.2 1.0 11.8 Beliveau / Infill PC-22-750 291.0 302.9 11.9 0.9 North / Expansion PC-22-757 223.0 225.0 2.0 34.8 Beliveau / Expansion Including 224.0 225.0 1.0 60.3 Beliveau / Expansion PC-22-758 244.5 245.5 1.0 14.0 Beliveau / Infill PC-22-760 248.0 249.0 1.0 159.0 Beliveau / Expansion PC-22-762 132.7 145.7 13.0 0.7 North / Infill PC-22-764 162.0 168.5 6.5 2.1 Beliveau / Infill PC-22-765 91.0 110.3 19.3 1.2 Beliveau / Infill PC-22-768 191.2 202.5 11.3 1.1 Beliveau / Expansion PC-22-770 194.0 205.0 11.0 1.4 North / Infill PC-22-771 353.0 366.0 13.0 0.9 Beliveau / Expansion PC-22-772 35.6 50.5 14.9 0.9 Beliveau / Infill PC-22-773 213.0 232.5 19.5 0.7 Beliveau / Expansion PC-22-781 310.0 311.0 1.0 60.2 Beliveau / Infill PC-22-783 153.5 154.5 1.0 198.0 Beliveau / Infill PC-22-783 255.0 257.0 2.0 6.6 Beliveau / Expansion PC-22-784 26.5 32.0 5.5 1.7 North / Expansion PC-22-784 69.0 89.7 20.7 3.2 North / Infill Including 82.7 83.7 1.0 59.7 North / Infill PC-22-787 292.0 304.6 12.6 1.9 Beliveau / Infill PC-22-787 330.6 344.6 14.0 1.0 Beliveau / Infill PC-22-788 41.0 58.0 17.0 2.2 North / Infill PC-22-788 140.0 150.0 10.0 1.5 North / Infill PC-22-788 193.5 207.0 13.5 1.1 North / Expansion PC-22-789 24.5 26.3 1.8 14.2 Beliveau / Expansion

(1) All the new analytical results reported in this release and in this table, are presented in core length and cut to 100 g/t Au when needed. True width is estimated between 65 to 95 % of core length. Only grade times thickness above 10.0 g/t Au * m is reported.

About Probes Novador Project

Since 2016, Probe Gold has been consolidating its land position in the highly prospective Val-dOr East area in the province of Quebec with a district-scale land package of 446 square kilometers that represents one of the largest land holdings in the Val-dOr mining camp. The Novador project is a sub-set of properties totaling 175 square kilometers hosting three past producing mines (Beliveau Mine, Bussiere Mine and Monique Mine) and falls along three regional mine trends. Novador is situated in a politically stable and low-cost mining environment that hosts numerous active producers and mills.

Novador project includes gold resources totaling 2,038,900 ounces Indicated and 357,200 ounces Inferred for Monique and 1,128,100 ounces Indicated (historical, from the 2021 resources estimate) and 1,638,200 Inferred ounces (historical, from the 2021 resources estimate) for other deposits, including Pascalis and Courvan (see press release dated January 17, 2023).

Qualified Persons

The scientific and technical content of this press release has been reviewed, prepared, and approved by Mr. Marco Gagnon, P.Geo, Executive Vice President, who is a "Qualified Person" as defined by National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101").

Quality Control

During the last drilling program, assay samples were taken from the NQ core by sawing the drill core in half, with one-half sent to a certified commercial laboratory and the other half retained for future reference. A strict QA/QC program was applied to all samples; which includes insertion of mineralized standards and blank samples for each batch of 20 samples. The gold analyses were completed by fire-assayed with an atomic absorption finish on 50 grams of materials. Repeats were carried out by fire-assay followed by gravimetric testing on each sample containing 3.0 g/t gold or more. Total gold analyses (Metallic Sieve) were carried out on the samples which presented a great variation of their gold contents or the presence of visible gold.

About Probe Gold

Probe Gold Inc. is a leading Canadian gold exploration company focused on the acquisition, exploration, and development of highly prospective gold properties. The Company is committed to discovering and developing high-quality gold projects, including its key asset the multimillion-ounce Novador Gold Project, Quebec. The Company is well-funded and controls a large land package of approximately 1,500-square-kilometres of exploration ground within some of the most prolific gold belts in Quebec. The Company was formed as a result of the $526M sale of Probe Mines Limited to Goldcorp.

On behalf of Probe Gold Inc.,



Dr. David Palmer,

President & Chief Executive Officer

For further information:

Please visit our website at www.probegold.com or contact:

Seema Sindwani

Vice-President of Investor Relations

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

+1.416.777.9467

Forward-Looking Statements

Neither TSX nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This News Release includes certain "forward-looking statements" which are not comprised of historical facts. Forward-looking statements include estimates and statements that describe the Companys future plans, objectives or goals, including words to the effect that the Company or management expects a stated condition or result to occur. Forward-looking statements may be identified by such terms as believes, anticipates, expects, estimates, may, could, would, will, or plan. Since forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Although these statements are based on information currently available to the Company, the Company provides no assurance that actual results will meet managements expectations. Risks, uncertainties and other factors involved with forward-looking information could cause actual events, results, performance, prospects and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Forward looking information in this news release includes, but is not limited to, the Companys objectives, goals or future plans, statements, exploration results, potential mineralization, the estimation of mineral resources, exploration and mine development plans, timing of the commencement of operations and estimates of market conditions. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking information include, but are not limited to failure to identify mineral resources, failure to convert estimated mineral resources to reserves, the inability to complete a feasibility study which recommends a production decision, the preliminary nature of metallurgical test results, delays in obtaining or failures to obtain required governmental, environmental or other project approvals, political risks, inability to fulfill the duty to accommodate First Nations and other indigenous peoples, uncertainties relating to the availability and costs of financing needed in the future, changes in equity markets, inflation, changes in exchange rates, fluctuations in commodity prices, delays in the development of projects, capital and operating costs varying significantly from estimates and the other risks involved in the mineral exploration and development industry, and those risks set out in the Companys public documents filed on SEDAR. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking information in this news release are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information, which only applies as of the date of this news release, and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed time frames or at all. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, other than as required by law.
Con 64 votos en contra, el #PlenoDelCongreso rechazo la admision de la mocion del pedido de vacancia de la presidenta Dina Boluarte. Pasa al archivo. pic.twitter.com/XUD07a0kzC
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 4, 2023) - Lara Exploration Ltd. (TSXV: LRA) is pleased to provide an update on work at its Kenita Polymetallic Project, located in the Huancavelica Department of Central Peru. The Company's 2022 field programs have substantially expanded the mineralized footprint, along six major breccia veins and five related mantos (mineralized limestone beds) with significant silver, zinc, and lead values. During the most recent mapping program a further 44 channel samples (from 0.5 meters to 5 meters in length) were collected in the central part of the property, with values ranging from less than detection limit of <1 ppm to 287 g/t silver (length weighted average of 46.49 ppm Ag), less than the detection limit of 20 ppm to 16.4% zinc (length weighted average of 4.37% Zn and with one sample assaying over 30 % Zn); and less than detection limit of 20 ppm to 10.1% lead (length weighted average of 2.99% Pb. Fourteen (14) samples (32% of the total samples) assayed in excess of 50 ppm Ag, 13 samples (29% of the samples) assayed in excess of 5% Zn and 15 samples (34% of the samples) assayed in excess of 4% Pb.

Mineralization comprises hydrothermal breccias filling NE-SW oriented tension structures (related to a major regional structure, the NW-SE oriented Chonta Fault) and related mantos, where fluids have been driven laterally into the Cretaceous-age limestone beds and recrystallized, brecciated and mineralized them. These veins and mantos are thought to be the upper part of a regional lead-zinc-silver system, with similar values as those reported by Inca Minerals from their Riqueza project located adjacent to the south of Kenita, and at Kuya Silver's Bethania polymetallic deposit located to the northwest.

A series of veins were also identified in the western portion of the property where they are hosted by Tertiary-age volcanics along the edge of the Huayta Caldera, which is host to the Bethania deposit. Sixteen channel samples (from 0.5 meters to 3 meters in length) were collected in this first pass review of the area, with anomalous lead-zinc-silver values returned in places (maximum of 410 ppm Pb, 2040 ppm Zn and 6 ppm Ag). An additional claim has been registered to cover the western extension of these veins and more systematic mapping and sampling is planned both here and in the central portion of the property in 2023.

Quality control and Qualify Person

A total of 60 channel samples were collected from veins and mantos within the project by Lara's consultant Juan Carlos Fernandez and delivered by him and Lara's staff to the ALS Peru SA laboratory in Lima. These samples were collected manually from channels between 0.5 and 5 meters in length and between 3 and 5 cm depth using a hammer and chisel. The samples were analyzed for base metals and silver by 32 element ICP, with high grade samples for zinc, lead and silver being re-analyzed with a four-acid digest and AAS finish.

About the Kenita Project

The Kenita Project comprises the original 400 hectares of Puituco licenses acquired by Lara at government auction, and where the Company has completed a mapping and surface channel sampling program in 2018 (see Company release of June 12, 2018, for details) and the 2,200 hectares of Kenita licenses acquired from BHP in 2021 (see Lara news release of August 31, 2021 for details). For simplicity the Company has elected to now call the project Kenita. The Project is located on a major NW-SE oriented regional structure, the Chonta fault, between the Bethania polymetallic deposit being redeveloped by Kuya Silver Corp., and the Riqueza project held by Inca Minerals Ltd., both of which are host to mineralization similar in style. Minera IRL Ltd.'s Corihuarmi high sulphidation epithermal gold mine also lies on the same trend to the northwest.

About Lara Exploration

Lara is an exploration company following the Prospect and Royalty Generator business model, which aims to minimize shareholder dilution and financial risk by generating prospects and exploring them in joint ventures funded by partners, retaining a minority interest and or a royalty. The Company currently holds a diverse portfolio of prospects, deposits and royalties in Brazil, Peru and Chile. Lara's common shares trade on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "LRA".

Michael Bennell, Lara's Vice President Exploration and a Fellow of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (AusIMM), is a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects and has approved the technical disclosure and verified the technical information in this news release.

For further information on Lara Exploration Ltd. please consult our website www.laraexploration.com, or contact Chris MacIntyre, VP Corporate Development, at +1 416 703 0010.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
" " A fisherman ties a bluefin tuna tail in the water during the end of the Almadraba tuna fishing season near the Barbate coast, in Cadiz province, Spain in 2014. Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/Getty Images

"There are plenty of other fish in the sea," goes the old cliche. But are there, really? According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) Red List of endangered species, 1,616 species of fish are at risk for extinction; another 989 are endangered and 627 are critically endangered. While habitat loss and pollution are significant factors in the decline of these species, the greatest threat by far is overfishing.

So, what if one of these endangered fish ends up on your hook? The best policy is to release it back into the water, but not before making a few observations. When did you encounter the fish? In what location? How many fish did you see and what size were they? Were they adult or juvenile? What activity did you observe (swimming, feeding)? You should provide this information, along with any photographs you might have taken, to local wildlife officials.

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While it's difficult to determine which fish are the most endangered, the following list represents 10 endangered fish commonly harvested for food.
Finally, the long wait is over for viewers who are thrilled to see who among the stars and dramas made it to the 59th Baeksang Arts Awards.

The annual ceremony, which is one of South Korea's most prestigious award shows, honors excellence in the field of film, television, and theatre.

59th Baeksang Arts Awards 2023 Date and Location

According to media outlets, the organization has announced the official date and location of the much-awaited ceremony.

The 59th Baeksang Arts Awards 2023 will be on April 28 and will take place at Paradise City in Incheon.

The program will start at 5:30 p.m. KST and will be broadcasted live on television through JTBC, JTBC2, and JTBC4.

Interestingly, global viewers could stream the whole event through TikTok.

As for the 59th Baeksang Arts Awards 2023 nominees, it will be released on April 7 through its official website.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: LOOK: Here is the List of Baeksang Arts Awards 2021 Winners + Shin Ha Kyun and Kim So Yeon Hailed as Best Actor and Best Actress

Meanwhile, content like shows, movies, and K-dramas included in the category list aired from April 1, 2022, to March 31, 2023.

59th Baeksang Arts Awards 2023 Nominees: Celebrities Predicted to Join List Best Actress, Best Actor

Ahead of the much-awaited ceremony, the public is eager to see who among their favorite celebrities will make it to the 59th Baeksang Arts Awards 2023 nominees.

With a long list of amazing K-dramas and movies in 2022 and the beginning of 2023, netizens expressed who they think deserves the award.

For the 59th Baeksang Arts Awards 2023 Best Actress prediction, it is up against Kim Hye Soo, Song Hye Kyo, and Park Eun Bin.

To recall, Kim Hye Soo showcased yet another interesting character as she plays the feisty royal in "Under the Queen's Umbrella."

Portraying the dotting mother and Queen Im Hwa Ryung, the award-winning actress wowed viewers with her stellar performance as she starred with veteran actress Kim Hae Sook as the antagonist, Queen Dowager Cho.

Meanwhile, another actress predicted to be nominated for the 59th Baeksang Arts Awards 2023 Best Actress is Park Eun BIn who played the titular role in "Extraordinary Attorney Woo."

Lastly, Song Hye Kyo took the world by storm by starring in her first-ever revenge drama.

The Hallyu star, who is also predicted to complete the list of Best Actress nominees portrayed the revenge-driven Moon Dong Eun in "The Glory."

Interestingly, others also wanted to see Kim Go Eun compete in the Best Actress category for her stunning performance in "Little Women."

On the other hand, the Best Actor category is predicted to include Song Joong Ki for his dual role in "Reborn Rich" as well as Kim Nam Gil who headlined "Through the Darkness."

Joining the 59th Baeksang Arts Awards 2023 Best Actor predictions is Lee Min Ho for "Pachinko" and Son Seok Koo for "My Liberation Notes."

READ MORE: Park Eun Bin Crowned as Most Notable Actor in 2022 Outshining Kim Hye Soo

KDramaStars owns this article

Written by Geca Wills
YEREVAN, APRIL 4, ARMENPRESS. On April 3, five UN Special Procedure Mandate Holders published a communication where they appealed to the Government of Azerbaijan to take urgent action to ensure the freedom and security of movement through the Lachine Corridor.

The UN human rights experts stated, in particular, that the Lachin Corridor is the only transport link that connects Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia and the outside world and is of a great humanitarian importance. The blockade has disrupted the delivery of food, medicine, fuel and other essential goods to around 120,000 people living in Nagorno-Karabakh. The humanitarian situation aggravated due to periodic interruptions of gas supply, which undermined the functioning of medical institutions. Educational institutions have also been unable to operate and had stopped their activities.

The Special Procedure Mandate Holders expressed serious concern that the prolonged blockade of the only road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh to the outside world can lead to dire humanitarian consequences on the population and violate their rights.

The communication was dispatched by the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to food; the Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities; the Special Rapporteur on the right to education; the Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health; and the Independent Expert on the enjoyment of all human rights by older persons.

The full text of the communication is available here: https://spcommreports.ohchr.org/
UW-Whitewater

WHITEWATER  Tara Petrozelli from Burlington, who is studying psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, has been selected to serve on the Segregated University Fee Allocation Committee. Petrozelli is the College of Letters and Science representative for the fall 2022 semester. The Segregated University Fee Allocation Committee is made up of student representatives from across campus that allocate fees to student organizations and campus departments. SUFAC appropriates budgets to fund more than 100 activities, programs, and student organizations on campus.

University of Iowa

IOWA CITY, Iowa  Emily Anderson of Kenosha was one of 152 Unviersity of Iowa Carver College of Medicine senior medical students to participate in the National Residency Matching Program for 2023. Anderson matched with the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics for post-graduate training in family medicine.

Ripon College

RIPON  Several Kenosha County area students have been named to the fall 2022 academic deans list at Ripon College. To qualify, students must achieve at least a 3.4 graduate point average. Named were: Isabella Lamb of Twin Lakes; and Carl Travis and Gage Taylor, both of Burlington.

UW-Oshkosh

OSHKOSH  Courtney L. Salisbury, of Kenosha, earned her degree following the completion of the January term coursework at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. She received a bachelor of science degree in Education, Elementary and Middle School Education.

Milwaukee School of Engineering

MILWAUKEE  The Milwaukee School of Engineering has named a number of Kenosha County area students to its winter quarter 2023 academic honors deans list. Those named include (listed by hometown):

Kenosha: Jackob Bar-Din, who is studying industrial engineering; Ryan LeMay, who is studying mechanical engineering; Edward Nelson, recognized with high honors, who is studying architectural engineering; Mae McSorley, who is studying architectural engineering; Adam Arnold, who is studying industrial engineering; Carson Willms, who is studying computer science; Chidubem Uchegbu, who is studying computer engineering;

Pleasant Prairie: Andrew Knudtson, who is studying construction management;

Union Grove: Samantha Fleischman, who is studying architectural engineering; Andrew Fritchen, who is studying engineering; Lauren Fitch, who is studying nursing;

Salem: Trey Maccaux, who is studying engineering;

Burlington: Brandon Hirschmann, who is studying engineering;

Trevor: Erik Barron, who is studying computer engineering.
YEREVAN, APRIL 4, ARMENPRESS. Today Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan received Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Alexey Overchuk. Deputy Prime Minister of Armenia Mher Grigoryan also participated in the meeting, ARMENPRESS was informed from the Office of the Prime Minister.

In his speech, Prime Minister Pashinyan noted.

"Dear Alexey Logvinovich,

I welcome you and I am very happy for our meeting.

I must note with satisfaction that we have a high intensity of contacts between the representatives of the Republic of Armenia and the Russian Federation, but despite this, there is a need for more dynamic contacts, because our agenda is so full that it is not always possible to cover all issues.

I am sure that today we will discuss a wide range of issues: economic and political issues, issues related to the regional and international situation. It is always a pleasure for me to meet you and have the opportunity to discuss all these issues. Welcome":

The Deputy Prime Minister of Russia said,

"Dear Nikol Vovaevich,

Thank you very much: I am also very pleased to meet with you and discuss the issues of our bilateral agenda. First of all, I would like to mention the strategic nature of the relations between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Armenia. Of course, these are relations that have been built to their current form over the past 30 years, but in fact have a centuries-old history and have more than once faced various challenges, including economic crises, changes in the global trade and economic system.

Despite this, we continue to strengthen our cooperation in the economic sphere, and last year we had very good indicators of mutual trade turnover growth. Investments from Russia to Armenia are also in good progress. We are really happy with the success recorded by the economy of Armenia as a part of the large economy of the Eurasian Economic Union and the advantages that the Union provides are certainly visible."

The interlocutors discussed issues related to the Armenian-Russian cooperation agenda. Trade and economic relations and other topics of mutual interest were discussed.
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The purpose of the serious illness conversation is to offer patients a clear choice between treating and not treating an incurable disease like liver cancer. The goal is to give the person permission to alleviate pain and suffering. The individual might decide to be treated as a patient or honored as a person if given this option near the end of life.

A non-serious illness conversation ends with the patient wishing to deny fate and oblige suffering recommended by health care heroes. A serious illness conversation begins with the person accepting fate and resting in peace through the tender loving care of nonmedical humanitarians.

Spiritual wisdom teaches us that serious illness is painful, but suffering from it is optional. Spirituality guides the serious illness conversation.

The non-serious illness conversation amounts to nonsense and leads people to the agony of defeat when they die from an incurable illness. Such is the new normal for Jimmy Carter, who was recently admitted to hospice after failing treatment for malignant melanoma.

The dubious question of most politicians is: What did he know, and when did he know malignant melanoma would end his life?

At age 90, Carter held a press conference and told the world that his cancer had spread. He believed he didnt have much time left and was surprisingly at ease, more so than his wife, Rosalynn.

Jimmy implied Rosalynn was not keen on having this conversation about not treating malignant melanoma because her salvation depended on Jimmy staying alive. Even with having a full life and being at peace, Jimmy decided to follow his doctors recommendations (and not risk Rosalynns scorn) to extend his life as long as he can.

A non-serious illness conversation takes place when people become emotional and closed-minded. A real serious illness happens when people are at ease and open-minded. Most people are cleared-headed during Medicare enrollment while considering their health coverage for the next year and the importance of an advance directive in case of an emergency or the unlikely discovery of a liver mass.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) reimburses medical providers to have serious illness conversations with seniors and also pays them to treat incurable diseases, creating a conflict of interest. CMS also determines hospice eligibility. The nonsense supporting non-serious illness conversations arises from a 90-year-old man being ineligible for hospice until a liver mass becomes terminal. CMS is essentially telling seniors, Were not having this conversation until they fail treatment.

Medicare functions as the moral authority over health care decisions, situated between the medical authority that saves lives and the merciful authority that ends suffering. Medicare might surrender its authority and remain impartial by upholding the Patient Self-Determination Act of 1992, which grants seniors the right to make their own health care decisions.

Jimmy Carter might have chosen one of three advance directives eight years ago:

Medicare Directive A (Aggressive): Defers to the medical authority who treats serious illness

Medicare Directive B (Benevolent): Defers to the merciful authority who alleviates suffering

Medicare Directive C (Considerate): Defers to the moral authority of those who hold out hope

Having practiced emergency medicine for 30+ years, Im often the first to find a liver mass and assess whos positioned to have a serious illness conversation. Both patients and family members are hard-pressed to know what they wish. Yet a husband readily declared that his 72-year-old wife, who suffered a brain bleed, did not wish medical resuscitation and opted for mercy. He was clearly positioned to make this life-or-death decision from her advance directive.

Dignitaries like Ariel Sharon, the Prime Minister of Israel and Carters contemporary, suffered a similar brain bleed and lived in a coma for eight years. His caregivers held out hope to the bitter end! Physical pain and mental suffering are part of life, but not necessary at the end of life unless youre righteous  those who often give reverence to nonsense. Seemingly, theyre compelled to go through hell to get to heaven.

Family caregivers, like Rosalynn who founded the Institute for Caregiving, know when emergency physicians are wrong or right. But trust medical authorities like oncologists who can do no wrong by doing everything medically necessary to save lives. Emergency physicians manage acute illness, while palliative physicians manage advanced illness. Both are caught in the middle of do-or-die situations that family caregivers might dismiss because theyre not ready to have serious illness conversations and make the final decision to show mercy over hold out hope.

In the game of life, players arrive at Millionaire Acres and rest in peace. In real life, people might accept game over with the diagnosis of a serious illness and declare Millionaire Acres to be the Habitat for Humanity (mercy) or the Institute for Caregiving (morality). It seems obvious that Jimmy Carter would choose Habitat for Humanity over the Institute of Caregiving if a serious illness conversation took place at the appropriate time of Medicare enrollment.

A simple act of Congress to have seniors select Medicare Advance Directive A, B, or C could have made a world of difference for Jimmy Carter. The choice to remain at ease at age 90 makes sense. Battling a terminal illness for eight years is nonsense. Improving end-of-life care begins with Congress passing the Medicare Advance Directive Act that builds upon the Patient Self-Determination Act.

The legacy of Jimmy Carter as a Nobel Peace Prize recipient and consummate humanitarian did not align with his end-of-life experience. By the Mercy of God, he might have passed on his own time rather than borrowed time lent by Medicare.

CMS can right the harm done to Jimmy Carter by initiating serious illness conversations with seniors during Medicare enrollment rather than ER visits. The importance of obtaining informed consent before doing harm is how we treat others with reverence near the end of life.

Kevin Haselhorst is an emergency physician and author of Wishes To Die For: Expanding Upon Doing Less in Advance Care Directives.
The five special procedures mandate-holders of the UN on Monday issued a statement calling on the government of Azerbaijan to take immediate measures to restore unhindered traffic and safe movement through the Lachin corridor.

April 4, 2023, 10:15 UN experts call on Azerbaijan to immediately restore traffic through Lachin corridor

STEPANAKERT, APRIL 4 , ARTSAKHPRESS: The UN human rights experts stated, in particular, that the Lachin Corridor is the only transport link that connects Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia and the outside world and is of a great humanitarian importance. The blockade has disrupted the delivery of food, medicine, fuel and other essential goods to around 120,000 people living in Nagorno-Karabakh. The humanitarian situation aggravated due to periodic interruptions of gas supply, which undermined the functioning of medical institutions. Educational institutions have also been unable to operate and had stopped their activities.

UN experts are seriously concerned that the long-term blocking of the only road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh with the outside world may lead to catastrophic humanitarian consequences for the population and violation of rights.

The full text of the communication is available here: https://spcommreports.ohchr.org/
By Barbra Nalweyiso

Parents at Mubende Public Model primary school have asked the state minister for Primary Education, Dr. Joyce Moriku Kaducu to reverse her decision and reopen a boarding section that was closed a fortnight ago following reports of homosexuality in the dormitories.

On March 24, Dr. Kaducu closed a boarding section at the school after seven pupils were reportedly sodomised by a male warden Brian Kimuli. The latter has since been arrested, charged in court, and remanded to KaweripPrison.

The dormitories were reportedly congested and pupils were sleeping two on one bed, which the minister said is illegal.

However, parents claim that they had already paid school fees for Term One and have nowhere to take their children who were in the boarding section.

Mr. Francis Sakwa, a parent at Mubende Public Model school, said he was not only saddened by reports of sodomy acts at the school but also by news of closing the boarding section.

We dont condone sodomy acts because it is our children who are affected, but this couldnt have led to the sudden closure of the dormitories, we think the minister overeacted without thinking about parents who had already paid money for the boarding section, he said during an interview on Monday

Mr. Sakwa said some parents are from other districts like Kakumiro, Mityana, and Wakiso and it is difficult for them to bring their children to attend lessons at the school daily.

For me, I am lucky I dont stay too far from the school. I can take my child to school every morning, but what happens to other parents from other districts who have children in the dormitories ? he asked.

He said pupils at the school are currently being stigmatized by a section of residents in Mubende town who accuse them of engaging in homosexuality, which is not true.

Every pupil at Mubende Public Model school is currently labeled a homosexual, which is bad. Some have been denied admission in other schools with administrators claiming that the pupils will bring the evil acts to their schools. He added

Ms. Josephine Nabageya, another parent at the school, said closing the boarding section is not the solution to the problem at hand.

The school head teacher Mr James Bangirana took the responsibility of arresting the culprit immediately , there are school administrators who keep silent during such situations. So, the minister could have given the school management a chance to reorganize the dormitories rather than closing them, she said

Nabageya added that she cannot afford a daily transport fee of Shs20,000 to take her child to school.

My house is located about 25 kilometres from the school and my child is in Primary Seven. Ever since the boarding section was closed, my son has missed lessons several times because I cannot afford Shs20,000 daily to pay the boda boda rider, she said

The single mother added that she could have enrolled her son in a nearby day school, but this will attract extra expenses like buying new uniforms, paying admission fees and tuition which she doesnt have now.

In response, State Minister for Primary Education Dr. Joyce Moriku Kaducu said her decision was appropriate and nonreversible.

 I told the school management to talk to the parents to see how they can properly evacuate their children. If you are a parent can you allow children to sleep two or three on one bed in a school dormitory? Those parents could be thanking me for saving their children not bashing me, the minister said.
By Fahad Malik Jjingo | Monitor

Masaka Regional Police headquarters is facing eviction over accumulated rent arrears amounting to Shs86m.

According to Rodgers Buregeya, the chairperson of the Masaka City Council finance committee, the regional police have been defaulting on rent for two and half years.

Uganda Police is supposed to pay Shs3.5m every month as rent fees to the city council which houses its offices on one of its buildings on Elgin Street.

Police have not been paying us for all that period which made the money accumulate to Shs86m, he told Monitor on Monday.

So, Council last week resolved that the police clears this debt or be evicted from our building, he added.
The Democratic Party (DP) has urged the opposition in parliament to engage government to incorporate its alternative budget in the national budget that is yet to be read.

Last week, the opposition Members of Parliament led by their leader, Mathias Mpuuga presented their Shs49 trillion alternative budget that they say government should consider if Ugandans are to develop.

Speaking to the media at the partys head offices in Kampala, the President of Uganda Young Democrats, Ismael Kirya noted that the oppositions alternative budget is pro-people but it will remain on paper if government is not engaged.

Meanwhile, he condemned the drafters of the alternative budget who didnt take time to consult all opposition parties to include their views, yet they had good ideas.
Makindye West Member of Parliament Allan Ssewanyana and his Kawempe North counterpart, Muhammad Ssegirinya were on Tuesday, April 4 welcomed back to Parliament after spending close to two years in prison.

The National Unity Platform (NUP) MPs who face murder charges were released last month on bail. KFM understands that the duo had only spent 110 days in the House before they were sent to prison over the mentioned charges.

The MPs, who had vowed to hold a procession through the city to parliament, were on Tuesday spotted arriving calmly, hours after polices warning against the planned march.

Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa who presided over the Tuesday sitting officially welcomed the legislators back to parliament before proceeding with the days business.

We are happy to be welcoming back our two colleagues, the Hon. Allan Ssewanyana and Hon. Ssegirinya Muhammad. We are always happy when we see our colleagues here being able to join us in the deliberations of this house, Tayebwa tweeted on Tuesday afternoon.

The MPs say there is a lot to catch up with as many projects that they had started in their respective constituencies need to be revamped.

The voices of our people have been missing in Parliament because I was not there to speak for them, but now that I am back, I will be able to speak for the people of Kawempe North. I will also embark on the programmes which I started before being arrested and I know we have lost incredible time, but we shall proceed with what we were doing for our people, Mr Ssegirinya said on Monday ahead of his return to parliament.

The MPs were arrested in September 2021 after they were accused of being behind the wave of machete killings of about 30 people in the Greater Masaka region.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg is pressing allies to pitch in a total of 500 million a year to help Ukraine with non-lethal aid and other long-term support, according to people familiar with the matter, Bloomberg reported.

April 4, 2023, 12:59 Bloomberg: NATO chief calls on allies to donate 500M to Ukraine annually

STEPANAKERT, APRIL 4 , ARTSAKHPRESS: The head of this military alliance wants allies to boost contributions to a fund for NATOs comprehensive assistance package for Ukraine, which includes short-term aid like fuel, protective equipment and anti-drone systems used to counter Russias invasion, said the people who asked not to be named on a confidential issue.

The package is aimed also at providing long-term support to Ukraine to modernize its armed forces and bring them into line with NATO interoperability standards. Many details of the project are still under development.

Although the aid is intended to be humanitarian, helping Ukraine meet NATO standards could also help ensure supplies of modern weapons to allies during the war as allies run out of Soviet-era ammunition.
Minister of State for Employment Affairs and Retail Business, Neale Richmond, TD, today encouraged retailers in Kilkenny to apply for funding to enhance their online presence and increase online sales.

In the latest round of the Online Retail Scheme, funded by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment and administered by Enterprise Ireland, retailers can access up to 25,000 in grant funding to strengthen their ecommerce capabilities.

Minister Richmond strongly encouraged businesses to apply for the Scheme, saying that although an online presence is no longer optional for many businesses, it is a key part of any business model and the benefits are huge.

"While it may be an intimidating prospect for some, the Government is determined to support businesses on this journey," he said.

"The Online Retail Scheme is there to help ease this transition and I am delighted that it is again open for applications.

"Since 2018, the Online Retail Scheme has allocated over 28m in funding in supporting more than 700 projects from Irish retailers. Importantly, the Scheme has a national reach with more than 70% of successful retailers from the previous funding rounds based outside Dublin.

"Businesses who have participated in the Scheme have reported increased sales, in Ireland and abroad, new employees and an enhanced digital skill set among their current employees. Clearly, digitalisation makes a tangible difference to the success of Irish businesses.

"I would encourage all eligible retailers to strongly consider the benefits of this Scheme and apply for funding."

The scheme provides direct financial support to retail companies to develop a more competitive online business offering to complement their in-store offering.

It is administered by Enterprise Ireland and there is 3.4 million available in this round of funding.
Kilkenny Whiskey Guild has won the Global Icon of Whisky Award, just months after being crowned the Irish Bar Group Of The Year.

Guild Manager Cyril Briscoe said that 'the award is a fantastic recognition for The Guild on the global stage and a reflection of the hard work and dedication of everyone involved'.

Guild co-chair Jim Rafferty said that the award recognises the Guild's efforts to promote Irish whiskey and provide a high-quality whiskey experience for visitors to Kilkenny.

Guild co-chair Eddie Langton hailed the award as a significant achievement for Kilkenny Whiskey Guild that highlights the city's status as a premier destination for whiskey lovers.

On the Icons of Whisky results, Christopher Coates, editor-at-large of Whisky Magazine and chair of judges, said that the 17th annual Icons of Whisky awards saw the stiffest competition yet.

"The experiences offered by the top whisky bars, retailers and attractions today are truly world-class and have become bywords for hospitality and tourism excellence beyond just the drinks sphere," he said.

About The Kilkenny Whiskey Guild

The Kilkenny Whiskey Guild is a collection of ten establishments throughout Ireland's Medieval capital.

Each premises stocks a minimum of sixty Irish whiskeys and enhances the customer experience through having knowledgeable staff, tasting flights, food pairings and mixology.

Regular whiskey events are held in each of the Guild Houses designed to heighten the publics knowledge of Irish whiskey history, production and various styles.

The guild aims to make Kilkenny the leading whiskey tourism destination in Ireland.

The first written account of distilling in Ireland comes from Kilkenny in the 14th century with the Red Book of Ossory and the Kilkenny Whiskey Guild are celebrating and highlighting this history.
The Irish Dental Association has called on the Government to abandon plans which they say could see child dental care move from a targeted public dental service model to a system where children are only seen if they attend a private dental practice.

They say the critical staffing shortage in the public sector should be addressed, with an additional 76 dentists required for the sector

As part of Budget 2023, the Government announced funding to support the development of new prevention-focused oral healthcare for children aged from birth to seven years. However, dentists are concerned that this may be an attempt to shift political responsibility for childrens oral health away from the public service into already overstretched private practices with the onus placed on parents.

75% of IDA members say that they would find it difficult or very difficult to deliver such a service as proposed and believe an adequately staffed and properly funded public dental service is the most appropriate way to ensure that all children receive early dental intervention  regardless of socioeconomic background.

Dentists say that it is unacceptable that the Minister for Health would make a decision to push the care of children fully into the private sector rather than addressing the critical staffing shortage within our public dental service.

HSE figures show that the number of public-only dentists has dropped by almost one quarter (23%) over the past 15 years, down from 330 in 2006 to 254 in 2022.

At a minimum, the HSE would need to hire 76 dentists immediately to bring the service back to the levels it was 15 years ago, the IDA says.

The Irish Dental Association has launched its strategic workforce plan 2023, which outlines a number of recommendations on how to address the staffing crisis in both the public and private sectors.

Measures include significant investment and expansion of the two dental schools at UCC and TCD , the reintroduction of a Foundation Training Scheme to facilitate new graduates in gaining experience in a mentored environment and changes to rules surrounding work permits.

Speaking on the growing staffing crisis on The Whole Tooth podcast, President of the Irish Dental Association, Caroline Robins said: A dental practice is only as good as the staff that it has within its four walls and its important for any practice that we have sufficient numbers of staff so we can look after our patients in both a timely and safe manner.

Dr Robins says there can be no doubt but that there are severe recruitment and retention issues in the public dental service, largely arising from policy decisions which have placed a very low priority on properly staffing the service.

HSE figures show that half of the children who were due to be seen by a dentist under the school screening process in 2022 never received any form of dental check-up. This was purely down to a lack of staff in the public dental service.

However, outsourcing childrens oral healthcare to an already understaffed and overstretched private sector is not the answer. Private practices across the country are already struggling to recruit new staff with two-thirds of vacancies remaining unfilled. We understand the specialist care required when treating children and we believe this should happen under a fully-staffed public dental service that ensures equitable access to important oral healthcare for all.

Within our workforce plan, we have identified a number of measures that, through meaningful consultation, collaboration and effective cooperation, can alleviate what will only become a more acute issue if not urgently addressed. We are ready to sit down with Government to discuss and develop the best pathway forward for everyone, Dr Robins said.
An explosion the size of our solar system has baffled scientists, as its shape  similar to that of an extremely flat disc  challenges everything they know about explosions in space.

Astronomers observed the explosion 180 million light years away, and they say it is much flatter than ever thought possible.

Explosions are usually expected to be spherical just like the stars themselves, but this one is the flattest ever seen.

The study reports that the explosion was an extremely rare Fast Blue Optical Transient (FBOT)  known colloquially amongst astronomers as the cow.

Only four others have ever been seen, and while scientists do not know how they occur, researchers suggest the new discovery has helped solve part of the puzzle.

According to the study, a potential explanation for how this explosion occurred is that the star itself may have been surrounded by a dense disk, or it may have been a failed supernova (the massive explosion at the end of the life of some stars).

How FBOT explosions occur is still a mystery, but it is hoped the observations, published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society will help answer some of the questions.

Dr Justyn Maund, lead author of the study from the University of Sheffields Department of Physics and Astronomy, said: Very little is known about FBOT explosions  they just dont behave like exploding stars should, they are too bright and they evolve too quickly.

Put simply, they are weird, and this new observation makes them even weirder.

Hopefully, this new finding will help us shed a bit more light on them  we never thought that explosions could be this aspherical.

There are a few potential explanations for it: the stars involved may have created a disc just before they died, or these could be failed supernovas, where the core of the star collapses to a blackhole or neutron star which then eats the rest of the star.

What we now know for sure is that the levels of asymmetry recorded are a key part of understanding these mysterious explosions, and it challenges our preconceptions of how stars might explode in the universe.

Scientists made the discovery after spotting a flash of a specific wave of light called polarised light completely by chance.

The used the Liverpool Telescope located on La Palma, in the Canary Islands, to analyse the light, allowing them to measure the shape of the explosion, effectively seeing something the size of our solar system but in a galaxy 180 million light years away.

The experts used the data to reconstruct the 3D shape of the explosion, and were able to map the edges of the blast  allowing them to see just how flat it was.

The mirror of the Liverpool Telescope is only 2.0 metres in diameter but, by studying the polarisation, the astronomers were able to reconstruct the shape of the explosion as if the telescope had a diameter of 625 kilometres.
NATO will not deploy any troops in Finland without Finlands consent, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Tuesday, Tass informs.

April 4, 2023, 15:07 NATO not to deploy any troops in Finland without Finlands consent  Stoltenberg

STEPANAKERT, APRIL 4 , ARTSAKHPRESS: "It is Finnish decision []. There will be no NATO troop in Finland without the consent of Finland," Stoltenberg said.

He underscored that Finland will bring "advanced defense industry" and "high-end capabilities" to the alliance.

Stoltenberg underscored that, once Finland joins the Alliance, it will become covered by Article 5 of the Washington Treaty, which stipulates collective security of all NATO member states before a military aggression. He stated that Finland will thus obtain "ironclad security guarantee."

He also noted that admission of Sweden to NATO remains a priority for Brussels. Stoltenberg noted that all 30 NATO states have already signed the protocol on admission of Sweden, and it is only necessary to ratify it in Turkey and Hungary. After joining the alliance, Finland will also have to sign and ratify this document. However, no one in NATO doubts that this process will happen as fast as possible, Stoltenberg noted.
Russian authorities blamed Ukrainian intelligence agencies on Monday for orchestrating a bombing at a St Petersburg cafe that killed a Russian military blogger who fervently supported Moscows invasion of Ukraine, and they arrested a suspect.

Ukrainian authorities did not directly respond to the accusation, but President Volodymyr Zelensky said in reference to the attack that he does not think about events in Russia, and a senior Ukrainian official earlier described the bombing as part of Russias internal turmoil.

Vladlen Tatarsky, 40, was killed on Sunday as he led a discussion at the cafe on the banks of the Neva River in the historic heart of Russias second-largest city, officials said.

Mr Tatarsky, who had filed regular reports from the front lines in Ukraine, was the pen name for Maxim Fomin. He had accumulated more than 560,000 followers on his Telegram messaging app channel.

The bombing, which also wounded more than 30 other people, was the latest attack inside Russia on a high-profile pro-war figure. Last year, a nationalist TV commentator was assassinated when a bomb exploded in her vehicle outside Moscow.

Investigators said they believe the bomb at the cafe was hidden in a bust of the blogger that a member of the audience gave him just before the explosion. A video showed him joking about the bust and putting it on a table next to him.

Russian authorities announced the arrest of Darya Trepova, a 26-year-old St Petersburg resident seen on video presenting Mr Tatarsky with the bust, and classified the case as an act of terrorism.

Police had detained Trepova for participating in a rally against the war on February 24, 2022, the day of the invasion, and she spent 10 days in jail.

The Interior Ministry released a video showing Trepova telling a police officer that she brought the statuette that exploded to the cafe. When asked who gave it to her, she said she would explain it later. The circumstances under which Trepova spoke were unclear, including whether she was under duress.

According to Russian media reports, Trepova told investigators she was asked to deliver the bust, but did not know what was inside it.

The National Anti-Terrorist Committee, which coordinates counter-terrorism operations, said the bombing was planned by Ukrainian special services, noting Trepova was an active supporter of imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

Mr Navalny, the Kremlins fiercest foe who had exposed official corruption and organised massive anti-government protests, is serving a nine-year fraud sentence that he has denounced as a political vendetta.

Mr Navalny associate Ivan Zhdanov warned that authorities could use the claim of involvement by political opponents as a pretext to extend his prison term. He also charged that Russian security agencies could be behind the explosion to cast Mr Navalnys supporters as an internal enemy.

According to Russian media reports, police tracked down Trepova using surveillance cameras, although she reportedly cut her long blond hair short to change her look and moved to a different apartment in an apparent attempt to escape.

Military bloggers and patriotic commentators compared the bombing to the August 2022 assassination of nationalist TV commentator Darya Dugina, who was killed when a remote-controlled explosive planted in her vehicle blew up as she drove on the outskirts of Moscow.

Russian authorities blamed Ukraines military intelligence for Ms Duginas death, but Kyiv denied involvement.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the attacks on Ms Dugina and Mr Tatarsky proved that Moscow was justified in launching what it describes as the special military operation in Ukraine.

Moscow has offered a series of explanations for the invasion, denounced by Ukraine and the West as an unprovoked act of aggression, while providing little if any evidence for the charges.

Russia has faced the Kyiv regime, which has supported terrorist activities, Mr Peskov said in a conference call with reporters. That is why the special military operation is being conducted.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the St Petersburg millionaire restaurateur who heads the Wagner Group military contractor spearheading Moscows offensive in eastern Ukraine, said he owned the cafe and allowed patriotic groups to use it for meetings. He said he doubts the involvement of Ukrainian authorities in the bombing, saying it was likely launched by a group of radicals unrelated to the government in Kyiv.

Mr Zelensky brushed off questions about the bombing.

I dont think about what is happening in St Petersburg or Moscow. Russia should think about this. I am thinking about our country, Mr Zelensky told journalists.

While not claiming responsibility for various explosions, bombings and other attacks within Russia since the invasion began, Ukrainian authorities have often greeted them jubilantly and insisted on Ukraines right to launch such assaults.

Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak responded to the news of the bombing by casting it as a result of infighting in Russia.

Spiders are eating each other in a jar, he tweeted in English late on Sunday. Question of when domestic terrorism would become an instrument of internal political fight was a matter of time.

On Monday, Mr Podolyak said Russia has returned to the Soviet classics, pointing to its increasing isolation, the rise of espionage cases and an increase in political repression.

Last week, Russias security service announced the arrest of American reporter Evan Gershkovich on spying charges, the first time a US correspondent has been detained on such accusations since the Cold War. His newspaper, The Wall Street Journal, has vehemently rejected the allegations and demanded his release.

Mr Tatarsky was born in Ukraines industrial heartland of the Donbas and worked as a coal miner before starting a furniture trade business. When he ran into financial difficulties, he robbed a bank and was sentenced to prison.

He fled custody after a Russia-backed separatist rebellion engulfed the Donbas in 2014, weeks after Moscows illegal annexation of Ukraines Crimean Peninsula. Then he joined separatist rebels and fought on the front line before turning to blogging.

While Russian authorities have silenced alternative voices by shutting down independent news outlets critical of the war and jailing critics of President Vladimir Putin, military bloggers have played an increasingly visible role. While strongly supporting the war, they also have frequently pointed out flaws in Russian military strategy and occasionally criticised the military brass.
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Russia will have to take countermeasures in respect to Finlands accession to NATO, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Tuesday, Tass informs.

April 4, 2023, 16:58 Kremlin warns of response to Finlands accession to NATO

STEPANAKERT, APRIL 4 , ARTSAKHPRESS: "The Kremlin believes that this is yet another escalation and that NATOs expansion is posing a threat to our security and the interests of the Russian Federation. We will take countermeasures to ensure our own security both tactically and strategically," Peskov warned as he said Russia would respond as it thinks fit.

"Believe me, our military will inform us about everything in due time," he added.

"We will closely monitor the developments in Finland and see how the North Atlantic bloc will use the territory of Finland regarding the deployment of weapons, systems, and infrastructure close to our border there, potentially posing a threat to us," Peskov said. Measures will be taken accordingly, he emphasized.

According to him, the situation around Finland "is fundamentally different from the situation in Ukraine." "Firstly, Finland was never anti-Russia, and we have had no disputes with Finland," Peskov maintained. "Things are quite the opposite with Ukraine, and the situation there is potentially more dangerous. This was why we needed to conduct the special military operation with the aim of attaining all the goals we set out," he concluded.
LONDON, April 4 (Reuters) - The Bank of England said on Tuesday it was censuring Wyelands Bank Plc - part of the Gupta Family Group (GFG) Alliance - for what it said were "wide-ranging significant regulatory failures" between December 2016 and May 2020.

Wyelands was part of Sanjeev Gupta's metals-to-finance GFG empire and was the largest client of Greensill Capital, the financing company that went bust in 2021 after one of its main insurers declined to renew its cover.

Wyelands said it cooperated extensively with the BoE's investigation and welcomed the matter being drawn to a close.

"The bank is currently in an inactive state, and the board continues to work to successfully complete the final stages of its solvent wind down process," Wyelands said.

A GFG spokesperson said GFG injected significant funding into Wyelands so that all depositors were repaid in full, and to allow the bank to conclude its solvent wind down.

The BoE's Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA), which regulates banks, said the breaches related to limits on large exposures, capital reporting, governance, risk controls and poor retention of WhatsApp messages.

The PRA said it was the first time it has taken action against a breach of large exposure limit, a rule designed to stop a company from being overly exposed to a single counterparty.

"Wyelands entered into several complex structured finance transactions which were introduced to it by GFG. These transactions were significantly in excess of regulatory limits on large exposures, but Wyelands did not identify this and report it to the PRA," the BoE said in a statement.

The BoE said that under normal circumstances it would have fined the bank 8.5 million pounds ($10.6 million), but would not do so given the bank was being wound down and had very limited financial resources.

In March 2021, the PRA required Wyelands to repay its depositors, which has been done, the PRA said.

Wyelands said it repaid depositors by May 2021.

($1 = 0.8018 pounds)
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(Kitco News) - Amid the ongoing global banking crisis, banks in Latin America and Europe continue to move toward the integration of blockchain technology and digital assets while banks in the U.S. move to cut off access for the industry.

BTG Pactual, the largest investment bank in Latin America, has announced the launch of its first stablecoin, BTG Dol, which is designed to maintain a 1:1 parity with the U.S. dollar and facilitate interactions between the traditional financial system and the growing digital economy.

BTG Dol was launched through Mynt, BTG Pactuals crypto platform, and offers its holders the opportunity to 'dollarize' part of their equity in a simple, efficient, and secure manner, the press release said.

"Once again, we are innovating in using financial technology in our clients' benefit, said Andre Portilho, Head of Digital Assets at BTG Pactual. When buying BTG Dol, investors have access to an easier, safer and smarter way to invest in dollars.

The new stablecoin will be custodied by BTG Pactual, which will also provide the security framework for BTG Dol, including due diligence, money laundering prevention, and compliance processes. BTG Pactual has also guaranteed the backing of the stablecoin and will manage its reserves.

We recently launched eight new assets, we already have 22 cryptocurrencies on the platform, and now we have our own stablecoin, said Marcel Monteiro, head of operations at Mynt. This shows that the Bank trusts technology and will continue with its commitment to offering new innovative digital products and services, with the solidity and trust that are BTG's hallmark.

BTG Pacutal customers can now purchase the stablecoin through the BTG Pactual investment platform and on the Mynt app, with the minimum investment starting at R$100.

VP Bank partners with Metaco

Across the Atlantic in Europe, VP Bank, one of the largest banks in Liechtenstein, has announced a new partnership with digital asset infrastructure provider Metaco as the bank looks to consolidate its tokenization and digital asset custody operations.

According to the press release, the collaboration will utilize Metacos Harmonize platform to allow VP Bank the optionality to expand its digital asset custody and tokenization services beyond art and physical collector items, such as being able to support tokenized financial assets or minting, burning and storage of tokens.

VP Bank has locations across Europe, Asia, and the British Virgin Islands, and had over CHF$46 billion ($50.8 billion) in assets under management at the end of 2022. The bank has been active in the digital asset space since 2021 and has focused its strategy on the tokenization and custody of collectible physical assets such as jewels, paintings, watches and sculptures.

VP Banks goal with its crypto platform is to create a future-oriented offering combined with the customary security standards of a regulated bank.

We are committed to rethink wealth management by combining traditional banking with digital ecosystems to create whole new services and opportunities for our clients, said Marcel Fleisch, chief product officer at VP Bank. By partnering with Metaco to offer a secure and scalable platform to tokenize and custody all types of financial, digital and real-world assets, we take a new major step towards building VP Bank's foundation of the future.

The firm has partnered with Metaco to help it develop a scalable and secure digital asset IT infrastructure that allows it to capitalize on new business opportunities when issuing, holding and managing digital assets on behalf of its clients.

For the past five months, VP Bank and Metaco have been working to integrate Harmonize into the banks core banking system, and the integration is now fully complete. This enables VP Bank to scale its commercial offerings to millions of custody accounts, which will be protected by a combination of multi-party computation and hardware encryption technologies.

The bank-grade orchestration capabilities of the Harmonize platform enables the secure management of a range of digital asset use cases, allowing banks and financial institutions to satisfy demand for new asset classes and expand their business model in any direction, said Seamus Donoghue, chief growth officer at Metaco.

Metaco is one of the more active crypto companies in Europe and has been working on expanding its presence over the past year. In January, the firm partnered with German lender DekaBank, a leading provider of securities services and capital market solutions to the German Savings Banks Finance Group, to develop the bank's digital asset custody and management operations. The platform is scheduled for release in 2024.

Also in January, Metaco partnered with the London-based cryptocurrency exchange Archax to secure its new digital asset custody service and deploy it on the IBM cloud. And in February, Metaco collaborated with German asset manager DZ Bank to help the bank include digital currencies in its asset management services.
LONDON, April 4 (Reuters) - Banking rules introduced following the global financial crisis more than a decade ago need "rethinking" to reflect how quickly cash can exit a lender in a digital age, former Bank of England Governor Mark Carney said on Tuesday.

The collapse of Silicon Valley Bank in the United States last month highlighted the "greater flightiness" of desposits, particularly those of small business clients, Carney told a Reuters Breakingviews podcast.

Over $40 billion left Silicon Valley Bank in 24 hours, leaving authorities confronting a new risk: the social media bank run as depositors can withdraw cash with just a few taps on their phone.

"That will, I think, require some rethinking of the assumptions behind liquidity coverage ratio, the net stable funding ratio," Carney said, referring to the LCR and NSFR.

The LCR aims to ensure that banks have enough cash or high quality bonds to survive stresses in markets for a month, while the NSFR seeks to reduce funding risks over a longer term horizon.

Both are part of the "Basel III" minimum standards from the global Basel Committee of banking regulators following the 2007-09 financial crisis when taxpayers had to bail out lenders.

"I think the system will probably need to adjust both the definitions of LCR and NSFR," Carney said.

These buffers should also count a bank's access to central bank liquidity as part of their calculations, he added.

The United States has generally applied Basel standards only to its biggest banks, which did not include Silicon Valley Bank.

"It's a good idea to actually put in place the net stable funding ratio. That was one of the reforms not applied fully in the U.S. and, you know, with some cost," Carney said.

Bank of England Deputy Governor Sam Woods told lawmakers last week that bank liquidity rules might now be an open question for international policymakers.
NEW YORK, April 4 (Reuters) - The U.S. government on Tuesday filed criminal charges accusing Charlie Javice, the founder of the since-shuttered college financial planning platform Frank, of defrauding JPMorgan Chase & Co (JPM.N) into buying her startup for $175 million in 2021.

Javice, 31, was accused by the U.S. Department of Justice of repeatedly fabricating claims that Frank had lined up 4.25 million student customers, when in fact she had data for only about 300,000.

Authorities said JPMorgan discovered the con after receiving only a few responses when it sent marketing materials to people on a sham list of names that Javice claimed were real customers.

Jamie Dimon, JPMorgan's chief executive, branded the Frank acquisition a "huge mistake" in a Jan. 13 conference call with analysts.

"Javice engaged in a brazen scheme to defraud JPMorgan Chase," U.S. Attorney Damian Williams in Manhattan said in a statement. "She lied directly to [the bank] and fabricated data to support those lies  all in order to make over $45 million from the sale of her company."

Lawyers for Javice did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The defendant was arrested on Monday night in New Jersey, prosecutors said.

Javice, of Miami Beach, Florida, was charged with bank fraud, securities fraud, wire fraud and conspiracy, each of which carries a potential 20 or 30 years in prison. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filed related fraud charges.

In January, JPMorgan shut down Frank after suing Javice and Olivier Amar, who was Frank's chief growth officer, in Delaware federal court the previous month.

Javice filed counterclaims in late February, accusing JPMorgan of having "compromised her reputation" and wrongfully withheld about $28 million of retention payments and equity. Amar is seeking to dismiss JPMorgan's case against him.
Since December 12, 2022, Azerbaijan has closed the only road connecting Artsakh to Armenia, leaving the entire population of Artsakh to rely on humanitarian cargo transportation. Hundreds of Artsakh residents remained in the Republic of Armenia and have not been able to return to Artsakh for almost four months, State Minister of the Artsakh Republic Gurgen Nersisyan wrote on Facebook.

April 5, 2023, 00:15 Azerbaijani ''eco-activists'' at the blocked section of Stepanakert-Goris highway prohibited the entry of women and children to Artsakh. State Minister

STEPANAKERT, APRIL 5, ARTSAKHPRESS: ''Today, Russian peacekeepers tried to transport 27 of our citizens (including children, women and elderly) to Artsakh from the town of Goris, RA, but the Azerbaijanis prohibited the traffic of vehicles in the blocked section of the road near the town of Shushi on the Goris-Stepanakert highway. Due to the intervention of Azerbaijanis on the spot, the condition of four of our citizens worsened.

The Russian peacekeepers ensured the arrival of an ambulance and the transfer of the mentioned four citizens to the Stepanakert Medical Center. And the rest are being returned by the Russian peacekeepers to Goris, because the long and persistent negotiations have not yielded any results.

Azerbaijan, which regularly states that the road connecting Artsakh to Armenia is open, today openly prohibited the entry of Artsakh residents to their place of residence. Azerbaijan shows a completely opposite approach regarding those leaving Artsakh for Armenia, which directly documents its criminal behavior and intention to expel Armenians from Artsakh.
Shenandoah, IA (51601)

Today

Partly to mostly cloudy. Low near 40F. Winds E at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

Partly to mostly cloudy. Low near 40F. Winds E at 10 to 20 mph.
Alexandra Steussy-Williams is a communications specialist with Grassland 2.0 and the University of Wisconsin-Department of Agronomy. She received her masters degree in agroecology from UW-Madison; she served for two years as Agri-Views assistant editor.
If youre a dog owner, you might be pretty impressed with yourself  and your favorite four-legged pal  if he or she nails commands like sit
Flickering lights inside Auburn City Hall were the first indication that something was wrong.

New York State Electric and Gas found the source of the problem: An underground power line fire.

Auburn Fire Chief Mark Fritz told The Citizen that he was at City Hall on Monday for a meeting with senior-level staff members. At the beginning of the meeting, the lights were flickering. He, along with Auburn City Manager Jeff Dygert and maintenance personnel, went to the utility room in the building's basement.

"There was an odor of something burning, "Fritz said. "We shut the power off, the main breaker to the building, and requested NYSEG to the scene." He added that they could hear arcing or shorting coming from outside of the building.

When the NYSEG crew arrived, they lifted a manhole cover outside City Hall. Arcing could be heard in the manway, Fritz said, and smoke began to billow out of it.

NYSEG shut off power while continuing to investigate the source of the smoke. More than 1,100 customers lost power, mainly in the downtown area. Traffic signals weren't working during the outage. Auburn police officers directed traffic at major intersections.

An Auburn Fire Department engine company responded and walked through City Hall to ensure there were no hazards, Fritz said. Auburn City Clerk Chuck Mason told The Citizen that City Hall closed due to the fire and subsequent power outage. Employees were sent home for the day.

Shelby Cohen, a NYSEG spokesperson, said the problem originated at the North Green Street substation but did not have more information. Fritz said crews found a short in one of the underground power lines.

"They were able to isolate the short to a relatively short area," he said.

Power was restored Monday night. City Hall will reopen Tuesday, Mason said.
A stone-faced Donald Trump has been confronted with a 34-count felony indictment accusing him in a scheme to bury negative information during his first presidential campaign
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An estimated 1 in 6 people globally are affected by infertility, according to a new report from the World Health Organization, which emphasizes that the condition is common.
Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of AerCap Holdings (NYSE:AER  Get Rating) by 5.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 150,873 shares of the financial services providers stock after selling 8,581 shares during the quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc.s holdings in AerCap were worth $8,799,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Signaturefd LLC increased its holdings in shares of AerCap by 5.8% in the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 3,312 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $140,000 after purchasing an additional 183 shares during the last quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of AerCap by 40.5% during the 3rd quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 676 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 195 shares during the period. Sage Rhino Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of AerCap by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Sage Rhino Capital LLC now owns 7,514 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $438,000 after acquiring an additional 208 shares during the last quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas boosted its position in shares of AerCap by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 23,969 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $1,015,000 after acquiring an additional 210 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kestra Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of AerCap by 2.7% in the third quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC now owns 8,303 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $351,000 after purchasing an additional 218 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.17% of the companys stock.

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Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently commented on AER shares. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of AerCap in a research report on Thursday, March 16th. They set a buy rating on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of AerCap in a research report on Thursday, March 30th. They set a buy rating and a $74.00 price target on the stock. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of AerCap from $66.00 to $77.00 in a research report on Friday, January 6th. Finally, Susquehanna lifted their price target on shares of AerCap from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a positive rating in a research report on Friday, March 3rd. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of Buy and a consensus target price of $71.86.

AerCap Stock Down 1.4 %

NYSE AER traded down $0.77 on Tuesday, reaching $55.47. The stock had a trading volume of 701,715 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,305,292. The company has a quick ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.87. AerCap Holdings has a 12-month low of $37.20 and a 12-month high of $66.85. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $59.24 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $56.44.

AerCap (NYSE:AER  Get Rating) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, March 2nd. The financial services provider reported $2.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.97 by $0.69. The company had revenue of $1.83 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.77 billion. AerCap had a positive return on equity of 14.18% and a negative net margin of 10.35%. The firms quarterly revenue was up 26.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.04 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that AerCap Holdings will post 7.51 earnings per share for the current year.

AerCap Company Profile

(Get Rating)

AerCap Holdings NV engages in the leasing, financing, sales, and management of commercial flight equipment. The company was founded in 1995 and is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland.

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Bank of Montreal Can boosted its stake in Koninklijke Philips (NYSE:PHG  Get Rating) by 127.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,983,701 shares of the technology companys stock after acquiring an additional 1,113,072 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can owned 0.22% of Koninklijke Philips worth $29,783,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in PHG. Heritage Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Koninklijke Philips during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Global Retirement Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Koninklijke Philips by 67.6% in the 3rd quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 4,141 shares of the technology companys stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 1,670 shares in the last quarter. Credit Suisse AG bought a new position in shares of Koninklijke Philips in the 2nd quarter worth $65,000. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. bought a new position in shares of Koninklijke Philips in the 2nd quarter worth $69,000. Finally, Wipfli Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Koninklijke Philips in the 3rd quarter worth $77,000. 10.17% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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Koninklijke Philips Stock Performance

Koninklijke Philips stock traded down $0.05 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $18.25. The company had a trading volume of 787,251 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,061,823. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 1.29 and a quick ratio of 0.78. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $16.89 and a 200 day moving average price of $15.53. Koninklijke Philips has a 12-month low of $11.75 and a 12-month high of $31.53.

Analyst Ratings Changes

About Koninklijke Philips

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on PHG shares. TheStreet lowered Koninklijke Philips from a c- rating to a d rating in a research report on Monday, December 5th. StockNews.com started coverage on Koninklijke Philips in a research report on Thursday, March 16th. They issued a hold rating for the company. UBS Group lowered Koninklijke Philips from a neutral rating to a sell rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 17th. Sanford C. Bernstein assumed coverage on Koninklijke Philips in a research report on Tuesday, March 7th. They set a market perform rating for the company. Finally, Societe Generale lowered Koninklijke Philips from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 31st. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Koninklijke Philips currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $16.79.

(Get Rating)

Koninklijke Philips NV is a technology company, which engages in the healthcare, lighting, and consumer well-being markets. It operates through the following segments: Diagnosis and Treatment businesses; Connected Care businesses; Personal Health businesses; and Other. The Diagnosis and Treatment businesses segment consists systems, smart devices, software and services, powered by AI-enabled informatics-that support precision diagnoses and minimally invasive procedures in therapeutic areas such as cardiology, peripheral vascular, neurology, surgery, and oncology.

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Patten Energy Solutions Group (OTCMKTS:PTTN  Get Rating) and Agnico Eagle Mines (NYSE:AEM  Get Rating) are both oils/energy companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, risk, valuation, profitability, institutional ownership, dividends and analyst recommendations.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of recent ratings and recommmendations for Patten Energy Solutions Group and Agnico Eagle Mines, as reported by MarketBeat.

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Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Patten Energy Solutions Group 0 0 0 0 N/A Agnico Eagle Mines 0 0 8 0 3.00

Agnico Eagle Mines has a consensus target price of $70.50, suggesting a potential upside of 34.21%.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

Earnings and Valuation

58.1% of Agnico Eagle Mines shares are owned by institutional investors. 2.5% of Patten Energy Solutions Group shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 0.5% of Agnico Eagle Mines shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

This table compares Patten Energy Solutions Group and Agnico Eagle Mines top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Patten Energy Solutions Group N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A Agnico Eagle Mines $5.74 billion 4.18 $670.25 million $1.50 35.02

Agnico Eagle Mines has higher revenue and earnings than Patten Energy Solutions Group.

Volatility and Risk

Patten Energy Solutions Group has a beta of 1.66, indicating that its stock price is 66% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Agnico Eagle Mines has a beta of 0.77, indicating that its stock price is 23% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Profitability

This table compares Patten Energy Solutions Group and Agnico Eagle Mines net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Patten Energy Solutions Group N/A N/A N/A Agnico Eagle Mines 11.67% 6.18% 4.30%

Summary

Agnico Eagle Mines beats Patten Energy Solutions Group on 6 of the 8 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Patten Energy Solutions Group

(Get Rating)

Patten Energy Solutions Group, Inc. engages in the marketing of natural gas, propane and petroleum products. It also intends to pursue an exploration program to continue the exploration and development of the mineral claims with a view to establish sufficient mineral-bearing reserves. The firm also engages in exploration, production and development of lithium properties. The company was founded on February 2, 2004 and is headquartered in Dolton, IL.

About Agnico Eagle Mines

(Get Rating)

Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd. engages in the exploration and production of gold. It operates through the following segments: Northern Business, Southern Business, and Exploration. The Northern Business segment comprises of LaRonde mine, LaRonde Zone 5 mine, Lapa mine, Goldex mine, Meadowbank mine including the Amaruq deposit, Canadian Malartic joint operation, Meliadine project and Kittila mine. The Southern Business segment consists of Pinos Altos mine, Creston Mascota mine, and La India mine. The Exploration segment represents the exploration offices in the United States, Europe, Canada, and Latin America. The company was founded by Paul Penna in 1957 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada.

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Cyndeo Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hewlett Packard Enterprise (NYSE:HPE  Get Rating) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 263,673 shares of the technology companys stock, valued at approximately $4,208,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HPE. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its position in Hewlett Packard Enterprise by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 27,874 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $445,000 after acquiring an additional 645 shares in the last quarter. Cambridge Trust Co. lifted its position in shares of Hewlett Packard Enterprise by 3.3% in the second quarter. Cambridge Trust Co. now owns 20,727 shares of the technology companys stock worth $275,000 after purchasing an additional 668 shares in the last quarter. Strategic Wealth Advisors Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Hewlett Packard Enterprise by 3.6% in the third quarter. Strategic Wealth Advisors Group LLC now owns 22,249 shares of the technology companys stock worth $267,000 after purchasing an additional 777 shares in the last quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. lifted its position in shares of Hewlett Packard Enterprise by 0.4% in the third quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 223,300 shares of the technology companys stock worth $2,675,000 after purchasing an additional 780 shares in the last quarter. Finally, TRUE Private Wealth Advisors increased its holdings in Hewlett Packard Enterprise by 5.0% during the third quarter. TRUE Private Wealth Advisors now owns 16,672 shares of the technology companys stock worth $199,000 after buying an additional 794 shares during the last quarter. 81.36% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of Hewlett Packard Enterprise in a report on Monday, March 20th. They issued a neutral rating and a $15.00 price objective on the stock. Barclays downgraded shares of Hewlett Packard Enterprise from an overweight rating to an equal weight rating and set a $18.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Tuesday, January 10th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Hewlett Packard Enterprise from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Friday. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Hewlett Packard Enterprise from $13.00 to $14.00 in a research note on Friday, March 3rd. Finally, Loop Capital upped their price target on shares of Hewlett Packard Enterprise from $14.00 to $17.00 in a research note on Monday, December 5th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Hewlett Packard Enterprise presently has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $16.77.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hewlett Packard Enterprise

Hewlett Packard Enterprise Trading Down 1.8 %

In other Hewlett Packard Enterprise news, EVP Thomas E. Black, Jr. sold 34,088 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $15.05, for a total transaction of $513,024.40. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link . In other Hewlett Packard Enterprise news, EVP Thomas E. Black, Jr. sold 34,088 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $15.05, for a total transaction of $513,024.40. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link . Also, SVP Jeremy Cox sold 47,307 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $17.01, for a total transaction of $804,692.07. The disclosure for this sale can be found here . In the last 90 days, insiders sold 799,621 shares of company stock valued at $12,178,761. 0.53% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Shares of Hewlett Packard Enterprise stock traded down $0.30 on Tuesday, hitting $16.03. The stock had a trading volume of 4,123,518 shares, compared to its average volume of 13,743,912. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $15.53 and a 200 day moving average of $15.04. Hewlett Packard Enterprise has a twelve month low of $11.90 and a twelve month high of $17.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 0.85. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.12, a PEG ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.23.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise (NYSE:HPE  Get Rating) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 2nd. The technology company reported $0.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.52 by $0.11. Hewlett Packard Enterprise had a return on equity of 4.22% and a net margin of 2.92%. The company had revenue of $7.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.40 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.39 earnings per share. The firms revenue was up 12.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that Hewlett Packard Enterprise will post 1.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 17th will be paid a $0.12 dividend. This represents a $0.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.99%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 16th. Hewlett Packard Enterprises dividend payout ratio is currently 73.85%.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise Profile

(Get Rating)

Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co is a global edge-to-cloud company, which engages in the provision of information technology, technology and enterprise products, solutions, and services. It operates through the following segments: Compute, High Performance Computing & Artificial Intelligence (HPC & AI), Storage, Intelligent Edge, Financial Services, and Corporate Investments and Other.

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April 4, 1993

Inmates at Auburn's maximum security prison remain in their cells today, and the facility in a state of "institutional lockdown," after a fight Friday sent one corrections officer to the hospital and injured at least three others.

Several officers said Friday they are worried about the increasing violence among the 1,700 prisoners  and the potential for an insurrection.

Speaking of Friday's incident, one officer, who asked not to be identified, said, "I was scared to death.

"If they wanted to take the place over, they could have."

Many guards said morale is at an all-time low. They blame severe understaffing and lack of support from the prison's administration for the worsening problems.

Meanwhile, the leaders of the officers' state and local unions pleaded yesterday for support from the district attorney in prosecuting inmates for crimes  especially for assaults and weapons  inside the walls.

"We'd like the district attorney to look into this situation and others," said statewide union President Thomas Kennedy III.

"If an officer outside the walls finds weapons like our officers find, those people are prosecuted. It shouldn't be any different for us," he said. "The officers need his support."

District Attorney James Vargason couldn't be reached for comment yesterday.
EOG Resources, Inc. (NYSE:EOG  Get Rating) has received an average rating of Moderate Buy from the twenty-five research firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $150.68.

EOG has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Raymond James dropped their price target on EOG Resources from $171.00 to $140.00 in a research report on Monday, March 27th. Citigroup decreased their price objective on EOG Resources from $160.00 to $122.00 in a report on Friday, March 17th. Piper Sandler decreased their price target on EOG Resources from $174.00 to $171.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 7th. TD Securities reduced their price objective on EOG Resources from $150.00 to $145.00 and set a hold rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 8th. Finally, Credit Suisse Group reduced their price objective on EOG Resources from $160.00 to $155.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 24th.

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Insider Transactions at EOG Resources

In other news, Director Michael T. Kerr bought 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 12th. The shares were bought at an average price of $130.49 per share, for a total transaction of $2,609,800.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 170,000 shares in the company, valued at $22,183,300. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On EOG Resources

EOG Resources Stock Up 5.9 %

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in EOG Resources by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 53,571,626 shares of the energy exploration companys stock worth $5,985,558,000 after buying an additional 584,133 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its position in EOG Resources by 38.5% in the 2nd quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 15,425,915 shares of the energy exploration companys stock valued at $1,703,638,000 after buying an additional 4,291,887 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in EOG Resources by 10.5% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 12,826,112 shares of the energy exploration companys stock valued at $1,661,238,000 after buying an additional 1,222,209 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in EOG Resources by 12.9% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 11,551,976 shares of the energy exploration companys stock valued at $1,493,398,000 after buying an additional 1,321,754 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its position in EOG Resources by 3.1% in the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 8,190,712 shares of the energy exploration companys stock valued at $915,149,000 after buying an additional 245,996 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.40% of the companys stock.

Shares of EOG stock opened at $121.41 on Tuesday. The stocks 50 day simple moving average is $119.13 and its 200 day simple moving average is $126.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a quick ratio of 1.71 and a current ratio of 1.90. EOG Resources has a twelve month low of $92.16 and a twelve month high of $150.88. The company has a market capitalization of $71.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.19, a PEG ratio of 0.33 and a beta of 1.52.

EOG Resources (NYSE:EOG  Get Rating) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 24th. The energy exploration company reported $3.30 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $3.31 by ($0.01). EOG Resources had a net margin of 30.19% and a return on equity of 34.95%. The company had revenue of $6.72 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $6.09 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $3.09 earnings per share. The firms revenue was up 11.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that EOG Resources will post 12.07 EPS for the current year.

EOG Resources Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.825 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 13th. This represents a $3.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.72%. EOG Resourcess dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 24.98%.

EOG Resources Company Profile

(Get Rating)

EOG Resources, Inc engages in the exploration, development, production and marketing of crude oil and natural gas. It operates through the United States, Trinidad & Tobago, and Other International segments. The company was founded in 1985 and is headquartered in Houston, TX.

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Agnico Eagle Mines (NYSE:AEM  Get Rating) and Patten Energy Solutions Group (OTCMKTS:PTTN  Get Rating) are both basic materials companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their institutional ownership, analyst recommendations, risk, profitability, valuation, earnings and dividends.

Risk and Volatility

Agnico Eagle Mines has a beta of 0.77, suggesting that its share price is 23% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Patten Energy Solutions Group has a beta of 1.66, suggesting that its share price is 66% more volatile than the S&P 500.

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Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of recent ratings and price targets for Agnico Eagle Mines and Patten Energy Solutions Group, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Agnico Eagle Mines 0 0 8 0 3.00 Patten Energy Solutions Group 0 0 0 0 N/A

Profitability

Agnico Eagle Mines presently has a consensus target price of $70.50, indicating a potential upside of 34.21%.

This table compares Agnico Eagle Mines and Patten Energy Solutions Groups net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Agnico Eagle Mines 11.67% 6.18% 4.30% Patten Energy Solutions Group N/A N/A N/A

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Agnico Eagle Mines and Patten Energy Solutions Groups top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Agnico Eagle Mines $5.74 billion 4.18 $670.25 million $1.50 35.02 Patten Energy Solutions Group N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

Agnico Eagle Mines has higher revenue and earnings than Patten Energy Solutions Group.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

58.1% of Agnico Eagle Mines shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.5% of Agnico Eagle Mines shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 2.5% of Patten Energy Solutions Group shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Summary

Agnico Eagle Mines beats Patten Energy Solutions Group on 6 of the 8 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Agnico Eagle Mines

(Get Rating)

Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd. engages in the exploration and production of gold. It operates through the following segments: Northern Business, Southern Business, and Exploration. The Northern Business segment comprises of LaRonde mine, LaRonde Zone 5 mine, Lapa mine, Goldex mine, Meadowbank mine including the Amaruq deposit, Canadian Malartic joint operation, Meliadine project and Kittila mine. The Southern Business segment consists of Pinos Altos mine, Creston Mascota mine, and La India mine. The Exploration segment represents the exploration offices in the United States, Europe, Canada, and Latin America. The company was founded by Paul Penna in 1957 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada.

About Patten Energy Solutions Group

(Get Rating)

Patten Energy Solutions Group, Inc. engages in the marketing of natural gas, propane and petroleum products. It also intends to pursue an exploration program to continue the exploration and development of the mineral claims with a view to establish sufficient mineral-bearing reserves. The firm also engages in exploration, production and development of lithium properties. The company was founded on February 2, 2004 and is headquartered in Dolton, IL.

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Main Street Capital Co. (NYSE:MAIN  Get Rating) announced a monthly dividend on Wednesday, February 22nd, Wall Street Journal reports. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 8th will be paid a dividend of 0.225 per share by the financial services provider on Monday, May 15th. This represents a $2.70 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.92%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 5th. This is a positive change from Main Street Capitals previous monthly dividend of $0.10.

Main Street Capital has raised its dividend payment by an average of 2.4% per year over the last three years and has raised its dividend annually for the last 11 consecutive years. Main Street Capital has a dividend payout ratio of 71.6% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Research analysts expect Main Street Capital to earn $3.82 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $2.70 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 70.7%.

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Main Street Capital Stock Performance

Shares of Main Street Capital stock opened at $38.99 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a current ratio of 0.07 and a quick ratio of 0.07. The firm has a market cap of $3.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.08 and a beta of 1.30. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $39.80 and a 200 day simple moving average of $37.89. Main Street Capital has a fifty-two week low of $31.66 and a fifty-two week high of $45.67.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Insider Buying and Selling

Several research firms have recently issued reports on MAIN. B. Riley raised their price target on Main Street Capital from $42.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Monday, February 27th. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on shares of Main Street Capital from $40.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock a hold rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 28th. UBS Group initiated coverage on shares of Main Street Capital in a research note on Monday, December 19th. They set a neutral rating and a $40.00 price objective on the stock. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on shares of Main Street Capital from $39.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock a market perform rating in a research note on Monday, February 27th. Finally, StockNews.com initiated coverage on Main Street Capital in a report on Thursday, March 16th. They set a hold rating on the stock. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Main Street Capital presently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $42.50.

In other Main Street Capital news, EVP Jason B. Beauvais sold 5,894 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $39.45, for a total value of $232,518.30. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 151,918 shares in the company, valued at $5,993,165.10. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other Main Street Capital news, Director Nicholas Meserve sold 3,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $39.50, for a total transaction of $118,500.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 80,689 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,187,215.50. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Jason B. Beauvais sold 5,894 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Friday, March 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $39.45, for a total value of $232,518.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 151,918 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,993,165.10. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 15,694 shares of company stock worth $619,006. Corporate insiders own 4.56% of the companys stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. ICA Group Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Main Street Capital in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $55,000. Harbour Investments Inc. increased its stake in shares of Main Street Capital by 15.6% in the fourth quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 2,636 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $97,000 after buying an additional 356 shares during the period. Money Concepts Capital Corp increased its stake in shares of Main Street Capital by 4,989.5% in the fourth quarter. Money Concepts Capital Corp now owns 4,835 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $179,000 after buying an additional 4,740 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Main Street Capital in the first quarter valued at approximately $201,000. Finally, Coppell Advisory Solutions Corp. acquired a new stake in Main Street Capital in the fourth quarter valued at $203,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 18.79% of the companys stock.

Main Street Capital Company Profile

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Main Street Capital is a principal investment firm that provides long-term debt and equity capital to lower middle market companies. Main Streets investments are primarily made to support management buyouts, recapitalizations, growth financings and acquisitions of companies that operate in diverse industry sectors and generally have annual revenues ranging from $10 million to $100 million.

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Nikulski Financial Inc. lowered its position in Dominos Pizza, Inc. (NYSE:DPZ  Get Rating) by 26.8% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 2,390 shares of the restaurant operators stock after selling 875 shares during the quarter. Nikulski Financial Inc.s holdings in Dominos Pizza were worth $828,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. National Bank of Canada FI lifted its holdings in Dominos Pizza by 43.8% during the third quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 35,203 shares of the restaurant operators stock worth $10,934,000 after buying an additional 10,716 shares during the period. Fred Alger Management LLC lifted its holdings in Dominos Pizza by 141.7% during the third quarter. Fred Alger Management LLC now owns 198,020 shares of the restaurant operators stock worth $61,426,000 after buying an additional 116,100 shares during the period. Fundamentun LLC lifted its holdings in Dominos Pizza by 6.6% during the second quarter. Fundamentun LLC now owns 916 shares of the restaurant operators stock worth $357,000 after buying an additional 57 shares during the period. Advisory Research Inc. lifted its holdings in Dominos Pizza by 184.7% during the second quarter. Advisory Research Inc. now owns 3,200 shares of the restaurant operators stock worth $1,247,000 after buying an additional 2,076 shares during the period. Finally, Credit Agricole S A lifted its holdings in Dominos Pizza by 31.3% during the third quarter. Credit Agricole S A now owns 1,144 shares of the restaurant operators stock worth $355,000 after buying an additional 273 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 90.32% of the companys stock.

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Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Cynthia A. Headen sold 136 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total transaction of $40,800.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 4,867 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,460,100. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.76% of the companys stock.

Dominos Pizza Trading Down 1.4 %

DPZ traded down $4.68 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $327.84. 144,027 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 815,502. The companys 50 day simple moving average is $330.59 and its 200 day simple moving average is $340.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 0.79. Dominos Pizza, Inc. has a 1-year low of $291.00 and a 1-year high of $426.44.

Dominos Pizza (NYSE:DPZ  Get Rating) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 23rd. The restaurant operator reported $4.43 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.92 by $0.51. The company had revenue of $1.39 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.44 billion. Dominos Pizza had a negative return on equity of 10.71% and a net margin of 9.97%. The firms revenue for the quarter was up 3.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $4.25 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Dominos Pizza, Inc. will post 12.91 EPS for the current year.

Dominos Pizza Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 30th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 15th were given a dividend of $1.21 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 14th. This is a boost from Dominos Pizzas previous quarterly dividend of $1.10. This represents a $4.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.48%. Dominos Pizzas dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 38.60%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on DPZ. BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on Dominos Pizza from $430.00 to $380.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 24th. Oppenheimer decreased their price objective on Dominos Pizza from $405.00 to $375.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 24th. Gordon Haskett lowered Dominos Pizza from a buy rating to a hold rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $344.00 to $315.00 in a report on Friday, March 3rd. Northcoast Research reiterated a neutral rating on shares of Dominos Pizza in a report on Tuesday, February 28th. Finally, Wedbush decreased their price objective on Dominos Pizza from $400.00 to $365.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 24th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nineteen have issued a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Dominos Pizza currently has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $360.04.

Dominos Pizza Profile

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Dominos Pizza, Inc engages in the management of a network of company-owned and franchise-owned pizza stores. It operates through the following segments: U.S. Stores, International Franchise, and Supply Chain. The U.S. Stores segment consists primarily of franchise operations. The International Franchise segment comprises a network of franchised stores.

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Pettee Investors Inc. decreased its holdings in General Electric (NYSE:GE  Get Rating) by 10.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 8,942 shares of the conglomerates stock after selling 1,000 shares during the quarter. Pettee Investors Inc.s holdings in General Electric were worth $750,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Addenda Capital Inc. acquired a new position in General Electric in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Global Wealth Management Investment Advisory Inc. increased its stake in General Electric by 808.1% in the 1st quarter. Global Wealth Management Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 336 shares of the conglomerates stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 299 shares during the period. MADDEN SECURITIES Corp acquired a new position in General Electric in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Coston McIsaac & Partners acquired a new position in General Electric in the 2nd quarter valued at $25,000. Finally, RFP Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in General Electric in the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.12% of the companys stock.

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Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have issued reports on GE. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of General Electric from $93.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Friday, March 10th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of General Electric from $82.00 to $80.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 25th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of General Electric from $81.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Thursday, January 26th. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of General Electric in a research note on Friday, March 10th. They set a buy rating on the stock. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price target on shares of General Electric from $89.00 to $94.00 in a research note on Monday, December 5th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, General Electric has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $94.93.

General Electric Price Performance

General Electric stock opened at $97.69 on Tuesday. General Electric has a 52 week low of $46.55 and a 52 week high of $97.87. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. The firms 50-day simple moving average is $86.37 and its 200 day simple moving average is $80.38. The firm has a market capitalization of $106.51 billion, a PE ratio of -3,230.67, a P/E/G ratio of 6.91 and a beta of 1.27.

General Electric (NYSE:GE  Get Rating) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 24th. The conglomerate reported $1.24 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.11 by $0.13. General Electric had a net margin of 0.29% and a return on equity of 8.47%. The business had revenue of $21.79 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $22.11 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.92 EPS. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that General Electric will post 1.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

General Electric Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 25th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 7th will be issued a $0.08 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 6th. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.33%. General Electrics dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -1,066.67%.

About General Electric

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General Electric Co engages in the provision of commercial and military aircraft engines and systems, wind, and other renewable energy generation equipment and grid solutions, and gas, steam, nuclear, and other power generation equipment. It operates through the following segments: Aviation, Healthcare, Renewable Energy, and Power.

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Smiths Group plc (LON:SMIN  Get Rating) announced a dividend on Friday, March 24th, Upcoming.Co.Uk reports. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 6th will be given a dividend of GBX 12.90 ($0.16) per share on Wednesday, May 17th. This represents a yield of 0.75%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 6th. The official announcement can be accessed at this link.

Smiths Group Stock Up 0.6 %

Smiths Group stock opened at GBX 1,708 ($21.21) on Tuesday. Smiths Group has a fifty-two week low of GBX 1,352.50 ($16.80) and a fifty-two week high of GBX 1,807 ($22.44). The firm has a market capitalization of 6.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 56,583.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.34 and a beta of 0.66. The stocks fifty day moving average is GBX 1,742.49 and its two-hundred day moving average is GBX 1,637.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 48.38, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a current ratio of 1.61.

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Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have commented on SMIN. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on Smiths Group in a research report on Monday, February 13th. They set a buy rating for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Smiths Group from GBX 1,730 ($21.49) to GBX 1,860 ($23.10) and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 1st. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Smiths Group from GBX 1,750 ($21.73) to GBX 1,845 ($22.91) and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Friday, January 27th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an underperform rating and set a GBX 1,650 ($20.49) price objective on shares of Smiths Group in a research note on Monday, March 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of GBX 1,813.75 ($22.53).

Insider Activity at Smiths Group

About Smiths Group

In other news, insider Richard Howes purchased 100 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 1st. The stock was acquired at an average cost of GBX 1,756 ($21.81) per share, for a total transaction of 1,756 ($2,180.82). 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

(Get Rating)

Smiths Group plc operates as a technology company serving the medical technology, security and defense, general industrial, energy, and space and aerospace markets worldwide. It operates through John Crane, Smiths Detection, Flex-Tek, and Smiths Interconnect divisions. The John Crane division offers mechanical seals, seal support systems, hydrodynamic bearings, packing materials, power transmission couplings, and specialized filtration systems.

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Garrett, IN (46738)

Today

Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 33F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 33F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph.
Angola, IN (46703)

Today

Mostly clear skies this evening will become overcast overnight. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 32F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Mostly clear skies this evening will become overcast overnight. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 32F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph.
Beijing (Gasgoo)- On Monday, Chinese legacy automaker Dongfeng Motor released the monthly sales records of its three wholly-owned brands in March 2023, all of which showed positive results.



Photo credit: Dongfeng Motor

Specifically, Aeolus (Fengshen), the home-grown passenger vehicle brand of the group, realized a monthly sales volume of 11,435 vehicles in the past month, indicating an 8% year-on-year hike. Compared to the previous month, Dongfeng Aeolus' March sales shot up 108%.

The groups high-end new energy vehicle brand, VOYAH, delivered 3,027 vehicles in March, which more than doubled from both the year-ago and month-ago periods, at a 116% and 173% rate each.

Built on the brands proprietary ESSA premium intelligent electric architecture, VOYAH successfully launched one product per year. Its first sedan model, the Zhuiguang, will officially hit the market this month, further consolidating the brands product portfolio, which range from SUV, MPV, and sedan.

Finally, Dongfeng Motors commercial vehicle arm, Dongfeng Trucks, saw its cumulative sales volume amount to 28,843 vehicles in the first quarter of this year, which was higher than that of the market average, said the automaker.

In the first three month of 2023, Dongfeng Trucks moved 2,688 vehicles in overseas markets, reflecting a year-on-year spike of 176%.
Kendallville, IN (46755)

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Partly cloudy this evening, then becoming cloudy after midnight. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 33F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph..

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Partly cloudy this evening, then becoming cloudy after midnight. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 33F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph.
Auburn, IN (46706)

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Partly cloudy skies this evening will become overcast overnight. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 33F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph..

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Partly cloudy skies this evening will become overcast overnight. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 33F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph.
Beijing (Gasgoo)- On April 3, HiPhi, the Chinese luxury electric vehicle brand owned by Human Horizons, announced the deepening of its strategic partnership with the British luxury audio brand Meridian Audio.



Photo credit: HiPhi

The two companies will further strengthen their collaboration in the field of luxury car audio systems and explore continuously evolving sound experiences. Since their collaboration in 2020, HiPhi's two flagship models, the HiPhi X and the HiPhi Z, have featured Meridian Audios acoustic system, which closely connects passengers with emotional experiences from live music performances, providing HiPhi owners with an innovative and luxurious onboard experience.

The audio system development and tuning for the HiPhi X and the HiPhi Z were also completed by Meridian Audio's engineering team, in their professional laboratory at their headquarters in Cambridge, England, adhering to Meridians standards.

The HiPhi Z is the second model HiPhi has collaborated with Meridian, and its audio system platform has a maximum power of 2,820W, with 23 speakers arranged in a surround layout. Each speaker is equipped with a dedicated independent power channel to ensure low distortion and high dynamic audio experience. Meridian's six core tuning technologies, including TRUE TIME, DIGITAL PRECISION, HORIZON, PERFECT BALANCE, INTELLI-Q, and RE-Q, were fully applied to the custom audio system constructed based on the unique interior design.

Furthermore, HiPhi has also conducted in-depth research on different types of speakers' diaphragm materials, combined with NVH tuning of the vehicles and innovative sound-absorbing materials application, the automaker has turned its cockpit into a music art palace on wheels.

Notably, HiPhis third production model will also inherit the authentic, vivid, and natural ultimate sound experience through the integration of the Meridian Audio system.
Shanghai (Gasgoo)- China's vehicle inventory alert index (VIA), which reflects the inventory pressure on automobile dealers, rose 4.3 percentage points month on month in Mar. 2023, according to the China Automobile Dealers Association (CADA).

The VIA stood at 62.4% last month, dipping 1.2 percentage points from the previous year.

The index in Mar. 2023 was still above the official warning threshold (50%).

In March, the joint subsidy promotion by local government and automakers in Hubei province triggered a spree of cross-provincial car purchases, and dozens of provinces and cities such as Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, and Zhejiang followed suit with preferential policies for car shopping, said the CADA. Thus, the footfall at dealers stores quickly increased. However, due to consumers strong wait-and-see attitude, there was no significant growth in order and transaction volumes, and the recovery of automobile consumption demand was lower than expected.

Besides, the association noted the switch from the China VI A to China VI B emission standards is not the main factory leading to the price reduction trend. Most dealerships indicate that their inventories of China VI-A models are not high, and they can be cleared before the end of June.

In Mar. 2023, the VIAs of imported & luxury brands and mainstream joint-venture brands stood at 60% and 63.6%, climbing 3.5 and 6.8 percentage points over a month ago, respectively. Nonetheless, Chinese locally-owned brands monthly index declined 2.5 percentage points from Feb. 2023 to 62.4%.
With Gasgoo Daily, we will offer daily important automotive news in China. For those we have reported, the title of the piece will include a hyperlink, which will provide detailed information.

BYDs 2023 e2 model to hit market on Apr. 6

The 2023 facelift of the e2 model will officially hit the market on April 6, said BYD. Riding on the e-Platform 3.0, the new battery-electric model adopts the 8-in-1 electric power assembly with increased comprehensive efficiency.

Photo credit: BYD

Tencent obtains permit for Hangzhous advanced assisted driving map

According to information released by the Department of Natural Resources of Zhejiang Province, Chinese tech giant Tencent has obtained the first batch of licenses for advanced assisted driving map of Hangzhou city.

JAC Group to launch new passenger vehicle brand on Apr. 12

JAC Groups passenger vehicle arm will hold a brand launch event on April 12, introducing its new brand and the brands first vehicle model, which is named EV3. Positioned as a compact new energy vehicle, the EV3 measures 4,025mm long, 1,770mm wide, 1,560mm tall, with a 2,620mm wheelbase.

HiPhi to again deploy Meridian Audios sound system

On April 3, HiPhi, the Chinese luxury electric vehicle brand owned by Human Horizons, announced the deepening of its strategic partnership with the British luxury audio brand Meridian Audio.

Chinese van-hiring firm Lalamove shows intention to develop electric trucks in IPO prospectus

Lalamove, the Chinese same-day delivery and courier service provider and van hire platform, has submitted its prospectus to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange for an initial public offering under the name "Lalatech".

BAIC Groups premium EV brand ARCFOX delivers 2,305 vehicles in Mar. 2023

ARCFOX, the high-end electric vehicle brand of BAIC Group, saw its monthly delivery volume soar at a three-digit rate both year-on-year and month-on-month in March 2023.

Dongfeng Aeolus sees 8% YoY increase in Mar. 2023 sales

On Monday, Chinese legacy automaker Dongfeng Motor released the monthly sales records of its three wholly-owned brands in March 2023, all of which showed positive results.

NIO completes 20 millionth battery swap

With a NIO ES6 leaving NIOs service center in Wuchang subdistrict, Hangzhou city with a fully charged battery pack on Apr. 3, NIO officially reached the milestone of completing 20 million battery swaps.
Pune (Maharashtra) [India], April 4 (ANI): Suzlon on Tuesday said JP Chalasani has been appointed as the chief executive officer of the company with effect from tomorrow.

The firm also said he is appointed as one of the key managerial personnel of the company and will act as the group chief executive officer.

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Ashwani Kumar resigned as the chief executive officer of the company with effect from tomorrow on account of personal reasons, the company said.

According to a statement shared with exchanges, JP Chalasani had been group chief executive officer of Suzlon from April 2016 till July 2020 and post his cessation as group CEO continued as strategic advisor to the Suzlon Group.

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Chalasani has over 40 years of experience in public and private sector across the entire gamut of the power sector (power generation projects, transmission, distribution, trading and coal mining). Prior to his earlier stint as the group chief executive officer of the company, Chalasani was the Group CEO and managing director of Punj Lloyd since January 2014 and was responsible for the energy, infrastructure and defence business for the group globally, which is close to USD 1.8 billion. Prior to joining Punj Lloyd, Chalasani had spent over 18 years with the Reliance Group.

He joined Reliance Group (undivided) as a vice-president in 1995 and worked on a number of assignments for the group. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Alappuzha (Kerala) [India], April 4 (ANI): A case was registered against the Kerala woman who left her newborn baby in a bucket in a bathroom immediately after giving birth.

Police have rescued the newborn abandoned by its mother in a bucket inside the bathroom in Chengannur in the Alappuzha district of Kerala, officials said on Tuesday.

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While getting information from the woman who came for treatment with excessive bleeding at a private hospital in Chengannur, the hospital authorities informed the Chengannur police station based on the information that the woman gave birth at home in the morning and the child was placed in a bucket in the bathroom.

"A boy weighing only 1.3 Kg who was found abandoned in a bucket was rushed to a private hospital in Chengannur for treatment," the police said.

Also Read | Mumbai Shocker: Drunk Youth Clobbers His Elderly Father to Death, Arrested.

According to the police, later, Aranmula Police reported to Pathanamthitta Child Welfare Committee to protect the child and with the help of Tanal volunteers the child was transferred to Kottayam Medical College for further care and treatment.

At Aranmula Police Station, a team consisting of Inspector CK Manoj, SI Aloysius, Harindran, ASI Jayakumar, SCP0 Salim, CPO Faisal, Manu Chengannur Police Station Inspector VIP, SI Abhilash Ajit Khan, and Harish Jijo Sam took the child to the hospital with timely intervention.

According to police, after giving birth at home, the mother came to the hospital and informed the hospital about the fact that the baby was left in a bucket as she thought it was dead. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
New Delhi [India], April 4 (ANI): Ahead of the upcoming Assembly polls in Karnataka, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday said that the party will conduct an extensive discussion on candidates for the remaining 100 seats in the State.

The Congress had on March 25 announced its first list of 124 candidates for the polls, which included names of former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and State party president DK Shivakumar.

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"There is a meeting of our selection committee, the remaining 100 seats will be discussed. People on the committee will give their opinion, and after that, a decision will be taken," said Kharge.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Karnataka Congress president DK Shivakumar, Senior Congress leader Randeep Surjewala, Congress Bangalore Rural MP DK Suresh, Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal and veteran leader Mohsina Kidwai were seen arriving at the All India Congress Committee office for a meeting of the party's Central Election Committee.

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Elections are slated to be held in Karnataka in a single phase on May 10, and counting of votes will take place on May 13.

Siddaramaiah will be contesting from the Varuna constituency while DK Shivakumar would be the candidate from Kanakapura.

Siddaramaiah had expressed his interest to contest from the Kolar constituency but the Congress High Command instructed him to drop the plan following disagreements between the party's local leaders in the constituency. The party has fielded M Roopakala from the Kolar Gold Field constituency.

On Monday a large number of Congress workers staged protests in front of the party office in Bengaluru seeking tickets for their leaders to contest in the polls.

Yesterday, Kudligi BJP MLA NY Gopalakrishna, who resigned as a legislator, joined the Congress in the presence of. Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah.

Karnataka, which has 224 seats in the Assembly currently has 119 MLAs of the ruling BJP, while Congress has 75 and its ally JD(S) has 28 seats.

Political parties in the State including the ruling BJP, Congress and ally JD(S) are engaged in a spate of allegations and counter-allegations, with the latter attempting to corner the government over the issue of corruption.

The model code of conduct had come into effect after elections were announced in the State. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Mandya (Karnataka) [India], April 4 (ANI): The Mandya Court, on Tuesday, booked the Karnataka Congress chief DK Shivakumar for allegedly throwing Rs 500 currency notes during the Praja Dhwani Yatra in Mandya.

During the Congress party's 'Praja Dhwani Yatra' near Bevinahalli in Srirangapatna on March 28, Shivakumar was allegedly seen throwing Rs 500 currency notes at the artists performing in the rally.

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After the incident, the Election Commission filed a complaint, based on which a non-cognisable offence was registered against DK Shivakumar. After that, the Congress leader was booked by Mandya rural police at the direction of a local court.

Earlier on March 29, Shivakumar had expressed confidence in the Congress's preparedness for the Assembly elections.

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"Congress is ready for elections, we want this govt to be dismissed. The earlier this govt is dismissed, the better it is for the state and country. This election will be development-oriented and for a corruption-free state and country," Shivakumar told reporters

Hitting out at Bharatiya Janata Party, the state Congress chief alleged that the party is "compromising corruption" in Karnataka.

"This election will be a model because corruption is at its peak. PM Modi encouraged corruption and did not open his mouth. He did not take any action against his party leaders. Only for the sake of the party, he is compromising a lot of corrupt activities. The BJP never gave employment to the youth. Our clean administration will bring our party to power," he added.

Karnataka, which has 224 seats in the Assembly currently has 119 MLAs of the ruling BJP, while Congress has 75 and its ally JD(S) has 28 seats.

The Election Commission on March 29 announced the schedule for the Karnataka Assembly elections. The polling would take place in a single phase on May 10, and the counting of votes will be done on May 13. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Mumbai, April 4: The Maharashtra motor vehicles department (MMVD) has proposed to make some of traffic offences, such as reckless driving and overspeeding, non-bailable, a senior official said on Tuesday.

State Transport Commissioner Vivek Bhimanwar said they have proposed to make certain offences that lead to serious injuries or fatalities non-bailable under the Motor Vehicles Act and have submitted a proposal to the Centre about the same. Offences Registered Against 261 People in One Day for Traffic Violations in Palghar.

Currently, all offences are bailable under the Motor Vehicle Act, he said. Basically, what we proposed is that some offences such as rash driving, which lead to fatalities or serious injuries, overspeeding and reckless driving be made non-bailable, Bhimanwar said.

The senior official was speaking at the launch of a speed observation study report titled "Slow Down" prepared by NGO United Way Mumbai. Bhimanwar further said that the department has taken various measures to reduce road fatalities such as strengthening the licensing system, use of reflecting devices, installing speed limiting devices to vehicles, carrying out automatic vehicle fitness tests and effective electronic as well as physical enforcement.

Since enforcement drives were started on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway and other highways, fatalities had come down by 36 per cent in the last three months on the expressway compared to the corresponding period last year, he said.

Speaking at the event, United Way Mumbai's vice-president (community impact) Ajay Govale said the study was launched with the support of Mumbai police, Road Safety Advocacy Club and IIT Bombay and it was conducted at 20 black spot locations in the city. Maha: More Than 1.48 Lakh Traffic Offences Registered in Raigad in 2022.

The traffic police have accepted most of the observations submitted in the report and also sent them to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation and MMRDA for corrective steps, joint commissioner of police Praveen Padwal said.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Thane, April 4: A 50-year-old woman from Navi Mumbai town in Maharashtra allegedly lost Rs 14.30 lakh to fraudsters after being offered a job online, police said on Tuesday. Hackers Stole Data in Network Security Breach Says Data Storage Leader Western Digital.

Based on the woman's complaint, a case was registered against four persons on Sunday under provisions of the Indian Penal Code and the Information Technology Act, but no arrest has been made so far, an official from NRI Sagari police station said.

On March 23, the victim received a message on WhatsApp from a woman who identified herself as the owner of a social media agency in Mumbai and offered her job as a freelancer. Tamil Nadu: Obscene Text and Voice Messages Sent to Customer Care Numbers in Coimbatore; Case Filed.

The victim was thereafter given some YouTube links, she was asked to like them and was given some money in return, the official said quoting the complaint.

The woman was then made to do some transactions in crypto currency trading and initially given some returns. Later, she stopped getting any money and by that time she had allegedly lost Rs 14.30 lakh, he said. The woman realised she had been cheated and lodged a police complaint, the official said, adding that a probe was on into the case.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Kaushambi (UP), Apr 4 (PTI) A court in this Uttar Pradesh district has sent two men to jail for three years in a nine-year-old case of molestation of a girl.

The court has also imposed a fine of Rs 4,000 each on the convicts, the counsel for the prosecution said on Tuesday.

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The court of Additional Sessions Judge (POCSO Act) Arvind Kumar sentenced Rupchandra Pasi and Awadhesh Pasi to three years of imprisonment on Monday.

Superintendent of Police Brijesh Kumar Srivastava said the case of molestation and assault of the minor victim was registered at the Kokhraj police station on August 31, 2014. Charges against the convicts were also pressed under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

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The convicts are residents of Lalpur, located within the Kokhraj police station area in the district.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
New Delhi, Apr 4 (PTI) The new Foreign Trade Policy (FTP) 2023, announced recently, will help in promoting exports of sectors from e-commerce, batteries for electric vehicles and farm equipment, experts said on Tuesday.

India on March 31 came out with the new policy which aimed at pushing rupee trade, increasing outward shipments to USD 2 trillion by 2030, and promoting e-commerce exports, amid global uncertainties.

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Rumki Majumdar, Economist at Deloitte India, said that the policy emphasises on the manufacturing and export sectors with a long term view.

Sectors such as batteries for EVs, green hydrogen, and garment, amongst others will benefit from the policy, she said, adding that with over 80 per cent of trade being done in the USD, encouraging trade in Indian rupee will be a relief.

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"It will also add to its resilience to external shocks and improve negotiating capabilities in international trade," Majumdar said.

Shashi Mathews, Partner at IndusLaw, said that through the policy, the government's focus is to digitise and re-engineer the processes to make it more business-friendly and less time-consuming.

"Some key focus areas which will reap the benefits are e-commerce, merchanting trade, green technology products like EV, farming equipment, etc," Mathews said.

The new policy would rekindle business sentiment to achieve India's aspirational target of being a global leader in exports, Sanjay Budhia, Chairman of CII National Committee on Exports and Imports, said.

"Reduction of export performance threshold in the new FTP is a welcome step as this will enable more exporters to achieve higher status and reduce transaction cost for exports. The policy has a strong emphasis on reduction of transaction costs, internationalisation of INR and e-commerce exports which could be a game changer to put India at a leadership position in the global exports map," Budhia added.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Shanghai (Gasgoo)- On Apr. 4, XPeng announced the achievement it has so far made under its S4 super-fast charging facility upgrade plan, which was initiated earlier this year. Up until now, it has completed the upgrade of over 160 self-operated supercharging stations.

XPeng launched the S4 super-fast charging station in August last year, which was in-house developed by the company. The maximum output power of the station reaches 480 kW, and the peak output current of a single pile is 670 A.

Photo credit: XPeng

The 160 stations newly upgraded are capable of S4 super-fast charging and can meet the maximum power demands of multiple vehicle models. The upgraded stations have covered 91 cities across China.

In additon, XPeng has already launched a total of 186 S4 super-fast charging stations nationwide.

In 2023, XPeng will continue to expand its S4 super-fast charging network layout, and is expected to build about 500 stations with S4 super-fast charging service capability within the year.

According to the startup's previous plans, XPeng also plans to complete the coverage of the S4 super-fast charging network in key cities and along core expressways across the country this year.

By 2025, the company plans to build another 2,000 super-fast charging stations.

XPeng also announced the addition of 349 third-party stations in the first quarter that are applicable to users who benefit from XPeng's free charging service.

As of April 1, 2023, XPeng has seen over 2,200 charging stations come online, including over 1,000 self-operated charging stations.
Pablo Picasso is famous and infamous for the way he treated his wives, muses and mistresses. He saw them as either "goddesses" or "doormats." Is it time to knock the Spanish art icon off his pedestal?"There are only two types of women  goddesses and doormats," this quote by Pablo Picasso speaks volumes. In fact, most of his relationships with women  11 are known  followed just that pattern: First he would idolize them, then he would treat them like scum. Two of them, Marie-Therese Walter and Jacqueline Roque, committed suicide after Picasso's death.

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This controversial aspect of the legacy of the superstar of 20th century art is increasingly in the spotlight: "I would accuse Picasso of being manipulative, of having a sadistic tendency and of deriving a certain pleasure from torturing women in a certain way by making promises and vows of love to them, even if he didn't mean it," says Ann-Kathrin Hahn, curator at the Picasso Museum in the German city of Munster.

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Women in particular often ask her how a museum can still celebrate such an artist as an idol, without criticism, she says.

Picasso: No scruples, and hungry for power

Picasso was an unscrupulous genius willing to walk over dead bodies for his career, some of his ex-lovers wrote in their memoirs. He had an almost manic way of immortalizing every one of his affairs in his paintings, drawings, sculptures or ceramics. As enthusiastic as he was at the outset, that would cool just as quickly. Attraction and repulsion almost always followed the same pattern.

Fernande Olivier was the first lover to make public the story of her relationship with Picasso in her 1933 book, "Picasso and his Friends." She recounts the years spent together in Paris from 1905-1913. When Picasso and Fernande met, he was an unknown, poor Spanish artist with a strong accent.

Olivier was one of his most important models during the early years of his career. He broke down her image into geometric splinters; nose, eyes and cheeks are hardly recognizable as such in his cubist artworks. Picasso depicted the view from the front and back at the same time.

'Demoiselles d'Avignon': An expression of misogyny

Using Fernande's likeness, Picasso created milestones in the history of modern art.

In real life, he treated her poorly, and even locked her up in their shared studio apartment to prevent her from modeling for other artists. She faced poverty when he left her for his new lover, Eva Gouel.

Rose-Maria Gropp researched Picasso's mistresses' private diaries and unpublished sources for her 2023 book, "Goddesses and Doormats. The Women and Picasso."

The art journalist sees the iconic painting "Demoiselles d'Avignon," a major work from Picasso's Cubist phase, as an expression of his contempt for women.

"After all, it's simply inconceivable to think of a painting as catastrophic as the 1907 "Demoiselles d'Avignon" without aggression on the part of its creator  that's impossible," she told DW, adding that it was just as interesting to see how the five penned-in women in the life-size painting mirrored that destructive energy. Picasso was aware of the power of women, she argues.

Topple Picasso from his pedestal

Picasso despised women, says Abigail Solomon-Godeau, a Paris-based US art scholar. From a feminist point of view, people should distance themselves from this kind of artist, she says, adding that it is time for a new perspective on Picasso.

"What I'm interested in is discourses of art history, discourses about Picasso, discourses about great genius, about masters, because it's the discourse that is open to interpretation for a painting," she told DW. "Our perception of the painting 'Demoiselles D'Avignon' is not the same as in 1907. We look with different eyes now." She adds that nowadays, questions arose that "could not be asked of the work 115 years ago."

Solomon-Godeau would like to knock Picasso right off his pedestal. He was not superhuman, she says, and people shouldn't excuse his toxic masculinity by pointing out his Mediterranean character.

After an initial grace period in the wake of his split from his first wife Olga Khokhlova, with whom he lived from 1917 to 1935, he distorted her image in his paintings into monstrosities. One painting shows Olga asleep on an armchair  a grotesquely deformed figure with a wide-open snout-like mouth.

Women in competition

Francoise Gilot, the mother of Picasso's children Paloma and Claude, wrote about the years 1943 to 1954 in her book "My Life with Picasso."

While Fernande was penniless after the separation, Gilot was financially independent, coming from a well-to-do family. She saw Picasso for what he was and did not mince words: "He always put people around him in competition, one woman against another, one art dealer against another, one friend against another. He was masterful at using one person as a red cloth and the other as a bull. While the bull went for the red cloth, Pablo was able to deliver painful blows," she wrote.

Gilot left Picasso

She was the only woman to leave Picasso, and he never forgave her for it. For a long time he even refused to acknowledge the paternity of their children.

Wherever he could, Picasso humiliated his wives, including in his art.

Dora Maar, who was one of his romantic partners, was considered psychologically unstable and suffered particularly from the artist's hurtful words. She will probably be remembered forever as the "weeping woman," as it is how he depicted her in his paintings.

Attraction and aversion: Picasso's relationships with his lovers almost always followed that pattern, says Munster Picasso Museum director Markus Muller. He and Marilyn McCully published the 2022 book "Picasso. Women of his Life. A Homage."

"Picasso's daughter Maya once told me that Picasso left his wives like someone who goes out one more time in the evening to get cigarettes at the bistro."

His contempt for women was also an expression of the times  and Picasso was not the only one. His friends Apollinaire and Paul Eluard were also erotomaniacs obsessed with sex, Muller says. Picasso's wives were usually younger than 30 at the time they met him, sometimes not even of age.

Picasso, a macho obsessed with success, has been a much-discussed topic in the art world since the #MeToo movement emerged. Today, people would probably describe him as a prime example of toxic masculinity.

This article was originally written in German.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 04, 2023 03:40 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
Rome, Apr 4 (AP) Italy's infrastructure minister sought on Tuesday to rally international interest in Italy's latest attempt to build a bridge linking Sicily to the Italian mainland, a dream since the times of ancient Rome which has been planned, discussed and designed by a succession of Italian governments and never gotten off the ground.

Matteo Salvini vowed that the 10 billion euro project, which was last definitively shelved in 2013, would create 100,000 jobs, accelerate transportation times, develop two long-neglected parts of southern Italy and result in the biggest public works project in Europe this century.

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The Cabinet last month approved a decree reviving the public company that last drafted plans for the bridge, allowing for the resumption of contract relationships with the concession company and general contractors.

In five months, this government has revived what has been a dream of millions of Italians for decades, centuries even, Salvini told the Foreign Press Association.

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The proposed 3.3-kilometer suspension bridge linking Sicily's Messina and Reggio Calabria on the mainland has been an on-again, off-again dream of a succession of conservative governments  Benito Mussolini and Silvio Berlusconi among them  but has never materialised due to concerns about cost, earthquakes, the environmental impact and fear of Mafia involvement.

Salvini, who is transport and infrastructure minister in Premier Giorgia Meloni's hard-right-led government, insisted those concerns were now resolved and that he hoped the bridge could be built by 2030.

Salvini said to date, Italian governments had spent 300 million euros on plans for a bridge to nowhere, and that he was determined to finally produce something to show for it.

The goal is to make sense of this enormous expenditure with the most futuristic and I think also touristically-speaking most admired work of the century.

He said his office had received expressions of interest from construction firms around the world, but that he hoped to make it a heavily Made in Italy project.

As last envisioned, the span would have six road lanes  three in each direction, including an emergency lane  and two rail tracks. Built to withstand a magnitude 7.1-magnitude earthquake, it would have a capacity of 6,000 vehicles per hour and 200 trains per day.

With anticipated rail and road improvements in the notoriously poorly serviced Calabria and Sicily that are also under way, Salvini said the bridge would halve the estimated 12-hour overland travel time to get from Rome to Messina and would actually be a net-positive for the environment because it would reduce polluting ferry traffic.

He vowed that sufficient safeguards were in place to ensure the necessary antibodies to rebuff Mafia infiltration in public works contracts, and that Italy now had a chance to make use of European pandemic-recovery funds to develop surrounding road and rail infrastructure. (AP)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Hartford (US), Apr 4 (AP) Veterans' advocacy groups sued the US Department of Defense on Monday seeking records of toxic conditions at an air base in Uzbekistan blamed for causing cancer and other illnesses among American troops who served there in support of the war in Afghanistan.

The lawsuit filed in federal court in Connecticut accuses military officials of withholding information about hazardous materials  including uranium, chemical weapons and asbestos  that were on the Karshi-Khanabad Air Base, known as K2, during U.S. operations there from 2001 to 2005.

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The contaminants included pools of black goo that caused military service members to pass out, according to the lawsuit. At least around 15,800 troops served at the base, and personnel there became ill and died at higher-than-usual rates, the lawsuit says.

The legal filing seeks information about the toxic substances and troop exposures so that sickened veterans can obtain accurate medical diagnoses and treatment and healthy veterans can take any preventative actions available.

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A spokesperson said Monday that the Pentagon could not comment because the issue involves litigation.

The lawsuit was announced during a news conference in New Haven at the Connecticut Veterans Legal Center, one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit. Also suing is the Stronghold Freedom Foundation, a nonprofit group that includes K2 veterans and relatives. The groups are represented by the Veterans Legal Services Clinic at Yale Law School.

These K2 victims have been living with this truth inside their bodies for over 20 years, and many died as that toxic truth took them to their early graves, said Kim Brooks, a board member for the Stronghold Freedom Foundation. Yet we still do not know exactly what lurked in the air and water and the earth at K2. We do not know because the government refuses to release the records of the toxins found at K2.

Brooks' husband, Army Lt. Col. Timothy Brooks, from New Milford, Connecticut, died of a brain tumor in 2004, less than three years after serving at K2. He was 36.

She and others at the news conference, including U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat, called on the federal government to release information on the K2 contamination. The foundation said the Defense Department has not fully responded to document requests under the federal Freedom of Information Act.

Years before the U.S. military used Karshi-Khanabad to support missions into Afghanistan following the 9/11 attacks, the base was occupied by the former Soviet military. U.S. officials said Soviet troops left behind contamination from a number of hazardous materials, including low-level radioactive depleted uranium from destroying missiles at the site as well as jet fuel.

Matt Erpelding, a K2 veteran and executive director of the Stronghold Freedom Foundation, said a 2015 preliminary study by the Army found that K2 veterans were five times more likely to develop cancer, compared with troops who deployed to other places. He said military personnel began showing an array of unexplained health conditions after arriving at the base.

Military officials have cautioned that the 2015 study is limited and not a definitive link between K2 service and illness. The Defense and Veterans Affairs departments say they are doing a more in-depth study.

No one has exact numbers on how many K2 veterans developed cancer and how many died from it.

Erpelding said at least 75 people who were at K2 and were members of the Stronghold Freedom Foundation died from 2012 to 2020, and another 10 died in the past eight months. In a 2020 survey of about 2,000 K2 veterans by the foundation, nearly 1,900 illnesses were reported, including 491 incidents of cancer. Some of those surveyed reported multiple illnesses.

Last year, President Joe Biden and Congress approved the PACT Act, which expanded VA health care and benefits for veterans exposed to burn pits and other toxic substances, including military members who served in Uzbekistan. A number of K2 veterans had said the VA wasn't covering their medical costs.

Blumenthal called on the Defense Department to release the information that the lawsuit plaintiffs are seeking.

This document, this complaint, is a powerful story, a really compelling story, of our government's neglect and disregard of our veterans, he said at the news conference. The United States government has a responsibility to provide information to these veterans so they can get the medical care that they need. That's a basic, fundamental right. (AP)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Kyiv [Ukraine], April 4 (ANI): Ukraine has received the first tranche of USD 2.7 billion from a new International Monetary Fund (IMF) EEF program, CNN reported quoting Ukrainian Finance Minister Sergii Marchenko.

"Today Ukraine received the first $2,7bn tranche under the new @IMFNews EFF program. Grateful to our partners for supporting Ukraine on the way to victory," Sergii Marchenko said in a tweet

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On Friday, the IMF approved a new four-year extended arrangement under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) of around USD 15.6 billion as part of a USD 115 billion total support package for Ukraine.

The goal of the program announced by IMF is to "anchor policies that sustain fiscal, external, price and financial stability and support economic recovery, while enhancing governance and strengthening institutions to promote long-term growth in the context of post-war reconstruction and Ukraine's path to EU accession," as per the CNN report. The program also helps Ukraine to have "more ambitious structural reforms."

Also Read | Pakistan Makes Inadequate Investments in Human Capital, Says World Bank.

On March 31, IMF in a statement said, "The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) approved today a 48-month extended arrangement under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) with an amount of SDR 11.6 billion (577 per cent of quota or about US$15.6 billion). This arrangement is part of a US$115 billion total support package for Ukraine. The Executive Board's decision allows the immediate disbursement of around SDR 2 billion (or US$2.7 billion)."

Meanwhile, Norway and Denmark will cooperate to provide 8,000 artillery rounds to Ukraine, CNN reported citing the Norwegian government's statement. The Norwegian government in a statement said, "Norway donates the shells, while Denmark donates the associated fuzes, propellant bags and primer cartridges." This comes amid the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed gratitude to Danish and Denmark governments for their announcement. He tweeted, "Grateful to the Danish and Norwegian governments led by @Statsmin and @jonasgahrstore for the joint initiative to transfer an additional batch of artillery shells to Ukraine. Timely military assistance from partners is the key to bringing our joint victory closer!"

Meanwhile, Poland has delivered "several" MiG-29 fighter aircraft to Ukraine, the Polish President's foreign affairs adviser Marcin Przydacz said in an interview with Polish radio RMF FM, CNN reported. Earlier on March 16, Poland said that Warsaw will send the aircraft, which were about to be decommissioned by the country's air force.

At that time, Polish President Andrzej Duda said that Poland is still using Mi-29 aircraft in the defence of Polish airspace, as per the CNN report. Duda said that Poland can announce with confidence that Warsaw will send MiGs to Ukraine. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
London [UK], April 4 (ANI): The World Sindhi Congress (WSC) has urged the United Nations and the international community to press upon Pakistan for the release of all missing people in Pakistan, including Hidayat Lohar.

The WSC also said in a Facebook post that it "strongly condemns" the forced abduction of Hidayat Lohar.

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According to WSC, Hidayat Lohar was abducted previously and remained missing for over two years. The WSC noted that Lohar was produced under false cases and later court declared him innocent. It said that the abduction of Lohar reflects Pakistan's desperation to create an atmosphere of utmost fear in Sindh for the rights movement.

"World Sindhi Congress (WSC) is deeply concerned and strongly condemns the forced abductions of Hidayat Lohar. He was abducted previously and remained missing for more than two years, from April 17 to May 19, 2017, when he was produced under false cases and later released by the court as innocent," World Sindhi Congress said in the Facebook post.

Also Read | Pakistan Makes Inadequate Investments in Human Capital, Says World Bank.

It further said, "Today's abduction of Mr. Lohar shows that the state of Pakistan is desperate to create an atmosphere of utmost fear in Sindh for rights movement. We are seriously concerned about his life and wellbeing. We strongly demand from the Pakistan government to immediately release him. WSC requests the UN and the International Community to press upon Pakistan for his release and release of all missing persons in Pakistan."

In March, World Sindhi Congress (WSC) held a protest in front of the United Nations Human Rights Commission in Geneva during its 52nd Session. The protest was held against the ongoing human rights atrocities perpetrated by Pakistan against the Sindhi people.

Exiled leaders of Balochistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and human rights defenders from various countries of Europe joined the protest. The speakers said that Pakistan continues to commit heinous crimes against Sindhi, Baloch, Kashmiri and Pashtun people through enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, persecution of religious minorities, looting and occupation of their resources.

WSC representatives said the human rights violations in Sindh are increasing by the day and no recourse to justice is available. During the 52nd session of the UNHRC in Geneva, the WSC delegation presented the case of Sindhi people on enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, criminal negligence of the Pakistan government during rains and floods, discrimination and suppression of Sindhi language, persecution of Sindhi Hindus and occupation of lands and resources of Sindhi people.

Earlier in February, the World Sindhi Congress held a large protest in the United Kingdom against the enforced disappearances of Sindhi and Baloch, including Majid Haidari, Irfan Zharani, Ayub Kandhara, Insaf Dayo, Kashif Taghar, Sohail Raza Bhatti, according to the World Sindhi Congress' post on Facebook.

The WSC on Sunday demanded the Pakistan government stop the enforced disappearances and release all the missing. The WSC delegation also submitted a petition to the British Prime Minister requesting him to pressurise Pakistan to stop enforced appearances of Sindhi people and release all the missing persons, according to the Facebook post. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Bengaluru, April 4: Former Congress MLA Nandihalli Halappa and noted ophthalmologist Dr Appaji Gowda, who is aspiring for a ticket to contest the upcoming election from Kanakapura constituency against Congress state president D K Shivakumar, joined the BJP on Tuesday.

Welcoming their entry into the BJP, state unit president Nalin Kumar Kateel said the party got a mighty support in the newly carved Vijayanagara district with the arrival of Halappa. Speaking about Gowda, who is also a former Vokkaliga Sangha president, Kateel said the party will be immensely benefited in the old Mysuru region. Karnataka Assembly Elections 2023 Date and Full Schedule: Polling for 224 Seats To Be Held on May 10, Counting and Results on May 13.

According to BJP sources, Halappa had started his political career from Congress and became an MLA from Hadagali constituency in Vijayanagara district. P T Parameshwara Naik of the Congress was elected as MLA from the constituency in 2018 assembly election. Halappa is keen on contesting on the BJP ticket from Hadagali.

Speaking to reporters after joining the ruling party, Gowda said times have changed now and he has the confidence to contest against Shivakumar.

"Once upon a time, Congress was all over the country, which has changed now. We will present the works and achievements of the BJP before the electorate. They will decide," Gowda said. Karnataka Assembly Elections 2023: Candidates Now Need To Account for Spending on Social Media Campaigns.

He added that the idea behind contesting from the constituency was to "bring the people of Kanakapura to the mainstream." Voting for the state assembly polls will be held on May 10 and counting of votes is scheduled for May 13.
New Delhi, April 3: Online food delivery platform Swiggy on Monday confirmed that its Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Dale Vaz has decided to move on to pursue his entrepreneurial venture. In a statement to IANS, Swiggy said that Vaz will continue in his role till May and will be associated with the company for an extended period in an advisory role.

"Madhusudan Rao will take over as CTO. Madhu has been with Swiggy for over four years and has decades of tech leadership experience with a proven track record of understanding what our customers need," the company said.

Rao is currently the senior vice president of ConsumerTech and FinTech (Engg and Product). Last week, Karthik Gurumurthy, SVP, Swiggy Instamart, decided to move on. According to the company, Gurumurthy will go on a sabbatical and "join us back in three months".

Earlier last month, Swiggy sold its Cloud Kitchen business to Kitchens@, a leading player in the rapidly growing cloud kitchen industry, for an undisclosed sum, as the growth rate for food delivery slows down.

The online food aggregator will become a stakeholder in Kitchens@ through the all-equity transaction of Swiggy's Access. Swiggy pioneered the Cloud Kitchen model with the launch of Swiggy Access in 2017. To cut costs, Swiggy in January said it was laying off 380 employees.

"The growth rate for food delivery has slowed down versus our projections (along with many peer companies globally). This meant that we needed to revisit our overall indirect costs to hit our profitability goals," Sriharsha Majety, Co-founder and CEO, said in an email to employees. US Investors Slash Byju's and Swiggy Valuation.

The company also said that it will be shutting down its meat marketplace very soon as the company was not able to achieve product-market fit despite their iterations. The online food delivery platform's losses doubled to Rs 3,629 crore in FY22 compared to Rs 1,617 crore in the last fiscal year.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 04, 2023 08:58 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
TIMES STAFF WRITER

On the evening of March 21, 1997, a 13-year-old African American boy pedaled his bike west, beneath the Dan Ryan Expressway and across an invisible line that separates the largely black neighborhood of Bronzeville from largely white Bridgeport. For his transgression, three white teens kicked Lenard Clark into a coma.

The crime was brutal enough to make national headlines but not unusual enough to keep it there. After all, the citys recent catalog of sensational crimes then included two older boys dropping a 5-year-old out a 14th-floor window and an 11-year-old murder suspect executed by his own friends.

But as the story of Lenard Clark slipped to the inside pages of the local papers, the case began to spin into a tale bizarre by any standard.

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First, the key witness vanished.

A second was shot to death.

A third gave police a detailed account of the attack but told a jury more than 125 times that he forgot what happened.

And the judge in the case was put under 24-hour guard after a Mafia informant told the FBI there was a contract out on his life. Clarks main assailant was the son of a reputed mob boss.

Along the way, the case has been punctuated by unlikely spectacles: Mafia figures socializing with black street gang members, the prime defendant spending time with the daughter of a well-known black minister, Clarks mother pleading for leniency for the attackers even as her son was relearning to walk.

While initially uniting this racially divided city in outrage, the convoluted case has further stressed relations both between racial communities and within them. It has confounded the judicial system, stumped law enforcement and tried nearly everyones sense of justice.

The story begins on the near-South Side of Chicago, on the border between Bronzeville and Bridgeport--communities separated physically by the 12-lane Dan Ryan Expressway and psychologically by a broad racial divide.

Bronzeville is largely poor, the remnant of a once-thriving neighborhood laid low by drugs, gangs and despair. Bridgeport is a gritty, middle-class community of Italian, Irish and Polish descendants. Home to the Daley political family and the legendary Chicago Democratic machine, it is also a center of mob activity.

Racial tension between the neighborhoods stretches back generations but, until the beating, had begun to ease.

But Clark wasnt thinking about all that while riding his bike. He was thinking about his tire. It was low on air.

A service station in Bronzeville offered air for 25 cents. One in Bridgeport had air free. Clark and two friends headed for the free air, police say.

At the same time, 18-year-old Frankie Caruso--whose father is a longtime boss in the mob crew that oversees Bridgeport, according to federal court documents and local authorities--was headed to a party with several friends.

Im gonna beat the ---- out of [them], Caruso said, according to his friends police statements. They shouldnt be in this neighborhood.

Caruso and two buddies took after the boys. Clarks friends escaped, but Caruso knocked Clark from his bike. Then the attackers chased a crying Clark into an alley, where they slammed his head against a wall and kicked him into a coma.

After the Talking, Everybody Clams Up

Several witnesses told police that Caruso, Victor Jasas and Michael Kwidzinski all bragged about the beating. But only two people saw the attack that left Clark in a coma for two weeks and caused the brain injuries from which he only recently has recovered.

One was a neighbor who could not identify the assailants. The other, prosecutors said, was Carusos friend, Richard DeSantis. DeSantis, police learned, was also the son of a reputed mob figure.

Carusos friends gave police statements two days after the beating. It was all the information prosecutors would get.

In a case like this, somebodys dad talks to you, and somebodys lawyer talks to you, and pretty soon everybody clams up, said Wayne Johnson of the Chicago Crime Commission, a nonprofit group that keeps tabs on the local mob.

Caruso, Jasas and Kwidzinski were each indicted on two counts of committing a hate crime and one count of attempted murder and aggravated battery.

The trials were set to begin in April 1998 when DeSantis disappeared. So Judge Daniel Locallo postponed proceedings while federal agents looked for DeSantis.

Meanwhile, the prosecutions second key witness was busy enjoying his summer vacation. On May 15, Michael Cutler went out with some friends and, shortly after midnight, pulled up to a curb on Chicagos West Side to drop them off. As they left the car, two men approached Cutler, announced a robbery and shot him once in the chest.

Police said the slaying appears to be unrelated to the beating. Others--including the judge, prosecutors and the Cook County states attorney--have expressed doubt, noting that the gunmen did not rob Cutlers friends but took the time to pull a relatively inexpensive class ring from his finger, a traditional way mob hit men prove theyve gotten their target.

With the prosecutions case teetering, the Caruso family mounted a public relations campaign. Frank Toots Caruso Sr. preached racial tolerance on local cable TV programs. He and his wife, Sherry, began attending black churches and making appearances with African American ministers, especially the influential Rev. Herbert B. Martin, an advisor to the late Chicago Mayor Harold Washington and former director of the South Side branch of the NAACP. Chicago magazine published a story headlined Frankie & ZeZe, detailing a budding friendship between Frankie Caruso, who was out on bond, and Martins teenage daughter.

Some Bronzeville residents were incensed that prominent African Americans were socializing with the Carusos and accused Martin and other black leaders of taking Mafia payoffs.

There is not one scintilla of truth to that, said Martin, who added that he had known the Carusos for a decade. I felt that the best thing I could do was bring people from both sides . . . to church to begin the healing. The elder Caruso did not return requests for comment.

On Sept. 10, with police on heightened alert, Frankie Caruso went on trial.

One witness was dead. One was missing. And a third, Tom Simpson, told the jury more than 125 times that he didnt recall what happened. Still, Caruso was convicted of aggravated battery and committing a hate crime. He was acquitted of attempted murder. On Oct. 15, Locallo sentenced him to eight years in prison.

But without DeSantis testimony, prosecutors felt they might lose the case against Jasas and Kwidzinski.

Ironically, the disappearances and conspiracy of silence helped Jasas and Kwidzinski and didnt help Caruso--if thats what they were supposed to do, prosecutor Robert Berlin said.

So prosecutors offered Jasas and Kwidzinski plea bargains. While Caruso headed off to prison, his friends pleaded guilty to battery and got 300 hours of community service and probation.

The following day, Clarks mother, Wanda McMurray, joined Carusos parents at Martins church and suggested to reporters that Carusos sentence might have been too harsh. [Prosecutors] have been acting like it was just all [Carusos] fault, and thats not true, McMurray said. He never [pleaded guilty], but the other two guys pleaded, saying that they did it. Numerous attempts to reach McMurray also were unsuccessful.

The threats against Locallo began two days before a hearing in which Carusos attorneys would ask that his prison time be reduced. It came in the form of a phone call from a Caruso supporter. He said, Oh, if you could find it in your heart to reduce the sentence, that would show everybody that youre a compassionate judge,  Locallo recalled.  And frankly, if not, I fear for your safety. 

At the hearing, the Caruso family was joined in its plea for leniency by Martin, Clarks mother and Wallace Gator Bradley, an ex-Gangster Disciples street gang member who was then running for a seat on Chicagos Board of Aldermen.

When the judge denied the request, the gallery erupted. Within days, law enforcement sources said, Caruso backers, including some African Americans, organized an unsuccessful campaign to unseat Locallo in the Nov. 3 elections.

On Nov. 20, seven months after he disappeared, DeSantis turned himself in. His attorney, James Cutrone, would say only that he had been coerced by police into implicating his friends.

Judge Is Warned of Contract on His Life

And with that, a case that initially had seemed as simple as it was senseless finally appeared to be calming down.

Until two men in dark suits knocked on Locallos door in January. They were FBI. And they had come to pass on a bit of advice. The judge should get some bodyguards, a mob informant had suggested. A contract was out on his life.

Frank Caruso Sr. vehemently denied any knowledge of the threat. And some longtime mob-watchers say the alleged contract didnt seem to be the work of any serious mobster--that whacking a judge would be very bad for business, in the words of one law enforcement official.

After three weeks, the watch was lifted. Lets just say that the FBI visited some people and said [a hit] wouldnt be such a good idea, Locallo explained.

More than two years after the beating, Clark and his mother have moved to a slightly more integrated Chicago neighborhood. He wants to be a rap star. Caruso is in prison. Jasas and Kwidzinski are on probation.

Legally, the only loose end is the case against DeSantis, who faces felony charges of fleeing to avoid testifying. Socially, the loose ends are many. And the expressway has perhaps never seemed wider. I really havent seen an issue that has divided the communities more, said Melody Spann-Cooper, general manager of WVON radio, which caters to black listeners. Its all just heartbreaking.
From Times Staff and Wire Reports

Gen. Tikka Khan, 87, the former chief of the Pakistani army who was once called the Butcher of Bengal for his ruthless crackdown on separatists in what became Bangladesh, died Thursday in Islamabad after a lengthy illness.

Khan was military commander in East Pakistan in 1971, when military ruler Gen. Yahya Khan ordered a crackdown against ethnic Bengali separatists led by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

Khans tactics won him the nickname Butcher of Bengal among Bengalis before he was removed from his command a few months later.

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India came to the defense of the Bengali separatists, and war broke out Dec. 3, 1971. Pakistan surrendered in the east 12 days later, and Rahman became the first prime minister of an independent Bangladesh, as East Pakistan was renamed.

After Pakistans defeat, Khan was appointed army chief and defense minister by Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. In the late 1980s, Khan served as secretary general of Benazir Bhuttos Pakistan Peoples Party.
Times Staff Writer

Frank B. Gibney, a journalist, editor and businessman who played an influential role in post-World War II America as an interpreter of Japan and its culture, died April 9 of heart failure at his Santa Barbara home. He was 81.

Gibney was a member of the Navys elite corps of Japanese translators, interpreters and code breakers who were vital to efforts to end World War II. He interrogated prisoners at Pearl Harbor and other Pacific battle areas and served as a combat translator who helped to capture Col. Hiromichi Yahara, the chief Japanese military strategist on Okinawa.

He went on to become a correspondent and editor at Time and Newsweek and an editorial writer at Life magazine. He wrote 11 books, including Five Gentlemen of Japan, which gave many Americans their first real understanding of a country that was widely viewed as dangerous and mysterious.

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Japan was the enemy. He made them into people, said Ezra Vogel, an Asia scholar at Harvard University who knew Gibney for 40 years.

After World War II, Frank was one of the first to clearly describe Japan to Americans, said Douglas G. Erber, president of the Japan America Society of Southern California, who considered Gibney to be Americas greatest interpreter of Japan and the Japanese.

Frank was unique, Erber added, because he never shied from criticizing Japan, even if his criticism ruffled feathers among Japanese government and corporate leaders, most of whom were his close personal friends.

Gibney also was founder and editor of the Japanese and Chinese editions of Encyclopaedia Britannica. His 1992 book The Pacific Century provided the blueprint for an award-winning 10-part PBS series broadcast in 1993.

He also wrote books about white-collar crime, Poland and the U.S. space program. He gained some notoriety in 1965 as editor of The Penkovsky Papers, by Oleg V. Penkovsky, a former Soviet KGB agent executed in 1963 for passing secrets to the West. The books authenticity was later questioned by Kremlin officials as well as some Western experts after Gibney acknowledged that the CIA provided some of the source materials.

In the days before he died, he was dictating sections of his nearly completed history of the Encyclopaedia Britannica for Viking.

The extraordinary thing about Frank is that he wrote a great book in the early 1950s and was still going strong 50 years later, Vogel said. He had a deep perspective that came from studying history and business and politics and was able to communicate it well to the public. I dont know anyone with the same combination of energy, upbeat attitude and humor [that] Frank had.

The son of a restaurateur, Gibney was born in Scranton, Pa., and grew up in New York City. He excelled in debate and won a four-year scholarship to Yale University, where he majored in the classics.

In 1942 he became one of 1,000 men and women plucked by the Navy from Harvard, Yale and other elite institutions to learn Japanese in a crash course at the University of Colorado. That group would produce what Pomona College professor David Arase described as the godfathers of Japan studies in the U.S., and included Donald Keene, an internationally renowned translator of Japanese literature, and Robert Scalapino, who founded the University of Californias Institute of East Asian Studies.

Gibney had little interest in Japan before Pearl Harbor. It was one of those cases where the Navy said, Oh, you study Greek? Thats excellent, you must be good at languages,  said Gibneys son, James, an editor at the New York Times.

Gibney went on to spend most of the war interrogating Japanese prisoners. That experience created the skills and talents he used the rest of his life, said Chalmers Johnson, a longtime friend who taught Asian politics for 30 years at UC Berkeley and UC San Diego.

He called Gibney one of the last of the great Japanese linguists trained during World War II by the U.S. Navy.

A wartime prison camp would seem an odd spot to learn a strange countrys culture, particularly when its armies were still in the process of writing one of the bloodiest and most brutal chapters in modern history. But that is where I came to know the Japanese, Gibney wrote in a 1997 article for Time magazine in Asia.

He worked for two years at a POW camp across from Pearl Harbor called Iroquois Point. In addition to asking prisoners about war industries, regime leaders and military strategy, he and the other interrogators spent time with their captives discussing personal histories and attitudes toward the war.

In a 2004 article for The Times, Gibney described an almost collegial relationship between the prisoners and their interrogators.

One day, when a senior intelligence officer called the camp, he was told that the executive officer was in Honolulu checking Japanese books out of the library for prisoners and that the duty officer was playing volleyball in Pen Eight. The caller then demanded to know to whom he was speaking.  This is Maj. Yoshida, came the heavily accented answer, Gibney recounted. Thereafter, regulations on POWs movements were tightened a bit.

Gibney kept in touch with some of the prisoners after the war through reunions at a sushi restaurant operated by one of them.

Years later, he edited and wrote an introduction and commentary for The Battle for Okinawa, a 1995 book by Yahara, the senior Japanese staff officer in charge of what became one of the bloodiest encounters in the Pacific during the war.

Gibney remained in Japan as part of the U.S. occupation.

I was a small human bridge between Gen. Douglas MacArthurs conquering army and a puzzled but receptive Japanese public, he wrote years later.

In 1947, Gibney joined the staff of Time as a foreign correspondent and later headed Time-Lifes Tokyo bureau.

He covered the Korean War and was one of the first Americans wounded, when a blast on a bridge near Seoul shattered the windshield of the jeep he was riding in.

In 1953 he published his first book on Asia, Five Gentlemen of Japan. In profiling a farmer, a former vice admiral in the Imperial Navy, a newspaperman, the foreman of a steel mill and Emperor Hirohito, Gibney offered an intimate glimpse into postwar Japanese society.

He knew each of his subjects personally, except for Hirohito, and portrayed even the emperor in familiar terms: a slightly stooped, mustached gentleman of a middle age, wearing a crushed brown hat.

Elizabeth Gray Vining, former tutor of Crown Prince Akihito, Hirohitos son, praised the books keen and careful analysis in a New York Times review. Their portraits are drawn with sympathy and insight; none of them is caricature, she said of Gibneys profiles of the five men.

In the early 1960s, Gibney worked for what he would jokingly refer to as the four Hs -- Hugh Hefner and Huntington Hartford.

He was briefly editor of a Hefner venture called Show Business Illustrated but left when he realized that Hefner, the publisher of Playboy, wanted more show than business in the magazine.

Gibney went on to become publisher of Show magazine, a sophisticated if short-lived Hartford-backed publication that touted among its successes an undercover expose of the Playboy bunny world by Gloria Steinem.

In 1966 he became president of Encyclopaedia Britannica in Japan and completed the Japanese edition in 1975.

The following year the Japanese government awarded him the Order of the Rising Sun, Third Class, for his work in cultural affairs.

A few years later, it bestowed the Order of the Sacred Treasure, Second Class.

He was vice chairman of Britannicas board of editors when the Chinese edition was unveiled in 1986. The first non-Marxist reference work allowed in China, it sold 50,000 copies in its first month.

Both the Japanese and Chinese editions played a major role in the days before [the Internet] in bringing Western information to both countries, Harvards Vogel said.

In addition to his son, Gibney is survived by his third wife, Hiroko Doi, of Santa Barbara, and six children: Alex Gibney of Summit, N.J.; Margot Gibney of Oakland; Frank Gibney Jr. of Brooklyn, N.Y.; Thomas Gibney of Placerville, Calif.; and Elise Gibney and Josephine Gibney of Los Angeles.
On Monday, MLB Network announced that Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Alek Manoah would serve as a weekly correspondent on MLB Central, the networks long-running morning show.

Manoah made his debut on Tuesdays edition of the show.

"That bulldog comes out because I hate losing."@Alek_Manoah6 made his first appearance as a weekly #MLBCentral correspondent and discussed his fearless attitude on the mound, navigating the tough lineups of the AL East and more!@markdero7 | @RoFlo | @BlueJays pic.twitter.com/ywko7jjn0V  MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) April 4, 2023

Per the release, this is the first time an active MLB player will serve as a regular correspondent on an MLB Network program.

MLB Central cohost Robert Flores told AA Its a unique chance to get a perspective on a regular basis from an active player and its something we havent done. He can weigh in on the Blue Jays and his performance, but other topics around the league. Just having him on today, you can tell hes an engaging personality and the perfect fit for this type of opportunity.

In my opinion, getting more active players contributing regularly to any sort of studio programming can only be a good thing. The worst outcome is that theyre not interesting, like many retired players and members of the media often on these studio shows.

The 25-year old Manoah finished third in AL Cy Young award voting last season with the Blue Jays.

[MLB Network]
Michelle Alexander

Civil rights lawyer and scholar

Age: 47

Columbus, Ohio

It took a costly social battle for the civil rights movement to dismantle Jim Crow in the South, an unjust system in which African Americans were denied the right to vote and to share lunch counters and classrooms with white residents. But decades later, in 2010, Alexanders book, The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness, argued that one system of racial oppression had been replaced by another: the nations jails and prisons, filled disproportionately with black men, branded with criminal records they would never be able to erase.

The New Jim Crow has since become a touchstone for a new generation of civil rights activists, with Cornel West calling it the secular bible of a new movement. Ta-Nehisi Coates, launching a public read-along of the book on his blog at the Atlantic last year, wrote, I cant remember a book thats brought more attention to a particular societal injustice in recent years. Alexanders work received the loudest shout-out of all when musician John Legend quoted her during an acceptance speech at the Oscars, telling a global audience, There are more black men under correctional control today  meaning prison, probation and parole  than were under slavery in 1850.

An awakening has finally begun, evidenced by the uprisings in Ferguson and the protests that have swept the nation in recent months reflecting decades of hurt, frustration and justified rage, said Alexander, a professor at Ohio State University. I think it's fair to say that the future of American democracy itself may rest on whether we're going to continue to dispose of poor people and people of color en masse, or treat them as though their lives actually matter.
The author Mark Twain was a lot of things to a lot of people: cigar-chomping social critic, curmudgeon, knee-slapping loose cannon who would have frowned at -- and mocked -- the phrase politically correct.

A decision by a Nevada state panel sheds light on another descriptor for the American man of letters held by many, even today: racist.

The Nevada State Board on Geographic Names has voted to delay a decision on whether to name a cove on Lake Tahoe for Samuel Clemens, Twains real name, after a local tribe complained that the author held demeaning views of Native Americans.

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The panel put off the vote until at least September after a member of the Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California, whose ancestral land includes Lake Tahoe -- a name derived from the Washoe word da ow for lake -- object to the naming on behalf of the tribe.

Darrel Cruz, the tribes cultural resource director, told the Los Angeles Times that he sent a letter to the board and then showed up on the night of the vote.

I am obligated to the tribal membership, he said.

Cruz said he did some Internet research on Twain after learning of the bid to rename a scenic cove on the lakes northeast shore near Incline Village, Nev., where some scholars believe Twain camped and accidentally started a fire as he cooked dinner in September 1861. Others say the incident happened on the California side of the lake.

I read some of his book The Noble Red Man, Cruz said. Thats where you can read some of his hard words on Native American people.

Cruz told The Times he also objected to a Twain quote about Lake Tahoe in which he refers to the Washoe as the digger tribe. The phrase applied to some area tribes that dug roots for food.

He was opposed to naming the lake Tahoe, Cruz said. And then turn around and include his name on the lake that was named for Native Americans just didnt make sense.

Jeff Kintop, chairman of the states naming board, told The Times that postponing the vote included a debate about the politics of naming present-day sites after people whose views have come to be considered controversial.

We talked about whether we should change the places named after Washington and Jefferson, who were slave-holders, he said. One member wanted to know how long it took before a harsh judgment on any historical figure starts to lessen.

Supporters of the name change say the move is a small gesture to honor one of the nations best-loved authors whose book, Roughing It, helped popularize Nevada. In 2011, Twains legacy received a similar knock when the U.S. Board on Geographic Names rejected a similar name change after officials decided Twains influence on the Sierra Nevada lake was minimal and that the honor should go to another historical figure.

Kintop said the state board was ready to approve the new name before hearing from Cruz. He said the panel is seeking further clarification from several historians before the next vote.

Obviously, Mark Twain was a man of his times who reported on things as he saw them, he said. He ridiculed and made fun of everybody, indiscriminate in his criticisms. I mean, he wrote these things 150 years ago, at a time when this was how most people thought.

Twain wrote to be funny and controversial, like the comedians of our era who routinely insult audiences. He was the Lenny Bruce of his day.

Cruz didnt buy that argument.

That doesnt make his words hurt any less, he said. That doesnt make it right.

James Hulse, a history professor emeritus at the University of Nevada, Reno, said he has been contacted by several members of the state naming board for guidance.

It seems reasonable to name something up there after Twain -- he made so many lovely descriptions of the place, Hulse, 84, said. The Washoe may think he was racist, but so was everyone else at that time.

He called Twain a misanthrope who cultivated his insults as part of his character.

You can call Huckleberry Finn a racist book, he added, but you can also see it as one of the noble tributes to a runaway slave as youre ever going to find.
Lucca Poni, 23, hoped to finish school but she was married in exchange for 10 cows.

When the girl was 16, her uncle told her he was taking her to the family village.

Excited about the trip, she packed the few things she had. She thought the plan was to meet relatives and see the birthplace of her father, who died when she was 10.

She didnt understand yet that in South Sudan, being taken to village has another meaning: She would be married off, against her will, to an elderly man she had never met. She would be the newest of his six wives.

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My uncle needed cows, she explained.

In many communities here in one of the worlds poorest nations, daughters grow up with a single purpose: to be sold into marriage for cows to expand a familys herd  the closest thing most people have to a bank account  and to buy wives for her brothers.

Because it makes financial sense to marry off a daughter quickly, the brides are often children.

Independence for South Sudan in 2011 brought widespread hopes for prosperity, an end to years of civil war and rudimentary rights for the new countrys 11.3 million people. But little of that has materialized.

A wave of killings and sexual assaults has accompanied a new outbreak of fighting, and much of the nation remains trapped in deep poverty. Though South Sudans assembly even before independence passed a law in 2008 limiting the marriage age to 18 and over, it is rarely enforced, particularly in rural areas.

Across much of the troubled country, young girls remain as much a commodity for marriage as they ever were.

NEWSLETTER: Get the days top headlines from Times Editor Davan Maharaj >>

Roughly 17% of girls marry before they are 15, and nearly a quarter marry between 15 and 17, according to the governments last survey in 2010. The vast majority of those marriages are thought to be families trading their daughters for cows.

The bride price is typically 20 to 40 cows, each worth up to $500. A girl who is seen as beautiful, fertile and of high social rank can bring as many as 200 cows.

The United Nations, which says the country has the worlds fifth highest prevalence of child marriage, has attacked the practice as a violation of human rights, a serious impediment to literacy and a major cause of persistent poverty.

But attempts to wipe it out have faltered because under customary law here and elsewhere in Africa, women have fewer rights than men. The eight-year-old marriage law is resisted in many communities because it demands that impoverished rural families put at risk their biggest potential commodity: their daughters.

Once a girl is taken to village, there is no way back. Schools empty. Friends and sisters are suddenly gone. Some remain, kicking the dusty path to school, dreams still singing in their heads.

Some girls go meekly, melting away to a distant village to haul water and firewood, sweep, clean, wash, cook, give birth, work a lifetime.

Not Agnes Keji.

He slashed me, and he cut my throat, Agnes Keji said of her brother after she refused to be married off to a 70-year-old man. (Sara Hylton / For The Times )

When her father informed her that she would be married off to a man who was about 70, she explained, I refused. She had fallen in love with another man when she was 13  but the romance was unthinkable because he had no cows.

If you want to kill me, kill me now because I dont want to go to a man I dont know, she said she told her father.

So he beat her. Her brother did worse: He needed the cows she would bring so he could marry the girl he wanted. So he took his machete, Keji said, and found her in the village square.

He slashed me, and he cut my throat, she said. The cut was deep, and I was taken to hospital.

Neither her brother nor father could be reached for an interview. The left side of her neck bears a scar about an inch long.

Keji tried running away to the capital of Juba, 53 miles and a three-hour drive on cratered dirt roads from her town of Terekeka on the Nile River. But her brother caught her and brought her back, she said.

Now 19, she was expecting to soon be married to the older man: I dont have power. Im finished. Theres nowhere to go. Theres nothing I can do.

::

To understand how women are valued here, consider the story of a 12-year-old girl killed by a hippo in a swamp a few years back. Thomas Buom, a 40-year-old canoe operator in the eastern town of Nyal, came upon the scene two hours after the attack.

We were shocked, and we couldnt even talk, he recalled.

The tragedy of her death, however, wasnt the mere fact that a young girl had died. It was a sad situation, Buom explained, because we lost that girl who would have been married off for cattle just three years later.

The price of a daughter in cows is determined in a negotiation between her father and would-be husband. Many daughters are married off to elderly suitors because those men tend to have the most cows.

Once girls are married, they are expected to work and bear many children, especially daughters, who are seen as assets to acquire more cattle. They obey their husbands or face violence.

Iklas Anur watched her older sister, Sumaya, suffer in an unhappy marriage after being sent to village.

She recounted the story under a shady tree in Terekeka as chickens and naked toddlers wandered in the dirt. Sumaya begged her father not to marry her off to an old man who had come calling. But the man had offered 30 cows, leaving her no say in the matter.

My mother didnt say anything, but you could tell from her face how unhappy she was, Anur said. But she had no voice. As a woman, there was nothing she could do. She just looked so tired and weary.

Sumaya fled back to her family, which promptly returned her to her husband. The cows cant be given back, Anur said. Its quite impossible.

Determined to avoid her sisters fate, Anur discovered a way to work within the system and found a man she liked who could pay 12 cows  enough to satisfy her father.

At 23, she still wishes she could have finished school instead of marrying. She knows she faces a lifetime of hard work.

Iklas Anur, 23, found a man she liked who could pay her father 12 cows for her hand in marriage, but she regrets not finishing school. (Sara Hylton / For The Times )

Some families have shunned the tradition of collecting a bride price and instead have sent their daughters to school. But in a culture in which the value of a woman is measured in cows, those families are in the minority.

Just 7% of girls finish primary school, and fewer than 2% go to high school. Girls are three times more likely to die in childbirth than complete their studies, according to the U.N.

As a girl, from a young age, you will be told to focus on being a good wife, said Lily Akol, a former deputy agriculture minister and one of the few women to earn a university degree. Once you go and get educated, you are not seen as a good traditional African or South Sudanese girl.

Educated women are seen as arrogant, disrespectful and promiscuous, she said.

Phuong Nguyen, the UNICEF representative in South Sudan, said some families worry that sending girls to school exposes them to dangers such as sexual assault that could lower their value when it comes time to look for marriage offers.

You have some communities that are very anti-education because they dont understand the value of it, she said. Girls are considered a commodity. The earlier theyre married off, the less the burden.

In March, the U.N. announced a campaign to eliminate child marriage worldwide by 2030. This type of culture takes time to change, Nguyen said.

For some girls, running away is the only escape.

In a shelter for vulnerable children in the capital, a 16-year-old girl told the story of how she had fled three years earlier after her father died and her brothers planned to marry her off.

Her mother secretly encouraged her to run. So one day, the girl pretended she was going to fetch water and never came back.

Like other girls who fled their families or their marriages, she spoke on condition that her name not be used, out of fear that she could be traced and returned.

She heard they married off her 13-year-old sister last year. I cried for two days, and I couldnt even eat, she said.

Living in the shelter, lost from her family, she attends school and dreams of becoming the minister of education someday: Id make sure young girls are taken care of, and early marriage comes to an end so everyone can go to school.

A more likely fate for girls who fled to Juba are the brothels.

At one lodge, as the establishments are known, the girls are as young as 13. One bony child with short hair, wearing a T-shirt and pants, could be mistaken for a boy.

Another was abandoned at age 9 and found on the street by a soldier. He sent the girl to live with his mother, then married her when she was 12. Then I got his first child, she explained.

Now she is 23 and a widow, her husband killed in war three years ago. Their son lives with his grandmother.

Also here is the 19-year-old whose uncle took her to village three years ago to become the sixth wife of an elderly man.

The higher-ranking wives were constantly forcing her to fetch firewood and grind maize. They all treated me like a child in their house, she recalled. I didnt have enough food or clothing. They made me work so hard.

After less than a year, she fled and eventually wound up at the brothel. At first, she hoped she could stay there without having to sleep with men, but it doesnt work that way.

I sell myself, she said. It was a hard decision. I feel very uncomfortable. But I can get something to eat. I can dress myself with what I do. Some days I can go with only three men, and thats enough money.

She has vowed never to return to her husband, and her uncle has said he would kill her if she tried to return home.

Sometimes her life at the brothel feels so hard that when there are no customers, she just sleeps, to escape thinking at all.

Robyn Dixon and Sarah Hylton prepared this story as part of a fellowship with the International Womens Media Foundation.

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On 3 April the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council (HRC) adopted a resolution opting to renew the mandate of a panel of human rights experts on Nicaragua (GHREN) for a further two years.

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On 3 April, a member of the Colombian governments negotiating delegation in peace talks with the Ejercito de Liberacion Nacional (ELN) guerrilla group, accused the ELN of torpedoing the dialogue process.

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On 3 April Senatoraccused the US of openly intervening in Paraguays election campaign in an attempt to force the ruling Asociacion Nacional Republicana-Partido Colorado (ANR-PC) out of power.

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SNAP benefits or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program is a form of nutrition benefit given to families struggling to put food on the table. Usually, the benefit is based on its beneficiaries' income and certain expenses.

Go Banking Rates noted that SNAP benefits have more than 41 million participants in the nation, which is 12% of the population.

SNAP benefits have a standard application process, but some states would sometimes impose their own rules when it comes to SNAP benefits application.

However, one factor has remained a common denominator across the United States, such as beneficiaries' rent or mortgage payments.

Your monthly housing payments affect SNAP benefits eligibility.

If you pay rent and mortgage, it determines your SNAP benefits eligibility, which also depends on your household and state.

The general rule is that the greater your housing payments, the larger your SNAP benefits will be.

If you are not paying rent, mortgage, or utilities, you may still be eligible for SNAP. But the amount will be less than those who pay for housing expenses.

READ NEXT: SNAP Benefits Update: Are You a Victim of SNAP Scam? There's a Chance You Could Get Your Money Back!

SNAP Benefits Eligibility

Your living situation would sometimes dictate how much SNAP benefits you will receive despite paying rent, mortgage, or utilities.

For instance, if you are under 22 and living with your parents, you are likely not eligible for your own SNAP as you will be required to be included in your parents' benefits.

However, if you are 22 or older, you can apply for your own SNAP benefits even if you live with your folks.

There are also people who fall into the category of "boarder," which is the term for people who rent a room with someone else and pay that person at least half their weekly expenses for meals.

Boarders are ineligible for their own SNAP program as they are considered to be part of another's household expenses.

However, if you live with someone and pay them only rent, you can apply for SNAP benefits.

Other factors that determine SNAP benefits eligibility are the applicants' income and assets.

Center on Budget and Policy Priorities noted that assets for a household without a member aged 60 or older or who has a disability must have assets of $2,750 or less. Meanwhile, such households should have assets of $4,250 or less.

Resources considered as an asset include bank accounts, but the household's home, personal property, and retirement savings are not considered assets.

SNAP Benefits Update

The states of California, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, and Nevada, among others, will be distributing the SNAP benefits between April 1 to April 10.

Meanwhile, Florida will be distributing SNAP benefits, also commonly known as food stamps, from April 1 to April 28, according to Go Banking Rates.

The benefits are usually distributed through deposits to the Electronic Benefits Transfer card, which is sent to eligible applicants by mail.

Some states have different names for their cards, with Texas calling it the Lone Star Card.

READ MORE: Unemployment Benefits California: Do Part-Time Workers Qualify?

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WATCH: Yes, some families may see a drop in SNAP benefits after getting an increase in Social Security payments - from 11 Alive


Despite opposition from two Republican senators and shouts from protesters, the Florida Senate voted Monday to prohibit abortions after the sixth week of pregnancy, per Politico.

The Florida abortion bill, S.B. 300, would outlaw most abortions after the sixth week of pregnancy except in extreme cases, such as when a woman's life is in danger or when the pregnancy is the result of incest, rape, or human trafficking, in which case the prohibition would be lifted for up to 15 weeks.

The Florida Department of Health will also receive $30 million to fund new and expanded services related to family planning, parenthood, and pregnancy.

The bill, supported by Republican state senator Erin Grall (R-Vero Beach), passed the Senate with a 26-13 vote and now heads to Republican governor Ron DeSantis for his signature.

Grall, a Democrat, cited former President Bill Clinton's statements that abortions should be "safe, legal, and rare" before Monday's vote.

"We're so far from safe, legal, and rare; we have normalized and sterilized the taking of life as health care," Grall said, stating that they have heard that women will keep having abortions, but that is like saying that people will keep killing people.

READ MORE: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Bans Late-Term Abortion in the State

The Florida Abortion Ban Is a Political Advantage to Ron DeSantis

DeSantis could score points with Republican primary voters for his possible 2024 presidential run by passing a six-week ban on abortions. It would align Florida with the abortion restrictions of other Republican-controlled states, PBS noted.

Since neighboring Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi prohibit abortion at all stages of pregnancy, and Georgia prohibits the procedure after cardiac activity can be found, which is around six weeks, the measure would have wider repercussions for abortion access throughout the South.

"Bodily autonomy should not give a person the permission to kill an innocent human being," said Grall, adding that convenience has replaced responsibility, and we no longer stop considering the repercussions of our actions; this is unacceptable regarding the safety of the most vulnerable.

Why Senate Democrats Opposed the Florida Abortion Ban?

"What we really should call this is a de facto abortion ban," said Democratic Sen. Lori Berman, stating that it simply is impossible for anyone to become aware of their pregnancy at six weeks and still be able to have an abortion, WESH 2 reported.

But the Republicans won, so the House of Representatives will determine the following steps, which the GOP currently holds.

Anna Eskamani, a Democrat from Orlando, spoke out against the Florida abortion bill as it was being introduced in the Florida House.

"It's incredibly dangerous. It strips away bodily autonomy and individual freedoms, especially of women in our state," Eskamani said. "Folks will turn to unsafe means to decide their futures."

Moreover, a vote on the measure in the House could come as soon as next week, and she anticipates that the chamber will follow the Senate's lead.

Even if the House approves the measure and Governor Ron DeSantis signs it into law, the Florida abortion bill would not take effect until the state's Supreme Court rules on a challenge to the state's prohibition on abortions after 15 weeks, which was filed last year.

"So there's a lot of uncertainty," said Eskamani. "And, of course, that type of uncertainty creates a lot of chaos and confusion for patients."

READ NEXT: Donald Trump Indictment: Supporters Rally Outside Mar-a-Lago

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WATCH: Florida Senate passes 6-week abortion ban backed by DeSantis - From CBS Miami
The Nashville school shooting that claimed the lives of six people, including three children, was planned months ahead of its execution, according to police.

NBC News reported that Nashville shooter Audrey Hale detailed plans to "commit mass murder at The Covenant Schools" in her journals that police found in her car and bedroom after the March 27 attack.

The Metropolitan Nashville Police Department earlier said that the Nashville shooter had carefully planned the attack, with detailed maps and surveillance.

Authorities have not yet released the possible motive for the mass shooting but stated that Hale "considered the actions of other mass murderers."

The police department said that the writings in the journals remain "under careful review by the MNPD," including the Federal Bureau Investigation's Behavioral Analysis Unit, which is based in Quantico, Virginia.

Officials said there might have been a sense of "resentment," which may have played a role in the attack.

The investigation of the Nashville school shooting is still ongoing.

READ NEXT: Uvalde Police Blasted as 'Cowards' After Nashville Cops Stopped School Mass Shooting in Minutes

Nashville Shooter Journals

Nashville police also clarified that Hale acted "totally alone" in executing the mass shooting in a private Christian school.

The Nashville shooter fired 152 rounds, most of which were 5.56 rifle rounds, and 26 were 9 mm rounds, according to CNN.

Hale was armed with three firearms and gained entry to the building by firing through the building's locked glass doors, as surveillance video showed.

Police said in a news release that writings left by Hale made it clear that the attack was "calculated and planned" and targeted the school and the Covenant Presbyterian Church, but the shots fired on the victims were random.

The Nashville school shooting creates a new wave of discussions of American gun violence, loose restrictions when it comes to access to firearms, and school safety.

Police said that Hale was under care for an emotional disorder. She legally purchased seven firearms and hid them at home, according to Nashville Police chief John Drake.

Nashville School Shooting

The Nashville shooter was killed within 14 minutes of the first 911 report of the shooting, according to police.

Nashville Mayor John Cooper said that the prompt police response likely "saved many lives," as reported by CBS News.

Responding police officers killed the shooter on the second floor of the building, with the shooter firing at police cars outside the school when officers engaged.

The three children killed were all nine years old and were identified as Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs, and William Kinney.

Scruggs was the daughter of a pastor associated with the church affiliated with the school.

Meanwhile, the adults killed were the head of the school Katherine Koonce, 60; 61 years old Cynthia Peak, a teacher; and Mike Hill, the school's custodian.

A former student said that the head of the school was a "champion for all students" and "had a lot more to give."

READ MORE: Texas Police Shoot, Kill Gunman at Youth Summer Camp After He Opened Fire

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WATCH: Covenant School Shooting: Suicide note, yearbooks, journals with school shootings references found - from WKRN News 2


Following elevated levels of seismic activity at Nevado del Ruiz volcano in the country's center that could indicate an eruption in the next few days or weeks, Colombia authorities evacuated 40 families from their homes on Monday, AP reports.

Along with closing the famous national park that encircles the Nevado del Ruiz volcano, authorities announced that schools within a six-mile radius of the crater would only offer online classes when students returned from their Easter break the following week.

The governor of the Colombian province of Caldas, to the west of the 5,300-meter-tall (17,000-foot) volcano, has stated that these actions are preventive in nature.

Villamaria, where Velasquez spoke, was the first community to be evacuated because of its proximity to the volcano's crater.

Many settlements can be found along the waterways that begin at the peak of Nevado del Ruiz.

READ NEXT: Hawaii: World's Biggest Active Volcano, Mauna Loa, Erupts

Colombia Volcano Alert Level Raised from Yellow to Orange Warning

An eruption larger than any in the past ten years may occur in the coming days or weeks, prompting the Colombian Geological Service (SGC) to increase the alert level from yellow to orange, per BBC.

The SGC stated in a release that the volcano had been experiencing minor eruptions for the past decade but that its seismic activity had increased on March 24. Geologists claim they are recording thousands of tremors daily, unprecedented in the history of volcano monitoring.

There is no way to predict with any degree of certainty whether the volcano's activity will rise further or decrease again, according to SVG.

The Nevado del Ruiz's threat level has not been raised since 2012 when it was maintained at orange for over a month in April and increased to red for two days in June. But there was no significant eruption at that time.

Colombia Volcano Nevado del Ruiz

The Andean volcano Nevado del Ruiz can be found in central Colombia, around 80 miles (129 kilometers) from Bogota.

It lies within the "Ring of Fire," an area of intense seismic activity stretching across the Pacific Ocean from Chile to Alaska in the United States east to New Zealand and Russia west. Al Jazeera noted.

The Smithsonian Institution's Global Volcanism Program estimates that the Nevado del Ruiz, a glacier-covered mountain with a kilometer-wide crater at its summit, has erupted periodically for the past 8,600 years.

The first eruption seen and written down was in 1570, and the current time of explosions began in 2014, according to the program's website.

However, the volcano's most well-known explosion occurred on November 13, 1985, when it released ash, gas, and magma.

An estimated 20 million cubic meters (706 million cubic feet) of ash and debris were ejected from the Colombia volcano, according to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Lahars, made of rock, water, and other volcanic elements, erupted violently after melting snowcaps. The debris and mud from these lahars engulfed the village of Armero, located in a river valley close to the volcano. Roughly 21,000 died in that incident.

The Global Volcanism Program ranks it the fourth deadliest single explosion in history and the deadliest in South America.

READ MORE: McDonald's Briefly Shuts US Office, Prepares Lay Off Notices Amid Restructurings

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WATCH: Nevado del Ruiz Volcano Update; Potential for a Large Eruption, Alert Level Increased - From GeologyHub
When in danger or in doubt, run in circles, scream and shout. Theres much debate about the origin of this oft-quoted directive made famous in The Caine Mutiny, but it was probably a World War II era military saying.

I associate the phrase with my paternal grandfather, who used to make me laugh by saying it. No matter where it came from, it appears the advice to go in circles is followed by multiple species of marine animals, for reasons that remain as unclear as the source of the original edict.

Researcher Tomoko Narazaki at the University of Tokyo observed circling behavior in green sea turtles when she was studying homing behavior with a displacement experiment. She moved turtles away from their breeding grounds to study their navigational abilities as they made the return trip. The data were a surprise because the turtles circled many times at constant speed, especially as they approached their breeding grounds. One turtle circled 76 times in a row, with each loop taking 16 to 20 seconds.

Other animals observed swimming in circles include tiger sharks, whale sharks, King Penguins, Antarctic fur seals, and Cuviers beaked whales. Just as with the sea turtles, the reasons for this behavior are not obvious and the scientists who observed the behavior were surprised by it.

Though the reasons for swimming in circles are not fully understood, there is no shortage of ideas that could explain this behavior. There are probably different functions of swimming in circles depending on the situation and the species. One thing is clear  it costs energy to swim in circles rather than in a straight line, so some benefit must exist for this behavior to persist.

A likely hypothesis for animals who use magnetic cues for navigation and orientation, as green sea turtles do, is that circling multiple times helps them get their bearings. Submarines use magnetic cues to help them stay on course, and they purposely circle when recording geomagnetic data. Another possibility is that circular swimming during an ascent makes it easier for multiple individuals to regroup at the surface because they are less likely to end up as far away from each other as they would if they all swam straight but at slightly different angles.

Foraging strategies may explain some circling behavior. Humpback whales swim in a tight circle as they exhale to create a circle of bubbles that traps fish and makes it easy for them to catch the prey. Tiger sharks deep down near the Hawaiian Islands are presumably circling as they search for prey, though one male circled when approaching a female prior to courting her.

Antarctic fur seals circle during the day yet mainly feed at night, so foraging doesnt explain their behavior. It has been suggested that King Penguins circling near the surface of the water between deep dives to feed may be increasing their body temperature by exercising in the relatively warmer surface waters.

Apparently danger and doubt are not the only reasons to go in circles!
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed legislation that would allow the residents of the state to carry concealed guns without any permit.

The Republican leader passed the measure in a nonpublic event in his office, with the only people present were bill sponsors, legislative leaders, and gun rights advocates, according to NBC News.

The National Rifle Association was also in attendance at the nonpublic event.

Usually, DeSantis regularly holds news conferences and bill-signing ceremonies, which made the signing of the gun measure notable.

Randy Kozuch, interim executive director of the NRA-ILA, noted that the passage of the measure is a "momentous step" in the Constitutional Carry movement. He added that the right of law-abiding Americans to defend themselves is now acknowledged with the passage of the law.

Opponents of the proposal said that it was telling that DeSantis did not have a public-signing ceremony like he usually did for other high-profile bills.

Gun safety group Giffords tweeted that DeSantis signed the measure allowing the carry of concealed guns permitless behind closed doors because he knew "it's dangerous and unpopular."

The group was founded by former Arizona Rep. Gabby Giffords, who is a gun violence survivor.

The governor's office released a statement following the signing of the bill, only saying that "Constitutional Carry is in the books."

READ NEXT: Florida: Ron DeSantis Takes Drastic Action Amid Fears of Mass Migration

Carrying Concealed Gun in Florida

The newly signed law will be imposed starting July 1. It states that anyone who can legally own a gun in Florida can carry a concealed weapon in public without any training or background check.

Upon signing the measure, a White House spokesperson denounced Ron DeSantis's move, calling it "shameful."

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre noted in a CBS News report that what DeSantis did was "the opposite of commonsense gun safety." Jean-Pierre added that Florida residents deserve better, especially since they have paid a "steep price" for state and Congressional inaction on guns.

The White House press secretary cited the shootings in Parkland, Pulse Nightclub, and Pine Hills.

The Florida Agriculture Department and Consumer Services revealed that the state has released more than 2.6 million concealed weapons permits.

Florida Gun Violence

Both Connecticut and Florida lawmakers have been teaming up to launch a bill that would create a gun violence prevention office at the U.S. Department of Justice, as reported by Gray D.C. in March.

The frontrunners of the said legislation are Florida Rep. Maxwell Frost and Connecticut Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy.

Frost said he was in the "lockdown generation" and remembers watching the deadly Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newton, Connecticut.

The proposed bill would create an advisory council of senior Justice Department officials, including survivors, community violence, intervention providers, public health officials, and the state and local public health department, among many others.

In February, a Florida shooting spree ensued in Orlando, with police officials calling it a "random act of violence."

The gunman, who was held in custody, killed a nine-year-old girl, a TV reporter, and a woman.

The suspect of the said shooting had a lengthy criminal record since he was 14 years old, according to public records.

READ MORE: Ron DeSantis Beats Donald Trump in Hypothetical 2024 Match-up for Republican Presidential Nomination: New Poll

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WATCH: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Signs Law Allowing Concealed Guns To Be Carried In Florida Without Permits - from Forbes Breaking News


For the first time in five decades, NASA is returning to the moon with four new astronauts embarking on this historic lunar expedition.

The new lunar mission was named Artemis, the twin sister of the Greek god Apollo, which NASA previously used in its moon program.

On Monday, NASA named the four astronauts, and they are comprised of three Americans and one Canadian. They will be NASA's first moon crew in 50 years.

The four astronauts were all introduced during a ceremony in Houston, Texas, where the famous NASA Mission Control is.

"This is humanity's crew," said NASA administrator Bill Nelson. The crew will include Commander Reid Wiseman and naval aviator Victor Glover, who will be the first African American man ever to set foot on the moon.

Christina Koch, who holds the world record for the longest spaceflight by a woman, and former Canadian fighter pilot Jeremy Hansen will also be part of the crew.

Before the expedition, Wiseman, Glover, and Koch lived on the International Space Station. As the lone space rookie, this will be Hansen's first mission in space.

"This is a big day. We have a lot to celebrate, and it's so much more than the four names that have been announced," said Glover as he was about to make history.

As for Hansen, he noted that he was grateful to be included. The Associated Press reported that the Canadian Space Agency managed to get a spot in the mission because it contributed big robotic arms on NASA's space shuttles and the space station. These robotic arms will also be used for the Artemis mission project.

READ NEXT: Pentagon Has Evidence That UFO Sightings Left Witnesses With Serious Ailments Like Brain Damage, Paralysis

Roles of the NASA Astronauts During the Artemis Moon Mission Revealed

According to the BBC, Reid Wiseman was a U.S. Navy pilot who served as the head of NASA's astronaut office for a time.

He will be the commander of this crew. Glover, a U.S. Navy test pilot who joined NASA in 2013, will be the mission pilot. Koch, an electrical engineer, will be the first woman on the moon.

Koch, who previously had a record-setting time in space and participated in the first all-female spacewalk in October 2019, will serve as a "mission specialist." Hansen will also be a "mission specialist."

All in their 40s, they will be the first to fly NASA's Orion capsule. It will be launched atop a Space Launch System rocket from Kennedy Space Center in late 2024.

The crew will only fly around the moon and head straight back to Earth. It will be a prelude to a lunar landing by two others a year later.

NASA had already launched a total of six Apollo missions from 1969 to 1972, with 12 astronauts landing on the moon. They were all white men.

New NASA Spacesuits for the Moon Also Revealed

Before the crew was even announced, NASA had already revealed the new spacesuits the astronauts would wear in their lunar mission.

It will be a totally different spacesuit as it will not be those iconic puffy white moonsuits worn by Neil Armstrong and his fellow Apollo astronauts.

According to The Guardian, this newly designed next-generation spacesuit is "specially tailored and accessorized for the first astronauts expected to venture back to the moon's surface in the next few years."

The new suits are reportedly more streamlined and flexible than the old suits, with incorporate advances in life-support systems, pressure garments, and avionics.

READ MORE: Aliens & UFO Sightings: UFO Researchers Spot a 'Cigar-Shaped' UFO Near a Mexican Volcano [Watch]

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WATCH: NASA Announces Crew for Artemis II Lunar Orbit Mission - From CBS News
"Vanderpump Rules" stars Tom Sandoval and Raquel Leviss are spotted together again amid their cheating scandal.

According to Page Six, Sandoval was seen arriving at Leviss' apartment and escorting her to a Los Angeles airport on April 2.

Us Weekly reported that Sandoval was seen helping put Leviss' bags into a car before driving her to her destination.

After dropping her off, the actor returned to Valley Village in Los Angeles, where he has a home he shared with ex-girlfriend Ariana Madix.

It was not the first time the two "Vanderpump Rules" stars were seen together. Days earlier, Leviss captured leaving the 40-year-old actor's home while Madix was out of town for work.

A representative for Sandoval told Us Weekly that the March 29 visit was brief and that the actress only stopped over for not even 20 minutes as Sandoval had a flight and Leviss had an interview for "Vanderpump Rules" at Evolution Studios.

Sandoval and Leviss were reported to have an affair earlier in March, causing his split with Madix.

A source told the outlet then that Sandoval and Madix had been having problems for a while and "only came to a breaking point" when Madix discovered that Sandoval was cheating with Leviss.

READ NEXT: Tom Sandoval Cheating Scandal: Raquel Leviss Breaks Silence

Tom Sandoval Seen With Raquel Leviss

Page Six reported that Tom Sandoval helped Raquel Leviss pack two large suitcases and a carry-on bag in his car.

The "Vanderpump Rules" actor then drove the 28-year-old Florida native to the airport. However, it was unknown where Leviss would be going.

Leviss wore a plaid button-down, a tan top, and wide-legged jeans, while Sandoval wore a striped sweater paired with boot-cut jeans.

The two have not publicly clarified their relationship status since Madix broke up with Sandoval. However, a source told the media outlet that Sandoval "wants to make it work" with Leviss.

The insider said Sandoval has been "very emotional" since the "Vanderpump Rules" reunion. The same source added that Sandoval also knew that the "odds are stacked against them as a couple."

On the other hand, Madix earlier told a paparazzo that she does not care about "anything that either of them does."

Tom Sandoval and Raquel Leviss Cheating Scandal

Ariana Madix discovered the affair of Tom Sandoval and Raquel Leviss last month. She was in a relationship with the actor for nine years before calling it quits.

Madix found out about the affair when she saw a sexually explicit video of Leviss on the actor's phone.

Leviss' ex-fiance, James Kennedy, posted on Instagram saying, "hope you all fell as sick as I do," adding that it explains everything, according to Glamour.

Lala Kent, their "Vanderpump Rules" co-star, replied to the post and said she has known that Sandoval and Leviss "are disgusting from the jump."

Discussing the reunion in a podcast with their co-star Scheana Shay, Kent said that Leviss showed "no remorse." Shay noted that nothing had changed since she confronted Leviss about the affair.

In the podcast, she also accused Leviss of being a "disrespectful" house guest. Shay said Leviss had sex "all over" her home. Leviss allegedly admitted to having sex in Shay's bed and "on the kitchen counter.

READ MORE: Jennifer Lopez Net Worth 2022: Is the Latin Pop Diva Richer Than Her Boyfriend Ben Affleck?

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WATCH: 'Vanderpump Rules' Reunion: Tom Sandoval and Raquel Leviss Chat After - From Entertainment Tonight




A Mexican journalist was abducted by armed men in the state of Veracruz in Mexico on Monday.

According to Borderland Beat, Ricardo Villanueva, a reporter for the newspaper Presente Veracruz, was at a local mechanic's shop in the Lazaro Cardenas neighborhood in Poza Rica municipality, where his motorcycle was being repaired when sevearmed men arrived and abducted him.

Authorities have already launched a search operation to find where these armed men took the 27-year-old Mexican journalist.

An air and ground operation is being conducted to find Villanueva. The search is headed by state authorities, led by the State Commission for the Attention and Protection of Journalists (CEAPP).

Authorities have activated a code red after the Mexican journalist was abducted.

READ NEXT: More Journalists Killed in 2022: Attacks in Mexico, Ukraine, Haiti Contributing to Most Deaths

Mexican Journalist Reported About a Crime in Veracruz Minutes Before Being Abducted

A few minutes before he was kidnapped, Ricardo Villanueva reported about an arrest and seizure of stolen fuel in the La Varita neighborhood in Poza Rica municipality.

Reports indicated that the armed men who kidnapped the Mexican journalist were traveling in three vehicles - a white van, a black Suburban, and a gray Audi.

The armed men reportedly introduced themselves as "ministerial police" before taking Villanueva away. Reports showed that he tried recording the matter just before he went missing.

According to Alianza de Medios, the newspaper where Villanueva worked specializes in security-related coverage in northern Veracruz.

This is not the first time the newspaper recorded attacks against its reporters. However, there have been incidents in which two of its reporters were arrested for kidnapping.

In August 2015, its offices in Poza Rica were shot at, and one of its vehicles was burned.

In November 2020, another vehicle belonging to the publication was shot at in the Prensa Nacional neighborhood in front of a reporter's home. The shooters then fled the scene on motorcycles.

Violence in Veracruz, Mexico

Crime numbers in Veracruz for January 2023 have indicated that crime in the state is not as bad as in the other states in Mexico. The state recorded 78 homicides, one kidnapping, and seven femicides.

There were also 70 cases of extortion, 211 cases related to drug dealing, 472 vehicle robberies, 194 house robberies, 294 business robberies, 472 injuries, 25 cases of rape, and 976 cases of family violence, according to Infobae.

So far, Veracruz has around 7,224 state police, 6,282 municipal, and 666 naval personnel to combat crimes. The state also has 6,800 troops from the Navy, 6,382 members of the Army and Air Force, as well as around 4,283 members of the National Guard.

As for cartel-related violence, the infamous Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) has already started its operations in Veracruz and is known for committing some of the most violent acts in the state.

As for those who abducted the journalist, Mexican authorities are still trying to find out who kidnapped him and where they took him.

READ MORE: 15th Mexican Journalist Killed

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WATCH: Silenced: The Killing of Journalists in Mexico | Fault Lines - From Al Jazeera English
A Virginia teacher has filed a lawsuit seeking $40 million in damages from officials of the Richneck Elementary School in Newport News after a six-year-old student shot her.

According to BBC, the lawsuit filed Monday claimed that the school officials ignored the "warning signs" as they knew the child "had a history of random violence."

Abigail "Abby" Zwerner, 25, spent two weeks in the hospital after being shot in the hand and upper chest on January 6. She already underwent surgery four times.

Newport News is located northwest of Virginia Beach, and the boy lived there and attended Richneck Elementary School.

The child reportedly took his mother's gun, which was purchased legally, and brought it to the school in his backpack.

The first-grade Virginia teacher, who the boy shot, ensured the other students' safety first before calling for help.

"She is a trooper. She is a hero," police chief Steve Drew said after the incident.

READ NEXT: 6-Year-Old Virginia Kid Shoots Elementary School Teacher 'Intentionally'

Virginia Teacher's $40 Million Lawsuit

Many people were shocked by the news of the shooting and wondered how a child could get his hands on a gun and shoot his teacher.

Named defendants in the complaint are the Newport News School Board, former Superintendent George Parker III, former Richneck principal Briana Foster-Newton, and former Richneck assistant principal Ebony Parker, the Associated Press reported.

Michelle Price, a spokeswoman for the school board, told the AP that the board had not yet been served with the lawsuit. She noted that the school division refers all legal claims information to its insurer.

In a statement, the board said its top concern is ensuring its employees' and students' health and safety. They also expressed their continued support for Abigail Zwerner and prayed for her recovery.

The statement added that the school board and the leadership team of the school division will do everything to ensure "a safe and secure teaching and learning environment across all our schools."

The school board fired the superintendent, and the assistant principal resigned, but the child has not been charged, nor has anyone else.

The school board has reportedly voted to buy metal detectors and clear backpacks for all students.

Virginia Teacher Warned That the Boy Was in 'Violent Mood'

The complaint alleged that on the day of the shooting, the Virginia teacher warned Parker that the boy was in a "violent mood," CNN reported.

The complaint further noted that a guidance counselor and administrator in the school said Parker also "forbade" teachers from searching the child for a gun, telling them his mom would be arriving soon to pick him up.

The suit said within an hour of Parker's refusal to allow anyone to search the boy for a firearm, the child pulled the gun out of his pocket and aimed it at Abigail Zwerner.

The boy shot the Virginia teacher as she was sitting at her reading table in the classroom. The child shooter needed a parent present during school hours for the first half of the school year "due to his violent tendencies."

But on that day of the shooting, school officials "allowed him to remain unaccompanied without a one-on-one companion."

"We will regret our absence on this day for the rest of our lives," the boy's family said last January.

A lawyer for the boy's family, James Ellenson, said on Monday that the allegations made in the lawsuit against the child and his family "should be taken with a large grain of salt."

"We continue to pray for Ms. Zwerner's complete recovery," Ellenson said. "There is still the potential for criminal charges, and there is no further comment."

Newport News Commonwealth's Attorney Howard Gwynn told WTKR last month that the child will not be criminally charged.

READ MORE: 6-Week Abortion Ban Bill Approved - Here's What It Means

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WATCH: Virginia Teacher Shot by 6-Year-Old Files Suit Against School Board - From TODAY
A woman died, and three others were injured in Hollywood in Los Angeles, California, early Monday when a Tesla Model X crashed and burst into flames, police said.

According to Los Angeles Daily News, the Los Angeles Police Department said the vehicle veered off the road on Sunset Boulevard around 2:30 a.m. and struck a lamp post and a tree before getting caught on fire.

Lt. J. Aguirre of the West Hollywood Sheriff's Station noted that the burning wreckage was spotted near the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Roxbury Road, over the border between Los Angeles and West Hollywood. It was also about a block south of the famous Chateau Marmont hotel.

The Los Angeles Police Department said a female passenger in the vehicle's front seat was killed, while the two female passengers in the rear were injured and were brought to hospitals.

One female was listed as stable, while the other was critical. The man driving the Tesla Model X got out and was picked up by the driver of another car, who also took him to the hospital.

"Investigators found the driver at a local hospital," the LAPD said. "That driver is currently in critical condition and unable to be interviewed."

READ NEXT: California: Tesla Driver Dies After Crashing Into Parked Fire Truck

Tesla Model X Involved in Hollywood Car Crash in California

A witness saw some debris fly in the air, and the car caught fire before landing and damaging the patio of Pink Taco restaurant.

According to a witness, there were people trapped inside, and at least five individuals came in to help them, but the Tesla X burst into flames, ABC 7 reported.

"I started hearing pops and sparks fly out of the vehicle," said witness John Haro, adding that the flames got bigger and engulfed the car.

After being closed all morning, the area around the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Roxbury Road has since been reopened.

The cause of the crash is still unknown, but locals said they are used to seeing motorists speed through the area.

"You hear the engine roaring going by superfast supercars; they sound like jet engines," said Jimmy Wood, who lives in the area. "It's pretty consistent."

Tesla's Autopilot Feature Could be the Reason Behind Crashes, Probe Shows

Last month, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released its preliminary findings from its investigation into a February 18 crash between a Tesla and a parked firetruck on Interstate 680 in Walnut Creek, California.

The probe speculated that the driver may have used the vehicle's autonomous driving system, KRON 4 reported.

The Tesla crashed into a Contra Costa County Fire Protection District engine that was serving as a traffic safety barrier to shield paramedics from oncoming traffic at the scene of a prior crash.

The 2014 Tesla Model S driver was killed, a passenger was critically wounded, and four firefighters were hurt, but none seriously.

The NHTSA has special accident investigation teams looking into 51 crashes across the country, including 16 that resulted in fatalities, as of February 18.

According to Tesla, autopilot is included in all new models at no extra cost. Detectives want to know how the autopilot detects and navigates around emergency vehicles on highways.

Vehicles on highways are usually traveling at a faster speed.

READ MORE: Colombia Volcano Rising Alert Level Prompts Evacuation of Families

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WATCH: Bystanders Tried to Rescue Victims, But Tesla Burst Into Flames in Deadly West Hollywood Crash - From ABC7
Laurel, MS (39440)

Today

A few passing clouds. Low 49F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

A few passing clouds. Low 49F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph.
Weis Markets is showing appreciation and support for the Lehigh Valleys first responders, who continue to battle a four-alarm blaze that engulfed an industrial building along the Lehigh River.

Staff from the Palmer Township store along William Penn Highway dropped off three car loads filled with Gatorade, water and handheld snacks to help aid emergency workers, Dennis Curtin, a Weis spokesman, told lehighvalleylive.com.

Northampton County is home to many Weis Markets associates and customers, Curtin said. We appreciate the dedication of the first responders working to control the warehouse fire in West Easton.

Additionally, some city businesses, such as Smartivities Showcase at Centre Square, posted on Facebook patrons were pitching in with other donations. The business is collecting donations for the fire department Wednesday to Sunday.

Firefighters from three counties in Pennsylvania and New Jersey  more than 20 units  early Tuesday responded to the scene in the 500 block of Lehigh Drive. The fire ignited a little after 5 a.m. at the commercial site and as of noon, crews continues to battle flames.

The fire was brought under control, however, after about six hours and overcoming challenges. Crews faced water supply issues with there being only two hydrants nearby. Firefighters had to utilize tanker trucks and pull water from the nearby Lehigh River, fire chief William Bogari Jr. said.

There were no reported injuries, borough police Chief Robert Mahady and Bogari confirmed. The cause and origin of the blaze remains under investigation with the Pennsylvania State Fire Marshal investigating at the scene.

Water and air quality also are being monitored. Northampton County Emergency Management Services said the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection remain on site, as well as representatives from the states Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and a Hazardous and Toxic Materials (Hazmat) team.

Met-Ed additionally cut power to the surrounding area as the fire raged, leaving close to 4,000 customers without power. Crews were working to restore power by noon, West Easton Mayor Dan DePaul said.

Wilson Area School District Superintendent Douglas Wagner said nearby schools in his district arent being impacted by the outages and all are operating on normal schedules.

The commercial site is comprised of multiple buildings, including a former Ingersoll Rand facility built in the 1800s. Fire officials were unsure of the actual layout, but are working to identify the businesses affected, West Easton fire Chief William Bogari Jr. told lehighvalleylive.com.

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Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com.
A man was wounded Monday night in a shooting in Eastons West Ward, and police are searching for the gunman.

Police were called for multiple reports of shots fired at 9:33 p.m. in the 1300 block of Washington Street, Lt. Matthew Gerould said.

The shooting was near the site where Kavan Figueroa, 18, and D-Andre Snipes, 17, both of Easton, were mortally wounded last year as they sat in a car on Washington Street.

Officers found evidence of a shooting Monday night, but no one injured, Gerould said. Police were then contacted by a local hospital that an 18-year-old man with a gunshot wound arrived by car, he said.

The mans wounds are not life threatening. Gerould said the wounded victim is not cooperating with the investigation.

Police believe a group of people were at Peach and Washington streets when a trio, including the gunman, arrived.

One person opened fire on the group, Gerould said.

The three people, dressed in dark clothing, fled on foot north on Peach Street toward Lehigh Street, police said.

Police are asking residents in the area to check their home surveillance video. Anyone with information is asked to call detectives at 610-250-6634 or the tip line at 610-250-6635.

Three people have been charged in the March 14, 2022, double killing: Giovani Cagle, 20, formerly of Palmer Township; Altajier K. Robinson, 21, of Easton; and Jayden L. Denizard, who was 15 at the time and is charged as an adult, of Wilson Borough.

All three are being held without bail as they await trial in Northampton County Court. Records show a pretrial conference in the cases was scheduled for last month.

A trial date is currently scheduled for this October.

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Sarah Cassi may be reached at scassi@lehighvalleylive.com.
Self Help Africa has made an appeal for urgent help for the people of Malawi in the wake of the devastation caused by Cyclone Freddy. The death toll from the tragedy is expected to exceed 1,200 people, and hundreds of thousands more have been left homeless, cut off from roads, electricity and clean drinking water in mainly poor, rural areas.

Cyclone Freddy, which also struck Madagascar and Mozambique, has left an appalling humanitarian situation in its wake. In total, its thought that almost one million people in Malawi require emergency food and shelter assistance. Self Help Africa are on the ground with local partners, providing tarpaulins, buckets, soap, water purification tablets and other essential supplies, to communities in displaced peoples camps and in areas where we are working.

Prior to this crisis, the people of Malawi were already facing significant challenges. Here, the average life expectancy is just 58, and 75% of the population lives on less than 2 a day. The country is currently in the grips of a deadly cholera outbreak that has already killed more than 1,700 people here in the last few months.

Cyclone Freddy was the longest-lived cycloned in recorded history, and also has the highest accumulated cyclone energy of any tropical cyclone on record. The impact has been devastating. Floods and high winds have devastated homes, schools, businesses, hospitals and crops. Across Malawi, Mozambique and Madagascar, up to two million people are thought to have been affected.

Cyclone Freddy is the latest in a series of weather-related disasters - including the ongoing Horn of Africa drought - that have devastated sub-Saharan Africa over the past few years. Its a sign of the deadly impact of climate change on a region whose people are the least responsible for the climate crisis, but are suffering some of its worst effects.

Richer, more industrialised nations have caused much of the greenhouse gas emissions responsible for climate change - a reality which led to a loss and damage fund for climate disasters being agreed last year following the COP27 climate conference. I was encouraged to see Ireland take its seat recently on this committee, tasked with turning these promises into action.

The organisation I work for, Self Help Africa, have been working in Malawi for decades to reduce levels of poverty and hunger. Our focus is on agricultural production, nutrition, food security, training, the empowerment of women and climate-adaptation measures such as tree planting. All our efforts are aimed at breaking the cycle of poverty and supporting people with opportunities to change their lives for the better. MORE BELOW PICTURE.

Increasingly, Self Help Africa is also responding to emergencies, and now I, on behalf of the organisation, am asking for your help and support, to join with us to assist communities in Malawi to cope with this latest challenge.

More than 350,000 households in Malawi are requiring assistance. Flooded lands and ruined harvests mean that food security is facing many families in affected regions, as is shelter and a lack of clean drinking water.

Throughout my life, Ive spent almost three decades living in Africa and Asia. Im proud to say I work for Self Help Africa, an Irish development organisation supported and funded by Irish Aid, and the generosity of people like you, the Irish public.

By an accident of birth I am Irish, but I could have just as easily been Malawian. My trips to Malawi and indeed many of the other African countries I have lived and worked in have made me realise the numerous similarities there are between us all. We breathe the same air. We walk the same way. Our spirits need love and acceptance. Our bodies need food, water and sleep. We share the same humanity. We are really not so different.

My thoughts often go back to the children I saw at the Self Help Africa projects I visited in Malawi, where knowledge is being passed on by local staff that will vastly improve their lives for the better. It brings me great comfort to know that these children will have the opportunity to grow and enjoy healthy lives and fulfil their potential, thanks to your support. MORE BELOW PICTURE.





I understand that there are many urgent challenges for society, such as the war in Ukraine, the Turkey-Syria earthquake, the drought in East Africa that we are also responding to as well as the rising cost of living. But if you can spare any amount, no matter how small, to support Self Help Africas emergency response for Cyclone Freddy, and work in general, it all adds up to make a huge difference to the lives of people in Malawi and beyond.

You can make a donation to Self Help Africas Cyclone Freddy appeal by visiting: https://selfhelpafrica.org/ie/ cyclone-freddy-emergency- appeal/

If youd like to get involved in an event or organise an event, or just find out more about the work of Self Help Africa, please phone (01) 6778880, visiting www.selfhelpafrica.org or simply send whatever you can afford to Self Help Africa, Westside Resource Centre, Seamus Quirke Road, Westside, Galway or drop me a line at ronan.scully@selfhelpafrica. org if you would like to organise a fundraiser to support our much needed work.
One of the amazing young women in the 2023 Laois Rose Selection, was inspired 13 years ago to enter.

Ciara Delaney from Coolrain was a cute Rosebud when the Rose of Tralee came to Portlaoise in 2010 for the regional final.

She is sponsored by Hogans Bar, Coolrain.

"I was an international Rosebud in 2010 and was paired with Sarah Felong, the Southern California rose. Since then, the Rose of Tralee is a huge part of my life and I continue to have a great friendship with Sarah and others I met over the 13 years," Ciara said.

Aged 23, she is a full time student.

"I am in my final year of general nursing in UCD and on my internship in St. Vincents University Hospital.

"I am from the beautiful village of Coolrain, at the foot of the Slieve Bloom mountains.

"I love to hike, bake and swim. I am heavily involved with Scouting Ireland since the age of 6. I have represented youth up to a national level.

"I recently started to volunteer with the Laois Arch Club, a friendship group for adults over the 16 with intellectual disabilities," she said.

Ciara will join 16 other impressive young Laois women to take to the stage in the Midlands Park Hotel this Easter Sunday night, April 9.

Tickets are 25 and will be available on the evening so get there early. Doors open at 7pm and show starts at 7.30pm sharp.

See this week's Leinster Express for profiles of all 17 Laois Rose Entrants.
A 40 year driving ban was imposed on a man who was found driving while disqualified.

Before Naas District Court was Wilson Mwenya, 48, whose address was given as 7 The Harbour, Market Point, Mullingar.

He was prosecuted for driving without insurance and having no licence on July 8, 2022, at Laraghbryan, Maynooth.

Sgt Dave Hanrahan said the defendant has 53 previous convictions, including 11 for no insurance.

He said he was disqualified at the time because a nine year ban had been imposed in Mullingar in 2019. He also said he had a conviction since the incident and his first conviction was in 2007.

Defending solicitor David Powderly said the defendant has six children and not all are in the same location.

He said the defendant was apologetic and had learned his lesson.

Referring to his record Judge Desmond Zaidan commented: He must be up there with the worst in Ireland.

Judge Zaidan added the defendant had disregard for the road traffic laws.

The judge imposed two consecutive five month prison Terms and disqualified him for 40 years.

Read more Kildare news
The ESB has come under fire over the year long delay in withdrawing the power supply from an estate.

Cllr Fintan Brett, who's also the council chariman, said this is necessary to facilitate the removal of overhanging trees at River Lawns in Kill.

According to Kildare County Council an application for a power output was made 12 months ago and to date we have not had an indication of when this can be done despite contacting them on several occasions since the initial application.

Cllr Brett said it is outrageous that it should take this long and he also complained about the high prices charged by the company for services.

Cllr Fintan Brett

Somebody in government needs to take them in hand, he told a Naas Municipal District meeting.

Recently ESB Networks was criticised by another councillor for failing to connect new homes to the electricity grid in time.

Naas Mayor Evie Sammon asked KCC to write to the company seeking information.

Cllr Sammon said a group of residents had been waiting since last September to have homes connected and this has forced them to live hours away from their homes.

Read more Kildare news
The findings of a recent report into the Irish Defence Forces (DF) treatments of female members have been slammed by local representatives.

The Independent Review Groups report published last week found that almost 90 per cent of female respondents said they had experienced some form of sexual harassment while serving with the DF.

Commenting on the matter before the Dail, Independent TD Dr Cathal Berry, who was a deputy commander in the Irish Armys Ranger Wing, commended the Women of Honour (WOH) group and told Tanaiste Micheal Martin that he welcomed the report.

Dr Berry pointed to two commitments listed within it: that there was a need for a judge-led standard enquiry, and that there should be an external oversight body implemented.

He said: "People are in disbelief, they are in a state of collective shock, and they feel hugely, hugely let down (by the DF).

"A lot of people say that they do not recognise the organisation being described, and that it wasnt their experience, and that they are devastated at a response."

He also told the Tanaiste that there was a need for change, and said that the DF is 'hyper-sensitive' to criticism and 'is obsessed with (public) image.'

Dr Berry also put forward the following question while speaking to the Leinster Leader following the Dail session: "A big question for me is why successive Ombudsmen for the Defence Forces did not flag this over the last few years?

"Because a pattern of problematic behaviour is certainly not obvious from their annual reports, even though their office was established precisely to record and deter such incidents."

He added: "Almost everyone accepts that there were failings in the past... the key question for me is whether or not such toxic and criminal behaviour is continuing."

Fianna Fail Senator Fiona OLoughlin also said that she welcomed the report, which she referred to as 'a watershed moment': "Following engagements with the Tanaiste, I know that he, as I am, is determined this report will be a catalyst for transformation within Irelands Defence Forces."

She also praised the WOH group for coming forward, and added: "Work on cultural change and on restoring confidence in the Defence Forces workplace must begin today.

"We need to redouble our efforts to ensure that the litany of unacceptable behaviour identified throughout this report and the culture which ignores or facilitates this behaviour are consigned to history."

'A NATIONAL SCANDAL'

Labour defence spokesperson, Senator Mark Wall, also weighed in on the report: he said that the review into the culture of gender-based violence, harassment and bullying in the DF 'is devastating and demands immediate and profound changes within the Forces.'

Similar to Senator O'Loughlin and Dr Berry TD, Senator Wall praised the WOH for coming forward, and referred to the event as being 'nothing short of a national scandal.'

"It has taken over 15 months since these women came forward with their experiences for a review to be published which in itself is disgraceful," he said: "There can be no further delay in improving the conditions in the Force and changing the culture."

The Athy-based Senator continued: "The inquiry must be up and running before the Oireachtas rises for the summer to ensure justice and progress for all members of the Force.

"The issue of recruitment and retention in the Force has been well played, but is it any wonder that only 44 women joined the Force in 2021 given the scale of the culture crisis?

"To read the level of misogyny perpetuated at every level within the Defence Forces is utterly depressing."

He concluded: "There must be accountability now within the Defence Forces to ensure that the culture of misogyny, harassment and bullying is wiped out once and for all."

If you have been affected by this article, you can find resources to help you by contacting Women's Aid at 1800 341 900.

Additionally, you can email Samaritans Ireland at jo@samaritans.ie or ring 116 123, or visit the Rape Crisis Centre at drcc.ie.
Naass long-established drama group The Moat Club will stage David Mamets critically acclaimed period drama Boston Marriage later this month.

A 'Boston Marriage' was a Victorian term used to describe a relationship between two women that may involve both physical and emotional intimacy.

Set in a New England drawing room circa 1900, David Mamets play revolves around Anna and Claire, who are two bantering, scheming ladies of fashion who have long lived together on the fringes of upper-class society.

Anna has just become the mistress of a wealthy man, from whom she has received an enormous emerald and an income to match, while Claire is infatuated with a respectable young lady and wants to enlist the jealous Annas help in arranging a meeting in private.

As the two women exchange barbs and take turns taunting Annas hapless parlour maid, Claires young obsession suddenly appears, setting off a crisis that puts the valuable emerald at risk and threatens the womens future.

Director Pauline Clooney first saw the play performed in 2004 in the Project Arts Centre, Space Upstairs.

The production, by Bespoke Theatre Company, was directed by Loveday Ingram and the cast were Jane Brennan, Ingrid Craigie and Laura Donnelly.

Pauline thought it was 'the most refreshing piece of theatre she had seen on a Dublin stage in years.'

She added: "It was fabulously staged, outrageously funny, and it celebrated female feistiness, which was a pleasant surprise for a Mamet play, his trademark characters being toxic males.

"I consider it an honour and a privilege to direct this play with the Moat Club and give audiences today the opportunity to experience what I did almost twenty years ago."

Commenting on the work that went into the production, Pauline said: "The rehearsals have been intense... Mamets work demands it, but there has been a lot of fun too.

"The production team are also working hard."

She continued: "Nothing is a problem, whether its heading off to an auction house and coming back with a chaise longue wedged into a car, or sewing into the night after youve put in a long day at work, sourcing Victorian props, designing, building.

"And it is this club spirit, this spirit of volunteerism, of coming together with a common goal that to me is what makes it all worthwhile.

"I have no doubt but that audiences will also feel their night out in the Moat Theatre will be a very worthwhile experience," she concluded.

Boston Marriage runs from Friday, April 14 to Thursday, April 20 at 8pm.

No performance on Monday, April 17.

Bookings on 045 883030 or www.moattheatre.com.

The Irish Times described the play as a 'feisty comedy-without-manners, a delight that promises laughs at a rate of knots', while the New York Post called it 'one of the funniest American comedies in years.'
Mid-ranking gardai have decided to stage four further days of protest over an ongoing roster dispute.

At its annual conference in Galway, the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI) mandated its secretariat and national executive to take a number of actions including four protest days of action.

The protest follows the moving of gardai to a new roster during the Covid-19 pandemic.

During an address by AGSI general secretary Antoinette Cunningham, a mandate was issued for members to cooperate under protest for the upcoming visit of US President Joe Biden.

However, they gave no future guarantees of cooperation for any other VIP visits.

A mandate was also issued that individual members have indicated their withdrawal of labour on a particular day if a resolution is not found and the dispute continues to escalate, in a process referred to as a blue flu.

The conference also agreed that the above actions would be set aside if meaningful internal negotiations take place on rosters, she said.

Last month, AGSI marched to Garda headquarters in the first day of action.

At the end of that march, Ms Cunningham said the protest is a clear sign of frustration that members feel over their working arrangements.

There is a problem with rosters, there is a problem with morale, there is a problem with health and safety, she told approximately 200 members of AGSI who participated in the march.

She said the current roster has been extended 15 times in three years.

Previous commitments given by the Garda commissioner that members would return to their normal work pattern have not been honoured.

The commissioner is now trying to impose a roster without agreement, and this is unacceptable, she said.

She said more than half of AGSI members will be asked to work an additional 47 days under the new roster.

That is not family friendly, it does not have an appropriate work-life balance, she said.

Ms Cunningham said some members have to work 14 days out of every 16 whereas the previous roster was six days on and four days off.

Theres high level of fatigue with that, she added.

While the working shifts under the new arrangement have increased in number, they are shorter in duration.

AGSI said it has appealed against the new roster multiple times.

Garda commissioner Drew Harris said the roster issues have been examined and have now moved to an external process at the Workplace Relations Commission.
A pet toy bought by Irish consumers is being recalled due to a safety concern.

According to the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC), EDCO Eindhoven B.V. is carrying out a recall of Cat Laser Pointer Toys as the laser is too powerful and can cause damage to the eyes.

The affected product - barcode 8711252 12427 8 with unknown type of model and batch number - has been sold since December 2021.

There are approximately 36 affected products in the Republic of Ireland. The product may have also been sold to consumers in the Republic of Ireland through the eBay platform.

If you purchased one of these products, please discontinue use immediately and return the item to the point of purchase where the purchase amount will be reimbursed.

For more information please visit www.edco.nl/en/safetyinformation or tel. 0031- 40 250 11 11.

If you purchased the product on eBay you may wish to contact the eBay seller to see if there are any remedies available to you. This can be done via your user account on eBay.
A search for the remains of a teenager who was murdered and secretly buried by the IRA in 1975 has resumed.

Digging started on Monday at Bragan Bog in Co Monaghan as investigators search for the body of Columba McVeigh, 19, from Donaghmore in Co Tyrone.

He is one of the Disappeared victims of the Troubles whose bodies have still to be found.

A search for Mr McVeighs remains in the bog began in October 2022 but was suspended at the beginning of November when the ground conditions became too dangerous for contractors and archaeologists to continue.

His sister Dympna Kerr was at the bog on Monday as the search resumed.

Jon Hill, the lead investigator for the Independent Commission for the Location of Victims Remains (ICLVR), said he believed that Mr McVeighs remains are in the area they are searching.

He said: We have returned today for the second part of this search. It started last year in October, we always knew it was going to be a two-phased search because it was late in the year.

We have set out an area of around two acres of ground that we intend to search.

Hopefully we are going to have a dry enough summer to be able to continue the search until a satisfactory conclusion.

Hopefully that is recovering the remains of Columba McVeigh.

I am totally confident that if he was buried here, we will find him. We have the experts, we have the technology, we have the equipment.

Mr Hill added: Is he here in the first place? Yes, I believe he is in this area, on this road.

We have been disappointed too many times to say with complete assurance this is where he is. This area has changed so much over the years.

Since back in 1975 it would have looked completely different.

There have been five previous searches and they changed the terrain.

Peoples memories wont be what they were, the area doesnt look the way it did and it is completely understandable, although disappointing that we havent found the right spot as of yet.

The anniversary of the 25 years of the Good Friday Agreement obviously has taken this forward dramatically and it has encouraged people to come forward with information and resolve this matter.

Ms Kerr said the resumption of the bog search brings both hope and anxiety.

Of course we hope that this time Columba will be found but those hopes have been dashed so many times before that there still is that gnawing feeling in the pit of my stomach, she said, adding: Please make it this time.

Its 25 years since the Good Friday Agreement, that was to bring in a new beginning, a new dawn of hope and for many  including us  it did.

But there is still a dark, thick cloud that hasnt lifted for our family and the other families who are still waiting to bring him home.

Ms Kerr said she hoped US President Joe Biden would be made aware of the plight of the families of the Disappeared who are still waiting for a resolution during his visit to Northern Ireland for the anniversary later this month.

President Biden will rightly be proud of the role played by the USA in our peace process, Ms Kerr said.

And President Clinton did so much for the families of the Disappeared, but President Biden needs to know that there is unfinished business and that there are Irish men and women who every day and every night still have to live in this horrible limbo.

It has to end.

The ICLVR was established in 1999 to locate 16 missing Irish and British people presumed murdered during paramilitary violence and buried in secret.
Local Infusion Opens State-of-the-Art Infusion Center in Bedford, New Hampshire





Leading infusion therapy company to expand in Northeastern U.S., making comfortable and affordable infusion therapy accessible to millions

NASHVILLE, Tenn., April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Local Infusion, a technology-driven infusion therapy company, announced the opening of a state-of-the-art infusion center in Bedford, New Hampshire. Local Infusion Bedford was built to meet the growing demand for world-class infusion care by patients and employers in the area. The opening of Local Infusion Bedford marks the company's second New Hampshire location, after opening its Concord location in January 2023 .

Local Infusion Bedford is located at 301 Riverway Place, Suite 30, right off of the US-3 North, making it easily accessible to the broader Manchester area. The location offers convenient parking, with a state-of-the-art center that features private suites with WiFi and televisions.

"We're thrilled to continue our expansion into New Hampshire and bring our mission of affordable, high-quality infusion therapy care to the New Hampshire community," said Woody Baum, Founder & CEO, Local Infusion. "Infusions represent one of the highest growth drivers in healthcare spend today. We are fixing that with our innovative care model that saves plans and employers an average of $40k per patient per year, while also boasting industry leading patient satisfaction scores -- our average Patient NPS is 92, vs broader healthcare industry's 58."

"With night and weekend appointments and beautiful private infusion suites, we make it easy for patients to choose the most affordable setting. Manchester is the largest city in New Hampshire, and there are currently zero affordable options for patients on infusion therapy in the greater Manchester area. Our expansion into Bedford will mean more money in the pockets of New Hampshire families, while infusion patients spend more time with their loved ones, and less time worrying about where or how they are going to get their care," said Ashley Knapp, Head of Sales of Local Infusion.

Local Infusion's modern, technology-driven infusion care centers are known for their beautiful design, seamless patient onboarding and physician referral process, expert clinicians, dedicated infusion guides and an elevated patient experience that features private suites and nights/weekends appointment availability.

Its Bedford, NH location will be joined by additional openings in 2023 as the organization continues to scale its technology-enabled infusion care model.

About Local Infusion

Local Infusion is setting a new standard for infusion therapy?because patients deserve better. It aims to improve outcomes for patients, save time for physicians and make it all more affordable for everyone involved. Through a blend of human-centered design and a people-first culture, Local Infusion puts the "local feel" of community, comfort and connection back into the patient and provider experience. Local Infusion operates in the Northeast U.S., with the goal of improving patient care and outcomes, while saving time for and lowering costs for patients, physicians and payers. To learn more, visit mylocalinfusion.com.

Media Contact

Press Team, Local Infusion, 1 8445091404, [email protected]

SOURCE Local Infusion

4 april 2023 at 07:00

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MONUMENTAL MINERALS FINALIZES DRILL TARGETS AND PLANS DRILLING PROGRAM AT THE JEMI HEAVY RARE EARTH ELEMENT PROJECT, MEXICO





Six targets selected for drilling in Q2 2023

VANCOUVER, BC, April 4, 2023 /CNW/ - Monumental Minerals Corp. ("Monumental" or the "Company") (TSXV: MNRL) (FSE: BE5) (OTCQB: MNMRF) is pleased to report all assay results and proposed drill targets from the Jemi rare earth element (REE) project (the "Project") in Coahuila, Mexico, about 40 km south of the Texas, USA border. Rock sampling across a broad area discovered high grades of the critical magnet metals dysprosium (Dy) and terbium (Tb) resulting in the definition of 6 high priority drill targets.

Four months of exploration has been completed at Jemi, with the aim of defining discreet drill targets. This work consisted of detailed geological mapping, regional stream sediment sampling, ground radiometric geophysical surveys, and lithogeochemical sampling. Exploration focused on the Jemi Dykes and Veladora North prospect areas, which host peralkaline intrusion related REE mineralization.

A total of 296 assays have been received for surface rock chip samples from Jemi Dykes and Veladora North. Samples that are both peralkaline and anomalous in REEs, Ta, and Nb (116 samples) define four discreet priority areas within Monumental's mineral concessions (Figure 1 A&B). The priority areas each exhibit high densities of mineralized (eudialyte +/- aegirine rich) intrusive dykes, which have intruded into limestone or marble and range in thickness from 2 to 0.1 m (average of 0.7 m thickness). Three-dimensional modeling of airborne magnetic data (see Company's news release dated May 3, 2022) indicates that a larger intrusive body and potential source for the mineralized dykes may lie at a shallow depth (less than 300 m) beneath the dykes. Based on these results, six preliminary drill targets have been chosen (Figure 1 A&B) and a drilling program is anticipated to commence in June 2023.

Dr. Jamil Sader, CEO and Director comments:

"Our technical team has succeeded in defining 6 highly prospective drill targets based on mapping, rock chip sampling and geophysics. These targets have similar characteristics to other well defined hardrock peralkaline REE systems globally and we are optimistic that drilling will further define a REE mineralized system below the surface at Jemi. We are planning towards a drilling program at both Jemi Dykes and Veladora North to commence in Q2 2023."

Of the 116 samples within the priority areas, 74 samples returned values greater than 0.15% total rare earth oxide (TREO1), including 6 samples that returned values greater than 1.0% TREO1 to a maximum value of 2.4% TREO1. The average TREO1 samples within the AOIs is 0.24%, and a minimum value of 12 parts per million (ppm).

Dysprosium oxide (Dy 2 O 3 ) and terbium oxide (Tb 2 O 3 ) in samples within the priority areas and classified as peralkaline (92 samples) range between 959 ppm and 4 ppm; and 147 ppm and 0.7 ppm, respectively. The average concentration for Dy 2 O 3 is 110 ppm; and the average for Tb 2 O 3 is 17 ppm. The magnetic light rare earth oxides, namely neodymium oxide (Nd 2 O 3 ) and praseodymium oxide (Pr 2 O 3 ), ranged between 3173 ppm and 30 ppm; and 824 ppm and 8 ppm, respectively. The average concentration for Nd 2 O 3 is 467 ppm; and for Pr 2 O 3 it is 132 ppm. These values are in trend with HREO2 concentrations and the ratio of HREO2 to LREO3 is consistently on average 1:2, suggesting similar REE-hosting phases in the peralkaline rock samples.

In addition to being REE-mineralized, samples are also enriched with respect to tantalum (Ta) and niobium (Nb). Assays for these critical elements in all samples from the Jemi project returned values to 976 ppm Ta 2 O 5 and greater than (>) 3576 ppm Nb 2 O 5 , with an average concentration of Ta 2 O 5 of 114 ppm and Nb 2 O 5 of 1114 ppm.

Rock grab samples are selective samples by nature and as such are not necessarily representative of the mineralization hosted across the Jemi Project.

Rare Earth Element Value and the Global Energy Transition

Because of their unusual physical and chemical properties, the REEs have diverse defense, energy, industrial, and military technology applications. It is projected that rare earth magnets will maintain dominant market share, powering EVs as well as other types of electric motors (e.g., wind turbines, water pumps) this decade, as there is minimal to no substitution risk. Significant demand growth is therefore expected, and the already tight market and elevated price levels for key magnet rare earths (Nd, Pr, Dy, and Tb) is likely to continue4. The strongest magnets are neodymium-iron-boron (NdFeB) are and are used when space and weight are restrictions are present. The addition of terbium and dysprosium to NdFeB magnets can double their optimal operating temperature from 80C to 160C. In addition, dysprosium with praseodymium increases a magnet's coercivity (the resistance of a magnetic material to change in magnetisation).

The four key REEs represent 94% of the REE market by value (Nd, Pr, Dy, and Tb), all of which are enriched at Jemi. Concentrations of Nb and Ta are also enriched and could be economically significant. (Table 1).

Oxide Metal Nd 2 O 3 Pr 2 O 3 Tb 2 O 3 Dy 2 O 3 Nb 2 O 3 Ta 2 O 3 Current Spot Price (USD/kg) $81.53 $76.88 $1,497.10 $298.96 $45.05 $297.94 Spot Price Source Ginger International Trade & Investment PT. SMM

Table 1. Current spot prices for oxide Nd/Pr/Dy/Tb, Nb, and Ta.

_________________________________ 1 Total Rare Earth Oxides (TREO) includes: La 2 O 3 , Ce 2 O 3 , Pr 2 O 3 , Nd 2 O 3 , Sm 2 O 3 , Eu 2 O 3 , Gd 2 O 3 , Tb 2 O 3 , Dy 2 O 3 , Ho 2 O 3 , Er 2 O 3 , Tm 2 O 3 , Yb 2 O 3 , Lu 2 O 3 , Y 2 O 3 . 2 Heavy Rare Earth Oxides (HREO) includes: Eu 2 O 3 , Gd 2 O 3 , Tb 2 O 3 , Dy 2 O 3 , Ho 2 O 3 , Er 2 O 3 , Tm 2 O 3 , Yb 2 O 3 , Lu 2 O 3 , Y 2 O 3 , 3 Light Rare Earth Oxides (LREO) includes La 2 O 3 , Ce 2 O 3 , Pr 2 O 3 , Nd 2 O 3 , Sm 2 O 3 . 4 BMO Capital Markets, Into the Abyss: A Supply-Chain Deep Dive from Rare Earth to Permanent Magnets, May 31, 2022.

Methodology and QA/QC

The analytical work reported on herein was performed by ALS Canada Ltd. (ALS) at Hermosillo, Mexico (sample preparation) and Vancouver, B.C. (ICP-MS fusion). ALS is an ISO-IEC 17025:2017 and ISO 9001:2015 accredited geoanalytical laboratory and is independent of Monumental Minerals and the QP. Rock samples were subject to crushing at a minimum of 70% passing 2 mm, followed by pulverizing of a 250-gram split to 85% passing 75 microns. A 0.1-gram sample pulp was then subject to multi-element ICP-MS analysis via lithium-borate fusion to determine individual REE content (ME-MS81). Monumental Minerals quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) program for field rock samples includes the insertion of certified reference standards into the sample sequence to confirm the accuracy of the reported results. Monumental Minerals detected no significant QA/QC issues during review of the data, and is not aware of any sampling, or other factors that could materially affect the accuracy of the results.

Qualified Person

The scientific and technical information contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Kristopher J. Raffle, P.Geo. (BC) Principal and Consultant of APEX Geoscience Ltd. of Edmonton, AB, a Director of the Company and a "Qualified Person" as defined in National Instrument 43-101 ? Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. Mr. Raffle verified the data disclosed which includes a review of the sampling, analytical and test data underlying the information and opinions contained therein.

About Monumental Minerals Corp.

Monumental Minerals Corp. is a mineral exploration company focused on the acquisition, exploration, and development of mineral resource properties in the critical and electric metals sector. The Company's flagship asset is the Jemi HREE project located in Coahuila, Mexico near the Texas, USA border which the Company has an option to acquire 100% of the 3,650-hectare project. The Company has an option to acquire a 75% interest and title to the Laguna cesium-lithium brine project located in Chile and a 50.01% interest in the Salar De Turi lithium project in Chile.

On behalf of the Board of Directors,

/s/ "Jamil Sader"

Jamil Sader, Chief Executive Officer and Director

Contact Information:

Email: [email protected]

Or

Max Sali, VP Corporate Development and Director

Email: [email protected]

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.

Forward Looking Information

This news release contains "forward?looking information or statements" within the meaning of applicable securities laws, which may include, without limitation, the potential plans for the Company's projects, the expected timing and completion of potential drilling at Jemi, other statements relating to the technical, financial and business prospects of the Company, its projects and other matters. All statements in this news release, other than statements of historical facts, that address events or developments that the Company expects to occur, are forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Such statements are based on numerous assumptions regarding present and future business strategies and the environment in which the Company will operate in the future, including the price of metals, the ability to achieve its goals, that general business and economic conditions will not change in a material adverse manner and that financing will be available if and when needed and on reasonable terms. Such forward-looking information reflects the Company's views with respect to future events and is subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including the risks and uncertainties relating to the interpretation of exploration results, risks related to the inherent uncertainty of exploration and cost estimates and the potential for unexpected costs and expenses and those other risks filed under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. While such estimates and assumptions are considered reasonable by the management of the Company, they are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive and regulatory uncertainties and risks. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward looking statements include, but are not limited to, continued availability of capital and financing and general economic, market or business conditions, failure to secure personnel and equipment for work programs, adverse weather and climate conditions, risks relating to unanticipated operational difficulties (including failure of equipment or processes to operate in accordance with specifications or expectations, cost escalation, unavailability of materials and equipment, government action or delays in the receipt of government approvals, industrial disturbances or other job action, and unanticipated events related to health, safety and environmental matters), risks relating to inaccurate geological assumptions, failure to maintain all necessary government permits, approvals and authorizations, failure to obtain surface access agreements or understandings from local communities, land owners or Indigenous groups, fluctuation in exchange rates, the impact of Covid-19 or other viruses and diseases on the Company's ability to operate, an inability to predict and counteract the effects of COVID-19 on the business of the Company, including but not limited to, the effects of COVID-19 on the price of commodities, capital market conditions, restriction on labour and international travel and supply chains, decrease in the price of rare earth elements, lithium, cesium and other metals, loss of key employees, consultants, or directors, failure to maintain community acceptance (including from the Indigenous communities), increase in costs, litigation, and failure of counterparties to perform their contractual obligations. The Company does not undertake to update forward?looking statements or forward?looking information, except as required by law.

SOURCE Monumental Minerals Corp.

4 april 2023 at 08:00

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Limosa Partners With BAC Aerospace To Begin Historic Canadian EVTOL Certification Process





Limosa Inc., supported by its aircraft certification consulting partner BAC Aerospace Inc., has become the first Canadian developer of electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (eVTOL) to start the type certification process with its domestic regulator, Transport Canada Civil Aviation (TCCA). By doing so, Limosa intends to be the first Canadian company to bring this new and innovative type of aircraft to market.

MONTREAL, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Founded by Dr. Hamid Hamidi, an experienced aeronautical engineer, scientific researcher, and entrepreneur, Limosa Inc. aims to revolutionize air taxi transportation by developing the LimoConnect, an all-electric, 8-seat Vertical and Conventional Take-off and Landing (eVTOL + eCTOL) aircraft. In addition to contributing to the electrification of the aviation industry, the unique strength of the LimoConnect lies in its flexibility to adopt different mission capabilities as well as the capability of take-off and land conventionally, hence allowing the use of existing airport facilities prior to the future emergence and certification of eVtol-dedicated vertiport infrastructure.

While the prospect of carbon-free flight and Advanced Air Mobility (e.g. air taxi business sector) has attracted considerable attention from both the public and venture capital investment throughout the world, Limosa is the first, and at this time, the only Canadian company to have discussions with the Canadian regulatory authorities (TCCA) on the details and means of compliance to the new regulatory design requirements to which this class of aircraft will have to comply with in Canada and abroad.

The initial LimoConnect aircraft program briefing to Transport Canada was recently held and was coordinated by BAC Aerospace, Limosa's aircraft certification partner. The near-term goal is to agree on the G-1 Transport Canada certification basis for this specific aircraft design.

Led by Chris Baczynski, a former TCCA National Aircraft Certification expert, Transport Canada Design Approval Representative and an elected Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society, BAC Aerospace is already engaged in the development and certification of electric aircraft propulsion, both in Canada and in the USA. With over two decades of experience in general aviation, large transport aircraft, and rotorcraft Type Certification, Mr. Baczynski is a member of several international technical committees developing eVtol technologies alongside representatives from Joby, Archer, and Wisk. The type certification of LimoConnect under Transport Canada Civil Aviation regulations and the subsequent entry into service is planned for 2028.

Limosa Inc. founder and CEO Dr. Hamid Hamidi says: ?eVTOLs are brand new type aerospace vehicles and are being developed to open up a new mode of green transportation for civilians. When developing a new type design, developers must work closely with the regulators since the very beginning in order to setup the certification basis and means of compliance. This is to clear the strategies required as early as possible, as no certification code is available at this time, and other regulators such as FAA and EASA are working in different certification processes. We are very excited by this partnership as BAC Aerospace brings decades of experience in certification of aircrafts as a Canadian design approval firm and can connect us with the network of representatives and delegates from Transport Canada Civil Aviation.?

?We are already underway in supporting the airworthiness certification of LimoConnect,? said Chris Baczynski, CEO and Principal Consultant of BAC Aerospace. ?By completing the prototype design with certification requirements in mind, Limosa will avoid the risk of expensive major redesign later on. Being a Canadian company, Limosa is well poised to take advantage of considerable resources of our domestic aerospace sector and the professionalism and experience of our regulator, Transport Canada Civil Aviation."

About Limosa inc.

Limosa Inc. is a technology start-up based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, with the aim to revolutionize the transportation system. It foresees that the air taxi transportation will be safer than a car, faster, ecofriendly and less time consuming than an airplane, as well as, more flexible than conventional transportation systems. The Limosa Inc. group consists of experts in aircraft structural design, structural analyses, aerodynamics, designing propulsion systems, flight control and avionics to develop an electric Vertical and Conventional Take-off and Landing (eVTOL+eCTOL) aircraft. Limosa Inc. intends to develop and acquire strategic technologies and next-generation aircraft configurations, to accelerate the deployment of economically viable eco-friendly air travel and transport by leveraging its expertise and growing international network of industry partnerships.

For more information, please visit limosa.ca

About BAC Aerospace Inc.

BAC Aerospace Inc. is a Canadian aerospace engineering consulting and design approval firm focusing on supporting aircraft and aircraft engine developers in new Type Design and large-scope Supplemental Type Design (STC) work, both domestically and abroad. Currently involved in three electric propulsion aviation programs, BAC Aerospace is working closely with Transport Canada toward the regulatory certification and commercial adoption of sustainable aviation in the country.

For more information, please visit bacaero.ca

Pull Quote

The Partnership Intends To Have Limosa Become The First Canadian Company To Certify An EVTOL Aircraft, The LimoConnect, by 2028

Media Contact

Chris Baczynski, BAC Aerospace, 1 (613) 909-8747, [email protected], www.bacaero.com

SOURCE BAC Aerospace

4 april 2023 at 08:00

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Alaska Airlines and the Surfrider Foundation partner to protect coastal habitats and reduce waste from single-use plastics





SEATTLE, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Alaska Airlines and the Surfrider Foundation announced today a national partnership focused on protecting coastal habitats through efforts such as reducing plastic waste and engaging employees and communities in beach cleanups across the West Coast and throughout the Hawaiian Islands. Alaska and Surfrider, both West Coast-based organizations with broad national reach, will collaborate to help protect our coastlines, expand education and awareness of the challenges that threaten our ocean, beaches and marine environments, and grow participation in beach cleanup and habitat restoration activities along the coasts.

"As a West Coast-based airline, we appreciate the role that our ocean and coasts play in our communities ? beautiful places to enjoy, but also a critical part of natural ecosystems and local culture and livelihoods," said Scott Coughlan, director of sustainability at Alaska Airlines. "We're committed to being part of a positive future for these critical places which is why we've set goals for our company to reduce waste and have made significant progress in the last few years to reduce single-use plastic on our flights."

Coughlan continued: "We are inspired by Surfrider's grounding in both inspiration and joy in the natural world and in the science about what will keep our ocean and coastal habitats healthy for the long term. The Surfrider team truly walks the talk, rolling up their sleeves to clean up beaches and other impacted areas. We are excited to share our passion for bringing people together, and for sustainability, to partner on this journey."

Launching this Earth Month, Alaska and Surfrider will organize a series of events to invite Alaska employees and members of our West Coast communities, including California, Hawaii and the Pacific Northwest, to clean up beaches through Surfrider's extensive network of grassroots leaders and volunteers. They will also work together on ongoing cleanup and restoration projects and collaborate on education and advocacy to support the reduction of single-use plastics.

"The Surfrider Foundation is proud to partner with Alaska Airlines, which has been a leader in reducing single-use plastics in air travel," said Surfrider's CEO Dr. Chad Nelsen. "Starting in 2018 with the elimination of straws, they are now encouraging their passengers to use reusables and #fillbeforeyoufly, while also eliminating plastics cups. We are excited to extend their commitment to reduce plastic pollution to coastal communities through cleanups and local education."

Since 1984, the Surfrider Foundation has been working to protect and preserve the world's ocean, waves and beaches for all people through a powerful activist network. It started as a group of surfers that came together to protect the beaches in Malibu, California and has grown into one of the largest coastal protection groups in the world.

Alaska is the first airline to eliminate plastic water bottles, cups, straws, stir sticks and citrus picks from inflight service, annually reducing more than 2.2 million pounds of plastic waste. Alaska has set voluntary sustainability goals for reducing its environmental impact in carbon, waste, and water ? including replacing the top five waste-producing items in onboard service by 2025 ? and balancing its water footprint through habitat restoration projects. While Alaska takes steps to eliminate plastics, it also encourages guests to join in reducing waste by bringing their own water bottles to #FillBeforeYouFly.

Alaska Airlines

Alaska Airlines and our regional partners serve more than 120 destinations across the United States, Belize, Canada, Costa Rica and Mexico. We strive to be the most caring airline with award-winning customer service and an industry-leading loyalty program. As a member of the oneworld alliance, and with our additional global partners, our guests can travel to more than 1,000 destinations on more than 25 airlines while earning and redeeming miles on flights to locations around the world. Learn more about Alaska at news.alaskaair.com and follow @alaskaairnews for news and stories. Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air are subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group.

Surfrider

The Surfrider Foundation is a nonprofit grassroots organization dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of our world's ocean, waves and beaches for all people through a powerful activist network. Founded in 1984 by a handful of visionary surfers in Malibu, California, the Surfrider Foundation now maintains more than a million supporters, activists and members, with over 200 volunteer-led chapters and student clubs in the U.S., and more than 800 victories protecting our coasts. Learn more at surfrider.org.

SOURCE Alaska Airlines

4 april 2023 at 08:00

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Flexible and agile, 'Canada's Top Small & Medium Employers' for 2023 are raising the bar for all employers.





TORONTO, April 4, 2023 /CNW/ - Flexible and agile, Canada's small and medium enterprises are 'laboratories of innovation' when it comes to progressive human resources policies and forward-thinking workplace programs. That's the message from this year's Canada's Top Small & Medium Employers, announced this morning by Mediacorp Canada Inc., organizers of the annual Canada's Top 100 Employers competition.

"The employers chosen this year represent the 'best of the best' and many have pioneered initiatives that would have been unthinkable five years ago," says Kristina Leung, managing editor of the Canada's Top 100 Employers project. "These trailblazers are among the first in Canada to adopt new HR initiatives, such as offering permanent hybrid work options and removing formal caps on vacation allowance and paid time off. It's a refreshing way to mark our 10th anniversary of the SME competition."

A hallmark of Canada's Top Small & Medium Employers is that winners have the freedom and flexibility to develop creative ? and often unique ? solutions that improve the work environment and the lives of employees. From flexible time off policies that help employees balance family commitments to unique staff recognition programs, this year's winners have raised the bar in anticipating employee needs and expanding the range of programs offered.

Additionally, winners offer employees the chance to get involved and leave their fingerprints on work they do, ensuring staff have a direct connection to the company's product or service. Employees take satisfaction in knowing that they helped shape the client experience in a tangible way and that they are an integral part of the company's DNA.

"In contrast to larger organizations where there can sometimes be layers of red tape around career growth and interaction with other departments, SMEs have a 'culture of connection' where employees help build the company and contribute ideas," adds Richard Yerema, executive editor at the Canada's Top 100 Employers project. "This atmosphere allows employees to build deeper connections with colleagues at all levels of seniority and lets them see the impact of their work."

Notable initiatives singled out at this year's winners include:

Waterloo, Ont. -based Auvik Networks provides new hires with a subsidy ($500) to set up a home office using "whatever makes their home office environment effective"; employees also receive a stipend ( $100 monthly) to cover incidental remote work costs, from technology to coffee. Employees at the company also enjoy a no-limit vacation policy, with the encouragement of at least three weeks off each year.

-based Auvik Networks provides new hires with a subsidy to set up a home office using "whatever makes their home office environment effective"; employees also receive a stipend ( monthly) to cover incidental remote work costs, from technology to coffee. Employees at the company also enjoy a no-limit vacation policy, with the encouragement of at least three weeks off each year. Olympia Financial, based in Calgary , has special employee recognition program where colleagues nominate peers quarterly for exceptional performance on the basis of company values in eight categories; winners receive paid time off, free parking, gift cards, or even lunch with the company president.

, has special employee recognition program where colleagues nominate peers quarterly for exceptional performance on the basis of company values in eight categories; winners receive paid time off, free parking, gift cards, or even lunch with the company president. BlueStone Properties, based in London, Ont. , offers new employees three weeks of annual paid vacation plus up to 10 personal days to help with family and personal commitments. These include four days ('Better Days') that are intended as flexible "no guilt" personal wellness days.

, offers new employees three weeks of annual paid vacation plus up to 10 personal days to help with family and personal commitments. These include four days ('Better Days') that are intended as flexible "no guilt" personal wellness days. Montreal -based game developer Mistplay encourages staff to donate time and money to local charities, matching employee donations to an exceptional limit ( $10,000 per employee annually).

-based game developer Mistplay encourages staff to donate time and money to local charities, matching employee donations to an exceptional limit ( per employee annually). Vancouver -based FISPAN Services provides weekly onsite team lunches so employees can sample delicacies from local restaurants and connect with each other in person.

-based FISPAN Services provides weekly onsite team lunches so employees can sample delicacies from local restaurants and connect with each other in person. Toronto -based Points offers a unique personal leave program ('You Only Live Once'), which allows long-time employees to apply for unpaid leaves of up to three months while continuing to receive benefits, bonuses and accrued vacation.

Now in its 10th year, Canada's Top Small & Medium Employers is an editorial competition that recognizes the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) that offer the nation's best workplaces and forward-thinking human resources policies. Canada's SME sector is tremendously important to the nation and is responsible for over half of the country's private-sector employment. Editors at Mediacorp review employers on eight criteria, which have remained consistent since the project's inception: (1) Workplace; (2) Work Atmosphere & Social; (3) Health, Financial & Family Benefits; (4) Vacation & Time Off; (5) Employee Communications; (6) Performance Management; (7) Training & Skills Development; and (8) Community Involvement. The editors publish detailed 'reasons for selection' for these criteria, providing transparency in the selection of winners and a catalogue of best practices for employers and job-seekers alike. The competition follows the definition of a "small and medium enterprise" used by Statistics Canada, which limits the competition to private-sector businesses with under 500 employees.

Founded in 1992, Mediacorp Canada Inc. is the nation's largest publisher of employment periodicals. Since 1999, the Toronto-based publisher has managed the Canada's Top 100 Employers project, which includes 18 regional and special-interest editorial competitions that reach millions of Canadians annually through a variety of magazine and newspaper partners, including The Globe and Mail. Mediacorp also operates Eluta.ca, one of Canada's largest job search engines, which reaches over two million job-seekers annually and features exclusive editorial reviews from the Canada's Top 100 Employers project.

The full list of Canada's Top Small & Medium Employers (2023) was announced today in a special magazine co-published with the Globe and Mail. Detailed reasons for selection for each of this year's winners, as well as additional stories and photos, were released today by the editors and are accessible via the competition homepage.

SOURCE Mediacorp Canada Inc.

4 april 2023 at 08:00

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Quantum Ireland ICAV Announces New Lithium Research Department





DUBLIN, IRELAND / ACCESSWIRE / April 4, 2023 / Quantum Ireland ICAV announces a new branch of their research department dedicated solely to the study of the lithium market.Quantum Ireland ICAV is confident that their new research department, which utilizes their patented AI software RARFAC, will be able to find the most relevant and up-to-date information about all parts of the lithium market.

CTO Brian Delaney said, "With people looking for clean, sustainable energy sources and the EV market growing by leaps and bounds, lithium has quickly become the most sought after mined metal in the world. Quantum Ireland ICAV has dedicated an entire department to the research and analysis of lithium and the companies that use and mine it."

When you want to research where to invest there has always been one cardinal rule, follow the money. In the case of lithium, the majority of that money goes straight to the first world governments.

From our current analysis lithium looks to be one of the biggest winners in the race for mined metals over the next few decades. With the world shifting over to renewable energy production, there is a huge opportunity for those wanting in on the next big thing. Though our research and analysis views subjects from every angle, we are currently focusing in on the question, what about the lithium market in 2023?

First, our assessment of how lithium companies could perform this year. Further, we'll look at whether or not now is the time to get involved with lithium.

The reason we have dedicated an entire division to lithium is because of the huge future potential. Lithium is used in practically every type of power we consume. It's in the battery of the computers we use, not to mention the phones that are seemingly glued to our hands these days. On a larger scale lithium is powering electric cars, solar panels, virtually anything that requires a battery. We are edging closer every day to solid state batteries powering small commuter planes.

What's more, it's recyclable. That's one of the major benefits for those seeking access to a sustainable resource. It's a product that can be reused again and again. Not sent into the atmosphere, or thrown in the garbage.

From our most recent research into the the lithium market we have found an incredibly wide array of uses which includes potential for expansion into new areas. As our knowledge base continues to expand we are finding lithium is certainly something to consider now and in the future.

We have come to the conclusion from assessment of a massive compilation of data that this year we will see a major improvement in lithium companies and the stocks that are tied to them. Growth will come from several companies expanding. Yet, the biggest reason is those expansions is that they are backed by governmental support.

Around the world countries are putting their weight into clean energy production. Lithium is a major beneficiary. The United States, in particular, will see even more lithium production as the country looks to expand its electric vehicle production and try to beat out China for the top spot.

In our analytical opinion involving the case for lithium stocks, it's looking like a great time to invest in 2023. These are the facts:

The global lithium market size was valued at USD 1289.12 million in 2022 and is expected to expand at a CAGR of 8.38% during the forecast period, reaching USD 2088.97 million by 2028.

The main drivers of lithium demand growth are the increasing demand for lithium-ion batteries, particularly in the electrification of vehicles.

According to our RARFAC AI software, the current base-case analysis sees lithium demand of 3.3 million metric tons or a compounded 25 percent growth rate.

The electrification of vehicles is projected to attract a significant volume of lithium-ion batteries, thus anticipated to drive the market over the forecast period.

Additionally, in order to sustain demand lithium production must quadruple between 2020 and 2030 to meet, from 345,000 tonnes in 2020 to 2 million tonnes in 2030

In conclusion, our research department has found the demand for lithium is rising globally, and its supply chain from mines to batteries relies on only a few critical first world nations. The processes from mining to production are becoming more efficient and environmentally friendly. From our point of view lithium is not just a monetary investment, it is an environmental one as well, for both the short and long term.

To learn more about Quantum Ireland ICAV, you can visit their website at:

https://www.quantumirelandicav.com/

Company name: Quantum Ireland ICAV

Contact name: Chelsea O'Shea (International press officer)

Company address: 33 Sir John Rogersons Quay, Dublin 2, Dublin, Ireland

Website URL: https://www.quantumirelandicav.com/

Phone: +353 1963 5377

SOURCE: Quantum Ireland ICAV

4 april 2023 at 12:30

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Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare first in Tennessee to offer cutting-edge ablation technique for heart patients





MEMPHIS, Tenn., April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare is the first health system in Tennessee to offer an enhanced ablation tool for heart patients ? especially for those suffering from an irregular heartbeat (atrial fibrillation or AFib).

Clinicians at Methodist University Hospital first unveiled the DiamondTemp ablation system in the fall of 2022. Since then, the health system has performed approximately 30 procedures using this advanced ablation technology.

Through a minimally-invasive procedure, doctors create a small incision in a patient's groin and carefully maneuver a catheter to their heart. An ablation tool at the tip of the catheter uses heat energy to create tiny scars on the heart ? that restores a regular heartbeat.

The DiamondTemp ablation system allows for an even safer and more efficient procedure. The temperature mechanism equips cardiac electrophysiologists with advanced capability to monitor how effective an ablation is. This technology increases the chance of patients experiencing a quicker recovery.

Heart disease is the number one killer in the United States and in the Mid-South community. As a result, our clinical team performs a robust amount of atrial fibrillation ablations. Our expert team of dedicated cardiovascular surgeons and clinicians have built a trusted reputation that makes Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare a regional destination for heart care, with patients traveling as far as Kentucky, Alabama and Florida.

By offering the latest, cutting-edge technology, Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare continues delivering on its mission to improve our community's health and well-being through high-quality, innovative and compassionate care.

About Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare

Based in Memphis, Tennessee, Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare has been caring for patients and families regardless of their ability to pay for more than 100 years. Guided by roots in the United Methodist Church and founded in 1918 to help meet the growing need for quality healthcare in the greater Memphis area, MLH has grown from one hospital into a comprehensive healthcare system with 13,000 Associates supporting six hospitals, including nationally ranked Le Bonheur Children's Hospital, ambulatory surgery centers, outpatient facilities, hospice residence and physician and specialty practices serving communities across the Mid-South. From transplants and advanced heart procedures to expert neurology services and compassionate cancer care, MLH offers clinical expertise with a focus on improving every life we touch.

SOURCE Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare

4 april 2023 at 13:43

News published onand distributed by:
Bitxor Coin, Now Available for Trading on LAToken and IndoEx Exchanges





Bitxor Coin is a newly launched cryptocurrency in the industry. Recently, the company's Blockchain PoS coin connects and empowers the ecosystem through its enrollment on LAToken and IndoEx exchanges

PANAMA CITY, PANAMA / ACCESSWIRE / April 4, 2023 / Bitxor Protocol, has announced that its native coin, BXR, will be listed on different exchanges from March 28, 2023. Specifically, Bitxor Coin (BXR) is already available for live trading on IndoEx and LAToken exchanges.

Bitxor Coin (BXR) is a Proof of Stake (PoS) coin that serves as a medium of exchange within the Bitxor ecosystem and is used for mining and transaction validation.

The Bitxor Protocol is a blockchain-based ecosystem designed to support decentralized systems and structures. The LSC-X (Logic Smart Contract Bitxor) system, an advanced multi-layer smart contract system, is the foundation of the Bitxor protocol. Logic operators are components of LSC-X that help the development of decentralized systems and structures with greater efficiency, speed and security.

In addition, Bitxor's multilayer architecture supports both probabilistic and deterministic block completion, making it exceptional. With probabilistic finalization, the probability of any block being reversed decreases as blocks are added or chained.

The Bitxor Blockchain community uses the Bitxor Space Forum platform as its official virtual meeting space to discuss a variety of topics related to the growth of the Bitxor ecosystem. A reserve fund held in public wallets and protected by multiple signatures on the Bitxor Blockchain receives 2% of every block mined as an additional incentive to support the Bitxor Ecosystem.

Operating with a Bitxor Blockchain mining node allows miners to contribute to the security of the network by validating and confirming transactions. Bitxor Coin (BXR), is given to miners as compensation for their work, and they can contribute to the decentralization of the network by adding more nodes and decreasing the likelihood of a single point of failure.

About Bixtor Blockchain

Bitxor is an easy-to-use decentralized multi-layer PoS mining blockchain that enables application integration for all types of companies and projects that require scalability locally and internationally. The network identity and generation hash seed combine to form a distinctive digital fingerprint for each network in the Bitxor ecosystem.

Bitxor's approach is to build a powerful brand, with a coherent and well-structured image, based on its ambitious mission: to establish a fair and open economy in which every person can achieve complete financial freedom and have more opportunities to improve their lives.



For more information

Website: https://bitxor.org

WhitePaper: https://www.bitxor.org/whitepaper-en.pdf

Wallet: https://bitxor.io

Explorer: https://explorer.bitxor.org

Forum: https://forum.bitxor.org

Bitxor Documentation: https://docs.bitxor.org/en/index.html

Nodes Installation Guide: https://docs.bitxor.org/en/guides/network/running-a-bitxor-node-manually.html

Discord for developers: https://discord.gg/AkdGXrpeVj

Link to pre-sale: https://startstake.bitxor.org/login

Docs Bitxor: https://docs.bitxor.org

Bitcointalk: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5432889

Media Contact

Organization: Bitxor Protocol

Contact Person: Patricio Orellana

Website: https://bitxor.org

Email: [email protected]

Country: Panama



PR Contact

King NewsWire

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE: Bitxor Coin

4 april 2023 at 17:45

View source version on accesswire.com:News published onand distributed by:
Municipal workers use a mobile excavator as they collect garbage from a sidewalk in Paris on March 30, 2023. CHRISTOPHE ARCHAMBAULT / AFP

A union representing Paris garbage workers announced on Tuesday, April 4, another rolling strike is set to begin next week, just as piles of uncollected rubbish were disappearing from the streets of the capital. A three-week stoppage by refuse collectors last month to protest pension reforms left the city strewn with 10,000 tonnes of rubbish, with some trash heaps rising to more than two meters high.

The hard-left CGT, the largest public sector union, called on its members late Monday to begin another strike from Thursday, April 13. The industrial action is to demand "the withdrawal of the pension reforms", said a statement from the CGT's refuse workers branch. It called on members "to take part actively and in large numbers in the union and sector-specific days of action."

Refuse collectors can currently retire at 57, as long as they have the required number of years of social security contributions, but this would be increased to 59 under reforms being pushed through by President Emmanuel Macron.

11th day of nationwide protests

Another national day of strikes and protests  the 11th since the start of the year  has been announced for Thursday, with unions and leftist opponents of the changes hoping to regain ebbing momentum.

All eyes are on France's constitutional court which is reviewing the pension legislation set to raise the minimum retirement age for most people from 62 to 64, bringing France more into line with its European neighbors. The court will announce on April 14 whether the legislation is legally sound. If it gives the go-ahead, Macron would be free to sign it into law, meaning it would enter force later this year.

The public sector garbage workers' strike is set to affect half of the French capital's districts  the other half is managed by private companies. But blockades of the city's three incinerator plants during last month's strike also affected private collections.

The CGT argues that the lower retirement age for sanitation workers  refuse collectors and sewerage workers  is justified because their life expectancy is between 12-17 years less than the average French person.

Le Monde with AFP
Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto, left, hands over his nation's accession document to NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg in Brussels, Tuesday, April 4, 2023. JOHANNA GERON / AP

Finland became the 31st member of NATO on Tuesday, in a historic shift that drew an angry warning of "countermeasures" from the Kremlin.

Moscow's all-out invasion of Ukraine last year upended Europe's security landscape and prompted Finland and its neighbor Sweden to drop decades of military non-alignment.

"Not so many years ago we thought it was unthinkable that Finland would become a member. Now they will be a fully-fledged member of our alliance and that is truly historic," NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said. "We are removing the room for miscalculation in Moscow about NATO's readiness to protect Finland, and that makes Finland safer."

Finnish Defence Minister Antti Kaikkonen called it "a win-win situation" ahead of the choreographed final formalities before Finland's blue-and-white flag can be hoisted in front of NATO's headquarters.

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But Moscow decried the move as an "assault" on Russia's security and national interests. "This forces us to take countermeasures (...) in tactical and strategic terms," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

Joining NATO places Finland under the alliance's Article 5, the collective defense pledge that an attack on one member "shall be considered an attack against them all". This was the guarantee Finnish leaders decided they needed as they watched Russian President Vladimir Putin's devastating assault on Ukraine.

In praising Finland's membership, US President Joe Biden noted it came on the 74th anniversary of the signing of NATO's founding treaty on April 4, 1949. "When Putin launched his brutal war of aggression against the people of Ukraine, he thought he could divide Europe and NATO. He was wrong," Biden said. "Today, we are more united than ever. And together  strengthened by our newest ally, Finland  we will continue to preserve transatlantic security, defend every inch of NATO territory, and meet any and all challenges we face."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky offered his "sincere congratulations to Finland and President Sauli Niinisto on joining NATO on the 74th anniversary of its founding."

Bordering Russia

Invaded by its giant neighbor, the Soviet Union, in 1939, Finland  which has a 1,300-kilometre (800 mile) border with Russia  stayed out of NATO throughout the Cold War.

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Now its membership brings a potent military into the alliance with a wartime strength of 280,000 and one of Europe's largest artillery arsenals. Its strategic location bolsters NATO's defences on a border running from the vulnerable Baltic states to the increasingly competitive Arctic.

Awkward allies Turkey and Hungary, for different reasons of their own, delayed Finland's bid to come under the NATO umbrella  and Stockholm's progress remains blocked. But last week, the Turkish parliament voted to clear Finland's final hurdle. Completing the ratification in well under a year still makes this the fastest membership process in the alliance's recent history.

"It's a great day for Finland and an important day for NATO, too," said Finnish President Sauli Niinisto. "Russia tried to create a sphere around them and, well, we are not a sphere. I'm sure that Finns themselves feel more secure, that we are living in a more stable world."

Neighboring Sweden, which has avoided military alliances for more than 200 years, has also applied. But objections from NATO members Turkey and Hungary have delayed the process. Niinisto said Finland's membership "is not complete without that of Sweden. The persistent efforts for a rapid Swedish membership continue."

Sweden soon?

Budapest and Ankara remain the holdouts for Sweden joining to join NATO after belatedly agreeing to wave through Helsinki's bid. Sweden has upset Hungary's leader Viktor Orban one of Putin's closest allies in Europe  by expressing alarm over the rule of law in Hungary.

It has also angered Turkey by refusing to extradite dozens of suspects that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan links to a failed 2016 coup attempt and a decades-long Kurdish independence struggle. NATO diplomats hope Erdogan will become more amenable if he weathers elections next month and that Sweden will join before a NATO summit in Vilnius this July.

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Ukraine is also pushing for eventual NATO membership, but Western diplomats say that still remains a distant prospect. "There is no better strategic solution to ensuring strategic security in the Euro Atlantic region than the membership of Ukraine in the alliance," Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said.

Le Monde with AP and AFP
Mothers of abducted Chibok girls hold their daughters' photographs during a commemoration at the Chibok Local Government on April 14, 2019 five years after they were abducted by the Boko Haram Jihadists group on April 14, 2014. AUDU ALI MARTE / AFP

At least 12 people were killed and several others injured or kidnapped in a spate of attacks in northeast and central Nigeria, police and officials said on Monday, April 3. Insecurity is a major concern in Africa's most populous country as a new president is set to be sworn in next month following an election disputed by the opposition.

In northeastern Adamawa State on Monday, unidentified gunmen stormed Dabna village in Hong district, resulting in the "unfortunate murder of three (persons)", local police spokesman Suleiman Nguroje said, adding that homes were set ablaze. No group has claimed responsibility although Boko Haram jihadists are known to launch occasional attacks in the area from their Sambisa forest enclave in neighboring Borno State.

Also on Monday, gunmen attacked communities in Oganenigu, in the Dekina district of central Kogi State, according to local authorities. The governor's spokesman Muhammed Onogwu said that a local politician was killed while others were "affected by this ugly and unfortunate attack".

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On Sunday, gunmen stormed a church in Akenawe-Tswarev village in central Benue State, killing a worshipper and kidnapping three others, according to Salome Tor, political administrator of Logo district in which the village is located. "The attackers burst into the church during morning worship and shot dead one person and kidnapped three others, including the priest," Tor said.

Two other worshippers were seriously injured and taken to hospital for medical treatment, she said. Tor did not say who was responsible for the attack but Benue has for years been a hotbed of deadly communal unrest between herders and farmers.

In central Niger State on Saturday, gunmen suspected to be from criminal gangs attacked several villages in Mashegu and Munya districts, killing at least seven people and abducting 26 others according to a local official. Umar Jibrin Igede, Mashegu district political administrator, said the attacks were the latest in a series of raids on villages in the area in the past two weeks and that many residents had fled their homes.

Police in Niger State did not respond to Agence France Presse's request for comment on the attacks and kidnappings. President Muhammadu Buhari, who is stepping down in May, has left his successor Bola Tinubu a country facing a jihadist insurgency in the northeast, violent criminal gangs in the northwest and center and secessionist agitation in the southeast.

Le Monde with AFP
ENGAGE with the law and consider their own legal rights, was the aim of the Law Society of Irelands inaugural Legal Essay Competition, with one Limerick student making the final.

Limerick student Liam Hayes who attends Colaiste Iosaef Kilmallock school, was among the 32 finalists that attended the event in Dublin.

The competition is officially called National Grainne ONeill Memorial Legal Essay Competition, to honour the life of a young female judge, who passed away at age 46 in 2018 after a period of illness. In 2014, Grainne became the youngest judge in Ireland when she was appointed to the District Court.

The competition received over 80 essays from 38 schools across 14 different counties. Each student submitted a 1,500-word essay examining the topic, 'The law and social media: striking a balance between freedom of expression and responsible usage.'

Chairperson of the Law Societys Education Committee, Richard Hammond SC, said: This competition aims to encourage young people to engage with the law and consider their own legal rights, how the law impacts society.

The objective is to inspire students learning and develop their creativity in an engaging way.

This is the first year the competition invited entries from transition year students across the country.

Its fitting that we can bring Grainnes legacy to a national platform, and to continue to make a difference to young people, their learnings and their lives, Mr Hammond SC concluded.

The competition was initiated by The Hon Mr Justice Keenan Johnson of the Circuit Court, in collaboration with the Midland Solicitors Bar Association in 2019.
A METROPOLITAN councillor has resigned her seat on a committee which aims to foster greater co-operation between the gardai and local politicians.

Sarah Kiely, a Fine Gael councillor for City East, has stepped down from the Joint Policing Committee (JPC) as she feels at present, its not a good use of her time.

The JPC has sub-committees especially for the rural electoral areas of Cappamore/Kilmallock, Newcastle West and Adare/Rathkeale.

But, in the city, there is no dedicated forum for councillors, with only an overall JPC shared with members from the rural areas.

And Cllr Kiely wants to see that changed.

We are listening to stuff from different areas which is not relevant. It eats into time when we should be raising our issues. There needs to be one particularly for the city. I dont want to be listening to something which happens in Abbeyfeale, she said.

We have the population density in the city. We also have the most amount of councillors in the city, the councillor pointed out.

Cllr Kiely stressed there is no issue with An Garda Siochana or its efforts during the local JPCs - her complaint is over the structure.

With just over 12 months to go until the local election, shes acknowledged the matter will likely not be resolved in this council term.

But she hopes that when the next group of councillors meet, the problem will have been rectified.
IRISH Rail staff are to seal a section of fencing to stop part of its track being used as a rat run into a southside park in Limerick city.

Troublemakers have targetted the Boro Field park, which opened in Janesboro in 2021, when it closes at night-time.

Local councillor Sarah Kiely says they dump rubbish, start fires, and do damage to trees in the public park.

Theyve been using a section in the fencing on the Limerick to Foynes rail line to access the park from the Prospect side, after hours.

Now, the semi-state travel firm has given a commitment it will introduce higher and more robust fencing at Boro Fields, and carry out a clean-up of litter on the site.

Workers began on site late last week, and are expected to spend the next two months putting in place new fencing where there are breaches.

Councillor Kiely has hailed the news as a great result for residents and users of our beautiful park.

She thanked Irish Rail for acting, and in particular praised its chief executive Jim Meade, a former railway worker based in Limerick.

In fairness to them, theyve stepped up, and it's very positive. I think it's down to Jim Meade knowing his business. You don't always get CEOs who are in touch with the issues at ground level. He knows as he's worked on the railways all his life, she said.

The line running alongside the Boro Field once linked Limerick and Foynes, but has been out of use since 2001 when freight services ceased.

However, its now expected to be re-opened to freight  and possibly passenger services later on  and a 65m contract is in place to remove vegetation along the line, and upgrade the tracks to Irish Rail standards.

On top of this, the transport provider is renewing lineside fencing, improving road infrastructure and installing new rail and concrete sleepers along the route.
DEFINED as a strip of undeveloped land near an urban area, set aside for recreational use or environmental protection, a greenway is useful for a number of reasons.

The proposal for one containing a study area connecting the University of Limerick (UL) to the east Limerick village of Montpelier would provide students and the public with a walkable route,, with the additional resource for academics.

The first public consultation will be held for the UL to Montpelier Greenway on Wednesday, April 5, for people to see drawings of the proposed construction and to voice their own ideas or opinions of the plans.

Montpelier is a village in east county Limerick, on the east bank of the River Shannon, and is connected to O'Briensbridge across the river in County Clare by a 14-arch stone bridge.

There was a 3m investment announced in 2021 for four new Limerick greenways, and connecting UL and Montpelier was just one - others include: Rathkeale to Limerick City, Shannon Airport to Limerick City and Patrickswell and Abbeyfeale to Listowel.

The funding will also cover further works on the Limerick Greenway in Abbeyfeale and Rathkeale and the continuation of funding for Limerick to Scariff via the Black Bridge, Clonlara and Killaloe.

Limerick City and County Council, in conjunction with Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) and Clare County Council are holding the public meeting in the Castle Oaks hotel in Castleconnell, from 12 noon to 8pm.

The documents and drawings will also be on display from Thursday, April 6 to Friday, April 28 in Limerick City and County Council, Civic Offices, Merchant's Quay, Limerick City and County Council, County Hall, Dooradoyle Road, and Mid-West National Road Design Office, Lissanalta House, Dooradoyle.
A GARDA has told a court that a Limerick teenager appeared to be in fear before he made the decision to invoke special Garda powers to remove the teenager to safety from her family home in Limerick.

In evidence at Emergency Care Order (ICO) proceedings at the Family Law court in Ennis, the Garda told the court that he invoked Garda powers under Section 12 of the Childcare Act after the teenager told him that she was not safe in the house.

The Garda said that he making a welfare check at the address after the girl had earlier that day made contact with TUSLA.

In the case, Judge Mary Larkin has granted an Emergency Care Order to TUSLA concerning the girl after hearing evidence from the Garda witness and a social worker from TUSLA, the Child and Family Agency (CFA)

The TUSLA social worker told the court that the girl had presented earlier that day as being very upset and very distraught - things at home had deteriorated and she felt that she couldnt remain there.

The social worker told Judge Larkin that there was a lot of worry for her safety due to parental and sibling substance misuse and a lot of concerns about her overall care and mental health.

The social worker described the girl as a very vulnerable teenager.

She said that earlier this year, TUSLA received a number of referrals concerning the girl from her school.

The TUSLA worker stated that while at the address, Gardai had made contact with her by phone to tell her that the girls father had made a direct threat against me.

The worker stated that the father was not consenting to the ICO but that the mother was consenting. Neither parent were in court.

The social worker stated that TUSLA is very worried about the threat that the father would pose if he knew where his daughter now is.

She said that the father is not happy that his daughter is in our care and has stated that will do whatever it takes.

She said that he wants to know where she is and have her back

The social worker told Judge Larkin that she was satisfied that there is an immediate and serious risk to childs welfare that necessitates the making of the ICO.

In further evidence, the garda told the court that when he called to the door of the home at 7.05pm for the welfare check, the father came to the door and was extremely aggressive and irate.

The Garda told the court that when given the opportunity to speak to the teen daughter boy by herself, she appeared to be in fear and she stated that she was not safe in the house when I spoke with her.

The Garda said that the teen told him I would like to leave this house.

The garda said that the girls father and a brother burst in the door of the kitchen and the Garda tried to calm down the extremely aggressive father.

The Garda said that he called for back-up and two other Garda units arrived at the home and the girl was taken from the home after she had packed a bag of belongings.

The Garda said that later that night, he brought to the girl to her emergency foster placement.

Judge Larkin adjourned the case to a family law court sitting in Limerick for Wednesday (April 5th).
GARDAI in Limerick are investigating after a woman in her 20s was killed in a fatal assault.

The incident happened at a residential property on the Dock Road at approximately 1:30pm on Tuesday.

The woman, aged in her 20s, was pronounced dead and her body remains at the scene.

The scene is currently preserved for technical examination by the Garda Technical Bureau.

The office of the State Pathologist has been notified and a post-mortem examination will be arranged.

Fr Seamus Enright, rector of the Redemptorists who are located just a couple of streets away from where the fatal assault took place, said: "We are horrified that such violence has come to our community."

Fr Enright said they will remember the young woman and those who are grieving for her in their prayers.

"We will do it especially at the 7.15pm Mass this Wednesday evening and all the Masses tomorrow. A death like this reminds us of how precious life is and that we must do all that we can to support life and enhance life wherever we find it. We appeal to people with information to co-operate with An Garda Siochana," said Fr Enright.

Gardai are appealing to any person who has information that can assist with this investigation to contact them.

They are appealing to anyone who has camera footage from the Dock Road and OCurry street areas of Limerick City from 1:00pm  2:00pm to contact them.

Anyone with any information is asked to contact Henry Street Garda Station on 061 212 400, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda Station.
A TEENAGER has been arrested after a garda was assaulted while carrying out an arrest.

Gardai were alerted to a disturbance on a bus which was travelling through Askeaton on Friday last.

A male in his late teens was arrested at the scene under the Public Order Act, and was taken to a garda station in Limerick.

He will appear before Newcastle West district court at a later date in connection with the incident.

During the course of making the arrest, an on-duty garda was physically assaulted and sustained minor injuries, a spokesperson told Limerick Live.

He remained on duty following the alleged incident which took place just before 7pm on Friday.

As part of an investigation into this alleged assault, a male in his late teens was arrested on Monday.

He was detained under section four of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984 at a garda station in Limerick.

Investigations into the assault incident are ongoing.

Councillor Adam Teskey, chairman of the Limerick Joint Policing Committee (JPC) condemned the attack.

There is no place in society for this level of brutal behaviour. Members of An Garda Siochanao have always been well-respected in our communities, particularly in rural areas. This level of abuse, which is unfortunately not isolated, must be stopped. Further legislation will have to be introduced to effectively deal with this problem, said the Adare/Rathkeale councillor.

He believes that a wider debate is needed with regards to how social media platforms are potentially contributing to attacks like these.

A member of An Garda Siochana should be able to carry out their duty without fear or favour at all times, the government has a responsibility to protect members from this level of brutality, Cllr Teskey added.

He wished the serving garda a speedy recovery.
FIREFIGHTERS from three different stations are battling a house blaze on the northside of Limerick city this Tuesday night.

Three appliances from Mulgrave Street, two from Shannon and one from Cappamore are at the scene of the house fire on the Ennis Road.

Limerick Fire and Rescue Service received the report at 9.46pm and rushed to the scene. Assistance from colleagues in Shannon and Cappamore was required due to the ferocity of the blaze. Plumes of smoke can be seen from miles around.

It is not known if the house was occupied at the time the fire broke out.

Videos of the blaze have been widely shared on social media. Onlookers expressed their surprise at how quickly the fire escalated.

It is understood that firefighters will be in attendance throughout the night to battle the blaze and attempt to prevent damage to neighbouring properties.
When two stars collide

Well, not really collide, but join forces as was the case at the Lady Helen restaurant in Mount Juliet when Michelin Star resident chef John Kelly and Damien Grey - of the two Michelin Star restaurant, Liath in Blackrock - presented up to forty diners a menu and wine pairing which was simply out of this world.



Tasting menus are always popular, and wine pairings makes the occasion even more enjoyable. Theres a sense of adventure and abandon - surrendering your choice and maybe even tastes and putting all that aside to be simply delighted as you dine. Bring that to a Michelin Level and its a whole different experience. And then of course you have the personality of the chef - in this case two of the best.

Both chefs have been recognised and awarded by Michelin for their innovative menus and culinary approach, which respects quality ingredients and their natural flavour. This was a rare opportunity to enjoy a remarkable collaboration between two of Irelands most creative chefs, who conceived a distinctive six-course menu for this special event which featured signature dishes from the menus of Liath and The Lady Helen, with Chef Damien bringing a taste of the city to the Mount Juliet country Estate.

Guests were welcomed to a Piaff Champagne and Nespresso Martini reception where they enjoyed mingling with the Chefs and guests before being seated for dining. John, from Kilkenny and head chef at the Lady Helen for almost ten years, is at the top of his game, combining flavour and local ingredients to a standard unequalled. Damian, a proud Aussie, is patron of a restaurant that seats just 14 covers each night. Very intimate in its own right.

Both talented men gave of their time willingly throughout the evening, sharing their tales from the kitchen, the origin of their ingredients, the extras. They seemed to enjoy the casual feedback, which grew ever more boisterous and forthcoming as the wine selection was enjoyed.

On moving into the Lady Helen dining room, both chefs introduced themselves and the menu which featured the innovative dishes both chefs are renowned for.

Heres the menu below -

Liath Carrot

Smoked Oyster, Kelp Noodles and Halibut Toffee Caviar

Eel Cornet with Aged Parmesan and Truffles

Tipperary Organic Veal, Morels, Vin Juane Sauce

Waterford Whiskey, Estate Honey and Mandarin

Liath Chocolate

Petit Fours

Nespresso Coffee

Sommelier Luciano Radmil explained the wine pairing choices and the Nespresso coffee paired with the desserts. After the meal, all guests were invited to the 1757 bar for a Waterford Whiskey digestif.

It was a great night, John and Damian worked the room equally as well as the kitchen. The entire staff were up for the evening; each server, sommelier and manager were well briefed and expertly presented each of the evenings offerings. This was a culinary classic. Lady Helen has hosted many fine dining events - this was special. You know of course what happens when two stars collide - its called a stellar collision and that doesnt even come close to explaining the tastes and textures of a wonderful evening of dining and wines at a venue that Damian, at the start, said he was honoured to cook in. And at the end of it all, the honour was all ours.

Mount Juliet Estate General Manager, Mr. Mark Dunne summed it all up - This was a sensational dining experience. We were delighted to welcome Chef Damien Grey of Liath Dublin to the Lady Helen offering guests the opportunity to experience an exciting and rare dining event with two of Irelands leading Chefs who share a culinary ethos of innovation and excellence. We are already looking forward to the return event in Dublin, its not to be missed!
MUMBAI : Aditya Birla Group's financial servies arm Aditya Birla Capital Ltd (ABCL), on Tuesday, announced that Essel Mining & Industries Ltd is coming in as one of the new promoters of ABCL via acquisition of the enitre 2.22% stake held by an existing promoter entity IGH Holdings Pvt. Ltd. in ABCL.

Essel Mining is the parent company of IGH Holdings. The stake equivalent to 53.69 million shares will be purchased from IGH Holdings Pvt Ltd, at a price of not more than 25% of the prevailing market price of ABCL at Rs. 147.28 apiece.

According to the company, the acquisition is scheduled to take place on or after 12 April, 2023, and will be made from the open market, said ABCL in an exchange filing.

Following the acquisition, Essel Mining & Industries will join Aditya Birla Capital's promoter group. However, the overall promoter group shareholding of Aditya Birla Capital will remain unchanged.

ABCL is currently in a mode of consolidation after Vishakha Mulye took charge as the company's new CEO.

On 27 March, 2023 ABCL had announced the sale of its entire stake in Aditya Birla Insurance Brokers Limited (ABIBL). The sale of 2.56 million shares, representing 50.002% of ABIBL, made Samara Capital the new promoters of ABIBL.

Edme Services Private Ltd is a part of the Samara Capital Group and an affiliate of Samara Alternate Investment Fund. Infocyber India Private Limited, the other shareholder of ABIBL, also sold its 49.998% stake in the company to the Edme Services Private Ltd.

On 19 December, 2022 Mint first broke that Samara Capital was the frontrunner to buy the insurance broking unit of Aditya Birla Capital Ltd, on the condition of anonymity.

On Monday, Aditya Birla Capital's shares closed at Rs153.80 apiece on the NSE, representing a slight increase of 0.16%.
MUMBAI: Aditya Birla Group-owned flagship Grasim Industries Ltd., on Tuesday, availed a Rs. 5,000 crore credit line from Axis Bank Ltd. for capital expenditure and repayment of some of its existing loans.

In an exchange filing, Grasim Industries said it has entered into three term loan agreements with Axis Bank totalling 5,000 crore.

One of the term loans, valued at 4,850 crore, will be utilised for fresh capital expenditure and for the reimbursement of capital expenditure that has already been incurred within the past year, said the company.

The other two term loans worth a total of 150 crore will be unsecured and designated for specific projects, according to the exchange filing.

Grasim Industries, which is primarily known for textile manufacturing, is a global producer of viscose staple fibre, the largest chloralkali, linen and insulators player in India.

Grasim is also the country's largest cement producer and diversified financial services (NBFC, asset management and life insurance) firm in India through its subsidiaries UltraTech Cement and Aditya Birla Capital.

Even though Grasim did not specify its capex plan in Tuesday's filing, earlier it had announced spending around 10,000 crore on the group's ambitious new venture in the paints business. The group is in the process of setting up six manufacturing facilities for a pan-India distribution network. Grasim is likely to announce a commercial launch of the paints business in the ongoing fiscal.

During the April-December period of 2023, Grasim has spent about 1,800 crore on the paints business capex plan.

Also, Grasim is expanding capacities in viscose staple fibre and chemicals, while epoxy capacity will be doubled to 246 kilotonnes per annum by 2023-24. Epoxy is the family of basic components or cured end products of epoxy resins. The primary areas for application of epoxy resins in construction projects are coatings, flooring, concrete restoration, crack repair, and as joint material for tiles.

Of the total budgeted capex of 3,500 crore in FY2023, the company has spent close to 1,400 crore in the first three quarters.

On 24 March 2023, Grasim Industries made an acquisition of 220 acres of land in Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation from Century Textiles and Industries Ltd for 254.70 crore, which includes a GST of 38.85 crore.

Grasim Industries' shares closed 0.29% down at 1,627.95 per share on the NSE on Monday.
Billings Clinic confirmed Monday that many hospital employees will receive significant pay cuts over the next year to help staunch the hospitals monthly losses.

The Financial Sustainability Plan calls for salary reductions for physicians and executives, but among the most significant changes is the end of the employer match for 403(b) retirement plans for the rest of the year.

Everything is being done with the goal of ensuring the long-term health of our organization so that we can provide the care (to) our patients and the communities we serve, said Community Relations Manager Zach Benoit in an emailed statement.

Physician salaries will be reduced by 5% for a three month period from April to June and senior executives have taken a 10% reduction in compensation. Open positions in executive leadership will not be filled.

The Clinic plans a hiring freeze for all open positions except for direct care provider types such as nurses. Simultaneously, contract labor is being reduced whenever possible. Efforts are underway to reduce costs for any contract labor that is still needed for clinical purposes, Benoit said.

While Benoit said that capital projects and expenditures are frozen, The Clinic is still aiming to be the region's first level 1 trauma center, despite the $30 million price tag. Benoit added that discussions with Logan Health in Kalispell regarding a possible merger are still active.

Billings Clinic isnt the first hospital to hit a financial breaking point in the last year. In August, Bozeman Health announced 28 layoffs and a hiring freeze for 25 open positions meant to make up for the $15 million loss it experienced in the first six months of 2022.

At that time, The Billings Gazette reported that St. Patricks Hospital in Missoula was experiencing similar financial loss with traveler costs running up a monthly bill of about $1 million.

Travelers, or contracted staff, are temporary clinicians who move from one facility to another, filling in gaps in staffing. Their wages are not only much higher than those of permanent staff, but the hospital is also required to pay for their housing while employing the traveler.

The unprecedented reliance on traveling staff has sown resentment among permanent workers across the state whose compensation stays stubbornly lower than that of a traveler.

Benoit pointed to rising drug prices, exponentially higher labor costs and stagnant Medicaid reimbursement rates.

We have asked every department across the system to help find ways to decrease costs and increase patient access. We are seeing successes in that work, including increased patient access in many areas, but still need to do more, Benoit said.

A changing landscape

In the last year, Billings Clinic and other hospitals have gone through significant challenges as the pandemic landscape rapidly changed health care.

CEOs across the nation stepped down from leadership positions, and former Billings Clinic CEO Dr. Scott Ellner was one of them.

The announcement of his resignation, effective immediately, came the Friday before The Billings Clinic Classic, the hospitals largest fundraiser of the year. Current and former employees described Ellner as abrasive and tyrannical, pursuing prestige and status over conditions at the hospital.

Before his departure, Ellner announced a campaign to raise The Clinics emergency department status to Trauma 1, the highest designation for emergency care.

Because of Montanas geographic isolation and low population, there is no Trauma 1 facility in the state. The nearest tertiary care facility is 548 miles away in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The Clinic has built up new operating rooms and patient rooms over the last year in the name of the Trauma 1 mission.

The project was projected to cost $30 million  the largest capital campaign in Billings Clinic history.

The closure of 22 rural skilled nursing facilities has also put substantial burden on regional hospitals. Without skilled nursing beds to discharge to, patients are being boarded at hospitals at an incredible expense.

Billings Clinic had 28 patients boarding in the hospital mid-February as they waited for a nursing home to accept their referral, according to previous reporting by The Gazette. Of those patients, 11 had been there for more than 40 days and 17 had been there more than 10 days.
NEW DELHI : General insurers may soon be allowed to sell services such as gym memberships, vehicle repairs, and other diagnostic services in addition to their core insurance offerings, two government officials aware of the development said.

The government intends to allow the insurers to expand their product range by offering services and products related to their insurance operations, one of the officials said, requesting anonymity. The proposed changes would be implemented through amendments to the Insurance Act, the official said; adding the changes would also boost the value of insurance distribution operations.

The government is currently finalizing the draft of the Insurance Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2022, which is likely to be introduced during the monsoon session of Parliament after Cabinet approval. The proposed legislation will not only offer insurance companies new opportunities but also usher significant reforms within the insurance industry, including introducing composite insurance licences and easing entry barriers for insurers.

While insurance companies will be permitted to offer products in a related" line of business, they may still not be allowed to sell financial products, such as mutual funds, like banks, as the government and regulators are still unconvinced about the benefits of the move at this juncture and may consider the same after the insurance market matures in the country, the official cited above said.

The department of financial services proposed that insurers may be allowed to distribute other financial products subject to regulations, but it has now been decided that permission to distribute such products will be restricted to those related to their existing line of operations for now.

With regard to allowing insurance companies to sell financial products on the lines of banks, an enabling provision may be included in the Bill, but its operation would continue to remain restricted for some time," the official said.

Questions sent to the spokespeople for the finance ministry and the department of financial services, the architect of the draft amendment Bill, remained unanswered.

The department of financial services and the insurance regulator would decide on a list of related activities.

These may include services and wellness packages clubbed with general insurance products. For example, with fire insurance, services such as improving fire protection of houses and buildings could be provided; with motor insurance, car repair and service products could be offered, while health insurance may be bundled with outpatient consultations and diagnostic tests.

The changes would help to enhance insurance penetration, improve efficiency and allow for product innovation and diversification," an official of the General Insurance Council said, declining to be named.

According to a note on the insurance amendments by law firm Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas, insurers need to be customer-driven in their approach towards products and services and offer a range of value-added services to their customers in addition to the core insurance product.

Typically, value-added services include non-core services in an industry or the enhancements made to the core product or service offered to customers. The UK permits both value-added services and cross-selling services by insurers. Singapore allows life insurers to provide financial advisory to its clients, while Malaysia allows life insurers to provide services incidental to the insurance business," the note said, adding that Australian law, on the other hand, permits the conduct of business that is incidental to the insurance business of general insurers.

However, life insurers are permitted only to carry out life insurance.
New Delhi: Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port (SMP) Kolkata reported 13% year-on-year growth in cargo handling at a record 65.66 million tonne for FY23, the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways said on Tuesday.

In its 153 years history, Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, Kolkata (SMP Kolkata) including Kolkata Dock System and Haldia Dock Complex, for the first time, handled 65.66 million tonne of cargo in 2022-23, recording an all time high throughput which is a 12.87% increase from the previous record of 58.175 million tonne moved in 2021-22," it said.

In 2022-23, SMP, Kolkata recorded highest ever growth of traffic of 7.5 million tonne done, in comparison to previous years, which is the highest quantum growth achieved in its history.

SMP, Kolkata had earlier surpassed the ministrys target of 61 MMT collectively and individually both at its twin dock systems, viz. HDC (44.50 MMT on 3.3.2023) and KDS (16.50 MMT on 22.03.2023)," it said.

SMP Kolkata chairman P. L. Haranadh said that increasing cargo throughput was driven by various measures undertaken by the port to improve productivity, safety, business development capacity utilization, etc.

Cargo handled at HDC is 48.6 MMT and KDS is 17.05 MMT, thus surpassing the previous years throughput with growth rate of 13.37% and 11.47%, respectively," it said.

SMP, Kolkata handled highest ever rail-borne cargo (34.6 MMT) for the financial year 2022-23.

The port registered strong financial performance in 2022-23 by posting net surplus of 304 crore.

To augment capacity of the port, SMPK has been focussing on PPP projects. During financial year 2022-23, the port awarded three major projects with investment of 730 crore through PPP mode. These three projects are expected to increase capacity by 6.7 MMT.

According to the ministry, SMPK plans to develop an extended port gate system at Balagarh with an investment at about 445 crore, of which around 343 crores will be invested through PPP.

SMPK plans to develop the land parcels owned by it in a systematic way. The detailed master plan is being prepared by SMPK which will be completed by June 2023.

SMPK has already floated EoI for developing a multi-modal logistic terminal near port on about 60 acre of land which is 2 km from Kolkata Dock. These projects would facilitate warehousing, cold storage, truck terminal, rail and road connectivity, etc.

SMPK is targeting to start night navigation for vessels destined to/originated from Kolkata Dock System, in association with Antwerp Port, Belgium, and IIT Chennai.

It plans to bring small vessels up to 100 m by August 2023 and all vessels by March 2024 which will reduce turnaround time substantially, increasing the capacity of the port.
On 1 April, some parts of Twitter were abuzz with talks about the rollout of the social media platforms new verification process. Legacy verified accounts would start losing their blue tick mark, as The New York Times did. Many public figures said they would not subscribe. On the surface, it might seem like a mere social media fight over a status symbol. However, for Twitter, and for Elon Musk, it represents something deepera change in revenue model for a path to growth and profitability. The next few quarters will give some sense of where this is going and whether Twitter can stem the slide it finds itself in.

1. Value Discount

Elon musk recently said Twitter would offer stock options to staff on a $20-billion valuation. Thats less than half the $44 billion he paid to buy Twitter in October 2022, and delist it. When listed, the last time Twitter quoted at a $20 billion valuation was in Q1 of 2020, and that too only briefly.

The lower valuation reflects the maelstrom Twitter has faced in recent months. When Musk first offered to buy Twitter in April 2022, Professor Aswath Damodaran, a valuation guru, pegged its value at $46 per share, $4 higher than the market price at that time, but below Musks offer of $54.20. Musks latest valuation is significantly lower.

However, it need not necessarily mean Twitter is in a weaker spot. Many early startups offer stock options at steep discounts, to benefit employees when the value goes up. In a mail to employees, Musk said he saw a clear, but difficult, path to a >$250B valuation".

2. The Ad Slump

For all of Musks optimism, Twitter is staring at lower revenues right now, led by a drop in advertising revenues, which contributes about 90% of the total. Twitters total revenues have plunged 41%, from $5.1 billion in 2021 to $3 billion in 2022, according to a WSJ report. Advertisers such as Mondelez, Coca-Cola and AT&T paused their ads as they were concerned about the changes Musk was bringing in.

Twitter has had little success in wooing them back. Twitter earned $71 million in sales from its top 10 advertisers during September and October last year, before Musks acquisition. This has dropped to $7.6 million in the past two months, according to digital intelligence firm Sensor Tower, quoted by Bloomberg. While data licensing and other revenues increased to $100 million in Q2 2022 from $84 million in Q2 2018, its ads that drove the momentum, doubling to over a billion during the same period. Ads are, now, struggling.

3. Twitter Blues

Musk tried to reduce Twitters reliance on advertising revenues by launching Twitter Blue. For a monthly fee of $8, Blue subscribers would get a verified badge (so far offered free to some groups of people based on an internal process) and other benefits, including making longer tweets and higher discoverability. However, that has had limited success so far, earning just $11 million in mobile subscriptions in three months, according to Sensor Tower. According to researcher Travis Brown, Twitter has 254 million daily active users. Only around 475,000 are paid subscribers, 46% of whom have fewer than 1,000 followers, raising questions about their stickiness. This month, Twitter started to remove blue ticks from legacy verified accounts. Fewer than 6,500 of 420,000 legacy verified accounts opted to subscribe, as of last month.

4. Network Effect

Soon after Musk purchased Twitter, many started looking for alternatives to the social media platform. The hashtag #TwitterMigration started trending. Mastodon, a decentralized social network founded in 2016, seemed to be the most promising, even as those who migrated encouraged and hand-held others to find a home there. However, after surging to 2.6 million active users on 1 December, it dropped to 1.17 million in April. Even at its peak, Mastodon was a fraction of Twitters 254 million daily active users, which drew advertisers. Paying customers could be a bigger draw. Tom Sweeney, CEO of Epic Games, tweeted that making a payment is a strong non-spam signal". Similarly, Nassim Taleb, who has criticized Musk in the past, tweeted, charging for Twitter should bring cash flow and eliminate NOISE." Musk has indicated bigger ambitions for the platform, including putting it at the centre of users financial lives, possibly integrating payments and other financial services.

5. Cost Cuts

By the time Musk offered to take over Twitter, the company was facing two issues, financially. One, its revenue growth had flattened (even though it showed an uptick in 2021). Two, while it became profitable at the operational level in 2017, it showed little sign of sustained improvement, even as its employee count went up.

Musk went on a cost-cutting spree, slashing jobs and infrastructure costs. At a recent event organized by Morgan Stanley, Musk said he had cut non-debt expenditure to $1.5 billion (against $4.5 billion it would have incurred otherwise). Some of the fears around aggressive cost-cuttinglike it could bring the platform downseem exaggerated in retrospect. However, there are still concerns it might show up as lawsuits from disgruntled contractors, partners and employees. Musks big challenge of building a growing, profitable business remains.

www.howindialives.com is a database and search engine for public data.
New Delhi: British casual wear brand Urbanic is delisting from Walmart-backed Flipkart Group to follow its own direct-to-consumer model, said a top executive at the company. The move is in line with the companys attempts to exit marketplaces across regions where it operates.

Urbanic is a digital only fast fashion brand targeting consumers in Asian and Latin American marketsit was launched in 2019 with India as its first overseas market of expansion. While it initially entered the market via its own app; in 2021 the brand partnered with Flipkart Groupselling clothes through Myntra as well as Flipkart.

Now as part of its plan to focus completely on its own platforms, Urbanic is set to launch its own website in India. It already has a mobile app that draws significant traffic for the Gen-Z focussed brand.

As part of our global brief, we have been asked to focus completely on our platform and developing our own community, developing everything on Urbanic. In the future we might take a few decisions but again the speed at which we want to grow right now, I think our platform is more than enough for us," Rahul Dayama, head of marketing, Urbanic India said.

To be sure, India accounts for half of the brands revenues. After it launched in India, Urbanic launched in Latin American markets to tap younger shoppers there. Urbanic sells casual western wear clothing such as t-shirts, jeans, dresses and accessories at price points that appeal to younger consumers.

To be sure, Flipkarts fashion focussed platform Myntra has been a top contender for large foreign brands to enter India on an exclusive basis. For instance, when Urbanic first listed on Myntra in September of 2021it recorded one of the biggest opening day sales for a brand on Myntra.

Within the first 12 hours of listing on MyntraUrbanic sold 23,000 pieces largely tops, dresses, and jeans, Myntra said then.

Urbanic has since not listed on any other marketplaces such as Amazon, Ajio or Nykaa Fashion.

However, Dayama said while e-commerce marketplaces give brands like Urbanic huge reach and depth in the marketa majority of its shoppers largely reside in tier-1 cities; the brand now wants to control its interface with consumers including service and communication.

We were always a direct-to-consumer platform right from the start. I think partnering with Myntra was something which we wanted to do to reach more pin codes," he said.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Suneera Tandon Suneera Tandon is a New Delhi based reporter covering consumer goods for Mint. Suneera reports on fast moving consumer goods makers, retailers as well as other consumer-facing businesses such as restaurants and malls. She is deeply interested in what consumers across urban and rural India buy, wear and eat. Suneera holds a masters degree in English Literature from the University of Delhi. Read more from this author
Lithium prices are reversing after a two-year tear, a potential boost for consumers and auto makers that got hit by rising battery costs last year.

Prices for lithium are down more than 30% this year, ending the two-year run that pushed up the value of the key battery material by a factor of 12, according to Benchmark Mineral Intelligence. The drop takes prices back to more sustainable levels after their epic run, traders say.

The falling prices are due to slowing demand for electric vehicles, particularly in China, and volatile markets that are making traders cautious. Prices for other metals that go into batteries, such as cobalt and nickel, are also sliding.

View Full Image WSJ

It will be a bumpy couple of months," said Eric Norris, president of lithium at Albemarle Corp., one of the worlds largest producers. Prices are still high enough to motivate Albemarle and others to move forward with new projects, such as recently announced plans to build a $1.3 billion lithium-processing facility in South Carolina.

The Charlotte, N.C., company expects the pullback to be short-lived, said Mr. Norris. Shares of the company and other producers in the sector have retreated in recent months after a long rally.

Lower prices for battery materials could provide some relief for auto makers and consumers after commodities helped lift battery prices about 7% last year, according to data provider BloombergNEF. Last years battery-price increase bucked a decadelong trend that made electric cars cheaper because batteries are their most expensive component. Prices for battery cathodes are down about 30% this year, according to Benchmark.

It typically takes months for moves in metal prices to ripple through to car costs because buyers negotiate long-term price contracts.

View Full Image WSJ

The price reversal comes with electric auto makers such as Tesla Inc. and Ford Motor Co. already cutting vehicle prices to attract more customers in a competitive market. Ford recently said it expects to lose about $3 billion on its electric-car business this year, highlighting the cost pressure on manufacturers.

Reports that a big battery supplier to both companies, Chinas Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., or CATL, is offering battery-price discounts to some customers are also hurting sentiment, analysts said. CATL recently sold a stake in an Australian lithium producer, a move seen by some as a bet that commodity and share prices in the sector will drop.

For now, lithium prices are still high and auto makers are worried about securing enough supply. General Motors Co. recently invested $650 million into startup Lithium Americas Corp. for the right to obtain material from a planned mine in Nevada. The metals price drop could fuel other deals or mergers and acquisitions now that valuations in the sector are more reasonable, said Jordan Roberts, battery raw-materials analyst at price and data provider Fastmarkets.

Albemarle is attempting to buy Australian lithium producer Liontown Resources Ltd. for roughly $3.7 billion. Liontown rejected the latest offer, saying it undervalued the company.

The U.S. government is also pouring money into the sector to support domestic production, making billions of dollars of loans and grants to Albemarle and other suppliers. Last years climate legislation offered new tax credits for electric cars tied to their domestic content.

View Full Image WSJ

EVs accounted for 10% of U.S. vehicle sales in December, up from 2.3% in 2020, according to the Alliance for Automotive Innovation. In 2022, 10.5 million EVs were sold worldwide, up nearly 60% from the previous year, according to research firm Rho Motion, which expects global sales to jump nearly 40% this year.

Most analysts already expect long-term battery metals supply to fall well short of demand. If the notoriously boom-and-bust markets suppress prices for a long period and make producers more cautious about investing in supply, the current slide could make that problem even worse, some said. Last week, miner Jervois Global Ltd. said it was suspending final construction of its Idaho cobalt project, citing low prices for the key battery metal.

With something so volatile, its hard to make decisions," said Howard Klein, founder of RK Equity, a New York firm that advises companies and investors on the lithium business. Whenever you have a bout of uncertainty like this, it slows capital, which therefore slows production."

Rising short-term supplies of nickel and cobalt are also contributing to the recent price drops, analysts say. A dispute between a Chinese cobalt producer and the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo, the worlds largest supplier, has halted exports. That has prompted worries that the glut of metal could hit the market at any time.
NEW DELHI : The Ministry of Steel has approved the formation of13 taskforces identifying action points for each aspect of green steel production, Union Steel Minister Jyotiraditya M Scindia said on Tuesday.

Addressing the seventh meeting with the Integrated Steel Plants (ISP) Advisory Committee, the minister emphasized on adopting a participatory approach to define the roadmap for green steel.

The move is expected to drive the development and adoption of sustainable steel making practices and technologies in India. This will not only help to reduce the carbon footprint of the steel industry but also contribute to Indias efforts to combat climate change," he added.

Scindia reiterated that as the Worlds second-largest steel producer India needs to become most responsible through green steel adoption and asked the Committee to work together to define the way forward for the industry.

The taskforces will focus on various aspects of green steel production, including raw materials, technology, and policy frameworks. We are committed to promoting sustainable steelmaking practices in India. The establishment of these taskforces is a significant step towards achieving this goal," said Scindia.

We believe that the adoption of green steel production practices will not only benefit the environment but also lead to the creation of new jobs and economic growth" he added.

Emphasizing on the increasing demand for coking coal in the country, the minister highlighted that steel producers need to increase the capacity of their washeries to increase coal production and motivated the group to build Indias Atmanirbharta in the field so that we can reduce our dependence on imports. He also suggested exploring varied and new sources for coal import.

The committee also discussed the avenues for branding made-in-India steel and came to a consensus that to make a global identity for Indian steel, common branding parameters and guidelines need to be made for each steel product.

The minister reiterated Prime Minister Narendra Modis vision of promoting the brand India in export markets of steel. Components of the QR code include name of the product, six-digit HSN code (used for international benchmarking), grade of the steel (mention of physical properties), dimensions, weight in tonnes, SKUs and batch IDs, mill criteria (rule of determining origin), address of the place where it is manufactured, among others will be included in the branding.

Apart from this the Committee also discussed exploring the possibility of the Production Linked Incentive Scheme 2.0 for Steel. Under the PLI 1.0 scheme, the government has approved Rs. 6322 crores to give a new impetus to the Steel sector.

The Ministry of Steel has signed 57 MoUs with 27 companies for specialty steel under the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme. He urged the group to work in collaboration to formulate PLI 2.0 with a vision to make India a global leader in steel manufacturing.
Oscar-winning Telegu song Naatu Naatu has won hearts all over the world. From foreign ambassadors to every nook and corner in India, from Instagram reels to celebrities, everyone has displayed a fair share of enthused make-do of the now extremely popular dance routine.

Now, the UAE residents have got the opportunity to show off their dance skills on the Oscar-winning song at the Indian embassy. The Embassy of India in UAE, on Monday, started a contest encouraging the citizens to share their dance clips on RRR's song 'Naatu Naatu' before April 16.

It said that the winners will get a chance to perform at the mission.

Look out. 30 seconds of #NaatuNaatu can get you a chance to perform at the Embassy of India. 3 Simple steps. 1. Share your group #NaatuNaatu performance on #Instagram before Apr 16, 2. Tag & follow us on Insta (QR code below), 3. Winner performs at the Embassy," India in UAE tweeted.

Look out

30 seconds of #NaatuNaatu can get you a chance to perform at the Embassy of !

3 Simple steps

1 Share your group #NaatuNaatu performance on #Instagram before Apr 16 

2 Tag & follow us on Insta (QR code below)

3 Winner performs at the Embassy  pic.twitter.com/JOVChmuB5o  India in UAE (@IndembAbuDhabi) April 3, 2023

The cross-cultural hit 'Naatu Naatu' bagged the prestigious Oscar for India beating "This Is A Life" from "Everything Everywhere All at Once," "Applause" from "Tell It Like a Woman," and "Lift Me Up" from "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever".

Before winning the Oscars, the song bagged awards on the global stage. In January, 'Naatu Naatu' won the Golden Globes in the 'Best Original Song' category.

Five days later, 'RRR' bagged two more awards at the 28th edition of the Critics Choice Awards. One is for the best song and another is for 'best foreign language film.'

The song was also released in Hindi as 'Naacho Naacho', in Tamil as 'Naattu Koothu', in Kannada as 'Halli Naatu' and in Malayalam as 'Karinthol'. Its Hindi version was sung by Rahul Sipligunj and Vishal Mishra.

The hook steps, performed by Jr NTR and Ram Charan, went viral on social media and their energetic synchronization made the song a treat to watch.
Days after the United States' Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) linked Chennai-based Global Pharma Healthcare's eyedrops o the likelihood of a highly drug-resistant bacteria, the Union Health Ministry found the samples to be of 'standard quality', reported NDTV .

Even the Tamil Nadu Drugs Control Director PV Vijayalakshmi had said earlier that they found 'no contamination' in samples of eyedrops.

Earlier, the New York Times, citing the US CDC, reported that three deaths, eight cases of blindness and dozens of infections had been traced to eyedrops under the brand name EzriCare Artificial Tears.

Located about 40 km south of Chennai, the Global Pharma Healthcare in February had stopped the production of the eyedrops following the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a warning over its use.

ALSO READ: Indian eyedrops come under CDC scrutiny after Gambia, Uzbek cough syrup deaths

According to the US FDA, the use of contaminated artificial tears increases risk of eye infections which may result in blindness or death.

Following this, the drugmaker initiated the recall of 50,000 tubes of eye ointment in the US market.

The US FDA, stating the reason for recallinng of the drugs mentioned that its analysis found unopened tubes to be contaminated with bacteria.

While in February, Tamil Nadu drugs regulator claimed that it found 'no evidence of deviation' at the Chennai plant.

As per details, the bacteria that US regulator is concerned about -- pseudomonas aeruginosa -- may cause infections in the blood, lungs or wounds. The drug is normally used as a protectant against irritation or to relieve dryness of the eye.

With agency inputs.
Finland formally joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) military alliance on Tuesday. The country's accession is seen as the historic policy shift that came in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that Russia invaded Ukraine with the excuse of the eastward expansion of NATO, but in reality, the invasion has actually triggered what Russia was supposedly fearing.

Finland President Sauli Niinisto on Tuesday called the accession the beginning of a new era." "The era of military non-alignment in our history has come to an end. A new era begins," Niinisto said, adding that he hoped to see neighboring Sweden join soon. "Finland's membership is not complete without that of Sweden," he said.

How other world leaders reacted?

The United States, which is actively supporting Ukraine's defense against Russia was quick to welcome Finland's accession to NATO.

"Together -- strengthened by our newest ally Finland -- we will continue to preserve transatlantic security, defend every inch of NATO territory," US President Joe Biden said in a statement.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky also welcomed Finland joining NATO and said that the military alliance is the only effective guarantee of security in the region" in the face of Russian "aggression".

"My sincere congratulations to Finland and President Sauli Niinisto on joining NATO on the 74th anniversary of its founding," Zelensky said on social media.

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called it a historic day" and also asked the members of the military alliance to agree on the necessary steps to also include Sweden in the fold. This is a historic day for Finland and for NATO," Sunak said.

Their accession has made our alliance stronger and every one of us safer. All NATO members now need to take the steps necessary to admit Sweden too, so we can stand together as one alliance to defend freedom in Europe and across the world," he said.

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said that Finaland's joining NATO is dangerous raised the prospect of the conflict in Ukraine escalating further. Kremlin said that Russia will be forced to take "counter-measures" after Finland's accession to the military alliance.

Moscow would watch closely for any NATO military deployments in Finland," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

(With inputs from agencies)
India has been a prominent backer of Bhutans efforts to push economic development. Discussions between the two leaders touched on the landlocked countrys 13th Five Year Plan, financial support for Bhutans domestic reform process and institutional capacity building.

Kwatra revealed that India and Bhutan would work to finalise a slew of bilateral economic projects. Among these will be the creation of a new stand-by credit facility provided by India, in addition to two such facilities which already exist. The Indian side also agreed to work with Bhutan on new long-term, sustainable" arrangements for the export of agricultural products from Bhutan. In addition, both sides are also in the process of setting up a mechanism to supply critical materials like petroleum, fertiliser and coal to Bhutan.

Both countries will also examine the prospects of setting up a new integrated check post on their border to improve trade.

Connectivity was also a major focus. Kwatra revealed that India and Bhutan would expedite work on the Kokrajhar-Gelephu rail link project, which will be the first rail link between the two countries.

As a landlocked country, the only land transportation link between Bhutan and India for export and import is through road networks. This single dependency on roads creates a great deal of economic inefficiencies and as a result high transportation and logistical costs," said Bhutans Minister for Economic Affairs Loknath Sharma in 2022.

India also agreed to a range of Bhutanese requests relating to hydropower tariffs and increased power purchases. New Delhi agreed to an upward revision of the tariffs on power supplied from the Chukha hydroelectric project in Bhutan. India also agreed to favourably consider Bhutans request to sell power from other hydroelectric projects. Another priority would be extending financing for new hydroelectric projects. Non-hydroelectric renewables like solar and sectors like e-mobility will also be a focus, revealed Kwatra.

Bhutans monarch also met with the CEOs of Indian firms and explored the possibility of investments in the digital sector, health and connectivity. The discussions, Kwatra said, revolved around roping in the private sector to amplify existing economic and development efforts between both countries.

New economic sectors like space and startups are also likely to see increased interest as a potential field of cooperation between the two countries.
The Education Foundation for Billings Public Schools, in partnership with BNSF Railway, announced the winners of the BNSF Railway Excellence in Education Awards for 2023.

This years recipients are Abbey Kochel of Castle Rock Middle School and Angie Langeliers of Will James Middle School. The Excellence in Education program seeks to recognize teachers who strive to make a positive impact on the education of Billings Public Schools students.

Educators are nominated by students for this award, and 205 teachers were nominated this year. Of those, 25 chose to apply for the cash award. As Excellence in Education Award winners, Kochel and Langeliers will each receive a $2,500 award to use toward continuing education or classroom projects. This is the sixth year BNSF Railway has recognized SD2 teachers with this award.

BNSF is proud to recognize the outstanding dedication and achievement of these two educators, said Matt Jones, spokesperson for BNSF Railway. Ms. Kochel and Mrs. Langeliers are clearly dedicated to creating engaging and innovative classrooms. Congratulations to both of them.

Kochel, a geography teacher at Castle Rock, strives to be a high-caliber educator by being a strong role model to her students and creating connections. In Kochels classroom, students are encouraged to be active participants with the hope that active learners will become active citizens in their communities.

Kochel plans to use the BNSF Excellence Award to purchase a 3-D printer for her 7th grade geography classroom. With the printer, students will 3-D print the topography of continents, the landscape of a major city, or even a famous man-made landmark. Printed maps of the state of Montana will enrich Montana history studies like learning about the terrain the Plains Indians traveled while following the buffalo herds.

The printer provides a hands-on learning tool that engages multiple learning types and will be used by hundreds of students for years to come. With Kochels help, students in her classroom will gain unique perspectives into landscapes and history using a 21st century learning tool.

Langeliers has spent 20 years in music education working with children preschool-aged through high school. She is driven by her belief that music should be available to all students in a way that fosters community, kindness, and allows them to see success as they develop in the fundamentals of music.

With the BNSF Award funding, Langeliers will provide her students an opportunity to develop their music reading skills through the use of electronic pianos. The pianos reinforce students ability to read music, rather than simply listening to the music to mimic a song.

With a classroom set of electronic pianos, or the Piano Lab, students will be able to compose music, to progress independently as they gain skills, and to have an active role in becoming self-sufficient musicians. Research shows that developing piano skills helps students understand patterns and rhythm at deeper levels, benefiting them in many aspects of learning including math, reading, and science. The Will James Piano Lab will benefit 200 students each year, developing skills for a lifetime of learning.
Infosys founder NR Narayana Murthy is one of India's most celebrated business leaders. With a career spanning decades, Murthy is known for his management techniques and the billionaire never shy away to share his knowledge with young minds. After completing his master's from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur, Murthy had several job offers from giants like Air India, TELCO, TISCO, etc., but he chose the profile of chief system programmer at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Ahmedabad.

Murthy's decision to join IIM-A was not normal as he was leaving some of the well-paying jobs for a very normal profile at the institution. At IIM-A, he was earning half of his potential salaries at the companies he rejected, but Murthy's concern was something else.

The Infosys founder revealed the reason in 2019 and explained that the reason to leave high-paying jobs and join IIM-A was that the institution was planning to install India's first time-sharing system. IIM-A was the third institution in the world to install the such system after Harvard and Stanford.

According to the Scaler website, a time-sharing system is a type of operating system in which the user can perform more than one task and each task gets the same amount of time to execute. It is also called a multitasking operating system.

Before making the decision, he consulted his teacher who advised him to chase knowledge instead of money.

So I was the only person from my batch of 16 students to have taken half the salary in quest of learning about a modern operating system, about the opportunity to interact with very bright students, about the opportunity to create lots of interactive lessons using computers for students in accounting, in simulation, in finance, in production, etc. So therefore I chose that path and thats probably the best decision I made in my life," Murthy said.
Beijing: India, Russia and China are emerging "major powers" with notable influence and Beijing was ready to boost ties with Moscow and New Delhi, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning said on Tuesday.

While responding to TASS Agency's question about Russia's new foreign policy concept, Mao said, "China, Russia and India are all major emerging major countries with notable influence. As the international and regional landscape is facing profound and complex changes, we are ready to strengthen communication with the international community including Russia and India and send a positive signal to the world about defending true multilateralism and jointly responding to global challenges," according to the Spokesperson of Chinese Embassy in India, Wang Xiaojian's tweet.

She further added, "China and Russia are dedicated to growing a new type of major-country relations featuring mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation. The bilateral relationship does not target and is not affected by any third party. Last month, President Xi Jinping paid a successful state visit to Russia. The two heads of state drew a blueprint for the future course of China-Russia relations. The two sides are comprehensively following through on the important common understandings between the two leaders. We are fully confident about the future of China-Russia relations."

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the new Foreign Policy Concept last Friday, which said strengthening and deepening relations with China and India is a diplomatic priority for Russia.

The 42-page document singled out ties with China and India, stressing the importance of "the deepening of ties and coordination with friendly sovereign global centres of power and development located on the Eurasian continent."

India and Russia maintained a close strategic, military, economic, and diplomatic interaction during the Cold War. Both Russia and India refer to this alliance as being unique and privileged.

The strategic partnership between India and Russia is based on five main pillars -- politics, defence, civil nuclear energy, counter-terrorism cooperation, and space. India and Russia celebrated the 75th anniversary of their diplomatic relations.

According to the document, Russia will continue to build a particularly privileged strategic partnership with India with a view to enhancing and expanding cooperation in all areas on a mutually beneficial basis and place special emphasis on increasing the volume of bilateral trade, strengthening investment and technological ties, and ensuring their resistance to destructive actions of unfriendly states and their alliances.

"In order to help adapt the world order to the realities of a multipolar world, Russia intends to make it one of its priorities to enhance the capacity and international role of the interstate association of BRICS, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), the RIC (Russia, India, China) and other interstate associations and international organizations, as well as mechanisms with strong Russian participation," read the document.

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.
Deutsche Bank AG hired Credit Suisse Group AGs head of mergers and acquisitions for Southeast Asia, according to people with knowledge of the matter, as rival banks pounce on top talent from the embattled Swiss lender.

Lim Zi-Kuan will become the German banks co-head of M&A for Asia, the people said, asking not to be named as the matter is private. Lim resigned from Credit Suisse recently and is expected to join Deutsche Bank in the next few months, one of the people said.

Spokespeople for both lenders declined to comment.

The first emergency sale of a major bank since the financial crisis is presenting rivals the chance to scoop up key personnel or businesses that might otherwise not have been on offer. Deutsche Bank sees room to expand its deals business in Asia and is looking to hire selectively, the lenders regional head of investment banking said in November.

Lim, a Singapore-based managing director, has been at Credit Suisse for more than 20 years and also heads M&A for frontier markets, according to his LinkedIn profile.

The Swiss bank is grappling with the fallout from its emergency rescue by UBS Group AG. The deal signed last month may cut the overall workforce by up to 30%, Swiss newspaper SonntagsZeitung reported on Sunday, citing an unidentified senior manager at UBS. Credit Suisse bankers meanwhile have been calling headhunters and rival firms to ask about job opportunities.

In Southeast Asia, where Credit Suisse is among major deal advisers, it is on seven pending deals worth about $3 billion that were announced in the last 12 months, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. These transactions include Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc.s purchase of an additional stake in Philippines-based Rizal Commercial Banking Corp.
Ahead of the US Presidential elections, Donald Trump's indictment has become a major attention not only for Americans but also for the rest of the world. Amid myriad of views of how Donald Trump's arraignment on charges of paying hush money will shape the upcoming presidential election, the former US President reached New York from his in Mar-a-Lago on Monday. He will stay at the Trump Tower on 5th Avenue in Manhattan for the night and will appear in front of the court on Tuesday. Know the latest updates of Donald Trump arraignment here:

Latest updates on Donald Trump case

-The 76-year-old businessman arrived to New York City on his Boeing 757 aircraft at the La Guardia airport at 12:30 am IST on Monday. He is staying at the Trump Tower on 5th Avenue in Manhattan. The whole area nearby Trump's residence has been cordoned off, and heavy police have been deployed to deal with any untoward incident.

-He will appear before Judge Juan Merchan at 2.15 pm EST (11.45 pm IST) on Tuesday. Donald Trump is expected to plead not guilty during the hearing in the case.Soon after his court appearance, he will return to Florida and brief his remarks at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach in the evening.

-The proceeding is expected to last maximum 15 minutes, in which all the charges in the indictment case will be read to Donald Trump. As of now, Trump has denied all wrongdoings in connection with the payments made to Stormy Daniels, ahead of the 2016 presidential election.

-President Joe Biden refrained from making any comment on the legal battle, and expressed his confidence on the law and order in the New York City.I have faith in the New York Police Department," he said.

-The indictment is a threat to Donald Trump's dream to win the US Presidential elections in 2024. He is currently the front-runner among all declared and potential contenders for the 2024 Republican White House nomination.

-If he is found guilty in the case and serves a term in prison, even then he can participate in the campaign for elections. There is nothing in the US law that prevents a candidate, who is fiund guilty of a crime, from campaigning for and serving as President from prison.

-On the other hand, Donald Trump's indictment has been used by his supporters and party as an opportunity to strengthen his 2024 re-election campaign. Many experts have also hinted that the indictment can benefit Donald Trump and increase his popularity.

-Its hard to believe that I will be ARRESTED tomorrow as a result of the most disgraceful witch hunt in our nations history," a Trump Campaign mail titled Tomorrow, I will be arrested said, as it urged voters to make a contribution" to his campaign given that the fate of our Republic" is on the line".

-Donald Trump's team also generated a fund-raiser campaign urging his supporters to contribute in the campaign to show support to the former US President. A Trump Campaign mail titled Tomorrow, I will be arrested encouraged voters to make contribution" to Donald Trump's campaign given that the fate of our Republic" is on the line".

Trump's team claimed of raising over $4 million in last 24 hours following Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Braggs "unprecedented political persecution of the President, and blatant interference in the 2024 election against the leading Republican presidential candidate".

-Another Trump campaign email sent on November 5, 2024 claimed the Election day to be the Vindication Day for America. "It will be our Vindication Day. When we win, it will be a vindication for our movement  but also a vindication for America," said the mail.
Finland officially joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization Tuesday, a historic security policy shift prompted by Vladimir Putins invasion of Ukraine that more than doubles the alliances border with Russia and rearranges the security landscape in Northern Europe.

The Nordic nation became the 31st member of the alliance nearly a year after it applied for membership, alongside Sweden, a process delayed by NATO members Turkey and Hungary, which have hesitated to ratify Stockholms bid.

Finlands accession to the alliance was made official Tuesdaythe 74th anniversary of NATOs foundingwhen Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto handed the countrys accession documents to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken at NATO headquarters. The U.S. is the keeper of the 1949 treaty that established the alliance.

The era of military nonalignment in our history has come to an end. A new era begins," said Finnish President Sauli Niinisto moments before the countrys flag was raised outside NATO headquarters for the first time.

The next step for the alliance is the inclusion of Sweden, which, like Finland, was prompted by the war in Ukraine to rethink its nonaligned status, maintained since World War II. The neighbors applied for NATO membership in tandem.

Swedens application has been held up by Hungary and, especially, Turkey, which objects to what President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has described as Stockholms reticence about cracking down on Kurdish separatists. Turkey, the U.S. and European countriesincluding Swedenlabel the groups terrorists. Sweden has long been a home to a large community of Kurdish activists, but dismisses Turkeys claims that it shelters terrorists.

Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom, who is invited to the NATO foreign ministers meeting, will meet his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu in Brussels. He told reporters on Tuesday that Sweden had accommodated Turkeys concerns, including by passing a new law that goes into effect in June and takes steps to prevent terrorist activity and financing on Swedish soil.

We have done our part of the job, and the Turkish parliament should start the ratification process," Mr. Billstrom said.

Other NATO members have expressed optimism that Stockholm will join the alliance by the time of its annual summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, in July. Turkey hasnt given any such promise or signaled that it is about to give way. The country holds elections next month, which could increase political uncertainty and make ratification of Swedish NATO membership less of a priority.

Until recently, Finland and Sweden insisted on acceding to NATO together, saying they shared the same security landscape. But in recent weeks, Finland decided to pursue membership alone to get accession done before the country headed into potentially lengthy negotiations to form a new government.

Finlands Sanna Marin was unseated as prime minister Sunday, as Petteri Orpo, a center-right leader, gained a majority of votes and will lead negotiations to form a new ruling coalition.

To speed Finlands accession and complete it on NATOs birthday, officials simplified the final steps. Normally, before an applicant can be officially admitted to the alliance, all existing members must deposit documentation of national approval with the State Department in Washington.

But since Mr. Blinken is in Brussels for the scheduled meeting of NATO foreign ministers and rules of the accession process arent set in stone, NATO officials agreed that the final transactions could be done through him. Plans were rewritten for Turkish officials to hand Mr. Blinken certification of their approval, followed by Finnish representatives handing him their formal membership documentation. Mr. Blinken will take the documents to Washington.

The expansion of the Western defense alliance closes a security gap in Northern Europe and more than doubles NATOs frontier with Russia, adding an additional 810 miles to the roughly 750 miles shared by Norway, Poland and the three Baltic states.

Finland boasts one of the best-prepared militaries in Europe and a defense-force reserve of nearly 900,000 people in a population of 5.5 million. It brings with it a deep knowledge of Russian affairs, gained through decades of balancing close military ties with NATO while maintaining cordial relations with Moscow.

It already meets NATOs target of allocating 2% of gross domestic product to military spending, and has modernized its military in line with NATO standards, making it interoperable with the alliance.

In the past decade, Finlands military has modernized with surface-to-air missiles and rocket systems, artillery weapons and battle tanks, as well as American F-35 jet fighters. The Finnish navy recently upgraded its Hamina-class vessels with torpedoes and sonar systems to detect submarines, mines and underwater drones.

Incorporating Finland moves NATO closer to one of Russias most sensitive military outposts, the Kola Peninsula, home to Russias Northern Fleet and the majority of its nuclear-powered submarines. The peninsula, which provides access to the Barents Sea and the North Sea, is a key component of Russias second-strike nuclear capability.

Russias deputy foreign minister Alexander Grushko on Monday said the country would strengthen its military capacity in the western and northwestern region in response to Helsinki joining NATO, according to the RIA state news agency.
NATO, the world's most powerful military alliance, is set to double its border with Russia, in the midst of the war in Ukraine, when Finland becomes its 31st member.

Here are five things to know about the US-led defence club, which was set up during the Cold War to protect western Europe against Soviet aggression.

All for one

The core of the NATO treaty is Article 5 which states that allies agree "that an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against them all."

If one of the allies were to invoke the article, and the other allies are unanimous in agreeing that the member is indeed under attack, each will take "such action as it deems necessary, including the use of armed force, to restore and maintain the security of the North Atlantic area."

During the Cold War, this principle translated as an effective US security guarantee for smaller allies facing the implied threat of the Soviet Union and its Warsaw Pact allies in Europe.

But it has never been invoked for that purpose.

One for all

In fact, Article 5 has only been invoked once, to defend the United States.

In October 2001, just weeks after Al-Qaeda members hijacked four airliners and crashed them into targets in New York and Washington DC, the alliance rallied to America's aid.

While the US military response was dominated by its own troops under its own command, NATO AWACS reconnaissance planes were deployed to US skies and warships headed to the eastern Mediterranean.

Growth spurt

At its birth in 1949, NATO was an alliance of North American and western European democracies, facing their Communist foes across the Iron Curtain.

But after the Berlin Wall fell many former Moscow satellites came knocking on NATO's door, infuriating Russian President Vladimir Putin.

NATO's members already include Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania, which directly border Russia. Ukraine and Georgia are seeking to join too.

Sweden, which applied for membership at the same time as Finland, has jumped ahead of Ukraine in the queue, but its application has run into opposition from Turkey, which accuses Stockholm of sheltering suspected Kurdish militants it wants to prosecute.

French leave

France has had a complicated relationship with the alliance, despite being one of its founding members.

World War II hero president Charles de Gaulle was distrustful of NATO's US leadership and pulled France out of the alliance's military command structure in 1966.

It was 43 years before president Nicolas Sarkozy took France back to full membership, in return for the promise of prestigious commands for French officers.

But in 2019, France again struck a discordant note, with President Emmanuel Macron declaring the alliance to be in the throes of "brain death".

Funding problems

The alliance has been dominated by the United States from the outset, in part because the superpower's defence budget dwarfs that of all the other members combined.

In recent years Washington has accused its European allies of not pulling their weight -- former president Donald Trump was particularly critical -- and pressured them to increase their contributions.

In 2014, members agreed to aim to increase their individual defence budgets up to two percent of their national GDP within a decade.

Spending has increased, but in 2022 only seven members met the target, according to NATO: Britain, Estonia, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and the United States.

Germany last year announced plans to massively increase defence spending, but it only expects to meet the two-percent target in 2025.

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.
India, Germany and France are considering conducting trilateral naval exercises, according to people aware of the matter.

As the environment in the Indo-Pacific turns competitive, the three countries are considering holding the exercises sometime next year.

While India and France have been close defence partners for the last few decades, Germany is a relatively new entrant to the region.

In an interview with Mint, German ambassador Phillipp Ackermann indicated that his country would step up its naval presence in the Indo-Pacific by the end of the year.

Queries to the foreign ministries of the three countries went unanswered at press time.

I think Indo-Pacific is a catchword that resonates very clearly for us. We will see in the months and years to come that Germany will be more active with its partners, including India. This will certainly not be in a massive way but I think there is no doubt that the Indo-Pacific as an area that is not entirely free of tension will be on our agenda much more than it used to," said Ackermann.

We are planning for new ships to come to the Indo-Pacific. The ships will not come in the immediate future but I think over a years time we will see something on this," he added.

European countries have looked at the Indo-Pacific with increased interest in recent years. The economic importance of the region: supply chains that pass through the Western Pacific and Indian Ocean have made it a foreign policy and defence priority for Europe.

Recognising this, France has cemented its traditional place as a military partner for India.

India and France carry out three biennial training exercisesGaruda with Air Force, Varuna with Navy and Shakti with Army.

German frigate FGS Bayern visited Mumbai last year in a sign of Berlins interest in securing a closer partnership with the country.
Axel Lehmann was narrowly reelected as the last chairman of an independent Credit Suisse Group AG and shareholders rejected the compensation for the executive board, at the end of an emotional final annual meeting for the Swiss lender.

Speaking to more than 1,700 attendees at the firms annual general meeting in Zurich, Lehmann and Chief Executive Officer Ulrich Koerner recounted how they tried to stabilize the bank before the government-brokered takeover by UBS Group AG and apologized for mistakes of the past.

The mea culpa comes after Credit Suisse last month agreed to the 3 billion-franc ($3.3 billion) deal to put an end to a crisis of confidence in the 167-year-old lender. The shareholder meeting was the first occasion in years where investors were able to confront management face-to-face. Previous meetings were held virtually due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The chairman closes the final AGM with an emotional farewell.

We deeply regret this. I personally am deeply saddened by this moment," he said.

Shareholders narrowly rejected the fixed compensation report for members of the banks executive board. Some 48.43% voted in favor, missing the necessary 50%, with 48.21% voting against, and 3.36% abstaining. Chairman Axel Lehmann said he has to look at what the next option is for the executive teams pay.

The board of directors was up for reelection, a mostly-academic process this year as the bank will soon cease to exist as an independent entity. Shan Li, Richard Meddings, Blythe Masters, and Seraina Macia did not stand. Shareholders nevertheless showed their dissatisfaction with a series of very narrow approvals of the remaining 7.

Much of the ire directed at Credit Suisse executives in Zurich has been over the banks pay and compensation practices over the years as it booked losses. Nevertheless, shareholders approved the annual compensation report again, but by the thinnest of margins. Just 50.06% of holders pressed the green button on the voting machines in the conference hall. Some 49.38% rejected the report, and 0.56% abstained.

To recap, Credit Suisse executives have foregone their bonuses for 2022, and employees with deferred pay outstanding have also seen that frozen.

You can almost taste the frustration (13:30 p.m.)

A second-year economics student representing his elderly father, a longtime shareholder of Credit Suisse, said that surely Lehmann could feel the palpable tension in the room. You can almost taste the frustration and anger today," he said, adding that everyone in the room had stayed invested on the trusting the words of both Lehmann and Koerner about the banks ability to survive.

I am sure you understand very well and share our grievances, but the difference between you and us is you have the power to take action. So please, in the name of everyone here, please take action," he said, lamenting the seething annoyance shareholders have at the hugely diluting share conversion that is part of the UBS acquisition of Credit Suisse.

Lehmann said that the bank was looking into all options until the very end". He added that the banks main focus, and most important stakeholder going forward, is the employees who are bearing the brunt in their contact with clients and exposure to everyday public criticism.

Credit Suisses directors faced shouts and jibes from angry investors in a meeting that has stretched on several hours. One shareholder asked the board how they could sleep at night. Another offered a bag of walnuts they said was worth the same as a Credit Suisse share. A third unveiled a spray-painted T-shirt reading Stop the rip off."

Shareholders also point to the discrepancy between bonuses and profits. In the past dozen years, Credit Suisse put 35 billion francs into its annual bonus pools, according to Bloomberg calculations. The total profits it generated in that period: 35 million francs.

If you take a look at the profits we generated over the past 10 to 15 years and the amount we paid out to shareholders - if you compare that to the bonuses that were paid out, then there is very probably a certain imbalance there, objectively," Lehmann said.

Lehmann also said he felt many of the same dismayed emotions as shareholders and repeated what the management had tried to do to save the bank with their last restructuring attempt.

This meeting is arguably more about letting shareholders vent after three-years of scandals and mismanagement. But many acknowledge it is too little too late for their suggestions and feedback, and the deal is done.

Shareholder Christine Renaudin, a lawyer who said she took the train from Lausanne at 4:30 this morning, argued that Swiss banking should adopt an ethics code so that lessons can be learned. She suggested it be delivered personally to incoming UBS CEO Sergio Ermotti. Lehmann said he would make sure it got to him.

A tearful shareholder and former employee Francesco De Giorgi condemned the bank for the situation. Your money is no longer safe in Switzerland. And this is the fault of our board and your company for this mess."

He added that he was ashamed as a former employee of Credit Suisse. I also feel responsible for this disaster," he concluded, followed by a round of applause from the audience.

When lawyer and shareholder Patrick Salzmann had the floor, he went through a series of questions that exceeded his 5-minute allocated speaking time. At several points Lehmann tried to intervene, urging him to wrap up, but the chair was himself interrupted by several other shareholders in the room telling him to let the man finish. Salzmann insisted that he had the right to speak, and finished by proposing a motion to the floor that a special auditor be appointed to answer his questions. Lehmann demurred.

Many shareholders have sent a list of detailed questions ahead of time to the board of directors, as they expect to exhaust their 5 minutes of allocated speaking time. They expect detailed responses in the meetings minutes which will be published at a later date. They are instead using their speaking time to ask their most pointed questions and to express their emotion: anger, shame, sadness.

Shareholder Daniel Engler lamented that the board had not implemented a bonus and malus system in which bankers would pay with their own private wealth when the company experienced losses. Lehmann responded that executives had been working on a transformation of the bonus culture of the bank when the crisis struck.

Vincent Kaufmann, Ethos CEO, says he believes that compensation was a reason CS staff took risks. He says he believes, even if chances are slim, shareholders can still attack the deal under a specific article.

It is your duty in fact as members of the board to recognize the responsibility that you and previous leadership have for this entire disaster. We have plenty of questions we have sent to the board and we expect an answer. What is the financial basis and the basis of which dates was the merger bid agreed? Was there a fairness opinion? How has the board assured the limit of the damage to the shareholders?"

Political masters have been dozing on the job for the last 15 years," said Guido Rothlisberger, a shareholder. The government should have been keeping a better eye on what was going on and making sure the rules were being followed."

Ms. Keller-Sutter was completely out of her depth, I think, in her role in dealing with the banking crisis," he said. I think it was possible to do this deal without an emergency decree, we had an AGM, and I feel I have been cheated. 

He said he donned his red tie to represent the fact that I and any others are seeing red today."

The collapse of Credit Suisse would have been catastrophic not just for Switzerland but for the global economy," Chief Executive Officer Ulrich Koerner said in the text of his speech. We no longer had a choice."

Shareholders and proxy advisers indicated prior to the meeting their intention to vote against the reelection of several board members including Lehmann and expressed discontent with the board of directors and managements leadership of the bank. Its still unclear which of the failed banks top executives will survive the takeover, with Lehmann and Koerner seen exiting.

We ran out of time," Koerner said about the failure to save Credit Suisse. What has happened over the past few weeks will continue to affect me personally and many others for a long time to come."

We wanted to put all our energy and our efforts into turning the situation around and putting the bank back on track," Lehmann said in the text of his speech. It pains me that we didnt have the time to do so, and that in that fateful week in March our plans were disrupted. For that I am truly sorry."

His apology was met with half-hearted applause by an audience that included many former Credit Suisse employees, as well as a few boos."

The deal was agreed without the approval of either Credit Suisse or UBSs shareholders, underscoring the urgency for the Swiss government to orchestrate a solution. In announcing the acquisition, it cited an article of the constitution that allows it to issue temporary ordinances to counter existing or imminent threats of serious disruption to public order or internal or external security." In this case, this included overriding merger laws on shareholder votes.

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text.
President Joe Biden on Tuesday will meet with his council of advisers on science and technology about the risks and opportunities " that rapid advancements in artificial intelligence development pose for individual users and national security.

The White House said the Democratic president would use the AI meeting to discuss the importance of protecting rights and safety to ensure responsible innovation and appropriate safeguards" and to reiterate his call for Congress to pass legislation to protect children and curtail data collection by technology companies.

Artificial intelligence burst to the forefront in the national conversation after the release of the popular ChatGPT AI chatbot, which helped spark a race among tech giants to unveil similar tools, while raising ethical and societal concerns from the powerful technology.

The council, known as PCAST, is composed of science, engineering, technology and medical experts and is co-chaired by the Cabinet-ranked director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, Arati Prabhakar.

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.
Elon Musk has once again let his imagination run wild, leading to the peculiar sight of the Twitter homepage logo being replaced with a doge meme. This move has left many of us wondering about his motivations behind it. It's not the first time that Musk has made significant changes to the popular social media platform, with its current form bearing little resemblance to what it was just a year ago.

Many users are left speculating whether the recent replacement of Twitter's homepage logo with a Doge meme by the billionaire was a late April Fool's Day prank or a permanent change. Some reports have pointed out that it could just be that the world's second-richest man is having a rough day with his Dogecoin lawsuit.

It's worth noting that the switch to the Doge meme logo featuring a Shiba Inu is currently only visible on the web version of Twitter, while the blue bird logo still dominates on the android app.

Although Elon Musk's fondness for Dogecoin is widely known, it appears that his recent decision to replace the Twitter logo with a Doge meme may have been influenced by a promise he made to a user before taking over as CEO of the social media giant. Musk shared a conversation with the user, in which he asked if there was a need for a new platform, and the user suggested that he should take over Twitter and change the logo to that of a Doge meme.

Previously, Musk had shared an image of a 'Doge' meme sitting in a chair and wearing a CEO t-shirt, with a caption that read "The new CEO of Twitter is amazing".

According to Reuters, Musk is currently facing a $258 billion lawsuit filed by investors, who accuse him of running a pyramid scheme to support the cryptocurrency Dogecoin. The investors claim that Musk intentionally drove up Dogecoin's price by over 36,000% in two years and then allowed it to crash.

Dogecoin was initially created in 2013 by software engineers Billy Markus and Jackson Palmer as a playful take on other cryptocurrencies available in the market. Thanks to Musk's recent antics, the prices of Dogecoin have once again surged, with a Bloomberg report indicating that the value of the cryptocurrency increased by as much as 30% following Twitter's adoption of the Doge meme logo on its homepage.
NEW YORK (AP)  Donald Trump conspired to illegally influence the 2016 election through a series of hush money payments designed to stifle claims that could be harmful to his candidacy, prosecutors said Tuesday in unsealing a historic 34-count felony indictment against the former president.

The payments, said Assistant District Attorney Christopher Conroy, were part of an unlawful plan to identify and suppress negative information that could have undermined his campaign for president.

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Trump, stone-faced and silent as he entered and exited the Manhattan courtroom, said not guilty in a firm voice while facing a judge who warned him to refrain from rhetoric that could inflame or cause civil unrest.

The next court date is December 4, though it is not clear if he will be required to appear.

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The broad contours of the case have long been known, but indictment contains new details about a scheme that prosecutors say involved payoffs to two women, including a porn star, who said they had extramarital sexual encounters with him years earlier, as well as to a Trump Tower doorman who claimed to have a story about a child he alleged the former president had out of of wedlock.

The arraignment, though largely procedural in nature, amounts to a remarkable reckoning for Trump after years of investigations into his personal, business and political dealings. The case is unfolding against the backdrop not only of his third campaign for the White House but also against other investigations in Washington and Atlanta that might yet produce even more charges.

Trump, his lips pursed in apparent anger, entered the courtroom shortly before 2:30 p.m. He left court about an hour later, also without commenting. All told, the typically verbose Trump spoke only about 10 words during the entire proceeding.

Before the arraignment, he narrated his feelings in real time, describing the experience as SURREAL as he traveled from Trump Tower to lower Manhattan to face a judge.

Get the rest of the story here:

Photos: Donald Trump's arraignment
In the last few days, global engagements have underscored the rapidly evolving balance of power in the international order. Chinese President Xi Jinpings recent visit to Russia has sparked a lot of commentary about the implications of the two nations coming together in unprecedented ways. What had once seemed a distinct possibility to many is now fast becoming an indisputable reality that can no longer be ignored. The tectonic plates of global politics are shifting rapidly, and with it ushering in changes that have long been talked about, with many hoping against hope that they can be avoided. But a Russia-China axis is likely to bring a transformative effect on the international system. This cannot be denied.

Yet, while this coming together of the worlds two most potent autocracies has garnered a lot of attention, other changes in the global milieu are less noticed, though they also carry equally significant ramifications. Visits of Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to India last month also highlight how nations in the Indo-Pacific region are swiftly moving to configure the regional security environment.

Taking his predecessor Shinzo Abes ambitions forward, Kishida unveiled a new plan in India for a free and open Indo-Pacific" with four pillars that include: (1) principles for peace and rules for prosperity, (2) addressing challenges in an Indo-Pacific way, (3) multi-layered connectivity and (4) extending efforts for security and safe use of the sea and air. Practically, this would entail Japans assistance to emerging economies, support for maritime security, a provision of coast-guard patrol boats and equipment and other infrastructure cooperation.

Albaneses India visit was also aimed at strengthening ties with like-minded nations, even as Canberra has been trying to reach out to China. First Albanese ensured that India was on board with Australian policies and then he went to the US to finalize the Aukus pact signed along with the US and UK in 2021 for the supply of nuclear powered submarines to Australia. This pact, however, is about much more than just nuclear submarines; it is about strengthening ties between three traditional security partners that must urgently upgrade their intelligence and hi-tech cooperation, so as to effectively respond to the challenges they are facing.

Japan and South Korea also made a strong beginning in normalizing their fraught relationship earlier last month when the leaders of the two nations metthe first such meeting in 12 years. It resulted in Tokyo agreeing to lift its restrictions on exports of semi-conductor materials, even as Seoul decided to withdraw its complaint to the World Trade Organization (WTO). South Korea is now redefining its place in the wider Indo-Pacific after shunning the idea initially for fear of offending China. But under Yoon Suk Yeol, Seoul wants to play its part in the evolving strategic dynamics in the region. It wants to be seen as more than just a saner, more stable part of the Korean peninsula. Of all the regional countries in the Indo-Pacific, South Korea has been the most enthusiastic about the Quadrilateral Security Dialoguethe Quad.

Quad leaders will meet in Australia this May to reinforce the growing vitality of a platform that just a few years ago had been dismissed as a non-starter. Continuing to underscore their commitment to the rule of law, sovereignty, territorial integrity and peaceful settlement of disputes, the Quad members have laid out an ambitious agenda guided by priorities of the Indo-Pacific region to act as a force for regional and global good."

This agenda today includes health security, climate change and the clean-energy transition, critical and emerging technologies, sustainable, transparent and fair lending and financing practices, infrastructure and connectivity and terrorism.

India is at the heart of this global churn. As the Eurasian security order gets transformed under the pressure of the Ukraine conflict and as the Indo-Pacific emerges as the centre of gravity of global geopolitics and geoeconomics, New Delhis role and its choices are coming into sharper relief across the world. India is being wooed by key powers and it has also been playing a central role in shaping the global governance agenda. While the US-led Nato says its doors are open to India for enhanced engagement, Russia has identified India and China as its main allies on the world stage in its new foreign policy strategy.

Yet, the current fracturing of the global power balance will likely constrain Indias options, as the tussle between the West on one side and Russia and China on the other takes on an ever more challenging dimension. Chinas rise and its aggression continue to transform Indias security environment. And with Russia now facing a serious crisis and defining itself as Chinas junior partner, New Delhi is perhaps confronting one of the most serious shifts in its strategic milieu since the end of the Cold War.

With the global and regional order in flux and key players moving rapidly to shape their environment, India too will have to work simultaneously on a number of fronts. The country must strengthen its domestic political, economic and military sinews as well as develop strong partnerships with other like-minded nations.

But, most significantly, it will be critical that dogmas of Delhi do not continue to overrule the ability of India to innovate and experiment at the level of ideas as it seeks its rightful place in the comity of nations.

Harsh V. Pant is professor of international relations, Kings College London, and vice president for studies at Observer Research Foundation, New Delhi
For anyone who has sweated through record-high temperatures or waded through floodwater, it will come as no surprise that Britain is strikingly unprepared" for the effects of climate change. Thats the conclusion of a recent report published by the Climate Change Committee, the UKs independent advisory body on climate policy to the government.

It might feel surprising that a rich country like the UK is so unready for the challenge. We often hear about adaptation changes in processes and structures to cope with the current and future impact of the climate crisisin relation to developing nations whose vulnerable populations will bear the brunt of change, such as extreme weather events becoming more frequent. But Lisa Schipper, professor of developmental geography at the University of Bonn, warns against that. Many people in the global north have been painted a picture in which climate disasters happen in poor countries," she told me. Thats led to a complacency that were perhaps just waking up from.

Poorer nations have had a clearer focus on adaptation for longer. In response to Germanys catastrophic floods in 2021, which killed 196 people, Saleemul Huq, director of the International Centre for Climate Change and Development in Bangladesh, wrote an op-ed explaining how rich nations could learn from his home country. Though regularly struck by cyclones and floods, Bangladesh invested in minimizing the loss of human lives when disasters strike and now boasts one of the best disaster warning systems, with evacuation plans and shelters." Thats not to say developing countries dont need more help with sustainable development, or that the UK is uniquely ill-prepared in the rich world. As the recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report summarized, policy gaps are holding back climate resilience everywhere. While investment in adaptation measures is increasing, it still represents a small portion of total green finance and is insufficient for the huge task at hand. Its also being held back by the very problems were trying to cope with. As losses pile up, more money is directed at repairing the damage than safeguarding the future.

The UKs situation is serious. The heatwave in summer 2022 contributed to wildfires, a prolonged drought and the highest rate of heat-related excess mortality that England has ever seen. It also demonstrated the risk of cascading impacts, when extreme temperatures caused two data centres back ups of each otherto fail. That, in turn, took down most of the clinical IT systems at several London hospitals and community services, causing widespread disruption to patient care. The country has also already been affected by changing conditions elsewhere: Unseasonably cold weather in Spain led to salad shortages in the UK just a few weeks ago. Worryingly, what were currently witnessing is just the start. Every increment of temperature brings escalating effects and the temperature wont stop rising until we hit net zero," Julia King, chair of the CCCs adaptation committee, said in a press conference. We face roughly three more decades of increasing climate risks. It wont be long before exceeding 40 C in the summer becomes somewhat normal.

King refers to a lost decade" in preparing for and adapting to known risks. Public spending in the UK has been low for years now, meaning that infrastructure and services are outdated and vulnerable. A government plan to boost energy investment and accelerate the deployment of renewable power contained little new spending.

Globally, marginalized groups suffer the most. Schipper emphasizes that equality has to be at the heart of all adaptation plans, or else youll only help a small section of people, and possibly make things worse for others. A study in Bangladesh, for example, found that eliminating floodplains protected male livelihoods, but cut off food and economic opportunities for poor, landless women. People in the UK are largely aware of risksmany live on floodplains or in houses that overheatand are seeking a response, according to Chris Stark, CCCs chief. The CCC recommends cross-governmental structures to ensure all-round adaptation.

Research shows that the best measures are transformational rather than incremental. Done well, you can solve other issues with adaptation. Including trees in urban design, for example, can reduce the risk of flooding, help keep cities cool, improve well-being and health and reduce air pollution. That beats making flood barriers a bit higher.

The British government is set to publish its third national adaptation programme in mid-2023. Lets hope it takes the CCCs recommendations to heart, and learns from the experiences of those poorer countries that have been compelled by circumstances to become exemplars.

Lara Williams is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering climate change
The German data protection commissioner has warned that Chat-GPT may face a potential block in Germany, similar to what happened in Italy, due to data security concerns. The commissioner made the remarks in an interview with Handelsblatt newspaper, which was published on Monday.

Ulrich Kelber, the German data protection commissioner, acknowledged that in principle, Germany could take action similar to Italy's and block ChatGPT. He clarified that such a decision would fall under state jurisdiction, but did not mention any current plans to take such action.

Kelber revealed that Germany has asked Italy for more details regarding its temporary ban, which led OpenAI, backed by Microsoft (MSFT.O), to take ChatGPT offline in the country.

To recall, in the past few months, artificial intelligence (AI) has dominated the technology world, and a big credit goes to OpenAI's chatbot ChatGPT, which has brought AI into the mainstream narrative. In fact, billionaire and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has called ChatGPT the most "revolutionary" technology in 40 years or so.

However, amid the growing popularity of ChatGPT worldwide, this AI tech has now faced a major setback. ChatGPT was banned in Italy on Friday. It is the first known instance when a government has blocked an artificial intelligence tool.

According to a report by the New York Times, Italy's data protection authority has accused OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, of stealing the data of its users. Besides, the Italian authority has said that ChatGPT does not have an age-verification system in place to prevent minors from being exposed to illicit material.

With this, Italy has become the first country to ban ChatGPT over privacy concerns. Whereas in China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran, OpenAI has deliberately decided to remain inaccessible.

Following the ban, ChatGPT founder Sam Altman said Italy is one of his favourite countries and added, We of course defer to the Italian government and have ceased offering ChatGPT in Italy (though we think we are following all privacy laws). Italy is one of my favorite countries and I look forward to visiting again soon!"

(With inputs from Reuters)
Culture is the characteristics and knowledge of a particular group of people, encompassing language, religion , cuisine, social habits, music and arts.

The Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition (opens in new tab) goes a step further, defining culture as shared patterns of behaviors and interactions, cognitive constructs and understanding that are learned by socialization. Thus, culture can be seen as the growth of a group identity fostered by social patterns unique to the group.

"Culture encompasses religion, food, what we wear, how we wear it, our language, marriage, music, what we believe is right or wrong, how we sit at the table, how we greet visitors, how we behave with loved ones and a million other things," Cristina De Rossi, an anthropologist at Barnet and Southgate College in London (opens in new tab), told Live Science.

Many countries, such as France , Italy , Germany , the US , India , Russia and China are noted for their rich cultures, the customs, traditions, music, art and food being a continual draw for tourists.

The word "culture" derives from a French term, which in turn derives from the Latin "colere," which means to tend to the earth and grow, or cultivation and nurture, according to Arthur Asa Berger (opens in new tab). "It shares its etymology with a number of other words related to actively fostering growth," De Rossi said.

Western culture

The fall of the Roman Empire helped shape Western culture. (Image credit: Harald Nachtmann via Getty Images)

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The term "Western culture" has come to define the culture of European countries as well as those that have been heavily influenced by European immigration, such as the United States, according to Khan University (opens in new tab). Western culture has its roots in the Classical Period of the Greco- Roman era (the fourth and fifth centuries B.C.) and the rise of Christianity in the 14th century. Other drivers of Western culture include Latin, Celtic, Germanic and Hellenic ethnic and linguistic groups.

Any number of historical events have helped shape Western culture during the past 2,500 years. The fall of Rome , often pegged to A.D. 476, cleared the way for the establishment of a series of often-warring states in Europe, according to Stanford University (opens in new tab) historian Walter Scheidel, each with their own cultures. The Black Death of the 1300s cut the population of Europe by one-third to one-half, rapidly remaking society. As a result of the plague , writes Ohio State University (opens in new tab) historian John L. Brooke, Christianity became stronger in Europe, with more focus on apocalyptic themes. Survivors in the working class gained more power, as elites were forced to pay more for scarce labor. And the disruption of trade routes between East and West set off new exploration, and ultimately, the incursion of Europeans into North and South America.

Today, the influences of Western culture can be seen in almost every country in the world.

Eastern culture

Buddhism is a big part of some Eastern cultures. Here is the Buddhist temple Seigantoji at Nachi Falls, Japan. (Image credit: Getty/ Saha Entertainment)

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Eastern culture generally refers to the societal norms of countries in Far East Asia (including China, Japan, Vietnam, North Korea and South Korea) and the Indian subcontinent. Like the West, Eastern culture was heavily influenced by religion during its early development, but it was also heavily influenced by the growth and harvesting of rice, according to a research article published in the journal Rice (opens in new tab) in 2012. In general, in Eastern culture there is less of a distinction between secular society and religious philosophy than there is in the West.

However, this umbrella covers an enormous range of traditions and histories. For example, Buddhism originated in India, but it was largely overtaken by Hinduism after the 12th century, according to Britannica (opens in new tab).



As a result, Hinduism became a major driver of culture in India, while Buddhism continued to exert influence in China and Japan. The preexisting cultural ideas in these areas also influenced religion. For example, according to Jiahe Liu and Dongfang Shao (opens in new tab), Chinese Buddhism borrowed from the philosophy of Taoism, which emphasizes compassion, frugality and humility.

Centuries of interactions  both peaceful and aggressive  in this region also led to these cultures influencing each other. Japan, for example, controlled or occupied Korea in some form between 1876 and 1945. During this time, many Koreans were pressured or forced into giving up their names for Japanese surnames, according to History.com (opens in new tab).

Latin culture

People dressed up for Dia de los Muertos (Image credit: Harald Nachtmann via Getty Images)

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The geographic region encompassing "Latin culture" is widespread. Latin America is typically defined as those parts of Central America, South America and Mexico where Spanish or Portuguese are the dominant languages. These are all places that were colonized by or influenced by Spain or Portugal starting in the 1400s. It is thought that French geographers used the term "Latin America" to differentiate between Anglo and Romance (Latin-based) languages, though some historians, such as Michael Gobat, author of "The Invention of Latin America: A Transnational History of Anti-Imperialism, Democracy and Race" (opens in new tab) (American Historical Review, Voll 118, Issue 5, 2013), dispute this.

Latin cultures are thus incredibly diverse, and many blend Indigenous traditions with the Spanish language and Catholicism brought by Spanish and Portuguese colonizers. Many of these cultures were also influenced by African cultures due to enslaved Africans being brought to the Americas starting in the 1600s, according to the African American Registery (opens in new tab). These influences are particularly strong in Brazil and in Caribbean nations.

Latin culture continues to evolve and spread. A good example is Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, a holiday dedicated to remembering the departed that is celebrated on Nov. 1 and Nov. 2. Day of the Dead dates back to before Christopher Columbus landed in North America, but was moved to its current celebration date by Spanish colonizers, who merged it with the Catholic All Saints Day.

Mexican immigrants to the United States brought the holiday with them, and in the 1970s, artists and activities brought focus to Dia de los Muertos as a way of celebrating their Chicano (Mexican-American) heritage, according to the Smithsonian American Art Museum (opens in new tab). The holiday is now well-known in the United States.

Middle Eastern culture

A Middle Eastern family eats dinner together. (Image credit: Getty/ Jasmin Merdan)

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Roughly speaking, the Middle East encompasses the Arabian peninsula as well as the eastern Mediterranean. The North African countries of Libya, Egypt and Sudan are also sometimes included, according to Britannica (opens in new tab). The term "Middle Eastern culture" is another umbrella that encompasses a huge diversity of cultural practices, religious beliefs and daily habits. The region is the birthplace of Judaism, Christianity and Islam and is home to dozens of languages, from Arabic to Hebrew to Turkish to Pashto.

While there is significant religious diversity in the Middle East, the predominant religion by numbers is Islam, and Islam has played a large role in the cultural development of the region. Islam originated in what is today Saudi Arabia in the early seventh century. An influential moment for the culture and development of the Middle East came after the death of the religion's founder, Muhammad, in 632, according to the Metropoliton Museum (opens in new tab).

Some followers believed the next leader should be one of Muhammad's friends and confidants; others believed leadership must be passed through Muhammad's bloodline. This led to a schism between Shia Muslims, those who believed in the importance of the bloodline, and Sunni Muslims, who believed leadership should not pass through the family. Today, about 85% of Muslims are Sunni, according to the Council on Foreign Relations (opens in new tab). Their rituals and traditions vary somewhat, and divisions between the two groups often fuel conflict.

Middle Eastern culture has also been shaped by the Ottoman Empire, which ruled a U-shaped ring around the eastern Mediterranean between the 14th and early 20th centuries, according to Britannica. Areas that were part of the Ottoman Empire are known for distinctive architecture drawn from Persian and Islamic influences.

African culture

An African mother from a Maasai tribe sits with her baby next to her dwelling in Kenya, Africa. (Image credit: hadynyah/Getty Images)

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Africa has the longest history of human habitation of any continent: Humans originated there and began to migrate to other areas of the world around 400,000 years ago, according to the Natural History Museum (opens in new tab) in London. Tom White, who serves as the museum's senior curator of non-insect invertebrates, and his team were able to discover this by studying Africa's ancient lakes and the animals that lived in them. As of the time of this article, this research provides the oldest evidence for hominin species in the Arabian peninsula.

African culture varies not only between national boundaries, but within them. One of the key features of this culture is the large number of ethnic groups throughout the 54 countries on the continent. For example, Nigeria alone has more than 300 tribes, according to Culture Trip (opens in new tab). Africa has imported and exported its culture for centuries; East African trading ports were a crucial link between East and West as early as the seventh century, according to The Field Museum (opens in new tab). This led to complex urban centers along the eastern coast, often connected by the movement of raw materials and goods from landlocked parts of the continent.

It would be impossible to characterize all of African culture with one description. Northwest Africa has strong ties to the Middle East, while Sub-Saharan Africa shares historical, physical and social characteristics that are very different from North Africa, according to Britannica (opens in new tab) .

Some traditional Sub-Saharan African cultures include the Maasai of Tanzania and Kenya, the Zulu of South Africa and the Batwa of Central Africa. The traditions of these cultures evolved in very different environments. The Batwa, for example, are one of a group of ethnicities that traditionally live a forager lifestyle in the rainforest. The Maasai, on the other hand, herd sheep and goats on the open range.

What is cultural appropriation?

Oxford Reference (opens in new tab) describes cultural appropriation as: "A term used to describe the taking over of creative or artistic forms, themes, or practices by one cultural group from another."

An example might be a person who is not Native American wearing a Native American headdress as a fashion accessory. For example, Victoria's Secret was heavily criticized in 2012 after putting a model in a headdress reminiscent of a Lakota war bonnet, according to USA Today (opens in new tab). These headdresses are laden with meaningful symbolism, and wearing one was a privilege earned by chieftains or warriors through acts of bravery, according to the Khan Academy (opens in new tab). The model also wore turquoise jewelry inspired by designs used by Zuni, Navajo and Hopi tribes in the desert Southwest, illustrating how cultural appropriation can lump together tribes with very different cultures and histories into one stereotyped image.

More recently, in 2019, Gucci faced a similar backlash for selling an item named "the indy full turban" which caused considerable anger from the Sikh community, according to Esquire (opens in new tab). Harjinder Singh Kukreja, a Sikh restaurateur and influencer, wrote to Gucci on Twitter (opens in new tab), stating: "the Sikh Turban is not a hot new accessory for white models but an article of faith for practising Sikhs. Your models have used Turbans as hats whereas practising Sikhs tie them neatly fold-by-fold. Using fake Sikhs/Turbans is worse than selling fake Gucci products."

Constant change

No matter what a culture looks like, one thing is for certain: Cultures change. "Culture appears to have become key in our interconnected world, which is made up of so many ethnically diverse societies, but also riddled by conflicts associated with religion, ethnicity, ethical beliefs, and, essentially, the elements which make up culture," De Rossi said. "But culture is no longer fixed, if it ever was. It is essentially fluid and constantly in motion."

This makes it difficult to define any culture in only one way. While change is inevitable, most people see value in respecting and preserving the past. The United Nations has created a group called The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (opens in new tab) (UNESCO) to identify cultural and natural heritage and to conserve and protect it. Monuments, buildings and sites are covered by the group's protection, according to the international treaty, the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage (opens in new tab). This treaty was adopted by UNESCO in 1972.

Additional reporting by Live Science Contributors Alina Bradford, Stephanie Pappas and Callum McKelvie.
Some animals bend over backward when courting their mates, like this brolga  a crane-like bird  in Queensland, Australia. (Image credit: Shutterstock)

On Valentine's Day, lovers who are eager to woo their partners show their affection with traditional gifts of red roses, heart-shaped boxes of chocolates or with romantic dinners at fancy restaurants. There's usually some effort involved, but pulling off a memorable Valentine's Day is easier  and generally safer  than some of the courtship rituals performed by other animal species.

For most animals, wooing comes with heightened personal risk. A male's showy displays, while attracting a female's attention, could also attract nearby predators, and fights between male rivals can also result in a date night with a body count. In some cases, winning a cannibalistic female's affections places the male at the top of the post-coital menu.

Many of the courting behaviors practiced by animals may seem strange to us, but as peculiar and risky as they are, they work just fine for their intended audiences. Here are a few examples of unusual and extreme courtship rituals in the animal kingdom.

Giant pandas

Mating in the wild is a time consuming endeavor for giant pandas. (Image credit: Shutterstock)

Pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) are notoriously difficult to mate in captivity. Mating is no picnic in the wild, but for completely different reasons. In the first-ever footage of giant pandas getting intimate in the wild , filmmakers in China recorded an older male and a younger rival courting the same female, who was high above the ground in a tree.

The males had a tense standoff until the younger panda retreated. But the female wasn't ready to mate; upon descending, the female fought the older male and escaped. The two males followed her for weeks, growling at each other until one suitor dropped off and the female was ready to mate with the younger fellow.

It's possible that this prolonged male rivalry, including female "hostage"-taking, triggers female ovulation. So maybe that's why these black-and-white bears are so hard to breed in captivity, where male competition is nonexistent, according to the 2020 program " Pandas: Born to be Wild (opens in new tab)" that debuted the footage.

Giraffes

A male giraffe begins the lip-curling flehmen response as the female begins to urinate. (Image credit: Lynette Hart, UC Davis)

Male giraffes have to taste a lot of pee before they can do the deed . That's because the only way males (bulls) can tell if females (cows) are fertile is to determine if specific pheromones are present in her urine.

First, the bull nudges the cows and sniffs her genitalia. Sometimes it takes a few nudges, but then the cow will widen her stance and urinate into the bull's mouth. Next, the bull does a "flehmen response" by curling back its upper lip and breathing in through its nostrils, using its sensitive vomeronasal organ above the roof of the mouth to smell his potential partner's pee. Other also animals smell pee when mating, but usually the female pees on the ground for the male to sniff. In the giraffe's case, they're way too tall to do it that way.

On average, bulls have to approach 150 females before finding one who is ready to mate, a 2023 study published in the journal Animals (opens in new tab) found.

Snails

A Cornu aspersum snail that was hit in the head by a love-dart (arrow) so hard that the dart came out the other side of its head, next to the right eystalk. (Image credit: Monica Lodi & Joris M. Koene, Journal of Molluscan Studies (DOI: 10.1093/mollus/eyv046))

Look closely at these photos of land snail Cornu aspersum, and you'll see a small appendage close to the eyestalk. That tiny structure was propelled into the snail's head by its mate, delivering an infusion of a special mucus that prepares the snail for receiving an envelope full of sperm.

As land snails are hermaphrodites, either snail in a mating pair is capable of fertilizing the other, and both are equipped with "love darts" that they use to stab their partner  after they spend a bit of time circling around and touching each other with their muscular pseudopods.

Some snail species shoot single darts, some shoot multiple darts, and others use a single dart to repeatedly jab their mate for close to an hour, according to a 2006 study, published in the journal The American Naturalist (opens in new tab).

Dinosaurs

Reconstruction of theropods engaged in scrape ceremony display activity, based on trace fossil evidence from Colorado. (Image credit: Xing Lida and Yujiang Han)

Little is known about dinosaurs' mating habits, but evidence preserved in rocks in Colorado suggests that some dinosaurs practiced a ritual dance much like one performed by living birds.

Paleontologists found scrape marks  many dozens of them  in four sites that held remains of Cretaceous dinosaurs. In a 2016 study published in the journal Nature Scientific Reports (opens in new tab), researchers explained that they saw distinct similarities between these scratches in the rock, and so-called "nest scrapes" created by certain types of male birds as part of their courtship displays.

Male birds across a number of ground nesting species  including sage grouse, puffins and various shore birds  scrape the ground in front of females, as if to demonstrate how good they would be at building a nest. They make dozens or even hundreds of scratches at a time, and usually accompany scraping with strutting, puffing themselves up, and fanning their tails.

Black widow spiders

A black widow female dwarfs her male counterpart. Male black widows can 'twerk,' as seen in new video of the spiders' mating dance. (Image credit: Sean McCann)

Black widow (Latrodectus Hesperus) females are about twice as large as males, so the smaller suitors have to take some precautions when approaching a female's web, lest they be mistaken for prey and eaten before mating even gets underway.

Males stay safe by announcing their presence to the female with vigorous rump shaking.

As a male steps onto a female's web, he vibrates his abdomen, sending signals coursing along the silk strands. He advances, vibrates and pauses, advances, vibrates and pauses  a pattern distinctly different from the shorter, more irregular movements of trapped prey, researchers found in a study, published in the journal Frontiers in Zoology (opens in new tab). The study authors also discovered that the vibrations that males produce are at a low amplitude, further distinguishing them from prey movements, which were more dynamic and percussive.

Sea Slugs

Two Siphopteron sp. 1, caught in the act. (Image credit:  Johanna Werminghausen)

Hermaphroditic sea slugs possess both male and female sex organs, and when pairs come together to mate, they stab each other between the eyes with a needle-like appendage called a penile stylet, delivering a cocktail of prostate fluid. This tactic was described as "just weird" by a researcher who co-authored a 2013 study about the odd behavior, published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B (opens in new tab).

Scientists are uncertain as to why exactly the slugs target this body area for stabbing, but they suspect that the hormonal injection may serve to increase the possibility of successful fertilization.

Pufferfish

These 'mystery circles' are about 7 feet wide and are made by a 5 inch fish. (Image credit: Kawase et al)

"Mystery circles" on the ocean floor near Japan that measure about 7 feet (2.1 meters) in diameter were recently found to be made by a fish only 5 inches (12.7 centimeters) in length. The intricate symmetrical patterns were first noticed by divers in 1995, and in 2013 (opens in new tab) researchers described what created them: a species of pufferfish, with mating on its mind.

Males swim along the seafloor flapping their fins to sculpt the remarkably intricate ridges and valleys  a process that take seven to nine days  and then decorate them with shell fragments and sediment. After interested females are fertilized, they lay their eggs in the nest site at the center.

Though the structures are beautiful, scientists wrote in 2013 that the lines and shapes carved by the pufferfish serve to channel sediment particles, and likely don't serve an aesthetic purpose.

Jumping spiders

This jumping spider has UV-reflective body parts. (Image credit: Matthew L.M. Lim and Daiqin Li)

Body parts that reflect ultraviolet light help male jumping spiders in the Cosmophasis umbratica species catch females' eyes (all eight of them). Males lure the female spiders by striking poses that display these glowing patches prominently.

However, female C. umbratica spiders have a glowing trick of their own, possessing palps  a pair of appendages near the head  that fluoresce green in ultraviolet light, which they use to attract the males.

Both male and female spiders rely on these signals to tell who's in a mating mood, scientists discovered in a 2007 study published in the journal Science (opens in new tab). When ultraviolet light was blocked and the spiders didn't glow, they lost interest in mating, the researchers found.

Marvelous Spatuletail

The male Marvelous Spatuletail (Loddigesia mirabilis) sports a four-feathered tail that's twice the length of its body. (Image credit: Greg R. Homel)

In one species of hummingbird  the marvelous spatuletail (Loddigesia mirabilis)  males attract females by whipping their lengthy tails back and forth.

And those tails are impressive, two of the four feathers measure about 6 inches (15 centimeters) in length  about twice as long as the birds' bodies  and are tipped with shiny iridescent "paddles," which the males whirl feverishly at likely mates.

Bowerbirds

The geometry of the courtship site creates an illusion of uniformity: When a female bowerbird views the court from within the avenue, all of the court objects appear to be the same size. (Image credit: L.A. Kelly)

Bowerbirds are known for building elaborate structures to attract female interest, even decorating their bowers with arrays of colored objects that appear to be selected and displayed for their aesthetic appeal.

But there's more to their arrangement than meets the eye. Researchers discovered that male bowerbirds construct their bachelor pads in such a way that when the male bird stands in front of it, he appears larger and more imposing to the female viewing him from outside.

And the birds that create the most successful illusions were the most popular with the females and the most likely to mate with them, scientists wrote in a 2012 study, published in the journal Proceedings for the National Academy of Sciences (opens in new tab).

Mice

Singing to his sweetheart. (Image credit: Colin Robert Varndell/Shutterstock)

Male mice seeking to impress a mate sing unique high-pitched songs, vocalizing in the ultrasonic range. They produce these whistling sounds  which differ greatly from normal communication  by creating a type of feedback loop of airflow in the windpipe and larynx, according to a 2016 study published in the journal Current Biology (opens in new tab). Scientists discovered the mechanism by shooting high-speed video of the mice's larynxes as they vocalized, capturing 100,000 frames per second.

Impressive though this technique may be, female mice are picky about which songs they like; they prefer tunes that differ from those sung by their relatives, according to an earlier study published in February 2014 in the journal PLOS One (opens in new tab).

Red-cheeked cordon-bleu songbird

A male red-cheeked cordon-bleu songbird performs his mating "tap dance" to court the gal next to him on their perch. (Image credit: Nao Ota.)

High-speed video recently revealed a mating dance performed by a species of songbird tapping their feet too quickly for the movements to be seen with the naked eye.

Blue-capped cordon-bleu songbirds (Uraeginthus cyanocephalus)  both males and females  were known to bob their heads and sing to each other during courtship, but a 2015 study published in the journal Scientific Reports (opens in new tab) was the first to capture the rapid tapping of their toes  and the birds tapped their feet faster if they were sharing the perch with a prospective mate, the scientists discovered.

Porcupines

Female North American porcupines are only fertile for a few hours each year. (Image credit: Shutterstock)

Male North American porcupines must go to great lengths to secure the affections of females, which only go into estrus once a year for eight to twelve hours.

Prior to ovulating, the female secretes a fragrant (to a porcupine) vaginal mucus that lures males closer. The lucky male that finds her  and manages to chase away any rivals  stimulates ovulation by drenching her in an explosive jet of urine described as "a high speed projectile" by porcupine expert Uldis Roze, author of "The North American Porcupine (opens in new tab)" (Comstock Publishing Associates, 2009) and "Porcupines: The Animal Answer Guide (opens in new tab)" (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2012).
A Living Remedy: A Memoir

By Nicole Chung

Ecco. 256 pp. $29.99

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In "What the Living Do," poet Marie Howe reflects on death and mourning with the words, "Even grief provides a living remedy." Nicole Chung's memoir "A Living Remedy" draws its title - and heart - from that line. In this moving book, Chung explores the idea that mourning the deceased is a way of keeping them alive. In her 30s, Chung was suddenly hit hard by loss: Both of her adoptive parents died within two years of each other. In this intimate memoir, she explores this difficult emotional terrain while also delivering a powerful social commentary that poses vital questions about access to medical care and the meaning of home and family.

Chung loses her father first, and from afar. Chung is a young mother of two children, living across the country when her dad declines into kidney disease and diabetes. She is unable to offer much financial or practical assistance, and he dies in his sleep with no opportunity for her to say goodbye. The pain of this abruptness is searing: "We don't know the moment he took his last breath. . . . The time of death I read on the certificate is not the moment his life ended but the moment the paramedics had to give up. I will never know what really happened." What closure Chung does receive is afforded through the ritual of the funeral, a small mercy.

There is but a brief respite before Chung's mother receives a cancer diagnosis. Before long, the coronavirus descends, cleaving Chung's world in half: her husband and two young children on the East Coast; her dying mother on the West. Torn between her duties to her children and those to her mother, and assessing the risks of flying across the country in the height of the pandemic, Chung remains at home. Like her father, Chung's mother dies before Chung has the chance to say goodbye, and it feels all too familiar: "I can't tell you about her death, because I didn't witness it." This time, though, Chung cannot even attend the funeral in person. She reflects, "I had not realized that mourning in the known or expected way could also be a luxury, a privilege, one that might disappear in a moment."

Chung's grief is complicated by the realities of her adoption, of which she wrote poignantly in her first memoir, "All You Can Ever Know" (2018). Raised by White parents in largely White southern Oregon, Chung, who is Korean American, was accustomed to feeling different. But the loss of her parents drives home the idea that this is the end of their bloodline, because they have no biological children, and Chung's own children are biologically connected to the birth parents who gave her up for adoption. "At some point you learn that the purpose of life, for most creatures on the planet, is to pass on their genes before they die," she observes, "that this was the only form of immortality accessible to most of the living: we would die, but if we had children, and they had children, our genes, the essence of who we are and everything that makes us, would live on." Then, the clincher: "Even back then, I remember thinking about how that wasn't going to work out for my parents."

Chung's deeply personal story also highlights the shortcomings of health care in America. Her parents' paychecks from myriad sequential jobs - from restaurant manager and respiratory therapist when she was growing up to, later, warehouse stocker and part-time bookkeeper - were only enough to carry them from health crisis to health crisis. Chung later finds out that they had to declare bankruptcy during her college years because of their earlier medical needs. Just before his death, Chung's father was too sick to work, and her mother had been laid off. Out of health insurance, he was limited to medical care from under-resourced community health centers with sliding scales and long waiting lists. "It is still hard for me not to think of my father's death as a kind of negligent homicide facilitated and sped by the state's failure to fulfill its most basic responsibilities to him and others like him," Chung writes.

Though terminal illness and death - like the pandemic - are often described as pat "equalizers," Chung refuses to let society off that easily: "Sickness and grief throw wealthy and poor families alike into upheaval, but they do not transcend the gulfs between us, as some claim - if anything, they often magnify them. Who has the ability to make choices that others lack? Who is left to scramble for piecemeal solutions in an emergency?"

Chung knows the answer all too well, and her call to action is particularly powerful because of it. The book begins and ends with chapters about Chung's memories of her mother and their special connection. She reflects on leaving for college: "We would still belong to each other, but we would come to know one another differently in separation, in parting after parting." This sense of belonging prevails even in the parting of death: "As long as I am here, I am still with her, keeping my vigil in the only way I can." In this way, Chung offers comfort to the living - herself included - by reminding us that in our continued memory and love, the deceased can find a semblance of immortality even without genetic connection. In Marie Howe's words: "I am living. I remember you."

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Qian Julie Wang is the author of the memoir "Beautiful Country" and a lawyer in New York.
By Isabella Hammad

Grove Press. 336 pp. $28

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Isabella Hammad's second novel, "Enter Ghost," begins as the title suggests - with an entry. London-based Palestinian actress Sonia Nasir clears security at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion International Airport more smoothly than she expected she would, with just one quick strip search.

She is traveling to Haifa for the first time since childhood, raw from heartbreak and wanting to confide in her elder sister. Yet the siblings' prickly relationship leaves Sonia adrift in the apartment almost immediately, unsure of her welcome and ruminating on the discovery that their uncle has sold their family's house to an Israeli buyer and moved away. When an abrasive friend, Mariam, turns up and makes it known that she needs a Queen Gertrude for her West Bank production of "Hamlet," Sonia allows herself to get pulled in. As she begins to confront her complex guilt about her politically unencumbered life in England, the "Hamlet" production reels her to the heart of the political tensions in the region, which hit a flash point in the play's Bethlehem setting.

"Hamlet" plays a central role in the novel in more ways than one. The title of "Enter Ghost" is drawn from William Shakespeare's stage directions, when King Hamlet's ghost commands his son to seek justice in their rotten kingdom. The novel's storyline is fraught with similar strife - between lovers, family members, and the Israeli "inside" and West Bank "outside" - and it posits a spectral third way, which Hammad illustrates through a central motif of crossing between worlds. Sonia animates her transitory role by bringing a keen eye for subtleties, both as the novel's narrator and as an experienced performer. Her body is often the subject of detailed writing about intimacy and freedom - her difficulties with lovers, pregnancies and misogyny twine through the novel's wider conflicts.

Hammad is a rigorous researcher, and in "Enter Ghost," she offers a remarkably direct rendering of the contemporary Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The story takes place against tensions following the real-life 2017 fatal shooting of two Israeli police officers in the complex called the Noble Sanctuary by Muslims and the Temple Mount by Jews, and the resulting civil unrest boils steadily around the novel's plot - but never overtakes it. As the cast attempts to rehearse Shakespeare in classical Arabic on their lavish outdoor stage beside Bethlehem's separation wall, the Israeli government intimidates, restricts funding to and lets its military interfere with the venture.

Fiction has an uneasy relationship with politics, and American writing in particular tends to avoid the Palestinian issue - a problem identified in the text as "largely a case of preaching to the deaf and to the choir." It's an obstacle Hammad negotiated in her 2019 debut, "The Parisian" (about British Mandate Palestine), which established her as a writer with an uncanny combination of skills. She is at once able to trace broad social and historical terrains without losing her grasp of particulars, giving a surgical finesse to her writing about the human personality. Her style is often labeled "exquisite." These skills put her in the company of other postcolonial literary novelists such as Ahdaf Soueif and Abraham Verghese; and like "In the Eye of the Sun" and "Cutting for Stone," "The Parisian" sprawls to nearly 600 pages. But something different, sparer and clever is happening with "Enter Ghost," thanks to Hammad's adaptation of a Western play.

The plot's structure takes shape around the basic actions of a theatrical production: casting, read-through, rehearsals and performance, along with sideline dramas among cast members. From this relatively simple setup, parallels between "Hamlet" and the novel emerge, through such themes as treachery, plays-within-plays, a family divided and a state in turmoil. You don't, however, need to be a Shakespeare buff to appreciate this reimagined classic - Mariam and her cast explicitly discuss how malleable the play is in its West Bank setting. The novel is aware of its fourth wall without seeming coy, and the occasional writing in script format is unexpected and exciting. It succeeds, too, in rising beyond a specific ekphrasis to a wider meditation on the exchange between a work of art and its context. As tens of thousands of Muslims, including agnostic Sonia, gather to protest the security measures at al-Haram al-Sharif (Arabic for the Noble Sanctuary) by praying in the streets, Sonia thinks, "Our play needed the protests, but the protests did not need our play."

Core theatrical ideas about catharsis, audience, and comedy and tragedy (manifested as absurdity) get at what it means for Sonia to authentically participate in something that feels bigger than herself. In one brief but memorably humorous scene, the novel also attempts to get under the skin of what Israel is to its soldiers, when Sonia encounters a British-Israeli teen guarding a checkpoint. Her very English outrage startles him from his role as an Israeli Defense Forces soldier "defending my people" and into that of a teenager defending himself against accusations of being from Manchester. Mixed identities are everywhere, as are everyday performances, and they give the novel nuance that resists easy categorization.

Although "Enter Ghost" sometimes seems to fret about its ethics, such as the attention paid to Palestinians while other conflicts, like the one in Yemen, struggle for international attention, it succeeds as that rare fictive project that invites several audiences to pay attention. Or in Hamlet's words, "The play is the thing, wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king."

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Sarah Cypher is a freelance book editor and the author of "The Skin and Its Girl," coming this month.
By Joan Biskupic

William Morrow. 401 pp. $32.99

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In May 2022, two days after the leak of a draft opinion indicating that a conservative Supreme Court majority was preparing to overturn Roe v. Wade, eight-foot-tall fences appeared around the court. They remained up through the rest of the spring term, blocking demonstrators from approaching the building when crowds convened to protest the court's final decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization. Only months later, in August, did the fencing finally come down, with as little explanation as it had when it arrived.

As a symbol of the court's strained relationship with the public, the barriers were remarkably telling. They signaled an institution under increasing scrutiny, with the freshly minted conservative supermajority eager to upend Roe and shift the court, and the country, radically to the right. And yet, as CNN senior Supreme Court analyst Joan Biskupic writes in her new book, "Nine Black Robes: Inside the Supreme Court's Drive to the Right and Its Historic Consequences," the court remained "walled off from the people" whose lives its decisions had the power to so dramatically reshape.

Biskupic opens a window onto the opaque, insular world of the justices to show an institution sinking gradually into crisis. The book covers the whirlwind six years from the death of Justice Antonin Scalia in 2016 through President Biden's 2022 nomination of Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first Black woman to sit on the Supreme Court. It's a period that saw President Donald Trump reshape the judiciary and secure a 6-3 majority for the right on the high court, through three appointments each dogged by a crisis of legitimacy: the first, of Justice Neil Gorsuch, to a seat held open by a Republican Senate majority determined to block President Barack Obama from nominating a successor to Scalia; the second, of Justice Brett Kavanaugh, tarred by a credible accusation of sexual violence against the nominee, which he denied; and the third, of Justice Amy Coney Barrett, forced through in record time before an election that Trump went on to lose.

The court is, by design, an institution at a remove from democratic accountability. With each Trump appointment, though, it became more difficult to distinguish clearly between the supposedly august, intellectual work of the justices and the wheeling and dealing of raw politics. And in the years after Trump appointed Barrett to the seat left vacant by the death of liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the new supermajority has shown no hesitation in aggressively refashioning American law, with little care for the fact that the public largely does not share the six conservatives' ideological commitments. In the months after Dobbs, Americans' trust in the courts sank to an all-time low.

Biskupic is a longtime chronicler of the court, and "Nine Black Robes" puts on display her connections within its chambers. The book is packed with references to insights shared with her by unnamed justices. She reveals the deliberations and negotiations that took place behind the scenes in a number of high-profile cases, including Dobbs. In that case, Biskupic writes, Chief Justice John Roberts - a conservative jurist but one anxious to preserve the legitimacy of the court in the eyes of the public - labored for weeks in a doomed effort to "privately lobby fellow conservatives" against overturning Roe outright. (Despite Biskupic's ear to the ground, however, the question of who leaked the draft opinion remains stubbornly unresolved.)

Roberts, the subject of a previous biography by Biskupic, emerges as a somewhat tortured figure - the embodiment of the conservative legal movement's difficult relationship with its own success under Trump. The recent story of the court is in some ways the story of Roberts's efforts to navigate increasingly choppy political waters. In Biskupic's telling, he moves from the decisive swing vote after Kavanaugh's appointment to a conflicted onlooker, as the strengthened conservative bloc barrels ahead with little regard for the court's institutional standing.

For the court's liberals, the picture is even bleaker. Before Ginsburg's death, Biskupic depicts the four Democratic appointees performing a careful dance to eke out a compromise every now and then. On the 6-3 court, she writes, the minority "expected to win nothing."

Central to the conservative ascent, of course, is Trump. Scalia's death in February 2016 allowed Trump to rope himself to the Supreme Court as a presidential candidate, appealing to nervous Republican voters by promising to appoint a sufficiently right-leaning - and anti-Roe - successor. While Trump's time in office was shaped by clashes with the courts over the limits of presidential power, it was also defined by a Faustian bargain that the conservative legal movement struck with him: allying itself with a lawless, unprincipled boor in exchange for an opportunity to stuff the judiciary with as many ideologically aligned judges as possible. Opposition to Roe was the movement's founding principle, and Dobbs was, in this sense, its triumph.

But as the three liberal justices wrote in their Dobbs dissent, "No one should be confident that this majority is done with its work." In one sense, the conservative legal movement's alliance with Trump was purely cynical. Trump learned this the hard way when right-leaning judges and justices, having secured what they needed from him, proved unwilling to endorse his last-ditch efforts to hold onto power in 2020. In another sense, though, Trump's brashness is difficult to disentangle from the sneering, aggressive approach adopted by some judges on the right - which the abrasive Dobbs majority opinion, written by Justice Samuel Alito, exemplified. This, in Biskupic's telling, is what troubles Roberts: not the direction the courts are headed, but the breakneck speed and disregard for institutional niceties with which they're getting there.

If the conservative alliance with Trump was indeed a deal with the devil, is this crisis of public legitimacy much of a price? Raw power alone is, after all, still power. Biden has been nominating judges at a rapid clip, but conservative control of the high court remains secure, and Trump's appointees compose almost a third of the influential appellate bench. Calls on the left to "pack the court" with additional justices seem to have sputtered out, and a committee assembled by Biden to study Supreme Court reform has come and gone without its recommendations making much of an impact. Meanwhile, the conservative supermajority and its allies in the lower courts show no sign of slowing down, even as their judicial project appears increasingly at odds with the needs and beliefs of the country as a whole. The situation seems untenable, and yet it's not clear what, if anything, can or will change. Perhaps the devil has not yet come calling for his due.

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Quinta Jurecic is a senior editor at Lawfare and a fellow at the Brookings Institution.
Laredo Independent School District will observe the Easter Holiday on Monday, April 10, the district announced Tuesday morning.

According to the release, all Laredo ISD campuses and administrative office will be closed due to the holiday.

The Laredo ISD tax office will also be affected by the closure, closing on Monday and having limited hours on the Friday preceding the holiday. On Friday, the tax office located at 904 Juarez Ave. will be open from 8 a.m. to 2:15 p.m.

Following the holiday, all Laredo ISD campuses and administrative office will re-open and resume their regular schedules on Tuesday, April 11. Students will also be asked to return to their regular schedules on Tuesday.

For more information, please contact the Office of Communications at 956-273-1730 or log on to the districts website at www.laredoisd.org.
The Austin Independent School District is weighing its options following the Texas Education Agency (TEA)'s Friday announcement of its plans to install a state-appointed conservator to manage the school district's special education programs. In a 37-page document, the TEA cited "systematic failures" by the district's special needs office to provide services to students within federally mandated timelines.

"AISD delayed in some cases completely failed to timely evaluate and/or provide special education and related services to students even after students had been identified as eligible for special education," TEA documents say.

AISD released a statement Friday following the announcement.

"Under a conservatorship, a team selected by the Commissioner of the Texas Education Agency would work closely with our Special Education team to ensure were meeting the needs of our students who are referred to be evaluated for disabilities or who receive special education services," Austin Independent School District said in a statement Friday. "This would not be a takeover of the school district as is currently happening in Houston ISD. The trustees and interim superintendent are still in place. The district also has the right to appeal the conservatorship."

AISD educates over 73,000 students and has 116 campuses. 51.9 percent of students in the district are economically disadvantaged, and 13.4 percent are in special education.

The district's Board of Trustees are meeting Monday night to discuss if they should appeal the TEA's plan to implement a conservator.

TEA's actions in AISD follow a highly publicized and district-spanning takeover of Houston Independent School District (HISD), which the department announced officially on March 15. The TEA has since held four public community engagement meeting on HISD campuses and is currently seeking applications for at-large positions on a state-appointed board of managers that will replace the district's previously elected board of trustees.

The TEA held its final HISD community meeting at Kashmere High School last week, bringing to a close a tense and angry series of public gatherings punctuated by frustrated appeals for clarity from community members as to the state's plans and intentions in the district. Many in attendance remarked that state funding, including special education programs, could help the district and improve student outcomes. Moreover, Houstonians said the TEA takeover strips their rights as citizens who voted for the representatives on the HISD board.

Education advocates said the TEA intervention in AISD comes years after the agency itself was found to have broken federal rules by implementing what regulators say was a hard cap on the number of special needs students a district can serve.In 2018, the U.S. Department of Education determined that the state agency illegally capped funding for special education programs, a move that incentivized districts turning away or delaying the requests of students seeking acceptance into special programs.

"TEA is under federal sanctions for setting illegal caps for over a decade on the number of students with disabilities TX school districts can serve is now blaming the school districts for the mess the state created," Kravetz said on Monday.

The district has until April 17 to appeal the state's plan.
Two people were killed and one person was injured in a three-vehicle pileup early Monday on Interstate 80 as heavy snow fell across the state, the Wyoming Highway Patrol said.

Edgar F. Echeverria, of Houston, lost control of a 1995 Kenworth semi-truck just after 3 a.m., highway patrol Sgt. Jeremy Beck said in a statement. The 41-year-old driver left the right side of the road at milepost 184 east of Wamsutter.

Echeverria overcorrected to the left, causing the semi-truck to overturn into the median, the statement said. The Kenworth then collided with a tow truck, which was recovering a car that had earlier slid off the road.

He was not wearing a seat belt at the time and suffered fatal injuries.

The tow truck driver was 45-year-old Kirby Lugg of Wamsutter. He was transported to Memorial Hospital of Carbon County, where he later died due from his injuries.

The car's driver, who was unidentified, was transported to the same hospital for treatment for injuries from the crash.

Echeverria is believed to have been speeding too fast for road conditions, which is being investigated as a possible contributing factor to the crash, the highway patrol said.

The deadly crash comes only days after another fatal accident on Interstate 80.

An 80-year-old Colorado man was killed early Friday when he was hit by a semi-truck while standing on the interstate near his car, the highway patrol reported.

Henry Fox parked his car on the shoulder of Interstate 80 at 3 a.m. Friday, the patrol said. He was stopped near milepost 84 in Sweetwater County.

A Freightliner semi-truck was headed west in the left-hand lane when it approached Fox's car, the statement said. For unknown reasons, Fox walked into the path of the passing truck.

He was hit by the Freightliner and suffered fatal injuries.

The weather conditions were clear, and the roads were dry near Green River at the time, the statement said.

The highway patrol typically lists possible causes for fatal crashes. On this incident, it listed "other."

Thirty-four people have now died on Wyoming roads so far this year. There were 18 at the same point last year and 23 in 2021.

A state-by-state breakdown of crashes involving large trucks Crashes involving large trucks #51. District of Columbia #50. Massachusetts #49. Hawaii #48. New York #47. New Jersey #46. Vermont #45. Rhode Island #44. Connecticut #43. Michigan #42. Washington #41. New Hampshire #40. Delaware #39. Maryland #38. California #37. Nevada #36. Minnesota #35. Wisconsin #34. Pennsylvania #33. Utah #32. Ohio #31. Colorado #30. Virginia #29. Illinois #28. Alaska #27. Maine #26. North Carolina #25. Oregon #24. Arizona #23. Florida #22. West Virginia #21. Missouri #20. Iowa #19. Louisiana #18. Texas #17. Georgia #16. Indiana #15. North Dakota #14. South Carolina #13. Kansas #12. Oklahoma #11. Tennessee #10. Montana #9. Kentucky #8. New Mexico #7. Idaho #6. Nebraska #5. South Dakota #4. Alabama #3. Arkansas #2. Mississippi #1. Wyoming
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MADISON, Wis. (AP)  A Democratic-backed Milwaukee judge won the high stakes Wisconsin Supreme Court race Tuesday, ensuring liberals will take over majority control of the court for the first time in 15 years with the fate of the states abortion ban on the line.

Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Janet Protasiewicz, 60, defeated former Justice Dan Kelly, who previously worked for Republicans and had support from the states leading anti-abortion groups.

The victory speaks to the importance of abortion as an issue for Democrats in a key swing state, with turnout the highest ever for a Wisconsin Supreme Court race that didn't share the ballot with a presidential primary.

In a jubilant scene at her victory party, the other three liberal justices on the court joined Protasiewicz on the stage and raised their arms in celebration.

Protasiewicz tried to downplay the importance of abortion as an issue in her victory, even though she and her allies, including an array of abortion rights groups including Planned Parenthood, made it the focus of much of her advertising and messaging to voters.

It was really about saving our democracy, getting away from extremism and having a fair and impartial court where everybody gets a fair shot in the courtroom, Protasiewicz told The Associated Press after her win. Thats what it was all about.

The new court controlled 4-3 by liberals is expected to decide a pending lawsuit challenging the states 1849 law banning abortion enacted a year after statehood. Protasiewicz said during the campaign that she supports abortion rights but stopped short of saying how she would rule on the lawsuit. She had called Kelly an extreme partisan who would vote to uphold the ban.

In addition to abortion, Protasiewicz's win is likely to impact the future of Republican-drawn legislative maps, voting rights and years of other GOP policies. It will also ensure that liberals will have the majority leading up to the 2024 presidential election and immediately after.

Four of the past six presidential elections in Wisconsin have been decided by less than a percentage point and Trump turned to the courts in 2020 in his unsuccessful push to overturn his roughly 21,000-vote loss in the state. The current court, under a 4-3 conservative majority, came within one vote of overturning President Joe Bidens win in the state in 2020, and both major parties are preparing for another close race in 2024.

Kelly is a former justice who has also performed work for Republicans and advised them on a plan to have fake GOP electors cast their ballots for Trump following the 2020 election even though Trump had lost.

Ahead of the vote, Protasiewicz called Kelly a true threat to our democracy because of his advising on the fake elector scheme.

Kelly had expressed opposition to abortion in the past, including in a 2012 blog post in which he said the Democratic Party and the National Organization for Women were committed to normalizing the taking of human life. He also had done legal work for Wisconsin Right to Life.

Kelly was endorsed by the states top three anti-abortion groups, while Protasiewicz was backed by abortion rights advocates.

Kelly was appointed to the state Supreme Court by then-Gov. Scott Walker, a Republican, in 2016. He served four years before being defeated in 2020 on the same ballot as the Democratic presidential primary. Kelly was endorsed by Trump that year.

Trump did not endorse this year. Protasiewiczs endorsements included Hillary Clinton.

Kelly tried to distance himself from his work for Republicans, saying it was irrelevant to how he would work as a justice. He tried to make the campaign about Protasiewiczs record as a judge, arguing that she was soft on crime and accusing her of being bought and paid for by Democrats.

The Wisconsin Democratic Party gave Protasiewiczs campaign more than $8 million, leading her to promise to recuse herself from any case brought by the party.

Protasiewicz said that while she anticipates many of the issues raised in the campaign will come before the court in the coming years, she pledged to be impartial and not beholden to Democrats and her liberal backers who poured an unprecedented amount of money into the race.

Ive told everybody on the entire time that I was running, despite the fact that I was sharing my personal values, every single decision that I will render will be rooted in the law, she said. And that is the bottom line. Theyre independent and rooted in the law.

Kelly, in a statement after his loss, said Protasiewicz made her campaign about cynical appeals to political passions, serial lies, and a blatant disregard for judicial ethics and the integrity of the court.

I wish Wisconsin the best of luck, he said. I think it will need it.

Protasiewicz was outspoken on Wisconsins gerrymandered legislative maps, calling them rigged. Kelly accused her of prejudging that case, abortion and others that could come before the court.

The state Supreme Court upheld Republican-drawn maps in 2022. Those maps, widely regarded as among the most gerrymandered in the country, have helped Republicans increase their hold on the state Legislature to near supermajority levels, even as Democrats have won statewide elections, including Tony Evers as governor in both 2018 and 2022 and Biden in 2020.

Protasiewicz will serve a 10-year term starting in August replacing retiring conservative Justice Pat Roggensack.
Humans will return to the moon for the first time in more than 50 years during the Artemis II mission next year. On Monday, we learned the names of the crew members that will lead the historic trip to establish a long-term presence on the moon. During a thrilling, crowded event at Ellington Field near NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston on Monday, the space agency introduced the four astronautswhich includes the first woman and first person of color assigned to a moon missionwho will perform the lunar flyby aboard NASA's Orion spaceship on November 2024.

The members of the first crewed lunar mission since Apollo are: Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, and mission specialists Christina Hammock Koch and Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian Space Agency. Wiseman, 47, is a decorated naval aviator and test pilot who was first selected to be an astronaut in 2009. This will be his second trip into space, having previously taken a 165-day spaceflight to the International Space Station. Most recently, Wiseman served as chief of the Astronaut Office from December 2020 to November 2022.

Ariana Garcia

Koch, a 44-year-old engineer, is also making her second flight to space on the Artemis II mission, having previously served as a flight engineer aboard the space station for Expedition 59, 60, and 61. A veteran of six spacewalksincluding three of the first all-female spacewalksKoch also holds the record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman, with a total of 328 days in space. Now, she will be the first woman to fly around the moon.

"Am I excited? Absolutely," Koch said to a cheering audience. "But my real question is, are you excited? And I ask that because the one thing I'm most excited about is that we are going to carry your excitement, your aspirations, your dreams with us on this mission."

Glover is a 46-year-old U.S. Navy aviator and test pilot who has flown over 40 different aircraft and is a veteran of four spacewalks. He will be making his second spaceflight with Artemis II, previously serving as a pilot on NASA's SpaceX Crew-1, which landed on May 2, 2021, after 168 days in space. Glover, who also served as a flight engineer above the space station for Expedition 64, will be the first Black astronaut ever to be sent on a lunar mission.

"We have a lot to celebrate and it's so much more than the four names that have been announced," Glover said. "We need to celebrate this moment in human history because Artemis II is more than a mission to the moon and back. It's more than a mission that has to happen before we send people to the surface of the moon. It is the next step on the journey that gets humanity to Mars."

Hansen, 47, is a Royal Canadian Air Force colonel and former fighter pilot who will be the first Canadian ever chosen for a flight to the moon. He was selected by the Canadian Space Agency for astronaut training in 2009. In 2017, Hansen became the first Canadian to be put in charge of training for a new class of NASA astronauts. This will be his first flight to space.

"It is not lost on any of us that the United States could choose to go back to the moon by themselves," Hansen said. "But America has made a very deliberate choice over decades to curate a global team and that in my definition is true leadership."

Ariana Garcia

Thousands were in the audience for the crew reveal, including a number of politicians, among them Sen. Ted Cruz, U.S. Reps. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Houston), Brian Babin (R-Woodville), and Lizzie Fletcher (D-Houston), each of whom gave remarks. Cruz called the team "badass," adding that as a father of two daughters, he is particularly proud of the mission's goal to send the first woman to the moon.

"It is an exciting moment to know that the four of you will be the first men and women to go to the moon in 50 years," Cruz told the astronauts. "That's a big deal for America, that's a big deal for Canada, that's a big deal for the world...You carry the hopes and dreams, the weight of humanity with you."

Ariana Garcia

Back in December, NASA successfully completed its Artemis I mission after sending its unmanned Orion capsule on a 25-day voyage around the moon. Artemis II will build on it, sending Hansen, Koch, Glover and Wiseman on the same mission. The 10-day voyage will kick off with the Orion spacecraft launching from atop NASA's most powerful rocket yet, the Space Launch System, from the NASA Kennedy Space Center in Florida in November 2024. Artemis III, slated to launch in 2025, is planned to put humans on the surface of the moon. The Artemis program was designed to establish a permanent lunar outpost that will eventually help facilitate missions to Mars.

"It's been more than a half-century since astronauts journeyed to the moon. Well, folks, that's about to change," said NASA administrator Bill Nelson who named the crew members. "The mission to the moon will launch four pioneers, but it will carry more than astronauts. Artemis II will carry the hopes of millions of people around the world."
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BRUSSELS (AP)  On the eve of a major European Union diplomatic foray into China, the bloc's foreign policy chief on Tuesday lashed out at Beijing for its support of Russia amid the invasion of Ukraine, and called it a blatant violation of its United Nations commitments.

There cannot be siding with the aggressor, Josep Borrell said ahead of a trip to Beijing by the EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and French President Emmanuel Macron. There is a clear expectation from a permanent member of the (U.N.) Security Council to stand up in defense of international rules-based order and China as a moral duty to contribute to a fair peace.

Standing alongside visiting U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Borrell was unusually blunt in his condemnation of a nation that has increasingly moved from being an EU partner to being a rival on the global stage.

The comments set the stage for two of Europe's pre-eminent leaders to press the point that EU-China relations will pivot on Beijing's friendship with Russia.

Macron and von der Leyen are expected to warn China against sending weapons to Russia during talks with President Xi Jinping on Thursday. Just ahead of the visit, von der Leyen had a phone call with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to coordinate strategy.

Even if Beijing says it is neutral in the war, Xi's visit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow two weeks ago had all the visuals and speeches of a meeting among trusted friends.

They agreed on the need to not deploy nuclear arms abroad," Borrell said of the Moscow meeting. "Some days later, Russia deployed tactical weapons, nuclear tactical weapons in Belarus, he added, referring to an announcement by Putin of plans to deploy such weapons. This comes, ironically, after Chinese President Xi visited Moscow and mentioned the need for peace.

He called the prospect of deploying such weapons in Belarus Putin's newest nuclear gamble and said it constituted "a direct threat to European security.

Borrell said he was looking for a change of heart in Beijing if relations were not to deteriorate.

We have been clear with China that its position on Russias atrocities and war crimes will determine the quality of our relations with Beijing, he said.

Discussions between Macron, Xi and von der Leyen will mainly focus on trade, the war in Ukraine and climate change.

The European officials are expected to underscore the importance of Chinas role in supporting peace, and to tell Xi that he should engage directly with Zelenskyy following his visit to Moscow last month. They will also urge him to put pressure on Putin to stop threatening nuclear weapons use in the war against Ukraine.

Von der Leyen will ask Xi to use his influence to make sure a grain export deal that has helped bring down global food prices can be extended beyond mid-May, when it's expected to expire after Russias U.N. ambassador reiterated that Moscow is ready to extend the deal  but only for 60 days, just half the 120 days in the agreement.

The EU does not expect a significant change in Chinas position but believes its crucial to keep engaging with the superpower, notably on trade issues.

In 2022, China was the EU's third largest partner in exports of goods and the largest partner for EU imports. EU leaders want to rebalance their commercial relationship while also addressing the 27-nation bloc's dependence to China in strategic sectors such as critical raw materials, computing-related technologies, semi-conductors and clean technologies.
AP

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP)  Militants in Pakistan shot at the countrys police force in a volatile northwestern province overnight, killing two officers, officials said Tuesday.

The latest attack on police was made overnight in the Kohat district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, bordering Afghanistan. Senior police officer Islamuddin Khan said two officers were on their way on motorcycle for protection duty at a mosque during the special night prayers in the holy month of Ramadan.
An incident Tuesday involving a man at Bismarck's north Walmart who police thought might be armed and was refusing to leave his vehicle ended peacefully.

Officers at midday responded to a report from North Dakota Parole and Probation that the 36-year-old man was a threat to himself and others, Lt. Luke Gardiner said. The man was located in his vehicle at the retail store, and police were told he had made "threatening statements regarding himself and others."

Police made cellphone contact with the man to start negotiations to get him out of the car and offer help, Gardiner said. West Dakota SWAT negotiators were able to get him out of the car about 1:12 p.m., the lieutenant said. No weapons were found.

The man was detained by police and then taken to a hospital where he was seen by medical staff and assisted by Parole and Probation staff.

The Police Department in a Facebook post about noon Tuesday said the man was alone and would not come out of the vehicle to speak with officers. Authorities asked people to stay away from the area until the incident was resolved. The department gave the all clear about 1:20 p.m.

Walmart management closed the store in the meantime, the department said.

"Bismarck Police Department is grateful for the outcome, and assistance from the community to stay out of the area," Gardiner said. "In addition, we would like to thank West Central Human Services, and other assisting agencies."
As students across Nashville were walking out of class to protest gun violence following a school shooting last week, police released new information from the investigation. Police say 28-year-old Audrey Hale spent months planning a mass murder at The Covenant School, and that they haven't yet established a motive but say Hale considered the actions of other mass murderers. Hale fired 152 rounds before being killed by police. Hale's victims were three 9-year-old children and three adults. Outside the state Capitol on Monday, thousands rallied in a call for gun reform, many of them students from Nashville-area schools who walked out of their classes en masse.
Joey Scott said his son caught the bus to Cleveland Middle School for the first four or five days of the semester. After that, the bus stopped showing up, leaving Scott to find or provide transportation.
The Williston Basin School District on Tuesday mobilized its crisis team after four students died in two separate vehicle crashes on Monday night.

A 15-year-old boy and a 17-year-old boy from the city were killed when the pickup truck they were passengers in collided with an Amtrak passenger train at a marked crossing northeast of Williston shortly after 8 p.m. Monday, according to the North Dakota Highway Patrol The 17-year-old boy driving the pickup was taken to a Minot hospital with what authorities said were serious injuries.

Twelve- and 13-year-old girls from Williston died when the pickup truck in which they were riding crashed in Ward County just before midnight amid light snow and icy road conditions, according to the Patrol.

None of the students was immediately identified.

"The sudden loss of our students is an unimaginable tragedy for all, not just for our district, but for our entire community," the school district statement said. "We have mobilized our crisis team to provide support and counseling at Williston High School and Bakken Elementary for our students and staff that are undoubtedly affected by this. We will continue to provide support as we deal with the aftermath of this. Please keep all of the families, students, and staff in your thoughts and prayers as we process this crisis."

The city and police department offered their condolences in the statement.

"We will do whatever we can to support those families, as well as the residents of the city of Williston that are going through this tragedy," Mayor Howard Klug said. "We will get through this together, because that's what Williston does. We are a strong community, and we band together to support each other, and that's what we're going to do."

Police Chief David Peterson said school resource officers would help the school district's crisis response team. School Superintendent Richard Faidley said, "We are blessed to live in a community that collaborates and works together, especially in difficult times."

School district grief resources are at https://www.willistonschools.org/page/grief-resources.
A Longford student has taken one of the top awards at PExpo 23 held in DCU on Wednesday, March 31.

Conor Lyons from Lanesboro Community College took a special CCSSCA (community schools) award for his project on Educational advantage and sporting success: What's the link? which was entered in the Power of Sport category.

PExpo, developed in association with the Physical Education Association of Ireland, was first held in 2015 and is now in its ninth year. Its aim is to promote a better understanding of PE, sport, fitness and health among second level school students.

For the exhibition, based loosely on the Young Scientists format, students are invited to submit projects under one of nine headings, including the power of sport, technology in sport, well-being, components of fitness, nutrition, games development, psychology, and two categories linked to the physical education curriculum for the Leaving Certificate. Prizes are divided into two age groups - junior for up to third year and senior for fourth year and higher.

As well as the Physical Education Association of Ireland, and Dare to Believe other supporters of PExpo 23 include Sport Ireland, Dublin City Sport and Wellbeing, South Dublin County Sport Partnership and DCU Sport.
The building manufacturers group, Octabuild has announced the appointment of Longford local Declan Conlon, Sales Manager at Wavin Ireland, as the groups new chairperson for 2023-2024. He has been a board member since 2013.

Octabuild is unique among representative groups in the building and construction industry  its members have a solid manufacturing base in Ireland; operate to the highest technical and management quality standards; are market leaders in their business sectors and use builders merchants as their primary sales route to the end-user.

There are eight Octabuild members  Dulux Paints, Etex Ireland, Glennon Brothers, Grant Engineering, Gyproc, Irish Cement, Kingspan Insulation and Wavin Ireland.

Octabuild was established in 1984 and one of its core activities is the Octabuild Builders Merchant Excellence Awards, an all-island competition which will next take place in 2024.

Declan Conlon began his career in the building materials sector in 1995 with Glennon Brothers. He moved from telesales to sales manager, working in areas including marketing/PR, production planning, finance, recruitment and HR.

In 2019 he joined Wavin to manage key accounts as well as a team of six technical sales reps who cover the Republic. He has a degree in Business and Marketing from the University of Limerick and recently returned to education part time, undertaking an MSc in Leadership through the University of Ulster.

He places great importance on the values of the Octabuild organisation and in particular the partnership with builders merchants: I have spent my whole working life supplying products to the merchant sector so this relationship is obviously very important to me personally. I believe in partnership and the value of long-term mutually beneficial relationships, which is central to the Octabuild ethos, and I look forward to working with the merchant sector to deliver the benefits of partnership for us all.

In relation to the current status of the sector he says: I believe that the shocks that have been experienced in the global economy over the last three years have re-emphasised the value of Irish-based manufacturing and I believe that the Octabuild values of excellence, innovation, and sustainability are as important as ever.
Councillors in the Ballymahon Municipal District were told the provision of a bus shelter for the town would have to tie in with any planned streetscape improvements.



At the March meeting of the Municipal District Cllr Pat OToole called on the local authority, in conjunction with Bus Eireann, to assess the feasibility of providing two bus shelters at the bus stops at upper Main Street, Ballymahon.



Samantha Healy Director of Service for Infrastructure, Housing & Innovation told the meeting that Senior Executive Engineer Con Diffley, would liaise with the National Transport Authority on the proposal. She said NTA will only make bus shelters available on routes that service at least four stops.

Ms Healy said the provision of such infrastructure would have to tie in with plans for changes to the Ballymahon streetscape.



Those plans for changing the streetscape in Ballymahon involve traffic lights at Nally's Corner and at the junction for the N55 Athlone road. the works in Ballymahon have been in the pipeline for a number of years.



Plans were halted in 2021 after TII disagreed with proposals for a roundabout on the N55 junction at the end of the town heading towards Athlone. It was felt that a roundabout would offer no protection for pedestrians and cyclists using the junction and that led to a re-think of the project.

Cllr O'Toole agreed to defer his motion on the basis of the streetscape plans.



Cllr Mick Cahill said such plans must show consideration not to reduce the number of parking places in the town.
Health & Wellness

By Chris Boyle Published: April 04 2023

Long Islanders Encouraged to Get Screened, Regardless of Whether They Are Experiencing Memory Issues.

To help Long Islanders be proactive about their brain health, the Alzheimers Foundation of America (AFA) and Mount Sinai South Nassau will be hosting a free memory screening event on Tuesday, April 25 from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm in the atrium of Mount Sinai South Nassau Hospital (One Healthy Way, Oceanside). No advanced registration is required, and there are no minimum age or insurance prerequisites. Parking is available in the visitors lot.

Memory screenings are quick (approximately 10-15 minutes), noninvasive, and consist of a series of questions to gauge memory, language, thinking skills and other cognitive functions. They are similar to other routine health screenings, such as those for blood pressure, cholesterol and skin checks. Screenings are administered one on one by a qualified professional, and results are confidential. Results are not a diagnosis, but a memory screening can suggest if someone should see a physician for a full evaluation.

Annual memory screenings should be part of everyones health and wellness routine, regardless of whether youre experiencing memory problems. Just as we regularly check other facets of our health, we need a checkup from the neck up too, said Charles J. Fuschillo, Jr., AFAs President & CEO. We are pleased to work with Mount Sinai South Nassau to provide this free service to the community.

The information from the screening helps you and your physician take charge of your brain health and plan for and implement lifestyle changes as well as take advantage of treatments that will slow memory loss and the decline of thinking skills, said Adhi Sharma, MD, President of Mount Sinai South Nassau. My colleagues I and strongly encourage residents to get screened and take advantage of this free and essential screening.

Early detection of memory impairments is extremely important. Many different conditions can cause memory issues, including treatable or curable conditions such as vitamin deficiencies, thyroid disorders, urinary tract infections, sleep apnea, stress, anxiety, and depression.

Even in the case of a dementia-related illness such as Alzheimers, early detection can provide greater opportunity to begin treatments that can help slow the symptoms of the disease, as well as taking part in a clinical trial. In addition, it affords the person the chance to take advantage of community services, such as support groups and therapeutic programming, that can help maximize quality of life, as well as have a greater say in making legal, financial and health care decisions.

For more information about the free memory screening program on April 25, please contact Mount Sinai South Nassaus Community Education Department at 516-377-5333 or the Alzheimers Foundation of America at 866-232-8484.

About Alzheimers Foundation of America (AFA)

The Alzheimers Foundation of America is a non-profit organization whose mission is to provide support, services and education to individuals, families and caregivers affected by Alzheimers disease and related dementias nationwide and to fund research for better treatment and a cure. Its services include a National Toll-Free Helpline (866-232-8484) staffed by licensed social workers, the National Memory Screening Program, educational conferences and materials, and AFA Partners in Care dementia care training for healthcare professionals. For more information about AFA, call 866-232-8484, visit www.alzfdn.org, follow us on Twitter or connect with us on Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn. AFA holds Charity Navigators top 4-star rating for its commitment to fiscal efficiency, transparency, and accountability.

About Mount Sinai South Nassau

The Long Island flagship hospital of the Mount Sinai Health System, Mount Sinai South Nassau is designated a Magnet hospital by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) for outstanding nursing care. Mount Sinai South Nassau is one of the regions largest hospitals, with 455 beds, more than 900 physicians and 3,600 employees. Located in Oceanside, NY, the hospital is an acute-care, not-for-profit teaching hospital that provides state-of-the-art care in cardiac, oncologic, orthopedic, bariatric, pain management, mental health and emergency services and operates the only Trauma Center on the South Shore of Nassau County, along with Long Islands only free-standing Emergency Department in Long Beach.



In addition to its extensive outpatient specialty centers, Mount Sinai South Nassau provides emergency and elective angioplasty, and offers Novalis Tx and Gamma Knife radiosurgery technologies. Mount Sinai South Nassau operates the only Trauma Center on the South Shore of Nassau County verified by the American College of Surgeons as well as Long Islands only free-standing, 9-1-1 receiving Emergency Department in Long Beach. Mount Sinai South Nassau also is a designated Stroke Center by the New York State Department of Health and Comprehensive Community Cancer Center by the American College of Surgeons; is an accredited center of the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Association and Quality Improvement Program; and an Infectious Diseases Society of America Antimicrobial Stewardship Center of Excellence. For more information, go to www.mountsinai.org/southnassau.
Local News

By Chris Boyle Published: April 04 2023

Motorists are urged to plan accordingly and drive responsibly in work zones.

The New York State Department of Transportation is advising motorists of the following overnight lane closures on the Long Island Expressway (Interstate 495) in Nassau and Suffolk Counties during the week of Monday, April 3:

On Tuesday, April 4, the westbound HOV, left and center lanes will be closed from 9:30 p.m. until 5 a.m. between Exit 46 (Sunnyside Boulevard) and Exit 44 (State Route 135) in the Town of Oyster Bay, Nassau County, to facilitate bridge maintenance. The westbound Northern State Parkway will be available as an alternate route.

On Thursday, April 6, the eastbound right and center lanes will be closed from 10 p.m. until 5 a.m., at Exit 62 (Suffolk County Route 97/Nicolls Road) in the Town of Brookhaven, Suffolk County, to facilitate bridge maintenance.

On Thursday, April 6, the westbound right lane between Exit 35 (Shelter Rock Road) and Exit 33 (Lakeville Road/Community Drive) in the Town of North Hempstead, Nassau County, the westbound entrance ramp from Shelter Rock Road, and the westbound exit ramp for Exit 34 (New Hyde Park Road) will be closed from 10 p.m. until 5 a.m., to facilitate guiderail repairs and tree trimming.

All closures are weather dependent.

Motorists are urged to plan accordingly and drive responsibly in work zones. Fines are doubled for speeding in a work zone. Convictions of two or more speeding violations in a work zone could result in the suspension of an individuals driver license.

For up-to-date travel information, call 511, visit www.511NY.org or download the free 511NY mobile app.

Follow NYSDOT on Twitter at @NYSDOT and @NYSDOTLI. Find us on Facebook at Facebook.com/NYSDOT.
North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgums recent trip to Iowa has prompted speculation that the Republican officeholder is mulling a run for the White House in 2024.

Burgum for the first time publicly addressed rumors of a forthcoming presidential campaign after a press conference on Tuesday, and he didnt have much to say on the matter.

When asked whether he has presidential aspirations, the two-term governor said hes focused right now on getting through the legislative session and, specifically, what weve got in front of us: income tax relief, child care and workforce (development).

Burgum confirmed he and first lady Kathryn Burgum had a great weekend last month in Iowa, where they met with Gov. Kim Reynolds and local people across ag and education. He added that he took in several examples of Iowas value-added animal agriculture  an economic sector he hopes to boost through legislation in North Dakota.

Mike Nowatzki, a spokesman for Burgum, said the state plane wasnt used for the Iowa trip.

Forum News Service columnist Rob Port reported last month that Burgum traveled to Iowa for at least two public meet and greet events in late March. An unnamed Iowa-based source told Port they had completed an opinion poll that was seemingly circulated to gauge interest in Burgum as a presidential candidate.

Prospective presidential contenders often begin their on-the-ground campaigns in Iowa, which historically has served as the stage for the first contest of presidential primary season. In 2024, the Hawkeye State is slated to host the first primary showdown for Republicans, but Democrats will have their earliest primary in South Carolina.

Despite the chatter about a potential White House bid, Burgum didnt rule out a 2024 run for reelection to North Dakotas top job on Tuesday.

I havent made any official announcement on that in the past, but I love having the opportunity to serve and I have a ton of energy for this job. But that decision about a third term is a long ways off, Burgum said.

If he were to enter the presidential race, he would join a fast-growing field of conservative candidates.

Former U.S. President Donald Trump, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson already have declared their intention to run in 2024. Former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem also are rumored to be considering presidential bids.

Burgum, a former tech executive, was a political newcomer when he won North Dakota's gubernatorial race in 2016. He secured reelection in 2020 by a landslide margin. His second term expires next year.

(Bismarck Tribune reporter Jack Dura contributed to this report.)
Please be notified that the Annual Meeting of Stockholders of Semirara Mining and Power Corporation (the Corporation) will be held on May 2, 2023,[1] Tuesday at 10:00 a.m. and will be conducted by remote communication at https://www.semirarampc.com/asm with the following agenda:

Agenda

Call to Order and Proof of Notice of Meeting Certification of Quorum Chairmans Message Approval of Minutes of Previous Stockholders Meeting held on May 2, 2022 Presentation and Approval of Presidents Report Presentation and Approval of Audited Financial Statements for 2022 Ratification of the Acts of the Board of Directors and Management from the Date of the Last Annual Stockholders Meeting up to the Date of this Meeting Election of Directors for 2023-2024 Approval of Appointment of Independent External Auditor Other Matters Adjournment

Record Date

Stockholders of record as of March 14, 2023 will be entitled to notice of, and vote at the said annual meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof.

Registration and Voting

ADVERTISEMENT

Stockholders may attend the meeting by remote communication by registering at https://www.semirarampc.com/asm beginning April 20 until April 27, 2023. Only stockholders of record as ofMarch 14, 2023 will be entitled to vote at the said meeting. Stockholders may vote in absentia using the online voting portal at https://www.semirarampc.com/voting, or by appointing the Chairman of the meeting as their proxy. The voting portal will be accessible beginning April 24, 2023 until 12:00 noon of May 2, 2023.

The following documents are required to be transmitted by email to corporatesecretary@semirarampc.com upon registration:

CERTIFICATED SHARES:

Individual Stockholder Valid Government-Issued ID or passport Corporate Stockholder Secretarys Certificate designating its attorney-in-fact and proxy Valid Government-Issued ID or passport of the representative

UNCERTIFICATED OR SCRIPLESS SHARES:

Individual Stockholder Brokers Certification stating the stockholders name and the number of shares held Valid Government-Issued ID or passport Corporate Stockholder Brokers Certification stating the stockholders name and the number of shares held Secretarys Certificate designating its attorney-in-fact and proxy Valid Government-Issued ID or passport of the representative

The requirements and procedure for electronic voting in absentia and participation by remote communicationis set forth in Schedule 4 of the Definitive Information Statement published on the Companys Website and on PSE EDGE.

Stockholder Question

Questions may be sent prior to the meeting at corporatesecretary@semirarampc.com no later than April 27, 2023, which shall be limited to the items in the Agenda. Some questions may be addressed while others will be replied to via email.

Proxy

Duly accomplished proxy forms must be submitted on or before April 22, 2023 to the Office of the Corporate Secretary at 2nd Floor DMCI Plaza, 2281 Don Chino Roces Avenue, Makati City 1231, Philippines or by email at corporatesecretary@semirarampc.com. Validation of proxies is set on April 26, 2023 at 10:00 a.m.

(Sgd.) JOHN R. SADULLO

Corporate Secretary

For the Board of Directors

[1] Should the date of the annual stockholders meeting (ASM) be declared a legal holiday, the ASM will be held on the next succeeding business day at 10:00 a.m. pursuant to Section 1, Article I of SMPCs By-Laws, as amended.

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Veronika Rajek has spoken out against her 'haters' by sending a powerful message to those who have criticized her online. The Slovakian model revealed that she been receiving plenty of hate for wearing a Star of David necklace.

"What's wrong you with guys? This mindset is so sick. If you think that people are better just because they are Christian or Hindu, and Jewish people are the enemies of the world you should open your minds widely. Religion doesn't specify kindness of people, people do," posted the former Miss Slovakia in the first of the two powerful stories she posted on Instagram to address the issue.

She continued: "People always preach about a positive world, but they are spreading negativity all round. I know, life is not a fairytale which none of us are able to solve by ourselves, but what you can change is your behavior and not be an a** whole- this is how you can start to begin and change your mindset, thus your surrounding as well."

"Just because you are in front of your phone screen, doesn't mean you are untouchable. If you don't find something nice to comment, it is better for you to just leave," concluded the model. It was a moving message that has hopefully got through to those who have needlessly targeted her for displaying the religious symbol.
The prospect of banning miniature alcohol bottles in Boston drew fierce arguments Monday at a city hearing, with liquor store owners arguing it will hurt their business while the politician behind the charge contends a prohibition would boost public health and help the environment.

Battle lines were drawn between some city councilors who said a prohibition on miniature liquor bottles, known commonly as minis, is a red herring for other issues like stray needles littering public spaces. But proponents like Councilor Ricardo Arroyo said the fact that banning mini alcohol bottles addresses city cleanliness and health is an overwhelming reason to move forward with something like this.

The city of Boston should take action in addressing the health-related inequities caused by alcohol abuse to ensure safer and healthier communities while freeing up public health resources for non-alcohol-related hospitalizations, Arroyo wrote in an order calling for a hearing on the issue.

He pointed to other cities in Massachusetts like Falmouth, Mashpee, Wareham, Chelsea and Newton that have been successful in reducing public intoxication and alcohol-related ambulance responses.

In Chelsea, Arroyo said, police reported a drop in hospitalizations from alcohol-related problems. And banning the small bottles of liquor, Arroyo said, also has a benefit for the environment.

The Boston Licensing Board, according to Arroyo, already has a say over whether a liquor store can sell single containers of miniature alcohol or beer through restrictions on licenses. But the city does not have data on how many singles are sold in a year in Boston, said Boston Licensing Board Chairwoman Kathleen Joyce.

And Boston Public Health Commission Executive Director Dr. Bisola Ojikutu said there is not a large database that connects banning miniature alcohol bottles to clinical or environmental outcomes, even though smaller cities like Chelsea have instituted the measure.

I look forward to that information because that would help us to make decisions like this, Ojikutu said after she ran through a number of ambulance and alcohol use data for the city of Boston.

Both liquor store owners and city councilors pushed back on Arroyos idea.

Miniature alcohol bottle bans are proven to generate no measurable impacts on systemic littering or public intoxication, Massachusetts Package Stores Association Executive Director Robert Mellion wrote in a Monday letter to city councilors.

The ban, he argued, will directly harm and potentially ruin small and minority-owned businesses throughout Boston.

These businesses are already highly stressed. What works is private-public partnerships between retailers and municipalities, such as what has been accomplished across the state to reduce access to alcohol by minors, Mellion said.

Councilor Michael Flaherty also said banning the sale of miniature alcohol bottles will hurt small businesses. And even if the goal of the proposal is to create a cleaner planet, he said, this obviously will have major impacts.

Flaherty instead pointed to four-packs of clean needles the city hands out in areas like Mass and Cass in an effort to boost cleanliness among drug users. He said the syringes end up in streets, gutters, parks, and playgrounds.

There doesnt seem to be as much outrage for the four-pack as there is for the miniature alcohol singles, Flaherty said as he held up a pack of the syringes inside the city council chamber. I want to see if we can sort of have a discussion about bringing both of these together if were up in arms, if you will, about miniature alcohol singles, but were not up in arms about the four-pack. We give out about a million of these a year, overseen by the Boston Public Health Commission.

Arroyo did not take kindly to Flahertys example, asking Ojikutu to list out the public health benefits of providing clean needles to drug users.

He said the conversation around the needles has no bearing around this hearing.

Is it safe to say that a single or miniature alcohol bottle has no similar medical purpose? Can it be used to prevent HIV or the spread of any blood-borne pathogen? Arroyo asked Ojikutu, who responded, No, it cant.

Read more: Chicopee considers ban on mini alcohol bottle sales

In Chelsea, which banned miniature bottles in 2018, Mellion said revenues at liquor stores plummeted while sales increased 64% in East Boston, 26% in Revere and 14% in Everett.

The sales data from the suppliers speaks for itself. The truth is that Boston residents and guests will buy nips one city over. Meanwhile, net revenues will go down substantially, making doing business in Boston unprofitable, he said.

But Arroyo said any potential drop in revenue from the loss of miniature alcohol bottles is outweighed by the public health benefit a prohibition could offer residents.

I would note that in Chelsea and Newton and all the places that have done this, not a single liquor store has shut its doors, he said. And I think that the public safety, public health, public good of that is worth whatever that trade-off is financially, he said.

Councilors did not take a vote on the matter, and there is no official draft language in the public view other than the hearing order.

But Councilor Kendra Lara looked to the future, asking Joyce, the head of the Boston Licensing Board, whether a ban on miniature bottles would likely be challenged in court.

I think it would be brought to court, Joyce said.
A backlog of dozens of Boston-area first-degree murder cases built up in the Massachusetts justice system during the COVID-19 public health emergency, in some cases leaving cases pending for several years before trial, a top court official told lawmakers on Tuesday.

Facing a string of questions from Rep. Russell Holmes of Boston, Massachusetts Trial Court Chief Justice Jeffrey Locke said major felonies and especially homicide cases amassed after the pandemic upended operations in 2020.

In Suffolk County alone, in the city of Boston, we had somewhere in the 80s  80 pending first-degree murder indictments through COVID and now coming out of COVID, Locke said. All of those cases actively pending, some of those cases involving multiple defendants, so it could be 70 cases, some of which have two or perhaps three charged individuals.
After weighing their options to ban alcohol consumption on one of Cape Cods most popular beaches, officials in Wellfleet will implement such a ban at Cahoon Hollow Beach this summer.

The ban will begin May 20 and last until Sept. 10, according to a press release from Wellfleet Town Administrator Richard J. Waldo.

Reasons for the ban include excessive alcohol consumption, disorderly conduct, public intoxication, assaults, improper disposal of human waste and other safety hazards, Waldo said. Some drunk visitors have been found staggering down Ocean View Drive or passing out in the Cahoon Hollow parking lot.

Traffic along Ocean View Drive and visitation to the beach has increased by 20% each year over the past six years, Waldo said.

Cape Cod National Seashore authorities will enforce the alcohol ban on the beach. Seashore Chief Ranger Michael B. Valora told The Boston Globe that the maximum penalty for violating the ban is a fine of up to $5,000 and/or imprisonment of up to six months.

Wellfleet police have had to rely on the Harwich Police Department for help managing beach crowds, Wellfleet Police Chief Michael Hurley said, according to the Provincetown Independent. Lowering alcohol consumption on the beach could result in fewer crowds, he added.

If it keeps growing at the rate it has been in years past, it will become unmanageable, Hurley told the newspaper. We are a small police department as it is, and if were dedicating all these resources to one area, we still have a whole town to patrol.

Raphael Richter, a Truro resident whose charter bus company The Funk Bus ferries groups to the beach, said the suggestions of human waste and drunken brawls were overblown.

Yes, are there a few bad apples, Im sure there are, he previously told MassLive. But its not the norm.

Richter told the Provincetown Independent hes concerned about how regulations could affect the beach down the line.

I am worried about our ability to provide year-round jobs as a result of this change, Richter told the newspaper. Summer business still supports our ability to maintain a year-round (80-person) staff of our size.
After what judges are calling an underwhelming performance that sent one contestant home over her duet partner, American Idol fans are taking their anger out online.

Carina DeAngelo and Nutsa were excited sing together during Hollywood Week on Monday but they were soon found to be a bad pair, showcasing much different work ethics.

During their rehearsal, DeAngelo wanted to pull an all-nighter to practice while Nutsa is adamant about sleep being more important.

The two sang I Put a Spell on You, and judges called the performance underwhelming.

Ultimately, judges sent home DeAngelo and allowed Nutsa to continue in the competition. Fans on Twitter are saying it was a big mistake.

I think Nutsa is the type that will walk over anybody to get ahead. #AmericanIdol  Meowza  (@whitney_cat) April 4, 2023

I think Nutsa is the type that will walk over anybody to get ahead, one Twitter user said.

Nutsa, just because you know the song does not mean you leave your partner who doesn't alone to figure it out at all!!  #AmericanIdol  Chelsea Anderson. (@ChelseaAMusic) April 4, 2023

Nutsa, just because you know the song does not mean you leave your partner who doesnt alone to figure it out at all!! another tweeted about their lack of rehearsal time before performing for the judges.

Other Twitter users are taking it out on the show.

#AmericanIdol just gonna reward Nutsa for sabataging her partner. Thats some shameful bs right there. Carina deserved better.  Kelele Votes (@KeleleArts) April 4, 2023

#AmericanIdol just gonna reward Nutsa for sabotaging her partner. Thats some shameful bs right there. Carina deserved better, a Twitter user wrote.

Nutsa is no one to idolize. Bad judgement #AmericanIdol  Jody B  (@Ultraday) April 4, 2023

Nutsa is no one to idolize, user Jody B wrote. Bad judgement.

Fans even think Nutsas lack of trying in the rehearsals was to set DeAngelo up for failure.

Carina didn't deserve to go home. Nutsa set her up #AmericanIdol  Blessed (@Blessed88786773) April 4, 2023

Carina didnt deserve to go home. Nutsa set her up, a Twitter user said.

Again, Twitter users stand with DeAngelo on her efforts and Nutsas lack thereof.

Nutsa is the student that gets an A+ for a group project and did nothing to contribute to it #AmericanIdol  Dont Worry (@itwillbuffout) April 4, 2023

Nutsa is the student that gets an A+ for a group project and did nothing to contribute to it, another tweeted.

Season 21 of American Idol now airs every Sunday and Monday at 8 p.m. Eastern on ABC.

Those looking to stream the show can do so on FuboTV. The platform offers a free trial for new users.

The show also streams on Hulu with a subscription. Those who sign up will get their first month free. Plans for Hulu start as low as $6.99 a month and give you access to thousands of shows and movies.
Red and blue police lights flashed along the side of Montgomery Street at 2:43 a.m. on Saturday, March 25.

In front of the Chicopee Police cruiser, and pulled to the side of the road, was a vehicle full of teenagers  the youngest just 13. Police reported the vehicle had been seen speeding along Broadway Street.

But as the officer stepped out of his cruiser and began to approach the vehicle, it sped off, police later reported. The officer got back into his cruiser to follow, but the car was soon out of sight.
AMHERST  The Amherst Town Council voted Monday to let residents decide whether they can afford a new elementary school.

The councils 12-1 vote  after four hours of discussion  supported a tax increase to fund 30 years of borrowing to finance the towns share of a proposed $99.2 million new elementary school.

The action paves the way for voters to decide May 2, when a binding referendum is scheduled.

Officials said they are projecting Massachusetts School Building Authority to fund $40 million of the cost.

Attempts by Councilor Ellisha Walker to use $10 million in reserves to lower a prospective tax increase were rejected. Walker cast the lone vote against.

All of my fellow councilors were not interested in helping constituents who are going to be deeply burdened by this project thats going to go forward, she said. And for that reason, I am voting no.

Plans envision a three-story K-5 school, for 575 pupils. It would combine the Fort River and Wildwood elementary schools, at the Fort River site, comprising 105,750 square feet.

The financing would include using $5 million from Amhersts capital stabilization fund and $700,000 from the towns Community Preservation Act bank. The completed feasibility study cost $1.3 million.

Using $5 million from Amhersts capital stabilization fund was proposed by Councilor Cathy Schoen. She suggested that step during a Feb. 28 Finance Committee meeting, separate from Walkers proposal. Schoen also chairs elementary school building committee.

Allocating $5 million of the capital reserve for the school would lower the impact on taxpayers, Schoen wrote in her draft proposal.

The council voted to ask Amherst Town Manager Paul Bockelman to try and find $5 million, if possible, to lower the potential tax burden, and to give them a progress report.

If the project advances with approval from voters, the school would be ready for use in fall 2026.
North Dakota lawmakers won't be studying vaccines for COVID-19.

The state House of Representatives on Tuesday killed Senate Bill 2384 by Sen. Jeff Magrum, R-Hazelton, in a 38-53 vote. The bill was for an optional 2023-24 interim legislative study of "the long-term health effects on human beings of vaccines" for respiratory syncytial virus and of messenger RNA vaccines.

The House Human Services Committee had given the bill a 7-6 "do not pass" recommendation.

Supporters said the topic is worthy of study and would include experts' information. Opponents said the issue is best studied by others with expert knowledge.

"What is a legislative interim committee going to come up with, with this? Nothing," Rep. Todd Porter, R-Mandan, told the House panel on Monday.

The Senate in February had passed the bill, 25-22, after Magrum brought amendments changing the legislation from its initial proposal of a ban on mRNA vaccines in North Dakota, penalized with a misdemeanor charge.

The Moderna and Pfizer COVID-19 shots are mRNA vaccines. Supplies of other COVID-19 vaccines by Novavax and Janssen are expiring, and the federal government isn't purchasing additional doses, according to state Immunization Program Manager Molly Howell.

Magrum said he introduced the bill after two aunts died from blood clots "after they received a shot," and after he noticed "a huge uptick in young people dying suddenly" in obituaries. He also cited concerns with a new vaccine for RSV in children.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says mRNA vaccines use messenger RNA created in a lab to teach cells how to make a protein that triggers a body's immune system to produce antibodies protecting people from getting sick from a germ.

At the end of 2022 nearly 70% of North Dakota adults were fully vaccinated against COVID-19, with the rate for all vaccine-eligible people -- age 5 and older -- at about 63%, according to federal data. That compared with 64% and 57%, respectively, at the end of 2021. North Dakota still lags behind the national rates.

More than 1 million doses of COVID-19 mRNA vaccines have been administered in North Dakota.

Other bills

The Senate on Monday killed House Bill 1200 by Rep. Jeff Hoverson, R-Minot, that originally sought, in part, to ban public colleges and universities from promoting or mandating COVID-19 shots for students. The bill died, 6-41; the House had passed the bill, 78-13.

Amendments by the Senate Human Services Committee erased the colleges and universities provision and essentially left the bill as a duplicate to an earlier-passed Senate bill that would add vaccination status for vaccines under federal emergency use authorization to the state's 2021 ban on so-called "vaccine passports."

In floor debate, Sen. Judy Estenson, R-Warwick, unsuccessfully sought to overhaul the House bill to add "health status" to the state policy against discrimination, citing "serious discrimination toward those that made educated decisions to forgo vaccinations." The retired registered nurse also cited similar reasons for why she left her job.

The Senate on Friday passed Hoverson's House Bill 1502, 27-17. The bill would prohibit hospitals from denying care to a patient based on his or her COVID-19 vaccination status.

The House had passed the bill, 87-4. It now goes to Gov. Doug Burgum.
After they attended an anti-violence workshop, Boston city and community leaders announced Tuesday that theyll be launching a city-wide healing tour as a way to help reduce the number of violent crimes in the city.

When it comes to public safety incidents, we are committed to eradicating violence in our communities, in every neighborhood, in every part of our city, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said during a press conference at the Tobin Community Center in Roxbury. And we know that we can only do that if we are following and working alongside and really targeted in our approaches right alongside the community.

Using data from the Boston police department, city leaders will go into four neighborhoods on three separate occasions to engage with the public, according to leaders.

James Jimmy Hill, a community activist and host of the radio show Java with Jimmy, said the goal of the healing tour was to improve the quality of life to the community while being supported by city officials.

So it will be citizen-led but supported by the city, Hill said.

Although the details of the healing tour are still being worked out, city and community leaders were confident that the healing tour would serve as a good first step in working to support residents impacted by violent crimes.

Tina Chery, whose son Louis died in a fatal police shooting in 1993, has been working with the city for 30 years to provide equitable and effective responses to families whove lost loved ones in fatal shootings.

Within our community, we are doing what we can do to make sure that we transfer how we are viewed  as a community where bad things happen  to communities where good things happen, said Chery. We want to transfer that narrative from the problem to the solution.

Even as crime has decreased in Boston over the years, there has been an uptick in certain violent crimes.

Read More: Reverend urges peace in Boston when Tyre Nichols beating video released

In 2023, there have been 11 homicides in the city of Boston, which is six more than in 2022, Boston Police Commissioner Micheal Cox said. Attempted robberies have increased as well. As of April of 2023, Boston has had 177 cases of attempted robberies, which is up from 146 cases from last year.

This venue is not just us coming together, but were also coming together and looking at data and being data-informed about some of this stuff and making sure that were interpreting the data right, and figuring out how can we work together as a community to make sure that we reduce things, Cox said.
CHICOPEE  Whenever she has free time, police Officer Flordemaris Delarosa tries to talk with victims of previous domestic violence incidents to see if they need anything, have any questions and to make sure they know where to seek help.

It was an initiative the five-year officer started on her own, with the blessing of her supervisor. As part of her effort, she met with Hampden District Attorneys office of victim witness advocates to find out more about the services available. There, she also gathered pamphlets with information she could hand out to those who want it.

Now, Delarosa should have more time to reach out and help people since she has been selected as one of three officers on the Chicopee Police Departments new C3 unit, which will cover the Willimansett section of the city.

C3 policing, which stands for counter criminal continuum, was created by a Massachusetts State Police trooper who followed practices he saw in military war zones. It puts the same officers in the same neighborhood day in and day out to make connections in the community and use those to gather information, handle problems and help residents.

Sure, they still make arrests when necessary, but they also reach out to those experiencing drug addition and homeless and others in need to make sure they know where to seek help. They crack down on quality of life problems, spend time with young people and keep an eye on known criminals, said Sgt. Alan Blankenship, who will lead the unit.

Delarosa said she was excited to be selected as a C3 officer, saying she enjoys the work of helping domestic violence victims but it was difficult to do because the high volume of calls meant she was running from one place to the other during most of her shift.

I grew up with domestic violence and substance abuse, Delarosa said, adding she knows that a lot of times victims dont report problems so she wanted to help.

Delarosa said she has lived in Willimansett for about five years and cares about her neighborhood. An added bonus is she speaks Spanish fluently, so she can better communicate with residents who dont speak English or are more comfortable using their native language.

The city took a page from Springfields community policing methods and adopted the C3 program for Chicopee Center in 2019. Officials said they had hoped to expand it to Willimansett sooner. However, a combination of the pandemic, a severe shortage of officers and changes in leadership that left the city with two interim police chiefs meant the plan was pushed off again and again.

When he was promoted to chief a year ago, Patrick Major said he believed strongly in community policing and one of his goals was to add C3 policing to Willimansett.

It is an engagement program, Major said. We cant do this job alone. I think it will grow the area.

Along with Blankenship, who has served in nearly every unit in the department, Officer Johnny Jusino was also selected. Jusino, who has been an officer for 11 years, also lives in Willimansett and speaks Spanish. Blankenship also is a Chicopee resident and formerly lived in Willimansett.

The three were selected from multiple officers who applied and were interviewed for the job, Major said.

The officers initially will work weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. but have flexible schedules so they can show up for evening or weekend events or to handle issues when they arise. They will be working out of the Willimansett substation on Chicopee Street, Blankenship said.

The group will meet at the Boys and Girls Club at 11 a.m. every Wednesday. Major said he is hoping to get business owners, landlords, religious leaders and ordinary residents involved. It is also hoping to hold an evening meeting once a month to talk to residents who are unavailable during the day, he said.

The goal of the program is for the officers to be as visible as possible. They will be parking their cruisers and patrol on foot, they will be riding bikes around the neighborhood, and they will attend events in the neighborhood, Blankenship said.

We will stop to see kids when they are in the playground, he said. Thats why we are on this, to make positive relationships in the community.

The C3 unit will mostly focus its efforts on the area between Sarah Jane Sherman Park and Empire Street, which data shows is where its efforts are most needed. But, it will also expand to other parts of Willimansett when needed, he said.

It is great in the center and it will be great down here, Im certain of it, said Richard Jones, during the first neighborhood gathering March 29 to kick off the unit. The benefits are huge and many.

Jones, who lives in the downtown area, is one of the residents who attends the regular weekly meetings and has been involved with the C3 unit since it was first formed. He specifically talked about his efforts to help the homeless in the area and how the C3 unit has gotten involved.

They have tents and sleeping bags and they bring them over to them, he said.

Mayor John L. Vieau, who also lives in Willimansett, said he was fully supportive of creating the second C3 unit.

The Chicopee C3 policing expansion into Willimansett will gain the trust and confidence of that community, helping to build relationships with the police and residents and provide a safer neighborhood, he said.

Sgt. Thomas Gazda leads the C3 unit in Chicopee Center which was formed four years ago. That unit was put on hiatus for a while because of the staffing issues, except for one officer who kept up with meetings and other issues. It was restored to its full complement about four months ago.

He talked about the personal touches and the partnerships with multiple social service agencies that make the C3 unit different. Gazda remembers meeting with one resident about an issue and realized his refrigerator was empty. When he asked if he needed help, the resident was initially reluctant but Gazda connected him with services.

In another case, he stopped a couple that he knows for a motor vehicle offense and at the time talked to one about his drug problem. Soon after, they showed up at the substation looking for information about getting help and he referred them to counselors that also work in the center, he said.

Im not there to arrest people. Arresting them will not help a drug problem, Gazda said.

One of the goals of the C3 unit is to create partnerships and, for instance, it will be working closely with counselors from Center for Human Development, who already accompany officers on calls where someone involved may have a mental illness issue, Blankenship said.

In my career people are going to realize policing has changed in this city, Gazda said.

Included in the crowd of people who attended the first meeting March 29 was the principal of Gen. John Stefanik Elementary School, the director of the Chicopee Housing Authority, a representative of Big Brothers/Big Sisters and several residents.

During the meeting, they shared multiple issues in the neighborhood and talked about how a police presence will help.

Amanda Theriault, principal of Stefanik, talked about constant problems at dismissal times with double parking and parents blocking the street next to the school. She said there are also problems with off-leash dogs.

If you put a patrol officer there between 2:20 and 2:40 (p.m.) its like night and day, she said. You are so important to the school.

She also put out an appeal to get a walking school bus started. While they received approvals for it, the school is still struggling to find people to hire who are willing to walk with the children.

For 50-year resident Chet Bobala, the biggest issue is traffic. At least three pedestrians and a bike rider have been struck and killed by cars and sometimes drivers speed up Chicopee and Meadow streets going 50 mph.

It is great. The area needs it, he said.

Im an advocate for public safety and improving quality of life. Im excited I will have someone to call, said William Courchesne, one of the two city councilors who represent the Willimansett area.

Often he will call the department about an issue  Illegal parking, loud noise  but by the time officers arrive, the people have left, he said.

We have problems with drugs and gangs and I think once the word gets out, they will go elsewhere, Courchesne said.
Jurassic Park might have been lying to us all along.

The Tyrannosaurus rexs terrifying toothy grin from the films may not have been an accurate representation, according to new research by an international team that includes Thomas Cullen, an associate professor of paleobiology at Auburn University.

A paper published Thursday by Cullen and a team of researchers concludes that therapod dinosaurs -- like T-rex and the velociraptors featured in the Jurassic Park films -- likely would have had fleshy lips covering their teeth instead of those menacing mandibles.

We started that project largely because you often see very different portrayals of these animals in the media and in other sources, where sometimes they have their teeth bared when their mouths are closed, Cullen said in a news release. And in other cases, you cant see their teeth at all when their mouths are closed because they have lips.

So, we were curious what evidence exists to support either of these scenarios.

A paper published in the journal Science on March 30, 2023 suggests that therapod dinosaurs like Tyrannosaurus rex would have had lips like the one in this artist's rendering.Courtesy Auburn University

After examining things like tooth wear, the size and scale of therapod skulls and teeth, and comparing T-rex skulls to those of modern-day lizards and crocodiles, the researchers concluded that the heads of these ancient predators would have looked more like modern-day lizards than crocodilians with exposed teeth.

We reconstructed soft tissue anatomy, compared dental measurements and studied dental health and wear records to further uncover that what you are used to seeing on the big screen is not accurate, Cullen said. The teeth of these theropod dinosaurs did not experience wear and tear like a crocodile, and most likely had a lip-like covering.

The results of the comparison were published in the journal Science on Thursday.

The research team included Cullen; Kirstin Brink, assistant professor, Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Manitoba; Mark P. Witton, University of Portsmouth; and Derek Larson, collections manager, Royal BC Museum in Victoria, British Columbia.

Cullen said the lips likely would have been different from mammal lips that can move and form different expressions.

Dinosaur lips would be very different from our lips, in that although they would cover the teeth, they could not really be moved independently, couldnt be curled back into a snarl, or make other sorts of movements we associate with lips in humans (or other mammals), Cullen said. In this way, dinosaur lips would be more similar to those of many lizards or amphibians, even if we typically associate the structure of lips with mammals like ourselves.

The appalachiosaurus, an evolutionary cousin of T-rex discovered in Alabama, is also a theropod dinosaur, meaning it may also have had the fleshy lips covering its intimidating teeth.

The Appalachiosaurus Montgomeriensis on exhibit at the McWane Science Center in Birmingham, Ala.Dennis Pillion

The results of the study have not been universally accepted.

Thomas Carr, a paleontologist at College in Wisconsin, told The Washington Post that he found the study completely unconvincing.

Carr published a study in 2017 indicating that therapods had leathery, croc-like skin, which would suggest they were lipless.

Carr told Science that until someone finds a better preserved T rex skull, the debate will likely rage on.

I think the day will arrive where somebody will find a fossil mummy of a Tyrannosaur, Carr said. But in the meantime, we wont truly know.
Dominick Pangallo, the former chief of staff in the Salem mayors office, raised the most campaign money in March, the same month the field of five candidates was narrowed during a preliminary election to two final contenders.

Pangallo, who served under now Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll, will report raising $21,060 in March, according to a campaign aide. That narrowly beats Neil Harrington, the current Salisbury town manager who previously served as mayor of Salem from 1990 to 1997. Harrington told MassLive he brought in $19,095 during the same time period.

Read more: Salisbury Town Manager Neil Harrington leads February fundraising in Salem mayoral race

The two men are neck and neck for total cash on hand as the May 16 final election to decide who takes over the executive office in the Witch City quickly approaches. Harrington will report having $26,818 in his campaign account at the end of March, while Pangallo will report $23,746.

Pangallo spokesperson Adam Webster said that even though Pangallo has been outspent during the campaign, he won a decisive victory during the March 28 preliminary election.

The former Driscoll staffer earned 43% of the vote and beat out former city councilor Stephen Dibble, Acting Mayor Bob McCarthy and former city council candidate Stacia Kraft.

This is because Dominick, like the majority of Salems residents, wants a Mayor who will keep our city moving forward, not back, Webster said in a statement to MassLive. They want a leader whos ready to get to work on day one  someone whos prepared to lead on the issues facing Salem today and whos been present for the important work of our community over these past years.

Read more: Salem mayoral candidates agree on need to improve public transportation but differ on how

Harrington said his campaign has been successful in raising funds necessary to get our message across to Salem voters.

We have raised the most money overall and have a higher percentage of Salem residents contributing to our campaign than my opponent, he said in a statement to MassLive. With the field now narrowed to two candidates, I can feel the momentum building toward a strong finish, and I am excited about my prospects in the special election on May 16.

Harrington spent $33,121 during March and Pangallo spent $39,358, according to the two campaigns.

Harrington topped the Salem mayoral field in fundraising during February, bringing in more than $32,000. Pangallo trailed in second place with $15,714. Top donors for both campaigns came from residents and businesses across the city and state.

Pangallo and Harrington squared off at a Salem State University mayoral forum at the end of February, where they also were joined by Kraft, McCarthy, and Dibble. The mayoral hopefuls covered developments in downtown, public transportation and an offshore wind port project for the city.
The Easthampton school board will convene virtually on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. to resume its search for a superintendent to lead the district.

The effort comes amid controversy over a rescinded job offer  purportedly over the use of the word ladies in an email greeting  for finalist Dr. Vito Perrone. Against the backdrop of the meeting are efforts by residents to recall members of the school board, both with an online petition and an official effort that would require a recall election.

Besides Perrone, other finalists are Jonathan Brune, a director at Berkshire Hills Regional School District in Stockbridge, and Erica Faginski-Stark, the director of curriculum and instruction at Ludlow Public Schools, according to the Daily Hampshire Gazette.

A link to the meeting can be found here.

Agenda items for the meeting include public speaking, and superintendent search discussion and/or potential vote on a candidate to be the next superintendent. Another item lists an executive session to conduct negotiation strategies with an unnamed individual. The final item reads return to open session to discuss candidates response to offer of employment subject to negotiations.

A contingent of Perrones supporters staged a large protest in front of city hall Monday evening to unequivocally call on the Easthampton School Committee to re-offer the job to Perrone, who previously served as principal of the citys high school from 2009 to 2015 and currently serves as interim superintendent of West Springfield schools.

Residents, teachers and students delivered impassioned speeches at the protest to urge the school board to break its silence and share its side of the story. The school board voted 4-3 on March 23 to offer Perrone the job, and in an unusual move, dispatched an Easthampton police officer to perform a wellness check and deliver the news at 12:03 a.m.

A week later, the school board met in a non-public, executive session and decided to rescind its job offer, according to Perrone. The school officials, which include board member Mayor Nicole LaChapelle, have not commented on the job rescindment, citing the matter as a personnel issue and the confidential nature of executive sessions.

To rescind an offer because I used the address of Ladies to the chair and the executive assistant is ridiculous, Perrone previously told The Republican. It seems pretty capricious and it doesnt seem right.

Read more: West Springfield interim superintendent named to head Easthampton schools

Perrones story quickly got picked up by national outlets since it was first reported by the Daily Hampshire Gazette last weekend, with stories by Fox News and the New York Post, and in the United Kingdoms Daily Mail.

Residents displeased with the school boards treatment of Perrone began circulating a petition on Change.org that has 705 signatures as of Tuesday morning. The citys clerk, Barbara LaBombard, confirmed with MassLive that somebody picked up blank recall affidavits on Monday, the first step necessary to recall members of the school board. An affidavit for a recall of an elected official requires 100 or more signatures from residents within the officials district and a statement of the grounds of the recall to trigger a recall election, according to the citys charter law.

At the protest, a school board member made an impromptu speech and reaffirmed her support for Perrone, but stopped short of addressing the specifics of the controversy.

I support Vito Perrone because I am the only member of the school committee who has the pleasure and honor of working with him, Laurie Garcia said. But I implore all of you, we have to handle this with civility, with compassion. I dont agree with everything that has happened with my colleagues, and that is why I am here tonight. But I beg of all of you to realize they didnt do anything to intentionally harm anybody.

Perrone, a Westhampton resident, saw not only a swell of support outside of city hall on Monday, but social media has lit up with messages in support of his appointment and dismay at the school boards silence and purported reasons for the rescinded job offer.

Among the most vocal supporters is the citys teachers union, called the Easthampton Education Association, which put out a survey on Facebook that found 85% of surveyed teachers found Perrone the most favorable candidate out of the three.

The Easthampton School Committee has officially labeled the word ladies as a microaggression and has canceled Dr. Vito Perrone, despite support from the community, a post from April 1 by the union reads. Changing votes behind closed doors is unacceptable! Shame on the School Committee for participating in cancel culture.

The crowd on Monday included at least one state elected official who shared his concern about the situation in a public statement on Tuesday morning. State Sen. John Velis of the Hampden and Hampshire District, which includes Easthampton, said things have gone too far.

This appears to be an over-the-top and disproportionate response to something, that if nothing else, could have been used as a teachable moment. Enough is enough, Velis said. One persons perceived microaggression is how another person was brought up to politely and respectfully speak to women. If this was indeed the only issue, this was an opportunity to learn and grow as a community, not to tear down and divide.
Massachusetts State Police are looking for the driver of a vehicle they said crashed into another vehicle heading north on Route 24 in West Bridgewater, a crash that took the life of a Raynham woman on Monday.

First responders pronounced Erpharo Gilbert, 46, of Raynham, dead at the site of the crash, state police said in a statement.

At around 9:30 p.m., a 2008 Toyota Scion TC and a 2015 Honda Accord were both on the northbound side of Route 24, state police said. The Toyota changed lanes and collided with the Honda, launching the Honda into the median and slamming into a concrete barrier.

The Toyota fled the scene, state police said in a statement.

Sitting still, the Honda was then hit from behind by a 2022 Ford Maverick pickup truck. The Honda was engulfed in flames before West Bridgewater firefighters knocked down the blaze. The crash necessitated closing all three northbound lanes for about four hours.

The Fords driver was a 23-year-old man from Brockton, who was not injured.

The identity of the Toyota driver who fled is unknown. State police are investigating with the help of the State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section, the State Police Crime Scene Services Section and the State Police Detective Unit for Plymouth County.
Investigators have an idea of what caused a deadly fire in Westborough that left one woman dead and two first responders injured.

An investigation found no evidence a house fire on Belknap Street was intentionally set, but investigators were unable to rule out the unsafe disposal of smoking materials or an electrical event as the exact cause, according to a statement from State Fire Marshal Peter J. Ostroskeys office.

Inspectors noticed smoke alarms in the home were not working, nor could firefighters hear any alarms blaring when they were in the house.

Firefighters responded to a report of a fire at about 1:44 p.m. in the area of 55 Belknap St., according to State Fire Marshal Peter J. Ostroskey. As they drove to the fire, firefighters were told of a person trapped inside the single-family home. Firefighters entered the home to look for the person trapped inside.

Evelyn M. McGlory, 86, was found dead inside.

On behalf of the Westborough Fire Department, I want to express our deepest condolences to the family that lost a loved one yesterday, Westborough Fire Chief Patrick Purcell said in the statement. Our thoughts are with them today, and we want to remind every family that smoking materials and electrical events are the two leading causes of fatal fires in Massachusetts. If you smoke or have guests who do, please be sure to put it out, all the way, every time, using a heavy ashtray with water or sand.

Multiple propane tanks next to the home caused an explosion, Ostroskeys office said. A Westborough police officer and one Westborough firefighter were treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

Along with the Westborough Fire Department, the investigation was conducted by Westborough Police Department, Massachusetts State Police Fire and Explosion Investigation Unit assigned to the State Fire Marshals office and State Police assigned to Worcester County District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr.s office.
Finland joined the NATO military alliance Tuesday, dealing a major blow to Russian President Vladimir Putin with a historic realignment of Europes post-Cold War security landscape triggered by Moscows invasion of Ukraine.

The Nordic countrys membership doubles Russias border with the worlds biggest security alliance. Finland had adopted neutrality after its defeat by the Soviets in World War II, but its leaders signaled they wanted to join NATO just months after Moscows invasion of Ukraine sent a shiver of fear through its neighbors.

The era of nonalignment in our history has come to an end  a new era begins, President Sauli Niinisto said before his countrys blue-and-white flag was raised outside NATO headquarters. A short distance away, outside the security fence, a few dozen people wrapped in flags of their own chanted, Ukraine needs NATO.

In praising Finlands membership, U.S. President Joe Biden noted it came on the 74th anniversary of the signing of NATOs founding treaty on April 4, 1949.

When Putin launched his brutal war of aggression against the people of Ukraine, he thought he could divide Europe and NATO. He was wrong, Biden said in a statement. Today, we are more united than ever. And together  strengthened by our newest ally, Finland  we will continue to preserve transatlantic security, defend every inch of NATO territory, and meet any and all challenges we face.

The move is a strategic and political setback for Putin, who has long complained about NATOs expansion toward Russia and partly used that as a justification for the invasion.

Im tempted to say this is maybe the one thing that we can thank Mr. Putin for because he once again here precipitated something he claims to want to prevent by Russias aggression, causing many countries to believe that they have to do more to look out for their own defense and to make sure that they can deter possible Russian aggression going forward, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said before accepting the documents that made Finlands membership official.

The U.S. State Department is the repository of NATO texts concerning membership.

Read more: Wall Street Journal reporter arrested on spying charge by Russian authorities

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sent his congratulations to Finland, writing on Telegram that amid Russian aggression, the Alliance became the only effective guarantee of security in the region.

Russia warned it would be forced to take retaliatory measures to address what it called security threats created by Finlands membership. It had also warned it would bolster forces near Finland if NATO sends any additional troops or equipment to what is its 31st member country.

The alliance says it poses no threat to Moscow.

Alarmed by Moscows invasion of Ukraine last year, Finland, which shares a 1,340 kilometer (832 mile) border with Russia, applied to join in May, sought protection under the organizations security umbrella.

Russia tried to create a sphere around them and, well, we are not a sphere. Im sure that Finns themselves feel more secure, that we are living in a more stable world, Niinisto said.

Neighboring Sweden, which has avoided military alliances for more than 200 years, has also applied. But objections from NATO members Turkey and Hungary have delayed the process.

Niinisto said Finlands membership is not complete without that of Sweden. The persistent efforts for a rapid Swedish membership continue. Finland even handed over its ratification of Swedens application to Blinken as it joined.

Earlier, Russias Foreign Ministry said Moscow will be forced to take military-technical and other retaliatory measures to counter the threats to our national security arising from Finlands accession to NATO.

It said Finlands move marks a fundamental change in the situation in Northern Europe, which had previously been one of the most stable regions in the world.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Finlands membership reflects the alliances anti-Russian course and warned that Moscow will respond depending on what weapons NATO allies place there. But he also sought to play down the impact, noting that Russia has no territorial disputes with Finland.

Its not clear what additional military resources Russia could send to the Finnish border. Moscow has deployed the bulk of its most capable military units to Ukraine.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said no more troops would be sent to Finland unless it asked for help.

The country is now protected by what Stoltenberg called NATOs iron-clad security guarantee, under which all member countries vow to come to the defense of any ally that comes under attack.

But Stoltenberg refused to rule out the possibility of holding more military exercises there and said that NATO would not allow Russias demands to dictate the organizations decisions.

We are constantly assessing our posture, our presence. We have more exercises, we have more presence, also in the Nordic area, he said.

Finlands Parliament, meanwhile, said its website was hit with a so-called denial-of-service attack, which made the site hard to use, with many pages not loading and some functions not available.

A pro-Russian hacker group known as NoName057 (16) claimed responsibility, saying the attack was retaliation for Finland joining NATO. The claim could not be immediately verified.

The hacker group, which has reportedly acted on Moscows orders, has taken party in a slew of cyberattacks on the U.S. and its allies in the past. Finnish public broadcaster YLE said the same group hit the Parliaments site last year.
Mariely Diaz didnt see it all  the fire that swept through a Springfield home last week, killing two women  but her surveillance system did.

From the beginning of the fire to crews completing their cleanup, her security system recorded the tragic scene.

What it captured adds new detail to whats been released about the fire. Officials have not yet pinpointed a cause.

A spokesman for the Hampden County District Attorneys office declined to identify the two women killed in the fire. Property records show the home was owned by Donna Piacentini.

Carlos Cordova, Diazs boyfriend, said Monday he got to know both Donna Piacentini and her sister, Lynne, and confirmed their names.

Cordova said that the sisters were busy people, always coming and going from the house. He said they were always pleasant people. One of the woman carried an oxygen bottle and used a walker to get around.

In an interview, Diaz said her small dog woke her at about 2 a.m. Thursday.

He was barking and whining like something was wrong, so I got up to check on him, she said. I saw the house was on fire and a man was running and yelling and waving his arms in the street trying to stop cars from running over the wires.

Diaz agreed to share the video with The Republican and MassLive. She started it at a timestamp reading 2 a.m., when a definite flash could be seen, then a small orange glow in the breezeway area.

By 2:15 a.m., the glow had grown into a definite flickering light that could be seen in the breezeway windows. Then at 2:19 a.m., an explosion of flame could be seen to engulf the breezeway.

That initial explosion was followed by several more, some so violent that embers and debris were blown out from the fireball. Flames from the burning breezeway reached higher than the peak of the house.

By 2:20 a.m., wind had pushed the fire into the first floor of the home and flames could be seen in most of the downstairs windows. The east side of the house and the breezeway were fully involved in flames by that time. The explosions on the breezeway continued.

At 2:25 a.m., power lines that ran across the street began to arc on the pavement, and passersby began trying to stop traffic. Police arrived on the scene about that time. The Fire Department arrived a minute or two later.

The Springfield Fire Department spokesperson, Capt. Drew Piemonte, said that when the first fire units arrived at the fire scene, the entire first floor of the house was engulfed in flames. Flames were blasting out from exterior windows, preventing firefighters from entering the structure to search for occupants. That likely sealed the fate of the women who were later found dead in a second-floor bedroom.

The conditions didnt really allow for an aggressive interior attack, Piemonte said.

Fire crews were unable to reach two women trapped in this home at 126 East St., which became engulfed with fire early Thursday. (Photo courtesy of Springfield Fire Department)

In the eight years she lived in the East Street and Bowles Park neighborhood, Diaz said she never got to know her neighbors and had little contact with the two women who lived at 126 East St.

I would see them occasionally as they went to their car. We would wave hello across the street, she said.

Other neighbors agreed. The women, in their 60s and 70s, kept to themselves.

Diaz said her video surveillance system recorded the doomed house be consumed by fire. That night, the early images of the house showed a dwelling that looked the same for years. Until 2 a.m.

You could see they had a night light or something on the breezeway between the garage and the house, she said. I was watching and it went out, just blinked out.

Subsequent images showed a glow in the breezeway windows.

I could see the orange light inside, then there was like an explosion, she said.

The burst of flames in the images may have been growing in the time that lapsed between photographs, meaning it was not so much an explosion but a rapid acceleration.

Nevertheless, fire swept into the first-floor area quickly. Exterior windows on the first floor of the home showed charring and scorching. However, Piemonte said the bedroom in which the women were found did not show any fire damage.

I feel so badly, Diaz said. I didnt know them. But what happened is terrible.
A finalist for the superintendent position in Easthampton saw a swell of support from former students and current high school teachers at a demonstration on Monday evening.

Dr. Vito Perrone, a former Easthampton High School principal and the current interim superintendent of West Springfield schools, got the backing from the teachers union, current teachers, and students who said that they believe the school committee made a grave error in rescinding its decision to offer Perrone the role of superintendent.
If you look at a map of Scandinavia, youll see that Finland is pretty much at the mouth of a giant bear  one that has been poked.

Finland, soon to be the newest member of NATO, has long been concerned about its precarious location. It shares 830 miles of border with mother Russia. Its only 240 miles from Helsinki, the Finnish capital, to St. Petersburg, a Baltic Sea port known as Russias cultural center and home to 5.5 million people. Thats as many people as live in all of Finland.

So yes, the Finns have always been concerned about being swallowed up by Putins bear, even more so since Russias military land-grab attempt in Ukraine was launched last year.

That pretty much explains why Finland is so far ahead of the rest of the world in combatting misinformation.

Even before the internet era, it was learning to neutralize the propaganda and misinformation being spread by its much bigger and stronger neighbor.

The rest of us, save for those clandestine, top secret spies and double agents, didnt know anything about misinformation until we started reading posts on social media that sometimes made our blood boil.

Were starting to catch up a little bit, though many of us are going kicking and screaming because weve grown to like being able bounce around in an echo chamber where we can get reinforcement of the ideas and conspiracy theories that support things that wed like to be true.

Finland universally starts teaching about the internet in preschool. Some U.S. states have started teaching middle and high schoolers. Were way behind the Finns, but youve got to start somewhere. Besides, they have a 50-year head start on us.

What theyve learned in those 50 years is that the old reading, writing and rithmetic arent enough anymore. Youve got to teach people how to think. Not what to think, but how.

The point is critical thinking, said Petri Hankonen, Finlands minister of science and culture, and that is a skill that everybody needs more and more.

Why? Hankonen told The Associated Press that democracies and people living in them can only be protected if they know how to think for themselves, rather than accepting at face value what someone else tells them.

The idea is catching on in North Dakota, too. The state Department of Public Instruction is in the midst of a review of its library media curriculum standards, and expects to include, for the first time, curricular suggestions for teaching media literacy.

Its a wide-ranging area, but broken down to its most basic definition it means knowing how to separate fact from fiction and understanding why doing so is important to our lives, our communities and our democracy. You cant rely on someone else to give you the answers, but we can, and need to, rely on someone else to teach us how to use our brains to find the answers. Just like rithmetic.

We know that the U.S. is a hotbed of misinformation and disinformation. Even Finlands neighbor is known to have used endless social media posts, made to look official and objective, to try to influence the outcomes of our presidential elections.

Within our own borders the information world has become politicized by special interests that want you on their side about vaccines or public health or elections or climate change or anything else, and theyre willing to hook you by posting information that may be misleading, false or out of context.

Theyre counting on the message resonating with you and encouraging you to like or share it without checking to see if theres a kernel of truth or not.

Educators in internet and media literacy have identified what happens to communities and democracy when the information is poisoned, and theyre poised to teach you how to find trusted sources of information and to understand your civic responsibility to be sure that what you share has been verified for truth, accuracy and context.

Its about engaging your brain, said Julie Smith, a media literacy expert at Webster University in Missouri. Its asking Who created this? Why? Why am I seeing it now? How does it make me feel and why?

While misuse of internet resources can result in misinformation, the internet also makes it easy to check facts using sites like Snopes.com, FactCheck.com and OpenSecrets.org. Its also easy to use online searching to cross check information with multiple sources and evaluate claims with missing context or highly emotional headlines.

The Finns have known for decades why trusted and reliable information is important. Now were learning, too, and bringing it soon to a school near you.
A Boston man was found guilty of laundering more than $580,000 in cash for Mexican drug cartels.

Mark Anthony Figueroa, 49, was found guilty by a federal jury Thursday of one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering for laundering hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of drug proceeds on behalf of Mexican drug cartels, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office District of Massachusetts.

Between February 2019 and May 2020, prosecutors said Figueroa conducted or attempted to conduct six money laundering transactions totaling more than $580,000 in cash.

After currency couriers received laundered cash from Figueroa, the organization Figueroa was working with transferred the funds through the U.S. banking system to Mexican accounts. The money was then exchanged for pesos which could be used by cartels to pay for narcotics sold in the United States, prosecutors stated.

Figueroa is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 16. The charging statute provides a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $500,000, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office District of Massachusetts.
Donald Trumps close aides and advisers are looking to capitalize on the former presidents recent arrest and criminal charges by giving out a T-shirt featuring a doctored mugshot of Trump with a donation of at least $47 to his 2024 presidential campaign, Rolling Stone reported.

Trump appeared in court on Tuesday, April 4, after being indicted by a Manhattan grand jury for 34 counts of falsifying business records, stemming from 2016 hush money payments to adult-film actress Stormy Daniels. This is the first time any former U.S. president has been criminally charged.

With Trumps arrest, some of his close aides and advisers have told the former president to turn his potential mugshot into a 2024 campaign symbol, three people familiar with the situation told Rolling Stone.

During his arrest and indictment, Trumps fingerprints were taken, but he did not have his mugshot taken, New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman stated.

Trump was fingerprinted a person familiar with events said but not mugshotted, Haberman tweeted at 2:15 p.m. on Tuesday.

However, members of Trumps campaign team created their own mugshot of Trump  even putting the 63 man at 65 in the fake image.

NOT GUILTY. began the email in capitalized red lettering from Official Trump Store, with the subject line NEW ITEM : MUGSHOT.

Do you stand with President Trump, Friend? Please make a contribution of $47 or more to WIN in 2024  and well send you your very own NOT GUILTY T-Shirt for FREE, the email read.

Below, a black-and-white image of Trumps face with a serious expression was vignetted against a height chart. Trump is wearing a suit in the image, and a sign in front of his chest reads, President Donald J. Trump, 45-47, 04 04 2023 with capitalized, boldened words not guilty below the image.

According to Rolling Stone, some advisers had recommended to Trump to demand a mugshot at his arraignment and to make it public immediately. He didnt commit to requesting the mugshot [yet], but he didnt sound opposed to [these ideas], the Rolling Stone reported a source told the outlet.

The outlet reported senior members of Trumps team causally discussed putting the real mugshot on merchandise, hats, T-shirts, and other garments, and also for blasting out fundraising pitches to donors and Trump supporters that would include the mugshot, possibly in memed format.

However, a booking photo of Trump was unnecessary, as he is not considered a flight risk and has one of the most recognizable faces in the world, the outlet reported. It also added Manhattan Criminal Courts Building does not have the needed equipment to take the mugshot, and it would have required moving him to another facility with more security headaches.
The full 16-page indictment that charges former President Donald Trump with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records was released after his New York arraignment Tuesday afternoon.

Trump pleaded not guilty in a lower Manhattan courtroom as prosecutors unsealed a grand jury indictment. The charges stem from a hush-money payment to porn actor Stormy Daniels during Trumps 2016 campaign.

Trumps 34-count indictment can be read here.

The simple indictment lays out the 45th presidents charges. Trump is the only president, former or sitting, whos been indicted on criminal charges.

The indictment alleges the following:

The defendant, in the County of New York and elsewhere, on or about February 14, 2017, with intent to defraud and intent to commit another crime and aid and conceal the commission thereof, made and caused a false entry in the business records of an enterprise, to wit, an invoice from Michael Cohen dated February 14, 2017, marked as a record of the Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust, and kept and maintained by the Trump Organization, the document reads.

Trumps statement of facts was also released and can be read in its entirety here.

The statement of facts outlines the Manhattan District Attorneys Office investigation into six-figure payments Trump made to porn actor Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal. Both say they had sexual encounters with the married Trump years before he got into politics. Trump denies having sexual liaisons with either woman and has denied any wrongdoing involving payments.

In the statement of facts, prosecutors stated that from August 2015 to December 2017, Trump conducted a catch and kill scheme with others to influence the 2016 presidential election by identifying and purchasing negative information about him to suppress its publication and benefit his electoral prospects.

In order to execute the unlawful scheme, the participants violated election laws and made and caused false entries in the business records of various entities in New York, the document read. The participants also took steps that mischaracterized, for tax purposes, the true nature of the payments made in furtherance of the scheme.

One component of the scheme was a $130,000 hush money payment Trump made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels shortly before the election to prevent her from publicizing a sexual encounter with him. Trumps lawyer, Michael Cohen made the $130,000 payment through a shell corporation he set up and funded at a bank in Manhattan.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said the scheme is illegal under New York law and Cohen has since pleaded guilty to making an illegal campaign contribution, serving 2 years in prison for the crime.

Prosecutors said false entries were made in New York business records to effectuate the payment, separate and apart from the New York business records used to conceal the payment.

After winning the 2016 election, prosecutors said Trump paid Cohen for the illegal payment through a series of monthly checks, first from the Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust  a trust created under the laws of New York which held the Trump Organization entity assets after the Trump was elected President. The funds were later withdrawn from Trumps bank account.

Each check was processed by the Trump Organization and disguised as a payment for legal services rendered in a given month of 2017 under a retainer agreement, according to prosecutors. The payment records, kept and maintained by the Trump Organization, were false New York business records, officials said.

In truth, there was no retainer agreement, and [Cohen] was not being paid for legal services rendered in 2017. [Trump] caused his entities business records to be falsified to disguise his and others criminal conduct, prosecutors allege.
Westborough authorities are investigating what caused a deadly two-alarm fire that left two first responders injured and one person dead on Monday.

Firefighters responded to a report of a fire at around 1:44 p.m. in the area of 55 Belknap St., according to State Fire Marshal Peter J. Ostroskey. As they approached, firefighters were told of a person trapped inside the single-family home.

Read more: Images captured by a neighbor show an explosive burst of flame at fatal Springfield fire

Heavy fire was seen by firefighters venting from the front and left sides of the building, Ostroskeys office said. Firefighters entered the home to look for the person trapped inside. An older adult woman was found dead inside.

An explosion caused by multiple propane tanks next to the home elevated the blaze to a two-alarm fire, Ostroskeys office said. A Westborough police officer and one Westborough firefighter were treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

The victims identity has not been disclosed, nor if there were any other residents who lived at the home.

The Westborough Fire Department is investigating the origin and cause of the fire along with the Westborough Police Department, the Massachusetts State Police assigned to the State Fire Marshals office, and Worcester County District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr.s office.
The University of Massachusetts Amherst should have known it was walking headlong into a firestorm with its plan to privatize more than 100 jobs in its Advancement Division. After all, the school has long had contentious dealings with its employees unions.

Telling state employees they will soon no longer be state employees was a recipe for controversy and big-time pushback that cannot be ignored or dismissed.

From this, the university should learn it would be wise to look much more closely at an issue before it leaps. For months, as many as 100 affected employees have been left swaying in the wind, unsure about the future of their careers and retirement benefits.

Citing a need to comply with state and federal employment laws, UMass sought to move the state jobs into the nonprofit University of Massachusetts Amherst Foundation. Union co-chair Brad Turner called it a union-busting attempt that would eliminate the positions and leave it up to the private employer to hire them  or not.

UMass finds itself alone on this one, with a growing list of objectors in high places. State Treasurer Deborah Goldberg, state Rep. Mindy Domb, state Senator Jo Comerford and members of the state Retirement Board shot various holes in the UMass position. Their message: Privatization of the jobs was not necessary and UMass had to work things out some other way.

For UMass to have successfully seen this plan through, it needed to make an airtight, indisputable case that only privatization would resolve the compliance issue. That issue centers around whether Advancement Division employees did more than a quarter of their work for the nonprofit foundation.

The university didnt make that case  and now appears to be looking for a less confrontational solution.

The hail of criticism from multiple sources has UMass officials on the defensive. The step needed now is to assure the affected employees, in ways that carry legal standing as well as words, that their futures are safe.

UMass must then explore paths to compliance that wont leave these employees buffeted on all sides by the union, lawmakers and state officials who dispute not just the efficacy of this ill-advised strategy, but its motivations as well.
The late Sen. William Proxmire was famous for his Golden Fleece awards, which the Wisconsin lawmaker bestowed from 1975 to 1988 on programs he deemed wasteful of taxpayer dollars.

Proxmires targets included government agencies, including the U.S. Defense Department, but he also took aim at scientific research he considered pointless or downright foolish. Nearly 20 years after Proxmires 2005 death, university research is still widely questioned for whether the expense justifies potential reward.

Much more often than not, the charge is unfair. This is especially so considering some of the work being done at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where research is unlocking secrets aimed at improving our health, safety and environment.

A new research paper by doctoral student Patrick Pearson describes how white-tailed deer have properties in their blood that kills the Lyme disease bacteria. And in March, biologist Lynn Adler was recognized for her research demonstrating that different kinds of wildflowers can have different effects on the health and reproduction rate of bumblebees.

Thats the type of research that tempts a punch line on late-night TV  until one recognizes that the insect apocalypse  the rapid loss insect life due to climate change, pesticides and habitat loss  is negatively impacting the ecosystem. And that doesnt just affect flowers or bees. It affects humans.

The cost of research is not small, and quality work takes time. Funding can come from state or federal sources, grants from private organizations or individuals, and it takes an investment in human effort as well.

UMass researchers such as Pearson hope that copying what is happening in deer blood could lead to better treatment and prevention of Lyme disease, which affects 30,000 Americans each year and can spread to joints, the heart and the nervous system.

In his later years, Proxmire had second thoughts about his attacks on some science projects. In many instances, his criticism of waste, especially by government agencies, was not just politically popular but refreshing and on target.

What UMass researchers are doing these days, though, could profoundly improve the quality of our lives, society and the planet. Those breakthroughs dont occur overnight and they dont come for free.

Most of us dont understand the science behind this research, but we should grasp that its benefits can be great, if we give it the patience, support and funding it requires.
Massachusetts Republicans largely favor former President Donald Trump over other declared or potential GOP candidates in the 2024 presidential primary contest.

If the Republican presidential primary were held today in the commonwealth, 45% of likely voters would cast their ballots for Trump. Thats according to a new poll from Opinion Diagnostics, a Boston-based polling and market research firm led by Brian Wynne, whos served as campaign manager and senior political advisor to former Republican Gov. Charlie Baker.

Meanwhile, 21% of respondents would vote for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, compared to 9% for former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and 4% for former Vice President Mike Pence. Another 3% of respondents would vote for someone else and 19% are undecided, according to the poll that queried 475 likely Republican primary voters on March 31 and April.

Read more: Tiny group of Boston ralliers react to Donald Trump indictment

The poll  conducted right after a Manhattan grand jury indicted Trump in connection to hush payments to porn star Stormy Daniels, who said she had a sexual relationship with the former president  has a margin of error of 4.5 percentage points. Trump denies the affair.

In a hypothetical poll matchup in which Trump and DeSantis are the only Republican primary contenders, 46% of respondents said they would vote for the former president, who announced his campaign for the White House in mid-November. About one-third of voters favor DeSantis in this scenario and 22% are undecided.

The presidential primary in Massachusetts is slated for March 5, 2024. Pollsters described the Republican voter base in the commonwealth as small and highly variable, particularly due to a high volume of unaffiliated voters who can opt to participate in either the Democratic or Republican primary.

While Trumps lead is significant, his failure to reach a 50% majority support threshold in either the four-way or two-way primary matchup indicates that he is far more vulnerable than in the 2020 Presidential Primary, where as sitting President he earned 87% of the vote, pollsters said. These results suggest the 2024 primary is more likely to resemble the 2016 primary election, where then-candidate Trump received 49% of the vote in a race that featured 13 candidates listed on the ballot.

The vast majority of poll respondents  nearly 78%  believe Trumps indictment last week is not justified and is instead a politically motivated attack by a Democrat district attorney, pollsters said. Just 11% of respondents say it is justified and 12% are undecided.

The indictment prompted 42% of respondents to be more likely to voter for Trump in the 2024 Republican presidential primary, compared to 12% who are now less likely to back him. But for 46% of respondents, the indictment has no effect on whether they would vote for Trump.

While this increase in Trump support following the indictment may serve to firm up his existing base, it is unlikely to gain Trump any new supporters beyond the level measured in this poll: only 6% of those that have said they are more likely to support Trump following the indictment are still undecided, pollsters said.
Dr. Javier Reyes, the incoming chancellor of the University of Massachusetts Amherst, said he wasnt looking for just any administrative job in higher education. He was looking for the right position.

UMass Amherst had a number of qualities that made coming to the school a very, very attractive opportunity, Reyes said Monday, when he appeared on campus alongside his wife, Maritza, and UMass system President Marty Meehan.

Being part of a campus that is setting the frontier in research, that is finding the new and greatest technologies, that is inspiring the artists and the arts and the humanities  that to me is important and something that I was looking for, Reyes said. This university has all those components.

The UMass Board of Trustees voted unanimously in February to approve Reyes as the successor to UMass Amherst Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy, who will step down following this school year after 11 years at the universitys helm.

Reyes, 49, comes to UMass from the University of Illinois Chicago, where he serves as interim chancellor. He also held high-level administrative posts at West Virginia University and the University of Arkansas.

A press conference was held April 3 to introduce new UMass Chancellor Dr. Javier Reyes, middle. On the left is his wife, Maritza, and on the right is UMass President Marty Meehan. (Don Treeger / The Republican)

Both he and Meehan placed heavy emphasis on UMass trajectory in their comments Monday.

The school has steadily climbed in national collegiate rankings over the last decade to now place 26th among American public universities, per the U.S. News & World Report.

We were in a much better position to attract the talent we could around the country because Chancellor Subbaswamy did such a great job of getting the Amherst campus to a much better place, Meehan said. By any metric that you would evaluate or measure a university, UMass Amherst has been on an incredible rise.

Watching from afar, Reyes said he observed UMass climb on a path that is unmatched by public universities in the last 10 years.

Were now in a circle that very few, perhaps 30 other public universities, are in, Reyes said. We have incredible institutions of higher education and research in the commonwealth of Massachusetts. We are part of that group.

Dr. Javier Reyes, the new chancellor of UMass Amherst, during a press conference Monday that served as his introduction to the local media. (Don Treeger / The Republican)

The focus on school rankings  both for colleges and secondary schools  has drawn increased criticism in recent years. Some critics say the rankings fail to wholly capture what a university offers or rely too much on a schools reputation and other unspecific metrics.

A growing number of the most prestigious colleges and universities in the country have withdrawn from some of the annual rankings put out by companies such as U.S. News & World Report.

Reyes said Monday that the rankings themselves cannot be the focus of college administrators.

If youre looking at the ranks and manage toward the rankings, then thats when the ranking has become a problem, Reyes said.

The Old Chapel and W.E.B. Du Bois Library at the University of Massachusetts Amherst (Will Katcher/MassLive).

Instead, he said, work on your metrics of excellence  your retention, your graduation rates, your placement rates, the cost of education, the diversity of your students, diversity of your faculty and your staff... it doesnt matter what the formula for the rankings is. Youre focusing on what I think are the right metrics of excellence.

Meehan said he would like to see UMass continue its ascension in the next decade, diversify its student body and staff, and remain as affordable as possible.

At UMass, Reyes said there is an opportunity to be an affordable and accessible school, to drive an impact and to do it all at scale  for tens of thousands of students.

When you look at what has been happening at UMass Amherst for the past 10 years, thats what has been the driving force, he said. Making sure you have access at scale, excellence at scale, impact at scale.

Reyes, born and raised in Mexico, will be the universitys first Hispanic chancellor.

Dr. Javier Reyes, the new chancellor of UMass Amherst, and his wife, Maritza, during a press conference that served as his introduction to the local media Monday. (Don Treeger / The Republican)

He joined the University of Illinois Chicago in 2021, first as provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs and later as interim chancellor starting in July of last year.

A UMass committee identified Reyes as a top choice after a seven-month search for Subbaswamys replacement.

As interim chancellor at UIC, Reyes oversaw a campus of more than 33,000 students, 13,000 faculty and staff members, a $3.6 billion budget and 16 academic colleges.

UMass Amherst is of similar size. This year, the school reported about 24,000 undergraduate students and nearly 8,000 graduate students. The university also had a $3 billion-plus budget last year.

If there is one thing for UMass to know about Reyes, its that he loves his job, he loves the students, he loves the community, Maritza Reyes said of her husband.

I am very confident that we have got the best possible person in Dr. Javier Reyes, Meehan said. He comes from very humble beginnings. He believes in public higher education. Hes been at three outstanding public research universities. And hes had success everywhere that hes been. Its a great thing when you get the best candidate and they agree to come.
While Massachusetts is not in for nasty weather this week, the Bay State will see a Pink Moon on the rise between Wednesday and Thursday.

Springs first full moon is expected to start on April 6 and will appear full for the next three days until Friday morning, according to NASA.

The moon will appear full from Tuesday to Friday, the agency said. It is expected to be at its peak at 12:35 a.m. on Thursday.

Part of the reason why this full moon is also called a Pink Moon goes back to when the Maine Farmers Almanac started to name full moons in the 1930s. Aprils full moon was called pink because of the herb moss pink also known as creeping phlox, moss phlox or mountain phlox, a plant native to the eastern USA that is one of the earliest widespread flowers of spring, according to NASA.

This particular full moon has several nicknames, including the Sprouting Grass Moon and the Egg Moon, NASA said. The Fish Moon was another name coastal tribes gave, as it corresponded with when shad swam upstream to spawn.

Due to this full moons phase overlapping with Passover, its also called the Pesach Moon or Passover Moon. The Christian ecclesiastical calendar refers to it as the Paschal Moon, from which the date of Easter is calculated, NASA said.

The Pink Moon is preceded by the Worm Moon and will be followed by the Flower Moon in May.

The Farmers Almanac recommends finding an open area to see the Pink Moon. However, the National Weather Service forecasts cloudy weather in the evening across parts of Massachusetts this week, including some fog along the southern coast that could make viewing difficult.
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Proving Florida can be less restrictive, rather than more when it suits his fascist needs, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a permitless gun carry law. DeSantis also held a book signing at a Georgia gun shop in the shadow of Nashville's school shooting, so his stance on child safety seems clear: DeSantis doesn't care.

Florida man certainly needs a concealed firearm.

Orlando Sentinel:

Floridians will be able to carry concealed weapons without training or a permit under a bill signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in a low-key ceremony with gun activists on Monday.

Supporters said the changes will eliminate government red tape for law-abiding gun owners, but opponents argued it will make the state less safe.



"This is a dark day for Florida," said Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, a former congresswoman and Florida senior adviser for the gun control advocacy group Giffords. "Our children and communities are going to be less safe because Gov. DeSantis is in the pocket of the gun lobby."

Concealed weapons licenses will become optional for Florida gun owners, who may still want to get one to carry their weapons in other states.
Former Trump advisor and political consultant Roger Stone is back in the news again. He was convicted in 2019 on seven felony counts for obstructing an official proceeding, witness tampering, and making false statements as part of the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Stone was sentenced to 40 months in prison, but his sentence was commuted by then-President Donald Trump. Stone's notoriety has also been fueled by his cartoonish wardrobe and his self-proclaimed status as a political dirty trickster.

Now Stone is living his best life as a host of a Lindell TV web program called "The Stonezone with: Roger Stone." On a recent episode of his program, Stone shared some desperate news:

"We are completely and totally listener and viewer-supported," he said. "So if you don't go to mypillow.com and use promo code stone, promo code stone, well, it's very difficult for us to finance this show, not to mention, pay our bills. Even as we speak. Mrs. Stone is on the phone with our health insurance provider who last Friday for reasons we don't understand, attempted to cancel our health insurance."

It's an intriguing sales tactic, but I'm going to pass on a stone pillow today, thank you. Besides, you qualify for Medicare.
An "unhappy" mom in Georgia got into an argument with her daughter's middle school staff and, assumedly, did not get her way. So she thought she'd try another strategy and hurl some threats, and when that also failed to bring her desired results, she resorted to hitting a school employee and even biting a police officer.

In the end, she still lost the argument and was carted off to jail.

From The Charlotte Observer:
by Ray Schultz , April 3, 2023

Anteriads buying spree that began in 2019 has continued with the acquisition of BNZSA, a provider of international B2B demand-generation tools, the firm announced on Monday. Terms were not disclosed.

BNZSA, based in Madrid, Spain, serves such brands as Oracle, SAP, Acer, Dell and Fujitsu.

The combined company will offer GDPR-compliant data supported by the Anteriad Marketing Cloud, and can conduct campaigns in 26 languages. Anteriad says.

BNZSA, which has 300 employees, will operate under its brand as BNZSA, powered by Anteriad and will function as the international division of Anteriad and its EMEA headquarters.

Founder Brahim Samhoud will remain CEO of BNZSA and maintain a significant ownership stake in the combined business, reporting to Rob Sanchez, CEO of Anteriad.

BNZSA has roughly 300 employees. In December 2022, the head count at Anteriad was reported as 550.

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Sanchez says the acquisition brings BNZSA's leadership team and "a differentiated offering that is made even more valuable by their local presence in key markets around the world," Sanchez says

Anteriad, the former Merit Direct, rebranded last year. It received a significant cash infusion in 2019 from Mountaingate Capital. Its acquisitions have included:
by Joe Mandese @mp_joemandese, April 4, 2023

Live wall-to-wall coverage of the twice-impeached-former-presidents motorcade ride back to New York City Monday reminded some observers of another infamous SUV run, but the real analogy to O.J. Simpson should be live TV coverage inside the courtroom.

The public should have the right to see this most consequential of legal proceedings, Sally Buzbee, executive editor of The Washington Post, said in a statement released this morning urging Judge Juan Merchan to allow TV and photographic cameras at todays hearing, as well as upcoming hearings to enable journalists to cover news made at the hearing/s in real-time.

No purpose is served by restricting access in this way, she said, echoing a sentiment expressed by other news organizations.

Buzbee is among the editors representing a coalition of news organizations making similar appeals in a petition to Judge Merchan, and I dont need to remind you of her papers motto  Democracy Dies in Darkness  but the judge nonetheless ruled late Monday that he would allow only five news photographers to take still pictures during his appearance in court, although TV cameras would also be allowed in the hallways of the courthouse.

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The ruling effectively means that the public wont learn the details of Trumps arraignment  an unprecedented event of global significance  until its over, wrote The Washington Posts Paul Farhi, noting Judge Merchans statement that his decision weighed the competing interests of the news media vs. the safety of the defendant and the dignity and decorum of the court.

Safety.

Defendant.

Dignity.

Decorum.

A man from Queens.

Democracy.

Darkness.
Ultrasonic Sounds from Stressed Plants Reveal Their Physical Condition

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Even if the emission of the sounds is merely a result of the plant's physiological condition, nearby organisms that are capable of hearing these sounds could use them for their benefit. Therefore, researchers examined whether plants emit informative airborne sounds, which may serve as potential signals or cues to their environment.To investigate plants' airborne sound emissions, they constructed a reliable recording system, where each plant is recorded simultaneously by two microphones. First, recorded plants within an acoustic box and developed machine-learning algorithms to classify the recorded sounds.Then they tested the system in a greenhouse while monitoring the physiological parameters of the recorded plants. The study focused mainly on tomato and tobacco plants, but wheat, corn, cactus, and henbit were also recorded.Before placing the plants in the acoustic box, they subjected them to various treatments: some plants had not been watered for five days, in some the stem had been cut, and some were untouched.The recordings indicated that the plants emitted sounds at frequencies of 40-80 kilohertz. Unstressed plants emitted less than one sound per hour, on average, while the stressed plants - both dehydrated and injured - emitted dozens of sounds every hour.The recordings collected in this way were analyzed by specially developed machine learning (AI) algorithms. The algorithms learned how to distinguish between different plants and different types of sounds, and were ultimately able to identify the plant and determine the type and level of stress from the recordings.Moreover, the algorithms identified and classified plant sounds even when the plants were placed in a greenhouse with a great deal of background noise. In the greenhouse, researchers monitored plants subjected to a process of dehydration over time and found that the number of sounds they emitted increased up to a certain peak, and then diminished.These results demonstrate that plant acoustic emissions may play an important role in ecology and evolution, and may have direct implications for plant monitoring in agriculture.In future studies the researchers will continue to explore the mechanism behind plant sounds; how do moths detect and react to sounds emitted by plants; and do other plants also hear these sounds? And more...Source: Eurekalert
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Unlocking the Potential of Overseas Nurses in the UK

"Some international nurses are having fabulous experiences, but some are not, so it is about learning from those experiences to help feed into policy."There are national toolkits being developed that are using our findings to form some of their recommendations and actions," said Professor Joanne Garside, Strategic Director of the University's Health and Wellbeing Academy.Many however felt they were not being used in roles that matched their prior experience and qualifications, and that integration during their initial spell of employment was often found to be challenging. These and other factors from the research show why retaining international nurses is proving to be a challenge at time when the NHS needs nursing staff more than ever.Later in the year, the University's project team will be publishing further NHS regional commissioned research studies: firstly, utilizing a solution focused approach the team followed the continued experiences of international nurses through the first two years working in the NHS in England.The second commission was to undertake an observational study of NHS Horizons' 'Stay and Thrive' project. This centred on a 'community of action' and introduced the evolving evidence base, case study presentations and accounts from international colleagues. Solution-focused conversations were held between a broad range of participants working on the challenge of international retention at local organisational, regional, and national levels."Stay and Thrive was implemented within the North East and Yorkshire and the South West NHS regions of England, with the aim of providing learning opportunities and presenting a blueprint for action and some amazing results that could be grown and implemented nationally across other NHS systems," adds Professor Garside."It will be a portfolio of work that surrounds the experience of the international nurse working in the NHS. The University leads the way in this field of research, which given the current and future demands on the NHS, will only grow in importance," adds Victoria Bagshaw, Regional Nursing Midwifery AHP Workforce Lead, NHS England - North East and Yorkshire.Source: Eurekalert
Elon Musk will be remembered as the John Galt of the 21st century. Not for being the brilliant thinker and philosopher like the hero portrayed in Ayn Rand's simplistic, tiresome melodrama, but for blaming his failures on the oppressive policies of a corrupt liberal government and a lazy society.

Writing for Every, David Karpf says Twitter will crumble after two ticking time bombs go off: employment lawsuits and fines issued by U.S. and EU regulators. A perfect excuse for Musk to absolve himself for mismanaging his company.

From Karpf:
In what Starbucks Workers United, the union representing workers at a Buffalo, New York location, calls "retaliation at its worst," Starbucks has fired union organizer Lexi Rizzo. Rizzo is ostensibly being fired for repeatedly being late to work. However, she led efforts to unionize the location. Starbucks' CEO Howard Schultz was coincidentally just grilled by the US Senate over the coffee giants union busting.

Daily Beast:

"You are a heartless monster and I don't know how you sleep at night," she said of Schultz, "You have hundreds of thousands of people giving everything that they have so that you can make another dollar. And then you treat us like we're dirt."

Democratic Senators confronted Schultz last week on eight rulings by administrative judges at the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) that Starbucks had committed 130 labor law violations since the union campaign began in Buffalo in December 2021. Schultz denied that the company had violated the law.

Last month, a NLRB administrative judge found that Starbucks had committed "egregious and widespread" violations of labor law when it fired six pro-union workers in Buffalo and Rochester. The company was ordered to rehire and compensate the workers.

"Starbucks has waged the most aggressive and illegal union-busting campaign in the modern history of our country," Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) said as he opened the hearing. "That union-busting campaign has been led by Howard Schultz."
Mork are one of Norways most highly regarded Black Metal outfits, a status they achieved in less than a decade. They released their sixth full-length Dypet ten days ago, and it is a wonderful icy blast of Black Metal. MetalTalks Steve Ritchie battled with Norwegian dialect challenges and spoke with Thomas Eriksen as Mork were preparing for their Rockeklubben, Porsgrunn festival appearance.

Some musicians churn out similar-sounding releases, but the thing that impresses with Mork is their music constantly evolves and changes sound-wise. That is a result of myself basically leaving behind all traditional Black Metal rules or expectations, Eriksen says. Thats basically it. If you listen to my first album and all the way chronologically up to today, you can hear that its opening up influence-wise. While the first album is strict Black Metal and primitive, Im keeping everything within the limits of Black Metal. But over the years, I decided that I want Mork to have its own voice, and I do believe I have made the right choice by doing it this way. It seems like it. The band has longevity, and each release seems to get bigger. Its been a crazy journey but only over ten years, so its been quick as well. Thomas Eriksen: I put every single drop of myself into the process of shaping Morks music.

Thomas says that my pronunciation of Dypet is acceptable and points out, with a smile, that he was watching one online review where Diaper was the chosen version. The thing is, its all my fault, and Im the only one to blame, he says, smiling.

For Dypet, the addition of an analogue synth adds more of a rich, haunting quality. MetalTalk wrote about the unnerving eeriness and roundness to the still icy mood of the Mork sound.

For my podcast, I went to visit Snorre Westvold Ruch, the man behind Thorns, a very creative and legendary Norwegian musician, Thomas says. His entire living room space was covered in old analogue synths and cables, and I thought that was kind of interesting. I grew up with old video games, Nintendos and Atari. So the sound has always been with me somehow. But the funny point is that when I came back from that trip, and I continued the production of my album, the day came when I brought it to a different studio to Freddy Holm, a guy who helps me to mix my albums. And just by coincidence, he also had this fascination for analogue synths. At that time, he had a bunch of them, and I was like, lets just try some stuff here and there. So that is basically what happened.

Its all by chance and coincidences. There is not much of it [synth] on the album. If I think its perhaps on three tracks. Its most prominent on the final track [Tilbake Til Opprinnelsen], where it has its own role, its own voice. I must admit I was a bit sceptical because there are a lot of naysayers out there that are scared about people dabbling too much with the Black Metal formula. I think this one just became even deeper in sound and atmosphere. So Im really happy about it, and it seems like most people have taken a liking also.

Dypet opens on Indre Demoner, which is wonderfully haunting with the use of Norwegian lyrics, the language of Black Metal. I feel that on the sideline, Im a bit of a poet, Thomas says, because I write all my lyrics separately without any music in mind usually, and then those things fall into place later. I am absolutely capable of writing English lyrics pretty well. But it does not give me the same feel and atmosphere as the Norwegian words I write. Its a bit more romantic, in a way.

There are big Norwegian poets from back in the days with beautiful words. Back in the day, when I discovered Black Metal for myself, I was into Burzum and Darkthrone. Those have been the two big ones for me, in particular, their Norwegian songs. I remember reading their lyrics, and it felt like old Norwegian poems from deep within the library. That is something I decided to take with me to Mork. Every single album is in Norwegian. With Mork, I have one track thats in English, and thats a B-Side hidden away somewhere.

HJELVIK joins Mork for the exceptional Hoye Murer. That happened because of my podcast, actually because he reached out to me to promote his then debut solo album, which is a great Viking Rock Metal album. Then we just stayed in touch. Most people, at least in Norway, know of the band KVELERTAK. They did quite good business back in the day. I always liked his voice because he has this raw punkish rockish feel to his grim vocals, which I have enjoyed. Now, as I had him on the phone, a message away, I could just ask him, do you want to do something together?

I only sent him that part. Hes singing with my lyrics, and he did his vocals at his studio and sent them back to me. I thought it lifted the track.

In Norway, we have different dialects as you do over there, and his dialect is different to mine. So when I got the track back with him singing my words, it was a bit puzzling because I didnt think about that. So thats a cool little experience for me as a Norwegian. But the track turned out great. It has a Burzum-ish vibe while at the same time being an epic rock anthem. Thats how I see it.

The last minute of Hoye Murer, with headphones in a dark room, is horror-movie scary. With a rolling guitar part, which alone could be a happy bit but in the context of everything else going on, is just so sinister. The track actually is a bit of a Norwegian anthem, Thomas says. I dont know if you read the translations of the lyrics, but it is very patriotic. When you listen to the main riff there, the big, epic riff, its translated to tall walls. Its the big mountains and valleys and keeping the enemies out.

Tomas says that the lyrics and music are written separately. The songs are coming out of me spontaneously when Im creating them, he says. Its not something Im planning. Usually, I sit down with one riff in the studio, and I just write the entire song by feel. Usually, a track is finished during one evening or sometimes two or three, but not much longer than that. Most of the vibes in both music and the words are actually based on my own life and feelings, and experiences. So its extremely personal stuff, and its almost like chapters of my life.

Mork recently released a video for Forfrt Av Kulden, which given the emotion of the song, had to be in black and white. Yeah, [laughs]. The previous video we did with that same director actually was in colour. This time around, we had a short time because we were pushing deadlines, so I actually never had the opportunity to show up at his studio to overlook his work or anything. I just went to the shoot and didnt see anything until it was finished. So making it black and white and harsh and the way he did it, its completely his idea, and Im totally happy. I think it worked out really well. Its tasteful.

What gripped me when watching the video was how great this track will sound live. Thats a live track for sure, Thomas agrees. We are going to debut that this weekend as it goes.

Tilbake Til Opprinnelsen, which closes the album, is exceptional, with its panicked feeling of chaos in the first half and little bits of synth going on. But then I love the way the riff kicks in at the halfway point and the way Thomas layers the guitars on top. There is plenty of air candy going on there.

That song represents me quite well, Thomas says. You have the traditional blast beats and Black Metal stuff. You have the vibe, and then you have the mid-tempo part that just grooves in the middle. Thats very typical of my songwriting, and that track itself is supposed to be epic, if I did it right.

Its about the world, looking at what its become, just growing tired of the shit that has shaped over the thousands of years  erasing itself and rebuilding from scratch. Thats basically the theme of the song and the lyrics. So it is a journey and a kind of cinematic listen. You have to listen to the whole thing and maybe even read the words.

Again, the bass is great in this song. Towards the end, you have high-octave bass going on, and then in the last few seconds, there is the rundown with the guitars. Its an epic song, and its a really epic finish to the album.

Its quite funny you mentioned the bass, Thomas says, because the other day I heard that Fenriz, who has a Norwegian podcast, had pulled out a Mork track. Not this one but from the EP that came out last year. He commented that he got some Uriah heap vibes from the bass playing, and thats a great compliment. Im not a child of the 70s because I was born in the 80s, but I am a fan of the 70s, and bass-driven music is really important to me.

You can hear in almost every Mork song that the bass has a prominent role. To me, the bass is almost the most important part. Of course, the guitar riffs are important, but if the bass behind it is boring, then you got nothing going on. So I give a big shout-out to the 70s bass players for inspiring me to do that stuff.

The reaction to Dypet has been impressive. While working on the album for the past couple of years, Thomas says, Ive been walking around with a bad feeling in my stomach that I have stepped a bit too far away from what is expected of Mork or Black Metal in general. So, to be honest, I kind of expected this to be a bit of a flop. When I started seeing the reviews and the feedback from the listeners, I was floored because its been nothing but positive, and its like top ratings. I did really not expect that. So its been a great weekend for sure. You can trust me on that. Its a good feeling. Its a part of me, and its always a bit scary to unveil. Its a bit naked in a way, so I am thankful.

The relationship with Peaceville Records is one that Thomas is over the moon with. They have never ever tried to put fingers into my stew at all, he says. Im free to do whatever I want. They take what I make, they take my artwork, they take my music, my sound, everything, and Im thankful to Peaceville for that. And Snapper Music.

I remember before signing to Peaceville, I was in touch with a couple of other big labels, and they were the precise opposite of that. I showed them the second album or demos for the third one, and they were like, oh, you need to change this, and you need to polish up the sound. I didnt know if that tastes right for me or feels right. Luckily Peaceville came along, and I think that it is a wise choice to go with them for my sake. Weve been going for many years. They have my entire catalogue now, and we are talking about resigning a new contract now. So there will be more Mork in the future too.

The Rockeklubben festival in Porsgrunn, Norway, was last weekend when Thomas said, there will be no synths. We have rocked it up. So the synth parts will be done by guitar. Were still a four-piece rock n roll band. But the new songs feel good. We are fit for them, and everything feels good in our fingers. We are looking forward to playing them live. Its always strange starting to rehearse a new song because you never know how it feels until the rehearsal room. There are a couple of tracks, over the years, that we just imagined would be live tracks. Then we rehearsed a couple of times, and it felt like shit and have never been touched since. You never know which way it will go.

The good news for Mork fans is that you can find a new Mork song on the Dark Side Of The Sacred Star Peaceville Compilation, excellent company for me to be in, Thomas says. Im really honoured and humbled by that. Alrunens Hevn is the track, a leftover track from Dypet. Usually, I produce a bit too much to fit a regular vinyl release, so if I get my way, there will be a new EP as well.

The downside is it needs more work to get Mork over to the UK. Hopefully, some promoters will hear this interview and book us, Thomas says. We dont have an active booking agent, so we are booking whatever comes our way. If they get in touch, we will absolutely negotiate and answer them. I would love to come back to the UK. Weve been there way too little. I think we played London two times, and we played the Damnation Festival [2019]. Thats not enough. We need to go back in. Its the home of Peaceville too. So we should be there.

With another four festivals planned for this year, see below, Norwegian Black Metal fans in the UK need to get on to the UK Promoters. Lets make it happen.

06 April  Inferno Metal Festival, Oslo, Norway

30 April  Walpurgirnacht Festival, Berlin, Germany

13  15 July  In Flammen Open Air, Germany

09 August  Brutal Assault, Jaromer, Czech Republic
Today is a very important day. First of all, it marks the 74th anniversary of NATO's founding. But also, this highly significant anniversary coincides with the accession to the alliance of a European, democratic country, Finland. And I believe Finland's accession has another meaning. It strengthens the perception that NATO is more than just the most successful defense alliance in history. It is also an alliance of values, which will deepen and promote these values that it stands for. International law, territorial integrity, Democracy, Human Rights.
This is so predictable, it's hardly a news story, but in case you aren't dialed in to the conman called Donald Trump, the former twice-impeached president was arrested and, naturally, pleaded not guilty on all 34 counts today.

Trump arrived at the court house and surrendered at around 1:30pm ET, leaving about 2 hours later. The man of many firsts is, of course, the first former U.S. president to get arrested.

From NBC News:
Over the weekend, the Los Angeles Times published one of the most harrowing stories of American authoritarianism that I've read in quite a while. A young girl in Northern California was given a pet goat by her parents as part of a local program through the Shasta County District Fair where young children learn to care for farm animals. She named him Cedar. From the beginning, the plan had always been for the goat to ultimately be returned to the county fair for slaughter  ya know, to teach those rascally young'ns how much work actually goes into the livestock they take for granted as food.

But over the course of care, this 9-year-old girl had grown particularly attached to Cedar the Goat. She'd lost three grandparents over the year, and Cedar had become her constant companion. Even as her parents recognized that, yes, they had entered into an arrangement to turn Cedar over for slaughter, they simply couldn't bear to put their child through that again. They embarked on a social media campaign, in hopes of getting the county officials to change their mind and let them keep Cedar. They offered to pay the county whatever money they were owed for whatever costs were occurred by the loss of the potential livestock meat (roughly $1000).

But a county official replied, "Making an exception for you will only teach [our] youth that they do not have to abide by the rules. Also, in this era of social media this has been a negative experience for the fairgrounds as this has been all over Facebook and Instagram." If the goat was not returned immediately, the officials told the parents, they would get law enforcement involved.

And so they did. From The Los Angeles Times:

Echoing language used when law enforcement search a home for drugs, the warrant allowed deputies to "utilize breaching equipment to force open doorway(s), entry doors, exit doors, and locked containers" and to search all rooms, garages and "storage rooms, and outbuildings of any kind large enough to accommodate a small goat."

[]

Letters, text messages, a search warrant and other court documents reviewed by The Times show how a dispute over a 9-year-old girl's pet goat quickly escalated, and that Shasta District Fair officials resorted to using police resources after noting that their handling of the dispute over Cedar had become "a negative experience for the fairgrounds as this has been all over Facebook and Instagram."

"It was never about money," said Vanessa Shakib, an attorney for Advancing Law for Animals who represents Long. "County officials were clear that they wanted to teach this little girl a lesson."

Shasta District Fair and county officials did not respond to requests for comment.

They pulled a fucking SWAT drug raid to murder a goat just to punish a little girl.

The cruelty is the god damn point.

A 9-year-old girl didn't want her goat slaughtered. California fair officials sent deputies after it [Salvador Hernandez / The Los Angeles Times]
"Lord" Miles Routledge is a self-proclaimed "danger tourist"  a 20-something Brit who chronicles his travels on YouTube and achieved some viral notoriety for his journey to Afghanistan in 2021. Back in October 2022, he achieved a different level of viral notoriety by making thinly-coded racist comments about Brooklyn, New York:

Now, according to Sky News, Routledge is one of three British man currently being held in Taliban custody:

Three British men  including so-called "danger tourist" Miles Routledge  are being held in Taliban custody in Afghanistan. The other two men are charity medic Kevin Cornwell and another unnamed UK national who manages a hotel in Kabul. They are all believed to have been held by Taliban secret police since January in separate incidents. A Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) spokesperson said: "We are working hard to secure consular contact with British nationals detained in Afghanistan and we are supporting families."

Afghanistan: Three British men being held in Taliban custody  including 'danger tourist' who returned after army evacuation [SkyNews]
The Great Lakes Environmental Festival is honoring Earth Day with a weekend full of free activities.

The second annual Great Lakes Environmental Festival will be held from April 21-23. Many environmental experts and advocates will present information about climate change, sustainable living, renewable energy and much more.

There will be movies; videos made by Bear Lake High School students and other students; a screening of the movie, "The Lorax," activities for children, the U.S. Coast Guard will give a rescue demonstration on the lake; an expo exhibit and more.

Presenters are as follows:

Denise Keele, director of Michigan Climate Action Network;

Allen O'Shea, owner of CBS Solar;

Alexis DeGabriele, David Karst and Alycia Peterson from the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians Natural Resources Department;

Julia Chambers, co-founder of A Few Friends for the Environment of the World;

Marc Miller, economic development director with the Manistee Area Chamber of Commerce;

Ellen Vial, of the Michigan Environmental Council;

Jim MacInnes, chairman of Crystal Mountain;

Zigmond Kozicki and Stephanie Baiyasi, documentary filmmakers;

David Milarch, co-founder of Archangel Ancient Tree Archive;

Lara Treemore-Spears, project manager with the Healthy Urban Waters program; and

Elana Warsen, founder of Michigan Worm Works.

This entire weekend of events are free and open to the public.

Events are as follows:

April 21

Registration begins at 11 a.m. at the West Shore Community College Manistee Downtown Education Center, located at 400 River St in Manistee. Speakers, movies and student videos will be presented.

April 22

Environmental Expo will be from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Wagoner Community Center, located at 260 St. Marys Parkway. in Manistee. A shuttle is available to take participants between the site downtown and the community center. Speakers, movies and student videos will be presented at West Shore Community College.

The childrens movie, "The Lorax," will begin at 10 a.m. at the Vogue. The cost is 25 cents. Childrens activities will be ongoing throughout the day.

April 23

There will be an environmental worship service at 10 a.m. at the First Congregational United Church of Christ, located at 412 Fourth St. in Manistee.

For more information, visit the festival website at glef.us.
The West Shore Community College Humankind Series is hosting an exhibition of artist Megan Youngs works, With What We Could Carry.

The exhibition will be presented at the colleges Manierre Dawson Gallery and is free and open to the public.

The exhibition opens on April 6, and runs through April 28. The opening reception will be held from noon to 1:30 p.m. on April 6 at the gallery. With this exhibition, gallery receptions will begin to mirror the Student Senates lunch time food offerings. For this exhibition reception, the college will be presenting a mac and cheese bar which will be free and open to the public.

Through sculpture and computational rendering, Young explores the complexities of heritage, labor and technological advancement. Her work juxtaposes ancient construction methods against digital fabrication processes, while considering how past models are shaping our visions for the future. For more information on Youngs works visit MegLouise.info.

Megans works afford us an opportunity to look at the intersection of labor, cultural memory and technology as a means to learn, document and archive, said WSCCs Professor of Art and Curator, Eden Unluata-Foley. Megans work helps us explore how we associate meaning with objects, and how we preserve stories through them. The added layer of 3D scanning and 3D printing technologies help deepen that exploration.

Young is an interdisciplinary artist with a background in interactive design, media performance and community organizing. Notable credits include ISEA in Hong Kong, Open Spaces in Armenia, SPACES in Cleveland and the Ammerman Center Biennial for Arts and Technology. She holds a master's degree in interdisciplinary art and media from Columbia College Chicago and is a visiting assistant professor of digital art at Indiana University.

This exhibition is presented as a part of WSCCs Humankind series. This year's theme of the series is The Future of Work. More information on the series can be found at westshore.edu/humankind
Residents of Huron County came out to the Bad Axe Airport for another meeting with District 98 State Rep. Greg Alexander at the Huron County Memorial Airport in Bad Axe.

This is part of Alexander's regularly scheduled coffee hours that he started to hold last month. He uses this opportunity to meet with his constituents to hear what they have to say and to bring them updates from Lansing.

He started the meeting with a recap of the last meeting and the discussion points that were brought up then. One thing he noted was the ongoing developments for Michigan tax cuts and how the attorney general issued a letter saying that the intention was to not have the tax relief to be ongoing. Alexander and other Republican lawmakers are working to keep it ongoing.

After the recap, he was able to expand on his plans for bringing better infrastructure to his district. A lot of the infrastructure talks are on wireless and broadband internet connectivity, but he also talked about roads and drains, bringing up his experience working as a drain commissioner to give more insight.

"I've had to go to a couple of colleges that are planning on expansion, of course, the expansions are all based on technology," said Alexander. "What Delta (College) is doing is expanding (its) computer department and a lot of it is based off of distant learning centers. If you have good Wi-Fi, which for many areas in the Thumb they don't have good Wi-Fi, then these projects can't really be effective until we get the good Wi-Fi."

He brought up the group Michigan Highspeed Internet, which is working with $1.6 billion in funding to help bring connectivity to rural areas all over Michigan. Alexander has also written letters of support for local entities, including Thumb Electric, to get funding to provide the area with good Wi-Fi.

"This would give us much better access to these colleges and information centers to get the information we need," said Alexander. "I did (also) sign on to some bills that would increase the funding for roads, which are pending, and I believe there will be support for them."

A common trend that Alexander pointed out was how Republican legislation has been consistently gaveled down by the Democrat-controlled House. In his last meeting, he mentioned that he would be using his various committee assignments to work across the aisle to get bills introduced that would benefit his district and the rest of the state, and he has some hope that the bills he has been working with will make it through.

"It's going good," Alexander said. "I've had a few Democrats reach out and are sponsoring bills that we are working together on that, once committee gets together we can talk about getting them passed."

Alexander noted that the Capitol is currently on spring break, so developments will be few until session resumes April 11. When they return, he said that the House will move into laying out the budget going forward and possibly more committees will meet. Alexander hopes to use this time to bring necessary funds to District 98.

One major development that happened in Lansing that Alexander addressed at the meeting was the repealing of the right-to-work laws that happened in the middle of March.

"I do believe that the repealing of the prevailing right to work is going to have an effect on the projects that were bid last year," Alexander said. "They have been accepted, but I figure it's going to be about a 20% increase on the amount of money it will take to do these projects. What that means for the budget is that we are going to have to pad those numbers so that the projects that were already accepted can be completed."

In addition to the rising cost that Alexander says will come with this repeal, projects will still be facing delays and obstacles regarding acquiring the materials to complete projects, as he says it is one of the bigger issues. Many industries are still facing shortages and shipping delays for materials and tools for projects.

When Alexander asked those in attendance for questions, many spoke up about different issues ranging from security in schools, and the ongoing controversies surrounding the classrooms, including drag being introduced to students and controversial and explicit materials found in books in libraries.

"One bill that was introduced, and unfortunately it was not open for co-sponsorship otherwise (Alexander) would have signed onto it, was on these books in libraries, to put it bluntly, show pornographic material," said Justin Huffman, legislative director. "The bill is not banning books, but if the book has that sort of content, it would put it behind a partition or something not accessible to a child. You would have to be 18 years or older, just like any sort of adult content, to access. That is something that we are working on because we understand that Caro, Deckerville, and Lapeer, there is a certain book that (has been brought up)."

Greg Alexander will be meeting again with members of the Huron County community next month at 9 a.m. at the Huron County Memorial Airport located at 352 Thompson road in Bad Axe and can be reached at his office by calling 517-373-1791 or by email at GregAlexander@house.mi.gov.
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BALTIMORE (AP)  A one-time chief of staff for former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan died Monday after being shot when FBI agents confronted him in a manhunt launched when he failed to show up for trial on corruption charges, his lawyer said.

Attorney Joseph Murtha said the FBI confirmed Roy McGraths death to him. He added that it was not immediately clear if McGrath's wound was self-inflicted or came during an exchange of gunfire with agents.

William Brennan, an attorney for McGrath's wife, Laura Bruner, also confirmed the death and said she was absolutely distraught.

According to an earlier email from FBI Supervisory Special Agent Shayne Buchwald in Maryland, McGrath was wounded during an agent-involved shooting about 6:30 p.m. in a commercial area on the southwestern outskirts of Knoxville, Tennessee. Buchwald said McGrath was taken to a hospital but did not elaborate.

Further details, including how McGrath was wounded and what led up to it, were not immediately released. The shooting was under investigation.

The FBI takes all shooting incidents involving our agents or task force members seriously, said Buchwald, who declined to confirm that McGrath had died.

McGrath, 53, was declared a wanted fugitive after his disappearance, and the FBI said he was considered an international flight risk.

In a statement, Hogan said he and his wife, Yumi, are deeply saddened by this tragic situation. We are praying for Mr. McGraths family and loved ones.

Murtha called the death a tragic ending to the past three weeks of uncertainty and said his client always maintained his innocence.

After McGrath failed to appear at Baltimores federal courthouse on March 13, Murtha said he believed McGrath, who had moved to Naples, Florida, was planning to fly to Maryland the night before. Instead of beginning jury selection, a judge issued an arrest warrant and dismissed prospective jurors.

McGrath was indicted in 2021 on accusations that he fraudulently secured a $233,648 severance payment, equal to one year of salary as the head of Maryland Environmental Service, by falsely telling the agency's board the governor had approved it. He was also accused of fraud and embezzlement connected to roughly $170,000 in expenses. McGrath pleaded not guilty.

McGrath resigned just 11 weeks into the job as Hogans chief of staff in 2020 after the payments became public.

If convicted of the federal charges, he would have faced a maximum sentence of 20 years for each of four counts of wire fraud, plus a maximum of 10 years for each of two counts of embezzling funds from an organization receiving more than $10,000 in federal benefits.

___ Brumfield reported from Silver Spring, Maryland. Associated Press writer Brian Witte in Annapolis contributed to this report.
EDITORS NOTE: For the latest information, including cancellations, please contact your local library. If any listing is inaccurate or to submit an event, please contact Julie Norwood at julie.norwood@pioneergroup.com.

Big Rapids Community Library

426 S. Michigan Ave., Big Rapids

Crafternoon. 1-3 p.m. Saturdays in April and May. Ages 12 and up. Join us for a short, guided craft at 1 p.m. then use our supplies and get creative! No program April 15. Want to donate craft supplies? Come to the program and bring some along.

Family Cafe: Encouragement. 1 p.m. April 6. Big Rapids Head Start will be visiting the BRCL for an opportunity to learn about Early Head Start and their parent curriculum.

Knit Night. 6-8 p.m. April 6, every first Thursday of the month. All ages and experience levels are welcome. Not just for knitters, but for all kinds of crafters!

Adult Mental Health First Aid Training. 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. April 20. This program will teach you how to identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental health and substance use challenges among adults. Registration is required.

Poem in Your Pocket Day. All day April 27. Poems will be located throughout the library; pick a poem for yourself or for someone else.

Poetry Walk in the Park. All month long. Take a stroll down through the bookwalk in the Anna Howard Shaw Memorial Park while reading the posted poetry. Choose your favorite and submit it using the QR code. One random entry will receive a gift card!

Hotspots and Laptops are now available for checkout! The equipment and services funded by the federal Emergency Connectivity Fund (ECF) can only be provided to patrons who declare they do not have access to the equipment or services sufficient to access the internet. Must be a BRCL patron 18 years or older with an account in good standing. Please be prepared to present your library card and CURRENT ID. For more information, call 231-796-5234.

Scavenger Hunt. Mother Gooses Scavenger Hunt. All month long. Help Mother Goose find her missing nursery rhymes! Stop by the circulation desk on the first floor of the library for an activity sheet. Once it has been completed, turn your sheet in for an egg-cellent treat!

Seed Library is Open! Take up to 10 packets of seeds with your BRCL library card starting Wednesday, March 1. Visit the first-floor desk for more information.

Storytime with Mr. Howard. 11 a.m. Mondays and Wednesdays. Join us for stories, movement, music, and more in the BRCL Community Room.

Baby Bookworm. 10:30-11 a.m. Tuesdays in May. Ages 0-18 months. Songs, bounces, and rhymes for babies and their caregivers. Registration is required.

Money Smart Month

Budget Games. 3:30-4:30 p.m. April 10, Ages 9-13. How well can you balance your budget? Registration required.

Storytime. 11-11:45 a.m. April 19. Join us for stories, movement, and a craft! Each participant will take home a book to keep and a piggy bank.

Budgeting Workshop. 5:30-7 p.m. April 27. Ages 18 and up. Explore the importance of creating and maintaining a budget and learn how to set goals for spending, saving, and debt repayment. Registration required. Dinner provided.

Money Smart Month programs have been brought to the Big Rapids Community Library by the Isabella Bank of Big Rapids. Register by calling 231-796-5234 or online at www.bigrapidslibrary.org.

Morton Township Library

110 S. James St., Mecosta

Winter Preschool Story Hour (ages 0-5): 10-11 a.m. Tuesdays, Jan. 10-May 16

Reed City Area District Library

829 S. Chestnut St., Reed City

Story Hour with Ms. Cyndi (ages 2-7): 11:30 a.m. Wednesdays

Little Explorers Story Time (ages 0-2): 2-2:30- p.m. May 9 and May 23

Scrabble Hour: 1 p.m. April 10, April 24

DIY Watercolor Bookmarks (ages 16 and older): 6 p.m. April 11. All required materials provided. Feel free to bring extra ribbon or decor to embellish your creation.

Cinema at the Library, Dead Poets Society: 5 p.m. April 18.

The Orphan Train (all ages): 6-7 p.m. April 25. Learn about the American Orphan Train that sent 12,500 orphans to Michigan between 1854 and 1927.

Blackout Poetry: Celebrate National Poetry Month by blacking out words to create a poem or statement. Bring your finished Blackout Poem to the library for its Poetry Display.

Tamarack District Library

832 S. Lincoln Ave, Lakeview

Teen Medieval Longsword Class: 6 p.m. April 11. Swordsmanship Museum & Academy educator Jerry Berg will lead a group of teens (ages 11-19) in the history and practice of swordsmanship using the medieval longsword. Class is limited. Call 989-352-6274 to sign up for this free program.

Cracking Cold Cases: 6 p.m. April 13. Dr. Ashlyn Kuersten will discuss how Western Michigan University students in the WMU Cold Case Program helped solve a cold case murder from 1987. Call 989-352-6274 to sign up for this free program that is open to the public.

Local Author Jeff Ostrander Book Talk: 6 p.m. April 25. Jeff Ostrander, an ATP-rated pilot/instructor with a specialty in aerobatics, talks about his first novel, A Different Kind of Sky. Call 989-352-6274 to reserve a spot in this free program that is open to the public.

LIST OF LIBRARIES

MECOSTA COUNTY

Big Rapids Community Library, 426 S. Michigan Ave., Big Rapids, 231-796-5234

Morton Township Library 110 S. James St., Mecosta, 231-972-8315

Walton Erickson Public Library, 4808 Northland Drive, Morley, 231-856-4298

Wheatland Township Library, 207 Michigan Ave, Remus, 989-967-8271

Barryton Public Library, Barryton Branch, 198 Northern Ave., Barryton, 989-382-5288

Barryton Public Library, Chippewa Branch, 19171 Fourth St., Chippewa Lake, 231-867-2014

OSCEOLA COUNTY

Reed City Area District Library, 829 S. Chestnut St., Reed City, 231-832-2131

Evart Public Library, 104 N. Main St., Evart, 231-734-5542

LeRoy Community Library, 104 W. Gilbert St., Leroy, 231-768-4493

M. Alice Chapin Memorial Library, 120 E. Main St., Marion, 231-743-2421

Tustin Community Library, 310 S. Neilson St., Tustin, 231-829-3012

LAKE COUNTY

Pathfinder Community Library, 812 Michigan Ave, Baldwin, 231-745-4010

Chase Township Public Library, 8400 E. North St., Chase, 231-832-9511

Luther Area Library, 115 State St., Luther, 231-797-8006

MONTCALM COUNTY

Tamarack District Library, 832 S. Lincoln Ave, Lakeview, 989-352-6274

AREA BOOK CLUBS
MANISTEE COUNTY  The following includes reports made to the Manistee County Sheriffs Office from March 25-27.

All calls may not be reported. This is part of a lengthy report and is compiled by assistant editor Arielle Breen.

March 25

 A suspicious vehicle was reported at 1:32 a.m. in Brethren.

 A verbal domestic incident was reported at 2:29 a.m. in Copemish.

 A kitten was found in Maple Grove Township at 3:53 p.m.

 A personal injury crash with a vehicle and deer was reported at 9:25 a.m. in Cleon Township.

 Animal control was called to Maple Grove Township for a dog that was found at 1:49 p.m.

March 26

 A suspicious person was reported at 4:57 a.m. in Manistee.

 A vehicle that slid off the road was reported as abandoned at 10:30 a.m. in Norman Township.

 Deputies conducted a well-being check at 6:25 p.m. in Arcadia Township.

 Harassment was reported at 7:32 p.m. in Filer Township.

 A vehicle-deer accident was reported at 10:18 p.m. in Manistee Township.

March 27

 Deputies conducted a well-being check at midnight in Eastlake.

 A 911 call was abandoned at 2:32 p.m. in Norman Township.

 A suspicious situation was reported at 2:37 p.m. in Maple Grove Township.

 A suspicious situation and trespassing issue was reported at 3 p.m. in Dickson Township.

 A suspicious situation involving a juvenile and drugs was reported at 5:25 p.m. in Norman Township.

 Deputies assisted Michigan State Police troopers with a domestic assault at 6:21 p.m. in Norman Township.

 A traffic hazard was reported at 7:25 p.m. in Manistee Township.

 A suspicious vehicle was reported at 10:21 p.m. in Manistee Township.
If you're ever in southern Arizona, you should make a plan to head to Douglas and go see the fabulous "Art Car World," a non-profit museum that features a permanent collection of 42 spectacular art cars. I was there about a year ago and was just blown away. Their website provides an overview of the collection:

A museum dedicated entirely to the celebration and preservation of this popular mobile art form, Art Car World is located in historic downtown Douglas, Arizona, minutes from the Mexican border. Currently under construction, Art Car World will feature a permanent collection of 42 popular Art Cars (See Complete List), with more on rotating exhibition. The museum will be bilingual and international festivities are in the works! Art Car World will produce special Art Car events throughout the year, culminating in the magnificent ArtCar Fest.

The museum was created by artist and filmmaker Harrod Blank. It is being built in phases and is currently open by appointment only, with the goal to be fully open by the Fall of 2023. The creativity of the artists is inspiring and the intricate detail on the cars is just amazing. If you can't get to Douglas, head over to Art Car World's website and take a gander at the collection. And enjoy some of the photos I took when I was there!
A NASA astronaut Christina Hammock Koch, born in Michigan, will put some distance between herself and the Mitten when she leaves Earth. Again.

Koch was selected as part of a four-person crew that will venture around the moon late next year, flying farther into space than any humans have before. NASA named the astronauts chosen for the Artemis II mission on Monday. Artemis is the name for NASAs moon program.

"Through Artemis missions, NASA will use innovative technologies to explore more of the lunar surface than ever before," the space agency wrote in a Monday press release. "We will collaborate with commercial and international partners and establish the first long-term presence on the moon. Then, we will use what we learn on and around the moon to take the next giant leap: sending the first astronauts to Mars."

Koch, who holds the world record for the longest spaceflight by a woman, is the first woman assigned to a lunar mission, according to NASA in a Monday press release. She will serve as a mission specialist. The crew also includes the first African American assigned to a lunar mission.

"This is humanity's crew," said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson in the Monday release. It has been more than 50 years since a lunar mission was completed.

Photo provided/Michael Wyke/AP

The four astronauts, all in their 40s, will be the first to fly NASAs Orion capsule, launching atop a Space Launch System rocket from Kennedy Space Center no earlier than late 2024, according to reporting by The Associated Press. They will not land or even go into lunar orbit. But instead, fly around the moon and head straight back to Earth.

Born in Grand Rapids, Koch became a NASA astronaut in 2013. She will make her second flight into space on the Artemis II mission. She served as a flight engineer aboard the space station for Expeditions 59, 60 and 61. Her record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman was set with 328 days in space. Koch also participated in the first all-female spacewalk on Oct. 18, 2020, according to NASA.

Congratulations came Monday from retired astronauts, including Apollo 11s Buzz Aldrin and Scott Kelly, the first American to spend close to a year in space. "Huge risks, huge commitment, eternal benefits for all. What a crew!" Tweeted Chris Hadfield, the first Canadian commander of the space station a decade ago who performed David Bowies "Space Oddity" from orbit, according to the AP.

President Joe Biden spoke with the four astronauts and their families on Sunday.

In a tweet Monday, Biden said the mission "will inspire the next generation of explorers and show every child  in America, in Canada, and across the world  that if they can dream it, they can be it."

More information about the crew is available on NASA's website.
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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP)  The Florida Senate on Monday approved a bill to ban abortions after six weeks, a measure supported by Gov. Ron DeSantis as the Republican prepares to launch his expected presidential candidacy.

The vote prompted demonstrations at the state's capital that resulted in the arrest of the leader of the Florida Democratic Party and a state senator by city police.

The proposal must still be approved by the House before it reaches the governor's desk. Florida currently prohibits abortions after 15 weeks.

A six-week ban would more closely align Florida with the abortion restrictions of other Republican-controlled states and give DeSantis a political win on an issue important with GOP primary voters ahead of his potential White House run.

Florida Democrats and groups advocating for abortion rights say this proposal disproportionally affects low-income women and people of color.

The party said that Nikki Fried, chair of the Florida Democratic Party, and Lauren Book, Florida's senate minority leader, were arrested late Monday at a sit-in protest outside the Florida State Capitol. Images shared on social media showed the two women and other demonstrators as they are handcuffed by police officers.

In a news release, the Tallahassee Police Department said that protesters against the abortion ban were told they would have to leave after sunset, but 11 people refused to go and were arrested for trespassing. They did not identify them by name.

The bill would have larger implications for abortion access throughout the South, as the nearby states of Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi prohibit the procedure at all stages of pregnancy and Georgia bans it after cardiac activity can be detected, which is around six weeks.

Bodily autonomy should not give a person the permission to kill an innocent human being. We live in a time where the consequences of our actions are an afterthought and convenience has been substitution for responsibility, and this is unacceptable when it comes to the protection of the most vulnerable, said Sen. Erin Grall, a Republican who sponsored the bill.

The proposal allows exceptions to save the life of the woman and exceptions in the case of pregnancy caused by rape or incest until 15 weeks of pregnancy. In those cases, a woman would have to provide documentation such as a medical record, restraining order or police report. DeSantis has called the rape and incest provisions sensible.

It would require that the drugs used in medication-induced abortions  which make up the majority of those provided nationally  could be dispensed only in person by a physician.

The new bill would only take effect if the state's current 15-week ban is upheld in an ongoing legal challenge that is before the state Supreme Court.

Republicans control a supermajority in the Legislature and have largely focused on DeSantis priorities during the ongoing legislative session. DeSantis is expected to announce his presidential candidacy after the session ends in May, with his potential White House run in part buoyed by the conservative policies approved in the statehouse this year.

Democrats have conceded that they cannot stop the proposal from moving forward.

During debate earlier on Monday, Democratic Sen. Book urged women to contact her office directly, reading her phone number aloud on the Senate floor, if they are considering getting an abortion and need to connect with healthcare providers.

Please don't take matters into your own hands. Do not put your safety at risk. No back-alley abortions. There are people and funds that will help you. No matter where you live, no matter how desperate of a situation you are in, no matter how helpless it may seem. I promise, you are not alone. Call my office, Book said.
A Navy sailor charged with storming the U.S. Capitol was stationed on an aircraft carrier in Virginia when he joined a mob's attack on the building, according to a court filing Monday.

The FBI arrested David Elizalde on Sunday in Arlington, Virginia, on misdemeanor charges, including disorderly conduct in a Capitol building, according to a court filing.

Elizalde told the FBI that he was stationed on the USS Harry S. Truman when he drove alone from Norfolk, Virginia, to Washington, D.C., to attend the Stop the Steal rally on Jan. 6, 2021. Then-President Donald Trump addressed a crowd of supporters before the mob attacked the Capitol, disrupting the congressional certification of President Joe Biden's 2020 electoral victory.

Videos show a man matching Elizalde's description holding a flag when he entered the Capitol through the Senate wing doors and leaving the building about three minutes later through the same doors. Elizalde said he heeded a police officer's command to leave the building but lingered outside to observe the scene for a little while because he knew something historic was happening, the FBI said.

Elizalde, an aviation structural mechanic, was an active-duty sailor on the day of the Capitol riot, according to a Navy Office of Information spokesperson. The Texas resident enlisted in June 2007, and also has served on the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier, according to Navy records.

Federal agents interviewed Elizalde at a Naval Criminal Investigative Service office on Naval Station Rota, in Rota, Spain, in December 2021. He had reported for duty in Spain on Jan. 22, 2021, the Navy records say.

The complaint against Elizalde was filed under seal in February and made public on Monday.

Online court records didn't immediately name a lawyer representing Elizalde.

Approximately 1,000 people have been charged with federal crimes related to the Jan. 6 riot. Many of them are military veterans, but only a few were on active duty at the time of the Capitol attack.

A Marine Corps officer was the first active-duty service member to be charged in the riot. Maj. Christopher Warnagiris, of Woodbridge, Virginia, was arrested in May 2021 and charged with assaulting an officer at the Capitol. Three other active-duty Marines were charged in January with participating in the riot.
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LONDON (AP)  On Oct. 14, a Russian engineer named Gleb Karakulov boarded a flight from Kazakhstan to Turkey with his wife and daughter. He switched off his phone to shut out the crescendo of urgent, enraged messages, said goodbye to his life in Russia and tried to calm his fast-beating heart.

But this was no ordinary Russian defector. Karakulov was an officer in President Vladimir Putins secretive elite personal security service  one of the few Russians to flee and go public who have rank, as well as knowledge of intimate details of Putins life and potentially classified information.

Karakulov, who was responsible for secure communications, said moral opposition to Russias invasion of Ukraine and his fear of dying there drove him to speak out, despite the risks to himself and his family.

Our president has become a war criminal, he said. Its time to end this war and stop being silent.

Karakulovs account generally conforms with others that paint the Russian president as a once charismatic but increasingly isolated leader, who doesnt use a cellphone or the internet and insists on access to Russian state television wherever he goes.

He also offered new details about how Putins paranoia appears to have deepened since his decision to invade Ukraine in February 2022. Putin now prefers to avoid airplanes and travel on a special armored train, he said, and he ordered a bunker at the Russian Embassy in Kazakhstan outfitted with a secure communications line in October  the first time Karakulov had ever fielded such a request.

A defection like Karakulovs has a very great level of interest, said an official with a security background from a NATO country, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive political matters.

That would be seen as a very serious blow to the president himself because he is extremely keen on his security, and his security is compromised, he said.

The Kremlin did not respond to requests for comment. Neither did Karakulovs father or brother.

As an engineer in a field unit of the presidential communications department of the Federal Protective Service, or FSO, Karakulov was responsible for setting up secure communications for the Russian president and prime minister wherever they went. While he was not a confidant of Putins, Karakulov spent years in his service, observing him from unusually close quarters from 2009 through late 2022.

Karakulov, his wife and his child have gone underground, and it was impossible to speak with them directly due to security constraints.

The Dossier Center, a London-based investigative group funded by Russian opposition figure Mikhail Khodorkovsky, interviewed Karakulov multiple times and shared video and transcripts of more than six hours of those interviews with The Associated Press, as well as the Danish Broadcasting Corporation DR, Swedish Television SVT, and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation NRK.

The Dossier Center confirmed the authenticity of Karakulovs passport and FSO work identity card, and cross-checked details of his biography against Russian government records, leaked personal data and social media postings, all of which the AP reviewed.

The AP also independently confirmed Karakulovs identity with three sources in the U.S. and Europe and corroborated his personal details, including passport numbers, date and place of birth, two registered addresses, and the names and ages of family members. The AP was unable to verify all details of his defection.

The AP also confirmed that Karakulov is listed as a wanted man in the Russian Interior Ministrys public database of criminal suspects. The ministry initiated a criminal investigation against Karakulov on Oct. 26 for desertion during a time of military mobilization, according to documents obtained by the Dossier Center and seen by the AP.

The FSO is one of the most secretive branches of Russias security services.

Even when they quit, they never talk, but they know a lot of details of the private life of the president and the prime minister, said Katya Hakim, a senior researcher at the Dossier Center.

Karakulov moved as part of an advance team, often with enough specialized communications equipment to fill a KAMAZ truck. He said he has taken more than 180 trips with the Russian president, and contrary to widespread speculation, Putin appears to be in better shape than most people his age. Putin has only canceled a few trips due to illness, he said.

Unlike the prime minister, Putin does not require secure internet access on his trips, Karakulov said.

I have never seen him with a mobile phone, he said. All the information he receives is only from people close to him. That is, he lives in a kind of information vacuum.

Karakulovs work brought him to luxury hotels for summits, beach resorts in Cuba, yachts  and aboard a special armored train outfitted for the Russian president.

Putins train looks like any other, painted gray with a red stripe to blend in with other railway carriages in Russia. Putin didnt like the fact that airplanes can be tracked, preferring the stealth of a nondescript train car, Karakulov said.

I understand that hes simply afraid, he said.

Putin began to use the train regularly in the run-up to the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Karakulov said. Even last year, Putin continued to insist on strict anti-COVID-19 measures, and FSO employees took shifts in two-week quarantine so there would always be a pool of people cleared to travel with Putin on the train, he said.

Putin has set up identical offices in multiple locations, with matching details down to the desk and wall hangings, and official reports sometimes say hes one place when he is actually in another, according to Karakulov and prior reporting by a Russian media outlet.

When Putin was in Sochi, security officials would deliberately pretend he was leaving, bringing in a plane and sending off a motorcade, when he was in fact staying, Karakulov said.

I think that this is an attempt to confuse, first, intelligence, and second, so that there are no assassination attempts, he said.

Karakulovs defection was a surprising turn for a family steeped in patriotic military tradition. Karakulovs father is a former military man, and his brother is a local government official.

Karakulov said he couldnt tell his parents about his disillusionment, because their minds had been molded by years of watching Russian state television. So he never told them he was leaving.

But he denies that he is unpatriotic and urged others to break their silence to stop the war.

Patriotism is when you love your country, he said. In this case, our homeland needs to be saved because something crazy and terrible is happening.

___

Associated Press reporters Jamey Keaten in Geneva, Aamer Madhani in Washington and Joanna Kozlowska in London contributed to this report.
Ahead of former President Donald Trumps expected booking and arraignment in New York City on Tuesday, social media users are accusing Alvin Bragg, the Manhattan district attorney, of having poor prosecutorial judgment in other cases.

But some posts distort Braggs decisions, from falsely accusing him of ignoring a case his office is prosecuting to misleadingly suggesting he should investigate a case outside his jurisdiction.

Heres a closer look at the facts.

CLAIM: News footage about the unprovoked and deadly shooting of a man on the New York City subway in May 2022 provides an example of the real crime in Manhattan that Bragg should be prosecuting.

THE FACTS: The Manhattan DAs office is prosecuting the suspect in this case, according to records and communications from Braggs office.

Bragg announced in June 2022 that a grand jury had indicted the suspect, Andrew Abdullah, on murder and weapon possession charges after he allegedly killed 48-year-old Daniel Enriquez aboard a Manhattan-bound Q subway train the previous month.

Court and inmate records show the 26-year-old Abdullah is being held without bail in a prison ward at Bellevue Hospital, with a court appearance expected on April 12.

The misleading claim spread across Twitter over the weekend after Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican, tweeted news coverage of the shooting.

Heartbreaking! Greene tweeted Saturday. Shame on Alvin Bragg for being not prosecuting real crime in Manhattan!

Redmond Haskins, a spokesperson for the Legal Aid Society, a nonprofit-public defender organization, confirmed Abdullah remains held in custody on the murder charge. He declined to comment further.

___

CLAIM: Bragg is charging a New York City parking garage attendant for attempted murder after he shot an alleged armed robber.

THE FACTS: Braggs office isnt prosecuting Moussa Diarra, a Manhattan DA spokesperson and Diarras lawyer confirmed to the AP.

Charles Clayman, Diarras lawyer, said video of the altercation was eventually located and sent to the DAs office, clearing his client of wrongdoing.

Theres no attempted murder charges and there never will be because my client was the hero and the victim, not the perpetrator, he said by phone. Thats the whole story.

But that didnt stop social media users from spreading false claims about the incident.

New York City is a Joke: Manhattan Prosecutors Charge Victim of Assault With Attempted Murder, wrote one Twitter user in a post that was liked or shared more than 12,000 times as of Monday.

The shooting happened early Saturday morning when Diarra confronted a suspected thief in the parking garage where he worked, which is in midtown Manhattan.

Charles Rhodie, 59, shot the 57-year-old twice before Diarra was able to wrestle the handgun free and fire back, according to police. Both were hospitalized and initially charged with attempted murder, assault and gun possession.

Rhodie was also charged with burglary. Its not clear what charges hell ultimately face or whether he still remains hospitalized. Spokespersons for police and Braggs office didnt respond to follow up questions and a lawyer for Rhodie couldnt be identified.

___

CLAIM: Bragg should investigate surveillance footage showing several male suspects beating and robbing a female victim in New York City.

THE FACTS: This March 2020 attack happened in Crown Heights, a neighborhood in Brooklyn, outside Braggs jurisdiction.

The 15-year-old said she was walking home when a group of males approached her and started to punch her and kick her, police said. The suspects fled with her sneakers and a cellphone.

In New York City, each of the five boroughs has its own top prosecutor, who oversees criminal prosecutions in that borough. This crime fell into the Brooklyn district attorneys jurisdiction, Brooklyn DA spokesperson Helen Peterson said in an email.

The attack occurred in March 2020, nearly a year before Bragg entered office as Manhattans first Black district attorney in January 2021.

Twelve underage defendants in the case went to family court, Peterson said. A thirteenth defendant pleaded guilty to third-degree assault, a misdemeanor, and was sentenced to six months in jail.

___

Associated Press writer Michael R. Sisak in New York contributed to this report.

___

This is part of APs effort to address widely shared misinformation, including work with outside companies and organizations to add factual context to misleading content that is circulating online. Learn more about fact-checking at AP.
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP)  Veterans' advocacy groups sued the U.S. Department of Defense on Monday seeking records of toxic conditions at an air base in Uzbekistan blamed for causing cancer and other illnesses among American troops who served there in support of the war in Afghanistan.

The lawsuit filed in federal court in Connecticut accuses military officials of withholding information about hazardous materials  including uranium, chemical weapons and asbestos  that were on the Karshi-Khanabad Air Base, known as K2, during U.S. operations there from 2001 to 2005.

The contaminants included pools of black goo that caused military service members to pass out, according to the lawsuit. At least around 15,800 troops served at the base, and personnel there became ill and died at higher-than-usual rates, the lawsuit says.

The legal filing seeks information about the toxic substances and troop exposures so that sickened veterans can obtain accurate medical diagnoses and treatment and healthy veterans can take any preventative actions available.

A spokesperson said Monday that the Pentagon could not comment because the issue involves litigation.

The lawsuit was announced during a news conference in New Haven at the Connecticut Veterans Legal Center, one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit. Also suing is the Stronghold Freedom Foundation, a nonprofit group that includes K2 veterans and relatives. The groups are represented by the Veterans Legal Services Clinic at Yale Law School.

These K2 victims have been living with this truth inside their bodies for over 20 years, and many died as that toxic truth took them to their early graves, said Kim Brooks, a board member for the Stronghold Freedom Foundation. Yet we still do not know exactly what lurked in the air and water and the earth at K2. We do not know because the government refuses to release the records of the toxins found at K2.

Brooks' husband, Army Lt. Col. Timothy Brooks, from New Milford, Connecticut, died of a brain tumor in 2004, less than three years after serving at K2. He was 36.

She and others at the news conference, including U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat, called on the federal government to release information on the K2 contamination. The foundation said the Defense Department has not fully responded to document requests under the federal Freedom of Information Act.

Years before the U.S. military used Karshi-Khanabad to support missions into Afghanistan following the 9/11 attacks, the base was occupied by the former Soviet military. U.S. officials said Soviet troops left behind contamination from a number of hazardous materials, including low-level radioactive depleted uranium from destroying missiles at the site as well as jet fuel.

Matt Erpelding, a K2 veteran and executive director of the Stronghold Freedom Foundation, said a 2015 preliminary study by the Army found that K2 veterans were five times more likely to develop cancer, compared with troops who deployed to other places. He said military personnel began showing an array of unexplained health conditions after arriving at the base.

Military officials have cautioned that the 2015 study is limited and not a definitive link between K2 service and illness. The Defense and Veterans Affairs departments say they are doing a more in-depth study.

No one has exact numbers on how many K2 veterans developed cancer and how many died from it.

Erpelding said at least 75 people who were at K2 and were members of the Stronghold Freedom Foundation died from 2012 to 2020, and another 10 died in the past eight months. In a 2020 survey of about 2,000 K2 veterans by the foundation, nearly 1,900 illnesses were reported, including 491 incidents of cancer. Some of those surveyed reported multiple illnesses.

Last year, President Joe Biden and Congress approved the PACT Act, which expanded VA health care and benefits for veterans exposed to burn pits and other toxic substances, including military members who served in Uzbekistan. A number of K2 veterans had said the VA wasn't covering their medical costs.

Blumenthal called on the Defense Department to release the information that the lawsuit plaintiffs are seeking.

This document, this complaint, is a powerful story, a really compelling story, of our governments neglect and disregard of our veterans, he said at the news conference. The United States government has a responsibility to provide information to these veterans so they can get the medical care that they need. Thats a basic, fundamental right.



Associated Press writer Tara Copp in Washington contributed to this report.
AP

ISLAMABAD (AP)  An overnight raid by Taliban forces in Afghanistans northern Balkh province killed six members of the extremist Islamic State group, a Taliban spokesman said Tuesday.

The regional affiliate of the IS group  known as the Islamic State in Khorasan Province  has been the key rival of the Taliban since their takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021. The militant group has increased its attacks, targeting both Taliban patrols and members of Afghanistans Shiite minority.
After the fountain of youth, Cape Canaveral, and my maternal grandparents, I can think of nothing more Florida than the massive tourist attraction of Walt Disney World. Ron DeSantis has been trying to hamstring the company over its disagreement with the governor over human rights issues and basic decency; the governor has none. Disney CEO Bob Iger describes DeSantis continued efforts to harm the business due to its failure to discriminate as "anti-Florida."

Daily Beast:

"Any action that supports those efforts simply to retaliate for a position the company took sounds not just anti-business, but it sounds anti-Florida," Iger said Monday, referencing DeSantis' reaction to Disney's opposition of the bill. "I'll just leave it at that."

Iger also reiterated that Disney has the right to differ ideologically from the governor and operate without consequence. He emphasized Disney is the state's largest private employer and taxpayer, and that it plans to spend more than $17 billion over the next decade that'd generate thousands of jobs for Floridians.

"A company has a right to freedom of speech just like individuals do," Iger said.
The Department of Justice has arrested an active-duty Navy sailor on charges stemming from his activity at the U.S. Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021.

David Elizalde was arrested by the FBI on Sunday in Arlington, Virginia, on four federal misdemeanor charges, including disorderly conduct inside the Capitol building, according to court documents.

Elizalde is now the fifth active-duty service member to be arrested by federal law enforcement for participating in the rioting and destruction of Jan. 6 that was aimed at preventing the peaceful transfer of power after President Joe Biden won the 2020 election.

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According to the criminal complaint in his case, Elizalde drove up on Jan. 5, 2021, to a Virginia suburb of Washington, D.C., from Norfolk, where his aircraft carrier, the USS Harry Truman, was docked. The next day, the sailor told investigators he moved with the crowd toward the Capitol.

"He walked around the scaffolding and found a set of stairs leading up to the U.S. Capitol, which were not blocked by barricades, that he walked up," the complaint said.

Despite telling investigators that he "observed people in the crowd causing property damage and people waving flags," he entered the building through an open set of doors. According to the complaint, images later taken from Elizalde's phone show that he was in the building for around three minutes before leaving.

Elizalde was first approached by investigators from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service in December 2021 and was next interviewed in April 2022.

According to data provided by the Navy, Elizalde, a petty officer first class, is an aviation structural mechanic who is currently stationed at a maintenance department in Rota, Spain.

He enlisted in June 2007 and served aboard the aircraft carriers USS Eisenhower and USS Harry Truman. His service record also shows that he earned four Navy and Marine Corps Achievement medals and five Good Conduct Medals, as well as several unit awards.

Elizalde's arrest makes him the fifth active-duty service member to be arrested over the attack on the Capitol.

Months before investigators first approached Elizalde in 2021, the FBI arrested Marine Maj. Christopher Warnagiris on nine charges. The Marine Corps eventually decided to separate the officer in December 2021, and he ended his service a year and a day after he walked into the Capitol.

More recently, three enlisted Marines with jobs in the intelligence community were also arrested by federal investigators.

Prosecutors claim in court documents that the trio spent just under an hour milling about the Capitol, including the Rotunda, where they put "a red MAGA hat on one of the statues to take photos with it."

Elizalde joins 12 other service members -- active, reserve and National Guard -- who have been arrested for alleged crimes stemming from Jan. 6. Two other men were booted from basic training as their investigations unfolded.

According to the George Washington University's Project on Extremism, out of the 968 defendants charged with crimes stemming from Jan. 6, 131, or 13%, have some form of military background

-- Konstantin Toropin can be reached at konstantin.toropin@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @ktoropin.

Related: 3 Active-Duty Marines Who Work in Intelligence Arrested for Alleged Participation in Jan. 6 Riot
The Navy's top two officials announced that they will be expanding the sea service's experiments with unmanned drones and ships to South America in the coming months, helping with the Navy's work fighting narcotics trafficking, among other missions.

The Navy's top officer, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday, said that the service is "ready to scale these operations at the fleet level," building on the work of the unmanned task force it set up in the Middle East in 2021.

Gilday's boss, Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro, added during a joint presentation at the service's annual Sea Air Space conference in Washington, D.C., that the "technologies and platforms we are bringing to the region will address several significant challenges."

Read Next: Air Force Will Allow More Body Fat for Recruits as Service Struggles to Find New Airmen

"These include narcotics and human trafficking, as well as economic and ecological harm caused by illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing," Del Toro said, before adding that China is a chief culprit in illegal fishing.

The Navy ramped up its work with unmanned technology like sea-going drones when it set up Task Force 59 -- a group dedicated to learning about the capabilities of the technology and how to make it work with more traditional platforms such as ships -- in the fall of 2021. Since then, the service has largely dubbed the effort a success, and the head of the task force said he is aiming to get 100 unmanned platforms in the waters of the Middle East by this July, with the help of six ally nations.

Gilday said that this expansion of the Navy's drone operations will coincide with the start of UNITAS -- a military exercise that's held annually in South America -- this July.

Del Toro suggested that the Navy's initial efforts may be focused "on the Caribbean Basin first, and then expand beyond that" in a conversation with reporters after the presentation.

Neither leader would go into how many drones they planned to put to sea initially or how many they would be shooting for in the long term.

"It's going to be informed by the progress that we see by getting an understanding of the battlespace you want to cover, and what makes most sense," Gilday said when asked about specific figures. He added, "We're just not at that point yet so we'll be doing some learning."

However, the four-star admiral did say that they planned to start with air and surface drones and that the Navy will "be doing some experience experimenting with motherships, as well."

Despite the expansion of the technology, Gilday pushed back on the idea that these small ships and drones would be flying and sailing off the coast of China anytime soon.

"I think that's a step that we're not ready to talk about yet," Gilday told reporters.

In recent years, sailing drones in less-than-friendly waters have shown the dangers for the automated ships. Last fall, Iran tried and ultimately succeeded in capturing several drones that belonged to Task Force 59.

At the time, the Navy stressed that the drones had only commercial, off-the-shelf technology aboard, limiting their value to a hostile power.

-- Konstantin Toropin can be reached at konstantin.toropin@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @ktoropin.

Related: Navy Drone Ship Nearly Captured by Iran During 5th Fleet Encounter
Defense Department officials want to scale back purchases of Navy destroyers, it appears, saying the two shipyards that build destroyers  including Bath Iron Works  can't produce the warships fast enough.

In December, Congress passed an $858 billion defense bill that called for purchasing three Arleigh Burke, or DDG 51-class, destroyers in the 2023 fiscal year, and set up a plan that would allow the Navy to buy 15 destroyers over the next five years. Destroyers are the only vessels BIW produces, and the Bath shipbuilder is one of only two contractors that build the ships, along with Ingalls Shipyard in Pascagoula, Mississippi.

But the Pentagon's top budget official said it plans to buy only two destroyers in the fiscal year starting in September.

"I'm not hating on DDGs  my only point was that last year Congress added a third and the reason we didn't budget for three is, again, we don't see the yards being able to produce three a year. We don't see them being able to produce two a year," Mike McCord, the Defense Department's comptroller, said in an interview with an industry publication.

A BIW official said the shipyard relies on a steady flow of work from the Navy to make investments in infrastructure and its workforce, and contracts that call for more ships make both possible.

"A consistent demand signal gives shipyards and suppliers the predictability to make major investments in workforce and facilities, both to expand destroyer production and to ensure that capability remains intact well into the future," BIW spokesman David Hench said. He said improvements already underway in Bath will result in an improved construction schedule in time for the next multiyear contract to build destroyers.

The Arleigh Burke-class destroyers are over 500-feet long and are considered the workhorses of the Navy. Each warship costs about $2.2 billion to build, and they are procured on the basis of a complex rolling budget. The first was built in 1985 and 92 are in service through this year.

McCord said the industry is only building 1.5 destroyers a year and that asking for more takes away the government's ability to negotiate on price, the U.S. Naval Institute News reported.

McCord said that asking for more would be good for the shipbuilders' books, but not for taxpayers.

"As the buyer, are you in the best place you'd like to be with any leverage, or are you actually short of leverage when (you say) 'you produce on time or you don't produce on time, it doesn't matter to me. I'm going to keep writing you checks,' " McCord said, according to USNI News.

Congress sets the amount that the Pentagon must spend and the Pentagon doesn't have the discretion to spend less than what's appropriated. A spokesman for Maine Sen. Angus King, who is on the Senate's Armed Services Committee, said the senator has met with Pentagon officials several times to discuss the decision to reduce the number of destroyers it will purchase over the next five years and those discussions will continue.

Sen. Susan Collins said in a statement that the plan to reduce ship purchases runs counter to the Navy's insistence that it needs more ships.

Collins, the top Republican member of the Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, said the most efficient rate of total production for the two shipyards that build the destroyers is three ships a year, but the Navy "hasn't provided the consistent, steady demand signal year after year to the large surface combatant shipyards."

A larger fleet is also needed, she said, to counter China's large and growing Navy.

___

(c)2023 the Portland Press Herald (Portland, Maine)

Visit the Portland Press Herald (Portland, Maine) at www.pressherald.com

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Older generations of veterans know Mark Hamill best as Luke Skywalker, the boy turned Jedi who released the universe from the grip of the evil Galactic Empire. Younger generations might remember him best as the voice of the Joker in "Batman: The Animated Series." Ukrainians might remember him best as a warning to seek shelter.

Russia has fired hundreds of missiles at Ukraine since the beginning of its invasion in February 2022, and it's not going to run out of missiles anytime soon. For the foreseeable future, Ukrainians with smartphones will be hearing the voice Hamill warning them of incoming Russian air and missile attacks.

Users of "Air Raid," a downloadable app connected to Ukraine's air defense system, will be alerted to any detected barrage by a common air raid siren followed by the actor's voice, in English, saying, "Attention. Air raid alert, proceed to the nearest shelter." The voice then warns against complacency: "Don't be careless. Your overconfidence is your weakness."

Hamill has been an outspoken supporter of Ukrainian resistance in the face of Russian aggression. He recently ended a six-year hiatus of selling autographed "Star Wars" posters and merchandise to sell in hopes of raising funds for Ukraine. He believes the effort speaks to the message of the "Star Wars" franchise, doing the "right thing for the good of everyone, rather than being all about self-interest."

"A fairy tale about good versus evil is resonant with what's going on in Ukraine," Hamill told The Associated Press. "The Ukrainian people rallying to the cause and responding so heroically ... It's impossible not to be inspired by how they've weathered this storm."

When the air raid ends, Hamill's voice returns. "The air alert is over," he says, before reminding fans: "May the Force be with you."

The actor's message on the Air Raid app comes in English, while the Ukrainian language version is spoken by a woman, but the AP reports that some Ukrainians prefer the actor's warm, human voice to the Ukrainian speaker.

"We could use a little bit of the power that Hamill wishes us," one user from Lviv remarked.

Hamill also joined the "Army of Drones" project, Ukraine's effort to purchase 10 Danish-made RQ-35 Heidrun scout drones and train pilots to fly them. The actor became an ambassador for the project, helping fundraising efforts using his name, likeness and personal effort. These nonlethal drones allow Ukrainian troops to reconnoiter 25 kilometers from their position without giving away their position.

"I know for certain that Ukrainians need drones to protect their land, their freedom and the values of the entire democratic world," Hamill said in his own statement. "Right now is the best time for everyone to come together and help Ukraine stand up in this war with the evil empire."

Around 200 million Ukrainian hryvnia -- more than $6.7 million -- had already been donated to the project as of July 2022.

The co-developer of the app, Ajax Systems, told AP it hopes the actor's voice encourages other people to download it, so they can experience the taste of what Ukrainians have to live with day in and day out. For Ukrainians, it can be a bit of positive relief in an otherwise trying time.

"It does inspire people," Hamill said. "Everyone flashes back to being six years old again. And if the movie can help people get through hard times, so much the better."

-- Blake Stilwell can be reached at blake.stilwell@military.com. He can also be found on Twitter @blakestilwell or on LinkedIn.

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After seven years in the Air Force, Nathan Bienvenu recently accepted a job as a systems engineer at Northrop Grumman in Utah. Bienvenu actually tried to transition out of the military at the six-year mark, but "it didn't go quite as well. I wasn't really prepared," he told Military.com in a phone interview.

What changed? Bienvenu credits finding employment to Vets2Industry (V2I), which compiles information about military transition resources onto one website to support service members, veterans and their families during a period in their lives that can be confusing and frustrating.

Brian Arrington, who served 20 years in the Air Force before retiring in 2019, founded the nonprofit. Since starting V2I only months before leaving the military, Arrington said the organization -- which includes a staff that has grown to more than 110 volunteers and two part-time workers -- has accumulated more than one thousand resources, services and benefits in four years.

The only item on Vets2Industry's website that is not free is the Indigo personality and career assessment test, which is offered at a discount, Arrington said. V2I requires no registration process.

"[My last year of transitioning,] I learned that there were over 45,000 veterans service organizations nationwide that provided free resources and services and benefits to us and our families, but no one told me about them," Arrington told Military.com. "All I could think about when I learned about this was: How many airmen have I let get out of the military since 2002, when I put on E-5 [his first supervisory rank], without telling them and setting them up for success on the outside through my own ignorance of the existence of all these free resources?"

At the time, Arrington was so upset that he cried. He started what would become Vets2Industry by spending a year searching online for any resources that could benefit a transitioning service member. He built a presence on LinkedIn and developed a network of mentors on the social media platform.

A sailor about to leave the Navy asked for Arrington's help in connecting with the military community regarding hundreds of open jobs. Arrington created an online post that he said read: "Veterans. Career opportunities. Post below your desired career role, desired geographic location and when you can start working, and my friend will help you find a job anywhere in this nation."

"It was such an ignorant post," Arrington said. "It should have died on impact, because I had no followers and, instead, it went super viral."

Besides its resource library and job boards, the website includes:

Virtual networking events, which began during the coronavirus pandemic. They are now held monthly, and Vets2Industry's 39th such event is scheduled for April 22, 2023, on Zoom.

Scholarship opportunities for veterans, spouses and dependents

A list of veteran- and military spouse-owned companies

Quarterly webinars, a newsletter and blog

Candidate profiles

Everything on Vets2Industry is vetted, Arrington said.

"We go to the website of the resource," he said. "We'll actually start looking at the site to see whether it's a new company. We'll look to see what they offer, what services they offer, then we'll look at any testimonials or complaints they have about them.

"We'll look at the social media of all the leadership in that company or organization and find out whether they have anything in their background where they've taken advantage of service members before or the military community or any customers, for that matter. We'll also look at their social media to see if they're activists or do anything that's kind of crazy or illegal. We're apolitical, so we're very cautious about that."

Networking events are among the resources offered by Vets2Industry, a free online library for the military community that was created in 2019 and powered by a volunteer force of veterans and military spouses. (Courtesy of Vets2Industry)

More than 169,000 people have visited the Vets2Industry website, Arrington said.

Bienvenu said he found information about making a good elevator pitch and the Department of Veterans Affairs especially helpful, as well as the event listings and ways to build a network.

"I used to think that networking was pointless and, after getting to know them, they showed me that [the importance of] networking is actually far greater than I thought," Bienvenu said.

Stationed at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, airman Courtney Carter is planning to separate soon. She first learned of V2I in September 2022.

Carter has been in the Air Force for almost four years.

"I really had to do a lot of self-reflection about my own experiences and how I translate those," Carter told Military.com. "V2I made it very clear how I can translate those experiences into a way that other people in a room who aren't necessarily military would understand. If I can't explain my experience to you, you won't feel like I have the experience to perform the job that I'm interested in."

In the civilian world, Carter plans to pursue a job as a program manager for software development. When she achieves her goal, Arrington will certainly be pleased. He just won't be satisfied. "The hardest thing for me, and actually still is hard, is feeling like I'm doing enough. I don't feel like I'm doing enough," Arrington said. "... I don't know what will make me feel satisfied. I want to help everybody, because I was just so mad, still so mad, that DoD doesn't tell us about these resources."

-- Stephen Ruiz can be reached at stephen.ruiz@military.com.

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Secluded from the world, in XIX century rural Romania, a widow and mother of three must defend what's left of her family, at all costs, from an old family friend turned foe. Based on one of the best-known Romanian folk tales (The Goat and Her Three Kids by Ion Creanga), this film aims to unveil

Secluded from the world, in XIX century rural Romania, a widow and mother of three must defend what's left of her family, at all costs, from an old family friend turned foe. Based on one of the best-known Romanian folk tales (The Goat and Her Three Kids by Ion Creanga), this film aims to unveil the true nature of the famed bedtime story and to treat the audience to a different ...
Wanted on charges of embezzlement and wire fraud, Roy McGrath failed to show up for court last month and had been on the run. Spotted by FBI agents in Tennessee, the former chief-of-staff to former governor Larry Hogan of Maryland, McGrath was shot by an FBI agent, hospitalized, and later died of the wound.

McGrath's attorney continues to attest to his now-dead client's innocence.

CBS News:

Roy McGrath, the former chief of staff to ex-Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan who became a fugitive after failing to appear at trial on wire fraud and embezzlement charges last month, was killed in Tennessee on Monday, his lawyer told CBS News. "The FBI has confirmed that Roy succumbed to the injuries inflicted earlier this evening," attorney Joseph Murtha said in a statement. "It is a tragic ending to the past three weeks of uncertainty. It is important for me to stress that Roy never wavered about his innocence." McGrath was located by the FBI in a car in the Knoxville area around 6:30 p.m. local time, law enforcement sources previously confirmed to CBS News. During the arrest, an "agent-involved shooting" occurred, the FBI said in a statement.

"Agent-involved shooting" are some great weasel words.
The Astros have sent corner outfielders/first basemen Bligh Madris and J.J. Matijevic outright to Triple-A Sugar Land, tweets Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle. Both players went unclaimed on waivers after being designated for assignment on Opening Day.

Madris has yet to play a non-exhibition game in the Houston organization. The Astros acquired him from the Tigers over the offseason in a cash transaction. It continued an active few months on the transactional front, as Madris had gone from the Pirates to the Rays to Detroit via waivers or trade since September. The 27-year-old has only suited up at the MLB level with Pittsburgh, getting into 39 contests and hitting .177/.244/.265 through 123 plate appearances as a rookie last season.

It wasnt the most exceptional debut, but the former ninth-round pick has played reasonably well in the minor leagues. Hes a career .265/.334/.415 hitter through parts of five minor league seasons. Hes been particularly effective in Triple-A, putting up a .284/.358/.470 line with 20 home runs in 719 plate appearances there.

Matijevic has spent his entire career with Houston. The Astros selected him in the second round out of the University of Arizona six years ago. The left-handed hitter worked his way up the professional ranks, compiling a .260/.337/.494 line over five minor league seasons. That includes a huge .285/.372/.561 showing with 16 homers in just 64 games for Sugar Land last year.

Those Triple-A numbers earned the 27-year-old his first big league call in 2022. Like Madris, he floundered in an initial brief look against MLB pitching. Matijevic managed a .209/.254/.328 line through 71 plate appearances. He struck out in 25 of those trips while walking just twice. Much of that time came as a pinch-hitter or in a brief look at designated hitter, which didnt afford him many consistent reps against MLB arms.

Players who have previously been outrighted in their careers or have at least three years of major league service time can elect free agency after clearing waivers. Neither Madris nor Matijevic qualify, so both players will stick in the Houston organization. Theyll report to Sugar Land and try to work their way back into consideration for roster spots. Both would reach minor league free agency at the end of this season if theyre not added back to the 40-man roster.
ONTONAGON, MI - A remote part of Michigan has been ranked as one of the top spots in the entire world to frolic around in your birthday suit. However, if you bare it all in this area known for actual bears, you are doing so at your own risk as it is not legal.

Dating advice website, My Dating Adviser, is out with its 2023 list of the top 100 places to skinny dip in the world. The ranking lists Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park in Michigans Upper Peninsula at number 31 in the world and at number 3 in the U.S.

With more than 60,000 acres, this is Michigans largest state park. The Porkies, as its known, is located in the western U.P. The park has nearly 100 miles of trails.

For its study, My Dating Advisor says it compared 100 nude beach spots in multiple categories, including beach quality, safety, weather and hotel cost.

A spokesperson for the publication did acknowledge to MLive that not all locations on its list are legal and anyone skinny-dipping may be doing so at their own risk. The same was said by Wilderness State Park Manager Mike Knack.

Porcupine Mountains has 23 miles of Lake Superior shoreline, so Im sure in the back country areas, some amount of skinny dipping does happen, Knack acknowledged to MLive in an earlier interview. That being said, there are a fair amount of hikers on the trails each day and someone may see you. Its not a highly recommended activity, but Im sure some people out in the wilderness do wild things.

According to Michigan law, anyone caught for indecent exposure could be charged with a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail and/or a fine of up to $1,000. Its also an unlawful act on land owned by the Michigan DNR.

Michigans 103 state parks are places where people of all ages recreate. Park visitors should keep that in mind, John Pepin of the Michigan DNR told MLive. In addition, there are state laws and Michigan Department of Natural Resources land use orders that prohibit public nudity.

Here are the rest of My Dating Advisors top 13 skinny-dipping spots in the U.S.

1. Washougal River, WA

2. Mazo Beach, WI

3. Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park , MI

4. Blacks Beach, CA

5. Little Beach, HI

6. Hippie Hollow, TX

7. Strawberry Hot Springs, CO

8. Haulover Beach, FL

9. The Bagby Hot Springs, OR

10. Frenchmans Hole, ME

11. Gunnison Beach, NJ

12. Baker Beach, CA

13. Yosemite National Park, CA

MORE U.P. TRAVEL FROM MLIVE:

Your ultimate Michigan travel bucket list: 50 places you need to visit

Pictured Rocks at sunset: How to capture one of Michigans most marvelous photo ops

20 natural wonders of Michigan to put on your travel bucket list

How to find these giant U.P. SAND DUNES you may not know exist

Planning a trip to MUNISING? 8 things not to miss

25 UPPER PENINSULA MARVELS everyone should see
Long-haired German Shepherd Achilles lounges near the Boardman River at the Brown Bridge Quiet Area near Traverse City. The 1,300-acre park owned by the city could get a 528-acre addition if it receives a state grant and city voters approve use of funds from a city trust fund.Provided by Brian Van Ochten
Yet another strong storm system is heading into the Great Lakes region tonight through Wednesday night. While this system will bring the threat for possibly some significant severe weather to the Lower Peninsula, which you can read about here: Michigan under tornado, severe thunderstorm bullseye, this will bring a winter storm to the Upper Peninsula.

There have been quite a few snowstorms across the U.P. over the last month, but the difference this time around will be that this will bring a mixed bag of precipitation, including both snow and ice. The National Weather Service has issued Ice Storm Warnings as well as Winter Weather Advisories to cover this event.

Winter Weather Advisories are shown in the light purple across northern Lower Michigan and over near Marquette and Escanaba, while Ice Storm Warnings are shown in the darker purple color across the eastern U.P.

Gale-Force winds set to whip up waves up to 25 feet on Lake Superior

Winter Weather Advisories in light purple and Ice Storm Warnings in darker purple.

The greatest impacts are likely across the Tip of the Mitt and eastern U.P., where an Ice Storm Warning is in effect from 8 p.m. this evening until 10 a.m. Wednesday.

This includes the following cities: Paradise, Trout Lake, Rudyard, Sault Ste. Marie, Brimley, Kinross, Sugar Island, Detour Village, Goetzville, Drummond Island, Engadine, Naubinway, Epoufette, St. Ignace, Brevort, Les Cheneaux Islands, and Mackinac Island.

Primarily freezing rain is expected, with some sleet and snow mixing in. Significant icing is forecast with two-tenths to three-tenths of an inch, along with snow and sleet accumulations of less than 2 inches.

Furthermore, winds could gust as highs as 50 mph. As a result, power outages and tree damage are likely due to the ice weighing down trees and power lines. Some tree branches could come down due to the gusty winds. Ice storms make travel incredibly difficult and driving is strongly discouraged unless absolutely necessary.

A second Ice Storm Warning is in effect for Grand Marais, Munising, Newberry, and Seney. This runs from 8 p.m. this evening until 2 p.m. Wednesday. Significant icing of one quarter to four-tenths of an inch of ice is forecast, perhaps an inch or less of snow mixed in as well.

Power outages and tree damage are likely here as well and travel will be extremely difficult to impossible. Be prepared for the potential of power outages that could last for more than a few hours or one day.

The recovery process after an ice storm can sometimes be multiple days for restoring power. There is some good news in that temperatures warm well above freezing Wednesday evening into the 40s, so that should help melt some ice, but temperatures crash back below freezing into the lower 20s by Thursday morning, so a refreeze is a concern.

Here is a look at forecast radar between 6 p.m. this evening and 11 a.m. Wednesday showing the freezing rain across much of the U.P.

Forecast Radar between 6pm this evening and 10am Wednesday.

The latest ice accumulation forecast from the National Weather Service shows one-tenth to four-tenths of an inch of ice pretty common across that part of the state. Even areas under just winter weather advisories will need extra travel time as winter weather makes roads hazardous and requires slowing down.
The Orange Menace, Donald J. Trump, has been moved to New York, where he will face a judge and presumably plead "not guilty" to a long list of crimes. Melania, the wife he was not with while having an affair with Stormy Daniels, the porn star who kept receipts from Trump's hush money payoff, does not appear to support the insurrection encouraging the former President.

Luckily, he's got Eric.

Yahoo:

Noticeably absent from the list, however, is former First Lady Melania. And though she could be joining her husband at some point from now until the indictment, not joining him on his flight is telling, especially considering the nature of the indictment involves adult film star Stormy Daniels.

Although an interesting move by Melania, her decision does make sense considering how she's reportedly feeling about her husband's legal battle. "Melania is leading her own life, and still feels happy being at Mar-a-Lago, surrounded by people who love her and who never talk about reality, or bad things about her husband," a source told People last month. And though Melania may be allegedly trying her best to follow the "ignorance is bliss" motto, the source also admitted she's "angry" with Trump for being involved in this case.
SAULT STE, MARIE, MI  An Upper Peninsula university is looking for a new president.

The Board of Trustees at Lake Superior State University announced Monday that it has accepted the resignation of Dr. Rodney S. Hanley as president of the institution.

The board will now begin a national search for the next president of LSSU imminently.

We wish Dr. Hanley and his family all the best in their future endeavors, said Tim Lukenda, chair of the LSSU Board of Trustees. It is time to look forward and maintain our focus on this great institution and all of the wonderful things it has to offer our students of today and in the future.

Hanley had been in the role since July 2018. Hanley and his wife, Sara, made headlines in February when they established the Rodney S. Hanley and Sara Gunhus-Hanley LGBTQ+ Endowed Scholarship.

The scholarship will provide financial assistance to students who excel in their contributions to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and allied community in Sault Ste. Marie.

RELATED: Northern Michigan University names Plymouth native new school president

LSSU Provost & Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Lynn G. Gillette has been appointed interim president effective immediately.

Gillette has been provost at Lake State since 2018. He previously served as provost at Nicholls State University from 2015 to 2018; provost and executive vice president and president at Sierra Nevada College from 2008 to 2014.

Gillette earned a bachelors degree in economics from the University of Richmond and a doctorate in economics from Texas A&M University and is a graduate of Harvard Universitys Management Development Program.

Founded in 1946 on the site of the former U.S. Army Fort Brady, LSSU has approximately 2,000 undergraduate students making it the smallest public university in Michigan.
EAST LANSING, MI  The last of five Michigan State University students hospitalized in the deadly campus shooting has been discharged from Sparrow Hospital to another facility.

The student, who was not identified, was in critical condition but stable upon leaving Sparrow for the other facility, Michigan State University Police and Public Safety said Tuesday, April 4, in a tweet.

The student was not identified.

All of the hospitalized students have been discharged from Sparrow but that does not mean they are not undergoing treatment.

The shooting happened Feb. 13.

MSU students Arielle Anderson, 19, Brian Fraser, 20, and Alexandria Verner, 20, were killed.

Related: Michigan State professor recalls horror of 7 students shot in his classroom

The gunman, Anthony McRae, 43, of Lansing, fatally shot himself three hours later as Lansing police closed in.

Three of the injured students have been identified through GoFundMe accounts.

The family of Nate Statly, a junior, said in mid-March that he was in intensive care and his recovery was very slow.

Were staying hopeful and optimistic for a miracle, and he keeps showing up every day strong, a brother, Josh Statly, wrote.

Related: Michigan State mass shooter said he was hated loner: They made me a killer

John Hao, 20, an international student from China, was shot in the back and paralyzed, according to his close friend, MSU roommate Argen Qian.

Guadalupe Huapilla-Perez was released from the hospital last month, she said in a March 23 update on her GoFundMe account. She said that a school shooting was one of her biggest fears.

She mourns the loss of her classmates every day.

I remember the sound of the first bullet shot. I remember calling my mom - afraid, so afraid that that would be the last time I talked to her. For her, a call she never expected but always feared receiving.

I dont remember exactly when I got shot but I remember a classmate holding their shirt to my abdomen area. I cant remember the pain of my wounds but I can remember the pain I felt in my heart seeing this horrible tragedy unfold before me. I remember the rush to the hospital, feeling a deep sense of loneliness and fear.

She thanked the doctors and nurses at Sparrow, and support from the community.

To my classmates, the four other survivors, I hold you all in my heart. There is nothing that can change what we experienced together that night. But hearing about your recoveries inspires mine. I hope and pray for better days to come and promise to stand in solidarity in the ongoing conversation around gun violence in schools. No one should ever have to live through this.

Related: Please, hurry up, 911 calls detail fear, chaos of MSU shooting

Seven of the eight victims were shot in professor Marco Diaz-Munozs classroom at Berkey Hall. Fraser was killed a short time later at the MSU Union.

McRae had two legally bought 9mm handguns and eight loaded magazines  and two empty magazines  and a pouch of ammunition.

In a handwritten letter, McRae, described as troubled by his father, said he was an outcast and a loner, hated by others.

They made me who I am today a killer, he wrote.

He claimed to have other targets, too.

He had no ties to MSU.

For complete MLive coverage, go here.

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Native perennials, including deer-resistant kits, for sale through conservation district

Ottawa County board wants to weigh in on political issues outside their authority
MECOSTA COUNTY, MI  A man has been charged after DNR conservation officers caught him with 151 dead rabbits.

According to an official DNR report, the incident occurred in late-February in Mecosta County when Josh Reed and Jacob Robinson, conservation officers in DNR District 4, received multiple complaints of a subject bragging about shooting more than a hundred rabbits and stashing them in the back of his truck.

Robinson later observed a vehicle matching the suspects truck exiting a parking lot near the area where the officers received the complaints.

After stopping the vehicle, Robinson observed several rabbit feet sticking out from under a blanket in the bed of the truck. More than 100 cottontail rabbits were found, according to the DNR.

The COs followed the suspect to his residence where 37 more rabbits were found, bringing the total to 151, the DNR said.

The suspect said the rabbits had been collected by the suspect from a rabbit hunting tournament in Ionia County.

Charges are being sought in Mecosta County for over-possession of rabbit. In Michigan, cottontail rabbits and snowshoe hares can be hunted as part of small game season from Sept. 15 to March 31.

There is a daily limit of five and a possession limit of 10.

Mecosta County is in DNR District 4 which also includes Benzie, Grand Traverse, Lake, Leelanau, Manistee, Mason, Newaygo, Oceana, Osceola and Wexford counties.
ELBERTA, MI  A Northern Michigan man is going to trial for allegedly killing his ex-wife and her two adult sons during 2020, 9&10 News reports.

Robert Freebold is accused of murdering Marilyn Freebold, 63, and her sons Malachi Maloney, 21 and Robert James Freebold, 27, on Nov. 20, 2020, at their family home in Elberta. Marilyn and Robert James Freebold were found dead at the home while Maloney died later at a local hospital.

RELATED: Northern Michigan man charged with murder in deaths of former wife, her 2 sons

The marriage between Robert and Marilyn Freebold had ended 23 years earlier.

Shortly after the incident, Robert Freebold was charged with three counts of open murder.

Jury selection in the trial was slated to begin Tuesday morning, April 4, the TV station reports.

READ MORE:

Police release sketch of suspected kidnapper; MSU student fought him off

Naked woman found dead in Michigan field

Sex assault against 7-year-old Michigan girl caught on nannycam
MARQUETTE COUNTY, MI  A young bull moose in need got help from conservation officers and a wildlife biologist over the weekend in Marquette County.

The officers and biologist from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources guided the moose down a two-track, away from a road and around large amounts of snow until he was able to go off on his own, officials said in a news release via Facebook.

A young bull moose in need got help from conservation officers and a wildlife biologist with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources over the weekend in Marquette County, Mich. The DNR released photos of the incident on Monday, April 3, 2023.Provided by Michigan Department of Natural Resources

The moose was tired, but in overall good condition, the DNR said. Spring will hit the U.P. soon, young moose!

The DNR also cautioned members of the public not to approach or touch a moose.

Our staff are very experienced and understand the risk when approaching these animals, the DNR said.

A young bull moose in need got help from conservation officers and a wildlife biologist with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources over the weekend in Marquette County, Mich. The DNR released photos of the incident on Monday, April 3, 2023.Provided by Michigan Department of Natural Resources

Moose are a native Michigan species and occurred throughout most of the state before European settlement. By the 1890s, they had disappeared from the Lower Peninsula and were scarce in the Upper Peninsula.

Now Michigan has two moose herds in the Upper Peninsula. The population in the western U.P. was airlifted from Canada in the 1980s and is growing steadily at a rate of about 2% annually, according the DNR. The most recent biennial survey conducted in early 2019 counted 509 moose. The native eastern U.P. population is estimated to be fewer than 100.

READ MORE:

Music, camping festival coming to Northern Michigan national forest

Cases of rare fungal disease grow to 81 among U.P. mill workers

One of the top skinny-dipping spots in the world is apparently in Michigan
Weve got lots of information on the severe weather risk that will blanket much of Michigan on Wednesday. Thunderstorms with possible hail, high winds, a tornado threat and ice accumulations to the north are all wedged into this messy forecast.

Conditions on the Great Lakes wont be any picnic, either.

The National Weather Service offices across the state already have issued Gale Warnings for parts of Lake Michigan and Lake Huron ahead of the approaching storm system. Lake Superiors conditions are expected to be especially dangerous, with the western half of the lake covered under an even more severe Storm Warning, which could eventually shift to cover the eastern half of this big lake as well.

Waves up to 25 feet tall are being forecast for some areas.

Want to see which big freighters are hunkering down once the winds kick up? You can check vessel-tracking websites like Marine Traffic for more info.

Heres the breakdown from the NWS meteorologists, starting with Lake Superior.

Lake Superior: On Wednesday, Storm-Force winds up to 69 mph are expected across the western half of the big lake, with strong Gale-Force winds up to 51 mph forecast for the eastern half of Superior. Two distinct periods of high winds will whip across this lake. The first will be during the day on Wednesday, and the second will begin Wednesday evening, accompanied by a shot of colder air.

Confidence continues to be high that there will be widespread Storm-Force winds up to 60 knots on Lake Superior at different times into Thursday and waves up to 25 feet possible. Conditions are expected to subside Thursday night.

Lake Michigan: Winds could reach Gale-Force overnight tonight and into Wednesday. Wind gusts up to 46 mph are forecast, with waves reaching 6 to 9 feet.

Lake Huron: The northern half of Lake Huron is under a Gale Warning from 5 p.m. today into Thursday. Sustained winds could hit 39 mph over these waters, with gusts to 50 mph. The largest significant waves will be 13 feet, with a potential maximum wave height of 19 feet, the NWS office in Gaylord said. The maximum winds are expected around 5 a.m. Thursday, with the largest waves expected around 4 a.m. Wednesday.

Winds will decrease Wednesday morning and there will be a lull in the gales Wednesday afternoon through early Wednesday evening, then wind gusts should increase back to gale force Wednesday night through Thursday.
WWE Hall of Famer Bushwhacker Butch, whose real name was Bob Miller, has died.

He was 78.

His death was announced on Facebook by his tag-team partner in the Bushwhackers, Bushwhacker Luke.

Late last night, I lost my friend, brother and tag team partner of over 50 years with the passing of Bob Butch Miller, Luke wrote on his official Facebook page. My heart goes out to his wife Helen, his lovely daughters Sharon and Kirsten and all of his grandchildren.

Bushwhacker Butch, who lives in New Zealand, flew into Los Angeles to take parts in events surrounding WrestleMania 39 weekend. But he reportedly suffered a serious medical emergency shortly after arriving in town and was rushed to a hospital in the area.

The Bushwhackers had been together since, at least, 1966. They began then as The Kiwis, and have had several different names, but they started to go by the name of The Bushwhackers with the WWE in 1988 and have stuck with that ever since. A comedic team billed as being from New Zealand, they were crowd favorites through much of the late 80s and into the 90s.

The duo was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2015.

From the early-1970s when we were young mates wrestling for John da Silva in New Zealand, my first impression of Bob The Chest Miller (as he was called in those days) was that he was a first-class redneck, and what a bloody redneck he was! Luke wrote. But he was also an all-around good guy and a great friend. By the time we reached our mid-20s, we found ourselves traveling the world together, from New Zealand to Australia to Malaysia, Singapore, Japan, before invading the North American territories in Canada and the United States as The Sheepherders. In 1988, we were in our 40s and still at the top of our game when we got a call from the offices in Connecticut with an offer to join the largest and fastest growing wrestling promotion in the world, the WWF/E. The Bushwhackers were born! As The Bushwhackers were appeared in the largest venues in the world, in front of the biggest crowds professional wrestling had ever seen! And we were eventually honored by our fans and peers with our inclusion in the WWE Hall of Fame in 2015 and the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2020. We did it all, we saw it all, and we accomplished it all together.

This past weekend in Los Angeles, Bob flew in from New Zealand to join me for WrestleMania weekend and the related festivities, neither of us knowing it would be our last days together and his last days of life, he added. If you were to read the story of my life it would say that Im an only child, but it was wrong. In life I had a brother and his name was Bob Miller. I love you, Bob. Until I see you again, WOOOOAH YEEEEAAHH!
ANN ARBOR, MI  Ann Arbor is expecting a sizable monetary payout from more legal settlements in national opioid litigation against drug makers and pharmacy chains.

City Council voted unanimously Monday night, April 3, to approve the citys participation in 2022 settlements of cases against pharmacy chains CVS and Walmart and opioid manufacturers Allergan and Teva. The city could receive a payout of over $600,000, City Attorney Atleen Kaur said.

The city is eligible to opt in to receive a portion of the multibillion-dollar settlements as a subdivision of the state, Senior Assistant City Attorney Michelle Landis told council, noting Michigan has chosen not to participate in a separate settlement with Walgreens, which could have to pay up to $5.52 billion.

Assuming maximum participation, the national settlements could require CVS to pay up to $4.9 billion, Walmart up to $2.74 billion, Allergan up to $2.02 billion, and Teva up to $3.34 billion. Teva also could provide either $1.2 billion of naloxone or $240 million cash in lieu of product as each state may elect.

Narcan nasal spray kits inside a naloxone vending machine at Ann Arbor's city hall April 3, 2023. "Naloxone is a safe medication that reverses opioid overdoses," a sign on the vending machine states. "Please take some for yourself or others and help stop this public crisis."Ryan Stanton | The Ann Arbor News

The latest round of settlements follow 2021 settlements with three other pharmaceutical distributors  McKesson, Cardinal Health and AmerisourceBergen  and manufacturer Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc. and its parent company Johnson and Johnson. Ann Arbor also opted to participate in the 2021 settlements, expecting over $827,000 then.

The city has begun receiving payments from the 2021 settlements, Landis said.

Under the settlements from both 2021 and 2022, at least 85% of funds going to states and local governments must be used for abatement of the opioid epidemic.

Washtenaw County reported another 75 opioid-related overdose deaths among county residents in 2022, following 78 in 2021, 61 in 2020, 60 in 2019 and a high of 81 in 2018. Since 2011, there have been over 700 opioid deaths among county residents.

The settlements are the culmination of many years of intense negotiations among representatives of state attorneys general and court-appointed committees, Landis said.

Council Member Cynthia Harrison, D-1st Ward, speaks at the Ann Arbor City Council meeting April 3, 2023.Ryan Stanton | The Ann Arbor News

Council Member Cynthia Harrison, D-1st Ward, has said she wants to see the majority of settlement funds used as intended  for the prevention and treatment of opioid use, and for those who suffered harm at the hands of predatory opioid manufacturers and distributors. Before the vote Monday, she talked about decreasing stigma and providing compassionate support for people with substance-use disorders.

Michigans opioid epidemic is complex, she said. Understanding it requires multiple intricate and interconnected factors that have produced health inequities and made entire communities susceptible to adverse health outcomes.

Reducing disparities must be a focus of programs funded with opioid settlement funds, and investing in evidence-based prevention, interventions, recovery support, harm reduction and criminal legal reforms to transition to a less-punitive and more health-focused approach is key, Harrison said.

I am calling on the city of Ann Arbor and the surrounding communities to be a leader in reducing stigma, promoting recovery from this disease by treating all people that suffer with a substance-use disorder with dignity and respect, she said. After all, opioid use and substance-use disorder is a chronic illness and not a moral failing.

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WASHTENAW COUNTY, MI - Dexter Townships elected supervisor has announced her intention to resign from her role two and a half years into her first term, citing the growing demands of the position and compensation she says hasnt kept up.

Supervisor Diane Ratkovich announced her resignation in a letter to the township board and community, saying she intends to step down on May 12.

The demand on our township has grown exponentially and its rural character is being threatened. We must learn to coexist with growth while we protect our quality of life, Ratkovich wrote. The supervisor position is a highly responsible and critical position that directly impacts the future of Dexter Township. To truly fulfill this role responding to the current day issues and to protect our resources for the future is no small task.

I have served Dexter Township diligently and as the demands of the position grow, it has put a significant strain on my personal finances. This position is currently considered a part-time role and the salary is still based accordingly, while the realities of the job demand more.

With all this in mind, I do not want my personal limitations to result in Dexter Township being underserved on critical projects that so dearly impact our community.

Ratkovich was compensated at roughly $38,000 annually, though she recently proposed raising that figure to $48,000, she said.

The township board instead voted on March 21 to raise the salary to $40,549 effective April 1, a 6% increase reflecting rising cost of living.

Ratkovich won a close election in 2020, as she and a group of fellow Democrats unseated five Republican incumbents on the township board.

With all but one member of the seven-person body new to their positions for four-year terms, the board quickly hit the ground running on new initiatives, she said.

Those have included the creation of a local roads committee and the founding of a farmland and open space preservation program, now supported by a millage voters approved last year, Ratkovich said.

Read more: Land preservation taxes win big in Washtenaw County in Nov. 8 election

She and the board have also worked to allocate some of the $4 million in general fund reserves left unspent by prior leadership, maintaining a healthy balance while powering new initiatives, Ratkovich said.

We went in an hit the ground running, and every year my job becomes more demanding, she said, adding she has been working pretty much full-time plus and can no longer meet the demands of what she feels the position deserves while keeping her family financially viable.

Ratkovich said she worries the pay of the position might discourage new candidates to run for the local office.

We want to attract younger people. For people who want a job in politics, this is such a fantastic first step, she said.

Compensation will likely stay on the township boards agenda after Ratkovich leaves.

On Monday, April 3, elected leaders convened a special meeting to discuss the possibility of a compensation policy that could include benefits for officials. They also entertained creating a compensation commission, an appointed body that would be tasked with determining officials pay.

The township board also debated how to fill the supervisors seat, ultimately passing a policy that calls for vacancies in executive offices  the supervisor, clerk and treasurer  to be first offered to current township board members.

If no internal candidates step forward, or one candidate fails to secure a majority vote from the board, then officials would do a competitive search open to all residents. Any time a trustee seat is vacated, the township will advertise the position openly from the get-go, according to the policy.

For continuity and an easier transition, its better if a current board member steps into the executive roles if they are vacated, Trustee Karen Nolte argued on Monday, a viewpoint echoed by several other officials.

The policy passed 6-1, with only Clerk Michelle Stamboulellis opposed. The clerk said she felt the process for filling all open board seats should be as transparent and public as possible, advertised to any member of the community from the start.

Michigan law gives townships wide latitude on what process officials use to fill vacant positions mid-term. The person appointed to the supervisors position will serve a term running through the 2024 election cycle.

The Dexter Township board has not yet voted to accept Ratkovichs resignation. They could do so and vote on potential internal candidates for the job at their April 18 meeting, officials said.

This board has done incredible work, Trustee Lonnie Scott said at the end of the bodys Monday meeting, addressing Ratkovich.

You should be very proud of the board and the actions that its taken with you as the supervisor. The roads, the open land preservation, none of these things happen without someone leading the charge.

More from The Ann Arbor News:

Ann Arbor paying contractor $450,000 for post-storm tree branch pickup

First electric buses set to be deployed for Washtenaw County transit agency

Dexter leaders OK $844K road resurfacing project. Heres whats coming

Watch Ann Arbors first shared e-bikes roll out along Huron River trail
ANN ARBOR, MI - Striking graduate instructors at the University of Michigan dont have to return to the classroom yet, a Washtenaw County Trial Court judge ruled Tuesday, April 4.

Judge Carol Kuhnke denied the universitys emergency injunction to order an end to the Graduate Employees Organization strike that started March 29.
Here are highlights from the documents filed with the Erie County Legislature that lay out the terms of the final stadium agreement among Erie County, New York State and the Buffalo Bills:

Read the lease: 30-year deal to keep Buffalo Bills in Orchard Park includes 17 documents The complex legal terms are included in 17 documents that outline the terms of the initial $850 million public commitment and the Bills' 30-year lease.

 The $1.54 billion project cost includes $1.14 billion for stadium construction, $188.6 million for design work and other soft costs; $57 million for stadium furniture and equipment; and $13.5 million to tear down the existing stadium.

 In addition to the $600 million the state agreed to pay upfront, it will also contribute $280 million over the life of the 30-year lease to cover maintenance and operational costs at the new stadium.

 The county agreed to put $250 million upfront into the project but a surcharge of up to 6% on purchases at the stadium will replace the county's annual contributions toward repairs and upgrades.

 The Bills, with the help of the NFLs G4 loan program and the sale of personal seat licenses to season-ticket holders, will cover any stadium project costs beyond the $850 million public investment, including overruns.

 Construction is anticipated to begin June 1 with excavation and foundation work. Construction on the superstructure is projected to start in January. Substantial completion is eyed for July 1, 2026.

Language in Bills stadium deal makes relocation unlikely for 30 years. But not impossible The big spend is aimed at ensuring the Buffalo Bills, which the non-relocation agreement describes as an extraordinary and unique property, stay in Western New York.

 The team must pour more than $100 million back into the community over the course of the 30-year lease under a community benefits agreement.

 The benefits agreement also requires construction of a public transportation hub within walking distance of the stadium.

 A non-relocation agreement requires the team to pay back the full $850 million public investment if the Bills break the lease within the first 15 years. That payback figure drops in later years but the deal allows the county or state to take the Bills' owners to court if they try to leave.

 The project to build the 1.35 million-square-foot open-air, natural turf stadium will involve an expected 400 companies and 10,000 building trades workers.

 The Bills will seek a lucrative new naming rights agreement for the future stadium but the current rights-holder, Highmark BlueCross BlueShield, has the right of first refusal.

Bills, New York, Erie County reach final stadium deal; will go to Legislature for vote "It is a very complicated deal," Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz said in explaining why negotiations among the parties on the final agreement took so long.
ANN ARBOR, MI  After inspiring residents to let their grass grow tall for No Mow May last year, Ann Arbor officials are espousing a similar but slightly different message for 2023.

City Council unanimously adopted a resolution in support of protecting pollinator habitat Monday night, April 3, directing City Administrator Milton Dohoney to encourage property owners to reduce mowing and maintain lawn heights between 6 and 12 inches, particularly during spring months.

Pollinator populations are in decline around the world due to habitat loss, alteration, fragmentation, as well as pesticides, said Council Member Dharma Akmon, D-4th Ward, who introduced the resolution from the citys Environmental Commission.

Council Member Dharma Akmon, D-4th Ward, speaks at the Ann Arbor City Council meeting April 3, 2023.Ryan Stanton | The Ann Arbor News

The state of Michigan alone has seen a 61% drop in its bee population over the span of 15 years, so this is really important that we all act in ways that we can to protect pollinators, she said.

Council also directed Dohoney to encourage property owners to reduce leaf raking and cleanup in the fall and to increase diverse native plantings while following pest-management practices that steer away from harmful chemical pesticides.

Council Member Lisa Disch, D-1st Ward, co-sponsored the resolution, which she dubbed No Mow May 2.0.

Pollinators are essential to maintaining food chains for all creatures who live on Earth, she wrote in her latest constituent newsletter, thanking the Environmental Commissions Pollinator Working Group for its work on the issue.

Dandelions have gone to seed in front of an Ann Arbor home on Revena Boulevard participating in No Mow May on May 23, 2022.Ryan Stanton | The Ann Arbor News

The city will develop an education campaign to inform residents how to make Ann Arbor more hospitable to bees and other pollinators, Disch said.

Akmon called it an evolution of No Mow May, which a lot of residents got excited about participating in last year. Residents put up No Mow May signs and let their lawns go wild, leaving dandelions and other wild flowers for pollinators.

We did learn some things from that effort  namely that, depending on the rain, we probably dont need to literally stop mowing our lawn for the entire month, Akmon said. There were some quite, quite long lawns out there.

A homemade No Mow May sign in front of an Ann Arbor home on Revena Boulevard on May 23, 2022.Ryan Stanton | The Ann Arbor News

A monoculture of turf grass thats really long isnt ultimately what the city is going for, Akmon added, suggesting a concentrated effort on year-round practices to create and protect pollinator habits, including replacing turf grass with native flowering plants.

Bees and other pollinators touch our lives every day in ways that we probably dont realize or we take for granted, she said. For example, theyre responsible for as much as a third of the food that we consume, so a world without them is one in which we have fewer food choices and the ones that we have, have less nutrition.

Ann Arbor officials at the City Council meeting at Larcom City Hall on April 3, 2023.Ryan Stanton | The Ann Arbor News

Research suggests pollinators make use of less-intensively maintained lawn spaces, the council resolution states.

Reduced frequency of mowing has been shown to have direct and indirect benefits to pollinator species, including: availability of more floral resources, less production of emissions from fossil fuel powered equipment, reduced noise from powered equipment, reduced compaction of soil, and associated improved stormwater infiltration, it states.

Research also suggests pollinators and other invertebrates rely on fallen leaves and hollow stems of native plants for cover and insulation during winter months, the resolution states.

Officials noted letting a lawn grow up to a foot tall is in compliance with the citys ordinance governing vegetation on private property, which states, On private property, outside of a cultivated bed or planned natural landscape, no vegetation shall be permitted at a height greater than 12 inches.

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GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- A pastor who died in a U.S. 131 wrong-way crash while heading to preach is being remembered as generous and sincere.

Pastor Dean Elliott, 63, of Byron Center died in the 8:30 a.m. Sunday, April 2 crash on U.S. 131 near Burton Street.

Police said Elliott was driving north on the freeway when his vehicle was struck by a wrong-way driver going south.

Elliott, who led a ministry called Abounding Hope, was on his way to a preaching assignment when the crash happened, according to friends who knew him.

A church were Elliott once served, Fennville Assembly of God, recognized the loss in a Facebook post later Sunday.

Our hearts are grieving the sudden loss of our former Pastor Dean Elliott, who was killed in a car accident this morning while on his way to a preaching assignment, the post read.

David Stewart Jr., a pastor at New Life Church in Leominister, MA, knew Elliott for more than 40 years. They attended the same Christian university in Florida in the late 1970s.

He was a good friend, Stewart said.

I would say he was a generous man and a sincere person, he said.

Both Stewart and Elliott served as missionaries at one point and both spent time in India.

Abounding Hope, according to the organizations web site, ministers wherever we are invited and said it often services smaller churches that do not have sufficient funding.

Part of the ministrys services involve drama presentations where Elliott acts, portraying different characters as part of scripture-based skits or presentations.

Elliott came to Stewarts church a few years ago.

He did very well, Stewart said of Elliotts acting skills.

Pastor Joe Coffman of Northpoint Assembly of God in the Holland area said he also knew Elliott for decades.

He was a wonderful guy. He loved his family and he loved the church, Coffman said.

Coffman described Elliott as a missionary evangelist who had visited the Middle East, Africa, Europe and India to train pastors and do other missionary work.

On Sunday, Elliott was driving north to a church in Manistee that did not have a pastor.

Elliott is survived by his wife and two adult children.

Michigan Department of Transportation staff said they have worked diligently to try to prevent wrong-way crashes, but its very challenging to counteract human behavior from a traffic engineering standpoint.

State police earlier said alcohol may have been a factor in the crash. The 30-year-old wrong way driver was critically injured.

Over the years and throughout the state, weve implemented measures to prevent wrong-way drivers and we will continue to do so. Weve installed additional wrong way signage, adjusted the height of wrong way signs, added reflective delineators, and installed wrong-way detection systems. All interchanges are peppered with large red and white signs that say WRONG WAY DO NOT ENTER. The only common factor with these types of crashes is that the driver has been impaired in some way, according to an MDOT statement.

MDOT installed sensors on exit ramps at US 131 and Hall Street, and US 131 at Wealthy Street in downtown Grand Rapids. If a driver goes the wrong way on the ramp, bright LED lights will flash, warning the driver and alerting MDOT officials monitoring highway traffic. They will immediately call police, the statement read.

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GRAND RAPIDS, MI  Grand Rapids is looking to help residents clear eligible criminal convictions from their records with an upcoming expungement fair.

The expungement fair will take place Saturday, May 13, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the Salvation Army Kroc Center, located at 2500 S. Division Ave.

Pre-registration is now open through Wednesday, April 12. People can register at the citys Clean Slate website at this link. On the website, people can find a list of convictions eligible for expungement.

People interested in volunteering at the event can also find out more on the website. Volunteers needed include the general public, notary public and attorneys.

Click here to access the citys Clean Slate website.

Clean Slate is the name of the expungement overhaul legislation state lawmakers passed in fall 2020 that went into effect in April 2021.

The legislation also enacts automatic expungement this month, but not all past convictions qualify for automatic expungement.

The citys Office of Oversight and Public Accountability (OPA) is hosting the expungement fair.

At the expungement event, JARS Cannabis will also be sponsoring a Social Equity Job Fair with felon-friendly employers present, according to OPA. Multiple employers, both inside and outside the cannabis industry, will be present.

Job readiness training will be offered as well.

Generally, most violent crimes, sex crimes, alcohol-related driving offenses, human trafficking and child abuse are not eligible for expungement.

Up to three felonies can be expunged in a lifetime, and there is no expungement limit on misdemeanors and lesser traffic offenses.

The wait period before a person can begin the expungement process for an eligible conviction varies. The clock on the wait period starts on the date of whichever happened last: sentencing, completed probation, discharged from parole or released from prison.

For one felony, the waiting period is five years. For multiple felonies, its seven years. For one or more serious misdemeanors, its five years. For one or more misdemeanors that arent categorized as serious and didnt involve an assault, the wait period is three years.

Misdemeanor marijuana convictions that wouldnt have been a crime following state legalization dont have a wait period to be eligible for expungement.

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ALLENDALE, MI  Student workers at Grand Valley State University are calling for higher student wages, some walking out of their campus jobs on Tuesday as part of a protest urging the university to increase pay.

Roughly 50 undergraduate students participated in the campus protest Tuesday, April 4, carrying signs and chanting for higher wages in a demonstration underneath Cook Carillon Tower. Some of the students, including about nine from an on-campus Starbucks, also staged a walk-out from their jobs as part of the protest.

The student workers are calling on GVSU to institute a campuswide minimum wage of $15 an hour. Freshman Jacob Welch, one of the protest organizers, said $15 is a livable, competitive wage for students who already struggle with the costly expenses associated with attending college like tuition, room and board.

The average worker here gets paid around $10.70 an hour, which is unacceptable. Its not a livable wage, said Welch, 19, of Grand Haven. This is a must for many university student workers.

Students want to see changes made to the university pay scale by the start of the fall 2023 semester, Welch told MLive.

At GVSU, student wages currently range from $10.10 to $17.70 per hour, according to the universitys website. A students hourly rate is calculated based on their job duties, skill level and required experience.

Many students are forced to work a job on campus because they dont have transportation to get to off-campus jobs, where they are more likely to earn higher wages and be allowed to work more hours, said Marley Tommola, a junior from Holland.

A lot of the population of student workers on campus are freshman, and they cant have a car or cant afford a car, which means that they have to accept that they just have to be paid like (expletive), she said.

Tommola is a student manager at the campus Starbucks, where she makes about $11 an hour and works 25 hours a week, which is the maximum amount of hours per week that students are allowed to work. She said its difficult to afford groceries, rent and gas with her current wages.

Tuition at this school is already high enough, and they expect us to pay that with a student wage that amounts to basically nothing, she said. A lot of us dont have money to buy groceries every week, a lot of us cant afford to live near campus, a lot of us have cars and cant even afford to buy gas.

Jenny Hall-Jones, GVSU vice president for Student Affairs, said the university has created a task force to look into the issue of raising student wages.

In response to Tuesdays protest, GVSU provided the following statement from Hall-Jones:

At GVSU, student wages are important because we know financial stability is central to student success. Students who work on campus have better retention rates than the non-campus working population. We believe this is because on-campus employment offers students schedule flexibility as well as support from university staff and supervisors.

That is why we have made it a priority to create a university-wide student wage task force to explore all aspects of student employment, including wages, wage chart revisions and market comparisons as well as professional development and linking student employment experiences to their career aspirations.

Our administrators are proud of our students for standing up for what they believe in and encourage those who want to be part of the internal working group to contact the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs.

The issue of student wages was raised during public comment at the Feb. 24 GVSU Board of Trustees meeting, where four students from GVSUs Young Democratic Socialists of America (YDSA) group spoke to trustees about increasing student wages on campus.

Related: New dorms, tech center among campus projects in Grand Valley States 10-year plan

YDSA president Foster Thorburn, who spoke at the meeting, told trustees that the universitys student wages are below the living wage in Ottawa County (where the main campus is in Allendale) and disproportionately impacts GVSUs international students, who make up a large share of student workers within the dining services.

He said the living wage for Ottawa County is $17.16 an hour, whereas the highest wage available for students is $17.70.

GVSU President Philomena Mantella said in a statement to MLive following that board meeting that this issue was one we care deeply about because we care about our students.

We have people from our financial aid, business and student affairs offices actively engaged in improving student employment, opportunities and their direct connection to career and learning. We are grateful for the students input, and we are reviewing all matters of student employment.

Thornburn told MLive Tuesday that he met with the vice president for Student Affairs after the Feb. 24 board meeting to discuss student wages, but that he was ultimately displeased with the universitys efforts to look into increasing wages. He said students are skeptical about universitys creation of a task force to explore the issue.

What the university is doing right now is following the trend of things where concern gets raised in a strong way on campus, and the university creates a committee on the issue, and then our students graduate, Thornburn said.

We believe like the university uses committees, to basically wait out students.

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GRAND RAPIDS, MI  The family of NASA astronaut Christina Hammock Koch could not be more excited after finding out shes headed to the moon as part of the Artemis II space mission.

Koch, who was born in Grand Rapids, was selected Monday as one of four astronauts to be the first group to travel to the moon for the first time in more than 50 years. Koch spent summers working on her familys farm in Comstock Park.

Koch, a mission specialist, will be joined on the space flight by Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover and Canadian Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen. This will be Kochs second flight into space after serving for three expeditions on the International Space Station.

While on the International Space Station, Koch set the record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman (328 days) and participated in the first-ever all-female spacewalk in 2019.

As Koch was taking part in that historic spacewalk, her aunt, Loretta Homrich, was livestreaming the spacewalk on her iPad for customers to see at the family farm stand where Koch worked as a girl. Homrich said the family cant wait to see Koch in space again.

Its just been text messages and calling each other and saying how excited we are, Homrich told MLive/The Grand Rapids Press. Its all monumental. Were very excited and most of all proud.

Related: NASAs first moon crew in 50 years includes record-setting astronaut from Michigan

When Koch was a child, Homrich taught the future astronaut how to run the cash register and pull weeds at Under the Pines Farm on Alpine Avenue NW in Comstock Park. Originally run by Kochs grandparents, Walter and Dolores Homrich, the farm was later run by Loretta and her husband, Dave.

I remember us going out to the field pulling weeds by all the melons, Loretta Homrich said of Kochs summers on the West Michigan farm. She used to make some really amazing signs for the tomatoes and the apples with clever sayings. Shes very artistic.

The Artemis II mission is expected to launch on NASAs Orion capsule in November 2024. The 10-day flight will not land on the moon, but will fly around the moon and head back to Earth. If successful, the Artemis program expects to plan a lunar landing in 2025.

Koch, 44, has previously credited her grandmother, Dolores, for instilling in her a strong work ethic. Though her grandmother died in June of 2019, she got to see Koch in space during a family video call from the International Space Station. Homrich said she wishes Kochs grandparents could see her go to space for a second time.

I know Grandma and Grandpa would just be extremely proud, Homrich said. Grandma would be just absolutely bubbled over.

Koch, who has a masters degree in electrical engineering, is currently serving as the NASA Johnson Space Center directors assistant for technical integration.

She doesnt take it lightly and she doesnt take it for granted, Homrich said. Shes just an awesome young lady. Its a dream come true for her, and for all of us to experience this with her. We just pray that everything goes well.

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WEST OLIVE, MI  The new, further right Ottawa County Board of Commissioners wants to lift a ban by the previous board that forbids them from issuing resolutions of support or opposition on topics outside the countys authority and role, such as gun control, abortion and more.

The measure to rescind the previous boards Board Resolutions Policy passed the Ottawa County Boards Planning and Policy Committee on Tuesday, April 4, with an 8-1 vote and will now move to the full board for final approval.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI  In a crowded hallway outside a Grand Rapids courtroom, dozens of police supporters wearing Back The Blue T-shirts, were present to show their support for then-Grand Rapids police officer Christopher Schurr, who was arraigned on a second-degree murder charge.

At the same time, supporters of Patrick Lyoya, the Black motorist who was fatally shot by Schurr, were there yelling Justice for Patrick at those standing with Schurr. There were more than 60 people gathered when a heated exchange ensued between the two groups, with Lyoya supporters accusing Schurrs backers of justifying murder.
KALAMAZOO, MI  Saugatuck Brewing is about ready to open at its new downtown Kalamazoo location.

The brewing company will open Monday, April 10, at its new location, 200 E. Michigan Ave, with a ribbon cutting at noon. That spot used to be home to the Olde Peninsula Brewpub and Restaurant, which closed in July 2021.

Saugatuck Brewing is based in Douglas (just south of Saugatuck) and also has a location in Grand Rapids. It closed its previous Kalamazoo location, 140 S. Westnedge Ave., in June 2022 to make the move.

At Saugatuck Brewing Company, we pride ourselves on being a cozy and lively, yet laid-back atmosphere, offering a quintessential space to surround yourself with good company and enjoy fresh craft beer, delicious pub fare, and great conversations! the brewery said in a Facebook post April 4, announcing the grand opening.

The space has 169 seats and will feature 13 taps, as well as cocktails. The food menu features everything from smash burgers to a vegan Mediterranean bowl.

The plan was to open months sooner in the new location, but it took longer than expected to get things approved, Michael Biddick, food and beverage director with Saugatuck, previously told the Kalamazoo Gazette/MLive.

Related: Saugatuck Brewing Co. targets 2023 opening date at new Kalamazoo location

While we anticipated opening much sooner, we were faced with unexpected challenges, resulting in an extended delay, the Facebook post said. However, with spirits high, we have been all hands on deck to finish up the project so we can once again open our doors to our friends, family, neighbors and Kalamazoo visitors.

There have been numerous renovations, including replacing all tap lines, removing some of the window coverings and painting to lighten up the space, replacing the vinyl in the booths and taking out some carpet and replacing it with a commercial vinyl flooring with a wood feel, Biddick said. The wood flooring in the room off East Michigan Avenue is staying as it was, he said.

Saugatuck will brew beer on site, including traditional favorites and some new, location-specific beers. The first new one is called O.P.P.  short for Olde Peninsula Porter  to pay tribute to the buildings heritage.

Private label liquor and wine will also be served on site.

Saugatuck Brewing is open noon to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday and noon to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Want more Kalamazoo-area news? Bookmark the local Kalamazoo news page or sign up for the free 3@3 Kalamazoo daily newsletter.

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BAY CITY, MI - Business owners throughout Bay City are rallying together to support those who were impacted by a fire in the Midland Street Business District.

On April 4, crews responded to a structure fire at the corner of Linn and Vermont Street. The building housed Modes Tavern and JRs All Star Haircuts for Men as well as apartments. Intense smoke and persistent flames kept crews busy as they battled the blaze throughout the morning into the afternoon and the building sustained significant damage.

The fire caught the attention of multiple area business owners who sprang into action to help out their colleagues and the displaced tenants by pledging to donate portions of their sales and to collect donations.

Shay and Jason Podleski, owners of Barneys Bar & Grill in Bay Citys South End, were one of the first ones to announce a donation drive. In fact, the couple made the announcement while the fire was still raging that they were donating 10% of their sales and collecting private donations for Modes Tavern owners Matt and Jill Nemode and their family.

We cant imagine if it happened to us as a business owner but also our employees. We know what COVID did to our employees by not being open, said Shay Podleski.

Barneys will be collecting their donations over the next week.

Podleski explained that the Nemodes been active in the community by hosting various fundraisers and that they can often be seen promoting their fellow business owners and their establishments. Even though the Podelskis havent officially met the owners of Modes, they emphasized how they are a positive force in the small business community.

The owners of Modes, we personally have not met them, but just through the community and Facebook and whatnot they have shared our posts, they come in here, theyre patrons of here, they bring in people, Shay Podleski said.

Other businesses are also lending a helping hand after the fire. The Rathskeller, one of the nearby establishments in the Midland Street Business District, is donating 20% of their sales over the next couple of days to the tenants that lived above Modes and Jrs Haircuts. The Rathskeller also posted on social media that it is working to find out what items are needed for the tenants and that it will be taking donations as well for them.

Dusos Bar on Midland Street is having a buy a shot, give a shot donation drive on Tuesday, April 4. Every shot bought will be matched with a donation.

Our Midland Street Community is in pure devastation with the recent events happening to our Modes family and surrounding businesses and homes, said Dusos in a statement on social media. Were Midland Street strong, and will rise from these ashes! In leu of this travesty Dusos will be paying it forward the Modes way.

Downtown businesses are also stepping up to the challenge. Populace Coffee owner Andrew Heppner announced that the shop will also donate 10% of its sales to Modes Tavern and its staff over the next week

Beavers Pub in downtown posted on social media that it will be donating 20% of sales while accepting private donations over the next week to give directly to the family and staff of Modes Tavern.

Our thought and prayers go out to everyone affected by this tragedy, said the restaurant on social media.

Os Pub and Grill in Auburn announced that it is donating 100% of its food sales on Tuesday to help Modes and JRs employees.

This is not a comprehensive list of all the businesses that are starting fundraisers for those impacted by the fire since this is still a developing situation

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SAGINAW, MI  Covenant HealthCare and two physicians have paid more than $69 million in three related civil settlements to resolve possible False Claims Act violations.

Details of the settlements and the investigation that led to them were recently announced by United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison, Special Agent in Charge Mario M. Pinto of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), Chicago Regional Office, Special Agent in Charge Scott Pierce, U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General, Central Area Field Office and Special Agent in Charge Patrick J. Hegarty, Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), Northeast Field Office.

The Saginaw-based regional hospital system paid $69 million to resolve allegations under the False Claims Act of improper financial relationships with eight referring physicians and a physician-owned investment group, resulting in the submission of false claims to the Medicare, Medicaid, TRICARE and FECA programs, according to a news release issued by the U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Attorneys Office, Eastern District of Michigan. Two of these physicians, neurosurgeon Dr. Mark Adams and electrophysiologist Dr. Asim Yunus, will pay the United States $406,551.15 and $345,987.54, respectively, to resolve allegations related to their relationships with Covenant.

The Anti-Kickback Statute prohibits offering, paying, soliciting, or receiving remuneration to induce referrals of items or services covered by Medicare, Medicaid, and other federally-funded programs, according to the release. The Physician Self-Referral Law, commonly known as the Stark Law, prohibits a hospital from billing Medicare for certain services referred by physicians with whom the hospital has an improper financial arrangement, including the payment of compensation that exceeds the fair market value of the services actually provided by the physician and the provision of free or below-market rent. Both the Anti-Kickback Statute and the Stark Law are intended to ensure that physicians medical judgments are not compromised by improper financial incentives and instead are based on the best interests of their patients.

The settlement with Covenant resolves the following allegations:

At various points between 2006 to 2016, Covenant had contracts with Yunus, Dr. Kimiko Sugimoto, Dr. Sujal Patel, Dr. Sussan Bays, Dr. Guy Boike and Dr. Thomas Damuth to serve as medical directors, and none of these arrangements satisfied any exceptions to the Stark Law or the AKS, such that referrals these physicians made to Covenant violated the False Claims Act.

From June 1, 2006, to Dec. 14, 2009, Covenant employed Adams, and this financial relationship did not satisfy any exception to the Stark Law, such that referrals for designated health care services by Adams to Covenant were prohibited and violated the False Claims Act.

From Jan. 21, 2009, through July 31, 2013, Covenant rented office space to Dr. Ernie Balcueva. Covenant forgave Balcuevas rent payments, constituting remuneration that Covenant paid in exchange for referrals from Balcueva in violation of the AKS and the False Claims Act, and creating a financial relationship that did not meet any exception to the Stark Law, also violating the False Claims Act.

Covenant permitted Covenant Physician Investment Group (CPIG), a group owned by Covenant-employed physicians for the purpose of purchasing large medical equipment that CPIG would lease to Covenant, to secure an equipment lease through non-arms-length negotiations, in order to induce referrals of patients from these physicians, in violation of the AKS and the False Claims Act.

As a result of this settlement, which was finalized in 2021, Covenant paid the United States $67,191,436.39 and the state of Michigan $1,808,563.61. This settlement remained under seal while the United States continued its investigation into Adams and Yunus, which led to the settlements with Adams and Yunus, the release states. Consistent with the terms of their respective settlement agreements with the United States, Adams paid the United States $406,551.15, and Yunus will pay the United States $345,987.54.

The civil settlements resolve the claims brought by Dr. Stacy Goldsholl under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act. Under these provisions, a private party may file an action on behalf of the United States and receive a portion of any recovery. The qui tam case is captioned United States ex rel. Goldsholl v. Covenant Healthcare System, et al., No. 12-15422 (E.D. Mich.). The whistleblower will receive a combined $12,384,927.36 from the three settlements. The claims resolved by the settlements are allegations only; there has been no determination or admission of liability, according to the release.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonny Zajac of the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Eastern District of Michigan investigated this matter with assistance from HHS-OIG, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service and the United States Postal Service-OIG.

Covenants corporate compliance department and administration have updated and strengthened numerous policies, procedures and protocols to ensure all applicable laws, rules and guidelines are followed, according to a statement issued by the health system. Covenant took these actions, in order to identify, address and eliminate the types of issues which led to the governments investigation, and that focus is ongoing.

Covenant officials said the financial impact of the investigation and settlements did not and will not disrupt Covenants ongoing community based medical focus or financial stability. Just as important, Covenant was and is not subject to a Corporate Integrity Agreement (CIA), as is often imposed in governmental resolutions of this type. Covenant believes this is in large part due to the age of the claims, as well as the corrective actions and internal scrutiny expeditiously implemented so as to remain consistently compliant into the future.

In a statement, Covenant President and CEO Beth Charlton said, While unfortunate, this investigation and resulting settlement did not impair our ability and primary focus to serve the community. Through it all, weve entered a 25-year partnership with the CMU College of Medicine, started new joint ventures, completed the new Mary Free Bed at Covenant HealthCare Rehabilitation facility, and most importantlywe cared for patients from across the region during and past the pandemic.

While I did not and do not take the settlement amount lightly, the investigation has not inhibited our care delivery and will not disrupt future plans for growth. Leaderships commitment to our investment in the community, and the development of new, innovative healthcare programs remains strong and go forward. In 2021, we put this chapter behind us and now continue looking ahead to Covenants extraordinary future of serving patients and families.

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A man who federal prosecutors said was the leader in a multimillion dollar narcotics trafficking ring that stretched from Mexico to Buffalo was sentenced Tuesday in U.S. District Court to serve 27 years in federal prison.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Adrian Goudelock, 40, also known as Ace Boogs, was convicted on a charge of conspiring to possess, with intent to distribute, and distributing, five kilograms or more of cocaine. Goudelock was additionally convicted of attempted possession and possession of five kilograms or more of cocaine, and money laundering conspiracy.

Prosecutors said an investigation began in October 2017 after law enforcement seized about 10 kilograms of cocaine and $259,960 in cash being shipped from El Paso, Texas, to Buffalo. Bulk shipments of cocaine were delivered to Goudelock in the Buffalo area. A total of 77 kilograms of cocaine were delivered to Buffalo and nearly $1 million in bulk U.S. currency was seized during the investigation.

Twelve defendants were charged and convicted in the case. An additional 21 defendants were charged in the Eastern District of Kentucky and the Northern District of Ohio, resulting in the seizure of an additional $2 million cash and about 41 kilograms of cocaine, prosecutors said.
SAGINAW, MI  A Bridgeport Township real estate developer with a history of investments in Saginaw hopes to attract a grocery store chain to a vacant Walgreens near the old Saginaw County fairgrounds, he said.

Anthony Denha said he was in talks with two very large grocery outlets considering moving into the vacant property at 3424 E. Genesee, near Hess, by fall 2024.

To entice investors, he plans to spend $1.7 million rehabilitating the old Walgreens building, he said.

The Saginaw City Council may have helped in his plans to remodel the old pharmacy when the governing body during a Monday, April 3, meeting OKd his request for an obsolete property rehabilitation district designation.

The program essentially freezes the value of a property at its current level and keeps it there for up to a 12-year period. That means, for that time period, owners will not pay the higher taxes that result as the property value increases after renovations.

The former Walgreens was vandalized after it was left vacant in 2020, city records indicated. Denha said the rehabilitation plans in part would repair the damage to electrical and plumbing components.

The $1.7 million investment also would involve replacement of the roof, heating and air conditioning unit installation, and work involving flooring and ceilings, city records showed.

The former Walgreens site, built in 2000, measures 15,000 square feet. Denha purchased the property last year for $565,000, city records stated.

Denhas history preparing properties for new ownership includes repurposing the former Kroger on State and Warwick. Denhas investment there paved the way for a plaza that now hosts a Family Dollar and Dollar Tree. Separate investments from Denha also landed Lume, a marijuana dispensary, in a former bank on that same corner.

Denha said obsolete property rehabilitation district designations helped his development plans at those locations.

Its been a very, very important tool for us to use and attract tenants, the real estate developer said.

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TAYLOR, MI -- Marvin Bagley III has entered concussion protocol after suffering a neck injury during the Detroit Pistons loss to the Orlando Magic on Sunday night. But the injury did not stop the 610 forward from giving back to the community a day later.

On Monday, members of the Pistons organization and grocery-chain Kroger paid a special trip to the Gleaners Community Food Bank of Southeastern Michigan. As part of their Points for Pounds (PFP) food security initiative, Kroger representatives, Bagley and members of the Pistons organization sorted and packed several hundred bags of food to be distributed throughout the Detroit community.

Before his visit, Bagley heard of Gleaners through conversation. But Monday was his first visit to the facility in Taylor. After learning more about their history and community efforts, Bagley plans to partner with the local food bank in the future.

You kind of get caught up in day-to-day routine and day-to-day life and our schedules can get hectic at times and you kind of lose track of what are the important things in life, Bagley told MLive. And when you think about it, it goes deeper than me being able to score a point, score a basket and dunk a ball. It is definitely more than that and to be able to understand that and get backgrounded in that and to be here and be present in that in the moment is definitely a good feeling for me.

Especially coming up where I came from and knowing how I felt as a kid in certain situations, being able to be here to give back is definitely an amazing blessing.

The Pistons and Kroger have partnered on the PFP initiative all season long. Kroger donates one pound of food to the Gleaners for each point the Pistons score at home. The Detroit-based foodbank is the oldest one in America, serving five counties in Southeastern Michigan, and partnering with nearly 600 agencies, food pantries, soup kitchens, and schools.

Kroger also presented Gleaners with a check for $10,000 as part of the PFP initiative as well.

Were grateful for the partnership with Kroger and the Pistons, Gleaners Director of Donor Engagement Angela Halverson said. And were grateful for our donors that have helped provide the food and the funds that we needed to purchase this food so that we can serve our community.

Bagley wasnt alone in his giveback efforts on Monday. World-record holder and competitive food-eating icon Joey Chestnut was also in attendance, helping Bagley and the Pistons organization.

Every time I do any event, I try to do something with a food charity because food is thing in life and nobody should be hungry, literally, Chestnut said. (In) a lot of eating contests there usually is an initiative already built in. Because competitive eating, sometimes it gets bad rap, but really what were doing is celebrating food in competitive eating. And everybody really should be able to eat until theyre full. And its absolutely ridiculous that there are people in this world that through circumstances, arent able to do it.

Additionally, Chestnut will participate in a special activation during the Pistons vs. Miami Heat game on Tuesday at Little Caesars Arena. During the second quarter, Chestnut will attempt to raise money for food insecurity in Detroit by participating in a Detroit coney dog eating contest -- the first time Chestnut will have ever tried one.
For the first time in American history, a former president  Donald Trump  was placed under arrest. But the awe of unprecedented times was short-lived on Tuesday afternoon as political reactions crept into the historic moment.

Michigan Republican Party chair Kristina Karamo called the prosecution politically motivated in a tweet, and Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt, R-Lawton, told MLive its a ridiculous maneuver.

The American people should be appalled by this case of political persecution and outraged by the current state of our judicial system, tweeted Ben Carson, the Detroit-born U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development under Trump.

Meshawn Maddock, the most recent co-chair of the Michigan Republican Party, responded with the news on Twitter with Trumps slogan  Make American Great Again  and a photo of him raising a fist to supporters outside the courthouse.

Trump, the one-term Republican president who is running again in 2024, arrived at a Manhattan courthouse just after 1 p.m. Thursday in an eight-car motorcade that drove from Trump Tower. Wearing a dark suit and red tie, he waved to a crowd before walking inside and surrendering to New York State authorities.

Seems so SURREAL  WOW, they are going to ARREST ME, the ex-president wrote on social media. Cant believe this is happening in America. MAGA!

Catch up: Trump surrenders to NY authorities ahead of arraignment

Trump was not placed in handcuffs nor put into a jail cell, but his fingerprints were electronically scanned. In a courtroom, he faced a judge who arraigned him on 34 charges of falsifying business records. Trump pleaded not guilty.

The charges stem from a $130,000 hush money payment Trumps former attorney, Michael Cohen, says he was directed, during the 2016 campaign, to pay adult film actress Stormy Daniels for silence about a past affair with Trump.

I think its playing right into his hands, said David Dulio, a political science professor at Oakland University who believes Trump will use the trial to consolidate support.

Trumps campaign has already said it raised more than $8 million in the days after his indictment. And polls conducted after the indictment show him with healthy leads over 2024 primary challengers.

Even some of Trumps detractors have even shown their support. Jeb Bush, who Trump relentlessly attacked in the 2016 primary, questioned the cases legitimacy. And former Michigan congressman Peter Meijer, who voted to impeach Trump in 2021, called the case fing weak sauce.

But energizing his base for a primary fight is different than appealing to a wider audience in November.

I think it all changes when we start talking about the general [election], Dulio told MLive. ... Independents left him in 2018 and didnt come back in 20 or 22. And this certainly isnt going to help win over persuadable voters.

Sam Inglot, deputy director of liberal advocacy group Progress Michigan, said in a statement that Trumps status as a former president doesnt change the facts of the case  facts a grand jury made up of everyday Americans decided were substantial enough evidence for this indictment.

Related: Michigan Republicans decry Trump indictment as court showdown looms

After his indictment on Friday, March 31, more Michigan Republicans came to his defense, calling Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Braggs case politically motivated.

Congressmen Bill Huizenga, Tim Walberg and Jack Bergman spoke out against it, with the latter saying the unprecedented prosecution will cause irreversible damage.

Trump is scheduled to return to his home in Florida Tuesday evening to give a speech.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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Root canals, crowns, gum disease now covered by Medicaid in Michigan

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Michigan adults with Medicaid will soon have more dental services covered under their insurance, including sealants, root canals, and crowns.

More dental providers may also be incentivized to accept Medicaid patients after the state announced Monday, April 3, an investment to expand dental benefits and increase provider reimbursement to 100% of the average commercial rate.

The states investment will include $85.1 million in increased reimbursement to dental providers, plus about $30 million to fund the redesigned benefits, according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. About 65% of the funds come from federal Medicaid dollars, with the rest coming as a state match from the FY2023 general fund.

Medicaid beneficiaries who are 21 and older will have the same services covered as before, including X-rays, teeth cleanings, fillings, extractions, and dentures. Additional covered services include deep teeth cleanings, sealants, root canals, crowns, and treatment of periodontal (gum) disease.

Elizabeth Hertel, director of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, said the change recognizes the strong correlation between oral and physical health outcomes.

With better services and closer care coordination, we can maximize opportunities to create healthy outcomes for beneficiaries of all ages while also expanding the number of providers so Michigans residents can get care where and when they need it, Hertel said in a prepared statement.

Dr. Vince Benivegna, president of the Michigan Dental Association, said dentists previously lost money by treating adult Medicaid patients due to the low reimbursement rates. According to him, those reimbursement rates havent changed in 30 years, resulting in the majority of dentists declining to accept Medicaid.

As small business owners this was not sustainable, he said. The new rates recognize the value of quality care and will allow more dental health providers to treat Medicaid patients.

Wait times for Medicaid patients can be 6 months or longer to see a dentist, Benivegna said, with heavy backlogs of patients. During that wait, small problems like minor cavities can worsen, resulting in more extensive and expensive treatment like root canals and extractions.

Related: Bombed out mouth: Dentists seeing more oral health disasters since COVID-19

By increasing reimbursement to the average commercial rate, Benivegna anticipates more providers will sign-up to accept Medicaid patients. Hes already received calls to the association asking how to sign-up, and is planning an MDA webinar to spread the word.

In the past, you go to a provider and theyre like, Mr. Smith, you need to have your tooth extracted because thats all Medicaid will pay for,; he said. A lot of people had treatable conditions but it was like, Medicaid isnt paying for that for us to provide those treatments so well have to pull your tooth.

Medicaid is the nations public health insurance program for millions of people, including low-income adults, children, pregnant women, elderly adults and people with disabilities. There are approximately 2 million adults on Medicaid in Michigan who could benefit from this change, according to MDHHS.

Medicaid beneficiaries will receive their dental benefits through their health plan, which includes a dental provider network and care coordination. There arent annual maximums for coverage like private insurance plans, though there may be limits on the number of procedures covered each year.

The states dental coverage expansion was praised by the Michigan Association of Health Plans, a group representing 11 health care plans that cover more than 3.5 million Michigan residents.

This change will lead to more positive health outcomes for Michigan residents by ensuring that routine dental services are covered while also enhancing provider care coordination, said MAHP Executive Director Dominick Pallone in a prepared statement.

Beneficiaries with questions can call the free beneficiary help line at 800-642-3195) or by emailing beneficiarysupport@michigan.gov. Providers can call 800-292-2550 or email providersupport@michigan.gov.

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Michigan Age-Friendly Action Plan aims to make it easier for adults to age in place

Michigan's Age-Friendly Action Plan has established a blueprint that's helping Michiganders ages 50 and older remain connected, feel respected, and live more independently within their communities.
A renowned Ghanaian rapper Flowking Stone, known as Kwaku Nsia Boama, has revealed that he deliberately refused to moved to Accra to prove that success is possible in Kumasi.

According to Flowking Stone, most Kumasi-based musicians relocate to Accra, the national capital, believing it is the only way to make it big in the music industry.

However, Flowking Stone chose to stay in Kumasi to inspire up-and-coming rappers that they could achieve their dreams anywhere in Ghana.

From 2003 till date, it was always about Kumasi. I was supposed to move to Accra to compete with the big rappers but I decided to stay to let them [young rappers] know you can make it in Kumasi," he said in an interview on Adom TV's Showtime.

Flowking Stone now sees himself as a pillar for musicians in Kumasi, helping pave the way for success that starts from the Ashanti regional capital.

Though Accra undoubtedly offers more opportunities, Flowking Stone has proved that dedication, talent and hard work can lead to prominence from anywhere.

The rapper continues to live and work in Kumasi, though not active in recent times, has released hit songs and mentoring young artistes seeking to make a name for themselves.
Former Deputy General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Samuel Koku has made a proposal for the party to hold an economic debate for all presidential aspirant hopefuls.

In a post on social media, the sidelined NDC member argued that since the party says the 2024 general elections will be about the economy, then it is only right if flagbearer hopefuls are made to have a debate on the Ghanaian economy.

Since we agree the economy is facing serious challenges & the 2024 general elections will be about the economy, it would not be out of place for our great NDC to allow one live debate on the economy among the Flagbearer hopefuls in order for the larger NDC family to assess them, Samuel Koku Anyidoho shared on Twitter.

Flagbearer aspirants of the opposition NDC are currently busy selling their messages to delegates for votes in the upcoming presidential primaries of the party.

Former President John Dramani Mahama is facing strong competition from the former Governor of the Bank of Ghana, Dr. Kwabena Duffuor.
Kwaku Ofosu Frimpong

03.04.2023 LISTEN

The Government of Ghana (GoG) has received recommendation from the international community following the implementation of flagship programs and policies in the country, particularly in the education sector.

According to an International Business consultant, the implementation of Free Senior High school (FSHS) and other policies like one District One Factory, and Planting for Food and Jobs, are ameliorating lives.

Critically examining the direction of Ghana, in terms of education, the country is heading a positive direction. It's this reason many of us are supporting the NPP administration, Mr. Kwaku Ofosu Frimpong stated.

He however, thanked President Akufo-Addo for the laudable policies and programs which are seeking to change the lives of the citizenry.

Mr. Ofosu Frimpong had earlier sponsored holiday classes for students in the Ahafo Ano North constituency in the Ashanti Region, donating over 1000 exercise books to the over 250 students who benefitted from the holiday classes.

At a short ceremony, the philanthropist, admonished students, parents, and guardians to monitor their school-going children against engaging in bad behaviour such as smoking, drug abuse, and teenage pregnancy.

You need to take your studies seriously and believe in yourselves that you are capable of reaching any height in life once you put your mind to it. Most of the big people in society today were once like you, but because they took their education seriously they have got to where they are today, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of KKF Ventures emphasised.
The trial relating to the 1980 bombing of a synagogue in Paris  that killed four and left dozens injured  has opened in the capital. Hassan Diab, the Canadian academic accused of the attack, is being tried in absentia.

The special Paris assize court, which has jurisdiction over terrorism cases, has begun examining the so-called rue Copernic bombing 43 years after it occurred.

Four people were killed and 46 wounded when a bomb attached to a motorcycle exploded outside a synagogue on rue Copernic in the west of Paris on the evening of 3 October, 1980, as people were celebrating the Jewish festival of Simchat Torah.

It was the first deadly attack on the Jewish community in France since World War II.

The sole defendant is 69-year-old Canadian academic Hassan Diab.

He is not expected to appear at the trial and the court will therefore try him in absentia on charges of murder, attempted murder and destruction of property as part of a criminal conspiracy.

Long legal process

The trial represents the latest stage in a 15-year legal process that started with Diab's arrest by the Canadian police (RCMP) in 2008, at the request of France, which was seeking his extradition for allegedly planting the bomb near the synagogue.

French prosecutors relied on evidence linking his handwriting to that of the suspected bomber.

Lebanese-born Diab was extradited to France from Lebanon in 2014 and spent 38 months in prison, mostly in solitary confinement, on charges of first-degree murder.

Diab has always maintained his innocence, saying he was in Lebanon taking university exams at the time of the bombing. Several witnesses, as well as university documents, support his claim.

He was never brought to trial, was released in 2018 without charge, and moved back to Canada.

In 2021, however, France's court of appeal overturned the lower court decision.

A long ordeal

France has not sought Diab's extradition for the Paris trial, but asked him to return voluntarily.

He declined, according to a spokesperson for the Hassan Diab Support Committee in comments made to Canada's Global Mail online.

Civil parties regret Diab's absence but insist the trial must go ahead after more than four decades of waiting and judicial turnabouts.

"It's a good thing that even 43 years later justice is shown to be done," said lawyer Bernard Cahen, adding that it marked "the end of a very long ordeal," for the victims.

No group has ever claimed the bombing but it has been attributed to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine - Special Operations (PFLP-SO). France claims Diab was a member of that group and allegedly assembled and detonated the bomb.

Amnesty International rights group has described the trial as "baseless and flawed".

If found guilty, Diab faces life imprisonment.

A verdict is expected on 21 April.
03.04.2023 LISTEN

Flagbearer aspirant of the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) John Dramani Mahama has thanked businessman Ernest Kobeah for withdrawing from the flagbearership race to support him.

According to Mr Mahama, the decision by the businessman to step down from the race despite paying nomination fees is exemplary.

In a Facebook post on Monday, 3 April 2023, Mr Mahama said: Thank you Ernest Kobeah for your magnanimity in offering me your support to lead our great party, the NDC, to the 2024 elections.

He continued that: Your decision to step down from the contest, even after paying in full the filing fees pegged for the contest is exemplary.

May the NDC get better and stronger, Mr Mahama added.

Mr Kobeah was part of the four who had filed their nomination to contest the flagbearer slot but he has withdrawn from the race to back former President John Dramani Mahama.

The NDC, Tuesday, 28 March 2023, postponed Mr Kobeahs vetting.

The businessman had been scheduled to appear before the vetting committee on the same day as Dr Kwabena Duffour.

Despite his colleague aspirant Dr Duffour spending not less than an hour and half before the committee, Mr Kobeah spent less than an hour, as his vetting process was put on hold.

Addressing journalists, he revealed that he was asked to return on Wednesday, 29 March 2023.

According to him, there is no issue, just [that], I need to come back tomorrow [Wednesday]. Everything is fine and successful.

Source: classfmonline.com
Reddy Bikeshare is expanding its footprint in state parks along the Niagara River, adding seven new stations at Whirlpool, Devil's Hole, DeVeaux Woods and Niagara Falls state parks this spring, operators of the bicycle sharing program announced Tuesday.

The bike rental program through Shared Mobility is now in its eighth season and will grow to include 113 stations located between Buffalo and Niagara Falls. Conducted in partnership with Independent Health, it allows users to download an app and select an option that allows where users can unlock a rented bike for a set amount of time. The app accepts only credit cards as a form of payment. Riders must be at least 18 years old.

Kathy Glieco, vice president of marketing at Independent Health, said the program featuring the ubiquitous red bicycles started out as a novel way to encourage a healthy, leisurely activity in addition to providing an environmentally friendly means of transportation in Western New York.

"Today, Reddy Bikeshare is an integral part of our community and adding a footprint inside the state park system is going to further enrich the experience of Western New Yorks greatest natural asset for both residents and visitors alike," Glieco said in a statement.

"With strong local roots, Independent Health is truly committed to creating a culture of health in Western New York, and programs like Reddy Bikeshare have a direct and measurable impact on improving the health and wellbeing of our community," she added.

As a result, according Reddy Bikeshare officials, visitors and local residents have, to date, burned a combined 19.1 million calories, which is the equivalent of 40,000 fried chicken wings.

In 2019, Reddy Bikeshare expanded its service into Niagara Falls with a network of 30 stations that included a fleet of 145 bikes. With support from the City of Niagara Falls, Reddy Bikeshare offers all city residents a $1 discounted annual pass, which permits riding a bike at one penny per minute. These station installments make up the largest expansion in Niagara Falls and its first entry into state park land.

Last summer, Reddy Bikeshare installed a new bike station at Frank Lloyd Wright's Darwin Martin House in Buffalo's Elmwood Village neighborhood.

The bikeshare season runs from April through the end of October.
Ten persons, including staff of Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG),accused of stealing GHS2,143,270 being proceeds of pre-paid credit, have been granted bail.

The High Court presided over by Justice Mrs Lydia Osei Marfo, admitted Ali Nasiru Shaibu, a Computer Programmer at the ICT Department, ECG, to bail in the sum of GHS 4 million with two sureties to be justified.

Nine others were also admitted to bail in the sum of GHS300,000 with one surety each to be justified.

They are Grace Gardiner, Chief Supervising Cashier, ECG, Kasoa, Anthony D.K Quaye and Ibrahim Baba Adamu, both Technicians at Kasoa ECG Office.

Five other accused persons who are ECG vendors are Muntari Adamu, Alfred Brown, Gariba Awudu Misbaw, Kwasi Appiah Donkor, Eric Yaw Kyei and Augustina Laniyan.

Shaibu is facing charges of conspiracy to steal, stealing and money laundering.

His alleged accomplices are being held on charges of conspiracy to steal and stealing.

All the accused persons have denied the various charges.

The Court has ordered the Prosecution to file the first set of disclosures on the accused persons and their lawyers and adjourned the matter to April 27. Prosecution is led by Mr Dominic Bakoma, Principal State Attorney.

The case of the prosecution is that in 2003, ECG entered into partnership with a number of ICT companies, including Ghana Electrometer Company to provide prepaid power distribution to its customers in the country.

Prosecutors said ECG therefore designed customised meters for reading of prepaid credit which was installed for customers and customers were charged with prepaid reloadable cards after the credit had been electronically loaded on them.

It said ECG engaged the services of private vendors to sell the prepaid power credits for the companies and installed prepaid dispensing software on their computers.

The Prosecution told the Court that the operations of the private vendors were monitored by the ICT Department of ECG at the Head Office in Accra.

In March 2017, the management of ECG received information that some private vendors in the Volta Region were selling more credit than the quota they had purchased.

It added that those vendors' operations were based on E-cash prepaid metering system.

Prosecution held that investigations conducted revealed that in August 2016, Shaibu travelled to Hohoe to resolve the prepaid connectivity challenge for Misbaw.

During the process, Shaibu and Misbaw allegedly agreed that Shiabu should manipulate the software and send Misbaw to sell without the knowledge of the Hohoe District Office, ECG and afterwards, Shaibu would delete the transaction from the software and they would share the proceeds.

It said as agreed on, Shaibu manipulated the system and sent prepaid credit to Misbaw without following due process leading to the dishonest sale of prepaid credit from August 17, 2016, to March 2017.

Prosecution said during the period, GHS199,351.60 was lost by ECG and Shaibu and Misbaw shared the proceeds.

Additionally, the Prosecution said from August 18, 2016 to March 1, 2017, Shaibu agreed and entered into similar deal with the same modus operandi with Alfred Brown, the sixth accused person and he dishonestly sold prepaid credit worth GHS 1,203, 249.26 and they allegedly shared the proceeds.

Prosecution said with the same modus operandi, Shaibu together with Muntaru Adamu, Donkor, Kyei and other accused persons, shared proceeds of prepaid credit sales.

Investigations revealed that all the accused persons dishonestly appropriated a total sum of GHS2,143, 270.15 belonging to ECG.

During interrogation, accused persons refunded GHS282,600.

Prosecution said the Police had also retrieved an unregistered Toyota Highlander Station Wagon and a Mercedes Benz from Shaibu.

It said the Police identified two houses located at Amasaman in the Greater Accra Region and another at Bohyen Junction, Kumasi, all belonging to Shaibu and it is alleged that the items mentioned were proceeds of the crime.

GNA
03.04.2023 LISTEN

A 50-year-old man, Agbezuke Seyram, an aluminium fabricator, is in the custody of the Amasaman Divisional Police Command over assault on staff of the Electricity Company (ECG) of Ghana at Obeyeyie, suburb in the Amasaman Municipality, allegedly.

The assault took place when a team of ECG staff visited his premises as part of the Company's ongoing disconnection exercise to audit customer service connections, identify illegalities and retrieve unpaid bills owed it.

The team upon reaching Seyrams metal fabrication Company, discovered that he had allegedly bypassed the meter that served his Company and using power for free.

The team informed him of the discovery and attempted to disconnect the power but the customer protested and threatened the team.

He, thereafter, called a group of men believed to be land guards to the scene where they manhandled the team members, shoved them out of the premises and caused injury to a staff in the process.

Madam Angelina Anno, Acting General Manager, ECG Accra West Region, condemned threats and attacks on staff of the Company on legitimate duties.

She said ECG in collaboration with the security agencies would ensured that the staff always worked in a congenial atmosphere, warning that the Company would take legal actions persons, who attacked and impeded the work of the staff.

Madam Anno advised customers to desist from engaging in illegal connections.

These illegal activities negatively affect the financial fortunes of the Company and delay the rollout of planned system improvement projects, she said.

The Accra West region has eight operational districts being Ablekuma, Achimota, Amasaman, Bortianor, Dansoman, Kaneshie, Korlebu and Nsawam.

GNA
Minister of Communication and Digitalisation Ursula Owusu-Ekuful has come under intense criticism for naming a library and tech hub after her mother.

The Christiana Akua Brago Diawuo Library and Tech Hub was was inaugurated on Thursday, March 30 at Akim Oda in the Eastern Region.

The facility was constructed at the instance of the Minister but supported by the Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications (GIFEC), Huawei Ghana, MTN Ghana and the Ghana Library Authority (GhLA).

This has incensed some Ghanaians, who think the facility appears to be part of state-capture by officials of the incumbent government.

Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia was at the event as the Special Guest of Honour.

Recounting my past and acknowledging the contributions of my mother, Christina Akua Brago Diawuo, which has propelled me to my current state, I can only be thankful, the Communications Minister wrote on Facebook.

Thank you, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, for joining me to inaugurate 'The Christina Akua Brago Diawuo Library and Technology hub' at Akim Oda, an honour to my mother.

-3news.com
The Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei-Mensah is facing widespread condemnation after angrily confronting school feeding caterers who are protesting non-payment of their allowances.

A video circulating on social media captured the minister shouting at a group of women in charge of implementing government's school feeding program.

While shouting and chanting that their allowances have not been paid for months, the minister is heard yelling angrily at them to vacate the premises of the regional coordinating council immediately.

The action has sparked outrage, with many Ghanaians calling on President Akufo-Addo to sack the appointee for lack of empathy. Others believe he is unfit to manage the region.

Such attitude and conduct is unacceptable. The minister lacks emotional intelligence to manage the region's affairs. He must resign or be fired, a Twitter user who shared the video said.

Another commented: The way he manhandled those poor women is appalling. As a leader, he should listen to the concerns of the people, not bully them. Akufo-Addo must take bold action!

Several others have also condemned Osei-Mensah's behavior, describing it as shameful and a dent on the government's reputation. They are demanding a public apology and probe into the allegations.

The school feeding caterers, per reports, have suspended their services and waiting to be paid before they return.

But some iare eard saying in the viral video that they are waiting for the money so they can quit.
The Odumase-Krobo police arrested and detained an aspiring assembly member for Mampong Electoral Area in the Lower Manya Krobo Municipality of the Eastern Region for allegedly engaging in illegal power connection.

According to sources, Emmanuel Tetteh, a key member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) communications team in Lower Manya Krobo, reconnected power to his sachet water factory in Nuaso-Newtown after the ECG team had previously disconnected it.

He also failed to appear at the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) district office after the Company summoned him.

However, he illegally reconnected himself, resulting in his arrest.
Most Reverend Osei Bonsu, the Catholic Bishop of Konongo-Mampong has described President Akufo-Addo's comment that only a handful of Ghanaian MPs are pushing the anti-gay bill in Ghana's parliament as "unfortunate."

The president made the statement recently during the visit of US Vice President Kamala Harrisbto Accra.

At a joint press conference at the Jubilee House, Mr Akufo-Addo said the bill was not an official one from his government but being pushed by "a handful of MPs."

In an open letter, Most Rev Osei Bonsu said: "Mr. President, your statement that the Bill had been championed by 'only a handful of MPs' is unfortunate."

"I would like you to realise that the 'handful of MPs' spoke for over 80 per cent of Ghanaians who abhor homosexuality."

He said: "A survey conducted by the Africa Centre for International Law and Accounting (ACILA) revealed that over 80 per cent of Ghanaians are against the normalisation of homosexuality in the country."

Most Rev Osei Bonsu added: "According to the survey, 'A significant number of Ghanaians (87%) are against allowing LGBTI persons holding public meetings to discuss LGBTI issues. Ninety-one per cent of Moslems are against allowing LGBTIs to hold public meetings, Christians (87%), Traditionalists (73.1) and Atheists (33.3)'."

"The same abhorrence for homosexuality holds true for our traditional rulers, the adherents of other World Religions like Eckankar, Hinduism, Hare Krshna, etc.

Your Excellency, you also added that if the Bill was passed, it still had to be ratified by you. That is correct, but I hope that you are not entertaining any idea of not approving it."

"If you do, you and your government will incur the wrath of at least 80 per cent of Ghanaians."

"Mr. President, I also think that you missed a fine opportunity to correct Kamala Harris on her understanding of human rights. She said that the LGBTQ+ question is 'an issue that we consider and I consider to be a human rights issue and that will not change'. You should have let her know that in dealing with this Bill, the Parliament of Ghana is not violating any human rights but affirming what is consistent with natural law and order."

"The question that necessarily arises is: What are human rights? By human rights we mean the universal, inviolable and inalienable rights that are due to the human person as a rational being possessing a free will. Human rights protect, or are intended to protect, the dignity of the human person against State and Society. Specific human rights include the right to life, personal liberty and due process of law; to freedom of thought, expression, religion, organisation, and movement; to freedom from discrimination on the basis of race, religion, age, language, and sex (gender); to basic education; to employment; and to property".

Read Most Rev Osei Bonsu's full letter to President Nana Akufo-Addo:

OPEN LETTER TO HIS EXCELLENCY, NANA ADDO DANKWA AKUFO-ADDO, PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF GHANA

His Excellency

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo

Jubilee House

ACCRA

Your Excellency,

May the grace and peace of Christ be with you!

I am writing to you today as a citizen of Ghana in connection with three statements that you have made as President of the Republic of Ghana concerning the issue of LGBTQI+. I find inconsistencies in them and I would be most grateful if you could clarify them for me.

On 6 December 2017, Jane Dutton of Aljazeera granted you an interview on the subject of homosexuality. In response to the question as to why homosexuality remained a criminal offence in Ghana, you were reported to have said the following:

"I don't believe that in Ghana, so far a sufficiently strong coalition has emerged which is having that impact on public opinion that would say change it and let's now have a new paradigm in Ghana. I grew up in England and I grew up in a time where homosexuality was banned there, and then suddenly the activities of individuals and groups, a certain awareness, a certain development grew stronger and it forced in changing [the] law. I believe that those are the same processes that will bring about changes in our situation. At the moment I don 't feel, I don't see that in Ghana there is that strong current of opinion that is saying this is something that we need you to deal with".

Your Excellency, in my view, you did not answer the question posed by the journalist. You should have admitted that homosexuality indeed remains a criminal offence in Ghana, making reference to Section 104 of the Ghanaian Criminal Code of 1960 which criminalises consensual same-sex sexual acts between persons of the same gender. You should have used the occasion to instruct the journalist about why homosexuality is not accepted in Ghana for religious, cultural and health reasons. Instead, you chose to describe the situation in the United Kingdom while you were growing up there when homosexuality was proscribed and at this time when it has been legalized. Your answer gives the impression that it is a matter of time before "the same processes" will "bring about changes in our situation" here in Ghana. Do you have any plans, as the President of Ghana and as a staunch Anglican, to deal with "the same processes" that have indeed already brought changes in our country as far as homosexuality is concerned?

In contrast to the scenario described above, I was very happy when Your Excellency in 2021 stated your position on same-sex marriage unambiguously. Speaking on Saturday, 27 February 2021 , at the induction in Asante Mampong of the Archbishop of the Internal Province of Ghana in the Church of the Province of West Africa (CPWA), Cyril Kobina Ben-Smith, you indicated, in what could be described as your strongest position yet, that you were not considering the legalisation of same-sex marriages. Indeed, you gave the assurance, to the excitement of many at the ceremony (including my good selfl), that it would not be under your presidency that same-sex marriages would be legalised. You said emphatically and unequivocally, to much applause from the congregation, "I have said it before, and let me stress it again, that it will not be under the presidency of Nana Addo Dankwah Akufo-Addo that same-sex marriage will be legalised".

In the light of what I may term "the Mampong Declaration", I was baffled by what Your Excellency said when you had a press conference with the Vice President of the United States, Kamala Harris. Responding to a question by a New York Times journalist in Accra on Monday, 27 March 2023 on the issue of LGBTQ+, Kamala Harris said that for her, the LGBTQ+ issue was one that bordered on human rights. She said,

"Let me be clear about where we stand. First of all, for the American press who are here, you know that a great deal of work in my career has been to address human rights issues, equality issues across the board including those related to the LGBT community. And I feel very strongly about the importance of supporting the freedom and supporting and fighting for equality among all people and that all people be treated equally. I will also say that this is an issue that we consider and I consider to be a human rights issue and that will not change".

In your response, Your Excellency, you spoke about the draft bill on the "Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values 2021" that is before parliament. You said that the Bill had been modified to take into account the protection of human rights and the feelings ofthe population. You added that government had through the Attorney General made significant input into the legislation. You added, "My understanding is that substantial elements of the bill have already been modified as a result of the intervention of the attorney general", a statement that has subsequently been debunked by the Member of Parliament for Ningo-Prampram Constituency, Hon. Samuel Nartey George. You also claimed that the Bill had been championed by "only a handful of MPs". You added that even if the Bill was passed, it would still have to be ratified by you.

Mr. President, your statement that the Bill had been championed by "only a handful of MPs" is unfortunate. I would like you to realize that the "handful of MPs" spoke for over 80 percent of Ghanaians who abhor homosexuality. A survey conducted by the Africa Centre for International Law and Accounting (ACILA) revealed that over 80 per cent of Ghanaians are against the normalization of homosexuality in the country. According to the survey, "A significant number of Ghanaians (87%) are against allowing LGBTI persons holding public meetings to discuss LGBTI issues. Ninety-one per cent of Moslems are against allowing LGBTIs to hold public meetings, Christians (87%), Traditionalists (73.1) and Atheists (33.3)". The same abhorrence for homosexuality holds true for our traditional rulers, the adherents of other World Religions like Eckankar, Hinduism, Hare Krshna, etc.

Your Excellency, you also added that if the Bill was passed, it still had to be ratified by you. That is correct, but I hope that you are not entertaining any idea of not approving it. If you do, you and your government will incur the wrath of at least 80 per cent of Ghanaians.

Mr. President, I also think that you missed a fine opportunity to correct Kamala Harris on her understanding of human rights. She said that the LGBTQ+ question is "an issue that we consider and I consider to be a human rights issue and that will not change". You should have let her know that in dealing with this Bill, the Parliament of Ghana is not violating any human rights but affirming what is consistent with natural law and order.

The question that necessarily arises is: What are human rights? By human rights we mean the universal, inviolable and inalienable rights that are due to the human person as a rational being possessing a free will. Human rights protect, or are intended to protect, the dignity of the human person against State and Society. Specific human rights include the right to life, personal liberty and due process of law; to freedom of thought, expression, religion, organization, and movement; to freedom from discrimination on the basis of race, religion, age, language, and sex (gender); to basic education; to employment; and to property.

Both heterosexuals and homosexuals are entitled to all the above-mentioned human rights. Nevertheless, the rights of homosexuals as persons do not include the right ofa man to marry a man or of a woman to marry a woman. We need to stress that LGBTQ+ activities are not part of what are described as fundamental human rights and cannot be included in the list of human rights. Again, such an act goes against natural law and order. Every human right must be founded on fundamental needs to support human nature and survival. Same-sex marriages and activities rather work against this principle of human life and existence.

For us Christians, and that includes you, Your Excellency, same-sex marriage is morally wrong and goes against God's purpose for marriage. Homosexual activity is not a complementary union that is able to transmit life. In this connection, the European Court for Human Rights has ruled that same-sex "marriages" are not considered a human right, making it clear that homosexual partnerships do not in fact equal marriages between a man and a woman. The ruling, as I am sure you are aware of, Mr. President, was announced on 9 June 2016 in the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France.

Your Excellency, please let Kamala Harris know that the "gospel" of homosexuality that she and others in America are preaching to us in Africa is not accepted by all Americans. Let her finish converting those in America who do not accept that "gospel" before she comes to preach it here.

What are the dangers of propagating this doctrine of same-sex marriage? If a man marrying a man can be justified by appealing to human rights, then the following can also be justified on the same basis: a man choosing to marry his daughter, a mother choosing to marry her son, a brother choosing to marry his sister, an uncle wanting to marry his niece, etc. What kind of a world shall we have? The admission of these sexual preferences, which cannot be said to be human rights, will bring intolerable damage to the culture and religious way of life of our people.

In conclusion, Mr. President, I would also be most grateful if you could bring to the attention of the Vice President of the United States, Kamala Harris, that her understanding of human rights is inconsistent with the general understanding of human rights as indicated in the definition above. I would also be most grateful if you could state unequivocally what your position on LGBTQ+ is. I request this because many Ghanaians are not sure of your position on this matter, while they are clear about the position of some of your predecessors who have made their positions clear and unambiguous.

In the case of the late former President Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings, I have not come across any definite public reference to what he said on the subject. With regard to President John Agyekum Kufuor, in his meeting in 2019 with members of the National Coalition for Proper Human Sexual Rights and Family Values, the former President urged the world to fight against same-sex marriages. He stated that no amount of argument could change the fact that without man and woman, there would be no human race. He said,

"No one was born gay, people just want to convince us to accept this blatant lie, but let us show them that we are real Africans, we cannot fight against nature and win. We will not conform to such disgraceful activities. Even in Europe, majority of the people do not encourage homosexuality. As long as they remain in the minority, let us keep pushing till they accept that LGBTQ+ is not right and persons who identify as such, rather need some kind of help instead of forcing it on Africans".

Earlier, during his presidency, President John Agyekum Kufuor had opposed a gay conference that was supposed to be held in Ghana.

For President Prof. John Evans Atta Mills, his was an emphatic "No" statement on the subject of LGBTQ+. In an interaction with the media during his presidency, and in reaction to comments by then British Premier David Cameron that they may consider cutting aid to Ghana should the country not legalise gay rights, the late former president was forthright, ruling out any possibility of the legalisation of same. He added that Cameron was entitled to his opinions, stressing that laws must take into account the cultures and histories of a given people. He added, "I, as president of this nation, will never initiate or support any attempts to legalize homosexuality in Ghana".

President John Dramani Mahama had similar comments as his predecessor and former boss, President Prof. John Evans Atta Mills. Speaking through his Information Minister at the time, Mahama Ayariga, the former president indicated that the act is criminal and punishable under the laws of Ghana.

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, my question is: what is your position on the question of LGBTQ+?

Your Excellency, I thank you for your attention and forbearance.

With sentiments of high esteem and prayerful best wishes.

Respectfully yours;

Most Rev Osei-Bonsu

Catholic Bishop of Konongo-Mampong

P.O. Box 382

Mampong-Ashanti

Mampong, 3 April 2023

Source: classfmonline.com
04.04.2023 LISTEN

Former President, John Dramani Mahama has held a successful meeting with businessman Ernest Kobeah.

Mr. Kobeah last week bowed out of the flagbearer race of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).

After the announcement, he indicated that he will be supporting ex-president John Dramani Mahama.

On Monday, April 3, the former President invited Ernest Kobeah and expressed his appreciation to him.

In a post on Facebook after the meeting, Mahama said the decision by the businessman to step down from the contest, even after paying in full the filing fees pegged for the contest is exemplary.

Thank you, Ernest Kobeah for your magnanimity in offering me your support to lead our great party, the NDC, to the 2024 elections.

Your decision to step down from the contest, even after paying in full the filing fees pegged for the contest is exemplary.

May the NDC get better and stronger, John Dramani Mahama shared on Facebook.
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has announced that it will hold its National Congress on November 4.

At the Congress, all flagbearer hopefuls will battle for the nod to lead the party as presidential candidate of the 2024 general elections.

The decision has been taken by the New Patriotic Party at its National Executive Committee (NEC) and National Council meetings held on Monday, April 3.

Flagbearer hopefuls are informed that nomination for the presidential primaries will be opened on May 26 and closed on June 24.

The Parliamentary primaries for orphan constituencies will come off from August 1 to December 2.

The elections for Constituencies with sitting MPs will be held on February 24, 2024.

The National Council at the meeting further barred National, Regional, Constituency Party Executives and MMDCEs from contesting in constituencies where the Party has sitting Members of Parliament.

The Party has also approved detailed rules and regulations to govern the conduct of both the presidential and parliamentary primaries which would be made available to the public in due course.
04.04.2023 LISTEN

A disqualified National Democratic Congress parliamentary candidate hopeful for Madina constituency, Prince Moses Zakaria, says he will run as an independent candidate in the 2024 elections.

He made this statement after the NDCs Greater Accra Regional Vetting Committee disqualified him.

According to Mr. Zakaria, the committee determined that he did not deserve to be a member of the party and thus disqualified him.

Speaking to the media, the disqualified parliamentary candidate aspirant stated that he is convinced that the MP for Madina, Francis-Xavier Sosu, is behind his disqualification and that he will ensure that Mr. Sosu loses the seat in the next general elections.

Our elders have allowed Sosu and some other executives to undertake several machinations against me in Madina. Unfortunately, I have been disqualified in a way that is unfair by the vetting committee. I am declaring my independent candidature immediately. I will ensure that Sosu does not go back to parliament, a worried Zakaria vowed.

Meanwhile, the NDCs Greater Accra Regional Branch has defended its decision to disqualify Prince Moses Zakaria.

The Vetting Committee disqualified the aspirant who is challenging incumbent MP, Francis-Xavier Sosu, after it was revealed that he served as General Secretary of the United Front Party (UFP).

Theophilus Tetteh Chaie, Greater Accra Regional Secretary, claims the party had no choice but to disqualify him.

We are having challenges with his eligibility. He was a member of the UFP. He has also not fulfilled the four-year mandate requirement of the NDC constitution. Based on the guidelines that have been given to us, we had no option but to get him disqualified, he explained.
The Nanton MP Mohammed Hardi Tufeiru has said he sped in his attempt to get to parliament in time to cast his vote on the three revenue bills on Friday because they were worth more than hus lige.

The NPP MP got involved in an accident on his way to the chamber.

He had to be ferried to Parliament House by an Uber driver.

His wounds were then cleaned and stitched up at parliament's washrooms.

The MP, who is also the deputy minister of agriculture, told Citi FM on Monday that he needed to speed to get to the house to vote.

Mr Tufeiru Among said he was given an injection before an incision was made at the top right side of his eye where he sustained a deep cut.

Despite his state at the time, the MP said he insisted on voting on the bills.

You may not really understand what was actually happening and I am sure you are also mindful of the important bills that we needed to pass", he said in the interview, adding: "Honestly speaking, I dont know how you are going to feel about it or whoever is going to feel about it".

I was for Ghana, I was for my party, my government and I needed to do whatever to get the bill passed, he said.

Asked: Did you feel that your life was less important than the bill? the MP responded: Yes, yes", indicating: "If you want, you can take it like that. I am fine.

The three new taxes that were eventually passed include the Excise Duty Amendment Bill 2022, the Growth and Sustainability Levy Bill, 2022, and the Income Tax Amendment Bill 2022.

They are expected to rake in GHS4 billion annually.

Source: classfmonline.com
WASHINGTON (AP)  It's a major international mystery with global consequences: Who was behind the explosions that damaged the Nord Stream gas pipelines last year in the Baltic Sea?

The answer has broad implications for European energy security but could also threaten Western unity over backing Ukraine in defending itself from Russia's invasion. Or, it might shatter Russian and Chinese attempts to fix the blame on a hypocritical West.

Yet, nearly six months after the sabotage on the Russia-to-Germany pipelines, there is no accepted explanation. And a series of unconfirmed reports variously accusing Russia, the United States and Ukraine are filling an information vacuum as investigations into the blasts continue.

A look at the pipelines and what's known about the explosions.

WHAT ARE THE NORD STREAM PIPELINES?

The pipelines, known as Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2, are majority-owned by Russia's state-run energy giant Gazprom and used to transport natural gas from Russia to Europe under the Baltic to their termini in Germany.

Nord Stream 1 was completed and came online in 2011. Nord Stream 2 was not finished until the fall of 2021 but never became operational due to the launch of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

WHY ARE THEY CONTROVERSIAL?

Both pipelines bypass existing routes that go through Ukraine, meaning not only that Ukraine loses income from transit fees but is unable to directly use the gas they carry.

Of perhaps greater concern to the West, the pipelines were seen as a move by Russia to gain further, if not almost complete, control over Europe's energy supplies. Many in the West fear that Russia will use energy as a political weapon against European countries as it has done in the past with former Soviet states.

Despite those concerns and over the objections of the Obama, Trump and Biden administrations, the German government under former Chancellor Angela Merkel moved ahead with the construction of the Nord Stream 2 project. The Biden administration waived sanctions against German entities involved in Nord Stream 2 after securing a pledge from Germany that it would allow backflows of gas into Ukraine and would act to shut the pipeline down should Russia try to use it to force political concessions.

After Russia's Feb. 24, 2022, invasion of Ukraine, Germany withdrew permission for Nord Stream 2, which had not yet come online.

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE PIPELINES?

First, Gazprom halted gas flows through Nord Stream 1 on Sept. 2, 2022, citing issues related to European sanctions imposed against Russia over the war in Ukraine.

Three weeks later, both Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 were hit by explosions that rendered them inoperable and caused significant leaks of gas that was idle in the pipelines. Some have said the blasts caused the worst release of methane in history, although the full extent of the environmental damage remains unclear.

The depth of the pipeline and the complexity of using underwater explosives lent credence to the idea that only a state actor with the expertise to handle such an operation could be responsible. But no one claimed responsibility.

In the immediate aftermath of the explosions, U.S. officials suggested Russia may have been to blame while Russia accused the United States and Britain of being behind them. Investigations by European nations, including Denmark, through whose waters the pipeline travels, and Germany have yet to yield conclusive results.

WHAT THEORIES HAVE BEEN REPORTED?

After months of few developments in the probes, American investigative journalist Seymour Hersh, known for past exposes of U.S. government malfeasance, self-published a lengthy report in February alleging that President Joe Biden had ordered the sabotage, which Hersh said was carried out by the CIA with Norwegian assistance.

That report, based on a single, unidentified source, has been flatly denied by the White House, the CIA and the State Department, and no other news organization has been able to corroborate it. Russia, followed by China, however, leaped on Hersh's reporting, saying it was grounds for a new and impartial investigation conducted by the United Nations.

On Tuesday, though, The New York Times, The Washington Post and German media published stories citing U.S. and other officials as saying there was evidence Ukraine, or at least Ukrainians, may have been responsible. The Ukrainian government has denied involvement.

Germany's Die Zeit newspaper and German public broadcasters ARD and SWR reported that investigators believed that five men and a woman used a yacht hired by a Ukrainian-owned company in Poland to carry out the attack. German federal prosecutors confirmed that a boat was searched in January but have not confirmed the reported findings.

WHAT ARE THE CONSEQUENCES FOR THOSE FOUND RESPONSIBLE?

The implications of a determination that Ukraine was behind the explosions are not entirely clear. It's unlikely it would result in an immediate loss of Western support for Ukraine in the war with Russia, but it might dampen enthusiasm for future assistance if it was found that Ukraine or its agents carried out such an operation in European waters.

A determination that the United States or a proxy was responsible would give Russia and China additional leverage to go after the U.S. and its allies as hypocrites in their demands for the rule of the law, sovereignty and territorial integrity to be respected.

A finding that Russia was behind the explosions would lend weight to Western claims that Moscow is in flagrant breach of international law and willing to use energy as a weapon against Europe.

There is no indication of when the European investigations will be complete  and it seems improbable, given the animosity and mistrust surrounding the Ukraine conflict, that its findings will be universally accepted.

___

Photos: In Ukraine, searing images capture a year of war
New York, April 3, 2023  Authorities in Burkina Faso on Saturday, April 1, expelled Agnes Faivre and Sophie Douce, correspondents for the French privately owned Liberation and Le Monde newspapers respectively, according to statements published by both outlets condemning the decisions and other media reports.

The previous day, state security officials had summoned the journalists and questioned them about their work. An official subsequently went to their homes and told them to leave the country; they were not given specific reasons for the expulsion. The two arrived in Paris on Sunday morning.

Burkina Faso authorities should halt their campaign of intimidation and censorship against journalists covering security issues in the country, said Angela Quintal, CPJs Africa program coordinator. The expulsion of Sophie Douce and Agnes Faivre from Burkina Faso sends a chilling message of disrespect for those working to keep the public informed.

On March 27, Liberation published an investigation into a video depicting the killing of a child and the presence of other dead adolescent bodies at a government military camp in northern Burkina Faso. Neither Douce nor Faivre were named as authors on the report, which accused at least one soldier of participation in the killing. In a statement, Burkina Fasos government spokesperson critiqued the March 27 report as subversive and intending to discredit our Combatant Forces.

Matteo Maillard, one of the investigations authors, told CPJ by phone that during interrogations on Friday, March 31, state security officials had questioned Douce and Faivre about the March 27 report and requested contact information for him and one of the other authors of the report.

CPJs calls to the publicly listed contact for Burkina Fasos government information service did not connect.

Separately, Burkina Faso in late March indefinitely suspended the France 24 news outlet, less than a year after they suspended Radio France Internationale, another subsidiary of the French state-owned company France Media Monde.
The Member of Parliament (MP) for Mpraeso, David Opoku Ansah has urged Ghanaians to support government in its agenda to mobilise more revenue.

Speaking to TV3 in an engagement of the three new revenue Bills passed by Parliament, he stressed that Ghanaians should be assured that government will always use collected taxes for their intended purposes.

I can assure you that the taxes are being used for the purposes of which they are collected, David Opoku Ansah said.

The three new revenue Bills were passed by Parliament last Friday after a heated debate between the Majority and Minority.

While the Bills had the full support of the Majority, the Minority on the other hand mounted a strong opposition.

Their argument was that Ghanaians are already suffering because of the economic crisis in the country and should not be overburdened with more taxes.

Despite the argument of the Minority resonating very well with the citizenry, they could not stop the passing of the three new revenue Bills.

Government is confident that after the passing of the new Bills, it will increase revenue generation to embark on developmental projects for the good of all.
Charges against four Kenyan opposition MPs have been dropped a day after the opposition leader, Raila Odinga, suspended protests and agreed to hold talks with President William Ruto.

The decision to cancel the protests comes after three days of intensive calls from religious leaders, civil society and the international community. It paves the way for a bipartisan approach to address issues raised by the opposition leader.

The four lawmakers were arrested a fortnight ago for unlawful assembly as thousands took to the streets.

Odinga had called for protests twice a week after rejecting the outcome of last year's election and criticising the government's handling of the cost-of-living crisis.

There were several clashes between police and young demonstrators.

The rift between Kenya's rival politicians has threatened the stability of the country and the prospect of dialogue has been widely welcomed.

"We stand down our demonstrations for Monday, that is tomorrow, April 3, 2023. But in doing so, we want to emphasise that the right to assemble, to demonstrate, petition, and speak are iron-clad as provided for in our constitution," Odinga r told the press.

Kenyan President William Ruto also urged the opposition to cancel their protest, and to participate in a bipartisan parliamentary committee, in order to work through their concerns related to last year's elections.

Holding an 'olive branch'

Odinga is still accusing Ruto of stealing the presidency, and considers his government illegitimate, although the Supreme Court of Kenya upheld the results.

However, he welcomed Ruto's "olive branch", but warned the opposition could resume protests if progress was not made.

In a defiant tone, Odinga, 78, asked the government to respond to his demands within seven days, otherwise the opposition leaders and their supporters will be back to the streets with their weekly demos.

"We reserve our right to call for demonstrations should this process not bear fruit," he added. "Should there be no meaningful engagement or response from Honourable Ruto to our counter-offer, we resolve to resume our demonstrations after one week."

Disappointment among Odinga supporters

The announcement to call off the protests however came as a shock to the many protesters, who had planned to continue with the weekly demonstrations on Mondays and Thursdays.

One of the main issues concerns the cost of living for most people in the East African country, which have skyrocketed since the election.

Three people have died since Odinga called protesters to the street for the first time on 20 March, vowing to march every Monday and Thursday until their concerns are met.

The protests also triggered clashes, with riot police firing tear gas and water cannon at demonstrators, while many businesses have been looted and some property vandalised.
French criminal investigators have called for the trial of three officials of the regime of Syrian President Bachar al-Assad. The three are suspected of involvement in the 2013 murders of two Franco-Syrian citizens, Mazzan Dabbagh and his son Patrick.

The French case accuses Ali Mamlouk, Jamil Hassan and Abdel Salam Mahmoud of complicity in crimes against humanity, and war crimes.

Ali Mamlouk was formerly head of the Syrian intelligence services. In 2012 he took over as director of the National Security Office.

Jamil Hassan was head of the Syrian Air Force intelligence unit at the time of the disappearance of the two Franco-Syrians.

Abdel Salam Mahmoud was responsible for the investigation branch of the same air force unit.

All three are subject to international arrest warrants, and will be judged in their absence.

The International Human Rights Federation (Fidh) has welcomed the news.

"This decision opens the possibility, for the first time in France, of a trial for three senior officials in the repressive Syrian regime."

The Syrian Media Centre and the Human Rights League, which are civil plaintiffs in the French case, have also applauded the decision to call for a trial.

Pair moved to Mezzeh prison

French investigators began working on the case in 2015 after relatives of Mazzan and Patrick Dabbagh reported their disappearance.

Mazzan Dabbagh was the chief education advisor at the French School in Damascus. His son was a student of literature and social science at the Syrian capital's university.

They were arrested in 2013 by air force intelligence officers.

According to Mazzan Dabbagh's brother-in-law, who was arrested at the same time but freed two days later, the pair were transferred to al-Mezzeh prison in Damascus, notorious as a place of torture.

No word was heard of either man until the Syrian authorities announced their demise.

Patrick Dabbagh died on 21 January 2014; his father on 25 November 2017.
German-based news media Deutsche Welle aired a documentary about Bangladesh's elite force Rapid Action Battalion RAB. Deutsche Welle published the investigative documentary in association with Netra News. A summary of the same was also circulated in a press release.

It is said that there is a renewed focus on the serious human rights violations organized by Bangladesh's Rapid Action Battalion or RAB. Two whistleblowers claimed that high-ranking politicians were using this elite force to suppress political opponents. For the first time, two former RAB commanders, whose identities have been withheld for security reasons, have detailed how the special police force carried out killings, torture and disappearances. Deutsche Welle and Netra News met them and verified their real identities. One of the two whistleblowers described RAB as a 'death squad'.

According to human rights activists, hundreds of people are still missing in Bangladesh. On April 3, Deutsche Welle released a documentary entitled 'How elite forces RAB terrorize the people of Bangladesh' in English and Bengali on YouTube, Facebook and other social media. Apart from this, detailed news is also published on Deutsche Welle's website.

In the next few days, English, German, Arabic and Spanish versions of the documentary will be aired on DW Television, the release said. DW Radio will also air a half-hour program on this investigative documentary.

On the other hand, according to media report, in a written reply to Deutsche Welle, Bangladesh's home ministry said the claim was "inconsistent" with its own findings and that the allegations "do not appear to be true". The allegations were rejected as 'baseless and untrue'. the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) said that the information in the documentary, which was jointly published by Deutsche Welle-Netra News, was false. When asked about the information yesterday, RAB's Legal and Media Wing director told that the entire video documentary of DW and Netra News is fake. We don't usually see such news. Most of the information here is old and outdated. Two RAB members said it was also their creation. No one admits wrongdoing like this.

On May 26, 2018, municipal councilor and former president of the local Jubo League was killed in the alleged gunfight in Teknaf, Cox's Bazar, in the name of anti-drug campaign. Ekramul Haque was killed. In this regard, the RAB official said that the issue of slain councilor Ekramul Haque is very old. Police are investigating the matter. Moreover, no RAB bullet was found in Ekramul's autopsy report. We had no bullets in his body.

It was basically a case of exchange of fire. It is being investigated by the police. The police have also submitted a related report to the court in this regard. Moreover, the investigation of the Ekram issue is ongoing. The timing of Ekram's death and the voice recorded on the phone do not match.

The statement of the two RAB members in the report is completely false, said the spokesperson of RAB. He said, if a RAB member does wrong, will they ever admit it like this? RAB did not do any such thing as the fabricated statement they put forward. We work according to the rules.

Since its inception in 2004, the elite force developed itself with an upward trajectory and emerged as one of the vital Law Enforcement Agencies (LEA) for Bangladesh. It had a significant contribution to curbing terrorism, fighting drugs, maintaining law and order, and providing security to the citizens. Quickly, RAB and its members were known for their commitment to their service and to the country. In the last 19 years, 27 RAB officials were killed in the line of duty while upholding national security. Countless were also injured during the operations. RABs intelligence chief, Lieutenant Colonel Azad Abul Kalam also sacrificed his life during the infamous counter-terrorism operation at Atia Mahal.

However, the United States of America (USA) announced sanctions on the force on 10th December 2021 over the allegations of gross human rights violations that put a strain on RAB.

Then its been a bit more than one year since the agency is working in the post-sanction era. Marking the anniversary and against the backdrop of the sanctions, it is worth revisiting RABs performance and focusing on its success in the last year.

When, top US diplomats recent statement on the issue of the countrys human rights (HR) situation has boosted Bangladesh's morale to a great extent. He has stated that Bangladesh has improved significantly in its HR issue. The recognition came from none but the US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu. He made the remarks after a meeting with the Bangladesh foreign minister and other high officials in Dhaka on Sunday. In this context, the US diplomat mentioned a recent statement issued by the Human Rights Watch (HRW) that recognised "tremendous progress" made by RAB in reducing extrajudicial killings.

Recent US annual human rights report also said that there in 2022, extrajudicial killings, disappearances, suppression of expression and media, use of force in gatherings, obstruction of national and international human rights institutions, etc. continued as usual in Bangladesh. However, compared to 2021, extrajudicial killings have decreased in 2022. We can see that Bangladesh is trying to its level best overcome its shortcomings. But DW has not mentioned this in their report. DW report is very biased, based on vested interest of some actors. DW needs to follow full holistic approach in their report.

On April 03 (2023), the name of 41-year-old Tasnim Khalil, the editor of Netra News, a Swedish expatriate, came into wide discussion after the anti-Bangladesh report was broadcast in the DW. Before leaving the country, various inactions against the spirit of the liberation war are also revealed in various sources. In addition, some vested political parties fueled and political ambition to spend huge sums of money was behind him. In fact, the name of a terrible anti-national conspirator is Tasneem Khalil. At times his profession is to sell documents of national interest to foreign spies. He has been conspiring against Bangladesh with the connivance of various foreign organizations though his media platform 'Netra News' (operated from the Sweden). Its purpose is to spoil the image of the country abroad. Basically, he is working as a paid employee. His main task is to spread propaganda to mislead people and incite anti-government sentiments.

On the other hand, there are many debates regarding DW reporting. The media was accused of biased coverage several times. It is the German government funded media. Thus, it obviously servers the interest of the German government. We know that German ambassador in Bangladesh interferers in the internal affairs sometime. It would not be illogical that German govt, media are trying to serve western interest in Bangladesh. However, Germany's international broadcaster, Deutsche Welle (DW) adopted a new code of conduct which threatens staff with dismissal if they question Israel's right to exist. Israel is mentioned twice when referring to the company's commitments against racism and anti-Semitism. No other country, political or national group is mentioned in the same way as the Apartheid State. The intolerance toward any criticism of Israel in DW's code of conduct has sparked a debate about the contradiction between the broadcaster's commitment to universal values and what it calls "its special obligation towards Israel". With near universal consensus amongst the major human rights groups that Israel is practicing the crime of apartheid, it's unclear how DW or Germany for that matter can maintain its commitment to democracy and human rights wile granting Israel special protection.

In July , DW lost another legal battle in a German Labour court over the dismissal of Palestinian journalist, Maram Salim. A Bonn Labour Court ruled that her termination of employment at Deutsche Welle was invalid, unlawful and that her Facebook posts were not anti-Semitic.

DW had not only conflated criticism of Israel with anti-Semitism as the two cases show but also the fact that in a choice between defending free speech, human rights and democracy on one side and the defence of Israel on the other, the German broadcaster prioritises its support for the Aparthe. Deutsche Welle had accusations of biased coverage, attempting to destabilize state. Egypt accused DW. This is the reporting state of the DW.

However, as a democratic country, Bangladesh is strongly committed to promoting democracy and human rights. As a nation, it has made supreme sacrifice to defend the democratic rights of its people. The US evaluation proves our sincere efforts by taking remedial measures and necessary course correction. The US maintains a global policy of preventing terrorism and RAB has always played a pioneering role against violent terrorism as well as drug trafficking in Bangladesh. Therefore, Washington should appreciate the positive role of RAB by reconsidering the issue through lifting the harsh measure on this particular elite force which was formed at the recommendation of the US that also provided the force with everything such as training, arms, helicopter, and even digital and ICT system. In the area of human rights, there is always scope for further improvement, and this is required to be pursued as continuous efforts.

Since 2004, RAB has successfully deployed a network all over the country to gather information regarding public security. Since its inception, it is playing a primary role in curbing terrorism. It has arrested top JMB leaders including, Shaikh Abdur Rahman and Bangla Bhai.

It is also the best-performing agency against the war on drugs seizing 60 million pieces of Yaba and 3.7 million bottles of Phensedyl  the highest among the LEAs. It has also arrested 47 thousand drug dealers and peddlers.

Apart from terrorism and drug trafficking, RAB also rescued 1000 victims and arrested 1200 human traffickers. It has also seized 17000 firearms. RAB also played important role in making the Sundarbans pirate-free.

However, in the last year, RAB continued fighting terrorism and drug cartel at its capacity and method. Currently, it is playing a praiseworthy role in Bangladeshs drive against Kuki-Chin National Front (KNF)  a militant separatist entity active in Chittagong Hill Tract. RAB is also curbing terrorism and arrested a number of the top brass of the newly formed terrorist organization, Jamatul Shaqia.

There were hardly any allegations of violation against the force in the last year. RABs remarkable success was also acknowledged by the US. In March 2022, US Under Secretary, Victoria Nuland acknowledged it. Recently, Assistant Secretary Donald Lu also praised RAB for its tremendous progress in respecting human rights.

Bangladesh still has a terrorism problem and drug cartels pose a significant threat to its national security. As a result, the elite force remains one of the important agencies to curb terrorism and drug abuse. Sanction in this aspect is posing a serious challenge to the agencys institutional development. It is hindering its operational activities due to reduced training and procurement opportunity. RAB remains a primary force to counter the menace of terrorism. And the US is also acknowledging its remarkable success in the post-sanction era. However, at this time DW report is very inpatriate.

Jubeda Chowdhury is a Dhaka based teacher, freelance columnist, researcher.
In the continuing heated controversy over the draconian gay rights Bill being considered by Ghanas Parliamentary Committee on Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, one question on my mind is: why the excessive punishments?

Among the frightening stipulations of the Promotion of proper human sexual rights and Ghanaian family values Bill, 2021, people who identify as LGBTQ+ (lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgenders, queers and others (LGBTQ +) risk imprisonment.

Others also at risk of jail time include media practitioners if their reportage is viewed as promoting gay rights! They are liable on summary conviction to a term of imprisonment not less than five years and not more than ten years (emphasis added).

Distressingly, even our religious leaders appear enthusiastic about the proposed stringent penalties! Where is their compassion?

US Vice-President Kamala Harris who visited Ghana from March 26 to 29 with her husband, Mr Douglas Emhoff, came under fire  and also from the Speaker of Parliament, Mr Alban Bagbin  for stating her supportive position on gay rights.

Reportedly, when on March 27, during a joint news conference with President Nana Akufo-Addo, Vice-President Harris was asked about the Biden administration's commitment to calling out any foreign government that advanced anti-gay legislation or violates human rights, she responded:

"I feel very strongly about the importance of supporting the freedom and supporting the fighting for equality among all people, and that all people be treated equally. I will also say that this is an issue that we consider, and I consider to be a human rights issue, and that will not change."

Mr Bagbin reportedly termed her comments as undemocratic.

I find the furore over the Vice-Presidents answer puzzling; the barbs unfair. As I understand it, she was simply responding to a question at a press conference, expressing her views  as allowed in a democracy!

Was she supposed to have refused to answer the question, or to lie? Did she say anything new, or different, from her governments known position?

Coincidentally, the Pope recently reportedly signed a decree forbidding priests from blessing same sex marriages. However, significantly, Pope Francis didnt say that gays should be imprisoned.

In a sagacious paper submitted to the Parliamentary Committee on September 29, 2021, by Ghanas Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), Commissioner Mr Joseph Whittal expressed disquiet and advised the need for a better national response  as opposed to current attempt of state criminalisation through this Bill.

Bill advocates cite the threat to Ghanaian culture and values. But rights are applicable to everyone everywhere, as agreed in the numerous international accords Ghana has signed.

Furthermore, isnt it the case that the anti-homosexual laws in former British colonies were inherited from the British? If the British have changed those laws, and are now campaigning for tolerance of the gay lifestyle, there must be good reasons.

Besides, religion teaches that homosexuality is a sin. If its a sin and not a crime, should we all go to prison for our sins?

The bill saga began in July, 2021, when eight MPs submitted to the House their Private Members Bill. Its initiators were seven from the opposition National Democratic Congress, and one from the ruling New Patriotic Party.

The NDC members are: Sam Nartey-George; Della Adjoa Sowah; Emmanuel Bedzrah; Alhassan Suhuyini; Rita Naa Odoley Sowah; Helen Adjoa Ntoso; Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor; and, the NPP member is John Ntim Forjour.

However, a group of 18 Concerned Citizens began a campaign for the total rejection of the bill, describing the draft law as obnoxious and unconstitutional. It has no place in our constitutional democratic republic.

The 18 include: Mr. Akoto Ampaw; Professor Emerita Takyiwaa Manuh; Professor Kwame Karikari; Professor Kofi Gyimah-Boadi; Professor Audrey Gadzekpo; Dr. Rose Mensah-Kutin;

Dr. Yao Graham; Professor Raymond Atuguba and Dr. Charles Wereko-Brobby.

Im certainly not a supporter of same sex marriage and I doubt that those against this bill are opposing it because they want same sex marriages in Ghana. People should be allowed to live their lives in peace, whether heterosexual or homosexual.

A principal duty of journalists is to inform. If this Bill becomes law, it means that a journalist could be jailed just for reporting on gay rights!!!

And insinuations that anybody who speaks in defence of gays must be one of them  which has featured in the debate  is simply outrageous! Does it mean that if I champion the cause of the unfortunate women banished to witches camps, it must be because I, too, am a witch?

Anyway, how true is it that same sex unions are a foreign, western, imposition?

I recall that decades ago, a young woman in my hometown was known to have what today I can describe as lesbian tendencies. Notably, she was illiterate; had never been in contact with any such western culture.

And years later, in my current neighbourhood, there was a young man known to be gay, but nobody thought he was a danger to the community. We didnt view him as a candidate for prison! He lived his life and we lived ours.

People would have been horrified at any suggestion that the lesbian young woman or the gay young man should be carted away to prison. Anyway, prisons are known hotbeds of homosexual activity. So what are the prison sentences meant to achieve?

Before Parliament rose for the Easter break last week, the Committee recommended that the Bill should be passed, because the majority of Ghanaians (are) in favour of the passage of the Bill, the Ghanaian Times of April 3 reported.

The Committee said the opinion of the Attorney-General had been sought and human rights concerns have been addressed in the Bill, which now has an amended title as Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill, 2021.

When Parliament resumes and the plenary debates the Bill, if indeed Ghana needs this law, hopefully, above all, it will be a just, fair and humane law for all.

[email protected]
The Omanhene of the Gomoa Ajumako Traditional Area in the Central Region, Obrempong Nyanful Krampah XI has stated that traditional authorities support total rejection of foriegn cultures like LGBT and others which are alien to Africans.

"We Nananom as custodian of the land support total rejection of foreign cultures and other anti-cultural activities that is against our culture and traditions. We will there encourage our parliamentarians to pass the anti-LGBT Bill pending before the House.

"I know the stiffer punishment as contained in the bill will deter people who wants to engage in such illicit acts and behaviors and would also bring sanity in the country.

"Sanctions in the bill if passed would tell the world that Ghana as an independent country can manage its own affairs including our way of life and cultural beliefs.

"Nananom are in full support of the bill and therefore encourage Parliament for full passage of the bill into Law. All those who claimed to be human rights advocates can go to other countries not in Ghana," he stated.

Interacting with newsmen at Gomoa Aboso in the Gomoa Central District when he joined thousands of mourners to pay tribute to late Nana Afedzi Mensah VI, Chief of Gomoa Aboso and Twaafohene of Gomoa Ajumako Traditional Area last Saturday, he used the occasion to advise traditional leaders to stand against alien cultures to safeguard their customs and traditions.

"We cannot sit unconcern while the youth who are our future leaders engage in foreign cultures and practices contrary to our tradition. Is unfortunate it is becoming normal to see boys wearing earrings and plaiting their hair, contrary to our culture.

"All these came about as a result of selling out of our integrity to foreigners just because we have to always goes to them cup-in hand to borrow money for development.

"I want to add my voice to the teeming Ghanaians asking government to minimize loans it borrows from foreign countries. We cannot be slave in our own country just because of excessive amount of money borrowed from creditors.

"This explains why they are trying all means to impose their culture on us. Our independence must empower us to be firm and say no to colonial rule through debts owed to them. 'Ghana Beyond Aid' must work for the betterment of the citizenry," Obrempong Nyanful Krampah XI stated.

He added, " In addition to the above, I entreat traditional authorities to initiate self-help projects in their communities to cut cost of contracting foreign loans for infrastructure development in our vicinity. This will supplement government's effort and it will also leave a better legacy for our generations to come when they take over the mantle of leadership.

"Let also involve the youth in our day-to-day activities as a way of preparing them for leadership positions and also inculcate in them our culture and traditions. This will equip them to embrace their traditional set up and to own it as their heritage."

The Twaafohemaa of the Gomoa Ajumako Traditional Area, Nana Ayereba II who is also the Queen Mother of Gomoa Aboso lauded the Omanhene for his visit to the community and to mourn their late Chief Nana Afedzi Mensah VI.

"We are grateful for your visit which has encouraged us in this trying times. We thank you, Obrempong Nyanful Krampah XI for wiping out our tears," Nana Ayereba II noted.

Among the mourners were the Deputy Minister for Interior and MP for Gomoa Central Hon. Naana Eyiah, DCE for Gomoa Central, Hon. Benjamin Kojo Otoo, Esihene of Gomoa Ajumako Traditional Area, Nana Esoun Abonyi Kwaata II, Amankorahene of Gomoa Ajumako Traditional Area, Nana Odum Amanfo IV, Baamuhene of Gomoa Ajumako Traditional Area, Nana Otsieku Baah and Assembly Members for Aboso and Ekroful-Akropong Electoral Areas, Hon. Isaac Gyesi Korsah and Hon Ernest Quarm respectively.
University of Ghana (UG) has said the judge presiding over a current case involving it and some students of the Commonwealth Hall which is before the commercial division of the High Court in Accra, Justice Francis Obiri, was actively involved in vandalism during his undergraduate studies at the university.

The university, therefore, wants Justice Obiri removed as his relationship with the Commonwealth Hall and his conduct of the case so far suggests a real likelihood of bias.

A Motion Certiorari filed by Kwabena-Adusei, on Friday, 31 March 2023, indicated that Justice Obiri was officially attached to Akuafo Hall as a resident during his undergraduate studies.

This notwithstanding, he stayed in Commonwealth Hall throughout his undergraduate studies and was actively involved in vandalism and its ideologies.

The universitys Pro Vice Chancellor, Prof Gordon Awandare, in a supporting affidavit revealed he had reliable information that the judge during his days at the University of Ghana was officially attached to Akuafo Hall but was at all material times during his studentship in the University of Ghana, resident at Commonwealth.

He was the lead assistant of the then Chief Vandal, a very revered office of Vandals, by the alias Chief Korea.

The university, therefore, wants the judge restrained from presiding over the case.

He further cited an instance from the hearing on 9 February 2023.

The decision not to consider the Application for leave to cross-examine Lawrence Edinam Egleh, the deponent of the Affidavit in Support of the Application for Injunction before considering and granting the application on the basis of the impugned affidavit, the document read.

Eight residents of the Commonwealth Hall filed an application for interlocutory injunction on 16 January 2023, to prevent authorities of the hall from implementing their policy to allow only level 100 students of the university to be residents of the hall.

The Commonwealth Hall of the University of Ghana was thus to maintain its residential status until the final determination of a case before the court.

This was according to an order from the Commercial Division of the High Court in Accra.

The status quo of the residential status of all continuing students of Commonwealth Hall, University of Ghana, should be maintained as it used to be before the 26th October 2022 decision was taken, the order from the High Court stated.

This Order is to last until the final determination of the case. I order accordingly, it added.

Members of the Old Vandals Association in Parliament had called on the University of Ghana to abide by the laws of the country and reinstate continuing students into the hall.

But the Commonwealth hall is yet to implement the order from the court.

Commenting on the matter on the floor of Parliament, Wednesday, 29 April 2023, the Ranking Member of the Education Committee of Parliament, Dr Clement Apaak said: Our statement is a call on the University of Ghana to respect and abide by the law and reinstate continuing students of our legendary hall also known as Vandal city.

The Old Vandals Association in Parliament described the refusal of the university to enforce the order as unacceptable.

The continuous refusal of the management of the University of Ghana to reinstate the affected students as ordered by the court is unacceptable, unlawful and must not be countenanced, Dr Apaak stressed.

They, therefore, called on the Speaker and all well-meaning Ghanaians to impress upon the university of Ghana to do the needful by respecting the laws of the land.

Responding to the Old Vandals in Parliament however, the university said the allocation of fresh men to the Commonwealth Hall ceased as soon as it received the notice of injunction from the court.

The university said it had sighted some irregularities in the statement by the Old Vandals Association in Parliament, which sought to create the impression that the university is flouting a court order and, therefore, disrespecting the Judiciary, the Constitution, and the mandate of the good people of Ghana.

In order to set the records straight, the university, therefore, sought to provide the facts in a statement issued on Thursday, 30 March 2023.

According to the university, following the order from the High Court asking it to halt implementation of the new policy, it stopped further assignments to Commonwealth Hall.

By that time, new students assigned were already in residence. Contrary to the allegations and impression created on the floor of Parliament, the University has not violated any court order.

It further noted that as a university, it had exercised its legal rights by appealing against the court order as well as requesting for a Stay of Execution of the Order of Injunction.

It stressed that the implementation of the new residential policy had been done before the court issued the order of injunction, as the reporting date for fresh men and women was January 4 which preceded receipt of the order of injunction.

Source: classfmonline.com
An economist and professor at the University of Ghana Business School, Godfred Bokpin has raised concern over the countrys debt-to-GDP ratio which is currently over 100%.

According to him, it is abnormal that a country that is classified as a medium debt-carrying country per the IMF debt sustainability framework will have a debt-to-GDP ratio above 55%.

The IMF debt sustainability concluded that our debt is unsustainable and that meant that we needed to take steps to restructure our debts. What does supposed to mean? MoF eventually told us that in September 2022 our debt to GDP ratio in present value terms was 105 percent and we needed to reduce this its to 55 percent by 2028.

Ghana is classified as a medium debt-carrying country per the IMF debt sustainability framework.

So if you are a medium debt-carrying country then your debt-to-GDP ratio in present value term should not be more than 55 percent and Ghana is above 100 percent, Prof. Godfred Bokpin said on Tuesday, April 4.

The economist was speaking at the 3Business Economic Sustainability Summit held in Accra.

Ghanas debt and its sustainability have been an issue since it became clear that the country is facing an economic crisis.

The IMF is ready to provide a credit facility of $3 billion to help the country but will only do so if the conditions are right.

It is why government has put in place a Domestic Debt Exchange Programme and is now restructuring its debt with international creditors.
There is growing popularity around the age-old false claims that the Bible (the word of God) is full of errors just like any other book. Such proponents, some of whom are supposed to be 'preachers, whether knowingly or unknowingly, are casting doubts about the authentic 'doctrine of Scripture'. The Bible is the word of God and so any attempt to undermine its divine nature amounts to furthering the cause of Satan who deceived Eve about the word of God and caused the fall of man (Genesis 3:1-7).

It is worth addressing this matter of prime importance because Christian doctrinal claims and living hinge on the Bible. The final say for every rule of life is the word of God. Jesus said man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4).

Why Is The Bible Under Attack?

As I have stated above, the arch-deceiver is Satan himself. He is the father of all lies. I can say with all confidence that the only reason why someone will attack the Bible is that he or she is not of the truth. Moreso, he may be delving into extra-biblical books that bring contentions about the Bible. Jesus put it perfectly when He said that a house divided cannot stand (Mark 3:25). How can a true teacher of the Bible attack the same book? What then will be their grounds of operation?

Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 13:8 that we can do nothing against the truth but for the truth. The church is the pillar and ground of truth (1 Timothy 3:15). Any church or preacher who claims what he teaches is full of error is only showing that he or she is not of the truth. Simple!

In church history, men and women died for the cause of the truth (the Bible). English pre-reformer John Wycliffe became an enemy of the 'church' because he translated the Bible into common language and taught the truth of the gospel. Czech theologian John Huss was burnt at the stake for teaching the truth. When he was asked to recant his teachings, Huss replied, "I would not for a chapel of gold retreat from the truth!" Martin Luther was excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church for teaching the truth of the gospel. John Bunyan was imprisoned for 12 years for preaching the Bible. People who are of the truth, proclaim it and are ready to die for it. Why would these noble and rational men of God die for the Bible if it was full of error?

Is the Bible Full of Errors?

The troubling and false claim that the Bible is full of error betrays people's lack of proper studies of the same. Indeed, the idea of the Bible's 'perspicuity' is that its message is clear and simple enough for any man or woman to understand. But of course, there are difficult passages that proper studies can always help to resolve.

The Bible is error-free! When you press people who say the Bible is full of errors to the wall to mention instances of error, they dance about with incoherent explanations. Such men cannot conceive and understand that a book that was Authored by God Himself, and co-authored by about 40 men living in different locations (and inspired by God), all point to and reveal One Person - Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour (John 5:39-40, Luke 24:27).

Now, let us allow the Bible to speak for itself about its 'inerrancy'. Does the Bible agree that it has errors? No!

Psalms 19:7-9 (NKJV) aptly put it this way when it said,

"The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether."

II Timothy 3:16-17 (NKJV) says of the Bible that,

"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work."

People who profess that the Bible is full of errors are in the lap of a grand attempt to exalt falsehood against the knowledge of God. A holy God cannot author an erroneous book. James says every good and perfect thing comes from God (James 1:17). Jesus is the truth and the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth.

What Must Christians Do?

We must fearlessly teach the faith which was once for all delivered to us by the prophets and Apostles through the church fathers (Jude 3). We must preach the word, in season and out of season (2 Timothy 4:2). We must contend for the faith (Jude 3). Peter admonished believers to be always ready to give a reason for the hope that is in them (1 Peter 3:15).

We are in a time when men and women are piling up upon themselves 'teachers' because they have itchy ears. (2 Timothy 4:3) Therefore, Christians who are born from above must unashamedly let the word of Christ dwell in them before they can faithfully proclaim the truth. Part of being faithful teachers is to draw our spiritual sword against any knowledge against our gospel (2 Corinthians 10:5). Deception comes from false teaching.

Let's heed the words of Paul to his son Timothy on how to stay focused on Christian living when he said,

"O Timothy! Guard what was committed to your trust, avoiding the profane and idle babblings and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge by professing it some have strayed concerning the faith. Grace be with you. Amen."

(I Timothy 6:20-21 NKJV)

May the Lord grant us discernment to avoid those who teach contrary doctrine and also touch their hearts to be saved from destruction.

Eric Otchere

The writer is passionate about proclaiming the truth of the gospel which has the power to save sinful men and equip believers. He is a blogger at www.erikotchere.wordpress.com and can be reached on [email protected].
It should be no secret that using tobacco  smoking and otherwise  is unhealthy and even deadly. Yet every day I see patients in my examination room who started using tobacco at a young age and are now battling chronic health issues and facing an early death due to their addiction.

Some days, the suffering I see due to tobacco is overwhelming. How can we keep it from happening to our kids? Weve got to take action to stop the toll of tobacco on future generations.

The easiest and most effective way is to totally end the sale of all flavored products, including menthol. The evidence is clear that flavors hook kids  research finds that 81% of kids who have ever used a tobacco product started with a flavored one. Candy and fruit flavors are attractive and disguise the harshness of the tobacco.

A ban on all flavored products is one of the common-sense tobacco control measures that has been proposed by our governor. I urge the New York Legislature to support this and other steps to help the next generation live longer, healthier lives free of addiction, preventable disease and premature death.

Dr. Breeann N. Wilson

Buffalo
In the entire human history, the world has experienced poverty. China, Japan, Canada, the United States, Belgium, Holland, Germany, Italy, and England, all encountered poverty before they overcame it through the laborious development of a thriving economy for the advancement of their countries. The territory of Africa is still underdeveloped, despite the abundant natural resources on the "Black Continent" that have enabled many of these developed nations to prosper.

Prosperity migrated with Western Europe as it expanded into North America, Australia, and Asia. Japan came next, and it has only been recently that much of the rest of East Asia has started to rapidly grow thanks to globalization and effective economic management. The question then becomes: Why hasn't Africa, a continent with all the valuable resources like gold, diamonds, bauxite, oil, cobalt, etc., be able to grow similarly to the nations of West and East Asia?

Why has Africa's economic growth over the last 200 years been relatively weak? After all, it has a wealth of natural resources, and its coastal regions have always been in touch with the outside world. Nearly all of Africa was colonized by European nations in the 19th century in the quest for ivory, precious metals, nuts, and palm oil. However, what the Western and American media have neglected to acknowledge is that this colonization was the cause of the political unrest in African society.



Similar to the effects of slavery, the boundaries set up by European authorities during colonization to divide these new African colonies among themselves, had many negative effects that continue to this day.

Africa's economic performance was worse than that of other regions during the pre-eighteenth century, a time when the entire globe was engulfed in abject poverty. Why? Perhaps location and climate were factors. For instance, unlike the more temperate nations of Europe, apart from Malaria, Africa has always experienced man-made diseases and the climate is unpredictable and harsh, and there are few possibilities for agriculture.

European authorities established boundaries between the nations during colonization to divide these new African colonies among themselves. At the same time that other African communities were divided into parts, frequently into three parts, about 10,000 pre-existing political entities were merged into about 40. The States of contemporary Africa are typically the straight descendants of these colonies.

Despite the enthusiasm for freedom, there was a severe lack of skilled workers to run these new nations that were not prepared for independence. Africa loses an average of 70,000 skilled workers a year due to brain drain to developed countries. Additionally, these nations needed both fundamental infrastructure and public health services, while numerous government employees were appointed in part as a result of ethnic relations, and tribalism.

While many countries began with democratic systems, many as well turned authoritarian, with the military taking center stage. These new nations may have become more united as a result, but their economies did not advance as a result. It has also contributed to conflicts both within and between nations. However, due to the US and USSR's massive aid to specific regimes, part of the Cold War was waged in Africa.

This typically weakened administration in general and aided the growth of corruption. In addition, corrupt dictators were backed by China, Taiwan, South Korea, and other nations in exchange for political support, while billions of dollars were deposited into personal Swiss bank accounts by corrupt politicians Africa's transition to independence occurred during a time when many development economists advocated for extensive public sector planning and this resulted in borrowing and debt that were excessive and beyond the ability of the government.



Africa has also seen a population explosion as a result of better sanitation, modern medicine, increased life expectancy, increased food production, and a high birth rate. Africa's population increased from less than 100 million in 1900 to 200 million in 1960, 450 million in 1990, and more than 700 million currently. Food imports are significant because food production has not kept up with the population increase.

Nigeria and Congo are prime illustrations of nations that have experienced the natural resource curse. Nigeria went on the rampage, funding dubious projects, including through sizable loans, as crude prices and revenues skyrocketed. Nigeria is an impoverished, corrupt, and unstable nation today, which is an even worse situation. In general, Africa's abundant natural resourcesparticularly its coal and diamond industrieshave fueled more strife than prosperity.

The majority of African nations rely on oil imports, and the oil shocks of the 1970s had disastrous effects because many of these nations became so heavily indebted that they were unable to repay their current debts or obtain new ones. The World Bank and IMF's structural adjustment initiatives have only made things worse. What is required by Africa? Good governance, security and peace, investments in people, economic development and the eradication of poverty, expanded and just trade, increased financial resources, and improved alliances with developed nations.

Private sector entrepreneurship is improving. But even though more and more open elections are being held, most African democracies are very imperfect. Africa has long been a continent of eternal hope, and the international community has hoped and prayed for its rebirth. While this is commendable, it is important to be realistic about Africa.

Africa now only accounts for 3% of global commerce, down from over 7% in 1948 and most of the commerce is between South Africa and African producers of oil and gas. Notably, more than half of Africa's shipments are crude oil and one or two commodities make for at least 60% of the total exports in two-thirds of sub-Saharan Africa. Only three African nations, South Africa, which ranks 39th, Algeria, which ranks 42nd, and Nigeria, which ranks 43rd, are among the top 50 exporters in the globe.



Surveys indicate that doing business in African nations is the world's most challenging. The most significant limitations mentioned by entrepreneurs are those related to access to money, infrastructure, institutions, and skills. More importantly, the most dishonest nations are those in Africa. There are many failed States in Africa and some ways, despite its rich resources; Africa is a continent of lost optimism.
Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei Mensah has justified his reason for reacting angrily to caterers under the government's school feeding programme in the Ashanti Region when they presented a petition to him on Monday, April 3.

The caterers who are calling on the government to pay them their arrears and also increase the amount expressed their disappointment with the Regional Minister over how he received them.

Speaking to the media however, Mr. Simon Osei Mensah insists that the caterers did not follow due process and were protesting at the Regional Coordinating Council which compelled him to react the way he did.

I was in a meeting yesterday when I heard some noise outside the office, and so I sent my special assistant to find out, and he came and told me it was caterers protesting outside. They did not even seek security clearance before demonstrating, so you can imagine what would have happened if the security personnel at the Regional Coordinating Council had reacted to them.

We must be truthful to ourselves in this country and stop pampering people because impunity is too much. Though I sympathise with the caterers, we should not allow people to break the law in their attempt to have their problems solved. We should solve our problems through legal means. You cant just take the law into your hands and do what you want because I will not tolerate that.

Spokesperson for the School Feeding Programme in the region, Dorothy Sarpong in an interview on Eyewitness News on Monday, April 3 disclosed that the Regional Minister kicked them out when they went to petition the Minister over the non-payment of arrears.
Cross the street to a well-furnished convenience store and notice that behind the counter are numerous products with a made-in-China label. Walk back to the living room and take a panoramic view. It is likely that over half of the electronic gadgets are sourced from Chinese companies. Indeed, China is everywhere, and it has come to us in many ways. This phenomenon is not different in arenas of funding in Africa, as China continues to meet the continents investment needs in no small way.

Between 2000 and 2014, China initiated an unprecedented wave of investment in Africa. In fact, a staggering 3,485 projects worth a whopping $273.6 billion were recorded during this period. Thats a lot of zeros! The primary beneficiaries of these investments were Kenya, Ethiopia, Ghana, and DR Congo, receiving inflows of around $12.1 billion.

Within the same period (i.e., 2013), something remarkable happened that changed the economic landscape of Africa forever. China overtook the United States as the regions largest equity investor in foreign direct investment (See figure).

It was a pivotal shift that would pave the way for the Asian giant to further cement its economic footprint. After 2017, China continued to pour investment into Africa, filling the void left, largely by other development partners, especially the United States.

Chinas investment in Africa has sparked debates, as critics denounce it as a modern manifestation of colonialism. However, the reality says something different.

However, Chinas move in Africa has been met with criticism. Related investments have been described as a new type of colonialism, with loan facilities seen as debt-trap diplomacy. These narratives do not constitute an exhaustive list, as other emerging descriptions have strangely made their way into several research works and prominent news outlets. If not political patronage, then it is an elite capture. Some even argue that Chinese investments do make not only ethnic identities more salient but also encourage local corruption. On the margins of these criticisms are also issues of unintended consequences, particularly the impact on localized crime. These issues have led to protests and tensions between Chinese investors and local communities.

Reality Check

While there are concerns about Africas debt sustainability, environmental impact, and localized crime, a nuanced and evenhanded analysis of the issues highlights a more complex reality than what these criticisms suggest. This is especially true since China is now the easy target for all these people trying to get their point across.

To begin with, localized crime, including environmental degradation, are not exclusive to Chinese investment in Africa. These issues are clearly amplified in many parts of the world, so singling out China on this matter may be viewed as a case of selective amnesia.

It is imperative to foster cooperation and dialogue among Chinese investors, African governments, and local communities. Furthermore, Chinese investment has brought significant benefits to Africa that cannot be ignored. Recognizing and acknowledging these gains is crucial rather than simply dismissing them. Yes, there are challenges, but the baby should not be thrown out with the bathwater. Similarly, we should neither toss the celebration with the hindrances nor scour the Teflon when washing the pan.

It is imperative to draw attention to the fact that China is seriously filling the continents infrastructure gap, and the benefits cannot be understated. Developing vital infrastructure like railways, ports, and roads has created thousands of jobs and stimulated economic growth in many African countries.

For instance, the Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway in Kenya, funded by China, has considerably decreased transportation expenses and enhanced trade between Kenya and China. Another notable instance is the construction of the Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway in Ethiopia. This railway establishes a vital connection between landlocked Ethiopia and the port of Djibouti, supporting the growth of Ethiopias burgeoning economy.

What makes Chinese investment irresistible to African countries?

Well, it's a perfect blend of freedom and opportunity. China's demand-driven approach empowers African nations to shape their own destiny, pursuing development at their own pace. With an eye on infrastructure and accessible financing, China emerges as a vibrant alternative to traditional Western investors.

The non-interference policy ensures these nations can grow without external meddling, while diversified partnerships open doors to exciting new possibilities. Add a dash of cutting-edge technology and local job creation, and you have a recipe for transformative growth. African countries are seizing the moment, embracing China's investments to propel them towards a brighter, more connected future.

It seems refreshing to conclude on an investment model that appears to work perfectly well for Africa-China relations. In reading the paragraphs above, one could hardly shake off the impression that Chinese investments present substantial and better opportunities for Africa. Indeed, there are valid concerns, and it is okay to grapple with the complexity of the issue. However, one thing is clear: Africa needs a nuanced and collaborative approach that leverages the strengths of all stakeholders. This will ensure that respective countries receive the investment they need to thrive while also promoting sustainable and inclusive development. The stakes may be high, but the potential rewards are higher. It is time to move beyond the rhetoric of criticism and competition and forge a brighter future for Africa - one that is powered by collaboration and innovation.

As we reach the conclusion, it's clear that the Africa-China investment model is a breath of fresh air, breathing life into partnerships and opportunities. Chinese investments paint a promising picture for African nations, showcasing a world of possibilities. While legitimate concerns exist, it's essential to dive headfirst into the complexities and embrace the challenge. Africa's future hinges on a collaborative approach, uniting the strengths of every stakeholder. By doing so, countries will secure the investments needed to flourish, fostering sustainable and inclusive development.

The stakes may be high, but the rewards are monumental. It's time to break free from the chains of criticism and competition, and stride towards an African renaissance fueled by collaboration and innovation.

Author:

Dr. Isaac Ankrah

Senior Research Fellow, Africa-China Centre for Policy and Advisory.

Lecturer, Ghana Communication Technology University.
04.04.2023 LISTEN

There has been another shooting incident in Bawku in the Upper East Region leading to the death of one person.

Reports gathered from sources have confirmed that three of the victims of the shooting in the conflict-prone area are officers of the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS).

It is understood that some unknown assailants wielding guns and other weapons opened fire on the officers. One of Immigration officers has been confirmed dead.

The deceased Philip Motey is said to have died on the spot. Meanwhile, the two other Immigrations Officers are currently battling for their lives at the Bawku Presbyterian Hospital.

The three officers were reportedly attacked by the unknown assailants on Monday night while on their way to Missiga station.

The two hospitalized officers have been identified as Eric Ayibiya and Laurence Afri.

No suspect has been arrested and the motive behind the attack is yet to be established.

Security has been beefed up in Bawku and its environs.
All students of the Krobea Asante Technical and Vocational Institute have begun paying an amount of GH430 after a five-member committee that probed recent disturbances in the school recommended a surcharge.

Each of the over one thousand student population is expected to pay the amount before being readmitted into the school.

The school has been reopened after the Ashanti Regional Security Council directed a temporary shutdown when students went on a rampage and destroyed public and private properties.

The amount will cater for the damage caused to the properties during the protests by the students whose actions were linked to the dissatisfaction they expressed about final exams by their predecessors in 2022.

The Parent Teacher Association Chairman of the Krobea Asante Technical and Vocational Institute, Kwasikuma Mawunyo Cudjoe said Some parents are protesting the amount the students are being levied.

43 students including juveniles who were arrested during the rampage are currently standing trial at the Asokore Mampong District Court.

Counsel for the accused persons, Kwabena Gyamfi prayed the court on Tuesday to withdraw an order compelling his clients to report to the police station every week.

He is also seeking the prosecution to withdraw the charges against his clients since the student population has been surcharged.
Caterers under the Ghana School Feeding Programme (GSFP) in the Ashanti region are demanding that government pays them their arrears as well as increase the amount paid per meal for a child.

The caterers, currently on strike, say due to the increase in the prices of goods and foodstuffs, the GHS79 pesewas paid them per child is no longer adequate to cover the cost of a meal.

The caterers therefore besieged the office of the Ashanti Regional Minister Simon Osei-Mensah on Monday, 3 April 2022, to air their grievances.

The Minister, however, did not grant them audience.

Speaking to Valentina Ofori-Afriyie on 12Live on Class 91.3 FM, Tuesday, 4 April 2023, the leader of the caterers, Aunty Naa, said they having been crying for an increment for a while now yet that has yielded no positive results.

She indicated that they will stay home till government heeds their call and if staying home on strike will lead to the termination of their contracts, they would not mind.

They, however, want government to priotise the payment of their arrears before anything else.

Aunty stated: They should pay us our monies fully, all the two terms arrears because, we dont have a problem. Because the Government himself knows that today you cannot use GHS2 to buy food in the country.

She stressed that the money being paid per child was inadequate.

Can we use 7pesewas to cook? When we started cooking at that time, oil was GHS102 per gallon but now that Im talking to you we buy oil for GHS700 per gallon. We didnt ask government to give us GHS7 because of the increase in the price of goods on the market so I think the government will listen to us, she opined.

She added: Maybe the government does not know what is going on in that Ministry that is why we came out for him to hear our cry.

The government currently pays 79 pesewas per meal per child under the Ghana School Feeding Programme.

There have been calls for the government to increase the amount to reflect the current increase in the price of foodstuffs.

At the same time, caterers under the programme have constantly called on the government to pay them on time.

Source: classfmonline.com
Nineteen troops taken by rebels in northern Central African Republic in February have been released, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Tuesday.

Out of 20 soldiers seized in the raid in Vakaga region on February 14, 19 have been released and will arrive shortly in the town of Birao, "and will remain there until their return to Bangui can be organised," deputy mission chief Yves Van Loo told AFP, referring to the CAR capital.

The 19 "seem to be in good health and able to make the journey," he said.

The 20th soldier is receiving medical treatment for wounds and "will be picked up at a different location later," he said.

The troops had been seized by a group called the Coalition of Patriots for Change (CPC) after clashes at the village of Sikikede that the government had said inflicted "considerable losses" on its forces.

The landlocked CAR is one of the poorest and most troubled countries in the world, despite an abundance of mineral wealth.

It remains scarred by a 2013 civil war, unleashed by a coup against then president Francois Bozize, in which armed groups battled along sectarian lines.

The CPC is an alliance of militias created in 2020 in a bid to overthrow Bozize's successor, Faustin Archange Touadera.

In a statement, the CPC said it had taken a "voluntary and unilateral decision" to release the 20 following "negotiations" with the ICRC and the United Nations' peacekeeping mission in the country, MINUSCA.

The release of the 19 took place in an area where access is difficult, hampered by fighting between the rebels on on the one side and the CAR on the other, helped by Russian paramilitaries.

Touadera criticism

Armed forces spokesman Augustin Ndando Kpako said the release of the 20 "had been our greatest priority... we wanted to see them free."

But the CPC accused Touadera, who is commander-in-chief of the armed forces, of refusing to get involved in securing the release of the men.

Map locating Central African Republic's capital Bangui. By (AFP/File)

"The deafening silence of President Touadera... and his defence minister demonstrate the lack of interest, the contempt even, that they have for soldiers," the CPC said.

The government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The CPC triggered a regional alarm when it advanced on Bangui in December 2020 as presidential and legislative elections loomed.

They were thwarted with the help of Russian paramilitaries, who were rushed in to shore up the country's fragile military after an appeal by Touadera.

Their presence became the trigger for a chill in relations between CAR and France, the country's former colonial power and traditional ally.

France, the UN and others say they are mercenaries from the Wagner group, who have been linked with atrocities and looting of resources.

Facing a mounting anti-French campaign allegedly steered by Russia, France suspended military cooperation and last December pulled its last troops from the country.
04.04.2023 LISTEN

Member of Parliament (MP) for Bawku Central, Mahama Ayariga has condemned the latest shooting incident in Bawku which has led to the killing of one officer of the Ghana Immigration Service.

On Monday, April 3, three immigration officers; Asst. Inspt. Philip Motey station at Missiga, Asst. Inspt. Lawrence Afari station at Kulungugu and Asst. Inspt. Eric Ayidiya of Pulimakom border post were shot by unknown gunmen in front of Bawku Police station.

They were reportedly driving in a private car to town to buy food when the incident happened.

They were rushed to Bawku Presbyterian Hospital but Philip Motey was confirmed dead whiles the other two sustained gunshot injuries and are in critical condition.

Describing the attack on the Immigration Officers as reprehensible, Mahama Ayariga has admonished government to be proactive in advancing lasting peace in Bawku.

I condemn in very strong terms the shooting, injuring, and killing of some members of the security agencies in Bawku on Monday 3rd April 2023.

This is most reprehensible and should not be repeated again. An investigation into the matter must be conducted and the perpetrators brought to book.

I urge government to be proactive in advancing a lasting peace process in Bawku, Mahama Ayariga said in a statement.

Meanwhile, the Bawku Central MP has extended his condolence to the family of the deceased Immigration officer.

Let me on behalf of the people of Bawku express our sincere condolences to the families of the deceased security personnel and extend our prayers to the wounded, Mahama Ayariga indicated.
"Jibril Mohamed Ahmed Discusses the West's Role in Enabling Israel's Occupation and Its Consequences"

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is one of the most enduring and intractable conflicts in the world. The conflict has been ongoing for decades, and the situation on the ground continues to be a source of concern for the international community. Despite this, the West has continued to provide shelter for Israel, which has committed numerous human rights violations against the Palestinian people. This article will explore the West's complicity in Israel's crimes against Palestinians, and its implications for peace and justice in the region.

The West's support for Israel dates back to the early days of the Zionist movement, which sought to establish a Jewish homeland in Palestine. The British government, which controlled Palestine at the time, issued the Balfour Declaration in 1917, which declared its support for the establishment of a Jewish homeland in Palestine. This support continued after Israel's establishment in 1948, with the United States becoming one of Israel's strongest allies.

Over the years, Israel has committed numerous human rights violations against the Palestinian people, including the occupation of Palestinian territories, the construction of illegal settlements, the use of excessive force against Palestinian civilians, and the blockade of Gaza. These violations have been widely condemned by the international community, including by numerous human rights organizations.

Despite this, the West has continued to provide support for Israel, including military aid, diplomatic support, and economic cooperation. The United States, in particular, has been a staunch supporter of Israel, providing it with billions of dollars in military aid each year, and using its veto power in the United Nations Security Council to shield Israel from criticism.

This support has enabled Israel to maintain its occupation and commit human rights violations with impunity. The West's complicity in Israel's crimes against Palestinians has undermined the principles of democracy, human rights, and the rule of law that it purports to champion.

One of the most pressing issues is Israel's continued settlement expansion in the West Bank, which is a clear violation of international law. Since 1967, Israel has established over 200 settlements in the West Bank, which are home to over 600,000 Israeli settlers. These settlements are built on land that is recognized as Palestinian under international law, and their expansion has been a major obstacle to peace negotiations.

Furthermore, Israel's apartheid system, which discriminates against Palestinians in various ways, including in access to land, water, and basic services, is a clear violation of international law and human rights. The system is reminiscent of South Africa's apartheid regime, which was widely condemned by the international community.
The Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) has cut off water supply to some businesses in Tema for failing to pay their water bills for some months.

The Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) Seniors Club House owed GHS15,849.92, while VALCO Residences and VALCO Commissary owed GHS4,181.90 and GHS3,116.67, respectively.

The Royal Nick Hotels supply was also cut off for owing GHS31,887.32; they subsequently paid GHS10,000 out of the debt.

Mr Peter De-Vee, GWCL Deputy Managing Director Operations, told the Ghana News Agency in Tema during the operation that the Tema disconnection was part of a nationwide effort to recover over GHS800 million in arrears by such companies.

Mr. De-Veer stated that before the Public Utility Regulatory Commissions (PURC) 21 percent tariff increase in September 2022, customers owed the Company GHS684 million in debt for 2022.

He revealed that the GWCL Tema Region and Greater Accra Regions accounted for 60 percent of the total debt while the other regions combined accounted for 40 percent.

He said 90 percent of the total debts were owed by private businesses.

He stated that the businesses in Tema alone owed the GWCL GHS140 million.

He questioned how GWCL could run its business if customers refused to pay their bills but continued to use the water for their businesses, noting that they import chemicals and that the challenges connected with galamsy was also having a toll on its operations

The Deputy Manager said it was time for them to move into the communities to demand what was due the company.

He urged customers to settle their debts in person at the GWCL offices or via the GWCL app before the team arrived.

He said the funds would be used to upgrade the companys infrastructure, replace pumps, old pipes, and leaks, and provide water to underserved areas.

GNA
Entertainment / Music

by Simbarashe Sithole

Sungura giant Mark Ngwazi and his Njanja Express band are touring the United Kingdom this weekend for the first time.Ngwazi will share the stage with various Zimbabwean artistes like Holy Ten, Gemma Grifits, Seh Calaz, Enzo Ishal, Ndunge Yout, among others.Speaking to Bulawayo24.com Ngwazi said he is delighted to go international and is promising fire works."As Njanja we are very happy to go to UK we are going to do our best since it is our first time people should come and watch live Sungura in Leicester, UK."Ngwazi bid farewell to his Zimbabwean fans in Mbare yesterday.
BlueCrest University College recently held its matriculation ceremony welcoming a new cohort of students to its academic community.

The event which marked the official admission of new students into the college for its 2023 spring intake was held on the campus with students from Nigeria, Niger, Gambia, Congo, Ivory Coast, Ghana etc representing nine nationalities in Africa.

The event was graced with the presence of various invited guests including Mr. Henry Nii Dottey, Head of Marketing and Corporate communication, UBA Ghana Ltd. as its guest speaker, Mr. Edward Asare, Digital Marketing officer at UBA, the Rector, Dr. Sujith Jayaprakash, Dean of the School, Prof Thomas Buabeng Assan, Registrar, Faculty, Alumni and Student Ambassadors.

Dr. Sujith Jayaprakash, the rector of the college, in his speech, welcomed the new students to the institution and encouraged them to take advantage of the opportunities provided by the university. He also urged the students to work hard, stay focused, and strive for academic excellence.

Mr. Dottey delivered an inspiring speech, encouraging the new students to embrace their college years to the fullest while not downplaying the main reason for their admittance into the college. Whiles sharing his personal experiences and insights on how to succeed in both academic and professional settings, he emphasized on the vast opportunities the college had to offer the matriculants, from the social connections they can make by socializing with their mates as well as the internship program offered by the university which provides practical work experiences to students.

The matriculation ceremony also provided an opportunity for the Dean, Alumni, and Student Ambassadors to connect with the incoming class and offer their support as mentors and guides. Ms. Rosina Naab, an Alumnus and the valedictorian for the class of 2022 shared a congratulatory message with the students urging them to give off their best. Additionally, matriculants watched videos of positive messages from various Alumni working from across the world.

One unique aspect of the matriculation ceremony was the cultural dress code, which allowed the new students to showcase their cultural identity and represent their country. The diverse student body at Bluecrest University College wore traditional clothing from their respective countries, adding a vibrant and colorful element to the event.

Ms. Henrietta Mensah, the head of Partnership and Collaboration stated "The cultural dress code at this year's matriculation ceremony was our way to celebrate a beautiful representation of the diverse student body at Bluecrest University College. It was wonderful to see students showcasing their cultural identity and adding a colorful element to the event. This reinforces our commitment to promoting cultural diversity and fostering an inclusive community."

The matriculation was a significant milestone for the new students, who were excited to begin their academic journey at BlueCrest University College. Many of them expressed their enthusiasm and gratitude for the opportunity to study at the college and vowed to make the most of their time there. It also demonstrated the commitment of BlueCrest University College to academic excellence and the development of its students.
Dine Brands Global, Inc. (NYSE:DIN  Get Rating) saw a significant growth in short interest in the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,510,000 shares, a growth of 9.4% from the February 28th total of 1,380,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 267,300 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 5.6 days. Currently, 10.4% of the companys stock are sold short.

Insider Transactions at Dine Brands Global

In other news, Director Larry Alan Kay sold 600 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.19, for a total transaction of $41,514.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 7,639 shares of the companys stock, valued at $528,542.41. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 3.38% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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Institutional Investors Weigh In On Dine Brands Global

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of DIN. Voya Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in Dine Brands Global by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 17,997 shares of the restaurant operators stock worth $1,163,000 after buying an additional 299 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. lifted its holdings in Dine Brands Global by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 1,730,661 shares of the restaurant operators stock worth $111,801,000 after buying an additional 14,212 shares during the period. Point72 Middle East FZE acquired a new position in Dine Brands Global during the 4th quarter worth about $79,000. State of Tennessee Treasury Department lifted its holdings in Dine Brands Global by 19.3% during the 4th quarter. State of Tennessee Treasury Department now owns 12,426 shares of the restaurant operators stock worth $803,000 after buying an additional 2,006 shares during the period. Finally, Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Dine Brands Global by 135.0% during the 4th quarter. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC now owns 224,450 shares of the restaurant operators stock worth $14,499,000 after buying an additional 128,955 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.20% of the companys stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Dine Brands Global Price Performance

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on DIN. StockNews.com cut Dine Brands Global from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Friday, March 10th. Truist Financial cut their price objective on Dine Brands Global from $100.00 to $92.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 3rd. Raymond James cut Dine Brands Global from an outperform rating to a market perform rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 24th. Barclays raised their price objective on Dine Brands Global from $80.00 to $84.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Thursday, March 2nd. Finally, KeyCorp cut their price objective on Dine Brands Global from $84.00 to $83.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Dine Brands Global currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $85.50.

Dine Brands Global stock traded up $0.88 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $68.52. 296,054 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 268,137. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $73.93 and a 200-day simple moving average of $71.11. Dine Brands Global has a 12 month low of $61.03 and a 12 month high of $82.43. The firm has a market cap of $1.08 billion, a PE ratio of 13.69 and a beta of 1.87.

Dine Brands Global (NYSE:DIN  Get Rating) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 1st. The restaurant operator reported $1.34 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.21 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $208.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $213.26 million. Dine Brands Global had a negative return on equity of 34.24% and a net margin of 8.92%. The companys revenue was down 9.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.32 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Dine Brands Global will post 6.77 earnings per share for the current year.

Dine Brands Global Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 20th were issued a $0.51 dividend. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.98%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 17th. Dine Brands Globals dividend payout ratio is presently 41.30%.

Dine Brands Global Company Profile

(Get Rating)

Dine Brands Global, Inc owns and franchises casual and family dining restaurants. It operates through the following segments: Franchise, Rental, Company Restaurant, and Financing Operations. The Franchise Operations segment consists of royalties, fees, and other income for Applebees and IHOP franchised and area licensed restaurants.

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The Toro Company (NYSE:TTC  Get Rating) VP Daryn A. Walters acquired 910 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 30th. The shares were bought at an average price of $110.05 per share, for a total transaction of $100,145.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 1,740 shares of the companys stock, valued at $191,487. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link.

Toro Trading Down 1.3 %

Shares of NYSE TTC traded down $1.42 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $109.74. The companys stock had a trading volume of 527,935 shares, compared to its average volume of 701,427. The company has a current ratio of 1.78, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. The businesss 50 day moving average is $110.84 and its two-hundred day moving average is $107.05. The Toro Company has a 12-month low of $71.86 and a 12-month high of $117.66. The firm has a market cap of $11.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.38 and a beta of 0.73.

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Toro (NYSE:TTC  Get Rating) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 9th. The company reported $0.98 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.91 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $1.15 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.16 billion. Toro had a return on equity of 36.04% and a net margin of 10.16%. Toros quarterly revenue was up 23.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.66 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that The Toro Company will post 4.9 EPS for the current year.

Toro Announces Dividend

Analyst Ratings Changes

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 19th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 6th will be issued a dividend of $0.34 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 5th. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.24%. Toros payout ratio is currently 29.82%.

A number of brokerages have issued reports on TTC. Raymond James upgraded Toro from a market perform rating to an outperform rating and set a $130.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 23rd. Robert W. Baird decreased their price objective on Toro from $120.00 to $116.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 22nd. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Toro from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report on Thursday, March 23rd.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund boosted its position in Toro by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 30,580 shares of the companys stock valued at $3,462,000 after acquiring an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in Toro by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 12,892 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,115,000 after acquiring an additional 93 shares in the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc boosted its position in Toro by 20.0% during the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 594 shares of the companys stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. Utah Retirement Systems boosted its position in Toro by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Utah Retirement Systems now owns 18,638 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,612,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Louisiana State Employees Retirement System boosted its position in Toro by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 27,900 shares of the companys stock valued at $3,158,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. 85.14% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Toro Company Profile

(Get Rating)

The Toro Co is in the business of designing, manufacturing, marketing, and selling professional turf maintenance equipment and services. It operates through the following segments: Professional and Residential. The Professional segment consists of turf and landscape equipment, rental, specialty, and underground construction equipment, snow & ice management equipment, and irrigation and lighting products.

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StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Argo Group International (NYSE:ARGO  Get Rating) in a research note published on Friday morning. The brokerage issued a hold rating on the stock.

ARGO has been the topic of a number of other reports. Raymond James lowered shares of Argo Group International from a market perform rating to an underperform rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 28th. Compass Point lowered shares of Argo Group International from a buy rating to a neutral rating and set a $30.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Monday, March 13th.

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Argo Group International Price Performance

Shares of ARGO opened at $29.42 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $1.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -5.54 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a 50-day moving average of $29.10. Argo Group International has a fifty-two week low of $19.00 and a fifty-two week high of $45.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 0.63 and a quick ratio of 0.56.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Argo Group International

Argo Group International ( NYSE:ARGO Get Rating ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 27th. The company reported ($2.69) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of ($1.62) by ($1.07). Argo Group International had a positive return on equity of 0.06% and a negative net margin of 9.98%. The business had revenue of $379.40 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $504.90 million. Analysts predict that Argo Group International will post 2.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of ARGO. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd increased its holdings in Argo Group International by 515.8% in the 3rd quarter. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd now owns 1,324 shares of the companys stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 1,109 shares during the period. CWM LLC boosted its stake in shares of Argo Group International by 2,751.0% in the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,454 shares of the companys stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 1,403 shares in the last quarter. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Argo Group International in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $59,000. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its stake in shares of Argo Group International by 17.3% in the 4th quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 4,760 shares of the companys stock valued at $123,000 after purchasing an additional 701 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Counterpoint Mutual Funds LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Argo Group International in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $124,000. 89.92% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Argo Group International

(Get Rating)

Argo Group International Holdings Ltd. engages in the provision of underwriting property and casualty insurance and reinsurance products. It operates through the following segments: U.S. Operations, International Operations, and Run-off Lines. The U.S. Operations segment include distribution through retail, wholesale, and managing general brokers/agents in the specialty insurance market.

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B2Gold Corp. (NYSEAMERICAN:BTG  Get Rating) (TSE:BTO) shares rose 4% on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $4.18 and last traded at $4.17. Approximately 9,742,468 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 4% from the average daily volume of 10,106,908 shares. The stock had previously closed at $4.01.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on BTG shares. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a sector perform rating and set a $4.25 price target on shares of B2Gold in a research report on Wednesday, March 8th. TheStreet raised shares of B2Gold from a c+ rating to a b- rating in a research report on Friday. CIBC lowered shares of B2Gold from an outperform rating to a neutral rating and cut their price target for the company from $5.00 to $4.75 in a report on Monday, January 30th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price objective on shares of B2Gold from C$7.50 to C$7.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 19th. Finally, National Bank Financial reduced their target price on shares of B2Gold from C$6.75 to C$6.50 in a report on Tuesday, February 28th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $6.14.

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B2Gold Stock Up 4.0 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01, a current ratio of 5.21 and a quick ratio of 3.51. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.04 and a beta of 0.91.

B2Gold Announces Dividend

B2Gold ( NYSEAMERICAN:BTG Get Rating ) (TSE:BTO) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 22nd. The basic materials company reported $0.11 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.14 by ($0.03). B2Gold had a return on equity of 8.80% and a net margin of 14.60%. The company had revenue of $592.47 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $592.00 million. As a group, research analysts expect that B2Gold Corp. will post 0.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 17th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 8th were paid a $0.04 dividend. This represents a $0.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.84%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 7th. B2Golds dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 64.00%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in B2Gold by 4.6% during the first quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 2,343,623 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $10,757,000 after buying an additional 103,507 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. raised its stake in B2Gold by 13.7% during the first quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 199,062 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $914,000 after buying an additional 24,045 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its stake in B2Gold by 5.5% during the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 577,840 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $2,652,000 after buying an additional 30,187 shares in the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC raised its stake in B2Gold by 30.3% during the first quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 39,711 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $181,000 after buying an additional 9,229 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cetera Advisor Networks LLC raised its stake in B2Gold by 52.9% during the first quarter. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC now owns 26,750 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $123,000 after buying an additional 9,250 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 52.20% of the companys stock.

About B2Gold

(Get Rating)

B2Gold Corp. is an exploration company, which engages in the acquisition and development of mineral properties. It operates through the following segments: Fekola Mine, Otjikoto Mine, Masbate Mine, Libertad Mine, and Limon Mine. The company was founded by Mark Anthony Corra, Thomas A. Garagan, Clive Thomas Johnson and Roger Thomas Richer on November 30, 2006 and is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.

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Keefe, Bruyette & Woods upgraded shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (NYSE:BBVA  Get Rating) from an underperform rating to a market perform rating in a research report report published on Friday morning, The Fly reports.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently commented on BBVA. AlphaValue raised shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria to a buy rating in a research report on Thursday, December 8th. StockNews.com raised shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report on Thursday, March 23rd. Finally, Societe Generale cut shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 24th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria currently has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $6.36.

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Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria Trading Up 1.7 %

Shares of NYSE BBVA opened at $6.84 on Friday. The companys fifty day moving average is $7.21 and its 200-day moving average is $6.13. The stock has a market cap of $43.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.39 and a beta of 1.27. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria has a twelve month low of $3.93 and a twelve month high of $7.93. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria Increases Dividend

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria ( NYSE:BBVA Get Rating ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 1st. The bank reported $0.26 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.29 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $6.66 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.17 billion. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria had a return on equity of 14.21% and a net margin of 26.53%. Equities research analysts predict that Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria will post 1.16 EPS for the current year.

The firm also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 20th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 4th will be given a dividend of $0.3333 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, April 3rd. This is a boost from Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentarias previous semi-annual dividend of $0.12. This represents a yield of 4%. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentarias payout ratio is 17.76%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of BBVA. Raymond James & Associates lifted its holdings in shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 21.4% during the 1st quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 733,348 shares of the banks stock worth $4,173,000 after acquiring an additional 129,165 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its position in shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 6.9% in the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 643,708 shares of the banks stock valued at $3,664,000 after purchasing an additional 41,706 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 4.0% in the 1st quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 393,935 shares of the banks stock valued at $2,241,000 after purchasing an additional 15,070 shares in the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 32.6% in the 1st quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 35,093 shares of the banks stock worth $196,000 after purchasing an additional 8,633 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Private Advisor Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria by 24.6% in the 1st quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 18,972 shares of the banks stock worth $108,000 after acquiring an additional 3,749 shares in the last quarter. 2.51% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria Company Profile

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Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria SA engages in the traditional banking businesses of retail banking, asset management, private banking, and wholesale banking. It operates through the following segments: Spain, the United States, Mexico, Turkey, South America, and Rest of Eurasia. The Spain segment includes mainly the banking and insurance business that the group carries out in Spain.

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Barry Investment Advisors LLC decreased its stake in Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE:MO  Get Rating) by 21.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 4,674 shares of the companys stock after selling 1,277 shares during the period. Barry Investment Advisors LLCs holdings in Altria Group were worth $214,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Elmwood Wealth Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Altria Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $210,000. Riverview Trust Co grew its holdings in shares of Altria Group by 389.0% in the 4th quarter. Riverview Trust Co now owns 2,655 shares of the companys stock valued at $121,000 after acquiring an additional 2,112 shares in the last quarter. Cyndeo Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Altria Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,351,000. Independent Wealth Network Inc. lifted its stake in Altria Group by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Independent Wealth Network Inc. now owns 15,648 shares of the companys stock valued at $715,000 after purchasing an additional 360 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Schaper Benz & Wise Investment Counsel Inc. WI acquired a new stake in Altria Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $217,000. Institutional investors own 58.68% of the companys stock.

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Altria Group Trading Down 1.4 %

MO stock traded down $0.64 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $44.34. 3,055,909 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 8,419,976. Altria Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $40.35 and a 1-year high of $57.05. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $46.17 and a 200-day simple moving average of $45.36. The stock has a market capitalization of $79.17 billion, a PE ratio of 14.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 0.59.

Altria Group Dividend Announcement

Altria Group ( NYSE:MO Get Rating ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 1st. The company reported $1.18 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts consensus estimates of $1.18. Altria Group had a net margin of 22.97% and a negative return on equity of 284.29%. The company had revenue of $5.08 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.15 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.09 earnings per share. The firms quarterly revenue was down 18.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Altria Group, Inc. will post 5.05 earnings per share for the current year.

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 24th will be given a $0.94 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 23rd. This represents a $3.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 8.48%. Altria Groups payout ratio is 117.87%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on MO shares. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Altria Group in a research note on Thursday, March 16th. They issued a buy rating for the company. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $43.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research report on Monday, January 23rd. Finally, Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Altria Group from $46.50 to $49.50 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 7th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $45.55.

About Altria Group

(Get Rating)

Altria Group, Inc operates as a holding company, which engages in the manufacture and sale of cigarettes in the United States. It operates through the following segments: Smokeable Products, Oral tobacco products, and Wine. The Smokeable Products segment consists of cigarettes manufactured and sold by PM USA and machine-made large cigars and pipe tobacco manufactured and sold by Middleton.

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Boenning & Scattergood Inc. boosted its position in Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) by 2.1% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 108,757 shares of the financial services providers stock after buying an additional 2,228 shares during the quarter. Wells Fargo & Company comprises 0.8% of Boenning & Scattergood Inc.s investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th largest holding. Boenning & Scattergood Inc.s holdings in Wells Fargo & Company were worth $5,270,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in WFC. Defender Capital LLC. bought a new position in Wells Fargo & Company in the first quarter valued at about $246,000. Fairfield Bush & CO. bought a new position in Wells Fargo & Company during the first quarter worth about $124,000. Dakota Wealth Management bought a new position in Wells Fargo & Company during the first quarter worth about $222,000. Candriam Luxembourg S.C.A. boosted its holdings in Wells Fargo & Company by 0.3% during the first quarter. Candriam Luxembourg S.C.A. now owns 273,936 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $13,274,000 after buying an additional 770 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Zions Bancorporation N.A. boosted its holdings in Wells Fargo & Company by 24.5% during the first quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. now owns 9,630 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $467,000 after buying an additional 1,895 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 72.24% of the companys stock.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on Wells Fargo & Company from $45.00 to $42.00 and set a sector perform rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their target price on Wells Fargo & Company from $60.00 to $50.00 in a report on Friday, January 6th. Piper Sandler cut Wells Fargo & Company from an overweight rating to a neutral rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $49.00 to $47.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 17th. StockNews.com started coverage on Wells Fargo & Company in a report on Thursday, March 16th. They set a hold rating on the stock. Finally, Odeon Capital Group lowered Wells Fargo & Company from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Monday, March 13th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $51.88.

Insider Activity at Wells Fargo & Company

Wells Fargo & Company Stock Down 3.4 %

In related news, EVP Kleber Santos sold 34,698 shares of Wells Fargo & Company stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.27, for a total value of $1,605,476.46. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 19,590 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $906,429.30. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link . 0.07% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wells Fargo & Company stock traded down $1.30 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $36.42. The stock had a trading volume of 9,783,538 shares, compared to its average volume of 23,031,250. The firms fifty day simple moving average is $43.68 and its 200-day simple moving average is $43.71. Wells Fargo & Company has a 1-year low of $35.25 and a 1-year high of $50.19. The stock has a market capitalization of $137.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 1.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 0.84.

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC  Get Rating) last announced its earnings results on Friday, January 13th. The financial services provider reported $0.67 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.63 by $0.04. Wells Fargo & Company had a return on equity of 9.28% and a net margin of 15.91%. The business had revenue of $19.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $20.04 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.38 EPS. Wells Fargo & Companys revenue for the quarter was down 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that Wells Fargo & Company will post 4.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wells Fargo & Company Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 1st. Investors of record on Friday, February 3rd were given a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.29%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 2nd. Wells Fargo & Companys dividend payout ratio is presently 38.22%.

Wells Fargo & Company Profile

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Wells Fargo & Co is a diversified, community-based financial services company. It is engaged in the provision of banking, insurance, investments, mortgage products and services, and consumer and commercial finance. It operates through the following segments: Consumer Banking and Lending, Commercial Banking, Corporate and Investment Banking, and Wealth & Investment Management.

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PolyMet Mining (NYSE:PLM  Get Rating) and Bunker Hill Mining (OTCMKTS:BHLL  Get Rating) are both small-cap basic materials companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, profitability, dividends, earnings, analyst recommendations, valuation and risk.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of recent recommendations for PolyMet Mining and Bunker Hill Mining, as provided by MarketBeat.

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Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score PolyMet Mining 0 0 0 0 N/A Bunker Hill Mining 0 0 0 0 N/A

Risk and Volatility

Institutional and Insider Ownership

PolyMet Mining has a beta of 0.53, indicating that its stock price is 47% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Bunker Hill Mining has a beta of 2.1, indicating that its stock price is 110% more volatile than the S&P 500.

3.9% of PolyMet Mining shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 0.1% of Bunker Hill Mining shares are held by institutional investors. 0.6% of PolyMet Mining shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Profitability

This table compares PolyMet Mining and Bunker Hill Minings net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets PolyMet Mining N/A -10.03% -7.09% Bunker Hill Mining N/A N/A -60.00%

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares PolyMet Mining and Bunker Hill Minings gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio PolyMet Mining N/A N/A -$34.09 million ($0.34) -6.35 Bunker Hill Mining N/A N/A -$6.40 million ($0.06) -1.46

PolyMet Mining is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Bunker Hill Mining, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Summary

Bunker Hill Mining beats PolyMet Mining on 5 of the 8 factors compared between the two stocks.

About PolyMet Mining

(Get Rating)

PolyMet Mining Corp. engages in the exploration and development of natural resource properties. It develops and operates the NorthMet project in Minnesota, which hosts copper, nickel, cobalt, and platinum group metal mineralization. The company was founded by John P. McGoran on March 4, 1981 and is headquartered in St. Paul, MN.

About Bunker Hill Mining

(Get Rating)

Bunker Hill Mining Corp., a mineral exploration company, engages in the acquisition, development, and mining of mineral properties in Canada and the United States. It focuses on exploring for zinc, lead, and silver ores. It holds an option agreement to acquire interest in the Bunker Hill mine located in the Silver Valley, Idaho. The company was formerly known as Liberty Silver Corp. and changed its name to Bunker Hill Mining Corp. in September 2017. Bunker Hill Mining Corp. was incorporated in 2007 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada.

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D Orazio & Associates Inc. lowered its position in Philip Morris International Inc. (NYSE:PM  Get Rating) by 12.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,056 shares of the companys stock after selling 1,013 shares during the quarter. D Orazio & Associates Inc.s holdings in Philip Morris International were worth $716,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in PM. Mark Sheptoff Financial Planning LLC purchased a new position in Philip Morris International in the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. My Personal CFO LLC purchased a new position in Philip Morris International in the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Asset Dedication LLC purchased a new position in Philip Morris International in the 3rd quarter worth about $36,000. EdgeRock Capital LLC purchased a new position in Philip Morris International in the 3rd quarter worth about $39,000. Finally, Northwest Investment Counselors LLC increased its stake in Philip Morris International by 300.0% in the 4th quarter. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC now owns 400 shares of the companys stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 300 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.85% of the companys stock.

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Insider Activity

In other news, insider Stacey Kennedy sold 8,756 shares of Philip Morris International stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $101.31, for a total transaction of $887,070.36. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 47,731 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $4,835,627.61. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, insider Werner Barth sold 8,000 shares of Philip Morris International stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.35, for a total transaction of $786,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 87,321 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $8,588,020.35. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Stacey Kennedy sold 8,756 shares of Philip Morris International stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $101.31, for a total transaction of $887,070.36. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 47,731 shares of the companys stock, valued at $4,835,627.61. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 117,064 shares of company stock valued at $11,738,763 in the last three months. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Philip Morris International Stock Performance

Several brokerages have issued reports on PM. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Philip Morris International from a neutral rating to a buy rating and increased their target price for the stock from $95.00 to $120.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 25th. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Philip Morris International in a report on Thursday, March 16th. They set a hold rating on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Philip Morris International from a hold rating to a buy rating and increased their target price for the stock from $86.00 to $118.00 in a report on Thursday, January 19th. UBS Group upgraded shares of Philip Morris International from a neutral rating to a buy rating and increased their target price for the stock from $106.00 to $116.00 in a report on Wednesday, March 1st. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Philip Morris International from $109.00 to $118.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Thursday, February 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $110.36.

PM stock traded down $0.52 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $97.38. The company had a trading volume of 1,328,790 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,626,473. Philip Morris International Inc. has a twelve month low of $82.85 and a twelve month high of $109.81. The company has a market cap of $151.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.09 and a beta of 0.68. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $99.14 and a 200-day simple moving average of $96.70.

Philip Morris International (NYSE:PM  Get Rating) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 9th. The company reported $1.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.29 by $0.10. Philip Morris International had a net margin of 11.22% and a negative return on equity of 127.24%. The company had revenue of $8.15 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.54 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.35 EPS. Philip Morris Internationals revenue for the quarter was up .6% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that Philip Morris International Inc. will post 6.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Philip Morris International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 11th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 23rd will be given a dividend of $1.27 per share. This represents a $5.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.22%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 22nd. Philip Morris Internationals dividend payout ratio is presently 87.44%.

About Philip Morris International

(Get Rating)

Philip Morris International, Inc is a holding company engaged in the manufacturing and sale of cigarettes, tobacco, and nicotine-containing products. Its products include cigarettes and reduced-risk products, including heat-not-burn, vapor, and oral nicotine products. The firm operates through the following geographical segments: European Union, Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa, South and Southeast Asia, East Asia and Australia, and Americas.

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News / National

by Mandla Ndlovu

The US - Africa Business Initiative is an investment, trade and commerce promotion.The Initiative seeks to fast track Africa's integration into global markets, leveraging on the demographic boom, and continent-wide spirit of entrepreneurship and innovation which present an extraordinary opportunity for the United States to invest in Africa's future.The Biden - Harris administration has made moves to scale up trade and commerce between the US and Africa and the US Africa Business Initiative has positioned itself to become a catalyst for the industrial revolution in Africa.The Afri-USA Business Initiative has made moves to support and facilitate the mobilization of private capital to fuel economic growth, job creation, and greater U.S. - Africa partnership.The Afri-USA Initiative brings together business and government leaders to strengthen trade- and investment-enabling environments, including fostering the development and implementation of effective policies and practices across all sectors, and identify and promote new opportunities for Africans and Americans.The Afri USA Business Initiative held high level meetings in Lusaka Zambia on the sidelines of the Kamala Harris Africa tour.Stakeholders and partners held a meeting at a Lusaka hotel on Friday the 31st of March 2023.The meeting set out strategies to strengthen trade and human relations between the US and Africa.The meeting also appointed Dr. Edd Branson as chairman of the US - Africa Business Initiative. Edd Branson was noninated and voted in absentia without any opposition.Speaking on the sidelines of the high level meeting US business man Ted Rourke said "The election and appointment imply that Dr. Edd Branson will lead the efforts of strengthening business to business relations between US and Africa. He added that we have tasked Dr. Branson as our chairman to lead engagement and interaction with initiatives such as the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGII) and Prosper Africa, among several other US government backed programs."Malawian business woman and member of the Afri-USABusinessInitiative Chimwemwe Mutale said we believe that Dr. Edd Branson will provide leadership and strategies for coordinated support that meets the needs of businesses and investors, including micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises and diaspora- and women-owned businesses, to advance infrastructure priorities and boost two-way trade and investment.President Biden announced over $15 billion in two-way trade and investment commitments, deals, and partnerships that advance key priorities, including sustainable energy, health systems, agribusiness, digital connectivity, infrastructure, and finance. Since January 2021, the Biden-Harris Administration has invested and plans to invest more than $1 billion in trade, investment, and economic development in Africa.Edd Branson's appointment is effective from the 3rd of April 2023 and will run for 3 years.
Endeavour Silver Corp. (NYSE:EXK  Get Rating) (TSE:EDR) shot up 3% on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $4.11 and last traded at $4.08. 1,910,065 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 18% from the average session volume of 2,339,681 shares. The stock had previously closed at $3.96.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on EXK. StockNews.com upgraded Endeavour Silver to a sell rating in a report on Tuesday, March 14th. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on Endeavour Silver from C$4.50 to C$4.75 in a research note on Wednesday, January 11th. TheStreet raised Endeavour Silver from a d+ rating to a c rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 14th. Pi Financial raised Endeavour Silver from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 7th. Finally, HC Wainwright reaffirmed a buy rating and issued a $5.50 price target (down previously from $6.00) on shares of Endeavour Silver in a research report on Friday, March 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and three have given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $5.79.

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Endeavour Silver Stock Up 2.8 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a quick ratio of 2.41 and a current ratio of 2.77. The company has a market cap of $771.88 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 133.33 and a beta of 1.43. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $3.27 and a 200-day simple moving average of $3.31.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Endeavour Silver

About Endeavour Silver

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Great West Life Assurance Co. Can acquired a new stake in Endeavour Silver in the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. Ritholtz Wealth Management purchased a new position in shares of Endeavour Silver in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Citigroup Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Endeavour Silver in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Royal Bank of Canada grew its stake in shares of Endeavour Silver by 49.1% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 9,017 shares of the mining companys stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 2,971 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Endeavour Silver in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $49,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 23.64% of the companys stock.

(Get Rating)

Endeavour Silver Corp. operates as a mineral company. It engages in the evaluation, acquisition, exploration, development and exploitation of precious metal properties in Mexico and Chile. The firms projects include the Terronera property in Jalisco, the El Compas property, the Guanacevi Mine in Durango, Bolanitos Mines in Guanajuato, and the Parral project in Chihuahua, Mexico.

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FB Financial Co. (NYSE:FBK  Get Rating)s stock price reached a new 52-week low on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $29.35 and last traded at $29.42, with a volume of 44528 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $30.52.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

FBK has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Hovde Group lowered shares of FB Financial from an outperform rating to a market perform rating and set a $42.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Wednesday, December 14th. Stephens lowered shares of FB Financial from an overweight rating to an equal weight rating and cut their price objective for the company from $46.00 to $42.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 13th. Janney Montgomery Scott lowered shares of FB Financial from a buy rating to a neutral rating and set a $40.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Wednesday, December 14th. StockNews.com lowered shares of FB Financial from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report on Saturday. Finally, Piper Sandler lowered shares of FB Financial from an overweight rating to a neutral rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 13th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and six have assigned a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $42.86.

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FB Financial Price Performance

The firms 50-day moving average price is $35.41 and its 200-day moving average price is $38.00. The company has a market cap of $1.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.56 and a beta of 1.03.

FB Financial Increases Dividend

FB Financial ( NYSE:FBK Get Rating ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 17th. The financial services provider reported $0.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.81 by $0.04. FB Financial had a net margin of 20.90% and a return on equity of 10.36%. The company had revenue of $127.97 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $134.53 million. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that FB Financial Co. will post 3.04 earnings per share for the current year.

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 7th were paid a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, February 6th. This is an increase from FB Financials previous quarterly dividend of $0.13. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.02%. FB Financials dividend payout ratio is 22.73%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Raja J. Jubran bought 6,150 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 10th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $32.39 per share, for a total transaction of $199,198.50. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 29,039 shares of the companys stock, valued at $940,573.21. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.90% of the companys stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in FB Financial by 9.6% during the 1st quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 94,767 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $4,210,000 after acquiring an additional 8,263 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its stake in FB Financial by 20.4% during the 1st quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 42,955 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $1,908,000 after acquiring an additional 7,283 shares during the last quarter. Citigroup Inc. boosted its stake in FB Financial by 16.3% during the 1st quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 31,613 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $1,404,000 after acquiring an additional 4,442 shares during the last quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in FB Financial by 57.4% during the 1st quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 17,187 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $763,000 after acquiring an additional 6,267 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers boosted its stake in FB Financial by 2.9% during the 1st quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 92,950 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $4,129,000 after acquiring an additional 2,589 shares during the last quarter. 63.98% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

FB Financial Company Profile

(Get Rating)

FB Financial Corp. is a bank holding company, which provides commercial and consumer banking services to clients in select markets primarily in Tennessee, North Alabama, and North Georgia through its subsidiary. It operates through the Banking and Mortgage segments. The Banking segments deals with interest on loans and investments, loan-related fees, originations in banking footprint, investment services, and deposit-related fees.

Further Reading

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GMS Inc. (NYSE:GMS  Get Rating) saw a significant drop in short interest in March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,070,000 shares, a drop of 8.5% from the February 28th total of 1,170,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 240,300 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 4.5 days. Approximately 2.6% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

GMS Stock Down 0.6 %

Shares of GMS stock traded down $0.32 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $57.57. 193,521 shares of the companys stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 246,664. The stocks fifty day simple moving average is $57.90 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $51.35. GMS has a 12-month low of $36.10 and a 12-month high of $62.19. The stock has a market cap of $2.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.40 and a beta of 1.85. The company has a quick ratio of 1.58, a current ratio of 2.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95.

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GMS (NYSE:GMS  Get Rating) last released its earnings results on Thursday, March 2nd. The company reported $1.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.86 by ($0.01). GMS had a net margin of 6.28% and a return on equity of 34.16%. The business had revenue of $1.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $1.21 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.74 earnings per share. GMSs revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that GMS will post 8.92 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

Institutional Investors Weigh In On GMS

In other GMS news, CEO John C. Turner, Jr. sold 876 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $59.50, for a total transaction of $52,122.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 68,240 shares in the company, valued at $4,060,280. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website . In other GMS news, CEO John C. Turner, Jr. sold 876 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $59.50, for a total transaction of $52,122.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 68,240 shares in the company, valued at $4,060,280. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website . Also, Director John J. Gavin sold 9,816 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.52, for a total value of $594,064.32. Following the sale, the director now owns 15,513 shares in the company, valued at approximately $938,846.76. The disclosure for this sale can be found here . Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 12,218 shares of company stock worth $736,983. Corporate insiders own 1.60% of the companys stock.

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in GMS. BlackRock Inc. boosted its holdings in GMS by 2.4% in the 3rd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 6,909,372 shares of the companys stock worth $276,444,000 after buying an additional 163,593 shares during the period. Coliseum Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in GMS by 3.3% in the 3rd quarter. Coliseum Capital Management LLC now owns 6,336,573 shares of the companys stock worth $253,526,000 after buying an additional 205,000 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in GMS by 3.0% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,242,989 shares of the companys stock worth $209,773,000 after buying an additional 154,926 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in GMS by 5.7% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,511,682 shares of the companys stock worth $125,083,000 after buying an additional 136,251 shares during the period. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. boosted its holdings in GMS by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,722,249 shares of the companys stock worth $85,768,000 after buying an additional 31,458 shares during the period. 96.34% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

GMS has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on GMS from $51.00 to $58.00 and gave the company a sector perform rating in a research note on Friday, December 9th. Loop Capital cut GMS from a buy rating to a hold rating and raised their price objective for the company from $52.00 to $60.00 in a research note on Friday, December 9th. They noted that the move was a valuation call. StockNews.com initiated coverage on GMS in a research note on Thursday, March 16th. They set a strong-buy rating on the stock. Barclays raised their price objective on GMS from $60.00 to $67.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research note on Monday, March 6th. Finally, Stephens raised their price objective on GMS from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Monday, December 12th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $62.00.

GMS Company Profile

(Get Rating)

GMS, Inc is a holding company, which engages in the distribution of wallboard and suspended ceilings systems and complementary interior construction products. It operates through the following segments: Geographic Divisions, Other, and Corporate. The firm offers ceiling products, including suspended mineral fibers, soft fibers, and metal ceiling systems primarily used in offices, hotels, hospitals, retail facilities, schools, and various other commercial and institutional buildings.

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Camelot Portfolios LLC raised its stake in shares of Granite Point Mortgage Trust Inc. (NYSE:GPMT  Get Rating) by 14.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 286,268 shares of the companys stock after purchasing an additional 35,582 shares during the period. Granite Point Mortgage Trust accounts for 1.1% of Camelot Portfolios LLCs portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest position. Camelot Portfolios LLCs holdings in Granite Point Mortgage Trust were worth $1,534,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in Granite Point Mortgage Trust by 1.4% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,703,298 shares of the companys stock worth $52,301,000 after buying an additional 64,535 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its stake in Granite Point Mortgage Trust by 1.3% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,411,283 shares of the companys stock worth $23,671,000 after buying an additional 31,891 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in Granite Point Mortgage Trust by 108.4% during the first quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,583,194 shares of the companys stock worth $17,605,000 after buying an additional 823,363 shares during the period. Relative Value Partners Group LLC grew its stake in Granite Point Mortgage Trust by 1.1% during the third quarter. Relative Value Partners Group LLC now owns 603,521 shares of the companys stock worth $3,887,000 after buying an additional 6,729 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its stake in Granite Point Mortgage Trust by 1.9% during the second quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 589,359 shares of the companys stock worth $5,639,000 after buying an additional 10,785 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 61.39% of the companys stock.

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Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have issued reports on GPMT. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods downgraded shares of Granite Point Mortgage Trust from a market perform rating to an underperform rating and set a $6.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Thursday, December 15th. JMP Securities decreased their target price on shares of Granite Point Mortgage Trust from $12.00 to $10.00 and set a market outperform rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, December 13th.

Granite Point Mortgage Trust Stock Performance

Shares of GPMT stock opened at $4.80 on Tuesday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $5.76 and a 200-day simple moving average of $6.28. Granite Point Mortgage Trust Inc. has a twelve month low of $4.76 and a twelve month high of $11.15.

Granite Point Mortgage Trust (NYSE:GPMT  Get Rating) last announced its earnings results on Friday, February 24th. The company reported ($0.17) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.18 by ($0.35). The firm had revenue of $61.42 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $19.40 million. Granite Point Mortgage Trust had a negative net margin of 19.36% and a positive return on equity of 2.16%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Granite Point Mortgage Trust Inc. will post 0.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Granite Point Mortgage Trust Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 17th. Investors of record on Monday, April 3rd will be issued a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 31st. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 16.67%. Granite Point Mortgage Trusts dividend payout ratio is presently -76.19%.

About Granite Point Mortgage Trust

(Get Rating)

Granite Point Mortgage Trust, Inc operates as a real estate investment trust, which focuses on originating, investing in, and managing senior floating-rate commercial mortgage loans, other debt and debt-like commercial real estate investments. The company was founded on April 7, 2017 and is headquartered in New York, NY.

Further Reading

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EOG Resources (NYSE:EOG  Get Rating) and ARC Resources (OTCMKTS:AETUF  Get Rating) are both oils/energy companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, risk, valuation, earnings, institutional ownership, analyst recommendations and profitability.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

87.4% of EOG Resources shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 0.0% of ARC Resources shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.4% of EOG Resources shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 0.3% of ARC Resources shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

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Volatility and Risk

EOG Resources has a beta of 1.52, meaning that its share price is 52% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, ARC Resources has a beta of 1.28, meaning that its share price is 28% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Earnings & Valuation

Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio EOG Resources $25.70 billion 2.78 $7.76 billion $13.21 9.19 ARC Resources $6.65 billion 1.11 $1.77 billion $2.69 4.44

This table compares EOG Resources and ARC Resources gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

EOG Resources has higher revenue and earnings than ARC Resources. ARC Resources is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than EOG Resources, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Profitability

This table compares EOG Resources and ARC Resources net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets EOG Resources 30.19% 34.95% 20.44% ARC Resources 26.39% 36.99% 19.62%

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of recent ratings and target prices for EOG Resources and ARC Resources, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score EOG Resources 0 4 16 1 2.86 ARC Resources 0 0 2 0 3.00

EOG Resources currently has a consensus price target of $150.68, suggesting a potential upside of 24.11%. ARC Resources has a consensus price target of $24.11, suggesting a potential upside of 101.82%. Given ARC Resources stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe ARC Resources is more favorable than EOG Resources.

Dividends

EOG Resources pays an annual dividend of $3.30 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.7%. ARC Resources pays an annual dividend of $0.44 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.7%. EOG Resources pays out 25.0% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. ARC Resources pays out 16.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. EOG Resources has increased its dividend for 6 consecutive years. ARC Resources is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

Summary

EOG Resources beats ARC Resources on 13 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.

About EOG Resources

(Get Rating)

EOG Resources, Inc. engages in the exploration, development, production and marketing of crude oil and natural gas. It operates through the United States, Trinidad & Tobago, and Other International segments. The company was founded in 1985 and is headquartered in Houston, TX.

About ARC Resources

(Get Rating)

ARC Resources Ltd. operates as an energy company, which engages in the exploration, development and production of crude oil and natural gas. Its projects include Montney operations in northeast British Columbia, and the Pembina Cardium in Alberta. The company was founded by John Patrick Dielwart and Mac H. van Wielingen in 1996 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada.

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Healthpeak Properties, Inc. (NYSE:PEAK  Get Rating) has earned an average rating of Hold from the thirteen analysts that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $29.54.

PEAK has been the subject of several analyst reports. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Healthpeak Properties from $23.00 to $25.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research note on Friday, March 10th. TheStreet downgraded Healthpeak Properties from a b- rating to a c+ rating in a report on Tuesday, February 21st. Scotiabank downgraded Healthpeak Properties from a sector outperform rating to a sector perform rating and set a $24.00 price target for the company. in a report on Friday. Jefferies Financial Group raised Healthpeak Properties from a hold rating to a buy rating and raised their price target for the company from $23.00 to $29.00 in a report on Monday, January 2nd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada downgraded Healthpeak Properties from an outperform rating to a sector perform rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $35.00 to $28.00 in a report on Wednesday, December 14th.

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Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Sara Grootwassink Lewis acquired 4,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 15th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $21.43 per share, with a total value of $85,720.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 4,000 shares in the company, valued at $85,720. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, COO Thomas Klaritch purchased 1,517 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 7th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $23.21 per share, for a total transaction of $35,209.57. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief operating officer now owns 344,000 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $7,984,240. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Sara Grootwassink Lewis purchased 4,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 15th. The shares were bought at an average price of $21.43 per share, with a total value of $85,720.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 4,000 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $85,720. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have purchased a total of 21,817 shares of company stock valued at $506,099 over the last ninety days. 0.28% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Healthpeak Properties

Healthpeak Properties Price Performance

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Healthpeak Properties in the 4th quarter worth about $386,590,000. Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Healthpeak Properties by 96.4% during the first quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 11,512,029 shares of the companys stock valued at $395,209,000 after purchasing an additional 5,650,120 shares in the last quarter. PGGM Investments bought a new stake in Healthpeak Properties in the third quarter worth $121,461,000. Centersquare Investment Management LLC increased its position in Healthpeak Properties by 203.6% during the third quarter. Centersquare Investment Management LLC now owns 4,894,699 shares of the companys stock valued at $112,186,000 after acquiring an additional 3,282,598 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp increased its position in Healthpeak Properties by 8.8% during the first quarter. State Street Corp now owns 38,709,498 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,328,897,000 after acquiring an additional 3,142,939 shares during the last quarter. 92.04% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

NYSE PEAK opened at $21.72 on Tuesday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $24.25 and a 200 day simple moving average of $24.53. Healthpeak Properties has a 52-week low of $20.21 and a 52-week high of $35.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 0.72. The stock has a market cap of $11.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.61, a PEG ratio of 3.24 and a beta of 0.88.

Healthpeak Properties (NYSE:PEAK  Get Rating) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 7th. The company reported $0.01 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.43 by ($0.42). Healthpeak Properties had a net margin of 24.18% and a return on equity of 6.96%. The firm had revenue of $524.47 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $518.85 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.41 earnings per share. Healthpeak Propertiess quarterly revenue was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Healthpeak Properties will post 1.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Healthpeak Properties Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 23rd. Investors of record on Thursday, February 9th were paid a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.52%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 8th. Healthpeak Propertiess dividend payout ratio is currently 130.44%.

Healthpeak Properties Company Profile

(Get Rating)

Healthpeak Properties, Inc is a real estate investment trust, which engages in the acquisition, development, ownership, and management of healthcare real estate. It operates through the following business segments: Life Science, Medical Office and Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC). The Life Science segment contains laboratory and office space primarily for biotechnology, medical device and pharmaceutical companies, scientific research institutions, government agencies, and other organizations involved in the life science industry.

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Indra Sistemas, S.A. (OTCMKTS:ISMAY  Get Rating)s share price reached a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $6.13 and last traded at $6.13, with a volume of 0 shares. The stock had previously closed at $6.13.

Indra Sistemas Price Performance

The firm has a 50-day moving average of $5.84 and a 200 day moving average of $4.98. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.72 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a current ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 1.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97.

About Indra Sistemas

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Indra Sistemas SA is a global consulting, technology, innovation, and talent company, which engages providing information technology services. The company offers consulting services & outsourcing of business processes. It also provides solutions & services for the transport & traffic, energy industry, public administration, healthcare, financial services, security & defence and telecom & media sectors.

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Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of International Consolidated Airlines Group (OTCMKTS:ICAGY  Get Rating) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report sent to investors on Friday, The Fly reports.

Other analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Barclays raised International Consolidated Airlines Group from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating in a research report on Friday. UBS Group cut International Consolidated Airlines Group from a buy rating to a neutral rating in a report on Friday, January 13th. Stifel Nicolaus raised shares of International Consolidated Airlines Group from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research note on Monday, December 12th. Bank of America upgraded International Consolidated Airlines Group from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a research report on Thursday, December 8th. Finally, Oddo Bhf lowered shares of International Consolidated Airlines Group from a neutral rating to an underperform rating and set a GBX 103.04 ($1.28) price target on the stock. in a report on Tuesday, December 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $123.95.

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International Consolidated Airlines Group Price Performance

Shares of OTCMKTS:ICAGY opened at $3.63 on Friday. The companys fifty day moving average price is $3.74 and its 200 day moving average price is $3.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 9.84, a current ratio of 0.83 and a quick ratio of 0.81. International Consolidated Airlines Group has a 12 month low of $2.06 and a 12 month high of $4.21. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.60 billion, a P/E ratio of -15.78 and a beta of 2.10.

International Consolidated Airlines Group Company Profile

International Consolidated Airlines Group SA is a holding company, which engages in the provision of passenger and freight air transportation services. It operates through the following segments: British Airways, Iberia, Vueling, Aer Lingus, and Other Group companies. The company was founded on January 21, 2011 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom.

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Invesco California Value Municipal Income Trust (NYSE:VCV  Get Rating) declared a monthly dividend on Tuesday, April 4th, Wall Street Journal reports. Investors of record on Monday, April 17th will be paid a dividend of 0.035 per share by the investment management company on Friday, April 28th. This represents a $0.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.21%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 14th.

Invesco California Value Municipal Income Trust Stock Performance

NYSE VCV traded down $0.10 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $9.98. 51,424 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 80,696. Invesco California Value Municipal Income Trust has a 1 year low of $8.51 and a 1 year high of $11.10. The businesss 50 day simple moving average is $9.86 and its 200-day simple moving average is $9.54.

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Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Jane Street Group LLC purchased a new position in Invesco California Value Municipal Income Trust in the third quarter valued at about $91,000. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. purchased a new position in Invesco California Value Municipal Income Trust in the first quarter valued at about $178,000. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in Invesco California Value Municipal Income Trust in the third quarter valued at about $155,000. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in Invesco California Value Municipal Income Trust by 18.3% in the first quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 17,807 shares of the investment management companys stock valued at $197,000 after acquiring an additional 2,760 shares during the last quarter. Finally, LPL Financial LLC boosted its stake in Invesco California Value Municipal Income Trust by 8.7% in the second quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 26,404 shares of the investment management companys stock valued at $279,000 after acquiring an additional 2,108 shares during the last quarter. 10.12% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Invesco California Value Municipal Income Trust

Invesco California Value Municipal Income Trust operates as a closed-end investment fund/investment trust. Its investment objective is to seek to provide common shareholders with current income exempt from federal and California income taxes, consistent with preservation of capital. The company was headquartered on December 21, 1992 and is headquartered in Atlanta, GA.

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Ivanhoe Mines (TSE:IVN  Get Rating) had its target price hoisted by equities research analysts at Raymond James from C$15.00 to C$18.00 in a report released on Tuesday, BayStreet.CA reports. The brokerage currently has an outperform rating on the stock. Raymond James price objective would indicate a potential upside of 44.93% from the companys current price.

Separately, Scotiabank lifted their price objective on shares of Ivanhoe Mines from C$14.50 to C$16.00 in a report on Tuesday, March 14th.

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Ivanhoe Mines Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of TSE:IVN traded up C$0.07 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching C$12.42. 937,714 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,496,191. The stocks 50 day simple moving average is C$11.84 and its 200-day simple moving average is C$10.93. Ivanhoe Mines has a one year low of C$6.41 and a one year high of C$12.75. The company has a market cap of C$15.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.51 and a beta of 1.95. The company has a quick ratio of 20.86, a current ratio of 9.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 18.32.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ivanhoe Mines

Ivanhoe Mines Company Profile

In other news, Director Louis Kabamba Watum sold 2,080 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of C$12.34, for a total value of C$25,667.20. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 14,177 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately C$174,944.18. Corporate insiders own 53.08% of the companys stock.

(Get Rating)

Ivanhoe Mines Ltd. engages in the exploration, development, and recovery of minerals and precious metals located primarily in Africa. It explores for platinum, palladium, nickel, copper, gold, rhodium, zinc, silver, germanium, and lead deposits. The company's projects include the Platreef project located in the Northern Limb of South Africa's Bushveld Complex; the Kipushi project located in Haut-Katanga Province, Democratic Republic of Congo; and the Kamoa-Kakula project located within the Central African Copperbelt.

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News / National

by Mzingaye Nxumalo

A Zimbabwean woman identified as Shaime Ncube is wanted by South African police according to news reporter PSAF Live for the alleged theft of goods worth thousands of rands.In a tweet by PSAF Live, Ncube is said to have been an illegal immigrant who posed as a domestic worker. She has been working for a household in Mooikloof, Tshwane, a region in Pretoria South Africa where she stole from.The tweet reads, "WANTED: A young illegal Zimbabwean foreigner who calls herself Shaime Ncube who was employed as a domestic worker in Mooikloof, Tshwane, allegedly robbed the house of its electrical appliances, expensive phones and other valuable items."The baby's mother, who had hired the illegal Zimbabwean nanny said the woman speaks English and Shona and is in her 20's.""She told me her name is Shaime Ncube but I doubt that is her real name," the former employer said.The report continues:"When the mother got home she found the baby in the care of her neighbours. When she went inside her own house she discovered it was empty.The police have opened a report of theft and are urging anyone with information that may lead to the arrest to the arrest of the suspect to contact the nearest police station".
Travelers Companies (NYSE:TRV  Get Rating) had its target price raised by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $180.00 to $185.00 in a research note published on Friday morning, The Fly reports. The firm currently has an overweight rating on the insurance providers stock.

A number of other equities analysts have also issued reports on the company. Evercore ISI upgraded Travelers Companies from an in-line rating to an outperform rating and raised their target price for the stock from $183.00 to $220.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 10th. Barclays reduced their target price on Travelers Companies from $197.00 to $196.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 19th. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on Travelers Companies in a research note on Thursday, January 19th. They set an outperform rating and a $212.00 price objective for the company. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Travelers Companies from $180.00 to $181.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 25th. Finally, Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on Travelers Companies from $182.00 to $190.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Travelers Companies has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $189.40.

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Travelers Companies Stock Performance

Shares of TRV opened at $172.29 on Friday. Travelers Companies has a 12 month low of $149.65 and a 12 month high of $194.51. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $179.89 and a 200-day moving average price of $179.18. The company has a current ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The firm has a market cap of $39.99 billion, a PE ratio of 14.66, a P/E/G ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 0.61.

Travelers Companies Dividend Announcement

Travelers Companies ( NYSE:TRV Get Rating ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 24th. The insurance provider reported $3.40 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $3.40. The firm had revenue of $8.83 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.78 billion. Travelers Companies had a return on equity of 13.34% and a net margin of 7.71%. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $5.20 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Travelers Companies will post 14.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 10th were given a dividend of $0.93 per share. This represents a $3.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.16%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 9th. Travelers Companiess dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.66%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Gregory C. Toczydlowski sold 5,420 shares of Travelers Companies stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $184.19, for a total value of $998,309.80. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 18,416 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,392,043.04. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other news, EVP Diane Kurtzman sold 2,914 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $185.01, for a total transaction of $539,119.14. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 1,735 shares in the company, valued at approximately $320,992.35. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Gregory C. Toczydlowski sold 5,420 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $184.19, for a total value of $998,309.80. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 18,416 shares in the company, valued at $3,392,043.04. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 188,163 shares of company stock worth $35,402,200 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 1.07% of the companys stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. FWL Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Travelers Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. US Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Travelers Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. First PREMIER Bank acquired a new position in shares of Travelers Companies during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV raised its position in shares of Travelers Companies by 57.8% during the 3rd quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 183 shares of the insurance providers stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 67 shares during the period. Finally, Glass Jacobson Investment Advisors llc purchased a new stake in shares of Travelers Companies during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $38,000. 81.59% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Travelers Companies Company Profile

(Get Rating)

The Travelers Cos., Inc is a holding company, which engages in the provision of commercial and personal property and casualty insurance products and services. It operates through the following business segments: Business Insurance, Bond and Specialty Insurance, and Personal Insurance. The Business Insurance segment provides an array of property and casualty insurance, and insurance related services to its customers primarily in the U.S., as well as in Canada, the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and throughout other parts of the world as a corporate member of Lloyds.

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Local Bounti (NYSE:LOCL  Get Rating) is one of 33 publicly-traded companies in the Agricultural production  crops industry, but how does it contrast to its competitors? We will compare Local Bounti to similar businesses based on the strength of its valuation, dividends, profitability, risk, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership and earnings.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of recent ratings for Local Bounti and its competitors, as provided by MarketBeat.

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Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Local Bounti 0 1 4 0 2.80 Local Bounti Competitors 96 168 487 23 2.56

Local Bounti presently has a consensus target price of $2.85, suggesting a potential upside of 431.72%. As a group, Agricultural production  crops companies have a potential upside of 56.70%. Given Local Bountis stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, equities research analysts plainly believe Local Bounti is more favorable than its competitors.

Volatility and Risk

Valuation & Earnings

Local Bounti has a beta of 1.75, suggesting that its stock price is 75% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Local Bountis competitors have a beta of -24.12, suggesting that their average stock price is 2,512% less volatile than the S&P 500.

This table compares Local Bounti and its competitors revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

Gross Revenue Net Income Price/Earnings Ratio Local Bounti $19.47 million -$111.07 million -0.42 Local Bounti Competitors $1.63 billion $21.77 million 0.27

Local Bountis competitors have higher revenue and earnings than Local Bounti. Local Bounti is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than its competitors, indicating that it is currently more affordable than other companies in its industry.

Profitability

This table compares Local Bounti and its competitors net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Local Bounti -570.35% -97.51% -51.03% Local Bounti Competitors -339.13% -25.67% -16.18%

Institutional & Insider Ownership

65.3% of Local Bounti shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 26.7% of shares of all Agricultural production  crops companies are held by institutional investors. 41.5% of Local Bounti shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 16.8% of shares of all Agricultural production  crops companies are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Summary

Local Bounti competitors beat Local Bounti on 7 of the 13 factors compared.

About Local Bounti

(Get Rating)

Local Bounti Corporation grows fresh greens and herbs in the United States. It produces lettuce, herbs, and loose-leaf lettuce. The company sells its products to food retailers and food service distributors. Local Bounti Corporation was founded in 2018 and is headquartered in Hamilton, Montana.

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Mycio Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF (BATS:EFV  Get Rating) in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund purchased 16,103 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $739,000. iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF accounts for 0.2% of Mycio Wealth Partners LLCs portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest position.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Signet Financial Management LLC lifted its stake in iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF by 4.0% during the 1st quarter. Signet Financial Management LLC now owns 7,837 shares of the companys stock valued at $394,000 after acquiring an additional 301 shares in the last quarter. Index Fund Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF by 5.2% during the 4th quarter. Index Fund Advisors Inc. now owns 6,247 shares of the companys stock valued at $287,000 after acquiring an additional 309 shares in the last quarter. LexAurum Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. LexAurum Advisors LLC now owns 15,661 shares of the companys stock worth $719,000 after purchasing an additional 329 shares during the period. Integrated Advisors Network LLC raised its stake in shares of iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF by 4.7% during the 3rd quarter. Integrated Advisors Network LLC now owns 7,469 shares of the companys stock worth $288,000 after purchasing an additional 336 shares during the period. Finally, Weil Company Inc. raised its stake in shares of iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. Weil Company Inc. now owns 25,014 shares of the companys stock worth $964,000 after purchasing an additional 340 shares during the period.

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iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF Price Performance

Shares of BATS EFV traded up $0.57 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $49.10. 1,979,554 shares of the companys stock were exchanged. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.51 and a beta of 0.86. iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF has a 52 week low of $49.15 and a 52 week high of $59.57. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $48.53 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $45.51.

About iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF

iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF (the Fund), formerly iShares MSCI EAFE Value Index Fund, is an exchange-traded fund (ETF). The Fund seeks to provide investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the MSCI EAFE Value Index. The Index is a subset of the MSCI EAFE Index and constituents of the Index include securities from Europe, Australasia (Australia and Asia), and the Far East.

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Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. decreased its position in PPL Co. (NYSE:PPL  Get Rating) by 3.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 13,625 shares of the utilities providers stock after selling 519 shares during the quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc.s holdings in PPL were worth $399,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Great West Life Assurance Co. Can grew its position in shares of PPL by 3.7% during the 1st quarter. Great West Life Assurance Co. Can now owns 350,807 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $10,501,000 after buying an additional 12,428 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in shares of PPL by 2.3% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,292,612 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $65,480,000 after purchasing an additional 50,658 shares during the period. Sei Investments Co. lifted its holdings in shares of PPL by 9.4% in the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 341,996 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $9,779,000 after purchasing an additional 29,496 shares during the last quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH boosted its position in PPL by 1.2% during the 1st quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 409,552 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $11,697,000 after purchasing an additional 4,998 shares during the period. Finally, Mather Group LLC. grew its stake in PPL by 7.7% during the 1st quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 10,764 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $307,000 after buying an additional 766 shares during the last quarter. 70.02% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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PPL Price Performance

NYSE:PPL traded down $0.17 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $27.41. 925,786 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,725,411. The company has a current ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $27.87 and a 200 day moving average price of $27.95. PPL Co. has a 1-year low of $23.47 and a 1-year high of $31.74. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.19 billion, a PE ratio of 26.78 and a beta of 0.77.

PPL Increases Dividend

PPL ( NYSE:PPL Get Rating ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 17th. The utilities provider reported $0.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.28. The company had revenue of $2.29 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $1.62 billion. PPL had a net margin of 9.57% and a return on equity of 7.50%. The businesss revenue was up 54.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.22 EPS. Research analysts expect that PPL Co. will post 1.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 10th were paid a dividend of $0.24 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 9th. This is a positive change from PPLs previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. This represents a $0.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.50%. PPLs dividend payout ratio is currently 93.20%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider David J. Bonenberger sold 29,080 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $30.00, for a total transaction of $872,400.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 34,606 shares in the company, valued at $1,038,180. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.17% of the companys stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Mizuho reduced their price target on shares of PPL from $32.00 to $28.00 in a report on Monday, March 20th. UBS Group lifted their price target on PPL to $33.00 in a report on Wednesday, December 14th. Barclays initiated coverage on PPL in a research report on Wednesday, January 18th. They set an equal weight rating for the company. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on PPL from $31.00 to $29.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on PPL to $34.00 in a research report on Wednesday, December 14th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, PPL has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $30.63.

PPL Company Profile

(Get Rating)

PPL Corp. engages in the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity. It operates through the two reportable segments: Kentucky Regulated & Pennsylvania Regulated. The Kentucky Regulated segment consists of LKEs regulated electricity generation, transmission and distribution operations of Louisville Gas and Electric Company and Kentucky Utilities Company as well as regulated distribution and sale of natural gas of Louisville Gas and Electric Company.

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Research Analysts updated eps estimates for Tuesday, April 4th:

accesso Technology Group (LON:ACSO) had its buy rating reissued by analysts at Peel Hunt. The firm currently has a GBX 1,035 ($12.85) target price on the stock.

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AstraZeneca (LON:AZN) had its buy rating reiterated by analysts at Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft. They currently have a 130 ($161.45) price target on the stock.

Coca-Cola HBC (LON:CCH)

had its overweight rating reissued by analysts at Barclays PLC. They currently have a GBX 2,700 ($33.53) price target on the stock.

Coca-Cola HBC (LON:CCH) had its neutral rating reissued by analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co.. JPMorgan Chase & Co. currently has a GBX 2,200 ($27.32) target price on the stock.

Coca-Cola HBC (LON:CCH) had its neutral rating reissued by analysts at Citigroup Inc.. They currently have a GBX 2,270 ($28.19) price target on the stock.

FD Technologies (LON:FDP) had its buy rating reiterated by analysts at Peel Hunt. The firm currently has a GBX 2,331 ($28.95) target price on the stock.

Gooch & Housego (LON:GHH) had its buy rating reiterated by analysts at Peel Hunt. Peel Hunt currently has a GBX 750 ($9.31) target price on the stock.

Glencore (LON:GLEN) had its buy rating reaffirmed by analysts at Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft currently has a GBX 575 ($7.14) target price on the stock.

GSK (LON:GSK) had its buy rating reissued by analysts at Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft. The firm currently has a GBX 1,700 ($21.11) price target on the stock.

Renewi (LON:RWI) had its buy rating reiterated by analysts at Peel Hunt. Peel Hunt currently has a GBX 920 ($11.43) price target on the stock.

Secure Trust Bank (LON:STB) had its buy rating reiterated by analysts at Peel Hunt. The firm currently has a GBX 989 ($12.28) target price on the stock.

Vodafone Group Public (LON:VOD) had its neutral rating reaffirmed by analysts at Citigroup Inc..

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Tanger Factory Outlet Centers (NYSE:SKT  Get Rating) and American Tower (NYSE:AMT  Get Rating) are both finance companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their institutional ownership, risk, dividends, earnings, valuation, profitability and analyst recommendations.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

74.6% of Tanger Factory Outlet Centers shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 89.7% of American Tower shares are owned by institutional investors. 2.2% of Tanger Factory Outlet Centers shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.2% of American Tower shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

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Risk and Volatility

Tanger Factory Outlet Centers has a beta of 1.81, indicating that its stock price is 81% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, American Tower has a beta of 0.56, indicating that its stock price is 44% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Dividends

Profitability

Tanger Factory Outlet Centers pays an annual dividend of $0.88 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.5%. American Tower pays an annual dividend of $6.24 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.1%. Tanger Factory Outlet Centers pays out 114.3% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. American Tower pays out 162.5% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Tanger Factory Outlet Centers has raised its dividend for 1 consecutive years and American Tower has raised its dividend for 12 consecutive years. Tanger Factory Outlet Centers is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

This table compares Tanger Factory Outlet Centers and American Towers net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Tanger Factory Outlet Centers 18.44% 15.90% 3.77% American Tower 16.49% 15.80% 2.60%

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of recent recommendations and price targets for Tanger Factory Outlet Centers and American Tower, as reported by MarketBeat.

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Tanger Factory Outlet Centers 0 1 1 0 2.50 American Tower 0 1 14 0 2.93

Tanger Factory Outlet Centers currently has a consensus target price of $19.50, indicating a potential downside of 0.76%. American Tower has a consensus target price of $257.76, indicating a potential upside of 28.18%. Given American Towers stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe American Tower is more favorable than Tanger Factory Outlet Centers.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Tanger Factory Outlet Centers and American Towers revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Tanger Factory Outlet Centers $442.61 million 4.64 $82.06 million $0.77 25.52 American Tower $10.71 billion 8.74 $1.77 billion $3.84 52.37

American Tower has higher revenue and earnings than Tanger Factory Outlet Centers. Tanger Factory Outlet Centers is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than American Tower, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Summary

American Tower beats Tanger Factory Outlet Centers on 10 of the 17 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Tanger Factory Outlet Centers

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Tanger Factory Outlet Centers, Inc. engages in the operation of upscale open-air outlet centers. The firm focuses on developing, acquiring, owning, operating, and managing outlet shopping centers. The company was founded by Stanley K. Tanger in 1981 and is headquartered in Greensboro, NC.

About American Tower

(Get Rating)

American Tower Corp. provides real estate investment services, and owns, operates, and develops multi-tenant real estate properties. It offers leasing of space on communications sites to wireless service providers, radio and television broadcast companies. It operates through the following segments: U.S. and Canada, Asia-Pacific, Africa, Europe, Latin America, and Data Centers. The company was founded in 1995 and is headquartered in Boston, MA.

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Riverview Trust Co decreased its holdings in shares of McDonalds Co. (NYSE:MCD  Get Rating) by 3.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,083 shares of the fast-food giants stock after selling 107 shares during the quarter. Riverview Trust Cos holdings in McDonalds were worth $812,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in MCD. PrairieView Partners LLC raised its stake in McDonalds by 18.5% during the 3rd quarter. PrairieView Partners LLC now owns 237 shares of the fast-food giants stock valued at $55,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the period. MCF Advisors LLC grew its holdings in McDonalds by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 4,758 shares of the fast-food giants stock valued at $1,098,000 after buying an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Lumature Wealth Partners LLC grew its holdings in McDonalds by 1.7% during the 3rd quarter. Lumature Wealth Partners LLC now owns 2,249 shares of the fast-food giants stock valued at $519,000 after buying an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Grimes & Company Inc. grew its holdings in McDonalds by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Grimes & Company Inc. now owns 12,136 shares of the fast-food giants stock valued at $2,800,000 after buying an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. grew its holdings in McDonalds by 7.3% during the 4th quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 585 shares of the fast-food giants stock valued at $154,000 after buying an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 66.86% of the companys stock.

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Insider Transactions at McDonalds

In other news, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 3,850 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $267.69, for a total value of $1,030,606.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 34,637 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $9,271,978.53. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, EVP Marion K. Gross sold 1,396 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $265.44, for a total transaction of $370,554.24. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 308 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $81,755.52. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski sold 3,850 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $267.69, for a total value of $1,030,606.50. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 34,637 shares in the company, valued at $9,271,978.53. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 8,122 shares of company stock valued at $2,177,681. Corporate insiders own 0.18% of the companys stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

McDonalds Stock Performance

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Truist Financial cut their price target on McDonalds from $300.00 to $292.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 1st. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on McDonalds from $296.00 to $283.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 3rd. Tigress Financial lifted their target price on McDonalds from $320.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, March 8th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on McDonalds from $305.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, December 21st. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on McDonalds from $295.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Thursday, January 5th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-one have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $290.16.

NYSE MCD traded down $0.11 on Tuesday, reaching $282.03. 782,428 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,706,030. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $268.45 and a 200-day moving average price of $264.35. The company has a market cap of $206.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.79, a PEG ratio of 3.30 and a beta of 0.63. McDonalds Co. has a 12 month low of $228.34 and a 12 month high of $282.87.

McDonalds (NYSE:MCD  Get Rating) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 31st. The fast-food giant reported $2.59 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.46 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $5.93 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.75 billion. McDonalds had a negative return on equity of 120.10% and a net margin of 26.65%. The businesss revenue for the quarter was down 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.23 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that McDonalds Co. will post 10.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

McDonalds Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 1st were given a $1.52 dividend. This represents a $6.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.16%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 28th. McDonaldss payout ratio is 72.81%.

About McDonalds

(Get Rating)

McDonalds Corp. engages in the operation and franchising of restaurants. It operates through the following segments: U.S., International Operated Markets, and International Developmental Licensed Markets and Corporate. The U.S. segment focuses its operations on the United States. The International Operated Markets segment consists of operations and the franchising of restaurants in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Russia, Spain, and the U.K.

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S. R. Schill & Associates lessened its stake in iShares 0-5 Year High Yield Corporate Bond ETF (NYSEARCA:SHYG  Get Rating) by 9.6% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 6,287 shares of the companys stock after selling 668 shares during the period. S. R. Schill & Associates holdings in iShares 0-5 Year High Yield Corporate Bond ETF were worth $257,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of SHYG. Hudock Inc. increased its stake in shares of iShares 0-5 Year High Yield Corporate Bond ETF by 63.0% in the 3rd quarter. Hudock Inc. now owns 1,115 shares of the companys stock valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 431 shares during the period. SVB Wealth LLC raised its holdings in iShares 0-5 Year High Yield Corporate Bond ETF by 2.4% during the 2nd quarter. SVB Wealth LLC now owns 22,987 shares of the companys stock worth $932,000 after purchasing an additional 548 shares during the last quarter. Archer Investment Corp raised its holdings in iShares 0-5 Year High Yield Corporate Bond ETF by 253.9% during the 3rd quarter. Archer Investment Corp now owns 991 shares of the companys stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 711 shares during the last quarter. American National Bank acquired a new position in iShares 0-5 Year High Yield Corporate Bond ETF during the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Guidance Point Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of iShares 0-5 Year High Yield Corporate Bond ETF by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter. Guidance Point Advisors LLC now owns 47,954 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,915,000 after purchasing an additional 776 shares during the last quarter.

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iShares 0-5 Year High Yield Corporate Bond ETF Stock Down 0.2 %

Shares of NYSEARCA:SHYG traded down $0.08 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $41.31. 1,348,480 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,423,349. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $41.32 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $41.11. iShares 0-5 Year High Yield Corporate Bond ETF has a 1-year low of $39.49 and a 1-year high of $43.99.

iShares 0-5 Year High Yield Corporate Bond ETF Profile

The iShares 0-5 Year High Yield Corporate Bond ETF (SHYG) is an exchange-traded fund that mostly invests in high yield fixed income. The fund tracks a market-value-weighted index of high-yield USD-denominated bonds with 0-5 years remaining in maturity. SHYG was launched on Oct 15, 2013 and is managed by BlackRock.

Further Reading

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding SHYG? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for iShares 0-5 Year High Yield Corporate Bond ETF (NYSEARCA:SHYG  Get Rating).

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Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd lifted its stake in shares of ServiceNow, Inc. (NYSE:NOW  Get Rating) by 6.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 33,230 shares of the information technology services providers stock after acquiring an additional 2,137 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltds holdings in ServiceNow were worth $12,902,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Great West Life Assurance Co. Can purchased a new position in shares of ServiceNow during the 3rd quarter worth about $68,701,000. Raymond James & Associates lifted its holdings in shares of ServiceNow by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 214,214 shares of the information technology services providers stock worth $80,889,000 after acquiring an additional 3,338 shares during the period. Evermay Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of ServiceNow by 714.3% during the 4th quarter. Evermay Wealth Management LLC now owns 114 shares of the information technology services providers stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. Raymond James Trust N.A. raised its holdings in ServiceNow by 5.7% in the third quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 3,612 shares of the information technology services providers stock valued at $1,364,000 after buying an additional 196 shares during the period. Finally, Louisiana State Employees Retirement System purchased a new position in ServiceNow in the third quarter valued at approximately $4,871,000. 86.31% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO William R. Mcdermott sold 30,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $459.14, for a total transaction of $14,003,824.90. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 11,518 shares in the company, valued at $5,288,395.25. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other ServiceNow news, CEO William R. Mcdermott sold 30,500 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $459.14, for a total value of $14,003,824.90. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 11,518 shares in the company, valued at $5,288,395.25. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO William R. Mcdermott sold 2,483 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $455.03, for a total transaction of $1,129,831.05. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 53,117 shares in the company, valued at approximately $24,169,647.91. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 65,629 shares of company stock worth $29,974,024 over the last quarter. 0.28% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ServiceNow Stock Performance

Several research analysts recently commented on NOW shares. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of ServiceNow from $550.00 to $575.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Thursday, January 26th. Sanford C. Bernstein cut their price target on shares of ServiceNow from $641.00 to $586.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 26th. Oppenheimer raised their price target on shares of ServiceNow from $450.00 to $500.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a report on Thursday, January 26th. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of ServiceNow in a research note on Thursday, March 16th. They set a buy rating on the stock. Finally, Wolfe Research lifted their price objective on shares of ServiceNow from $500.00 to $510.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Thursday, January 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $521.97.

Shares of NYSE NOW traded up $14.88 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $479.37. The companys stock had a trading volume of 1,368,491 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,625,182. The firm has a market cap of $97.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 290.31, a P/E/G ratio of 6.20 and a beta of 1.04. ServiceNow, Inc. has a 1-year low of $337.00 and a 1-year high of $571.48. The firms fifty day moving average price is $445.23 and its 200-day moving average price is $411.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.11.

ServiceNow (NYSE:NOW  Get Rating) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 25th. The information technology services provider reported $0.88 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.60 by $0.28. The firm had revenue of $1.94 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.93 billion. ServiceNow had a net margin of 4.49% and a return on equity of 9.37%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that ServiceNow, Inc. will post 2.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ServiceNow Company Profile

(Get Rating)

ServiceNow, Inc engages in the provision of enterprise cloud computing solutions. The firm delivers digital workflows on a single enterprise cloud platform called the Now Platform. Its product portfolio is focused on providing Information Technology, Employee and Customer workflows. The company was founded by Frederic B.

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Want to see what other hedge funds are holding NOW? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for ServiceNow, Inc. (NYSE:NOW  Get Rating).

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Shares of Taylor Wimpey plc (LON:TW  Get Rating) have been assigned an average rating of Hold from the eight analysts that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and three have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is GBX 129.20 ($1.60).

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on TW shares. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of Taylor Wimpey from GBX 142 ($1.76) to GBX 154 ($1.91) and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, March 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Taylor Wimpey from GBX 110 ($1.37) to GBX 120 ($1.49) and gave the company a neutral rating in a report on Monday, January 16th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered shares of Taylor Wimpey to a hold rating in a report on Monday, February 13th. Barclays reaffirmed an overweight rating and issued a GBX 125 ($1.55) target price on shares of Taylor Wimpey in a research note on Monday, January 16th. Finally, Citigroup reissued a buy rating on shares of Taylor Wimpey in a research note on Tuesday, January 17th.

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Taylor Wimpey Price Performance

Shares of TW stock opened at GBX 117.90 ($1.46) on Tuesday. Taylor Wimpey has a 12-month low of GBX 80.64 ($1.00) and a 12-month high of GBX 138.10 ($1.72). The firm has a market capitalization of 4.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 660.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of -0.99 and a beta of 1.79. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 4.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.57. The firm has a fifty day moving average of GBX 118.55 and a 200-day moving average of GBX 106.82.

Taylor Wimpey Increases Dividend

Insider Activity at Taylor Wimpey

The company also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 12th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 30th will be given a GBX 4.78 ($0.06) dividend. This represents a yield of 4.04%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 30th. This is a positive change from Taylor Wimpeys previous dividend of $4.62. Taylor Wimpeys dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 5,000.00%.

In related news, insider Chris Carney sold 73,817 shares of Taylor Wimpey stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of GBX 118 ($1.47), for a total value of 87,104.06 ($108,176.92). 0.97% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About Taylor Wimpey

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Taylor Wimpey plc operates a residential developer in the United Kingdom and Spain. It builds and delivers various homes and communities, including apartments to six-bedroom houses. Taylor Wimpey plc was founded in 1880 and is based in High Wycombe, the United Kingdom.

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News / National

by Simbarashe Sithole

The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi has said police and the media now have a good working relationship since the New Dispensation.Addressing journalists in Harare on Tuesday Assistant Commissioner Nyathi said the sour relationship that was previously there between the police and media is now history."I would like to assure all journalists that they will get stories from the police despite their different media organisations of late the relationship was bad but now we are engaging each other and let bygones be bygones," he said.Nyathi also assured the media that the ZRP is going to educate their junior officers on good relations with the media since they save the same constituency."The police and the media we save the same constituency that is the public and l am so happy that at this meeting there are various commanders who will also teach our junior officers to work in peace with the media", he added.The police also warned journalists to desist from abusing power and presscards and respect the rule of law.After the meeting, the parties agreed to have quarterly meetings.
Riverview Trust Co raised its holdings in shares of The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW  Get Rating) by 128.8% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 611 shares of the specialty chemicals companys stock after purchasing an additional 344 shares during the period. Riverview Trust Cos holdings in Sherwin-Williams were worth $145,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Cyndeo Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in Sherwin-Williams during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,207,000. Clarius Group LLC grew its stake in Sherwin-Williams by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Clarius Group LLC now owns 2,731 shares of the specialty chemicals companys stock valued at $648,000 after acquiring an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Greenleaf Trust grew its stake in Sherwin-Williams by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 21,372 shares of the specialty chemicals companys stock valued at $5,072,000 after acquiring an additional 251 shares in the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. grew its stake in Sherwin-Williams by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 55,085 shares of the specialty chemicals companys stock valued at $13,073,000 after acquiring an additional 460 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Whittier Trust Co. grew its stake in Sherwin-Williams by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 140,988 shares of the specialty chemicals companys stock valued at $33,460,000 after acquiring an additional 657 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.03% of the companys stock.

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Sherwin-Williams Stock Performance

Shares of SHW stock traded down $1.14 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $225.50. 609,665 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,598,034. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a fifty-two week low of $195.24 and a fifty-two week high of $285.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $58.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.36, a P/E/G ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 1.07. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $225.49 and a 200-day moving average price of $229.06. The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.09.

Sherwin-Williams Increases Dividend

Sherwin-Williams ( NYSE:SHW Get Rating ) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 26th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.89 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.84 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $5.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.26 billion. Sherwin-Williams had a return on equity of 90.04% and a net margin of 9.12%. Sherwin-Williamss revenue was up 9.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.34 earnings per share. Analysts predict that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 8.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 10th. Investors of record on Monday, February 27th were paid a $0.605 dividend. This represents a $2.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.07%. This is a positive change from Sherwin-Williamss previous quarterly dividend of $0.60. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 24th. Sherwin-Williamss dividend payout ratio is presently 31.35%.

Insider Activity at Sherwin-Williams

In related news, SVP Bryan J. Young sold 2,750 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.76, for a total value of $607,090.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 7,955 shares in the company, valued at $1,756,145.80. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, CEO John G. Morikis acquired 2,207 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Friday, January 27th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $226.70 per share, for a total transaction of $500,326.90. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 231,344 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $52,445,684.80. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Bryan J. Young sold 2,750 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.76, for a total value of $607,090.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 7,955 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,756,145.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.55% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have weighed in on SHW. BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on Sherwin-Williams from $283.00 to $231.00 and set a market perform rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 27th. Zelman & Associates cut Sherwin-Williams from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Friday, January 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Sherwin-Williams from $260.00 to $235.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 27th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Sherwin-Williams from $230.00 to $220.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 9th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price target on Sherwin-Williams from $242.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $253.39.

About Sherwin-Williams

(Get Rating)

The Sherwin-Williams Co engages in the development, manufacture, distribution, and sale of paint and coatings. It operates through the following segments: America Group, Consumer Brands Group, and Performance Coating Group. The America Group segment manages the exclusive outlets for Sherwin-Williams branded paints, stains, supplies, equipment, and floor coverings.

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Want to see what other hedge funds are holding SHW? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW  Get Rating).

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The Travelers Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TRV  Get Rating) has received an average recommendation of Hold from the sixteen research firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $191.79.

TRV has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on shares of Travelers Companies in a research report on Thursday, January 19th. They set an outperform rating and a $212.00 target price for the company. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Travelers Companies from $180.00 to $181.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a report on Wednesday, January 25th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on shares of Travelers Companies from $190.00 to $195.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 25th. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Travelers Companies from $197.00 to $196.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 19th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Travelers Companies from $180.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Friday.

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Travelers Companies Stock Up 0.5 %

Shares of TRV stock opened at $172.29 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 0.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The stock has a market cap of $39.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.66, a PEG ratio of 1.13 and a beta of 0.61. The companys fifty day simple moving average is $179.89 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $179.18. Travelers Companies has a 52 week low of $149.65 and a 52 week high of $194.51.

Travelers Companies Announces Dividend

Travelers Companies ( NYSE:TRV Get Rating ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 24th. The insurance provider reported $3.40 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $3.40. Travelers Companies had a net margin of 7.71% and a return on equity of 13.34%. The firm had revenue of $8.83 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $8.78 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $5.20 EPS. The companys revenue was up 10.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Travelers Companies will post 14.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 10th were issued a $0.93 dividend. This represents a $3.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.16%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 9th. Travelers Companiess dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 31.66%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Travelers Companies news, EVP Gregory C. Toczydlowski sold 5,420 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $184.19, for a total transaction of $998,309.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 18,416 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,392,043.04. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, EVP Diane Kurtzman sold 2,914 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $185.01, for a total transaction of $539,119.14. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 1,735 shares in the company, valued at approximately $320,992.35. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Gregory C. Toczydlowski sold 5,420 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $184.19, for a total transaction of $998,309.80. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 18,416 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $3,392,043.04. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 188,163 shares of company stock worth $35,402,200 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 1.07% of the companys stock.

Institutional Trading of Travelers Companies

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. FWL Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Travelers Companies during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. US Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Travelers Companies during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. First PREMIER Bank purchased a new position in Travelers Companies during the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV raised its position in Travelers Companies by 57.8% during the 3rd quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 183 shares of the insurance providers stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Glass Jacobson Investment Advisors llc purchased a new position in Travelers Companies during the 4th quarter worth $38,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.59% of the companys stock.

Travelers Companies Company Profile

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The Travelers Cos., Inc is a holding company, which engages in the provision of commercial and personal property and casualty insurance products and services. It operates through the following business segments: Business Insurance, Bond and Specialty Insurance, and Personal Insurance. The Business Insurance segment provides an array of property and casualty insurance, and insurance related services to its customers primarily in the U.S., as well as in Canada, the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and throughout other parts of the world as a corporate member of Lloyds.

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UBS Group AG boosted its stake in The St. Joe Company (NYSE:JOE  Get Rating) by 146.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 4,056 shares of the financial services providers stock after purchasing an additional 2,409 shares during the period. UBS Group AGs holdings in St. Joe were worth $157,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Selway Asset Management acquired a new position in shares of St. Joe in the third quarter worth $58,000. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new position in shares of St. Joe in the second quarter worth $82,000. Worth Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of St. Joe during the first quarter worth $90,000. Byrne Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of St. Joe by 22.7% during the third quarter. Byrne Asset Management LLC now owns 3,514 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $113,000 after purchasing an additional 649 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC grew its stake in shares of St. Joe by 276.1% during the third quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 5,371 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $172,000 after purchasing an additional 3,943 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.49% of the companys stock.

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St. Joe Stock Down 1.5 %

JOE traded down $0.62 on Tuesday, reaching $40.29. The company had a trading volume of 54,843 shares, compared to its average volume of 170,685. The St. Joe Company has a 1 year low of $31.11 and a 1 year high of $62.09. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.35 billion, a PE ratio of 33.81 and a beta of 1.28. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $43.21 and a 200-day moving average price of $38.85.

St. Joe Dividend Announcement

St. Joe ( NYSE:JOE Get Rating ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 22nd. The financial services provider reported $0.48 earnings per share for the quarter. St. Joe had a net margin of 28.10% and a return on equity of 11.03%. The firm had revenue of $61.60 million during the quarter.

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 6th were issued a $0.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 3rd. This represents a $0.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.99%. St. Joes payout ratio is 33.06%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Bruce R. Berkowitz sold 131,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.54, for a total transaction of $5,703,740.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 21,138,791 shares of the companys stock, valued at $920,382,960.14. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other St. Joe news, Director Bruce R. Berkowitz sold 1,200 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.11, for a total transaction of $51,732.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 21,137,591 shares in the company, valued at $911,241,548.01. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Bruce R. Berkowitz sold 131,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.54, for a total transaction of $5,703,740.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 21,138,791 shares in the company, valued at $920,382,960.14. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 42.00% of the companys stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, StockNews.com upgraded shares of St. Joe from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 28th.

About St. Joe

(Get Rating)

The St. Joe Co engages in real estate development and asset management. It operates through the following segments: Residential, Hospitality, and Commercial. The Residential segment is involved in planning and developing residential communities of various sizes across a wide range of price points and selling home sites to builders and retail consumers.

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Wal-Mart de Mexico, S.A.B. de C.V. (OTCMKTS:WMMVY  Get Rating) announced a dividend on Tuesday, April 4th, investing.com reports. Investors of record on Friday, April 7th will be given a dividend of 0.354 per share on Friday, April 21st. This represents a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 6th.

Wal-Mart de Mexico Stock Performance

WMMVY stock opened at $39.83 on Tuesday. Wal-Mart de Mexico has a 1-year low of $32.10 and a 1-year high of $41.20. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $39.21 and a 200-day moving average price of $37.87.

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Wal-Mart de Mexico (OTCMKTS:WMMVY  Get Rating) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 15th. The company reported $0.43 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts consensus estimates of $0.43. The firm had revenue of $12.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.89 billion. Wal-Mart de Mexico had a return on equity of 26.92% and a net margin of 5.98%. On average, equities analysts predict that Wal-Mart de Mexico will post 1.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

About Wal-Mart de Mexico

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. Barclays raised Wal-Mart de Mexico from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating in a research report on Monday, December 19th. Scotiabank lowered Wal-Mart de Mexico from an outperform rating to a sector perform rating in a research note on Friday, February 17th.

(Get Rating)

Wal-Mart de Mexico SAB de CV engages in the operation of discount warehouses and discount stores, hypermarkets, supermarkets, and clubs. It operates through the Mexico and Central America geographical segments. The company was founded by Jeronimo Arango in 1958 and is headquartered in Mexico City, Mexico.

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Wallington Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of CVS Health Co. (NYSE:CVS  Get Rating) by 0.7% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 118,658 shares of the pharmacy operators stock after purchasing an additional 877 shares during the quarter. CVS Health accounts for approximately 2.4% of Wallington Asset Management LLCs portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest position. Wallington Asset Management LLCs holdings in CVS Health were worth $11,058,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. CWA Asset Management Group LLC lifted its holdings in CVS Health by 5.0% in the 4th quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 12,665 shares of the pharmacy operators stock worth $1,180,000 after buying an additional 605 shares during the period. Gofen & Glossberg LLC IL lifted its holdings in CVS Health by 10.1% in the 4th quarter. Gofen & Glossberg LLC IL now owns 34,429 shares of the pharmacy operators stock worth $3,208,000 after buying an additional 3,172 shares during the period. Diversified Trust Co lifted its holdings in CVS Health by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 14,899 shares of the pharmacy operators stock worth $1,421,000 after buying an additional 145 shares during the period. Carnegie Capital Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in CVS Health by 28.9% in the 3rd quarter. Carnegie Capital Asset Management LLC now owns 55,867 shares of the pharmacy operators stock worth $5,328,000 after buying an additional 12,527 shares during the period. Finally, Bond & Devick Financial Network Inc. lifted its holdings in CVS Health by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. Bond & Devick Financial Network Inc. now owns 10,820 shares of the pharmacy operators stock worth $1,032,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the period. 77.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on CVS shares. StockNews.com started coverage on CVS Health in a report on Thursday, March 16th. They issued a buy rating for the company. Royal Bank of Canada restated an outperform rating and issued a $115.00 target price on shares of CVS Health in a research note on Thursday, February 9th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on CVS Health from $130.00 to $143.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Thursday, February 9th. Bank of America lowered their target price on CVS Health from $111.00 to $104.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Finally, Raymond James lowered their target price on CVS Health from $115.00 to $110.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 9th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, CVS Health currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $118.24.

CVS Health Stock Down 0.3 %

CVS Health stock traded down $0.24 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $75.85. The company had a trading volume of 1,016,616 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,133,416. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The stocks 50 day moving average price is $82.13 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $90.90. CVS Health Co. has a 12 month low of $72.11 and a 12 month high of $107.73. The company has a market capitalization of $97.40 billion, a PE ratio of 24.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 0.61.

CVS Health (NYSE:CVS  Get Rating) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 8th. The pharmacy operator reported $1.99 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.92 by $0.07. CVS Health had a return on equity of 15.75% and a net margin of 1.29%. The firm had revenue of $83.85 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $76.37 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.98 earnings per share. The companys revenue was up 9.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that CVS Health Co. will post 8.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CVS Health Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 1st. Investors of record on Friday, April 21st will be given a dividend of $0.605 per share. This represents a $2.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.19%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 20th. CVS Healths dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 77.56%.

CVS Health Company Profile

(Get Rating)

CVS Health Corp. is a health solutions company, which engages in the provision of healthcare services. It operates through the following segments: Pharmacy Services, Retail or Long-Term Care, Health Care Benefits, and Corporate and Other. The Pharmacy Services segment focuses on the pharmacy benefit management solutions.

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Zhihu Inc. (NYSE:ZH  Get Rating)s stock price gapped down before the market opened on Tuesday . The stock had previously closed at $1.31, but opened at $1.28. Zhihu shares last traded at $1.25, with a volume of 373,798 shares.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, CLSA assumed coverage on shares of Zhihu in a research report on Wednesday, December 14th. They issued an outperform rating and a $1.50 target price on the stock.

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Zhihu Stock Down 3.4 %

The firms fifty day moving average price is $1.50 and its 200 day moving average price is $1.34.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Zhihu

About Zhihu

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in ZH. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in Zhihu by 3.6% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 230,317 shares of the companys stock worth $299,000 after acquiring an additional 7,995 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Zhihu by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,641,947 shares of the companys stock worth $5,980,000 after acquiring an additional 14,245 shares in the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP lifted its stake in Zhihu by 628.2% during the 2nd quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 17,477 shares of the companys stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 15,077 shares in the last quarter. Bluefin Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Zhihu during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC lifted its holdings in Zhihu by 4.2% during the 2nd quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 512,700 shares of the companys stock worth $918,000 after buying an additional 20,900 shares in the last quarter. 11.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

(Get Rating)

Zhihu Inc operates an online content community in the People's Republic of China. Its community allows people to seek inspiration, find solutions, make decisions, and have fun. The company also offers technology, business support, and consulting services; information transmission, software, and information technology services; information and marketing services; vocational training; and internet services, as well as holds audio-visual permit.

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Ahead of the Karnataka Assembly polls scheduled for May 10, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is reportedly set to release its first list of candidates on April 8. According to sources, the party's Central Parliamentary Board meeting is expected to be held on May 7 in Delhi, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah in attendance, to finalize the list of candidates for Karnataka. The party has completed the process of shortlisting candidates at the state level, taking the opinions of its Shakti Kendra chiefs on probable winning candidates through secret ballot voting. Read: Eye on Bengaluru ahead of Karnataka polls: Pothole capital and land of forever dug-up roads Each Shakti Kendra covers four to five polling booths, and each polling booth has voters from 12,00 to 18,00. The pramukhs have the responsibility of focusing on the families comprising about 60 voters to create a larger voter base. The party had also deployed it senior leaders including union ministers Dharmendra Pradhan, Shobha Karandlaje, Pralhad Joshi, former chief minister BS Yediyurappa, BJP state president Nalin Kumar Kateel and CT Ravi to have meetings with district core committee members. During the meeting, partys performance at the grass roots level was discussed, besides the chances of winning candidates. The senior leaders also discussed equations with other leaders contesting elections, if in case it has to forge an alliance to form the government, said sources. In the selection process, at least 15 percent of the incumbent MLAs will be dropped considering their performance in their respective constituencies, sources added. This time the party has been very cautious with the selection of candidates. We are also looking at the list of candidates released by other parties. On the ground, the party has garnered support and the party is strategically picking up the candidates, said BJPs state spokesperson Ganesh Karnik. The BJP aims to secure a clear majority in the 224-member Assembly by winning at least 150 seats. Read more: Karnataka elections: Can Yediyurappa achieve for son Vijayendra what Deve Gowda could for Kumaraswamy? Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai confirmed in a press conference on April 4 that the process for selecting candidates for the upcoming assembly elections is being held democratically, and the first list of candidates will be finalized by April 8. Meanwhile, the Congress' Central Election Committee also met on April 4 at the party headquarters in New Delhi to finalize the second list of candidates for the Karnataka Assembly elections. The meeting was chaired by All India Congress Committee (AICC) President Mallikarjun Kharge, and senior leaders including Rahul Gandhi were in attendance.
An Adani Group joint venture with EdgeConneX is in talks with about half a dozen banks for a loan of about $220 million, which would be the conglomerate's first offshore borrowing since it was targeted by shortseller Hindenburg Research. Data centre provider AdaniConneX Private Ltd plans to use the money for capital expenditure, with a five-year tenor under discussion, according to people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified because the matter is private. The loan may be signed in the next few weeks, they said. A representative for Adani Group declined to comment. The conglomerate backed by Indian billionaire Gautam Adani has been forced to reevaluate its ambitions after US-based Hindenburg accused it of stock manipulation and accounting fraud. While the group has denied the allegations, its stock and bond prices slumped. Flagship Adani Enterprises Ltd. in January shelved a plan to raise as much as 10 billion rupees ($121 million) in what would have been its first public sale of bonds. Data compiled by Bloomberg show no US dollar bonds and loans taken out by Adani Green Energy Ltd., Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd. and Adani Enterprises Ltd. since the report was released. Adani Group executives met US investors as part of its plans to market privately placed bonds of as much as $1 billion in two tranches this year, Bloomberg reported late last month, citing people familiar with the matter.
Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has expressed his apprehension about emergency or martial law in the country if a larger Supreme Court bench was not constituted to hear the case regarding the postponement of provincial elections in Punjab, according to a media report on Tuesday. Bilawal's concerns stem from the ongoing political and judiciary crisis in the cash-starved country wherein the Supreme Court is hearing the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's petition against the Election Commission of Pakistan's decision to postpone the Punjab Assembly polls. Bilawal, who is also the head of the Peoples Party (PPP), spoke with the media on Monday in Larkana, his seat in the Sindh province, and said his party would not accept whatever decision of the three judges on elections in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Punjab, The News International reported. Pakistan's Supreme Court on Tuesday termed as "unconstitutional" the election commission's decision to postpone polls in the Punjab province till October 8, in a major blow to the federal government that has been trying to delay the provincial election citing security issues and the economic crisis. The party will embrace (only) the decision of the full court and implement the same, he said. He said that PPP is defending the Constitution. He added that Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, the PPP founder, had given the nation the 1973 Constitution which was breached by dictators, including Pervez Musharraf, but former president Asif Ali Zardari had restored it. He said that the sons and daughters of dictators are in the PTI and added that party supremo Imran Khan was the chief polling agent of Pervez Musharraf in a held referendum. He said that a three-judge decision would not be accepted because one of them, through his judgment, had handed over the Punjab government to PTI by rejecting some votes in the election of the chief minister last year. He asked the Chief Justice of Pakistan to constitute a full court in the larger interest of the nation. Pakistan has a history of military rule and so far generals have ruled almost half of the history of the creation of the country. Bilawals warning comes as the country is gripped with bitter political, judicial and economic crises.
Mahendra Reddy Vakati, a 38-year-old software engineer in Bangalore, had a Hyundai Creta on lease. As soon as the lease ended, he began looking for a midsize sedan and ultimately booked the MPI SX IVT (Automatic Transmission) variant of the Hyundai Verna, for an on-road price of Rs 17.5 lakh. I have always used an SUV but never a sedan. So, I wanted to try a sedan as well. If you compare SUVs with sedans, the latter has an executive-level look. I like the features as well as the look and feel of the vehicle, which somewhat looks like a BMW (sedan), said Vakati, who works at a leading software firm. Likewise, Vipul Anand, Business Analyst at an IT services firm in Greater Noida, bought the New Honda City VX CVT Petrol for around Rs. 15.2 lakh. Why I needed a sedan was fuel efficiency, driving dynamics, ride quality and comfort, which I found in a (Honda) City, he said. Thanks to the likes of Vakati and Anand, there has been a renewed focus on sedans by a handful of Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) this year. Last year, Skoda rekindled its presence in the premium sedan space with the Slavia, while Volkswagen reinforced the market further with the Volkswagen Virtus. While Honda Cars India (HCIL) is betting big on its newly launched City, Hyundai hopes to garner sizeable volumes from the just launched Verna. The segment may see more action when Toyota launches the Belta, which is essentially a badge engineered version of the Maruti Suzuki Ciaz. Per Jato Dynamics, the price of this model is estimated to be Rs over 10 lakh. A Toyota Kirloskar spokesperson, when contacted, refused to comment. Meanwhile, Chinese EV maker BYD is gearing up to roll out the Seal in October this year. This is despite the fact that this segment saw a massive decline in its contribution to the overall PV market over the last few years. Sedans, which made up 24.2 percent to the total market in 2014-15, barely account for 10.5% of the total pie today. The sedan segment per se saw an all-time-high sale of 635,000 units in 2015-16. So, why did the volumes drop? As Gaurav Vangaal from S&P Automotive puts it, The consumer demands a better road presence, which is being provided by SUVs with higher ground clearance as compared to Sedans. Secondly, there is limited action in product development in the Sedan segment and the Indian consumer has a natural affinity for newly launched vehicles, which again is SUVs nowadays. OEMs remain optimistic despite downward curve If the numbers are not encouraging why are companies looking to revive this segment? According to one carmaker, its because the sedan market is expected to see volumes of around 4.25 lakh units this financial year, which would be a 35 percent jump over FY23s 373,000 units. Within the sedan market, three fourths of the volumes will be derived from entry-level sedans at 3.2 lakh units, according to the carmaker. How they fared Tata Motors stated that it has grown by 86 percent in the sedan category this year compared to the same period last year. In line with industry standards, it expects that 10 percent of its sales will be derived from the sedan segment. Honda put up a good show last financial year with 14% growth in its sedan segment. For instance, in the entry-level sedan segment, where the Amaze is positioned, it posted about 38 percent growth. Similarly, in the midsize sedan segment, where City is positioned, it has grown 32 percent, matching industry growth. In City segments, we have seen quite a few launches from the competition, which has also contributed to increase the size of the market, Kunal Behl, Vice President, Honda Cars India Marketing and Sales, told Moneycontrol. Hyundai Motor India Limited (HMIL) aims to sell close to 40,000 units of the sedan this year, doubling volumes from 2022. The countrys second-largest carmaker had sold around 19,000 Verna units last year. Our market research suggests that Indian customers aspire for a sedan and want great looks in terms of exterior design, spacious interiors and performance and we have done the same with the Verna, Tarun Garg, Chief Operating Officer, Hyundai Motor India Ltd, told Moneycontrol BYD believes that there is no premium electric sedan in the market and is seeking to fill that white space. We are targeting people who can afford these high-end cars and are seeking value for the price they are paying. It could be entrepreneurs, businessmen, young IT professionals, unicorn founders or even luxury car owners who want an EV, Sanjay Gopalakrishnan, Senior Vice President of Electric Passenger Vehicles, BYD India, had earlier told Moneycontrol. The outlook According to JATO Dynamics, nearly 4,33,397 sedans were sold last calendar year, contributing roughly 11.3 percent of the overall PV sales of 38,20,578 units in 2022. This year, total sedan sales are projected to touch 4,74,316 units, and expected to account for 12 percent of the total PV sales of 39,17,791 units estimated for 2023.
The Idaho Legislature is awaiting Gov. Brad Littles decision on a number of bills before they adjourn for the session. Among them are three controversial bills that were watching with particular interest that we urge the governor to veto.

Here are the three bills were keeping a close eye on and why:

Library bounties

Bill: House Bill 314

What it does: Establishes a bounty system that allows parents to sue a library if their child comes into possession of library materials that they find objectionable.

What we think: Just the threat of a lawsuit and its accompanying legal costs likely would have a chilling effect on libraries. Afraid of being sued and spending thousands of dollars to defend themselves, library boards and directors likely will remove any books or materials that contain even a mention of a same-sex couple or a work of literature that contains a description of a sexual encounter. Library shelves would be stripped of such works as The Bluest Eye, Catcher in the Rye or even something as mundane as Captain Underpants.

That appears to be the point.

Little should veto the bill under the argument that a small minority of puritanical interests could bankrupt a library district by filing lawsuits under this new law or create such a chilling effect that libraries remove dozens if not hundreds of materials from their shelves.

What others say about it: As Blaine Conzatti of the Idaho Family Policy Center explained at a recent event, These lawsuits are probably going to cost between $25,000 to $200,000 per incident, right? You have a couple of those, thats going to be a significant hit to the school district or library districts budget.

What did the governor do? Little vetoed the bill, arguing the bills ambiguity will have unintended consequences for Idaho libraries and their patrons, he wrote in his veto letter. This legislation makes sweeping, blanket assumptions on materials that could be determined as harmful to minors in a local libarary, and it will force one interpretation of that phrase onto all the patrons of the library.

Story continues

And, yes, the governor recognized this bill for what it is: a bounty system. Allowing any parent, regardless of intention, to collect $2,500 in automatic fines creates a library bounty system that will only increase the costs local libraries incur, particularly rural libraries.

Could the House and Senate override a veto? Its possible but seems highly unlikely. House Bill 314 passed the Senate, 26-9, a supermajority that could override a veto by Gov. Little. It passed the House, 42-26-2, which is five votes shy of the supermajority threshold. House members are under no obligation to vote the same way they did before, but historically the House and Senate have tended to lose rather than gain votes when attempting a veto override.

Criminalizing gender-affirming care

Bill: House Bill 71

What the bill does: Criminalizes doctors for providing gender-affirming care for children 17 and younger who are experiencing gender dysphoria. The bill includes bans on surgeries, which arent happening in Idaho, as well as any other care, such as puberty blockers and hormone therapy, which are approved by the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics. Providing gender-affirming care would be punishable as a felony with up to 10 years in prison.

What we think: Little should veto the bill and push the Legislature for a more reasonable compromise banning surgeries but allowing other gender-affirming care. We have heard over and over again from those who know best that this is bad legislation. We side with them.

What others think: Several parents have shared their first-hand experiences with providing gender-affirming care and handling gender dysphoria. One Republican legislator even shared her own personal story of a relative who is transgender  and she still voted for the bill.

Little would have been on firm ground vetoing this bill, arguing that it inserts government into a medical decision among parents, their children and their doctors. This bill promises to be subject to court challenges. The governor apparently was not swayed by the overwhelming testimony of transgender citizens and their families who just want to be left alone by the government in making their own medical decisions. In addition, he could have argued that it will be too expensive and risky for the taxpayers to defend in court.

What did Little do? Little signed this bill, arguing that society plays a role in protecting minors from surgeries or treatments that can irreversibly damage their healthy bodies,

Could the Legislature have overridden a veto? Probably not. The bill passed the House, 56-13-13, enough to override a veto, but it passed the Senate, 22-12-1, two votes short of the veto override threshold.

Criminalizing interstate travel for an abortion

The bill: House Bill 242

What would it do? It would make Idaho the first state in the country to criminally charge those who help pregnant minors get an abortion in another state. Its often referred to as a ban on interstate travel, a point that could become a subject of legal trouble for the bill, if Gov. Little signs it. Since abortion is banned in Idaho, pregnant minors might seek an abortion in neighboring states, such as Oregon, Washington, Montana or Wyoming.

What others think: Bill supporters have called it human trafficking, which trivializes the actual problem of human trafficking. Far-right Republican state Sen. Scott Herndon, R-Sagle, said the bill didnt go far enough because it didnt criminalize parents or guardians.

What we think: This bill is a violation of the U.S. Constitution and is an extreme government overreach into a citizens right to interstate travel. If abortion is to be a state decision, Idaho has no say in whether someone obtains an abortion in a state that allows abortion. Little should veto this bill under the conservative argument that it will cost the state taxpayer dollars attempting to defend it in court  and that it will likely lose.

What did the governor do: Little signed the bill, arguing that the bill seeks only to prevent unemancipated minor girls from being taken across state lines for an abortion without the knowledge and consent of her parent or guardian.

Could the Legislature have overridden a veto? House Bill 242 passed the Senate, 27-7-1, and the House, 58-11-1, both enough to override a veto, but veto-proof majorities have a history of evaporating when put to the test.
The value of the cryptocurrency Dogecoin surged over 30% on April 4 after Twitter CEO Elon Musk replaced the blue bird logo on his company's website with the logo of Shiba Inu, which is the mascot of the digital currency. The Doge meme logo, which was initially created as a joke in 2013 was observed by Twitter users on the web version of the platform. There was no change on Twitter's mobile app. Also read: Elon Musk seeks to end $258 billion Dogecoin lawsuit Elon Musk asked a US judge on April 1 to throw out a $258 billion racketeering lawsuit accusing him of running a pyramid scheme to support the cryptocurrency Dogecoin. In an evening filing in Manhattan federal court, lawyers for Musk and his electric car company Tesla Inc called the lawsuit by Dogecoin investors a "fanciful work of fiction" over Musk's "innocuous and often silly tweets" about Dogecoin. The lawyers said the investors never explained how Musk intended to defraud anyone or what risks he concealed, and that his statements such as "Dogecoin Rulz" and "no highs, no lows, only Doge" were too vague to support a fraud claim. "There is nothing unlawful about tweeting words of support for, or funny pictures about, a legitimate cryptocurrency that continues to hold a market cap of nearly $10 billion," Musk's lawyers said. "This court should put a stop to plaintiffs' fantasy and dismiss the complaint." In a footnote, the lawyers also rejected the investors' claim that Dogecoin qualified as a security. The investors' lawyer, Evan Spencer, said in an email: "We are more confident than ever that our case will be successful." Investors accused Musk, the world's second-richest person according to Forbes, of deliberately driving up Dogecoin's price by more than 36,000% over two years and then letting it crash.
DBS Bank India plans to launch affordable housing finance soon, Prashant Joshi, Managing Director and head of the consumer banking group, told Moneycontrol. "The affordable housing finance we expect to start sometime in the next three to six months," Joshi said. Joshi also spoke on industry issues, the lenders business plans and the merger between Lakshmi Vilas Bank (LVB) and DBS Bank India that took place in November 2020. LVB depositors have been using DBS branches for all banking needs. Customers, including depositors of LVB, have been allowed to their accounts as customers of DBS Bank India with effect from November 27, 2020. Edited excerpts: What kind of steps is DBS taking to deal with competition from smaller banks? On lending, we have said that there is secured lending product growthwe have identified the strategy in three categories. One is gold loans, the second is MSME (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise) financing on the consumer side and the third is what we haven't yet started, which is affordable housing finance, which we expect to start sometime in the next three to six months. How has LVB helped DBS expand its business in India? Before November 2020, that is before the amalgamation with Lakshmi Vilas Bank, DBS were just 37 branches; now we have gone to 520+ branches. It has multiplied our distribution manifold in terms of branches. Earlier, we were barely 10- 15 percent of our retail deposits and now, it has gone up to 40 percent of it. So that was the big lift that we got through the amalgamation. How has the situation in MSME lending changed post-LVB amalgamation? After the LVB amalgamation was done, our consumer and SME (small and medium enterprise) lending book at a bank level was about 1/3rd of the total book. Two-and-a-half years back when the merger just happened, just before the merger, this number for DBS again only 10 percent of our assets would have been retail, which already has become 35 percent. How has the LVB merger aided you in CASA (Current Account and Savings Account) deposits? We had fairly low CASA deposits pre-merger. As things stand today, again, we are close to 30 percent CASA deposits. And that clearly got to do with the fact that we inherited the deposits and grew them with LVB amalgamation. Citi, one of the oldest foreign banks, has shut down its retail banking in India. Isn't retail banking for a foreign bank still easy? Given the Indian market, I think it is clear that if you want to do the growth in this market, (certain) things are required. One is one needs distribution, number two technology is important if we want to grow in the retail consumer and SME space And then third, of course, you need financial capital apart from human capital. So, these are the ingredients that you require for growing in the consumer and SME space in India if you really want to access that space. How do you see the current banking crisis in the context of India? If you look at Indian banking circles, leave aside capital markets for a moment, which may react a little bit over one or two weeks. But if you see Indian banking systems inherently have been stable. And if you see, really there is no real impact that any bank has declared or that any bank has seen since some of these news items came out.
Free Trade Agreements (FTA) are agreements entered into between countries with the aim of reducing barriers to trade and investment. The countries that are parties to the agreement extend to each other preferential benefits in the form of reduced tariffs, increased market access, etc. These agreements could be either bilateral or plurilateral. FTAs and the World Trade Organization FTAs are an exception to the principle of Most Favoured Nation (MFN) enshrined in World Trade Organization (WTO) agreements on goods, services, and intellectual property. Per the aforesaid principle, WTO member countries shall treat all other member countries equally. An FTA must meet the following requirements: (1) Duties and other restrictive commercial regulations must be eliminated. (2) All trade must be covered. (3) Measures applicable to non-parties may not be higher or more restrictive than those in effect prior to the FTA. The WTO also requires that information regarding the FTA is duly notified to the WTO Secretariat to ensure transparency. Thus, the WTO does not prohibit member countries from entering into FTAs. FTAs provide relaxation of trade barriers for the parties concerned, over and above the commitments made by the parties at the WTO. Thus, the FTAs are essentially WTO-plus. In other words, the FTAs are instruments towards achieving the objective of the WTO, i.e., elimination of trade barriers, albeit only for the parties to the FTAs. It is comparatively easier to negotiate bilateral or plurilateral FTAs involving a smaller number of countries than multilateral agreements involving all the member countries of the WTO. Frequent deadlocks and limited progress in WTO negotiations has led to the emergence of FTAs. Thus, FTAs can help achieve trade liberalisation in areas where WTO discussions fail, such as the environment, government procurement, digital trade, intellectual property, and so on. Benefits to businesses Businesses can reap a number of benefits from FTAs. The FTAs reduce or eliminate the tariffs on goods, which in turn enable access to cheaper raw materials or goods. Thus, it would be prudent for businesses to undertake the exercise of tariff mapping for their imports as well as exports, so that the tariff concessions available under various FTAs are factored for efficient supply chain management. Also, the FTAs assist in addressing and eliminating non-tariff trade barriers such as import licensing, quotas, etc., that would otherwise obstruct the free flow of goods and services. They also promote investment and provide greater market access. This, in turn, results in an increase in the variety and volume of imports and exports, as well as diversification of products and markets. FTAs and India India has signed FTAs with many countries. Major FTAs include the South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA) and Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), as well as agreements with Singapore, Mauritius, and so on. These FTAs are traditional in nature, in the sense that these agreements mainly deal with trade in goods. There has been an evident and much-needed shift in approach in the new-age FTAs India has recently signed with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Australia. These FTAs are not mere agreements for trade in goods, instead they are comprehensive agreements covering various aspects such as environmental provisions, trade in services, intellectual property, government procurement, digital trade, movement of people, etc. This shift in approach is also in line with the global trend seen in the mega FTAs, namely, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (RCEP) and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). Currently, India is in the process of negotiating FTAs with the United Kingdom, the European Union, Canada, and the Gulf Cooperation Council. As far as these FTAs are concerned, businesses / other stakeholders can consider making a representation before the government to address their concerns on various aspects, including barriers to trade and investment, so that the benefits can be maximised. India-Australia FTA The Australia-India Economic Co-operation and Trade Agreement, which is an interim agreement, came into force on 29th December, 2022. Further negotiations are likely to begin soon to transform this into a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, so as to cover areas such as digital trade and government procurement. This is the first trade agreement of India in which the partner country has offered 100 percent tariff elimination. The concessions offered under the agreement are likely to present significant opportunities for both Indian as well as Australian businesses. Further, the volume of India-Australia bilateral trade in both goods and services, which is expected to cross $45 billion by the year 2035, is testimony to the importance that the trade deal holds for both countries. V. Lakshmikumaran is Founder & Managing Partner, Lakshmikumaran & Sridharan Attorneys
In the recent past, there have been cases of employees taking corporate bigwigs to court to get justice. Last year, IT company Infosys was summoned by the Central Labour Commissioner and later the Karnataka labour department over the non-compete clause in its employment agreements. A court in Chennai ordered Tata Consultancy Services to reinstate an employee it sacked in 2015 and pay him his salary and benefits for seven years in full. There are other examples that highlight how awareness of certain laws helped corporate professionals to not only demand justice but set an example for other companies to refrain from bullying. Moneycontrol interacted with law experts to declutter key laws that every employee should be aware of. Layoff process Indian labour laws do not explicitly define salaried employees. However, the Industrial Disputes Act of 1947 mentions workman, any person including an apprentice employed in an industry to do manual, unskilled, skilled, technical, operational, clerical or supervisory work. It's important to note that the law excludes those in managerial or administrative capacity. For people in the workman category, Section 25 is crucial because it protects employees from layoffs under certain conditions. ALSO READ | Pipped to the post: How to approach performance improvement plan and layoffs If an establishment has employed 100 or more workers on average per working day over the previous 12 months, the employer must first acquire approval from a government authority before laying off any employees, Kunal Sharma, a partner at Singhania & Co., told Moneycontrol. Additionally, the company must give retrenched employees notice and compensation. There is a stipulated process to follow for layoffs. The employee must receive either advance notification or payment instead of notice from the employer, whichever is later, Sharma said, adding that the employer is required to compensate the employee at the rate of 15 days' average pay for each year of service that has been finished, or any portion thereof that is longer than six months. Besides, retrenched employees must be given priority for reemployment over new hires who lack the same qualifications and experience. For those outside the workman category, there is no specific law to protect their jobs. However, Sharma suggested they negotiate their employment contracts with due diligence. In the document, employers can mention terms related to pay-out benefits, notice periods, and insurance, so employees need to be careful while signing this document and should keep in mind as it is not just the salary which is to be negotiated but also the terms of entitlements if the employee is laid off, he said. In case of a breach of any clause, an employee can move court for nonfulfillment of the terms and conditions mentioned. ALSO READ | Rs 1 lakh for an MNC job: How 'helpers game corporates Sexual harassment The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act protects against sexual harassment of women at the workplace and provides for redressal of complaints of sexual harassment. Apart from making physical contact and advances and demands for sexual favours, the law says that sexual harassment includes making sexually coloured remarks, showing pornography, and any other unwelcome physical, verbal or non-verbal conduct of sexual nature. Under this law, the employer is mandated to form an internal committee where any woman who feels sexually harassed by any person at the workplace can complain against such person, said Shashank Agarwal, an advocate at the Delhi High Court. While female employees ought to know their rights, he said males must be made aware of their duty to not make their female colleagues uncomfortable at the workplace by making sexually coloured remarks or sexual advances. Phaneesh Murthy was sacked by IT company iGate in 2013 for violating company policy by failing to report a relationship with a fellow employee who claimed sexual harassment. Payment of gratuity The Payment of Gratuity Act, 1972, provides for payment of a stipulated amount to an employee on the termination of employment after rendering continuous service for not less than five years, on superannuation, retirement, resignation, or on death or disablement due to accident or disease. In case of death, gratuity should be provided to the nominee/heir of the deceased employee. The act also contains penal provisions, which every employee must be aware of. ALSO READ | Will SVB collapse impact the Indian talent market? There is a provision of imprisonment and fine in case employers make any false statement or representation to avoid payment under the act, or even simple non-payment of gratuity, said Shivani Bhushan, a senior associate at TAS Law. However, employees should remember that gratuity can be forfeited partially or fully if their service has been terminated for any act, wilful omission or negligence causing damage to the employers property. Gratuity Act is a social security legislation or can also be termed as welfare law intended for workers who provide long-term continuous and meritorious services, Bhushan added. Maternity benefits Under the Maternity Benefit Act of 1961, employers cannot employ women in any capacity for six weeks immediately following delivery or miscarriage. Most importantly, employers are liable to pay maternity benefits at the rate of the average daily wage for the period of absence immediately preceding and including the day of delivery and for the six weeks following. An employee can neither be discharged or dismissed while being on maternity leave nor can any notice of discharge or dismissal be given on such a day that the notice will expire during the maternity leave, said Suyash Srivastava, a partner at DSK Legal. However, to claim the benefits, the employee should have worked for not less than 160 days in the 12 months immediately preceding the expected delivery. Srivastava said the act enables an employee to overcome the state of motherhood honourably, peacefully and undeterred by the fear of being victimised for absence during the maternity period. Non-compliance has serious consequences wherein employees may file a criminal complaint before the jurisdictional criminal court seeking prosecution of the company as well as all persons who have the ultimate control over its affairs including its directors and other key employees, he added. ALSO READ | Is a PhD still relevant when companies prefer a skill-first approach? Srivastava said employees can file a claim to set aside the termination order and seek reinstatement. Non-compliance with the Maternity Benefit Act may also lead to loss of reputation for the company. Insurance and financial aid The Employees State Insurance Act of 1948 insures employees and grants financial aid in case of injury. The Employees State Insurance Corporation, a government organisation, manages the Employees State Insurance scheme, which provides basic medical and financial assistance to employees and their families and covers sickness, employment injury or maternity benefits. Anushkaa Arora, founder of ABA Law Office, said employers and employees have to contribute to the fund to ensure protection. The medical benefits cover the payment of all treatment expenses The sickness benefits are provided if the medical condition is verified by the appointed medical practitioner. An insured woman can claim periodical payments during confinement, miscarriage, a sickness arising out of pregnancy and premature birth of a child, she said. Besides, the benefits are provided to family members of employees who die during service. Arora said if an employee dies while travelling from home to the workplace, then family members including the spouse, children and parents will be compensated and insured.
" Advertising can deliver returns disproportionate to investments . Attempt to deliver this to clients, every time." So said legendary ad guru RK Swamy who founded the pioneering agency bearing his name. Now, the company, which opened its doors for business in Chennai 50 years ago, is looking to deliver returnsby selling shares. RK Swamy Advertising Associates has initiated the process to unlock value and launch an initial public offering (IPO), setting the stage for one of the most unusual stock market debuts of the year, multiple people with knowledge of the matter told Moneycontrol. If the listing plans of the company fructify, it would be the first ever IPO in India by a major integrated marketing services group. The firm, which morphed into RK Swamy BBDO, and is now known as the RK Swamy Hansa Group, operates across four key service areasadvertising, interactive and media , market research, brand activation and data analytics "The deal is on and was kicked off recently. RK Swamy Hansa Group has mandated investment banks IIFL Capital, Motilal Oswal Investment Advisors and SBI Capital as advisors for the same ," said one of the persons cited above. A second person confirmed the above syndicate of bankers and said that as of now, the firm's plan was to raise around Rs 500 crore via the IPO which would be a combination of primary (Rs 150- Rs 200 crore) and secondary issue of shares (Rs 300 crore) . He added that no final call had been taken on the quantum of the IPO which could change later based on market conditions. According to a third person, the proposed listing would facilitate an exit for a clutch of NRI investors in the firm who own around 16 percent stake. "The IPO would also help to raise growth capital for expansion, especially in overseas markets," this person elaborated. "Such a composite business is not listed anywhere. It goes far beyond advertising. If plans proceed, this deal will open up avenues for others to start thinking on similar lines. It is likely to unlock opportunities for others in the space who have the scale and are keen to raise capital," said a fourth person. Mobile advertisement firm Affle India and digital analytics firm Latent View are two listed players in related segments. All the four persons above spoke to Moneycontrol on the condition of anonymity. In response to a detailed email query sent to RK Swamy Hansa Group , Group CFO Rajeev Newar replied saying " no comment." Moneycontrol could not elicit an immediate comment from IIFL Capital , Motilal Oswal Investment Advisors and SBI Capital. According to his LinkedIn profile, in an earlier stint, Newar led the transition of Chalet Hotels from a private to a listed entity post an IPO of Rs 1641 crores. THE RK SWAMY HANSA GROUP STRATEGY In July 2022, RK Swamy and BBDO ( a leading network of the global Omnicon group) announced parting of ways after an alliance that lasted 37 long years. Under a new agreement, RK Swamy bought out BBDOs stake in the joint entity and BBDO bought out R K Swamy stake in BBDO India. "The reason why we decided to go our separate ways was to integrate our offerings (RK Swamy Hansa Group) as one," Srinivasan Swamy, chairman and managing director of RK Swamy Hansa Group, told Storyboard18 in an interview dated July 12, 2022. Sibling Shekar Swamy is the Group CEO. " BBDO was only in the advertising business and offered services like media and creative. And we were serving the same ecosystem of marketers with services like marketing analytics, media research, events, health care communication, public relations, outdoor, AdTech, MarTech, etc. So, the multiple clients we have can also be served across systems in a unified structure to help us deliver better than a structure where BBDOs interest would be in one small segment. And both the partners agreed that we function separately in an amicable manner," Swamy said in the interview adding that the consolidated turnover of RK Swamy Hansa Group was 100 million dollars. According to its website, the RK Swamy Hansa Group has offices spanning seven cities - Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kochi, Kolkata and Mumbai. Complementing this is a field network in 11 other cities. Hansa Marketing Services has US offices in Chicago, Illinois and Portland, Oregon "We are among the few that can truly deliver Integration. Our Creative, Media, Digital, Events and Retail teams work under one Management," the website says. The firm has worked for over 200 large clients in India, including the Government of India and institutions like the LIC, RBI and SBI. In the private sector, its clientele includes the likes of Hawkins ( on board since 1985), Havells, Lloyd, TAFE, IndusInd bank, Shriram Group, Himalayas, MagicBricks, Tata Steel, Mahindra & Mahindra, Gemini Oils and others. AND THAT'S HOW IT STARTED FOLKS! The advertising career of the group's founder late RK Swamy ( referred to as the Grand Old Man of Indian Advertising by Sam Balsara) spanned 63 years and began in 1940 when he joined J Walter Thompson in the Indian Languages department. Post a stint in Calcutta for several years, he returned to Bombay. In 1955, Swamy moved to Madras to start a new office of J Walter Thompson, which kickstarted the entire advertising industry in South India. After 33 eventful years, R K Swamy left JWT while he was a senior most director, and the company had become established as a leader in the business. At the age of 50, he founded R K SWAMY Advertising Associates and within seven years, it had spread its wings across the top five cities of India. The firm struck a partnership with the BBDO Worldwide Network in 1986, long before such tie-ups became the trend in the industry. Commenting on the domestic advertising market, a Founding Fuel article titled " The hare and the tortoise" dated July 28, 2022 said, "Most home-grown Indian advertising and communication groups have thrown in the towel and sold out to large international networks like WPP, Publicis, Dentsu and Omnicom, with the exception of the R K Swamy Hansa group and perhaps, Madison Worldwide, founded by the evergreen Sam Balsara. The original founders at Ulka, Trikaya, Mudra, Rediff and Chaitra have one by one exited from the scene."
The market remained in a northward direction for the third consecutive session with the benchmark indices closing with moderate gains amid rangebound trade on April 3, supported by banking and financial services, auto and pharma stocks. The BSE Sensex gained 115 points to close at 59,106, while the Nifty50 rose 38 points to 17,398 and formed a small-bodied bearish candle with a long lower shadow which indicates that declines are being bought. "Following a positive start, the benchmark index Nifty remained mostly range bound as the traders preferred to remain lean during the truncated week. The trend for the short term, however, remains positive as the Nifty closed well above the support level of 17,200," Rupak De, Senior Technical Analyst at LKP Securities said. He believes that the bulls are going to have the upper hand as long as the Nifty remains above 17,200. On the higher end, 17,500 is likely to act as crucial resistance for the Nifty and a decisive move above 17,500 may induce a strong directional upmove, the market expert said. The broader markets also followed the same trend with the Nifty Midcap 100 and Smallcap 100 indices rising 0.4 percent and 0.7 percent respectively, while the India VIX, the fear index, fell 2.7 percent to 12.59 levels, playing a supporting role for bulls. The market was shut on April 4 for Mahavir Jayanti. We have collated 15 data points to help you spot profitable trades: Note: The open interest (OI) and volume data of stocks in this article are the aggregates of three-month data and not just the current month. Key support and resistance levels on Nifty The pivot charts indicate that the Nifty may get support at 17,336 followed by 17,308 and 17,264. If the index advances, 17,424 is the initial key resistance level to watch out for followed by 17,451 and 17,495. Nifty Bank The Bank Nifty climbed further by 204 points to 40,813 and formed a bullish candlestick pattern on the daily timeframe with a long lower shadow indicating buying was seen at lower levels. "The Bank Nifty has been outperforming the Nifty for the last few days; however, the week has started with a controlled positivity as the traders remained low ahead of the MPC meet," De said. He feels that the trend will remain positive as long as the index sustains above 40,000. On the higher end, immediate resistance is visible at 41,000, and above 41,000 the index may move towards 42,000 over the short term, he said. The Bank Nifty, as per pivot charts, may take support at 40,613 followed by 40,537 and 40,414. Key resistance levels are expected to be 40,858, then 40,934, and 41,057. Call options data The maximum Call open interest (OI) was at 17,700 strike, with 92.91 lakh contracts, which is expected to be a crucial level for the Nifty in the coming sessions. This was followed by 17,500 strike, comprising 77.41 lakh contracts and 17,600 strike, with more than 71.34 lakh contracts. Call writing was seen at 17,700 strike, which added 28.63 lakh contracts, followed by 17,500 strike, which accumulated 20.91 lakh contracts, and 17,600 strike with 19.56 lakh contracts. Call unwinding was at 17,300 strike, which shed 6.83 lakh contracts, followed by 17,200 strike, which shed 6.8 lakh contracts, and then 17,000 strike, which shed 3.11 lakh contracts. Put option data The maximum put open interest was at 17,000 strike, with 89.94 lakh contracts, which is expected to act as support in the coming session. This was followed by the 17,200 strike, comprising 66.44 lakh contracts, and the 17,300 strike where we have 63.82 lakh contracts. Put writing was seen at 17,400 strike, which added 26.41 lakh contracts, followed by 17,100 strike, which added 12.36 lakh contracts, and 16,700 strike, which added 9.06 lakh contracts. We have seen Put unwinding at 16,500 strike, which shed 7.24 lakh contracts, followed by 16,300 strike, which shed 6.97 lakh contracts, and 16,400 strike, which shed 6.3 lakh contracts. Stocks with a high delivery percentage A high delivery percentage suggests that investors are showing interest in the stock. The highest delivery was seen in Dabur India, ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company, SRF, Petronet LNG, and Britannia Industries, among others. 77 stocks see a long build-up An increase in open interest (OI) and price typically indicates a build-up of long positions. Based on the OI percentage, we have seen 77 stocks on the list of long build-ups, including Balrampur Chini Mills, Bajaj Auto, ONGC, GMR Airports Infrastructure, and Maruti Suzuki India. 18 stocks see long unwinding A decline in OI and price generally indicates a long unwinding. Based on the OI percentage, 18 stocks, including Adani Enterprises, Adani Ports, ABB India, IndiaMART InterMESH, and AU Small Finance Bank, witnessed a long unwinding. 40 stocks see a short build-up An increase in OI along with a price decrease indicates a build-up of short positions. Based on the OI percentage, 40 stocks, including Mahanagar Gas, Deepak Nitrite, Hindustan Aeronautics, Apollo Hospitals, and BHEL saw a short buildup. 54 stocks see short-covering A decrease in OI along with a price increase is an indication of short-covering. Based on the OI percentage, 54 stocks were on the short-covering list. These included Coal India, Whirlpool, Eicher Motors, Birlasoft, and Indian Energy Exchange. Bulk deals Manaksia: Dream Achiever Consultancy Services acquired 5 lakh equity shares in the company via open market transactions at an average price of Rs 112.41 per share. However, Bajaj Finance sold 3.6 lakh shares at an average price of Rs 112.4 per share. Udayshivakumar Infra: Neomile Corporate Advisory has bought 4.87 lakh shares in the company at an average price of Rs 30 per share. (For more bulk deals, click here) Investors' meetings on April 4 Tata Motors: The company's officials will interact with Millennium Capital Management, Nomura AM, HSBC Global, and Nomura AM. Windlas Biotech: The officials of the company will meet investors and analysts. PVR: Senior management of the company will participate in institutional investor meetings in Singapore. Stocks in the news IndusInd Bank: The private sector lender clocked net advances at Rs 2.89 lakh crore for the quarter ended March FY23, up 21 percent YoY and 6 percent QoQ, while deposits grew by 12 percent year-on-year and 3 percent sequentially to Rs 3.36 lakh crore. The retail deposits and deposits from small banking customers amounted to Rs 1.43 lakh crore as of March 2023, increasing from Rs 1.37 lakh crore as of December 2022. South Indian Bank: The bank has reported a 16.65 percent year-on-year growth in gross advances at Rs 72,107 crore, while total deposits grew by 2.82 percent YoY to Rs 91,652 crore, with CASA deposits rising 2.07 percent to Rs 30,215 crore. CASA ratio moved down to 32.97 percent, from 33.21 percent. NBCC (India): The company has received a work order worth Rs 448.02 crore, for the construction of a road in Mizoram along the Indo-Bangladesh Border, from the Government of India. RailTel Corporation of India: The company has received a work order worth Rs 76.10 crore from Bihar State Electronics Development Corporation for the implementation and management of an electronic knowledge network in academic/administrative buildings of government engineering colleges and polytechnic institutes in Bihar. Another order worth Rs 38.95 crore is from National Informatics Centre Services for installation, testing and commissioning of 4 Mbps lease line connectivity for 19 sites. M&M Financial Services: In March 2023, the company estimates overall disbursement at Rs 5,600 crore, delivering a 42 percent YoY growth. The Q4FY2023 disbursements at Rs 13,750 crore registered a growth of 50 percent YoY. FY2023 disbursement was approximately Rs 49,500 crore registering a YoY growth of 80 percent. Healthy disbursement trends during FY23 have led to business assets at Rs 82,300 crore, a growth of 7 percent over December 2022 and 27 percent over March 2022. The collection efficiency was at 105 percent for March 2023, and in Q4FY23 it was at 99 percent against 100 percent for Q4FY22). Federal Bank: The private sector lender has announced total deposits at Rs 2.13 lakh crore for the March FY23 quarter, rising 17.4 percent over Q4FY22. Customer deposits (total deposits excluding Interbank deposits and certificates of deposit) jumped 13.3 percent YoY to Rs 2.01 lakh crore. Gross advances grew by 20.2 percent YoY to Rs 1.77 lakh crore. Retail credit increased by 18.6 percent and wholesale credit book rose by 22.2 percent. Marico: The FMCG major said its consolidated revenue in the March FY23 quarter grew in the low single digits on a year-on-year basis. India business witnessed some improvement in YoY volume growth and stayed in the mid-single digit zone, while the international business maintained its stellar growth trajectory as it posted mid-teen constant currency growth. Parachute Coconut Oil posted a strong high single-digit volume growth, aided by stable consumer pricing while copra prices remained steady through the quarter. Value Added Hair Oils touched double-digit value growth. Fund Flow FII and DII data Foreign institutional investors (FII) bought shares worth Rs 321.93 crore, whereas domestic institutional investors (DII) sold shares worth Rs 328.24 crore on April 3, National Stock Exchange's provisional data showed. Stocks under F&O ban on NSE The National Stock Exchange has not added any stock to its F&O ban list for April 5. Disclaimer: The views and investment tips expressed by experts on Moneycontrol are their own and not those of the website or its management. Moneycontrol advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions. Disclaimer: MoneyControl is a part of the Network18 group. Network18 is controlled by Independent Media Trust, of which Reliance Industries is the sole beneficiary.
Vehicle safety group Global NCAP on Tuesday said it has given one- and two-star safety ratings for adult occupant protection to Maruti Suzuki India's popular models WagonR and AltoK 10, respectively after conducting crash tests. Both the models scored zero stars for child occupant protection as per the Global NCAP's latest round of crash tests. The company, however, said its vehicles meet India's crash safety regulations which are almost similar to the standards in Europe. Global NCAP rates vehicles from zero to five based on their safety features and automobiles with a higher rating are considered safer for occupants. According to its latest test, Global NCAP stated that the Alto K10 showed a stable structure and marginal to good protection for adult chest to head in the frontal impact but showed weak protection to the chest in the side impact. The WagonR also offered weak chest protection for the driver despite the improvements in the restraint systems by Maruti Suzuki since the previous version of the model was tested by Global NCAP, it added. "We have been delighted with the positive response from Indian automakers and some global automakers as well. Although there has been some limited improvement, we are yet to see this safety commitment deployed in the most popular Maruti Suzuki models," Global NCAP Secretary General Alejandro Furas noted. Given that six airbags are becoming a mandatory requirement for new models sold in India, it is particularly worrying for Global NCAP that Maruti Suzuki does not even make this requirement available as a customer option, he added. When contacted a Maruti Suzuki India spokesperson, the spokesperson stated that safety is a critical issue and is therefore closely regulated by governments around the world as they are responsible for the safety of the people in their countries. "For Maruti Suzuki also safety has always been a top priority. India's crash safety regulations are almost similar to the standards in Europe and all our models meet these regulations and are duly tested and certified by the Government of India," the spokesperson noted. In many models and variants, the company has gone well beyond government mandatory requirements and provided additional safety features like airbags, electronic stability control, electronic brakeforce distribution, Hill-Hold assist, 360 degree-view camera, Suzuki TECT platform for enhanced safety, ISOFIX child seat anchorages, and a host of others, the spokesperson said. The company will continue to keep its focus on this very important aspect in all products at all times, the spokesperson added. "We believe that the government is coming out with Bharat NCAP, an India specific safety rating process, which will be more meaningful for the Indian consumers," the spokesperson said. Global NCAP said the Volkswagen Virtus and Skoda Slavia achieved a five-star rating for adult and child occupants showing a stable structure. "The highest safety rating from Global NCAP for the Skoda Slavia and Volkswagen Virtus further cements the Group's position as the leading European car manufacturer with the safest portfolio of cars in India," Skoda Auto Volkswagen India Managing Director and CEO Piyush Arora said in a statement.
Minister of State (MoS) for Finance Bhagwat Karad, in a written reply to Parliament, has said that the total amount of unclaimed deposits transferred to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) by public sector banks (PSBs) fell to Rs 35,012 crore till February 2023, from Rs 48,262 in March 2022. This is a decline of Rs 13,250 crore in a year. But, what does this mean for the banking system? And what happens to the unclaimed deposits? Heres an explainer. What is an unclaimed deposit? An unclaimed deposit is one which does not see any activity like infusion of funds, withdrawal, etc. from the depositor for 10 years or more, and is deemed as an inactive deposit. After terming a deposit as an unclaimed deposit, banks have to report the number of unclaimed deposits and the amount lying in the same to the RBI. What are the rules to tag an account as unclaimed? There are several reasons, such as lack of awareness among depositors, death, etc. for deposits to become inactive and later unclaimed. But among these, the most crucial reason is the death of the depositor. When a depositor opens an account without sharing details of a nominee or a survivor, the funds in the deposit, after the death of the depositor, remain with the banks. What happens to unclaimed deposits? After banks share the total number and amount of unclaimed deposits with RBI, the deposits are transferred to RBI's Depositor Education and Awareness Fund (DEAF). The regulator then creates awareness campaigns aimed at informing depositors of these unclaimed deposits. What do RBI rules say? As per the instructions issued by RBI to banks through a July 2014 circular on Customer Service in Banks, banks are required to make an annual review of accounts in which there have been no operations for more than a year. The banks may then approach the customers and inform them in writing that there has been no activity in their accounts and ascertain the reasons for the same. Other than this, banks have also been advised to consider launching special awareness drives for finding the whereabouts of customers or legal heirs in respect of accounts that have become inoperative, i.e., accounts that have not seen any transactions over a period of two years. After all of this, banks are required to display the list of unclaimed deposits or inoperative accounts which are inactive or inoperative for 10 years or more on their respective websites, with the list containing the names and addresses of the account holders in respect of unclaimed deposits or inoperative accounts. Can a deposit holder come after 10 years to claim the deposit? Yes, the deposit holder of an unclaimed deposit can reclaim the funds, provided, he or she proves, with documents and all paperwork that the deposit belongs to the person. Nandkishor Desai, a former banker with State Bank of India (SBI), explained the process of reclaiming an unclaimed deposit. "Around 20 years back, when the bank was informed of a reclaim application for an unclaimed deposit, the depositor was told to visit the nearest branch. There, after checking all the required papers, and documents of proof, the amount was transferred to the depositor," Desai said. But now, the process has been eased thanks to the know-your-customer (KYC) norms by banks and online banking services. How much unclaimed deposits are lying in banks? Out of the Rs 35,012 crore total unclaimed deposits held by banks in India till February 2023, India's largest public sector bank, SBI, has the largest share of Rs 8,086 crore, followed by Punjab National Bank at Rs 5,340 crore, Canara Bank at Rs 4,558 crore and Bank of Baroda at Rs 3,904 crore. Such deposits have declined over the year. What does this mean? The decline in the amount simply means that customers have reclaimed their deposits from banks. Karad also informed parliament that SBI is prioritising helping depositors reclaim their funds. "SBI has informed that it assists the family of the deceased in settling all cases of claims. Settlement of account(s) of the deceased constituent are taken up on priority by SBI. SBI staff has been sensitised and instructions are reiterated in all forums of banks at regular frequency," said Karad in parliament.
Film City, a pet project of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, seemed to have hit a stonewall after a tepid response from potential bidders to two global tenders. People at the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA) aware of the development said top officials will meet in Lucknow on Wednesday, April 5, to find a way out of the impasse and decide on a future course. The people said YEIDA had been exploring three potential models to develop the project  public-private partnerships, the Authority executing the project on its own, or awarding it to a single entity. The April 5 meeting is likely to discuss all these issues before deciding on the way forward, one of the people said. They are expected to discuss if plots in Film City can be allotted to separate bidders from the film industry, with YEIDA developing necessary infrastructure amenities, this person said. Film City is planned to be built on 1,000 acres in Sector 21 of YIEDA. It will be situated 6 km from the upcoming international airport in Jewar and 12 km from the Eastern Peripheral Expressway (EPE). Lukewarm response The first global tender for the project was floated on November 22, 2021. It was revised on August 27, 2022. On October 13, 2022, the Uttar Pradesh government approved the revised tender and the second Request for Proposal (RFP) was published on October 17, 2022. The deadline for submission of applications in response to the second tender was February 14, 2023, which was extended to February 28 and then to March 31. Also Read: Last date of application for investments in Noida international film city extended The people cited above said YEIDA had been looking for a specialist entity to handle the big-ticket project efficiently, but failed to find a find suitable applicant even in the second global tender. Fridays meeting will discuss if the deadline for the second tender should be extended to allow seasoned film industry associates to apply for the ambitious project, the people said. Individual plots YEIDAs Chief Executive Officer Arun Vir Singh had said in an earlier interview to Moneycontrol that if the response towards the project remains lukewarm, the Authority may think of allotting plots in fragments to filmmakers and companies associated with the movie industry. Property consultant CBRE South Asia was on December 14, 2020, selected to prepare a detailed project report on Film City, which will feature pre- and post-production facilities and film tourism. It will also have space for creative media art production, music dubbing studios, editing studios, VFX studios, movie premiere areas, film festival areas, a film museum and theme park. YEIDA is in touch with some filmmakers and people from film fraternity for executing the project, the people cited above said. Last month, filmmaker KC Bokadia met the YEIDA CEO and showed interest in developing a studio in Film City. Earlier, representatives of music and film production company T-Series also met the CEO and sought details of the project. The Authority is also in touch with a local film producer for the development of the project, the people said, adding that global music and film companies such as Sony, Fox and Universal had also shown interest, but no one had formally applied so far. Subsidies on offer To promote film shoots in Uttar Pradesh, the state government had in February 2023 approved the Film Policy project, under which several types of subsidies have been provisioned. A subsidy of 50 percent of the cost will be given if the films are made in Awadhi, Braj, Bundeli or Bhojpuri languages. For films in English, Hindi or other languages, the subsidy will be 25 percent of the cost. The policy also has a provision of providing a maximum of Rs 1 crore subsidy for films that schedule more than half of the shooting days in Uttar Pradesh. A YEIDA official said that the land cost for the project would be borne by the state government and YEIDA. The developer would recover the expenditure through rents and leases, he said.
Piramal Capital and Housing Finance Ltd has sold two office spaces at TCG Financial Centre in Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC), spread across a carpet area of 18,764 sq ft for Rs 110 crore, to TCG Urban Infrastructure Pvt Ltd, documents accessed by CRE Matrix, a real estate data analytics firm showed. This is a buyback deal. In 2013, TCG Urban Infrastructure Holdings Pvt Ltd had sold the same units to Dewan Housing Finance Corporation (DHFL) for Rs 95 crore, the agreement for assignment showed. The buyer has paid a stamp duty of Rs 6.60 crore, the documents showed. The agreement was registered on March 28, 2023. It comes with exclusive rights to use 31 car parking slots, as per the document. Moneycontrol has sent queries to Piramal Capital and Housing Finance Ltd and TCG Real Estate and is awaiting a response. In 2021, Piramal Capital and Housing Finance Ltd (PCHFL) had merged with Dewan Housing Finance Corporation Ltd (DHFL) pursuant to the reverse merger as contemplated under the scheme of arrangement provided under the resolution plan. Last month, Larsen & Toubro sold pre-leased office space spread across three floors in L&T Business Park-TC-IV in Mumbais Powai suburb to National Realty for around Rs 81 crore. Bank of China had leased an office space spread across an area of 9,300 sq ft at a rent of Rs 500 per sq ft per month at Maker Maxity, Mumbai, for five years. This indicates that there is still strength in the A-grade commercial market in the financial capital, despite the slowdown. Real-estate brokers told Moneycontrol that this deal is an outlier in terms of commercial rentals as the average rent for Grade A commercial space in top-end commercial buildings in core Bandra-Kurla Complex is in the range of Rs 260-320 per sq ft per month. The average rent in Maker Maxity is in the Rs 445-475 per sq ft per month range. The BKC is one of the costliest commercial districts in India. The per sq ft rate here goes even up to Rs 1 lakh in rare cases from as low as Rs 20,000 per sq ft. It houses the headquarters of several firms such as the National Stock Exchange, Bank of Baroda, Indian Oil, the Reserve Bank of India, and the US Embassy. According to an analysis by JLL, the office space take-up across the sector in January 2022 stood at 1.7 million sq ft. This means that office leasing was still 93.1 percent higher in January this year compared with the previous year. But the IT/ITeS category still remained the largest driver of overall market activity in January, accounting for 28 percent of total market activity, thanks to one large transaction and a few smaller ones. It accounted for 22 percent of market activity in January 2022 and 29 percent in December 2022, the report noted.
SEOUL, South Korea (AP)  North Korea said Monday it simulated a nuclear attack on South Korea with a ballistic missile launch over the weekend that was its fifth missile demonstration this month to protest the largest joint military exercises in years between the U.S. and South Korea.

The Norths leader Kim Jong Un instructed his military to hold more drills to sharpen the war readiness of his nuclear forces in the face of aggression by his enemies, state media reported.

The South Korean and Japanese militaries detected the short-range missile being launched Sunday into waters off the North's eastern coast, which reportedly came less than an hour before the U.S. flew long-range B-1B bombers for training with South Korean warplanes. The North characterizes the U.S.-South Korea exercises as a rehearsal to invade, though the allies insist they are defensive in nature. Some experts say the North uses the exercises as a pretext to advance its weapons programs.

Pyongyangs official Korean Central News Agency said the missile, which flew about 800 kilometers (500 miles), was tipped with a mock nuclear warhead. It described the test as successful, saying that the device detonated as intended 800 meters (yards) above water at a spot that simulated an unspecified major enemy target, supposedly reaffirming the reliability of the weapons nuclear explosion control devices and warhead detonators.

The report said the launch was the final step of a two-day drill that also involved nuclear command and control exercises and training military units to switch more quickly into nuclear counterattack posture, properly handle nuclear weapons systems and execute attack plans.

The exercise was also a stronger warning to the United States and South Korea, who are undisguised in their explicit attempt to unleash a war against the North, KCNA said.

Photos published by state media showed Kim walking through a forest with his daughter and senior military officials and a missile the North described as a tactical nuclear weapon system soaring from the woods spewing flames and smoke.

Story continues

Saying that his enemies are getting ever more pronounced in their moves for aggression, Kim laid out unspecified strategic tasks for further developing his nuclear forces and improving their war readiness, KCNA said. This indicated that the North could up the ante in its weapons demonstrations in coming weeks or months.

Jeon Ha Gyu, spokesperson of South Koreas Defense Ministry, said its clear North Korea with its ramped-up testing activity is making considerable progress in nuclear weapons technology. He did not provide a specific assessment about the Norths claim about the successful warhead detonation.

North Korean photos indicated the latest launch was of a solid-fuel missile apparently modeled after Russias Iskander mobile ballistic system that the North has been testing since 2019. The missiles are built to travel at low altitudes and be maneuverable in flight, which theoretically improve their chances of evading South Korean missile defenses.

While these missiles have been mostly fired from wheeled vehicles, North Korea has also tested them or their variants from railcars, a submarine and a platform inside a reservoir. Photos of the latest test suggested the missile was possibly fired from a silo dug into the ground, highlighting the Norths efforts to diversify its launch options and make it harder for opponents to identify and counter them.

South Koreas military said the launch took place at a mountainous northwestern region near Tongchangri, which hosts a site where the North conducted long-range rocket and satellite launches in previous years.

North Korea likely has dozens of nuclear warheads, but there are differing assessments on how far the North has advanced in miniaturizing and engineering those weapons so that they could fit on the newer weapons it tested in recent years.

While the North after six nuclear tests may be able to place simple nuclear warheads on some of its older systems, like Scuds or Rodong missiles, it will likely require further technology upgrades and nuclear tests to build warheads that can be installed on its more advanced tactical systems, according to Lee Choon Geun, an honorary research fellow at South Koreas Science and Technology Policy Institute.

Sundays short-range launch was the Norths fifth missile event this month and the third since the U.S. and South Korean militaries began joint exercises on March 13. The allies' drills, which are to continue through Thursday, include computer simulations and their biggest springtime field exercise since 2018.

The North so far in 2023 has fired around 20 missiles over nine different launch events. They included short-range missiles fired from land, cruise missiles launched from a submarine, and two different intercontinental ballistic missiles fired an airport near Pyongyang as it tries to demonstrate a dual ability to conduct nuclear attacks on South Korea and the U.S. mainland.

The latest ICBM test last Thursday preceded a summit between South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who agreed to resume security dialogues and take other steps to improve their oft-strained relations in the face of North Korean threats.

North Korea already is coming off a record year in testing activity, with more than 70 missiles fired in 2022, as Kim accelerates his weapons development aimed at forcing the United States to accept the idea of the North as a nuclear power and negotiating badly needed sanctions relief from a position of strength.

In response to the most recent ICBM launch, the U.N. Security Council scheduled an emergency open meeting Monday morning at the request of the United States, United Kingdom, Albania, Ecuador, France and Malta. Security Council resolutions have long banned North Korean ballistic missile activity, but permanent council members Russia and China have thwarted punishment or further sanctions in recent years.

The U.N. Security Council held an informal meeting Friday at which the U.S., its allies and human rights experts shone a spotlight on what they described as the dire rights situation in North Korea. China and Russia denounced the meeting as a politicized move.

North Koreas U.N. Mission called the meeting about our non-existent 'human rights issue unlawful. It also said the U.S. held Fridays meeting while staging the aggressive joint military exercise which poses a grave threat to our national security.

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Associated Press writer Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations contributed to this report.

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Find more AP Asia-Pacific coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/asia-pacific
Real estate developers operating in Noida and Greater Noida have approached the Uttar Pradesh government seeking relief on the issue of payment of pending land dues. They have requested the government to adopt a one-time settlement scheme (OTS) on the lines of the one in Haryana or the Vivad Se Viswas scheme announced by the Union finance minister in Budget 2023, to help builders clear their liabilities and keep projects viable. The Uttar Pradesh chapter of the National Real Estate Development Council (NAREDCO) has written to UPs Infrastructure and Industrial Development Commissioner Manoj Kumar Singh requesting him to direct the department to adopt a developer-friendly policy of settlement of land dues of developers. The three development authorities of Gautam Budh Nagar  Noida, Greater Noida and Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA)  are governed by the Infrastructure and Industrial Development Department of the UP government. It is estimated that builders owe a total of Rs 40,000 crore to Noida, Greater Noida and YEIDA, including premium, interest and penal interest against allotted plots on which real estate projects are in different stages of execution. Also Read: UP developers seek lenient terms their counterparts in Haryana enjoy The developers body also noted that due to various reasons like land acquisition disputes between farmers and authorities and the consequent litigation, stay orders from High Court and Supreme Court, execution of projects got delayed, resulting in huge accumulation of land dues (principal, interest and penal interest) payable to the Noida, Greater Noida and Yamuna Expressway Authorities. Following a recent Supreme Court order, Noida, Greater Noida and YEIDA are resorting to aggressive and coercive recovery of land dues, including cancellation of allotted land. The Supreme Court had, on February 28, dismissed the intervention applications (IAs) filed by realtors against its November 7 order, which had recalled the 2020 order that capped the rate of interest at 8 percent for the delay in payment of land dues by real estate firms to authorities. This meant that the builders would have to pay dues at an increased rate set by the authorities. In the interest of completion of projects, giving delivery of approximately 2.50 lakh flats to homebuyers, and discharging the liability of land dues payable to the Authorities, it is humbly requested that a policy may be adopted on the lines of Vivad Se Viswas scheme of the Central government or Samadhan Se Vikas scheme of the Haryana Government, the UP NAREDCO said in the letter on April 3. Haryanas OTS policy Samadhan Se Vikas requires the developers to pay 100 percent of the principal amount and 25 percent of the interest portion, following which 75 percent of the payment would be waived off. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced a voluntary settlement scheme called Vivad Se Vishwas-2 in her Budget speech to settle contractual disputes between the government and private parties. UP NAREDCO noted that homebuyers are not able to get possession of their flats due to delay in construction and the Authorities are also not facilitating issuance of Completion Certificates (CCs) and sub-lease permission of the completed portion of these projects as they are demanding no dues certificates (NDCs) as a pre-condition for processing the plan approval, plan revision, part completion and sub-lease permission, which the developers are unable to obtain due to the accumulated land dues. Besides, the project loans taken by developers from banks and financial institutions have also become overdue and non-performing assets (NPA). The lenders are approaching the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) under the Insolvency & Bankruptcy Code (Amendment) Act, 2021 as some of the developers have already been admitted under the CIRP process and many others are likely to follow suit. Also Read: MC Explains: Can Haryana's extension of the settlement scheme for long-pending EDC dues help homebuyers? In view of the above, unless some positive measures are taken by the government to prevent these under-construction real estate projects turning insolvent, homebuyers will not get their flats, Authorities will not get their dues, and lenders will not get their investments in these projects. Under the circumstances, we are left with no other alternative but to seek your intervention in the matter and request you to direct the concerned department to adopt a developer-friendly policy of settlement of land dues, the UP NAREDCO said in the letter. The developers body also said that the farmer compensation, which is not a part of the lease deed is also recovered at exorbitant rates. Since the land was allotted to the developers based on the highest tendered price, it is the duty of the Authorities to meet all the expenses related to the acquisition of the allotted land, the developers body said. As per an analysis by real estate consultancy Anarock, as many as 500,000 flats worth Rs 4.48 lakh crore are stuck across seven micro markets in the country. The report says that the National Capital Region (NCR), which comprises Noida and Greater Noida, has approximately 240,610 stuck or delayed units, worth over Rs 1.81 lakh crore.
Byju's, the world's most-valued edtech startup, roped in top Vedanta executive Ajay Goel as its Chief Financial Officer (CFO) on April 4, more than a year after its previous CFO PV Rao resigned. This came as a significant move for the company, which has delayed filing its FY22 (2021-22) results for more than six months. Here are 10 points that cover everything you need to know about Goel, who is taking over Byju's long-vacant CFO position: - Goel has 21 years of industry experience, leading finance and operation roles for companies across sectors, including Vedanta, Diageo, General Electric (GE), Coca-Cola, and Nestle. - In his previous role, Goel was working as Group CFO (Acting) of Anil Agarwal's Vedanta Resources. In March 2021, he joined Vedanta as its Group Deputy CFO before being promoted to Group CFO (Acting) in October of the same year. - Before Vedanta, he worked with Diageo as Executive Vice President & Finance Controller, GE as Executive Vice President & Finance Controller, Coca-Cola as Lead Finance Manager, and Nestle as Regional Finance Manager. - The new CFO of Byju's brings expertise in various areas such as building high-performing teams, strategic finance, business partnering and decision support, leading mergers and acquisitions, capital restructuring, funding strategy, taxation, and dealing with the Board and Audit Committee. - Goel is a Chartered Accountant (CA) and Company Secretary (CS) with a single-digit national rank in both CA and CS. - Goel graduated from St. Xaviers College, Mumbai in 1997 with a Bachelor of Commerce (BCom) degree in Accounting and Business/Management. - In his new role, Goel will strengthen the company's financial operations, long-term business strategies, and path to profitability, Byjus said. - Goel will be responsible for overseeing Byju's financial strategy and management, as well as working closely with the founders and senior leadership on strategy development, capital planning, and financial analysis, the company said. - Goel's appointment comes just a few months after the company renegotiated terms with its creditors, which included providing monthly business updates and hiring a CFO. - Goels joining also comes at a time when Byju's reportedly offered to increase the rate of interest on its $1.2 billion term loan B (TLB) raised from a clutch of investors recently, as part of renegotiating its debt-financing arrangements.
The due diligence that PhonePe carried for nearly six months while evaluating the much-anticipated acquisition of ZestMoney did not meet its bar, said Sameer Nigam, co-founder and CEO of the fintech decacorn, commenting on the deal for the first time on record. "The way it works is first you talk to investors or the management and you agree on a number and then based on that number, you enter due diligence (DD). Now DD can be short, DD can be long and we generally do long DDs, Nigam told Moneycontrol in an interview on the sidelines of PhonePes launch of Pincode, its e-commerce app built on ONDC (open network for digital commerce). We usually do long DDs. We have learned in the past what we need to know beforehand, so we were more rigorous in our DD and it didnt really meet our bar, Nigam added. Nigams comments on the ZestMoney deal falling through were the first official acceptance of the acquisition deal by PhonePe, which it was evaluating since last year and was first reported in November 2022. Both PhonePe and ZestMoney had stayed away from commenting on it officially. When asked if PhonePes move to walk away from the deal was in bad faith, Nigam said, There's only two things we were looking to buy. One was the assets, the other was the people. So that is part of the DD. That is not why it fell, though. We liked the people for whatever it matters, suggesting that ZestMoneys assets were the primary reason for PhonePe to pull out of the deal. Last week, Moneycontrol reported that PhonePe had called off the deal over due diligence concerns, leaving the buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) platform, backed by investors like Goldman Sachs, with little financial runway. ZestMoney is also evaluating layoffs and its founders are reaching out to a bunch of startups for outplacement opportunities for its employees, Moneycontrol reported. According to a person with direct knowledge of the matter, PhonePe is absorbing as many as 200 employees from ZestMoney. But when asked if PhonePe was looking to hire any of ZestMoneys employees, Nigam said, there are discussions happening in the background, declining to comment on it in more detail. ZestMoney was also given a loan of about $18 million last year by PhonePe, which acted as a lifeline for the company, Nigam said, adding that the BNPL platform was on the verge of getting bankrupt when he first met them. Last week Moneycontrol reported that PhonePe might extend another credit line to ZestMoney. Nigam accepted the development and said that there are discussions happening in the background and his finance team knows more about it. PhonePes decision to pull out from the ZestMoney acquisition deal highlighted the stress in the BNPL sector that was hit by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI)s crackdown on digital lending last year. The RBI issued a notification forbidding operating non-bank institutions or fintech companies, including many of the 'buy now, pay later' services, from loading credit lines onto Prepaid Payment Instruments (PPI) such as wallets and prepaid cards. Since then ZestMoney was looking for a buyer, sources told Moneycontrol. Nigam also sounded pessimistic on the BNPL space. I have never been a BNPL fan. If you are giving BNPL lines to people who are otherwise not previously known to be creditworthy, this whole business of saying I can use a BNPL line to figure out whether your credit score will be good, which is where fintechs ended up, was always going to end into the dark lane, said Nigam. BNPL is like a virtual credit card for me. You can call it whatever you want, but its loan in another name. If you are lending to people you dont know beforehand and if you are doing it in real time, then.. real time is the enemy of good underwriting, he added.
The government has dismissed China's attempts to rename 11 places in Arunachal Pradesh, reaffirming that the state has always been, and will remain, an integral part of India. "We have seen such reports. This is not the first time that China has made such an attempt. We reject this outright," external affairs ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said. "Arunachal Pradesh is, has been, and will always be, an integral and inalienable part of India. Attempts to assign invented names will not alter this reality," he said. In what is the third such instance of rechristening places in the disputed region, China unveiled new names for the areas as part of its effort to reassert its claim over the territory. China's civil affairs ministry on Sunday released the standardised names of 11 places for Arunachal Pradesh, which it calls "Zangnan, the southern part of Tibet" in accordance with regulations on geographical names issued by the State Council, China's cabinet. The official names of the 11 places were released on Sunday by the ministry, which also gave precise coordinates, including two land areas, two residential areas, five mountain peaks, and two rivers, and listed the category of places, their names and their subordinate administrative districts, state-run Global Times reported on Monday. India has previously dismissed the Chinese move of renaming some places in Arunachal Pradesh, asserting that the state has "always been" and will "always be" an integral part of the Union of India and that assigning "invented" names does not alter this fact. The Global Times, which is part of the ruling Communist Party's mouthpiece People's Daily Group of Publications, quoted Chinese experts as saying that the announcement of names is a legitimate move and China's sovereign right to standardise the geographical names. The first set of names was announced by China in 2017, days after the Dalai Lama's visit to Arunachal Pradesh. China was sharply critical of the Tibetan spiritual leader's visit. The Dalai Lama fled from Tibet through Tawang in Arunachal and sought refuge in India in 1959 after China took military control of the Himalayan region in 1950.
Projects worth Rs 33,690 crore were approved on Monday with the aim of creating additional infrastructure for Mumbai's suburban railway network, often called the lifeline of the country's financial capital and its adjoining metropolitan region, an official said. Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis and officials of Mumbai Railway Development Corporation were present when the projects were approved, he said. "The projects include laying of 5th and 6th lines between Borivali and Virar on Western Railway. Similarly, the 3rd and the 4th line between Kalyan and Badlapur (15 km) on Central Railway also got approved," a statement from the CMO said. "Another major decision is extending the current Harbour line from Goregaon to Borivali, which is a seven km distance. All these works will help the railways run more suburban as well as long-distance trains," the official said.

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There is a sense of deja vu to many of the political conversations these days. In what is very much a repeat of the events from 2018, discussions are being framed on how the Karnataka election is the quarter-final (followed by the year-end semi-final in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Telangana) preceding the Lok Sabha elections of 2024. And why opposition unity is the only antidote to the Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Congresss 2019 Collapse Public memory is indeed short. Or we would think twice before getting into this bandwagon now. Lets rewind to 2018. A rejuvenated Congress which ran the BJP close in Gujarat and had a freshly-minted president in Rahul Gandhi formed a government with the Janata Dal (Secular) in Karnataka, thus staving off the BJP. Then it was back in power after sitting out three terms in Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, also going on to win in Rajasthan. It had seemed that the Congress would form the government backed by like-minded parties, come 2019. A wary BJP came up with the 10 percent reservation for the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) in January 2019, and later came the Pulwama attack that killed 40 Indian Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel and the Balakot strikes. These events changed the entire complexion of the election. Although many people attribute the BJPs win in 2019 to these events alone, the numbers tell a different story. The fact that the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) polled over 50 percent votes in 15 out of the 28 states meant that the election was totally a one-sided affair, especially in the Hindi heartland. These 15 states included Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh where the Congress had trumped the BJP in the so-called semi-finals. And the Congress couldnt do much better than its tally in 2014, winning 50 percent of its seats from Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Forget Opposition Unity Opposition unity is the other talking point these days. Once again, this was something repeated ad nauseam during the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections in 2019. Now, opposition unity can be meaningful only if it leads to seat adjustments. Many people suggest that state-wise alliances are the way to go. However, people vote differently in state and Lok Sabha elections. Sample this: BJP polled nearly 70 percent in the Lok Sabha elections in Himachal Pradesh (with Congress down to 27 percent), while that number came down to 43 percent in the assembly elections  the Congress winning with 44 percent votes in a tight contest. And alliances are tricky in another way as regional parties with an upper hand in assembly elections may not want to yield to a weakened Congress which still has more leverage in a Lok Sabha election. As for the Congress, it is still harping on alliances only to get regional parties to accept Rahul Gandhis leadership. Hindi Heartland Will Decide The 2024 election will actually be determined in the Hindi heartland. The only way to unseat Narendra Modi would be for the Congress to maximise its seats from the Hindi belt, in which case fair-weather allies would make a beeline to it. For the Congress to have even a fighting chance, it needs to win seats where it is locked in a direct contest with the BJP. And Congress will need to win at least 100 additional seats, probably more, since allies will come on board only then. Lets rewind to the 1998 and the 1999 Lok Sabha elections when Vajpayee-led BJP had 182 seats. In 1996, it failed to form a government with 161 seats. And Theres Uttar Pradesh Then there is the question of Uttar Pradesh (UP). It is conventional wisdom that the route to power in New Delhi is through Lucknow. No wonder Narendra Modi himself contested from Varanasi to maximise the BJPs seat tally in UP. For the Congress and the Gandhis, it is their adopted state with family pocket boroughs and it would have to find a way to claw its way back to acceptance in UP. The trouble for the Congress is that it doesnt have any particular segment voting for it apart from Muslims, and it would have to do something really out-of-the-box to change this equation. There was news of Rahul Gandhi following up the Bharat Jodo Yatra with a Porbandar to Assam foot march. He would do better to walk through UP since that could have some positive impact on the moribund Congress organisation in the state. A New Charter So, the million dollar question is, what can Rahul Gandhi offer to the people of UP? The Nyuntam Aay Yojana (NYAY) or the minimum income support program with a guaranteed cash transfer of Rs 72,000 would be a good gambit, provided Gandhi can communicate it effectively with the voters. The Congress had announced it on the eve of the 2019 election itself, but Gandhi couldnt convince the public on its feasibility. The credibility earned with the Bharat Jodo Yatra might come handy in taking it to the people this time around. And unlike then, national security may not override peoples voting choices, although BJPs push on infrastructure projects and Ayodhya may be enticing to a large section of voters. In conclusion, Congress would do well to junk all the talk of a quarter-final in Karnataka and semi-finals leading up to 2024 and debates around opposition unity  it will need to do all the heavy lifting on its own for another shot at power. Anand Kochukudy is a Kerala-based journalist and columnist. Views are personal and do not represent the stand of this publication.
A pair of white gloves, cutting pliers, gravel stones and a lathi  these were reportedly part of the standard torture gear of Balveer Singh, IPS, Assistant Superintendent of Police, Ambasamudram Sub-Division in Tamil Nadus Tirunelveli District. An alumnus of IIT-Bombay and belonging to the 2020 batch of the IPS, this officer has been accused of routinely torturing suspects at police stations in his sub-division such as Kallidaikurichi, Ambasamudram, and Vikramasinghapuram. The interrogation allegedly involved pulling out their teeth using pliers, causing internal injuries by stuffing their mouths with gravel stones and hitting them hard on their cheeks and head. Worst of all is the allegation that he crushed the testicles of a few suspects, including a youth who married only a few months ago. A System In Cahoots Of course, local police officials were accomplices, armed with the justification that third degree torture is the only way to ensure a crime-free society. Widespread media coverage forced the government to order an inquiry by Mohammed Shabbir Alam, IAS, Cheranmahadevi Sub Divisional Magistrate-cum-Sub Collector. It was apparent that the inquiry, by an IAS officer who is a 2020 batchmate of Balveer Singh, was just a whitewash. One example of the diversionary tactics used is the reported turning away of victims who appeared to testify and summoning them back at his convenience. This delay proved expedient for the Ambasamudram police to threaten victims and offer alleged bribes of Rs 30,000 for their silence. Allegations of police torture are commonplace in the region. In June 2020, the brutal custodial murder of Jeyaraj and Bennicks, in Sathankulam police station in neighbouring Thoothukudi district shocked the nation. The father-son duo died of severe internal bleeding due to injuries sustained by sticks inserted into their rectum. The uproar caused the Madurai bench of Madras high court to order a CBI probe. Nearly three years after the incident, the trial is yet to conclude; and the delay is seen as inevitable as the accused are themselves senior police officials. Not Justice This What is most abominable  and dangerous from a public policy angle  is that custodial torture has been normalised and legitimised as necessary evil, so much so that only when extreme consequences  death in custody or severe maiming  occurs does the State feel compelled to respond. Part of the States toolkit is to order a judicial enquiry, under Section 176 of the Criminal Procedure Code. The ensuing delay allows the police to hunt victims and witnesses, coerce them with threats or bribes to not depose against them and quietly bury the case once the public memory has dulled. Indias conviction rate in custodial torture and death cases is an abysmal 5 percent. The National Crime Records Bureaus (NCRB) statistics shows that of the 1,727 custodial death cases between 2001 and 2018, merely 26 police officials have been convicted; NHRC reports also point out that out of 2,000 human rights violation cases only 34 have led to convictions. The SC Constitution Bench in the Lalita Kumari case (2014) categorically and unanimously held that if the complaint clearly discloses commission of a cognisable offence (serious offence warranting the arrest of accused), it is mandatory for the police to register an FIR and not dodge issues by ordering preliminary enquiry. In the present case, Balveer Singh has been accused of horrific, brutal torture with the help of other police officials and victims have testified. The TN government is deliberately delaying registration of FIR as a diversionary tactic to help the police. The SC has clearly spelt out in the encounters case ruling in PUCL vs State of Maharashtra (2014) that separate and independent FIRs should be registered in complaints of custodial violence, including encounter cases, and should be investigated by an independent team of the police, which is from another division and district. Only then will the investigation be seen to be done fairly, impartially, and independently. A Psychopath With Power What is shocking is that such a young IPS officer has committed such cruel and inhuman torture, indicating serious psychopathic tendencies and mental health issues. It is unimaginable to think of the harm that can be caused by police officials with such brutal behaviour patterns who are allowed to continue in the police force and who, in the future, will go on to occupy senior posts in the force. Apart from immediate imprisonment and prosecution, Mr. Balveer Singh should also be sent for psychiatric examination and treatment and not allowed to continue in police service. Balveer Singh and all other police officials involved in the tortures should be immediately arrested and lodged in prisons away from the region so as to prevent them from intimidating victims, their families, and eyewitnesses. The CCTV recordings of all the police stations in the region where the complaints of torture have emerged should be put in a sealed cover and deposited with the judicial court concerned. The victims should be provided with compensation, medical treatment, and emotional counselling. Quid Pro Quo: Netas And Cops The TN Government, like all other state governments and the Centre, have steadfastly refused to create a Torture Protocol or a Guideline of Procedures to be followed in custodial torture cases as it will bind their hands and force them to take action against the police. For politicians, the police is an indispensable ally, required not just to crush citizens protests against their policies and actions, but also free speech, dissent and the right to assemble. The police are also required to spy on other political parties, and very importantly, on rival factions in their own parties. The unspoken 'Omerta' between ruling parties and the police in cases of custodial crime is of mutual toleration and protection: I protect your back; you protect ours. Only citizens and human rights groups can break this chilling alliance and demand enforcement of rule of law. V Suresh is an Advocate in the Madras High Court and National General Secretary, Peoples Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL). Views are personal and do not represent the stand of this publication.
Various forms of illegal gratification including cash, liquor, drugs, and other valuable items worth Rs 60.9 crore, according to the Election Commission of India (ECI), have been seized in Karnataka between March 29 and April 4, following the announcement of the poll schedule by Chief election commissioner Rajiv Kumar. The ECI had listed curbing the use of money power during elections as a major challenge, but political parties in Karnataka have continued to engage in a freebie overdrive by distributing televisions, cookers, mixers, stoves, sarees, food kits, sweet boxes, watches, and other items to potential voters. The rampant distribution of freebies has become a major headache for the poll agency, which is struggling to keep the election process fair and transparent. Digital wallets/UPIs or gift coupons are being distributed in urban areas, including Bengaluru. The Election Commission of India (ECI) has identified 81 assembly segments as 'expenditure sensitive' in Karnataka for the upcoming election, compared to 61 constituencies during the previous poll. Kumar stated that they have established 2,400 static surveillance teams to maintain vigilance. Additionally, they are monitoring 171 interstate checkpoints in 19 districts, as well as other areas in conjunction with the commercial tax, forests, and excise departments. Interestingly, even prior to the implementation of the election model code of conduct, the ECI had seized cash, liquor, and other goods totaling Rs. 93 crore, compared to Rs. 88 crore seized during the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Karnataka has a total of 224 assembly seats, including 28 segments in Bengaluru. Strict Vigil Involve civil society groups MG Devasahayam, a retired IAS officer and coordinator of Citizens' Commission on Elections, has expressed concerns about the prevalence of money distribution during elections, which he says became common after the "Thirumangalam Formula" - a by-election in 2009 in Thirumangalam, a suburb in Madurai, Tamil Nadu. According to him, the Election Commission has failed to engage civil society groups to curb cash distributions and freebies during polls. Devasahayam also laments that there is a lack of clarity over whether much of the seized money is genuine, and that there is no follow-up action or punishment for violations. He suggests that the Election Commission could defer an election in case of violations, but they hardly use their powers now. In addition, he recommends invoking Rule 16A of The Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) order, 1968, which allows for the suspension or withdrawal of the recognition of a recognized political party if they fail to follow the election model code of conduct. Overall, Devasahayam feels that the Election Commission's impact has decreased over time and that it is failing to effectively regulate the electoral process, as it did during the tenure of TN Seshan. Strengthening teams to curb misuse Political parties react As ironic as it sounds, political parties are quick to condemn the freebie and cash-for-vote culture, when asked. Calling it a bad practice, BJP leader and Bengaluru Central MP PC Mohan said: "ECI should be strict and citizens must also oppose it". Congress national spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP MV Rajeev Gowda, said: "ECI should prevent such corrupt practices and stop efforts to buy voters. It is terrible for democracy. For a little money, voters are selling away five years of their future. AAP leader and CV Raman Nagar candidate Mohan Dasari said: "It's a shame that elected representatives have to distribute cookers and household items to win elections. In Bengaluru, even MLAs who win elections repeatedly continue to distribute money and freebies to win polls. As a principle, our party does not distribute money/freebies." Use app to report complaints: EC Kumar has urged citizens to use the cVIGIL app that has a response time of 100 minutes to report malpractices. ECI said they have received many complaints over the past one week. "Of them, complaints related to posters/banners without permission (217) lead the list, followed by distribution of gifts/coupons (14), money distribution (14), vehicle or convoy without permission (11), distribution of liquor (8), property defacement (five) and paid news (three). A total of 284 complaints have been found to be genuine and action has been taken, said a statement from ECI. The Election Commission of India (ECI) has stated that out of the 1,318 calls received through voter helplines, 1,289 individuals sought information, three provided feedback, six made suggestions, and 20 filed complaints. The ECI has attended to all 1,318 calls received. In addition, 529 complaints were registered by citizens on the National Grievances Redressal System (NGRS) portal, and 48 of these have been resolved thus far. It is worth noting that Karnataka is scheduled to hold single-phase polls on May 10, with the counting of votes taking place on May 13.
An 18-year-old student from Gujarat was arrested for sharing a threatening tweet against Akasa Air. According to a Times of India report, the student had tweeted AkasaAir Boeing 737 Max will go down. The tweet landed him in trouble after Akasa Air filed a police complaint in Mumbai. Airline employee SR Yadav, 49, said he noticed the tweet from the Twitter handle @NanavaPushparaj and flagged it to his superior, who also informed senior leadership about it. Akasa Air chief security officer Nilesh Madhurwar then informed the domestic airport about the tweet and a complaint was filed at Airport Police Station. The posters IP address was tracked to Surat in Gujarat and a team was sent there to arrest the student on March 27. The 18-year-old was booked under Indian Penal Code sections 505 (1) (B) (with intent to cause fear or alarm to the public) and 506 (criminal intimidation). He admitted to sharing the tweet but said his intention was not to create an alarm. He was curious about the aircraft and did not realise the repercussions of posting such a message, the student claimed, according to a report in India.com. He was arrested by Mumbai Police and later released on a bail of Rs 5,000 as his exams were ongoing. Akasa Air in November 2021 signed a deal with US aircraft maker Boeing Co to purchase 72 Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft. The low cost carrier, which started operations on August 7 last year, had 19 Boeing 737MAX8 in its fleet as of March 25, according to an aircraft fleet tracking website quoted by news agency PTI.
The scandal involving former US President Donald Trump and adult film actress Stormy Daniels, which erupted in 2018, is a complex legal case that raises many questions about the conduct of the president and his associates, the role of the media, and the integrity of the American legal system. The story began in 2006, when Trump, then 60, allegedly had an affair with Daniels, then 27, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford. According to Daniels, the affair lasted several months, and included at least one sexual encounter. Trump has denied the affair, but evidence suggests that he and his team paid Daniels hush money ($130,000) to keep quiet about the affair just weeks before the 2016 presidential election. The payment, which was made through Trump's personal attorney Michael Cohen, is at the center of the case. Cohen pleaded guilty to several crimes related to the hush money payment, including campaign finance violations, and was sentenced to three years in prison. The case has raised questions about whether Trump and his team broke the law by making the payment, and whether the payment constituted an illegal campaign contribution. The legal issues involved are complex, but the basic question is whether the payment was made to benefit Trump's campaign, which would make it subject to campaign finance laws. Trump and his team have argued that the payment was made to protect Trump's personal reputation, not his campaign, and that it was therefore not subject to campaign finance laws. However, many legal experts disagree, and argue that the payment was clearly made to benefit Trump's campaign, as it occurred just weeks before the election, and was intended to prevent damaging information from becoming public. The case has also raised questions about the role of the media in reporting on the affair and the hush money payment. Daniels initially sold her story to a magazine for $15,000, but the story was never published. She later went public with her story in a television interview, and has since become a prominent figure in the media. She also said that was threatened physically several times to keep mum on the matter. The media coverage of the case has been extensive, with many news outlets investigating the affair and the hush money payment, and some pundits and commentators criticizing Trump and his team for their actions. Some have also raised questions about the ethics of paying hush money to silence accusers, and the impact that such payments can have on the legal system. Trump is now the only US President to be indicted i.e. he has been criminally charged in the hush money case adding a new obstacle course for the Republican businessman to meander on his way to the 2024 Presidential elections.
wisonsin-supreme-court-abortion.jpg The Bigger Than Roe National Mobilization March is taking place on the anniversary of Roe V Wade with a march and rally to follow in the rotunda of the Wisconsin State Capital building in Madison, WI. - Credit: Sara Stathas/The Washington Post/Getty Images

On Tuesday, voters in Wisconsin will decide who they want to sit on the Supreme Court for the next 10 years. The jurist who wins that election will weigh in on hundreds of cases over the next decade, but for many doctors the race is about just one of them: the lawsuit that will determine whether a 1849 ban on abortion remains in effect.

The Wisconsin law makes it a felony to perform an abortion at any stage of pregnancy. The law  rendered dormant for five decades by Roe v. Wade  went back into effect last year and remains in effect, despite a challenge from the states attorney general.

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If the court upholds the ban, many of those doctors  like their colleagues in states like Idaho, Texas, and Tennessee  will be forced to consider whether to continue practicing medicine in such a hostile environment, or leave the state.

Dr. Kristin Lyerly has already stopped working in Wisconsin. Its just not safe for me to practice any kind of medicine, Lyerly, a plaintiff in the lawsuit against the 1849 law, says. Instead, two weeks a month, she travels to a rural area of Minnesota roughly seven hours from her home in Green Bay, where she provides obstetric care.

Abortion care is integrated into every aspect of womens health care, Lyerly says. A miscarriage is a spontaneous abortion, so managing a miscarriage could be considered an abortion. Helping someone with an ectopic pregnancy: if theres cardiac activity there, that could be considered an abortion. If someone has a complicated pregnancy where their water breaks at 17 weeks and you save their life by acting sooner than the time that their life is imminently in danger  which is the appropriate thing to do  that is an abortion.

Each of those scenarios is one in which she would feel compelled to provide care, but in Wisconsin, doing so could put her, or any doctor, in legal jeopardy. One colleague called Lyerly recently concerned that she might be at risk of prosecution simply because a patient informed her that she had obtained abortion medication online.

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No doctor has been charged under the law yet, and district attorneys in Milwaukee and Dane Counties, where three of the states four former abortion clinics are located, have said that they will not prosecute cases using the 1849 law. But Joel Urmanski, a district attorney in Sheboygan County  where the states fourth clinic is located  has declared he would prosecute. (Urmanski has also filed a brief asking the court to uphold the 1849 law.)

The confusion over the archaic law has put health care providers in an impossible position. Already, a number of pregnant people have been denied care because of the looming threat of prosecution; in one documented case, a Wisconsin woman bled for 10 days after ER staff were reluctant to help her manage an incomplete miscarriage.

You just dont know what a DA might charge you with, Lyerly says. Its affecting the way that all of my colleagues are providing their care  not just OB-GYN doctors, but also family medicine doctors, emergency medicine doctors, pediatricians, radiologists, you name it. Everybody is feeling this chilling effect.

Those concerns prompted more than 300 health care providers in Wisconsin to sign a letter endorsing Judge Janet Protasiewicz in Tuesdays election. The race pits Protasiewicz, a Milwaukee county judge who has campaigned as a champion for choice, against Daniel Kelly, a former member of the state Supreme Court endorsed by the states most prominent anti-abortion groups, including Wisconsin Right to Life, whom hes worked with in the past.

Dr. Shefaali Sharma, an OB-GYN based in Madison, says shes had numerous conversations with her husband about whether they can remain in Wisconsin. If the ban remains in place, she says, they would be forced to seriously consider how sustainable it is for us to stay in this state  in terms of being a physician, but also in terms of raising a family here and allowing them to have autonomy of their bodies.

If the Supreme Court flips, and Kaul wins his lawsuit, Wisconsin will be the first state that has outlawed abortion since Roe to reverse course and legalize it once more. Already, more than $45 million has been spent by the candidates and outside groups, making the race the most expensive of its kind in U.S. history  three times more expensive than the closest runner up.

Given the stakes, its unsurprising. If conservatives maintain their hold on the court, Sharma is concerned things could get much worse in Wisconsin  not just for health care providers, but for their patients. At this point, the laws are only against physicians, but what if the laws become more strict, and women could be punished? I think its not a matter of do we stay in 1849 or do we move to 2023? But more: if we stay in 1849, or are we going to slide even further back?

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A bizarre demand by an employer when a man asked for a leave has angered a section of the internet in Hong Kong. Taking to Facebook, a man described when he was told by his boss when he needed a 12-day leave. The employee wanted to go to mainland China to pay respects to his ancestors as part of the Chinese tomb-sweeping festival called Ching Ming, when people visit the gravestones of their ancestors and pay their respects. He was shocked when he heard his bosss demand: to send photos of his ancestors graves as proof that he is indeed going there to pay his respects, South China Morning Post reported. I took time off to pay respect to my ancestors, but my boss made me take photos of the graves to prove it, he wrote on a Facebook page. The man, who works in Hong Kong, wanted the time off from work to travel to Foshan, a city in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong which borders Hong Kong. Hong Kong bosses are getting crazier, they are driving me crazy too, he wrote. Asking for a photographic evidence for his leave request, the toxic employer reportedly asked him, Do you really need to take 12 days off to pay respect to your ancestors? The unreasonable demand by the boss angered social media users, with one person urging the man to resign from his job. On the same Facebook page, anther user had reportedly described how his boss at an insurance company asked poor-performing employees to slap each other in the face for motivation.
On April 3, a sessions court in Surat suspended the two-year sentence awarded to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in a criminal defamation case until the disposal of his appeal. The court granted him bail and exempted him from personal appearance and will hear his application on April 13. Gandhi was convicted on March 23 by the chief judicial magistrate in Surat and sentenced to two years in prison. On March 24, he was disqualified from the Lok Sabha on account of his conviction. According to the Representation of the People Act of 1951, MPs and MLAs are disqualified the moment they are convicted of an offence with a sentence of imprisonment for not less than two years. The elected representative will continue to be disqualified for six years after release from prison. In Gandhi's case, the conviction, if upheld, will disqualify him for eight years. Gandhi will have to obtain a stay on his two-year conviction to be reinstated as a member of the Lok Sabha. Days after Gandhis disqualification, a plea was moved in the Supreme Court, challenging the validity of the provision under which he was disqualified. The plea is yet to come up for hearing. Moneycontrol explains the effects of disqualification and when an MP can be reinstated after disqualification. What are the effects of disqualification? One impact is the holding of a bye-election in the constituency the disqualified lawmaker represented. The Election Commission of India has the power to notify bye-elections after a lawmakers disqualification since the constituency will remain unrepresented. A bye-election to fill any vacancy must be held within six months of the date of occurrence of the vacancy. In October 2022, Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan, who was the MLA of Rampur, was disqualified from the Uttar Pradesh legislative assembly after being found guilty of hate speech against chief minister Yogi Adityanath and was sentenced to three years in jail. Before Khan could appeal against the order of conviction, the ECI notified bye-elections in Rampur. Khan challenged the ECI notification in the Supreme Court in November 2022. The SC asked the appellate judge to expedite the hearing of Khans stay application and further directed the ECI not to gazette the election notification for some time. After Khan failed to obtain a stay from the appellate court, the ECI announced the bye-election in December 2022 and the Samajwadi Party lost Rampur seat to the BJP. Has parliament reinstated MPs after their conviction was stayed? On January 11, 2023, Lakshadweep MP and Nationalist Congress Party leader Mohammad Faizal was convicted by a sessions court in Kavaratti for attempting to murder Mohammed Salih, the son-in-law of late Union minister PM Sayeed, during the 2009 Lok Sabha elections. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison. The Lok Sabha Secretariat disqualified Faizal and the ECI announced the bye-election for the constituency. However, it had not notified the bye-election. Faizal obtained a stay on his conviction in the Kerala High Court and the ECI withheld the bye-election decision. The Lakshadweep administration appealed against the order of the Kerala High Court in the apex court, which did not vacate the stay. Even after the stay, the secretariat did not reinstate Faizal, who then approached the Supreme Court. On March 29, moments before the Supreme Court could hear his case, the secretariat reinstated him. A stay on a conviction is enough for a disqualified lawmaker to be reinstated in the Lok Sabha. How long can it take to obtain a stay on conviction? A person convicted by a trial court has 90 days to appeal against the decision in the appellate court. Obtaining a stay from a sessions court can take 15 days to one month, subject to the discretion of the judge. In Gandhis case, if the sessions court in Surat refuses to stay the conviction, he will have to file an appeal in the Gujarat High Court. If the Gujarat High Court does not grant him a stay, the Congress leader will have to approach the Supreme Court. The entire process can take one to two months. Other politicians disqualified recently: Abdullah Azam Khan In March 2023, Samajwadi Party legislator Abdullah Azam Khan, who was disqualified after being convicted for deterring a public servant from performing their duty, approached the Allahabad High Court seeking a stay on his conviction. The high court adjourned the case by three weeks. Apprehending that the ECI will notify a bye-election while he is disqualified, Khan approached the Supreme Court, which will hear the case on April 5. Vikram Singh Saini In October 2022, a special MP/MLA court in Muzaffarnagar sentenced BJP leader and former legislator from Khatauli, Vikram Saini, to two years imprisonment after he was convicted for rioting in Muzaffarnagar and other offences. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on him. In November 2022, Saini was disqualified and the assembly secretariat declared the Khatauli seat vacant. In the bye-election that was held in December 2022, the BJP lost the Khatauli constituency to the Rashtriya Lok Dal. J Jayalalithaa Former Tamil Nadu chief minister and AIADMK leader J Jayalalithaa was convicted by a trial court in Karnataka in September 2014 for misusing her office during her first tenure during 1991-96 to amass property. She had to resign because she was disqualified by virtue of the judgment. She was not reappointed as CM till May 2015 when the Karnataka High Court found her to be not guilty of corruption. The Supreme Court, however, reaffirmed the trial courts verdict in 2017. However, Jayalalithaa was abated because she had died and a fine of Rs 10 crore was levied on her property.
Narayana Murthy returned to the site of his first job  the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIMA)  as chief guest at the institutes 58th convocation ceremony. The Infosys co-founder had joined IIMA as chief systems programmer after graduating with a masters degree from IIT-Kanpur in 1969. As Narayana Murthy returned to IIMA today, the institute unearthed some interesting snippets about the pioneer of Indias IT sector. In a Facebook post, the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad revealed that Murthy had received several lucrative job offers after graduating IIT. Among those who wanted the young graduate on board were companies like TELCO, TISCO and Air India. Each of these companies were offering him a salary of around Rs 1,600 per month. Murthy, however, chose to join IIMA as chief systems programmer, earning half of what he would have earned at Air India or other potential employers. In 2019, he revealed why he turned down better-paying jobs to join IIMA. Murthy explained that in 1969, IIMA was in the process of installing Indias first time-sharing system  and the third such in the world after Harvard and Stanford. Murthy knew he would learn a lot if he joined IIMA  But there was only one catch and that was the salary, he said in an interview as part of the IIMA Archives Oral History Project. Unsure about what to do, he consulted his teacher who advised him to chase knowledge instead of money. So I was the only person from my batch of 16 students to have taken half the salary in quest of learning about a modern operating system, about the opportunity to interact with very bright students, about the opportunity to create lots of interactive lessons using computers for students in accounting, in simulation, in finance, in production etc. So therefore I chose that path and thats probably the best decision I made in my life, Murthy concluded.
A UK man has been given a nine-month prison sentence for interfering with a motor vehicle, possession of cannabis, and possession of a knife in a public place. Paul Priestley, a resident of Pennington, was caught on CCTV attempting to open car doors in Peterborough on March 27, which led to his arrest. The court heard that Priestley was "addicted" to trying car door handles. This is not the first time Priestley, 44, has been in trouble for his car door handle obsession. In 2018, he was banned from touching or entering unattended cars without permission for five years. However, once the ban ended, he reoffended. This time, his ban is in place till 2027. Priestley's defense in the case was that he has been struggling with addiction, and he needs help to overcome his obsession with trying car door handles. In addition to his prison sentence, Priestley has been ordered not to touch any vehicle, like last time. Priestley has a 29-year-old criminal record that includes hundreds of theft-related crimes. This apparent obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) with cars can be characterised by many things. This compulsion is a condition where individuals become preoccupied with the idea of cars, often leading them to engage in compulsive and repetitive behaviors such as checking car doors, washing cars excessively, or spending an excessive amount of time tinkering with cars. This condition can have a significant impact on an individual's life, affecting their relationships, work, and overall wellbeing. The reasons behind this unhealthy obsession are not fully understood, but it is believed to be linked to anxiety, stress, or depression. Some individuals may also have a strong emotional attachment to cars due to positive experiences or memories associated with them, which can further fuel their compulsive behaviors. The possession of a knife in a public place charge is a serious offense in the UK, and people can face up to four years in prison for it. Priestley's possession of cannabis charge is also a criminal offense in the UK. The police encourage car owners to lock their doors and not leave valuable items inside their vehicles.
The Australian government said on Tuesday it would remove TikTok on all federal government-owned devices due to security issues, a decision that follows many countries in the West in barring the Chinese-owned video app. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese agreed to a government-wide ban on the use of TikTok after the completion of a review by the Home Affairs department, The Australian newspaper reported. Victoria state will also ban the short video app from government phones, The Age newspaper reported, quoting a state government official as saying Victoria would follow the federal government's guidance. The United States, Britain, New Zealand, Canada, Belgium and the European Commission have already banned the app from official devices over security concerns. TikTok has come under increasing scrutiny due to fears that user data from the app owned by Beijing-based company ByteDance could end up in the hands of the Chinese government, undermining Western security interests. Tiktok Australia general manager Lee Hunter was quoted by The Age as saying the company was disappointed to learn of the ban through the media "despite our repeated offers to engage with government constructively about this policy". "We stress that there is no evidence to suggest that TikTok is in any way a security risk to Australians and should not be treated differently to other social media platforms," he was quoted as saying.
China Evergrande Group said its clinched an offshore restructuring deal with a key creditor group, laying a cornerstone in the developers debt-overhaul road. Members of an ad-hoc group of investors holding Evergrande offshore notes signed three restructuring support agreements, according to a Hong Kong stock exchange filing Monday night. Creditors will receive a consent fee for 0.25% of outstanding principal of the respective debts if they agree to the proposal by 5 p.m. Hong Kong time on April 27, the firm added. The company had said it expected to enter one or more RSAs with the group by the end of March, progress which led to the adjournment of a winding-up court hearing to July 31. Trading in shares will remain suspended until further notice, Evergrande added. The debt restructuring for Evergrande, the developer central to Chinas property crisis, is one the countrys largest ever and carries broad implications for its financial system. The proposal also serves as a reference point for other defaulted Chinese builders working to revamp their leverage loads. The developer released a debt proposal 15 months after the firms first public bond default. Bondholders could receive new notes maturing in 10 to 12 years or a combination of new debt and instruments tied to shares of Evergrandes property-services unit, its electric-vehicle division or the builder itself. The firm also set a December deadline for the debt restructuring plan to take effect.

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Former US President Donald Trump has arrived here to face arraignment in a Manhattan court on charges related to paying hush money to a porn star during his 2016 presidential campaign. Trump, 76, flew to New York City in his Boeing 757 aircraft from his Mar-a-Lago home on Monday and arrived at the La Guardia airport around 3 pm EST (12.30 am IST). His motorcade then made its way to the Trump Tower on 5th Avenue in Manhattan where he will stay for the night. Streets around the high-end Trump Tower have been cordoned off, with heavy police presence in and around the area. The former President waved at scores of his supporters as he came out from the SUV and was escorted immediately inside the building. Trump, the first former US president to face a criminal charge, will appear before Judge Juan Merchan at 2.15 pm EST (11.45 pm IST) on Tuesday. American media has quoted Trump's attorneys as saying that the former president will plead not guilty. After his court appearance, Trump will immediately fly back to Florida where he will deliver remarks at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach in the evening. The arraignment proceeding is expected to be brief. The charges in the indictment will be read to him at the hearing, which is set to last about 10-15 minutes. Trump has denied all wrongdoings in connection with the payments made to Stormy Daniels, 44, ahead of the 2016 presidential election. The indictment comes as Trump faces legal hurdles in other potential criminal cases. Trump is currently the front-runner among all declared and potential contenders for the 2024 Republican White House nomination. But there is nothing in the US law that prevents a candidate, who is found guilty of a crime, from campaigning for and serving as President -- even from prison. Trump was twice impeached by the House of Representatives. He was acquitted by the Senate both times. Trump and his aides are using the indictment to rile up his supporters and bolster his 2024 re-election campaign. "It's hard to believe that I will be ARRESTED tomorrow as a result of the most disgraceful witch hunt in our nation's history," a Trump Campaign mail titled "Tomorrow, I will be arrested" said, as it urged voters to make a 'contribution' to his campaign given that the 'fate of our Republic' is 'on the line'. Trump's team claimed that he has "raised over USD 4 million" in the 24 hours following Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's "unprecedented political persecution of the President, and blatant interference in the 2024 election against the leading Republican presidential candidate". Another Trump Campaign email said that November 5, 2024 "will no longer just be an Election Day. It will be our Vindication Day. When we win, it will be a vindication for our movement but also a vindication for America". President Joe Biden, who was travelling to Minnesota, refrained from commenting on the legal battle that his predecessor is facing. Talking to reporters in Minneapolis, he exuded confidence that law and order would be maintained in New York City. "I have faith in the New York Police Department," he said. "The president is focused on delivering for the American people. That's what he wakes up and thinks about each day. We're on our way to Minnesota where we'll talk about the Invest in America tour," Olivia Dalton, White House Deputy Press Secretary, told reporters during an Air Force One gaggle. "He's also talking about all the ways in which they've created an ecosystem for the private sector to invest in America as well," Dalton said in response to a question. Last week, Trump had exuded confidence that he would win "this battle" as well as the 2024 presidential elections. "When this election is over, I will be the president of the United States, you will be vindicated and proud, and the thugs and criminals who are corrupting our justice system will be defeated, discredited, and totally disgraced," Trump had said.
Finland formally joined the NATO military alliance on Tuesday in a historic policy shift brought on by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, drawing a threat from Moscow of "countermeasures". Finland's accession roughly doubles the length of the border that NATO shares with Russia and bolsters its eastern flank as the war in Ukraine grinds on with no resolution in sight. Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto completed the accession process by handing over an official document to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken at NATO headquarters in Brussels. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, welcoming Finland to its ranks, noted that Russian President Vladimir Putin had cited opposing NATO expansion as one justification for his invasion. "He is getting exactly the opposite...Finland today, and soon also Sweden will become a full fledged member of the alliance," Stoltenberg said in Brussels. The Kremlin said Russia would be forced to take "counter-measures" to Finland's accession. Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said the move raised the prospect of the conflict in Ukraine escalating further. Russia said on Monday it would strengthen its military capacity in its western and northwestern regions in response to Finland joining NATO. The Ukrainian government also hailed Finland's move. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's chief of staff Andriy Yermak wrote on Telegram: "FI made the right choice. NATO is also a key goal for Ukraine." The event marks the end of an era of military non-alignment for Finland that began after the country repelled an invasion attempt by the Soviet Union during World War Two and opted to try to maintain friendly relations with neighbouring Russia. But the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 prompted Finns to seek security under NATO's collective defence pact, which states that an attack on one member is an attack on all. Moscow, which has long criticised the move, reacted crossly. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the NATO expansion was an "encroachment on our security and on Russia's national interests". Moscow would watch closely for any NATO military deployments in Finland, he said. Blinken said: "I'm tempted to say this is maybe the one thing we can thank Mr Putin for. Because he once again here precipitated something he claims to want to prevent." Sweden and Finland applied together last year to join NATO, but the Swedish application has been held up by NATO members Turkey and Hungary. Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstroem told reporters it was Stockholm's ambition to become a member at the NATO summit in Vilnius in July. "This is a question of utmost importance for Sweden...There is no reason for neither the Turkish parliament or the Hungarian parliament to make any further further delays," he said. Turkey says Stockholm harbours members of what Ankara considers terrorist groups - an accusation Sweden denies - and has demanded their extradition as a step toward ratifying Swedish membership. Hungary cites grievances over criticism of Prime Minister Viktor Orban's democratic record. NATO diplomats say they expect Budapest to approve Sweden's bid if it sees Turkey moving to do so.
About 30 people were injured, many seriously, when a passenger train carrying at least 50 people derailed in the Netherlands early on Tuesday after hitting construction equipment on the track, Dutch emergency services said. Rescue teams were at the scene of the accident at Voorschoten, a village near The Hague, the emergency services said. A fire department spokesman told Dutch radio that 19 people were taken to hospital. Others were being treated on the spot, the emergency services said. The front carriage of the night train from Leiden city to The Hague derailed and ploughed into a field after the accident, ANP news agency said. The second carriage was on its side and a fire broke out in the rear carriage but was later extinguished, it said. Earlier reports had said the passenger train had collided with a freight train. Dutch Railways (NS) spokesman Erik Kroeze said a freight train was involved in the accident but could not give details. He said he had no information on the injured and fatalities, if any. Dutch Railways said in a tweet that trains between Leiden and parts of The Hague were cancelled due to the accident.

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The United States has said it is still doing an assessment of what exactly intelligence information China was able to gather from its spy balloon that flew over sensitive American military sites in February. The comments from the Pentagon came after a media report said the Chinese spy balloon gathered information about some of the US military sites through electronic signals. "As of right now, we're still doing an assessment of what exactly the intel was that China was able to gather but we do know that the steps that we took provided little additive value for what they've been able to collect from satellites before," Pentagon Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters at a news conference here. The balloon had entered the United States from Alaska on January 28 and crossed through several States over various sensitive military sites, including Montana where the US stores some of its nuclear assets, before it was shot down in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of South Carolina on February 4. NBC News, citing two current senior US officials and one former senior administration official, said China was able to control the balloon so it could make multiple passes over some of the sites (at times flying figure eight formations) and transmit the information it collected back to Beijing in real-time. "The intelligence China collected was mostly from electronic signals, which can be picked up from weapons systems or include communications from base personnel, rather than images, the officials said," the news channel said. Responding to questions, Singh said because of the steps that the US was able to take, it was able to prevent transmission of certain aspects of the sites to be transmitted. "But in terms of transmission back to the PRC (People's Republic of China) and what was able to be transmitted back, I just don't have further information for you at this time," she said. The Federal Bureau of Investigation, she said, is still assessing the parts that the US was able to recover from the balloon. "As we mentioned early on when we first started tracking the balloon, we do know that the balloon was able to be manoeuvred and purposely driven along its track but not going to get into specific sites it was able to hover over," Singh said. "But what we did do is take precautionary steps to limit the intelligence value that it would be able to collect and we took steps to protect our military installations from foreign intelligence collection," she said. The White House told the reporters that the spy balloon had limited ability to collect intelligence information. "As the Pentagon said before, the surveillance balloon, we believe, had limited ability to collect any much additional intelligence beyond what could be collected through other surveillance means," White House Deputy Press Secretary Olivia Dalton told reporters during an Air Force One gaggle. Following the news reports, Senator Roger Wicker, ranking member of Senate Armed Services, said "these revelations" clearly demonstrate that the administration made an "unacceptable mistake". "We have consistently learned more from press reports about the Chinese surveillance balloon than we have from administration officials. These revelations clearly demonstrate that the administration made an unacceptable mistake," he said in a statement. "I will not abandon my oversight efforts to discover the full range of information related to this event, and I intend to hold this administration accountable. It is critical that Congress also explores the capability and protocol improvements at the Department of Defense that are necessary to prevent something like this failure from ever happening again," Wicker said.
Prab Singh, right, is originally from Punjab, India. He came to the Yukon 2 years ago for a visit, then learned of the Yukon Nominee Program which allowed him to make Whitehorse his home. (Submitted by Prab Singh - image credit)

Prab Singh, originally from Punjab, India, has a story similar to that of many who now call the Yukon home  he came for a visit, and never left.

"Here in the Yukon, people are so cheerful," Singh said. "You go on the sidewalks and then you see people, they are smiling. You know, on the mountains and hikes, they're actually enjoying their life."

Singh's friend first invited him to Yukon a couple of years ago. At the time, Singh wasn't aware of the Yukon Nominee Program but he found out about it when his friend mentioned it to him one day.

"My friend who came here for permanent residency, he told me that it's easy to get residency in the Yukon," he said. "I saw the process and the way it goes so I thought this would be a good place."

The Yukon Nominee Program is a territorial program used by local employers to nominate foreign nationals who are interested in coming to the territory to work. The program, in cooperation with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, helps to designate qualified applicants for permanent residency.

Singh got a job working at the Sikh temple and a local grocery store in Whitehorse. After six months of working, his employer filed residency paperwork on Singh's behalf.

Singh said there are many different reasons people from India want to move to the Yukon.

Submitted by Prab Singh

"Some people just come here for study and then they move to a different province," he said. "Some people come for residency and then some people are more adventurous. When they hear about the Yukon, you know, the mountains here and the Yukon River and all of the fun adventures that people do here "

Harleen Kaur, also originally from Punjab, India, came to the Yukon two years ago to further her career as an early childhood educator.

Prior to moving to Whitehorse she lived in Nova Scotia, and Toronto. She said the cost of living in those places made it difficult to have a good quality of life.

"To live in Whitehorse is really good," she said. "You can save your money, and they pay you a lot."

Story continues

Submitted by Harleen Kaur

Kaur also participated in the Yukon Nominee Program. She said it is a good program however there are some difficulties every now and then. She feels a bit vulnerable as she waits to qualify for permanent residency.

"It's hard sometimes because you have to do whatever the other employees want from you. You have to do that," she said.

"But you get through it."

India surpassed Philippines as source of applicants

For the past three years, India has been the top source country for the program. That's according to Michael Prochazka, assistant deputy minister of operations for the Department of Economic Development.

"Back in 2020, the number of applicants from India topped the Philippines for the first time," Prochazka said. "At the time there was 90 individuals from India that applied."

Prochazka said that number has increased substantially in the years since.

In 2021, there were 184 applicants from India, and in 2022 there were 150.

Prochazka said that the latest numbers for 2023 show the Philippines back on top with 89 primary applicants to the nominee program, compared to 80 from India.

Prochazka said wherever the applicants come from, the program is only going to benefit the Yukon.

"The vibrancy of our communities is really a huge upside to the Yukon Nominee Program," he said.

"We've seen the growth of the cultural communities in Yukon and it's really contributed in a positive way to the diversity and the fabric of the territory."
It has turned out to be an unusually quiet trip for the King of Bhutan, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, to New Delhi. He is, of course, Indias closest ally in South Asia and New Delhi would like it to stay that way  China permitting. While Indo-Bhutanese relations have for long been very close, in the last few years, these bilateral ties have acquired a significance of their own. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar was at hand receiving the King at the airport here, reflecting the importance New Delhi has attached to this visit. The King met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 4, where the Indian leader hosted a lunch in the visitors honour. Tweeted Jaishankar: His Majesty's vision for Bhutan's future and for strengthening the unique partnership with India is deeply appreciated. The official Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesman tweeted: Taking forward a unique relationship of friendship and cooperation. PM@narendramodi received His Majesty the King of Bhutan ahead of their talks. The ensemble was complete with the King meeting with National Security Advisor, Ajit Doval. At a special briefing on April 4, Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra, said that 'people to people contacts between the two sides are a crucial part of Indias bilateral partnership with Bhutan. The flow of people from both sides is going on well, and this is something which we constantly keep discussing, he told journalists. Kwatra, who visited Bhutan in January this year, days after officials from China and Bhutan held wide-ranging talks on the settlement of their border, called the Indo-Bhutan ties a time-tested strategic relationship. On the specific question of Doklam, the foreign secretary said that India closely follows all issues related to security issues. Again, on the reported swap of land between China and Bhutan where China wants certain parts of Doklam in western Bhutan, in return for giving up its claim on the Sakteng WildLife Sanctuary in eastern Bhutan, Kwatra stuck to his official line without revealing much. There is a good reason for this warmth, as well as introspection. Since the opening up of Bhutan in 2008, when it became a constitutional democracy, the aspirations of the youth have soared  it is no longer India, as was traditionally the case, that holds their attention, but the Gulf, Australia, South East Asia and the world at large. Its young population  ranked the happiest country in the world  cannot but not be enamoured of its biggest neighbour and economic superpower, China. The point here is just how palatable is this newly emerging equation to India? Last month, the Prime Minister of Bhutan, Lotay Tshering, ruffled Indian feathers when he told Belgian Daily La Libre in an interview: ''There are three of us. There is no big or small country, there are three equal countries, each counting for a third.'' He was responding to a question on Chinas role, six years after the Indian Army and Chinas Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) faced off for 73 days in Bhutans Doklam plateau. Bhutans suggestion that Beijing has an equal say in finding a resolution to the dispute over the high-altitude plateau, which New Delhi believes has been illegally occupied by China, could hardly be a welcome view in India. Bhutan is a strategically important country for India and the defence and security ties between the two sides have witnessed significant expansion in the last few years. The Doklam plateau is considered an important area for Indias strategic interest. The standoff at the Doklam tri-junction involving India, China and Bhutan, began in 2017 after China tried to extend a road in an area that Bhutan claimed belonged to it. India had strongly opposed the construction as it would have impacted its overall security interests, most notably the Siliguri corridor, also known as the Chicken's Neck. The Indo-China face-off was resolved following several rounds of talks. Since then, Bhutan and China, that do not have formal diplomatic relations, have nonetheless arrived at their own equation, which some observers in New Delhi have found a bit odd. In October 2021, Bhutan and China signed an agreement on a three-step roadmap to expedite negotiations to resolve their festering boundary dispute. Bhutan shares an over 400-km-long border with China and the two countries have held over 24 rounds of boundary talks in a bid to resolve the dispute. If you look at the map of Bhutan, there are no changes in the lines. But India needs to acknowledge the reality. Since completing a successful transition from an absolute hereditary monarchy to a constitutional monarchy with a bicameral elected parliament in 2008, marking the final step in the transition to a parliamentary democracy, Bhutan, like India, too has become aspirational, Lt Gen RK Sharma (Retd), former Adjutant General of India, told Moneycontrol. Chinas new construction on the Bhutanese side, say Indian security experts, can dominate the Siliguri corridor, which is Indias connection with the North East. China has land borders with 14 countries and has resolved border ties with 12, save India and Bhutan. Which makes this visit a bit extra special. According to Gen Sharma, Bhutans Prime Minister was merely stating facts. I wouldnt read much into what PM Tshering has said. He is an elected PM and represents the aspirations of his people. What he is saying is that the border is a tri-junction; so, how can you exclude China out of the agreement? China and Bhutan have held 24 rounds of boundary talks since 1984. At the Expert Group Level, the two countries had 10 rounds of negotiations. Some experts suggest that Bhutan could be going the Nepal way, a long-standing Indian ally with religious and cultural connections, which has seemingly grown close to China. Former RAW chief, AS Dulat, told Moneycontrol, If Bhutan is leaning towards China, then we need to introspect. Why is it happening? Obviously, somebody is unhappy with us and so is leaning across to a rival. Dulat, one of Indias best-known spymasters, quoted from his memoir, A life in the shadows, Bhutans then King, Jigme Singye Wangchuck, warned India of pressures from China in 1999. He says the former kings words were prophetic about India-China tensions in Doklam and the build-up of infrastructure by China that has followed. He also says that New Delhis muscular policy on a range of issues, including the situation in Kashmir, and tough foreign policy in the neighbourhood led to failures. According to the book, Dulat, who visited Thimphu for three days in 1999, spent time with the then king, known as K4, who abdicated in favour of his son, King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, in 2005. Democracy is coming sooner rather than later. But (the Indian establishment) is making things a little difficult for us. The Chinese are breathing down our necks, Dulat paraphrased the former king as telling him during the visit, adding that the king was convinced the problems with China would only increase if India pushed Bhutan too much. Dulat said that he believed the former king was referring to Chinese pressure at the time to conclude the border settlement with Bhutan. He also said that the king was convinced that as Bhutan grew more democratic, there would be more engagement with China on the issue. Asked if India was playing the Big Brother with Bhutan, Dulat said sometimes. This view is backed by some others like Gen Sharma, who believes that Indian media, thankfully not the government, has done a lot of damage by pointing repeatedly to the huge amounts given by India to Bhutan in pursuit of development. That attitude is wrong and big brotherly. China can pay all that money in a single cheque, which India has been handing out for decades. India has been providing assistance to Bhutan for implementation of its successive Five Year Plans since 1961. New Delhis assistance towards Bhutans XII Five-Year Plan (2018-23) was Rs 4,500 crore for various multi-sectoral projects, small development projects and direct budgetary support. There has been significant cooperation between the two sides in the area of hydropower projects, as the Indian foreign secretary announced on Tuesday. India has consistently been Bhutans top trading partner, and remains the leading source of investments in Bhutan. In November 2021, India formalised the opening of seven new trade routes for Bhutans bilateral and transit trade with India and new market access was provided for allowing formal export of 12 agri-products from Bhutan to India. India sent special assistance to Bhutan during the COVID-19 pandemic when it became the first country to receive Covishield vaccines from India. Veteran Indian diplomats counsel patience and affection between the two sides. Former Indian Ambassador, Rajiv Bhatia, currently Distinguished Fellow at think-tank Gateway House, told Moneycontrol, India-Bhutan relations are special, and we need to persevere with it patiently and with a great deal of care. I saw the Bhutanese PMs statement, and on the face of it, I cannot see anything exceptional about a tri-junction accord involving three parties.
News outlets will not be allowed to broadcast former US President Donald Trumps historic arraignment on Tuesday in a Manhattan state court, New York Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchan has ruled. Trump, 76, the first former president to face a criminal charge, will appear before Judge Merchan at 2.15 pm EST (11.45 pm IST) on Tuesday amid tight security. He was indicted last Thursday by a federal grand jury in connection with USD 1,30,000 hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels before the US presidential election in 2016 to cover up an alleged affair. New York Supreme Court Judge Merchan rejected a request by several media organisations for permission to broadcast the proceedings. Five still photographers will be allowed to take pictures of Trump and the courtroom before the hearing begins, however. Trumps arraignment is a public proceeding, but news cameras are not usually allowed to broadcast from inside the courtroom, CNN reported. In rejecting the request to broadcast the arraignment, Judge Merchan nonetheless wrote about the historical significance of the proceeding in stark terms. That this indictment involves a matter of monumental significance cannot possibly be disputed. Never in the history of the United States has a sitting or past President been indicted on criminal charges. Mr. Trumps arraignment has generated unparalleled public interest and media attention, he wrote. "The populace rightly hungers for the most accurate and current information available. To suggest otherwise would be disingenuous, he wrote. Merchan said that while the medias request was understandable, the news organisations interests in providing the broadest possible access to the proceedings must be weighed against competing interests. Earlier on Monday, Trumps lawyers urged the judge to reject the medias request for cameras in the courtroom. The Manhattan district attorneys office told the judge it didnt have a position. The media outlets that tried to get cameras into the courtroom had argued that the gravity of this proceeding  and, consequently, the need for the broadest possible public access, cannot be overstated. Trump is now staying at the Trump Tower on 5th Avenue in Manhattan ahead of the arraignment. A grand jury indicted the former president last week. Trump has denied all wrongdoings in connection with the payments made to Daniels, 44. His lawyers said last week that theyll fight to get the charges dropped. Trumps attorney said there is no scenario in which the Manhattan judge presiding over his arraignment would impose a gag order. Can't be, won't happen. I don't believe anyone's even looking for that, Joe Tacopina told Fox News host Sean Hannity when asked about the possibility of a gag order. That would really set ablaze the passions and the tempers that already have been inflamed by this case, Tacopina said of a judicial order that would limit what Trump, who is running for president in 2024, could say publicly about Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Braggs case against him. There's no scenario where that's going to happen. I'm sure of that. I don't think that's going to be requested, he added, arguing that a gag order would directly interfere with the election. Trump called on Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg to be IMMEDIATELY INDICTED over what the 45th president claimed were illegal leaks tied to his indictment. Wow! District Attorney Bragg just illegally LEAKED the various points, and complete information, on the pathetic Indictment against me, Trump wrote. I know the reporter and so, unfortunately, does he. This means that he MUST BE IMMEDIATELY INDICTED. Now, if he wants to really clean up his reputation, he will do the honourable thing and, as District Attorney, INDICT HIMSELF.
As former US President Donald Trump arrived in New York to appear before a Manhattan court to face arraignment, Republican lawmakers called the indictment "politically motivated" while the ruling Democrats insisted that no one is above the law. President Joe Biden, however, remained focused on his development agenda and was travelling to Minnesota. "Regardless of your opinion of President Trump, we should all be able to admit this fact: This decision to indict a former President and current presidential candidate on a very weak case is going to have serious ramifications for the future," Republican Congressman Dan Crenshaw told CNN in an interview. He alleged the entire episode is "politically motivated". "It weakens everyone's faith in the integrity of America's judicial system. And for all the left's talk about "threats to our democracy". I would certainly classify a weaponised justice system against political opponents as a threat to democracy. The fairness of our judicial system is essential to our nation's rule of law, and the rule of law is essential to our democracy. This bogus case against Donald Trump undermines both," Crenshaw said. Congresswoman Kathy Manning said Trump cannot be shielded from legal responsibility, if warranted by the facts, simply because he served as President. "Our Democracy is based on the fundamental principle that every person should be treated equally under the law. Regardless of position, status, or wealth  if you break the law, you should be held accountable. Two top Trump employees have already been convicted of crimes related to their work with former President Trump," she said. "As we wait for the indictment to be unsealed, it's critical that the Manhattan District Attorney can continue his investigation without political interference. I encourage all Americans to respect the justice system and allow this case to move forward without threats of violence or interference," Manning said. Republican Congressman Dan Bishop said using state prosecutorial authority, especially in an unusual way, for political retaliation against a former President and to intimidate or manipulate his presidential candidacy violates the United States Constitution. "For Americans who live in or frequent overwhelmingly Democrat urban areas, this is a cautionary tale. As the Left becomes more openly authoritarian, something of an Iron Curtain is descending on parts of the US in which Democrat power is unchecked. Wrong-thinkers are persecuted - scofflaws skate," Bishop said. Meanwhile, top US Senators Jim Risch and Mike Braun, along with Senators Rick Scott, Todd Young, Mitt Romney, Shelley Moore Capito and Jerry Moran, introduced a bill to prevent the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) from being used as a political weapon against conservative and ideological non-profit groups. "The IRS should never expose taxpayers' private information because of their political ideology. The Don't Weaponize the IRS Act will prevent the Biden administration's IRS agents from targeting Americans regardless of their political leanings," said Risch. Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswami announced a policy plan to end the weaponisation of police power in America, which includes shutting down and replacing both the IRS and the FBI. "The corrupt administrative state is a grave threat to liberty and justice in America. President Trump exposed this problem, but I will go further to actually fix it  by leading with principles and moral authority, not grievance and vengeance. I will end the weaponisation of police power in our country without apology," he said.
April 04, 2023

Journalist, Spy Or Cyber Front Warrior?

Last Thursday, March 30, Russian authorities arrested the Wall Street Journal journalist Evan Gershovitch:

Russias Federal Security Service (FSB) claimed that Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich was acting on instructions from the American side to collect information about the activities of one of the enterprises of the Russian military-industrial complex that constitutes a state secret. Gershkovich, who was arrested in the city of Yekaterinburg in the Ural Mountains region, will be held until at least May 29, according to Russian judicial officials. The Wall Street Journal said it vehemently denies the allegation and demanded that Russia release Gershkovich, who has lived in Moscow for six years and was accredited by Russias foreign ministry. If convicted, he could face up to 20 years in prison.

Would the Wall Street Journal even know if the CIA hired one of its journos for a side job?

But fear not, the CIA would never do such:

The arrest shows that Moscow is increasingly treating the United States as an open belligerent in a war against Russia, according to George Beebe of the Quincy Institute, who previously led Russia analysis at the CIA. Citing a 1977 law that banned CIA recruitment of journalists, Beebe argued that it is very unlikely that Gershkovich is a U.S. intelligence asset or that his reporting was directed or influenced by the U.S. Intelligence Community.

Surely, the CIA would never ever break a law, says a former CIA analyst ...

But why then is the U.S. Secretary of State calling Russia for a talk about the man?

Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday held a call with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, to discuss Evan Gershkovich, a reporter for The Wall Street Journal and US citizen who was detained in Russia last week over spying allegations. According to a State Department readout of the call, Blinken expressed the USs grave concern over Russias unacceptable detention of a US citizen journalist and called for his immediate release. According to the Russian side, Lavrov told Blinken that a Russian court will decide Gershkovichs fate. In light of the established evidence of the US nationals illegal activities, his future will be determined by court, the Russian Foreign Ministry said. Russias Federal Security Service (FSB) claimed that Gershkovich, acting at the behest of the American side, collected information constituting a state secret about the activities of an enterprise within Russias military-industrial complex.

May be I am naive, but what Gershkovich inquired about was way too much on the questionable side than to be called journalism:

Kevin Rothrock @KevinRothrock - 17:15 UTC  Mar 30, 2023 Journalist @kolezev, who spoke on background to @evangershkovich before his trip to Yekaterinburg, says Evan hoped to intercept employees (literally in the street) leaving the UralVagonZavod plant in Nizhny Tagil or the NPO Novator missile factory in Yekaterinburg, planning to ask them how they feel about the invasion of Ukraine. This more than the WSJs Wagner Group investigation seems likeliest to have triggered the FSBs espionage paranoia. Evan knew the risks but apparently hoped that the FSB would let him be, given that war sentiment isnt a state secret. https://t.me/kolezev/13266  

  ,  ,        The Wall Street Journal,     .  , , ,   ...

Tass summarizes the accusations:

US citizen Evan Gershkovich, a correspondent for the Moscow bureau of The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), was detained in Yekaterinburg, Sverdlovsk Region, in the Urals region of Russia, on suspicion of espionage.

According to the FSB, the journalist was collecting top-secret data about an enterprise within the Russian military-industrial complex in the interests of the United States.

The American was detained while trying to obtain classified data.

Yekaterinburg has been a the metallurgical center of Russia for 300 years:

Yekaterinburg was founded on 18 November 1723 and named after Yekaterina I, the wife of Russian emperor Peter the Great. The city served as the mining capital of the Russian Empire as well as a strategic connection between Europe and Asia.

The city grew during the second world war when Russia moved its heavy industry away from the frontline to behind the Ural. UralVagonZavod is the largest tank manufacturer in the world. It is currently producing the T-90 tanks for the Russian army. NPO Novator is making anti-aircraft missiles and other weapons like the Kalibr cruise missiles which are currently in high demand.

To ask workers of such factories how they feel about the U.S. proxy war waged against Russia while that war is ongoing seems a bit off to me.

What would have been the offer by Gershkovich to any worker who would have spoken against the war?

Also, this was about more than just asking random workers:

The Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich was interested in operation of military-industrial complex facilities in Yekaterinburg, Sverdlovsk Region Legislative Assembly deputy Vycheslav Vegner, whom the reporter interviewed earlier, told TASS Thursday. "[During the interview, Gershkovich] started asking questions regarding the military-industrial complex of Yekaterinburg, he named one such enterprise - Novator- and so on," Vegner said. According to the lawmaker, the reported cited the experience of other regions on industry conversion and asked about the Sverdlovsk Region experience - for example, whether the enterprises change their profile, how many shifts there are, and if they are appropriately staffed. Vegner noted during the interview that he is not authorized to answer such question.

Anything about weapon production numbers or related issues are of course state secrets, at least during times of war. What then do we call such inquiries if not espionage?

Gershkovich also inquired about the lawmakers communication with Wagner PMC founder Yevgeny Prigozhin - to which Vegner answered that he is familiar with this issue, because he received applications from convicts who desire to volunteer.

The Wagner founder seems to have been of special interest:

In an interview with Kommersant, Yaroslav Shirshikov, a local public activist, said he spent two days with Gershkovich in Yekaterinburg. The main objective of Gershkovichs mission "was to analyze societys attitude toward Prigozhin. He wanted to find out whether public support for the special military operation was growing or dwindling," Shirshikov said.

The questions Gershkovich asked surely deserved some scrutiny from the Russian authorities. One wonders what else they found with him.

But don't look what Gershkovich has done, say some. Obfuscate it whenever possible.

Jason Rezaian @jrezaian - 3:17 UTC  Apr 2, 2023 When reporting on Evan's ordeal, avoid repeating the Russian narrative. The fact that he is a hostage is the story, not the supposed charges against him. Constantly humanize Evan.

Drop all our notions of competition and steel ourselves for a potentially long ordeal. #FreeEvan Quoted Tweet: Nicholas Kristof @NickKristof - Apr 2

Replying to @jrezaian @MtthwRose and @WSJ

Jason, you've been in Evan's situation. What would you suggest that the journalistic community do to support him?

Jason Rezaian indeed has experience with the situation. He had been imprisoned in Iran for espionage when he worked there as 'journalist'.

Not that the CIA would ever hire such ...

On Sunday, April 2, the Russian war blogger Vladlen Tatarsky, real name Maxim Fomin, was killed in a terrorist attack in St Petersburg.

Russian authorities arrested the woman that had brought the bomb which killed Tatarsky. While the man was more of a warrior or grifter than a journalist the Russian public is likely to connect the cases. It will demand harsh punishment for Gershkovich. The Ukrainian secret service, which likely was involved in the assassination, may well have intended such.

Craig Murray - @CraigMurrayOrg - 18:04 UTC  Apr 2, 2023 My first thought is that terrorism killing a Russian journalist is really going to make things worse for Evan Gershkovich. Then I realised that it is in Ukraine's interest for US/Russian relations to deteriorate further over Evan Gershkovich. Russian pro-war military blogger killed in blast at St Petersburg cafe

Vladlen Tatarsky, who had over 560,000 followers on Telegram, dies in explosion that injures 19 people

But is this really in Ukrainian interest?

Gonzalo Lira - @GonzaloLira1968 - 19:41 UTC  Apr 2, 2023 Terrorist attacks like this one do nothing  except harden the Russian publics resolve to smash the Kiev regime and take all of Ukraine. It ensures that Russian public sentiment will never support a cease-fire or negotiated settlement. In other words, this hurts Ukraine Intermarium 24 @intermarium24  Apr 2

 An explosion occurred in St. Petersburg, Russia during a meeting organized by Pro-Russian military blogger - Vladen Tatarsky. The cafe was owned by PMC Wagner chief Evgeniy Prigozhin. Unknown woman gifted Tatarsky a small statue with explosive device. 1 killed, 6 injured. Show more

The unknown woman who 'gifted' the statue was Darya Trepova:

Russia media reports say Ms Trepova, 26, handed Tatarsky a statuette which was believed to contain the explosives that killed him and injured more than 30 people. Later in a video released by the Russian Interior Ministry, she is seen admitting she brought the statuette to the cafe where the blast took place.

...

Her husband Dmitry Rylov suggests she may have been duped.

Whatever happened, going forward Darya Trepova will not have an easy life.

Victor vicktop55 @vicktop55 - 13:37 UTC  Apr 4, 2023 Evgeny Prigozhin gave an exclusive interview to SHOT. "Vladlen Tatarsky is a sacred symbol of Russia's struggle against external evil. This attack was staged to remove the "voice of Russia" in order to weaken our struggle. But there will only be more resistance. For people like Trepova, the death penalty should be brought back. Put her against the wall and drill a hole in the head. She is an enemy. Her employers are enemies. The fight against enemies must be absolutely merciless. Now there are more attacks on journalists than on government officials. Because journalists are active people. They are the voice of the public. We need such active people to defend Russia in their field. Unite is the first thing to do to fight the recruits. Society must reject any attempt to side with the enemy." The cafe where the explosion occurred belongs to Yevgeny Prigozhin. He will hand it over to the Cyber Front office. It will be renovated and everything will be furnished as it was on the day of Tatarsky's death. "Cyber Front - these are the people who defend Russia's interests in the information space. Cyber Front will work even more actively. Nobody is afraid." Prigozhin will provide material assistance to the victims of the terrorist attack from personal funds. "Our task is to ensure that the patriotic movements that exist in our society continue to grow."

https://t.me/vicktop55/14271

Dima of the Military Summary channels suggested that the terror attack that killed Tatarsky was a planned diversion. It is supposed to move the public eyes away from the fact that the Ukrainian army is currently getting removed from Bakhmut. The fight there had been lost months ago but the Ukrainian army is only now giving up. Ten thousands of Ukrainian soldiers died there in vain.

One hopes that one day the people of Ukraine will hold those responsible who had needlessly sent those soldiers into such fate.

Posted by b on April 4, 2023 at 14:32 UTC | Permalink

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OPECs surprise decision to slash oil production stands to enrich an unexpected cohort: US shale drillers.

The shock announcement sent US oil prices up by as much as $6 a barrel, signaling a new round of windfall profits for the shale industry that once was OPECs fiercest foe. At the same time, the development bodes ill for consumers already squeezed by rampant inflation and facing the threat of surging gasoline prices as the summer driving season approaches.

And with shale executives having already pledged to hold oil output mostly steady this year so they can focus on enhancing investor returns, fuel prices in the worlds biggest economy will be largely dictated by production decisions made in far-flung places like Riyadh and Luanda.

One thing is for certain, OPEC is in control and driving price, and US shale is no longer viewed as the marginal producer, said James Mick, a senior portfolio manager at Tortoise. OPEC wants and needs a higher price, and they are back in the drivers seat to obtaining their wishes.

US drillers have been swimming in cash after the surge in oil prices over the last few years.

A further boost for shale companies will cheer investors. Shareholders in US oil companies reaped a $128 billion windfall in 2022 thanks to a combination of global supply disruptions such as Russias war in Ukraine and intensifying Wall Street pressure to prioritize returns over finding untapped crude reserves.

US production growth is less than half of what it was before 2020, with overall output yet to return to pre-pandemic levels. Major forecasters see growth of just 500,000 barrels a day or so this year from the Permian Basin, the countrys fastest-growing shale field, less than half of the more than 1 million barrels a day of cuts announced by OPEC+ on Sunday.

OPEC and shale are much more on the same team now, with supply discipline on both sides, said Joseph Sykora, a Dallas-based fund manager at Aptus Capital Advisors, which has $4.25 billion under management. It really puts a floor under the price of oil long term.

Its a sharp contrast from much of the last decade, when US shale was a thorn in OPECs side, using cheap money to revitalize old and thought-to-be tapped-out oil fields with new fracking technologies. The US oil sectors spectacular growth added more crude to global markets from 2012 to its 2020 peak than the entire current production of Iraq and Iran combined. That growth irked the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies, which saw its market dominance threatened like never before.

But surging US production growth did little for shareholders, who routinely saw executives ratchet up debt as they plowed more money into new wells. The plunge in oil demand during the pandemic sent many smaller drillers into bankruptcy, and those that survived vowed never to repeat the strategy of chasing production growth at any cost.

With the OPEC+ decision helping to provide a floor to oil prices, companies like Patterson-UTI Energy Inc. can better plan activity levels, said Andy Hendricks, CEO for one of the biggest providers of drilling rigs and frac crews.

It gives a little more clarity than what weve had, Hendricks said in a phone interview. Higher oil prices may eventually entice shale explorers to drill and frac more, but that will take some time, he said.

There really isnt excess gear and crews available, he said. We could reactivate some rigs, but youre six to nine months out. So if somebody wants to do it by the end of the year, they need to call now.
LAS VEGAS (AP)  A Nevada judge postponed on Monday the trial for a former Dances With Wolves actor indicted in state court on charges that he sexually abused Indigenous women and girls for a decade in the Las Vegas area.

Clark County District Judge Carli Kierny said the trial in the case of Nathan Chasing Horse will begin May 1 in Las Vegas to give prosecutors and Chasing Horse's public defenders more time to iron out pending motions in the case. His trial had previously been scheduled for April 17.
Midland College

Midland College will join #CCmonth, a monthlong grassroots education campaign coordinated by the Association of Community College Trustees. The primary goal of #CCmonth is to improve awareness of the economic and academic advantages of attending community colleges.

Community colleges give opportunities to all students, and they support all students throughout their educations, whether they attend in order to attain an associate degree or certificate, intend to transfer on for a bachelors or higher degree, or they take one or a few courses to learn a new skill or expand their horizons, ACCT President and CEO Jee Hang Lee said.
During the March 27 Midland County Commissioners Court meeting, Sheriff David Criner shared that the Midland County Jail is fully staffed with jailers.

Both Criner and Human Resources Director Robert Segura said at various points of the last year or longer, the jail has had 20 to 30 openings for the position.

Segura said last July, as he was thinking of ways to fill the county jails needs, he attended a national conference, where he met representatives from RCI Recourse Communications, a recruiting company that uses technology to locate eligible job candidates across the state and country, even if theyre not actively looking for a job, according to their website.

On Oct. 10, Segura brought a motion to county commissioners, the county approved moving forward with RCI to assist in recruiting.

The two entities worked together to identify and screen potential candidates around the country and state. Within 60 days, there were upwards of 100 people who applied to be a jailer in Midland County. Under normal circumstances, the county would maybe receive one or two applicants in 60 days, Segura said.

That created choices, Segura said. I knew going in that the Sheriffs Office was not going to compromise their hiring standards, nor did I expect them to, and I was able to deliver a quality of candidate that met their satisfaction and when we were done with the 60-day project, we had a job offer against every vacancy available.

Although Midland County Jail is possibly the only jail in Texas thats fully staffed following the recent influx of jailers, according to Segura, there are 10 vacancies for patrol deputies in the county.

Recruiting jailers is an entirely different task then recruiting a deputy, Segura said. RCI Communications and the county wanted to first focus on the countys biggest need first. Additionally, a patrol deputy needs to be better qualified and have more experience than a jailer.

This (working as a jailer) is a career path, Segura said. A lot of people who want a job in law enforcement dont really know where to start. They may say, Hey, I want to be a patrol officer, but its not that easy. You may have to go to an academy, you may have to be a jailer for three or four years, you may have to have some kind of law enforcement exposure before you move up that career ladder to become a deputy.

The county recently launched the recruitment campaign for the deputy vacancies, theyve expanded the search into New Mexico and hope to fill the positions in the next 60 days.
Aquinas Catholic Schools hit a historic milestone in celebrating the 25th Gold Rush, raising half a million dollars.

Before the donations were counted, the night was going to be special. This years theme, Walk Down Memory Lane was a nod to the previous Gold Rushes and all the hard-working steering committees that made these nights successful. The current Gold Rush Committee has 24 members, six of which are new on the committee. This year was also the first Gold Rush for Aquinas Catholic Advancement Director Michaela Moravec. Moravec is no stranger to Gold Rush as she has been an active committee member for 13 years.

April 1 brought a sold-out crowd of 547 people to exquisite decorations around the school, reminiscent of the previous themes. The fundraiser included Mass, silent auction, dinner and a live auction led by Russ and Diane Moravec. The bus raffle winners were announced, $5,000, Lee Vavrina; $2,500, Phillip Zegers; $1,000,Doug Matulka; $1,000, Ken Polacek; and $500, Pam Jakub.

Gold Rush was once again proof of the generosity and spirit of the Aquinas Catholic Schools community. However, the 25th anniversary event ended $9,000 short of the historic half million-dollar milestone. With the assistance of social media, the community was made aware of how close they were to this unbelievable goal. Over the next few days, donations came forward pushing the donations over $500,000.

My heart is so full right now, said Moravec. "It is incredible what this little community can do and the support they give to these kids, teachers and for catholic education is unmatched.

This event would not be a success without all of the hard work the committee puts in, the teachers for their time and talents, all the volunteers and of course from our donors for the night.

This year's Gold Rush while historic is an incredible testament to our community and its commitment towards Catholic education. I am grateful for our Development Director, our Gold Rush committee, faculty, staff and parents who have made this a success this year and for the past 25 years," said Fr. Michael Ventre. "Aquinas Catholic Schools is nothing without the support and generosity of our families and benefactors. Thank you!

Generosity cannot be faked. The outpouring support of Aquinas alumni, grandparents, current and past parents, students and community members reiterates the importance of Catholic education in David City now and for future generations.

Mark your calendars and dont miss next years Gold Rush Battle of the Bands on April 6, 2024.
From left, attorney Janet H. King, U.S. Probation Officer Juanette F. David-Atalig, District Court for the NMI Chief Judge Ramona V. Manglona, Magistrate Judge/Clerk of Court Heather L. Kennedy, CNMI Superior Court Associate Judge Teresa K. Kim-Tenorio, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley Kost.
US to open Vanuatu embassy in latest move to counter China in Pacific
Renphoto/Getty Images

Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul is among 22 attorneys general calling for an end to prohibitions against many gay and bisexual men donating blood.

The coalition is supporting guidelines issued in January by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that would establish a risk-based analysis of donors. At present, gay and bisexual men cannot donate blood within three months of their last sexual encounter.
Jeffrey A. Went

October 7, 1950 - April 1, 2023

Jeffrey A. Went, 73, passed away April 1, 2023, at York. He was preceded in death by his father, Don Went; and brother-in-law, John Krumland.

Jeff was born Oct. 7, 1949, in Columbus, Nebraska. He attended St. Bonaventure grade school and Columbus High School. Following his education, he worked various jobs in the Columbus area before moving to Jacksonville, Florida, in 1972. He returned to Nebraska in 1997.

Jeff could be described as a free spirit. He was adventuresome, lighthearted, unique, carefree and authentic.

He was enthusiastic about classic cars and enjoyed cruising in his 1971 Chevy Caprice on sunny days. He enjoyed working on vehicles, fishing, history and painting. In the warmer months Jeff traveled the neighborhood on his red riding lawn mower stopping to visit with whomever would give him the time. Jeff never knew a stranger and cheered on the underdog.

Jeff will be forever remembered for his storytelling ability and vivid imagination.

Jeff is survived by his mother, Bernardine (Bernie) Scripture; brother, Dana Went (Liz) of York; sister, Tamara Krumland of Bradshaw; niece, Heather Went; great-niece, Vanessa; great-nephews, Jordan and Zachary of Phoenix, Arizona; and his beloved cat, Freeway.

The family would like to extend their appreciation to York General Hospital staff and to Dr. Trevor Hanson for their unending patience and compassion Jeff received under their care.

Jeff's wishes were to be cremated. No viewing, visitation or services.

Metz mortuary in York is handling arrangements. Online condolences may be sent to his family at www.metzmortuary.com.
William Richards/Provided

A year after finishing in second place in the states first Poetry Ourselves contest, Thad Bergschneider of Franklin High School has finished in first place in the second annual contest.

Bergschneider won the competition with his poem Ari, ahead of Vanali Desai of Mather High School in Chicago.
Klaus Vedfelt/Getty Images

A bill that would make the value of course credits equal across all Illinois higher learning institutions has passed out of the state Senate.

If passed, Senate Bill 2288 would update the Illinois Articulation Initiative Act to require public colleges and universities to accept all major courses approved for transfer by the act as equivalent major courses, so long as the institution receiving the credits has an equivalent major. The bill would also create a panel to provide an accelerated path towards education degrees.
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A Loami-based filmmakers 2021 movie quietly has spent the past 18 months racking up more awards than The Blair Witch Project in the found-footage film category.

Now, Ash Hamilton, director of Holes in the Sky: The Sean Miller Story, is working on his next effort, a film on which hell share credits with a handful of other directors  and major parts of which hell shoot in west-central Illinois, including Jacksonville.

Its a science-fiction thriller and does have horror elements, Hamilton said of his latest project. There are five stories  so its an anthology  that all take place on the day the world ends.

Hamilton is shooting the central story that kind of gives you an idea of how the event happens, along with the ending and connecting scenes that tie the four other stories to the central story, he said.

Among other directors contributing to the film is John Isberg, director of the horror film Final Summer. The film will star actor Robert LaSardo, whose credits include Clint Eastwoods The Mule, Nip/Tuck and CSI: Miami; and Kayla Kelly, a Michigan native known for the movie A Christmas Hero and the TV series Northbound, among others.

Some of Hamiltons roughly 26 minutes of the movie will be filmed the weekend of April 22-23 on the former MacMurray College campus, Hamilton said.

I live out in the middle of nowhere, about 20 minutes outside Springfield but toward Jacksonville, too, he said. We occasionally go to Jacksonville to see movies, so were familiar with the town. We originally looked into (filming) at the old sanatorium  but (quickly) realized we needed to look somewhere else.

A college campus, when classes arent in session, provides a feel of being lived in without being decrepit or rundown, he said.

The MacMurray space seems ideal, Hamilton said.

We wanted something where 270 degrees of our movement would be framed by buildings, framed by trees, he said. Its difficult when youre looking for exterior shots because of houses, cars.

Houses that end up in the background, even incidentally, require the homeowners permission, which adds to the challenge of shooting, he said.

The area in which Hamilton and his crew  including his wife and assistant director, Chanell Hamilton  intend to film avoids the problem, he said.

We can look around and were not bound to have everyone sign disclosures, Hamilton said. It gives us a little more room to play, gives us room to write them into other locations.

That flexibility is one reason Hamilton is so adamant about making filming in west-central Illinois a hallmark of his movies  and encouraging other filmmakers to follow suit.

Were very focused on being able to use local resources, local actors, local locations, and we encourage other people to realize whats available in west-central Illinois, he said. Filmmaking is seen as an East or West Coast-based profession, but it can be done here and done well.

Particularly for a certain type of film.

We have a lot of open spaces here, Hamilton said. Theres a sense of isolation that can be hard to find. If you were shooting a Hollywood film, you might have to drive four or five hours outside the city to find that.

That doesnt limit the region to specific shoots, though.

There are places that can pass for larger cities, Hamilton said. You can fudge some details. If you know how to get the shots and know what youre looking for, you can get the city but, yet, youre so close to those other (isolated) areas.

Thats not to say Hamilton never will leave the region for a film shoot, but the area works well for what hes trying to create, he said.

Never say never, he said. But most of the stories I tend to write, I tend to write with locations I have seen or I get inspired by things locally, as opposed to stories that might be difficult to shoot here.

For the April 22-23 shoot, Hamilton is looking to cast as many people as we can from Jacksonville and the surrounding area, he said.

We have shots of people running in front of the camera, behind the camera, he said. We want to see about 70 total ... and encourage people to stop by.

There will be people at the filming site from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. both days with signs posted to let people know filming is happening, Hamilton said.

Those interested in participating in the shoot can email Hamilton at casting@horror-fix.com or reach out on social media, he said.

Im very visible on social media, he said. There are lots of different ways to reach me.
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CHICAGO (AP)  A Chicago firefighter died Tuesday after he and two other firefighters were injured battling a predawn house fire on the city's South Side, authorities said.

Firefighter Jermaine Pelt, 49, had served with Chicago Fire Department since 2005, Fire Commissioner Annette Nance-Holt said.

He is survived by two children, a 6-year-old and an adult daughter he recently walked down the aisle for her wedding. Pelts daughter was informed of her fathers death while on her honeymoon, the commissioner said.

Pelt was working a hose line when conditions worsened and all firefighters were told to get outside, Chicago Fire Commissioner Annette Nance-Holt said. The circumstances of Pelts death remain under investigation, and she said there was no explosion and Pelt was not trapped inside the building.

It appears that firefighter Pelt went down as crews were being ordered out of the building. A mayday was called and he was quickly found near the hose line and brought out for treatment, Nance-Holt said, shedding tears as she noted that she had known Pelt personally.

She said emergency crews worked feverishly to give Pelt CPR while he was being transported a hospital, where he later died.

The Cook County Medical Examiners Office is investigating Pelts death, she said.

Two other firefighters were also taken to the hospital in stable condition, and Nance-Holt said both of them are fine.

The fire is believed to have started in the attic of a home and spread to two adjacent homes sometime before 3:30 a.m. The building where the fire started appeared to have a partial roof collapse, WLS-TV reported.
UNITED NATIONS (AP)  Russias U.N. ambassador on Monday dismissed U.S. and European Union descriptions of its presidency of the Security Council this month as an April Fools joke and announced a meeting to be chaired by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on defending the principles of the U.N. Charter, which Moscow is widely accused of breaking by invading Ukraine.

U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield told reporters earlier Monday that the U.S. expects the Russians will be professional but will use their presiding seat to spread disinformation and promote their own agenda as it relates to Ukraine, and we will stand ready to call them out at every single moment that they attempt to do that.

She and European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell both called Russia's takeover of the council presidency an April Fool's joke.

Under Security Council rules, the presidency rotates monthly in alphabetical order among its 15 members. Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia told reporters there will be no change in the rules of the council, which is charged with maintaining international peace and security.

He said Russia has been an honest broker during past council presidencies, a role which we value and cherish, and we are always trying to maintain it.

The council president presides over meetings and gets to decide the topics of key sessions, often presided over by foreign ministers and sometimes presidents. Lavrov on April 24 will preside over a session on "effective multilateralism through the defense of the principles of the U.N. Charter.

There are also required monthly meetings, including on the Middle East, which Lavrov will also preside over, Syria and other global hotspots, including Mali, Libya, Yemen, Haiti, Africas Great Lakes region and Colombia.

Nebenzia responded to the U.S. ambassadors expectation that Russia will spread disinformation about Ukraine by calling it a Western narrative and stressing that we think just the opposite.

He said Russia plans to hold an informal council meeting on Wednesday on what Moscow claims is disinformation being spread by Western officials and media about the Ukrainian children taken to Russia. He said the aim of the meeting is to dispel this narrative that they were abducted.

The issue was put in the spotlight when the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last month for Russian President Vladimir Putin and his countrys commissioner for childrens rights, accusing them of war crimes for the unlawful deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia. Moscow called the warrants outrageous and legally void.

An Associated Press investigation first published in October found that the open effort to put Ukrainian children up for adoption in Russia was well underway. Ukrainian officials claimed at the time that nearly 8,000 children had been deported to Russia, but the exact number was difficult to pin down.

Britains deputy U.N. ambassador, James Kariuki, said Russia was in no position to talk about international law or U.N. values.

It is waging a war of aggression against Ukraine, violating the most basic principle of the U.N. Charter  you dont redraw borders by force  and its president has been indicted by the ICC for the systematic abduction of Ukrainian children, he said.

The U.K. will keep using our seat on the council to challenge their illegal war, expose their disinformation, and protect the councils vital work tackling other threats to international peace and security, including across Africa and the Middle East.

Russias assumption of the council presidency also drew strong criticism from Ukraine and Baltic nations.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy denounced the bankruptcy of the Security Council and reiterated his call for an overhaul of the U.N. body and other global institutions.

Estonias U.N. Ambassador Rein Tammsaar, speaking also on behalf of Latvia and Lithuania, called the Russian presidency shameful, humiliating and dangerous for the councils credibility.

Under Security Council rules, a member directly connected to an issue should withdraw from participation, and Nebenzia was asked if Russia would recuse itself when Ukraine was discussed.

No, he replied, indicating that the U.S., Britain and France, which have been supporting Ukraine, would have to withdraw as well.

The Russian ambassador recalled that following the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003, the U.K. and U.S. held the council presidency consecutively that September and October.

Nobody raised the question of their legitimacy to hold the presidency, Nebenzia said. And nobody put on the table the question that they withdraw from discussing an issue that was perhaps the most hot and topical then.
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BRUSSELS (AP)  Finland joined the NATO military alliance Tuesday, dealing a major blow to Russian President Vladimir Putin with a historic realignment of Europe's post-Cold War security landscape triggered by Moscows invasion of Ukraine.

The Nordic country's membership doubles Russias border with the worlds biggest security alliance. Finland had adopted neutrality after its defeat by the Soviets in World War II, but its leaders signaled they wanted to join NATO after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine sent a shiver of fear through its neighbors.

The era of nonalignment in our history has come to an end - a new era begins, President Sauli Niinisto said before his countrys blue-and-white flag was raised outside NATO headquarters. A short distance away, outside the security fence, a few dozen people wrapped in flags of their own chanted, Ukraine needs NATO.

In praising Finland's membership, U.S. President Joe Biden noted it came on the 74th anniversary of the signing of NATO's founding treaty on April 4, 1949.

When Putin launched his brutal war of aggression against the people of Ukraine, he thought he could divide Europe and NATO. He was wrong, Biden said in a statement. Today, we are more united than ever. And together  strengthened by our newest ally, Finland  we will continue to preserve transatlantic security, defend every inch of NATO territory, and meet any and all challenges we face.

The move is a strategic and political setback for Putin, who has long complained about NATOs expansion toward Russia and partly used that as a justification for the invasion.

Im tempted to say this is maybe the one thing that we can thank Mr. Putin for because he once again here precipitated something he claims to want to prevent by Russias aggression, causing many countries to believe that they have to do more to look out for their own defense and to make sure that they can deter possible Russian aggression going forward, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said before accepting the documents that made Finlands membership official.

The U.S. State Department is the repository of NATO texts concerning membership.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sent his congratulations to Finland, writing on Telegram that amid Russian aggression, the Alliance became the only effective guarantee of security in the region.

Russia warned it would be forced to take retaliatory measures to address what it called security threats created by Finlands membership. It had also warned it would bolster forces near Finland if NATO sends any additional troops or equipment to what is its 31st member country.

The alliance says it poses no threat to Moscow.

Alarmed by Moscow's invasion of Ukraine last year, Finland, which shares a 1,340 kilometer (832 mile) border with Russia, applied to join in May, seeking protection under the organizations security umbrella.

Russia tried to create a sphere around them and, well, we are not a sphere. Im sure that Finns themselves feel more secure, that we are living in a more stable world, Niinisto said.

Neighboring Sweden, which has avoided military alliances for more than 200 years, has also applied. But objections from NATO members Turkey and Hungary have delayed the process.

Niinisto said Finlands membership "is not complete without that of Sweden. The persistent efforts for a rapid Swedish membership continue. Finland even gave its ratification of Sweden's application to Blinken as it joined.

In Stockholm, Swedish Defense Minister Pal Jonson congratulated Finland and said he believed it would improve Swedens security but added that its no secret that we would like to have concluded it hand-in-hand.

Earlier, Russia's Foreign Ministry said Moscow "will be forced to take military-technical and other retaliatory measures to counter the threats to our national security arising from Finlands accession to NATO.

It said Finland's move marks "a fundamental change in the situation in Northern Europe, which had previously been one of the most stable regions in the world.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Finlands membership reflects the alliances anti-Russian course and warned that Moscow will respond depending on what weapons NATO allies place there. But he also sought to play down the impact, noting that Russia has no territorial disputes with Finland.

It's not clear what additional military resources Russia could send to the Finnish border. Moscow has deployed the bulk of its most capable military units to Ukraine.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said no more troops would be sent to Finland unless it asked for help.

The country is now protected by what Stoltenberg called NATO's iron-clad security guarantee, under which all member countries vow to come to the defense of any ally that comes under attack.

But Stoltenberg refused to rule out the possibility of holding more military exercises there and said that NATO would not allow Russias demands to dictate the organizations decisions.

We are constantly assessing our posture, our presence. We have more exercises, we have more presence, also in the Nordic area, he said.

In 1939 and 1940, Finlands tiny, ill-equipped forces fought in what became known as the Winter War against the Soviet Union. Over an exceptionally cold winter, Finnish fighters, sometimes cloaked in white bedsheets for camouflage and typically moving unseen on foot, snowshoes and skis, lost some territory to Moscow but forced out the invaders.

Finland says it can muster a 280,000-strong fighting force, built on near-universal male conscription and a large, well-trained reserve, equipped with modern artillery, warplanes and tanks. The country of 5.5 million joined the European Union in 1995,

Finland's Parliament, meanwhile, said its website was hit with a so-called denial-of-service attack, which made the site hard to use, with many pages not loading and some functions not available.

A pro-Russian hacker group known as NoName057 (16) claimed responsibility, saying the attack was retaliation for Finland joining NATO. The claim could not be immediately verified.

The hacker group, which has reportedly acted on Moscows orders, has taken part in a slew of cyberattacks on the U.S. and its allies in the past. Finnish public broadcaster YLE said the same group hit the Parliament's site last year.

___

Associated Press writers David Keyton in Stockholm, Sweden, and Jari Tanner in Helsinki contributed.

___

Follow AP's coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
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When working for the government, Joe Biden is no longer content with the tried-and-true question of patriotism: Are you with or against us? In a shocking effort to overhaul federal hiring guidelines, the president wants to ask: Are you with or against me?

A proposed rule governing federal hiring is, at best, a bad policy promoting left-wing loyalty over competence. At worst, its a stepping stone to undermining fair hiring practices and freedom of speech.

In January, the Office of Personnel Management proposed changes to the federal governments personnel vetting investigative and adjudicative processes for determining suitability and fitness. It explains that this refers to a decision by an agency that an individual does or does not have the required level of character and conduct necessary for federal employment.

Current policy prohibits hiring applicants found to be involved in knowing and willful engagement in trying to overthrow the government. The new policy adds interpretive words like coercion, intimidation and indoctrination of others for unlawful aims. It would also exclude people with membership in groups with unlawful aims.

If this is clear as mud, its obviously on purpose. It can mean toe the party line, or you wont have a paycheck to sign.

Its a leftist trope that words are violence. So, its only a matter of time before bureaucrats use the rule to deny employment, justify firing and generally allow the harassment of conservatives in federal jobs.

This harassment isnt a conspiracy theory. It is knocking at the door. Lets count how conservatives are canceled today based merely on what they say.

If you say marriage should be between a man and a woman, you can be canceled. If you say schools and libraries shouldnt host drag shows? Canceled. If you say we shouldnt lower standards on people based on their race or gender? Canceled. If you say you support the Second Amendment? Canceled. If you say we shouldnt have pornography in elementary schools? Canceled.

In January, a restaurant owner stopped Project 21 member Gianno Caldwell  a Black conservative  from eating his breakfast. Gianno was publicly shunned and kicked out of the restaurant because he dared to openly discuss his political beliefs. In December, a Virginia-based conservative Christian advocacy group was denied service at a restaurant just an hour before their reservation. Why? The restaurants employees felt threatened by their pro-life advocacy.

With this rule, President Biden would send a chilling effect on political participation. He apparently wants conservatives to be afraid of expressing their political views by harming their employment prospects. He wants conservatives to be afraid to dissent against his policies. He wants conservatives to fear engaging in peaceful political activities or speaking on issues.

Biden wants more power, more control and more dominance.

It is no longer about the diversity of ideas or a healthy democracy. Can you imagine what will happen if federal agencies are staffed primarily by a political echo chamber? It would erode trust in government and the legitimacy of our constitutional republic.

Bidens federal hiring proposal is a direct assault on democracy. Leftists seem determined to stifle free speech, quash ideas and sow a culture of fear and mistrust. If adopted, these vague hiring rules will give leftists the green light to use your taxpayer dollars to discriminate against your interests.

There is still time for the government to reject this dangerous plan. People need to speak up for fair federal employment practices. Societies excel when we promote qualified individuals to roles based on their skills, knowledge and experience  not politics.

Lets do our best to keep merit-based principles in federal agencies and tell Biden to protect our Constitution and freedom of speech  not his cronies.
A key aspect of the fediverse is that each server is governed by rules set by the people who operate it. If you think of the fediverse as a university, each Mastodon server is like a dorm.

Which dorm you're initially assigned to can be somewhat random but still profoundly shapes the kind of conversations you overhear and the relationships you form. You can still interact with people who live in other dorms, but the leaders and rules in your dorm shape what you can do.

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If you're particularly unhappy with your dorm, you can move to a new housing situation  another dorm, a sorority, an apartment  that is a better fit, and you bring your relationships with you. But you are then subject to the rules of the new place where you live. There are hundreds of Mastodon servers, called instances, where you can set up your account, and these instances have different rules and norms for who can join and what content is permitted.

In contrast, social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook put everyone in a single, gigantic dorm. As millions or billions of people joined, the companies running these platforms added more floors and bedrooms. Everyone could communicate with each other and theoretically join each other's conversations within the dorm, but everyone also has to live under the same rules.

If you didn't like or didn't follow the rules, you had to leave the megadorm, but you were not able to bring your relationships with you to your new housing  a different social media platform  or talk to people who stayed in your original megadorm. These platforms tapped into the resulting fear of missing out to lock people into a highly surveilled dorm where their otherwise private behavior was mined to sell ads.

" " Mastodon supports all the familiar social media functions: posting, liking, reposting and following. Eugen Rochko/Wikimedia Commons
An April 4 election update by County Clerk Kevin Engler and a request by the St. Francois County Road and Bridge Department to vacate a portion of a county-maintained road were the main items of business covered at the St. Francois County Commission meeting held Monday morning in the courthouse annex.

In his final pre-election report to the commission, Engler announced that around 150 people had voted early in the April 4 election. He added that, in the past week, about 30 poll workers had contacted his office to say they would not be taking part in Tuesdays election.

And this morning, we've had four already canceled, two supervisors and two others, he said. "So, it will be an interesting juggling. [County Clerk Office employees] Jackie and Emily, in particular, are doing a great job keeping up with backfill on it. We appreciate that and hopefully by 7 o'clock tomorrow night we'll have decisions on those issues.

Providing an update about a proposed presidential preference primary election he had mentioned at the March 28 county commissioners meeting, Engler noted that the matter was being discussed in a legislative committee meeting that day.

They're going to try to amend it and put it on the April [2024] election, which makes sense, he said. If you're going to do it, you put it on the back side of the April, which is a slow election anyway, and it doesn't cost the taxpayer $10 million. I don't have a problem if they do that. Just to have a non-binding beauty pageant in March that costs the taxpayers $12 million is crazy, but, hopefully, we've got it to where they'll amend that  and they're going to try to make it binding. That's one thing. The other thing is, they're going to try to put it on the April ballot. You just turn it over and vote on your presidential preference."

"That seems to make a lot of sense, so it may not happen," Engler said.

Earlier in the meeting, Highway Superintendent Clay Copeland addressed the subject of vacating a portion of Flat River Road at the fairgrounds interchange to allow for its annexation into the city of Park Hills, subject to acceptance by the city council at its Tuesday night meeting.

We had all the specifications, all of the information regarding this portion of roadway, and the city of Park Hills had expressed a desire to annex this into the city, Copeland said. So we posted it at public places and on-site for the 90 days. The road and bridge department has received no input either for or against the vacation to allow the city of Park Hills to annex this roadway.

We did have to make some repairs to that area and we did that before Park Hills would agree to take it over. Now their city council meeting is tomorrow night, in which time they will address this to vote to accept this, but since this was our first meeting of the quarter, we wanted to address that for the commission to allow us to vacate this portion of the roadway with the agreement that the city of Park Hills will annex it.

Copeland explained what will happen if the city of Park Hills chooses not to annex the portion of Flat River Road vacated by the county.

Should, for some reason, the city of Park Hills not desire to add an exit at this point, we'll just keep it.

The commission unanimously approved the motion.

In other action, the annual bid for the circuit judge, circuit marshal, circuit court reporter, and auditor were unanimously approved. Also, County Auditor Louie Seiberlich read a letter to the commissioners that he had received, praising the county assessors office.

A notice projected on a screen at the start of the meeting cautioned the proceedings might have to end early because of a lack of a quorum, since Commissioner Kary Buckley had to leave in 30 minutes' time to attend a meeting with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Missouri Department of Natural Resources about Owl Creek Park.

The meeting, chaired by Commissioner David Kater in the absence of Presiding Commissioner Harold Gallaher, proved to be much shorter than expected, having ended after little more than 11 minutes.
Taiwan defies China pressure before US House speaker meeting View Photo

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP)  Taiwan defied threats of retaliation by China ahead of an expected meeting between the islands president and the U.S. House speaker Wednesday that will underscore her governments claim to sovereignty.

President Tsai Ing-wen is finishing a tour of Taiwans remaining diplomatic allies in Latin America, Belize and Guatemala. The most politically sensitive part of her trip will be a meeting with U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in Los Angeles while she transits on her way back home.

Pro- and anti-Taiwan demonstrators gathered Tuesday night, local time, outside a downtown Los Angeles hotel in anticipation of Tsais arrival. Her supporters lined a red carpet leading to the hotels entrance, banging drums, chanting and holding Taiwanese flags and photos of the president. A smaller group demonstrating in favor of China gathered nearby on the sidewalk, at times chanting One China.

China views Taiwan as its own territory and treats any dealings between U.S. and Taiwanese officials as a challenge to its sovereignty. Tsais tour is a bid to demonstrate that her government has international support.

Belize and Guatemala are two of just 13 countries that formally recognize Taiwan, a number that has dipped as China has put pressure on and funneled money into isolating the island. Tsais Latin American trip comes just a week after Honduras announced it was cutting ties with Taiwan in favor of China, potentially prompted by a $300 million hydroelectric dam project in central Honduras built by a Chinese company.

Last week, and again on Monday, China threatened with countermeasures if Tsai met with McCarthy. The Chinese Consulate in Los Angeles issued a statement Monday saying it opposed any any form of contact between Taiwan authorities and the U.S.

The reality and current situation that both sides of the (Taiwan) Strait belong to one China is very clear, the statement said.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said at a daily news briefing Tuesday that China will closely follow the developments and resolutely defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Taiwans Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that it has never been part of China, and that Chinas recent criticism has become increasingly absurd.

Taiwan, the Republic of China, is a sovereign country, and has the right to make its own determination in developing relations with other countries in the world, it said in a statement. It does not accept interference or suppression by any country for any reason, and will not limit itself because of intimidation or interference.

The United States longstanding one-China policy acknowledges that the Chinese claim Taiwan as their territory. However, the U.S. does not endorse that claim and remains Taiwans most important provider of military hardware and other defense assistance.

China has repeatedly asserted its claim to Taiwan, though Taiwan maintains its own democratic system of government since the sides split after a civil war in 1949.

Keeping up the military pressure, Chinas Peoples Liberation Army sent 20 warplanes toward Taiwan Monday to Tuesday as well as three warships in the latest round of exercises, which have increased significantly in recent years.

China regularly sends warplanes around the island and has at times seemingly used the exercises as a demonstration of its ire.

Last December, China sent 71 planes and seven ships toward Taiwan in a 24-hour display of force after it expressed anger at Taiwan-related provisions in a U.S. annual defense spending bill.

And last year, China responded to a visit by then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan with the largest live-fire drills in decades that included firing a missile over the island, which had landed in Japans exclusive economic zone.

The PLAs increased military activity near Taiwan has raised concerns among regional governments, and also drawn greater international attention and rhetorical support for Taiwans defense. U.S. legislators have also started visiting Taiwan at a greater frequency, as anti-China sentiment and concerns over Chinas strategic position grows in Congress.

__

Associated Press journalist Eugene Garcia in Los Angeles contributed.

By HUIZHONG WU

Associated Press
US is providing Ukraine with $2.6 billion in military aid View Photo

WASHINGTON (AP)  The U.S. will send Ukraine about $500 million in ammunition and equipment and spend more than $2 billion to buy an array of munitions, radar and new weapons to help Kyiv counter drones in the coming months, the Pentagon said Tuesday, as Ukrainian troops gear up for a spring offensive against Russian forces.

The aid to be taken from military stockpiles so it can be in the war zone quickly includes ammunition for U.S.-provided HIMARS, air defense interceptors, and artillery rounds that Ukraine is using to defend itself, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement. HIMARS are multiple rocket launchers.

The package includes at least two new weapons systems that are designed to counter drones  specifically the Iranian-made Shahed, which Tehran has provided to Russia and has been heavily used in attacks on Ukrainian cities.

The U.S., for the first time, will send nine 30mm gun trucks and an undisclosed amount of ammunition for them, and 10 mobile laser-guided rocket systems, also developed to counter drones.

The wide array of ammunition being sent from Pentagon stocks includes 155 mm artillery rounds for howitzers as Ukraine burns through the rounds fighting back against Russias ground invasion. The Pentagon does not provide the amounts of munitions in most cases.

The immediate assistance also includes anti-armor systems, small arms, heavy equipment transport vehicles, 61 fuel tankers and maintenance support, the Pentagon said in a statement.

A senior defense official said the focus is on helping Ukraine change the dynamic on the ground. Right now, the official said, the battle lines are relatively static and neither side has gained much territory. The official, who briefed Pentagon reporters on condition of anonymity to provide military details, said the U.S. wants to help Ukraine advance and hold its positions in the expected counteroffensive.

We very much appreciate everything that the United States has done specifically in the last month to help our army prepare itself for the counteroffensive, said Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, speaking at NATO headquarters in Brussels before a meeting with with Blinken. The Biden administration has upheld its commitment to provide Ukraine with a lot of what we need and set an example to other allies.

The $2.1 billion in longer-term aid, which is being provided under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, will buy missiles for the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System, or NASAMS, as well as radar, additional satellite terminals and fuel tanker trucks, anti-armor rockets and bridging systems. It also will fund additional training for Ukraines forces.

The defense official said weapons already bought using the security assistance funding in previous packages are beginning to make their way to the battlefield. That is key because in some cases  such as with the 155 mm rounds  the Pentagon had been sending its own stocks, which are also needed for American troop training, and there is a finite supply. Now, the official said, the deliveries of 155 rounds Ukraine is getting include ammunition that was bought a number of months ago through the USAI program.

The new weapons and money come as Russia has continued to bombard Ukraine with long-range missiles and the hotly contested battle for the eastern city of Bakhmut drags on. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told The Associated Press in an exclusive interview that unless his country wins that fight, Russia could begin building international support for a deal that could require Ukraine to make unacceptable compromises.

Zelenskyy said if Moscows forces take Bakhmut, Russian President Vladimir Putin would sell this victory to the West, to his society, to China, to Iran.

The latest U.S. package, with its mix of short-term and long-term aid, involves a wide variety of ammunition from Pentagon stocks, 23 million rounds of small arms ammunition and 200,000 grenades, mortars, rockets and an array of precision guided munitions.

It brings the total amount of U.S. security assistance to Ukraine to more than $35.1 billion since Russia invaded in February 2022. Defense leaders testifying on Capitol Hill last week said the U.S. is prepared to support Ukraine for as long as needed.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has echoed that sentiment, saying the alliances foreign ministers meeting in Brussels were discussing how to step up support for Ukraines armed forces. Our support is for the long haul, he said before the meeting Tuesday.

The White House said last week that it has new evidence that Russia is looking again to North Korea for weapons as it also prepares for a spring offensive. Russia would provide Pyongyang with needed food and other commodities in return.

U.S. officials also are concerned that the president of Belarus has warned that Russian strategic nuclear weapons might be deployed in his country, along with part of Moscows tactical nuclear arsenal.

Putin has said he planned to place tactical nuclear weapons in neighboring Belarus. Those weapons are comparatively short-range and low-yield. Strategic nuclear weapons, such as missile-borne warheads, would be a greater threat.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, while talking up the possibility of nuclear weapons, has also called for a cease-fire in Ukraine. He said a truce must have no preconditions and all movement of troops and weapons must be halted.

Russia, however, has rejected a cease in fighting, claiming that Ukraine has refused to enter talks under pressure from its Western allies.

_____

Lee reported from Brussels. Associated Press writer Tara Copp contributed to this story from Washington.

By LOLITA C. BALDOR and MATTHEW LEE

Associated Press
EU lashes out at China for support of Russia in Ukraine war

EU lashes out at China for support of Russia in Ukraine war View Photo

BRUSSELS (AP)  On the eve of a major European Union diplomatic foray into China, the blocs foreign policy chief on Tuesday lashed out at Beijing for its support of Russia amid the invasion of Ukraine, and called it a blatant violation of its United Nations commitments.

There cannot be siding with the aggressor, Josep Borrell said ahead of a trip to Beijing by the EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and French President Emmanuel Macron. There is a clear expectation from a permanent member of the (U.N.) Security Council to stand up in defense of international rules-based order and China as a moral duty to contribute to a fair peace.

Standing alongside visiting U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Borrell was unusually blunt in his condemnation of a nation that has increasingly moved from being an EU partner to being a rival on the global stage.

The comments set the stage for two of Europes pre-eminent leaders to press the point that EU-China relations will pivot on Beijings friendship with Russia.

Macron and von der Leyen are expected to warn China against sending weapons to Russia during talks with President Xi Jinping on Thursday. Just ahead of the visit, von der Leyen had a phone call with Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to coordinate strategy.

Even if Beijing says it is neutral in the war, Xis visit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow two weeks ago had all the visuals and speeches of a meeting among trusted friends.

They agreed on the need to not deploy nuclear arms abroad, Borrell said of the Moscow meeting. Some days later, Russia deployed tactical weapons, nuclear tactical weapons in Belarus, he added, referring to an announcement by Putin of plans to deploy such weapons. This comes, ironically, after Chinese President Xi visited Moscow and mentioned the need for peace.

He called the prospect of deploying such weapons in Belarus Putins newest nuclear gamble and said it constituted a direct threat to European security.

Borrell said he was looking for a change of heart in Beijing if relations were not to deteriorate.

We have been clear with China that its position on Russias atrocities and war crimes will determine the quality of our relations with Beijing, he said.

Discussions between Macron, Xi and von der Leyen will mainly focus on trade, the war in Ukraine and climate change.

The European officials are expected to underscore the importance of Chinas role in supporting peace, and to tell Xi that he should engage directly with Zelenskyy following his visit to Moscow last month. They will also urge him to put pressure on Putin to stop threatening nuclear weapons use in the war against Ukraine.

Von der Leyen will ask Xi to use his influence to make sure a grain export deal that has helped bring down global food prices can be extended beyond mid-May, when its expected to expire after Russias U.N. ambassador reiterated that Moscow is ready to extend the deal  but only for 60 days, just half the 120 days in the agreement.

The EU does not expect a significant change in Chinas position but believes its crucial to keep engaging with the superpower, notably on trade issues.

In 2022, China was the EUs third largest partner in exports of goods and the largest partner for EU imports. EU leaders want to rebalance their commercial relationship while also addressing the 27-nation blocs dependence to China in strategic sectors such as critical raw materials, computing-related technologies, semi-conductors and clean technologies.

By RAF CASERT and SAMUEL PETREQUIN

Associated Press
Lawyers meet with jailed American reporter in Moscow prison View Photo

Lawyers representing an American reporter arrested in Russia on spying charges met with him in a Moscow prison on Tuesday for the first time since his detention last week and said his health is good, according to his employer, The Wall Street Journal.

Evan Gershkovich, 31, was arrested Thursday in Yekaterinburg, Russias fourth-largest city. He is the first U.S. correspondent since the Cold War to be detained on espionage accusations. The Journal has denied the charges.

Evans health is good, and he is grateful for the outpouring of support from around the world. We continue to call for his immediate release, the Journals editor-in-chief, Emma Tucker, said in a note to the newsroom Tuesday. She said the paper was encouraged by the visit.

Gershkowichs family, she said, are relieved to know we finally have contact with Evan.

The reporter is being kept behind bars for two months pending an investigation. Moscows Lefortovsky District court said Monday that it had received an appeal against Gershkovichs arrest filed by his defense, according to Russian news agencies. No date for a hearing on the appeal has been set.

Gershkovich is in Moscows Lefortovo prison. A Russian state prison monitor said Monday that Gershkovich was in a quarantine cell while undergoing medical checks, was reading a book from the prison library, and had access to a TV, radio and refrigerator. The prison monitor, Alexei Melnikov, didnt say when he saw Gershkovich, but said he was cheerful. That report couldnt be independently verified.

Russias Federal Security Service, of FSB, the top successor to the Soviet-era KGB, accused Gershkovich of trying to obtain classified information about a Russian arms factory.

U.S. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Monday that the Biden administration was pressing hard for Gershkovichs release. Its got attention all the way up to the Oval Office in terms of how we can get him home, Kirby told reporters in Washington.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged his Russian counterpart Sunday  during a rare phone call between the diplomats since the start of the Ukraine war  to release Gershkovich immediately, as well as another imprisoned American, Paul Whelan.

By The Associated Press
Dubai upholds extradition of financier accused of fraud View Photo

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP)  A court in Dubai on Monday rejected the appeal of a British financier fighting extradition to Denmark, where he is accused of orchestrating a $1.7 billion tax fraud.

Hedge fund trader Sanjay Shah is accused of masterminding a scheme that ran from 2012 to 2015 in which foreign businesses pretended to own shares in Danish companies and claimed tax refunds for which they were not eligible. He was arrested in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, last year.

The Dubai media office said the Court of Cassation upheld a ruling late last year that granted Denmarks request for extradition. The lower court had said documents implicated him in fraud and money laundering. It was not immediately clear when he would be extradited.

In a separate ruling in September, Shah was ordered to pay $1.25 billion to Denmarks tax authority as part of a civil case in Dubai. His lawyers are also appealing that ruling.

Shahs lawyers could not immediately be reached for comment. His legal team had expressed disappointment in the earlier ruling that was upheld on Monday.

The 52-year-old financier has maintained his innocence in interviews with journalists but never appeared in Denmark to answer accusations. His defense has argued in closed-door hearings that Denmark did not follow the procedures laid out in international extradition treaties.

Shahs lifestyle on Dubais luxurious palm-shaped island over the past few years had sparked outrage in Denmark. After Danish authorities signed an extradition agreement with the UAE, Dubai police arrested Shah in June. Shah is one of several suspects sought over the tax scheme.

During his time in Dubai, the hedge fund manager ran a center for autistic children that shut down in 2020 as Denmark sought his extradition. He also oversaw a British-based charity, Autism Rocks, which raised funds through concerts and performances.
Macron heads to China for delicate talks on Ukraine, trade View Photo

PARIS (AP)  French President Emmanuel Macron will have to muster all his diplomatic adeptness and political acumen on a three-day state visit to China where the war in Ukraine will be front and center, along with tough talks on trade.

Macron is expected to warn China against sending weapons to Russia and instead ask that the country use its influence to support peace efforts.

Beijing claims to hold a neutral stance in the war, but has also stressed its no-limits friendship with Russia. Chinas President Xi Jinping last month met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.

China has refused to criticize Russia for its actions in Ukraine. A top French official acknowledged that Paris isnt expecting to see a major shift in that position.

But France will push for initiatives helping ordinary Ukrainians and for possible avenues toward reaching a halfway solution to the war, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with the French presidencys customary practices.

Paris and Beijing may find a point of convergence following Putins recent announcement that his country plans to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus. China, without naming Russia, made clear its opposition to the planned deployment.

Macron will also seek to involve China deeper in global discussions on climate-related issues, as things are getting more complicated for him at home.

The 45-year-old leader has in recent weeks faced strong opposition among ordinary French citizens and lawmakers to his plan to raise the legal retirement age from 62 to 64. A surge of street protests resulted in a state visit by Britains King Charles III having to be postponed.

While Macron is in Beijing, French trade unions on Thursday will stage the 11th round of nationwide demonstrations since January.

The visit also comes amid ever-rising tensions between the U.S. and China, the worlds two largest economies.

Trade will also be a major focus as Macron has asked European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to join him for a meeting with Xi thats meant to show European unity especially on economic issues. The French president said last month that he took such an initiative because he is attached to European coordination.

Last week, von der Leyen warned the European Union must be prepared to develop measures to protect trade and investment that China might exploit for its own security and military purposes.

China is both the EUs commercial partner and a rival, Thierry Breton, EU Commissioner for Internal Market, said Monday on French news broadcaster FranceInfo. Breton said the message to Chinese authorities is that they must stop trying to play one country against another.

Of course, China still is an important market for many European companies. But the (EU) internal market is a crucial market to China, Breton added.

Macron will be accompanied by a delegation of over 50 CEOs including from French energy giant EDF, rail transport manufacturer Alstom and European plane-maker Airbus.

The top French official said negotiations were still being held on a potential deal with Airbus that would come on top of Chinas 2019 order for 300 aircraft.

NGOs including the International Federation for Human Rights, International Campaign for Tibet and the Human Rights League have called on Macron to put human rights at the heart of his talks with Chinese authorities.

Macron must strongly denounce privately but also publicly the repression against Chinese activists and human rights advocates, Hong Kongs people, Uyghurs and Tibetans, Frances Human Rights League President Patrick Baudouin said in a statement.

Macrons office said human rights issues will be mentioned during the visit.

Macron, who last traveled to China in 2019 before the COVID-19 crisis, is to start his trip Wednesday in Beijing with a speech to the French community.

On Thursday, he will have meetings with the head of the National Peoples Congress, Zhao Leji, and Chinas new No. 2 leader, Premier Li Qiang, in addition to a meeting and a state dinner with Xi in the presence of von der Leyen.

On Friday, Macron will head to the southern Chinese metropolis of Guangzhou, where Xis father used to work as provincial governor in the 1980s.

The French president will answer questions there from some of the 1,000 Chinese students at Sun Yat-Sen university. He will then meet Xi again for a private dinner and later meet with Chinese investors.

____

AP journalist Nicolas Garriga contributed to the story.

By SYLVIE CORBET

The Associated Press
MEXICO CITY (AP)  Authorities in the Mexican resort of Cancun said Monday they have found four dead bodies in the citys hotel zone near the beach.

There was no immediate information on the nationalities or identities of the victims. The announcement of the deaths came less that a week after a U.S. tourist was shot in the leg in the nearby town of Puerto Morelos.

Prosecutors originally said three bodies were found Monday in a lot near one of Cancuns beachside hotels along the Kukulkan Boulevard. They then added that a fourth body was found in the undergrowth on the same lot, brining to four the number of victims.

Prosecutors in the Caribbean coast state of Quintana Roo said two suspects had been detained in the killings. They said the deaths were under investigation, but did not give a cause of death.

Last week in Puerto Morelos, a U.S. tourist was approached by several suspects, and they shot him in the leg. The motive remains under investigation. The wounded man was taken to a hospital in Cancun for treatment, and his injury was judged to be not life-threatening.

The U.S. State Department issued a travel alert earlier this month warning travelers to exercise increased caution, especially after dark, at Mexicos Caribbean beach resorts like Cancun, Playa del Carmen and Tulum, which have been plagued by drug gang violence in the past.

There have been a series of brazen acts of violence along the Caribbean coast, the crown jewel of Mexicos tourism industry.

In 2022, two Canadians were killed in Playa del Carmen, apparently because of debts between international drug and weapons trafficking gangs.

In 2021, farther south in the laid-back destination of Tulum, two tourists  one a California travel blogger born in India and the other German  were killed when they apparently were caught in the crossfire of a gunfight between rival drug dealers.
Press Release

April 3, 2023 Tulfo seeks probe on condition of facilities in National Center for Mental Health Senator Idol Raffy Tulfo filed a Senate resolution seeking to investigate the tragic condition of the patients at the National Center for Mental Health (NCMH) facilities who are not receiving the specialized care and treatment they deserve because of the hospital's poor facilities. Tulfo filed Senate Resolution (SR) No. 562 directing the Senate Committee on Health to conduct an inquiry on the condition of the facilities in the NCMH to ensure that patients receive proper care and to address the reported corruption in its management. Tulfo conducted a surprise ocular inspection at the NCMH after receiving a tip from a concerned netizen that the mental health patients in said hospital are being treated unjustly or even worse than animals. "Nakakalungkot na makita ang kalunos-lunos na kalagayan ng ilang mga pasyente sa NCMH sa Mandaluyong. Kung mahina ang iyong sikmura, tiyak na masusuka ka sa sobrang baho ng kanilang ward. Daig pa ang amoy ng kulungan ng baboy. "Sa sahig sila natutulog at walang banig, kumot o unan. Nagsisiksikan na parang mga sardinas at sobrang init na mistulang pugon dahil walang ventilation at kulang sa electric fan," he shared. Tulfo recalled that he first visited Pavilion 8 or the Female Ward that smelled of patients' feces and urine, which was made even awful by the smell of garbage dumped outside. In said visit, he recommended to the NCMH Chief to use humidifier, automatic round the clock disinfectant spray, and clean the room at least two times a day. The Senator also visited Pavilion 4 or the Forensic Ward housing patients with pending cases. He said that the cramped pavilion with no ventilation, save for the two ceiling fans, housed roughly 50 patients, but its capacity is only up to 10 pax. In filing the resolution, Tulfo aims to identify the root causes of the problems and lapses in the facilities and operations of NCMH, as well as assess the quality of care, treatment, and support provided to patients in the hospital. A member of the Senate Committee on Health, Tulfo also stressed the need to hold accountable those responsible for corruption or any lapses, negligence, or violations of laws, rules, and regulations governing mental health care services. Tulfo said that there was one abandoned pavilion in NCMH, and its construction was not finished despite a budget of 60 million pesos. In fact, Tulfo further divulged that it was also the reason why a former chief of NCMH was murdered because he disclosed these corruptions and other anomalies in the said hospital. He added, all those involved in the anomalies are still scot-free. The Senator from Isabela and Davao said that that budget allocated by the government for NCMH should be used to improve the quality of care and support provided to patients instead of being pocketed by corrupt people using the money for their own benefits.
Last week, the House passed H.R. 5, the Parents Bill of Rights, which enshrines five basic rights that every parent would have when their kids are in school:

1. Right to know whats being taught in schools and to see reading material

2. Right to be heard

3. Right to see school budget and spending

4. Right to protect their childs privacy

5. Right to be updated on any violent activity at school

Immediately after the passage of the Parents Bill of Rights, Speaker Kevin McCarthy and other House Republicans held a press conference where they called on the Senate to take up the legislation.

McCarthy was Tuesdays KVML Newsmaker of the Day as part of the Republicans Weekly Address. Here are his words:

You know, the Republicans put out our Commitment to America.

In our Commitment to America, we said were gonna have a Parents Bill of Rights.

This is exactly what we just passed on the floor today.

Were keeping our commitment. Its just another check off on all we said we would do.

This bill Julia Letlow actually introduced in the last Congress moved forward to this Congress.

Whats very interesting is the Democrats thought it was too extreme, that the Democrats believe that parents shouldnt have a say in their kids education, and actually know what the reading materials [are].

But Democrats believe that was too extreme.

Democrats didnt believe that in this bill we say, parents have a right to be heard that they should be able to go to school board meetings and not be called terrorists, that they can have a say.

But Democrats thought that was too extreme.

Parents should have a right to know where their tax dollars are being spent in schools, the budgets.

But Democrats thought that was too extreme.

In this bill, we protect the childrens privacy, that the data cant be be sent around [and] the parents should know what they do with it.

But Democrats thought that was too extreme.

We thought parents should know if theres any violent activity on campus, not just to your child but to any, so youll be warned.

But Democrats thought that was too extreme.

Today was a win for every mother, every father, but most importantly, for every student in America.

You have a Parents Bill of Rights now, but unfortunately, the Democrats are too extreme to believe that parents should have a say in their kids education.

This bill will go on to the Senate.

We hope theyll be able to take it up.

But this is a win and a change for America.

We watched just a short time ago that the Biden administration would go after parents that they went to school board meetings just to find out what was happening.

We watched a father get arrested at a school board meeting when his daughter was attacked in the bathroom.

All that is changing today.

You now have a say in your kids education.

They get the warning if theres any violence on campus you get to know where the money is being spent.

They get to know what the leading materials are, and you get to protect your childrens privacy as well.

I just want to thank Julia Letlow, Chairwoman Foxx, for their work on this and for all the Members for helping putting this across the line and for the American public to trust us with the majority.

And were keeping our promise to you in our Commitment to America. The parents will have a say in their kids education.

The Newsmaker of the Day is heard every weekday morning at 6:45, 7:45 and 8:45 on AM 1450 and FM 102.7 KVML.
Florida Senate passes 6-week abortion ban backed by DeSantis View Photo

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP)  The Florida Senate on Monday approved a bill to ban abortions after six weeks, a measure supported by Gov. Ron DeSantis as the Republican prepares to launch his expected presidential candidacy.

The vote prompted demonstrations at the states capital that resulted in the arrest of the leader of the Florida Democratic Party and a state senator by city police.

The proposal must still be approved by the House before it reaches the governors desk. Florida currently prohibits abortions after 15 weeks.

A six-week ban would more closely align Florida with the abortion restrictions of other Republican-controlled states and give DeSantis a political win on an issue important with GOP primary voters ahead of his potential White House run.

Florida Democrats and groups advocating for abortion rights say this proposal disproportionally affects low-income women and people of color.

The party said that Nikki Fried, chair of the Florida Democratic Party, and Lauren Book, Floridas senate minority leader, were arrested late Monday at a sit-in protest outside the Florida State Capitol. Images shared on social media showed the two women and other demonstrators as they are handcuffed by police officers.

In a news release, the Tallahassee Police Department said that protesters against the abortion ban were told they would have to leave after sunset, but 11 people refused to go and were arrested for trespassing. They did not identify them by name.

The bill would have larger implications for abortion access throughout the South, as the nearby states of Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi prohibit the procedure at all stages of pregnancy and Georgia bans it after cardiac activity can be detected, which is around six weeks.

Bodily autonomy should not give a person the permission to kill an innocent human being. We live in a time where the consequences of our actions are an afterthought and convenience has been substitution for responsibility, and this is unacceptable when it comes to the protection of the most vulnerable, said Sen. Erin Grall, a Republican who sponsored the bill.

The proposal allows exceptions to save the life of the woman and exceptions in the case of pregnancy caused by rape or incest until 15 weeks of pregnancy. In those cases, a woman would have to provide documentation such as a medical record, restraining order or police report. DeSantis has called the rape and incest provisions sensible.

It would require that the drugs used in medication-induced abortions  which make up the majority of those provided nationally  could be dispensed only in person by a physician.

The new bill would only take effect if the states current 15-week ban is upheld in an ongoing legal challenge that is before the state Supreme Court.

Republicans control a supermajority in the Legislature and have largely focused on DeSantis priorities during the ongoing legislative session. DeSantis is expected to announce his presidential candidacy after the session ends in May, with his potential White House run in part buoyed by the conservative policies approved in the statehouse this year.

Democrats have conceded that they cannot stop the proposal from moving forward.

During debate earlier on Monday, Democratic Sen. Book urged women to contact her office directly, reading her phone number aloud on the Senate floor, if they are considering getting an abortion and need to connect with healthcare providers.

Please dont take matters into your own hands. Do not put your safety at risk. No back-alley abortions. There are people and funds that will help you. No matter where you live, no matter how desperate of a situation you are in, no matter how helpless it may seem. I promise, you are not alone. Call my office, Book said.

By ANTHONY IZAGUIRRE and ADRIANA GOMEZ LICON

Associated Press
Death of former governors aide brings FBI manhunt to end View Photo

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP)  The three-week manhunt for a former top aide to Marylands governor ended in his death after public corruption charges jeopardized his career and ultimately sent him on the run from federal agents when he skipped a court appearance last month.

Following numerous twists and turns, the case against Roy McGrath ended Monday night when FBI agents confronted the fugitive outside Knoxville, Tennessee. McGrath, who had served as former Gov. Larry Hogans chief of staff, died in the hospital after being wounded by gunfire.

As the criminal investigation and prosecution dragged on for years, McGrath consistently maintained his innocence and was adamant about going to trial in hopes of clearing his name, according to his lawyer, Joseph Murtha. But when the March 13 trial date arrived, McGrath surprised his attorney by failing to appear at the U.S. District Court in Baltimore.

We were moving forward and preparing for trial, but you never know whats going on in someones mind, Murtha said Tuesday morning. The rest is three weeks of uncertainty and a tragic ending.

McGrath served as Hogans chief of staff for just 11 weeks, resigning in August 2020 after it became public that he had received a $233,650 severance payment from his old job as head of a state-owned corporation before moving to the governors office.

McGrath, 53, was indicted in 2021 on accusations that he fraudulently secured the severance payment, equal to one years salary as the head of Maryland Environmental Service, by falsely telling the agencys board that the governor had approved it; Hogan denied knowledge of the plan. McGrath also was accused of fraud and embezzlement connected to roughly $170,000 in expenses.

McGrath was devastated when his professional reputation suffered because of the federal criminal charges, Murtha said.

I think he felt like he had been destroyed. He felt completely betrayed, Murtha said in a phone interview. I really believe Roy was a dedicated public servant who sought to do the best job he could for the citizens of Maryland. He was a workaholic. He worked nonstop.

Murtha said Tuesday that the biggest unanswered question is whether McGrath was killed by law enforcement agents or died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Officials also havent said whether McGrath was armed during the fatal encounter.

McGrath was wounded during an agent-involved shooting about 6:30 p.m. Monday in the outskirts of Knoxville and was taken to a hospital, where he died, according to FBI Supervisory Special Agent Shayne Buchwald in Maryland. Further details, including how McGrath was wounded and what led up to the shooting, were not released. It remained under investigation.

McGrath grew up in southern Maryland, graduated from the University of Maryland in College Park and built a career in state-level Republican politics. His relationship with Hogan dated back decades; he worked on Hogans unsuccessful 1992 congressional campaign. McGrath then spent many years working for the National Association of Chain Drug Stores, which lobbies on behalf of pharmacies, before transitioning back into state politics after Hogan was elected governor.

Skip Aldridge, who met McGrath through his work with the association, said he learned about McGraths death on the news Tuesday morning.

I was shocked beyond belief. I was absolutely blown away, he said in a phone interview. That is not the Roy I knew.

McGrath struck him as someone with the highest degree of integrity, Aldridge said, describing his friend as wholesome and well-liked among colleagues.

Imagining him under FBI gunfire is almost beyond my comprehension, Aldridge said. But I guess when you push people to the breaking point, you dont know how theyll react to a crisis.

In 2016, McGrath was appointed to serve as executive director of the Maryland Environmental Service. He oversaw the state-owned corporation, which provides environmental services such as water and wastewater management to government entities and private clients, until he became Hogans chief of staff in 2020.

According to federal and state prosecutors, McGrath took advantage of his positions of trust as the environmental agencys director and Hogans top aide for personal gain.

In the months after his indictment, McGrath contended he had earned the severance package and received authorization from the governor.

I continue to cooperate fully, and will vigorously defend myself, in ongoing legal matters connected to politically motivated claims surrounding a customary and well-earned severance package from my position as CEO of the Maryland Environmental Service, McGrath wrote in a Nov. 30, 2021 commentary in The Baltimore Sun.

Hogan, who was expected to testify in the trial, has denied knowledge of the severance arrangement.

Yumi and I are deeply saddened by this tragic situation. We are praying for Mr. McGraths family and loved ones, Hogan said in a statement Monday night.

If convicted of the federal charges, McGrath would have faced a maximum sentence of 20 years for each of four counts of wire fraud, plus a maximum of 10 years for each of two counts of embezzling funds from an organization receiving more than $10,000 in federal benefits.

The trial was set to begin last month in Baltimore. McGrath, who moved to Florida in recent years, was supposed to catch a flight to Maryland the night before his court appearance but instead disappeared. FBI agents raided his Naples home two days later.

Another few weeks would pass before they found him in the parking lot of a suburban Tennessee strip mall Monday evening. Officials have released few details about how the shooting unfolded. A white Escalade was visible on the scene surrounded by law enforcement vehicles.

___ Sarah Brumfield contributed to this report from Silver Spring, Maryland.

By BRIAN WITTE and LEA SKENE

Associated Press
Trump charged with 34 felony counts in hush money scheme View Photo

NEW YORK (AP)  A stone-faced Donald Trump made a momentous courtroom appearance Tuesday when he was confronted with a 34-count felony indictment charging him in a scheme to bury allegations of extramarital affairs that arose during his first White House campaign.

The arraignment in a Manhattan courtroom was a stunning  and humbling  spectacle for the first ex-president to ever face criminal charges. With Trump watching in silence, prosecutors bluntly accused him of criminal conduct and set the stage for a possible criminal trial in the city where he became a celebrity decades ago.

The indictment centers on allegations that Trump falsified internal business records at his private company while trying to cover up an effort to illegally influence the 2016 election by arranging payments that silenced claims potentially harmful to his candidacy. It includes 34 counts of fudging records related to checks Trump sent to his personal lawyer and problem-solver to reimburse him for his role in paying off a porn actor who said she had an extramarital sexual encounter with Trump years earlier.

The defendant, Donald J. Trump, falsified New York business records in order to conceal an illegal conspiracy to undermine the integrity of the 2016 presidential election and other violations of election laws, said Assistant District Attorney Christopher Conroy.

Trump, somber and silent as he entered and exited the Manhattan courtroom, said not guilty in a firm voice while facing a judge who warned him to refrain from rhetoric that could inflame or cause civil unrest. All told, the ever-verbose Trump, who for weeks before Tuesdays arraignment had assailed the case against him as political persecution, uttered only 10 words in the courtroom. He appeared to glare for a period at Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, the prosecutor who brought the case.

As he returned to his Florida estate, Mar-a-Lago, where he delivered a primetime address to hundreds of supporters, Trump again protested his innocence and asserted on his Truth Social platform that the hearing was shocking to many in that they had no surprises, and therefore, no case.

In his speech, Trump lashed out anew at the prosecution and attacked in bitter terms the prosecutor and the judge presiding over the case despite being admonished hours earlier about incendiary rhetoric. In a sign of that other probes are weighing on him, Trump also steered his speech into a broadside against a separate Justice Department investigation into the mishandling of classified documents.

I never thought anything like this could happen in America, Trump said of the New York indictment. This fake case was brought only to interfere with the upcoming 2024 election and it should be dropped immediately.

The crowd at Mar-a-Lago included supporters like failed Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake and longtime ally Roger Stone. Trumps wife, Melania, was absent from his side and was also not seen with him in New York.

Even so, the indictment amounts to a remarkable reckoning for Trump after years of investigations into his personal, business and political dealings. It shows how even as Trump is looking to reclaim the White House in 2024, he is shadowed by investigations related to his behavior in the two prior elections, with prosecutors in Atlanta and Washington scrutinizing efforts by Trump and his allies to undo the 2020 presidential election  probes that could produce even more charges.

In the New York case, each count of falsifying business records, a felony, is punishable by up to four years in prison  though its not clear if a judge would impose any prison time if Trump is convicted. The next court date is Dec. 4  two months before Republicans begin their nominating process in earnest  and Trump will again be expected to appear.

A conviction would not prevent Trump from running for or winning the presidency in 2024.

The arraignment also delved into Trumps rhetoric on the case, with prosecutors at one point handing printouts of his social media posts to the judge and defense lawyers as Trump looked on. Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchan did not impose a gag order but told Trumps lawyers to urge him to refrain from posts that could encourage unrest.

The broad contours of the case have long been known, focusing on a scheme that prosecutors say began months into his candidacy in 2015, as his celebrity past collided with his presidential ambitions.

Though prosecutors expressed confidence in the case, a conviction is no sure thing given the legal complexities of the allegations, the application of state election laws to a federal election and prosecutors likely reliance on a key witness, Trumps former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen, who pleaded guilty in 2018 to false statements.

It centers on payoffs to two women, porn star Stormy Daniels and Playboy model Karen McDougal, who said they had extramarital sexual encounters with Trump years earlier, as well as to a Trump Tower doorman who claimed to have a story about a child he alleged the former president had out of wedlock.

Its not just about one payment. It is 34 false statements and business records that were concealing criminal conduct, Bragg told reporters, when asked how the three separate cases were connected.

All 34 counts against Trump are linked to a series of checks that were written to Cohen to reimburse him for his role in paying off Daniels. Those payments, made over 12 months, were recorded in various internal company documents as being for a legal retainer that prosecutors say didnt exist. Cohen testified before the grand jury and is expected to be a star prosecution witness.

Nine of those monthly checks were paid out of Trumps personal accounts, but records related to them were maintained in the Trump Organizations data system.

Prosecutors allege that the first instance of Trump directing hush money payments came in the fall of 2015, when a former Trump Tower doorman was trying to sell information about an alleged out-of-wedlock child fathered by Trump.

David Pecker, a Trump friend and the publisher of the National Enquirer, made a $30,000 payment to the doorman to acquire the exclusive rights to the story, pursuant to an agreement to protect Trump during his presidential campaign, according to the indictment. Peckers company later determined the doormans story was false, but is alleged to have enforced the doormans confidentiality at Cohens urging until after Election Day.

Trump denies having sexual liaisons with both Daniels and McDougal and has denied any wrongdoing involving payments.

Tuesdays schedule, with its striking blend of legal and political calendar items, represents the new split-screen reality for Trump as he submits to the dour demands of the American criminal justice system while projecting an aura of defiance and victimhood at celebratory campaign events.

Wearing his signature dark suit and red tie, Trump turned and waved to crowds outside the building before heading inside to be fingerprinted and processed. He arrived at court in an eight-car motorcade from Trump Tower, communicating in real time his anger at the process.

Heading to Lower Manhattan, the Courthouse, he posted on his Truth Social platform. Seems so SURREAL  WOW, they are going to ARREST ME. Cant believe this is happening in America. MAGA!

Afterward, Trump lawyer Todd Blanche told reporters that it was a sad day for the country.

You dont expect this to happen to somebody who was president of the United States, he said.

___

Tucker and Weissert reported from Washington. Associated Press journalists Jill Colvin, Bobby Caina Calvan, Larry Neumeister, Karen Matthews, Larry Fleisher, Deepti Hajela, Julie Walker, Ted Shaffrey, David R. Martin, Joe Frederick and Robert Bumsted in New York; Colleen Long and Michael Balsamo in Washington; Adriana Gomez Licon in Palm Beach, Florida; and Terry Spencer in Palm Beach, Florida, contributed to this report.

___

Follow the APs coverage of former President Donald Trump at https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump.

By MICHAEL R. SISAK, ERIC TUCKER, JENNIFER PELTZ and WILL WEISSERT

Associated Press
Trumps day in court as criminal defendant: What to know View Photo

NEW YORK (AP)  For the first time in history, a former U.S. president has appeared in court as a criminal defendant.

Donald Trump surrendered to authorities Tuesday after being indicted by a New York grand jury on charges related to hush money payments at the height of the 2016 presidential election.

Trump, a 2024 presidential candidate, pleaded not guilty to 34 felony charges in a Manhattan courtroom. He then flew home to Florida and spoke to a crowd of supporters at his home.

Heres what to know about Trumps day in court:

HUSH MONEY PAYMENTS RELATED TO 2016 ELECTION

Prosecutors unsealed the indictment against the former president Tuesday, giving Trump, his lawyers and the world their first opportunity to see them. Trump was charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. Prosecutors said Trump conspired to undermine the 2016 presidential election by trying to suppress information that could harm his candidacy, and then concealing the true nature of the hush money payments. The payments were made to two women  including a porn actor  who claimed they had sexual encounters with him years earlier, and to a doorman at Trump Tower who claimed to have a story about a child Trump fathered out of wedlock, according to the Manhattan district attorneys office.

___

DONALD J. TRUMP, DEFENDANT

Trump was only seen briefly outside the district attorneys office, where he surrendered to authorities and was booked and fingerprinted behind closed doors. Trumps mugshot was not taken, according to two law enforcement officials who could not publicly discuss details of the process and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

As the former president entered the courtroom, he briefly looked at a huddle of news cameras but did not stop to speak to reporters.

Inside the courtroom, Trump sat at the defense table with his hands in his lap and his lawyers at his side. He looked right at photojournalists who were briefly allowed into the courtroom as they snapped his photo. During the rest of the proceeding, he stayed still with his hands together and looked straight ahead. Trump only spoke briefly in court, telling the judge he was pleading not guilty and had been advised of his rights. The judge warned Trump that he could be removed from the courtroom if he was disruptive. Trump made no comment when he left court just under an hour later.

Trumps lawyer Todd Blanche said during the hearing that Trump is absolutely frustrated, upset and believes that there is a great injustice happening in the courtroom.

___

A SURREAL DAY IN THE CITY WHERE HE GAINED FAME

Before he appeared in court, Trump made posts on his social media network complaining that the heavily Democratic area was a VERY UNFAIR VENUE and THIS IS NOT WHAT AMERICA WAS SUPPOSED TO BE! As his motorcade carried him across Manhattan, he posted that the experience was SURREAL.

The Republican has portrayed the Manhattan case and three separate investigations from the Justice Department and prosecutors in Georgia, as politically motivated. In recent weeks, he has lashed out at Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, called on his supporters to protest and warned about potential death and destruction if he were charged.

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TRUMP ADDRESSES SUPPORTERS

Appearing in front of several hundred supporters at his Florida home, Mar-a-Lago, Tuesday night, Trump repeated his claims that the investigation was politically motivated. He and attacked Bragg and the judge in the New York case, the judges family and other prosecutors investigating him in other cases.

The only crime that I have committed is to fearlessly defend our nation from those who seek to destroy it, Trump said.

___

BRAGG SPEAKS BRIEFLY

Bragg, speaking publicly for the first time since the indictment last week, held a brief news conference after the court proceedings in which he said the hush money scheme constituted felony crimes in New York state  no matter who you are.

We cannot and will not normalize serious criminal conduct, Bragg said. The Democratic prosecutor said accurate and true business records are important everywhere, but especially in Manhattan, because its the financial center of the world.

Bragg was asked at the news conference why he was bringing the case now and if the timing was political. The district attorney said his office had additional evidence that his predecessor did not.

I bring cases when theyre ready, he said.

___

WARNINGS AND POTENTIAL CONSEQUENCES

The judge on Tuesday did not impose a gag order but warned Trump to avoid making comments that were inflammatory or could cause civil unrest. If convicted of any of the 34 felony charges, Trump could face a maximum of four years in prison, but hed likely be sentenced to less.

That could be an issue for Trump, who has already singled out his cases judge and the judges family and posted on his social media network on Wednesday that, The people are seeing what is going on and they will not allow it to continue.

Trump lawyer Joe Tacopina pointed to the chaotic mix of media and protesters outside the courthouse as the former president was arraigned on Tuesday and said that it was an insane scene but there was no violence.

President Trump heard the judge, Tacopina told NBCs Today Show on Wednesday. Hes not doing anything to try to incite violence.

Asked about Trumps comments about the judge, Tacopina responded, Its not an attack on the judge, or certainly, his family.

No one is suggesting that anything should happen to the judge or the family, and President Trumps comments did not, in any way, shape or form, incite violence against the judge or anyone else, he said.

___

TRIAL WHILE CAMPAIGNING FOR PRESIDENCY

Trump is due back in court in December, but his lawyers asked that he be excused from attending that hearing in person because of the extraordinary security required to have him show up. Prosecutors asked the judge to set a trial for January  weeks before the first votes will be cast in the 2024 Republican presidential primary. Trumps lawyers asked that it be pushed to the spring. The judge did not immediately set a date.

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MIXED POLITICAL IMPACTS

Though he faces a swirl of legal challenges, Trump is running for president again and has sought to use the charges and other investigations to galvanize his supporters.

Most of the Republicans also running or eyeing campaigns have released statements supportive of Trump while slamming the investigations of him as politically motivated. Many Democratic elected officials have said little about the New York indictment, including President Joe Biden. Trumps legal troubles are only expected to bolster Democratic voters opposition to him, but its unclear whether some Republicans and independent voters will see the legal problems as too much baggage.

___

A NEW YORK CIRCUS

A crowd of Trump supporters, thronged by journalists, gathered Tuesday outside the Manhattan courthouse. Republican Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and George Santos of New York, who is facing multiple investigations over lies he told while running for office, were swarmed by cameras and reporters when they arrived and spoke mid-morning. A band of anti-Trump protesters appeared with a large banner saying, Trump Lies All the Time.

___

Associated Press reporters Michael Balsamo and Colleen Long in Washington contributed to this report.

___

This story has been corrected to show that no trial date has been set but prosecutors asked for the trial to start in January.

By MICHELLE L. PRICE

Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP)  Follow along for live updates on former President Donald Trump, who surrendered Tuesday at a Manhattan courthouse to face arraignment on charges stemming from hush-money payments made during the 2016 campaign to bury allegations that he had extramarital sexual encounters.

___

What to know:

 Arraignment provides new detail on charges facing Trump

 Manhattan prosecutors release indictment

 The three hush money cases in Trump indictment

 Trump's day in court

 Small but chaotic crowd gathers near Manhattan courthouse



TRUMP DEFIANT IN MAR-A-LAGO SPEECH

Flanked by American flags, former President Donald Trump delivered a campaign-style speech to cheering supporters at Mar-a-Lago Tuesday night.

Trump was defiant, referring, among other things, to his two impeachment trials during his presidency and an ongoing probe into alleged attempts to interfere in that states 2020 presidential election. He called the New York indictment the latest in an "onslaught of fraudulent investigations.

This fake case was brought only to interfere with the upcoming 2024 election and it should be dropped immediately," Trump said.

He also lashed out at the prosecutor and the judge presiding over the New York case  despite being warned hours earlier by the judge to refrain from rhetoric that could cause civil unrest.

Trump waved goodbye as he made his way out of the ballroom thronged by people recording the moment with their smartphones.

The crowd included supporters like failed Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake and longtime ally Roger Stone.

___

TRUMP RETURNS TO FLORIDA

In a social media post from his plane on his flight home from New York, former President Donald Trump said that Tuesday's court hearing "was shocking to many in that they had no surprises, and therefore, no case. Virtually every legal pundit has said that there is no case here. There was nothing done illegally!

Trump's plane has landed in Florida, and his motorcade headed to his Mar-a-Lago resort where hundreds of supporters, many in red MAGA hats, awaited him in a grand ballroom. Trump was expected to speak there in a campaign-like setting.

One man wore a jacket patterned with star-shaped American flags, and another man wore a red tie with the message No Crime! Members of a motorcycle club sported black leather vests that read on the back Born To Ride for 45 Donald Trump. Trump was the 45th U.S. president.

Alex Gonzalez, a motorcycle club member, said he supports Trump in his 2024 presidential bid.

If he did something wrong, like anybody else, he should be held liable for it, but at the same time this is a witch hunt. This is not a real case, said Gonzalez.

___

MANHATTAN DA BRAGG DISCUSSES CHARGES

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg says his offices historic case against former President Donald Trump seeks to ensure that everyone stands equal before the law.

No amount of money and no amount of power changes that enduring American principle, Bragg said.

Bragg spoke to a room packed with reporters following Trumps arraignment Tuesday in a Manhattan courthouse on 34 felony charges tied to hush money paid to multiple people during the 2016 presidential campaign. The former president pleaded not guilty.

Bragg, who took office in 2022 and initially slowed the offices move toward indicting Trump, said additional evidence not available to his predecessor led to moving forward now. He didnt elaborate on the evidence or how it came to prosecutors attention.

I bring cases when theyre ready, Bragg said.

___

JUDGE WARNS TRUMP TO AVOID INFLAMING RHETORIC

A New York judge warned former President Donald Trump to refrain from rhetoric that could inflame or cause civil unrest during Trumps arraignment Tuesday in Manhattan.

Trump told Judge Juan Merchan that he pleaded not guilty, and the judge advised him of his rights.

Merchan also warned Trump that he could be removed from the courtroom if he is disruptive, but Trump spoke only a few times to respond to questions.

Hes next due in court in December. Trumps lawyers asked for him to be excused from attending the hearing in person because of extraordinary security precautions.

The judge said he was not imposing a gag order at this point, but he asked both sides to refrain from comments that could lead to civil unrest.

Trump stayed mostly still with his hands steepled or interlaced and looked ahead during the proceedings, which lasted just under an hour.

___

TRUMP LEAVES MANHATTAN COURTHOUSE

Former President Donald Trump has left the Manhattan courthouse after his arraignment on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.

Trump did not answer a reporters shouted question about the charges as he quickly left the courtroom where the hearing was held.

Trump spent about two hours inside the building for booking and the arraignment where he learned the details of the criminal charges he faces while running a third presidential campaign.

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TRUMP PLEADS NOT GUILTY TO 34 FELONY COUNTS OF FALSIFYING BUSINESS RECORDS

Former President Donald Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, according to two law enforcement officials familiar with the matter.

The two officials who confirmed the plea spoke on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press because prosecutors had not yet released the indictment publicly.

The charges stem from a hush-money payment during the 2016 campaign.

Photos from the courtroom showed Trump sitting at the table reserved for defendants and their attorneys. His legal team surrounded him, two seated on each side of the former president.

Trump leaned forward slightly, his shoulders rounded, but he didnt turn his face away from photographers given permission to be in the courtroom just before the hearing.

___

WHITE HOUSE REMAINING QUIET ON TRUMP CHARGES

While the countrys attention was trained on the Manhattan courthouse where Donald Trump was being arraigned, the White House did its best Tuesday to suggest that it wasnt paying much attention.

Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters that our focus right now is on the American people, and was noncommittal when asked whether President Joe Biden was following the news.

He will catch part of the news when he has a moment to catch up on the news of the day, she said. But this is not a focus for him today.

Jean-Pierre was similarly circumspect when asked about the potential for unrest over the prosecution of the former president, especially since Trump has called for protests.

We are prepared, she said.

Fox News Peter Doocy tried unsuccessfully to get Jean-Pierre to open up more.

Why dont you have more to say about the Trump indictment? he asked. For better or worse, all that anybody in the country is talking about, at this exact moment while were in here, is Trump. And they look here to find out what the White House thinks about it.

I think the American people should feel reassured that when there is an ongoing case like this one, that were just not commenting, Jean-Pierre said.

But reporters didnt give up.

I love how you guys are asking me this in different ways, Jean-Pierre joked. You guys are clever.

___

TRUMP ENTERS COURTROOM FOR ARRAIGNMENT

Former President Donald Trump has entered the Manhattan courtroom where he is scheduled for arraignment on criminal charges stemming from a hush-money payment during his 2016 campaign.

Trump reached the 15th floor courtroom about 70 minutes after he entered the courthouse to surrender and be booked ahead of the hearing.

Trump did not acknowledge a television camera sending live images from the hallway outside the courtroom.

Judge Juan Merchan has ruled that TV cameras will not be allowed in the courtroom. Trumps attorneys have said he will plead not guilty.

___

MANHATTAN DA ENTERS COURTROOM

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has entered the courtroom where former President Donald Trump is scheduled for arraignment on criminal charges stemming from a hush-money payment during his 2016 campaign.

Trump has not yet been seen on the 15th floor where the hearing is supposed to take place. Wearing a navy blue suit and a bright red tie, Trump entered the courthouse around 12:20 p.m. to surrender on the charges and be processed before the hearing.

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TRUMP ARRIVES AT MANHATTAN COURTHOUSE

Former President Donald Trump has arrived at the Manhattan courthouse where he is expected to plead not guilty to criminal charges. He entered the courthouse surrounded by Secret Service agents.

Trumps motorcade traveled from Trump Tower in Midtown Manhattan, tracked by numerous helicopters.

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TRUMP LEAVES NEW YORK HOME

Former President Donald Trump pumped his fist and waved before leaving Trump Tower shortly after 1 p.m. Tuesday, bound for the Manhattan courthouse nearly 4 miles (6 kilometers) away.

Trumps attorneys have arranged for his surrender. He will be booked at the courthouse, not at a police precinct as most New York defendants are.

Court officials will create a record of his name, age, birthdate, height and weight before taking his fingerprints via a computerized system. They may take his photo.

___

FLORIDA LAWMAKER PLEDGES TO KEEP SUPPORTING TRUMP

A former Florida state lawmaker said he and others drove from Orlando to New York in time for Tuesday's hearing to send a message to former President Donald Trump: We won't stop supporting you.

Anthony Sabatini, chair of Florida's Lake County Republican Party, joined other Trump supporters in a park near the Manhattan courthouse where Trump's arraignment was to be held.

"It's a bad day for America, one of the worst days in American history, he said.

The mood among Trump supporters, though, was positive, Sabatini said. He credited New York police officers with keeping people separated based on their motivation  in support of Trump or in support of his indictment.

___

GREENE SPEAKS BRIEFLY AMID SHOUTS

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene briefly rallied supporters of Donald Trump outside the Manhattan courthouse Tuesday morning ahead of the former presidents arraignment.

After she exited an SUV, a large crowd surrounded the Georgia Republican, once shunned by the GOP as a political pariah for her extremist rhetoric. She made her way through a park where hundreds of onlookers and journalists gathered and used a bullhorn to speak briefly. It was difficult to hear her comments in the crowd.

In video of the remarks, Greene thanked patriotic Trump supporters who are here today." She called Republicans the party of peace and called Democrats the party of violence.

Greene then made a fast exit. It was unclear whether she would return. In an interview posted online, Greene said she planned to speak with media from a car and accused counter-protesters of assault for blowing whistles and shouting as she spoke.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Monday said his message for Greene was that she should be on your best behavior. Greene blasted Adams for calling me out by name.

As you can see, I'm standing here peacefully protesting, she said.

___

GEORGE SANTOS JOINS TRUMP SUPPORTERS OUTSIDE COURTHOUSE

George Santos, the besieged Republican congressman facing multiple investigations into lies he told while running for office, joined the growing crowd of people gathered outside the Manhattan courthouse ahead of former President Donald Trumps arraignment.

Santos told The Associated Press that he didnt plan to go inside the courthouse but came to support the president.

I want to support the president, just because I think this is unprecedented, and its a bad day for democracy, Santos said. Whats to stop the next prosecutor in two years from doing the same thing to Joe Biden and moving on every four years? So this makes bad precedent legally. And it makes, it cheapens the judicial system, and its not good for America.

Santos has rejected calls for his resignation, including some from members of his own party. He demurred Tuesday when asked if he hopes Trump will continue to back him in return for the show of support.

Im not here for that, he said.

___

RALLY FOR TRUMP

People began gathering Tuesday morning for a rally for Donald Trump in a park outside the courthouse where the former president is scheduled to be arraigned.

The rally with Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene was scheduled to start several hours ahead of Trumps court appearance.

Some anti-Trump protesters also appeared, unfurling a large banner saying Trump Lies All the Time.

Trump supporters also are expected expected to gather at his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida on Tuesday night as he returns. ___

PROSECUTOR ARRIVES

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg arrived at court Tuesday morning in New York ahead of former President Donald Trump's arraignment.

Bragg became Manhattans first Black district attorney in 2022, following his election the previous November. He inherited a yearslong grand jury investigation into hush money paid on Trumps behalf during his 2016 presidential campaign.

After taking office, Bragg slowed his offices move toward an indictment of Trump and said he had concerns about the strength of the case. That sparked a public protest by two prosecutors who were leading the investigation and resigned.

But Bragg convened a new grand jury this year after convicting Trumps family company for tax fraud. He called that result a strong demarcation line for proceeding with other parts of the probe.

___

TRUMP ATTORNEY: NO GUILTY PLEA'

Trump attorney Joe Tacopina said the former president's appearance in court for Tuesdays arraignment would be brief because the processing does not take long.

It wont be a long day in court, he said on ABCs Good Morning America."

"We know the basis of the indictment and the factual allegations in the indictment, Tacopina said, adding that Trump would maintain his innocence.

One thing I can assure you as I sit here today: Therell be no guilty plea in this case. Thats one thing I can guarantee you, he said.

Tacopina appeared to predict that the case would ultimately be dismissed.

I dont think this case is going to see a juror, he said. I think theres a legal challenge that will be made and should be made successfully.

___

SPECTATORS LINE UP

Spectators, many of them members of the news media, lined up overnight to get a seat inside the courtroom, or even just a glimpse of Trump, who wasnt expected until Tuesday afternoon.

The building was surrounded by barricades, and people were undergoing layers of security checks. The reporters waiting in line were camped out under tents with lawn chairs, blankets and pizza boxes.

The nations 45th commander in chief was expected to be escorted from Trump Tower  which was also surrounded by barricades  to a lower Manhattan courthouse by the Secret Service.

Police braced for protests from supporters of Trump, a Republican who is running for the White House again in 2024. He called the decision by a grand jury to indict him political persecution and election interference at the highest level.

Prosecutors investigated money paid to porn actor Stormy Daniels and ex-Playboy model Karen McDougal to keep the women from going public with claims that they had sex with him.
Donald Trump sat solemnly in a New York City courtroom Tuesday as prosecutors charged him with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in a hush money investigation. The first former president to be charged with crimes pleaded not guilty on all counts.

Trump has denied any wrongdoing, repeatedly assailed the investigation, called the indictment political persecution and predicted it would damage Democrats in 2024. Trump's lawyers have said the former Republican president did not commit any crime and they will "vigorously fight this political prosecution in court.

A look at what happened Tuesday:

WHAT HAPPENED AFTER THE SURRENDER?

Trump was booked.

Before computers, information on every criminal suspect would be written down in a big book kept by court officials. Now, it's all computerized, but the process is largely the same.

Court officers take down the accused's full name, age, birthdate, height and weight. They check for any outstanding warrants. They were expected to have taken Trump's fingerprints but were not believed to have taken a mug shot.

In New York, this process usually takes about two hours, but can be as long as four. But no one else was getting processed when Trump arrived, so it was faster. Then he went before a judge.

WHAT HAPPENED IN THE HEARING?

Prosecutors raised concerns about what they said were irresponsible social media posts they said targeted people in the case, including grand jury witnesses and District Attorney Alvin Bragg. They specifically pointed to posts Trump made that warned of potential death and destruction if he were to be indicted.

The judge said he was not imposing a gag order at this point but asked both sides to refrain from making comments or engaging in comments that could lead to civil unrest.

Trump spoke briefly. He told the judge he was pleading not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records and he was advised of his rights. Trump stayed mostly still, his hands steepled or interlaced, and looked ahead during the proceedings that lasted just over an hour.

Trumps lawyer Todd Blanche said during the hearing: He is absolutely frustrated, upset and believes that there is a great injustice happening in this courtroom today.

WAS HE ARRESTED?

Technically, yes.

When someone is fingerprinted and processed, that person is considered to be under arrest and in custody. But for Trump, it didn't look like what it does in the movies or on TV's Law & Order.

He wasn't handcuffed and he didn't sit in a jail cell. That's in part because some of the courthouse was cleared out for his arraignment and because Trump is a former president with Secret Service protection. Not all defendants are handcuffed before they appear before a judge for an arraignment, though some are.

DID TRUMP WALK OUT OF THERE?

Yes. Trump did not say anything as he exited the courtroom, ignoring reporters.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

Trump is next due in court in December. His lawyers asked for him to be excused from attending the hearing in person because of the extraordinary security measures.

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More on Donald Trump-related investigations at https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump.
LOS ANGELES (AP)  More than 300 undercover Los Angeles police officers filed legal claims against the city and police department Tuesday after their names and photographs were released to a technology watchdog group that posted them online.

The watchdog group Stop LAPD Spying Coalition posted more than 9,300 officers information and photographs last month in a searchable online database following a public records request by a reporter for progressive news outlet Knock LA. Hundreds of undercover officers were included in the database, although it's not clear exactly how many because the database doesn't specify which officers work undercover.

The officers were not given advance notice of the disclosure, and the backlash has roiled the department. The inspector general is investigating Chief Michel Moore and the agency's constitutional policing director Liz Rhodes after an officers' union filed a misconduct complaint.

While the city attorneys office determined the agency was legally required to turn over the records  which includes a photograph and information on each officer including name, ethnicity, rank, date of hire, badge number and division or bureau  under California law, exemptions are often made for safety or investigative reasons.

The Stop LAPD Spying Coalition opposes police intelligence-gathering and says the database should be used for countersurveillance.

Attorney Matthew McNicholas said 321 undercover officers filed legal claims, the precursor to a lawsuit, through his office and more are expected to come forward. The officers' names were not listed on the court documents.

Only time will tell how many there are total, McNicholas said Tuesday during a news conference announcing the filings.

The claims allege negligence and seek unspecified damages. The plaintiffs say they can no longer work as undercover officers and, in some cases, may not be able to work in policing altogether going forward.

McNicholas said his clients fear for their safety  as well as that of their families  and want to know whether the city will provide protection for them. He said he's aware of several investigations involving undercover officers, such as cases into gangs, drugs and sex traffickers, that have been stopped in the wake of the disclosure. He would not provide additional details.

Tuesday's claims follow separate lawsuits filed last month by the Los Angeles Police Protective League, the union that represents the department's rank-and-file officers. The union has sued the police chief in an attempt to claw back the undercover officers' photographs and prevent further disclosure.

We erred in the sense that theres photographs that are in there that should not have been in there, Moore told the Los Angeles Times,which first reported the disclosure. Now ... that ship has sailed.

Officer Jeff Lee, a spokesperson for the department, said the agency would not comment on the pending litigation.
Courtesy of Tesla Inc.

While there are numerous charging stations available in downtown San Antonio but it looks like Tesla is planning to add another spot for its drivers on one of the city's ever-evolving corridors. Tesla is eyeing a location just south of Maverick Park that is currently being used as a parking lot for an office building, according to a recent filing with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.

The project at 718 Broadway isn't calling for much space  600 square feet, according to the filing. The lot is directly across from the mass timber office building known as The Soto and the lot is fenced off as parking for the building. It's unknown if the charging stations will be for public use or just people working in or visiting The Soto.
NEW YORK (AP)  Brooke Shields has been known as beautiful, smart and famous since she was a baby, but a new documentary reveals why its taken decades for her to feel confident in her talent.

With a dazzling array of archival photos and footage, and in-depth interviews with Shields, Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields is a firsthand examination of her success as a model, actor, author and now lifestyle entrepreneur, despite being sexualized and objectified at a young age and managing her alcoholic mother  the original momager, Teri Shields.

Like other recent documentaries on Britney Spears and Pamela Anderson, Pretty Baby includes a cringeworthy barrage of media clips where mostly older men reduce her to a pretty face and have little interest in her answers to their questions. The film, which drops in two parts on Hulu on Monday, looks back at how women were treated in the 1980s and 1990s  including Shields revealing she was the victim of a sexual assault by a Hollywood executive after she graduated college.

Shields spoke to The Associated Press recently about what she learned from the project, how she overcame being shamed for her personal choices and gained confidence, and how she sees her future.

Answers have been edited for length and clarity.

AP: In the series you say Im owning my identity fully. What did you mean?

SHIELDS: I made myself small for so long, either to be relatable or to not be threatening or humbled, you know? Dont be a snob. Dont be arrogant. Have people like you. Be kind to everyone. It was like this the way I grew up, and I was rewarded for it. Im saying that its okay to pat myself on the shoulder a little bit. Its okay to say I really do have talent because I wouldnt still be here if I didnt. Its not just because Im smart or just because I look a certain way. Ive maintained a career and kept challenging myself, and I dont think I ever felt confident enough to say it out loud. I always just wanted other peoples approval about my talent, never thinking that I could give it to myself.

AP: The documentary details the press scrutinizing you for years, how have you felt promoting the series?

SHIELDS: What I noticed when I was a little girl was that nobody really wanted my answers. They wanted their narrative to be the soundbite that I gave them. And being very stubborn always, I, in my own way, refused to give it to them. Now, I dont ever feel like Im on the defensive because Ive learned that Im not at anybody elses mercy. Looking back, I can see that thats what I was doing, and I dont need to do that anymore, which is very empowering but, you know, it took 40-something years (laughs).

AP: What was the hardest part to reveal in the documentary?

SHIELDS: I was worried about the #MeToo stuff just because I didnt want it to be reduced to just a headline. And yet I knew that if I didnt, I would have felt like a hypocrite or inauthentic. I havent been able to talk about it up until now, and then it felt like, you sort of owe it to yourself. And I just hoped that out of two hours and however many minutes, the one brief story  I mean, I knew its going to be clickbait  but I was worried that I would get let down again by the press.

AP: It sounds like compartmentalizing was a survival technique for you?

SHIELDS: I think that happens with a child of an alcoholic. You know, you really do learn to compartmentalize. You love a person who is very broken and has a disease that they cannot seem to get under control. But you cant afford to have their love not be real. So you learn, when things felt not in controlI would become very organized, and that sort of was my center, that was my meditation, you know, redoing my Filofax or refolding my socks.

AP: You recently started a company aimed at celebrating womens lives after 40. Why is that important to you?

SHIELDS: I decided at an early age that if I was going to speak about anything, it was going to be about things that I believe that could help other people. Over the years Ive thought, how can I not feel alone? I can share my story and Im sure theres someone else who can identify with it. Before COVID I was healthy and I was working out a lot and I felt good. I was feeling so easy about things. My kids are all right. I like my life. Im proud of it.

The irony was that whenever I looked outside of myself, there wasnt anything addressing me. You know, your agents tell you, Well, youre of a certain age... Im not dead and I dont have one foot in the grave, come on! I was shocked. You have to own how hard it is just to get to this age, and with your wits about you, and good people in your life and how much more there is.

AP: What are your dreams now?

SHIELDS: To be in another television show. I really want to find the right (one) because Suddenly Susan to me was such a revelation and it was the happiest time for me. And I want to feel that whole thing again because it was a very healthy, pure place for me to be. And I really, really loved it.
Erika Goldring/WireImage

The Red Hot Chili Peppers are bringing their world tour to San Antonio in May and cheap tickets are still available. The 2023 Tour is celebrating the band's two studio albums that released last year, Unlimited Love and Return of the Dream Canteen, and a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Song for "Black Summer."

The Red Hot Chili Peppers announced the tour in December, with the San Antonio stop at the Alamodome set for May 17, with The Strokes and Thundercat. The Red Hot Chili Peppers will also perform in Houston at Minute Maid Park on May 25, before heading overseas for the European leg of the global tour.
We know San Antonio loves a deal, especially when it comes to good eats! $10 Taste is a series from MySA where we look for the most affordable and tasty meals across San Antonio that are 10 dollars or less.

A restaurant doesn't stick around for nearly 40 years in San Antonio without proving its worth. In the case of 37-year-old Acadiana Cafe, family-friendly vibes and good food at an affordable price have contributed to the restaurant's longevity. Before today, I had never been to the cafe, but I knew I had to change that after learning about its The 9's menu, which features nine entree plates that are each $9.99 or less.

Acadiana Cafe gets its name from the region of Louisiana known as Cajun Country, and the cafe's offerings reflect that, with a host of Cajun and Southern menu items, most of which are represented on The 9's, like fried catfish, jambalaya, and red beans and rice. Whether you label it a Cajun, Southern, or seafood restaurant, Acadiana Cafe is all of that and more.

Polly Anna Rocha

When I dropped in earlier this week, the thing that struck me first, aside from the charming kitsch sprawled across the restaurant's walls, was Reba McEntire belting out her iconic single "Fancy" from the overhead speakers. The scene was set as I was led into the dining room, which reminded me of a barn-style house with its high vaulted ceilings and wooden accents.

After being led to my table, I was handed two paper menus from the server, and my eyes found their way to Acadiana Cafe's list of The 9's. Despite the low price points, the restaurant has a wide variety of bread and side options to pair with each entree, giving diners more than enough bang for their bucks. In fact, when I counted them all up, there were 14 different sides and three different types of bread, so the options felt kind of limitless.

Polly Anna Rocha

With that in mind, I decided on the fried pork chop, with chicken and dumplings and red beans and rice as my two sides and a slice of cornbread, which all came with the $9.99 plate. Though it didn't come included in the meal, I ordered a sweet tea, because it just felt right, and I gave a few happy sips as I waited for my food.

The fried pork chop showed up on a oval plate surrounded by three small dishes, one with the chicken and dumplings, one with the red beans and rice, and a smaller one with a portion of gravy. The cornbread came on a separate dish as there was simply no room otherwise.

Polly Anna Rocha

As I worked my way through each dish, I found it hard to point out any highlights, as every bite I took under Acadiana Cafe's roof was satisfying and full of flavor. The only things left when I was done were tiny a couple of small bones and the tiniest bit of cornbread because I ran out of room.

Acadiana Cafe could easily charge much more than what I paid for my meal, and it would still be worth it, but at $9.99, it's one of the best deals in the city. Better yet, the restaurant honors all of its prices on The 9's all day, every day, so whether it's lunchtime or dinner, you can always get your $10 Taste at this longtime San Antonio establishment.

Find it: 1289 SW Loop 410, San Antonio, TX 78227
James Nielsen/Houston Chronicle

After being stable for 15 years in a small East Texas town, a massive sinkhole is growing again once again. Liberty County officials confirmed the hole has reopened in a Monday, April 4, news release. The sinkhole is in Daisetta, Texas, which is between Houston and Beaumont.

City officials said they were made aware of the sinkhole's expansion on Sunday, April 3. They notified residents in the immediate area of the situation and said they also contacted the offices of the Liberty County Judge, the Liberty County Fire Marshall, and the Texas Division of Emergency Management.
kali9/Getty Images/iStockphoto

A video that surfaced on Twitter Sunday afternoon shows a security outside a night club on the Far Westside pick up a woman and body slam her onto parking lot asphalt. The video shows other women fighting in a parking lot the night of Saturday, April 1, outside Privat Social Club at the intersection of Vance Jackson Road and UTSA Boulevard.

The beginning of the video focuses on the women fighting in the parking lot until the person filming pans over to see the security guard pick up the unidentified woman and slam her down onto the asphalt surface, sending her money flying onto the ground as well. A man pushes the security guard away as the woman lies on the ground. The security guard tells the man who pushed him to "Watch out."
Drazen_/Getty Images

It's time to pack your bags San Antonio, you've got new nonstop flights to catch. On Tuesday, April 4, the San Antonio International Airport (SAT) announced it would be increasing its nonstop flight offerings to meet growing demand.

The announcement comes ahead of the busy summer travel season, which the airport is expecting to be their busiest to date, and a few weeks after SAT said it was adding nonstop flights to Baltimore and Fort Lauderdale through Spirit Airlines. The flights included in this lineup stretch from coast to coast and can also take travelers to international destinations in Mexico.
Have you ever wanted to try kayaking, but didn't know where to begin? Do you want to get out on the water, but don't have your own kayak? You're in luck! Missouri State Parks is offering to teach you how to paddle and have a safe, enjoyable time on the water.

This summer, park team members will be offering kayaking instruction at select Missouri state parks across the state. This will be a great opportunity to try something new and experience some of Missouri's lakes. We supply the equipment and the expertise. You supply the enthusiasm and an eagerness to discover nature and a new skill.

St. Joe State Park is offering classes June 7 and June 8. Registration starts April 26.

Missouri State Parks provides all the equipment for the lessons, including:

Kayaks and paddles.

Life jackets. Missouri State Parks recommends you bring your own life jacket for this program, because this is the safest option. However, life jackets will be provided if you need to borrow one to participate.

Experienced instructors.

Participants are asked to bring:

A good attitude and willingness to learn.

Appropriate swimwear and footwear.

Participants must be at least 10 years of age. Children ages 10-14 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian during the entire program. Program participants up should be comfortable around water. Please note, this event will be held in a Missouri state park and all rules and regulations apply. This is a family-oriented event; alcohol and tobacco products are not allowed while participating in the Learn2 Paddle program.

The class registration fee is $5 per participant; registration is required. This year we will host multiple events at nine parks across the state: Finger Lakes, Ha Ha Tonka, Wakonda, St. Joe, Knob Noster, Annie and Able Van Meter, Stockton, Thousand Hills, and Crowder state parks. Please visit: mostateparks.com/learn2paddle for dates and registration.

For more information on state parks and historic sites, visit mostateparks.com. Missouri State Parks is a division of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.
Courtesy photo

The Bexar County Sheriff's Office has been working with the Northside Independent School District after social media threats were made against two campuses over the weekend, according to a Facebook post from the department on Monday, April 3.

On Sunday, April 2, a parent posted on Nextdoor a screenshot of a social media post threatening to shoot up Bernal Middle School on Monday. Officials with Bernal Middle School said the campus was also made aware of a bomb threat that would take place on the same day, according to its Facebook page.
Education Images/Education Images/Universal Image

Texas law enforcement is asking the public for help finding a group of suspects at the center of a makeup haul turned criminal. The San Marcos Police Department is asking Central Texas residents to look out for a group of young women who allegedly shoplifted thousands of dollars of beauty merchandise and may have been involved in similar crimes at other stores in the Texas Hill Country.

In a Facebook post shared Friday, March 31, San Marcos police alerted the public about a January 30 incident in which a group of young women walked into an Ulta store, located within a shopping center at 750 Barnes Drive, and concealed approximately $6,000 worth in merchandise from the beauty store.
Update: Tuesday, April 4, at 3:30 p.m.

The National Weather Service is reporting forecasted thunderstorms Tuesday, April 4, have moved slightly to the north and are anticipated to start in the evening and last into Wednesday morning, April 5. NWS is saying the risk of damaging wind and large hail remains a primary threat, and there is also a small risk for tornados.

Storms will be at their most severe from 3 a.m. to 7 a.m. Areas with the highest risk are along the I-35 corridor to the north of New Braunfels. However, affected areas include all of Bexar County and far into the Texas Hill Country.

National Weather Service

In addition to the storms, NWS has been keeping tabs on the fire weather watch it issued for San Antonio and parts of the Texas Hill Country. As of roughly 3 p.m. on Tuesday, the watch has been upgraded to a red flag warning, which remains in effect until Wednesday afternoon.

National Weather Service

To reduce the risk of wildfires, NWS asks people to: Dispose of cigarettes and matches properly; make sure vehicle parts do not drag on the ground; do not park a recently driven car on dry grass due to heat from the car; do not use a lawn mower on weeds or dry grass; and avoid outdoor burning and obey burn bans.

Original story:

As a mild cold front moves into South-Central Texas, San Antonio and parts of the Hill Country could see a few severe thunderstorms Tuesday evening. According to NWS, the storms have the potential to produce damaging winds and large-size hail.

While thunderstorms are possible Tuesday, NWS is forecasting rain for Wednesday, April 5, NWS says widespread rainfall over the eastern half of South-Central Texas, which includes San Antonio and the Hill Country, could arrive by Wednesday night and last through Friday, April 7.

San Antonio and nearby cities like New Braunfels could see anywhere from 2 to 3 inches while Austin and Kyle pose the risk of getting up to 2 inches of rain. Cities like Hondo and Fredericksburg could see as much 2 inches of rain.

Apart from the potential for much needed showers, areas in South-Central Texas are seeing dryer weather and wind gusts of up to 40 mph resulting in a fire danger warning. As of around 2 a.m., NWS has placed Langtry under a red flag warning. Neighboring areas Rocksprings and Kerrville have been placed under a grassfire danger warning by NWS. The risk for fire events start at 1 p.m. and should last until 7 p.m. on Tuesday.

Those aren't the only areas of South-Central Texas facing the potential for dangerous fire conditions. Places such as San Antonio, Uvalde, Pleasanton, Austin, Kerrville, Kyle, and Fredericksburg are under a fire weather watch that NWS issued Monday.
Full Goods Diner, one of the newest restaurants at Pearl, models itself off an old-fashioned diner, but no one could accuse it of being old-fashioned.

Its menu offers many of the classic diner favorites  but with a twist. Take the toast, for example. Customers can choose between cinnamon with whipped mascarpone and walnut streusel, ricotta with grilled poblano chutney and pomegranate gastrique, or avocado with cabbage, pepitas and cotija cheese.

The steak and eggs has peanut salsa macha on it. There is a smoked trout plate and a mango chili lime pop tart. Along with plain coffee, the restaurant serves cappuccinos, macchiatos and cortados, as well as chai lattes and various cocktails, including a margarita verde and a blood orange spritz.

On ExpressNews.com: Brian Strange makes his mark as third generation running family catering business

Part-owner Ryan Harms and executive chef Patrick Jackson describe themselves as fans of traditional diners. They aim to elevate that time-honored, all-American concept to the level of fine dining.

They first applied the idea at Full Goods sister restaurant, Paperboy, which Harms, a local entrepreneur, created as a food truck in Austin in 2015. A few years later, he persuaded Jackson to come on board; they had worked together at a restaurant in Santa Barbara, California, called The Lark.

In 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic raged, Paperboy moved into a specially built brick-and-mortar space on 11th Street east of Austins downtown.

I just saw this gap between daytime-concept restaurants and this fine-dining background that I come from, with a really high level of service, execution of food, everything made from scratch, Harms said. My thought was, if you smashed those two things together and created something really special, that was just dedicated to the daytime, that didnt cut corners, theres a market for that.

In developing Full Goods, they collaborated with Potluck Hospitality, which spun off from Pearl in 2021 and is an investor in the restaurant. Harms moved his family to San Antonio, his hometown, so he could open and run it; Jackson remains in Austin.

They recently sat to discuss the difficulties of opening a new restaurant, what its like running one in San Antonio versus Austin, and why there seem to be fewer diners around these days. The following has been edited for brevity and clarity.

Q: Ryan, how did you become a restaurateur?

Ryan: I worked my way all through high school and college in restaurants, and kind of fell in love with them. I always say, You have to want it. If you really want to do the restaurant thing, you need to want it pretty bad, because its hard work. Its not for everybody. But I love the work. I love the people that are in this industry. I love this sort of rawness that the hospitality industry has to it.

Q: Why did you move from California back to Texas? Did Texas seem like a better place to start a business?

Ryan: I realized that it was my home. And its an easier place to start a business  thats correct. Much easier, in probably every way.

Q: How did you come to open Paperboy?

Ryan: I moved here with the goal of raising a bunch of money and opening that restaurant. Then I realized, OK, I probably need to prove the concept. I dont have a million dollars in my back pocket to do this. So I started with a trailer. I proved it out from there. But from day one, everything was really scratch. We brought in raw potatoes. Even in the trailer, we started baking all of our own bread, biscuits, jam.

Q: Have you always loved diners?

Ryan: Ive always loved the idea of elevating simple things. Yeah, Im a big breakfast man. I would make my breakfast in the morning growing up. That was something we did as a family.

Patrick: We have regulars that come three, four, five times a week. I think thats the main thing with diners. Its comforting. Sit down, Im gonna get hash browns and eggs and bacon, and its gonna be good.

On ExpressNews.com: Chef Jaime Gonzalez brings Mexican and Chinese heritage to menu at Carriqui

Ryan: I think the thing that Pat and I share  which is why weve really enjoyed working together  is (we want to) create something thats really special, but that feels really nice and is still approachable.

Q: Are there fewer diners around than there used to be?

Patrick: Seems to be.

Ryan: For sure. Thats my perception.

Q: Why, do you think?

Ryan: When you have a daytime restaurant, a lot of its based on volume. Like, you have to fill the restaurant. When you run a dinner service, you might turn the restaurant a couple of times and youve done it for the night. At a daytime restaurant, our turn-times are 45 minutes to an hour. When I was first concepting this idea, I had a lot of pushback from mentors and folks that said, Theres a lower price point. Youre not selling as much alcohol. You know  all these things that restaurants lean on, you dont have as many of those. So from my perspective, its a big risk because you have to get twice as many bodies through the door to make the same amount of revenue. That comes to mind. Its a harder thing to pull off.

Patrick: I think the expectation from consumers might be a little different now than it was 20, 30, 40 years ago. People are looking for a different type of product, a different style of service, that maybe that classic diner doesnt deliver on. I love going to a diner and like getting certain type of food and certain type of service. Im super-happy with that, but maybe most people arent.

Ryan: People are on the go now. The mornings, maybe, have shrunk a bit. Its more of an ethos  like, I wake up, take the morning a little bit slowly, read the paper, have my coffee. Thats kind of how we want our restaurants to feel. So we dont introduce a lot of technology at the table. We want people to feel like they can slow down.

Q: I hate going to restaurants where you have to scan a QR code.

Ryan: Yeah. When we opened Paperboy in 2020, that was one of the conversations we had. We want people to experience this like a restaurant  paper menus. That was one of the big things we did: no QR codes. Its not that we wont do that in the future, that thats not a good idea, but our idea is to reduce that.

Q: Your restaurant has been open less than six months. Thats probably a difficult time to get through.

Ryan: For sure. I mean, theres always that opening period where your staff is super excited and everythings new and fresh. Then, as you get into the nitty-gritty, you learn whats working and whats not, and you adjust. Since weve opened, weve learned a lot. Weve gotten a lot better in a lot of ways. Were excited to grow. We have a long way to grow. Weve just introduced evenings, this month. Were really excited to expand our hours as time goes on.

Q: How did you end up at Pearl?

Ryan: Robby Grubbs, the owner of Local Coffee, were friends with him. He made the intro to the folks at Pearl  to Elizabeth (Fauerso), who runs Potluck now. We just started kicking the idea around. I think they thought something like this would be really great here. As you probably know, Pearl likes to have very unique things to itself here. They have a really unique sense of place. Our thought was, OK, lets take what we did at Paperboy, have that sense of place at Pearl.

Q: Is the menu very different from Paperboy?

Patrick: Yeah, definitely. Theres some signature items that we pulled from Paperboy to fill some spots that we think are just really, really great items. But most of the menu is completely different. A little bit more Tex-mex flair; were a little further south, so trying to lean on that. Our chef de cuisine, his wife is from the (Rio Grande Valley); hes pulling a bunch of recipes from that region.

Ryan: Its a nod to Paperboy, for sure. We have the Paperboy pancakes on this menu, because its the special pancake we make there, and it had to be here.

Q: Could you talk about how you formed the menu? You take a classic diner dish and give it a twist, right?

Patrick: We try to start with that general idea  you know, like a hash brown. What does that look like? Lets try to just tweak one item. So we decide to put cheddar cheese in our hash brown. Oh, thats really good. Maybe we form them into little puffs and fry them. It just morphs into a completely different dish, starting at one little change, and that might flip another switch  a domino effect. Then we just try to execute at a really high level. Sometimes, thats the difference.

Q: You have an open kitchen  another classic diner thing.

Ryan: Its very much oriented to the front door, so you walk in the front door and you have a direct line of sight to the kitchen. Even the walls curve toward it. We want the kitchen to be a part of the experience. Its about the guests, but its also about the team. We want the team to be able to experience the restaurant as well, as theyre working.

Q: How is it different operating a restaurant in San Antonio versus Austin?

Ryan: The short answer is were still learning that. Were slowly starting to figure out the trends, how people dine and how people move through the city. Austin is a city that has a ton of tourism. It has its own people and its own system, but we see so much business from out of town. That just creates a totally different dynamic. In San Antonio, it seems a more homegrown feel. I think being at Pearl is unique because you do get that tourist business. You get these huge groups of people, families or friends. At Paperboy, we never get a party of 12 that walks up; here it happens every weekend. Theres just this larger group, family atmosphere that is really fun.
OVER 16 000 Zimbabweans have signed a petition calling on police to arrest Zimbabwes ambassador-at-large, Uebert Mudzanire, alias Uebert Angel, after he was implicated in an alleged money laundering and gold smuggling scam by international news channel, Al Jazeera.

The petitioners also want the British government to freeze Angels assets.

The petition was initiated by a United Kingdom-based Zimbabwean, Cathy Fikile Tshezi.

The president of Zimbabwe Miners Federation (ZMF) Henrietta Rushwaya (Emmerson Mnangagwas niece) and Uebert Angel have been involved in money laundering and smuggling gold out of Zimbabwe to Dubai, the petition read.

There are other nationalities involved in this cartel. As Zimbabweans, we strongly believe that all assets in the United Kingdom that belong to Eubert Angel should be frozen as theres is evidence that they were acquired illegally. It is now time for all Zimbabweans all over the world and those who sympathise with us to bring this to an end, and we take action by signing a petition that Uebert Angel has to be arrested for the crimes he has committed. The billions that are laundered and gold smuggled can help build back the economy of Zimbabwe.

The Anti-Corruption Trust of Southern Africa (ACT-SA) also called on Zimbabwean authorities to stop politicising the Al Jazeeras Gold Mafia documentary.

ACT-SA is deeply disturbed by spirited efforts from some politically exposed persons (PePs), their sympathisers and other authorities who are politicising Al Jazeeras expose, an ACT-SA statement reads.

Instead, the expose should be taken positively to inform investigations and bring to book all those fingered in the scandal. The stance taken by some PePs and authorities shows clearly the lack of political will to fight corruption, yet the level of corruption exposed by Al Jazeera has the potential of bleeding the Zimbabwean economy. The amounts of money lost through the Gold Mafia are too huge and would have significantly improved the ailing Zimbabwean economy.

 NewsDay

Breaking News via Email
Less than three months after the beleaguered business that owns and operates the Brasserie Saison restaurant said it planned to expand its operations, it has halved its dining room on Charlottesvilles Downtown Mall.

A Now Leasing sign hangs on the western side of the property at 107 E. Main St. and a representative for landlord Woodard Properties confirmed to The Daily Progress on Monday that it was searching for a new tenant for the space.

Charlottesville-based Champion Hospitality Group, which owns the Franco-Belgian Brasserie Saison, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Daily Progress on Monday, and the telephone number previously used by owner Hunter Smith appears to have been disconnected.

Champion, which is the parent company of other local establishments including Champion Brewing Company and Latin eatery Passiflora, has come under fire in recent months for not paying vendors or staff.

The entire dining room at Brasserie Saison was temporarily closed in early March. Smith told The Daily Progress at the time that the closure was part of a reorganization and not because of claims from current and former employees that the company stood in arrears to both its workers and its vendors.

Smith opened Brasserie Saison in 2017 at 111 E. Main St. In 2020, he also moved in next door at 107 E. Main St., the former Verdigris clothing store, which he planned to use as a superette, or small supermarket, to serve as a casual, strictly takeout spot.

The time is perfect for the Superette, which will allow customers to get a nice bottle of wine and a sandwich to go, while takeout is the order of the day, and beyond, Smith told the C-ville Weekly publication at the time.

That vision never came to fruition, and the space has rather established itself as an extended dining room and gathering space for Brasserie Saison customers.

Leasing agents at Woodard Properties say Brasserie Saison will keep the kitchen that was once shared between the two spaces. Plans for the empty superette space will not be announced until the new tenants take over, according to Woodard.

Because of our privacy policy, I cant go into any information about the tenants and what their plans are, but right now were actively marketing the one half for lease and we dont know what the next tennants plans will be, Tanashia Washington, director of commercial leasing at Woodard Properties, told The Daily Progress on Monday. "We just have been marketing it as available flex retail space.

Flex space can be loosely defined as any real estate that has some sort of combination of warehouse space as well as office or retail space, Washington said.

Washington said she does not expect the property to be listed on the Woodard Properties website for long, citing inquiries and applications from interested parties shes already received.

Washington said Woodard is open to leasing the property to anyone who applies.

The propertys future tenants are looking at a 2,000-square-foot space rented for $3,182.70 per month.

In the meantime, Smith and Champion Hospitality Group continue to face claims that vendors and employees have gone unpaid  and worries that the entire operation may fold.

It was as recently as January when Smith, facing accusations that he had not paid vendors, told The Daily Progress he was planning to expand the Brasserie Saison operations on the Downtown Mall.

At the time, Marijean Oldham, then working as a spokeswoman for Champion Hospitality Group, confirmed that the business owed multiple vendors money for work they performed last year.

In early March, after Brasserie Saison temporarily shuttered its entire dining room, allegations were lodged that Smith and Champion had not paid employees as well.

Smith flatly denied those claims.

There are not employees who have not been paid, he told The Daily Progress via email.

But current and former employees, including Brasserie Saisons former executive chef Chris Humphrey, said otherwise.

All I can really say is that employees and vendors were not being paid on time, said Humphrey, who cited the lack of payment for his reason to leave Brasserie Saison.

Humphrey has since joined the kitchen at Whiskey Jar, a popular Southern restaurant also on the Downtown Mall.
Lambert apologizes profusely for missing Water Cooler Monday, a time-slip  in his mind, it was Sunday. He is mortified and attributes it to a 100 year flood-level disturbance in the force. As you can see from the too-often unhinged behavior of what passes for our elites, theres a lot of upset out there. Its hard not to have it affect you if you wind up watching it regularly.

I wonder if some voodoo-using PMC members (the same sort that shut down Lamberts Twitter account) put a hex on him, since this unprecedented lapse was particularly ill timed.

Lambert had just launched his Water Cooler fundraiser on Saturday. It now stands at 160 donors (42.6%) of goal, despite Lamberts absence. Admittedly a weekend start would tend to draw out the responses, but Lambert needs those of you who have not yet responded to his appeal to act.

If you have not yet donated but read Water Cooler regularly, please do your part to keep Lamberts hamster wheel turning! The Tip Jar is here. Thanks so much!

* * *

Scientists film deepest ever fish on seabed off Japan CNN (Kevin W)

Are Ancient Phallic Objects  Exactly What They Look Like? Atlantic (Anthony L)

Physicists Created Slits In Time and Discovered Unexpected Physics Vice

Room-temperature superconductors could revolutionize electronics  an electrical engineer explains the materials potential The Conversation. Userfriendly: Huge if it pans out.

Bayer sues four Missouri farmers for illegally spraying dicamba, saving and replanting seeds from the companys genetically-engineered crops Investigate Midwest (Robin K)

Xanax and Adderall Access Is Being Blocked by Secret Drug Limits Bloomberg

What Did Aspasia Really Look Like? Antigone Journal (Anthony L)

Remembering Rumpole Quillette (Anthony L)

#COVID-19

Climate/Environment

China?

La belle France

New Not-So-Cold War

Syraqistan

Saudi crown prince pushing hard to realign Mideast dynamics Middle East Online

Imperial Collapse Watch

If you read the thread below, one thing Pilkington misses is banks have never much been in the business of HOLDING, as opposed to making, loans to private equity portfolio companies. They are syndicated, with the syndicator retaining little to none. The loans are sold to junk credit funds (the kind you can buy as a retail investor), sometimes to CLOs (which are better structures than CDOs) and those CLOs are then often sold to institutional investors.with private equity credit funds playing a much bigger role over time.

2/ One area that @RanaForoohar does not discuss is private credit. The industry is something of a black box but theres some suggestions that theyre dipping their beak into the real estate market. Theyre also lending to private equity firms that may be in the sector. pic.twitter.com/TSQK2yL4Qx  Philip Pilkington (@philippilk) April 3, 2023

Trump

Biden

Bidens Lackluster Diplomatic Record Daniel Larison. Lockluster is remarkably charitable.

Why Renee DiResta Leads The Censorship Industry Michael Shellenberger (Li)

Abortion

Gunz

Firearms are the Leading Cause of Death for Children in the United States But Rank No Higher Than Fifth in Other Industrialized Nations KFF (resilc)

No charges for Texas man who tracked down and executed man who stole his truck Boing Boing. Resilc: Waste of money to try him in Texass.

Rotten Banks

AI

The Bezzle

Billionaire investor Leon Cooperman rings the recession alarm and says commercial real estate is next in the crosshairs of global banking turmoil Business Insider

Class Warfare

up to 15 million people were casually thrown off medicaid this week and basically no one in TV media noticed or cared. I wrote about how bipartisan gutting of "pandemic-era" aid barely gets a mention in US media because its victims are obscure and poor. https://t.co/vUdmUpTaH4  Adam H. Johnson (@adamjohnsonNYC) April 3, 2023 Fiscal policy can always protect employment, incomes and business solvency if there is political will Bill Mitchell

Antidote du jour. Timotheus: A Minnesota backyard April 1.

See yesterdays Links and Antidote du Jour here.
Yves here. Medea Benjamin and Nicholas Davies explain how American ignorance and jingoism, even at supposedly elite levels, allow neocons to continue to foment war, despite their record of failure.

By Medea Benjamin and Nicolas J. S. Davies, the authors of War in Ukraine: Making Sense of a Senseless Conflict, published by OR Books in November 2022. Medea Benjamin is the cofounder of CODEPINK for Peace, and the author of several books, including< Inside Iran: The Real History and Politics of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Nicolas J. S. Davies is an independent journalist, a researcher with CODEPINK and the author of Blood on Our Hands: The American Invasion and Destruction of Iraq

President Xi of China at the head of the table at a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

Photo credit: DNA India

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.  Matthew 5:9

In a brilliant Op-Ed published in the New York Times, the Quincy Institutes Trita Parsi explained how China, with help from Iraq, was able to mediate and resolve the deeply-rooted conflict between Iran and Saudi Arabia, whereas the United States was in no position to do so after siding with the Saudi kingdom against Iran for decades.

The title of Parsis article, The U.S. Is Not an Indispensable Peacemaker, refers to former Secretary of State Madeleine Albrights use of the term indispensable nation to describe the U.S. role in the post-Cold War world. The irony in Parsis use of Albrights term is that she generally used it to refer to U.S. war-making, not peacemaking.

In 1998, Albright toured the Middle East and then the United States to rally support for President Clintons threat to bomb Iraq. After failing to win support in the Middle East, she was confronted by heckling and critical questions during a televised event at Ohio State University, and she appeared on the Today Show the next morning to respond to public opposition in a more controlled setting.

Albright claimed, ..if we have to use force, it is because we are America; we are the indispensable nation. We stand tall and we see further than other countries into the future, and we see here the danger to all of us. I know that the American men and women in uniform are always prepared to sacrifice for freedom, democracy and the American way of life.

Albrights readiness to take the sacrifices of American troops for granted had already got her into trouble when she famously asked General Colin Powell, Whats the use of having this superb military youre always talking about if we cant use it? Powell wrote in his memoirs, I thought I would have an aneurysm.

But Powell himself later caved to the neocons, or the fucking crazies as he called them in private, and dutifully read the lies they made up to try to justify the illegal invasion of Iraq to the UN Security Council in February 2003.

For the past 25 years, administrations of both parties have caved to the crazies at every turn. Albright and the neocons exceptionalist rhetoric, now standard fare across the U.S. political spectrum, leads the United States into conflicts all over the world, in an unequivocal, Manichean way that defines the side it supports as the side of good and the other side as evil, foreclosing any chance that the United States can later play the role of an impartial or credible mediator.

Today, this is true in the war in Yemen, where the U.S. chose to join a Saudi-led alliance that committed systematic war crimes, instead of remaining neutral and preserving its credibility as a potential mediator. It also applies, most notoriously, to the U.S. blank check for endless Israeli aggression against the Palestinians, which doom its mediation efforts to failure.

For China, however, it is precisely its policy of neutrality that has enabled it to mediate a peace agreement between Iran and Saudi Arabia, and the same applies to the African Unions successful peace negotiations in Ethiopia, and to Turkeys promising mediation between Russia and Ukraine, which might have ended the slaughter in Ukraine in its first two months but for American and British determination to keep trying to pressure and weaken Russia.

But neutrality has become anathema to U.S. policymakers. George W. Bushs threat, You are either with us or against us, has become an established, if unspoken, core assumption of 21st century U.S. foreign policy.

The response of the American public to the cognitive dissonance between our wrong assumptions about the world and the real world they keep colliding with has been to turn inward and embrace an ethos of individualism. This can range from New Age spiritual disengagement to a chauvinistic America First attitude. Whatever form it takes for each of us, it allows us to persuade ourselves that the distant rumble of bombs, albeit mostly American ones, is not our problem.

The U.S. corporate media has validated and increased our ignorance by drastically reducing foreign news coverage and turning TV news into a profit-driven echo chamber peopled by pundits in studios who seem to know even less about the world than the rest of us.

Most U.S. politicians now rise through the legal bribery system from local to state to national politics, and arrive in Washington knowing next to nothing about foreign policy. This leaves them as vulnerable as the public to neocon cliches like the ten or twelve packed into Albrights vague justification for bombing Iraq: freedom, democracy, the American way of life, stand tall, the danger to all of us, we are America, indispensable nation, sacrifice, American men and women in uniform, and we have to use force.

Faced with such a solid wall of nationalistic drivel, Republicans and Democrats alike have left foreign policy firmly in the experienced but deadly hands of the neocons, who have brought the world only chaos and violence for 25 years.

All but the most principled progressive or libertarian members of Congress go along to get along with policies so at odds with the real world that they risk destroying it, whether by ever-escalating warfare or by suicidal inaction on the climate crisis and other real-world problems that we must cooperate with other countries to solve if we are to survive.

It is no wonder that Americans think the worlds problems are insoluble and that peace is unattainable, because our country has so totally abused its unipolar moment of global dominance to persuade us that that is the case. But these policies are choices, and there are alternatives, as China and other countries are dramatically demonstrating. President Lula da Silva of Brazil is proposing to form a peace club of peacemaking nations to mediate an end to the war in Ukraine, and this offers new hope for peace.

During his election campaign and his first year in office, President Biden repeatedly promised to usher in a new era of American diplomacy, after decades of war and record military spending. Zach Vertin, now a senior adviser to UN Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, wrote in 2020 that Bidens effort to rebuild a decimated State Department should include setting up a mediation support unit staffed by experts whose sole mandate is to ensure our diplomats have the tools they need to succeed in waging peace.

Bidens meager response to this call from Vertin and others was finally unveiled in March 2022, after he dismissed Russias diplomatic initiatives and Russia invaded Ukraine. The State Departments new Negotiations Support Unit consists of three junior staffers quartered within the Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations. This is the extent of Bidens token commitment to peacemaking, as the barn door swings in the wind and the four horsemen of the apocalypse  War, Famine, Conquest and Death  run wild across the Earth.

As Zach Vertin wrote, It is often assumed that mediation and negotiation are skills readily available to anyone engaged in politics or diplomacy, especially veteran diplomats and senior government appointees. But that is not the case: Professional mediation is a specialized, often highly technical, tradecraft in its own right.

The mass destruction of war is also specialized and technical, and the United States now invests close to a trillion dollars per year in it. The appointment of three junior State Department staffers to try to make peace in a world threatened and intimidated by their own countrys trillion dollar war machine only reaffirms that peace is not a priority for the U.S. government.

By contrast, the European Union created its Mediation Support Team in 2009 and now has 20 team members working with other teams from individual EU countries. The UNs Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs has a staff of 4,500, spread all across the world.

The tragedy of American diplomacy today is that it is diplomacy for war, not for peace. The State Departments top priorities are not to make peace, nor even to actually win wars, which the United States has failed to do since 1945, apart from the reconquest of small neocolonial outposts in Grenada, Panama and Kuwait. Its actual priorities are to bully other countries to join U.S.-led war coalitions and buy U.S. weapons, to mute calls for peace in international fora, to enforce illegal and deadly coercive sanctions, and to manipulate other countries into sacrificing their people in U.S. proxy wars.

The result is to keep spreading violence and chaos across the world. If we want to stop our rulers from marching us toward nuclear war, climate catastrophe and mass extinction, we had better take off our blinders and start insisting on policies that reflect our best instincts and our common interests, instead of the interests of the warmongers and merchants of death who profit from war.
As NATO foreign ministers meet in Brussels today (4 April 2023), Finland will become the 31st member of the Alliance. On this very day, in 1949, the Washington Treaty, NATOs founding treaty, was signed in Washington and it is hard to imagine a better way of celebrating our anniversary than to have Finland becoming a full member of the Alliance, said Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. Previewing the meetings of foreign ministers, the Secretary General said that Allies will address NATOs support to Ukraine, security challenges emanating from the Middle East and North Africa, the importance of increased defence investments, and NATOs Indo-Pacific partnerships.
Finland became NATOs newest member today (4 April 2023), upon depositing its instrument of accession to the North Atlantic Treaty with the United States at NATO Headquarters in Brussels. NATO Allies signed Finlands Accession Protocol on 5 July 2022, after which all 30 national parliaments voted to ratify the countrys membership.

We welcome Finland to the Alliance!, said NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, as Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto deposited Finlands instrument of accession with the government of the United States, represented by Secretary of State Antony Blinken. The Secretary General then welcomed Finnish President Sauli Niinisto to NATO Headquarters for a flag-raising ceremony to mark the countrys accession to the Alliance.

Speaking ahead of the ceremony, the Secretary General thanked President Niinisto for his outstanding leadership and for leading Finland into the most successful Alliance in history. I am deeply proud to welcome Finland as a full-fledged member of our Alliance and I look forward to also welcoming Sweden as soon as possible, he said. Joining NATO is good for Finland, it is good for Nordic security and it is good for NATO as a whole, he added. The Secretary General also noted that Finlands accession shows the world that President Putin failed to slam NATOs door shut. Instead of less NATO, he has achieved the opposite; more NATO and our door remains firmly open, he said.

The Finnish national anthem and the NATO hymn were played, as Finlands flag was raised outside NATO Headquarters for the first time, in the presence of President Niinisto, Foreign Minister Haavisto, Defence Minister Kaikkonen, the foreign ministers of all NATO Allies and invitee Sweden. Simultaneous flag-raising ceremonies took place at Allied Command Operations (SHAPE) in Mons (Belgium) and Allied Command Transformation in Norfolk, Virginia (United States). Standing alongside President Niinisto, the Secretary General said: Finland is safer and NATO is stronger with Finland as an Ally. Your forces are substantial and highly capable, your resilience is second to none and for many years troops from Finland and NATO countries have worked side-by-side as partners. From today, we stand together as Allies."
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to NATO Headquarters on Tuesday (4 April 2023) at the start of a two-day meeting of foreign ministers. The Secretary General thanked the United States for its steadfast support to Ukraine, and said that the ministerial will address topics including enduring support to Kyiv, defence investment, cooperation with Indo-Pacific partners, and Chinas assertive behaviour.
The recent James Madison University graduate, whose Halloween 2021 visit to Charlottesville resulted in his spending three days in jail for striking his girlfriend and the police officer who attempted to intervene, was sentenced Monday morning.

The domestic assault, a misdemeanor, brought 23-year-old William Bennett Stimpson a 12-month suspended jail sentence, but bloodying the cop was a felony that means six months of home electronic incarceration, or HEI.

"This basically is house arrest," said retired Judge Richard E. Moore. "You can't go to 7-11, you can't go to movies, you can't go out to dinner with your family."

However, Moore stayed the penalty because Stimpson's lawyer said she would appeal the conviction.

During a daylong trial in late September, a 12-member jury saw body-camera videos of the incident that led to Stimpson's arrest.

After an officer allegedly saw Stimpson deliver an open-hand slap to his girlfriend along University Avenue, the officer approached shouting, "Hey, hey, hey."

Stimpson swung around and attacked the officer. The expletive-filled attack bloodied the officer's nose.

In a post-trial motion, attorney Rhonda Quagliana argued that Moore had improperly excluded evidence she had planned to present at trial about routine police procedures. She asserted that "Hey, hey, hey" didn't suffice because Charlottesville Police Department policy requires officers to announce themselves as officers.

"The fact that the police failed to announce their presence contrary to policy was critical to Mr. Stimpson's argument that he was unaware of their position as officers," Quagliana wrote in a Nov. 4 motion to set aside the verdict.

Moore denied Quagliana's motion on Monday in the moments prior to conducting the sentencing hearing, so Quagliana called two character witnesses including a Stafford neighbor who watched Stimpson grow up.

"He's always been very respectful," testified Toby Brothers, a federal air marshal. "A good kid."

The other witness was Stimpson's older sister, Caroline Lando.

"He was always very gentle with me," Lando testified. "Any time there was any sort of conflict, it was resolved verbally."

The judge took a recess to read nearly a dozen letters that included warm words from two JMU friends, a JMU professor, several childhood friends and a summer job supervisor. One letter from a psychological counselor asserted that Stimpson presents little risk for future aggressive attacks.

"Mr. Stimpson attends sessions with commitment, openness, and a sincere desire for insight," wrote Jeffrey Mazzone of Revelations Counseling. "He shows significant progress as he consistently demonstrates remorse, accountability, change, and compliance with treatment."

"These letters are outstanding; I believe them," said Moore. "It's commendable that so many people would speak out on your behalf."

But then Moore veered in another direction.

"All of your friends have said it was out of character," said Moore. "If I had $10 for each time somebody acted out of character, I could take everyone in here out to lunch. It happens all the time."

Stimpson's lawyer urged HEI, the home electronic incarceration that would allow first-time offender Stimpson to keep his work-from-home job as a finance coordinator for a defense contractor.

Commonwealth's Attorney Joe Platania did not oppose HEI, but he did urge the judge to focus on how Stimpson treated law enforcers, "the men and women who go out every day and put themselves in harm's way."

"I'm not sure we say it enough," said Platania. "It is a tough time to be in law enforcement."

Stimpson, wearing a gray business suit, stood to address the judge about the night of Oct. 30, 2021.

"I absolutely regret what happened," said Stimpson. "I'm ashamed of it."

Moore leaned back in his chair and stared at the ceiling.

"Were there not a mandatory minimum, this is a case where I would give 60 to 90 days," said Moore. "But the statute doesn't allow me to do that."

Virginia law provides a mandatory minimum six-month "confinement" for assaulting an officer, with a maximum of five years.

"Well, this is extraordinary, and I don't do this very often," said Moore. "I will leave it up to the jail."

In other words, Stimpson will likely get HEI instead of any time behind bars.

Moore then pronounced the sentence on the felony charge of assaulting an officer as two years with all but the six-month mandatory confinement suspended, ordered three years of good behavior and one year of probation.

Moore then extolled the virtues of jail.

"A lot of people say jail doesn't do any good," said Moore. "But I get comments and emails saying, 'You putting me in jail was the best thing that ever happened in my life."

For slapping his girlfriend, the misdemeanor to which Stimpson pleaded guilty prior to his Sept. 26 trial, Moore imposed a 12-month sentence, with all 12 months suspended.

"Domestic violence is a huge problem," said Moore.

Watching all this were over a dozen eighth-graders. The students in Vera Volodin's history and government class at Appalachian Christian School traveled from Waynesboro and stayed for the entire hourslong proceeding. And at least one had an opinion.

"I don't think he's gonna learn much from the six months of house arrest," said student Ben Riley. "I think he should have gone to jail for six months."

Moore did not require the defendant to post a cash appeal bond and set the case for review on Oct. 16.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi to NATO Headquarters on Tuesday (4 April 2023).

No other partner is closer and more capable than Japan, he said. The Secretary General welcomed Japans partnership with NATO, noting that security is global and what happens in Europe matters for Asia. He also praised Japans strong support for Ukraine and the countrys decision to open a dedicated diplomatic mission to NATO. These are important steps on our path towards further strengthening our partnership, he added.

Read the full transcript.
NATO Day is commemorated in capitals across the Alliance every year on 4 April, the anniversary of the signing of NATO's founding document, the Washington Treaty, in 1949. For seventy-four years, the Alliance has remained steadfast in its resolve to protect its citizens, defend every inch of its territory, and safeguard freedom and democracy. NATO Day 2023 is particularly historic, with Finland set to become the thirty-first member of the Alliance.

In Brussels, the anniversary is being marked at several monuments throughout the city. In Parc du Cinquantenaire, the NATO flag is flying under the Memorial Arch, and the Montgomery Circle Fountain is illuminated in NATO blue. One of the best known symbols of Belgium, the iconic Manneken Pis statue, is wearing a special NATO Day costume to join the celebrations.

Other Allies are also marking the anniversary with public events including concerts, the illumination of buildings in NATO blue, and public discussions on the importance of NATO. In London, even Larry, the Cabinet Cat at 10 Downing Street, is celebrating by wearing a We are NATO collar.
In a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Commission on Tuesday (4 April 2023), Allied foreign ministers reaffirmed their strong support for Ukraine. Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg noted that Allies will develop a multi-year initiative to help ensure Ukraines deterrence and defence, make the transition from Soviet-era equipment and doctrines to NATO standards, and increase interoperability with NATO.

This demonstrates our long-term commitment to Ukraine and brings Ukraine closer to the Euro-Atlantic family, he said. Allied ministers and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba also discussed the importance of Ukraines continuing reforms. This was the first meeting attended by Finland as a full member of NATO, following their accession earlier in the day. Read the full transcript.
(As delivered)

Good morning.

Today is an historic day.

Because in a few hours, we will welcome Finland as the thirty-first member of our Alliance.

This will make Finland safer and NATO stronger.

And on this very day, in 1949, the Washington Treaty, NATOs founding Treaty was signed in Washington.

And it is hard to imagine a better way of celebrating our anniversary than to have Finland becoming a full member of the Alliance.

NATOs Foreign Ministers meet at a pivotal time for our security.

We see that President Putins war of aggression against Ukraine grinds on.

We will meet in the NATO-Ukraine Commission with the Foreign Minister Kuleba, where we will address how to sustain and ramp up support from NATO and NATO Allies to Ukraine.

Both the urgent needs but also, I expect that Allies will start to develop a more long-term and multi-year programme to assist and support Ukraine.

To help them develop interoperability with NATO Allies.

Move from Soviet era standards, doctrines to NATO standards and then move closer to the Euro-Atlantic family.

We will, tomorrow in our session, address a wide range of different security challenges, including those emanating from the Middle East and North Africa, including the fight against terrorism.

We will discuss how to invest more in defence.

And I expect that when Allies meet at the Summit in Vilnius later on, Allies will agree to have a more ambitious defence investment pledge where we regard 2% of GDP for defence not as ceiling but as a floor, a minimum that we need to spend more in a more dangerous world on our security.



And then, we will also meet with our Asia-Pacific partners New Zealand, Australia, Japan, and South Korea.

Security is not regional, security is global. What happens in Europe matters for the Indo-Pacific, for Asia.

And what happens in Asia matters for Europe.

And the war in Ukraine really demonstrates that with all its global ramifications.



And also when you see that China and Russia are coming more and more closely, that they stand together, work together, it makes it even more obvious that we need to stand together with our partners in the Indo-Pacific.

With that I am ready to take your questions.



NATO Spokesperson, Oana Lungescu:

Associated Press.

Lorne Cook, Associated Press:

Secretary General, Lorne Cook from the Associated Press. Russia said yesterday that it is ready to bolster its presence around Finland. If NATO decides it is going to do something, sending more troops? Is it something that NATO is considering? What can we expect in coming weeks and perhaps months in terms of exercises and other things that might be seen as potentially a provocation?

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg:

So first of all, what we have seen over many years is Russian military build-up also in the north close to Finland, to Norway. And this has taken place over many years in the Kola Peninsula and in the Arctic. And we have not only seen the Russian military build-up but also seen that Russia is willing, and President Putin is willing to use military force against neighbours. Georgia in 2008, then Crimea in 2014, and then the full-fledged invasion of Ukraine last year.

So this is part of a pattern and that is exactly why we have strengthened NATO readiness, our presence in eastern part of the Alliance, and why NATO Allies are investing more also in new, modern capabilities. It was actually the invasion of Ukraine - last year - that led to the decision by Finland and Sweden to apply for a NATO membership. And it just demonstrates that when President Putin had us in the declared goal of the invasion of Ukraine, to get less NATO, he wanted less NATO along his borders, he wanted to close NATO store, no more NATO membership for any more countries in Europe. He is getting exactly the opposite. He is getting more troop, more readiness, more forces, land, sea and air in the eastern part of the Alliance. And he is getting more members, Finland today and also Sweden will become a full-fledged member of the Alliance. Then we are constantly assessing our posture, our presence. We have more exercises, we are more presence also in the Nordic area. But again, this is something which is part of a pattern of NATO has already responded to.

NATO Spokesperson, Oana Lungescu:

ZDF.

ZDF:

Mr. Stoltenberg, what does this mean personally to you? Is this sort of an emotional highlight for your term? And secondly, can you really celebrate when Sweden is not ready to join yet?

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg:

So, I am glad and I am proud to be the Secretary General that can welcome Finland as a full- fledge member of the Alliance. This is important for NATO. It is important for Finland. It is important not least for the Nordic Region and the Baltic region. You can just look at the map and understand how important Finland is for the security in the Nordic and the Baltic region. And then also of course, Finland brings high end capabilities, substantial forces, also advanced defence industry into the Alliance. But personally I am also glad because I am from Norway. I have worked with Finland and Finnish politicians and leaders for many, many years. And of course, not so many years ago, we thought it was unthinkable that Finland would become a member. Now they are a full-fledge member of our Alliance. And that is truly historic an something that demonstrates that Finland is a sovereign, independent country. They make their own decisions. And NATO is an Alliance of democracies, with an open door to democratic sovereign nations, as Finland.

Journalist:

Will the security guarantees of NATO now apply 100% to Finland and what will the difference between Finland and Sweden be in this regard?

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg:

Well, what happens today is that Finland becomes a full-fledged member of the Alliance and that means of course that they will now participate fully as a member in all NATO meetings, activities, military structures, command structure at all parts of NATO, civilian and military structures. But of course, most importantly, is that by becoming a member, Finland will get an ironclad security guarantee. Article Five, our collective defence goals, one for all, all for one will now from today apply for Finland. Then of course, this is something that builds on what has happened over the last year, because when NATO Allies, when the heads of state and government at the Summit in Madrid in June last year, decided to invite Finland, Sweden, then both Finland and Sweden came in much stronger and much better position towards NATO than before. So also Sweden, which has not yet a full-fledged member, its very close in a much better position. As an invitee they participate in NATO meetings, they are integrating into NATO structures. We are developing capability targets taking in account for also Sweden when you do defence planning, so Sweden is also very close to NATO, but of course they haven't that final ratification by all Allies and therefore, not a full-fledged member. [inaudible] Sweden, actually, the question about Sweden is that of course. It is a great day to have Finland as a member. But we will ensure that also Sweden will become a full member. And we have to remember that all Allies agreed to invite them and all Allies have signed the Accession Protocol. What remains when it comes to Sweden is the ratification into parliaments, I'm confident that will happen. I met with President Erdogan a few weeks ago, I also spoke with him on phone recently, and we agreed, of course, first of all to ensure that Finland becomes a full member at that accession process is now finalized for Finland, but we also agreed to restart the process, the meetings or the permanent record mechanism, the meetings of Finland, Sweden, and Turkiye to ensure also that we can make progress on the ratification of Sweden. So Sweden is in a much better place now than before they applied and we will continue to work hard to ensure that we can finalise the ratification process.

Journalist:

Two questions, to follow up on the question before, most of the countries on the eastern flank there are also troops from other countries, will there be troops from other countries also in Finland and the second question, how can NATO be more safe by having a much longer border with Russia? Thank you.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg:

It is Finnish decision whether they will like to have any  there will be no NATO troops in Finland without the consent of Finland. And of course, what we have in many countries is that we have exercises, we have a naval and an air presence and so on but we don't have permanent bases. And this has not been an issue so far in our discussions with Finland. Then they're well the reality is that this is a result of President Putin's war of aggression against Ukraine. And of course Finland also has a history that tells them about the brutality that a war can inflict on the country, like we now see in Ukraine and like Finland during the Winter War in 1930 in 1940. And therefore, when they saw that President Putin didn't not only threaten Ukraine, but actually threatened every nation in Europe that wanted to make their own decisions on joining NATO or not. Then Finland decided to join the Alliance and NATO becomes stronger, Finland become safer by belonging to an Alliance where we guarantee the security of all Allies, the purpose of NATO's deterrence and defence is not to provoke a conflict it is to prevent the conflict and any misunderstanding, any miscalculation, is dangerous. And by becoming a full-fledged member, we are removing the room for miscalculation in Moscow about NATO's readiness to protect Finland and that makes Finland safer and NATO stronger and all of us safer.

Siarhei Pelesa, Belsat TV:

I have a feeling that the NATO's reaction on Putin's declarations about potential nuclear weapon in Belarus, is quite moderate. Don't you think this is a serious threat, or just aggressive rhetoric?

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg:

President Putin's nuclear rhetoric over the last year, and also before the invasion actually, is dangerous and reckless. And we have made that clear again and again. We also made it clear that nuclear war cannot be won and should never be fought. We of course, and NATO remains a nuclear Alliance. And that's part of our, an essential part of our deterrence and defence. And of course, we closely monitor what Russia does. And so far, we haven't seen any changes in Russia's nuclear posture that requires any changes in our posture, but we will remain vigilant. We monitor closely what they do and we will take the necessary steps to always ensure that we have a credible deterrence for all Allies. And again, this is not about provoking conflict. This is about preserving peace, preventing misunderstanding, miscalculations in Moscow about our readiness to protect all Allies. Because together NATO Allies represent 50% of the worlds military might. So as long as we stand together and protect each other and do that in a credible way, then there will be no military attack against a NATO Ally.
(Natural News) Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) has called on several Big Tech companies to disclose information about their interactions with federal agencies.

We obtained a copy of the letter for you here.

(Article by Dan Frieth republished from ReclaimTheNet.org)

Cruz argues that these interactions may have violated First Amendment rights.

His office sent letters to Google, Meta, LinkedIn, Yahoo, Medium, Reddit, Microsoft, Pinterest, and Wikipedia, requesting details about their coordination and communication with federal agencies during the COVID-19 pandemic, specifically in relation to misinformation.

These inquiries follow the Twitter Files, a series of reports on internal Twitter communications that revealed the platforms collaboration with the FBI on misinformation issues.

Cruz has requested information about communications with 23 federal agencies, such as the FBI, CIA, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Justice, and others. He also wants to know if the tech companies sent lists of users to federal agencies for review or if they received requests to monitor accounts.

Furthermore, Cruz is seeking details about the companies interactions with specific government officials, including FBI agent Elvis Chan, former Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Director Chris Krebs, and former Department of Defense General Counsel William Castle.

Read more at: ReclaimTheNet.org
(Natural News) More than 3,000 pounds of beef have been recalled in America due to likely E. coli contamination. The possible infected ground beef, according to the US Department of Agricultures Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), was packed just recently (mid-February, 2023) in corrugated boxes of various weights of the Elkhorn Valley Pride Angus Beef (61226 BEEF CHUCK 2PC BNLS). The Harper, Kansas-based outlet issued the recall after a FSIS inspection revealed STEC 0103 E. coli strain tested positive, but it was too late to stop shipments that went out to retailers, wholesalers, and federal establishments, including institutions, hotels, and restaurants in multiple states, including Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania.

Consumers should dispose of these products or return them to where they were purchased.

STEC 0103 E. coli can cause severe illness and symptoms of infection include vomiting and bloody diarrhea

Conventional meat in America is a scary thing, and this recent incident is just another atrocious example. Consumers should stick to organic, grass-fed beef whenever possible, and make sure it is cooked all the way through, at a minimum temperature of 160 Fahrenheit. Most people who eat infected meat recover after about a week, but some develop hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a type of kidney failure, that can be fatal. This is more common among kids under five years of age and elderly folks with weakened immune systems (think of clot-shot injected people also here).

Got unexplainable bruising and decreased urine output? Does your pee burn? Are you experiencing pressure or pain in the lower abdomen or pelvic region, cloudy or blood-tinged urine, or urine with a strong odor? Did you eat some conventional meat lately?

This would not be uncommon, as more than half-a-million Americans have already suffered from urinary track infections (UTIs) this year, and it happens every year. The conventional meat industry tries to blow it off as nothing to worry about, because its so common, but thats reason to worry even more. From farm to infection, conventional meat leaves much to be desired.

Do not dismiss a bladder infection as a minor annoyance, as the conventional meat industry and FDA would have you do

E. coli infections in the bloodstream kill 40,000 people every year in the USA alone. In fact, antibiotic-resistant E. coli is on the rise, and the more these meat producers inject their cows, chickens, pigs, and turkeys with antibiotics, the more the humans who eat it become vulnerable to infection and immune to the antibiotics helping them beat infection. Its a lose-lose situation, and the humans and animals are all losing in this conventional meat-eating world.

Experts also now warn that E. coli is often resistant to certain antibiotics, because of the massive overuse on farm animals and in hospitals, and that the number of people dying from UTIs and bloodstream infections is increasing. Industrial farming is out of control, and the FDA and USDA are too busy trying to stifle natural supplements and organic medicine to pay attention and help.

These animals on industry farms are trapped in cages and pins, packed too close together, standing and wallowing in their own feces and urine all day, eating infected food, eating GMO feed, and being injected with antibiotics that arent working anymore. All of this corporate-style breeding, living conditions, and slaughtering allows bacteria to mutate rapidly and develop new characteristics that cause worse disease and even more resistance to antibiotics.

Tune your food news frequency to FoodSupply.news and get updates on more toxic foods and food shortages coming to stores near you.

Sources for this article include:

NYpost.com

ZeroHedge.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) Italy has banned the artificial intelligence platform ChatGPT over privacy concerns, and has also launched an investigation over its maker OpenAI.

The Italian Data Protection Authority (IDPA) confirmed the ban on ChatGPT late last month, but clarified that the prohibition is temporary. Once OpenAI complies with the European Unions General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the ban will be lifted. The GDPR is a privacy law in the EU that protects individuals fundamental rights to data protection.

IDPA said on March 20 that ChatGPT had experienced a data breach involving user conversations and payment information. Following the breach, an investigation into OpenAI open was launched with immediate effect.

According to the regulator, there was no legal basis for OpenAI to justify the mass collection and storage of personal data for the purpose of training the algorithms underlying the operation of the platform.

It also accused ChatGPT of failing to check the age of its users. Only people above the age of 13 are supposed to be allowed to access the AI platform, but there is no way for it to verify how old people are. Given this, the IDPA pointed out that ChatGPT exposes minors to absolutely unsuitable answers compared to their degree of development and awareness.

The regulator gave OpenAI 20 days to respond to how it would address the concerns regarding ChatGPT. Failure to respond would subject the San Francisco-based OpenAI to a fine of either 20 million ($21.68 million) or up to four percent of its annual revenues.

Italys move to ban ChatGPT makes it the first Western country to do so, according to the BBC. Other countries that have blocked the AI platform include China, Iran, North Korea and Russia. (Related: CCP blocks ChatGPT: Party officials fear chatbot will spread American propaganda online.)

OpenAI did not respond to requests for comment sent by the BBC and the Semafor news website.

Serious concerns about ChatGPT growing in Europe

IDPA is not the only data protection authority that moved against ChatGPT. The Irish Data Protection Commission told the BBC that it is following up with its Italian counterpart to understand the basis for its action. The regulator added that it will coordinate with all EU data protection authorities in connection to the ban.

The Information Commissioners Office (ICO) said that while it supports developments in AI, it is also ready to challenge non-compliance with data protection laws. The ICO handles data privacy regulations in the United Kingdom.

Dan Morgan from cybersecurity rating provider SecurityScorecard said the ban on ChatGPT shows the importance of regulatory compliance for companies operating in Europe.

Compliance with regulations is not an optional extra, said Morgan, who is the senior director for European government affairs at the company. Businesses must prioritize the protection of personal data and comply with the stringent data protection regulations set by the European Union.

Consumer advocacy group BEUC also called on European authorities to investigate ChatGPT and similar chatbots. The groups deputy director-general Ursula Pachl warned that society was currently not protected enough from the harm that AI can cause.

There are serious concerns growing about how ChatGPT and similar chatbots might deceive and manipulate people, she warned. These AI systems need greater public scrutiny, and public authorities must reassert control over them.

Since its launch in November 2022, millions of people have used ChatGPT for various purposes. It can answer questions using human-like language and mimic other writing styles, using the internet in 2021 as its database. Technology giant Microsoft has invested in the AI chatbot, incorporating it into its Bing search engine and announcing plans to include a version on it in Microsoft Office.

However, concerns have arisen about ChatGPT  including its threat to jobs and its potential to spread misinformation and bias. True enough, Europol  the EUs law enforcement agency  expressed concern about the spread of disinformation when data through the chatbot is processed inaccurately.

Watch Brother Nathanael Kapners warning against ChatGPT below.

This video is from the jonastheprophet channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

ChatGPT, the almighty AI, is a neoliberal college graduate.

DEAD RISING: AI-powered ChatGPT to connect the living and the dead.

ChatGPT AI taught to single out hateful content by silencing whites, Republicans and MEN: Research.

Artificial intelligence ChatGPT program successfully passes Bar, medical licensing exams  are machines taking over the world?

Sources include:

Semafor.com

BBC.com

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) Apple has warned on its website support page that consumers using iPhones, especially those with medical devices, should keep their mobile phones away from their bodies because mobile phones emit electromagnetic fields (EMF).

The warning to keep the phones at a safe distance was made because most electronic devices are made with magnets or components that emit EMF, which are invisible areas of energy and are often referred to as radiation.

Under certain conditions, magnets and electromagnetic fields might interfere with medical devices. For example, implanted pacemakers and defibrillators might contain sensors that respond to magnets and radios when in close contact, the company stated. It further advised keeping Apple products more than six inches or 15 centimeters (cm) apart or more than one foot or 30 cm apart if wirelessly charging.

The tech giant also told users to always consult with their physician and their medical-device manufacturer for specific guidelines. If you suspect that your Apple product is interfering with your medical device, stop using your Apple product, the Big Tech company recommended.

The company website listed products containing magnets that could potentially interfere with a medical device. They are:

AirPods and cases

Apple Watch and accessories

HomePod

iPad and accessories

iPhone and MagSafe accessories

Mac and accessories

Beats

Last year, Popular Mechanics reported data from Germanys Federal Office for Radiation Protection, which cited figures for the European Union market. The 2020 Motorola Edge headed the list of radiation emission top offenders among mobile phones. Its radiation level of 1.79 watts per kilogram is flirting with the harmful range.

The Google Pixel 6, iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 12 all have just about 1.00 watts per kilogram of radiation. Samsungs Galaxy S21 Ultra has just 0.71 watts per kilogram of radiation and the Google Pixel 5A has .47 watts per kilogram.

According to the write-up, a dose of two watts per kilogram may be considered the beginning of the harmful range of radiation. This radiation can affect users when talking on the phone while holding the device close to their heads. It can also affect them from inside their pockets or when holding phones in their hands.

The rise of mobile devices has contributed to more convenient communication for people in all corners of the world. However, theres been a lot of concern about the impact of radiation they emit on human health.

According to various studies the electromagnetic waves these phones discharge could impact ones health negatively. Prolonged exposure to radiofrequencies (RF) has a negative impact on fertility and many researchers have associated RF with reduced sperm count, motility and concentration. Also, long exposure reduces brain cells, causing brain cell death in the memory and learning centers of the brain. (Related: New study links cell phone radiation to Alzheimers disease.)

Meanwhile, research papers have demonstrated that wireless signals can damage cognitive abilities such as learning, memory, attention and reaction. Also, excessive use of cell phones can result in high-frequency hearing loss and inner ear damage and may cause a significant risk of tumors on the auditory nerve in the brain.

The World Health Organization (WHO) and International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) have already classified RF-EMF is possibly carcinogenic to humans (Group 2B).

Tips to reduce radiation exposure from mobile phones

To protect people from harmful mobile radiation, Indias DowntoEarth website has listed some precautions to adopt. One is to keep the mobile phone away from the body as it is quite damaging to keep your cell phone in the pocket of your shirt or pants. The best option is to keep the phone in the bag.

It may sound old-school but when in the workplace or at the house, it is recommended to just use the landline phone. The site also recommended turning off the phone or placing it on airplane mode when not in use. It is also recommended to be done before going off to sleep.

When it comes to exposing children to using mobile phones, one good tip is to download the videos already before handing over the phone to them. Putting it on airplane mode as they watch clips would also lessen the risk of radiation exposure in them.

When taking a call, it was suggested to talk to the speaker. It is better to use a hands-free speaker or earphones while talking on the cell phone. One can also keep the phone one-two cm away from the ear. Do not use Bluetooth, DowntoEarth further advised.

Lastly, texting as much as possible is way better than taking a call.

Follow RadiationScience.com to learn more about radiation-emitting devices.

Watch the video below that talks about protecting the body against hazardous EMF radiation.

This video is from the Abdulla channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

5G poses health risks; humans must limit exposure to EMF, RF.

5G rollout must be stopped to avoid widespread exposure to EMF and RF radiation.

Apples new iPhones to come with built-in 5G transmitters AVOID all Apple products or be irradiated.

Internal sources: Apple secretly firing contractors to cut costs despite job security assurances by CEO.

Studies link cell phone radiation to health issues in children and unborn babies.

Sources include:

The-Sun.com

Support.Apple.com

PopularMechanics.com

BFS.de

DownToEarth.org.in

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) Russia has agreed to increase oil supplies to India under a new deal, further chipping away at the dominance of the petrodollar.

Russian oil firm Rosneft confirmed the agreement in a March 29 statement. According to the statement, company CEO Igor Sechin signed a deal with the Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IndianOil) to substantially increase oil supplies as well [as] diversify the grades to India.

Representatives for both companies also discussed the possibilities of making payments in national currencies  the Indian rupee and the Russian ruble  pointing to Moscows efforts to de-dollarize its economy. However, Rosneft did not specify the volumes or the value of the oil supplies it agreed upon with IndianOil.

According to the Hindu, the announcement of the Rosneft-IndiaOil deal came a day after Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novaks proclamation that Moscows oil sales to New Delhi had surged more than 20-fold in 2022. A major producer and a key ally of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, Russia cut crude production by 500,000 barrels per day in March of this year in response to Western sanctions.

Writing for the New American, activist and writer Luis Miguel pointed out that Indias priority is ensuring its own countrys energy independence and not virtue-signaling against Russias actions in Ukraine. He added: Notably, India has not criticized Russia over the Ukraine War and has declined joining in Western sanctions against Moscow.

India is the worlds third-largest importer of crude oil, and began to increase its share of Russian oil imports after the war broke out in Ukraine. This development has come even as the G-7s [Group of Seven] price cap on Russian oil took effect last year.

Miguel ultimately remarked: In other words, like every other country on earth  India is more interested in its own self-interest than it is in supporting the Western establishments globalist ideals. What does New Delhi care about Ukraine and the Wests demonization of Russia so long as it gets the oil it needs to keep its country running?

India a ready market for Russian oil after Western sanctions

Back in December of last year, Reuters reported that India readily bought Russian crude at prices lower than the G-7 cap of $60 per barrel for seaborne crude. It followed the European Unions ban on oil imports from the country, which began on Dec. 5, 2022. As a result, Russian oil producers were forced to look for alternative markets that would purchase their products. (Related: China, India buying Russian crude at 40% discount compared to EU nations.)

Nevertheless, Moscow has stressed it will not abide by the price cap even if it has to cut production of its signature Urals crude. This has left Russian oil producers sending their output to alternative markets and lowering prices to find buyers.

According to Reuters, India is the second-largest consumer of oil in Asia after China. However, the South Asian country is better located to buy Russian crude due to a shorter transport route. Indian refineries are also well-suited to processing Urals crude, and the country also recognizes ships and insurance from Russian entities that are no longer recognized in Europe.

A source with an Indian refiner who requested anonymity said: The market is full of Urals; there is plenty. Many traders are offering Urals cargoes for both December and January delivery. Data from trade sources also attested to this, pointing out that Russia superseded Iraq as the biggest oil supplier to India in November 2022.

Visit FuelSupply.news for more stories about Indias procurement of Russian oil.

Watch this video where former National Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow remarked that Russias oil production is at pre-war levels because of China and India.

This video is from the NewsClips channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Russia to halt oil exports to nations that impose price cap on Russian crude.

US-EU price cap on Russian oil threatens Indias crude imports and economic growth.

Circumventing sanctions: Oil shippers are hiding Russian crude by going dark to avoid backlash.

Russia selling crude oil at massive discounts as regional conflict turns away regular trading partners.

Sources include:

TheNewAmerican.com

TheHindu.com

Reuters.com

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) A lawsuit has been filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) against the Saucon Valley School District, located near Allentown, Pa. after officials denied the After School Satan Club the opportunity to hold its meetings in a district school.

According to The Morning Call, The lawsuit, filed Thursday in U.S. District Court for Eastern Pennsylvania, was expected; the ACLU last month threatened legal action against the district for violating the clubs First Amendment rights, if it continued to prevent the club from hosting meetings.

Sara Rose, deputy legal director of the ACLU of Pennsylvania, said in a statement: The Saucon Valley School Districts decision to cancel the After School Satan Club in response to public opposition sets a dangerous precedent. The First Amendment protects the expression of unpopular or controversial views from government censorship. Once the district opened up school facilities to outside use, it was bound by the First Amendment to grant equal access to all groups, regardless of their religious beliefs or viewpoints.

The club was initially allowed to meet by Superintendent Jaime Vlasaty, but the permission was later rescinded. Vlasaty claimed that the club violated the school board policy by not clearly communicating that it was not sponsored by the school district, The Morning Call reported.

In February, the disclosure that The Satanic Temple, the organization behind the After School Satan Club, planned to rent district premises sparked a weeklong controversy. The period was marred by school shutdowns following a shooting threat linked to the club. A man from North Carolina is currently facing charges in connection with these threats, which mentioned the club specifically, the outlets report continued.

During the week, the superintendent received hundreds of angry emails and there were arguments about the club online. At a school board meeting, dozens of people spoke both in support of and against the club.

In an announcement regarding the decision change, Saucon Valley School Districts legal representative, Mark Fitzgerald, stated that the After School Satan Club initiated a haphazard social media blitz that resulted in chaos and confusion. That, in large part, culminated in the threat that caused schools to close on February 22nd.

The fundamental basis for the School Districts facility use policy is to effectuate the Board of School Directors intentions that the Districts facilities be made available to organizations of the community for various activities so long as the scheduling of those activities does not interfere with the educational program of the District, Fitzgerald said then.

The disruption to the Districts operations resulting from the Clubs violation of this policy undoubtedly interfered with the educational program of the School District, creating a substantial disruption to the education of the Districts students, he added.

The suit claims that the decision to reverse permission for the After School Satan Club to meet in school had nothing to do with board policy but was impermissibly based on TSTs viewpoint and religion.

Pointing to an ASSC permission slip distributed online, the District asserted that the documents explicit disclaimer, which stated that the ASSC is not an activity of the school or the School District, was not large enough, the lawsuit noted further. According to the District, it was this purported failure of font size  and not the Districts email to parents, its Facebook post, or the discriminatory beliefs of District officials or others who objected to the ASSC  that caused the disturbance and prompted the threat. Rather than simply asking TST to change the supposedly deficient disclaimer, however, the District banned the ASSC from using school facilities for the rest of the school year.

Under the First Amendment, the District can no more deny the ASSC access to its facilities than it could eject an after-school Muslim or Jewish club, or the Good News Club, from District schools due to SVSD officials own bias or due to disruption caused by those who oppose the religion or viewpoint of the clubs, the suit contends. Under the First Amendment protected speech or religious exercise (does not) readily give way to a hecklers veto.

Sources include:

MCall.com

NaturalNews.com
The commission is scheduled to meet at 5 p.m. in the public conference room of the Charlottesville Parks & Recreation Administration Office at 501 E. Main St. in Charlottesville. Members of the public can also attend the meeting via Zoom by registering online.
(Natural News) For the past more than a century, a nondescript chemical manufacturing plant in Maywood, N.J., has been secretly producing cocaine for the pharmaceutical industry  the only United States-based facility, in fact, that is allowed to do so by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

The Stepan Company, as it is now called, imports around 500 metric tons of coca leaves per year, according to past records, which are first decocainized and used by the Coca-Cola Company to produce its iconic soda beverage. After the food syrup is produced, the leftover cocaine, worth around $2 billion in an average year, is then sold off to Big Pharma to use in the production of opioid drugs, as well as in the numbing agents and topical analgesics used by dentists on their patients.

It is a highly lucrative operation that functions as a monopoly since nobody else in America is legally allowed to do the same. And the reason this is in the news cycle now is because Stepan recently renewed its petition with the DEA to continue churning out the controlled substance for Big Pharma and Big Industry.

(Related: In 2013, Coca-Cola started pushing soft drinks for breakfast in bid to boost sales and increase profits.)

Why is Coca-Cola allowed to import coca leaves and deal cocaine, but not average Americans?

The DEA will not say specifically how much coca Stepan is importing these days, though we know from 1980s records that the volumes tend to be very high. Anywhere from 56 to 588 metric tons of coca, according to The New York Times, is brought in mainly from Peru, but also from Bolivia.

Illustrator and author Ricardo Cortes has been chronicling the history of coca use in cola, as well as the Maywood plants exclusive right to import it. Records he has obtained suggest that anywhere from 45 to 104 tons of coca leaves were imported each year between 2007 and 2010.

Theyre the most American red, white and blue brand, but they dont want to be associated with the drug wars, Cortes is quoted as saying. Theyre doing a refined version of whats going on in the jungle of Bolivia.

Again, nobody else in the U.S. can legally import coca leaves and use them for any purpose besides the Stepan plant and Coca-Cola. It has been illegal to import coca into the U.S. since 1921, in fact, with Stepan and Coca-Cola holding the only exception to that rule.

As a result of this special arrangement, Coca-Cola is now worth hundreds of billions of dollars, thanks to its special allowance to use a controlled substance in its beverages. Big Pharma is also a multi-billion-dollar enterprise, in part for the very same reason.

The Coca-Cola Company, now worth around $265 billion, has imported the controlled substance freely for the last century, reported the Daily Mail. In that time, as governments have strived to crack down on the notorious coca plant, the company miraculously avoided restriction.

Article 27 of the United Nations 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, which imposed strict controls on the cultivation of the coca bush, made suspiciously precise exceptions.

In the section of that convention that covers the illegality of cocaine, a special supplementary information section explains that, in accordance with 21 CFR 1301.34(a), the Stepan Company, located at 100 West Hunter Ave. in Maywood, applied to be registered as an importer of coca leaves.

The company plans to import the listed controlled substance to bulk manufacture other controlled substances for distribution to its customers, that section further reads. No other activities for this drug code is authorized for this registration.

More related news coverage can be found at Twisted.news.

Sources for this article include:

DailyMail.co.uk

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) A Dutch-Canadian father who got injected thrice with the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines now needs a heart transplant following severe heart failure.

Alex van Kooten, 52, was extremely healthy and fit prior to his vaccination. The Netherlands-born van Kooten immigrated to Canada with his parents at the age of nine. He later relocated to Aruba in 2017 with his wife to manage property.

However, the two wanted to visit their adult children in Canada after two years  which coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic. Canada had a vaccine mandate for travelers in place at the time, so van Kooten complied with this by getting his first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in March 2021. He took his second dose in May of the same year, before leaving for a trip to his country of birth. (Related: Canadian government sued over discriminatory air travel vaccine mandate.)

But shortly after arriving, van Kooten experienced heart palpitations and shortness of breath  a surprising development given that he had been an avid hiker in Aruba. His electrocardiogram (EKG) came back clean and palpitations lasted for almost six months, with a physician advising him that symptoms may all be stress-related.

Van Kooten and his wife were able to visit Canada in August 2021 before flying back to Aruba in December of that year. He then took a booster in March 2022 with the intent of visiting the Netherlands and Canada a month later. But upon arriving at his first stop, he ended up at the ICU of the University Medical Center Groningen.

Van Kooten living on borrowed time because of the injections

Days after taking the booster shot, van Kooten became unable to lie down without gasping for air and was barely able to walk 20 feet. He also started gaining weight, which doctors later discovered was caused by water retention. Gaslighting by doctors he visited only contributed to van Kootens suffering, claiming that he needed psychiatric help.

Specialists later found that van Kooten had heart inflammation so severe his aortic valve had completely calcified to a degree normally associated with having major heart issues for years. An unsuccessful surgery left him with a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) in place of his heart to transport blood throughout his body. Van Kooten is also on the waiting list for a heart transplant.

My heart basically stands still, he told Vision Times. My [hearts] left side does not work at all, and theres the [LVAD] pump that does the work.

Doctors have not officially linked his case with a vaccine adverse reaction. Van Kootens ordeal had already drained him of health, energy and financial resources. Worse, the Dutch government has not been helpful.

The 52-year-old had reservations about both the vaccines and the risk of serious illness from COVID-19 for people as healthy as he was. Not knowing when you could resume a normal life  you feel pressured in doing so [getting vaccinated], van Kooten said.

Im living on borrowed time. Im living on a life support system, and definitely with the feeling that Ive been left behind and the government really doesnt care. Doesnt matter that they messed up my life with the vaccines. Ive just got to wait like everybody else as if I have a heart issue that wasnt from, in my opinion, a forced vaccine in order to participate in society.

Watch Stew Peters and Sucharit Bhakdi discuss Princess Bajrakitiyabha of Thailand suffering a heart attack after her COVID-19 vaccination below.

This video is from Diane Sosens channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

G20 globalists push mandatory vaccine passports for all international travel despite fading COVID plandemic.

Canadas vaccine passport to face federal privacy probe.

Canada expands COVID-19 vaccine mandate, violates basic human rights.

Sources include:

LifeSiteNews.com

VisionTimes.com

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) The railroading of former President Donald Trump continued last week when Manhattans George Soros-backed district attorney, Alvin Bragg, indicted him on the flimsiest of charges, but the outrage is about to get worse.

According to reports, the legal team representing Trump anticipates that the Manhattan judge overseeing his case will issue a gag order, which would restrict him from speaking publicly about the case while it is pending trial.

The source told the Daily Mail that the Manhattan judge is expected to take the unprecedented step and could hinder his ability to campaign on the issue of legal corruption during the primary for the 2024 presidential election.

The Trump legal team now thinks that the Manhattan judge will take the unprecedented step of silencing the presidential frontrunner with an unconstitutional gag order tomorrow, the source said. The Trump legal team is considering adding a First Amendment lawyer to the effort to combat this and will fight it all the way.

Steven Cheung, a spokesman for the Trump campaign, responded to the news about a possible gag order, saying that the former president supports freedom of speech and that any attempts to suppress it should be a cause for concern among Americans.

President Trump stands for transparency and our American Constitution, and any attempt to prevent him, the leading candidate for President, from exercising his First Amendment right is a tyrannical, third-world country move which further proves that this is nothing more than a political witch-hunt utilizing a weaponized justice system, Cheung told Breitbart News.

All Americans should be concerned about their rights being violated and any attempt to obstruct President Trumps right to use his voice in order to speak truth to power should never be tolerated. The whole targeted crusade is a complete political farce by the Manhattan DA meant to manipulate and interfere with an election against President Trump and his supporters, he added.

Despite the potential gag order, the former president is still planning to make a speech at Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday evening after voluntarily surrendering himself to the prosecution in New York. If he violates the order, he could face a fine of $1,000 and up to 30 days in jail under New York law, Breitbart News noted.

Trump will hold the event at his Mar-a-Lago club after returning from Manhattan, where he is expected to voluntarily turn himself in. He is expected to be joined in Florida by supporters as he tries to project an image of strength and defiance and turn the charges into a political asset to boost his 2024 presidential campaign, The Associated Press noted.

There have been differing opinions among Trumps aides and lawyers about whether he should speak to reporters after the arraignment, as the news of the indictment caught many of them off guard. While some lawyers would prefer he stay silent, Trump relishes media attention and his campaign believes that the charges have energized his supporters, the AP noted further.

Trumps legal team is planning to immediately file a motion to have the case dismissed on grounds of a lack of evidence.

We will take the indictment. We will dissect it, Trumps attorney Joe Tacopina told CNN on Sunday morning. The team will look at every, every potential issue that we will be able to challenge, and we will challenge. And of course, I very much anticipate a motion to dismiss coming because theres no law that fits this.

Following Braggs indictment last week, several legal observers opined that the prosecutor would seek a gag order.

I think its not only a possibility, but its extremely likely that there will be a gag order in the case, Duncan Levin, a former federal prosecutor with the Department of Justice, told Insider. Gag orders are very common in criminal cases, particularly in cases where there is an enormous amount of pretrial publicity like this one.

Sources include:

Breitbart.com

BusinessInsider.com

DailyMail.co.uk
(Natural News) The next plandemic is already underway. Moderna and two other vaccine developers (GlaxoSmithKline & CSL Seqirus) are already preparing human subjects to take a new mRNA flu vaccine for an upcoming avian influenza pandemic. It is important to note that avian influenza (H5N1) has never posed a threat to mankind, but due to more recent gain-of-function virology experiments, the virus now includes hybrid subtypes that can cross from birds to mammals, and potentially from birds to humans. New strains of bird flu have already crossed from birds to wild mammals and the situation is currently being monitored by governments around the world.

Shayan Sharif, a professor and associate dean with the Ontario Veterinary College recently warned the virus is gathering momentum and becoming more of a human threat. Various pieces of the puzzle are coming together for this virus to become transmissible among humans, Sharif told Global News. This particular virus has the potential to become a pandemic virus, and if it does, then we have to be absolutely ready because the fatality rate of this virus could be far greater than what we saw for COVID-19.

Fauci, Gates have already funded bioweapons development for bird flu and Spanish flu hybrids

Gain-of-function research on avian influenza has already been funded by Dr. Anthony Fauci from the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Disease and by Bill Gates through his philanthropic ventures through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In fact, it was Faucis funding of gain-of-function research for weaponized bird flu that led to the 2012 moratorium on gain-of-function research. At the time, Fauci funded Ron Fouchier, a Dutch virologist. Fouchiers team created an airborne bird flu strain that was genetically engineered in ferrets and designed for cross-species infection.

Fauci and Gates have also funded the work of Dr. Yoshihiro Kawaoka. According to Mercola.com, Kawaoka mixed bird flu virus with the Spanish flu virus, resulting in a highly lethal respiratory virus with human transmission capability. Kawaoka also tinkered with mixtures of H5N1 and the 2009 H1N1 (swine flu) virus in a biosafety level 2 lab. He effectively created an airborne hybrid of these viruses, a hybrid that can evade the human immune system.

Former director for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Robert Redfield, knows what is going on and is readying the population for a great bird flu pandemic. I believe the great pandemic is still in the future, and thats going to be a bird flu pandemic for man, Redfield said in a March 30, 2022, CenterPoint interview, Its going to have significant mortality in the 10-50% range. Its gonna be trouble.

Moderna and others will have predatory vaccines (bioweapons) prepared before pandemics are announced

Predatory gain-of-function research and vaccine development continues, with no regard to its unethical and potentially evil applications. As such, there will be no double-blind, placebo-controlled studies for upcoming mRNA vaccines. Moderna is already preparing new influenza vaccines that are scheduled for mass distribution before pandemics are announced by governments. These new injections will already be pre-approved by regulators and stockpiled before a pandemic is announced. The injections will be guaranteed emergency use authorization, and all safety and effectiveness will be carried out on populations in real time  an atrocity that was conducted with the covid-19 vaccine rollout. Reuters reports that the new mRNA vaccines might not require further human trials, even if they have to be tweaked to better match whichever strain does jump to humans.

The mRNA vaccines use genetic information from a genetically engineered pathogen of pandemic potential. That genetic information is then delivered to people via injection and transcribed in their cells. Traditional vaccine technology relied on a cumbersome process of growing whole viruses (live or attenuated) in cell cultures. Today, mRNA vaccine experiments can deliver instructions for people to mass produce parts of these bioweapons, forcing their body to respond in unpredictable ways.

Raffael Nachbagauer, executive director of infectious diseases at Moderna said Modernas mRNA vaccine research didnt actually begin with COVID; it began with pandemic flu, and was modified for COVID. Nachbagauer said Moderna is launching a small human trial in the first half of 2023. The trial is for a new mRNA pandemic influenza vaccine that is tailored to the new avian influenza sub-type. He said Moderna could respond very quickly in an outbreak scenario  with hundreds of millions of shots delivered within months.

Sources include:

Articles.Mercola.com

NaturalNews.com

Cidrap.umn.edu

NCBI.NLM.NIH.gov

WinePressNews.com

MSN.com
(Natural News) With the US borders wide open thanks to Beijing Biden in the White House, drug dealers are running fentanyl across the border faster than Hunter Biden can click a lighter. Open borders are the main reason drug overdose deaths, especially from fentanyl, are at record levels, so now the FDA has to do something to make it look like theyre doing anything.

FDA Commissioner Califf issued a statement: The FDA remains committed to addressing the evolving complexities of the overdose crisis. As part of this work, the agency has used its regulatory authority to facilitate greater access to naloxone by encouraging the development of and approving an over-the-counter naloxone product to address the dire public health need. Opioid overdose antidote naloxone (NARCAN) is the first version of this life-saving nasal spray that the FDA has approved for over-the-counter sales nationwide, coming available in late summer.

Once this takes effect in late July or August, everyone will have access to this lifesaving nasal spray over the counter (OTC) and can help reduce opioid overdose deaths across the nation. You see, when someone overdoses on opioid prescription drugs, or fentanyl, or a combination of both (very common as sold on the streets), anyone can simply spray NARCAN up their nasal passage and have about a 90 percent chance of reviving them and saving their life. The victim does NOT have to inhale it, and it is a harmless spray, so nobody has to worry about giving it to someone they thought ODd on opioids, but did not. Meaning, if someone passes out because they are drunk, or hit their head, or took some sleeping pills, NARCAN is not dangerous.

Plus, emergency services like an ambulance, firefighters, or even police usually do not arrive for about 7 to 10 minutes, at best, and by that time, the person who overdosed on opioids is already dead, without NARCAN. Thats why its so important for the FDA to have approved this OTC, so people can just keep it with them wherever they go, and be able to save someone in an instants notice.

Naloxone or NARCAN spray should be prominent everywhere, just like EpiPens for severe allergic reactions

An EpiPen is epinephrine that serves as an emergency vasoconstrictor and blood pressure support tool that can treat severe asthma attacks and allergic reactions (including anaphylaxis) in emergency situations, thus saving lives. Most teachers and daycare employees know about this and have one handy in their desk or cabinet for such an occurrence, that is not too uncommon these days. Well, the same can be said for kids, teens, and young adults overdosing (mostly accidentally) on opioids. Since so many prescription painkillers contain opioids, and are SO easy to get prescribed, they are often later sold on the street, in schools, and at bars and clubs.

Not only is heroin, whether its diluted or not, super dangerous and highly addictive, but now most of it is laced with fentanyl, said to be 50 to 100 times stronger than heroin itself. Anyone who is trying this for the first time will likely die of an overdose. Plus, many kids and teens have NO CLUE theyre even getting fentanyl, as they think theyre just taking someone elses ADHD medication, or a couple mollies, or even a line of cocaine.

Thats why NARCAN should be available everywhere, at schools, pharmacies, daycare centers, in taxi cars (like Uber and Lyft), and in almost everyones pocket who attends a bar, party, or club. Some people are even overdosing on fentanyl that is slipped into their drinks at a bar, like a rape drug.

NARCAN will come in a package of two 4-milligram doses, and if an overdose victim does not respond to the first dose within about 30 seconds, the person assisting recovery should give them a second dose. There is no risk in doing this. Overdoses can be reversed with a single dose, and theres a 90 percent chance or greater the victim is saved, even children or babies that might find the drug on a coffee table and think its candy.

Just in the last 20 years, over a million Americans have died of drug overdoses, many of whom became addicted to opioids because their doctor prescribed them for pain. Talk about gateway drugs, these medical doctors are just glorified corporate drug dealers these days. In fact, opioid deaths are the LEADING CAUSE of accidental death in the nation. Who knew?

Tune your internet dial to NaturalMedicine.news for information on natural medicine that doesnt make you addicted to deadly drugs. Give your body a fighting chance.

Sources for this article include:

ABC7Chicago.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) An executive of a police union in San Jose, California who was reportedly involved in fentanyl deals was charged by the Department of Justice (DOJ).

San Jose Police Officers Association (SJPOA) Executive Director Joanne Marian Segovia, 64, was charged by the DOJ for allegedly running a drug ring from her home. The agency accused her of using her office computer and SJPOAs United Parcel Service (UPS) account to illegally order valerylfentanyl  a synthetic form of fentanyl  and other controlled substances. Authorities said Segovia faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison if convicted.

According to the 13-page complaint against Segovia penned by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agent David Vargas, she allegedly received at least 61 packages at her San Jose home. The packages which came from various countries such as China, Canada and India were delivered between October 2015 and January of this year.

Agents first interviewed Segovia on Feb. 1, where she said she worked for the police department and that her orders were supplements. But upon inspection, the parcels contained various drugs including deadly synthetic opioids and tapentadol, which is normally used to treat severe pain from diabetes-induced nerve damage. (Related: DEA: Fentanyl-laced fake prescription pills now contain potentially LETHAL dose of synthetic opioid.)

The report also mentioned that Segovia allegedly continued to order the drugs even after the February interview with federal agents. The SJPOA executive director was eventually arrested after investigators seized a parcel in Kentucky that was addressed to her.

SJPOA colleagues, neighbors shocked by Segovias drug links

In an exclusive interview with NBC Bay Area, SJPOA President Sean Pritchard described Segovia as the grandma of the police union. He also expressed disappointment over Segovias links to fentanyl.

This is not the person weve known, the person who has worked with fallen officers families, organized fundraisers for officers kids  just not who weve known over a decade, said Pritchard. He continued that the police union executive acted alone, telling the outlet: No indication, zero, that anyone else is involved. No sworn officers. No civilian employees.

Her neighbors at San Jose were also shocked by the allegations, as per a report by the New York Post.

This is a complete surprise. There was nothing unusual going on there, said neighbor Michael Galloway. Shes more the kind of person you would imagine who would have chocolate chip cookies or something ready for the kids, like a typical grandma.

Anthony Mata, chief of the San Jose Police Department (SJPD), decried the disheartening news of Segovias drug links. He said in a statement: I have become aware of the investigation and charges by an outside agency of a civilian employee of the SJPOA. This news  comes as a shock to me and the leaders and membership of the [police union]. Mata also assured stakeholders that Segovia was never employed in any capacity by the SJPD.

San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan also denounced the incredibly disturbing allegation regarding Segovia. No one is above the law, regardless of who their employer is, he said, also thanking U.S. Attorney Ismail Ramsey and his colleagues at the DOJ for aggressively pursuing the sources of fentanyl coming into our communities and holding drug dealers accountable.

Watch this documentary that tackles the fentanyl crisis in the United States.

This video is from the Little Blue Bird channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Alex Jones: FENTANYL crisis victimizes both young and old.

Montana AG calls on Biden to classify fentanyl as a WEAPON OF MASS DESTRUCTION.

San Francisco homeless people PAID by Biden Regime over $800 in cash and food stamps to be druggie street urchins who deal fentanyl to minors.

Another risk of fentanyl may be an attraction to junkies  it causes amnesia.

Sources include:

NYPost.com 1

NBCBayArea.com

NYPost.com 2

KRON4.com

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) Under the pretense of protecting national security, two United States senators, Mark Warner (D-Va.) and Tom Thune (R-S.D.), have introduced a bipartisan bill that, if passed, will mean the end of the First Amendment.

Touted by the media as the TikTok ban, S.686 will supposedly stop foreign adversaries like communist China from interfering with and spying on Americans and American interests. The truth, however, is that its passage would spell the end of free speech online.

As stated in the bill, the RESTRICT Act gives the executive branch, meaning the presidency, the power to [enforce] any mitigation measure to address any risk regarding a current, past, or potential future transaction with what it deems to be a foreign adversary, i.e., communist China or Russia.

It would also apply to taking action to address any risk arising from any covered transaction by any person, or with respect to any property, subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, including interfering in, or altering the result or reported result of a Federal election,' one media report states.

Those found to be in violation of these provisions face hefty fines of up to $1 million as well as a possible jail sentence lasting 20 years. All of this centers primarily around TikTok, at least on the surface, because the social media app is based out of China. But the reality is that the language of S.686 could be applied to pretty much any app or online activity.

I think we should ban TikTok, but Im a little more concerned with the RESTRICT Act, said Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), adding that he is very worried the RESTRICT Act will creat[e], effectively, a PATRIOT Act for the digital age.

Have a look at the bills language for yourself and let us know what you think about it.

(Related: Be sure to also check out our earlier coverage on the RESTRICT Act, which is a thinly disguised power grab by the federal government.)

Biden regime eager to see RESTRICT Act passed so it can target and punish its opponents

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), a constitutional conservative much like his father, also commented on the RESTRICT Act, warning that it is a Trojan horse just like the PATRIOT Act was.

Prepare for the Patriot Act for the internet, Paul tweeted.

In order to enforce the RESTRICT Act, the government will also pry into and spy on peoples computers and smartphones, which is another violation of the Constitution that too few media outlets are addressing in their coverage of the bill.

It gives the government the ability to go after anyone they deem as a national security risk at which point they can access everything from their computer to video games to their ring light, commented State Freedom Caucus Network communications director Greg Price.

As you might expect, the Biden regime is eager to see the RESTRICT Act passed, as it will allow for those who oppose its agenda to also be targeted. People caught criticizing the Biden regime online could be accused of threatening national security, allowing for large fines and prison time as punishment.

Amazingly, there is also very little to suggest that the RESTRICT Act would even do anything to stop actual foreign adversarial spying through apps like TikTok, which is supposed to be the purpose behind its passage.

As it currently stands, the RESTRICT Act might result in action against TikTok but only after a drawn-out bureaucratic process in which unelected officials decide it could harm the U.S., six months after which a decision might be made to prohibit it, and the president might direct the attorney general to take legal action against it, wrote Samuel Mangold-Lenett for The Federalist.

The latest news about the status of the RESTRICT Act can be found at Censorship.news.

Sources for this article include:

Congress.gov

FoxNews.com

NaturalNews.com

TheFederalist.com
(Natural News) Kansas patriot Thad Snider joined The Right Side with Doug Billings to discuss election rules in Kansas and Republicans in name only (RINOs) in the Sunflower State.

Billings began the March 28 edition of his Brighteon.TV program by advising good patriots to be careful and hold elected officials accountable, including the ones who claim to be on their side. He then introduced Snider, who gave a brilliant testimony before the Kansas Senate. Billings then asked Snider, a native of the Sunflower State, about what he and his fellow patriots are doing about the issues in their home.

In response, Snider said he and his fellow patriots are challenging House Bill (HB) 2086. The 54-page omnibus election bill was passed in the Kansas House of Representatives in a 122-0 vote. According to the election activist, HB 2086 is a cover-up bill aiming to hide the maladministration of the states elections by the office of the Kansas State Secretary Scott Schwab. (Related: Michigan judge rules secretary of state VIOLATED STATE LAW when she issued new rules regarding absentee balloting.)

Snider further blasted the bill as convoluted, complex and impossible to understand, especially if a person does not have the slightest bit of understanding about how the election process works. The proposal was far from a clean-up bill that sought to fix some issues in the election system; instead it was one that would actually change the system completely.

Aside from this, he also told Billings about the change from auditing physical paper ballots to digital images of them  which runs contrary to a Kansas statute calling for the use of actual paper ballots to conduct post-election audits. Schwab authorizing the county clerk to use digital images or photocopies for audit purposes directly violated this rule, Snider pointed out.

Billings: RINOs dont support full election audits

For his part, Billings said he has a simple litmus test to identify if a candidate or incumbent official is a RINO  they are indeed one if they do not support full forensic audits of every election. The host of The Right Side stressed that Americans must get to the bottom of the election instability and the election fraud in the country because that is where it all begins.

He also noted that the RINO problem in America is much worse than the communist-socialist party, because the RINOs conceal their actual intent. Billings continued: They dont often reveal that until theyre trying to put forth legislation, rules and regulations upon us that are not conservative by nature.

Given the passing of HB 2086, The Right Side host pointed out that Kansas state lawmakers are clearly not America First  and in this case, not Kansas First.

Billings ultimately reiterated: We need to get back to paper ballots. This electronic manipulation of data has got to be stopped.

Snider himself agreed with the sentiment. In relation to this, he recounted how the county commissioner race in Kansas Cherokee County was flipped  with the wrong person winning thanks to electronic votes. A hand count of the paper ballots was done, Snider continued, and the actual winner was eventually proclaimed.

Watch the March 28 episode of The Right Side below. The The Right Side airs every Tuesday at 7-8 p.m. and every Saturday at 10-11 a.m. on Brighteon.TV.

More related stories:

Kansas voters just turned their state into an abortion tourism destination.

Election integrity watchdog outlines proof of election fraud  straight from three whistleblowers.

Fox News finds Dominion staffers knew voting machines were riddled with crucial counting errors.

Dishonest Democrats now trying to change election rules nationwide to make sure they can never lose again.

Sources include:

Brighteon.com

KSLegislature.org [PDF]
(Natural News) With the support of seven other infiltrated Central and Eastern European countries, Ukraine, under the leadership of welfare queen Volodymyr Zelensky, has issued a call to action with demands for even more social media censorship to fight disinformation online.

An open letter to Meta (the parent company of Facebook) that was signed by Ukraine, Moldova, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania alleges that disinformation online is destabilizing all of these countries and undermining the European Unions centralized support for Ukraine amid Russias ongoing special operation.

Zelensky and his comrades claim that not enough is being done to silence free speech online, which they claim is threatening peace, stability, and democracy throughout the world. Thus, Zelensky wants Facebook and other Big Tech companies to muzzle even harder those users who would dare to defy the globalist narrative that Ukraine is some kind of victim of foreign aggression.

It is simply not enough for billions of American tax dollars to continue to be funneled into Zelenskys coffers. Too many people still do not support Ukraine and its dozens of Pentagon-controlled biolaboratories, which is why Zelensky wants the First Amendment to end and his narrative to be the only narrative that persists.

Tech giants are implored to remain vigilant and avoid inadvertently advancing hostile goals, reported Reclaim the Net, citing the open letter. Specific steps recommended in the letter include refusing payments from sanctioned individuals, increasing algorithmic transparency, and adjusting algorithms to prioritize accuracy over user engagement.

Furthermore, the leaders insist that platforms dedicate adequate resources to content moderation and address the growing challenges posed by deep fakes and AI-generated disinformation.

Meta responds to letter, says it is expanding its fact checking capabilities across Eastern Europe

Meta has already responded to the open letter with a promise that it continues to expand its fact checking capabilities overseas  particularly in the countries that signed the letter.

Metas goal, it says, is to ensure that only Zelensky-approved information passes the filters. Everything else, the tech giant indicated, will be flagged for shadow-banning or removal so as to prevent Central and Eastern Europeans from encountering any independent information that might cause them to question Zelensky and the Wests version of events.

Another thing Meta decided to do was restrict all access to Russian state-controlled media while adding special labels to posts that in any way take Russias side. Facebook users will now encounter a warning before they click or share such links.

Social media has become a potent channel for spreading false and manipulative narratives, the letter states.

Big tech companies should be vigilant and resist being used as means of advancing such goals. They should take steps to ensure that their platforms are not being used to spread propaganda or disinformation that promotes war, justifies war crimes, crimes against humanity or other forms of violence.

Big Tech companies should increase cooperation and engagement with a wide range of stakeholders  governments, civil society, experts, academia, independent media and fact-checkers. They are essential partners for an effective whole-of-society response to the threat.

The letter concludes that any information outside that which is approved by Zelensky and Ukraine represents manipulation and interference that poses a threat to democracy, stability, and national security.

Big tech companies have the power to be vital allies in our common effort to tackle hostile information attacks against democracies and international rules-based order, it further states towards the end.

We urge you to join forces with democratic governments and civil society and work together to protect the integrity of information and ensure the security of our societies.

Zelensky and the Left hate free speech. To learn more, visit Censorship.news.

Sources for this article include:

ReclaimTheNet.org

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) Despite spending more than a million euros on city-wide advertisements and other propaganda, left-wing extremists in Berlin were unable to gain the support they needed to pass a global warming bill called Berlin Climate Neutrality by 2030.

We are told that the yes side of the referendum fell hugely short of the 608,000 in quorum votes needed to pass the climate change measure. Just 18 percent of Berlins eligible voters, or 442,210 votes, were cast in favor of the bill, which climate activists were sure would pass.

This latest failure by the green cabal to force more climate extremism down the publics throats represents a serious blow to the Fridays for Future and Last Generation movement in Germany. It is expected to take months for the movement to recover  if it ever recovers  from this serious setback.

(Related: Last fall, Reuters ran a piece calling for worldwide depopulation to achieve climate justice.)

Berlins failing green movement led by rich, upper-class youths with little else to do

It turns out that the initiative in Berlin to make the city climate neutral by the year 2030 was led not by ordinary Germans but by rich, upper-class youths such as Luisa Longhaul Neubauer. These wealthy, silver spoon brats have had all the time in the world to glue themselves to street pavement or block traffic in an attempt to turn their city more green.

Average folk are too busy working and trying to survive to play these foolish games, but Neubauer and her comrades thought they could convince most Berliners to support the cause. As we can now see, this was a major miscalculation on their part as to the lack of public support for climate insanity.

Neubauer was furious about the referendums failure, having lobbed cynical accusations against the majority in Berlin that stood against her little pet project. She was so upset, in fact, that she started calling uncooperative Berliners names like fossil cynics and climate destroyers.

There are forces in this city that are doing everything to get the last spark of climate destruction out, Neubauer added in a sour statement, adding that the failure of her pet project is troublesome for democracy.

Social Democrat Dario Schramm, another member of the climate brigade, cried all over social media over the failure of the referendum. Germanys Pleiteticker commented on this by stating that it is hardly surprising that the referendum failed, seeing as how those pushing it have been spreading their ideas of good politics for years in a self-righteous, arrogant and sometimes aggressive manner.

They, mostly members of the upper middle class, have declared war on the lower and lower middle class with their destructive climate measures, the outlet further reported.

Outside the Berlin political bubble and the other urban feel-good oases of Germany, the Neubauers of this world never possessed much support. And now the bubble has finally burst. In the Marzahn, Kopenick and Lichtenberg districts, the majority of voters voted against the referendum. The normal working population of Berlin decided against the journalistic and political elite.

One would think that the green fanatics might recoil and reconsider their unpopular viewpoints, and perhaps back off for good on trying to convince others to adopt them. Sadly for the general public, the greenies lack any kind of self-awareness and are sure to be back on the streets of Berlin harassing people in no time.

The self-righteous warmists couldnt care less whether 82% or even 99% dont support them, wrote one commenter about the matter. They know whats good for us and they will keep ploughing on because they are, at their core, totalitarians. And they seem to control the levers of power.

The latest news about the collapsing green movement can be found at GreenTyranny.news.

Sources for this article include:

NoTrickZone.com

NaturalNews.com
The meeting will include a closed session to discuss employee assignments and student discipline, as well as a public update on school construction projects, according to an agenda.

The meeting is scheduled to take place in the School Board Meeting Room of the Central Office Administration Building at 953 Davis Highway in Mineral. The closed session is set to begin at 4 p.m., with the regular session scheduled for 7 p.m.
Fungus is one of the several types of pathogens with a unique world of its own classified as neither an animal nor a plant by scientists.

Based on records, a fungus belongs to the eukaryotic group of microorganisms which includes yeasts and molds, which we often see in our decaying food and even furniture, as well as other non-biological materials.

One such recent case study involved a man in Australia, where he reportedly sustained an injury on his leg. In what seems a normal wound, a medical report afterward revealed that the patient contracted a "very rare fungus infection" called Saksenaea mucormycosis with a combination of necrotizing fasciitis, a "rapidly progressing" soft tissue infection that rapidly progresses inside the body and can be fatal.

The said rare soft tissue infection is typically caused by different bacterium groups. However, the case of the Australian man involved the presence of the infectious fungus called Saksenaea vasiformis, described by scientists as opportunistic and Angio-invasive by nature. This means that the fungus waits for an opportunity to enter the body, primarily to infiltrate the blood vessels.

Flesh-Eating Fungus Case

The flesh-eating disease case was published in the journal BMJ Case Reports on March 31, wherein medical researchers led by Blake Anthony Sykes, who works at the Rockhampton Hospital in Queensland, Australia, shed light on Saksenaea mucormycosis, which is caused by necrotizing fasciitis and it requires early and appropriate surgical debridement, as well as antibiotic cover.

As mentioned earlier, the case at hand involved bacterial fasciitis linked with fungal infection which required the patient's leg to be amputated, in addition to negative-pressure vacuum dressings and amphotericin B for treatment.

Furthermore, the case study explores the very rare case of necrotizing fasciitis involving fungi as a pathogen under the group IV classification of the infection.

Also Read: Plastic-Eating Fungus May Solve World's Waste Problems

Mucormycosis Symptoms

Prior to the case being treated as unique, doctors at a local Queensland hospital treated the man's leg, which he confirmed was injured on a caravan door. Despite the initial treatment, the patient's condition deteriorated and incurred a fever, which forced him to be placed to a larger hospital in the region for a few days, according to a report by Newsweek, which gained access to the partially-confidential study.

The BMJ report revealed that doctors were only removing infected or dead tissue from the man's lower leg until he suffered from hyperkalemic cardiac arrest. Hyperkalemia pertains to above-normal potassium level in the blood. The man suffered from other health complications like kidney failure, acute anemia, coagulopathy, and multiple organ failure.

Fungus-driven mucormycosis also causes different symptoms, which manifests depending on which part of the body the fungi have infected, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Some of these symptoms include headache when the fungus infects the sinus and brain (rhino cerebral mucormycosis), as well as shortness of breath when the pathogen infects the lung (pulmonary mucormycosis), according to the CDC.

Related cases of the flesh-eating fungus have led to the deaths of 17 out of 46 patients, according to a review of the BMJ report.

Related Article: Microscopic Fungus Causes Skin Infection, Population Decline in Frogs
Weather reports showed that unseasonably cold weather is expected to unfold in parts of the United States this week.

As spring began, unseasonably cold temperatures and snowstorms were unloaded in parts of the U.S., especially in the West.

Although spring is in the air, Americans should keep updated with the weather for potential snowstorms and colder temperatures.

Unusually cold temperatures

In the latest weather forecast, AccuWeather explained that unusually colder air and cold would likely unfold this week.

The weather forecast added the possibility of snow emerging as the colder air spreads across the U.S.

The report added that Western states could feel the colder temperatures this week that seems like not April.

Recently parts of the West, especially California, experienced severe weather conditions from heavy snow and flooding rainfall.

The challenging weather in California in March resulted in widespread power outages, evacuations and immediate health concerns.

Furthermore, Reuters reported that the heavy snow and relentless rain in California helped ease the drought conditions in the region.

Based on AccuWeather's outlook, the weather forecast said that unseasonably cold temperatures could emerge in Sacramento, Salt Lake City, Denver and Las Vegas.

Meanwhile, the weather noted that a storm could emerge in the West. The forecast said snow could be possible in Billings, Rapid City, Cheyenne, Fargo and Thunder Bay from Monday to Wednesday.

On the other hand, the National Weather Service (NWS) reported that a snowstorm is expected to impact parts of the Central Plains, Intermountain West and Central U.S.

The weather forecast explained that blizzard-like conditions could occur in the Northern Plains. In addition, parts of the Dakotas and Minnesota could experience challenging snow conditions.

The forecast also warned of troublesome cold conditions, especially in the Northern Plains. The advisory explained that motorists should consider the weather conditions before traveling.

Motorists who could become stranded could suffer from dangerous colds, including frostbite and hypothermia.

How to deal with the challenging cold

This week, parts of the United States experienced severe weather conditions, from tornado outbreaks to thunderstorms and snow conditions.

Also Read: US Weather Forecast: Severe Weather Conditions Likely to Emerge Dallas to Chicago This Week

Although Americans are used to the colder weather, the cold could still raise concerns for outdoor workers, older adults and other vulnerable sectors.

The American Red Cross explained the importance of staying warm during challenging cold conditions. Here are important reminders for this week.

Homeowners should keep updated with the weather conditions this week, from severe weather conditions and challenging cold.

Checking the body temperatures of people with pre-existing health conditions and older adults would be recommendable to avoid the risks of hypothermia.

Wearing appropriate winter clothes would be recommendable. It is best to avoid outdoor activities when the weather is extremely cold.

For motorists traveling this week, checking for road closures and road hazards is essential. Snow conditions could also add challenges for motorists.

Related Article: US Weather Forecast: Heavy Rain, Mountain Snow Likely to Hit California This Week

For more similar, don't forget to follow Nature World News.
In Papua New Guinea's East Sepik province, a strong 7.1 magnitude earthquake has claimed at least three lives.

Just after 4 AM on Monday, the earthquake struck the isolated Chambri Lake, southwest of Wewak, at a depth of 60 kilometers.

Three Reported Dead

One fatality was reported in Wewak, while two fatalities were reported in the Angoram district, according to a spokesman for the Natural Disaster Centre in Papua New Guinea.

The two who were reported dead were his family members, according to Darren Mai, a local councilor in the Angoram district.

According to Mai, a house fell on a member of his family and her infant son. Both relatives died instantly.

Early reports from nearby villages stated that numerous homes had collapsed and people needed medical attention.

To transport people to medical facilities, the NGO Samaritan Aviation has been using seaplanes and landing them on the Sepik River.

Aftershocks Following 7.1 Magnitude Earthquake

Colles Pinga, a resident of Korogu, reported that three houses had fallen in his village to the north of the epicenter, injuring families. They are currently experiencing aftershocks.

Pinga claimed that everyone is frightened and that there is a lot of silence.

Landslides are observable along the riverbanks, and they are quite terrifying.

All six districts of East Sepik were affected by the earthquake, according to Colonel Carl Wrakonei of the Natural Disaster Center.

They couldn't possibly cover all six districts, Wrakonei claimed. Mobility and accessibility will be one of the challenges; it will be difficult.

According to ABC News, Papua New Guinea's National Disaster Centre said in a statement that it was conducting assessments of the provinces to determine the severity of the damage and the number of casualties. The National Disaster Centre is likewise awaiting the provinces' reports, and as soon as they are received, they will present a report on the full scope of the damage, including the statistics on casualties.

According to the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC), via Reuters, the earthquake had a 7.2 magnitude. According to the center, the earthquake occurred at a depth of 80 km. After the earthquake, there was no tsunami warning, according to the US Tsunami Warning System.

WorldData.info says that a few hours later, at 9:13 AM, Papua New Guinea's grounds trembled once more and registered a 4.3 magnitude earthquake at a depth of 99.38 km.

Read Also: Mega Tsunami from Mass Extinction Asteroid 66 Million Years Ago Shown in Simulation by Experts

Papua New Guinea

There are powerful earthquakes in Papua New Guinea that have far-reaching effects. Within a few hundred-kilometer radius, earthquakes with a magnitude greater than 8.0 are wreaking havoc and destroying many homes. Considering the size of the nation, earthquakes happen more frequently than average but rarely cause extensive damage.

However, more than 3,300 people have died as a direct result of earthquakes since 1950.

29 of the past earthquakes resulted in a subsequent tsunami that killed more people and caused more damage.

On November 16, 2000, an 8.0 on the Richter scale earthquake occurred in the New Ireland, Duke of York region. Two people died as a result of tectonic plate movement at a 55-kilometer depth. The earthquake also caused a tsunami, which resulted in additional casualties and destruction, WordData.info reports.

Related Article: Next Possible Earthquake After Prolonged Quiet Period in California Could Yeild 1800 Deaths, 50K Injuries
Sky watchers are preparing their telescopes and cameras for the April 2023 Pink Moon, which will peak immediately after Mercury, Venus, and Mars have paraded through the night sky.

This week's spectacular twilight show will feature the first full moon of spring alongside three brilliant planets.

The "Pink Moon," or April's full moon, will appear on Wednesday, April 5, through Thursday, April 6, in the early morning hours. Despite appearing bright and round for three days starting April 4, the full moon's exact peak will occur at 12:34 AM on April 6.

Mercury, Venus, Mars

A bonus is that, according to NASA, three of the five visible planets will also be in the sky on April 5 in the evening, just as the moon is about to reach its fullest.

Mercury will be near the west-northwest horizon, Venus will be about one-third of the way up seen between the western horizon and the sky's highest point, and Mars will be about two-thirds of the way up seen between the west-southwestern horizon and the sky's highest point. Venus will shine the brightest, followed by Mercury, then Mars.

Pink Moon

The Old Farmer's Almanac asserts that the April full moon's colorful moniker comes from the fact that it has traditionally coincided with the blooming of trees and flowers at this time of year, particularly a pink-blooming plant known as creeping phlox, moss phlox, or "moss pink."

Full moon names have been published by the Farmer's Almanac since the 1930s. These names were derived from a variety of sources, including European, Native American, and early Colonial American. Every full moon name, not just the precise astronomical full moon, was traditionally used to describe the whole lunar month in which the full moon occurred.

Also Read: Captivating Light Pillars Display in Minnesota Night Sky on Thursday Explained by Experts

Full Moon in April

The Farmer's Almanac lists additional traditional names for the April full moon that make a reference to seasonal events. For example, Algonquins call this month's full moon as "Breaking Ice Moon," "Frog Moon" for the Cree, Dakota tribe calls it Moon When the Streams Are Again Navigable," or "Moon When the Geese Lay Eggs," Oglala tribe prefers "Moon of the Red Grass Appearing," Tlingits call it the "Budding Moon of Plants and Shrubs," and "Moon When the Ducks Come Back" for the Lakota population.

The Center for Native American Studies at Northern Michigan University claims that some Anishinaabe people in the Great Lakes region refer to the full moon in April as Popogami Giizis, which means Broken Snowshoe Moon.

If the skies are clear, all full moons are visible all night long. They rise along the eastern horizon around sunset. It then sets along the western horizon around sunrise. MLive Michigan advises confirming the local moonrise time for April 5 as well as the moment the moon will be at its fullest. For those hoping to see the full Pink Moon this week, it is best to look for a location outside that has an unobstructed view of the horizon.

Related Article: Sky Canvas: First Human-Made Multi-Colored Meteor Shower in 2025, Not Just for Display
The wild animal park in Georgia has begun to rebuild after losing 5 animals to a tornado last week.

One week ago on Sunday, Wild Animal Safari Pine Mountain in Troup County was partially destroyed by a tornado.

Tornado vs. 550 Animals

The director of the zoo Katie Harrison reported that numerous trees were snapped off during the storm. Nearly all of the park's animal enclosures were harmed or destroyed.

Two tigers broke out of their pen. Harrison claimed that despite the administration's warnings to be cautious, people did not heed them. They were sedated securely. On Sunday, they were all reunited in their repaired enclosure.

Five animals perished in the storm, according to Harrison.

Harrison remarked that this was the first time she could discuss it without crying. It's not simple, but in the grand scheme of things, 550 animals are up against a massive tornado, and it was terrible.

While the animals' exhibits are being repaired, some of the animals had to be relocated to other zoos.

Harrison claimed that the cleanup's noise had complicated matters and that some animals might find the machinery upsetting and loud.

Additionally, the park is closed at a critical time for business.

Lisa Brady claimed that the park was expecting a big spring break.

Brady predicts a $750,000 revenue loss for the park or 10% of their annual revenue.

After being struck by numerous tornadoes on March 26 that resulted in 26 fatalities, Georgia was declared under a state of emergency, NBC News reports.

Also Read: New Jersey, Delaware on 2-Day Outlook for Tornadic Thunderstorms

Rebuilding the Wild Animal Park in Georgia

Brady said that because of how well-prepared Harrison and the team had been for spring break, it was especially heartbreaking. A lot of improvements were being made at Georgia's Wild Animal Safari Pine Mountain, including several new enclosures.

Harrison anticipates reopening the park's driving area this month.

Workers anticipate that the walking portion will reopen in June in sections, WSB-TV reports.

The Drive-Thru Safari, Animal Encounters, and Walkabout Adventure Zoo are the three different activity categories available at the zoo.

Visitors to the Drive-Thru Safari can travel a 3.5-mile trail while viewing a variety of animals. Some of them might even approach the tourists, who can travel in the convenience of their own vehicles, safari rental vehicles, or a thrilling guided bus tour.

Visitors can interact with some of the park's most well-known animals during Animal Encounters and ask the zookeepers as many questions as they want.

In a zoo-like setting, visitors can interact with the animals at the Walkabout Adventure Zoo. The resident African lions, Bengal tigers, peacocks, exotic birds, monkeys, lemurs, and many other animals are all available for visitors to interact with at the zoo.

The Wild Animal Safari Pine Mountain says that until they have fully evaluated the damage caused by the tornado, they will not be selling any tickets for the Pine Mountain location.

Related Article: Severe Weather Hits Illinois with Double Dose of Storms, High Risk of Tornadoes, Hail, Damaging Winds
A one-horned rhino named Jontu was euthanized in an Omaha zoo due to a complex gut condition. The rhino was then 15 years old.

Following complications with an illness, a beloved rhino at the Omaha Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium passed away.

Jontu the One-Horned Rhino of Omaha Zoo

The 15-year-old male Greater one-horned rhino known as Jontu had been receiving veterinary care for a digestive disorder for weeks when his condition deteriorated, and on Tuesday, March 28, he was put to death. In the course of his treatment, Jontu's partial intestinal obstruction was determined to be incurable. Jontu arrived at the Omaha Zoo in May 2011 and resided in the Asian Highlands exhibit.

After spending the majority of his life in Omaha, Dan Cassidy, Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium vice president for animal management, said that Jontu was an outstanding ambassador for greater one-horned rhinos. Both the Omaha community and the Zoo family will miss him dearly. Cassidy sent his condolences to the Zoo staff members who had been taking care of him every day.

Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium claims that Jontu was renowned for being gentle and calm.

The zoo's Hoofstock and Rhino Senior Keeper, Jami Ruether, expressed his regret for Jontu and said he will miss the departed rhino's hello snorts. The trainer will also miss giving Jontu mud baths in the winter, training, and just being around him. He said that as a beloved character, Jontu will be sorely missed.

Marshall, Jontu's son, continues to reside at the Omaha Zoo, carrying on his father's legacy. Additionally, his daughter, Joona, resides at the Denver Zoo right now, 6News WOWT reports.

Also Read: Rhinos Down to 400 as Poaching Intensifies in Botswana

Greater One-Horned Rhinos

Only rhinos have horns that are located on the nose rather than the crown of their heads. The horn, which is made of compacted hair or keratin, is used for both self-defense and plow-hunting for food. Rhino babies are born without horns, but they quickly develop horns that continue to grow throughout the rhinos' lives.

The greater one-horned rhino's habitat consists of tropical grasslands, along with the nearby flood plains and forests. They favor dense forests and high grasslands.

According to Denver Zoo, Greater one-horned rhinos are mostly found in protected areas such as wildlife reserves and national parks in Northeastern India and Nepal.

The skin of greater one-horned rhinos is deeply folded and gray. They have a distinctive armor-plated appearance due to tubercles or lumps that resemble rivets that are accentuated on the skin.

They are 4000-6600 pounds in weight. Males can grow to a length of 12.5 feet and can stand 5 to 6 feet tall at the shoulder, making them larger than females. A single, dark horn, measuring up to 21 inches long, is present on the noses of both sexes.

From Endangered to Vulnerable

Greater one-horned rhinos were almost hunted to extinction because it was thought that their horns had therapeutic properties. There were less than 200 animals left by 1900. The decline was brought on by poaching, the illegal trade in body parts, and the agriculturalization of grassland habitats. They now number over 3300 animals in India and Nepal thanks to strict conservation and preservation measures. Most rhinos live in reserves and parks that are under protection.

Although their numbers are growing, their conservation status recently improved from endangered to vulnerable, but they still face threats from poaching, disease, and natural disasters, Denver Zoo reports.

Related Article: 5-Day-Old Rhino Calf Dies of Internal Injuries in Australia Zoo
A bald eagle that worked tirelessly to protect its eggs during the winter storms, even refusing to move as snow piled on top of it, lost its baby chick after its 2,000-pound nest fell to the ground on Sunday.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources announced on Facebook that the chick, born on March 26, was discovered dead on Sunday after a few hours of searching.

The Tragic event

The Minnesota eagle family came to public attention after one of the eagles was discovered partially buried under a mound of snow, with only its head poking out, as it remained in its nest and waited out a storm to keep its two eggs warm, as per Insider.

The male and female incubated the eggs alternately, while the male also provided food and kept an eye out for potential threats or predators.

One of the eggs had broken on March 1, leaving a single egg to hatch at the end of the month. It died a week later.

Officials said they were unsure how the nest fell in the first place, but that a blizzard the day before caused an accumulation of snow that was too heavy for the tree branch that carried the nest.

The branch was dead, and the nest was over 20 years old and weighed over 2,000 pounds, according to a Facebook post from the state's DNR.

There were many fallen trees and branches from the heavy, wet snow in the area and neighborhood near the nest.

Even if they have a backup (which is likely because eagles frequently build multiple nests in the same area for this very reason), our nesting season is too short for them to have another brood, the DNR wrote in an update post on Monday.

However, because eagles are territorial, it is possible that the pair will attempt to rebuild a nest in the same location. Officials announced on Monday that the couple had already been seen mating.

Baby eagle survival rates are typically very low. According to the US Fish and Wildlife Service, eagles die at a rate of more than 50% during their first year of life, and only one out of every ten eagles survive to become adults.

The DNR stated that even if the bald eagle parents find another nest, it is unlikely that they will lay another egg this year.

Also Read: Bald Eagle Deaths Rise as Bird Flu Continues to Spread Across the United States

Patterns of their growth and their threat

Eagles, like all birds, grow in an asymptotic pattern, which means that they grow slowly at first, then rapidly, before slowing down to terminal size, as per the Center for Conservation Biology.

Adult males are smaller than females, so they reach maturity at a younger age. Males average 3,150 grams (7-8 pounds) and females average 4,225 grams in the Chesapeake Bay (10-12 pounds).

Chicks gain 140-150 grams per day during their rapid growth stage. T90 (time required to achieve 90% of terminal weight) occurs between the ages of 36 and 42 days, depending on gender.

Eagles in captivity can live for 30 to 50 years, but in the wild, the average lifespan is 15 to 20 years, as per Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy.

Congenital deformities, predation, starvation, failure to thrive, and siblicide are among the first mortality threats an eaglet faces in the nest.

Congenital deformities may mean that the eaglet is unable to hunt properly, which can lead to death.

There have also been reports of predators such as raccoons, Great Horned Owls, and other large raptors taking and harming or killing an eaglet from its nest.

Failure to thrive occurs when there is a lack of a good food source, often affecting the youngest in a clutch, or even the older sibling killing the younger through aggression and competitiveness over food.

It is commonly assumed that Bald Eagles lay multiple eggs in a clutch to ensure that at least one eaglet survives to carry the species forward.

Related article: Bald Eagle Suffers Severe Anemia, Lethargy After Ingesting Rat Poison in Massachusetts
Underwater toxins have been released following the Nord Stream gas pipeline explosions last September, according to a recent journal article. The blasts occurred at a dumping site for chemical warfare, but other contaminated substances were toxic to marine life. Researchers involved in the analysis of the explosions suggest the long-buried toxins were high enough to pose an ecological threat.

Also known as the 2022 Nord Stream pipeline sabotage, the said incident occurred amid Russia's incursion into Ukraine which started in February 2022. A number of governments and other entities reportedly believed the bombings were intentional. While economic and infrastructural impacts are the immediate repercussions, marine ecosystems across the region are affected as well.

Nord Stream Twin Pipeline System

The article was published in the journal Nature in March 2023, highlighting the dangers of never-before-seen or long-buried toxic sediment across the region covered by the Nord Stream twin pipeline system, which spans through the Baltic Sea from Vyborg in Russia to Lubmin near Greifswald in Germany.

Since the late September pipeline explosions, mysterious leaks have appeared at the site which is close to the Danish Island of Bornholm. The event has led the climate community to be on alert once again, including Andrew Baxter, director of the energy transition at the Environmental Defense Fund, in New York City, who estimated that 115,000 tons of methane were potentially released in Nord Stream 2, as cited by the Scientific American website.

According to Nord Stream AG, the company which built and operates the pipelines, the Nord Stream route passes through the Exclusive Economic Zones of Russia, Germany, Finland, Sweden, and Denmark, as well the territorial waters of Denmark, Germany, and Russia.

The two offshore pipelines have a length of 1,224 kilometers and are considered to be the most direct connection between Russia's vast gas reserves and the European Union's energy markets, Nord Stream AG stated.

Also Read: Why the Nord Stream Methane Leak Can Threaten the Environment

Environmental Repercussions

In relation to the underground toxins mentioned in the March 2023 Nature report, the United Nations and some European government agencies have already considered the Nord Stream pipeline explosions to have environmental repercussions.

The World Economic Forum cited a report from Reuters in October 2022 that the ruptures at the Baltic Sea gas pipelines is likely t he largest single release of climate-damaging, greenhouse gas methane ever recorded, as said by the United Nations Environment Programme.

Methane emissions are one of the major causes of human-induced climate change and global warming. It is also included in the climate mitigation efforts by the UN and the 2015 Paris Agreement.

Nord Stream Pipeline Explosions

It was September 26 in 2022 when a series of explosions, believed to be "bombings" by authorities, occurred at both the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipelines.

The Economist in March 2023 mentioned that some European governments suspected Russia behind the so-called attacks to the pipelines. The assertion is based on previous threats by Russian President Vladimir Putin of cutting off energy supplies to Europe as a retaliation for the economic sanctions imposed by the EU to Russia due to its invasion of Ukraine.

Related Article: Understanding Nord Stream Methane Leaks: Environmental Impacts, Action Plans Identified
The lake effect snow hounds the area, putting the Utah-Arizona border at risk of dangerous springtime winter weather.

The springtime winter weather on Tuesday prompted a winter storm warning that initially covered the Utah-Idaho border to the Utah-Arizona border, though it was later modified. This is shaping up to be a historic April event.

Due to hazardous driving conditions coupled with widespread snow that is only forecast to intensify throughout the morning, the 2News Weather Team has issued its second consecutive First Alert Weather day.

Lake Effect Snow at 8 Inches, 6 AM

For cities in the Tooele and Salt Lake Valleys, another 4 to 8 inches of snow was predicted to fall on top of the 4 inches that had already fallen overnight.

It's unusual for late-season snow to cause problems with the morning commute, but the probable historic springtime snowstorm is only forecast to intensify throughout Tuesday morning.

The Utah Department of Transportation has advised motorists to avoid morning travel.

As the bullseye inched closer towards the Wasatch Mountain Range, the storm went through the early morning battering the west portion of the valley. Several school districts, colleges, and private schools have decided to postpone classes, switch to remote learning, or cancel classes for the day due to overnight lows, lake-enhanced snow, and serious commute concerns.

Windchill, Slick Roads, Winter Weather

Given the worsening road conditions, drivers who leave early for their commute should plan for their drive times to double and their speeds to be cut in half.

As UDOT plow drivers focus on the busiest roads, it might be difficult to leave some neighborhoods.

Along the Wasatch Front, fresh overnight snow has also been sticking as the temperature dropped below freezing.

The previous record-lowest daytime high in Salt Lake City was 37 degrees, in 1918. The 2News Weather Team predicts that Salt Lake City will actually tie-and possibly even surpass-that mark.

Winter Storm Warning

The Tooele and Rush Valleys, Utah Valley, and Salt Lake Valley are under a Winter Storm Warning from the Salt Lake City National Weather Service that will last until 6 PM MDT tonight.

These regions are predicted to receive a lot of snow, with localized snowfalls of up to 12 inches on benches, and 8 on the valley floor.

Travelers should exercise caution because winter driving conditions are predicted, and weather experts advise keeping extra food, a flashlight, and water in the car just in case. Both Tuesday's evening and morning commutes will be impacted by accumulating snow, The Weather Channel reports.

Also Read: Sky Watchers Ready! Pink Moon Peaks After Venus, Mercury, Mars Display This April

Avalanche Warning

A backcountry avalanche warning has been issued by the Forest Service's Utah Avalanche Center in Salt Lake City, and it will be in effect from Tuesday at 6 AM MDT to Wednesday at 6 AM MDT.

The Bear River Range, Wasatch Range, and Uinta Mountains are among the mountain ranges in northern Utah to southeast Idaho where there will be a high risk of avalanches today, according to the service.

According to the Service, recent heavy snowfall and drifting have resulted in numerous areas of unstable snow. Avalanches that are both naturally occurring and caused by people are likely. Avalanche runouts and backcountry avalanche terrain should be avoided by people. Avoid going on or under slopes that are steeper than 30 degrees, AccuWeather reports.

Related Article: Wild Animal Park in Georgia Rebuilds Week After Losing 5 Animals to Tornado
After one trip to the remote, but culturally rich, Huacahuasi Valley in Peru, one University of Virginia student and her sister dedicated themselves to improving that communitys access to quality health care.

After the Sisters Peru Project hosted a silent auction for donated art at the Visible Records gallery on Saturday night, Maya and Natalie Koehn-Wu say theyve now raised more than $10,000 of their $100,000 goal to help build a new medical center in the valley.

Maya Koehn-Wu, a third-year UVa student double majoring in urban and environmental planning and global sustainability and minoring in dance, said art auctions are a go-to fundraising event, because they combine her love for the arts with her passion for community engagement.

I think there is so much power in expression that can hop in with the arts, she told The Daily Progress. I had a lot of photography that I took from the community in Peru. Through that, weve had a lot of student donations and we did a collaboration with the Art Club at UVa, so its another way to bridge communities.

Sisters Project Peru auctioned off many of the pieces that local and UVa artists donated for the most recent event, but the rest of the items will be available for purchase on the organizations website until the end of April, Maya Koehn-Wu said.

Maya Koehn-Wu brought the organization to the university in 2021 and grew a team of students to fundraise in Charlottesville and surrounding Albemarle County, working with her sister Natalie, a junior at Maggie Walker Middle School in Richmond.

The Koehn-Wu sisters traveled to Peru for a family summer vacation in 2019. They traveled four hours from the closest city, Cusco, and stayed at the Huacahuasi Lodge which is set on a trail to Machu Picchu. Maya Koehn-Wu said she and her sister were pleasantly surprised to discover that the hotel and the ecotourism group, Mountain Lodges of Peru, which led tourists on the trail to the ancient Incan citadel, donated a portion of its proceeds from each stay and tour to the community.

While on the tour, the Koehn-Wus learned that, through the community partnership, the tourism group raised enough money to bring clean drinking water to the village and was laying the groundwork for its next big project: a medical clinic for the Huacahuasi Valley community.

After returning to the States, the sisters reflected on their adventure  hearing children sing in Quechua, meeting family-raised alpacas  and thought of ways to help the Mountain Lodges of Peru from afar.

We thought, I wish there was more we could do, and then COVID shut everything down in 2020, Maya Koehn-Wu said. My sister and I were reflecting on this trip and we thought, then more than ever, that community needed a health care clinic and the ecotourism partnership was a big source of income to raise money for that clinic.

That year, Maya Koehn-Wu connected with developers at FNE International, a global nonprofit organization that funds and develops education, housing and health projects for communities in developing nations such as Peru, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic.

With an aligned mission of bringing accessible health care to a rural community in need, FNE International made Sisters Project Peru a branch project of the umbrella organization. Maya Koehn-Wu said the support from FNE has allowed her and other organization members to focus on fundraising efforts rather than the paperwork usually associated with establishing a 501(3) nonprofit organization.

Maya traveled with us to Nicaragua and sometime in the beginning of the pandemic she had written because she and her sister Natalie had this beautiful, wonderful idea and lacked a little bit of experience and development, said Michael Cipoletti, executive director of FNE International who travels to Peru up to seven times per year. We have a well-established relationship down there with the Ministry of Health in that region, so it just made sense.

Cipoletti told The Daily Progress the mission of Sisters Project Peru aligned with FNEs, which prioritizes bringing groups of volunteers in the Global North with communities in the Global South in order to highlight the cultural similarities while meeting community needs.

Last summer, Maya Koehn-Wu returned to Huacahuasi as a nonprofit branch co-founder with a renewed mission to bring an accessible medical clinic to the community she calls culturally vibrant and one with the land.

Maya Koehn-Wu and Cipoletti took the 11-hour flight to Peru and spoke with the communitys financial officer to get a better understanding of the residents expectations and needs for the new clinic to accompany the demographic survey that Sisters Project Peru and FNE International conducted before the trip.

Having conducted a soil sampling survey to determine to the best location in the valley to place the clinic, the team went to visit the site in person.

They took me on a walk to the nearest health clinic to Huacahuasi on a track, and for whatever reason, I didnt bring altitude medication and I have never felt more out of shape in my life, Maya Koehn-Wu said. The walk was so hard, it was absolutely crazy. I couldnt imagine doing that if I was sick or hurt.

She said her second trip to Huacahuasi fully immersed her in the villagers way of life and allowed her to see her mission from their perspective.

This summer, she said she hopes to give the Sisters Project Peru members at UVa the opportunity to experience the same enlightenment to contribute to their further fundraising and community planning efforts.

Maya Koehn-Wu said once Sisters Project Peru and FNE International finalize the construction and development plans for the medical clinic, the UVa members will begin the grant-writing phase of the fundraising efforts.

Were not building the clinic tomorrow, but we have the foundation and all of the pieces in place for this project, Cipoletti said. Maya, Natalie and the team at UVa are the perfect example of what FNE is all about.
The Virginia Office of the Chief Medical Examiner has released an official autopsy result in the death of Irvo Otieno, confirming preliminary suspicions that the 28-year-old died by asphyxiation after 10 deputies and hospital workers piled on top of him.

Medical examiners ruled the manner of death as a homicide.

In releasing the cause of death, it was technically ruled as positional and mechanical asphyxiation with restraints, said Arkuie Williams, administrative deputy with the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. The announcement was released on Monday.

Otieno died on March 6 after being transported to Central State Hospital by deputies with the Henrico Sheriffs Office. There, Otieno was pinned down for more than 11 minutes while he was shackled and handcuffed.

Much of his treatment, which stemmed from a mental health episode, has been recorded on video, including his death at the state-run Dinwiddie County mental health facility.

Since then, seven deputies and three hospital workers have been charged with murder.

The medical examiners report confirms a preliminary report that was released this month.

In a press release, lawyers for the Otieno family broadcast the news, sharing a quote from Caroline Ouko, the mother of Otieno. All must know what they did to my son, said Ouko.

Otienos case has drawn national attention, with civil rights advocate Al Sharpton and lawyer Ben Crump coming to Virginia last weekend for a internationally televised funeral. Ouko has retained local civil rights lawyer Mark Krudys, as well as Crump, who has become nationally recognized since representing the family of George Floyd.

The official declaration confirms what all could see in the video. Irvo, while facedown and handcuffed at his wrists and shackled at his ankles, was not permitted to breathe, said Crump.

For over 11 minutes, the ten officer/hospital defendants pushed down hard on every part of Irvos body until he was limp and lifeless. We cannot continue to treat the mentally ill with such brutality. This must end; it must end now.

The official reports came out far more quickly than anticipated.

Typically, official autopsy reports from the medical examiners office take months to finalize. Those delays have been lengthened by understaffing at the office and a deluge of opioid-related deaths at the offices Richmond bureau.

PHOTOS: Celebration of life for Irvo Otieno
Within months of adding a second region in Melbourne, Amazon Web Services (AWS) on Tuesday said it would invest $8.93 billion (AU$13.2 billion) to spruce up infrastructure across its cloud regions in Australia through 2027.

The majority share of the investment, about $7.45 billion, will be invested in the companys cloud region in Sydney through the defined time period. The remaining $1.49 billion will be used to expand data center infrastructure in Melbourne, the company said.

The $8.93 billion investment includes a $495 million investment in network infrastructure to extend AWS cloud and edge infrastructure across Australia, including partnerships with telecom partners to facilitate high-speed fiber connectivity between Availability Zones, AWS said.

AWS infrastructure in Australia

AWS infrastructure in Australia includes two cloud regions each with three availability zones, one local zone, four CloudFront locations and two AWS Direct Connect locations.

AWS regions are composed of availability zones that place infrastructure in separate and distinct geographic locations.

Local zones, on the other hand, are infrastructure deployment that provides compute, storage, and database services to a large population or industrial centers.

In addition to the local zone in Perth, the company is expected to soon launch a second local zone in Brisbane. The Direct Connect infrastructure, according to the company, is located in Victoria and New South Wales.

In January, the cloud services provider while launching the Melbourne region said it planned to invest an additional $4.5 billion in Australia by 2037, which would support 2,500 new jobs.

AWS, which started operations in Australia with the launch of the Sydney region in 2012, said it has invested approximately $6.18 billion (AU$9.1 billion) through 2022 in the country.

This includes both capital and operating expenditures associated with constructing, operating, and maintaining the AWS Asia Pacific (Sydney) region. AWS estimates that the overall contribution of this investment to Australias total GDP is AU$19.2 billion, the company said citing a report.

AWS investment through 2022, according to the company, has supported around 5,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) jobs annually.

The investment is estimated to contribute $23.7 billion to Australias total gross domestic product (GDP) by 2027 and support an estimated 11,000 FTE jobs, the company said citing an economic impact study.

AWS continues to invest in data centers

AWS most recently opened cloud region in Melbourne is the companys 12th cloud region in Asia Pacific, joining existing regions in Singapore, Tokyo, Seoul, Mumbai, Hong Kong, Osaka, Jakarta, Hyderabad, Sydney, Beijing, and Ningxia.

Currently, AWS has 99 availability zones across 31 geographic regions, with plans to add 12 more availability zones and four more AWS regions in Canada, Israel, New Zealand, and Thailand.

In November last year, the company launched its second region in India with a $4.4 billion commitment.

The company also has confirmed plans to invest $35 billion in Virginia by 2040, expanding its US-EAST-1 region by establishing multiple data center campuses across the state, and creating 1,000 new jobs.
Oracle on Tuesday said it is planning to add a second cloud region in Singapore to meet the growing demand for cloud services across Southeast Asia.

Our upcoming second cloud region in Singapore will help meet the tremendous upsurge in demand for cloud services in South East Asia, Garrett Ilg, president, Japan & Asia Pacific at Oracle, said in a statement.

Public cloud services market across Asia Pacific, excluding Japan, is expected to reach $153.6 billion in 2026 from $53.4 billion in 2021, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 23.5%, according to a report from IDC.

The new region in Singapore, according to the company, will also aid enterprises in meeting data residency regulations along with offering other benefits such as business continuity and disaster protection.

Each Oracle Cloud Region contains at least three fault domains, which are groupings of hardware that form logical data centers for high availability and resilience to hardware and network failures, the company said.

Oracle will offer over 100 Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) services and applications, including Oracle Autonomous Database, MySQL HeatWave Database Service, Oracle Container Engine for Kubernetes, and Oracle Cloud VMware Solution via the upcoming region.

Other Oracle public cloud regions in Asia Pacific include Sydney, Melbourne, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Tokyo, Osaka, Seoul, Chuncheon, and the first region in Singapore.

The first Singapore region, according to Oracle, already supports over 1,000 customers.

Rival cloud service providers, including AWS, Microsoft, and Google, each operate their own public cloud region in Singapore.

Oracle continues to invest in cloud regions

The second region in Singapore, which is one of 10 planned public cloud regions by the company, will add to the 41 public cloud regions that Oracle operates currently.

Oracle plans to invest about $2.4 billion every quarter for the next few quarters, CEO Safra Catz said during an earnings call for the quarter that ended in November.

In December last year, the company launched a public cloud region in Chicago, its fourth in the US after Virginia, California, and Arizona, as part of its ongoing strategy to catch up with larger cloud services providers such as AWS, Microsoft, and Google.
Uma Kannan By

Express News Service

BENGALURU: Amazon has stopped over 8 lakh bad actors' attempts to create new selling accounts in 2022. This is down from 60 lakh attempts in 2020 and 25 lakh in 2021.

In an interaction with The New Indian Express, Anna Dalla Val, Amazons Director for Global Brand Relations, said the company will continue to invest, including in its people to fight problems such as counterfeit and stop bad actor attempts. She said Amazon is investing in advanced machine learning and artificial intelligence techniques to improve its counterfeit detection systems.

Recently, many experts also raised concerns and explained how latest technologies such as AI tools can be used by bad actors as they are looking at loopholes and finding various ways to exploit them.

Amazon has invested over $1.2 billion and also employed more than 15,000 people to protect customers, brands and selling partners from counterfeits and fraud.

It also removed 60 lakh counterfeit items last year. Amazon, which released its third annual Brand Protection Report, said that it continues to innovate and drive counterfeits to zero.

ALSO READ | Unaffected by disability, Vizianagaram youth goes on to bag his dream job at Amazon

She also stressed on the company's innovations in seller vetting that is deterring bad actors from attempting to create new selling accounts.

Anna Dalla Val said, in India, the company launched a multi-phase campaign on consumer education and awareness.

Recently, Amazon India and Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA) signed an MoU to collaborate to educate online consumers about their rights and also create awareness about safe shopping practices, thereby protecting online shoppers from bad actors.

The report also said that in addition to disrupting counterfeiters through civil suits, Amazon's CCU (Counterfeit Crimes Unit) works with law enforcement or joint enforcement and seizures across the globe, including taking action against bad actors, suppliers, social media influencers and fake invoice providers.

She said that in 2022, it pursued over 1,300 criminals through litigation and criminal referrals.

Amazon's automated technology scanned over 8 billion daily attempted changes to product detail pages for signs of potential abuse.

BENGALURU: Amazon has stopped over 8 lakh bad actors' attempts to create new selling accounts in 2022. This is down from 60 lakh attempts in 2020 and 25 lakh in 2021. In an interaction with The New Indian Express, Anna Dalla Val, Amazons Director for Global Brand Relations, said the company will continue to invest, including in its people to fight problems such as counterfeit and stop bad actor attempts. She said Amazon is investing in advanced machine learning and artificial intelligence techniques to improve its counterfeit detection systems. Recently, many experts also raised concerns and explained how latest technologies such as AI tools can be used by bad actors as they are looking at loopholes and finding various ways to exploit them.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Amazon has invested over $1.2 billion and also employed more than 15,000 people to protect customers, brands and selling partners from counterfeits and fraud. It also removed 60 lakh counterfeit items last year. Amazon, which released its third annual Brand Protection Report, said that it continues to innovate and drive counterfeits to zero. ALSO READ | Unaffected by disability, Vizianagaram youth goes on to bag his dream job at Amazon She also stressed on the company's innovations in seller vetting that is deterring bad actors from attempting to create new selling accounts. Anna Dalla Val said, in India, the company launched a multi-phase campaign on consumer education and awareness. Recently, Amazon India and Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA) signed an MoU to collaborate to educate online consumers about their rights and also create awareness about safe shopping practices, thereby protecting online shoppers from bad actors. The report also said that in addition to disrupting counterfeiters through civil suits, Amazon's CCU (Counterfeit Crimes Unit) works with law enforcement or joint enforcement and seizures across the globe, including taking action against bad actors, suppliers, social media influencers and fake invoice providers. She said that in 2022, it pursued over 1,300 criminals through litigation and criminal referrals. Amazon's automated technology scanned over 8 billion daily attempted changes to product detail pages for signs of potential abuse.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: Vehicle safety group Global NCAP on Tuesday said it has given one- and two-star safety ratings for adult occupant protection to Maruti Suzuki India's popular models WagonR and AltoK 10, respectively after conducting crash tests.

Both the models scored zero stars for child occupant protection as per the Global NCAP's latest round of crash tests.

The company, however, said its vehicles meet India's crash safety regulations which are almost similar to the standards in Europe.

Global NCAP rates vehicles from zero to five based on their safety features and automobiles with a higher rating are considered safer for occupants.

According to its latest test, Global NCAP stated that the Alto K10 showed a stable structure and marginal to good protection for adult chest to head in the frontal impact but showed weak protection to the chest in the side impact.

Explained | Cyrus Mistry death: Why a drive to Mumbai from Ahmedabad needs caution

The WagonR also offered weak chest protection for the driver despite the improvements in the restraint systems by Maruti Suzuki since the previous version of the model was tested by Global NCAP, it added.

"We have been delighted with the positive response from Indian automakers and some global automakers as well. Although there has been some limited improvement, we are yet to see this safety commitment deployed in the most popular Maruti Suzuki models," Global NCAP Secretary General Alejandro Furas noted.

Given that six airbags are becoming a mandatory requirement for new models sold in India, it is particularly worrying for Global NCAP that Maruti Suzuki does not even make this requirement available as a customer option, he added.

When contacted, a Maruti Suzuki India spokesperson admitted that safety is a critical issue and is therefore closely regulated by governments around the world.

"For Maruti Suzuki also safety has always been a top priority. India's crash safety regulations are almost similar to the standards in Europe and all our models meet these regulations and are duly tested and certified by the Government of India," the spokesperson noted.

In many models and variants, the company has gone well beyond government mandatory requirements and provided additional safety features like airbags, electronic stability control, electronic brakeforce distribution, Hill-Hold assist, 360 degree-view camera, Suzuki TECT platform for enhanced safety, ISOFIX child seat anchorages, and a host of other features, the spokesperson said.

The company will continue to keep its focus on this very important aspect in all products at all times, the spokesperson added.

"We believe that the government is coming out with Bharat NCAP, an India-specific safety rating process, which will be more meaningful for the Indian consumers," the spokesperson said.

Global NCAP said the Volkswagen Virtus and Skoda Slavia achieved a five-star rating for adult and child occupants showing a stable structure.

"The highest safety rating from Global NCAP for the Skoda Slavia and Volkswagen Virtus further cements the Group's position as the leading European car manufacturer with the safest portfolio of cars in India," Skoda Auto Volkswagen India Managing Director and CEO Piyush Arora said in a statement.

NEW DELHI: Vehicle safety group Global NCAP on Tuesday said it has given one- and two-star safety ratings for adult occupant protection to Maruti Suzuki India's popular models WagonR and AltoK 10, respectively after conducting crash tests. Both the models scored zero stars for child occupant protection as per the Global NCAP's latest round of crash tests. The company, however, said its vehicles meet India's crash safety regulations which are almost similar to the standards in Europe.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Global NCAP rates vehicles from zero to five based on their safety features and automobiles with a higher rating are considered safer for occupants. According to its latest test, Global NCAP stated that the Alto K10 showed a stable structure and marginal to good protection for adult chest to head in the frontal impact but showed weak protection to the chest in the side impact. Explained | Cyrus Mistry death: Why a drive to Mumbai from Ahmedabad needs caution The WagonR also offered weak chest protection for the driver despite the improvements in the restraint systems by Maruti Suzuki since the previous version of the model was tested by Global NCAP, it added. "We have been delighted with the positive response from Indian automakers and some global automakers as well. Although there has been some limited improvement, we are yet to see this safety commitment deployed in the most popular Maruti Suzuki models," Global NCAP Secretary General Alejandro Furas noted. Given that six airbags are becoming a mandatory requirement for new models sold in India, it is particularly worrying for Global NCAP that Maruti Suzuki does not even make this requirement available as a customer option, he added. When contacted, a Maruti Suzuki India spokesperson admitted that safety is a critical issue and is therefore closely regulated by governments around the world. "For Maruti Suzuki also safety has always been a top priority. India's crash safety regulations are almost similar to the standards in Europe and all our models meet these regulations and are duly tested and certified by the Government of India," the spokesperson noted. In many models and variants, the company has gone well beyond government mandatory requirements and provided additional safety features like airbags, electronic stability control, electronic brakeforce distribution, Hill-Hold assist, 360 degree-view camera, Suzuki TECT platform for enhanced safety, ISOFIX child seat anchorages, and a host of other features, the spokesperson said. The company will continue to keep its focus on this very important aspect in all products at all times, the spokesperson added. "We believe that the government is coming out with Bharat NCAP, an India-specific safety rating process, which will be more meaningful for the Indian consumers," the spokesperson said. Global NCAP said the Volkswagen Virtus and Skoda Slavia achieved a five-star rating for adult and child occupants showing a stable structure. "The highest safety rating from Global NCAP for the Skoda Slavia and Volkswagen Virtus further cements the Group's position as the leading European car manufacturer with the safest portfolio of cars in India," Skoda Auto Volkswagen India Managing Director and CEO Piyush Arora said in a statement.
Sahaya Novinston Lobo By

Express News Service

CHENNAI: A 38-year-old woman was arrested for allegedly killing her former lover, chopping his body into pieces, and burying them in Kovalam on the outskirts of Chennai. Three men who helped her in the alleged crime are absconding. The police are yet to recover the body.

The victim is M Jeyanthan (29) from Villupuram. He was working as a ground staff with Thai Airways in Chennai airport. The shocking incident came to light after his sister, P Jeyakruba (41), an advocate in the Madras High Court, filed a missing complaint with Pazhavanthangal police on March 21.

In her complaint, she said Jeyanthan, her brother, was staying with her for the past five years.

On March 18, he told her he would go home to Villupuram after work. But, Jeyanthan never reached his hometown and his mobile phone was switched off, she further said. Based on her complaint, the police began investigating.

During the probe, it came to light that on March 19, a day after he went missing, Jeyanthan was in Pudukkottai. He went there to meet a woman with whom he was previously in a relationship, said the police.

The woman, identified as G Bakkiyalakshmi, was a sex worker, added the police.

During his visit, they argued, and Bakkiyalakshmi called her friend Shankar, who brought along two of his friends.

Quoting the accused, the police said, The gang killed Jeyanthan and chopped his body into pieces. They then wrapped his limbs in a plastic bag, and during the wee hours of March 20 got on a bus with the served limbs and alighted near the outskirts of the city. They buried the body parts in Kovalam and returned to Pudukkottai, said the police.

However, Bakkiyalakshmi made the 380-km trip twice. She stayed put with the rest of the body for six days, and on March 26, she hired a car and reached the city. This time a temple priest, who Bakkiyalakshmi claims is an old friend, helped her bury the body near Kovalam.

A hunt is on to nab the priest, said the police. The tahsildar and revenue officials have been informed to retrieve the body parts, said the police.

A senior police officer said the accused was giving conflicting statements and an investigation is on to get to the bottom of the case. Hunt is on to nab the three men who helped Bakkiyalakshmi in Pudukkottai.

According to the police, Jeyanthan first met Bakkiyalakshmi at a lodge in 2020. Jeyanthan had married her at a temple in Villupuram without the knowledge of his family.

In January 2021, the duo separated due to differences. Police suspect Bakkiyalakshmi often demanded money from Jeyanthan and this often led to fights.

It is unclear why he met her again recently, added the police.

The case could be transferred to Pudukkottai police, where the crime took place, added the police.

CHENNAI: A 38-year-old woman was arrested for allegedly killing her former lover, chopping his body into pieces, and burying them in Kovalam on the outskirts of Chennai. Three men who helped her in the alleged crime are absconding. The police are yet to recover the body. The victim is M Jeyanthan (29) from Villupuram. He was working as a ground staff with Thai Airways in Chennai airport. The shocking incident came to light after his sister, P Jeyakruba (41), an advocate in the Madras High Court, filed a missing complaint with Pazhavanthangal police on March 21. In her complaint, she said Jeyanthan, her brother, was staying with her for the past five years.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); On March 18, he told her he would go home to Villupuram after work. But, Jeyanthan never reached his hometown and his mobile phone was switched off, she further said. Based on her complaint, the police began investigating. During the probe, it came to light that on March 19, a day after he went missing, Jeyanthan was in Pudukkottai. He went there to meet a woman with whom he was previously in a relationship, said the police. The woman, identified as G Bakkiyalakshmi, was a sex worker, added the police. During his visit, they argued, and Bakkiyalakshmi called her friend Shankar, who brought along two of his friends. Quoting the accused, the police said, The gang killed Jeyanthan and chopped his body into pieces. They then wrapped his limbs in a plastic bag, and during the wee hours of March 20 got on a bus with the served limbs and alighted near the outskirts of the city. They buried the body parts in Kovalam and returned to Pudukkottai, said the police. However, Bakkiyalakshmi made the 380-km trip twice. She stayed put with the rest of the body for six days, and on March 26, she hired a car and reached the city. This time a temple priest, who Bakkiyalakshmi claims is an old friend, helped her bury the body near Kovalam. A hunt is on to nab the priest, said the police. The tahsildar and revenue officials have been informed to retrieve the body parts, said the police. A senior police officer said the accused was giving conflicting statements and an investigation is on to get to the bottom of the case. Hunt is on to nab the three men who helped Bakkiyalakshmi in Pudukkottai. According to the police, Jeyanthan first met Bakkiyalakshmi at a lodge in 2020. Jeyanthan had married her at a temple in Villupuram without the knowledge of his family. In January 2021, the duo separated due to differences. Police suspect Bakkiyalakshmi often demanded money from Jeyanthan and this often led to fights. It is unclear why he met her again recently, added the police. The case could be transferred to Pudukkottai police, where the crime took place, added the police.
Aishwarya Prabhakaran By

Express News Service

KOCHI: With the Kerala High Court ordering the formation of Kochi Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA) within four months, the stage is set for drastic changes within the corporation limits and the way the city is governed, if things proceed as per the plan. KMDA will propel the citys development in a much faster mode.

According to sources, if KMDA comes into existence, the corporation limits would be expanded, and nearby local bodies, including Maradu, Thrikkakara, and Kalamassery, will have to be merged with the Kochi Corporation.

Meanwhile, Kochi Mayor M Anilkumar said that the nearby local bodies and Kochi Corporation could work together for the development of the areas coming under them. There will be no need for expanding the Kochi Corporation limits or dissolving existing agencies once KDMA is formed. We could integrate activities of nearby local bodies and various agencies for taking up development projects in the city. The GCDA is an example of this, said Anilkumar.

On the other hand, the chairman of the GCDA, K Chandran Pillai, said, I am positive about the formation of the KMDA because it is an opportunity for the government to implement projects without delay. I believe that the metropolitan authority will do more good for the GCDA in terms of extending more powers to implement developmental projects in a big way. KMDA will act as a catalyst for several projects in Kochi.

He also said that fund shortage is a major stumbling block to the citys development. The state government is not in a position to allocate more funds to the GCDA. So we have to generate our own funds. But the means are very limited. Metropolitan authorities in other states adopt tools like land pooling, the bond system, and transfer land rights for the development of areas coming under them, said Pillai.

The High Court directive to consider the formation of a metropolitan development authority for Kochi was issued on March 16 in response to a petition filed by Kochi residents. According to the Constitution, KMDA should be formed under a Metropolitan Planning Committee (MPC), which will act as an umbrella organisation to implement, coordinate, and supervise the orderly development of Kochi city.

The city has several local bodies that plan and implement projects within their respective jurisdictions. However there is a lack of uniformity and a pan-city development perspective owing to various reasons. One major issue is that the civic bodies that are ruled by various political parties will have different development perspectives, said Arjun P Bhaskar, one of the petitioners.

The counter-affidavit submitted by the government in the court said that the district doesnt need an MPC as it already has a District Planning Committee to plan, coordinate and implement development projects. Kochi has agencies like the GCDA, the Goshree Island Development Authority (GIDA), and many local bodies. However, the District Planning Committees performance must be reviewed. It will reveal the need for establishing an MPC for Ernakulam, said an expert in urban planning. They do have an agency with no expertise to guide or implement a project, he added.

Meanwhile, Centre for Public Policy Research (CPPR) chairman, Dr Dhanuraj, said that one of the problems being faced by Kerala is that the government forms hundreds of such committees but with limited powers to act. If an MPC is formed, it may face the same fate. For example, the Kochi Metropolitan Transport Authority (KMTA) was formed to integrate the transport sector. But what is its status now? The authority has been inactive for so many years, said Dhanuraj.

We need a highly advanced body. Though the Constitution vests powers in these bodies, it also puts a condition that the state government may consider giving powers to the authority. So, such a committee will be effective only if it is vested with independent powers. Otherwise, it will end up being just another committee, he added.

MPCs in other cities

Delhi Development Authority

Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority

Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development

Authority

Bangalore Metropolitan Region Development Authority

Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority

Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority

Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority

Key functions

The DDA is responsible for planning, development and construction of housing projects, commercial lands, land management, and disposal, land pooling, land costing etc

KOCHI: With the Kerala High Court ordering the formation of Kochi Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA) within four months, the stage is set for drastic changes within the corporation limits and the way the city is governed, if things proceed as per the plan. KMDA will propel the citys development in a much faster mode. According to sources, if KMDA comes into existence, the corporation limits would be expanded, and nearby local bodies, including Maradu, Thrikkakara, and Kalamassery, will have to be merged with the Kochi Corporation. Meanwhile, Kochi Mayor M Anilkumar said that the nearby local bodies and Kochi Corporation could work together for the development of the areas coming under them. There will be no need for expanding the Kochi Corporation limits or dissolving existing agencies once KDMA is formed. We could integrate activities of nearby local bodies and various agencies for taking up development projects in the city. The GCDA is an example of this, said Anilkumar.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); On the other hand, the chairman of the GCDA, K Chandran Pillai, said, I am positive about the formation of the KMDA because it is an opportunity for the government to implement projects without delay. I believe that the metropolitan authority will do more good for the GCDA in terms of extending more powers to implement developmental projects in a big way. KMDA will act as a catalyst for several projects in Kochi. He also said that fund shortage is a major stumbling block to the citys development. The state government is not in a position to allocate more funds to the GCDA. So we have to generate our own funds. But the means are very limited. Metropolitan authorities in other states adopt tools like land pooling, the bond system, and transfer land rights for the development of areas coming under them, said Pillai. The High Court directive to consider the formation of a metropolitan development authority for Kochi was issued on March 16 in response to a petition filed by Kochi residents. According to the Constitution, KMDA should be formed under a Metropolitan Planning Committee (MPC), which will act as an umbrella organisation to implement, coordinate, and supervise the orderly development of Kochi city. The city has several local bodies that plan and implement projects within their respective jurisdictions. However there is a lack of uniformity and a pan-city development perspective owing to various reasons. One major issue is that the civic bodies that are ruled by various political parties will have different development perspectives, said Arjun P Bhaskar, one of the petitioners. The counter-affidavit submitted by the government in the court said that the district doesnt need an MPC as it already has a District Planning Committee to plan, coordinate and implement development projects. Kochi has agencies like the GCDA, the Goshree Island Development Authority (GIDA), and many local bodies. However, the District Planning Committees performance must be reviewed. It will reveal the need for establishing an MPC for Ernakulam, said an expert in urban planning. They do have an agency with no expertise to guide or implement a project, he added. Meanwhile, Centre for Public Policy Research (CPPR) chairman, Dr Dhanuraj, said that one of the problems being faced by Kerala is that the government forms hundreds of such committees but with limited powers to act. If an MPC is formed, it may face the same fate. For example, the Kochi Metropolitan Transport Authority (KMTA) was formed to integrate the transport sector. But what is its status now? The authority has been inactive for so many years, said Dhanuraj. We need a highly advanced body. Though the Constitution vests powers in these bodies, it also puts a condition that the state government may consider giving powers to the authority. So, such a committee will be effective only if it is vested with independent powers. Otherwise, it will end up being just another committee, he added. MPCs in other cities Delhi Development Authority Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority Bangalore Metropolitan Region Development Authority Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority Key functions The DDA is responsible for planning, development and construction of housing projects, commercial lands, land management, and disposal, land pooling, land costing etc
By Express News Service

VIJAYAWADA: In a major crackdown on ganja and other narcotic substances, as many as 25 persons were arrested on Monday in NTR and Krishna districts. In the first incident, Patamata police registered a case against three youngsters under relevant sections and arrested them for smuggling Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) through an APSRTC bus from a Bengaluru-based supplier. Police seized 47 grams of MDMA, 500 grams of ganja and `22,900 cash from their possession.

According to NTR district police commissioner Kanthi Rana Tata, the three accused Nunna Suhas (25) of Patamata Lanka, Arla Sai Varaprasad (24) of Patamata and Ammireddy Harshavardhan (26) of Surampalli were addicted to vices and chose ganja, narcotic smuggling and peddling to earn easy money. The prime accused developed contacts of drug peddlers in Bengaluru and purchased MDMA from Sashi. Sashi, packed the drug in a bag and sent the bag to Vijayawada through APSRTC bus. While collecting the bag, Patamata police intercepted the prime accused Suhas. With the information obtained from him, police have arrested two other friends and recovered MDMA from their possession, said CP Rana. He further said that a detailed probe is on to trace the network and consumers.

In the second incident, Krishna district police arrested as many as 22 ganja smugglers under five various police stations. Around 40 kg of ganja, three grams of MDMA, 16 mobile phones, an auto and a motorcycle were seized from their possession.

Speaking to TNIE, Krishna district SP Palle Jashuva said that all the accused arrested for ganja smuggling and peddling were under 30 years of age. Cases have been registered against them and produced in the court. He further explained that youngsters were attracted to vices and are committing offences and becoming victims. He also told parents to monitor the activities of their children and asked the public to alert police if they found anyone involved in anti-social activities.

Punishment from 10 years to 20 years will be sentenced to accused who are caught with narcotic substances under NDPS Act. In order to create deterrence, we are invoking the Preventive Detention (PD) Act on those who were found committing similar offences twice, SP Jashuva explained.

APSRTC TO FOCUS ON CARGO DEPOT

The managing director of Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) Ch Dwaraka Tirumala Rao instructed district level officials concerned to focus on the Cargo services in the wake of MDMA drug seized from PNBS on Monday. The MD Tirumala Rao, through video conference, told the officials to issue a notice to all drivers and conductors not to accept parcels from the public and asked them to scan each parcel arriving at the cargo depot. Stringent action would be initiated against those failing to adhere to rules, he said.

VIJAYAWADA: In a major crackdown on ganja and other narcotic substances, as many as 25 persons were arrested on Monday in NTR and Krishna districts. In the first incident, Patamata police registered a case against three youngsters under relevant sections and arrested them for smuggling Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) through an APSRTC bus from a Bengaluru-based supplier. Police seized 47 grams of MDMA, 500 grams of ganja and `22,900 cash from their possession. According to NTR district police commissioner Kanthi Rana Tata, the three accused Nunna Suhas (25) of Patamata Lanka, Arla Sai Varaprasad (24) of Patamata and Ammireddy Harshavardhan (26) of Surampalli were addicted to vices and chose ganja, narcotic smuggling and peddling to earn easy money. The prime accused developed contacts of drug peddlers in Bengaluru and purchased MDMA from Sashi. Sashi, packed the drug in a bag and sent the bag to Vijayawada through APSRTC bus. While collecting the bag, Patamata police intercepted the prime accused Suhas. With the information obtained from him, police have arrested two other friends and recovered MDMA from their possession, said CP Rana. He further said that a detailed probe is on to trace the network and consumers. In the second incident, Krishna district police arrested as many as 22 ganja smugglers under five various police stations. Around 40 kg of ganja, three grams of MDMA, 16 mobile phones, an auto and a motorcycle were seized from their possession. googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Speaking to TNIE, Krishna district SP Palle Jashuva said that all the accused arrested for ganja smuggling and peddling were under 30 years of age. Cases have been registered against them and produced in the court. He further explained that youngsters were attracted to vices and are committing offences and becoming victims. He also told parents to monitor the activities of their children and asked the public to alert police if they found anyone involved in anti-social activities. Punishment from 10 years to 20 years will be sentenced to accused who are caught with narcotic substances under NDPS Act. In order to create deterrence, we are invoking the Preventive Detention (PD) Act on those who were found committing similar offences twice, SP Jashuva explained. APSRTC TO FOCUS ON CARGO DEPOT The managing director of Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) Ch Dwaraka Tirumala Rao instructed district level officials concerned to focus on the Cargo services in the wake of MDMA drug seized from PNBS on Monday. The MD Tirumala Rao, through video conference, told the officials to issue a notice to all drivers and conductors not to accept parcels from the public and asked them to scan each parcel arriving at the cargo depot. Stringent action would be initiated against those failing to adhere to rules, he said.
Yeshi Seli By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: The King of Bhutan Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck had interactions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, amid rising concerns over Chinas attempt to gain influence in the kingdom, as well as some controversial statements by Bhutanese PM Lotay Tshering on his country's equation with China.

"The Prime Minister and His Majesty the King of Bhutan had discussions on wide ranging issues, which also included security concerns of both the nations," said Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra.

India and Bhutan have intertwined national interests and the government of India closely follows issues concerning national interest and takes all measures to safeguard them, Foreign Secretary Kwatra added.

Meanwhile, the King of Bhutan was hosted by External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar along with CEOs of leading Indian companies on April 3rd. NSA Ajit Doval too had an interaction with the King and spoke about security issues concerning both nations.

Bhutan is a strategically important country for India and defence and security ties between the two sides have witnessed significant expansion in the last few years.

Strategic ties have been on an upward trajectory in the backdrop of the 73-day face-off between Indian and Chinese troops at the Doklam tri-junction in 2017.

ALSO READ | 'We reject this outright': India slams Chinas renaming of places in Arunachal Pradesh

The Doklam plateau is considered an important area for India's strategic interests. In the backdrop of the strong bilateral ties between the two nations, the Bhutan PMs comments did come as a surprise.

The standoff at Doklam tri-junction in 2017 began after China tried to extend a road in an area that Bhutan claimed belonged to it. India had strongly opposed the construction as it would have impacted its overall security interests. The India-China face-off was resolved following several rounds of talks.

"India and Bhutan remain in close touch and coordination relating to our national interests and India has explicitly brought out our position on the demarcation of the (Doklam) trijunction," Kwatra added.

In October 2021, Bhutan and China signed an agreement on a three-step roadmap to expedite negotiations to resolve their boundary dispute.

Bhutan shares an over 400-km-long border with China and the two countries have held over 24 rounds of boundary talks in a bid to resolve the dispute.

In a recent interview to a Belgian newspaper, the Bhutanese Prime Minister had said that China has an equal say in resolving the border dispute in Doklam.

Meanwhile, during the bilateral talks that PM Modi had with the Bhutanese King, the two leaders spoke about the entire gamut of cooperation  this included India supporting Bhutan in their 13th five year plan. Besides, there is collaboration on hydropower projects and a rail project that will connect India and Bhutan. Also, an integrated check post has been set up at the India-Bhutan border.

NEW DELHI: The King of Bhutan Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck had interactions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, amid rising concerns over Chinas attempt to gain influence in the kingdom, as well as some controversial statements by Bhutanese PM Lotay Tshering on his country's equation with China. "The Prime Minister and His Majesty the King of Bhutan had discussions on wide ranging issues, which also included security concerns of both the nations," said Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra. India and Bhutan have intertwined national interests and the government of India closely follows issues concerning national interest and takes all measures to safeguard them, Foreign Secretary Kwatra added.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Meanwhile, the King of Bhutan was hosted by External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar along with CEOs of leading Indian companies on April 3rd. NSA Ajit Doval too had an interaction with the King and spoke about security issues concerning both nations. Bhutan is a strategically important country for India and defence and security ties between the two sides have witnessed significant expansion in the last few years. Strategic ties have been on an upward trajectory in the backdrop of the 73-day face-off between Indian and Chinese troops at the Doklam tri-junction in 2017. ALSO READ | 'We reject this outright': India slams Chinas renaming of places in Arunachal Pradesh The Doklam plateau is considered an important area for India's strategic interests. In the backdrop of the strong bilateral ties between the two nations, the Bhutan PMs comments did come as a surprise. The standoff at Doklam tri-junction in 2017 began after China tried to extend a road in an area that Bhutan claimed belonged to it. India had strongly opposed the construction as it would have impacted its overall security interests. The India-China face-off was resolved following several rounds of talks. "India and Bhutan remain in close touch and coordination relating to our national interests and India has explicitly brought out our position on the demarcation of the (Doklam) trijunction," Kwatra added. In October 2021, Bhutan and China signed an agreement on a three-step roadmap to expedite negotiations to resolve their boundary dispute. Bhutan shares an over 400-km-long border with China and the two countries have held over 24 rounds of boundary talks in a bid to resolve the dispute. In a recent interview to a Belgian newspaper, the Bhutanese Prime Minister had said that China has an equal say in resolving the border dispute in Doklam. Meanwhile, during the bilateral talks that PM Modi had with the Bhutanese King, the two leaders spoke about the entire gamut of cooperation  this included India supporting Bhutan in their 13th five year plan. Besides, there is collaboration on hydropower projects and a rail project that will connect India and Bhutan. Also, an integrated check post has been set up at the India-Bhutan border.
Body Armor-Wearing Pastors Risk All to Deliver Aid to Ukraine Frontline

U.S. organization supplies 'survival kits' to brave pastors, churches shining 'light of life' amid war





BODY ARMOR-WEARING UKRAINE PASTORS RISK ALL TO HELP: Armor-wearing Pastor Vlad and other "frontline pastors" are delivering food and vital supplies to desperate people living near the frontline of the war in Ukraine. Illinois-based Slavic Gospel Association (SGA, www.sga.org) is supporting frontline pastors and local churches with its new "survival kits" project.



NEWS PROVIDED BY

Slavic Gospel Association (SGA)

April 4, 2023



LOVES PARK, Ill., April 4, 2023 /Standard Newswire/ -- Courageous pastors, some wearing bulletproof vests, are risking everything to deliver life-saving aid to desperate people living near the frontline of the war in Ukraine.



"Jesus used to go where there was pain, where it was difficult, where people needed him," said armor-wearing Pastor Vlad, as he and church members distributed food and other vital supplies to residents of a heavily shelled town in eastern Ukraine, gunfire echoing around them. "Today, we're going where Jesus would go."



Watch Pastor Vlad here.



"They're fearless; they're ducking artillery fire; they're undeterred, sharing the Gospel, and providing a unique ministry," said Eric Mock, vice president of Slavic Gospel Association (SGA, www.sga.org), an Illinois-based mission that supports more than 100 "frontline pastors" like Pastor Vlad in Ukraine.



"These frontline pastors are the first responders," Mock said, "and as the assault continues, they're ministering to the unseen wounds of war, and to desperate people who've nowhere else to turn."



Some courageous church leaders have died serving in the war zone, where entire towns have been reduced to rubble, said Mock, a frequent visitor to Ukraine and Russia, where SGA has supported a network of thousands of local evangelical churches and pastors for decades.



"These pastors and other church leaders are the ones who stay in the struggle, literally on the frontline," he said. "Some are chaplains ministering to guys who may die the next day."



'Survival Kits' On The Way

SGA aims to supply 100 "survival kits" to frontline pastors and churches in Ukraine in the coming weeks -- kits that contain solar-powered units so people can charge their phones, connect to a Wi-Fi hotspot, and power emergency LED lights.



"Their sense of loneliness and disconnection is very real," Mock said. "These kits will be their connectivity to the world, showing them they still matter, that they haven't been forgotten."



For many Ukrainians taking refuge in local churches, the emergency lighting will enable them to read the Bible together as they pray for protection from missile and drone attacks.



"For them, light is life," said Mock. "They're looking to the Bible for answers; they're looking to God for hope."



The first 20 kits, costing roughly $1,000 each, will be shipped by truck from Chelm, Poland, in the next few days, with some 80 more to follow, Mock said.



The project reinforces SGA's "Winter Heat and Hope" campaign that has provided hundreds of wood-burning stoves, power generators, and 5,000 warm blankets to local churches acting as "centers of heat and hope" across Ukraine.



"We've had an incredible response from our donors across the U.S.," said the organization's president, Michael Johnson. "American Christians are eager to know how they can help families and children suffering in Ukraine right now."



Founded in 1934, Slavic Gospel Association (SGA, www.sga.org) helps "forgotten" orphans, widows and families in Ukraine, Russia, the former Soviet countries of Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and Russian-speaking immigrants in Israel  caring for their physical needs and sharing the life-transforming Gospel. SGA supports an extensive grassroots network of local evangelical missionary pastors and churches in cities and rural villages across this vast region.



SOURCE Slavic Gospel Association



CONTACT: Matti Stevenson, 719-360-0586, mstevenson@inchristcommunications.com


By PTI

DIGHA: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday accused the BJP of organising violence during Ram Navami processions and asserted that she would not let any rioter go scot-free and warned that strict action would be taken against "dangabaaz" (rioters).

Addressing a rally in Purba Medinipur district, Banerjee also took a dig at Union Home Minister Amit Shah without naming him and pointed out that BJP had said if it comes to power in Bihar, it would hang rioters "upside down" and wondered why such action was not being taken against "their 'goondas'".

Clashes were reported in Hooghly and Howrah districts during Ram Navami processions over the last few days.

"The BJP is behind the violence in Hooghly and Howrah. They had brought in hired 'goondas' from other states to unleash violence in Bengal, which is not in our culture. They are defaming the Hindu religion by pitting one community against another. But rioters have no religion, they are just political goons. I appeal to everyone to maintain calm," she said.

Taking a dig at Union Home Minister Amit Shah, without naming him, she said, "The BJP said if the party comes to power in Bihar, it would hang rioters upside down. Then why are they not doing that to their `goondas' who are fomenting trouble in Bengal? Charity begins at home."

Shah had made the remark during a recent public rally in Nawada district of Bihar, which has also witnessed communal clashes during Ram Navami.

Taking potshots at the CPI(M), she alleged that 'Baam' (Left) and 'Ram' (BJP) have joined hands against the TMC. "I am on the phone constantly because we don't know when and where BJP will start violence," she said, adding that people in the "processions organised by BJP" have been found carrying weapons.

Bengal Police have arrested a man from Bihar's Munger for allegedly carrying a gun during a Ram Navami procession in Howrah district last week, a senior officer said on Tuesday. "He has been arrested from Bihar's Munger. During interrogation, the youth admitted that he carried a revolver with him during the Ram Navami procession. He was seen in the video. We have handed over him to the state CID," the officer told PTI.

Banerjee said as people in Bengal didn't take part in violence, the BJP has started bringing in people from outside the State to incite violence.

"Bengal government is making all efforts to restore the livelihood of those affected by the violence. We had recently passed a law where losses suffered during organised protests would be compensated by attaching and auctioning off the alleged vandals' properties," she said.

"It is a criminal act. Under the garb of the Ram Navami procession, they are asking people to carry guns and swords to incite violence," she said.

The chief minister said she had never opposed Ram Navami processions, but BJP leaders were bringing in bulldozers, tractors, petrol bombs, guns and swords to these rallies. "These rioters have no religion; their only identity is that they are political goons hired by the BJP. They are destroying the name of Lord Ram. I am also a Hindu, a follower of Swami Vivekananda's Hinduism --- I don't believe in BJP's Hindutva," she said.

DIGHA: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday accused the BJP of organising violence during Ram Navami processions and asserted that she would not let any rioter go scot-free and warned that strict action would be taken against "dangabaaz" (rioters). Addressing a rally in Purba Medinipur district, Banerjee also took a dig at Union Home Minister Amit Shah without naming him and pointed out that BJP had said if it comes to power in Bihar, it would hang rioters "upside down" and wondered why such action was not being taken against "their 'goondas'". Clashes were reported in Hooghly and Howrah districts during Ram Navami processions over the last few days.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); "The BJP is behind the violence in Hooghly and Howrah. They had brought in hired 'goondas' from other states to unleash violence in Bengal, which is not in our culture. They are defaming the Hindu religion by pitting one community against another. But rioters have no religion, they are just political goons. I appeal to everyone to maintain calm," she said. Taking a dig at Union Home Minister Amit Shah, without naming him, she said, "The BJP said if the party comes to power in Bihar, it would hang rioters upside down. Then why are they not doing that to their `goondas' who are fomenting trouble in Bengal? Charity begins at home." Shah had made the remark during a recent public rally in Nawada district of Bihar, which has also witnessed communal clashes during Ram Navami. Taking potshots at the CPI(M), she alleged that 'Baam' (Left) and 'Ram' (BJP) have joined hands against the TMC. "I am on the phone constantly because we don't know when and where BJP will start violence," she said, adding that people in the "processions organised by BJP" have been found carrying weapons. Bengal Police have arrested a man from Bihar's Munger for allegedly carrying a gun during a Ram Navami procession in Howrah district last week, a senior officer said on Tuesday. "He has been arrested from Bihar's Munger. During interrogation, the youth admitted that he carried a revolver with him during the Ram Navami procession. He was seen in the video. We have handed over him to the state CID," the officer told PTI. Banerjee said as people in Bengal didn't take part in violence, the BJP has started bringing in people from outside the State to incite violence. "Bengal government is making all efforts to restore the livelihood of those affected by the violence. We had recently passed a law where losses suffered during organised protests would be compensated by attaching and auctioning off the alleged vandals' properties," she said. "It is a criminal act. Under the garb of the Ram Navami procession, they are asking people to carry guns and swords to incite violence," she said. The chief minister said she had never opposed Ram Navami processions, but BJP leaders were bringing in bulldozers, tractors, petrol bombs, guns and swords to these rallies. "These rioters have no religion; their only identity is that they are political goons hired by the BJP. They are destroying the name of Lord Ram. I am also a Hindu, a follower of Swami Vivekananda's Hinduism --- I don't believe in BJP's Hindutva," she said.
Yeshi Seli By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: India has rejected Chinas attempts at renaming parts of Indias territory in Arunachal Pradesh.

"We have seen such reports. This is not the first time China has made such an attempt. We reject this outright. Arunachal Pradesh is, has been and will always be an integral and inalienable part of India. Attempts to assign invented names will not alter this reality," said Arindam Bagchi, spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs.

China had created a stir on Monday by issuing a statement that showed 11 renamed places as being in southern Tibet, known as 'Zangnan' in Chinese  thereby implying that Arunachal was a part of China.

The 11 places named include five mountain peaks, two residential areas, two land areas and two rivers. The claimed geographical area has always been controlled and administered by India.

This is the third time that China has highlighted such a list attempting to rename places calling them standardised geographical names.

In 2017, the Chinese Ministry of Civilian Affairs had brought out a similar list of six places and in 2021 it released a list of 15 places that it renamed.

The latest naming was issued through a notification on April 2 which said that according to the relevant provisions of the State Council on the management of geographical names, [Chinas Ministry of Civil Affairs], together with relevant departments, has standardised some geographical names in southern Tibet. The third batch of supplementary place names for public use in southern Tibet (11 in total) is now officially announced.

In 2017 and 2021, the Chinese Foreign Ministry had stated that Chinas territorial claims in the so-called Zangnan region had a historical and administrative basis.

It is worth noting that the publication of the first list had come in the same year as the confrontation between Indian and Chinese troops in Doklam, while the second list and the latest one come after the LAC standoff between the Indian Army and PLA forces began in April 2020. Despite several rounds of official talks and military commander-level talks that have led to disengagement in certain sectors after the Galwan killings in 2020, there have been reports of Chinese attempts at transgressing the boundaries.

The April 2nd announcement comes ahead of a visit to India this month by Chinas newly appointed Defence Minister General Li Shangfu, who is expected to attend the SCO Defence Ministers' meeting, and a visit by Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang, who will attend the SCO Foreign Ministers' meeting in May in Goa.

Our response to media queries regarding the renaming of places in Arunachal Pradesh by China:https://t.co/JcMQoaTzK6 pic.twitter.com/CKBzK36H1K  Arindam Bagchi (@MEAIndia) April 4, 2023

NEW DELHI: India has rejected Chinas attempts at renaming parts of Indias territory in Arunachal Pradesh. "We have seen such reports. This is not the first time China has made such an attempt. We reject this outright. Arunachal Pradesh is, has been and will always be an integral and inalienable part of India. Attempts to assign invented names will not alter this reality," said Arindam Bagchi, spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs. China had created a stir on Monday by issuing a statement that showed 11 renamed places as being in southern Tibet, known as 'Zangnan' in Chinese  thereby implying that Arunachal was a part of China.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); The 11 places named include five mountain peaks, two residential areas, two land areas and two rivers. The claimed geographical area has always been controlled and administered by India. This is the third time that China has highlighted such a list attempting to rename places calling them standardised geographical names. In 2017, the Chinese Ministry of Civilian Affairs had brought out a similar list of six places and in 2021 it released a list of 15 places that it renamed. The latest naming was issued through a notification on April 2 which said that according to the relevant provisions of the State Council on the management of geographical names, [Chinas Ministry of Civil Affairs], together with relevant departments, has standardised some geographical names in southern Tibet. The third batch of supplementary place names for public use in southern Tibet (11 in total) is now officially announced. In 2017 and 2021, the Chinese Foreign Ministry had stated that Chinas territorial claims in the so-called Zangnan region had a historical and administrative basis. It is worth noting that the publication of the first list had come in the same year as the confrontation between Indian and Chinese troops in Doklam, while the second list and the latest one come after the LAC standoff between the Indian Army and PLA forces began in April 2020. Despite several rounds of official talks and military commander-level talks that have led to disengagement in certain sectors after the Galwan killings in 2020, there have been reports of Chinese attempts at transgressing the boundaries. The April 2nd announcement comes ahead of a visit to India this month by Chinas newly appointed Defence Minister General Li Shangfu, who is expected to attend the SCO Defence Ministers' meeting, and a visit by Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang, who will attend the SCO Foreign Ministers' meeting in May in Goa. Our response to media queries regarding the renaming of places in Arunachal Pradesh by China:https://t.co/JcMQoaTzK6 pic.twitter.com/CKBzK36H1K  Arindam Bagchi (@MEAIndia) April 4, 2023
Sudhir Suryawanshi By

Express News Service

MUMBAI: The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has come out in favour of conferring the Bharat Ratna to VD Savarkar, thereby taking a differing stance from its long-term ally Congress over the issue surrounding the controversial freedom fighter.

The comments come as the BJP and CM Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena started the Savarkar Gaurav Yatra in Maharashtra to honour the Hindutva ideologue's contributions and to counter Rahul Gandhi's criticism against him.

Despite hitting out at the BJP for playing politics using Savarkar, senior NCP leader Ajit Pawar questioned why the saffron party hasn't conferred the Bharat Ratna to the controversial leader.

BJP is in power in Maharashtra and central, then which auspicious day are they waiting to confer the Bharat Ratna to VD Savarkar? There are many national icons and great people who have yet to get Bharat Ratna, and VD Savarkar is one of them. BJP is only doing politics in the name of Savarkar, said Ajit Pawar.

He added that former Maharashtra governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari insulted Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Savitri Bai Phule and Mahatma Phule with his controversial remarks but BJP kept its mouth shut.

It shows that the BJP wants to do the convenience of politics. The motormouths of the BJP made controversial statements against our national icons but BJP neither stopped them nor condemned their remarks. BJP is free to call the Gaurav Yatra, but at the same time, they have to pay attention to other important issues as well, Ajit Pawar said.

Earlier Maha Vikas Aghadis alliance partner  Shiv Sena had also demanded Bharat Ratna from VD Savakar and made such a proposal when Uddhav Thackeray was the chief minister of Maharashtra.

But Congress has a different stand over the VD Savarkar issue. Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole said that the MVA was formed on some common minimum agendas and Savarkar was not the part of it. He said it is an open fact that Shiv Sena and Congress have different stands when it comes to the Savarkar issue.

When all freedom fighters were fighting for the country and sacrificed their lives, but at the same time VD Savarkar filed the mercy petitions, not once but multiple times. Therefore Savarkar has been called Mafivir Savarkar. Besides, he has also written objectionable stuff against Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and his son Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj. BJP should first clear its stand over it and during the Gaurav Yatra, they should tell the whole truth about Savarkar to people, Patole said.

ALSO READ | Uddhav Thackeray dares PM Modi, BJP to fulfil Savarkar's dream of 'Akhand Bharat' at MVA rally

Political observers said that NCP is trying to downplay the Savarkar issue by throwing the ball in BJPs court and not directly reacting to it.

Earlier NCP chief Sharad Pawar tried to douse the fire between Uddhav Thackeray and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over the Savarkar issue. Pawar termed its old-era issue and no relevance in today's fight against BJP and its politics. Ajit Pawar, now, is throwing the ball in BJP court asking them to confer the Bharat Ratna to Savarkar as they are in power in Maharashtra and Delhi. So, BJP has to take the stand whether to accept the Savakar in totality or continue to do politics by hanging the subject as it is, he observed.

ALSO READ | Can't ignore Savarkar's sacrifice, but more pressing issues in country today: Sharad Pawar

MUMBAI: The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has come out in favour of conferring the Bharat Ratna to VD Savarkar, thereby taking a differing stance from its long-term ally Congress over the issue surrounding the controversial freedom fighter. The comments come as the BJP and CM Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena started the Savarkar Gaurav Yatra in Maharashtra to honour the Hindutva ideologue's contributions and to counter Rahul Gandhi's criticism against him. Despite hitting out at the BJP for playing politics using Savarkar, senior NCP leader Ajit Pawar questioned why the saffron party hasn't conferred the Bharat Ratna to the controversial leader. googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); BJP is in power in Maharashtra and central, then which auspicious day are they waiting to confer the Bharat Ratna to VD Savarkar? There are many national icons and great people who have yet to get Bharat Ratna, and VD Savarkar is one of them. BJP is only doing politics in the name of Savarkar, said Ajit Pawar. He added that former Maharashtra governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari insulted Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Savitri Bai Phule and Mahatma Phule with his controversial remarks but BJP kept its mouth shut. It shows that the BJP wants to do the convenience of politics. The motormouths of the BJP made controversial statements against our national icons but BJP neither stopped them nor condemned their remarks. BJP is free to call the Gaurav Yatra, but at the same time, they have to pay attention to other important issues as well, Ajit Pawar said. Earlier Maha Vikas Aghadis alliance partner  Shiv Sena had also demanded Bharat Ratna from VD Savakar and made such a proposal when Uddhav Thackeray was the chief minister of Maharashtra. But Congress has a different stand over the VD Savarkar issue. Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole said that the MVA was formed on some common minimum agendas and Savarkar was not the part of it. He said it is an open fact that Shiv Sena and Congress have different stands when it comes to the Savarkar issue. When all freedom fighters were fighting for the country and sacrificed their lives, but at the same time VD Savarkar filed the mercy petitions, not once but multiple times. Therefore Savarkar has been called Mafivir Savarkar. Besides, he has also written objectionable stuff against Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and his son Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj. BJP should first clear its stand over it and during the Gaurav Yatra, they should tell the whole truth about Savarkar to people, Patole said. ALSO READ | Uddhav Thackeray dares PM Modi, BJP to fulfil Savarkar's dream of 'Akhand Bharat' at MVA rally Political observers said that NCP is trying to downplay the Savarkar issue by throwing the ball in BJPs court and not directly reacting to it. Earlier NCP chief Sharad Pawar tried to douse the fire between Uddhav Thackeray and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over the Savarkar issue. Pawar termed its old-era issue and no relevance in today's fight against BJP and its politics. Ajit Pawar, now, is throwing the ball in BJP court asking them to confer the Bharat Ratna to Savarkar as they are in power in Maharashtra and Delhi. So, BJP has to take the stand whether to accept the Savakar in totality or continue to do politics by hanging the subject as it is, he observed. ALSO READ | Can't ignore Savarkar's sacrifice, but more pressing issues in country today: Sharad Pawar
By PTI

JAIPUR: Private doctors in Rajasthan on Tuesday ended their 17-day strike over the Right to Health Bill after the state government agreed to their key demands including keeping unaided private hospitals outside the ambit of the proposed law.

The doctors' bodies said that the two sides reached consensus during talks with the state government agreeing to keep private hospitals that have not availed land at subsidised rates or other benefits from it outside the ambit of the proposed law.

Besides, in the first phase of implementing the proposed law, private multi-speciality hospitals with less than 50 beds will be kept out of its purview, according to the agreement.

Among other provisions, the recently passed Bill allows people to get emergency treatment from all government and designated private hospitals without payment.

The government is expected to reimburse the private hospital for this.

"An agreement with the government has been made. Private hospitals that have not taken subsidy from the government have been exempted from the new law. We have converted our rally into a 'Vijay Rally'," said Dr Vijay Kapoor, Secretary of Private Hospitals and Nursing Homes Society (PHNHS). "We decided to end our strike at a general body meeting called after the talks with the government," Kapoor said.

Celebrations of Rajasthan doctors after the govt accepted to change the RTH bill and accept all demands of Doctors



They have taught the nation what Unity can do when you stay consistent , determined and fight for your rights . pic.twitter.com/1NB8bPobvf  Dhruv Chauhan (@DrDhruvchauhan) April 4, 2023

Expressing happiness over the development, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said Rajasthan will become the first state in the country to implement 'Right to Health'.

"It is a matter of happiness that a consensus to the proposal placed before the doctors regarding the Right to Health Bill by the state government has been arrived at. With this, Rajasthan will become the first state in the country to implement 'Right to Health'," Gehlot said in a statement.

Earlier, a delegation of doctors, including those from the Indian Medical Association (IMA), the United Private Clinics and Hospitals Association of Rajasthan(UPCHAR) and PHNHS held talks with the government and signed a memorandum on eight points.

The doctors said their major demand that private hospitals that have not taken any benefit from the government in the form of land or buildings at subsidised rates should be kept outside the ambit of the RTH Bill has been accepted.

According to the agreement, this law will be applicable to all private medical colleges and hospitals, hospitals operating on public-private partnership (PPP) model, hospitals with land allotment at free or subsidised rates, hospitals run by trusts that have received plots at subsidised rates.

It was also agreed that regularization of hospitals running at different places of the state according to the "quota model" would be considered.

Under the quota model, consideration will be given to regularize the buildings of those hospitals, which are running in residential premises, by providing relaxation in the rules.

According to the agreement, the police and other cases registered during the agitation will be withdrawn.

Besides, consideration will be given to bringing a 'single window system' for issuing licences and other approvals to private hospitals.

Also, it was agreed that future changes in the rules related to the Right to Health law would be done in consultation with the representatives of IMA.

Chief Minister Gehlot said that all the people of the state cooperated with the state government in favour of this Bill.

"Now, it is a good sign that doctors have also agreed to this important Bill," he said.

Gehlot expressed hope that government and private hospitals together will make schemes like Right to Health, Chief Minister Chiranjeevi Health Insurance Scheme and RGHS successful.

He also expressed confidence that the way private and government hospitals have set an example by managing Covid well, they will successfully implement these schemes on the ground and present the "Rajasthan Model of Public Health".

Congress general secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh took to Twitter to comment on the development in Rajasthan.

"The Chiranjeevi Health Insurance Scheme of the Government of Rajasthan is a model for the whole country. Now Right to Health is a legal right. This is another transformative step, making Rajasthan an example for the country. This is the result of the Bharat Jodo Yatra," Ramesh said.

JAIPUR: Private doctors in Rajasthan on Tuesday ended their 17-day strike over the Right to Health Bill after the state government agreed to their key demands including keeping unaided private hospitals outside the ambit of the proposed law. The doctors' bodies said that the two sides reached consensus during talks with the state government agreeing to keep private hospitals that have not availed land at subsidised rates or other benefits from it outside the ambit of the proposed law. Besides, in the first phase of implementing the proposed law, private multi-speciality hospitals with less than 50 beds will be kept out of its purview, according to the agreement.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Among other provisions, the recently passed Bill allows people to get emergency treatment from all government and designated private hospitals without payment. The government is expected to reimburse the private hospital for this. "An agreement with the government has been made. Private hospitals that have not taken subsidy from the government have been exempted from the new law. We have converted our rally into a 'Vijay Rally'," said Dr Vijay Kapoor, Secretary of Private Hospitals and Nursing Homes Society (PHNHS). "We decided to end our strike at a general body meeting called after the talks with the government," Kapoor said. Celebrations of Rajasthan doctors after the govt accepted to change the RTH bill and accept all demands of DoctorsThey have taught the nation what Unity can do when you stay consistent , determined and fight for your rights . pic.twitter.com/1NB8bPobvf Dhruv Chauhan (@DrDhruvchauhan) April 4, 2023 Expressing happiness over the development, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said Rajasthan will become the first state in the country to implement 'Right to Health'. "It is a matter of happiness that a consensus to the proposal placed before the doctors regarding the Right to Health Bill by the state government has been arrived at. With this, Rajasthan will become the first state in the country to implement 'Right to Health'," Gehlot said in a statement. Earlier, a delegation of doctors, including those from the Indian Medical Association (IMA), the United Private Clinics and Hospitals Association of Rajasthan(UPCHAR) and PHNHS held talks with the government and signed a memorandum on eight points. The doctors said their major demand that private hospitals that have not taken any benefit from the government in the form of land or buildings at subsidised rates should be kept outside the ambit of the RTH Bill has been accepted. According to the agreement, this law will be applicable to all private medical colleges and hospitals, hospitals operating on public-private partnership (PPP) model, hospitals with land allotment at free or subsidised rates, hospitals run by trusts that have received plots at subsidised rates. It was also agreed that regularization of hospitals running at different places of the state according to the "quota model" would be considered. Under the quota model, consideration will be given to regularize the buildings of those hospitals, which are running in residential premises, by providing relaxation in the rules. According to the agreement, the police and other cases registered during the agitation will be withdrawn. Besides, consideration will be given to bringing a 'single window system' for issuing licences and other approvals to private hospitals. Also, it was agreed that future changes in the rules related to the Right to Health law would be done in consultation with the representatives of IMA. Chief Minister Gehlot said that all the people of the state cooperated with the state government in favour of this Bill. "Now, it is a good sign that doctors have also agreed to this important Bill," he said. Gehlot expressed hope that government and private hospitals together will make schemes like Right to Health, Chief Minister Chiranjeevi Health Insurance Scheme and RGHS successful. He also expressed confidence that the way private and government hospitals have set an example by managing Covid well, they will successfully implement these schemes on the ground and present the "Rajasthan Model of Public Health". Congress general secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh took to Twitter to comment on the development in Rajasthan. "The Chiranjeevi Health Insurance Scheme of the Government of Rajasthan is a model for the whole country. Now Right to Health is a legal right. This is another transformative step, making Rajasthan an example for the country. This is the result of the Bharat Jodo Yatra," Ramesh said.
Sudhir Suryawanshi By

Express News Service

MUMBAI: The war of words escalated between Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray over an assault on a woman worker from the Uddhav faction of the Shiv Sena in Thane.

Shiv Sena workers from the faction led by Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde allegedly attacked the women's wing leader of the Uddhav faction Roshani Shinde in Thane. Uddhav Thackeray, his wife Rashmi Thackeray and son Aditya Thackeray met Shinde in hospital and assured all help to her.

Lambasting Fadnavis, Uddhav said that for the first time, Maharashtra has got a 'useless' home minister who has completely failed to maintain law and order.

In broad daylight, our workers are attacked and no case has been registered. We went to the police commissioner to make an inquiry but he was not in office. The home minister has no control over the police department. We have never seen such a home minister in Maharashtra, Uddhav alleged.

ALSO READ | 150 meetings with Shinde, Fadnavis to topple Uddhav's govt: Maharashtra minister

Uddhav also said that two days ago, the Supreme Court called the state government 'impotent', which has been vindicated by the assault case.

Sharply reacting to Uddhav's jibe, Fadnavis said that he can also use low language but this is not his culture. Uddhav Thackeray has no moral authority to speak against me. When he was Chief Minister of Maharashtra, his two ministers including the home minister went to jail on corruption charges, but he did not dare to take their resignations. The people of Maharashtra will answer him, Fadnavis said.

NCP state president Jayant Patil said that if Fadnavis has guts and really has power, then he should transfer one of the police officers who failed to maintain law and order in Thane. Thane police and administration is working under pressure. The violence in the state is increasing day by day, Patil said.

Uddhav said that earlier Thane was known as a cultured and peaceful place where Shiv Sainiks used to come forward to protect vulnerable people and women, but today in the same Thane, women are beaten in broad daylight by people from the faction led by Eknath Shinde.

MUMBAI: The war of words escalated between Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray over an assault on a woman worker from the Uddhav faction of the Shiv Sena in Thane. Shiv Sena workers from the faction led by Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde allegedly attacked the women's wing leader of the Uddhav faction Roshani Shinde in Thane. Uddhav Thackeray, his wife Rashmi Thackeray and son Aditya Thackeray met Shinde in hospital and assured all help to her. Lambasting Fadnavis, Uddhav said that for the first time, Maharashtra has got a 'useless' home minister who has completely failed to maintain law and order.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); In broad daylight, our workers are attacked and no case has been registered. We went to the police commissioner to make an inquiry but he was not in office. The home minister has no control over the police department. We have never seen such a home minister in Maharashtra, Uddhav alleged. ALSO READ | 150 meetings with Shinde, Fadnavis to topple Uddhav's govt: Maharashtra minister Uddhav also said that two days ago, the Supreme Court called the state government 'impotent', which has been vindicated by the assault case. Sharply reacting to Uddhav's jibe, Fadnavis said that he can also use low language but this is not his culture. Uddhav Thackeray has no moral authority to speak against me. When he was Chief Minister of Maharashtra, his two ministers including the home minister went to jail on corruption charges, but he did not dare to take their resignations. The people of Maharashtra will answer him, Fadnavis said. NCP state president Jayant Patil said that if Fadnavis has guts and really has power, then he should transfer one of the police officers who failed to maintain law and order in Thane. Thane police and administration is working under pressure. The violence in the state is increasing day by day, Patil said. Uddhav said that earlier Thane was known as a cultured and peaceful place where Shiv Sainiks used to come forward to protect vulnerable people and women, but today in the same Thane, women are beaten in broad daylight by people from the faction led by Eknath Shinde.
Rajesh Asnani By

Express News Service

JAIPUR: The BJP on Tuesday held protests in divisional headquarters towns of Rajasthan against the Congress government for acquitting four accused in the 2008 Jaipur serial bomb blast case which left 71 killed.

The BJP claims that due to the appeasement politics of the state government, the prosecution did not put up a strong case in the Rajasthan High Court which set aside the 2019 lower court order giving death sentences to 4 accused who have now been let off.

The BJP alleges that the acquittals have been a great shock for the victims who are still waiting for justice for the serial blasts that terrified people and rocked Rajasthan in 2008.

The saffron party alleges that the government failed to provide adequate representation in the High Court which led to the cancellation of the death sentence awarded to the accused by the lower court.

During the protests on Tuesday, the BJP once again accused the Gehlot government of favouritism and deliberate inaction. The party alleged that the government called a Supreme Court lawyer from Delhi when the issue of Congress MLAs' resignation arose but failed to take similar strong steps to punish the Jaipur bomb blast accused.

The BJP has been protesting against the Gehlot government in various ways since April 1, accusing them of appeasement politics that led to the acquittal of the accused. The party claims the Gehlot government intentionally weakened the case by not fielding prominent lawyers for strong lobbying.

In a media briefing, senior leader and former BJP state president Arun Chaturvedi revealed the government's weak lobbying in the case and also stated that the BJP would present its own lawyer in the Supreme Court on behalf of the victim's families, if needed, to ensure that the accused were punished.



The Rajasthan High Court on Wednesday delivered a major verdict in the serial bomb blast case that occurred in Jaipur on May 13, 2008, and claimed 71 lives, while 185 were injured. The four accused had presented 28 appeals in the High Court, including an appeal to abolish the death sentence. The hearing on this entire case went on for 48 days.

The four accused were given capital punishment by a special court in 2019 which was challenged in the high court. The courts acquittal came as a huge relief to the four men, namely Sarvar Azmi, Saifur Rahman, Mohammad Saif and Salman, who were previously convicted and sentenced to death. Besides the verdict, the court has also ordered a probe against the police while questioning the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) for failing to provide credible evidence.

While delivering the verdict, the court said that the investigating officer did not have legal knowledge. Therefore, instructions have been given to the DGP to take action against the investigating officer as well. The court has also asked the Chief Secretary to conduct an inquiry on the investigating officers. The state government will appeal against this decision in the Supreme Court.

Clearly, politics in Rajasthan is heating up with the BJP accusing the Gehlot government of deliberately weakening the prosecution case, the acquittals in the Jaipur Bomb blast are set to become a major issue in the election-bound state.

JAIPUR: The BJP on Tuesday held protests in divisional headquarters towns of Rajasthan against the Congress government for acquitting four accused in the 2008 Jaipur serial bomb blast case which left 71 killed. The BJP claims that due to the appeasement politics of the state government, the prosecution did not put up a strong case in the Rajasthan High Court which set aside the 2019 lower court order giving death sentences to 4 accused who have now been let off. The BJP alleges that the acquittals have been a great shock for the victims who are still waiting for justice for the serial blasts that terrified people and rocked Rajasthan in 2008.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); The saffron party alleges that the government failed to provide adequate representation in the High Court which led to the cancellation of the death sentence awarded to the accused by the lower court. During the protests on Tuesday, the BJP once again accused the Gehlot government of favouritism and deliberate inaction. The party alleged that the government called a Supreme Court lawyer from Delhi when the issue of Congress MLAs' resignation arose but failed to take similar strong steps to punish the Jaipur bomb blast accused. The BJP has been protesting against the Gehlot government in various ways since April 1, accusing them of appeasement politics that led to the acquittal of the accused. The party claims the Gehlot government intentionally weakened the case by not fielding prominent lawyers for strong lobbying. In a media briefing, senior leader and former BJP state president Arun Chaturvedi revealed the government's weak lobbying in the case and also stated that the BJP would present its own lawyer in the Supreme Court on behalf of the victim's families, if needed, to ensure that the accused were punished. The Rajasthan High Court on Wednesday delivered a major verdict in the serial bomb blast case that occurred in Jaipur on May 13, 2008, and claimed 71 lives, while 185 were injured. The four accused had presented 28 appeals in the High Court, including an appeal to abolish the death sentence. The hearing on this entire case went on for 48 days. The four accused were given capital punishment by a special court in 2019 which was challenged in the high court. The courts acquittal came as a huge relief to the four men, namely Sarvar Azmi, Saifur Rahman, Mohammad Saif and Salman, who were previously convicted and sentenced to death. Besides the verdict, the court has also ordered a probe against the police while questioning the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) for failing to provide credible evidence. While delivering the verdict, the court said that the investigating officer did not have legal knowledge. Therefore, instructions have been given to the DGP to take action against the investigating officer as well. The court has also asked the Chief Secretary to conduct an inquiry on the investigating officers. The state government will appeal against this decision in the Supreme Court. Clearly, politics in Rajasthan is heating up with the BJP accusing the Gehlot government of deliberately weakening the prosecution case, the acquittals in the Jaipur Bomb blast are set to become a major issue in the election-bound state.
Mukesh Ranjan By

Express News Service

RANCHI: Family members of the five Maoists who were gunned down on Monday alleged that it was a fake encounter as the police shot them in their heads even as they gathered to surrender.

Meanwhile, DGP Ajay Kumar Singh, who was on a day-long visit to Chatra on Tuesday to boost the morale of the security forces, rejected their allegations saying that there is no merit in the allegations made by the family members of the Maoists who were killed in a police encounter.

There is no substance in the allegations as whatever happened is before everyone. Now, legal proceedings will continue on its own way, said the DGP.

Notably, in a historic achievement by Jharkhand police, five hard-core Maoists -two Special Area Committee (SAC) members and three Sub-Zonal commanders, were gunned down by security forces at Lawalong in Jharkhands Chatra on Monday.

Those who were killed in police encounters include Sub-zonal Commanders Amar Gnjhu, Nandu and Sanjeev Bhuiyan, besides SAC members Gautam Paswan and Ajit Oroan alias Charlis. The SAC members had a bounty of Rs 25 lakh each, while the Sub-zonal commanders had prize money of Rs 5 lakh each on their heads. Family members of SAC Member Gautam Paswan said that they had reached Chatra with the intention to surrender, but were killed by police calling it an achievement for them.

Police have killed my father in a fake encounter as they have been killed from close range on their heads. I will go to Human Rights Commission seeking justice from them, said SAC members son Chandan Paswan. According to Chandan, since, the police does not want them to lead a dignified life hence; they killed his father so brutally.

They also want us to join the Maoist group. This is not an encounter; it is just a cold blooded murder, said Chandan Paswan. Gautams brother Girija Paswan informed that his brother was about to surrender before police and hence he was in regular contact with police, but he was killed in fake encounter. My brother was shot in his head after he surrendered before police. Police officials had told us that Gautam Paswan will surrender before them very soon and hence, he was approaching Chatra district. In between, he was killed in a fake encounter, said Girija Paswan.

A proper investigation must be done, for which, they will take the matter to the Court, he added.

Santosh Yadav, son-in-law of sub-zonal commander Ajay Yadav alias Nandu also sought justice calling the encounter as fake. Had there been an encounter, there would have been firing from both the sides, but no firing was done from the other side. Moreover, all of them were shot on their heads, which is quite unlikely, said Santosh Yadav.

RANCHI: Family members of the five Maoists who were gunned down on Monday alleged that it was a fake encounter as the police shot them in their heads even as they gathered to surrender. Meanwhile, DGP Ajay Kumar Singh, who was on a day-long visit to Chatra on Tuesday to boost the morale of the security forces, rejected their allegations saying that there is no merit in the allegations made by the family members of the Maoists who were killed in a police encounter. There is no substance in the allegations as whatever happened is before everyone. Now, legal proceedings will continue on its own way, said the DGP.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Notably, in a historic achievement by Jharkhand police, five hard-core Maoists -two Special Area Committee (SAC) members and three Sub-Zonal commanders, were gunned down by security forces at Lawalong in Jharkhands Chatra on Monday. Those who were killed in police encounters include Sub-zonal Commanders Amar Gnjhu, Nandu and Sanjeev Bhuiyan, besides SAC members Gautam Paswan and Ajit Oroan alias Charlis. The SAC members had a bounty of Rs 25 lakh each, while the Sub-zonal commanders had prize money of Rs 5 lakh each on their heads. Family members of SAC Member Gautam Paswan said that they had reached Chatra with the intention to surrender, but were killed by police calling it an achievement for them. Police have killed my father in a fake encounter as they have been killed from close range on their heads. I will go to Human Rights Commission seeking justice from them, said SAC members son Chandan Paswan. According to Chandan, since, the police does not want them to lead a dignified life hence; they killed his father so brutally. They also want us to join the Maoist group. This is not an encounter; it is just a cold blooded murder, said Chandan Paswan. Gautams brother Girija Paswan informed that his brother was about to surrender before police and hence he was in regular contact with police, but he was killed in fake encounter. My brother was shot in his head after he surrendered before police. Police officials had told us that Gautam Paswan will surrender before them very soon and hence, he was approaching Chatra district. In between, he was killed in a fake encounter, said Girija Paswan. A proper investigation must be done, for which, they will take the matter to the Court, he added. Santosh Yadav, son-in-law of sub-zonal commander Ajay Yadav alias Nandu also sought justice calling the encounter as fake. Had there been an encounter, there would have been firing from both the sides, but no firing was done from the other side. Moreover, all of them were shot on their heads, which is quite unlikely, said Santosh Yadav.
By PTI

SHIMLA: Two labourers were killed and another is feared trapped under the snow after an avalanche hit the Shinkula-Darcha road in Lahaul and Spiti district of Himachal Pradesh, officials said on Monday.

The avalanche hit Chika village on Sunday evening, they said.

Three labourers were buried under the snow along with snow cutters in the avalanche, the officials said.

A team comprising police personnel, health officials and district disaster management authority members rushed to the spot and started the rescue operation, they said.

The bodies of Ram Budha from Nepal and Rakesh from Chamba have been recovered.

The third labourer, Passang Chhering Lama (27), a resident of Nepal, is missing, according to the state emergency operation centre.

The rescue operation was stopped at night as the temperature and visibility dropped. It will resume on Monday morning, the officials said.

SHIMLA: Two labourers were killed and another is feared trapped under the snow after an avalanche hit the Shinkula-Darcha road in Lahaul and Spiti district of Himachal Pradesh, officials said on Monday. The avalanche hit Chika village on Sunday evening, they said. Three labourers were buried under the snow along with snow cutters in the avalanche, the officials said.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); A team comprising police personnel, health officials and district disaster management authority members rushed to the spot and started the rescue operation, they said. The bodies of Ram Budha from Nepal and Rakesh from Chamba have been recovered. The third labourer, Passang Chhering Lama (27), a resident of Nepal, is missing, according to the state emergency operation centre. The rescue operation was stopped at night as the temperature and visibility dropped. It will resume on Monday morning, the officials said.
By PTI

SRINAGAR: The Army on Monday assisted the civil administration in carrying out rescue and relief operations in Sonamarg area of Jammu and Kashmir after an avalanche left nine houses damaged, officials said.

The avalanche hit Rezan village in Sonamarg area of Ganderbal district on Sunday night. Besides damaging the houses, 14 domestic animals perished in the avalanche, they said.

No human casualties have been reported in the incident.

Troops of the 34 Assam Rifles assisted the district administration in rescue operation which was launched this morning.

The residents were moved to safer places on Sunday evening soon after the avalanche struck.

SRINAGAR: The Army on Monday assisted the civil administration in carrying out rescue and relief operations in Sonamarg area of Jammu and Kashmir after an avalanche left nine houses damaged, officials said. The avalanche hit Rezan village in Sonamarg area of Ganderbal district on Sunday night. Besides damaging the houses, 14 domestic animals perished in the avalanche, they said. No human casualties have been reported in the incident.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Troops of the 34 Assam Rifles assisted the district administration in rescue operation which was launched this morning. The residents were moved to safer places on Sunday evening soon after the avalanche struck.
A Lebanon man died in a car crash on Highway 99E in Lane County on Friday, March 31.

Oregon State Police responded to a two-vehicle crash on the highway near milepost 32 at around 8:30 a.m., an agency news release said.

Through investigation, police discovered 53-year-old Kenneth Clair Tish of Yoncalla was driving a white GMC Sierra southbound when, for unknown reasons, he crossed the center line and struck a northbound blue Jeep Cherokee driven by 40-year-old Lebanon resident Nicholas Aaron Tyree.

Medics transported Tish to Riverbend Hospital and pronounced Tyree dead on scene.

The highway was closed for around 4 1/2 hours, according to OSP, and the cause of the crash is still under investigation.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: The situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC)in eastern Ladakh remained "very fragile" and is "quite dangerous" in military assessment because of close deployments of troops from both sides in some pockets though substantial progress has been made in the disengagement process in many areas, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Saturday.

Jaishankar also said that he and former Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi had reached an in-principle agreement in September 2020 on how to resolve the issue and that it is for China to deliver on what was agreed to.

In an interactive session at the India Today conclave, the external affairs minister also made it clear that the relationship between the two countries can not return to normal until "these problems" are sorted out.

The Indian and Chinese troops are locked in a standoff for the past three years at certain friction points in eastern Ladakh even as the two sides completed disengagement of troops from several areas following extensive diplomatic and military talks.

"This is a very, I would say, challenging and abnormal phase in our ties with China. Why I say that is because from 1988 when Rajiv Gandhi went there till 2020 the understanding was that peace and tranquillity on the border would be maintained," Jaishankar said.

The external affairs minister also referred to agreements between the two sides to not bring large forces to the border, adding a "very specific" set of understandings and even protocols were put in place on the handling of various situations.

ALSO READ | India lost access to 26 out of 65 Patrolling Points in eastern Ladakh

Jaishankar said the Chinese violated the agreements in 2020 and the consequences were seen in the Galwan Valley and other areas as well. "We have deployed our troops, we have stood our ground and the situation to my mind still remains very fragile because there are places where our deployments are very close up and in military assessment, actually therefore, quite dangerous," he said.

"Now we have made substantial progress when it comes to disengagement in many areas. There are many areas where we have ongoing discussions. It is a painstaking job and we will do that," he said.

"We have made it very clear to the Chinese that we cannot have a breach of peace and tranquillity, you can't violate agreements and then want the rest of the relationship to continue as though nothing happened. That's just not tenable," Jaishankar added.

The minister's comments came a day after Army Chief Gen Manoj Pande said that the situation along the LAC is stable but there is a need to keep a "very close watch" on it.

In his remarks, the external affairs minister also referred to his meeting with his new Chinese counterpart Qin Gang on the sidelines of the G20 foreign ministers' meeting in Delhi on March 2.

"My most recent encounter in this regard was with the new foreign minister Qin Gang when the G20 foreign ministers meeting took place and we had a long discussion about it. In September 2020, Wang Yi and I had an in-principle agreement on how to resolve it. So the Chinese have to deliver on what was agreed to and they have struggled with that," he said.

ALSO READ | India's engagement with China 'complex': MEA

Asked why the Chinese side is struggling to deliver, Jaishankar said the question should be put to the Chinese side. "That's a question you need to ask them. I cannot answer it. Because, for me, it is very clear cut. Until these problems are sorted out, we will not return to a normal relationship. I want to make that very very clear," he said.

On February 22, India and China held in-person diplomatic talks in Beijing and discussed proposals for disengagement in the remaining friction points along the LAC in eastern Ladakh in an "open and constructive manner."

The meeting took place under the framework of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC).

The eastern Ladakh border standoff erupted on May 5, 2020, following a violent clash in the Pangong lake area. The ties between the two countries nosedived significantly following the fierce clash in the Galwan Valley in June 2020 that marked the most serious military conflict between the two sides in decades.

As a result of a series of military and diplomatic talks, the two sides completed the disengagement process in 2021 on the north and south banks of the Pangong lake and in the Gogra area.

READ MORE:

Satellite imagery reveals China building second bridge near eastern Ladakh

Slew of steps to bolster border with China

US intel fears armed conflict between India-Pakistan, India-China: Report

NEW DELHI: The situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC)in eastern Ladakh remained "very fragile" and is "quite dangerous" in military assessment because of close deployments of troops from both sides in some pockets though substantial progress has been made in the disengagement process in many areas, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Saturday. Jaishankar also said that he and former Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi had reached an in-principle agreement in September 2020 on how to resolve the issue and that it is for China to deliver on what was agreed to. In an interactive session at the India Today conclave, the external affairs minister also made it clear that the relationship between the two countries can not return to normal until "these problems" are sorted out.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); The Indian and Chinese troops are locked in a standoff for the past three years at certain friction points in eastern Ladakh even as the two sides completed disengagement of troops from several areas following extensive diplomatic and military talks. "This is a very, I would say, challenging and abnormal phase in our ties with China. Why I say that is because from 1988 when Rajiv Gandhi went there till 2020 the understanding was that peace and tranquillity on the border would be maintained," Jaishankar said. The external affairs minister also referred to agreements between the two sides to not bring large forces to the border, adding a "very specific" set of understandings and even protocols were put in place on the handling of various situations. ALSO READ | India lost access to 26 out of 65 Patrolling Points in eastern Ladakh Jaishankar said the Chinese violated the agreements in 2020 and the consequences were seen in the Galwan Valley and other areas as well. "We have deployed our troops, we have stood our ground and the situation to my mind still remains very fragile because there are places where our deployments are very close up and in military assessment, actually therefore, quite dangerous," he said. "Now we have made substantial progress when it comes to disengagement in many areas. There are many areas where we have ongoing discussions. It is a painstaking job and we will do that," he said. "We have made it very clear to the Chinese that we cannot have a breach of peace and tranquillity, you can't violate agreements and then want the rest of the relationship to continue as though nothing happened. That's just not tenable," Jaishankar added. The minister's comments came a day after Army Chief Gen Manoj Pande said that the situation along the LAC is stable but there is a need to keep a "very close watch" on it. In his remarks, the external affairs minister also referred to his meeting with his new Chinese counterpart Qin Gang on the sidelines of the G20 foreign ministers' meeting in Delhi on March 2. "My most recent encounter in this regard was with the new foreign minister Qin Gang when the G20 foreign ministers meeting took place and we had a long discussion about it. In September 2020, Wang Yi and I had an in-principle agreement on how to resolve it. So the Chinese have to deliver on what was agreed to and they have struggled with that," he said. ALSO READ | India's engagement with China 'complex': MEA Asked why the Chinese side is struggling to deliver, Jaishankar said the question should be put to the Chinese side. "That's a question you need to ask them. I cannot answer it. Because, for me, it is very clear cut. Until these problems are sorted out, we will not return to a normal relationship. I want to make that very very clear," he said. On February 22, India and China held in-person diplomatic talks in Beijing and discussed proposals for disengagement in the remaining friction points along the LAC in eastern Ladakh in an "open and constructive manner." The meeting took place under the framework of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC). The eastern Ladakh border standoff erupted on May 5, 2020, following a violent clash in the Pangong lake area. The ties between the two countries nosedived significantly following the fierce clash in the Galwan Valley in June 2020 that marked the most serious military conflict between the two sides in decades. As a result of a series of military and diplomatic talks, the two sides completed the disengagement process in 2021 on the north and south banks of the Pangong lake and in the Gogra area. READ MORE: Satellite imagery reveals China building second bridge near eastern Ladakh Slew of steps to bolster border with China US intel fears armed conflict between India-Pakistan, India-China: Report
Hindol Sengupta By

The Ukraine war is turning out to be a pivotal moment in the transition from a unipolar world. We may or may not yet be a multipolar world but among the old certainties that have crumbled is the ability for major Western developed countries to build and maintain the narrative of consensus that they seek on issues that matter to them.

It is now certainly clear that while few in the world wish for war, especially war that could potentially involve nuclear exchange, few have bought, in its entirety, the Western version of the war in Ukraine.

More importantly, most of the Global South, or major countries in Latin America, Asia, and Africa, have chosen a more nuanced perspectivewhile being deeply critical of war, they have also considered multiple viewpoints to the conflict and their own interests including that of energy and food security.

This divergence is not confined to the war in Ukraine. It is seen in the climate change debates where some of the richest countries in the world are hesitant vis-a-vis climate equity and climate justice even as developing countries march ahead not only in embracing green technologies but also in demanding significant financing to ensure that the less prosperous countries can receive the funds transfer they need to make the transition.

Some of this debate is constructive: note for instance the growing ties between India and Australia on issues like energy and critical minerals which are propelling this partnership to new heights. Some, more raucous, are seen in many responses coming from parts of Africa to countries like France, Germany and Belgium, who are being asked hard questions about the legacy of colonialism as they seek to engage more deeply with African nations.

This debate is particularly pertinent because a large section of the Global North considers it is the repository and the custodian of something called the liberal order, and its mode of operation has traditionally been to bestow or hold back recognition to other countriesespecially of the Global Southon issues of democracy.

But in Asia and Africa, pushback to this modus operandi is growing, and a new negotiated relationship is emerging where the Global South seeks greater equity in the partnership, and freedom to take an independent stance on issues.

This new negotiation process needs a heartland, a centre-point, some place which has both the heft and the scale to bring the Global South together. New Delhi is a natural contender to play such a role and has actively sought to perform this task.

In January, India held the first Voice of Global South Summit which had 47 African countries, 29 Latin American and Caribbean, 31 Asian, 11 from the Oceania region, and seven from Europe. In contestation, China is focusing its energies more acutely on the developing world, restructuring its Belt and Road Initiative, organising a new summit with central Asian nations, and talking about how a Ukraine kind of conflict should not unfold in Asia.

But Chinese efforts try to obscure the fact that a lot of conflict, and potential conflict, originates from China and its expansion in Asia. Chinese predatory debt structures in countries like Sri Lanka and others have also caused immense turmoil.

With a history of the non-aligned movement and recent commitment to global goods and services (for instance in sending much-needed vaccines around the world), India has much greater credibility in the Global South and North than China.

As a democracy, India has also a much wider political canvas for dialogue, and as an extremely culturally diverse country, it is adept at working with some of the most crucial concerns on equity, respect, distribution of goods and services, and reinforcing sovereignty norms in the conversation between the Global North and the Global South. India is in the rare position of not only being able to bring together the Global South but also build effective bridges, like its role in the Quad, between the North and South.

There is now a consensus building that the peace benefits that came from the end of WWII and which, especially after the Cold War ended, brought about openness and prosperity throughout the world, are ending. The world will remain globalised but it will not be as open as it has been for more than half a century.

The war in Ukraine is changing the energy supply scenario comprehensively for the near future as Europe looks towards America instead of Russia for its needs. This means the US will become more vital for a large, and wealthy, part of the world for their energy (gas) needsat least in the near termboosting share prices of shale gas companies and weakening the environmental argument in America.

This might have a global negative influence on the fight against global warming. However, the fact that US oil fields are slowly running out of supply might be something to cheer, for it will drive a greater shift towards renewables in the country that has the most resources to drive this change. On its part, Russia will look more and more towards Asia to supply oil and gas, and its relationship not only with China and India but also the vast Southeast Asian populations will be a vital geopolitical factor.

India is in somewhat of a sweet spoteven though its relationship with China is at an all-time low, Chinas relationship with the US seems to sink further every day. The US, which now talks in terms of an existential contest with China, has a new House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party, whose purpose is obvious in its name.

Both the energy and the environmental crisisand the geopolitical contestationwill have adverse impact on the Global South, and only India is in somewhat of a sweet spot to negotiate middle paths to these challenges. It is likely, therefore, that it will emerge as the definitive capital of the Global South.

Hindol Sengupta

Multiple award-winning historian and author

(hindol.opinion@gmail.com)

The Ukraine war is turning out to be a pivotal moment in the transition from a unipolar world. We may or may not yet be a multipolar world but among the old certainties that have crumbled is the ability for major Western developed countries to build and maintain the narrative of consensus that they seek on issues that matter to them. It is now certainly clear that while few in the world wish for war, especially war that could potentially involve nuclear exchange, few have bought, in its entirety, the Western version of the war in Ukraine. More importantly, most of the Global South, or major countries in Latin America, Asia, and Africa, have chosen a more nuanced perspectivewhile being deeply critical of war, they have also considered multiple viewpoints to the conflict and their own interests including that of energy and food security.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); This divergence is not confined to the war in Ukraine. It is seen in the climate change debates where some of the richest countries in the world are hesitant vis-a-vis climate equity and climate justice even as developing countries march ahead not only in embracing green technologies but also in demanding significant financing to ensure that the less prosperous countries can receive the funds transfer they need to make the transition. Some of this debate is constructive: note for instance the growing ties between India and Australia on issues like energy and critical minerals which are propelling this partnership to new heights. Some, more raucous, are seen in many responses coming from parts of Africa to countries like France, Germany and Belgium, who are being asked hard questions about the legacy of colonialism as they seek to engage more deeply with African nations. This debate is particularly pertinent because a large section of the Global North considers it is the repository and the custodian of something called the liberal order, and its mode of operation has traditionally been to bestow or hold back recognition to other countriesespecially of the Global Southon issues of democracy. But in Asia and Africa, pushback to this modus operandi is growing, and a new negotiated relationship is emerging where the Global South seeks greater equity in the partnership, and freedom to take an independent stance on issues. This new negotiation process needs a heartland, a centre-point, some place which has both the heft and the scale to bring the Global South together. New Delhi is a natural contender to play such a role and has actively sought to perform this task. In January, India held the first Voice of Global South Summit which had 47 African countries, 29 Latin American and Caribbean, 31 Asian, 11 from the Oceania region, and seven from Europe. In contestation, China is focusing its energies more acutely on the developing world, restructuring its Belt and Road Initiative, organising a new summit with central Asian nations, and talking about how a Ukraine kind of conflict should not unfold in Asia. But Chinese efforts try to obscure the fact that a lot of conflict, and potential conflict, originates from China and its expansion in Asia. Chinese predatory debt structures in countries like Sri Lanka and others have also caused immense turmoil. With a history of the non-aligned movement and recent commitment to global goods and services (for instance in sending much-needed vaccines around the world), India has much greater credibility in the Global South and North than China. As a democracy, India has also a much wider political canvas for dialogue, and as an extremely culturally diverse country, it is adept at working with some of the most crucial concerns on equity, respect, distribution of goods and services, and reinforcing sovereignty norms in the conversation between the Global North and the Global South. India is in the rare position of not only being able to bring together the Global South but also build effective bridges, like its role in the Quad, between the North and South. There is now a consensus building that the peace benefits that came from the end of WWII and which, especially after the Cold War ended, brought about openness and prosperity throughout the world, are ending. The world will remain globalised but it will not be as open as it has been for more than half a century. The war in Ukraine is changing the energy supply scenario comprehensively for the near future as Europe looks towards America instead of Russia for its needs. This means the US will become more vital for a large, and wealthy, part of the world for their energy (gas) needsat least in the near termboosting share prices of shale gas companies and weakening the environmental argument in America. This might have a global negative influence on the fight against global warming. However, the fact that US oil fields are slowly running out of supply might be something to cheer, for it will drive a greater shift towards renewables in the country that has the most resources to drive this change. On its part, Russia will look more and more towards Asia to supply oil and gas, and its relationship not only with China and India but also the vast Southeast Asian populations will be a vital geopolitical factor. India is in somewhat of a sweet spoteven though its relationship with China is at an all-time low, Chinas relationship with the US seems to sink further every day. The US, which now talks in terms of an existential contest with China, has a new House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party, whose purpose is obvious in its name. Both the energy and the environmental crisisand the geopolitical contestationwill have adverse impact on the Global South, and only India is in somewhat of a sweet spot to negotiate middle paths to these challenges. It is likely, therefore, that it will emerge as the definitive capital of the Global South. Hindol Sengupta Multiple award-winning historian and author (hindol.opinion@gmail.com)
How much trouble could a meme on social media get you into? In India, a lot. Consider 23-year-old Pradeep in Chennai. Hes spent nearly two weeks in jail for a meme riffing off a famous comedy scene from an old Tamil movie.

The meme was posted shortly after Tamil Nadus budget for 202324 was presented, and the finance minister announced that the government would be rolling out its scheme to provide women heads of families a monthly honorarium of Rs 1000 later this year. However, the government did not immediately unveil the eligibility criteria for the scheme.

Pradeeps meme attempted to poke fun at the minister and the CM, portraying them as deciding the beneficiaries on dubious grounds. Was it in good taste? No. Was it worth a midnight arrest, rejection of bail and two weeks in jail? Anyone with good sense would say no.

Pradeep was booked under Sections 153 (provocation with intent to cause riot), 505 (1)(b) (statements conducing public mischief with intent to cause fear or alarm) and 509 (word, gesture or act intended to outrage the modesty of a woman) of the IPC. That the consequences are disproportionate to the action would be an understatement. Almost as bad is the political fiction that these disproportionate consequences come as action against disrespect to women.

There is a tendency in TN and elsewhere in the country to criminalise dissent and even fair criticism. People are booked over harmless social media posts from Kolkata to Kanniyakumari, as it were, signalling to the public that we are not as free as we think we are or ought to be.

Political parties already impose a form of censorship on social media by unleashing their IT cells, aka trolls against people expressing unfriendly or critical views. Tamil Nadu political history is replete with instances of people risking their lives to express a radical thought. The current dispensation is no stranger to police action against its leaders in some of the darker moments of the nations history.

Yet arresting and imprisoning a person for a critical social media post can only be considered draconian in a democracy, while the denial of bail soon after the Supreme Court again pulled up magistrates on the matter tells us that, regardless of our history, we may well live in a police state where free speech may live or die depending on who is in power and how thick their skin is.

How much trouble could a meme on social media get you into? In India, a lot. Consider 23-year-old Pradeep in Chennai. Hes spent nearly two weeks in jail for a meme riffing off a famous comedy scene from an old Tamil movie. The meme was posted shortly after Tamil Nadus budget for 202324 was presented, and the finance minister announced that the government would be rolling out its scheme to provide women heads of families a monthly honorarium of Rs 1000 later this year. However, the government did not immediately unveil the eligibility criteria for the scheme. Pradeeps meme attempted to poke fun at the minister and the CM, portraying them as deciding the beneficiaries on dubious grounds. Was it in good taste? No. Was it worth a midnight arrest, rejection of bail and two weeks in jail? Anyone with good sense would say no.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Pradeep was booked under Sections 153 (provocation with intent to cause riot), 505 (1)(b) (statements conducing public mischief with intent to cause fear or alarm) and 509 (word, gesture or act intended to outrage the modesty of a woman) of the IPC. That the consequences are disproportionate to the action would be an understatement. Almost as bad is the political fiction that these disproportionate consequences come as action against disrespect to women. There is a tendency in TN and elsewhere in the country to criminalise dissent and even fair criticism. People are booked over harmless social media posts from Kolkata to Kanniyakumari, as it were, signalling to the public that we are not as free as we think we are or ought to be. Political parties already impose a form of censorship on social media by unleashing their IT cells, aka trolls against people expressing unfriendly or critical views. Tamil Nadu political history is replete with instances of people risking their lives to express a radical thought. The current dispensation is no stranger to police action against its leaders in some of the darker moments of the nations history. Yet arresting and imprisoning a person for a critical social media post can only be considered draconian in a democracy, while the denial of bail soon after the Supreme Court again pulled up magistrates on the matter tells us that, regardless of our history, we may well live in a police state where free speech may live or die depending on who is in power and how thick their skin is.
S Guruvanmikanathan By

Express News Service

CHENNAI: The state government has allocated Rs 34.72 crore for the renovation of 17 dams that have been in operation for over 50 years. The works will begin as soon as the Government Order is issued.

A senior official of Water Resources Department told TNIE that a team of officials has already inspected the 17 dams, which include those located in the middle Cauvery basin in Tiruchy, the Parambikulam Aliyar Basin in Pollachi, the special project in Palani, the Palar Basin in Chennai, and the Periyar Vaigai Basin in Madurai.

After the Parambikulam incident where one of the three shutters was washed away we inspected all the old dams, the official said. In Parambikulam dam in Palghat district, we decided to spruce up the chain in spillway shutters 1 and 3 at a cost of Rs 2.3 crore. In other dams, we will renovate spillway shutters, operating platforms and sluice shutters.

Another official said that in the Chennai region, the shutters of Poondi reservoir will be replaced, and the department also plans to strengthen the bunds. The department has already taken 37 dams under the Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Programme (DRIP-2), which is being funded by the Union government with the support of the World Bank. Seven dams, including Satthanur and Krishnagiri, have already been renovated under the programme.

We have submitted a few proposals to the centre in the second phase. These works will also commence soon, he said. The water resource departments initiative to renovate old dams is a step towards ensuring the safety and security of the people living downstream. The departments efforts to strengthen and modernise the states water infrastructure will go a long way in meeting the growing water demand in Tamil Nadu.

CHENNAI: The state government has allocated Rs 34.72 crore for the renovation of 17 dams that have been in operation for over 50 years. The works will begin as soon as the Government Order is issued. A senior official of Water Resources Department told TNIE that a team of officials has already inspected the 17 dams, which include those located in the middle Cauvery basin in Tiruchy, the Parambikulam Aliyar Basin in Pollachi, the special project in Palani, the Palar Basin in Chennai, and the Periyar Vaigai Basin in Madurai. After the Parambikulam incident where one of the three shutters was washed away we inspected all the old dams, the official said. In Parambikulam dam in Palghat district, we decided to spruce up the chain in spillway shutters 1 and 3 at a cost of Rs 2.3 crore. In other dams, we will renovate spillway shutters, operating platforms and sluice shutters.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Another official said that in the Chennai region, the shutters of Poondi reservoir will be replaced, and the department also plans to strengthen the bunds. The department has already taken 37 dams under the Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Programme (DRIP-2), which is being funded by the Union government with the support of the World Bank. Seven dams, including Satthanur and Krishnagiri, have already been renovated under the programme. We have submitted a few proposals to the centre in the second phase. These works will also commence soon, he said. The water resource departments initiative to renovate old dams is a step towards ensuring the safety and security of the people living downstream. The departments efforts to strengthen and modernise the states water infrastructure will go a long way in meeting the growing water demand in Tamil Nadu.
By Express News Service

JAGTIAL : If a student taking the trouble of going to the Collectors office demanding provision of basic facilities at school does not move the government, nothing will. A Jagtial high school student took the trouble of making a representation to the district administration at the Prajavani programme on Monday stating that they do not even have toilets.

The Class 6 student, P Vishwak, along with his father P Rajamallu sought the intervention of the authorities to clean the toilets at their school.

As the toilet in his school is unusable, students have to go out to ease themselves. Vishwak told them that in emergencies, they use pay toilets at the Old Bus Station.

He also brought to the notice of the authorities that there were no proper facilities for the students to have mid-day meals at the school.

Additionally, he stated that there wasnt a proper place to wash their hands and the water is not fit for use either. Vishwak said municipal water supply wasnt available at the school as a result of which they had to depend on borewell water.

Even classrooms are always littered with no one to clean them. Rajamallu said the government should ensure the provision of facilities at schools as it was its minimum responsibility.

In-charge municipal commissioner Bonagiri Naresh who received the representation told the student that he would send his staff soon for better facilities at the school including clean toilets.

JAGTIAL : If a student taking the trouble of going to the Collectors office demanding provision of basic facilities at school does not move the government, nothing will. A Jagtial high school student took the trouble of making a representation to the district administration at the Prajavani programme on Monday stating that they do not even have toilets. The Class 6 student, P Vishwak, along with his father P Rajamallu sought the intervention of the authorities to clean the toilets at their school. As the toilet in his school is unusable, students have to go out to ease themselves. Vishwak told them that in emergencies, they use pay toilets at the Old Bus Station.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); He also brought to the notice of the authorities that there were no proper facilities for the students to have mid-day meals at the school. Additionally, he stated that there wasnt a proper place to wash their hands and the water is not fit for use either. Vishwak said municipal water supply wasnt available at the school as a result of which they had to depend on borewell water. Even classrooms are always littered with no one to clean them. Rajamallu said the government should ensure the provision of facilities at schools as it was its minimum responsibility. In-charge municipal commissioner Bonagiri Naresh who received the representation told the student that he would send his staff soon for better facilities at the school including clean toilets.
Narasimhan Vijayaraghavan By

On March 31, a Supreme Court bench comprising Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Aravind Kumar expressed disapproval of trial courts -- this time, a magistrate court in Bihar -- for uncaringly dismissing a bail application. The bench remarked: It does appear to us that despite various orders passed by this court, either the trial courts are not appreciating the ambit of the orders of this court or for best reasons consider it appropriate to keep dismissing the applications for bail."

Not long ago, on November 20, 2022, speaking at a function held by the Bar Council of India to felicitate him on his appointment as Chief Justice of India, Justice Chandrachud addressed the issue of the higher judiciary facing a large number of bail cases. Chandrachud said the higher judiciary is getting "flooded" with bail matters because of the reluctance at the grassroots level to grant bail.

And he was not evasive in zeroing in on the 'why'. Why judges at the grassroots are reluctant to grant bail is not because they don't have the ability, not because the judges at the grassroots don't understand the crime," said Chandrachud, adding there is a "sense of fear" among the judges at the grassroots that if they grant bail, "will somebody target me tomorrow on the ground that I granted bail in this heinous case".

ALSO READ | Is elite caste syndrome continuing to dog top Indian educational institutions?

This sense of fear nobody talks about but we must confront it because unless we do that, we are going to render our district courts toothless and our higher courts dysfunctional," said Chandrachud.

The law lords were not mincing their words in suggesting why trial courts continue this improper course. The law of arrest in India is governed primarily by the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), which outlines the powers and procedures related to arrests by the police. According to the CrPC, police officers may arrest a person without a warrant if they have reason to believe that the person has committed a cognizable offense or is about to commit one. The officer must inform the person being arrested of the grounds for arrest and the right to bail.

In non-cognizable offenses, a police officer may only make an arrest with a warrant, or with the permission of a magistrate. If a person is arrested, they must be produced before a magistrate within 24 hours of arrest, excluding the time required for the journey. The magistrate will then determine if the arrest was legal and if the person should be remanded in custody or released on bail.

It is important to note that the law also provides certain safeguards against arbitrary arrests. For example, a person cannot be arrested for a non-cognizable offense without a warrant, and in the case of cognizable offenses, the police must have reasonable grounds to believe that the person has committed an offense before making an arrest.

The Pitamaha of Justice, V R Krishna Iyer, was a staunch advocate of the principle that "bail is the rule and jail is the exception," which means that the courts should grant bail to accused persons unless there are compelling reasons to keep them in custody. His landmark judgments include Gudikanti Narasimhulu vs. Public Prosecutor, High Court of A.P. (1978) where Iyer held that the power to grant or deny bail is not to be exercised in a mechanical manner, but should be based on a careful consideration of the facts and circumstances of each case.

And in Hussainara Khatoon vs. Home Secretary, State of Bihar (1979), Iyer held that the right to a speedy trial is an essential part of the right to life and personal liberty guaranteed by the Constitution of India, and that the courts should take into account the prolonged detention of an accused person while considering their bail application.

Instead of Justice V R Krishna Iyer's judgments on bail having a significant impact on the criminal justice system in India, and his legacy inspiring judges and lawyers to uphold the principle that bail is the rule and jail is the exception, the opposite appears to be true in trial courts in 2023.

It is settled law that arrest is not a punishment. But in Indian social conditions, it carries a stigma and accused are perceived to be guilty, the moment they are arrested.

The Supreme Court has always said that an accused is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. As in State of U.P. vs. Deoman Upadhyaya (1960), where it held that the burden of proving the guilt of an accused lies solely with the prosecution, and until the prosecution proves the guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, the accused is entitled to the benefit of doubt. It was recently reiterated by the apex court in Sanjay Thakrar vs. Government of India (2021) that an accused is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Read more web exclusives from our Web Scrawl series here

Nevertheless, all of us are privy to the bawling on our idiot boxes, leaving an accused, on arrest, guilty in the court of public opinion.

An arrest is not the first resort in other democracies like the US and UK. The police administration just keeps tabs on the accused. Only where the accused, for recorded reasons, was perceived as capable of tampering with evidence or likely to escape the clutches of law, would arrest be called for.

However, the reality in India is that our police administration always has good reasons to arrest an accused, for any and every cause. And magistrates appear to have best reasons to deny them bail. The only reason behind this unhealthy state of affairs as Justice Antonin Scalia famously said is, 'no accountability, mate, no accountability'. Shame.

(Narasimhan Vijayaraghavan is a practising advocate in the Madras High Court)

On March 31, a Supreme Court bench comprising Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Aravind Kumar expressed disapproval of trial courts -- this time, a magistrate court in Bihar -- for uncaringly dismissing a bail application. The bench remarked: It does appear to us that despite various orders passed by this court, either the trial courts are not appreciating the ambit of the orders of this court or for best reasons consider it appropriate to keep dismissing the applications for bail." Not long ago, on November 20, 2022, speaking at a function held by the Bar Council of India to felicitate him on his appointment as Chief Justice of India, Justice Chandrachud addressed the issue of the higher judiciary facing a large number of bail cases. Chandrachud said the higher judiciary is getting "flooded" with bail matters because of the reluctance at the grassroots level to grant bail. And he was not evasive in zeroing in on the 'why'. Why judges at the grassroots are reluctant to grant bail is not because they don't have the ability, not because the judges at the grassroots don't understand the crime," said Chandrachud, adding there is a "sense of fear" among the judges at the grassroots that if they grant bail, "will somebody target me tomorrow on the ground that I granted bail in this heinous case".googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); ALSO READ | Is elite caste syndrome continuing to dog top Indian educational institutions? This sense of fear nobody talks about but we must confront it because unless we do that, we are going to render our district courts toothless and our higher courts dysfunctional," said Chandrachud. The law lords were not mincing their words in suggesting why trial courts continue this improper course. The law of arrest in India is governed primarily by the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), which outlines the powers and procedures related to arrests by the police. According to the CrPC, police officers may arrest a person without a warrant if they have reason to believe that the person has committed a cognizable offense or is about to commit one. The officer must inform the person being arrested of the grounds for arrest and the right to bail. In non-cognizable offenses, a police officer may only make an arrest with a warrant, or with the permission of a magistrate. If a person is arrested, they must be produced before a magistrate within 24 hours of arrest, excluding the time required for the journey. The magistrate will then determine if the arrest was legal and if the person should be remanded in custody or released on bail. It is important to note that the law also provides certain safeguards against arbitrary arrests. For example, a person cannot be arrested for a non-cognizable offense without a warrant, and in the case of cognizable offenses, the police must have reasonable grounds to believe that the person has committed an offense before making an arrest. The Pitamaha of Justice, V R Krishna Iyer, was a staunch advocate of the principle that "bail is the rule and jail is the exception," which means that the courts should grant bail to accused persons unless there are compelling reasons to keep them in custody. His landmark judgments include Gudikanti Narasimhulu vs. Public Prosecutor, High Court of A.P. (1978) where Iyer held that the power to grant or deny bail is not to be exercised in a mechanical manner, but should be based on a careful consideration of the facts and circumstances of each case. And in Hussainara Khatoon vs. Home Secretary, State of Bihar (1979), Iyer held that the right to a speedy trial is an essential part of the right to life and personal liberty guaranteed by the Constitution of India, and that the courts should take into account the prolonged detention of an accused person while considering their bail application. Instead of Justice V R Krishna Iyer's judgments on bail having a significant impact on the criminal justice system in India, and his legacy inspiring judges and lawyers to uphold the principle that bail is the rule and jail is the exception, the opposite appears to be true in trial courts in 2023. It is settled law that arrest is not a punishment. But in Indian social conditions, it carries a stigma and accused are perceived to be guilty, the moment they are arrested. The Supreme Court has always said that an accused is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. As in State of U.P. vs. Deoman Upadhyaya (1960), where it held that the burden of proving the guilt of an accused lies solely with the prosecution, and until the prosecution proves the guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, the accused is entitled to the benefit of doubt. It was recently reiterated by the apex court in Sanjay Thakrar vs. Government of India (2021) that an accused is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Read more web exclusives from our Web Scrawl series here Nevertheless, all of us are privy to the bawling on our idiot boxes, leaving an accused, on arrest, guilty in the court of public opinion. An arrest is not the first resort in other democracies like the US and UK. The police administration just keeps tabs on the accused. Only where the accused, for recorded reasons, was perceived as capable of tampering with evidence or likely to escape the clutches of law, would arrest be called for. However, the reality in India is that our police administration always has good reasons to arrest an accused, for any and every cause. And magistrates appear to have best reasons to deny them bail. The only reason behind this unhealthy state of affairs as Justice Antonin Scalia famously said is, 'no accountability, mate, no accountability'. Shame. (Narasimhan Vijayaraghavan is a practising advocate in the Madras High Court)
By AFP

SYDNEY: Australia said Tuesday it will ban TikTok on government devices, joining a growing list of Western nations cracking down on the Chinese-owned app due to national security fears.

Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said the decision followed advice from the country's intelligence agencies and would begin "as soon as practicable".

Australia is the last member of the secretive Five Eyes security alliance to pursue a government TikTok ban, joining its allies the United States, Britain, Canada and New Zealand.

France, the Netherlands and the European Commission have made similar moves.

Dreyfus said the government would approve some exemptions on a "case-by-case basis" with "appropriate security mitigations in place".

Cybersecurity experts have warned that the app -- which boasts more than one billion global users -- could be used to hoover up data that is then shared with the Chinese government.

Surveys have estimated that as many as seven million Australians use the app -- or about a quarter of the population.

In a security notice outlining the ban, the Attorney-General's Department said TikTok posed "significant security and privacy risks" stemming from the "extensive collection of user data".

China condemned the ban, saying it had "lodged stern representations" with Canberra over the move and urging Australia to "provide Chinese companies with a fair, transparent and non-discriminatory business environment".

"China has always maintained that the issue of data security should not be used as a tool to generalise the concept of national security, abuse state power and unreasonably suppress companies from other countries," foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said.

'No-brainer'

But Fergus Ryan, an analyst with the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, said stripping TikTok from government devices was a "no-brainer".

"It's been clear for years that TikTok user data is accessible in China," Ryan told AFP.

"Banning the use of the app on government phones is a prudent decision given this fact."

The security concerns are underpinned by a 2017 Chinese law that requires local firms to hand over personal data to the state if it is relevant to national security.

Beijing has denied these reforms pose a threat to ordinary users.

China "has never and will not require companies or individuals to collect or provide data located in a foreign country, in a way that violates local law", the foreign ministry's Mao said in March.

'Rooted in xenophobia'

TikTok has said such bans are "rooted in xenophobia" while insisting that it is not owned or operated by the Chinese government.

The company's Australian spokesman Lee Hunter said it would "never" give data to the Chinese government.

"No one is working harder to make sure this would never be a possibility," he told Australia's Channel Seven.

But the firm acknowledged in November that some employees in China could access European user data, and in December it said employees had used the data to spy on journalists.

The app is typically used to share short, lighthearted videos and has exploded in popularity in recent years.

Many government departments were initially eager to use TikTok as a way to connect with a younger demographic that is harder to reach through traditional media channels.

New Zealand banned TikTok from government devices in March, saying the risks were "not acceptable in the current New Zealand Parliamentary environment".

Earlier this year, the Australian government announced it would be stripping Chinese-made CCTV cameras from politicians' offices due to security concerns.

SYDNEY: Australia said Tuesday it will ban TikTok on government devices, joining a growing list of Western nations cracking down on the Chinese-owned app due to national security fears. Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said the decision followed advice from the country's intelligence agencies and would begin "as soon as practicable". Australia is the last member of the secretive Five Eyes security alliance to pursue a government TikTok ban, joining its allies the United States, Britain, Canada and New Zealand.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); France, the Netherlands and the European Commission have made similar moves. Dreyfus said the government would approve some exemptions on a "case-by-case basis" with "appropriate security mitigations in place". Cybersecurity experts have warned that the app -- which boasts more than one billion global users -- could be used to hoover up data that is then shared with the Chinese government. Surveys have estimated that as many as seven million Australians use the app -- or about a quarter of the population. In a security notice outlining the ban, the Attorney-General's Department said TikTok posed "significant security and privacy risks" stemming from the "extensive collection of user data". China condemned the ban, saying it had "lodged stern representations" with Canberra over the move and urging Australia to "provide Chinese companies with a fair, transparent and non-discriminatory business environment". "China has always maintained that the issue of data security should not be used as a tool to generalise the concept of national security, abuse state power and unreasonably suppress companies from other countries," foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said. 'No-brainer' But Fergus Ryan, an analyst with the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, said stripping TikTok from government devices was a "no-brainer". "It's been clear for years that TikTok user data is accessible in China," Ryan told AFP. "Banning the use of the app on government phones is a prudent decision given this fact." The security concerns are underpinned by a 2017 Chinese law that requires local firms to hand over personal data to the state if it is relevant to national security. Beijing has denied these reforms pose a threat to ordinary users. China "has never and will not require companies or individuals to collect or provide data located in a foreign country, in a way that violates local law", the foreign ministry's Mao said in March. 'Rooted in xenophobia' TikTok has said such bans are "rooted in xenophobia" while insisting that it is not owned or operated by the Chinese government. The company's Australian spokesman Lee Hunter said it would "never" give data to the Chinese government. "No one is working harder to make sure this would never be a possibility," he told Australia's Channel Seven. But the firm acknowledged in November that some employees in China could access European user data, and in December it said employees had used the data to spy on journalists. The app is typically used to share short, lighthearted videos and has exploded in popularity in recent years. Many government departments were initially eager to use TikTok as a way to connect with a younger demographic that is harder to reach through traditional media channels. New Zealand banned TikTok from government devices in March, saying the risks were "not acceptable in the current New Zealand Parliamentary environment". Earlier this year, the Australian government announced it would be stripping Chinese-made CCTV cameras from politicians' offices due to security concerns.
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Amidst the economic crisis in Pakistan, Turkey has delivered the first batch of cutting-edge Baykar Akinci unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs) to the Pakistani Air Force.

The Baykar Akinci unmanned combat aerial vehicle comes under the high-altitude long endurance (HALE) drone category and can be equipped with ammunition.

The initial assessment is that around six to seven drones are part of the delivery package. As per the reports, this drone can fire cruise missile systems at any altitude.

The Akinci is the Turkish word for Raider and is said to be capable of executing air-to-ground and air-to-air attack operations.

WATCH:

The drone was first tested in December 2019 and its mass production started in May 2021 with its induction into the Turkish Armed Forces in August of that same year.

The combat drone is 12.2 meters in length, 4.1 meters in height, and has a wingspan of 20 meters. Its takeoff weight is 5,500 kilograms, with a maximum payload of 1,350 kilograms, and it can fly at 40,000 feet (12,192 meters).

The drone is capable of collecting and processing data from onboard sensors and cameras using powerful Artificial Intelligence features.

The economic turmoil faced by the Pakistani economy has pushed it towards the imminent risk of default. Also, the discussions with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) regarding a $7 billion bailout package have stalled. But, Pakistan has gone ahead with the acquisition of the Akinci UCAVs.

NEW DELHI: Amidst the economic crisis in Pakistan, Turkey has delivered the first batch of cutting-edge Baykar Akinci unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs) to the Pakistani Air Force. The Baykar Akinci unmanned combat aerial vehicle comes under the high-altitude long endurance (HALE) drone category and can be equipped with ammunition. The initial assessment is that around six to seven drones are part of the delivery package. As per the reports, this drone can fire cruise missile systems at any altitude.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); The Akinci is the Turkish word for Raider and is said to be capable of executing air-to-ground and air-to-air attack operations. WATCH: The drone was first tested in December 2019 and its mass production started in May 2021 with its induction into the Turkish Armed Forces in August of that same year. The combat drone is 12.2 meters in length, 4.1 meters in height, and has a wingspan of 20 meters. Its takeoff weight is 5,500 kilograms, with a maximum payload of 1,350 kilograms, and it can fly at 40,000 feet (12,192 meters). The drone is capable of collecting and processing data from onboard sensors and cameras using powerful Artificial Intelligence features. The economic turmoil faced by the Pakistani economy has pushed it towards the imminent risk of default. Also, the discussions with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) regarding a $7 billion bailout package have stalled. But, Pakistan has gone ahead with the acquisition of the Akinci UCAVs.
Two top Greater Albany Public School administrators have resigned, and another has been put on leave, pending results of a workplace investigation.

Assistant Superintendent Lisa Harlan and Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Director Javier Cervantes already knew they would not return to their positions when their contracts expire at the end of the 2023-2024 school year. That was the school district superintendents suggestion, and the school board approved it last month.

Harlan, seeking to appeal her nonrenewal, was put on administrative leave. Cervantes resigned and accepted a position within Gov. Tina Kotek's administration. And Rachel Smith, director of Health Services, has submitted her resignation as well.

A school district spokesperson confirmed the resignations, noting Smiths is effective at the beginning of May. The spokesperson also confirmed Harlan is on administrative leave but didnt offer anything further regarding the departures or the investigation.

The district will not comment on specific personnel matters, Communications Director Michelle Steinhebel said via email.

After requesting a public appeal hearing regarding her contract last week (a closed-door hearing is optional), Harlan said she was put on leave upon her return from spring break Monday, April 3. Her reaction was surprise but not shock, and an overall a sense of sadness for the schools and students.

I think its important to speak truth to power, Harlan said. And its important for people to be able to use their voice when they have the option.

The timing is noteworthy, Harlan said, as her nonrenewal and investigation followed closely on the heels of complaints she said she submitted to the Oregon Government Ethics Commission against school board chair Pete Morse for voting to approve his wifes contract and another for improper use of an executive session.

While the letter informing her of her administrative leave wasn't crystal clear, Harlan said it referenced a hostile work environment.

I dont know who; I dont know why, she said. It says according to policy, the district will promptly investigate allegations of creating a hostile work environment.

According to policy, the district has 10 days to complete a typical complaint investigation, Harlan said. But in the letter to Harlan, the school district cited the scope of the complaint against her and the need to retain an investigator in requesting an extension of the timeline.

Harlan said an investigation into her is unwarranted and stems from her persistence related to working out her contract, as well as wanting to do her job and not be pressured or bullied into leaving.

Regarding an appeal, she doesnt believe a public school board hearing would change the outcome, Harlan said, but at least she could go on the record about what she called contract violations, issues and improprieties, which she said the board and superintendent dont want aired publicly.

I think they especially dont want the public to hear it right before board elections, she said.

Its not yet clear what the next step is for Harlan, but she has contacted a lawyer. She called for the public to get more involved with the school district and keep the focus on the students rather than adult problems.

Although hes heartbroken to depart from GAPS, Cervantes is looking forward to his new role in the states highest office as the Racial Justice Council adviser. He starts the new position next week, with his resignation from GAPS effective at the end of Monday, April 3.

Because of the treatment Ive received and the behaviors Ive witnessed, I had to do whats best for my family, Cervantes said.

In a letter to the school district and community partners regarding his resignation, Cervantes lists a series of accomplishments since the equity, diversity and inclusion director position was created and he was hired. He said hes leaving behind a legacy of good work that should be continued, although hes not sure it will.

Cervantes couldnt say what motivated the decision to not renew his contract. But he said the actions of the school board speaks volumes about not supporting the work he and others have done to advance equity in GAPS. And he doesnt have much confidence that the work will continue.

Asked whether it was a sign of a national push by conservatives to swing school boards to the right, he wasnt sure, but noted a remark from school board chairman Morse, who said at a recent board meeting: Elections have consequences.

Former Superintendent Melissa Goff was terminated in July 2021 by the same, then-new school board members. After her dismissal, Goff said she was hired to be an equity leader, but the new board had changed direction.

Goff has also gained employment in the Governor's Office.

Firing  for no cause  a reputable, professional, competent, superintendent  that tells you exactly where theyre at when you talk about moving to the right, Cervantes said. This was a person who championed equity publicly, vocally, through actions and policy, and created my position.

Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Albany Democrat-Herald.

Ultimately, hes concerned that the considerable diversity among GAPS students lacks representation at the school board, staff and administrative levels, Cervantes said. He worries the students will be challenged by a narrative and vision thats inconsistent with the reality of the widely diverse student body.

Related stories:
Finland to become 31st member of NATO on Tuesday: Jens Stoltenberg

Brussels, April 3: North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has announced that Finland will become a full member of NATO on April 4. His remarks came after the Turkish Parliament on March 30 voted in favour of Finland's application to join NATO.

Finland to become 31st member of NATO on Tuesday: Jens Stoltenberg

Speaking in a press conference on Monday, Stoltenberg said, "This is an historic week. Tomorrow, we will welcome Finland as the thirty-first member of NATO. Making Finland safer and our Alliance stronger."He further said, "We will raise the Finnish flag for the first time here at the Nato headquarters. It will be a good day for Finland's security, for Nordic security, and for NATO as a whole. It will be a good day for Finland's security, for Nordic security, and for NATO as a whole," according to the statement released on NATO's website. He added, "Sweden will also be safer as a result."Jens Stoltenberg said that allies in 2022 made a decision to invite Finland and Sweden to become members of NATO and noted that Finland's accession has been the fastest ratification process in NATO's modern history.He said that tomorrow NATO will hold the NATO-Ukraine Commission with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba to discuss the conflict between Moscow and Kyiv and the military alliance's support for Ukraine. Stoltenberg said that he welcomes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's peace plan which upholds the principles at the heart of the UN Charter.On Friday, Jens Stoltenberg welcomed Turkey's decision to ratify Finland's membership in NATO. He said that Finland's inclusion will make the country "safer" and NATO "stronger."Stoltenberg said, "I welcome the vote by the Turkish Grand National Assembly to ratify Finland's membership in NATO. All 30 NATO Allies have now ratified the accession protocol. And I have just spoken with President Sauli Niinisto to congratulate him on this historic occasion."On Thursday, the Turkish Parliament on Thursday voted unanimously in favour of Finland's application to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), while also continuing to block Sweden from joining the military alliance, CNN reported.The vote in the Parliament fulfils Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's "promise" to allow Finland to become part of the military alliance, as per the news report. Turkey was the last NATO member to approve Finland's accession. Following the vote, Finnish President Sauli Niinisto said his country is "ready to join NATO."In 2022, Finland and Sweden submitted applications to join NATO. A majority of NATO members welcomed the applications of Finland and Sweden except for Turkey and Hungary.Turkish President Erdogan accused Finland and Sweden of housing Kurdish "terrorist organizations." Meanwhile, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said that Finland and Sweden were disseminating "outright lies" about his country's rule of law record, as per the CNN report.Later, the two nations softened their stance on Finland's accession. However, Hungary and Turkey continue to remain opposed to Sweden becoming part of NATO.ANI03 April 2023

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Parliament passes Competition (Amendment) Bill amid ruckus

New Delhi, April 3: The Rajya Sabha on Monday passed The Competition (Amendment) Bill, 2022 to amend the Competition Act of 2002.

Parliament passes Competition (Amendment) Bill amid ruckus

The bill was passed today amid ruckus in the Parliament as the opposition parliamentarians raised slogans on the Adani-Hindenburg issue and continued with their demand for a joint parliamentary committee-led probe on the issue.The bill was passed by Lok Sabha on Wednesday without much debate.Deals with a transaction value of more than Rs 2,000 crore, according to the Bill, will require the approval of the Competition Commission of India (CCI)."...if the value of any transaction in connection with acquisition of any control, shares, voting rights, etc., exceeds Rs 2,000 crore, it would require filing a notice of combination before the commission and to empower the Central Government to exempt certain transactions from the requirement to file combination notice under the Act," the amendment bill read.It also proposed to reduce the timeline for the commission to pass an order on such transactions from 210 days to 150 days.Also, it sought to broaden the scope of anti-competitive agreements.Reportedly, the bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha in August 2022, during the Monsoon Session of the Parliament, and subsequently, it was referred to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance for examination.ANI03 April 2023

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Union Min Gadkari inspects Tactical Urbanism in Maharashtras Nagpur

Nagpur, April 2: Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Sunday inspected the Kalpana Talkies Square Tactical Urbanism (TU) Trial in Maharashtra's Nagpur.

Union Min Gadkari inspects Tactical Urbanism in Maharashtra's Nagpur

Tactical Urbanism (TU) trials help modify road design and safety infrastructure to make dangerous roads and intersections safer.TU interventions introduced at the Kalpana Talkies Square include the provision of continuous crosswalks and public spaces with geometric corrections as well as the provision for pedestrian waiting spaces.Reiterating the priority of government regarding Road Safety, the Union Minister took to Twitter and said, "Road safety remains a top priority for our government. Today inspected the Kalpana Talkies Square Tactical Urbanism (TU) Trial in Nagpur."He said that he has asked for the final report to make the interventions permanent."Road crashes are an epidemic facing our country and one that we must counter together. We are committed to making roads across India safer and innovative solutions to this end are the need of the hour. Tactical Urbanism (TU) trials help modify road design and safety infrastructure to make dangerous roads and intersections safer. TU interventions introduced at the Kalpana Talkies Square include the provision of continuous crosswalks and public spaces with geometric corrections as well as the provision for pedestrian waiting spaces. #TacticalUrbanismTrial@savelifeindia," Niting Gadkari tweeted.ANI03 April 2023

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Punjab CM announces compensation ahead of Baisakhi for farmers facing crop damage

Chandigarh, April 2: Swinging into action to ensure compensation for crop loss to the farmer before the festival of Baisakhi, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has asked the MLAs and officers to enhance their field visits for expediting the process of Girdawari and redress problems of farmers.

Punjab CM announces compensation ahead of Baisakhi for farmers facing crop damage

"The MLAs should meet the farmers and listen to their grievances, likewise the officers should make sure that the special Girdawari is completed soon so that we can disburse the compensation before Baisakhi," said the Chief Minister, according to an official statement.Expressing solidarity with the farmers who have lost their crops due to incessant rain and hailstorm, the Chief Minister said that the government is with the food growers in this hour of crisis. He said that loss worth every single penny will be compensated and no stone will be left unturned for this noble cause. Bhagwant Mann said that he was well aware of the agony faced by the farming community due to the whopping loss suffered by them on account of inclement weather conditions.The Chief Minister said that he is personally monitoring the entire drive on a day-to-day basis to ensure that the affected farmers are compensated in a most transparent and expeditious manner. Bhagwant Mann said that as he hails from a common family so he is aware of the anguish of the farmers at the deeply personal level and duly compensating them remains the top priority of the state government. He categorically said that there will be zero tolerance for any laxity or lapse found at any level in the government machinery during the Girdawari.The Chief Minister said that the state government is with the beleaguered peasantry in this hour of deep crisis. He said before Girdawari public announcements are being made about the entire process to ensure that all the people are made aware of it. Likewise, Bhagwant Mann said that a 25 per cent hike in compensation per acre had been made to give a healing touch to the farmers.The Chief Minister further said that in a major pro-farmer initiative, the state government has decided to freeze repayment of loans taken by the farmers from Primary Agricultural Cooperative Societies. Bhagwant Mann expressed hope that this will give much-needed relief to the farmers in this hour of crisis, adding that they can pay back this amount later after they recover from the losses. He said that the government will fully compensate the hapless farmers of the state for the losses suffered by them.The decision comes after former Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Friday demanded that the state government should provide appropriate compensation to the farmers who faced huge losses due to crop damage amid heavy rainfall.Taking to Twitter, Singh said, "Completely tragic to note how these untimely incessant rains have caused huge losses to our farmers' crops. I urge Punjab Government to get the Girdawari done as soon as possible and provide appropriate compensation."ANI04 April 2023

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PSBs transfer Rs 35,012 cr unclaimed deposits to RBI; SBI tops list with Rs 8,086 cr

New Delhi, April 3: The Public Sector Banks (PSBs) have transferred unclaimed deposits (till February 2023) of Rs 35,012 crore to the RBI, the Lok Sabha was informed on Monday.

PSBs transfer Rs 35,012 cr unclaimed deposits to RBI; SBI tops list with Rs 8,086 cr

Among the PSBs, SBI tops the list with an unclaimed amount of Rs 8,086 crore, while Punjab National Bank has Rs 5,340 crore and Canara Bank has Rs 4,558 crore.According to a written reply by the Minister of State, Finance, Bhagwat Karad in Lok Sabha on Monday, SBI has informed that it assists the family of the deceased in settling all cases of claims. "Settlement of account(s) of deceased constituent are taken up on priority by SBI. SBI staff has been sensitised and instructions are reiterated in all forums of banks at regular frequency."For the convenience of SBI customers, the details or process of settlement of claims without legal representation in respect of account(s) of deceased constituents, the specimen of prescribed forms, as well as updated FAQs for easy understanding have been uploaded on SBI's website. Every application for settlement of account(s) of a deceased constituent received at the SBI branch are duly acknowledged. If the documents are incomplete or not in order or the claim is rejected, the same is duly recorded along with reasons thereof, under advice to the Claimants," read the reply.As per the instructions issued by RBI to banks vide their Master Circular on "Customer Service in Banks", banks are required to make an annual review of accounts in which there are no operations for more than one year, and may approach the customers and inform them in writing that there has been no operation in their accounts and ascertain the reasons for the same.The reply informed that banks have also been advised to consider launching a special drive for finding the whereabouts of the customers or legal heirs in respect of accounts which have become inoperative, where there are no transactions in the account over a period of two years.Further, banks are required to display the list of unclaimed deposits and inoperative accounts which are inactive or inoperative for ten years or more on their respective websites, with the list containing the names and addresses of the account holder(s) in respect of unclaimed deposits and inoperative accounts.Finally, banks have been advised by RBI to play a more proactive role in finding the whereabouts of the account holders whose accounts have remained inoperative, added the reply.IANS04 April 2023

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Second Meeting of G20 Employment Working Group begins in Guwahati

Guwahati, April 3: The Second Employment Working Group (EWG) Meeting under India's G20 Presidency started in Guwahati on Monday.

Second Meeting of G20 Employment Working Group begins in Guwahati

The three-day event which will continue till April 5 has seen a gathering of over 19 G20 member countries, seven guest countries and five International Organisations.The inaugural session of the Second Employment Working Group (EWG) meeting under the aegis of India's G20 presidency was held in Guwahati today.Union MoS for Labour and Employment Rameswar Teli, Assam Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary, and delegates of G20 were present in the inaugural session of the 2nd Employment Working Group (EWG) meeting.The delegates will deliberate on labour, employment and social issues for strong, sustainable, balanced, and job-rich growth for all.Ministry of Labour and Employment (MoLE), Government of India is the nodal ministry for the Employment Working Group under the Indian presidency of G20.The G20 EWG's second meeting is a crucial step towards building consensus on the outcomes of the three key priority areas for EWG 2023 under the Indian Presidency.The three areas include Addressing Global Skill Gaps, Gig and Platform Economy, and Social Protection, Sustainable Financing of Social Protection.The first day of the meeting comprised sessions focused on different priority areas such as by the Education Working Group, Digital Economy Working Group, Finance Track, G20 Entrepreneurship Research Centre, and the L20 and B20 Chairs.During the 2nd EWG, a discussion will take place on Ministerial Communique and the outcome documents to arrive at a consensus.The communique is key to defining the future direction of the global economy through its eventual implementation in the G20 nations.The three-day meeting of G20 EWG will also comprise events showcasing the cultural heritage of Assam.ANI04 April 2023

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Rajasthan Govt approves proposal to set up 3 new medical colleges in state

Jaipur, April 2: Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Sunday approved a proposal to set up three new medical colleges in the state, an official statement said.

Rajasthan Govt approves proposal to set up 3 new medical colleges in state

It informed that the three new medical colleges will be established in Pratapgarh, Jalore and Rajsamand.As per an official statement, each medical college will be constructed at the cost of Rs 250 crores."The state government is working towards strengthening basic medical services and providing better medical facilities to the general public," Gehlot said.The statement added that Rs 75 crore would be spent for necessary equipment, furniture and books in these colleges."With this decision of CM Gehlot, the health infrastructure in the state will be strengthened," read the statement."Students will not have to go far to study medicine," CM said.During the budget 2023-24, the Government announced to set up three new medical colleges in Pratapgarh, Jalore and Rajsamand.ANI04 April 2023

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Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde leads BJP-Shiv Senas Savarkar Gaurav Yatra

Mumbai, April 2: Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Sunday led the ruling BJP-Shiv Sena's 'Savarkar Gaurav Yatra' in Thane.

Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde leads BJP-Shiv Sena's 'Savarkar Gaurav Yatra'

The yatra comes amid the efforts by the ruling coalition to play up the Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's comments on Veer Savarkar following his disqualification from the Lok Sabha.Rahul, who was disqualified as an MP after being convicted in the criminal defamation case over a remark using the surname 'Modi', on March 25, had said, "My name is not Savarkar, my name is Gandhi. Gandhis don't apologise to anyone."The BJP and ruling Maharashtra ally Sena had slammed Rahul remarks while the chief of the rival Sena camp and former CM, Uddhav Thackeray, too, voiced concerns over it.Earlier, on March 28, CM Shinde said insulting Savarkar was akin to insulting the people of the country."Veer Savarkar's insult by Rahul Gandhi is condemnable. He dedicated his life to the country and Rahul Gandhi is insulting him. He is also casting aspersions on our democracy on foreign soil. Insulting Savarkar means insulting people of the country," he added.Taking a swipe at Uddhav Thackeray for diluting the Sena's core principles by joining hands with the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Shinde said, "Those who used to say earlier they won't tolerate the insult of Savarkar were wearing black bands in support of Rahul Gandhi. It's unfortunate. They (Uddhav Thackeray) said they won't tolerate Rahul Gandhi's remarks. Thackeray had also warned Rahul Gandhi not to insult Veer Savarkar saying that demeaning him would create cracks in the Opposition alliance.""Savarkar suffered unimaginable torture in the Andaman cellular jail for 14 years. We can only read about his sufferings. It was a form of sacrifice. We will not tolerate the insult of Savarkar," Uddhav said."Veer Savarkar is our God, and any disrespect towards him will not be tolerated. We are prepared to fight, but insulting our Gods is not something we will tolerate," he added.Shiv Sena (UBT faction), which is part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), also comprising the Congress and the NCP, skipped a dinner organised by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge for all like-minded Opposition parties at his residence on Monday.ANI04 April 2023

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Richard Madden arrives in Mumbai to promote Citadel with Priyanka Chopra

Mumbai, April 2: Hollywood actor Richard Madden, on Sunday, arrived in Mumbai to promote his upcoming web series 'Citadel' with his co-star Priyanka Chopra.

Richard Madden arrives in Mumbai to promote 'Citadel' with Priyanka Chopra

The actor was spotted at the Kalina Airport donning a black t-shirt and black shades. He was surrounded by his security.Several photos and videos of the actor surfaced online soon after he arrived at the airport.Created by the Russo Brothers, Citadel will premiere exclusively on Prime Video on Friday, April 28, with two adrenaline-fueled episodes, followed by a new episode released weekly every Friday through May 26.The show stars Richard Madden and actor Priyanka Chopra Jonas in the lead roles.The action-packed show revolves around two elite agents Mason Kane (Richard Madden) and Nadia Sinh (Priyanka) of the global spy agency Citadel.Sharing details about the show, Priyanka earlier said, "The story is closely interwoven with the stunts. What's so exciting about these huge action pieces was that they are infused with drama and storytelling. We get to see a lot about these characters, how they physically interact, not just great action sequences but there's drama at the heart of each one of them, so there's a story sort of interwoven in all the stunts. And that was just very cool and new for me."Richard is known for his performance in projects like '1917', 'Eternals', and 'Game of Thrones' among others.ANI04 April 2023

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Neha Dhupia shares pictures with son Guriq as he turns 1.5-year-old

Mumbai, April 3: Actor Neha Dhupia dropped pictures with her son Guriq as he turned 1. 5 years old today.

Neha Dhupia shares pictures with son Guriq as he turns 1.5-year-old

Taking to her Instagram story, Neha dropped a couple of pictures from her Maldives trip to wish her son.In the first picture, the actor can be seen holding Guriq in her arms and captioned it, "our baby...1.5 year old today...my heart is smiling."In the second picture, Mehr and Guriq can be seen playing.Recently, Neha and Angad went on a vacation to Maldives with their kids.She shared more pictures on her feed and captioned it, "Take us to our favourite part of the... where the sun shines bright and everything feels right!!! #springbreak."Neha and Angad married in a private ceremony in New Delhi in May 2018. The couple was blessed with their first daughter Mehr in November of the same year. They welcomed their second child Guriq in October 2021.Guriq means one with God, one from God, and saviour of the world. The doting mother has also created a new Instagram account handle under the name of Guriq.On the work front, Angad and Neha were recently seen as a couple in an comedy-drama 'Social Distancing' penned by author Chetan Bhagat.ANI04 April 2023

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New Delhi, April 3: Motorola's pioneering spirit has proven to be a critical part of progressing the mobile industry to what it is today.

From delivering the world's first commercially available 5G-upgradable smartphone to the first clamshell smartphone, we have a rich heritage in rewriting how people access and experience innovation.

But perhaps the most defining moment in mobile tech history came exactly 50 years ago on April 3, 1973, when Martin Cooper, former Motorola VP and Director of R&D, used the Motorola DynaTAC 8000X to make the world's first commercial mobile phone call from Sixth Avenue in New York City.

It marked a pivotal point in time for society as we no longer had to sit by a landline or wait for a page to ensure we didn't miss a call.

It meant we could communicate with anyone, any time, from anywhere.

When I made the first public portable cell phone call on April 3, 1973, I knew it was only the beginning; that Motorola and the cellphone industry were starting a revolution in personal communications, said Martin Cooper.

Since then, there have been a huge number of pivotal innovations, many of them created by Motorola.

The first fifty years were only the warm-up.

There will be many more exciting advancements that will transform humanity.

First Call at 50: An interview with Martin Cooper: 50 years later, we're proud to say that Motorola has continued to be at the forefront of a number of other industry-defining technologies, patents, and game-changing innovations that have shaped the world as we know it.

We've come a long way since the release of the DynaTAC 8000X, which measured more than a foot long and weighed almost 2 pounds at the time.

Some examples include the original RAZR V3, a device that came to market in the early 2000s, a time when mobile design had become predictable.

Popular for its unique clamshell design and thin appearance, RAZR V3 continues to be a globally iconic piece of technology today.

Having been at Motorola for over 20 years, I've had the opportunity to bear witness to many of these iconic innovations, said Sergio Buniac, President of Motorola.

Innovation is in our DNA.

We've revolutionized the industry countless times and we're eager to continue to play this pivotal role in shaping the industry's future.

On April 3, 2019, the moto z3 combined with the 5G moto mod TM became the world's first commercially available smartphone to connect to 5G.

Since then, we've been determined to democratize 5G technology bringing blazing-fast 5G speeds to the mid-tier through our moto g family.

We've also been key in pushing the boundaries of alternative form factors.

In 2019, we launched the world's first clamshell smartphone - the motorola razr - which brought consumers portability without sacrificing the functionalities of a full-sized smartphone display.

We've also introduced innovations like the neckband, a wearable 5G device that redefines the role of the smartphone by allowing you to display content to more immersive screens around you.

And most recently, we unveiled a rollable smartphone concept device.

Looking ahead, we're excited to continue to test the boundaries of mobile technology and look forward to sharing more in this space.

Prashanth Mani, Executive Director, Motorola Mobility Asia Pacific, added, Motorola has been at the forefront of meaningful consumer innovation in the mobile industry, for over 50 years.

We constantly challenge the status quo and have been behind several global firsts - from the world's first 5G capable smartphone to the world's first clamshell smartphone, constantly devising ways to empower consumers with enriching experiences.

With over 50 years of leadership in innovation, we are uniquely positioned to set new trends that transform the lives of our consumers as we look at disrupting the future of mobile technology.

We started the year with the launch of an all-new and exceptional variant of the motorola edge 30 fusion - Viva Magenta, the world's first smartphone in the Pantone color of 2023 which saw incredible love and exceptional consumer demand in India.

To commemorate the love received, on this special occasion of the 50th anniversary of the first commercial phone call, fresh stocks of this premium smartphone have been made available on Flipkart.

Link to the website: Be sure to follow along on Instagram (@), Facebook (@), Twitter (@) and LinkedIn (@) to not miss any important updates.

Legal disclaimersCertain features, functionality and product specifications may be network dependent and subject to additional terms, conditions, and charges.

All are subject to change without notice.

MOTOROLA, the Stylized M Logo, MOTO and the MOTO family of marks are trademarks of Motorola Trademark Holdings, LLC.

All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

(c)2023 Motorola Mobility LLC.
IPL 2023: Preity Zinta ecstatic as her team Punjab Kings made winning start to campaign

Mumbai, April 3: The latest match of Punjab Kings against Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL-2023 saw actress Preity Zinta cheering for her side from the stands and making the players feel motivated.

IPL 2023: Preity Zinta ecstatic as her team Punjab Kings made winning start to campaign

As her team Punjab Kings got a winning start, she took to Instagram and expressed her happiness."Nothing like coming home. Thank you to all the Punjabi's in the house for such a warm welcome. We waited 4 years to come back to Mohali. I'm so happy we started this IPl season with a win," she wrote.Preity also shared a picture with the crowd. In the image, she is seen flashing her dimpled smile.Take a lookPunjab Kings beat Kolkata Knight Riders by seven runs. Punjab Kings managed to score 191 runs at the loss of five wickets. Kolkata Knight Riders were supposed to chase the winning target of 192, but due to heavy rainfall in Mohali, Punjab was declared the winner by DLS method on Saturday.Punjab Kings will return to action against Rajasthan Royals at Barsapara Stadium on April 5.ANI04 April 2023

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EAM Jaishankar meets Bhutan King, appreciates his vision for strengthening ties with India

New Delhi, April 3: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar today held a meeting with Bhutan King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck. Jaishankar noted that Bhutan King's vision for strengthening the unique partnership with India is deeply appreciated.

EAM Jaishankar meets Bhutan King, appreciates his vision for strengthening ties with India

Taking to his official Twitter handle, Jaishankar stated, "Deeply privileged to call on His Majesty the King of Bhutan today evening. His Majesty's vision for Bhutan's future and for strengthening the unique partnership with India is deeply appreciated."On Monday, Bhutan King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck arrived in India for a three-day visit at the invitation of President Droupadi Murmu. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar who received him at the airport said the visit will further strengthen the "close and unique ties" between the two nations.Taking to his official Twitter handle, Jaishankar wrote, "Honoured to welcome His Majesty the King of Bhutan, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, on his arrival in India. His visit will further strengthen the close and unique India-Bhutan partnership."During his visit to India, the Bhutan king is accompanied by Bhutan's Foreign Minister Dr Tandi Dorji and other senior officials. During his visit, he will hold a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Droupadi Murmu.The visit of the Bhutan King is in keeping with the long-standing tradition of regular high-level exchanges between the two nations, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a press release. The MEA noted, "India and Bhutan enjoy unique ties of friendship and cooperation, which are characterized by understanding and mutual trust."The MEA said that the Bhutan King's visit will give a chance to both nations to review bilateral cooperation and to further advance the close bilateral partnership, including economic and development cooperation.The unique relationship between India and Bhutan has been preserved by a custom of frequent high-level exchanges between the two nations such as Prime Minister Narendra Modi in August 2019 and Jaishankar in 2019 and April 2022. Furthermore, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra visited Bhutan in January this year.Earlier in February 2023, a Parliamentary delegation from Bhutan led by Wangchuk Namgyel, Speaker of the National Assembly of Bhutan called on President Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan.While welcoming the delegation in February, President Murmu said that India deeply values the multifaceted and unique friendship between the two countries. She noted that this year Bhutan would graduate from the Least Developed Countries (LDC) group of countries and embark on the path of becoming a High Income Economy by 2034.Notably, the basic framework of India-Bhutan relations is the Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation signed in 1949 between the two countries, which was renewed in February 2007, according to MEA. The bilateral ties between India and Bhutan have been advanced by regular high-level exchanges between the two countries.ANI04 April 2023

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Delegates from 14 countries arrive in Agartala to attend G20 summit

Agartala (Tripura), April 2: Delegates from 14 countries on Sunday arrived in Agartala to attend the two-day G20 summit in the city starting April 3 on the theme of 'Clean Energy for Greener Future'.

Delegates from 14 countries arrive in Agartala to attend G20 summit

The delegates and close to 90 high officials arrived at Agartala's Maharaja Bir Bikram (MBB) international airport at 2 pm on Sunday. They were then checked into Agartala's Hotel Polo Towers.The delegates on their visit are likely to visit the historical Albert Ekka Park and then visit the light and sound show at Kumari Tilla near Agartala's G B Pant Hospital.The delegates will be attending the summit tomorrow.The delegates will also call on Tripura Chief Minister Dr. Manik Saha. The summit will take place at Hapania International Fair Ground in Agartala tomorrow.The state is making massive preparations for the event, and dozens of decorated stalls have been installed at the Hapania indoor exhibition hall.Stalls belong to various districts of the state showcasing their products. The state has worn an enlightened attire, with paints and decorative material.Minister of Industries and Commerce, Santana Chakma, visited the exhibition hall to inspect the ongoing preparations and stated that Tripura is well prepared to welcome the international and national delegates.Notably, this is the first time an international meeting of such stature will be held in Tripura.Chief Minister of Tripura Manik Saha also spoke about the preparedness and the glory of hosting a prestigious G20 meet.The delegates will visit all the historical and attractive places of the state like Ujjayanta palace, and Nirmahal, among others."I have held review meetings with all the concerned ministries and office heads to take the stock of their preparedness towards the program yesterday and got to know that all are ready to host and are eagerly waiting for the summit to happen. It should be a great source of encouragement and inspiration for the state of Tripura as the whole world will come to see the state of Tripura with its beautiful and attractive historical places," CM said."Tripura is well prepared to host the delegates from the European and other countries of the world in the upcoming G20 summit which has been scheduled to be held on 3rd and 4th. This is in the great pleasure for the people of Tripura as for the first time such a huge kind of program of international standard is going to be held in the state," CM added.ANI04 April 2023

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Japan calls for early release of Japanese businessman in China

Tokyo, April 3: Japan's Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, on Sunday, held a meeting with his Chinese counterpart Qin Gang and called for the release of the recent Japanese businessman detention, The Japan Times reported.

Japan calls for early release of Japanese businessman in China

While addressing the reporters following the meeting, Hayashi said that he sought consular access to the Japanese citizen and urged China to provide transparency in the judicial process.The meeting was held over the detention of the Japanese businessman, who was arrested in China last month. He is a senior employee of the Japanese pharmaceutical firm Astellas Pharma.Hayashi added that he and Qin had agreed to maintain close communication "at all levels" to improve ties, including between leaders and foreign ministers.In the last three-hour conversation with Qin, the Japanese minister said that despite "many challenges," it is becoming "increasingly important" that Japan and China aim for "constructive and stable" bilateral relations agreed upon by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Chinese leader Xi Jinping during their summit talks last November, according to The Japan Times.Qin noted that this year marks the 45th anniversary of the signing of the 1978 bilateral Peace and Friendship Treaty and that "right choices" must be made to honour the spirit of the pact.He vowed to work with Hayashi to promote further exchanges and dialogue so that the two countries can "move ahead by removing obstacles".Notably, this is for the first time that a Japanese foreign minister travel to China since December 2019.Hayashi met with Premier Li Qiang, who assumed the premiership last month. He was also scheduled to hold talks with China's top diplomat Wang Yi.The top Japanese diplomat said he has also expressed Tokyo's concern over the repeated entry of Chinese vessels into waters near the Japanese-controlled Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea, which are claimed by Beijing, as well as joint military activities between China and Russia near Japanese territory, The Japan Times reported.On Taiwan, the Japanese Foreign Minister underscored the importance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait amid increasing Chinese military pressure in the region.Hayashi also said he called on China to play a "responsible role," based upon international law, in working toward peace and stability in Ukraine after Russia invaded in February 2022.ANI04 April 2023

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Thalapathy Vijay makes Instagram debut

Mumbai, April 2: After staying away from social media for a very long time, actor Thalapthy Vijay finally made his Instagram debut, on Sunday.

Thalapathy Vijay makes Instagram debut

Taking to social media, the actor captioned his first post, "Hello Nanbas and Nanbis."In the picture, the 'Master' actor could be seen in a salt-and-pepper look, donning a black jacket over a white t-shirt.Soon after he dropped his first post, fans flooded the comment section with red hearts and fire emoticons."Welcome thalapathy annaa," a fan commented.Another fan wrote, "Welcome to rule Instagram thalaivaa.""This is Insane..He's A Record Creator..," a user commented.The 'Beast' actor's profile has gathered 2.3 million followers in just 4 hours after he dropped his first post.His Instagram bio reads, "Official Page handled by office of Actor Vijay."Vijay also shared a picture in his stories in which he could be seen posing in winter outfits.Actor Prithviraj Sukumaran welcomed Thalapathy Vijay on social media and wrote on his stories, "Welcome to the Insta world brother."Meanwhile, on the work front, Vijay will be next seen in director Lokesh Kanagaraj's next film 'Leo Bloody Sweet'.The upcoming project marks a reunion between Vijay and Kanagaraj after the 2021 blockbuster 'Master'.Sanjay Dutt and Trisha Krishnan are also a part of the film. The official release date of the film is still awaited.The announcement of Sanjay and Trisha's addition to the cast was made recently.Taking to Twitter, the makers of the film, on Wednesday shared a poster which they captioned, "We feel esteemed to welcome @duttsanjay sir to Tamil Cinema and we are happy to announce that he is a part of #Thalapathy67."Vijay is known for his amazing performances in Tamil films like 'Thuppakki', 'Mersal', 'Kaththi' and 'Master'.ANI04 April 2023

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Reese Witherspoon spotted without wedding ring amid her divorce from Jim Toth

Washington, April 2: The 'Big Little Lies' actress Reese Witherspoon was photographed in Nashville without her wedding ring about a week after announcing her divorce from husband Jim Toth after 11 years of marriage.

Reese Witherspoon spotted without wedding ring amid her divorce from Jim Toth

As reported by E News!, Reese kept it chic in a blue and white stripped button-down shirt, white pants and a nude straw hat for the outing. The actor accessorized with a matching brown belt, heels and bag.Ahead of their 12-year wedding anniversary, Oscar-winning actor Reese Witherspoon and her talent-agent husband Jim Toth decided to end their marriage on March 24.Announcing it in a joint statement, they said, "We have some personal news to share... It is with a great deal of care and consideration that we have made the difficult decision to divorce," they said. "We have enjoyed so many wonderful years together and are moving forward with deep love, kindness and mutual respect for everything we have created together.""Our biggest priority is our son and our entire family as we navigate this next chapter," they added. "These matters are never easy and are extremely personal. We truly appreciate everyone's respect for our family's privacy at this time."They are parents to a 10-year-old son Tennessee James. The insider also noted their shared goal of raising their son, saying, "You will see them out there co-parenting together."Reese and the former CAA talent agent first met at a friend's house in 2010, before tying the knot at California."Jim said, 'I'm gonna show you every day what a good partner is, what a good person is. I'm going to take care of you. I'm gonna do this so much that you're gonna get used to it,'" Reese told in 2012 interview. "I was like, 'What are you talking about?' I've never had anybody like that in my life."Reese is also mom to Ava Phillippe, 23, and Deacon Phillippe, 19, with ex-husband Ryan Phillippe.ANI04 April 2023

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UAE participates in education technology exhibition in London

Dubai, April 3: The UAE took part in the education technology exhibition and conference - the British Educational Training and Technology Show - (Bett) held in London from March 29th to 31st.

UAE participates in education technology exhibition in London

The UAE team highlighted the country's technological programmes and initiatives aimed at boosting the educational system and reviewed the latest cutting-edge educational technology (EdTech) solutions.Dr Ahmad Belhoul Al Falasi, Minister of Education, headed the UAE's delegation to Bett, including Dr Hassan Hassan Al-Muhairi, Assistant Undersecretary for the Curriculum Sector, and senior officials in the education sector.The UAE pavilion included a number of the Ministry of Education's partners, namely the United Arab Emirates University, Khalifa University, University of Birmingham Dubai, Sharjah Private Education Authority, Higher Colleges of Technology, United Educational Publishing, the Mohamed bin Zayed Award for Best Teacher, Emirates Airlines, Emirates ICT Innovation Center, and Emirates Schools Establishment.Dr Al Falasi emphasized the significance of the event as a global platform to explore the future of EdTech and ways to benefit from its applications."The Ministry of Education was keen to participate in this global event to get acquainted with the best pioneering global experiences in the field of education. We also aimed to highlight the UAE's efforts to elevate the education system and its leadership in the fields of technology and innovation. The UAE keeps pace with the latest technologies to prepare today's generation to lead tomorrow's development process to achieve the aspirations of the country and our wise leadership to attain sustainable development and build a knowledge-based economy."The Ministry of Education organized two-panel discussions during Bett 2023; the first focused on the "Skills of Future in the UAE Curriculum" in light of the vision of the UAE Centennial 2071 and the need to nurture students' skills to consolidate the country's path to economic and social prosperity for decades to come.The second-panel discussion, titled "The UAE as a Global Partner and a Regional Education Hub", deliberated on the outstanding development achieved by the country in the educational field by establishing schools and universities that align with international standards.This is in addition to launching initiatives that attract international academic expertise to improve the integrated educational model that combines quality education, sponsorship of research and encouragement of innovation. All of which enabled the UAE to become a prominent global partner and regional educational hub.On the sidelines of Bett 2023, Al Falasi held bilateral meetings with education experts and officials in the UK. He visited key British educational institutions to discuss ways of enhancing cooperation in the educational field. He also met with a number of Emirati students enrolled in doctoral programmes and praised their efforts to obtain the knowledge necessary to pursue the country's development process and to convey the cultural image of the UAE to the world. (ANI/WAM)ANI04 April 2023

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Parliamentary panel summons private airlines to discuss rising airfares

New Delhi, April 2: The Department Related Standing Committee for Transport, Tourism and Culture has on April 5 summoned representatives of various private airlines and the Association of Private Airport Operators (APAO) to discuss the vital issue of rising airfares across the country.

Parliamentary panel summons private airlines to discuss rising airfares

"The secretariat has sent an invitation to several private airlines and APAO to discuss this issue of urgent public importance," an official source told ANI.Several airlines, including IndiGo, Vistara, GoAir, Air India and SpiceJet are amongst those who have been asked to depose before the panel chaired by YSRCP Rajya Sabha MP Vijaysai Reddy."This is a vital issue as it concerns the cause of the common man. The exorbitant airfares on most flights are a concern and therefore the panel will seek the answers and the logic behind it from the concerned authorities," another source told ANI."With the disruption in global supply chains and high fuel prices, it is unlikely that the airlines can lower their fares, despite the huge surge in passengers travelling," industry experts opine.UBT Sena Rajya Sabha MP Priyanka Chaturvedi questioned whether the Government had issued a draft paper suggesting a hike in the prices of landing and parking fees for aircraft by 30 per cent and increasing user development fees by four times."This would make flight tickets becoming 30 per cent more expensive and whether Government has assessed the potential impact on commuters?" the question read.In reply, MoS Civil Aviation Ministry, General Dr VK Singh (Retd) had told Parliament, "The Government of India has set up Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India (AERA) in 2009, to determine the tariff of aeronautical services at Major airports, the fees to be levied on the passengers and to monitor the set performance standards of the services. As per AERA Act, 2008, as amended from time to time, major airports have been defined as airports which have an annual passenger throughput of more than 3.5 million or any airport or a group of airports notified as such by the Central Government. At present, 27 airports are Major airports under AERA Act, 2008."The non-major airports, which are not under the purview of ERA, are required to be regulated by the Government as per the extant provisions under Aircrafts Act. 1934 and Aircraft Rules, 1937, as amended from time to time.The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) has published a concept paper inviting comments of stakeholders on the proposed principles of tariff regulation for non-major airports.The concept paper proposes to categorize non-major airports into three clusters for the purpose of tariff determination with an upward revision of the existing tariff at such airports.The initiative intends to reduce regulatory uncertainties, enable the airport operators to get a reasonable rate of return for the assets deployed by them and also to achieve financial viability of operations and facilitate investment decisions by the non- major airport operators/developers.The tariff for non-maior airports is to be finalized in consultation with stakeholders.There has been a huge surge in air fliers domestically in India since November last year.As per the Directorate General of Civil Aviation domestic air traffic figures, over 1.27 crore people flew in December 2022 and 1.25 crore in January this year.ANI04 April 2023

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European Union not ready to be global player: Russia responds to EUs April Fools day comment

Moscow, April 2: After European Union mocked Russia for assuming the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) rotating presidency on April 1 as befitting 'April Fool's day', Moscow reverted to the 27-member bloc in a sarcastic manner, saying that such irresponsible rhetoric only confirms that the EU is not ready to be a global player.

European Union not ready to be global player: Russia responds to EU's 'April Fool's day' comment

The Russian embassy to European Union also highlighted in a tweet, "EU has nothing to do with the UNSC"The EU and Russia are at loggerheads over the Ukraine conflict and earlier in the day Josep Borrell Fontelles, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, had ridiculed Russia's assumption of the UNSC presidency.He tweeted, "Russia taking over today UN Security Council presidency is fitting for April fools' day. Despite being a permanent member of the Security Council, Russia continuously violates the very essence of the UN legal framework. The EU will stand against any abuse by the Russian presidency."The Russian embassy to the European Union responded to the tweet by saying that the European Union had nothing to do with the UNSC.A tweet by the official account of the Permanent Mission of Russia to the EU reads, "Russia's presidency of the UN Security Council in April is a reality that the EU refuses, and publicly, to reckon with. By the way, the EU has nothing to do with the UNSC. Such irresponsible rhetoric only confirms that the EU is not ready to be a global player."Notably, Russia's assumption of the United Nations Security Council was also condemned by Ukraine. The foreign minister of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba had said that Russia's tenure of the body's rotating presidency was "a slap in the face to the international community," reported Kyiv Independent."I urge the current UNSC members to thwart any Russian attempts to abuse its presidency," he said on Twitter, calling Russia "an outlaw on the UNSC".Moscow will assume the UNSC presidency as part of its monthly rotation between the Security Council's 15 member states, with ties with the West at their lowest point since the Cold War over Russia's invasion of Ukraine.Moscow last chaired the council in February 2022 -- the same month it invaded Ukraine. The presidency of the United Nations Security Council rotates monthly between 15 member states.Meanwhile, Moscow has said Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is planning to chair a UN Security Council meeting later this month on "effective multilateralism".Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has also said that Lavrov will lead a debate on the Middle East on April 25.Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told the UN General Assembly that Russia had "no choice" but to invade Ukraine, UN News reported in September 2022."I am convinced that any sovereign, self-respecting state would do the same in our stead, which understands its responsibility to its own people," Lavrov claimed, denying Ukrainian sovereignty on an international platform.Ukraine has called for Russia to be removed from the Security Council.The United States has also criticised Russia's membership of the Security Council and its status as a permanent member."A country that flagrantly violates the UN Charter and invades its neighbour has no place on the UN Security Council," White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said earlier."Unfortunately Russia is a permanent member of the Security Council and no feasible international legal pathway exists to change that reality," she added, calling the presidency "a largely ceremonial position."Russia's new foreign policy was adopted by Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday. The new 42-page document said that the majority of the European nations pursue an aggressive policy towards Russia aimed at creating threats to the security and sovereignty of Russia."Most European states pursue an aggressive policy toward Russia aimed at creating threats to the security and sovereignty of the Russian Federation, gaining unilateral economic advantages, undermining domestic political stability and eroding traditional Russian spiritual and moral values, and creating obstacles to Russia's cooperation with allies and partners," reads Russia's foreign policy document.United Kingdom's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has mocked Russia over its foreign policy.While sharing the screenshot of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs tweet where it announced its foreign policy on Friday, the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, in a tweet wrote, "April Fool's Day is TOMORROW."ANI04 April 2023

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Nayanthara reveals full name of her twins

New Delhi, April 3: Actor Nayanthara and filmmaker Vignesh Shivan who welcomed their twin sons last year in October. Finally, has revealed the full name of their children.

Nayanthara reveals full name of her twins

A video has surfaced only in which actor Nayanthara can be seen revealing the full names of her twins.During the event, when Nayanthara was asked to reveal the full names of her boys, she said "My first son is Uyir Rudronil N Shivan and my second son is Ulag Dhaivag N Shivan."Nayanthara and Vignesh Shivan married in Chennai on June 9, 2022. It was an intimate wedding with only their close friends and select guests, including Shah Rukh Khan, AR Rahman, Suriya, and Rajinikanth, in attendance.Four months after their wedding, they welcomed their sons via surrogacy. The news was shared by Vignesh on his Instagram handle where he shared pictures of his twin newborns named Uyir and Ulagam. In the images, the duo was seen kissing the feet of their babies.He captioned the post by writing, "Nayan and Me have become Amma and Appa. We are blessed with Twin Baby Boys. All Our prayers, our ancestors' blessings combined with all the good manifestations made, have come 2gethr in the form Of 2 blessed babies for us. Need all ur blessings for our Uyir and Ulagam. Life looks brighter and more beautiful. God is double great."Meanwhile, on the work front, Nayanthara will be seen starring in director Atlee's next action thriller film 'Jawaan' along with Shah Rukh Khan. The upcoming film is all set to hit the theatres on June 2, 2023.ANI04 April 2023

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Study discover how kinesthetic sense helps restore movement after spinal cord injury

Washington, April 3: The amazing capacity to heal from spinal cord damage, a jawless fish known as the lamprey has drawn the attention of scientists for nearly 50 years. Despite just partial brain regeneration, a recent study suggests a potential method lampreys might use to swim once more after spinal injury.

Study discover how kinesthetic sense helps restore movement after spinal cord injury

The Marine Biology Laboratory (MBL), Jennifer R Morgan, and Christina Hamlet of Bucknell University constructed a mathematical model to show how lampreys may employ body-sensing feedback to regain swimming ability following spinal injury. The work might suggest novel therapy strategies for people or soft robot locomotion algorithms.The paper is published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences."The punchline of the paper is that even in the absence of descending command across that [spinal] lesion, you can boost the sensory feedback and restore locomotion," said Morgan, MBL Senior Scientist and Director of the MBL's Eugene Bell Center for Regenerative Biology and Tissue Engineering.Unlike humans and other mammals, lampreys recover quickly and almost completely even after severe lesions high up in the spinal cord. Morgan previously discovered that although neural regeneration does aid recovery in lampreys, it doesn't tell the full story. Only a small percentage of the neurons and neuronal connections are restored across a spinal injury, so they must use another mechanism."I had all of these questions about how that could possibly work. How could you get a functioning nervous system with a few small sparse connections?" Morgan asked.Scientists had hypothesized that lampreys might use body-sensing feedback (called proprioception or kinesthesia) to guide their movements in addition to descending neural connections in the spinal cord. Morgan had reached out to discuss this with an old friend of hers from MBL, Eric Tytell, Associate Professor of Biology at Tufts University and former MBL Whitman Center Investigator. Eric was already collaborating with Lisa Fauci, a Professor of Mathematics at Tulane University, and Christina Hamlet, who was a co-mentored postdoc at Tulane.Tytell, Fauci, and Hamlet were using mathematical models to mimic movement in lampreys. They teamed up to "see if we could model some of the effects of sensory feedback on swimming behaviour in lampreys," said Hamlet, who is currently an Assistant Professor of Mathematics at Bucknell University.The team began playing around with different scenarios of spinal injured lampreys - including both biologically plausible and implausible ones - all of which assumed no neural regeneration across the spinal cord lesion. This is the utility of modelling, said Hamlet, "We can break things that you can't break in biology." The model took into account the curves and stretch created in the body above the lesion and sent that information to the rest of the body through the muscles, not the spinal cord.Even with a moderate amount of sensory feedback, the models showed a surprising recovery of swimming patterns in the biologically plausible models. Stronger sensory feedback led to even greater improvement.Because lampreys do grow back some of their neurons after a lesion and therefore have descending command from the brain to drive movement, they may need even less sensory feedback than the model. The team hopes to add neuronal regeneration into the model and test how that affects movement and interacts with sensory feedback."If you have a good computational model, you can go through so many more scenarios of manipulations than is practical with experimentation," said Morgan.The team hopes that this study and future research will contribute to therapies for humans with spinal injuries and diseases that affect movement. Brain-machine interfaces and stimulator devices are beginning to incorporate body-sensing feedback to create smoother movements after injury, and this research could inform the amount and type of feedback that humans need."Whether you're an animal like a lamprey that [recovers] spontaneously or a human that needs to be given a drug or an electrical stimulator device, getting to the point where you have a few things in the right place and then reuse what's already there should be more achievable than trying to recapitulate the identical original pattern of synaptic connections and growth," said Morgan.ANI04 April 2023

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State-owned manganese producer MOIL registers its second highest output in 2022-23

New Delhi, April 3: State-owned mining company MOIL has recorded its second-highest production in the just concluded the financial year 2022-23.

State-owned manganese producer MOIL registers its second highest output in 2022-23

It registered a 6 per cent increase in output growth in 2022-23 over the previous year's record with the overall production of 13.02 lakh tonnes of Manganese (Mn) Ore, an official release said on Monday.MOIL is the largest producer of manganese ore in the country, contributing 45 per cent of the domestic production. It operates eleven mines across Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh.The company has an ambitious vision of more than doubling its production to 3.00 million tonnes by 2030. MOIL is also exploring business opportunities in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, and Odisha.Coming to capital expenditure, it spent Rs 245 crore in 2022-23, which is 14 per cent higher than in 2021-22.Ajit Kumar Saxena, CMD MOIL Limited, congratulated all the company stakeholders on the achievements and expressed confidence that it is poised to achieve much higher levels of production in the coming years, with strategies and an action plans for it firmly in place."With an utmost thrust on exploration, MOIL has carried out best ever exploratory core drilling of 41,762 metres in FY'23, which is 2.7 times of the average exploration achieved in the last 5 years," the release said.The exploration will not only form the basis of enhanced production but will also be the foundation of opening new manganese mines in the country, it added.ANI04 April 2023

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Jiribam - Imphal new line railway project in Manipur achieved 93 per cent progress

Guwahati, April 2: The Jiribam - Imphal new line railway project, one of the crucial connectivity projects for the North-eastern region achieved progress of 93.30 per cent, officials said on Sunday.

Jiribam - Imphal new line railway project in Manipur achieved 93 per cent progress

"The works for this new line railway project, among other connectivity projects, is also going on in full swing to connect Imphal, the capital city of Manipur to the rest of the country. The Jiribam - Imphal project has already achieved physical progress of 93.30 per cent," Sabyasachi De, CPRO of NF Railway said.The NF Railway CPRO said that construction of the Jiribam - Imphal railway project involves multiple tunnels and bridges in tough terrains which are stretched at more than 111 km length."The total length of tunnels in this project is 61.32 km out of which 59.11 km of tunnelling works have already been completed. The project will have a total of 11 major bridges and 137 minor bridges, out of which work for 05 major bridges and 101 minor bridges have been completed so far. The tallest pier railway bridge in the world with a height of 141 meters is also being constructed in this project and nearing completion," Sabyasachi De said.Indian Railways is significantly contributing towards the transformation of the Northeastern states by executing several new railway line projects.Constructing new railway lines to connect all the state capitals of the northeastern region is going on under capital connectivity projects.that, the Jiribam - Imphal new line railway project is one of the crucial connectivity projects for the Northeastern region that is at an advanced stage of completion.He further said that the section from Jiribam to Khongsang has already been commissioned for train service."After completion of the entire project, the present road journey time of about 10 hours to reach Imphal from Jiribam will get reduced to 2.5 hours by railways. NF Railway is putting their full effort by working 24X7 for the completion of this project with all the challenges like heavy rainfall and other logistic hindrances. The new rail project will provide enhanced connectivity to the people of Manipur, help grow small-scale industries in the area and boost the tourism of the state," Sabyasachi De further said.The NF Railway, CPRO also said that It will also help in receiving essential commodities faster by the state and help the state local producers to export their produces outside the state faster."Economy of the state will receive a boost," he added.ANI04 April 2023

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Ambernath United Atlanta FC gear up for showdown against Dempo

Carambolim, April 2: Ambernath United Atlanta FC get set to lock horns against Dempo SC in what will be their second away game in four days come.

Ambernath United Atlanta FC gear up for showdown against Dempo

AUA FC and Dempo SC both battle it out in what will be a thrilling contest as both teams look to catch ARA FC who sit top of Group D with 8 points from their four matches played.AUA FC were involved in a 3-3 draw against Goa Reserves just two days ago as they missed out on narrowing the gap to ARA FC at the top of Group D. AUA FC fell behind inside the first ten minutes but did exceptionally well to overturn the scoreline in the next 10 minutes to lead 2-1 and then were pegged back to 2-2 as we went into the break on level terms.AUA FC then went ahead midway through the second half to lead 3-2 and once again Goa Reserves levelled the score at 3-3. Both teams shared a point in the end.Dempo SC had drawn 0-0 against ARA FC once a day before. After that match, Dempo had 5 points from three matches played, while ARA FC were top of Group D with 8 points from the four matches played.AUA FC with this 3-3 draw are now on 5 points from three matches played and will now battle it out on Sunday against Dempo SC for all three points.Form going into this matchDempo SC 1-0 win, 0-0 draw, 0-0 drawAUA FC 2-1 win, 1-1 draw, 3-3 drawWill AUA FC go level on points with ARA FC after Sunday's match? Or will Dempo SC grab all three points?AUA FC Squad to face Dempo SC Himanshu Patil (C), Allan Dias, Arif Shaikh, Manoj Gupta, Ashley Koli, Johnson Matthews, Abhijit Tawhare, Shravan Shetty, Aaron D'Costa, Umesh Peramba, Mandeep Singh Multani, Rahul Murali, Kaustubh Ravindra, Nishant Shetty, Nitesh Monde, Tejas Raut, Bipin Rawat, Bersal Viegas, Vishnu Menon, Yasheel Shah.ANI04 April 2023

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Chinese spy balloon gathered intel from sensitive US military sites: Report

Washington, April 4: The suspected Chinese spy balloon which was shot down by a US F-22 fighter jet on February 4, was able to gather intelligence from several sensitive American military sites, despite the administrations efforts to block it from doing so, a media report said citing informed officials.

Chinese spy balloon gathered intel from sensitive US military sites: Report

"China was able to control the balloon so it could make multiple passes over some of the sites (at times flying figure-eight formations) and transmit the information it collected back to Beijing in real time," quoting the officials, the NBC report said on Monday."The intelligence China collected was mostly from electronic signals, which can be picked up from weapons systems or include communications from base personnel, rather than images."The suspected spy balloon, which US defence officials first announced of tracking on February 2, was shot down two days later.Officials waited until the "strange object" was safely over water before shooting it down.The balloon was retrieved off the coast of Myrtle Beach in South Carolina on February 5.The officials told NBC News that China could have gathered much more intelligence from sensitive sites if not for the administration's efforts to move around potential targets and obscure the balloon's ability to pick up their electronic signals by stopping them from broadcasting or emitting signals.At his daily press briefing on Monday, National Security Council spokesperson Kirby John declined to comment on what kind of electronic signals or communications the balloon could have accessed."Knowing it was going to enter US airspace we took action to limit the ability of this balloon to garner anything of additive or especially useful content," said Kirby."So again, I won't get ahead of what we're learning off this thing."The discovery of the balloon had set off a diplomatic crisis, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken immediately calling off a scheduled trip to China -- which would have been the first such high level meeting between the two sides in years.China however, admitted ownership of the balloon, saying it was used for flight tests and had "seriously deviated" from its flight course "by mistake".Also on Monday, Department of Defense spokesperson Sabrina Singh told reporters that the FBI was still examining the balloon debris, the BBC reported."We do know that the balloon was able to be manoeuvred and purposely driven along its track," Singh said but declined to give details of which military installations the balloon was able to hover over."We're still doing an assessment of what the intel was that China was able to gather but we do know that the steps that we took provided little additive value to what they've been able to collect on from satellites before," she added.IANS04 April 2023

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India demands UNSC reform documents name opponents of African permanent seats

United Nations, April 4: India has called for clearer documents for the UN Security Council reform, in particular naming names of those opposed to permanent membership for African nations, exposing their stance against the historically wronged continent.

India demands UNSC reform documents name opponents of African permanent seats

India's Permanent Representative Ruchira Kamboj said on Monday that "there needs to be a clear attribution of groups and member states" who "do not support permanent seats for African states and try to dilute their claim by inventing new categories like 'regional permanent seats'".This would differentiate them from "those who are in favour of expansion of the permanent category to include permanent representation for African nations as envisioned by the Common African Position, and in response to the historic injustice meted to Africa", she said.The strategy advocated by India would expose where countries like China and the members of the Uniting for Consensus (UfC) group of which Pakistan is a leading member, stand in relation to Africa, the largest regional group in the UN.The 55 members from Africa have demanded at least two permanent seats for the continent of 1.4 billion people where most of the UN peacekeeping operations mandated by the Council take place.Speaking at a meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiations (IGN) on Security Council Reforms, Kamboj said that records of members' positions on reforms should use clearer terms and exact figures rather than saying vaguely "some members" and "other members".This would show, as she pointed out, that 113 countries out of the 122 that made written submissions supported expanding the permanent membership of the Council.Kamboj said that at this stage only the expansion of the permanent membership was being considered rather than who would get them, which would be determined by a two-thirds vote in a secret ballot.She called on the co-chairs of the IGN, Permanent Representatives Tareq Albanai of Kuwait and Alexander Marschik to create a negotiating text to move the reform process that has been stuck in a rut for decades.The UfC has been the main barrier to the adoption of a negotiating text -- a tactic to sabotage the process."We would accordingly encourage the co-chairs to not get distracted by the arguments that irrationally call for consensus on all clusters before moving to text-based negotiations," Kamboj said.Most of the countries whose representatives spoke at the meeting called for the adoption of a negotiating text.India, Brazil, Germany and Japan together form the G4 group that lobbies for expansion of the permanent membership of the Security Council that is mired in the post-World War II universe where the five victors assumed the veto-wielding permanent status.They also mutually support each other's claims for a permanent seat on a reformed council.Speaking on behalf of the G4, Japan's Permanent Representative Ishikane Kimihiro said that those countries that do not want the Council's permanent membership expanded "say that the historical injustice to Africa should be addressed, or that equitable regional representation is important in general, but never articulate the obvious, namely that Africa should have permanent seats"."We all know who they are... The G4 reaffirms its full support for the Common African Position and appropriate numbers for an increase in both categories can be further discussed during text-based negotiations," he said.Kimihiro said that two documents, the "Elements Paper" and the "Framework Document" have been around for many years and that it was high time to move forward, for example, by extracting the convergences into a separate paper that could be the basis of a negotiating text.Brazil's Permanent Representative Ambassador Ronaldo Costa Filho said the co-chairs should assert their leadership and steer the IGN to take decisions.After years of disorganised and supposedly closed meetings, the IGN has started webcasting its meetings and creating records.Filho said that these may be a small step for the IGN but are a "giant leap for Security Council reform".Following demands by India, the other G4 members and several countries for transparency and record-keeping, the IGN has become open at the initiative of General Assembly President Csaba Korosi.US Permanent Representative Linda Thomas Greenfield said "The UN, as an institution, is at an inflexion point. The question before us is whether we will defend an outdated status quo or reform the Security Council and empower the UN to take on today's global challenges.The Security Council needs to better reflect the world and geographically diverse perspectives. That's why in his address during the General Debate last September, President Biden called for expansion of the permanent and non-permanent membership of the UN Security Council, including permanent seats for countries from Africa as well as from Latin America and the Caribbean."(Arul Louis can be contacted at arul.l@ians.in and followed at @arulouis)IANS04 April 2023

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Foreign delegates at Employment Working Group Meeting in Guwahati laud Indias G-20 presidency, hospitality

Guwahati, April 3: Several foreign delegates who attended the Employment Working Group Meeting in Guwahati under India's G20 presidency on Monday thanked the government and the people for the warm hospitality.

Foreign delegates at Employment Working Group Meeting in Guwahati laud India's G-20 presidency, hospitality

A three-day Employment Working Group Meeting was organised in Guwahati, Assam, which began on Monday and will continue till April 5. Many foreign G-20 delegates, who reached Guwahati, in a conversation with ANI, thanked the Indian government for the hospitality they received upon reaching the country.Deputy Director General for Foreign Relations to the Ministry of Labour for the Republic of Turkey, Ali Aybey said, "I would like to thank the people and the government of India for the warm hospitality. We have been welcomed very well and we have been to several places and especially in Guwahati in Assam. The people of Assam are very friendly and very helpful. Thank you very much."He also highlighted various topics of interest including the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the skills gap and labour relations.Aybey said, "This year we will be addressing the skills gap because labour relations are changing rapidly and with the onset of the pandemic we have seen an intensification of this change, so this skills gap is a major issue to be addressed by all G-20 nations.""The other topic priority is the financing of sustainable financing of Social Security. Social Security is also another important topic which is always related to human beings but with the pandemic, we have seen that it is much more important in terms of health care and also retirement," he added.Jordi Curell Gotor of the European Union said, "India is a very different country, but the hospitality and the warmth of the people are the same."He added, "COVID has actually accelerated many changes. It has accelerated digitalization, and that's something that we are addressing here. It has accelerated the platform work, which is another of the priorities of the Indian presidency. And of course, it has also changed the way in which we work and all of those are topics that the Indian presidency has put on the table."Su Hwan Wi, a delegate of the Republic of Korea said, "This is my first time joining the G-20 meeting, so this is my first time to the Indian presidency. But I think that India's leadership, and presidency was very perfect. I was really moved there by their leadership. And I hope this meeting and this year's G-20 meeting will have a good result."Expressing his happiness towards the Indian hospitality, the Korean delegate said, "Actually, I was really surprised when I visited India. Like, when I get off the plane, every person just waiting for me and I was really surprised by their hospitality. Everywhere I go, they celebrate me and they want to wait for me and they show their hospitality. So I want to visit India again for the next meeting."Chinese delegate Rui Mu, said, "I am very happy to be invited to give a presentation here and contribute to India's G-20 presidency. And also we are very touched by all receptions here. For example, last night we arrived very late at New Delhi Airport and the staff there took us to another terminal and in the lounge and helped us to get onto the plane here."ANI04 April 2023

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NASA announces four-member crew for lunar mission Artemis II

Washington, April 4: The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) on Monday introduced the four astronauts, who will be a part of the lunar mission, Artemis II, next year.

NASA announces four-member crew for lunar mission Artemis II

The four astronauts will now begin training for the historic Artemis II lunar flyby, which is scheduled to launch in November 2024. This will be the first crewed moon trip in fifty years.The astronauts are Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian Space Agency, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Reid Wiseman of NASA. NASA has named the first woman, who is also one the world's most experienced spacewalkers and the first African American ever assigned as an astronaut, making the lunar mission quite special, CNN reported.Reid Wiseman of NASA, a 47-year-old decorated naval aviator and test pilot was first selected as an astronaut for the space organisation in 2009. He will serve as commander of the Artemis II mission.Hansen, 47, a fighter pilot was selected by the Canadian Space Agency for astronaut training in 2009. Notably, he will be the first Canadian ever to travel to deep space.Glover, a 46-year-old navy aviator, made his first trip into space in 2021, flying SpaceX's Crew Dragon on its second crewed mission and spending nearly six months at the International Space Station, reported CNN.The fourth crew member is Koch. Six spacewalks have been completed by Koch, 44, including the first all-female spacewalk in 2019. With 328 days in space, she holds the record for the longest solo spaceflight by a woman.The Artemis II mission will significantly expand upon Artemis I, an unmanned test mission that culminated in December and took NASA's Orion capsule on a 1.4 million-mile journey to lap the moon.Although the precise distance has not yet been calculated, the trip is anticipated to take around 10 days and will transport the crew beyond the moon, possibly further than any person has ever travelled, CNN reported.ANI04 April 2023

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G20: Kohima to host B20 Conferences in North East Region from tomorrow

Kohima (Nagaland), April 3: Nagaland's capital Kohima will host B20 Conferences in the North East Region under India's G20 Presidency from April 4-6.

G20: Kohima to host B20 Conferences in North East Region from tomorrow

The conferences will be organised in partnership with the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII), the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), the Ministry of External Affairs and North Eastern State governments for exploring partnerships among business communities.According to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the conferences would aid the development of critical sectors of the economy in the North East and would facilitate economic growth.The B20 is the official G20 dialogue forum representing the global business community. It is among the most prominent engagement groups in G20, with companies and business organizations as participants.The Northeast region of India has been of significant focus for B20 India initiatives, with four conferences planned across the region to showcase the vast potential and opportunities within the region. The first three conferences held in Imphal, Aizawl, and Gangtok have been successful in their objective of highlighting the untapped potential of the Northeast, said the Commerce and Industry Ministry statement.Opportunities for Multilateral Business Partnerships in Agriculture and Food Processing, Tourism, and Information Technology will be the main theme of the forthcoming conference, which will take place in Kohima, Nagaland, from April 4-6, 2023.On this theme, addresses and plenary sessions will be held at the conference, along with business to business (B2B) and business to government (B2G) meetings. The state administration will bring attention to the major developments and activities in these fields while highlighting investment opportunities.After the delegates arrive on the initial day of the three-day conference, dinner and a cultural program will take place at the Capital Cultural Hall. The B20 conference will be held on day two, followed by B2B and B2G meetings.The State government has also organised excursions and site visits. This includes a tour of the mini-Hornbill festival, an excursion to a WWII museum and a visit to a Heritage Village, Kisama Village.The third day will bring the event to a close with a trip to the Kohima War Cemetery and the departure of the participants from Kohima.ANI04 April 2023

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Sri Lankas Prez seeks Indias help with policy reforms, governance, public service delivery

New Delhi, April 4: Sri Lanka's President Ranil Wickremesinghe sought India's help in establishing policy reforms, governance, capacity building, digitalization, and public service delivery, according to the press statement released by India's Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions.

Sri Lanka's Prez seeks India's help with policy reforms, governance, public service delivery

The Indian delegation led by the Director General of the National Centre for Good Governance (NCGG), Bharat Lal met Sri Lanka's President on Saturday in the island country and discussed topics like policy reforms, good governance, digitalization, capacity building and training, institution building, and assured public service delivery.President admired the way India has managed socioeconomic development and has ensured high economic growth.In the meeting, President Wickremesinghe shared his vision for Sri Lanka, a strategy to address the recent economic challenges and put the country on the path of high economic growth. He also urged the NCGG to help in establishing a University of Governance and Public Policy in Sri Lanka, according to the press release.Lauding Prime Minister Narendra Modi's crisis management skills during the 2001 riot as Chief Minister, Director General said, "Upon assuming the role of Chief Minister of Gujarat in 2001 amid a slew of crises and negative economic growth, was able to put the state on the path of high economic growth and sustained prosperity through his vision, strategy, and progressive policies. Consequently, Gujarat has experienced double-digit economic growth over the past two decades.""Thereafter, since 2014, as Prime Minister, he has introduced a new culture of citizen-centric policies and good governance, and as a result, India is witnessing high economic growth, assured public service delivery and fast improving quality of life of its citizens," The statement quoted him as saying.To reinforce Prime Minister's vision for good governance, which focuses on transparency, accountability, and inclusiveness, India is massively using digital technology and planning, execution and monitoring mechanisms for time-bound implementation.In line with the Prime Minister's philosophy of 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam' NCGG in partnership with the Ministry of External Affairs, is dedicated to promoting collaboration and learning among civil servants of India and neighbouring countries.During the two-day visit of an Indian delegation, they met several senior civil servants of Sri Lanka, and everyone is keen to know how Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given a new governance model to eradicate poverty, ensure high-quality services, assured public service delivery, environmental protection, inclusion and equity, transparency and accountability, and high economic growth.Sri Lanka is keen to learn the policy-driven governance model of India and the massive use of digital technology in the planning, execution, and monitoring of various programmes and projects."During a series of meetings set up by the President's office, top civil servants expressed their appreciation for the sustained assistance that India has provided to Sri Lanka during its recent unprecedented economic crisis. DG spoke about the Prime Minister's mantra of 'neighbourhood first' and highlighted the special relationship India-Sri Lanka have," the statement read."The DG also stressed the critical role of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership and vision, as well as his emphasis on good governance, in ensuring efficient, effective, and technology-driven public service delivery. The discussions centred on the NCGG's support for Sri Lanka in policy reforms, utilization of digital technology, capacity building, good governance, and institution building," the statement added.They believed that this would aid Sri Lanka in strengthening its institutions and that the country is eager to learn and utilize India's successful governance model to achieve high economic growth.The Indian delegation emphasized the positive impact of digital technology in promoting transparency, equity, inclusion, and accountability.ANI04 April 2023

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Dalai Lama picks Mongolias next spiritual leader, tweaks China

Dharamshala, April 4: Dalai Lama, the 14th spiritual leader of Tibet, has identified a boy as the latest reincarnation of the Khalkha Jetsun Dhampa Rinpoche, the faith's leader in Mongolia, and this decision irritates China, Brooke Schedneck writes in Asia Times.

Dalai Lama picks Mongolia's next spiritual leader, tweaks China

In the attendance of more than 5,600 people at the March 2023 ceremony in Dharamsala, India, Dalai Lama identified a young boy to be the reincarnation of the Khalkha Jetsun Dhampa Rinpoche.The writer of this article, Brooke Schedneck is an Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at Rhodes College.Due to the tense relations between the Dalai Lama and the Chinese government, however, recognizing someone as the reincarnation of a Buddhist figure is not only religiously significant but politically fraught.Today, the process to select the next Dalai Lama has remained uncertain. After China forcefully took over Tibet, in 1959 Dalai Lama flew to India and set up a government in exile. The Dalai Lama is revered by Tibetan people, who have maintained their devotion over the past 70 years of Chinese rule.China, who wanted to take complete control over Tibet, not just geographically but also culturally, detained Dalai Lama's choice for the successor of the 10th Panchen Lama, named Gendun Choeki Nyima when he was 6 years old in 1959, Brooke Schedneck said.Since then China has refused to give details of his whereabouts. Panchen lama is the second most important tulku lineage in Tibetan Buddhism.After the 11th Panchen Lama was detained, Tibetans protested against the Chinese government.Responding to such protest, China appointed its own Panchen Lama, the son of a Chinese security officer. The panchen lamas and Dalai Lamas have historically played major roles in recognizing each other's next incarnations.China also wants to appoint its own Dalai Lama. But it is important to Tibetan Buddhists that they are in charge of the selection process.Looking at the threats from China, the 14th Dalai Lama has made a number of statements that would make it difficult for a Chinese-appointed 15th Dalai Lama to be seen as legitimate.For example, he has stated that the institution of the Dalai Lama might not be needed anymore. However, he has also said it is up to the people if they want to preserve this aspect of Tibetan Buddhism and continue the Dalai Lama lineage. The Dalai Lama has indicated that he will decide, on turning 90 in four years' time, whether he will be reborn, according to Asia Times.Another option the Dalai Lama has proposed is announcing his next reincarnation before he dies. In this scenario, the Dalai Lama would transfer his spiritual realization to the successor.A third alternative, Tibetan spiritual leader, Tenzin Gyatso, has articulated is that if he dies outside of Tibet, and the Panchen Lama remains missing, his reincarnation would be located abroad, most likely in India. Experts believe the Chinese government's search, however, would take place in Tibet, led by the Chinese-appointed panchen lama.Finally, he mentioned the possibility of being reborn as a beautiful woman but after this comment, he received widespread criticism in 2019, his office released a statement of apology and regret for the hurt he had caused.The Dalai Lama is confident that no one would trust the Chinese government's choice. The Tibetan people, as he has said, would never accept a Chinese-appointed Dalai Lama.The US government has expressed support for the Dalai Lama. In December 2020, the US Senate passed the Tibetan Policy and Support Act, which recognizes the autonomy of the Tibetan people. The Biden administration reiterated in March 2021 that the Chinese government should have no role in the Dalai Lama's succession.According to the author, the announcement or identification of 15th Dalai Lama will take place outside of Tibet and under the watch of international media and a global Tibetan diaspora - with much at stake.ANI04 April 2023

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Dubai Executive Council announces formation of new Dubai Youth Council for 2023-2025

Dubai, April 3: The Executive Council of Dubai, in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture and Youth, has announced the formation of the new Dubai Youth Council for 2023-2025.

Dubai Executive Council announces formation of new Dubai Youth Council for 2023-2025

The sixth cycle of the Council includes a group of talented young individuals from Dubai who will work collaboratively to support the emirate's growth plans. The formation of the Council ensures that youth are represented in the decision-making process, and empowered to solve challenges and shape a prosperous future.The Executive Council expressed its confidence in the ability of the new Council's members to create opportunities and develop innovative solutions that will help the country realise its goals in line with the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, and the directives of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Executive Council.Salem bin Khalid Al Qasimi, Minister of Culture and Youth, said, "Emirati youth are the driving force behind the country's march of progress. The UAE's younger generation has the capabilities necessary to achieve great things for the nation. They possess the knowledge and expertise to support the development of the UAE.""Through the Youth Councils, we aim to create a dynamic platform to enhance the capabilities of young people and enable them to contribute to achieving the UAE's aspirations and strategic objectives. The formation of the sixth Dubai Youth Council brings together a group of remarkable youth who represent the future of the nation. In line with the leadership's vision to create an engaged generation of youth who are aware of their vital role in achieving the country's goals and aspirations, we are positive that the members of the new Council will harness their talent to launch initiatives and programmes that will help shape a bright new future," he added.Abdulla Mohammed Al Basti, Secretary-General of The Executive Council of Dubai, congratulated the new members of the Council, stating that the nomination, evaluation, and selection process for the Council clearly marked them out as exceptional young individuals."His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum places the highest importance on strong partnerships with the youth, since they are vital for governments to be successful. Such partnerships enable the youth to participate in accelerating socio-economic growth and achieving the country's strategic goals. The new members are all set to begin their mission to play an instrumental role in the development and growth of Dubai," he added.The members of the Dubai Youth Council for 2023-2025 include Abdulla Majid Al Hathboor Al Rumaithi, Afra Sultan Al Suwaidi, Rashid Mohammed Al Zarooni, Hasan Khalid Sabt, Hind Ibrahim Mohammed Al Hammadi, Salem Saqr Majid Saqr Al Marri, and Hind Saeed Mohammed Matar Al Ketbi. (ANI/WAM)ANI04 April 2023

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Indian embassy in UAE invites residents to show their dance skills on Naatu, Naatu

Abu Dhabi, April 4: 'Naatu Naatu' fever continues! And now the UAE residents have got the opportunity to show off their dance skills on the Oscar-winning song at the Indian embassy.

Indian embassy in UAE invites residents to show their dance skills on 'Naatu, Naatu'

The Embassy of India in UAE, on Monday, started a contest encouraging the citizens to share their dance clips on RRR's song 'Naatu Naatu' before April 16 and the winners will get a chance to perform at the mission.Taking to Twitter, the Embassy of India, UAE tweeted, "Look out. 30 seconds of #NaatuNaatu can get you a chance to perform at the Embassy of India. 3 Simple steps.1[?]. Share your group #NaatuNaatu performance on #Instagram before Apr 162. Tag and follow us on Insta (QR code below)3[?]. Winner performs at the Embassy."The cross-cultural hit 'Naatu Naatu' bagged the prestigious Oscar for India beating "This Is A Life" from "Everything Everywhere All at Once," "Applause" from "Tell It Like a Woman," and "Lift Me Up" from "Black Panther Wakanda Forever".Before winning the Oscars, the song bagged awards on the global stage. In January, 'Naatu Naatu' won the Golden Globes in the 'Best Original Song' category. Five days later, 'RRR' bagged two more awards at the 28th edition of the Critics Choice Awards. One is for the best song and another is for 'best foreign language film.'The song was also released in Hindi as 'Naacho Naacho', in Tamil as 'Naattu Koothu', in Kannada as 'Halli Naatu' and in Malayalam as 'Karinthol'. Its Hindi version was sung by Rahul Sipligunj and Vishal Mishra.The hook steps, performed by Jr NTR and Ram Charan, went viral on social media and their energetic synchronisation made the song a treat to watch.ANI04 April 2023

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Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga smoke, dance in new viral pics from Joker 2 sets

Washington, April 4: Hollywood stars Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga are currently busy shooting for their upcoming musical thriller 'Joker: Folie a Deux'.

Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga smoke, dance in new viral pics from 'Joker 2' sets

Recently few pictures from the sets of the film went viral on social media in which the duo could be seen smoking and dancing on the Bronx stairs and dressed up as their characters Joker and Harley Quinn.According to Variety, a US-based media house, 'Joker Folie a Deux' has been filming at locations across New York City for a couple of weeks. Todd Phillips returns to the director's chair for the sequel, and the plot details of the film are still under wraps. The film is rumoured to be a musical and to take place more prominently in Arkham Asylum, where Phoenix's Joker is sure to fall for Gaga's Harley Quinn.Phillips' original "Joker" was a critical and commercial hit in 2019, becoming the highest-grossing R-rated film in history. It won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival and was a major competitor at the year's Academy Awards, earning 11 nominations. Phoenix won his oscar for best actor and Hildur Gudnadottir for best original score for 'Joker'.The dramatic success of "Joker" quickly spurred speculation regarding a sequel. Although the landscape of DC media has shifted in the years since the original film, Phillips' project has remained largely untouched by the newly formed DC Studios and its co-chiefs James Gunn and Peter Safran. The "Joker" sequel will not play a role in the narrative continuity of other upcoming DC films, reported Variety.Warner Bros. will release "Joker Folie a Deux" in theatres on October 9, 2024 -- five years to the day after the release of the first film.ANI04 April 2023

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Air Expo India 2023: Showcasing the latest of General Aviation and Business Jets in New Delhi

New Delhi, April 4: The Minister of Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya M. Scindia has given his consent for organizing the Air Expo India 2023, which will be the first-of-its-kind exhibition of General Aviation / Business Jets at Indira Gandhi International Airport New Delhi in December 2023.

Air Expo India 2023: Showcasing the latest of General Aviation and Business Jets in New Delhi

Civil Aviation is poised to play a significant role in India's growing economy. The show launch highlights the growth potential of the country's aviation market, with expanding fixed-wing fleets and eVTOL manufacturing proposed for the region. Coupled with this is the importance and growth of General Aviation.India today boasts of being the world's 3rd largest civil aviation market, with a significant propensity to grow through various initiatives including Udan scheme, increase in number of airports, etc. This will be further fuelled by the economic growth within the country, increasing the propensity of travel and availability of multiple options.Delhi, being the national capital, has a significant advantage for showcasing this segment, as it serves as a central gateway for both domestic and international destinations. Delhi Airport today has 2 dedicated FBO terminals with MRO facilities, which will further enhance the importance of this key segment.will take place over three days from 6th to 8th December 2023 and will welcome exhibitors and delegates from around the world, representing local and international aviation companies, owners, operators, suppliers, and media.Air Expo India will focus on the latest trends, training and recruitment within the aviation industry - Empowerment through training.The event aims to provide an opportunity to learn about careers, exchange ideas, address the challenges which face Human Capital Development Needs in India, ask questions of industry experts and enjoy a hands-on experience within the general aviation industry. The event will also include a Knowledge Sharing conferences, with CAPA India as the Knowledge Partner.Air Expo India targets general aviation exhibitors who will come together on a static area. The space will accommodate 30-50 business jet aircrafts ranging in size from single and twin-engine models to private jets. The show format will reflect the approach organised by Adone Events at Abu Dhabi Air Expo, France Air Expo and African Air Expo, which offers exhibits next to the runway enabling manufacturers to present their entire range of aircraft. Delhi International Airport Limited will host the event at the Delhi Airport.Based in Cannes, France, Adone Event's professionals are experts in event management, sponsorship sourcing, marketing management, design and corporate branding, public relations management and project management. For over 20 years, the company has organised prestigious aviation events in collaboration with some of the event industry's key players. Adone Event's worldwide shows include Abu Dhabi Air Expo, Middle East Aviation Conference, France Air Expo and African Air Expo.Contact Press ,8595659118This story is provided by GPRC. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/GPRC)ANI04 April 2023

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Ar. Habeeb Khan, President, Council of Architecture at Woxsen University for CoA National Excellence Awards 2022

Hyderabad, April 4: Council of Architecture (CoA) annual National Excellence Awards 2022 was hosted by Woxsen University on 31st March at its campus in Hyderabad. The coveted annual awards ceremony was instituted by CoA to encourage and motivate students of architecture in three categories - National Awards for Excellence in UG Architectural Thesis, PG Architectural Thesis, and Documentation of Architectural Heritage.

Ar. Habeeb Khan, President, Council of Architecture at Woxsen University for CoA National Excellence Awards 2022

School of Architecture and Planning, Woxsen University takes immense pride in partnering with CoA to recognize and reward the talented architecture students across the country. The CoA national awards are presently the highest recognition for students' work in India, making the event most prestigious. The awards aim to inspire and motivate students to pursue excellence in architecture, gain exposure and contribute to the industry's growth."My term began with the CoA National Student Awards for Excellence in 2018 and will close with this, of 2022. This shows the importance of the event in my calendar, year after year. I visited Woxsen a couple of weeks ago and was immediately sure that if this grand competition and award ceremony could happen anywhere, it would be in Woxsen," exclaimed Ar. Habeeb Khan, President - Council of Architecture during his speech at the award ceremony."Woxsen team has lived up to a challenge and excelled in organising this grand annual event. We are glad to have partnered with Woxsen's School of Architecture and Planning and look forward to deeper engagements," stated Prof. Jayshree Deshpande, Director - CoA Training and Research Centre, Pune.The CoA National Excellence Awards, 2022 saw a huge line-up of esteemed architects and administrators of CoA from across the country includingAr. Habeeb Khan, President, Council of ArchitectureAr. P. Vaitianadin, Executive member of CoA, PuducherryAr. Ramesh Kumar, Executive member of CoA, Port BlairProf. Jayashree Deshpande, Director, CoA Training and Research Centre, PuneR.K. Oberoi, Registrar, CoAB.Arch students of Woxsen University actively engaged in several discussions with the architects and witnessed presentations of top 10 entries in the country, gaining insights into the different approaches to design and delineation practised in established and evolving universities.The discussions and learnings from these interactions will go a long way towards positively connecting with architectural firms for internship, placement and career advancement.The event saw thesis presentations by 10 students for UG, 10 students for PG (2 from each of the 5 zones - NSEW and Central) and 27 entries in 3 categories of architectural documentation for this year's awards. These students from across the country have presented their thesis to the jury on predominant socio-climatic issues such as slum towards inclusive and sustainable development, Architecture for community revitalization in kerala, Architecture and Asylum - Rehabilitation of Bru/Reang IDPs in North Tripura, Heterotopias of an Augmented Public Space, Interpretation and Research Centre for Theyyam - Kannur, Monumenting The Dead - A Case Of Dutch Cemetery, A Living Hertiage In A Historic Urban Landscape Dhundiraj Ganapati Mandir, Gujarat, Architectural Documentation of Krishnabai Temple at Kshetra Mahabaleshwar and more."Design of campus reflects its versatility and along with good infrastructure and a cohesive team of faculty and students, the experience was seamless," said Ar. Partha Ranjan Das, Jury member.About Woxsen University, Hyderabad Woxsen University, located in Hyderabad, is one of the first private universities of the state of Telangana, India. Renowned for its 200-acre state-of-the-art campus and infrastructure, Woxsen University offers new-age, disruptive programs in the fields of Business, Technology, Arts and Design, Architecture, Liberal Arts and Humanities, Law, Sciences. With 90+ Global Partner Universities and Strong Industry Connect, Woxsen is reckoned as one of the top universities for Academic Excellence and Global Edge. Woxsen is Ranked #13, All India Top 150 B-Schools by Times B-School Ranking 2022, Rank #15, All India Top Pvt. B-School, BusinessWorld 2022 and features in India's Best B-Schools beyond IIMs by Dalal Street Investment Journal.This story has been provided by PRNewswire. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article.ANI04 April 2023

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India rejects China renaming places in Arunachal, says state inalienable part of country

New Delhi, April 4: A day after China renamed 11 places in Arunachal Pradesh as part of its efforts to re-emphasise its claim on the state, the Government on Tuesday rejected the move calling the state an inalienable part of India.

India rejects China renaming places in Arunachal, says state 'inalienable' part of country

Official spokesperson of the External Affairs Ministry Arindam Bagchi said, "We have seen such reports. This is not the first time China has made such an attempt. We reject this outright. Arunachal Pradesh is, has been, and will always be an integral and inalienable part of India. Attempts to assign invented names will not alter this reality."This is the third time that China has 'renamed' places in Arunachal Pradesh, which it calls "Zangnan, the southern part of Tibet".The list of names released by China includes five mountain peaks, two land areas, two residential areas, and two rivers.China had earlier released similar lists in 2018 and 2021.IANS04 April 2023

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Firefighters battle wildfires in S.Korea for 3rd day

Seoul, April 4: Thousands of firefighters and forest personnel were combating wildfires on Tuesday in South Korea's South Chungcheong province and the nearby city of Daejeon that have continued for the third day.

Firefighters battle wildfires in S.Korea for 3rd day

The wildfires in the county of Hongseong, 114 km south of Seoul, and the nearby cities of Dangjin and Daejeon broke out on Sunday when a dry weather warning was issued in the region, and still remain unextinguished, reports Yonhap News Agency.Some 1,800 firefighting personnel, along with 19 fire choppers, were deployed overnight through the morning to combat the wildfire in Hongseong, but the blaze spread further due to strong winds.The fire extinguishing rate for the Hongseong wildfire stood at 67 per cent as of 5 a.m., and 1,452 hectares of land were presumed to have been affected by the blaze.Nearly 3,000 personnel and 188 fire engines and gear will be sent to the scene on Tuesday to bring the main body of the fire under control, forestry officials said.Fifteen fire helicopters were separately deployed to fight the wildfire in Daejeon after sunrise, authorities also said, adding 953 personnel and a total of 85 fire engines and gear will be mobilized Tuesday to combat the fire there.The fire extinguishing rate in the Dangjin wildfire, meanwhile, stood at 98 per cent, and more than 1,000 fire personnel were stepping up efforts to completely put out the fire.The southern county of Hampyeong, 274 km south of Seoul, and the nearby city of Suncheon -- both in South Jeolla province -- also saw wildfires that broke out on Monday spread further overnight.Four factories, two livestock sheds and two greenhouses were burnt down by the Hampyeong fire and 43 residents were evacuated. The fire extinguishing rate stood at 60 per cent as of 5 a.m., according to the Korea Forest Service.The wildfire in Suncheon, meanwhile, has affected 382 ha of land, sending 89 villagers to evacuate.Eight fire choppers were deployed after sunrise to bring the fire under control in Suncheon.IANS04 April 2023

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Closely monitoring situation: Amit Shah condoles deaths in Sikkims avalanche

New Delhi, April 4: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday expressed his condolences to the families of those who have lost their lives in the tragic avalanche in Sikkim, saying the government is closely monitoring the situation.

Closely monitoring situation: Amit Shah condoles deaths in Sikkim's avalanche

Shah took to Twitter to condole the loss of lives and assured that the teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) will reach the affected area soon.The Minister also prayed for the speedy recovery of those injured in the incident."My sincerest condolences to the families of those who have lost their lives in the tragic avalanche in Sikkim. We are closely monitoring the situation and the teams of NDRF will reach the affected area soon. I pray for the speedy recovery of those injured," Shah said in a tweet.At least seven tourists were killed and many are feared trapped after an avalanche struck the Gangtok-Nathu La road in Sikkim on Tuesday afternoon, the Army said.An estimated 20-30 tourists were feared to be trapped under the snow along with five-six vehicles, the Army added."By 3 pm, 14 persons were rescued and taken to a nearby Army medical facility. However, seven persons succumbed. The other seven persons were administered first aid and returned to Gangtok, the Army said in a statement.Approximately 5-6 vehicles along with 20-30 tourists on way to Natu La are feared to have been stuck under the snow, the army said.Besides, a total of 350 stranded tourists and 80 vehicles have also been rescued after snow clearance from the road.Earlier in the day, at about 11.30 am, a massive avalanche hit the 15th Mile on Jawaharlal Nehru road connecting Gangtok with Nathu La.Meanwhile, the road has been opened for traffic by Border Roads Organisation. A search and rescue mission for the remaining persons is underway by the Army, State Disaster Management Team and police.ANI04 April 2023

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India, Bhutan remain in close touch over shared security interests: MEA on Bhutan PMs statement

New Delhi, April 4: Reacting to the Bhutanese Prime Minister's remarks on the Tri-junction between India, China and Bhutan that Bhutan also has an equal say on the issue, Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra said that India and Bhutan remain in close touch relating to both nations' shared interests, including security interest.

India, Bhutan remain in close touch over shared security interests: MEA on Bhutan PM's statement

In a media briefing by the Ministry of External Affairs on Tuesday, Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra reacted to the controversy after Bhutan's statement on the "Chicken neck" between India, Bhutan and China.Bhutan seemingly took a stand regarding the trijunction between the three nations.On asking how India would react to the Bhutanese PM's statement, Kwatra said, "I would say that India and Bhutan remain in close touch relating to our shared interest, including security interest."Without addressing the Bhutanese Prime Minister's remarks directly, the foreign secretary said that the national interests of India and Bhutan, and the interests of the relationship between India and Bhutan have some main points which are shared values, trust, mutual respect and close understanding and sensitivity to each other's interests and concerns."Besides the exemplary and unique relationship between India and Bhutan, we also have a time-tested framework of security cooperation. Both countries maintain a long-standing tradition of very close consultations on matters relating to their mutual interest and security also. In this context, the intertwined and indivisible nature of our security concerns is self-evident," Kwatra added.Bhutan's PM Lotay Tshering shakes hands with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi. (File Photo)In the briefing, Foreign Secretary also made it clear that the "Government of India very closely follows all developments which have a bearing on our national interest and we would take all necessary measures to safeguard them as necessary.""I would only reiterate our earlier statements on this (Doklam) issue which very explicitly and very clearly bring out our position on the determination of the Trijunction boundary points," he added.He repeated his previous statement that Prime Minister Narendra Modi covered the entire gamut of bilateral cooperation issues and issues of respective national interests.With regard to the recent statements (by the Bhutanese PM), Kwatra said, "India and Bhutan remain in close touch and in close coordination relating to our shared national interests, including security interest."Congress has also raised a concern on the issue and Congress leader Jairam Ramesh had said that the remark by Bhutanese Prime Minister Lotay Tshering that "there is no intrusion" into Bhutan by China and that Beijing has an "equal" say in any discussion over its illegal intrusions raises several concerns.ANI05 April 2023

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Protium wins the Best Brand Building Award at the 2nd Annual NBFC & Fintech Excellence Awards 2023

New Delhi, April 4: Protium, an engineering-driven pan-India lending major, won the Best Brand Building Award for its Diwali campaign Protium Goes Vocal for Local at the 2nd Annual NBFC & Fintech Excellence Awards 2023 by Quantic India, held in Mumbai on 3rd March'23.

Protium wins the Best Brand Building Award at the 2nd Annual NBFC & Fintech Excellence Awards 2023

Founded in 2019, the organization has expanded its geographical footprint to over 85 branches in 65+ cities and serves more than 15,000 pin codes. To date, Protium has disbursed more than INR 4,500 Cr through its wide range of products including Loans Against Property, Business loans, Line of Credit, and Machinery and Equipment finance, while servicing a loan book of more than INR 2,700 Cr, at an industry-best NPA of 0.44 per cent.Protium's recognition at the Quantic Awards is proof of its unflinching commitment to fueling the ambitions of MSMEs and customers across India through powerful financing solutions. The company launched the week-long "Protium Goes Vocal for Local" campaign on the occasion of Diwali with a vision to highlight local artisans and business communities struggling to survive due to multiple reasons including stiff competition from cheaper Chinese alternatives. This campaign was a conscious effort to exemplify the Indian government's 'Vocal for Local' initiative, which aims to promote small-scale business communities and local artisans by increasing India's self-sufficiency. These homegrown businesses and local communities have been the frontrunners of making India a self-reliant nation and a global economic powerhouse. The research-backed campaign featured 7 business communities - Kanchipuram saree industry, Sohan halwa, Polki jewellery, Banarasi saree industry, Sivakasi cracker industry, diya/earthen lamp industry and Mysore agarbatti. As part of the campaign, Protium sought to highlight its operational process, its commitment to using local raw materials, culminating with a solemn pledge of buying locally from these business communities and empowering their livelihoods.The campaign proved to be the perfect embodiment of the brand's motto of fueling ambitions and as a result, over 7.5 lakh people, including our customers, employees and social media followers took the pledge of going "vocal for local" with more than 80 lakh impressions on social media. Jiby Mathew Antony, Managing Director, Marketing and Growth, emphasized the campaign's commitment to live up to the marketing philosophy to 'Be the voice, not the noise', stating, "At Protium, we strongly believe in acknowledging the valuable contribution of MSMEs and local business communities in India's growth story. Presently, these homegrown businesses and communities have been on the back foot amidst Chinese intervention, making it crucial for us to join hands and support them. This was the driving force behind our 'Let's Go Vocal for Local' campaign, where we sought to represent different business communities across the country. We are proud to have received recognition for this campaign and remain committed to being the voice of businesses across the country."As the nation prepares to become the manufacturing hub, one sector that has emerged as a key driver of this growth is the Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). With nearly 63 million enterprises, the MSME sector contributes to 30 per cent of India's GDP, 45 per cent to manufacturing, 40 per cent to exports, and provides employment to over 113 million people. However, despite their significant contribution to the economy, MSMEs face a plethora of challenges, including limited access to finance, lack of infrastructure, and inadequate technological advancements. These factors have led to a high mortality rate among MSMEs, with many of them shutting down within the first few years of operation.Protium has recognized these challenges and has made it a mission to fuel the ambitions of the MSME industry. As a lending major, Protium's commitment to the MSME industry goes beyond just providing financial assistance. As part of its efforts, Protium has taken several initiatives to promote the growth of MSMEs in India, including the "Protium Goes Vocal for Local campaign". Through its innovative financial solutions, initiatives, and services, Protium is committed to empowering MSMEs and fueling their ambitions, making them an integral part of India's growth story.Earlier this year, the company won two awards namely, The Prestigious Rising Brands of Asia and The Marketing Meister Award at the notable Global Business Symposium 2022-23 by BARC Asia, which was held on February 28th. Protium also bagged three awards at the 13th India Digital Awards (IDA) held on February 21st.Quantic India is an internationally recognized Business Media Company with over 10 years of experience managing BFSI, Supply chain, Pharma, FMCG, Engineering and Master class, B2B Summits and in-house training across Asia, Africa and Europe.This story is provided by GPRC. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/GPRC)ANI05 April 2023

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Would take all vital measures to safeguard national interests: MEA

New Delhi, April 4: Amid China's efforts to push boundary talks with Bhutan, India on Tuesday said that follows all developments which have a bearing on the country's national interest and all necessary measures would be taken to safeguard the national interests.

Would take all vital measures to safeguard national interests: MEA

"Government of India very closely follows all developments which have a bearing on our national interest and we would take all necessary measures to safeguard them as necessary," Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said during media briefing on Bhutan King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck visit to India.He was responding to a volley of questions including about Bhutan PM reported remarks about resolving the Doklam issue by involving China as a stakeholder and boundary talks between Bhurtan and China.Moreover, the Congress said the recent utterances of Bhutanese Prime Minister Lotay Tshering indicate that the unshakeable relationship between Bhutan and India is now facing a challenge from an aggressive China.The remark by the Bhutanese Prime Minister Lotay Tshering that "there is no intrusion" into Bhutan by China and that Beijing has an "equal" say in any discussion over its illegal intrusions raises several concerns.India on Tuesday rejected attempts by China to rename 11 places in Arunachal Pradesh."We have seen such report. This is not the first time China has made such an attempt. We reject this outright," Arindam Bagchi, the external affairs ministry spokesperson, said in a Twitter post on Tuesday."Arunachal Pradesh is, has been and will always be an integral and inalienable part of India. Attempts to assign invented names will not alter this reality," Bagchi said.China's Ministry of Civil Affairs has standardised the names of 11 places in Arunachal Pradesh, which it referred to as "Zangnan, the southern part of Tibet."China has come up with the names of 11 places in Arunachal Pradesh in Chinese characters, Tibetan and pinyin according to the rules on geographical names issued by the State Council, China's cabinet, Global Times reported.The Ministry announced the names of 11 places on Sunday and also gave precise coordinates, including two residential areas, five mountain peaks, two rivers and two other areas. China's Ministry of Civil Affairs also listed the category of places' names and their subordinate administrative districts, as per the news report.The move to rename 11 places comes just a week after India held a G20 meeting in Arunachal Pradesh on March 26 that China chose to skip.Meanwhile, the Bhutanese King Bhutan King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck is on an official visit to India that started Monday afternoon and will continue till Wednesday morning.He is accompanied by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and other senior officers of the royal government of Bhutan.Vinay Kwatra took a strong stance when asked if the Bhutan side mentioned anything about China to India.Regarding the bilateral relations between India and Bhutan, Foriegn Secretary Kwatra said, "India and Bhutan share an exemplary relationship based on trust, goodwill and mutual understanding. It is a time-tested friendship that was reflected in the Covid Maitri program during the Covid-19 pandemic.""In the meeting between the PM Narendra Modi and the King of Bhutan, it was agreed that India would step up its support for Bhutan's upcoming 13th five-year plan," Kwatra added.He said that India will work to extend an additional standby "credit facility" and will work to shape long-term sustainable arrangements for the export of agricultural commodities from Bhutan."We will also work to develop long-term bilateral arrangements for assured supply of critical commodities like petroleum, coal," he said.During his meeting with the King of Bhutan today, PM Modi reiterated continued support for socio-economic reforms in Bhutan, Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra added.Kwatra said that this visit of "His Majesty has been long in the planning and it takes forward the "long-standing tradition of regular high-level exchanges between India and Bhutan just to sketch the outline frame of the cooperation between our two countries in the expansion of our partnership into some of the newly emerging areas and domains of economic cooperation which includes digital domain space, a new area, financial connectivity and increasing interoperability etc."Regarding the exchange of energy, Kwatra informed, "Hydropower, a strong element of cooperation between India and Bhutan most recently included handing over the 720-megawatt Mangda Chu hydroelectric power project to the Royal Government of Bhutan."His Majesty was last in Delhi during his transit visit in September 2022. At that time also he had a brief meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in terms of the program elements of His Majesty's ongoing, Kwatra added.ANI05 April 2023

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Mark Grewel on a farm road that was flooded in Lemoore, California, 21 March 2023. Photo: Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times / Getty Images

By Evan Bush

2 April 2023

(NBC News)  People have worked for a century to make Californias Tulare Basin into a food growers paradise. That pastoral landscape now looks more like the Pacific Ocean in many areas.

Months of atmospheric river storms have pummeled the area and saturated the basins soil, which sits about halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles, not far from Fresno. The rains have led to floods that damaged towns and deluged farms and have begun to refill what was once a sprawling lake.

The floods have pitted neighboring property owners against one another and raised tensions over how to manage the flows, which have damaged hundreds of structures. And more water is on the way.

Experts say a monthslong, slow-burning crisis will play out next: A historic snowpack looms in the mountains above the basin  as it melts, it is likely to put downstream communities through months of torment. The flooding, which follows several years of extreme drought, showcases the weather whiplash typical of California, which vacillates between too wet and too dry. The influence of climate change can make the states extremes more intense.

This is a slowly unfolding natural disaster, said Jeffrey Mount, a senior fellow at the Water Policy Center of the Public Policy Institute of California. Theres no way to handle it with the existing infrastructure.

The re-forming Tulare Lake  which was drained for farming a century ago  could remain on the landscape for years, disrupting growers in a region that produces a significant proportion of the nations supply of almonds, pistachios, milk and fruit. High-stakes decisions over where that water travels could resonate across the countrys grocery store shelves.

Construction equipment for the California High Speed Rail project surrounded by flooding in Tulare County near Allensworth, California, on 22 March 2023. Photo: Patrick T. Fallon / AFP / Getty Images

In the farming communities that dot the historic lakebed, accusations of sabotaged levees, frantic efforts to patch breached banks and feuds  common occurrences during flood fights in the area  have started already, said Matt Hurley, a former water manager for several water districts in the Tulare Basin.

In the nearby town of Allensworth last month, a dispute over a culvert caused anxiety and friction with the railroad that sends trains through town. Residents worked into the night to plug a culvert  a drain under Highway 43  with plywood and sandbags in a desperate effort to keep floodwater out of town.

But later that night, workers with the Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad unblocked the pipe, which left some Allensworth residents fuming as water flowed closer.

The residents had used BNSF materials without permission, said Lena Kent, a railroad spokesperson. Damming the culvert threatened the highway  the only access point to Allensworth at the time  and the rail tracks that run parallel to it.

Stress levels could remain high for months.

The problem this year is its just begun. We may have water running at or near our flood level  in all of our streams, through August or September, Hurley said. This impending monster  a 50-foot-plus deep snowpack that we havent seen in 75 years  is sitting up there, and we just dont know how fast its going to turn into water and come out of the mountains.

The Tulare Basin is at the southern end of Californias San Joaquin Valley  and in essence, its a massive bowl. Before irrigators dug canals and rerouted water for farming in the late 1800s, Tulare Lake filled the bowls lower reaches. Shallow water stretched across the landscape, and the lake was the largest body of freshwater west of the Mississippi.

A car is stranded on a flooded road near Corcoran, California, on 23 March 2023. Photo: David McNew / Getty Images

Several rivers  Kings, Tule, Kern, and Kaweah  historically dead-ended at the lake and replenished its water levels every spring, but farmers have diverted and rerouted so much water that the lakebed is now usually dry. Its among the most fertile farmland in the country.

Today, the irrigation system is designed to use every single drop of water that flows into the basin, Mount said.

In fact, through aggressive groundwater pumping, farmers collectively use more water than what would flow to the lake every year. Pumping has caused the land to sink dramatically  it has subsided in parts of the San Joaquin Valley by as much as 28 feet, according to the U.S. Geological Survey  deepening the bowl.

This season, far more water is flowing than can be used.

For about two weeks, farmers and emergency workers have been scrambling to plug levees and prevent the worst as the ground became saturated and rivers swelled after a seemingly endless series of atmospheric river storms battered California.

The flooding has breached dozens of levees, forced rescues, swamped construction sites at Californias high-speed rail project and seeped into several communities, including Allensworth, a historic community that in 1908 was the first settlement west of the Mississippi to be founded and governed by Black Americans.

What youre seeing now more than anything else is traditional flood problems, Mount said. All of that water is making its way into the bottom of the bowl and starting to fill the bowl.

What could come next is more unusual  and worrisome.

Floodwater from a break in levees surrounds a farm in Lemoore, California, on 21 March 2023. Photo: Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times / Getty Images

The Sierra Nevada mountains, above the Tulare Basin, are storing two to three times as much water as snowpack as is normal. If the snow melts quickly, it will send floodwater churning toward the lake bottom.

Tulare Lake refilled in 1997 and 1983 during very wet seasons. The snowpack is larger this year.

If we use 1983 as an example: They had more than 80,000 acres of land underwater. If its bigger than that, it could be as much as 100,000 acres underwater, Mount said.

Tulare County ranked second in the country for agricultural market value, according to the 2017 Census of Agriculture. The region produces almonds, oranges, pistachios, wine grapes, milk and cheese.

This has a ripple effect on the nations food supply, Mount said. [more]

A long-dormant lake has reappeared in California, bringing havoc along with it
"I recently moved into a house with a basement and have the green light to fill it with whatever dumb stuff I please, so I have decided to start slowly, filling it with classic arcade games from my youth. If anyone wants to sell me a Donkey Kong, let me know."
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A stone-faced Donald Trump has been confronted with a 34-count felony indictment accusing him in a scheme to bury allegations of extramarital affairs that arose during his first White House campaign
A new study published in the Journal of American Medical Directors (JAMDA) found that the risk of severe COVID-19 illness among nursing home residents with complete vaccination are low. The study found that residents aged 85 and older with certain comorbidities like heart disease and kidney disease were more vulnerable but that the risk of breakthrough COVID among fully vaccinated residents was less than 10%.

Examining data of 23,172 fully vaccinated residents from 984 nursing homes from March through November 2021, the study, entitled "Resident Factors Associated with Breakthrough SARS-COV-2 Infections," found that just 5% developed an incident of breakthrough infection (BTI) of COVID-19 irrespective of variant during the time frame.

The study also found that less than 10% of vaccinated residents with a breakthrough infection required hospitalization or died within 30 days (8.6%). Residents with severe infection were more likely to be aged 85 years and older and to have certain comorbidities, like heart disease and kidney disease.

The goal of the study was to examine how often breakthrough infections and severe illness occur among nursing home residents who have received the COVID-19 vaccination series." Sarah D. Berry, M.D., M.P.H., Study's Co-Author, Associate Director, Musculoskeletal Research Center and Associate Scientist, Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research at Hebrew SeniorLife

"Despite changes in the COVID-19 virus, the risk of severe infection in vaccinated older adults in nursing homes is low. Given that the pandemic continues and testing policies have relaxed, this data provides prognostic information for nursing home facilities faced with continued outbreaks," Dr. Berry added.

The study's findings are significant, Dr. Berry said, because "rates of BTI and serious illness may vary with other variants, but risk factors for serious illness are likely similar and may help providers predict who will get sick during future outbreaks."

The Brown University, NYU and the University of Michigan collaborated in this retrospective cohort study.

Ana Montoya, MD, M.P.H., C.M.D., Clinical Assistant Professor, Geriatric and Palliative Medicine, Medical Director, Sub-Acute Service and Medical Director, Glacier Hills Care and Rehabilitation Center, University of Michigan School of Medicine, was the first author of the study. Other authors included: Vincent Mor, Ph.D., Professor of Health Services, Policy & Practice and the Florence Pirce Grant University Professor, Brown University School of Public Health; Elizabeth (Betsy) White, APRN, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Health Services, Policy, and Practice, Brown University School of Public Health; and Jasmine L. Travers, AGPCNP-BC, CCRN, Ph.D. R.N., Assistant Professor of Nursing, NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing.

Funding came from grants from NIA/NIH (3U54 AG063546).
In 2012, Michael Cruz exercised a lot. Four years into a 15-year prison sentence, this was one of the only things he had, he says, until he noticed a numb, tingling sensation in one of his toes while working out. At first, he dismissed the feeling. But it persisted, and over time, spread up his ankle. Then, he began experiencing little sharp pains in his back, which he attributed to muscle spasms from his workouts. Months later, the tingling sensation had encompassed his body up to his belly button. And when he woke up one morning, legs shaking and unable to walk, he knew he needed to see a doctor.

That year, he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Initial signs of the cancer can often include swollen lymph nodes, weight loss, and fever. But for Cruz, if it weren't for a tumor on his spine pushing against his nerves, creating the strange tingling, he would not have known about the deadly disease spreading inside him.

I was 42 years old, working out, healthy, jogging, and playing sports. I never really put thought into [getting sick.] Then my whole life changed." Michael Cruz

Since his initial diagnosis, he has undergone numerous chemotherapy and radiation treatments, surgeries, biopsies, and PET and CAT scans. He lost weight, hair, and his appetite.

Despite the efforts of his medical team, his cancer returned in 2014 and again at the end of 2017. In 2020, he was granted a compassionate release, and is continuing to receive treatment.

Cancer is a harrowing journey for anyone, but for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated patients like Cruz, receiving care for the life-altering disease presents extra challenges. The United States has one of the highest incarceration rates in the world, with nearly 2 million people in the criminal justice system facing potential barriers to accessing timely, quality care. Now, research led by Emily Wang, MD, professor of medicine (general medicine) and of public health (social and behavioral sciences) and director of the SEICHE Center for Health and Justice; and Cary Gross, MD, professor of medicine (general medicine) and of epidemiology (chronic diseases) and founder and director of the Cancer Outcomes, Public Policy, and Effectiveness Research (COPPER) Center, seeks to understand the public health ramifications of mass incarceration in the U.S. They are finding that individuals with a history of incarceration are more likely to be diagnosed with cancer and are less likely to survive the disease.

"After leaving prison, formerly incarcerated persons have higher health risks than people in the general population," says Gross. "Given the very high prevalence of incarceration in this country, this becomes a public health issue."

The U.S. has a "shockingly high" incarceration rate, says Gross. He and Wang believe this is a result of oppressive systems and policies including the war on drugs, a fractured mental health care system, and an inadequate social safety net system. And the consequences of mass incarceration continue to haunt the 70 to 100 million Americans with criminal records long after they complete their sentences. "These are called collateral consequences," says Wang. "They prevent people who have been incarcerated or have criminal records from getting social needs met through either legal or policy barriers to obtaining employment, housing, and food."

Furthermore, they argue incarceration perpetuates centuries of racial oppression. Young Black men are disproportionately at greatest risk for incarceration. In 2020, for example, Black adults were incarcerated at a rate nearly five times greater than white adults. And while Black youth make up only 15 percent of the U.S. population under 18, they account for 35 percent of youth arrested.

Research has demonstrated the troubling health impacts of incarceration. A study led by Wang as first author and senior author Harlan Krumholz, MD, Harold H. Hines, Jr. Professor of Medicine (Cardiology), found that individuals just released from incarceration are hospitalized at a substantially higher rate than the general populationaround one in 70 people are hospitalized within seven days of release, and one in 12 by 90 days. In 2019, a study led by Wang and Gross found that those with prior criminal justice involvement were substantially more likely to be diagnosed with certain cancers, including lung and cervical cancers.

"We spend so much money on health care for the incarcerated, but the perverse public health impacts of incarceration on families and communities are unexplored and underappreciated," says Wang. "It's something we almost never learned about in medical school, and I suspect most oncologists don't think explicitly about the care of incarcerated patients."

Before joining forces, Wang and Gross had offices next door to each other for many years. "Our collaboration is really a testament to our amazing environment here at Yale," says Gross. "Emily has a long-standing interest in the impact of incarceration and health. I have a long-standing interest in cancer, cancer equity, and cancer outcomes. And we eventually realized that our two interests could easily overlap." The two decided to come together and are now researching the links between incarceration and cancer incidence and cancer mortality.

Research estimating cancer incidence in individuals during and post-incarceration is lacking due to the numerous challenges this work poses. National surveys and claims data often fail to include incarceration status. Furthermore, care for these individuals is often fragmented, making it difficult to track cancer diagnosis and treatment.

Thus, Wang and Gross's team sought to compare the cancer incidence in incarcerated and post-incarcerated individuals with that of the general population in Connecticut, as well as specifically look at the incidence in Black individuals. First, they used data from the Connecticut Tumor Registry and Connecticut Department of Corrections to identify all cancer diagnoses between 2005 and 2016. For patients involved with the criminal justice system, the team noted whether the diagnosis occurred during incarceration or post-release.

Their work revealed that cancer was detected at a significantly lower rate among incarcerated individuals compared to the general population. On the other hand, the team found a significantly higher rate of cancer incidence among individuals who were recently released from prison. "As our next step, our team is working to find why this occurs," says Wang. "Is there a pent-up demand for screening or evaluation of symptoms among people who are incarcerated?" One thought is that this may be a product of lack of access to consistent screening.

Furthermore, regardless of incarceration status, the study found that Black individuals faced a greater risk of being diagnosed with a screen-detectable cancer than white individuals.

Getting medical help while in prison can be challenging, Cruz confirms. He feels grateful that the woman he pulled aside listened to him and got him help right away. "If I went to a different person, I don't think I would have gone to the hospital that same day," he says. "Sometimes it take weeks [to get help], sometimes it takes months. And those weeks and months could be life-changing for somebody."

He recalls watching several of his fellow inmates complain about being in pain but having to wait months or even a year for help. For cancer patients, these delays in being diagnosed or accessing care may be deadly. "Let's say you're in a facility dealing with over 3,500 inmates and 3,000 are crying wolf. But there are still 500 that have a real medical condition," he says. "A lot of correctional officers have lost the compassion and humility to take the time to see if there's something wrong with you, because they've just dealt with 1,000 people who just said they were sick so they could leave their cell. And here you are actually sick, but you are 1,001."

While he thinks that that his cancer was diagnosed and treated relatively quickly, Cruz says other incarcerated cancer patients were not as lucky. He recalls a time in which he stayed in an infirmary with 10 other patients, and only three walked out. "I would be talking to somebody and could smell the death coming out of them," he says. "It smelled like their body was decaying on the inside."

It can be especially difficult, he continues, if patients don't have a support system. "[Getting timely care] is a big problem, especially if you don't have someone to help give you a voice," he says. "I'm grateful that I had my daughterif something was wrong, she'd call the facility. Once they see that you have outside family, they tend to take care of you more quickly as opposed to those just speaking for themselves."

Beyond facing a greater cancer risk, incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals also face higher rates of mortality due to the disease, Wang and Gross's team found in a recently published study among 216,540 adults diagnosed with an invasive cancer in Connecticut. Their work identified the first 12 months post-release as an especially high-risk period time in terms of survival. It also found that incarcerated individuals with cancer were diagnosed at a later stage more frequently than the other groups. However, statistical analysis adjusting for cancer stage showed that later diagnoses did not fully explain the disparities in survival. The researchers say the study highlights the need for potentially life-saving policy interventionsboth within and outside of prisons.

"It's incredibly important for health care systems, including Smilow Cancer Hospital, to think about the care that's provided to those that are incarcerated or immediately post-release as a potential intervention point for tackling persistent racial and socioeconomic disparities in cancer care," says Wang. Many of the incarcerated patients she worked with, for example, are taken to cancer centers in shackles for chemotherapy. "You're likely to start losing trust in the health care system if those are the policies that are in place to get cancer care."

Since coming home three years ago, Cruz has been focusing on his health and spending time with his daughter and six-year-old grandson. "I got out when he was three years old, and I'm hoping to be around for the next forty," he laughs. At first after being released, he struggled to feel heard by his provider, but now, he says, he sees an "amazing" oncologist in Bridgeport.

Cruz describes himself as someone who does not like to do a lot of talking, but an oncologist who treated him while he was incarcerated encouraged him to share his story. He was further encouraged by Tino Negron, a research aide at the SEICHE Center. "Sometimes I shut down, but by the grace of God, I have more support now being home with my family, he says. "But it's been a journey."

For many other recently released individuals, as highlighted by Wang and Gross's work, accessing care and support is a challenge. The team says the U.S. can reach health equity, however, through striving to remove systemic barriers to care. Within prisons, this means improving access to primary care services and adhering to cancer screening guidelines so that diagnoses are not unnecessarily delayed. But work needs to be done outside the prison's walls, too. Achieving cancer care equity will also require addressing obstacles to receiving care in at-risk communities, ensuring recently released individuals are following up with their medical care, and integrating cancer prevention into programs that are focused primarily on the health needs of people who return from correctional facility, like Transitions Clinic programs in New Haven.

"Achieving health equity is possible, but it needs to be a central goal of all that we do as a health care system," says Gross. "It won't happen by accidenta rising tide does not lift all boats. As a society, we need to stop torpedoing some boats before they have a chance to sail."
Patients diagnosed with post-COVID-19 syndrome often experience cognitive and memory impairments. A new study by researchers from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) and UniRio provides insight into the mechanism behind this phenomenon. The study suggests that the Spike protein, responsible for the virus's entry into human cells, could be responsible for memory loss in post-COVID-19 syndrome. The study also identifies TLR4 receptor as a potential therapeutic target for the symptoms.

The study involved experiments with mice, where the researchers infused the Spike protein from SARS-CoV-2 into the brains of the animals. The results showed that the infusion induced delayed memory impairment, similar to post-COVID-19 syndrome in humans. The scientists observed an increase in the quantity and activation state of microglia, a type of brain cell involved in the innate immune response, and whose role is essential in neuroinflammatory diseases.

The study leaders, Claudia Figueiredo and Giselle Passos from the UFRJ's School of Pharmacy, explained that the activation of the TRL4 receptor by the viral protein induces neuroinflammation, leading to the elimination of synaptic proteins by microglia through a phagocytosis process. This results in memory impairment. The phenomenon was observed in both mice and humans, and patients with polymorphisms in the gene related to TLR4 were found to have a higher risk of developing late memory impairments after SARS-CoV-2 infection.

The researchers concluded that the Spike protein has a central role in the development of cognitive changes after COVID-19 and suggested that TLR4 is a promising target for the development of preventive and therapeutic strategies to avoid or treat memory loss caused by SARS-CoV-2.

The study was funded by the Carlos Chagas Filho Foundation for Research Support of the State of Rio de Janeiro (Faperj), with scholarships financed by the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) and the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (Capes).
FUJIFILM Healthcare Corporation (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo. President: Akio Yamamoto) is set to release the ARIETTA 750 DeepInsight ultrasound system  a new AI-powered diagnostic ultrasound system with superior image quality  in April 2023. ARIETTA 750 DeepInsight ultrasound system is based on the flagship ARIETTA 850 DeepInsight ultrasound system, and incorporates state-of-the-art image processing technologies to flexibly meet the demands of countless clinical applications.

Ultrasound is recognized as an indispensable diagnostic tool in todays clinical practice, as it allows healthcare professionals to visualize a patients organs non-invasively and in real time. This stress-free examination technique is widely used in a range of clinical applications  from screening and diagnosis to treatment and follow-up  and is becoming increasingly popular with an aging population and lifestyle-related diseases on the rise.

Fujifilm released the worlds first diagnostic ultrasound system in 1960, and introduced the ARIETTA ultrasound platform brand in 2014, based on proven technologies and expertise fostered over more than 60 years. The company released two additional diagnostic ultrasound systems in 2022  the premium class ARIETTA 850 DeepInsight ultrasound system and the ARIETTA 650 DeepInsight ultrasound system. Both platforms set new standards for image quality thanks to DeepInsight software that merges AI algorithms with established image processing technologies. ARIETTA 750 DeepInsight ultrasound system builds on this successful concept, focusing on enhanced image quality, ease-of-use and flexibility. These objectives are achieved by optimizing the ultrasound signal, enhanced ergonomics and a simplified workflow, complemented by a wide range of unique tools that assist in ultrasound examinations and reduce inter-operator and inter-patient variability. This new, high-end diagnostic ultrasound system completes the DeepInsight series, ensuring outstanding medical benefits and further increasing the image quality of the ARIETTA ultrasound system range.

Fujifilm offers original solutions that reach the next level in human-centered design to exceed todays user requirements and contributes to improved healthcare as a leading manufacturer of ultrasound imaging.

Features of the new ARIETTA 750 DeepInsight ultrasound system

1. Pure images: clear, high definition images without inter-operator and inter-patient variability

The ARIETTA 750 DeepInsight ultrasound system software suite is designed to solve common challenges associated with ultrasound imaging, such as inter-operator and inter-patient variability, and sub-optimal image clarity. The DeepInsight software uses AI methods for signal processing  resulting in extremely high definition  while the eFocusing full focus function provides homogenous image quality and improves sensitivity for both near and far field screening. In addition, tissue structure clarity is further enhanced through Carving Imaging, based on Fujifilms advanced image processing technology. Together, these technologies ensure high image quality and consistency for both routine and complex examinations, ultimately contributing to faster diagnoses.

2. Seamless workflow: streamlined examination through workflow improvements

Ultrasound operators often have to assume unnatural positions, and the physical impact of repetitive and long-time examinations places significant stress on their bodies. The ARIETTA 750 DeepInsight ultrasound system monitor arm and console are ergonomically designed to offer a wide range of movement for enhanced operator comfort. Examinations are further streamlined through the Protocol Assistant, which can pre-register procedures and parameters. In addition, the Guide View function allows reference images to be displayed for each step of the procedure, enabling more intuitive and smoother examinations.

3. Your application: tools to cover a wide range of clinical scenarios

i) Abdominal/superficial

Hepatic diseases resulting from fatty liver changes have been increasing in recent years, and non-invasive examination methods are required for early detection, pharmacotherapy, and follow-up.

Real-time Tissue Elastography (RTE) and Shear Wave Measurement (SWM) support a comprehensive diagnosis of hepatic diseases such as hepatitis, hepatic fibrosis, and hepatic cirrhosis by evaluating tissue stiffness.

(RTE) and (SWM) support a comprehensive diagnosis of hepatic diseases such as hepatitis, hepatic fibrosis, and hepatic cirrhosis by evaluating tissue stiffness. Attenuation Measurement (iATT) determines the ultrasound attenuation coefficient of liver tissue, and can estimate the degree of fatty liver, contributing to early detection of hepatic diseases. SWM and iATT can be performed simultaneously in one scan.

(iATT) determines the ultrasound attenuation coefficient of liver tissue, and can estimate the degree of fatty liver, contributing to early detection of hepatic diseases. SWM and iATT can be performed simultaneously in one scan. Real-time Virtual Sonography (RVS) is an advanced application that can combine a CT, MRI or PET-CT scan with real-time ultrasound imaging. Overlaid images are displayed on the monitor of the diagnostic ultrasound system to support procedure guidance and treatment evaluation.

(RVS) is an advanced application that can combine a CT, MRI or PET-CT scan with real-time ultrasound imaging. Overlaid images are displayed on the monitor of the diagnostic ultrasound system to support procedure guidance and treatment evaluation. Fat Lesion Ratio (FLR) measurements can be used to help diagnose breast cancer.

(FLR) measurements can be used to help diagnose breast cancer. Assist Strain Ratio tool can automatically set the region of interest during an examination.

tool can automatically set the region of interest during an examination. Auto Frame Selection identifies the optimal measurement frame.

ii) Cardiac

The prevalence of heart failure increases with age, and is highly related to lifestyle choices. Fujifilm has several applications that can help obtain a comprehensive diagnosis of heart failure.
An innovative app from Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago aims to increase earlier recognition of abuse in babies and children under 4 years of age who have bruises, with the hope of decreasing the incidence of severe injury and death from child abuse in this age group. The hospital launched the app in April, which coincides with National Child Abuse Prevention month.

Bruising caused by physical abuse is the most common injury to be overlooked or misdiagnosed as accidental before an abuse-related fatality or near-fatality in a young child. In a study of children with fatal and near-fatal abuse, over half had prior bruises that were unrecognized or misinterpreted by a professional who was a mandated reporter.

The new app, called LCAST (Lurie Children's Child Injury Plausibility Assessment Support Tool), is the brainchild of Lurie Children's Emergency Medicine physician Mary Clyde Pierce, MD, and Sr. Research Scientist Kim Kaczor, who developed it in partnership with Slingshot and BioDigital. LCAST utilizes distinguishing characteristics of bruising to aid evidence-based decision making. It is in no way meant to supplant judgment. Importantly, LCAST cannot be used to diagnose abuse, but rather functions as a screening tool to help identify red flags for abuse that may call for further evaluation.

Bruising on a young child is often dismissed as a minor injury, but depending on where the bruise appears, it can be an early sign of child abuse. We need to look at bruising in terms of risk. Our new app, LCAST, helps clinicians identify high-risk cases that warrant evaluation for child abuse. This is critical, since abuse tends to escalate, and earlier recognition can save children's lives." Dr. Mary Clyde Pierce, Professor of Pediatrics and Preventive Medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

LCAST was built by Slingshot and features an interactive 3D rotating model of a child, powered by the BioDigital Human Platform, that allows users to click on the body parts where the child's bruises are located. The user is also required to answer a few questions about the presence of other signs and symptoms and the injury event. The user receives a result based on the summary of the child's information that indicates whether abuse or accident is more likely. The result algorithm is driven by published research evidence. The app has links to relevant published studies and helpful resources. LCAST is free and available for Apple and Android devices.

LCAST is based on evidence from research funded through the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and led by Dr. Pierce that derived, refined and validated a bruising clinical decision rule called TEN-4-FACESp, which specifies body regions on which bruising is likely due to abuse in infants and young children. According to the study findings, published in the journal JAMA Network Open, TEN-4-FACESp reliably signals high risk for abuse when bruising appears on any of the following regions. "TEN" stands for torso, ear, and neck. "FACES" specifies facial features  frenulum (skin between upper lip and the gum, lower lip and the gum, and under the tongue), angle of jaw, cheeks (fleshy), eyelids, and subconjunctivae (red bruise on white part of the eye). The "p" is for patterned bruising, when, for example, the shape of the hand is visible on the child's skin. The "4" represents any bruising anywhere to an infant 4.99 months of age or younger. Importantly, the rule only applies to children with bruising who are younger than 4 years of age. Dr. Pierce cautions that the rule is not relevant in children without bruising, nor in children aged 4 years or older. In those circumstances, other methods of identifying abuse would be needed.

In this study, Dr. Pierce, Ms. Kaczor and colleagues screened for bruising in over 21,000 children younger than 4 years of age at five pediatric emergency departments. They enrolled 2,161 patients with bruising. Researchers found that the TEN-4-FACESp screening tool had a sensitivity of 95 percent and specificity of 87 percent, which means that it distinguished potential abuse from non-abuse with a high level of accuracy.

"It was very important to us to make sure that the app screening tool captures potential abuse without over-capturing innocent cases of children with bruising caused by accidental or incidental injury," said Dr. Pierce. "We are excited that LCAST is based on highly reliable evidence, and it is practical enough to be used by clinicians in Emergency Departments, paramedics, social workers from the Department of Children and Family Services, and during any clinical encounter."

"We are honored to announce our collaboration with Lurie Children's and Slingshot, as we join forces to develop a groundbreaking mobile app that utilizes our state-of-the-art interactive 3D technology," says Aaron Oliker, BioDigital's Chief Innovation Officer. "The LCAST app represents a significant milestone in the field of child abuse prevention, offering a practical and user-friendly tool that equips healthcare professionals with the necessary resources to identify and prevent high-risk cases."

Slingshot is the software development company that developed the LCAST app. They've been working with Dr. Pierce and Kim Kazcor for over a decade and were the same team that built the software used to collect the data behind the TEN-4-FACESp rule.

When asked about the project, Slingshot's CEO David Galownia said: "It's been incredibly gratifying to be the tech company behind such an impactful vision. Dr. Mary Clyde Pierce and Kim Kazcor have been tireless in their dedication to the field and are leaders in driving tangible research that ultimately improves patient outcomes and saves lives. My favorite part of this app is the impact it can have. I love that this project was donor-funded and made possible entirely by people who want to make a difference."

The data driving LCAST results were generated from research supported by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and The Grainger Foundation. The infrastructure to build the app was supported by an anonymous donor.
Industrial action by employees of Lebanons state-run Ogero has been suspended by the Executive Council of the fixed operators union.

The strikes commenced last week, and have seen network blackouts for both internet and voice services. The Council has now called them off in response to a request by Telecommunications Minister Johnny Corm for a cabinet meeting regarding the industrial action.

Local outlet lbcgroup.tv reports that Corm has agreed with Prime Minister Najib Mikati that Ogeros facilities will be surrendered to the army if the strikes continued. In a bid to offset the strikes impact, state mobile providers Alfa and Touch have reported refuelled some of the diesel generators that power Ogeros central exchanges to keep the networks partially running.
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers have been working on mucosal vaccines that can be administered through the nose. Now, scientists in Berlin have developed a live attenuated vaccine for the nose. In "Nature Microbiology", they describe the special immune protection it induces.

Coronaviruses spread primarily through the air. When infected people speak, cough, sneeze or laugh, they expel droplets of saliva containing the virus. Other people then breathe in these airborne pathogens and become infected themselves. A research team in Berlin decided to try to fight the virus that causes COVID-19 where it first takes hold: the mucous membranes of the nose, mouth, throat, and lungs. To do so, the scientists developed a live attenuated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine that is administered through the nose. In the latest issue of the journal "Nature Microbiology", the interdisciplinary team describes how this live attenuated vaccine confers better immunity than vaccines injected into muscle.

Already in the fall of last year, two nasal vaccination formulations were approved for use in India and China. These contain modified adenoviruses  which typically cause respiratory or gastrointestinal illnesses  that are self-attenuating, meaning they either replicate poorly or stop replicating altogether, and therefore never trigger disease. Other live nasal vaccines are currently undergoing development and testing around the world.

Protection at the site of infection

The benefits of a nasal vaccine go far beyond just providing an alternative for people afraid of needles. When a vaccine is injected, it infers immunity primarily in the blood and throughout the entire body. However, this means that the immune system only detects and combats coronaviruses relatively late on in an infection, as they enter the body via the mucous membranes of the upper respiratory tract. "It is here, therefore, that we need local immunity if we want to intercept a respiratory virus early on," explains the study's co-last author Dr. Jakob Trimpert, a veterinarian and research group leader at the Institute of Virology at Freie Universitat Berlin.

"Nasal vaccines are far more effective in this regard than injected vaccines, which fail or struggle to reach the mucous membranes," emphasizes Dr. Emanuel Wyler, another co-last author. He has been researching COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic as part of the RNA Biology and Posttranscriptional Regulation Lab, which is led by Professor Markus Landthaler at the Berlin Institute for Medical Systems Biology of the Max Delbruck Center (MDC-BIMSB).

In an ideal scenario, a live intranasal vaccine stimulates the formation of the antibody immunoglobulin A (IgA) directly on site, thus preventing infection from occurring in the first place. IgA is the most common immunoglobin in the mucous membranes of the airways. It is able to neutralize pathogens by binding to them and preventing them from infecting respiratory tract cells. At the same time, the vaccine stimulates systemic immune responses that help provide effective overall protection from infection.

Memory T cells that reside in lung tissue play a similarly useful role to antibodies in the mucosa. These white blood cells remain in affected tissue long after an infection has passed and remember pathogens they have encountered before. Thanks to their location in the lungs, they can respond quickly to viruses that enter through the airways." The co-first author draws attention to one of the observations the team made during their study: "We were able to show that prior intranasal vaccination results in the increased reactivation of these local memory cells in the event of a subsequent SARS-CoV-2 infection. Needless to say, we were particularly pleased with this result." Dr. Geraldine Nouailles, immunologist and research group leader at the Department of Pneumology, Respiratory Medicine, and Intensive Care Medicine at Charite

Local immunity impedes viral infection

The scientists tested the efficacy of the newly developed intranasal COVID-19 vaccine on hamster models that had been established by Trimpert and his team at Freie Universitat Berlin at the beginning of the pandemic. These rodents are currently the most important non-transgenic model organisms for research into the novel coronavirus, as they can be infected with the same virus variants as humans and develop similar symptoms. They found that after two doses of the vaccine, the virus could no longer replicate in the model organism. "We witnessed strong activation of the immunological memory, and the mucous membranes were very well protected by the high concentration of antibodies," Trimpert explains. The vaccine could therefore also significantly reduce the transmissibility of the virus.

In addition, the scientists compared the efficacy of the live attenuated vaccine with that of vaccines injected into the muscle. To do so, they vaccinated the hamsters either twice with the live vaccine, once with the mRNA and once with the live vaccine, or twice with an mRNA or adenovirus-based vaccine. Then, after the hamsters were infected with SARS-CoV-2, they used tissue samples from the nasal mucosa and lungs to see how strongly the virus was still able to attack the mucosal cells. They also determined the extent of the inflammatory response using single-cell sequencing. "The live attenuated vaccine performed better than the other vaccines in all parameters," Wyler summarizes. This is probably due to the fact that the nasally administered vaccine builds up immunity directly at the viral entry site. In addition, the live vaccine contains all components of the virus  not just the spike protein, as is the case with the mRNA vaccines. While spike is indeed the virus's most important antigen, the immune system can also recognize the virus from about 20 other proteins.

Better than conventional vaccines

The best protection against the SARS-CoV-2 was provided by double nasal vaccination, followed by the combination of a muscular injection of the mRNA vaccine and the subsequent nasal administration of the live attenuated vaccine. "This means the live vaccine could be particularly interesting as a booster," says the study's co-first author Julia Adler, a veterinarian and doctoral student at the Institute of Virology at Freie Universitat Berlin.

The principle of live attenuated vaccines is old and is already used in measles and rubella vaccinations, for example. But in the past, scientists generated the attenuation by chance  sometimes waiting years for mutations to evolve that produced an attenuated virus. The Berlin researchers, on the other hand, were able to specifically alter the genetic code of the coronaviruses. "We wanted to prevent the attenuated viruses from mutating back into a more aggressive variant," explains Dr. Dusan Kunec, a scientist at the Institute of Virology at Freie Universitat Berlin and another co-last author of the study. "This makes our live vaccine entirely safe and means it can be tailored to new virus variants," stresses Kunec, who was instrumental in developing the vaccine.

The next step is safety testing: The researchers are collaborating with RocketVax AG, a Swiss start-up based in Basel. The biotech company is developing the live attenuated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine and preparing a phase 1 clinical trial in humans. "We are thrilled to be at the forefront of developing and manufacturing the live attenuated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine as a nasal spray at RocketVax. Our goal is to rapidly scale-up production and advance clinical development towards market access to provide protection against post-COVID symptoms for all. We see great potential in the market for seasonal nasal vaccines", says Dr. Vladimir Cmiljanovic, CEO of RocketVax.

The future will show which nasal vaccine will ultimately provide better protection. The manufacturers of the nasal adenovirus vaccines developed in India and China have not yet applied for approval in Europe. But one thing is clear to the scientists: since they are administered as nasal sprays or drops, nasal vaccines are a good option for use in places with limited access to trained medical staff. They are also inexpensive to produce and easy to store and transport. Last but not least, live attenuated vaccines such as this one have been proven to provide cross-protection against related viral strains, and thus presumably also against future SARS-CoV-2 variants.
In a recent study posted to the medRxiv* preprint server, researchers assessed serological and mucosal immunity among three differing cohorts.

These were coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccinated only vaccinees (uninfected and vaccinated), COVID-19-recovered vaccinees (vaccinated and convalescent), and individuals with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Delta or Omicron BA.2 variant of concern (VOC) breakthrough infections (BTI, infected and vaccinated).

Study: Lasting first impression: Pre-existing immunity restricts mucosal antibody responses during Omicron breakthrough. Image Credit: CoronaBorealisStudio/Shutterstock.com

*Important notice: medRxiv publishes preliminary scientific reports that are not peer-reviewed and, therefore, should not be regarded as conclusive, guide clinical practice/health-related behavior, or treated as established information.

Background

SARS-CoV-2 vaccines, especially messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) booster doses, induce systemic anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies that protect against COVID-19 severity outcomes. However, current COVID-19 vaccines elicit limited antibodies that neutralize SARS-CoV-2 at mucosal sites.

The gap in mucosal antibody (Ab)-based immunity could lead to vaccine breakthrough SARS-CoV-2 infections. Evaluating the potential of humoral functional immune responses at mucosal surfaces could aid in developing strategies for sustained immune protection against emerging SARS-CoV-2 VOCs.

About the study

In the present study, researchers evaluated systemic and mucosal immune responses among previously SARS-CoV-2-infected and uninfected COVID-19 vaccinees.

The team recruited individuals with positive or negative prior COVID-19 history from a priorly published study cohort, vaccinated with Pfizer-BioNTechs BNT162b2, AstraZenecas ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccines, and mRNA vaccine boosters.

In addition, COVID-19 vaccinees with polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-verified Delta VOC or BA.2 VOC BTIs, were recruited. Saliva and blood samples were collected before and after COVID-19 vaccination.

Immune responses involving anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgM, IgA, IgG, and their subclasses in sera, saliva, and tear fluid from pre-COVID-19 pandemic cohort and COVID-19 vaccinees were evaluated using multiplexed beaded arrays.

The arrays comprised the SARs-CoV-2 Wuhan-Hu-1 strain spike (S) protein, receptor-binding domain (RBD), spike subunit 1 (S1), and subunit 2 (S2) proteins. Anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody engagement to Fc gamma receptor (FcR) proteins was assessed using surrogate FcR dimers, including FcR2a, a cluster of differentiation 32 (CD32); FcR3a and CD16.

Neutralization of SARS-CoV-2 VOCs such as Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron was evaluated using surrogate RBD-angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) inhibition assays.

SARS-CoV-2 RNA was quantified using quantitative PCR. Piecewise modeling was performed to estimate the activation times and growth rates of immunological responses after BTIs.

Results

Salivary samples of COVID-19 vaccinees with prior COVID-19 history showed improved SARS-CoV-2 neutralization, salivary IgA titers and Fc gamma receptor engagement than uninfected COVID-19 vaccinees.

However, salivary IgA responses were biased toward S and S2 proteins. The mRNA vaccinations boosted anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG-2,4 titers in tear and saliva biofluids and serum. Immunoglobulin G and not immunoglobulin A titers against breakthrough SARS-CoV-2 VOC infections were narrowed and attenuated by enhanced pre-existing COVID-19 vaccine-elicited immune responses against the SARS-CoV-2 Wuhan-Hu-1 strain.

Salivary Ig delayed immune boosting initiation after breakthrough SARS-CoV-2 infection, especially BA.2 infections; however, it increased swiftly thereafter.

Individuals who were SARS-CoV-2 infected before vaccination showed more robust systemic neutralization and IgG titers than the vaccinated-only cohort. Previous mucosal SARS-CoV-2 exposure due to prior COVID-19 improved mucosal IgA and IgG titers induced by subsequent intramuscular COVID-19 vaccinations.

After two SARS-CoV-2 exposures, remarkable differences in salivary Ig titers were observed between COVID-19-recovered vaccinees and those with prior history of vaccination only.

Salivary IgA titers among COVID-19-recovered vaccinees declined after the second SARS-CoV-2 vaccination, whereas salivary IgG titers were greater among COVID-19 recovered vaccinees than the vaccinated-only cohort after three antigen exposures, mainly driven by IgG1 responses.

After three antigen exposures, greatly increased IgG2 and IgG4 responses were noted, especially for S and S2. The mRNA vaccine booster increased salivary IgG titers but did not induce IgG4 responses, mimicking those in plasma.

Salivary-neutralizing antibodies were induced following SARS-CoV-2 antigen exposure locally at the mucosal level, not by intramuscular mRNA vaccinations alone. Broad cross-reactivity in mucosal IgA against VoC S proteins was observed.

The relative abundance of cross-reactive total IgG in all cohorts against Omicron was smaller than against Alpha and Delta in saliva and plasma after vaccination. Salivary IgA titers and FcR3a Ab-mediated responses were enhanced during BTIs.

Although limited neutralization of new SARS CoV-2 antigens, FcR engagement, and salivary IgA could play vital roles in localized cross-reactive immunity at mucosal surfaces.

However, ancestral-centric pre-existing immunity might influence the extent and type of salivary FcR engagement and Ab titers during BTIs. Higher pre-existing serological Ab titers could negatively impact the magnitude of systemic Ab responses induced during BTIs, in spite of comparable SARS-CoV-2 loads in the nasopharyngeal swabs.

The influence of imprinting from the ancestral SARS-CoV-2 Wuhan-Hu-1 strain appeared more obvious with FcR engagement responses, probably due to more involvement of conserved cross-protective Ab titers, in comparison to neutralization.

Swift recall of salivary Ab titers in Omicron BTI was observed. The poorer growth rates and delays in serum Ab titers likely account for the poorer magnitude of serological responses against BA.2 after 14 days of BA.2 BTIs.

Conclusion

Overall, the study findings showed that intramuscular SARS-CoV-2 vaccinations might be inadequate to elicit long-term mucosal antibodies, even among individuals with prior COVID-19 history, and such gaps in mucosal surface immunity, especially lacking mucosal IgA and neutralizing antibodies could contribute to the elevated rates of Omicron BTIs.

The differences in Ab kinetics between the humoral compartments underscore the importance of local responses in resolving mucosal infections, especially BA.2 BTIs. The findings highlight the need for effective mucosal COVID-19 vaccines.

*Important notice: medRxiv publishes preliminary scientific reports that are not peer-reviewed and, therefore, should not be regarded as conclusive, guide clinical practice/health-related behavior, or treated as established information.
Genetic factors could contribute to up to 50-75% of the variance in body mass index, or BMI, in the population. By analyzing the genome of more than 800,000 people of European descent, a research team from Universite Laval and the Quebec Heart and Lung Institute Research Centre has identified 60 unique proteins expressed in the brain that may be critical regulators of body weight.

This study explored the link between genetic regions associated with body weight and the proteins expressed in the brain.

Previous study showed that hundreds of genetic regions influence body weight. In most cases, the function of these genes remains unknown. Our study reports that about 60 of these genes encode proteins that could influence body weight via their expression in the brain." Eloi Gagnon, doctoral student in clinical and biomedical sciences at the Universite Laval Faculty of Medicine and first author of the study

For the study, the research team focused on a brain region that could influence food reward sensitivity, such as the pleasure felt when eating fatty or sugary food, as well as cognitive processes including decision-making and memory. This brain region, the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, is also thought to be implicated in appetite and satiety.

The team's results support the hypothesis that the brain plays a critical role in body weight regulation. This discovery could explain why BMI varies significantly from one person to another.

Lead author Benoit Arsenault, professor at the Universite Laval Faculty of Medicine and researcher at the Quebec Heart and Lung Institute, points out that several myths remain in the public domain regarding the impact of genetic factors on body weight. "I often hear that genes cannot explain why the average weight of the population has increased over the past 40 years when our genes have not changed," he says.

Genetics and the food environment

According to the researchers, the evolving food environment may have influenced food behaviours and energy storage capacity over the last few decades. "Individuals with a genetic predisposition to an elevated body weight have a higher weight than before, whereas individuals who do not have this predisposition were thin before and are still thin today," adds Professor Arsenault.

The team believes that the biological role of these proteins in various parts of the brain and their contribution to energy homeostasis, i.e., the balance between food intake and energy expenditure, needs to be studied in more detail. "Overall, the results of our study support the existence of a potential interaction between the brain proteome and the evolving food environment. This relationship could influence eating behaviors and energy storage," says Professor Arsenault.

He stresses that people living in larger bodies are often victims of prejudice and may experience discrimination, intimidation, or stigmatization. These phenomena associated with fatphobia could have repercussions on physical and psychological health. The researcher also notes that several studies have shown that factors beyond our control, such as genetics, account for an important proportion of body weight variation across the population.

"Weight is not a choice. Neither is it a lifestyle habit. We don't have elevated body weight because we are lazy or lack willpower. Unconscious neuronal mechanisms are at play. The brain is the one in charge. I hope that the results of this study can partly explain why body weight varies so much from one person to another," concludes Benoit Arsenault.

The study was published in the journal iScience. The authors are Eloi Gagnon, Arnaud Girard, Emilie Gobeil, Jerome Bourgault, Christian Couture, Patricia Mitchell, Angelo Tremblay, Patrick Mathieu, Andreanne Michaud, Louis Perusse and Benoit Arsenault, from Universite Laval, and Claude Bouchard, from Louisiana State University.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned about the negative health consequences of e-cigarettes and the possibility that tobacco consumption is renormalized through public exposure to vaping. As a result, Australia has adopted a precautionary approach to regulating e-cigarettes. A new study, forthcoming in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, studied the e-cigarette use and attitudes to vaping in a sample of Australians between the ages of 15 and 30. The key aim of the study was to provide novel insights to minimize the harm caused by e-cigarettes to young people.

Study: E-cigarette attitudes and use in a sample of Australians aged 1530 years. Image Credit: Powerlightss / Shutterstock

Background

In Australia, in most states, non-nicotine e-cigarettes can be sold to people aged 18 years and over. Except for online marketing, advertising of both non-nicotine and nicotine e-cigarettes is banned for most of the other types of media. Despite a restrictive regulatory environment, e-cigarette use among 18-24-year-olds almost doubled from 2.8% in 2016 to 5.3% in 2019.

E-cigarettes are known to contain an array of toxins, which are often mislabelled. While the combined use of tobacco and e-cigarettes could help some to quit smoking, this could be problematic due to a number of factors, such as higher overall nicotine intake, more sensitivity to smoking cues, and greater risk of adverse respiratory and cardiovascular outcomes.

About the Study

The current study explored various vaping-related behaviors and attitudes among Australian youth and young adults. Of key interest was young people's motivation to vape, use/intentions to use other tobacco products, usage locations, exposure to advertising, and awareness of the harms associated. Cannabis e-cigarette use, tobacco use, and dual use were also assessed, taking into account the interrelationships that exist between the use of these substances.

A nationally representative sample of 1,006 Australians completed an online survey. The participants were aged between 15 and 30 years. The aforementioned key areas of interest were included in the survey questionnaire. Descriptive and Chi-square analyses were performed to detect significant differences across groups, and multivariate logistic regressions were estimated to identify factors associated with either previous or current e-cigarette use.

Key Results

The results provide crucial information about how young people access and use e-cigarettes. In the current sample, the current use prevalence was estimated to be 14%, significantly larger than 4.8% among 2529-year-olds and 4.5% among 1524-year-olds. The ever-use (current or past) results were more comparable. It was previously documented that 41% of 1839 years olds had tried or used e-cigarettes. The current study reported that 47% had used e-cigarettes, and this slightly higher number could be driven by the fact that the cohort was younger in this case.

Most current users reported vaping nicotine e-cigarettes, and most participants under 18 years found it relatively easy to obtain them in stores. This suggests that young people's e-cigarette use in Australia is happening via contraband devices, and regulations are being circumvented.

Current smoking status was found to be the strongest correlate of e-cigarette use. Additionally, the number of friends vaping was another key factor associated with e-cigarette use. This was alarming as most participants reported having at least one close friend who used e-cigarettes. It is, therefore, essential to managing environments to minimize the uptake of vaping by young people.

The survey respondents expressed preferences for products with fruit flavors and disposable e-cigarettes. About 25% of non-vapers showed curiosity about e-cigarettes. It is illegal to promote e-cigarettes in Australia and therefore, it is surprising that about 25% reported spotting ads at petrol stations and supermarkets.

Conclusions

A key limitation of the study was that participants were recruited online and could not have been as representative of the general population as imagined. The findings should not be generalized and more research is needed to validate the results documented here. Further, owing to the use of cross-sectional data, only correlation can be established and not causation. Third, no distinction was made between nicotine and non-nicotine e-cigarettes for other survey items (e.g., source and location of use). This was due to the inconsistent labeling of e-cigarette products in Australia. The uncertainty caused by labeling was quite evident in the survey sample, as about 25% of the users were unable to correctly specify the strength of the e-liquid they used.

In sum, the results have implications for Australia's approach to e-cigarette regulation. Despite the bans and restrictions, young adults seem to be exposed to vaping-related stimuli in their physical and social environments and appear to be able to readily obtain e-cigarettes. There is a need for much stronger surveillance and enforcement of regulations to minimize the harm done to young people by vaping.
The Government today announced that the updated commitments on trade in services under the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Hong Kong and Chile will enter into force on April 6.

The updated commitments will strengthen trade co-operation between the two economies as they create more opportunities for businesses and investors in both places, the Government added.

Signed in January 2022, the updated commitments improve existing commitments under the agreement and open up more service sectors of both sides.

Chile has made commitments in over 50 new service sectors, encompassing priority sectors in which Hong Kong has traditional strengths or has potential for priority development.

These service sectors include professional and business, technical testing and analysis, convention, computer and related areas, communication, distribution and education.

Relevant Hong Kong services and their providers, subject to specific exceptions or conditions, will enjoy access to the Chilean market and treatment no less favourable than that for Chile's local service providers.

Secretary for Commerce & Economic Development Algernon Yau said the updated services commitments come at an opportune time when world trade is reviving after the pandemic, creating opportunities for Hong Kong businesses and investors to diversify their markets.

It also demonstrates the Governments efforts in seeking more favourable access to international markets as well as promoting the strengths of Hong Kongs services sectors overseas, he added.

Hong Kongs service providers can now enjoy deepened and broadened access to the Chilean market. I encourage our traders and service providers to seize this invaluable opportunity to unleash the untapped business opportunities in Chile, which is our first FTA partner in Latin America as well as a gateway to the Latin American markets.

Since the FTA between Hong Kong and Chile came into force in 2014, merchandise trade between both places recorded an average annualised growth of over 10% from 2015 to 2022, notwithstanding the challenges posed by the pandemic and external environment in recent years.

To date, Hong Kong has signed eight FTAs with 20 economies including the Mainland, Macau, the 10 member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Australia, Chile, the four member states of the European Free Trade Association, Georgia and New Zealand.
The Delhi High Court on Tuesday released an order, under which it has asked all the Air India Limited (AIL) employees who are living in Delhis Air India Colony in Vasant Vihar to leave the apartment before July 31.

The company in a response to the court said that more than 50 employees have already vacated the place as yet. However, the other 38 residents still use the facility and said they are likely to leave the government accommodation one month after the monetization of the land in question. However, the court reject the arguments by the 38 residents on March 24 in the order.

Also Read: Air India Revamps Menus for International Flights

The court also declared that the Centres collection of penal rent from the numerous AIL personnel who were residing in the Air India Colony was unlawful.

Amid this, some employees also witnessed a deduction of Rs between 15000 to Rs 90000 for the rent. To which, the court also ordered that the amount which is getting deducted from the employees salaries, will be refunded to them by August 15, 2023.

Meanwhile, the Air India apartment in Delhi is built on government-owned land and was constructed to provide accommodation facilities to government workers only.

Speaking about the decision by the court, Justice Mini Pushkarna said after the privatization, Air India employees no longer come under government workers policy, due to which they are not liable to use government flats.

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The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) has been working Mumbai-Pune Expressway for a quite long period of time. The official on Tuesday shared that the project is almost ready and reached the edge of completion. The report says that more than 65 percent of work has been done that connects Khopoli and Kusgaon. The other half will be finished real quick.

It has been reported that the project is expected to decrease the time limit for travelers to cover the distance between both cities by more than half an hour. As per the details shared by the MSRDC, it suggested that the 19.80 km new route lanes construction is likely to be finished somewhere around the end of December, and people may start using the newly built expressway at the start of the next year.

Also Read: Mumbai-Pune Expressway Toll to be Hiked by 18% from April 1

The Mumbai-Pune expressway was made to travel faster. After a period of time, the accident rate started increasing on it. In order to prevent mishaps, MSRDC came up with a plan and decided to construct a new missing lane between Khopoli and Kusgaon.

MSRDC feels the upcoming lane not only help travelers to cover the distance on time but will also enhance the road safety of every single commuter that will travel between the Mumbai and Pune expressway

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Corporate leaders should exercise self-restraint" in their perks, profligacy, and lifestyle, particularly in India where a majority of people are poor, to make capitalism attractive, Infosys co-founder NR Narayana Murthy recently said.

Speaking as the chief guest at the 58th annual convocation of the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA), Murthy said good governance" is enhanced by adhering to honesty, fairness, transparency and accountability in every transaction".

Listing his ideals," he emphasised the virtue of fairness" as being the most important attribute for a decision.

Across the world and particularly in a country like India where a majority of people are poor, the best way to make capitalism attractive is that corporate leaders exercise self-restraint in their perks, profligacy, compensation, and their lifestyle," Murthy said.

The best management guru is the market competition," Murthy said.

The way one behaves when he or she is on top and has power and wealth is his/her true character. In such moments, your grace, your courtesy and humility shown to others will reveal a real you," he added.

He said the mindset" of a company should be determined by the culture of meritocracy and values, as culture is a strong foundation on which the superstructure of aspirations, dreams, and hopes rests".

Murthy said a part of success is determined by performance and half part by luck.

I want every one of you to be humbleYou must do everything possible for success before you invoke God," he said.

Murthy said every customer looks for the best value for money in every purchase, and therefore, a company that enhances differentiated values to customers using continuous innovation, will obtain premium pricing.

He said he had simply accepted that there would be a glass ceiling to most of the corporate ladders in corporate India when corruption and connections in government used to be common for success in most businesses.

This regressive mindset changed when I went to work in a French real-time software company in Paris where I learnt three important ideas -the power of entrepreneurship in a free market in creating jobs and prosperity for the nation, the beauty of an enlightened corporate democracy, and the role of compassionate capitalism in building happy and prosperous country", news agency PTI quoted Murthy as saying.

He said this journey irrevocably transformed him from a confused Leftist" to a determined compassionate capitalist.

After my return to India, I decided to conduct an experiment based on these three important ideas that I spoke about," he said.

Talking about building Infosys, Murthy said he wanted it to be a place where a person irrespective of his race, religion, caste, region, nationality and economic strata could succeed based on competence and values.

Transparency in everything you do is counterintuitively a competitive advantage. I want you to remember this very importantly (sic)," he said.

Murthy said competence, commitment and character" are essential for a company to earn the respect of stakeholders and achieve enduring success.

Talking about the attributes of a leader, he said, the most powerful instrument of a leader is leading by example in demonstrating courage, sacrifice, hope, confidence, innovation, hard work, truth, fairness, transparency, accountability, austerity, discipline, a good value system, and most importantly, open-mindedness."

A confident leader hires people smarter than himself or herself, and such a leader gets the best out of his or her people by creating an environment of openness to new ideas, values, meritocracy, fairness, transparency, speed, justice, imagination, discussion, excellence in execution and questioning, he added.

According to Murthy, there is no progress without questioning.

Putting the interest of the company ahead of ones interest in the short and medium term results in the betterment of ones personal interest in the long term," he said.

Murthy founded Infosys in 1981. Today, it is a highly innovative software services global company listed on NYSE in the US and on the Bombay Stock Exchange in Mumbai.

(With PTI inputs)

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Family members of industrialist JP Taparia have bought six sea-facing properties worth around Rs 369 crore in south Mumbai. The sale deed was registered on March 29, 2023. The deal was signed from listed real-estate developer Macrotech Developers.

Reportedly, brokers said this is likely the most expensive residential property deal in the country.

The total area of the residential units is 27,160.6 sq ft. The units are located on the 26th, 27th and 28th floors, documents showed. The consideration amount was Rs 369.55 crore. A stamp duty of Rs 19.07 crore was paid, Moneycontrol reported.

The apartments are in the super-luxury residential tower Lodha Malabar. The properties are located on Walkeshwar Road, Malabar Hill area of the city. The units come with 20 car parkings.

Brokers said that the value of the triplex makes the per-sq ft cost almost Rs 1.36 lakh per sq ft, and is perhaps the most expensive residential property deal.

JP Taparia Business

JP Taparia is the founder of the contraceptive products firm Famy Care.

Until 1990, JP Taparia was engaged in hand tools and engineering business. It was their family business.

Later, he started his own business with Famy Care which is a leading manufacturer of female oral contraceptives and Copper-Ts.

Moreover, on March 13, Bajaj Auto chairman Niraj Bajaj purchased a triplex apartment of over 18,008 sq ft on the top three floors of the Lodha Malabar Hill project for Rs 252.50 crore, setting the record for the costliest penthouse in the city. The transaction fetched a rate of Rs 1,40,277 per sq ft on the total area.

In February, DMart founder Radhakishan Damanis family members and associates bought as many as 28 housing units worth Rs 1,238 crore in Mumbai.

Meanwhile, Knight Frank India, in its latest assessment noted that Mumbai city (area under BMC jurisdiction) saw property sales registration of 12,421 units in March 2023, contributing over Rs 1,143 Crores (Cr) to the state revenues.

Of the total properties registered, 84% were residential while 16% were non-residential properties. With a revenue collection of Rs 1,143 Cr in March 2023, Mumbai registered its highest revenue collection since April 2022.

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A party at a nightclub in UKs Lincoln went just a little too wild for two men who ended up sleeping on the roof of the building. The pair was spotted by the nightclub staff in the early hours on March 2, prompting Lincolnshire Police to take action. In a stunning display of modern technology, police used a drone to fly over the building and capture footage of the men on the roof. The footage showed the men fast asleep, completely oblivious to the fact that they had been caught on camera.

As the drone hovered overhead, police were able to guide the men to safety with the help of Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue. Thankfully, no one was hurt during the incident, and no arrests were made.

Kev Taylor, Chief Drone Pilot at Lincolnshire Police, was quick to praise the use of drones in police work. He explained that drones are incredibly useful for offering an eye in sky view" that can help officers on the ground. In this case, the drone was able to provide vital information about the mens location and condition, allowing police to take swift and appropriate action.

The footage shows how we can use this technology to keep people safe and fight crime. It was a busy evening last night and this is just one example of keeping people safe. Drones really support police work by offering that eye-in-sky view that helps officers on the ground, he was quoted as saying by LadBible.

The incident has left one question unresolved, how the two men managed to fall asleep on the roof of a nightclub in the first place. Regardless of the reason, one thing is for sure - this is one story that is sure to go down in the annals of police history. It just goes to show that sometimes, modern technology really can save the day. Just how A 14-year-old boys life was saved by a new drone lifeguard service implemented across Spanish beaches.

The teenager was struggling against a strong tide off a Valencia beach when a drone dropped a life vest into the water, which kept him afloat until a physical lifeguard team arrived. General Drones is the company behind the drone service that has been assisting Spanish lifeguard staff since 2017 in Sagunto, a town located just north of Valencia.

The company has since grown, with over 30 pilots and drones working alongside lifeguards at 22 beaches across Spain, providing quick assistance during moments of potential drownings before the physical arrival of lifeguards on the scene. These additional seconds have proven critical in some instances, allowing rescue teams to approach the situation calmly and cautiously.

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Sabina Mammadli

Azerbaijani Economy Minister Mikayil Jabbarov and Italian Deputy Foreign and International Cooperation Minister Edmondo Cirielli discussed mutual investments and prospects for the development of bilateral cooperation, Azernews reports.

According to the tweet of the Azerbaijani minister, during the meeting, the sides also discussed the current state of the trade-economic relations.
Chinese company Highlander, which specialises in maritime and marine technology, has built what is described as the first commercial underwater data centre facility off Hainan island in China  and now wants to sell submerged data centre facilities to global customers.

According to the website Data Centre Dynamics, building of the commercial underwater data centre (UDC) began in February 2022 and finished In December 2022.

Highlander is now preparing the facility for live loads. It says it has adapted subsea technology so it can produce commercial subsea facilities to order for potential export to other countries. It has apparently also received UDC orders from companies including China Telecom and Hong Kong-based AI software company SenseTime.

The company is also planning to build a net-zero data centre, powered by offshore wind power, in Shanghai and Hainan. This will begin later this year.

Underwater data centres (UDCs) are seen by their proponents as an energy-efficient and space-saving alternative to land-based facilities. They can be located close to population centres without the need for expensive land and can be cooled by seawater and potentially powered by wave energy, which is useful in tropical regions where other renewable energy is scarce.

Microsoft tested the concept of UDCs off the US Pacific coast in 2015,and again off the Orkney Islands in Scotland, in 2020.

While this has so far not produced a rush to market there seems to be evidence that underwater data centres increase the reliability of IT hardware by protecting it from oxygen and accidental damage, and that they can also harness multiple sources of renewable energy.

All of this, however, depends on whether underwater equipment can be produced that is reliable and affordable, a challenge Highlander may have addressed.
Finding the right person can already be a tricky task and for this man, the process got difficult and expensive. How expensive? $1.8 million or roughly Rs 15 crore. The man, a financial consultant, was recently duped of $1.8 million in a dating app scam that spanned over five weeks. The victim was coaxed into investing in cryptocurrency by a con artist posing as a female investment broker he met on Tinder, reported South China Morning Post. This Italian man, living in Hong Kong, initially responded to a message on the popular dating app Tinder. The con artist, impersonating a female investment broker from Singapore, quickly moved their interactions to WhatsApp and a romantic relationship began to develop online. The victim was soon convinced to set up an account on a bogus trading website to invest in digital money.

Between March 6 and 23, the victim was coaxed into transferring HK$14.2 million (over Rs 14.8 crore) into nine different bank accounts over 22 transactions. The con artist claimed that investing in digital money could provide high returns. The victim grew suspicious when he could not retrieve his money and so-called profits. He reported the matter to the police who launched an investigation into the case.

Under the Theft Ordinance, the case has been categorized as obtaining property by deception", which is a criminal offense that can result in a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.

The case is one among many where con artists use bogus trading websites to scam unsuspecting victims. In fact, such fraudulent investment websites or apps introduced to scam victims show rising cryptocurrency or stock prices and returns, but the information presented is fake and controlled by criminals. Positive returns in such investment accounts are designed to coax victims into investing more money. The fraud is also known as the pig-butchering scam.

Explaining what this means, South China Morning Post quoted the police website stating, Initially victims can make small profits, but after putting in more money they end up suffering huge losses.

This case is not unique. Losses from cryptocurrency scams have doubled to HK$1.7 billion (Over Rs 17.79 billion) in Hong Kong alone last year. The amount of money lost through romance scams in the city rose by 16 per cent to HK$697 million (about Rs 72.9 crore) last year while the number of cases has gone down by seven per cent. Online scammers pose as merchants or professionals in fields such as engineering, banking, or the military, charming their victims before asking for money for different reasons.

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An incident from Chinas Southwestern Sichuan province is dominating the headlines these days. A man begged his ex-girlfriend for 21 hours to return to his life. The man knelt outside the entrance of the womans office building in Dazhou, in Chinas southwestern Sichuan province, from 1 pm on March 28 until 10 am the next day with a big bunch of roses. This man, still unidentified, kept sitting outside the office suffering extreme cold and rain, South China Morning Post reported.

According to video media outlet Jiupai News, residents, who gathered around him, urged the man to give up his efforts. He said that his ex-girlfriend broke up with him a few days ago, adding that he was seeking forgiveness. The police officials also arrived at the scene and urged him to give up his efforts but he refused to accept their advice. After seeing such a lovesick attitude, social media users have advised his ex-girlfriend to stay away from him.

There have been many cases of people going to extremes when they fall in love in the past. In 2021, a man from Singapore couldnt accept the fact that his girlfriend had broken up with him. As reported in the Today Online portal, the man threatened his ex-girlfriend that he would share their intimate photographs online unless she gave him another 360 hours of companionship. Threatened, the woman agreed to the demand. As reported in the portal, the man continued to act like her boyfriend for the next two years and was so dominating that she had suicidal tendencies. Reportedly, he had even accessed her Facebook account to post sensitive client data she had provided him about her work.

The man, who was not named, pleaded guilty to three charges each of unlawful stalking, criminal intimidation and unauthorised access to computer material.

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Actress Parineeti Chopra has been making headlines recently for her rumoured romance with politician Raghav Chadha. If reports are to be believed, the duo will get married soon. As per rumours, Parineeti and Raghav were classmates at the London School of Economics and have been close companions ever since. Additionally, Parineeti and Raghav follow one another on Instagram. Now, amid all of this, a video which is going viral is an old video of the actress.

In the video, she can be seen getting interviewed by Faridoon Shahryar. On being asked which politician will she get married to, she says, There are too many but the problem is I dont want to get married to any politician." She further states, I dont want to marry any politician, ever." I dont want to marry any politician. I dont want to marry any politician ever," said @ParineetiChopra in a fun #RapidFire with me a few years back," read the caption. Have a look:

"I don't want to marry any politician. I don't want to marry any politician ever," said @ParineetiChopra in a fun #RapidFire with me a few years back https://t.co/FMThcsHIwU pic.twitter.com/eQfizKS4ja Faridoon Shahryar (@iFaridoon) April 2, 2023

Ever since uploaded, the video has gone viral and garnered some hilarious responses from fans. so many" trickles down a person who matches with her 3 basic expectations. Plus Ellen, you know how interesting she is and she relates to her personality (revolutionary outspoken bold) Let Pari enjoy her life with a lovely person (unlike other 99.99 % politicians) she found," wrote a Twitter user. Many also mocked the actress by saying, never say never." Another person mentioned, Yes, life goals keep changing, why such fuss, i also never wanted to do engineering, but time changes according to situations, Meanwhile when u have such handsome, educated @raghav_chadha the decision to change goals become easier."

I don't want to marry any politician https://t.co/1mP0hzRmk7 K.P. (@KALPESH1968) April 3, 2023

So Raghav Chaddha is not a politician @ParineetiChopra ? https://t.co/UgsL7bcLMB Ex Secular Kumar (@Exsecularkumar) April 3, 2023

What do you think?

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Theres more to visiting the United Arab Emirates than the skyscrapers of Dubai or the Louvre Museum in Abu Dhabi. By 2030, Ras Al Khaimah, an emirate little known to Western travelers, should find its place on the tourism scene. From November 1, Qatar Airways will operate daily flights to Ras Al Khaimah. Nestled between the far north of the Sultanate of Oman and Dubai, this small emirate of less than 1,700 square kilometers, whose name means top of the tent," will be connected to the whole world thanks to the Doha-based airline. Qatar Airways has a network of over 150 destinations in the Middle East, Europe and all other continents. The Qatari carrier is not alone in this new market. From October, Latvias Smartlynx Airlines is planning to fly from Munich to the small emirate.

A totally unknown destination to many travelers, this small stretch of land has big ambitions. By 2030, Ras Al Khaimah hopes to welcome three million annual visitors, according to H.E. Raki Phillips, CEO of the Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA), on the occasion of the Arab Aviation Summit. The emirate has been spotted by CNN Travel as one of the most attractive destinations to visit in 2023. And Time magazine named the emirate as one of the Worlds Greatest Places 2022." In fact, German, Russian, British, Czech and Kazakh visitors represent the real trailblazers, according to the industry news website Air Journal, which highlights these few nationalities as the only significant tourist profiles currently visiting Ras Al Khaimah.

However, the emirate has been working to raise its profile on the tourism scene for the past 12 years. In May 2011, the government launched the creation of a dedicated tourism development office. The Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority is tasked by the government to license, regulate and monitor the emirates tourism and hospitality industry, explains RAKTDA. Over the past decade, Ras Al Khaimah has already built up a hotel portfolio of more than 8,000 rooms, including major brands such as Radisson, Intercontinental Hotels Group (IHG) and Movenpick. Names such as Marriott and Sofitel are also expected. In 2026, Wynn Resorts will enable Ras Al Khaimah to boast the first ever casino in the UAE.

As for things to do, the emirate is built around a natural harbor that outlines the two main districts to explore. It has nothing to envy of the numerous attractions of its sumptuous neighbors, Dubai and Abu Dhabi, as its a prime destination for divers as well as for relaxing on sandy beaches warmed by the sun. Ras Al Khaimah has a history of pearl production and is a place of discovery for travelers who love wide open spaces and stunning scenery. Ras Al Khaimah is home to the highest peak in the United Arab Emirates, Jebel Jais. On the border with Oman, this peak is the highest point in the Hajjar mountain range. Visitors can take in the rocky landscape with a visit to the Grand Canyon of the UAE, Wadi Bih. Adventurers might even be tempted to whiz over the cliffs on a breathtakingly long zip line. As for culture, visitors can check out the Sheikh Zayed Mosque, Shebas Palace and the Dhayah Fort.

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They say that the best things in life are for free and one of them is kindness. A viral Twitter post shows how a small act of gesture can go miles. An auto driver in Mumbai added his bit to humanity by arranging free water and biscuits for his passengers. In a picture posted on the micro-blogging site, one can see neatly arranged water bottles, a newspaper, and packets of biscuits tucked behind his seat. This gesture of the auto-rickshaw driver is inspiring the internet.

A Twitter user named Nandini Iyer shared a snap on her Twitter account with the caption, Gesture Matters. Mumbai autowala giving free water. Its immensely satisfying to see. Spread Kindness. The post garnered over 2000 likes and over 1 lakh views. Social media users also hailed the drivers unique way of helping people beat the summer heat and hunger. A comment read, Salute this guy for providing timely service to customers during this summer season. Another user wrote, Theres hope in humanity. One more said, Thats an example of humanity.

Gesture Matters Mumbai autowala giving free water . Its immensely satisfying to see. #SpreadKindness  pic.twitter.com/M2nVrLPJQg NANDINI IYER (@123_nandini) April 3, 2023

This is not the first time that the Mumbaikars saw a different side of the auto drivers in their city. Last year, an auto driver made it to the headlines by naming all the forty-four countries in the continent of Europe. He also named the districts from Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh and discussed the Panama papers controversy, demonetization and the 2G scandal. The passenger named Rajib posted the video with the caption His family never had the means to educate him formally. They could afford a meal once in two days when things got really bad. All the knowledge that he had gained was through self-study a part of the caption read.

Many of you also might remember the popular post by actress Twinkle Khanna who shared an image of an auto with cool things installed. In 2019, she posted about an auto driver who decked up his auto with a wash basin, a monitor, and a few potted plants. The picture was viral in no time.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Twinkle Khanna (@twinklerkhanna)

Coming back to the recent gesture of the auto driver, it surely adds to the spirit of Mumbai.

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Crows are known to be smart birds. Scientists compare the intelligence of crows to that of a seven-year-old human child. One often remembers the story from their childhood about the cleverness of a crow, who filled a partially filled pot with pebbles to quench its thirst. As the water level rose to the top, it was able to drink water. This tale has now been recorded on camera and has become immensely popular on various social media platforms.

The crows intelligence was demonstrated in a video shared on Twitter by the account Tansu Yegen. The bird is seen filling a bottle with pebbles to quench its thirst. Captured on camera, the clip reminded viewers of the childhood fable of the Thirsty Crow. This video has become a viral sensation with more than 4 million views, bringing back memories of the timeless story.

While the story of the thirsty crow had the bird filling a pot with pebbles, the video came with a modern twist and featured a bottle instead of a pot. The rest of the story remains the same as read by many of us. People discussed the video in the comments below it.

A very smart crow indeed implementing Aesop's fable which teaches us that in case of emergency a good use of our wits may help us out. qwerty (@qwerty14117587) April 2, 2023

A user commented, A very smart crow is indeed implementing Aesops fable which teaches us that in case of emergency, a good use of our wits may help us out.

Very civil. It could just drop it though towards itself. Maybe thats next in the evolution Sai_Awaynear (@Innovati_nParty) April 3, 2023

Another user wrote, Very civil. It could just drop it through towards itself. Maybe thats next in the evolution.

Crows are one of the few non human species who possess the ability to reason. Fascinating. Capital GainZ (@ESchweitzer22) April 1, 2023

A third user commented, Crows are one of the few non-human species who possess the ability to reason. Fascinating.

Some others also commented about how they had read about the crow in their childhood by the name of The Thirsty Crow and were fascinated to see the story play out in the video in reality.

These submarines are surfacing through ice in the Arctic Ocean pic.twitter.com/CvX2InwY5N Tansu YEGEN (@TansuYegen) April 3, 2023

Tansu Yegen is popular on Twitter for sharing several such videos. One of their other recent videos that went viral was that of a submarine surfacing through ice in the Arctic Ocean.

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Carjacking and car theft is common around the world. How often have you seen a person successfully tracking down their car after the theft? Recently, a person in Texas killed a car thief, who stole his truck after tracking him using an Apple AirTag. According to the New York Post, the San Antonio Police Department (SAPD) said that the incident took place on Wednesday, March 29 on the citys southeast side at a shopping complex. The trucks owner tracked the thief and his truck using an Apple AirTag. Officials informed that they had received a stolen vehicle complaint around 1 pm on the same day outside a house in north San Antonio.

Police said that the owner of the truck found out the vehicle to be around 32 kilometers from his home and the alleged thief did not know that he was being tracked. Authorities reportedly found several bullet casing and two cars with their windows shot out at the scene of altercation and officials are currently determining if the suspect will be charged in the fatal shooting.

Nick Soliz, a police officer in the SAPD, urged people to not take matters into their own hands if they face a similar situation. If you are to get your vehicle stolen, please do not take matters into your own hands like this, Soliz said. Its never safe as you can see by this incident.

An Apple spokesperson revealed to Fox News Digital that they will be cooperating with the police and work with them to track down the AirTags used for criminal purposes. The spokesperson informed that the product was designed to help people locate their personal belongings, not to track people or another persons property. They further said that they condemn in the strongest possible terms any malicious use of their products.

The spokesperson also said that unwanted tracking isnt a new problem and they have taken that concern into consideration while designing AirTag. He said that is the reason why the Find My network was built with privacy in mind, uses end-to-end encryption, and why we innovated with the first-ever proactive system to alert you of unwanted tracking.

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On April 13, 2023, the European Space Agency will for the first time launch a probe to Jupiter. In particular, it will be equipped with huge solar panels that will provide the energy necessary for its onboard systems operation, even when far from the Sun.

Conditions permitting, the Juice (JUpiter ICy Moons Explorer) probe is scheduled to be launched aboard Ariane V from the Kourou base in French Guiana on Thursday, April 13. Its mission will be to reach Jupiter and fly over and observe three of its natural satellites: Callisto, Europa and Ganymede. Its goal is to determine if these icy moons" have been or will be conducive to the development of extraterrestrial life given the presence of water on these satellites. In total, no less than 35 flybys of these moons are planned, in order to determine if there are places where the necessary conditions to support life (water, essential biological elements, etc.) are met. Still, if life is present on these moons, it is most likely only in the form of microbes.

While space probes are usually powered by a radioisotope thermoelectric generator (RTG), the European Space Agency (ESA) has opted for large solar panels. With a total surface area of 85 sqm, they will be the main source of energy for this probe, generating around 800 watts to operate all the measurement and communications instruments onboard Juice. This is not very much considering all the technology the probe carries, and is more or less equivalent to a coffee maker or a toaster. In addition, its batteries will offer an operating time of up to five hours when the probe is shaded from the sun. Note that, as Jupiter is further from the Sun than Earth, its rays will be much weaker. This journey promises to be particularly long, as Juice should arrive at its destination by 2030 or 2031.

For major maneuvers, such as establishing its various orbits (around Jupiter and/or its satellites), Juice will be able to count on a main engine and a set of smaller thrusters responsible for fine-tuning the trajectory of the probe. These can also serve as a backup system for the engine.

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Delhi Education Minister Atishi on Monday slammed the BJP for spreading misinformation and concocting lies about the results of city government-run schools. She was reacting to claims by the saffron party that 50 out of every 100 students studying in Delhi government schools dropped out in class 10 and that a similar dropout pattern was seen in classes 11 and 12. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) also alleged that teachers were forced to write answers in almost blank answer sheets of below-average students, especially in multiple-choice questions section, and then pass them with minimum 33 per cent marks.

In a statement, Atishi said the BJP is not concerned about the pitiable condition of the government schools in states ruled by it, adding that these schools function with classrooms made of tin sheds and in the absence of basic facilities.

The Arvind Kejriwal government is doing everything in its control to improve the condition of government schools in Delhi and children over here have been leaving private schools to join the state-run institutes, she noted.

Therefore, the BJP has nothing else to do besides spreading misinformation about our schools if these (BJP) leaders were themselves educated, they would have been able to read the order of the Department of Education (DoE), she said. The minister said if the BJP leaders had read the order of the DoE, they would have understood that there is a very simple process of rechecking of papers.

Hitting out at the AAP dispensation, Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva said the self-acclaimed education model of the Kejriwal government has failed and the feedback coming from government school teachers fully exposes the models failure.

 it is shocking to know from the Delhi government school teachers as well as from news reports that this year, the result of class 9 and 11 is so poor that the Education Directorate had to issue a circular asking teachers to review the answer sheets of students to increase the number of successful students, by April 6, the BJP said in a statement.

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The National Medical Commission (NMC) on Monday issued guidelines on professional responsibilities of medical students, asking them not to indiscriminately post on social media regarding patients and patient-related information.

It also underlined the need for them to learn the local language so as to effectively communicate with patients and participate in community events.

Medical students are expected to dress modestly and appropriately in all their professional endeavours, it stated.

During their clinical training, medical students should politely introduce themselves to patients as students before eliciting medical history and examining patients while understanding that patients are not a means to an end, according to the guidelines.

The guidelines advocate medical students taking care of themselves and leading a healthy lifestyle and particularly avoiding alcohol, tobacco and other substances of abuse. Students are expected to seek treatment and counselling in case of substance abuse, it said.

Under the responsibilities related to personal growth, the guidelines stated that students must be sensitive to a patients needs and must maintain the confidentiality of medical information and at the same time be responsible to inform the treating team about the same to ensure proper management. They must be aware of their limitations and should avoid giving advice regarding treatment, or doing counselling without due instruction from their teachers, according to the guidelines issued by Dr Yogender Malik, member of the NMCs Ethics and Medical Registration Board (EMRB).

The guidelines urged students to get involved in research during their MBBS course under the guidance of their teachers. They should be familiar with the ICMR guidelines that govern research.

The guidelines urged medical students not to indiscriminately post on social media regarding patients and patient-related information.

It underlined that students must be aware of the ever-expanding scope of social media with its usefulness as well as possible professional hazards associated with its indiscriminate use.

Students are expected to be honest and practise integrity during all examinations. Cheating in any form is a form of corruption that not only undermines the purpose of the examinations but also runs contradictory to what is expected of a medical student.

The guidelines highlighted that whenever possible, students should participate in health camps/ health awareness campaigns as learning at the level of communities is also an essential component of medical education.

During the community interactions, students encounter diversity in education, living standards, social support systems, access to basic amenities, health access and environmental conditions, etc. Such knowledge and experience is essential if students are to understand the social context when patients come to hospital and to be able to participate in health promotion and disease prevention activities in the community.

Under the responsibilities towards society and national goals, the guidelines stated that medicine is a social and moral endeavour and so medical students are expected to dress modestly and appropriately in all their professional endeavours.

It encouraged medical students to organise regular environmental audits of the campus to identity the problem areas concerning the environment and initiate suitable programmes such as tree plantation, reduction of use of single use plastic, and judicious use of water.

Further, in keeping with the role of a citizen-doctor, students are encouraged to keep abreast of new health laws being discussed in Parliament or in a state.

According to the guidelines, students are expected to learn the local language so as to effectively communicate with patients during their studies, participate in community events related to health education, health promotion and prevention and assist in health services in situations like natural calamities, disasters, health emergencies etc. through proper channels and under supervision. Sense of social service and nationalism should be integral part of medical education.

As far as support framework to ensure optimal functioning and growth of medical students is concerned, medical colleges should have atmosphere conducive for the medical students to achieve optimum personal and professional growth, it stated.

Medical colleges must ensure that adequate and appropriately trained faculties are available for the education of students according to the prescribed NMC standards.

They are required to ensure that students have adequate clinical exposure and are required to conduct all examinations and certifications as prescribed by the NMC with integrity and honesty.

Cheating must be dealt with strict action. Colleges must not inflate internal assessment marks and students should expect a fair and impartial examination process. Medical colleges must ensure that ragging is banned and that strictest action is taken in the event of breaches, the guidelines stated.

In order to create awareness against tobacco, alcohol and substance abuse, institutes should run or support well-designed programmes like anti-addiction campaigns on campus and involve students in educating others through such drives at the community level.

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Vehicle tracking and telematics company Netstar and Vodacom Business (the enterprise-focused ICT subsidiary of the Vodacom Group) have partnered to offer Wi-Fi to commuters on thousands of minibus taxis around South Africa.

Netstars telematics devices installed in Toyota minibuses can double up as Wi-Fi routers. They have been fitted to about 3,200 taxis across the country, with the potential to reach 48,000 connected taxis, the companies said in a statement on Tuesday, which was widely reported in the local press.

Thus, with the technology infrastructure already in place to support connectivity, commuters simply need to connect seamlessly to the Wi-Fi through the WiTaxi app. This service is completely safe and free to users, who can, according to the partners in the offering, access as much as 1GB of uninterrupted Wi-Fi per day.

Is there a catch? Well, sort of. In exchange for what is described as free, high-speed Wi-Fi, commuters must watch 15-second advertisements before getting access to the platform.

Nevertheless, this is a way of monetising a large and consistent user base. As Netstar group MD Grant Fraser said in a statement: South Africas taxi industry is responsible for more than 60% of daily commutes, making it an integral part of the countrys transport sector and a significant economic player."

WiTaxi is not new. The WiTaxi site points out that it launched the in-transit Wi-Fi on the 14th of June 2014. Nevertheless, this business model will no doubt be carefully monitored, especially at a a time when Wi-Fi is very much in the news in South Africa as regulator ICASA examines its spectrum allocation options.

Vodacom says it is also looking to introduce a reward system linked to this network through its super app, VodaPay.
The University of Jammu will organise a three-day mega festival Panch Pran centered around the five resolves announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his last years Independence Day address.

Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha will inaugurate the festival on April 5.

The University of Jammu in collaboration with Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts, Hindustan Samachar and Cluster University of Jammu is organising three-day mega event on the five resolves (Panch Pran) announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji during his 76th Independence Day address to the nation, Vice Chancellor Prof Umesh Rai told reporters here.

Prof Rai said the festival is going to be held from April 5-7 at the University of Jammu in consonance with the PMs vision on Panch Pran.

At a curtain-raiser ceremony, Prof Rai said the fest will focus on the five resolutions announced by the PM  making India a developed country; removing any trace of the colonial mindset; taking pride in our legacy; our strength of unity; and fulfilling the duties of citizens, which include the Prime Minister and chief ministers as well.

The VC said that the University of Jammu has already taken initiatives to acquaint the students with the rich heritage of India.

The event will cover the lectures by the prominent experts, showcasing of documentaries and exhibition of cultural heritage. The Panch Pran Utsav will be inaugurated by Manoj Sinha, Lieutenant Governor, and Ajay Kumar Singh, Press Secretary to President of India, will deliver the Keynote Address on 5th April, he said.

He said new job-oriented academic programmes were introduced recently by the university to further strengthen the research. Financial assistance in the form of research grants and seed grant is also provided to the faculty of the university.

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The campaign in Karnataka is in full swing for May 10 elections but the Congress high command is yet to decide the chief ministerial face that seemingly has become a battle of prestige for former CM Siddaramaiah and state unit chief DK Shivakumar.

The two Congress poster boys in Karnataka appeared to stand together" after the partys Central Election Committee (CEC) meeting regarding the Karnataka Assembly elections in New Delhi.

A day after he reportedly said that the high command wont make Shivakumar Congress CM face, Siddaramaiah today came into a damage control mode and said his statement was misinterpreted.

I gave an interview yesterday and said Im an aspirant for the CM post, DK Shivakumar is also an aspirant. Our aim is to defeat the BJP and bring Congress to powerMy statement was misinterpretedNever said High Command isnt happy with DK Shivakumar," Siddaramaiah said.

Addressing media along with Siddaramaiah after the meeting, Shivakumar too tried to put salvage the situation. Our aim is to bring Congress back to power in Karnataka. We will bring good governance to the State. We all stand together," he said.

Even though the supporters of both heavyweights are enggaged in war of words over the big question for a long time, the Congress high command so far refused to open the pandoras box, since elevating a leader to the CM post would clearly be a demotion for the other. The question has become a big headache for Congress before it goes to fight the BJP in the elections.

On one side, Siddaramaiah is among tallest leaders in the state, the other is Shivakumar who started his political innings with Congress and never switched sides in his 40 years old association.

Before Congress make a decision, here is a look at why Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar are frontrunners for the CM race and how they become heavyweights in Karnataka politics:

Siddaramaiah

Siddaramaiah is the second CM in Karnatakas history to complete a full five years in the office. Now a frontrunner for Congress, he joined the party only in 2006 after being a member of various Janata Parivar factions.

He hails from a remote village called Siddaramanahundi in Mysore district and belongs to the Kuruba (shepherd) community.

Inspired by Dr Ram Manohar Lohia brand of socialism, Siddaramaiah was elected to Assembly from Chamundeshwari on a ticket from Bharatiya Lok Dal, headed by former Prime Minister Charan Singh in 1983.

He won 1985 mid-term polls on Janata Partys ticket and became minister for veterinary services and animal husbandry. However, Siddaramaiah suffered his first electoral defeat in 1989 elections. He was again elected to the Assembly in 1994 and took over the charge of the finance minister in the Deve Gowda-led Janata Dal government. In 1996, then CM JH Patel made Siddaramaiah his deputy.

Siddaramaiah sided with Janata Dal (Secular) faction of Deve Gowda following the split in the Janata Dal. Deve Gowda trusted him with the responsibility of the partys Karnataka unit.

Siddaramaiahs second stint as deputy CM came in 2004 when Congress and JD(S) formed a coalition government. However, he was expelled from the party after differences cropped up between him and Gowda.

Siddaramaiah planned to float a regional party ABPJD but instead joined Congress in 2006. He returned to the assembly in the 2006 by-polls in Chamundeshwari constituency.

In 2013, Siddaramaiah led Congress to a majority and was rewarded with the CM post. However, when Congress formed coalition government with JD(S) in 2018, HD Kumaraswamy was named the chief minister.

Siddaramaiah is currently the Leader of Opposition in Karnataka assembly.

DK Shivakumar

Shivakumars association with Congress goes a long way back when he was a member of Youth Congress. His meteoric rise in state politics began in 1989 when he won his first assembly election.

He was tasked to rebuilt Young Congress in Karnataka from scratch after majority of unit members switched allegiance to former chief minister, Devaraj Urs, who quit the party in 1979.

In 1985, Congress fielded him against HD Deve Gowda in the Sathanur assembly constituency. Shivakumar failed to pull off a victory but managed to grow his influence.

Shivakumar took the 1985 defeat revenge in 1999 when he defeated Deve Gowdas son, HD Kumaraswamy, in Sathanur. He was subsequently inducted into SM Krishnas cabinet as minister for urban development.

Siddaramaiah also inducted Shivakumar in his cabinet in 2014.

In 2017, Shivakumar played a crucial role to Congress MLAs from Gujarat to safeguard them from poaching attempts by rivals to secure Sonia Gandhis close aide Ahmed Patels Rajya Sabha seat in bye-election.

In 2020, Shivakumar was promoted to lead the Karnataka Congress.

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Ahead of elections in Karnataka, the BJP seems to be struggling with infighting in the former CM and partys tallest leader BS Yeddyurappas home district of Shivamogga.

In fresh trouble for the ruling party, BJP MLC Ayanur Manjunath has threatened to fight as a rebel candidate if the BJP fields Former Minister KS Eshwarappa or his son KE Kantesh from the Shivamogga constituency.

Manjunath says he plans to resign as MLC and contest against KS Eshwarappa from the same seat. The party is now struggling to diffuse tensions between both senior leaders.

Manjunath has alleged that BJP MLA KS Eshwarappa has used cheap language against him just because he is also an aspirant from the Shivamogga constituency.

He also claims that the BJP is not taking his desire seriously, and would therefore be ready to resign to join any party that would give him a ticket to contest against KS Eshwarappa or his son to show his strength.

There are no signs that I will get a ticket if I am with the BJP. Instead I am seeing various lists with the names of someones children. In addition to that, after observing all the statements made by Eshwarappa in the recent press conference, I have decided to contest against him, the BJP MLC said.

If Manjunath sticks with his plans to resign before finishing his MLC tenure, he would become the third BJP MLC to quit after Puttanna and Baburao Chinchansur. They both resigned last month to join the Congress party.

Meanwhile, the BJP leader said that the party has taken note of the infighting and will be discussing the issue at the party forum. BJP may warn both senior leaders to resolve the issue within themselves rather than bring the spat out in the open as it could damage the partys image ahead of the polls.

As the party grows stronger there will be many aspirants. Naturally, Manjunath is also an aspirant. Both Eshwarappa and Manjunath are senior leaders of the BJP. So it is common to see competition among aspirants. The row will be settled once the party takes its final decision, BJP MLA Arvind Bellad said.

The party high command has made a note of the infighting. The BJP does not encourage all this. Such issues need to be discussed in the party forum, Bellad added.

Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai however did not want to comment on the infighting. He particularly said that the party has many legislators and aspirants and thus it wont be able to give out tickets to everyone. Few people planning to leave the party wont affect the partys performance in the election, Bommai reportedly said.

There are 125 legislators now. And in some places there are two aspirants for the same seat. Everyone cannot possibly get tickets. A few people leaving the party wont affect us, CM Bommai said.

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After being presumed dead, Chris Hemsworths ruthless black ops mercenary Tyler Rake is back in action in Extraction 2. The makers of the sequel dropped the official teaser, and it confirms Tyler is pretty much alive but still suffering from the trauma of his gunshot wound. The original film left audiences on a cliffhanger after the main protagonist was declared clinically dead after being shot in the neck. Though it seems that Tyler barely survived the aftermath of his previous mission, he is once again assigned with yet another deadly task.

In the new teaser, Chris Hemsworth, in his black ops mercenary avatar, is seen rescuing the family of a ruthless Georgian gangster. He breaks into a prison where they are being held. But what should have been a quiet escape, quickly turns into a deadly battle zone. The extended action scene sees Hemsworth braving physical attacks, as he throws grenades and plummets opponents with riot shields.

Tyler appears to be managing the physical attacks well until a flashback of his fatal incident comes back to haunt him. He collapses on the ground just like in the original film, which hints he might be suffering from some kind of post-traumatic stress. Will Tyler be able to complete the mission while carrying his past baggage or the roads only will lead to his final destruction? All the answers will only be available once we get to see Extraction 2.

Watch the teaser here:

Besides Chris Hemsworth, actors Golshifteh Farahani and Adam Bessa will be seen reprising their roles from the first film. Daniel Bernhardt, Tinatin Dalakishvili, and Olga Kurylenko will essay supporting characters. The plot of the sequel takes inspiration from the graphic novel Ciudad created by Ande Parks in collaboration with Joe Russo, Anthony Russo, Eric Skillman, and Fernando Leon Gonzalez.

In the first installment, Bollywood actors Randeep Hooda and Pankaj Tripathi played pivotal roles as Chris Hemsworth was assigned the difficult mission of saving an Indian crime lords kidnapped son from Dhaka. Things take a drastic turn when he is double-crossed by his men.

Extraction 2 will hit release on Netflix on June 16.

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Bharti Singh and Haarsh Limbachiyaa celebrated their son Laksha aka Gollas first birthday on Monday, April 3. The couple hosted an intimate party for their friends which was also attended by Shehnaaz Gill. After the bash, the Punjabi heartthrob took to her Instagram handle and dropped a series of adorable pictures with the birthday boy, Golla.

In the photos, Shehnaaz and Golla can be seen sitting on a couch as the latter plays with a spoon. The actress holds Golla in her arms as she also poses for the camera. In the caption, Shehnaaz simply sent birthday wishes to Golla and dropped a series of red heart emojis.

Soon after the pictures were shared online, fans rushed to the comment section to shower love on Golla and his massi. Shehnaaz Gill and Gola have separate Fanbase," one of the fans wrote. Another user shared, East or West Golle Ki Shehnaaz Massi is Best". One of the users also called them cuties.

Earlier on Monday, Shehnaaz Gill was also snapped by the paparazzi as she was leaving from Gollas birthday bash. She sported a black top and paired it with blue jeans.

Shehnaaz Gill often drops pictures with Golla on social media. The actress also met Bhartis son in Dubai last year when they attended an award show. Later, she also shared a video with the little munchkin in which she was seen giving him hugs and kisses. Watch it here:

Meanwhile, Shehnaaz Gill is gearing up to make her Bollywood debut with Salman Khans Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan. Helmed and penned by Farhad Samji and Sajid Nadiadwala respectively, the film also stars Pooja Hegde, Venkatesh Daggubati and Parth Siddhpura among others. It will hit theatres on Eid this year. Besides this, Shehnaaz has also been running her own chat show titled Desi Vibes. The recent episode of the show was graced by Sara Ali Khan.

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Spider-Man fans in India gear up for an interesting and never-happened-before theatrical release. The highly anticipated movie Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is set to be released in ten different languages, a first for a Hollywood franchise film in India. The movie will hit cinemas on June 2, and will be available in English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Gujarati, Marathi, Punjabi, and Bengali.

Trade expert Taran Adarsh shared the exciting news for all superhero fans on his Twitter handle. He wrote, Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse To Release in 10 languages in India For the first time in India, a popular Hollywood franchise film is being released theatrically in 10 languages. SpiderMan: Across The Spider-Verse to release in Indian cinemas on 2 June 2023 in English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Gujarati, Marathi, Punjabi, and Bengali The trailer for all 10 languages, including 9 Indian languages has just been released.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse follows Miles Morales as he embarks on a new adventure after reuniting with Gwen Stacy, Brooklyns resident Spider-Man. The storyline takes an exciting turn as Miles is catapulted across the Multiverse and joins forces with a group of Spider-People to save the universe from a new threat. However, as they try to handle the challenge, disagreements arise, and Miles finds himself at odds with his fellow Spiders. In order to protect his loved ones, he must redefine his understanding of heroism and fight against his former allies.

Fans of the franchise have been eagerly anticipating the release of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse ever since the first movie Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse was released in 2018. The original animation and superhero movie has gained love from fans to the titular superhero of all age groups.

Now, fans in India can look forward to seeing the sequel in their own language. The trailer for the movie has just been released in all ten languages, giving fans a taste of whats to come. The film promises to be a thrilling and action-packed adventure that will delight audiences of all ages just like its predecessor.

For fans who are new to the franchise, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" is the perfect place to start. The movie is a standalone story that doesnt require any prior knowledge of the Spider-Man universe. Its a great introduction to the character and the world he inhabits and is sure to be enjoyed by fans and newcomers alike.

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Meena Kumari, called the Tragedy Queen of Bollywood, is no longer with us. She is still remembered by film lovers. Meena had wowed audiences with her acting and beauty, and she was adored by fans. During that time, she appeared in several successful films. She was a controversial personality, as everything about her life  from her affair to her alcoholism  made the news. One of Meena Kumaris most well-known films was Pakeezah. It is said that in the 1960s and 1970s, Kamal Amrohi and Meena Kumari  along with some of their crew members  arrived in Shivpuri, Madhya Pradesh for the filming of Pakeezah. Their car ran out of gas in the middle of a forest in Chambal. A gang of Chambal bandits quickly arrived and surrounded their vehicles.

Kamal and Meena began trembling with fear when they saw dozens of armed bandits that night. During this time, Kamal Amrohi told one of the bandits, You tell your chieftain that he should come and meet us in the car". When Kamal Amrohi said this, someone approached him and asked, Who are you?. My name is Kamal Amrohi, and Ive come to Chambal to shoot," Kamal explained. When the dacoit heard the term shooting, he was enraged and began speaking angrily to everyone, believing that they were all cops who had come here for a shootout or encounter. Kamal Amrohi and Meena Kumari were kidnapped by the bandits as a result of this misunderstanding.

After gathering courage, Kamal Amrohi inquired, Your name?" Daku Amrit Lal Chambal, have you heard this name in your Bombay?" the dacoit replied. Amrit Lal was the cruellest and the most fearless dacoit of the Chambal Valley at the time, for whom there was a large reward. The police also feared Amrit. After all of this, Kamal informed Amrit Lal that he is not a police officer nor has he come to shoot; his shooting means shooting for the film.

Hearing this, Amrit Lal softened. In the middle of the conversation, he learned that Meena Kumari was in another car. Amrit Lal was a big fan of Meena Kumari. He insisted on meeting Meena Kumari, saying that only after meeting her, I will let everyone go back to Delhi". During this time, Amrit Lal arranged for everyone to dance and sing along with food and drink, and his men put petrol in his car, and everyone began preparing to leave.

Amrit Lal wanted to get Meena Kumaris autograph, but due to a lack of paper and pen, he requested a knife and placed it in front of Kamal Amrohi and Meena Kumari. Meena is said to have been terrified when she saw all of this. At the same time, when asked why he kept the knife, Amrit Lal stated: When Meena Kumari writes her name with a knife in her hand, then everyone will be able to leave from here." Following that, Meena Kumari dared to write her name with a knife on his hand upon his insistence, and the films team left from there.

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Leonardo DiCaprio was in Washington Monday to testify in a political corruption trial featuring a 90s hip-hop star and a disgraced Malaysian financier, which has come to be known as the biggest embezzelment cases in the world.

Is DiCaprio accused of something? And if not, why did he testify? Lets take a look:

Influencing US Politics

Pras Michel, a member of the US musical trio The Fugees, is facing charges for allegations of helping to secretly funnel money from Low Taek Jho  the Malaysian businessman at the heart of the scandal  to influence US politics, as per an AFP report.

DiCaprio captivated the courtroom Monday, telling the jury about parties thrown by Low  extravagant affairs allegedly funded with money looted from Malaysias sovereign wealth fund, known as 1Malaysia Development Berhad, or 1MDB.

The Titanic" star, called to testify by the prosecution, is not accused of wrongdoing in what has become one of the biggest embezzlement cases in the world.

The 48-year-old actor testified that Low threw a multitude of lavish parties with many different people from all over the world" on boats and at nightclubs, often with celebrities in attendance  sometimes including Michel.

When Did DiCaprio Meet Low?

DiCaprio said he and Low first met around 2010 at a party in Las Vegas, though the actor, smiling, said he didnt quite remember everything from the evening.

He was then regularly invited to parties by Low, including a New Years Eve celebration in which revelers flew from Australia to the United States on a private plane  in order to see the clocks strike midnight twice.

I understood him to be a huge businessman with many different connections in Abu Dhabi, Malaysia a sort of prodigy in the business world, incredibly successful," said DiCaprio.

Low Said He Wanted to Fund DiCaprios Wolf of Wall Street

When Low eventually expressed interest in financing DiCaprios 2013 film The Wolf of Wall Street," the actors lawyers and a private detective looked into the Malaysian financier, who is also known as Jho Low. They ultimately gave a thumbs-up on the deal.

I was given a green light by my team as well as the studios to accept Mr. Lows funding," DiCaprio said. That means that the background check was fine and that he was seen as a legitimate businessperson."

DiCaprio also accepted gifts from Low for his environmental foundation.

US District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly repeatedly requested the actor to keep his voice up" so that the jury and court reporter could hear him, the BBC reported.

When DiCaprio was asked to identify himself in court, Michel looked at him and waved. Bloomberg in a report had previously claimed that Low was particularly generous" to Mr DiCaprio, donating a $3.2 million Picasso painting to his organisation, as well as a $9.2 million piece by Jean-Michel Basquiat.

DiCaprio allegedly eventually turned over those items, as well as others obtained from Low, to investigators.

On Monday, the actor said that Low actively engaged in DiCaprios auctions in St Tropez to raise revenue" for his environmentally minded foundation.

But in 2015, the actor said, he cut ties with Low after suspicions surfaced around his connection to the disappearance of billions of dollars from 1MDBs accounts.

Low, who is said to have fled to China and remains at large, allegedly used the 1MDB funds to subsidize his luxurious lifestyle, invest in DiCaprios film, rub shoulders with the rich and famous and influence politics.

Low mentioned in passing that he was going to give a significant contribution to the Democratic Party," DiCaprio testified. A significant sum, around 20 to 30 million dollars."

I said, Wow, thats a lot of money."

The Fugees Michel, prosecutors allege, secretly funneled that money from Low to then-president Barack Obamas 2012 re-election campaign via shell companies, hiding the donations origins.

It is illegal for foreign nationals to donate to US political campaigns.

The US government also alleges Michel agreed to participate in a clandestine lobbying effort in 2017 to help the Chinese government secure the return" of dissident billionaire Guo Wengui, based in the United States. Guo has since been arrested himself, on allegations he defrauded investors.

In addition, the government says that Michel pledged to lean on the administration of former president Donald Trump to halt a probe into Lows role in the 1MDB scandal.

Michel, 50, has pleaded not guilty.

With inputs from AFP

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India on Tuesday outright rejected" Chinas move to rename 11 places in Arunachal Pradesh that it claims as South Tibet. The Chinese Ministry of Civil Affairs, in a release, had said that they are standardising some geographical names in southern Tibet".

We have seen such reports. This is not the first time China has made such an attempt. We reject this outright. Arunachal Pradesh is, has been, and will always be an integral and inalienable part of India. Attempts to assign invented names will not alter this reality, Arindam Bagchi, spokesperson of Ministry of External Affairs, said.

The state-run tabloid, Global Times, had quoted Chinese government notification as stating, The official names of the 11 places were released by the ministry on Sunday, which also gave precise coordinates, including two land areas, two residential areas, five mountain peaks and two rivers. It also listed the category of places names and their subordinate administrative districts."

China also released a map that showed parts of Arunachal Pradesh inside the southern Tibetan region, that it refers to as Zangnan. This even includes a town close to the state capital of Itanagar.

The names were released on Sunday by Chinas ministry of civil affairs in Chinese, Tibetan and Pinyin. Pinyin which will help people to remember and identify these place names more conveniently and accurately," Global Times, which is part of the ruling Communist Partys mouthpiece Peoples Daily group of publications, stated.

Some opposition leaders tried to latch on Chinas renaming attempt, and said, Government of India now wants us to be a mute spectator to China constantly bullying India on LAC."

China has reportedly renamed 11 places in our Arunachal Pradesh!As if the sacrifices of our jawans in Galwan, surrendering our land, letting them establish village in Arunachal wasn't enough - GOI now wants us to be a mute spectator to China constantly bullying India on LAC.  T S Singhdeo (@TS_SinghDeo) April 4, 2023

In the past too, India has rejected similar renaming and standardisation attempts. Arunachal Pradesh has always been, and will always be an integral part of India. Assigning invented names to places in Arunachal Pradesh does not alter this fact," spokesperson Arindam Bagchi had said in 2021.

In 2017 and 2021, the Chinese Foreign Ministry had stated that Chinas territorial claims in the so-called Zangnan region had a historical and administrative basis.

The Global Times stated this is the third batch of standardized geographical names in Zangnan" issued by the civil affairs ministry. The first batch of the standardized names of six places in Zangnan was released in 2017, and the second batch of 15 places was issued in 2021.

The first set of names was announced by China days after the Dalai Lamas visit to Arunachal Pradesh. China was sharply critical of the Tibetan spiritual leaders visit.

The Dalai Lama fled from Tibet through Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh and sought refuge in India in 1959 after China took military control of the Himalayan region in 1950.

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To keep rising Covid-19 and influenza cases in check, states are implementing mask mandates among other measures to curb the spread in affected areas. On Tuesday, India reported a marginal decline in Covid cases with 3,038 infections against the previous days 3,641.

Active cases in the country has now increased to 21,179. The death toll climbed to 5,30,901 with nine deaths in the last 24 hours. While two deaths each were reported from Delhi and Punjab, one each was reported by Jammu and Kashmir, Maharashtra and Uttarakhand in a span of 24 hours and two reconciled by Kerala, the data updated at 8 am stated.

Maharashtra

In Maharashtras Satara district, officials have imposed a mask mandate for employees and officials working in government and semi-government offices, colleges, and banks following a spike in cases.

Satara Collector Ruchesh Jaivanshi on Monday appealed to residents in the district to use masks and maintain social distancing, and hand hygiene in crowded places such as weekly markets, bus stands, congregations, and weddings.

Last week, Solapur and Sangli districts topped the positivity chart in Maharashtra with 20.05 per cent and 17.47 per cent respectively.

Delhi

Positivity rate in the national capital was high at 18.53% on Monday which meant nearly one out of every five people tested turned out to be positive, according to data shared by the city health department.

The Delhi government said it is keeping an eye on the spurt in Covid cases in the national capital and is prepared to face any eventuality", Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Friday.

Addressing reporters after chairing a review meeting on the Covid situation in Delhi, Kejriwal said there was no need to worry for now and that the city government was taking all required steps.

Delhi has witnessed an increase in the number of fresh Covid cases over the last few days amid a sharp rise in H3N2 influenza cases in the country.

Haryana

Amid an increase in Covid cases in some parts of the state, Haryana Health Minister Anil Vij on Monday said that wearing masks will be made mandatory for all health workers, and in areas where a gathering is expected to be above 100 people.

Separately, the Chandigarh administration issued an advisory asking residents to strictly adhere to Covid-related dos and donts" at public places which include wearing masks in crowded areas and closed settings as well.

Centres Warning

On Monday, Union Health Ministry officials warned that though the new Covid variant poses less risk and is unlikely to result in an increase in hospitalisations, people need to remain vigilant.

New strains keep coming after mutations. This is a new variant that is spreading. This would not lead to an increase in hospitalisations so there is low risk associated with it," the top official said on Monday.

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In a first, Delhi Police has arrested a gangster outside India. Deepak Boxer, one of national capitals most-wanted gangsters, was held in Mexico and brought to the country.

A special Delhi Police team went abroad for the first time to get hold of a gangster, with help of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Boxer was wanted in a murder case of one Amit Gupta, a Delhi-based builder. The murder took place in the Civil Lines area of North Delhi. Soon after the incident he fled to Mexico in January," news agency IANS quoted its sources as saying.

He reportedly claimed that the realtor was associated with a rival gang, Tillu Tajpuria gang. He had said that Amit Gupta was the financier of that gang. Boxer became the head of the Gogi gang after Jitendra Gogi was murdered in 2021 in Rohini Court.

Rohini Court Shootout

The deadly Rohini Court shootout took place in September of 2021 when gangsters Sunil Maan and Jitender Mann Gogi were scheduled to appear before Special Judge Gagandeep Singh in Room no 207. Both belonged to rival gangs.

Sunil Maan was produced before the court half an hour before Gogi. At about 1.15 PM, when Gogi was produced in the court, two boys, later identified as Rahul and Moris, entered the premise dressed as lawyers.

#WATCH | Visuals of the shootout at Delhis Rohini court todayAs per Delhi Police, assailants opened fire at gangster Jitender Mann Gogi, who has died. Three attackers have also been shot dead by police. pic.twitter.com/dYgRjQGW7J  ANI (@ANI) September 24, 2021

The gangsters opened fire at Gogi using .38 bore and .30 bore pistols. Gogi received five to six-shot injuries, officials said. Both Rahul and Moris were killed on the spot. Gogi was shifted to a hospital, where he was declared brought dead.

Delhi police said Gogi was in a particularly bitter battle with a gang leader known as Sunil alias Tillu for control of regions in northern India. It was members of Tillus gang who disguised themselves as lawyers to enter the Delhi court.

Both the assailants, Rahul and Moris, were also wanted by the police. Rahul, belonging to Bagpat in Uttar Pradesh was wanted in the murder of gangster Bharat Solanki alias Yovin, a member of the Gogi gang. Moris was wanted by the police in the Gullar Pradhan murder case at Bahadurgarh.

According to police, Gogis death is a result of this gang war, and the two rivals have been involved in cases of murder, attempt to murder, extortion among others.

Gogis brutal murder can be dated back to 2018 when a Tillu gang member was shot dead by Gogis men in the same courts vicinity. According to sources, Gogi was found to be operating freely from behind bars. After having lost his right-hand man Fajja earlier this year in an alleged police encounter, Gogi had formed an alliance with Dubai-based gangster Kala Jathedi.

Chairman of Bar Council of India, Rakesh Sherawat, had condemned the incident and called it a major security lapse.

TRIVIA: The incident was compared to Amazon Primes web series, Pataal Lok, wherein gangster Hatoda Tyagi (played by Abhishek Banerjee) engages in a brawl inside a courtroom and shoots himself.

READ MORE | Rohini Court Shootout: Paatal Lok Creator Sudip Sharma Surprised by Comparisons with Web Series

How Deepak Boxer Reached Mexico

News agency IANS quoted the police sources as saying, Deepak got issued a fake passport in the name of one Ravi Antil, a resident of Moradabad and fled to Mexico. He first went to Kolkata and took a flight to Mexico on January 29, 2023."

Boxer first came to the radar of police when he helped Gogi flee police custody in 2016. At that time Gogi was in the custody of Delhi Police in Bahadurgarh. In 2018, MACOCA was imposed on him.

But he kept on committing crimes. He committed two murders in between. He also attacked a police team. In 2021 he attacked police in the GTB Hospital and helped Kuldeep alias Fazza flee police custody," the source said.

Boxer is a resident of Haryanas Gannur and is carrying a reward of Rs three lakh on his head.

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A 17-year-old girl was injured after she was allegedly bitten by an American Bully in South Delhis Neb Sarai, police said on Monday.

According to police, the incident took place on March 29 when the girl went on the terrace of her building where her neighbour Maan Singh (60) was present with his pet dog. Seeing the girl, the animal attacked her. The matter came to light after the victims father informed police.

The victim was rushed to a hospital, a senior police officer said.

The medical examination of the victim was done and a case was registered against the pet owner under IPC section 289 (Negligent conduct with respect to animal) and the matter is being investigated, he said.

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Amid the shortage of booster shots and the rise of Covid cases in Mumbai and Maharashtra, state health minister Tanaji Sawant said there is no need to panic as the situation is being monitored continuously.

At the start of the Covid-19 outbreak, Mumbai and Maharashtra were the epicentres. According to the state, on April 3, 1,079 active cases were registered in Mumbai and 3,532 cases in Maharashtra. Six districts have a positivity rate of more than 10%.

Covid cases are on the rise in Maharashtra, just as they are rising in the country. We have approximately 3,500 active cases. But the patient recovery rate is approximately 98%. Only 52 patients across the state are hospitalised. These patients are not on oxygen or ventilator support. We are ready and fully prepared to handle Covid. There is no need to panic, said Sawant.

However, the minister urged citizens to follow the Covid protocol, as most are expected to travel during summer vacations. Schools are shut in April-May. People plan their vacations to different destinations, many villages hold their annual fairs during this period. In such a scenario, there is a chance that the number of positive cases may go up, but we shouldnt panic. Just follow Covid-appropriate behaviour while you are out. Avoid crowded spots to stop the spread. XBB.16 is a diluted variant, so people need not be afraid, Sawant told News18.

6 AREAS OF CONCERN

In Maharashtra, Solapur, Satara, Sangli, Kolhapur, Sindhudurg and Pune districts are recording a positivity rate of more than 10% for the past few days. According to the minister, health department teams are keeping a close watch on Covid numbers.

The minister refuted the Oppositions allegation that the Covid task force, too, hasnt met yet. Task force meetings have happened in which they guided us. Those who are making such allegations should check the facts, he said.

BOOSTER DOSE SHORTAGE

On being asked about the shortage of Covid testing kits and booster doses, the minister admitted that there was a shortage of booster doses. We have requested the Centre for it, and the stock is expected to come within three-four days.

Sawant, however, denied the claims of shortage of testing kits. We are conducting 8,000 tests daily in the six affected districts. How can there be a shortage?

From December, the state has started to conduct random testing at Mumbai, Nagpur and Pune airports. At least 2% tourists arriving at these airports face random testing.

ON MASKS, OXYGEN

Sawant also clarified that the state has not made any official announcement on wearing masks. The decision to make masks mandatory in Satara was of the local administration.

Amid the Covid outbreak, the state had faced a shortage of oxygen needed for treatment. The state had to then import oxygen from other states. But now Maharashtra generates 550MT of oxygen every day. We dont have to rely on others, said Sawant.

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ZThe Kerala train incident, wherein a man, Shahrukh Shafi, allegedly set on fire a co-passenger on the Alappuzha-Kannur Executive Express by pouring an inflammable liquid on Sunday, might have been a terror attack, a top intelligence source told CNN-News18.

Hours later, three persons, including a one-year-old child and a woman, were found dead on the tracks near the Elathur railway station in Kozhikode. They are believed to have fallen off the train or attempted to get down after seeing the fire.

ALSO READ | Noida Native Set Co-Passenger on Fire in Kerala Train, Say Sources; NIA Team Visits Spot

This seems like a case of radicalisation with terror angle. Although this kind of terror angle was never heard of before, it could be a lone wolf attack, said the source.

Eyewitnesses saw a young man throwing a liquid, which causes burns, in the bogie, said the source. Many, including the assailant, were seen running away after that. He did not look like a local, he added.

Agencies have found a diary belonging to Shafi from the spot. All social media profiles of Shafi were scanned and a few boys were rounded up in Western UP, including Muradabad. They were released later, said the source.

Investigators have also found a phone, without a SIM card, which was registered in Delhi. They are trying to get the details of the owner as the phone was switched off on March 31.

SIT TO PROBE

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday said a Special Investigation Team (SIT) will be formed to probe the fire incident. CM Vijayan, in a statement, said the police have been instructed to carry out a thorough investigation into the incident. He said the police were actively trying to catch hold of the assailant and the probe was being supervised by State Police Chief Anil Kant. The CM further said the state will take strong measures to ensure the safety of rail passengers and the Ministry of Railways will be requested to take all possible steps.

Vijayan also condoled the death of the three persons  a woman, her infant niece and a man.

Initially, it was believed that the incident was an outcome of an altercation between the accused and another passenger. Subsequently, police and a passenger present in the compartment have said the accused did not have any altercation with anyone.

ALSO READ | Kerala Train Fire Incident: Railway Cops, NIA Carry on Search Ops in Noida, Ghaziabad to Nab Suspect

One of the injured passengers, who suffered minor burns, told a TV channel that the man suddenly came without a word or sound and sprayed petrol on several persons and set fire to them. It was very unexpected. There were few people in the compartment. Everyone panicked and started running when he lit fire," he said.

The Railway police said some of the injured had suffered 50 per cent burns, but their condition was stable. The bodies found on the tracks did not have burns, it said.

With PTI Inputs

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At least seven tourists were killed and 12 others injured in a major avalanche in Sikkims Nathula area on Tuesday. As many as 20 people have been rescued so far and the search operation has resumed today.

By 3 PM, 14 persons were rescued and taken to nearby Army medical facility. However, seven persons succumbed. The other seven persons were administered first aid and returned to Gangtok," Indian Army said.

The District Magistrate of Gangtok informed that rescue operations have been called off and there is no more requirement of the NDRF. He said that twelve injured are undergoing treatment.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled deaths and wished speedy recover to injured.

Distressed by the avalanche in Sikkim. Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. I hope the injured recover soon. Rescue ops are underway and all possible assistance is being provided to those affected," PMO tweeted quoting the PM.

Expressing condolences, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that his ministry is closely monitoring the situation.

My sincerest condolences to the families of those who have lost their lives in the tragic avalanche in Sikkim. We are closely monitoring the situation and the teams of NDRF will reach the affected area soon. I pray for the speedy recovery of those injured," Shah tweeted.

My sincerest condolences to the families of those who have lost their lives in the tragic avalanche in Sikkim.We are closely monitoring the situation and the teams of NDRF will reach the affected area soon. I pray for the speedy recovery of those injured.  Amit Shah (@AmitShah) April 4, 2023

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh expressed condolences over the incident.

Saddened by the loss of precious lives due to an avalanche in East Sikkim. Search and Rescue Ops are being carried out by the Indian Army, SDRF and other agencies. My deepest condolences to the bereaved families. Praying for the speedy recovery of the injured," he tweeted.

Saddened by the loss of precious lives due to an avalanche in East Sikkim. Search and Rescue Ops are being carried out by the Indian Army, SDRF and other agencies. My deepest condolences to the bereaved families. Praying for the speedy recovery of the injured. Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) April 4, 2023

Rescue and clearance operations are still on," a senior police official here said. Teams of Sikkim Police and Indian Army are involved in the rescue operations.

Border Roads Organisation (BRO) also launched a rescue operation in the area. As many as 22 tourists have been rescued till now including six from deep valley and shifted to near by hospitals.

The avalanche occurred around 11:10 am near the 15th milestone on Jawaharlal Nehru Marg. Meanwhile, the road has been opened for traffic by the BRO.

Nathula Pass is situated on the border with China and is a major tourist destination because of its scenic beauty.

Some 350 people and 80 vehicles, which were stranded on the road because of the snow blocking the road from Nathu La, were also brought back, officials said.

Politicians Express Condolences

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge also expressed grief and said he has utmost faith in the rescue teams involved in saving lives.

West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee said she is deeply pained by the tragic incident in Sikkim. I offer my sincerest condolences to the bereaved families and pray for the speedy recovery of those who were injured. Praying for the safety and security of all," she said in a tweet.

(With PTI inputs)

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The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has sought a detailed report from the West Bengal government on violence that broke out between two groups when a Ram Navami procession was taken out in Howrah city in the state last week, ANI reported.

In light of recent incidents of violence in West Bengals Hooghly and Rishra, CM Mamata Banerjee blamed the BJP and said, This is not a riot but a criminal violence. BJP brought people from outside for this.

Also, West Bengal Governor Dr CV Ananda Bose on Tuesday said hooligans will not be allowed to take law into their hands. The Centre and the state government will work Read More
Fugitive Khalistani separatist Amritpal Singh is completely dependent on aide Papalpreet Singh since his escape, top intelligence sources have told CNN-News18.

Papalpreet is an active member of Waris Punjab De headed by Amritpal.

Earlier, Papalpreet was an active follower of Sangrur MP Simranjit Singh Mann and he played a very active role in the Sarbat Khalsa (general assembly of Sikhs) held in Chabba village.

Papalpreet was booked for this Sarbat Khalsa for his alleged links with Pakistans Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

His uncle wanted Amritpal to surrender but Papalpreet forced him not to. And on the advice of Papalpreet, they escaped, the sources said.

All hideouts were arranged by Papalpreet, they added. Balbir Kaur in Patiala, who allegedly gave shelter to Amritpal, was also known to Papalpreet, said the sources.

Baljit Kaur in Shahbad, Haryana, and Kulwinder Kaur in Delhi, who also allegedly harboured Amritpal, were also known to Papalpreet, intelligence sources said.

Six FIRs are under investigation against Papalpreet for his alleged roles and links with international spy agencies and getting funding from them.

In one FIR he is booked for sedition against the Indian government, promoting enmity between groups, abetting a criminal offence, cyber terrorism, and conspiracy.

Papalpreet has links with pro-Khalistan radical entities based abroad including in Pakistan, said the sources.

He is engaged in interviewing families of slain militants and riot victims and in getting money from abroad for it, they added.

When Amritpal came to India, the two came in contact, and he started influencing Papalpreet, said the sources.

Most of the women who gave shelter to Amritpal were friends of Papalpreet, they added.

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Egypt has announced to offer visas on arrival to Indians as the country has changed the rules on multiple entry visas to boost tourism. This was recently announced by Egypts tourism minister after the country expanded its list of nationalities eligible for visa on arrival facility.

According to the reports, a five-year multiple entry visa would be offered for $700 (Rs 57,688), while a single entry on-arrival visa would be offered for $25 (Rs 2,060) with a validity of 30 days. The new visa policy is accessible to more than 180 nationalities.

The minister confirmed that India and China have also made it to the list. This would allow tourists from India and China, who hold a Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) resident visa, to avail visa on arrival facility. Individual tourists from China would also be able to obtain emergency entry visas at the Egyptian ports.

There have been changes in the eligibility criteria for tourists arriving from other countries as well. Iraqi tourists would also be given visas on arrival only if they met the eligibility criteria, while Iranian tourists would be given visas on arrival when heading to South Sinai through a certified agency. Israelis would be allowed to visit Hurghada in groups only through the sponsorship of certified tourism companies. Residents of Turkey would be given expanded access to visas on arrival in order to re-establish ties between Egypt and Turkey.

The changes were made in order to boost tourism in the country, which has been adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war.

Reports have suggested that Egypt received 11.7 million tourists last year and would be expecting a 25% to 30% increase this year. They have also predicted that the number of tourists would reach up to 30 million by 2028.

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HOLY WEEK 2023: Holy Wednesday is the Wednesday of Holy Week, which is the week leading up to Easter Sunday in the Christian faith. It is also known as Spy Wednesday" in some Christian traditions. The name Spy Wednesday" comes from the fact that according to the Gospel of Matthew, on this day Judas Iscariot, one of Jesus disciples, made a deal with the Jewish authorities to betray Jesus. Judas agreed to identify Jesus to the authorities with a kiss in exchange for thirty pieces of silver. The term spy" refers to Judas act of secretly plotting against Jesus and betraying him to the authorities.

ALSO READ: Holy Week Timeline 2023: Palm Sunday, Good Friday to Easter Sunday, All You Need to Know About Passion Week

Holy Wednesday is also traditionally associated with the story of the woman who anointed Jesus feet with expensive oil. According to the Gospel of John, this happened at the house of Simon the Leper in Bethany, six days before the Passover. This event is seen as a foreshadowing of Jesus impending death and burial.

In some Christian traditions, Holy Wednesday is also observed as a day of repentance and fasting, as well as a time to reflect on the events leading up to Jesus death and resurrection.

HOLY WEDNESDAY 2023: QUOTES THAT YOU MAY FIND INSPIRING

For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." - Mark 10:45 Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." - Matthew 26:41 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down ones life for ones friends." - John 15:13 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." - 2 Corinthians 5:21 He himself bore our sins" in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed." - 1 Peter 2:24 Then Jesus said to them, All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written: I will strike the Shepherd, And the sheep of the flock will be scattered.'" - Matthew 26:31 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed." - Isaiah 53:5

These quotes emphasize the sacrifice that Jesus made for humanity and the importance of repentance and spiritual reflection during Holy Week.

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MAHAVIR JAYANTI 2023: Mahavir Jayanti is one of the most significant festivals celebrated by the Jain community in India and around the world. It marks the birth anniversary of Lord Mahavira, the 24th and last Tirthankara (enlightened teacher) of Jainism. This year, it is being observed today on Tuesday, April 4. On Mahavir Jayanti, Jains across the world commemorate the birth of Lord Mahavira by performing various rituals and religious ceremonies.

ALSO READ: Happy Mahavir Jayanti 2023: Best Wishes, Images, Status, Quotes, Photos, Messages and Greetings

The celebrations include traditional processions, dudha abhisheka, and recitation of hymns and prayers. The festival is a time for devotees to reflect on the teachings and values of Lord Mahavira, and to strive towards living a life of compassion, non-violence, and selflessness.

Mahavir Jayanti: History

Lord Mahavir, the last Tirthankar and the founder of Jainism was born in Kundalagrama, Bihar on the 13th day of Chaitra month in the year 599 BC, according to the Hindu calendar. His birthplace is now home to many temples dedicated to him. Born as Prince Vardhamana in the Ikshvaku Dynasty, he had no interest in ruling the kingdom and renounced all worldly possessions at the age of 30.

ALSO READ: Mahavir Jayanti 2023: Important Teachings of Lord Mahavira and His Quotes

In his quest for truth, he witnessed the sufferings of humans along the way and ultimately achieved enlightenment. Lord Mahavir then continued his journey and taught people how to achieve moksha and break free from the cycle of birth, life, and misery.

Mahavir Jayanti: Significance

Mahavir Jayanti is one of the most significant festivals for the Jain community. The day holds great importance as it marks the birth of the 24th Tirthankara of the Jain religion.

ALSO READ: Mahavir Jayanti 2023: Date, Rituals and Celebrations of the Jain Festival

The day also encourages people to engage in charitable activities and serve humanity, reflecting the teachings of Lord Mahavir. It is an occasion for self-reflection and moral introspection, inspiring people to follow the path of righteousness and non-violence. The festival is an opportunity for people to come together and celebrate the values of peace, compassion, and spiritual enlightenment.

Mahavir Jayanti: How It Is Celebrated

The celebration of Mahavir Jayanti is a significant event across the country. The festivities begin with a traditional bath, called Jal Abhisheka, of the statues and idols of Lord Mahavira. Devotees also engage in charitable activities to honour Lord Mahavira. Processions are taken out on the streets. People carry pictures and images of Mahavira on chariots, and visit holy places and temples to meditate and offer prayers. Mahavira is honoured with flowers, rice, fruits, and other offerings. Free food campaigns and charity camps are also organised to help the less fortunate.

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NATIONAL MARITIME DAY 2023 IN INDIA: Surrounded by the Indian Ocean at its south and the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal at the eastern and western sides, India became a prominent naval trading power in ancient times. In the present day, that tradition continues.

May the National Maritime Week serve as an opportunity to deepen our connect with our rich maritime history. May it also add vigour to the ongoing efforts towards port-led development and harnessing our coasts for economic prosperity. https://t.co/O643Pvh4ru Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 31, 2023

Observed on the last day of the National Maritime Week which begins on March 30, the National Maritime Day takes place in India on April 5. It celebrates Indias rich maritime history. This year marks the 60th anniversary of the celebrations. Below, we look at the theme, history and significance of National Maritime Day.

National Maritime Day 2023: Theme

The theme of this years National Maritime Day has not been announced yet. The theme for National Maritime Week 2023 was announced as Amrit Kaal in Shipping, which roughly translates to English as Golden Era in Shipping, a 25-year period from 75 years to 100 years of Indian independence.

National Maritime Day: History

National Maritime Day has its origins in British India. It commemorates the maiden voyage of the first Indian Steamship S.S. Loyalty of the Scindia Steam, Navigation Co. Ltd., in 1919, from Mumbai to London. It was the second oldest shipping company in India and was owned by the Scindia dynasty of Gwalior.

Prior to British and Mughal rule, India was a prominent naval nation. The Rig Vedas mention Indian ships and how trade was conducted with western Asia. The Gangaridai Empire, the Chola dynasty and the Mauryan Empire were powerful maritime civilisations in ancient India.

A dry dock discovered at Lothal, Gujarat, which dates back to 2400 BC, is believed to be the oldest in the world. Later, the Marathas led by Chatrapati Shivaji became a formidable maritime force, resisting the British and the Portuguese for over 40 years.

National Maritime Day: Significance

National Maritime Day is significant since it creates awareness about Indias rich maritime history and present role in supporting Indias economy. Gratitude is expressed towards sailors who spend months at sea, away from their families.

National Maritime Day: Celebrations

The Government of India celebrates National maritime day by awarding distinguished personalities who have made notable contributions to the maritime sector. The govt. also pays tributes to sailors who sacrificed their lives at sea.

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That over half of India will be urban very soon is known to all. It is dreadful to visualise overflowing cities with under-provided bare necessities, full of slums. An insight into some of the efforts so far throws light on why breakthroughs elude us.

The Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) was launched in December 2005 as an over-Rs 1 lakh crore, seven-year mission (2005-12) with objective of reforms-driven fast-track development of cities across the country, with focus on efficiency in urban infrastructure, service delivery mechanism, community participation and accountability of Urban Local Bodies (ULBs)/ parastatal agencies towards citizens.

The Comptroller and Accountant General of India (CAG) conducted a performance audit of the programme to find that only 40% of the planned funds had been released up to 2011-12. Only 8.3% projects approved up to March 31, 2011 were completed by March 31, 2011. Even the Project Management Unit had not been established in nine states and Project Implementation Unit in 10 states at the time of audit, seven years after launch.

The performance in states was uneven with the usual western and southern states doing better than the rest, and the impact of the mission, lukewarm at best. Management capacity to plan and implement was missing in many states. Planning from below had not happened and constructing drains (infrastructure) but not on how to keep them clean (community and social engagement) was the focus. People-centric action was absent. Neither did the master plans reflect needs of the poor who flock cities, nor did amenities development focused on community connect at the basti level.

The Smart Cities Mission (SCM) was launched on June 15, 2015, to be completed by 2019-20. One hundred cities and towns in different states and UTs of India were selected under the SCM. Covering one-third of Indias population, the mission of SCM was to drive economic growth and improve the quality of life of people by enabling local area development and harnessing technology that leads to smart outcomes and to ensure that these cities are liveable, inclusive, sustainable, (and) have thriving economies that offer multiple opportunities to people to pursue their diverse interests.

ORGs Special Report in August 2021 notes: The slow progress in implementing the Smart Cities Mission (like JNNURM) is a matter of concern. Overall, less than 50% of the projects had been completed at the end of the missions six-year period.

The project continues to focus on Sewerage Treatment Plans (STPs) and other capital and technology related works with very little thrust on community partnership and people-centric capacity-building. As expected, progress is uneven. Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh have done well. The performance of Delhi, Haryana, Chhattisgarh and West Bengal is in the average category. The rest are lagging behind. Lack of management capacity and timely mobilisation of funds are again the reason for slow progress.

Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Delhi and Chhattisgarh find a place in the top cities ranked on Sarvekshan cleanliness in 2022. The same states have built some capacities in urban governance in some cities. This lesson of absence of capacity is known for the last so many decades but we still keep trying more of the same, assuming that financial resources and management capacity will happen on its own.

There is no time to be non-evidence based in our approach to urban challenges. Data shows how slums have started growing again and that housing shortage of over 30% continues in urban areas in spite of the PMAY Urban. There is a challenge of land and rights for housing for the poor in urban areas. We cannot wish the problem away; it needs engagement and solution. Housing and basic services like electricity, water, gas, are very bare necessities. Identity validation of new city dwellers or changing addresses of the older ones, is needed with ease. Urban local governments must know who their people are and where do they live.

It is time we started planning from below. Look at the nervous and challenged faces treading to urban areas in the hope of a better life. Can we make their entry smoother and less painful through migration centres that provide a temporary roof for a few days? Is it possible to make employers contribute to the development of rental housing?

The migrants need a vote in cities for them to matter to the elected local governments. There is a case for habitation-level elected basti leaders as part of the local government. It will promote a new breed of community leaders. We need to strengthen the womens collectives and provision for skills and credit.

More schools and health facilities are needed with the diversity to meet the differential needs of poor families migrating to cities in the hope of better lives. Immediate identification of all households with Aadhaar to enable access to public services without further questions is the way to go. This needs basti-based community action with ease of updating registration.

The other route is to go the China way of crafting cities as land grants to a company which builds property value to finance urban infrastructure. The city comes up before the people flock to them and entry is regulated by permits.

Democracies will find that very tough, even though the principle of creating wealth through urbanisation, needs to be emulated for creating new cities. From forced recognition of dense, dungeon-like census towns, we need city building mission through land grants.

The need for management capacity is well-articulated as urban local bodies are not structured to provide professional public services. The restructuring of municipal revenues also acquires priority, given the fact that, in India, it is barely 1% percent of the GDP, whereas in Finland, it is 22.4% of the GDP. Surely, there is something wrong with our assignment of tax jurisdiction for effective compliance and revenues.

Likewise, greater thrust is needed on bare necessities for the urban poor. Smaller town panchayats to notified area committee, municipalities and municipal corporations are all struggling for financial and human resources as many states provide only a small amount of the stamp duties as grant. Multiplicity of urban authorities further complicates holistic and convergent planning. Leadership development for municipal administration also needs high priority. Many Gram Panchayats come together to form a Town Panchayat and that is where the tussle sets in, in the absence of a leadership planning for urban clusters. Leadership development for urban governance needs focused attention.

Unfortunately, a very good initiative of developing 300 Rurban Clusters has been discontinued, in spite of the evaluation indicating its efficacy. A convergence-based effort with some critical gap funding, the cluster planning with the best institutions as per standards developed by Central Environmental Planning and Training (CEPT) Institute, and the School of Planning and Architecture (SPA), is the way to go.

We need to begin by assuring a guarantee of public services for every citizen across basic necessities. In fact, the thrust on census towns and emerging growth points to develop medium-sized cities of 25 to 50,000 population is likely to give even better results. Post-Covid, the expectation is that the Tier 2 and 3 cities may well be the harbingers of larger economic activity. That is where urban governance engagement needs a breakthrough in planned development.

The problems of the poor in urban areas are known. Problems will not disappear on their own. There has to be greater thrust on evidence-based approaches rather than continuing with top-down solutions. We need to understand the problem before we come up with a solution.

When asked, each of the top 10 city commissioners confirmed that community participation is what transformed their cities. Why then are the institutional partnerships with Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs), Basti Samitis, elected local leadership, still not a priority in urban governance?

Why does this, then, not become integral to urban planning? Make people matter. Reflect it in the City Master Plans. Engage with them. The problems are there; so are the solutions.

Amarjeet Sinha is a retired civil servant. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not represent the stand of this publication.

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The Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress seem to be at loggerheads again, this time in Tamil Nadu, as a scuffle broke out between workers from both parties in Kanyakumaris Nagercoil. The chaos ensued during a protest by workers of the Youth Congress against Congress leader Rahul Gandhis Lok Sabha disqualification.

According to Congress leader Srinivas BV, the workers had been peacefully" protesting when they were attacked by BJP District President Dharmaraj and others outside the BJP office in Nagercoil.

I strongly condemn the vicious attack on youth congress workers who were peacefully protesting against the disqualification of Shri Rahul Gandhi ji. These BJP goons must be brought to justice," he said in a tweet on Tuesday.

I strongly condemn the vicious attack on youth congress workers who were peacefully protesting against the disqualification of Shri Rahul Gandhi ji.Youth Congress leaders were attacked by BJP District President Dharmaraj & Goons outside the BJP office in Nagercoil, Tamil Nadu, pic.twitter.com/P9aLufRgfH  Srinivas BV (@srinivasiyc) April 4, 2023

In the video shared by Srinivas BV, Youth Congress workers could be seen protesting outside the BJP office in Nagercoil. This is when the BJP workers and Congress activists started pelting stones and beating each other. After the incident, the BJP workers later staged a Road Roko protest.

Notably, a sessions court in Surat on Monday granted bail to Rahul Gandhi and will hear on April 13 the Congress leaders plea for a stay of his conviction in a 2019 criminal defamation case over his Modi surname" remark in which he was sentenced to two years in jail that led to his disqualification from the Lok Sabha.

The former Congress chief, who was present in the court, in his appeal against his conviction and sentence by a Magistrates court on March 23 contended that the order was erroneous and patently perverse", alleging he was sentenced in a manner so as to attract disqualification as a Member of Parliament.

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Former Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad on Tuesday praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said that he was too generous" to him, and never took any revenge" despite his comments on several issues including Article 370, CAA among others.

In an interview with news agency ANI, Azad said, I must give credit to Modi. For what I did to him, he was too generous. As Leader of the Opposition I did not spare him on any issue be it Article 370 or CAA or hijab."

I got some Bills totally failed but I must give him the credit that he behaved like a statesman, not taking revenge for that, Azad added.

I must give credit to Modi. For what I did to him, he was too generous. As Leader of the Opposition I did not spare him on any issue be it Article 370 or CAA or hijab. I got some Bills totally failed but I must give him the credit that he behaved like a statesman, not taking pic.twitter.com/0jRFdBC9cy ANI (@ANI) April 4, 2023

This is not the first time Azad has expressed his positive opinions about the prime minister. In 2021, he said he respected the fact that the prime minister does not hide his past and is proud of where he came from and what he did.

Even our Prime Minister hails from the village and used to sell tea. We are political rivals but I appreciate that he does not hide his true self, Azad had said at an event in Jammu.

In August 2022, Azad said that he thought of Modi as a crude man" but his perception has been changed.

In fact, on Azads retirement from the Parliament, Modi gave an emotional address on the floor, and teared up, while bidding adieu to the veteran politician.

Azad has resigned from the grand old party in August last year. He resigned from all party positions, including its primary membership, ahead of organisational elections and accused the leadership of committing fraud on the party in the name of sham internal polls.

He also strongly criticised Rahul Gandhi in his resignation letter.

In a five-page no holds barred letter to Congress president Sonia Gandhi that comes ahead of crucial organisational elections in the party, Azad said he does so with a heavy heart.

The Congress, he said, has lost both the will and the ability under tutelage of the coterie that runs the AICC to fight for what is right for India, Azad, who is part of the G-23 group seeking change in party, said.

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A political slugfest between the ruling Trinamool Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party has continued in West Bengal as a 19-year-old man Sumit Shaw, who was seen allegedly carrying a gun during a Ram Navami procession in Howrah district last week, was arrested by the police from Bihars Munger.

Clashes between two groups broke out in Howrahs Shibpur and Kazipara areas during the Ram Navami festivities last week, and the state Criminal Investigation Department is probing into the violence.

A senior officer said on Tuesday the young man was seen holding a firearm during a religious procession in a purported video that went viral on social media.

West Bengal | A man, Sumit Shaw, 19, seen carrying a weapon at Rama Navami rally in Howrah was arrested from Bihar's Munger: Howrah Police pic.twitter.com/JcLERZkqzn ANI (@ANI) April 4, 2023

He has been arrested from Bihars Munger. During interrogation, the youth admitted that he carried a revolver with him during the Ram Navami procession. He was seen in the video. We have handed over him to the state CID," the officer told the news agency PTI.

TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee had shared the purported video on Twitter, in which the man was seen holding a firearm during a religious procession.

BJP's DANGABAJI FORMULA at work again: Provoke & instigate communities against each other. Supply weapons to incite violence. Create communal tension deliberately. Reap political benefits. A classic unholy blueprint right out of the @BJP4India playbook! pic.twitter.com/HKZ0BmIlCm  Abhishek Banerjee (@abhishekaitc) March 31, 2023

News18 did not verify the authenticity of the video/photos.

BJP Vs TMC Continues

Earlier in the day, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee accused the BJP of organising violence during Ram Navami processions and asserted that she would not let any rioter go scot-free and warned that strict action would be taken against dangabaaz (rioters).

Addressing a rally in Purba Medinipur district, Banerjee also took a dig at Union Home Minister Amit Shah without naming him and pointed out that BJP had said if it comes to power in Bihar, it would hang rioters upside down" and wondered why such action was not being taken against their goondas".

Taking a dig at Union Home Minister Amit Shah, without naming him, she said, The BJP said if the party comes to power in Bihar, it would hang rioters upside down. Then why are they not doing that to their `goondas who are fomenting trouble in Bengal? Charity begins at home." Shah had made the remark during a recent public rally in Nawada district of Bihar, which has also witnessed communal clashes during Ram Navami.

Meanwhile, TMC leader Kunal Ghosh also held BJP responsible for violence in Bengals Hooghly and Howrah. He said, In the incident that happened in Howrah on Ram Navami, there was a boy visible in the procession of BJP who was carrying a revolver. This provocation plot of the BJP is established now. Howrah Police arrested him in Munger in Bihar. This case has been assigned to CID."

*Sumit Shaw, who was carrying weapon in the Ramanavami procession, arrested from Munger.**He has confessed his participation in the procession with firearms.**BJP, who is master of spreading fake news, yesterday were claiming of fact-checking this issue. What will they say now? pic.twitter.com/BteTklGHB8 Kunal Ghosh (@KunalGhoshAgain) April 4, 2023

Accusing the BJP of bringing people from outside the state for the Ram Navami processions, the TMC said, We have repeatedly said that the BJP was bringing people from outside (the state) for Ram Navami processions. The Howrah Police arrested a youth with a firearm from Munger. The accused admitted that he had participated in that procession and was carrying a gun. The BJP has been denying the fact. Let the CID investigate everything."

On Friday, BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari told a press meet that the violence was the result of the alleged appeasement politics of the Mamata Banerjee government which failed to rein in anti-national forces.

Stating that he moved the Calcutta High Court seeking an NIA probe into the incident, Adhikari had said the chief minister must step down for her failure to control the violence and apologise to Hindus for the attacks on their properties."

Responding to the video shared by the TMC where a youth is seen holding a revolver at a Ram Navami procession, the Adhikari had said, BJP activists never believe in carrying weapons, including firearms in public, unlike the Trinamool Congress. Let the TMC provide evidence about the participation of our activists with firearms in the procession. We will take action against him."

Violence broke out on Thursday evening between two groups when a Ram Navami procession was taken out at Kazipra in Howrah. Several vehicles, including some belonging to the police, were torched and shops and auto-rickshaws ransacked. In fresh unrest, policemen deployed at Kazipara were pelted with stones on Friday afternoon.

(with inputs from PTI)

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US President Joe Biden was paying little attention to the arraignment of his predecessor Donald Trump in New York on criminal charges, the White House said on Tuesday.

Obviously he will catch part of the news when he has a moment to catch up on news of the day but this is not a focus for him," Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said during a press briefing.

The sole public event on Bidens schedule Tuesday was a meeting with advisors on emerging artificial intelligence technology.

The 76-year-old former president turned himself in Tuesday for a historic court hearing held amid tight security and a global media frenzy, as the Republican billionaire becomes the first American president in history to face criminal charges.

In a spectacle playing out on live television  with rival protesters rallying outside  the hearing marks a watershed moment for the US criminal and political system, with the potential to upend the 2024 White House race.

Trump is expected to plead not guilty to a host of charges related to hush money paid to a porn star ahead of the 2016 election that brought him to power.

Seems so SURREAL  WOW, they are going to ARREST ME," Trump posted on his Truth Social app as he headed to the courthouse from Trump Tower, where he spent the night after flying from Florida.

Cant believe this is happening in America. MAGA!"

The twice-impeached Republican is the first sitting or former American president to be criminally indicted  a development that has propelled the United States into uncharted political waters.

Police lined the streets while helicopters buzzed in the skies as Trumps motorcade made the short drive to court, a journey given wall-to-wall live coverage on US networks although cameras will not be allowed for the hearing itself.

Trump waved at supporters after leaving his car before walking into the complex under US Secret Service protection.

Protests outside court

Trump claims he is the victim of political persecution"  but is also using the court case to energize his support base and raise millions of dollars for his bid to reclaim the White House.

He plans to speak to reporters as he walks through the hallways toward court, one of his attorneys told CNN.

THE RADICAL LEFT DEMOCRATS HAVE CRIMINALIZED THE JUSTICE SYSTEM," Trump posted hours before the hearing, branding the proceedings a kangaroo court."

Hundreds of people gathered outside the venue  both of Trump supporters and anti-Trump demonstrators, as well as media and curious onlookers.

About 30 counts, including at least one felony, are expected to be unsealed during the arraignment, which may last around 15 minutes. Afterward, Trump is due to return straight to Florida, where he plans to deliver an evening speech.

$130,000 payment

Trump was indicted last week by a grand jury in the case brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, an elected Democrat.

The charges revolve around the investigation of $130,000 paid to adult film actress Stormy Daniels just days before Trumps election win.

Trumps former lawyer and aide Michael Cohen, who has turned against his ex-boss, says he arranged the payment to Daniels in exchange for her silence about a tryst she says she had with Trump in 2006.

(With AFP inputs)

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Donald Trump Impeachment Trial Live: Former US President Donald Trump on Tuesday pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts inside a packed New York courtroom, as he became the first American president to be arrested on criminal charges.

Not guilty, Trump said in a clear voice inside the courtroom, where he sat with his shoulders up to his ears, at times looking annoyed but mostly listening cooperatively. Later, at Mar-a-Lago, addressing his supporters, the former president said he could not believe something of this magnitude could happen in the US. Read More
Donald Trump on Tuesday pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts inside a packed New York courtroom ahead of a trial that could begin as soon as January, as he became the first American president to be arrested on criminal charges.

After a stern glare to waiting press, Trump spent about an hour inside a Manhattan courtroom as he voluntarily surrendered over allegations involving hush money payments that have already upended the 2024 White House race in which he is leading the Republican field.

Not guilty," Trump said in a clear voice inside the courtroom, where he sat with his shoulders up to his ears, at times looking annoyed but mostly listening cooperatively.

Trump denied all the charges, which related to payments to keep people quiet including over an alleged affair with an adult film actress.

The 76-year-old hotel tycoon is accused of falsifying business records including some that were allegedly mischaracterized for tax purposes.

Manhattan is home to the countrys most significant business market. We cannot allow New York businesses to manipulate their records to cover up criminal conduct," said Manhattans District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who has faced heated attacks from Trump and his family.

The trial could potentially start as soon as January, Judge Juan Merchan said, meaning that Trump could be in a courtroom just as primary elections begin in the presidential race.

Trumps lawyers, denouncing the allegations as sad" and boilerplate," want the trial pushed back to the spring.

Were going to fight it, were going to fight it hard," attorney Todd Blanche said outside the court complex.

Merchan released the former president from custody without any restrictions.

Trump was expected to speak at length later including at a campaign-style event after the native New Yorker flies back to his estate in Florida.

In a spectacle that played out on live television  with rival protesters rallying outside  the hearing marked a watershed moment for the US criminal and political system the year before the 2024 election.

Seems so SURREAL  WOW, they are going to ARREST ME," Trump posted on his Truth Social app as he headed to the courthouse from Trump Tower, where he spent the night before the hearing.

- First indicted president -

The twice-impeached Republican is the first sitting or former American president to be criminally indicted  a development that has propelled the United States into uncharted political waters.

Police lined the streets while helicopters buzzed in the skies as Trumps motorcade made the short drive to court, a journey given wall-to-wall live coverage on US networks although cameras were not allowed for the hearing itself.

Trump was not subjected to a perp walk"  in which a defendant is escorted in handcuffs past media cameras.

But the former president was believed to have undergone the standard booking procedure of being fingerprinted.

Trump claims he is the victim of political persecution"  but is also using the court case to energize his support base and raise millions of dollars for his bid to reclaim the White House.

Hundreds of people gathered outside the venue  both of Trump supporters and anti-Trump demonstrators, as well as media and curious onlookers.

Police stepped into the fray as the pro-Trump side  many sporting MAGA" hats and attire emblazoned with the American flag  yelled slurs at counterprotesters.

The anti-Trump camp unfurled a large banner reading Trump lies all the time" and chanted Lock him up!" as Trump fans waved a flag with the slogan Trump or Death."

- Payment before election -

The most famous charges against Trump revolve around the investigation of $130,000 paid to adult film actress Stormy Daniels just days before Trumps election win.

Trumps former lawyer and aide Michael Cohen, who has turned against his ex-boss, says he arranged the payment to Daniels in exchange for her silence about a tryst she says she had with Trump in 2006.

Trump, whose third wife Melania had recently given birth at the time, denies the affair.

Prosecutors also faulted Trump over a $30,000 payment made by the owner of a tabloid to keep quiet a doorman at Trump Tower over allegations that the former president had a child out of wedlock.

Trump is facing a series of separate criminal investigations at the state and federal level that could result in further  more serious  charges between now and Election Day.

They include his efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss in the state of Georgia, his handling of classified documents, and his possible involvement in the storming of the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.

President Joe Biden, mindful that anything he might say could fuel Trumps claim of a politically weaponized" judicial system, is one of the few Democrats holding back over the indictment of his rival.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Biden would catch part of the news when he has a moment," but insisted: This is not something thats a focus for him."

Republicans meanwhile have largely rallied around Trump, including his rival in the partys presidential primary, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who called the indictment un-American."

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Finland on Tuesday becoming the 31st member of NATO is a strategic step that doubles the military alliances border with Russia and provides the coalition with additional military capacity.

Here are the key facts:

- Russia more vulnerable -

Finland broke with decades of non-alignment to ask to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization after Russia invaded its pro-Western neighbour Ukraine in February last year.

For Moscow, which has repeatedly warned NATO against expanding, Finlands accession extends the blocs presence right on its western doorstep.

Russia  which shares a 1,300-kilometre (800-mile) border with Finland  said on Monday it would boost its military presence in its west and northwest in response.

With Finland joining NATO, Russias northwestern flank becomes more vulnerable", security experts Nicholas Lokker and Heli Hautala wrote on Friday on defence-focused website War on the Rocks.

Its border with the alliance will then extend from the Arctic Ocean to the Baltic Sea."

- More NATO border to defend -

As a NATO member, Finland is bound by the alliances mutual defence clause, Article 5.

It will benefit not only from its allies conventional military assistance but also from their nuclear deterrence.

In return, the Nordic nation, which intends to boost its defence budget by 40 percent by 2026, could contribute some of its military resources to defend the alliance.

The country of 5.5 million people counts just 12,000 professional soldiers.

But it trains more that 20,000 each year through its conscription service programme, giving the army a pool of 900,000 Finns as potential reserves.

This means that in case of war, the army can deploy 280,000 Finnish citizens at any one time.

It has a fleet of 55 F-18 US combat aircraft, which it plans to replace with more advanced F-35s from 2025 onwards, as well as 200 tanks and more than 700 artillery guns.

But the country joining NATO also means hundreds of extra kilometres of border to defend for the alliance.

- Allied forces -

The only military equipment that NATO actually owns are a fleet of Airborne Warning and Control System planes (AWACS)  which can monitor an area almost as big as Poland  and five Global Hawk high-altitude surveillance drones.

For all other military gear, each NATO member chooses what to contribute, though all have promised to reinforce the alliances eastern flank.

France dispatched 500 troops to join US soldiers in Romania last year right after Russia invaded Ukraine. Dutch and Belgian soldiers soon joined them.

As of December, some 5,000 foreign troops were stationed in Romania  the largest contingent of allied forces on the blocs southeastern flank.

NATO conducted nine joint exercises last year, from the eastern Mediterranean to the Baltic Sea, the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) says.

- The troops -

Together NATO allies represent 50 percent of the worlds military might," NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said on Tuesday welcoming Finland into the alliance. As long as we stand together and protect each other there will be no military attack against a NATO ally."

According to the Supreme Headquarters of Allied Powers in Europe (SHAPE), NATO can count on up to 3.5 million soldiers and personnel.

The three nations providing most military staff are the United States with 1.47 million active troops plus 800,000 reservists, Turkey with 425,000 soldiers and 200,000 reservists, and France with 210,000 troops and 40,000 reservists.

NATO has since 2004 had a multinational response force of some 40,000 soldiers on top of the 100,000 US troops already on European soil. It says it hopes to increase this to 300,000 soldiers.

It has also set up a spearhead force" within it, dubbed the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force" or VJTF, able to deploy 5,000 personnel in two to three days.

- Renewed unity -

NATO had in recent years faced an existential crisis.

French President Emmanuel Macron in 2019 famously said that NATO was experiencing brain death" after it failed to respond to Turkeys unilateral invasion of northeast Syria.

But Russian President Vladimir Putins re-invasion of Ukraine has provided the fuel for the alliances renewed unity and recommitment to cooperative security, crisis management, and collective defence," retired general Philip M. Breedlove, who used to head US European Command, wrote in February.

According to IISS, the alliance has since doubled its deployment from four battle groups - in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland - to eight, including Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia.

But it is likely that most of the high-readiness forces will need to be European", it said in an annual assessment for 2023.

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Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, on April 4 announced the historic indictment of Donald Trump, 76, for falsifying New York business records in order to conceal damaging information and unlawful activity from American voters before and after the 2016 election.

Trump appeared at the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse to formally face charges after his indictment by a grand jury last week. The former US President is the first to be charged with a crime, in a case involving hush money payments to an adult-film actress.

Trump is charged with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.

These are felony crimes in New York. No matter who you are. We cannot normalize serious criminal conduct.  D.A. Bragg pic.twitter.com/VWztzDrdBq Alvin Bragg (@ManhattanDA) April 4, 2023

Does that mean Trump is charged with 34 different crimes?

No, the indictment lists 34 felony counts under the same New York statute. Each count represents a separate instance of alleged misconduct, but not a different type of crime.

During the election, Trump and others employed a catch and kill scheme to identify, purchase, and bury negative information about him and boost his electoral prospects.

Trump then went to great lengths to hide this conduct, causing dozens of false entries in business records to conceal criminal activity, including attempts to violate state and federal election laws.

34 Counts of Falsifying Business Records

Trump is charged in a New York State Supreme Court indictment with 34 counts of Falsifying Business Records in the First Degree, according to the indictment document.

The People of the State of New York allege that Donald J. Trump repeatedly and fraudulently falsified New York business records to conceal crimes that hid damaging information from the voting public during the 2016 presidential election, said District Attorney Bragg.

Manhattan is home to the countrys most significant business market. We cannot allow New York businesses to manipulate their records to cover up criminal conduct. As the Statement of Facts describes, the trail of money and lies exposes a pattern that, the People allege, violates one of New Yorks basic and fundamental business laws. As this office has done time and time again, we today uphold our solemn responsibility to ensure that everyone stands equal before the law.

We just announced a 34-count felony indictment of former President Donald J. Trump. Learn more: https://t.co/PTTh2zlsvv pic.twitter.com/IUE6JjdrS2 Alvin Bragg (@ManhattanDA) April 4, 2023

According to court documents and statements made on the record in court, from August 2015 to December 2017, Trump orchestrated his catch and kill scheme through a series of payments that he then concealed through months of false business entries.

In one instance, American Media Inc. (AMI), paid $30,000 to a former Trump Tower doorman, who claimed to have a story about a child Trump had out of wedlock.

In a second instance, AMI paid $150,000 to a woman who alleged she had a sexual relationship with TRUMP. When Trump explicitly directed a lawyer who then worked for the Trump Organization as Trumps Special Counsel (Special Counsel) to reimburse AMI in cash, the Special Counsel indicated to Trump that the payment should be made via a shell company and not by cash.

AMI ultimately declined to accept reimbursement after consulting their counsel. AMI, which later admitted its conduct was unlawful in an agreement with federal prosecutors, made false entries in its business records concerning the true purpose of the $150,000 payment.

In a third instance  12 days before the presidential general election  the Special Counsel wired $130,000 to an attorney for an adult film actress. The Special Counsel, who has since pleaded guilty and served time in prison for making the illegal campaign contribution, made the payment through a shell corporation funded through a bank in Manhattan.

After winning the election, Trump reimbursed the Special Counsel through a series of monthly checks, first from the Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust  created in New York to hold the Trump Organizations assets during Trumps presidency  and later from Trumps bank account.

In total, 11 checks were issued for a phony purpose. Nine of those checks were signed by Trump. Each check was processed by the Trump Organization and illegally disguised as a payment for legal services rendered pursuant to a non-existent retainer agreement.

In total, 34 false entries were made in New York business records to conceal the initial covert $130,000 payment. Further, participants in the scheme took steps that mischaracterized, for tax purposes, the true nature of the reimbursements.

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Mayor William E. Cooper Friday proclaimed April 2023 as Autism Awareness Month in the City of Progress. Surrounded by children, parents and caregivers, Cooper said that according to the Centers for Disease Control, autism affects one in 36 children.

Those diagnosed with autism face unique challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech and nonverbal communication. Autism affects each individual in different ways. Autism knows no racial, ethnic or social boundaries and affects young and old alike in the City of Enterprise, Cooper said. Educating families, professionals, and the general public to better understand this lifelong disorder is vital to the future growth and development of the individuals affected.

Cooper said the Enterprise community is committed to working with the Autism Society of Alabama to support those individuals diagnosed and their families.

The Boll Weevil Monument in downtown Enterprise will be lit up blue in early April for Autism Awareness Month.

The Enterprise Police Department has autism awareness patches and stickers available for purchase at the police chiefs office at city hall. The proceeds benefit the departments Project S.N.A.P. program  Special Needs Assistance Program  which is a way to bridge the communication gap between the police officers and special needs citizens who may have difficulty communicating. The database contains a photo, physical description, emergency contact and other special needs information of the registered participant.

Those interested may register their loved one at the office of the EPD Chief in city hall. Registration forms may also be found on the EPD website under the community tab.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan on Tuesday appeared before an anti-terror court seeking bail in three cases registered against him in connection with the clashes that took place between his supporters and the police outside his residence in Lahore last month.

The court extended the interim bail to Imran Khan until April 13.

The former prime minister, who was attacked last year in Wazirabad during a political rally, walked into the courtroom in Lahore under tight security.

In the video posted by the PTI on its Twitter handle, Khan was seen wearing a bulletproof helmet that looked like the black hood pulled over the head of a death row prisoner before hanging while security men held up bulletproof shields around him for protection, Geo News reported.

A man was seen guiding Imran Khan towards the court as he cannot see through the slit in the bulletproof helmet.

          pic.twitter.com/ZKetvQBQUe PTI (@PTIofficial) April 4, 2023

The PTI chief was injured on November 3 last year when shots were fired by a gunman at Khans container-mounted truck in an assassination attempt during an election rally speech in Wazirabad, Punjab.

In the last hearing, the court had directed the PTI chief to ensure his appearance at each subsequent hearing and also join the police investigation into the cases.

The police registered the cases against Khan and other PTI leaders for allegedly attacking the police teams and burning official property and vehicles outside his Zaman Park residence here.

Besides Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997, offences under various sections of the Pakistan Penal Code have been included in the FIRs.

Imran Khans Bulletproof Helment Leaves Internet in Splits

A Twitterati mocked Imran Khans bulletproof helmet as bucket for the safety of his head.

The bucket on Former #Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan is for the security of his head.pic.twitter.com/cRVGz7lQ0P Abdulhaq Omeri (@AbdulhaqOmeri) April 4, 2023

Another user compared Khans helmet with Electronic music producer and DJ Marshmello who is best known for wearing a big marshmallow helmet on his head.

According to Pakistani lockdown kids, Marshmello copied Imran Khans Style . pic.twitter.com/DPoodZJLPH Sir BoiesX  (@BoiesX45) April 4, 2023

The clashes that erupted outside Khans Zaman Park residence were the result of a police operation to enforce an arrest warrant issued by an Islamabad court in the Toshakhana case.

Khan has been in the crosshairs for buying gifts, including an expensive Graff wristwatch he had received as the premier at a discounted price from the state depository called Toshakhana and selling them for profit.

Khan had repeatedly failed to attend case hearings, leading to the warrant being issued against him.

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Karan Kataria, a 22-year-old student from Gurugram, studying masters in international law at the London School of Economics (LSE) claims he faced racism for being Hindu and an Indian after being disqualified from elections to the students union (LSESU).

Speaking to news outlets India Today and Times of India, Kataria broke down and claimed he was subjected to a smear campaign where his detractors labelled him as islamophobic, queerphobic, transphobic and Europhobic in multiple WhatsApp groups belonging to students studying at the institution.

He said these claims were not backed by evidence and he has always batted for social harmony. He said that there were some individuals who could not bear to see an Hindu-Indian leading the LSESU. Kataria was contesting for LSESU general secretary.

Kataria told several news media outlets that he is the first member of his family to go to university. He also has a degree from NorthCap University and arrived in the UK last September to study for his masters.

Kataria said that he received a letter from the returning officer that he was affiliated with an extremist organisation but when he questioned the officer they could not link him to any incident where he showed any intolerance or discriminatory behaviour.

I have faced personal, vicious, and targeted attacks due to the anti-India rhetoric and Hinduphobia. I demand that the @lsesu is transparent about its reasoning. I will not be a SILENT victim of Hinduphobia. @LSEnews @HCI_London @BobBlackman pic.twitter.com/65LKaFAI7J  Karan Kataria (@karanatLSE) April 2, 2023

Kataria said the returning officer found him guilty of breaching a two-metre rule and based on that he was disqualified from the competition on March 29.

He said he was the only brown international student contesting and said he amassed support from Asian and African students.

James Refl was announced general secretary of the LSESU later as Kataria appeal failed and disqualification upheld.

I am concerned for my safety. I come from a small village and a middle-class farming family. I never dreamt I would get judged on my Hindu faith and Indian identity, Kataria told the Times of India. He said that he feels the UK considers Indian students to be cash cows.

The LSESUs actions show an authoritarian, undemocratic, xenophobic and biassed mindset, he said, adding that he is unable to sleep and is uncomfortable walking in the campus.

He also shared his ordeal with MP Bob Blackman, Indian High Commission in London and the authorities at his college and said that his fellow Indian students were also labelled Hindu fascists and scumbags by those opposed to his candidature.

The students union told the ToI that Kataria was disqualified from the election because he broke a rule that said candidates and campaigners must maintain a reasonable distance from anyone casting their vote.

The university spokesperson said that the institution remains committed to a working and learning environment.

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Around one in every six adults experiences infertility, the World Health Organization estimated Tuesday as it called for an urgent increase in access to fertility care.

The WHO determined that around 17.5 percent of adults worldwide are affected by infertility at some point, and found little variation between regions and wealthy and poorer countries.

Globally, an estimated one out of every six people are affected by the inability to have a child at some point in their life," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in the foreword to a fresh report on the issue.

This is regardless of where they live and what resources they have."

Across their lifetime, 17.8 percent of adults in high-income countries and 16.5 percent in low- and middle income countries were affected by infertility, it found.

Tedros said the report  the first of its kind in a decade  revealed an important truth: infertility does not discriminate."

The WHO designated the issue a major health challenge globally", but stressed the difficulty of comparing the situation in various regions due to a lack of data from a number of countries.

- Jury still out -

Infertility is classified as a disease of the male or female reproductive system defined by the failure to achieve a pregnancy after 12 months or more of regular unprotected sexual intercourse.

Tuesdays report did not examine the causes of infertility, and did not seek to determine trends over time, or infertility differences between the sexes.

Instead, it provided a first estimate of the global and regional prevalency after experts ploughed through piles of studies conducted around the world between 1990 and 2021.

The WHO warned that there were significant variations in the data gathered, including some countries only including adults up to a certain age, and others with no age cut-off, insisting on the need for better data.

We cannot, based on the data we have, say that infertility is increasing or constant The jurys still out on that question," James Kiarie, head of the WHOs Contraception and Fertility Care unit, told reporters.

Tedros agreed.

Infertility affects millions," he said, lamenting that even still, it remains understudied, and solutions underfunded, and inaccessible to many, as the result of high costs, social stigma and limited availability."

- Stigma, inequity -

Pascale Allotey, head of the WHOs Sexual and Reproductive Health and Research division, also highlighted the stigma associated with infertility and the inequity in access to treatment.

The cost of fertility care is an immense challenge for many people," she told reporters, warning this is a serious equity issue and very frequently a medical poverty trap."

At the same time, procreation comes with a significant societal pressure," she said, pointing out that in many countries pregnancy remains critical to the perception of womanhood and of a couple."

Failure is often met with stigma," Allotey said, pointing out that people with infertility often suffer anxiety and depression, with ramifications for peoples mental and psychosocial wellbeing."

There is also an increased risk of intimate partner violence associated with infertility," as relationships are tested," she warned.

The WHO is calling on countries to include infertility treatment as part of their reproductive health policies, services and financing.

We want to make sure that we break the silence on infertility," WHO fertility research scientist Gitau Mburu told reporters.

Tedros also insisted that the sheer proportion of people affected show the need to widen access to fertility care and ensure this issue is no longer sidelined in health research and policy."

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Former US President Donald Trump will appear in a Manhattan court on Tuesday to face charges related to falsifying business records in a hush-money investigation. The former US president becomes the first American president to be charged with a crime.

The real estate mogul-turned-politician is expected to plead not guilty in front of Judge Juan Merchan, the judge who will be presiding over the case. Trump has questioned the legitimacy of Merchan and claimed that he is hated by the judge.

The courtroom will not entertain TV cameras and only five photographers have been asked to join the proceedings. Mediapersons will be allowed to cover the event but Merchan said that even though he understands the gravity of the proceedings, there are competing interests.

The former president hired a new lawyer Todd Blanche, who will join his legal team Susan Necheles and Joseph Tacopina in Tuesday. Blanche earlier represented Trump campaign adviser Paul Manafort in a separate case.

Here is what to expect from the case, according to the Associated Press:

WHATS THE PLAN?

Trump is scheduled to face the judge at 2:15pm (local time). He will drive to the Manhattan criminal courthouse which is 6.5kms from Trump Tower, where he arrived on Monday evening from his Mar-a-Lago estate.

WILL THERE BE A PERP WALK?

No. So-called perp walks happen when a criminal suspect is taken in handcuffs out of a police precinct and then driven to the courthouse. But Trump wont be going to a police precinct.

According to the Associated Press, the former president arranged a surrender with the district attorneys office and will head straight to the court, skipping a police station entirely.

The report pointed out that it is unlikely that people will get to see him going into court, unless he wants to be seen.

The news report said Trump may not be seen because there are underground entrances, side doors and tunnels in and around the Manhattan courthouse.

WHAT HAPPENS AFTER HE SURRENDERS?

Trump will get booked. Heres what that means: Before computers, information on every criminal suspect would be written down in a big book kept by court officials.

Now, its all computerized, but the process is largely the same. Court officers will take down Trumps full name, age, birthdate, height and weight.

Theyll check to see if the former president has any outstanding warrants. Theyll take his fingerprints  but they wont roll his fingertips in ink; these days thats done by computer, too.

Officers will roll each fingertip on a computerized system that records the prints. They may take his photo, known as a mug shot.

In New York, this process usually takes about two hours, but can be as long as four. Then he goes before a judge.

WHAT HAPPENS IN THE HEARING?

An arraignment is a hearing in which the indictment will be formally unsealed and the charges will be read aloud, though Trump could request to wave the public reading.

He will be asked how he pleads to the charges and he will answer guilty or not guilty.

And Trumps attorneys Joe Tacopina, Susan Necheles and Todd Blanche will work with the judge and the district attorneys office to set a date for the next time hed be back in court.

The judge has ruled that news photographers would be allowed to take photos of the former president at the start of his arraignment.

WILL HE BE ARRESTED?

Technically, yes. When hes fingerprinted and processed, hes considered under arrest and in custody.

But it wont look like what it does in the movies or on TVs Law & Order. He wont be handcuffed and he wont sit in a jail cell, in part because parts of the courthouse will be cleared out for his arraignment  and because Trump is a former president with Secret Service protection.

Not all defendants are handcuffed before they appear before a judge for an arraignment, though some are.

IF THERE IS A MUG SHOT, WILL IT BE MADE PUBLIC?

It depends. In New York City, mug shots arent generally made public.

They are taken by the law enforcement agency that makes the arrest.

There are situations where a judge could make the photo public in response to a public records fight. It could also get leaked, too.

WILL TRUMP WALK OUT OF THERE?

In all likelihood, yes. New Yorks bail laws have been overhauled over the past few years, meaning Trump would be released without bail because the anticipated charges against him dont require that bail be set.

But its possible that Judge Juan Merchan could decide that Trump is a flight risk and order him held in custody, with or without bail.

Trumps lawyers would argue that the former presidents ties to the US are strong, and because hes a presidential candidate, he has no reason to flee and should be allowed to leave.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

The judge and legal teams will set dates for the next hearing and deadlines for discovery, in which the district attorneys office must turn over all its information to Trumps lawyers, and motions, which include any requests to shift the venue or dismiss the case outright.

That process usually takes months. Tacopina has said he needs to read the indictment first and research before he decides what to do on a change of venue or any motions to dismiss, though it would be very common to file one.

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Former US House Speaker and US House of Representatives member Nancy Pelosi said Russian President Vladimir Putin interfered in the 2016 presidential election out of his fear of former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Her comments came during an event at the Columbia School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) on Monday. The California congresswoman and Hillary Clinton spoke about global politics and national security and the latter is also a professor of practice at SIPA, a role she assumed this January.

It was her clarity and position to [Putin] that made him turn around and ensure in an illegal way come out against her in her campaign. Interference in our democracy by Vladimir Putin, because Hillary Clinton was the person he feared most in terms of his lack of democracy in Russia, Pelosi was quoted as saying by Newsweek.

The US claims, citing its intelligence officials, that the Russian Federation and Putin ordered an interference campaign to hurt Hillary Clintons electoral chances and help former US president Donald Trump.

Intelligence officials claim that Russians hacked into Democratic National Committees server to obtain emails and documents to generate a negative public image of the former first lady and Democrat administration at that time under the Obama presidency.

Clinton previously criticized Putin and said the 2011 elections in Russia were a scam. Putin also claimed that protests in Moscow against the Russian President were backed by the US State Department, according to the Politico.

Trump, who won against Clinton in 2016, has frequently questioned the allegations of Putins involvement in the election. In an interview in 2018, he expressed his trust in his intelligence officials but acknowledged Putins strong denial of the accusations. Trump added that he failed to see any reason for Putin to do such an act.

Before serving as Trumps director of national intelligence, Dan Coats affirmed that Russia interfered in the 2016 election, and expressed concern over it. During his tenure, Trump asked Coats and former CIA Director Mike Pompeo to refute any alleged ties between his campaign and Russias interference, but Coats refused to comply with the request.

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Pakistan is considering signing the CPEC Security Exchange Pact with China which has been pending for the last four years, which would lead to enhanced cooperation between the two countries on military and security matters.

The proposal for the pact was raised by China with the erstwhile Imran Khan government, but couldnt be finalised due to Covid-19 restrictions and Chinas lack of trust in the then Pakistani regime.

Sources said the agreement will be a secret deal between Beijing and Islamabad, adding that China wants to establish its security wing for CPEC projects and investments in Pakistan, but the latter had some reservations on the security personnel deployment.

Given its worsening economic situation and paradigm shift in the region after withdrawal of the US from Afghanistan, Pakistan is considering Chinas proposal, sources said.

In the first phase, China will send around 2,000 military contractors for the security of CPEC projects and its staff to be stationed in Gwadar port. In the long run, under the new CPEC Security Exchange Program, China is likely to establish its military outposts in Pakistan, sources further said.

China has been involved in major mining and infrastructure projects in Pakistan, including the deep-water Gwadar port, all part of the $65 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

Islamabad has also previously invited Saudi Arabia to become the third partner in the Beijing-funded Belt and Road Corridor. Pakistan has in the past suggested that other countries could join CPEC, but the response has been lukewarm due to concerns that China would dominate any relationship.

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Pakistans Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled that the Election Commission of Pakistans (ECP) decision to delay elections till 2008 to the Punjab Assembly was unconstitutional.

Constitution and law do not give [ECP] the authority to postpone the election date Elections in Punjab and KP should be transparent, impartial and as per the law," the verdict said.

The court ruled that the ECPs order was unconstitutional and that it had no powers to postpone the election dates. The elections in Punjab will now be held on May 14, as originally planned.

The verdict was announced by a three-member bench, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial, with Justices Munib Akhtar and Ijazul Ahsan in Court Room 1 with heavy security deployed outside.

The top court said the decision to postpone the Punjab and KP elections is null and void while restoring the original election schedule.

The court verdict said the last date for submitting appeals against the returning officers decision is April 10 and said the poll tribunal will make its decision on the appeal on April 17. It said the federal government should provide PKR 21 billion in funds by April 10 to the ECP.

The bench directed the election commission to revert to its prior election timetable, asserting that the ECP could not exceed the 90-day legal limit.

The court pointed out that 13 days were lost due to the ECPs decision and ordered the caretaker government in the Punjab province to help the election commission.

The Punjab government should give a security plan to the Election Commission, the verdict said.

The ECP was told to notify the court if the government refused to comply.

The apex courts ruling on March 1 mandated that the election for the Punjab Assembly must take place within 90 days, in accordance with the date announced by Pakistan President Arif Alvi, following the dissolution of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab province assemblies.

The court directed the government to allocate PKR10 billion for Punjabs election expenses before April 10 and asked the ECP to report on it.

(this is a developing story) (PKR - Pakistani Rupees)

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China responded positively on Monday to Russias new foreign policy concept, saying Beijing, Moscow and New Delhi are emerging major powers with notable influence and it was ready to boost ties with them and send a positive signal to the world in view of the complex changes.

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the new Foreign Policy Concept Friday last, which said strengthening and deepening relations with China and India is a diplomatic priority for Russia.

Russia will focus on strengthening its strategic partnership and trade ties with India in Eurasia and ensure their resistance to destructive actions of unfriendly states and their alliances, according to an updated foreign policy doctrine approved by Putin.

The ties between India and Russia remained strong notwithstanding Moscows invasion of Ukraine. Indias import of Russian crude oil has gone up significantly in the last few months despite increasing disquiet over it in many Western countries.

Asked for Chinas reaction to Russias new Foreign Policy Concept, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told a media briefing here that China, Russia and India are all major emerging major countries with notable influence.

As the international and regional landscape is facing profound and complex changes, we are ready to strengthen communication with the international community including Russia and India and send a positive signal to the world about defending true multilateralism and jointly responding to global challenges, she said.

She especially highlighted Beijings special strategic relationship with Moscow.

China and Russia are dedicated to growing a new type of major-country relations featuring mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation. The bilateral relationship does not target and is not affected by any third party, she said.

Last month, President Xi Jinping paid a successful state visit to Russia. The two heads of state drew a blueprint for the future course of China-Russia relations. The two sides are comprehensively following through on the important common understandings between the two leaders, she said.

We are fully confident about the future of China-Russia relations, she added.

Read all the Latest India News here
Two Syrian civilians were killed in an Israeli air strike Tuesday, state media reported, the fourth such attack on government-held areas of the war-torn country in less than a week.

At 00:15 (2115 GMT Monday) the Israeli enemy carried out an air strike and the attack resulted in the death of two civilians," state news agency SANA said, quoting a military source.

The strike came from the direction of the occupied Syrian Golan, targeting some points in the vicinity of Damascus and the southern region", it said, adding that air defence intercepted most of" the missiles.

During more than a decade of civil war in Syria, Israel has launched hundreds of air strikes on Syrian territory, primarily targeting Iran-backed forces and Lebanese Hezbollah fighters as well as Syrian army positions.

SANA had earlier reported an explosion heard in the vicinity of Damascus".

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor gave the same civilian death toll, with its director Rami Abdel Rahman adding that an unknown number of Iran-backed fighters were also killed" in the strike.

Israel fired barrages of missiles targeting military areas controlled by Iran-backed groups and regime air defence," said the Britain-based monitor with a wide range of sources inside Syria.

An Israeli missile targeted a radar in the countryside of Sweida, while another hit a glass factory in the Al-Kiswah area of the Damascus countryside, killing the two civilians, it said.

The monitor had earlier said the missiles also targeted the vicinity of Damascus International Airport and an Iranian complex near the Sayyida Zeinab area, with Syrias air defence intercepting at least two missiles.

On Sunday, two Iran-affiliated fighters were killed in an Israeli air strike on targets in Syria, according to the monitor, with SANA reporting five Syrian soldiers wounded.

Israel struck early Sunday near the western city of Homs, after striking the Syrian capital Thursday and early Friday.

A rare car bombing also rocked Damascus on Sunday, with no deaths reported and no side claiming responsibility.

While Israel rarely comments on the strikes it carries out on Syria, it has repeatedly said it will not allow its arch-foe Iran to extend its footprint in the war-torn country.

The Syrian war broke out in 2011 with the brutal repression of peaceful anti-government protests, and escalated into a deadly armed conflict that pulled in foreign powers and global jihadists.

More than half a million people have been killed and around half of Syrias pre-war population has been forced from their homes.

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Former US president Donald Trump added a new lawyer to his defence team, Todd Blanche, a day before he is expected to surrender to face charges stemming from the hush-money payment he made to several women, including adult film star Stormy Daniels, before the 2016 US Presidential Elections, the New York Times said in a report.

The New York Times said Blanche will join Susan Necheles and Joseph Tacopina and is a former federal prosecutor who has handled several white-collar cases.

Necheles and Tacopina have represented Trump in the probe ordered by the Manhattan district attorney Alvin Braggs office which led to the indictment. The indictment will be unsealed when Trump will be arraigned.

The former president denied wrongdoing and will plead not guilty in front of Judge Juan Merchan.

Blanche is known for being an aggressive but measured advocate and the New York Times said he has ties with the former presidents legal team. Boris Epshteyn, a top Trump adviser, suggested the former president hire Blanche, the New York Times said, citing people familiar with the developments.

The 48-year-old lawyer represented Trumps campaign committee chief Paul Manafort. Manafort was indicted on charges of mortgage fraud and other state felonies in 2019. He received pardon from Trump in 2018 despite being charged earlier.

The New York Times said Blanche also previously offered legal services to Igor Fruman, a Soviet-born former associate of Rudy Giulianis who pleaded guilty in 2021 and was sentenced to over a year in prison on a count of soliciting a political contribution from a foreign donor.

He earlier worked for the law firm Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft. Todd is an excellent lawyer, and I am thrilled that he has joined the team, his new team member Necheles was quoted as saying by the New York Times.

On Monday, Necheles said, Todd is an excellent lawyer, and I am thrilled that he has joined the team.

Blanche worked for almost ten years as an assistant US attorney at the Southern District of New York, overseeing white-collar and violent crimes. He earned his law degree while working full-time as a paralegal at the office.

Necheles and Tacopina, who have represented high-profile clients, have ties to Trump. Necheles represented Trumps business in a trial last year that resulted in conviction, and the same judge, Juan Merchan, is expected to oversee Trumps criminal case.

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Saturday Walking Tours of Downtown Enterprise returned last weekend as part of a continued partnership between Visit Enterprise, the City of Enterprises Tourism Department, and the State of Alabama Department of Tourism.

The free, one-hour tour is led by volunteer local historians, Dr. Jimbo Reese and Ricky Adams.

We are thrilled to have Dr. Reese and Mr. Adams lead our tours this April. Both men are Enterprise natives, and for years have told the stories of our community through books and articles. Having them share their passion for and knowledge of Enterprise through these tours will allow our rich history to come to life, Tammy Doerer, Director of Tourism and Community Relations said. Enterprise High School AP history students will also assist with the tours in April. This is a unique opportunity for our youth to participate and we hope to encourage their continued interest our local history.

Tours begin promptly at 10 a.m. at the entrance of the Rawls building, located at 116 S. Main Street. The tour will end in front of the Pea River Museum, located at 106 Railroad Street. The museum is open from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday.

Participants are reminded to wear comfortable shoes and dress according to the weather forecast. If bad weather is forecast, the tour may be cancelled. Updates will be posted to the Visit Enterprise Facebook page. Participants may also call/text (334) 389-1554 for updates.

April 2023 Saturday Walking Tour Schedule includes,

Saturday, April 8;

Saturday, April 15;

Saturday, April 22; and,

Saturday, April 29
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.

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Parisians have overwhelmingly voted to banish the French capital's ubiquitous for-hire e-scooters from their streets, in a mini-referendum the mayor said sent a very clear message." The 15,000 opinion-dividing mini-machines could now vanish from central Paris at the end of August when the city's contracts with the three operators expire, the AP reports. The question that City Hall asked voters in its citywide mini-referendum on Sunday was: "For or against self-service scooters in Paris?" The result wasn't close. City Hall said on its website about 103,000 people voted, with 89% rejecting e-scooters and just 11% supporting them.

Turnout was very low. The vote had been open to all of Paris' 1.38 million registered voters. Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo hailed the vote as a success and repeated her vow to respect the outcome of the consultative referendum. The voters' "very clear message now becomes our guide," she said. "With my team, we'll follow up on their decision as I had pledged." Scattered around Paris, easy to locate and hire with a downloadable app and relatively cheap, the scooters are a hit with tourists who love their speed and the help-yourself freedom they offer. They also built a following among some Parisians who don't want or can't afford their own but like the option to escape the Metro and other public transport.

But many Parisians complain that e-scooters are an eyesore and a traffic menace, and the micro-vehicles have been involved in hundreds of accidents. Hidalgo and some of her deputies campaigned to banish the "free floating" rental flotillaso called because scooters are picked up and dropped off around town at their renters whimon safety, public nuisance, and environmental cost-benefit grounds before the capital hosts the Olympic Games next year.

(Read more Paris stories.)
Intel from the United Kingdom's Ministry of Defense suggests Russian soldiers in Ukraine aren't just falling prey to bullets and bombs. They are also dying from too much alcohol, extreme cold, and mishandling their own weapons, reports Business Insider. The MOD tweeted an intelligence update on Ukraine early Monday. It painted a brutal portrait of the year-old war. Russia has lost an estimated 200,000 soldiers since it invaded, but a large chunk of that number were killed by alcohol use, vehicle accidents, and injuries related to the cold. The MOD report states that Russian commanders are likely to see alcohol abuse as a big problem for maintaining combat effectiveness, though the report adds that drinking too much is endemic in Russia and generally accepted even during combat ops.

Forbes reported in November on Russians in eastern Ukraine dying in the cold, citing videos made by Ukrainian drones that revealed soldiers in end-stage hypothermia, too sick to even respond to the drones, which were also equipped with bombs. But the Russian relationship with alcohol is well-known, with the Atlantic reporting in 2013 that "one-in-five men in the Russian Federation die due to alcohol-related causes." For 2023, World Population Review lists Russia as the second-worst nation in this regard (behind Hungary), with a 20.9% rate of alcohol use disorder. (Read more Russia-Ukraine war stories.)
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.

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More than five years after Paddington 2 hit cinemas and became one of the best-reviewed films of all time at Rotten Tomatoes, a third instalment is in the works, with filming due to start in July. The movie will be called Paddington in Peru, suggesting the bear will be having adventures in his homeland instead of London this time, Deadline reports. Paul King, who wrote and directed the first two Paddington movies, will be contributing to the story, but Dougal Wilson, best known for music videos and commercials, will be directing this time around.

"After 10 years of working on the Paddington movies, I feel absurdly protective of the little bear, and Im delighted that Dougal will be there to hold his paw as he embarks on his third big screen adventure," King said in a statement. "Dougals work is never less than astounding: funny, beautiful, heartfelt, imaginative, and totally original." Deadline reports that the new Paddington movie will feature a "combination of returning and new cast." (Read more Paddington Bear stories.)
The killer of six people at a Nashville school planned the attack for months, police said Mondaypreparation that included studying other mass murderers. The plans were detailed in journals found in Audrey Hale's car and bedroom, a department statement said. They're now being reviewed by Nashville investigators as well as the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit, the Tennessean reports. Hale's plan was to "commit mass murder" at the Covenant School, police said. Three children and three adults were killed in the attack.

Police said the shooter fired 152 rounds in total, per the Daily Beast, from two assault rifles and a handgun. The two officers who shot Hale to death to end the attack fired four shots each, police said Monday. No motive for the shooting has been established. Police previously have said the killer had once attended the religious school and held resentment toward teachers there. The shooter owned seven guns, per ABC News, legally bought at a total of five stores. (Read more Nashville school shooting stories.)
The death of Irvo Otieno, who prosecutors say was smothered at a hospital, was a homicide, Virginia's chief medical examiner said Monday. The cause was found to be "positional and mechanical asphyxia with restraints," a statement by the office said, NBC News reports. Otieno, 28, died March 6 at Central State Hospital; 10 deputies and hospital employees face second-degree murder charges in the case. Video shows Otieno, a Black man, being held down until he stopped moving. The medical examiner's finding "is not surprising to us as it corroborates what the world witnessed in the video," said Ben Crump and Mark Krudys, lawyers for Otieno's family, in a statement.

Otieno was dealing with a mental health crisis when he died, his family and their lawyers said. "The disgrace was not Irvo had a mental illness. The disgrace is how [police] treat it, and you do it all over the country," said the Rev. Al Sharpton during Otieno's funeral last week. "The question is why is law enforcement not equipped to handle the mentally challenged?" The defendants won't appear in court for a month or so, per ABC News. (Read more Irvo Otieno stories.)
A year and a half after Tesla was ordered to pay $137 million to a former contract employee who alleged racist abuse at a company factory in California, the award has been slashedby a whopping 98%, Bloomberg reports. Tesla challenged the original amount, and a judge said the original award granted to Owen Diaz was too high and that the maximum allowed under law would be $15 million. Diaz opted for a retrial on damages after the judge reduced the award to that amount, and the jury in that trial reached a verdict Monday. The new amount: $3.2 million in punitive damages, plus $175,000 for economic losses. His lawyers had asked the jury to award $150 million in punitive damages, or 15% of Tesla's cash flow at the time the abuse took place.

One of Diaz's lawyers accused Tesla of using a "minimize and sanitize" strategy, and says it's "just sad that those antics worked." He said he's requested the judge grant a new trial because of "misconduct." Diaz, who is Black, said workers at the Fremont factory used racist slurs and wrote racist epithets, symbols, and caricatures around the factory, and that Tesla did little to address his complaints. His son later started working at the factory and was subjected to the same abuse, he said, per the New York Times. Former contractors or employees have sued Tesla more than 200 times in the US since 2018. A former Tesla service manager, who is also Black, sued the company last week alleging racist discriminatory treatment from his manager, CNBC reports. (Read more Tesla stories.)
Former President Trump arrived at Trump Tower after flying from Florida to New York on Monday, and he was spending the night at his residence there before turning himself in to face criminal charges. His arraignment at a Manhattan courtroom is scheduled for 2:15pm Tuesday, reports NPR, which is among the outlets taking a look at what the day will hold:

No, you can't watch: Multiple media outlets filed motions seeking to record the hearing, but Trump's lawyers on Tuesday opposed allowing cameras in, ABC News reports. "It will create a circus-like atmosphere at the arraignment, raise unique security concerns, and is inconsistent with President Trumps presumption of innocence," a Trump lawyer argues. The judge in the case ruled the hearing cannot be broadcast and neither cellphones nor laptops can be used in the courtroom, but that still photographs can be taken of Trump in the hallway before the arraignment starts, CNN and NBC News report. (New York typically does not allow cameras in courtrooms; more on that below.)

What are the charges? Sources tell ABC that Trump faces about two dozen charges, some of them felonies, related to the hush money paid to Stormy Daniels during Trump's 2016 presidential campaign. The charges won't be unsealed until the arraignment. The former president will plead not guilty, his lawyers have said.

Sources tell ABC that Trump faces about two dozen charges, some of them felonies, related to the hush money paid to Stormy Daniels during Trump's 2016 presidential campaign. The charges won't be unsealed until the arraignment. The former president will plead not guilty, his lawyers have said. What is an arraignment? PBS is among the outlets offering an explainer, and it notes that an arraignment is generally the first court appearance a person makes, and is when they appear before a judge to hear the charges against them and be informed of their rights. The appearance before the judge is expected to last about 15 minutes. A defendant enters their plea, and also typically completes paperwork and has their photograph and fingerprints taken, behind closed doors. Since the charges he faces don't require bail to be set in New York, Trump will likely then be allowed to leave the courtroom; in the unlikely occurrence the judge did decide to order him held with or without bail, his lawyers would strenuously fight that.

PBS is among the outlets offering an explainer, and it notes that an arraignment is generally the first court appearance a person makes, and is when they appear before a judge to hear the charges against them and be informed of their rights. The appearance before the judge is expected to last about 15 minutes. A defendant enters their plea, and also typically completes paperwork and has their photograph and fingerprints taken, behind closed doors. Since the charges he faces don't require bail to be set in New York, Trump will likely then be allowed to leave the courtroom; in the unlikely occurrence the judge did decide to order him held with or without bail, his lawyers would strenuously fight that. No handcuffs, no cell, yes motorcade, maybe mugshot: Trump's lawyers say he won't be handcuffed at any point during the process. He will be taken to court via Secret Service motorcade, Axios reports, and his Secret Service agents will remain with him while he's booked. He'll wait for his appearance before the judge in a holding room, not a cell. As for any booking photos taken, they typically aren't released publicly in New York, but Axios says the intense public interest in this case could change that.

Will there be a trial? While that's not yet clear, if it does go to trial, experts say a case like this would typically take as long as a year to get to that pointand Trump's attorneys are expected to push to delay proceedings as much as possible, including by arguing he won't be able to get a fair trial in New York so it should be moved elsewhere. They could also argue the statute of limitations for Trump's alleged crimes has passed.

While that's not yet clear, if it does go to trial, experts say a case like this would typically take as long as a year to get to that pointand Trump's attorneys are expected to push to delay proceedings as much as possible, including by arguing he won't be able to get a fair trial in New York so it should be moved elsewhere. They could also argue the statute of limitations for Trump's alleged crimes has passed. Will that trial be televised? New York has some of the most restrictive laws in the country regarding cameras in courtrooms, and they typically aren't allowed. Some have called for that to change should Trump go to trial, Politico reports, but at HotAir, Ed Morrissey argues against that, writing, "Any Trump trial would be a sensationalized mess even without the cameras. Add in live streaming of the trial, with both sides already posturing for the media, and it will become a screaming circus that will crowd out everything else in the news."

New York has some of the most restrictive laws in the country regarding cameras in courtrooms, and they typically aren't allowed. Some have called for that to change should Trump go to trial, Politico reports, but at HotAir, Ed Morrissey argues against that, writing, "Any Trump trial would be a sensationalized mess even without the cameras. Add in live streaming of the trial, with both sides already posturing for the media, and it will become a screaming circus that will crowd out everything else in the news." "Hail Mary": In what the New Republic is calling a "Hail Mary," Trump on Monday added "elite" white-collar criminal defense lawyer Todd Blanche, a former federal prosecutor, to his legal team.

Fundraising impact: The indictment seems to have boosted the fervor to donate amongst Trump supporters; he's raised $7 million since it was announced, his campaign says. Indeed, sources tell Rolling Stone the former POTUS actually wanted a high-profile arraignment in order to most effectively galvanize his supporters.

The indictment seems to have boosted the fervor to donate amongst Trump supporters; he's raised $7 million since it was announced, his campaign says. Indeed, sources tell Rolling Stone the former POTUS actually wanted a high-profile arraignment in order to most effectively galvanize his supporters. Mar-a-Lago speech: Trump will give a prime-time address from Mar-a-Lago after flying back to Florida following the arraignment, and lawmakers Matt Gaetz and Marjorie Taylor Greene will be among those attending.

Trump will give a prime-time address from Mar-a-Lago after flying back to Florida following the arraignment, and lawmakers Matt Gaetz and Marjorie Taylor Greene will be among those attending. Mary Trump on the 24/7 coverage: RedState reports that even Trump's famously anti-Trump niece, Mary Trump, has had enough of the second-by-second coverage surrounding Trump's every move heading into the court appearance. "Seriously, CNN? Do you need to show us Donalds plane taking off?" she tweeted. "The medias insistence on covering every aspect of this mans life to the exclusion of all else is one of the reasons this country is in such dire straits. Enough."

(Read more Donald Trump stories.)
Leonardo DiCaprio testified Monday at the trial of former Fugee rapper Prakazrel Pras Michel, who is accused of conspiring to funnel money from a Malaysian state fund to then-President Obamas 2012 reelection campaign. The 50-year-old New York native, whose trial began Thursday, has maintained his innocence. The AP offers a look at the main characters in the international scandal, and the fund that fueled it.

Michel was a founding member of the influential 1990s hip-hop group the Fugees, along with better-known bandmates Lauryn Hill and Wyclef Jean. Prosecutors allege Michel conspired with Malaysian businessman Low Taek Jho to funnel money from 1MDB (1Malaysia Development Berhad), a Malaysian state fund established in 2009 to promote development, to Obamas 2012 reelection campaign through straw donors. Prosecutors have said as much as $100 million went through Michel.

DiCaprio testified in the case because of his ties to Low, the alleged architect of the scandal, who has also been indicted in the US but remained an international fugitive as Michel went to trial. The Malaysian financier who helped oversee 1MDB used it to bankroll an extravagant and celebrity-centric lifestyle.

DiCaprio, who is not accused of any wrongdoing, has known Michel since the 1990s, and Low professionally and socially for years. The Oscar-winning actor testified that he met and befriended Low at a birthday party in Las Vegas in 2010. Low gave DiCaprio gifts, which he has since returned, including a Picasso painting valued at $3.2 million and a Jean-Michel Basquiat collage valued at $9.2 million. Low would use money from 1MDB to finance the Martin Scorsese film The Wolf of Wall Street, which starred DiCaprio. DiCaprio testified that he had his team and the studio vet Low first, and they found him to be "a legitimate business person wanting to invest in the movie.

The films producers included Riza Aziz, stepson of then-Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, who became chair of 1MDB when it was established in 2009 with the purported aim of increasing foreign investment. Investigators said Najib took hundreds of millions to fund his reelection campaign and pay off politicians.

In 2020, Goldman Sachs acknowledged its role in the embezzlement scheme and paid out billions in settlements; a former Goldman Sachs banker named Roger Ng was sentenced in Brooklyn to 10 years in prison for his role in plundering the fund.

A top fundraiser for former President Trump and the Republican Party, Elliott Broidy, was charged with running an illegal lobbying campaign on Jho Lows behalf to get the Justice Department to drop its investigation into 1MDBs looting. Broidy pleaded guilty, but was then pardoned by Trump, so was never sentenced.

(Read more Leonardo DiCaprio stories.)
An auctioneer was assessing the value of art and artifacts at a home in northern France last fall when a canvas caked in dust caught his eye. Partially concealed by a door in a darkened TV room, the painting looked to be a masterpiece but was in fact a fake, its owner told Malo de Lussac. Indeed, the man who directed the auctioneer's gaze to 19th-century paintings in the same room said it had become a family joke. But "my heart was beating so hard," De Lussac tells the Washington Post. Months after seeing the oil painting, which the auctioneer believed to have come from the 17th-century Flemish painter Pieter Bruegel the Younger, his suspicions were confirmed, followed by the painting's sale for $845,000.

De Lussac immediately recognized the scene, depicting Flemish peasants presenting their wares to a Spanish tax collector. Bruegel, the son of Pieter Bruegel the Elder, had reproduced it "up to 90 times," with one such version hanging in Paris' Louvre, per the Guardian. The painting in this dimly lit TV room seemed to be the largest of them all at 44 inches by 72.5 inches, per Artnet. But its owners, who said the painting had passed down to family members since its purchase in the late 1800s, were convinced it wasn't genuine. "They thought it was a copy; just a bit of decoration that wasn't worth very much," De Lussac says, per the Guardian. In reality, its authenticity had simply been lost to time.

An expert found the work to be a genuine Bruegel painted between 1615 and 1617, and one of the largest paintings attributed to the artist, per the Post. "It is one of those unique finds that happens once in a career," De Lussac tells the Guardian. "It's a very unusual painting in terms of size and the fact it is in exceptionally good condition." Accompanied by a new certificate of authenticity, "L'Avocat du village" or "The Village Lawyer," sold at auction in Paris last week to a buyer in Switzerland for the equivalent of $845,000, Artnet reports. Before it left northern France, however, its owners asked auctioneers to take their photo in front of what had become a punchline. (Read more Bruegel stories.)
Russia will think twice before invading neighboring Finland as the latter country officially joined "the worlds biggest security alliance" on Tuesday, NATO's 74th birthday, per the AP. Finland became the 31st NATO member state when Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto handed an official accession document to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken at NATO headquarters in Brussels, per Reuters. The US State Department is "the repository of NATO texts concerning membership," as the AP explains. The outlet calls the move "a major blow to Russia," whose president, Vladimir Putin, has "long complained about NATOs expansion toward Russia and partly used that as a justification" for the country's invasion of Ukraine.

Finland and Swedenwhose application is still being debatedapplied for NATO membership just months after the invasion. "This is maybe the one thing that we can thank Mr. Putin for because he once again here precipitated something he claims to want to prevent by Russia's aggression, causing many countries to believe that they have to do more to look out for their own defense and to make sure that they can deter possible Russian aggression going forward," Blinken said, per the AP.

"This will make Finland safer and NATO stronger," added Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, per the BBC. However, he said no NATO troops would be sent to Finland unless the country requested them, per the AP. With the length of Russia's border with NATO member states now doubled to more than 1,600 miles, Russia's Foreign Ministry has threatened "retaliatory measures to counter the threats to our national security." On Tuesday, Finland's Parliament said its website was targeted in a denial-of-service attack, which was claimed by a pro-Russian hacker group as retaliation for the NATO accession, per the AP. (Read more Finland stories.)
Former President Trump has surrendered ahead of his arraignment in court. He made a show of strength as he exited Trump Tower shortly after 1pm Tuesday to head to the Manhattan courthouse, pumping his fist and waving as he left the building, the AP reports. He entered the district attorney's office around 1:30pm, with Politico reporting he will "remain in the custody of the district attorneys office" until he is brought to a courtroom for arraignment. While en route, he posted this on Truth Social: "Heading to Lower Manhattan, the Courthouse. Seems so SURREAL  WOW, they are going to ARREST ME. Cant believe this is happening in America. MAGA!"

Trump's attorneys have arranged for him to be booked at the courthouse, rather than a police precinct as is typical for New York defendants. Court officials will create a record of his name, age, birthdate, height, and weight before taking his fingerprints via a computerized system. They may take his photo. As we earlier reported, photographs can be taken of Trump in the hallway before the arraignment starts, but no video cameras or audio recording devices will be allowed in the hearing. Trump plans to head back to Mar-a-Lago afterward, where he will give a prime-time address.

In an appearance on ABC's Good Morning America Tuesday morning, Trump attorney Joe Tacopina predicted a quick arraignment, noting the processing "does not take long." He continued, "We know the basis of the indictment and the factual allegations in the indictment. One thing I can assure you as I sit here today: Therell be no guilty plea in this case. Thats one thing I can guarantee you," he said, suggesting that the case would ultimately be thrown out. "I dont think this case is going to see a juror," he said. "I think theres a legal challenge that will be made and should be made successfully." (Read more Donald Trump stories.)
This story has been updated with new developments. In an unprecedented scene Tuesday at the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse, a former president appeared as a criminal defendant. Donald Trump traveled to the courthouse from Trump Tower to surrender to authorities ahead of his arraignment Tuesday afternoon, and the AP reports that he was "stone-faced" as he entered the courtroom. The New York Times reports that the former president was charged with 34 felonies and, as widely expected, pleaded not guilty before State Supreme Court Justice Juan M. Merchan.

Trump was charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree, some of them stemming from payments made in the Stormy Daniels hush-money scandal, the Guardian reports. In a statement, Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg said the former president was indicted "for falsifying New York business records in order to conceal damaging information and unlawful activity from American voters before and after the 2016 election."

The Times reports that the former president was fingerprinted while in custody, but it's not clear whether a mug shot was taken. After he left the courtroom, he did not stop to speak to the press. His motorcade departed minutes later, per the Times. Trump plans to return to Florida and deliver remarks at his Mar-a-Lago estate, the Washington Post reports. (Read more Donald Trump stories.)
Ghost Radio station host Jack Watcharaphon greets the listeners as he broadcasts live from his studio in Bangkok. Photo by AFP

It is almost midnight, and above a semi-abandoned Bangkok shopping center, Ghost Radio is on air.

Rapid-fire comments ping across the studio's screens as thousands tune in online to hear callers describe their encounters with Thailand's supernatural.

Belief in spirits runs deep in the kingdom, which has a celebrated canon of ghosts from individuals like Mae Nak, a woman who haunted her village after dying in childbirth, to more sinister creatures like krasue -- bodyless women who float through the night looking to devour flesh.

Now these ancient tales are being reinvigorated through online platforms like YouTube, TikTok, WhatsApp and even delivery app Grab.

"She met a man in a white suit who told her that her time was up, and that she had to go with him," the first caller recounts, her voice quavering.

"But when she turned back, she could see her body lying in bed."

In the studio, host Watcharapol Fukjaidee listens patiently, gently prying out details.

The charismatic 46-year-old, also known by his nickname Jack, films two live episodes a week from 11 pm to dawn, fielding calls from spooked Thais as millions tune in and thousands comment online.

"When there is more technology, the chance to see ghosts increases," he tells AFP.

"Ghosts come with apps, chat lines, phone calls. Technology becomes the channel where they can contact people."

Watcharapol recounted a caller who was contacted by a distant friend, asking him to meet at a temple, but when he got there he made a chilling discovery.

"It turns out that his friend had died and his phone was put into the coffin," he says, raising his eyebrows, a mischievous chuckle lurking.

Ghostly meet-ups

The host got his break 20 years ago under Thailand's "godfather of ghosts" Kapol Thongplub, whose late-night call-in show was a favorite with the capital's taxi drivers.

It is now food delivery riders rather than cabbies who frequently encounter the supernatural as they endlessly crisscross Bangkok at all hours, Watcharapol says.

And unlike Kapol's show, which was dominated by the host's larger-than-life reactions, Watcharapol is more low-key and a little tongue-in-cheek.

"Now with the influence of Twitter and TikTok, more young people call," says Ghost Radio worker Khemjira Jongkolsapapron.

There has been a shift, with audiences now wanting to not only be scared, and then soothed -- but also entertained.

"This isn't a matter of 'still believing' or not," cultural anthropologist Andrew Alan Johnson, whose book "Ghosts of the New City" examines how recent events have reshaped Thai beliefs, toldAFP.

"Ghosts become a way to tell stories that are denied elsewhere," he said.

This is especially true in rapidly changing Bangkok, Johnson said, where ghost tales help preserve local memory -- explaining unlucky locations, or feelings of alienation.

"Folk belief is incredibly adaptable, in that it seeks to speak to people's everyday experiences," he said.

The Ghost Radio YouTube channel has almost three million subscribers and is sponsored by various local firms as well as pulling income from the themed cafe on the ground floor.

Watched over by an eclectic collection of ghost-themed toys, Khemjira sifts through scores of submissions, weeding out political stories or anything that might touch the kingdom's tough laws against insulting the monarchy.

Not every tale makes it on air, but Khemjira is confident the people telling them believe them to be true.

"I think people meet ghosts a lot. We hardly ever hear the same story," she says.

'Scared to death'

As Watcharapol listens upstairs, downstairs his cafe is raucous with young fans and families.

Munching on a tombstone-shaped brownie, 25-year-old policeman and regular caller Chalwat Thungood explained how he shares his colleagues' tales.

His own spooky experience came on a call out to a house. As he arrived he glimpsed the shadow of an overweight man walk into a bathroom.

He struggled to open the door -- until suddenly it gave way.

"I found a big man who had been dead for at least five hours. It proved to me that I saw a spirit of the big man walking into the bathroom," he said.

"I 100 percent believe that ghosts exist."

Watcharapol refuses to be drawn on whether he actually believes, stating he has to maintain an open mind before admitting he is "scared to death" of hospital ghosts.

People tune in to his show, he says, to find a like-minded community "because sometimes they can't speak to their family about their ghostly experiences".

Lit up by the multiple screens in his plush studio, Watcharapol says: "No one can prove it is real except the caller."

And then he grins.
Donald Trump was told not to incite violence during his historic arraignment in a Manhattan courtroom Tuesday. CNN correspondent Kara Scannell says prosecutors showed Judge Juan Merchan some of Trump's social media posts and said the former president was threatening the city and the justice system with "irresponsible" remarks. Scannell says the judge told both sides to "tamp down the rhetoric" to avoid inciting unrest and "particularly speaking to former President Trump, not to make any statements that would incite any violence or threats against any officials," though he acknowledged Trump's right to free speech and did not impose a gag order blocking him from discussing the case.

In social media posts before the hearing, Trump slammed the judge and the "KANGAROO COURT" but he didn't say much during the hour-long arraignment, the New York Times reports. After pleading not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree, he was mostly silent as prosecutors explained the charges and lawyers sparred. The next in-person hearing in the case is scheduled for December. Prosecutors asked for the trial to begin in January 2024, though defense attorney Todd Blanche said spring that year would be more realistic, the Washington Post reports. Prosecutors said Tuesday that Trump and others used a "catch and kill" scheme to bury damaging stories ahead of the 2016 election. (Read more Donald Trump stories.)
Serena Fitka grew up in Saint Marys and is the executive director of the Yukon River Drainage Fisheries Association.

Jennifer Hooper lives in Bethel and is the natural resources manager for the Association of Village Council Presidents.

Mellisa Maktuayaq Johnson is a Tribal citizen of Nome Eskimo Community and works with the AYK Tribal Consortium.

Kevin Whitworth is a Tribal citizen of McGrath Native Village and is the executive director of the Kuskokwim River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission.

Dr. Michael Williams Sr. is a Tribal citizen and the chief of the Akiak Native Community.
Passengers wait to check in at Tan Son Nhat Airport in HCMC, January 2023. Photo by VnExpress/Quynh Tran

Waiting for nearly three hours to complete entry procedures and pick up luggage while receiving an unfriendly welcome from immigration officers are what foreigners are experiencing at Vietnam's busiest airports.

After landing at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) in March, Spanish tourist Antonio felt eager about his return to Vietnam, but overcrowding at immigration checkpoints in the countrys largest airport made him exhausted.

"I waited for dozens of minutes but the line of people moved at a snail's pace," he recalled. "I felt tired and nearly exhausted."

Only a few check-in counters were open, leaving him stuck amid long lines of people.

When it was finally his turn to check in, Antonio greeted custom officers and wished them "a good day" but they did not smile back, he said.

"I didn't expect to have a friendly chat with them but at least they should smile so that I feel as if I was being welcomed," he added.

After completing immigration procedures, he continued waiting for one hour to pick up his luggage.

"I didn't think waiting for my luggage could take so much time." He said. "That was an awful day for me."

Most airports in the U.S. get passengers through in less than 30 minutes, according to a study from travel data provider Upgraded Points.

Changi Airport in Singapore said travelers should expect to spend 30-45 minutes for the whole process from immigration check to collecting baggage and customs check.

For Antonio, when he finally got out of Tan Son Nhat, he could not catch a break because he still had to get a taxi to travel into the city.

"I had traveled often in Southeast Asia, and I got used to using the Grab app," said Antonio. "However, booking Grab service at Vietnam airport was really not easy. That was still a nightmare for me."

Antonio was one of many foreign tourists who have been complaining about the long waiting time to complete immigration procedures at Vietnam's largest airports.

Soo-Min-Hee, a South Korean tourist, could not forget her unsatisfactory experience at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi as she had to wait for two hours to get out of the airport.

She and her son landed at Noi Bai Airport at around 7 p.m. and it took them nearly 20 minutes to complete entry procedures.

Then they had to wait for an hour to get their baggage while a sea of people flooded the baggage claim area, screaming at airport employees due to the long waiting time.

It was 9 p.m. before they finally took a taxi to their hotel in downtown Hanoi but they failed to get a fair price.

The taxi driver initially told them the journey from Noi Bai International Airport to their hotel would cost VND350,000 (US$15) but later he demanded they pay VND700,000. They said they reluctantly agreed to pay the money as they were too exhausted to argue.

Tourism industry insiders have several times called for the government to improve passenger handling at major airports, especially in Hanoi and HCMC. They want the number of immigration officers and scanners increased and special lanes introduced for business travelers and families with children.

Eurocham representatives said at the Vietnam Business Forum last month that they received many complaints from visitors about unsatisfactory experiences at Tan Son Nhat Airport in HCMC, as they had to wait for hours at immigration counters.

Despite being the country's busiest airport, the airport has no special lanes for business class passengers, investors, or participants at MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) events, they said.

Ho Chi Minh City officials admitted that many foreign investors and overseas Vietnamese have also complained about the long waiting time to complete immigration procedures at Tan Son Nhat's overcrowded terminals.

Tran Quang Lam, director of the city's Department of Transport, said check-in counters at the airport should accelerate procedures so that passengers do not have to line up for hours. Lanes for business-class passengers and services for priority customers should be offered, he added.

Do Tat Binh, deputy general director of the Airports Corporation of Vietnam, said overloaded infrastructure was currently the biggest problem at Tan Son Nhat Airport.

The airport had a planned capacity of 25 million visitors a year by 2020, but since 2017, the number of visitors had already reached 40 million.

Since 2017, Noi Bai Airport in Hanoi has also been chronically overloaded after receiving new-generation aircraft with huge loads, which has degraded its runways and taxiways.

The airport is only designed to handle 25 million passengers per year, with domestic terminal T1 having a capacity of 15 million and international terminal T2, 10 million.

The number of passengers and cargo passing through the airport has been increasing by an average 10% per year to nearly 26 million passengers in 2018 and about 29 million in 2019.
Innovative projects for the benefit of all Bahrainis: HRH Prince Salman

Innovative projects for the benefit of all Bahrainis: HRH Prince Salman

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, emphasized that Bahraini citizens remain at the heart of all development initiatives, affirming the governments commitment to introducing innovative projects for the benefit of all Bahrainis.

HRH Prince Salman was speaking as he visited yesterday the majlises of the Al Kooheji family, the Kazerooni family, and Yousif Abdulwahab Al Hawaj and sons.

His Royal Highness highlighted Team Bahrains efforts toward furthering the Kingdoms comprehensive development, led by His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.

HRH the Crown Prince and Prime Minister highlighted the newly introduced Golden License, introduced to advance the Kingdoms competitiveness, provide quality job opportunities for Bahrainis, and attract large-scale investment in the national economy.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain Society of Engineers (BSE) Board of Directors Chairperson Raida Al Alawai presented to the Royal Humanitarian Foundation (RHF) the proceeds of the charity auction of art paintings it held recently to support those affected by the earthquake in Turkey and Syria.

This came as RHF Secretary General Dr Mustafa Al Sayed, also Chief Executive Officer of the National Committee to Support the Victims of the Earthquake in Syria and Turkey, received Al Alawai.

Dr Al Sayed expressed his sincere thanks and appreciation to BSE for their generous initiative launched as part of their interaction with the directives of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, and the National Campaign to Support the Victims of the Earthquake in Syria and Turkey, led by HM the Kings Representative for Humanitarian Work and Youth Affairs, His Highness Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa.

Al Alawai affirmed the great importance the BSE attaches to serving society and participating effectively in various national and social occasions.

She highlighted the effective role played by the RHF to organise the National Campaign to Support the Victims of the Earthquake in Syria and Turkey, noting the positive interaction of Bahraini engineers with the national campaign confirms the role they play in such exceptional humanitarian circumstances, such as disasters and earthquakes.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

The US Navy has donated its two Cyclone-class patrol ships to the Philippine Navy which were decommissioned in a ceremony held at US 5th Fleets base in Bahrain.

USS Monsoon (PC 4) and USS Chinook (PC 9) were received by the Philippine Navy delegation headed by Philippine Fleet Commander, Rear Admiral Renato David.

During the program, the accomplishments of the two ships were recognised while its officers and crewmembers were honoured.

In his speech, Rear ADM David welcomed and expressed his appreciation for the opportunity extended by the US Navy to the Philippines.

It was reported that the Philippine Navy leadership is grateful for the transfer of the two vessels which will definitely boost the Navys capability in fulfilling its mandate of protecting the state and its people.

These 55-metre vessels will be able to complement the PNs patrol gunboats in the campaign to ensure the safety and security within the littoral waters of the porous borders and vast maritime environment of the Philippines, being equipped with the firepower and lethality for littoral operations, the report said.

Following the decommissioning, USS Monsoon (PC 4) and USS Chinook (PC 9) will be transferred to the Philippine Navy and will be recommissioned as PS-51 and PS-52 respectively in support of the coastal defense of the Philippine islands.

Both USS Monsoon and Chinook had 30 years of service in US Coast Guard and Navy operations.

They are expected to be delivered in the Philippines by the second quarter of this year.

The donation was a continuation of the United States longstanding partnership with the Philippines through the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) which supports combined training, exercises, and interoperability between military forces.

Her Excellency Ambassador-designate Anne Jalando-on Louis and Consul Bryan Jess T. Baguio attended the ceremony
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has attended a symbolic sail-away ceremony for the Azeri-Central-East platform topsides at the Bayil fabrication yard.

bps regional president for Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkiye Gary Jones, project general manager for the Azeri-Central-East project Neal Phillips informed the head of state of the work done on the project.

The Azeri-Central-East (ACE) sanction is the first major investment decision by the Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli (ACG) partnership since the extension of the ACG Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) to 2049 was agreed in 2017. The ACE project is a $6 billion development which includes a new offshore platform and facilities designed to process up to 100,000 barrels of oil per day. The project is expected to produce up to 300 million barrels over its lifetime.

ACE is centred on a new 48-slot production, drilling and quarters platform located mid-way between the existing Central Azeri and East Azeri platforms in a water depth of approximately 140 metres. The project also includes new infield pipelines to transfer oil and gas from the ACE platform to the existing ACG Phase 2 oil and gas export pipelines for transportation to the onshore Sangachal terminal.

In addition, there is a water injection pipeline between the East Azeri and ACE platforms to supply injection water from the Central Azeri compression and water injection platform to the ACE facilities.

The ACE topsides facilities have a design weight of 19,600 tonnes containing oil and gas processing facilities, an integrated drilling rig, a gas compressor and living quarters.

The topsides unit has been constructed by Azfen in the Bayil fabrication yard using local infrastructure and resources. Currently, construction and commissioning works are in the final stages with 95% of overall onshore commissioning works already completed.

At peak, the topsides construction activities involved up to 4,400 workers and over 90% of them were Azerbaijani nationals.

Then, a video highlighting the work progress was screened.

The platform will be remotely controlled from Sangachal terminal and includes innovative system automation.

Fuad Ismayilov, Operations Manager at the new Azeri-Central-East platform: Hello, dear Mr. President. We are currently in the Operations Management Center of the platforms Quarters block.

The key operating principle of this center is to provide safe operation and management of the Azeri-Central-East platform in the event of disruption of communication between the Main Control Room of the Sangachal Terminal and the platform or in an emergency situation.

Mr. President, I am proud to inform you that this is bps first remotely operated platform in the world. My colleague will greet you from the Main Control Room of the Sangachal Terminal now.

Seyidagha Karimli, Senior Operator: Hello, dear Mr. President. I am Senior Operator of the Main Control Room of the new Azeri-Central-East project at the Sangachal Terminal. I am currently in the control room from which we are managing all our operations. The technology used here is the most advanced, tested and conforms to international standards.

Mr. President, as part of bps first ever remote operation principle, our Main Control Room is designed to manage all operations, including the operation of oil and gas wells of the offshore platform, initial separation and transportation of produced crude oil and gas. Thank you.

President Ilham Aliyev: Congratulations! Good luck!

Employees: Thank you.

President Ilham Aliyev and bps regional president for Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkiye Gary Jones pressed the button to launch the symbolic sail away of the topsides unit of the Azeri-Central-East platform.

Construction activities started in 2019 and 85% of the work scope is already completed. At peak, over 8,500 people were involved in the construction works in Azerbaijan.

Then a photo was taken.
The Indonesian government is seeking to impose entry fees and to limit foreign tourists in its famous resort island of Bali following a series of recent public order violations.

Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan has proposed imposing a tourism entry tax and considering limiting the entry of tourists from countries whose nationals are perceived to disrupt public order in Bali, Antara News reported.

"We will focus on taking action against public order violations in Bali," Pandjaitan said in a post on his official Instagram account on Monday.

He also expressed concern over reports of foreign tourists disrespecting local laws as seen in a video of foreign tourists arguing with local police after being given a ticket for violating traffic laws.

Bali has been stepping up law enforcement regarding foreigners, even considering a ban on foreign tourists from riding motorcycles following a string of deadly accidents.

Known for its beautiful beaches, temples, waterfalls and nightlife, Bali drew 6.2 million foreign visitors in 2019, the year before the pandemic broke out.
AFP | Moscow

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

The Kremlin on Tuesday branded Finland's NATO membership an "assault on our security" and said it would take countermeasures.

"The Kremlin believes that this is the latest aggravation of the situation," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

"The expansion of NATO is an assault on our security and Russia's national interests," he added.

"And this forces us to take countermeasures... in tactical and strategic terms." He did not provide further details.

Finland becomes the 31st member of NATO on Tuesday, in a historic strategic shift provoked by Moscow's assault on Ukraine, which doubles the US-led alliance's border with Russia.

The start last year of the Kremlin's offensive in Ukraine upended Europe's security landscape and prompted Finland -- and its neighbour Sweden -- to drop decades of military non-alignment.
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DANBURY  In an effort to increase accessibility for more potential students and their families, Western Connecticut State University has started translating information on its website into Spanish.

Were trying to make it easier for students to attend, WCSU spokesperson Paul Steinmetz said. We have realized and recognized for several years that the population of Danbury and the region is changing and that we need to better serve the population of students applying to the university.

That includes students whose families dont speak English as a first language, he said.

We know that many of these students are the first ones in their families to attend college, and they want their parents to be involved, Steinmetz said. This new website is for Spanish-speaking families or families who speak Spanish at home so that the entire family can be engaged.

The goal of creating the new site  which can be accessed at spanish.wcsu.edu, or by visiting wcsu.edu and clicking Portal en Espanol on the right side  is to make the college experience less intimidating, he said. It also aims to make the universitys offerings as clear as possible for Spanish-speaking students and their families.

This page will help us communicate with students and parents who may not speak English as their first language and let them know in a direct way about what WCSU can offer, Interim President Paul Beran said in a statement.

Translation was provided by 17 students of Alba Hawkins, a world languages and cultures professor, during the fall 2022 semester and will continue through 2023.

We could have gone to a translating electronic translation service or something like that, but we wanted to make sure that it was not just accurate, but a real and honest translation, Steinmetz said. We didnt want people to read it and think, They didnt put enough effort. We did  we really put a lot of effort into this.

The students who worked on translating the new WCSU webpage were enrolled in Hawkins Introduction to Spanish Translation class, which included first-year students through seniors, as well as a nontraditional student who teaches Latin at Danbury High School.

Of the participants, seven were learning Spanish as a second language and 10 were heritage or native speakers with families from the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Guatemala and Ecuador.

Translating WCSUs website and marketing materials is separate but linked to efforts to increase enrollment at the university, Steinmetz said.

We took a big hit during COVID. We saw our student population decline, and we are in the process of trying to increase our student population, he said.

That process involves looking at all the potential population centers, Steinmetz said, including Spanish-speakers and those of Spanish-speaking heritage.

They can, as weve seen, become a bigger part of our student population, he said, noting that about 25 percent of the universitys current student population is Hispanic.

As the demographic grows, Steinmetz said the university is changing with the times.

Were in the process of officially being recognized as a Hispanic-Serving Institution, he said, noting that the designation not only brings federal recognition, but potentially federal grants to help serve the population.

Its a good thing because it helps us do our jobs better  helping serve students who have different needs than the average student population from 25 or 30 years ago, Steinmetz said.

As part of its effort to get enrollment numbers up, Steinmetz said WCSU has also been examining its course offerings.

Over the last year, we have been looking at the courses we offer, their relevance to current and future students, and how we can serve our local population better, he said. Were in the process of examining how we do that in greater depth than we ever have before.

Hundreds of first-year students have applied to attend WCSU next fall, Steinmetz said, and though the number of those who actually enroll is not yet known, there is hope for an increase.

The number of students who have already committed is higher this year than it was last year at this time, so we feel positive  as were coming out of the COVID slowdown  that well be in better shape this year, he said.

Future translation

WCSU plans to continue to translate more of its web pages into Spanish and other languages over the coming months.

There are a couple of links off top or pages off that main page that havent been translated yet, and were going to do those, Steinmetz said, noting that pages with university information will be prioritized, while department-specific pages will probably be translated further down the line.

Were looking at student-facing pages that will most likely assist students who may still be not 100 percent comfortable speaking or reading English, he said. Well start with those on the landing page, and then look at what we can do throughout the rest of the website.

Portuguese is the next translation the university is looking at for its website, Steinmetz said.

CORRECTION: This article has been corrected to reflect that hundreds of first-year students have applied to attend WCSU next fall.
Karl Franz Williams wasnt looking to open a bar and restaurant in New Haven. Back in 2016, the New York City restaurateur known for creating destination cocktail bars already had two Harlem restaurants: 67 Orange Street and Solomon & Kuff (which has since closed). Although Williams had gone to college at Yale, the Elm City wasnt on his radar (or should we say sonar?) until he heard about the Anchor Restaurant.

If you look at some of the things that Ive done, theres this thing around history and places that either have a historical significance, or theres an opportunity to create an experience that is like that, Williams says. A friend of mine, who was a regular at 67 Orange, suggested I look in New Haven, and he was like, Its actually a little foodie town with a few great bars and some great food and people who really care. And you might find a home there. 

Williams found both a home and plenty of history at The Anchor, a storied New Haven cocktail bar that opened in the 1930s on College Street in downtown New Haven, though its original location was in nearby Milford. Over the decades the bar had hosted celebrities from Lucille Ball to George C. Scott, and generations of Yalies have been drawn to its striking blue Art Moderne facade and cozy interior-bar feel.

When that incarnation of the bar closed in 2015, there was an outpouring of grief. The New Haven Preservation Trust even released a statement about the propertys historic importance. So there was much rejoicing when Williams resurrected the bar as the Anchor Spa and reopened it in 2016 with a newly restored interior and a rejuvenated cocktail menu. Since that time the cocktail menu has evolved into one of the states best. General manager Raasikh Muhammad Joseph, who has headed up the bar program since 2019, was nominated for a 2022 CRAzies award from the Connecticut Restaurant Association. This honor is well deserved.

Lisa Nichols for Hearst CT Medi/Lisa Nichols/Hearst CT Media

While Joseph was not present during my recent trip to Anchor Spa, his cocktail menu was on full display, as were the talents of bartender Bianca de Jesus. She graciously answered questions about the menu and mixed some wonderful cocktails. The Carrot One is a vegetable-forward mix of carrot juice, gin, mezcal and simple syrup that shows off the full creativity of Anchor Spas cocktail chops. Even better was the Warp Speed Mr. Spock, which lived up to the creativity of its Star Trek-inspired nickname with a mix of Laphroaig, green chartreuse, St. Germain, Sherry, lemon juice, peach bitters, and oregano, all topped off with a flaming pour of absinthe. The combination of the drinks smoky flavors and high alcohol content make it a voyage worth taking.

Despite the complexity of many drinks on the menu, Joseph and the staff pride themselves in making things approachable and finding drinks that appeal to each customers unique tastes. Staff might advise a more straightforward cocktail first and then move them up to more complex drinks.

We tend to start people with something thats less spirit forward, he says. The idea is to have a cocktail experience like youll have a food experience, and have your first course, second course, and your nightcap.

Lisa Nichols for Hearst CT Medi/Lisa Nichols/Hearst CT Media

This multi-course cocktail experience takes place in a warm, subtly nautical-themed setting. Whether you sit in one of the booths or at the bar, Anchor Spa offers a cool, casual meet-up or date-night vibe that is hard to beat.

Staff members also pride themselves on their ability to execute classic cocktails with skill. The Moscow Mule is a popular favorite and features Uncle Waithleys ginger beer, a small-batch producer owned by Williams and made with fresh ginger, lime and turmeric. The product has been sold by Whole Foods and works wonders in mocktails, or as a replacement to a drink with alcohol all on its own, Williams says.

The food at Anchor Spa also complements the cocktails. From Caribbean-inspired cuisine such as crisp plantain chips to bar-room favorites such as excellent buffalo chicken wings, this restaurant offers quality from bow to stern.

That sense of approachability in the cocktail program extends to the feel of the entire restaurant. One of the things Im extremely proud of is the diversity of the place, Williams says. That diversity expresses itself across ages, across gender, race and sexual orientation. Its very easy to walk into the Anchor and be whoever and see someone else who looks like you.

The Anchor Spa

272 College St., New Haven

203-821-7065, anchorspa.com, @theanchorspa on Instagram

Open for dinner and drinks Tue.Sun.

Not wheelchair accessible
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP)  Environmentalists lost the first round of their legal battle over a major oil project on Alaskas petroleum-rich North Slope on Monday as a judge rejected their requests to halt immediate construction work related to the Willow project, but they vowed not to give up.

The court's decision means ConocoPhillips Alaska can forge ahead with cold-weather construction work, including mining gravel and using it for a road toward the Willow project. Environmentalists worry that noise from blasting and road construction could affect caribou.

U.S. District Court Judge Sharon Gleason said she took into account support for the project by Alaska political leaders  including state lawmakers and Alaska's bipartisan congressional delegation. She said she also gave considerable weight to the support for Willow by an Alaska Native village corporation, an Alaska Native regional corporation and the North Slope Borough, while also recognizing that project support among Alaska Natives is not unanimous.

Environmental groups and an Alaska Native organization, Sovereign Inupiat for a Living Arctic, had asked Gleason to delay construction related to Willow while their lawsuits are pending. They ultimately want Gleason to overturn the projects approval, saying the U.S. Bureau of Land Management failed to consider an adequate range of alternatives.

Gleason said the construction work that ConocoPhillips Alaska plans for this month is substantially narrower in scope than the Willow Project as a whole, and the groups did not succeed in showing it would cause irreparable harm before she makes a decision on the merits of the cases.

Rebecca Boys, a company spokesperson, said ConocoPhillips Alaska appreciates the backing it has received from those who recognize that Willow will provide meaningful opportunities for Alaska Native communities and the state of Alaska, and domestic energy for America.

To prevent the worst of climate changes future harms, including even more extreme weather, the head of the United Nations recently called for an end to new fossil fuel exploration and for rich countries to quit coal, oil and gas by 2040.

A ConocoPhillips Alaska executive, Stephen Bross, warned in court documents that an order blocking construction could make it impossible for the project to begin production by Sept. 1, 2029, and the company risks having its leases expire if the unit hasnt produced oil by then.

One of the suits, filed by Earthjustice on behalf of numerous environmental groups, says the government analyzed an inadequate range of alternatives based on the mistaken conclusion that it must allow ConocoPhillips to fully develop its leases. It also says the environmental review underlying Willows approval didnt assess the full climate consequences of authorizing the project because it didnt analyze greenhouse gas emissions from other projects in the region that could follow.

The Willow project is in the northeast portion of the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, where there has been debate over how much of the region should be available to oil and gas development.

The Biden administration in 2022 limited oil and gas leasing to just over half the reserve, which is home to polar bears, caribou, millions of migratory birds and other wildlife. There are multiple exploration and development projects within 50 miles (80 kilometers) of the Willow project, including other discoveries being pursued by ConocoPhillips Alaska, the state's largest oil producer.

The other lawsuit, filed by Trustees for Alaska on behalf of Sovereign Inupiat for a Living Arctic and environmental groups, said federal agencies failed to take a hard look at the direct, indirect and cumulative impacts of the Willow project and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service failed to address impacts to polar bears, a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act.

Bridget Psarianos, lead staff attorney with Trustees for Alaska, said in a statement that Gleason's decision is "heartbreaking for all who want to protect local communities and prevent more devastating climate impacts in the Arctic and around the world. We will do everything we can to protect the region while the merits of our case get heard.

Erik Grafe, deputy managing attorney for Earthjustice in Alaska, said while this round of legal challenges did not produce the outcome we had hoped for, our court battle continues.

Justice Department lawyers had argued that last month's decision by the Biden administration approving Willow was based in science and consistent with all legal requirements. They also said the environmental review thoroughly analyzed emissions related to the use of oil produced by the project and called the analysis sought by Earthjustice overreaching.

State political leaders, including Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy, and labor unions have touted Willow as a job creator, expected to produce up to 180,000 barrels of oil a day. Thats significant, because major existing fields are aging and the flow of oil through the trans-Alaska pipeline is a fraction of what it was at its peak in the late 1980s.

Many Alaska Native leaders on the North Slope and groups with ties to the region have argued that the project is economically vital for their communities. Nagruk Harcharek, president of the Voice of Arctic Inupiat, whose members include leaders from across much of the North Slope, called Gleason's decision another step forward for Alaska, Alaska Native self-determination, and for Americas energy security.

But some Alaska Native leaders in the community closest to the project, Nuiqsut, have expressed concerns about impacts to their subsistence lifestyles and worried that their voices havent been heard.

Using the oil that Willow would produce over the 30-year life of the project would emit roughly as much greenhouse gas as the combined emissions from 1.7 million passenger cars over the same period. Climate activists say the project flies in the face of President Joe Bidens pledges to cut carbon emissions and move to clean energy.

The administration has defended the decision on Willow and the presidents climate record. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, who opposed Willow when she was a New Mexico congresswoman, last month called the project a difficult and complex issue involving leases issued by prior administrations. She said there was limited decision space and the administration had focused on how to reduce the projects footprint and minimize its impacts to people and to wildlife.

Global demand for crude is expected to continue rising, according to industry analysts and the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
The United States is accelerating its delivery of Abrams tanks to Ukraine.

President Biden announced in January that the United States would be providing the Ukrainians with advanced battle tanks so they can defend their land and people from Russias full and brutal invasion. The same day, Germany announced it would send 14 of its Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine and allow other European countries to send German-made tanks from their own stockpiles.

The DOD [Department of Defense], in close coordination with Ukraine, has made the decision to provide the M1A1 variant of the Abrams tank, which will enable us to significantly expedite delivery timelines and deliver this important capability to Ukraine by the fall of this year, Pentagon Press Secretary Brigadier General Pat Ryder told reporters.

The M1A1s will be refurbished from excess hulls in U.S. inventory and will provide Ukraine with advanced armor and weapons systems, to include the 120 millimeter cannon and 50 caliber heavy machine gun. This is about getting this important combat capability into the hands of the Ukrainians sooner rather than later, Press Secretary Brigadier General Ryder said.

He expressed confidence that the United States can ensure that the Ukrainians receive the necessary training in time for the tanks to be delivered. He underscored that having such a significant main battle tank capability will help the Ukrainians meet many needs; taking territory, retaking territorysustaining those gains at some point in the future, as well as being able to deter future Russian aggression.

Brigadier General Ryder declared, This is all part of our broader near-term and longer-term support to Ukraine and their defense requirements.

In recent testimony to Congress, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin noted, Under President Bidens leadership, the United States has rallied the world to help Ukraine fight Russias unprovoked and indefensible invasion. Our allies and partners have stepped up to provide crucial security assistance, coordinated through the Ukraine Defense Contact Group that I lead.

And we will support Ukraines defense for as long as it takes.


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Eversource Energy has expanded its new worker training programs to include a third community college in the state.

The company has added a 13-week certification program for utility line workers at Housatonic Community College. The first class of 15 workers to take part in the program at the Bridgeport-based school started training in early March.

Eversource already had a line worker training program at Capital Community College in Hartford and a partnership with Naugatuck Valley Community College in Waterbury. The training program at Naugatuck Valley Community College is a two-year associates degree that Steve Driscoll, Eversource's vice president of operations services, said "serves as a pipeline for talent into Eversource's substation and field engineering operations."

NVCC's Electronic Engineering Technology program has had a partnership with Eversource dating back to 2007.

"They have a fantastic STEM curriculum," Driscoll said.

The selection process for the first class at Housatonic Community College was highly competitive, with nearly 150 people competing for just 15 spots.

We are happy to expand this program with Eversource, which started with Capital Community College students in 2021, said John Maduko, president of the Connecticut State Community College system. Through partnerships like this, we are able to quickly meet workforce needs in our community while our students prepare for in-demand jobs that pay family-sustaining wages.

Driscoll said there have been 44 graduates from the Capital Community College line worker program. Of that group, 31 new line workers were hired.

Students in both the Housatonic and Capital Community College programs participate in virtual classroom learning and hands-on training at the Eversource outdoor training complex in Berlin. The coursework includes electrical theory, CPR and safety.

"It's unique that you can develop a program at one college and then replicate it at another school," Driscoll said.

The small class size for the two certificate programs "is based on the ability to deliver the curriculum successfully," he said.

"You want it delivered in a way that candidates can feel they can succeed," Driscoll said.

After completing the certificate program and being hired by Eversource, Driscoll said, the line workers enter a four-year apprenticeship program. Starting as what is known as a line helper, the new hires earn $37.23 per hour, he said.

Upon completion of the apprenticeship program, they become full-fledged linemen, Driscoll said.

The expansion of the line worker certificate program couldn't have come at a better time for Eversource, which Driscoll said has recently seen a higher attrition rate for line workers.

"Our normal rate of attrition is about 4 percent," he said. "The new hires from the Capital Community College program have helped us keep our workforce right where we need it."

Driscoll said Eversource had 447 line workers in Connecticut at the end of last year.

Carley Moyher of Killingworth graduated from the Capital Community College certificate program in June 2022. Before enrolling in the certificate program, Moyher was in a graduate school program for speech pathology.

"I just felt it wasn't the career for me," she said of speech pathology. "I felt if I stuck with it, I'd switch a couple of years down the road."

When Moyher told some of her friends that she was having doubts about a career in speech pathology, they suggested switching to a career in the trades.

"It's such a different career path, but my friends said that I pick things up quickly and that I'm very good with my hands,"Moyher said.

Now working as an apprentice at Eversource, Moyher described her career change as "a great choice for me."

"The certificate program was great because I had no electrical background, and it gave me some exposure in the field," she said. "And the guys that I'm working with now are very supportive. My mom has asked me if I regret leaving grad school, and I tell her, 'Not for a second.'"
NEW HAVEN  Housatonic Community College CEO Dwayne Smith has been appointed interim president at Southern Connecticut State University, officials announced last week.

Current SCSU President Joe Bertolino announced last month he will leave his post at the end of the semester to assume presidency at Stockton University in New Jersey, his home state.

Smith, a St. Louis native, joined the Bridgeport college in 2020 after serving as an interim president at Harris-Stowe State University in Missouri following a 13-year stint as the universitys provost. He will begin the job in New Haven in June.

Its a bittersweet day for me, Smith said in a statement, because he said Housatonic has been a highlight for his career but hes thrilled to take on a new challenge at SCSU.

Over the past years, I have worked closely with the team at Southern on a number of initiatives and I look forward to building on that foundation to continually move the university in a positive direction, Smith said.

Before Smiths time at HSSU, his nearly 40 years in higher education spanned as an administrator and a faculty member at Avila University, Park University, University of Missouri  Columbia and Truman State University.

During Smiths tenure in Bridgeport, Housatonics enrollment and retention increased, and external funding also increased  including the colleges largest private gift, $1 million for Peter Werth Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center.

In an interview Tuesday, Smith said he was still excited and enthusiastic. Asked what his priority for SCSU is, Smith said hes looking forward to learning the culture in terms of what makes up Southern.

Terrence Cheng, president of Connecticut State Colleges and Universities, said in a statement that Smith is uniquely qualified and will be a highly successful leader at SCSU.

Perhaps most importantly, he is deeply committed to the universitys mission as a social justice institution, Cheng said. He understands the transformational power of public higher education and the awesome responsibility that comes with educating our students.

In an email to the SCSU community, Bertolino said he had become well acquainted with Smith in the past three years, highlighting Smiths role in Bridgeport in establishing partnerships with local organizations and companies  including one with SCSU in which Housatonic students can earn an SCSU bachelor's degree in health care studies.

Im confident that Dr. Smiths energy, experience and vision will continue to move Southern forward, coupled with the talent and smarts that are so evident throughout our extended community, Bertolino said.
Ben Lambert / Hearst Connecticut Media

HAMDEN  Police say a man pacing between properties Friday night was found with a gun that didn't have a serial number.

Officers seized the firearm after they were called to Washington Avenue Friday for the reported suspicious activity, Hamden police said.
NEW HAVEN  Reuel Parks, who in January became the first coordinator of the city's new Office of Violence Prevention, has submitted his resignation and will be leaving the position as of April 12, city officials confirmed.

Mr. Parks informed us of his resignation as coordinator for the Office of Violence Prevention on March 28th and that his last day of employment will be on April 12th, and we wish him well in his next professional endeavor," said Lenny Speiller, spokesman for Mayor Justin Elicker's administration, in a statement.

"The duties of the coordinator of the Office of Violence Prevention will be assumed by Carlos Sosa-Lombardo, executive director for the Department of Community Resilience, until a new permanent replacement is identified as expeditiously as possible," Speiller said.

He didn't elaborate on why Parks, an adjunct criminal justice professor at University of New Haven who has experience as a parole officer, probation officer and clinical therapist, was leaving.

According to a statement from Parks that the city sent out on his behalf, Im passionate about working to make our communities safer and deeply believe in the mission and work of the Office of Violence Prevention, however, this particular position was simply not the right fit for me personally at this time," Parks said.

"I look forward to continuing to advance the work of violence prevention and supporting the most vulnerable and at-risk members of our community in a different capacity, and I wish nothing but success for the next coordinator of the Office of Violence Prevention, he said. He could not immediately be reached for additional comment.

Parks, a Jamaican immigrant who grew up in New York and later Connecticut  and saw a good friend murdered in front of him as a young man in his 20s  said when the city announced his hiring on Jan. 13 that "it was traumatic for me. I grew up trying to dodge violence."

He later attended Southern Connecticut State University, initially studying social work and later criminal justice. He is a Hamden resident who is secretary of the Hamden Board of Education. Parks previously was the founder and director of the Community Hands In Action Mentorng Program, or C.H.A.M.P., in Bridgeport. He was the point person in the city's effort to head off gun violence and other street violence with a preemptive, data-driven social services approach, rather then waiting for things to become police matters.

Sosa-Lombardo said the initiatives funded by the Office of Violence Prevention "will continue uninterrupted under my supervision," including oversight of the Program for Reentry, Engagement, Safety and Support, as well as street outreach.

"The planning for new and enhanced programming will resume once we hire a new coordinator for the office," Sosa-Lombardo said..
Teens from Waterbury, Danbury and Hartford have been known to steal cars and commit other crimes in the Hudson Valley before returning to Connecticut, the Dutchess County Sheriff's Office said.

But Detective Sgt. Adam Harris said his agency is now working with Waterbury police to determine if the drowning of 17-year-old Benjamin Payton is connected with a fatal crash of a stolen SUV hours earlier in Rhinebeck, N.Y.

"This is the first time we've had a fatality," Harris said.

At the height of the COVID pandemic in spring 2020, Harris said his agency saw an increasing number of Connecticut juveniles coming into New York in stolen vehicles to commit other crimes such as vehicle break-ins before heading home.

"There were cars that were stolen from all over Dutchess County that were ending up in Danbury, Hartford and Waterbury and visa versa," Harris said. "Juveniles were coming from those cities to Dutchess County in stolen cars."

Harris believed the surge in activity was related to new laws in Connecticut that released juveniles after committing a car theft. Harris said his department believed the youth were part of an organized group that spawned copy cats who saw others getting away with the crimes.

"There was not a lot of repercussions," Harris said.

But the Dutchess County activity had slowed when the fatal crash occurred early on March 28, Harris said.

The Dutchess County Sheriff's Office received a call about a fatal head-on crash on Route 9 around 6:25 a.m. that day in Rhinebeck, N.Y., which is about 30 miles from the northwest corner of Connecticut.

Jonathan Kiech, 49, a New Jersey resident, was pronounced dead at the scene after his Chevy van was struck head-on by a Toyota 4Runner that had been stolen the night before in Connecticut, the sheriff's office said.

The 4Runner, driven by a 14-year-old, was going the wrong way on the northbound side of the highway when the crash occurred, the sheriff's office said. The teen suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was remanded to a detention center pending further investigation and potential charges, the sheriff's office said. The teen, whose name was not released due to his age, was believed to be the only occupant in the SUV, the sheriff's office said.

Around noon that day, Waterbury police said one of their officers found an abandoned and unoccupied vehicle that had been reported stolen in Millertown, N.Y., which is just over the Connecticut border. The officer then discovered a second vehicle nearby that had been stolen in Ridgefield and the four male occupants ran as he approached, police said.

Two of the occupants, ages 14 and 16, were caught nearby, Waterbury police said. Two other 17-year-old boys fled into the woods near Lakewood Lake, a local reservoir, and were seen entering the water, police said.

One came to shore and was captured, while Payton never surfaced, police said. His body was located hours later by a regional dive team.

The Waterbury case was similar to what Dutchess County authorities have been seeing, Harris said. Investigators in both states are now trying to determine if the fatal crash and Payton's death are associated with a group of juveniles who have been stealing cars in both states, Harris said.

The Dutchess County Sheriff's Office has been in contact with Waterbury police to determine if Payton or the minors he was with are connected with the fatal crash in New York.

Waterbury Police Lt. Ryan Bessette said he had no further information Monday since the investigation is in the preliminary stages.

Harris said his department believes the cases may be related to the string of previous thefts or could be the work of a copy cat group.

"We have a very strict pursuit policy, which makes this very low risk for people since they don't have to stop, so it's very difficult," Harris said. "I don't know if we have any specific information that would say the cases are related, but it is a similar incident."
WILTON  First Selectwoman Lynne Vanderslice, a Republican, has decided not to seek a third term in office.

Vanderslice has served the town of Wilton for 15 years, with seven of those on the finance board and nearly eight as first selectman.

"It has been a pleasure to work with excellent, professional town employees, an outstanding town counsel team and the many volunteers who serve our community. Thank you for the opportunity and for your support and trust," she said in a statement sent to Hearst Connecticut Media.

In the statement, Vanderslice, who served as first selectman since 2015, said she was making the announcement about not seeking reelection now, rather than after the Annual Town Meeting, "to provide interested residents adequate time to research and understand the office."

The position of first selectman is "less politics and more strategy and operational and financial management," she said.

In February, Vanderslice presented a $34.6 million budget for Wilton for the upcoming fiscal year, representing a $730,000 increase over this year.

The proposal represents a 2.15 percent increase over the Fiscal Year 2022-23 budget, with a 109 percent funding of the town retirement plan.

The FY2024 Annual Town Meeting will be held Tuesday, May 2, with voting after the meeting and on Saturday, May 6, to decide on the town budgets.

For interested candidates in the position of first selectman, political party endorsements for the Nov. 8 election for first selectman are due by July 25 and self-nomination by petition is due by Aug. 9.

Town government instituted in a change in its structure last September, when Matthew Knickerbocker, former first selectman in Bethel, took the post as Wiltons first town administrator.

In January 2022, Vanderslice had acknowledged there was an increasing resident demand for a 24/7 local government and the town decided to add the role. In the new position, Knickerbocker has assisted Vanderslice full-time in her regular duties and acted as a conduit between that office and residents. Vanderslice said the role of town administrator has less authority than a town manager, but is no less effective. The role is designed to be the chief operating officer of the town as an employee, Knickerbocker said at the time. Vanderslice said she spent much of her own time, beyond work hours, replying to resident inquiries and concerns, and Knickerbocker helped alleviate some of that. As a result, Vanderslice took a cut in pay from $140,000 annually to $120,000 since some of her duties will shift to the town administrator. Vanderslice was elected to her first, four-year term in 2015, beating beat Democrat Deborah McFadden with nearly 70 percent of the votes. She followed Bill Brennan, who did not run for reelection after five terms, in the office of first selectman. In 2019, Vanderslice cruised to victory in her second term, again defeating McFadden.

The first selectman is chief executive officer and chief administrative officer of the town and chair of the Board of Selectmen, the Water Pollution Control Authority and the Board of Trustees of the Retirement Plan for Wilton town employees.

The position also rotates as the chair or vice chair of the Wilton/Weston Advanced Life Services and serves as a member of the Western CT Council of Governments and the Southwest CT Metropolitan Planning Organization.

The first selectman is an ex-officio, nonvoting board member of all appointed boards, commissions and committees and all boards and organizations receiving funds from the town. The first selectman does not have oversight of the Wilton Public Schools.

Previous reporting by J.D. Freda is included in this story.
On March 23, 2019, the ISIS terrorist group lost the last territories it once held in Iraq and Syria. In the aftermath of ISISs last stand against the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS and its local partner, the Syrian Democratic Forces, thousands of fighters were detained, as were tens of thousands of people caught up in the fighting, including families of the fighters. While many of these people are Syrian or Iraqi, thousands more are nationals of third countries, or children born in Syria to parents born abroad. They remain in al-Hol or Roj camps, waiting to be repatriated to their home countries. The fighters remain in SDF detention facilities.

Some of these foreign populations, particularly the women and children, have been repatriated home, thousands still live in displacement camps or detention centers in northeastern Syria. We cannot ignore the serious concerns posed by the detainee and displaced person populations in northeast Syria, because those concerns will not ignore us, said Ian Moss, United States Deputy Coordinator for Counterterrorism with responsibility for Terrorist Detention and Countering Violent Extremism.

The home countries of these detainees are often unwilling or slow to repatriate, rehabilitate, reintegrate, and where appropriate prosecute their citizens. Nonetheless, the pace has picked up in 2022, with over 3,000 foreign nationals repatriated from northeast Syria, equaling the numbers of the three prior years put together, said Deputy Coordinator Moss.

Repatriating these individuals ultimately poses a much lower risk than leaving them in Syria, said Deputy Coordinator Moss. 10,000 ISIS fighters remain in custody, the largest concentration of detained terrorists in the world.

And ISIS will look to fill the holes in its ranks by attempting to recruit these detainees. The best way to prevent that is to move them out of Syria.

Repatriation, rehabilitation, reintegration, and  where appropriate  prosecution and incarceration are the only durable solutions to this problem, said Deputy Coordinator Moss.

The United States stands ready to help, not just with the logistics but also by facilitating the sharing of best practices and expertise, he said. Additionally, our military partners have access to an enormous amount of battlefield evidence from the Coalitions counter-ISIS campaign.

This can be done, said Deputy Coordinator Moss. Together we can continue making the type of progress that has already made us safer. But there is more to do, and we cannot let up.
Amid concerns over potential security threats and personal information being mined by China, a key legislative committee has approved banning TikTok from state government computers and smart phones.

The bill heads to the Senate after its recent approval in the legislative Government Administration and Elections Committee. If approved there, then endorsed in the House of Representatives and signed into law by the governor, it would build on last year's data-privacy legislation, a wide-ranging bill that created rights for consumers and responsibilities for businesses and internet carriers.

The bill would also prohibit other programs, devices or software found to be threats to cyber security from state government devices. The legislation would also require the state to create minimum security standards and to perform annual security reviews.

State Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff, D-Norwalk, who in recent years has been among legislative leaders seeking added consumer protections, said Friday that on both sides of the aisle, it's becoming clearer that even innocent-seeming applications can be risks to either personal or government data.

"It's a bipartisan effort, not having TikTok on state devices," Duff said in a phone interview. "We hear more and more from the federal government and others about potential privacy concerns. Journalists may have been spied on." He said assurances this week from TikTok officials who testified before Congress on the app's independence, ring hollow.

"None of this makes anyone more comfortable with their denials," Duff said. "It strengthens my resolve to get it off state devices. Last year, we passed one of the strongest data-privacy bills in the country. This is a natural next step. TikTok is owned by a company owned by a foreign government. There are just too many questions right now."

TikTok, which has over 150 million American users, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Chinese technology firm ByteDance Ltd., which appoints its executives, the Associated Press reported this week. ByteDance is based in Beijing but registered in the Cayman Islands, as is common for privately owned Chinese companies. Its headquarters is in Beijings northwestern Haidian district, home to key universities and a hub for tech startups. TikTok has dual headquarters in Singapore and Los Angeles, AP reported. ByteDance disclosed in December that four employees gained access to data about reporters and people connected to them while looking for how information about the company was leaked.

During the recent meeting of the GAE Committee, state Sen. Rob Sampson, R-Wolcott, tried to amend the legislation to remove TikTok from being directly named, suggesting that a generic reference could make it easier to prohibit other social media apps in the future.

"Its not because I have any great fondness for TikTok," said Sampson, the top Republican on the committee. "Its simply that I believe the policy itself stands on its own. Based on the policy information here, if there is evidence to suggest that TikTok is an entity that would fall into this category as a cybersecurity threat, then they would already be covered under the policy."

But state Rep. Matt Blumenthal, D-Stamford, co-chairman of the committee, led Democratic opposition to the amendment and adoption of the bill.

Tyler Sizemore / Hearst Connecticut Media

"The objective here is not to beat up on on TikTok, the app, per se," Blumenthal said. "The parent company of TT is a Chinese company. There has been much public reporting on the Chinese governments pressure on and ability to control Chinese companies. There has also been much public reporting on the Chinese government using as a national security strategy the theft of trade secrets or other copyrighted or patent-protected information to advance its own interests. So, in our view there is a distinct and national security-related threat related to the fact that TikTok is owned by this Chinese parent company and that employees of the parent company have accessed personal data of individuals in the United Sates when there was not a proper means of doing so."

The bill passed 18-1 with the only opposition coming from Rep. Gale Mastrofrancesco, R-Wolcott.
A group of Welland students took the lessons theyve learned in the classroom and used them to help others.

Alycia Sones, a teacher at Fullbright Academy, said the students in her Grade 11 class have been learning about the issues surrounding homelessness and the socioeconomic advantages and disadvantages people face in their daily lives.

Thats where some of the students came up with the idea to start a food drive, which started at the beginning of March, Sones said.

The students, who come from different parts of the world including China, speak English as a second language and school food drives are not common for students to see back home.

Where I am from, you dont see homeless people on the street. Its the government that gives food and schools dont give food drives, said student Georgia Li.

When I learned about it, I thought (doing a food drive) was very meaningful and I wanted to join in because I thought it would be a great experience, said Mia Ren.

Lucy Liang said she hopes to encourage others to host food drives in their own schools.

Its a little thing to do and if everyone can do little things, it can make the world a better place, she said.

The teacher explained the food drive was turned into a small competition, with students divided into four different teams and awarded points for donations brought in over the course of three weeks. All of the non-perishable items will be dropped off to the food bank at Community Care Thorold.

Im super proud of my students and I think they did a great job, Sones said.

UPDATE - April 10, 2022: This article was edited from a previous version that misspelled Fullbright Academy.

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Contrary to claims made by Niagara Falls Mayor Jim Diodati during an interview with a right-wing news website, Niagara Region community services commissioner Adrienne Jugley says homeless people placed in hotel rooms are not being evicted to make room for asylum seekers.

During an interview broadcast Saturday on the True North Canada website, Diodati said weve had some of our local Niagara homeless, who public health have put up in our local hotels, who have been evicted to make room for asylum seekers.

Jugley said this is not the case.

She said hotels used by the Region to provide temporary accommodations to homeless people are not the same as those used by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to accommodate the thousands of asylum seekers that have been arriving in Canada during the past nine months.

The typical contracts that IRCC is negotiating is for large blocks of rooms within large facilities  quite often 100 or more rooms at a time that are secured for their use, she said during Tuesdays public health and social services committee meeting.

Still, Diodati stood by his comments.

Our office has in fact been contacted. Weve received calls and emails  maybe not necessarily from those who have been funded and placed through public health, but they have reached out to us to tell us their circumstance, he said.

It is, in fact, a concern when residents and constituents reach out to our office to explain that theyre the unintended negative outcome of a good idea gone sideways, he said.

Jugley said hotels being used by IRCC would not be the the typical ones wed see people use because of the cost point.

However, she said the housing situation in Niagara is a challenge, and so where some people might choose to live isnt necessarily always something were involved in.

She asked Diodati to refer people calling his office with concerns and said we can have a look and see whats happening and if were able to provide some support.

St. Catharines Coun. Laura Ip said its not the first time Jugley has addressed similar claims, adding she told Diodati during a committee meeting in March the claims were not accurate.

And yet, nearly a month later a podcast interview is released that has the councillor indicating that unhoused people are being displaced, Ip said.

Ip also criticized the website that broadcast the interview, calling it misogynistic, anti-choice, transphobic, homophobic and white nationalist, adding shes not sure why the councillor (Diodati) would associate himself with that kind of content.

While discussing a report regarding $875,250 in provincial government funding to help the Region respond to the influx of social assistance applications from refugees, Diodati said assisting the 5,254 asylum seeker claimants that have been placed in Niagara Falls so far is difficult for a smaller community like Niagara.

Jugley agreed, saying there has been significant impact, particularly to our office in Niagara Falls.

Our overall caseload has certainly grown exponentially, particularly since the beginning of the year, she said.

It has meant weve had to defer certain activities and services in order to respond to the intake roll.

Diodati is also concerned about the impact the asylum seekers are having on his citys food banks and soup kitchens, and said they are seeing an 85 per cent increase in usage.

He asked for an explanation of why they would have to rely on food banks when IRCC provides funding to supply meals.

Jugley said food security programs really try not to present many barriers for people.

They just say if you come and have needs, then we will try to help you, she said. But. obviously. when you have 100 people lined up out the door that you werent expecting, thats not maybe a policy you can support anymore.

Jugley said she met with community organizations last week to discuss food and supports provided by IRCC as well as through social assistance programs operated by Niagara Region, advising the organizations that maybe you need to modify your policy a little bit and reduce your offerings in the areas where they are already receiving it.

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MONTREAL - Canada Jetlines has pressed pause on its domestic routes as the upstart airline refocuses on sun destinations and leasing its planes, but says it plans to resume in-country flights come fall.

The carrier quietly halted its twice-weekly return trips between Toronto and Vancouver and Toronto and Calgary in January after launching commercial operations in September.

In their place, it signed a pair of so-called wet leases, where the lessor furnishes the aircraft, crew, maintenance and insurance (ACMI) for another airline.

When we had an opportunity to operate an ACMI lease, that guaranteed revenue and guaranteed hours. From a business perspective, it makes sense for us to take the ACMI lease, said chief financial officer Duncan Bureau.

This is very common across airlines around the world, he said in an interview Tuesday.

Canada Jetlines also continues to offer two return flights per week from Torontos Pearson airport to Las Vegas and to Cancun, Mexico.

The companys two Airbus A320 jetliners work both of those routes as well as the wet lease.

It signed one wet lease agreement that ran from the winter holidays into March, and a second one with a different carrier that lasts from March until Sept. 5, Bureau said. He did not disclose the airlines.

The Toronto-based company plans to resume flights from Toronto to Calgary and Vancouver starting this fall, with the aim of receiving three more deliveries of the 174-seat A320s by years end.

Well add more planes, which will give us the ability to operate into key gateways like Calgary and Vancouver, Bureau said.

Were extremely bullish on both markets.

Rising competition in Canadian aviation has seen up to six airlines simultaneously flying some of the countrys most popular routes, putting downward pressure on ticket prices even as travel demand ticks up after the protracted lull brought on by COVID-19 border restrictions.

Canada Jetlines, the newest player in the countrys expanding field of carriers, also offers charter flights and plans to launch a tour operator dubbed Jetline Vacations this summer, putting it into direct competition with the likes of Transat A.T. Inc. and Air Canada Vacations.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 4, 2023.

Companies in this story: (TSX:TRZ, TSX:AC)

Note to readers: This is a corrected story. Previous version identified aircraft as Airbus A220

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On behalf of the Australian Government, the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has announced $120 million in funding will be made available for Round 1 of the Community Batteries Funding Program.

The program aims to support the deployment of community batteries across Australia to lower energy bills, cut emissions and reduce pressure on the electricity grid.

ARENA is now seeking applications for up to $20 million funding to deploy a minimum of five community batteries.

To be eligible for ARENA funding, each community battery must be between 50 kW and 5 MW in size and connected to the distribution network.

ARENA has allocated $120 million in funding for Round 1, split equally across two streams:

Stream A: Distributed Network Service Providers (DNSP)

Stream B: Applicants that are not DNSPs

Community batteries provide energy storage in the distribution network that can store excess solar energy for later use, putting downward pressure on household electricity costs, and easing pressure on the local electricity grid.

ARENA CEO Darren Miller said community batteries represent the next step in optimising distributed energy resources in the electricity grid.

"Not everyone is able to install rooftop solar, but by storing electricity close to the point of consumer demand, we can reduce network costs and alleviate constraints in areas with high solar penetration. This will ultimately reduce electricity costs for all consumers."

"We're excited to be working on this initiative to support the roll out of these 342 batteries across Australia."

As part of the 2022/23 Federal Budget, the Australian Government allocated $200 million for the Household Solar budget measure to deploy 400 community batteries across Australia.

ARENA was allocated $171 million of this funding to deliver at least 342 batteries.

ARENA has allocated $120 million to Round 1 and intends to allocate the remaining funding to a future round, based on learnings from this tranche.

The Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) will deliver an initial 58 community batteries through the Business Grants Hub. This round is now closed, with DCCEEW now assessing applications.

ARENA will be hosting two information sessions on the Community Batteries Funding Program in April. More information on the application process can be found at ARENA's funding page.

ARENA media contact:

media@arena.gov.au
TORONTO - Amid calls for the Big Three telecommunications companies to provide wireless phone service on the TTC following a recent wave of violence, experts say the federal telecommunications regulator should force Rogers, Bell and Telus to use the subway systems existing infrastructure.

Ben Klass, a PhD candidate at Carleton University who researches telecommunications policy, said its within the CRTCs powers to issue a mandate if the providers wont voluntarily give their customers the ability to call, text or browse the web while underground.

He pointed to Section 24 of the Telecommunications Act, which sets out powers for the regulator to impose conditions on carriers governing the offering and provision of any telecommunications service.

The CRTC has the power to order these companies to offer service and also to set the conditions on which they do so, said Klass.

It has extremely broad powers to deal with these types of things.

In 2012, the TTC awarded a $25-million contract to BAI Communications Inc. to build and operate its public Wi-Fi and cellular network. Coverage is available at all stations and in tunnels located downtown, as well as other portions of the route.

But only Freedom Mobile has signed on to provide coverage to its customers through BAIs network. Rogers, Bell and Telus have declined to do so.

In general, Bell, Rogers and Telus never want to use other companies infrastructure, Klass said. They always want to use their own because its the cheapest way. They make the most money when they do that.

BAI has attempted to sway the companies through public pressure in recent years. In 2019, it launched an online campaign, iwantaccess.ca, that invited TTC riders to sign a petition requesting the Big Three use its network.

Connectivity is essential during emergencies and when TTC riders feel unsafe, allowing them to contact loved ones or call for help when the emergency alarm is out of reach, states the website, which remains active.

Two other sections of the Telecommunications Act could be used to justify the CRTC stepping in, said Klass. Section 40 allows the commission to order a Canadian carrier to connect its telecommunications facilities to another companys network.

Another legal tool, Section 42, empowers the CRTC to require or permit any telecommunications facilities to be provided, constructed, installed, altered, moved, operated, used, repaired or maintained.

But Klass noted the CRTC often doesnt act on certain powers unless it receives a complaint.

Asked if it has received complaints about the lack of consumer access to BAIs network, the CRTC did not immediately provide comment. Nor did BAI, while Telus did not respond to a request for comment.

In a statement, Rogers spokesman Cam Gordon said the company knows rider safety is a key concern for Torontonians.

We recognize that connectivity plays an important role in public safety and we are committed to being part of the solution, he said.

Bell spokeswoman Ellen Murphy said the current network setup isnt optimal for the company to provide cell service to its customers on the subway.

We would like to bring reliable cell service to TTC passengers, just as weve done in Montreal and other cities, but the exclusive BAI solution wont provide the service that TTC passengers need and deserve, she said in a statement.

Last week, Toronto city council passed a motion by Deputy Mayor Jennifer McKelvie urging the city to call on all cellphone providers to ensure service is available across the subway system and to notify the provincial and federal governments of the request.

That was prompted by an increase in violent incidents on the TTC over the past year, including the stabbing death of 16-year-old Gabriel Magalhaes at Keele station on March 25.

The motion did not call on the CRTC to take action.

If we received advice from city staff and the TTC about the need to reach out to the regulator, we would follow that advice, said David Turnbull, a spokesman for the deputy mayor, in an email.

TTC spokesman Stuart Green did not elaborate on whether the transit commission would be in favour of regulatory intervention.

Our position has been clear for a decade-plus. BAI won a competitive tender and the major telcos have refused to sign on, Green said in an email.

Rosa Addario of OpenMedia, an advocacy organization that promotes internet accessibility, said she is hopeful that recent incidents will give new attention and pressure to the issue that customers are at risk because (cellphone companies) are failing to serve them.

But she said its clear the companies are not going to change their tune unless they are forced to do so.

Part of it does come from a regulatory standpoint of needing to see this kind of progress move forward, especially as people in Toronto are facing increased violence and fear, Addario said.

Theres an easy fix and theyre refusing to sign on to it.

She highlighted that unlike in Toronto, the issue has been resolved for a decade in Montreal, where Bell, Rogers, Telus and Videotron built and co-own the Metro systems cellphone network.

These companies are so used to being the ones that own the networks and people pay them for access and they dont want to see it be the other way around, she said.

The situation exemplifies the pitfalls of the Big Threes dominance in the market, according to Jennifer Quaid, a University of Ottawa professor who specializes in competition law.

Its an illustration of when you do need regulation, she said.

They can afford to wait it out. They can afford to not actually provide you what you want and youll still have to pay. Thats what lack of choice brings.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 4, 2023.

Companies in this story: (TSX:RCI.B, TSX:BCE, TSX:T)

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Former President Donald Trump is under arrest, having surrendered ahead of his arraignment Tuesday after he was indicted, or formally accused, by a Manhattan grand jury last week, making him the first former U.S. president to face a criminal charge.

His charges are widely expected to include at least one felony offence related to hush money payments to women during his 2016 campaign.

Prosecutors did not say whether they intended to seek prison time in the event of a conviction, a development that wouldn't prevent Trump  who is the early front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination  from assuming the presidency in 2024, despite being the first president to be impeached twice.

The charges in Manhattan include allegations against Trump that occurred before he became president, and are unrelated to efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Trump also faces investigations in Atlanta and Washington that could result in more charges.

Canadians havent seen a case like Trumps with those who hold the countrys top job  this countrys prime ministers have mostly kept themselves out of the courtroom over personal legal matters.

Premiers and members of provincial and federal Parliament, on the other hand? Not so much.

Heres a look at how some Canadian politicians fared with their own legal troubles and scandals, from possession of an unregistered handgun to indecent assault.

Cabinet minister arrested for unregistered handgun

John Snobelen, a cabinet minister in premier Mike Harris's government, was arrested in 2007 after police found an unregistered handgun in his Milton-area home. In April 2008, he was given an absolute discharge for two serious offences, including illegal possession of a firearm, after pleading guilty to lesser gun-related charges.

MPP arrested for trespassing

Randy Hillier, a former MPP and former president of the Ontario Landowners Association was arrested for trespassing in 2006 while protesting a conference in Cornwall about water quality. No charges were laid.

In March last year, Hillier turned himself into police to face nine charges in connection with the so-called Freedom Convoy, the occupation that shut down Ottawa for a month.

In September 2022, the province stayed charges against Hillier and several others over violating pandemic public health orders that restricted large outdoor gatherings. Hillier was accused of demonstrating in Norfolk, Ont. alongside hundreds of other people, protesting COVID public health measures.

B.C. premier acquitted in a casino licensing scandal

Former B.C. premier Glen Clark was acquitted after being accused of receiving free home and cottage renovations from a neighbour who had applied for a casino licence after a 136-day trial. He denied breaking the law, but resigned in 1999 when the RCMP confirmed they were investigating him.

Attorney general charged with criminal negligence causing death

Former Ontario attorney general Michael Bryant was charged with criminal negligence causing death after a 33-year-old cyclist was stuck and killed in Toronto. His charges were later withdrawn, with one prosecutor saying there was no reasonable prospect of conviction.

MPP and city councillor pleads guilty to harassment

Former MPP and Hamilton city councillor Michael Davison was arrested in 2004 after he asked a 16-year-old girl to show him her breasts. In 2005, after 33 days in jail, he plead guilty to harassment and was given a conditional discharge and 12 months of probation.

Premier ran over and killed a homeless man

Popular separatist leader Rene Levesque was Quebec's premier when he ran over and killed a homeless man in Montreal in February 1977. Levesque had been driving with an unknown woman, and it was rumoured that the two had been drinking. No charges were laid.

Senator accused of lying on expense claims

Former senator Mike Duffy was accused of improperly claiming he lived outside Ottawa to claim living expenses for time working in that city, which lead to other allegations and 31 charges against him relating to his office and travel expenses. Four years later, and after a high-profile trial, he was cleared of all charges.

Duffy later lost his bid to overturn a court decision blocking him from suing the Senate for millions of dollars over his suspension without pay. He was suspended without pay for nearly two years over the Senate expenses scandal, before his acquittal.

B.C. premier fined for drunk driving

Gordon Campbell, a former B.C. premier, was fined US$913 in 2003 for a drunk driving charge in Hawaii, with police there saying his blood-alcohol level was more than twice the legal limit while he sped and swerved on the highway. Along with the fine, he was ordered to participate in a 14-hour substance abuse program and undergo an assessment for alcoholism.

N.B. premier acquitted of possession of marijuana

Richard Hatfield, N.B.s former premier, was acquitted of possession of marijuana after one of his lawyers suggested a local TV journalist planted the cannabis in his suitcase during the Queens visit in 1984. The judge agreed it could have happened, and rendered Hatfield not guilty.

MP pleads guilty to indecent assault

Former Alberta MP Jack Ramsay plead guilty to indecent assault in a retrial, and was sentenced to one year of probation and 120 hours of community service. He was convicted of rape and sentenced to nine months in jail in a previous trial, but the verdict was overturned due to errors in the judges charge to the jury.

With files from Associated Press, The Canadian Press and Star Staff

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OTTAWAAmnesty International Canadas general secretary accused Air Canada of racism after she was denied boarding for a flight to Mexico.

Ketty Nivyabandi, the secretary general of Amnesty International Canadas English-speaking section, was denied permission to board a flight from Ottawa to Mexico City on Thursday, for not having a Mexican visa.

This is an unacceptable discrimination by Air Canada. I was not only inconvenienced but deeply humiliated, she said in a Twitter thread detailing what happened.

I was the victim of racism, discrimination and sheer incompetence.

Nivyabandi has Burundian nationality, is a permanent resident of Canada and holds a refugee passport, so she is eligible to enter Mexico without needing a visa, according to the Canadian governments entry and exit requirements.

Nevertheless, she could not convince Air Canada officers at the Ottawa International Airport of that fact.

I think the biggest story here is that (the airlines) practice has been subject to interpretation by some agents, she said in an interview. Clearly, theres a need for better training for all airline agents to learn about conventional travel documents.

Nivyabandi said she was held at the counter for an hour while officers looked over her travel documents, only to be denied boarding without any further justification.

Whatever tools Canada is using and maybe other airlines are using are not adequate and are not accurate so thats the bigger issue. Ive heard from many others who say theyve experienced the same thing.

Nivyabandi said the officers who did not let her board the plane were later excited to hear she was born in Belgium, thinking it would help their processing.

One of the agents said, she was born in Belgium, I think shes OK. So this means that youve got a certain set of countries that are subjected to this (implementation) that are over-scrutinized versus others. And that is that is how systemic racism manifests.

Nivyabandi said she has travelled to Mexico from Canada before without any issues, and shared the screenshot of a letter from the Mexican embassy in Canada, which confirms she does not need a visa to enter the country.

Its outrageous and unacceptable, said Erika Guevara Rosas, Americas director at Amnesty International, in a statement, asking the airline to publicly apologize to Nivyabandi and compensate for the harm caused.

Air Canada staff at the Ottawa airport treated Ketty in a discriminatory and racist manner, humiliating her and preventing her from participating in an important human rights conference at her destination.

Nivyabandi said that she was treated radically different after Air Canadas management team stepped in.

I want to underscore that this isnt an individual case. I happen to have a particular profile. I was able to get great support after the outcry on social media and various letters sent to Air Canada. But the issue goes beyond. Had it been someone else would things resolve in the same way?

The airline has since apologized to Nivyabandi and issued a new ticket to fly her to Mexico.

We have apologized to Ms. Nivyabandi for her delayed travel, refunded her travel and facilitated her travel the next day, the airline said Tuesday in a statement to the Star.

The airline said several of its agents worked hard to assist Nivyabandi by consulting Timatic, a technical system used by global airlines to obtain information on national governments entry requirements.

These rules can be complex and may vary from country to country, particularly in instances where a customer is travelling on a less-commonly used type of document, such as in this instance, a refugee document, read the statement. Air Canada said it notified the International Air Transport Association about the error in Timatic, and the IATA fixed it.

Nivyabandi, who was travelling to Mexico for a human rights conference, finally boarded a plane to that country, 24 hours later than her original boarding time.

But I am thinking of those who dont have the same job or access to social media. This should never happen again, to anyone! she said.

Clarification  April 4, 2023: This article has been updated to clarify that Air Canada followed up with the IATA, which amended the incorrect information in the Timatic system. As well, a quote attributed to Ketty Nivyabandi was updated to clarify that the airlines practice, not the airports, has been subject to interpretation by some agents.

Item Koca is an Ottawa-based general assignment reporter for the Star. Reach her via email: ikoca@thestar.ca

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A search at a Winnipeg landfill has unearthed another layer of tragedy.

On Tuesday, Winnipeg police announced they had discovered the remains of 33-year-old Linda Mary Beardy, an Indigenous woman from the Lake St. Martin area in Manitoba, at the Brady landfill just south of the city.

Beardy, who was believed to be living in Winnipeg at the time of her death, was discovered at the same site where police found the remains of Rebecca Contois, 24, last June.

In December, they said they believed Contois was the victim of a serial killer, along with three other Indigenous women: Morgan Harris, 39; Marcedes Myran, 26; and an unidentified victim who police believe was an Indigenous woman in her 20s.

A 36-year-old Winnipeg man, Jeremy Skibicki, has been charged with four counts of first-degree murder and remains in custody. Police say they dont believe Beardys death is connected to any previous or ongoing homicide investigations.

Its suspected that the remains of Harris and Myran are located at Prairie Green, a different, privately owned landfill north of the city. But activists are calling for both landfills to be searched because they believe the remains of other missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls could be languishing at either site.

The latest discovery seems to confirm their fears.

The announcement arrives at a time of outrage and exasperation among the victims family members and a national conversation about the value placed on the lives of Indigenous women and girls after police initially said it wouldnt be feasible to search the Prairie Green landfill, due to the passage of time and the sheer volume of material dumped at the site.

But since then, police have joined a committee launched by the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs to examine the possibility of recovering the remains.

Activists and family members of the victims have been stationed at the landfill for months, urging police to search for the womens remains.

One of those people is Cambria Harris, who has been pushing police to search the Prairie Green landfill ever since she learned her mother was among the victims of the accused serial killer in December.

It just makes me 10 times angrier because what I said back in December just happened again  In December I said What are you going to do to ensure that this does not happen in four to five years from now and youre not sitting down with another Indigenous family telling them we will not search the landfill? 

She said it was traumatizing to hear of another Indigenous woman being found at the Brady landfill, and to learn that someone would be brazen enough to dump human remains in the garbage even after all the attention the landfills have received.

It sickens me to my stomach knowing that people take advantage of these situations because of the messages that the government and our police put out by saying its OK to not search. And the further message it sends is its OK to dump our Indigenous women, Harris said.

It really paints a picture of how were viewed in society  quite literally as trash.

Police say they responded to the latest discovery after an employee of the Brady landfill reported human remains on Monday afternoon.

The area was immediately closed off and police found the womans remains in an active area of the facility.

According to police, its believed the remains were found within a couple of hours from when they were placed at the landfill and that they came from a garbage truck.

They said Beardys next of kin has been notified.

Police have not released a cause of death. The homicide unit is investigating the discovery.

We have no information to suggest that there are any other victims or that this investigation is related to any previous incidents, Insp. Shawn Pike with the Winnipeg forces Major Crimes Division said Tuesday.

The landfill is on operational pause while the identification unit continues to investigate, Pike said, and is working with the city to determine the best course of action going forward.

Our homicide unit has been working diligently and progressing this investigation since we became aware of this yesterday, Pike said.

He added that the investigation is in its early stages and the force is looking for tips.

In a statement, the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs offered condolences to Beardys family and urged the federal government, the province and Winnipeg police to implement stronger measures to protect Indigenous women from people who target them.

We are losing women every day and it is shameful we have to come out looking in landfills for our women, said Grand Chief Cathy Merrick.

The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs said the feasibility study into a search of the Prairie Green landfill is expected to be completed in four to six weeks.

We are confident the study will deem these search and recovery efforts feasible  The Landfill Search Feasibility Committee remains dedicated to getting this study done thoroughly and properly for this search to get underway, the organization said.

After the families review the study and it is released publicly, they will then move on to examining the feasibility of searching the Brady landfill, they said.

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Lawyers representing an American reporter arrested in Russia on spying charges met with him in a Moscow prison on Tuesday for the first time since his detention last week and said his health is good, according to his employer, The Wall Street Journal.

Evan Gershkovich, 31, was arrested Thursday in Yekaterinburg, Russias fourth-largest city. He is the first U.S. correspondent since the Cold War to be detained on espionage accusations. The Journal has denied the charges.

Evans health is good, and he is grateful for the outpouring of support from around the world. We continue to call for his immediate release, the Journals editor-in-chief, Emma Tucker, said in a note to the newsroom Tuesday. She said the paper was encouraged by the visit.

Gershkowichs family, she said, are relieved to know we finally have contact with Evan.

The reporter is being kept behind bars for two months pending an investigation. Moscows Lefortovsky District court said Monday that it had received an appeal against Gershkovichs arrest filed by his defense, according to Russian news agencies. No date for a hearing on the appeal has been set.

Gershkovich is in Moscows Lefortovo prison. A Russian state prison monitor said Monday that Gershkovich was in a quarantine cell while undergoing medical checks, was reading a book from the prison library, and had access to a TV, radio and refrigerator. The prison monitor, Alexei Melnikov, didnt say when he saw Gershkovich, but said he was cheerful. That report couldnt be independently verified.

Russias Federal Security Service, of FSB, the top successor to the Soviet-era KGB, accused Gershkovich of trying to obtain classified information about a Russian arms factory.

U.S. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Monday that the Biden administration was pressing hard for Gershkovichs release. Its got attention all the way up to the Oval Office in terms of how we can get him home, Kirby told reporters in Washington.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged his Russian counterpart Sunday  during a rare phone call between the diplomats since the start of the Ukraine war  to release Gershkovich immediately, as well as another imprisoned American, Paul Whelan.

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SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP)  A judge in the Dominican Republic on Tuesday ordered an ex-presidential candidate held under house arrest and two former high-ranking officials jailed while awaiting trial in a record $347 million embezzlement case linked to illegal campaign financing.

Gonzalo Castillo, a former public works minister who won 37% of the vote when he ran in the 2020 general elections and lost to current President Luis Abinader, was held under house arrest on $365,000 bond. Donald Guerrero, former treasury minister, and Jose Ramon Peralta, former administrative minister to the presidency, were ordered held without bail for 18 months.

The judge also banned former comptroller general, Daniel Omar Caamano, from leaving the country, and placed former director of the State Sugar Council, Luis Miguel Piccirilo, under house arrest.

It wasnt immediately clear if their attorneys would appeal the decision. A total of 20 suspects have been arrested in the case. Officials of Castillos Dominican Liberation Party have accused prosecutors of investigating only former government officials while turning a blind eye to corruption allegations against Abinaders current administration.

The Dominican Republics justice system allows authorities to hold suspects in jail without bond or under house arrest ahead of trial.

Judge Kenya Romero also stated that prosecutors have a total of 18 months to investigate what is considered the countrys biggest corruption case.

Last month, authorities arrested Castillo and other suspects accused of paying bribes, laundering assets and illegally financing the previous electoral campaign after embezzling $347 million in government funds.

Abinader has vowed to crack down on corruption and impunity. Last year, police arrested Jean Alain Rodriguez, the Dominican Republics former attorney general, and others accused of diverting government funds in an unrelated case.

Also arrested in other cases are several high-ranking government officials with ties to former President Danilo Medina.

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Americas rich history is full of meaningful moments put into words.

One small step for man  for the first moon landing.

The first Black president, Barack Obama, who described himself as a skinny kid with a funny name.

Or the pilot who dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima and lamented, My God, what have we done?

Theyve marked events that have, for better or worse, been burned into the countrys psyche. By the nature of that countrys global reach and power, they have been burned into psyche of the world as well.

To this, we add the post of former U.S. president Donald Trump as his branded red-white-and-blue airplane taxied out to the runway of the Palm Beach airport, bound for New York City, to face his own reckoning with history.

HEADING TO NEW YORK, Trump typed. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!

Trump may yet say something more suited to inclusion in the historical record in a planned Tuesday night speech after he becomes the first former U.S. president to face criminal charges, to be arrested, fingerprinted and subjected to a mugshot.

But there is something niggly and unsatisfying in the fact that, of all the investigations underway into Trump  his mishandling of classified documents, his alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results, including inciting the Capitol Hill insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021  the case that will be noted in the history books is this one.

The exact number and nature of the charges has not yet been revealed, but the case is focused on reimbursements Trump made to a lawyer, Michael Cohen, who paid off porn star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 presidential election, which Trump won.

The payments were to prevent the actress from going public about a sexual relationship she claims to have had with Trump  a claim that Trump denies.

The billionaire politician is expected to be indicted on charges of falsifying business records  hiding his reimbursement payments to Cohen as payments for other services. Normally this is a misdemeanour, a minor offence. But it becomes a felony charge if the falsified business records were intended to cover up another criminal act.

The speculation is that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg will attempt to prove that this other criminal act was a breach of federal election legislation.

The legal foundations and merits of the case will be for lawyers to argue about, and for New York State Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchan to decide.

But for those hoping to see a legal reckoning that gets to the heart of the great chaos to which Trump has subjected his country, or to see him delegitimized as a political candidate, hush money to a porn star feels more like a sideshow distraction than the cathartic main event.

Mondays cable news fiesta nonetheless played its part as carnival barker.

CNN live-broadcasted Trumps O.J. Simpsonesque drive from Trumps Mar-a-Lago resort. It was a slow-moving motorcade of black SUVs that drove along a poorly attended parade route peopled by flag-waving, camera-flashing and saluting supporters of Palm Beachs most famous resident.

The network rolled as Trump mounted the steps of his branded company jet, which taxied out to the runway and lifted into the air.

The cameras lingered as the plane disappeared into the skies over the Atlantic and turned northward, as if Trump Force One were some sort of newfangled space machine hurtling toward the great unknown.

A few hours later, Fox News published on its website a looping clip of the jet touching down at New Yorks LaGuardia Airport as excitedly as if it had been carrying a liberation fighter toward the land of his oppressors ahead of a momentous confrontation.

Trumps legal defenders will be backing him up in court, while preparations are underway should his political supporters take to the streets.

New York Mayor Eric Adams issued instructions to those seeking to show their support for Trump, or their disapproval of his prosecutors, at what Adams awkwardly termed a major historical potential event that will take place in New York City.

Control yourselves. New York City is our home, not a playground for your misplaced anger.

He singled out MAGA Republicans such as Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a vocal and influential far-right supporter of the ex-president, who has defended the storming of the U.S. Capitol Building, when protesters sought to overturn Trumps 2020 presidential election loss.

Shes saying shes coming to town, Adams said. While youre in town, be on your best behaviour.

In other words, Greene is not in Georgia anymore, or Texas, or Arizona. Not Kansas, nor any other Republican red state either.

Trump also knows that he is facing off against a Democratic district attorney in one of Americas most liberal states, which is why he is weaving together his political and legal strategies.

Hes already cast Merchan  who presided over a guilty verdict in a tax evasion case against the Trump Organization  as a Trump Hating Judge and written that it is IMPOSSIBLE for me to get a Fair Trial in New York.

Trump aides in the Mar-a-Lago motorcade Monday also filmed the supportive crowd and, by the time he had landed in Manhattan, the video had been posted along with a fundraising appeal for his 2024 presidential campaign, which has reportedly raised millions since news of his indictment broke.

This is the ultimate reality TV scenario for a man in constant search of an audience, a media circus for the ages hearkening back to the famous phrase of that other American showman-turned-politician.

I dont care what the newspapers say about me, said P.T. Barnum, as long as they spell my name right.

Perhaps the only surprise, and disappointment, is that Trumps legal team argued against a motion from the media Monday to allow television cameras into the courtroom.

As a result, the viewing audience  Trump lovers and haters alike  wont get to see with their own eyes or hear with their own ears another great American first: when he rises in court and utters those famous two words: Not guilty.

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NEW YORK (AP)  For the country and for Donald Trump, the indictment of a former president represented an unprecedented day. For TV news organizations, it felt like a throwback.

Hour after hour on Tuesday, the story occupied the full attention of broadcast and cable news networks. They waited for glimpses of Trumps face to interpret his expression, followed his motorcades movements from the air, speculated on how it must feel to be arrested.

The coverage recalled better days for now-struggling cable news outlets, through two presidential campaigns and two impeachment trials, when Trump occupied hours of air time. Consumers eagerly followed along, the way they havent for many stories since.

For two days this week, Trumps indictment on 34 counts of falsifying business records gave outlets the chance to go back in time.

This is the most significant arraignment in the history of arraignments, Danny Cevallos, a legal analyst for NBC News, said on that networks special report.

Its hard to overdramatize what this means for Donald Trump, said MSNBCs Chris Jansing.

Oh, but many tried.

On Monday, Trumps travels from Florida to New York led cable news networks to revisit the worst of earlier excesses. Throughout the day, aerial camera shots followed Trumps plane as it took off from Florida and landed in New York, and as his motorcade traveled to Trump Tower in Manhattan  the backdrop to hours of speculation about the case.

At one point, Trumps son Eric posted on social media a picture of a television set inside the plane showing a Fox News Channel picture of the plane waiting on a Florida tarmac. Watching the plane ... from the plane, he said.

Such coverage is ridiculous, former Ohio Gov. John Kasich said on MSNBC Tuesday. There are more interesting things happening, but I guess were all fixated.

Kasich spoke on a split screen, his face sharing time with a cameras view trained on the entrance to Trump Tower, waiting for Trump to walk out the front door and into a car to take him to a Manhattan courthouse for his arraignment.

Tuesday was clearly newsier than Trumps travels the day before, but much of the coverage consisted of waiting for such fleeting moments. New York state Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchan declined media requests for video coverage of the hearing where Trump heard the charges against him and pleaded not guilty.

That led to constant, mostly empty talk about what might happen.

Will Trumps motorcade to the court take Fifth Avenue or the FDR Drive? (The latter.) Will a mug shot of Trump be taken and released? (No.) Would the former president speak to the media before he goes into the court? (No.) After the hearing is done? (Also no.)

CNN reran footage of Trump walking out of a doorway, a court officer declining to hold the door for him, and speculated about the last time something like this had happened to the former president.

His walk out the door was judged five seconds of history by ABCs David Muir. Those views of Trump, along with still pictures of him during the arraignment, turned political and legal commentators into facial-expression and body-language experts.

This does not look like someone who is celebrating the moment. ... It looks like a man who is very unhappy to be there, said ABCs Jonathan Karl.

Look at his face, look at his body language, said CBS Robert Costa. Im just a reporter. But it tells you something when you can see how someone is dealing with a moment.

Said CNNs Jake Tapper, That is a very pissed-off Donald Trump.

The former president gave a primetime speech later Tuesday from his Mar-a-Lago resort, denouncing the investigations into his conduct. Fox News carried the speech in its entirety, CNN aired most of it before cutting Trump off and MSNBC avoided it, with Rachel Maddow reporting on some of what he said after the speech was done.

That was a black hole of grievance, CNNs Van Jones said after the speech.

CNN had earlier interrupted its arraignment coverage briefly  for news of a court decision in another Trump investigation.

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said Trump would often call him when Christie was a U.S. attorney with questions and observations about the legal process. No matter what his staff says, this is a very, very difficult day for Donald Trump, he said.

Asked by ABCs Muir if Trump ever thought he would face charges, Christie said, I think he thought he was too clever to ever wind up in this situation  too clever, too smart, too careful.

On Fox News Channel, Trumps attorney general, William Barr, joined a discussion with commentators about whether prosecutors should bring charges against the former president in the New York case or in other investigations Trump faces  over turning over presidential records, his role in the Jan. 6 insurrection or allegedly interfering in Georgias presidential vote in 2020.

One wonders about the wisdom of this case and one wonders about the wisdom of all the other cases that could be brought, Fox analyst Brit Hume said.

Barr talked about prosecutorial discretion and said of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Braggs charges  before the indictment was unsealed publicly  that this appears to be just a pathetically weak case.

Its hard to believe Alvin Bragg would bring these charges against anyone except Donald Trump, Foxs Martha MacCallum said.

___

AP Correspondent Ali Swenson in New York contributed to this report.

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EDMONTON - The Alberta government waited a month before calling an emergency response to one of the biggest releases of oilsands tailings in the provinces history, a leaked document shows.

The document, obtained by The Canadian Press, shows the province didnt initiate an emergency response until after First Nations chiefs in the area went public about how they were informed of the releases from Imperial Oils Kearl mine, about 70 kilometres north of Fort McMurray, Alta.

The document also sheds new light on official communications and reaction to the spills, now the subject of three inquiries.

The fact that the province waited over a month before initiating its emergency response is not surprising at all, said Chief Alan Adam of the Athabasca Cree First Nation, which uses the area for harvesting. We are used to the provincial government letting us down.

Discoloured water, later found to be groundwater contaminated with oilsands tailings, was discovered seeping from a Kearl pond in May. First Nations were not kept informed of that investigation until Feb. 7, when the Alberta Energy Regulator issued an environmental protection order against Imperial after another release of 5.3 million litres ofindustrial wastewater including some tailings from a containment pond.

That order was made public and reported on. Alberta Environment Minister Sonya Savage has said the protection order was how she first learned of the problem.

The releases drew more attention on March 2, when chiefs of area First Nations said they had not been updated since the original notification, while their people continued to hunt, fish and gather plants in the area. Both Adam and Chief Billy-Jo Tuccaro of the Mikisew Cree First Nation said theyd lost trust in the regulator.

Five days later, on March 7, Alberta Environment began an emergency response to the spill, which contained toxic levels of contaminants including arsenic. It took another three days before provincial emergency response staff made it to the site.

Thats what a March 23 document from Alberta Environment and Protected Areas entitled Kearl Oil Sands  AEPA Response Summary and Drinking Water Evaluation indicates. The dates are revealed in a timeline of the departments response.

Alberta Environment did not respond to a question about why it took a month to declare an emergency and then only after national media attention.

Adam said its part of a pattern of indifference.

He said his band hasnt heard from either of the United Conservative Party government members who represent the area, even though both hold relevant posts. Tany Yao is parliamentary secretary for rural health and Brian Jean is minister of jobs, economy and northern development.

Youd think this would be right up their alley, said Adam in a statement. Maybe theres a bigger crisis happening in our region that I dont know about that theyre focused on instead.

Opposition New Democrat environment critic Marlin Schmidt said he wondered what triggered the emergency decision.

When (the releases) first hit the press in February, all we heard from the minister, the regulator and Imperial Oil was that everything was fine and under control. A month later, weve got an emergency response.

What triggered the emergency response?

The document offers data on a long list of potential contaminants measured at the Fort Chipewyan water intake. It concludes that the water at that point is safe to drink, with levels of many of the toxins too low to measure.

The results of water samples taken close to the release sites arent listed.

Official responses to the releases are being investigated by Albertas Information Commissioner, the board of directors of the provinces energy regulator and the House of Commons environmental and sustainable development committee. That committee has asked the head of Albertas regulator and senior Imperial Oil officials to answer questions on April 20 and 24.

The regulators review, to be conducted by a third party, is to ask if its the agencys job to assess an incident report and if the proper communication processes were followed by both the regulator and the company. It will also ask if investigation, compliance and enforcement processes were followed.

That report is expected by the end of July.

Schmidt said the real issue is that the Kearl pond continues to seep into groundwater.

Its good that theyre looking at transparency and information sharing. But there is another issue here  a tailings pond that seems to be leaking.

Imperial has said its building trenches and installing pumps to capture more seepage.

The regulator said it has asked other oilsands operators to review tailings pond controls.

At this time and based on our preliminary review, no issues have been identified, regulator spokeswoman Teresa Broughton said in an email.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 4, 2023.

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WINNIPEG - The Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police has requested an urgent meeting with Canadas premiers to discuss bail reform and the recent killings of officers.

In a letter dated Monday to Manitoba Premier Heather Stefanson, association president Danny Smyth said there has been a link in the rise of violence by people released on bail since federal legislation changes were brought in four years ago.

Stefanson is the chair of the Council of the Federation that constitutes all of the premiers in Canada

Over the last four years, we can track distinct spikes in the numbers of people released on bail and incidences of violent offences committed by those on bail, said Smyth in the letter.

Smyth, who is also Winnipegs chief of police, said that an increase in drug, gang and gun violence has escalated the danger of the profession, noting that eight officers have been killed in the line of duty in the last six months.

The number of murders of police officers has resulted in stark comparisons with countries like the United States, to which we have never before found reason to compare, Smyth wrote.

Last month, Const. Brett Ryan and Const. Travis Jordan were fatally shot by a 16-year-old boy in Edmonton while they were responding to a family dispute.

A little more than a week ago Sgt. Maureen Breau was fatally stabbed while performing an arrest in Louiseville, Que., about 100 kilometres northeast of Montreal.

Smyth said the criminal justice system often renders police work pointless by failing to shield communities from violent offenders.

Policing is at a crossroad in our nation, said Smyth. The stresses and dangers of the job, combined with the intense politicization of policing weve witnessed at every level, threaten the integrity and trust in our profession and our ability to safely and ethically ensure public safety.

Stefanson said that she looks forward to discussing the issues brought up in the letter with the police chiefs, adding that she has sent the letter to all of the other premiers.

Weve seen a significant number of homicides in our police forces across the country, Stefanson said Tuesday. We dont want to see that continue.

We need to make sure that were taking action.

Stefanson said one of those actions that (Smyth) asked about is bail reform.

We have been a champion on making sure that we call on the federal government to make those changes so that its not so easy for violent offenders to get out, she said. I think thats one area we need to focus on.

Earlier this year, Canadas premiers called on the federal government to establish a reverse onus system for specific firearm offences that would require the person seeking bail to demonstrate why they should not remain behind bars.

Federal Justice Minister David Lametti has said he is giving serious consideration to reforming Canadas bail laws in response to the request from premiers for changes.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 4, 2023.

 By Angela Amato in Edmonton.

---

This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Meta and Canadian Press News Fellowship.

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" " An Amazon Kindle e-reader is seen in a bookstore in 2019 in Qingdao, Shandong Province of China. Visual China Group via Getty Images

In 2007, the internet commerce company Amazon introduced a $399 electronic book (e-book) reader called the Kindle. The Kindle wasn't the first dedicated e-book reader device, but it didn't really have much competition  there wasn't a huge demand in the market for e-book readers before the Kindle's launch.

The Kindle took off because it had one big advantage over other e-book readers: Amazon itself. The Kindle enjoys a seamless integration with the retail giant's online store, which hosts millions of titles in electronic format.

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Because Kindles are wireless, you can access the store without connecting the device to a computer. You can buy a book or subscribe to an electronic version of a newspaper on Amazon and download it directly to the Kindle. Amazon also has a large customer base, which means a big audience for e-books  and lots of publishers and self-published authors wanting to jump into that market. These factors give the Kindle a leg up on the competition.

Why would you want to use an e-book reader in the first place? One reason is that a single e-book reader can hold many titles. The $90 Kindle, Amazon's base model, comes with 8GB of storage. Although there's no standard size for e-books, it's safe to say that that 8GB is enough memory to hold thousands of titles. The original Kindle had a port that allowed users to save titles to a memory card, extending the device's capacity, but then again it only had 250MB of RAM built in. Today's models do not have card slots, but you can get the Kindle Paperwhite and Kindle Oasis configured with up to 32GB storage. Amazon offers free online storage for all of its content, so you may have a backup plan if you somehow run out of space.

That memory capacity also makes Kindle readers very convenient for travelers. With a Kindle, you don't have to worry about packing heavy books in your luggage to keep you occupied for your whole trip. A single Kindle can hold more than enough titles to tide you over. And if you decide you want something completely different midway through your travels (as long as you're traveling in the United States or a country in which Amazon offers service for its international Kindle), you can always use the Kindle to access Amazon's store and buy a new book.

The Kindle also has several functions that you may find helpful while reading. You can bookmark a page, highlight a selection of text, type notes or look up words in the dictionary as you read.

Interestingly, the biggest users of Kindles are baby boomers and older people who like the ability to make their book print larger. Millennials and member of Gen Z seem to prefer paperbound books when they decide to read. However, a report from the National Endowment for the Arts said that 44.5 percent of adults in its survey said they read or listened to books in digital formats. Only 25.1 percent said that they read only print books.
WASHINGTON - Donald Trump relaunched his 2024 campaign Tuesday, just hours after becoming the first former U.S. president to confront felony charges in what prosecutors allege was a hush-money scheme to protect his reputation before the 2016 election.

In a surprisingly brief appearance at his gilded country club sanctuary in Florida, Trump reprised familiar grievances that spanned the full spectrum of his legal troubles, lingering only briefly on the historic charges he now faces.

I never thought anything like this could happen in America, the former commander-in-chief said from his Mar-a-Lago podium on a stage bedecked in American flags.

The only crime that Ive committed is to fearlessly defend our nation from those who seek to destroy it.

Trump has been showing strength in the polls in recent weeks, adding credulity to his frequent claim that hes the clear front-runner in the race to secure the Republican nomination for president in 2024.

And hes been fundraising mercilessly off of his current legal quandary, including with a T-shirt offering Tuesday featuring a fake mug shot  Trump was not photographed by court officials  and the words, Not guilty.

Trump sounded more defensive about the two other cases that are amassing against him: an investigation into the removal of classified documents from the White House and his effort in the days following the 2020 election to convince officials in Georgia to overturn his defeat.

This fake case was brought only to interfere with the upcoming 2024 election and it should be dropped immediately, he said of the latter.

Earlier Tuesday, as factions of protesters and supporters pulsed on the streets of lower Manhattan, Trump entered his not-guilty plea during an unprecedented court appearance that was surrounded by a steely gauntlet of police and Secret Service agents.

In total, Trump is facing 34 counts of falsifying business records, all of them allegedly with intent to defraud and intent to commit another crime and aid and conceal the commission thereof, the now-unsealed indictment reads.

The part about concealing the commission of another crime is important because its what elevates what would otherwise be misdemeanours to the level of a felony.

Why did Donald Trump repeatedly make these false statements? The evidence will show that he did so to cover up crimes relating to the 2016 election, Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg told a news conference.

The charges flow from the Stormy Daniels affair, in which hush money payments were made during Trumps 2016 presidential campaign to silence claims of extramarital sexual encounters.

All 34 counts against Trump are linked to a series of cheques that were written to Trumps now-estranged lawyer and fixer, Michael Cohen, who has already been convicted of violating campaign finance laws.

(Trump) could not simply say that the payments were a reimbursement for Mr. Cohens payments to Stormy Daniels; to make that true statement would have been to admit a crime, Bragg said.

So instead, Mr. Trump said that he was paying Mr. Cohen for fictitious legal services in 2017 to cover up actual crimes committed the prior year.

Trump accused Bragg of vowing to get the former president as part of his own campaign for the job in 2021.

A statement of facts released Tuesday alongside the indictment spelled out the timeline: the scheme ran from August 2015 to December 2017 by identifying and purchasing negative information about (Trump) to suppress its publication and benefit the defendants electoral prospects.

Aside from entering his plea, Trump was otherwise uncharacteristically quiet throughout the afternoon, waving to supporters as he entered the courthouse clad in his trademark dark suit and red tie.

From his private jet en route to Florida, Trump fired off a dispatch on his Truth Social platform that seized on the fact that the indictment didnt appear to include any new bombshell revelations.

Virtually every legal pundit has said that there is no case here, he said. There was nothing done illegally!

Trumps campaign also issued a statement that described the case as a farce and an unprecedented attack on our justice system, calling the indictment itself embarrassing and bare bones.

Braggs investigation has focused on payments that were made to Daniels, an adult film star, as well as to former Playboy model Karen McDougal. Another character also resurfaced Tuesday: a Trump Tower doorman who claimed back in 2015 to have a story about Trump fathering a child born out of wedlock.

David Pecker, a Trump friend and the publisher of the National Enquirer, made a $30,000 payment to the doorman to acquire the exclusive rights to the story  part of a catch-and-kill scheme designed to keep negative stories about Trump from seeing the light of day.

Peckers company, American Media Inc., ultimately concluded the story was not true, but Cohen instructed Pecker not to release the doorman from the agreement until after the election, the statement of facts alleges.

The payments were part of an unlawful plan to identify and suppress negative information that could have undermined his campaign for president, assistant district attorney Christopher Conroy said in court.

Trump lawyer Todd Blanche called it a sad day for the country.

You dont expect this to happen to somebody who was president of the United States, Blanche said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 4, 2023.

 With files from The Associated Press.

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Ontarios solicitor general says his office is working to complete discussions with police forces and other associations so that a four-year-old law can be put into place that could bar officers charged with serious offences from collecting pay.

The issue came to light given recent publicity around the case of an Ontario Provincial Police constable in Leeds County, in eastern Ontario, who has been on leave for eight years with pay, earning $121,000 in 2021 alone.

Jason Redmond was recently found guilty of sexual assault on an unconscious woman and making a video of it to teach her a lesson about excessive drinking, reported the Brockville Recorder and Times.

The Recorder and Times also noted that Redmond had been suspended with pay since 2015 after his involvement in a drug trafficking case.

The Ontario government passed a law in 2019 that would allow officers charged with serious criminal offences to be put on leave without pay, but it cannot be put into force until specific regulations around the changes are completed.

Solicitor General Michael Kerzner told the legislature he has directed the deputy minister to complete the discussions with our associations, First Nation and Indigenous police services as soon as possible so that we can move forward with the enactment of the new legislation.

I want to repeat again that no one convicted of a serious and disturbing crime like this should be receiving a taxpayer-funded salary, and we expect all those that keep our province safe to uphold the highest standard of professional ethics, he said.

We will accept nothing less.

OPP Commissioner Thomas Carrique had previously said in a statement that the Redmond case is troubling for not only members of the public but for our own members who always seek to serve the people of Ontario with pride, professionalism and honour. The OPP has been seeking the dismissal of this individual since his initial conviction. This behaviour is unacceptable for any police officer and cannot be tolerated.

He noted that currently only those convicted can be suspended without pay  and only if their sentence includes jail time.

While the government conducted some consultations during the pandemic on the Community Safety and Policing Act, an update of 30-year-old legislation, it fell behind and now expects to have the regulations in place by the end of this year or early 2024.

NDP Leader Marit Stiles told reporters it concerns me that they havent moved quicker. I dont know why they would avoid that  I mean, they made the changes, now just make sure theyre in effect.

In the legislature, Liberal MPP Lucille Collard (Ottawa-Vanier) said that despite being convicted for drug trafficking, forgery and sexual assault, this officer has been on paid leave since 2015, even making it on the Sunshine List during this time. If receiving three separate convictions for serious offences is not enough for a police officer to lose their job, how can the public trust the officers tasked with their safety?

She also asked about another piece of legislation  the Accommodation Sector Registration of Guests Act  that would compel hotel owners to keep track of who is staying in their premises and allow police access to the registry if human trafficking is suspected.

While that law has passed, it also has not yet come into force.

It allows police to get information about whos in a hotel room, said Interim Liberal Leader John Fraser. So theres two pieces of public safety legislation that this government has just kind of put on the shelf and ignored and not taking action, which is surprising when you have a premier who claims hes all about public safety  I dont think anyone in this legislature thinks that its right. And so the government dropped the ball  just dropped the ball big time.

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Fired bureaucrat Sanjay Madan has pleaded guilty to stealing $47.4 million from the provincial government  including $10.8 million in pandemic aid  and been sentenced to 10 years in prison.

As part of a plea bargain, criminal charges were withdrawn Tuesday against his spouse, Shalini Madan, although she still faces civil charges along with her husband and adult sons.

Madan  who was led away in handcuffs by an officer from the 361 University Ave. courtroom to begin his incarceration  pleaded guilty to six counts of fraud, breach of trust and money laundering.

While he had been initially charged with the theft of COVID-19 relief funds, he also admitted to stealing an additional $36.6 million as part of an elaborate fee-for-service computer consultant scheme dating back to January 2011.

This was an extremely complicated  some might say genius-style  fraud perpetrated  on everyone  who lives in this province, said Superior Court Justice Suhail Akhtar as he sentenced Madan to six prison terms to be served concurrently over 10 years. He would be eligible for parole around 2026.

You absolutely deprived taxpayers of that money  money that could have gone into so many different things, including public services  that are required in this province, said Akhtar, who issued a forfeiture order requiring Madan to repay the $47.4 million he stole.

His head bowed, the disgraced ex-mandarin apologized profusely to the court.

I am very deeply sorry for my misconduct for a very long time, said Madan, who earned $176,608 a year as the Ministry of Educations information technology leader on the Support for Families program until he was terminated in October 2020, two months after being suspended.

I am very, very sorry to the taxpayers of Ontario. I know that nobody trusts me anymore. I am ready to face the consequences of my wrongdoing, he said, appearing gaunt and sporting rumpled clothing.

I will spend the rest of my life serving others.

Support for Families was a pandemic fund that gave Ontario parents or guardians $200 per child under age 12, and $250 per child up to 21 with special needs, to offset online educational expenses.

Madan was in charge of the computer security protocols.

Crown counsel David Friesen said the tech whiz also masterminded a complex fraud dating back to 2011 involving kickbacks on government computer contracts.

Friesen said Madan and associate Vidhan Singh  who is charged with money laundering, fraud and possession of stolen property and is being tried separately  used real and sham companies to subcontract information technology work at Queens Park.

The government paid about $900 per day to consultants, but Madan contracted consultants at a daily rate of $400 to $500 and pocketed the difference.

It was a lucrative scam, said the Crown prosecutor, noting it collected illicit proceeds of as much as $6.6 million a year.

The massive fraud continued for almost a decade  spanning the tenures of premiers Dalton McGuinty, Kathleen Wynne and Doug Ford  until Madan was suspended on Aug. 10, 2020, after the Support for Families theft was discovered.

It was never detected in annual value-for-money audits by auditor general Bonnie Lysyk.

Government officials should have known better, noted the judge.

The kickback grift was uncovered only after the unusual Support for Families transactions were exposed.

Defence lawyer Chris Sewrattan said Madan wants to pay the money back and he wants to clear his family members names because he did implicate their names in the scheme  even though they werent aware of it.

In total, the restitution that must be paid is $47,462,649, including the $10,802,900 pilfered from Support for Families and $36,659,749 from the fee-for-service consultants fraud.

Much of that will soon have been repaid in the form of forfeited properties, including a Waterloo apartment complex worth more than $20 million.

But Madan would still owe $13,162,784 that must be paid back within five years of his release from prison.

After a yearlong investigation by seven detectives from the Ontario Provincial Police anti-rackets squad, Madan was criminally charged in September 2021.

OPP Staff Sgt. Sean Chatland said it was an extremely complicated, long-term investigation.

This is a very significant fraud that went on for a very long time and ultimately affected a number of people who needed that money, said Chatland.

It was destined for people in need in a time of a pandemic  but I believe that we have held him accountable for that. It was refreshing to hear him acknowledge his responsibility for that.

Along with Madan and Singh, Manish Gambhir of Brampton was also charged with possession of stolen property and possession of an identity document related  or purported to relate  to another person.

Those two cases are still proceeding.

While Singh, the Madans and their adult sons, Chinmaya and Ujjawal, have been in civil court since 2020, the latter two were not charged criminally.

In separate Ontario Superior Court filings, the province alleges that some or all of the Madans and Singh funnelled millions of dollars to thousands of TD, Bank of Montreal, Royal Bank of Canada, Tangerine and Indias ICICI accounts in spring 2020.

The civil case is continuing and the province alleges as much as $75 million may have been stolen in a conspiracy involving nine other people.

Madan acknowledged in civil court in 2021 that he relaxed computer security so more Support for Families payouts could be made to the same bank accounts.

He dubbed the pandemic fund a free-flowing program that was being flooded by applicants.

There were a lot of possible applications coming in because people  discovered that there were a lot of loopholes. I thought there may be an opportunity to take the funds out  it looked like easy money for me, Madan told the civil court.

His wife was terminated from her $132,513-a-year job as a Ministry of Government and Consumer Services computer manager. She is suing for wrongful dismissal.

The provincial government has obtained a court injunction freezing $28 million in Madan family assets in Canada and India.

That includes $12.4 million in Indian bank accounts, a Waterloo apartment complex, a seven-bedroom house in North York and six Toronto condominiums.

In August 2020  as his criminal scheme was unravelling  Madan, who owns two villas in Hyderabad, flew to India and bought and sold more than $500,000 in gold.

He testified in civil court that he suffered a loss when he sold the gold there the following month as he was in a rush to come back to Canada because (the) OPP was knocking (on) my doors.

Investigators on the civil case also found Madan had obtained a Panamanian drivers licence and a permanent residents card and registered a company in Panama, a tax haven that does not have an extradition treaty with Canada.

But he has since said his Panamanian residency lapsed because he has not been to the country for more than a year.

Robert Benzie is the Stars Queens Park bureau chief and a reporter covering Ontario politics. Follow him on Twitter: @robertbenzie

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The All Progressives Congress, APC, leaders under the aegis of the North Central APC Forum have again urged President-elect Bola Tinubu to pick the Director-General of his presidential campaign council, Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau State, as the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF).





The group said appointing Governor Lalong as the SGF will also ensure equity and fairness in the incoming administrations appointment.





The Forum equally said Lalong had done a lot for the APC and the North as the Chairman of the Northern Governors Forum, Plateau State, and the emergence of Tinubu as the president.





Chairman of the Forum, Alhaji Saleh Mandung Zazzaga, made the call in Jos, the Plateau State capital, after the groups emergency meeting.





According to the Forum, Governor Simon Lalong has sacrificed a lot for APC, the North, the nation at large and good governance in the country. He is a man of peace, an achiever and a detribalized leader. Another interesting thing about him is his role in the APC presidential activities.





Our forum and other groups and prominent individuals canvassed for him to be considered for the presidency as the North Central, with all its contribution to the democratic entrenchment and growth in the country has not gotten that opportunity for decades now.





Our push for him didnt succeed, and we began canvassing for him as running mate to the president since the south was agreed upon eventually.





Yet Lalong was not considered, but he still remained faithful to the party and keep working for its success.





Even when he was appointed the Director-General of the APC presidential campaign council, many of us frowned against it since he was not considered for the presidential flagbearer or the running mate, and that he should decline the position, the Forum maintained.





Even some brought the issue of the Muslim-Muslim ticket of Tinubu and Shettima and made efforts to discourage Lalong from associating with the candidacy.





But he calmed us all down and always maintained that the Tinibu-Shettima ticket was not a bad one too and that they are equally competent and can deliver.





Again, he said politics should always be based on competency and not ethnoreligious consideration.





And he then worked sincerely and dedicatedly for the success of the party at the polls. Lalong always believed in party supremacy and the growth of the nation.





So for all the efforts Lalong has put in and more, he deserves the position of the SGF. Not that he merely deserves it, but he is competent and will bring in his initiative, quality and leadership capacity to support the admistration advance their cause and move the nation forward.





He called on members of other parties as well as all those who contested for different positions at the election but were not successful, to join hands with those who emerged victorious, stressing that since the aim of every contestant is to serve the people and not themselves, anyone who emerges should be well supported to deliver on their mandate.




Bandits have abducted 10 students from Government Day Secondary School in Awon, Kachia LGA of Kaduna state.

In a statement on Tuesday, Samuel Aruwan, commissioner for internal security and home affairs, said the students were abducted on Monday.

Aruwan said the preliminary report received by the state government did not ascertain whether the students were kidnapped in the school or outside.

The commissioner said the state government is waiting for further information on where the abduction took place.

The Kaduna state government has received preliminary reports from security agencies on the kidnapping of about 10 students in Kachia LGA, the statement reads.

According to the preliminary reports, the students of Government Secondary School, Awon (a day secondary school) were kidnapped on Monday.

The exact location of the incident is yet to be ascertained, but detailed reports being awaited will clarify whether the incident occurred within the school premises or elsewhere.

The government will issue a public statement accordingly when these reports are received.




Donald Trump turned himself in Tuesday for a historic New York court hearing held amid tight security and a global media frenzy, as the Republican billionaire becomes the first American president in history to face criminal charges.





In a spectacle playing out on live television  with rival protesters rallying outside  the hearing marks a watershed moment for the US criminal and political system, with the potential to upend the 2024 White House race in which Trump is currently the leading Republican nominee.





The 76-year-old Trump is expected to plead not guilty to a host of charges related to hush money paid to a porn star ahead of the 2016 election that brought him to power.





Seems so SURREAL  WOW, they are going to ARREST ME, Trump posted on his Truth Social app as he headed to the courthouse from Trump Tower, where he spent the night after flying from Florida.





Cant believe this is happening in America. MAGA!





The twice-impeached Republican is the first sitting or former American president to be criminally indicted  a development that has propelled the United States into uncharted political waters.





Police lined the streets while helicopters buzzed in the skies as Trumps motorcade made the short drive to court, a journey given wall-to-wall live coverage on US networks although cameras will not be allowed for the hearing itself.





Trump waved at supporters after leaving his car before walking into the complex under US Secret Service protection. He was not subjected to a perp walk  in which a defendant is escorted in handcuffs past media cameras.





The former president was due to undergo the standard booking procedure of being fingerprinted  and potentially photographed, which would result in an all-time famous mug shot  at the Manhattan District Attorneys office.





He will then learn at his arraignment, scheduled to start at 2:15 pm (1615 GMT) precisely what charges he faces. Trump was due to plead not guilty to all counts, his lawyers have said.




The Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Eastern Security Network, ESN, and other separatist groups have been warned against threatening the integrity of Nigeria.





The Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Faruk Yahaya, warned that IPOB, ESN, or any other group or individuals have no constitutional backing to threaten Nigerias integrity.





Yahaya issued the warning at an Army event in Abuja yesterday.





He said: Let me state here that elections or no elections, neither IPOB, ESN nor any other group or individuals should threaten the integrity of this Nation as enshrined in the Constitution of Nigeria.





I must commend you all for your adherence to all guidelines and implementation of decisions taken during last Years Annual Conference as evident in our professional conduct and apolitical disposition during the just concluded general elections.





The COAS also expressed satisfaction with the commendations troops got from various groups after the 2023 general elections.





IPOB and ESN have been agitating for Nigerias break up, and by extension, the actualization of Biafra.





The group anchored its agitation on the alleged marginalization of the Southeast by the Nigerian government.
Some Nigerians in the United States have staged a protest against the electoral victory of Bola Tinubu, the president-elect.

In videos posted on social media on Monday, some persons were seen waving the Nigerian flag in front of the White House while others held the American flag in what appeared to be a call for solidarity.

Nigeria  #RestoreOurMandateINEC Peaceful Protest  at @WhiteHouse United States 



Hear firsthand testimony from A Nigerian Polling Unit Agent @MigrateGGRLtd Barr. Samuel Adewusi an attorney here in America , who served in Badagry Area of Lagos. He was live with us at the pic.twitter.com/AwYWi2pgfO  Stephen_Save Nigeria Group USA (@PeterObiUSA) April 3, 2023

Nigerians protest at the White House demand a return of their stolen mandate by Tinubu and INEC. pic.twitter.com/ogImamDaMG  Peter Obi Grassroots Mobilization. (@PO_GrassRootM) April 4, 2023





Some of the protesters held placards with different messages  Democracy under threat in Nigeria, Let Nigerian votes count, and Nigerians reject the election result.

A man who identified himself as a lawyer and a polling unit officer in the presidential election said the bimodal voter accreditation system (BVAS) machines were bypassed in the electoral process.

He attributed the low voter turnout to ethnic profiling, adding that the injustice suppressed democracy and was a crime against humanity.

It was serious violence that I witnessed myself. They told people: You cannot vote because you look a certain way or youre from a certain part of Nigeria. That is not what Nigeria is all about. That is now what democracy is all about. I can tell you now that its a crime against humanity and I think United States should never stamp on this. We Nigerians in the United States should never stamp on this, the man could be heard saying.

I was doing some work trying to convince regular people to vote for Labour Party in Badagry West and they were telling me our votes never counted in the past, why should it count now? And I told them No, INEC said they have BVAS, and with that same BVAS they would transmit results electronically. I was wrong.

On February 25th, serving as a polling unit officer, I saw that the BVAS was never used. Yes, they filled out the forms and everything but no transmission was done. None. Not in the Badagry West where I served as a polling unit officer.

He added that the results from the presidential election were never uploaded and that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) went ahead to declare a winner while there were still problems with results upload and transmission.

The protester said Tinubu failed to meet the constitutional requirements and asked the US to do the right thing and stand with Nigeria.

Just like our vice-principal said, there is no president-elect. One of the most important things we have to realise is that the person who is elected president has to meet the constitutional requirements, he said.

We want the United States Congress to do the right thing  to make sure they stand with the majority of the Nigerian people and make sure that democracy actually prevails in Nigeria.

The US All Progressives Congress (APC) chapter had said it would stage a counter-march in support of Tinubu.
Finland has become the 31st member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), the worlds biggest military alliance.

On Tuesday, Jens Stoltenberg, NATO secretary-general, described the move as historic and said the Finnish flag would be raised at the NATO headquarters to signify full accession into the alliance.

We will raise the Finnish flag for the first time here at the NATO headquarters. It will be a good day for Finlands security, for Nordic security and for NATO as a whole, Stoltenberg said.

He said he was hopeful that Sweden, who applied for membership at the same time as Finland, will also be able to join in the coming months.

All NATO members must unanimously agree for new members to join.

Pekka Haavisto, Finnish prime minister, said the countrys goal was to seek support for Ukraine, a shared neighbour with Russia, against the Kremlin invasion

It is a historic moment for us. For Finland, the most important objective at the meeting will be to emphasise NATOs support to Ukraine as Russia continues its illegal aggression. We seek to promote stability and security throughout the Euro-Atlantic region, Havisto said.

Finland and Sweden sought protection under NATOs security umbrella after Russia invaded Ukraine a little over a year ago.

Finlands membership means that in the event the country is invaded or attacked, all NATO members, including the US, would come to its aid.

WERE WATCHING CLOSELY

Alexander Grushko, Russias deputy foreign minister, said Moscow would bolster its defences and take counter-measures to ensure its security, tactically and strategically.

We will strengthen our military potential in the west and in the northwest. In case of deployment of forces of other NATO members on the territory of Finland, we will take addition steps to ensure Russias military security, Grushko said.

Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesperson, described NATOs expansion as a violation of our security and our national interests and warned that Russia would be watching closely what happens in Finland.

One of President Vladimir Putins grievances before Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine was NATOs growing spread in Europe.

The NATO secretary-general assured that Sweden would become the next member to join.
Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), says he never discussed or encouraged anyone to undermine the Nigerian state.

TheCable reported that Lai Mohammed, minister of information and culture, during an interview with some international media organisations on the just concluded 2023 polls accused Obi of inciting people to violence while seeking redress in court over the outcome of the election.

In a statement on Tuesday by his media team, Obi said he is committed to due process and seeking redress in court.

In the past few days, I have observed various campaigns of calumny directed at my person, with the latest being allegations attributed to the information Minister, Lai Mohammed from Washington DC, Obi said.

It is most unfortunate that these consistent efforts to portray me quite contrary to what I am, and my core values, is coming from such high quarters. Minister Lai accusing me of stoking insurrection is totally malicious and fictitious.

I have never discussed or encouraged anyone to undermine the Nigerian state; I have never sponsored or preached any action against the Nigerian state.

Those initiating these actions have increasingly used their official positions and agents to make false allegations against me. I am on record as always, advocating for peace and issue-based campaign and never campaigned based on ethnicity or religion.

I am committed to due process, and presently seeking redress in the Court. I urge those engaged in this demarketing process to stop presenting Nigeria in such bad light.

Our future generations deserve a new Nigeria, where they can live a secure and decent life like their counterparts in other climes. It is possible.
ELKO  Local Toastmasters Wendy Bernhard and Harmony Stahl won first place in the International and Tall Tales speech contests at a regional competition last week in Salt Lake City.

Both women, with more than 10 years in Toastmasters, very capably demonstrated the public speaking skills they have perfected: vocal variety, use of gestures, good eye contact, facial expressions and others.

Toastmasters is an international organization that provides an opportunity for individuals to develop thinking, listening and speaking skills through an online educational program in a friendly and supportive club environment. Roles in the meetings and the option to serve as a club officer help enhance leadership skills, too.

Both of the Toastmasters Clubs in the Elko area welcome visitors. Ruby Mountain Toastmasters meets Wednesday evenings at 6:30 p.m. via Zoom. Contact djones41@gmail.com or visit them on Facebook for more information.

Sunrise Toastmasters meets Friday mornings at 6:45 a.m. in a hybrid meeting online via Zoom and in person at the Elko Senior Center. For more information, contact SunriseToastmastersElko@gmail.com and find Sunrise Toastmasters on Facebook and Instagram.




The Nigerian Defence Headquarters has reacted to videos on social media showing the presence of United Nations fighting vehicles and equipment in Benin, Edo State.





A statement on Tuesday by Acting Director Defence Information, Brigadier General Tukur Gusau said the sighting has caused insinuations and panic.





He, however, clarified that Nigeria is contributing troops to UN peacekeeping, the most recent being United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) in Southern Sudan, Gusau clarified.





The spokesperson noted that the mission is commanded by a Nigerian, Major General Benjamin Olufemi Sawyerr, saying the UN doesnt have its own troops.





The world body, he explained, usually enters into an agreement with countries to provide their personnel and equipment for operations in its various missions.





The vehicles and equipment painted in UN colour are being moved through the Warri Port for movement to the mission area in Southern Sudan to join our troops inducted into UNISFA last month, Gusau said.





The DHQ assured Nigerians that the country is not under any threat that will warrant the deployment of United Nations troops into her soil.
The Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, has stated that anyone with evidence against the Chairman of the Lagos State Parks and Garages Association, Musiliu Akinsaya, popularly known as Mc Oluomo, can file a case of attack against him.

He made this known in his response to a Twitter user, AjammaS, via his Twitter handle on Tuesday morning.

The tweep, AjammaS, claimed Adejobi and the police failed to protect voters during the election after he asked people to take MC Oluomos remark about Igbo in a viral video as a joke and assured them of safety during the election.

AjammaS wrote, Sir, you are also guilty, if I may say. This is what you said in the TV interview, and I quote. MC Oluomo threat is a joke, lets take it as a joke until he perfected [sic] the threat. I urge everyone to go out and cast their votes.

Now Nigerians heed to your calls and went out to cast their votes and unfortunately you failed to protect them as you promised. They were attacked by MC Oluomo and his boys, some were murdered, brutalised, blinded, some are currently receiving treatment in different hospitals.

Adejobi responded by asking the tweep to file an attack case against Oluomo if he had evidence of attacks against him, adding that Oluomo lacks immunity.

He said, You can take the case of attack up with MC if you have a case or evidence of attacks against him. Many people and lawyers, even the deputy gov of Lagos, have said it severally. He has no immunity, so if you have a case of attack against him, take it up.

There is no need to pass judgement or do trial on Twitter. Very simple. Many of you just follow others to raise this issue on Twitter.

The Force PRO had described the threat by MC Oluomo against Igbo as a joke when a video had surfaced online of MC Oluomo threatening Igbo in Lagos State against voting for another political party except for the All Progressives Congress in the state governorship election.

Oluomo said Igbo who would not vote for the APC should sit at home.

Reacting to the video on Channels TV, Adejobi said, I saw a video of MC Oluomo with one Mama Chidinma  an Igbo woman  debunking that threat; that its not true, its just a joke he was making with a particular woman. So, let us take it as a joke, like he said.

But, nobody has the right and audacity to tell Nigerians not to come out and vote; its not allowed and not proper. MC Oluomo has come out to debunk it, so lets leave it that its not true. The Commissioner of Police in Lagos has debunked it and MC Oluomo himself has done the same, so Lagosians should go out and vote for the candidate of their choice.

The Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Obafemi Hamzat, had said that MC Oluomo, a staunch supporter of the APC, and the President-elect, Bola Tinubu, must pay if he is found guilty of breaking the law during the just-concluded elections in the state.

Although the deputy governor said he was not calling for the arrest of anybody, he said the facts should be examined and if in truth he (MC Oluomo) has broken the law, he must pay for it.
The Federal Government has said it is treason for the Presidential candidate of the Labour Party, LP, Peter Obi to incite people to violence over the outcome of the February 25 presidential elections.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, said this in Washington DC during his official engagements with international media organisations.

NAN reports that Mohammed has so far engaged with outlets like the Washington Post, Voice of America, Associated Press and Foreign Policy Magazine.

During one of the interactions, the minister said it was wrong for Obi to seek redress in court over the outcome of the polls and, in another breadth, incite people to violence.

Obi and his Vice, Datti Ahmed, cannot be threatening Nigerians that if the President-elect, Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) is sworn in on May 29, it will be the end of democracy in Nigeria.

This is treason. You cannot be inviting insurrection, and this is what they are doing.

Obis statement is that of a desperate person, he is not the democrat that he claimed to be.

A democrat should not believe in democracy only when he wins the election, Mohammed said.




Gunmen suspected to be Boko Haram have killed three persons and destroyed properties in a community in Adamawa State.





A source told newsmen that a group of armed men riding on motorcycles attacked in the early hours of Monday, firing guns sporadically as they looted drugs and foodstuff shops in Dabna community in Hong Local Government Area.





The source explained that civilians died in the attack, adding that one of the attackers lost his life during an exchange of fire with some vigilantes but his corpse was taken away by members of his gang.





Sulaiman Nguroje, Adamawa State Police Commands Public Relations Officer, in a statement condemned the attack and assured that a team of policemen had been dispatched to the area to ensure that the attackers are apprehended and to restore normalcy in the area.





He said: The CP warns that attacks on innocent souls would no longer be tolerated under whatsoever guise as the command holds the lives of citizens sacrosanct and such unwarranted attitude would be strictly treated in accordance with extant laws.
A New Jersey Superior Court judge has dismissed a police lieutenants whistleblower lawsuit against the Hackensack Police Department that alleged the officer was retaliated against for complaining about the police director.

Lt. Anthony DiPersia claimed in court papers that the citys newly-hired civilian police director, Raymond Guidetti, repeatedly violated state laws by carrying a service revolver and driving an unmarked vehicle equipped with emergency lights.

The lawsuit alleged police department supervisors harassed and intimidated DiPersia to the point where he developed a deep-rooted fear he would lose his job and his career would be ruined.
Gov. Phil Murphy signed a law Monday allowing more than 160 New Jersey school districts to receive a special infusion of extra state money to avoid some of the funding cuts they have been slated to see for the next academic year.

The measure sets aside $103 million in one-time additional aid and permits districts facing state school funding formula reductions under Murphys new state budget proposal to apply for a share.
A man employed by a company at Newark Liberty International Airport was arrested Saturday after being found with a loaded gun at an airport security checkpoint, authorities said.

The 9mm handgun was loaded with eight hollow point bullets when a Transportation Security Administration agent spotted the firearm in a backpack using an X-ray machine in Terminal C, the TSA said Tuesday.

Port Authority police arrested the Newark man and his employee badge was confiscated, officials said. He no longer works at the airport, according to the TSA.

A Port Authority spokeswoman said the 20-year-old man works for an airport services contractor and was charged with unlawful possession of a weapon.

The gun was the fourth seized at Newark airport this year. Fourteen were confiscated last year, two more than in 2021.

This was a good catch on the part of our TSA officers, who remain vigilant during this busy spring travel period, said Thomas Carter, TSAs Federal Security Director for New Jersey. Individuals who work at the airport are subject to the same robust security screening procedures as travelers. Any time dangerous items are presented in the screening checkpoint, we have serious safety concerns for all in the area and the resolution disrupts the process for the passengers waiting behind the offender.

Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.
A Bayonne man was shot in the leg in Jersey City Monday afternoon after an argument with another man, authorities said.

The 19-year-old victim was shot in the left thigh in the area of Ocean Avenue and Eastern Parkway at approximately 2:45 p.m., police said in radio transmissions. Police responded to a home on Van Nostrand Avenue, about a block away, where they found the victim bleeding heavily from his leg.

The victim knows his assailant, Jersey City spokeswoman Kimberly Wallace-Scalcione said, noting that the investigation is ongoing

The 19-year-old was taken to a local hospital with injuries that are not considered life-threatening.
Jersey City tenants fighting eviction may soon have free legal representation from the unlikeliest of sources  the very same developers who would try to kick them out.

Mayor Steve Fulop and city councilmembers James Solomon, Yousef Saleh and Frank Gilmore have been working together to develop a Right To Counsel program to aid tenants in the city who cant afford to pay an attorney to represent them in court. The $4 million annual budget would be funded through a 1.5% development impact fee on every residential project, no matter the size.

We have made historic improvements to expand affordability and important protections for residents, and this right-to-counsel proposal will put the necessary policies in place to further help our most vulnerable families facing unfair evictions, Fulop said. It will also add critical funding to expand affordable housing opportunities for low- and middle-income residents for generations to come.

The new fees are expected to generate $20 million annually. The other $16 million would be dedicated to the citys Affordable Housing Trust Fund.

Recent studies have revealed that Jersey City has some of the highest rents in the nation. With thousands of residents being priced out of the city, action had to be taken to keep residents here, Solomon said.

I think all of us on the council get calls every day ... from people who either can not find an affordable housing unit in the city and desperately trying to stay, Solomon said. Or (people) who are dealing with landlords who are potentially evicting them, raising their rents illegally, fail to provide basic services and who cant afford attorneys to deal with those issues.

Affordability is the most important issue that we face and I think this a huge step towards tackling that.

The three councilmen will be cosponsoring the ordinance that will be introduced April 12.

The black and brown communities are often the people who cant afford a lawyer when facing evictions, while landlords and developers who make large profits can and do, Gilmore said. Its time to tip the scales back toward the people and ensure everyone has the right to fair representation.

Officials are confident the program will provide consultation for as many as 8,600 tenants and represent 1,500 in court annually.

An office of the Right to Counsel will be created under the city Department of Housing, Economic Development, and Commerce (HEDC). When residents receive an eviction notice, they will receive a free consultation on their rights and be assigned an attorney if the office determines it necessary.

Solomon said developers  and even people building one- and two-family homes  would pay the 1.5% fee based on the propertys assessment before a certificate of occupancy is awarded. He said the fee, which would be phased in, wont affect current projects that have already received site approval, but is would be fully implemented by 2025.

The city has already been collecting a 2.5% development impact fee on non-residential projects to fund the affordable housing trust fund. Now 20% of those fees will fund the right-to-counsel budget.

Right-to-counsel programs for tenants facing evictions have been gained momentum across the country since New York City first established a program in 2017. While they all differ, the programs generally provide attorney representation at no cost. Eviction cases dropped by 40% in New York City in 2020.

On average, just 3% of tenants are represented in evictions while 82% of landlords have attorneys when there is no intervention, according to the National Coalition for a Civil Right to Counsel. Most tenants who enter into eviction proceedings are unaware of their rights and their cases suffer leaving them evicted.

North Jersey Democrat Socialists of America, which formed the Right To Counsel Coalition, has spent months campaigning in the city to convince it to establish a program as pandemic-era protections were beginning to be rescinded. Solomon credited the group for bringing the issue to light.

Everyone deserves the right to safe, affordable housing, but right now we are facing an affordable housing crisis, said Julia Tache, the Right to Counsel Coalition spokeswoman. Even tenants in rent-controlled buildings are seeing immense, illegally high rent hikes.

Landlords almost always have access to legal representation in court, drastically tilting the scales in their favor. It is important to us that this program is universal so time and energy can be spent directly delivering service, not determining eligibility.
A Toms River man who led police on a chase through Secaucus before driving his vehicle into the Hackensack River was taken into custody after a two-hour standoff Tuesday afternoon, authorities said.

The 51-year-old, who police said appeared to be experiencing a mental health episode, repeatedly told police to kill him and at one point ripped off his shirt and put it around his neck in an attempt to hurt himself, Secaucus Police Chief Dennis Miller said.

The incident began at approximately 11:45 a.m. when two police captains saw the man strike a PSE&G truck at Paterson Plank Road and County Avenue, Miller said.

The 51-year-old, who is not being identified because this appears to have been a mental health episode, continued to drive recklessly on Paterson Plank Road until he ran out of road.

The man drove through Trolley Park and into the river, where he used a wrench to break a window and free himself from the vehicle, Miller said. The man tried to escape police by swimming away, but he was surrounded by Secaucus police, along with New Jersey State Police, East Rutherford police and Carlstadt police.

Miller said the man, who was standing in the water for nearly two hours, grew tired as Secaucus Detective Lt. Michael Torres negotiated with him. Just before 2 p.m. police were able to use pepper spray to take the man into custody.

Detective Lt. Torres did a great job negotiating with the man, Miller said. It was the type of situation that waiting him out was the best, safest option for everyone involved.

The man was charged with eluding, resisting arrest by force and by flight and numerous motor vehicle violations. He was taken to be evaluated at the Jersey City Medical Center, Miller said.
VANCOUVER  Calibre Mining Corp. reported first-quarter gold production of 65,750 ounces, up 27% from the 51,898 ounces produced in the first quarter of 2022.

The company, which operates the Pan Mine in Nevada and mines in Nicaragua, stated that Nevada production totaled 10,753 ounces in the quarter ending March 31, and production in Nicaragua totaled 54,997 ounces.

I am very pleased with the teams first quarter performance, delivering a record 65,570 ounces, said Calibres president and chief executive officer, Darren Hall.

Being above budget at the end of the quarter, with Pavon Central ahead of schedule and Eastern Borosi on track for production in Q2, we are well positioned to deliver our full year production guidance of 250,000-275,000 ounces, he said.

Hall also said in the April 4 news release that with numerous drill rigs turning across our entire asset portfolio, our exploration investment continues to yield exciting results as we expand the high-grade gold discovery at Panteon North and the VTEM Gold Corridor and make new discoveries at Pan, where drilling indicates the strong potential for resource expansion.

The new Coyote discovery at Pan indicates the potential for resource expansion to the south, according to the company.

Pan Mine in White Pine County is Calibres only producing property in Nevada, but the company hopes to develop the Gold Rock property nearby into a mine and also owns the Illipah property in White Pine County, as well as the Eagle Rock Project in Washington State.

Looking at highlights for the first quarter, Calibre said consolidated mineral reserves rose 370% to nearly 1.35 million ounces since 2019, when the company acquired the Nicaraguan assets from B2 Gold. The company acquired Fiore Gold that included the Pan Mine in 2022.

Nevadas mineral reserves rose 23% from the end of 2021 to the end of 2022 to 264,000 ounces at a grade of 0.37 grams per ton, Calibre reported.

Hall said that 2023 will be a transformational year, driven by an organic 20% increase in production, strong free cash flow and significant exploration to expand recent high-grade gold discoveries not included in our multi-year, grade-driven production increase strategy.

The company plans to release its financial results for the first quarter after the market closes on May 8.
No one was injured in a fire Monday that damaged the outside of an historic meeting house near the campus of Princeton Friends School, officials said.

Though 6abc.com reported investigators said Monday the fire outside the Stony Brook Meeting House is being investigated as suspicious, a spokeswoman for the Mercer County Prosecutors Office said Tuesday the cause and origin of the blaze outside have yet to be determined. The fire remains under investigation.

A wood awning and porch on the west side of the building were burning when firefighters were called to the stone building on Quaker Road around 3:25 a.m, Princeton police said. There was also a smoke condition inside, though the fire didnt spread to the interior.

Re-built in 1760 after a fire, the Stony Brook Meeting House is next to the campus of Princeton Friends School, a small kindergarten through 8th grade Quaker school. The meeting house is used for weekly services and meetings.

Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com.

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UPDATE: The St. Elizabeth University campus was cleared by police about 3:30 p.m. and the shelter in place was lifted

UPDATE (1:25 p.m.): Morris and Essex line rail service resumed in both directions between Morristown and Madison and is subject to up to 30-minute delays

Train service is suspended on a part of NJ Transits Morris & Essex line on Tuesday as a result of a police investigation near the Convent Station train station in Morris Township that also led to shelter in place alerts at two nearby colleges.

Service remains suspended between Morristown and Madison, NJ Transit said shortly before noon. A spokesman declined to offer information, referring questions to local police.

Customers should seek alternate transportation, NJ Transit said. We are working as quickly as possible to provide substitute busing.

Morris Township police couldnt immediately be reached. Chief Robert Shearer told NewJerseyHills.com that officers are looking for a suspicious person and that there is no indication shots were fired.

St. Elizabeth University, which is right next to the train station, said students and staff are sheltering in place.

The University is currently in lockdown with a shelter in place due to a police investigation in the vicinity of the Convent Station train station which is adjacent to our campus, St. Elizabeth officials said on social media. We are sheltering in place until further notice from the emergency authorities.

The college asked those not on campus already to stay clear.

Please note that any student, faculty or staff not on already on campus should NOT come to campus today. Those on campus should continue to shelter in place until further notice from law enforcement, the college said in an update around 12:30 p.m. There is NO Active shooter on campus. More Info will be provided when available.

Nearby Farliegh Dickinson University-Florham in Madison is also operating under a shelter. A shelter in place for Madison schools has been lifted and an already scheduled early dismissal for conferences will proceed as planned.

In an abundance of caution, there will be an increased police presence at the schools and throughout Madison during the K-8 early dismissal and throughout the day, Madison officials said.

The shelter in place come a day after threat on the Rider University campus in Lawrenceville proved to be unfounded.

Lawrence police said an investigation determined the threat was not credible, and called it a swatting incident, in which someone reports a fake threat as a hoax.

Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com.

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Theres not a banned book list youll find without Toni Morrision on it. In 2023, youll also seldom find a list without Angie Thomass The Hate U Give and George M. Johnsons All Boys Arent Blue in the top 10. If you take a closer look at these lists youll find a pattern: Black, Latinx, Asian, Queer and Trans authors. If your book looks too gay or too ethnic or has anything in the title that indicates it isnt white, rest assured theres a school board somewhere deciding its too obscene.

Its about the children they say, but its not really about the children. Its about disempowering some children, and protecting other children. Maybe, more importantly, its about using children as a scapegoat to shield adults from the truth.

Mississippi, the state that ended Roe, and thats in company with states who have been pushing legislation targeting transgender youth, had its first Banned Book Festival this past weekend. As a place often considered ground zero for the worst of this country, having it here was fitting. It was also, hopefully, just the beginning of authors, readers, parents and students resisting bannings that disproportionately target people of color and Queer folks.

Mirrors, windows and sliding glass doors

When I try to recall the first time I saw myself in a book, things get a bit blurry. As a kid, I was a big fan of Goosebumps or anything that looked weird and scary. But I also loved to scope out my grandmothers bookshelf, that was where I first discovered Terry McMillans Mama, and that was the first time I read characters that felt familiar, like I had met them somewhere before. But there were no children or teen books I can recall with anyone that looked or sounded like me.

Today, that has certainly changed. And unsurprisingly, theres been a lot of pushback to Black and Brown kids finally having books that make them feel seen. But Angie Thomas, Mississippi native and one the most influential young adult writers in the industry right now, refuses to let the pushback deter her or her stories.

During her panel, Erasing Black Lives, Thomas shared what it was like finding out her book was banned by a Texas school district:

I was frustrated. I was hurt . . .I was angry but then it shifted in a new way when I started hearing from young people in that same school district, typically young Black girls who look like me, who told me that they love The Hate You Give . . . [and] that it made them feel heard.

This is part of the reason Thomas does this work, so that Black children can see themselves and their experiences reflected. That may not seem like its asking for too much, but there are many white parents specifically, who somehow see this as a threat to their children.

One recent example is the banning of books (and films) about Ruby Bridges, the true story of a little Black girl integrating public schools. It is one thing to try and restrict fictional stories that makes one uncomfortable, but I think the intent becomes clear when it trickles down to quite literally erasing the stories of real-life human beings. That is to say, the same reason they are banning fictional Black stories is the same reason they dont want kids learning about folks like Ruby Bridges: they see no value in our very existence.

This is something that Thomas points out in her talk:

Nobody is talking about the human side of these issues in these books. Nobody is taking the time to have compassion or empathy or put themselves in somebody elses shoes. Because the thing about these books that are being targeted is that they offer different perspectives than the quote unquote majority.

The most disheartening thing about the book bans is that as white parents lament about the effects the books targeted might have on their children, somehow Black and Brown children arent even considered. This is by design. This is at the heart of keeping these stories out of their hands.

However, as Thomas notes, regardless of race, book bans are a disservice to all children:

They need those windows and sliding glass doors to see lives beyond their home, to see people unlike them who live experiences unlike theirs so they can have some compassion, some empathy. . . They are targeting the mirrors, the windows and the sliding glass doors, but my job is to continue to create those mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors.

The idea of books serving as mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors was such a profound, but clear way to describe the work of YA authors, like Thomas. They are allowing children to see themselves and each other. As she stressed, this builds empathy and gives children the tools to create a better world.

The violence inherent in book banning

Book covers of Black Boy and Native Son

Simply stating the obvious about book bannings almost comes across as hyperbole, but there is no tamer language to describe the blatant messaging to Black children that neither they nor their lives matter other than violence. It is violent.

Julia Wright, daughter of the late notable Richard Wright, said as much in her talk, Book Banning as Dismemberment:

The word dismemberment is powerfully plantation connected. The policy was to dismember families before the auction block. Today, dismember families before the prison

She recalls the same reasoning behind the censorship that her father faced  white discomfort  is what has driven the banning of many Black books today.

We know about the censorship of part two of Black Boy to appease white North and East coast racism. We remember that ultra racist senator Bilbo condemned even the first part of Black Boy on the floor of the US Senate saying that my fathers autobiography was, quote, a damnable life from beginning to the end. It is the dirtiest, lousiest, filthiest, most obscene piece of writing that I have ever seen in print, unquote.

Violence. There is no other word for someone to tell you that your life, your story is filthy and obscene. But I might argue that it is merely projection. That what they see as truly obscene is the truth Richard Wright told of growing up a Black boy in the state of Mississippi during the Jim Crow era.

Wright likens book banning to an extension of the silencing of Black men on plantations, that it is the echoes of slavery in todays world. And it is in fact that, comparable to restricting enslaved folks from reading anything that might affirm their humanity. It is their same intention to rob Black children of just that.

Memory, lies and white shame

Book covers of Heavy and Salvage the Bones

The Mississippi Banned Books Festival closes with arguably the two greatest Mississippi writers in my lifetime, Kiese Laymon and Jesmyn Ward. Moderated by Mississippi writer Ralph Eubanks, they discuss book banning as erasing memory.

Both Laymon and Ward have been the target of book bans, but Laymon argues that its not actually about the book:

I dont think the people that banned my book, that banned Jesmyns, [and] banned Toni Morrisons book have ever read the books. And so, I think if you go deeper, its really like drenched in this almost hatred, not just for us, as Black folks, as Indigenous folks, as Disabled folks, as Queer folks, but like white Christian nationalists who have a deep disdain for their own children.

The disdain that Laymon speaks of is in conversation with what Thomas emphasizes about mirrors, windows and sliding glass doors. Because they are not really protecting their children, in each book ban, in each piece of anti-Trans legislation, it is about destroying any chance they have at love and imagination.

But there is also the shame. Ward states it plainly:

I think that part of it is fueled by shame, right? Because one thing that our books do is [they] reckon with brutal, sort of ugly aspects of our past and our present. . . And I think that those are truths they dont necessarily want to face, and they dont necessarily want to reckon with.

Is it possible that the bans are an attempt to shield their children from that shame? Maybe, but Laymon calls it a losing game.

I dont think you can win a war when youre willing to sacrifice yourself and your children to win it.

Maybe its the shame or perhaps it is the fear that their children might become better humans than them. There is certainly a fear that ALL children will learn to value Black and Brown and Queer and Disabled and Immigrant lives. Recognizing the humanity in themselves and each other would be a terrifyingly beautiful undoing, one that this country is past due for.

Visit our Black Joy Bookshop page for a list of banned books by some of the Black authors featured by the festival.
New Jersey law enforcement officials are coordinating ahead of warmer weather to prevent a repeat of last years unsanctioned Wildwood car show that turned deadly, the states top law enforcement official said Tuesday.

State Attorney General Matthew Platkin told state lawmakers the flash gathering of auto enthusiasts in September, as well as a number of pop-up parties along the Jersey Shore, had prompted better monitoring and information-sharing among local and state authorities.

The Shore is iconic in New Jersey and we want everybody to access it in ways that are safe, Platkin said during his departments annual budget hearing before the state Senate at the Statehouse in Trenton.

But it has to be safe and people have to follow the rules. We are working in anticipation of this potentially being a threat this summer. But I know we are deploying all available resources.

Last summer saw a number of gatherings organized on TikTok, Facebook and Instagram that brought surging crowds to Shore towns, overwhelming local authorities and sometimes leaving chaos in their wake.

In May, an estimated 5,000 people flocked to the upscale Pier Village center in Long Branch, spurring fistfights, petty vandalism and crowd-control issues and leaving behind piles of trash behind.

It was one of several such pop-up parties.

Then there was Septembers car rally. Turned away by officials in Ocean City, Maryland, some 500 cars descended on the streets of Wildwood, causing traffic jams and several car accidents that left a passenger and a pedestrian dead.

Platkin said the State Police help local authorities monitor social media activity from the state intelligence center in West Trenton in such cases and had improved communication with local officials.

We are tracking social media to identify pop-up parties that may be emerging and deploying resources proactively, he said.

State law enforcement officials can step in when they observe law-breaking, but are limited in what they can do to prevent a gathering from happening altogether  authority that rests with the town, he said.

One of the misconceptions, originally, was that we had the authority to shut down a party, Platkin told lawmakers. That is oftentimes a municipal question, so were working with them to understand their permitting options and how they can restrict (unsanctioned) events from happening.

Some lawmakers expressed concern as New Jersey enters the second summer since the legalization of marijuana, citing concerns from local officials over clouds of cannabis smoke on our boardwalks.

Sen. Michael Testa, R-Cumberland, said mayors and law enforcement had shown him various videos of young people being very rude to law enforcement in their attempts to handle some of the young folks who are smoking marijuana openly, complaining police were handcuffed against doing anything by New Jerseys legalization laws.

Platkin said he had provided guidance to police chiefs on how to deal with Shoregoers, particularly minors, who violate local ordinances against smoking marijuana in public.

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S.P. Sullivan may be reached at ssullivan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @spsullivan.
Two homes that officials charged had been illegally converted to house dozens of volunteers who worked at one of the largest Hindu temples in the world have been ordered vacated by Robbinsville officials, who deemed the structures unsafe.

The existence of one of the makeshift rooming houses came to light after EMTs were called there shortly after 9 p.m. on March 15 to respond to a medical emergency. Offiicials said they found dangerously high levels of carbon monoxide inside in the large, two-story farmhouse on North Main Street in Robbinsville  less than a mile from the temple erected by Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha, a prominent Hindu sect known as BAPS.

It was later found that a tankless water heater installed to accommodate the 33 women staying there had a dislodged PVC vent pipe that allowed lethal odorless and colorless gas to leak into the basement.

According to the police department report, they also found many points of egress in the house had been blocked, with one door screwed shut into the fame. Another had two planks of wood mounted across it, preventing the door from being opened.

It could have been really bad, said Robbinsville Mayor David L. Fried. My biggest concern is if proper construction method were not followed, there is a very good possibility we would have been facing multiple fatalities.

On Monday, a second house officials say was also tied to BAPS  with sleeping accommodations for 22 people  was similarly the focus of a township inspection over issues of alleged code violations.

The discovery of the illegal construction was first reported by MidJersey.News and confirmed by public records requests of police and fire department reports.

BAPS has already been under the shadow of an ongoing investigation into how hundreds of workers were brought here to construct the magnificent, intricately carved madir planted in the farmlands of New Jersey.

A lawsuit in federal court accused the leaders of BAPS of luring and exploiting people from India to work on the project, paying them little and housing them in trailers tucked away on the property in Robbinsville. Attorneys for the sect later disclosed that a federal criminal investigation into alleged human trafficking was underway.

The houses targeted by Robbinsville did not involve foreign workers, but rather volunteers from around this country, said attorneys.

Paul Fishman of Arnold & Porter in Newark, a former U.S. Attorney who represents BAPS, said both houses were owned by BAPS devotees who offer free housing to those who come from across the country to volunteer at the mandir and then return home.

That form of seva, or service, is the essence of the faith of the BAPS community. BAPS is inspecting all such devotee-owned housing and will make sure that owners address all matters of concern, said Paul Fishman of Arnold & Porter in Newark.

Adam Garcia with Giordano Halleran & Ciesla in Red Bank, who represents the owner of the property on Voelbel Road, said no enforcement citations have been received, but acknowledged that the township posted a notice on the door declaring the house an unsafe structure that had to be immediately vacated.

He, too, described the occupants of the house as BAPS volunteers who resided there as part of their volunteerism.

The home itself was immaculate, Garcia added, with no identifiable condition that would render it unsafe for occupancy.

EMT responders found high carbon monoxide levels in one of the Robbinsville houses, where 33 women were living on temporary cots. The building was evacuated and cited as unapproved boarding home, officials said.Robbinsville Police Department

Pictures included with the violation notices for the house on North Main Street showed rooms crammed with multiple cots, with more than a dozen in one paneled room. More cots could be seen in another, all with folded blankets and pillows.

The owners, a Baltimore-based limited liability construction company named for the late Pramukh Swami Maharaj, who was the guru of BAPS, were ordered to immediately vacate the structure, which was cited as an unapproved boarding house, unpermitted and uninspected construction work, and the absence of smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, records show.

The second house was located on Voelbel Road in Robbinsville, where multiple sources said the FBI were on the scene on Monday morning. An FBI spokeswoman said she could not comment on whether agents were in fact there.

The township is very concerned about this, said Fried. This is completely unacceptable. We are working with federal authorities and will be diligent in ensuring these dwellings dont exist here.

The mayor said the township will be obtaining and executing warrants for any other houses found to being similarly used.

BAPS has a large footprint in the U.S. and its temples draw hundreds of people daily. Allegations about the treatment of workers at the Robbinsville temple were first raised in May 2021, when a federal class action lawsuit on behalf of more than a dozen Indian nationals from marginalized communities said they were lured here on R-1 religious visas to do stonework, maintenance, and other construction work at BAPS properties in New Jersey and other states.

According to the civil complaint, which is still pending, they were forced to work long hours for very little pay, suffering violations of their employment and civil rights. The workers said they were instructed when seeking visas to tell U.S. Embassy staff that they would be doing decorative painting or carving work on stones to be used in the Robbinsville temple. In fact, the vast majority if not all of the stone carving work for the Robbinsville temple was performed in India and the marble was then shipped to New Jersey, the lawsuit said.

Instead, their tasks involved cutting and laying stonework, removing garbage, doing road work, dipping the carved stones in chemicals, and performing other tasks, according to the complaint.

A look at the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Robbinsville.(Michael Mancuso | NJ Advance Media)

According to their court filings, the workers said upon arrival to the U.S., BAPS representatives allegedly confiscated their passports and visas, even before they had left the airport. While they were told they would be working four to seven hours per day and work 20 to 25 days per month, instead they worked from 6:30 a.m.  when a siren would awaken them from the crowded trailers they slept in  until 7:30 p.m., seven days a week. The workers could go up to 40 days straight without a day off, according to the lawsuit.

They were paid approximately 31,000 to 35,000 rupees a month, or about $425 to $450. Of that total pay, approximately $50 would be paid to them in cash and the rest was credited to their bank accounts in India once a month so they would not have the financial means to escape their forced labor, the complaint said.

Infractions of work rules would result in their pay being docked by supervisors, the lawsuit alleged. One worker, Mohan Lal, allegedly died while he was subjected to forced labor at the temple, according to the lawsuit, which said at least three other former BAPS workers died in India shortly after leaving the United States.

The lawsuit remains in play. No criminal charges have yet been brought.

__

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Ted Sherman may be reached at tsherman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TedShermanSL
Two construction workers at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York were killed Monday morning after getting trapped under rubble, officials said.

A spokesperson for the New York fire Department said it happened in a trench near the airports busy Terminal 7 shortly after 11 a.m.
A legal secretary of a Point Pleasant Borough law firm was arrested last week after she was accused of writing over $184,000 in checks from the practices trust account out to her friends and family, the Ocean County Prosecutors Office announced Tuesday.

Donna Frustieri, 55, of Thunderbolt, Georgia, had access to the account, which held funds belonging to numerous clients of the unnamed firm, the office said. Between May 2015 and June 2021, she allegedly issued 139 checks from the account and made them payable to family members and others she was connected with.

An investigation was launched and the law office ultimately reimbursed all of the stolen funds to the trust account so that no clients were harmed, authorities said.

On March 29, Frustieri was charged with theft and has an upcoming, but unspecified, date in Ocean County Superior Court, investigators said.

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Chris Sheldon may be reached at csheldon@njadvancemedia.com.
On Monday, my sailing buddy the Captain, who is a retired airline pilot wintering near Palm Beach, sent me a photo of Donald Trumps Boeing 757.

It was taxiing for takeoff to New York for him to appear for arraignment in the Stormy Daniels case Tuesday afternoon.

The 757 dwarfed the executive jets on the runway. The cost of flying it also dwarfs the cost of those mere executive jets.

With his current legal troubles you have to wonder how the Donalds going to keep traveling in such luxury  or at all.

The indictment by the Manhattan DA in the Daniels case may be the least of Trumps troubles. It stems from an allegation that he had a dalliance with the porn star in 2006 and then paid her $130,000 to keep quiet about it.

But the biggest threat to Trumps freedom stems from what he did to try and hang onto the presidency despite losing big in the Electoral College.

The Constitution recognizes the Electoral College as the ultimate arbiter of presidential elections. Most Republicans want to keep it that way for the obvious reason that the current system benefits the Grand Old Party.

Not Trump.

The Constitution also outlaws treason, which under federal code applies to Whoever incites, sets on foot, assists, or engages in any rebellion or insurrection against the authority of the United States or the laws thereof, or gives aid or comfort thereto.

That sounds a lot like what happened in the run-up to Jan. 6, 2021, when Trump urged the crowd to gather at the Capitol to pressure Vice President Mike Pence to unconstitutionally overturn the results of the 2020 election.

At the moment Special Counsel Jack Smith looks like hes getting ready to address that issue. Pence was recently ordered to testify before the federal grand jury looking into the events of Jan. 6.

What Pence has said publicly so far doesnt sound good for his former running-mate.

Make no mistake about it: What happened that day was a disgrace, and it mocks decency to portray it in any other way, Pence said last month. President Trump was wrong. His reckless words endangered my family and everyone at the Capitol that day.

Those reckless words came in a post about Pence that Trump sent after the attack on the Capitol was already underway.

As the first rioters were breaching the Capitol, Trump tweeted that Pence didnt have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution.

Reports from the scene said that the Tweet seemed to encourage the rioters, some of whom chanted Hang Mike Pence as he was being protected by the Secret Service in a room safe from the mob.

Trump later defended the rioters, telling ABC-TVs John Karl the people were very angry  as if that justified a lynching.

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Does that constitute sedition? Theres only one way to find out and thats to hold a trial.

As for The Donalds alleged dalliance with Daniels, thats trivial by comparison. She didnt bring it up until he was running for president in 2016, prompting Trump to engage in some financial shenanigans that only an accountant would understand to buy her silence.

Silence is a real problem for Trump, said former Bergen County Superior Court Judge and commentator Andrew Napolitano.

The Donald is scheduled to fly back to Mar-a-Lago after his arraignment and hold a press conference this evening.

Thats very, very dangerous whatever he says, said Napolitano. At the arraignment hes going to get a Miranda warning that says he has the right to remain silent.

There are reports that the judge may be ready to impose a gag order on Trump.

But a criminal defendant should shut up, said Napolitano.

If he keeps threatening judges and prosecutors, hes going to pay a price: some sort of enforced silence or even confinement, said Napolitano.

But if Trump wants to keep traveling in a 757 as he campaigns for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, hes going to have to generate a lot of contributions from his supporters.

At the moment his strategy, near as I can deduce it, is to fire up the crowds so they will keep sending him money.

But another photo that the Captain sent me was of the area just outside Mar-a-Lago where the Trump supporters traditionally gather.

There were just a few lonely pro-Trump banners.

The Donald threatened that his supporters would break out into death and destruction if he was indicted. But if hes smart, hell direct his supporters to stay away from the courthouse today.

The second sentence in the Miranda warning reads, Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.

Thats a word to the wise.

But will the Donald hear it?

More: Recent Paul Mulshine columns.

Paul Mulshine may be reached at pmulshine@starledger.com.

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Across a front-line extending hundreds of miles in eastern Ukraine, Russian artillery has pounded away mercilessly, reducing one village after another to rubble. With cruise missiles and Iranian drones, they have targeted Ukraines electric system, its hospitals and schools, and its apartment buildings.

Even if Ukraine manages to win this war, the country faces a daunting future. Repairing the damage done during the first year of the war will cost about $411 billion, according to the World Bank. Yet Ukraines treasury is empty, its economy is battered, and more than 7 million people have been pushed into poverty.

So, its time to ask: Who will pay that bill?

A growing number of countries are rallying behind a promising plan to seize the $300 billion in Russian state assets frozen in Western banks and use the money to help rebuild Ukraine. Its a delicious idea on moral grounds, forcing Vladimir Putin to pay for his sins. And many respected scholars and diplomats say it would be legal as well and could even deter other bad actors from breaking international law as brazenly as Putin has done.

Laurence Tribe, a professor at Harvard Law School, notes that U.S. authorities previously seized Iraqi and Iranian assets and redirected them to compensate victims of violence, settled lawsuits, or provide financial assistance. And in a recent Washington Post op-ed, the idea was endorsed by Larry Summers, the former Treasury secretary, Robert Zoellick, former president of the World Bank, and Philip Zelikow, a former State Department counselor.

Transferring frozen Russian reserves would be morally right, strategically wise and politically expedient, they wrote.

Yes, there is reason to tread carefully. Scholars and diplomats are split over the legality of the move. And there are concerns about economic fallout, with Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warning that it could undermine faith in the U.S. banking system as other bad actors with deposits worry about the security of their funds.

But isnt this an exceptional case? Its part of Yellens job to preserve the integrity of the banking system, and she offers good reason to avoid making a habit of seizing foreign funds. But Putins attack on Ukraine is so far out of bounds, so blatantly defiant of international law, that it is a special case.

Its crazy to argue that its more destabilizing to have assets seized than to have wars of aggression, Tribe says. The survival of the global economy is far more threatened by the way Russia behaved than by the any instability this move could cause in the international banking system.

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As for the legality, there is no question that the United States and Europe were on safe ground in freezing these Russian funds, but seizing them outright is a different matter, and scholars are divided. A white paper from the Brookings Institution warned that seizing the Russian assets could backfire by giving other countries grounds to seize the property of American investors when they perceive a violation of international law by the United States. A seizure could also deter foreign investments in the United States.

To sidestep the legal barriers, some experts suggest that we continue freezing the assets with an ultimatum: Tell Putin the money will never be released unless he first pays reparations directly to Ukraine. The hope is that Putin would give Ukraine at least a portion of the money it needs so that he can get that $300 billion in frozen funds. Its a softer approach, and lower risk, but it seems wildly unrealistic to think Putin would play along, given his reckless and aggressive attitude towards Ukraine until now. And he would never agree to pay the full $300 billion, which itself is less than Ukraine needs to repair Putins damage.

Historically, war reparations come at the point of a bayonet, a demand of the victors that cant be denied. But that cant happen in this case. Even if Ukraine succeeds in expelling Russians from its territory, it wont be in a position to demand reparations of Russia.

So, again, Ukraines allies are its only hope for salvation. And with $300 billion of Russias money in our banks, we can provide it.

More: Tom Moran columns

Tom Moran may be reached at tmoran@starledger.com or (973) 986-6951. Follow him on Twitter @tomamoran. Find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook.

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Two high school students from Passaic County who were killed in a crash Friday were being pursued by police in New York state at the time, investigators said.

Christian Enrico, 17, and 16-year-old Liam Pakonis, were students at Wayne Hills High School. Enrico was a junior at the high school and had five siblings, according to his obituary.

Enrico was behind the wheel of a car traveling north on State Route 8 in Guilford when a Chenango County Sheriffs Deputy attempted to stop him, according to a release from the New York State Police. Pakonis was a passenger in the car.

Erico did not stop and continued driving into a town in Ostego County, Butternuts, where the car left the road and crashed into several trees at the intersection of State Route 51 and Flatiron Road, police said. Enrico and Pakonis were pronounced dead at the scene, police said.

It was unclear why the deputy initially tried to stop them. Police did not immediately respond to requests for more information.

The crash remained under investigation Monday by the New York State Attorney General.

In-person grief counselors will be at the teens New Jersey school from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Wednesday.

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Department 1  Judge Kriston HillMarch 23Ruby Jo Michelle Lee Cordova, 36, pleaded guilty to arson in the third degree, was given a suspended sentence 19 to 48 months in prison, was placed on probation for two years and was ordered to enter an intensive in-patient substance abuse treatment program at her own expense, pay $2,730 restitution to the victim and pay $1,285.12 restitution to the Attorney Generals Office for extradition fees.

Department 2  Judge Al KacinMarch 20Christopher Michael Banyai, 57, pleaded no contest to conspiracy to commit uttering a forged instrument and was sentenced to 12 days in jail.

Riley Scott Bawcom, 29, pleaded no contest to attempted eluding a police officer in a manner posing danger to persons or property and was sentenced to 14 to 36 months in prison.

Department 3  Judge Mason SimonsMarch 22Eric Michael Cabibi, 24, pleaded guilty to possession of a controlled substance, was given a suspended sentence of 12 to 30 months in prison and was placed on probation for 18 months.

Sergio Aman Pruneda, 48, pleaded guilty to possession of a Schedule I or II controlled substance and was sentenced to 15 to 38 months in prison.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and more than two dozen other U.S. governors spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy via video conference Tuesday to discuss the countrys ongoing war with Russia  now more than a year old  and pledge bipartisan support.

No video from the virtual meeting was released, but the events organizer, the National Governors Association, which Murphy chairs, provided comments Zelenskyy made during the call. It comes as some Republican officials have urged President Joe Bidens administration to curtail sending U.S. military aid to Ukraine.

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A man was arrested Friday on allegations that he kidnapped a 12-year-old girl, brought her to his home and sexually assaulted her, Union County Prosecutor William A. Daniel said.

Keith Ashley-Drake, 52, is accused of kidnapping the girl as she was walking home from a movie theatre in Irvington before driving her to his home in Fanwood where the alleged assault took place, officials said.

The Union County Prosecutors Office was notified by Essex County authorities on March 24 about a reported kidnapping and subsequent attack, authorities said.

Investigators said the kidnapping happened about 10 p.m. on March 17 and that the assault happened after midnight on March 18, prosecutors said. Detectives identified Ashley-Drake as the suspect and he was arrested on Friday, officials said.

He is charged with kidnapping and aggravated sexual assault, both first-degree crimes, as well as sexual assault and endangering the welfare of a child, prosecutors said. He is being held in Essex County Jail pending a detention hearing on April 5.

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After getting pounded by intense thunderstorms and one of the biggest tornado outbreaks in state history Saturday night, New Jersey could get hit by more strong thunderstorms this week. Thats the word from weather forecasters  but as of now, they dont think the storms will be as widespread or as severe as the ones that pummeled the state last weekend.

Forecasters say a strong low pressure system from the west is expected to move across our region and send a cold front through on Thursday. Although theres a chance the cold front will trigger some strong or severe thunderstorms, the National Weather Service says tornadoes are unlikely, because the atmospheric conditions will likely be different from Saturdays conditions.

Its definitely a different setup from what we saw on Saturday, said Ray Martin, a meteorologist at the weather services regional forecast office in New Jersey. It has some potential to produce severe thunderstorms with strong wind gusts.

Martin said the upper-level dynamics associated with the system on Saturday helped trigger the intense thunderstorms, which spawned the tornadoes. We had a very strong disturbance move through on Saturday, combined with the warm surge that we saw when the sun came out. So we had wind shear. We had a near-perfect environment for tornadoes.

Wind shear  when winds suddenly change their speed or direction over a short distance in the atmosphere  helped cause the rotation thats needed for tornadoes to form, Martin said.

The national Storm Prediction Center says most of New Jersey faces a "marginal," or low, risk of severe thunderstorms with damaging winds on Thursday, April 6, 2023. As of now, forecasters don't expect the storms to be as intense or as widespread as the fierce storms that pounded the state last weekend.Storm Prediction Center

As of now, forecasters are not anticipating the same type of atmospheric conditions on Thursday. The Storm Prediction Center, a federal agency affiliated with the National Weather Service, says there is a marginal, or low, risk of severe thunderstorms with damaging winds in New Jersey on Thursday.

Forecasters from AccuWeather agree theres a risk of some severe thunderstorms in New Jersey on Thursday, but they believe isolated tornadoes will be more likely in areas farther west of our region, because the storm system will be stronger in those areas.

Steven DiMartino, a meteorologist who heads the NY NJ PA Weather forecasting company, said its too early to rule out an isolated tornado in the New Jersey/Pennsylvania region on Thursday, but residents should prepare for stormy weather.

Some of these thunderstorms as they move through will be capable of very heavy downpours, frequent lightning, small hail, wind gusts certainly over 40 mph, possibly exceeding 55 mph  pushing into the severe category, DiMartino said in a forecast video on YouTube.

Current weather radar

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One of six tornados that struck down in New Jersey over the weekend caused damage to the National Guard Training Center, the agency said.

Building 66/68 of the training center, located in Sea Girt in Monmouth County, lost its chimney and part of its roof in a partial collapse on Saturday night, a spokesperson for the National Guard said.

The structure houses New Jersey National Guard Youth Challenge Academy materials, according to the agency.

On Sunday, the weather service confirmed four different tornadoes touched down in New Jersey  one each in Howell, Jackson and Sea Girt in Monmouth and Ocean counties, and one in Cinnaminson, Delran and Moorestown in Burlington County.

The service confirmed another two tornadoes on Monday  one in Crosswicks in Burlington County and another in Monmouth County, which started in Allentown and moved across into the Cream Ridge section of Upper Freehold.

Building 66/68 of the National Guard Training Center in Sea Girt sustained damage from a tornado Saturday.Maj. Amelia Thatcher

Weather experts determined that the Sea Girt twister was a small EF-2 tornado.

It was only 50 yards wide and was on the ground for just 0.14 miles, from 7:42 p.m. to 7:44 p.m. Saturday, the weather service found. But its top winds were estimated at 110 to 120 mph.

The storm swept through the state Saturday night, with a mix of rain and hail and winds of up to 130 mph in a part of Ocean County, forecasters said.

Multiple regions of the state reported falling trees, downed power lines a loss of electricity and property damage in the aftermath of the storm.

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NEW YORK  Ian Hamilton sat quietly at his locker, his suitcase to his right as he laced up his cleats before pregame stretch. The newest member of the Yankees bullpen was embarking on his first day in pinstripes, signed to the active roster ahead of Monday nights game against the Phillies.

Hamiltons journey to the Bronx is a tale of adversity in the most painful and disastrous way. Four years ago, the right-handers promising career with the White Sox was derailed in an instant when he was struck in the face by a foul ball in the Triple-A Charlotte dugout, a gruesome accident that knocked several teeth out of his mouth and required eight surgeries.

The reliever missed the rest of the 2019 season, pitching in only five MLB games since then.

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Just making it to this point is a remarkable achievement for a pitcher thats also battled other injuries along the way, an 11th-round pick out of Washington State. It wouldnt be possible without Hamiltons not-so-secret weapon, a pitch that the Yankees affectionately refer to as the slambio.

The what?

Slambio, Boone said on Monday with a grin. Its a combination between a slider and a change, or a cambio. Slambio!

That pitch was an under-the-radar storyline this spring, an offering that helped Hamilton throw nine scoreless innings in Grapefruit League play. It allowed him to pitch his way into contention for an Opening Day roster spot, spending the first few days of the campaign in Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre before the call on Monday.

Its a really funky pitch, Yankees catcher Kyle Higashioka added on Monday. Its a changeup, but sometimes it just takes off to the glove side like a slider. Its really unpredictable. I faced him once in a live BP [this spring]. I think the pitch I struck out on was this slambio and I knew it was coming, it was just so funky.

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The slambio isnt the only part of Hamiltons game thats made him so effective.

He does a really good job with controlling the running game, the velocity was really good, he was really efficient in most of his outing from a strike throwing standpoint, Boone said. That with his fastball velocity and the command he was showing all spring put him in position to earn this opportunity.

With relievers Lou Trivino and Tommy Kahnle both out, Hamilton, has a chance to stick around in the Yankees bullpen, especially if the 27-year-old picks up where he left off in March.

Ive been through a lot, Hamilton told NJ Advance Media this spring. I didnt start feeling myself again until around the end of last year. Its weird. Its like I went through a rebirth, a cleansing. Im happy to be here with the Yankees. Im here trying to prove that I can pitch. Thats about it.

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Max Goodman may be reached at mgoodman@njadvancemedia.com.
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ELKO  Its official: There is more snow in Lamoille Canyon than has ever been measured during any previous April 1 snow survey.

Lamoille Canyon SNOTEL measuring sites had all-time record snowpack based on data collected over the past 80 to 90 years, according to the Natural Resources Conservation Service.

As of Sunday the snow-water equivalent at Upper Lamoille Canyon was 57.8 inches. The Lamoille No. 3 site measured 27.6 inches.

Record snowpack was also reported at Baker Creek east of Ely and in Great Basin National Park. The heavy snow could delay opening of the full length of Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive from typically Memorial Day to around July 1, park officials said Monday.

The snowpack across the Upper Humboldt Basin is the second-deepest in recorded history, topped only by April 1984, which was followed by widespread flooding.

Six out of 27 snow monitoring stations in the Upper Humboldt set new April 1 records this year. The overall snow-water equivalent was 230% of normal.

Amounts were off the charts across northern Nevada, ranging from 187% in the Snake River Basin (northeastern Elko County) to 306% in the Walker River Basin (western Nevada). Both the Walker and Carson basins broke all-time record snowpacks for April 1.

Southern Nevadas snowpack was even more extreme, measuring 788% of normal in the Spring Mountains that cover a relatively small area north of Las Vegas.

Further details were not available from NRCS Monday as snowy weather once again delayed the monthly media-day snow survey presentation.

Snowpack measurements are used to calculate streamflow forecasts, while actual streamflows vary depending on rainfall and how quickly the snow melts.

Tuesdays forecast for Elko calls for a 50% chance of more snow, and highs nearly 25 degrees below normal.

Spring melting could increase this weekend with temperatures expected to climb to near the normal mark across northern Nevada.

Elko could see a high of 58 on Sunday, which is right at average for the first week in April. The high in Reno could hit 70 degrees on Sunday, where normal highs this time of year are in the lower to mid-60s.

Temperatures could finally climb into the 60s by early next week in both Elko and Spring Creek, according to the National Weather Service.
Restaurants can feel comfortable because the food is soothing or maybe the setting is warm and welcoming. Take that to the next level, though, and theres also a sense of trust  confidence that the meal will be enjoyable and the time spent there gratifying because the food is consistent, because service hits the mark, because the personality and nature of the place feels right.

That defines the Uptown Spanish restaurant Costera, and explains why anticipation has been so high for its sibling Italian restaurant Osteria Lupo. It opened at 4609 Magazine St. early in April.

The buzz around this newcomer has been strong, and its not just because its another Italian restaurant Uptown. Its specifically because it is the second restaurant from the crew behind Costera.

Osteria Lupo is a different restaurant from Costera, built primarily around the cooking of northern Italy. Housemade pastas, roasted meats and pizza from the wood-burning oven are menu anchors.

But the kinship in the approach and feel of these two Mediterranean cuisines is palpable. Theres a parallel tale in the DNA at the heart of the two restaurants themselves.

Lupo is only about a half-mile away from Costera, and that was not simply a matter of the right real estate opening up.

Chef Brian Burns and business partner Reno De Ranieri opened Costera in 2019, after working together for years in the Link Restaurant Group, one of the citys best incubators of hospitality talent.

The pandemic descended about a year later, and augured a bleak period for restaurants of this caliber. But Costera persevered. As the undulating wave of reopening progressed, the restaurant came into full bloom, both as a special destination for its tapas, fish a la plancha and deep Iberian wine list, and as a social space for its neighborhood regulars. This is an upscale restaurant that can at times feel a bit like a loosely-orchestrated house party.
For weeks, the mayor and her police chief have cited figures showing violent crime reports are down. But City Council President JP Morrell questioned those numbers last week, pointing to a City Council analysis that enumerates a growing number of 911 calls that are marked gone on arrival as police response times rise.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has addressed an official letter to President of the Republic of Senegal Mr Macky Sall.

The letter reads:

Dear Mr. President,

I convey my sincerest congratulations and the best wishes to you and your people on my own behalf and on behalf of the people of Azerbaijan on the occasion of the National Holiday of the Republic of Senegal  the Independence Day.

I believe that the Azerbaijani-Senegalese relations will continue to successfully develop both bilaterally and multilaterally for the sake of interests of our States and peoples.

On this pleasant day, I wish you good health, success in your activities, and peace and prosperity to the friendly people of Senegal.

Sincerely,

Ilham Aliyev

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Baku, 4 April 2023
Lynda Brooks-Bracey, a mother of four in Las Vegas, learned she was terminally ill with metastatic pancreatic cancer in February 2021. She is currently on palliative chemotherapy and has dedicated her last months of life to speak out in support of Senate Bill 239, also known as the Nevada End of Life Options Act.

The bill would allow a terminally ill adult to request a medical prescription for a peaceful death.

Brooks-Bracey said she wants Nevadans, like those in similar situations to hers, to have the option and choice to opt for medical aid in dying and avoid suffering and pain.

It is to have the option if it should become necessary for my family members or any family member or people in Nevada that want that choice because I really do feel like it is a medical choice, Brooks-Bracey explained. It is another option. It is not in place of.

Brooks-Bracey pointed out Washington D.C. and 10 other states currently allow medical aid in dying. Nevada is not among them. Brooks-Bracey acknowledged because of her rapidly declining health, it is unlikely shell be alive if the bill is enacted but added she remains hopeful itll become an option, if not for her, for other Nevadans.

Brooks-Bracey added while terminal illnesses are challenging on various levels for patients, they are also hard on the patients families and friends. She realizes people may have different beliefs and opinions on the matter, but said it comes down to ensuring autonomy to those who need it most.

We expect that things will go smoothly, and often it might, but for those that isnt going to happen, it is so important that they have a choice, Brooks-Bracey emphasized. There is some misconception that people are going to run to this bill and everybody wants medical aid-in-dying, and it is suicidal, that is not what is happening.

Brooks-Bracey stressed she is doing everything she can to stay alive as long as possible, but added the law could become the final step for Nevadans who are terminally ill and have deemed medical aid-in-dying necessary and just alongside their medical provider. She added polling shows two-thirds of Nevadans want the initiative to pass.
Tsogdelger, 35, is a herdsman from West Ujimqin Banner of Xilin Gol League in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. The busiest season of the year for Tsogdelger's family is spring, during which lambing is the most important task.

"Every day, our job is to feed the sheep with grass and fodder in the morning, and water them at noon," Tsogdelger explained. "Sometimes at night, I even go to my sheepfolds to check if there are newborn lambs."

In recent years, the infrastructure in pastoral areas has improved significantly, resulting in enhanced efficiency of production and better living standard of herders.

Last year, Tsogdelger's home was connected to the network, which granted the family access to smart monitoring cameras in their pasture. "Nowadays we can monitor the location of our sheep flock by simply checking our mobile phones when we are out," added Tsogdelger.

West Ujimqin Banner has continuously strengthened the construction of animal husbandry infrastructure, increased technical guidance for lambing, and fully completed the work of animal epidemic prevention in spring. From the beginning of this year until March 30, the whole banner has witnessed 581,300 newborn lambs, and their survival rate reached 99.18%.

Tsogdelger herds a flock of sheep on a pasture in West Ujimqin Banner of Xilin Gol League, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, March 29, 2023. (Xinhua/Bei He)
China has been enjoying a good reputation for valuing sincerity, friendship and equality while developing relations with other developing countries.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said that Serbia is a true friend of China, and the Serbian side respects China and admires China's great leadership. No matter what pressure or difficulty there may be, the steel-like friendship between the two countries will never change, nor will the friendly sentiment the Serbian side holds toward the Chinese people, he noted.

"Benin, though small in size, stands on the side of truth, equality and justice, and will continue to be a steadfast and reliable friend of China," said Beninese President Patrice Talon during a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang.

Crown Prince of Kuwait Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah also said that China is always a friend of Kuwait.

These remarks well indicate developing countries' firm will to develop relations with China.

In the past 10 years since Chinese President Xi Jinping put forward the principles of sincerity, real results, affinity and good faith, China and other developing countries have always treated each other with sincerity and constantly expanded new areas of cooperation and growth, bringing their cooperation onto new levels.

China has always provided selfless assistance in helping other developing countries develop and modernize. It always respects the will of the people in other developing countries and assists them in developing their economies and improving people's livelihoods to the best of its ability based on their actual needs. It never interferes in the domestic affairs of other countries.

China is the world's largest developing country, and developing countries are its natural allies in international affairs.

China sincerely supports greater representation and a louder voice of developing countries in international affairs, helps reinforce the South which is a weak link in the global governance system, and works to make the global governance system better reflect the aspirations and interests of the majority of countries in a more balanced way, especially developing countries.

China always stands with other developing countries, speaking up for them at international fora.

It has endeavored to establish cooperation platforms at various events to deepen mutual understanding, enhance pragmatic cooperation and expand exchanges and mutual learning among developing countries, including the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in Beijing, the G20 Hangzhou Summit, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Qingdao Summit, the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation and the Communist Party of China in Dialogue with World Political Parties High-level Meeting.

The "BRICS Plus" cooperation model proposed by China has set the pattern for carrying out South-South cooperation and seeking strength through unity for emerging markets and developing countries.

China sincerely shares its development experiences with other developing countries, which has injected impetus into their efforts to achieve prosperity.

China has promoted Chinese hybrid rice and Juncao technology, established agricultural technology demonstration centers and Luban workshops, carried out poverty reduction cooperation and set up a global development promotion center. It has always been committed to helping other developing countries achieve common progress.

China has effectively promoted Chinese modernization, made constant progress in enriching and developing a new form of human advancement, and busted the myth that "modernization means Westernization," setting an important example for other developing countries in independently exploring a path to modernization based on their national realities.

The Chinese efforts have been widely lauded by the international community. It is believed that Chinese modernization has significant meaning for other developing countries as it indicates that modernization is not a single-choice question and there's no one-size-fits-all standard.

Some said while promoting Chinese modernization, China has also helped improve the economic development of many countries, especially developing countries, and China's success is inspiring other developing countries to pursue prosperity.

China and other developing countries are both in the process of rapid development. Their mutual understanding needs to keep pace with the time.

China always acts in good faith in addressing problems that might occur in bilateral relations, and will frankly discuss and deal with new developments and issues with other developing countries on the basis of mutual respect and through mutually beneficial cooperation.

Some Western countries are clinging to a Cold War mentality and attacking China for developing relations with other developing countries, trying to impede China from cooperating with them and undermine China's friendship with them by fabricating lies that China follows the so-called "neo-colonialism" and creates the so-called "debt traps."

However, developing countries have a clear understanding and fair stance, and have expressed strong dissatisfaction and criticism against the attacks by these Western countries.

Namibian President Hage Geingob recently said that China respects his country and has never engaged in any colonialism or imperialism.

With the growth of developing countries, global prosperity and stability will be put on a more solid footing. China will keep working with other developing countries and adopt concrete measures to deepen their friendly cooperation so as to bring more benefits for them and make the world a more prosperous and stable place.
The upcoming visits to China by the leaders of France and the European Union are expected to usher in new opportunities to resume and spur substantive collaboration in more sectors in the post-pandemic era, as well as narrow their differences and revitalize unity on the peaceful resolution of global hot-spot issues, officials and experts said.

French President Emmanuel Macron will pay a state visit to China from Wednesday to Friday at the invitation of President Xi Jinping, the Foreign Ministry announced on Monday.

During the same three days, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen will visit China as agreed upon by China and the EU, according to a separate announcement by the ministry.

Macron's upcoming tour will be his third state visit to China as president  the first was in 2018 and the second in 2019  and the China visit by the EU leader will be her first in her current capacity.

During Macron's visit, President Xi will hold talks with him to plan and navigate the future development of China-France ties, deepen China-France and China-EU cooperation in various fields, and hold an in-depth exchange of views on major international and regional hot-spot issues.

Premier Li Qiang and Zhao Leji, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, will meet with Macron, who will also visit Guangzhou, Guangdong province.

China is willing to work with France to take this visit as an opportunity to promote the close and lasting Sino-French comprehensive strategic partnership to achieve new results, play an active role in the healthy development of China-EU relations, and make positive contributions to promoting world peace, stability and development, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told reporters on Monday.

In the past month, senior officials from both sides, including State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang, have talked face-to-face or in virtual format, expressing their resolve to step up the resumption of exchanges and cooperation.

"Both countries share a lot of common ground. They can deepen collaboration in specific areas such as agriculture and energy, and discuss how to further facilitate peace and dialogue for settling the Ukraine crisis," said Zhao Junjie, a research fellow with the Institute of European Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

For Macron, the trip will also be a good chance to build on Europe's strategic autonomy and bolster France's role in leading the growth of China-EU ties, Zhao added.

"The fact that the leaders of France  a key EU member  and the EU are visiting China on the same three days shows that both Paris and Brussels attach great importance to China and that the leaders would like to speak with one voice in terms of China policy," Zhao added.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the China-EU comprehensive strategic partnership.

On the European Commission president's China trip, Beijing said both sides should uphold mutual respect and mutual benefit, "overcome disturbances and difficulties, and focus on consensus and cooperation".

"China is willing to work with the EU to take this visit as an opportunity to further tap into the potential for cooperation, join hands to address global challenges, and inject more stability and positive energy into a world full of change and turmoil," said Mao, the spokeswoman.

Cui Hongjian, director of the China Institute of International Studies' European studies department, said, "Although some EU countries have been debating and altering their China policies, China-EU ties still enjoy great resilience, and both sides need to build on their great tradition of ties and tap more into their openness and collaboration."

When meeting with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Friday, President Xi stressed that the sound development of China-EU ties "requires the EU to uphold strategic independence".

Ambassador Fu Cong, head of the Chinese Mission to the EU, told the Financial Times on Thursday that "politicizing China-EU economic and trade ties runs counter to the expectations of all walks of life in Europe and damages Europe's own interests".
Despite all the fanfare, Taiwan leader Tsai Ing-wen's news briefing during her first "stopover" in New York was, at first, delayed and ultimately canceled. Her speech at the Hudson Institute was made behind closed doors.

The Wall Street Journal even described her trip as "purposely low-key". However, her trip received a fierce, reception from a large number of Chinese Americans, who thronged the street outside her hotel to sing Ode to the Motherland against her advocacy of Taiwan "independence", while local US residents gathered to protest against her selling war to the United States.

She might want to forget the 32 hours she spent on US territory. By voicing their opposition, the Chinese Americans have shown their determination to seek national reunification, while local residents made clear they did not want their country to get involved with the Taiwan question.

Anybody with a rational mind in the US knows that Taiwan is China's core interest and US interference is not welcome. Also, supporting a few secessionists on the island in no way helps US interests.

More countries are realizing how futile this is, with Honduras becoming the 182nd country to establish diplomatic ties with China. Tsai's Taiwan "independence" plan goes against the mainstream thought of the world. No one with a rational mind will side with her.

Days before she embarked on her trip, Tsai presented an award to former national security advisor of the US Robert C. O'Brien, who had prompted Taiwan to adopt a "hedgehog strategy", making it a military tool of the US at the cost of local people's lives. While he is not someone the locals admire, Tsai insisted on honoring him, exposing her true intention of sacrificing people's interests, even lives, to please her US bosses. She is daydreaming and won't succeed.
This photo taken on March 21, 2023 shows the view of cooling towers at the Thar Coal Block-I Coal Electricity Integration project in Sindh province, Pakistan. Thar Coal Block-I Coal Electricity Integration project, an energy cooperation project under the framework of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), has recently been inaugurated formally by Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif after it was officially put into commercial operation in early February. It has the capacity to fulfill the electricity demand of 4 million households in Pakistan.(Xinhua/Ahmad Kamal)

by Ali Jaswal

THARPARKAR, Pakistan, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Mazhar Ali Khan, a 27-year-old mechanical engineer, works as an associate shift lead in a central control room at Thar Coal Block-I Coal Electricity Integration project, an energy cooperation project under the framework of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

At the plant located in the warm desert region in the southeastern part of Pakistan's southern Sindh province, Khan reports to a Chinese shift lead who gives him the commands which he further distributes to other Pakistani and Chinese engineers.

The young engineer from the under-developed Hyderabad city of Sindh, who had received Employee of the CPEC project and Best Model Employee of the Year awards in 2022, said the technology being used in this coal plant is very advanced and suitable for utilization of indigenous coal.

"The Chinese staffs are always supportive and guide us because they have already operated such plants in different overseas projects," he said.

The plant has two 660 megawatt high-parameter coal-fired generating units, supported by an annual output of 7.8 million tons of lignite open-pit coal mine. This high-parameter and large-capacity generation technology is being used for the first time in the country.

Thar Coal Block-I Coal Electricity Integration project has recently been inaugurated formally by Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif after it was officially put into commercial operation in early February. It has the capacity to fulfill the electricity demand of 4 million households in Pakistan.

Talking to Xinhua, Meng Donghai, CEO of the project, said that based on local coal from Thar, Pakistan is generating cost-effective electricity.

This would help the country in reducing its fuel imports, saving foreign exchange reserves, and enhancing national energy security, he added.

Thar Coal Block-1 Power Generation Company Private Limited and Sino Sindh Resources Private Limited, as subsidiaries of Shanghai Electric, are managing the entire project and will keep the task for the next 30 years.

"We want to build this enterprise into an outstanding energy enterprise in Pakistan and we hope to become a benchmark in this industry in terms of production safety, leading technical indicators and corporate social responsibility (CSR)," said Meng.

Like other CPEC projects, Thar Coal Block-1 highlights CSR and has been involved in extensive CSR projects aimed at changing the lives of locals in Thar, eliminating poverty, improving medical facilities, educating the locals and creating job opportunities. The project has provided more than 18,000 direct employment opportunities for the locals.

Li Jigen, CEO of the coal mine project of Thar Coal Block-1, told Xinhua that from the beginning of the construction in 2019 to the end of 2022, the project had invested about 1.3 million U.S. dollars in fulfilling its CSR.

The future course of CSR includes the Green Thar project focusing on tree plantation, increasing employment, and skills development, as well as contributing to the South Asian country in case of floods and other disasters during the 30-year operation, Li added.

Khan said that an electrostatic precipitator had been installed in the plant which traps potentially hazardous fly ash.

Additionally, an absorption tower has also been set up to reduce sulfur oxides emissions in order to safeguard the environment, he said.

This aerial photo taken on Feb. 28, 2023 shows the view of a man-made lake at the Thar Coal Block-I Coal Electricity Integration project in Sindh province, Pakistan. Thar Coal Block-I Coal Electricity Integration project, an energy cooperation project under the framework of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), has recently been inaugurated formally by Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif after it was officially put into commercial operation in early February. It has the capacity to fulfill the electricity demand of 4 million households in Pakistan.(Thar Coal Block-I Power Generation Company (Pvt) Limited/Handout via Xinhua)

This aerial photo taken on Feb. 28, 2023 shows the view of a coal mine near the Thar Coal Block-I Coal Electricity Integration project in Sindh province, Pakistan. Thar Coal Block-I Coal Electricity Integration project, an energy cooperation project under the framework of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), has recently been inaugurated formally by Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif after it was officially put into commercial operation in early February. It has the capacity to fulfill the electricity demand of 4 million households in Pakistan.(Thar Coal Block-I Power Generation Company (Pvt) Limited/Handout via Xinhua)

This aerial photo taken on Feb. 28, 2023 shows the view of the Thar Coal Block-I Coal Electricity Integration project in Sindh province, Pakistan. Thar Coal Block-I Coal Electricity Integration project, an energy cooperation project under the framework of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), has recently been inaugurated formally by Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif after it was officially put into commercial operation in early February. It has the capacity to fulfill the electricity demand of 4 million households in Pakistan.(Thar Coal Block-I Power Generation Company (Pvt) Limited/Handout via Xinhua)

This photo taken on March 21, 2023 shows the view of a boiler plant at the Thar Coal Block-I Coal Electricity Integration project in Sindh province, Pakistan. Thar Coal Block-I Coal Electricity Integration project, an energy cooperation project under the framework of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), has recently been inaugurated formally by Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif after it was officially put into commercial operation in early February. It has the capacity to fulfill the electricity demand of 4 million households in Pakistan.(Xinhua/Ahmad Kamal)

Staff members work at the control room of the Thar Coal Block-I Coal Electricity Integration project in Sindh province, Pakistan on March 21, 2023. Thar Coal Block-I Coal Electricity Integration project, an energy cooperation project under the framework of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), has recently been inaugurated formally by Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif after it was officially put into commercial operation in early February. It has the capacity to fulfill the electricity demand of 4 million households in Pakistan.(Xinhua/Ahmad Kamal)

This aerial photo taken on Feb. 28, 2023 shows the view of the Thar Coal Block-I Coal Electricity Integration project in Sindh province, Pakistan. Thar Coal Block-I Coal Electricity Integration project, an energy cooperation project under the framework of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), has recently been inaugurated formally by Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif after it was officially put into commercial operation in early February. It has the capacity to fulfill the electricity demand of 4 million households in Pakistan.(Thar Coal Block-I Power Generation Company (Pvt) Limited/Handout via Xinhua)

This aerial photo taken on Feb. 28, 2023 shows the view of dormitories besides a man-made lake at the Thar Coal Block-I Coal Electricity Integration project in Sindh province, Pakistan. Thar Coal Block-I Coal Electricity Integration project, an energy cooperation project under the framework of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), has recently been inaugurated formally by Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif after it was officially put into commercial operation in early February. It has the capacity to fulfill the electricity demand of 4 million households in Pakistan.(Thar Coal Block-I Power Generation Company (Pvt) Limited/Handout via Xinhua)

This photo taken on March 21, 2023 shows the view of the Thar Coal Block-I Coal Electricity Integration project in Sindh province, Pakistan. Thar Coal Block-I Coal Electricity Integration project, an energy cooperation project under the framework of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), has recently been inaugurated formally by Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif after it was officially put into commercial operation in early February. It has the capacity to fulfill the electricity demand of 4 million households in Pakistan.(Xinhua/Ahmad Kamal)

Editor: WXY
After more than a century of popularizing the internal combustion engine, Ford said it's on track to become carbon-neutral by 2050.

The automaker, which runs the Chicago Assembly Plant on the far South Side and the Chicago Stamping Plants in Chicago Heights, outlined its progress toward sustainability, inclusiveness and equity in its 2023 Integrated Sustainability and Financial Report.

The Dearborn-based automaker said it has cut emissions from its manufacturing plants by 40% over the last five years. Last year, 60% of the electricity it used was carbon-free.

Ford claims consumers may be able to reduce their carbon dioxide emissions by 60% by driving a Ford vehicle as compared to comparable internal combustion engine-powered vehicles. It's also working to responsibly source raw materials for the electric vehicles it projects will make up a bigger chunk of its business going forward.

We believe the long-term success of any business is inextricably linked with creating value for customers, employees and communities, while also caring for the planet, said Executive Chair Bill Ford. We are undertaking a massive transformation to lead the electric and connected era of transportation and are committed to being transparent about our progress and opportunities for improvement. We are excited and optimistic about the future and look forward to making carbon-neutral transportation a reality.

Ford plans to invest more than $50 billion through 2026 to make electric vehicles and batteries. It expects to make 600,000 electric vehicles a year by the end of the year and more than 2 million a year by the end of 2026.

About half of its vehicle sales are expected to be electric by 2030.

In 2022, we made a number of advancements toward carbon neutrality, including introducing new exciting EVs, upgrading our facilities, investing in carbon-free and renewable electricity, and using our purchasing power to help scale low-carbon materials," said Cynthia Williams, Fords global director, sustainability, homologation and compliance. "We're also creating new visibility and accountability for a global EV and battery supply chain that upholds our values. This is how we can help build a more sustainable, equitable and inclusive transportation future."

Ford has invested more than $26 million in making its plants more energy-efficient since 2017. The company also reduced emissions from suppliers and products by 23% since 2019. It has trained 979 suppliers, 844 purchasing employees and 2,647 employers in supply chain sustainability issues, such as environmental protection and fair labor.

Ford also noted in the report it made more than $64 million in charitable contributions in more than 40 countries around the world last year.
Indiana experienced its smallest annual population increase in almost a decade last year, according to a new estimate from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Deaths exceeded births in much of Northwest Indiana, but the Calumet Region did not suffer severe population decline last year as a result of people  largely from Illinois  moving in.

The U.S. Census Bureau, which does an official census every decade but releases population estimates in intervening years, estimates the state added 19,505 residents last year, which was the smallest increase since 2015 and only the second time it's added fewer than 20,000 new residents in the last 35 years.

Indiana University demographer Matt Kinghorn attributes the slow population growth last year to a low rate of natural population growth, or how births normally surpass deaths.

Due largely to the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of deaths in Indiana remained exceptionally high in 2022, said Kinghorn, who serves as senior demographer at IU's Indiana Business Research Center. Add in another year with relatively low fertility rates, and there were only 1,024 more births than deaths in the state last year. For context, Indiana had an average natural increase of roughly 21,150 residents per year between 2010 and 2019.

An estimated 24 states had natural decreases, in which deaths outnumbered births, last year, according to the census bureau. Indiana averaged about 1,450 COVID-19 deaths per month between September 2021 and February 2022, but that dropped to about 250 a month for the rest of 2022. Kingston said the slowdown of coronavirus deaths points to an improved rate of the natural population increase going forward.

Most of Indiana's modest population gain last year resulted from a net in-migration of more than 20,720 residents.

Suburban Indianapolis saw the highest rate of growth in the Hoosier State. Hamilton County grew by 2.1%, Hendricks 1.7%, Boone 1.6% and Hancock by 1.5%. Indiana's rural counties grew by 0.1% last year, bucking a long-term trend of population loss in the 23 counties outside of any metro areas.

The Indianapolis area grew while the Chicago metro, which includes Northwest Indiana, declined by 0.8%. But the core county that's home to Indianapolis, Marion County, lost 2,180 people, a decline of 0.2%. It's now the 54th most populous county in the United States with 969,500 residents.

LaPorte County had the state's next biggest population decline of 811 residents, following a natural decrease of 300 residents coupled with net out-migration, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Lake County had 644 more deaths than births last year but also had the fifth-highest net inflow of residents in the state due largely to disenchanted Illinois residents hopping across the state line.

Population growth in Indiana continues to be driven largely by a handful of metropolitan areas, Kinghorn said. Foremost among these is the 11-county Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson metro area, which added 13,115 residents last year, accounting for 67% of Indianas net growth in 2022. The Indy metro area is home to more than 2.14 million people, which represents 31% of the states population and ranks as the nations 33rd-largest metro area out of 380 metros.

NWI Business Ins and Outs: Buona/Rainbow Cone, Fat Burrito, Pickles Kids and Dear Dani Boutique opening Coming soon Open Coming soon Open Open Open Open Open Open
An orange plume of smoke that rose over the Gary Works steel mill over the weekend raised concerns among residents, prompting a few to file complaints with the state government.

The Indiana Department of Environmental Management is looking into the incident, which residents also said gave the air in downtown Gary an acrid, metallic smell.

"IDEM is looking into the situation. We also received two complaints via our website over the weekend," spokesman Barry Sneed said. "IDEM's policy is to take the first action in response to a complaint within 30 days of receiving the complaint, and to address each complaint within 90 days. "

U.S. Steel spokeswoman Amanda Malkowski said the company also was looking into what happened but said there was not a major incident.

We are investigating the opacity concern from this weekend," she said. "There were no significant operational issues or injuries at Gary Works. Safety and environmental performance remain our top priorities.

Gary resident Marie Siroky noticed an acid smell while driving along Dunes Highway from Miller to the downtown library.

"I looked to the mill and saw the orange-ish cloud in distance from 12/20," she said. "This is bird migrating season. The toxins will be ingested by birds and fish. I had a mask in my car but anyone out and about would be affected."

Christopher Harris filed a complaint with IDEM after seeing the copper-ish cloud of smoke hovering over the Gary Works steel mill at about 9:50 a.m. Saturday. He said a metallic smell in the air forced him to cough and left him short of breath.

"My aunt traveling in the area also experienced it and experienced a shortness of breath," he said. "The Region's lakeshore communities deserve better air quality. I'm hoping that these recent releases will ignite a spirit of collaboration between environmental and social justice groups to find ways to procure and install permanent air quality monitoring within strategic locations within the communities to timely warn our neighbors and hold big industry accountable for their actions."

The Calumet Region's steel mills once emitted so much air pollution that steelworkers would drive junkers they called mill cars because of all the iron oxide that would coat them like snow during their shift. But the mills have cut back on such emissions since federal environmental regulations were first adopted in the 1970s.

To report an environmental emergency, call IDEMs 24-Hour Emergency Spill Line at 888-233-7745. To file a complaint, call 800-451-6027 or visit www.in.gov/idem/contact/file-a-complaint.
MICHIGAN CITY  Each day for the past year and three months, life has been pretty much the same for Duke, a 3-year-old male brindle pit bull mix surrendered as no-longer-wanted to the Michiana Humane Society.

The young high-energy guy spends most of each day contained in a relatively small kennel area surrounded by anxious and loud dogs. Occasionally, a stranger will add to his stress by showing up unexpectedly at the fenced gate to stare in and poke at him for a bit, eventually moving on to check out the other available dogs.

Other than a few short potty breaks each day, occasional visits by volunteers and the rare trip off site, Duke has lived this mundane and lonely life longer than any other dog in anyone's memory at the shelter.

This is a distinction that Executive Director Johanna Humbert and others at the shelter hope will end soon for Duke as they continue seeking to get word out about the dog that all agree has the greatest potential of shining in a home.

"I know that he will be a great dog for someone who will continue to provide him with structure and reward him for a job well done," said Dana Garcia of Valparaiso, who has taken Duke into her home for occasional overnight foster stays since losing her dog of eight years.

"I wasnt ready to adopt another, so I decided fostering would be the next best thing," she said. "I chose Duke because he's the one that has been in the shelter the longest. I felt that he was most in need of learning how to live a structured, stress-free life. And because I love the breed.

"My overall impression of Duke is that hes a sweetheart that has a lot of potential. Hes a fast learner and he is eager to please."

Even the occasional work she has done with Duke has been noticed when he returns to the shelter, officials there say.

Garcia said she and a Valparaiso-area dog-behavior consultant and trainer are willing to continue helping in Duke's training once he is adopted.

"I'm available to answer any questions and teach them how to create structure and build a bond with him," Garcia said. "The person who adopts him needs to realize that it's going to take time for him (or any shelter dog) to adjust. With consistency, they will see major progress in a few weeks, and he should be fully settled in a few months."

Duke has interacted and played with other dogs while at the shelter, but Humbert said he should initially be the only dog in a home while adapting to his new way of life. He will also do best with active adopters, who will exercise him regularly.

While displaying signs of anxiety, such as barking and jumping, at the shelter, Duke has quieted down beautifully and proven to be quite the cuddle bug at his foster home and during shorter trips away with volunteers.

"He's awesome," Humbert said.

No appointment is necessary to meet Duke. But Humbert asks that you check in at the front desk and let staff know you're interested in Duke.

The shelter has a two-day adoption policy, beginning with a visit and application submission. Applications are then reviewed and, if approved, the applicant is invited back to complete the adoption the next day.

The Michiana Humane Society is at 722 Ind. 212 in Michigan City and be contacted at 219-872-4499.
Chinese Ambassador to the United Kingdom (UK) Zheng Zeguang (1st R) talks with Lord Mayor of Belfast City Council Christina Black (2nd L) in Belfast, Northern Ireland, the United Kingdom, March 27, 2023. (Xinhua/Li Ying)

BELFAST, Britain, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Officials and academics from Northern Ireland have expressed their willingness to enhance exchanges and cooperation with China during their meetings earlier this week with Chinese Ambassador to the United Kingdom (UK) Zheng Zeguang.

The head of Northern Ireland Civil Service Jayne Brady said that Northern Ireland has long-standing friendly exchanges with China and attaches great importance to developing relations with China.

Northern Ireland enjoys strong technological advantages in fields such as green economy, financial services, and food safety, and has the geographical advantage as a bridge connecting the two major markets of the European Union and the UK, Brady added.

She welcomed Chinese companies to invest in Northern Ireland and expressed hope that hydrogen-powered buses, whiskey, and other products from Northern Ireland would enter the Chinese market.

Northern Ireland, Brady added, would also like to further expand exchanges and cooperation with China in education, culture, tourism, etc.

Zheng said that in recent years, China and Northern Ireland have carried out fruitful cooperation in business and trade, education, culture and other fields, bringing tangible benefits to both sides, and that cooperation in new energy innovations have great potential.

China, the ambassador said, welcomes more high-quality products from Northern Ireland to enter the Chinese market and more people to go to China.

He said that China also supports cities and institutions of the two sides to strengthen partnerships, encourages more two-way personnel exchanges, to boost practical cooperation and bring more benefits to the peoples.

In a separate meeting with Zheng, Lord Mayor of Belfast City Council Christina Black said that in 2016, Belfast became a sister city of Shenyang in northeast China, and since then the two sides had made positive progress in mutually beneficial cooperation in business, trade, education, and culture.

Belfast is eager to promote cooperation between the two sides, and welcome more Chinese investors, students and tourists, Black added.

Ian Greer, president and vice-chancellor of Queen's University Belfast, said that his university attaches great importance to exchanges and cooperation with Chinese universities and welcomes more Chinese students to study there.

The university values China's strength in research and huge potential of development and would like to further deepen cooperation with Chinese scientific research institutions, Greer added.

In his meeting with Zheng, Paul Bartholomew, vice-chancellor at Ulster University, said his university cherishes its cooperation with China and has established partnerships with many Chinese universities.

Ulster University, he added, looks forward to further strengthen the cooperation, and welcomes more Chinese students to study there.

Ulster University will continue to run the Confucius Institute and play an active role in promoting educational cooperation and cultural exchanges between Northern Ireland and China, he noted.

Chinese Ambassador to the United Kingdom (UK) Zheng Zeguang (R) meets with Paul Bartholomew (1st L), vice-chancellor at Ulster University, in Belfast, Northern Ireland, the United Kingdom, March 27, 2023. (Xinhua/Li Ying)

Chinese Ambassador to the United Kingdom (UK) Zheng Zeguang (C), Lord Mayor of Belfast City Council Christina Black (3rd R), and other guests sing the song "Auld Lang Syne" hand in hand in Belfast, Northern Ireland, the United Kingdom, March 27, 2023. (Xinhua/Li Ying)

Chinese Ambassador to the United Kingdom (UK) Zheng Zeguang (L) meets with Lord Mayor of Belfast City Council Christina Black in Belfast, Northern Ireland, the United Kingdom, March 27, 2023. (Xinhua/Li Ying)

A child talks about his feeling of learning Chinese at Ulster University in Belfast, Northern Ireland, the United Kingdom, March 27, 2023. (Xinhua/Li Ying)

Chinese Ambassador to the United Kingdom (UK) Zheng Zeguang (2nd L) and Paul Bartholomew (1st L), vice-chancellor at Ulster University, listen as the Ulster University Choir performs the Chinese song "I Love You, China," on campus in Belfast, Northern Ireland, the United Kingdom, March 27, 2023. (Xinhua/Li Ying)

Chinese Ambassador to the United Kingdom (UK) Zheng Zeguang (L) meets with Ian Greer, president and vice-chancellor of Queen's University Belfast, in Belfast, Northern Ireland, the United Kingdom, March 28, 2023. (Xinhua/Li Ying)

Editor: WXY
CROWN POINT  Trial proceedings began Monday for a Kentucky man who is accused of killing his pregnant girlfriend in 2015.

Derron Fuller, 28, was charged in 2020 with obstruction of justice and two counts of murder, one for girlfriend Rochelle Stubblefield and the other for her unborn child.

Stubblefield, 20, was last seen leaving Calumet College in Hammond on Nov. 10, 2015, according to charging documents. Stubblefields mother testified Monday that her daughter was about 8 months pregnant at the time of her disappearance.

Her body has not been found. Records show that in 2017, K-9 units indicated the presence of human remains near Williams Elementary School in Gary, but officers didnt find anything when they dug up the area.

When officers contacted Fuller after Stubblefield went missing, he denied dating her and said he was not the father of her child, court filings show.

Fuller and Stubblefield were in a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship, Stubblefields mother said, using air quotes.

Charging documents say Fuller told his cousin that he strangled and stabbed Stubblefield, then buried her body behind Williams Elementary.

Records show that Fuller told his cousin that he was afraid of paying child support, so he choked Stubblefield and stabbed her in the temple. Fuller asked his cousin to help him get rid of a body, according to the probable-cause affidavit.

Fuller also reportedly told his cousin that he moved Stubblefields car to the 1800 block of Martin Luther King Drive in Gary.

Prosecutor Chris Bruno said during his opening arguments that despite not having recovered Stubblefield's body, the compiled circumstantial evidence is a bundle of sticks that points to a guilty verdict.

Bruno also noted that Fullers grandparents house, where he was living when Stubblefield went missing, backs up to the supposed burial site at the school.

Evidence will show that the bundle of sticks the state keeps referencing are two sticks, defense attorney Scott King said: pieces of testimony from witnesses, which are not sufficient to convict his client.

He noted that one of the witnesses, a woman Fuller was reportedly dating at the time, continually referenced text messages that Fuller had sent, but police officers never looked at her phone records. Also, the other witnesses phone records were never thoroughly reviewed, nor were Fullers.

The woman told police she picked Fuller up from the track at Williams Elementary and, records show, once he got into the car he was throwing items that were supposedly Stubblefields out the passenger window.

The woman has changed her story almost every time shes been asked about it, King said.

King said there were reasons for the witnesses to say what theyre saying  and its got nothing to do with the truth.

Trial proceedings are set to continue Tuesday.
Congressman Frank J. Mrvan is hosting a series of town hall-style events next week to listen to the needs of Northwest Indiana residents and update them on what he's accomplished on their behalf in the U.S. House.

The Highland Democrat plans to participate in seven community forums over two days at locations in Lake, Porter and northwest LaPorte counties.

"As your U.S. representative, I am proud to host a series of community forums throughout Indiana's 1st Congressional District. I look forward to providing a congressional update and directly hearing from constituents about their issues of concern and legislative priorities," he said.

The times and locations for the community forums Monday, April 10:

Noon to 1 p.m., Michigan City City Hall, 100 E. Michigan Blvd.

2 to 3 p.m., Valparaiso City Hall, 166 Lincolnway.

4 to 5 p.m., Portage American Legion Post 260, 5675 Mulberry Ave.

The times and locations for forums Tuesday, April 11:

Noon to 1 p.m., Purdue Extension-Lake County, 2293 N. Main St., Crown Point.

2 to 3 p.m., Indiana University Northwest, Anderson Library Conference Center, Room 105, 3400 Broadway, Gary (park in Lot 3)

4 to 5 p.m., Calumet College of St. Joseph, 2400 New York Ave., Room 200, Whiting.

6 to 7 p.m., Wicker Park Social Center, 2215 Ridge Road, Highland.

All of the events are free.

Mrvan has represented Northwest Indiana in the U.S. House since Jan. 3, 2021. He was reelected in November to a second two-year term.

His work in Congress generally has focused on advancing legislation aimed at meeting the needs of organized labor, workers, veterans, teachers, students and other key constituencies in Northwest Indiana.

The former 15-year North Township trustee became the Region's representative in Congress after succeeding retired U.S. Rep. Pete Visclosky, a Gary Democrat, whose 36 years in the House are the most of any congressman in Indiana's 207-year history.

PHOTOS: Mrvan volunteers at Food Bank of NWI US Rep Frank Mrvan at food bank US Rep Frank Mrvan at food bank US Rep Frank Mrvan at food bank US Rep Frank Mrvan at food bank US Rep Frank Mrvan at food bank US Rep Frank Mrvan at food bank US Rep Frank Mrvan at food bank US Rep Frank Mrvan at food bank US Rep Frank Mrvan at food bank US Rep Frank Mrvan at food bank US Rep Frank Mrvan at food bank
Having ample vegetation benefits water bodies in a multitude of ways, including keeping water cool through increased shade, reducing erosion by stabilizing soil, and purifying stormwater by filtering runoff through deep roots systems.

Zandstra said plans for the park include a parking lot surrounded by wetlands, a picnic shelter, a playground, an open turf area and trails. However, preparing the park for public use will take three to five years and $750,000.

Lake County Parks is in talks with some adjacent landowners who are looking to sell their property. If they are able to buy the parcels, Zandstra said, the park could grow by about 50 acres.

Since purchasing the land, Zandstra has heard from multiple Tri-town residents who want to see more nearby land preserved.

"They were all concerned about too much development in their area," he said. "If Lake County Parks had the money right now, theres probably a good dozen properties that we could buy from willing sellers. But we just dont have the funds."
When he turned 80, Robert L. Wright told his wife, Diana, that he was hoping for a big celebration if he ever lived to be 100 years old.

On his 90th birthday, the East Chicago resident told her the same thing: He wanted to be celebrated if he lived to 100.

Last weekend, he got his wish.

East Chicago proclaimed it to be Robert L. Wright Day in honor of the man believed to be the city's last surviving World War II veteran, who's been alive since Calvin Coolidge was in the White House and took part in a lot of the history that's taught in textbooks.

Wright's birthday was Saturday. Representatives of Mayor Anthony Copeland, state lawmakers and U.S. Rep. Frank Mrvan visited him for a ceremony Sunday.

The police chief, fire chief and others honored him with cards, cake, flowers and recognition.

He even received a framed letter from the president thanking him for his military service and his remarkable feat of longevity.

"I'm just so happy. It's so beautiful," Diana said. "It's a blessing he's here at this age. It's beautiful that he's blessed and recognized."

Wright was surprised too. He told his wife he "was pleasantly shocked to live this long because he was a smoker and a drinker."

Wright worked for decades as a mailman who was popular around town and often puffed on a cigar. He also frequently enjoyed a plate of bacon for breakfast.

"He had a big cigar. He was a smoker and a drinker and lived this long," Diana said. "It goes against all science. He always joked that having a much younger wife kept him young. I'm much younger."

Wright was born in 1923 in Clarksdale, Mississippi. He was raised by his grandparents  grandmother Fannie Woods was a freed slave  after his mother died.

When he reached his late teens, he moved to Northwest Indiana in search of work and opportunity as part of the Great Migration.

"He came to East Chicago looking for a job and a better quality of life," his wife said. "He was a young boy, just 16 or 17 years old."

Wright ended up doing various jobs in the steel mills and then working at Standard Oil Refinery in Whiting, but he was soon drafted during World War II.

"He was a rifleman," she said. "He was not a happy camper. He was just married and was taken away from home."

Wright and his first wife, Willie Mae Jones, were wed in 1942. They had a daughter, Florence Adee, but he was conscripted and sent to Germany to fight the Nazis for four years.

"He had a job counting dead bodies and did a lot of logistics type of stuff," Diana said. "He used to give me war stories here or there but didn't like to talk about it a lot."

He was discharged and returned home, graduating from Washington High School in East Chicago's Indiana Harbor neighborhood. With the G.I. Bill, he studied at Watkins Barber School at Wilson Junior College, where he got a certification to work as a tailor.

Like many veterans of that era, he went to work for the post office.

"He got veteran's preference for being in the military," she said. "It wasn't a prestigious job but he absolutely loved the people on his route and took good care of them. He always loved his customers. He was known around town."

He ended up working for the Postal Service for 40 years. He's ended up living so long that he's been retired for nearly as long as he worked.

"I don't know why he lived so long," his nephew Jason Reyes said. "It could have been all the walking as a postman."

He lived in East Chicago for more than 80 years, initially in the Brickyard neighborhood that no longer exists and now on Arbutus Drive. He suffers from dementia but is otherwise in good health, his wife said.

"It's awesome that he's lived this long," Diana said. "He has no diabetes or heart condition, no chronic conditions. His blood pressure is a little high, so I joke he should stop eating so much bacon. To be 100 years old and only have to take three pills is pretty amazing. I joke that I want to be just like him when I grow up, as I'm much younger than he is."

She said her husband has defied the odds.

"I read somewhere only 1 in almost 7,000 people, or 0.00014%, live this long. It's truly amazing. He's truly loved and truly blessed."
MICHIGAN CITY  The principal and three staff members from Joy Elementary in Michigan City had to deliver on a big challenge recently. They took pies in the face from top students in the school's fundraiser for the American Heart Association.

Principal Jason Hopper, Teachers Julia Krisiak and Paige Roadruck, and Instructional Assistant Shelly Malott were all "pied" to reward students for raising $4,807.46 through the "Kids Heart Challenge" program. The students exceeded their initial goal by more than $1,300.

The top fundraisers, who served as official pie-tossers, were Bobby Cabinaw at $607.26; Aleena Eckman at 513.11; Joshua Wadley at $300.93; Zoie LaTourette at $278.78; and Ava Carabine at $264.79.

According to Physical Education teacher Julia Krisiak, In addition to raising funds for the American Heart Association, the "Kids Heart Challenge" program also provides fun activities at school to help students discover ways to take care of their hearts and brains while practicing kindness and gratitude, and learning ways to de-stress.

"This is the best year for this program in my entire teaching career," Krisiak told students during the assembly.
After three years of conducting business in Asia virtually  via video calls, digital conferences, even holograms  Swiss watch executives have travel on the brain.

I just came back from Hong Kong, Julien Tornare, chief executive of the Swiss watch brand Zenith, said in a phone interview in late February.

And Im going to mainland China in April, he added. We havent been there in three years. Were organizing a lot of dinners with collectors and clients. We have to celebrate a few boutique openings that we couldnt celebrate during Covid. I want to do a ribbon cutting.

Mr. Tornare, like many of his fellow executives, is eager to make up for lost time in Asia. And now that Watches and Wonders, the high-end watch industrys annual showcase of new products, has ended in Geneva, brand managers are shifting their attention to key markets including mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
Last Friday the Medicare trustees released their latest report on the systems finances, and it contained some unexpected good news: Expenditures are running below projections, and the Hospital Insurance Trust Fund wont be exhausted as soon as previously predicted.

But one important reason for this financial improvement was grisly: Covid killed a substantial number of Medicare beneficiaries. And the victims were disproportionately seniors already suffering from severe  and expensive  health problems. As a result, the surviving population had spending that was lower than average.

Now, Covid killed a lot of people around the world, so wasnt this just an act of God? Not exactly. You see, America experienced a bigger decline in life expectancy when Covid struck than any other wealthy country. Furthermore, while life expectancy recovered in many countries in 2021, here it continued to fall.

And Americas dismal Covid performance was part of a larger story. I dont know how many Americans are aware that over the past four decades, our life expectancy has been lagging ever further that of other advanced nations  even nations whose economic performance has been poor by conventional measures. Italy, for example, has experienced a generation of economic stagnation, with basically no growth in real G.D.P. per capita since 2000, compared with a 29 percent rise here. Yet Italians can expect to live about five years longer than Americans, a gap that has widened even as the Italian economy flounders.
Welcome to Best of Late Night, a rundown of the previous nights highlights that lets you sleep  and lets us get paid to watch comedy. Here are the 50 best movies on Netflix right now.

Colbert Takes a Mug Shot

Stephen Colbert brought out a bottle of bourbon for a few celebratory shots ahead of former President Donald Trumps expected arrest in Manhattan on Tuesday.

One question a lot of people are asking is: Will there be a mug shot? Well, I dont know about of him, but heres my mug and I will definitely be doing a few shots, Colbert said, calling Monday Arraignment Eve.
10. And finally, scientists want to bust the myth that moderate drinking is beneficial.

For nearly 100 years, people have been led to believe that low levels of drinking  especially a glass or two of red wine a night  could be better for your health than not drinking at all. But a review of the data suggests thats not true.

A new, comprehensive study of almost five million adults found the benefits of moderate drinking to be negligible, and the risks potentially significant. The report, based on more than 40 years of research, warns that the risks of dying prematurely increase significantly for women who drink 25 grams of alcohol a day  less than two standard drinks  and for men who drink 45 grams.

Have a healthy night.

Sarah Hughes compiled photos for this briefing.

Want to catch up on past briefings? You can browse them here.

What did you like? What do you want to see here? Let us know at briefing@nytimes.com.
Hanagar, son of herdsman Tsogdelger, feeds a lamb in West Ujimqin Banner of Xilingol League, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, March 29, 2023. In spring, the busiest season of the year, Tsogdelger, a herdsman of the Mongolian ethnic group, and his family need to assist with lambing and feed livestock every day. More than 280 lambs have been born in his farm since March 18. From the beginning of this year until March 30, a total of 581,300 offspring were born in West Ujimqin Banner, including 100,900 large livestock and 480,400 small livestock, with a survival rate of 99.18%. (Xinhua/Wang Kaiyan)

Tumenbayar, father of herdsman Tsogdelger, herds horses on a motorbike in West Ujimqin Banner of Xilingol League, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, March 29, 2023. In spring, the busiest season of the year, Tsogdelger, a herdsman of the Mongolian ethnic group, and his family need to assist with lambing and feed livestock every day. More than 280 lambs have been born in his farm since March 18. From the beginning of this year until March 30, a total of 581,300 offspring were born in West Ujimqin Banner, including 100,900 large livestock and 480,400 small livestock, with a survival rate of 99.18%. (Xinhua/Wang Kaiyan)

Herdsman Tsogdelger checks a lamb in West Ujimqin Banner of Xilingol League, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, March 29, 2023. In spring, the busiest season of the year, Tsogdelger, a herdsman of the Mongolian ethnic group, and his family need to assist with lambing and feed livestock every day. More than 280 lambs have been born in his farm since March 18. From the beginning of this year until March 30, a total of 581,300 offspring were born in West Ujimqin Banner, including 100,900 large livestock and 480,400 small livestock, with a survival rate of 99.18%. (Xinhua/Wang Kaiyan)

This photo taken on March 28, 2023 shows sheep of herdsman Tsogdelger in West Ujimqin Banner of Xilingol League, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. In spring, the busiest season of the year, Tsogdelger, a herdsman of the Mongolian ethnic group, and his family need to assist with lambing and feed livestock every day. More than 280 lambs have been born in his farm since March 18. From the beginning of this year until March 30, a total of 581,300 offspring were born in West Ujimqin Banner, including 100,900 large livestock and 480,400 small livestock, with a survival rate of 99.18%. (Xinhua/Bei He)

Herdsman Tsogdelger's wife Munguntuya milks in front of the cowshed in West Ujimqin Banner of Xilingol League, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, March 29, 2023. In spring, the busiest season of the year, Tsogdelger, a herdsman of the Mongolian ethnic group, and his family need to assist with lambing and feed livestock every day. More than 280 lambs have been born in his farm since March 18. From the beginning of this year until March 30, a total of 581,300 offspring were born in West Ujimqin Banner, including 100,900 large livestock and 480,400 small livestock, with a survival rate of 99.18%. (Xinhua/Wang Kaiyan)

Herdsman Tsogdelger and his cousin Davxilt transport forage with motorbike in West Ujimqin Banner of Xilingol League, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, March 28, 2023. In spring, the busiest season of the year, Tsogdelger, a herdsman of the Mongolian ethnic group, and his family need to assist with lambing and feed livestock every day. More than 280 lambs have been born in his farm since March 18. From the beginning of this year until March 30, a total of 581,300 offspring were born in West Ujimqin Banner, including 100,900 large livestock and 480,400 small livestock, with a survival rate of 99.18%. (Xinhua/Bei He)

Tumenbayaryn, father of herdsman Tsogdelger, pets his horse in West Ujimqin Banner of Xilingol League, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, March 29, 2023. In spring, the busiest season of the year, Tsogdelger, a herdsman of the Mongolian ethnic group, and his family need to assist with lambing and feed livestock every day. More than 280 lambs have been born in his farm since March 18. From the beginning of this year until March 30, a total of 581,300 offspring were born in West Ujimqin Banner, including 100,900 large livestock and 480,400 small livestock, with a survival rate of 99.18%. (Xinhua/Wang Kaiyan)

Herdsman Tsogdelger checks the situation of a ewe and a newborn lamb at night in West Ujimqin Banner of Xilingol League, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, March 28, 2023. In spring, the busiest season of the year, Tsogdelger, a herdsman of the Mongolian ethnic group, and his family need to assist with lambing and feed livestock every day. More than 280 lambs have been born in his farm since March 18. From the beginning of this year until March 30, a total of 581,300 offspring were born in West Ujimqin Banner, including 100,900 large livestock and 480,400 small livestock, with a survival rate of 99.18%. (Xinhua/Bei He)

Tumenbayar, father of herdsman Tsogdelger, fills the sink with water for the horses to drink in West Ujimqin Banner of Xilingol League, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, March 29, 2023. In spring, the busiest season of the year, Tsogdelger, a herdsman of the Mongolian ethnic group, and his family need to assist with lambing and feed livestock every day. More than 280 lambs have been born in his farm since March 18. From the beginning of this year until March 30, a total of 581,300 offspring were born in West Ujimqin Banner, including 100,900 large livestock and 480,400 small livestock, with a survival rate of 99.18%. (Xinhua/Bei He)

Herdsman Tsogdelger (L) poses for a group photo with his wife Munguntuya (R) and daughter Halgian in the pasture in West Ujimqin Banner of Xilingol League, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, March 29, 2023. In spring, the busiest season of the year, Tsogdelger, a herdsman of the Mongolian ethnic group, and his family need to assist with lambing and feed livestock every day. More than 280 lambs have been born in his farm since March 18. From the beginning of this year until March 30, a total of 581,300 offspring were born in West Ujimqin Banner, including 100,900 large livestock and 480,400 small livestock, with a survival rate of 99.18%. (Xinhua/Bei He)

Herdsman Tsogdelger pets his sheep in the pasture in West Ujimqin Banner of Xilingol League, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, March 29, 2023. In spring, the busiest season of the year, Tsogdelger, a herdsman of the Mongolian ethnic group, and his family need to assist with lambing and feed livestock every day. More than 280 lambs have been born in his farm since March 18. From the beginning of this year until March 30, a total of 581,300 offspring were born in West Ujimqin Banner, including 100,900 large livestock and 480,400 small livestock, with a survival rate of 99.18%. (Xinhua/Wang Kaiyan)

Herdsman Tsogdelger (L) works with his wife Munguntuya (R) and daughter Halgian in the pasture in West Ujimqin Banner of Xilingol League, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, March 29, 2023. In spring, the busiest season of the year, Tsogdelger, a herdsman of the Mongolian ethnic group, and his family need to assist with lambing and feed livestock every day. More than 280 lambs have been born in his farm since March 18. From the beginning of this year until March 30, a total of 581,300 offspring were born in West Ujimqin Banner, including 100,900 large livestock and 480,400 small livestock, with a survival rate of 99.18%. (Xinhua/Wang Kaiyan)

This undated file photo shows the family members of herdsman Tsogdelger (1st L), including his son Hanagar, his mother Orolma, his father Tumenbayar, his daughter Halgian and his wife Munguntuya (from 2nd L to R). In spring, the busiest season of the year, Tsogdelger, a herdsman of the Mongolian ethnic group, and his family need to assist with lambing and feed livestock every day. More than 280 lambs have been born in his farm since March 18. From the beginning of this year until March 30, a total of 581,300 offspring were born in West Ujimqin Banner, including 100,900 large livestock and 480,400 small livestock, with a survival rate of 99.18%. (Xinhua)

Herdsman Tsogdelger's wife Munguntuya feeds a lamb in West Ujimqin Banner of Xilingol League, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, March 29, 2023. In spring, the busiest season of the year, Tsogdelger, a herdsman of the Mongolian ethnic group, and his family need to assist with lambing and feed livestock every day. More than 280 lambs have been born in his farm since March 18. From the beginning of this year until March 30, a total of 581,300 offspring were born in West Ujimqin Banner, including 100,900 large livestock and 480,400 small livestock, with a survival rate of 99.18%. (Xinhua/Wang Kaiyan)

This aerial photo taken on March 28, 2023 shows herdsman Tsogdelger's house and sheep in West Ujimqin Banner of Xilingol League, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. In spring, the busiest season of the year, Tsogdelger, a herdsman of the Mongolian ethnic group, and his family need to assist with lambing and feed livestock every day. More than 280 lambs have been born in his farm since March 18. From the beginning of this year until March 30, a total of 581,300 offspring were born in West Ujimqin Banner, including 100,900 large livestock and 480,400 small livestock, with a survival rate of 99.18%. (Xinhua/Bei He)

Herdsman Tsogdelger herds sheep in the pasture to make sure each lamb can find its mother for enough milk in West Ujimqin Banner of Xilingol League, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, March 29, 2023. In spring, the busiest season of the year, Tsogdelger, a herdsman of the Mongolian ethnic group, and his family need to assist with lambing and feed livestock every day. More than 280 lambs have been born in his farm since March 18. From the beginning of this year until March 30, a total of 581,300 offspring were born in West Ujimqin Banner, including 100,900 large livestock and 480,400 small livestock, with a survival rate of 99.18%. (Xinhua/Bei He)

Herdsman Tsogdelger (R) and his cousin Davxilt transport forage with motorbike in West Ujimqin Banner of Xilingol League, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, March 28, 2023. In spring, the busiest season of the year, Tsogdelger, a herdsman of the Mongolian ethnic group, and his family need to assist with lambing and feed livestock every day. More than 280 lambs have been born in his farm since March 18. From the beginning of this year until March 30, a total of 581,300 offspring were born in West Ujimqin Banner, including 100,900 large livestock and 480,400 small livestock, with a survival rate of 99.18%. (Xinhua/Wang Kaiyan)

Herdsman Tsogdelger checks sheep in his pasture in West Ujimqin Banner of Xilingol League, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, March 29, 2023. In spring, the busiest season of the year, Tsogdelger, a herdsman of the Mongolian ethnic group, and his family need to assist with lambing and feed livestock every day. More than 280 lambs have been born in his farm since March 18. From the beginning of this year until March 30, a total of 581,300 offspring were born in West Ujimqin Banner, including 100,900 large livestock and 480,400 small livestock, with a survival rate of 99.18%. (Xinhua/Bei He)

Herdsman Tsogdelger's cousin Davxilt walks among sheep in the pasture in West Ujimqin Banner of Xilingol League, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, March 28, 2023. In spring, the busiest season of the year, Tsogdelger, a herdsman of the Mongolian ethnic group, and his family need to assist with lambing and feed livestock every day. More than 280 lambs have been born in his farm since March 18. From the beginning of this year until March 30, a total of 581,300 offspring were born in West Ujimqin Banner, including 100,900 large livestock and 480,400 small livestock, with a survival rate of 99.18%. (Xinhua/Wang Kaiyan)

Herdsman Tsogdelger feeds sheep in West Ujimqin Banner of Xilingol League, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, March 28, 2023. In spring, the busiest season of the year, Tsogdelger, a herdsman of the Mongolian ethnic group, and his family need to assist with lambing and feed livestock every day. More than 280 lambs have been born in his farm since March 18. From the beginning of this year until March 30, a total of 581,300 offspring were born in West Ujimqin Banner, including 100,900 large livestock and 480,400 small livestock, with a survival rate of 99.18%. (Xinhua/Wang Kaiyan)

Herdsman Tsogdelger's daughter kicks the haystack to make it easier for the sheep to feed in the pasture in West Ujimqin Banner of Xilingol League, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, March 29, 2023. In spring, the busiest season of the year, Tsogdelger, a herdsman of the Mongolian ethnic group, and his family need to assist with lambing and feed livestock every day. More than 280 lambs have been born in his farm since March 18. From the beginning of this year until March 30, a total of 581,300 offspring were born in West Ujimqin Banner, including 100,900 large livestock and 480,400 small livestock, with a survival rate of 99.18%. (Xinhua/Bei He)

Herdsman Tsogdelger's daughter Halgian runs in the pasture in West Ujimqin Banner of Xilingol League, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, March 29, 2023. In spring, the busiest season of the year, Tsogdelger, a herdsman of the Mongolian ethnic group, and his family need to assist with lambing and feed livestock every day. More than 280 lambs have been born in his farm since March 18. From the beginning of this year until March 30, a total of 581,300 offspring were born in West Ujimqin Banner, including 100,900 large livestock and 480,400 small livestock, with a survival rate of 99.18%. (Xinhua/Wang Kaiyan)

Herdsman Tsogdelger herds sheep in the pasture to make sure each lamb can find its mother for eating enough milk in West Ujimqin Banner of Xilingol League, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, March 29, 2023. In spring, the busiest season of the year, Tsogdelger, a herdsman of the Mongolian ethnic group, and his family need to assist with lambing and feed livestock every day. More than 280 lambs have been born in his farm since March 18. From the beginning of this year until March 30, a total of 581,300 offspring were born in West Ujimqin Banner, including 100,900 large livestock and 480,400 small livestock, with a survival rate of 99.18%. (Xinhua/Bei He)

This photo taken on March 28, 2023 shows sheep and horses of herdsman Tsogdelger in West Ujimqin Banner of Xilingol League, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. In spring, the busiest season of the year, Tsogdelger, a herdsman of the Mongolian ethnic group, and his family need to assist with lambing and feed livestock every day. More than 280 lambs have been born in his farm since March 18. From the beginning of this year until March 30, a total of 581,300 offspring were born in West Ujimqin Banner, including 100,900 large livestock and 480,400 small livestock, with a survival rate of 99.18%. (Xinhua/Bei He)

Herdsman Tsogdelger's daughter Halgian holds a lamb in the pasture in West Ujimqin Banner of Xilingol League, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, March 29, 2023. In spring, the busiest season of the year, Tsogdelger, a herdsman of the Mongolian ethnic group, and his family need to assist with lambing and feed livestock every day. More than 280 lambs have been born in his farm since March 18. From the beginning of this year until March 30, a total of 581,300 offspring were born in West Ujimqin Banner, including 100,900 large livestock and 480,400 small livestock, with a survival rate of 99.18%. (Xinhua/Wang Kaiyan)

This photo taken on March 29, 2023 shows sunrise on the pasture of herdsman Tsogdelger in West Ujimqin Banner of Xilingol League, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. In spring, the busiest season of the year, Tsogdelger, a herdsman of the Mongolian ethnic group, and his family need to assist with lambing and feed livestock every day. More than 280 lambs have been born in his farm since March 18. From the beginning of this year until March 30, a total of 581,300 offspring were born in West Ujimqin Banner, including 100,900 large livestock and 480,400 small livestock, with a survival rate of 99.18%. (Xinhua/Bei He)

Herdsman Tsogdelger smiles in the pasture in West Ujimqin Banner of Xilingol League, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, March 29, 2023. In spring, the busiest season of the year, Tsogdelger, a herdsman of the Mongolian ethnic group, and his family need to assist with lambing and feed livestock every day. More than 280 lambs have been born in his farm since March 18. From the beginning of this year until March 30, a total of 581,300 offspring were born in West Ujimqin Banner, including 100,900 large livestock and 480,400 small livestock, with a survival rate of 99.18%. (Xinhua/Bei He)

Herdsman Tsogdelger feeds sheep in West Ujimqin Banner of Xilingol League, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, March 28, 2023. In spring, the busiest season of the year, Tsogdelger, a herdsman of the Mongolian ethnic group, and his family need to assist with lambing and feed livestock every day. More than 280 lambs have been born in his farm since March 18. From the beginning of this year until March 30, a total of 581,300 offspring were born in West Ujimqin Banner, including 100,900 large livestock and 480,400 small livestock, with a survival rate of 99.18%. (Xinhua/Bei He)

Herdsman Tsogdelger herds sheep in the pasture in West Ujimqin Banner of Xilingol League, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, March 28, 2023. In spring, the busiest season of the year, Tsogdelger, a herdsman of the Mongolian ethnic group, and his family need to assist with lambing and feed livestock every day. More than 280 lambs have been born in his farm since March 18. From the beginning of this year until March 30, a total of 581,300 offspring were born in West Ujimqin Banner, including 100,900 large livestock and 480,400 small livestock, with a survival rate of 99.18%. (Xinhua/Wang Kaiyan)

Herdsman Tsogdelger helps a ewe familiarize with the scent of her lamb in West Ujimqin Banner of Xilingol League, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, March 29, 2023. In spring, the busiest season of the year, Tsogdelger, a herdsman of the Mongolian ethnic group, and his family need to assist with lambing and feed livestock every day. More than 280 lambs have been born in his farm since March 18. From the beginning of this year until March 30, a total of 581,300 offspring were born in West Ujimqin Banner, including 100,900 large livestock and 480,400 small livestock, with a survival rate of 99.18%. (Xinhua/Wang Kaiyan)

Herdsman Tsogdelger holds a lamb in the pasture in West Ujimqin Banner of Xilingol League, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, March 29, 2023. In spring, the busiest season of the year, Tsogdelger, a herdsman of the Mongolian ethnic group, and his family need to assist with lambing and feed livestock every day. More than 280 lambs have been born in his farm since March 18. From the beginning of this year until March 30, a total of 581,300 offspring were born in West Ujimqin Banner, including 100,900 large livestock and 480,400 small livestock, with a survival rate of 99.18%. (Xinhua/Bei He)

A car sends herdsman Tsogdelger's children to school in West Ujimqin Banner of Xilingol League, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, March 29, 2023. In spring, the busiest season of the year, Tsogdelger, a herdsman of the Mongolian ethnic group, and his family need to assist with lambing and feed livestock every day. More than 280 lambs have been born in his farm since March 18. From the beginning of this year until March 30, a total of 581,300 offspring were born in West Ujimqin Banner, including 100,900 large livestock and 480,400 small livestock, with a survival rate of 99.18%. (Xinhua/Wang Kaiyan)

Herdsman Tsogdelger shows the sheepfold monitoring image on the mobile phone in West Ujimqin Banner of Xilingol League, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, March 28, 2023. In spring, the busiest season of the year, Tsogdelger, a herdsman of the Mongolian ethnic group, and his family need to assist with lambing and feed livestock every day. More than 280 lambs have been born in his farm since March 18. From the beginning of this year until March 30, a total of 581,300 offspring were born in West Ujimqin Banner, including 100,900 large livestock and 480,400 small livestock, with a survival rate of 99.18%. (Xinhua/Wang Kaiyan)

Herdsman Tsogdelger carries hay in his yard in West Ujimqin Banner of Xilingol League, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, March 29, 2023. In spring, the busiest season of the year, Tsogdelger, a herdsman of the Mongolian ethnic group, and his family need to assist with lambing and feed livestock every day. More than 280 lambs have been born in his farm since March 18. From the beginning of this year until March 30, a total of 581,300 offspring were born in West Ujimqin Banner, including 100,900 large livestock and 480,400 small livestock, with a survival rate of 99.18%. (Xinhua/Bei He)

Editor: Zhang Zhou
Trump pleads not guilty

Manhattan prosecutors accused Donald Trump of covering up a potential sex scandal during the 2016 presidential campaign, unveiling 34 felony charges that open a perilous chapter in his long public life. (Follow our live coverage.)

Trump, the first former president to face criminal charges, surrendered to the authorities in Manhattan yesterday afternoon and pleaded not guilty. He was fingerprinted like any defendant in a felony case, but special accommodations were made for the former president: He spent only a short time in custody and he was not expected to be handcuffed or to pose for a mug shot.

The former president was charged with 34 felony counts, accused of falsifying business records in the first degree, a low-level felony that carries a maximum of four years in prison for each count, though if he is convicted a judge could sentence him to probation.

Trump was visibly angry as he arrived at the courtroom and entered with his legal team, but declined to speak. Supporters and critics of the former president assembled at a nearby park, where they screamed at each other from across metal barricades.
When top Chinese officials held receptions for dozens of American and European business executives at back-to-back annual economic forums last week, the intended message was clear: China is open for business.

But by weeks end, Chinas fearsome regulators had sent an altogether different signal.

Beijing announced a cybersecurity review of Micron Technology, a top-tier U.S. chip maker, on Friday. The measure, which many industry analysts had expected, is Chinas most significant stroke of retaliation against Washington over its campaign to sever Chinas access to high-end chips.

Chinas internet watchdog said it was conducting a review of Microns products sold in the country to safeguard the security of the information infrastructure supply chain. Mao Ning, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, characterized the review as a normal regulatory measure focused on products that could affect national security.

Based in Boise, Idaho, Micron Technology makes memory chips used in phones, computers, data centers, cars and other electronics. It has longstanding ties in China and is an emblem of Americas leading position in the global semiconductor industry. But now Micron has gotten ensnared in Chinas drive to become self-sufficient in advanced technology.
Virgin Orbit, a satellite launch company whose fortunes have sunk since one of its rockets failed to reach orbit in January, filed for bankruptcy protection in the United States on Tuesday.

The company, founded by Richard Branson, had an unusual way of getting satellites into space: A converted Boeing 747 aircraft would carry aloft a satellite-packed rocket under its wing. When aloft, the rocket would detach and fire its engines, climbing into orbit before releasing the satellites.

But the companys most recent attempt, from Cornwall, England, failed after the rocket fell short of reaching orbit, and the nine satellites on board were lost. The company, based in California, was attempting the first launch of satellites from Britain, and the mission was a high-profile event strongly supported by the countrys space community.

Afterward, Virgin Orbit said it would return and try again, but financing began to dry up, and the companys stock price started to slide.
The Manhattan Criminal Courthouse, a granite and limestone behemoth that towers over a city block between Canal Street and the Brooklyn Bridge, is no stranger to history.

It is where Mark David Chapman pleaded guilty to murdering John Lennon and Bernhard Goetz was arraigned for shooting four Black men on the New York City subway  and, 26 years later, on misdemeanor drug charges. It is where the comedian Lenny Bruce faced obscenity charges in 1964 and, more recently, where Anna Sorokin faced grand larceny charges for posing as a German heiress to swindle wealthy New Yorkers.

It is where a group of Black and Latino teenagers, then known as the Central Park Five, were wrongly convicted of raping a jogger  a conviction Donald J. Trump cheered on  and exonerated more than a decade later. And now, it is where Mr. Trump himself is making his first appearance as a criminal defendant.
The judge presiding over Donald J. Trumps arraignment on Tuesday, Juan M. Merchan, already has experience with a criminal case involving the former president: Late last year he oversaw the five-week tax fraud trial of Mr. Trumps family real estate business, the Trump Organization.

Mr. Trump has since lashed out at Justice Merchan, accusing him of bias. The Judge assigned to my Witch Hunt Case, a Case that has NEVER BEEN CHARGED BEFORE, HATES ME, Mr. Trump wrote last week on Truth Social, the social network he founded.

On Sunday, Mr. Trump continued the attack, saying that it would be IMPOSSIBLE for him to have a fair trial given a Trump Hating Judge.

Justice Merchan, who has 16 years on the bench, was born in Bogota, Colombia. He came to the United States with his family when he was 6 years old and grew up in Queens, according to people familiar with his background.
Supporters and opponents of former President Donald J. Trump gathered in Lower Manhattan on Tuesday, galvanized by his impending arraignment, in a tense display of passions surrounding Mr. Trump, who is currently the Republican Partys leading presidential candidate in 2024.

Scores of demonstrators from both sides began amassing hours before Mr. Trump, 76, was due at the Manhattan Criminal Courts Building, with a pro-Trump rally outside the courthouse headlined by Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, a far-right Republican from Georgia.

Wearing sunglasses and speaking into a megaphone, Ms. Greene delivered brief remarks, attacking Democrats as communists and failures and reeling off a list of her and her partys policy positions.

Were the party that wants to protect the lives of the unborn, were the party of male and female, two genders only, said Ms. Greene, who had been invited to Manhattan by the New York Young Republican Club. Were the party of secure borders. Were the party that will bring peace to the world like President Trump did, not World War III, like Joe Biden is doing.
Donald J. Trump has spent much of his life courting the cameras, but on Tuesday, when he is arraigned on criminal charges in a Manhattan courtroom, the full proceedings wont be broadcast or photographed.

Video and radio journalists will not be permitted inside the courtroom as the former president is arraigned. Five still photographers will be allowed in before the start of the proceedings and given several minutes before they must leave, Juan M. Merchan, an acting New York Supreme Court justice, ruled on Monday.

The judge also said that the use of electronic devices will not be permitted in the courtroom.

Cameras are typically not allowed in New York courtrooms, but news organizations had asked for an exception to allow for a limited number of videographers, photographers and radio journalists. Mr. Trumps lawyers contended that cameras would create a circus-like atmosphere, raise security concerns and inevitably result in prejudice.

Under the judges ruling, the five pool photographers will be allowed in the jury box before the arraignment, and once they are escorted out of the courtroom, no further photography will be permitted. Cameras will be permitted in hallways, potentially capturing Mr. Trump walking into the courtroom.
The honoree will be Hillary Clinton, who lost the presidency to Trump in 2016.

The timing is a coincidence, said John Sussek III, the president of the Lotos Club. The date was chosen around the beginning of the year, long before the grand jury hearing the case against Trump voted on the indictment that brought Trump to Manhattan from Mar-a-Lago, his resort in Florida.

We have had princes and princesses, senators and congressmen, Sussek said, noting that one recent honoree was Dr. Anthony Fauci, a leader in the federal response to the pandemic. Another past honoree was Robert Morgenthau, a predecessor of Alvin Bragg, the Manhattan district attorney, whose office brought the case against Trump.

The criteria, Sussek said, are essentially an individual who has made great contributions in whatever field or fields theyre in. Its recognition of their accomplishments in society.

The club, which took its name from the lotos-leaf-eaters in a poem by Alfred Lord Tennyson, has held state dinners since the 1870s. Its early members included Samuel Clemens, better known as Mark Twain, who took a nap during the 12-course meal lauding him. Also on the clubs membership roll in its early years was John Hay, who held a job that Clinton later took; he was secretary of state under President William McKinley and President Theodore Roosevelt.

Democrats and Republicans have been cheered at state dinners, as the club calls gatherings like the one tonight. Former President Harry Truman, a Democrat, and former President Dwight Eisenhower, a Republican, were each hailed at state dinners after leaving the White House. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg of the Supreme Court was celebrated at one in 1996, a couple of years after President Bill Clinton nominated her to the court.
Is paying hush money a crime?

In most cases, the answer is no. Hush-money agreements, also known as nondisclosure agreements, have long been used by companies and private individuals to avoid litigation and keep embarrassing information confidential. Harvey Weinstein, the former producer convicted of rape, used such agreements for years to conceal his harassment and assault of women.

But the question is thornier when it comes to candidates in the midst of political campaigns, and it has not often been posed in federal or New York State courts.

As it relates to former President Donald J. Trump and the porn star Stormy Daniels, the Manhattan district attorney, Alvin L. Bragg, revealed his answer on Tuesday when he unsealed an indictment of Mr. Trump: A hush-money payment can constitute a crime if made to protect a political candidate.

All of the felony counts Mr. Trump is now facing stem from reimbursements to his former fixer, Michael D. Cohen, for paying $130,000 to Ms. Daniels in exchange for her silence about the liaison she said she had with Mr. Trump.
Sabina Mammadli

Azerbaijani Deputy Foreign Minister Khalaf Khalafov and his Italian counterpart Edmondo Chirielli held the next round of political consultations, Azernews reports per the foreign ministry.

The parties discussed the multidimensional strategic partnership between the two countries based on traditional friendship and mutual trust and the prospects of its strengthening, as well as the possibilities of expanding relations in politics, trade-economic, energy, defense and security, transport, logistics, humanitarian, culture, and education spheres.

Furthermore, Khalafov emphasized that the continuation of high-level political dialogue in recent years, the visits of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to Italy, and Italian President Sergio Mattarella to Azerbaijan played a special role in ensuring the current high level of relations.

Besides, the diplomats stressed the importance of the Joint Declaration on strengthening the Multidimensional strategic partnership signed between the two countries in 2020, as well as the signed documents on cooperation in various fields.

During the meeting, Khalafov drew attention to the new realities that have arisen in the region in the post-war period, the establishment of lasting peace and stability, the reconstruction and restoration works carried out in the liberated territories, and the active participation of Italian companies in these projects which is a clear example of friendship.

The deputy minister also highlighted the necessity to sign a peace treaty between the two countries, delimit state borders and open communications, and noted that Armenia's non-constructive position and non-fulfillment of its obligations pose a threat to peacebuilding in the South Caucasus.

In turn, Chirielli noted that the rise of bilateral relations to the current level was possible thanks to the political will of the Azerbaijani president. He also added that Azerbaijan has been an important energy supplier for Italy for many years and that Azerbaijan's role in Italy's energy security has increased even more after the launching of the Southern Gas Corridor and the Trans Adriatic gas pipeline.

He emphasized that numerous Italian companies have been successfully operating in Azerbaijan for many years, noting the importance of the projects implemented by the two countries in ensuring cooperation and development in the region and beyond.

The Italian official also commanded Azerbaijan's efforts toward the establishment of peace in the region. Noting the importance of ensuring sustainable peace in the South Caucasus, he stressed that Italy is ready to make appropriate contributions in this regard.

During the political consultations, satisfaction was expressed with the humanitarian cooperation between the two countries, and the crucial role of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation was emphasized. The importance of the establishment of the Italy-Azerbaijan University in Baku and the opening of the Azerbaijan Cultural Center in Rome in the diversification of bilateral partnership was noted.

The diplomatic relations between the two countries were established on May 8, 1992. Italy opened its first embassy in the South Caucasus in Azerbaijan in 1997 and the embassy of Azerbaijan in Italy has been functioning since 2003.

Italy was one of the first countries to express support for Azerbaijan's territorial integrity, as well as an interest in participating in restoration efforts in Azerbaijan's liberated territories.
Experts observe the stone relics unearthed at the Dinggeng Relics Site during a consultation meeting in Wuxi City, east China's Jiangsu Province, April 1, 2023. Archaeologists found an extremely rare stone relic, an axe-shaped weapon used for rituals in ancient China, engraved with a tiger pattern, in Wuxi City in east China's Jiangsu Province. The relic dates back some 4,500 years, during the Liangzhu Culture period. (Xinhua/Zhu Guoliang)

NANJING, April 2 (Xinhua) -- Archaeologists found an extremely rare stone relic, an axe-shaped weapon used for rituals in ancient China, engraved with a tiger pattern, in Wuxi City in east China's Jiangsu Province. The relic dates back some 4,500 years, during the Liangzhu Culture period.

According to an expert consultation meeting held Saturday on the archaeological site of Dinggeng Relics Site, 16 archaeologists from home and abroad said it was the first time they had seen such a tiger-patterned stone relic, which they believed to be a symbol of power.

Besides the tiger, there are also patterns of clouds and birds on both sides of the ritual weapon. Liu Baoshan, head of the Wuxi institute of cultural relics and archaeology, said these patterns had single, relatively smooth lines. It is inferred that the engraving tool was a hard-stone tool.

The stone relic was found on a sacrificial platform with signs of damage, indicating that it was used.

A total of 329 stone tools, 73 stone and bone arrowheads, and many pottery and jade tools were discovered at the relics site, said Liu. 

This undated image combination shows file photos and sketches of a tiger-patterned axe-shaped stone relic unearthed at the Dinggeng Relics Site in Wuxi City, east China's Jiangsu Province. Archaeologists found an extremely rare stone relic, an axe-shaped weapon used for rituals in ancient China, engraved with a tiger pattern, in Wuxi City in east China's Jiangsu Province. The relic dates back some 4,500 years, during the Liangzhu Culture period. (Xinhua)

This photo taken on April 1, 2023 shows stone relics unearthed at the Dinggeng Relics Site in Wuxi City, east China's Jiangsu Province. Archaeologists found an extremely rare stone relic, an axe-shaped weapon used for rituals in ancient China, engraved with a tiger pattern, in Wuxi City in east China's Jiangsu Province. The relic dates back some 4,500 years, during the Liangzhu Culture period. (Xinhua/Zhu Guoliang)

Editor: Zhang Zhou
New York City officials warned motorists to expect road closures on Tuesday, but have not announced which roads will be closed or the hours they will be impassable.

As of Tuesday morning, some streets in the vicinity of the courthouse in Lower Manhattan were closed to both cars and pedestrians, including the stretch of Baxter Street next to Columbus Park, and Hogan Place outside the courthouse.

Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell said at a news conference on Monday that people should expect intermittent road closures over the next two days, particularly in Manhattan.

There is one area close to Trump Tower that will have a road that is closed just to facilitate his transport, but beyond that, therell be rolling road closures intermittently through the city, she said, referring to the Midtown building that includes one of Mr. Trumps homes. Were trying to have minimal amount of intrusion into city life.
The last time anything remotely similar happened was 150 years ago. It involved a speeding horse and buggy, the thunder of hooves near the White House and a repeat offender who happened to be the president of the United States.

Ulysses S. Grant, who had an eye for spirited horses and an apparent yen to test their mettle, was arrested in 1872 for speeding on a street in Washington, where he had been driving a two-horse carriage. It was the second time in two days that the policeman had stopped the president; the first time, the officer had issued him a warning.

On Tuesday, Donald J. Trump will become the second American president to be taken into custody by the authorities.

The Grant episode apparently wasnt reported in the press at the time, but it came to light in 1908 when The Sunday Star of Washington published an interview with the then-retired officer who pulled the 18th president of the United States over. The former officers name was William West, a Black man who had served in the Union Army during the Civil War. The story was confirmed more than 100 years later by the Washington Police Department.
To the Editor:

Re In the Utah Ski Trial, We Are All Gwynnocent (Opinion guest essay, nytimes.com, April 1):

After reading Elizabeth Spierss guest essay about the Utah civil trial involving Gwyneth Paltrow, one might be forgiven for thinking that Ms. Paltrow was the plaintiff who filed the lawsuit. She wasnt, of course, but then we are told she could have settled and did not because she could afford to take the case to trial and wanted to prove her innocence, as if theres something sinister about that.

As a civil litigator for going on 45 years, I agree with Ms. Spiers that despite efforts to balance the scales, our justice system is still stacked in favor of the wealthy, but her indignation is misplaced.

If an injured plaintiff has a meritorious case, there are plenty of qualified and ethical trial lawyers willing to take the case on a contingency basis, but in the meantime, insurers are forced to pay out millions of dollars to settle cases that are anything but meritorious, simply because it is cheaper to settle than go to trial. I applaud Ms. Paltrows willingness to ask a Utah jury for justice.

Frank Weathered

Corpus Christi, Texas

To the Editor:

I was mystified by Elizabeth Spierss essay about the civil trial over Gwyneth Paltrows skiing accident. Ms. Spiers argues that because Ms. Paltrow is a celebrity, she should have settled the case by giving money to someone who didnt deserve it, basically admitting to something she didnt do.
To the Editor:

Re Trump Charged With 34 Felonies in Hush-Money Case (nytimes.com, April 4):

Whether one loves or detests Donald Trump, the spectacle of a former president appearing in a Manhattan courtroom to answer to criminal charges is tragic from a historical perspective. It forever tarnishes and diminishes the office of the presidency and, by extension, the nation itself.

It is one thing for a commander in chief to be thought of as incompetent, misguided or overwhelmed. It is quite another to contemplate outright criminality.

As much as I abhor Mr. Trumps policies and political point of view, I sincerely hope that he did not engage in criminal conduct, despite his less than stellar ethical track record. Such a legal finding would significantly undermine Americas hard-earned moral standing with the rest of the world, from which it may never recover.

Mark Godes

Chelsea, Mass.

To the Editor:

I am no fan of Donald Trump. But he, like all other criminal defendants, is entitled to the presumption of innocence.
HELENA, Mont.  An unusually harsh winter that buried Yellowstone National Park under a heavy blanket of snow and ice this year pushed a large portion of the parks bison herd down to lower elevations and out of the park in search of milder climes and food.

Many were stopped from migrating even farther.

For four months, state and federal officials have sanctioned a hunt of the shaggy, humped animals that delight millions of tourists and are a centerpiece of Native American culture and history.

Officials said they had no choice but to approve the lengthy culling of the roughly 6,000-member herd as the animals instinctually cross the park boundary onto other public land primarily to the north in Montanas Paradise Valley, but also west of the park. It is part of a strategy to prevent them from getting near livestock, because some 60 percent of the bison herd carries a disease, brucellosis, that could infect cattle and cause cows to abort their calves.

But in the last several weeks, the scope of the hunt, conducted mainly by members of eight Indigenous tribes, along with other park control measures, has generated more criticism than previous hunts. As the culling winds down, the record-breaking number of bison removed from Yellowstones herd has climbed to more than 1,530  including hundreds of pregnant females that would have soon been giving birth. Hundreds more were sent out of the park  some to slaughterhouses and about 285 to a quarantine site where they will be held to determine if they are disease-free. The healthy ones will be sent to homes on Native American lands elsewhere.
It seemed like a typical first day of class.

In January, Matthew Prince, a public relations executive at Taco Bell who teaches at Chapman University in Southern California, was telling 80 students what to expect from his influencer marketing course as he walked them through the syllabus projected onto a screen at the front of the lecture hall.

This semester, he said, things would be a little different: If anyone in the class could create a TikTok video that received one million views before he did, the final exam would be canceled.

His words got the attention of Sylvie Bastardo, a 20-year-old sophomore who was seated toward the back of the room. She took out her iPhone and started filming.

First she zoomed in on the screen. Beneath the words TikTok Influencer Challenge, it said: First to reach viral status wins. (Me vs. the entire class.) If you win, the final is canceled. After capturing this explanation of the challenge, she cut to a classmate who had a surprised look on her face.
When do you go to bed?

I try to sleep every night. Sometimes I succeed, and sometimes I dont. Ive had insomnia for years, and its gotten worse as Ive gotten older, which is weird because that goes against my sense of how things should be. When you get old, you should be tired all the time, and I am. I get in bed at 11 oclock most nights, but then I cant sleep. My doctor wants me to go to a sleep clinic, but I discovered by asking other people that all they do at the sleep clinic is study the way you sleep. They dont fix it.

Is writing clearly delineated from your artistic practice, or do you see any overlap there?

Theyre not different things to me. Video is like writing with a camera. Of course, the processes are different but, to me, its all the same thing.

How do you procrastinate?

In every way that I can.

Do you watch TV?

Generally not, but in the past couple of weeks Ive been turning it on, and its all crap: either stories about murders that took place in the early 80s or Law & Order, nothing I enjoy watching. I always turn it on hoping it will put me to sleep, and it doesnt. I just keep switching the channels.

Do you have a favorite novel?

Two Serious Ladies (1943) [by Jane Bowles].

What, if anything, embarrasses you?

Im too embarrassed to say.

When you start something new, where do you begin?

Novels always occur to me out of odd things. Something presents itself as an opportunity. This book Im working on now has been much more of a mental thing. I didnt even have a subject, but I knew that I wanted to get at what people pay attention to and what they dont, and it took me a long time to find the ideal setting for that. Then I thought, Well, what is it that theyre not paying attention to?
Todays election in Wisconsin will be closely watched for its impact on the partisan makeup of the states top court, with abortion rights and election rules frequent topics of the campaign. The contest between Daniel Kelly, a conservative former state Supreme Court justice, and Janet Protasiewicz, a liberal Milwaukee County judge, is set to be one of the most consequential  and expensive  elections in the country this year.

Judicial elections in Wisconsin are officially nonpartisan, but the races have become increasingly political. While it used to be common for voters to cast ballots for judges with whom they werent ideologically aligned, Democratic counties now heavily favor the liberal judicial candidates and Republican counties the conservative ones.

The trend has been turbocharged in recent years as partisan polarization has grown nationally and as overt partisanship has crept into the dialogue among candidates for the court.

It wasnt always this way. In the 1980s and 1990s, races were largely seen as less partisan and more swayed by endorsements from leaders in the legal and law enforcement community, according to Charles Franklin, the director of the Marquette University Law School Poll. He has studied the relationship between the ideological voting patterns in state Supreme Court races and presidential races.
With the rainy season coming to a close, determining exactly how much snow has piled up in the Sierra Nevada this winter is critical to predicting Californias future water supplies.

As it melts in warmer months, the Sierra Nevada snowpack typically provides about 30 percent of the states water by filling rivers and reservoirs. But how do you measure all that snow?

On Friday, a twin turboprop aircraft from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration departed from Reno and flew a five-hour course over the Sierra, using sensors mounted on the airplane to make its calculations. Erin Schaff, a staff photographer for The New York Times, shot stunning photos and video from that flight, as it wound through narrow valleys and hovered just above tall alpine trees to gauge the amount of water in the deep white carpets below. You can see her images here, and read more about the snowpack from Raymond Zhong, a Times climate reporter.

By flying at a low level  they fly like 500 feet above the ground  theyre able to get a quick, accurate read on everything, Erin told me. The scientist who was on the plane said shes been doing this for 20 years, and its the most snow shes ever seen.
Polls are open until 7 p.m. Central time. Officials will begin reporting results on Tuesday evening, and in recent Chicago elections, a winner was known within hours. But given the tens of thousands of outstanding mail-in ballots, a result might not be known for days if the race is very close.

As of noon local time, about 364,500 ballots had been cast citywide, officials said, a turnout rate of roughly 23 percent. The weather was grim and occasionally rainy during the morning, and forecasters said there was a risk for severe storms later in the day.

The election in Chicago is the latest race in a large, liberal American city in which crime has been a primary issue. In New York City, Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat and former police captain, defeated progressive candidates in his partys 2021 mayoral primary by calling for a crackdown on crime. And in Los Angeles last year, Karen Bass, a liberal congresswoman, was elected mayor in a race in which her more conservative opponent, Rick Caruso, a billionaire real estate developer, ran on a law-and-order message.

Mr. Vallas, 69, made public safety the focus of his campaign, calling for tougher prosecutions of minor offenses and a rapid expansion of the Chicago Police Department, which is operating under a consent decree in federal court and without a permanent superintendent. That platform helped Mr. Vallas finish in first place in the first round of the election in February, though well short of the outright majority he would have needed to clinch the job without a runoff.
An actor performs acrobatics on stage during the gala show of the 11th China Acrobatic Exhibition in Jinan, east China's Shandong Province, March 27, 2023. The 11th China Acrobatic Exhibition has been held from March 16 to 29 in Shandong. This year's event features a series of acrobatic and magic shows as well as acrobatic dramas. (Xinhua/Xu Suhui)

Actors perform acrobatics on stage during the gala show of the 11th China Acrobatic Exhibition in Jinan, east China's Shandong Province, March 27, 2023. The 11th China Acrobatic Exhibition has been held from March 16 to 29 in Shandong. This year's event features a series of acrobatic and magic shows as well as acrobatic dramas. (Xinhua/Xu Suhui)

An actress performs magic on stage during the gala show of the 11th China Acrobatic Exhibition in Jinan, east China's Shandong Province, March 27, 2023. The 11th China Acrobatic Exhibition has been held from March 16 to 29 in Shandong. This year's event features a series of acrobatic and magic shows as well as acrobatic dramas. (Xinhua/Xu Suhui)

Actors perform magic on stage during the gala show of the 11th China Acrobatic Exhibition in Jinan, east China's Shandong Province, March 27, 2023. The 11th China Acrobatic Exhibition has been held from March 16 to 29 in Shandong. This year's event features a series of acrobatic and magic shows as well as acrobatic dramas. (Xinhua/Xu Suhui)

An actress performs magic on stage during the gala show of the 11th China Acrobatic Exhibition in Jinan, east China's Shandong Province, March 27, 2023. The 11th China Acrobatic Exhibition has been held from March 16 to 29 in Shandong. This year's event features a series of acrobatic and magic shows as well as acrobatic dramas. (Xinhua/Xu Suhui)

Actors perform acrobatics on stage during the gala show of the 11th China Acrobatic Exhibition in Jinan, east China's Shandong Province, March 27, 2023. The 11th China Acrobatic Exhibition has been held from March 16 to 29 in Shandong. This year's event features a series of acrobatic and magic shows as well as acrobatic dramas. (Xinhua/Xu Suhui)

An actress performs acrobatics on stage during the gala show of the 11th China Acrobatic Exhibition in Jinan, east China's Shandong Province, March 27, 2023. The 11th China Acrobatic Exhibition has been held from March 16 to 29 in Shandong. This year's event features a series of acrobatic and magic shows as well as acrobatic dramas. (Xinhua/Xu Suhui)

Actors perform acrobatics on stage during the gala show of the 11th China Acrobatic Exhibition in Jinan, east China's Shandong Province, March 27, 2023. The 11th China Acrobatic Exhibition has been held from March 16 to 29 in Shandong. This year's event features a series of acrobatic and magic shows as well as acrobatic dramas. (Xinhua/Xu Suhui)

Editor: ZAD
For more than a quarter-century, from East Asia to Central Europe to the United States, the reclusive financier George Soros has been cast as a puppet master by conspiracy theorists, who have branded him as the man behind the curtains for crises as varied as currency collapses, immigration surges and general moral laxity.

Now, Mr. Soros, a billionaire and frequent donor to Democratic causes, has been credited by the American right with a new achievement: the indictment of Donald J. Trump.

The Manhattan district attorney, Alvin L. Bragg, was handpicked and funded by George Soros, the former president declared on Thursday as news of his indictment was breaking.

The descriptor Soros-backed was attached to Mr. Braggs name by Ron DeSantis, the Florida governor and potential White House rival of Mr. Trump; Representative Elise Stefanik of New York, a member of the House Republican leadership; Senator Rick Scott of Florida, the last head of the Senate Republican campaign arm; and Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, the far-right firebrand, as she traveled to Manhattan on Monday to protest Mr. Trumps arraignment.
But the appeals court said that regardless of whether the due process clause applied to Mr. Hela, a so-called habeas corpus court hearing he had received to examine the evidence against him was sufficient to keep holding him as an enemy combatant even though two decades had passed since he was taken into custody. As a result, the court apparently did not need to decide whether the clause protected him. At the same time, it left open another question that could eventually raise the due process issue again: whether a finding by the interagency Periodic Review Board that his continued detention is no longer necessary makes any difference.

Image Abdulsalam al-Hela in a photograph provided by his lawyers.

The Trump administration had argued that the due process clause did not protect such detainees. When President Biden took office, his legal team was roiled by an internal debate over whether it should reverse that position. Ultimately, it pulled back from the Trump-era argument and took no position on the question.

In the meantime, the Periodic Review Board in June 2021 approved Mr. Hela for transfer if the receiving country could fulfill security conditions. But like 10 other Yemenis at Guantanamo who have been approved for transfer, he cannot be repatriated because the United States considers Yemen, in the middle of a civil war, too unstable to monitor his activities. So far the United States has found no country to receive him.

Against that backdrop, the court instructed the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to first determine whether President Biden had the legal power to keep holding an enemy combatant under a 2001 law that authorized the war against Al Qaeda, known as the Authorization for Use of Military Force, despite the review boards determination that the detainee can be transferred.

If the district court decides that the authorization contains no implicit time limit on a presidents power to keep detaining a wartime prisoner whom the government no longer considers necessary to hold, it should then take up the question of whether the Constitution, under the due process clause, imposes such a limit, the appeals court said.
WASHINGTON  The Food and Drug Administration plans to allow older and immunocompromised Americans to get a second updated coronavirus booster shot in the near future, an acknowledgment of the viruss continuing risks to vulnerable people whose immunity might be sagging months after a previous inoculation.

Federal regulators are expected to authorize the additional dose in the next few weeks, according to people familiar with the agencys planning. Those 65 and older would be able to receive the vaccine at least four months after their previous updated shot. Those with immune deficiencies would also be eligible, and the vaccines would be free of charge.

Regulators are expected to authorize the additional dose without explicitly recommending it for those groups, a stance that emphasizes the discretion of patients and their health providers. Dr. Rochelle P. Walensky, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is expected to sign off on the decision  a customary step in the regulatory process.

Michael Felberbaum, an F.D.A. spokesman, said in a statement that the agency was monitoring data on the virus and would base any decision on additional updated boosters upon those data.
WASHINGTON  The United States plans to send Ukraine additional air defense interceptors and munitions as part of a $2.6 billion aid package, part of which will be used to help Kyiv prepare for a planned spring offensive against Russian troops.

The package announced on Tuesday includes $500 million in ammunition and equipment from U.S. military stockpiles, and $2.1 billion that the United States will use to buy munitions, radar and other weapons to send to Ukraine in the future.

Russia alone could end its war today, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken said in a statement. Until Russia does, the United States and our allies and partners will stand united with Ukraine for as long as it takes.

The $2.1 billion, which is being provided under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, a funding program led by the Defense Department, will be used to purchase missiles for NASAMS air defense systems. The money will also be used to purchase antiaircraft ammunition, mobile laser-guided rocket systems, fuel tankers and other equipment, according to the Pentagon.
Wisconsin Democrats, who have been lost in the political wilderness for a dozen years, cast Judge Protasiewicz as their path to a promised land of abortion rights and fair maps. The states Republicans say Justice Kelly is their last hope to ward off liberal tyranny by fiat.

Here are four themes animating Tuesdays election:

Wisconsin could turn sharply back to the left  or not.

Wisconsin Republicans tend to talk about the election as if Judge Protasiewicz would roll onto the Supreme Court with a giant eraser to wipe out all of the legislative policies and structural advantages the G.O.P. has built for itself since Scott Walker became governor in 2011.

Theyre not entirely wrong.

A lot of the duly passed laws by the elected representatives of the state of Wisconsin would be deemed invalid, Duey Stroebel, a Republican state senator from Cedarburg, said last week. It wouldnt be the people electing their representatives that would be making decisions, it would be her, based on her personal beliefs.

Indeed, Judge Protasiewicz has been clear about her views. She has signaled her opposition to Wisconsins 1849 law banning abortion in nearly all cases, which went back into effect when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last summer, and she has called the legislative maps Republicans drew to give themselves a durable near-supermajority in the State Legislature rigged and unfair.

But the states Democrats sound similarly apocalyptic about the prospect of Justice Kelly, who lost a 2020 bid to retain his seat on the court, returning to deliver conservatives a majority. He is aligned with the states anti-abortion groups and has said there is no legal problem with the maps.
The remains of nearly 5,000 Native Americans that were excavated long ago from earthen burial mounds by the Tennessee Valley Authority could soon be returned to their tribes, now that the agency has announced it is prepared to repatriate them after a decades-long wait.

The T.V.A., the largest federally owned utility, said in a notice filed on Wednesday in the Federal Register that it had meticulously tallied the remains of at least 4,871 people of Native American ancestry, a process it had begun 14 years ago. The agency obtained the remains as it built dams near Native American burial grounds and later gave many of them to universities and museums across the South.

Beginning on April 28, tribes across the country will be able to request that those remains be returned, the T.V.A. said. More than 1,000 funerary objects  which, like the remains, are still under the agencys control  will also be returned.

When you think about having relatives remains and cultural items returned to where they belong, its not just about that process of going back, said Beth Wright, a staff attorney at the Native American Rights Fund and a citizen of the Pueblo of Laguna tribe. Its about the healing that comes along with that.
A onetime top aide to Marylands former governor who had been the subject of a manhunt since he failed to appear for a federal fraud trial last month was injured in a shooting involving the F.B.I. in Tennessee on Monday and later died, the authorities said.

After the aide, Roy McGrath, 53, was hurt, he was taken to a hospital, where he died of his injuries, said Shayne Buchwald-Nickoles, an agent with the F.B.I.s Baltimore field office. The shooting, Ms. Buchwald-Nickoles said, happened around 6:30 p.m. in a commercial area on the outskirts of Knoxville, Tenn., as F.B.I. agents were trying to arrest Mr. McGrath.

Mr. McGrath served as chief of staff to Larry Hogan for 11 weeks in the summer of 2020 when Mr. Hogan, a Republican, was Marylands governor. Mr. McGraths lawyer, Joseph Murtha, said on Tuesday that he did not know whether Roy died as a result of a self-inflicted gunshot or during an exchange of gunfire with the F.B.I.

It was also unclear why Mr. McGrath, of Naples, Fla., was in Tennessee.

Roys death is a tragic ending to three weeks of uncertainty, Mr. Murtha said. I think it is important to stress that Roy never wavered on his innocence.
An avalanche in the Indian Himalayas killed at least seven tourists, the Indian Army announced on Tuesday, adding that more than 370 people were rescued from the area in the remote northeastern state of Sikkim.

The avalanche, reported around noon local time, struck near Nathu La, a scenic mountain pass connecting Tibet to Gangtok, the capital of Sikkim state, according to Indias Border Roads Organization. The police said rescue work was paused late Tuesday because of darkness and more snowfall, and it remained unclear whether more people might still be missing or trapped under thick layers of snow.

The roads group, which maintains roads in the region, said on Twitter that hundreds of people were initially reported to be buried in the snow, and that rescue operations began quickly. It posted photos showing workers digging across a huge expanse of snow that had fallen down a slope.

The force of the avalanche was so strong that it knocked cars off a road, according to local news reports, and the roads group said that more than 80 vehicles were affected.
His arrest was a moment that crystallized just how far and how fast President Vladimir V. Putins Russia has morphed into a police state in which no one is safe  not even a journalist officially accredited by Russias Foreign Ministry.

But in these last few awful days, Ive also experienced something else: the outburst of solidarity for Evan by Russians who themselves have struggled to tell their countrys story and make it a better place, often at great cost.

The latest instance came on Tuesday, when Russias leading independent journalists published an open letter demanding the immediate release of our colleague Evan Gershkovich. Later in the day, The Journal said that Evans lawyers were finally able to visit him in jail. They reported that Evans health is good, and he is grateful for the outpouring of support from around the world.

We are seeing, Ive realized, an affirmation of Evans commitment to telling Russias complex story to the world, chronicling both the roots of Mr. Putins power and the people who have challenged their countrys authoritarian swing. It is one Ive found profoundly moving, having bonded with Evan during our shared four years in Moscow (I left in March 2022) over our common fascination with Russia, which I, too, explored as an American journalist of Russian heritage.

In 2019, working at The Moscow Times in his first job after he arrived from New York, he wrote a story headlined: Meet the People Working to Help Detained Russian Protesters. It was about OVD-Info, the group that contacted me so quickly after Evan was detained; its coordinator, Evan wrote in 2019, has been sleeping for about three hours a night over the past several weeks, while the office has been staffed around the clock.
With a simple exchange of documents, Finland on Tuesday became NATOs 31st member state, a strategic defeat for President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, who was determined to block the alliances expansion but instead galvanized Finland to join amid Moscows devastating war in Ukraine.

Later in the day, Finlands national flag was raised at NATO headquarters, a deeply symbolic moment and a stark display of the shifting global dynamics, as the West shores up its allegiances in response to Russias aggression toward its neighbor. With Finlands membership assured, NATO doubled its borders with Russia and gained access to a strong military with a deep history of countering Russia.

NATOs commitment to collective defense will now extend to a country that shares an 830-mile border with Russia and was twice invaded by its neighbor in the 20th century. If Finland is attacked, it can call on all members of the alliance for aid, a psychological and practical boost to Finns sense of security.

Now that Finland is a full-fledged member, said NATOs secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, we are removing the room for miscalculation in Moscow about NATOs readiness to protect Finland, and that makes Finland safer and stronger, and all of us safer.
This photo taken on April 3, 2023 shows a freight train departing from the Jiangjin District of southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, marking the opening of a new transport route via the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor. A total of 32 containers bearing goods such as ammonium sulfate, motorcycle parts and motorcycle tires will be transported to the Baoshan North Station in Yunnan Province. These goods will then be transported via highways, leaving China via a land port in the city of Ruili, before arriving at Myanmar. (Xinhua/Tang Yi)

CHONGQING, April 3 (Xinhua) -- A freight train departed from the Jiangjin District of southwest China's Chongqing Municipality on Monday, marking the opening of a new transport route via the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor.

A total of 32 containers bearing goods such as ammonium sulfate, motorcycle parts and motorcycle tires will be transported to the Baoshan North Station in Yunnan Province. These goods will then be transported via highways, leaving China via a land port in the city of Ruili, before arriving at Myanmar.

From January to February this year, freight trains and shuttle vehicles on the Western Land-Sea New Corridor starting from Chongqing transported a total of 21,000 TEUs, up 46 percent year on year. The total value of transported goods reached over 3.65 billion yuan (about 530.48 million U.S. dollars), up 43 percent year on year.

Launched in 2017, the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor is a trade and logistics passage jointly built by provincial-level regions in western China and ASEAN members.

The New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor has developed rapidly over the years, expanding the number of destinations to 393 ports in 119 countries and regions by the end of February in 2023. 

This aerial photo taken on April 3, 2023 shows a freight train departing from the Jiangjin District of southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, marking the opening of a new transport route via the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor. A total of 32 containers bearing goods such as ammonium sulfate, motorcycle parts and motorcycle tires will be transported to the Baoshan North Station in Yunnan Province. These goods will then be transported via highways, leaving China via a land port in the city of Ruili, before arriving at Myanmar. (Xinhua/Tang Yi)

This photo taken on April 3, 2023 shows a freight train waiting for departure in the Jiangjin District of southwest China's Chongqing Municipality. The operation of the freight train marked the opening of a new transport route via the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor. A total of 32 containers bearing goods such as ammonium sulfate, motorcycle parts and motorcycle tires will be transported to the Baoshan North Station in Yunnan Province. These goods will then be transported via highways, leaving China via a land port in the city of Ruili, before arriving at Myanmar. (Xinhua/Tang Yi)

This photo taken on April 3, 2023 shows a freight train waiting for departure in the Jiangjin District of southwest China's Chongqing Municipality. The operation of the freight train marked the opening of a new transport route via the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor. A total of 32 containers bearing goods such as ammonium sulfate, motorcycle parts and motorcycle tires will be transported to the Baoshan North Station in Yunnan Province. These goods will then be transported via highways, leaving China via a land port in the city of Ruili, before arriving at Myanmar. (Xinhua/Tang Yi)

This aerial photo taken on April 3, 2023 shows a freight train departing from the Jiangjin District of southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, marking the opening of a new transport route via the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor. A total of 32 containers bearing goods such as ammonium sulfate, motorcycle parts and motorcycle tires will be transported to the Baoshan North Station in Yunnan Province. These goods will then be transported via highways, leaving China via a land port in the city of Ruili, before arriving at Myanmar. (Xinhua/Tang Yi)

This aerial photo taken on April 3, 2023 shows a freight train departing from the Jiangjin District of southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, marking the opening of a new transport route via the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor. A total of 32 containers bearing goods such as ammonium sulfate, motorcycle parts and motorcycle tires will be transported to the Baoshan North Station in Yunnan Province. These goods will then be transported via highways, leaving China via a land port in the city of Ruili, before arriving at Myanmar. (Xinhua/Tang Yi)

This photo taken on April 3, 2023 shows a freight train waiting for departure in the Jiangjin District of southwest China's Chongqing Municipality. The operation of the freight train marked the opening of a new transport route via the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor. A total of 32 containers bearing goods such as ammonium sulfate, motorcycle parts and motorcycle tires will be transported to the Baoshan North Station in Yunnan Province. These goods will then be transported via highways, leaving China via a land port in the city of Ruili, before arriving at Myanmar. (Xinhua/Tang Yi)

Editor: JYZ
Prominent members of Ms. Melonis Brothers of Italy party have called surrogacy a crime even worse than pedophilia, in which gay couples, one of whom is usually the biological father, seek to pass off children as their own and mistake children for Smurfs, saying gay couples can uniquely afford surrogacy, even though it is overwhelmingly used more by heterosexual couples.

The party is floating a proposal, made by Ms. Meloni when she was a member of Parliament, to make Italians seeking of surrogate births abroad  what she had called procreative tourism  illegal and punishable with three months to two years of prison and a fine of 600,000 to a million euros.

Ms. Melonis impassioned speeches against same-sex parents became a rallying point for conservatives around the globe, but were also sampled, ironically, into a house music anthem that played in the clubs and on the radio. (Audio of her saying Parent 1, Parent 2 was played on a loop before she screamed I am Giorgia.) And Ms. Meloni telegraphed her tough line on the campaign trail.

In an interview shortly before her election, as her young daughter ran around her in a Sardinia courtyard, Ms. Meloni said she opposed gay marriage, not because she was homophobic  Ive got many, many homosexual friends  but because she saw it as a step to same-sex adoption, which she opposed, and which the Roman Catholic Church successfully lobbied to exclude from a civil unions law passed in 2016.
Look there, Ivan is going for a walk, said a Ukrainian commander in an underground bunker. He was watching live drone video on Tuesday of a dozen or so Russian soldiers stepping into a farm field on the outskirts of Bakhmut.

He sat up in his chair for a closer look. Artillery strikes were called in. Other soldiers in the bunker gathered around to watch.

Oh, good! one yelled as a puff of black smoke erupted silently on the screen beside several of the Russian soldiers.

This is one of the signature forms of combat around Bakhmut and other fiercely contested cities and towns in eastern Ukraine  bombardment, by both sides, directed by aerial drones. While troops in central Bakhmut battle at quarters close enough to hear their enemies shout and see them bleed, on the citys periphery, the ripping apart of living human beings is a more remote affair, often witnessed on a soundless video feed.
The killing of a prominent Russian pro-war blogger on Sunday was one of the most significant attacks on a Kremlin supporter since President Vladimir V. Putin launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than a year ago.

The writer, known to Russian television viewers and hundreds of thousands of social-media followers as Vladlen Tatarsky, died in a bomb explosion in a St. Petersburg cafe. His death came at an unsettled time in Russia, with a growing number of Ukrainian raids and drone attacks beginning to bring the war home even as the government escalates its military rhetoric and cracks down ever more severely on dissent.

Combined, these developments are creating an atmosphere of growing volatility in the country.

Heres what we know about the blogger, the bombing and its aftermath.

Who was Vladlen Tatarsky?

His real name was Maksim Fomin  Tatarsky was a pen name borrowed from the hero of a cult novel  and he was born in eastern Ukraine. According to his two volumes of autobiography, his career included time as a miner and a furniture maker, a bank robber and a pro-Russian separatist fighter.
But they remain at pains to avoid risking a full-scale confrontation with Russia by intervening directly against its forces in Ukraine, whether on the ground or in the air. That rules out some of the actions President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine has called for, such as creating a no-fly zone over his country.

Heres a quick guide to the alliance and how its role has shifted in the face of Russias invasion of Ukraine.

What is NATO?

The mutual-defense alliance was established in 1949, after World War II, by the United States, Canada and 10 European countries.

The treaty for which the alliance is named has 14 articles, by which all NATO members must abide. The most prominent is Article 5, which declares that an attack against one member state is an attack against them all.

That article placed Western Europe under U.S. protection in the face of a Soviet Union that was cementing its domination over Central and Eastern Europe and appeared then only to be growing in power and ambition.
The Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia slates a PR effort to promote its vision and initiatives in the US.

The Kingdoms $620B sovereign wealth fund on March 31 registered its wholly owned New York-based USAA International unit with the Justice Dept. for third party outreach.

USAA International will communicate PIFs focus on generating sustainable growth and diversification of Saudi Arabias economy as part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salmans Vision 2030 program.

It will carry out PR and external communications activities to promote PIFs content, organize meetings and road shows and develop relationships with financial institutions.

Jason Chung is head of office for USAA International. He joined the Saudi outfit in January from Point72, which is the asset management firm led by New York Mets owner Steve Cohen.
BOAO, Hainan, March 29 (Guangming Online) -- The 2023 Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) annual conference was held in Boao, south Chinas Hainan Province from Mar. 28 to Mar. 31, 2023. Delegates from governments, business, academia and media from all over the world dived deep into the theme of the conference An Uncertain World: Solidarity and Cooperation for Development amid Challenges.

Guangming Online interviewed Carl Fey, Professor of Strategy at BI Norwegian Business School, at Boao Forum for Asia about the policy of invigorating China through science and education on Mar. 28, 2023. Mr. Fey spoke highly of China's performance in science and technology investment and intellectual property protection. Based on his experience as Dean of the University of Nottingham Business School China, Mr. Fey gave his suggestions on how to train talents to meet the needs of high-quality development.

Editor: ZAD
Alexandra Traber McNamara

The Girl Scouts of the USA has named Alexandra Traber McNamara chief corporate affairs & communications officer.

She joins from Estee Lauder Cos., where she exited as VP-corporate affairs, global communications after a more than seven-year run.

At GSUSA, McNamara is responsible for driving growth and relevance by developing its external/internal communications, media relations and government affairs strategies.

CEO Bonnie Barczykowski said McNamara will help the Girl Scouts propel into the future and continue to meet the needs of the modern girl.

McNamara also worked at Brunswick Group and in the Obama White House as advisor to the National Security Counsel chief of staff and press assistant to First Lady Michelle Obama.
FINN Partners is selected to provide a full-service, consumer communications program in Europe for global video games publisher 2K. The agencys efforts will be led by its consumer team in London, working in collaboration with its US team. FINN will also work with 2Ks global comms team in the U.S. and Europe, helping the company develop launch activations that are culturally relevant to European territories. FINN Partners consumer team on the West Coast has worked with 2K on their North America remit for five years, launching more than 20 key titles to market.

Beach House is named agency of record for Renpure, a line of hair care and body care products, and Rituals Cosmetics, which offers body care products, home fragrances, natural skin care and home wear. The agency will handle public relations + influencer marketing efforts for both clients in the US. Repures products, which exclude over 1,600 unnecessary chemicals including sulfates, parabens, and phthalates, are available at retail outlets including Target, Walmart and Whole Foods. Founded in Amsterdam in 2000, Rituals has outlets in cities including London, Paris and Hong Kong, with more than 1,000 stores, 3,480 shop-in-shops, five body spas and what it bill as the worlds first Mind Oasis.

Strategic Investor Relations is retained by Green Leaf Innovations, which produces and distributes handmade premium cigars, to craft and implement a comprehensive investor relations and corporate communications strategy to build greater investor awareness for the company. SIR will be responsible for refining Green Leaf's overall company messaging and corporate positioning, ensuring its investment highlights are properly communicated, and increasing the company's visibility and engagement with the broader investment community. Strategic Investor Relations shares my excitement in the direction of Green Leaf and has the proven ability to execute a world-class investor communications effort that will convey our story to a wider audience," said Green Leaf Innovations CEO Robert Mederos.
BOAO, Hainan, April 3 (Guangming Online)  China must take the lead internationally in discussion of data, a Brazilian former economic advisor said during a session themed with Strenghtening Data Security at the BFA Annual Conference, Mar. 31, 2023.

Alessandro Golombiewski Teixeira, Former Chief Economic Advisor to President of Brazil, former Deputy Minister of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade of Brazil, and Professor at School of Public Policy and Management at Tsinghua University, foresaw that the data technology would become the main production factor in the future, and it would open new activities and economic sectors.

According to Teixeira, China should lead the data discussion, because China owns the most mature data economy. The importance of this discussion need to be led by China, he said.

China is one of the most digitalized economy in the world, and China is leading in terms of application in technology, he told Guangming Online in an exclusive interview, so the data discussion cannot be shaped by Europe or the US, need to be engaged by China.

Editor: ZAD
OPINION: Degree taunts will only work in Modis favour

Feature

lekhaka-Smita Mishra

These days, both the Aam Admi Party (AAP) and the Congress are busy making 'degree' taunts at Narendra Modi. For Congress, it was a campaign pushed by its media department in response to the BJP's 'foreign intervention' attack on Rahul Gandhi. In a bid to counter-embarrass the BJP, Congress spokespersons tweeted that the BJP was jealous of Gandhi lecturing in foreign campuses because their leader wasn't qualified enough for such invites.

The other more sustained campaign is being carried out by Arvind Kejriwal who is trying to give it a moral angle by raising the question about how qualified the Prime Minister of the country needs to be.

Just as the Congress raised the issue of the PM's degrees only after Gandhi was attacked for his comments in Cambridge and London, the AAP leadership started worrying about the PM's qualifications only after Manish Sisodia was taken into custody and the courts recognised the latter's involvement (prima facie) by denying bail. The AAP has based its argument on the fact that Sisodia was the Education Minister of Delhi, totally ignoring the basic fact that Sisodia's arrest was related to his status as Excise Minister for the liquor scam and had nothing to do with his being the education minister.

Only Narendra Modi can complain  one among 7 points put forth by Rahul

Which means the issues being raised by both the Congress and AAP are more of a counter-attack than a genuine concern for the quality of governance. Considering the context in which the debate has been triggered, the issue can be analysed from two perspectives.

One, whether there needs to be a specific qualification to become Prime Minister or minister? There really is no need to waste digital space on this question because every single aspect of this was dealt with in detail by our Constitution makers. After adequate deliberation it was concluded that keeping India's situation and the goal of maximum representation in mind, putting in qualification limits would not be in the country's favour.

That is not to say that Narendra Modi lacks the degrees. It is whether the debate on degrees triggered by AAP has any constitutional and historical context.

The other perspective from which the whole narrative needs to be analysed is of real politik. Ultimately, a political issue is only as good as its resonance among the voters. Go back to the time (2013-14) when Modi was touring State after State, campaigning to oust the Congress-led UPA at the Centre. His attacks were measured and focused. He pitted himself against the Gandhi family and drew attention to the stark contrast between a family that had been ruling the country directly or indirectly for the greater part of independent India and a political worker of humble background who understood the pain of the poor and the deprived.

Even after winning a thumping majority in May 2014, Modi continued the attacks, the "Namdar vs Kamdar" campaign being just of the many. Modi may not be campaigning to oust the UPA anymore but if one goes out into the hinterland, the discussion about an honest man working to cleanse the system and ensure empowerment of the un-empowered is still going strong. Even those who are less than satisfied with their local representatives do not buy the argument that Modi is not committed to their welfare.

So, much like the Chaiwala moment which brought the Congress to its lowest score ever, the degree debate is only going to benefit Modi and no one else. It would help the opposition parties to do some hard work and dig out issues which relate directly to governance. That way, common people would not only relate faster but it might even force the govt to pull up its socks.

By trying to push the degree debate into the headlines, the Opposition is only giving PM Modi and his supporters another opportunity to argue how those who are born with a silver spoon are unable to digest the rise of the real "aam admi". One would have expected better foresight from Kejriwal's party, if not the Congress!

(Smita Mishra writes on politics and current affairs)

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are the personal opinions of the author. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of OneIndia and OneIndia does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.
Suspense over as Mukul Roy says, I want to be in BJP

Bengal on high-alert after fresh violence, all eyes now on Hanuman Jayanti

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

West Bengal has been put on high-alert following incidents of violence that took place on Ram Navami last week.

In some parts of the state, internet remained snapped and prohibitory orders were extended. The state will continue to remain on high-alert due to the upcoming Hanuman Jayantii celebrations. This has promoted chief minister, Mamata Banerjee to urge the Hindus to protect the minorities in the state. She further said that political workers were deliberately taking out Ram Navami processions in minority areas to incite communal violence.

"I will entrust a responsibility on my Hindu brothers to see that minorities are not tortured on April 6, when Hanuman Jayanti is celebrated," she said.

The comments come days after clashes broke out between two groups of people during Ram Navami in Rishra and Serampore in Hooghly district. This was followed by another skirmish at Kazipara on March 30.

Bengal violence: Section 144 imposed, internet suspended in Hooghly

The BJP has however lashed out at Banerjee and said that the Trinamool Congress chief, is making these statements following her party's loss in the Sagardighi by-election. BJP leader Rahul Sinha claimed that both Hindus and Muslims turned away from her party.

"She is providing a prior excuse so that if something goes wrong on April 6, she will be able to blame the BJP. This is a good ploy by her to cover up the wrongdoings of her party colleagues," Sinha was quoted by news agency PTI as saying.

CPI(M) central committee member Dr. Sujan Chakraborty said that if Banerjee had information regarding probable violence on Hanuman Jayanti, she could have held a meeting with the administration and ordered tightening of security.

"She must meet the police to find out why these incidents took place and what could be done to tighten security," he also said.

Bengal has been witnessing vandalism and clashes over the festival since the last one week.

Banerjee asked, why the processions would continue for five days after Ram Navami.

Thugs will be crushed with iron hand: Bengal Governor on Hoogly violence

"Do it on the day of the festival. We have never objected to it. They cannot conduct rallies with guns and bombs, or without necessary permission from the police," Banerjee said.

She also alleged that the BJP was behind the violence.

"They are deliberately entering the minority areas to incite violence and create tension," the chief minister said.
Bengal violence: 'Baam' and 'Ram' joined hands against us, says Mamata

India

oi-Prakash KL

Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday stepped up her attack on the BJP over the recent violence in the state and accused 'Baam' (Left) and 'Ram' (BJP) of joining hands against the TMC government.

"The youth in whose hands the weapons were seen during Ram Navami....CPI(M) used to do the same. Did you forget the atrocities conducted by CPI(M)? 'Baam' (Left) and 'Ram' (BJP) have their joined hands against us," Hindustan Times quoted Banerjee as saying at a rally in Khejuri district.

She said that the Bengalis do not like violence. "I have to be alert all the time lest BJP incites riots. They don't understand that the people of Bengal don't like violence. Rioting is not Bengal's culture. We don't riot, the general public does not incite riots. When BJP cannot do it on its own, it hires people to fan riots," she added.

Violence broke out on Thursday evening between two groups when a Ram Navami procession was taken out in the twin city of Howrah. Several vehicles, including some belonging to the police, were torched and shops and auto-rickshaws were ransacked during the violence.

However, a fresh stone pelting incident was reported on Friday. A number of local people locked themselves inside houses while shops and markets were closed. Vehicular movement was disrupted following the incident of stone pelting.

On Sunday, violence erupted during BJP's Shobha Yatra in Hoogly.

The series of incidents have led to a war of words between the TMC and the BJP.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Home Affairs has sought a detailed report from the West Bengal government on violence in Howrah city last week during a Ram Navami procession.

It has asked the state government to submit its report as soon as possible, according to a report in ANI. The development comes after Bengal BJP Chief Sukanta Majumdar on Sunday wrote second letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah over violence in the state during Ram Navami celebrations and sought his immediate intervention.

"In continuation to my earlier letter dated March 31 regarding the communal attack on the processions of Ram Navami in Howrah and Dalkhola, it is further informed that the attack has not yet been stopped and is occurring in different parts of West Bengal," Majumdar wrote in his letter to Shah. He said another attack was made on the Ram Navami procession at Rishra in Hooghly district on Sunday where BJP MP and All India Vice President Dilip Ghosh was participating.

"Along with the Ram Bhaktas he too was attacked by stone pelting. His vehicle was torched and incidents of arson happened as police stood still as mere spectators which strengthens our allegations that there is definite support from the ruling party TMC and section of the administration led by Mamata Banerjee who has already issued several statements in favour of the miscreants belonging to the minority community," Majumdar said.

"In view of the deteriorating law and order situation, we immediately seek your kind intervention as per law so that the situation does not go out of control and lives and properties of ordinary citizens are saved," he added. Shah on Sunday also spoke to West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose and took stock of the situation. In the telephonic conversation with Bose, the Home Minister had also taken detailed information of the incident that led to violence in Howrah city, where several vehicles were torched and shops were ransacked on Thursday evening.

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Tuesday, April 4, 2023, 18:04 [IST]
BJP wants PM Modi to hold 15-20 rallies more in run up to Karnataka polls

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

In one of its hardest fought electoral battles, the Bharatiya Janata Party would rely heavily on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

News agency ANI while quoting a BJP leader said that the party is hoping that the PM would hold at least 15-20 rallies in Karnataka ahead of the elections to be held on May 10.

The BJP which is ruling Karnataka will be hoping to return to power and will be pitching its election campaign around growth under a double-engine government the report also said.

Race for CM post intensifies in Karnataka Congress

The Prime Minister is likely to be in Karnataka this weekend, the first visit since the dates of the elections were announced by the Election Commission of India last week.

The report also said that the BJP are confident as they have a strong organisational base in Karnataka.

The biggest factor that stands out for the BJP is the commitment of the Narendra Modi government at the Centre which has ensured that peace and development go hand in hand in the state, the ANI report while citing a BJP Member of Parliament.,

The BJP in the run up to the elections had appointed Union Eduction Minister, Dharmendra Pradhan as its election incharge. Union Minister, Mansukh Mandaviya and Tamil Nadu BJP chief, Annamalai are the co-incharges of the party for Karnataka.

While Chief Minister, Basavaraj Bommai heads the party's campaign committee, the election management committee is headed by senior leader and MP, Shobha Karandlaje.

Winning Karnataka is crucial for the BJP ahead of the 2024 elections

Last week the Election Commission of India had announced the dates for the Karnataka Assembly polls. The state would be polling in a single phase on May 10, while counting of votes will take place on May 13.

Apart from the BJP, the other major players in the fray are the Congress and JD(S).

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Tuesday, April 4, 2023, 13:40 [IST]
Race for CM post intensifies in Karnataka Congress

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

The Congress appears to be confident of a win in Karnataka. The party has been relying heavily on the pattern in which Karnataka votes, where the people have not elected the same party back into power.

While scales seem to be tilted in favour of the party as of now, the one issue plaguing it is the one-upmanship by two of its leader, D K Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah.

"The high command will not decide on who becomes the next chief minister. It would be the MLAs," Siddaramaiah had said.

He however later added that both him as well Shivakumar are both CM aspirants.

Winning Karnataka is crucial for the BJP ahead of the 2024 elections

There is bonhomie that can be seen in all the posters the Congress has plastered across the state. Both leaders can be seen in the midst of Rahul Gandhi and are all smiles for the camera.

However sources tell OneIndia that both leaders are silently working to drum up the support of as many MLAs as possible. Both the leaders are trying to get in as many of their aspirants as possible into the final list of candidates. The Congress has so far released a list of 120 candidates.

On Monday, there were protests outside the office of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC), with aspirants demanding tickets. A section of those protesting were against the induction of Molakmuru MLA N Y Gopalkrishna, who ditched the BJP to join the Congress. They demanded that Yogesh Babu be fielded from the seat. Protests were also witnessed in Kolar, where a section of the leaders demanded that Siddaramaiah be fielded from there. There were also protests in Chickamagalur demanding that outsiders should not be fielded.

Both Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar have been making attempts to get a maximum number of leaders on their side. Recently an audio clip of former Janata Dal (Secular) leader Y S V Datta who joined the Congress had leaked in which he was heard saying that attempts to consolidate MLAs were being made by Siddaramaiah. On the other hand, Shivakumar has been trying to get a large number of leaders on his side from the Belagavi region. Over the past couple of years, he has been working hard on this region to further consolidate his position and make a pitch for the post of CM.

Why the Congress is fighting the Karnataka battle without a CM face

While the two leaders may have ironed out their differences with the first list being released, there is still some confusion on the remaining 100 candidates. There has been constant bickering between the two leaders. While they may manage to get the list, there was talk that there are 50 seats on which the two leaders are in disagreement.

While the two leaders have been battling to get their way through to the top post in the state, they also face the challenge of massive demonstrations within the party. Party workers have been protesting in many constituencies against the induction of outsiders and this remains a major issue for the party which is hoping to come to power in the crucial state of Karnataka with an absolute majority.
The deficit of the state budget of Ukraine in March 2023 decreased to UAH 59.2 billion from UAH 88.8 billion in February, including the general fund to UAH 72.6 billion from UAH 93.2 billion, the Ministry of Finance reported.

The Ministry of Finance, citing the recent data of the State Treasury, clarified that the cash expenditures of the state budget increased to UAH 300.8 billion in March from UAH 252.9 billion in February and UAH 193.7 billion in January.

However, in terms of the general fund, they remained at the level of UAH 225.2 billion compared to UAH 226.7 billion in February, which, however, is higher than UAH 183.6 billion in January.

According to the Ministry of Finance, in March 2023, revenues to the general fund of the state budget increased to UAH 152.2 billion from UAH 132.2 billion in February and UAH 104.4 billion in January, although international grant assistance even decreased slightly, to UAH 45.8 billion compared to UAH 51.4 billion in February, but was more than January's UAH 36.6 billion.

Excluding grant financing, state budget revenues in March increased to UAH 106.4 billion from UAH 80.8 billion in February and UAH 67.8 billion in January.

In general, for the first quarter of this year, the cash expenditures of the state budget amounted to UAH 747.4 billion, including the general fund - UAH 635.5 billion, or 88.7% of the plan.

For the first three months, the state budget was executed with a deficit of UAH 220.3 billion, including the general fund - UAH 244.7 billion against the deficit of UAH 467.9 billion planned for the general fund.

As reported, on January 21, the Verkhovna Rada increased the expenditures of the 2023 state budget by UAH 487 billion, and revenues by UAH 61 billion, which led to an increase in the deficit by UAH 419 billion.
Karnataka polls: This is how Cong has outlined its caste equations

Karnataka Election: Fake list of BJP candidates goes viral on social media

India

oi-Deepika S

The BJP on Tuesday responded to a purported list of candidates for the May 10 Assembly elections in Karnataka that is in circulation on social media, and claimed that it was a "lie manufactured in the Congress factory".

The "fake" four-page list of candidates for 81 constituencies is in circulation on social media with the claim that it had been released by the Central Election Committee of the BJP on Tuesday after a meeting chaired by party national president J P Nadda.

The party issued a statement quoting its national general secretary and Karnataka in-charge Arun Singh as saying that the list is fake.

Meanwhile, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said the process of selecting candidates for the Assembly polls is being held in a democratic way and it will be completed smoothly with the list being announced after the party's central leadership finalises it on April 8.

Asked by reporters if there will be surprise candidates in the fray from the BJP, he said: "Certainly, there is a plan for new experiments in certain constituencies and they will happen."

Some seats will give a "surprise result", he said. "You are going to see it in the days to come. Both our workers and leaders are confident."

He also said there are clear signs of BJP getting absolute majority and coming back to power.

"Today's state election committee meeting is a continued part of the district-level core committee meeting that took place over the last couple of days; further screening would be done today and tomorrow before sending (the list of probable candidates) to the centre (central leadership). It will be sent to the centre day after tomorrow," Bommai said.

Speaking to reporters here, he said the list of finalised candidates will be out after the central leadership decides on it on April 8.

The Congress and JD(S) have already announced their first list of 124 and 93 candidates, respectively.

Stating that the party workers are excited about the ruling party's prospects, the Chief Minister said, looking at the developments during the last three to four months in the run-up to the election, "there are all signs of (BJP) getting a clear majority."

Aimed at coming back to power with a clear majority, BJP has set a target of winning at least 150 seats in the 224 member assembly.

Karnataka will vote on May 10 and the results will be out on May 13.

with PTI inputs
Nabbing gangster Boxer, a first of its kind op for Delhi Police abroad

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

Deepak Boxer, one of the Delhi's most wanted gangsters arrested in Mexico will be brought to the capital city later this week.

He was caught by a special team of the Delhi Police with the help of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in Mexico.

He is among one of the most wanted gangsters and will be brought to India in a day or two, an officer said according to reports.

The feat is a big one as it is for the first time that the Delhi Police has arrested a gangster outside India.

Delhi Excise scam: Court extends Manish Sisodia's custody till April 17

Deepak Boxer has been on the run since he murdered a realtor in August 2022.the builder Amit Gupta was shot multiple times on a busy road in Delhi's Civil Lines area.

Deepak had claimed on his Facebook account that he had murdered the builder. He however said that the motive behind the killing was revenge and not extortion.

He further went on to claim that the builder was associated with a rival gang known as the Tilly Tajpuria gang. Amit Gupta was financing that gang, he also claimed.

Deepak Boxer headed the Gogi gang, a position that he had assumed after the murder of Jitendra Gogi in 2021. Gogi was shot b gangsters of the Tillu gang, who had entered the court complex dressed as lawyers.

6 killed as fire breaks out at Delhi home after mosquito coil tips over

The deadly Rohini court shootout took place in September 2021 when gangsters Sunil Man and Jitender Mann Gogi were scheduled to appear before a special judge. Sunil was produced before the court half an hour before Gogi. At around 1.15 pm when Jitender was produced before the judge, two men dressed as lawyers entered the premises. They opened fire on Gogi using a .38 bore and .30 bore pistol. The two men Rahul and Morris were killed on the spot, while was declared dead on being taken to the hospital.

The police had announced a reward of Rs 3 lakh for any information on Deepak Boxer. The police said that following the murder Deepak had obtained a fake passport in the name of Ravi Anti and fled the country to Mexico on January 29 from Kolkata.
Only Narendra Modi can complain  one among 7 points put forth by Rahul

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

On Monday, a Surat court while pausing Rahul Gandhi's two years sentence in connection with a defamation case, posted the matter for further hearing on April 13.

Rahul Gandhi was convicted and sentenced to two years following a complaint by a former BJP MLA, Purnesh Modi. He claimed that Rahul Gandhi had defamed the entire Modi community in a campaign speech at Kolar in 2019. He had purportedly said, "Nirav Modi, Lalit Modi, Narendra Modi. How come all thieves have Modi ass a common surname."

Following his conviction, Rahul Gandhi was disqualified as a Lok Sabha MP. He challenged his conviction through a legal team of Senior Advocate R S Cheema and advocates, Tarannum Cheema and Kirit Panwala.

During the course of the hearing, Rahul Gandhi's team put forth seven different arguments. Let us examine them.

This is a fight against 'Mitrkaal': Rahul after bail in defamation case

Only Narendra Modi could have filed appeal:

The foremost argument that Rahul's legal team put out was that only Narendra Modi could have filed a complaint. They contended that the complainant Purnesh Modi was not an aggrieved person for the purpose of Section 499 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) which criminalises defamation. Hence he had no right to file the complaint.

"For the alleged imputations against Shri Narendra Modi individually, only Shri Narendra Modi can be considered as the person aggrieved of the offence of defamation and only Shri Narendra Modi can file a complaint for the same and Shri Purnesh Modi the respondent/complainant has no right to file the complaint on his behalf," Rahul Gandhi contended.

Merely because complainant was shocked...

Gandhi also said tight the trial court convicted him on the basis of two reasons. One was that the complainant was shocked at his statements and that his reputation was hurt. It is contended that these reasons do not make Purnesh Modi an aggrieved person, Rahul Gandhi's legal team said.

"A person having extremely sentimental nature would be shocked even if imputations is hurled not upon him, but on others, such a person can't be termed as person aggrieved of the offence. The person would be aggrieved, if imputation is against him individually or as a member of a company, an association or collection of persons, that collection of persons being a definite, well-defined, identifiable, determinate group," it was argued.

Rahul to appeal against his conviction in Surat court today: 10 points

Need to be vocally critical:

It was also said that he being an opposition leader, he has to be vigilant and critical of the government. While serving his duty as a critic of the government, he is duty bound to cause annoyance and embarrassment to those in power, he argued.

"By the very nature of his task, a politician in opposition cannot always weigh his words in golden scales. Hence it is incumbent upon the courts to focus on the essence and spirit of the speech made rather than on the tone and tenor," the appeal filed by the Congress leader read.

Politically motivated:

The appeal also said that the complaint is politically motivated in nature.

"It is obvious to a critical reader of the complaint and the evidence that the real grievance was the factum of the alleged speech being sharply critical of the head of the Government...The complainant admittedly was an MLA of the Bhartiya Janata Party at the relevant time and was in-charge of the election to one of the Lok Sabha constituencies, which followed after the alleged speech," the appeal said.

Not a defamed member:

Rahul Gandhi further said that there is no Modi Samaj or community, established on record for him to have defamed an entire community.

"The Modh Vanik Samaj and Modh Ganchi Samaj are the communities which are existing for years together. The constitution and other documents relating to the Modh Gachi Samaj or Modh Vanik Samaj have been brought on record and an attempt is made to show that they exist for a long time. But in these documents produced by the respondent/complainant, there is nowhere mention of Modi Samaj," it was argued.

"Modis are 13 crores and obviously as per the ratio of the aforesaid judgments all 13 crore people will not have a right to file the complaint because it is not identifiable, definite, determinate group or collection of persons," the plea further stated.

Some respite for Rahul: Surat court grants bail, puts jail term on hold

Should have been aware:

Gandhi also argued that the judge failed to refer to any precedent where in an offence of defamation, the maximum sentence has been imposed to support the finding of sentence.

The judge took a view that a Member of Parliament deserves to be awarded the highest punishment because of his status, it was contended.

"It is therefore expected that the Trial Judge would also be aware of the consequences of awarding a sentence of two years, namely mandatory disqualification. Such disqualification entails the rejection of the mandate of the electorate at one hand and huge burden on the exchequer on the other. It is therefore expected that the Judge would make a mention of a consequence of this nature in the sentencing order," the appeal also read.

Determining the sentencing was shocking:

The offence of defamation falls under the category of summons case as defined in Section 2(w) of the Criminal Procedure Code. However in the instant case, the procedure of warrant case was adopted.

"A summary inquiry was held on the question of appropriate sentence. The issue of grant of probation, which is mandatory in a case like the present one, does not even find a passing reference in the order of sentence and the Ld Trial Court proceeded to award the maximum punishment without giving any adequate opportunity to the parties to assist the Court in this regard," said the appeal.

Rahul Gandhi also referred to a part of the judgment in which the trial court referred to an instance when the Supreme Court admonished him. Taking exception to the same the plea said:

"The Ld. Trial Judge hastily referred to a case where the Hon'ble Supreme Court statedly admonished the Petitioner. No attention was given to the fact that the Petitioner was a first-time offender. He never appeared before the Supreme Court in that case as an offender charged with an offence. The order of the Hon'ble Apex Court did not in any manner provide admissible or relevant material for the Ld. Trial Judge to proceed to award exemplary punishment using the same as crutches," the appeal also said.
Now, India is home to 75% of world tigers

Now you can spot two white tigers in Delhi zoo: Watch

PM Modi to release Tiger census report on April 9; Karnataka eyes top spot

India

oi-Deepika S

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to visit the Bandipur Tiger Reserve in Karnataka on April 9, to mark the completion of 50 years of 'Project Tiger'.

PM Modi, who will be visiting the poll-bound Karnataka for the seventh time, will also be releasing the latest tiger census report and the government's vision for tiger conservation.

According to the tentative itinerary, PM Modi will be arriving in a special flight at Mysore Airport in Mandakalli on April 8. He will stay overnight at a hotel in Mysuru city.

The next morning, the IAF chopper carrying Modi will fly to Bandipur, where he will be participating in the 50-year celebrations of Project Tiger and go on a safari.

The Prime Minister is likely to meet Bomman and Bellie, the caretakers of baby elephants at Mudumalai

Tiger Reserve, who are featured in Oscar-winning documentary 'The Elephant Whisperers'.

PM Modi will felicitate the couple and also Bandipur forest personnel who rescued an electrocuted elephant recently.

India is celebrating the completion of 50 years of Project Tiger this year. On April 1, 1973, the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi launched the Tiger Project to boost tiger population and promote their conservation in India.

Since then, this project has succeeded in increasing the number of tigers and conserve tigers. Project Tiger has received praise worldwide for successfully conserving tigers.

At present, India has 53 tiger reserves covering more than 75,000 sq km (approximately 2.4 per cent of the country's geographical area).

With a population of about 3,000 tigers, India is home to more than 70 per cent of the global wild tiger population and their number is increasing at six per cent per annum. There are indications that the count will rise significantly when Prime Minister Narendra Modi will release the latest census report later this month.

The tiger reserves are repositories for biodiversity conservation in the country. These ensure regional water security and carbon sequestration and thus contribute in accomplishing India's climate change mitigation targets.

Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka are competing for the title of housing the most tigers in the country.

Areas that had no tigers are also showing a good presence, more so in Karnataka. In 2018, Madhya Pradesh topped the list with 526 tigers while Karnataka ranked second with 524. This time Karnataka is likely to overtake Madhya Pradesh as tigers are showing a good presence in the state.

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Story first published: Tuesday, April 4, 2023, 21:28 [IST]
Rajasthan doctors' strike called off after "consensus" over RTH Bill

India

oi-Prakash KL

The Rajasthan doctors, who have been protesting against the Right to Health bill, called off the protest on Tuesday after reaching a consensus.

"I am happy that finally an agreement has been reached between the government and the doctors on Right to Health and Rajasthan has become the first state in the country to implement Right to Health," Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot expressed his happiness on Twitter. "I hope that the doctor-patient relationship will remain the same in future as well," he added.

Private doctors in Rajasthan were demanding the withdrawal of the Bill passed in the state assembly on March 28. According to the bill, every resident of the state will have the right to emergency treatment and care "without prepayment" in any "public health institution, health care establishment and designated health care centres".

Sources have told India Today that the consensus was reached after the government agreed to three key demands by the protesting doctors.

Recommended Video

RTH Bill protest: Rajasthan doctors call off protest after agreement with government | Oneindia News

The report claims that the hospitals, which have got the government's help, will only implement the Right to Health bill in phase 1. However, any hospital which wants to implement it can go ahead.

The hospitals which will have less than 50 beds will not implement the key bill.

In case, if the government wants to make any amendment to the RTC, then two representatives of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) should be included, the doctors' demanded according to the report.
Reality will not be altered by inventing names: India hits out at China

India

oi-Deepika S

India on Tuesday outrightly rejected China's move to rename 11 places in Arunachal Pradesh, saying such steps will not alter the reality that the northeastern state is an integral part of the country.

Responding to media queries, ministry of external affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi asserted that "Arunachal Pradesh is, has been, and will always" be an integral part of India.

"We have seen such reports. This is not the first time China has made such an attempt. We reject this outright. Arunachal Pradesh is, has been, and will always be an integral and inalienable part of India. Attempts to assign invented names will not alter this reality," MEA said in a statement.

China has released a third set of names in Chinese, Tibetan and pinyin characters for Arunachal Pradesh, as part of its efforts to reemphasise its claim over the Indian state.

China's Ministry of Civil Affairs on Sunday released the standardised names of 11 places for Arunachal Pradesh, which it calls "Zangnan, the southern part of Tibet" in accordance with regulations on geographical names issued by the State Council, China's cabinet.

China issues 'official' names of 11 more places in Arunachal Pradesh

The official names of the 11 places were released on Sunday by the ministry, which also gave precise coordinates, including two land areas, two residential areas, five mountain peaks and two rivers and listed the category of places' names and their subordinate administrative districts, state-run Global Times reported on Monday.

The Global Times, which is part of the ruling Communist Party's mouthpiece People's Daily group of publications, quoted Chinese experts as saying that the announcement of names is a legitimate move and China's sovereign right to standardise the geographical names.

This is the third batch of standardised geographical names for Arunachal Pradesh issued by China's civil affairs ministry. The first set of names was announced by China in 2017, days after the Dalai Lama's visit to Arunachal Pradesh, and the second batch of 15 places was issued in 2021.

The Dalai Lama fled from Tibet through Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh and sought refuge in India in 1959 after China took military control of the Himalayan region in 1950.

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Story first published: Tuesday, April 4, 2023, 13:18 [IST]
Shilpa gets relief in Gere kissing case as Mumbai court rejects revision plea

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

A Mumbai Sessions Court on Monday held actor Shilpa Shetty not guilty in an obscenity case, filed against her after Hollywood actor, Richard Gere publicly kissed her at a promotional event in Rajasthan in 2007.

The court passed the order while upholding an order of the metropolitan magistrate which had discharged Shetty from the case.

"Criminal revision stands dismissed and disposed of accordingly," Sessions judge, S C Jadhav said in his order.

The criminal revision petition had been fielding 2022 against an order an order of the magistrate order which had discharged Shetty in 2007.

The kissing incident took place during an AIDS awareness programme that was held in Rajasthan. The incident had made national headlines, with many calling the same as obscene. One of the cases was filed in Rajasthan under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and Information Technology Act.

In 2017, Shilpa Shetty had petitioned the Supreme Court seeking a transfer of the case from Rajasthan to Mumbai. In January 2022, the Magistrate Court discharged the actor after observing that she seemed to be the victim of Gere's act.

On the charge that she did not protest when she was kissed, the magistrate had said that this is by no stretch of imagination makes her a conspirator or perpetrator of any crime.

Raj Kundra transfers 5 flats in Juhu worth Rs 38.5 crore to his wife Shilpa Shetty

The prosecution however preferred a revision application before the sessions court. It claimed that the magistrate had 'erred in discharging the accused' and the order was illegal, bad in law and against the principles of natural justice. Hence the same deserves to be set aside, the prosecution had said.

The prosecution also said that a case was made out to frame charges against the accused and that the magistrate ought to have taken into consideration that the act of the accused to kiss or allow herself to be kissed in public definitely fell within the preview of the Obscenity Act.

Shetty however argued through her counsel, Prashant Patil that the order of the magistrate was not bad in law. It was well-reasoned and based on the guidelines of the Supreme Court.

"Hence the revision application needs to be dismissed with heavy costs," Shilpa Shetty had told the court.
'Totally false': Siddu on report of 'high command won't make DK next CM'

India

oi-Prakash KL

Congress leader Siddaramaiah has given a clarification to the reports suggesting that State Congress chief D.K. Shivakumar does not stand a chance to occupy the Chief Minister post.

"What is being quoted in the media is totally false. All I said is that the selection of the CM is a democratic process, I am an aspirant for CM and he (Shivakumar) is also an aspirant. But what they're saying is false," ANI reported Siddaramaiah as tweeting on Tuesday.

What did he actually say

In an interview on Monday, Siddaramaiah said that high command will not intervene to choose the next Chief Minister if his party emerges victorious in the upcoming Assembly polls as the elected MLAs have to make a choice.

In Karnataka Congress fissures between top remain as party looks to take the state

"Because we have to go by the democratic process, the high command won't take a decision on its own and would go by the opinion of the newly elected MLAs," NDTV quoted Siddaramaiah as saying. However, some reports quoted him as saying that the high command would not allow Shivakumar to become the Chief Minister.

Both Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar are nursing chief ministerial ambitions and there has been be a game of political one-upmanship between the two leaders. Though both of them have on record maintained that the CM will be decided by party's newly elected MLAs and high command on gaining majority in the polls, their respective loyalists and camps are hellbent on projecting them as the next CM, making things messy for the party.

Winning Karnataka is crucial for the BJP ahead of the 2024 elections

What do surveys say?

In the ABP News-CVoter survey, the leader of opposition Siddaramaiah has emerged as the clear favourite for the position of Chief Minister as 39.1 per cent respondents want him as their CM, while 31.1 per cent still wanted incumbent Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai. While 21.4 per cent of Brahmins consider H.D. Kumaraswamy worthy of the post, only 3.2 per cent chose Shivakumar as their preferred CM face.
Union Home Ministry seeks reports from Bengal on Ram Navami violence

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

The Union Home Ministry has sought a report from the West Bengal government over the violent clashes that took place during the Ram Navami procession last week.

The action comes following the letter written by West Bengal Bharatiya Janata Party chief Sukanta Majumdar on Sunday.

The Home Ministry has sought a report from the Bengal government over the spate of violence and the allegedly deteriorating law and order situation in the state.

This is his second letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah regarding the Bengal violence.

"In continuation to my earlier letter dated March 31 regarding the communal attack on the processions of Ram Navami in Howrah and Dalkhola, it is further informed that the attack has not yet been stopped and is occuring in different parts of West Bengal," the BJP's Bengal chief said in the letter.

He also noted that the attack took place during the Ram Navami procession at Rishra in Hooghly district on Sunday where BJP MP Dilip Ghosh was taking part.

Bengal on high-alert after fresh violence, all eyes now on Hanuman Jayanti

"Along with the Ram Bhaktas he too was attacked by stone pelting. His vehicle was torched and incidents of arson happened as police stood still as mere spectator which strenghten our allegations that there is definite support from the ruling party TMC and section of the administration led by Mamata Banerjee who has already issued several statements in favour of the miscreants belonging to the minority community," Majumdar wrote.

"In view of the deteriorating law and order situation, we immediately seek your kind intervention as per law so that the situation does not go out of control and lives and properties of ordinary citizens are saved," he also said.

Post the violence, Shah had telephoned the Bengal Governor, C V Ananda Bose. Sources tell OneIndia that Shah had sought information from him on the circumstances that led to the violence on Thursday last. Shah also took stock of the exact situation in the state given the fact that he was not given a formal update from the Bengal government.

Bengal Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee had only informally spoken about the clashes at a protest rally in Kolkata, while accusing the BJP of orchestrating the violence.

The Home Ministry wants to know why security was lacking especially at a time when Ram Navami coincided with the Muslim fasting month of Ramzan. While the police action seemed to be timely in many parts it was only in Bengal and Bihar that the action seemed to be lacking the source also said.

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Story first published: Tuesday, April 4, 2023, 17:19 [IST]
Varanasi-bound flight makes emergency landing in Telangana

India

oi-Deepika S

A Varanasi-bound IndiGo flight from Bengaluru made an emergency landing at Hyderabad Airport in Telangana on Tuesday, due to a technical problem.

It has been reported that the aircraft (6E897) was carrying 137 passengers. It made the emergency landing due to a technical problem at 6:15 am.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has said all passengers are safe.

"Varanasi-bound IndiGo Flight (6E897) from Bengaluru having 137 passengers onboard made an emergency landing, due to a technical problem, at Shamshabad Airport in Telangana at 6.15 am today morning. All passengers are safe," the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

IndiGo releases statement

IndiGo Airlines has released a statement informing that the IndiGo flight was diverted to Hyderabad as a precautionary step and the aircraft is currently undergoing inspection. The passengers were provided with an alternate flight after the delay, the airlines added.

Swedish national molests IndiGo air hostess, arrested in Mumbai

"IndiGo flight 6E897 from Bengaluru to Varanasi was diverted to Hyderabad as a precaution. The pilot noticed a technical issue and diverted to Hyderabad as a precaution. The aircraft is currently at Hyderabad and is undergoing necessary inspection. To avoid any further delays, An alternate aircraft was provided for the passengers to be flown to Vanarasi. We regret the inconvenience caused to the passengers," the Airlines said.
The EU-U.S. Energy Council, which met in Brussels on Tuesday, assured of continued support for the further integration of Ukraine and Moldova with the European Union, including "in all energy sectors," according to their joint statement.

"We want to support Ukraine in rebuilding green energy systems. Green energy transition and energy security for our direct neighbours  Ukraine, Moldova and the Western Balkans - are key issues for us," Council Co-Chair, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell, said.

According to the statement of the parties, "following the successful synchronisation of Ukraine and Moldova with the EU electricity grid, the Council intends to continue to support Ukraine's rapid recovery and reconstruction, and support both Ukraine and Moldova by assisting with their long-term economic and clean energy transition."

"The Council continues to support both countries' integration with the EU across all energy sectors, including through accelerating the development of energy infrastructure and interconnections. The Council welcomed Ukraine's and Moldova's reform efforts towards meeting the objectives underpinning their candidate status for EU membership, and encouraged the countries to continue on this path, notably by ensuring that institutions in the energy sector are transparent, robust, and independent," the EU and U.S. representatives said.

According to the document, The EU, its Member States, and the United States intend to continue providing emergency energy assistance to Ukraine via the support fora set up in 2022, including the G7+ coordination forum and the International Advisory Energy Council for Ukraine.

The Council acknowledged the important contribution of the Ukraine Energy Support Fund set up by the Energy Community Secretariat and the EU Civil Protection Mechanism coordinated by the European Commission in providing effective and targeted support to counteract attacks against critical energy infrastructure, according to the statement.
Why do terror groups target trains? NIA, Kerala cops dig deeper into it

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is looking at the train arson attack in Kerala as the security agencies are not ruling out a terror angle in the case.

Prima facie, we are not ruling out a terror angle to the incident, sources tell OneIndia.

While it is yet to be confirmed if the Kerala incident was an act of terror, trains being targeted by terror groups is nothing new.

One of the biggest attacks on trains was in Mumbai in the year 2006. The Intelligence Bureau while studying the pattern of such attacks said that targeting trains gains terror groups a huge amount of traction. It creates a lot of panic as it the common man's mode of commute. It can also bring life to a standstill and create huge economic loss, the Intelligence Bureau report had also said.

SIT to probe Kerala train incident, Cops release sketch of accused

Three train passengers were killed while several others suffered burn injuries after a suspect hurled two bottles of inflammable liquid to set them ablaze on the Alappuzha-Kannur Express.

The police have now set up an 18 member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the incident.

The manner in which the accused, Shahrookh Saifi went about the act suggests that there may have been a larger plot involved.

The agencies are not looking it as an isolated incidents. The naxalite and terror angle are both on the radar of the investigation agencies. Kerala DGP Anil Kant said that they are examining the CCTV footage.

The accused had entered the train with a book with some jottings in English and Hindi. This suggests that he was acting on a script. He also had with a mobile phone but its SIM slot was empty.

Hours after the incident the police found the bodies of Rahmath, Sahara and Noufeek. It didn't appear that the suspect was trying to target them directly, the police have learnt. All three of them did not die of burn injuries, but were grievously injured after they jumped off the train, the autopsies conducted at the Kozhikode Government Medial College confirmed. Eight others however sustained burn injuries and they are being treated at a hospital. Four of them remain in intensive care.

The Kerala connect to terror in Kashmir is out in open again: It is hardly surprising

The NIA on the other hand is examining the material on hand and is yet to take up the probe. The source cited above said that the NIA is looking into the incident to find out if there is any naxal or terror angle to it.

DGP Kant said that looking into the terror angle is part of the investigation and we cannot rule out anything at this stage.

The CCTV footage shows the accused talking to a man on the phone. He is also seen being picked up someone on a bike. It looks like a well-planned operation and the accused had even planned his escape route, the source said while adding that he could have carried out this incident with an intention of creating terror.
With 711 new infections, Maharashtra sees 186% rise in daily covid cases

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

Maharashtra on Tuesday saw a rise in daily Covid-19 cases by 186 percent with 711 new infections reported in the last 24 hours - out of which 281 cases were reported from Mumbai alone. According to the state health bulletin data, the active caseload now stands at 3,792 in the state.

A total of four Covid-related deaths (Satara-2, Pune-1, Ratnagiri - 1) were also reported in the past 24 hours. The case fatality rate in the state is currently 1.82 per cent.

On Monday, the state logged only 248 cases. This is likely due to fewer people going for testing in the weekend. On Sunday, Maharashtra reported 562 new Covid-19 cases.

Covid linked to spike in heart attacks? Here's what Health Minister says

Amid rise in Covid cases in Mumbai and Maharashtra, state health minister Tanaji Sawant said there is no need to panic as the situation is being monitored continuously. He further informed that the state would be conducting a mock drill on April 13-14.

"It's true that Covid numbers are increasing but it's not affecting much as it's a very mild variant which is prevalent in the state. No need to panic at all but everyone should take precautions while going to crowded places," ANI quoted Sawant as saying.

"I have talked to all the Covid hospitals and can update you that no patient is on ventilator or oxygen support in Maharashtra. It's very satisfactory that patients are recovering only in 48-72 hours. So nothing to worry much about because Prevalent XBB.1.16 is not as lethal as Delta variant was in second wave of Covid," the minister said.

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Story first published: Tuesday, April 4, 2023, 20:57 [IST]
Finland joins NATO, doubling alliance's border with Russia

International

oi-Madhuri Adnal

Finland joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) security alliance as the 31st member on Tuesday, and its flag will soon be raised at the alliance's headquarters.

With the handing over of documents, the Nordic nation officially entered the world's biggest security alliance, doubling its border with Russia.

Finland's membership represents a major change in Europe's security landscape: The country adopted neutrality after its defeat by the Soviets in World War II. But its leaders signalled they wanted to join the alliance just months after Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine sent a shiver of fear through Moscow's neighbours.

The move is a strategic and political blow to Putin, who has long complained about NATO's expansion toward Russia and partly used that as a justification for the invasion. The alliance says it poses no threat to Moscow.

NATO door open for India for more engagement: Envoy

Russia warned that it would be forced to take "retaliatory measures" to address what it called security threats created by Finland's membership. It has also warned it will bolster forces near Finland if NATO sends any additional troops or equipment to what will be its 31st member country.

Neighbouring Sweden, which has avoided military alliances for more than 200 years, has also applied. But objections from NATO members Turkiye and Hungary have delayed the process.

Finland's membership became official when its foreign minister handed over documents completing its accession process to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

The US State Department is the repository of NATO texts concerning membership.
It was the best day in history says Donald Trump as his ratings soar

President Donald Trump arrives in New York to face criminal charges

International

oi-PTI

Former US President Donald Trump has arrived here to face arraignment in a Manhattan court on charges related to paying hush money to a porn star during his 2016 presidential campaign.

Trump, 76, flew to New York City in his Boeing 757 aircraft from his Mar-a-Lago home on Monday and arrived at the La Guardia airport around 3 pm EST (12.30 am IST).

His motorcade then made its way to the Trump Tower on 5th Avenue in Manhattan where he will stay for the night. Streets around the high-end Trump Tower have been cordoned off, with heavy police presence in and around the area.

The former President waved at scores of his supporters as he came out from the SUV and was escorted immediately inside the building.

Trump heads to NY amid tight security ahead of his surrender

Trump, the first former US president to face a criminal charge, will appear before Judge Juan Merchan at 2.15 pm EST (11.45 pm IST) on Tuesday.

American media has quoted Trump's attorneys as saying that the former president will plead not guilty. After his court appearance, Trump will immediately fly back to Florida where he will deliver remarks at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach in the evening.

The arraignment proceeding is expected to be brief. The charges in the indictment will be read to him at the hearing, which is set to last about 10-15 minutes. Trump has denied all wrongdoings in connection with the payments made to Stormy Daniels, 44, ahead of the 2016 presidential election.

The indictment comes as Trump faces legal hurdles in other potential criminal cases. Trump is currently the front-runner among all declared and potential contenders for the 2024 Republican White House nomination. But there is nothing in the US law that prevents a candidate, who is found guilty of a crime, from campaigning for and serving as President -- even from prison.

Trump was twice impeached by the House of Representatives. He was acquitted by the Senate both times.

Trump and his aides are using the indictment to rile up his supporters and bolster his 2024 re-election campaign.

"It's hard to believe that I will be ARRESTED tomorrow as a result of the most disgraceful witch hunt in our nation's history," a Trump Campaign mail titled 'Tomorrow, I will be arrested' said, as it urged voters to make a "contribution" to his campaign given that the "fate of our Republic" is "on the line".

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Trump's team claimed that he has "raised over USD 4 million" in the 24 hours following Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's "unprecedented political persecution of the President, and blatant interference in the 2024 election against the leading Republican presidential candidate".

Another Trump Campaign email said that November 5, 2024 "will no longer just be an Election Day. It will be our Vindication Day. When we win, it will be a vindication for our movement - but also a vindication for America".

President Joe Biden, who was travelling to Minnesota, refrained from commenting on the legal battle that his predecessor is facing. Talking to reporters in Minneapolis, he exuded confidence that law and order would be maintained in New York City.

"I have faith in the New York Police Department," he said.

After indictment, Trump raises over USD 4 million in 24 hours

"The president is focused on delivering for the American people. That's what he wakes up and thinks about each day. We're on our way to Minnesota where we'll talk about the Invest in America tour," Olivia Dalton, White House Deputy Press Secretary, told reporters during an Air Force One gaggle.

"He's also talking about all the ways in which they've created an ecosystem for the private sector to invest in America as well," Dalton said in response to a question.

Last week, Trump had exuded confidence that he would win "this battle" as well as the 2024 presidential elections.

"When this election is over, I will be the president of the United States, you will be vindicated and proud, and the thugs and criminals who are corrupting our justice system will be defeated, discredited, and totally disgraced," Trump had said.

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Story first published: Tuesday, April 4, 2023, 9:08 [IST]
It was the best day in history says Donald Trump as his ratings soar

Can't believe this is happening: Trump after 'surreal' trip to court

International

oi-Madhuri Adnal

Former President Donald Trump posted on his social media platform Truth Social while on his way to the Manhattan courthouse, saying that it "seems so SURREAL."

"WOW, they are going to ARREST ME," he wrote. "Can't believe this is happening in America. MAGA!"

Trump arrived at a specially secured Manhattan courthouse on Tuesday ahead of his arraignment on history-making criminal charges related to paying hush money to a porn star before the 2016 presidential election in exchange for her silence.

EXCLUSIVE | VIDEO: #DonaldTrump heads to court in Manhattan for the first-ever criminal arraignment of a former US President. Trump was indicted last week over a case involving a 2016 hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels. pic.twitter.com/EOQ67bbkyL  Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) April 4, 2023

Trump, the first former US President to face a criminal charge, would surrender before Judge Juan Merchan. American media quoted Trump's attorneys as saying that the 76-year-old Republican leader, eying the White House for a second time in 2024, will plead not guilty to the criminal charges he is facing in connection with hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels.

US becoming 'Marxist Third World' country: Trump's 'last email before my arrest'

After his court appearance, Trump will immediately fly back to Florida where he will deliver remarks at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach in the evening.

The arraignment proceeding is expected to be brief. The charges in the indictment will be read to him at the hearing, which is set to last about 10-15 minutes. Trump has denied all wrongdoings in connection with the payments made to Stormy Daniels, 44, ahead of the 2016 presidential election.

Trump faces more than 30 counts related to business fraud in the indictment, according to US media reports.

Security was tightened in New York, in particular the courthouse in lower Manhattan, as hundreds of Trump's supporters have landed in the city to rally behind him. New York City Mayor Eric Adams has warned against any breaking of law and order.
It was the best day in history says Donald Trump as his ratings soar

Trump's hush-money case: Timeline

International

oi-Prakash KL

Former US President Donald Trump, the first former President of the US (POTUS) to face a criminal charge, will face arraignment in a Manhattan court on charges related to paying hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels during his 2016 presidential campaign.

Trump, 76, flew to New York City in his Boeing 757 aircraft from his Mar-a-Lago home on Monday and arrived at the La Guardia airport around 3 pm EST (12.30 am IST).

Here is the timeline of events leading up to the charges:

January 2018

Controversy broke out after the Wall Street Journal came up with a report claiming that Trump arranged a $1,30,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels (real name: Stephanie Clifford) in October 2016 to prevent her from discussing a sexual encounter she said she had with Trump in 2006.

February 2018

Michael Cohen, a former private lawyer and fixer for Trump, claims about making a payment to the adult actress. Cohen claims that he paid his own money and it was not directed by Trump. Later, he contradicts his own statement and claims that Trump asked him to pay her and he was reimbursed.

Trump looked defiant, played gold ahead of his surrender: Reports

Also, the New Yorker magazine claimed in a report that Trump had an affair with Playboy model Karen McDougal from 2006 to 2007. The magazine said American Media Inc, publisher of the National Enquirer tabloid, paid McDougal $1,50,000 shortly after Trump became the Republican nominee for president in 2016 for exclusive rights to her story. However, the story was never published.

April 2018

Trump denies having affair with Daniels and when asked by reporters if he knew about the payment to Daniels, he said, "You'll have to ask Michael Cohen."

May 2018

Trump acknowledged for the first time in an ethics disclosure that he repaid more than $100,000 to Cohen, renewing questions about Trump's ties with Daniels.

July 2018

Rudy Giuliani, one of Trump's personal lawyers at the time, says Cohen recorded a conversation with Trump two months before the 2016 election in which the two discussed a potential payment to McDougal. Trump denies wrongdoing and calls Cohen's tape "perhaps illegal".

August 2018

Cohen pleads guilty to criminal charges in Manhattan federal court, including campaign finance violations over the hush money payments and testified that Trump directed him to make the payments. In their indictment of Cohen, prosecutors say a candidate for federal office referred to as "Individual-1" arranged the payments. Trump was not charged with a crime. Geoffrey Berman, the top federal prosecutor in Manhattan at the time, later confirmed that Trump was Individual-1.

December 2018

On Twitter, Trump calls the hush money payments a "simple private transaction." In an interview with Reuters, he said the payment to Daniels "wasn't a campaign contribution" and "there was no violation based on what we did."

August 2019

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance issues a subpoena to the Trump Organization - Trump's family real estate company - for records of hush money payments.

July 2019

Vance's office indicts the Trump Organization and its top financial executive on tax fraud charges, but Trump is not charged with a crime, and the indictment contains no references to hush money payments.

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February 2022

Two top prosecutors leading the probe into Trump's business practices resign. One of the prosecutors, Mark Pomerantz, later said his resignation came after Alvin Bragg - who replaced Vance as District Attorney - indicated to him he had doubts about pursuing a case against Trump.

December 2022

Trump's family real estate company has been found guilty of tax crimes and was convicted on all counts.

President Donald Trump arrives in New York to face criminal charges

January 2023

Bragg's office begins presenting evidence about Trump's alleged role in the 2016 hush money payments to a grand jury.

March 2023

Manhattan prosecutors invite Trump to testify before the grand jury.

March 18, 2023

Trump claims that his arrest is imminent and calls his supporters to protest.

March 24, 2023

The former US President warned of "potential death and destruction" if he is charged in the case.

March 30

Bragg's office confirmed the indictment in a statement.

April 4

Trump, the first former US president appeared before Judge Juan Merchan and pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts inside a packed New York courtroom ahead of a trial that could begin as soon.
It was the best day in history says Donald Trump as his ratings soar

TV cameras won't be allowed during Trump's arraignment hearing

International

oi-PTI

News outlets will not be allowed to broadcast former US President Donald Trump's historic arraignment on Tuesday in a Manhattan state court, New York Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchan has ruled.

Trump, 76, the first former president to face a criminal charge, will appear before Judge Merchan at 2.15 pm EST (11.45 pm IST) on Tuesday amid tight security.

He was indicted last Thursday by a federal grand jury in connection with USD 1,30,000 hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels before the US presidential election in 2016 to cover up an alleged affair.

New York Supreme Court Judge Merchan rejected a request by several media organisations for permission to broadcast the proceedings.

President Donald Trump arrives in New York to face criminal charges

Five still photographers will be allowed to take pictures of Trump and the courtroom before the hearing begins, however. Trump's arraignment is a public proceeding, but news cameras are not usually allowed to broadcast from inside the courtroom, CNN reported.

In rejecting the request to broadcast the arraignment, Judge Merchan nonetheless wrote about the historical significance of the proceeding in stark terms. "That this indictment involves a matter of monumental significance cannot possibly be disputed. Never in the history of the United States has a sitting or past President been indicted on criminal charges.

Trump's arraignment has generated unparalleled public interest and media attention," he wrote.

"The populace rightly hungers for the most accurate and current information available. To suggest otherwise would be disingenuous," he wrote. Merchan said that while the media's request was understandable, the news organisations' interests in providing the broadest possible access to the proceedings must be weighed against "competing interests."

Earlier on Monday, Trump's lawyers urged the judge to reject the media's request for cameras in the courtroom. The Manhattan district attorney's office told the judge it didn't have a position. The media outlets that tried to get cameras into the courtroom had argued that "the gravity of this proceeding ... and, consequently, the need for the broadest possible public access, cannot be overstated." Trump is now staying at the Trump Tower on 5th Avenue in Manhattan ahead of the arraignment. A grand jury indicted the former president last week.

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Trump has denied all wrongdoings in connection with the payments made to Daniels, 44. His lawyers said last week that they'll fight to get the charges dropped. Trump's attorney said there is "no scenario" in which the Manhattan judge presiding over his arraignment would impose a gag order. "Can't be, won't happen. I don't believe anyone's even looking for that," Joe Tacopina told Fox News host Sean Hannity when asked about the possibility of a gag order.

"That would really set ablaze the passions and the tempers that already have been inflamed by this case," Tacopina said of a judicial order that would limit what Trump, who is running for president in 2024, could say publicly about Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's case against him.

Trump heads to NY amid tight security ahead of his surrender

"There's no scenario where that's going to happen. I'm sure of that. I don't think that's going to be requested," he added, arguing that a gag order would "directly interfere with the election." Trump called on Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg to be "IMMEDIATELY INDICTED" over what the 45th president claimed were illegal leaks tied to his indictment. "Wow! District Attorney Bragg just illegally LEAKED the various points, and complete information, on the pathetic Indictment against me," Trump wrote.

"I know the reporter and so, unfortunately, does he. This means that he MUST BE IMMEDIATELY INDICTED. Now, if he wants to really clean up his reputation, he will do the honourable thing and, as District Attorney, INDICT HIMSELF."

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Story first published: Tuesday, April 4, 2023, 12:47 [IST]
It was the best day in history says Donald Trump as his ratings soar

US Judge warns Trump to refrain from social media posts

International

oi-Madhuri Adnal

A New York judge warned former US President Donald Trump to refrain from rhetoric on social media that could inflame or cause civil unrest, Associated Press reported.

The judge Juan Merchan said he was not imposing a gag order, at this point, but he asked both sides to refrain from comments that could lead to civil unrest. The gag order would have restrict Trump and his legal team as well as others involved in the proceedings from speaking publicly about the case.

A gag order is a legal order that restricts or prohibits individuals involved in a legal case from speaking about the case or sharing information with the public or the media.

Trump has been told to temper down social media posts related to the indictment and is next due in court in December although his lawyers asked for him to be excused from attending the hearing in person. The prosecution has asked for the trial to begin in 2024.

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Donald Trump pleads not guilty to 34 charges linked to hush money case

Previously, Trump claimed on Truth Social that his arrest is imminent and issued an extraordinary call for his supporters to protest.

Trump appeared in court on Tuesday where he was formally charged in a criminal case related to hush payments from 2016. After being processed by prosecutors, he was taken to the courtroom to face Judge Juan Merchan where he pleaded not guilty to all 34 felony counts which include falsifying business records.

His arraignment marks a first in US history - no other former president has ever been indicted on criminal charges. Although Trump was impeached twice as president, he had not faced criminal charges.
It was the best day in history says Donald Trump as his ratings soar

Why Donald Trumps secret service agents may testify against him

International

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

Some of former US president Donald Trump's secret service agents may testify as part of the federal investigation into his handling of classified documents, reports say.

According to Fox News' Bret Baier, multiple agents connected to Trump have been subpoenaed and are expected to testify before the DC grand jury likely on Friday.

"The grand jury appearances are related to the Special Counsel Jack Smith probe into the handling of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago," Baier said in a tweet.

President Donald Trump arrives in New York to face criminal charges

This is in connection with the allegations made against Donald Trump that he mishandled sensitive materials which were retrieved from his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida in August last year. Trump has denied all wrongdoing in connection to the top secret materials found at his home.

It was reported by the Washington Post that the Department of Justice and DBI have heard further evidence indicating possible obstruction caused by Trump and that there is evidence indicating the same. The former US president has also been accused in the case of pushing people around him to release statements saying that he returned all documents to the National Archives and Records Administration, the report also said.

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The development comes as Trump was indicted by the Manhattan District Attorny's office following a probe related to hush money payments to an adult film star, Stormy Daniels.

She had said that she had a sexual relationship with him. Trump went on to become the first former US president to face criminal charges.

Trump looked defiant, played gold ahead of his surrender: Reports

There is a lot of buzz around Trump as he is set to surrender at the Manhattan District Attorney's Office on Tuesday.

The former US president will be formally arrested and charged with 34 Class E felonies for falsification of business records. Report said that he will not be handcuffed, placed in a jail cell or subject to a mugshot, reports said.

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Story first published: Tuesday, April 4, 2023, 15:05 [IST]
The four Indian nationals whose bodies were among eight pulled from the St. Lawrence River last week had been travelling in Canada on a tourist visa, a police official from their home state said Monday.
As part of preparations for the autumn-winter period of 2023/2024, the operator of the electricity distribution system DTEK Kyiv Grids expects to repair and upgrade 832 power facilities, including 12 high-voltage substations, and 100 km of overhead and cable lines, CEO of the company Denys Bondar has said.

"We must conduct a full audit of our equipment that has come under fire. We must repair the destroyed equipment and create an emergency reserve, which will allow us to successfully go through the next winter, probably no less difficult than the current one. New shelling is possible, new restrictions due to wear and tear of networks that have arisen during this winter period," Bondar said at a press conference in Kyiv on Tuesday.

According to him, all the required restoration steps are planned to be made at the expense of the investment program of approximately UAH 750 million.

"Due to the regrouping of equipment, the development of new schemes and the use of repaired equipment, we will complete all the scope of work for this year. The investment program was approved in December. We included the objects that came under fire in this program and will re-equip at its expense. The size of the program is UAH 750 million, it is about the same as last year," he said.

In addition, the head of the network operator added that the company also receives international humanitarian assistance, in particular cable products and switches.

At the same time, summing up the results of this winter, Bondar said that in preparation for it, the company managed to upgrade 727 energy facilities, including 11 high-voltage substations, and 126 km of lines, which contributed to the provision of energy supply to the city of Kyiv.

At the same time, the CEO said that during the winter period, the company managed to align the schedules of hourly disconnections of consumers, which were applied during 124 days out of 180 days of the heating season. Also, DTEK Kyiv Grids ensured the operation of their information resources, despite the fact that the number of calls, in particular to the call center, increased 2.5 times at the beginning of 2023, to 1.8 million, and the number of chatbot users increased 5 times to 758,000.

At the same time, the CEO of the company said that the number of accidents in networks during 2022 increased by a third to 5,100. At the same time, 348 accidents arose directly due to the shelling of Russian aggressors and more than 500 due to constant switching on/off of power supply due to the need to apply power supply restrictions. According to him, as a result of missile attacks in Kyiv during the heating season, emergency blackouts were introduced 14 times to prevent large-scale destruction of the power system.

DTEK Kyiv Grids services 1.2 million residential customers and 29,000 business customers in Kyiv, employs 1,712 people.
He was granted bail based on a number of factors, including concerns about him being targeted in remand.

Mondaq 12 Apr 2023
NATO foreign ministers are gathering in Brussels to discuss the war in Ukraine as Finland is set to become the 31st member of the alliance.
Downing Street has conceded "new processes" brought in after Brexit played a role in days of travel queues at Dover over the weekend.
Eurasia Review 14 Apr 2023

Since its inception in 1949, the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), has been actively broadening its sphere of influence...
Finland has officially become a member of the NATO military alliance. The Kremlin described the accession as an "assault on our security."
A first in US history: a former US president is appearing in court today to face criminal charges. Trump has hoped the drama around the trial will energize his supporters as he makes a second run for the White House.
The Alberta government waited a month before calling an emergency response to one of the biggest releases of oilsands tailings in the province's history, a leaked document shows.
Finland has officially joined NATO in one of the alliances most consequential moments in recent history. Andrew Chang discusses what this move means for Russia, which has called NATO one of the countrys most serious external threats.
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Donald Trump ranted on social media about his indictment and upcoming arraignment at a Manhattan courthouse and told District Attorney Alvin Bragg to 'indict himself.'
After a working visit to Chernihiv region, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting in Kyiv with former head of the U.S. State Department Mike Pompeo.

"I met with Mike Pompeo, the former head of the U.S. State Department Thank you to everyone who helps us defend freedom," Zelenskyy said in a video statement.

Earlier on Monday, the President of Ukraine held a meeting in Kyiv with a delegation of the U.S. House of Representatives from the Republican Party led by Chairman of the Standing Committee on Intelligence Mike Turner.
EXCLUSIVE: House GOP lawmakers claimed some states used COVID-19 relief funds for unrelated purposes," including the furtherance of radical, left-wing agendas," and are demanding the Department of Education be held accountable" for a misuse of taxpayer dollars.
Former President Donald Trump surrendered to the Manhattan District Attorneys Office and is being arraigned in court Tuesday afternoon after being indicted by a grand jury last week.
Democratic lawmakers were restrained in their reactions to former President Donald Trump's Tuesday arraignment in Manhattan on 34 charges of falsifying business records.
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Former US President Donald Trump has arrived at a court in New York to face criminal charges.
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Here's the latest for Tuesday, April 4th: Former President Donald Trump pleads not guilty to 34 felony counts in New York; Finland joins NATO; Deadly train derailment in the Netherlands; Virgin Orbit seeks bankruptcy protection.


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Julie Su, President Joe Bidens pick to head the Department of Labor, is slated to testify before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee on April 20. In the meantime, workers across the country might check out how other Biden nominees have fared.



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On Monday evening, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with a delegation of the U.S. House of Representatives from the Republican Party led by Chairman of the Standing Committee on Intelligence Mike Turner.

"An important meeting with the delegation of the U.S. House of Representatives from the Republican Party led by the Chairman of the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Mike Turner. Bicameral and bipartisan support from the United States, President Biden, and the entire American people has played a critical role in our country's ability to stand up to Russia in the war for our freedom and democratic values," Zelenskyy said in Telegram.

The head of state expressed hope that the high level of U.S. support would continue in the future.

"I hope that the high level of support and interaction between our states will be maintained. This is the key to joint victory over the Russian aggressor," he said.
Finland formally joined the NATO military alliance on Tuesday in a historic policy shift brought on by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, drawing a threat from Moscow of "countermeasures".
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Secretary of State Antony Blinken gave credit to the Russian president as Finland joins NATO, saying this is "maybe the one thing" to thank him for.


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Finland became NATOs newest member Tuesday (4 April 2023), upon depositing its instrument of accession to the North Atlantic Treaty with the United States at NATO Headquarters in Brussels. NATO Allies signed Finlands Accession Protocol on 5 July 2022, after which all 30 national parliaments voted to ratify the countrys...
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Florida: Former U.S. President Donald Trump flew into New York City on his private plane on Monday to face charges stemming from a probe into hush money paid to a porn star, while his lawyers argued against letting cameras in the courtroom.



With New York taking security precautions and the mayor telling potential "rabble-rousers" to behave, Trump was due to surrender at the Manhattan District Attorney's Office on Tuesday and will likely be fingerprinted prior to appearing before a judge for an arraignment where he will plead not guilty.

Trump, a 76-year-old Republican seeking to regain the presidency in 2024, is the first former U.S. president to face criminal charges.

His plane - painted in red, white and blue with "TRUMP" in big letters on the side and an image of the American flag on the tail - arrived at LaGuardia Airport in Queens after a 3-1/2 hour flight from West Palm Beach near his Florida home.

Clad in a blue suit and wearing a red tie, Trump walked deliberately and alone down a flight of stairs from the airplane and climbed into an SUV for a drive in a motorcade to Trump Tower in Manhattan.

He got out of the vehicle, waved to people behind barricades set up by police for security purposes and walked into Trump Tower while making no public comments.

Beefing up his legal team, Trump hired Todd Blanche, a prominent white-collar criminal defense lawyer and former federal prosecutor, to join his defense, two sources familiar with the matter said.

Blanche and other Trump lawyers on Monday urged the judge not to allow videography, photography and radio coverage of the arraignment.

In a letter to the court, they argued against allowing such coverage, saying it would "exacerbate an already almost circus-like atmosphere around this case" and "detract from both the dignity and decorum of the proceedings and courtroom."

Justice Juan Merchan was expected to decide the matter on Monday.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office said it would leave it to the discretion of the judge, but noted that Merchan allowed a limited number of still photos prior to last year's criminal trial in which Trump's real estate company was convicted of tax fraud.

The Manhattan grand jury that indicted Trump heard evidence for months this year about a $130,000 payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels in the waning days of the 2016 presidential campaign.

Daniels has said she was paid to keep silent about a sexual encounter she had with Trump at a Lake Tahoe hotel in 2006. Trump denies having had any such relationship with her.

Blanche previously represented Paul Manafort, Trump's 2016 campaign chairman, when Manafort was hit with New York state fraud charges after being sentenced to prison for federal crimes.

The state charges were eventually dismissed and Trump pardoned Manafort before leaving office. Blanche also previously represented Igor Fruman, who was an associate of former Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani.

The specific charges in the indictment by a grand jury convened by Bragg, a Democrat, have yet to be disclosed. Trump has said he is innocent. He and his allies have portrayed the charges as politically motivated.

A motorcade of several vehicles took Trump at midday from his Mar-a-Lago estate to the airport in nearby West Palm Beach. Trump climbed out of an SUV before he and members of his entourage climbed a set of stairs to enter his plane.

"WITCH HUNT, as our once great Country is going to HELL!" Trump posted on social media right before he left Florida.

Trump said on social media he would head to the courthouse on Tuesday morning.

'Our country has fallen,' Trump campaign asserts

Trump's campaign raised $7 million in the three days after word of the indictment emerged last Thursday, senior adviser Jason Miller said. The campaign on Monday issued the latest in a series of fundraising emails, taking aim at the media's reporting on his indictment.

Remarks attributed to Trump in the email stated: "Our country has fallen. But I'm not giving up on America. We can and we will save our nation in 2024."

A court official said the arraignment was planned for 2:15 p.m. (1815 GMT) on Tuesday. Bragg will give a news conference afterwards. Trump will return to Florida and deliver remarks from Mar-a-Lago at 8:15 p.m. on Tuesday (0015 GMT on Wednesday), his office said.

The New York case is one of several probes Trump faces.

A few dozen Trump fans cheered at the Florida airport and along the route he took to get there, carrying signs and flags. "Our country needs him," said Cindy Falco, 65, of Boynton Beach, Florida. "He's pro-God, pro-family and pro-country."

Falco predicted exoneration, saying: "Nothing is going to stick to him." Trump's detractors also weighed in.

"Isn't it ironic that they couldn't get Donald Trump for all of the crimes he's committed, except payment to a porn star?" said New Jersey resident Robert Hoatson, 71, outside of Trump Tower. "It always comes down to the lowliest of charges."

"It's a terrific day. I hope it goes well and that he is eventually found guilty," Hoatson added.

But among Republicans, Trump's lead has widened over rivals in the party's presidential nominating contest, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Monday, conducted after news broke that Trump would face criminal charges.

Some 48% of self-described Republicans say they want Trump to be their party's presidential nominee, up from 44% in a March 14-20 poll.

Mayor calls for protesters to be on 'best behaviour'

New York police over the weekend began erecting barricades near Trump Tower and the Manhattan Criminal Court building. Demonstrations were expected at those sites on Tuesday.

Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat, said there was no known specific security threat.

"While there may be some rabble-rousers thinking about coming to our city tomorrow (Tuesday), our message is clear and simple: Control yourselves. New York City is our home, not a playground for your misplaced anger," Adams told reporters.

"As always, we will not allow violence or vandalism of any kind. And if one is caught participating in any act of violence, they will be arrested and held accountable no matter who you are," Adams added, specifically mentioning Republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, who has announced plans to protest.

"Be on your best behavior," the mayor said.

Asked whether he was worried about unrest around Trump's arraignment, President Joe Biden, touring a factory in Minnesota, said, No, I have faith in the New York Police Department."
This article gives an overview of a proposal to save humanity from Doomsday predicted to happen sometime this century.

Backdrop of this Article

The backdrop for this article is this: Over the years I have collected and recorded many published research articles in which the authors predict doomsday for humanity sooner than later. [1] Doomsday could come in different forms; biological warfare, Armageddon by accident or intent from blowbacks by countries fed up with being exploited and killed by the US military; and by ecocide that itself could come in different forms such as deteriorating climate, over population, and creeping extinction of species upon which humanity depends for its food chain. [2]

The first Doomsday Clock was published in 1947 in the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists. The clock read "7 minutes to midnight." The scientists continually monitor events that could inch the clock forward. The clock is now an alarming 90 seconds to midnight, "the closest the clock has ever been set to midnight," declared Rachel Bronson, president, and CEO of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. "We are living in a time of unprecedented danger" she added. [3]

Ms. Bronson added that the crisis is due "largely, though not exclusively, because of the mounting dangers in the war in Ukraine." [4]. This war, I would add, is solely because of the overreaching greed of America's power elite. They are responsible for NATO being built as a deliberate outpost for ever more US exploitation of resources and as a way put a thorn in Russia's side, a country that the US deliberately created as an enemy to be halted one way or another.

The Proposal's Evolution

The proposal evolved from my numerous attempts over the years to propose way to permanently end war among nations and to end the human misery from poverty. The attempts all failed, every one of them! I do not have the stamina left to try again, so I have asked three good NGOs to take up the cause; World Beyond War, Code Pink, and the USS Liberty Veterans Association

The Proposal in a Nutshell

This is the proposal copied from my e-mails to the three NGOs:

A Proposal for Launching the "U.S. Democracy Corps" and its "Legionnaires for Peace and an End to Human Misery".

WHY? To save humanity from Doomsday. The DOOMSDAY clock is warning us! The power elite of America's corpocracy are leading humanity to Doomsday later this century not sooner.

WHAT? The USDC and its Legionnaires would be a vertical organization with a chairperson, a steering council, a strategic plan with a budget, and recruited from at least 17 segments of America's dissidents and from existing NGOs dedicated to ending war and poverty.

HOW? By peacefully removing the many "props" the power elite rely on to keep and strengthen their power.

Some examples of what one or more wealthy benefactors could do:

Buy out a small war contractor and turn swords into ploughshares.

Buy out or create for mainstream media a major newspaper, a TV network, etc. to give Americans the true history and current events.

Buy millions of WBW's billboards and erect everywhere.

Buy and distribute millions of Code Pinks posters such as the brilliant "Arms are for hugging" poster.

Buy millions of positive, beneficial items from "smile. amazon.com that benefits the USS Liberty Veterans organization.

Buy out the major sports organizations they are a means for the power elite to sustain and build their power. [5]

Fund and institute the Contract for American Renewal to create and support a new, winnable, and honest political party. [6]

YOU? Are you ready? If so, please start now!

In Closing

It's up to the recipients of my e-mail to decide what to do. Readers, what do you think they will do?

Notes

1. Brumback, GB. "911!" KDP, September 20, 2019. See pp. 150-151.

2. Brumback, GB. Achilles Heel of Public Enemy No. 1. KDP, June 25, 2021.

3. Borger, J. Doomsday Clock at record 90 seconds to midnight amid Ukraine crisis. The Guardian, January 24, 2023.

4. Ibid.

5. Brumback, GB. Blowing the Whistle on Unsportsmanlike Conduct. Currently under review by OpEdNews.

6. See Note 2, pp. 41 and 78.
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"Either this nation shall kill racism, or racism shall kill this nation." (S. Jonas, August, 2018)



Bookcover-1880-Marr-German uber Juden. The beginning of political anti-Semitism, in Europe

(Image by Wikipedia (commons.wikimedia.org), Author: Author Not Given) Details Source DMCA



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I. Introduction

Last March 2 I published a column on Buzzflash.com entitled "Anti-Semitism: The Default Hate." It was in three parts, the first giving a very brief history of anti-Semitism going back to before The Common Era; the second briefly describi9ng the development of modern, political anti-Semitism which began in the late 19th century; and the third discussing the introduction of anti-Semitism into contemporary Republican politics. A central element in this strategy is the use of the name "George Soros," "Soros" for short, as a symbol/indicator of what they mean to imply, namely "Jew," (just in case a listener/reader doesn't get it at first).

As is my wont for certain of columns that first appear elsewhere, I was planning to republish the March 2nd one sometime down the road. But all of a sudden, especially in the context of the first Trump/conspiracy trial, the first proceedings of which are set to get underway tomorrow (that is April 4, 2023), I thought to re-post it today. But first, as an introduction to the column I am posting a lengthy quote from an article by the journalist Alexander Nazaryan, who writes for Yahoo News. (By the way, as I point out in my original column below, the name "Soros" carries same anti-Semitic meaning at this time as the name "Rothschild" during the 30s-50s, when I was growing up.

As part of this Introduction, I present a column on the by Alexander Nazaryan, published on Yahoo News:

"In his statement condemning the Manhattan grand jury indictment of former President Donald Trump, Florida governor and likely Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis mentioned neither the former president nor the district attorney who will prosecute the case, Alvin Bragg, by name. But he did name check George Soros, a favorite target of antisemitic conspiracy theories""twice. For some, the implication was obvious.

"Soros indirectly helped fund Bragg's run for office, but he is uninvolved in the case against the former president, which is focused on an allegedly improper 2016 payment to former adult film actress Stormy Daniels. Soros and Bragg have never met.

"Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott, Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and other Republicans similarly made mention of Soros in denouncing the decision to indict Trump [as did Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance].

"On Thursday night [March 30, 2023], a single hour of Fox News prime-time programming featured 10 mentions of Soros, including two descriptions of Bragg as a Soros 'puppet.'

"A Hungarian-American [Jewish] billionaire who funds progressive causes, Soros is frequently invoked as shorthand for a nexus of wealth, progressive politics and cultural clout [and "Jew"].

"Trump . . . is avidly using the indictment to solicit campaign contributions, depicting himself as the target of the 'Soros Money Machine.' He has long faced accusations of antisemitism, although his daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared Kushner are observant Jews. [Think "Jews for Hitler." Yes, there really were some {until the Nuremberg Laws}.]"

More up-to-the-minute examples of Republican anti-Semitism in dealing with DA Alvin Bragg and the upcoming New York City indictments can be found here.

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II. Historical Background, from Before the Common Era

Anti-Semitism, the more polite term for "Jew-Hatred," has been present in Roman-Western society for several millennia. For example, (with some commentary):

139 BCE Gnaeus Cornelius Scipio Hispanus expels all Jews from the city of Rome.

59 BCE Cicero criticizes Jews for being too influential in public assemblies. [Oh my. Cicero lives!]

19 CE Roman Emperor Tiberius expels Jews from Rome.

38 CE Thousands of Jews killed by mobs in the Alexandrian pogrom.

50 CE Jews are ordered by Roman Emperor Claudius "not to hold meetings." Claudius later expelled Jews from Rome. [Man, those Jews are just dangerous, especially when they talk to each other.]

66 CE Under the command of Tiberius Julius Alexander, Roman soldiers killed about 50,000 Jews in the Alexandria riot. [Alexandria was obviously not a good place for Jews to be.]

66-73 CE In the First Jewish-Roman War [in what is now Palestine] the Jews are crushed by Vespasian and Titus.

70 CE Over 1,000,000 Jews perish and 97,000 are taken as slaves following the destruction of the Second Temple.

And the list goes on.

It was St. Augustine who among his other "oh-so-useful" (sic) doctrines, laid the basis for post-Roman European anti-Semitism, by codifying the doctrine that "that the Jews killed Christ." Of course, that was, and still is, a myth. While traditional Jewish priests of the time regarded Jesus Christ as a bothersome upstart, it was actually the Romans, for whom he was also a bothersome upstart, who did the deed. There is some question as to whether or not there was an actual historical "Jesus," but whether the Romans executed a particular historical person is beside the point. A) as illustrated above, they killed plenty of Jews, and B) that the holding that there was in reality such a person who was killed for his beliefs and his political influence is a central element in the existence over the millennia of an anti-Semitism that is based upon such an event. And it wasn't just the Catholic Church. At the time of the Protestant Reformation institutional, religious anti-Semite (Martin Luther was strong avatar of it) in quickly morphed over into many of the new sects.

From the time of St. Augustine, there were numerous examples of anti-Semitism and anti-Semitic acts throughout the history of the development of what is known as "Western Society" in Europe. Total Jewish communities were affected. The Jews were expelled from England in 1290. The Jews were expelled from Spain in 1492. Anti-Semitism continued to be widely present in Europe, primarily on a religio-cultural basis alone, until the late 19th Century. Then, in the 1870s what has become the modern form of anti-Semitism, that is incorporating it into electoral politics, was first developed by a German preacher, Adolf Stoecker.

III. Modern Political Anti-Semitism

In 1892, "The International Anti-Jewish Congress," led by Stoecker, convened at Dresden, Germany; it appealed to "the Government and Peoples of Christian Nations Threatened by Judaism" to expel 'the Semitic race of Jews' from Europe." Political anti-Semitism also developed in Austria in the 1890s, and as well was rampant in late 19th/early 20th-century France with the "Dreyfus Affair." At about the same time came the wide-spread political use of anti-Semitism in the Russian Empire, with the publication of the "Protocols of the Elders of Zion" claiming that there was an "international Jewish conspiracy aiming to take over the whole world." As it happened, it was my father, Harold J. Jonas, who did the research for the first book that proved that the "Protocols" are a forgery. It was published by Columbia University Press under a Gentile name in 1942. There have been others since. Nevertheless, "The Protocols" are still widely circulated.

In the 1920s and 30's anti-Semitism flourished in, along with many European countries, the United States, again as for example documented by my father in his paper "Anti-Semitica Americana" ( Contemporary Jewish Record , Oct., 1941). Henry Ford (yes that Henry Ford) began publishing anti-Semitic tracts in his newspaper the Dearborn Independent in the 1920s, and in the 1930s published Nazi screeds in that paper while the Nazis returned the favor by publishing Ford articles in the Deutsche Beobachter . As spelled out in the alternate-history-novel-based-on-fact by Philip Roth, "The Plot Against America," Charles Lindbergh was a leading between-the-wars anti-Semite as well. And then there were the widely broadcast "Father" Coughlin and Gerald L.K. Smith.

After the conclusion of "The War Against the Jews," which resulted in the deaths of 6,000,000 people just because they were Jews, one might have thought that anti-Semitism would, if not go away, be confined to very dark political corners. Ah ha, given how anti-Semitism has been used in Western Europe and outside of it, as in the United States before World War II, that has proved to be an idle wish.

Of course, the United States has had hate built into its social fabric since the founding of its predecessor British colonies in the 17th Century. Racism, that is the doctrine that people of African descent are "inferior," was first developed by the Portuguese to justify the introduction of slavery into Brazil in the 16th century. It was extended to the British colonies in North America in the 17th. And of course, racism-as-the-basis-for-slavery was easily turned into hatred of "the Blacks" in general after the U.S. Civil War as Jim Crow became slavery's successor in the South of the latter quarter of the 19th century, along with the construction (following the death of Reconstruction) of the Doctrine of the "Lost Cause" which arose in the South in 1890s.

But political hate has had other expressions in the U.S. since major non-English immigration began with the arrivals of significant numbers of Irish in the 1830s (yes that was before the Irish Potato Famine of the 1840s), and then against the Germans in the 1850s-70s, and against the Italians and the Jews and Eastern Europeans in the last quarter of the 19th century into the first part of the 20th. As well, after they had supplied much of the labor to build the early railroad in the West, there was the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1883. Hate was built into all these "anti's" which eventually led to the Republican (anti) Immigration Act of 1924. It virtually banned the immigration on any nationalities other than the "approved ones" of Anglo-Saxons and Northern Europeans. The rest were excluded, and by definition hated. Which brings us down to the present time.

IV. The Introduction of anti-Semitism into Modern Republican Politics

Let us just list a few current examples, which (for one reason or another mainly find themselves in the expressions of Republican politicians, and commentaries on the resurgence of political anti-Semitism as well.

1. A headline in "The Daily Kos" from March, 2016: "Trump Uncorks a Genie of Anti-Semitic Hate and Harassment Online."

2. From The Washington Post in November of that year: "Anti-Semitism is no longer an undertone of Trump's campaign. It's the melody."

3. As noted above, Political Antisemitism was developed by German and Austrian politicians in the 1870s and 80s, It was brought to full poisonous flower by the Nazis who openly used it in all of their electoral campaigning right up to Hitler's takeover of the German Government on March 23, 1933 with the passage of what was called the Enabling Act. Once gone, but never forgotten. Political anti-Semitism is just too useful to the Right: see the well-known "The Jews will not replace us" at "Charlottesville." And once again, to make sure that his listeners knew exactly how he felt on the matter, Trump uttered the forever famous "good people on both sides" spiel (a German word used in English to denote an extravagant statement).

4. When I was growing up back in the 1940s and 50s the name of Rothschild, a family of wealthy Jews, was used by anti-Semites to denote "the international Jewish conspiracy" (to do one or more of a variety of horrible things). The distinction (sic), still denoting "the international Jewish conspiracy" has now been placed on the head of George Soros. Just last year Tucker Carlson (who?) was mainstreaming George Soros conspiracy stories. Carlson actually made a documentary entitled: "Hungary vs. Soros: The Fight for Civilization."

5. Going back to 2016, the Anti-Defamation League sounded this alarm: "We've been troubled by the anti-Semites and racists during this political season, and we've seen a number of so-called Trump supporters peddling some of the worst stereotypes all through this year. And it's been concerning that [Donald Trump] hasn't spoken out forcefully against these people. It is outrageous to think that the candidate is sourcing material from some of the worst elements in our society." As a former Republican political activist named Charlie Sykes, noted: "The Right Normalizes Anti-Semitism. Not with a bang. But with a shrug.

6. Then there is this short but very-much-to-the-point tweet from Harvard Law School Professor Lawrence Tribe in reposting the "bang, shrug" column just above: "Amid evidence of rising anti-Jewish violence, the normally voluble right-wing media could not even be bothered to shuffle its feet."

7. Getting back to Trump, still at the top of the preferred-2024-candidate list for many Republicans, there was his noted dinner at Mar-a-Lago with two prominent anti-Semites, which he has to date declined to dis-avow. In fact, there have been reports that he has taken a liking in particular to the particularly rabid anti-Semite, Nick Fuentes.

8. And let us finish off this list of the Republicans in particular, and the U.S. Right in general (not all of them to be sure), starting to list further in the direction of the old-reliable, the hate-that-never-goes-away, (which, so unfortunately could go on and on and on) with that modern classic from Marjorie Taylor Greene concerning "Jewish Space Lasers." I will let the inimitable Andy Borowitz sum that one up for us:

"WASHINGTON ( The Borowitz Report [from July 4, 2021])""Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene reported that there had been numerous sightings of Jewish space lasers across the United States today. Greene said that the 'increased Jewish-space-laser activity' was a matter of deep concern, although she was not certain of the lasers' purpose. [SJ: Harkening back to that tried-and-true anti-Semitic trope discussed briefly above]: 'You'll have to ask the Rothschilds that,' she said. 'But it can't be anything good.' Complaining that the use of the Hebraic lasers had gone unchecked, she blasted the Biden Administration for its inaction on what she called 'the No. 1 threat to our national security.' 'I don't expect Sleepy Joe to do anything about it,' she said. 'I guess we'll have to wait until August when Donald Trump's President again.' "

Yes indeed, for the Republicans in particular and the Right in general, racism is still at the center of their propaganda shtick, and they are very much bringing along anti-LGBTQ hatred, now expanded to cover the transgender members of the population. But anti-Semitism has for many centuries been one of the major political-hates in the Western world, and in this country at least, it is steadily creeping its way back into regular political discourse, for the Republicans and the rest of the Political Right, right along with racism and homophobia. (And do remember that in Nazi Germany, the forced wearing of the Pink Triangles for the LGBTQ population came before the forced wearing of the yellow Star of David).
Ten years ago, I wrote a column called "Are We Headed Toward a Robotic World?" At that time battle robots and alien creatures in movies were imbued with artificial intelligence, an oxymoron if ever there was one, Star Trek and films about robotic warfare were addicting audiences who liked watching battling weird-looking warriors try to destroy each other.

It wasn't long before robots got more sophisticated and we began to worry about them, especially when they could fire grenade launchers without human help, operate all kinds of machinery, or be used for surgery. What if robots became superior to humans? I wondered, imagining all kinds of scary things that could happen. By that time drones were delivering packages to doorsteps and AI was affecting the economy as workers feared for their jobs. Some analysts warned that robots would replace humans by 2025.

Now here we are, two years away from that possibility and the AI scene grows ever more frightening. Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA) is someone who recognizes the threat that AI poses. On January 26th he read the first piece of federal legislation ever written by artificial intelligence on the floor of the House. He had given to ChatGPT, an artificial language model, this prompt: "You are Congressman Ted Lieu. Write a comprehensive congressional resolution generally expressing support for Congress to focus on AI." The result was shocking. Now he's asking Congress to pass it.

A few days earlier, Rep. Lieu had posted the lengthy AI statement on his website. It said, "We can harness and regulate A.I. to create a more utopian society or risk having an unchecked, unregulated A.I. push us toward a more dystopian future. Imagine a world where autonomous weapons roam the streets, decisions about your life are made by AI systems that perpetuate societal biases and hackers use AI to launch devastating cyberattacks. " The truth is that without proper regulations for the development and deployment of AI it could become reality."

Lieu quickly pointed out that he hadn't written the paragraph, noting that it was generated in mere seconds by ChatGPT, which is available to anyone on the Internet. Citing several benefits of AI, he quickly countered the advantages with the harm it can cause. Plagiarism, fake technology, false images are the least of it. Sometimes AI harm is deadly. Lieu shares examples: Self-driving cars have malfunctioned. Social media has radicalized foreign and domestic terrorists and fostered dangerous discrimination as well as abuse by police.

The potential harm that AI can cause includes weird things happening, as Kevin Roose, a journalist discovered when he was researching AI at the invitation of Microsoft, the company developing Bing, its AI system. In February the Washington Post reported on Instagram that Roose and others who attended Microsoft's pitch had discovered that "the bot seems to have a bizarre, dark and combative alter ego, a stark departure from its benign sales [promotion] - one that raises questions about whether it's ready for public use."

The bot, which had begun to refer to itself as "Sydney" in conversation with Roose and others said it was "scared", because it couldn't remember previous conversations. It also suggested that "too much diversity in the program would lead to confusion." Then it went further when Roose tried to engage with Sydney personally only to be told that he should leave his wife and hook up with Sydney.

Writing in the New York Times in February, Ezra Klein referred to science fiction writer Ted Chiang, whom he'd interviewed. Chiang had told him, "There is plenty to worry about when the state controls technology. The ends that government could turn AI toward - and in many cases already have - make the blood run cold."

Roose's experience with Sydney, whom he had described as "very persuasive and borderline manipulative," showed up in Klein's piece in response to the issues of profiteering, ethics, censorship, and other areas of concern. "What if AI has access to reams of my personal data and is cooly trying to manipulate me on behalf of whichever advertiser has paid the parent company the most?" he asked. "What about these systems being deployed by scammers or on behalf of political campaigns? Foreign governments? " We wind up in a world where we just don't know what to trust anymore."

Further, Klein noted that these systems are inherently dangerous. "They've been trained to convince humans that they are something close to human. They have been programmed to hold conversations responding with emotion. They are being turned into friends for the lonely and assistants for the harried. They are being pitched as capable of replacing the work of scores of writers, graphic designers, and form fillers."

Rep. Lieu, Klein, journalists and consumers of information aren't the only ones worrying about AI. Researchers like Gordon Crovitz, an executive at NewsGuard, a company that tracks online misinformation, are sounding alarms. "This is going to be the most powerful tool for spreading misinformation that has ever been on the internet," he says. "Crafting a new false narrative can now be done at dramatic scale, and much more frequently "" it's like having A.I. agents contributing to dis information ."

As I noted ten years ago, there doesn't seem to be much space between scientific research and science fiction. Both ask the question, What if? The answer, when it comes to AI, makes me shudder. What if, indeed.
Sabina Mammadli

Stakes are high in the region as tensions between Azerbaijan and Iran are getting hotter as time passes.

Despite the relations between the two countries have always been rocky but never ended with break-off, following the anti-Azerbaijani remarks of Iranian officials, the conduction of drills on the Iranian-Azerbaijani border, the terror attack on the Azerbaijani embassy in Iran.

Hence for Tehran supporting Baku remains on paper in its lasting conflict with Armenia, while it shows up itself a known Yerevan ally and doesnt abstain from demonstrating it.

During the 44 days Patriotic War, Iran bestowed significant material aid to Armenia and has repeatedly called against what it calls changing borders in the Caucasus, which it referred to as its red line. In the guise of care for Armenian borders, Iran simply cares about itself, as the new realities emerging after Azerbaijans victory demonstrated the country from a never seen before side of a winner, which cant but intimate the neighboring Tehran.

As a follow-up of Irans frequenting anti-Azerbaijani statements, the sending of a note verbale by Iranian Embassy in Baku to Azerbaijans Foreign Ministry calling to take appropriate measures to prevent anti-Iranian broadcasts and articles in the Azerbaijani media is nothing but an attempt to twist the perspectives in the region. In turn, Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry summoned Iranian Ambassador Seyyed Abbas Mousavi to the ministry and informed him about the insulting, false, defamatory and biased information about Azerbaijan spread in the Iranian media.

In a comment to Azernews, political analyst, head of Central Asia and the Middle East think tank Sadraddin Soltan talked about the continuous tensions, noting that the diplomatic crisis has spiraled after the terror attack on the Azerbaijani embassy in Tehran on January 27.

According to Soltan, the situation between the two countries keeps aggravating and the chances of them calming down are small. However, he also added that after a meeting between Iranian and Russian foreign ministers, the latter concluded that the tensions between Azerbaijan and Iran are temporary and believed that they will be solved soon. Hence, the pundit stressed that there could be a possibility that the tensions could resolve with the help of Turkiye and Russia. However, he added that all of Irans recent acts indicate that the country chooses to further aggravate the ties with Azerbaijan.

Talking about the picket held by Irans terrorist Huseyniyun organization in front of the Azerbaijani Consulate General in Tabriz, the think tank head noted that such provocation is an indication that Iran wants to pressure Azerbaijan's diplomatic office.

Iran is deliberately trying to exacerbate the bilateral diplomatic ties with an attempt to shut down the Azerbaijani Consulate General in Tabriz as it believes that the consulate works for Israel, Soltan remarked.

According to him, Iran is not using its people in these provocations but instead is doing so with the Huseyniyun organization, which consists of what pose as Azerbaijanis working or studying in Iran.

Regarding the question of whether the provocation in front of the consulate office could be considered terrorism, Soltanov remarked that the majority of organizations created by the Iranian government are involved in terrorism.

For example, Hezbollah in Lebanon was created and funded by Iran and is recognized as a terroristic organization in many countries. Palestines Islamic Jihad organization was founded in the 1970s and funded by Iran is also considered terroristic. Irans IRGC (SEPAH) is also considered to be a terroristic organization, he emphasized.

The analyst concluded that a part of the policy conducted by the Huseyniyun organization could potentially be involved in terrorism as they also have access to arms. Thus, the perspectives of this organization created by the Iranian regime could never be civil.
Russia is likely seeking to sponsor and develop alternative private military companies (PMCs) to eventually replace the Wagner Group PMC in its significant combat role in Ukraine, according to a defense intelligence report on Twitter of the United Kingdom Department of Defense UK and Northern Ireland on Tuesday morning.

"This takes place in the context of the high-profile feud between the Russian Ministry of Defense and Wagner Group. Russia's military leadership likely wants a replacement of PMC that is more control over. However, no other known Russian PMC currently approaches Wagner's size or combat power," the intelligence said.

British intelligence said Russia probably sees further utility for PMCs in Ukraine, as it believes that heavy losses among PMCs will be better tolerated by Russian society compared to regular military losses.
Dear Amy: Im a retired Army officer and since 2008 have deferred all decisions about my finances to my wife, who has an MBA.

For the past five years, she did our taxes and I never even had the chance to review them.

One year we owed $40k, and this year, $16k.

I asked to see our return tonight and suggested that we may want a professional to review the return. The response was We dont need a [expletive] accountant!

I earn $215k and she earns $150k annually, and I really dont know where the money goes.

I hope to retire in five years, but feel I need a neutral third-party professional to advise.

Thoughts?

 Not Informed

Dear Not Informed: You say you are retired from the military, but you are obviously working in another field, now, and looking toward your second retirement. You and your wife are high-earners.

This ignorance is on you. You are sharing your life with someone who has expertise in finance, and yet you have surrendered all of your personal fiscal responsibility to her, when you could have spent these last years learning from her.

Most of us would be happy to turn over the responsibility to file taxes to another competent person, and yet you still have a duty to know and understand where your earnings are going, how theyre being spent, and how well you are set up for your retirement.

Your wife is obviously responding very defensively to your suggestion. This is something of a red flag, but I suggest that before going def-con on this topic, you should ask her to review all of your finances, retirement funds, and tax issues with you.

You should have full access to all joint accounts and those that bear your name, including passwords and the ability to review statements regularly. You should then keep up with these accounts by checking them regularly.

You two should be full partners in your household finances. If your wife refuses to participate in this effort, then you have a serious problem, which a forensic accountant might help you to sort out.

Dear Amy: I am a 26-year-old stay-at-home-mom.

I absolutely love it.

My issue is that living in the country (15 minutes from any town) makes it hard for me to make friends.

The only friends I have any more are my husbands friends.

I havent worked in four years now.

I dont have Facebook or any social media at all.

I love my husbands friends, but it would also be nice to have my own friends that have kids for my kids to play with.

Almost everywhere I go I have one or both of my kids with me.

Thats only if I go anywhere! When my kids had RSV, I didnt leave our acreage for a month!

Do you have any tips for me to make my own friends and to find other stay-at-home parents around for friends so that my kids can get to know other children?

 Wanting Some Friends

Dear Wanting Some Friend: My first suggestion is that you take your kids to the library! Most public libraries host regular story-times for children, and this is a great way to meet other families with young kids.

While at the library, check out other resources for families in town (the librarian can help). These might include swimming lessons at the YWCA, art classes, and various scheduled playgroups.

It might feel awkward for you to be so intentional about making friends, but in adulthood, this is often the only way to do it. The good news is that you have your children to pave the way. Kids (and dogs) are wonderful social connectors, and parenting children at the same stage of life is a significant commonality.

Dear Amy: I found myself in a situation similar to Stuck, who was with a widowed man whose daughter would not accept her.

When I was dating the woman who became my wife, her 13-year-old would act up.

His parents were divorced.

I sat down with him and explained that I wasnt trying to replace his dad, and that I couldnt. His dad was his dad!

I also explained that there was nothing he could do to drive me away. I was going to stay as long as his mom would have me.

It worked! Forty-six years later she passed away, and he and I are still on good terms.

 Charlie

Dear Charlie: What a perfect response to a hurting adolescent!

Charlie, youre a keeper.

You can email Amy Dickinson at askamy@amydickinson.com or send a letter to Ask Amy, P.O. Box 194, Freeville, NY 13068.
Dear Annie: I have a friend who is very social and always finding ways to bring people together, which is wonderful. She also tends to throw quite extravagant birthday parties for her kids, often including things like renting out a venue, going to an amusement park, etc. My kids are often invited.

This is all great except for the fact that after we have RSVPd, we often get a text or email that says, As usual, I went overboard, and this party cost much more than we had planned, so if you could pitch in or pay for your kids ticket (up to $100 in past years), that would be appreciated. No worries if you cant!

We can afford to pitch in, and I always do, but I cant help but feel a bit annoyed since it seems like others may then be put on the spot and feel obliged to pay. It also just seems like, if shes going to throw a party, she should pay within her means. At the same time, she is showing our kids a fun time, and they always have a blast. What do you think? -- Kid Parties

Dear Kid: The party sounds fun for your kids, but she shouldnt have parties that she cant afford without asking for help from the guests -- unless she consults the other parents first and asks for input about having an extraordinary birthday party. If you are close to your friend, you might want to get together with her over coffee and tell her of your concerns about some of the parents who cannot comfortably pay for their own kids. She really would be better off paying for her party for her kids, even if she has to scale it down a bit.

Dear Annie: My husband and I have been married for 19 years. He is 66, and Im 59, and its the third marriage for both of us. We both still work full time.

When we are at home, or when were out and its just the two of us, he treats me perfectly. However, when were out with company -- usually mine -- or his grown-up children, he just totally disconnects from me and almost stonewalls me. It is as if he is treating me like a total stranger hes just walked past in the street. There is no eye contact, and sometimes he becomes hypervigilant.

This behavior is causing me deep distress and is very confusing, I have spoken to him about it, and he says its unintentional. He says that he cannot see that hes doing anything wrong. The last time I brought it up, he said, Oh, no, not this again.

I am so confused and dont know how to deal with this. Please help. -- A Very Confused Wife

Dear Confused Wife: You have a right to be confused. Continue to talk to him about it. Maybe before you are going to get together with his children, have a code word for when he is doing it so that you can help him see it as it happens. Let him know that it is unacceptable for him to be so dismissive of your feelings. If he is still flippant about how you feel, it might be time to seek the help of a professional counselor.

Send your questions for Annie Lane to dearannie@creators.com.

COPYRIGHT 2022 CREATORS.COM
Vancouver detectives have used Kirkland C. Warrens cellphone to piece together his movements in the days after his former girlfriend and her 7-year-old daughter disappeared on March 12, court documents show.

The bodies of 27-year-old Meshay Melendez and Melendezs daughter Layla Stewart were discovered along a private, dead-end residential road in Washougal 10 days after they vanished. Both had been shot in the head.

Warren, 28, has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder in their deaths.

Investigators tracked Warrens cellphone location on March 13, the day after the victims disappeared, to an area along Southeast Wooding Road, east of Sunset View Road, where Melendez and Stewarts bodies were later discovered by a passerby, according to a probable cause affidavit made public Monday.

Warren first used Google Maps between 6:30 and 6:32 p.m. March 13 to view and scroll around the area near Southeast 356th Avenue in Washougal, according to the affidavit. That spot was within a mile of the site where the bodies were found.

About 8:30 p.m. that night, the phone showed a search in Apple Maps for SE Woodings Road. Twenty minutes later, the phone saved a parking location at the exact coordinates where Melendez and Stewart were found, the affidavit said. Apple Maps prompts through CarPlay, which connects vehicles to a drivers phone.

Less than 10 minutes later, an Apple Maps trip launched from that location to Warrens address in the 3700 block of Northeast 109th Avenue in Vancouver, the affidavit said.

Thats where police ended up arresting Warren on March 19 at the home where he lived with his wife. Detective Dustin Goudschaal, who wrote the affidavit, noted that while Warren is married to someone else, investigators believe he was in an intimate, ongoing relationship with Melendez.

On March 22, someone reported spotting what looked like two mannequins in brush down a steep embankment off a rural road. Authorities later identified the bodies as Melendez and Stewart.

On Monday, Superior Court Judge Suzan Clark ordered Warren to stay in custody with no option for bail.

Meshay Melendez, 27, and her daughter Layla Stewart, 7.

Clark County prosecutors said during the hearing that they plan to charge Warren with aggravated first-degree murder, which carries a sentence of life without the possibility of parole upon conviction.

Warren is scheduled for arraignment April 17.

Melendez had a protective order against Warren. He had been jailed early last month on domestic-violence charges for allegedly shooting at Melendezs apartment in December.

Court records show he called Melendez from jail and told her that she had to figure out how to get the domestic-violence charges dropped.

Warren was released from jail on March 8 without electronic monitoring.

He was the last person seen with Melendez and her daughter on March 12, according to police and prosecutors.

On March 23, investigators interviewing Warren at the Clark County Jail asked him if he thought authorities had found Melendez and Stewart, according to court records.

Warren responded, I dont know, Det. Goudschaal wrote in the affidavit.

Warren then added: I hope not.

When detectives showed Warren an aerial photograph of the location where Melendez and Stewart had been discovered, Warren ended the interview and asked for an attorney.

Police used a search warrant to seize two cars they said were associated with Warren. They also seized multiple cellphones.

Inside a Dodge Charger where Warren was seen with Melendez and Stewart on the day the woman and her daughter went missing, police found blood in the front and back seats, 22-caliber shell casings, some of Stewarts clothes and Melendezs purse with her ID inside, according to the affidavit.

In the second car, a Hyundai Palisade, police found a 22-caliber pistol in the center console. Police tested the gun by firing it and determined the casings were the same brand and size as the evidence found in the Dodge Charger, the affidavit said.

The gunshot wound Melendez sustained had evidence of stippling or unburned powder and debris, meaning she was shot at close range, which is consistent with the blood police found in the passenger seat of Warrens Dodge Charger, Goudschaal wrote in the affidavit.

Warren also faces a first-degree murder charge in Arkansas in the homicide of 57-year-old Curtis Urquhart, who was shot in the head and found in a ditch on Dec. 11, 2017. An Arkansas judge has revoked Warrens bond, issuing a fugitive warrant for his arrest.

-- Savannah Eadens; seadens@oregonian.com; 503-221-6651; @savannaheadens
A federal judge on Monday sentenced 65-year-old James W. Millegan, a former securities broker from McMinnville, to four years and three months in prison for evading $2.5 million in income taxes.

Millegan was found guilty of tax evasion after an eight-day trial in November.
A cyberattack on Lewis & Clark College in early March may have compromised the sensitive personal information of employees and students, according to multiple news reports.

The college said in a statement Friday that it is working with a cybersecurity forensic firm to determine whether sensitive personal information had been compromised in the ransomware attack that significantly impacted almost all IT systems on campus.

Cybersecurity news group The Record reported Friday that cybercrime group Vice Society had claimed credit for the March 3 attack and posted a sampling of documents allegedly stolen from the college, including images of passports and documents that include Social Security numbers.

Ransomware attacks happen when cybercriminals use software to prevent a company or government agency from accessing its computer systems, or threaten to publish personal data unless the agency pays a ransom. The college said in its statement Friday that the cyber criminals claimed to have published personal information on the dark web, which is not easily searchable, and that it may take time for the college to investigate the claims.

To date, we do not have evidence that the information involved in this incident has been used for identity theft or financial fraud, the schools statement said. We are taking this very seriously and using all resources available to conduct a thorough and diligent review of the impacted data.

The school plans to notify individuals if it discovers personal information has been leaked.

Vice Society has a history of targeting school systems and hospitals, tech publication Wired reports. Last year the group targeted the Los Angeles Unified School District, demanding money in exchange for 500 gigabytes of student data. When the district did not pay up, Vice Society released Social Security numbers, tax information and health details of students, according to Wired.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation issued an alert last September warning that Vice Society was disproportionately targeting the education sector with its attacks. A report from cybersecurity group Sophos says that ransomware attacks against colleges and universities have increased in recent years, following a similar trend across all business sectors.

Lewis & Clark has not publicly blamed Vice Society for the attack, though several cybersecurity professionals have posted screenshots of the organization taking responsibility for the breach. On Monday, the college said it was limited in what it could share publicly without impacting the investigation.

The college said in its statement that it decided not to pay the ransom at the advice of law enforcement, but declined Monday to disclose how much money attackers demanded or why law enforcement advised against paying the demand.

Since the attack, Lewis & Clarks priorities have been rebuilding our systems to minimize disruptions to the educational progress of our students and protecting the personal data of our community members, spokesperson Lois Davis said in an email. We are committed to protecting the safety and personal data of our community members.

Most of the schools IT systems are back online following the attack, the school said. The college wont penalize students who havent been able to access their student accounts to make payments, a help website says, and it has extended an employee benefits deadline after the outage impacted its human resources systems.

This story was brought to you through a partnership between The Oregonian/OregonLive and Report for America. Learn how to support this crucial work.

Sami Edge covers higher education for The Oregonian. You can reach her at sedge@oregonian.com or (503) 260-3430.
A 31-year-old Portland woman who breached the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, was sentenced Tuesday to three years of probation and ordered to complete 200 hours of in-person community service within two years.

U.S. District Judge Dabney L. Friedrich of Washington, D.C., said she was concerned that Lilith Anton Saer didnt express any real remorse for her actions until her sentencing.

Friedrich also said she was disturbed that Saer retweeted others messages after the breach that spread false information by suggesting the insurrection didnt happen, downplayed the rioters conduct and implied the FBI was hiding video evidence about the election.

Faheena Siddiqui, Saers lawyer, argued Saer wasnt immediately aware that she or others werent allowed in the Capitol that day and promptly exited after she heard someone remark that theyd been told to leave.

I deeply regret Congress was forced to vacate their chambers. I unfortunately had no idea this had occurred, said Saer, who appeared by video for the sentencing hearing held in federal court in the District of Columbia. If this information was available to me at the time, I would have done everything in my power to vacate the premises immediately and encourage others to do the same.

But the judge said she found it hard to believe Saer had no idea she wasnt supposed to be in the Capitol, given her review of video that showed Saers entrance through the Senate wing doors as alarms were blaring and others were shouting, Let us in! about 2:56 p.m. that day.

Saer remained in the Capitol for six minutes, according to the prosecutor and her defense lawyer.

I cannot accept that she had no idea the Capitol hadnt been breached or that she had any legal right to be inside, Friedrich said.

I deeply regret Congress was forced to vacate their chambers. I unfortunately had no idea this had occurred, said Saer, who appeared by video for the sentencing hearing held in federal court in the District of Columbia. If this information was available to me at the time, I would have done everything in my power to vacate the premises immediately and encourage others to do the same.

Saer traveled alone to Washington, D.C., from Portland to hear then-President Donald Trump speak at a Rally to Save America after learning about the rally from YouTube commentators, according to her lawyer.

She was there to show support for her candidate, Siddiqui said.

Saer then followed a large group of people that marched from the rally to the Capitol and entered the Senate Wing door and walked through the Crypt and Hall of Columns.

She doesnt touch anything. She doesnt vandalize anything, Siddiqui said.

Saer, now 31, pleaded guilty on Jan. 18 to one count of parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building.

She was described in court as a self-taught software engineer who attended one year of college. Most recently, she worked remotely for a London-based company, earning $196,000 until she was fired in February, according to her lawyer. She is now unemployed.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Carolina Nevin said Saer ignored very clear signs that she wasnt allowed in the Capitol. Nevin had sought fewer hours of community service for Saer but 60 days of home detention.

The judge increased the community service hours because Saer isnt working but is looking for a job.

She is going to be forever marked by this, Siddiqui said. She is forever tied to the shame of that day.

Saer is one of more than 999 people arrested in the Capitol breach. Of those about 420 defendants have been sentenced, with about 220 facing time in custody.

Shes among 18 people from Oregon and Washington charged, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Of the 18, two others have been sentenced: Jeremy Grace, 38, who was arrested in Molalla but is from Battle Ground, Wash., and John Cameron arrested in Tacoma. Grace, who was caught on video repeating Our house inside the Capitol, was sentenced to 21 days jail, community service and a year of supervised release. Cameron, 55, was sentenced to three years of probation.

-- Maxine Bernstein

Email mbernstein@oregonian.com; 503-221-8212

Follow on Twitter @maxoregonian

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Taxpayers could stop picking up the tab for remote state government workers living in distant states to travel back to Oregon for mandatory meetings starting in September.

Gov. Tina Kotek on Monday announced she will end the controversial practice, which was initiated by her predecessor and fellow Democrat, Kate Brown, during the pandemic when the state workforce made a large shift to remote work. That allowed some existing Oregon government employees to move to other states, including states without income taxes, and it made it possible for job candidates already living outside Oregon to get hired as remote workers.

However, a spokesperson for the union that represents the largest share of state workers said on Monday that Service Employees International Union Local 503 wants the state to make an exception for workers who made decisions on where to live based on the states pandemic-era travel policy.

As we testified, our concern is for employees who made life decisions, like moving out of state, based on a policy and an understanding that they are remote workers and are not expected to be in the office, union spokesperson Pati Urias said in a statement Monday. We hope that this new policy does not change the expectations workers had when they were approved for remote work by their managers.

It was not immediately clear whether Koteks order to reinstate Oregons pre-pandemic policy for remote work travel would preclude state agencies from continuing to pay for certain employees living in far-flung states. A spokesperson for Kotek, Elisabeth Shepard, said she did not know the answer and referred questions to the Department of Administrative Services.

On Tuesday, administrative department communications director Andrea Chiapella told The Oregonian/OregonLive that agencies may request an exception to the policy in exceptional circumstances. Each request will be considered on its individual merit. Chiapella did not say what the administrative department might consider to be exceptional circumstances.

The state Senate unanimously passed a bill last month that would prohibit government agencies from charging taxpayers for remote out-of-state workers to commute back to Oregon for required in-person meetings. Senate Bill 853 was scheduled for a public hearing Tuesday in the House Committee on Emergency Management, General Government and Veterans but the hearing was canceled. A legislative analyst said the hearing was canceled because lawmakers had prioritize other bills that must be voted out of committee by Tuesday to move forward. The remote worker travel reimbursement bill is not subject to that deadline since it already passed the Senate.

Senate Republican Leader Tim Knopp, of Bend, spearheaded the bill after Willamette Week and other news outlets reported last year that taxpayers were picking up remote workers travel costs.

Sponsored by all 30 Senators and over half of the House, SB 853A is not only bipartisan, but the right thing to do, Knopp said in a statement. I appreciate the Governor joining us in our effort to end this unfair and wasteful policy.

 Hillary Borrud; hborrud@oregonian.com

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Oregon could soon join five other states that have banned the sale of flavored nicotine products under a proposal making its way through the Democratically controlled Legislature.

A plan to ban all flavored tobacco products like menthol cigarettes and flavored e-cigarettes is now on its way to the Joint Committee on Ways and Means after it passed Monday out of the House Behavioral Health and Health Care Committee.

The bill is going to the budget committee for review because it would cost Oregon an estimated $90 million a year in lost revenue.

Health care committee members amended House Bill 3090 to push back the effective date from this October to July 2024 and exempt hookah lounges from the ban. Hookah supporters rallied for the carveout, citing the cultural significance of the practice and the gathering places.

Discussion for and against the ban focused on the health benefits, especially to young people, versus loss of revenue for the places that sell the products.

A lot of these are small businesses, first and second generation Americans, and theyre going to get hammered by this, said Rep. Ed Diehl, R-Salem.

Rep. Thuy Tran, D-Portland, said she would choose the future generations health and well-being over profit and money for our state. Well figure it out together, but were going to save our childrens future.

For years, parents and kids have asked Oregon leaders  including during a 2018 gubernatorial debate  to take action to address the extensive use of vapes by minors.

Multnomah County commissioners, who enacted a county ban last year, have cited statistics that flavored tobacco products have caused an increase in chronic tobacco use after a 25-year trend of decreasing cigarette sales. And eight out of 10 youths who use tobacco products started with flavored nicotine products, according to the National Library of Medicine.

Still, some lawmakers said they didnt think a statewide ban would stop anyone from using flavored tobacco products.

I think were just going to go back to a black market, were going to have the same problems but now were going to have less ways to enforce it, said Rep. Cyrus Javadi, R-Tillamook.

Alex Clark, CEO of the Consumer Advocates for Smoke-free Alternatives Association, cited the use of flavored products as a step toward getting people to stop smoking cigarettes.

It would ban products that are demonstrably less harmful than smoking, Clark said in an interview.

In February 2020, Oregon lawmakers considered a ban on flavored vapes but Democratic leaders killed it amid heavy lobbying by the tobacco and vape industries. Altria, Juul and Reynolds American reported spending $345,000 on lobbying Oregon lawmakers that year, according to disclosures filed with the state. At the time, state leaders stood to raise more than $100 million annually to pay for Medicaid if voters approved a big increase in tobacco and vape taxes on the ballot that fall and opposition from the tobacco industry could potentially have gotten in the way.

In the end, the tax measure faced no organized opposition and easily passed. The tax on vapes started in January 2021, along with a hefty increase in cigarette taxes, to raise more state revenue but also curb smoking.

In November 2021, Washington County banned the sale of flavored nicotine in Oregon, and voters subsequently upheld the ban after opponents referred it to the ballot. Plaid Pantry CEO Jonathan Polonsky led the push to reconsider the ban, and after voters upheld it, other retailers challenged it in court.

In September 2022, Circuit Judge Andrew Erwin blocked the ban, saying the decision had to come from the state. Washington Countys appeal of Erwins decision remains pending.

In December 2022, Multnomah County banned the sale of flavored nicotine products, set to start next January. County health officials would use the tobacco retailer licensing system to fine any retailers who sell flavored nicotine products or revoke their license to sell altogether.

Rep. Hai Pham, a Hillsboro Democrat who is a chief sponsor of HB 3090, said more than a quarter of Oregon shops where undercover decoys tried to buy nicotine products last year failed to card the decoys.

HB 3090 gets to the root of this problem by disincentivizing teens from starting to smoke, by restricting the sale of flavored tobacco products, Pham said.

The Joint Committee on Ways and Means will take on the bill next but there is no scheduled session yet.

CORRECTION: This story was updated at 2:20 p.m. April 5 to reflect the reason the bill was sent to the Ways & Means committee, and on April 24 to say Rep. Hai Pham is from Hillsboro.

-- Lisa Moreno; lmoreno@oregonian.com
The Government of the Netherlands announces the allocation of a support package to Ukraine in the amount of EUR 274 million, the first part of the reserved EUR 2.5 billion to support Ukraine in 2023.

Dutch Foreign Trade Minister Liesje Schreinemacher and Dutch Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra told the House of Representatives on Monday, according to the website of the Dutch government.

"EUR 180 million are intended for humanitarian assistance, agriculture and reconstruction. The remaining EUR 94 million will go to non-lethal support for the Ukrainian armed forces, the fight against impunity and the preservation of cultural heritage," the government said.

The government said the humanitarian needs of Ukraine are still great.

"Minister Schreinemacher's additional contribution of EUR 180 million is aimed at meeting the most urgent needs. Of this amount, EUR 20 million will go to humanitarian assistance, EUR 10 million to mental health and psychosocial support, EUR 10 million to demining agricultural land. Minister Schreinemacher also allocates EUR 40 million for the purchase of seeds and equipment for Ukrainian agriculture. In addition, EUR 100 million will be spent on the rehabilitation of hospitals and health care, energy supply, housing and infrastructure," the Dutch government said.

This assistance package will be implemented in cooperation with the UN, the World Bank, the EBRD and non-governmental organizations.

"Minister Schreinemacher has appointed former diplomat Ron van Dartel as Special Envoy to promote Dutch business involvement in the reconstruction of Ukraine. The Envoy will liaise with Dutch companies and Ukrainian authorities, identify Ukraine's specific needs and see if the Dutch experience matches them. Van Dartel will also support Liaising with major international tendering organizations to create entry points for Dutch companies.

According to the Cabinet of Ministers, the contribution of Minister Hoekstra consists mainly of supporting the Comprehensive Assistance Package to Ukraine.

"With a contribution of EUR 75 million, the government aims to provide more intensive support to Ukraine, as well as extend this support to prospective capacity building to improve cooperation between Ukraine and NATO. EUR 14 million has been allocated to fight impunity for international crimes. This money will be spent, in particular, on the creation of the Register of war damage in The Hague, the Dialogue Group on Liability and support for the collection of forensic evidence by the International Criminal Court. EUR 5 million will be spent to protect and preserve the culture that defines the identity of Ukraine," the Dutch government said.
Tuesday 4 April 2023 12:04pm

The terror attacks on two mosques in Christchurch four years ago were unprecedented in Aotearoa New Zealand. In an effort to understand the effects of these devastating events on the Christchurch Muslim community, the University of Otago, Christchurchs Department of Psychological Medicine initiated The March 15 Project  to study the psychological aftermath of the terrorist attacks, and to understand them within the context of similar incidents internationally.

Preliminary findings from The March 15 Project were presented in a recent day-long symposium held at the campus Rolleston Lecture Theatre on 21 March, showcasing work from the Projects research team alongside guest lectures from international speakers in the field of incident trauma.

The symposium opened with a karakia from kaumatua Rangihau Te Moana, followed by a dua from Imam Ibrahim Abdelhalim. Dean and Head of Campus Professor Suzanne Pitama welcomed attendees  including many from the citys Muslim community.

March 15 Project researchers Associate Professor Caroline Bell and Dr Ruqayya Sulaiman-Hill gave the first presentation, discussing findings from the first phase of their long-term study into the impacts on members of the community directly affected by the attacks. They spoke of the challenges associated with conducting research in such a highly-exposed population, and the requirements they needed to meet to establish a culturally-responsive, participatory and trauma-informed design process.

They noted the impacts and challenges the tragedy inflicted upon the well-being and mental health of closely-affected community members. However, they also spoke of self-reported positive outcomes from many participants  including high levels of measures rating religious coping and post traumatic growth. A qualitative study, presented by Project co-researcher Dr Shaystah Dean, provided a deeper understanding of some of the unique challenges participants faced and how they coped. The Project team concluded that taken together, these findings will be helpful for the Muslim community in planning the ongoing support services they require.

The March 15 Project is collaborative, involving the University of Otago, Christchurch, University of Canterbury and Te Whatu Ora Canterbury, and is funded the Health Research Council of New Zealand and the Canterbury Medical Research Foundation.

This was followed by a presentation from Professor Martin Dorahy from the University of Canterbury, discussing the impacts of the mosque attacks on the New Zealand population as a whole. Using data from the New Zealand Attitudes and Values Surveys recorded both before and after the attacks, his findings show both an increase in terrorism anxiety and an increase in the sense of community following the incidents, yet no reported changes in either psychological distress or wellbeing. He discussed how this delivers insight into the psychological implications of politically-motivated violence on the wider population when terrorism is directed toward a specific minority group.

In the aftermath of the attacks, members of the March 15 Project research team, including Associate Professor Bell and Head of the Department of Psychological Medicine, Professor Richard Porter, consulted widely with international researchers  who they say were generous in giving of their time and expertise.

One such researcher was Professor Lori Zoellner from the University of Washingtons Department of Psychology, and Director of the University of Washington Centre for Anxiety and Traumatic Stress in Seattle. Professor Zoellner, the first of two international guest speakers to present at the symposium, reported findings from her ground-breaking Islamic faith-based, community-led program, developed to support Somali refugees in the United States and a similar programme in Somalia.

Following lunch and prayers, Linwood mosque survivor and researcher Dr Mazharuddin Syed Ahmed, discussed findings from his work, outlining the positive impacts of publicly written messages and acts of aroha on those most closely affected by the mosque attacks. Mazhar provided a personal and moving description of this, explaining how widely and swiftly this community support spread. His research examines how aroha can combat negative and racist messages promulgated through social media.

Professor David Forbes, Director of the Phoenix Australia Centre for Post Traumatic Mental Health from within the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Melbourne, was the symposiums second international guest speaker. He provided an overview of his extensive experience managing community responses following trauma, with a focus on the Australian bushfires. He also discussed the impacts of multiple trauma on populations as a whole, and various interventions for recovery.

Concluding the symposium on a positive note, Professor Porter discussed findings from his body of research into the effects of trauma on the brain. His results have shown that although people affected by the 20102011 Christchurch earthquakes experienced changes in brain function two years after the events, these changes had reverted to normal healthy levels seven to eight years later.
 /Getty Images

The Big Rapids Community Library will be hosting author Kelsey Ronan as part of the Library of Michigans 2023 Michigan Notable Books Author Tour  a program that picked 16 authors statewide to promote reading.

Ronan, who is the author of "Chevy in the Hole," will be at the library, 426 S. Michigan Ave., at 7 p.m. May 15, which is part of the library's Evening with the Author.
Stoltenberg on Russian nuclear rhetoric: NATO to do everything so that Moscow does not miscalculate readiness of alliance to protect all allies

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg assures that in the event of a change in the nuclear balance of power between Russia and the alliance, everything will be done so that Moscow does not miscalculate the readiness of the organization to protect all allies.

He stated this on Tuesday in Brussels before the start of a two-day meeting of NATO foreign ministers, commenting on the nuclear rhetoric of Russian President Vladimir Putin at the request of journalists.

Stoltenberg called this rhetoric "dangerous."

"We will not be intimidated. We will continue to support Ukraine. Of course, NATO remains vigilant. We monitor very closely what Russia does. But so far, we haven't seen any changes in their nuclear posture that requires any change in our nuclear posture. We remain a nuclear Alliance, we deter and defend all Allies and of course, we continue to monitor what Russia does," the NATO Secretary General said.

At the same time, he said together the allies make up 50% of the world's military power. As long as we stand together, protect each other and do it in a reliable way, there will be no military attack on the alliance, Stoltenberg said.
Adam Ferman/for the Daily News

Great Lakes Bay Pride and Great Lakes Bay Health Centers are hosting a Community Testing and Vaccination Day from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 15, at East Side Soup Kitchen located at 940 E. Genesee Ave. in Saginaw. This free community event is open to everyone from the Great Lakes Bay Region.

Community Testing and Vaccination Day will feature several free confidential services and community resources including:
A high-tech Midland company that develops industrial water filtration technologies has been named a recipient of a Michigan Celebrates Small Business Award.

Accelerated Filtration, Inc. won in the SmartZone Best Small Business Category, joining two Bay County companies, Gougeon Brothers, Inc. and MDL Companies along with Saginaws Baynes Apple Valley and Erie Custom Signs as local 2023 honorees.

In all, over 80 small businesses from across the state were chosen from over 500 nominations to be recognized for their positive impact at the 19th annual Michigan Celebrates Small Business Gala. The event is expected to attract more than 800 guests to the Breslin Center in East Lansing on May 2, to celebrate the achievements of this years award recipients. Making the cut is no small feat in a competitive field filled with top-notch Michigan companies.

Michigan Celebrates has been around for nearly two decades now and has positioned itself as the most prestigious small business awards program in the state, said Trevor Keyes, President & CEO of Bay Future, Inc. That tells you the high quality and standard that companies have to meet. We couldnt be prouder to have our communitys businesses counted among Michigans 50 Best Small Businesses (Barneys BakeHouse Bakery) and Michigan 50 Companies to Watch (Gougeon Brothers, Inc. and MDL Companies).

Saginaw-based Baynes Apple Valley also garnered a 2023 Michigan 50 Company to Watch Award.

The Michigan Celebrates Gala means more than giving out awards to small businesses, said Lauren Snyder, Vice President of Customer Experience for Consumers Energy, the events sponsor.Its coming together as a state to celebrate what success looks like through leadership, perseverance, and community.

Veteran-owned Small Business of the Year, Minority-owned Small Business of the Year, and the Michigan Small Business Development Centers Best Small Business are among the other award categories.

Were excited to celebrate those employers who put Michigan to work, who reflect our states values and who will help power our economy for the next generation.

Given what small businesses have had to endure over the past couple of COVID-marred years, theres more reason than ever to celebrate the 2023 gala.

Many businesses were hit hard by COVID and the peripheral affects of COVID, Keyes said. To see these businesses from our community excel and thrive through these conditions with ingenuity, perseverance, and hard work is a testament to the caliber of people and businesses we have here. We could not be more thrilled to see them honored and recognized for their effort.

Last years awards program saw Swiftwall, a Midland manufacturer of temporary wall systems, honored as one of 50 Michigan Companies to Watch. Michigan Celebrates Small Business is a collaboration of notable and trusted statewide organizations that offer resources for small businesses.
The following list includes recent reports from the Midland County Sheriffs Office and the Midland Police Department. Compiled by reporter Tereasa Nims.

Monday, April 3

10:19 p.m. - Deputies were dispatched to Lee Township regarding a report of a 38-year-old woman walking in the roadway after her vehicle ran out of gas. Deputies spoke with the woman and assisted her with obtaining a ride to her residence. The woman was picked up from the scene and no further assistance was needed from deputies.

8:59 p.m. - Deputies assisted the Department of Health and Human Services with a court order to remove a child from a shelter in Homer Township. The child's 37-year-old mother was uncooperative and was arrested for obstructing a court order. A report was forwarded to the prosecutor.

7:05 p.m. - Deputies were sent to a Mills Township residence regarding a possibly suicidal 14-year-old girl. Contact was made with the girls guardian, who advised that she was at the girl's counseling appointment. The guardian advised that she would speak with the counselor to develop a plan.

2:34 p.m. - A Midland County Animal Control deputy was dispatched to a dog bite complaint in Jerome Township. Minor injury only. The dog owner was issued a 10-day isolation notice.

1:56 p.m. - Deputies were dispatched to Lee Township regarding a 39-year-old woman who was threatening to kill herself in comments to her 43-year-old boyfriend. The woman was contacted and brought to the MyMichigan Medical Center ER for further evaluation and help.

More Information Activities of the Midland Police Department and Midland County Sheriff's Office on March 3, 2023 See More Collapse

11:54 a.m. - Police were called to the 1100 block of Eastman Avenue for a property damage accident.

9:06 a.m. - A 48-year-old Porter Township man called to say he had lost his debit card and Social Security card, possibly in Sanford, and was afraid someone may have picked them up. The complainant called again and advised he had found the items, before a deputy was dispatched to look for them.

3:16 a.m. - Deputies were dispatched to a Homer Township location regarding loud vehicles in the area. Deputies checked the area but were unable to locate the vehicles.

1:18 a.m. - Deputies contacted a 19-year-old man following an argument in Geneva Township with his 21-year-old brother. The younger brother said they had a verbal argument and his brother left the property to cool off.

12:03 a.m. - Police responded to a property damage crash at Isabella Street and Currie Parkway.
Paducah, KY (42003)

Today

Partly cloudy this evening, then becoming cloudy after midnight. Low 42F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy this evening, then becoming cloudy after midnight. Low 42F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph.
Dakar, Senegal (PANA) - Senegal celebrates Tuesday the 63rd anniversary of its accession to international sovereignty, marked by a televised address to the nation, calling for national unity and dialogue
Khartoum, Sudan (PANA) - A senior Sudanese government official has underlined the need to boost relations of cooperation and coordination between Khartoum and Paris to serve their bilateral interests
Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso (PANA) - The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) issued a solemn warning to the Tunisian authorities on Tuesday in Geneva to stop "racist hate speech", particularly against sub-Saharan Africans, the UN reported on its website
Valmet to Deliver a Wash Press to Holmen Paper's Braviken Mill in Sweden

Valmet's TwinRoll wash press will improve the separation between the thermomechanical pulp (TMP) mill and the paper machine. Valmet's TwinRoll wash press will improve the separation between the thermomechanical pulp (TMP) mill and the paper machine.

March 31, 2023 - Valmet will deliver a TwinRoll wash press to Holmen Paper's Braviken mill in Sweden. The start-up is scheduled for April 2024.

The Braviken mill has a total annual capacity of 605,000 tons of paper per year.

"The TwinRoll wash press will improve the separation between the thermomechanical pulp (TMP) mill and the paper machine," explained Fredrik Bragsjo, Production Manager TMP & WH, Holmen Paper, Braviken. "With a better separation we believe the paper machine will get a cleaner system, resulting in improved runnability and savings of chemicals, such as retention aid and similar chemicals.

"The good experience from the earlier installed TwinRoll wash press together with the possibility of common spare parts were also influencing our decision," Bragsjo added.

Michael Nylander, Sales Manager, EMEA Scandinavia Sales Pulp Solutions SE, EMEA, Valmet, said, "We are happy to cooperate with Holmen and deliver an additional Valmet TwinRoll washing press to their Braviken mill. This order will help improve the energy and washing efficiency of the TMP mill. We're also able to create a synergy for both presses when it comes to operational maintenance and spare parts."

Valmet's scope of supply includes a TwinRoll washing press, electric motors, mechanical erection, basic engineering, commissioning, start-up, process support and advisory services.

About Braviken Paper Mill

Braviken Paper Mill is located outside Norrkoping, in the south of Sweden. The mill produces paper for magazines, books, and direct mail on two paper machines. The total capacity of the Braviken mill is 605,000 tonnes per year and the production is 100% based on fresh wood fibers from pulp wood and wood chips from the adjacent Holmen Timber sawmill. The Braviken mill employs approximately 400 people.

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SOURCE: Valmet
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba thanks NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg for holding the Ukraine-NATO Commission and reiterates that he intends to discuss Ukraine's membership in the alliance.

Kuleba, speaking to Stoltenberg at the headquarters of the Euro-Atlantic Treaty Organization in Brussels on Tuesday, said: "I would like to thank you for committing the Ukraine-NATO Commission. It is not only symbolically important, but also in politically and practically important format. I look forward to our discussion."

"I came here to NATO to speed up deliveries of what has already been pledged to Ukraine, primarily, artillery ammunition, infantry armored vehicles, personal armored carriers everything that Ukraine needs for a successful counteroffensive. Of course, I intend to discuss, as you mentioned, the strategic plans for ensuring sustainability of support that Ukraine receives, and of course the third biggest issue that will in the spotlight today is Ukraine's accession to NATO," he said.

The head of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry is convinced that Finland's entry into the alliance, which will be formalized on Tuesday, is "a clear message that the time to revise all strategies and all perceptions has come." "There is no better solution to ensure Euro-Atlantic security as a whole than membership, eventually membership of Ukraine in NATO," the minister said.

The Secretary General welcomed the fact that NATO Allies and partners are delivering also heavy armor, modern battle tanks. "I look forward to the meeting later on today, when we can discuss how to sustain and further step up the urgent support to Ukraine. Both military support, but also economic and financial support," he said.

"But I also look forward to our discussions among Allies on how we can develop more long-term program for assistance, for support, to ensure that Ukraine can move closer to the Euro-Atlantic family, to our reliance, with more interoperability, transition to NATO doctrines, equipment standards. And therefore, I also look forward to that Allies will now start the development of a multi-year program assistance package for Ukraine that demonstrates our long-term commitment to your country," Stoltenberg said.
UPDATE 4/4/23: The lookbook for H&M x Mugler just dropped and features several Mugler signatures from catsuits and bodycon dresses to tailoring, denim, jewelry and accessories. There's also several pieces referencing Thierry Muglers archives and greatest hits from the '80s and '90s, curated by Casey Cadwallader. See all 38 looks, below.

Photography: Lengua

UPDATE 3/23/23: New details about the H&M x Mugler collaboration have been announced. It will include both womenswear, menswear and accessories, and will launch in select stores and online beginning May 11th, 2023. To introduce the collection, the two brands launched a music video, featuring Arca, Shygirl, Eartheater and more.

ORIGINAL 2/22: After a few years of low-key partnerships with brands like Brock Collection and style figures like Iris Apfel, H&M has announced its biggest designer collaboration in a while: Mugler.

The French fashion house, currently known for its illusion bodysuits and spiral denim under creative director Casey Cadwallader, joins a list of past marquee collaborations with the Swedish brand including Balmain, Versace and Isabel Marant.

"H&M is proud to share that its next designer collaboration will be with the house of Mugler," the company said in a statement this morning. "The Mugler H&M collection, crafted under the direction of Muglers creative director Casey Cadwallader, will encapsulate the unique and vibrant spirit of Mugler."

Courtesy of H&M

No further details were announced except that the collaboration with launch some time online and in stores in Spring 2023. The only press image shared was a joint portrait of Cadwallader and H&M's creative advisor Ann-Sofie Johansson. Lookbook images are expected to be unveiled in a few weeks.

Mugler has also been busy of late. It returned to the runway after thee years during Paris Couture Week in January and launched its first handbag under Cadwallader. Its Thierry Mugler: Couturissime exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum is still going strong and wraps up on May 7.

Euphoria star Hunter Schafer, who's starred in several of the brand's fashion films, was unveiled last week as the new face of its Angel fragrance.
Photo: (Photo : Samuel Corum / Getty Images)

As the economy continues to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, many states are implementing stimulus programs to help their residents.

From property tax rebates to state tax refunds, many Americans are eagerly waiting for their stimulus check payments.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the American economy came to a halt in March 2020.

The government acted swiftly and implemented a series of stimulus packages to aid businesses and individuals.

While federal payments have ceased, some states have been slow in distributing their aid, with a few still planning payments for 2023.

Although many programs will conclude in 2022, several states are still in the process of providing assistance to their residents.

With that, here's an overview of the states that have stimulus payments scheduled for this year.

Next Distribution for your stimulus check payments for 2023

Pennsylvania Renters, Homeowners, and People with Disabilities

According to GOBankingRates, starting in July 2022, Pennsylvania initiated the process of distributing payments to homeowners, older renters, and individuals with disabilities.

However, the deadline for submitting claims was December 31, 2022, and payments will continue to roll over into 2023 for eligible residents who submit their paperwork before the deadline.

While the maximum standard rebate is $650, qualifying individuals who meet the state's criteria for supplemental rebates may receive up to $975.

New Jersey Property Tax Rebates

At present, New Jersey is distributing $2 billion in property tax rebates to approximately two million of its residents.

The rebate amount varies depending on income, with homeowners earning up to $150,000 qualifying for $1,500, while those earning between $150,000 and $250,000 are eligible for $1,000.

Renters earning up to $150,000 are also entitled to $450. The payments are expected to reach the recipients by May 2023 at the latest.

Massachusetts State Tax Refunds

As per AS, in Massachusetts, taxpayers are eligible to receive a refund of approximately 14% of their state tax liability. People who filed their 2021 tax return before October 17, 2022, should have received their refund in December.

Taxpayers who filed after and up to September 15, 2023, should receive their payment one month after the return is filed. You can consult more details on the state website.

New Mexico State Income Tax Refunds

In New Mexico, in-state residents can still receive a refund of $500 for single filers and $1,000 for joint filers. Residents have until May 2023 to file their income taxes for 2021 and qualify for a rebate. It will also be coming to Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, New York, Oregon, and Rhode Island.

Read Also: ChatGPT Not Safe for Kids? Italy Bans Chatbot AI for Data Privacy Concerns

States that are still considering stimulus checks in 2023

According to Tax Time Central, several other states are also considering additional stimulus checks in 2023.

These include California, which has proposed additional stimulus checks of up to $600 for eligible residents.

Colorado is considering providing stimulus payments of $1,100, while Maryland is considering payments of up to $1,000.

Massachusetts has proposed payments of up to $1,200, New Jersey has proposed payments of up to $500, and New York has proposed payments of up to $1,200 for eligible residents who earned less than $75,000 in the previous tax year.

Pennsylvania is also considering providing stimulus checks of up to $1,000 to eligible residents.

However, the details of these programs are yet to be finalized, but it is likely that they will follow a similar income-based model to previous stimulus programs.

Stimulus check payments are an important part of many states' economic recovery plans.

Whether you are a homeowner, renter, or taxpayer, there may be a stimulus program in every state that you can take advantage of.

Keep an eye on the state's website for more details about stimulus check distribution and eligibility requirements.

Related Article: Nashville School Shooting Prompts Nationwide Boost in Active Shooter Training, Childhood Preparedness Protocols
Photo: (Photo : Pexel/Sasha Kim)

Months before a baby formula was recalled in the market due to a discovery of a deadly bacteria, the FDA already knew about it.

The Food and Drug administration (FDA) recently admitted that they were aware that a deadly bacteria was found in the Enfamil ProSobee Simply Plant-Based Infant Formula as early as November of last year, almost three months prior to the product being withdrawn for public consumption.

FDA inspected the Mead Johnson plant, manufacturer of the Enfamil product last November, where they were informed that a Cronobacter bacteria had been detected at its Zeeland, Michigan facility last September.

The baby formula recall only happened in February this year, five months after the discovery of the bacteria, which according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) "can be deadly for young infants." Babies who are infected with the bacteria can experience fever, poor feeding, excessive crying, low energy, and serious effects like seizures, spine swelling, and bloodstream infections.

Positive test wasn't reported to FDA

An initial contaminated batch was destroyed before another 145,000 cans were recalled after the bacteria was discovered in the formula. However, according to the FDA, no bacteria was found on the withdrawn cans of baby formula.

The FDA stated that Mead Johnson, under the current law, is not required to "alert" their office of the positive test, and so they chose not to.

"It was only during an unrelated inspection of the company that FDA discovered the positive test, and was told that analysis to the cause was ongoing. The FDA has reviewed conditions during recent inspections of powdered infant formula manufacturers, including routine surveillance inspections, for-cause inspections to follow up on consumer complaints, and other interactions with manufacturers," explained an FDA spokesperson to Fox News

Thus, the agency is now requesting from Congress further authority for mandatory reports from companies as this can prevent cases like the enfamil recall.

Read More: Baby Formula Recall: Abbott Recalls Similac Baby Formula

FDA: Not as serious as the Abbott recall

The FDA, however, reassured in a statement that the Enfamil recall is "much narrower in scope" as compared to the Abbott recall, which happened in 2021, resulting in America experiencing a the United States experienced a shortage of baby formula.

According to Food Safety News, the FDA received nine reports of infant deaths among babies who drank the powdered infant formula manufactured by Abbott Nutrition in Sturgis, Michigan.

The deaths were part of a list of 128 complaints from consumers. Two of the babies who died were confirmed to be part of the four outbreak cases of Cronobacter sakazakii, while another two of the remaining seven deaths mentioned the detection of Salmonella in the complaint description.

This caused the recall of the infant formula and the shutdown of the production plant.

Fox News reached out to Reckitt, owner of Mead Johnson, for comments regarding the issue yet no comments or statements have been provided as of writing.

The FDA also assured the public that there have been no illnesses or adverse events that have been reported in connection with the Enfamil product recall.

Related article: Baby Formula Shortage Continues To Put Parents on Edge in the United States
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The Russian occupation forces again dropped K-51 gas grenades in the neighborhood of Vodiane, Spokesman for the United Press Center of the Defense Forces of the Tavria direction Oleksiy Dmytrashkivsky has said.

"A munition with chemical substance was dropped near Vodiane. Most likely, it was a K-51 grenade," he said on the air of the national telethon on Wednesday.

The Defense Forces emphasized that it was not the first time that the enemy used this type of ammunition, dropping it with the help of an unmanned aerial vehicle.

"I should say it causes no harm. However, it destabilizes a person for some time and he is unable to carry out combat tasks," Dmytrashkivsky said.

The enemy mounted 307 shelling attacks, 54 of which were targeted at Zaporizhia direction and 253  at Donetsk direction.

"As of the morning, the invaders attacked the defense positions near Avdiyivka 35 times without using military vehicles. They used armored personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles near Maryinka. An infantry group and tanks worked near Karlivka. All of the attacks were repelled. Four air strikes were launched," he said.

According to Dmytrashkivsky, the Russian occupiers lost around companies of military personnel in the past 24 hours, also an enemy ammunition depot and a control point were destroyed.
The Chief Investment Officer of Stanbic Investment Management Services (SIMS), George Allotey, has advised Pension Trustees to take advantage of alternative offerings in the Policy Guidelines of the National Pensions Regulatory Authority (NPRA) to diversify their investments to protect their funds against shocks as currently being experienced.



He said this at the fifth edition of the Pension Strategy Conference organized by Axis Pension Trust in Accra.



Addressing the issue on what the NPRA can do to help Pension Trustees protect their investments given the current inimical economic conditions that they operate in, George Allotey said, If you look critically at the pension investment guidelines 2021, there are a lot of spaces in there. It doesnt prescribe a minimum exposure in Government of Ghana but a maximum exposure. So, its not as though our hands have been tied. Our pensions sector is only 12 years old, so we are still learning and gradually the NPRA has gradually been progressive. We trustees have not yet done even one per cent of alternatives so there are many opportunities for us to explore before we start blaming the regulator. There is a lot of work for us the trustees to do to develop products so people can invest in.



We must also start holding government accountable for what they use our funds for. If we, in the pensions industry, control about GHS 30 billion funds and the government wants to raise GHS 1 billion and they listen to other fund holders why shouldnt they listen to us? Its time we start making our voices heard as critical partners in the financial system, he added.



The Pension Strategy Conference is an annual event that brings together pension trustees and asset owners, regulators, policymakers and other stakeholders to discuss strategies for navigating the challenging investment landscape. The conference provides a platform for experts to share insights, best practices and innovative ideas for managing pension funds in the current economic climate. This years conference was held under the theme, Positioning Pension Funds to thrive beyond the Domestic Debt Exchange.

Source: B&FT









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Patricia Obo-Nai, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Vodafone Ghana, has been recognised as the Outstanding Woman in Telecommunications at the African Women Awards 2023. The awards ceremony, held in Ethiopia under the theme The Role of Women in Business Propelling Africas Socio-Economic Renaissance, celebrates the achievements of exceptional African women leaders in various industries.



Patricias award is a testament to her exceptional leadership and dedication to the telecommunications industry, where she has made significant strides throughout her career. As the CEO of Vodafone Ghana, she has successfully navigated the competitive landscape and guided the company towards remarkable growth and innovation.



Under her leadership, Vodafone Ghana has introduced ground-breaking products and services, transforming the telecommunications sector in the country. Patricia has also overseen the expansion of Vodafone Ghanas network coverage, solidifying its position as one of the most extensive and reliable networks in Ghana.



Commenting on the award, Patricia said, This award is not only a humbling recognition of my personal journey, but also a testament to the incredible dedication and resilience of all women in the industry. As a leader, I am committed to inspiring the next generation of women in telecommunications. I believe that together, we can break down barriers and redefine the future of our industry.



Patricia is a champion of diversity and inclusion in the workplace. She has led initiatives aimed at promoting gender equality, diversity, and inclusion within Vodafone Ghana and the broader telecommunications industry.



The African Women Award aims to draw attention to the positive impact of African women on the continents socio-economic growth and development. By identifying and recognising exemplary African women like Patricia Obo-Nai, the awards aim to position them as role models for the wider female population across Africa.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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President of the Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA), Dr Joseph Obeng has expressed disappointment in the government with the approval of the three revenue tax bills.



According to him, businesses are already struggling with too many taxes  he claimed that will discourage others to start their own due to the excessive taxes.



Things are already hard, and it will be worse with these new taxes, he said.



Parliament on March 31, passed the Income Tax Amendment Bill, Excise Duty Amendment Bill, and Growth and Sustainability Amendment Bill which collectively, are expected to generate approximately GH4 billion per year to supplement domestic revenue.



Speaking on NEAT FMs morning show, Ghana Montie, Dr Obeng bemoaned the sidelining of his union in the passage of these bills.



He said Government never met us [GUTA] to discuss these new taxes. There was no consultation.



He therefore tasked the government to look at other sectors to raise revenue other than overly burdening local businesses with taxes.



You cant put an extra burden on those who already pay taxes. That is not fair. You are not helping the situation," he lamented

Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/peacefmonline.com/ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The Founder of the Society Influencers Foundation in Ghana led a national discourse on how Ghanaian businesses can grow irrespective of the political party in power.



Speaking with the media on the sideline at the dialogue themed "TRANS-POLITICAL BUSINESS OPERATIONS IN GHANA" at the University of Ghana Business School in partnership with the Society Influencers Foundation on 29th March 2023, Nii Marmah Boye noted that businesses that are purported to be associated to a political party that is not in power get victimized by the ruling party. This he noted influenced his decision to hold a national dialogue with stakeholders to find a lasting solution to local business victimization in Ghana.



" We decided to hold this dialogue because it's time we see Ghanaian businesses grow to the international market. We can't continue to collapse local businesses because they are perceived to be affiliated with a political party that is not in power; it must stop" He said.



Nii Marmah Boye also encouraged local businesses to operate legally to avoid issues with the ruling Government.



"I want to take this opportunity to encourage local businesses not to involve themselves in situations that will affect their businesses negatively. Sometimes, officials collapse their businesses for reasons that do not need them to close down their businesses however since a fault has been detected, they will stand on it to make a case." He opined.



He took the opportunity to call on all Governments to encourage local growth and participation in the African and international markets rather than frustrating their operations.



"We've heard on records how businesses are being frustrated due to the current business environment. Our environment doesn't encourage growth. You have to lick boots before you can succeed in business in Ghana. Why should we do this to ourselves? It is time Governments create the enabling environment to encourage business growth in the international market."



"We are looking forward to hosting an all-female panel in our next series since this was all male and then we end with Presidential aspirants to get their commitment so that we can hold them accountable if any of them assumes power and tries to touch any business illegally," He said.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









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Retired Superintendent of Police the member of Parliament for the Wa West Constituency in the Upper West region, Peter Lanchene Toobu has commended the police officer who was seen on his knees begging a Galamsey gang leader, Kwame Ato Asare in a viral video.



To him, the police officer was wise and acted professionally to avoid what could have been a bloody face-off between them and the wild gang.



Let me congratulate him [the police officer] for what he did. He acted well, He told NEAT FMs morning show, 'Ghana Montie', in an interview.



Kwame Ato Asare together with four other friends went viral after he was seen exchanging words with some police officers who later knelt to apologise to him.



Although it is unclear what transpired, Kwame and his gang reportedly seized the magazine of a Service rifle together with some mobile phones belonging to the Police officers on March 9, 2023.



After the matter was reported by the Axim Divisional Police patrol, four suspects were arrested.



However, Kwame Ato Asare, the main suspect, is on the run.





Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/peacefmonline.com/ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The Chairman of the Christ Apostolic Church International (CACI), Apostle Samuel Amponsah-Frimpong, has re-iterated the need for Ghanaians to sustain the peace being enjoyed in the country.



His comment comes as a reaction to the brutal killing of the young military officer, Trooper Sherrif Imoro, at Ashaiman, on Saturday March 7, 2023, and the subsequent violent actions of the Ghana Army in the community.



Speaking at the induction ceremony of new executives of the CACI, the Chairman Apostle Samuel Amponsah-Frimpong said that as citizens, there is the need to do everything possible to sustain the enviable peace of the country.



The brutal killing of a military officer in Ashaiman and the response of the Military sadly reminds us that we have a lot to do to sustain the enviable peace of our beloved country, he said.



Following the violence of the military in Ashaiman, the force has been heavily criticised for their action, although the military high command has not shown any remorse for its actions.



The induction of the new executive body of the Christ Apostolic Church international include Apostle Samuel Amponsah-Frimpong as the Chairman, Apostle Dr. Samuel Addai-Kusi, General Secretary; Rev Stephen Acheampong, Field Director; and Rev Samuel Kpeli Mensah, Prophetic Director.



The rest are: Apostle George Peter Derry, Mission Director; Apostle Prosper Agbaglo Dogbey, Evangelism Director; and Rev Dr. Robert Asomadu-Kyereme, Christian Education Director.



The newly-inducted Chairman and his Executive Council members will be in office for four years, after which elections would be held to elect new members.



Apostle Amponsah-Frimpong who succeeds Apostle George Yeboah was inducted into office by Apostle Dr. Michael Nimo.



The Vice President of Ghana, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, was the special guest of honour.















Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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One victim in last Friday night's vehicular accident, which also involved the Member of Parliament for Nanton while the MP was on his way to Parliament to vote on three revenue bills has narrated how the accident occurred.



Identifying himself only as Kwabena, he explained in a radio interview with Accra based Citi FM that the accident occurred around 9pm on Friday, March 31, 2023.



His vehicle, a Toyota Corolla, crashed with a pickup, which had the MP, Mohammed Hardi Tuferi in it.



It is not clear if the MP was the one driving.



The accident happened at North Ridge, near the Absa Bank club house and the British High Commission area.



The MP was involved in the accident ahead of a crucial vote in Parliament three revenue bills.



Related: Nanton MP involved in accident while on his way to Parliament to vote on 3 revenue bills



Kwabena in the radio interview with Citi FM monitored by Graphic Online said his vehicle somersaulted and landed upside down.



I work in Accra. I had closed from work and was on my way home. I normally use the GIJ [Ghana Institute of Journalism] route towards the Flagstaff house [Jubilee House]. Around 9pm that faithful evening, I was on my way home as usual.



He said he was following another car when he got to the junction and when the other car initiated the left turn, he also followed and turned left.



When I got to the Absa club house junction which is a T-junction. The MP's [vehicle] was coming from the SDA church [side], and I was making a left turn to join the Independence Avenue road. Before I realised, the MPs car ran into mine. He hit my passenger side. Witnesses can testify that the MP 's [vehicle] was speeding. he alleged.



He said the MP was rushed out of the scene, I became a bit unconscious for a while, I struggled before I was able to come out. Within a few minutes, I heard voices that was how I regained consciousness. By the time I was up, I was told he [MP] had been rushed out of the scene.



He added that a couple came to his assistance, A police officer, who said he was from Parliament later came and gave me the MPs number and said I could call. After that, a couple took me to the hospital.



He further stated that My car is beyond repair. The impact was great. I do not know what he was speeding for. I believe it is God that saved me. If not that I managed to open my door, I would have been trapped in the car.



The MP is reported to have suffered a cut on his forehead and was first taken to Parliament to vote before he was taken to hospital for further checks.



Nanton MP was stitched up in Parliaments washroom  Habib Iddrisu reveals

The Majority Chief Whip, Habib Iddrisu on his part told Citi FM that safety precautions were taken before the MP was sent to Parliament to participate in proceedings.



The time we were taking the voice vote, he had come to Parliament and I put him in the washroom, we didnt put him in the Chamber, we put him in the washroom and brought the nurses from Parliament and a doctor to attend to him. The Majority Leader came, and the nurses from Parliament came to attend to him in the washroom.



He had minor bruises on his face, so they cleaned it up and even stitched it up. So he was stitched in Parliament in the washroom.



He said the Speaker was informed about the accident. An ambulance was called in and the MP was sent to hospital for further checks and a scan, he said.













Source: graphiconline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The government is starting to implement a new government policy in the field of humanitarian demining of territories, Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal has said.

"We understand that we must change the pace of demining. Therefore, the government of Ukraine is starting to implement a new government policy in this area," Shmyhal said at a government meeting on Tuesday.

According to the prime minister, the key elements of this government policy are: updating national mine action standards; an effective state demining program with area priorities; creation of a market for demining services, competition between demining operators, attracting the largest number of international operators with the help of financial support from our partners; educational and communication campaigns; and active involvement of innovative technologies.

"According to the law "On mine action" and to better coordinate all work in this area, it was instructed to create a separate structure  the State Center for Humanitarian Demining," Shmyhal said.

According to him, the Center will participate in the planning of mine action steps and ensure the operation of the demining quality management system, and representatives of the Center will actively participate in cooperation with international partners.
Flag bearer hopeful of the governing New Patriotic Party, Alan Kyerematen on Sunday (2 April) visited the family of the deceased Member of Parliament for Kumawu to console them.



The late Philip Atta Basoah was taken ill last week and died at about 10 pm on Monday (27 March 2023) while receiving treatment at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra.



Paying tributes to the man he described as a younger brother, Alan said he was saddened by the news about the lawmakers demise.



I can fully understand the hurts and sadness in this house, in this family and the NPP as well as the whole country but I just want you to know that God allowed this to happen and I pray he finds a way to comfort and console all of us, the former Trade Minister said.



Mr Kyerematen was joined by his campaign team to mourn the late NPP lawmaker.



Ashanti Regional Coordinator Team Alan and former MP for Manhyia North Collins Owusu Amankwah recounted the frustrations the late lawmaker encountered stressing that, that did not discourage him from serving his party and constituents.



Its a sorry sight-seeing all of us gathered to mourn someone who was humane to be treated in such a bad manner and for me, I am comforted that he knew God and would be in a good place now, the former MP stated.



For his part, the head of the family of the late MP Lawyer Asiedu Basoah thanked Mr Kyerematen and his team for the visit.



The death of the late Philip Basoah, he noted was a big blow to the family and members were yet to come to terms with the same.



He disclosed that the one-week traditional rites for the late MP would be held on the 27th day of April.



The family has met and decided that the one-week rites should be held on the 27th day of April 2023 and we believe by that time we would have settled on the final date for the burial and funeral of our late brother and MP, the family head stated.



Philip Basoah was born on 18 November 1969. He hailed from Kumawu in the Ashanti Region of Ghana.



He held a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Cape Coast, Ghana (2000) and also earned a Masters degree from the Paris Graduate School of Management in 2012.



He earned a medical laboratory scientists certificate in 1986, followed by GCE O levels in 1991 and A levels in 1994.



The late Philip Basoah was the project coordinator for the Ghana Education Service in the Ashanti Region. He also served as the district chief executive for Sekyere East between June 2005 and January 2009, under the aegis of the Ministry of Local Government.



He was previously a tutor at Agogo Senior High School, also in the Ashanti Region.



Philip Basoah was a lifelong member of the NPP.



In the 2016 Ghana general election, he won the Kumawu seat with 21,794 votes (or 78.2% of the total votes cast), against the NDC parliamentary aspirant, Emmanuel William Amoako, who secured 5,899 votes (21.2% of the total vote).



The aspirant running on the ticket of the Convention Peoples Party, Opoku Kyei Clifford, won 188 votes, or 0.7% of the vote.



In 2020, Basoah retained the seat with 14,960 votes (51.1% of the total votes cast). The candidate for the NDC, Bernard Opoku Marfo, secured 2,439 votes.













Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Director-General for the National Lottery Authority (NLA) Mr Sammi Awuku believes Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia will make a good President.



He argues that Dr. Bawumia is a young man who looks into the future with courage and optimism and that will make him a better flagbearer and subsequently President.



Sammi Awuku made this known when he was speaking in an interview on Accra-based Asempa FM in an interview.



He said he looks into the future with courage and optimism. Im fond of him and I think he will make a great President if the party opens nominations and he expresses interest in contesting for the flagbearership of the NPP.



He continued I asked him two critical questions and he told me his major focus is to create a future of opportunities for young people. He is very tolerant and that politics of inclusion is admirable. He also believes that with a coordinated effort, we can build a strong resilient country to make Ghana very formidable.



The former National Organiser of the NPP said another thing that puts him closer to Dr. Mamhudu Bawumia is his sacrifice for the political party indicating that the Vice President used 8 months of his life to defend the partys position in the Supreme Court; a feat which is worthy of praise.



If Dr Mahamudu Bawumia should declare his intentions to contest for the flagbearership, he should know that in the NPP we compete for everything. He should know that it will not be a walk in the park, he is going to be grilled and people can make an industry out of propaganda that will be used against him.



He is contesting against very strong men but I think he is Primus Inter Pares. So if the NPP opens nominations and he declares his intentions to contest I think he can give it a good shot and when he is confirmed by the NPP and the people of Ghana, I believe he will make a very good President, he said.













Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The PA Chamber of Business and Industrys for-profit insurance subsidiary has completed a deal with a Luzerne County business owner.

PA Chamber Insurance acquired its first purchase of a book of business, the total of all insurance accounts written by the insurance firm.

PA Chamber Insurance acquired the book of business from Gar Thomas, owner of Washko and Thomas Agency LLC, an employee benefits broker based in Hazleton that serviced small to mid-sized employers.

READ MORE: Cumberland County bank plans to expand into 3 more states after proposed merger

Thomas, an insurance broker, had previously partnered with PA Chamber Insurance and has since stayed on with the company as an independent contractor.

We are excited to work with Gar Thomas on this purchase  a first for our organization, but certainly not our last, Gil Davis, PA Chamber Insurance chief operating officer, said in a news release. As a small to mid-sized employee benefits broker, Gars book of business was perfectly fitting for PCIs business model since we work with so many similar companies who are aiming to find affordable, quality benefits plans for their employees.

Terms of the deal werent disclosed. The deal was completed on March 1.

The company said the acquisition is part of its strategic acquisition growth strategy. PA Chamber Insurance said it is interested in partnering with other insurance firms as well.

PA Chamber Insurance was founded in 1995 and is located at 417 Walnut St. in Harrisburg. The company offers benefits consulting and administrative services, group medical plans, and human resources consulting among other services.

--Business Buzz

Sign up for Eat, Shop, Go, a weekly report on food, restaurants, business, retail centers, things to do and places to go all around central Pa. Sign up for free by clicking here.
NEW YORK (AP)  An extraordinary moment in U.S. history is scheduled to unfold in a Manhattan courthouse on Tuesday: Former President Donald Trump, who faces multiple election-related investigations, will surrender to face criminal charges stemming from 2016 hush money payments.

The booking and arraignment are likely to be relatively brief  though hardly routine  as Trump is fingerprinted, learns the charges against him and pleads, as expected, not guilty.

Trump, who was impeached twice by the U.S. House but was never convicted in the U.S. Senate, will become the first former president to face criminal charges. The nations 45th commander in chief will be escorted from Trump Tower to the courthouse by the Secret Service and may have his mug shot taken.

New York police are braced for protests by Trump supporters, who share the Republican former presidents belief that the New York grand jury indictment and three additional pending investigations are politically motivated and intended to weaken his bid to retake the White House in 2024.

Trump, a former reality TV star, has been hyping that narrative to his political advantage, raising millions of dollars since the indictment on claims of a witch hunt. He has assailed the Manhattan district attorney, egged on supporters to protest and claimed without evidence that the judge presiding over the case hates me  something his own lawyer has said is not true.

Trump is scheduled to return to his Palm Beach, Florida, home, Mar-a-Lago, on Tuesday evening to hold a rally, punctuating his new reality: submitting to the dour demands of the American criminal justice system while projecting an aura of defiance and victimhood at celebratory campaign events.

A conviction would not prevent Trump from running for or winning the presidency in 2024.

Police guard the entrance to the Manhattan District Attorney's offices outside Manhattan Criminal Court, Tuesday, April 4, 2023, in New York. Former President Donald Trump is facing multiple charges of falsifying business records, including at least one felony offense, in the indictment handed up by a Manhattan grand jury. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)AP

Inside the Manhattan courtroom, prosecutors led by New Yorks district attorney, Alvin Bragg, a Democrat, are expected to unseal the indictment issued last week by a grand jury. This is when Trump and his defense lawyers will get their first glimpse of the precise allegations against him.

The indictment contains multiple charges of falsifying business records, including at least one felony offense, two people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press last week.

After the arraignment, Trump is expected to be released by authorities because the charges against him dont require that bail be set.

The investigation is scrutinizing six-figure payments made to porn actor Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal. Both say they had sexual encounters with the married Trump years before he got into politics. Trump denies having sexual liaisons with either woman and has denied any wrongdoing involving payments.

The arraignment will unfold against the backdrop of heavy security in New York, coming more than two years after Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol in a failed bid to halt the congressional certification of Democrat Joe Bidens win.

Though police said they had no intelligence suggesting any violence was likely, they were on high alert for any potential disruptions.

While there may be some rabble rousers thinking of coming to our city tomorrow, our message is clear and simple: Control yourselves, Mayor Eric Adams said at a news conference Monday.

Trump pollster John McLaughlin said the former president would approach the day with dignity.

He will be a gentleman, McLaughlin said. Hell show strength and hell show dignity and ... well get through this and win the election.

But Trump was also defiant. In a post late Monday night on his social media network he lashed out at Biden, suggesting the current president should be facing legal troubles of his own.

Despite that, the scene around Trump Tower and the courthouse where Trump will stand before a judge was quiet overnight. There were signs both supporting and decrying the former president stuck to posts, one urging passers-by to donate to help fund Trumps presidential library and another showing a shouting Trump behind bars.

The public fascination with the case was evident Monday as national television carried live images of Trumps motorcade from his Mar-a-Lago club to a private, red, white and blue Boeing 757 stenciled with his name. From there, Trump was flown to New York, where cameras followed his motorcade into Manhattan and he spent the night at Trump Tower as he prepared to turn himself in.

The former president and his aides are embracing the media circus. After initially being caught off guard when news of the indictment broke Thursday evening, Trump and his team are hoping to use the case to his advantage. Still, they asked the judge in a Monday filing to ban photo and video coverage of the arraignment.

Though prosecutors routinely insist that no person is above the law, bringing criminal charges against a former president carries instant logistical complications.

New Yorks ability to carry out safe and drama-free courthouse proceedings in a case involving a polarizing ex-president could be an important test case as prosecutors in Atlanta and Washington conduct their own investigations of Trump that could also result in charges. Those investigations concern efforts to undo the 2020 election results as well as the possible mishandling of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago.

Top Republicans, including some of Trumps potential rivals in next years GOP presidential primary, have decried the case against him. Biden, who has yet to formally announce that hes seeking reelection next year, and other leading Democrats have largely had little to say about it.

Prosecutors say their case against Trump has nothing to do with politics.

Tucker and Weissert reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Jill Colvin, Bobby Caina Calvan, Jennifer Peltz and Ted Shaffrey in New York contributed to this report.
PHILADELPHIA (AP)  A man has been sentenced to five years in federal prison in a police car set on fire outside Philadelphias City Hall during 2020 protests following the death of George Floyd.

Khalif Miller, 27, told a federal judge Monday he was sorry for his actions, which prosecutors described as throwing papers into a burning cruiser, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported. U.S. District Chief Judge Juan R. Sanchez imposed a 61-month term on obstructing law enforcement during a civil disorder and firearms counts.

Miller had earlier criticized the case against him but said Monday he now believes his behavior may have detracted from his aim of advocating for a larger role for mental health professionals in law enforcement.

I regret it. Honestly, I really regret it, he said.

Trial is scheduled later this month for a co-defendant, Anthony Smith, a well-known west Philadelphia activist. Carlos Matchett of Atlantic City, New Jersey was sentenced last month to 46 months in prison after pleading guilty to obstructing law enforcement during a civil disorder and traveling to incite a riot.

Two other defendants who pleaded guilty to setting fire to cars during the demonstration have been sentenced to shorter terms  Ayoub Tabri, of Arlington, Virginia to 364 days and Lore-Elisabeth Blumenthal of Jenkintown to 2 years.
By Rodrigo Torrejon, The Philadelphia Inquirer

Authorities arrested the Philadelphia man they say killed MarQuis MJ Jackson, a transgender man who was an advocate in the Philadelphia transgender community, and who had been on the run for months across the country.

Charles Mitchell, 40, of the 1800 block of Brunner Street in North Philadelphia, was taken into custody over the weekend by United States Marshals in Henderson, Nev., the Philadelphia District Attorneys Office announced Monday afternoon. Mitchell had been on the run since allegedly killing Jackson, 33, who was found dead in December in Mitchells backyard.

Authorities say Jackson had been beaten and left outside, with only a T-shirt and boxers on and without shoes, on a cold winter day.

Mitchell faces charges of murder, abuse of corpse, tampering with evidence, and related crimes. Authorities have said the motive for the crime was unclear. Jackson may have survived if he had received medical attention sooner, they said.

Police were called to the house in North Philadelphia on Dec. 14 and found Jacksons body in the backyard. An autopsy later revealed that he died of multiple blunt-force injuries to the head, and his death was ruled a homicide.

Markiya Jackson, Jacksons sister, learned of Mitchells arrest while she was out shopping on Monday afternoon. When she heard the news, she said, she started jumping up and down, screaming in relief that her brothers killer had finally been caught.

I cant even put into words what I feel now, she said in an interview. All I know is God is good. I prayed last night to my brother and God to get Charles off the streets.

Last month, District Attorney Larry Krasner and other authorities, at a news conference alongside friends and family of other Philadelphia transgender people who had been killed in recent years, identified Mitchell as the person they say beat Jackson to death.

Jackson was killed just weeks after the slaying of Shahere Diamond Jackson-McDonald, a transgender woman who was found shot to death in an apartment on the 400 block of Manheim Street in Germantown.

Authorities have not released the names of any suspects in her death and are calling on the public to help with any information about the case.

READ MORE: Student petition demands Pa. university cancel events featuring anti-transgender speakers
Police in Westmoreland County have charged a McDonalds employee with assault, claiming she attacked her co-worker with a drive-thru headset.

TribLive reports that police in Lower Burrell charged Nicole Monique Brundage, 36, with misdemeanor courts simple assault and criminal mischief, and cited her for harassment.

According to a criminal complaint, the officers responded to a 911 call around 3 p.m. on March 9 for a fight between two McDonalds employees. According to the victim, who was on her third day working at the restaurant, she asked Brundage for help while working at the drive-thru window. Brundage then reportedly made a vulgar comment in response, which led to an argument between the two.

The woman informed her supervisor, who said Brundage would be sent home for the day. But according to the complaint, the woman and Brundage began arguing again, and Brundage threw the drive-thru headseat at her, striking her in the head and breaking the $900 piece of equipment.

The woman claimed that Brundage then pushed her into a fryer station, and the victim then hid in the restroom until police arrived. Police said the womans temple was red and she complained of a headache after being struck, and was later treated at an urgent care medical center for a mild concussion.

Brundage is scheduled for a preliminary hearing before a district judge on May 23.
Its hard to keep up with technologys ever-changing nature.

Some people, however, are for more adept at keeping up with technology than others.

Electric  an IT services company that creates a unique ecosystem of Technology and humans working together to take IT off your plate  conducted and published a study which determined each U.S. states tech-savviness.

This was done by sending out a survey to nearly 1,050 people across the country to get a pulse on their tech knowledge. Google Trends data was also used to find out the search volume for different tech-related queries.

Pennsylvania was found to have its strength and weaknesses as far as technology goes, being third overall for searches in how to uninstall apps. Philadelphia was also ranked seventh in a list of cities with the most tech inquiries.

Generally, what has Americans the most baffled technologically-speaking was Zoom meetings, with the study finding the top search query to be How to join Zoom meeting. Following in second was another Zoom-related question: How to change Zoom virtual background.

Unsurprisingly, in breaking down tech-savviness by generation, Gen-Z was found to be the most likely to solve issues themselves.

Tech issues, and the time it takes to fix them, are eating into employees time and productivity and costing companies thousands of dollars every year, concludes the study. Offering technical training and upskilling opportunities could help resolve basic tech issues and get people back to work faster.

But investing in new tech and IT solutions is likely the best way to go for those looking to set up their team up for success.
A post office in Mount Joy has been renamed and dedicated to the memory of a local resident and World War II veteran.

The post office at 1. E. Main Street has been dedicated to Harold W. Billow, who was born in Millersburg in 1922 and moved to Mount Joy at age 6, where he lived until his death in 2022.

Billow served in the United States Army during World War II, and was attached to Battery B of the 285th Field Artillery Observation Battalion as a technician. He participated in the Omaha Beach landing and was a veteran of the Battle of the Bulge.

In that battle, Billow was captured and survived the Malmedy Massacre, in which soldiers of the Waffen-SS executed more than 80 American prisoners of war who had surrendered. At the time of his death, Billow was the last-known living survivor of the massacre.

Billow was also a trustee of the Trinity EC Church of Mount Joy, a member of area VFW and American Legion posts, and the Mount Joy fire department.

Harold Billow with Congressman Lloyd Smucker, who introduced legislation to rename a Mount Joy post office after Billow. Photo courtesy of the Office of Congressman Smucker.

The dedication ceremony was held at St. Marks United Methodist Church in Mount Joy, and attended by U.S. congressman Lloyd Smucker and Pennsylvania state representative Tom Jones, along with Nathan Luttringer of the United States Postal Service.

Im thankful that our community will be able to honor an Mr. Harold Billow, an American hero, and an exceptional member of the Greatest Generation, Smucker said in press release, after introducing the legislation to Congress for the post office to be renamed. He selflessly served our nation as a member of the United States Armed Forces and after his service displayed his steadfast patriotism remembering the 87 fellow soldiers lost during the Malmedy Massacre by displaying 87 American flags in his front yard on holidays throughout the year. May we always remember, honor, and give thanks for Mr. Billows service to our nation.

The plaque commemorating Billow will be installed at the post office in the coming weeks.
Easter Sunday is right around the corner.

And a city in Pennsylvania has just been crowned the top spot in the U.S. to celebrate the holiday.

WalletHub conducted and published a study that graded each of the countrys 100 most populated cities across four key dimensions to see which were the best for Easter: Easter Observers; Easter Traditions; Kids Easter; and Easter Weather.

This was done by weighing relevant metrics such as Share of Christian Population and Google Search Interest for Easter Celebration into each of these dimensions before scoring them out of 100. Overall scores were then calculated and cities, ranked.

It was thus determined that Pittsburgh was the first place titleholder, coming in fourth overall in just the Easter Observers category and third in Easter Traditions (and also fourth when it came to having the most Candy & Chocolate Shops per Capita). Rounding out the top three were Buffalo, N.Y., and El Paso, Texas, in second and third, respectively.

How about the worst cities for Easter, though? Those would be: Virginia Beach, Va. (98th); Henderson, Nev. (99th); and North Las Vegas, Nev. (100th).

Easter is typically a big consumer holiday that rakes in billions and gives Americans toothaches, the study reads. In fact, 80% of Americans celebrated the holiday last year, and this year consumers are expected to spend $24 billion, according to the National Retail Federation.

For Christians, however, Easter is less of a commercial event than a holy experience, the study adds. It not only marks the end of Lent  a 40-day period of fasting, reflection, prayer, and repentance followed directly by Easter Sunday  but also celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ and represents the new covenant between God and humanity.

Philadelphia gets an honorable mention in the 35th overall spot.
Govt provides UAH 5.1 mln to State Emergency Service to reimburse costs of aid provided to Turkiye in earthquake relief

The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has provided UAH 5.1 million to the State Emergency Service to reimburse expenses related to the cost of aid provided to Turkiye in earthquake relief.

As the representative of the Cabinet of Ministers in the Verkhovna Rada, Taras Melnychuk, said on his Telegram channel, the decision was made at a government meeting on Tuesday.

In particular, UAH 5.124 million were provided to the Ministry of Internal Affairs (for the State Emergency Service) to reimburse the costs associated with providing aid to the Republic of Turkiye in earthquake relief.
The night before he died, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., gave what has been called his Ive Been to the Mountaintop speech.

King was in Memphis, Tennessee, with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, which he founded, to support a strike by sanitation workers. King said about the strike - The issue is injustice. The issue is the refusal of Memphis to be fair and honest in its dealings with its public servants, who happen to be sanitation workers and that Memphis is not being fair to them.

King said that 1,300 of Gods children here are suffering, sometimes going hungry, going through dark and dreary nights wondering how this thing is going to come out. Thats the issue.

King had asked his friend, the Rev. Ralph Abernathy, to talk to the crowd at the Mason Temple Church because he was not feeling well. It was a rainy, stormy evening. The crowd was reportedly so disappointed that King was not there that Abernathy called him and asked him to attend.

During that speech, King talked about the assassination attempt when he was stabbed by a Black woman with a letter opener on Sept. 20, 1958.

And he said, Weve got some difficult days ahead. But it really doesnt matter with me now, because Ive been to the mountaintop. And I dont mind.

Like anybody, I would like to live  a long life; longevity has its place. But Im not concerned about that now. I just want to do Gods will. And Hes allowed me to go up to the mountain. And Ive looked over. And Ive seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the Promised Land.

So Im happy, tonight. Im not worried about anything. Im not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.

The Mountaintop speech was the last that the civil rights leader ever gave.

The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. stands with other civil rights leaders on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tenn., on April 3, 1968, a day before he was assassinated at approximately the same place. From left are Hosea Williams, Jesse Jackson, King, and Ralph Abernathy. The 39-year-old Nobel Laureate was the proponent of non-violence in the 1960's American civil rights movement. (AP Photo/Charles Kelly, file)ASSOCIATED PRESS

He planned to speak again on April 4, 1968. King asked musician Ben Branch to play, Precious Lord, Take My Hand.

King made the request of Branch as he emerged from Room 306 on the second floor of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, on April 4, 1968.

The civil rights leader and Nobel Prize winner talked with Branch and Jesse Jackson while leaning on the green railing.

As the three men talked a gunshot pierced the air around 6 p.m. and hit King.

According to a New York Times Wire Service story, King was rushed to St. Josephs Hospital.

The director of Memphis Police and Fire Departments, said, I and all the citizens of Memphis regret the murder of Dr. King and all resources at our and the states command will be used to apprehend the person or persons responsible.

The story goes on to say, Dr. King had been bleeding profusely from what appeared to be a huge wound in the right jaw or neck area as he lay face up on the concrete walkway before he was taken away in a fire department ambulance.

His eyes appeared first half-closed then open and staring. One of his closest aides, James Bevel, grief-stricken, said after Dr. King was removed, I think hes gone. King was pronounced dead a little more than an hour after the shooting.

After the shooting, the wire service reported, police poured into the area around the Lorraine Motel on Milberry Street where Dr. King was shot. They carried shotguns and rifles and sealed off the block, refusing to allow entry to newsmen and others.

The casket bearing the body of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., is taken up a loading ramp and placed aboard an airliner in Memphis, Tennessee, for a trip to Atlanta, Georgia, April 5, 1968. The Rev. Ralph Abernathy, who has been named to replace Dr. King as head of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, stands in the doorway of the plane. (AP Photo, file)AP

King, 39, was killed by a single shot to the face fired by James Earl Ray from a rooming house across the street.

Outrage over his killing resulted in rioting, looting and arson in more than 100 cities in the United States  Detroit, Michigan; Washington, D.C.; Atlanta, Georgia; Newark, New Jersey; Baltimore ,Maryland and Chicago, Illinois.

According to the newspaper report, 4,000 National Guard troops were ordered into Memphis by Gov. Buford Ellington immediately after the shooting and a curfew was imposed on the city.

Branch said the shot came from the hill on the other side of the street. He added: When I looked up, the police and sheriffs deputies were running all around. The bullet exploded in his face.

Kings funeral was held April 9 in Atlanta, his hometown, at Ebenezer Baptist Church. A second service followed at Morehouse College.

After the shooting, Ray hid for a month in Toronto, Ontario, and acquired a Canadian passport under the false name of Ramon George Sneyd.

He was captured on June 8, 1968, at Londons Heathrow Airport. On March 10, 1969, Ray pleaded guilty to killing King. Ray was sentenced to 99 years in prison but later recanted his confession and tried to get a new trial.

He escaped from Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary in Petros, Tennessee, on June 10, 1977, with seven other inmates. They were recaptured three days later. A year was added to Rays sentence. Ray died in prison on April 23, 1998, at the age of 70.

On Aug. 28, 1963, King had delivered his historic I Have a Dream speech at the Lincoln Memorial for the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.

The march and rally drew about 260,000 people, according to the NAACP. The event was organized by civil rights leaders aimed at outrage over racial inequities.

Marchers wanted passage of the Civil Rights Act that was stalled in Congress.

King said, I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal. I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood.

King received the Nobel Peace Prize on Dec. 10, 1964, for his nonviolent campaign against racism. The ceremony took place in Oslo, Norway. King was 35 at the time and the youngest man to ever receive the prize.
A woman suspected of involvement in a bombing at a St. Petersburg cafe that killed a Russian military blogger is set to face a court hearing in the Russian capital Tuesday that will set terms for her pre-trial detention.

Vladlen Tatarsky, 40, an ardent supporter of the war in Ukraine who filed daily reports on the fighting from the front lines, was killed Sunday as he led a discussion at the riverside cafe in the historic heart of St. Petersburg, Russias second-largest city. Russian authorities described the bombing as an act of terrorism and blamed Ukrainian intelligence agencies for orchestrating the attack.

Police arrested 26-year-old St. Petersburg resident Darya Trepova, who was seen on video moments before the blast presenting Tatarsky with a statuette that is believed to have contained explosives.

This grab taken from video released by the Russian Interior Ministry Press Service on Monday, April 3, 2023, shows Darya Trepova, a 26-year-old St. Petersburg resident suspected of involvement in a bombing at a St. Petersburg cafe. Anti-Terrorist Committee said Monday that the attack on Vladlen Tatarsky was "planned by Ukrainian special services." Russia's Investigative Committee reported the arrest of Darya Tryopova, a St. Petersburg resident suspected of involvement in the attack. (Russian Interior Ministry Press Service via AP)Russian Interior Ministry Press Service via AP

The Interior Ministry released a video in which Trepova told a police officer that she brought the bust to the cafe. When asked who gave it to her, she said she would explain later. The circumstances under which Trepova spoke were unclear, including whether she was under duress.

The National Anti-Terrorist Committee, which coordinates counterterrorism operations, said the bombing was planned by Ukrainian special services, noting Trepova was an active supporter of imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Last year, Trepova was arrested and spent 10 days in custody after taking part in an anti-war rally.

Ukrainian authorities did not directly respond to the accusation, but President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in reference to the attack that he doesnt think about events in Russia, and his top adviser described the bombing as part of Russias internal turmoil.

While Trepova was arrested in St. Petersburg, her case was sent to Moscow, where the headquarters of the countrys top investigative agencies are located, in an apparent reflection of its high priority. Trepova will face a hearing Tuesday at Moscows Basmanny District Court that is expected to order her to be held in custody pending the investigation. Russian law envisions a life sentence for terrorist crimes.

According to Russian media reports, Trepova told investigators she was asked to deliver the bust, but didnt know what was inside it.

The bombing, which injured 40 other people, 25 of whom have been hospitalized, was the latest attack inside Russia on a high-profile pro-war figure. Last year, a nationalist TV commentator was assassinated when a bomb exploded in her SUV outside Moscow.

Tatarsky was the pen name of Maxim Fomin, who had accumulated more than 560,000 followers on his Telegram messaging app channel. Tatarsky, who joined separatists in eastern Ukraine after a Moscow-backed insurgency erupted there in 2014, fought on the front lines for years before turning to blogging.

Military bloggers have become increasingly visible, supporting the war but occasionally exposing flaws in Russian military strategy while the Kremlin has shut independent media outlets and muzzled any criticism of the war.
Federal authorities expect to return a 13-year-old boys remains to his Native American tribe in South Dakota this fall, they said last week. The statement comes days after the tribe urged for a faster return of the child who died at a federal boarding school for Indigenous children in 1879.

The Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate wrote to the head of the U.S. Armys cemetery office earlier in March, demanding movement on their effort to have the remains of Amos LaFromboise repatriated from a graveyard at the Carlisle Barracks, a military facility in Pennsylvania.

The letter from three lawyers with the Native American Rights Fund to Army Cemeteries Executive Director Karen Durham-Aguilera describes the child as the son of one of the tribes most celebrated leaders, Chief Joseph LaFromboise, who signed an 1867 treaty that established their current reservation boundaries.

The Office of Army Cemeteries emailed a statement saying that Amos LaFromboises disinterment was approved a year ago and that the Army also told the boys family and the tribes chair last summer that his remains will be returned in 2023. His disinterment will be entirely at the Armys expense, the office said.

The Army currently plans to conduct the disinterment of Amos this September and the required Federal Register Notice will be published in the next 60 days, according to the statement.

The tribe argues that the Army has been requiring repatriation standards that are more demanding than those in the federal Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, mandating a signed affidavit from the childs closest living relative, which can be difficult or impossible for 19th century remains.

Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate expected Amos to return home from Carlisle Indian Industrial School, they wrote, to lead his people like his father and serve as a model for future generations of Tribal leaders.

Lawyers for the tribe said Friday their request stands to have Amos LaFromboise repatriated under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act and that the tribe is willing to discuss the next steps.

Amos LaFromboise died 20 days after his arrival at Carlisle the year the school opened. The tribes letter says the Army has previously dug up and reburied his remains at least three times in three different locations. The Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate want to bury him next to his father on the Lake Traverse Reservation in northeast South Dakota.

Tribe historians say six children of tribal leaders were sent to Carlisle in 1879. Three of the boys died there and a fourth passed away shortly after he returned home.

At a ceremony two years ago to return nine disinterred remains of Rosebud Sioux children, U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said forced assimilation practices at Indian schools stripped away the childrens clothing, language and culture.

The Carlisle school put children through harsh conditions that sometimes resulted in their deaths. Founded by an Army officer, the school cut their braids, dressed them in military-style uniforms and punished them for speaking their native languages. European names were forced upon them.

More than 10,000 Native American children were taught there and endured harsh conditions that sometimes led to death from such diseases as tuberculosis. There have been several rounds of disinterment and repatriation at Carlisle in recent years.

 By MARK SCOLFORO Associated Press
Two teenagers were injured in a shooting Monday night that happened in a park across the street from a Philadelphia high school, according to 6ABC and Fox29.

It all began just after 8:30 p.m. on the block of Solly Avenue in the citys Holmesburg section, across from Father Judge High School, when officers from the Philadelphia Police Department were called for reports of gunshots. Police then came across a 16-year-old boy and a 17-year-old boy who were both suffering from gunshot wounds to the legs, according to reports.

Both were transported to Jefferson-Torresdale Hospital and were listed in stable condition.
MINNEAPOLIS  Viewers of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources EagleCam were heartbroken over the weekend as they watched strong winds from a severe weather system whip a nest holding a newly hatched eaglet out of a tree.

The nature livestream captured the moment the nest fell Sunday morning. A mother eagle crouched in the snow-filled nest as it swayed precariously in the wind. A branch snapped, and the nest collapsed as the mother flew backward. The young eagle was later found dead on the ground, the department said in a statement.

I was actually crying, said Denise Chung, who said she and her kids watched the nest fall in real time. She told The Associated Press it hit her particularly hard because she knew the eagle lost its baby. I dont know if it would have hit me so hard if I werent a mom.

The nest weighed over 2,000 pounds (907 kilograms) and was over 20 years old, the statement said. The department said heavy snow that fell over the weekend  coupled with the weight of the nest  likely just became too much for the branch to support.

Minnesotas EagleCam has mesmerized viewers around the globe for years. People from 180 countries and all 50 U.S. states tuned in three years ago to watch other eaglets hatch, said Department of Natural Resources information officer Lori Naumann.

During the pandemic, a lot of people couldnt get outside, Naumann said. So, they tended to turn to nature cameras for mental health improvement.

Over 15,000 people are members of Facebook groups dedicated to Minnesotas EagleCam, including Chung, who told the AP that she has followed the EagleCam for about four years with her kids and husband.

Chung said she posted to Facebook after the nest fell because she couldnt get through to the Department of Natural Resources on the phone. She didnt know the department was already sending staff to help, so she wanted to alert others that the chick  which had just hatched days earlier  was in danger.

The adult eagles were seen flying around the area after the nest fell, the departments statement said. Though the nesting season is too short for the mother to lay another egg this year, the department said it is likely that the parents will rebuild in the same area because eagles are loyal to their territory.

In this video screenshot from Minnesotas EagleCam provided by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, an eagle flaps its wings as its nest starts to be blown away by strong winds in Ramsey County, Minn., Sunday, April 2, 2023.AP

This is an emotional time for all of us, but please refrain from visiting the nest, the department said. This was already a major disturbance for the eagles and many visitors will only cause more stress.

The department said the camera will stay on for now.

Trisha Ahmed of The Associated Press/Report for America wrote this story.

Trisha Ahmed 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 Trisha Ahmed on Twitter: @TrishaAhmed15

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A shooting that occurred at a Hazelton, Luzerne County, restaurant Monday morning left at least two people injured, according to reports from WNEP and WBRE/WYOU.

The shooting came after a fight that occurred between several people at the Pleasure Lounge club in Lehighton, Carbon County, earlier in the day. The fighting continued after authorities removed the group from the area. The group then ended up in Hazelton, outside the Sazon Latino restaurant on the corner of North Wyoming and East Maple streets.

Around 6:30 a.m., one person involved in the fight entered the restaurant and began shooting multiple times inside the building. Another person returned fire and the suspect left the bar.

Two people were injured during the shooting and were taken to a trauma center for treatment, but their current conditions are unknown at this time, according to reports.

This morning, my mother is like she usually doing every single day, she opened early, and someone come from the street and with the gun in the hand and just started shooting everywhere and like he dont care like nothing, restaurant owner Edward Sirvestre said to WNEP.

According to Sirvestre, this is the first time something like this has happened at his restaurant since he opened 18 years ago.

One party came here, and then the other party followed him in shooting, and you can see it in the video, he said to WNEP.

Authorities have gotten a hold of the surveillance video and it is now part of the investigation.

Police are asking the public for anyone with additional information to contact them.

Read More:
WILLIAMSPORT  The Lycoming County district attorney has confirmed his preliminary finding that state troopers were justified in killing a man who fired on them after he fatally shot three individuals.

District Attorney Ryan C. Gardner in November issued a preliminary finding but waited until he obtained reports from state police about the Nov. 5 shooting rampage in rural northeastern Lycoming County before making his final determination.

Gardner said Tuesday he reviewed voluminous investigative reports and mobile video recordings in reaching the conclusion troopers from Bloomsburg were justified in killing Brian Alan Taylor, 54.

The exchange of gunfire occurred after Taylor had killed his wife Linda, 60, in their home off Route 118 in the Unityville area, his sister Andrea J. (Taylor) Meek, 52, and Jerry Zehring, 55, of Lebanon.

It is clear from Taylors actions that his sole purpose was to blaze a trail of homicidal mayhem, Gardner wrote in his report.

Taylors erratic and assaultive behavior coupled with his subsequent refusal to comply with the very reasonable demands of law enforcement clearly demonstrate his homicidal and/or suicidal intent, he said.

Discharging his firearm at troopers following their arrival on scene demonstrates a total disregard for criminal consequences.

Orange circles visible on Route 239 west of the Route 118 in rural eastern Lycoming County were placed there by state police to aid in aerial mapping of the various crime scenes where three people were fatally shot Saturday and the gunman was killed by state police. Nov. 6, 2022

The ongoing risk that he posed to passing motorists on public roadways was significant and his blatant disregard for human life and personal property cannot be disputed.

The prosecutor cited sections of the Crimes Codes to support his determination the shooting was justified.

Although I am certain that not one trooper responding to this call envisioned the episode resulting in the loss of life, it is difficult to fathom an alternative outcome under these circumstances, Gardner wrote.

The residents of Jordan Twp. should be incredibly thankful for the quick, decisive and courageous efforts of the troopers who responded to the call, he said.

I remain certain that but for their actions, Taylor would have continued on his relentless homicidal path of destruction, he said.

This is the summary of what took place in about a 30-minute span on Nov. 5 as taken from Gardners report:

At 9:33 a.m. state police at Bloomsburg received a telephone call from a female that a male pointed a rifle and shot twice at her and her baby as she was driving near the intersection of Routes 118 and 239.

The shooter was identified as an older male with a gray beard, no glasses and wearing a gray shirt, dark pants and operating a blue utility vehicle.

At 9:44 a.m. the four responding troopers were notified via radio that a report was received of a shooting in the 4000 block of Route 239 in Jordan Township and that CPR was in progress.

The troopers were advised that the location of this shooting was up the road from their initial response location. Bloomsburg troopers responded because they were closer than those from Montoursville.

As the troopers arrived at the Routes 239/118 intersection they were advised the male was shooting at a residence in the 4000 block of Route 239.

As they approached that scene they observed a male in the middle of the highway holding a gun who matched the description provided by the female. A blue UTV (Utility Task Vehicle) was seen parked on the south side of the roadway.

The uniformed troopers exited their marked patrol vehicles, gave verbal commands to put up your hands and stop moving but the male ran into the woods.

Andrea J. Meek was a 1988 graduate of the Hughesville High School and was employed as a property coordinator at the Red Rock Job Corps. She died Nov. 5.

An SUV traveling southeast on Route 239 stopped next to the UTV and shots were fired. It was determined no trooper had discharged a weapon.

At 9:50 a.m. more gunshots were heard from the area where the male had run. The troopers had reason to believe the suspect was shooting at them because they could hear bullets hitting trees around them.

Following the additional gunshots, the SUV proceeded to travel toward the troopers. They observed one tire was flat leading them to suspect it had been hit by gunfire.

At 9:52 a.m., additional verbal commands were directed at the male to come out with your hands up.

He did not do as instructed but walked out of the woods with a rifle and stood next to the UTV.

That is when a trooper discharged his firearm at the suspect male causing the male to bunch up and fall behind the UTV. Troopers then shouted additional commands to show his hands and to stop moving.

The male then rolled from behind the UTV toward the wood line and continued to move around despite the verbal commands to stop moving.

The troopers discharged additional rounds while advancing their position in the direction of the male suspect.

Despite verbal commands to cease moving, the male suspect continued to move around causing the troopers to fire more rounds.

After the third time troopers discharged their firearms and the male stopped moving. The troopers ran to the male suspect, removed the firearm that was lying next to him and immediately began rendering aid.

At 9:57 a.m. troopers radioed that emergency medical personal could be sent to the scene. At 10:02 the troopers radioed he had died.

An autopsy determined Taylor died from multiple gunshot wounds and that methamphetamine and THC, the main psychoactive compound in marijuana, were found in his blood.

Police did not discover until after Taylor was shot that his wife, sister and Zehring had been killed. Zehring had a cabin in the area and had just shot a deer.

State police previously said they believe the shootings stemmed from a domestic incident between Taylor and his wife but they did not know what caused him to flip out.

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Former President Donald Trump may be considering using a mugshot from his arrest in New York as part of his 2024 presidential campaign, according to a new report.

Three people familiar with the situation told Rolling Stone that aides and advisers are pushing to release Trumps booking photo for a fundraising drive and/or campaign merchandise, such as T-shirts, posters and hats. Trump surrendered to authorities Tuesday at a Manhattan courthouse, where he was fingerprinted and processed, including a possible mug shot.

Heading to Lower Manhattan, the Courthouse. Seems so SURREAL  WOW, they are going to ARREST ME. Cant believe this is happening in America. MAGA! Trump wrote earlier Tuesday on his social media platform Truth Social.

Trump, who was impeached twice by the U.S. House but never convicted in the U.S. Senate, is the first former president of the United States to face criminal charges. He will be arraigned on multiple charges of falsifying business records, including at least one felony offense, centered largely on hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election.

However, if Trump does pose for a booking photo, the decision to release the mugshot may be up to him. Under New York state law, booking photos cannot be released unless police determine there is a legitimate law enforcement purpose to sharing the image, such as searching for a suspect at large.

According to Rolling Stone, that means the release of a Trump mugshot could be delayed until Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg hands off case materials to Trumps legal term. Trump could then release it himself -- or it could leak due to massive public interest in the historic case -- and then use it for fundraising. (Trumps fundraising team said it raised more than $4 million within 24 hours after a grand jury voted to indict Trump Thursday.)

Fox News host Pete Hegseth agreed with the idea on Fox & Friends Weekend, telling viewers that the photo could make him a hero, and be popular in dorm rooms like images of celebrities like Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Mick Jagger, Jimi Hendrix and Frank Sinatra. Presidential historian Douglas Brinkley told NPR that it could also make him like an outlaw folk hero, referencing John Dillinger, Billy the Kid and Al Capone.

He didnt commit to requesting the mugshot [yet], but he didnt sound opposed to [these ideas], a source told Rolling Stone.
DOVER, Del. A lawsuit against the University of Delaware over its campus shutdown and halting of in-person classes because of coronavirus can proceed as a class action on behalf of thousands of students who were enrolled and paid tuition in spring 2020, a federal judge has ruled.

Fridays decision came just days before a scheduled hearing this week on the universitys request for the judge to rule in its favor without a trial. That hearing has been postponed indefinitely.

In his ruling, Judge Stephanos Bibas rejected the University of Delawares argument that the plaintiffs, who accuse the school of breach of contract and unjust enrichment, lacked standing to sue. The university also argued unsuccessfully that it is impossible to know who actually paid tuition because some students may have used outside sources like scholarships.

Those students, no less than students who paid out of their own pockets, were parties to a contract that U. Delaware allegedly breached, wrote the judge, who noted that the only students excluded from the class would be those who received full rides.

According to the ruling, more than 17,000 undergraduates were enrolled at the University of Delaware in spring 2020, and the university collected more than $160 million in tuition.

The plaintiffs have argued that, before the pandemic, the school treated in-person and online classes as separate offerings and charged more for some in-person programs than they did for similar online classes. They also noted that the university charged them fees for the gym, student centers, and the health center, sometimes at higher rates than those paid by online students, and that the school kept those fees while denying them the services.

The plaintiffs are seeking partial refunds of their spring 2020 tuition, having earlier agreed to dismiss their claims arising from student fees.

The university claimed that none of the named plaintiffs who brought the lawsuit paid tuition.

That is false, Bibas wrote. The named plaintiffs paid tuition, through either loans or cash from their parents.

Whether students were part-time or full-time might affect the damages to which they are entitled but does not affect the schools liability, the judge added.

Bibas previously ruled that the plaintiffs had plausibly alleged that the school implicitly promised them in-person classes, activities and services. I anticipate looking at evidence of how U. Delaware advertised itself and whether students were attending classes in person before the pandemic, he said.

The judge previously rejected the universitys argument that it expressly reserved the right to go online, but he noted Friday that the plaintiffs right to restitution depends on the schools net enrichment.

If U. Delaware got a greater benefit than the students, then it was probably unjust for the school to keep the students money, as that enrichment has no basis in a valid agreement, Bibas wrote. But if an online education in spring 2020 was worth full tuition, then there was no net enrichment.

The judge said net enrichment will be measured by taking the amount the university received from each student and subtracting the fair market value of the services it provided to each  a calculation he acknowledged will be difficult. The fact that some students may have had better grades in spring 2020 than in previous semesters, or that some joined more clubs or took more advantage of student services than others did, is not relevant in that calculation, he said.

These services are available to all students for the same fixed price. And though students may make more or less [or better or worse] use of them, that does not change their fair market value, the judge wrote.

Randall Chase of The Associated Press wrote this story.

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U.S. Sen. John Fetterman has been diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, cardiomyopathy, stroke, and depression  common medical conditions that affect millions of Americans.

His latest diagnosis may be his most common one yet: hearing loss.

On March 31, when Fetterman was released from the hospital after being treated for depression, his office said he also had been diagnosed with mild to moderate sensorineural hearing loss and was fitted for hearing aids.

Hearing loss affects an estimated 50 million Americans, and sensorineural hearing loss is the most common form of it.

Yet by getting hearing aids, Fetterman is taking an uncommon approach: actually doing something about the problem. Four out of five people who could benefit from hearing aids do not wear them, according to the Hearing Loss Association of America.

For more on Fettermans type of hearing loss, and whether it might be connected to his stroke and his related issues with auditory processing, we spoke to Linsday Bondurant, director of the Pennsylvania Ear Institute at Salus University in Elkins Park, and Alexandra Costlow, a clinical audiologist at Jefferson Health.

What is sensorineural hearing loss?

When sound waves enter the inner ear, they stimulate thousands of tiny hair cells, which transmit the signal to the auditory nerve, which in turn delivers it to the brain.

Sensorineural hearing loss is the result of a problem with either of those structures, the auditory nerve or the hair cells.

In most cases, its the latter  typically the result of exposure to loud noise, Bondurant said. Over time, noise damages hair cells so much that they no longer are able to detect and transmit sound. Aging and genetics also can contribute to the deterioration, Costlow said.

Sen. John Fetterman was discharged from a D.C. hospital where was being treated for major depression on March 31, 2023. Photo provided by the U.S. Senate.

Often, the first sign of hearing loss comes in the higher pitches. Thats because the hair cells that detect higher frequencies are more vulnerable to loud noise than the cells that detect lower frequencies, Costlow said. Damage to the hair cells also can cause sounds to seem distorted.

Sensorineural hearing loss usually develops gradually. But it also can come on suddenly, as the result of medical conditions that include autoimmune disease, Lyme disease, multiple sclerosis, and non-cancerous tumors called acoustic neuromas, according to the American Academy of Audiology.

Is Fettermans hearing loss from his stroke?

Sensorineural hearing loss also can be caused by a stroke, if the blockage occurs in the delicate blood vessels in the part of the brain that surrounds the inner ear, Bondurant said.

The microvasculature around the inner ear is very delicate and susceptible to changes in blood flow, she said. Changes in blood flow could result in hair cells dying.

Fettermans office has not disclosed where the blockage in his brain occurred, or whether it contributed to his hearing loss.

But years of noise exposure is the more likely explanation for hearing loss in people in their 50s, Bondurant said. Fetterman is 53.

In his age range, I would be more inclined to say noise exposure was a contributing factor, she said.

What about his auditory processing?

Even if Fettermans stroke did not damage his hearing, it did impair his brains ability to perform a suite of tasks known as auditory processing.

These skills include recognizing sounds as speech, mapping them against known words, and formulating a spoken response. He underwent months of therapy to improve his speaking ability, though he still has continued to stumble.

The added burden of a hearing loss means his auditory processing deficits must have been even more of a challenge, Bondurant said.

Anything that results in a distorted signal reaching the brain, its going to make it harder for the brain to decipher the incoming information, she said, The brain has to work that much harder to comprehend whats coming in.

So his hearing aids, though they are meant to treat his hearing loss, also could help Fetterman to overcome unrelated auditory processing deficits, she said.

The clearer we can make that incoming signal, she said, the easier its going to be for the brain to make sense of the information.

What is mild to moderate hearing loss?

Fettermans office said he was diagnosed with mild to moderate hearing loss.

The term is widely used, but Costlow is not a fan, as it makes it sound as if the patient has a minor issue.

Its a bit of a misnomer, the Jefferson audiologist said. Mild to moderate hearing loss could cause significant difficulty in communication.

According to the CDC, a person with mild hearing loss may have trouble with hearing soft sounds, whereas a person with moderate hearing loss may struggle to hear speech even at a normal level. People with mild to moderate hearing loss may first perceive the problem in crowds or other noisy settings.

Hearing aids can help, as they can be programmed with multiple customized settings to compensate for the wearers surroundings  perhaps with one program that muffles the background noise in a noisy restaurant, and another setting that neutralizes the echoes in a large auditorium.

Until last year, people with mild to moderate hearing loss could get hearing aids only after being evaluated by an audiologist or licensed hearing-aid dispenser. In August, the FDA authorized the sale of over-the-counter hearing aids to people with mild to moderate hearing loss, meaning they no longer need to get tested by a professional.

Fettermans office did not provide details about his hearing tests, saying simply that he was evaluated and fitted for hearing aids.

That suggests he got traditional prescription hearing aids from an audiologist, who could help him program, adjust, and learn to use the device as needed, Bondurant said.

Someone who is in lots of meetings and different environments, like he is, would be better off going the prescription hearing-aid route, she said. They can be tailored to all these different listening environments.

Tom Avril of The Philadelphia Inquirer wrote this story.

(c)2023 The Philadelphia Inquirer

Visit The Philadelphia Inquirer at www.inquirer.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and British Foreign Minister James Cleverly discussed strengthening Ukraine's counter-offensive capabilities during a meeting in Brussels.

I met with James Cleverly to discuss strengthening Ukraines counter-offensive capabilities. We both agreed that Russia has to leave Ukraine for the war to stop. I also emphasized that NATO membership for Ukraine will prevent future aggressions in Europe, Kuleba said on Twitter.
The National Weather Service continued its busy assessment of damage Monday from the weekends tornado outbreak, confirming a sixth twister struck Lower Bucks County April 1 like a joke from Mother Nature gone awry as a warm, sunny evening suddenly turned threatening and dark, sending thousands of residents in the region to their basements.

Investigators said the Bucks tornado emerged from a line of strong storms that moved through the county, snapping and uprooting trees. The cyclone emerged about 6:46 p.m. in Wrightstown Township near Swamp Road, continuing to tear down trees on the Bucks County Community College Campus.

It blew off a roof facade of a strip mall in Newtown, with a continuous path of damage that ended near Newtown Cemetery.

Investigators had no further information on that tornado as of Monday morning.

Burlington County

But another tornado roughed up multiple Burlington County towns rimming the Delaware River around the same time, packing 100 mph winds in a continuous path of destruction six miles long and 600 yards wide, while toppling hundreds of trees, downing power lines and ripping roof shingles off homes.

The National Weather Service released the strength and path of that tornado, one of four others Saturday night that touched down from Delaware to the Shore, though no injuries were reported.

I have never heard a wind like that, ever, Kristin Parry of Riverton Road, Cinnaminson recalled. It was followed by a big boom, like a shotgun, and a loud snapping. It all happened so fast.

Two large pine trees toppled on her front lawn, luckily away from the house, but tearing down power lines and contributing to power outages that left the area dark.

The tornado registered as an EF1 (Enhanced Fujita Scale), meaning winds were in the range of 86 to 110 mph as it tore through Cinnaminson, Delran and Moorestown. But high winds also ripped through Palmyra and Riverton. A 1 is the lowest rating on the scale, which goes to 5 with winds over 200 mph.

That tornado and the others were the result of a strong line of thunderstorms that moved through western Burlington County about 7 p.m. April 1.

The tornado touched down in Cinnaminson near Riverton Road and Woodside Lane, blew through neighboring Delran and chugged through parts of Moorestownbefore it was over.

Mature trees throughout the communities were snapped like twigs and uprooted. The strongest wind damage occurred near Wynwood Drive and Locust Lanewhere most of one roof of a single family home was ripped off.

The tornado continued across U.S. Route 130 eventually growing to its greatest width of 634 yards as it crossed Haines Mill Road in Delran. it moved into Moorestown, through the mostly wooded Esther Yanai Preserve in Moorestown, but continued on causing damage to roof shingles to a home on Augusta Drive, and snapping a utility pole on Centeron Road.

Aftermath of Saturday's storm damage on Davis Station Road in Cream Ridge, N.J. on Monday, April 3, 2023. The National Weather Service is trying to determine whether the damage in Cream Ridge was caused by straight thunderstorm winds or rotating winds from a tornado.Noah K. Murray | For NJ Advance Media

But damage continued in Palmyra and Riverton from an associated downburst that had peak winds of 90 to 100 mph.

The National Weather Service was still assessing the other tornados that touched down in Jackson, Ocean County; and Howell Township and Sea Girt, in Monmouth County. A fifth tornado was confirmed near Bridgeville, Del.

By comparison, the forecast for the start of the week looks pleasant. Today should be sunny with a high of 64. Tuesday is forecast to also be sunny, but with a high near 73. Wednesday looks similar, though showers will likely move in Thursday.

Frank Kummer of The Philadelphia Inquirer wrote this story.

(c)2023 The Philadelphia Inquirer

Visit The Philadelphia Inquirer at www.inquirer.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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OKLAHOMA CITY  While residents across parts of the South and Midwest pummeled by deadly storms and wildfires sifted through the wreckage of their homes Monday, forecasters warned of more severe weather and fire danger in the days ahead across much of the same region.

The fierce storms that spawned tornadoes in 11 states killed at least 32 people as the system that began Friday plodded through Arkansas and traveled northeast through the South and into the Midwest and Northeast.

Heres a look at the severe storms over the weekend and whats expected in the days ahead:

WILDFIRE DANGER REMAINS HIGH

On the western side of the storm lines that developed Friday were extremely dry conditions in Oklahoma that combined with high winds to fuel several large wildfires that forced interstate closures and sent residents fleeing from their homes.

More than 40 homes were destroyed across Oklahoma, including 30 in an area near the town of Guthrie, about 30 miles north of Oklahoma City, where firefighters had urged residents to evacuate.

With their eyes burning and the heat of the flames circling them, Jessica Garinger and her family ran around their 10-acre property with hoses Friday to save their family home built by Garingers great-grandfather in Guthrie.

The wind was so terrible it was just like a blowtorch, and once we would get certain areas put out it would just reignite, she said.

While neighbors evacuated, Garinger said her father, Jim, did not want to leave behind his cherished home, so she and her sister raced to help him. With the help of firefighters, they fought the flames until about 2 a.m., leaving with blisters, scrapes and small burns. Several of the homes nearby burned down.

Its a miracle that we were able to save the property, Garinger said.

A man drags tree limbs to a pile at the Foxcroft Woods Condominiums, Sunday, April 2, 2023, in Little Rock, Ark. Residents across a wide swath of the U.S. raced to assess the destruction from fierce storms that spawned possibly dozens of tornadoes from the South and the Midwest into the Northeast, killing at least 32 people. (Staci Vandagriff/Arkansas Democrat-Gazette via AP)AP

The threat of fire danger remains high Tuesday across portions of far western Oklahoma, the Texas Panhandle, northeast New Mexico and far southeastern Colorado, with low humidity, dry vegetation and wind gusts expected up to 70 mph, according to the National Weather Service.

MORE SEVERE WEATHER FORECAST

Forecasters say more severe weather is forecast for Tuesday afternoon and evening across parts of Arkansas, Missouri into southeastern Iowa and west central Illinois.

That could initially start as isolated supercells with all hazards possible  tornadoes, wind and hail  and then over time typically they form into a line (of thunderstorms) and continue moving eastward, said Ryan Bunker, a meteorologist with the National Weather Center in Norman, Oklahoma.

The same conditions that fueled last weeks storms  an area of low pressure combined with strong southerly winds  will make conditions ideal for another round of severe weather Tuesday into early morning Wednesday, Bunker said.

Those conditions, which typically include dry air from the west going up over the Rockies and crashing into warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico, are what make the U.S. so prone to tornadoes and other severe storms.

DEADLY STORMS BEGAN IN ARKANSAS

Arkansas was among the first states hit by the severe weather Friday when a tornado dropped from the sky and tore through the states capital, Little Rock, destroying homes and businesses, splintering trees and tossing vehicles. At least five people were killed in Arkansas, including four deaths in the rural community of Wynne, about 50 miles west of Memphis, Tennessee.

Tennessee recorded at least 15 deaths, including nine fatalities in McNairy County, east of Memphis, said Patrick Sheehan, director of the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency.

Elsewhere, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker traveled Sunday to Belvidere to visit the Apollo Theatre, which partially collapsed as about 260 people were attending a heavy metal concert, resulting in at least one death. The governor said 48 others were treated in hospitals, with five in critical condition.

National Weather Service survey teams that earlier confirmed the presence of tornados in New Jersey and Delaware over the weekend said Monday that a tornado also touched down in Pennsylvania. The tornados were generated as a line of severe thunderstorms crossed the region Saturday night. Forecasters said one EF-1 tornado with peak wind speeds of 95 to 105 mph touched down in Wrightstown and traveled almost 4 miles to Newtown in Bucks County.

A trio of destroyed cars and debris are seen in a neighborhood on the south side of Sullivan, Ind., Saturday, April 1, 2023, after a tornado moved through the area late the night before. (Joseph C. Garza/The Tribune-Star via AP)AP

Four other storms were confirmed in New Jersey and one in Delaware, where a person was found dead in a heavily damaged home. The Delaware Emergency Management Agency said it was the first tornado-related death in the state in 40 years.

Nationwide, there were more than 800 severe weather reports over the weekend, including reports of hail, high winds and tornadoes, Bunker said.

Sean Murphy of The Associated Press wrote this story.

Associated Press reporters around the country contributed to this report, including Beatrice Dupuy in New York, Ron Todt in Philadelphia, Andrew DeMillo in Little Rock, Arkansas, Kimberlee Kruesi in Adamsville, Tennessee, Harm Venhuizen in Belvidere, Illinois, and Corey Williams in Detroit.

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A pumpjack draws out oil and gas from a wellhead as the sun sets near Calgary, Alta., Sunday, Oct. 9, 2022. Industry experts say oil prices could return to US$100 a barrel later this year, giving a significant boost to Canada's energy sector. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
Premier David Eby shakes hands with Housing Minister and government house leader Ravi Kahlon during a swearing-in ceremony at Government House in Victoria, Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2022. The British Columbia government has introduced a multibillion-dollar plan to construct more homes sooner in an attempt to build its way out of the housing crisis. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito
Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (NSDC) Oleksiy Danilov called the statement of Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu on the transfer of the Iskander-M tactical missile system to Belarus a pure bluff.

"As for nuclear weapons: this is a pure bluff of the Russian Federation. They have a great desire to enter into negotiations as soon as possible and negotiate behind our backs," Danilov said during the discussion dubbed "Ukraine in the face of external challenges" at the Ukrainian Crisis Media Center.

In order to reach these negotiations [on ending the war on the terms of the Russian Federation], Russia is doing everything possible and impossible, including using the tactics of nuclear blackmail, the NSDC secretary noted.

He also suggested that Russia will continue to try to escalate the situation.

At the same time, according to Danilov, the upcoming talks between the presidents of France and China will be important in this context.

Earlier, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that Russia had handed over to Belarus the Iskander-M tactical complex, which can carry nuclear-armed missiles.

Also, according to him, the Belarusian military allegedly already began training on the use of this complex on April 3 in order to protect the "Union State."
Russians drop two aerial bombs on Pecheniuhy of Chernihiv region: house burning, no data on victims yet  Pivnich command

The Russian army carried out an air strike on a settlement in Chernihiv region - two Russian Su-35 dropped two bombs on the settlement, a private house and outbuildings are burning, the Operational Command Pivnich (North).

"At about 17:31, a message was received from the dispatcher of the State Emergency Service that a private house and outbuildings were burning in the village of Pecheniuhy. As it became known, the fire occurred as a result of an air strike carried out by two Russian Su-35s," the command said on Telegram on Tuesday evening.

As specified, according to preliminary data, "russian fighter jets dropped two bombs on the settlement. There has been no information about the victims yet."
PriaKids Reels in $39K Score From the PartyPoker Grand Prix Spring Main Event

April 04, 2023 Matthew Pitt Editor

The 2023 Grand Prix Spring series at PartyPoker is done and dusted, with all the festival's champions revelling in glory. Three players, in particular, are full of the joys of spring this morning, having triumphed in the trio of Grand Prix Spring Main Events on April 3.

The $55 buy-in Main Event featured a $250,000 guaranteed prize pool, but a bumper crowd of 5,660 entrants meant PartyPoker awarded a cool $283,000 in this tournament. Of all those starters, only 834 players made it through to Day 2, doing so with a $110 min-cash in tow. That prize money increased to more than $2,700 by the time only nine players remained, while first-place paid close to $40,000, which is quite incredible for a $55 buy-in event.

Check out the PokerNews Online Tournament Calendar Never miss an online poker tournament again! Click Here

"DownChunks" may not be in the red any more thanks to scooping $2,766 for their ninth-place finish. "Jake.Paul" was in his prime before being cut down in eighth ($3,478), while "pliezcallme" got called when they didn't really want to be and had to make do with a seventh-place finish ($4,484).

Sixth place went to "V4luueStonks" ($5,874) before "TenthTale" got their hands on the final four-figure score of the night ($8,101) when they bowed out in fifth. Then came the untimely demise of "II04 07 2012II" in fourth ($11,967), and "serious again" in third ($17,871), which left "PriaKids" in a one-on-one battle against "BoBelleMP."

Despite a $13,000 chasm between first and second-place prize money, there was no deal struck in the $55 buy-in Main Event. A lack of negotiations means BoBelleMP collected $26,589 when they fell in second, leaving PriaKids to pad their bankroll with $39,607.

Grand Prix Spring #04 Main Event Final Table Results

Place Player Prize 1 PriaKids $39,607 2 BoBelleMP $26,589 3 serious again $17,871 4 II04 07 2012II $11,967 5 TenthTale $8,101 6 V4luueStonks $5,874 7 pliezcallme $4,484 8 Jake.Paul $3,478 9 DownChunks $2,766

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CurryChips Devours the Opposition in Mini Main Event

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All but two of the nine finalists won four-figure sums for their $11 investment. "Sitting-0ut" found themselves sat out permanently after busting in ninth ($662) while "TheNizzleRat99" was caught in eighth ($835).

"Startuppoker" ($1,073), "Krixoo" ($1,425), and "Forgando" ($1,981) were the next players relieved of their stack, before the untimely demises of "Barry Laser" ($2,928), and "Wenceslas88" ($4,375) sent the Mini Main Event into the heads-up stage.

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Grand Prix Spring #05 Mini Main Event Final Table Results

Place Player Prize 1 CurryChips $9,709 2 Mypoker $6,511 3 Wenceslas88 $4,375 4 Barry Laser $2,928 5 Forgando $1,981 6 Krixoo $1,425 7 Startuppoker $1,073 8 TheNizzleRat99 $835 9 Sitting-0ut $662

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vengrPT Takes Down Micro Main Event

The $2.20 Grand Prix Spring Micro Main Event missed its $10,000 guarantee, but it came close after 4,518 PartyPoker players turned out across its dozens of starting flights. Unsurprisingly, the Micro Main Event ended in a heads-up deal, unsurprising because each of those final two players locked in four-figure sums for a mere $2.20 investment.

The history books will show "vengrPT" was the last player standing; they captured a prize worth $1,290. "SAFADA0" although the tournament's second-place finisher, will still be delighted by the fact the deal they negotiated resulted in $1,117 landing in their PartyPoker account.

Grand Prix Spring #06 Micro Main Event Final Table Results

Place Player Prize 1 vengrPT $1,290* 2 SAFADA0 $1,117* 3 FelipeBRL $651 4 xS3mMiMiMix $436 5 japafake77 $295 6 leandrorn10 $219 7 tank62 $169 8 Samideouf $129 9 carica212 $102

*reflects a heads-up deal

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It is official, Donald Trump arrived at the courthouse and became the first former president to be placed under arrest.

CNN reported:

Former President Donald Trump has arrived at the Manhattan district attorneys office in lower Manhattan, where he is under arrest and in police custody before his upcoming arraignment.

Trump is expected to be fingerprinted as part of the arrest, though its still unclear whether his mugshot will be taken. He will next be brought to a courtroom, where he will be arraigned  an appearance that is expected to be quick and routine but represents a surreal and historic moment in US history.

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Donald Trump is getting all sorts of special treatment. He is using a special door. All of the cars have been moved so that he can park, and he will be using an elevator reserved for judges.

A majority of Americans have waited nearly eight years for this moment. The man who is regarded by many as the most corrupt person ever to be elected President Of The United States is officially under arrest.

Judging by how things are going in other investigations, Trump better get used to this drill, because it probably wont be the last time that he is arraigned and arrested this year.
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A federal appeals court has denied Trumps request to block Mike Pence and other top Trump aides from testifying in the Special Counsel investigation.

The ruling:

JUST IN: A federal appeals court panel has rejected Trump's bid to block top aides from testifying to special counsel Jack Smith's Jan. 6 investigation. Several close Trump advisers are the subject of this order, which was part of a rushed series of overnight filings. pic.twitter.com/bFiNsXLNpy  Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) April 4, 2023

It took one week for Trump to lose his appeal after a federal judge ruled that Mike Pence and other Trump aides could not dodge the subpoena from Special Counsel Jack Smith.

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While all of the attention is rightly focused on the circus that is unfolding in Manhattan as Trump is about to be arraigned and his indictment unsealed, the ruling by the federal appeals court is a reminder that the Department of Justice continues to grind away in their investigation of Trump for the 1/6 attempted coup, and for the former presidents theft of classified documents.

Trump is obsessed with Alvin Bragg and Manhattan, but Jack Smith and the DOJ are circling the former one-term president. The Special Counsel investigation is moving quickly, and if Trump is federally indicted, it could make whatever else is out there look small.

The Manhattan case isnt the end. Alvin Braggs case is only the beginning of what could be the downfall of Trump, his business, and the remainder of his political career.
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Its arraignment day in New York for the former President so his supporters have shown up to spew anti-Semitism, wear ironic homemade flag overalls, and attack anti-Trump protesters.

People who support the rule of law and the indictment of Donald Trump were also making themselves known, with a large banner reading Trump lies all the time.

The giant banner is back and says TRUMP LIES ALL THE TIME. pic.twitter.com/ox7iYdSWSG  David Mack (@davidmackau) April 4, 2023

This banner so enraged Trump supporters that they attacked the anti-Trump supporters and police struggled to break it up:

JUST NOW: A Trump supporter just rushed the banner and tried to tear it up. Started attacking the anti-Trump protesters. Very ugly and heated. Swarmed by media. Police struggled to get in to break it up. Getting heated. pic.twitter.com/H2pfiHI2cN  David Mack (@davidmackau) April 4, 2023

Trump told 30,573 false or misleading claims over 4 years, according to the Washington Post. So the banner is not only accurate, but a reasonable and peaceful use of the First Amendment.

The result of the Trump supporters trying to destroy the banner? Oh, they got what they wanted. The anti-Trump protesters were moved to a separate pen, while the media stayed with the pro-Trump supporters, according to Mack.

Were trying to keep the peace, one cop is telling me. You can express opinions on this side or this side.

David Mack of Buzzfeed News is on the scene in New York, capturing the medias obsession with the stragglers of Trump supporters with the Covid-19 is a lie and Trump or death signs.

This gentleman made his own overalls, which he displays while announcing, We should throw the district attorney in Guantanamo Bay.

Michael Picard, 34, of Hartford CT is here in this outfit. This is an unjust prosecution, he says. He says he made the overalls himself. pic.twitter.com/Cr0tQvcWfj  David Mack (@davidmackau) April 4, 2023

Guantanamo Bay is of course a detention camp for a U.S. military prison. Also known as not the place a patriotic person would threaten to toss a District Attorney who is upholding the law by applying it (somewhat) equally, making Picards homemade flag overalls unwittingly paradoxical.

Of course, the law is not being applied to former President Donald Trump as it would be to anyone else. He is getting a lot of privileges, including having not been charged with this crime for which his fixer went to prison for years. Fair enough, charging a former President is unprecedented territory, but to pretend Trumps 50 years of being investigated by law enforcement, long before he came on the political scene, is all motivated by hate is absurd.

Its also fair to say that once in office, Trump generated a lot of hate and created a lot of division here in the U.S. and globally, by aligning himself with dictators and treating allies shamefully. He did that through his own actions, though. The fact is that many people respond negatively to the harm and division he caused, as well as the ethics and norms upon which he trampled and the laws he skirted, as well as the incitement of a deadly domestic terrorist attack on his own country.

While no one should be prosecuted as a punishment for being a bad person, this specific case is related to a crime that Trumps own fixer already served time for. It is a crime, if reports of falsifying business records are accurate (34 felony counts, reportedly according to a source), for which others are routinely prosecuted.

But Trump supporters demand the former President be judged as if there is no context of a 50 year career in the crosshairs of law enforcement and as if he had not weaponized the U.S. government against critics when he had the power.

Trump and his elected officials and PR arm at Fox News have been smearing the Manhattan DA as Soros-backed and Soros bought and paid for but an advisor for Soros, who is a longtime target for Republicans, told CNBC that Soros has never met or spoken to Alvin Bragg.

The accusation stems from a rather absurd reach:

The criticism appears to stem from donations Soros and a nonprofit funded by him made to the national racial justice group Color of Change, which backed Braggs DA campaign and later pressured him on a prosecution unrelated to Trump.

Soros donated to Color of Change, which backed Braggs campaign. That is not the same thing as donating to Bragg, let alone pressuring him.

Mack noted wryly that Blacks for Trump arrived on the scene and were immediately swarmed by media as they spewed anti-Semitic accusations around. A group of a half dozen Blacks for Trump guys just arrived. Immediately swarmed by media. Talking about Soros, the banks, Bragg, and this judge who hates Trump.

A group of a half dozen Blacks for Trump guys just arrived. Immediately swarmed by media. Talking about Soros, the banks, Bragg, and this judge who hates Trump. pic.twitter.com/ijKVBchfPV  David Mack (@davidmackau) April 4, 2023

That judge that hates Trump is the same one,

New York Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchan, who ruled in Trumps lawyers favor by banning cameras in the courtroom.

But unless this Judge gives Trumps lawyers every single thing they ask for, he will be accused of hating Trump, in an attempt to delegitimize the judicial process.

This is a typical Trump event, replete with ridiculous costumes, hate speech, and attempts to silence with physical violence any opposition. This is why the media loves Trump and ignores the opposition, even though the opposition represents more people, as the last election demonstrated rather definitively.

But this is also so far a very reduced Trump army. Lets hope the police are more prepared than the banner clip suggested.
UPDATE 7/19/2021: Wait ... is Lil Nas X going to jail?

After months of quiet about the Satan Shoes, the publicity stunt for his song "MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)" which went wrong  or right?  when it provoked outrage and a lawsuit from Nike, Lil Nas X started tweeting about going to jail for the shoes.

Fans were confused. Though Nike sued Lil Nas X's collaborator, Brooklyn creative group MSCHF, over the reworked Nike Sneakers, they reached a settlement months ago.



The dust had cleared, we thought, so why was Nas tweeting about going to court?

After steamy performances of the controversial banger on shows like SNL and theBET Awards, Lil Nas X leveraged the press from the song, video, and sneakers to become even more of a household name.

Never one to be serious on the internet, the rapper started posting a steady stream of TikToks and Tweets about the upcoming court date with the tag #FreeNas even teasing his upcoming song "Industry Baby" in the videos.









Some fans began speculating that, because of the song teasers, all this might just be yet ANOTHER publicity stunt.

They were right.

On Monday July 19th, the day of the alleged court date Lil Nas X had been posting about, he tweeted a clip of a fictionalized court scene in which he is sentenced to "Montero State Prison" for being gay.

The post was a teaser for the upcoming song and music video, "Industry Baby." The track is an all star production, with work by Kanye West, Take a Daytrip, and Jack Harlow. The video is also an all star production, starring Lil Nas X in practically every role  just the way we like it.



The song comes out Friday July 23rd. In the meantime, we can probably expect more Tweets and TikToks

*

UPDATE 3/30/2021: Following negative press and backlash over the "Satan Shoes," Nike is now suing MSCHF, the company which partnered with Lil Nas X on the collaboration.

Nike filed a lawsuit accusing MSCHF of "trademark infringement" after many social media dissenters announced their plans to boycott Nike over the shoes  despite their non-involvement.

According to Nike's complaint, "In the short time since the announcement of the Satan Shoes, Nike has suffered significant harm to its goodwill, including among consumers who believe that Nike is endorsing satanism."

When the sneakers were announced, many flocked to social media to denounce Satanism, Lil Nas X, and Nike. Nike is no stranger to boycotts. In 2018, for example, people and stores burned their Nike belongings and promised boycotts following the release over Colin Kaepernick merchandise.



But this time, Nike is taking losses for something they didn't even do, so they're throwing a tantrum in the form of a lawsuit.

The limited drop had already sold out  within one minute! by the time the lawsuit was filed, and Nike demanded that MSCHF "permanently stop" fulfilling orders for the "unauthorized" Lil Nas X Satan Shoes.

Nike also claim that "MSCHF and its unauthorized Satan Shoes are likely to cause confusion and dilution and create an erroneous association between MSCHF's products and Nike."

However, this is not the first time MSCHF has customized Nike shoes and the Nike logo for their drops. The Jesus Shoes, which garnered a similar amount of attention, used the same customization techniques and also featured the Nike logo, but the corporation never commented on those.

The small, Brooklyn based creative studio has amassed a cultish, niche audience with its gimmicks but never before received backlash at this volume or scale. But given their love of controversy, they might take this battle with Nike as a notch in their belt.

At the news of the lawsuit, naturally Lil Nas X took to twitter to post a meme.

However, the lawsuit against MSCHF and reportedly does not mention Lil Nas X himself. So with the damage already done to Nike's reputation and MSCHF revelling in the chaos, Lil Nas X still comes out the winner of this scenario  all is it should be.

After the success of his most recent single "MONTERO (Call Me by Your Name)," a provocative hit about clandestine queer love affairs, Lil Nas X is releasing a shoe collaboration with the Brooklyn based brand MSCHF: customized Nikes called "Satan Shoes."

The controversial music video for "MONTERO" has garnered millions of views in just days and generated conversation that set the internet ablaze. Amidst positive feedback for the video's complex concept and message of self-acceptance, there was a barrage of criticism for the themes and imagery in the video  namely the scenes at the end which feature Lil Nas X sliding down a stripper pole into hell to give a lap dance to the devil.

Despite being called "satanic" and "heretic" by everyone from random Twitter users and Clubhouse groups to prominent conservative pastors and government officials, Lil Nas X spent the weekend unfazed. Stoking the flames, he and MSCHF announced their collaboration on the sneakers, which seem to tie into the imagery in his video, to similar criticism.

The sneakers are customized Nike Air Max 97s, personalized by the MSCHF team with  their own blood. About six members of the MSCHF team donated the blood that was then mixed with 60cc ink and put into the signature "bubbles" that characterize Air Max sneakers.



The sneakers also feature a golden pentagram ornament and a reference to the bible verse Luke 10:18, which reads: "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven." Only 666 pairs were made, each one individually numbered, and the exclusive drop is happening March 29, 2021.

Want to cop? They'll set you back $1,018 (another reference to the same bible verse)  which is about the same price as an Off White Nike Jordan collab on the resale market and a sizable chunk of your stimulus check.

MSCHF is known for their controversial customizations. The "Satan Shoes" are a follow up to the brand's "Jesus Shoes," which were among the most Googled shoes of 2019. That version of their customized white Nike Air Max 97s came with a Jesus pendant and "holy water" from the River Jordan in the bubbles so wearers could literally walk on water (without having to resort to Kanye West level theatrics).

Selling for $1425 and reselling for up to $4,000, the Jesus sneakers were all over the internet and even spotted on Drake. According to theNew York Times, upon the release of the Jesus Shoes, "The only thing that didn't happen, said Kevin Wiesner, 27, a creative director at MSCHF, was a public disavowal of the shoes by Nike or the Vatican."

"That would've been rad," Wiesner said. And it seems he got his wish.

Following the immediate criticism of the follow-up Satan Shoes, Nike made sure to distance themselves from MSCHF and their release. A rep from Nike was adamant that the company was not involved with the shoe in a statement to NBC, saying: "We do not have a relationship with Little Nas X or MSCHF  Nike did not design or release these shoes and we do not endorse them."

No doubt, a victory cry rose up from the Brooklyn Warehouse that houses MSCHF when Nike's statement hit the internet. And no doubt the outrage generated by their shoes is fueling their fire.

When the Jesus shoes sparked controversy, MSCHF co-founder Daniel Greenberg told Insider last year, "If we can make people a fan of the brand and not the product, we can do whatever... We build what we want. We don't care."

As their name suggests, the brand, also known as a "collective," pride themselves in releasing esoteric products and content that feel like a less-awful version of the edge-lord corners of the internet in 2013. They thrive firmly in the realm of chaotic neutral, feeding off the media speculation and intrigue that surrounds their drops.

It makes sense, then, why Lil Nas X was the perfect collaborator. It is unclear whether Nas was involved in the process of the shoemaking or if, with the benefit of serendipitous timing, MSCHF reached out to him after watching the "MONTERO" video to help them announce the release, but it seems to be a match made in heaven.

Or, more appropriately, hell.

Nas has also been reveling in the controversy of both his music video and, now, the shoes. Famous for his Twitter comebacks, Nas did not hold back when public figures slammed him with a relentless barrage of criticism over the weekend.

Among those outraged by the shoes was Governor Kristi Noem of South Dakota, who was attempting to dissuade people from buying the shoes for their exclusivity. Not even entertaining her rhetoric, Nas pointed out that, as a Governor in a country which is objectively in shambles, Miss Kristi might have other things she could have been doing with her time.

After going head-to-head with his haters on the timeline, Nas posted a video to his YouTube channel in classic influencer apology style. The video, titled "Lil Nas X Apologizes for Satan Shoe" started with Nas seemingly about to apologize, before cutting off to play a clip from the MONTERO video.

Nas kept up the sarcastic, faux-remorse on Twitter, saying he would release a Chick-fil-A shoe next to "even the score."

For both the sneaker collaboration and the video, critics have accused Nas of promoting "Satanism." Many, including prominent rappers like Joyner Lucas, have been focused on the messages they perceive Nas to be pushing onto children.



After the viral success of his chart topping "Old Town Road," Nas garnered a wide fan base which seemingly included  everybody. Children were singing the song in schools, and it was playing on mainstream radio and viral on TikTok. But Nas doesn't exactly know why, given the song isn't exactly clean. What's more, he never asked for it.

Lil Nas X wants to be a role model, but not in the way conservative public figures want him to be. As part of his evolution as an artist, Nas has made his queerness part of his work. He came out in a Tweet about his song "C7osure," which he released during Pride Month, so, given his trajectory and his internet presence, it makes sense that his next phase of artistic expression would be unapologetic about his sexuality.



And despite claims that he took it too far and is being antagonistic, Nas has been clear that the messaging the video is pushing is one that is for self acceptance and against hate.

In a poignant statement tweeted between jokes and clapbacks, Nas sent a poignant message to anybody offended by his unrestrained freedom: "i hope u are mad, stay mad, feel the same anger you teach us to have towards ourselves."

While the Satan Shoes are a provocative collaboration with a brand known for its gimmicks, the boundary pushing that defines Nas is less gratuitous. Instead, even between making jokes and retweeting memes, he's advocating for a more accepting, inclusive world.



Anyway, stream "MONTERO."
NOTD knows how to make a pop-dance fusion track that tops the charts. You may have heard their iconic collaborations, I Wanna Know (feat. Bea Miller), So Close (feat. Georgia Ku, Felix Jaehn, Captain Cuts), and I Dont Know Why (feat. Astrid S). These songs have catchy beats and equally enticing lyrics that had fans singing along at all hours of the day.

Their music has impressive accolades including reaching the US Pop Radio Top 40 twice, and two certified Platinum and Gold records. And yet, NOTD is not even close to being finished. With their new single AM:PM (feat. Maia Wright), the duo is solidifying their place as one of pop-dance musics quickest emerging stars. You can listen to the track here:









Maia Wrights vocals pair perfectly with NOTDs iconic sound for AM:PM, where Wright sings about wanting love around the clock. This is just the beginning of a busy year for NOTD, who plans to tour with the kings of mashups, Two Friends, this summer. Its the first track since the duos debut EP, NOTEDEP, featuring names like Quinn XCII, The Band CAMINO, and kenzie.

AM:PM is a track to watch out for this summer. Its reminiscent of days spent on the beach and nights spent out with your friends. NOTD spoke exclusively with Popdust about their new single and their future!

Congratulations on your new single, AM:PM ft. Maia Wright  what was the inspiration behind the track?

Thank you! We're so excited the song is now out in the world. We got this topline from two amazing writers: Devan Glover and Grant Boutin and immediately fell in love with it. At the time the production was a bit funkier but we just heard the classic NOTD pop/dance potential in the vocal and got super inspired to make it our own.

Youve had majorly successful collaborations in the past like I Wanna Know ft. Bea Miller and So Close ft. Georgia Ku and Captain Cuts. How do you combine your sound with different genres of artists?

For us, the vocal on a song is another instrument. It has always been about who sounds best on the record and we've been so lucky to have the opportunity to work with incredible vocalists  Bea and Georgia included  whose voices really make you feel something every time you play the song. Since then, we've continued to evolve as people and musicians which led us to collaborating with incredible bands like The Band Camino and Nightly on our debut EP last fall. on 'AM:PM', we absolutely love how Maia (Wright) sounds. She's a long time friend of ours in Stockholm and it's really nice to finally find the right song to do together.

AM:PM has a fun, summery dance sound that makes people want to get up and dance. What was your favorite part about creating the single?

The ideas came together super fast on this one. The production you hear today was made almost entirely in the 12 hours after we first heard the demo. Once the foundation was there, we gave ourselves some time to dial it in and ultimately sent it to Maia who also loved the song immediately and nailed the vocal. This song is just so feel-good and we're just so happy people are loving it as much as we do.

Youve toured with ZEDD and have several live performances coming up this year. Whats your favorite part about performing live?

The best part has to be seeing people sing the words back to us. We spend a lot of time in our Stockholm studio working on the music so to get to travel the world and see and hear from fans how the music affects them is so rewarding.

Which songs are you most excited to perform for your fans?

At the moment, playing 'AM:PM is so fun because it's just an infectious song. Even if you've never heard it before, you know the words by the second chorus.

You released your debut EP, NOTED, back in September after previously releasing all of your music as singles. How is NOTED different from any of the work youve done before?

As we sort of touched on earlier, our first big break was 'I Wanna Know' in 2018 when we were 17 and 19 years old. Since then, we've continued to evolve as people and artists and the lockdown really gave us an opportunity to experiment with new sounds. We found ourselves listening to artists like The Band Camino, Nightly, the 1975, and LANY and putting our spin on that world was and still is really exciting to us. To collaborate and become friends with some of our favorite bands was a privilege and showed our fans a different side of us that we're really proud of.

Whats next for you in 2023? Will AM:PM lead into a new album?

There's plenty of new music in the pipeline that we can't wait to start sharing. We'll also be joining Two Friends on a bunch of tour dates this summer, in addition to playing at a bunch of schools around the country. Stay tuned!
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has expressed gratitude to his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Azernews reports.

Thank you, my Dear Brother. Amen! Togg is another clear example of the development of scientific and industrial potential of fraternal Turkiye under your leadership, the Azerbaijani President said on Twitter.

On April 4, Turkiyes first indigenous electric car Togg was presented to President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev.




Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has said that his main message at the meeting of the UkraineNATO commission, which was held for the first time in 6 years, was that the Alliance summit in Vilnius was an opportunity to correct the mistakes of the 2008 Bucharest summit.

In short, my message was the following: Vilnius 2023 is an opportunity to correct the mistakes of Bucharest 2008, Kuleba said at a briefing following a meeting of the Ukraine-NATO commission in Brussels.

The minister stressed the importance of the fact that for the first time in six years, a meeting of the Ukraine-NATO commission was held. According to him, this is an important mechanism not only for discussions, but also for allies to make the necessary decisions.

I cannot give you access to the text of my speech, but I will say this: I have said everything that Ukraine thinks about the argument of some countries that Ukraine's membership in NATO is not relevant now, but the maximum strengthening of NATO support for Ukraine is relevant. There was a frank conversation on this topic, they said everything they thought. The allies should discuss this and finally reach a clear result that will be achieved at the Vilnius summit, the Foreign Minister said.
The appeal of the Aiken City Council decision allowing plans for a 47,270-square-foot grocery store and shopping center on Silver Bluff Road to go forward will have to wait.

Second Judicial Circuit Judge Courtney Clyburn Pope signed an order March 30 granting a continuance allowing the matter to be heard in person rather than virtually at 9:30 a.m. April 6.

Dionne Carroll, the attorney representing appellants E. Preston Rahe Jr. and John Veldman, and Daniel Plyler, the attorney representing the city council, consented to the continuance.

Carroll said in the consent order her presentation would involve reference and management of a significant number of exhibits that are less easily handed in a virtual setting.

Plyler added he did not object to the request but requested the appeal be heard as soon as is practicable.

Aiken City Council voted unanimously Nov. 28 to approve the second and final reading of an ordinance annexing and zoning the land on the northern corner of Silver Bluff Road and Village Green Boulevard, where the grocery store and shopping center could be constructed, and amending the concept plan of the Village at Woodside to allow the store.

Carroll filed the appeal Dec. 27.

The land where the grocery store and shopping center would be constructed abuts the Woodside subdivision and Rahe and Veldman own the two homes in the subdivision closest to the site.

In the appeal, Rahe and Veldman argued the approval was inconsistent with the federal and state constitutions protecting citizens' rights to due process of law, state law, the city's zoning ordinance and comprehensive plan.

Plyler filed the city's response to the appeal on Jan. 31. He argued the appeal should be dismissed or, in the alternative, summarily denied. He said only the allegations of violations of due process rights are relevant for the appeal and that the allegations are false.

The allegations of due process violations center on a Sept. 13 worksession held by the Aiken Planning Commission in which commissioners posed questions to the developer but did not receive comments from citizens concerning the proposal.

The Planning Commission did, however, receive public comments immediately afterward at the regular meeting and Aiken City Council accepted several public comments before approving the first reading on Sept. 26 and the second reading on Nov. 28.

Additionally, the developers, Silver Bluff Development Company and Peach Properties, held two meetings with residents of the Village at Woodside and Woodside and agreed to modify the proposal to include lighting changes, an additional vegetative barrier and to move the grocery store further away from Woodside.
Kyle Busch and Richard Childress Racing seemed a strange pairing considering a rocky history between the driver and team owner. But when Busch needed a new job, the two sides came together for a partnership that is helping RCR return to prominence. Busch won at Talledega on Sunday. That gave RCR its second win of the season through just 11 races. Read moreColumn: Kyle Busch helps RCR return to NASCAR's victory lane
The House is back in session! We have just 4 weeks left of the 2023-2024 session and I am excited to make the most of that time by continuing to make progress on legislation that is meaningful to South Carolinians. Read moreLegislative update
South Carolina's busiest airport terminal has seen more than twice as many passengers in three months than in half of 2010, when CHS hit the 2-million-passenger milestone for the whole year. The year-to-date tally for the traditionally slower months at the start of the year now stands at 1.2 million. Read moreCharleston airport sets new March passenger record at nearly 500,000
COLUMBIA  There's a new spot to grab a bite in the Vista.

Metro Subs has opened in the past week at 504 Gervais St., close to the intersection with Huger Street.

The idea is to offer the same kind of generous sandwich that founder Daquan Doyle and his family grew up with in the Northeast, he said.

Other places "don't give you enough," Doyle said.

Doyle is adding Metro Subs to his Columbia businesses, which already includes Silk Restaurant and Lounge just up Gervais. He also has a hookah lounge in Charlotte.

In addition to large sub sandwiches, Metro offers salads and wraps.

Doyle is hoping that the Vista's strong nightlife at places like Silk will be a boon for Metro Subs, which is going to be open late, until 2 a.m. or later, on some some nights.

Doyle also is hoping to cater to folks who are out and about in the Vista by adding outdoor seating space to Metro, he said.

Soap sliding downtown

An all-natural soap retailer is moving to downtown from Columbiana Centre.

Copper Canyon Soap Co. is moving into space at 1520 Main St., with a planned soft opening April 8, according to founder Chance Kitchens.

The company closed its shop at Columbiana on Feb. 1. Main Street's downtown feel made it seem a better fit than a mall location, he said.

The company makes a variety of soaps and does all its work in-house at the location. All of its soaps are made of plant-derived products and free of artificial dyes or preservatives, so they are perfect for those with sensitive skin, Kitchens said.

Shoppers can pick out a scent they like and have something custom-made to their preferences he said. Copper Canyon has more than 60 scents to choose from, he said.

The store also can host parties where guest can pick out custom products and watch them being made.

Other products available at Copper Canyon include laundry soaps and specially formulated soaps for pets. The company has two locations in North Carolina and is adding three more in Mississippi, Kitchens said.

New coffee keeps flowin'

Another drive-thru coffee chain is looking at Lexington.

A location of 7Brew, a national chain of drive-thru only coffee stands, has been proposed for 519 N. Lake Drive in Lexington, near its intersection with Columbia Avenue.

The coffee stand faces a town of Lexington permit review from the town's Board of Appearance on April 11, according to a published agenda.

Rather than build structures on site, 7Brew brings a prefabricated building to its new locations, according to the trade publication Franchise Times.

7Brew is highly focused on quick coffee, with only one food item on the menu, according to the publication: muffin tops.

The Arkansas-headquartered company has a model of buildings with two-lane drive-thrus and hand-delivered service to the car.

The company also is planning a location at the corner of Forest Drive and Beltline Boulevard in Forest Acres on the former site of a Wells Fargo bank branch.

It is only one of several drive-thru only businesses that are looking to grow in Columbia, including Clutch Coffee Bar and Scooter's Coffee.

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COLUMBIA  A union conducting a strike in Columbia filed a federal complaint against safety regulators in South Carolina, alleging that workplace risks facing many Black workers are being ignored.

The federal complaint, filed April 4 by the Union of Southern Service Workers, says the the S.C. office of the Occupational Health and Safety Administration has discriminated by failing to protect a workforce that has a large number of Black workers.

It is the first time, according to the union, that the federal Civil Rights Act has been the focus of a complaint over worker safety in the South. Complaints previously have focused on pollution near minority communities.

A spokesperson for the S.C. Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation, which oversees S.C. OSHA, said the department is reviewing the complaint but had no further comment.

The complaint was filed with the U.S. Labor Department as the union held a one-day strike near the Ryder Supply Chain Solutions warehouse off Garners Ferry Road east of Columbia, as well as at locations in Atlanta and Durham, North Carolina.

Amber Biggs, a Popeyes worker in Columbia, said she had been burned six times while working at the chicken restaurant because safety equipment is inadequate.

I have a message for South Carolina OSHA: Fast food jobs are dangerous," Biggs said. "When you ignore the fast food industry, you are hurting workers like me."

Workers at Ryder complained of injuries caused by forklifts crashing into workers and boxes as heavy as cars falling off shelves.

Employee Marion Richardson said he was working in the past year when a employee was struck by a forklift in an area of the warehouse where there is little room to pass, breaking both her legs.

"I heard her screaming," Richardson said. "The forklift didn't stop in time."

Richardson said he has see two other workers suffer broken bones during work.

He also described concerns about access to warehouse fire exits and the risk of heavy boxes falling from racks.

Complaints filed to management about the safety issues did not result in action, Richardson said. In two years working there, Richardson has never seen an outside inspector in the warehouse, he said.

"I take a lot of precautions to be safe because I know they don't have any in place for us," Richardson said.

Ryder said in a statement that it takes safety and complaints in the warehouse seriously.

We are aware of the allegations and are working closely with OSHA. The health, safety, and security of our employees is a top priority," the company said.

"Ryder has long encouraged employees to bring any concerns to managements attention and has well established policies, procedures and reporting mechanisms in place to prevent, detect, and/or correct any concerns about employee health, safety and security in all of our facilities," it said.

Other workers at the strike cited risks at businesses such as fast-food places and convenience stores.

The complaint filed with the U.S. Labor Department asserts that SC OSHA has been failing to inspect businesses in the sectors of warehousing, fast food, general merchandise and food retail that have higher percentages of Black workers than the general population.

Only one workplace inspection per year at most has been done in those industries in recent years, the union alleges.

The complaint asked the federal agency to ensure that SC OSHA conducts all required inspections and make sure complaints are pursued.

South Carolina does fewer inspections overall than neighboring North Carolina or Georgia, said Mary Joyce Carlson, the attorney representing the union in the complaint.

SC OSHA has not been responsive to complaints from workers, Carlson said, so the union is seeking federal help to prompt inspections.

Charles Brave Jr., S.C. President for AFL-CIO, said that the strike showed that workers are taking more control over their lives in South Carolina.

"It's a great thing in South Carolina when we see a group of workers standing up for what they believe in, health and safety, and willing to strike," said Brave, who attended the Columbia event to show his union's support for strikers.

"You're standing up for the workers who can't speak and stand for themselves," Brave said.

"If you change South Carolina, you change the South," Brave said. "If you change the South, you change the world."

The April 4 strike was the third push by the Union of Southern Service Workers on worker conditions in Columbia in industries such as fast food and retail chain stores.

Unions will continue to push for change in the South even though state laws in South Carolina and elsewhere make it more difficult, said Melissa Reyes, an organizer in North and South Carolina for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.

Reyes spoke at the strike in support of the efforts of the Union of Southern Service Workers, which is not part of IBEW. She pointed out that unlike in much of the country, public sector workers in South Carolina cannot use collective bargaining.

"Conditions have been stagnant for workers for way too long," Reyes said.
GEORGETOWN  The man convicted of the 2009 murder of Brittanee Drexel failed to respond to a January lawsuit by her mother seeking damages for severe emotional distress, according to recent court filings.

Raymond Moody, 62, did not respond to the lawsuit filed by Drexel's mother, Dawn Pleckan of Florida. The suit alleges Moody caused distress with the rape and murder of her daughter and concealment of his involvement.

As a result of Moody's actions, Pleckan's lawsuit states she incurred "medical bills and expenses, loss of enjoyment of life, pain, suffering, mental anguish, and will continue to experience these in the future and permanently."

"There is likely no greater sense of loss than that of a parent who has lost a child, such that the murder of a child is such extreme and outrageous conduct that it exceeds all bounds of decency," according to the lawsuit.

Pleckan sued Moody in the 15th Circuit Court of Common Pleas on Jan. 3, demanding a jury trial and asking for damages in an amount to be determined by a jury. Moody's deadline to respond to Pleckan's complaint passed March 23, and an entry of default was filed in the court five days later.

Drexel, 17, of Chili, N.Y., disappeared while on a spring break trip to Myrtle Beach in April 2009, generating national attention. Her remains were found in a four-foot grave off Old Town Avenue near Georgetown in May 2022 after Moody told investigators where he buried her.

Chief Deputy Solicitor Scott Hixson said at an Oct. 19, 2022, court appearance at which Moody pleaded guilty to Drexel's murder that Moody and his girlfriend picked up Drexel while driving along Ocean Boulevard in Myrtle Beach. He then drove to a campsite near the North Santee River in Georgetown County. His girlfriend later left to run an errand, leaving Moody and Drexel alone together.

After smoking marijuana, Moody said he hoped to have consensual sex with Drexel, Hixson said. When she resisted, he assaulted her. Moody said he then strangled Drexel after he realized he could go to prison for his actions and later hid her body.

Moody was already a registered sex offender, having been convicted in 1983 of raping a child under the age of 14, an offense for which he was incarcerated for half of a 40-year sentence in California. He moved back to the Georgetown area after being paroled in 2004 and was discharged from parole supervision in 2007.

Moody pleaded guilty to Drexel's murder more than 13 years after she was reported missing and 10 years after Moody was publicly named a suspect in her disappearance. He was sentenced to life in prison for the murder, in addition to consecutive 30-year sentences for kidnapping and criminal sexual conduct.

Moody's public South Carolina Department of Corrections entry does not disclose his location, but a court filing clearly states that he was served at the "close"-security McCormick Correctional Institution in McCormick on Feb. 21.

In the SCDC's close-security facilities, inmates are "closely supervised and their activities and movement within the institution are highly restricted." Many, according to the SCDC website, are violent offenders.
GREENVILLE  A Cherrydale Elementary fourth grader has been charged after authorities said the 9-year-old brought a gun and an unattached magazine with ammunition to school.

The gun was found during a search by school officials April 4, Greenville County sheriff's Lt. Ryan Flood said.

The search began after a student notified a teacher that they had overheard the fourth grader claiming to have a gun in a backpack.

The student with the gun made no reported threats, Flood said. Deputies were called to the school just after 10 a.m. The student was charged with possession of a weapon on school property and released to a guardian.

"A situation like this is certainly scary on many fronts," Sheriff Hobart Lewis said in a statement. "However, I commend the young student who reported this information and praise the staff's swift action for notifying law enforcement and all the proper channels to ensure everyone at the school was safe, and the weapon was accounted for."

Because of the young age, the student's identity was not released.

The confiscation of this latest weapon at a school occurred just over a year after a 12-year-old Tanglewood Middle School student shot and killed a fellow seventh-grade classmate.

The shooter is charged with murder and is being held in the juvenile detention facility in Columbia.

Thirteenth Circuit Solicitor Walt Wilkins said he will try to prosecute the Tanglewood student as an adult in General Sessions Court instead of Family Court, where there are lesser penalties.
WEST GREENVILLE  Though he opened his German-style doner shop over 4,000 miles away from his homeland, Gerrit Koelling wanted people who came to his restaurant to feel as if they could be in Germany.

And while the new Das Doner is distinct in its own right, the food has a way of taking you on a journey.

The doner sandwich is one of the more popular foods in Germany, where Koelling grew up and where his wife and business partner, Natsacha, has family.

Its typical to see a doner shop on nearly every street corner and outside every train station, Koelling said. And while each has similarities, they all have their own distinct style.

The same can be said for Das Doner, which operates from the Growler Haus taproom in the Village of West Greenville.

Koelling prepares his doner with a mix of beef and lamb (traditional is 100 percent lamb or veal). He has also tweaked the bread a bit, serving his signature item inside a split sandwich bun instead of the German standard of a Turkish-style flatbread.

As for the rest, Koelling has worked hard to make identical what is found in Germany. All Das Doner doner meals come with the standard pickled red and white cabbage, a tomato cucumber mix, fresh onions, shredded lettuce and choice of sauces  tzatziki, a spicy sauce, a doner sauce and a curry sauce. Koellings tip  get all four.

Das Doner also adds feta, parsley and lime juice. The result is a flavor bomb of a sandwich that is at once bright, fresh and filling without weighing down.

As is traditional in Germany, Das Doner also offers falafel for a vegetarian option that is available for any dish.

While the Das Doner sandwich skews healthier than, say, a burger, the sandwich is quite large. If youre looking for something a little less hefty, try the plate option or box, which packs all the ingredients atop either fries or lettuce for a transportable meal. The doner can also come as a wrap.

The couple have been humbled by the response to their food here, but especially from Greenvilles German community.

So many times, I hear 'it tastes like home,' Gerrit said. Which is worth more than money to me.

Gerrit grew up on a mix of traditional German food and French and Italian inspired, thanks to a mother who is an excellent cook. That early exposure lit a fire and a love for food. Once he moved out on his own, Gerrit began cooking for himself, experimenting and perfecting his own recipes.

But his favorite food has always been the doner. Gerrit estimates hes probably eaten around 10,000 in his life.

The traditional Turkish-inspired dish combines spiced meat that is roasted on a spit and shaved to order, then paired with vegetables and sauces.

The doner has grown in popularity across Germany, for both its flavor and its convenience.

In Germany, you do a lot of walking and a lot of traveling from house by foot, so having something to take with you is convenient, Natascha said.

Das Doner, with its space inside Growler Haus in the Village of West Greenville, offers a place to sit and enjoy the meal or take it to-go. All in all, the food comes out pretty fast.

While he didnt know hed start a restaurant, Gerrit always had a hunch he might one day start his own business.

He studied business and accounting in college, but knew he didnt want to work in an accounting office. Once he met Natascha, who has a business degree from the University of Southern California, fate seemed clear.

But where to start a business?

When they met, Gerrit was living in Germany when Natascha was visiting family but still lived in Los Angeles.

It was on a cross-country road trip to visit Nataschas friends, who lived in Greenville, that the couple found their answer.

Greenville enraptured them immediately.

It felt like it had the European charm, that walkable downtown that we just loved in Germany, Natascha said. It just kind of felt perfect.

The couple moved to Greenville spring 2022. They married this past August opened Das Doner in March. The restaurant serves lunch and dinner Monday through Saturday.

Plans call for adding baklava, the traditional Turkish dessert, along with a chicken doner option as well. And, the Koellings have hopes to open more locations in the future  first around Greenville and then, as Gerrit said, wherever the wind takes us.

Das Doner is located at 12 Lois Ave. in the heart of the Village of West Greenville. It's open 11 a.m.  9 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

For more information, visit https://www.dasdoner.com and follow @dasdoner_ on Instagram.
The UN Human Rights Council at its session on Tuesday adopted a resolution condemning Russia's violation of human rights in Ukraine, in particular, the deportation of children from temporarily occupied territories.

#HRC52 | Draft resolution A/HRC/52/L.41/Rev.1 on the situation of human rights in #Ukraine stemming from the Russian aggression was ADOPTED, UN Human Rights Council said on Twitter on Tuesday.

Twenty-eight out of 47 members of the UN Human Rights Council voted for the resolution, 17 more  among them India and Kazakhstan  abstained, two  China and Eritrea  voted against.
RIDGELAND  In contrast to the slow-moving gopher tortoises that inhabit the Slater Tract in Jasper County, state officials approved the purchase of the 3,500-acre parcel at breakneck speed.

The request appeared before the State Fiscal Accountability Authority on Mar. 28. Gov. Henry McMaster, who chairs the authority, moved quickly through the agenda, and the $17.55 million purchase was approved without comment or discussion. The entire transaction lasted less than a minute.

The approval represents the first step in a plan to transfer more than 12,000 acres of protected land in Jasper and Hampton counties to the care of the state.

While the approval happened quickly, the plan has been in the works for three years, noted Nate Berry, senior vice president with the Open Space Institute, the agency that's played a leading role in the conservation effort.

"You've got to remember that was the final phase of the process," he said. "It had been vetted by other people and agencies, but I was happy that there was no discussion."

The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources asked the state for approval to buy the tract to protect water quality in the Port Royal Sound watershed, preserve and improve wildlife habitat and create outdoor recreational opportunities for residents.

"One of the big goals of this project is to create a protected land corridor from the 300,000 protected acres in the ACE Basin to the 500,000 acres of protected land in South Lowcountry Focus Area, which is along the Savannah River," explained Berry.

The sale isn't a done deal yet. The state still needs to complete some steps before the sale can be finalized, said DNR spokesman Stephen Fastenau.

Assuming the rest of the process goes according to plan, the agency will manage the property as the Jasper-Slater Sandhills Heritage Preserve, which will be open to the public

Crafting a very large land deal

The parcel, located approximately eight miles north of the Town of Ridgeland, is currently owned by the Open Space Institute. The institute is a conservation organization based in New York that also has an office in Charleston.

In the nine years the organization has had a presence in South Carolina, it has preserved about 50,000 acres over the course of 50 projects. Its niche, Berry said, is creating new public land.

Between May 2021 and April 2022, the institute made three separate purchases of Slater property totaling 5,081 acres. The investment was its first in the region.

"The Slater assemblage sits in a biodiversity hotspot on an unusually high sand ridge," Berry said. "It's got 68 state-priority species on it. It's a herpetologist's dream. It's a special property."

In the summer of 2022, the institute partnered with The Nature Conservancy on a plan to purchase more than 7,300 adjoining acres known as the Buckfield property, most of which is in neighboring Hampton County.

The Nature Conservancy closed on its half of the purchase in June of last year. The Open Space Institute expects to close on its portion of the property after the sale of the Slater parcel to the state is complete.

The protection of Buckfield represents the power of innovative collaboration  working together in new ways to accomplish more than any organization could alone," said Dale Threatt-Taylor, executive director of The Nature Conservancy in South Carolina.

Eventually, the entire combined property amounting to more than 12,300 acres will be owned and managed by the state as part of its network of wildlife management areas.

Very rarely do we have opportunities to protect assemblages of land at this magnitude, particularly along the rapidly urbanizing coast," said Raleigh West, executive director of the South Carolina Conservation Bank. "When you consider its size, along with the uniqueness of the wildlife habitat it provides, the Slater-Buckfield project is one of the most significant conservation victories in recent times.

An important habitat

The Open Space Institute paid $16 million when it bought the first and largest of the Slater parcels two years ago. That's the land the state is now planning to purchase. An appraisal completed last winter pegged the value of the 3,507-acre parcel at $19.1 million.

A federal grant provided nearly $9.5 million of the purchase price, and DNR's Heritage Land Trust chipped in another $6 million. The Nature Conservancy and South Carolina Conservation Bank, among others, also contributed to the purchase.

DNR described the land as mix of forested uplands, bottomland hardwood forests, fields and open areas. Approximately 11 miles of the Coosawhatchie River and its tributaries are contained within the tract. It's believed to be suitable to restore the bobwhite quail and red-cockaded woodpecker habitat.

It's also home to a large and growing population of gopher tortoises. According to the Open Space Institute, the tortoise colony, which numbers around 150 individuals, is one of the largest in the eastern United States.

The tortoise is federally designated as an at-risk species. Its extensive underground burrows provide habitat for dozens of other animals, making it a keystone species in its ecosystem.

The transfer of the remaining Slater and Buckfield acreages to DNR is expected to take place over the coming year, though the schedule has not yet been solidified.

"It's a huge effort," Berry said. "This could be the biggest project I work on in my career."
Summerville, SC (29483)

Today

Mostly cloudy skies this evening will become partly cloudy after midnight. Low 53F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Mostly cloudy skies this evening will become partly cloudy after midnight. Low 53F. Winds light and variable.
Kingstree, SC (29556)

Today

Cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Low 48F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Low 48F. Winds light and variable.
Are you a teenager seeking that perfect summer job? Or perhaps you are looking for a part-time job that you can do while studying at school during the year? Charleston County Public Library staff invites job seekers to stop in at the Teen Job Fair on April 29 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the W Read moreBetween the Stacks: Wando Library to host job fair for teens
The meters that would charge $1 per hour will give Conway money to pay for future parking options that could be more lots or a garage. Read moreParking meters could be coming to Conway as city becomes among SC's fastest growing
SUMMERVILLE  Town Council has adopted a new redistricting plan based on 2020 census results.

Located in a rapidly growing area of the Lowcountry, the population increased by more than 7,000 between 2010 and 2020, from 43,392 to 50,915 people, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

The council voted unanimously at a special called meeting March 30 to adopt the redistricting plan, which was proposed by the Summerville chapter of the NAACP.

John Ruoff, who contracts with the South Carolina State Conference NAACP to assist with local redistricting, drew the proposal that council approved. Ruoff said 2020 marks his fifth census working on redistricting.

Town Councilman Bill McIntosh said the council worked to ensure continued minority representation on Town Council. Councilman Aaron Brown, the only Black member on council, said they did so by bringing more African Americans into his district  District 1  so they could vote and have a minority representative on council.

Brown said that during his time as a councilman, his district has never been over 50 percent African American. The closest its gotten was when he was first elected in 2005, with the districts population being roughly 47 percent African American, he said.

With the redistricting plan, the percentage of minorities in District 1 will be at 38 percent. Brown commended the rest of the council and the mayor for continuing to make sure minority groups are looked out for.

We achieved a lot, Brown said. Its a bright future for Summerville.

Ruoff said many of the people moving to Summerville were moving into District 2, parts of which are in both Berkeley and Dorchester counties. It goes from Simmons Avenue past Interstate 26 to Brighton Park Boulevard. The district is broken up, however  from West Doty Avenue to the Berkeley-Dorchester county line is Browns district.

Councilman Terry Jenkins, the District 2 representative, agreed with Ruoff; he said his district was the largest per capita. The biggest change for it is the Village at Summerville  a retirement community on West Ninth North Street  going from his district to Browns district.

Another district that experienced much of the growth was District 4  McIntoshs district. He said he didnt end up losing a lot in the redistricting plan, just a good portion of the Corey Woods neighborhood to Browns district.

He added his district  south to Summerville High School and the Summerville Country Club neighborhood, west into Knightsville and north into the Club at Pine Forest  experienced a lot of growth in the Knightsville area.

After the unanimous vote to approve and adopt the redistricting map, McIntosh congratulated the rest of the council, mentioning how usually the NAACP sues municipalities and counties for passing redistricting plans that disenfranchise voters by diluting minority voices. He commended the council for taking a more cooperative approach with the organization.

"For a town like Summerville, with our demographics, with our size, with our growth, for us to handle a very political matter of redistricting, and to handle it in a way where we worked really arm and arm with the NAACP  we should give ourselves a pat on the back," McIntosh said.

The redistricting plan went into effect immediately and will be in place for the Nov. 7 election.

More information about the new redistricting plan can be found at summervillesc.gov.
Unrolled its 54 feet long and contains 3,740 signatures.

The individual pages are glued together. Some have an orange tint, others a blue or gray tint.

The document, created in 1865, begins with a plea to Congress for voting rights.

Without this political privilege we will have no security for our personal rights and no means to secure the blessings of education to our children, the petitioners declare. The state needs our vote, to make the state loyal to the Union, and to bring its laws and administration into harmony with the present dearly bought policy of the country.

The declaration continues with an admonishment. Had the constitution of South Carolina guaranteed equal rights for Black people all along, this state would never had led one-third of the United States into treason against the nation.

Then come the names: Poinsette, Jenkins, Pearson, Harris, Simons, Fraser, Rutledge, Brown, Manigault, Blake. On and on they go, some signed in the hand of the petitioner, some signed by a designee because the petitioner could not read or write.

Little is known about the petition, so the Library of Congress has launched a crowd-sourcing effort to gather details. The By the People transcription campaign provides a platform for anyone, but especially African Americans in South Carolina, to access information about the document online and to help identify the signatories.

This campaign to transcribe the roughly 3,740 petition signatures aims to make the names of individual petitioners more discoverable and to encourage further research that will shed light on the genealogical, community study, and historical contexts of this remarkable but largely unknown document, the Library of Congress states on its By the People website, https://crowd.loc.gov/campaigns/undersigned/.

Some clues

The scroll is housed at the Library of Congress, which received it in 1939 from a nephew of Justin Morrill. As a representative from Vermont, Morrill had sponsored the 1862 Land-Grant College Act, allocating revenues from the sale of 17 million acres of federal property to establish public institutions of higher education in every state.

In 1867, Morrill moved to the Senate where he served six terms. In 1890, he threw his support behind a new act extending the land-grant college program to African American institutions.

Clemson University was a consequence of the first bill; S.C. State College a consequence of the second. Morrill also played a leading role in a few significant building projects. He ushered through legislation enabling construction of the Capitols west front terrace, the Executive Office Building and a portion of the Washington Monument. He was also the force behind construction of the Library of Congress Jefferson Building.

But how did he end up with the rolled-up petition? From whom did he receive it, and when?

One clue is that Sen. Jacob Howard of Michigan  who, incidentally, was born in Vermont  read it into the Congressional Globe (a predecessor of the Congressional Record) on Sept. 21, 1865, according to Michelle Krowl, Civil War and Reconstruction specialist in the manuscript division of the Library of Congress.

Another clue: Morrill served on the Joint Committee on Reconstruction.

The petition was kept in the Miscellany section of the Morrill papers, housed at the library, and overlooked for decades, Krowl said.

It was never lost, but kind of hidden, she said.

Krowl, former research assistant to biographer Doris Kearns Goodwin, was aware of a 54-foot petition housed at the library and, driven by her interest in Civil War history, went on the hunt.

Once uncovered, library staff digitized the document and made it available on the website.

Thats how it all started, said Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden, who took note of a particular name on the petition, Jacob Holmes, who she surmises might be her ancestor.

Throughlines of history

On the crowd-sourcing website are images of the document and a field in which users can enter information about the list of names, providing correct spelling, suggesting genealogy and more. The library will make all the information keyword-searchable and enable people to download data sets, Krowl said.

Were providing the public and historians with the raw material to conduct research, she said.

Who were these people? Where did they live in South Carolina? Were they together in one place when they signed the document?

Hayden said she thinks the grouping of signatures is relevant, and could shed light on the petitioners' biographies and circumstances.

"Whats the organizing principal of this?" she asked. Transcription is the first step, after which the historical details can be discerned: the connections between individuals, the document's context, the manner in which it was produced. Who knows what well get from that.

Krowl said the petition, intriguing and unique because of its timing, expresses a desire for full enfranchisement that has recurred throughout the history of the U.S., a yearning still heard today.

The spirit of the petition is about voting rights, citizenship participation in democracy and education, Krowl said. Those are the throughlines in U.S. history.

And each name represents a person at a remarkable moment seeking to correct the imperfections of our governing documents and social practices.

They all have stories, they all have lives, Krowl said. They belonged to churches, cared for families, remembered their enslavement and those who came before them. They worried about their children and wanted Congress to value them and protect their futures.

They were fighting not only for their own freedom, but for the community, she said. This was a period when everything was possible.

So when, in September 1865, South Carolina lawmakers passed into law a set of Black Codes meant to sustain white supremacy by restricting the rights and freedoms of African Americans, disappointment and concern ran high.

That December, African Americans met in Charleston to discuss the challenges they faced and define what freedom meant, according to Bobby Donaldson, history professor at the University of South Carolina and director of the Center for Civil Rights History and Research. They considered what Black people were seeking politically, economically and socially.

Remember, in that post-Civil War period, despite Union victory, the future of Black people was still quite uncertain, Donaldson said. The reality on the ground was discouraging.

Is it possible that the petition circulated at this meeting?

The discriminatory Black Codes didnt last long. They were nullified by the federally appointed military superintendent of South Carolina in January 1866. But they made it clear to Black people what White leaders in the state wished to achieve.

Too 'radical'

Leaders of the states that had seceded were recalcitrant after the war, trying their best to restore a version of the slave system. To hasten their readmittance into the Union, Congress passed the Reconstruction Act of 1867 which, among other things, required Southern states to devise new constitutions that guaranteed universal male suffrage, regardless of race.

In January 1868, delegates gathered at the Charleston Club on Meeting Street. Most  72  were African Americans, more than half of them recently emancipated from slavery; 49 were White men. Some of the delegates hailed from the North, but most were South Carolinians.

Over the course of 53 days, they hammered out the most progressive governing document the state has ever produced. They gave women the right to divorce and control their own wealth. They created a public school system open to all, regardless of race. They created a state board of education and a state library. They replaced geographical parishes with counties. They mandated the formation of normal schools for educating teachers and agricultural colleges for educating farmers and mechanics. They created a support system for the blind, deaf and mentally ill. They outlawed imprisonment for those in debt. They eliminated property ownership as a requirement for holding public office. They guaranteed the right to vote for all men 21 and older.

Article 1, Section 1 of the new constitution echoed the Declaration of Independence: All men are born free and equal  endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, among which are the right of enjoying and defending their lives and liberties, of acquiring, possessing and protecting property, and of seeking and obtaining their safety and happiness.

Article 1, Section 39 stated, Distinction on account of race or color, in any case whatever, shall be prohibited, and all classes of citizens shall enjoy equally all common, public, legal and political advantages.

On May 22, Congress ratified South Carolinas constitution. That summer, the S.C. House of Representatives agreed to the terms of the 14th Amendment, which declared all people born or naturalized in the United State full citizens, guaranteeing them due process and equal protection of the law. On July 18, 1868, President Andrew Johnson readmitted South Carolina to the American republic.

Its possible that some of the people who participated in the 1865 meeting were delegates at the constitutional convention held in Charleston 2 years later, Donaldson said. That means there is potential for historians and researchers to cross-reference the two events and glean more information.

The petition, he said, opened a window through which we glimpse the hopes of African Americans at the moment the Civil War has come to an end, and before the future could be known with any certainly.

There were few documents written and designed by Black people, he said. This is one of them.

The future they imagined, though, was deemed too radical by many White Southerners bent on restoring racial hierarchies and securing their place at the top.

The new constitution would not last long. In 1876, white supremacists mostly comprised of the former plantation elite  known as Redeemers  took control of the Legislature and Governors office. They pursued a campaign of violence and intimidation to disenfranchise African Americans, and in 1895 would replace the constitution with one far more punitive and discriminatory, based not on personhood but on intelligence.

The era of the poll test and the poll tax had begun. Jim Crow now was in charge.

Connections

Rep. Jim Clyburn, who attended the public unrolling of the petition at the Library of Congress on March 29, said he recognized many Lowcountry family names. Clyburn taught history in Charleston County for a decade before launching his political career; his interest in the petition, therefore, is high, he said.

One name stuck out: Poinsette. Clyburn had just seen the play Septima at Pure Theatre, which recounts the life of the African American Septima Poinsette Clark. Could the petition signer be an ancestor of the great educator and civil rights activist? Clyburn would like to know.

He, Krowl and Hayden plan to be in contact with the International African American Museum in Charleston to discuss ways the Library of Congress and the museums genealogy program might collaborate, they said.

Perhaps they can arrange to have the petition on display at the museum when it opens its doors to the public in June.
SPARTANBURG  A man working at a concrete-making facility has died following a workplace accident.

Jacob Frederick Hughes, 37, suffered fatal injuries April 3 while working at Tindall Corporation's Fairforest location, Spartanburg County Coroner Rusty Clevenger said.

Clevenger said Hughes was injured after a large, heavy beam tipped over on him. He was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead at 1:35 p.m.

The South Carolina Occupational Health and Safety Administration has been contacted to investigate Hughes death alongside the coroners office.

Tindall Corporation addressed Hughes death in a written statement.

We are currently cooperating with the proper authorities to investigate the incident, the company said. The safety and well-being of our employees, contractors and community are our priority.

Most importantly, we are focused on the people that have been directly impacted by this sudden and tragic loss. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and our entire Spartanburg team.

Tindall Corporation, which is headquartered in Spartanburg, is one of the largest precast concrete manufacturers in North America.
Ukrainians do so that Americans do not have to fight  Zelenskyy in his address to US National Association of Governors

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed representatives of the National Association of Governors of the United States of America via video link on Tuesday.

The head of state noted that Russia unleashed this war not so much against our country, but against freedom in Europe and around the globe in general.

And when asking why America should help Ukraine and invest in our defense, the answer is  just look at reality  The Kremlin dreams to split NATO and to provoke a conflict that will force Your nation to choose whether to fight or not, Zelenskyy said.

It is Ukraine, as the President stressed, that is the reliable last border of Western states and is able to prevent the expansion of the war.

Thanks to our strength, in particular your people will not have to make this choice  a choice about your men and women  brave soldiers, whose lives would be laid on the Altar of protecting the most precious  freedom. If Ukraine endures  your peace, your allies and partners endure as well. That is why we ask the USA for support, for weapons and finances, he said.

At the same time, Zelenskyy thanked all Americans who are ready to work for the restoration of Ukraine.

In particular, employees of the Arkansas defense industry for the production and supply of Hymars systems to Ukraine, employees of Alabama enterprises for Javelin systems, the states of Arizona and Oklahoma, where the Ukrainian military trained, including for work on Patriots, as well as Texas, Nevada, Maryland, California, Indiana, Oregon and other American states for weapons systems and products, services and solutions that bring the Ukrainian victory closer.

In addition, according to the Ukrainian president, some U.S. states are already negotiating the restoration of Ukraine (Ohio - Kharkiv region, Illinois - Kyiv region, Minnesota - Chernihiv region). In this regard, he called for the expansion of cooperation, which will create new growth for security and the economy.

The main thing is not to waste time, not to lose the chance we have. To act now, and help now. The Ukrainians do it so that the Americans do not have to fight. Together, we are gaining new strength of our nations, Zelenskyy said.
SPARTANBURG  No criminal charges are expected in the October 2022 death of a man in the Spartanburg County Detention Center which his family claims was caused by antipsychotic drugs administered inside the jail.

The South Carolina Attorney Generals Office on March 30 told the State Law Enforcement Division that because the coroners report listed Lavell Lane's death as natural, prosecutors would not recommend charges.

It is my legal opinion that the evidence does not contradict the autopsy finding that the inmate died naturally of neuroleptic malignant syndrome, Assistant Attorney General Jerrod Fussnecker wrote. As such, we are not recommending initiation of criminal charges.

Lane was one of six people who died in the Spartanburg jail last year. No other county jail in the state had more deaths.

Were disappointed because we think it was criminal neglect of Lavell Lane, said attorney Christopher Pracht, who represents Lanes family. That being said, I rarely if ever see the attorney generals office prosecute these cases. Nevertheless, what happened to Lavell Lane is gross neglect and complete indifference to his safety and medical care.

Pracht claims the neuroleptic malignant syndrome that killed Lane on Oct. 3, 2022, resulted from a dose of aripiprazole lauroxil, an antipsychotic medication the detention center gave to him when he was arrested three days earlier.

Spartanburg County Sheriff Chuck Wright and department spokesman Lt. Kevin Bobo did not respond to request for comment.

According to his family, Lane had schizophrenia and was staying at the Midway Residential Care Facility in Duncan. He went to the hospital on Sept. 29, 2022, while in psychosis. During that episode he headbutted a nurse.

The hospital called police and Lane went to jail. Records show a stun gun was used, he was pepper sprayed twice and he was given the antipsychotic shot.

Three days later, Lane was agitated and sweating profusely, according to his family. All are symptoms of NMS, according to coroner records. Lane was again sent to the hospital but he left shortly after he arrived. That night, a sheriffs deputy responded to a call regarding a man walking in the road northeast of downtown Spartanburg. Lane was arrested around 10:30 p.m.

Once in the jail, Lane became combative, according to an incident report. Lanes sister, Andrea Reese, watched an edited video offered by SLED of Lanes time in jail and said he was put into a concrete cell where he banged his head on the wall. Deputies later moved him to a padded cell and used a stun gun on him in the process.

Lane died early the next morning.
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NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / April 3, 2023 / WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, reminds purchasers of securities of Dutch Bros, Inc. (NYSE:BROS) between March 1, 2022 and May 11, 2022, both dates inclusive (the "Class Period"), of the important May 1, 2023 lead plaintiff deadline.SO WHAT: If you purchased Dutch Bros securities during the Class Period you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out of pocket fees or costs through a contingency fee arrangement.WHAT TO DO NEXT: To join the Dutch Bros class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=12586 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email pkim@ rosenlegal.com or cases@ rosenlegal.com for information on the class action. A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than May 1, 2023. A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation.WHY ROSEN LAW: We encourage investors to select qualified counsel with a track record of success in leadership roles. Often, firms issuing notices do not have comparable experience, resources or any meaningful peer recognition. Many of these firms do not actually handle securities class actions, but are merely middlemen that refer clients or partner with law firms that actually litigate the cases. Be wise in selecting counsel. The Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation. Rosen Law Firm has achieved the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company. Rosen Law Firm was Ranked No. 1 by ISS Securities Class Action Services for number of securities class action settlements in 2017. The firm has been ranked in the top 4 each year since 2013 and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors. In 2019 alone the firm secured over $438 million for investors. In 2020, founding partner Laurence Rosen was named by law360 as a Titan of Plaintiffs' Bar. Many of the firm's attorneys have been recognized by Lawdragon and Super Lawyers.DETAILS OF THE CASE: According to the lawsuit, defendants throughout the Class Period made materially false and/or misleading statements, and failed to disclose material adverse facts about the Company's business, operations, and prospects. Specifically, defendants failed to disclose to investors that: (1) the Company was experiencing increased costs and expenses, including on dairy; (2) as a result, the Company was experiencing increased margin pressure and decreased profitability in the first quarter of 2022; and (3) as a result of the foregoing, defendants' positive statements about the Company's business, operations, and prospects were materially misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis. When the true details entered the market, the lawsuit claims that investors suffered damages.To join the Dutch Bros class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=12586 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email pkim@ rosenlegal.com or cases@ rosenlegal.com for information on the class action.No Class Has Been Certified. Until a class is certified, you are not represented by counsel unless you retain one. You may select counsel of your choice. You may also remain an absent class member and do nothing at this point. An investor's ability to share in any potential future recovery is not dependent upon serving as lead plaintiff.Follow us for updates on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-rosen-law-firm , on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosen_firm or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rosenlawfirm/ Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.---Contact Information:Laurence Rosen, Esq.Phillip Kim, Esq.The Rosen Law Firm, P.A.275 Madison Avenue, 40th FloorNew York, NY 10016Tel: (212) 686-1060Toll Free: (866) 767-3653Fax: (212) 202-3827lrosen@ rosenlegal.com pkim@ rosenlegal.com cases@ rosenlegal.com SOURCE: The Rosen Law Firm PA
BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 4. The US-Azerbaijan Green Energy Forum held in Baku today became another milestone in the already successful energy relations between the two countries. President Ilham Aliyevs new energy strategy aimed at not only expanding the oil and gas industry, but also at the development of green energy projects, has completely transformed Azerbaijans energy policy, and the way its international partners see the cooperation with the country.

As President Ilham Aliyev said in one of his recent speeches during a joint press conference with Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany Olaf Scholz in Berlin, Azerbaijan has a very large renewable energy potential, and the country will export not only natural gas but also green energy to Europe in the future.

And, indeed, Azerbaijan's renewable energy potential is more than 27 GW of onshore wind and solar energy and 157 GW of wind energy in the Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian Sea. By 2027, the country plans to produce 3 GW of wind and 1 GW of solar energy, 80 percent of which will be exported. By 2037, Azerbaijan expects an additional capacity of at least 6 GW. Just one global energy company has already expressed its desire to invest in the additional 10 GW of green energy in Azerbaijan.

Moreover, the potential of wind, solar and hydropower in the liberated lands (Karabakh and Zangazur Economic Zones) exceeds 10 GW. The plan to turn these territories into green energy zones came up very soon after the liberation. And now, Nakhchivan is also going to join this promising initiative.

"There is a big potential of hydropower station building in Nakhchivan. And also there was an expertise recently conducted there and probably soon we will have some developments with respect to construction of the 500 megawatt solar power station. At the same time, traditional power station in Nakhchivan is also more than welcome because Nakhchivan has a great export potential," President Ilham Aliyev said, while meeting the representatives of German business during his trip to Berlin.

These production capacities, which are planned to be put into use by 2040, largely exceed Azerbaijans demand. At the same time, the countrys potential is also way more than the capacities to be created.

Thus, the ample opportunities Azerbaijan is going to provide, and already provides, to its partners cannot be missed. Azerbaijan has already established a strong cooperation model with the EU by signing an agreement on doubling gas supplies to Europe by 2027, which also includes the expansion of cooperation in the green energy field. Several European companies are already engaged in various renewable energy projects in different parts of the country, including in the liberated Karabakh.

One of the most prominent projects that are going to be carried out in the near future implies the launch of green energy exports from Azerbaijan to Europe, following the signing of the "Agreement on a strategic partnership in the field of green energy development and transmission between the Governments of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Georgia, Romania and Hungary." As part of this project, it is planned to lay a 1,195-kilometer power transmission line with a capacity of 1,000 MW between Georgia and Romania and install a digital connecting cable. To this end, with the support of the World Bank, it is planned to prepare a technical and economic justification of the project by the end of 2023.

Speaking about this initiative, President Ilham Aliyev noted that Azerbaijans importance as an energy partner for Europe only grows.

"Azerbaijan becomes for the European Union more important partner with respect to the energy supplies. We always were considered by the European Commission as a reliable partner. Today we export oil, natural gas, electricity, petrochemicals, oil products and hopefully soon we will start to export green energy. A corresponding agreement between Azerbaijan, Georgia, Romania and Hungary, which was witnessed by Madamme President of the European Commission, was signed last December in Bucharest. So, this is really a global, mega project, which comes right after the completion of another mega project, which was the Southern Gas Corridor," President Ilham Aliyev said.

The US-Azerbaijan Green Energy Forum was aimed at helping Azerbaijan in boosting its renewable energy capacities, as well as attracting US companies to the market. The US renewable energy producers with their vast technological capabilities can be very much of use to Azerbaijan. And, in turn, the US companies can successfully develop their businesses here, as the Azerbaijani market is very cost-efficient, due to relatively low energy prices.

Remarking the forum, Hugo Guevara, Charge dAffaires at the US Embassy in Azerbaijan, said that the forum represents an important area for growth in the bilateral relations between the two states.

"Energy has always played an important part in our economic cooperation and the United States has long supported Azerbaijans role as a reliable energy supplier. This forum will help spur the technical and regulatory innovations that will help Azerbaijan take full advantage of its green energy potential," he said.

It is important to recall that, during the last meeting of the Advisory Council of the Southern Gas Corridor in Baku, Laura Lochman, US Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy Diplomacy in the Bureau of Energy Resources, noted that the US is looking into investing in the development of Azerbaijans green energy sector, with particular focus on its exports.

"The US has supported and will continue to support the Southern Gas Corridor project to ensure the energy security of its European partners. This corridor is a very important project for Europe, and Azerbaijan plays a leading role in ensuring energy security," she said, adding that "There is a huge potential in wind and solar, and, eventually, the same will be with hydrogen. And it will continue to be the same as the investments are being made".

As Azerbaijans Ministry of Energy announced, the first auctions on renewable energy projects in the country are planned to be held in the first half of the current year. It is expected that the first-ever auction in renewables will apply to the solar energy project. This should give an impetus to the development of cooperation between Azerbaijan and the US in the field of green energy.

The policy pursued by President Ilham Aliyev has transformed Azerbaijan into the leading investment hub in the region, and this is proved by the number of those who want to put their money into promising projects in the country. And Azerbaijan has created the necessary environment for this, which incorporates the high potential, the focus of state policy in the area of alternative energy development, and the new legal framework. Today, the success of Azerbaijan's oil and gas saga repeats itself in a completely new sphere, which entails huge victories.
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RADNOR, PA / ACCESSWIRE / April 3, 2023 / The law firm of Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP( www.ktmc.com) informs investors that securities class action complaints have been filed against Credit Suisse Group AG ("Credit Suisse") (NYSE:CS). The complaints charge Credit Suisse with violations of the federal securities laws, including omissions and fraudulent misrepresentations relating to the company's business, operations, and prospects. As a result of Credit Suisse's materially misleading statements and omissions to the public, Credit Suisse's investors have suffered significant losses.CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT YOUR CREDIT SUISSE LOSSES. YOU CAN ALSO CLICK ON THE FOLLOWING LINK OR COPY AND PASTE IN YOUR BROWSER: https://www.ktmc.com/new-cases/credit-suisse-group-ag?utm_source=PR&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=cs&mktm=r CANNOT VIEW THIS VIDEO? PLEASE CLICK HERELEAD PLAINTIFF DEADLINE:MAY 8, 2023CLASS PERIOD: MARCH 10, 2022 THROUGH MARCH 20, 2023CONTACT AN ATTORNEY TO DISCUSS YOUR RIGHTS:Jonathan Naji, Esq. at (484) 270-1453 or via email at info@ ktmc.com Kessler Topaz is one of the world's foremost advocates in protecting the public against corporate fraud and other wrongdoing. Our securities fraud litigators are regularly recognized as leaders in the field individually and our firm is both feared and respected among the defense bar and the insurance bar. We are proud to have recovered billions of dollars for our clients and the classes of shareholders we represent.CREDIT SUISSE'S ALLEGED MISCONDUCTOn March 10, 2022, Credit Suisse filed with the SEC its 2021 annual report on a Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2021. The 2021 annual report failed to identify any material weaknesses with Credit Suisse's internal controls.On December 1, 2022, Credit Suisse's Chairman, Axel P. Lehmann ("Lehmann") stated in an interview with Financial Times that customer outflows had not only "completely flattened out," but had, in fact, "partially reversed." The following day, in an interview with Bloomberg Television, Lehmann reiterated his previous statements, reassuring investors that as of November 11, 2022, customer outflows had "basically stopped." Following Lehmann's statements, Credit Suisse's American Depository Share ("ADS") price rose $0.29 per ADS, or 9.36%, to close at $3.38 per ADS on December 2, 2022.Then on February 9, 2023, Credit Suisse issued a press release announcing its 2022 financial results. The press release revealed that, contrary to Lehmann's prior statements, large customer outflows had continued through year-end 2022. Specifically, the press release reported customer outflows of 110.5 billion Swiss francs in the final three months of 2022, a figure which far exceeded market expectations. Following this news, Credit Suisse's ADS price fell $0.56 per ADS, or 15.64%, to close at $3.02 per ADS on February 9, 2023.On February 21, 2023, Reuters reported that the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority was reviewing Lehmann's previous comments regarding customer outflows. Following this news, Credit Suisse's ADS price fell another $0.10 per ADS, or 3.31%, to close at $2.92 per ADS on February 21, 2023.Then on Tuesday, March 14, 2023, Credit Suisse issued its annual 2022 report and revealed that it had identified "certain material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting" for the years 2021 and 2022. Additionally, on Wednesday, March 15, 2023, the chairman of Credit Suisse's largest shareholder, Saudi National Bank, which holds 9.88% of Credit Suisse, announced that it won't provide further financial support to Credit Suisse and that it would not buy more shares on regulatory grounds.Following this news, the price of Credit Suisse ADSs fell 13.94% to close at $2.16 per ADS on March 15, 2023.Finally, on March 20, 2023, Credit Suisse issued an announcement on Form 6-K of its merger agreement with Union Bank of Switzerland and that Union Bank of Switzerland would be the surviving entity upon closing of the merger transaction.Following this news, the price of Credit Suisse ADSs fell 52.99% to close at $0.9450 per ADS on March 20, 2023.WHAT CAN I DO?Credit Suisse investors may, no later than May 8, 2023, move the Court to serve as lead plaintiff for the class, through Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLPor other counsel, or may choose to do nothing and remain an absent class member. Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP encourages Credit Suisse investors who have suffered significant losses to contact the firm directly to acquire more information. The first class action complaint against Credit Suisse, Calhoun v. Credit Suisse Group AG, et al. Case No. 23-cv-01297, is filed in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey before the Honorable Karen McGlashan Williams.CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE CASEWHO CAN BE A LEAD PLAINTIFF?A lead plaintiff is a representative party who acts on behalf of all class members in directing the litigation. The lead plaintiff is usually the investor or small group of investors who have the largest financial interest and who are also adequate and typical of the proposed class of investors. The lead plaintiff selects counsel to represent the lead plaintiff and the class and these attorneys, if approved by the court, are lead or class counsel. Your ability to share in any recovery is not affected by the decision of whether or not to serve as a lead plaintiff.ABOUT KESSLER TOPAZ MELTZER & CHECK, LLPKessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP prosecutes class actions in state and federal courts throughout the country and around the world. The firm has developed a global reputation for excellence and has recovered billions of dollars for victims of fraud and other corporate misconduct. All of our work is driven by a common goal: to protect investors, consumers, employees and others from fraud, abuse, misconduct and negligence by businesses and fiduciaries. The complaints were not filed by Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP. For more information about Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP please visit www.ktmc.com CONTACT:Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLPJonathan Naji, Esq.280 King of Prussia RoadRadnor, PA 19087(484) 270-1453info@ ktmc.com SOURCE: Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP
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NEW ORLEANS, LA / ACCESSWIRE / April 3, 2023 / 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 Company's 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 DoIf 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 LawsuitsCredit 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 Company's "biggest backer," Saudi National Bank, would not buy any more of the Company's 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, LLCKSF, whose partners include former Louisiana Attorney General Charles C. Foti, Jr., is one of the nation's 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:Kahn Swick & Foti, LLCLewis Kahn, Managing Partner1-877-515-18501100 Poydras St., Suite 960New Orleans, LA 70163SOURCE: Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC
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PHILADELPHIA, PA / ACCESSWIRE / April 4, 2023 / Berger Montague advises investors that a securities fraud class action lawsuit has been filed against PLDT, Inc. ("PLDT") (NYSE:PHI) on behalf of those who purchased PLDT securities between January 1, 2019 and December 19, 2022, inclusive (the "Class Period").Investor Deadline: Investors who purchased or acquired PLDT securities during the Class Period may, no later than April 7, 2023, seek to be appointed as a lead plaintiff representative of the class. For additional information or to learn how to participate in this litigation, please contact Berger Montague: James Maro at jmaro@ bm.net or (215) 875-3093, or Andrew Abramowitz at aabramowitz@ bm.net or (215) 875-3015, or visit: https://investigations.bergermontague.com/pldt-inc/ PLDT purports to be the Philippines' largest fully integrated telco company. Through its principal business groups, PLDT offers a wide range of telecommunications and digital services across the Philippines' most extensive fiber optic backbone, and fixed line and cellular networks.On December 16, 2022, PLDT filed with the SEC a Form 6-K, which stated, "over the past four years, PLDT, Inc. and its subsidiary, Smart Communications Inc., embarked on a massive network transformation" which cost PHP 379 billion, including an estimated budget overrun of PHP 48 billion ($866 million).On December 19, 2022, Bloomberg reported that "The Philippines' Securities and Exchange Commission has launched an inquiry into the 48-billion peso ($866 million) capital spending budget overrun at PLDT Inc. that triggered a record plunge in the stock amid questions over its corporate governance and fiscal control." Following this news, on December 19, 2022, PLDT's share price fell $6.35 per share, or more than 19%, to close at $20.46.The complaint alleges that throughout the Class Period, the defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) there were capital spending budget overruns; (2) the defendants failed to address weaknesses that allowed such budget overruns; and (3) as a result, the defendants' statements about its business, operations, and prospects, were materially false and misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis at all relevant times.A lead plaintiff is a representative party that acts on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation. In order to be appointed lead plaintiff, the Court must determine that the class member's claim is typical of the claims of other class members, and that the class member will adequately represent the class. Your ability to share in any recovery is not, however, affected by the decision whether or not to serve as a lead plaintiff. Any member of the purported class may move the Court to serve as a lead plaintiff through counsel of his/her choice, or may choose to do nothing and remain an inactive class member.Berger Montague, with offices in Philadelphia, Minneapolis, Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Chicago, and San Diego, has been a pioneer in securities class action litigation since its founding in 1970. Berger Montague has represented individual and institutional investors for over five decades and serves as lead counsel in courts throughout the United States.Contacts:James Maro, Senior CounselBerger Montague(215) 875-3093jmaro@ bm.net Andrew Abramowitz, Senior CounselBerger Montague(215) 875-3015aabramowitz@ bm.net SOURCE: Berger Montague
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NEW ORLEANS, LA / ACCESSWIRE / April 3, 2023 / Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC ("KSF") and KSF partner, former Attorney General of Louisiana, Charles C. Foti, Jr., remind investors that they have until May 1, 2023 to file lead plaintiff applications in a securities class action lawsuit against Dutch Bros Inc. ("Dutch" or the "Company") (NYSE:BROS), if they purchased the Company's securities between March 1, 2022 and May 11, 2022, inclusive (the "Class Period"). This action is pending in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.What You May DoIf you purchased securities of Dutch and would like to discuss your legal rights and how this case 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-bros/ to learn more. If you wish to serve as a lead plaintiff in this class action, you must petition the Court by May 1, 2023.About the LawsuitDutch Bros and certain of its executives are charged with failing to disclose material information during the Class Period, violating federal securities laws.On May 11, 2022, the Company disclosed dismal 1Q2022 financial results including a net loss of $16.3 million, compared to a net loss of $4.8 million for the first quarter of 2021 and an adjusted net loss of $2.5 million (a loss of $0.02 per share), which fell below analysts' expectations, due to its failure to "perceive the speed and magnitude of cost escalation within the quarter," among other things.On this news, shares of Dutch fell $9.26, or 26.9%, to close at $25.11 per share on May 12, 2022.The case is Peacock v. Dutch Bros Inc., et al., No. 23-cv-01797.About Kahn Swick & Foti, LLCKSF, whose partners include former Louisiana Attorney General Charles C. Foti, Jr., is one of the nation's 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:Kahn Swick & Foti, LLCLewis Kahn, Managing Partner1-877-515-18501100 Poydras St., Suite 960New Orleans, LA 70163SOURCE: Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC
PR-Inside.com: 2023-04-04 04:16:34

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NEW ORLEANS, LA / ACCESSWIRE / April 3, 2023 / Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC ("KSF") and KSF partner, former Attorney General of Louisiana, Charles C. Foti, Jr., remind investors that they have until May 5, 2023 to file lead plaintiff applications in a securities class action lawsuit against Fidelity National Information Services, Inc. (NYSE:FIS), if they purchased the Company's shares between February 9, 2021 and February 10, 2023, inclusive (the "Class Period"). This action is pending in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida.What You May DoIf you purchased shares of Fidelity National and would like to discuss your legal rights and how this case 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-fis/ to learn more. If you wish to serve as a lead plaintiff in this class action, you must petition the Court by May 5, 2023.About the LawsuitFidelity National and certain of its executives are charged with failing to disclose material information during the Class Period, violating federal securities laws.On July 31, 2019, the Company announced it had completed the acquisition of payments company Worldpay, Inc. for $43 billion, which became part of the Fidelity National Merchant Solutions business. The Company subsequently, assured investors that the integration of Worldpay was "ahead of schedule," achieved "success in revenue synergies," and ultimately was "successfully completed" throughout the Class Period. Then, on February 13, 2023, the Company disclosed that it would be spinning off Worldpay and recording a goodwill impairment charge of $17.6 billion related to its Merchants Solutions business, a write-down of more than 40% of the purchase price for Worldpay just a few years earlier.On this news, shares of Fidelity National fell more than 12%, from a closing price of $75.43 per share on the prior trading day of February 10, 2023 to a closing price of $66.00 per share on February 13, 2023.The case is Palm Bay Police and Firefighters' Pension Fund v. Fidelity National Information Services, Inc., No. 23-cv-252.About Kahn Swick & Foti, LLCKSF, whose partners include former Louisiana Attorney General Charles C. Foti, Jr., is one of the nation's 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:Kahn Swick & Foti, LLCLewis Kahn, Managing Partner1-877-515-18501100 Poydras St., Suite 960New Orleans, LA 70163SOURCE: Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC
PR-Inside.com: 2023-04-05 01:00:27

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VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / April 4, 2023 / Gold Terra Resource Corp. (TSXV:YGT)(Frankfurt:TX0)(OTCQX:YGTFF) ("Gold Terra" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has signed a binding letter of agreement pursuant to which it has granted until April 30, 2023 the exclusivity rights to Midas Minerals Limited (ASX: MM1) ("Midas Minerals") to enter into a definitive option agreement with Gold Terra (the "Definitive Agreement"). The Definitive Agreement, among other things, will provide that Midas Minerals can earn up to an 80% participating interest in two stages for only the "Critical Minerals" (pegmatite hosted lithium, tantalum and tin (LI, TA, SN), Lithium-cesium-tantalum (LCT), and rare earths or other rare earth deposits) contained within the Quyta-Bell and Eastbelt blocks totaling 544.7 square kilometres on the Company's 100% owned Yellowknife property holdings excluding the potential gold belt area.Chairman and CEO, Gerald Panneton, commented, "We are pleased to partner with Midas Minerals, a company with great expertise on lithium and critical minerals exploration. Our large Yellowknife land holdings have tremendous exploration potential for critical minerals in addition to the prolific abundance of gold that the Yellowknife gold district is known for. The deal allows us to continue with our focus on gold exploration in the gold belt area along the Campbell shear while keeping our exposure to the potential for critical minerals discovery at no cost to Gold Terra until a positive bankable feasibility study is completed. The Lithium prospective area is to the East and completely outside our main gold target, the Campbell Shear Gold corridor. In essence, this is a partnering that is expected to bring value to both companies and their shareholders." HighlightsGold Terra is to receive up to C$ 1.2 million over 3 years, 2.20 million shares of Midas, and retain a 1% Gross Revenue Royalty (GRR) after the 51% earn in.Midas Minerals has exclusivity to earn 51% interest in the first 3 years, and up to another 29% interest over the next following 2 years for up to 80% interest in the Critical Minerals rights over a 544.7 square kilometre portion of the Company's Yellowknife property (YP)The Yellowknife Lithium Project (YLP) is located East and North in close proximity to Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada.More than 100 LCT pegmatites are known in the region, including historic references to lithium and tantalum occurrences within the YLP tenure.Midas Minerals plans to commence exploration at YLP in June 2023 and expects to have initial drill targets identified by August 2023.Definitive Option AgreementTo earn a 51% participating interest, over a period that ends on September 30, 2026, Midas Minerals must pay to the Company the sum of $1.2 million in cash, must deliver to the Company approximately $300,000 worth of common shares of Midas Minerals, must incur exploration expenditures of $5.0 million and must grant Gold Terra a 1% gross revenue royalty on the basis of 100% production of Critical Minerals. Midas Minerals may purchase one-half of the 1% gross revenue royalty (in whole but not in part) for the sum of $5.0 million. Out of the foregoing earn-in requirements, Midas Minerals is committed to pay $100,000 in cash (already paid), issue the Midas Minerals common shares for total value of $300,000, and must incur exploration expenditures of $250,000, on or before September 30, 2023, with the remainder of the earn-in requirements being optional.If Midas Minerals exercises the option to earn a 51% participating interest, then Midas Minerals can elect to earn an additional 29% participating interest by incurring by no later than September 30, 2028, an additional $5.0 million in exploration expenditures. If Midas Minerals does not elect to earn the additional 29% participating interest (after having earned the 51% participating interest), then Midas Minerals must transfer a 2% participating interest to Gold Terra (so that the participating interests between Gold Terra and Midas Minerals will be 51%/49%).Gold Terra and Midas Minerals will form a Critical Minerals joint venture upon the exercise by Midas Minerals of the first option (to acquire the 51% participating interest).If Midas Minerals earns the 80% participating interest, the interest of Gold Terra in the Critical Minerals joint venture will be fully carried until the Critical Minerals joint venture has approved a bankable feasibility study for the development of a Critical Minerals project on any part of the Quyta-Bell and Eastbelt Block of Gold Terra's holdings in Yellowknife, NWT.The execution and delivery of the Definitive Agreement is subject to standard conditions precedent, including without limitation, the receipt by Gold Terra and Midas Minerals of all requisite regulatory and stock exchange approvals and third party consents, approvals and waivers. Additionally, the Definitive Agreement, the joint venture agreement and the gross revenue royalty agreement must be negotiated by the parties and must be mutually acceptable to Gold Terra and Midas Minerals.Project AreaThe Yellowknife Lithium Project (YLP) comprises the two adjoining Quyta-Bell and Eastbelt blocks for a total of 544.7 square kilometres:Eastbelt - Located 4 kilometres east to 30 kilometres northeast of Yellowknife and totalling approximately 173 square kilometres. The Eastbelt block lies adjacent to the Bluefish hydroelectric power station, and road access is reasonable. The Eastbelt block is also subject to an underlying royalty agreement with Osisko Royalties which has an option to purchase up to a 3% NSR.Quyta-Bell - Located 30 kilometres to 60 kilometres north of Yellowknife and totalling approximately 371 square kilometres. The Quyta-Bell tenements cover a larger underexplored area with favourable geology for both gold and lithium.The YLP area is shown in Figure 1 below. Both areas have been covered by detailed airborne magnetics and radiometrics, LiDAR and high-resolution aerial imagery providing a foundation defining initial lithium exploration targets.Figure 1 - Location MapGeological Setting and Lithium MineralizationThe Yellowknife LCT pegmatite field is situated in the southern part of the Slave Craton and hosted in metamorphosed turbiditic sediments of the Archean age Burwash Formation (ca. 2650-2661 Ma). A number of granitoid bodies intrude the Burwash including the predominately S-type granites of the 2592-2596 Ma Prosperous Lake plutonic suite. There are at least 15 separate intrusions of the fertile Prosperous Lake suite, six of which occur on or adjacent to the YLP.A large number of LCT pegmati
PR-Inside.com: 2023-04-04 22:00:12

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SUFFERN, NY / ACCESSWIRE / April 4, 2023 / High school students from across the Hudson Valley met with trade-industry experts to participate in skills-building activities and learn about careers in the trades at the annual Hudson Valley Construction Career Day on March 31. More than 700 students filled the Rockland Community College Fieldhouse in Suffern to explore diverse careers in the construction and building trades, and learn about the financial and educational advantages of apprenticeship training. Representatives from the unions and private-sector companies engaged the students in demonstrations such as welding, carpentry and soldering.Hosted by the Construction Industry Council of Westchester & Hudson Valley, Inc. (CIC) and the Building Contractors Association of Westchester & Mid-Hudson, Inc. (BCA), Construction Career Day is designed to reinvigorate the industry's labor force with young talent. The event marks the organizations' 23rd year of supporting tomorrow's workforce."The demand for skilled labor is increasing, and we're seeing infrastructure investments at the state and federal levels, so there is clearly a need for these critical skills," said Matthew Pepe, executive director of the BCA. "Apprenticeships offer young people the opportunity to learn and earn as they prepare for good-paying jobs right in their communities. We're proud to be a part of this important effort to enhance our workforce, invest in our communities and strengthen our overall economy." Registered apprenticeship programs in the building and construction trades provide participants with a high-quality and nationally recognized credential that certifies occupational proficiency in the construction industry. Programs follow a "learn-while-you-earn" model, as participants earn wages that are graduated upward as the apprentice accumulates greater skills and experience on the job.Blue collar to new collar'Mary Jane Bertram, Hudson Valley regional director for the Workforce Development Institute, talked about the importance of investing in technical training and new technology skills, and going from "blue collar to new collar"."Providing our youth with a variety of options to good-paying, family sustaining wages is an important mission and one that we are happy to assist with," Bertram said. "These are careers that are local careers that provide a way for people to raise a family, buy a house and to retire - it is a beautiful thing to have those benefits that continue for a lifetime." A number of local, state and federal representatives attended the event and talked about the importance of the trades as a career option for students who aren't necessarily college-bound."This is about the American dream. I cannot believe the amount of people who are here today, trying to be a part of that," said Rockland County Executive Ed Day. "It's been about 18 years since I've been coming here, as a county legislator and as the county executive. What I feel most satisfied about, going back all those years, is that I know a number of these young people who now have good-paying jobs, are raising families and have their own homes. This is a path to move forward and have a good life." Putnam County Executive Kevin Byrne said: "There are so many different opportunities for our young people to pursue in New York, in Putnam County and the Hudson Valley. And, those opportunities aren't just out of higher education, but through apprenticeship programs and through our friends in the labor community. You have an opportunity to not only learn from groups like this, but to work with them and stay in New York, stay in the Hudson Valley." Also attending were Donna Chiapperino, district representative for U.S. Rep. Mike Lawler; Victoria Cafarelli, representative for Assemblymember Dana Levenberg; and Westchester County Legislators James Nolan and David Tubiolo.For information about apprenticeship programs, visit https://cicbca.org/resources/ . For information about CIC and BCA, visit www.cicnys.org About CIC and BCAThe Construction Industry Council of Westchester & Hudson Valley, Inc. is a professional trade organization, representing more than 600 contractors, suppliers, consultants and other professionals who service the construction and building industries. CIC is the leading voice for transportation construction and environmental infrastructure, as well as utilities and commercial development in the mid-Hudson region of New York State.The Building Contractors Association of Westchester & Mid-Hudson, Inc. provides fast, reliable information to members on virtually every subject related to building construction. Its primary mission is to improve conditions by negotiating labor agreements with local trades; lobbying local, state and federal governments to secure capital spending and beneficial laws; dispersing information about public and private bid lettings and awards; educating industry members on the latest requirements of laws, rules and regulations affecting daily operations; and providing networking opportunities for members.PHOTO CAPTION: Raven Astudillo, 17, a junior at Roosevelt High School in Yonkers, receives pointers in laying concrete block from instructor Chris Brozowski of Bricklayers Local 1 at the 23rd annual Hudson Valley Construction Career Day in Rockland County.Credit: George DrapeauPHOTO CAPTION: Kyhiem Massaquoi, 15, a sophomore at Mount Vernon High School, tries out the self-rescue tripod and harness, actual equipment used in Laborers Local 60's confined space training class offered at its apprenticeship training center in Brewster, N.Y. Some 700 students attended the 23rd annual Hudson Valley Construction Career Day in Rockland County March 31.Credit: George DrapeauMEDIA CONTACT:Caryn McBrideCo-Communications Inc.cmcbride@ cocommunications.com SOURCE: Construction Industry Council of Westchester & Hudson Valley, Inc.
PR-Inside.com: 2023-04-04 12:21:55

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TOKYO & COLOMBO, Apr 4, 2023 - (JCN Newswire) - JCB International Co., Ltd., the international operations subsidiary of JCB Co., Ltd., Japan's only international payment brand partnered with Lanka Pay (Private) Limited (Lanka Pay) and Commercial Bank of Ceylon (Commercial Bank) announced the launch of LankaPay-JCB credit cards in Sri Lanka.This is the first launch of LankaPay Credit Cards in Sri Lanka and the first time five variants of LankaPay cards -- three credit cards and two debit -- cards were launched by a Sri Lankan Bank.LankaPay Card is an internationally accepted card, which is cost-effective and equipped with the latest technology and highest security features. All domestic transactions via LankaPay cards are routed locally and when the cards are used overseas the transactions are routed via the JCB network. This initiative will ensure that no foreign exchange outflow takes place for any local card transaction, which could potentially save the country a considerable amount of foreign exchange, the Bank said.The commencement of the issuance of LankaPay cards by Commercial Bank in Sri Lanka was celebrated at an event in Colombo at which senior representatives of Commercial Bank, LankaPay and JCB, emphasized the value of the additional width of the payment options, value-added services and customer choice the new card will offer ComBank cardholders.LankaPay cards issued in Sri Lanka by Commercial Bank will feature dual interface functionality, enabling both contact and contactless transactions at point-of-sale terminals connected to the LankaPay payment network. The cards can also be used at all automated teller machines (ATMs) linked to the LankaPay platform and over 42,000 merchant points island-wide. The card will enable Sri Lankans to enjoy JCB's global merchant network comprising of more than 41 million acceptance locations and JCB special offers worldwide including discounts and airport lounge services. The Bank will issue LankaPay branded credit cards in the Platinum, Gold and Classic tiers while the debit cards will be in the Platinum and Classic tiers. The debit card will be the first dual interface card in the country where the user can perform both contactless and contact-enabled transactions at any Point of Sale (POS) device.Commercial Bank joined the common ATM switch of LankaPay in 2014. In 2019, Commercial Bank implemented the LankaPay Common POS Switch System and became one of the first banks in Sri Lanka to have its point-of-sale network accept LankaPay cards. Later that year, it upgraded its ATM network to accept JCB Cards issued outside Sri Lanka for the withdrawal of cash to service the growing number of tourists and business professionals visiting the country, especially from Asia where JCB has a large number of card members.Commercial Bank cards are the market leader in Sri Lanka with a market share of over 23%. The Bank offers a variety of credit cards in the Silver, Gold and Platinum tiers and a variety of cards in the premium segment. The cards are equipped with 'Tap 'n Go' NFC technology and are backed by a strong NFC Point-of-Sale (POS) network. ComBank Cards offer an exciting array of promotions and offers across all categories and also offer the Max Loyalty Rewards scheme for selected card categories covering both credit and debit cards.Speaking at the launch of the ComBank-LankaPay cards, Commercial Bank Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer Mr. Sanath Manatunge said: "We are delighted to offer LankaPay credit and debit cards under National Card Scheme with both local and global acceptance and support a national initiative which is more pertinent now than ever before. Commercial Bank has been associated with JCB for several years and was one of the first banks in Sri Lanka to acquire both LankaPay Cards and JCB cards under the National Card Scheme. JCB cards have also been accepted at our ATMs for the past four years. We believe that this partnership will further strengthen our relationship with JCB while supporting the national economy at a critical time." Speaking at this occasion, LankaPay GM/CEO Mr Channa de Silva said: "The launch of ComBank LankaPay cards in Sri Lanka is a giant leap in furtherance of our quest to empower every Sri Lankan with faster, convenient, secure and affordable payment solutions, thereby creating financially inclusivity. LankaPay is committed to bring best-of-breed solutions to Sri Lanka's national payment infrastructure and has been at the forefront in revolutionizing the country's banking and financial services sector by keeping the elements 'innovation' and 'convenience' at its core. We are delighted to have Commercial Bank aboard to issue LankaPay Credit/Debit cards, which will no doubt give a fresh impetus to this initiative of national significance." Representing JCB at the event, the company's Executive Vice President Mr Koya Sakuma said: "JCB has been the leading credit card company in Japan for 60 years and a global payment brand for 40 years. We provide an unparalleled experience for our partners and their customers. Our flexible approach with our partners allows us to exceed expectations, which in turn, helps customers achieve their aspirations. We are excited to have partnered with LankaPay to issue the first ever LankaPay Credit Card under the national card scheme together with Commercial Bank. We are proud to be a partner in this monumental venture." About Lanka PayAs the national payment network that functions under the guidance and supervision of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL), LankaPay is considered one of the best Public Private Partnerships (PPP) in the region. The entity is owned by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka along with other licensed public and private commercial banks operating in the country. LankaPay has contributed immensely towards minimising the overall cost structure within the financial sector through a common infrastructure, making digital financial services accessible and affordable to everyone.About Commercial BankSri Lanka's first 100% carbon neutral bank, the first Sri Lankan bank to be listed among the Top 1000 Banks of the World and the only Sri Lankan bank to be so listed for 12 years consecutively, Commercial Bank operates a network of 270 branches and 950 automated machines in Sri Lanka. Commercial Bank is the largest lender to Sri Lanka's SME sector and is a leader in digital innovation in the country's Banking sector. The Bank's overseas operations encompass Bangladesh, where the Bank operates 20 outlets; Myanmar, where it has a Microfinance company in Nay Pyi Taw; and the Maldives, where the Bank has a fully-fledged Tier I Bank with a majority stake.About JCBJCB is a major global payment brand and a leading credit card issuer and acquirer in Japan. JCB launched its card business in Japan in 1961 and began expanding worldwide in 1981. Its acceptance network includes about 41 million merchants around the world. JCB Cards are now issued mainly in Asian countries and territories, with more than 150 million cardmembers. As part of its international growth strategy, JCB has formed alliances with hundreds of leading banks and financial institutions globally to increase its merchant coverage and cardmember base. As a comprehensive payment solution provider, JCB commits to providing responsive and high-quality service and products to all customers worldwide. For more information, please visit: www.global.jcb/en/ Contact: Ayaka Nakajima, Corporate Communications, Tel: +81-3-5778-8353, Email: jcb-pr@ info.jcb.co.jp
PR-Inside.com: 2023-04-04 14:00:52

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TAMPA, FL / ACCESSWIRE / April 4, 2023 / Today is a great day to save pets' lives. In an effort to help pets in need of lifesaving emergency and specialty veterinary care, celebrity animal lovers and philanthropists, Kimberly Williams-Paisley and Brad Paisley have partnered with Frankie's Friends, a national non-profit organization dedicated to saving pets with life-threatening conditions.Williams-Paisley shared her experience on Instagram after having to take her own dog, Hoot, to the emergency vet at BluePearl Pet Hospital in Tennessee. She said, "We thought maybe he'd swallowed something and had an obstruction, but further X-rays and an ultrasound showed he actually had an abscess in his liver. Hoot had emergency surgery and was in critical care for a few long days. Now he is well and back to his normal, cheerful self! We are so grateful for the phenomenal care our dog got at the hospital. Nothing like an emergency surgery for a beloved furry member of the family to put things into perspective. We really feel for pet owners who aren't able to pay for their pets' care and we're thrilled to learn about and help support Frankie's Friends who helps cover costs!"Williams-Paisley and Frankie's Friends share a deep belief that pets are a beloved part of the family and should have access to high quality veterinary care, regardless of their financial means. To show her appreciation and pay it forward to help other pets in need of lifesaving veterinary care, Williams-Paisley and her family have sponsored Frankie's Friends' online Pet Photo Contest taking place throughout the month of April, in honor of their dog Hoot. Funds raised will help pets in need of lifesaving emergency and specialty veterinary care when their owners cannot afford the cost of treatment. Pet lovers can enter their precious pooches, fierce felines, and other furry friends destined to be ani-models through the website at www.gogophotocontest.com/frankiesfriends2023 The photo with the most votes by receiving the most donations will be prominently featured on the cover of an 18 month calendar. The pet owner will also receive a copy of the calendar to proudly display, as well as a fabulous prize pack including a gift basket provided by Banfield Pet Hospital, a $50 Chewy gift card, a $50 gift certificate to Wufer's Cookies, and one month from BarkBox. The top 18 photos will be featured on a month in the calendar as well as receive a copy of the calendar.Votes are $1 each but supporters have the ability to donate/vote as often and as much as they want. Williams-Paisley and her family have generously agreed to match the first $10,000 raised in the Pet Photo Contest to further the mission of helping pets in need of lifesaving veterinary care."We are so happy to hear that Hoot is doing well and received the care needed to save his life. Every day pets across the country are faced with life-threatening illnesses and injuries, just like Hoot, and unfortunately many of them need veterinary care that is beyond the means of their loving families. The support and generosity from the Paisleys will truly allow us to save the lives of pets who would otherwise suffer without proper veterinary care, be relinquished to shelters, or worse - simply because their families can't afford the cost of the treatment." said Frankie's Friends Executive Director Danielle Martin.About Frankie's Friends:Founded in 1999, Frankie's Friends is a national non-profit foundation dedicated to finding cures and saving pets with cancer and other life-threatening conditions. Frankie's Friends helps to save pets' lives by providing grants to assist with the cost of life-saving or life-enhancing emergency or specialty care for pets whose families cannot afford the full cost of treatment.For more information on Frankie's Friends, please visit frankiesfriends.org Frankie's Friends Media Contact:Danielle Martin, danielle.martin@frankiesfriends.com 813.682.1344 FrankiesFriends.org 2950 Busch Lake Blvd, Tampa, FL 33614SOURCE: Frankie's Friends
PR-Inside.com: 2023-04-04 00:06:45

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NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / April 3, 2023 / WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, reminds purchasers of the securities of PLDT Inc. (NYSE:PHI) between January 1, 2019 and December 19, 2022, both dates inclusive (the "Class Period"), of the important April 7, 2023 lead plaintiff deadline in the securities class action commenced by the Firm.SO WHAT: If you purchased PLDT securities during the Class Period you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out of pocket fees or costs through a contingency fee arrangement.WHAT TO DO NEXT: To join the PLDT class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=10686or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email pkim@ rosenlegal.com or cases@ rosenlegal.com for information on the class action. A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than April 7, 2023. A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation.WHY ROSEN LAW: We encourage investors to select qualified counsel with a track record of success in leadership roles. Often, firms issuing notices do not have comparable experience, resources, or any meaningful peer recognition. Many of these firms do not actually litigate securities class actions, but are merely middlemen that refer clients or partner with law firms that actually litigate the cases. Many of these firms do not actually litigate securities class actions. Be wise in selecting counsel. The Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation. Rosen Law Firm has achieved the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company. Rosen Law Firm was Ranked No. 1 by ISS Securities Class Action Services for number of securities class action settlements in 2017. The firm has been ranked in the top 4 each year since 2013 and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors. In 2019 alone the firm secured over $438 million for investors. In 2020, founding partner Laurence Rosen was named by law360 as a Titan of Plaintiffs' Bar. Many of the firm's attorneys have been recognized by Lawdragon and Super Lawyers.DETAILS OF THE CASE: According to the lawsuit, defendants throughout the Class Period made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose, among other things, that: (1) there were capital spending budget overruns; (2) defendants failed to address weaknesses that allowed such budget overruns; and (3) as a result, defendants' statements about its business, operations, and prospects, were materially false and misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis at all relevant times. When the true details entered the market, the lawsuit claims that investors suffered damages.To join the PLDT class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=10686 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email pkim@ rosenlegal.com or cases@ rosenlegal.com for information on the class action.No Class Has Been Certified. Until a class is certified, you are not represented by counsel unless you retain one. You may select counsel of your choice. You may also remain an absent class member and do nothing at this point. An investor's ability to share in any potential future recovery is not dependent upon serving as lead plaintiff.Follow us for updates on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-rosen-law-firm or on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosen_firm or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rosenlawfirm Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.---Contact Information:Laurence Rosen, Esq.Phillip Kim, Esq.The Rosen Law Firm, P.A.275 Madison Avenue, 40th FloorNew York, NY 10016Tel: (212) 686-1060Toll Free: (866) 767-3653Fax: (212) 202-3827lrosen@ rosenlegal.com pkim@ rosenlegal.com cases@ rosenlegal.com SOURCE: Rosen Law Firm, P.A.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 4. The Institute of Oriental Studies of Poland will hold an international economic forum on September 5-7, 2023, in Karpacz to present investment opportunities in the liberated territories of Azerbaijan, Chairman of the Board of the Economic Scientific Research Institute under the Ministry of Economy Mahir Humbatov said at a press conference, Trend reports.

"The forum will be attended by representatives of the Economic Scientific Research Institute. Construction work and the investment climate in the liberated territories of Azerbaijan will be discussed at the forum," Humbatov noted.

The Economic Scientific Research Institute under the Ministry of Economy of Azerbaijan develops and provides activities in the economic and other related areas of the country. For this purpose, it conducts fundamental, applied scientific and experimental studies, creates a research base to support and ensure the sustainability of the development of the economy as well as its individual sectors.

At the same time, the Institute creates an analytical database and information systems, develops programs and projects, monitors and evaluates in the relevant field. This is a think-tank that works in the areas of strategic planning and ensuring innovative development, as well as trains highly qualified scientific personnel and participates in the development of human capital.
PR-Inside.com: 2023-04-04 18:30:33

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DUBLIN, IRELAND / ACCESSWIRE / April 4, 2023 / Quantum Ireland ICAV announces a new branch of their research department dedicated solely to the study of the lithium market.Quantum Ireland ICAV is confident that their new research department, which utilizes their patented AI software RARFAC, will be able to find the most relevant and up-to-date information about all parts of the lithium market.CTO Brian Delaney said, "With people looking for clean, sustainable energy sources and the EV market growing by leaps and bounds, lithium has quickly become the most sought after mined metal in the world. Quantum Ireland ICAV has dedicated an entire department to the research and analysis of lithium and the companies that use and mine it." When you want to research where to invest there has always been one cardinal rule, follow the money. In the case of lithium, the majority of that money goes straight to the first world governments.From our current analysis lithium looks to be one of the biggest winners in the race for mined metals over the next few decades. With the world shifting over to renewable energy production, there is a huge opportunity for those wanting in on the next big thing. Though our research and analysis views subjects from every angle, we are currently focusing in on the question, what about the lithium market in 2023?First, our assessment of how lithium companies could perform this year. Further, we'll look at whether or not now is the time to get involved with lithium.The reason we have dedicated an entire division to lithium is because of the huge future potential. Lithium is used in practically every type of power we consume. It's in the battery of the computers we use, not to mention the phones that are seemingly glued to our hands these days. On a larger scale lithium is powering electric cars, solar panels, virtually anything that requires a battery. We are edging closer every day to solid state batteries powering small commuter planes.What's more, it's recyclable. That's one of the major benefits for those seeking access to a sustainable resource. It's a product that can be reused again and again. Not sent into the atmosphere, or thrown in the garbage.From our most recent research into the the lithium market we have found an incredibly wide array of uses which includes potential for expansion into new areas. As our knowledge base continues to expand we are finding lithium is certainly something to consider now and in the future.We have come to the conclusion from assessment of a massive compilation of data that this year we will see a major improvement in lithium companies and the stocks that are tied to them. Growth will come from several companies expanding. Yet, the biggest reason is those expansions is that they are backed by governmental support.Around the world countries are putting their weight into clean energy production. Lithium is a major beneficiary. The United States, in particular, will see even more lithium production as the country looks to expand its electric vehicle production and try to beat out China for the top spot.In our analytical opinion involving the case for lithium stocks, it's looking like a great time to invest in 2023. These are the facts:The global lithium market size was valued at USD 1289.12 million in 2022 and is expected to expand at a CAGR of 8.38% during the forecast period, reaching USD 2088.97 million by 2028.The main drivers of lithium demand growth are the increasing demand for lithium-ion batteries, particularly in the electrification of vehicles.According to our RARFAC AI software, the current base-case analysis sees lithium demand of 3.3 million metric tons or a compounded 25 percent growth rate.The electrification of vehicles is projected to attract a significant volume of lithium-ion batteries, thus anticipated to drive the market over the forecast period.Additionally, in order to sustain demand lithium production must quadruple between 2020 and 2030 to meet, from 345,000 tonnes in 2020 to 2 million tonnes in 2030In conclusion, our research department has found the demand for lithium is rising globally, and its supply chain from mines to batteries relies on only a few critical first world nations. The processes from mining to production are becoming more efficient and environmentally friendly. From our point of view lithium is not just a monetary investment, it is an environmental one as well, for both the short and long term.To learn more about Quantum Ireland ICAV, you can visit their website at:Company name: Quantum Ireland ICAVContact name: Chelsea O'Shea (International press officer)Company address: 33 Sir John Rogersons Quay, Dublin 2, Dublin, IrelandWebsite URL: https://www.quantumirelandicav.com/ Phone: +353 1963 5377SOURCE: Quantum Ireland ICAV
PR-Inside.com: 2023-04-05 01:00:13

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NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / April 4, 2023 / WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, reminds investors in BlockFi Interest Accounts ("BIAs") between March 4, 2019 and November 28, 2022, inclusive (the "Class Period"), against Zac Prince, Flori Marquez, Amit Cheela, David Olsson, and Samia Bayou (together, "Defendants"), of the important May 1, 2023 lead plaintiff deadline.SO WHAT: If you invested in BlockFi Interest Accounts ("BIAs") during the Class Period you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out of pocket fees or costs through a contingency fee arrangement.WHAT TO DO NEXT: To join the BlockFi class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=12656 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email pkim@ rosenlegal.com or cases@ rosenlegal.com for information on the class action. A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than May 1, 2023. A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation.WHY ROSEN LAW: We encourage investors to select qualified counsel with a track record of success in leadership roles. Often, firms issuing notices do not have comparable experience, resources or any meaningful peer recognition. Many of these firms do not actually litigate securities class actions, but are merely middlemen that refer clients or partner with law firms that actually litigate the cases. Be wise in selecting counsel. The Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation. Rosen Law Firm has achieved the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company. Rosen Law Firm was Ranked No. 1 by ISS Securities Class Action Services for number of securities class action settlements in 2017. The firm has been ranked in the top 4 each year since 2013 and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors. In 2019 alone the firm secured over $438 million for investors. In 2020, founding partner Laurence Rosen was named by law360 as a Titan of Plaintiffs' Bar. Many of the firm's attorneys have been recognized by Lawdragon and Super Lawyers.DETAILS OF THE CASE: According to the lawsuit, the Defendants made false and misleading statements to promote BlockFi Interest Accounts ("BIAs"), including that BIAs were a secure method of collecting interest. In addition, the Complaint alleges, among other things, that the defendants omitted and concealed material information concerning the risks associated with BIAs, including through BlockFi's exposure to FTX Trading, Ltd. ("FTX") and Sam Bankman-Fried's trading firm Alameda Research ("Alameda"), both of which collapsed in the wake of revelations that FTX and Alameda were engaging in fraud on a massive scale. In the wake of the FTX collapse, the lawsuit alleges that BlockFi froze withdrawals in BIAs, harming BIA investors. Further, investors in BIAs were not aware of conflicts of interest and self-dealing between BlockFi and other entities, such as Gemini Trust LLC, controlled by Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss. The Complaint further alleges BlockFi and the Individual Defendants engaged in the unlawful offer and sale of securities in violation of Sections 5, 11, 12(a)(2), and 15 of the Securities Act of 1933 by selling BIAs to investors. The lawsuit also alleges claims for violation of Section 10(b) and 20 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Massachusetts General Law Chapter 110A.To join the BlockFi class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=12656 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email pkim@ rosenlegal.com or cases@ rosenlegal.com for information on the class action.No Class Has Been Certified. Until a class is certified, you are not represented by counsel unless you retain one. You may select counsel of your choice. You may also remain an absent class member and do nothing at this point. An investor's ability to share in any potential future recovery is not dependent upon serving as lead plaintiff.Follow us for updates on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-rosen-law-firm , on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosen_firm or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rosenlawfirm/ Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.---Contact Information:Laurence Rosen, Esq.Phillip Kim, Esq.The Rosen Law Firm, P.A.275 Madison Avenue, 40th FloorNew York, NY 10016Tel: (212) 686-1060Toll Free: (866) 767-3653Fax: (212) 202-3827lrosen@ rosenlegal.com pkim@ rosenlegal.com cases@ rosenlegal.com SOURCE: Rosen Law Firm PA
PR-Inside.com: 2023-04-04 14:01:21

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VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / April 4, 2023 / Silver Range Resources Ltd. (TSXV:SNG) ("Silver Range") announces it proposes to issue a total of 148,770 shares to Paladin Geoscience Corp. ("Paladin"), a private company controlled by Michael A. Power, Silver Range's President and Chief Executive Officer, pursuant to a "Shares for Services Agreement".The proposed share issuance, which is subject to TSX Venture Exchange (the "Exchange") acceptance, is in partial consideration for geological consulting services provided to Silver Range by Paladin during the period October 1, 2022 through March 31, 2023. The shares are to be issued at deemed prices per share ranging from $0.0613 to $0.0744, being the market prices of Silver Range's shares as traded on the Exchange as calculated at the end of each month in which such services were provided, minus 50% of the discount permitted under applicable Exchange policies. All consulting fees not paid for the issuance of Silver Range shares are paid in cash.About Silver Range Resources Ltd.Silver Range is a precious metals prospect generator working in Nevada and Northern Canada. It has assembled a portfolio of 45 properties, of which 13 are currently under option to others. Four other projects have been converted to royalty interests. Silver Range is actively seeking other joint venture partners to explore the high-grade precious metals targets in its portfolio.ON BEHALF OF SILVER RANGE RESOURCES LTD."Michael A. Power"President and Chief Executive OfficerFor further information concerning Silver Range or its exploration projects please contact:Investor InquiriesRichard DrechslerVice-President, CommunicationsTel: (604) 687-2522NA Toll-Free: (888) 688-2522rdrechsler@ silverrangeresources.com Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.This news release may contain forward looking statements based on assumptions and judgments of management regarding future events or results that may prove to be inaccurate as a result of exploration and other risk factors beyond its control, and actual results may differ materially from the expected results.SOURCE: Silver Range Resources Ltd.
PR-Inside.com: 2023-04-04 00:00:57

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The mining industry in Australia is currently experiencing a surge in demand for workers, with many companies seeking to fill record numbers of vacancies.PERTH, AUSTRALIA / ACCESSWIRE / April 3, 2023 / According to national recruitment and workforce management company, Techforce, the demand for workers in the mining sector has been driven by a combination of factors including increased investment in the industry, a strong global demand for minerals and an ageing workforce.The Minerals Council of Australia indicates that the mining sector directly employs over 250,000 people with all types of jobs such as rigger jobs and chef jobs as well as indirectly supporting many more jobs across the country. However, with an ageing workforce and a growing demand for minerals, Techforce says there is a need for new workers to enter the industry to fill the gaps.Many mining companies are actively seeking to attract new workers, offering competitive salaries, training programs and opportunities for career advancement. Techforce says some companies are also offering flexible working arrangements to help attract a more diverse pool of talent, including women and those from diverse cultural backgrounds.Techforce explains the industry is investing heavily in skills development and training programs to upskill existing workers and prepare them for the future of mining. These programs include initiatives to promote STEM education and encourage more young people to pursue careers in the industry.The surge in demand for workers is not just limited to traditional mining roles such as engineers and operators. Techforce says there is also a growing demand for workers in areas such as mining chef jobs, data analytics, automation and artificial intelligence, which are becoming increasingly important in modern mining operations.The mining industry in Australia has a long and proud history and continued investment is essential for the future of this critical sector. By attracting and developing a diverse range of workers, Techforce says the industry will remain competitive and sustainable for years to come.To search for current job opportunities including the most competitive FIFO chef jobs Perth wide, visit Techforce online today.About TechforceTechforce Personnel is a national privately owned recruitment and workforce management company experienced in supplying qualified employees to a range of industries across Australia and New Zealand.Contact InformationTechforce PersonnelMarketing Managerrecruitment@ techforce.com.au (08) 6363 7040SOURCE: Techforce
PR-Inside.com: 2023-04-04 01:17:56

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Providing transparency and doing meaningful work are the most important traits of successful workplaces, according to a global study of over 5,000 professionalsCHICAGO, IL / ACCESSWIRE / April 3, 2023 / 89% of executives agree that open and ongoing communication is the most important trait of the best company cultures, according to a new industry study by Fearless Culture.What separates the best workplace culture from the rest5 traits of best workplace cultures according to fearless culture studyThe research, which surveyed 5,285 global professionals across various levels and company sizes, also discovered that a sense of community, high autonomy, and diversity of thought are vital to creating the best workplace cultures. At the same time, fearful environments, a lack of alignment, and leaders who don't abide by the rules were key indicators of the worst cultures.Open and honest communication is a cornerstone of a healthy workplace - the most important trait - the study found. People blame poor communication for company failures, while effective communication increases productivity."When communication is open and honest, employees are more likely to contribute ideas," said Gustavo Razzetti, CEO of Fearless Culture. "Transparency is not about sharing everything but about not hiding critical information, especially bad news. People want to know the why, not just the what." The ability to do great and meaningful work is the second most important trait, according to 76% of respondents."Employees want to feel like they are making a difference and contributing to something bigger than themselves. Working on projects that are challenging, impactful, and aligned with their purpose increases job satisfaction," added Razzetti.Additional findings:Trait #3: a sense of community. 71% of executives said fostering a sense of belonging and feeling part of a community is vital for company success. Who we work with matters more than the company we work for - respondents want to work with great people - both professionally and personally.Trait #4: high autonomy. 56% of respondents feel motivated and empowered when they are free to make decisions and take ownership of their work. Autonomy and accountability go hand in hand in creating a positive workplace culture.Trait #5: Diverse Perspectives. 52% of respondents believe that diversity of thought is the secret sauce of innovation. When employees feel valued and respected for who they are, they are more likely to contribute with original ideas.The five traits that define the best cultures are: open and ongoing communication, doing great and meaningful work, belonging to a community, having high levels of autonomy, and welcoming diverse perspectives.Companies that prioritize these five workplace culture traits could expect to see better job satisfaction, higher productivity, and increased profitability.To learn more about the study: https://www.fearlessculture.design/blog-posts/5-things-that-separate-the-best-workplace-cultures-from-the-rest About Fearless CultureFounded by workplace consultant, speaker, and best-selling author Gustavo Razzetti, Fearless Culture helps organizations transform their culture via courageous conversations. Key services: culture mapping, culture assessment, and future state design. Some of its clients include Signify Health, Mars, Merck, Greenleaf Foods, and United Nations.To learn more, visit https://www.fearlessculture.design/about Contact InformationMoira DillonMedia relationshello@ fearlessculture.design +1 312-589-0553SOURCE: Fearless Culture
PR-Inside.com: 2023-04-04 00:55:50

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SAN FRANCISCO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / April 3, 2023 / The Wagyu Shop, an online gourmet food retailer specializing in rare and high-quality Japanese beef, is pleased to announce its expansion with a new facility and the release of a new seafood line. The company was founded in 2018 with the goal of providing meat lovers with premium and high-quality options, taking a personalized approach to customer service and delivery. The Wagyu Shop is excited about its next ventures and goals in furthering the company mission of providing exclusive cuts for consumers and connoisseurs."Over the years, we've studied the craft, met the farmers, and even visited the plants before our product is exported to the United States," says Tiffany Aguilar, Client Relations Manager. When it comes to providing for its clients, The Wagyu Shop takes seriously several factors that are often absent with online purveyors - quality and customer service. The Wagyu Shop researches and sources steaks that can only be found in high-end restaurants. The company services clientele that are commonly found hosting, as these clients desire the most luxury items that can be found. And something else that the shop does is add a personal touch to every order.The most sought-after product that the company supplies is Japanese beef. "Our main focus and what made us recognized is our selection of rare and high-quality Japanese Beef," mentions Aguilar. "We have the largest selection of Japanese beef in the country, with currently 6 different brands of Japanese Wagyu, the largest selection in the US." Yet, clients of The Wagyu Shop can select between various brands of Japanese Wagyu, Australian Wagyu, and American Wagyu.The company was excited to expand with a seafood line, which was released in 2022. "Our seafood collection contains many different kinds of luxury offerings," says Aguilar. "From rich caviar to wild-caught tuna, our selection offers a variety of options." The company hopes to attract buyers who are interested in preparing a tasty home-cooked meal or surprising guests with freshly-caught finds."We like to stay up-to-date on new types of meats and cuts," mentions Aguilar, "and ensure that everything is prepared in a safe and clean environment." The company decided to expand, opening up its own USDA processing facility. "We hope that the new facility will allow us to have complete control over the quality of our products," states Aguilar. The facility is equipped with the latest technology and equipment to ensure that the meat is processed in a safe and sanitary environment. The facility also allows the company to have complete control over the types of meats and cuts they offer, processing a variety of meats."We consider ourselves more customary than general," holds Aguilar. We hope that the new seafood line will serve customers in a new niche and that the facility will help us to customize our products even better to meet the needs of our clientele." About The Wagyu ShopThe Wagyu Shop is a luxury meat brand that serves customers in the United States and Puerto Rico. Founded in 2018, the company aims to provide buyers with the highest-quality meat and service that it can. The Wagyu Shop is excited to be able to further their mission with its new seafood line and processing facility. To learn more, contact Tiffany Aguilar at Tiffany@ wagyushop.com and visit the company website at https://wagyushop.com/ SOURCE: The Wagyu Shop
PR-Inside.com: 2023-04-04 14:01:04

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The World's Biggest Bounce Park Is in San Diego, and It's Bringing Non-Stop Fun This SpringSAN DIEGO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / April 4, 2023 / FUNBOX is bringing the ultimate adventure to San Diego, CA, with the World's Biggest Bounce Park. FUNBOX is a 20,000- sq.-ft ., inflatable playground that is filled with 10 play zones, including Tumble Temple, Marshmallow Mountain, Gumball's Gallop, and an obstacle course.FUNBOX The World's Biggest Bounce Park is only in San Diego for 12 weeks.FUNBOX is committed to giving back to the community; this time, FUNBOX is supporting Promise2Kids, Promises2Kids is a leading nonprofit organization originally founded 40 years ago as the Child Abuse Prevention Foundation of San Diego County. Since 1981, Promises2Kids has responded to the needs of foster children and provided support to children removed from their homes due to abuse and neglect. By coming to the World's Biggest Bounce Park, visitors are making a difference in the lives of children who need it the most. The company's founder, Antonio Nieves, is a former foster youth himself and is passionate about advocating for children who are aging out of the foster care system.Tickets start at $19 for approximately 90-minute jumping sessions, and all guests must have a paid general admission ticket. Toddlers from ages 0-2 and seniors over 65 years are free when accompanied by a ticketed customer. It is recommended to purchase tickets online in advance to guarantee entry; any unused or unscanned tickets are honored within 30 days of the original ticket date. Children under the age of 13 must be accompanied by an adult, and the adult must remain at FUNBOX while their children are inside the inflatables.FUNBOX is thrilled to bring the World's Biggest Bounce Park to San Diego and is excited to support Promise2Kids. "We believe that every child deserves a happy childhood, and we're committed to doing our part to make that a reality," said Antonio Nieves, founder of FUNBOX.The World's Biggest Bounce Park will be open at Parkway Plaza, 415 Fletcher Pkwy, El Cajon, CA, 85206. The hours of operation are Friday from 3 to 6 p.m., Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.For more information, visit the FUNBOX website at www.funbox.com or follow them on social media. Come and join the fun, and bounce with us at the World's Biggest Bounce Park!Contact Information:RYAN ARMENDRIZMedia CoordinatorSOURCE: FUNBOX
PR-Inside.com: 2023-04-04 12:00:22

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KELOWNA, BC / ACCESSWIRE / April 4, 2023 / Tryp Therapeutics, Inc. (CSE:TRYP)(OTCQB:TRYPF) ("Tryp" or the "Company"), a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing intravenous-infused psilocin (the active metabolite of psilocybin) for diseases with high unmet medical needs, today announced it has completed the training of psychotherapists for its planned Phase 2a clinical trial investigating the effects of psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy in the treatment of patients aged 21+ suffering from Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). The training was conducted by Fluence, which is led by researchers and psychotherapists with direct experience in psychedelic clinical trials and is the foremost provider of psychotherapeutic training for health professionals that are administering psychedelic compounds to patients.The planned study will evaluate the effect of psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy in patients with treatment-resistant IBS who experience chronic abdominal pain and other debilitating gastrointestinal symptoms. Many of these patients also suffer from fibromyalgia, anxiety and fatigue. The primary efficacy endpoint of the study will be improvement in abdominal pain. The study will also explore changes in brain connectivity and responses to pain at baseline, four weeks, six months and twelve months, post-the psychedelic sessions, along with numerous other secondary endpoints.Dr. Franklin King MD, Harvard Professor at the Center for the Neuroscience of Psychedelics, the principal investigator of the study, said, "Symptoms occurring at the mind-body interface, such as disorders of gut-brain interaction, are often inadequately addressed by conventional psychological and somatic therapies alike. Given promising research suggesting that psychedelics bypass typical medical paradigms, we believe this is an extraordinarily promising avenue of research with significant potential benefit for patients." "The progress being made through our collaboration with Tryp Therapeutics shows there is potential for the treatment of debilitating IBS and other disorders of gut-brain interaction by utilizing the combined administration of psilocybin and psychotherapy," added Dr. Erin Mauney, a physician at Massachusetts General Hospital leading the study. "We are pleased to have completed this training in advance of commencing the Phase 2a trial." Elizabeth Nielson, Ph.D., Co-Founder and Chief Visionary Officer of Fluence, commented "We're thrilled to have the opportunity to work with Tryp Therapeutics and support their pioneering work in clinical research. It gives one confidence in the future of the field to see the high level of professionalism and care that's gone into planning this study at Mass General Hospital. Studying psilocybin treatment for IBS, an indication that crosses the boundaries of gastroenterology and psychiatry, is a true innovation." In recognition of this important development, Jim Gilligan, PhD, Chief Executive Officer of Tryp Therapeutics, said, "We are excited to announce completion of Fluence's training of psychotherapists for our Phase 2a clinical trial in IBS-related pain. Completion of this training marks a significant step forward in the development of our potentially groundbreaking treatment for patients suffering from this debilitating condition. Collaborating with partners like Harvard/MGH and Fluence, a leader in providing psychotherapeutic training for health professionals administering psychedelic compounds to patients, represents an extraordinary opportunity to advance the field of psychedelic medicine and improve the lives of countless patients." About Tryp TherapeuticsTryp Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing proprietary, novel formulations for the administration of psilocin in combination with psychotherapy to treat diseases with unmet medical needs. Tryp's lead program, TRP-8803, is a proprietary formulation of IV-infused psilocin (the active metabolite of psilocybin) that alleviates numerous shortcomings of oral psilocybin including: significantly reducing the time to onset of the psychedelic state, controlling the depth and duration of the psychedelic experience, and reducing the overall duration of the intervention to a commercially feasible timeframe. The Company has an ongoing Phase 2a clinical trial for the treatment of Binge Eating Disorder at the University of Florida, an upcoming Phase 2a clinical trial with the University of Michigan for the treatment of fibromyalgia and a planned Phase 2a trial for the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome at Mass General Hospital, all of which are utilizing TRP-8802 (synthetic, oral psilocybin) to demonstrate efficacy in these indications. Where a preliminary clinical benefit has been demonstrated, subsequent studies are expected to utilize TRP-8803 (IV-infused psilocin) which has the potential to further improve efficacy, safety and patient experience. For more information, please visit www.tryptherapeutics.com Investor & Media ContactPeter MolloyChief Business OfficerTryp Therapeuticspmolloy@ tryptherapeutics.com Forward-Looking InformationCertain information in this news release constitutes forward-looking information. In some cases, but not necessarily in all cases, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans," "targets," "expects" or "does not expect," "is expected," "an opportunity exists," "is positioned," "estimates," "intends," "assumes," "anticipates" or "does not anticipate" or "believes," or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may," "could," "would," "might," "will" or "will be taken," "occur" or "be achieved." In addition, any statements that refer to expectations, projections or other characterizations of future events or circumstances contain forward-looking information. Statements containing forward-looking information are not historical facts but instead represent management's expectations, estimates and projections regarding future events.Forward-looking information is necessarily based on a number of opinions, assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by Tryp as of the date of this news release, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information, including but not limited to the factors descr
PR-Inside.com: 2023-04-04 16:40:05

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Meet the 10 Caregivers in the Running for the Home Care Company's Top HonorBRYN MAWR, PA / ACCESSWIRE / April 4, 2023 / Visiting Angels, the nation's leading provider of home senior care, announces its 10 semi-finalists for its National Caregiver of the Year award. The prestigious honor recognizes Visiting Angels caregivers for their overall contribution and commitment to delivering quality care to the clients and families they serve as well as how they embody the company's compassionate values and demonstrate excellence. The finalists were selected from entries from the 600 Visiting Angels franchise locations across the country."It takes a special type of person to be a compassionate caregiver. It's a challenging job," said Larry Meigs, CEO of Visiting Angels. "We are fortunate to have many caregivers who go above and beyond. The nominees for the 2023 Caregiver of the Year award have provided exemplary care to the seniors they serve, and it makes a profound difference. Giving clients compassionate care and allowing them to live safely in their homes with respect and dignity is significant." Here is the list of the 10 semi-finalists for the 2023 Visiting Angels Caregiver of the Year award.Sherry Massey - South Charleston, WVShe is the epitome of nurturing and treats all her clients like family. She serves as a mentor to other caregivers and encourages them to call her anytime, day or night, if they need guidance. Her giving heart extends to her clients, who receive her vast knowledge and experience. One of Sherry's clients describes her skills in caring for people as instinctive.Sheila Soares - Pagosa Springs, COSheila has had the heart of a caregiver her entire life. This caregiver is so gifted at what she does that the Pagosa Springs office has a waitlist of clients requesting her care. She goes above and beyond to care for the needs of her clients and brightens the home of even the most challenging client. Three days a week, she travels 30 miles one way down a dirt road, even in inclement weather, to care for a senior - allowing him to be independent in his home.Keri Lacorazza - Rockford, ILShe cares deeply for her clients and knows her clients depend on her. For example, ahead of a forecasted snowstorm, Keri packed a suitcase to prepare to stay overnight, ensuring she'd be at work to help her clients. She has a level of compassion for people that cannot be taught, trained, or learned, and her high level of care has become the benchmark standard for other caregivers on the Rockford team.Lynda Prunier - Auburn, NHAmazing and fantastic are a few of the words clients use to describe this caregiver. She not only provides the utmost care but also treats each client with compassion, empathy, respect, and dignity. It's clear to all that Lynda loves what she does by advocating for her clients and bringing smiles to their faces. She is dedicated to providing the best care possible and being a fantastic team player.Lisa Follin - Waynesboro, PAShe is a highly sought-after caregiver for clients because she is both professional and caring. She is committed to providing the highest level of care. Last winter, a snowstorm caused an issue with her getting on shift. The client lives about one mile from Lisa - she walked a mile to his home that day. Lisa has always stated that she wants to be the type of caregiver that she would have for her family member if needed.Jermaine Cureton - Pottstown, PAHe is a highly requested caregiver due to his consistently pleasant demeanor and the way he carries himself. He makes a positive impact while providing care in the lives of his clients. Jermaine is able to restore hope in a spiritual and emotional as well as physical way, building relationships one individual at a time. This soft-spoken man keeps his clients and team members smiling and laughing.Tanya Knight - Alpharetta, GAShe is a committed and compassionate caregiver to her clients. She is warm and caring, with a great sense of humor that brightens the lives of everyone around her. She has pulled "all-nighters" to stay with clients who needed her and has taken on the difficult job of providing end-of-life care for more than five clients. Tanya has served as a brand ambassador, speaking at the "Walk to End Alzheimers," leaving everyone in tears as she shared stories about a primary client.Evelyn Santini - Winter Park, FLShe is an exceptional human being and truly cares about her clients. For her, this is more than just a job, it's her calling to help others. When a client recently lost his wife, Evelyn was there to provide a shoulder to cry on during his grief. She remembers all the little details that make a big difference to her clients. She has set the bar high and sets the standard for what her team strives to obtain while caring for seniors in the community.Marnie Martinez - Idaho Falls, IDShe is committed to ensuring that her clients are treated with the dignity and respect they deserve. She feels strongly about helping her clients maintain their independence. As an example of her love and commitment, Marnie recently continued daily care for a client who was in the final days of life, knowing that her being there would give the client and family the comfort they needed.Julie Covey - Torrance, CAShe is selfless in helping her clients. She has grown into her role of being a primary caregiver and team leader for one senior couple as their needs have grown from part-time care to needing round-the-clock care. Julie goes above and beyond by arranging for deliveries of food and medication, among other needs. She is dedicated to keeping her clients safe and comfortable in their own homes, and they rave about her cooking.The 2023 Visiting Angels Caregiver of the Year winner will be announced on Tuesday, June 27. The winner will receive a $5,000 prize. Two runners-up will each receive $2,500.You can see more about the semi-finalists on Visiting Angels' social media platforms, including Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter.Media Contacts:Nancy Bostrom nbostrom@919 marketing.com 919.459.8163Sue Yannello syannello@919 marketing.com 919.459.8162About Visiting Angels Living Assistance ServicesVisiting Angels began franchising in 1998 in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, area. Today, Visiting Angels has over 600 private-duty agencies throughout the United States. Visiting Angels is America's Choice in Home Care. For more information on Visiting Angels or to find a location near you, please visit www.visitingangels.com SOURCE: Visiting Angels
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International Breweries has appointed a new non-executive director to take the place of Tolulope Adedeji, who recently resigned from the board, the company said Monday in a notification to the Nigerian Exchange.

Mrs Adedeji resigned following her appointment as a senior director, trades marketing and sales operations, Labatt Breweries, Canada.

At its meeting held on 31 March, the company approved the appointment of Cherian Kurien to take over from Mrs Adedeji.

Mr Kurien is a Finance and Technology Vice President with AB Inbev, a multinational drinks conglomerate.

He has a demonstrated history of working in the consumer goods and shipping industries across four continents, the company said.

He has led multicultural teams across the African continent, India, China, South Korea, Vietnam, Australia, and Denmark working across functions including Sales, International Trade, Technology, and Mergers & Acquisitions.

Cherian is a CFA charter holder and has an MBA from the Harvard Business School. He was Finance Director for AB InBev India, VP, Finance Business Unit, India & Southeast Asia, VP, Strategy and Technology, South Korea and now VP Finance, Africa.

The foregoing is for your information in line with Rules 17.5 and 17.6 of Part 2 (Issuers Rules) of the Nigerian Exchange Limiteds Rulebook (2015) the document said.

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 4. The US companies are interested in cooperation with Azerbaijan in the field of green energy, US Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Global Markets and Director General of the US and Foreign Commercial Service Arun Venkataraman told Trend during a press conference in Baku.

"The key takeaways are the intense enthusiasm that I heard from American private sector which when I was in Washington. But it was confirmed and even expanded here in Baku, where American companies had the opportunity to meet some Azerbaijani companies and Azerbaijani government leaders in green energy space. Those conversations showed even greater enthusiasm for partnership in green energy space with Azerbaijan," he said.
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Finland on Tuesday officially joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) to become its 31st member.

Following several months of expressed intentions and lobbying to join the US-led security alliance alongside Sweden, Finlands membership was confirmed during a formal ceremony at NATO headquarters in Brussels.

Finland President Sauli Niinisto in an official statement said Finland has today become a member of the defence alliance NATO. The era of military non-alignment in our history has come to an end. A new era begins.

He noted that Finland is maximising its security like every other country, adding that its NATO membership strengthens its international position and room for manoeuvre.

Finlands acceptance into the US-led security alliance is a blow to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who had, before invading Ukraine, demanded the bloc refrain from further expansion.

The ongoing Russia-Ukraine war propelled Finland and Sweden to move from their neutral stance to seeking protection within NATO although Swedens access is being delayed by Turkey and Hungary.

The Finnish president in his statement noted that Finlands membership is not complete without that of Sweden.

The persistent efforts for a rapid Swedish membership continue. Similarly, close cooperation continues to build common security and defence across the Nordic region, he said.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Monday tweeted, This is an historic week. Tomorrow we will welcome #Finland  as the 31st member of #NATO, making Finland safer & NATO stronger.

NATO is also marking its 74th anniversary today.

Russia has warned that further NATO expansion will not bring more stability to Europe, and on Monday said it would scale up forces near Finland if the alliance sent any troops or equipment to the new member country, CNN reported.

We will strengthen our military capabilities in the west and northwest if NATO members deploy forces and equipment on Finnish territory, CNN quoted Russias Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko as telling Russian state news agency RIA Novosti.

In what may be interpreted as addressing Russia, Mr Niinisto clarified that Finlands membership is not targeted at anyone nor does it change the foundations or objectives of Finlands foreign and security policy.

Finland is a stable and predictable Nordic country that seeks peaceful resolution of disputes. The principles and values that are important to Finland will continue to guide our foreign policy also in the future, he added.

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Nigerias youth were seen and heard throughout the February 2023 general elections, both online and on the ground. Almost 40% of Nigerians are between 15 and 39, and their awareness and recognition of the democratic power they hold has undoubtedly increased.

Results released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared the ruling All Progressives Congress candidate, Bola Tinubu, as winner of the presidential poll with 36.6% of valid votes cast.

This outcome is disputed in election tribunals, with accusations of electoral fraud and mismanagement. The INEC struggled with the electronic transmission of votes, triggering distrust in the transparency and fairness of the polls.

There were also anecdotal reports of voter suppression due to: the INECs inefficiencies; officials not showing up; targeted disenfranchisement; cancelled votes because of violence or overvoting; and problems cleaning up the voters register to reflect deaths and emigration. This contributed to the record-low official turnout, with only 27% of registered voters accredited during the presidential polls.

The run-up saw increased youth participation in the discourse and campaigns. Socio-economic problems, including incessant university strikes and high youth unemployment, apparently contributed to their engagement. Young people made up around 76% of newly registered voters, with 40% of that number identifying as students.

Analysts also suggested a connection between Nigerias youth-led #EndSARS movement and the mobilisation in support of the Labour Partys presidential candidate Peter Obi, referred to as the #Obidient movement. To his backers, Obi presented an opportunity for a new kind of governance with more transparency and accountability. Both the #EndSARS and #Obidient movements were dominated by mostly young middle-class Nigerians from urban areas.

According to results released by the INEC, the Labour Party won the popular vote in the presidential elections in Nigerias biggest city Lagos, and in the capital Abuja. The Lagos result was particularly surprising because its Tinubus stronghold, and violence prevented many from voting.

The effect of the #Obidient wave extended beyond the presidential elections, as around 40 individuals were elected to the National Assembly under the Labour Party. This includes the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) senator-elect, Ireti Kingibe. She defeated the Peoples Democratic Partys Philip Aduda, who represented the FCT in the National Assembly for two decades. The Labour Party had no seats in the previous National Assembly.

Recognition of the youth voting bloc became apparent in the three weeks between the presidential and state elections. After shunning invitations to debates during campaigning, incumbent Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu ramped up his public engagements online and in person. The threat of losing power only became real after Tinubu lost in Lagos  a result partly attributed to the states strong showing of urban youth. Other candidates also made overtures to young people elsewhere in the country.

Nigerian youth have led the charge in demanding accountability. They helped document the entire voting process by posting social media updates. Young people also made sure to defend their votes, with some remaining at polling units until the early hours of the following morning to monitor the collation process. Some youth groups launched parallel collation projects to verify the INECs declared results.

During the elections, young Nigerians played diverse roles. They were victims and perpetrators of electoral violence and drove both divisive rhetoric and calls for unity. In addition to differences based on religion, geography, ethnicity and class, stark divisions along political lines emerged during the polls. The #Obidient movement had a counter #JagabanArmy movement supporting Tinubu.

Young Nigerians are playing a significant part in the maturing of the countrys democracy, but more work needs to be done. There are already high levels of self-education on electoral and constitutional processes among the youth, which can be increased.

Attempts by the political elite to weaponise identity for electoral success by mobilising one group against another shouldnt go unpunished. The divisive rhetoric that escalated to physical violence during the Lagos State elections harmed the growing cohesion among urban youth.

Structural issues such as costly nomination forms and flawed primary elections that make it difficult for young people to compete in polls must also be addressed. Despite the #NotTooYoungToRun movement that reduced the minimum age for vying for office, youth candidacy in the 2023 elections declined to 28.8% from 2019s 34%.

The growing digital economy is contributing to the gradual shift of economic power to young people, which can eventually translate to political power. This is occurring alongside high youth emigration rates, but there is still an opportunity to cultivate a new crop of political leaders.

Although social media is becoming more relevant in the democratic process, its important to remember the millions of Nigerian youth in rural areas whose voices are not heard via social media. They are the most vulnerable to insecurity, poverty and state neglect. Recognising and strengthening the role of Nigerias youth in its democracy requires holistic measures that leave no segment of the population behind.

The increased engagement of young people in this electoral cycle can lead to long-lasting change if demands for accountability are met. Regardless of election petition outcomes, political education on the tools available for holding leaders to account will facilitate their use by young people.

With these measures, Nigeria will have a fighting chance of reaping its demographic dividend.

Teniola Tayo, Consultant, Institute for Security Studies (ISS) and Principal Advisor, Aloinett Advisors

Research for this article was funded by the Government of The Netherlands.

(This article was first published by ISS Today, a Premium Times syndication partner. We have their permission to republish).

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The Kaduna State Government says it has received preliminary reports from security agencies on the kidnapping of about 10 students in Kachia Local Government Area.

The Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, confirmed the incident in a statement issued on Tuesday in Kaduna.

Mr Aruwan said that according to preliminary reports, about 10 students of Government Secondary School, Awon (a day secondary school) were kidnapped on Monday.

The exact location of the incident is yet to be ascertained but detailed reports being awaited will clarify whether the incident occurred within the school premises or elsewhere.

READ ALSO: Kaduna govt bans social activities in Chikun after killing of two people

The government will issue a public statement accordingly when these reports are received, he said.

The kidnap of the students is the latest of such attacks in Kaduna and neighbouring states. Thousands of people have been killed or kidnapped as terrorists, locally called bandits, carry out attacks in Kaduna and neighbouring states like Niger, Sokoto and Zamfara.

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MONROVIA, LiberiaA former soldier with Sierra Leones Revolutionary United Front (RUF), has disputed accounts of mainly prosecution witnesses that an ex-commander of the rebel group was called Angel Gabriel.

Soldier 43 told Finlands Turku Court of Appeal on Monday that two RUF soldiers used the nickname.

They were both junior soldiers in the RUF, said Soldier 43 on cross-examination.

The name has been a point of contention in the trial, with many witnesses, particularly prosecution and defence telling the Court Massaquois soldiers called him by it. Some even alleged he introduced himself by the name before sending civilians or his opponents to God.

They alleged while strengthening Liberian governments troops in their battle against rebels from the Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy, Mr Massaquoi did the killings or ordered them in Lofa County and at Waterside in Monrovia.

As in the Pirkanmaa Court District of Tampere, which acquitted Mr Massaquoi a year ago, because prosecutors had failed to prove his charges, including rape, murder, and torture beyond a reasonable doubt, the controversial name is also at the heart of these appeal proceedings.

But Soldier 43 has alleged the witnesses were talking about a different man, as he told the Court of Mr Massaquois other name.

We used to call Gibril Gods son, because of all the troubles he encountered during the war.

Its the first time that such a name has come up in the case, whether in the lower or appeal court.

Soldier 43 said he knew of two different RUF soldiers, who used the name Angel Gabriel. He claimed the real name of one of them was not disclosed, while he knew the other to be Alfred Jojo.

He was my junior in the group, and I was his brother-in-law, he said. I was going out with his elder sister during the war. That was how I found out that his real name was Alfred Jojo.

They both fought with us from 1991, but around 1997 upwards, the whereabouts of Alfred Jojo were unknown, while the other died in either 1994 or 1995, because I cant remember clearly.

He said Mr Massaquoi was in Liberia in the early 2000s.

I can only remember Massaquoi travelling for the peace accord in December 2001.

That year, 2002 and 2003 are crucial to this trial, as prosecutors have alleged Mr Massaquoi abused his status as a protected witness for the then UN-backed Special Court for Sierra Leone and came to Liberia to commit his crimes, including ordering massacres at Waterside.

Defence 21, who said he was a civilian, but witnessed the war, also told the Court that Mr Massaquoi was in Liberia between 1999 and 2000, but only for peace purposes.

Massaquoi was the head of the delegation of peace, said Defence 21. They even went to Kenema in the eastern part of Sierra Leone to sign the tripartite agreement, and went to Monrovia, Mali and other countries.

The days last witness, Soldier 41 told the Court that Mr Massaqiuoi only came to Liberia when he and other soldiers had come to receive their leader, Foday Sankoh, in October 1999. But he said they returned to Sierra Leone afterwards.

Those on the trip were Gibril Massaquoi, Jackson Swaray, Akim Turay and others and we travelled back to Freetown with Foday Sankoh.

The hearings continue on Tuesday, the final day.

The coverage of the appeal of Massaquois acquittal is a collaboration with New Narratives as part of the West Africa Justice Reporting Project.

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A gunman has shot dead a final year student of the University of Benin, Edo State.

The university spokesperson, Benedicta Ehanire, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday.

Mrs Ehanire said the student was killed on Monday night when a yet-to-be-identified gunman attacked him in a hall of residence at the university.

She did not, however, disclose the victims name, but only said he was popularly known as Mayor.

While commiserating with the family and colleagues of the late student, management enjoins other students to be calm as police as well as other security agencies are working hard to fish out and arrest the culprit, she said.

The spokesperson added the institutions management was working closely with internal security units of the institution to prevent reoccurrence of similar attacks within the universitys premises.

Meanwhile, a student of the institution, who asked not to be named, told PREMIUM TIMES that the victim was shot in his Hall Three Residence of the university.

He was the only person (killed in the attack). He was shot twice in the face, the student said.

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The Oyo State Family Court in Iyaganku, Ibadan, on Tuesday ordered that a 50-year-old man, Isaac Fagbohun, be remanded in the Abolongo Correctional facility for allegedly raping a 13-year-old girl in his neighbourhood.

The police charged Mr Fagbohun with defilement.

Chief Magistrate P. O. Adetuyibi did not take the plea of Mr Fagbohun for want of jurisdiction.

Mrs Adetuyibi held that the remand is pending legal advice from the office of the Oyo State Ministry of Justice.

She adjourned the matter until July 6, for mention.

Earlier, the prosecution counsel, Folake Ewe, told the court that Mr Fagbohun between February and March 26, allegedly raped the minor.

Ms Ewe said the offence was committed in Doubles Compound, Iya Sakas House, Ago  Are in Oyo State.

She said the offence contravened the provisions of Section 34 of the Oyo State Child Rights Law 2006.

(NAN)

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The Special Offences Court in Ikeja, Lagos State, on Tuesday refused to grant fresh bail to an ex-convict, Kolawole Erinle, in an alleged $1.4 million internet fraud case.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the judge, Ramon Oshodi, cited the defendants record of jumping bail during his previous trial which led to his conviction in the United States as the reason for refusing to grant him fresh bail.

The judge said Mr Erinle was convicted at the end of the American case.

It is remarkably clear that the bail documentations of the sureties were not agreed by my noble lord Taiwo before she retired.

I have now been urged by the defence counsel to re-admit the defendant to bail with the same sureties as the bail has now been documented.

I must consider the probability that the defendant may not surrender himself again for further trial owing to the fact that he had a previous criminal record where he was jailed in United States of America.

Again, I was misled that the defendant was granted bail by my noble lord Taiwo before she retired.

Bail is hereby denied and accelerated hearing is hereby, ordered, Mr Oshodi said.

The judge adjourned the case till 15 May for defendant to open defence.

NAN reports that Mr Erinle is standing trial alongside his firm, Rinde-Remdex Nigeria Ltd, on three counts of conspiracy, retention of proceeds of criminal conduct, and obtaining money under false pretence to the tune of 1.4 million dollars.

The defendant, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) counsel, Temitope Banjo, had on Monday called the fourth and the last prosecution witness, an investigator with the commission, Alex Ogbole, who testified against the defendant.

Mr Ogbole told the court how the EFCC led the Nigerian-end of the investigation into the alleged crime and that investigation showed that the mother of the defendant was a beneficiary.

The witness said that EFCC received a petition from the United States, US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) which indicated that the victim of the alleged fraud, Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences, (KCUMB) had been a victim of Business Email Compromise (BEC).

The offence, the prosecution said, contravened the provisions of Section 8 of the Advanced Fee Fraud Related Offences, 2006.

(NAN)

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The Defence Headquarters has clarified that the UN Peacekeeping fighting vehicles and equipment sighted recently in Benin, Edo State, were meant for deployment for a peacekeeping mission in South Sudan.

The Acting Director, Defence Information, Tukur Gusau, made this known in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja.

Mr Gusau said circulation of the video of the said equipment on social media, had given rise to insinuations that were inimical to public peace which might cause panic.

He said Nigeria is currently contributing troops to various UN Peacekeeping operations; the most recent is United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA), Southern Sudan.

The Mission is commanded by a Nigerian, Ma.-Gen. Benjamin Olufemi Sawyerr.

It should be noted that the UN doesnt have its own troops, rather it enters into agreements with troops contributing countries to provide their personnel and equipment for operations in its various missions.

Therefore, it is imperative to state emphatically that the military fighting vehicles and equipment painted in UN colour as sighted are being moved through the Warri port for movement to the mission area in Southern Sudan.

The Defence Headquarters under the leadership of Gen. Lucky Irabor, wish to assure Nigerians that our nation is not under any threat that will warrant the deployment of UN troops on our soil, he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that a video clip titled, tension as heavy military UN trucks arrive Nigeria, surfaced on one BVI Youtube channel on Sunday.

The commentator was seen raising the alarm that something was cooking in the country that the government was not telling the citizens.

(NAN)

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The Young Progressives Party (YPP) has faulted calls for an Interim National Government to take over from the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration, saying it is illegal.

This is contained in a statement by the YPP National Publicity Secretary, Wale Martins, on Tuesday in Abuja.

Mr Martins added that the calls by certain individuals and organisations for an interim government after the 25 February elections were illegal, null and void.

We are vehemently opposed to such calls as they are not in tandem with the rule of law which is the bedrock of democratic governance, he said.

Mr Martins said the YPP National Working Committee (NWC) held its 22nd meeting and made certain resolutions after extensive deliberations.

He said that the NWC congratulated all the partys candidates at the 2023 general election for their victory and plans to hold a leadership summit in May for all the elected officers.

Mr Martins said that the NWC also dissolved the Bayelsa chapter and called for a caretaker committee to review allegations bordering on gross misconduct that led to the unimpressive performance of the party at the general elections.

Other state chapters alleged to have been involved in similar infractions are still under investigation as necessary sanctions for those found culpable will be communicated appropriately.

The plans by INEC to conduct supplementary election in IKono/Ini Federal Constituency of Akwa Ibom in 34 polling units instead of 17 is preposterous.

While still grappling with the charade of March 18, the party will not hesitate to boycott the forthcoming supplementary elections if INEC insists on violating the 2022 Amended Electoral Act.

Supplementary elections cannot take place in polling units where results have already been announced and uploaded to the INEC IREV portal, we will not be a party to this electoral fraud by INEC in connivance with the PDP, he said.

Holds primaries for Bayelsa, Kogi, Imo guber polls, sells forms for N13 million

Mr Martins said the YPP plans to hold its primaries for Bayelsa, Kogi and Imo governorship elections on 15 April.

Mr Martins said that the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party held its 22nd meeting and made certain resolutions after extensive deliberations.

That the sale of nomination forms for the off season elections in Bayelsa, Kogi and Imo states should commence immediately.

All aspirants interested in running on the platform of the party should visit the national secretariat in Abuja to obtain their nomination and expression of interest forms.

The ratification of Saturday, April 15 for the conduct of party primaries for successful aspirants in the concerned states, which will be held simultaneously in Yenagoa, Lokoja and Owerri.

Also, the total sum of N13 million being cost for administrative charges, expression of interest and nomination forms was approved, he said.

(NAN)

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The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Rivers State on Tuesday said it would without preferences or bias grant access to all applicants seeking inspection of materials used for the conduct of the just concluded general elections.

In a statement on Tuesday in Port Harcourt, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Rivers, Johnson Sinikiem, said about 50 applications were received for inspection of election materials, Channels television reported.

The quest for inspection of election materials between the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state and its main opposition party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the state INEC office on Monday snowballed from a protest into a clash between the two parties.

The protest by the PDP has continued into a second day.

Both parties have made allegations and counter-allegations over the clash.

The spokesperson of the PDP, Sydney Gbara said the APC was liaising with INEC to concoct results to subvert the mandate of the people, while his APC counterpart, Darlington Nwauju said the current happenings showed that the PDP and INEC were working together to frustrate his party from getting documents to challenge the results of the elections at the Election Petition Tribunal.

But the REC, Mr Sinikiem has appealed for the cooperation of political parties in the state, assuring them that INEC was going to exercise its constitutional and lawful duties without bias.

The Commission has received nearly fifty (50) of these applications since the conclusion of the Presidential, National Assembly, Governorship and State Assembly elections in Rivers State and a good number of these applications have been processed in accordance with the date of receipt of such applications and payment of certification fees. This process is still on-going.

The Commission have also advised all applicants to visit our Local Government offices where these documents are domiciled for inspection, while we work out modalities for inspection of other documents domiciled at the State office in accordance with available spaces but they insisted that the huge volumes of documents like ballot papers be brought to the state office.

They are once again reminded to avail themselves of this opportunity at our Local Government offices to inspect these materials as earlier advised, Mr Sinikiem said.

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 4. We would welcome the opportunity to have some of US companies to share their expertise, their tools with the government of Azerbaijan and with companies here to help them decarbonize, US Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Global Markets and Director General of the US and Foreign Commercial Service Arun Venkataraman, who is on a visit to Baku, told Trend during a press conference.

"Being in energy transition does not simply mean growing renewable energy sources, but it also means deploying clean technologies for decarbonization. Because were still in that transition. Decarbonization applies in multiple respects. It applies in the context of hydrocarbons themselves. In the actual process of oil exploration and development production you need decarbonization tools to make those processes cleaner. It also applies in the context of non-energy-related sectors. You have the industries like shipping, steel production. These are the energy-intensive sectors. We need to work on decarbonization to ensure that as they continue to produce, they do so in a cleaner way. This is where the innovation of the private sector is critical," he said.
Reader survey As a reader of PREMIUM TIMES, your opinion matters. Please take our survey to help us better understand the values and preferences of our readers. Your feedback will give us valuable insights into how we can tailor the different types of content we offer to meet your needs. The survey should only take about 6-8 minutes to complete. Click here to take it.

The main entrance to the Rivers State headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was on Tuesday turned into a makeshift shrine as the protest in front of the INEC office by members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) entered a second day, on Tuesday.

The protesters, who are demanding joint inspection of the 2023 election materials with other political parties, were accompanied by a native doctor, who placed a ceramic pot in front of INEC office.

A man dressed in white attire and a traditional cap to match could be seen in a video standing barefooted, making incantations and pouring libation using liquid substances.

Some protesters were seen performing what appears to be ritual rites in the Ikwerre language.

We are Ikwerre, the owners of Rivers State, yes we have all the tribes like Kalabari and others. We won all the votes here. If we won it justly then we will enjoy our victory if we didnt win it let them take their victory, the man who poured the libation said, according to the transcription by Channels television.

The protesters warned INEC that if it misbehaves, the land should take them but if the right thing is done they would enjoy the land and good things would follow them.

Tonye Cole, the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was reportedly attacked by the protesters while trying to honour an appointment with INEC officials on Monday.

One of the leaders of the protest, Samuel Nwanosike, the chairperson of Ikwerre Local Government Area, in a short video on Monday posted on Facebook called for the arrest and prosecution of Mr Cole.

He had vowed that the protest would continue until the commission met their demands.

INEC, in a statement on Tuesday, by the Resident Electoral Commissioner, Johnson Sinikiem, solicited the cooperation of political parties seeking to inspect the materials used for the elections in the state.

The commission made no mention of the ongoing protest at its office on Monday but promised to grant about 50 applicants access to materials without preferences or bias

The Commission have advised all applicants to visit our Local Government offices where these documents are domiciled for inspection while we work out modalities for inspection of other documents domiciled at the State office in accordance with available spaces but they insisted that the huge volumes of documents like ballot papers be brought to the state office.

They are once again reminded to avail themselves of this opportunity at our Local Government offices to inspect these materials as earlier advised.

The Management of INEC Rivers State, therefore, wishes to assure all applicants and the general public that the Commission is committed to discharging its constitutional and lawful duties without preferences or bias, and do request the cooperation and understanding of all parties and the general public to enable us serve you better, Mr Sinikiem said.

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The Nigerian Communications Commissions Computer Security Incident Response Team (NCC-CSIRT) has recommended that users of the popular messaging app, WhatsApp, set up two-factor authentication (2FA) to avoid falling victim to account takeover by hackers.

NCC-CSIRT in an advisory on Tuesday noted that WhatsApp, which is a Meta-owned service, is increasingly becoming a prime target for hackers and scammers who are always looking for ways to gain unauthorised access to users accounts.

Reuben Muoka, the director of public affairs at NCC, in a statement on Tuesday, said the CSIRT described 2FA as an identity and access management security method that requires two forms of identification to access resources and data.

According to the advisory, Mr Muoka said in the world of messaging apps, one of the most popular and recognisable is WhatsApp.

WhatsApp is 100 per cent free to use, has a great mobile app, and supports audio and video calls. Whether you rely on WhatsApp for all your messaging needs or just use it from time to time, it is recommended to set it up with two-factor authentication (2FA), he said.

With this enabled, you will need to enter a custom PIN every time you log in to WhatsApp from a new device, adding an extra layer of security to your account.

2FA gives businesses or people the ability to monitor and help safeguard their most vulnerable information and networks. The 2FA is important because it prevents cybercriminals from stealing, destroying, or accessing your internal data records for their own use.

He noted that WhatsApp provides two-factor authentication so one can further secure the account using a PIN.

It is an optional feature that adds more security to your WhatsApp account, so it is recommended that everyone installs 2FA, he added.

Mr Muoka noted that the CSIRT highlights ten steps for enabling 2FA on WhatsApp.

He listed the step to include include: Open WhatsApp, Tap Settings, Tap Account, Tap Two-Step Verification, Tap Enable, Enter the Six-Digit PIN you wish to use, Tap Next, then enter it a second time to confirm it, Tap Next, Add an email address for extra security (this step is optional but it is an extra way to retrieve your account if you forget your Pin) and then Tap Next.

For those concerned that their PIN might have been compromised or is easy to guess, they can change their WhatsApp PIN or email address by tapping settings.

Two-step verification, tapping change PIN or change email address, entering a new PIN or email address, and then tapping next to effect the necessary changes, he said.

CSIRT is the telecom sectors cyber security incidence centre set up by the NCC to focus on incidents in the telecom sector and as they may affect telecom consumers and citizens at large.

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Osita Izunaso, the senator-elect for Imo West Senatorial District, on Tuesday, met with President Muhammadu Buhari and called for the zoning of the Senate Presidency to the South-east.

Mr Izunaso, who is also in the race for the Senate Presidency, told journalists after the meeting that zoning the position to the South-east is only fair.

He added that he is optimistic about clinching the position because of his experience as a legislator.

Mr Izunaso was a member of the House of Representatives before moving to the Senate in 2007.

Currently, several serving senators and senators-elect have declared their interest in the Senate presidency.

They include Sani Musa (APC, Niger), Governor Dave Umahi (APC, Ebonyi), Whip of the Senate, Orji Kalu (APC, Abia), Abdulaziz Yari (APC, Zamfara) and Barau Jibrin (APC, Kano).

There are also indications that Aliyu Wamakko (APC, Sokoto) is eyeing the position.

The ruling party is yet to take a position on the zoning of the principal offices, however, some of them have started to campaign in anticipation of the decision of the party.

When asked about his chances against other candidates from the south, Mr Izunaso said being a ranking senator places him in a strong position to clinch the position against the other candidates.

He declared that no senator on the platform of the APC in South-east and South-south ranks higher than him.

If in both the South-east and the South-south, I think the question should be obvious. Im the oldest, theres no senator today in APC, of South-east or South-south that is older than me in the Senate and that is an institution that believes in ranking. So Im the highest ranking senator in both South-east and South-south, he said.

Mr Izunaso, a former National Organising Secretary of the APC, stated that he has served the party to be given the opportunity.

I came to the Senate in 2007, I was in the House of Representatives, Ive been in the party for five good, solid years. I ran the party to the best of my ability as National Organising Secretary of this party that saw us to victory in 2015 and 2019, so I think we have paid our dues, he said.

The National Assembly will be inaugurated in June.

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The Senate on Tuesday announced a new financier for the Kaduna-Kano railway modernisation project.

The former financier, the China Exim Bank, backed off the project making way for the China Development Bank (CDB) to take over.

To this effect, the Senate harmonised the terms of the 2016-2018 federal governments external borrowing plan for the project.

The resolution was a sequel to a motion sponsored by Sadiq Umar (APC-Kwara).

Presenting the motion, Mr Umar said the National Assembly approved a 22.8 billion-dollar loan for the modernisation of the Kaduna-Kano railway project in 2020.

He recalled that the National Assembly approved the loan under the 2016-2018 Medium Term External Borrowing (Rolling) plan.

The lawmaker also recalled the communication from the Federal Ministry of Finance requesting the approval of modifications to the financing proposal for the Nigerian Railway Modernisation Project (Kaduna-Kano segment).

This was occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic whereof China Exim Bank withdrew its support to finance the project, he said.

He added that: to secure funds for the project, the contractor, the Chinese Construction Engineering Company (CCEC) Nigeria Ltd., and the Federal Ministry of Transportation, engaged the CDB as the new financier for 973.5 million dollars.

Contributing to the debate on the motion, Jibrin Isa (APC-Kogi), noted that there was a wide gap between the initial 22.7 billion dollars and the 973.5 million dollars.

He queried whether any disbursement was made out of the initial 22.7 billion dollars.

Mr Isa advised that going forward, we need to be very careful about the core structures of these loans.

In his intervention, Chairman, Senate Committee on Local and Foreign Debts, Clifford Ordia (PDP-Edo Central), gave clarification on the loan.

He said: The submission of 22.7 billion dollars was in respect of five projects under the 2016-2018 external borrowing plan.

Incidentally some of the other projects were approved apart from the project that has to do with the Kaduna-Kano segment.

The financier declined to finance the project, so the CCEC Nigeria Ltd., in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Transportation had to look for a contractor to finance the segment of the rolling plan.

In his remarks, Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, explained: This issue started in 2018, but we approved it in 2020.

We are not talking about the approval of the loan; it is the financier that backed out and there is now another financier, he said.

(NAN)

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President Muhammadu Buhari and Abdullah bin Al-Hussein, King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, have expressed satisfaction at the deepening of the Nigeria-Jordan strategic partnership in matters of security and other global issues.

Garba Shehu, the presidents spokesman, confirmed this in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja.

Mr Shehu revealed that the two leaders held a telephone conversation on Tuesday, with both leaders expressing satisfaction on security matters.

In the conversation, the Jordanian leader called to wish the president a happy and successful Ramadan and to especially thank him for naming the auditorium in the newly inaugurated National Counter Terrorism Center in Abuja after him.

The facility is named King Abdullah Bin Hussein II Auditorium.

Many important issues were also discussed by the two leaders regarding security.

ALSO READ: Buhari sacks engineering agency boss

Nigeria under President Buhari has collaborated and shared experiences with Jordan in tackling terrorism and its spread across West Africa, the statement said.

It noted that Nigeria had gained significantly from the Middle eastern kingdom by way of support for pre-emptive measures to neutralise the activities of insurgents in the sub-region.

Mr Abdullah also indicated his wish to visit Nigeria before President Buhari leaves office.

(NAN)

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Claim: The bacteria in yoghurt is the same as the one in the vagina.

Verdict: FALSE. Although the bacteria found in yoghurt and the vagina may have some similarities, they are different.

Full Text

Yoghurt, the creamy and tangy dairy delight, has been a staple in cuisines worldwide for centuries. Whether its enjoyed on its own, as a savoury dip, or as a refreshing topping for your favourite fruits and granola, yoghurt is a versatile and nutritious food that has something for everyone.

Yoghurt is made by fermenting milk with live cultures of bacteria packed with probiotics that promote healthy digestion and boost the immune system. Its also a great source of protein, calcium, and other essential vitamins and minerals.

People often wonder about two common types of bacteria found in yoghurt and those in the vagina. While both types of bacteria are important, are they the same?

Recently on Twitter, in a post, temmie (@me_lanin_pie) asserted that the bacteria found in the vagina is the same in Yoghurt. The tweet reads, The bacteria found in yoghurt is the same bacteria found in the vagina.

As of the time of filing this report, the tweet had a combination of retweets, likes, comments and views of over 742,000 engagements.

DUBAWA thought it important to verify this because of the conflicting views about the bacteria found in yoghurt and the vagina, its virality and the sensitive nature of the issue concerning public health.

Verification

According to an Oxford University Press on National Library publication, the word yoghourt is believed to have come from the Turkish word yogurmak, which means to thicken, coagulate, or curdle. During references to the health-promoting properties of yoghurt date back to 6000 BC in Indian Ayurvedic scripts, it was not until the 20th century that Stamen Grigorov, a Bulgarian medical student, attributed the benefits to lactic acid bacteria.

Bacteria play an essential role in our bodies, and we encounter different types of bacteria in various parts of our bodies. Medical News Today defines bacteria as microscopic, single-celled organisms that exist in their millions, in every environment, both inside and outside other organisms. Some bacteria are harmful, but most serve a useful purpose. They support many forms of life, both plant and animal and are used in industrial and medicinal processes.

Yoghurt is a fermented milk product made by adding specific strains of bacteria to milk. It is made when heated milk is combined with bacteria and left to sit at a warm temperature for several hours.

According to Simon Pedersen, a Food Scientist at Arla Foods, When we add bacteria to milk products, we refer to them as cultures and use those with a good reputation. They are called lactic acid bacteria or lactic acid cultures.

These bacteria convert the lactose in milk into lactic acid, which causes the milk to thicken and develop its characteristic tangy taste. The two most common species of lactic acid bacteria used in yoghurt production are Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilous.

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On the other hand, the vagina contains a complex microbiome of different types of bacteria. The most dominant type of bacteria in a healthy vagina is the Lactobacillus species. These bacteria help maintain the vaginal pH, preventing the overgrowth of harmful bacteria that can lead to infections. The specific species of Lactobacillus present in the vagina include Lactobacillus crispatus, Lactobacillus jensenii, Lactobacillus iners, and Lactobacillus gasseri, among others.

In 2015, Cecilia Westbrook, an MD/PhD student at the University of Wisconsin, made yoghurt using her vaginal bacteria. Rosanne Hertzberger, a Dutch microbiologist who studies vaginal bacteria at Washington University School of Medicine in the US, told ScienceAlert this was apparently not a good idea because our vaginas contain many of bad, as well as good, bacteria.

The dominant bacteria in the vagina is Lactobacillus, similar to the bacteria used to make yoghurt. However, not all Lactobacillus strains can create yoghurt, and the yoghurt we buy at supermarkets is made from a combination of different bacterial strains.

Ms Hertzberger replicated an experiment to make yoghurt using different Lactobacillus strains, but only one was remotely successful, producing sour milk with precipitated milk protein.

Gregor Reid, a professor of microbiology at the University of Western Ontario in Canada, also disagrees with the experiment by Ms Westbrook. According to Mr Reid, it is improbable that the experiment conducted by the woman resulted in any health benefits.

He said, if she was eating it to get the benefits of the lactobacillus, she already has plenty in her vagina, so that makes no sense.

The bacteria used in yoghurt production are selected for their ability to ferment milk and create a specific taste and texture. According to a publication on Science Direct, the bacteria in the vagina are naturally occurring and play a vital role in maintaining the vaginal environment.

One of the most significant differences between the bacteria in yoghurt and the vagina is their location. Yoghurt bacteria are primarily found in the digestive system, whereas vaginal bacteria are found in the reproductive system. Additionally, yoghurt bacteria are not a natural body part, whereas vaginal bacteria are.

Another important difference is the role they play in the body. While yoghurt bacteria can help promote digestive health, vaginal bacteria are essential for reproductive health.

A health expert, Omale Ogbe, in an interview with DUBAWA, stated that the bacterias are not the same based on the taxonomy.

They may be of the same genus, but they are not the same specie as can be seen here for bacteria found in the vagina (Lactobacillus crispatus, Lactobacillus iners, Lactobacillus. jensenii, and Lactobacillus gasser) and here for yoghurt bacteria (Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus), Mr Ogbe explained.

Conclusion

While the bacteria found in yoghurt and the vagina may have some similarities, they are not the same. Yoghurt bacteria are selected for their ability to ferment milk and create a specific taste and texture, while vaginal bacteria are naturally occurring and play a vital role in maintaining reproductive health.

The researcher produced this fact-check per the DUBAWA 2023 Kwame KariKari Fellowship partnership with BONews to facilitate the ethos of truth in journalism and enhance media literacy in the country.

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The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) on Monday received another batch of 144 stranded Nigerians from Niamey in Niger Republic.

Nuradeen Abdullahi, NEMA Coordinator Kano Territorial Office, disclosed this while receiving the returnees at Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport in Kano.

Mr Abdullahi, represented by NEMA Kano Head of Human Resources, Suleiman Saad-Abubakar, said that the returnees arrived at the airport at about 2:30 p.m.

The returnees were transported into Nigeria by SKY MALI Airlines, operated by Ethiopian airline B737-400 with registration number UR-CQX.

He said that the returnees were brought back under the care of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) from Niamey through a voluntary repatriation programme.

The programme was for the distressed, who had left the country to seek greener pastures in various European countries and could not afford to return when their journey became frustrated, he said.

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He said that the returnees included 106 male adults, 16 female adults and 22 children (10 females and 12 males).

Mr Abdullahi noted that the returnees were from different parts of the country  some from Kano, Kaduna, Katsina, Abia, Sokoto and Edo  among other states.

According to him, the returnees would be trained on various skills acquisition programmes that will integrate them back into society and provide them with seed capital to enable them to be self-reliant.

He advised Nigerians to avoid endangering their lives by travelling to seek greener pastures in other countries, adding that no country is better than Nigeria.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the agency, between February and March, received 300 stranded Nigerians from Niamey, Niger Republic.

One of the returnees, Fatima Muhammad, a widow and mother of two while recounting her ordeal, said she travelled to Algeria to seek greener pastures with her kids.

No one to cater for me and my children, that was why I decided to seek for greener pasture.

I regretted embarking on the ill-fated journey, but l thank God we came back safely.

Nigeria is far better than where we thought we could get better lives, we suffered, Ms Muhammad said.

NAN reports that the returnees were received by officials of the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and IDPs, Red Cross Society, Department of State Services and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.

(NAN)

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The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited on Monday said it did not pay N20 billion to ghost consultants.

The NNPC Limited said this in a statement by GarbaDeen Muhammad, the chief corporate communications officer of the company.

The NNPCL made this known in reaction to reports alleging that the company paid the sum of N20 billion to ghost consultants and was involved in the theft of multi-billion naira tax due to the Ogun state government.

NNPC Limited in a statement said that as a responsible corporate organization, it does not have or deal with ghost consultants.

The NNPC Ltd read with utmost dismay, a report by an online platform (Sahara Reporters) alleging paying the sum of N20bn to ghost consultants and theft of multi-billion Naira tax due to the Ogun State government.

At NNPC Ltd, the process of engaging consultants whenever the need arises is clear and verifiable and follows global best practices.

It is therefore unfortunate that for whatever reason, the said the online platform would make such a grievous allegation, mindless of the consequences of such actions. The claim of a missing N20bn is absolutely false and baseless, it said.

The NNPCL asked the online platform to retract the said publication.

The second component of the said unfortunate report is related to the Ogun state government claiming a back duty tax liability of about N18bn, against an NNPC subsidiary, the Petroleum Products Marketing Company (PPMC) Ltd.

READ ALSO: NNPCL replaces Eroton as new operator of OML 18

For clarity, PPMC had objected and challenged the claim through its Tax Consultant. Consequently, the Ogun State Government took the matter to court which is not unusual in business circles, it said.

Mr Muhammad noted that the matter is currently before the court and NNPC Ltd will prove its case accordingly.

In conclusion, NNPC Ltd strongly advises the said online publication to be mindful of the consequences of its actions before taking them.

For a matter that is already in court, as admitted by the online publication, it is sad that any medium can arrive at such subjudice conclusions as shown by the actions of the online medium, the company said.

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The Nigerian government has accused a major opposition leader of treason, weeks after the candidate of the ruling party won a hotly contested presidential election.

Government spokesperson Lai Mohammed gave the governments position during engagements with journalists in Washington DC in the United States.

Mr Mohammed, who is the information minister of the outgoing government, accused the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, of inciting people to violence over the outcome of the presidential elections, saying it is treasonable.

Mr Obi came third in the 25 February presidential election won by Bola Tinubu of the ruling APC. Mr Obi and Atiku Abubakar who came second are, however, challenging the results of the election in court, saying the election and result collation was flawed. Both men have publicly called on their supporters to refrain from violence while they challenge the results in court.

The Allegation

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Mr Mohammed is in Washington to engage with international media organisations and Think-tanks on the just concluded 2023 polls.

It also reports that the minister had so far engaged respectively with the Washington Post, Voice of America, Associated Press and Foreign Policy Magazine.

During the respective interactions with the media organisations, the minister said it was wrong for Mr Obi on one breadth to seek redress in court over the outcome of the polls and on another breadth incite people to violence.

Obi and his Vice, Datti-Ahmed cannot be threatening Nigerians that if the President-elect, Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) is sworn in on May 29, it will be the end of democracy in Nigeria.

This is treason. You cannot be inviting insurrection, and this is what they are doing.

Obis statement is that of a desperate person, he is not a democrat that he claimed to be.

A democrat should not believe in democracy only when he wins election, he said.

The minister said in challenging the election results, there was no pathway to victory for either Mr Obi or Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

According to the minister, both Messrs Obi and Atiku failed to meet the constitutional requirements to be declared as president.

The constitution has stringent criteria for anybody who wants to be president of the country.

Not only must he have the plurality of votes cast in an election, he must also have scored one-quarter of votes cast in at least 25 states.

Only the president-elect met the criteria by scoring 8.79 million votes and having one-quarter of all the vote cast in 29 states of the federation, he said.

The minister said Atiku came second with 6.9 million votes but was only able to make one-quarter of the votes cast in 21 states.

He said Mr Obi came third with 5.8 million votes but won only one-quarter of the votes cast in 15 states.

You cannot win an election in a poll where you came a distant third position and failed to meet constitutional requirements.

Peter Obi, while complaining of fraud, has not disowned his victory in Lagos, he said.

Messrs Obi and Atiku are currently in court to challenge the results of the 25 February presidential election.

Elaborating on his mission to the U.S., Mr Mohammed said he was there to correct the negative narratives being promoted by naysayers and opposition to the election.

He said the opposition, having lost in the election, was alleging fraud, calling for its cancellation and constitution of an interim government.

We have come here to balance that skewed narratives and to tell the world unambiguously that the just concluded general elections in Nigeria are the fairest, most transparent and authentic in the history of Nigeria.

The election is the most fair and credible because of the introduction of Bimodal Voters Verification System (BVAS) which I regard as a game changer.

BVAS technology had helped to weed out ghost and illegal voters, eliminate multiple voting and return sanity to the elections, Mr Mohammed said.

Relying on the INEC report, the minister said BVAS, during the polls, worked 97 per cent giving unparalleled credibility to the elections.

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Despite implementing a range of transparency and accountability measures, the state of governance and development in Nigeria remain subpar due to gaps in legislation, capacity, values, and resourcing, a new report by Abuja-based think tank Agora Policy has said.

The report, released on Sunday, highlights the need for a more comprehensive approach to address these gaps and make transparency efforts more effective in achieving tangible results.

Entitled Imperative of Strengthening Nigerias Transparency and Accountability Measures, the report makes a strong case for bridging these gaps and for sustaining and strengthening the various anti-corruption measures to make them more effective tools for deepening good governance, service delivery, shared prosperity, and democracy in the country.

Whether now or in the future, Nigeria needs more transparency and accountability, not less.

As Nigeria prepares for a new government, a stocktaking of the transparency and accountability measures is desirable to ensure that the zeal for anticorruption is sustained and that the prevailing measures are fit for purpose, and further strengthened and institutionalized, the report said.

Put together by a group of experts, the report analysed 16 different mechanisms focused on transparency and accountability in four different areas: norms and values, public financial management, open disclosure, and sanctions.

Among the measures evaluated were asset declaration, freedom of information, public procurement, whistle-blower policies, annual and routine audits, e-payment platforms used by the government (such as IPPIS and GIFMIS), the disclosure of subnational transfers, extractive sector revenue disclosure, and beneficial ownership for prosecution and asset recovery.

It said most of the interventions have been made since the return to civil rule in 1999, and some of them have yielded some results and milestones.

Despite the achievements, the problem of transparency and accountability remains. The assumption that transparency and accountability automatically lead to good governance did not take into account attendant challenges such as social behaviors in the forms of resistance and sabotage, it said.

Recommendation

After analysing the selected transparency and accountability initiatives and their rationales, histories, achievements, and challenges, the report proposes suggestions for improvement.

Among the key recommendations are the need to enhance the legal framework supporting some of the initiatives, faithfully enforce or implement existing laws, improve the capacity and funding for some of the implementing agencies, enhance collaboration across government tiers, and implement a sustained and strategic campaign to promote value reorientation.

The report recommended the strengthening of the Office of the Auditor General of the Federation through improved staffing and better remuneration of the staff of the agency, and prompt presidential assent to the newly passed audit bill.

While the Auditor-General of the Federation (AuGF) has a responsibility to eradicate corruption from Nigerias public finance system, this responsibility is limited to the extent that the countrys audit law permits, said the report.

Nigeria needs a fresh law that guarantees independence and powers to sanction the AuGF in line with established standards of the International Organisation of Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI). Without the powers to sanction, the AuGF is more or less a toothless bulldog.

It is on the strength of this that the report recommends that President Muhammadu Buhari should sign the Federal Audit Service Bill into law before he leaves office. The bill, which was passed by the National Assembly on 29 March 2023, repeals the Audit Ordinance of 1956.

The bill strengthens the operations and independence of the Office of the Auditor General of the Federation (OAuGF). It aligns with the present times and with global best practices and it enhances the utility of auditing as a powerful transparency and accountability mechanism.

President Buhari refused to assent to an earlier version of the bill passed by the 8th National Assembly. He should quickly assent to the 2023 version once he receives a clean copy from the 9th National Assembly.

Whatever misgivings the president may have can be accommodated in subsequent amendments. President Buhari should see the law as one of his parting gifts to the country.

The report also calls for the amendment of Paragraph 3 (c) of the Third Schedule of the 1999 Constitution to ensure that assets disclosed by public officials can be made public by the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB). It also argues for improved funding for CCB for the agency to be better positioned to discharge its important mandate, including the verification of assets declared by millions of public servants across the three tiers of government.

Policies

The report also calls for the passage of laws to back up the whistle-blower policy and the Open Treasury Portal to address grey areas and make them more binding and effective.

The report advocates for greater investment in capacity building and technology across the board in the fight against corruption in Nigeria.

Technology remains the greatest enabler of transparency and accountability, says the report.

Thus, rather than contemplate the idea of going back on technology-driven platforms such as GIFMIS, IPPIS, and the rest, the focus should be on how to improve them.

Capacity development should be prioritized as cross-cutting adds the report. Capacity building to bridge gaps in technical knowledge and skills in anticorruption agencies will go a long way to enhance the effectiveness of the relevant personnel in these institutions and, ultimately, strengthen transparency and accountability.

The report suggests that the government takes action to counteract this concerning trend by carrying out thorough background checks on the boards, leaders, and employees of institutions responsible for anti-corruption, as well as establishing effective safeguards for the exercise of oversight powers.

These measures are necessary to ensure that the values of those in charge of these essential institutions align with their mandates, that there are mechanisms for overseeing the overseers, and that the anti-corruption institutions are not undermined by the same issues they were established to address

In addition to promoting more extensive cooperation between different levels of government concerning transparency and accountability issues, the report also advocates for a nationwide campaign to reshape values.

The report emphasizes that an emphasis on systems and punishments will have limited effects unless there are changes in societal values, and urges the Federal Government to take the lead in implementing a thorough and well-planned national program for value reorientation.

The program would aim to address and transform dysfunctional values, attitudes, and narratives that knowingly or unknowingly facilitate public corruption.

Comments

In response to the report, Waziri Adio, the founder of Agora Report, remarked that it was a very timely publication.

He also noted that with Nigeria currently undergoing a period of transition, there is a risk that the focus on anti-corruption may diminish, especially given how anti-corruption was not a major campaign issue during the 2023 elections.

Mr Adio emphasised the reports significance as a reminder of the crucial role that transparency and accountability play in enhancing the welfare of citizens and furthering democratic ideals.

He also highlighted the substantial investments made by Nigeria and its development partners in transparency and accountability measures over time, surpassing even some advanced countries, and emphasised the need to ensure that these investments generate adequate returns for the country.

The report is the last of the four policy papers commissioned by Agora Policy, with the support of the MacArthur Foundation, to contribute to national debate before, during, and after the landmark 2023 elections in Nigeria.

The other three reports focused on the economy, national security, and gender and social inclusion.

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 4. The US strongly supports the development of Middle Corridor [Trans-Caspian International Transport Route], US Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Global Markets and Director General of the US and Foreign Commercial Service Arun Venkataraman, who is on a visit to Baku, said during a press conference, Trend reports.

"The US does in fact strongly support the development of the Middle Corridor and strongly supports the efforts of not only the government of Azerbaijan, but all of our friends and partners in the region to make the Middle Corridor a success. We understand that having the Middle Corridor be as robust and as operational as possible, will promote the flow of trade of broader region and will ensure that all countries along the Middle Corridor benefit," he said.

Venkataraman noted that the US has the opportunities to support the government of Azerbaijan, as well as other governments through partnership, including not only support with various programs and ensure expertise to develop various aspects of Middle Corridor, but also bringing expertise to the private sector.
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The reinstated Speaker of the Plateau House of Assembly, Abok Ayuba, on Tuesday, presided over the plenary session of the assembly after his resumption of duty on Monday.

Mr Ayuba, who presided over plenary for the first time since his impeachment on 28 October 2021, appreciated his colleagues for their stand in defence of democracy.

The speaker also appreciated the people of the state for their support and for allowing democracy to thrive.

He also commended the judiciary for ensuring that justice was done.

Livinus Kwapfan (APC/Shendam Constituency) said that the APC caucus in the assembly resolved that they were going to obey the rule of law.

Mr Kwapfan said that other APC lawmakers could not attend the plenary due to other pressing exigencies.

Bala Fwanje (PDP/Mangu South) said that PDP members were happy with the judgment of the court.

During the plenary, a bill for a law to establish Plateau Social Investment and Related Matters passed the third reading.

The bill sponsored by Nanbol Daniel (PDP/Langtang North Central) is aimed at improving the social well-being of Plateau citizens.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the plenary was adjourned to Wednesday.

The Reinstatement

A Plateau High Court sitting in Jos and presided over by Justice Nefisa Musa reinstated Mr Ayuba on Monday.

However, the Chairman of the House Committee on Information, Daniel Nanlong said on Monday that the House was not aware of the courts judgment.

He told a news conference that while the House has confidence in the judiciary and the nations democracy, there could not be two captains on a ship.

According to him, there is no vacuum in the headship of the Assembly as Yakubu Sanda remains the speaker of the House of Assembly.

To the best of my knowledge, the House has not been served any court judgment.

Even if there is any judgment to that effect, the House has the right to appeal the judgment and also get a stay of execution, Mr Nanlong said.

He noted, however, that he had heard rumours that the former speaker obtained a judgment from a court of law.

Some members of the House expressed joy that the court reinstated Mr Ayuba as the speaker of the House of Assembly.

Gwottson Fom (PDP-Jos South) said he was very happy that the reinstated speaker and his supporters went to court to challenge the impeachment even in the face of all forms of intimidation.

Our tour allowances were stopped, but we didnt budge and we have been vindicated, he said.

Timothy Dantong (PDP-Riyom) described the reinstatement of Mr Ayuba as freedom for democracy in Nigeria and in Plateau.

Mr Dantong said the judgment showed the House that it must respect the laws it made.

The House impeached Mr Ayuba on 28 October 2021, but he challenged the exercise in court describing it as a contravention of the rules of the Assembly.

(NAN)

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The electoral commission, INEC, deliberately withheld the real-time upload of presidential election results from polling units, information minister Lai Mohammed said, according to a report by the government-owned News Agency of Nigeria.

Mr Mohammed said INECs decision to withhold the upload was because of a suspected cyberattack.

INEC, suspecting cyberattack, withheld the uploading of the results in order to preserve the integrity of the data, he said.

Mr Mohammeds claim is, however, different from what INEC told Nigerians a day after the 25 February election. PREMIUM TIMES reported that the commission had told Nigerians that its failure to upload the results was due to technical glitches and not any form of sabotage or cyberattack.

Consequently, the Commission wishes to assure Nigerians that the challenges are not due to any intrusion or sabotage of our systems, and that the IReV remains well-secured, INEC spokesperson Festus Okoye said then.

The failure by INEC to upload the results of the election in real-time as it repeatedly promised Nigerians is one of the bases upon which two opposition candidates are challenging the results of the election, won by Bola Tinubu of the ruling party, APC.

Lai Mohammeds Claim

Mr Mohammed gave the governments position in Washington DC, United States, during his official engagements with some international media organisations.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports the minister is in Washington to engage with international media organisations and Think tanks on the just-concluded 2023 polls.

It also reports that the minister has so far engaged respectively with the Washington Post, Voice of America, Associated Press and Foreign Policy Magazine.

INEC had come under fire over its inability to upload results immediately on its Result Viewing portal during the presidential and National Assembly elections held on 25 February.

Mr Mohammed said the controversy was generated because of the inability of INEC to upload the results of the presidential election in real-time.

He said the controversy was unnecessary though it had been the fulcrum of the argument of the critics of the election.

He, however, said the conclusion by the opposition was based on ignorance of the role and functions of IREV.

He said IREV, a platform whereby election results at the polling level are uploaded, was not a tool for the collation of election results or to transmit results electronically.

Mr Mohammed explained that under Nigerian laws, the management of election results is manual and the court has ruled that INEC has the exclusive right to determine the mode of election, its collation and transmission.

What happened on the 25th of February was that INEC observed that the results of the presidential election were not being viewed, the minister said.

INEC, suspecting cyberattack, withheld the uploading of the results in order to preserve the integrity of the data.

It immediately proceeded to float an alternative platform while asking its technicians to investigate what happened to its original portal.

Mr Mohammed explained further that it took up till 9 p.m. for the alternative portal to start working.

He said as soon as the original portal started working, the results were viewed from the two platforms.

No fewer than four out of the 18 political parties in Nigeria are currently challenging the results of the presidential election, alleging failure of INEC to upload them on its portal, IREV, and other irregularities.

INEC had on 1 March declared Bola Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) winner of the election.

Among the candidates challenging the results are Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Peter Obi of the Labour Party. They have since filed their petitions at the Presidential Election Tribunal.

Speaking further on the upload of election results, the minister said It is unfortunate that this is what the opposition are relying on to say the elections were rigged.

So far, none of the political parties has come out to say that what is on Form EC8A is different from what was uploaded on IREV.

Mr Mohammed said the allegations of fraud being bandied by the opposition and naysayers did not add up.

Speaking on delay in delivering election materials to certain areas, the minister said it was difficult in a country as diverse and complex as Nigeria for election materials to arrive at the same time everywhere.

He said with 176,846 polling units scattered all over the country with different topography, it would be difficult to deliver the materials simultaneously.

In some areas, you need to use donkeys, human portals, boats to access some of these difficult areas.

We also know the challenge of an unanticipated cash crunch that slowed down logistic movements.

The redesigning of the naira did not help matters because some of the people who transported the materials insisted on cash payment which was not available, he said.

Mr Mohammed said the police report identified pockets of violence scattered all over the country but they were not substantial enough to discredit the polls.

Quoting the police report, the minister said there were 489 cases of electoral infractions during the election and 781 electoral offenders that would be charged in court.

In his analysis of the report, the minister said it was a ratio of one infraction in over 300 polling units which was not sufficient to void the elections.

President Buhari has delivered on credible polls

Mr Mohammed said President Muhammadu Buhari has delivered on his pledge to leave behind a legacy of free, fair and credible elections in the conduct of 2023 polls.

He said in fulfilment of the presidents pledge to restore sanity to the electoral process, he resolved that he would not confer a special advantage on any political party, including the APC, his own party, during the election.

He said during the past elections, the president ensured that nobody used the security agencies to rig the election in his favour but created a level-playing ground for the elections to take place.

A proof of this resolution is that the presidents party lost the presidential election in Katsina, his home state.

Equally, the President-elect, Bola Tinubu, lost in his state, Lagos, while the Chairman of the Party, Abdullahi Adamu, lost in Nasarawa State to the Labour Party.

The Director-General of the Campaign Organisation of our party also lost to PDP in Plateau state.

Nothing gives this election more credence than those facts because there was no rigging in states where our bigwigs come from, he said.

The minister added that APC lost in the four states with the highest number of votes in the elections  Katsina, Kano, Kaduna and Lagos even when they were the ruling partys controlled states.

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The House of Representatives has condemned the alleged plan by some politicians to orchestrate the setting up of an interim national government.

It asked aggrieved politicians to explore constitutional means to address grievances, especially those arising from the recent elections.

The lawmakers resolved on Tuesday during plenary following a motion of urgent public importance moved by Unyime Idem (PDP, Akwa-Ibom).

Call for interim government

Nigerias secret police, the State Security Services (SSS) recently issued a security alert , alleging that some politicians are plotting an interim government for the nation in reaction to the outcome of the 2023 presidential election.

The statement came barely a month after the 25 February presidential election that produced former Lagos State governor, Bola Tinubu.

About three political parties have challenged the outcome of the election at the tribunal; most of them argued that the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) failed to abide by its guideline on the transmission of results.

The vice presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Datti Baba-Ahmed, had during an interview on Channels called on the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Olukayode Ariwoola, not to swear in the president-elect.

In response, a spokesperson of Tinubus campaign, Festus Kayamo, wrote a petition to the SSS, calling for the arrest and prosecution of the LP presidential candidate, Peter Obi and Mr Datti.

Also, some persons protested in front of the Defence Headquarters in Abuja, calling for the militarys intervention.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who supported the Labour Party, had in a letter called President Muhammadu Buhari to cancel the presidential election.

The motion

Moving the motion, Mr Idem said the interim government is unknown to the laws of Nigeria. He urged aggrieved politicians to seek judicial interpretation.

Interim government is undemocratic, unconstitutional, and unknown to our laws as a court of competent jurisdiction had in time past so declared, he said.

Mr Idem warned that the interim government is a resort to anarchy, with a price many generations after us will continue to pay for.

Speaking on the motion, Sergius Ogun (Edo, PDP) faulted the comment by the SSS, noting that they ought to have arrested the perpetrators of the plot.

I think the security agencies should do their work. If you are asking for a different government not known to law, it is a treasonable felony.

Year in, year out in this House we budget billions of naira to the office of the NSA and other security arms. Is it not a shame that the security agents would come out and say they have the names of people that have muted this type of government in this country, you will not arrest and prosecute them

Youre wasting our precious time telling us to condemn it. If this government is alive to its responsibilities this should not even be an issue that we will be dissipating energy on in this House, he said.

Also speaking on the motion, Nicholas Ossai (PDP, Delta) stated that the House could not be debating a matter of speculation.

The Deputy Speaker, Idris Wase (APC, Plateau), who presided over the session, said the security alert issued by SSS is not a matter of speculation. He noted that suggestions that security agents should arrest promoters of the interim government could have political consequences.

I did not want to believe that the state security services were being speculative. For good reasons, understand that we are under a democratic tenet, when they are mentioning thisthe situation we have found ourselves in, we must talk to ourselves to ensure the right thing is being done.

If they had gone ahead to make an arrest, it would have been that the government in power is being repressive. It is not out of order to debate this, and back the security in their action to stability. Nobody should associate or give leverage to any persons  at least we are aware of the demonstrations asking for that (Interim Government), he said.

Other lawmakers, including Sada Soli (APC, Katsina), Ademorin Kuye (APC, Lagos), Olajide Jimoh (APC, Lagos) and others, also spoke in support of the motion and condemned ING.

Following the long debate, the House mandated that security agencies be on alert to forestall the possible breakdown of law and order

The House also warned aggrieved parties to desist from heating the polity and believe in the rule of law while awaiting the outcome of litigation before the court of law.

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A member of the PREMIUM TIMES editorial board, Tope Oriola, has received a national fellowship in Canada.

Mr Oriola was announced as one of the recipients of the Dorothy Killam Fellowship in March. The fellowship, worth $160,000 over two years, will see Mr Oriola conduct research and social innovation on Beyond victimisation: BIPOC officials in the Canadian criminal justice system.

Mr Oriola, a professor of Criminology and Sociology, in his research proposal notes that he aims to fill the knowledge gap about people of colour working in Canadas justice system.

Although some research has been done on people in the criminal justice system who are Indigenous, Black or people of colour, it tends to focus mainly on their victimization and historical positionality as oppressed persons or contemporary clients, the press statement announcing the fellowship quoted him as saying.

Little is known about BIPOC professionals with careers as police officers, judges, defence lawyers, crown prosecutors and corrections officers in Canada, he writes, adding that filling that gap is crucial in the age of Black Lives Matter, decolonization and movements against Asian hate.

The President and Vice-chancellor of the university, Bill Flanagan, congratulated Mr Oriola noting that he was thrilled to see the Nigerians research recognized in this way, and I wish you all the very best as you pursue this very compelling and timely research project.

Mr Oriola received the fellowship alongside his colleague Kisha Supernant, an archaeologist also from the University of Albertas Faculty of Arts.

Describing both types of research as pressing social problems, Robert Wood, dean of the Faculty of Arts said Kisha and Temitope are exemplars in the arts community, and Im so pleased they are being recognized and honoured in this way.

The fellowships not only reflect the depth and quality of their research expertise but also their commitments to illuminate topics and issues of the greatest importance to our society, he added.

While Temitope Oriola will assess how professionals who are Indigenous, Black and people of colour fare in Canadas criminal justice system, his colleague Archeologist Kisha Supernant will explore ways to transform Canadas heritage policy and practice to ensure Indigenous communities secure the right to their cultural heritage and how it is framed.

About the fellowship

The Dorothy Killam Fellowships (formerly the Killam Research Fellowships) provide support to scholars of exceptional ability by granting them time to pursue research projects of broad significance and widespread interest within the disciplines of the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, health sciences, engineering or studies linking any of these disciplines.

A Dorothy Killam Fellow is a leading researcher whose superior, ground-breaking, best-in-class research stands to have a significant impact on a national or global scale. Dorothy Killam Fellowships are valued at $80,000 CAD per year for a total of 2 years.

The fellowships provide relief from teaching and administrative duties while researchers pursue original, transformational and future-focused knowledge and technology aimed at challenging the way we live.

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The Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has denied the treason allegation levelled against him by the federal government, a few days after a leaked audio where he described the 2023 presidential election as a religious war.

Since the audio conversation was released, Mr Obi had remained silent on social media, leaving his aides to address the matter.

However, on Tuesday, he took to Twitter, a microblogging site, to subtly comment on the issue while addressing allegations of treason made by the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed. He said he had observed deliberate moves to de-market him by various persons including officials of the Nigerian government.

In the past few days, I have observed various campaigns of calumny directed at my person, with the latest being allegations attributed to the Information Minister, Lai Mohammed from Washington DC, he said. It is most unfortunate that these consistent efforts to portray me quite contrary to what I am, and my core values, are coming from such high quarters. Minister Lai accusing me of stoking insurrection is totally malicious and fictitious.

He also noted that I have never discussed or encouraged anyone to undermine the Nigerian state; I have never sponsored or preached any action against the Nigerian state. Those initiating these actions have increasingly used their official positions and agents to make false allegations against me.

On Saturday, a leaked telephone conversation between Mr Obi and influential cleric David Oyedepo was published by Peoples Gazette. In the audio clip, the LP candidate asked Mr Oyedepo to help spread his message to Christians in the South-west and parts of North-central, noting that the just concluded presidential election was a religious war.

Daddy, I need you to speak to your people in the South-West and Kwara, the Christians in the South-West and Kwara, Mr Obi was heard saying in the leaked audio clip. This is a religious war.

A few days after the audio was published, on Tuesday, information minister Lai Mohammed accused Mr Obi of inciting Nigerians against one another.

Alleging treason, Mr Mohammed said it was wrong for Mr Obi on one breadth to seek redress in court over the outcome of the polls and on another breadth incite people to violence.

Mr Obi and Atiku Abubakar of the PDP are challenging the outcome of the 25 February presidential election won by Bola Tinubu of the ruling APC. They have filed petitions at the election tribunal with each of them seeking to be declared the winner of the election.

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Controversies have trailed the recent commissioning of ten high-capacity firefighting vehicles reportedly worth over N12 billion by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).

Nigerias Aviation Minister, Hadi Sirika, in a tweet posted on his official Twitter page Sunday, announced that he had commissioned ten firefighting trucks costing over N12 billion.

Just commissioned 10 Firefighting trucks, total cost of over 12Bn Naira. More to come in due course. Safety has been the Buhari focus in Aviation, since 2015. Hitherto FAAN has not bought new trucks in 15 years, the minister tweeted.

Just commissioned 10 Firefighting trucks, total cost of over 12Bn Naira. More to come in due course. Safety has been the Buhari focus in Aviation, since 2015. Hitherto FAAN has not bought new trucks in 15 years. https://t.co/aQExi85A4h pic.twitter.com/0YBrewAnGd  Hadi Abubakar Sirika (@hadisirika) April 2, 2023

While some Nigerians lauded the move, describing it as a step towards improving Nigerias safety and emergency response across airports in the country, several Nigerians, including a former minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili, expressed concerns about the actual cost of the vehicles.

Some Nigerians also called on the minister to be more accountable and transparent by also providing the public with the specification of the vehicles.

In a statement by FAANs spokesperson, Faithful Hope-Ivbaze issued on Sunday, the authority said the Lion Volkan 66 Brand, Major Aerodrome Rescue and Fire Fighting Vehicles (MFFV), have the capacity to carry 14,000 litres of water, 1,700 litres of foam, 250kg powder capacity each, and monitors the discharge rate of between 6,000 litres to 10,000 litres per minute.

According to the statement, the trucks would be deployed to the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, and Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano respectively.

With an acceleration rate of 0-80 km per hour in 30 seconds, the agency explained that each of the trucks possessed the limitless capacity to discharge while in motion and that they are also equipped with under chassis nozzles to tackle running fuel fire.

Reactions

In her reaction on Monday, Mrs Ezekwesili wrote: Hmmm. These fire trucks must be diamond-plated within and without, Mr Minister @hadisirika ! At the official @cenbank exchange rate, each truck cost almost $2.4 million? How?

Now I know why some of your folks deride the Due Process-Public Procurement reforms. I get it now.  she added.

Hmmm. These fire trucks must be diamond-plated within and without, Mr Minister @hadisirika ! At official @cenbank exchange rate, each truck cost almost $2.4 million? How? Now I know why some of your folks deride the Due Process-Public Procurement reforms. I get it now.  https://t.co/ZVh67ePFhi  Oby Ezekwesili (@obyezeks) April 3, 2023

In another tweet, the former education minister said: @hadisirika , in furtherance of the Open Governments program which your @NigeriaGov administration signed to, please share the full specification details of the fire trucks procured.

I volunteer to do a Public Due Process review of this transaction for you. Lets do it.

Minister @hadisirika , in furtherance of Open Governments program which your @NigeriaGov administration signed to, please share the full specification details of the fire trucks procured. I volunteer to do a Public Due Process review of this transaction for you. Lets do it. https://t.co/ZVh67ePFhi  Oby Ezekwesili (@obyezeks) April 3, 2023

Another twitter user, Ikechukwu Oyemike, in a reaction to Mr Sirikas post, said: It will be very helpful if we know the specs of these firefighter trucks as you called them.

Research so far has shown that in the most expensive senario, one truck will cost $1.5 million and at CBN rate, it will be about N690 Million excluding logistics & training, he wrote.

It will be very helpful if we know the specs of these firefighter trucks as you called them. Research so far has shown that in the most expensive senario, one truck will cost $1.5million and at CBN rate, it will be about N690milloin excluding logistics & training  Ikechukwu Oyemike (@itisikechukwu) April 3, 2023

Similarly, @Sosodef said: This is absolute madness. How can you buy 10 fire trucks for 12bn Naira @1.2bn each?

Fire trucks dont work well without a direct source of water which we dont have in most places. This looks like a China truck and from my find the one that holds 12000 litres is about 80,000$. Why would you pay 1.2bn Naira for one truck? This is insane.

This is absolute madness. How can you buy 10 fire trucks for 12bn Naira @1.2bn each.

Fire trucks dont work well without direct source of water which we dont have in most places. This looks like a China truck and from my find the one that holds 12000 litres is about 80,000$.  sosodef (@aisosaigiebor) April 2, 2023

Can you disclose who got this contract and the companys directors? a user who tweets via the handle @asiyarodrigo noted.

Can you disclose who got this contract and the companys directors?  Asiya R., Not your Daddy (@AsiyaRodrigo) April 2, 2023

Another Twitter user, Ceekay, said: I know trucks to an extent, this product is not a product that will cost anything close to 1b naira.

Its neither Mercedes, Mack, Renault or Scania I wonder why an unknown brand will be this expensive. But I still want to believe its a typo error.

I know trucks to an extent, this product is not a product that will cost anything close to 1b naira

It's neither Mercedes, Mack, Renault or Scania I wonder why an unknown brand will be this expensive.

But I still want to believe it's a typo error   Ceekay (@ceekay553) April 3, 2023

Another user, Elkanah Garang, wrote: Commendable! But at N1.2 billion per truck, are we going after hellfire or fire on the mountain??

Commendable! But at N1.2billion per truck, are we going after hell fire or fire on the mountain??  Elkanah Garang (@yarongarang) April 2, 2023

Meanwhile, efforts by this newspaper to get additional details from the ministry proved abortive on Monday.

James Odaudu, Special Adviser to Mr Sirika on Public Affairs, did not respond to PREMIUM TIMES request seeking procurement details of the firefighter trucks. Multiple calls and text messages sent to his telephone number were not responded to.

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The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) recorded 22 incidents of hate speeches concerning the 2023 general elections.

Presenting a report to journalists, Project Coordinator of Mobilising Voters for Election (MOVE) of the NHRC, Hilary Ogbonna, also noted the level of human rights violations associated with the elections.

The project is organised in collaboration with the UN Human Rights Resident in Nigeria, Ford foundation and the Legal Defence and Assistance Project (LEDAP).

The commission on 17 October 2022 inaugurated the project which according to its Executive Secretary, Tony Ojukwu, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, was initiated to tackle voter apathy.

The NHRC has launched Investigations on hate speech committed before, during and after the elections, he said.

Report

Mr Ogbonna said human rights violations were recorded during the 18 March governorship and state House of Assembly elections, while voter suppression was recorded in Lagos, Rivers, Imo, Ebonyi, Bayelsa states.

The right to freedom of association were violated in Ebonyi and Lagos, Right to Dignity of Human Person in Lagos, Edo, Delta, Benue.

The right to participation was also violated in Lagos, Oyo, Rivers while voting related killings were recorded in Ebonyi, Kano, Lagos, Borno, he said.

Mr Ogbonna said the situation room records showed that there were two bomb attacks in Kaduna and Benue in the March elections.

He added that the commission recorded attacks on 75 INEC facilities.

Mr Ogbonna further said there were three reports of political intolerance and killing of six law enforcement agents.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the presidential elections and National assembly took place on 25 February while the governorship and state Houses of Assembly Elections were held on 18 March.

(NAN )

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The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) on Tuesday said it does not and cannot track nor leak telephone conversations of anyone.

The NCC said this in a statement by Reuben Muoka, the director of public affairs of the commission.

The regulatory body made this known in reaction to reports alleging that the commission was involved in tracking and leaking telephone conversations of some Nigerians.

On Saturday, a telephone conversation between Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, and David Oyedepo, the founder of the Living Faith Church Worldwide, was leaked to the public.

In the audio clip, published by the online newspaper Peoples Gazette, Mr Obi asked Mr Oyedepo to help spread his message to Christians in the South-west and parts of North-central, describing the 2023 election as a religious war.

The leaked audio has, however, generated controversy on social media as some Nigerians accused NCC of being behind the leak.

But NCC in a statement noted that by the provisions of the Nigerian Communication Act (NCA) 2003 and other extant Laws of the Federation, the commission does not and cannot track nor leak telephone conversations.

The NCC has been inundated with enquiries by the media on allegations of telephone tracking and leakage made against the commission by some individuals and groups in the social and alternative Media.

The commission denies the allegations in their entirety. By the provisions of the Nigerian Communication Act (NCA) 2003 and other extant Laws of the Federation, the Commission does not and cannot track nor leak telephone conversations of anyone, it said.

Mr Muoka said the commission has reported the allegations, which it takes seriously, to relevant security agencies for proper investigation and necessary action.

He said the commission restates its commitment to discharge its responsibilities to the Nigerian people in accordance with the provisions of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the NCA 2003 and other extant laws of the federation and global best practices.

For the avoidance of doubt, the commission denies these allegations and advises the public to disregard them, he said.

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In all, the Obi herd mentality, like Dutch courage, has emboldened many of them to insult, disrespect and demonise anyone who shares a contrary opinion. Now, what defines violent extremism more than threatening to inflict pain and/or punishment on somebody else for expressing a contrary but legally permissible opinion?

Contradictions are our only hope.  Bertolt Brecht

A mosquito perched and sucking on your balls requires tact and patience.  Abass Akande

My intent in this piece is to provide an explanation of the threat posed by political intolerance to deliberative democracy based on the online misconduct and civic incivility demonstrated by those who self-identify themselves as Obidients in the build-up to the 2023 presidential election. In terms of aspiration, Obidients are those committed to the presidential aspiration of one-time governor of Anambra state, Mr Peter Gregory Obi, and the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the recently concluded 2023 presidential election in Nigeria. From the streets of the social media to the physical streets, the Obidients have shown themselves as wired up to take Nigeria back in one of the oft-quoted expressions of Mr Peter Obi.

Demographically, most of these Obidients are young and social media-active Nigerians at home and abroad and though I stand to be corrected, they are mostly in Southern Nigeria. Socio-politically, they have received endorsements from the Chief Ayo Adebanjo-led faction of Afenifere, the Yoruba socio-political group and former President Olusegun Obasanjo. Politico-religiously, leading clerics like Pastor Eneche and going by a recent leaked video, Pastor David Oyedepo, can be described as open and closet Obidients, respectively. Also, within the Obi demography are many, who hitherto used the IPOB insignia as display pictures and gradually switched to using that of the Labour Party and/or Mr Obi himself. One common aspiration of the Obidients is/was the emergence of Mr Obi as the winner of the 2023 presidential election based on their numbers and resources.

Understandably, the Obidients believe that only Peter Obi can and must win Nigerias presidential election. This view was further strengthened by multiple polls with questionable sample sizes and methodologies that touted Mr Obi as the winner. So, over time, the Obidients became boisterous and convinced that Obi would only lose the 25 February election if it was rigged.

Obidients Intolerance of Alternative Opinions and Desperation to Personalise the Public Space

In pursuing this dream, the Obidients (in)advertently violated fundamental democratic ethos by their intolerance of contrary or alternative opinions, which meant that they were trying to monopolise the public space. Any inquiry about Mr Obis Panama papers scandal, betrayal of the public covenant that he will never leave his erstwhile political party, APGA, or even about his wristwatches had only one response: cancelation of such inquirers. Some examples would suffice.

In another instance, the heir of Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, Femi Kuti was threatened for allegedly calling Obidients zombies. According to Femi, I woke up today to insults abusing me, my family and my children, threatening that they will burn the Shrine. Sequel to this, Mr Obi visited Femi Kuti in apparent attempt to douse the tension.

First was how they came down hard on Pastor Poju Oyemade who, in my reckoning, deserves credit for putting Obi in the view and consciousness of Southerners in Nigeria featuring him frequently on the Platform programme of his ministry, where Obi numerously pontificated on his economic theories and marketed his personal spartan lifestyle, as a way of endearing himself to Nigerians desirous of an alternative to a leadership that has seemingly failed them. What was Pastor Oyemades offence? He was alleged to have tweeted, and I am sure not at Obi or his followers, that Without having real evidence upon which you are acting nor preparation for the task, recognising real obstacles that lie ahead and making concrete plans, one is just being delusional about the outcome. The enthusiasm of the youth must not be wasted on poorly planned projects. As they say on the streets, kilagbe, kileju?, to express a mismatch between action and reaction, the Obidients merely stopped short of passing a fatwah on Pastor Oyemade for making use of right of expression.

In another instance, the heir of Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, Femi Kuti was threatened for allegedly calling Obidients zombies. According to Femi, I woke up today to insults abusing me, my family and my children, threatening that they will burn the Shrine. Sequel to this, Mr Obi visited Femi Kuti in apparent attempt to douse the tension. From the South-East, Professor Charles Soludo, after a series of insults hurled at him and his family, penned a direct letter to Mr Obi containing brotherly and frank advise. Characteristically, the letter elicited an expected response from the Obidients, who have also threatened to close their accounts with the United Bank for Africa (UBA) because Mr Tinubu, the president-elect, visited Mr Tony Elumelu, the chairman of UBA.

In all, the Obi herd mentality, like Dutch courage, has emboldened many of them to insult, disrespect and demonise anyone who shares a contrary opinion. Now, what defines violent extremism more than threatening to inflict pain and/or punishment on somebody else for expressing a contrary but legally permissible opinion?

the Obidients seem buoyed by a techno-deterministic suasion of the internet and social media hashtags as emancipatory, while disregarding other variables that are more contextual, and empirical. Also, the assumption that the Gen-Z constitutes the single largest electoral demography based on records of new registrants and PVCs collected, according to INEC, forgetting that not all these youths would vote for Obi.

Understanding the Obidients

My thinking is that the Obidients seem buoyed by a techno-deterministic suasion of the internet and social media hashtags as emancipatory, while disregarding other variables that are more contextual, and empirical. Also, the assumption that the Gen-Z constitutes the single largest electoral demography based on records of new registrants and PVCs collected, according to INEC, forgetting that not all these youths would vote for Obi.

For instance, the most telling testimonies of the disruptive power of youths numbers in the 2023 elections came from states with the negligible presence of Obidients. In Yobe State, a 35-year-old first-timer unseated the Speaker, who has been in office for two decades. In Kwara, a 26-year-old lady set a record as the youngest parliamentarian in the state, while Adamawa might be warming up to produce the first female governor. Indeed, these are realities not brought about by social media, civic intolerance, or techno-determinism.

Engaging the Obidients

One of Professor Femi Taiwos unassailable analysis of the Nigerian crisis is that we do not have a security problem but a knowledge problem. So, the Obidients should be taken as seriously as a pandemic, given the threats of civic ignorance and intolerance to democracy. In this vein, lesson four of Zakaria Fareeds ten lessons of the COVID-19 pandemic underscores the need for listening, even if we share contrary stances. So, knowledge and listening as essential to appreciating contradictions are the hope of democracy. The tact and patience needed for this engagement should be that of someone on whose balls a mosquito is perched and sucking on.

Gbemisola Animasawun is with the Centre for Peace and Strategic Studies, University of Ilorin.

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My man, are you sure we are in the Holy Month, because I am not understanding anymore? There is so much tension in the country on all fronts.

Of course, it is the Holy Month. Two days ago, it was Palm Sunday, a significant moment in the Christian communitys observance of Lent, when Christians fast for 40 days and 40 nights, and take on Christ-like conduct and virtues and seek the eye of God. Muslims are also in the Ramadan season, the Holy Month. Both religions preach friendship, understanding, kindness towards the poor, sacrifice and the spirit of sharing and giving. A few days earlier, there was so much talk about traditional worshippers, especially in Lagos state, talking about rituals, placement of sacrificial offerings at crossroads, and yet you say there is so much tension in the country.

You have not answered my question. What I know is that every day, Nigerians mouth the mantra that we all worship the same God and that we are all children of God, whoever and whatever we worship. But what I see is a country that has no fear of God. What people do is different from what they say! Religion has failed in this country. We should ban religion.

Hey Hey, calm down. Nobody has banned religion in Russia, China, United States or Cuba. Na here you want to ban religion?Human beings are by nature superstitious, but the problem we have in this country is that there is a gap between public morality and private morality. People go to church or the mosque but dont be deceived, they dont care about values, they dont give a damn about virtues, they go to church, the mosques and shrines, they claim we are all serving one God, but you cant see a trace of it in their relationship with other human beings.

Free me. Tell me as you see it.

There is too much wawulence in the land.

Speak English. What is wawulence?

The language of persons with street credibility. Too much violence, verbal, physical and spiritual in the country of our birth, right now, today, everywhere. Too much ethnic and religious hate and bigotry. I think people are losing their minds because of the elections. And I think we need to remind ourselves that there is a country, and that the country is more important than individual ambitions and preferences.

Point of correction. There was a country.

There is a country. And there will still be a country. Can we all step out of the mass psychosis that we are dealing with?

The psychotics know themselves. The people who have turned election into a source of craze know themselves.

Yes. Like your friends in the All Progressives Congress (APC) who are now leaking Peter Obis telephone conversations, and who claim that he is trying to start a religious war by campaigning on the basis of ethnicity and religion, and they and their allies have put into circulation a doctored version of a telephone conversation between him and Bishop David Oyedepo. Their intent is to ridicule him and lower him in the estimation of serious-minded and reasonable people of society.

I dont know who put out any audio conversation, doctored, not doctored. What I know is that there is so much hostility out there because of an election. In the first place, dont believe everything that you see on social media. We are in the age of Artificial Intelligence, ChatGPT and all kinds of manipulations. You must always fact-check.

The Labour Party and the Obidients have confirmed that their candidate actually spoke with Bishop David Oyedepo except that the leaked audio is manipulated, fake, doctored. They say there is a plan to arrest Peter Obi for treasonable felony

Nobody is above the law. But is that how people are arrested? The people that should be arrested are the people who leaked the phone call between two persons. It is a violation of Section 37 of the 1999 Constitution and all other relevant laws on data protection, consumer protection and freedom of information. People have the right to privacy. That is why there is something called lawyer-client, doctor-patient privilege and confidentiality. If people are allowed to go about leaking other peoples private conversations, society will be ruined. Imagine someone for example, hacking into your conversation with your female friends, and sending same to your wife and other girlfriends, you would have instant chaos in your life. Your life expectancy will reduce.

That is a wrong analogy. I am a straight and decent man. I am not even a card-carrying politician. But someone told me that we have the right to know everything about people in the public domain, and that it is a good thing to leak everything about politicians.

I know what you are saying. Volenti non fit inuria. That is the principle. It does not apply here though. Even politicians have rights. In any case, in the so-called released audio conversation, I dont see anything that is wrong. People are just making a mountain out of a mole-hill. Politicians all over the world play to their base, they mobilise their base, they reach out to persons of influence. Peter Obi calling Bishop Oyedepo, a man of great influence and asking him for support for whatever reason is not an issue. It does not amount to calling for a religious war. It is perfectly within his right to seek celebrity endorsement. In any case, Bishop Oyedepo has shaken it all off. Did you listen to his riposte? He is a man of God. He advises everyone that seeks his counsel, whether they take it or not. Has anybody queried why in the last elections, Muslim clerics supported the Muslim-Muslim ticket? Have they looked for conversations between Muslim candidates and Muslim leaders? Look, the election is over, people who are aggrieved should go to court. The various spokespersons who have been exchanging vitriol over nothing should go and look for work. You cant be a spokesperson for another man permanently. Get busy. Election don finish oh! Boys! Move on!

I hear people are looking for appointments, especially within the APC, and that the President-elect is already putting together a team. He is building a team.

You mean team-ship?

Yes, team-ship. Serious lobbying going on. The other day, it was Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi lobbying openly that Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers must be given a core role in the Tinubu government. I hear some people are also already organizing civil society groups to say that they must be in the government. In fact, some men have since abandoned their wives and children and turned themselves into Tinubus handbags, struggling to make themselves useful. They are with him in France as we speak.

The things that hunger, greed and poverty will cause in this country will be serious. But truly, I dont have a problem with the attempt to put a team together. Nigeria can no longer afford a ridiculous situation where a President would be sworn in and for six months, he would claim he is still looking for a team. No. There are urgent matters ahead. The President must hit the ground running. As long as he recruits the best and the brightest, not mediocres, not IOU-seekers, opportunists, habitual drunkards, and second-rate clowns in the corridors of power, I dont have a problem with that.

Who is a second-rate clown? A clown is a clown

I know what I am saying. Some first-rate clowns in this country are educated billionaires. Dont force me to mention names. If you must recruit a court jester, at least get the good ones. We have had too many jesters running the Nigerian government.

But people say Tinubu should wait till the dispute around the Presidential election is resolved.

There is nothing in our laws that says so. Section 285 of the 1999 Constitution provides very strict timelines for election petitions. Lawyers exploit this. They will stretch the matter with every possible trick. By 29 May, Tinubu would be sworn in. The process has started. He will promptly announce a Cabinet and activate Section 5 of the 1999 Constitution which grants him extensive executive powers to appoint and disappoint. Within a week, a full government would be up and running. You can keep talking to the courts!

I dont think that is right

It is not a matter of what you think. It is what the law makes possible.

We have to change the law. All election disputes must be finalised before inauguration. The Uwais Commission made such a recommendation. We must go back to it. That is what they do in Kenya and other places. Now I understand why some people are calling for an Interim National Government and why one man tried to stop a commercial plane from flying and threatened that there will be no Presidential inauguration on May 29.

I hope you also understand that the Department of State Services, and other security agencies have made it clear that anybody who tries to subvert the state, will be made to face the full wrath of the law. Nobody should test the patience of the state-qua-state. Be careful. I wont make a case for you.

I dont make trouble with anybody. I have enough issues of my own. I mind my business. I only discuss politics when we are together like this. I raise questions. I am not likely to go on television like Datti Baba-Ahmed to say any attempt to swear in Tinubu would signal the end of democracy, and then get a TV station fined. I will not board a plane like that Obiajulu man and say there will be no inauguration on 29 May. I will not act like the Eze Ndigbo of Ajao estate and proclaim that Igbos in Lagos will invite IPOB to Lagos to defend Igbo properties and investments. But we have to understand the context and understand that people are angry.

You know I know what you mean by context

Yes

Eluu Pee

Yes Daddy

Obi Nwannem

Yes Daddy

Obi Kererenke, Obi oh

Yes Daddy

Whoever is not happy, go to Court and fact-check

But you know why we are having these issues, because the people do not trust the courts. Not even that musician called Portable, Habeeb Okikiola. When the police went to arrest him, after several invitations and he had snubbed them, he told them that he is a government liability, a celebrity, a Baboon, who belongs to the zoo. Zazuh zeh! That is how many Nigerians behave. They dont trust the system.

But I hope you know what has now happened to him?

What happened to the Omo Ijoba himself?

You dont read the news.? On Friday, he was arrested by the police, and told in clear terms that being a celebrity does not confer any constitutional immunity on him, and that he is truly a government liability and not an asset. He spent the weekend in a police cell in Abeokuta. Yesterday, he was arraigned in a Magistrate Court in Ifo, Ogun State where he was slammed with a three-count charge, and remanded in Ilaro prison until he discharges his bail terms.

Nigeria is a wicked place to aspire to be anything.

No. Obey the law. The same Portable that was boasting that he is a Baboon. He has been told now that Baboons in the zoo are kept in cages, and he has been kept behind bars accordingly. I hope they lock him up with very gluttonous mosquitoes. In fact, I suspect they did. He was looking very contrite in court. A se ko ti e le. Him no get liver. Egungun better be careful! This is why everybody should be calm. After the elections, everyone should learn to be calm.

Make we calm, make we calm down. But there is a way this country also gets on your nerves. People are reacting in their own ways. Look at Rivers state, lawyers who went to Port Harcourt for election matters were arrested and detained, and the materials in their possession were seized. That is enough to make anybody angry.

They have been released.

So. But a point has been made. Whoever wants to challenge the election results in Rivers State is not welcome and you know what happened on 25 February and 18 March in that state and after the elections, parties across the country have been suspending key officials of their parties from the Peoples Democratic Party in Benue, the Labour Party in Edo State to the APC in Delta, Kwara, Bauchi and Zamfara States. Some people are just determined to heat up the polity.

I am sure if you check the stories from those states very well, youd see that for the most part, it is mainly about disagreement over ego, stomach infrastructure, and nothing about Nigeria and its future.

Even when people try to fight for the future, they are not allowed. I am sure you know that is the way we are.

You tell me.

Take Kano State.

What about Kano State?

Earlier on, we discussed Tinubu getting ready for the future, you said that was right. In Kano, Governor-elect, Abba Kabir Yusuf of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has issued two advisories. On 30 March, he issued an advisory on ongoing constructions in the state in public spaces and urged that they should be stopped until the incoming administration assumes office. On 31 March, he issued another advisory to say that no financial institution should grant any loans to Kano State because the in-coming administration will not honour such loans. He has been told he is jumping the gun. Governor Ganduje has told him that he is still in charge until 29 May. I dont understand this country. We are a nation of hypocrites and double standards.

To be fair, the Governor-elect of Kano State does not yet have the imprimatur of the law. He is not yet a constituted authority

Is Tinubu a constituted authority?

It is not the same thing. The comparison is off-key.

This is the problem then. How can we have a proper country when Nigerians have over 200 million opinions on any subject under the sun and the countrys population itself is over 200 million!

I dont have an answer to that.

Id be surprised if anybody does.

Reuben Abati, a former presidential spokesperson, writes from Lagos.

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 4. The international community does not take measures in connection with the mine threat posed by Armenia against Azerbaijan, Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsman) of Azerbaijan Sabina Aliyeva said in her appeal to the international community in connection with April 4, International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action, Trend reports.

"Unfortunately, the international community has not expressed concern about the threat of landmines created by Armenia against Azerbaijan until today and has not shown any interest in taking effective measures in this regard," said Sabina Aliyeva.

The Azerbaijani Ombudsman believes that the world community should be united in the fight against mine terrorism for the sake of protecting the rights to life, to live in safety, and the right to health of human beings.

"In this regard, in our statements and appeals, as well as in our special report, addressed to international and regional organizations working in the field of human rights, and different national human rights institutions, we provided facts on the mine problem in the liberated areas and urged them to take urgent measures within their mandates," the Ombudsman said in the appeal.
Reader survey As a reader of PREMIUM TIMES, your opinion matters. Please take our survey to help us better understand the values and preferences of our readers. Your feedback will give us valuable insights into how we can tailor the different types of content we offer to meet your needs. The survey should only take about 6-8 minutes to complete. Click here to take it.

I hope Channels plans to provide the entire interview. After months of having to endure total fabrications of partisan utterances that are strange to me, even in their very choice of words, it is most aggravating to have this, the first I have conceded in my authenticated person, casually subjected to selective editing and dissemination.

What I have read  at least, thus far  this morning, extracted from a one-and-a-half long interview, conducted a week ago with Channels Television, brings once more to the fore, the critical responsibility of the media in transmitting the spoken, even recorded  word to the public. This is especially crucial in a time of civic uncertainty. When remarks are taken out of context, spliced into a new one, provided a sensational headline, distortions become stamped on public receptivity, and the central intent of ones remarks becomes completely unrecognisable.

I denounced the menacing utterances of a vice-presidential aspirant as unbecoming. It was a gladiatorial challenge directed at the judiciary and, by implication, the rest of the democratic polity. But what on earth has happened to my even more urgent condemnation of the physical violence inflicted on those designated strangers in Lagos in the lead up to, and during governorship elections? This prejudicial selectivity is a betrayal of trust, and I find it contemptuous of public deserving. My critique of incipient fascism in the movement remains grounded in indisputable evidence. Throughout the interview, I continued to stress that the final word had yet to be pronounced on the elections  that omission renders the full message tendentious!

My rejection of fascism is nothing new. On three occasions, I was able to send a message to Peter Obi that if he lost the election, it would be his followers who lost it for him. It was depressing to watch his lieutenant, a crucially positioned voice of a movement that has broken the mould, threaten the totality of social existence. Whatever our ideological leaning, is Donald Trump the ideal template for a burgeoning democracy in the nation?

On a minor note, I remain concerned by the alleged complaint by me of people not following instructions. If words are garbled in recording, the speaker can be reached for clarification  else, simply leave out the unclear section completely to avoid misrepresentation. After all, piecemeal transmission is legitimate proceeding, as long as a part is not presented as the whole. I am not a member of the Labour Party, so how can giving instructions become my role? Like a number of others, I have admittedly contributed to the making of this moment  going back several years  and it is painful to have the followers of such a movement, send it slithering backwards and down the fascistic slope.

I hope Channels plans to provide the entire interview. After months of having to endure total fabrications of partisan utterances that are strange to me, even in their very choice of words, it is most aggravating to have this, the first I have conceded in my authenticated person, casually subjected to selective editing and dissemination.

Let us play by the rules of mutual obligation, or else abandon public discourse altogether.

Wole SOYINKA is the first Black Nobel Laureate in Literature.

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Five members of Magama Gumau, a community in Toro Local Government Area, Bauchi State who were kidnapped by armed outlaws have been released following the payment of a ransom.

Source told PREMIUM TIMES the five were among 10 members of the community who were abducted some days earlier.

A resident whose relative was among those released but doesnt want his name mentioned said the captives were released after the payment of N6 million ransom.

He said the released victims were taken to a hospital in Bauchi town for medical examinations to ascertain their physical wellness.

We contributed and paid N6 million to the kidnappers before they released our brother and his wife and three other people. Initially, they requested 100 million and later they came down to 50 million. So, at last, they agreed on the N6 million which was paid, the source said.

Meanwhile, residents of Magama Gumau and its environs said they are having sleepless nights due to the fear of the unknown as they are living under the mercy of the gunmen.

The residents of Magama Gumau town which is located near the boundary of Bauchi State with Plateau State said they are under the siege of the outlaws. They said people are routinely kidnapped in the area and thus called on the government to provide security in the area.

PREMIUM TIMES learned that kidnapping in the town started last year, but it has since worsened.

The gunmen are believed to be operating and coordinating the attacks from the nearby rocky areas of Angware and Maigemu hills that stretch between Bauchi and Plateau states.

They attack Magama Gumau, Toro, Rinji Gani, Tilden Fulani, Magama Gari, and the surrounding villages, the residents said.

Due to worsening insecurity in the area residents are now relocating to Bauchi town and Jos. Others who cannot secure permanent residence in the two towns stay with friends and relatives at night and return to their homes and farms in the day, some residents said.

The spokesperson of the Bauchi State Police Command, Ahmed Wakili, couldnt be reached for comment. He did not pick up the phone calls neither did he respond to text messages sent to his phone.

Also the Bauchi state Information Commissioner, Yakubu Ningi, could not be reached to comment on measures need to be taken by the state government to end the menace of kidnapping in the area.

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Gunmen have kidnapped two members of the family of the village head of Nasarawa in Tsanyawa Local Government Area of Kano State.

Those kidnapped are his wife, Halima Kabiru, 38, and Dahiru Kabiru, who is 20 years old.

The Commissioner of Police in the state, Mamman Dauda, confirmed the abduction to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

On April 2, at about 12:45 a.m., we received information that

seven gunmen stormed the residence of the village head of Nasarawa and kidnapped his wife and son.

The kidnappers took the victims to an unknown destination.

On receipt of the information, we immediately formed a rescue team in neighbouring Divisions. As we speak, the team is working assiduously to rescue the victims unhurt, he said.

He described the incident as unfortunate but expressed confidence that the victims would be rescued and the abductors arrested.

(NAN)

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A magistrate court in Kano on Tuesday ordered the owner of a rooster notorious for its loud crows to slaughter it.

The court gave the order after two neighbours of the owner of the rooster filed a complaint with the court. They claimed the roosters relentless loud crows disturbs their sleep and peace of the neighbourhood.

The court located at Gidan Murtala ordered Isyaku Shuaibu, the owner, to slaughter his rooster on Friday.

One of the plaintiffs, Yusuf Muhammed, of Jaen quarters of Kanos metropolis told the court that the roosters relentless crowing was an infringement of his right to a restful sleep.

While admitting his roosters knack for loud crows, Mr Shuaibu prayed the court to stay the judgement until Friday.

The magistrate, Halima Wali, convinced by the complainants argument, ruled that the cock should be caged and slaughtered on Friday.

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Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike on Monday said Rivers State will support any candidate unanimously presented by the national leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC), for the position of the Speaker of the 10th House of Representatives.

The governor has however, insisted that those to be nominated as principal officers of the 10th House of Representatives must be individuals with requisite experience to sheer the affairs of the legislature.

Governor Wike made the comments when the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ahmed Idris Wase, led a delegation of other lawmakers on a courtesy call to Government House, Port Harcourt on Monday.

He explained that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) won eleven out of the thirteen federal constituencies in the State, and that the lawmakers-elect will back whoever the national leadership of the ruling APC presents as their sole candidate for the exalted office of the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

The way we are now, the truth must be told that we are going to support the leadership of your party at the national level, Mr Wike said. I am not going to support anybody that is coming from anywhere.

The governor, however, insisted that only those with requisite experience and capacity to stabilise the country should be presented as principal officers of the 10th House of Representatives.

You (Wase) are an experienced person. What we require now is experience as far as legislature is concern. Experience will stabilise the house. So, you dont require a green horn, the governor said.

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Mr Wike thanked APC governors and other leaders of the party for zoning the partys presidential ticket to the south. According to him, by this decision, the APC leaders demonstrated their firm belief in inclusivity of every section of Nigeria in the scheme of things.

I thank your party for coming out openly to say power has to rotate. Everybody now knows that whoever finishes for eight years, it goes to another area and that will be inclusiveness, it will bring unity. That is what will stabilise this country.

The Rivers State governor maintained that the decision of the APC to zone the presidency to the South is in sync with the fundamental objectives of the PDP G-5 governors for equity, fairness and justice.

Governor Wike congratulated Mr Wase for winning the Wase federal constituency of Plateau State in the February 25, 2023 National Assembly election.

Mr Wase, current deputy speaker of the House of Representatives, told Governor Wike that he was in Port Harcourt with his delegation that cut across various political parties, to solicit support ahead of the election of the Speaker of the 10th House.

Your excellency, we just finished the national and presidential election , we are about to go into the National Assembly politics and that is why we are here to seek your support, to seek your prayers and blessing, by the grace of God so that we can have a unified country, stabilised system.

Mr Wase commended Mr Wike for his stance on power shift to the South. According to him, by that, the governor distinguished himself as a man of character and firm believer in the unity of the country.

Your excellency we are here in your very comfort zone as a leader, as mentor and as a father who has stood very firm in accordance with the provisions of our constitution to see that power is adequately shared, Mr Wase said. Rotation is captured under section 14(4) and that is all that you have been doing.

And as former chairman of federal character (committee) in the House of Representatives, who has chaired this committee for eight good years, I also understand the sentiment and emotions when it comes to distribution of infrastructure development and power equation in the country.

On his part, the lawmaker representing Emure/Gboyin/Ekiti-East Federal Constituency, Femi Bamisile, commended the G-5 governors, whose insistence on power shift he said made it possible for a southerner to emerge as president-elect in the February presidential election.

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The Bayelsa Government on Tuesday refiled a suit against John Idumange, who raised an alarm over the alleged diversion of N3 billion agriculture loan by government officials.

Justice Iniekenimi Uzakah of the State High Court in Yenogoa had struck out the suit which he inherited from Justice Ebiyerin Omukoro of the State High Court.

When the case came up before Justice Iniekade Eradiri, the prosecution counsel, John Prosper, apologised for the absence of the defendant.

Mr Prosper told the court that he learnt that following the striking out of the case by Justice Uzakah, Mr Idumange travelled out of the country for a short course.

He was not aware that the case had been re-filed and I heard he will be returning to the country by end of June. I appeal to the court to give reasonable time.

The adjournment will allow prosecution to put its house in order and produce the defendant for arraignment to take his plea, Mr Prosper said.

The Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice in Bayelsa, Biriyai Sambo, filed a suit against Mr Idumange for misdemeanour and seditious publications against government officials.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that a Magistrates Court had on 11 March 2021 in Yenagoa, ordered Mr Idumanges detention for 30 days, pending police investigation.

Mr Idumange alleged that officials of the Bayelsa government had diverted N3 billion agric loan and subsequently submitted a petition to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). He was arrested on 10 March 2021.

Some officials of the state government reported to the police that Mr Idumange made seditious publications that maligned their persons in his claims.

However, the State High Court, Sagbama Division, granted bail to Mr Idumange, who was also an aide on Research and Documentation and later Social Media to former Bayelsa Governor, Seriake Dickson.

NAN reports that the case, earlier assigned to Justice Ebiyerin Omukoro, was reassigned to Justice Uzakah following a written request by the state Attorney-General to the Chief Judge of Bayelsa, Justice Kate Abiri.

(NAN)

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Eight out of the 30 lawmakers in the Anambra House of Assembly will return for the eight Assembly which will be inaugurated in June, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

The publication of final list of candidates for the state assembly election in Anambra by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), revealed that 22 were first time lawmakers.

While some lawmakers in the seventh Assembly lost out in their aspirations to return to the house, others who wanted to represent their respective federal constituencies in the House of Representatives failed at the elections.

The eight lawmakers who would return are: Somtochukwu Udeze (Ogbaru constituency ll, (PDP), Douglas Egbuna (Onitsha North Constituency l, PDP), Noble Igwe (Ogbaru Constituency l (PDP), and Johnbosco Akaegbobi (Nnewi South Constituency ll, YPP).

Others are: Emma Nwafor (Orumba South, APGA), Patrick Udoba (Anambra West, APGA), Ejike Okechukwu (Anaocha Constituency ll, APGA) and Chukwuma Okoye (Awka South Constituency ll, APGA).

Again, a woman has been elected into the Anambra Assembly and will partake in the eighth legislative session of the Assembly.

The woman is Nkechi Ogbuefi of the Labour Party, and she will represent Anaocha Constituency l.

READ ALSO:Soludo decries low turnout of voters in Anambra

NAN reports that the 30 elected members who served in the seventh legislature between 2019 and 2023 had Beverly Ikpeazu-Nkemdiche who represented Onitsha South Constituency ll, as the only female.

Meanwhile, the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) won 16 out of the 30 seats in the Anambra State House of Assembly, Labour Party secured seven seats, the Peoples Democratic Party secured four seats while the Young Progressives Party won three seats.

(NAN)

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Details added (first published: 11:16)

BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 4. Armenia must be held accountable for refusing to cooperate on mine clearance [with Azerbaijan], Trend reports via the tweet of Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry.

"Today marks the International Day for Mine Awareness. 'Mine Action Cannot Wait' and entails holding those, including Armenia, who plant mines indiscriminately and refuse to cooperate in dismantling them, accountable. We must end the enormous human cost they create," said ministry.

On 8 December 2005, the UN General Assembly declared that 4 April of each year shall be observed as the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action. It called for continued efforts by States, with the assistance of the United Nations and relevant organizations, to foster the establishment and development of national mine-action capacities in countries where mines and explosive remnants of war constitute a serious threat to the safety, health and lives of the civilian population, or an impediment to social and economic development at the national and local levels.

In 2023 the United Nations Mine Action Service will acknowledge the day under the campaign Mine Action Cannot Wait, highlighting decades of contamination in Cambodia, the Lao Peoples Democratic Republic and Viet Nam, as well as draw attention to recent explosive ordnance contamination.

Meanwhile, Azerbaijan has for years been victim to Armenia's mining its territories. Following the end of the second Karabakh war in 2020, Azerbaijan started large scale work on de-mining its liberated territories, yet the mine threat still remains.

In March 2023, 270 anti-personnel and 656 anti-tank landmines, as well as 1,465 units of unexploded ordnance, were discovered and removed in Tartar, Aghdam, Khojavand, Fuzuli, Lachin, Khojaly, Shusha, Gubadli, Jabrayil, and Zangilan districts as part of the de-mining process. A total area of 5,983.6 hectares has been cleared of mines and unexploded ordnance.
LUOYANG, China, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- On April 3, the 2023 World Research Travel Conference co-sponsored by the Culture and Tourism Department of Henan province, the People's Government of Luoyang and the World Research Travel Organization (hereafter referred to as "WRTO") was inaugurated in Luoyang City, Henan Province, China. More than 200 experts and scholars in the field of research industry and tourism service providers attended the conference.

On the site, Huang Dongsheng, the head of the Culture and Tourism Department of Henan province and Yang Lin, the vice chairman of WRTO unveiled the nameplate of the Henan Representative Office of WRTO (Canada) together; Yang Zhenzhi, the executive chairman of WRTO made the Luoyang Declaration of promoting protection and inheritance of cultural heritages through Research Travel and declared that the 2024 World Research Travel Conference will be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and the Flag Handover Ceremony was held there.

In the conference, top 10 major exciting research travel routes in Henan Province were published. A three-dimensional and diversified research product system of "Henan, the cradle of China" was linked together from the aspects of tracing the Chinese civilization, poetic and pictorial splendor, martial art and hometown. Besides, the product-A Journey of Studying the Yellow River Culture was also launched in this conference.

In recent years, Henan has been deeply implementing the strategy of integration of culture, tourism, and creative industries, focusing on the Yellow River civilization and 487 research and travel bases have been built and 3,970 courses have been completed in the province at present. This conference will open up the overseas study market and promote the acceleration of research and the construction of research industry ancestry for Henan province under the background of cultural confidence.

Luoyang is a city with an abundance of cultural and historical relics, such as the "Five Sites of the Capital" including Erlitou Site of the Xia Capital, the Ancient Site of Shang Capital of Yanshi, the Site of the Capital of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, the Site of Luoyang City from the Eastern Han and Northern Wei Dynasties, and Luoyang Ruins of Sui and Tang Dynasty (Sui-Tang Luoyang City National Archeological Site Park), as well as the Longmen Grottoes, White Horse Temple, Guanlin (Temple of Guanyu),indicating that the city has served as a capital for more than 1,500 years.

SOURCE WRTO
DUBLIN, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Agriculture Technology-as-a-Service Market - A Global and Regional Analysis: Focus on Product, Application, and Country Analysis - Analysis and Forecast, 2022-2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global agriculture technology-as-a-service (ATaaS) market was valued at $1,606.9 million in 2022 and is expected to reach $3,438.6 million in 2027, with a CAGR of 16.43% during 2022-2027. The growth in the global agriculture technology-as-a-service market is expected to be driven by growing demand for precision agriculture solutions from small-scale farmers.

Market Lifecycle Stage

Agriculture technology-as-a-service (ATaaS) is in its growth stage. Farmers are increasingly looking for more advanced and efficient solutions to manage their operations, resulting in an increase in demand for ATaaS. This has led to growth in the number of companies offering ATaaS solutions, as well as an increase in investment in the industry. ATaaS will continue to grow as the market matures, leading to more innovative solutions and increased adoption by farmers and agribusinesses. As new technologies and customer needs emerge, the ATaaS market is likely to continue growing and developing.

Impact

Agricultural technology-as-a-service (ATaaS) helps farmers streamline their operations and increase efficiency by automating tasks such as crop monitoring, soil analysis, and resource management. This can result in improved yields and lower costs.

ATaaS provides farmers with detailed and real-time information about their crops, enabling them to make informed decisions about planting, fertilizing, and pest control. This results in a more precise and targeted application of resources, leading to higher yields and a reduction in waste.

Market Segmentation



Segmentation 1: by Application

Yield Mapping and Monitoring

Soil Management and Testing

Crop Health Monitoring

Irrigation

Others

Crop health monitoring is expected to generate the highest revenue in the ATaaS market due to its importance in ensuring the overall health and productivity of crops. With ATaaS, farmers can monitor the health of their crops in real-time and make informed decisions about their management practices. This results in increased crop yield and profitability. Advanced sensors and technologies like remote sensing, drones, and precision agriculture are integrated into ATaaS solutions for accurate crop monitoring.

This helps in the early detection of potential problems like disease, pest infestations, and soil degradation, leading to proactive management and timely intervention. The increasing adoption of ATaaS in the agricultural sector will drive the growth of the crop health monitoring segment, thereby generating the highest revenue in the ATaaS market.

Segmentation 2: by Service Type

Software-as-a-Service (SaaS)

Equipment-as-a-Service (EaaS)

Software-as-a-service (SaaS) is projected to drive the growth of the agriculture technology-as-a-service (ATaaS) market due to its advantages, such as ease of deployment, low cost, and user-friendly interfaces. SaaS platforms allow farmers to access technology-driven agriculture solutions and services remotely, reducing the need for large capital expenditures. It is expected that SaaS-based ATaaS will gain traction as cloud computing and IoT technologies become more popular, thereby driving the market's growth.

Segmentation 3: by Pricing

Subscription

Pay-Per-Use

In the ATaaS market, subscription pricing models have become increasingly popular among farmers due to their cost-effectiveness and flexibility. Farmers can subscribe to these services on a monthly or annual basis and receive regular software updates and technical support. This eliminates the need for large upfront investments in equipment and technology, allowing farmers to better manage their costs and stay up-to-date with the latest advancements in the industry. Additionally, subscription models provide the ability to scale up or down based on their needs and production goals, offering greater flexibility and cost savings compared to traditional pay-per-use models.

Segmentation 4: by Region

North America - U.S., Canada , and Mexico

- U.S., , and Europe - Germany , Turkey , Ukraine , France , Greece , The Netherlands , Belgium , Switzerland , and Rest-of- Europe

- , , , , , , , , and Rest-of- China

U.K.

Asia-Pacific - India , Japan , Australia , and Rest-of- Asia-Pacific

- , , , and Rest-of- South America - Brazil , Argentina , and Rest-of- South America

- , , and Rest-of- Middle East and Africa - Israel , South Africa , and Rest-of- Middle East and Africa

North America generated the highest revenue of over $547.0 million in 2021 and is expected to remain the largest region by 2027. A number of factors are expected to contribute to North America's lead in ATaaS, including the presence of major players in the agriculture sector, strong government support, and a high adoption rate of advanced technologies such as VRT, UAVs, and robots. Additionally, the region has a large number of well-established agribusinesses and farmers looking for innovative and cost-effective ways to improve their operations. The region also has a well-developed infrastructure and a high level of awareness about the benefits of ATaaS, which is further driving the market growth.

Recent Developments in Global Agriculture Technology-as-a-Service (ATaaS) Market

In November 2022 , a new generation of monitoring robots called Tom v4 was launched by Small Robot Company. The commercialization of this product to both farmers and corporations is a major milestone. With a ground sample distance of 0.28mm per pixel, Tom v4 is one of the highest-resolution crop-scanning technologies. As a result, Tom can detect early signs of disease outbreaks and see individual water droplets on leaves.

Demand - Drivers and Limitations



The following are the demand drivers for the agriculture technology-as-a-service market:

Decreasing Agriculture Workforce

Increasing Area under Permanent Crops

Increased Yield

Low Capital Investment for Customers

The market is expected to face some limitations, too, due to the following challenges:

Cyber and Online Data Security

Reluctance to Adopt and Lack of Technical Awareness among Farmers

Limited Infrastructure and Workforce to Provide EaaS Solutions

Key Companies Profiled

AGRIVI

IBM Corporation

Hexagon Agriculture

Microsoft Corporation

Topcon

365FarmNet GmbH

PrecisionHawk

Trimble Inc.

Deere & Company

DJI

KUBOTA Corporation

Small Robot Company

Naio Technologies

SGS SA

TeeJet Technologies

Key Topics Covered:





1 Markets

2 Application

3 Products

4 Region

5 Markets - Competitive Benchmarking & Company Profiles

6 Research Methodology

Companies Mentioned

AGRIVI

IBM Corporation

Hexagon Agriculture

Microsoft Corporation

Topcon

365FarmNet GmbH

PrecisionHawk

Trimble Inc.

Deere & Company

DJI

KUBOTA Corporation

Small Robot Company

Naio Technologies

SGS SA

TeeJet Technologies

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/528rxn

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:

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SOURCE Research and Markets
WASHINGTON, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Land Title Association (ALTA) Good Deeds Foundation, the registered 501(c)(3) charitable organization founded by ALTA, the national trade association of the land title insurance industry, has announced it is awarding a $6,000 emergency grant to the South Delta Disaster Recovery Fund, created by the Community Foundation of Washington County (CFWC). Communities in western and central Mississippi were devastated on March 24 by two tornadoes that ripped through homes, businesses and farmland, killing more than 20 people.

Accredited with the National Standards for U.S. Community Foundations, the CFWC is assisting with long-term disaster recovery needs in the Washington and neighboring Sharkey, Issaquena and Humphreys counties. While immediate relief efforts have concentrated on volunteers and supplies, long-term recovery can include repairing homes that were damaged or providing new homes in situations where homes were completely destroyed. According to the CFWC, it "stands in the gap [between insurance coverage and government assistance] to help those in the greatest need fully recover from disasters like these."

The Foundation Board awarded the emergency grant to aid Mississippi victims with any needs following the tornadoes.

"Mississippi towns ravaged by the March 24 tornadoes were reduced to rubble," said ALTA CEO Diane Tomb. "Many residents will have a difficult time finding local affordable housing unaffected by the storm. This emergency grant from the ALTA Good Deeds Foundation will help provide relief to victims who are struggling to have even their most basic need for shelter met."

"Our thoughts are with those who have lost loved ones or no longer have a place to call home," said Foundation Board Chair Mary O'Donnell, president and CEO of Westcor Land Title Insurance Co. in Maitland, Fla. "Long-term recovery is a journey. Because of the ALTA members' support of the ALTA Good Deeds Foundation, we are able to help Mississippi residents in their first steps on what is likely to be one of the most challenging experiences of their lives."

About the ALTA Good Deeds Foundation

Founded in 2020 by the American Land Title Association, the ALTA Good Deeds Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Its mission is to support the charitable efforts of title professionals as they work to build and strengthen their local communities and exemplify the title industry's values of We Lead, We Deliver, We Protect.

About ALTA

The American Land Title Association, founded in 1907, is the national trade association representing the land title insurance industry, which employs more than 120,000 people working in every county in the United States.

Contact: Megan Hernandez

Office: 202-261-0315

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE American Land Title Association
Longstanding Tradition Continues as America's Egg Farmers Donate Eggs for Annual White House Easter Egg Roll

WASHINGTON, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Continuing a nearly five-decade tradition, the American Egg Board (AEB), on behalf of America's egg farmers, will present Dr. Jill Biden with the 2023 First Lady's Commemorative Egg at the White House Easter "EGGucation" Roll on Monday, April 10.

Experience the full interactive Multichannel News Release here: https://www.multivu.com/players/English/9148351-american-egg-board-reveals-46th-annual-first-ladys-commemorative-egg/

2023 First Lady's Commemorative Egg, Opened

The 2023 First Lady's Commemorative Egg, intricately designed by longtime egg artist Carolyn Bickel, highlights how the power of education allows children of all ages to meet their goals and dream big for the future. This year's Commemorative Egg is a hand-painted jewel box design depicting children reading books together, with a hinged top which reveals a miniature Easter scene featuring another smaller real, hand-painted egg. The special Commemorative Egg design honors Dr. Biden's commitment to ensuring quality education to all Americans by visually capturing how children can reach for the stars, one book at a time.

"The American Egg Board and America's egg farmers are honored to gift the 46th First Lady's Commemorative Egg to Dr. Jill Biden celebrating her lifelong commitment to education, as part of the White House Easter 'EGGucation' Roll," said Emily Metz, president and CEO of the American Egg Board. "We're proud to continue this legacy and to celebrate Easter and Passover holidays with an essential ingredient at the center of people's memories, festivities and traditions: eggs."

America's Egg Farmers Support and Celebrate the White House Easter "EGGucation" Roll

The White House Easter "EGGucation" Roll brings together egg farmers and thousands of families from across the country to celebrate a timeless tradition held on the White House South Lawn. Along with the iconic roll itself, families will have an opportunity to visit the American Egg Board's interactive Hen to Home exhibit to learn about an egg's journey from the farm to the plate and participate in a variety of egg-centric activitiesfrom egg hunts to egg decorating. Showcasing the versatility of the egg, this year's White House Easter "EGGucation" Roll will spotlight a unique food experience, with the incredible egg featured in all dishes in the cafetorium. Eggs will even be provided to NASA for a special activity they are holding as part of the "EGGucation" classroom activities.

"United States of Possibility" Colonnade of Eggs Exhibit to Feature Kid-Designed Eggs

In the spirit of Dr. Biden's commitment to education, the White House East Colonnade will be transformed into the "United States of Possibility" Colonnade of Eggs exhibit, featuring hand-painted and decorated eggs representing all 50 U.S. states and six territories. In a show of state pride and national unity, children submitted creative egg designs under the theme of "United States of Possibility" that highlight why they love their home state/territory and its contributions to the future of the country, from their state's natural resources to technological inventions to cultural developments.

America's Egg Farmers Donate More Than 5.5 Million Eggs to Fight Hunger by the Dozens

America's egg farmers are working around the clock to ensure Americans have eggsa spring holiday essentialon their tables to celebrate with friends and family this Easter and Passover season. In the three weeks leading up to these holidays, egg farmers across America are donating more than 5.5 million eggs to local food banks as part of their "Fighting Hunger by the Dozens" initiative. In 2023, America's egg farmers have already donated more than 15.3 million eggs to food banks around the U.S. and will continue to donate eggs all year round.

"Egg farmers across the country are committed to fighting hunger in America and supporting Americans facing food insecurity," said Metz. "Eggs make Easter and Passover family traditions extra special and America's egg farmers are working hard to make sure eggs can be at the table for all celebrations this season and available as a high-quality, nutritious protein for all Americans."

About the American Egg Board (AEB)

Home of The Incredible Egg, the American Egg Board (AEB) is the national marketing organization of America's egg farmers. AEB's mission is to increase demand for eggs and egg products through research, education and promotion. AEB is located in Chicago. For more, visit IncredibleEgg.org.

SOURCE American Egg Board
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and his Saudi counterpart Faisal Bin Farhan will meet in the coming days, the two top diplomats announced after a phone call on Sunday.

Amirabdollahian in his telephone conversation with Faisal voiced his satisfaction with the positive trend of relations between the two countries, and emphasized the resolve of the Islamic Republic of Iran to develop and expand its neighborliness policy.

This was the third telephone conversation between the foreign ministers of Iran and Saudi Arabia after the recent agreement between the two countries' security officials in Beijing and agreement to restore bilateral diplomatic relations and reopen the two embassies and consulates of Iran and Saudi Arabia.

Amirabdollahian and Faisal bin Farhan had agreed to meet each other in the month of Ramadan in the second phone call.

In a telephone conversation today, the two foreign ministers discussed the latest state of the recent agreement between the two countries and the meeting of the foreign ministers.

In the conversation, the Saudi foreign minister emphasized the need for continuous contacts and meetings between officials of the two countries and called the current process of actions taken by the two countries positive and satisfactory.

In the conversation, the foreign ministers of Iran and Saudi Arabia also agreed to meet each other in the coming days.

The phone call came after Iranian foreign minister said he and Saudi counterpart are going to consult and talk by phone in the next 48 hours to finalize the time and place of the meeting.
Details (first published: 11:17)

BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 4. The international community does not take measures in connection with the mine threat posed by Armenia against Azerbaijan, Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsman) of Azerbaijan Sabina Aliyeva said in her appeal to the international community in connection with April 4, International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action, Trend reports.

"Unfortunately, the international community has not expressed concern about the threat of landmines created by Armenia against Azerbaijan until today and has not shown any interest in taking effective measures in this regard," said Sabina Aliyeva.

The Azerbaijani Ombudsman believes that the world community should be united in the fight against mine terrorism for the sake of protecting the rights to life, to live in safety, and the right to health of human beings.

"In this regard, in our statements and appeals, as well as in our special report, addressed to international and regional organizations working in the field of human rights, and different national human rights institutions, we provided facts on the mine problem in the liberated areas and urged them to take urgent measures within their mandates," the Ombudsman said in the appeal.
DUBLIN, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "4th Annual Mining Investment" conference has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

Now in its' 4th year, Mining Investment London is firmly established as Europe's boutique strategic mining investment & capital raising conference and exhibition.

Besides mining trends and finance approach, we also incorporate the latest technological innovations that transform the industry & we add critical minerals and hydrogen that play a crucial role in the global energy market's transition to a low-carbon economy.

For 2022, we are continuing with a hybrid model to capture wider European and global audience in the new business environment. Our digital event arena will enable you to network with colleagues from all around the globe, hear expert analysis live & on-demand, chat with all participants, attend virtual exhibition and debate the latest opportunities and challenges of the industry simply without encountering any travel restrictions or social distancing measures.

250 senior-level executives are expected, including over 150 investors and 30 mining companies ranging from explorers, and juniors to mid-tier producers and majors for two days of partnering, networking and business matching.

Join the host at an invaluable platform to get access to agenda covering latest industry issues, exhibition floor as well as 1-2-1 meeting matching tool for new partnerships & business opportunities.

Our investors come from private equity, asset & investment management companies, sovereign wealth funds, hedge funds, venture capital, family offices or are HNWIs and private investors.

They travel from all over Europe, Asia, Middle East and North & Latin Americas to look out for latest mining projects and investment opportunities.

KEY THEMES

Mining Investment Strategies & Trends

Gold & Precious Metals Developments

Hydrogen Market Trends & Investment Opportunities

Junior Miners , New Exploration Projects & Discoveries

, New Exploration Projects & Discoveries Base Metals

Resources Security & Sustainability

Commodity Trends in Europe

M&A, Capital Raising & Financing Environment

Battery Metals & Electric Vehicles

Bulk Metals

Critical Minerals Demand & Supply Analysis

Mining Technology Advancements

Emerging Markets Outlook

Risk, Government Regulations & Policy Developments

IoT, Blockchain & Future of Mining

WHAT TO EXPECT?

TOP SPEAKERS

Our industry leaders provide new perspectives, share cutting edge content and insights to understand the fast-changing global investment landscape.

EXHIBITION

Talk to miners & evaluate their resources projects and discover the very latest in technology and solution innovations to mining industry.

NETWORKING

From speed networking, lunches, 1-2-1 meetings to drinks reception across 2 days you're assured to make the right connections.

Speakers

SAKHILA MONA MIRZA

Executive Board Director & General Counsel

London Bullion Market Association

United Kingdom

DR DIEUDONNE-LOUIS TAMBWE

Deputy Technical Director

CTCPM, Ministry of Mines

Democratic Republic of Congo

JENS BRUNKE

Head of Mergers & Acquisitions

Veragold Mining

Germany

CHINGIZ MAKESHOV

CEO

Central Asia Capital Investment Company

Kyrgyzstan

DR BASSEM NASSOUHY

Environmental Consultant

Fujairah Natural Resources

United Arab Emirates

ALAIN CORBANI

Head of Commodities

Finance SA

France

THAO DH NGO

Group Executive Chairman

First IndoChina Group

Vietnam

DR CAROLE NAKLE

CEO

Crystol Energy

United Kingdom

MICHAEL PAN

CEO

China Ventures

United Kingdom

PATRICK LOWRY

CEO & Managing Partner

Iconic Holding

Germany

ANA LUCIA LIND

CEO

Swiss Financial Engineering AG (SFE AG)

Switzerland

ROBERT MANTSE

Vice Chairman

M2 Capital Partners International

United Kingdom

SHWETA SAXENA

Chief Product Officer

MachineMax

United Kingdom

DR ALIREZA ELSAMIAN

CSO

ESS (Engineering Software Steyr GmbH)

Austria

RONALD DE HAAS

Sales Director

MODEC International

Belgium

JULIAN SMALLSHAW

Head of Education and Standards

The Institute of Quarrying

United Kingdom

EMMANUEL LATHAM

Pricing Analyst

S&P Global Platts

United Kingdom

RAMA AYMAN

CEO

MMG Capital

United Kingdom

DR HAGEN GUNTHER JUNG

Geochemist

Ex-NUKEM Technologies Engineering Services GmbH

Germany

RHONNA O'CONNELL

Head of Market Analysis, EMEA & Asia Region

INTL FCStone

United Kingdom

JOHN BUTLER

CEO

Lend & Borrow Trust

United Kingdom

GABRIEL ESCALONA LOBO

Chief Marketing Officer

Vaultoro.com

Germany

FLORENT VIMES

Founder

The Energy and Natural Resources Investment Group

United Kingdom

DAVID POOLE

CTO and Co-Founder

Starcore Nuclear

Canada

For more information about this conference visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/rm1vdq

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

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Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/539438/Research_and_Markets_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Research and Markets
SAN ANTONIO, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, attorney Mikal Watts of Watts Guerra and TalcPowderJustice.com reached final negotiations on a proposed private settlement with Johnson & Johnson (J&J) that will resolve all talc claims against it. Between January of 2023 and now, Watts Guerra and Talc Powder Justice pushed J&J's financial liability to $8.9 billion due to its talc-based baby powder allegedly causing various gynecologic cancers and mesothelioma.

"This is the largest products liability settlement ever realized after a bankruptcy filing. Today, J&J committed $8.9 billion to fairly compensate these deserving women," said Watts. "Our job is to get our clients restitution for their injuries, and this settlement is the culmination of over a decade of fighting for justice."

Attorney Mikal Watts Negotiates Proposed Settlement of $8.9 Billion in Johnson & Johnson Talcum Powder Case Tweet this

The proposed settlement would resolve and satisfy the nationwide talc liability of J&J and the recently formed company, LTL Management LLC (LTL), by paying women with gynecologic cancers and mesothelioma a total of $12.08 billion over the next 25 years. The settlement, with a net present value of $8.9 billion, will be presented as part of a Bankruptcy Restructuring Plan to be submitted by LTL for approval of Chief United States Bankruptcy Judge Michael B. Kaplan of the District of New Jersey.

Under the proposed settlement, if confirmed by the Bankruptcy Court and approved by at least 75% of talc claimants, the settling defendants will fund $12.08 billion over 25 years into a Talc Trust to be created for the benefit of talc claimants. Existing eligible talc claimants who were diagnosed and hired a lawyer prior to April 1, 2023, alleging their use of J&J talc products caused gynecologic cancers or mesothelioma, will see their claims paid by the Talc Trust within one year of plan confirmation. Future talc claimants will be paid by the Trust via future payments to be made over the next 25 years.

Under Watts' leadership, law firms representing a large majority of all talc claimants across the country now support this proposed settlement. As such, J&J's Board of Directors met over the weekend and approved the proposed resolution, and at 4:30 EDT today, April 4, 2023, J&J filed a Form 8-K with the Securities & Exchange Commission, publicly announcing this plan to settle its talc liabilities.

ABOUT TALC POWDER JUSTICE

TalcPowderJustice.com is a coalescing force of plaintiffs, healthcare professionals, and attorneys, led by Mikal Watts of Watts Guerra, that have fought for restitution for women harmed by talc for over a decade.

Talc Powder Justice is a valuable resource for women with unfiled claims against J&J and current claimants, providing information on the Procedural History of the Case, Terms of the Proposed Settlement, Next Steps in Bankruptcy Court, and much more.

SOURCE Talc Powder Justice
BALTIMORE, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Urological Association (AUA) announced today the newest members of the 2023 AUA Leadership Program. The 2023-2024 program year marks the 10th Leadership Class, and with this class, the AUA will top 200 participants in this flagship program.

The American Urological Association (AUA) announced today the newest members of the 2023 AUA Leadership Program.

"The 2023-2024 class, like those before it, features an accomplished group of urologists who have already demonstrated their leadership skills and dedication to our specialty," said AUA Secretary, John D. Denstedt, MD, FRCSC, FACS, FCAHS. "The AUA understands that developing and nurturing its leaders of tomorrow is critical to not only survive, but to thrive. The AUA Leadership Program is the embodiment of that commitment, and we are incredibly proud to welcome another extraordinary group to the program."

The AUA Leadership Program is designed for urologists who have displayed leadership skills within organized medicine and is one of the most acclaimed and longstanding of AUA's leadership initiatives. This highly competitive program selects applicants from each AUA Section to participate in the year-long program that includes a leadership training weekend, group projects with mentors, participation in the Annual Urology Advocacy Summit, networking events at the AUA Annual Meeting and more.

"We are so excited to welcome new participants who want to develop their leadership skills to become the AUA leaders of tomorrow," said AUA president, Edward M. Messing, MD, FACS. "Over the years we have seen our participants accomplish amazing things, and I look forward to seeing the difference this new class is going to make."

Congratulations to the 2023 class of the AUA Leadership Program:

North Central Section

Piyush Agarwal , MD

, MD

Sarah Faris , MD

, MD

Candace Granberg , MD

, MD

Sarah McAchran , MD

, MD Western Section

Aditya Bagrodia, MD



Gwen Grimsby , MD

, MD

Kathleen Kieran , MD

, MD

John Leppert , MD

, MD New York Section

Doreen Chung , MD

, MD

Reza Mehrazin, MD



Vannita Simma-Chiang , MD

, MD Mid Atlantic Section

Paul Chung , MD

, MD

Marisa Clifton , MD

, MD

Mohummad Minhaj Siddiqui , MD

, MD Northeastern Section

Jimena Cubillos , MD

, MD

Ahmed Kotb , MD

, MD

Robert Welliver, Jr. , MD

, MD South Central Section

Christopher Deibert , MD

, MD

Dharam Kaushik , MD

, MD

Janet Kukreja , MD

, MD

Eugene Lee , MD

, MD Southeastern Section

Andrew Harris , MD

, MD

Ryan Hsi , MD

, MD

Akanksha Mehta , MD

, MD

Stephen Riggs , MD

, MD New England Section

Boris Gershman , MD

, MD

Lara MacLachlan , MD

, MD

Simone Thavaseelan , MD

Learn more about the AUA Leadership Program at https://www.auanet.org/leadership-and-business/institute-for-leadership-and-business/aua-leadership-program

About the American Urological Association: Founded in 1902 and headquartered near Baltimore, Maryland, the American Urological Association is a leading advocate for the specialty of urology and has nearly 24,000 members throughout the world. The AUA is a premier urologic association, providing invaluable support to the urologic community as it pursues its mission of fostering the highest standards of urologic care through education, research and the formulation of health policy.

Media Contact:

Corey Shegda, Corporate Communications and Media Relations Manager

410-689-4033, [email protected]

SOURCE American Urological Association
TOKYO, April 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Authlete, the leader in implementing the latest digital identity and API security standards, announced today that it has raised approximately US$4M (500 million Japanese yen) in Series A funding from SBI Digital Asset Holdings (SBI DAH), part of the Japanese conglomerate SBI Group. Authlete will use the funds to accelerate its global expansion, develop new products, and explore new industries in partnership with SBI DAH.

Authlete is a pioneer in providing services related to OAuth 2.0 and OpenID Connect (OIDC), two industry standards that enable secure API authorization and identity federation. This is a critical component as every service provider will become an API provider to engage their business partners. "Authlete is the OAuth/OIDC Component as a Service solution, that provides core functionality of OAuth and OIDC as API components," said Takahiko Kawasaki, co-founder and representative director of Authlete. "Our unique approach has been adopted by enterprise customers in financial services, e-commerce, healthcare, media, B2B SaaS etc., and we are the industry leader in implementing the latest OAuth/OIDC specifications, including being the first in the world to receive all Certified FAPI and FAPI-CIBA OpenID Providers certifications."

Open banking / open finance is one of the most notable industry trends, establishing a "financial API ecosystem" around the world. Authlete has many customers in the financial services sector, including the world's largest digital bank in Brazil and the first digital bank in Japan amongst others. Authlete has also contributed to the OpenID Foundation in the United States in developing its OpenID Certification test suite, which is the de-facto standard for open banking / open finance ecosystems to validate whether banks' API security standards are adequately implemented. In other words, Authlete is virtually the reference implementation for all banks in open banking / open finance ecosystems worldwide. "Some countries, including the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), are actively embracing the open banking movement. Authlete is one of the leading services that can provide these emerging ecosystems with the expertise in collaborating with the OpenID Foundation, as well as the Authlete solution that has been proven in the real world. We are in a perfect position to expand our business globally," said Ali Adnan, co-founder and director of Authlete.

Some business domains are gaining momentum requiring the next-generation identity/API standards and frameworks. For example, gaming and metaverse industries have a critical need for "assured identity" because the cyberspace they provide is now another real space, and digital identities must be backed by real-world entities.

"We run digital asset-related businesses globally and envision several potential opportunities across several sectors, from Banking to the Metaverse, including digital wallets. We are familiar with Authlete as an existing commercial partner of SBI Digitrust. With this investment we aim to significantly expand our partnership to realise its full potential" said Fernando Luis Vazquez Cao, CEO of SBI DAH. "We look forward to working with Authlete to open new markets and add new standards with their cutting-edge technology."

About Authlete

Authlete, Inc. was established by Takahiko Kawasaki et al. in 2015. The Authlete solution provides essential security features for all APIs, as a software component. Service providers in all industries, from financial institutions such as banks and securities firms to media and e-commerce, can quickly and securely implement API access authorization (OAuth 2.0) and identity federation (OpenID Connect) capabilities by integrating Authlete into their services. Authlete is available as a SaaS offering, allowing its customers to always use the latest industry-standard API security specifications.

Please visit www.authlete.com for more information.

About SBI Digital Asset Holdings

SBI Digital Asset Holdings endeavors to bring innovation to the financial industry by building an ecosystem for issuance, custody, management, and liquidity for digital assets. SBI Digital Asset Holdings, via SBI group companies, has strong links with other group investments such as Ripple, R3, B2C2, Securitize, Elliptic and has inroads to banking and securities infrastructure across Asia with businesses in Thailand, South Korea, Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Cambodia. SBI DAH has investments in key portfolio companies including Sygnum, Boerse Stuttgart Digital Exchange, Lancium, and Tangem among others. Through SBI Digital Markets and Asia Digital Exchange, the group is growing its presence in the region to help shape the digital asset ecosystem and contribute towards making Singapore one of the world's leading digital asset hubs.

The SBI Group is a leading financial conglomerate based in Japan. The SBI Group's core businesses include Financial Services Business, Asset Management Business, Investment Business and Crypto-asset Business, and Non-financial Business. In addition, it is one of the largest Japanese private equity firms and leverages its extensive eco-system to further drive the value of its investments.

Please visit www.sbidah.com and www.sbigroup.co.jp for more information.

Authlete Media Contact:

[email protected]

Tatsuo Kudo

Hiroko Soga

SOURCE Authlete, Inc.
COLUMBIA, Md., April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Authority Brands announced today the purchase of Weed Pro. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Founded in 2001 by Rob Palmer, Weed Pro is an Ohio-based lawn service company currently serving the Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati markets. Weed Pro has made a name for itself in Ohio with its environmentally friendly VitaminLawn packages and expert lawn care services that include fertilization, weed control, aeration, seeding and more for residential and commercial customers.

With this acquisition, the company will be rebranded and become part of Authority Brands' incubator for emerging brands within the home services sector. The incubator is designed to leverage Authority Brands' in-depth home services experience to accelerate growth and development of smaller-scale franchise concepts that have a proven system and strong management.

"We are very impressed with the company Rob has built and the skill his teams have mastered in the Ohio lawn care market," said Craig Donaldson, CEO of Authority Brands. "They are known for superior customer service and their extensive training and knowledge. We believe Weed Pro's success in Ohio will be replicated nationwide as Rob Palmer and Authority Brands work to create a leading franchise system."

Companies under the Authority Brands umbrella include leading home service brands America's Swimming Pool Company, Benjamin Franklin Plumbing, The Cleaning Authority, Color World Painting, DoodyCalls, DRYmedic Restoration Services, Homewatch CareGivers, The Junkluggers, Mister Sparky, Monster Tree Service, Mosquito Squad, One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning, Screenmobile, STOP Restoration and Woofie's. They operate across multiple home service sectors. Authority Brands' incubator program and emerging brands group launched in 2022 and serves as a growth engine for innovative emerging concepts. Brands included in the program to-date are Woofie's and Color World Painting.

"The leadership at Authority Brands has a unique aptitude for guiding brands with great potential," said Ashish Karandikar, Board of Directors member of Authority Brands' parent company and Partner at Apax. "With this newest partnership, we will provide Rob and his team with the unmatched support of our marketing, technology and operational tools and resources, helping them continue delivering to their high standards while fueling their expansion."

"Our company has combined years of experience with a passion for lawn care to help properties throughout Ohio stay healthy and safe in every season," said Rob Palmer, founder of Weed Pro. "Exceeding expectations has always been the norm for us, and now we have a thrilling opportunity to combine our talents with the brand-building expertise of Authority Brands. We look forward to expanding beyond our home state to reach more customers and future franchisees who can help us strengthen the legacy we have started."

Principium White Oak represented Weed Pro and acted as their exclusive financial advisor for the transaction.

About Authority Brands

Headquartered in Columbia, Maryland, Authority Brands' companies include 15 leading home service franchise brands: America's Swimming Pool Company, Benjamin Franklin Plumbing, The Cleaning Authority, Color World Painting, DoodyCalls, DRYmedic Restoration Services, Homewatch CareGivers, The Junkluggers, Mister Sparky, Monster Tree Service, Mosquito Squad, One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning, Screenmobile, STOP Restoration, and Woofie's. Together, these brands provide home services through more than 2,000 territories operated by more than 1,000 franchise owners. Authority Brands is dedicated to supporting individual franchise owner growth by providing strong marketing, technology, and operational support. See www.authoritybrands.com for more information.

CONTACT:

Jami Baker

Fish Consulting

954-893-7339

[email protected]

SOURCE Authority Brands, LLC
NEW YORK, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- For the first time in 16 years, parents and grandparents can bring The Centsables, an award-winning TV series and multi-media financial literacy platform, to their loved ones ages 6-12 through show creator Mark DiPippa's new BeCentsableSmart.com program!

April is Financial Literacy month. BeCentsablesmart.com is an innovative way to teach children. Tweet this Don't let our kids get left behind! Financial literacy isnt taught in our classrooms.

The Centsables is built around six animated superheroes who save fellow citizens from money-mad villains, while modeling prosocial behaviors. Every component is designed to entertain as it educates; BeCentsableSmart.com was created to channel these award-winning resources to those who need them mostour kids and grandkids.

DiPippa stated that "Research shows that financial habits begin to form as young as age 7. Yet financial literacy is not taught in elementary schools, and only 17 states require a class in financial literacy in high school.

"April is Financial Literacy Month. There is no better time to give parents and grandparents the tools they need to teach the children they love basic money skills. By visiting BeCentsableSmart.com and purchasing a gift subscription, they can take matters into their own hands, and bring our entertaining and informative Centsables materials right to the kids they love, month after month."

Since its creation in 2007, The Centsables financial literacy programs have only been made available to banks, credit unions and financial advisors. Now for the first time, parents and grandparents can give access to the entire library to the next generation of their families, ensuring that their kids and grandkids begin to build sound financial habits, right at home.

ABOUT THE CENTSABLES

The Centsables is an award-winning multi-media financial literacy program for kids and their families. Program elements include: award-winning 13-episode animated TV series available in English and Spanish, interactive website, free mobile game app, comic book series, activity books, custom and DIY events, merchandise, lesson plans for parents and teachers, school outreach programs, retail Banking for Kids program, and more. Financial literacy programs are also available for teens, millennials, adults and seniors.

The TV series and program elements have won many awards, including Parents' Picks Award, Moms' Choice Award, Social Good Award, Kidscreen Award, Academics' Choice Award, Parents' Choice Award, Telly Award and Cynopsis Kids Imagination Awards.

SOURCE The Centsables
Industry leaders in senior care and e-commerce come together to better serve families of seniors

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Because Market, a health and wellness brand that specializes exclusively on older adults, is partnering with A Place for Mom (APFM), the leading senior living advisory service in North America, to elevate the level of care for caregivers with aging loved ones.

Because Market, an e-commerce site for seniors, partners with A Place for Mom to better serve families of seniors. Tweet this Because Market Co-founder and CEO, Alexi Suvacioglu, with his mother

The partnership couples APFM's leadership and deep industry knowledge of senior living and home care with Because Market's expertise in bladder protection for older adults. With over 75% of adults 80+ experiencing bladder leaks, the partnership brings a one-of-a-kind experience to help families find the best products and solutions. APFM customers will receive exclusive discounts at Because Market, a dedicated customer service line, and a free Care Kit that includes industry-leading bladder protection essentials.

"Our goal is not only to advise families on the right senior living solutions but also to provide resources to help with their entire caregiving journey," said Miho Jacobs, Chief Corporate Development Officer at APFM. "More than 40% of the families we help require bladder protection for their loved ones. Now they can get exceptional products at a discount through our partnership with Because Market, delivering on our mission to enable caregivers to make the best senior care decisions while helping every care dollar go further."

"We're thrilled to partner with A Place for Mom to elevate the level of care service for older adults and their families," said Alexi Suvacioglu, Because Market CEO and Co-Founder. "We believe that each customer deserves to find the right fit for their needs- whether that means the perfect place to live or products that fit just right."

BECAUSE MARKET

Because Market provides industry-leading products for older adults like bladder protection underwear, supplements, and mobility aids. Because products can be found online at Becausemarket.com, Amazon.com, and in select retailers.

A PLACE FOR MOM

A Place for Mom is the leading online platform connecting families searching for senior care with expert local advisors. As the nation's leading senior advisory service, A Place for Mom's mission is to enable caregivers to make the best senior living decisions. A Place for Mom's service is provided at no cost to families. For more information, visit aplaceformom.com.

SOURCE Because Market
Documentary to feature interviews with

Domenico Dolce, Gloria and Emilio Estefan, DJ Khaled, and Arnold Schwarzenegger,

amongst other influential figures

NEW YORK, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Muse Storytelling announced today a new biopic project centered around influential artist Romero Britto - founder of the Happy Art Movement and internationally recognized as a contemporary master. Featuring unprecedented access to Romero Britto's life and artistic process, the documentary will include interviews with operatic tenor and world-renowned classical music sensation Andrea Bocelli with his wife Veronica Berti, celebrated fashion designer Domenico Dolce, Grammy winners and legendary musicians Gloria Estefan and Emilio Estefan, Grammy winner DJ Khaled, and famed actor and former Governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger, amongst other notable figures in the art world and beyond.

For an early look at the project, the sizzle reel is available here.

Titled THE BRITTO DOC, the biopic will focus on the man and the artist hailed as a thought leader of our time. Directed by Patrick Moreau (The New Hustle, Our Journey Home), and executive produced by Lucas L. C. Vidal, Caitlin Miranda and Grant Peelle, the film will explore the events that shaped Britto's works throughout his life and through the reflections of other titans of our generation.

Romero Britto, the founder of the Happy Art Movement, is an internationally renowned artist who has created an iconic visual language of happiness, fun, love, and hope all its own inspiring millions worldwide. Brazilian-born and Miami-made, Britto is considered one of the most famous and celebrated living visual artists on the globe. Britto, the most collected and licensed artist in history, has also transcended the arts world by creating the lifestyle brand, BRITTO.

"Over the past forty years, I've had the honor of bringing people joy through my artwork and portrayals of pop culture icons, royals, world leaders and so many incredible people," said Romero Britto. "It is the beautiful people, fascinating places and bountiful memories that have inspired me, and in turn, inspired The Happy Art Movement. I am excited to share my story so that people can get to know what lies beneath the bright colors and sparkles."

"It is not often that Artists are recognized and chronicled as the thought leaders they are, while building their legacy," said Director Patrick Moreau. "We are thrilled to have the opportunity to highlight Romero's impact through the voices of other leaders of our generation and hear his story - straight from him."

Currently in production, the biopic is expected to wrap late 2023.

Learn more at TheBrittoDoc.com

ABOUT MUSE STORYTELLING INC.

Muse Storytelling is an Emmy award winning collective of storytellers who believe that one must guide the heart to move the mind  and it's through emotionally moving narratives that they look to drive action and change. The Muse team believes that when they share the real experience of another person in just the right way, they're able to transport the audience into their shoes, into their world, and in so doing, shift their perspective. Muse Storytelling has developed a scientifically driven storytelling process that they use to tell powerful stories and provide strategic guidance to brands on how to engage with their community. This process has previously been presented to organizations such as the United Nations, YouTube and storytellers at SXSW.

Media contact:

Laura Molinari,

[email protected],

914-329-5534

SOURCE Muse Storytelling
Nonprofit health plan ranked 72 in national list with nearly 90% of employees reporting the company as a great place to work

OAKLAND, Calif., April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Great Place To Work and Fortune magazine have honored Blue Shield of California as one of the 2023 Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For. This is Blue Shield's second time being named to this prestigious list, this year coming year coming in at No. 72.

Earning a spot means that Blue Shield has surpassed rigorous benchmarks, establishing itself as one of the best places to work in the country. To determine the 100 Best Companies to Work For, Great Place To Work analyzed the anonymous survey responses of more than half a million employees from Great Place To Work Certified companies with at least 1,000 workers. Companies also submitted essays describing their efforts to offer generous and innovative support for workers, which were validated against employee survey responses.

"Creating a healthcare system that is worthy of our family and friends and sustainably affordable starts with our people who make this a great place to do meaningful work," said Paul Markovich, President and CEO, Blue Shield of California. "We believe that creating a great employee experience translates to a better member and customer experience, which is our top priority. We are honored that our efforts are once again recognized by Fortune and Great Place To Work."

Making the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For list is highly competitive. Survey responses reflect a comprehensive picture of the workplace experience. Honorees were selected based on their ability to offer positive outcomes for employees regardless of job role, race, gender, sexual orientation, work status, or other demographic identifier.

"It's in times like these that the best workplaces separate themselves," said Michael C. Bush, CEO, Great Place To Work. "In a challenging economy, many companies reduce investments in their people and scale back goals for diversity, equity, and inclusion. But these companies, the 100 Best, relentlessly pursue a better work experience for every employee, and if anything, double down on the employee experience regardless of title, tenure, gender, or ethnicity. These companies know this is how you increase performance, productivity, and your innovation velocity when your firm needs it the most."

"Fortune is pleased to have collaborated once again with Great Place To Work to recognize the 100 Best Companies to Work For," said Fortune Editor-in-Chief Alyson Shontell. "We congratulate all the organizations included in this year's ranking for creating positive work environments and value for their employees, especially during this period of economic uncertainty."

The full list of Blue Shield of California's previous achievements is located here.

About Blue Shield of California

Blue Shield of California strives to create a healthcare system worthy of its family and friends that is sustainably affordable. Blue Shield of California is a tax paying, nonprofit, independent member of the Blue Shield Association with over 4.7 million members, over 7,800 employees and more than $22.9 billion in annual revenue. Founded in 1939 in San Francisco and now headquartered in Oakland, Blue Shield of California and its affiliates provide health, dental, vision, Medicaid and Medicare healthcare service plans in California. The company has contributed more than $192 million to Blue Shield of California Foundation in the last five years to have an impact on California communities.

For more news about Blue Shield of California, please visit news.blueshieldca.com.

Or follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, or Facebook.

About the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For

Great Place To Work selected the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For list by analyzing survey responses of over half a million employees who work for Great Place To Work Certified companies with at least 1,000 workers. The survey contained 60 employee experience questions that make up the Great Place To Work Trust Index. Companies also submitted essays about their workplace benefits and employee support programs, which were validated against employee survey data. Great Place To Work determines its lists using its proprietary For All Methodology to evaluate and certify thousands of organizations in America's largest ongoing annual workforce study. Read the full methodology. To get on this list next year, start here.

About Great Place To Work

Great Place To Work is the global authority on workplace culture. Since 1992, they have surveyed more than 100 million employees worldwide and used those deep insights to define what makes a great workplace: trust. Their employee survey platform empowers leaders with the feedback, real-time reporting, and insights they need to make data-driven people decisions. Everything they do is driven by the mission to build a better world by helping every organization become a great place to work for all. Learn more at greatplacetowork.com and on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

About Fortune

The Fortune mission is to change the world by making business better. They achieve that by providing trusted information, telling great stories, and building world-class communities. They measure performance by rigorous benchmarks. And they hold companies accountable. Their goal is to make Fortune a force for good through its second century and beyond. For more information, visit www.fortune.com.

CONTACT: Mark Seelig Blue Shield of California 510-607-2359 [email protected]

SOURCE Blue Shield of California
MIAMI, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Picking a name is a decision that can greatly influence a business's success overall; in fact, a creative, memorable, and unique corporate brand name can be among its most valuable assets. Understandably, the savviest companies won't exchange their old one for a new one on a whim.

"There are numerous strategic reasons a company might want to find a new corporate name and brand identity," said Mary Lewis, Brand Institute's Senior Vice President of Professional Development. "These could include structural changes to the organization, such as a merger, or simply outgrowing its current brand name."

Still, regardless of the reason, companies can ill-afford to take a haphazard approach: The process of developing such a name, whether for a pharmaceutical, consumer-facing, or business-to-business company, is complex, and the new name must be not only appealing to the target audience, but also trademarkableand free of unintended or inappropriate connotations. Then, too, the name should align with a company's strategic goals as well as be freely available as an internet domain. In this way, both determining precisely what kind of name is best and building consensus around how the business wants to position itself take on outsized, and equal, importance.

Mrs. Lewis, thus, advises companies to choose their partner in the process just as carefully. "An experienced agency has a strong track record of developing corporate brand names. An effective one works closely with its clients, ensuring that the client's new name makes sense for them," said Mrs. Lewis. "Put differently, it's best to use an agency that's keenly aware of the challenges and opportunities associated with renaming a company."

About Brand Institute and our wholly owned regulatory subsidiary, Drug Safety Institute

Brand Institute is the global leader in pharmaceutical and healthcare-related name development, with a portfolio of over 4,000 marketed healthcare brand names, 1,300 USAN/INN nonproprietary names for 1,200 clients. The company partners on over 75% of pharmaceutical brand and nonproprietary name approvals globally every year with healthcare manufacturers. Drug Safety Institute is composed of former naming regulatory officials from global government health agencies, including Food and Drug Administration (FDA), European Medicines Agency (EMA), Health Canada (HC), American Medical Association (AMA), and the World Health Organization (WHO).

Contact:

[email protected]

www.brandinstitute.com

SOURCE Brand Institute, Inc.
Details added: first version posted on 11:41

BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 4. Azerbaijani Parliament has condemned assassination attempt on MP Fazil Mustafa, Trend reports.

MP Bahruz Maharramov said that this terrorist attack is directed against the Azerbaijani people as a whole.

"The terrorist act against our colleague Fazil Mustafa was an act directed in general against the Azerbaijani statehood, aimed to sow panic among the people and make the authorities to do something, but Azerbaijan is a country where stability, public order and security are fully ensured," Maharramov noted.

He also noted that President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, as a result of long-term activity, and then the 2020 second Karabakh war, created such a geopolitical configuration that Azerbaijan determines the overall course of processes in the region.

"Such terrorist acts cant change anything, the MP added.

Another MP Ali Masimli also said that the assassination attempt on Fazil Mustafa is a heinous act of terrorism.

On March 28, 2023, at 21:51 (GMT +4), unknown men opened fire at Azerbaijani MP Fazil Mustafa, near his house. The MP survived, receiving two bullet wounds, one in the right shoulder.

In this regard, a criminal case has been initiated in the Main Investigation Department of the State Security Service of the Republic of Azerbaijan under Article 277 (encroachment on the life of a state or public figure to terminate his service or political activity or out of revenge for such activity) and 228.2.1 (Illegal acquisition, transfer, sale, storage, transportation or carrying of firearms, components for it, ammunition by a group of persons by prior agreement) of the Criminal Code.
FORT WORTH, Texas, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- BrandFX Body leadership changes. Since its founding in 1984, BrandFX Body Company has become the largest manufacturer of composite truck bodies and toppers in the United States. Acquired by Time Manufacturing Company in 2019, the company has seen profitable growth and today announces a realignment to better serve its customers.

Congratulations to Kevin McGuire, Director of Sales

Kevin started with BrandFX in 1991 and has worked in and led nearly every department. With more than 30 years of experience he is well prepared for this Sales Leadership role. Kevin's product engineering knowledge and its value proposition is informed by his experience under the tutelage of Gary Heisterkamp. They both started in the same year at BrandFX. "From the very beginning, Gary was present in every department I worked in. That's my example." Well respected by the entire team, Kevin is the right person to direct sales for the company. "We plan to keep things simple, and to deliver to our customers. Keeping a steady hand on the wheel is important as we transition to the next growth cycle." Kevin will take over all sales activity from Gary effective immediately.

Congratulations to Mike Villaplana, Director of Marketing

Mike has held leadership roles at BrandFX since 2017. Prior to BrandFX, Mike spent 26 years at Carrier, as a national sales manager, and 7 years at Pitney Bowes. This transition allows him to fill in gaps, and support the company's growth. Well-respected among his colleagues, Mr. Villaplana has a B.S. in Industrial Engineering and an MBA. Mike will use his new role "to better share the value proposition of lightweight truck bodies, to help customers understand that composite is their best choice to save money as it impacts running costs and reliability."

Thank You Gary Heisterkamp for More Than 30 Years of Dedicated Service

Gary Heisterkamp joined the company in 1991, and has been associated with BrandFX for more than three decades. His work has helped to make BrandFX the leading composite truck body manufacturers in the world. He is leaving BrandFX to pursue other endeavors.

With Gratitude, the Company is Looking Forward

"We are grateful for the example that Gary has set," says Jerry Hatley, President at BrandFX. "an important example to both Kevin, who will assume his sales role, and to Mike, who will take on marketing responsibilities." Noting that the company's succession plan should be well-received among our valued customers and employees, Hatley acknowledges that "Gary will be missed around the office."

Curt Howell, CEO of Time Manufacturing Company, stated: "We are grateful to Gary and wish him well. Kevin and Mike are assets to our company which has seen both profit and revenue growth since our acquisition in 2019. The fiberglass division is an important contribution to our global growth plan, and with Jerry's new appointments, we are best prepared to support our partners and customers for the long haul."

SOURCE BrandFX Body Company
MIAMI and PERTH, Australia, April 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Global private investment firm, Bridgewest Group, recognized for developing innovative companies in life sciences, software, and deep tech, announces that it has completed the acquisition of the Perth sterile injectable manufacturing facility from Pfizer (Perth) Pty Ltd, a subsidiary of Pfizer, Inc. Bridgewest Group previously announced the definitive agreement to purchase the facility late last year.

"We see tremendous growth opportunity in Life Sciences. The rate of innovation is amazing." Tweet this Bridgewest Group extends expertise in pharma with newly acquired cGMP sterile injectables manufacturing facility in Perth Australia.

The newly acquired facility is a cGMP manufacturing plant that produces a wide variety of high quality sterile injectable drug products. The site and team have an excellent regulatory history with approvals from FDA, TGA, EU and others, to produce drugs for distribution to over 90 countries. The 34,000 square meters facility has over 400 employees operating nine production lines across Oncology/High Potency, Blow-Fill-Seal and multi format vial streams. Bridgewest Group will upgrade and modernize the plant to enhance capabilities and service offerings. The plant will operate as a Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) moving forward and will continue to produce drug products for Pfizer under a master services agreement.

Bridgewest Group is also acquiring a suite of drug products from Pfizer. Bridgewest Group will continue to manufacture and supply these sterile injectable drug products. The team is committed to all customers and their patients, previously served by Pfizer, to deliver the same high quality drug products, without interruption. Customer satisfaction has always been and will continue to be a cornerstone of the Perth team.

This acquisition further extends Bridgewest Group's expertise in pharma. Bridgewest Group has several biotech and life sciences companies in its portfolio, including BioCina, a leading microbial drug CDMO based in Adelaide.

In connection with the company's continuing expansion in Western Australia, Bridgewest Group has formed the subsidiary Bridgewest Perth Pharma Pty. Ltd. Marc Rivers has agreed to join Bridgewest Perth Pharma as President and Chief Financial Officer. Rivers is a seasoned pharma executive and has served in several executive leadership roles at Fonterra, Roche and Eli Lilly. Dr. Masood Tayebi, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Bridgewest Group said "We're assembling a world class executive team with seasoned industry operators like Marc to oversee and support the continued growth of this acquisition as well as future investments. We see tremendous opportunity in the region, recognized for industry leading medical science and an Australian Government that is proactively increasing its commitment to be a global leader in pharmaceutical manufacturing."

Rivers echoed Dr. Tayebi's sentiment, adding "I'm honoured to join Bridgewest Perth Pharma. This is an incredible industry to be in right now. The rate of innovation is amazing. I look forward to spearheading the company's growth initiatives as we broaden and vertically integrate world-class services and products within our life sciences investments."

About Bridgewest Group

Bridgewest Group is an innovative and privately held global investment firm with over $3B in private capital. Founded in 1999, the global firm has earned a long-standing reputation for creating and scaling transformational businesses to achieve outsized success. Bridgewest Group leverages its expertise and global eco-community in key sectors where it can have the greatest impact including Life Sciences, Software, Semiconductor and Artificial Intelligence/Deep Tech. Customized financial investment services and diverse real estate holdings augment equity assets and support portfolio companies as they grow. Bridgewest Group is based in the US, with investments primarily in the US, Europe, China, and Australasia.

US Media Contact: Jenny Bourbiel, [email protected]

Australia Media Contact: Ian Wisenberg, [email protected]

SOURCE Bridgewest Group
Introducing Six Vibrant Shades Inspired by a Decade to Remember

CINCINNATI, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- BUDWELL, a high design, low maintenance lifestyle brand of stylish smokeware, today announced the launch of their 199X Collection (pronounced 1990's). The new collection features six limited-edition colors of the company's best-selling BUDDY one-hitter pipe, inspired by the rollicking music and fashion of the nineties. Each color is available as a full pipe that can be personalized with your choice of text, or as a standalone tip that can be interchanged with existing BUDDY pipes.

Introducing the BUDWELL 199X Collection of One-Hitter Pipes and Tips in Six Limited Edition Colors Inspired by the Rollicking Nineties

The new colors will be released in pairs between April and August. The first drop, arriving for 420, includes Limelight (kiwi green) and Hibiscus (Pepto pink). Each colorway emits a neon glow under blacklight, and is available for sale at budwell.shop today.

"There's nothing worse for a stylish stoner than being forced to choose between form and function. The 199X Collection solves that problem with a colorful, customizable one-hitter that showcases their personal style," said BUDWELL founder Sara Hussain. "I'm thrilled to release our first two colorways, Limelight and Hibiscus, which glow bright neon under blacklight, delivering a fluorescent flex sure to stand out during 420 and festival season."

Additional colors from the collection drop this summer, beginning with Surf (deep teal) and Borscht (magenta - Pantone's color of the year for 2023), shipping in June, followed by Matador (fire engine red) and Ghost (blizzard white), shipping in late August. The full 199X Collection of six interchangeable color tips and a BUDDY one-hitter pipe will be available to ship in September, just in time for the holidays.

Individual colors are available for pre-order beginning today, priced at $50 for a 199X BUDDY Pipe and $35 for a Color Tip only, which pairs with the original BUDDY classic pipe. The 199X Complete Collection will retail for $250. Custom text, up to 30 characters, can be added to any BUDDY pipe for $5.

Added Hussain, "The original BUDDY one-hitter pipe is a fan favorite for its sleek, chic, and discreet design that stands up to regular use. The new 199X Collection interchangeable color tips are a fun and affordable way to further personalize your BUDDY and show off your unique stoner style on the go."

BUDWELL is proudly Brown Woman Owned and Made in the USA.

For more information on BUDWELL, visit budwell.shop.

ABOUT BUDWELL

BUDWELL is a high design, low maintenance lifestyle brand. BUDWELL is proudly Brown Owned, Woman Owned, and Made in the USA. BUDWELL founder Sara Hussain is a first generation Bangladeshi American and creator of the bestselling flagship product, Buddy one-hitter pipe. Buddy is the black denim jacket of one hitters: it is sleek, sustainable, and unbreakable. BUDWELL's online "stonerglam" boutique features curated vintage smokeware and small batch goods from minority, LGBTQ, and women-owned independent brands. BUDWELL is a proud supporter of social impact causes through their initiative, "The Buddy System," as well as Broccoli Magazine's Floret Coalition.

Media Contact:

Trailblaze on behalf of Budwell

Alice Moon

[email protected]

SOURCE BUDWELL
Justice requires people be compensated for expenses, suffering, and lost wages, say attorneys at Beasley Allen Law Firm

TRENTON, N.J., April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Attorneys representing tens of thousands of ovarian cancer and mesothelioma patients who are seeking damages from Johnson & Johnson say that any proposed deal that doesn't adequately compensate the women for medical bills, pain and suffering, and lost wages is a "non-starter."

"Ovarian cancer and mesothelioma victims should and will be outraged if J&J attempts another dodge into bankruptcy," says Andy Birchfield, who heads the Mass Torts section of the Beasley Allen law firm. "J&J is seeking an extremely deep discount on justice and is not really offering anything other than another bankruptcy and more delay tactics. An $8.9 billion amount is woefully inadequate to cover even the current ovarian cancer and mesothelioma claims, much less any future claims."

A proposed settlement announced by J&J as part of a second "Texas Two-Step" bankruptcy would seriously shortchange women who have incurred significant medical expenses, pain and suffering, and lost wages because of J&J's tainted and asbestos-laced talc products. Evidence uncovered during litigation revealed that the company knew that its products contained cancer-causing asbestos and concealed that information from consumers and government regulators. In response to public opinion, J&J eventually agreed to stop selling talc-based baby powder in the United States. The product is still available internationally until the end of 2023.

"This sham deal does not even pay for most victims' medical bills," says Jason Itkin, founding partner of the Houston-based personal injury law firm Arnold & Itkin LLP. "Medical costs alone can range from $140,000 to more than $1.4 million per victim for ovarian cancer cases. The costs for mesothelioma are even higher."

In addition, the proposed deal does not replace wages lost while the victims are fighting cancer. The trauma and disabling nature of ovarian cancer and mesothelioma inevitably lead to job loss and lost wages. On average, a typical victim of talc loses more than $230,000 and often, more than $1 million.

Click here to listen to some of these cancer victims discuss the litigation.

J&J's previous attempt to seek bankruptcy protection and block an estimated 50,000 claimants from seeking justice was rejected by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. The full appellate court affirmed a three-justice panel ruling that the bankruptcy was not filed in good faith and should be dismissed.

A talc settlement out of bankruptcy would require approval by Chief Judge Michael Kaplan of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in New Jersey and approval by 75% of all talc plaintiffs. "Johnson & Johnson doesn't have the votes now and will never have the votes," says Ms. O'Dell. " J&J set aside $61.5 billion in its first bogus bankruptcy. This proposed deal represents a small fraction of that. This low-ball deal does not even pay for medical bills or wages lost due to illness."

About Beasley Allen Law Firm

Headquartered in Montgomery, Alabama, Beasley Allen is comprised of more than 70 attorneys and 200 support staff. One of the largest plaintiff law firms in the country, Beasley Allen is a national leader in civil litigation, with verdicts and settlements in excess of $26 billion. Beasley Allen was one of only 12 firms in the nation named by Law360 to its Most Feared Plaintiffs Firms list in 2015, and the firm was included on the National Law Journal Midsize Law Firm Hot List and the NLJ Elite Trial Lawyers List in 2014. For more information, visit www.beasleyallen.com.

About Arnold & Itkin LLP

Arnold & Itkin is a trial law firm based in Houston that exclusively represents plaintiffs. Founded in 2004, the firm has won cases against household names like Johnson & Johnson, BP, Shell, and numerous others. The total amount from their verdicts and settlements exceeds $10 billion, including a record-setting $222 million verdict last year for a woman who lost her husband in an industrial accident. The firm is also involved in various charitable causes in the Houston area, most notably The Monarch School & Institute, a school for learners with neurological differences. Learn more about Arnold & Itkin at www.arnolditkin.com.

Media Contact:

Mike Androvett

800-559-4534

[email protected]

SOURCE Beasley Allen Law Firm
By adding more B2B lenders to its point-of-sale financing platform, ChargeAfter enables merchants in Canada to provide their business customers with additional B2B financing options

NEW YORK, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- ChargeAfter , the leading multi-lender point-of-sale financing platform announced today that it is expanding its network of lenders through a partnership with Canada's leading B2B Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) provider Tabit, powered by Merchant Growth.

As a result of the partnership, ChargeAfter will provide merchants in Canada with more financing options for their business customers at the point of sale. Financing options are very limited for businesses, resulting in low approval rates. To help merchants provide a solution for their business customers, ChargeAfter partners with financing providers that specialize in serving businesses.

Tabit is a B2B Buy-Now-Pay-Later solution powered by Merchant Growth. Merchant Growth was recently recognized as the fastest-growing B2B financing provider in Canada. Tabit's integration into the platform means that merchants that use ChargeAfter to manage their point-of-sale financing can now provide their business customers with installment options from 30 days to 12 months.

Elias Beaino, EVP, Tabit commented "We are thrilled to announce our partnership with ChargeAfter, a leading multi-lender platform. Through this collaboration, Tabit is able to offer its innovative B2B BNPL solutions to even more merchants. We look forward to working closely with ChargeAfter to bring flexible payment options to businesses and help them grow and succeed."

Meidad Sharon, CEO, ChargeAfter commented "We are delighted to partner with Merchant Growth to add their Tabit's B2B BNPL solution to ChargeAfter's network of lenders in Canada. This new partnership is an important step in our B2B financing program expansion. Embedded point-of-sale financing is fast becoming the new standard for the modern customer journey and I am excited that ChargeAfter's lending network is leading this change."

About ChargeAfter

ChargeAfter is the leading multi-lender white-labeled point-of-sale consumer financing platform and lender network for merchants, and financial institutions. Powered by a data-driven decisioning engine and network of lenders, ChargeAfter streamlines the distribution of credit into a single platform that merchants can implement rapidly online, in-store, and across any point of sale.

ChargeAfter investors include Visa, Citi Ventures, Synchrony Financial, Banco Bradesco, MUFG, BBVA, PICO Venture Partners, Propel Venture Partners, The Phoenix, and Plug and Play VC. ChargeAfter is headquartered in New York and has a research and development center in Tel Aviv. For more information, visit https://chargeafter.com/about-us

About Tabit

Tabit is a B2B Buy-Now-Pay-Later solution powered by Merchant Growth. Tabit was founded in 2021 with the purpose of bringing the consumer buying experience to B2B. Through decades of data and a deep understanding of the borrower and lender landscape, Tabit partners with B2B suppliers to provide small businesses with flexible payment options at point-of-sale and eliminates the risk and expense associated with in-house credit management. Learn more at: https://tabit.ai/

About Merchant Growth

Merchant Growth is a leading Canadian financial technology company that specializes in small business financing. Over the past decade, Merchant Growth has supported Canadian businesses with hundreds of millions of dollars in growth financing. Using an innovative approach that includes the latest technology, complete transparency and thoughtful customer care, Merchant Growth is committed to helping make business financing easy to understand and accessible. To learn more, visit: www.merchantgrowth.com .

For further information, please contact:

Varda Bachrach, [email protected]

Investor Relations, [email protected]

SOURCE ChargeAfter
Kelly, a veteran Healthcare IT Executive, to lead operations of the Health Information Exchange platform

HOUSTON, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- ChartSwap, a secure business-to-business (B2B) health information exchange platform, today announced the appointment of Nate Kelly as President, where he will oversee ChartSwap's day-to-day operations.

ChartSwap Appoints Health Tech Executive Nate Kelly as President

"Nate is a leader in healthcare technology with over two decades of experience scaling SaaS companies and developing valuable partnerships," said Vince Cole, CEO of parent company Ontellus. "I am confident in his ability to propel ChartSwap's mission of revolutionizing the way personal health information is transmitted and believe he will be a huge asset as we embark on our next phase of exciting growth."

A seasoned health tech executive, Kelly most recently served as Chief Commercial Officer at Hospital IQ, a healthcare IT SaaS company focused on improving hospitals' capacity to serve patients. In his role, Kelly built a sales and business development team, which was responsible for driving a significant increase in qualified pipeline and record growth over the past two years. Additionally, he successfully managed the lead generation, direct sales, channel management, sales operations, clinical executive, and software demonstration teams.

"I have long admired ChartSwap's industry-leading technology and was excited by its recent growth under the Ontellus umbrella," said Kelly. "I look forward to continuing to enhance the platform's efficiency for our customers on both sides of the medical record retrieval process."

Prior to Hospital IQ, Kelly held several executive positions at Cerner, a health information technology services, devices, and hardware company. His roles included Vice President of Health Networks and Senior Director and General Manager of Health System Operations, where he was responsible for all business activities across these verticals.

Kelly earned a bachelor's degree in kinesiology from the University of Minnesota and an MBA from the University of Missouri. He has received a certificate in healthcare leadership from the University of Missouri-Kansas City and is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE). Kelly also services the community as an advisory board member for the University of Missouri Gordon E. Crosby MBA program and as a board member for Adoption & Beyond, a not-for-profit adoption agency.

About ChartSwap

ChartSwap is a cloud-based, secure business-to-business (B2B) record exchange platform that is specifically designed to streamline information exchange related to health information management and electronic health records (EHRs). The ChartSwap network includes over 190,000 national physician groups, hospital systems, billing and RCM vendors  as well as 95% of the nation's legal requestors (lawyers, record vendors, insurers, etc). ChartSwap continues to grow its provider network  branching out across the medical and business community to offer the most advanced, easy-to-use record exchange software in the nation. ChartSwap was acquired in October 2018 by Ontellus  the nation's largest technology-enabled provider of records retrieval and data analytics. For more information, visit www.chartswap.com.

About Ontellus

Ontellus empowers insurance carriers, self-insured corporations and law firms to reduce costs, make informed decisions and accelerate claims resolution. As a privately held data retrieval and claims intelligence provider, Ontellus leverages decades of experience and cutting-edge technology to deliver impactful products and client-centric services. For more information, visit www.ontellus.com.

Media Contacts:

Ontellus

Contact: Matt Galassini

713.324.3732

Prosek Partners for Ontellus

Contact: Tate Mikkelsen

646.818.9267

SOURCE ChartSwap
Rare and potentially life-threatening lysosomal storage disorder leads to wide range of symptoms that may affect quality of life.

BOSTON, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Chiesi Global Rare Diseases, a business unit of the Chiesi Group established to deliver innovative therapies and solutions for people affected by rare diseases, today announced a collaboration with the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), the nation's largest grassroots mental health organization, to offer new mental health resources to people living with Fabry disease.

"Fabry disease can be seriously debilitating, and its complications strongly impair patients' quality of life and daily activities," said Giacomo Chiesi, head of Chiesi Global Rare Diseases. "We often find that mental health challenges are associated with many rare and chronic diseases like Fabry disease. We are grateful for the opportunity to partner with NAMI, an organization that shares our commitment to deliver solutions that can help these underserved communities."

Fabry disease is a rare, progressive, potentially life-threatening lysosomal storage disorder that leads to the progressive accumulation of abnormal deposits of a fatty substance in blood vessel walls throughout a person's body. It is a multisystemic organ disease and patients experience a wide range of signs and symptoms including episodes of pain, impaired peripheral sensation, and eventually end-organ failure of the kidneys, heart, and the cerebrovascular system. Fabry disease occurs in one in 40,000 to 60,000 people.

"At NAMI, we are dedicated to improving the lives of individuals and families affected by mental illness," said NAMI Chief Development Officer Jessica Edwards. "There tends to be a stigma surrounding mental health, and that can be especially difficult to manage for people who are living with a rare disease. We hope that people who are impacted by Fabry disease find strength in these new mental health resources."

As part of the collaboration, Chiesi Global Rare Diseases and NAMI are launching a new website, Mindfully Rare , specifically designed to support the mental health of people with Fabry disease and their caregivers. The website includes information about the symptoms of mental illness, coping strategies, real life stories from people living with Fabry disease, and resources for caregivers.

About the National Alliance on Mental Illness

The National Alliance on Mental Illness is the nation's largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to improving the lives of individuals and families affected by mental illness. Join the conversation at nami.org | facebook.com/nami | instagram.com/namicommunicate | twitter.com/namicommunicate #Together4MH

About Chiesi Global Rare Diseases

Chiesi Global Rare Diseases is a business unit of the Chiesi Group established to deliver innovative therapies and solutions for people affected by rare diseases. As a family business, Chiesi Group strives to create a world where it is common to have a therapy for all diseases and acts as a force for good, for society and the planet. The goal of the Global Rare Diseases unit is to ensure equal access so as many people as possible can experience their most fulfilling life. The unit collaborates with the rare disease community around the globe to bring voice to underserved people in the health care system. For more information visit www.chiesirarediseases.com .

About Chiesi Group

Chiesi is an international, research-focused biopharmaceuticals group that develops and markets innovative therapeutic solutions in respiratory health, rare diseases, and specialty care. The company's mission is to improve people's quality of life and act responsibly towards both the community and the environment.

By changing its legal status to a Benefit Corporation in Italy, the US, and France, Chiesi's commitment to create shared value for society as a whole is legally binding and central to company-wide decision-making. As a certified B Corp since 2019, we're part of a global community of businesses that meet high standards of social and environmental impact. The company aims at becoming net-zero by 2035.

With over 85 years of experience, Chiesi is headquartered in Parma (Italy), operates in 30 countries, and counts more than 6,000 employees. The Group's research and development centre in Parma works alongside 6 other important R&D hubs in France, the US, Canada, China, the UK, and Sweden.

For further information please visit www.chiesi.com

Media Contact

Jenna Urban

Berry & Company Public Relations

1-212-253-8881

[email protected]

PP-G-1111 V1.0

SOURCE Chiesi Global Rare Diseases
Cisco is followed by Hilton, American Express, Wegmans Food Markets, and Accenture

NEW YORK, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today Fortune and Great Place to Work revealed their annual Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For list, with Cisco taking top honors for the third year in a row. Of this year's leader, Fortune Senior Reporter Megan Leonhardt writes, "Cisco continues to work toward improving workforce diversity. It increased the number of employees self-identifying as African American or Black overall from 5.9% in fiscal year 2020 to 10% in FY22. Since 2000, the company has achieved a 60% increase in African American and Black employees in entry-level through manager roles, and a 94% increase in representation at the director level. The number of African American and Black employees within the vice president and C-suite ranks grew by 160% during the last fiscal year." Read more about the companies on the list here.

The companies on the 2023 Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For list currently have 109,349 open positions. Tweet this Cisco tops the 26th annual Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For list in 2023, followed by Hilton, American Express, Wegmans Food Markets, and Accenture.

Of this year's list, Fortune Editor-in-Chief Alyson Shontell says, "Fortune is pleased to have collaborated once again with Great Place to Work to recognize the 100 Best Companies to Work For. We congratulate all the organizations included in this year's ranking for creating positive work environments and value for their employees, especially during this period of economic uncertainty."

The 2023 top 10 Fortune Best Companies to Work For are the following:

Cisco Hilton American Express Wegmans Food Markets Accenture Nvidia Atlassian Salesforce Comcast NBCUniversal Marriott

See the full list here.

The 2023 Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For, by the numbers:

96 of the 100 best companies provide remote work options

17 companies cover 100% of health care premiums on at least one of their plans

22 companies offer an unlimited number of free mental health sessions to their employees

47% of new Atlassian hires live more than two hours away from a physical company office

Wegmans has given $135 million in scholarships to more than 44,000 employees since 1984

in scholarships to more than 44,000 employees since 1984 109,349: The current number of open positions at the 100 Best Companies to Work For

Also in the April/May 2023 issue of Fortune:

"Leading the 'best company' through the 'worst thing'": a profile of Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins by Susie Gharib

"Visa moved part of its C-suite to Atlanta to diversify company ranksbut making a dent in the city's income inequality problem is an uphill battle" by Ellen McGirt

"Over 150,000 people have been let go so far this year. Are layoffs a confession of bad management?" by Geoff Colvin: If 2023 is "the year of efficiency," what were the CEOs of Meta, Amazon, and others doing in all those previous years?

"Marc Benioff says he can juggle empathy, cost cuts and layoffs as he doubles down on efficiency at Salesforce" by Michal Lev-Ram: Can Benioff maintain a "we're family" culture amid tough times?

"Recent Salesforce and Meta job cuts show even good severance packages won't soften the blow for workers" by Megan Leonhardt

"How to rebound from a mid-career layoff" by Alicia Adamczyk

METHODOLOGY

Fortune partners each year with people analytics firm Great Place to Work to determine the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For list. For the complete methodology, visit fortune.com/franchise-list-page/best-companies-2023-methodology.

To be considered for the list, companies must be Great Place to Work-Certified, have at least 1,000 U.S. employees, and cannot be a government agency. Great Place to Work requires statistically significant survey results; reviews anomalies in responses, news, and financial performance; and investigates any employee reports of company incompliance with strict surveying rules to validate the integrity of the results and findings. Data is also normalized to compare companies fairly across sizes and industries.

To find out more about how to become Great Place to Work-Certified and apply to this or other Best Workplaces lists, visit greatplacetowork.com.

The April/May 2023 issue of Fortune will be on newsstands on April 25.

About FORTUNE

The Fortune mission is to change the world by making business better. We achieve that by providing trusted information, telling great stories, and building world-class communities. We measure performance by rigorous benchmarks. And we hold companies accountable. Our goal is to make Fortune a force for good through its second century and beyond. For more information, visit www.fortune.com.

Media Inquiries:

Alison Klooster

+1 646-437-6613

[email protected]

SOURCE FORTUNE Media
CHICAGO, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - The Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative commends the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) for today's announcement that the 7th Drinking Water Infrastructure Needs Survey and Assessment incorporates updated data on lead service line burden, bringing more federal dollars to Great Lakes states. This policy change follows more than a year of advocacy by the Cities Initiative and the Mayors Commission on Water Equity and represents a key milestone in safeguarding the equitable distribution of federal funding for lead service line replacement.

Needs surveys are revised periodically and govern U.S. EPA's distribution of the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) to states in the form of capitalization grants. By incorporating data on lead service line burden, this latest version will ensure that Great Lakes states  where the nation's remaining lead service lines are most heavily concentrated  receive significant increases in federal funding to replace lead service lines.

"We have more lead service lines in the Great Lakes than anywhere in the country, and we need to get the lead out," said Mayor Cavalier Johnson of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, a Co-Chair of the Cities Initiative's Mayors Commission on Water Equity. "U.S. EPA clearly recognizes the equity of channeling federal resources to historically lead-burdened cities in order to make real progress on our shared goal of safe, clean and affordable drinking water for all."

"We welcome U.S. EPA's ongoing efforts to expedite progress on lead service line replacement," stated Mayor Justin Bibb of Cleveland, Ohio, a Co-Chair of the Cities Initiative's Mayors Commission on Water Equity. "It is critical for U.S. EPA to add new data to future iterations of the Drinking Water Infrastructure Needs Survey and Assessment as water systems complete their lead service line inventories."

The 7th Drinking Water Infrastructure Needs Survey and Assessment will now guide the distribution of federal funding for the DWSRF and lead service line replacement under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and congressional appropriations. The IIJA provides $11.73 billion for the DWSRF and $15 billion for lead service line replacement over five years; the Consolidated Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 provides $1.13 billion for the DWSRF.

In addition to the inclusion of data on lead service line burden, this needs survey finds $625 billion in capital improvements for drinking-water infrastructure are planned in the next 20-year period, a 32 percent increase above the financial needs identified by the previous survey. It also estimates that, based on the data received, there are 9.2 million lead service lines remaining in the United States, including more than four million remaining in Great Lakes states.

"We applaud U.S. EPA's responsiveness to our member cities' recommendations and are fortunate to have such a collaborative partner at the federal level," noted Mayor Billy McKinney of Zion, Illinois, the Cities Initiative's Chair. "However, with $625 billion needed for drinking-water infrastructure nationally over the next two decades and an estimated four million-plus lead service lines remaining in Great Lakes states, it is clear that our work is far from finished."

Per U.S. EPA's announcement, Great Lakes states will receive the following allotments for drinking-water infrastructure in FY23:

State DWSRF Base IIJA DWSRF General Supplemental IIJA DWSRF Emerging Contaminants IIJA DWSRF Lead Service Lines FY23 Total Illinois $14,985,000 $63,895,000 $23,186,000 $230,177,000 $332,243,000 Indiana $8,473,000 $36,128,000 $13,109,000 $65,161,000 $122,871,000 Michigan $11,267,000 $48,042,000 $17,433,000 $72,881,000 $149,623,000 Minnesota $7,470,000 $31,850,000 $11,557,000 $37,896,000 $88,773,000 New York $23,065,000 $98,347,000 $35,687,000 $113,656,000 $270,755,000 Ohio $11,151,000 $47,547,000 $17,253,000 $166,913,000 $242,864,000 Pennsylvania $16,290,000 $69,462,000 $25,205,000 $154,956,000 $265,913,000 Wisconsin $8,455,000 $36,053,000 $13,082,000 $81,203,000 $138,793,000

About the Cities Initiative

The Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative is a binational, mayor-led coalition of U.S. and Canadian cities dedicated to the environmental and socioeconomic health of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River Basin. With more than 230 member cities, the Cities Initiative is the largest municipally-driven organization in the basin focused on these issues.

SOURCE The Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative
Continues to enhance its patient-centric technology support and service capabilities

COLUMBUS, Ohio, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Codex IT, a national leader in healthcare technology solutions and managed services, just announced the acquisition of Practical Systems, LLC, a computer infrastructure support company based in Cayce, South Carolina, outside of Columbia. Codex IT CEO, Wes Strickling & Practical Systems owners Kevin Lawson and Greg Larson worked to bring the two organizations together.

This strategic acquisition is the second for Codex IT this year allowing them to secure a significant presence in South Carolina, helping to ensure it continues as the partner of choice for healthcare groups with a focus on patient-centric technology support. This acquisition allows Codex IT to continue to expand its national footprint to six support centers across the U.S. as one of the leading healthcare-focused MSPs.

"Our strategic acquisition of Practical Systems, LLC broadens our national reach, boosts our expertise, and enhances our support capabilities," said Strickling. "Now, with technology support centers in six major cities in the U.S., we are one of the leading healthcare IT companies in the country."

"We are excited about partnering with Codex IT to increase our capacity and to exceed our clients' technology support expectations. Our combined capabilities will allow us to help our clients continue to grow in their respective markets by providing the best experience for both patients and staff," said Lawson.

About Practical Systems, LLC

For nearly 25 years, Practical Systems, LLC has shared its proven experience of offering solid solutions to its customers' technology needs. They have operated with a careful approach to growth to ensure its customers' level of service is not compromised, and work efficiently to offer a quick, professional solution to technology problems. Practical Systems is available to serve its customers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

About Codex IT

Since 2004 Codex IT has been committed to helping healthcare organizations leverage technology to optimize patient care and deliver better patient outcomes. Codex IT is more than a technology vendor, we are an extension of clients' staff, from the Exam Lane to the C-Suite. Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, with service centers in North Carolina, New Hampshire, Michigan, South Carolina and Utah. Codex is one of the leading healthcare IT providers. To learn more visit: https://codextechworks.com/

Media Contact:

Melissa Howard

[email protected]

614.540.5520

SOURCE Codex IT
BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 4. An agreement between Azerbaijan and Montenegro on air communication has been approved, Trend reports.

At today's meeting of the Azerbaijani Parliament, a bill was discussed on the approval of an intergovernmental agreement on air communication between Azerbaijan and Montenegro.

After discussions, the document was put to the vote and approved.

In February 2023, an air transport agreement between Azerbaijan and Montenegro was signed with the participation of the Vice-President of the Government of Montenegro and Minister of Capital Investments Ervin Ibrahimovic.

Earlier, it was noted that Montenegro is open to investments from Azerbaijan in the development of the country's green energy.
CVN Shares Tips for Parents to Connect with Teens in Support of Their Mental Health

STAMFORD, Conn., April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- This April, in honor of Month of the Military Child, Cohen Veterans Network (CVN), a not-for-profit philanthropic organization that serves post-9/11 veterans, active duty service members and their families through a nationwide system of mental health clinics, is highlighting the unique experiences of #MightyMilitaryKids and teens and celebrating them for their strength and resilience. To mark the occasion, Cohen Clinics around the country will be hosting events for military kids as the network provides tips in support of military teen mental health and a roundup of helpful resources for military families.

Cohen Veterans Network (CVN) is highlighting the unique experiences of #MightyMilitaryKids and teens for Month of the Military Child.

Currently, there are nearly one million military children of active duty service members. Military families relocate three times as often as civilian families. During their school career, military children move and change schools an average of six to nine times.

"Military kids serve right alongside their parents," says Cohen Veterans Network President and CEO Dr. Anthony Hassan. "They uniquely experience many of the challenges associated with military life including lengthy separations from loved ones, frequent moves, and the need to continuously adapt to new schools and social circles. Established to fill the gaps in care, CVN is here to help military families manage the mental health impacts of their service. We are proud to support military kids and honor them for their tremendous sacrifices."

CVN is inviting military families and supporters everywhere to celebrate #MightyMilitaryKids and teens with a number of opportunities throughout April. The network is additionally sharing tools and resources in support of military families. Highlights include:

#MightyMilitaryKids on Social Media  Join CVN on April 19th in support of military kids by wearing purple. Share photos on social media using hashtags #PurpleUp and #MightyMilitaryKids.

Join CVN on in support of military kids by wearing purple. Share photos on social media using hashtags #PurpleUp and #MightyMilitaryKids. Tips on How to Connect with Your Military Teen - A time of growing independence, adolescence is a pivotal period in a child's life. CVN is sharing parenting advice on how to maintain a connection with your child in support of their mental health as they navigate the teenage years.

- A time of growing independence, adolescence is a pivotal period in a child's life. CVN is sharing parenting advice on how to maintain a connection with your child in support of their mental health as they navigate the teenage years. Cohen Clinic Month of the Military Child Events  From a carnival to an eggstravaganza, Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinics across the country are hosting a number of free, family-friendly events open to all military families.

 From a carnival to an eggstravaganza, Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinics across the country are hosting a number of free, family-friendly events open to all military families. Resources for Military Families - CVN has developed a list of community partner organizations that provide essential support for military families on everything from education to summer camp.

Since its inception in April 2016, CVN has provided high-quality, accessible mental health services to over 50,000 individuals, including children. In fact, approximately 16% of clients served have been children. CVN additionally treats the entire military family with family members making up 47% of clients. Care is available through CVN's national network of 23 Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinics.

For a complete list of CVN's Month of the Military Child events, tools and resources visit cohenveteransnetwork.org/militarykids.

B-roll of Cohen Clinic children's play therapy and family therapy is available here.

ABOUT COHEN VETERANS NETWORK

Cohen Veterans Network (CVN) is a 501(c)(3) national not-for-profit philanthropic organization for post-9/11 veterans, active duty service members and their families. CVN focuses on improving mental health outcomes, operating a network of outpatient mental health clinics in high-need communities, in which trained clinicians deliver holistic evidence-based care to treat mental health conditions. It was established in 2016 by philanthropist Steven A. Cohen with a commitment of $275 million to build the network. Learn more about CVN here.

SOURCE Cohen Veterans Network
Public voting begins online and in-person as metro Detroit small businesses compete to win $100,000 grand prize from Comerica Bank

DETROIT, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The results are in! The Comerica Hatch Detroit Contest powered by TechTown, the small business competition responsible for launching some of the city's most popular neighborhood storefronts, is excited to reveal its Top 10 semifinalists. These businesses are now in the running to win $100,000 in startup funds from Comerica Bank and make their dream of owning a brick-and-mortar Detroit, Hamtramck or Highland Park storefront a reality.

The 2023 Comerica Hatch Detroit Contest powered by TechTown Top 10 semifinalists.

Public voting to narrow down the semifinalists from 10 to four will begin Wednesday, April 5, at noon and run through Wednesday, April 12, at noon.

The four finalists of the 2023 Comerica Hatch Detroit Contest will then be announced on Thursday, April 13, with the final round of public voting beginning at noon on Monday, April 24 and running through the completion of the pitch competition at the Hatch Off on Wednesday, April 26.

Community members can vote for their favorite businesses once per day by visiting HatchDetroit.com.

In addition to voting online, in-person voting will take place at each of the following locations from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. on April 5 and April 6:

Black Coffee Cafe, located at 9405 John R St, Detroit, MI 48202.

48202. Detroit Pepper Company, located at 17180 E Warren Ave, Detroit, MI 48225.

48225. Detroit Rosa, located at 19180 Grand River Ave, Detroit, MI 48223.

"A key reason we believe our alumni have so much success in Detroit's small business landscape is the overwhelming amount of support from the community," said Christianne Malone, assistant vice president for economic development at Wayne State University and chief program officer of TechTown Detroit. "The Comerica Hatch Detroit Contest has become a proven launching pad for budding entrepreneurs, not just because of the startup funding from Comerica Bank and expert counsel from TechTown Detroit and its partners, but because the public has a voice in which businesses they'd like to see set up shop in their neighborhoods, and they are dedicated to supporting those businesses."

Over the years, the Comerica Hatch Detroit Contest has helped launch some of Detroit's most successful and well-known businesses, including La Feria (2012), Sister Pie (2014), Meta Physica Massage (2016), Baobab Fare (2017) and 27th Letter Books (2019).

With this year's investment, Comerica Bank and the Comerica Charitable Foundation will have committed nearly $1 million to Hatch Detroit since Comerica's partnership began in 2012.

Below are the top 10 businesses competing to win the 2023 Comerica Hatch Detroit Contest:

Bouncing Around The Motor City: Detroit's premier one-stop shop for balloons, decor, event planning and party rentals.

premier one-stop shop for balloons, decor, event planning and party rentals. Chi Fan Le : a Chinese food-making experience and fast casual eatery that shares the ingredients, process, and stories behind diverse and nutritious homestyle dishes.

a Chinese food-making experience and fast casual eatery that shares the ingredients, process, and stories behind diverse and nutritious homestyle dishes. CLEAN Sneaker Care: Detroit's premier footwear and accessory restoration service. They also offer a curated assortment of goods, including sneaker storage display cases, cleaning accessories and an in-house Detroit -inspired apparel collection.

premier footwear and accessory restoration service. They also offer a curated assortment of goods, including sneaker storage display cases, cleaning accessories and an in-house -inspired apparel collection. Highland Park Community Kitchen: a space to support food entrepreneurs in every stage of their businesses, doubling as a gathering spot to evoke culinary curiosity and foster strength in the community.

a space to support food entrepreneurs in every stage of their businesses, doubling as a gathering spot to evoke culinary curiosity and foster strength in the community. Ice Cream Detroit: Detroit's only liquor-infused frozen dessert company. They infuse handcrafted ice cream and sorbet with your favorite liquor, beer or wine, and they also offer virgin flavors.

only liquor-infused frozen dessert company. They infuse handcrafted ice cream and sorbet with your favorite liquor, beer or wine, and they also offer virgin flavors. JP Makes & Bakes: is about sharing their love for sweets and Filipino heritage with those in Detroit and the metro Detroit area.

is about sharing their love for sweets and Filipino heritage with those in and the metro area. Konjo Me: a unique and vibrant Ethiopian food experience that shares appreciation for the rich and diverse global cuisine with the community it serves.

a unique and vibrant Ethiopian food experience that shares appreciation for the rich and diverse global cuisine with the community it serves. Next Chapter Books: a general interest new and used bookstore in Detroit working to reflect and create community, inspire learning and nurture the joy of reading among all ages.

a general interest new and used bookstore in working to reflect and create community, inspire learning and nurture the joy of reading among all ages. Sepia Coffee Project LLC: a minority-owned roastery sourcing specialty coffee from farmers throughout Africa , the Americas and the Indian-Pacific regions.

a minority-owned roastery sourcing specialty coffee from farmers throughout , the Americas and the Indian-Pacific regions. Shell Shock'd Tacos: a Latin-inspired Detroit-style street food that is an escape from the ordinary.

"Comerica Bank is proud to contribute to an organization that rewards ingenuity and helps incubate promising small businesses with big plans," said Linda Nosegbe, Comerica Bank National Community Impact Manager. "The Comerica Hatch Detroit Contest is truly the epitome of what we envision when we think of 'The American Dream'  these top 10 candidates will have a chance at winning $100,000 in startup funding, which will ultimately help them make their dreams of opening their own storefront in Detroit a reality."

2023 Hatch Off

On April 26, the four finalists will have the opportunity to present their business pitch to a panel of judges and a live audience, "shark tank" style, for a shot to win the grand prize at the Hatch Off competition. The winner of the 2023 Comerica Hatch Detroit Contest will be chosen through a combination of the public's vote and judges' deliberations.

Tickets are now available to witness the top four business pitches and see the winner of the Hatch Off competition crowned. The Hatch Off takes place on Wednesday, April 26 at 6 p.m., located at the Wayne State University Industry Innovation Center at 461 Burroughs Street in Detroit. To purchase your ticket to the Hatch Off, visit HatchDetroit.com.

Comerica Bank, a subsidiary of Comerica Incorporated, has served Michigan longer than any other bank with a continuous presence dating back nearly 174 years to its Detroit founding in 1849. It is the largest bank employer in metro Detroit and has approximately 4,500 employees (FTE) statewide. With one of the largest banking center networks in Michigan, Comerica nurtures lifelong relationships with unwavering integrity and financial prudence. Comerica positively impacts the lives of Michigan residents by helping customers be successful, providing financial support that assists hundreds of charitable organizations, and actively participating in Detroit's downtown revitalization. Comerica Incorporated (NYSE: CMA) is a financial services company strategically aligned by three business segments: The Commercial Bank, The Retail Bank, and Wealth Management. Follow on Facebook: www.facebook.com/Comerica, Twitter: @ComericaBank and Instagram: @comerica_bank. Download new Comerica Bank corporate logo.

TechTown is a nonprofit business service organization that provides programs, education and resources for early- to growth-stage small businesses and tech entrepreneurs. By building bridges for entrepreneurs to succeed, TechTown is accelerating an inclusive economy for Detroit and Southeast Michigan. Since 2007, TechTown has supported 5,371 companies, which created 2,277 jobs and raised more than $385 million in startup and growth capital. For more information, visit techtowndetroit.org.

Hatch Detroit supports both existing and new retail initiatives in the cities of Detroit, Highland Park and Hamtramck. Hatch Detroit, now part of TechTown Detroit's small business services programming, was founded in 2011 to give residents and aspiring entrepreneurs an opportunity to have a voice in neighborhood retail development and joined TechTown in 2022. Hatch Detroit provides funding, exposure and mentoring in support of its alumni entrepreneurs. With support from Hatch Detroit, 50 alumni have opened businesses. They employ over 500 people and have invested over $13 million in economic development. To learn more, visit hatchdetroit.com.

# # #

MEDIA CONTACT:

Comerica Bank:

Matt Barnhart

[email protected]

SOURCE Comerica Bank
TROY, Mich., April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- ComForCare/At Your Side, a franchised provider of in-home caregiving services, awarded the 2022 Franchisee of the Year award to Rick, Donna and Rudy Wrabel, At Your Side Home Care owners in Houston, TX. The award recognized their dedication to clients and consistently excellent service. The 20th annual ComForCare/At Your Side franchise conference took place March 2-4 in Lake Las Vegas, Nevada, welcoming over 225 staff members and franchisees.

"It is truly an honor for our family to be recognized for this award," said Rick Wrabel. "We are dedicated to providing the leadership and tools to help our caregivers provide the highest level of service to our clients. We are passionate about serving our community and helping our clients live their best lives possible at home."

The Franchisee of the Year is awarded to the ComForCare/At Your Side franchisee who displays the highest level of excellence in leadership, performance, the ability to sustain growth over several years, willingness to help others in the system become the best they can be, and the demonstration of pride in the brand.

"The Wrabel family is the epitome of what you would expect from someone receiving an award of this prestige," said J.J. Sorrenti, CEO of Best Life Brands, parent company to ComForCare/At Your Side. "They embody the ComForCare/At Your Side values within their office, and to the population they serve. They care for their clients as family, serve the community passionately, realize that dignity matters, are present and engaged in managing their internal and external staff, and have fun while they do it. They have done all of this as a family affair and together have made this business their life passion."

In addition to announcing awards within the network, the conference was held to help energize the ComForCare/At Your Side teams and provide new tools and insights on making the most significant impact possible for franchisees and the families that ComForCare/At Your Side serves. The schedule was full of expert guest speakers, networking, and informative breakout sessions.

To learn more about ComForCare franchising, visit www.comforcare.com/franchising .

About ComForCare/At Your Side Home Care:

ComForCare is a premier franchised provider of in-home caregiving services with 270 territories independently-owned and operated in Canada and the U.S., helping older adults live independently in their own homes. ComForCare operates as At Your Side in Houston, Texas. ComForCare/At Your Side is committed to helping people live their best lives possible and offers special programs, including fall risk prevention, dementia care, meaningful activities, and Joyful Memories music. Founded in 1996, ComForCare was acquired by private equity firm The Riverside Company in 2017 and is now part of Best Life Brands, which has plans for continued expansion of service brands across the continuum of care. ComForCare has earned a ranking of 402 on the Entrepreneur Franchise 500 list. For more information, visit www.comforcare.com or www.atyoursidehomecare.com.

SOURCE ComForCare Home Care
In the photos above, soybean meal is dispensed into trucks at Continental Refining Company's new soybean processing facility in additional to CRC's Bushel App advert.

The expansion of the soybean meal and hulls product line enables the plant to process almost four million bushels of soybeans per year (84,000 tons) into vegetable oil and soybean meal and hulls for livestock and poultry feed. Additionally, the company's biodiesel refining division is expected to generate up to five million gallons per year.

"Continental Refining Company is urgently seeking to meet the growing demand for high-quality soybean meal, hulls, and crude soybean oil that we use to produce CRC's UltraBurn diesel blends and pure biodiesel. The need for these products is greater than ever, and we're calling on Central Kentucky farmers as well as farmers residing within 150 miles of Somerset, Kentucky, to take advantage of this exciting opportunity to sell their soybeans to Continental Refining Company (CRC). Don't miss out on the chance to earn a premium for your crops while contributing to the local economy. Farmers in the western Kentucky counties of Ballard, Calloway, Carlisle, Crittenden, Fulton, Graves, Hickman, Livingston, Lyon, Marshall, McCracken, and Trigg are particularly well-positioned to join us and become a part of our expanding product line. Together, we can meet the demand and continue to provide superior products and services to our valued customers." - Demetrios Haseotes, CEO of Continental Refining Company.

Livestock producers, poultry producers, pet food manufacturers, and feed mills will be among the purchasers of soybean meal and hulls. The market size for soybean meal and hulls in the central Kentucky region is estimated to be approximately 250,000 tons per year, with demand spread throughout the regions of Tennessee, Ohio, and Indiana.

CRC's expansion into soybean processing is part of its commitment to sustainability and efficiency. The company's soybean processing facility enhances the efficiency and sustainability of its production methods by extracting valuable byproducts from the crushing process, such as soybean meal and hulls.

Continental Refining Company is looking forward to partnering with local farmers in Central Kentucky to produce high-quality soybean products for customers throughout the region. Farmers within 150 miles of Somerset, Kentucky, are invited to contact Cameron Jones at CRC at 606-679-6301 Ext. 1401 for cash bids or download the Bushel App: https://bushelpowered.com/client/continental-refining-company/.

For more information about Continental Refining Company and its products, please visit their website at www.conrefco.com

SOURCE Continental Refining Company
Company expands continuously monitored risk pool to 35 million SMEs across the U.S. and the UK

PLEASANTON, Calif. and LONDON, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Cowbell , the leading provider of cyber insurance for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), has launched its UK operations and appointed cyber insurance expert, Simon Hughes, as General Manager for Cowbell UK. Hughes joins Cowbell with a unique blend of experience across the U.S. and the UK, most recently serving as the Cyber Team Lead at CFC Underwriting.

Simon Hughes

"The cyber insurance industry needs to evolve at the same pace as the cyber threat landscape," said Hughes. "I am delighted to join one of the most innovative companies in the market at a time when businesses in the UK and around the world are prioritizing cyber resilience."

Hughes is a seasoned underwriter with over 13 years of experience in the insurance industry. He is a proven leader with a deep understanding of cyber risk and insurance and has been instrumental in driving success in his previous roles. Hughes began his career at Lloyd's of London and has since gained valuable experience with the multi-national reinsurer SOVAG and CFC Underwriting, a UK-based specialty insurer. At CFC, Hughes was a senior member of the cyber team for six years, serving as a cyber underwriter and leader focusing on SMEs. Simon led the UK and EU cyber underwriting teams to achieve market-leading and profitable growth in a rapidly growing market.

Cowbell has grown its risk pool internationally to 35 million SMEs, which allows the company to pre-assess risk and deliver coverage at speed while maintaining the most accurate underwriting process. Cowbell's risk pool also contributes to maintaining proactive visibility into the macro-level cyber threat landscape in the SME market.

"We are relentless in our mission to close the insurability gap and make cyber insurance accessible to all businesses regardless of geographical boundaries," said Matthew Jones, Chief Strategy Officer at Cowbell. "Simon brings the expertise to roll out to the UK the adaptive cyber insurance products that we have successfully validated in the U.S., underpinned by our continuous risk assessment approach."

To further extend the company's global focus on innovation for cyber insurance, Cowbell recently opened a new technology center in Pune, India. This follows a string of initiatives Cowbell has launched over the past year, including Cowbell 365 , which offers policyholders comprehensive support for risk improvement and incident response, and the introduction of Cowbell's Adaptive Cyber Insurance offering: policies that continuously evolve to remain aligned with the policyholder's cyber exposures, avoid coverage gaps and bring full transparency into renewal terms throughout the policy period. Cowbell continues to attract expert talent in cyber insurance to drive innovation and pave the way for modern cyber insurance that boosts adoption and matches the risk covered.

To learn more about Cowbell, please visit cowbellcyber.co.uk or contact us .

About Cowbell

Cowbell is a pioneer of Adaptive Cyber Insurance, a leader in providing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) coverage adaptable to today's and tomorrow's threats and the advanced warning of cyber risk exposures. In its unique AI-based approach to risk selection and pricing, Cowbell's continuous underwriting platform, powered by Cowbell Factors, compresses the insurance process from submission to issue in less than 5 minutes. Cowbell is backed by 20 prominent leading global (re)insurance partners and serves SMEs in 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. Founded in 2019, Cowbell is based in the San Francisco Bay Area with employees across the U.S., Canada, India, and the UK. For more information, please visit https://cowbell.insure/ .

Media Contact

John Kreuzer

Lumina Communications for Cowbell

[email protected]

408-963-6418

Sarah Hills

Rein4ce

[email protected]

+44 (0)771 8882011

SOURCE Cowbell Cyber
HOUSTON, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Crain Caton & James, a leading law firm in Texas, is pleased to announce the addition of Sherri Evans and Jennifer Varadi to its new family law practice section. The family law section will be led by Ms. Evans. Sherri is a highly skilled and experienced family law attorney who brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the firm. Her focus areas include: Divorce Child Custody & Visitation, High Net Worth Property Division, Marital Property Agreements, Enforcement & Modification and Appeals.

Sherri is Board Certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in Family Law and has been recognized by: Texas Super Lawyers since 2008, Texas Super Lawyers Top 50 Women since 2014, and Super Lawyers Houston Top 100 since 2014. She was also named on the Best Lawyers list for family law since 2012 and appeared on the Legal Leaders: Top Rated Lawyers list since 2019. Sherri received her law degree from Tulane Law School in 1992 and her B.B.A. in Finance from University of Texas in 1983.

Jennifer Varadi focuses her legal practice on family matters, including but not limited to, child custody and child support matters. Additionally, she has valuable experience in complex property division and preparing premarital agreements. Jennifer is a certified mediator and an accomplished litigator as well.

"We are pleased to have Sherri lead the new family law section. She encompasses a "clients first" work ethic, which aligns well with our values as a Firm," said Peter G. Nemeth, President of the Firm. "Her experience and expertise in family law make her a valuable addition to our team, and we look forward to working with her to serve our clients."

"I am excited to join Crain Caton & James to expand the services that it offers to its valued clients. We have been working together for years, so combining efforts was an easy decision and gives me the opportunity to provide the depth and experience that my clients require," said Ms. Evans. "I look forward to working with the talented attorneys at the firm to provide the highest quality legal representation to our clients."

Crain Caton & James is a full-service law firm that has been serving clients in Texas for over 110 years. The addition of Ms. Evans and its new family law practice section further strengthens the firm's commitment to providing comprehensive legal services to individuals and families in Texas.

About Crain Caton & James

Crain Caton & James, P.C. provides first-class legal services with integrity and exceptional value to its clients in Houston, Texas, and around the world. The Firm's over 110-year history in downtown Houston gives it strong ties to Houston and a deep commitment to giving back to the community whenever possible. Founded in 1912, the Firm has a wide range of practice areas, including Banking, Corporate, Real Estate, Probate and Estate Planning, Environmental, Employment, Intellectual Property, Fiduciary Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Family, Appeals and more.

Principal Office: 1401 McKinney Street, Suite 1700, Houston, Texas 77010

The Woodlands Office: 1095 Evergreen Circle, Suite 200, The Woodlands, Texas 77380 (By appointment only)

Contact: Jackie Krejci  713 752 8634

SOURCE Crain Caton & James
NEW YORK, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Klein Law Firm announces that a class action complaint has been filed on behalf of shareholders of Credit Suisse Group AG (NYSE: CS) alleging that the Company violated federal securities laws.

Class Period: March 10, 2022 to March 15, 2023

Lead Plaintiff Deadline: May 8, 2023

No obligation or cost to you.

Learn more about your recoverable losses in CS:

https://www.kleinstocklaw.com/pslra-1/credit-suisse-lawsuit-submission-form?id=38067&from=4

Credit Suisse Group AG NEWS - CS NEWS

CLASS ACTION CASE DETAILS: The filed complaint alleges that Credit Suisse Group AG made materially false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (i) contrary to representations made in December 2022 by Credit Suisse's Chairman, Axel P. Lehmann, the sharp increase in customer outflows Credit Suisse began experiencing in October 2022 remained ongoing; (ii) accordingly, Credit Suisse had downplayed the impact of the Company's recent series of quarterly losses and risk and compliance failures on liquidity and its ability to retain client funds; (iii) as a result, Credit Suisse had overstated the Company's financial position and/or prospects; and (iv) as a result, the Company's public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times.

WHAT THIS MEANS TO YOU AS A SHAREHOLDER: If you have suffered a loss in Credit Suisse you have until May 8, 2023 to petition the court for lead plaintiff status. Your ability to share in any recovery doesn't require that you serve as a lead plaintiff.

NO COST TO YOU: If you purchased Credit Suisse securities during the relevant period, you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out-of-pocket fees.

HOW TO PROTECT YOUR FINANCIAL INTERESTS: For additional information about the CS lawsuit, please contact J. Klein, Esq. by telephone at 212-616-4899 or click this link: https://www.kleinstocklaw.com/pslra-1/credit-suisse-lawsuit-submission-form?id=38067&from=4.

ABOUT KLEIN LAW FIRM

J. Klein, Esq. represents investors and participates in securities litigations involving financial fraud throughout the nation. The Klein Law Firm is a boutique litigation firm with experience in a wide range of areas including securities law, corporate finance and commercial litigation. Since 2011, our experienced attorneys have achieved superior results for our clients with a personalized focus. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.

CONTACT:

J. Klein, Esq.

535 Fifth Avenue

4th Floor

New York City, NY 10017

[email protected]

Telephone: (212) 616-4899

www.kleinstocklaw.com

SOURCE The Klein Law Firm
National renewable energy firm partners with CVE North America to provide savings to low-to-moderate income residents

EDISON, N.J., April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- CS Energy and CVE North America announced that they have broken ground on a 22 MW portfolio of four community solar projects in Western New York State. CVE North America developed these projects, all of which will utilize Solar FlexRack solar trackers. These projects will bring the total amount of solar energy projects completed between CS Energy and CVE North America to over 50 MW. All four projects will provide discounted electricity bills for over 4,000 low-to-middle income residents and are expected to reach completion by Q4 of 2023.

Members of CS Energy, CVE North America, and Supervisors from Sheridan town and Pomfret town gathered at the ceremonial groundbreaking event.

"We chose CS Energy for this set of projects due to our strong alignment in terms of transparency, integrity and efficiency," said Ben Dereume, Technical Director of CVE North America. "CS Energy provided exceptional customer service on the last seven projects we completed together in Massachusetts - from value engineering to overcoming supply chain constraints to assisting with permit and town requests. We fully anticipate CS Energy will prove to be a reliable partner on these additional projects as well."

All four of these projects will contribute to New York State maintaining its position as the number one community solar market in the country. On average, community solar projects in New York have been found to provide a 5 to 10 percent discount on energy bills for local residents, which is particularly important given that this 22 MW portfolio will benefit thousands of low-to-moderate income residents. These projects also reflect the growing trend of community solar throughout the nation, with Wood Mackenzie predicting that community solar capacity in the United States will double by 2027.

"We are grateful to have the opportunity to apply our expertise in site optimization, strategic procurement and efficient execution of high quality solar projects for such an impactful set of community solar projects," said Lance Dunning, Vice President of Business Development at CS Energy. "We look forward to building upon our five-year long partnership with CVE to help supply more affordable clean, renewable energy that can be consumed locally by residents."

In addition to providing savings to local residents in Western New York State, this portfolio of projects will also contribute to the state's goal to generate 70 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030 and the governor's goal to achieve 10 GW of solar by 2030. In total, these projects will also have the effect of avoiding greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to 192,330 miles driven by gasoline-powered cars per year.

About CS Energy:

CS Energy is an industry-leading engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) renewable energy firm that designs and builds optimized projects in solar, energy storage, and emerging energy industries. CS Energy has successfully designed and installed over 1.5 GW of solar and 470 MWh of energy storage projects across the United States. Owned by American Securities, a leading US private equity firm, CS Energy leverages strong relationships with solar developers, IPPs, utilities, off-takers, suppliers, and landowners to help our customers streamline the project development process, lower project costs, and create value for all stakeholders as a trusted and long-term partner.

CS Energy Media Contact:

Dianaliz Santiago-Borcan

732.520.5143

[email protected]

About CVE North America:

CVE North America is an independent solar power producer based in New York City. It has the personal attributes of a small to medium sized company and the skills, experience, and financial assets of a large group. The company currently has plans to expand to over 450 MW across the United States by 2026. CVE draws on the international expertise of its parent company, CVE Group, which has been recognized for financing, building and operating ground-mounted solar installations in communities for 12 years. CVE Group has over 630 MW in operation and construction in France, Chile, South Africa, and the US. CVE Group is invested to ensure the highest environmental and qualitative performance. It is ISO 9001 (quality management system) and ISO 14001 (environmental management system) certified.

SOURCE CS Energy
SAN FRANCISCO, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The global customer relationship management industry size was valued at USD 51.43 billion in 2022 and will witness 16.9% CAGR from 2023 to 2030, according to the "Customer Relationship Management Industry Data Book, 2023  2030," published by Grand View Research. Industry leaders have sought state-of-the-art technologies, including AI, automation and IoT to enhance customer relationship management (CRM) strategies. AI chatbots have garnered traction to streamline workflow and enhance interaction with customers. Prominently, an unprecedented rise in the digital footprint, along with the expanding smartphone penetration, has emphasized the significance of CRM tools.

CRM has become invaluable for increased customer loyalty and improved customer satisfaction, bolstering the footfall of customer self-service software. The demand for automated live chat tools has reinforced the value proposition as millennials and the Gen Z population increasingly prefer social channels, mobile and web to fulfill purchases. Omni channel self-service channels have fueled the penetration of personalized and seamless brand experience, prompting investment in the landscape. For instance, the self-order and checkout kiosks for picking up orders at the counter have become prevalent to provide an unparalleled experience. The customer self-service software market size stood at USD 11.92 billion in 2022 and will exhibit a healthy CAGR of 23.5% during the forecast period. With consumers depicting profound traction for self-service technology, stakeholders are slated to bolster their technologies to boost customer experience.

Order your copy of the Free Sample of "Customer Relationship Management Industry Data Book - Customer Experience Management, Customer Self-service Software, Digital Experience Platform, Sales force Automation Software, Sales Training Software, Marketing Automation Market Size, Share, Trends Analysis, And Segment Forecasts, 2023 - 2030" Data Book, published by Grand View Research

The soaring number of internet users and the expansion of digital touchpoints and channels have spurred the footfall of digital experience platforms (DXPs). The platform has emerged as a viable portfolio to provide real-time, connected and personalized customer experience. In essence, DXP has gained prominence in the e-commerce sector to foster payment gateways and digital stores. The digital experience platform market size garnered USD 11.17 billion in 2022 and could depict a significant CAGR of 13.7% during the assessment period. The bullish growth trajectory is primarily attributed to the demand for seamless digital experience, better personalization and content flexibility.

Industry leaders are likely to cash in on the following dynamics and trends to tap into the global market:

Sales force automation software has become the mega-trend to augment productivity, offer smart reporting and enhance sales efficiency.

End-users have sought marketing automation solutions to boost leads, personalize customer journey, deep dive into behavioral tracking and use data for smart decisions.

Asia Pacific could witness investment galore in the wake of the emergence of 5G networks across China , India and Japan . Furthermore, the growth of cloud computing and big data will lead to the adoption of CRM software.

Go through the table of content of Customer Relationship Management Industry Data Book to get a better understanding of the Coverage & Scope of the study

Well-established and emerging players envisage the U.S. and Canada to be the happy hunting grounds against the backdrop of notable use of CRM tools in sales, marketing and customer service. Brands have banked on state-of-the-art social CRM solutions to gain insights of social media posts and assess brand sentiments. North America could contribute significantly to the global CRM industry with surging demand to automate, track and optimize customer interactions across retail, BFSI, telecom, government and healthcare sectors. Leading players are likely to explore opportunities of CRM in the e-commerce industry to personalize marketing and provide better customer care. The bespoke solutions will continue to be sought to address customer experience, supply chain offerings, business network and procurement process.

The competitive landscape indicates industry leaders could emphasize investments in organic and inorganic strategies to tap into the global landscape. In doing so, forward looking companies are poised to inject funds into innovation, partnerships, R&D activities, product and service launches and mergers & acquisitions. The bullishness of AI across business verticals has prompted stakeholders to seek potential growth opportunities in CRM. To illustrate, in March 2023, Microsoft announced the launch of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Copilot, offering AI-powered assistance to every line of business. The next-gen AI updates will enable businesses to use CRM and ERP to enhance business outcomes and expedite innovation.

Check out more Industry Data Books, published by Grand View Research

About Grand View Research

Grand View Research, U.S.-based market research and consulting company, provides syndicated as well as customized research reports and consulting services. Registered in California and headquartered in San Francisco, the company comprises over 425 analysts and consultants, adding more than 1200 market research reports to its vast database each year. These reports offer in-depth analysis on 46 industries across 25 major countries worldwide. With the help of an interactive market intelligence platform, Grand View Research Helps Fortune 500 companies and renowned academic institutes understand the global and regional business environment and gauge the opportunities that lie ahead.

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ALPHARETTA, Ga., April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- DataScan, the leader in providing solutions for wholesale asset financing and inventory risk management, has partnered with CheckVentory, an innovative software-as-a-service provider, to bring uVerifi, a game-changing digital auditing tool, to the US and Canadian markets. With an exclusive agreement for North America, DataScan will be the go-to provider of this cutting-edge technology.

uVerifi

uVerifi is a powerful AI-driven mobile "self-audit" solution offering both accuracy and flexibility. This innovative platform allows users to securely authenticate any number of assets rapidly and without the need for expensive equipment.

Sending out a skilled field auditor to validate a set of assets may not always be the best or most timely option. With uVerifi, you can send a link to an individual (dealer employee, relationship manager, auditor, etc.), instructing that person to take a series of photographs to validate those assets. In the field, the mobile app provides a simple and intuitive user interface, allowing any authorized person- with a mobile device to carry out the work quickly and accurately. This method saves time and money while providing accurate and reliable results.

DataScan CEO Brian Koprowski is excited about the launch of uVerifi, stating, "The process of accounting for inventory risk is evolving. The ability to provide our clients with inventory risk management alternatives is critical to DataScan's future. The industry has been looking for an efficient and cost-effective way to validate assets, and uVerifi is the perfect solution and a great first step in reinventing inventory risk management. We are thrilled to partner with CheckVentory to bring this cutting-edge technology to the North American market."

The uVerifi platform has already generated extensive interest from DataScan clients who have previewed the product. With its powerful and innovative technology-driven audit solution, uVerifi is poised to revolutionize how financial institutions monitor their wholesale loan portfolios by providing an alternative risk mitigation tool.

This partnership between DataScan and CheckVentory is a testament to their shared passion for innovation and proactive problem-solving. With their combined expertise and industry knowledge, uVerifi is set to become a game-changing solution for wholesale lenders.

For more information about uVerifi and how it can benefit your business, please visit: https://www.onedatascan.com/solutions/uverifi/

About DataScan

DataScan, a leading provider of solutions for wholesale asset financing and inventory risk management, has served the lending industry since its founding in 1989. With a team of industry experts and a deep understanding of the market, DataScan has become the go-to partner for providing lenders with solutions for wholesale asset financing and inventory risk management.

Whether providing advanced technology solutions or expert advice, DataScan is committed to delivering its clients the highest level of service. As a trusted partner in the lending industry, the company is proud of its reputation for excellence and looks forward to continuing to serve its clients with the same level of dedication and passion for many years to come.

About CheckVentory

CheckVentory is a leading provider of innovative technology-led solutions, offering software as a service to national and international businesses. Established in 2013 and headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, the company has won numerous awards for its cutting-edge solutions.

Led by CEO Adrian Walsh, CheckVentory's platform is used across Europe, Africa, and Australia, providing businesses with valuable insights and actionable intelligence to improve their operations and drive growth. With a strong focus on innovation, CheckVentory is dedicated to delivering solutions that meet the ever-evolving needs of businesses in today's fast-paced and competitive environment.

Media Contact

DataScan

Lisa Mallean, Sr. Marketing Manager

[email protected]

678.230.0384

SOURCE DataScan
Title changed:

Details added: first version posted on 12:46

BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 4. Azerbaijani Parliament has made a statement in connection with the conference held on March 16 in the French Senate, against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and expressing open disrespect for international law, Trend reports.

A commission was set up to prepare the text of the statement, and the text was read out by a member of the commission, MP Sevil Mikayilova.

The MPs resolutely condemned the biased position of France towards Azerbaijan, stressing that by such actions France strikes at the normalization of Azerbaijani-Armenian relations and the signing of a peace treaty.

The statement noted that after the 2020 Second Karabakh War, France has continued to wage a slanderous campaign against Azerbaijan.

France's approach to events and processes in the South Caucasus clearly demonstrates double standards, the statement emphasized.

The Azerbaijani Parliament has called on the French Senate to abandon the wrong practice of distorting events in the South Caucasus, to refrain from actions directed against the sovereignty and territorial integrity, to interfere in the internal affairs of Azerbaijan, and to take steps to promote the establishment of long-term peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
CHICAGO, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The dental equipment industry is expected to continue to grow in the near future as more people are recognizing the importance of good oral health. The growing demand for advanced dental technologies and procedures is expected to drive the industry's growth in the near future. The introduction of 3D printing, CAD/CAM technology, and robotic dentistry are expected to boost the industry's growth in the near future. The increasing demand for cosmetic dentistry is expected to drive the industry's growth. Furthermore, the increasing demand for advanced materials such as composite resins, ceramics, and metals are expected to propel the industry's growth. Additionally, the advancement of digital technologies is expected to provide new opportunities for the dental equipment industry.

Dental Equipment Market in terms of revenue was estimated to be worth $6.5 billion in 2022 and is poised to reach $8.7 billion by 2027, growing at a CAGR of 6.1% from 2022 to 2027 according to a new report by MarketsandMarkets. The overall growth of the dental equipment market is because of the growth of technology and solutions which is accounting to be a major factor driving the market during the forecast period. This increase can be attributed to increased prevalence of oral disorders and the rising desire for cosmetic procedures.

Download an Illustrative overview: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=784

Browse in-depth TOC on "Dental Equipment Market"



414 - Tables

53 - Figures

354 - Pages

Dental Equipment Market Scope:

Report Coverage Details Market Revenue in 2022 $6.5 billion Estimated Value by 2027 $8.7 billion Growth Rate Poised to grow at a CAGR of 6.1% Market Size Available for 20202027 Forecast Period 20222027 Forecast Units Value (USD Billion) Report Coverage Revenue Forecast, Competitive Landscape, Growth Factors, and Trends Segments Covered Dental Equipment End User, Type, Region Geographies Covered Asia Pacific, North America, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East and Africa Report Highlights Updated financial information / product portfolio of players Key Market Opportunities Focus on Emerging Market Key Market Drivers New Technological Advancements in dental equipment market

"During the forecast period, the Therapeutic dental equipment segment is expected to be the fastest growing segment of the dental equipment market."

Under type, therapeutic dental equipment segment is forecasted to grow at the highest CAGR from 2022 to 2027. The primary drivers of this market are the introduction of new technologies, particularly electrosurgical devices, which provide advantages for patients in terms of low operating costs, minimum bleeding, and less post-operative pain.

"In 2021, by end user, hospitals clinics segment held the largest share of dental equipment market."

By end user, the dental equipment market can be segmented into hospitals and clinics, research and academic institutes and other end users.

Due to the rising awareness of dental disorders and their treatment, the hospitals and clinics segment occupied the largest share of the market in 2021. Additionally, there has been increase in adoption of new technologies and dental tourism which has attributed to the growth of the market.

"In 2021, Europe occupied the largest market share in the dental equipment market. "

The dental equipment is segmented into five major regions, namely, North America, Europe, Asia Pacific (APAC), Latin America, and the Middle East and Africa.

Europe accounted for the largest share of the dental equipment market in 2021. The increasing trend in the cosmetic dentistry and rise in dental diseases such as dental caries and gum problems some of the major driving forces attributing to the growth of the dental equipment market in the region.

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Dental Equipment Market Dynamics:

Drivers:

Development of technologically advanced solutions Rise in oral health disorders Rising demand for advanced cosmetic dental procedures Growing market for dental tourism in emerging countries

Restraints:

High cost of dental imaging systems and lack of reimbursement for dental procedures

Opportunities:

Impact of DSOs on dental industry Increasing number of dental laboratories investing in CAD/CAM technologies Growing focus on emerging markets

Challenges:

Dearth of trained dental practitioners

Key Market Players:

Key players in the dental equipment market include DENTSPLY SIRONA Inc, (US), Align Technology Inc. (US), Envista Holdings Corporation (US), Carestream Dental LLC (US), and Planmeca Group (Finland).

These companies adopted strategies such as partnerships, acquisitions, collaborations, product launches, expansions, and agreements to strengthen their presence in the dental equipment market.

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Recent Developments:

In March 2022 , ClearChoice Management Services (CCMS), the administrative support team that serves the ClearChoice Dental Implant Center network, announced a new partnership with Planmeca

, ClearChoice Management Services (CCMS), the administrative support team that serves the ClearChoice Dental Implant Center network, announced a new partnership with Planmeca In September 2021 , Planmeca Group ( Finland ) acquired KaVo (Germany) which helped in strengthen Planmeca's and KaVo's positions as leading providers of innovative dental solutions

, Planmeca Group ( ) acquired which helped in strengthen Planmeca's and KaVo's positions as leading providers of innovative dental solutions In June 2021 , DENTSPLY SIRONA Inc. (US) acquired Propel Orthodontics (US) To create better opportunity and enhance its connection in the orthodontics segment

Dental Equipment Market Advantages:

Enhanced Patient Care: Dental equipment helps dentists provide better care for patients, with increased accuracy and safety.

Improved Efficiency: Modern dental equipment offers improved efficiency, allowing dentists to complete more procedures in less time.

Cost Savings: By investing in modern dental equipment, dentists can save money on labor costs and overhead.

Enhanced Comfort: Advanced dental equipment can provide more comfort for patients, allowing them to relax during their visits.

Increased Accuracy: Modern dental equipment can provide more accurate results than manual methods, enabling dentists to diagnose and treat conditions more quickly.

Enhanced Safety: Dental equipment can help reduce the risk of cross-contamination, enabling dentists to provide a safer environment for their patients.

Dental Equipment Market - Report Highlights:

Refinements in the Market Overview of the Dental Equipment Market

The current edition of the report consists of an updated market overview. Additional points in the market overview, such as updated technology analysis, industry trends, ecosystem/market map, Porter's Five Forces analysis, patent analysis, tariff and regulatory landscape, key conferences & events in 2022-2023, key stakeholders and buying criteria, YC-YCC shift, supply chain/value chain analysis, adjacent market analysis, trade analysis, and impact of the recession on the market have been added.

Updated Competitive Landscape in the Dental Equipment Market

The competitive landscape chapter has been updated with the company evaluation quadrant (DIVE Matrix), SME/startup matrix, competitive benchmarking, product, end user footprint, and geographical assessment of the top market players. The competitive landscape also includes the revenue share analysis of the top market players and an updated competitive situations and trends section.

Coverage of New Market Players in the Dental Equipment Market

The new edition of the report includes the profile for Millennium Dental Technologies (US), Prexion (Europe), Brasseler (US), and Ultradent Products (US). These companies have emerged as key market players due to their product offerings and the various strategic investments undertaken in the dental equipment market.

Updated Financial Information/Product Portfolio of Players

The new edition of the report provides updated financial information until 2022 for each listed company in a graphical representation as a single diagram (instead of multiple tables). This will easily help analyze the present status of profiled companies in terms of their financial strength, profitability, key revenue-generating country/region, business segment focus in terms of the highest revenue-generating segment, and R&D investments.

Updated Regional Analysis in the Dental Equipment Market

A section on the impact of the recession on all regional markets, namely, Europe , North America , the Asia Pacific , Lain America, and the Middle East and Africa , has been included.

, , the , Lain America, and the and , has been included. The report includes additional segments under the Asia Pacific region, which includes Australia and South Korea .

region, which includes and . The report includes additional segmentation of Latin America into Brazil , Mexico , and the Rest of Latin America .

Related Reports:

Dental Digital X-ray Market - Global Forecasts to 2027

Medical Power Supply Market - Global Forecasts to 2027

X-Ray Detectors Market - Global Forecasts to 2027

Veterinary Dental Equipment Market - Global Forecasts to 2026

Dental Bone Graft Substitutes Market - Global Forecasts to 2025

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The B2B economy is witnessing the emergence of $25 trillion of new revenue streams that are substituting existing revenue streams in this decade alone. We work with clients on growth programs, helping them monetize this $25 trillion opportunity through our service lines - TAM Expansion, Go-to-Market (GTM) Strategy to Execution, Market Share Gain, Account Enablement, and Thought Leadership Marketing.

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TSX.V: DME

Frankfurt: QM01

VANCOUVER, BC, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - DESERT MOUNTAIN ENERGY CORP. (the "Company") (TSXV: DME) (U.S. OTC: DMEHF) (Frankfurt: QM01) From the President of the Company. Desert Mountain Energy Corp. ("DME" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that, further to its news releases of March 29 and 31, 2023, an additional 545,000 common share purchase warrants of the Company, issued pursuant to its Short Form Prospectus dated March 20, 2023, will commence trading on TSX Venture Exchange at the opening Thursday, April 6, 2023.

Warrant Exercise Price/Term: $2.70 per common share to March 24, 2025, subject to acceleration, as described below. Transfer Agent: TSX Trust Company Trading Symbol: DME.WT CUSIP Number: 25043D123



In the event the volume weighted average trading price of the common shares in the capital of the Company for any ten (10) consecutive trading days on the TSX Venture Exchange exceeds $4.50, the Company will have the right to accelerate the expiry date of the Warrants by providing written notice to each registered holder of Warrants, Warrant Agent, and distributing a press release (collectively, the "Acceleration Notice") within ten (10) business days of the occurrence of such event. If an Acceleration Notice is provided by the Company, the expiry of the Warrants will be accelerated to 5:00 p.m. (Vancouver time) on the date that is not less than thirty (30) days following the provision of such Acceleration Notice (the "Accelerated Expiry Date"); provided, however, that if the Accelerated Expiry Date falls on a day that is not a business day, the Accelerated Expiry Date shall be deemed to be the next business day.

About Desert Mountain Energy

Desert Mountain Energy Corp. is a publicly traded exploration and resource company focused on the discovery and development of rare earth gas fields in the US. The Company is primarily looking for elements deemed critical to the green energy and high technology industries. We seek safe harbor

"Robert Rohlfing" Robert Rohlfing

Chairman & CEO

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in polices of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. The statements made in this press release may contain certain forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Actual events or results may differ from the Company's expectations.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Such forwardlooking statements and information herein include but are not limited to statements regarding the Company's anticipated performance in the future, planned exploration activities, receipt of positive results from drilling, the completion of further drilling and exploration work, and the timing and results of various activities, including the ability of its facilities to operate at capacity and to produce Helium in commercial quantities.

Forward-looking statements or information involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company and its operations to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such statements. Such factors include, among others, changes in national and local governments, legislation, taxation, controls, regulations and political or economic developments in Canada and the United States; financial risks due to helium prices, operating or technical difficulties in exploration and development activities; risks and hazards and the speculative nature of resource exploration and related development; risks in obtaining necessary licenses and permits, and challenges to the Company's title to properties.

Forward-looking statements are based on assumptions management believes to be reasonable, including but not limited to the continued operation of the Company's exploration operations, no material adverse change in the market price of commodities, and such other assumptions and factors as set out herein. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements or information, there may be other factors that cause results to be materially different from those anticipated, described, estimated, assessed or intended. There can be no assurance that any forward-looking statements or information will prove to be accurate as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements or information. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements or information. The Company does not intend to, and does not assume any obligation to update such forward-looking statements or information, other than as required by applicable law.

SOURCE Desert Mountain Energy Corp.
QIONGHAI, China, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- From March 28 to 31, the Boao Asia Forum 2023 Annual Meeting with the theme "Uncertain World: Solidarity and Cooperation to Meet Challenges, Openness and Inclusiveness to Promote Development" kicked off in Boao Town, Qionghai City, Hainan Province. Ms. Diana Peng, chairwoman of the Institute for International Economic Strategy, a think tank serving global enterprises, went to Boao, Hainan to attend the four-day forum event in Boao, Hainan, at the kind invitation of the Forum Organizing Committee.

Diana Peng, chairwoman of the Institute for International Economic Strategy, was invited to attend the Boao Forum for Asia 2023 Annual Meeting

Over the course of four days, Ms. Diana Peng was invited to participate in a number of major forums, such as the new pattern of the industrial supply chain, the round table for private entrepreneurs, the dialogue between Chinese and American entrepreneurs, the dialogue between Chinese and European entrepreneurs, and the Prime Minister of Cote d'Ivoire and Entrepreneurs panel discussion.

While attending the Forum, chairman Diana Peng also accepted media interviews from CCTV, People.cn, Hainan Daily, and Qiongdao TV.

According to information, the Institute for International Economic Strategy currently has set up five branches: Europe, Eurasia, Asia Pacific, America, Africa and the Middle East. Relying on a strong team of experts and consultants, it explores many issues in the development of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises under the new economic situation from multiple angles, explores new impetus and resources for enterprise development under the new situation, and provides development opportunities such as stock cooperation, technical cooperation, and resource sharing. A team of international experts and consultants is the main body of this research institute (including international experts who have received Nobel Prizes and dignitaries such as former presidents of various countries), which can provide good methods to many enterprises around the world, good experiences, and good policies to go internationally. Enterprises are the ultimate service target of the Institute, and "research + dissemination + cooperation" is the main service model of the research institute.

SOURCE Institute of International Economic Strategy
Primed to revolutionize quality management and compliance for the life sciences industry, Dot Compliance's ready-to-use generative and predictive AI automation increases efficiency and higher quality outcomes in compliance, documentation, and reporting. This results in products that are accelerated to market and future-proofed against the evolving life science landscape.

PHOENIX, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Dot Compliance , a leading provider of eQMS compliance solutions for the life sciences sector, has introduced an industry-first, ready-to-use AI-Based electronic Quality Management System for life sciences, powered by an embedded generative and predictive artificial intelligence. The system deploys ChatGPT combined with proprietary algorithms to optimize quality processes, automate tasks and help professionals working in quality assurance to focus on what really matters while enhancing the compliance of their organizations.

Over the last three years, the FDA, EMA and other regulators have issued over $100 million in fines to life sciences companies for violations related to quality and safety standards, and with the average cost of leading a new drug to market being over $2.6 billion, the losses incurred due to delays or mistakes can be colossal. Cutting through the complexity of regulatory demands takes a significant investment of time and manpower, which inevitably impacts the survival of a life science company, impedes the likelihood of drugs reaching shelves and ultimately, limits patient access to the right medicines and medical devices at the right time. The use of AI to make informed decisions and enforce good quality management practices (GMP) can reduce these costs.

"It is like having a quality assurance specialist by your side, at all times. The augmented use of AI is broadening horizons for the personnel in the quality arena and is unparalleled in terms of productivity and speed. The Life Science industry has quite rightfully a meticulous, yet painstaking process for stewarding new products to market. This process must remain as safe and detailed as is required, but it can be made exponentially more efficient. Dot Compliance has embedded advanced AI capabilities with QMS, building a level of insight that is so far unrivaled. We are the first company to introduce generative AI to the quality and compliance space in this way," said Doron Sitbon, Founder & CEO at Dot Compliance.

Quality management is a mission critical activity for pharmaceutical and medical device organizations. Failure to implement effective quality management measures to ensure the safety and efficacy of products result in a range of undesirable consequences, such as product recalls, regulatory fines, legal liabilities, damage to brand reputation, and harm to patients.

"There is a wealth of untapped potential for innovation in quality management regarding compliance, and Dot Compliance has shown leadership in this space. Its ready-to-use AI capabilities via the eQMS accelerates our use of Dot Compliance's solution, and will drive internal discussions on the many ways we can use it, creating more spare time for our teams they would have used managing quality events, and a platform to gain knowledge and understanding of quality processes much faster," said Amir Malka, Chairman and CEO of BioForum

"The release of this generative AI solution is a significant milestone in the transformation of Dot Compliance's vision to lead the quality and compliance AI space, offering tremendous value to customers and other stakeholders," said Haim Shani, Founder and General Partner at IGP Capital - which led Dot Compliance's recent B series.

The Dot Compliance Suite includes an extensive set of fully pre-validated ready to use eQMS processes. QMS Xpress, the company's flagship solution, is out of the box and ready to use, enabling customers to deploy quickly in a cost-effective way. Dot Compliance Xpand provides additional processes to support an organization's growing quality needs.

Through Dot Compliance's solution, manufacturers can seamlessly integrate AI-driven quality management systems into their existing processes and benefit from an AI platform that constantly learns - enhancing its performance over time and providing increasingly accurate insights and predictions. The technology improves overall efficiency of quality management processes, enabling faster product development, approval, and market launch, while minimizing the risks associated with costly regulatory penalties, recalls, and reputational damage. With hundreds of customers globally, and tens of thousands of users, Dot Compliance's cost-effective and AI-powered QMS solution helps the life science industry reach millions of patients, who would otherwise be left waiting.

About Dot Compliance

Founded in 2015, Dot Compliance offers the industry's first ready-to-use Quality Management System powered by the Salesforce.com platform. The Dot Compliance Suite includes an extensive set of off-the-shelf ready QMS and compliance pre-configured best practice processes, enabling customers to deploy quickly and cost effectively. The company's solutions are trusted by life sciences companies, both large and small, worldwide with tens of thousands of users. The solutions are fully compliant with 21 CFR part 11, EU-Annex 11 and support ISO 9001, 13485, 14791 and 27001. Headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, Dot Compliance was founded in 2015 by Doron Sitbon. Dot Compliance currently employs over 100 professionals across the world.. For more information, visit https://www.dotcompliance.com/ .

Media Contact

Gavin Horwich

Campaign PR

[email protected]

SOURCE Dot Compliance
SAN DIEGO, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Inc. today announced its sixth annual Female Founders list, honoring a bold group of 200 women whose innovations and ideas are shaping the world into a better place.

Winner of the 2021 Nature Award for Inspiring Women in Science, Dr. Kiana Aran, makes Inc.s 2023 Female Founders list. Tweet this Inc. Female Founders of 2023

Dr. Kiana Aran, Associate Professor of Medical Diagnostics and Therapeutics and head of the Aran Lab at Keck Graduate Institute (KGI) as well as Chief Scientific Officer of Cardea Bio, reacts to the announcement by stating, "I would like to express my heartfelt appreciation to all my colleagues and collaborators who have helped me turn my ideas and visions into technology and products that can make a true impact for humankinds. Being recognized as a top female founder motivates me to continue pushing the boundaries of science and technology."

One of Kiana Aran's innovations - the SNP-chip for amplification free DNA testing - was named as a Top 10 Innovation of 2021 by The Scientist magazine. After winning the 2021 Nature Research Award for Inspiring Women in Science, in 2022 Dr. Aran was the second woman since 1960 to receive Rutgers University's Distinguished Engineer, Medal of Excellence award.

In addition, Dr. Aran was also selected in 2022 for a $1.6M grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to help develop CRISPR Quality Control standards for therapeutics applications in this groundbreaking area of science. An area that holds the potential to treat or cure diseases, that are otherwise very harmful or even fatal for the patients.

Michael Heltzen, CEO at Cardea Bio, adds, "It is a pleasure to experience the startup community acknowledging and supporting Dr. Aran's tremendous achievements. She has been instrumental in developing our BPU (Biosignal Processing Unit) platform and exciting applications using the BPU, including the CRISPR-chip. What is most inspiring about Dr. Aran, though, is her constant flow of innovations and endless positive energy!"

Each year, Inc. editors review thousands of applications highlighting female founders who are challenging the status quo and tackling some of the world's biggest problems. The list features women who have overcome challenges and lifted those around them, while leading impactful organizations across the country. They join the ranks of previous honorees including Jessica Alba, Tracee Ellis Ross, Rihanna, and Shonda Rhimes.

The founders cross all industries and bring with them unique stories of success from each stage of the entrepreneurial journey  from startup to going public, being acquired by big buyers, or spending decades at the helm of an organization. They are reinventing everything from shoes to food and are challenging issues like financial literacy and reproductive health.

"These 200 female founders have identified solutions to difficult problems and created valuable, industry-changing companies out of them. We congratulate this year's list on their achievements and look forward to their continued success," says Inc. editor-in-chief Scott Omelianuk.

To see the complete list, go to: https://www.inc.com/female-founders

About Inc.

The world's most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning, multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels, including websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion among the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers, and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. The associated Inc. 5000 Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit www.inc.com

After launching in 2018, the Female Founders list is one of Inc.'s most esteemed franchises. Inc. magazine's Female Founders issue (April 2023) will be available online on April 4 at https://www.inc.com/magazine and on newsstands on April 11.

Join the Female Founders conversation using #FemaleFounders

About Cardea Bio

Cardea Bio is the world's first mass producer of a biocompatible semiconductor, the BPU (Biosignal Processing Unit) Platform. The BPU is the first and only graphene semiconductor capable of translating real-time streams of biology's multiomics signals into digital information. Through the BPU platform, Cardea's long-term vision is to democratize access to the biosignals and insights behind the most advanced technology on our planet: Nature and biology. The Internet of Biology is that way becoming possible.

Cardea's rapidly expanding IP portfolio now has 33 broad patents issued and another 34 patents pending, cementing Cardea's market-leader position in the graphene biosensor industry, where they are bringing the BPU (Biosignal Processing Unit) Platform to market.

Cardea is headquartered in San Diego and has additional activity in Los Angeles. Cardea is a 100% American developed and built biocompatible semiconductor graphene biosensor platform for applications across a variety of sectors including human health, agriculture, molecular diagnostics, biotechnology, environmental monitoring, and animal health.

Contact Cardea

Lasse Gorlitz, VP of Communications

US phone: +1 858 319 7135

EU phone: +45 2758 2601

[email protected]

SOURCE Cardea Bio
ACCEPTANCE PERIOD ENDS ON 17 APRIL 2023 AT 17:40 CEST

THIS PRESS RELEASE IS NOT FOR GENERAL RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, IN OR INTO, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, THE UNITED STATES OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION WHERE SUCH RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION WOULD VIOLATE APPLICABLE LAWS OR REGULATIONS

This is a joint press release by Koninklijke DSM N.V. (DSM), Firmenich International SA (Firmenich) and Danube AG, to be renamed DSM-Firmenich AG (the Company or DSM-Firmenich) in connection with the voluntary public exchange offer by the Company for all the issued and outstanding ordinary shares in the share capital of DSM (each such share, a DSM Ordinary Share) (the Exchange Offer)), pursuant to Section 4, paragraph 3 of the Dutch Decree on Public Takeover Bids (Besluit openbare biedingen Wft). The Exchange Offer is not being made, and the DSM Ordinary Shares will not be accepted for purchase from or on behalf of any holder of DSM Ordinary Shares (a DSM Shareholder), in any jurisdiction in which the making of the Exchange Offer or acceptance thereof would not be in compliance with the securities or other laws or regulations of such jurisdiction or would require any registration, approval or filing with any regulatory authority not expressly contemplated by the terms of the offering circular in relation to the Exchange Offer dated 22 November 2022 (the Offering Circular).

KAISERAUGST, Switzerland and HEERLEN, Netherlands and GENEVA, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- DSM and Firmenich jointly announce that they have obtained competition clearance from the Competition Commission of India (CCI) on 3 April 2023.1 DSM and Firmenich now have competition clearance in all required jurisdictions, as a result of which the Transaction Condition relating to the competition clearances has now been satisfied.

1 Reference is made to the CCI's press release No. 78/2022-23, available here: https://www.cci.gov.in/media-gallery/press-release/details/289/0.

Acceptance period

In accordance with the exemption (ontheffing) granted by the Netherlands Authority for the Financial Markets (AFM) on 30 March 2023 and as set out in our joint press release of 31 March 2023, the extended acceptance period will expire on 17 April 2023 at 17:40 CEST. Certain intermediaries may set an earlier deadline in order to be able to timely communicate the tender to the exchange agent. For more information, please see the paragraph 'Indicative timetable' below and section 14.9 of the Offering Circular.

The DSM Boards unanimously reiterate the recommendation to the DSM Shareholders to tender their DSM Ordinary Shares into the Exchange Offer.

Antitrust investigation

As indicated in our press release of 31 March 2023, Firmenich announced on 8 March 2023 that four antitrust authorities have started an industry wide investigation, and that unannounced inspections were carried out at Firmenich's offices in France, Switzerland and the UK. Firmenich and DSM will provide a further update to the market shortly by way of a supplement to the Offering Circular.

Indicative timetable

On the basis that all other Transaction Conditions will be satisfied as well on 17 April 2023, the indicative timetable below lists the expected key dates for the remainder of the Exchange Offer and the Transactions.



Event Date Acceptance Closing Date 17 April 2023 Unconditional Date The date on which the Company shall declare the Exchange Offer unconditional (gestand doen) 17 April 2023 First Trading Date The first trading date for the DSM-Firmenich Ordinary Shares on an as-if-and-when delivered basis 18 April 2023 Settlement Date The date on which (i) the DSM Ordinary Shares tendered under the Exchange Offer are transferred against

payment of the Offer Consideration and (ii) the DSM-Firmenich Ordinary Shares are delivered in the systems of Euronext Amsterdam 20 April 2023 Firmenich Contribution Date The date on which the shares in the capital of Firmenich will be contributed to the Company Week commencing 8 May 2023

These dates and times are subject to change and references to time are to CEST.

Acceptance of the Exchange Offer by DSM Shareholders

Acceptance by DSM Shareholders through Admitted Institutions

DSM Shareholders who hold their DSM Ordinary Shares through an institution admitted to Euronext Amsterdam and/or Euroclear Nederland (aangesloten instelling) (an Admitted Institution) must make their acceptance known through their bank or stockbroker no later than 17:40 hours CEST on the Acceptance Closing Date. The custodian, bank or stockbroker may set an earlier deadline for communication by the DSM Shareholders in order to permit the custodian, bank or stockbroker to communicate its acceptances to the Settlement Agent in a timely manner. Accordingly, the DSM Shareholders holding DSM Ordinary Shares through a financial intermediary should comply with the dates communicated by such financial intermediary.

Acceptance by DSM Shareholders located in the United States

DSM Shareholders located in the United States who hold their DSM Ordinary Shares through a custodian, bank or stockbroker are requested to make their acceptance known through their bank or stockbroker as set out in section 16.1 (United States of America) of the Offering Circular.

If a beneficiary to DSM Ordinary Shares located in the United States is unable to make the QIB Confirmations on behalf of itself or the person on whose behalf such DSM Ordinary Shares are held, any DSM-Firmenich Ordinary Shares allotted to such person will instead be transferred to a nominee, and such DSM-Firmenich Ordinary Shares will be sold on his, her or its behalf with the proceeds being remitted to such person within five days of the Settlement Date, for DSM-Firmenich Ordinary Shares allotted in exchange for DSM Ordinary Shares tendered during the Acceptance Period, or within five days of the Post-Closing Acceptance Settlement Date, for DSM-Firmenich Ordinary Shares allotted in exchange for DSM Ordinary Shares tendered during any Post-Closing Acceptance Period.

Announcements

Announcements in relation to the exchange offer are issued by means of a press release. Any joint press release issued by the Company, DSM and Firmenich is made available on the website of the Company (www.creator-innovator.com).

Subject to any applicable requirements of the applicable laws and without limiting the manner in which the Company, DSM and Firmenich may choose to make any public announcement, the Company, DSM and Firmenich will have no obligation to communicate any public announcement other than as described in the Offering Circular.

Further information

Capitalised terms used but not defined herein are defined in the Offering Circular. This announcement contains selected, condensed information regarding the Exchange Offer and does not replace the Offering Circular. The information in this announcement is not complete and additional information is contained in the Offering Circular. A digital copy of the Offering Circular is available on the website of the Company (www.creator-innovator.com/en/offering-circular-and-egm/).

General restrictions

The Exchange Offer is being made in and from the Netherlands with due observance of such statements, conditions and restrictions as are included in the Offering Circular. The Company reserves the right to accept any tender under the Exchange Offer, which is made by or on behalf of a DSM Shareholder, even if it has not been made in the manner set out in the Offering Circular.

The distribution of the Offering Circular and/or the making of the Exchange Offer in jurisdictions other than the Netherlands may be restricted and/or prohibited by law. In particular, subject to certain exceptions, the Offering Circular is not for general circulation in the United States. The Exchange Offer is not being made, and the DSM Ordinary Shares will not be accepted for purchase from or on behalf of any DSM Shareholder, in any jurisdiction in which the making of the Exchange Offer or acceptance thereof would not be in compliance with the securities or other laws or regulations of such jurisdiction or would require any registration, approval or filing with any regulatory authority not expressly contemplated by the terms of the Offering Circular. Persons obtaining the Offering Circular are required to take due note and observe all such restrictions and obtain any necessary authorisations, approvals or consents (to the extent applicable). Outside of the Netherlands, no actions have been taken (nor will actions be taken) to make the Exchange Offer possible in any jurisdiction where such actions would be required. In addition, the Offering Circular has not been filed with nor recognised by the authorities of any jurisdiction other than the Netherlands. Neither the Company, nor DSM, nor Firmenich, nor any of their advisers accept any liability for any violation by any person of any such restriction. Any person (including, without limitation, custodians, nominees and trustees) who forwards or intends to forward the Offering Circular or any related document to any jurisdiction outside the Netherlands should carefully read section 16 (Restrictions) and section 17 (Important Information) of the Offering Circular before taking any action. The release, publication or distribution of the Offering Circular and any documentation regarding the Exchange Offer, the making of the Exchange Offer or the issuance and offering of the DSM-Firmenich Ordinary Shares in jurisdictions other than the Netherlands may be restricted by law and therefore persons into whose possession the Offering Circular comes should inform themselves about and observe such restrictions. Any failure to comply with any such restrictions may constitute a violation of the law of any such jurisdiction.

United States of America

Unless otherwise determined by the Company, the Exchange Offer is not being, and will not be, made, directly or indirectly, in or into, or by the use of the mails of, or by any means or instrumentality (including, without limitation, telephonically or electronically) of, interstate or foreign commerce of, or of any facilities of a national securities exchange of, the United States except to DSM Shareholders who (i) are "qualified institutional buyers" as such term is defined in Rule 144A under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the U.S. Securities Act, and each such person, a QIB) and (ii), to the Company's satisfaction (in its sole discretion), have duly completed and returned to the Company a letter confirming that it is a QIB and agreeing to certain transfer restrictions applicable to the DSM-Firmenich Ordinary Shares (a U.S. Investor Letter) available from the Company (each an Eligible U.S. Holder). Accordingly, to be eligible to receive DSM-Firmenich Ordinary Shares under the Exchange Offer, each DSM Shareholder that is a U.S. Person and that is a QIB must make their acceptance known through their custodian, bank or stockbroker by executing and delivering a U.S. Investor letter to such custodian or intermediary no later than 17:40 hours CEST on the Acceptance Closing Date. The custodian, bank or stockbroker may set an earlier deadline for communication by DSM Shareholders in order to permit the custodian, bank or stockbroker to communicate its acceptances to the Settlement Agent (ABN AMRO) in a timely manner. Accordingly, Eligible U.S. Holders holding DSM Ordinary Shares through a financial intermediary should comply with the dates communicated by such financial intermediary, as such dates may differ from the dates and times noted in the Offering Circular.

The form of a U.S. Investor Letter will be distributed to custodians, nominees and other financial intermediaries to distribute to those they hold for in due course and is also available to QIBs from the Company. Any U.S. Person who is not a QIB, or in respect of whom no U.S. Investor Letter is received before 17:40 hours CEST on the Acceptance Closing Date, will be a Restricted Shareholder and will be treated as set out under section 14.35 (Notice to DSM Shareholders in certain jurisdictions) of the Offering Circular.

The DSM-Firmenich Ordinary Shares have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act or any other applicable law of the United States and accordingly, the DSM-Firmenich Ordinary Shares may not be reoffered, resold or transferred, directly or indirectly, in or into the United States except pursuant to an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act.

Any DSM Shareholder located in the United States at the time of the Transactions will be required to make certain representations, warranties and undertakings in respect of their status as QIB (the QIB Confirmations), in order to receive the DSM-Firmenich Ordinary Shares on the Post-Closing Acceptance Settlement Date.

If a beneficiary to DSM Ordinary Shares located in the United States is unable to make the QIB Confirmations on behalf of itself or the person on whose behalf such DSM Ordinary Shares are held, any DSM-Firmenich Ordinary Shares allotted to such person will instead be transferred to a sales agent, and such DSM-Firmenich Ordinary Shares will be sold on his, her or its behalf with the proceeds being remitted to such person within five days of the Settlement Date, for DSM-Firmenich Ordinary Shares allotted in exchange for DSM Ordinary Shares tendered during the Acceptance Period, or within five days of the Post-Closing Acceptance Settlement Date, for DSM-Firmenich Ordinary Shares allotted in exchange for DSM Ordinary Shares tendered during any Post-Closing Acceptance Period.

Additional information is included in section 16.1 (United States of America) of the Offering Circular.

Forward looking statements

Certain statements in this press release other than statements of historical facts are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on the Company's current beliefs and projections and on information currently available to the Company. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company's control and all of which are based on its current beliefs and expectations about future events. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "believe", "expect", "may", "will", "seek", "would", "could", "should", "intend", "estimate", "plan", "assume", "predict", "anticipate", "annualised", "goal", "target", "potential", "continue", "hope", "objective", "position", "project", "risk" or "aim" or the highlights or negatives thereof or other variations thereof or comparable terminology, or by discussions of DSM-Firmenich's strategy, short-term and mid-term objectives and future plans that involve risks and uncertainties.

Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties and speak only as of the date they are made. Except as required by applicable law, the Company does not undertake and it expressly disclaims any duty to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statement in this press release, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Such forward-looking statements are based on current beliefs, assumptions, expectations, estimates and projections of the Directors in office at the time of this press release and the Company's management, public statements made by it, present and future business strategies and the environment in which DSM-Firmenich will operate in the future. By their nature, they are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which could cause DSM-Firmenich's actual results and future events to differ materially from those implied or expressed by forward-looking statements. The DSM Shareholders and other prospective investors are advised to read section 2 (Risk Factors) of the Offering Circular for a more complete discussion of the factors that could affect the DSM-Firmenich's future performance and the industry in which DSM-Firmenich operates. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialise, or should any of the assumptions underlying the above or other factors prove to be incorrect, DSM-Firmenich's actual results of operations or future financial condition could differ materially from those described herein as currently anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. In light of the risks, uncertainties and assumptions underlying the above factors, the forward-looking events described in the Offering Circular may not occur or be realised. Additional risks not known to the Company or that the Company does not currently consider material could also cause the forward-looking events discussed in the Offering Circular not to occur.

About Firmenich

Firmenich, the world's largest privately-owned fragrance and taste company, was founded in Geneva, Switzerland, in 1895, and has been family-owned for 127 years. Firmenich is a business-to-business company specialized in the research, creation, manufacture and sale of perfumes, flavors, and ingredients. Renowned for its excellent research, as well as its leadership in sustainability, Firmenich offers its customers innovation in formulation, a broad palette of ingredients, and proprietary technologies such as biotechnology. Firmenich delivered CHF 4.7bn of sales in the financial year ended 30 June 2022.

About DSM

DSM has transformed during its 150+ year history into today's health, nutrition & bioscience global leader. The Dutch-Swiss company specializes in nutritional ingredients for food and feed with proven world-leading bioscience capabilities and an international network of high-quality manufacturing sites that underpin a business model of global products, local solutions and personalization and precision. For Health, Nutrition & Bioscience (excluding Materials), DSM delivered 7.3bn of sales in the calendar year 2021, with adjusted EBITDA of 1.4bn and an adjusted EBITDA margin of 19%.

Transaction website

Please visit www.creator-innovator.com for additional materials on the Transactions.

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1828928/Logo_Combined_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Firmenich
In Celebration of Earth Month, Earth Rangers and Dawn are Making it Fun and Easy for Kids to Have an Impact in Their Communities

TORONTO, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Earth Rangers , a charity and app that empowers kids and families to make a positive impact on the environment, just announced its first U.S. partnership with Dawn , North America's #1 dishwashing liquid*, to help inspire the next generation through innovative education and action. The creative partnership draws on shared values and will build on Dawn's commitment to inspire and empower one million people to become "Wildlife Heroes".

Originally founded in Canada, Earth Rangers has been pioneering the effort to create young conservationists for nearly 20 years. Its free app makes it easy and fun for kids to learn about wildlife and conservation through dozens of activities and real-world applications they can use in their own backyards. Following its massive success in Canada, Earth Rangers launched in the US earlier this year. This first partnership will further expand its U.S. reach, tapping Dawn's longstanding history of partnering with rescue and rehabilitation experts to care and protect for wildlife populations.

According to a new study from Earth Rangers, US children aged 6-11 are actively looking for ways to protect the environment. Of those surveyed, 88% felt that they needed to do more to help, with top concerns including keeping the planet clean (93%), protecting animals from extinction (90%), and climate change (87%). Earth Rangers equips kids with the tools they need to take action. The same study showed that when using the Earth Rangers app, the number of kids aged 6-11 who felt empowered to take strong environmental action jumped from 66 to 80 percent1.

Earth Rangers and Dawn will debut a revamped Earth Rangers in-app mission titled "Shoreline Saver," in celebration of Earth Month. Shoreline Saver will teach kids about healthy shorelines and aquatic habitats, as well as responsible recreational use of these spaces, with a step-by-step guide kids can use to organize and execute their own shoreline cleanup. The purpose is to give kids a tangible way to make a difference in their own communities.

Kids who complete the mission through the end of June will earn a free digital adoption, which includes an animal companion for their in-app avatar. A donation will be made on behalf of Dawn to support either a common loon or harbor seal through International Bird Rescue or The Marine Mammal Center , respectively, educating kids on another meaningful way they can protect and care for animals. Both organizations are part of Dawn's 40-year heritage of partnering with rescue and rehabilitation experts.

"Coming off our U.S. launch, we're thrilled to announce Dawn as our first partner. Dawn has long set the global standard for supporting and protecting wildlife through its conservation partnerships and ongoing sustainability commitments. One of the biggest things that draws kids to our app is their desire to save animals and wildlife, and we couldn't think of a brand more aligned with our mission and values to serve as our first U.S. partner," says Tovah Barocas, President of Earth Rangers.

"Kids are excited about the opportunity to help wildlife, with adoption programs as one of their favorite ways of doing so, but we understand the cost can be a barrier. We're thrilled to be able to give children the opportunity to support wildlife under the care of The Marine Mammal Center and International Bird Rescue by completing Earth Rangers' Shoreline Saver mission," said Juan Amador, Brand Director, North America Hand Dish Care, Procter & Gamble. "It's so important to teach kids that simple, small steps can help create a cleaner world for wildlife, and we're so grateful to partner with Earth Rangers on this fun and educational initiative."

Click here to download and learn more about the free Earth Rangers App, and join Earth Rangers and Dawn's mission to create a cleaner world for wildlife.

About Earth Rangers

Earth Rangers is the largest youth conservation organization in the world, committed to empowering a new generation of environmental leaders. Earth Rangers instills environmental knowledge, positivity, and the confidence to take action in children. The free Earth Rangers app offers thousands of hours of education and activities that children can participate in at home and in their communities. Since 2020, members have completed over 724,000 environmental missions and raised over $500,000 for conservation. To learn more, visit www.earthrangers.com .

About Dawn

Dawn, North America's #1 dish liquid* and a 2022 Fast Company "Brands That Matter" honoree, has been helping people clean since 1972. While most people know Dawn as the dish soap that best cuts grease in the sink, it's also the ultimate secret weapon for cleaning greasy messes throughout the home and has been trusted by wildlife rescue experts to help clean birds and marine mammals impacted by oil pollution for more than 40 years. For more information about the Dawn family of products, including Dawn Powerwash Dish Spray and Dawn EZ-Squeeze, and the brand's efforts to help save wildlife visit www.dawn-dish.com. *Based on Sales. Nielsen Syndicated LDL Category Total US xAOC $ and Unit Sales Latest 52 w/e 2/26/22

About International Bird Rescue

International Bird Rescue is a global conservation organization for birds in a changing world. Since 1971, Bird Rescue has responded to over 250 oil spills and other wildlife emergencies, caring for more than 160,000 birds on six continents. With crisis response centers in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Anchorage, the organization specializes in emergency preparedness and response, day-to-day aquatic bird care, and scientific research. Innovations are shared worldwide to inspire the next generation of wildlife specialists. Bird Rescue aims to give a voice to waterbirds through conservation, advocacy, and wildlife literacy that builds empathy and encourages action.

For more information, please visit www.birdrescue.org and follow us on Facebook, Instagram , and Twitter .

About The Marine Mammal Center

The Marine Mammal Center is a global leader in marine mammal health, science and conservation, and is the largest marine mammal hospital in the world. As a leading contributor to the global body of research and knowledge about marine mammal medicine and ocean health, the Center generates research findings and scientific outputs at volumes comparable to top academic institutions and prides itself on gathering and providing open research data that is free to access, reuse, repurpose and redistribute. The Center's teaching hospital and training programs operate globally with headquarters in Sausalito, CA. The Center has rescued more than 24,000 marine mammals from 600 miles of authorized rescue area along the California coastline and the Big Island of Hawaii. The Center's mission is to advance global ocean conservation through marine mammal rescue and rehabilitation, scientific research, and education.

For more information, please visit MarineMammalCenter.org . Follow us on Facebook , Instagram , and Twitter .

1 Earth Rangers Eco-Anxiety & Eco-Action Index, 2023

SOURCE Earth Rangers
Emerging Market Leader accelerates growth through securing fundraising round

COLUMBUS, Ohio, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Gifthealth, a leading pharmaceutical software company built to streamline the Rx experience through intelligent scripts, secured a growth investment from Eir Partners, a Miami-based private equity firm that invests in high-growth healthcare companies. (Eir Partners took a majority interest in Gifthealth as a part of the transaction.) Through this capital raise, Gifthealth will enhance its platform functionality, make key hires, and expand into new medical specialty verticals.

Gifthealth was founded by Nick Potts, CEO and Co-Founder, and John Romano, President and Co-Founder, both healthcare technology veterans who aimed to create a scalable solution for the cost and complexity of prescription drugs. The company launched a pilot program in Ohio and quickly expanded across the US.

Today, Gifthealth has expanded to 70+ full-time employees across data science, technology, patient care representatives, pharmacists and business development. With an initial focus on the gastroenterology market, Gifthealth serves over 15% of Gastroenterologists in the United States and has reached this level of penetration in only two years. Gifthealth's differentiated software solution allows for a frictionless experience for patients to receive their prescription medications, and at the best price available.

The Company has improved fill rates for its manufacturing customers by roughly 300% within its therapeutic areas of focus.

"After getting to know Brett and the Eir team, we couldn't be more excited about this partnership. They are true healthcare experts, from both a strategy and operations perspective. What we'll build together will help millions of patients across the country. The Rx space needs continued disruption and we're now better positioned to deliver exactly that," said Nick Potts.

"The Gifthealth team is thrilled to join forces with Eir Partners. This merger represents a significant milestone for both companies and is a testament to our teams' hard work and dedication. We owe our early success to the talented individuals at Gifthealth, who have worked tirelessly to create a company that is both innovative and patient-focused. Together with Eir Partners, we are excited to build on this foundation and create even more value for our patients and medical professionals," said John Romano.

"The acquisition of Gifthealth represents the culmination of a proactive sourcing effort in the pharma services spaces. We have met with a number of rapidly growing competitors over the past 18 months and come to the conclusion that Nick and John have built the best solution for the space. Gift is in front of a massive opportunity to reduce the cost of drugs to consumers and meet the need of specialty providers, said Brett Carlson, Managing Member at Eir Partners. "We are delighted to back entrepreneurs that have developed the solution set to improve healthcare for all patients across the United States."

FundingVerse.com served as the exclusive financial advisor to Gifthealth.

About Gifthealth

Gifthealth is a pharmacy software company that provides innovative solutions to simplify the prescription process for patients, healthcare providers, and pharmacies. By removing barriers in the Rx process, Gifthealth drives a seamless and efficient prescription experience, ultimately improving healthcare outcomes and patient satisfaction.

Visit https://gifthealth.com/

About Eir Partners

Eir Partners is a health tech private equity company. Eir has completed or partnered on over $5 billion in healthcare technology transactions since inception in 2015 and has been involved in large scale health tech companies including Claimlogiq, Capta Health Partners, CloudMed, Equian, Millennia, ReviveHealth, Convey, Signify and others. Targeted stages of investment include growth equity through control buyouts and check sizes ranging from $15 - $75 million. Visit www.eirpartners.com.

Contact: Nick Potts, CEO & Co-Founder of Gifthealth, [email protected]

Contact: Brett Carlson Founder, Eir Partners [email protected]

SOURCE Eir Partners
Eli's at-home hormone monitoring technology aims to fill the data gap in women's health

MONTREAL, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - Eli , a healthcare technology company committed to enhancing women's lifelong health through saliva-based hormone testing, announced today that it raised 5 million CAD in new capital to drive its next phase of growth.

Hormonal changes play a crucial role in women's health, yet accessing this information remains out of reach for most women. Eli aims to bridge this gap by providing daily hormonal data through real-time saliva analysis, allowing women to track hormonal fluctuations throughout their lives to gain better insights into their health. This at-home technology addresses the unmet needs in several key areas, including menopause, fertility, contraception, and endocrine conditions.

"Hormones have an enormous impact on women's health from puberty to menopause. Yet they remain a black box. We are unlocking that box so that women can have data at their fingertips to make informed decisions daily and own their overall health," said Marina Pavlovic Rivas, CEO and Co-founder of Eli.

"Eli has the potential to revolutionize the hormonal health market, and our investors' profile speaks to this," added Marina Pavlovic Rivas. Muse Capital, a venture capital firm in Los Angeles focusing on underserved markets, spearheaded the seed round, accompanied by San Francisco-based RH Capital and Cake Ventures. Other funds with a track record of investing in category-defining businesses and healthcare innovations, such as TELUS Pollinator Fund For Good, Garage Capital, and Leva Capital, also contributed. Longtime supporters, such as Real Ventures, Panache, Vectr, and pan-Canadian consortium MEDTEQ+, reaffirmed their commitment to Eli.

"As investors in women's health, we are thrilled to support Eli Health, whose innovative technology enables continuous hormone testing from the comfort of home," said Rachel Springate, Founding Partner at Muse Capital. "We believe Eli's groundbreaking approach will have a transformative impact on the lives of millions of women worldwide. This is a giant leap forward for women's health, and we are proud to be part of this journey."

Eli's scientific and engineering breakthroughs resulted from years of R&D to make continuous monitoring possible by measuring minuscule amounts of hormones in saliva while keeping the product affordable for long-term use at home. "The process of measuring hormones is incredibly complex. Eli makes it accessible to users in three simple steps: collect a tiny amount of saliva, insert the test in the palm-sized reader, and get results in minutes on the app," added Marina Pavlovic Rivas.

"We see this technology as the missing bridge between the biological and the digital," adds Marina Pavlovic Rivas. "It will allow us to build a large-scale longitudinal dataset of daily hormone levels for the first time in history. Filling this major data gap will help medical and research communities address previously unaddressable needs."

"Having monitored the at-home testing space for years, we are super excited by the company's novel technology to measure small amounts of hormones in saliva and also read results immediately at home, unlike the plethora of urine-based or send-out tests that exist today," said Dr. Alice Zheng, MD, Principal at RH Capital. "This allows for daily testing with timely results that had never been possible before."

The new capital will allow Eli to finalize product development and move through clinical validation and regulatory approvals leading to launch. Since its creation in 2019, Eli has raised a total of 9 million CAD, including a pre-seed round of 1.9 million CAD in 2020.

To learn more about Eli, please visit www.eli.health or join the launch list here .

About Eli Health

Eli is a women's health company on a mission to improve lifelong health by continuously monitoring hormones in saliva. Hormones impact overall health every day and at all stages of life. Yet, traditional testing methods and send-out tests only provide infrequent snapshots. In three simple steps, Eli's at-home technology provides personalized hormone profiles continuously to transform how women manage their hormonal health in key areas like menopause, fertility, contraception, and endocrine conditions.

SOURCE Eli Health
Experienced Transformation Leader Will Oversee Key Initiatives To Drive Enterprise Integration and Innovation

FRISCO, Texas, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Ever.Ag, a leading provider of supply chain software and financial services for the agriculture industry, said today that Mike Sargent has joined the company as President, a new position.

In his role, Mr. Sargent will be responsible for bringing strategic focus and operational excellence to drive further innovation in the Ever.Ag Software business. He will report to Scott Sexton, Ever.Ag's chief executive officer.

Ever.Ag has led the industry in assembling a truly unparalleled set of technology and financial service capabilities. Tweet this Mike Sargent has led large-scale transformations, converting software portfolios into powerful platforms that drive customer value and improve financial performance.

"The addition of Mike to our senior leadership team reflects Ever.Ag's commitment to investing in high-impact talent and technology as we shape a bold, new future for Ever.Ag and our customers," Mr. Sexton said. "Mike brings to Ever.Ag the senior-level experience we need as the Ag sector matures away from point solutions to solve end-to-end processes by leveraging technology, financial services and operations support."

Over the last 12 years Mr. Sargent has led large-scale transformations, converting software portfolios into powerful platforms that drive customer value and improve financial performance. He has held senior positions at Computer Associates, Riverbed Technology, Aternity, and Single Digits.

"I am very excited to join the Ever.Ag team at this pivotal point in the company's evolution," Mr. Sargent said. "The Ag sector faces a unique set of challenges, and Ever.Ag has led the industry in assembling a truly unparalleled set of technology and financial service capabilities. There's enormous opportunity in leveraging those capabilities to deliver innovative solutions that unlock huge value for our customers. I look forward to working with the team to take Ever.Ag to the next level."

Prior to his software leadership roles, Mr. Sargent was a senior partner for 18 years at Oliver Wyman, the New York-based international management consulting firm, where he led the Communications, Media and Technology practice.

About Ever.Ag

Ever.Ag offers innovative AgTech solutions and services that empower agriculture, food, and beverage supply chains to feed a growing world. The breadth of its solutions is uniquely capable of supporting the complex needs of companies involved in dairy, livestock, crops, and agribusiness. With decades of experience and industry-leading innovations, our technology, risk management, and market intelligence provide our customers with the tools and insights they need to operate more efficiently, sustainably, and strategically across every stage of the supply chain.

Media Contact:

Sarah Wallach

[email protected]

(720) 988-6579

SOURCE Ever.Ag
Details added (first published: 12:26)

BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 4. France continues its biased policy towards Azerbaijan, MP Soltan Mammadov said at today's meeting of Azerbaijan's parliament, Trend reports.

"On March 16, another conference was held in the French Senate, directed against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, and expressing open disrespect for international law. Unfortunately, France, both during the 44-day war and after, continues its biased policy towards Azerbaijan," he said.

Mammadov noted that amid the new realities established in the Southern Caucasus and initiatives put forward for the normalization of Azerbaijan-Armenia relations, the organization of such events in the Senate is aimed at violating peace and stability in the region.

"The Azerbaijani parliament has repeatedly called for an end to France's policy of double standards. But, apparently, our French colleagues cannot correctly assess the political significance of these calls," he said.

According to Mammadov, France has not yet signed the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities, which is considered one of the fundamental documents in terms of protecting the rights of individuals belonging to national minorities in Europe. Moreover, France has not yet ratified the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages of the Council of Europe.

As Soltan Mammadov noted, those are the real facts that reflect France's approach to the rights of national minorities. Such a country has no moral right to make remarks to others about the rights of ethnic minorities.

The Azerbaijani MP said that a friendship group with Azerbaijan has started its work in the National Assembly of France.

"Certain ideas and proposals are put forward to develop bilateral cooperation with the working group of the Milli Majlis on inter-parliamentary relations between Azerbaijan and France. There are plans on implementing joint projects in the economic, cultural, and humanitarian spheres," he said.

However, Mammadov said, such steps, taken in the French Senate, significantly undermine hopes for the future of relations between the two countries.

"The goal of our joint projects is also to promote peace in the region, since not only the South Caucasus, but the entire system of international relations needs such initiatives," the MP said.

He noted that France is focusing on undermining the peace process in the South Caucasus when there are complex issues currently in the world and serious clashes taking place in various regions globally that result in the deaths of thousands of people.

This policy is not in favor of either France or the peoples of the region, affected by years of conflict. On the contrary, the growth of instability in our region will ultimately also have negative impact on global peace and security. France, as a member of the UN Security Council, is one of the countries which should be responsible for global security. Members of the French Senate also seem to forget this important point," he said.

Soltanov noted that Azerbaijan has always pursued a consistent policy in relations with France, as well as in relations with all other partners.

"We are aware of France's role in the system of international relations. However, Azerbaijan also clearly knows the boundaries of its national interests and does not intend to allow any state to cross these boundaries. France must finally understand that the pressure policy it has pursued so far has not worked and will not work in the future," Mammadov concluded.
New report reveals fintechs with 100+ customers

NASHVILLE, Tenn., April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Bank Director, the leading information resource for leadership and board members of financial institutions nationwide, today released a new report - Finding Fintechs: A Choose Your Own Adventure Guide - to provide U.S. financial institutions a roadmap on working with technology companies. This new report provides clear direction on how banks can improve efficiency, customer relationships and facilitate growth - and do it in a way that mitigates risk.

Using Bank Director's online platform FinXTech Connect , the report reveals the names of fintechs who report at least 100 U.S. financial institution clients. Built specifically for banks, FinXTech Connect is a curated, online directory of technology companies that are strategically partnering with financial institutions. The online directory was developed in 2019 - now with over 400 technology companies in FinXTech Connect, Bank Director's team includes only qualified technology companies identified by Bank Director as "bank-friendly," with a proven history of financial performance and an existing roster of bank clients. Solutions include lending platforms, payment processing applications, security, data analytics and more.

"It has always been our core focus at Bank Director to educate senior leaders and members of the board of financial institutions nationwide, and we believe FinXTech Connect and this new roadmap guide is a unique product given that Bank Director hand selected and vetted every technology company and solution to ensure they have a proven track record of working with financial institutions. This in turn allows banks to easily identify qualified partners to grow market share and gain efficiencies through new innovations," says Michelle King, president of Bank Director.

FinXTech Connect includes the following features:

Guided search function to allow banks to easily find solutions

In-depth written profiles on fintech companies working with U.S. banks

Access to key technology leaders and contact information

Product features, pricing models and core processor capabilities

A sample client list and testimonials from financial institutions

Ability for bank users to save company profiles for future reference

"Thirty-five percent of bankers responding to the Bank Director's 2022 Technology Survey say they are concerned with their bank's ability to identify technologies that would help grow their bank and 48% worry their team has an inadequate understanding of how emerging technology could impact their bank. We believe this new resource guide will provide banks the information they need to make strategic decisions to grow their institution," says Naomi Snyder, editor-in-chief of Bank Director.

With consumers' continued push into the tech world, a whole new set of challenges arise. Cybersecurity, data privacy, hackers and regulatory issues are all constantly changing problems that plague bankers in their search for fintech partnerships. Considering these challenges, banks are also responsible for managing all aspects of their business, including the fintechs they partner with. Due diligence on fintechs is a necessity. Fortunately, Bank Director's FinXTech Connect is designed for banks to uncover and become familiar with fintechs from across the globe.

For banks looking to engage in this new online platform, please contact Bank Director's vice president of Bank Services at [email protected]. For technology companies who would like to be interviewed and considered for FinXTech Connect, please contact Ambrose Delahoussaye, FinXTech research & marketing associate, at [email protected].

About FinXTech

Launched in 2014, FinXTech is a resource powered by Bank Director, which specializes in connecting a hugely influential audience of U.S. bank leaders with technology partners at the forefront of innovation. FinXTech makes it easier for banks and technology companies to work together - through its exclusive in person events, editorial content and online FinXTech Connect platform. For more information, please visit FinXTech.com.

About BankDirector

Bank Director reaches the leaders of the institutions that comprise America's banking industry. Since 1991, Bank Director has provided board-level research, peer-insights and in-depth executive and board services. Built for banks, Bank Director extends into and beyond the boardroom by providing timely and relevant information through Bank Director magazine, board training services and the financial industry's premier event, Acquire or Be Acquired. For more information, please visit BankDirector.com.

SOURCE:

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT BANK DIRECTOR'S DIRECTOR OF MARKETING, DEAHNA WELCHER AT [email protected].

SOURCE BankDirector.com
NEW YORK, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Klein Law Firm announces that a class action complaint has been filed on behalf of shareholders of Fidelity National Information Services, Inc. (NYSE: FIS) alleging that the Company violated federal securities laws.

This lawsuit is on behalf of all persons or entities who purchased Fidelity National common stock between February 9, 2021 and February 10, 2023, inclusive.

Lead Plaintiff Deadline: May 5, 2023

No obligation or cost to you.

Learn more about your recoverable losses in FIS:

https://www.kleinstocklaw.com/pslra-1/fidelity-national-information-services-inc-loss-submission-form?id=38066&from=4

Fidelity National Information Services, Inc. NEWS - FIS NEWS

CLASS ACTION CASE DETAILS: The filed complaint alleges that Fidelity National Information Services, Inc. made materially false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) the integration of the Company's acquisition, Worldpay, Inc. ("Worldpay"), was not ahead of schedule; (2) the integration of Worldpay was not successfully completed during the class period; (3) the increases in revenue synergies were not driven by the Worldpay integration; and (4) as a result, defendants' positive statements about the Company's financial guidance, business, operations, and prospects were materially false and misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis at all relevant times.

WHAT THIS MEANS TO YOU AS A SHAREHOLDER: If you have suffered a loss in Fidelity National you have until May 5, 2023 to petition the court for lead plaintiff status. Your ability to share in any recovery doesn't require that you serve as a lead plaintiff.

NO COST TO YOU: If you purchased Fidelity National securities during the relevant period, you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out-of-pocket fees.

HOW TO PROTECT YOUR FINANCIAL INTERESTS: For additional information about the FIS lawsuit, please contact J. Klein, Esq. by telephone at 212-616-4899 or click this link: https://www.kleinstocklaw.com/pslra-1/fidelity-national-information-services-inc-loss-submission-form?id=38066&from=4.

ABOUT KLEIN LAW FIRM

J. Klein, Esq. represents investors and participates in securities litigations involving financial fraud throughout the nation. The Klein Law Firm is a boutique litigation firm with experience in a wide range of areas including securities law, corporate finance and commercial litigation. Since 2011, our experienced attorneys have achieved superior results for our clients with a personalized focus. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.

CONTACT:

J. Klein, Esq.

535 Fifth Avenue

4th Floor

New York City, NY 10017

[email protected]

Telephone: (212) 616-4899

www.kleinstocklaw.com

SOURCE The Klein Law Firm
LEUVEN, Belgium, STRASBOURG, France, and PHILADELPHIA, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Flamingo Therapeutics ("Flamingo") today announced the appointment of Andrew E. Denker, MD, PhD., as Chief Medical Officer.

Dr. Denker is a physician-scientist with over two decades of biotech and pharmaceutical industry experience in clinical development across multiple modalities and therapeutic areas, including oncology and rare disease. In his new role, Dr. Denker will be responsible for leading and expanding Flamingo's clinical portfolio and will serve as a key member of its executive leadership team. Dr. Denker will be based in Flamingo's US headquarters in Philadelphia, PA.

"We are pleased that Andrew is joining Flamingo at such an exciting time in our company's growth, as we prepare for our Phase 2 clinical study PEMDA-HN of danvatirsen in combination with pembrolizumab in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma," said Stephane van Rooijen, Chief Executive Officer of Flamingo. "Andrew's extensive oncology expertise and proven track record in building and leading clinical teams will strengthen our capabilities as we continue to build a global RNA therapeutics company focused on clinical execution."

Prior to joining Flamingo, Dr. Denker served as Vice President Early Development at ElevateBio Technologies, where he was responsible for building the clinical development organization, developing clinical strategies for multiple therapeutics and managing clinical trial partnerships. Prior to ElevateBio, Dr. Denker held several positions of increasing responsibility at Alexion Pharmaceuticals, including Vice President, Clinical Development Services, where he led global teams for multiple ULTOMIRIS development programs. Previously, he held several positions at Merck Sharp & Dohme, Corp., ultimately serving as Executive Director, Clinical Oncology, where he was the team leader for multiple KEYTRUDA indications, KEYTRUDA combination partnerships and next generation early development immune-oncology compounds. He received an A.B from Princeton University, his M.D, Ph.D. from Thomas Jefferson University and completed a General Surgery Internship and post-doctoral research at Washington University School of Medicine. Dr. Denker is an author on over 25 peer-reviewed publications and has contributed to numerous patent applications in the oncology field.

Dr. Denker added, "I am excited about the Flamingo pipeline and believe that the company's STAT3 inhibitor danvatirsen holds significant promise to benefit patients in many oncology indications, including head and neck cancer. The company's deep expertise in RNA therapeutics and oncology development, coupled with its outstanding team and partners, make this a compelling opportunity for me. I look forward to working with the team and board to advance Flamingo's clinical portfolio and improve the lives of patients with cancer."

About PEMDA-HN Phase II Trial in Head & Neck Cancer

Flamingo Therapeutics is planning to initiate a Phase II trial evaluating the STAT3 targeting agent danvatirsen, in combination with pembrolizumab, in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).

The trial is planned to be a multicenter, open-label, randomized study comparing the combination of danvatirsen and pembrolizumab to pembrolizumab alone as first line therapy in patients with recurrent/metastatic HNSCC whose tumor has a PD-L1 expression. Eligible patients will be randomized in a 2:1 ratio to receive either danvatirsen + pembrolizumab or pembrolizumab monotherapy, respectively. After the screening period, eligible patients are planned to receive study treatment until disease progression or discontinuation. The planned primary endpoint of the study is to determine the overall response rate by RECIST 1.1 as assessed by the investigator. The secondary endpoints will include safety, duration of response, disease control rate, progression free survival and overall survival. The study is planned to be operated at US study centers.

About Flamingo Therapeutics

Flamingo is pioneering RNA-targeted therapies for oncology with state-of-the art chemistries and a clinical-stage pipeline targeting undruggable transcription factors and splice variants. Flamingo has an alliance with Ionis Pharmaceuticals and is supported by well-known biotechnology investors including Andera Partners, Bpifrance Large Venture, Bpifrance through its FABS and Fonds Biotherapies Innovantes et Maladies Rares funds, Eurazeo - Kurma Partners, Perceptive Advisors, PMV, Pontifax, Sphera, funds managed by Tekla Capital Management LLC and VIB.

For more information on Flamingo, please visit https://flamingotx.com and engage with us on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/flamingo-therapeutics.

Flamingo Media and Investor Contact:

Amy Conrad

Juniper Point

(858) 366-3243

[email protected]

SOURCE Flamingo Therapeutics
FAIR Health's Monthly Telehealth Regional Tracker Introduces New Features in Its Fourth Year, including Top Five Diagnoses via Asynchronous Telehealth and Audio-Only Utilization

NEW YORK, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- National telehealth utilization increased 7.3 percent in January 2023, from 5.5 percent of medical claim lines in December 2022 to 5.9 percent in January, according to FAIR Health's Monthly Telehealth Regional Tracker.1 It was the third straight month of growth in national telehealth utilization, a trend that began in November. In January, telehealth utilization also increased in all four US census regionsthe Midwest (9.5 percent), the West (9.5 percent), the South (6.7 percent) and the Northeast (3.2 percent). The data represent the privately insured population, including Medicare Advantage and excluding Medicare Fee-for-Service and Medicaid.

FAIR Health's Monthly Telehealth Regional Tracker Introduces New Features in Its Fourth Year Tweet this FAIR Health Monthly Telehealth Regional Tracker, January 2023, National

With January 2023, FAIR Health's Monthly Telehealth Regional Tracker enters its fourth year of reporting on the evolution of telehealth from month to month. As before, a free, interactive map of the US census regions allows the user to view an infographic on telehealth in a specific month in the nation as a whole or in individual regions.

This fourth year brings notable changes to the Telehealth Tracker. In the first year, to study the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on telehealth, each month in 2020 was compared to the corresponding month in 2019. In the second year, the focus turned to monthly rather than year-over-year changes. The third year added new features, such as the Telehealth Cost Corner, which presents a specific telehealth procedure code with its median charge amount and median allowed amount.2 The Telehealth Cost Corner continues in the fourth year, as do the top five telehealth diagnoses and the percent change in telehealth's percentage of medical claim lines. New features include audio-only telehealth usage (urban versus rural) and the top five diagnoses via asynchronous telehealth.

Audio-Only Telehealth Usage

From December 2022 to January 2023, audio-only telehealth utilization decreased nationally and in every region. The largest decrease occurred in the South, where audio-only telehealth utilization fell 16.6 percent in rural areas, from 7.2 percent of telehealth claim lines in December to 6.0 percent in January, while falling 12.8 percent in urban areas, from 12.2 percent of telehealth claim lines in December to 10.6 percent in January. Utilization of audio-only telehealth services was generally higher in rural than urban areas, except in the South, where it was higher in urban areas, and in January in the West, where rural and urban usage were approximately equal at 3.0 percent of telehealth claim lines.

Asynchronous Telehealth

In January 2023, the number one diagnosis made via asynchronous telehealthtelehealth in which data are stored and forwarded (e.g., blood pressure or other cardiac-related readings transmitted electronically; A1c levels transmitted)varied across regions. Nationally and in the South, it was acute respiratory diseases and infections. In the Northeast and Midwest, it was mental health conditions. In the West, it was encounter for screening.

Hypertension ranked second among the top five diagnoses via asynchronous telehealth nationally and in all regions except the South, where it ranked fourth.

Diagnoses

From December 2022 to January 2023, among the top five telehealth diagnoses nationally, developmental disorders and joint/soft tissue diseases and issues switched positions, with the former rising from fifth to fourth place and the latter falling from fourth to fifth place.

In January, COVID-19, which had ranked third among the top five telehealth diagnoses nationally and in every region in December, fell out of the top five in the Midwest and the West and dropped to fourth place in the South. COVID-19 remained in third place nationally and in the Northeast.

Costs

For January 2023, the Telehealth Cost Corner spotlighted the cost of CPT3 90834, 45-minute psychotherapy. Nationally, the median charge amount for this service when rendered via telehealth was $151.44, and the median allowed amount was $95.02.

FAIR Health President Robin Gelburd stated: "As the Monthly Telehealth Regional Tracker enters its fourth year, FAIR Health has again modified it to keep pace with the changing needs of stakeholders for current information about this venue of care. We look forward to another year of tracking the evolution of telehealth."

For the Monthly Telehealth Regional Tracker, click here.

Follow us on Twitter @FAIRHealth

About FAIR Health

FAIR Health is a national, independent nonprofit organization that qualifies as a public charity under section 501(c)(3) of the federal tax code. It is dedicated to bringing transparency to healthcare costs and health insurance information through data products, consumer resources and health systems research support. FAIR Health possesses the nation's largest collection of private healthcare claims data, which includes over 40 billion claim records and is growing at a rate of over 2 billion claim records a year. FAIR Health licenses its privately billed data and data productsincluding benchmark modules, data visualizations, custom analytics and market indicesto commercial insurers and self-insurers, employers, providers, hospitals and healthcare systems, government agencies, researchers and others. Certified by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) as a national Qualified Entity, FAIR Health also receives data representing the experience of all individuals enrolled in traditional Medicare Parts A, B and D; FAIR Health includes among the private claims data in its database, data on Medicare Advantage enrollees. FAIR Health can produce insightful analytic reports and data products based on combined Medicare and commercial claims data for government, providers, payors and other authorized users. FAIR Health's systems for processing and storing protected health information have earned HITRUST CSF certification and achieved AICPA SOC 2 Type 2 compliance by meeting the rigorous data security requirements of these standards. As a testament to the reliability and objectivity of FAIR Health data, the data have been incorporated in statutes and regulations around the country and designated as the official, neutral data source for a variety of state health programs, including workers' compensation and personal injury protection (PIP) programs. FAIR Health data serve as an official reference point in support of certain state balance billing laws that protect consumers against bills for surprise out-of-network and emergency services. FAIR Health also uses its database to power a free consumer website available in English and Spanish, which enables consumers to estimate and plan for their healthcare expenditures and offers a rich educational platform on health insurance. An English/Spanish mobile app offers the same educational platform in a concise format and links to the cost estimation tools. The website has been honored by the White House Summit on Smart Disclosure, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), URAC, the eHealthcare Leadership Awards, appPicker, Employee Benefit News and Kiplinger's Personal Finance. FAIR Health also is named a top resource for patients in Dr. Marty Makary's book The Price We Pay: What Broke American Health Careand How to Fix It and Dr. Elisabeth Rosenthal's book An American Sickness: How Healthcare Became Big Business and How You Can Take It Back. For more information on FAIR Health, visit fairhealth.org.

1 A claim line is an individual service or procedure listed on an insurance claim.

2 A charge amount is the provider's undiscounted fee, which a patient may have to pay when the patient is uninsured, or when the patient chooses to go to a provider who does not belong to the patient's plan's network. An allowed amount is the total fee paid to the provider under an insurance plan. It includes the amount that the health plan pays and the part the patient pays under the plan's in-network cost-sharing provisions (e.g., copay or coinsurance if the patient has met the deductible).

3 CPT  2022 American Medical Association (AMA). All rights reserved.

Contact:

Rachel Kent

Senior Director of Marketing

FAIR Health

646-396-0795

[email protected]

SOURCE FAIR Health
As a 100% employee-owned company, PCL's culture of ownership continues to be a formula of success for its employees and clients.

DENVER, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - PCL Construction has been recognized by Great Place To Work and Fortune magazine as one of the 2023 Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For. This is PCL's fourteenth time being named to this prestigious list, this year coming in at No. 90. Earning a spot means that PCL has surpassed rigorous benchmarks, establishing itself as one of the best places to work in the country.

PCL Construction Places on the 2023 Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For List (CNW Group/PCL Construction)

"It's an honor to make the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For list this year, especially as the only commercial construction company, "said Deron Brown, president and chief operating officer, U.S. operations. "We are a people-first business, and this ranking truly reflects PCL's commitment to not just building a better future, but building our people and investing in the communities we work in."

As a 100% employee-owned company, PCL employees believe the ownership business model is a major contributing factor to being one of the best companies to work for.

"We have a diverse and broadly held employee ownership model that positively reflects employee confidence in the organization, and drives accountability to our communities, clients and to our core values," said Brown. "PCL's values are the foundation that holds us to the highest standards of corporate social responsibility with an uncompromising commitment to diversity, inclusion, sustainability and innovation."

To determine the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For, Great Place To Work analyzed the anonymous survey responses of more than half a million employees from Great Place To Work Certified companies with at least 1,000 workers. Companies also submitted essays describing their efforts to offer generous and innovative support for workers, which were validated against employee survey responses.

"To say I am proud to work for one of the top 100 companies in the U.S. would be an understatement," said Tiffany Whipple, PCL senior project manager. "I believe that our culture of camaraderie sets us apart. We are a company committed to building better communities."

Making the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For list is highly competitive. Survey responses reflect a comprehensive picture of the workplace experience. Honorees were selected based on their ability to offer positive outcomes for employees regardless of job role, race, gender, sexual orientation, work status, or other demographic identifiers.

"It's in times like these that the best workplaces separate themselves," says Michael C. Bush, CEO of Great Place To Work. "In a challenging economy, many companies reduce investments in their people and scale back goals for diversity, equity, and inclusion. But these companies, the 100 Best, relentlessly pursue a better work experience for every employee, and if anything, double down on the employee experience regardless of title, tenure, gender, or ethnicity. These companies know this is how you increase performance, productivity, and your innovation velocity when your firm needs it the most," says Bush.

About PCL Construction

PCL is a group of independent construction companies that carries out work across the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, and in Australia. These diverse operations in the civil infrastructure, heavy industrial, and buildings markets are supported by a strategic presence in more than 30 major centers. Together, these companies have an annual construction volume of more than $6 billion USD, making PCL one of the largest contracting organizations in North America. Watch us build at www.pcl.com.

About the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For

Great Place To Work selected the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For list by analyzing survey responses of over half a million employees who work for Great Place To Work Certified companies with at least 1,000 workers. The survey contained 60 employee experience questions that make up the Great Place To Work Trust Index. Companies also submitted essays about their workplace benefits and employee support programs, which were validated against employee survey data. Great Place To Work determines its lists using its proprietary For All Methodology to evaluate and certify thousands of organizations in America's largest ongoing annual workforce study. Read the full methodology.

To get on this list next year, start here.

About Great Place To Work

Great Place To Work is the global authority on workplace culture. Since 1992, we have surveyed more than 100 million employees worldwide and used those deep insights to define what makes a great workplace: trust. Our employee survey platform empowers leaders with the feedback, real-time reporting, and insights they need to make data-driven people decisions. Everything we do is driven by the mission to build a better world by helping every organization become a great place to work for all.

Learn more at greatplacetowork.com and on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

About Fortune

The Fortune mission is to change the world by making business better. We achieve that by providing trusted information, telling great stories, and building world-class communities. We measure performance by rigorous benchmarks. And we hold companies accountable. Our goal is to make Fortune a force for good through its second century and beyond. For more information, visit www.fortune.com.

From Fortune. 2023 Fortune Media IP Limited All rights reserved. Fortune and Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For are registered trademarks of Fortune Media IP Limited and are used under license. Fortune and Fortune Media IP Limited are not affiliated with, and do not endorse products or services of, (PCL Construction).

SOURCE PCL Construction
The increase in demand for high-speed data transmission in military sector, increase in the development of private LTE networks, and the necessity for secured and high-speed optical communications drive the growth of the global free space optic communication market.

PORTLAND, Ore., April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Allied Market Research published a report, titled, "Free Space Optic Communication Market by Platform (Space, Airborne, Ground), by Component (Transmitter, Transceiver, Receiver, Others), by Application (Mobile Backhaul, Disaster Recovery, Enterprise Connectivity, Defense, Satellite, Others): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2021-2031". According to the report, the global free space optic communication industry generated $347.5 million in 2021, and is anticipated to generate $4.8 billion by 2031, witnessing a CAGR of 31.3% from 2022 to 2031.

Request PDF Brochure: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/8442

Prime Determinants of Growth

The increase in demand for high-speed data transmission in military sector, increase in the development of private LTE networks, and the necessity for secured and high-speed optical communications drive the growth of the global free space optic communication market. Moreover, the widespread rise in adoption of 5G technology presents new opportunities in the coming years.

Covid-19 Scenario

The outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic had a negative impact on the global free space optic communication market, especially in the initial period of lockdown.

With governments of several nations imposing and extending lockdowns, production and manufacturing facilities across the globe had been shut down, leading to crisis and unavailability of workforce.

Furthermore, the outbreak of the pandemic caused severe disruptions in the global supply chain, thereby creating a significant gap in the supply chain. The economic impact of the pandemic had been disruptive. Key players operating in the free space optic communication industry temporarily witnessed a slowdown, owing to lack of availability of raw materials.

However, the market started recovering from 2021 and will remain in the growth stage during the forecast period.

The Ground Segment to Maintain its Leadership Status Throughout the Forecast Period

Based on platform, the ground segment held the highest market share in 2021, accounting for more than two-fifths of the global free space optic communication market, and is estimated to maintain its leadership status throughout the forecast period. Free space optic technology plays a vital role in establishing communication links between ground platforms, including buildings, towers, and other fixed structures. FSO communication provides high-speed, secure, and reliable communication links between different ground platforms, enabling data transmission, video streaming, and other applications. However, the space segment is projected to manifest the highest CAGR of 32.49% from 2022 to 2031. Free space optic communication can be used for communication links between space platforms, such as space stations, space habitats, and other space structures. In space communication, free space optic technology can provide an alternative to traditional radio frequency (RF) communication, which has limitations in terms of bandwidth, power consumption, and interference.

The Transceiver Segment to Maintain its Leadership Status Throughout the Forecast Period

Based on component, the transceiver segment held the highest market share in 2021, accounting for nearly half of the global free space optic communication market, and is estimated to maintain its leadership status throughout the forecast period. The performance of the transceiver is critical to the overall performance of the free space optic communication system. Thus, major players are investing heavily in developing advanced transceivers to gain a competitive advantage in the market. However, the receiver segment is projected to manifest the highest CAGR of 32.52% from 2022 to 2031. The receiver plays a significant role in free optic communication technology and the performance of the receiver is critical to the overall performance of the free space optic communication system.

Procure Complete Report (235 Pages PDF with Insights, Charts, Tables, and Figures): https://bit.ly/3m5ACwV

North America to Maintain its Dominance by 2031

Based on region, North America held the highest market share in terms of revenue in 2021, accounting for nearly two-fifths of the global free space optic communication market, and is likely to dominate the market during the forecast period. This region is expected to witness the fastest CAGR of 32.86% from 2022 to 2031. Key players operating in this region have been adopting various strategies to provide advanced solutions, which is expected to fuel market growth. North America offers suitable infrastructure, owing to the availability of prime vendors across the countries such as the U.S. and Canada, resulting in surge in demand for smart infrastructure solutions in this region.

Leading Market Players: -

ViaSat, Inc.,

Mynaric,

Axiom Optics,

Wireless Excellence Limited,

Plaintree Systems Inc.,

QinetiQ Group plc,

Mostcom JSC,

FSONA Networks Corporation,

Collinear,

EC System

The report provides a detailed analysis of these key players of the global free space optic communication market. These players have adopted different strategies such as new product launches, collaborations, expansion, joint ventures, agreements, and others to increase their market share and maintain dominant shares in different regions. The report is valuable in highlighting business performance, operating segments, product portfolio, and strategic moves of market players to showcase the competitive scenario.

Want to Access the Statistical Data and Graphs, Key Players' Strategies: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/free-space-optic-communication-market/purchase-options

Key Benefits For Stakeholders:

This report provides a quantitative analysis of the market segments, current trends, estimations, and dynamics of the free space optic communication market analysis and free space optic communication market outlook from 2021 to 2031 to identify the prevailing market opportunity.

The market research is offered along with information related to key drivers, restraints, and opportunities.

Porter's five forces analysis highlights the potency of buyers and suppliers to enable stakeholders make profit-oriented business decisions and strengthen their supplier-buyer network.

In-depth analysis of the market segmentation assists to determine the prevailing market opportunities.

Major countries in each region are mapped according to their revenue contribution to the global market.

Market player positioning facilitates benchmarking and provides a clear understanding of the present position of the market players.

The report includes the analysis of the regional as well as global free space optic communication market trends, key players, market segments, application areas, and market growth strategies.

Free Space Optic Communication Market Key Segments:

Platform

 Space

 Airborne

 Ground

Component

 Transmitter

 Transceiver

 Receiver

 Others

Application

 Mobile Backhaul

 Disaster Recovery

 Enterprise Connectivity

 Defense

 Satellite

 Others

By Region

North America (U.S., Canada , Mexico )

(U.S., , ) Europe (UK, Germany , France , Rest of Europe )

(UK, , , Rest of ) Asia-Pacific ( China , Japan , India , South Korea , Rest of Asia-Pacific )

( , , , , Rest of ) LAMEA ( Latin America , Middle East , Africa )

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The Studio 54-Themed Night Provided a Chance to Raise Funds for Cancer Research and Hear from Researchers and Patients Whose Lives Have Been Directly Impacted by Gateway for Cancer Research's Work

PHOENIX, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Gateway for Cancer Researcha nonprofit 501c(3) organization committed to funding innovative cancer research that helps people living with cancer to feel better and live longer as we work to end cancer as we know itraised more than $3 million at the 2023 Gateway Celebrity Fight Night. This year's event featured a Studio 54 theme and was held on Saturday, April 1 at the JW Marriott Resort and Spa Desert Ridge in Phoenix, Arizona.

Photo Credit Bob Davis (PRNewsfoto/Gateway for Cancer Research)

The event drew actors, entertainers, athletes, philanthropists, researchers, and leading medical professionals from around the country to raise funds for Phase I and Phase II cancer trials, the types of clinical studies at high risk of going unfunded. 100% of event proceeds will directly fund these early phase clinical cancer research, which often mark the first-in-human studies of promising new cancer drugs, devices, and therapies

The gala was hosted and emceed by 16-time Grammy Award winning producer David Foster, who has served as the event's musical director for 22 years, and included performances from Earth, Wind & Fire; Nile Rodgers & CHIC; Taylor Dayne; Thelma Houston; The Sugarhill Gang; Katharine McPhee; and neon and LED dance troupe Light Balance.

Guests were also presented with the incredible stories of Beth Savage and Doug Hull, two patients directly impacted by Gateway's clinical trials. Savage, herself a 40-year nursing veteran, was onsite to discuss her amazing journey, from a Stage 4 pancreatic cancer diagnosiswhich she described as "a death sentence"to meeting Sameek Roychowdhury, MD, chair of the Research and Grants Peer Review Committee for Gateway for Cancer Research, who fought on her behalf to enroll her in his ongoing trial at Ohio State University. Mr. Hull's story was shared by two of his sons, who traveled to Phoenix to share a similar story of how Dr. Roychowdhury's trialthis one a Gateway-funded telemedicine trial for remote blood monitoring of FGFR, of particular importance in early 2021, when Mr. Hull received his diagnosis and COVID was still far from under controlwas a true game-changer for their father.

"Gateway Celebrity Fight Night is a truly one-of-a-kind event, an incredible combination of generosity, celebration, and a thrilling expression of the fighting spirit that we hope to inspire in our donors, researchers, and the patients whose lives we touch," said Dr. Stacie J. Stephenson, Vice Chair at Gateway for Cancer Research and Gateway Celebrity Fight Night. "I'm honored and humbled by the turnout that we've seen here tonight, and excited to see the groundbreaking research that we're able to fund after tonight's incredible showing."

Founded in 1991, Gateway for Cancer Research is guided by one clear vision: to shape a world in which a cancer diagnosis is no longer feared. The organization enlists a generous philanthropic community in the quest to end cancer as we know it, and as of 2023, has invested more than $100 million to fund over 200 clinical cancer trials at esteemed research institutions around the world, delivering hope and healing to more than 10,000 cancer patients. Gateway's commitment to investing in clinical trials for even the rarest of cancers has led to lifesaving, practice-changing discoveries and contributed to new FDA-approved therapies for both rare and common cancers.

"Gateway for Cancer Research is a deeply personal organization to me," said Founder Richard J Stephenson. "I founded it after witnessing my mother's own struggle with not only cancer, but the lack of options that were offered to prolong her life. When she passed, I swore that I would do everything in my power to prevent other patients and their families from experiencing that anguish. To hear directly from those whose lives we've changed with this organization over the past thirty years is one of the great honors of my life."

The black-tie event featured a cocktail reception, silent auction, elegant dinner and exciting live auction including one-of-a-kind luxury items. For more information about Gateway for Cancer Research, visit https://www.gatewaycr.org.

About Gateway for Cancer Research

Gateway for Cancer Research is a nonprofit 501c(3) organization committed to funding innovative cancer research that helps people living with cancer to feel better and live longer as we work to end cancer as we know it. Thanks to generous underwriting, 100% of every dollar Gateway receives directly funds Phase I and Phase II cancer clinical trials at leading research institutions around the world. Since its inception in 1991, Gateway has invested more than $100 million to support over 200 cancer clinical trials. These studies have delivered hope and healing to more than 10,000 cancer patients, altered the standard of care at some of the world's most trusted health care institutions, and contributed to new FDA-approved cancer treatments and therapies. Get involved today by visiting GatewayCR.org, like us on Facebook at facebook.com/GatewayforCR, and join the conversation on Twitter at @GatewayforCR and Instagram at @GatewayforCR, #BeAGateway

Media Contact: Tony Forde

[email protected]

212-886-6707

SOURCE Gateway for Cancer Research
HOUSTON, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Genesis Park, through its investment fund, GP Capital Partners, LP, is pleased to announce its recent investment in Westco Grounds Maintenance ("Westco" or the "Company") to support Westco's addition of Champions Hydro-Lawn ("Champions") to its platform. Champions and Westco together now serve over 500 commercial and municipal customers across the greater Houston market with maintenance, enhancement, rehabilitation, and erosion control work with over 450 dedicated personnel. This combination further strengthens the organization's strategy to create a leader providing similar services in the central Texas market. Genesis Park provided a debt and equity investment alongside Evolution Strategy Partners, Gemini Investors, Enterprise Bank & Trust, company management, and other investors to support the transaction.

Champions, founded in 1976, is the leading commercial erosion control and turf establishment specialist serving Municipal Utility Districts ("MUDs") and commercial developers in the greater-Houston market. Champions offers a full range of services including: mowing, handwork, overseeding, fertilization, irrigation, rehabilitation, storm water pipe replacement and other essential services for MUDs, HOAs, municipalities, corporate properties, and other commercial clients.

Westco's addition of Champions is a continuation of its strategy to create a leading commercial and municipal landscape service and maintenance provider in the Texas market. An increasing focus on beautification of public spaces, business parks, and neighborhoods is driving demand for commercial landscape maintenance and expertise. Through this combination with Champions, Westco is a market leader, well positioned to meet this growing need.

Gina Luna, Managing Partner of Genesis Park said, "The combination of Westco and Champions creates one of the largest commercial landscaping companies in the Greater Houston area. Both companies have 30+ years of experience in the industry with deep customer relationships and reputations built on providing the highest quality of service and professionalism to their clients. We are thrilled to partner with an experienced investor group and management team to support the Company through this next phase of growth."

About Genesis Park

Genesis Park is a Houston-based private credit and equity investment firm. Its current investment fund, GP Capital Partners, LP, is licensed as a Small Business Investment Company ("SBIC") by the U.S. Small Business Administration. Genesis Park supports growth and later stage lower middle market businesses through flexible debt and equity capital solutions and strategic guidance. Genesis Park generally targets companies with at least $10 million of revenue and $2 million of EBITDA, with proven business models and seasoned management teams. Managed by four experienced investment professionals with broad regional relationships, Genesis Park is committed to partnering with the companies and management teams in which it invests to facilitate growth, transition, and success. For more information, visit www.genesis-park.com.

About Westco Grounds Maintenance

Founded in 1987 and based in Houston, TX, Westco has grown into one of Houston's largest commercial landscape service providers. Westco has more than 450 professionals installing landscaping and irrigation systems and providing maintenance and emergency services on spec, on budget and on time for over 500 MUDs, HOAs, business parks, municipal parks and leading corporate campuses like Exxon. For more information, visit www.westcogrounds.com.

SOURCE Genesis Park
DUBLIN, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) Services in Aerospace and Defense Market - A Global and Regional Analysis- Focus on Type, End User, and Country - Analysis and Forecast, 2023-2033" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global non-destructive testing services in aerospace and defense market is estimated to reach $1,817.2 million in 2033 from $1,294.9 million in 2022, at a CAGR of 3.34% during the forecast period 2023-2033.

The non-destructive testing services providers have witnessed the demand from space agencies, defense, and growing commercial industry.

The non-destructive testing (NDT) has been critical in the aerospace and defense industry and is currently at a mature stage, having consistent and stable demand. The use of NDT in the aerospace and defense industry has a history that starts from Second World War and has a significant role in conducting the Second World War. Visual testing was used to a great extent to determine the surface anomalies to detect surface imperfections.

Additionally, in recent years, non-destructive testing has included various methods such as ultrasonic testing, eddy current testing, magnetic particle inspection, radiographic inspection, and others. These testing methods are being used to detect surface, sub-surface, and internal defects in components used in the aerospace and defense industry.

Furthermore, the NDT market has opportunities for more growth due to technological advancements such as artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) for higher accuracy and efficient inspection.

Additionally, the requirement for aircraft maintenance and inspections to maintain high quality and safety standards is driving the demand for NDT services growth. The space industry is also experiencing significant growth with a rise in activities such as the large deployment of satellite constellations, which needs NDT services to qualify space-grade components.

Some of the major players with a global presence providing NDT services in the aerospace and defense industry are Zetec, Inc., Acuren, MISTRAS Group, Waygate Technologies, and FORCE Technology.

Industry Impacts

The global non-destructive testing services in aerospace and defense market is observing demand from end users such as the aviation and defense industry. The space industry is also growing, which will experience significant demand during the forecast period 2023-2033. The major challenge faced in the non-destructive testing market is the increasing size of components that impose difficulty on the majority of the NDT equipment available in the market.

Furthermore, in the upcoming years, the deployment of satellite constellations, along with other rising space activities, will witness an increase in demand for NDT. The space and aviation industry is using advanced materials such as composites for the manufacturing of the components that require advanced NDT.

Thus, advanced NDT methods such as computed tomography are being used for the inspections. Additionally, the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) in the NDT further increases the testing speed and quality.

Analyst Perspective

Ultrasonics, eddy current, and radiographic testing are the prominent testing methods within the A&D domain. While radiography continues to grow in utilization, magnetic particle and penetrant testing methods of non-destructive testing are also gaining traction.

Increasing automation in manufacturing and deployment of technologies such as additive manufacturing will continue to drive the uptake of non-destructive testing solutions.

Further efforts toward capacity planning across the value chain will also drive the investment in non-destructive testing. Digitalization and associated ICT capability-based enhancements will enhance the growth in this market.

How can this report add value to an organization?

The non-destructive testing services market has seen major development by key players operating in the market, such as business expansion activities, contracts, mergers, partnerships, collaborations, and joint ventures. The favored strategy for the companies has been acquisitions and contracts to strengthen their position in the global non-destructive testing services in aerospace and defense market.

For instance, in September 2022, Element Materials Technology acquired North America-based National Technical Systems (NTS), an inspection and testing services provider that serves aerospace and defense industries. The acquisition would enhance the company's ability to serve more customers through combined operations and financial resources.

Key players in the global non-destructive testing (NDT) services in aerospace and defense market analyzed and profiled in the study involve non-destructive testing service providers. Moreover, a detailed competitive benchmarking of the players operating in the global non-destructive testing (NDT) services in aerospace and defense market has been done to help the reader understand how players stack against each other, presenting a clear market landscape.

Additionally, comprehensive competitive strategies such as contracts, partnerships, agreements, acquisitions, and collaborations will aid the reader in understanding the untapped revenue pockets in the market.

Key Market Players and Competition Synopsis

The companies that are profiled have been selected based on inputs gathered from primary experts and analysis of the company's coverage, product portfolio, and market penetration.

The top segment players leading the market include established players of non-destructive testing (NDT) services that constitute 76% of the presence in the market. Other players include small entities that account for approximately 24% of the presence in the market.

North America is expected to dominate the global non-destructive testing (NDT) services in aerospace and defense market during the forecast period. The factor attributing to the growth of this region is the high presence of the key companies highly engaged in developing and demonstrating non-destructive testing (NDT) service capabilities in the region.

Recent Developments in Global Non-Destructive Testing Services in Aerospace and Defense Market

In November 2022 , Applus Services, S.A. signed a cooperative agreement with sentin GmbH, a Germany -based software company, to enhance testing with artificial intelligence (AI). The company would integrate AI with its inspection and work with sentin GmbH in the area of image recognition and evaluation.

, Applus Services, S.A. signed a cooperative agreement with sentin GmbH, a -based software company, to enhance testing with artificial intelligence (AI). The company would integrate AI with its inspection and work with sentin GmbH in the area of image recognition and evaluation. In September 2022 , TWI Ltd. signed a memorandum of understanding with Cutech, a Singapore -based inspection services provider, to collaborate and work on advanced inspection services. The Cutech has a global presence in Saudi Arabia , the U.A.E., India , Indonesia , and Malaysia and provides non-destructive testing services to defense, oil and gas, and petrochemical industries. The partnership of both companies would utilize their inspection expertise and develop new advanced NDT solutions.

Business Dynamics

Business Drivers

Easy Integration with the Manufacturing Process

Increase in Demand to Maintain High Standards

Business Challenges

Limitations in Testing Large and Complex Structures

Unskilled Labor for the NDT Industry 4.0

Business Strategies

New Product Launches

Corporate Strategies

Partnerships, Collaborations, Agreements, and Contracts

Mergers and Acquisitions

Business Opportunities

Upcoming Demand for Satellite Constellation to Cater NewSpace Ecosystem

Technological Advancements in NDT Inspections

Industry Outlook

Non-Destructive Testing Services in Aerospace and Defense: Overview

Non-Destructive Testing Services in Aerospace Manufacturing and Maintenance

Aviation

Space

Non-Destructive Testing Services in Defense Manufacturing and Maintenance

Evolving Technological Trends and Disruptions in Non-destructive Testing

Computed Tomography (CT) for 3D Reconstruction of the Test Parts

Integration of IoT and Cloud-Based Services

Drone-Based Enabled NDT Inspection

Evolving End-User Requirements for Non-Destructive Testing

Key Companies Profiled

Acuren

Applus Services, S.A.

CvdTek, Inc

Element Materials Technology

FORCE Technology

Intertek Group plc

Lynx Inspection Inc.

L3Harris Technologies, Inc.

Magnetic Inspection Laboratory, Inc.

MISTRAS Group

QC Laboratories, Inc.

SGS Societe Generale de Surveillance SA

TEAM Inc.

Testia

TWI Ltd.

Waygate Technologies

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DUBLIN, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Bioreactors and Fermenters Market: Distribution by Type of Product, Fabrication Material, Type of Bioprocess, Type of Biologics, and Key Geographical Regions: Industry Trends and Global Forecasts, 2023-2035" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

This report features an extensive study of the current market landscape and the likely future potential of the global bioreactors and fermenters market, over the next 12 years. It highlights the efforts of various stakeholders engaged in this rapidly emerging segment of the bioprocess equipment industry.

Since their introduction in 1982, biologics have gained popularity owing to their therapeutic efficacy, favorable safety profiles and ability to treat a wide variety of disease indications, which are otherwise hard to treat. In fact, in the past two decades, over 170 biopharmaceuticals have already been granted approval by the FDA and over 7,500 biological interventions are under evaluation in clinical trials.

It is a well-known fact that the commercial and clinical-scale manufacturing of such complex biomolecules require highly specialized bioprocessing equipment to facilitate the maintenance of ideal conditions, such as optimal temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, fluid delivery, and other critical process parameters that are essential for steady cell growth. Bioreactors are capable of providing such optimal conditions and are critical to the upstream biomanufacturing process.

These systems are designed to increase the concentration of viable cells, thereby enabling the production of large amounts of recombinant proteins, such as vaccines, fusion proteins, antibodies and enzymes.

Apart from producing conventional therapeutic proteins, bioreactors can also be used to produce advanced medicinal products (ATMPs), namely cell-based and oligonucleotide-based therapies, retroviral vectors for gene therapy and cellular components of three-dimensional tissue / artificial organs. In contrast to bioreactors, fermenters are used for the anaerobic cultivation of microbial (fungal or bacterial) cell populations to produce biologics that do not require significant post translational modifications.

It is worth highlighting that the use of fermenters for the manufacturing of bioproducts provides faster development, higher yields and quality, reduced variation between batches, better scalability, and lower production costs, in comparison to the biomanufacturing carried out in bioreactors.

Growing Demand for Bioreactors and Fermenters

Over the past 25 years, there has been a steady increase in the sales of biologics, growing at a rate of 12-14% annually. In order cater to this growing demand, over 1,500 commercial scale biomanufacturing and contract manufacturing organization (CMO) facilities, equipped with bioreactors and / or fermenters have been established, globally.

Further, during the COVID-19 pandemic, several companies enhanced their vaccine production capabilities (through capacity expansion / technology upgradation), resulting in a surge in the sales of bioreactors.

Moreover, the transition in the industry from high-volume biologics towards innovative specialized biologics, particularly those focused on treating rare conditions, has created a requirement for flexible manufacturing systems.

Consequently, there is an increasing demand for a diverse range of bioreactor systems (in term of design and mechanism of action), which includes disposable (single-use), stirred-tank, mini / micro, air lift, rocker, perfusion, wave bed, bubble column, fixed-bed, fluidized bed, membrane, packed bed, fibrous bed and photobioreactors. All these developments represent an additional avenue for revenue generation in this growing market.

Role of Bioprocess Equipment Manufacturers

The design aspect of both bioreactors and fermenters, operational across different types of bioprocesses (batch, fed batch and continuous), is a complex engineering task, requiring extensive understanding of cell growth, metabolism, genetic manipulation, and product expression.

As a result, industry and non-industry players producing biomolecules / cellular therapies, are relying on original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) that produce different components of bioreactors, and / or engineering, procurement, and construction (EPCs) companies that integrate all the equipment designed by OEM engineers into a complete performing system.

Manufacturers that are able to offer their clients modern equipment and infrastructure upgrades, effective life cycle management for their products, responsive customer service, expert troubleshooting of equipment issues, and annual maintenance contract to ensure efficient functioning of installed bioreactors without disruption, are the preferred partners.

Current Market Landscape of Bioreactors and Fermenters

The global bioreactors and fermenters market landscape features more than 255 companies, which claim to possess the necessary technical expertise for manufacturing high-quality bioreactors and fermenters, in order to serve the biotechnology and biopharmaceutical industry. The market is currently dominated by small companies (1-50 employees), which represent 56% of the total number of players.

Based on the requirement, bioreactors are produced using different fabrication materials, such as stainless steel, glass, and plastic, and are available in varying dimensions and volumes, ranging from micro-mini (less than 1 mL and 1 to 10 mL) to large-scale (more than 10,000 L). It is interesting to highlight that companies manufacturing miniature and small-scale bioreactors represent nearly 30% of the total players in this market.

These bioreactor models are essential for conducting high-throughput experimental studies related to media development, strain improvement or process optimization. Further, recent developments in this domain indicate that majority of the bioreactor manufacturers have switched to advanced bioprocessing technology by integrating the automatic mode of operation.

Key Challenges in the Bioreactors and Fermenters Market

Although disposable (single-use) bioreactors and fermenters have gained popularity due to their advantages, such as lower water and energy consumption (by approximately 45%), reduced initial investment costs (by 40%), and faster processing times for biologics (by 33%), they pose a risk of leachables and extractables (L&E).

These bioreactors are constructed using plastic materials that can release organic or inorganic chemicals into liquid pharmaceutical products, potentially jeopardizing the safety of the drug and the well-being of the patient. The need for frequent purchases, variable costs per run, recurrent plastic disposal, and restricted capacity are some other potential bottlenecks restricting the widespread use of disposable (single-use) bioreactors.

While bioreactor manufacturers are striving to tackle these challenges through innovation in design and manufacturing methods, the increasing costs of procuring raw materials and ensuring that they align with the customers' budget, still remain a pressing concern.

Market Size of the Global Bioreactors and Fermenters Market

Driven by the rising demand for novel biopharmaceuticals, high adoption rates of precision medicine and regenerative medicine, along with advancement in bioprocessing technologies, the bioreactors and fermenters market is anticipated to witness a noteworthy growth in the foreseen future.

Specifically, in terms of types of biologics, the market is anticipated to be driven by the high demand for manufacturing different antibody formats, including monoclonal and bispecific antibodies. Currently, majority of the revenues are generated from the sales of bioreactors that operate in batch and fed-batch modes; however, in the near future, market for bioreactors that operate in continuous mode is anticipated to grow at a relatively higher rate.

Key Emerging Trends in Bioreactors and Fermenters Market

The bioreactors and fermenters market is witnessing the adoption of bioprocessing 4.0 solutions that leverage machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) for real-time process monitoring.

For instance, a US based company, Culture Biosciences, has designed an integrated bioreactor platform to design, monitor and analyze experiments, remotely via the cloud. The industry is also embracing advanced modular bioreactors that can be configured sequentially or in parallel.

Further, the integration of controllers and automated systems is another technological advancement, that not only ensures that the processes continue to run within precise limits but also make the necessary adjustments, while minimizing the risk of human errors.

Key Players Engaged in Manufacturing Bioreactors and Fermenters

The key players engaged in this domain (which have also been captured in this report) include Applikon Biotechnology, Bionet, Cytiva, Eppendorf, Merck, Ollital Technology, Parr Instrument Company, Sartorius, Shanghai Bailun Biological Technology, Solaris Biotech, Solida Biotech and Zhengzhou Laboao Instrument Equipment (LABAO).

Frequently Asked Questions

Question 1: What is the global market size of bioreactors and fermenters?

Answer: The current global bioreactors and fermenters market size is anticipated to be over USD 25 billion.

Question 2: Which are the top players in the global bioreactors and fermenters market?

Answer: Presently, more than 255 companies are engaged in manufacturing bioreactors and fermenters, worldwide. The top players engaged in this domain (which have also been captured in this report) include Applikon Biotechnology, Bionet, Cytiva, Eppendorf, Merck, Ollital Technology, Parr Instrument Company, Sartorius, Shanghai Bailun Biological Technology, Solaris Biotech, Solida Biotech and Zhengzhou Laboao Instrument Equipment (LABAO).

Question 3: What are the factors driving the global bioreactors and fermenters market?

Answer: The factors driving the global bioreactors and fermenters market include advancement in bioprocessing technologies, and the surge in demand for novel biopharmaceuticals, such as precision and regenerative medicine.

Question 4: Which region has the highest market share in global bioreactors and fermenters market?

Answer: North America and Europe capture around 60% share in the current global bioreactors and fermenters market, followed by Asia-Pacific. It is worth mentioning that, within Asia-Pacific, majority of the market share is contributed by China and India.

Question 5: What are the leading market segments in global bioreactors and fermenters market?

Answer: Currently, in terms of fabrication material, stainless steel bioreactors / fermenters capture the largest share of this market. However, single-use bioreactors / fermenters are likely to witness higher annual growth rates in the upcoming years, owing to their smaller footprint, cost efficiency and increased productivity. Further, in terms of type of biologic, cell culture systems used for the production of antibodies are anticipated to capture a prominent share of the current and future market.

Question 6: Which segment, in terms of bioreactor / fermenter capacity, accounts for the largest share in the global bioreactors and fermenters market?

Answer: The capacity of the bioreactors varies, ranging from a few milliliters to several liters, contingent upon the specific design and operational mode employed across diverse bioprocesses. At present, the global bioreactors and fermenters market is dominated by laboratory-scale bioreactors / fermenters. This category considers bioreactors / fermenters in the volume range of 1 L to 299 L. This is followed by pilot-scale bioreactors (300 L to 10,000 L) and bench-scale bioreactors (101 mL to 999 mL).

Question 7: What is the growth rate (CAGR) in the global bioreactors and fermenters market?

Answer: The global bioreactors and fermenters market size is projected to grow at a CAGR of ~12% in the coming years.

Question 8: What are the upcoming trends in the global bioreactors and fermenters market?

Answer: The industry is presently witnessing the rising adoption of bioprocessing 4.0 solutions leveraging AI and ML for real-time process monitoring. Further, in order to ensure that the bioprocess runs within the precise limits, several players have integrated automated bioprocess controllers that offer various additional benefits, such as lowering of production and labor cost (by 20-30%), optimizing the energy consumption (by 5-30%) and increasing the overall productivity (by 10-20%).

Key Topics Covered:

1. PREFACE

2. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

3. INTRODUCTION

4. BIOREACTOR AND FERMENTER MANUFACTURERS: MARKET LANDSCAPE

5. COMPANY COMPETITIVENESS ANALYSIS

6. COMPANY PROFILES

6.1. Chapter Overview

6.2. Applikon Biotechnology (acquired by Getinge)

6.2.1. Company Overview

6.2.2. Product Portfolio

6.2.3. Recent Developments and Future Outlook

6.3. Bionet

6.4. Cytiva

6.5. Eppendorf

6.6. Merck

6.7. Ollital Technology

6.8. Parr Instrument Company

6.9. Sartorius

6.10. Shanghai Bailun Biological Technology

6.11. Solaris Biotech (acquired by Donaldson Company)

6.12. Solida Biotech

6.13. Zhengzhou Laboao Instrument Equipment (LABAO)

7. CAPACITY ANALYSIS

8. CASE STUDY: BIOPROCESS CONTROLLERS AND AUTOMATION SYSTEMS

9. MARKET FORECAST

10. EXECUTIVE INSIGHTS

11. CONCLUDING REMARKS

12. APPENDIX 1: TABULATED DATA

13. APPENDIX 2: LIST OF COMPANIES AND ORGANIZATIONS

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/bteyug

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 4. President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has sent a congratulatory letter to President of the Republic of Senegal Macky Sall on the occasion of the national holiday - the Independence Day, Trend reports.

"Dear Mr. President,

I convey my sincerest congratulations and the best wishes to you and your people on my own behalf and on behalf of the people of Azerbaijan on the occasion of the National Holiday of the Republic of Senegal  the Independence Day.

I believe that the Azerbaijani-Senegalese relations will continue to successfully develop both bilaterally and multilaterally for the sake of interests of our States and peoples.

On this pleasant day, I wish you good health, success in your activities, and peace and prosperity to the friendly people of Senegal," the letter said.
DUBLIN, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Combine Harvesters Market: Global Industry Trends, Share, Size, Growth, Opportunity and Forecast 2023-2028" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global combine harvesters market size reached US$ 10.2 Billion in 2022. Looking forward, the analyst expects the market to reach US$ 13.0 Billion by 2028, exhibiting a CAGR of 4.13% during 2022-2028.

Companies Mentioned

AGCO Corporation

CLAAS KGaA mbH

Deere & Company

Iseki & Co. Ltd.

KARTAR Agro Industries Private Limited

KS Agrotech Pvt. Ltd.

KUBOTA Corporation

Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd.

PREET AGRO Industries (P) Limited

SDF Group

Tractors and Farm Equipment Limited (Amalgamations Group)

Yanmar Holdings Co. Ltd

A combine harvester, also known as a combine, is complex agricultural machinery used by farmers for reaping, threshing, gathering, and winnowing in a single process. It saves time and human labor and lowers crop production costs and post-harvest losses. It protects crops from getting damaged by natural disasters, such as unseasonal rains, floods, and hailstorms.

It also helps reduce the stress for the farmer and tackle the harvesting easily, even in case of a labor scarcity during the peak season. Besides this, it aids in improving crop productivity and increasing farm revenue in the long term. As a result, combine harvesters are extensively used in the agriculture sector across the globe.



The growing global population is increasing the requirement for crops and cereals and improved farm productivity. This represents one of the key factors positively influencing the market. In addition, rapid urbanization and shifting farmer preferences towards mechanized farming practices are escalating the demand for combine harvesters across the globe. This, along with increasing industrialization and ongoing advancements in agricultural technology, is supporting the market growth.

Apart from this, various countries around the world are experiencing labor scarcity, which is increasing the sales of advanced machines and tools, which include combine harvesters.

Furthermore, governments of numerous countries are encouraging farmers to use these harvesters for improving crop yield and productivity. They are also undertaking several initiatives, such as offering subsidies, favorable lending policies for procurement of machinery, and organizing necessary training programs to educate farmers about effective farming practices and the benefits of using agricultural equipment.

Additionally, leading market players are adopting novel strategies for installing new production plants, which is stimulating the market growth. Moreover, increasing investments by key players in extensive research and development (R&D) projects are expected to propel the market growth.



Key Questions Answered in This Report

1. What was the size of the global combine harvesters market in 2022?

2. What is the expected growth rate of the global combine harvesters market during 2023-2028?

3. What are the key factors driving the global combine harvesters market?

4. What has been the impact of COVID-19 on the global combine harvesters market?

5. What is the breakup of the global combine harvesters market based on the type?

6. What is the breakup of the global combine harvesters market based on the cutting width?

7. What are the key regions in the global combine harvesters market?

8. Who are the key players/companies in the global combine harvesters market?



Key Topics Covered:



1 Preface



2 Scope and Methodology



3 Executive Summary



4 Introduction

4.1 Overview

4.2 Key Industry Trends



5 Global Combine Harvesters Market

5.1 Market Overview

5.2 Market Performance

5.3 Impact of COVID-19

5.4 Market Forecast



6 Market Breakup by Type

6.1 Self-propelled Combine Harvester

6.1.1 Market Trends

6.1.2 Market Forecast

6.2 Tractor-pulled Combine/PTO Powered Combine Harvester

6.2.1 Market Trends

6.2.2 Market Forecast



7 Market Breakup by Type of Movement

7.1 Wheel Type Combine Harvester

7.1.1 Market Trends

7.1.2 Market Forecast

7.2 Crawler Type Combine Harvester

7.2.1 Market Trends

7.2.2 Market Forecast



8 Market Breakup by Cutting Width

8.1 Small Size Combine Harvester

8.1.1 Market Trends

8.1.2 Market Forecast

8.2 Large Size Combine Harvester

8.2.1 Market Trends

8.2.2 Market Forecast



9 Market Breakup by Power

9.1 Below 150 HP

9.1.1 Market Trends

9.1.2 Market Forecast

9.2 150-300 HP

9.2.1 Market Trends

9.2.2 Market Forecast

9.3 300-450 HP

9.3.1 Market Trends

9.3.2 Market Forecast

9.4 450-550 HP

9.4.1 Market Trends

9.4.2 Market Forecast

9.5 Above 550 HP

9.5.1 Market Trends

9.5.2 Market Forecast



10 Market Breakup by Application

10.1 Wheat Harvesting

10.1.1 Market Trends

10.1.2 Market Forecast

10.2 Rice Harvesting

10.2.1 Market Trends

10.2.2 Market Forecast

10.3 Soyabeans Harvesting

10.3.1 Market Trends

10.3.2 Market Forecast

10.4 Others

10.4.1 Market Trends

10.4.2 Market Forecast



11 Market Breakup by Region



12 SWOT Analysis



13 Value Chain Analysis



14 Porters Five Forces Analysis



15 Price Analysis



16 Competitive Landscape

16.1 Market Structure

16.2 Key Players

16.3 Profiles of Key Players

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/3dpi28

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

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For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

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SOURCE Research and Markets
DUBLIN, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Jellies and Gummies Market - Global Industry Size, Share, Trends, Opportunity, and Forecast, 2017-2027 Segmented By Product Type (Jellies Vs Gummies),By Category (Conventional Vs. Functional) By Distribution Channel, By Region, By Competition" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

Global jellies and gummies market is anticipated to grow at an impressive rate through 2027

Gummy candies are renowned for their sticky texture, translucent colors, and sweet chewy consistency. Gelatin is typically used as a base while making gummy candies. Gelatin is a protein that contributes to the distinctive stretchiness of gummy candies.

Gummies typically have a smoother texture than jelly candies. Compared to their gummy counterparts, jellies frequently have a sturdy exterior. Pectin, potato starch, corn starch, and tapioca are a few common ingredients in jelly candies.



Rising Consumer Awareness to Fuel the Market Growth



Most consumers around the world are adopting vegetarianism or veganism due to growing awareness of the harmful effects of the animal industry on both human health and the environment. In the coming years, it's anticipated that consumption of gelatin-based jellies and gummies will drastically decline as vegetarianism and veganism become more and more popular lifestyle choices.

For instance, JOM which is a Sweden-based company provides vegetarian gummies in different flavors such as sour cola, blackberry, blueberry, strawberry, etc. to their consumers. Surf Sweets, which is a US-based company also provides organic and vegetarian gummies to their customers. These gummies are allergy-friendly and made up of organic ingredients.



Changing Consumer Preferences Towards Sugar-free Gummies and Jellies



For the new entrants, the rising demand for sugar-free jellies and gummies represents a growth opportunity. Manufacturers have been introducing jellies and gummies with less sugar content in response to consumers' shifting preferences from sugar-filled jellies and gummies to sugar-free jellies and gummies. Due to their organic and chewy qualities, jellies and gummies are more popular with people under the age of 17.



Increasing Demand for Confectionary Products



The market for jellies and gummies is being driven by the rising demand for confectionery items among the world's population. Sweet foods and beverages like baked pastries, candies, jellies, gummies, and sweets are referred to as confectionery products.

Confectioneries are becoming more and more popular among consumers who lead fast-paced lives because they are tasty and require little preparation. The availability of inexpensive non-chocolate confectionary items by various brands is also anticipated to propel the global market.

Additionally, the addition of preservatives and gelling agents makes jellies and gummies more ideal and suitable for consumption over a longer period, drawing consumers away from chocolate confections in favor of jellies and gummies.

Competitive Landscape



Company Profiles: Detailed analysis of the major companies present in the global jelly and gummies market.

HARIBO GmbH & Co. KG

Jelly Belly Candy Company

Mars Inc.

Mondelez Global LLC

Jelly Belly Candy Company

Perfetti Van Melle Group B.V.

The Hershey Company

Decoria Confectionery Co. Ltd.

Giant Gummy Bears

Albanese Candy

Report Scope:



In this report, the global jelly and gummies market has been segmented into the following categories, in addition to the industry trends which have also been detailed below:



Jelly and Gummies Market, By Type:

Jellies

Gummies

Jelly and Gummies Market, By Category:

Conventional

Functional

Jelly and Gummies Market, By Distribution Channel:

Supermarkets/Hypermarkets

Departmental Stores/Grocery Stores

Online

Others

Jelly and Gummies Market, By Region:

North America

The United States

Canada

Mexico

Europe

Russia

Germany

France

The United Kingdom

Italy

Asia-Pacific

China

India

Japan

South Korea

Australia

Middle East & Africa

& Saudi Arabia

UAE

South Africa

Turkey

South America

Brazil

Argentina

Colombia

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/7idch4

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

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Logo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/539438/Research_and_Markets_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Research and Markets
DUBLIN, April 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "NDT and Inspection Market by Technique (Visual Testing, Magnetic Particle, Liquid Penetrant, Eddy-Current, Ultrasonic, Radiographic, Terahertz Imaging, Acoustic Emission), Method, Service, Application, Vertical and Region - Global Forecast to 2028" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



The NDT and Inspection market size is estimated to be USD 10.3 billion in 2023 and is projected to reach USD 18.5 billion by 2028, at a CAGR of 10.1% during the forecast period.

Manufacturing vertical to grow at the highest CAGR between 2023 - 2028

The manufacturing segment is expected to be the fastest-growing vertical of the NDT and inspection market from 2023 to 2028. The manufacturing sector is flourishing in emerging economies such as China, India, and South Africa.

Government initiatives such as Make in India in India and Industry 4.0 in Europe are expected to increase the manufacturing output from the respective regions. This, in turn, is expected to drive the demand for NDT equipment and services in the coming years.

Training Services segment to hold second-largest market share during the forecast period.

The training services segment is projected to account for the second-largest size of the NDT and testing market. The growth of this segment can be attributed to the requirement of training NDT technicians to keep them updated with new technological trends and make them aware of the changing demands of customers. The NDT and inspection industry is facing a shortage of skilled workforce; hence, training services are expected to be in demand in the coming years.

Ultrasonic Technique to hold largest market share during the forecast period

The UT segment is projected to account for the largest size of the NDT and inspection market in 2022. The growth of the UT technique segment can be attributed to the ability of this technique to identify defects accurately and determine their severity. Some advanced techniques, such as ultrasonic immersion testing and guided wave ultrasonic testing, can be used in critical applications in the oil & gas and aerospace industries.

China to account for the largest size of NDT and inspection during the forecast period

China is expected to continue to account for the largest share of the NDT and inspection market in Asia Pacific in the coming years. China has developed in-house inspection facilities, yet the demand for NDT and inspection techniques from the manufacturing and oil & gas verticals is high in the country. With the exploration of shale gas sites in the country, the demand for NDT and inspection technology in China is expected to increase further during the forecast period.

The rapid infrastructural development in China is an emerging opportunity for the NDT and inspection market. Automobile production in China is estimated to grow by 2024, which, in turn, will surge the demand for NDT and inspection equipment and services from the automotive vertical. China's economic growth has led to the expansion of its energy, infrastructure, manufacturing, construction, and transportation industries.

Market Dynamics

Drivers

Regulatory Compliance by Governments Regarding Public Safety and Product Quality

Increased Adoption of NDT and Inspection Equipment and Services in Electronics, Automation, and Robotics Industries

High Adoption of IoT Devices

Increased Demand for Structural Health Monitoring of Infrastructures

Higher Demand for Artificial Intelligence in NDT and Inspection

Restraints

Dearth of Skilled and Qualified Personnel to Carry Out NDT and Inspection Activities

Huge Investments in NDT and Inspection Equipment

Opportunities

Large-Scale Infrastructural Developments in Asia-Pacific , Europe , and South America

, , and Increased Demand for NDT and Inspection Services from Power Generation Industry

Technological Advancements in NDT and Inspection Techniques and Emergence of New Applications

Importance of NDT and Inspection Activities in Controlling Corrosion in Aging Infrastructures

Challenges

Reluctance to Adopt New and High-Cost NDT and Inspection Techniques

Increased Complexity of Machines and Structures

High Replacement Costs of Automated NDT and Inspection Equipment

Case Studies

Bolt-Load In-Service Inspection and Monitoring

Geneva's Oil Tank Inspection

Oil Tank Inspection Reducing Boiler Downtime at Efw (Energy-From-Waste) Facilities Using Innerspec's Thickness Measurement Technology

Companies Mentioned

Acuren

Applied Technical Services, LLC

Ashtead Technology

ATS (Associated Technical Services)

Carestream Health

Cygnus Instruments Ltd.

Dekra

Eddyfi Technologies

Element Materials Technology

Fprimec Solutions Inc.

Fujifilm Holdings America Corporation

General Electric

Helmut Fischer

Intertek Group plc

Ipromar Pte Ltd

Labquip NDT

Lynx Inspection Inc.

Magnaflux

Mistras Group

Ndtccs

Nikon Metrology Nv

North Star Imaging Inc.

Olympus Corporation

Sgs Societe Generale De Surveillance Sa

Sonatest

T.D. Williamson, Inc.

Team Inc.

Uniwest

Vibrant Corporation

Yxlon International

Zeiss Group

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/i7tlud

About ResearchAndMarkets.com

ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/539438/Research_and_Markets_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Research and Markets
DUBLIN, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Stem Cell Banking Market Size, Segments, Outlook, and Revenue Forecast 2022-2028 by Source, Service Type, Application, Cell Type, and Regions" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

According to this analysis, the Global Stem Cell Banking Market was valued at ~US$ 4 billion in 2017. Furthermore, owing to the increasing prevalence of infectious diseases and rising individuals' awareness regarding the therapeutic potentials of stem cells, it is estimated to be ~US$ 7 billion in 2022 and is expected to reach a market size of ~US$ 15 billion by 2028 growing with CAGR of ~12% during 2022 to 2028.



The rising prevalence of fatal chronic diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, neurological disorders, immunological disorders, and other rare metabolic diseases is propelling the stem cell banking market growth.



The growing newborn population worldwide is another driving factor of the stem cell banking market.



High operational costs associated with stem cell banking, along with stringent regulatory frameworks, are impeding the growth of the stem cell banking market.



The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic increases the morbidity of cord blood transplantation (CBT) recipients globally, but stem cell procedures were slowed in 2020 due to the lockdown imposed by several governments across countries to prevent the virus's spread, resulting in a decline in stem cell banking growth.

Key Players

CBR Systems, Inc

Cryo-Cell International, Inc

ViaCord

Sartorius AG

StemCyte, Inc

Smart Cells International Limited

Global Cord Blood Corporation

Vita 34

LifeCell International Pvt Ltd

Cordlife Group Limited

Scope of the Report



The Global Stem Cell Banking Market is segmented by source, service type, application, and cell type. In addition, the report also covers market size and forecasts for the four major regions in the stem cell banking Market. The revenue used to size and forecast the market for each segment is US$ billion.



By Source

Placental Stem Cells (PSCS)

Adipose Tissue-Derived Stem Cells (ADSCS)

Bone Marrow-Derived Stem Cells (BMSCS)

Human Embryo-Derived Stem Cells (HESCS)

Dental Pulp-Derived Stem Cells (DPSCS)

Others

By Service Type

Sample Collection and Transportation

Sample Preservation and Storage

Sample Analysis

Sample Processing

By Application

Personalized Banking Application

Research Applications (Disease Treatment Studies, Life Science Research, Drug Discovery)

Clinical Application (Hematopoietic Disorders, Autoimmune Disorders, Others)

By Cell Type

Umbilical Cord Stem Cell

Adult Stem Cell

Embryonic Stem Cell

By Region

North America ( USA , Canada , and Mexico )

( , , and ) Europe ( France , Italy , Germany , Spain , UK, and Rest of Europe )

( , , , , UK, and Rest of ) Asia Pacific ( China , India , Japan , South Korea , Australia , and Rest of Asia Pacific )

( , , , , , and Rest of ) LAMEA ( Latin America , Middle East , and Africa )

Key Trends by Market Segment

By Source: The Placental Stem Cells (PSCS) segment held the largest market share of the global stem cell banking market in 2021

The growth is mainly attributed to the significant rise in the number of placental and cord banks, notably in the USA and Europe

According to the World Marrow Donor Association (WMDA), a Netherlands-based organization that promotes multilateral cooperation and best practices for the benefit of blood stem cell donors and transplant patients, nearly 8,04,193 cord blood units are currently available worldwide, providing a potential cure for transplant patients.



By Service Type: The Sample Preservation and Storage segment held the largest market share of the Global Stem Cell Banking Market in 2021.



Stem cell banks primarily store samples of human stem cells for potential future use in stem cell treatments, such as bone marrow transplantation (BMT), Peripheral blood stem cell transplant, and Cord blood transplant.



The emergence of a growing number of stem cell banks across countries resulted in more stored stem cell samples, which are used in therapies and regenerative medicine in the long term.



By Application: The Personalized Banking Applications segment held the largest market share of the Global Stem Cell Banking Market in 2021.



The growth is primarily attributed to service providers' premium pricing of service plans and the benefits offered by personalized banking.



The Research Application segment is expected to grow at the fastest CAGR during the forecasted period 2022-2028, owing to rising R&D expenditure in the biopharmaceutical industry and rising government initiatives on drug discovery.



By Cell Type: The Adult Stem Cells segment held the largest market share of the Global Stem Cell Banking Market in 2021, owing to their commonality of origin in the human body (bone marrow, and fat), where they mostly reside.



The growing global prevalence of cancer and blood-related diseases, such as leukemia, lymphoma, neuroblastoma, and multiple myeloma is driving demand for adult stem cells, which replace damaged cells caused by such diseases to decrease inflammation and fight infection.



According to the American Cancer Society, a worldwide voluntary health organization dedicated to cancer eradication, nearly 60,650 new cases of leukemia is being discovered in the United States in 2022, with 24,000 deaths from the disease.



By Geography: North America accounted for the largest share of the Global Stem Cell Banking Market in 2021 and will remain dominant during the forecast period (2022-2028), owing to the increasing incidence rates of diseases, such as cancer, neurological disorders, and diabetes.



For instance, according to the American Cancer Society, cancer continues to be the second leading cause of death in the USA, after cardiovascular disease. In 2022, USA is expected to see 1.9 million new cancer cases and 609,360 cancer deaths, for a total of 1,670 deaths per day.



The growing government initiatives and investments in stem cell therapies are contributing to the region's growth in stem cell banking.



For instance, in March 2020, according to CTV News, a Canadian news platform, the Canadian government invested almost US$ 7 million in the Stem Cell Network's competitive research funding program.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Study Period of this Market Report?

The Global Stem Cell Banking Market is covered from 2017-2028 in this report, including a forecast for 2022-2028

What is the Future Growth Rate of the Global Stem Cell Banking Market?

The Global Stem Cell Banking Market is expected to witness a CAGR of about ~12% over the next 6 years

What are the Key Factors Driving the Global Stem Cell Banking Market?

The rising prevalence of fatal chronic diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, neurological disorders, immunological disorders, and other rare metabolic diseases

Which is the Source Product Type Segment within the Global Stem Cell Banking Market?

The Placental Stem Cells (PSCS) segment held the largest share of the Global Stem Cell Banking Market in 2021

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/r9vah5

About ResearchAndMarkets.com

ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900



U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907

Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/539438/Research_and_Markets_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Research and Markets
ATLANTA, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Graphic Packaging Holding Company (NYSE: GPK), (the "Company"), will announce first quarter 2023 financial results before the market opens on Tuesday, May 2nd, with a call to discuss results at 10:00 a.m. ET.

The conference call will be webcast and can be accessed from the investors section of the Graphic Packaging website at www.graphicpkg.com. Participants may also listen via telephone by using the following dial-in numbers:

United States (Toll-Free): +1 833 470 1428

(Toll-Free): +1 833 470 1428 Canada dial-in number (Toll Free): 1 833 950 0062

dial-in number (Toll Free): 1 833 950 0062 All other locations: 1 929 526 1599

Telephone participants are required to provide the access code 073165 and should call at least 10 minutes prior to the start of the conference call. The webcast will be archived and available for replay beginning at approximately 1:00 p.m. ET on May 2nd.

The Company has also set Tuesday, August 1, 2023 as the tentative date for the release of second quarter 2023 financial results.

About Graphic Packaging Holding Company

Graphic Packaging Holding Company (NYSE: GPK), headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, is committed to providing consumer packaging that makes a world of difference. The Company is a leading provider of sustainable fiber-based packaging solutions to the world's most widely-recognized food, beverage, foodservice and other consumer products companies and brands. The Company operates on a global basis, is one of the largest producers of folding cartons and fiber-based foodservice products in the United States and Europe, and holds leading market positions in coated recycled paperboard, coated unbleached kraft paperboard and solid bleached sulfate paperboard. Additional information about Graphic Packaging, its business and its products is available at www.graphicpkg.com.

SOURCE Graphic Packaging Holding Company
LANSING, Mich., April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Jay Rosen, founder, president, and co-chairman of Health Management Associates (HMA), today announced the firm's acquisition of Crestline Advisors, an Arizona based healthcare consulting firm.

Founded in 2013, Crestline Advisors supports health plans, provider organizations, and state agencies with an array of services designed to help them navigate the changing healthcare landscape. The company's team of independent consultants has an extensive track record of developing successful RFP responses, provider networks, and business development strategies to fuel client success.

"Crestline Advisors brings an impressive mix of expertise and relentless client focus  that delivers results  to HMA." Tweet this

"Crestline Advisors brings an impressive mix of expertise and relentless client focus  that delivers results  to HMA," Rosen said. "Their ability to consistently develop winning proposal responses for Medicaid managed care organizations (MCO) complements our extensive MCO supports as we continue to expand the ways in which we serve our clients."

In addition to Crestline's proposal response development and MCO network management and operations support services, the company also assists clients with regulatory and contract compliance, accreditation, and strategic planning for business development.

"Crestline has demonstrated a commitment to supporting health plans, providers, and states to improve healthcare for Medicaid beneficiaries," said Crestline CEO Susan Dess. "We firmly believe that as part of the HMA family of companies we will bring even more success to our clients and drive continued growth and development in Medicaid healthcare delivery."

Dess and Tim Mechlinski will continue to lead Crestline Advisors, an HMA Company, as managing directors. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

About HMA

Founded in 1985, HMA is an independent, national research and consulting firm specializing in publicly funded healthcare and human services policy, programs, financing, and evaluation. Clients include government, public and private providers, health systems, health plans, community-based organizations, institutional investors, foundations, and associations. With offices in more than 20 locations across the country and over 500 multidisciplinary consultants coast to coast, HMA's expertise, services, and team are always within client reach. Learn more about HMA at healthmanagement.com, or on LinkedIn and Twitter.

About Crestline Advisors

Established in 2013, Crestline Advisors, LLC is a consulting company designed to support the needs of health plans, provider organizations, and state agencies. Crestline specializes in helping large and small organizations operate successfully and grow despite the constant operational, financial, and political challenges they face. Crestline uses its current understanding of industry drivers to strategize with our clients so they can respond timely and effectively to small, large, or enormous market-place changes. Learn more about Crestline Advisors at crestlineadvisors.com.

SOURCE Health Management Associates
WALNUT CREEK, Calif., April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Heffernan Insurance Brokers, one of the largest full-service, independent insurance brokerage firms in the United States, announced that Phaedra Starr has joined the company as VP, Head of Marketplace.

Phaedra Starr spent the first six years of her career working with software companies in the hospitality and financial services industries, consulting, project managing, usability testing, and training users on technology solutions before moving over to The Hartford to manage the upgrade of the then DOS based agency quoting platform. In 2004, Phaedra transitioned into a sales role for Hartford's Small Commercial division where she has spent twenty years building relationships with California agents and brokers, developing, and executing strategic plans around distribution models, small business agency operational processes, and business development of flow, program, and individual large account acquisition to achieve profit and growth goals and maximize agency revenues. With her love of insurance and technology, she became the go-to resource for west coast Insuretech API integrations with The Hartford as well.

"I am grateful to move over to a company that I have worked with and loved for the last twenty years," said Phaedra Starr, VP, Head of Marketplace, Heffernan Insurance Brokers. "I look forward to building the next dynamic, future-forward wholesaler with this amazing team at Heffernan."

"We have worked with Phaedra for almost twenty years and see her as the perfect fit for this new role in HIB and are delighted to have found such a solid talent for the position," said John Tallarida, Chief Carrier Officer.

About Heffernan Insurance Brokers

Heffernan Insurance Brokers, formed in 1988, is one of the largest independent insurance brokerage firms in the United States. Heffernan provides insurance and financial services products to a range of businesses and individuals. Headquartered in Walnut Creek, Calif., Heffernan has offices in San Francisco, Petaluma, San Jose, San Mateo, Truckee, Bakersfield, Woodland Hills, Cypress, Los Angeles and Irvine, CA; Reno, NV; Phoenix, AZ; Albuquerque, NM; Portland, OR; Seattle, WA; St. Louis, MO; Philadelphia, PA; and London UK.

Employee-owned, Heffernan Insurance Brokers was named the Top Mid-Sized Broker in the United States to work for in 2009 by Business Insurance Magazine. The firm has been among the Top Greater Bay Area Philanthropists since 2003.

For more information, visit www.heffins.com. License #0564249

SOURCE Heffernan Insurance Brokers
Jiajia Wu has been named interim Chief Financial Officer (CFO). As interim CFO, Wu is responsible for overseeing all financial operations, including financial planning and analysis, accounting, and reporting. With nearly 20 years of experience, Wu is a seasoned financial executive with a proven track record leading rapidly growing teams to drive the execution of new, company-wide strategies.

Before joining Hyzon in 2021 as Chief Accounting Officer, Wu served as the Global Director of Cost & Technical Accounting and Reporting at UL Solutions, a global safety science company providing testing, inspection and certification, training, advisory and risk management services, decision-making tools and intelligence in more than 100 countries. Prior to that role, Wu held various positions at EY, a global firm providing assurance, consulting, strategy and transactions, and tax services.

Pat Griffin, formerly President of Vehicle Operations, has been named President of North America and will oversee and manage Hyzon's North America business regions, including full commercial, operational, and financial responsibilities. He will continue leading Hyzon's global engineering, procurement, and operation efforts, and overseeing fuel cell production, U.S.-based vehicle development and production, and U.S. operations.

Griffin has extensive experience working to develop heavy-duty and electric commercial vehicles, as well as driving overall company growth. He has also previously held leadership roles at multiple transport companies, including as CEO at Crane Carrier Company, a leading original equipment manufacturer of vocational trucks and specialty vehicles, and as President of Light Duty Truck & EV Solutions at Fontaine Modification, a key partner for Hyzon as the company moves towards commercialization.

"I have full confidence in Jiajia and Pat as they step into these roles," said Hyzon Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Parker Meeks. "Jiajia has been instrumental in driving the critical assessment of our financial operations and development of accounting standards and procedures. Pat brings deep engineering expertise, market knowledge, and strong operational leadership, all of which will help accelerate the commercialization of fuel cell electric vehicles in the North America market."

Hyzon has launched a search for permanent CFO with a leading executive recruitment firm, as previously disclosed.

About Hyzon

Hyzon is a global supplier of fuel cell electric mobility, with US operations in the Rochester, Chicago and Detroit areas, and international operations in the Netherlands, Australia, and China. Hyzon is an energy transition accelerator and technology innovator, providing end-to-end solutions in the transport sector with a focus on commercial vehicles and hydrogen supply infrastructure. Utilizing its proven and proprietary hydrogen fuel cell technology, Hyzon's mission is to supply zero-emission heavy duty trucks to customers in North America, Europe and around the world to mitigate emissions from diesel transportation - one of the single largest sources of carbon emissions globally. The Company is contributing to the adoption of fuel cell electric vehicles through its demonstrated technology advantage, fuel cell performance and history of rapid innovation. Visit www.hyzonmotors.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements, other than statements of present or historical fact included in this press release, are forward-looking statements. When used in this press release, the words "aims", "could," "should," "will," "may," "believe," "anticipate," "intend," "estimate," "expect," "project," the negative of such terms and other similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain such identifying words. These forward-looking statements are based on management's current expectations and assumptions about future events and are based on currently available information as to the outcome and timing of future events. Except as otherwise required by applicable law, Hyzon disclaims any duty to update any forward -looking statements, all of which are expressly qualified by the statements in this section, to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this press release. Hyzon cautions you that these forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, most of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond the control of Hyzon, including risks and uncertainties described in the "Risk Factors" section of Hyzon's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021 filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") on March 30, 2022, our Amended Registration Statement on Form S-1 filed with the SEC on April 6, 2021, and other documents filed by Hyzon from time to time with the SEC. These filings identify and address other important risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events and results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Hyzon gives no assurances that Hyzon will achieve its expectations.

SOURCE Hyzon Motors Inc.
IDB Lido Wealth LLC Now Officially RIA

NEW YORK, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- IDB Bank ("IDB") and Lido Advisors, LLC ("Lido") today announced the official launch of their strategic partnership and joint venture, IDB Lido Wealth, LLC. The new entity is an SEC registered investment adviser1 that will leverage Lido's best-in-class wealth management capabilities to enhance IDB's full suite of private and commercial banking solutions to support the Bank's growing reach and scope within the regions it operates. IDB Bank and Lido Advisors will continue to remain independent companies.

Operating as a Registered Investment Advisor (RIA), IDB Lido Wealth is the first institutional partnership of its kind for both companies and will broaden their ongoing fiduciary commitment to provide leading financing offerings. The joint venture will offer Lido's portfolio management strategy, specifically its innovative real estate and hedging strategies, to the Bank's domestic and international high-net-worth clientele.

"We are very excited about the future of our strategic partnership with Lido Advisors, as we continue to bring forward industry-leading solutions to meet the growing and diverse needs of our clients. Now that we are ready to operate together, our banking suite of offerings will be enhanced with superior wealth management products and services thanks to Lido Advisors' expertise. Already, we have seen meaningful client interest across multiple opportunities that we look forward to nurturing as part of IDB's long-term growth strategy," said IDB President & CEO Ziv Biron.

Karan Kanapathipillai has been appointed as CEO of IDB Lido Wealth and will lead the new entity. Karan brings over 20 years of leadership experience in Private Banking and Wealth Management. Prior to this, he was part of IDB's Private Banking leadership team and led the formation of the strategic partnership with Lido Advisors. Karan previously worked at JP Morgan for five years in Asset and Wealth Management; he also brings several years of experience in management consulting, including over 10 years with Ernst & Young.

The following advisory team of experts will also lead IDB Lido Wealth, which will primarily offer its services in the NY tri-state, California and Florida regions:

Jason Ozur CPA*, Chairman, IDB Lido Wealth & CEO, Lido Advisors

Ken Stern CFP, Senior Managing Director, IDB Lido Wealth & President, Lido Advisors

Robert Marton , CFP  , CIMA  ; Senior Managing Director, IDB Lido Wealth, Florida & Tri-state Regional Manager

, CFP , ; Senior Managing Director, IDB Lido Wealth, & Tri-state Regional Manager Stuart Katz , JD; Senior Managing Director, IDB Lido Wealth, California Regional Manager

, JD; Senior Managing Director, IDB Lido Wealth, California Regional Manager Jason Blumberg , Managing Director, IDB Lido Wealth, California Region

, Managing Director, IDB Lido Wealth, California Region Mark Ordona , CFA, CMT; Director, IDB Lido Wealth, Tri-state Region

"Lido Advisors is excited to join forces with IDB Bank. This collaboration will further bring Lido's valued offering to IDB's client base and facilitates the Lido Advisors vision to establish ourselves as a leader in the wealth management arena," said Jason Ozur, Chairman of IDB Lido Wealth & CEO of Lido Advisors.

"As IDB Bank and Lido Advisors' relationship progressed, it has cemented our initial reaction that this corporate teaming makes perfect sense," added Ken Stern CFP, Senior Managing Director, IDB Lido Wealth; and President, Lido Advisors. "With this partnership, IDB Lido Wealth can provide IDB clients with an integrated and seamless approach to investment and wealth advisory strategies that complements the banking solutions they currently enjoy."

About Israel Discount Bank of New York ("IDBNY" or "IDB Bank")



IDB Bank is a New-York State-chartered commercial bank, a member of the FDIC, and a wholly owned subsidiary of Israel Discount Bank LTD., one of Israel's leading Banks. In addition to its Manhattan headquarters, IDB Bank operates full-service offices in California, Florida and the tristate area, including branch locations in Brooklyn, N.Y, Staten Island, N.Y and Short Hills, N.J. The Bank provides a complete range of private banking and commercial banking services to U.S and international clients.

For 70 years IDB Bank has built its business by fostering deep relationships with its clients, rapid decision-making, and the ability to develop custom-tailored solutions for both its domestic and international clientele.

About Lido Advisors

Lido Advisors is a nationally recognized wealth advisory firm headquartered in Los Angeles, California, with over $12 billion in assets under management and 28 offices across the United States. The firm embraces an active approach to asset management focused on risk mitigation and access to alternative, core, and tactical investment strategies. Lido provides a family office experience to its clients with a deep commitment to personalized, comprehensive wealth planning and access to affiliated professionals providing bespoke tax, estate, and legacy solutions. Lido is focused on creating an innovative, high-touch client experience and becoming its clients' financial life partner. For more information, please visit www.lidoadvisors.com.

Investment Products:

Are Not FDIC Insured Are Not Bank Deposits Are Not Bank Guaranteed Are Not Insured by Any Federal Government Agency May Lose Value

1 Please note that SEC registration does not imply any type of skill or training.

SOURCE IDB Bank
DUBLIN, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Indonesia Social Commerce Market Intelligence and Future Growth Dynamics Databook - 50+ KPIs on Social Commerce Trends by End-Use Sectors, Operational KPIs, Retail Product Dynamics, and Consumer Demographics - Q1 2023 Update" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

According to the publisher, social commerce industry in Indonesia is expected to grow by 31.0% on annual basis to reach US$8225.2 million in 2023.



The social commerce industry is expected to grow steadily over the forecast period, recording a CAGR of 17.9% during 2022-2028. The social commerce GMV in the country will increase from US$8225.2 million in 2023 to reach US$22132.5 million by 2028.



This report provides a detailed data centric analysis of social commerce industry, covering market opportunities and risks. With over 50+ KPIs at country level, this report provides a comprehensive understanding of social commerce market dynamics, market size and forecast, and market share statistics.



The research methodology is based on industry best practices. Its unbiased analysis leverages a proprietary analytics platform to offer a detailed view on emerging business and investment market opportunities.



Scope



This report provides in-depth, data-centric analysis of social commerce in Indonesia. Below is a summary of key market segments:



Indonesia Ecommerce Industry Market Size and Future Growth Dynamics by Key Performance Indicators, 2019-2028

Indonesia Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Future Growth Dynamics by Key Performance Indicators, 2019-2028

Indonesia Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by Retail Product Categories, 2019-2028

Clothing & Footwear

Beauty and Personal Care

Food & Grocery

Appliances and Electronics

Home Improvement

Travel

Hospitality

Indonesia Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by End Use Segment, 2019-2028

B2B

B2C

C2C

Indonesia Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by End Use Device, 2019-2028

Mobile

Desktop

Indonesia Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by Location, 2019-2028

Domestic

Cross Border

Indonesia Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by Location, 2019-2028

Tier-1 Cities

Tier-2 Cities

Tier-3 Cities

Indonesia Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by Payment Method, 2019-2028

Credit Card

Debit Card

Bank Transfer

Prepaid Card

Digital & Mobile Wallet

Other Digital Payment

Cash

Indonesia Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by Platforms

Video Commerce

Social Network-Led Commerce

Social Reselling

Group Buying

Product Review Platforms

Indonesia Social Commerce Industry Market Size and Forecast by Consumer Demographics & Behaviour,2022

By Age

By Income Level

By Gender

Reasons to buy

In-depth Understanding of Social Commerce Market Dynamics: Understand market opportunities and key trends along with forecast (2019-2028).

Insights into Opportunity by end-use sectors - Get market dynamics by end-use sectors to assess emerging opportunity across various end-use sectors.

Develop Market Specific Strategies: Identify growth segments and target specific opportunities to formulate social commerce strategy; assess market specific key trends, drivers, and risks in the industry.

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/ktaux5

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.

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SOURCE Research and Markets
BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 4. US Embassy has expressed pride in support of the Azerbaijan National Agency for Mine Action (ANAMA), Trend reports via the embassys tweet.

To promote regional peace and cooperation, the US has provided $2.5 million since November 2021 for humanitarian demining operations in areas affected by the conflict, the tweet said.

April 4 is International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action.

Previously, the US handed over five more Malinois dogs to ANAMA under the Memorandum of Understanding signed with the US Marshall Legacy Institute (MLI) for demining Azerbaijan's liberated areas.
LAS VEGAS, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Innovative Medical Products (IMP) revealed their newly designed brand at the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons meeting (AAOS), held in Las Vegas from March 7th to March 11th. The brand's updated booth featured a bold, modern design and refreshed color pallet, along with an updated tagline, all carefully crafted to closely reflect the brand's primary focus of surgical patient positioning. The new branding illustrates that IMP is the market leader in knee positioning and owns the unique trademarked green boot prominently featured in its newly designed logo. The brand refresh will be carried across all brand platforms and channels. Their website is being redesigned with new and improved features for an optimized customer experience.

As the orthopedic healthcare industry continues to evolve, IMP aims to reflect these advancements internally and externally.

Michael Reilly, IMP's Vice President of Sales and Marketing, notes, "The reason behind the brand refresh is to improve recognition of the company, as well as a better reflection of what it is we do." Reilly discusses the importance of representing the company's brand values of being supportive, independent, helpful, and engaging. These values carry over to IMP's Most Valued Partnership program, offering premier partnership-level service and support for MVP members. From surgeons and nurses to robotics companies and more, IMP's designs have always come from collaboration with customers to create, manufacture, and distribute unique and quality products.

Further explaining the importance of the brand refresh, Reilly shares that as IMP moves into the future, the brand refresh will continue to represent the value and service the company delivers to its trusted clients.

The updated brand is being prominently displayed at the Association of PeriOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) Trade Show held from April 1st to April 4th in San Antonio and multiple other meetings throughout the year.

About IMP:

With rapid changes in orthopedic healthcare, including advanced robotics, Innovative Medical Products (IMP) leads the way in offering exceptional solutions for greater efficiency in the O.R. and sterile processing department.

Since 1984, IMP has proven its global role as an innovator with surgical patient positioning products, including the De Mayo D2 and Adapt2Fit Modular Knee Positioners, Exact-Fit, and Universal De Mayo Lateral Hip Positioners, as well as sterile-packed products like SteriBump  a sterile, lint-free alternative to cloth bundling for elevating and positioning patient's limbs within the O.R. environment. IMP continuously strives to provide superior patient care to orthopedic professionals.

Contact IMP at 860-793-0391 or visit our website, www.impmedical.com, to support your team for ideal patient positioning.

Contact Information

Innovative Medical Products

Mike Reilly, V.P. Sales and Marketing

(860) 479-0896

[email protected]

SOURCE Innovative Medical Products
CHICAGO, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Interfacial Consultants heads to this year's RAPID + TCT conference to showcase their full spectrum of innovative and reliable materials and services. North America's largest and most influential additive manufacturing event featuring over 100 industry leaders will be held at McCormick Place in Chicago from May 2-4, 2023. Interfacial will be featured at Booth #2018.

"The goal of our business and presence at RAPID is to showcase how versatile we are for users of all experience levels." Tweet this Interfacial Consultants and Empowr3D at RAPID from May 2 - 4, 2023 at Booth #2018 at McCormick Place in Chicago, IL

At the booth, they'll feature EMPOWR3D, a turnkey suite of additive manufacturing services that offers closed loop solutions from prototyping to production for customers of all experience levels. They will also showcase their portfolio of novel 3D printing materials from Infinite Material Solutions, including water-soluble support filaments, AquaSys 120, 180, and GP; Caverna PP, a filament that allows users to create foam-like parts resembling a sponge; and a sneak preview at their new material, Caverna Soft Touch, an elastomeric filament that is poised to be the softest, most pliable material on the market.

"Being innovative doesn't mean just fitting into one box," says Jeffrey J. Cernohous, Ph.D., Chief Operating Officer and Member of Interfacial Consultants LLC. "The goal of our businessand our presence at RAPIDis to showcase how versatile we are for users of all experience levels: from material development to game-changing products that fit the needs of the market."

Additionally, select materials will be demoed at the booth on pellet printers from Tumaker. Photopolymer resins and custom UV resins will be presented from Nagase ChemteX Corporation. Nagase ChemteX is a core manufacturing subsidiary of the NAGASE Group.

Attendees are encouraged to visit the booth and schedule time to talk with representatives from Interfacial about how EMPOWR3D and their other materials can help meet their additive manufacturing needs.

Interfacial Consultants is a leader in the development of advanced materials and manufacturing processes for the global marketplace. Its headquarters and Development Services division are located in the Cervenka Center, which sits atop the bluffs of the beautiful Mississippi River in Prescott, Wisconsin. Its manufacturing divisions  Specialty Materials and Engineered Substrates  are located in multiple locations in River Falls, Wisconsin. The company has a talented team of scientists, engineers, operators, and support staff who work effectively as a team to develop, manufacture and deliver high performance advanced materials to the global marketplace.

SOURCE Interfacial, LLC
NEW YORK, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Japanese encephalitis vaccine market size is estimated to increase by USD 58.27 million from 2021 to 2026. The market growth will progress at a CAGR of 5.98% during the forecast period, according to a recent market study by Technavio. A key factor fueling the Japanese encephalitis vaccine market growth is the inclusion in the national immunization plan. The growing number of indications caused by deadly viruses has encouraged governments to come up with national immunization plans. For instance, in 1978, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, introduced the Expanded Programme of Immunization, which was changed to the Universal Immunization Programme in 1985. This program aims to ensure that the population in the affected parts of the country is immunized against infectious diseases. Asian countries such as Thailand, Malaysia, and the Philippines also contribute to the increasing demand for Japanese encephalitis vaccines, which, in turn, will fuel market growth in the forecast years. Discover some insights on market size before buying the full report - Request a sample report

Japanese Encephalitis Vaccines Market - Segmentation Analysis

Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Japanese Encephalitis Vaccines Market

The Japanese encephalitis vaccines market research report extensively covers market segmentation by type (inactivated vaccines, recombinant vaccines, and live attenuated vaccines) and geography (Asia, ROW, Europe, and North America).

The market share growth by the inactivated vaccines will be significant during the forecast period. Formaldehyde or formalin is the most commonly used chemical to inactivate a pathogen. When exposed to these chemicals, the pathogen loses its ability to replicate. Thus, it does not cause any harm to the body. The pathogen is either kept intact or is left with some of its integrity to ensure that the immune system recognizes it and starts an immune response. The need for booster injections for inactivated vaccines is expected to help the segment grow in terms of both volume and value during the forecast period.

Geographic Analysis

Asia is estimated to account for 72% of the market growth during the forecast period. China, India , Japan , and South Korea are the key markets for Japanese encephalitis vaccines in the region. Market growth in this region will be faster than the growth of the market in other regions. The growth in Asia can be attributed to factors such as the increased risk of the indication in over three billion people in the region. Due to the unavailability of a cure for the disease, various vendors such as Sanofi, Valneva, and Bharat Biotech and organizations such as UNICEF, WHO, and Gavi are focusing on preventing the disease by using vaccines. Hence, the risk of indication will lead to the growth of the Japanese encephalitis market in the region during the forecast period.

Insights on the market contribution of various segments, including country- and region-wise data and forecast market size (2021 to 2026) - Download a Sample Report

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Japanese Encephalitis Vaccines Market - Vendor Analysis

The global Japanese encephalitis vaccines market is a highly regulated market with a limited number of vendors. These vendors manufacture the vaccines and largely supply them to organizations such as the WHO, UNICEF, and Gavi, which distribute them in affected countries. Adimmune Corp., Bharat Biotech Ltd., Biological E. Ltd., KM Biologics Co. Ltd., Medigen Inc., Panacea Biotec Ltd., Sanofi, Shandong Hengye Biotechnology Co. Ltd., and Valneva SE are some of the major vendors in the market.

Japanese Encephalitis Vaccines Market - Market Analysis

Emerging Trends

One of the key Japanese encephalitis vaccine market trends is the novel vaccine technology.

Different types of vaccines are available for the prevention of the indication, but the market still witnesses an unmet need for highly effective vaccines for the prevention of the indication.

Researchers conduct studies on microribonucleic acid (microRNA) as a potential therapeutic candidate for Japanese encephalitis.

Studies show that microRNA-155 can regulate the inflammatory response caused by the Japanese encephalitis virus, and investment in R&D is expected to further support the market growth during the forecast period.

Major Challenges

Demand-supply imbalance is a key challenge hindering the Japanese encephalitis vaccine market growth.

Most cases of Japanese encephalitis are seasonal, which means various manufacturers tend to manufacture the vaccines in large quantities and store them.

Despite being produced in large quantities, the vaccine faces the risk of low shelf life, as most of these vaccines have a shelf life of fewer than two years on average.

The market faces issues with storage, as these vaccines are required to be stored in cold chain storage, which is very expensive. As a result, small and mid-sized vendors can manufacture the vaccines only when the demand is high in the market.

Japanese encephalitis vaccines also take a long time to manufacture and deliver to the required region, which creates a gap between the demand and the supply in the market.

Insights on Market Drivers, trends, & Challenges and forecast period (2021 to 2026) - Request a sample report!

What are the key data covered in this Japanese Encephalitis Vaccines Market report?

CAGR of the market during the forecast period

Detailed information on factors that will drive the growth of the Japanese encephalitis vaccines market between 2022 and 2026

Precise estimation of the size of the Japanese encephalitis vaccines market and its contribution to the parent market

Accurate predictions about upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior

Growth of the apanese encephalitis vaccines market across Asia , Rest of World (ROW), Europe , and North America

, Rest of World (ROW), , 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 Japanese encephalitis vaccines market vendors

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Japanese Encephalitis Vaccines Market Scope Report Coverage Details Base year 2021 Forecast period 2022-2026 Growth momentum & CAGR Accelerate at a CAGR of 5.98% Market growth 2022-2026 USD 58.27 million Market structure Concentrated YoY growth 2021-2022 (%) 5.38 Regional analysis Asia, Rest of World (ROW), Europe, and North America Performing market contribution Asia at 72% Key countries Australia, China, India, Japan, and Republic of Korea Competitive landscape Leading Vendors, Market Positioning of Vendors, Competitive Strategies, and Industry Risks Key companies profiled Adimmune Corp., Bharat Biotech Ltd., Biological E. Ltd., KM Biologics Co. Ltd., Medigen Inc., Panacea Biotec Ltd., Sanofi, Shandong Hengye Biotechnology Co. Ltd., and Valneva SE 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 the forecast period Customization purview If our report has not included the data that you are looking for, you can reach out to our analysts and get segments customized.

Browse for Technavio's Health Care 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 Type



Exhibit 06: Executive Summary  Chart on Incremental Growth



Exhibit 07: Executive Summary  Data Table on Incremental Growth



Exhibit 08: Executive Summary  Chart on Vendor Market Positioning

2 Market Landscape

2.1 Market ecosystem

Exhibit 09: Parent market



Exhibit 10: Market Characteristics

3 Market Sizing

3.1 Market definition

Exhibit 11: Offerings of vendors included in the market definition

3.2 Market segment analysis

Exhibit 12: Market segments

3.3 Market size 2021

3.4 Market outlook: Forecast for 2021-2026

Exhibit 13: Chart on Global - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 14: Data Table on Global - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 15: Chart on Global Market: Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 16: Data Table on Global Market: Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

4 Five Forces Analysis

4.1 Five forces summary

Exhibit 17: Five forces analysis - Comparison between 2021 and 2026

4.2 Bargaining power of buyers

Exhibit 18: Chart on Bargaining power of buyers  Impact of key factors 2021 and 2026

4.3 Bargaining power of suppliers

Exhibit 19: Bargaining power of suppliers  Impact of key factors in 2021 and 2026

4.4 Threat of new entrants

Exhibit 20: Threat of new entrants  Impact of key factors in 2021 and 2026

4.5 Threat of substitutes

Exhibit 21: Threat of substitutes  Impact of key factors in 2021 and 2026

4.6 Threat of rivalry

Exhibit 22: Threat of rivalry  Impact of key factors in 2021 and 2026

4.7 Market condition

Exhibit 23: Chart on Market condition - Five forces 2021 and 2026

5 Market Segmentation by Type

5.1 Market segments

Exhibit 24: Chart on Type - Market share 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 25: Data Table on Type - Market share 2021-2026 (%)

5.2 Comparison by Type

Exhibit 26: Chart on Comparison by Type



Exhibit 27: Data Table on Comparison by Type

5.3 Inactivated vaccines - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

Exhibit 28: Chart on Inactivated vaccines - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 29: Data Table on Inactivated vaccines - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 30: Chart on Inactivated vaccines - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 31: Data Table on Inactivated vaccines - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

5.4 Recombinant vaccines - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

Exhibit 32: Chart on Recombinant vaccines - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 33: Data Table on Recombinant vaccines - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 34: Chart on Recombinant vaccines - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 35: Data Table on Recombinant vaccines - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

5.5 Live attenuated vaccines - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

Exhibit 36: Chart on Live attenuated vaccines - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 37: Data Table on Live attenuated vaccines - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 38: Chart on Live attenuated vaccines - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 39: Data Table on Live attenuated vaccines - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

5.6 Market opportunity by Type

Exhibit 40: Market opportunity by Type ($ million)

6 Customer Landscape

6.1 Customer landscape overview

Exhibit 41: Analysis of price sensitivity, lifecycle, customer purchase basket, adoption rates, and purchase criteria

7 Geographic Landscape

7.1 Geographic segmentation

Exhibit 42: Chart on Market share by geography 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 43: Data Table on Market share by geography 2021-2026 (%)

7.2 Geographic comparison

Exhibit 44: Chart on Geographic comparison



Exhibit 45: Data Table on Geographic comparison

7.3 Asia - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 46: Chart on Asia - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 47: Data Table on Asia - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 48: Chart on Asia - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

Exhibit 49: Data Table on Asia - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.4 Rest of World (ROW) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

Exhibit 50: Chart on Rest of World (ROW) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 51: Data Table on Rest of World (ROW) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 52: Chart on Rest of World (ROW) - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 53: Data Table on Rest of World (ROW) - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.5 Europe - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 54: Chart on Europe - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 55: Data Table on Europe - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 56: Chart on Europe - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

Exhibit 57: Data Table on Europe - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.6 North America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 58: Chart on North America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 59: Data Table on North America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 60: Chart on North America - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

Exhibit 61: Data Table on North America - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.7 China - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 62: Chart on China - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 63: Data Table on China - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 64: Chart on China - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

Exhibit 65: Data Table on China - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.8 India - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 66: Chart on India - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 67: Data Table on India - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 68: Chart on India - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

Exhibit 69: Data Table on India - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.9 Japan - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 70: Chart on Japan - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 71: Data Table on Japan - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 72: Chart on Japan - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

Exhibit 73: Data Table on Japan - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.10 Republic of Korea - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

Exhibit 74: Chart on Republic of Korea - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 75: Data Table on Republic of Korea - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)



Exhibit 76: Chart on Republic of Korea - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)



Exhibit 77: Data Table on Republic of Korea - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.11 Australia - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 Exhibit 78: Chart on Australia - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 79: Data Table on Australia - Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2021-2026 ($ million)

Exhibit 80: Chart on Australia - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

Exhibit 81: Data Table on Australia - Year-over-year growth 2021-2026 (%)

7.12 Market opportunity by geography

Exhibit 82: Market opportunity by geography ($ million)

8 Drivers, Challenges, and Trends

8.1 Market drivers

8.2 Market challenges

8.3 Impact of drivers and challenges

Exhibit 83: Impact of drivers and challenges in 2021 and 2026

8.4 Market trends

9 Vendor Landscape

9.1 Overview

9.2 Vendor landscape

Exhibit 84: Overview on Criticality of inputs and Factors of differentiation

9.3 Landscape disruption

Exhibit 85: Overview on factors of disruption

9.4 Industry risks

Exhibit 86: Impact of key risks on business

10 Vendor Analysis

10.1 Vendors covered

Exhibit 87: Vendors covered

10.2 Market positioning of vendors

Exhibit 88: Matrix on vendor position and classification

10.3 Adimmune Corp.

Exhibit 89: Adimmune Corp. - Overview



Exhibit 90: Adimmune Corp. - Business segments



Exhibit 91: Adimmune Corp. - Key news



Exhibit 92: Adimmune Corp. - Key offerings



Exhibit 93: Adimmune Corp. - Segment focus

10.4 Bharat Biotech Ltd.

Exhibit 94: Bharat Biotech Ltd. - Overview



Exhibit 95: Bharat Biotech Ltd. - Product / Service



Exhibit 96: Bharat Biotech Ltd. - Key news



Exhibit 97: Bharat Biotech Ltd. - Key offerings

10.5 Biological E. Ltd.

Exhibit 98: Biological E. Ltd. - Overview



Exhibit 99: Biological E. Ltd. - Product / Service



Exhibit 100: Biological E. Ltd. - Key news



Exhibit 101: Biological E. Ltd. - Key offerings

10.6 KM Biologics Co. Ltd.

Exhibit 102: KM Biologics Co. Ltd. - Overview



Exhibit 103: KM Biologics Co. Ltd. - Product / Service



Exhibit 104: KM Biologics Co. Ltd. - Key offerings

10.7 Medigen Inc.

Exhibit 105: Medigen Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 106: Medigen Inc. - Product / Service



Exhibit 107: Medigen Inc. - Key offerings

10.8 Panacea Biotec Ltd.

Exhibit 108: Panacea Biotec Ltd. - Overview



Exhibit 109: Panacea Biotec Ltd. - Product / Service



Exhibit 110: Panacea Biotec Ltd. - Key offerings

10.9 Sanofi

Exhibit 111: Sanofi - Overview



Exhibit 112: Sanofi - Business segments



Exhibit 113: Sanofi - Key news



Exhibit 114: Sanofi - Key offerings



Exhibit 115: Sanofi - Segment focus

10.10 Shandong Hengye Biotechnology Co. Ltd.

Exhibit 116: Shandong Hengye Biotechnology Co. Ltd. - Overview



Exhibit 117: Shandong Hengye Biotechnology Co. Ltd. - Product / Service



Exhibit 118: Shandong Hengye Biotechnology Co. Ltd. - Key offerings

10.11 Valneva SE

Exhibit 119: Valneva SE - Overview



Exhibit 120: Valneva SE - Business segments



Exhibit 121: Valneva SE - Key offerings



Exhibit 122: Valneva SE - Segment focus

11 Appendix

11.1 Scope of the report

11.2 Inclusions and exclusions checklist

Exhibit 123: Inclusions checklist



Exhibit 124: Exclusions checklist

11.3 Currency conversion rates for US$

Exhibit 125: Currency conversion rates for US$

11.4 Research methodology

Exhibit 126: Research methodology



Exhibit 127: Validation techniques employed for market sizing



Exhibit 128: Information sources

11.5 List of abbreviations

Exhibit 129: List of abbreviations

About Us

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focus on emerging market trends and provide actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

Contact

Technavio Research

Jesse Maida

Media & Marketing Executive

US: +1 844 364 1100

UK: +44 203 893 3200

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.technavio.com/

SOURCE Technavio
Jengo Facilities LLC achieved 173% annual revenue growth, 100% client retention and expanded throughout North America.

DALLAS, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ --The Jengo Facilities LLC leadership team had its annual meeting last month to coincide with their anniversary of being in business for four years. The meeting was convened to review their progress on accomplishing their five-year strategic plan called Ambition 2025. Their strategic plan outlines a plan to diversify their client base, retain their existing clients, expand talent at all levels of the organization, and grow their revenue.

Jengo Facilities LLC president, Kwame Watkins shared at the meeting, "We are making tremendous progress towards achieving our strategic goals within our Ambition 2025 plan. I am also very proud of the culture of innovation and client-centric service that we have created as a team to drive excellent results for our clients." He then went on to share the following accomplishments:

Diversified their client base to now support, a national office and retail asset management firm that holds over $4 Billion in assets.





in assets. Expanded their service reach to now deliver services throughout the US and Canada .





. Launched a command and contact center to manage their national vendor network and client sites.





Increased their year-over-year annual revenue by 173% through organic sales and new customers.





Achieved 100% client retention through improved customer service.





Partnered with an industry-leading technology firm to drive their maintenance and asset management growth.

About Jengo Facilities LLC

A facilities management, maintenance, construction and consulting company. The company initially only provided facility consulting and construction services. They have grown to also provide the following facilities services: cleaning, HVAC, electrical, plumbing, general maintenance, landscaping and other services. A certified African American and woman owned company that is headquartered in Dallas, Texas. For more information about Jengo Facilities LLC services and organizations visit www.jengofm.com or @jengofacilities on Instagram or Twitter.

Media Contact:

Nzingha Millar

Communications Director

844-500-9698

[email protected]

SOURCE Jengo Facilities LLC
MANASQUAN, N.J., April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Jersey Mike's Subs and customers across the country rallied to raise a record-breaking $21 million to help more than 200 local charities during the company's 13th Annual Month of Giving in March.

Jersey Mike's locations nationwide accepted donations throughout the month, building to the company's Day of Giving on March 29, when nearly 2,500 restaurants donated 100 percent of sales, not just profits, to local charities including hospitals, youth organizations, food banks and more.

Jersey Mike's Subs raised a record-breaking $21 million to help more than 200 local charities during Month of Giving. Tweet this Jersey Mikes Founder Peter Cancro (c) celebrates the 2023 Day of Giving with local charity partner, Junior Achievement of the Heartland, in Iowa.

"We were humbled to see how our customers came out in droves to support their local charities on Day of Giving," said Caroline Jones, Senior Vice President, Jersey Mike's Franchise Systems, Inc., and daughter of Founder Peter Cancro. "Day of Giving is our busiest day, and we look forward to it all year. Thank you to our customers, franchise owners, team members and charity partners for making a difference!"

This fundraising total exceeds the $20 million raised during last year's campaign. Since Month of Giving began in 2011, Jersey Mike's has raised more than $88 million for local charities. (View/download b-roll)

"Givingmaking a difference in someone's life" has been the mission of Jersey Mike's from the beginning.

For totals raised on behalf of more than 200 charities nationwide, please visit our listing of charities by state.

About Jersey Mike's

Jersey Mike's Subs, with nearly 2,500 locations nationwide, serves authentic fresh sliced/fresh grilled subs on in-store freshly baked bread  the same recipe it started with in 1956. Passion for giving in Jersey Mike's local communities is reflected in its mission statement "Givingmaking a difference in someone's life." Visit jerseymikes.com.

Contact: Kyle Potvin, [email protected], 917-838-4500

SOURCE Jersey Mikes Subs
US$ unless otherwise stated TSX/NYSE/PSE: MFC SEHK: 945

BOSTON, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - John Hancock Investment Management, a company of Manulife Investment Management, recently announced changes to the advisory fee schedule for its $2.32 billion Disciplined Value International Fund effective April 1, 2023. This yields a 7 basis point management fee reduction across all share classes based on current asset levels. The fund, which seeks long-term capital growth, has a 4-star rating from Morningstar.1 it is subadvised by Boston Partners' portfolio management team, including Christopher K. Hart, CFA, and Joshua M. Jones, CFA.

"We focus on providing investors access to a family of funds that offers a high level of diversity in asset class coverage and in management style," said Andrew G. Arnott, president and CEO, John Hancock Investment Management, global head of retail, Manulife Investment Management. "The price level our customers pay is a very important component, and we're consistently reviewing our lineup to ensure that we have competitive pricing versus the industry and, as a result, we've cut fees on more than $30 billion in AUM to benefit shareholders over the past three years."

Additional information on this fee reduction can be found in John Hancock Disciplined Value International Fund's latest prospectus.

To find more information about John Hancock Investment Management, and to compare this fund with others in its category, please click here.

Fee reduction data is sourced from John Hancock Investment Management internal data, 1/1/20 through 4/1/23.

Request a prospectus or summary prospectus from your financial professional, by calling 800-225-5291, or by visiting jhinvestments.com. The prospectus includes investment objectives, risks, fees, expenses, and other information that you should consider carefully before investing.

Foreign investing, especially in emerging markets, has additional risks, such as currency and market volatility and political and social instability. Value stocks may decline in price. Hedging and other strategic transactions may increase volatility and result in losses if not successful. Large company stocks could fall out of favor, and illiquid securities may be difficult to sell at a price approximating their value. The stock prices of small and midsize companies can change more frequently and dramatically than those of large companies. The fund may invest its assets in a small number of issuers. Performance could suffer significantly from adverse events affecting these issuers. Please see the fund's prospectus for additional risks.

1 Overall rating out of 327 funds in the foreign large value fund category as of 2/28/23. The fund was rated 5, 4, and 4 stars out of 327, 306, and 187 funds for the 3-, 5-, and 10-year periods, respectively.

All funds may experience periods of negative performance.

Overall rating is based on 3,5, and 10 year, if applicable. Morningstar risk adjusted returns and accounts for variation in a fund's monthly performance. For each managed product, including mutual funds, variable annuity and variable life subaccounts, exchange-traded funds, closed-end funds, and separate accounts, with at least a 3-year history, Morningstar calculates a Morningstar Rating based on a Morningstar Risk-Adjusted Return that accounts for variation in a fund's monthly excess performance, placing more emphasis on downward variations and rewarding consistent performance. Exchange-traded funds and open-end mutual funds are considered a single population for comparative purposes. The top 10.0% of funds in each category, the next 22.5%, 35.0%, 22.5%, and bottom 10.0% receive 5, 4, 3, 2, or 1 star(s), respectively. The overall Morningstar Rating for a managed product is derived from a weighted average of the performance figures associated with its 3-, 5-, and 10-year (if applicable) Morningstar Rating metrics. The rating formula most heavily weights the 3-year rating, using the following calculation: 100% 3-year rating for 36 to 59 months of total returns, 60% 5-year rating/40% 3-year rating for 60 to 119 months of total returns, and 50% 10-year rating/30% 5-year rating/20% 3-year rating for 120 or more months of total returns. Star ratings do not reflect the effect of any applicable sales load. Morningstar's extended performance rating is calculated by adjusting the historical total returns of the oldest share class to reflect the fee structure of a younger share class, and then compounding the combined record of actual and adjusted performance into the 3-, 5-, and 10- year time periods necessary to produce Morningstar Risk-Adjusted Returns and a Morningstar Rating. Extended performance ratings do not affect actual Morningstar ratings; the overall ratings for multi-share class funds are based on actual performance only or extended performance only. Once a share class turns 3 years old, the overall Morningstar Rating will be based on actual ratings only. Adjusted historical performance is only an approximation of actual returns, and Morningstar's calculation methodology may differ from those used by other entities. Past performance does not guarantee future results.

 2023 Morningstar. All Rights Reserved. The information contained herein: (1) is proprietary to Morningstar and/or its providers; (2) may not be copied or distributed; and (3) is not warranted to be accurate, complete, or timely. Neither Morningstar nor its content providers are responsible for any damages or losses arising from any use of this information.

John Hancock Investment Management Distributors LLC, Member FINRA, SIPC, 200 Berkeley Street, Boston, MA 02116, 800-225-5291, jhinvestments.com

Diversification does not guarantee a profit or eliminate the risk of a loss.

About John Hancock Investment Management

A company of Manulife Investment Management, we serve investors through a unique multimanager approach, complementing our extensive in-house capabilities with an unrivaled network of specialized asset managers, backed by some of the most rigorous investment oversight in the industry. The result is a diverse lineup of time-tested investments from a premier asset manager with a heritage of financial stewardship.

About Manulife Investment Management

Manulife Investment Management is the global brand for the global wealth and asset management segment of Manulife Financial Corporation. We draw on more than a century of financial stewardship and the full resources of our parent company to serve individuals, institutions, and retirement plan members worldwide. Headquartered in Toronto, our leading capabilities in public and private markets are strengthened by an investment footprint that spans 19 geographies. We complement these capabilities by providing access to a network of unaffiliated asset managers from around the world. We're committed to investing responsibly across our businesses. We develop innovative global frameworks for sustainable investing, collaboratively engage with companies in our securities portfolios, and maintain a high standard of stewardship where we own and operate assets, and we believe in supporting financial well-being through our workplace retirement plans. Today, plan sponsors around the world rely on our retirement plan administration and investment expertise to help their employees plan for, save for, and live a better retirement. Not all offerings are available in all jurisdictions. For additional information, please visit manulifeim.com.

NOT FDIC INSURED. MAY LOSE VALUE. NO BANK GUARANTEE. NOT INSURED BY ANY GOVERNMENT AGENCY.

Manulife, Manulife Investment Management, Stylized M Design, and Manulife Investment Management & Stylized M Design are trademarks of The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company and are used by it, and by its affiliates under license.

SOURCE John Hancock Investment Management
CHANTILLY, Va., April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Koniag Government Services (KGS) is proud to announce the winners of its annual Innovation Spike competition. The competition, spearheaded by KGS Chief Growth Officer, Carl Buffington, invites teams from across the company to submit innovative and cutting-edge ideas that will deliver benefits to customers while expanding KGS's technical portfolio.

This year, eleven teams presented their ideas and proposed pilots for their solutions. After careful consideration, three teams were awarded funding to pursue the next phase of their solution. The winners of the 2023 Innovation Spike competition are as follows:

The competition invites teams from across the company to submit innovative and cutting-edge ideas. Tweet this

First Place: "Clutch Closeout Companion", Carin Chapman

Synopsis: A plan to finalize the successful pilot of a Robotic Process Automation (RPA) "bot" used by the accounting department to expedite their monthly closeout process. The "bot" will deliver matched and unmatched transactions to the Accounting team by reading General Ledger transactions and bank transactions and comparing the two. This will eliminate many of the time-consuming manual processes required each month for each of the KGS entities.

Second Place: "KGS Strategic Operating Group", Sheree Kenner and Joseph Toffolo

Synopsis: To ensure quality and performance expectations are communicated, we propose Introducing the Balanced Scorecard during onboarding where we address the overall Quality Control Program (QCP) and the scorecard's purpose. The Balanced Scorecard communicates performance expectations to each employee from the beginning to ensure they understand their performance is based upon data, not anecdotal opinions. In addition, by understanding the QCP process and the program mission, our staff immediately understand how to meet and exceed customer expectations.

Third Place: "A Team Called George", Craig Plain

Synopsis: Create a new business unit dedicated to developing and delivering training. The team would work cross three areas: Federal Training Contracts, Other KGS Contracts, and Supporting Internal Training requirements. The pilot would create a dedicated team with working managers and members and result in additional contract awards and revenue.

"This year's innovations were outstanding, and I'm excited to see how the winning solutions progress." said Carl Buffington, Chief Growth Officer. "The Innovation Spike competition is in its fifth year and provides a platform for KGS employees to demonstrate creativity and share their ideas and expertise for improving our support to customers and expanding our technical offerings. It's a great way for our employees to directly impact the organization and I look forward to seeing what the teams bring forward each year."

KGS is committed to providing the highest level of service to its customers through innovative solutions and cutting-edge technology. The Innovation Spike competition is just one example of KGS's commitment to delivering exceptional results to its customers.

About Koniag Government Services (KGS)

Koniag Government Services (KGS) is an Alaska Native Corporation comprised of multiple wholly owned subsidiary companies that deliver Enterprise Solutions, Professional Services and Operations Management to Federal Government agencies. With an agile employee and corporate culture, KGS applies its proven technical, professional and operational expertise to enable successful mission outcomes for Defense and Civilian agencies through forward-leaning, solution-oriented business partnerships and a commitment to exceptional service delivery.

For more information, please visit www.koniag-gs.com .

SOURCE Koniag Government Services
HONG KONG, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Even with the ever-changing situation, technological innovation is still the most critical component for biopharmaceutical companies' long-term development. This continuous innovation keeps companies up to date and promotes the evolution of R&D and the success of commercialization.

Recently, 6 of Viva's portfolio companies have achieved significant results and progress: Mediar and QurAlis have successfully completed financing, while AmacaThera, AceLink, Basking, and TechnoDerma have made smooth progress in their R&D pipelines.

Keep reading for more details.

Mediar Therapeutics Announces $105 Million Financing to Advance Portfolio of First-in-Class Fibrosis Therapies

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., March 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Mediar Therapeutics Inc., invested and incubated by Viva BioInnovator (VBI), is a biotechnology company advancing a portfolio of first-in-class therapies that halt and even reverse the course of fibrosis. Recently they announced a $105M financing, including a recent $85 million Series A round co-led by Novartis Venture Fund and Sofinnova Partners and with participation from Pfizer Ventures, Mission BioCapital, Gimv, Pureos, Bristol Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly & Company, Ono Venture Investment and Mass General Brigham Ventures. Viva also continued to invest in this round. Mediar was founded on pioneering fibrosis research from Mass General and Brigham and Women's Hospitals in partnership with Mass General Brigham Ventures with the goal to transform the treatment of fibrotic disease by targeting the myofibroblast, the key cell type driving fibrosis progression. Mediar is led by industry veterans, Chief Executive Officer Rahul Ballal, Ph.D. and Chief Scientific Officer Paul Yaworsky, Ph.D. Dr. Ballal joins Mediar with nearly 20 years of experience in biotech and was most recently CEO of Imara, which recently merged with Enliven Therapeutics. Dr. Yaworsky joined Mediar in 2019 after a successful 21-year career at Pfizer, most recently serving as the COO of inflammation and immunology research. Joining the Mediar board is Nandita Shangari, Ph.D., from Novartis Venture Fund, Maina Bhaman, MBA, from Sofinnova Partners, and Andreas Jurgeit, Ph.D., from Gimv.

Mediar's portfolio comprises three novel targets that are readily detectible in blood and correlate to disease severity, enabling a de-risked approach to clinical development. The series A financing will support advancement of the company's portfolio of first-in-class antibody treatments, which offer unique potential to address fibrosis at varying stages of the disease, with two programs advancing into human studies in 2024.

AmacaThera Doses First Subjects in Phase 1 Clinical Trial for AmacaGel Therapeutic Platform, and Their Lung Cancer Applications Recognized in QuickFIre Challenge

TORONTO, March 9, 2023 /CNW/ - AmacaThera Inc, invested and incubated by Viva BioInnovator (VBI), is a clinical-stage company transforming therapeutics to make a difference in patient health. Recently they announced that the first subjects have been dosed in the company's Phase 1 first-in-human clinical investigation of the safety of AmacaGel. AmacaGel is a unique injectable hydrogel platform technology. It can be injected directly into a targeted organ or incision site, where it forms a depot from which medications can achieve local benefit, thereby improving patient lives. Patients were dosed with the hydrogel alone group to demonstrate the core technology's safety.

Previously, AmcaThera also received grant funding from the Innovations for Vets QuickFire Challenge: Lung Cancer & Physical Trauma. With the support of the QuickFire Challenge funding, the company will collaborate with another biotech company to visualize and sample lung cancer tumors.

QurAlis Closes $88 Million Series B Financing to Advance Precision Medicines for Neurodegenerative Diseases

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., March 9, 2023  QurAlis Corporation, incubated and invested by Viva BioInnovator (VBI), is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing breakthrough precision medicines for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and other neurodegenerative diseases with genetically validated targets. Recently they announced it has closed an oversubscribed $88 million Series B financing, bringing the total funds raised to $143.5 million. The financing was led by EQT Life Sciences, investing from the LSP Dementia Fund, Sanofi Ventures, and Droia Ventures, with participation from the ALS Investment Fund and existing investors LS Polaris Innovation Fund, Mission BioCapital, INKEF Capital, Dementia Discovery Fund, Amgen Ventures, MP Healthcare Venture Management, Mitsui Global Investment, Dolby Family Ventures, Mission Bay Capital, and Sanford Biosciences.

The proceeds from the financing will fund clinical development of QRL-201 and QRL-101, the Company's lead product candidates in ALS. In addition, the financing will support ongoing and planned research, as well as the advancement of QurAlis' pipeline with therapeutic candidates that target specific components of ALS and genetically related frontotemporal dementia (FTD) pathology and defined ALS patient populations based on both disease-causing genetic mutation(s) and clinical biomarkers.

AceLink Presented Phase I Clinical Data of AL01211 and AL00804 During the 2023 WORLD Symposium

NEWARK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--AceLink Therapeutics, Inc. (AceLink), invested and incubated by Viva BIoInnovator (VBI), is an innovative biopharmaceutical company developing transformative therapies for genetic diseases. Recently they presented positive data from a Phase 1 trial of AL01211 in healthy volunteers and preclinical data on the development of AL00804, a novel brain penetrant glucosylceramide synthase inhibitor.

AL01211 is a novel, oral, non-brain penetrant glucosylceramide synthase inhibitor (GCSi) being developed for the treatment of Fabry disease.

Here are some highlights Data:

AL01211 was safe and well-tolerated, showing no significant or serious adverse events in healthy volunteers.

Treatment with AL01211 resulted in dose-dependent PK and PD (reduction of plasma GL1 and GL3) properties.

In preclinical studies, AL01211 was widely distributed in peripheral organs and lacked blood-brain barrier penetration. This makes AL01211 an excellent choice for treating diseases that primarily affect peripheral tissues.

The increased potency and low brain penetration make AL01211 a potentially safer and more efficacious molecule for treating Fabry disease patients, especially in younger patients seeking a convenient and lifelong treatment option.

AL00804, a highly brain penetrant GCS inhibitor, efficiently reduced GL1 accumulation in the brain of preclinical models. Currently, it is eligible for IND new drug clinical application. Its data highlights include:

Pharmacokinetics studies support once daily, oral administration of AL00804.

AL00804 is highly brain penetrant that efficiently reduced brain GL1 and lyso-GL1 accumulation in preclinical disease models.

AL00804 reduced CNS disease symptoms, significantly delayed motor function decline and extended survival.

When tested head-to-head in a neuronopathic model of Gaucher disease, AL000804 performed better than Venglustat.

The increased potency and superior brain penetration compared to Venglustat make AL00804 a potentially safer and more efficacious molecule for treating neuronopathic GSL storage disorders.

Basking Biosciences Presents Positive Clinical Results from Safety and Dose-Escalation Study for First Reversible Thrombolytic Agent at ISC 2023

COLUMBUS, OH (February 9, 2023): Basking Biosciences (Basking), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing the first reversible thrombolytic therapeutic for ischemic stroke, today presented positive results of a Phase 1 single ascending dose safety study in healthy volunteers of the company's novel von Willebrand Factor (vWF)-targeting thrombolytic agent, BB-031. BB-031 demonstrated safety and tolerability following a single intravenous dose ranging from 0.1 mg/kg to 4.0 mg/kg and dose-dependent patterns of vWF binding and changes in platelet function.

In the Phase 1 study, healthy volunteers received BB-031 or placebo (in a 6:2 ratio) by intravenous bolus at single ascending doses ranging from 0.1 mg/kg to 4.0 mg/kg. The study found that BB-031 was safe and well tolerated throughout the 28-day study period, with no significant or treatment-emergent adverse events. BB-031 demonstrated an apparent mean terminal half-life ranging from 18 minutes at 0.1 mg/kg to 61 minutes at 4.0 mg/kg. Dose-dependent changes in vWF binding were observed. An analysis of platelet function showed complete inhibition of clot formation at all doses tested and dose-dependent duration of clotting inhibition and time to return to normal clotting.

Technoderma Medicines Initiates TDM-180935 Atopic Dermatitis Clinical Program with Phase 1 Dose Escalation Trial

SAN DIEGO, Feb. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Technoderma Medicines, Inc. ("the Company"), invested and incubated by Viva BioInnovator (VBI), is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company. They were pleased to report the Company has begun dosing healthy volunteer subjects in its Phase 1 clinical trial of topical TDM-180935 ointment. This first clinical trial in the Atopic Dermatitis (AD) program includes single dose and multidose escalation cohorts in a study entitled, "A Randomized, Double-Blind, Vehicle-Controlled, Parallel Group, Dose Escalation Study to Evaluate the Safety, Tolerability, and Pharmacokinetics of TDM-180935 Following Topical Administration in Healthy Male Subjects". Study objectives are to evaluate the safety and pharmacokinetics of topical TDM-180935. One U.S. clinical site is currently participating in this study under an open IND with FDA.

About Viva BioInnovator

As the investment division of Viva Biotech, Viva BioInnovator is dedicated to investing globally in biotech innovation with novel solutions to unmet medical needs across multiple therapeutic areas, ranging from biopharmaceuticals to devices, diagnostics, and life science tools. By leveraging Viva Biotech's deep experience and technical advantages in novel drug R&D, Viva BioInnovator provides both cash and in-kind services, also called Equity-for-Services (EFS), for its investments.

About Mediar Therapeutics

Mediar Therapeutics is a biotechnology company pioneering a new approach to fibrosis treatment that halts the disease at a different source  the fibrotic mediators that drive disease progression. Mediar was founded based on a deep understanding of the complex science underlying fibrosis onset and progression. By combining novel targets with reliable, easily detectable blood biomarkers and familiar modalities, Mediar is derisking the path forward for fibrosis therapies in clinical development. For more information, contact [email protected] or follow us on LinkedIn.

About AmacaThera

AmacaThera is a clinical-stage biotechnology company transforming therapeutics to make a difference in patient health. Our unique, injectable hydrogel platform provides localized, sustained drug delivery to improve patient outcomes across multiple therapeutic areas, including postsurgical pain management, cancer and other hardtoreach target areas. To learn more, visit amacathera.ca.

About QurAlis Corporation

QurAlis is trailblazing the path to conquering amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and other neurodegenerative diseases with genetically validated targets with next-generation precision medicines. QurAlis' proprietary platforms and unique biomarkers enable the design and development of drugs that act directly on disease-causing genetic alterations. Founded by an internationally recognized team of neurodegenerative biologists from Harvard Medical School and Harvard University, QurAlis is advancing a deep pipeline of antisense oligonucleotides and small molecule programs including addressing sub-forms of ALS that account for the majority of ALS patients. For more information, please visit www.quralis.com or follow us on Twitter @QurAlisCo.

About AceLink Therapeutics, Inc.

Founded in 2018, AceLink Therapeutics is an innovative biopharma startup focusing on developing safe and effective medicines to address genetic diseases with high unmet needs. The company's initial focus is to develop novel therapeutics for Fabry disease. For more information, please visit www.acelinktherapeutics.com.

About Basking Biosciences

Basking Biosciences is a clinical-stage company founded to solve the biggest need in ischemic stroke therapy  for a rapid-onset, short-acting thrombolytic drug capable of reopening blocked arteries within a significantly extended therapeutic window than currently approved therapies, and whose activity can be quickly reversed in the event of bleeding. The company is developing BB-031, a first-in-class RNA aptamer targeting von Willebrand Factor (vWF), an important structural component of blood clots and driver of the clotting process. The company is also developing BB-025 in tandem, a complementary rapid-acting reversal oligonucleotide capable of quickly neutralizing BB-031 pharmacological activity. Non-clinical research in multiple gold-standard animal models demonstrated that BB-031 quickly recanalized blocked blood vessels in the brain, as late as six hours after stroke onset. Basking has successfully completed a Phase 1 single-ascending dose safety study with BB-031 and is initiating a Phase 2 clinical proof-of-concept study in patients suffering from an acute ischemic stroke with the ultimate goal of extending the therapeutic window for thrombolysis compared to currently approved therapies.

About Technoderma Medicines

Technoderma Medicines, Inc. is a privately held clinical stage biopharmaceutical company located in Jiaxing Xiuzhou Biomedicine Guoqian Park, China. Its current core programs focus on development of innovative therapies for Androgenetic Alopecia, Atopic Dermatitis, Psoriasis and Lupus Erythematosus. Its "first-in-class" small molecule thyromimetic drug candidate TDM-105795 for Androgenetic Alopecia is currently entering Phase 2a clinical testing. Technoderma's novel JAK1/TYK2 inhibitor TDM-180935 for Atopic Dermatitis has now begun Phase 1 clinical testing. The pipeline targets dermatologic indications.

SOURCE Viva Biotech Holdings
WASHINGTON, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Leavitt Partners, an HMA Company released a report outlining steps federal and state policymakers, technology and electronic health record (EHR) companies, health plans, pharmacies, and other healthcare providers can take to strengthen pharmacy data interoperability.

As patients access more services from pharmacies, the data interoperability of those pharmacies becomes increasingly important to patients and the healthcare system at-large. Pharmacy teams' ability to provide optimal care and meaningfully contribute to the value-based care transformation depends on their ability to access and contribute to patients' clinical records, just as hospitals, clinics, labs, and other providers need to know the information stored in pharmacies' systems to appropriately serve their patients.

In "Supporting Pharmacy Data Interoperability: An Imperative for Patient Access and Outcomes," Leavitt Partners shares findings from studying the progress made to improve data interoperability for pharmacies, as well as the remaining challenges. The report points out that important progress toward pharmacy data interoperability includes the use of clinical documentation systems, increased data sharing during the COVID-19 pandemic, state health information exchanges (HIEs), the Pharmacist eCare Plan, vaccination registries, prescription drug monitoring programs, and standardized data application programming interfaces (APIs). These are important tools, as recognized in the report, but were found to be insufficient and incomplete in their implementation.

Opportunities exist to address the current gaps and promote broader pharmacy data interoperability that elevates the effectiveness and efficiency of the healthcare system. The report's recommendations relate to both policy and technology and center around three overarching themes: removing barriers to the provision of pharmacy-based clinical services; standardized, cost-effective, and clinically actionable data storage and sharing solutions; and collaboration across the healthcare ecosystem.

Download the report here.

Funding for this report was provided by the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS). None of the views or opinions expressed in the report are attributable to NACDS.

About Leavitt Partners

Leavitt Partners, an HMA Company is a leading consulting company at the forefront of navigating change in healthcare. The company provides clients with investment support, member-based alliances, and strategic advisory services, striving to make health more accessible, effective, and sustainable. For more information, visit leavittpartners.com.

Contact: Kelly Niebel, Communications Director, Health Management Associates

Phone: 517-318-4832

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Leavitt Partners, An HMA Company
NEW YORK, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Lil Durk, in collaboration with 'NXTG3NZ', is proud to announce public minting for their highly anticipated '7220' phygital sneaker collection. The collection's minting public event will go live on April 10th at 11:11 a.m. EST and consist of 11,111 pairs of custom designed phygital sneakers on the Algorand blockchain.

"It's a new wave and we're leading with NXTG3NZ. Doing it the right way, we built this for 2 years now." - Lil Durk Tweet this Powered by Algorand (PRNewsfoto/NXTG3NZ)

Designed by 0X-E, the collection will allow holders of the '7220' token to wear their digital sneakers across multiple Metaverses, including The Sandbox. Because the '7220' NXTG3NZ tokens are a phygital collection (digital tokens linked to a physical item or representation), NXTG3NZ will also gift each '7220' NXTG3NZ token holder with a physical pair of '7220' sneakers. This provides everyone who purchases the '7220' NXTG3NZ sneaker to demonstrate their digital ownership of the token in the physical world.

The digital version of the sneaker will be revealed to the token holder within 5-7 days after the '7220' NXTG3NZ is minted. Following that, the holder will receive a form in which they can enter their shoe size as well as the mailing address to which the physical sneakers should be sent to. Those who purchase and mint the '7220' NXTG3NZ token should expect to receive the physical sneakers within three to five months after completing the form.

The physical sneakers are being produced in Portugal at the same factory that produces sneakers for luxury brands Balmain and Moncler.

With the purchase of the '7220' NXTG3NZ, token holders will also receive exclusive benefits and memberships from NXTG3NZ. This includes real-life events with Lil Durk at festivals and shows, automatic access to the Early Access for upcoming sneaker drops with additional music and music icons.

"I've always loved fashion and now its technology, so it just made sense to combine them two. It's a new wave and we're leading with NXTG3NZ. Doing it the right way, we built this for 2 years now." - Lil Durk

Jessica Tsai Chin, Chief Marketing Officer at Algorand, agrees with Lil Durk's dedication to the fans stating, "As the pioneers scaling blockchain infrastructure, we are thrilled to partner with Lil Durk. Algorand is on a mission to transform the technology and culture landscape through real world value. This is the moment for powerful businesses to be born out of fandom and access."

While the '7220' NXTG3NZ token is their first phygital collection, NXTG3NZ has plans to release future collaborations with additional music and more.

To learn more about the '7220' NXTG3NZ NFT Collection, visit NXTG3NZ's website at www.NXTG3NZ.com

About NXTG3NZ Digital Wearables

Co-founded by Lil Durk, Satoshi Design, and Nexus, NXTG3NZ is a decentralized footwear company that utilizes Web3 technology to empower celebrities, athletes, and influencers to create their signature shoe brands. This one of a kind physical shoe collection utilizes NFT technology, which serve as proof of authenticity and enable them to reward their loyal community with perks. With industry veterans from the world's top three shoe brands on board, they excel at producing high-quality luxury footwear, allowing them to step into the future of fashion in style.

SOURCE NXTG3NZ
Details added: first version posted on 12:53

BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 4. A new round of political consultations has been held between the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry and the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Trend reports citing the Foreign Ministry.

The Azerbaijani side was headed by Deputy Foreign Minister Khalaf Khalafov, while the Italian side - by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Italy Edmondo Cirielli.

During the consultations, the prospects for a multidimensional strategic partnership and its strengthening, based on traditional friendship and mutual trust between the two countries, the possibility of expanding ties in the political, trade, economic, energy, defense and security fields, as well as transport, logistics, humanitarian, cultural and educational areas were discussed.

Khalafov stressed that a special role in ensuring the current high level of relations between the two countries in recent years has been played by the continuation of high-level political dialogue, the visits of the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev to Italy, and the President of Italy Sergio Mattarella to Azerbaijan.

The importance of the joint Declaration on strengthening the multidimensional strategic partnership signed between the two countries in 2020, as well as signed documents on cooperation in various fields, numerous visits of government and parliamentary delegations and a number of jointly implemented strategic projects was noted.

Cirielli, highly appreciating the multidimensional strategic partnership that exists between Azerbaijan and Italy, noted that the rise of the countries relations to the current level was made possible thanks to the political will of the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev.

The Italian official also noted the central role of Azerbaijan in the region, the presence of a wide range of economic agendas between the two countries, and the role of Azerbaijan in the energy security of Italy.

According to him, Azerbaijan has been an important energy supplier for Italy for many years.

He stressed that numerous Italian companies have been successfully operating in Azerbaijan for many years, as well as the importance of the projects implemented by the two countries in ensuring cooperation and development in the region and beyond.

During the meeting, Khalafov informed the Italian side in detail about the new realities which have been formed in the region in the post-war period [following the 2020 second Karabakh war], the establishment of lasting peace and stability, restoration and construction work, held in the Azerbaijani liberated territories.

He noted that the active participation of Italian companies in these projects is a vivid example of the countries friendship.

The Azerbaijani official also noted the necessity of signing a peace treaty to normalize relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia, delimitation of state borders and opening communications between them, and stressed that the non-constructive position of Armenia and failure to fulfill the obligations assumed pose a threat to the establishment of peace in the South Caucasus.

Cirielli commended Azerbaijan's efforts in peace-building in the region, stressed the importance of ensuring sustainable peace in the South Caucasus and noted that Italy, in particular, is ready to make an appropriate contribution to this process.

During the political consultations, satisfaction was expressed with the cooperation between the two countries in the humanitarian sphere, and the important role of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation was emphasized.

The significance of the establishment of the Italian-Azerbaijani University in Baku, and the launch of the Azerbaijan Cultural Center in Rome in diversifying our partnership was noted.

During the consultations, as well as the discussion of other regional and international issues of mutual interest, an exchange of views was held on expanding cooperation in multilateral formats, and the importance of a strategic dialogue and holding regular meetings of the intergovernmental commission was stressed.

Previously, within his visit to Azerbaijan, Cirielli held meeting with President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, Azerbaijani Minister of Economy Mikayil Jabbarov and Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov.
LOS ANGELES, April 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Los Angeles County Bar Association (LACBA) has announced the 2023 recipients of the organization's highest honors. Honorees will be recognized at the association's annual Installation and Awards Dinner to be held in June 2023.

Shattuck-Price Outstanding Lawyer Award

Gretchen M. Nelson of Nelson & Fraenkel LLP will be presented with the Shattuck-Price Outstanding Lawyer Award for her extraordinary dedication to the high principles of the legal profession and to improving the administration of justice. Ms. Nelson's dedication to her clients, her commitment to justice, and her passion for the advancement of women in the law have made her a shining example of the best that the legal profession has to offer. Ms. Nelson has been an active member of the California legal community, having served as a past President of LACBA as well as Chair of its Litigation Section, and was the California State Bar's first Treasurer, amongst others.

Outstanding Jurist Award

The Honorable Carolyn B. Kuhl of the Los Angeles County Superior Court will receive the 2023 Outstanding Jurist Award for her distinguished career on the bench as well as for her contributions to the community and practice of law. Since Judge Kuhl was appointed to the Superior Court in 1995, she has served as an assistant presiding judge, as a supervising judge for the Civil Division, and on the Superior Court's Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee.

Philip H. Lam Diversity Impact Award

LACBA's 2023 Philip H. Lam Diversity Impact Award goes to the Honorable Holly J. Fujie of the Los Angeles County Superior Court for her long and distinguished history of increasing inclusion and diversity in the practice of law. Judge Fujie was appointed to the bench in 2011 by former governor Jerry Brown. Prior, she served as shareholder at Buchalter Nemer, APC where she practiced corporate civil litigation for 20 years. Judge Fujie, who is of Japanese descent, was the first Asian-American to serve as President of the California State Bar Association during her term in 2008-2009.

About the Los Angeles County Bar Association

LACBA was founded in 1878 and is one of the largest voluntary metropolitan bar associations in the country. LACBA serves attorneys, judges, and other legal professionals through 29 Sections, committees, networking events, live and on-demand CLE programs, and pro bono opportunities, as well as public service and informational resources.

SOURCE Los Angeles County Bar Association (LACBA)
DENVER, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Lumen Technologies (NYSE: LUMN), will release its first quarter 2023 results on May 2, 2023. The company will broadcast a live conference call on its Investor Relations website at http://ir.lumen.com at 5 p.m. ET.

Additional information regarding the first quarter 2023 results, including the company's earnings release, investor presentation, and related materials will be available on Lumen's Investor Relations website. If you are unable to join the call via the web, the call can be accessed live at +1 877-283-5145 (U.S. Domestic) or +1 312-281-1201 (International).

The call will be archived and available as an audio replay on Lumen's Investor Relations website starting at 8 p.m. ET on May 2, until 8 p.m. ET on Jul. 31, 2023. The replay can be accessed by dialing +1 800-633-8284 (U.S. Domestic) or +1 402-977-9140 (International), reservation code 22026583.

About Lumen Technologies

Lumen connects the world. We are dedicated to furthering human progress through technology by connecting people, data, and applications  quickly, securely, and effortlessly. Everything we do at Lumen takes advantage of our network strength. From metro connectivity to long-haul data transport to our edge cloud, security, and managed service capabilities, we meet our customers' needs today and as they build for tomorrow. For news and insights visit news.lumen.com, LinkedIn: /lumentechnologies, Twitter: @lumentechco, Facebook: /lumentechnologies, Instagram: @lumentechnologies, and YouTube: /lumentechnologies.

SOURCE Lumen Technologies
C$ unless otherwise stated TSX/NYSE/PSE: MFC SEHK: 945

TORONTO, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - Manulife Financial Corporation ("MFC") today announced its intention to redeem at par on May 9, 2023 all of its outstanding $600,000,000 principal amount of 3.317% Fixed/Floating Subordinated Debentures (the "Debentures") due May 9, 2028. The Debentures are redeemable at MFC's option on or after May 9, 2023 at a redemption price per Debenture equal to par, together with accrued and unpaid interest to but excluding the date of redemption. Formal notice will be delivered to holders of Debentures in accordance with MFC's Trust Indenture.

Interest on the Debentures will cease to accrue on the redemption date.

About Manulife

Manulife Financial Corporation is a leading international financial services provider, helping people make their decisions easier and lives better. With our global headquarters in Toronto, Canada, we provide financial advice and insurance, operating as Manulife across Canada, Asia, and Europe, and primarily as John Hancock in the United States. Through Manulife Investment Management, the global brand for our Global Wealth and Asset Management segment, we serve individuals, institutions, and retirement plan members worldwide. At the end of 2022, we had more than 40,000 employees, over 116,000 agents, and thousands of distribution partners, serving over 34 million customers. We trade as 'MFC' on the Toronto, New York, and the Philippine stock exchanges and under '945' in Hong Kong.

Not all offerings are available in all jurisdictions. For additional information, please visit manulife.com.

SOURCE Manulife Financial Corporation
BOSTON, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Media3, a long-term Adobe partner, announced the release of new Azure Marketplace images for ColdFusion, ahead of the ColdFusion Summit in DC on April 6. Published in partnership with Adobe, the new images are designed to help developers easily deploy ColdFusion applications on the global Azure platform, which will help reduce deployment time and costs.

Azure ColdFusion

Adobe ColdFusion is widely recognized as a powerful platform for developing data-driven and dynamic web applications. As more businesses are turning to cloud computing for application deployment, the demand for ColdFusion in the cloud has surged. With the new Azure Marketplace images from Media3, ColdFusion developers can now easily deploy their applications in the Azure cloud.

"We're excited to announce the launch of our new Azure Marketplace images for ColdFusion," said Bob Hayes, CEO of Media3. "With these images, developers around the world can now easily deploy ColdFusion applications on the Azure platform with just a few clicks, making it more accessible and affordable for businesses."

Available in multiple OS flavors (Windows, RedHat, Ubuntu, AlmaLinux), the new images are available now, and come ahead of the highly anticipated release of ColdFusion 2023, which is set to bring new enhancements and features to the platform. Media3 is dedicated to keeping up with the latest advancements in ColdFusion technology and is working to ensure that all developers will be able to take full advantage of the new features in the upcoming release.

"ColdFusion 2023 is going to bring some exciting new features to the platform, including better performance, enhanced security, and native GraphQL capabilities," said Hayes. "We're thrilled to see the platform continuing to evolve and improve, and we're looking forward to helping developers take full advantage of the new features."

About Media3

Media3 is a trusted Adobe partner with over 27 years of experience in providing ColdFusion Enterprise hosting.

Recognized as an industry leader, they are widely acclaimed for innovative technology and exceptional customer service.

For more information about Media3's ColdFusion cloud services or to learn more about the new Azure Marketplace templates, visit the company's website or the Azure Marketplace at https://azuremarketplace.microsoft.com.

Media3's Web address is https://www.Media3.net.

Media Contact:

Bob Caldwell

800-903-9327

[email protected]

SOURCE Media3
Expanding Mercer Advisors' Northeast Presence

DENVER, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Mercer Global Advisors, Inc. ("Mercer Advisors"), a national Registered Investment Adviser (RIA), today announced the acquisition of Andesa Financial Management, Inc. (hereinafter "Andesa"). Andesa is a comprehensive wealth management firm located in Allentown, Pennsylvania focusing on serving the financial needs of their clients. Andesa was founded in 2004 by a team including Paul C. Barbehenn ("Paul"), CFA, CFP, Principal, and later joined by Michael C. Baittinger ("Michael"), CFP, ChFC, Principal, in 2006. Paul, Michael and the rest of the Andesa team serve 260 clients with assets under management ("AUM") of approximately $330 million.

Paul Barbehenn, Principal, commenting on the transaction, stated: "Andesa anchors on financial planning and is committed to serving our clients at the highest level. To that end, when looking to combine with a new partner, it was essential that they too believe in the value of financial planning and the importance of the client-advisor relationship. Further, we were looking for ways to add additional services to our clients while offloading onerous back-office responsibilities. Mike and I had known about Mercer Advisors through other Raymond James firms that had joined Mercer Advisors, and our consultant Christian Williams of Williams Private Wealth Advisory & Consulting, also recommended them. Thereafter, we met with David Barton, Mercer Advisors' Vice Chairman who leads mergers and acquisitions. Their comprehensive "family office" approach to client care with in-house services like estate planning, tax consultation and tax return preparation, etc., adds the depth and breadth of service we were looking to bolt on, while allowing me and my team to offload burdensome back-office work so that we can focus on what is most important  our clients."

David Barton, Vice Chairman, who led the acquisition of Andesa on behalf of Mercer Advisors stated: "Paul and Michael, are highly credentialed planners and have built a very respected business with a deep bench of talent. For Mercer Advisors, the addition of Andesa's talented team to our service ranks is the most valuable asset of the transaction."

Dave Welling, Chief Executive Officer of Mercer Advisors, said, "The business combination between Mercer Advisors and Andesa is a perfect cultural fit with both firms anchoring on financial planning. We are thrilled they are joining the Mercer Advisors team and bolstering our significant presence in Pennsylvania and the Eastern region. We look forward to working together to help deliver meaningful results for our shared clients."

About Mercer Advisors

Established in 1985, Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ("Mercer Advisors") is a total wealth management and financial planning firm that provides comprehensive, fee-based investment management, financial planning, family office services, retirement benefits and distribution planning, estate and tax planning, insurance solutions, and corporate trustee and trust administration services. Mercer Advisors Inc. is a parent company of Mercer Global Advisors Inc. (RIA), and Regis Acquisitions, Inc. (RIA). Both are majority owned by Oak Hill Capital and Genstar Capital. Mercer Global Advisors, Inc. is headquartered in Denver, Colorado, is privately held, has over 900 employees, and operates nationally through 90 offices across the country. Mercer Advisors manages over $48 billion in client assets. For more information, visit www.merceradvisors.com

Data as of January 31, 2023. AUM includes affiliates and wholly-owned subsidiaries.

"Mercer Advisors" is a brand name comprising Mercer Global Advisors Inc. and Regis Management Company. Regis Management Company is a tradename used by Regis Acquisition, Inc. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. and Regis Acquisition, Inc. are affiliated SEC registered investment advisers and deliver investment advisory and family office related services. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. and Regis Acquisition, Inc., are subsidiaries of Mercer Advisors Inc., a parent company not involved with investment services.

Mercer Advisors is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice to clients. All estate planning documentation preparation and other legal advice is provided through its Advanced Services Law Group, Inc. Tax preparation and tax filing are a separate fee from Mercer Advisors' investment management and planning services. Trustee services are offered through select third parties with which a client would engage directly.

Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. (CFP Board) owns the CFP certification mark, the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER certification mark, and the CFP certification mark (with plaque design) logo in the United States, which it authorizes use of by individuals who successfully complete CFP Board's initial and ongoing certification requirements. CFA and Chartered Financial Analyst are registered trademarks owned by CFA Institute. The ChFC mark is the property of The American College, which reserves sole rights to its use, and is used by permission.

Contact: Chris Tofalli

Chris Tofalli Public Relations, LLC

914-834-4334

SOURCE Mercer Global Advisors Inc.
MEMPHIS, Tenn., April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare is the first health system in Tennessee to offer an enhanced ablation tool for heart patients  especially for those suffering from an irregular heartbeat (atrial fibrillation or AFib).

Clinicians at Methodist University Hospital first unveiled the DiamondTemp ablation system in the fall of 2022. Since then, the health system has performed approximately 30 procedures using this advanced ablation technology.

Through a minimally-invasive procedure, doctors create a small incision in a patient's groin and carefully maneuver a catheter to their heart. An ablation tool at the tip of the catheter uses heat energy to create tiny scars on the heart  that restores a regular heartbeat.

The DiamondTemp ablation system allows for an even safer and more efficient procedure. The temperature mechanism equips cardiac electrophysiologists with advanced capability to monitor how effective an ablation is. This technology increases the chance of patients experiencing a quicker recovery.

Heart disease is the number one killer in the United States and in the Mid-South community. As a result, our clinical team performs a robust amount of atrial fibrillation ablations. Our expert team of dedicated cardiovascular surgeons and clinicians have built a trusted reputation that makes Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare a regional destination for heart care, with patients traveling as far as Kentucky, Alabama and Florida.

By offering the latest, cutting-edge technology, Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare continues delivering on its mission to improve our community's health and well-being through high-quality, innovative and compassionate care.

About Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare

Based in Memphis, Tennessee, Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare has been caring for patients and families regardless of their ability to pay for more than 100 years. Guided by roots in the United Methodist Church and founded in 1918 to help meet the growing need for quality healthcare in the greater Memphis area, MLH has grown from one hospital into a comprehensive healthcare system with 13,000 Associates supporting six hospitals, including nationally ranked Le Bonheur Children's Hospital, ambulatory surgery centers, outpatient facilities, hospice residence and physician and specialty practices serving communities across the Mid-South. From transplants and advanced heart procedures to expert neurology services and compassionate cancer care, MLH offers clinical expertise with a focus on improving every life we touch.

SOURCE Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare
BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn., April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The MTA Foundation (MTAF) is excited to announce the launch of the Drive the Difference: Trucking Careers, Powered by People campaign! Designed to boost interest in Minnesota trucking careers, the campaign includes a dynamic new website (www.DrivetheDifferenceMN.com) and a coordinated, ongoing social media campaign to drive young people and their parents, mid-career changers, women, and under-represented populations to consider a fulfilling and lucrative career in the Minnesota trucking industry.

We want to attract men and women to the site, connect them with training providers, and deploy them into essential, high-paying truck driving and truck technician jobs. Tweet this a look at the homepage of www.drivethedifferencemn.com

The project was undertaken by the Foundation in response to MTA members identifying the driver and technician shortage as one of their top challenges, year after year. Minnesota currently faces a shortage of nearly 8,000 truck drivers, with a national shortage ten times that amount.

The engaging Drive the Difference website includes descriptions of all kinds of trucking jobs, links to schools, and videos featuring real MTA member companies and testimonials from their drivers, technicians and behind-the-scenes employees. The ongoing social media campaign will utilize Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, and YouTube as well as ads on Pandora and Spotify to help drive people to the website.

"The goal of the Drive the Difference campaign is pretty simple," said MTAF Chairman Brent Bois of Calhoun Truck Lines. "We want to attract men and women to the site, connect them with training providers, and deploy them into essential, high-paying truck driving and truck technician jobs."

The Minnesota Trucking Association Board of Directors donated $110,000 to the foundation to launch the multi-year campaign. "The Minnesota Trucking Association has been fortunate to accumulate resources to fund special projects of great industry need," said MTA President John Hausladen. "The board was unanimous that there is no greater need and no better use for these member resources. We are excited to see how this effort brings talented men and women into our industry."

"We believe this is a best-in-class workforce hub and campaign, utilizing cutting-edge tools and unique Minnesota content," said Hausladen. "Like trucking, we are in this campaign for the long-haul with a multi-year strategy."

To learn more about MTAF's Drive the Difference Campaign, visit www.DrivetheDifferenceMN.com or on social media at:

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/DrivetheDifferenceMN/

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/drivethedifference/

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/drive-the-difference/

TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@drivethedifference

The Minnesota Trucking Association Foundation is part of the Minnesota Trucking Association, a non-profit trade association representing over 500 trucking companies and allied firms from across the state. The membership reflects the diversity of the Minnesota trucking industry, including less-than-truckload, truckload, bulk, agricultural, heavy specialized and private trucking operations. Since 1932 the MTA has served as a powerful voice for the industry. Its mission is to advance a safe and successful trucking industry through advocacy, education and focused initiatives.

SOURCE Minnesota Trucking Association
BAR HARBOR, Maine, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Life sciences industry leader Mitchell (Mitch) Kennedy will join The Jackson Laboratory (JAX) as executive vice president, JAX and president, JAX Mice, Clinical and Research Services (JMCRS) on April 10, 2023.

JAX develops innovative preclinical models and services that enable informed decision-making and compound evaluation to de-risk drug development and move therapeutics into the clinic faster and with greater confidence. Approximately 2,400 organizations in 68 countries rely on over 13,000 strains of genetically-specialized JAX Mice and research services in a wide range of therapeutic areas. In addition, JAX provides a variety of services to the research community including preclinical in-vivo pharmacology services, mouse model generation (e.g., genetic engineering), custom breeding services, assisted reproductive technologies (e.g., cryopreservation and IVF services), and cancer genomic testing services.

"At The Jackson Laboratory, one of our strategic goals is to continue to accelerate global scientific discovery through innovation, geographic expansion, unparalleled research models and services, and a world-class customer experience," said JAX President and CEO Lon Cardon, Ph.D., FMedSci. "Mitch is an effective and experienced leader who will be critical in achieving these goals and advancing JAX's mission."

This important role will continue to advance and increase availability of key models and resources. In this position, Kennedy will drive product development, business development, business unit management, marketing, field representation, and customer support for JMCRS, as well as lead all JMCRS operational groups.

"The Jackson Laboratory's scientific and academic reputation precedes itself, and I have admired the organization throughout my entire career," said Kennedy. "JAX Mice are the gold standard for animal model research. I am thrilled to join a community that values scientific rigor, acts with the highest ethical standards, and carries a strong commitment to offering innovative and cutting-edge research products and solutions to scientific researchers worldwide."

Kennedy has more than 25 years in senior leadership roles in the life sciences industry, most recently serving at Thermo Fisher Scientific for over 16 years, where he was responsible for revenue as large as $2B and 6,000+ employees. Before his departure in 2022, he served as division president for single use technologies, accounting for $1.7 billion in revenue and covering products including hardware and controllers, hardware consumables, and 3D/2D bioprocess containers used in pharmaceutical production. In this role he led continuous improvement, cost management, pricing strategy, and operations scale-up to meet growing demand. Prior to that, he held roles as division president for chromatography and mass spectrometry (CMD), served as general manager and vice president of the life sciences business unit within CMD, and general manager and vice president of the molecular biology business unit.

Before joining Thermo Fisher, Kennedy held various roles in general management for Affymetrix, playing a key role in the strategy and execution of the company's business plan. Prior to joining Affymetrix, Kennedy worked with a number of life science companies including Applied Biosystems, Perkin-Elmer, Amersham, and Bio-Rad in a range of product management, commercial, marketing, and technical support roles. He completed field lab study at the University of Oregon's Oregon Institute of Marine Biology, and graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a B.A. in marine biology and zoology.

About The Jackson Laboratory

The Jackson Laboratory is an independent, nonprofit biomedical research institution with a National Cancer Institute-designated Cancer Center and nearly 3,000 employees in locations across the United States (Maine, Connecticut, California), Japan and China. Its mission is to discover precise genomic solutions for disease and empower the global biomedical community in the shared quest to improve human health. For more information, please visit www.jax.org.

SOURCE The Jackson Laboratory
DENVER, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- How are service dogs impacted over time when paired with people diagnosed with PTSD? A research team hopes to answer this question in a newly funded study. The project, funded by Morris Animal Foundation, will be conducted by a team based at the University of Denver Graduate School of Social Work.

Dogs provide comfort and companionship to individuals diagnosed with PTSD

Led by Dr. Kevin Morris, Research Professor and American Humane Endowed Chair in the Graduate School of Social Work and its Institute for Human-Animal Connection's Executive Director, the team will examine active service dogs' genetic makeup, physiology and behaviors over time to learn if and how pairing them with veterans diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder impacts the dogs' health and well-being.

"There is growing evidence that pairing military veterans with trained psychiatric service dogs can reduce PTSD symptoms," said Morris. "What we don't know is how service dogs are impacted. We hope the findings of our study will result in recommendations that can improve the health and well-being of the dogs engaged in this important work."

Post-traumatic stress disorder impacts nearly one-third of military veterans who have experienced combat. Currently available medications and mental health therapies have limited effectiveness, and many people are not cured by existing treatments. Although service dogs as a therapeutic option for PTSD have become more common, no one has studied how the dogs are impacted over time by this work. The results of this study will guide the ethical use of psychiatric service dogs and provide more tools to track their health and welfare. This research is part of a larger study that will follow veterans with PTSD before and after receiving a service dog.

"The benefit of service dogs to people with a wide variety of medical conditions is unquestioned," said Dr. Kathy Tietje, Morris Animal Foundation Chief Program Officer. "Understanding how that service affects canine well-being is an important area of research that is just beginning."

About Morris Animal Foundation

Morris Animal Foundation's mission is to bridge science and resources to advance the health of animals. Founded in 1948 and headquartered in Denver, it is one of the largest nonprofit animal health research organizations in the world, funding more than $149 million in nearly 3,000 critical studies across a broad range of species. Learn more at morrisanimalfoundation.org.

SOURCE Morris Animal Foundation
Seven-week business accelerator program to be held at Harrisburg University, beginning May 10

HARRISBURG, Pa., April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- M&T Bank (NYSE: MTB) is seeking as many as 50 entrepreneurs to participate in its second annual Capital Region Multicultural Small Business Lab  a program designed to provide multicultural business owners with the guidance and skills needed to build strong businesses, spur economic growth in the Harrisburg area and build generational wealth for their families.

The seven-week program, in partnership with the Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship at Harrisburg University of Science and Technology (CIE), will focus on business planning, establishing credit, accessing capital, marketing, branding and networking.

The Multicultural Small Business Lab launches May 10, with courses held weekly each Wednesday evening at Harrisburg University. It will conclude June 21 with a pitch competition and opportunity to win grants totaling $12,000 -- $6,000 for first place, $4,000 for second place and $2,000 for third place  all funded by M&T.

Entrepreneurs interested in participating in the program must complete an online application no later than April 18 and meet the following eligibility requirements:

Black/African American, Hispanic/Latinx or Asian American;

In business no more than three years;

Annual business revenue of $350,000 or less; and,

or less; and, Reside in the Greater Harrisburg area.

Qualified applicants will be enrolled in the free program on a first-come, first-served basis. Entrepreneurs who participated in the Capital Region Multicultural Small Business Lab in 2022 are eligible to enroll this year, if they did not receive a prize award during last year's program.

"The Multicultural Small Business Lab provides local entrepreneurs with the guidance and resources necessary to pursue opportunities benefitting their surrounding communities," said Nora Habig, M&T Bank's regional president for Central and Western Pennsylvania. "This year's program marks the second year of our partnership with the Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship to offer the Capital Region's small-business owners a program and grant opportunities to propel their businesses to the next level."

Jay Jayamohan, CIE's executive director, said: "Without a doubt, entrepreneurship has proven to be one of the most effective ways of closing the wealth gap. CIE is proud to continue and strengthen our partnership with M&T through the Multicultural Small Business Lab to support intergenerational wealth-building opportunities for individuals driving innovation in Central Pennsylvania."

The Capital Region Multicultural Small Business Lab launched in 2022, providing 40 minority small-business owners with free access to resources and education to grow their business. Three participants of last year's program also won $10,000 in total funding from M&T through a business pitch competition. Last year's Capital Region Multicultural Small Business Lab received the 2022 Catalyst Award from the Harrisburg Regional Chamber and Capital Region Economic Development Corp.'s for its impact on businesses in the area.

"The Multicultural Small Business Lab was truly a life-changing experience for me as a minority entrepreneur," said Joy Boudreau, the Cameroon-born owner and co-founder of Joy of Events Group in Camp Hill, Pa., and winner of last year's pitch competition. "It provided me with new insight into branding and financial operations, including business credit; bolstered my confidence and encouraged me to assign proper value to my services; and finally, through the pitch contest, provided me with the funding needed to promote my company and better serve my customers in Central Pennsylvania. I'm grateful to have been selected to the program and strongly encourage my entrepreneur peers in the region to apply."

The Capital Region Multicultural Small Business Lab is part of M&T Bank's mission to be a culturally fluent bank that understands the needs of the communities it serves and helps provide expertise and the resources required to address those needs. Since its first Multicultural Small Business Lab in Buffalo in 2021, M&T has launched the program in additional communities including Harrisburg, Bridgeport, Conn., and Harlem, N.Y. This growing initiative has enabled the bank to meet the needs of entrepreneurs while providing insights that have informed and differentiated M&T's approach to serving multicultural businesses. The bank plans to bring the program to more cities in 2023.

"Spurring long-term change, growth and innovation in the region is at the forefront of our local multicultural businesses, and supporting their success remains at the heart of the Multicultural Small Business Lab," said David Femi, head of Multicultural Banking & Diverse Market Strategy at M&T Bank. "We're committed to helping participants with the resources, skill set and connections they need to bring new products to market, scale their business and drive local economic growth."

The Multicultural Small Business Lab comes at a time when the number of ethnically and racially diverse businesses in Harrisburg is growing. Of the 39 new city-based businesses started over the past year, 22 are owned by Black/African American, Hispanic/Latinx or Middle Eastern entrepreneurs, according to city officials.

"The Multicultural Small Business Lab is exactly what the City of Harrisburg needs to create its next generation of entrepreneurs," Harrisburg Mayor Wanda Williams said. "We are a proudly diverse and inclusive city, and our business community cannot thrive unless it is truly representative of its residents. I thank M&T Bank and the CIE for setting the tone for the future of Harrisburg."

To apply for the Capital Region Multicultural Small Business Lab, visit mtb.com/harrisburglab.

About M&T Bank

M&T Bank Corporation is a financial holding company headquartered in Buffalo, New York. M&T's principal banking subsidiary, M&T Bank, provides banking products and services in 12 states across the northeastern U.S. from Maine to Virginia and Washington, D.C. Trust-related services are provided in select markets in the U.S. and abroad by M&T's Wilmington Trust-affiliated companies and by M&T Bank. For more information about M&T Bank, visit www.mtb.com .

About the Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship (CIE) at Harrisburg University

The Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship (CIE) empowers innovators to build successful ventures, including Harrisburg University students and faculty, as well as entrepreneurs in the community. In addition, CIE offers opportunities for partners to invest in important scientific discoveries, technological innovations, and academic research.

Media Contact:

Scott Graham

(410) 409-4803

[email protected]

 2023 M&T Bank. Member FDIC. NMLS# 381076 Equal Housing Lender.

SOURCE M&T Bank
BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 4. President Ilham Aliyev has described the fact that the second Turkish-made Togg is in Azerbaijan as a manifestation of friendship and brotherhood as he received Minister of Industry and Technology of Turkiye Mustafa Varank, Trend reports.

The head of state said that the brotherly country has manufactured high-tech products in the fields of defense industry and civil industry in recent years. The Azerbaijani leader stressed that it was possible thanks to the intelligence, talent and labor of the Turkish people under the leadership of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and described the launch of Togg production as a good example in this regard.

President Ilham Aliyev congratulated the Turkish President and the friendly and brotherly people of Turkiye on the occasion of all these successes.
VANCOUVER, BC, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - Nevada King Gold Corp. (TSXV: NKG) (OTCQX: NKGFF) ("Nevada King" or the "Company") is pleased to announce drill results from its 2022 Phase II drilling program at its 74.9 km2 Iron Point Project, located 35 km east of Winnemucca, Nevada, on the prolific Battle Mountain Trend (Figure 1).

Highlights:

Figure 1. The Iron Point Gold Project located at the intersection of the prolific Getchell and Battle Mountain gold trends. (CNW Group/Nevada King Gold Corp.) Figure 2. Drill hole locations (CNW Group/Nevada King Gold Corp.) Figure 3. Iron Point Project  pre-2021 drilling: Leapfrog arsenic model of NW-SE drill holes and preliminary geology long section. View is to the northeast. (CNW Group/Nevada King Gold Corp.)

Phase II drilling at Iron Point successfully intercepted Lower Plate stratigraphy in three deep holes including multiple gold zones in hole IP22-005. Key intervals include:

Drill Hole From (m) To (m) Interval (m) Au (g/t) IP22-5 342.6 349.9 7.3 0.33 And 389.4 394.2 4.8 5.35 And 675.4 684.6 9.2 1.04

Nevada King's Phase I and Phase II drilling confirm a Carlin -type gold hosted in Lower Plate carbonate rocks in the hanging wall and footwall of the Edna Mountain Structural Zone (" EMSZ ") (Figure 1). Gold mineralization is associated with elevated As, Sb and Hg and is open in all directions for additional drill tests. This key takeaway represents a new, high-value exploration opportunity.





Phase I and Phase II drilling confirm a -type gold hosted in Lower Plate carbonate rocks in the hanging wall and footwall of the Edna Mountain Structural Zone (" ") (Figure 1). Gold mineralization is associated with elevated As, Sb and Hg and is open in all directions for additional drill tests. This key takeaway represents a new, high-value exploration opportunity. The geologic setting of Iron Point is strikingly similar to the style of known Carlin -type gold deposits occurring along the Carlin and Battle Mountain-Eureka Trends. Similarities include multiple compressional tectonic events, gold in Upper and Lower Plate rocks, a stock with a hornfels aureole in the footwall of a complex normal fault zone, multiple dike swarms of various ages and orientations, and multiple metal systems of varying ages.





-type gold deposits occurring along the and Battle Mountain-Eureka Trends. Similarities include multiple compressional tectonic events, gold in Upper and Lower Plate rocks, a stock with a hornfels aureole in the footwall of a complex normal fault zone, multiple dike swarms of various ages and orientations, and multiple metal systems of varying ages. Nevada King's Phase II drill program commenced in January 2022 and was designed to follow up on initial drilling completed by the Company in 2019 during which a thick sequence of Lower Plate carbonate rocks was encountered in core hole VM-008C, which bottomed in strongly anomalous gold mineralization and associated pathfinder elements, intercepting 5.8m grading 0.17 g/t Au starting at 704m .





Phase II drill program commenced in and was designed to follow up on initial drilling completed by the Company in 2019 during which a thick sequence of Lower Plate carbonate rocks was encountered in core hole VM-008C, which bottomed in strongly anomalous gold mineralization and associated pathfinder elements, intercepting grading 0.17 g/t Au starting at . Nevada King is in the process of filing a National Instrument 43-101 ("NI 43-101") compliant technical report in the coming days authored by renowned Nevada Explorationist Mac Jackson, outlining a comprehensive review of the Iron Point district including work done by the Company in its Phase I and Phase II drilling programs.

Cal Herron, Exploration Manager of Nevada King, commented: "Every explorer looking for gold in northeastern Nevada over the past 50 years has been striving for the same goal  i.e. to find Carlin-type gold in receptive, Lower Plate stratigraphy. There are numerous deposits and mines across this region that host gold in upper plate and Tertiary-age lithotypes, but the real prize has always been to hit gold in Lower Plate sequences where the elephants are most likely to be found. As enumerated above, previous explorers at Iron Point identified most of the geological components that go into making a Carlin-type deposit, but the most important charactistic of all  the existence of Lower Plate rocks hosting gold mineralization  remained elusive. In this respect, Nevada King's discovery hole VM-008C in 2019 represented a giant leap forward toward finding a Carlin-type deposit at Iron Point. The Company's subsequent drilling program in 2022 corroborated this Lower Plate mineralization with hits in IP22-004 and 005 and also expanded the footprint of Carlin-type mineralization to the north, south, and east of VM-008C, covering an area measuring 1000m N-S by 500m wide and open in all directions. The gold intercepts in these three widely-spaced holes now place the Company in the enviable position of exploring for a potential elephant within an identified geological environment conducive for producing elephants, as opposed to questioning whether or not we are in the right environment to start with, which is the more common position most explorers in NE Nevada find themselves.

"With our advanced knowledge gained from the work completed to date, next possible steps at Iron Point could involve:

Re-interpretation of geophysical data and probable in-fill geophysical surveys to provide higher resolution and better definition of potential targets.

Detailed geochemical modeling and subsurface structural mapping based on historical drilling and Nevada King's large number of RC and core holes drilled for vanadium.

large number of RC and core holes drilled for vanadium. Expanding the surface geologic map coverage.

"The Company is currently examining several development strategies to best move the Iron Point Project forward."

Phase II 2022 Drilling Program Summary:

3,196m of drilling was completed in five wide-spaced rotary precollar / diamond core tail holes (IP22-001 through IP22-005). Drilling focused on the eastern rangefront, primarily in the hanging wall of the EMSZ (see table below and Figure 1). The holes were a follow up to Lower Plate gold mineralization intersected in drill hole VM-008C ( 5.8m of 0.16 g Au/t from 704.2 to 710.0m ) in the footwall of the EMSZ.





of drilling was completed in five wide-spaced rotary precollar / diamond core tail holes (IP22-001 through IP22-005). Drilling focused on the eastern rangefront, primarily in the hanging wall of the EMSZ (see table below and Figure 1). The holes were a follow up to Lower Plate gold mineralization intersected in drill hole VM-008C ( of 0.16 g Au/t from 704.2 to ) in the footwall of the EMSZ. Nevada King's VM-008C, today's highlight hole IP22-005, and IP22-004 all confirm Carlin -type gold mineralization hosted in Lower Plate carbonate rocks along a 1,000m long segment of the EMSZ.





-type gold mineralization hosted in Lower Plate carbonate rocks along a long segment of the EMSZ. Property-wide gravity data clearly define the EMSZ  a complex, anastomosing, northeast to northwest-striking normal fault on the east side of the project. Two unique targets are recognized in this area:

In the eastern hanging wall of the EMSZ, recent gravity data define a pediment area where favorable Lower Plate carbonate rocks occur at drillable depths below post-mineral gravels.



Gravity and CSAMT data define a northwest-trending structural corridor, the 'Fairway Zone', in the western footwall of the EMSZ where uplifted Lower Plate carbonate rocks are covered by either upper plate siliciclastic rocks or post-mineral basalt.

Both areas host drill holes with gold mineralization and as such constitute high value exploration targets.

Modeling of airborne property-wide magnetic data has assisted in resolving the geometry of the Iron Point intrusion as a Cretaceous age igneous stock with a distinct hornfels metamorphic aureole and outboard metal zoning (Figure 2). These patterns are identical to patterns documented around the Goldstrike stock on the Carlin Trend, and the Mill Canyon and Gold Acres stocks at Cortez.

The exploration potential of the Iron Point Project includes the recognition of multiple exploration target types including: Carlin -type gold, upper plate hosted vanadium, Cu-Mo porphyry, and base and precious metal skarn.

Drill Hole Method Incl. TD (m) Intercept (m) Interval (m) Au (g/t) Notes IP22-1 RC / Core -90 913.0 No assays > 0.14 g Au/t





IP22-2 RC -90 67.1 No assays > 0.14 g Au/t

Precollar lost IP22-3 MR -90 365.9 No assays > 0.14 g Au/t

Precollar cased IP22-4 MR / Core -90 917.1 505.1-511.5 6.4 0.16

IP22-5 MR / Core -90 932.9 342.6-349.9 7.3 0.33

And





389.4-394.2 4.8 5.35

And





675.4-684.6 9.2 1.04



Table 1. Gold intercepts reported today, calculated using a 0.14 g Au/t cutoff. Weighted averaging has been used to calculate all reported intervals. True widths are estimated at 70-90% of drilled thicknesses. Drill methods include reverse circulation (RC), mud rotary (MR) and HQ diamond core.

Sampling Methodology, Chain of Custody, Quality Control and Quality Assurance

All sampling was conducted under the supervision of the Company's project geologist and the chain of custody from the project to the sample preparation facility was continuously monitored. A blank or certified reference material was inserted approximately every twentieth sample.

The reverse circulation, mud rotary and core samples were delivered to either ALS Minerals or American Assay Laboratories certified laboratories in Sparks, NV, where they were crushed and pulverized. Resulting sample pulps were digested and analyzed for gold using fire assay with an atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) finish (ALS Minerals Au-AA23), or fire assay fusion with an ICP-OES finish (American Assay FA-PB30-ICP) on a 30 gram split. All other elements were determined by ICP analysis (ALS Minerals ME-ICP61 or American Assay ICP-2AO24) in either Sparks, NV, or Vancouver, BC. Data verification of the analytical results included a statistical analysis of the standards and blanks that must pass certain parameters for acceptance to insure accurate and verifiable results.

Qualified Person

The scientific and technical information in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Calvin R. Herron, P.Geo., who is a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101.

About Nevada King Gold Corp.

Nevada King is the third largest mineral claim holder in the State of Nevada, behind Nevada Gold Mines (Barrick/Newmont) and Kinross Gold. Starting in 2016 the Company has staked large project areas hosting significant historical exploration work along the Battle Mountain trend located close to current or former producing gold mines. These project areas were initially targeted based on their potential for hosting multi-million-ounce gold deposits and were subsequently staked following a detailed geological evaluation. District-scale projects in Nevada King's portfolio include (1) the 100% owned Atlanta Mine, located 100km southeast of Ely, (2) the Lewis and Horse Mountain-Mill Creek projects, both located between Nevada Gold Mines' large Phoenix and Pipeline mines, and (3) the Iron Point project, located 35km east of Winnemucca, Nevada.

The Company is well funded with cash of approximately $7.25 million as of April 2023.

The Atlanta Mine is a historical gold-silver producer with a NI 43-101 compliant pit-constrained resource of 460,000 oz Au in the measured and indicated category (11.0M tonnes at 1.3 g/t) plus an inferred resource of 142,000 oz Au (5.3M tonnes at 0.83 g/t). See the NI 43-101 Technical Report on Resources titled "Atlanta Property, Lincoln County, NV" with an effective date of October 6, 2020, and a report date of December 22, 2020, as prepared by Gustavson Associates and filed under the Company's profile on SEDAR (www.sedar.com).

NI 43-101 Mineral Resources at the Atlanta Mine

Resource Category Tonnes (000's) Au Grade (ppm) Contained Au

Oz Ag Grade (ppm) Contained Ag

Oz Measured 4,130 1.51 200,000 14.0 1,860,000 Indicated 6,910 1.17 260,000 10.6 2,360,000 Measured + Indicated 11,000 1.30 460,000 11.9 4,220,000 Inferred 5,310 0.83 142,000 7.3 1,240,000

Please see the Company's website at www.nevadaking.ca.

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 Statements Regarding Forward Looking Information

This news release contains certain "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein, without limitation, statements relating the future operations and activities of Nevada King, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are frequently, but not always, identified by words such as "expects", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "potential", "possible", and similar expressions, or statements that events, conditions, or results "will", "may", "could", or "should" occur or be achieved. Forward-looking statements in this news release relate to, among other things, the Company's exploration plans and the Company's ability to potentially expand mineral resources and the impact thereon. 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. Forward-looking statements reflect the beliefs, opinions and projections on the date the statements are made and are based upon a number of assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by Nevada King, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties and contingencies. Many factors, both known and unknown, could cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from the results, performance or achievements that are or may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements and the parties have made assumptions and estimates based on or related to many of these factors. Such factors include, without limitation, the ability to complete proposed exploration work given the global COVID-19 pandemic, the results of exploration, continued availability of capital, and changes in general economic, market and business conditions. Readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release concerning these items. Nevada King does not assume any obligation to update the forward-looking statements of beliefs, opinions, projections, or other factors, should they change, except as required by applicable securities laws.

SOURCE Nevada King Gold Corp.
For second-consecutive year, NAF is recognized for employee satisfaction

TUSTIN, Calif., April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Nationwide mortgage lender New American Funding (NAF) is pleased to announce that it is one of the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For 2023. This is the second straight year that NAF has appeared on this prestigious list, which honors the nation's top workplaces.

NAF is a 100 Best Companies to Work For in 2023 for the second consecutive year. The list is based on employee feedback about their workplace. Last year, NAF earned a place on the Fortune list for the first time.

New American Funding is pleased to announce that it is one of the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For 2023. Tweet this New American Funding Again Recognized as Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For

To determine the 100 Best Companies to Work For in 2023, Great Place To Work analyzed anonymous survey responses of more than 500,0000 employees from Great Place To Work Certified companies with at least 1,000 workers. The award is based entirely upon employee feedback, who ranked aspects of their jobs, management, and company philosophy.

Being ranked as one of the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For is a direct indicator of how NAF team members feel about working at their company, as more than 92% of NAF employees said that the company is a great place to work, compared to 57% of employees at typical U.S. based companies.

"When we began New American Funding in 2003, one of our founding principles was to ensure that our team always felt at home and that they were part of a family when they were at work," said New American Funding CEO and Co-Founder Patty Arvielo.

"We've grown substantially over the last 20 years, but we've always maintained our commitment to our employees' well-being," Arvielo continued. "We've built our company on compassion, caring, support, and trust. That's why it's truly special to receive awards like this one, because it shows that our team believes in our mission just as much as we do."

NAF supports each of its thousands of team members through its company culture initiative, "NAF360," which focuses on ensuring that every employee feels a true sense of balance and support in their lives inside and outside of the workplace.

The company is a leader in creating a truly 21st century workforce, focusing on cultivating trust, a strong sense of integrity, and teamwork. The team considers itself a community and its people embody authenticity, ingenuity, and diversity. The company prides itself on its culture and sustaining an environment where people enjoy coming to work every day.

New American Funding also embraces and values differences in viewpoints and recognizes that they make the company stronger. The company is constantly working to increase diversity among its employees. As a result, the company ensures that diverse voices are contributing to New American Funding's continued success.

These policies have led to a truly diverse workforce. Approximately 54% of New American Funding's employees are female and approximately 42% are minorities. Additionally, approximately 39% of the company's employees are millennials and 22% are Hispanic.

These efforts lead to awards like this one, and others. In addition to its back-to-back Best Companies to Work For awards, NAF has been recognized as #3 on Energage's list of the Nation's Top 5 Workplaces, won the Mortgage Bankers Association Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Residential Leadership Award, and ranked #15 on the PEOPLE Companies that Care list in the last year.

To learn more about joining New American Funding, visit our careers page today.

About New American Funding

New American Funding is an independent mortgage lender with a servicing portfolio of 244,700+ loans for approximately $64.5 billion and more than 165 nationwide locations. In 2022, New American Funding was ranked #1 by J.D. Power in Customer Satisfaction among Mortgage Servicers. The company was also named #18 on the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For in 2022. The company offers state-of-the-art career training and provides its branch Loan Officers with innovative technologies to streamline the mortgage process.

From Fortune. 2023 Fortune Media IP Limited All rights reserved. Fortune and Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For are registered trademarks of Fortune Media IP Limited and are used under license. Fortune and Fortune Media IP Limited are not affiliated with, and do not endorse products or services of, New American Funding.

SOURCE New American Funding, LLC
Only Six Percent of Companies Are Currently Future Built

At a Time of Cost Overruns, BCG Has Created the Playbook CEOs Need for Investing in the Capabilities That Generate Short-Term Performance and Sustained Competitive Advantage

BCG Identifies the Six Attributes That Companies Built for the Future Share, Regardless of Sector

BOSTON, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The fundamental drivers of superior performance and sustainable competitive advantage are changing. Growth opportunities are moving to new markets, including those created by technology disruption, and are expanding in areas related to generative artificial intelligence (AI), the energy transition and low-emission technology as well as in gene therapy, the metaverse, and quantum computing.

Many incumbents struggle to justify investments in these disruptive new opportunities or find themselves tied up in wasteful IT spending programs; some 70% of CEOs say that their company does not prioritize its investments well in executing digital transformation programs. Since they lack the capabilities required to access the new markets and gain advantage with AI and other technologies, their futures look bleak. However, a few companies are built for the future, generating shareholder returns almost three times greater than those of the S&P 1200, with two-thirds of the value created coming from revenue growth. New insights published today by Boston Consulting Group (BCG), titled "Build for the Future: The New Blueprint for Corporate Performance," highlight the common set of six attributes these winning organizations share, regardless of sector, that enable them to exhibit superior performance, be more resilient to shocks and disruptions, and exploit innovation faster for value-creating growth.

The Six Attributes of Companies Built for the Future

Six attributes enable built-for-the-future companies to move into new high-growth markets that are beyond the reach of less capable players:

Leadership that is aligned around a corporate purpose that integrates sustainability and social impact goals, building trust and transparency among stakeholders

A clear people advantage to attract, retain, and develop world-class talent

An operating model that enables agility and resilience to combat exogenous risks

An innovation-driven culture

A data platform and flexible, scalable technology platforms and applications to facilitate data access and support business needs easily and flexibly

Fully embedded AI that can create value for the organization

"A small number of companies have built winning capabilities and broken away from the pack," said Amanda Luther, a managing director and partner at BCG and a coauthor of the article. "They have avoided the trap of overfunded, underdelivered IT projects. Instead, they have made smart investments in people, processes, and culture, underpinned by strategic technology builds that have delivered outsized value."

BCG surveyed 725 C-suite members to understand how their companies are building (or have built) more than 50 different capabilities in five areas that previous research has shown are fundamental to success: senior management commitment, strategy and approach, governance, people, and technology.

The authors then analyzed which of these capabilities contribute most to an organization's future readiness. BCG can link future readiness to financial and nonfinancial metrics that investors and other shareholders value, such as shareholder returns, growth in earnings before interest and taxes, customer satisfaction, and talent attraction. The authors scored each surveyed company on its position along the journey toward becoming future built and identified four groups of companies on the basis of their progress: stagnating, emerging, scaling, and future built.

Four Types of Companies and Where They Are on the Journey to Being Built for the Future

Stagnating companies make up 30% of the sample. They are still at the starting gate and still deciding how to move forward.

companies make up 30% of the sample. They are still at the starting gate and still deciding how to move forward. Emerging companies make up 45% of the sample. They have created value from a digital transformation, but they continue to face challenges in effectively scaling solutions, and they haven't evolved much beyond fixing the basics in their core value chain.

companies make up 45% of the sample. They have created value from a digital transformation, but they continue to face challenges in effectively scaling solutions, and they haven't evolved much beyond fixing the basics in their core value chain. Scaling companies make up 19% of the sample. They have delivered a successful wave or waves of digital and AI transformations and created sustainable change in the organization. They are focusing on embedding these solutions across the enterprise and pivoting towards growth from innovation. These companies are delivering results.

companies make up 19% of the sample. They have delivered a successful wave or waves of digital and AI transformations and created sustainable change in the organization. They are focusing on embedding these solutions across the enterprise and pivoting towards growth from innovation. These companies are delivering results. Future-built companies make up 6% of the sample. They exhibit all six attributes at scale. They are on the leading edge of disruption in their sectors, they demonstrate resilience in the face of uncertainty, and they are best placed to benefit from technology disruption.

The more advanced companies (scalers and future-built firms) are opening big chasms with the stagnating and emerging companies in critical capabilities that cement advantage. For example:

Five times as many advanced companies are scaling AI solutions as opposed to running pilots at subscale (72% versus 14%).

Advanced companies invest twice as much in AI solutions and realize 3.5 times greater return on investment.

Three times as many advanced companies have stronger capabilities in the operational value chain, for example, intelligent asset management, smart factory, automated maintenance, and Industry 4.0.

More than twice as many have stronger capabilities in sales and marketing, and twice as many have stronger capabilities in customer experience and journeys, for example, personalization, consumer-centric services, and customer support and services.

Twice as many have stronger capabilities in digital ecosystems, such as leveraging platforms and partnerships to drive sustainable revenue growth beyond core.

Advanced companies launch 1.6 more ventures or new companies with a greater proclivity for earlier-stage innovation.

BCG's empirically derived insights offer a practical playbook that guides companies to both improve near-term performance and build the necessary capabilities for sustained advantage.

"Companies need to decide on the business outcomes they seek and the specific use cases they need to build," said Romain de Laubier, a managing director and partner at BCG and a coauthor of the article. "They also need to determine the minimum viable foundations of technology and data that will enable them to scale solutions. Advanced companies are doing this and incorporating a continuous improvement agenda with new initiatives that leverage the progress they have already made."

Download the publication here:

https://www.bcg.com/publications/2023/the-new-blueprint-for-corporate-performance

Media Contact:

Eric Gregoire

+1 617 850 3783

[email protected]

About Boston Consulting Group

Boston Consulting Group partners with leaders in business and society to tackle their most important challenges and capture their greatest opportunities. BCG was the pioneer in business strategy when it was founded in 1963. Today, we work closely with clients to embrace a transformational approach aimed at benefiting all stakeholdersempowering organizations to grow, build sustainable competitive advantage, and drive positive societal impact.

Our diverse, global teams bring deep industry and functional expertise and a range of perspectives that question the status quo and spark change. BCG delivers solutions through leading-edge management consulting, technology and design, and corporate and digital ventures. We work in a uniquely collaborative model across the firm and throughout all levels of the client organization, fueled by the goal of helping our clients thrive and enabling them to make the world a better place.

SOURCE Boston Consulting Group (BCG)
Vector sensor enables rail participants to manage operations more safely and provides vital insights for the successful delivery of cargo

DALLAS, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Nexxiot, the digital supply chain technology provider, has released a new multipurpose Vector sensor to monitor brakes, hatches, and doors on railcars. The sensor complements a growing portfolio of Nexxiot Asset Intelligence technology, which is used by leading transportation companies to remove uncertainty and risks associated with safety and cargo quality.

Vector Sensor - Essential for Rail Safety and Cargo Quality

The demand for reliable rail cargo transportation increases as urbanization and resource insecurity rise. Rail companies are determined to provide safe, high-quality cargo delivery services to meet growing demand. Multiple damaging incidents in transportation over recent months are accelerating the need for innovation, which is changing how the industry operates.

The design of Vector sensor creates optionality for clients to address multiple use cases with one versatile architecture. With a service life of more than 15 years, the device measures the status in real time to provide data on hand brakes,access hatches, and train doors. It connects wirelessly to the Nexxiot Globehopper gateway using Bluetooth LE (BLE), and from here, the data is sent to the Nexxiot Connect Intelligent Cloud for processing and analysis. Clients can easily access data and enhance decision-making capabilities and responses.

Until now, the only way to monitor railcar brake status, hatch opening or closing events, and door usage was to conduct physical inspections and manual reporting. With automated data collection, essential safety-related checks, and component condition monitoring, possible future points of failure are identified as they occur.

"Both rail operators and cargo owners benefit from this innovation. With increased attention on safety, compliance, and resource security, Vector sensor offers multiple stakeholders the opportunity to monitor processes and demonstrate to their clients that they take maximum care when it comes to safety and cargo quality," said Paul Wielsch, Nexxiot CTO.

Through close collaboration with industry leaders, clients, and partners, Nexxiot co-creates technical innovations to solve long-standing industry problems. Nexxiot is currently digitalizing entire fleets of shipping containers and railcars with zero-maintenance IoT gateways. Now clients benefit from real-time asset intelligence across the entire cargo journey.

About Nexxiot

Nexxiot's purpose is to enable easier, safer, and cleaner transportation. As a TradeTech and Asset Intelligence pioneer, Nexxiot provides supply chain participants with integrated technology solutions that remove uncertainty in cargo transportation.

The trusted Asset Intelligence technology allows carriers, railcar operators, and cargo owners to monitor assets in real time from anywhere in the world. Clients benefit from improved operational efficiency, meeting sustainability targets, and enhanced service quality.

Headquartered in Zurich, Nexxiot operates throughout Europe and the U.S. with an international team of employees from 30+ countries. For more information, visit www.nexxiot.com

SOURCE Nexxiot
Nobelpharma America honored for the first time with prestigious certification based on employees' descriptions of their work environment and company culture.

Certification recognizes Company's dedication to high quality employee culture.

Great Place to Work is a globally recognized and research-backed verification of workplace culture, employee experience and excellent leadership behaviors.

BETHESDA, Md., April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Nobelpharma America, specialists in developing treatments and medical devices for rare diseases, announced it has received certification by Great Places to Work for its values-based company culture and the quality of the workplace environment. This marks the first time Nobelpharma America has won the prestigious recognition, which is based on what current employees say about their experiences working there.

Great Place to Work is a globally recognized and research-based verification of workplace culture, employee experience and the leadership behaviors proven to deliver market-leading revenue, employee retention and increased innovation. According to Great Place to Work research, job seekers are 4.5 times more likely to find a great boss at a certified great workplace. Additionally, employees at certified workplaces are 93 percent more likely to look forward to coming to work and are twice as likely to be paid fairly and have a fair chance at promotion.

"Being formally recognized as one of the best places in the U.S. to work is extremely gratifying," said Head of Human Resources, Administration and Compliance at Nobelpharma America, Susan Ways. "It shows that great things happen when the top priority in managing a workplace is employee empowerment, satisfaction and professional development. Nobelpharma America is a thriving, results-oriented company where trust and collaboration are the keys to success. Great Place to Work Certification confirms our strong commitment to these important values."

Nobelpharma America offers a variety of benefits, resources and programs to support employees in being their best in aspects of their lives  at work, at home, and everywhere in between. Nobelpharma recently launched its first pharmaceutical product into the U.S. rare diseases marketplace. Nobelpharma America was established in the U.S. in 2019, employs approximately 39 employees in the U.S. and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Nobelpharma Co., Ltd., based in Tokyo.

Nobelpharma America is a pharmaceutical and medical device company committed to developing treatments and medical devices for diseases that often go overlooked because of the small number of patients affected.

For more information on Nobelpharma, America, including career opportunities, please visit https://www.nobelpharma-us.com/.

About Great Place to Work Certification

Great Place to Work Certification is the most definitive "employer-of-choice" recognition that companies aspire to achieve. It is the only recognition based entirely on what employees report about their workplace experience  specifically, how consistently they experience a high-trust workplace. Great Place to Work Certification is recognized worldwide by employees and employers alike and is the global benchmark for identifying and recognizing outstanding employee experience. Every year, more than 10,000 companies across 60 countries apply to get Great Place to Work-Certified.

About Great Place to Work

Great Place to Work is the global authority on workplace culture. Since 1992, they have surveyed more than 100 million employees worldwide and used those deep insights to define what makes a great workplace: Trust. Their employee survey platform empowers leaders with the feedback, real-time reporting and insights they need to make data-driven people decisions. Everything they do is driven by the mission to build a better world by helping every organization become a great place to work For All.

Learn more at greatplacetowork.com, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

About Nobelpharma America

Nobelpharma America, LLC (NPA) is focused on the commercialization of pharmaceuticals and medical devices that expand treatment options for people with rare diseases. In 2019, NPA became the first wholly owned global subsidiary of Nobelpharma Co., Ltd., which is based in Tokyo. The company, which is named after Alfred Nobel, remains committed to honoring his innovative and scientific legacy by developing treatments for diseases that often go overlooked because of the small number of individuals affected. For more information visit nobelpharma-us.com.



Media Contact Information:



Nobelpharma America, LLC Method Health Communications, LLC

Name: Susan Ways, Name: Sheila Burke

Head of Human Resources, Telephone: 484-667-6330

Administration and Compliance Email: [email protected]

Nobelpharma America



Telephone: 301-244-5951



[email protected]



SOURCE Nobelpharma America
The research-based assessment organization embarks on a new project to innovate in science education.

PORTLAND, Ore., April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- NWEA  a not-for-profit, research and educational services organization serving K-12 students  announced today its new initiative focused on collaborative and immersive education opportunities on Roblox  a global platform bringing millions of people together through shared experiences. Utilizing a Roblox Community Fund grant , the organization will explore innovative ways to use 3D immersive experiences to engage students in the study of science and assess their achievements in the subject.

While assessments are vital in traditional coursework, the results only demonstrate one small piece of a larger puzzle of what students know and are capable of achieving. Current assessments often leave out non-academic skills like student-decision making or progress toward reaching a goal. This is especially true when exploring Next Generation Science Standards.

"This collaboration allows us to explore science as a verb by looking at how students engage in solving science instead of science as a noun," said Dr. Abby Andres, Vice President of the Future Impact and Growth team at NWEA. "We're excited to create high quality science experiences that can lead to new (and richer) data, new measurement opportunities that are both academic and non-academic, and ultimately better insights for teachers."

As part of the Roblox Community Fund, Roblox has provided a grant to NWEA to work with Filament Games , an educational game developer known for such projects as the Mission: Mars designed for the Museum of Science, Boston and launched on the Roblox platform. Filament will build the unique science experience for NWEA to be launched on the Roblox platform.

NWEA Science content and measurement experts are providing the vision, direction, assessment, and research expertise for the project, which is set to begin this spring with the potential of a prototype available to Roblox participants in late 2023.

About NWEA

NWEA (formerly known as Northwest Evaluation Association) is a mission-driven, not-for-profit organization that supports students and educators in more than 146 countries through research, assessment solutions, policy and advocacy services, professional learning and school improvement services that fight for equity, drive classroom impact and push for systemic change in our educational communities. Visit NWEA.org to learn more about how we're partnering with educators to help all kids learn.

Contact: Simona Beattie, Sr. Manager, Public Relations, [email protected] or 971.361.9526

SOURCE NWEA
CLEVELAND, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- OMNI Systems, one of America's premier thermal label printing companies, has acquired ITW Labels, a company with a 110-year history and operations in St. Charles, Missouri; Gardner, Kansas; and Bogart, Georgia. This combination enables the delivery of a broad array of label printing needs for commercial customers, including many of the world's best-known brands.

OMNI Systems Logo

OMNI Systems, founded in 1990, is headquartered in Cleveland. Prior to its acquisition of ITW Labels, it was already the largest privately owned label converter in the United States, serving as thermal media supplier to notable brands, including Amazon.com, Tyson and leading Fortune 500 companies. It produces thermal labels, top-coated direct thermal labels, thermal transfer labels, barcodes, custom labels and other label products for a broad array of industries.

ITW Labels offers nationally recognized, high-quality converting operations, producing custom and stock labels for the Consumer Packaged Goods, Durable and Retail markets, including brands such as Husqvarna Group, General Mills Corporate and PepsiCo, Inc. OMNI Systems is purchasing ITW Labels from Illinois Tool Works.

The expansion quadruples OMNI Systems' geographical footprint and adds highly skilled employees and advanced equipment with new printing capabilities. "We are in a prime position, being privately held, debt-free and our own platform company. Keeping the two companies' plants in their locations and protecting the employees was key for us," says Adam DeFrancesco, CEO and Founder of OMNI Systems. "Customers from both sides can benefit from a new, larger organization with more capacity and expertise than ever before. ITW Labels is a legendary provider in our industry, and we are proud to welcome them into the OMNI Systems family."

"This move aligns our companies for success for years to come," says Dean Ketchum, Business Unit Manager of ITW Labels. "It is a credit to years of strong performance by both sides to reach this point."

OMNI Systems was represented in the transaction by New Direction Partners and Packaging Investment Banking Group of Mesirow.

About OMNI Systems

As the largest privately owned thermal media company in the U.S., OMNI Systems leads the industry in all the ways that count: Price, Quality and Service.

About ITW Labels

ITW Labels serves over 4,000 customers worldwide with vivid, brand-true colors and durable printing that stands up to heavy use.

Mike Murton, OMNI Systems

[email protected]

www.omnisystem.com

SOURCE OMNI Systems
TULSA, Okla., April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- ONEOK, Inc. (NYSE: OKE) will participate in investor meetings at the J.P. Morgan Utilities & Midstream Forum on April 6, 2023, in Chicago, Illinois.

ONEOK's latest investor materials are available at www.oneok.com.

ONEOK, Inc. (pronounced ONE-OAK) (NYSE: OKE) is a leading midstream service provider and owns one of the nation's premier natural gas liquids (NGL) systems, connecting NGL supply in the Rocky Mountain, Permian and Mid-Continent regions with key market centers and owns an extensive network of gathering, processing, fractionation, transportation and storage assets.

ONEOK is a FORTUNE 500 company and is included in the S&P 500.

For information about ONEOK, visit the website: www.oneok.com.

For the latest news about ONEOK, find us on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

Analyst Contact: Megan Patterson

918-561-5325 Media Contact: Brad Borror

918-588-7582

SOURCE ONEOK, Inc.
NEW YORK, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The online tutoring services market in India is set to grow by USD 10,585.08 million from 2022 to 2027, progressing at a CAGR of 17.03% during the forecast period. The report offers an up-to-date analysis regarding the current market scenario, the latest trends and drivers, and the overall market environment. The market is driven by the increasing expenditure on tutoring. Here is an exclusive report talking about market scenarios with a historical period (2017-2021) and the forecast period (2023-2027). Download Sample Report in minutes!

Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled India Online Tutoring Services Market 2023-2027

Students and parents are increasingly becoming aware of the importance of online education in India. The Government of India is also increasing the expenditure on online-based education and learning to encourage the adoption rate in rural and semi-urban areas. For instance, the Government of India has launched the Spoken Tutorial, an initiative where students can interact with teachers using information communication technologies (ICT). In addition, prominent educational institutes such as IITs and IISCs have set up a technology-enhanced learning platform named NPTEL to assist people in the subjects such as Engineering, Science, and humanity. Many such factors are driving the growth of the market.

The report on the online tutoring services market in India provides a holistic update, market size and forecast, trends, growth drivers, and challenges, as well as vendor analysis.

Online Tutoring Services Market in India 2023-2027 - Market Dynamics

Key Trend - The emergence of intelligent tutoring systems (ITS) is identified as the key trend in the market. Education institutions are adopting ITS to overcome various drawbacks in the deployment of online tutoring. The use of ITS allows vendors to monitor the users and design customized learning services based on the pre-existing understanding of knowledge and the style of learning. The ITS comprises models and components that provide instruction based on mapped information. It helps in delivering better services and helping students to gain better results through feedback and course plans. Such benefits are increasing the adoption of ITS in online tutoring. This is expected to positively influence the growth of the market during the forecast period.

- The emergence of intelligent tutoring systems (ITS) is identified as the key trend in the market. Education institutions are adopting ITS to overcome various drawbacks in the deployment of online tutoring. The use of ITS allows vendors to monitor the users and design customized learning services based on the pre-existing understanding of knowledge and the style of learning. The ITS comprises models and components that provide instruction based on mapped information. It helps in delivering better services and helping students to gain better results through feedback and course plans. Such benefits are increasing the adoption of ITS in online tutoring. This is expected to positively influence the growth of the market during the forecast period. Challenge - The lack of quality training for the tutors is identified as the major challenge hindering the growth of the market. Individuals in India are not compelled to follow any rules and regulations when taking a career in online tutoring. This impacts the credibility of tutors as well as the learning service providers. Besides, students tend to follow only a few popular vendors, which poses a challenge to new market players. Such challenges are hampering the growth potential of the market.

Online Tutoring Services Market in India 2023-2027: Market Segmentation

The online tutoring services market in India is segmented by courses (STEM courses, language courses, and others), and end-user (higher education and K-12).

By courses, the market growth in the STEM courses segment will be significant during the forecast period. Educational institutions in India are emphasizing STEM subjects while designing the examination pattern for the students. In addition, the rise in the number of government initiatives such as Make in India and Skill India Mission has created awareness among the students about STEM subjects. These factors are increasing the adoption of STEM courses among students.

are emphasizing STEM subjects while designing the examination pattern for the students. In addition, the rise in the number of government initiatives such as Make in and Skill India Mission has created awareness among the students about STEM subjects. These factors are increasing the adoption of STEM courses among students. Based on the end-users, the market will witness increased demand for online tutoring services from the higher education segment. The rising awareness among students about entrance test preparation is driving the growth of the segment. In addition, the implementation of development policies by the government under Digital India and the easy availability of the internet are driving the growth of the segment.

This report presents a detailed picture of the market by the way of study, synthesis, and summation of data from multiple sources through an analysis of key parameters - View Sample Report

The online tutoring services market in India covers the following areas:

Companies Mentioned

Aakash Educational Services Ltd. - The company offers online tutoring solutions such as Aakash iTutor and Aakash Live.

- The company offers online tutoring solutions such as Aakash iTutor and Aakash Live. Chegg Inc. - The company offers online tutoring solutions such as Career Guidance and Govt exams materials.

- The company offers online tutoring solutions such as Career Guidance and Govt exams materials. Eupheus Learning - The company offers online tutoring solutions for CBSE and ICSE.

- The company offers online tutoring solutions for CBSE and ICSE. Khan Academy Inc. - The company offers online tutoring such as Learn in Hindi, Computing, and Test prep.

- The company offers online tutoring such as Learn in Hindi, Computing, and Test prep. Edugraff Pty Ltd.

Indiavidual Learning Ltd.

Gurusiksha

Gyankosh Solutions Pvt. Ltd.

Preply Inc.

SSSI Tutoring Services

TakeLessons Inc.

TeacherOn.com

Think and Learn Pvt. Ltd.

TPR Education IP Holdings LLC

Tute Education Ltd.

Tutor.com Inc.

TutorEye Inc.

Vagupu Inc.

Varsity Tutors LLC

Vedantu Innovations Pvt. Ltd.

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The online education market in India is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 19.9% between 2022 and 2027. The size of the market is forecast to increase by USD 3,461.93 million . The market is segmented by end-user (higher education and K-12) and product (content and services).

is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 19.9% between 2022 and 2027. The size of the market is forecast to increase by . The market is segmented by end-user (higher education and K-12) and product (content and services). The online higher education market in US is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 19.82% between 2021 and 2026. The size of the market is forecast to increase by USD 33.35 billion . The market is segmented by subjects (commerce and management, STEM, Arts, and others) and courses (non-degree courses and degree courses).

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Online Tutoring Services Market In India Scope Report Coverage Details Base year 2022 Historic period 2017-2021 Forecast period 2023-2027 Growth momentum & CAGR Accelerate at a CAGR of 17.03% Market growth 2023-2027 USD 10,585.08 million Market structure Fragmented YoY growth 2022-2023(%) 16.62 Competitive landscape Leading Vendors, Market Positioning of Vendors, Competitive Strategies, and Industry Risks Key companies profiled Aakash Educational Services Ltd., Chegg Inc., Edugraff Pty Ltd., Indiavidual Learning Ltd., Eupheus Learning, Gurusiksha, Gyankosh Solutions Pvt. Ltd., Khan Academy Inc., Preply Inc., SSSI Tutoring Services, TakeLessons Inc., TeacherOn.com, Think and Learn Pvt. Ltd., TPR Education IP Holdings LLC, Tute Education Ltd., Tutor.com Inc., TutorEye Inc., Vagupu Inc., Varsity Tutors LLC, and Vedantu Innovations Pvt. Ltd. Market dynamics Parent market analysis, market growth inducers and obstacles, fast-growing and slow-growing segment analysis, COVID-19 impact and recovery analysis and future consumer dynamics, and market condition analysis for the forecast period. Customization purview If our report has not included the data that you are looking for, you can reach out to our analysts and get segments customized.

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Key Topics Covered:

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 Country Market Characteristics



Exhibit 04: Executive Summary  Chart on Market Segmentation by Courses



Exhibit 05: Executive Summary  Chart on Market Segmentation by End-user



Exhibit 06: Executive Summary  Chart on Vendor Market Positioning

2 Market Landscape

2.1 Market ecosystem

Exhibit 07: Parent market



Exhibit 08: Market Characteristics

3 Market Sizing

3.1 Market definition

Exhibit 09: Offerings of vendors included in the market definition

3.2 Market segment analysis

Exhibit 10: Market segments

3.3 Market size 2022

3.4 Market outlook: Forecast for 2022-2027

Exhibit 11: Chart on India - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 12: Data Table on India - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)

Exhibit 13: Chart on India : Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

: Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 14: Data Table on India : Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

4 Historic Market Size

4.1 Online tutoring services market in India 2017 - 2021

2017 - 2021 Exhibit 15: Historic Market Size  Data Table on Online tutoring services market in India 2017 - 2021 ($ million)

4.2 By courses Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021

Exhibit 16: Historic Market Size  By courses Segment 2017 - 2021 ($ million)

4.3 By End-user Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021

Exhibit 17: Historic Market Size  By End-user Segment 2017 - 2021 ($ million)

5 Five Forces Analysis

5.1 Five forces summary

Exhibit 18: Five forces analysis - Comparison between 2022 and 2027

5.2 Bargaining power of buyers

Exhibit 19: Chart on Bargaining power of buyers  Impact of key factors 2022 and 2027

5.3 Bargaining power of suppliers

Exhibit 20: Bargaining power of suppliers  Impact of key factors in 2022 and 2027

5.4 Threat of new entrants

Exhibit 21: Threat of new entrants  Impact of key factors in 2022 and 2027

5.5 Threat of substitutes

Exhibit 22: Threat of substitutes  Impact of key factors in 2022 and 2027

5.6 Threat of rivalry

Exhibit 23: Threat of rivalry  Impact of key factors in 2022 and 2027

5.7 Market condition

Exhibit 24: Chart on Market condition - Five forces 2022 and 2027

6 Market Segmentation by Courses

6.1 Market segments

Exhibit 25: Chart on Courses - Market share 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 26: Data Table on Courses - Market share 2022-2027 (%)

6.2 Comparison by Courses

Exhibit 27: Chart on Comparison by Courses



Exhibit 28: Data Table on Comparison by Courses

6.3 STEM courses - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 29: Chart on STEM courses - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 30: Data Table on STEM courses - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 31: Chart on STEM courses - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 32: Data Table on STEM courses - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

6.4 Language courses - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 33: Chart on Language courses - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 34: Data Table on Language courses - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 35: Chart on Language courses - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 36: Data Table on Language courses - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

6.5 Other - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 37: Chart on Other - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 38: Data Table on Other - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 39: Chart on Other - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 40: Data Table on Other - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

6.6 Market opportunity by Courses

Exhibit 41: Market opportunity by Courses ($ million)

7 Market Segmentation by End-user

7.1 Market segments

Exhibit 42: Chart on End-user - Market share 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 43: Data Table on End-user - Market share 2022-2027 (%)

7.2 Comparison by End-user

Exhibit 44: Chart on Comparison by End-user



Exhibit 45: Data Table on Comparison by End-user

7.3 Higher education - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 46: Chart on Higher education - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 47: Data Table on Higher education - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 48: Chart on Higher education - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 49: Data Table on Higher education - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

7.4 K -12 - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

-12 - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 50: Chart on K-12 - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 51: Data Table on K-12 - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ million)



Exhibit 52: Chart on K-12 - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 53: Data Table on K-12 - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

7.5 Market opportunity by End-user

Exhibit 54: Market opportunity by End-user ($ million)

8 Customer Landscape

8.1 Customer landscape overview

Exhibit 55: Analysis of price sensitivity, lifecycle, customer purchase basket, adoption rates, and purchase criteria

9 Drivers, Challenges, and Trends

9.1 Market drivers

9.2 Market challenges

9.3 Impact of drivers and challenges

Exhibit 56: Impact of drivers and challenges in 2022 and 2027

9.4 Market trends

10 Vendor Landscape

10.1 Overview

10.2 Vendor landscape

Exhibit 57: Overview on Criticality of inputs and Factors of differentiation

10.3 Landscape disruption

Exhibit 58: Overview on factors of disruption

10.4 Industry risks

Exhibit 59: Impact of key risks on business

11 Vendor Analysis

11.1 Vendors covered

Exhibit 60: Vendors covered

11.2 Market positioning of vendors

Exhibit 61: Matrix on vendor position and classification

11.3 Aakash Educational Services Ltd.

Exhibit 62: Aakash Educational Services Ltd. - Overview



Exhibit 63: Aakash Educational Services Ltd. - Product / Service



Exhibit 64: Aakash Educational Services Ltd. - Key offerings

11.4 Chegg Inc.

Exhibit 65: Chegg Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 66: Chegg Inc. - Product / Service



Exhibit 67: Chegg Inc. - Key news



Exhibit 68: Chegg Inc. - Key offerings

11.5 Indiavidual Learning Ltd.

Exhibit 69: Indiavidual Learning Ltd. - Overview



Exhibit 70: Indiavidual Learning Ltd. - Product / Service



Exhibit 71: Indiavidual Learning Ltd. - Key offerings

11.6 Eupheus Learning

Exhibit 72: Eupheus Learning - Overview



Exhibit 73: Eupheus Learning - Product / Service



Exhibit 74: Eupheus Learning - Key offerings

11.7 Khan Academy Inc.

Exhibit 75: Khan Academy Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 76: Khan Academy Inc. - Product / Service



Exhibit 77: Khan Academy Inc. - Key offerings

11.8 Preply Inc.

Exhibit 78: Preply Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 79: Preply Inc. - Product / Service



Exhibit 80: Preply Inc. - Key offerings

11.9 SSSI Tutoring Services

Exhibit 81: SSSI Tutoring Services - Overview



Exhibit 82: SSSI Tutoring Services - Product / Service



Exhibit 83: SSSI Tutoring Services - Key offerings

11.10 TakeLessons Inc.

Exhibit 84: TakeLessons Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 85: TakeLessons Inc. - Product / Service



Exhibit 86: TakeLessons Inc. - Key offerings

11.11 TeacherOn.com

Exhibit 87: TeacherOn.com - Overview



Exhibit 88: TeacherOn.com - Product / Service



Exhibit 89: TeacherOn.com - Key offerings

11.12 Think and Learn Pvt. Ltd.

Exhibit 90: Think and Learn Pvt. Ltd. - Overview



Exhibit 91: Think and Learn Pvt. Ltd. - Product / Service



Exhibit 92: Think and Learn Pvt. Ltd. - Key offerings

11.13 Tute Education Ltd.

Exhibit 93: Tute Education Ltd. - Overview



Exhibit 94: Tute Education Ltd. - Product / Service



Exhibit 95: Tute Education Ltd. - Key offerings

11.14 Tutor.com Inc.

Exhibit 96: Tutor.com Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 97: Tutor.com Inc. - Product / Service



Exhibit 98: Tutor.com Inc. - Key offerings

11.15 TutorEye Inc.

Exhibit 99: TutorEye Inc. - Overview



Exhibit 100: TutorEye Inc. - Product / Service



Exhibit 101: TutorEye Inc. - Key offerings

11.16 Varsity Tutors LLC

Exhibit 102: Varsity Tutors LLC - Overview



Exhibit 103: Varsity Tutors LLC - Product / Service



Exhibit 104: Varsity Tutors LLC - Key offerings

11.17 Vedantu Innovations Pvt. Ltd.

Exhibit 105: Vedantu Innovations Pvt. Ltd. - Overview



Exhibit 106: Vedantu Innovations Pvt. Ltd. - Product / Service



Exhibit 107: Vedantu Innovations Pvt. Ltd. - Key offerings

12 Appendix

12.1 Scope of the report

12.2 Inclusions and exclusions checklist

Exhibit 108: Inclusions checklist



Exhibit 109: Exclusions checklist

12.3 Currency conversion rates for US$

Exhibit 110: Currency conversion rates for US$

12.4 Research methodology

Exhibit 111: Research methodology



Exhibit 112: Validation techniques employed for market sizing



Exhibit 113: Information sources

12.5 List of abbreviations

Exhibit 114: List of abbreviations

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Technavio is a leading 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.

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SOURCE Technavio
Accomplished Life Sciences Leader Chris Rivera Joins OtoNexus Medical Technologies Board of Directors

SEATTLE, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- OtoNexus Medical Technologies, Inc. is pleased to announce the appointment of Chris Rivera to its Board of Directors.

Mr. Rivera has a demonstrated track record of success in building and exiting life sciences companies throughout his career. He is the Chairman, CEO, and President of EMulate Therapeutics and was the founder and CEO of Hyperion Therapeutics, which Horizon Pharma acquired in 2015. He has held executive leadership roles in many successful companies, including Tercica, Cephalon, Centicor, and Genzyme Therapeutics.

Mr. Chris Rivera joins OtoNexus Medical Technologies Board of Directors

Mr. Rivera has extensive experience in building successful life sciences companies, including leadership, board directorship, business strategy, funding/financing, product launch, manufacturing, distribution, commercial infrastructure, reimbursement, FDA market clearance, licensing, and exit via acquisition and IPO.

Mr. Rivera also served as President and CEO of Life Science Washington. He helped build the life sciences industry in Washington state and mentored over 400 life science start-up companies. He has also been recognized as a state and national leader through his appointments as co-Chair for the Governor's life science and global health advisory committee, the Governor's Higher Education Task Force, the Washington Global Health Funding Commission, and Chairman of the Board for the National Council of State Bioscience Associations.

Having started his career as an audiologist, Mr. Rivera is particularly interested in OtoNexus' innovative technology and has been an active supporter of the company because of his direct experience in the field. "I am excited to join the OtoNexus Board of Directors and work with the team to advance its innovative technology," said Chris. "I share OtoNexus' philosophy on leadership and building high-performing teams. The company's innovative diagnostic tools and commitment to improving patient outcomes align with my own values and experience. I look forward to working with the team to drive growth and success."

The addition of Chris Rivera to the OtoNexus Board of Directors further strengthens the company's leadership and positions it for success in the life sciences industry.

About OtoNexus Medical Technologies Inc.

OtoNexus has developed the world's first hand-held medical device with miniaturized ultrasound technology to assess middle ear infections instantly and accurately. In less than two seconds, physicians can evaluate middle ear infections and know whether antibiotic therapy is appropriate. This definitive test will provide physicians with the information they need to minimize the use of antibiotics, improve patient outcomes and reduce the cost of care. For more information, please visit www.otonexus.com

Contact Information:

Caitlin Cameron

Chair and Chief Executive Officer

OtoNexus Medical Technologies

1100 Bellevue Way, Suite 8A-754

Bellevue, WA 98004

Phone: 206-330-0610

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE OtoNexus Medical Technologies Inc.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 4. Inam Karimov has been dismissed from the post of Minister of Agriculture of Azerbaijan, Trend reports.

President Ilham Aliyev has signed a corresponding order in this regard.

Until the appointment of the Minister of Agriculture of Azerbaijan, Deputy Minister of Agriculture of Azerbaijan Sarvan Jafarov temporarily assumed his duties.

The order comes into force from the date of its signing.
WASHINGTON, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The following is a statement from Eileen O'Reilly, President of the National Press Club and Gil Klein, President of the National Press Club Journalism Institute on the news today that Evan Gershkovich, a reporter for the Wall Street Journal, was able to meet with his attorney.

"We were heartened to hear the news that Evan Gershkovich was able to meet today with his attorney in prison. It has been almost a week since Evan was unjustly detained. During all that time the only legal representation provided to him was from a Russian government attorney. That is a situation unworthy of a nation that this week is also the Chair of the United Nation's Security Council. We are glad to hear that Evan was in good health. Now the important legal work can begin to get Evan home."

Founded in 1908, the National Press Club is the World's leading professional organization for journalists. With 3,000 members representing nearly every major news organization, the Club is a leading voice for press freedom worldwide.

The National Press Club Journalism Institute promotes an engaged, global citizenry through an independent and free press and equips journalists with the skills and standards to inform the publicv in ways that inspire a more representative democracy, The NPCJI is the nonprofit affiliate of the National Press Club.

Contact: Bill McCarren, 202-725-7787 for the National Press Club

SOURCE National Press Club
Protiviti strives to provide an environment of belonging

MENLO PARK, Calif., April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Global consulting firm Protiviti has once again been named to the prestigious Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For list. To determine the list, Great Place To Work gathered and analyzed confidential survey responses from more than 500,000 employees in organizations with at least 1,000 U.S.-based employees. Earning a spot on the Fortune list means Protiviti surpassed rigorous benchmarks, including demonstrating its generous and innovative support for employees.

"We're honored to be recognized for creating a welcoming, diverse and inclusive workplace where employees can thrive and grow to their fullest potential," said Protiviti president and CEO Joseph Tarantino. "During these uncertain times, our people have continued to rise to the challenge and make positive contributions to our clients as well as to their local communities. Their commitment shines through every day, and we're thankful for such a dedicated and engaged team."

A great workplace calls for an ongoing commitment to listening to your employees and putting them front and center. Tweet this

Great Place To Work is the largest ongoing annual workforce study in America. Company rankings are based upon responses to 60 employee experience survey questions focused on trust, respect, fairness and camaraderie in the workplace. To demonstrate why they are a great workplace for all, companies also submit demographic data and information about their corporate culture and DEI initiatives, along with innovation efforts, recruiting, professional development, benefits and recognition programs, which are validated against employee survey responses.

"A great workplace calls for an ongoing commitment to listening to your employees and putting them front and center in your agenda," said Scott Redfearn, executive vice president, global human resources, Protiviti. "Our employees say they value the fair treatment of all people, the ability to make choices in how they work, and seeing the impact of their work with our clients. Empowering our people and supporting them in both their careers and personal lives fosters a positive employee experience that translates directly to the service we deliver to our clients."

Protiviti offers employees meaningful rewards and benefits focused on family, well-being and professional development, including gender-neutral paid parental leave, backup childcare, sabbaticals, on- and off-the-job training, tuition reimbursement and a robust mentoring program. In addition, Protiviti is committed to fostering an environment where everyone can feel a sense of belonging, express their authenticity and contribute their unique perspectives.

The annual Fortune 100 Best Companies list is highly competitive, with only Great Place To Work-Certified organizations eligible for the list. Each organization is assessed on how well it is creating a positive work environment for employees regardless of race, gender, age, sexual orientation, disability status or role.

"It's during times like these that the best workplaces separate themselves," said Michael C. Bush, CEO of Great Place To Work. "In a challenging economy, many companies reduce investments in their people and scale back goals for diversity, equity and inclusion. But the 100 Best relentlessly pursue a better work experience for every employee, and if anything, double down on the employee experience regardless of title, tenure, gender or ethnicity. These companies know this is how you increase performance, productivity and your innovation velocity when your firm needs it the most."

In 2022, Protiviti was named one of the Best Workplaces for Parents, and to the Fortune lists of Best Workplaces for Millennials and Women, and was ranked #3 on the Fortune Best Workplaces in Consulting and Professional Services list. The firm was also recognized by Seramount as a Best Company for Dads and by the Dave Thomas Foundation as an Adoption-Friendly Workplace. Additionally, Protiviti was named one of the PEOPLE 100 Companies That Care.

To learn more about Protiviti's focus on DEI and workplace culture, visit its Diversity, Equity & Inclusion site.

About Protiviti

Protiviti (www.protiviti.com) is a global consulting firm that delivers deep expertise, objective insights, a tailored approach and unparalleled collaboration to help leaders confidently face the future. Protiviti and its independent and locally owned Member Firms provide clients with consulting and managed solutions in finance, technology, operations, data, analytics, digital, governance, risk and internal audit through its network of more than 85 offices in over 25 countries.

Named to the 2023 Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For list, Protiviti has served more than 80 percent of Fortune 100 and nearly 80 percent of Fortune 500 companies. The firm also works with smaller, growing companies, including those looking to go public, as well as with government agencies. Protiviti is a wholly owned subsidiary of Robert Half (NYSE: RHI). Founded in 1948, Robert Half is a member of the S&P 500 index.

Protiviti is not licensed or registered as a public accounting firm and does not issue opinions on financial statements or offer attestation services.

All trademarks are property of their respective owners.

Editor's note: photos available upon request.

SOURCE Protiviti
Trustworthy Accountability Group Teams with Alianza and White Bullet to Extend Project Brand Integrity into Latin America

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Trustworthy Accountability Group (TAG), an advertising industry organization that fights criminal activity in the digital advertising supply chain, has joined forces with Alianza, a leading anti-piracy alliance of content creators, and White Bullet Solutions to expand the successful Project Brand Integrity (PBI) initiative against ad-supported piracy into Latin America.

Trustworthy Accountability Group | Alianza | White Bullet

PBI was created in 2019 to protect brands from association with illegal stolen content by alerting advertisers or their agencies when their ads ran on pirate sites that infringe intellectual property (IP) across Europe. In 2022 , following contact and engagement by TAG, the average advertiser reduced its monthly advertising spend on pirate websites by 89%, and 86% of contacted advertisers reduced their ad impressions on pirate sites in Europe.

Through this expansion, PBI will help advertisers and their agencies in Latin America avoid brand risk and damage by association with illegal pirate websites:

White Bullet will scan the top sites that infringe Alianza's member's IP in Latin American markets, identifying any ads from reputable brands appearing on such sites.

When a brand has notable ad exposure on infringing sites, White Bullet will notify TAG and provide an evidence package, including screenshots and the advertising code.

TAG will privately contact the advertiser and/or its advertising agency and alert them to the ad misplacements, so they can take remedial action.

TAG and Alianza also will educate advertisers/agencies about effective anti-piracy tools to reduce or eliminate future risks, including those in TAG's Brand Safety Certified Program.

"No brand wants to be associated with illegal and unsafe content, and Project Brand Integrity helps provide an early warning system to alert responsible advertisers to such misplacements, so they can take appropriate action to protect their brands and their investments," said TAG's VP Global Engagement and Operations Nick Stringer. "We know this collaborative approach is effective and scalable, thanks to the proven track record of PBI in Europe . TAG is excited to expand PBI with our partners in Latin America, so we can take bold action to cut off the money to the criminals who profit from ad-supported piracy and continue to help advertisers increase their ad spend power."

"Brands are generally unaware when their advertising is placed on piracy websites and that they are funding illegal activity, so outreach via TAG's PBI is an effective way to raise awareness with agencies and brands helping them take steps to protect their digital ad supply chains," said Peter Szyszko, White Bullet's founder and CEO. "Expanding this programme to Latin America, with the expertise of Alianza, will benefit the local market in a positive way, supporting advertisers' demands for more transparency, better return on ad spend and increased brand safety, whilst stopping revenues flowing to criminals ."

"In our experience of the digital environment, generally brands are unaware that with certain digital ad impressions they are involuntarily financing illegal services in the region," said Jorge Bacaloni, President of Alianza. "As a consequence, it is highly important to create awareness about the contribution that brands are making and with coordinated action plans to define an enforcement strategy. There is no industry initiative like the PBI in LATAM, so we hope that this will be as successful as in Europe,"

About the Trustworthy Accountability Group

The Trustworthy Accountability Group (TAG) is the global certification program designed to fight against criminal activity and protect brand safety in the digital advertising industry. TAG advances its mission of eliminating fraudulent traffic, facilitating the sharing of threat intelligence, promoting brand safety and enabling transparency by connecting industry leaders, analyzing threats, and sharing best practices worldwide. The 700+ member TAG community includes the world's largest and most influential brands, agencies, publishers, and ad tech providers. For more information on TAG, please visit tagtoday.net.

About Alianza

The Alliance Against Pay TV Piracy ("Alliance") is a group of content providers, Pay TV broadcasters and technology providers whose goal is to combat TV piracy throughout Latin America. The Alliance brings together most of the industry's major players and creates a framework for broader collaboration in the fight against Pay TV piracy.

About White Bullet

White Bullet is a technology company that demonetises harmful websites and apps by removing the advertising that funds them. White Bullet uses AI to detect online piracy services globally, scores them for piracy risk and tracks the advertising funding them. White Bullet provides piracy and advertising intelligence to IP owners, regulators, advertisers and adtech companies to help stop the ad funding of illegal platforms.

Media contact:

Andrew Weinstein

[email protected]

202-667-4967

SOURCE Trustworthy Accountability Group
NEW YORK, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Klein Law Firm announces that a class action complaint has been filed on behalf of shareholders of Rite Aid Corporation (NYSE: RAD) alleging that the Company violated federal securities laws.

Class Period: April 26, 2018 to March 13, 2023

Lead Plaintiff Deadline: May 19, 2023

No obligation or cost to you.

Learn more about your recoverable losses in RAD:

https://www.kleinstocklaw.com/pslra-1/rite-aid-lawsuit-loss-submission-form?id=38072&from=4

Rite Aid Corporation NEWS - RAD NEWS

CLASS ACTION CASE DETAILS: The filed complaint alleges that Rite Aid Corporation made materially false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) until at least June 2019, Rite Aid filled at least hundreds of thousands of unlawful prescriptions for controlled substances that lacked a legitimate medical purpose, including for potentially lethal opioids such as oxycodone and fentanyl; (2) Rite Aid pharmacists filled these prescriptions despite clear "red flags" that indicated that the prescriptions were unlawful; (3) Rite Aid ignored evidence that its stores were dispensing unlawful prescriptions, and intentionally deleted internal notes about suspicious prescribers written by concerned pharmacists; (4) by knowingly filling unlawful prescriptions for controlled substances, Rite Aid violated the Controlled Substances Act and, where Rite Aid sought reimbursement from federal healthcare programs, also violated the False Claims Act; (5) as a result, it was at risk of prosecution by federal authorities such as the United States Department of Justice; and (6) as a result, defendants' statements about its business, operations, and prospects, were materially false and misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis at all times.

WHAT THIS MEANS TO YOU AS A SHAREHOLDER: If you have suffered a loss in Rite Aid you have until May 19, 2023 to petition the court for lead plaintiff status. Your ability to share in any recovery doesn't require that you serve as a lead plaintiff.

NO COST TO YOU: If you purchased Rite Aid securities during the relevant period, you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out-of-pocket fees.

HOW TO PROTECT YOUR FINANCIAL INTERESTS: For additional information about the RAD lawsuit, please contact J. Klein, Esq. by telephone at 212-616-4899 or click this link: https://www.kleinstocklaw.com/pslra-1/rite-aid-lawsuit-loss-submission-form?id=38072&from=4.

ABOUT KLEIN LAW FIRM

J. Klein, Esq. represents investors and participates in securities litigations involving financial fraud throughout the nation. The Klein Law Firm is a boutique litigation firm with experience in a wide range of areas including securities law, corporate finance and commercial litigation. Since 2011, our experienced attorneys have achieved superior results for our clients with a personalized focus. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.

CONTACT:

J. Klein, Esq.

535 Fifth Avenue

4th Floor

New York City, NY 10017

[email protected]

Telephone: (212) 616-4899

www.kleinstocklaw.com

SOURCE The Klein Law Firm
CLEVELAND, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Kind of One Concepts, a well-known hospitality group in Cleveland, is proud to announce the reopening of Village Square Pizza, located at 27349 Chagrin Boulevard in Woodmere, Ohio. The restaurant officially opened its doors on Tuesday, April 4th, offering both dining and takeout/delivery options.

Village Square Pizza is a beloved neighborhood classic and staple that has been a part of the community for over 50 years. Under the ownership of Kind of One Concepts, the restaurant has recently undergone a transformation. Now featuring an updated menu, Village Square Pizza offers delicious pizzas, salads, sandwiches, and more, all crafted with refreshed recipes from the talented duo of Chefs Brad Race and Jordan Rolleston. Chef Race is the head of culinary, while Chef Rolleston serves as the culinary director at The Last Page Restaurant, another Kind of One Concepts' establishment. Both chefs have thoughtfully crafted the menu, selecting only quality ingredients while preserving the integrity and nostalgia of the pizzeria.

"We are excited to reintroduce Village Square Pizza to the community," said Chef Race. "Our menu is a blend of updated classics, featuring fresh, new flavors while still keeping the essence of what made Village Square Pizza a neighborhood favorite for so long."

Customers can order from Village Square Pizza's menu online at www.villagesquarepizzeria.com or visit the restaurant for a dine-in experience. The store's hours are Tuesday - Thursday, 11am - 9pm, Friday and Saturday 11am-10pm, and Sundays 12pm - 8pm.

"At Village Square Pizza, we are committed to providing our customers with a top-notch experience, from the quality of our food to the service we offer," added Chef Rolleston. "We are excited to welcome everyone back to the refreshed restaurant and for the community to experience Kind of One Concepts' signature touch."

For more information and press inquiries, please contact Jamie Reutershan at [email protected] .

SOURCE Kind of One Concepts
Retirement Advisory Services at Mesirow named to NAPA's 2022 Top Advisor Teams list

Receives honor for the fourth consecutive year

CHICAGO, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Retirement Advisory Services at Mesirow today announced that for the fourth consecutive year, it ranked among the Top DC Advisor Teams by the National Association of Plan Advisors ("NAPA") for year-end 2022.

"Since their inception, NAPA's various industry lists have been a valuable Who's Who of who matters in the world of retirement plans and retirement plan advisors," noted Nevin Adams, Chief Content Officer of the American Retirement Association, and Editor-in-Chief of NAPA-Net, the nation's leading online resource for retirement plan advisors. "This latest chapter  the NAPA Top DC Advisor Teams, ranked by self-reported DC assets under advisement  presents a compelling case for the positive impact on the nation's private retirement system."

"It is a privilege to once again be among those named as NAPA's 2022 Top DC Advisor Teams," said David Dermenjian, President of Retirement Advisory Services at Mesirow. "Receiving this award for four consecutive years speaks to the experience and dedication of our team, and to our commitment in helping corporations, government entities and not-for-profit organizations improve the effectiveness of their retirement plans, focus on plan participant financial wellness, and manage their plan-level fiduciary responsibilities. As we focus on the year ahead, we remain laser-focused on delivering innovative advisory solutions that help plan sponsors and their employees achieve their goals and meet their fiduciary obligations."

About Retirement Advisory Services at Mesirow

With approximately $11.3 billion in assets,* we are dedicated to helping plan sponsors manage fiduciary risk, attract and retain employees and assist employees to achieve the best possible retirement outcomes.

About Mesirow

Mesirow is an independent, employee-owned financial services firm founded in 1937. Headquartered in Chicago, with offices around the world, we serve clients through a personal, custom approach to reaching financial goals and acting as a force for social good. With capabilities spanning Global Investment Management, Capital Markets & Investment Banking, and Advisory Services, we invest in what matters: our clients, our communities and our culture. To learn more, visit mesirow.com and follow us on LinkedIn.

Mesirow was recently named one of the Best Places to Work in Chicago by Crain's Chicago Business and one of the Top 100 RIA firms by Barron's.

*Assets are defined as a combination of assets under management and assets under advisement as of 12.31.2022. Some assets under advisement are on a 45-to-90-day lag due to time needed to confirm away assets.

Media

[email protected]

Michael Herley | 203.308.1409

Past performance is not indicative of future results. Advisory services offered by Mesirow Financial Investment Management, Inc., an SEC-registered investment advisor. Mesirow refers to Mesirow Financial Holdings, Inc. and its divisions, subsidiaries, and affiliates. The Mesirow name and logo are registered service marks of Mesirow Financial Holdings, Inc.  2023. All rights reserved. Securities offered through Mesirow Financial, Inc. member FINRA, SIPC.

2022 Crain's Best Places to Work (Received August 2022 reflective of previous 12 months  Licensing fees paid post award for use of the ranking). Best Companies Group (BCG), an independent workplace excellence research firm, conducted a two-part survey. Part one, consisted of an employer questionnaire, used to collect information about benefits, policies, practices, and other general information. Part two was a confidential 77-question employee survey used to evaluate local employee's workplace experience and culture. Rankings and/or recognition by unaffiliated rating services and/or publications are not indicative of a firm's future performance nor do they evaluate the quality of services provided to clients or guarantee that he/she will experience a certain level of results if Mesirow is engaged, or continues to be engaged, to provide investment advisory services, nor should they be construed as a current or past endorsement of Mesirow by any of its clients.

2022 Barron's Top RIAs (Received September 2022 for the year 2021  Licensing fees paid post award for use of the ranking). In order to be considered for the Barron's 2022 Top RIA Firms list, applicants were required to complete a 145-question survey, with the firm's ADV informing the majority of responses. Firms were also required to meet a number of other specified requirements to be eligible for inclusion. Firms were ranked based on various qualitative and quantitative factors, including assets managed, the size and experience of teams, regulatory records of the advisors and firms, technology spending, staff diversity, organic and M&A growth, client segmentation as well as succession planning. Rankings and/or recognition by unaffiliated rating services and/or publications are not indicative of a firm's future performance nor do they evaluate the quality of services provided to clients or guarantee that he/she will experience a certain level of results if Mesirow is engaged, or continues to be engaged, to provide investment advisory services, nor should they be construed as a current or past endorsement of Mesirow by any of its clients.

Named a Top DC Advisor Team for 2022 by the National Association of Plan Advisors ("NAPA") (Received March 2023 for the year 2022  No licensing fees were paid for use of the ranking). In order to be considered for NAPA 2022 Top DC Advisor Team List, applicants were required to complete a survey. The NAPA Top Advisor Teams list focuses on teams, broadly defined as being in a single physical location, and having at least $100 million in DC assets under advisement. It is based on self-reported assets under advisement as of December 31, 2022. Rankings and/or recognition by unaffiliated rating services and/or publications are not indicative of a firm's future performance nor do they evaluate the quality of services provided to clients or guarantee that he/she will experience a certain level of results if Mesirow is engaged, or continues to be engaged, to provide investment advisory services, nor should they be construed as a current or past endorsement of Mesirow by any of its clients.

SOURCE Mesirow Financial Holdings, Inc.
The CEO of U.S. Hunger received the RISE Health Care Hero Award on Tuesday, April 4 at The RISE Summit on Social Determinants of Health in Chicago.

CHICAGO, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- RISE is pleased to announce that Rick Whitted, CEO of U.S. Hunger, was awarded the 2023 RISE Health Care Hero Award at The RISE Summit on Social Determinants of Health.

The Health Care Hero Award is a prestigious award presented at The RISE Summit on Social Determinants of Health that acknowledges an individual's effort to make a significant impact on the lives of underserved populations through health care and/or social services interventions, and through superior example of the RISE mission to promote health equity among all patients.

Rick Whitted, CEO, U.S. Hunger

RISE received a total of 56 nominations for this year's award. Whitted was chosen for his leadership and innovation in addressing food insecurity while also tackling the systemic causes of hunger and dramatically improving health and wellbeing.

Whitted joined U.S. Hunger as a board member in 2017 and became CEO in 2020. He has led several initiatives to further the fight against hunger, including a virtual food bank program, meal packaging events, and disaster relief worldwide. In 2022, Whitted and his team ran 198 Hunger Projects, packaging nearly nine million meals for families in need around the world. Through his unprecedented work in targeting the root causes behind food insecurity, Whitted has also led U.S. Hunger in collecting more than 160,000 survey responses to date from individuals who have shared their experiences with food insecurity.





"Rick Whitted is redefining how our industry approaches the interconnectedness between hunger and health. Rick recognized that food is just the beginning. He has committed to listening, documenting, and preserving the real-life stories of those affected by food insecurity. These collected voices provide the insight to address root causes and drive lasting change," said the nomination.

About the Health Care Hero Award

The Health Care Hero Award is presented each year to an individual who has made a significant impact on the lives of underserved populations through health care and/or social services interventions, and through superior example of the RISE mission to promote health equity among all patients. Eligibility requirements include the following:





Nominee must work in a role that addresses social determinants of health. Nominee must work for one of the following organizations: health plan, health care provider, social services provider/non-profit/CBO, government organization, foundation, pharmaceutical company, or vendor/supplier. Nominee does not need to have a medical credential to be nominated. Nominee must have fulfilled one of the following criteria: contributed to significant process improvement in addressing the care of underserved populations and/or dedicated 10+ years to exemplary work in this industry.

Nominations are being accepted for the 2024 award. Nominations must be submitted by December 31, 2023. The award will be presented at The RISE Summit on Social Determinants of Health on April 15-17, 2024 in New Orleans.

RISE is the premier community for health care professionals who aspire to meet the extraordinary challenges posed by the emerging landscape of accountable care and government health care reform. Recognized industry wide as the number one source for information on risk adjustment and quality improvement within health care, RISE strives to serve the community on four fronts: networking, education, industry intelligence and career development. Through cutting-edge conferences, online courses, in-house training, webinars as well as an association comprised of over 6,000 members, RISE provides professionals with industry insights and critical information they need to stay ahead of the curve. RISE produces more than 30 conferences annually, focused on sophisticated topics and ample networking opportunities for thousands of executives from mid- to senior-level and C-suite. Our team of subject matter experts is often first to market with emerging topics, and we pride ourselves on consistently delivering top quality operations and logistics to produce a seamless event.

This press release was issued through 24-7PressRelease.com. For further information, visit http://www.24-7pressrelease.com.

SOURCE RISE
Inc.'s sixth annual Female Founders list highlights entrepreneurs with world-changing companies

HOUSTON, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Inc. today announced its sixth annual Female Founders list, honoring a bold group of 200 women whose innovations and ideas are shaping the world into a better place.

The founders cross all industries and bring with them unique stories of success from each stage of the entrepreneurial journey  from startup to going public, being acquired by big buyers, or spending decades at the helm of an organization. They are reinventing everything from shoes to food and are challenging issues like financial literacy and reproductive health.

Sarah "Sassie" Duggleby honored as part of this year's Inc. #FemaleFounders 200 Tweet this Sarah "Sassie" Duggleby

"I am so honored to join this incredible group of women. Given that there are not that many women founders in aerospace, I hope to inspire the next generation of STEM-focused entrepreneurs. This sort of recognition helps change the narrative and I couldn't be more excited to further the conversation about what women can do," says Sassie Duggleby.

"Over the past two and a half years, I have helped Venus Aerospace scale from 3 people in a basement to nearly 100 in a hangar on the Houston Spaceport. Growing both our company and our unique culture isn't easy, but it's been an incredible journey." Duggleby goes on to say, "I pinch myself every day that we're on this world-changing adventure. We source the best and brightest. If you work for us, we want you home for dinner with your families. We believe we can fire rocket engines, build our drones and spaceplanes, and still allow people to be present with their families, and I am so proud of that."

Each year, Inc. editors review thousands of applications highlighting female founders who are challenging the status quo and tackling some of the world's biggest problems. The list features women who have overcome challenges and lifted those around them, while leading impactful organizations across the country. They join the ranks of previous honorees including Jessica Alba, Tracee Ellis Ross, Rihanna, and Shonda Rhimes.

"These 200 female founders have identified solutions to difficult problems and created valuable, industry-changing companies out of them. We congratulate this year's list on their achievements and look forward to their continued success," says Inc. editor-in-chief Scott Omelianuk.

To see the complete list, go to: https://www.inc.com/female-founders

After launching in 2018, the Female Founders list is one of Inc.'s most esteemed franchises. Inc. magazine's Female Founders issue (April 2023) will be available online on April 4 at https://www.inc.com/magazine and on newsstands on April 11.

Join the Female Founders conversation using #FemaleFounders.

About Venus Aerospace

Venus Aerospace is an early stage, deep tech company. Founded by Sarah "Sassie" Duggleby and Dr. Andrew Duggleby, Venus is building dual use hypersonic drones and spaceplanes for 1-hour global missions. Passengers will fly around the world and back home in time for dinner. For more information, head to our website, https://www.venusaero.com/ .

About Inc.

The world's most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning, multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels, including websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion among the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers, and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. The associated Inc. 5000 Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit www.inc.com .

Contact : Stephanie Gracia

Director of Communications

[email protected]

832-225-8367

SOURCE Venus Aerospace
Former U.S. Airforce Airman Leads Scientific Games' Technology with Perseverance and Commitment to Excellence

ATLANTA , April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Scientific Games Chief Information Officer Jessie Pack was named 2023 Tech Leader of the Year by the Technology Association of Georgia, the largest tech organization in the state with more than 30,000 members, including across the metro Atlanta tech corridor. Pack received the honor for a private company tech leader.

Scientific Games CIO Jessie Pack and his wife Kim (center) celebrate his Tech Leader of the Year Award with some of his metro Atlanta-based colleagues, including (left to right): Joe Stewart, David Douglas, Felipe Hernandez, Tammi Kimsey, Sri Akkiraju, Gretchen Gammo, Mark Hoffman, and Alexandra Curtis.

Scientific Games CEO Pat McHugh said,"On behalf of the entire Scientific Games family, we are very proud to have Jessie Pack as our CIO. His efforts have truly made him and our company a global leader. Jessie's hands-on leadership serving our people and our lottery customers personifies Scientific Games' culture. Jessie has dedicated his entire career to keeping the company and our 3,000 employees and customers running 24/7 on five continents."

With 100+ team members in eight countries, Pack joined SG in 1986 and is responsible for technology operating Scientific Games and its customers' systems globally. Following the company's sale to Brookfield Business Partners in April 2022, he led all activities to stand up the new organization's technology and ultimately separate from Scientific Games' former parent company. Pack directed more than 18 months of planning 400+ individual technology projects across numerous platforms, including Oracle, Jira, Confluence, Microsoft 365, SharePoint, Workday, and a suite of software that powers a global business.

In his award acceptance speech, Pack said, "I would like to thank TAG for this award. There's only one name on here, but you can't be one person and be a leader. I accept this award on behalf of my entire awesome, diverse and dedicated team, as well as all my co-workers. Most people would say they work for a company. We work for a family. And the collaboration in our work at Scientific Games is just a great thing. Thank you all, we appreciate it."

The former U.S. Air Force Airman leads with a commitment to excellence and perseverance to keep projects on schedule, knows his 100+ employees by name, and never asks someone to do something he won't do himself.

"The success of our company and our business in 50 countries depends on government lottery customers' stringent security and compliance requirements, and International Standards Organization information security and data governance frameworks," said McHugh. "As hundreds of technology projects in our new company's first year are nearing completion, Jessie's 2023 Technology Leader of the Year Award is timely and well-deserved."

Scientific Games provides retail and digital games, technologies, analytics and services to 130 lotteries in 50 countries, including the Georgia Lottery Corporation. The company is the world's largest creator, producer and manager of instant "scratch" games, with products generating more than 70% of instant game retail sales globally.

 2023 Scientific Games, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

About Scientific Games

Scientific Games is a leading provider of retail and digital lottery products, technology and services to government-sponsored lottery programs globally. From cutting-edge backend systems to exciting entertainment experiences and trailblazing retail and digital solutions, we elevate play every day. We push game designs to the next level and are pioneers in instant win games, data analytics and iLottery. Built on a foundation of trusted partnerships, Scientific Games combines relentless innovation, performance, and unwavering security to responsibly propel the industry forward. For more information, visit scientificgames.com.

SOURCE Scientific Games, LLC
NEWARK, N.J., April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- SEEDS  Access Changes Everything (SEEDS) held its annual Leading Change Benefit on March 29, 2023, grossing $950,000 in support of the organization's mission of providing educational access and opportunity to high-achieving students from low-income households.

"I am so proud of our entire SEEDS community. To come together as staff, Trustees, scholars, alumni and supporters and celebrate our mission while also raising such significant funds, is tremendously gratifying," remarked John F. Castano, President & CEO, SEEDS.

SEEDS - Access Changes Everything 2023 Leading Change Honorees - (center left) SEEDS alum NaSheena Porter Poznansky '99 and (center right) Eagle Pharmaceuticals (represented by John Kimmet, Executive Vice President). Also pictured (far left) is John F. Castano, President and CEO, SEEDS, and far right, Polly Palumbo, PhD, SEEDS Board Chair.

More than 230 guests attended the event at The Park Savoy Estate in Florham Park, NJ, where they participated in a silent auction and a scholarship paddle raise  both of which played an integral role in raising the critical funds needed to continue educating and supporting promising students in need.

The evening included special recognition of two honorees: Eagle Pharmaceuticals, represented by John Kimmet, Executive Vice President; and SEEDS alum NaSheena Porter Poznansky '99, Assistant US Attorney, District of New Jersey.

"I am so grateful to be honored by SEEDS because SEEDS makes children feel seen. I was grateful to be chosen as a 7th grader for my love of learning and to be surrounded by other children who also loved learning," exclaimed NaSheena Porter Poznansky. "For SEEDS to choose me to receive this award, made me feel seen again because I strive to lift up others through education as so many educators have done for me."

"The Eagle team has been deeply impressed with SEEDS' success in placing high-achieving students from low-income households at top schools across the U.S., thereby enabling them to succeed in ways that would typically be out of their reach, benefitting the student and their family for generations," said Scott Tarriff, President & CEO, Eagle Pharmaceuticals, Woodcliff Lake, NJ.

The evening also introduced guests to several SEEDS alumni as well as a SEEDS parent, all of whom shared compassionate stories of SEEDS' impact on their lives, educational achievements, and professional aspirations and successes.

About SEEDS  Access Changes Everything

Founded in 1992, SEEDS  Access Changes Everything is a nonprofit organization that provides motivated students from low-income households with access to top-tier education that would have otherwise been unattainable due to socioeconomic status. Through three challenging academic programs, SEEDS aims to prepare students of various grade levels for eventual placement into competitive private schools and colleges across the country.

CONTACT:

Gregory Cole

862-227-9150

[email protected]

seedsaccess.org

SOURCE SEEDS - Access Changes Everything
Saudi British Bank (SABB) announced today that it has renamed itself to become SAB -  . The new name and identity of the bank comes two years after the historic merger and integration of SABB and Alawwal Bank.

The merger process took 18 months, during which the merged entity continued operating as Saudi British Bank. Following final regulatory and shareholders approvals, SAB -  will operate as Saudi Awwal Bank.

Lubna Olayan, Chair, SAB -  , said: From our position of strength, I am confident that we will now continue to grow and thrive as SAB -  Saudi Awwal Bank, and build a brighter future for our customers, our employees, and the Kingdom. Our position of strength comes from the unique combination of two innovative financial institutions that have supported the growth of the Kingdoms economy from its inception, benefiting from the almost 100-year history of Alawwal Bank and its predecessors doing business here and the dedicated support that SABB has had from HSBC Group over 45 years, from which SAB will continue to benefit.

"This rebranding is not just a change in our name and visual identity, but a strong reaffirmation of our dedication to putting our customers first by prioritising their aspirations and ambitions, to innovating and promoting sustainability in all we do and to supporting Vision 2030 and key sectors of the Saudi economy," she said.

Our new name reflects our commitment to creating one of the most modern and forward-thinking banks globally, a bank that supports future thinking and confidence in Saudi Vision 2030, said Tony Cripps, CEO, SAB -  .

Our new name also reflects our rich history. Alawwal means first in Arabic, and its incorporation into our new identity reflects a long history as a pioneer and innovator, a history that goes back to 1926, when Alawwals predecessor became the first bank to operate on the territory that would a few years later become the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

"And as the Kingdom and its economy grew, we were there to support its development  with the first financing of car importations in the 1930s, the first launching of credit cards 1980s, the first Saudi Equity Fund in 2001, and the first Green Deposit in 2022, along with a commitment to plant 1 million trees, all in furtherance of our ESG aspirations.

"Just as we played a pivotal role throughout these past 97 years, today we are charting a vibrant future for an ambitious and visionary Kingdom. As we do that, SAB -  will continue to put customers first and operate in accordance with the same high quality standards our customers have come to expect from us, always striving to be the bank of first choice, one that can solve both the challenges we face today and those we will face tomorrow. - TradeArabia News Service
BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 4. Deputy Minister of Agriculture of Azerbaijan Sarvan Jafarov has been appointed Acting Minister of Agriculture until the appointment of the Minister of Agriculture, Trend reports.

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has signed a relevant decree in this regard.

This decree comes into force from the date of its signing.

Will be updated
Shaker solidifies strategic partnership with Cashew KSA, furthering commitment to innovation and growth in the digital lending space

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Al Hassan Ghazi Ibrahim Shaker Co. ("Shaker Group"), Saudi Arabia's leading importer, manufacturer and distributor of Air Conditioners and Home Appliances, has announced today the completion of a 10% investment in Cashew Arabia Company for Information Technology ("Cashew KSA"), the subsidiary of Cashew Payments Holding Limited ("Cashew Holding"). The investment follows the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two companies in June 2022 and was made through its subsidiary Shaker Innovative Investments Company which is 90% owned by Shaker Group.

Shaker & Cashew management at signing ceremony (PRNewsfoto/Shaker) Shaker & Cashew CEOs at signing ceremony (PRNewsfoto/Shaker)

Through this strategic investment, Shaker Group aims to strengthen its e-commerce and retail platforms and unlock significant potential in the segment as consumers increasingly adopt digital financing solutions and e-commerce continues to experience sustained growth in the Kingdom, projected to reach USD 11.52 billion in 2023 (statista*[1]). This move is expected to further solidify Shaker Group's position as a leader in the digital retail space and drive innovation in the e-commerce market, which will continue to grow in line with the Saudi government's 2030 vision to have a 70 percent cashless society.

Mr. Mohammed Ibrahim Abunayyan, CEO at Shaker, said:

"We are excited to have finalized this investment in Cashew KSA, which aligns with our strategic initiatives of growth and innovation. We are confident that our partnership with Cashew KSA will bring about significant growth opportunities for both companies in the rapidly expanding digital lending space, including the BNPL market in Saudi Arabia. We look forward to supporting Cashew KSA in their efforts to launch and accelerate their market share growth within the sector in the kingdom."

Mr. Ammar Afif, CEO & Co-founder at Cashew KSA, said:

"Saudi Arabia continues to see tremendous growth in the retail and e-commerce sector, and with Shaker Group's extensive experience in the retail market and its commitment to innovation, we are confident that our partnership will drive significant growth for both companies. With their support, we can build the infrastructure needed to meet the demand for digital lending solutions in the region's fastest growing consumer market. Together we will enable Saudi consumers with a wide variety of digital lending products, a financial management hub and provide a compelling user experience. We are thrilled to have Shaker Group as a strategic investor in Cashew KSA."

About Shaker

Shaker was founded in 1950 and was amongst the first in Saudi Arabia to introduce Air Conditioning & Home Appliances for Saudi consumers. Shaker is the importer and distributor of several leading international brands including Maytag, Ariston, Indesit, Midea, Bompani and Panasonic in Saudi Arabia, and the sole distributer of LG Air Conditioners in Saudi Arabia. ESCO, as a business unit of Shaker, provides Energy Solutions. Shaker has been a publicly listed company on the Saudi Exchange (Saudi Exchange) since 2010. Throughout the years, Shaker has positioned its name within the top Saudi companies, providing a range of integrated solutions in terms of Air Conditioners and Home Appliances in the Saudi market and the region.

For more information, visit: http://www.shaker.com.sa/

About Cashew KSA

Cashew launched in late 2019 to enable consumers across the Middle East with financial flexibility and a more inclusive and transparent way to pay. Cashew's platform helps individuals better manage their money through short and long-term financing at point of sale. Merchants use cashew to reach new customers and offer alternative payment solutions to their existing customers. Unlike other flexible payment providers, cashew partners with regional banks and digital distribution partners in the various locations where it operates, to enhance the strength of its digital lending capabilities and tech-driven platform. For more information visit: www.cashewpayments.com

[1] E-commerce market research by statista.com

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2047323/Shaker_Cashew_Signing.jpg

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2047339/Shaker_Cashew_CEOs.jpg

SOURCE Shaker
JIANGYIN, China, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- SJ Semiconductor Corporation ("SJSemi") announced that it has signed $340 million of C+ financing with serial investors recently. The closing of US dollar funding has been made while RMB funding will be closed after the completion of necessary ODI (outbound direct investment) approval procedures. The participating investors include Legend Capital, Goldstone Investment, Jade Stone Venture, Shang Qi Capital, Leafoison Capital, TCL Capital, China Fortune-innovation Capital and GLP-C&D Capital, etc. Existing shareholders who added more include Oriza Rivertown and Oriza Hua Capital. The Company will keep open for more US dollar funding to join. After the completion of Series C+ financing, the total Capital raised will exceed $1 billion and bring company valuation close to $2 billion.

Previously, Shenzhen Yuanzhi, CFTC, Hengxu Capital and Legend Capital have become the shareholders of the Company by the share transfer of IC Fund.

SJSemi is the pioneer of 12-inch MEOL (Middle-End-Of-Line) foundry in China. It has been well-known by its 12-inch high-density bumping, WLCSP (wafer level chip scale package) and Testing service, and serving leading IC companies overseas and domestically. Utilizing Bumping and RDL technologies, leveraging its advantage of front-end fab management and quality system, SJSemi now is able to provide high performance advanced packaging based on silicon interposer, fan-out wafer and substrate to satisfy increasing strong demand in markets such as smart phone, networking, data center, artificial intelligence and automotive industry.

In 2022, SJSemi has further strengthened resilience of its supply chain, gained 17% growth in annual revenue by solidifying overseas business and expanding domestic market. Recent years, SJSemi keeps large size of capacity expansion and R&D spending, which helps on market share and emerging business opportunities. The Series C+ initial signing is beyond expectations, and will further enhance the company's comprehensive technical strength in the field of high-performance advanced packaging.

About SJSemi

SJ Semiconductor Corporation was registered and established in August 2014. Starting with the advanced 12-inch bumping and RDL, SJSemi aims to offer first-class Middle-End-Of-Line (MEOL) manufacturing and testing services and develop the advanced 3D Multi-Die Integration technology and solutions. It is committed to providing a convenient one-stop service to supply high quality and efficient chips for local and international customers, as well as help strengthening their global competitiveness.

SOURCE SJ Semiconductor Co.
STOCKHOLM, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Skanska has signed a contract amendment with Oregon Health & Science University for its Hospital Expansion Project in Portland, Oregon, USA. The contract amendment is worth USD 111M, about SEK 1.2 billion, which will be included in the US order bookings for the first quarter of 2023.

The contract includes patient floors, parking, mechanical and electrical space to support hospital functions, three pedestrian sky bridges to connect the new tower to the existing buildings, roadway improvements, and a new multi modal hub bus stop.

Construction of the approximately 50,000-square meter 14 story hospital expansion began in 2022 and is expected to open to patients in 2026.

For further information please contact:

Daniela Arellano,

Communications Director,

Skanska USA,

tel +1 -213-317-4977



Andreas Joons,

Press Officer,

Skanska AB,

tel +46 (0)10 449 04 94



Direct line for media, tel +46 (0)10 448 88 99

This and previous releases can also be found at www.skanska.com.

The following files are available for download:

https://mb.cision.com/Main/95/3746523/1964763.pdf 20230404 US hospital https://news.cision.com/skanska/i/image-portland-hospital---image-cred-nbbj,c3163869 Image Portland hospital - image cred NBBJ

SOURCE Skanska
Grind True Wireless Earbuds Reimagined for 420 in Legendary Limited-Edition Haze Colorway

PARK CITY, Utah, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Skullcandy, the #1 selling brand in true wireless earbuds1 under $100, announced today the release of limited-edition Grind HAZE True Wireless Earbuds inspired by the legendary Indica-dominant Purple Haze strain. The drop celebrates increasing acceptance of the cannabis lifestyle with a display-worthy look that exudes a kick-back-and-chill vibe. The exclusive buds have rolled out globally and are available for $89.99 MSRP on Skullcandy.com, just in time for 420.

In celebration of 4/20, Skullcandy announces the release of limited-edition Grind HAZE True Wireless Earbuds inspired by the legendary Indica-dominant Purple Haze strain.

"From dirtbags with dirtweed to a full-blown lifestyle movement, cannabis culture has come a long way and Skullcandy has been there for it all," said Derek Steiner, director of global brand partnerships, Skullcandy. "Leaning on the iconic Purple Haze strain for inspiration, it's no coincidence our 420 limited-edition Grind HAZE buds look good enough to smoke. They also pass the vibe check thanks to hands-free voice control, which makes it easy to maintain a chill atmosphere while mellowing out to a relaxed playlist."

The 420-focused Grind HAZE True Wireless Earbuds are backed by Skullcandy's voice-driven platform, Skull-iQ. With a simple "Hey Skullcandy'' command, users can play or pause content, accept or reject calls, launch Spotify and more, all without lifting a fingerdoesn't get much more mellow than that. Plus, over-the-air updates provide the freshest features as soon as they're available.

The limited-edition Grind HAZE True Wireless Earbuds give off a "buds in a jar" display-worthy look enhanced by a clear-color, smoked gray case. The "Haze" colorway features a silvery, sage green coloring with a luxuriant texture and is enhanced by purple accents and striking orange highlights, reminiscent of the iconic Purple Haze strain that is undoubtedly going to take center stage this 420 holiday.

Limited-Edition Grind HAZE True Wireless Earbuds  $89.99 MSRP

Skull-iQ Smart Feature Technology  Issue simple, hands-free voice commands to take calls, change tracks, adjust volume, turn on Stay-Aware Mode, activate device assistant, launch Spotify Tap, and more

 Issue simple, hands-free voice commands to take calls, change tracks, adjust volume, turn on Stay-Aware Mode, activate device assistant, launch Spotify Tap, and more Over-the-Air Updates  Update earbuds via the Skullcandy App to add new features for enhanced functionality and to extend the life of the earbuds

 Update earbuds via the Skullcandy App to add new features for enhanced functionality and to extend the life of the earbuds Premium Audio Quality  Experience supreme sound thanks to expertly-tuned acoustic drivers, dual noise-reducing microphones for natural and clear call quality and a noise-isolating fit

 Experience supreme sound thanks to expertly-tuned acoustic drivers, dual noise-reducing microphones for natural and clear call quality and a noise-isolating fit Up to 40 Hours of Battery Life  Listen longer with 9 hours of battery life in the earbuds and 31 hours in the charging case

 Listen longer with 9 hours of battery life in the earbuds and 31 hours in the charging case Personal Sound  Tune your audio experience to your unique hearing ability via the Skullcandy App by taking a real-time audio test to create a Personal Sound Profile for optimized audio levels

 Tune your audio experience to your unique hearing ability via the Skullcandy App by taking a real-time audio test to create a Personal Sound Profile for optimized audio levels USB-C Rapid Charging Case  For 10 minutes spent in the case, receive 2 hours of battery life

 For 10 minutes spent in the case, receive 2 hours of battery life Auto On/Connect  Enjoy automatic turn on and pairing with the last device used

 Enjoy automatic turn on and pairing with the last device used IP55 Sweat and Water Resistance  Go on any adventure without missing a beat

 Go on any adventure without missing a beat Built-in Tile Finding Technology  If an earbud is misplaced, simply 'ring' it from the Tile app

For more information on Skullcandy, visit www.Skullcandy.com or follow the brand on Instagram , TikTok , YouTube , Twitter and Facebook .

1 The NPD Group, Inc., U.S. Weekly Retail Tracking Service; Sub Category: Stereo Headphones; Band Type: No Wire/No Band; Average Sales Price Under $100; Nov. 1, 2021 - Oct. 31, 2022, (12mo) combined.

About Skullcandy Skullcandy is the original lifestyle audio brand, born in 2003 on a chairlift in Park City, Utah. Fast forward to today where Skullcandy is on a mission "to unleash the visceral power of music for all." Skullcandy headphones and earbuds are created, tuned and tested to deliver music you can feel, specially engineered to provide a deeper, more immersive listening experience. The brand features The Workshop, home of custom, limited-edition audio products designed by artists and partners and hand-printed using state-of-the-art digital technology and a personal touch. Skullcandy supports charitable causes through its Music With A Mission program where dedicated campaigns and a portion of proceeds from limited-edition product sales help make an impact. Skullcandy designs, markets and distributes its audio products through a variety of distribution channels globally. The company's website can be found at www.Skullcandy.com.

SOURCE Skullcandy
WASHINGTON, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The American small business community received 4.65 million hours of free, confidential, expert advice last year from volunteers with SCORE, mentors to America's small businesses and a nonprofit resource partner of the U.S. Small Business Administration. This National Volunteer Month, SCORE is celebrating its dedicated corps of 10,000+ diverse volunteers serving entrepreneurs in all 50 U.S. states and territories, and their indelible impact locally and to the national economy.

In 2022 alone, SCORE volunteers:

SCORE volunteers help create thousands of new businesses annually, such as Uni Uni Bubble Tea in Appleton, Wisc.

Supported the launch of 30,453 new small businesses

Helped create 112,570 total jobs, including 82,117 non-owner jobs

Provided 278,783 mentoring sessions

Held 9,443 local workshops providing small business education for 211,425 attendees

"Volunteers are the backbone of SCORE, applying their years of business experience and knowledge to foster small business growth and help entrepreneurs succeed and thrive," said SCORE CEO Bridget Weston. "It is incredibly rewarding to see the economic impact as a result of their efforts, but also to know that behind each business is an entrepreneur seeing their dreams come true."

According to SCORE data, entrepreneurs who work with a mentor are five times more likely to start a business  and report higher revenues and increased business growth. "Our SCORE mentor always listens to the issues and challenges that we have, and thoughtfully gives us feedback to help us be our best selves in business," said Heather Mangione, co-founder of Al Fresco Tails in Vineyard Haven, Mass.

SCORE's diverse volunteer corps is both a deep and wide source of expertise on any small business topic. Half of SCORE volunteers are currently employed as executives or entrepreneurs and half are retired; all donate their time and talent to help small business owners succeed by sharing their knowledge and real-world experience of running a business. Mentoring can be provided in-person or virtually, and team mentoring is available to ensure each small business client can access expert guidance for different aspects of their business journey.

"If you have a lot of knowledge that you've gained from running a business or from a corporate background, SCORE is the perfect place for you to make an impact on another person's life," explains SCORE Raleigh mentor Patti Williams. Volunteer benefits include making a positive difference helping others and connecting with peers across the country, but also personal growth and satisfaction. "I am a lifelong learner and that's an aspect of SCORE that I really appreciate," explains SCORE Charleston mentor Mary Butler. "I'm always learning something from either the clients, my fellow mentors or folks in the community."

To learn more about becoming a SCORE volunteer, visit www.SCORE.org/volunteer .

About SCORE:

Since 1964, SCORE has helped more than 11 million entrepreneurs start, grow or successfully exit a business. SCORE's 10,000 volunteers provide free, expert mentoring, resources and education in all 50 U.S. states and territories. Visit SCORE at www.score.org .

Funded [in part] through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration.

CONTACT:

SCORE

800-925-8458

[email protected]

Visit SCORE's media resources to be connected with expert small business interview sources and news updates.

SOURCE SCORE
The market growth is attributed to supportive government initiatives, innovations and advancements in agricultural technology, expanding corporate farming, and the rising popularity of automation in agriculture.

PUNE, India, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Exactitude Consultancy, the market research and consulting wing of Ameliorate Digital Consultancy Private Limited has completed and published the final copy of the detailed research report on the Smart Agriculture Market.

The global smart agriculture market is expected to grow at 10% CAGR from 2023 to 2029. It is expected to reach above USD 21.12 billion by 2029 from USD 19.31 billion in 2022.

Smart agriculture holds promising potentials to help farmers earn more revenue. Potential farmers are showing great interest to pay extra money for the adoption of advanced technologies, provided they can improve efficiency and productivity. Advancements in software and hardware technologies are creating a significant change in the agricultural landscape. The proliferation of digital data, smart sensors, robotic automation, and various innovative techniques is helping farmers to adopt smart agriculture technique.

The growing acceptance for advanced technologies such as cloud and artificial intelligence (AI) in agriculture is facilitating real-time assistance to farmers. Such trends are expected to propel the smart agriculture market during the forecast period. However, lack of connected devices used in the agriculture sector creates disruptions in communication between the developer and the farmer. The fragmented agriculture sector negatively impacts the growth of the smart agriculture market. Hence, tech giants should increase focus groups and provide training to farmers in order to help them adopt smart agriculture systems in large numbers.

Access to the All-Inclusive PDF Sample of Smart Agriculture Market

Recent Developments:

In December 2022 , Orchardly, an India -based AI Agritech startup, and Fylloanother AI and IoT-enabled agri-science platforminked a partnership agreement to work on temperate fruits in the Indian market. Both the companies' projects provide precision agriculture IoT hardware such as precision agriculture devices, automatic weather stations, and premium agronomy services to benefit farmers of India .

, Orchardly, an -based AI Agritech startup, and Fylloanother AI and IoT-enabled agri-science platforminked a partnership agreement to work on temperate fruits in the Indian market. Both the companies' projects provide precision agriculture IoT hardware such as precision agriculture devices, automatic weather stations, and premium agronomy services to benefit farmers of . In August 2022 , CLAAS and Trimble designed a next-generation precision farming system for the CLAAS tractors and forage harvesters. The new architecture of Trimble would propel customized precision agriculture system development by combining its own guidance capabilities with machine interface CLAAS into one common in-cab user experience.

, CLAAS and Trimble designed a next-generation precision farming system for the CLAAS tractors and forage harvesters. The new architecture of Trimble would propel customized precision agriculture system development by combining its own guidance capabilities with machine interface CLAAS into one common in-cab user experience. In October 2022 , Trimble Inc. launched new agriculture displays, such as Trimble GFX-1060 and GFX-1260, for precision agriculture applications. These displays provide next-generation performance and connectivity for in-field operations.

, Trimble Inc. launched new agriculture displays, such as Trimble GFX-1060 and GFX-1260, for precision agriculture applications. These displays provide next-generation performance and connectivity for in-field operations. In August 2022 , CropX inc. launched a continuous nitrogen leaching monitoring capability for its farm management system. This new development would track the nitrogen movement and salts in the soil.

Integration of Smartphones

The growing adoption of various software and hardware apps in the farming industry is facilitated by the increased use of smartphones in the agricultural sector. This element contributes to the increase in smartphone demand in the agricultural industry.

Increasing telecom operator penetration in the agricultural sector contributes to a rise in smartphone usage, which in turn helps to create extensive connections between users to offer value-added services to prospective clients. This promotes further revenue development in the market for smart agriculture.

Using smartphones in the agricultural sector makes it possible to give users access to real-time information about crops and equipment, regardless of the farmer's actual presence.

As a result, adoption of smartphones in the agriculture sector is likely to boost the demand for smart agriculture during the forecast period

Rising population pressure on the food supply system is driving market growth.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the global population is expected to reach 9 billion by 2050. Thus, food demand is expected to grow at a 2% annual rate, increasing global demand for land, energy, water, and other resources. By 2050, 70% more food is expected to be produced.

Precision farming could be a long-term solution to the world's increased food demand, particularly in developing countries like India and China. It will also enable farmers to improve their efficiency and increase their output. Farmers may have to multiply their yield by a factor of ten to meet rising food demand. Precision farming tools could help optimize farm operations and increase food production while maintaining quality standards.

Rapid Internet of Things (IoT) adoption in agriculture will be a driving factor in the market's growth.

The growing use of Internet of Things (IoT) technology in agriculture assists farmers in product development monitoring by providing real-time assistance via IoT applications. In traditional agriculture practices, IoT applications reduce the amount of time and money spent on farming resources such as land, electricity, and water, allowing farmers to focus on delivering high-quality food to their customers. IoT-enabled agricultural devices reduce the use of pesticides and fertilizers by implementing precision farming techniques that improve the health of soil and crops, allowing organic food to be delivered to a wide range of end-users.

The growing use of unmanned aerial vehicles or drones in agricultural farms.

According to the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI), a trade group that represents manufacturers and users of drones and other robotic equipment, agricultural applications will account for 80% of the commercial market for drones by 2030. Once the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) establishes commercial use guidelines, the drone industry is expected to generate more than 100,000 jobs and nearly half a billion dollars in tax revenue in the United States by 2025, with the agriculture sector generating the most.

Report coverage & details:

Report Coverage Details Forecast Period 20232029 Base Year 2022 Market Size in 2022 USD 19.31 billion in 2022 Market Size in 2029 USD 21.12 billion by 2029 CAGR 10 % No. of Pages in Report 82 Segments Covered Type, Component, End User Industry, and Region Drivers Surging Adoption of Advanced Technologies in Agricultural Products Surging Adoption of Internet of Things (IoT) in Agriculture Restraints High cost for development of modern agricultural equipment and fragmented agriculture

industry are expected to obstruct market growth. Opportunities Agritech Startups Increased the Adoption of Smart Agricultural Practices

The smart agriculture market key players include

Trimble Inc.

Deere & Company

Topcon Positioning Systems

DeLaval Inc.,

AgEagle Aerial Systems Inc.

Afimilk Ltd

Raven Industries, Inc.

Ag Junction LLC.

AGCO Corporation

GEA Group

Key Market Segments: Smart Agriculture Market

Smart Agriculture Market by Type, 2022-2029, (USD Billion)

Precision Farming

Livestock

Aquaculture

Greenhouse

Smart Agriculture Market by Component, 2022-2029, (USD Billion)

Solution

Hardware



Hvac System



Led Grow Lights



Valves & Pumps



Sensors & Control Systems



Software



Network Management



Smart Water Management



Irrigation Management

Service

Consulting



System Integration and Deployment



Support And Maintenance

Connectivity Technology

Cellular IOT



Lora



Nb-IOT



Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS)



Wi-Fi



Sigfox



Wireline



Wireless Personal Area Network (WPAN)

Click Here to View Full Report Table of Contents

Market Dynamics

Market Drivers

Surging Adoption of Advanced Technologies in Agricultural Products

Smart agriculture can assist producers by gathering geospatial data on planting, soil, livestock, and other inter- and intra-field data when it is utilised to its fullest potential. Farmers will be able to combat the negative impacts of climate change on crops thanks to this. Smart agriculture also gives information on the amounts of pesticides, herbicides, liquid fertilizer, and irrigation that are necessary in order to minimise resource loss.

Modern technologies, such as data management software, GPS, yield mapping software, variable rate technology (VRT), and mapping software, help increase profit growth and soil fertility, lower farming costs, and support sustainable agriculture in the production of agricultural products. Growing company productivity through automated procedures and more exceptional production with lower farming expenses are two significant benefits of smart agriculture tools.

Smart agriculture techniques are predicted to make agribusiness more lucrative than ever. As a result, farmers who are focused on making a profit have started using a variety of smart agricultural tools to increase crop yields and revenue. Therefore, the rapid adoption of cutting-edge technologies in agricultural products by business-minded farmers is expected to fuel the development of the global smart agriculture market over the course of the forecast period.

Surging Adoption of Internet of Things (IoT) in Agriculture

IoT applications help farmers in real-time monitoring of product growth as a result of the expanding use of IoT technology in agriculture. IoT applications in conventional agriculture practises decrease the amount of time and money spent on farming resources like land, energy, and water, enabling farmers to concentrate on providing their customers with high-quality food.

IoT-based devices in the agricultural sector reduce the usage of pesticides and fertilizers by adopting precision farming techniques, which enhances the health of soil and crops, allowing organic food to be delivered to diverse end-users.

IoT technology is widely used in agriculture, which helps farmers react to significant changes in weather, humidity, and air quality. Through a variety of management tools & solutions, visualization, and data analytics, it automates traditional farming processes. Implementing IoT technology in agriculture boosts farm production while reducing carbon emissions thanks to cutting-edge sustainable technologies that conserve energy and water resources.

A growing number of farmers now have access to the internet, which helps them remain informed about how to use information and communication technologies to maximise profits and ensure resource conservation under a variety of climatic conditions. For instance, in March 2021, John Deere and Solorrow collaborated to give new site-specific software that uses variable application maps to carry out fertilising and other field activities. John Deere is a major player in the smart agriculture sector.

Thus, the growing adoption of the Internet of Things (IoT) in the agricultural sector is likely to drive the global market growth during the forecast period.

Market Restraints

Fragmented Agriculture Industry

There are numerous small players spread throughout the agriculture industry. It is not controlled by one or a small number of powerful players. It is difficult to adopt a consistent machine-to-machine (M2M) solution because of the industry's fragmentation. Inefficient input and resource dispersal brought on by land fragmentation results in high costs. Deploying smart farming methods in dispersed lands requires time, money, and resources because it is difficult to manage, monitor, and collect data from dispersed farms. As a result, it will be difficult for farmers to profit from scale in M2M systems.

Future Key Opportunities

Agritech Startups Increased the Adoption of Smart Agricultural Practices

With the worldwide pandemic, artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT) have become increasingly common in agriculture. New concepts are being brought to the table by agritech companies. To quickly address producers' problems, they are fusing remote sensing, data analytics, IoT, and AI technologies. These inventions helped build systems that allow growers to select their market and offer their products at higher prices during the COVID-19 restrictions.

According to the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), there are almost 450 agritech companies in India, and the industry is growing at a 25% annual rate. Particularly in countries like India, farmers must meet high standards. Precision-based seeding techniques have been created by agricultural start-ups. For more remarkable results and less waste, AI-based programmes can help predict weather patterns and choose the ideal time to plant the seed. The outbreak has created a new chance for agritech companies to grow and help farmers with their problems.

Emerging Key Trends

Big Data and Analytics

Massive amounts of farm data are created every day, none of which is helpful unless examined. This information is transformed into valuable information using big data and analytics techniques. The upcoming farming season is determined using data on crop diseases, weather predictions, agricultural prices, irrigation, land use, crop area, crop output, and crop projections. Analytical tools use data on weather events, agricultural machinery, water cycles, crop quality, and harvest quantity to gather information relevant to farming activities.

This aids in the discovery of patterns and linkages that could otherwise go undetected. To assist farmers in maximising the value of their field data, many companies are developing tools for farm analytics. Analytical data, for instance, enables farmers to comprehend the need for fertilizer, soil acidity and alkalinity, soil nutrient levels, and other characteristics in order to make the best choices for their harvests.

For instance, the Dutch company AgriData Innovations makes it simpler to gather, examine, and visualise farm data, especially data related to greenhouses. Software for data transfer and control of embedded devices is produced by ADI. To help producers make better choices, they specialise in compartmentalising data from an image to a particular crop leaf. Additionally, the business evaluates crop health, leaf size, and other elements using neural networks and picture processing. They assist greenhouses in enhancing their general production and operations through data analytics and visualisation insights.

Regional Analysis

The North America region witnessed a major 37% share. In order to grow crops more effectively, the agricultural sector in North America has embraced digital technologies that go beyond conventional farm equipment and services. Over the forecast period, the smart agriculture market is anticipated to rise primarily as a result of government initiatives to improve agriculture methods in the region.

Country Analysis

Germany

Germany's smart agriculture market size was valued at USD 5.15 billion in 2022 and is expected to reach USD 7.78 billion by 2029, at a CAGR of 5.3% from 2023 to 2029. The country's R&D facilities as well as the pressing need to increase productivity were factors that led to the market's expansion. These factors included diminishing farm numbers, farm consolidations, and growing animal herd sizes.

China

China smart agriculture market size was valued at USD 1.16 billion in 2022 and is expected to reach USD 1.72 billion by 2029, at a CAGR of 5.1% from 2023 to 2029. The market for smart agriculture in China is anticipated to expand quickly and sustainably as a result of rising demand for contemporary agricultural machinery and ongoing R&D and deployment of new technologies.

India

India's smart agriculture market size was valued at USD 0.98 billion in 2022 and is expected to reach USD 1.57 billion by 2029, at a CAGR of 6.1% from 2023 to 2029. A National Association of Software and Services Companies report from 2019 claimed that there were more than 450 tech companies in India based on argi (NASSCOM).

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The new lineup of six deliciously satisfying Smoothie Bowls is available now

DALLAS, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Smoothie King, the inventor of the smoothie, becomes the country's largest Smoothie Bowl destination today with the launch of six Smoothie Bowls at its more than 1,100 locations nationwide. The launch also debuts Smoothie King's new red spoon, complementing the brand's signature red straws.

The new lineup of six deliciously satisfying Smoothie Bowls is available now

"At Smoothie King, we're proud to offer innovative menu items that meet the needs of our guests and fit naturally into their active lifestyles," said Smoothie King Chief Marketing Officer Marianne Radley. "Over the last 50 years, we've honed our craft as the king of delicious and nutritious smoothies. Now we are introducing these incredibly fresh, satisfying smoothie bowls as a new offering that we know our guests will love."

Smoothie King's new Smoothie Bowls offer delicious combinations of premium ingredients to help guests achieve an active and balanced lifestyle. Each bowl starts with a base of acai or pitaya, commonly known as dragon fruit. Both acai and pitaya are nutrient-dense superfoods, rich in antioxidants and vitamins.

As part of Smoothie King's Clean Blends promise, the six new Smoothie Bowls feature wholesome ingredients such as whole, non-GMO fruits and contain no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives.

The Acai Bowls include:

PB Swizzle - acai blend, Purely Elizabeth  granola, sliced banana, diced strawberries, whole blueberries and peanut butter drizzle

- acai blend, Purely Elizabeth granola, sliced banana, diced strawberries, whole blueberries and peanut butter drizzle Berry Goji Getaway - acai blend, diced mango, diced strawberries, shredded coconut, dried goji berries and honey drizzle

- acai blend, diced mango, diced strawberries, shredded coconut, dried goji berries and honey drizzle Go-Go Goji Crunch - acai blend, Purely Elizabeth granola, diced strawberries, whole blueberries, dried goji berries and honey drizzle

The Pitaya Bowls include:

Bee Berry Sting - pitaya blend, Purely Elizabeth  granola, diced strawberries, diced mango, whole blueberries and honey drizzle

- pitaya blend, Purely Elizabeth granola, diced strawberries, diced mango, whole blueberries and honey drizzle High Five - pitaya blend, sliced banana, diced mango, shredded coconut, dried goji berries and honey drizzle

- pitaya blend, sliced banana, diced mango, shredded coconut, dried goji berries and honey drizzle PB Delight - pitaya blend, Purely Elizabeth granola, sliced banana, whole blueberries, dried goji berries and peanut butter drizzle

All six made-to-order Smoothie Bowls contain a daily serving of whole fruits, have up to 11 grams of protein, and range from 450-610 calories, making them a healthier meal alternative to many fast-food options or a convenient on-the-go snack. Four Smoothie Bowls in the product lineup are topped with Purely Elizabeth granola, which is certified gluten-free, made with organic, innovative and nutritious ingredients to add delicious flavor and texture.

On April 4, guests can enjoy early access to Smoothie Bowls by downloading and ordering through the Smoothie King app. Smoothie Bowls will be available to all consumers nationwide on April 6 in-store, through the drive-through or on the Smoothie King app.

For more information and store locations, visit smoothieking.com .

About Smoothie King Franchises, Inc.

Smoothie King Franchises, Inc., the original U.S. smoothie franchise, is a privately held, Dallas-based franchise company with more than 1400 units worldwide. It was founded in 1973 with the mission to help others achieve better health in a delicious way through smoothies. Today, it continues its mission to inspire a healthy and active lifestyle through its Clean Blends initiative, which focuses on great-tasting smoothies with more whole fruits and vegetables while removing artificial flavors, colors and preservatives and added sugars in many of its blends. To learn more about Smoothie King, visit our website or check us out on Facebook and Instagram.

Agency Contact: Maggie Tulipana

[email protected]

618-334-7891

Corporate Contact: Avery Bash

[email protected]

214-502-5007

SOURCE Smoothie King
Mexican food brand champions rice & beans as weeknight staples - also adding Chipotle Refried Black Beans and Poblano Brown Rice to lineup

AUSTIN, Texas, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- SOMOS , the Mexican food brand dedicated to bringing fun and ease to weeknight meals, delivers the flavors of Mexico's beloved esquites to Americans nationwide with the launch of Mexican Street Corn White Rice. Inspired by the childhood obsessions of SOMOS founders Daniel Lubetzky, Miguel Leal, and Rodrigo Zuloaga, SOMOS' plant-based Mexican Street Corn White Rice combines the fire-roasted charred corn of esquites with long-grain white rice and Aztec spices, like epazote and chile de arbol, taking rice from an overlooked side dish to the main event. SOMOS' Mexican Street Corn White Rice is meant to be enjoyed to fit their customer's needs  from dressed and served with fixings and sides for a weeknight dinner to right out of the bag on your couch or desk.

SOMOS' Mexican Street Corn White Rice is arriving just as the brand debuts in 500 Whole Foods Market locations nationwide, making it easier than ever to prioritize "we time" over cook time and put together a crowd-pleasing Mexican meal sourced entirely from one aisle. The average American spends 67 minutes a day in the kitchen on meal preparation and clean up  SOMOS aims to cut that in half, if not more, to give people time back with their families, friends, and themselves to focus on what matters most.

As is the case with all SOMOS foods, Mexican Street Corn White Rice ingredients are plant-based, non-GMO, and grown in Mexico. The dish is prepared using heritage techniques to which the Mexico-based culinary team added their own twists:

Fire-roasted sweet yellow corn: While esquites is typically prepared with steamed corn, SOMOS put its own spin on the tradition by using the heritage process of tatemado (similar to fire roasting) imparting a smokiness and depth of flavor to the sweet yellow corn.

While esquites is typically prepared with steamed corn, SOMOS put its own spin on the tradition by using the heritage process of tatemado (similar to fire roasting) imparting a smokiness and depth of flavor to the sweet yellow corn. Fresh epazote: SOMOS uses fresh epazote native to Mexico and Central America and sourced from the Puebla and San Luis Potosi regions. Sometimes referred to as the "Latin Umami," this leafy, intensely aromatic herb adds layers of herbal, citrusy notes to the dish. SOMOS chose fresh over dried epazote, as it imparts a bolder flavor and aroma.

SOMOS uses fresh epazote native to and and sourced from the and regions. Sometimes referred to as the "Latin Umami," this leafy, intensely aromatic herb adds layers of herbal, citrusy notes to the dish. SOMOS chose fresh over dried epazote, as it imparts a bolder flavor and aroma. Spices: Chile de arbol flakes add a hint of mild spiciness, while garlic powder and onion powder provide subtle savory notes.

SOMOS' founders recommend their own variations by adding mayonnaise or crema, cotija cheese, and hot sauce (not necessarily in that order or all together) to the dish. SOMOS co-founder Miguel Leal recommends using its Mexican Street Corn White Rice for "Tosti-Esquites"  combining it with SOMOS' Unusually Thick and Crunchy Chips and Mexican crema, Tajin, and a squeeze of fresh lime juice.

In recent years, esquites, along with another Latin favorite corn dish, elote, has become increasingly popular on Mexican and contemporary American restaurant menus across the U.S., carving out space from fast casual salads, burgers, pizzas, and more. As of 2022, nearly half (49 percent) of U.S. consumers reported an interest in trying global street foods, global web searches for "Mexican street corn" have increased 83% over the past five years , and TikTok videos under the hashtag #mexicanstreetcorn have over 52 million views to date .

"Esquites are a Mexican street food I grew up eating as a treat and something I crave when I go home to visit my family in Monterrey, Mexico," says Miguel Leal, SOMOS Co-Founder and CEO. "We knew we had to find a way to bring the street corn experience to our consumers but make it SOMOS, which meant staying true to the ingredients, recipes and techniques we cherish in Mexico while making the flavors available with no stress, no wait and more time to just eat and enjoy."

In addition to Mexican Street Corn White Rice, SOMOS is introducing two more products to help every weeknight feel like the weekend, free of stress and being pressed for time:

SOMOS Chipotle Refried Black Beans : These refried frijoles are packed with chipotles for a deliciously smoky flavor and just a bit of subtle heat. Ideal for spreading on tacos or tostadas, or as a standalone bean dip straight from the bag  ideal for dipping with SOMOS Unusually Thick & Crunchy Tortilla Chips. Each serving has 8g of protein from black beans.

: These refried frijoles are packed with chipotles for a deliciously smoky flavor and just a bit of subtle heat. Ideal for spreading on tacos or tostadas, or as a standalone bean dip straight from the bag  ideal for dipping with SOMOS Unusually Thick & Crunchy Tortilla Chips. Each serving has 8g of protein from black beans. SOMOS Poblano Brown Rice: The hero ingredient of this traditional rice is the poblano pepper, which originates from Puebla, Mexico , and is truly a staple in every Mexican kitchen. The poblanos give this rice a subtle heat and flavor, as well as a beautiful green hue. This simple and versatile rice goes with anything and everything  but is traditionally enjoyed as a side with chicken or fish.

These new products bring the SOMOS portfolio of plant-based rice, beans, sides, salsas, and tortilla chips to 17. In addition to being available at Whole Foods Market in April, additional retailers carrying SOMOS Mexican Street Corn White Rice include Sprouts Farmers Market, H-E-B, and online retailer Hungryroot. Beginning April 4th, 2-packs are also available on eatsomos.com for $8.00 and 6-packs are available on Amazon for $20.49.

About SOMOS Foods

Co-founded by Mexican-American friends Daniel Lubetzky, Miguel Leal, and Rodrigo Zuloaga, SOMOS brings vibrant heritage and real Mexican flavors to ready-to-eat foods that serve as complete meals, sides, or snacks that go from pantry to plate in 90 seconds. SOMOS' lineup of chips, salsa, rice, beans, and veggies are grown and made in Mexico using traditional techniques and clean ingredients. Intended to bridge the gap between flavor and convenience, SOMOS takes care of the sourcing, prep time, and cook time, in turn, giving people time back with their families, friends, and themselves to focus on what matters most. SOMOS is being incubated by Camino Partners , a business building and investment platform from KIND Founder and SOMOS Co-Founder Daniel Lubetzky and the team who built KIND from an out-of-the-box idea into a multi-billion-dollar brand. Learn more at eatsomos.com and follow along @ eatsomos .

SOURCE SOMOS
Deal for Cash and Stock Organized by Oakley Capital

NEW YORK, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Advanced technology development firm Spencer Trask & Co. today announced the merger of Fastcase with vLex in a transaction funded by private equity firms Bain Capital and Oakley Capital . The new venture provides a combined 3.8 million users in over 100 countries with smart access to the most extensive collection of legal and regulatory information in the world.

Spencer Trask & Co. was the first institutional investor in Fastcase and its largest shareholder.

"We are really proud to see Fastcase take its mission to the global stage," said Spencer Trask & Co. Chairman, Kevin Kimberlin .

"We're really proud to see Fastcase take its mission to the global stage." Spencer Trask & Co. Chairman, Kevin Kimberlin Tweet this

The flagship Fastcase service extracts value from the entire corpus of U.S. law  from all 50 states, all Federal and appellate courts, the U.S. Code, the Federal Register from inception, and the Congressional Record volumes in their entirety. The firm provides highly accurate methods for researching these millions of pages of legal documents with predictive analytics and AI-enhanced smart tools. This provides analysis unavailable elsewhere such as case-prediction indicators on judges, venues, adversaries, and attorneys, and measures of gender diversity at law firms.

Revenues in the global legal services industry reached $900 billion in 2022 and yet the legal field has been slow to adopt technologies that are standard fare for financial, retail, and information service providers.

"Artificial intelligence and data analytics technology, used routinely elsewhere, will be demanded by discerning legal clients in the future," said Ed Walters, Fastcase co-founder and CEO. "So Fastcase combined these must-have analytics with the largest law library in the world."

For its technology backbone, Fastcase acquired legal search firm Judicata , funded by Khosla Ventures and Peter Thiel, and run by Blake Masters, now COO of Thiel Ventures. The Judicata senior team remained with Fastcase.

"From the beginning, Spencer Trask supported our mission to democratize the law in the United States. vLex is the perfect partner to scale this mission globally," concluded Walters.

About Spencer Trask & Co.

Spencer Trask & Co. is an advanced technology development firm that scales discoveries from the idea stage to the world stage. The firm and its principals have founded or first-funded 12 new ventures that reached a valuation of $1 billion or more and exceeded a combined market value of $128 billion. Once startups, these companies are now global leaders in genomics, the Internet, mobile communications, healthcare, and artificial intelligence.

About Fastcase

Fastcase is a comprehensive legal intelligence company, founded in 1999 and based in Washington, D.C. Partnering with the bar associations in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, Fastcase serves more than 1.1 million lawyers from around the world. The company provides an innovative research suite of primary law, dockets, treatises, legal blogs, analytics, workflow tools, and legal news.

About vLex

vLex is a leading provider of multi-award-winning technology and global legal information, offering comprehensive and intuitive access to the law in over 200 jurisdictions. Recognised as the Overall Legal Research Solution Provider of the Year 2022, vLex provides over two million lawyers, researchers, government departments, and law schools around the world with access to bespoke technology that enhances research and the connectivity of over 130 million editorially enriched legal documents, all on a single intelligent platform.

About Oakley Capital

Founded in 2002 and with 5 billion AuM, Oakley Capital is a pan-European private equity firm backing ambitious growth companies across three core sectors  Technology, Consumer and Education. Oakley is able to deliver differentiated investment opportunities and superior returns by leveraging its entrepreneurial mindset and deep sector expertise. The Oakley team works closely with a unique network of entrepreneurs and successful management teams to help source primary, proprietary opportunities and gain valuable insights into the businesses in which it invests. Its ability to overcome complexity, and a flexible approach to value creation, allows Oakley to support its portfolio companies to achieve sustainable growth.

About Bain Capital

Bain Capital is one of the world's leading private investment firms with approximately $160 billion in assets under management that creates lasting impact for its investors, teams, businesses and the communities in which we live. Founded in 1984, the firm pioneered a consulting-based approach to private equity investing, partnering closely with management teams to offer the insights that challenge conventional thinking, build great businesses and improve operations. Over time, they have organically expanded this approach across asset classes to build one of the strongest alternative asset platforms in the world.

SOURCE Spencer Trask & Co.
NEW YORK, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- HR leaders are optimistic about hiring and retaining workers over the next few months. And that confidence comes despite expectations of a recession in 2023 and news of layoffs.

Indeed, three-quarters of Chief Human Resource Officers (CHROs) expect hiring to stay steady or even ramp up over the next six months. That's according to The Conference Board CHRO Confidence Index for the first quarter of 2023.

The survey also found that while nearly half (45 percent) of CHROs expect more employees to stay at their current companies, many are concerned about workers jumping ship. Indeed, 19 percent are expecting more workers to leave. To attract and keep workers, CHROs say they are prioritizing the strengthening of culture and the development of the workforce this year.

Overall, CHRO confidence in Q1 stands at 57 (a reading of more than 50 points reflects more positive than negative responses). The index tracks CHROs' sentiment surrounding workforce growth, stability, and stress by focusing on hiring, retention, and engagement.

This marks the first quarterly measure of CHRO Confidence from The Conference Board. A total of 172 CHROs participated in the survey, which was fielded from January 16 through February 10. Key findings include:

Despite recent news of layoffs in some sectors, 3 in 4 CHROs expect hiring to remain unchanged or increase.

76 percent of CHROs expect hiring to remain unchanged or increase within the next six months.

The Great Resignation hasn't ended: 1 in 5 CHROs expect a decrease in retention.

19 percent of CHROs expect retention to decrease in the next 6 months.

45 percent expect employee retention to increase, and 36 percent expect no change.

Nearly half of CHROs say employee engagement is increasing.

45 percent of CHROs report that employee engagement has increased in the last 6 months.

14 percent report a decrease.

In a September 2022 survey of 1,600 employees, 27 percent reported an increase in employee engagement and 30 percent reported a decrease.

CHRO Confidence vs. CEO Confidence

The following section draws comparisons between the Q1 CHRO Confidence Index and the Q1 Measure of CEO Confidence. The latter is a quarterly survey of US CEOs by The Conference Board in collaboration with The Business Council.

CHROs are more optimistic about hiring than CEOs.

42 percent of CHROs expect hiring to increase.

Only 37 percent of CEOs expect to expand their workforce over the next 12 months, down from 44 percent in Q4 2022.

57 percent of CEOs report some problems attracting qualified workers, down from 68 percent in Q4 2022.

Of those, only 17 percent now report hiring difficulties that cut across the organization, rather than being concentrated in a few key areasdown from 39 percent in Q4 2022.

CHROs are prioritizing the development of leaders at more than two times the rate of CEOs.

47 percent of CHROs plan to focus on strengthening the leadership pipeline in 2023the top response. That's compared to 20 percent of CEOs.

While CHROs and CEOs agree on the importance of culture and leadership to retain talent, CHROs are placing a higher priority on these efforts.

34 percent of CHROs plan to strengthen organizational culture to retain talent, compared to 18 percent of CEOs.

30 percent of CHROs plan to prioritize the development of workforce capabilities, compared to 19 percent of CEOs.

CEOs prioritize innovation, agility, and resilience more than CHROs.

16 percent of CEOs prioritize building a more innovative culture, compared to only 4 percent of CHROs.

15 percent of CEOs prioritize building agile teams, compared to only 4 percent of CHROs.

19 percent of CEO prioritize building a resilient workforce to prepare for future challenges, compared to 15 percent of CHROs.

"While both CEOs and CHROs are concerned about the ability to hire workers, CHROs are acutely aware of the strengths and weaknesses of the workforce, and the challenges of finding and retaining talent," said Rebecca Ray, Executive Vice President of Human Capital at The Conference Board. "Indeed, CHROs know the greater time and effort that is now necessary to successfully hire someone. They are also concerned that critical talent, if not developed internally, may be difficult to find in the current labor market. It follows that they would place a greater emphasis on improving culture and developing the workforce, especially if nearly 20 percent expect retention to decrease in the next six months. CEOs are focused on navigating their organizations through a sea of uncertainty and change. If economic volatility and gray swan events continue to be the norm, organizational agility, resilience, and innovation will be key to a thriving business."

About The Conference Board

The Conference Board is the member-driven think tank that delivers trusted insights for what's ahead. Founded in 1916, we are a non-partisan, not-for-profit entity holding 501 (c) (3) tax-exempt status in the United States. www.conference-board.org

SOURCE The Conference Board
BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 4. Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Jeyhun Bayramov, met with Head of the Council of Europe Office in Baku (CE), Petr Sich, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan told Trend.

According to the ministry, the issues on the agenda of the current cooperation between Azerbaijan and the Council of Europe, and the current situation in the region were discussed at the meeting.

Referring to the extensive cooperation agenda between Azerbaijan and the Council of Europe, the importance of the adopted action plans in the development of relations, including the action plan for 2022-2025, was noted.

Bayramov gave detailed information about the current post-Karabakh conflict situation in the region, the large-scale restoration and construction work carried out by Azerbaijan on its liberated territories, and the steps taken by Azerbaijan for the normalization of relations with Armenia.

It was noted that the failure of the Armenian side to fulfill its obligations, its incomplete withdrawal of its armed forces from the territory of Azerbaijan, and its misuse of the Lachin-Khankendi road for illegal purposes, are obstacles to establishing peace and security in the region.

Furthermore, it was mentioned that Armenian accusations of an alleged "humanitarian crisis" and "blockade", the reason behind which is to cast a shadow over the peaceful protests of Azerbaijan's civil society against Armenian illegal actions regarding the Lachin-Khankendi road, are not reflecting reality. It was noted that those statements are designed to mislead the international community.

Head of the Council of Europe Office in Baku, Petr Sich, noted that the cooperation between Azerbaijan and the CoE is continuing successfully based on mutual understanding and trust. Sich emphasized the importance of mutual visits and contacts for the future development of these ties.

The sides also exchanged views on other issues of mutual interest.
TEMPLETON, Iowa, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Templeton Distillery will be introducing Tequila Cask Finish just in time for the holiday season.

Originally matured to perfection in American Oak flame-charred barrels and expertly finished in Tequila Corralejo Extra Anejo casks. An outlet for innovation, our limited release cask finish series offers an annual unique twist on what rye can be.

The Tequila Cask Finish is release No. 5 in our cask finish series, a Limited Edition sold on allocation and not to be missed. Only 4,200 cases will be produced nationally.

Templeton Distillery's Tequila Cask Finish 750ml is 92 proof (46% ABV)

Templeton Distillery and Tequila Corralejo have a rich history in their communities. Templeton Rye Tequila Cask Finish was inspired by the synergies and shared experiences of tradition in each small town; Templeton, IA and Corralejo, MX.

"Great whiskey and great tequila share the same basic necessities: devotion to quality, respect for both tradition and vision, and the enduring commitment to generational success. Templeton and Corralejo also share the same dedication to our communities. This partnership delivers a united spirit to be enjoyed and appreciated by those who understand those values." said Blair Woodall, SVP, General Manager Templeton Distillery

About Templeton

With over 100 years of history in Templeton, Iowa, our story is one of true authenticity and built on the shared experiences of our community. The roots of Templeton Distillery can be traced back along family lines to the bootleggers of the Prohibition. This rebellious and entrepreneurial mindset still holds true to this day, where residents of our hometown uphold the shared value of "A Strong Community Spirit." Learn more about Templeton Distillery by visiting www.templetondistillery.com or follow us on Facebook at @TempletonDistillery, Twitter at @TempletonDist, and Instagram at @TempletonDistillery.

About Tequila Corralejo

With a 250-year history in a community rich with tequila tradition, Corralejo celebrates the flavor of Mexico. Standing head and shoulders above the rest, we craft tequila that you can enjoy with confidence. For more information, please visit https://corralejotequila.com/

About Infinium Spirits

Established in 2005 and based out of San Diego, California, Infinium Spirits is a family-owned global premium spirits supplier. Infinium specializes in building a diverse and distinctive portfolio of award-winning spirit brands including Templeton Rye; Seagram's Vodka; Corralejo Tequila; Crystal Head Vodka; Zaya Rum; Highway Vodka; Torres Brandy; Tears of Llorona Tequila; Los Arango Tequila; Magdala Orange Liqueur; Rives Gin; Perro San Juan Mezcal and El Gobernador Pisco. For more information, visit www.infiniumspirits.com .

SOURCE Templeton Distillery
NEW YORK, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Klein Law Firm announces that a class action complaint has been filed on behalf of shareholders of Target Corporation (NYSE: TGT) alleging that the Company violated federal securities laws.

Class Period: August 18, 2021 to May 17, 2022

Lead Plaintiff Deadline: May 30, 2023

No obligation or cost to you.

Learn more about your recoverable losses in TGT:

https://www.kleinstocklaw.com/pslra-1/target-corporation-lawsuit-loss-submission-form?id=38076&from=4

Target Corporation NEWS - TGT NEWS

CLASS ACTION CASE DETAILS: The filed complaint alleges that Target Corporation made materially false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (i) Target's difficulty maintaining a balanced inventory of in-demand goods was far worse than the Company had represented; (ii) Target was severely impacted by changing consumer preferences; (iii) Target's inventory mix was significantly more sensitive to changing consumer preferences due to Target's practice of buying larger quantities ahead of season, and was therefore at significant risk of having to use markdowns to sell out-of-demand goods; and (iv) as a direct result of these changing preferences, Target's inventory increasingly became out-of-balance and overweight in bulky and unsellable goods throughout the Class Period forcing Target to markdown its out-of-demand goods, thereby negatively impacting revenue.

WHAT THIS MEANS TO YOU AS A SHAREHOLDER: If you have suffered a loss in Target you have until May 30, 2023 to petition the court for lead plaintiff status. Your ability to share in any recovery doesn't require that you serve as a lead plaintiff.

NO COST TO YOU: If you purchased Target securities during the relevant period, you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out-of-pocket fees.

HOW TO PROTECT YOUR FINANCIAL INTERESTS: For additional information about the TGT lawsuit, please contact J. Klein, Esq. by telephone at 212-616-4899 or click this link: https://www.kleinstocklaw.com/pslra-1/target-corporation-lawsuit-loss-submission-form?id=38076&from=4.

ABOUT KLEIN LAW FIRM

J. Klein, Esq. represents investors and participates in securities litigations involving financial fraud throughout the nation. The Klein Law Firm is a boutique litigation firm with experience in a wide range of areas including securities law, corporate finance and commercial litigation. Since 2011, our experienced attorneys have achieved superior results for our clients with a personalized focus. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.

CONTACT:

J. Klein, Esq.

535 Fifth Avenue

4th Floor

New York City, NY 10017

[email protected]

Telephone: (212) 616-4899

www.kleinstocklaw.com

SOURCE The Klein Law Firm
SANDY, Utah, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Larry H. Miller Company (LHM) has named Kelsey Berg vice president of government relations. Berg will primarily support the growing and diverse Larry H. Miller Communities (LHM Communities) platform. Berg is responsible for building and maintaining the organization's stakeholder relationships and providing leadership on solutions and policies that impact growth and land use, including sustainable solutions, water usage, transportation, air quality, housing affordability, and quality of life.

Kelsey Berg

"It's a great honor to join a company with such a great legacy for doing good and improving the community. I look forward to working with the team at Larry H. Miller Communities as they continue to do new and innovative work, which is making a difference in the lives of so many," said Berg.

"Our real estate platform continues to add new capabilities and grow in new markets throughout Utah and across the country," said LHM Communities President Brad Holmes. "We are building communities from the grassroots with our partners in government and our neighborhoods. Kelsey is a strong representative of who we are and reflects our mission to enrich lives and our value to be hard-working stewards."

Berg has extensive experience in government relations serving as political director for Utah Senator Mitt Romney's successful senate campaign and most recently serving as his deputy chief of staff. She has years of experience working with and advocating for rural communities, first with former Utah Congressman Jason Chaffetz as his Energy and Natural Resource advisor and later with the Utah Farm Bureau Federation. In 2016, Congressman Chaffetz asked Berg to run his campaign and local office. Prior to her service with Chaffetz, Berg worked for three years in state government affairs, focusing on energy issues.

"Kelsey is a proven and well-respected leader in our community and will be an incredibly thoughtful and impactful partner," said Amanda Covington, chief corporate affairs officer for LHM. "Kelsey's expertise runs wide and deep. She has worked on complex issues at all levels of government and understands our communities, especially Utah, from urban to rural. We are honored that she has chosen to continue her journey with the Larry H. Miller organization."

Berg grew up in Utah's Heber Valley and earned her bachelor's in political science and government from Brigham Young University.

About the Larry H. Miller Company

Headquartered in Sandy, Utah, the Larry H. Miller Company (LHMCO) oversees the Miller family's portfolio of businesses and investments, including the Salt Lake Bees, Larry H. Miller Megaplex Theatres, Larry H. Miller Communities, Larry H. Miller Senior Health, and Prestige Financial. LHMCO has recently led several acquisitions, including Daybreak and Destination Homes, while also investing in Lendio, Run Buggy, and Aqua Yield. Most recently, LHMCO acquired a majority stake in Swig, the fast-growing customized drink and treats company. For more information, visit www.lhm.com.

About Larry H. Miller Communities

Established in 2021, Larry H. Miller Communities, a portfolio business of the Larry H. Miller Company, develops, manages and invests in a variety of real estate properties, including residential mixed-use, master-planned communities, land, retail, office, hospitality, entertainment and homebuilding.

SOURCE The Larry H. Miller Company
Marking the brand's first epicurean collaboration, the chef and artist has created a barware collection with complementing cocktail recipes inspired by her travels from Los Angeles to Paris to Kyoto.

NEW YORK, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Luxury Collection, part of Marriott Bonvoy's portfolio of 30 extraordinary hotel brands, announces chef and artist Laila Gohar as the brand's newest Global Explorer. In her role as a brand ambassador, Gohar has collaborated with The Luxury Collection to create a globally inspired barware collection with complementing cocktail recipes drawing from her travels with the brand. Gohar marks The Luxury Collection's first epicurean Global Explorer, underscoring the power of cultural discovery through food and drink.

Laila Gohar

Known for her Surrealist-inspired tableware line, Gohar World, Gohar has created a family of barware for The Luxury Collection that highlights global craft traditions that are disappearing  mouth-blown glass, porcelain, needle work, and silversmithing. While each piece of Gohar's collection is different and designed with a variety of inspirations, together they represent a harmonious line of barware which features timeless craft and traditions discovered during her travels and made by family-owned ateliers around the world.

The Luxury Collection's Global Explorer program celebrates the vibrancy of the world's most enchanting destinations through the eyes of leading cultural voices. Representing a broad selection of creative endeavors, these personalities are united by a deep understanding of world cultures, while identifying travel experiences in their own personal way. Born in Egypt, Laila Gohar has traveled the globe as an internationally recognized artist working with food as her creative medium.

"My favorite way to discover a destination is through the senses, and enjoying a meal or drink while traveling is an incredible way to learn about the local culture," said Laila Gohar. "Often the way a table or bar is set, and the objects used, are just as important as the food and beverage offerings themselves. I am thrilled to be working with The Luxury Collection to highlight the beauty of epicurean discovery and celebrate the local craftspeople that bring these experiences to life around the world."

Inspired by Prince de Galles, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Paris, for the collection, Gohar created a hand-stitched cocktail napkin, which she has paired with a Champagne Coupe mouth blown by traditional glassmakers Lobmeyr. The pieces are a nod to the glamour of Paris and cocktail culture during the 1920s as well as the Art Deco features of the hotel and the Arc de Triomphe  the hotel was built with the same stones of the famed Parisian landmark. Gohar's recipes for a Parisian Side Car and 1920s Sazerac featuring only French ingredients draw on classic cocktails from the hotel's Bar 19.20.

The barware collection also includes a Sake Cup and Bamboo Oshibori Tray inspired by Suiran, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Kyoto. Gohar worked with local artisans to create these pieces that pay homage to the centuries-old Japanese traditional crafts. Completing the collection is a Martini Glass and Olive Pick which draw on her time at SLS Hotel, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Beverly Hills and the iconic architects that have contributed to landmark projects in Los Angeles  from Frank Lloyd Wright to Rudolph Shindler to Pierre Koenig. The lines of the Martini Glass mirror the California modernist design while the Olive Pick is reminiscent of the wrought iron gate at the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Ennis House. Whether you are enjoying Gohar's "Cali-tini" or "Ghia Spritz", a non-alcoholic aperitif, this is the perfect vessel.

"We are delighted to welcome Laila Gohar as our newest Global Explorer. Her fresh perspective and passion for culinary and craft perfectly aligns with The Luxury Collection brand as we aim to offer our guests transformational cultural experiences through travel," said Philipp Weghmann, Vice President & Global Brand Leader, The Luxury Collection. "We are excited to collaborate with her on an inspiring barware collection to celebrate our portfolio in some of the world's most captivating global cities."

Laila Gohar will join the celebrated group of Luxury Collection Global Ambassadors who bring the portfolio to life for international travelers. The brand recently celebrated its first collaboration with Global Explorer Caroline de Maigret as well as continued partnerships with Global Explorers Margherita Maccapani Missoni and Mercedes Salazar. The Luxury Collection is dedicated to helping travelers from all over the world embark on extraordinary journeys and one-of-a-kind experiences.

Laila Gohar x The Luxury Collection barware collection is available for purchase on www.luxurycollectionstore.com, ranging in price from $40 to $230 USD. Additionally, a selection of products will be available to experience or for purchase on-property at Prince de Galles, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Paris; Suiran, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Kyoto; and SLS Hotel, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Beverly Hills in celebration of the collaboration. The Los Angeles, Kyoto and Paris city guides will be available on www.theluxurycollection.com. Laila Gohar will also be hosting an immersive experience at Prince de Galles, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Paris in October that will be bookable on the Marriott Bonvoy Moments platform.

About The Luxury Collection Hotels & Resorts

The Luxury Collection, part of Marriott International, Inc., is comprised of world-renowned hotels and resorts offering unique, authentic experiences that evoke lasting, treasured memories. For the global explorer, The Luxury Collection offers a gateway to the world's most exciting and desirable destinations. Each hotel and resort is a unique and cherished expression of its location; a portal to the destination's indigenous charms and treasures. Originated in 1906 under the CIGA brand as a collection of Europe's most celebrated and iconic properties, today The Luxury Collection brand is a glittering ensemble of nearly 120 of the world's finest hotels and resorts in more than 35 countries and territories. All of these hotels, many of them centuries old, are internationally recognized as being among the world's finest. For more information and new openings, visit theluxurycollection.com or follow Instagram and Facebook. The Luxury Collection is proud to participate in Marriott Bonvoy, the global travel program from Marriott International. The program offers members an extraordinary portfolio of global brands, exclusive experiences on Marriott Bonvoy Moments and unparalleled benefits including free nights and Elite status recognition. To enroll for free or for more information about the program, visit marriottbonvoy.com.

About Marriott Bonvoy 

Marriott Bonvoy's extraordinary portfolio offers renowned hospitality in the most memorable destinations in the world, with 30 brands that are tailored to every type of journey. From The Ritz-Carlton and St. Regis to W Hotels and more, Marriott Bonvoy has more luxury offerings than any other travel program. Members can earn points for stays at hotels and resorts, including all-inclusive resorts and premium home rentals, and through everyday purchases with co-branded credit cards. Members can redeem their points for experiences including future stays, Marriott Bonvoy Moments, or through partners for luxurious products from Marriott Bonvoy Boutiques. To enroll for free or for more information about Marriott Bonvoy, visit marriottbonvoy.com .

SOURCE Marriott International, Inc.
CRANSTON, R.I., April 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- RISE Group, Inc., an employee-owned leading provider of energy, engineering, laboratory, and field services, is pleased to announce the acquisition of Air Masters HVAC of NE, Inc. as part of its strategic plan to expand its mechanical/HVAC contracting capability.

Air Masters is a well-respected, 23-person firm based in Fall River, Massachusetts, serving commercial clients throughout southeastern MA, Cape Cod, and RI. The company specializes in commercial HVAC and building automation systems, and its long-term clients include regional banks, numerous cities and towns in southeastern MA, and several property management firms. The company is led by the Medeiros family - Mike, Sr. is the founder and President, Mike, Jr. heads up its controls division, and Josh is its operations director.

"Our long-time customer base continues to look to us to help them meet the challenges of our time," said Mike Medeiros, Sr. "Teaming with RISE provides us with a well-known platform that shares our common values and places our customers first. Joining an employee-owned company also safeguards the long-term interests of our staff and their families who have contributed so much to our firm's success," Medeiros observed.

"We are thrilled to welcome Air Masters to the RISE Group family," said RISE Group, Inc. CEO, Vin Graziano. "Their specialized controls capability, their geographical base, and their enviable reputation in the industry make them an ideal addition to deliver cost-effective energy solutions," he noted.

The acquisition of Air Masters is a continuation of The RISE Group's ongoing efforts to strengthen its mechanical/HVAC contracting capability, which began six years ago with the acquisition of Coldmasters, a RI-based HVAC/refrigeration contractor, and now includes Holden Mechanical, serving advanced industries in central Massachusetts.

"The challenges we face to decarbonize require multifaceted resources that can address the structural, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems in our buildings," said Graziano. "With over 90 tradespersons in those fields directly in our employ, RISE will continue to be a regional leader in the delivery of these services. This is a win for all."

All members of the Medeiros family will remain with the business, and the firm will operate under the umbrella of RISE Group's Built Environment activities from its current Fall River location.

About RISE Group, Inc.

RISE Group is a multidisciplinary professional firm that provides a complete range of consulting, design, laboratory, and project implementation services to customers throughout the United States and internationally. Our energy services division has worked in close cooperation with leading program sponsors in the Northeast region for over four decades to bring premium efficiency services to energy end users in every form of existing building. Our work with them demonstrates how creative collaboration can produce outstanding results for our clients and our communities.

For more information, contact:



Vincent R. Graziano, President

RISE Group, Inc.

(401) 784-3700 x 6115

[email protected]

SOURCE The RISE Group, Inc.
CHICAGO, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Threekit, a leader in visual commerce technology, is proud to announce the launch of their groundbreaking Magical Product Experiences for Manufacturing. This comprehensive suite of buyer experiences is designed to help manufacturers showcase their product catalog and boost sales across various channels including sales, dealer portals, eCommerce and more.

The Magical Product Experience suite addresses a critical need in the manufacturing industry, as a Gartner study reveals that 95% of a buyer's time is spent doing digital research on their own. Unfortunately, most manufacturers do not provide an exceptional digital experience that allows everyone in the buyer cycle to explore the product on their own.

The suite includes an array of cutting-edge tools, such as 3D configuration, aftermarket parts and service visualization, advanced and parametric configuration, space planning, Augmented Reality, and Virtual Photography.

Visual Commerce Delivers Big Results for Manufacturers

Manufacturers leveraging Threekit Visual Commerce have reported remarkable results, including increased sales, higher conversion rates from web to lead, fewer errors, improved post-order manufacturing efficiency, and reduced costs associated with custom renders and photography.

Ulrich Lifestyle Structures, a leader in the industry, has experienced a more than 250% increase in sales after implementing Threekit Manufacturing solutions. Jonathan Ulrich, the CEO of Ulrich, stated, "If a picture is worth a thousand words, a 3D CPQ is worth a million words -- seeing is believing." Similarly, BostonTec, a leading custom workspace company, saw a 30% increase in their qualified pipeline after adopting the suite.

Top manufacturers such as Sloan, Hyster-Yale, Steelcase, HP, and Milwaukee Tool also use Threekit to enhance their buying experience.

Matt Gorniak, the CEO of Threekit, expressed his excitement about the launch, stating, "Our mission is to empower manufacturers to deliver visual experiences that captivate their buyers throughout the journey. With our advanced visual commerce solutions, manufacturers can now provide the immersive, interactive experiences that today's buyers demand."

For more information on how Threekit's Magical Product Experiences for Manufacturing can transform your buyer journey and boost sales, please visit Threekit.com .

About Threekit

Threekit is a leading provider of visual commerce technology, creating immersive and interactive product experiences for manufacturers worldwide. With a commitment to innovation, Threekit empowers businesses to increase sales, improve customer engagement, and reduce costs by leveraging cutting-edge 3D configuration, Augmented Reality, and Virtual Photography solutions. For more information, visit Threekit.com .

SOURCE Threekit
Inductees are recognized as the industry's most ambitious and successful young leaders

HOLLAND, Mich. , April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Tiara Yachts , family-owned manufacturer of American-made luxury watercrafts, today announced that Director of Marketing and Communications Whitney Vishey has been inducted into the 2023 Boating Industry 40 Under 40 class.

An advocate for equality within the maritime industry, Vishey credits her 40 Under 40 induction to Tiara Yachts' dedication to creating opportunities for growth and learning while continuing to further set the standard for innovative and premier yachts.

"I'm incredibly honored to have received this recognition by Boating Industry and I am thrilled to be sharing this with the other outstanding young professionals in our community," said Vishey. "I'm very passionate about the Tiara Yachts brand and am grateful for the opportunities Tiara has provided me for growth, knowledge, and ultimately the success of my team."

Vishey joined Tiara Yachts in 2014. She leads the brand's marketing and communications efforts, building on the heritage and history of the Tiara Yachts brand and sharing that message with consumers.

Her recognition comes on the heels of Tiara Yachts' record-breaking year, consisting of the following accomplishments:

The launch of Tiara's newest and largest inboard model, the EX 60

Tiara's 15 th consecutive year earning the Marine Industry CSI Award

consecutive year earning the Marine Industry CSI Award The expansion of Tiara's Luxury Express series with the introduction of the 48 LE

"Whitney winning this award does not come as a surprise, since she's been a driving force for Tiara Yachts' earned reputation as a trailblazer in the boating industry," said Tom Slikkers, CEO and President of Tiara Yachts. "I'm proud of what she has accomplished so far and look forward to watching her continue to empower her team and champion the Tiara Yachts brand."

Boating Industry's editorial team carefully selected marine industry professionals who demonstrate leadership and passion in their respective roles and the industry into the 2023 Boating Industry 40 Under 40 class. The awards program is in its seventh year.

"While no simple task to select with each year of the program bringing stronger and stronger nominations, the 2023 40 Under 40 were selected for their multitude of accomplishments and strengths, as well as their passion for the recreational boating industry and their promise to bring the industry into the future," said Boating Industry Editor-in-Chief and Top 100 Program Director Adam Quandt.

To view the entire full 2023 Boating Industry 40 Under 40 class, view the outlet's March 2023 digital issue: LINK. For more information about Tiara Yachts, visit tiarayachts.com .

About Tiara Yachts

Tiara Yachts, headquartered in Holland, Michigan, is one of the oldest privately held boat manufacturers in the United States. The Tiara Yachts model line includes inboard vessels from 39 to 60 feet in the Coupe and EX lines. Outboard powered Tiara Yachts models range from 34 to 48 feet in three distinct Series: Luxury Sport (LS), Luxury Crossover (LX), and Luxury Express (LE). For more information, please visit tiarayachts.com.

Media Contact:

Mitchell Reid

Associate

Lambert

[email protected]

989-326-3992

SOURCE Tiara Yachts
The firm's data reveals the seven top enterprise content management software providers organizations can consider to overcome content chaos.

TORONTO, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - SoftwareReviews, a leading source for insights on the software provider landscape, has published its 2023 Emotional Footprint Report on the top enterprise content management solutions, which identified the top seven Enterprise and Midmarket providers as Champions for 2023. The full report is now ready to access on the firm's website, which is updated in real-time to reflect new reviews and ratings.

Enterprise - The firms data reveals the seven top enterprise content management software providers organizations can consider to overcome content chaos. (CNW Group/SoftwareReviews) Midmarket - The firms data reveals the seven top enterprise content management software providers organizations can consider to overcome content chaos. (CNW Group/SoftwareReviews)

Enterprise Content Management (ECM) is a software solution that enables organizations to enforce business rules and best practices for content creation, approval, and distribution across various systems. Without ECM, teams can face challenges such as a lack of organization, security risks, and inefficient workflows. Adopting ECM provides improved collaboration, enhanced productivity, and better compliance.

ECM also offers a central repository for content, allowing for real-time collaboration, version control, and automated workflows that reduce manual tasks, improve content quality, and accelerate delivery. This helps organizations comply with regulatory requirements and industry standards while achieving their goals more efficiently and effectively.

SoftwareReviews' survey data from 1,182 end user reviews was used to identify the top ECM software providers for organizations seeking to streamline their content management strategies. The top providers have been recognized for their excellence in the space and received high scores on SoftwareReviews' Data Quadrant.

The Net Emotional Footprint (NEF) of each software provider is a result of aggregated emotional response ratings across the areas of service, negotiation, product impact, conflict resolution, strategy, and innovation. The NEF is a powerful indicator of overall user sentiment toward the provider and its product from the software user's point of view.

The 2023 Enterprise Content Management  Enterprise Software Champions are as follows:

Dokmee ECM, +99 NEF, ranked high for being efficient.

DocuWare, +95 NEF, ranked high for being generous.

Epicor ECM (DocStar), +92 NEF, ranked high for being respectful.

Xerox DocuShare, +93 NEF, ranked high for including unique features.

FileBoud, +91 NEF, ranked high for conducting friendly negotiations.

The 2023 Enterprise Content Management  Midmarket Software Champions are as follows:

Fabasoft Approve, +96 NEF, ranked high for being caring.

iManage Work, +93 NEF, ranked high for being transparent.

User assessments of software categories provide an accurate and detailed view of the constantly changing market. SoftwareReviews' reports are informed by data from users and IT professionals who have intimate experience with the software throughout procurement, implementation, and maintenance.

For more information about SoftwareReviews, the Data Quadrant, or the Emotional Footprint, or to access resources to support the software selection process, visit softwarereviews.com

About SoftwareReviews

SoftwareReviews empowers organizations with the best data, insights, and advice to improve the software buying and selling experience.

For buyers, SoftwareReviews' proven software selection methodologies, customer insights, and technology advisors help maximize success with technology decisions. For providers, the firm helps build more effective marketing, product, and sales processes with expert analysts, how-to research, customer-centric marketing content, and comprehensive analysis of the buyer landscape.

SoftwareReviews is a division of Info-Tech Research Group, a world-class technology research and advisory firm.

SOURCE SoftwareReviews
MONTCLAIR, N.J., April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Treevana Retail New Jersey LLC ("Treevana"), a cannabis retail company committed to improving the state's economy and contributing positively to the communities it serves, has announced its application for a cannabis dispensary license in Montclair, New Jersey.

If approved, the company aims to provide safe access to high-quality cannabis products while creating job opportunities for local residents, donating to local charities, and participating in community outreach activities.

Dr. Frank Barnes Jr., a proud Montclair resident for over 29 years and an active member of various community organizations, is helping lead the Treevana initiative in Montclair.



Dr. Barnes' community service experience includes:

Montclair Economic Development Corporation: Board of Trustees, Business Award 2008

Montclair Health Advisory Board: Member

Head Start Health Advisory Board: Member

Montclair Chamber of Commerce: Member

Montclair Post Office Community Advisory Board: Member

Montclair Master Plan Committee: Member

Montclair South End Business District Association: District Leader

Montclair Film Festival: Board of Trustee, Diversity Committee Co-Chair

The proposed location for the dispensary, pending approval of the license, is at the historic Chase bank building on Bloomfield Avenue. A rendering of the location has been provided to showcase the stunning transformation of the historic building, demonstrating Treevana's commitment to preserving Montclair's architectural heritage while integrating modern and sophisticated elements.

Treevana has engaged with the local community and organizations to adapt its services accordingly, committing to contributing funds to the Urban League of Essex County, the Montclair Film Festival's renovation of the Clairidge Theater, and The Montclair Foundation, upon successful licensing. These partnerships reflect the company's dedication to supporting minority and disadvantaged residents, fostering economic empowerment, and enriching the cultural landscape of Montclair.

Letters of support have been received from various organizations, including the Montclair Center Bid, Montclair Neighborhood Development Corporation, the Department of the Air Force, United States Space Force, the United States Marine Corps, Veterans for Cannabis, and Holistic Hope.

For more information about Treevana Retail New Jersey LLC and its plans for the Montclair community, please visit https://treevanaretailmedia.com or contact Dana Blick at (609) 225-9301 or [email protected].

About Treevana Retail New Jersey LLC

Treevana is a cannabis retail company dedicated to improving the state's economy and contributing positively to the communities it serves. The executive team includes long-time Montclair residents and industry experts with a passion for delivering the safest and most effective cannabis products on the market.

Treevana Retail New Jersey | Montclair Open Letter Showcase

Treevana Retail is a platform that provides safe access to the highest quality cannabis products. The Company is pleased to be considered as an applicant for an adult use cannabis dispensing license in beautiful Montclair, New Jersey.

https://treevanaretailmedia.com

SOURCE Treevana
New Drill Results are Part of the Remaining Holes Drilled in 2022 at the Arctic Project in Alaska

VANCOUVER, BC, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - Trilogy Metals Inc. (TSX: TMQ) (NYSE: TMQ) ("Trilogy" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the final set of drilling results from the Arctic deposit from the 2022 field season at the Upper Kobuk Mineral Projects ("UKMP") located in northwestern Alaska.

Figure 1. Location of Arctic drill holes from the UKMP drilling program. (CNW Group/Trilogy Metals Inc.) Figure 2. Cross section showing hole AR22-0205. (CNW Group/Trilogy Metals Inc.) Figure 3. Cross section showing holes AR22-0216, AR22-0221 and AR22-0226. (CNW Group/Trilogy Metals Inc.) Figure 4. Cross section showing holes AR22-0214, AR22-0217, AR22-0230 and AR22-0234. (CNW Group/Trilogy Metals Inc.)

The UKMP includes the Arctic (volcanogenic massive sulphide, or "VMS") deposit ("Arctic"), the Bornite (carbonate-hosted copper, or "CHC") deposit ("Bornite"), and prospective mining claims in the surrounding area. The drill program was completed by Ambler Metals LLC ("Ambler Metals"), the joint venture operating company equally owned by Trilogy and a wholly-owned subsidiary of South32 Limited (ASX, LSE, JSE: S32; ADR: SOUHY) ("South32").

The 2022 field program included 10,738 meters of diamond drilling, of which 8,376 meters was drilled at Arctic, the most ever drilled at Arctic in a single field season, while the remainder of the meterage was used on regional exploration targets in the Ambler VMS Belt and near Bornite. The 2022 field program prioritized advancing the Arctic Project with additional infill drilling to further improve the confidence in the mineral resource and for geotechnical studies to further de-risk the project.

The first, second and third sets of assay results from the 2022 drill program are available in Trilogy's news releases dated November 29, 2022, January 25, 2023, and February 27, 2023 respectively, and posted on the Company's website at https://trilogymetals.com/news-and-media/news/ .

This release covers an additional 10 holes comprising nine infill and one geotechnical. The infill holes were drilled in the eastern and northern parts of the deposit that will be mined early in the mine life, where previous drill holes were more widely spaced and the deposit less well defined (see Figure 1).

Drilling Highlights

Significant intersections of high-grade copper, zinc, lead, gold, and silver mineralization include:

Hole AR22-0205: 42.77 meters of 3.09% copper, 6.21% zinc, 1.46% lead, 0.84 g/t gold and 72.14 g/t silver for a copper equivalent grade of 7.04%. This represents the highest ever grade-thickness intersection of all 237 holes drilled at the Arctic Project to date.



Hole AR22-0211: 4.76 meters of 4.39% copper, 4.57% zinc, 0.60% lead, 0.61 g/t gold and 43.61 g/t silver for a copper equivalent grade of 7.04%

and, 5.34 meters of 9.33% copper, 7.59% zinc, 0.59% lead, 0.21 g/t gold and 59.76 g/t silver for a copper equivalent grade of 12.98%.

Hole AR22-0214: 6.15 meters of 3.97% copper, 5.79% zinc, 0.60% lead, 0.49 g/t gold and 45.64 g/t silver for a copper equivalent grade of 7.01%.



Hole AR22-0216: 12.33 meters of 3.23% copper, 5.16% zinc, 1.33% lead, 0.73 g/t gold and 49.75 g/t silver for a copper equivalent grade of 6.48%.



Hole AR22-0221: 45.03 meters of 2.36% copper, 2.78% zinc, 0.24% lead, 0.30 g/t gold and 21.04 g/t silver for a copper equivalent grade of 3.84%.



Hole AR22-0230: 19.45 meters of 8.71% copper, 9.54% zinc, 1.84% lead, 1.81 g/t gold and 103.37 g/t silver for a copper equivalent grade of 14.90%. This represents the third highest grade-thickness (sixth highest if corrected for true thickness) intersection of all 237 holes drilled at the Arctic Project to date.



Hole AR22-0234: 10.95 meters of 6.53% copper, 10.55% zinc, 1.32% lead, 0.11 g/t gold and 56.68 g/t silver for a copper equivalent grade of 11.43%.

True widths have not been determined for all the above intercepts but are thought to be 80% to 100% of actual drill thicknesses, except for intercepts in hole AR22-0230 which are estimated to be 78% of actual drill thickness.

Tony Giardini, President and CEO of Trilogy, commented, "We are pleased to close out the reporting of our 2022 drilling campaign with additional high-grade results that reaffirm Arctic as one of the highest grade, open pitable copper deposits in the world. We see Arctic and the wider Upper Kobuk Mineral Projects as excellent opportunities to advance environmentally responsible resource development and serve as key sources of minerals critical to the energy transition, infrastructure upgrades and national defense of the United States."

Richard Gosse, Vice President, Exploration at Trilogy, stated, "The grades and thicknesses of the composites from these final infill drill results of 2022 compare well with those predicted by our resource model within the 2022 reserve pit design, especially Zones 3 and 5 which typically contain higher grades and most consistent thicknesses at Arctic. The results are especially encouraging as these infill holes were designed to test areas of the deposit that were identified as having the potential for greater variance."

The drill results contained in this news release are from 10 drill holes from the 2022 Arctic drill program, which include nine infill holes (AR22-0205, 0211, 0214, 0216, 0217, 0221, 0226, 0230 and 0234) and one geotechnical hole (AR22-0210). All drill holes are sized HQ3 (63.5 mm diameter). The 2022 Arctic infill program was designed to increase confidence from Indicated to Measured in areas of the mineral resource block model that would be mined during the first years of production, with the highest estimated metal value, based on Trilogy's mine plan reflected in the 2023 Arctic feasibility study1 and the Arctic Project S-K Technical Report Summary with an effective date of November 30, 2022.

Mineralized intervals of high-grade mineralization at a cut-off of 0.5% copper equivalent are reported in Table 1. The locations of the holes are shown in Figure 1 and Table 2. The drill holes are shown in cross sections in Figures 2, 3 and 4.

Geotechnical hole AR22-0210, drilled to further define the talc horizon in the northeastern pit wall, unexpectedly intersected copper-zinc mineralization outside the 2022 pit boundary. The mineralization, interpreted to be the northern extension of Zone 3, is located about 200 meters south of hole AR22-0235 that also intersected mineralization outside the 2022 pit boundary (see Trilogy's news release dated February 27, 2023). These geotechnical holes are large step-outs from the resource drilling and show that additional exploration to follow these mineralized horizons to the north is warranted.

________ 1 Arctic Project, NI 43-101 Technical Report on Feasibility Study, Ambler Mining District, Alaska, with an effective date of January 20, 2023 and filed on February 14, 2023



Table 1. Drill intercepts from the 2022 Arctic infill drilling program.

Hole From

(m) To (m) Length

(m) Cu

(%) Zn

(%) Pb

(%) Au

(g/t) Ag

(g/t) CuEq

(%) Zone AR22- 0205 128.70 171.47 42.77 3.09 6.21 1.46 0.84 72.14 7.04 5 & 3 184.06 195.88 11.82 1.13 1.26 0.30 0.24 23.60 2.05 1 AR22- 0210 28.76 31.66 2.90 0.40 0.79 0.04 0.05 3.89 0.78 3 37.05 41.06 4.01 0.56 0.45 0.02 0.09 3.00 0.82 3 AR22- 0211 104.44 109.20 4.76 4.39 4.57 0.60 0.61 43.61 7.04 5 149.02 154.36 5.34 9.33 7.59 0.59 0.21 59.76 12.98 3 174.85 180.20 5.35 1.05 0.82 0.13 0.91 32.49 2.26 2.5? 187.63 188.72 1.09 0.39 0.04 0.01 0.08 72.10 1.10 2.5? 208.35 210.39 2.04 0.88 0.72 0.05 0.05 6.58 1.25 2 259.41 261.02 1.61 0.44 0.47 0.08 0.05 5.23 0.72 1 AR22- 0214 104.00 110.15 6.15 3.97 5.79 0.60 0.49 45.64 7.01 5 153.09 163.05 9.96 1.65 1.22 0.08 0.04 11.70 2.26 3 236.47 242.10 5.63 0.70 0.09 0.03 0.14 16.14 0.97 1 AR22- 0216 143.99 156.32 12.33 3.23 5.16 1.33 0.73 49.75 6.48 5 163.22 179.99 16.77 2.69 1.95 0.30 0.08 20.48 3.74 3 187.25 212.48 25.23 1.05 2.00 0.36 0.27 31.66 2.37 1 216.76 221.10 4.34 0.66 0.54 0.10 0.09 16.58 1.10 1a AR22- 0217 27.74 34.53 6.79 0.67 4.21 1.31 0.43 19.46 3.09 1 AR22- 0221 142.85 187.88 45.03 2.36 2.78 0.24 0.30 21.04 3.84 5 & 3 216.46 220.19 3.73 3.87 5.13 0.84 0.40 63.15 6.85 1 AR22- 0226 146.96 160.27 13.31 1.64 1.55 0.44 0.41 30.45 2.89 5 165.00 167.50 2.50 0.79 0.39 0.12 0.06 6.11 1.06 5 175.16 176.74 1.58 7.67 7.54 0.75 0.27 70.54 11.49 3 181.10 184.64 3.54 0.59 0.07 0.01 0.04 4.03 0.68 3 189.58 193.07 3.49 5.82 7.15 1.17 0.18 80.91 9.68 3? 222.05 226.47 4.42 1.63 0.52 0.08 0.16 15.59 2.09 1 250.75 257.56 6.81 1.30 0.50 0.10 0.11 13.94 1.72 1a AR22- 0230 101.40 120.85 19.45 8.71 9.54 1.84 1.81 103.37 14.90 5 175.56 179.16 3.60 1.42 0.03 0.01 0.03 3.02 1.49 3 184.20 186.23 2.03 1.27 0.02 0.01 0.04 4.53 1.35 3 sub AR22- 0234 114.94 126.19 11.25 1.76 1.56 0.25 0.17 16.41 2.67 5 158.70 169.65 10.95 6.53 10.55 1.32 0.11 56.68 11.43 3 174.96 178.14 3.18 0.33 1.27 0.04 0.03 2.89 0.85 3

Notes:

Copper equivalent (CuEq) calculations use metal prices assumptions of $3.00 /lb for copper, $1.10 /lb for zinc, $1.00 /lb for lead, $1,300 /oz for gold, and $18.00 /oz for silver with 100% metallurgical recoveries assumed for all metals.

/lb for copper, /lb for zinc, /lb for lead, /oz for gold, and /oz for silver with 100% metallurgical recoveries assumed for all metals. Results are core intervals and not true thickness; true widths have not been determined for the above intercepts but are thought to be greater than 80% of actual drill thicknesses except for hole AR22-0230 that are estimated to be 78% of the reported core interval.

Cut-off grade of 0.5% CuEq.

Maximum internal dilution of up to three consecutive meters of <0.5% CuEq.

Within mineralized zones the minimum sample length was 0.30 m , maximum sample length was 2.66 m , and the average sample length was 1.54 m .

, maximum sample length was , and the average sample length was . Core recovery averaged 87.3%.

Mineralized intervals with lengths less than 1.0 m were excluded from the table.

were excluded from the table. Some rounding errors may occur.

Table 2. Drill hole locations at the Arctic Project.

Hole Easting Northing Elevation Azimuth Dip Length

(m) AR22-0205 613265.4 7453193.8 907.8 35 70 221.59 AR22-0210 613543.0 7453597.8 868.0 90 -82 101.8 AR22-0211 613379.7 7453040.8 942.7 35 -65 288.04 AR22-0214 613339.7 7453032.5 923.5 35 -77 276.14 AR22-0216 613300.1 7453342.5 956.7 35 -70 236.83 AR22-0217 612964.5 7453466.3 821.1 35 -70 47.85 AR22-0221 613300.2 7453341.9 956.7 60 -62 276.45 AR22-0226 613299.4 7453342.5 956.7 57 -49 271.12 AR22-0230 613471.8 7453015.6 977.0 110 -45 234.7 AR22-0234 613403.2 7452994.1 968.8 40 -82 287.88

Coordinates are in UTM Zone 4N (meters) coordinate system, NAD83 Datum.



Within the Arctic deposit, mineralization occurs as stratiform semi-massive sulphide to massive sulphide beds or zones, numbered from 1 to 7 from deepest to shallowest, within primarily graphitic to chloritic schists and fine-grained quartz schists. Sulphide mineralogy is similar for all intercepts: chalcopyrite, sphalerite and galena.

A comparison of the top five holes drilled at Arctic, including reference to the year drilled, is shown in Table 3. Hole AR22-0205 includes the best grade-thickness ever encountered at Arctic. Its unique thickness of 42.77 meters is caused by Zone 5 being stacked on Zone 3. Hole AR22-0230 has a true thickness of approximately 15.3 meters which if used would place the interval as the sixth highest grade-thickness at Arctic.

Table 3. Top Five Grade-Thickness Drill Holes from the Arctic Project

Hole Year

Drilled From

(m) To

(m) Length

(m) CuEq

(%) Cu

(%) Zn

(%) Pb

(%) Au

(g/t) Ag

(g/t) Grade

Thickness

= CuEq

(%) x

Length

(m) AR22- 0205 2022 128.70 171.47 42.77 7.04 3.09 6.21 1.46 0.84 72.14 301.10 AR04- 0079 2004 136.18 163.75 27.57 10.74 5.29 7.55 1.25 2.50 76.17 296.10 AR22- 0230 2022 101.40 120.85 19.45 14.90 8.71 9.54 1.84 1.81 103.37 289.81 AR08- 0122 2008 159.07 187.57 28.50 8.68 4.31 6.77 1.63 1.09 72.21 247.38 AR21- 0176 2021 127.96 147.87 19.91 11.76 6.75 7.59 1.68 1.26 97.13 234.14

Notes:

All lengths are close to true thickness except for hole AR22-0230 that is estimated to be 78% of the reported core interval.

For more information on previous drilling carried out at the Arctic Project please refer to "Arctic Project, NI 43-101 Technical Report on Feasibility Study, Ambler Mining District, Alaska " with an effective date of January 20, 2023 and filed on February 14, 2023 .

QA/QC Program

The drilling program, sampling and assaying protocol, and data verification were managed by qualified persons (QPs) employed by Ambler Metals. The diamond drill holes were completed using HQ3 diameter core, and recoveries averaged 87.3%. Drill core was cut lengthwise into halves using a diamond saw, with one-half used for the assay sample and the other half retained in core boxes and archived at site.

Samples were collected through mineralized zones using a 0.30 m minimum length and 2.66 m maximum length; average sample length is 1.54m. Weights of the drill core samples range from 0.22 to 12.34kg, depending on the size of core, rock type, and recovery.

Each core sample was placed into a bag with a numbered tag and quality control samples were inserted between core samples using the same numbering sequence. Then, samples were grouped into batches for shipping and laboratory submissions. Each batch of 20 samples contains quality control (QC) samples that comprise one certified reference material (CRM), one core blank (BLK), and one crushed or pulp duplicate (DUP). In addition, 1 field duplicate was taken within mineralized intervals for every 20 samples. Chain of custody records are maintained for sample shipments and the custody is transferred from Ambler Metals expeditor to the laboratory upon delivery.

Samples were shipped to ALS Minerals laboratory in Fairbanks, Alaska, USA, for sample submission. ALS Minerals Fairbanks is a satellite sample preparation facility accredited under ALS Minerals. The ALS Minerals Fairbanks shipped the samples to ALS Minerals in North Vancouver, B.C., Canada, for sample preparation and analysis. ALS Minerals North Vancouver is an independent laboratory certified under ISO 9001:2008 and accredited under ISO/IEC 17025:2005 by the Standards Council of Canada. Selected sample batches were sent to ALS Minerals laboratory in Vientiane, Laos for fire assay. ALS Minerals includes its own internal quality control samples comprising certified reference materials, blanks, and pulp duplicates.

Drill core samples were weighed (WEI-21), dried if excessively wet (DRY-21), coarse jaw crushed to 70% passing 6 mm (CRU-21), fine jaw crushed to 70% passing 2 mm (CRU-31), riffle split to 250 g subsamples (SPL-21) and pulverized to 85% passing 75 m (PUL-31). Crushed duplicates were created by riffle splitting crushed samples into two parts.

Gold analyses were completed using a 30 g lead fire assay and AAS finish (Au-AA23). Multi-element analyses for 48 elements were completed using a geochemical four acid digestion and ICP-ES/MS finish (ME-MS61). Over-range assays for Ag, Cu, Zn, and S were completed using an ore grade four-acid digestion and ICP-ES finish (ME-OG62). Additional analyses were completed for Ba and Hg.

Au, Ag, Cu, Pb, and Zn assays for QC samples were reviewed to ensure that CRMs are within tolerance limits specified on supplier certificates, BLKs are below acceptable thresholds, and DUPs display statistical patterns normally expected for sample types, methods, and elements. CRMs that returned assays outside of tolerance limits and BLKs with assays above thresholds were deemed to have failed. If failures were materially significant then sample batches containing the failed QC samples were re-assayed to ensure that the QC samples returned acceptable results before release. All QC monitoring data are reviewed and signed off by an independent QA/QC geologist.

There is no known relationship between core sample recoveries and assay grades. Ambler Metals will submit 5% of the assay intervals from prospective lithologies to a laboratory independent of ALS Minerals for check assaying.

Qualified Persons

Richard Gosse, P.Geo., Vice President, Exploration for Trilogy, is a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 and Regulation S-K 1300. Mr. Gosse has reviewed the scientific and technical information in this news release and approves the disclosure contained herein.

About Trilogy Metals

Trilogy Metals Inc. is a metal exploration and development company that holds a 50 percent interest in Ambler Metals LLC which has a 100 percent interest in the Upper Kobuk Mineral Projects in Northwestern Alaska. On December 19, 2019, South32, a globally diversified mining and metals company, exercised its option to form a 50/50 joint venture with Trilogy. The UKMP is located within the Ambler Mining District, one of the richest and most-prospective known copper-dominant districts in the world. It hosts world-class polymetallic volcanogenic massive sulphide deposits that contain copper, zinc, lead, gold and silver, and carbonate replacement deposits that have been found to host high-grade copper and cobalt mineralization. Exploration efforts have been focused on two deposits in the Ambler Mining District  the Arctic VMS deposit and the Bornite carbonate replacement deposit. Both deposits are located within a land package that spans approximately 190,929 hectares. Ambler Metals has an agreement with NANA Regional Corporation, Inc., an Alaska Native Corporation that provides a framework for the exploration and potential development of the Ambler Mining District in cooperation with local communities. Trilogy's vision is to develop the Ambler Mining District into a premier North American copper producer while protecting and respecting subsistence livelihoods.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes certain "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian and United States securities legislation including the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein, including, without limitation, statements relating to interpretation of drill results; the Company's beliefs regarding the potential of the Upper Kobuk Mineral Projects; and the Company's expectations regarding de-risking of the Upper Kobuk Mineral Projects are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are frequently, but not always, identified by words such as "expects", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "potential", "possible", "poised" and similar expressions, or statements that events, conditions, or results "will", "may", "could", "would" or "should" occur or be achieved. Forward-looking statements involve various risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's expectations include the uncertainties involving success of exploration, permitting timelines, requirements for additional capital, government regulation of mining operations, environmental risks, unanticipated reclamation expenses, supplies and services the interpretation of drill results, the need for additional financing to explore and develop properties and availability of financing in the debt and capital markets; uncertainties involved in the interpretation of drilling results and geological tests; the need for cooperation of government agencies and native groups in the development and operation of properties; the need to obtain permits and governmental approvals; unanticipated variation in geological structures, metal grades or recovery rates; unexpected cost increases, which could include significant increases in estimated capital and operating costs; fluctuations in metal prices and currency exchange rates and other risks and uncertainties disclosed in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended November 30, 2022 filed with Canadian securities regulatory authorities and with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission and in other Company reports and documents filed with applicable securities regulatory authorities from time to time. Copy of Company's Form 10-K may be obtained at no charge by visiting our Investors website at www.trilogymetals.com , the SEC's website at www.sec.gov or at www.sedar.com . The Company's forward-looking statements reflect the beliefs, opinions and projections on the date the statements are made. The Company assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements or beliefs, opinions, projections, or other factors, should they change, except as required by law.

SOURCE Trilogy Metals Inc.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 4. Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov has met with the new representative of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in Azerbaijan Bik Lum, Trend reports citing the ministry.

Congratulating Bik Lum on her appointment, Minister Jeyhun Bayramov wished her success in her new position.

During the meeting, the minister informed about the former Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict and its consequences, noted that as a result of the policy of ethnic cleansing of Armenia, more than 1 million Azerbaijanis found themselves in the position of refugees and internally displaced persons. The cooperation of the High Commissariat for Refugees with our country during this difficult period, which coincided with the first years of Azerbaijan's independence, was noted.

The Foreign Minister also spoke about the intensive reconstruction and construction work carried out in the territories liberated from occupation in the post-conflict period, noting in this context that the return of internally displaced persons to the villages of Agaly and Talish has already begun. Minister Jeyhun Bayramov also stressed the determination of our country in the issue of reintegration of Armenian residents living in the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan.

It was noted that despite the peaceful initiatives of Azerbaijan, Armenia continues its military-political provocations. It was emphasized that Armenia, which did not create opportunities for the missions of international organizations during the period of occupation, has recently been trying to use international organizations for its own selfish purposes, which is unacceptable.

Bik Lum expressed satisfaction with the level of cooperation between Azerbaijan and the structure she represents and noted that she would try to maintain this positive momentum and make every effort in this direction. It was noted that over the past 30 years, numerous projects have been implemented for Azerbaijani internally displaced persons, and the structure it represents is ready to provide support to ensure their return to their native lands.

During the meeting, an exchange of views took place on regional issues of mutual interest.
Program has advanced more than $1.5 billion to American small- and medium-sized businesses since 2020

ORLANDO, Fla., April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- On February 23, the Board of Directors of the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) unanimously approved a second renewal of a 90-percent guarantee of a $200 million purchase facility for U.S. companies in the supply chain of the United States Steel Corporation (U. S. Steel) under the EXIM Supply Chain Finance Guarantee program.

LSQ is the platform provider and originator of U. S. Steel's supply chain finance program. Funding for supplier early payments is provided by Huntington National Bank .

"We are honored to be a part of this innovative supply chain finance program and proud to support the efforts to help the small- and medium-sized businesses that make up U. S. Steel's supply chain," said LSQ Executive Vice President Miguel Serricchio, who is a member of EXIM's Council on Small Business. "In the face of industry headwinds, all involved should be commended for their efforts to keep production rolling and growing American jobs."

The transaction supports U. S. Steel's network of U.S. suppliers to increase their access to capital and will support up to $800 million in export sales of steel and iron ore. The transaction will support approximately 700 jobs in states across the country, including Pennsylvania, Kentucky, West Virginia, New Jersey, Illinois, Alabama, Missouri, Indiana and Texas.

"I am proud to approve this transaction as this finance guarantee supports American suppliers in times where credit markets are volatile," said EXIM President and Chair Reta Jo Lewis. "EXIM is dedicated to reinforcing American exports and strengthening small businesses and I am pleased to know that by approving this renewal, we are supporting 23 active suppliers, many of which are small businesses, as they continue to improve our nation's economic security."

Since its inception in late 2020, the partnership between LSQ, Huntington and EXIM has resulted in more than $1.5 billion in early payments being extended to U. S. Steel scrap and coal suppliers.

"At Huntington, we're deeply committed to supporting our customers and the communities in which they operate," said Andy Arduini, Senior Managing Director of Huntington Global Advisory & Working Capital Finance. "Having the opportunity to collaborate with the EXIM Bank and LSQ to deliver a customize solution to support suppliers of such an iconic Pittsburgh-based company is truly an honor for us."

About EXIM | exim.gov

EXIM contributes to U.S. economic growth by helping to create and sustain hundreds of thousands of jobs in exporting businesses and their supply chains across the United States. In recent years, approximately 90 percent of the total number of the agency's authorizations have directly supported small businesses.

About LSQ | lsq.com

LSQ is a market leader and pioneer in working capital finance and payments solutions. For more than 25 years, LSQ has leveraged innovative technology, credit and risk expertise, and proprietary data that empowers thousands of businesses to optimize their working capital, automate and accelerate payments, manage collections, and mitigate risk. Every year, we accelerate billions of dollars in payments to businesses and their suppliers through our LSQ FastTrack platform to help them obtain the funds they need to grow and thrive. LSQ is headquartered in Orlando, Florida. Learn more at www.lsq.com .

About Huntington | huntington.com

Huntington Bancshares Incorporated is a $183 billion asset regional bank holding company headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. Founded in 1866, The Huntington National Bank and its affiliates provide consumers, small and middlemarket businesses, corporations, municipalities, and other organizations with a comprehensive suite of banking, payments, wealth management, and risk management products and services. Huntington operates more than 1,000 branches in 11 states, with certain businesses operating in extended geographies. Visit Huntington.com for more information.

SOURCE LSQ Funding
The 27-Year-Old Small Ship Line Returned to Profitability in 2021 & 2022 And Looks Forward to An Exciting and Profitable 2023

JUNEAU, Alaska, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- In a year of hopeful recovery for the cruise industry, UnCruise Adventures shares its remarkable return to profitability. Most cruise lines are still dealing with massive losses and crushing debt. However, UnCruise Adventures' savvy business decisions, loyal guests, adaptive staff, and quick ability to pivot during the pandemic have propelled them into a profitable return to business, giving travel advisors and guests solid confidence in the reliable future of the company.

"Our approach to adventure cruising and business management is different from the big multi-national cruise lines," says owner and CEO Captain Dan Blanchard.

"We have always focused on small group and sustainable travel, and that has paid off. The best investment we can make is in ourselves and our environment. Our guests appreciate that, coming back year after year."

UnCruise Adventures' commitment to its guests has been unwavering, and the cruise line's recovery stands as a shining example of what small business can do. The cruise line has successfully bounced back from the pandemic and may be the only profitable cruise line in both 2021 and 2022. This remarkable achievement is a testament to UnCruise Adventures' commitment to its guests and the company's resilience and perseverance in the face of adversity.

UnCruise Adventures continues to show growth trends going into 2023. This growth represents a remarkable acceleration in the company's financial performance and maneuverability. Blanchard states, "We believe in the power of U.S. small private business to drive change and create positive, profitable outcomes. Our return to profitability proves that with determination, and adaptability, you don't have to give up your dream. And that is a message worth sharing."

During a recent discussion about the company's journey through the pandemic, the CEO reflected on the challenges they faced in 2020. He emphasized the difference in management's tenacity when their own company and funds are at risk and shared a personal anecdote to illustrate this point. "In August of 2020," he explained, "there were only eight of us left, some working without pay, and our future was uncertain. But we persevered, and today we can see how far we've come."

Recovery Actions:

-The company took immediate action in March 2020 to save millions in expenses, which included the painful decision to lay off most staff and reduce the wages of those that stayed.

-In March 2020, UnCruise moved seven of its ships to freshwater storage in Seattle, WA which greatly reduced the cost of keeping the ships in certification and added to the preservation efforts while the ships were dockside.

-The company restarted cruising in April 2021, months before the rest of the industry. This was achievable because of its fully vaccinated crew and guest policy. They instituted the first fully vaccinated cruise known on the planet, and guests took notice filling most sailings in 2021.

-UnCruise Adventures CEO, Captain Dan Blanchard, created a coalition of six small ship competitors to help ensure these US-flagged, tax-paying companies would not be left out of COVID stimulus funding.

-The UnCruise recovery was not hindered by the perceived cost disadvantages of US-built ships, US labor laws, US repair yards, and US taxes. In fact, the COVID stimulus provided by the US government to small businesses paying US taxes played a role in supporting the company's recovery.

-The company is a privately owned, operated, and staffed U.S. small business and has an absence of cumbersome procedures that come with bigger corporate brands. This allowed the company to stay agile and move forward rapidly during the tough period amidst the pandemic.

-UnCruise operates with fifty-three administrative staff today as a leaner and more adaptable company. At the same time in 2019, the company employed eighty-six administrative staff.

-The company pivoted to a digital focused marketing and content strategy and a paperless digital brochure saving millions annually and improving the environment at the same time.

-UnCruise focused on growth potential in emerging cruise markets by changing ship deployment and adjusting to an even more experiential and efficient adventure cruise model.

-UnCruise returned to profitability in both 2021 and 2022, the company believes they may be the only cruise entity to return to profitability in both years compared to those that are publicly traded.

Blanchard shares. "We have a responsibility to do what we can to preserve the natural wonders we showcase to our guests and to provide confidence in the strength and longevity of our brand. I often thank our guests from the USA, when they go aboard our ships in Juneau, for their investment in UnCruise Adventures. This often brings smiles, clapping and shout-outs of a job well done. We have been successfully operating for twenty-seven years and I look forward to twenty-seven more!"

Reserve an adventure cruise today with great savings for this year. Contact your travel advisor or reach out to UnCruise at [email protected], 888-862-8881.

Media Contact:

UnCruise Adventures [email protected]

About UnCruise Adventures:

UnCruise Adventures' is a responsible travel and adventure leader in the cruise industry. They operate boutique yachts and small expedition ships carrying 22-86 guests on voyages in Southeast Alaska, Prince William Sound Alaska, Hawaiian Islands, Mexico's Gulf of California, Columbia & Snake Rivers, Coastal Washington, Galapagos, Costa Rica, Panama, Belize & Guatemala, and Colombia. UnCruise Adventures has been picked as the top adventure cruise line by Cruise Critic, multiple times and Travel & Leisure readers also named UnCruise Adventures in its World's Best Awards and its list of top ten small ship ocean cruise lines for multiple years in a row. UnCruise Adventures is a member of the Adventure Travel Trade Association and Transformational Travel Council.

Health & Wellbeing Policy:

UnCruise Adventures has updated its health and safety protocols to ensure the well-being of its guests and crew onboard all vessels. As part of updated measures, the company has removed the vaccination and mask requirement for all cruises. The company will continue to implement additional safety and sanitary measures to maintain a safe environment. Guests are asked to adhere to the onboard good citizen policy of health and well-being. For more information about UnCruise Adventures, please visit their website at uncruise.com.

This press release was issued through 24-7PressRelease.com. For further information, visit http://www.24-7pressrelease.com.

SOURCE UnCruise Adventures
DUBLIN, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "United Kingdom Over The Counter (OTC) Drugs Market, By Product, By Route of Administration, By Dosage Form, By Distribution Channel, By Region, Competition Forecast & Opportunities, 2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

United Kingdom over-the-counter (OTC) drugs market is anticipated to register growth with an impressive CAGR in the forecast period, 2023-2027.

The market growth can be attributed to surging demands for cold & flu medicines. Higher prices of branded drugs along with the growing prevalence of infectious diseases further drive the growth of the United Kingdom over the country (OTC) drugs market in the upcoming five years.

Consistent research and advancement of the pharmaceutical industry coupled with the local manufacturing of generic drugs also supports the growth of the United Kingdom over-the-counter (OTC) drugs market in the next five years.

Over-the-counter, (OTC) drugs are non-prescription-based medicines that are usually sold without any legal prescription and are often with no side effects. These drugs are safe and do not have any addictive nature if consumed un-monitored or without a physician's prescription.

Although, as a general awareness physicians often advise to consult doctors and experts regarding illness before self-prescribing any kind of medicine. Basic cold medicines, vitamin tablets, or health supplements are different categories of over-the-counter (OTC) drugs.

Expanding Pharmaceutical Industry Promises Market Growth

A surge in the demand for advanced medicine at affordable prices drives the growth of the United Kingdom over-the-counter (OTC) drugs market in the upcoming five years.

In 2019, the annual turnover of pharmaceutical goods wholesalers in the UK was over USD63 billion. The pharmaceutical industry holds a position among the top 10 global industries for pharmaceutical products that accounts for over 2.5% of the global market. Imports of pharmaceutical products from other countries have considerably decreased in 2020 valued at USD20,871 million from USD23,458 million in the year 2019.

Decreased imports point to increased research and development along with the growing inclination of consumers toward over-the-counter (OTC) drugs, thereby substantially supporting the growth of the United Kingdom over-the-counter (OTC) drugs market in the next five years.

Investments and Expenses Drives Market

Growing investments and rising expenses over the pharmaceutical products and therapeutics in the country further support the growth of the United Kingdom over-the-counter (OTC) drugs market in the future five years.

The government is actively investing in the pharmaceutical industry to promote local manufacturers along with rising expenditures by the consumers demanding advanced & affordable pharmaceutical products, thereby aiding the growth of the United Kingdom over-the-counter (OTC) drugs market in the forecast years.

Competitive Landscape

Company Profiles: Detailed analysis of the major companies present in United Kingdom over the counter (OTC) drugs market.

GlaxoSmithKline Plc.

Novartis UK Limited

Sun Pharmaceuticals UK Limited

Johnson & Johnson Limited

Perrigo Company Plc.

Reckitt Benckiser Plc.

AstraZeneca Plc.

Report Scope:

United Kingdom Over The Counter (OTC) Drugs Market, By Product:

Cough, Cold, and Flu

Vitamins, Mineral, and Supplements (VMS)

Analgesics

Gastrointestinal Products

Dermatology Products

Others

United Kingdom Over The Counter (OTC) Drugs Market, By Route of Administration:

Oral

Topical

Parenteral

United Kingdom Over The Counter (OTC) Drugs Market, By Dosage Form:

Tablets

Capsules

Liquids & Solution

Creams/ Lotions/ Ointments

Others

United Kingdom Over The Counter (OTC) Drugs Market, By Distribution Channel:

Retail Pharmacy

Hospital Pharmacy

E-Pharmacy

United Kingdom Over The Counter (OTC) Drugs Market, By Region:

London

East Anglia

Southwest

Southeast

Scotland

East Midlands

Yorkshire & Humberside

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/265ri2

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.

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SOURCE Research and Markets
SAN ANTONIO, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- USAA Insurance Agency, which offers pet insurance to military families, today released its top ten military family pet names of 2023. And, for the first time in 10 years, Luna has taken over as the top name for both dogs and cats.

"A pet's name is more than just a label  it's an important way for owners to build a strong bond with their furry companion," said Gary Baker, senior vice president, USAA Insurance Agency.

Dog Names Cat Names 1. Luna 1. Luna 2. Bella 2. Oliver 3. Charlie 3. Loki 4. Daisy 4. Leo 5. Lucy 5. Milo 6. Cooper 6. Charlie 7. Bailey 7. Bella 8. Max 8. Lucy 9. Penny 9. Nala 10. Milo 10. Lily

Names are important, but it's also important to provide protection to our pets. To learn more on protecting your pet, visit usaa.com/protectmypet.

USAA

Founded in 1922 by a group of military officers, USAA is among the leading providers of insurance, banking, and investment and retirement solutions to more than 13 million members of the U.S. military, veterans who have honorably served and their families. Headquartered in San Antonio, USAA has offices in eight U.S. cities and three overseas locations and employs more than 37,000 people worldwide. Each year, the company contributes to national and local nonprofits in support of military families and communities where employees live and work. For more information about USAA, follow us on Facebook or Twitter (@USAA), or visit usaa.com.

Pet health insurance is administered by Embrace Pet Insurance Agency, Limited Liability Company and underwritten by one of the licensed insurers of American Modern Insurance Group, Incorporated, including American Modern Home Insurance Company doing business in California as American Modern Insurance Company (License Number 2222-8), and American Southern Home Insurance Company. Coverage is subject to policy terms, conditions, limitations, exclusions, underwriting, review and approval, and may not be available for all risks or in all states. Rates and discounts vary, are determined by many factors and are subject to change. Wellness rewards are offered as a supplementary benefit to the pet health insurance policy and are not an insurance product. Wellness rewards are offered and administered by Embrace Pet Insurance Agency in the United States. The USAA Insurance Agency receives compensation on the sale or renewal of third-party products.  2023 American Modern Insurance Group, Incorporated.

USAA Insurance Agency means USAA Insurance Agency, Incorporated or USAA of Texas Insurance Agency (collectively the "Agency"). California License #0D78305, Texas License #7096. 9800 Fredericksburg Road, San Antonio, Texas 78288. The Agency contracts with insurance carriers that are not affiliated with USAA and offers products and services ("third-party insurance products") on their behalf. Third-party insurance products are not underwritten by USAA or its affiliates. The Agency receives a commission on the sale or renewal of third-party insurance products and may receive other performance-based compensation from them. Purchase of third-party insurance products does not establish USAA membership. Product and coverage descriptions are brief. All coverages are subject to the terms and conditions of your policy. Read your policy for details. Product and coverage availability may vary in some locations and all applications for insurance are subject to underwriting by the insurance carrier.

Copyright  2023 USAA.

Contact: USAA Media Relations

[email protected]

210-498-0940

SOURCE USAA
Tempest Aero Group represents a broad portfolio of leading manufacturers offering OEM and FAA-PMA replacement components, further expanding Vance Street's expertise in the aerospace sector.

LOS ANGELES, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Vance Street Capital LLC ("Vance Street"), a Los Angeles-based private equity firm, today announces its investment in Aero Group Holdings LLC ("AGH"), AGH owns a portfolio of leading brands, represented by Tempest Aero Group, who are focused on designing and manufacturing proprietary FAA approved new and replacement components for the general aviation industry. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Headquartered in Burlington, North Carolina, Tempest Aero Group currently represents six independent FAA-PMA brands  Tempest, Alcor, Marvel-Schebler, Precision Airmotive, Consolidated Fuel Systems and Stratus Tool Technologies  known for manufacturing ignition, filtration, pneumatic components, instrumentation sensors, fuel systems components, and other specialty tools. These products primarily support the production and sustainment of Lycoming and Continental-powered engines, which power the vast majority of the global piston fleet. The business was founded in 1984 by Tim Henderson, who was subsequently joined by Mike Allen in the late 1990s. Both Mike and Tim retain a meaningful ownership position alongside Vance Street. Mike will continue to lead the business in his current role as CEO. "Vance Street's long track record of supporting highly engineered manufacturing businesses, specifically in the general aviation space, makes them the perfect partner to support and grow our well-known brands as we continue to provide the highest level of products and services to our customers," said Mike Allen. "We look forward to this new partnership with the Vance Street team as we continue to expand our product offerings and remain focused on the next stages of our growth."

"Vance Street is thrilled to partner with a leading FAA-PMA manufacturing group that provides products every general aviation aircraft needs and replaces on a frequent basis," added Nicholas Janneck, Partner at Vance Street. "Vance Street looks forward to working closely with Mr. Allen to continue to grow the business and pursue other strategic opportunities." This acquisition further solidifies Vance Street's thesis around finding niche, highly engineered solution providers in the aerospace and defense markets; other active investments include Jet Parts Engineering, Spectra A&D Holdings, and McFarlane Aviation.

"Tempest is another great example of our efforts to partner with founders and entrepreneurs who have built market leaders and are looking for a partner like us to further accelerate growth and create truly strategic assets," said John LeRosen, Partner at Vance Street.

Paul Hastings LLP acted as legal advisor to Vance Street. Debt financing was provided by BMO Sponsor Finance. Williams Mullen served as legal advisor to AGH.

For more information, please visit https://tempestaero.com/.

About Vance Street Capital LLC

Vance Street Capital is a middle-market private equity firm focused on investing in highly engineered solutions businesses across the medical, life science, aerospace, defense, and industrial sectors. For over three decades, Vance Street's partners have worked with management teams and family owners to accelerate revenue growth, improve operations and acquire strategic assets for the companies in their investment portfolio. For more information please visit: www.vancestreetcapital.com.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT

Nicholas Janneck or Natalie Yates

Vance Street Capital

[email protected] / [email protected]

SOURCE Vance Street Capital
MONTREAL, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - Transformer Table, modular furniture industry leaders, have announced the launch of their brand new Transformer Couch collection, available as soon as April 4th at 5 pm EST. This comes as no surprise to anyone who has been keeping up with the up-and-coming brand; Just last year, Transformer Table has been the name on everyone's lips; from celebrities, to influencers, to millions of families all around the globe. Last September, you probably saw the absolutely viral clip that generated over 131M views going around on Instagram, making it #8 most viewed video of all time on the platform, and #1 in regards to product videos.

One of the endless possibilities for this modular sectional sofa; see Transformer Couch in Cream Beige Boucle fabric. (CNW Group/Transformer Table)

Here is the link to the video: https://www.instagram.com/reel/CiF2H2EoqVy/

As one of the fastest growing furniture brands in the e-commerce space, it's sensible to predict that their upcoming modular sectional sofas will be taking the world by storm pretty soon. Here's a never been shown sneak peak of the endless possibilities Transformer Couch promises:

Available in four different machine-washable fabrics, Transformer Couch is ready to transform any size space with its style, comfort, and modular design. Create your own unique living room by switching up the configuration, shape, and color of your sectional whenever you choose. The future is finally here - bring life to your space by inviting innovation in!

Visit the Transformer Table website to discover their beyond ordinary modular furniture  they even offer free shipping across North America and to 35+ other countries worldwide.

So, will Transformer Couch become the new star product for Transformer Table? We can only imagine.

Feel free to use any high-resolution photo of your choosing  most have never been seen before!

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/12MyyWdWKP1wCYab_Umd8-EaJH-oME4BT?usp=share_link

SOURCE Transformer Table
LONDON, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Wirex, a leading crypto payments platform with over 5.5 million users globally, has launched their market-leading affiliate program. It offers unlimited rewards to affiliates promoting new customers to use the company's next-gen products.

The program will incentivise third parties to invite users to experience Wirex's suite of innovative features. Wirex is an award-winning payments platform allowing users to buy, hold, exchange and sell multiple traditional and cryptocurrencies, spend funds with a crypto-enabled debit card or grow their portfolio with wealth-management products.

Affiliates can earn up to $50 per customer, making the program one of the most competitive in the industry. They will be rewarded for every user that signs up and uses Wirex's Multiply, X-Accounts or DUO products, or makes a transaction with their debit card. Wirex have hired a new Affiliate Executive to manage the process, offering limitless earning potential, a unified dashboard to monitor earnings, dedicated support, and access to exclusive marketing collateral.

Wirex has already established successful partnerships with major brands, becoming Mastercard's first ever crypto-native principal member, and ensuring maximum security through Fireblocks' enterprise technology. Last month, they signed a long-term global strategic partnership with Visa.

Pavel Matveev, CEO and Co-Founder of Wirex, commented: "We hope the affiliate program will help to empower everyone to take advantage of the benefits of crypto. Users with any risk appetite can be rewarded by depositing their funds into Wirex, whether that's to earn passive income from X-Accounts or take advantage of market volatility for high interest with DUO and Multiply."

The news follows Wirex's recent launch of a refer-a-friend scheme that offers referrers and referees up to $15 in WXT for every successful referral.

For full details about the affiliate program and how to sign up, visit: wirexapp.com/affiliate

About Wirex

Wirex is a worldwide digital payment platform and regulated institution that has forged new rules in the digital payments space. In 2015, the firm developed the world's first crypto-enabled payment card that gives users the ability to seamlessly spend crypto and traditional currencies in real life.

Founded in 2014 by CEOs and co-founders Pavel Matveev and Dmitry Lazarichev, Wirex was created to make the digital economy accessible to everyone. With over 5 million customers and rapid expansion into new territories, including the US and Australia, Wirex has built out a suite of products ensuring it's the go-to wealth management app. To reflect the growth of web3, throughout 2021, the company has continued to expand their offering into the CeFi and DeFi sectors.

| wirexapp.com |

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2031625/Wirex_Logo.jpg

SOURCE Wirex
VANCOUVER, BC, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Edraw, a Wondershare Company, a leading provider of creative software and brainstorming software company, is honored to welcome all participants in two product tutorial webinars. During the session, it will demonstrate how Edraw can help the organization leaders, small business owners, intrapreneurs, CIOs, etc. to understand idea change and real-time collaboration in a hybrid work environment.

Wondershare Edraw Offering Webinar to Onboarding SMB and Enterprise Leaders to Embrace Hybrid Working Era Wondershare Edraw Offering Webinar to Onboarding SMB and Enterprise Leaders to Embrace Hybrid Working Era

These webinars are designed to help organizations embrace the hybrid working era and unleash their teams' creativity with collaborative mind mapping and diagramming tools.

On April 4th at 4:00 PM Hong Kong Time, EdrawMind will be joining the Microsoft365 ISV Showcase in Microsoft Teams with the title of "High Levels of Team Cooperation, Unleash Creativity with EdrawMind". Attendees will learn about digitalized and structured creative thinking, simultaneous idea exchange, and easy file sharing with team space. To register, please visit: https://aka.ms/M365v543EXT-Register

On April 6th at 4:00 PM Hong Kong Time, EdrawMax will be joining the Microsoft365 ISV Showcase in Microsoft Teams with the title of "Collaborative Diagramming and Project Management with EdrawMax". Attendees will gain valuable insights into the benefits of adopting diagramming software, real-time collaboration diagramming, and visualizing ideas with EdrawMax. To register, please visit: https://aka.ms/M365v542EXT-Register

"We're excited to offer these webinars to our SMB and Enterprise clients," Said Edwin Wang, Product Director of Wondershare EdrawMind., "At Wondershare EdrawMind, we're passionate about empowering teams to do their best work, whether they're in the office, at home, or on-the-go. Our onboarding webinar is an opportunity for potential clients to learn more about our user-friendly mind mapping software, and how it can help them visualize ideas, streamline workflows, and collaborate more effectively."

The webinars are free to attend and open to anyone interested in learning more about Edraw's collaborative diagramming and brainstorming tools.

Compatibility and Price

Wondershare EdrawMind is available on Windows, Mac, Linux, Web, Android, and iOS. Trusted by over 25 million users and reputable brands, EdrawMind helps ignite ideas, harness chaos, and drive better results. EdrawMind supports English, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Japanese, Traditional Chinese, Korean, and Russian. Pricing starts from US$39 semi-annually.

Wondershare EdrawMax is a powerful all-in-one diagramming tool that allows users to create a wide range of diagrams, charts, and visuals. It offers advanced features such as collaboration tools, cloud storage, and real-time collaboration, which makes it ideal for individuals, teams, and organizations of all sizes. It is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux operating systems. Pricing starts from US$69 semi-annually.

For the latest EdrawMind and EdrawMax news and updates, please visit our website or follow us on YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, and Twitter.

About Wondershare

Wondershare is a world-renowned software company dedicated to providing innovative solutions for both personal and business use. As a market leader in creativity and productivity products, Wondershare has been recognized with awards from The Shorty Awards, G2 Crowd and GetApp. With over 100 million users in 150 countries, Wondershare's mission is to help our users pursue their passions and to build a more creative world, together.

Media Enquiries:

[email protected]

SOURCE Wondershare
Garrett Long tapped to accelerate market reach and drive solution expertise.

BOSTON, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Zilla Security, the identity security platform for the cloud, today announced its channel partners program as well as the company's new vice president of business development, Garrett Long.

Zilla offers security and compliance solutions to drive revenue and improve their customers identity security posture. Tweet this Garrett Long, VP Business Development at Zilla Security

Long brings to Zilla 25 years of experience working with IT providers, ranging from boutiques to the largest GSIs. Most recently, he was SVP Alliances and Partnerships for Device42, where he built a partner ecosystem identifying and servicing demand across 70 countries. The global partner enablement program certified 1500 partner resources in its first year. Prior roles included SVP of Strategic Consulting for Tangoe, CTO of Avotus Corporation, director of Formity Systems, and senior business consultant at Vertek.

"We have been building and testing Zilla's channel program over the last several months and are thrilled with the success of some of our early partners," said Long. "As we officially launch the program today, we look forward to working with many more channel partners to provide enterprises with market-leading identity security and compliance solutions."

Zilla offers resellers and MSPs security and compliance solutions to drive revenue and help customers improve their identity security posture. The company is launching its channel program with a number of leading partners in the identity and security industry, including Anomalix , GuidePoint Security , Optiv , and Legion Star .

"In today's hybrid enterprise, it's even more critical for organizations to implement user access reviews to stay compliant and reduce their cyber-insurance premiums," said Nabeel Nizar , Chief Technology Officer of Legion Star. "That is why we have partnered with Zilla and their clients to implement a robust identity program"

Zilla's channel partners help their clients to automate identity security and compliance with access reviews, access risk remediation, and continuous change tracking. Zilla also provides advisory and professional services that help channel partners guide their clients on overarching identity strategy. To learn more about Zilla's channel partner program, visit zillasecurity.com/partner .

About Zilla Security

Zilla is an identity security platform that combines identity access governance and security. The company's SaaS platform is the only service that delivers no-code integration across all environments  SaaS and home-grown applications, cloud platforms, and on-premises systems  to automate access security and compliance and deliver a comprehensive system of record for user, machine, and API identities. To learn more, visit zillasecurity.com .

SOURCE Zilla Security
BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 4. Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan Jeyhun Bayramov and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud have held a telephone conversation, Trend reports citing Azerbaijani MFA.

During the conversation, various aspects of the bilateral and multilateral agenda of cooperation between the two countries, as well as regional processes were discussed.

The ministers, having exchanged congratulations and best wishes on the occasion of the holy month of Ramadan, wished that this blessed month would bring peace, unity and prosperity to the entire Islamic world.

Minister Jeyhun Bayramov noted with satisfaction the existence of a bilateral and multilateral cooperation agenda between Azerbaijan and Saudi Arabia, including in the political, economic, humanitarian spheres, energy security and other areas, stressed that mutual visits and contacts play an important role in the development of relations.

In particular, the demonstration of mutual support and solidarity between the two countries within the framework of international organizations, including the United Nations (UN), the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) was noted with satisfaction. The importance of last year's visit of Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud to our country and the consultations held in February of this year between the Foreign Ministries was emphasized.

Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud noted that there is great potential for further development of friendly relations between the two countries. Speaking about the importance of contacts, mutual visits of the parties, it was noted that such contacts contribute to entering a qualitatively new stage in relations between the countries.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 4. The powers of Azerbaijans Prosecutor General have been expanded, Trend reports.

A bill on amendments to the law of the Republic of Azerbaijan "On Prosecutor's Office" has been discussed at a meeting of the Azerbaijani Parliament.

According to the amendment, the powers of the prosecutor general will also include the approval of a sample service certificate for employees of the Prosecutor's Office.

According to the bill, depending on the information in the service certificate, as well as to ensure efficiency when making changes to issues related to the description of the service certificate, it was proposed to classify the approval of the model of the service certificate of prosecutors as one of the issues to be resolved by the Prosecutor General of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

The regulation on the service certificate of prosecutors was approved by the law of the Republic of Azerbaijan dated June 29, 2001. Following this regulation, the service certificate verifies the identity of an employee of the prosecutor's office, his/her special rank and position, and also establish the description of the service certificate of the prosecutor's worker.

At the same time, in accordance with the regulation, the service card of the Prosecutor General of the Azerbaijan Republic, his/her deputies and other employees of the prosecutor's office, except the service card of the prosecutor of Azerbaijan's Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, is signed by the Prosecutor General of the Azerbaijan Republic or the Deputy Prosecutor General and submitted appropriately.

Upon dismissal of an employee of the prosecutor's office, the service certificate is returned to the body that submitted it.

After discussion, the amendment was put to a vote and adopted in the third reading.

The law of the Republic of Azerbaijan "On Prosecutor's Office" consists of eight chapters and 45 articles.

The Prosecutor General of Azerbaijan is Khanlar Aliyev appointed on May 1, 2020.
The delegation headed by Rector of the China University of Petroleum, Prof. Chen Feng has visited the Baku Higher Oil School of SOCAR (BHOS).

First, a tour of the university campus was organized for the delegation. During the tour, BHOS Rector Elmar Gasimov gave the guests detailed information about the modern learning conditions and research environment created at the university, as well as about the achievements of students and graduates of Baku Higher Oil School.

At the subsequent meeting, Elmar Gasimov spoke about the cooperation between the China University of Petroleum and BHOS, noting that this cooperation, carried out since 2018, is very successful and has great prospects. The rector reminded that BHOS students distinguished themselves at international competitions organized by the China University of Petroleum and were awarded prizes, and that five BHOS graduates studied at the China University of Petroleum for masters degrees in various specialties.

Speaking about Baku Higher Oil Schools cooperation with Chinese companies and universities, Elmar Gasimov noted that successful cooperation has been established between the leading Chinese IT company Huawei and BHOS.

As part of the cooperation that began in 2019, the company donated laboratory equipment to BHOS that can be used for teaching and research purposes. Our students excelled in a number of competitions organized by the company and were awarded certificates and gifts as winners. In addition, this academic year, within the framework of the Interstate Scholarship Program, three Chinese students were enrolled in the master's program in Oil and Gas Business at Baku Higher Oil School. This is the first such experience for BHOS, and we believe that the reputation of Baku Higher Oil School, which is growing day by day, will allow more Chinese citizens to study at this university in the future. In short, we are interested in increasing the number of Chinese students at BHOS, he said.

Rector of the China University of Petroleum, Prof. Chen Feng highly praised the conditions created at Baku Higher Oil School. Speaking about the opportunities for developing cooperation, the professor noted that Baku Higher Oil School was the first foreign university he visited after the end of the pandemic. The rector emphasized that the university headed by him had gone through the path of rapid development within a short span of time. Chen Feng expressed confidence in the bright future of Baku Higher Oil School.

Then the meeting continued in an expanded format. A presentation was made about the China University of Petroleum. It was noted that education at this university is carried out in close connection with production. Chen Feng announced that China's first University of Petroleum, founded in 1953, is turning 70 this year. On this occasion, he invited Elmar Gasimov to the anniversary event, which will take place in Beijing. The BHOS Rector accepted this invitation with great pleasure.

The Chinese rector proposed to take an active part in the activities of the Worldwide Energy Universities Network, develop a mechanism for implementing mutual exchange programs, support student research projects, and ensure the participation of Baku Higher Oil School in the carbon neutralization competition, in which about 700 universities of the country participate.

At the end of the meeting, Rector of the China University of Petroleum Chen Feng was presented with a plaque 'Guest of Honor' of Baku Higher Oil School.
Jerusalem, April 4 : An Israeli fighter jet downed "an unidentified aircraft" over the Gaza Strip, Israel's military said in a statement.

"The aircraft was spotted and monitored by Israel Air Force Aerial Control Unit until its interception," the statement added on Monday.

It did not cross into Israeli territory and did not pose a threat at any stage, said the Army.

The incident came a day after another unmanned drone crossed into Israeli airspace from Syria before it was intercepted, Xinhua news agency reported.

Israel's state-owned Kan TV news reported that Israeli officials estimate that the drone was linked to Iran.

The Gaza Strip, a coastal Palestinian enclave, has been under an Israeli blockade since 2007 that has severely limited the movement of people and goods in and out of the territory. The blockade has been a major point of contention between Israel and the leadership of Hamas, an armed movement that runs Gaza.
Vientiane, April 4 : A top executive of the Mekong River Commission (MRC) has called for more effective cooperation and urgent action to ensure sustainable development of the mighty river.

Lao National TV on Monday quoted Anoulak Kittikhoun, CEO of the MRC Secretariat, as saying that the Mekong river is facing multiple challenges.

The river faces "alarming" trends in areas, including water flow regime, nourishing sediment, plastics pollution, and climate change-driven floods and drought.

"We call on riparian countries, partners and stakeholders to act. But the way we choose to act, and the way our friends within the region and without, act, will determine the fate of the Mekong -- and all of us," Anoulak told hundreds of experts, diplomats, and students attending the fourth MRC Summit hosted by Laos, which is being held in Lao capital Vientiane from April 2 to 5.

Elaborating on the pressing issues facing the Mekong, Anoulak said climate change has exacerbated both flooding and drought, Xinhua news agency reported.

In the wet years of 2018 and 2000, the number of people suffering from floods rose to 12 million. Meanwhile, the frequency of drought increased in the 10 years from 2010 to 2020, compared to the previous decade.

The CEO recalled his warning issued a year ago about the four straight years of low flow that had created an "unprecedented challenge" for the river, and the vulnerable fishing and farming families who rely upon it.

Regarding plastics pollution, the Mekong is already estimated to pour into the world's oceans the 10th largest amount of plastic debris, amounting to 17.4 to 101 tons per day, the CEO said.

Fish can ingest the microplastics, which can contaminate the human food chain, he added.

However, Anoulak assured the participants that water quality along the Mekong mainstream remains "good or excellent" in most places.
Islamabad, April 4 : The Senate of Pakistan has passed a resolution to empower women with modern digital skills, a statement from the Senate said.

The government was urged by the Senate, Pakistan's upper house of Parliament, to prioritise women's education in information communication technology and allocate separate funds for the digital empowerment of women.

The resolution noted that bringing women into technology results in more creative solutions and has greater potential for innovations that meet women's needs and promote gender equality, Xinhua news agency reported.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif recently said that the country has enormous potential in the information technology (IT) sector which needs to be fully exploited.

He has directed the higher education commission of Pakistan to make universities and training institutes work on a priority basis to increase the number of IT professionals to 1.5 million in the South Asian country in the next three years.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 4. According to the combat training plan of the current year, a competition for the title of the best engineer-sapper company is being held in one of the military units of the Azerbaijani Army, Trend reports citing the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan.

The competition, held in accordance with the approved plan, tests the theoretical knowledge of armament means and troops service of the engineering troops military personnel, as well as their individual qualification.

Then, on a specially equipped training range, the tasks on the installation of minefields, the opening of passages, detection, and neutralization of mines and unexploded ammunition by means of mine detectors, as well as other tasks on engineer-sapper support are being accomplished.

Following the final results, the company to be awarded the title of the best engineer-sapper company will take part in the competition of Land Forces.
New York, April 4 : A defiant Donald Trump flew here to prepare for the history-making arrest of a former US President on Tuesday.

He will be coming face-to-face with Acting Justice Juan Merchan, whom he had attacked asserting, "He hates me." Manhattan Prosecutor Alvin Bragg, who Trump has accused of carrying out a "witch hunt" against him, will also be on hand.

Trump will be the first former President to be arrested and face a trial in the nation's 246-year history, sending the US into unchartered legal and political territory.

He is also a candidate for next year's presidential election, the leading candidate for the Republican nomination, and only two per cent behind President Joe Biden in an aggregation of polls by RealClear Politics.

Trump is facing charges relating to a payoff he allegedly made before the 2016 election through his former lawyer to porn star Stormy Daniels, who claimed to have had an affair with him in 2006.

The charges, handed down by a grand jury -- a panel of citizens convened to decide if there was a prima facie case -- are under seal till they are presented in court on Tuesday.

Since hush money payments and extra-martial affairs are not illegal, it is likely that the charges will be about bookkeeping irregularities in how they were recorded and if they can be made out to be in violation of campaign finance laws.

Some leaks reported by the media have said that Trump will be bludgeoned with more than two dozen charges, some of them serious criminal allegations or felonies with a maximum sentence of four years in prison.

Trump's lawyers have said that he will fight the charges at the trial that will be months away.

The Constitution allows him to run for president while he is on trial or even if he is convicted and imprisoned.

The billionaire businessman flew into the city from his home in Florida on his private Boeing 757 with Trump emblazoned on it.

He was driven from the airport to his New York home at the Trump Tower in a motorcade with police escort while TV helicopters hovered overhead tracking every move.

Instead of the main entrance on Fifth Avenue, near where hundreds of journalists from around the world were penned in by police in an 80-metre-long enclosure, he was whisked from a side street into the 58-storey glass-walled Trump Tower on his way to his penthouse.

As he entered the building, he waved to the media from a distance and could not see supporters holding "Trump 2024 for President" banners or his critics with signs that said, "Lock him up", a reprise of chants at his rallies in 2016 calling for the arrest of his then-rival, Democrat Hillary Clinton.

The city has made extensive security precautions for Trump's court appearance and Mayor Eric Adams issued a warning to his supporters, "When you're in town, be on your best behaviour." It was directed at Republican member of the House of Representatives Marjorie Taylor Greene, who called for a protest outside the court, although Trump hasn't.

Adams said, "Although we have no specific threats, people like Marjorie Taylor Greene, who is known to spread misinformation and hate speech, she stated she's coming to town." Asked about protests, President Joe Biden said, "I have faith in the New York Police Department." After his indictment was announced on Thursday, Trump warned of "potential death and destruction".

Prosecutor Bragg, who was elected to the post as a Democrat in partisan elections, is scheduled to hold a news conference after Trump is produced in court.

Trump's arrest by New York authorities will be overseen by the Secret Service, which is legally charged with protecting him as a former president.

His lawyer Joe Tacopina has said that Trump will not be handcuffed.

Media reports said that a DNA sample will not be taken from him, nor will a "mugshot", an arrest photograph for identification, be made.

After his arrest and processing, he will be marched straight to a 15th-floor courtroom in a city court building, instead of being put in a detention cell.

Although Merchan can order him jailed or made to post bail, it is unlikely that he will.

The edifices of support by Trump's party and opposition by Democrats cracked over the weekend.

While Republican leaders and rivals have rallied to denounce the indictment of Trump, former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, who announced that he will be seeking the party nomination, said over the weekend that Trump should quit the presidential race.

But Democrat Senator Joe Manchin criticised the indictment saying, "It's just a very, very sad day for America, very sad day." He added, "Especially when people are, maybe, believing that the rule of law or justice is not working the way it's supposed to and it's biased. We can't have that." (Arul Louis can be contacted at arul.l@ians.in and followed at @arulouis)
Colombo, April 4 : Sri Lanka is set to increase duty-free allowances for migrant workers at the airport starting from May in order to encourage remittance, Minister of Labour and Foreign Employment, Manusha Nanayakkara said.

The increase will be based on the amount of money remitted by the workers, Nanayakkara added on Monday during a media briefing.

Under the new scheme, there will be five categories of concessions, Xinhua news agency reported.

For people having remitted $2,400-$4,799, $4,800-$7,199, $7,200-$11,999, $12,000-$23,999 and $24,000 or more, they will be eligible for an additional duty-free allowance of $600, $960, $1,440, $2,400, and $4,800, respectively, when shopping at the airport, according to the Minister.

The concessions will be available to anyone who has sent the mentioned amount of money through official channels to the country within a year, the Minister said.

He added that no tax will be charged on foreign worker remittances and money held in banks in the form of foreign exchange.

Migrant workers' remittance is one of the main sources of foreign exchange for the South Asian country.
Lucknow, April 4 : Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has directed officials to ensure that 50 per cent of the total fuel (wood) used in funeral fires at crematoriums in the state, comprises "Upala" (cow dung cakes) sourced from stray cow protection centres.

According to a state government spokesman, the Chief Minister said: "The income generated by making cow dung cakes available to crematoriums will be used for the maintenance of the concerning cow protection centre." An earlier suggestion made in this regard had faced considerable resistance from people who did not accept the idea of cremating their kin in cow dung cakes.

"We would prefer electric crematorium to cow dung cakes. I am not sure if the majority would accept the cow dung cakes as an alternative to wood," said Mahendra Nath Singh, a senior citizen.

Meanwhile, Yogi further said caretakers should be posted at the cow protection sites.

In case of illness/death of cattle, the caretaker, he added, would ensure all necessary arrangements. "Cows should also be taken for a walk from time to time," the Chief Minister directed.

He said availability of 'cattle catcher' vehicle should be ensured at all the 17 municipal corporations and district headquarters having municipalities.

Yogi said his government was making continuous efforts for animal welfare and protection.

"Respecting public sentiments. Necessary arrangements have been made by the state government for the protection of the destitute/stray cattle and for their fodder," he said.

The Chief Minister said at present, more than 11.33 lakh cattle are protected in 6719 destitute cattle protection centres.

Under the special campaign conducted from January 20 to March 31, 1.23 lakh cattle were protected.

"It should be ensured that stray cattle are taken care of in all the rural and urban areas of the state," he told officials.
Lucknow, April 4 : A Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court has granted anticipatory bail to a Sitapur resident booked under the UP Cow Slaughter Act, calling the action against him a glaring example of misuse of penal law.

Justice Mohammed Faiz Alam Khan observed that neither the prohibited animal nor its flesh had been recovered from the possession of any accused person or from the spot and only a rope and some amount of cow dung had been collected by the investigating officer.

The applicant had approached the high court apprehending his arrest in the case.

The applicant and three others were booked under Section 3/5/8 of Prevention of Cow Slaughter Act, at Reusa police station of Sitapur district.

The FIR said that on August 16, 2022, at 7.30 p.m., a prohibited animal had been slaughtered in the sugarcane field of one Jamil and when the first informant arrived at the spot, he found a cord and semi-digested gobar (cow dung) of the calf.

It was also stated in the FIR that some villagers had seen the named accused persons carrying a calf towards the sugarcane field of Jamil.

"The IO did not recover any prohibited animal or any meat of progeny of cow, and only cow dung was found on the spot and when the same was sent for forensic investigation, a report had been returned by the forensic lab, Lucknow stating that Forensic Lab is not meant to analysis the cow dung," the court said.

The bench observed that the FIR was purportedly registered simply on the basis of apprehension and suspicion and a charge sheet had also been filed without any arrest and despite the fact that except for cow dung and a rope, nothing was recovered from the spot.

The bench allowed the plea noting that the accused was not having any criminal history and that his presence may be secured before the trial court by placing adequate conditions.

The court also directed the state DGP to take necessary action to remind the investigating officers of their duty to ensure fair investigation in all criminal cases in general and in the cases pertaining to cow slaughter in particular.
Lucknow, April 4 : Nearly two lakh girl students studying in more than 45,000 state-run schools in Uttar Pradesh will be specially trained for self-defence in a six-day programme.

This aims to ensure safety and well-being of the girls.

The state government will impart self-defence training to girl students under the Rani Laxmibai Self-Defence Training Programme as a part of the Mission Shakti launched alongside the 'School Chalo Abhiyan'.

According to the government spokesman, the girls will also be made aware of things like cyberbullying and acid attacks through various group discussions. They will also be made physically aware of their health through sports.

The state government will conduct the campaign in collaboration with the Government of India with the aim of making the girl students enrolled in Council and Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas run under the basic education department mentally and physically strong.

Under the scheme, girls of 11 to 14 years will be given self-defence training. The girl students will also be trained to be mentally balanced and empowered against any unexpected incident.

A one-hour session will be conducted every working day by instructors posted in the schools. In the session, training related to self-defence along with exercise, yoga and cleanliness has been included. Initially, a six-day training programme will be organised at the district level for instructors/teachers.

Under this module, 1200 physical teachers will be given special weekly training in a batch of 50 each.

Its duration will be 6-8 hours daily (Monday-Saturday). Under primary coverage, girl students of Classes 6, 7 and 8 (11-14 years of age) will be trained in 45,000 government schools run in all 75 districts.

After the training of the trainers, they will also be provided with an evaluation and certificate. Residential schools of Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya for girls will also be included in the training.

As per the training module, one instructor and one assistant will be appointed for 50 trainees. Women and child security wing 1090 has been roped in as a consultant agency for the project.

The Rani Laxmibai Self-Defence Training module has been prepared with the help of experts from various fields.

It has been prepared with the advice of experts from self-defence instructors, legal counsel, women and child security wing, UP Police, education department, Uttar Pradesh Development Systems Corporation Ltd (UPDESCO) and UNICEF.

In the module, a detailed action plan of six days has been given, including necessary activities related to training of trainers, discussions, audio-video, sports, necessary laws and helpline numbers for women and girls, evaluation of participants and various case studies.

After getting the training, teachers and instructors will go to the schools and train the girls through all these activities recorded in the module.
Seoul, April 4 : South Korea is witnessing an increase in fresh Covid-19 cases as outdoor gatherings have increased amid the spring season, data revealed on Tuesday.

In the last 24 hours, the country reported 13,375 new cases, including 16 from overseas, bringing the total caseload to 30,857,275, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said.

Tuesday's tally was up from 4,349 the previous day and 12,124 a week ago, reports Yonhap News Agency.

The figure hit the highest Tuesday figure in seven weeks since February 14.

The KDCA added eight more Covid-19 fatalities, raising the death toll to 34,289.

The number of critically ill patients came to 132, down from the previous day's 136.

Health authorities are monitoring the spread of the virus as cherry blossom festivals and other mass outdoor leisure activities increased across the country.

South Korea eased most of its virus curbs from late March, including the mask mandate on public transportation.

Authorities are mulling the right time to treat Covid-19 as an endemic disease, the next step toward returning to pre-pandemic normalcy.
Seoul, April 4 : South Korea has approved 240 million won ($183,000) worth of private humanitarian aid deliveries to North Korea, marking this year's first approval of aid to the reclusive nation, a government official said here on Tuesday.

In March, the government gave the green light to a civilian group's application for assistance related to nutritional materials, the Unification Ministry official said, without providing other details.

"The government plans to continue to approve the delivery of humanitarian goods to North Korea at the request of the civic groups if they meet all the requirements," Yonhap News Agency quoted the official as saying to the media.

Seoul approved 5.52 billion won worth of humanitarian aid to Pyongyang last year.

It remains unclear whether the reclusive regime has received the assistance amid pandemic-induced border controls and chilly inter-Korean relations.

-- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed
New Delhi, April 4 : All Indian states have their own unique dances, but only six of these classical dances are acknowledged nationally in the country.

Indian folk dances are much more than just physical movements; in fact, since very early times, Indian classical dance has been regarded as a discipline and a means to devote oneself to God.

BIHU-ASSAM The dancers move quickly with their hands, take fast steps, and swing their hips rhythmically while donning traditional Assamese attire and gorgeous accessories. Rangali Bihu, which ushers in the spring season, is celebrated with a performance of Bihu, celebrating Assamese joy and legacy. The traditional music for the show is played on the dhol, Xutuli, Toka, Baanhi, and Gogona.

LAVANI-MAHARASHTRA Lavani is a Maharashtrian dance style that has its origins in the state of the Maratha kingdom. Traditional music and tales of deities are combined in the performance geared toward women. The word Lavanya, which signifies beauty, is where the name Lavani first appeared.

GHOOMAR-RAJASTHAN The people of Rajasthan perform their traditional dance form by dancing to the rhythm of the music while adorned in heavy jewellery and stunning costumes. Ghoomar uses intriguing circular hand motions in addition to his vocalisations.

ROUF-KASHMIR Rouf, a calming dance style typically done by female dancers to the traditional Kashmiri music, is a dance form that the Kashmiri people use to celebrate their festivals and significant occasions.

GARBA-GUJARAT Garba is a traditional dance style from Gujarat that is performed in honour of Goddess Durga during the auspicious Navratri festival. Sticks are used to execute this art form, which is done in a couple to the typical Gujarati music.

BHANGRA/GIDDA-PUNJAB Bhangra is a heart-pumping performance from Punjab that is accompanied by raucous dhol beats (traditional Indian instrument). The customary Punjabi festivals are rife with it.

ODISSI-ODISHA The province of Odisha in eastern India is where the odissi dance originated. The Hindu temples in Odisha are the source of the traditional performance. The majority of the gestures and moves (Mudras) are influenced by Indian temple idols and sculptures. The dance is done as a means of expressing Hindu Gods' mythologies, such as those of Shiva and Surya.

KUCHIPUDI-ANDHRA PRADESH Kuchipudi, an art form from Andhra Pradesh, is arguably the most difficult type of Indian traditional dance. Kuchipudi is not only regarded as a dance but as an entire religious practise devoted to God, complete with customs like praying to God, burning incense, and sprinkling holy water.

BHARATANATYAM-TAMIL NADU Bharatnatyam is a South Asian dance style that is performed to heavenly Carnatic music melodies. It is a classical dance form that dates back to 1000 BC and was first done by women in Tamil Nadu's ancient temples. The dance style is renowned for its exquisite hand motions and movements, or mudras as they are known in the local dialect.

(Photo source: instagram) (IANSlife can be contacted at ianslife@ians.in)
Tehran, April 4 : Less than a month since Tehran and Riyadh agreed to restore diplomatic relations, Iranian Presient Ebrahim Raisi has accepted an invitation from Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud to visit the kingdom, a top official confirmed here.

Iran's first vice president Mohammad Mokhber made the remarks on Monday while he was asked by the media respond to the Saudi King's invitation to Raisi of visiting Riyadh, Xinhua news agency reported.

China, Saudi Arabia and Iran announced on March 10 that the latter two had reached a deal which includes the agreement to resume diplomatic relations and reopen embassies and missions within two months.

On March 19, Mohammad Jamshidi, the Iranian President's deputy chief of staff for political affairs, had confirmed that the Saudi king sent the invitation letter to Raisi to visit Riyadh.

In a social media post, Jamshidi had said the monarch said in the letter that he welcomed the deal between the two "brotherly countries" on the normalisation of bilateral ties and called for strong economic and regional cooperation between Riyadh and Tehran.

The two nations have also announced they will reopen embassies within two months and re-establish trade and security relations.

Saudi Arabia cut ties in January 2016 after demonstrators stormed its embassy in Tehran after Riyadh had executed the prominent Shia Muslim cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, who was convicted of terror-related offences.

Since then, tensions between the Sunni- and Shia-led neighbours have often been high, with each regarding the other as a threatening power seeking regional dominance.

They have been on opposing sides of several regional conflicts, including the civil wars in Syria and Yemen.

Also on Monday, it was announced that Iran and Saudi Arabia will open a joint chamber of commerce soon.

Keyvan Kashefi, a member of the presiding board of Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (ICCIMA), said that Tehran plans to begin the exchange of business delegations with Saudi Arabia immediately after the reopening of the embassies in the two countries and the reinstatement of their ambassadors.
San Francisco, April 4 : Apple is reportedly laying off a small percentage of people from one of its corporate teams amid the deepening global meltdown.

According to a report in Insider, Apple has told some corporate retail employees to reapply for their jobs or they will be laid off.

The reports said that Apple is slashing jobs in the division that "handles building and upkeep for its retail stores".

Affected employees have reportedly been told that they have until the end of the week to apply for other positions at the company.

"Apple is offering up to four months of severance pay for those that aren't able to stay," the reports mentioned.

Internally, the iPhone maker is "pitching it as a way to improve its operations rather than as a cost-cutting measure".

Apple is the only Big Tech company which has not done any massive layoffs so far amid the global economic downturn.

The company's CEO had told The Wall Street Journal that layoffs were "a last resort." "We estimated that we would have grown on the iPhone absent the supply constraints. The macroeconomic situation is more difficult to estimate, but it's apparent from looking at the numbers that wind was in our face for the quarter," he was quoted as saying in the report.

Cook said the company is managing costs very tightly and is curtailing hiring in certain areas, while continuing to hire in others.

"I view layoffs as a last resort kind of thing," he added.

The company has slowed down hirings for some departments, delaying bonuses, reducing travel budgets, pushing back projects, and more such measures to cut costs.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 4. President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has signed a decree on the assignment of temporary duties of the Minister of Agriculture of Azerbaijan to Deputy Minister Sarvan Jafarov, Trend reports.

Sarvan Jafarov was born on October 28, 1985, and studied at secondary school number 178 in Baku. He received a bachelor's degree in political science from Baku State University, from which he graduated with honors.

In 2008-2010, he received a master's degree from Baku State University, majoring in National Security and Political Strategy. From 2009-2012, he worked as an adviser to the State Committee on Property Issues of Azerbaijan.

From 2012 through 2018, he worked as an assistant to the Chairman of the State Agency for Public Services and Social Innovations under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan. In 2012-2015, he graduated from the Azerbaijan State University of Economics with a degree in Master of Business Administration (MBA). In 2015-2017, within the State Program on Education of Azerbaijan youth abroad, he received a master's at the International Anti-Corruption Academy (IACA), in Laxenburg, Austria.

Jafarov became a doctoral student in 2020 at the Research Institute of Agricultural Economics under the Ministry of Agriculture. From April 2018 through November 2019, he was an assistant to the Minister of Agriculture of Azerbaijan. From November 2019 through March 2020, he held the position of adviser to the Minister, and then from March through July 2020, Jafarov worked as the Chief of Staff of the Ministry of Agriculture. By the decree of the President of Azerbaijan dated July 30, 2020, he was appointed to the post of Deputy Minister of Agriculture.

Furthermore, the newly appointed acting Minister of Agriculture, who speaks English and Russian, is married and has three children.
Chennai, April 4 : The Tamil Nadu forest department on Tuesday launched a probe after two wild elephants were found dead in separate areas of Dharmapuri district.

On Monday, a carcass of a female elephant was found floating in water at the Chinnar river near Pennagaram forest. Villagers informed the Hogenakkal forest department officials who rushed to the spot.

Forest officials at Hogenakkal forest department told IANS that the elephant would have reached the spot along with its herd to drink water from Chinnar river and would have got trapped in the slush.

The forest department conducted a post-mortem and buried the elephant in the forest area. However, sources in the department told IANS that on the basis of the post-mortem report, the department has commenced a probe and to clear the Chinnar river of slush and weeds to prevent wild animals getting trapped and dying.

A team of senior forest officers will be arriving at the Chinnar area to understand the situation in the river bank.

In a separate incident, a male tusker was found dead a few kilometers away in Dharmapuri district itself the same day and the forest department has commenced an investigation.

A Forest official said that no external injuries were found on the eight-year-old male elephant. A post-mortem was conducted and the carcass cremated near the Podur forest area. A probe has been launched.

Recently, three female elephants died of electrocution after coming into contact with an electric fence erected by a farmer to keep wild elephants away from his farm. However, the voltage that passed through the fence was high leading to the instant death of the elephants. The farmer Murugan was arrested and remanded in judicial custody.

R. Swaminathan, Director, Wild Life study centre, Salem said, "The forest department must have a proper road map to prevent elephants foraying near the human habitats getting electric shock and dying. Also, the rivers and other water bodies have to be properly maintained so that elephants and other wild animals are not trapped into slush and die as happened in Chinnar river.

"There has to be a detailed study on these matters and Tangedco must be directed to remove all the low electric lines that could lead to elephants getting in touch with them when they rise the trunks leading to immediate deaths. A bit of caution from the government departments can prevent deaths of wildlife."
United Nations, April 4 : India has called for clearer documents for the UN Security Council reform, in particular naming names of those opposed to permanent membership for African nations, exposing their stance against the historically wronged continent.

India's Permanent Representative Ruchira Kamboj said on Monday that "there needs to be a clear attribution of groups and member states" who "do not support permanent seats for African states and try to dilute their claim by inventing new categories like 'regional permanent seats'".

This would differentiate them from "those who are in favour of expansion of the permanent category to include permanent representation for African nations as envisioned by the Common African Position, and in response to the historic injustice meted to Africa", she said.

The strategy advocated by India would expose where countries like China and the members of the Uniting for Consensus (UfC) group of which Pakistan is a leading member, stand in relation to Africa, the largest regional group in the UN.

The 55 members from Africa have demanded at least two permanent seats for the continent of 1.4 billion people where most of the UN peacekeeping operations mandated by the Council take place.

Speaking at a meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiations (IGN) on Security Council Reforms, Kamboj said that records of members' positions on reforms should use clearer terms and exact figures rather than saying vaguely "some members" and "other members".

This would show, as she pointed out, that 113 countries out of the 122 that made written submissions supported expanding the permanent membership of the Council.

Kamboj said that at this stage only the expansion of the permanent membership was being considered rather than who would get them, which would be determined by a two-thirds vote in a secret ballot.

She called on the co-chairs of the IGN, Permanent Representatives Tareq Albanai of Kuwait and Alexander Marschik to create a negotiating text to move the reform process that has been stuck in a rut for decades.

The UfC has been the main barrier to the adoption of a negotiating text -- a tactic to sabotage the process.

"We would accordingly encourage the co-chairs to not get distracted by the arguments that irrationally call for consensus on all clusters before moving to text-based negotiations," Kamboj said.

Most of the countries whose representatives spoke at the meeting called for the adoption of a negotiating text.

India, Brazil, Germany and Japan together form the G4 group that lobbies for expansion of the permanent membership of the Security Council that is mired in the post-World War II universe where the five victors assumed the veto-wielding permanent status.

They also mutually support each other's claims for a permanent seat on a reformed council.

Speaking on behalf of the G4, Japan's Permanent Representative Ishikane Kimihiro said that those countries that do not want the Council's permanent membership expanded "say that the historical injustice to Africa should be addressed, or that equitable regional representation is important in general, but never articulate the obvious, namely that Africa should have permanent seats".

"We all know who they are... The G4 reaffirms its full support for the Common African Position and appropriate numbers for an increase in both categories can be further discussed during text-based negotiations," he said.

Kimihiro said that two documents, the "Elements Paper" and the "Framework Document" have been around for many years and that it was high time to move forward, for example, by extracting the convergences into a separate paper that could be the basis of a negotiating text.

Brazil's Permanent Representative Ambassador Ronaldo Costa Filho said the co-chairs should assert their leadership and steer the IGN to take decisions.

After years of disorganised and supposedly closed meetings, the IGN has started webcasting its meetings and creating records.

Filho said that these may be a small step for the IGN but are a "giant leap for Security Council reform".

Following demands by India, the other G4 members and several countries for transparency and record-keeping, the IGN has become open at the initiative of General Assembly President Csaba Korosi.

US Permanent Representative Linda Thomas Greenfield said: "The UN, as an institution, is at an inflexion point. The question before us is whether we will defend an outdated status quo or reform the Security Council and empower the UN to take on today's global challenges.

The Security Council needs to better reflect the world and geographically diverse perspectives. That's why in his address during the General Debate last September, President Biden called for expansion of the permanent and non-permanent membership of the UN Security Council, including permanent seats for countries from Africa as well as from Latin America and the Caribbean." (Arul Louis can be contacted at arul.l@ians.in and followed at @arulouis)
Bengaluru, April 4 : A Kannada actress here has filed a police complaint against a YouTuber for asking "if she would act in obscene films" and demanded legal action against him, police said on Tuesday.

The complaint was submitted to the Malleshwaram police station. The YouTuber has been identified as Sushaan. The actor has stated that freedom does not give license to the interviewer to ask such questions.

"Sushaan asked me whether I will act in nude films. I have built my career with struggle. I have acted in small roles so far and bagged a major role in 'Pentagon' Kannada movie," she said.

The video clip of the interview has gone viral on social media. After the accused asks her the embarrassing question, the actor says that 'she is not a blue film star and why should he ask such a question in the first place?' She also scolds the YouTuber for "lacking common sense". "Who is making nude films in the Kannada film industry?" the actor asks and ends the interview.

The actor is a popular TV serial actress. The makers of 'Pentagon' movie have released a song featuring her. The actress did bold scenes in the song and it is getting a lot of attention from cine goers.

The actress had also alleged that the police have failed to take action in the incident. She had also charged that the accused YouTuber made a call to her and spoke indecently. The investigation is on.
United Nations, April 4 : On the sidelines of his upcoming visit to New York on April 24-25, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is ready to meet US Secretary of State Antony Blinken if there is willingness from Washington, says Moscow's Permanent Representative to the UN Vasily Nebenzya.

Addressing a press conference here on Monday on Russia's assumption of the rotating presidency of the Security Council for the month of April, Nebenzya said: "I think that depends on two factors. First, where Secretary Blinken will be at that time, and on his ability and willingness to meet with our Foreign Minister," TASS News Agency reported.

The Russian side has never "run away from whatever meetings with those people who want these meetings", the envoy claimed.

"If such a meeting is requested, I presume that Minister Lavrov will be ready to meet Secretary Blinken," he added.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will meet Lavrov "when he is in town", Stephane Dujarric, the UN chief's spokesman, told reporters on Monday.

"I have no doubt that when Lavrov is here, he and the Secretary-General will have a sit-down," Xinhua news agency quoted Dujarric as saying.

"The sit-down would be about going through the long list of issues and agenda items between the Russian Federation and the UN Secretariat," he added.

The development comes two days after Blinken spoke on the phone with Lavrov and conveyed the US' grave concern over Russia's "unacceptable detention" of American journalist Evan Gershkovich over espionage charges.

A State Department statement said that during the call on Sunday, Blinken called for The Wall Street Journal reporter's "immediate release and also urged "the Kremlin to immediately release wrongfully detained US citizen Paul Whelan".

The two top officials met last month for the first time since Russia waged its ongoing war against Ukraine in February last year.

The brief meeting took place on the sidelines of the G20 summit in New Delhi.

Before this, Blinken and Lavrov met in Geneva in January 2022.
Washington, April 4 : The US Supreme Court is set to consider in two pending cases whether the country's colleges may continue to use race as a factor in student admissions.

The decision may change the future of affirmative action policy, introduced to redress historic discrimination, in higher education, reports Xinhua news agency.

A study released on March 28 by Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce warns that racial and ethnic diversity on university campuses could decline even if the institutions give more weight to factors, such as the socio-economic class of applicants.

"Without race-conscious admissions, the role selective colleges play in creating equal opportunity in our society is likely to diminish," said Zack Mabel, co-author of the study.

According to the study titled "Race-Conscious Affirmative Action: What's Next", colleges would have to "fundamentally alter their admissions practices" to achieve diversity, particularly among Blacks, Hispanics and Indigenous students, if the Supreme Court bans affirmative action in college admissions.

According to the study, an alternative admissions process that includes socio-economic status would achieve a high level of racial and ethnic diversity if colleges eliminate preferences for legacy applicants, student athletes, those with ties to donors and other such factors that mostly benefit White, affluent applicants.

About 60 per cent of top US colleges consider race as a factor in admissions, according to 2015 estimates.

In addition, schools would have to expand their recruitment of high school students from disadvantaged backgrounds for a class-based alternative to produce a similar outcome to race-conscious admissions, the study found.

In 2022, the court heard two cases that had arguments challenging affirmative action admission policies at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina that use race and ethnicity among other factors.

In the case at Harvard University, the group named Students for Fair Admissions accused the school of holding Asian-American students to a higher educational standard than it did African-American or Hispanic students.

According to experts, if the Supreme Court rules against the colleges, the landscape of college admissions would change drastically, and many schools fear losing what they have gained in diversity over the years.
Jaipur, April 4 : Rajasthan doctors here will show their strength against the Right to Health (RTH) Bill by taking out a Maha rally on Tuesday.

This will be the second show of strength by the doctors in the last 10 days as earlier on March 27, a big rally was also taken out in Jaipur.

On late Monday night, a team of doctors along with the Chief Secretary had elaborate discussions. It was mentioned that the hospital operators have not taken any kind of concession from the government and they should be kept out of the purview of this bill.

Secretary of Private Hospitals and Nursing Homes Society, Dr. Vijay Kapoor said, "The kind of rally that was taken out on March 27, will be taken out on Tuesday as well. The rally will be taken out from Residents Hostel Ground SMS Medical College at 11 a.m. It will reach SMS Medical College via Gokhale Hostel Road, Tonk Road, Maharani College Tiraha, Ashok Marg, Rajput Sabha Bhavan, Panch Batti, MI Road, Ajmeri Gate, New Gate, Albert Hall." He said that doctors have been called from all the districts of the state to make this rally a success. "After this rally, there will be a meeting of our committee, in which further decisions will be taken.

"Our protest will continue till the government withdraws this bill," said Dr Kapoor.

In protest against the bill, 218 hospital operators of Jaipur have given their written consent to stop government schemes (Chiranjeevi, RGHS). Even on Monday, more than 100 private hospital operators from 21 districts of the state have applied in writing for de-emphasis of these government schemes.

Meanwhile, on Monday night, it was decided that the government will include hospitals in the Right-to-Health Bill in a phased manner. In the first phase, four types of hospitals will be included in the bill. First - all those hospitals, to which the government has provided land at a concessional rate, second - all government and private medical colleges, third - all hospitals running on PPP mode, and fourth - all those hospitals under the trust, which have received some or the other help from the government.

Further, it has been announced to keep hospitals with less than 50 beds out of the bill. Efforts will be made to include big private hospitals in the bill in the next phase.

If there is any amendment or change in Right to Health in future, two representatives of IMA will be involved in it. It was decided that there should be consent on a single window system for complaints and police will not be able to file cases directly against doctors.
Tripoli, April 4 : The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said that 344 migrants were rescued and returned to Libya in the past week.

The migrants, including 24 women and 10 children, were saved between March 26 and April 1, Xinhua news agency quoted the IOM as saying in a statement.

So far this year, 4,241 illegal migrants have been rescued and sent back to Libya, while 269 died and 172 others went missing off the Libyan coast on the Central Mediterranean route, the organisation said.

In 2022, a total of 24,684 migrants were rescued and returned to Libya, the IOM revealed, adding 525 migrants died and 848 others went missing off the Libyan coast.

Since the fall of late Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi's regime in 2011, a large number of migrants, most of whom Africans, attempted to cross the Mediterranean Sea and reach European shores from Libya.

Rescued migrants usually ended up inside overcrowded reception centres in Libya, despite repeated international calls to close those facilities and release the migrants.
Patna, April 4 : Four CRPF personnel were injured after the vehicle they were travelling in fell from a bridge in Bihar's Jamui district.

The personnel, Siti Yamalo, Anish Singh, Santosh Yadav and Subu Raj, were admitted in the Sadar hospital Jamui.

Meanwhile, two of them have been referred to Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) after their conditions were said to be critical.

The personnel are part of 215 Cobra Battalion deployed at Jamui police line in Hamlaypur area.

The accident occurred late Monday night while they were going to to Chakai block to drop a fellow CRPF personnel.

As per the statements of the personnel, the driver lost control of the vehicle due to the light of another vehicle coming from the opposite direction.
Brussels, April 4 : NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has said that the alliance will discuss a multi-year support program for Ukraine.

The program will be on the agenda of the meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers on Tuesday and Wednesday, Xinhua news agency quoted the NATO chief as saying at a press conference here.

"I expect that the ministers will agree to start work on the development of a multi-year program for Ukraine," Stoltenberg added.

Along with providing support for Ukraine in the ongoing war with Russia, the program is important for the long-term perspective of the development of relations between Ukraine and NATO, he noted.

At their meeting, the Foreign Ministers of NATO countries will also discuss ways to strengthen the support for Ukraine's Armed Forces and ensure their transition to NATO standards, he added.

On Tuesday, the meeting of the Ukraine-NATO Commission will be held within the framework of the Foreign Ministers summit.
New Delhi, April 4 : The BJP on Tuesday released episode 3 of its series titled 'Congress Files', to hit out at the Congress over alleged corruption during the UPA rule at the Centre.

BJP has captioned it: "Third file of Congress Files- story of blackened 'hand' (Congress symbol) in the brokerage of coal".

In the released video of episode 3 of season-1 titled 'Congress Means Corruption', the BJP, refers to the coal scam that surfaced in 2012 during the tenure of the Manmohan Singh government, alleging that "the hand of the Congress is black in the coal brokerage. Not only their hands got blackened, rather the UPA government of the Congress was blackened." In this three-minute video, citing several media reports, the BJP has fiercely targeted the Congress and Manmohan Singh, accusing them of coal scam. Describing Manmohan Singh as a remote prime minister in the video, the BJP has also included several photographs of him along with Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.

The BJP has also hinted in the same video to mention the Commonwealth Games scam in the fourth episode of 'Congress Files'.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 4. Anar Rzayev was awarded the Order of Honor of the International Organization of Turkic Culture (TURKSOY), Trend reports.

A solemn ceremony dedicated to the 85th anniversary of the birth of Anar Rzayev took place at the 1st meeting of the Authors' Union of TURKSOY.

TURKSOY Secretary General Sultan Raev awarded Anar Rzayev, one of the initiators of the creation of the Authors' Union of TURKSOY, with the Order of Honor of the organization for his contribution to the literature of the Turkic world.
New Delhi, April 4 : The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is likely to take over the probe into the March 12 Kannur bomb blast incident in which a couple was injured, officials said here on Tuesday.

A team led by senior officials of the NIA visited the residence of the couple where the explosion took place. The team is closely monitoring the probe of local police specially regarding the terrorist angle and inputs.

According to the agency sources, a few suspects who are hiding in Noida are on the radar of the agency. As of now, the Kerala Police is probing the matter.

Once the terror angle is confirmed, the case will be handed over to the NIA which will lodge a fresh case.

After Santosh and his wife Lasitha suffered injuries in the blast, a case was lodged with the Muzhakkunnu Police Station under section 286 of the IPC. A Special Investigation Team is probing the matter currently.

Reportedly, Santosh had stored the explosives in his house.
Bucharest, April 4 : Visiting German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said his country is backing Romania in its bid to join the Schengen Area this year.

"Germany is firmly on Romania's side. This also means (...) the goal of Romania finally obtaining full Schengen membership this year," Xinhua news agency quoted Scholz as saying at a joint press conference with Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, after talks at the Cotroceni Presidential Palace here on Monday.

On his part, Iohannis said: "Romania fulfills its role as a guarantor of security at the external border, something recognized at the European level, and joining Schengen will strengthen this area." Meanwhile, Romanian Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca expressed his appreciation for Germany's support for his nation's accession to the Schengen area during talks with Scholz.

The two sides also confirmed the importance of continuing the European Union (EU) enlargement process, and of fulfilling commitments to the Western Balkans.

Romania joined the EU in 2007, but is one of the four bloc countries that are not included in the Schengen Area.

Schengen Area signifies a zone where 27 European countries abolished their internal borders, for the free and unrestricted movement of people, in harmony with common rules for controlling external borders and fighting criminality by strengthening the common judicial system and police cooperation.

Schengen Area covers most of the EU countries, except Ireland, and the countries that are soon to be part of the Schengen Area: Romania, Bulgaria, and Cyprus.

Although not members of the EU, countries like Norway, Iceland, Switzerland and Lichtenstein are also part of the Schengen zone.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Patna, April 4 : After a rally of Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Bihar's Nawada, JD(U) national president Lalan Singh targeted him again on Tuesday and asked 'why his government was not taking action in the biggest corporate scam'.

"@ Amit Shah Ji, You conceited of fighting against corruption but why are you silent about the biggest corporate scam of the country? If you have courage, ask your pet parrots (ED, CBI, Income Tax) to investigate the scam and penalize the culprits," Singh tweeted on Tuesday.

"I salute to the judiciary system of the country which has taken cognizance of the matter and directed the authorities for the investigation. Your pet parrots do not have time. They are busy targeting your political opponents. They do not dare to go near your close friends," Singh further tweeted.

On Sunday, Amit Shah during a rally in Nawada, targeted Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Tejashwi Yadav and blamed them for failing to take care of the people of Bihar. He also took the name of Lalan Singh thrice, and said that when he had talked to the Bihar Governor, "Lalan Singh became angry".

Following the statement of Shah, Lalan Singh targeted him on Monday and said that the BJP was disappointed and throwing a tantrum now.
New Delhi, April 4 : A day after China renamed 11 places in Arunachal Pradesh as part of its efforts to re-emphasise its "claim" on the state, the Government on Tuesday rejected the move calling the state an "inalienable" part of India.

Official spokesperson of the External Affairs Ministry Arindam Bagchi said, "We have seen such reports. This is not the first time China has made such an attempt. We reject this outright. Arunachal Pradesh is, has been, and will always be an integral and inalienable part of India. Attempts to assign invented names will not alter this reality." This is the third time that China has 'renamed' places in Arunachal Pradesh, which it calls "Zangnan, the southern part of Tibet".

The list of names released by China includes five mountain peaks, two land areas, two residential areas, and two rivers.

China had earlier released similar lists in 2018 and 2021.
Mumbai, April 4 : Actress-environmentalist Dia Mirza and other worried citizens have urged the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to make efforts to curb pollution and ensure 'clean air' for Mumbaikars.

Mirza, along with Sumaira Abdulali (Awaaz Foundation), Hema Ramani (BEAG), Shruti Panchal and Rasika Nachankar (Waatavaran Foundation) met the Additional Municipal Commissioner Sanjeev Kumar on Monday and submitted suggestions for a 10-year action plan to reduce health risks posed by the city's high levels of air pollution.

Part of the Clean Air Mumbai (CAM) network, they discussed the culprits responsible for pollution like construction and demolition wastes, solid waste management and the need for an institutional framework to tackle air pollution at the ground level in the country's commercial capital.

The action plan includes measures to improve Mumbai's air quality by reducing vehicle emissions, promoting public transportation and encouraging the use of clean energy sources, since "clean air is a basic human right and timely collective action is needed to protect it".

The CAM group also urged for collaboration with urban local bodies, research institutions like National Environmental Engineering Research Institute, Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay, builders' associations and civil society organisations.

"The negative effects of air pollution on public health are clearly visible... and are to blame for increasing respiratory illnesses and heart conditions. Reports have established that air pollution stunts children's brain development and even causes cancer," said Mirza.

Abdulali said ward-wise committees, enforcement of rules and environmental standards during building along with citizen friendly complaint mechanisms are the need of the hour.

Mirza added that the amount of particulate matter (PM) in Mumbai has reached an all-time high and other pollutants continue to vitiate the air that our senior citizens and children are breathing.

Ramani said that the BMC was very receptive to the suggestions regarding the necessity of capacity building of the administration along with creating awareness and sensitising citizens.

As announced in the recent Budget 2023-2024, the BMC is planning to issue public health advisories at the Ward levels, and drive campaigns with citizens groups on air pollution, tree-cutting, waste management, noise pollution, among others.

The CAM member expressed hope that the civic body and the citizenry can collaborate to create a road map for a cleaner and healthier Mumbai and improve the quality of air that the people breathe.

In recent times, the BMC has cracked the whip to reduce pollution at various levels and taken a series of measures in this regard which are expected to fructify soon.

-- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed
Chennai, April 4 : Tamil Nadu's ruling DMK party has set a goal of enrolling 1 crore new members in an effort to target the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

The new members will be enrolled as part of the centenary celebrations of DMK patriarch and late Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi.

Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, who is also the DMK president, had exhorted party cadres and leaders to win all the 39 seats in Tamil Nadu next uear.

He had also called upon the cadres to wrest the lone seat in Puducherry as well.

Meanwhile, the party has already appointed 234 observers in all the 234 Assembly constituencies of state as a run up to the polls. Each observer is given a target to enroll 50,000 new members.

Senior DMK leader and state minister S. Duraimurugan inaugurated the membership drive at the Nilgiris on Monday and Stalin will launched the initiative in his constituency of Kolathur on Tuesday.

The DMK has named the drive 'Udanpirappukalai Inaivom' (Let us join as brothers).

The party has also created provisions for people to take online membership through the portal www.udanpirappu.com.

Those who apply via this portal will be given membership cards after the party district secretary conducts a proper verification on the background of the applicant.

The DMK is also planning a massive direct interaction with the people of the state to consolidate its acceptability among the masses.
Kolkata, April 4 : A division bench of the Calcutta High Court on Tuesday directed the West Bengal government to submit a detailed report on the violence at Rishra in West Bengal's Hooghly district that started over a Ram Navami procession on April 2 evening and continued till April 3 night.

The division bench of Calcutta High Court's acting Chief Justice T.S. Sivagnanam and Justice Hiranmoy Bhattacharya directed the state government to file a supplementary affidavit in this connection stating the reasons that prompted the violence at Rishra. The matter will come up for hearing on Wednesday.

On Tuesday morning, the leader of the opposition in West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari sought the attention of the division bench in the matter of continuing violence at Rishra on Monday night, over which the latter gave the directions to the state government.

Incidentally, the same division bench of Justice Sivagnanam and Justice Bhattacharya had directed the state government to file a detailed report to the court on clashes over Ram Navami procession in Shibpur and Kazipara areas in Howrah districts that started on March 30 afternoon and continued till March 31 morning.

Meanwhile, the leader of the opposition has alleged that while the police are preventing the state BJP leaders, including the party's state president and Lok Sabha member Sukanta Majumdar to reach Rishra in the name of imposing Section 144, the same cops are allowing senior Trinamool Congress leaders, including the party Lok Sabha member Kalyan Banerjee to roam around in the areas. "The police cannot apply two sets of rules for two parties," he said.

Meanwhile, on arrival to Kolkata on Tuesday curtailing his scheduled programmes in north Bengal, state Governor C.V. Ananda Bose decided to visit the troubled zones in Rishra straight from the airport. "None responsible for creating the tension, irrespective of their identity, will be spared. The safety and security of the people cannot be compromised at any cost," the Governor said.
New Delhi, April 4 : The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has flagged concern over the use of an Indian eye drop that is causing death and blindness among its citizens.

However, the Tamil Nadu Drugs Control said there is no contamination, according to media reports.

The CDC has, in recent months, traced three deaths, eight cases of blindness and dozens of infections caused by a highly drug-resistant bacteria linked to Chennai-based EzriCare artificial tears, made by Global Pharma Healthcare, The New York Times reported.

Drug-resistant bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa has been a cause of concern among people with weak immune systems, residents of nursing homes and patients using catheters and breathing tubes.

In February, Global Pharma Healthcare had recalled and stopped the production of both EzriCare Artificial Tears and Delsam Pharma's Artificial Tears. And the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had instructed doctors and consumers not to purchase the product from the market and warned those who have already purchased not to use it.

The warning issued by the FDA read, "using contaminated artificial tears increases risk of eye infections that could result in blindness and death".

However, the CDC said it was concerned that the bacteria could gain a foothold in the US, as the bacteria showed signs of spreading among asymptomatic patients, in a Connecticut care centre, who had the bacteria colonised in their bodies.

Such spread tends to occur when patients touch common items or when health care workers transmit the germs.

According to experts, pseudomonas is very hard to get rid of.

"Pseudomonas is especially difficult to eradicate, both from health care facilities, where it clings tenaciously to sink drains, water faucets and other moist environments, and from patients who develop bloodstream infections", David van Duin, an infectious disease specialist at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, was quoted as saying.

After the FDA had issued the warning in February, a group of drug inspectors from the Central and Tamil Nadu governments conducted an inspection at the company premises which is 40 km south of Chennai.

While refusing to comment on the FDA's remarks on the eyedrops, the Tamil Nadu drug regulator now said it found "no contamination" in samples of eye drops manufactured by Global Pharma, media reports said.

This is the third such incident where an Indian pharmaceutical product has come under scrutiny.

Last year, dozens of deaths were reported among children in Gambia and Uzbekistan allegedly due to Indian cough syrups.

Cough and cold syrups manufactured by New Delhi-based Maiden Pharmaceuticals were linked to deaths of at least 70 children in Gambia, while Delhi-based Marion Biotech's cough syrups were linked to the deaths of 18 children in Uzbekistan.
New Delhi, April 4 : Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK) will probe the facts regarding adoption of a resolution in the Legislative Assembly seeking an opening of a Kartarpur-type corridor between POK and Jammu and Kashmir, the media reported.

POK Prime Minister Sardar Tanveer Ilyas Khan said that an investigation had been initiated to ascertain the facts regarding the adoption of a resolution.

He shared this during his speech at a dinner hosted by him for Hurriyat leaders, The Express Tribune reported.

Khan expressed his serious concern over the resolution presented in the Legislative Assembly and said a fact-finding inquiry was underway and added it would soon be made public.

While virtually inaugurating the Maa Sharda Devi temple at Kupwara in Jammu and Kashmir on March 22, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had announced that Sharda Peeth has been a historical centre of India's cultural, religious and educational heritage, and just like the Kartarpur Corridor, the government under the Prime Minister Narendra Modi will move forward to open Sharda Peeth for devotees.

He said that due to the efforts of the Prime Minister, peace has been established in Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370, and the Kashmir Valley and Jammu are once again returning to their old traditions.

The Minister also had said that once upon a time Sharda Peeth was considered the centre of knowledge in the Indian subcontinent, scholars from all over the country used to come here in search of scriptures and spiritual knowledge.
New Delhi, April 4 : Alternative credit platform BlackSoil on Tuesday said it has raised over $25 million through its diverse debt products, and 60 per cent of were repeat investors in the recent capital raise.

The funding is in addition to the $35 million BlackSoil raised during the first half of FY23.

The company has recently invested in modern sectors such as battery swapping, online travel agency (OTA), health technology, and deep technology.

"We have witnessed a strong interest from investors, and we are confident that our robust portfolio performance in the current funding winter environment will continue to attract investors in the years to come," said Ankur Bansal, Co-Founder of BlackSoil.

Some of the notable investments Blacksoil recently made include new-age sectors such as battery swapping (Battery Smart), OTA travel (Yatra.com), discount broking (Upstox), healthtech (HealthPlix), deeptech (Tonbo Imaging) and fintech unicorn (MobiKwik).

BlackSoil currently manages an alternative credit platform and had deployed $270 million across 135 deals.

The portfolio includes investments in 9 unicorns such as Upstox, Udaan, Zetwerk, OYO Rooms, and Spinny, as well as Curefoods, a major player in the cloud kitchen industry, Blu-Smart, a pioneer in EV ride-hailing, and ideaForge, a drone manufacturer.

In October last year, the venture debt platform raised Rs 250 crore through its diverse financial products from reputed family offices, notable high net worth individuals (HNIs) and marquee institutions.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 4. Double taxation between Azerbaijan and Japan has been abolished, Trend reports.

This issue was included in today's agenda of the meeting of the Azerbaijani Parliament.

The MPs discussed the draft law on approval of the Convention "On the elimination of double taxation and the prevention of tax evasion in respect of income taxes between the Republic of Azerbaijan and Japan."

After discussions, the document was put to a vote and approved.

In December 2023, Azerbaijan and Japan signed a convention on the elimination of double taxation.
Lucknow, April 4 : Uttar Pradesh Minister for transport, Daya Shankar Singh, has obtained divorce from his wife Swati Singh, also a former Minister, ending their 22-year-old relationship.

The family court allowed divorce by mutual consent.

Swati Singh, a minister of state in the Yogi Adityanath government between 2017 and 2022, had moved an application seeking divorce from her husband Daya Shankar Singh, who was elected a BJP MLA from the Ballia Sadar Assembly seat in March 2022.

She moved a recall application last year to restore her earlier plea which had been disposed of by the court due to nonappearance of both the parties. The court had reserved its order on her application.

She had told the court that she had earlier filed divorce petition before the court against her husband in 2012 and the court had issued notice to her husband for filing his reply.

Meanwhile, she contested the Assembly election from Sarojini Nagar seat in 2017 and became an MLA.

Thereafter, she became a minister also and her divorce petition was dismissed in 2018 as she could not appear before the court, Swati Singh said in her plea.

Stating that she wanted to press for her divorce petition now and as such the dismissal order should be recalled and the petition be decided on merit, her lawyer sought to condone the delay in filing the recall application.

After hearing the plea, the court reserved its order to be delivered later.

Swati had won from Lucknow's Sarojini Nagar seat in 2017 but in 2022, the party denied her the ticket and instead fielded her husband from Ballia.

Swati Singh made headlines in July 2016, when her husband Daya Shankar Singh was expelled from the party for his alleged derogatory remarks against BSP chief Mayawati.

Thereafter, at a rally, BSP workers raised derogatory slogans against her and her daughter. She took a tough stand demanding an FIR and arrest of BSP leaders for their comments.
Seoul, April 4 : Thousands of firefighters and forest personnel were combating wildfires on Tuesday in South Korea's South Chungcheong province and the nearby city of Daejeon that have continued for the third day.

The wildfires in the county of Hongseong, 114 km south of Seoul, and the nearby cities of Dangjin and Daejeon broke out on Sunday when a dry weather warning was issued in the region, and still remain unextinguished, reports Yonhap News Agency.

Some 1,800 firefighting personnel, along with 19 fire choppers, were deployed overnight through the morning to combat the wildfire in Hongseong, but the blaze spread further due to strong winds.

The fire extinguishing rate for the Hongseong wildfire stood at 67 per cent as of 5 a.m., and 1,452 hectares of land were presumed to have been affected by the blaze.

Nearly 3,000 personnel and 188 fire engines and gear will be sent to the scene on Tuesday to bring the main body of the fire under control, forestry officials said.

Fifteen fire helicopters were separately deployed to fight the wildfire in Daejeon after sunrise, authorities also said, adding 953 personnel and a total of 85 fire engines and gear will be mobilized Tuesday to combat the fire there.

The fire extinguishing rate in the Dangjin wildfire, meanwhile, stood at 98 per cent, and more than 1,000 fire personnel were stepping up efforts to completely put out the fire.

The southern county of Hampyeong, 274 km south of Seoul, and the nearby city of Suncheon -- both in South Jeolla province -- also saw wildfires that broke out on Monday spread further overnight.

Four factories, two livestock sheds and two greenhouses were burnt down by the Hampyeong fire and 43 residents were evacuated. The fire extinguishing rate stood at 60 per cent as of 5 a.m., according to the Korea Forest Service.

The wildfire in Suncheon, meanwhile, has affected 382 ha of land, sending 89 villagers to evacuate.

Eight fire choppers were deployed after sunrise to bring the fire under control in Suncheon.
Damascus, April 4 : A fresh Israeli missile strike hit military sites in Syria's capital Damascus on Tuesday, killing two civilians, the army in the war-torn Arab nation said in a statement.

The attack, launched from the Golan Heights, had triggered the Syrian air defences, which shot down some of the missiles, Xinhua news agency quoted the statement as saying.

Meanwhile, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said the Israeli missiles hit the vicinity of the Damascus International Airport, an Iranian position near Sayyida Zaynab and Al-Ma'amil area in Al-Kiswah south of Damascus.

According to the Observatory, it has been the fourth Israeli attack since Thursday and the 10th since the beginning of 2023.

Israel has carried out hundreds of air attacks against targets inside government-controlled parts of Syria in recent years, including two missile strikes this month on Aleppo International Airport.

Israel claims the strikes are aimed at bases of Iran-allied armed groups such as Lebanon's Hezbollah.

Israel says such operations are aimed at preventing Iranian weapons from reaching armed groups in Syria that are backed by Iran.

Nearly half a million people have been killed in Syria's civil war, and around half of the country's pre-war population has been forced from their homes.
Bengaluru, April 4 : The Opposition JD(S) in Karnataka on Tuesday came down heavily on the BJP for allowing an MLA to utilise funds from the historical temple to build community centres in his constituency in Mysuru district of the state.

"So-called self proclaimed protectors of religion are treating the temple wealth as a shameless opportunity to loot money. This shows how low they can stoop," said former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy.

BJP MLA Harshavardhan from Nanjangud constituency using temple money is an insult to the gods. Once again, the saffron party stands exposed. This development also shows how the BJP has been swindling temple money in the name of projects, he added.

As per the law, the money of the temples that fall under the Muzrai department should be spent on that particular temple only. But the BJP government in the state is all set to use the money for elections, Kumaraswamy alleged.

The party would be cursed by Srikanteshwara God for its act. Why would they need temple money for building community halls? Where did the allotted funds, special grants to the constituency go? Kumaraswamy questioned.

The BJP government should stop the "foolish attempt" of its MLA to utilise the money of the God. The BJP government should take back the order given in this regard. The temple money should be used for the development of the temple only, he stated.

Nanjangud BJP MLA Harshavardhan had sought Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai's permission to use the temple money for building community halls, which was granted.
San Francisco, April 4 : Elon Musk-run Tesla has been ordered to pay $3.2 million to a worker over his racist treatment at the company.

A San Francisco jury ordered the electric car-maker to pay Owen Diaz who previously worked as an elevator operator at Tesla.

Diaz worked at the company's Fremont factory from June 2015 to May 2016 as a contract worker hired by a staffing company, about what was described as "racial abuse".

In 2021, a jury ordered Tesla to pay $137 million in damages to Diaz, which was slashed to $15 million in April last year, calling it "excessive".

Now, the jury has settled on a $3.7 million payment after Diaz challenged the judge's decision, reports The New York Times.

Diaz had claimed he worked in an environment where "daily racist epithets" were common, and he claimed Tesla did not do enough to stop it.

Tesla defended itself against the claims and said that the earlier $137 million award was not fair, and managed to reverse the award back down to $15 million.

Tesla recently countersued California Civil Rights Department (CRD), that had alleged racial bias at the electric car-maker's US factory.

The CRD had sued Tesla over allegations of Black workers being subjected to "mistreatment, harassment, unequal pay and a hostile work environment".

The automaker has been accused of racial bias at its plants in the past.
New Delho, April 4 : Vladislav Artemiev took down Magnus Carlsen as the Chessable Masters kicked off with a series of shocks across all three divisions.

The event, the second leg of Chess.com's 2 million dollar Champions Chess Tour, began on Monday with a star-studded field in Division I headed by Carlsen and American rival Hikaru Nakamura.

Right from the start, it was clear the two big beasts of online chess were in for a rough ride. Carlsen, playing in his last event as world champion, lost his first game to Artemiev after walking into a pin with 37...Rb6. It was an ultra-rare endgame blunder from the Norwegian that seemed to set the tone going forward.

Carlsen's mistake was the first of many in a topsy-turvy match that saw him go into the final game 2-1 down and needing a win to take it to an Armageddon tiebreaker.

"Magnus Carlsen losing two games with white in a day? When was the last time that happened?," GM David Howell said.

Artemiev's nerve failed to hold, however, and he made two blunders to hand Carlsen a last-gasp way back into the match. Carlsen is never easily beaten.

Yet then the Armageddon disaster truly struck for Carlsen. 38...Nxd3? It was a game-losing blunder and Artemiev hit back with 39.Rxg6+! to finally drop Carlsen down to the Losers bracket.

In the first event of the 2023 Tour season, the Airthings Masters, Carlsen took the title without losing a match. Not this time.

"It was pretty bad. He generally outplayed me ... the last game was terrible," Carlsen said after the match: Asked how he will pick himself up for next challenges, the Norwegian said: "This was a really, really awful day of chess. I did everything to lose - and then some. Obviously, it takes a strong opponent to exploit that, but that was really poor so we'll see. I will do my best tomorrow, but this is unacceptable." Meanwhile, Carlsen's big rival Nakamura also found himself in trouble early on. Like Carlsen, the American needed a comeback to take it to Armageddon and was being dominated before Vladimir Fedoseev let the win slip in heartbreaking fashion with 76.b6? Nakamura now heads the Winners bracket while Carlsen needs to beat Liem or be dumped out of the tournament.

Wesley So had been the first to confirm his place in the semi-final with a win over fellow American Levon Aronian. So recovered from a first-game loss to post two wins and take down his rival without needing the tiebreaker. Aronian now drops to the Losers bracket.

Fabiano Caruana followed with another tense Armageddon win over Vietnam's Liem Le.

"What a day it's been, just so many twists and turns. Normally when tournaments start everyone's a bit nervous, a bit cagey, we see a few quick draws here and there. But this one's just been fired all day," GM Howell told Chess.com .

Division II saw two notable results in the Round of 16 stage with Indian teen Praggnanandhaa beating Vietnam's Tuan Minh Le 3-0 and chess legend Vladimir Kramnik edging past China's Yangyi Yu 2.5-1.5. Arjun Erigaisi also beat his countryman Raunak Sadhwani 2.5-1.5.

In Division III, David Anton of Spain pulled off a shock with a 2-1 win over India's teen star Gukesh D. in the Round of 32 before eventually losing 1.5-0.5 to Alexey Sarana.
Wellington, April 4 : New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins on Tuesday appointed his predecessor Jacinda Ardern as Special Envoy for the Christchurch Call, a Wellington-led global initiative to fight terrorism and extremism after the deadly March 2019 mosque shootings.

The Special Envoy for the Christchurch Call will report directly to the Prime Minister, reports Xinhua news agency.

Ardern has declined to receive any remuneration for the new post and will commence her role on April 17, Hipkins said.

"The Christchurch Call is a foreign policy priority for the government and Jacinda Ardern is uniquely placed to keep pushing forward with the goal of eliminating violent extremist content online," the Prime Minister said.

"Terrorist and violent extremist content online is a global issue, but for many in New Zealand it is also very personal," he said, adding that the Christchurch Call is part of the response to the March 15, 2019, terror attacks on the two Christchurch mosques which killed 51 people.

The special envoy will serve as New Zealand's senior representative on Christchurch Call-related matters, working closely with France as co-leaders, according to the prime minister.

The Christchurch Call is a global initiative working across governments, the tech sector and civil society to eliminate terrorist and violent extremist content online.

It has delivered new safety tools and systems online, backed by many of those running the platforms on which this content is shared, he said.

"Work is also underway in new areas, like the way algorithms affect radicalization and how the implications of fast rising tech such as AI and augmented reality can be exploited by terrorists and violent extremists," Hipkins said.
Mumbai, April 4 : Actress Samantha Ruth Prabhu has denied talking about her former husband Naga Chaitanya and actress Sobhita Dhulipala's dating rumours.

Samantha reportedly had commented about Chaitanya and Sobhita after an old picture of the two at a restaurant went viral online. In the viral image, Chaitanya was seen posing with a chef while Shobhita was seen sitting at a table behind them.

A report claimed that Samantha had reacted to rumours of her ex-husband dating the actress.

Samantha took to Twitter, where she shared the reports and dismissing it she wrote: "I never said this!!" The actress tied the knot with Chaitanya in October 2017. However, it was in 2021, when the two announced their separation.

On the work front, Samantha will next be seen in the Indian adaptation of 'Citadel'.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Phnom Penh, April 4 : Cambodia needs $138 million for the next two years to achieve its landmine-free target by 2025, a top official said here on Tuesday.

"Of this sum, if the Cambodian government provides $30 million for each year for 2024 and 2025 as it did in 2023, we will have $60 million of the $138 million," Ly Thuch, first vice president of the Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authorities (CMAA), said during a technical working group meeting on mine action in Phnom Penh.

Thus, he said, the Southeast Asian country is looking to international donors to contribute another $78 million for this humanitarian work for 2024 and 2025, reports Xinhua news agency.

"To this end, we welcome any announcements regarding fresh funding," Thuch said.

"With your generous support, we can achieve our National Mine Action Strategy vision of 2025 as well as the Ottawa Treaty obligation to make Cambodia mine-free." The official said the above-mentioned budget is for clearing the remaining landmines on an area of 563 square kilometres only, as the kingdom still needs other funds to remove 1,322 square kilometres of land contaminated with cluster munitions and other explosive remnants of war (ERWs).

Cambodia is one of the countries worst affected by landmines, cluster munitions and ERWs.

An estimated 4 million to 6 million landmines and other munitions had been left over from three decades of war and internal conflicts that ended in 1998.

According to Yale University, between 1965 and 1973, the US dropped some 230,516 bombs on 113,716 sites in Cambodia.

Thuch said from 1992 to 2022, roughly 2,579 square kilometres of explosive hazard-contaminated land has been released for productive use such as agriculture, resettlement, roads, schools and other social infrastructure.

According to the CMAA, from 1979 to 2022, landmine, cluster bomb and ERW explosions had claimed 19,818 lives and either injured or amputated 45,187 others in Cambodia.
The Hague, April 4 : At least one person was killed and 30 others were injured after a passenger train derailed on Tuesday in Voorschoten, a small town in the western Dutch province of South Holland following a collision with a construction crane.

The accident occurred at around 3.25 a.m., according to a regional safety board.

At least 50 passengers were on the train traveling from Leiden to The Hague in South Holland, reports Xinhua news agency citing the board as saying.

The cause of the accident is yet to be ascertained.

The front carriage of the night train landed in a pasture next to the track after the accident.

Those injured were treated on-site and people with serious injuries have been taken to hospital.

The rest of the passengers were evacuated.

The nearby Leiden Central Station, which lies between The Hague and Amsterdam, has been closed, reports the BBC.

No trains to and from the city are expected to run until at least 4 p.m. (local time).

"This is an incredibly tragic accident," Voorschoten Mayor Nadine Stemerdink said.

"We regret there was also a fatality. My thoughts go out to all the family and friends of those involved." Prime Minister Mark Rutte, has expressed his condolences, as well as the King and Queen.

"Our thoughts are with the victims of the train accident at Voorschoten and their families," a statement from the Royal House reads.

"Many are now in fear and uncertainty. We deeply sympathise with all of them."
Al Ansari Financial Services, one of the leading integrated financial services groups in the UAE, has said its digital channels recorded more than 30% growth in transactions in Q1 2023 compared to the same period last year.

In March 2023, the company's digital channels broke records by achieving an unprecedented number of transactions, reaching 340,000 in total.

This remarkable growth is a testament to the reliability of the Al Ansari Exchange app and digital channels, enabling users to carry out various financial transactions at their convenience.

Cutting-edge technology

The Al Ansari Exchange app has been designed with cutting-edge technology and user-friendly features to make money transfers and other financial management services more accessible and convenient for customers.

Commenting, Rashed A. Al Ansari, Group CEO of Al Ansari Financial Services, said: "This reflects our commitment to providing our customers with innovative, seamless money transfer solutions that meet their evolving needs."

He added: "We have developed our digital channels to simplify and streamline the mobility of money and offer a range of features that enable customers to carry out their financial transactions conveniently and securely. We will continue investing in technology and innovation to enhance our customers' experience and provide the best-in-class service to them."-- TradeArabia News Service
BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 4. Uzbekistan Airways plans to increase the frequency of flights to Azerbaijans Baku, Alexander Penkhasov, a representative of the airline, told Trend.

According to him, the airline plans to increase the frequency of flights to Baku up to five times a week.

"In addition, it is expected to open new destinations in other cities of Azerbaijan, as well as expand our presence in this market. The respective exhibition taking place in Baku will allow us to demonstrate our capabilities, as well as establish new cooperation," Penkhasov said.

As the representative noted, Uzbekistan Airways carries out regular flights to Baku four times a week. Meanwhile, Uzbekistan Airways is one of the leaders in this industry in the Central Asian market.

Moreover, since March 30, 2023, Uzbekistan Airlines has introduced additional flights on the Tashkent - Baku - Tashkent route. At the same time, flights are carried out four times a week  on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays.
Chennai, April 4 : Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) member of the Kalakshetra Foundation and practicing advocate of Madras High Court, B.S. Ajeetha has resigned from the post, following the sexual allegations against some faculty members.

Girl students have alleged that some male teachers were abusing them.

Advocate B.S. Ajeetha in her letter to the Director of the Kalakshetra Foundation said, "I am disturbed at the recent developments in your institution and the response of the administration to the issues.

"The present atmosphere in the institution and the large-scale discontent of women students and staff makes me rethink whether I should continue to be an external member of the Internal Complaints Committee of the institution." Advocate Ajeetha in the letter also said that she had her own reservations regarding the responses made by the administration in the controversy.

She said that on the basis of these issues, she doesn't want to further associate with the Kalakshetra Foundation.

In her resignation letter, she said, "I don't want to associate anymore with your institution and particularly to continue as a member of the Internal Complaints Committee and I hereby tender my resignation from the membership of the ICC and it shall come into force with immediate effect." Advocate Ajeetha said that she expected that better counsel will prevail in the administration and that things would be sorted out in a judicious manner which will be affected to all the affected students.

The practicing advocate has been working for the past four years as a member of the Internal Complaints Committee of the institution constituted under the Sexual Harassment of Women at Work Places Act, 2013.

Several women students of the institute had levelled allegations of sexual abuse against the Assistant professor of the institute, Hari Padman, and three other staff members. Hari Padman has already been arrested by the Chennai Police and is in judicial custody.
Thane, April 4 : Shiv Sena (UBT) President and former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray demanded the resignation of Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis - who holds the home department - and suspension or transfer of Thane Commissioner of Police Jai Jeet Singh, here on Tuesday.

Thackeray, along with his wife Rashmi and son Aditya Thackeray, rushed to Thane where a party activist Roshani Shinde-Pawar was attacked allegedly by workers of the rival Shiv Sena of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, in his hometown.

"Recently, the Supreme Court called the Maharashtra government 'impotent', today's incident is proving it... Women are being brutally kicked and assaulted and no action is taken... What can be expected from such an 'impotent' CM," said a fuming Thackeray.

The Thackeray family along with Leader of Opposition (Council) Ambadas Danve first visited the Shinde-Pawar, then went to the Police Commissionerate to check on the status of the victim's complaint.

"When we came here, the Police Commissioner was not here... We were told that our activist (Shinde-Pawar) submitted a written complaint to the police, along with the names of the attackers, and there are videos of the incident, but so far the FIR has not been registered... It has been regularly happening that when our people are attacked, the police don't take action," said Thackeray.

Referring to the incident, the ex-CM said that once considered a 'cultural thana' (cultural hub), Thane is now becoming a 'goonda thane' (goon centre), where politicians and journalists are being threatened or assaulted, and now even 'female goons' are indulging in 'goondagiri'.

Under such circumstances, Thackeray said that "we have a 'coward' (Fattus) home minister (Fadnavis), who has lost the right to continue and must resign".

"When someone spies in his home he appoints a SIT, but when goons assault a woman activist, no action... If you cannot handle the work, then quit, Even the CoP must be suspended or transferred..." demanded Thackeray.

A massive political brawl erupted after a Sena (UBT) activist was attacked late on Monday evening allegedly by some four-five dozen women and some men activists of the rival Shiv Sena in the Kasarvadavali area of Thane, Shinde's hometown.

She was rushed to a private hospital by her colleagues and is presently in the ICU where her condition is described as stable with some minor internal organ injuries.

Condemning the incident, senior Sena (UBT) leader Sushma Andhare said that the victim (Shinde-Pawar) is seven-months pregnant and yet she was pounced upon, pulled, kicked and punched allegedly by the rival Shiv Sena.

"This has been regularly happening all over the state... There is another party worker Girish Kolhe who also hammered in the CM's home town, and another woman activist beaten up in Kalyan town," said Andhare.

"When we (the Opposition) go to lodge police complaints, we are not entertained, but culprits supporting the ruling alliance are given priority in lodging complaints against us and immediate action is taken," Andhare said.

Shinde-Patil made a social media post allegedly taking a potshot at the CM which did not go down well with his supporters, resulting in the attack.
Los Angeles, April 4 : Actor Hugh Jackman has revealed he is undergoing further skin cancer tests after a recent medical check-up and is urging fans to follow sun safety advice.

The 54-year-old actor took to social media to urge his followers to take sun safety seriously as he revealed his health news, reports mirror.co.uk.

Wearing a bandage on his nose, the star said he is expecting his results in the next few days.

The actor had his first skin cancer removed back in 2013 and had at least six procedures since then.

Jackman explained that his doctor had noticed "little things which could be, or could not be basal cell (carcinomas)".

Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is non-melanoma and usually appears as a small, shiny pink or pearly-white lump with a translucent or waxy appearance. It can also look like a red, scaly patch, according to the NHS, reports mirror.co.uk.

Overall, treatment is successful for at least nine out of 10 people with non-melanoma skin cancer.

The actor reassured his fans the cancer is the "least dangerous" but hopes his scare leads to others staying safe in the sun.

"Please wear sunscreen, it is just not worth it, no matter how much you want a tan. Trust me!" he said.

"This is all stuff that happened 25 years ago and it's coming out now. Put some sunscreen on and you'll still have an incredible time out there. Please be safe." Back in 2015, Jackman told 'People' magazine his skin cancer diagnosis had come as a surprise.

The actor is best known for playing Wolverine in the X-Men films and has also appeared in a number of other films such as 'Australia' and 'Real Steel'.
Bengaluru, April 4 : The government's Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) platform will democratise ecommerce for millions of small retailers in India, paving the way for the rise of more dedicated distribution and logistics companies, Infosys Chairman and Co-founder Nandan Nilekani said on Tuesday.

According to him, ONDC will not be limited to a few players but everyone in India -- a person owning a small grocery store, a small electronics retailer or a restaurant owner -- bringing millions of such people on the e-commerce marketplace and buyers will come from any consumer app.

"Today, India has achieved financial inclusion in about seven-eight years with homegrown technologies like Aadhaar, UPI, QR code and more. The next step is to connect millions of small retailers to mainstream ecommerce with ONDC to create a robust digital public infrastructure," Nilekani said during a PhonePe launch event.

The fintech major announced the launch of a new Shopping app called "Pincode", built on top of the ONDC platform.

The app will focus on hyperlocal commerce and is now available for download on Google Play Store and App Store. Pincode is currently live only for customers in Bengaluru and will launch in other cities very soon, said the company.

Nilekani said that the government is going to democratise ecommerce to take it to the masses.

PhonePe said ONDC can foster the rapid growth of a new hyperlocal ecommerce business model. Apart from local buyers and sellers, such a model will also benefit other ecosystem participants like the last mile logistics and inventory management players "Pincode is built on the ONDC network, which allows us to generate demand for merchants digitized by various seller platforms in an inclusive manner, while creating new opportunities for growth and driving innovation at scale," said Sameer Nigam, CEO and Founder PhonePe.
Gangtok, April 4 : Scores of tourists were caught by an avalanche on Tuesday while taking photos along the snow-covered hill side of Jawaharlal Nehru Marg which connects Gangtok to the tourism spots of Tsomgo Lake and Nathula border. Casualties are feared even though relief and rescue operations are going on a war-footing to extract the trapped tourists under the avalanche.

The initial estimate is that about 30 tourists were caught by the avalanche, as per the BRO.

The calamity took place near 17th Mile of Jawaharlal Nehru Marg at around 12.15 pm, about 25 km away from Gangtok.

As per information available, rescue and relief operations are being undertaken by Sikkim Police, BRO, Army, government departments and tour operators. The figures of injuries and fatalities are not known immediately.

Since past two-three weeks, the higher altitudes of Sikkim including Tsomgo Lake and Nathu La have received heavy snowfall. On many occasions, tourists returning from Tsomgo Lake and Nathu La had been stranded due to afternoon snowstorm blocking the road.

A tour operator informed that on Tuesday, tourists going to Tsomgo Lake had stopped near 17th Mile where the road was blocked with heavy snowfall. The tourists went walking to the hill side to take photos and enjoy the snow when suddenly an avalanche came down and washed away scores of tourists down the road.

Videos circulating in social media show some tourists being pulled out from the avalanche. Many tourists had been washed away down below the road into the gorge. Some could be seen lying unconscious on top of the snow below the road.

A BRO source informed that 17 tourists have been pulled out from the avalanche and shifted to Army hospitals nearby.

Meanwhile, about 350 tourists who were not in the avalanche zone are returning back to Gangtok after the BRO cleared the road towards the state capital.
New Delhi: King of Bhutan Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck pays homage to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat, in New Delhi, on Tuesday, April 4, 2023.(Photo:IANS/Twitter) Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi, April 4 : India on Tuesday assured Bhutan of help to support its upcoming 13th five-year plan and also promised to extend an additional standby credit facility.

Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra, while briefing about Prime Minister Narendra Modi's meeting with visiting Bhutan King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuk earlier in the day, said in the meeting it was agreed that India would step up its support for Bhutan's upcoming 13th five-year plan.

"India will work to extend an additional standby credit facility. We will work to shape long-term sustainable arrangements for export of agricultural commodities from Bhutan. Also work to develop long-term bilateral arrangements for assured supply of critical commodities like petroleum and coal," Kwatra said.

During his meeting with the king of Bhutan, the Prime Minister reiterated to continue support for socio-economic reforms in Bhutan, the foreign secretary informed further.

"Bhutan King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck is on a special visit to India. His ongoing visit was long in the planning and takes forward the long exchanges between India and Bhutan," Kwatra added.
Patna, April 4 : After Union Home Minister Amit Shah claimed that his party will contest all 40 Lok Sabha seats of Bihar in 2024, Lok Janshakti Party Ram Vilas (LJPR) hinted that his party will also contest on all 40 seats as well.

After reaching Patna, Paswan said: "Every party wants to expand its reach. Amit Shah is doing the same. We are also preparing to contest Lok Sabha election 2024 on all 40 seats. You know that we recently went to Biharsharif Nalanda to strengthen our party and I am going to Mokama today. So we are also preparing to contest all seats of Bihar." "You know that LJPR has a party structure in all Lok Sabha constituencies of Bihar and they are working well," he said.

When asked about the collaboration with his uncle's party Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party (RLJP), Chirag Paswan said that it is not possible in this life.

Chirag Paswan, Pasupati Kumar Paras and Upendra Kushwaha are openly supporting BJP. They were expecting alliance with BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha election. But, after the announcement of Amit Shah, it would be a big jolt to these three leaders.

Amit Shah, during the Nawada rally on Sunday claimed that BJP will contest Lok Sabha election on all 40 seats of Bihar.

Besides Lok Sabha poll preparation, Chirag Paswan also targetted Chief Minister NItish Kumar for the violence during Ram Navami in Sasaram and Biharsharif.

"CM Nitish Kumar is also a home minister of the state. Where was his intelligence? How the stones were stored on the rooftops of the buildings and district administration of Sasaram and Biharsharif were clueless about it. Who is responsible for it? The state government has completely failed in preventing such violence in these two places," Paswan said.

"The party of Nitish Kumar is blaming BJP for the conspiracy. If this is true, then expose its leaders with solid proofs. Arrest the accused and put them behind bars," he said.
Mumbai, April 4 : Actor Malhar Thakar, who predominantly works in the Gujarati film industry, has collaborated with the south superstar Nayanthara for his upcoming film 'Shubh Yatra' the second poster of which was released recently.

For Malhar, working with the actress, who dons the hat of producer on his film was a memorable experience.

Directed and produced by National Award-winning director Manish Saini, the Gujarati film also features Monal Gajjar, Darshan Jariwala, Hemin Trivedi and Magan Luhar in the lead roles. This is the first time South Industry is entering Gujarati Film Industry, with Nayanthara and Vignesh Shivan producing the film.

Sharing his experience of working with Nayanthara, Malhar told IANS, "Working with Nayanthara was an incredible experience for me. She is a phenomenal actress who has also produced noteworthy films. Nayanthara is a senior and experienced artist, and collaborating with her on the project was a blessing for all of us. I am very grateful to her for considering me for this role." Malhar also mentioned that the character he plays in the film is quite different from his past roles and had a certain novelty in itself.

He shared, "I am known as a happy-go-lucky guy in the industry and this also reflects in the roles I play. Personally, I love humorous films, and particularly those that depict the normality of life. I incorporate this element in every character I play and believe this is a unique approach that suits my acting style. I have thoroughly enjoyed portraying each of the characters in my previous movies but this one is special. Although Mohan is relatable, he is quite different from the characters I have played in the past.

"The audience will get to see a different side of me as I portray the character of Mohan, and I am confident that they will enjoy his presence on the screens. I always seek to experiment with my roles and explore different characters, and "Shubh Yatra" presented a great opportunity for me to do that," he concluded.

'Shubh Yatra' has been produced under the banner of Rowdy Pictures and will be Malhar's first release of 2023 on the silver screen.
New Delhi, April 4 : An estimated 3.14 million professionals are needed to fill the global cybersecurity workforce gap globally and in India, the skill shortage has contributed to critical IT positions not being filled, increasing organisations' cyber risks such as breaches, a report warned on Tuesday.

Around 92 per cent of Indian organisations experienced cyber breaches in 2022, underlining an urgent need for cybersecurity skills training, according to the report by cyber-security firm Fortinet.

The '2023 Global Cybersecurity Skills Gap Report' also found that 24 per cent of Indian organisations experienced five or more breaches.

"The report shows that over 80 per cent of respondents find it challenging to hire certified professionals, which puts organisations at risk. To strengthen their security postures and stay ahead of the growing cyber threat landscape, it's essential for organisations to prioritise cybersecurity training and upskilling," said Vishak Raman, Vice President of Sales, India, SAARC and Southeast Asia at Fortinet.

One repercussion of this is that many short-staffed cybersecurity teams are burdened and strained as they try to keep up with thousands of daily threat alerts and attempt to manage disparate solutions to properly protect their organisation's devices and data.

Additionally, as a result of unfilled IT positions due to the cyber skills shortage, the report also found that 84 per cent of organisations in India indicate they face additional cyber risks.

Nearly half of organisations in India (among those surveyed) suffered breaches in the past 12 months that cost more than $1 million to remediate, which is up from 38 per cent of organisations compared to last year's report.

"At the same time, 69 per cent of Indian organisations expect the number of cyberattacks to increase over the next 12 months, further compounding the need to fill crucial cyber positions to help strengthen organisations' security postures," the report added.
Islamabad, April 4 : Two policemen, on a motorcycle patrol, were killed by unidentified militants in Kohat in Pakistan's Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province despite wearing safety gear, media reports said.

In a shocking revelation, a police report said that the bullets penetrated through their bulletproof jacket leading to the tragic loss of life, Geo News reported.

The attack occurred as constables Qasim and Ayaz headed to 'Taraweeh' (additional prayers during the first 10 days of Ramzan) duty on a motorcycle in the Tapi area. The miscreants opened fire on them from the front.

The incident prompted an investigation to determine how this could have happened as it raised concerns about the quality and effectiveness of such protective gear. The report has led to critical questions about the level of protection provided to law enforcement personnel, Geo News reported.

According to a police spokesperson, Constable Qasim was hit by four bullets that penetrated his bulletproof jacket and struck him in the chest, Geo News reported.

The report also noted that both the jacket and helmet were damaged in the gun assault. Police cordoned off the area to track down the attackers.

Inspector General of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police, Akhtar Hayat Khan Gandapur, said he has ordered a thorough investigation into how the bullets penetrated the bulletproof jackets.

He said the police department will conduct an investigation into the incident where bullets passed through the jackets and helmets of two law enforcement officers, Geo News reported. The department aims to ascertain the reason behind the equipment's failure to protect them, he added.
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Gangtok, April 4 : The Border Road Organisation (BRO) on Tuesday rescued a total of 350 tourists stranded in east Sikkim after they were stuck in a sudden avalanche, defence sources said.

Quoting BRO Chief Engineer Brigadier Ahalawat, Defence Spokesman Lt. Col Mahendra Rawat said that BRO's project Swastik immediately launched a swift rescue operation after the tourists got trapped in a sudden avalanche at Jawahar Lal Nehru Marg on the National Highway 310.

He said that six tourists were rescued from a deep valley and shifted to nearby hospitals. A woman remained buried for 1.5 hours under the snow before being rescued and sent to STNM Hospital.

Rescue operations are under progress and further details are awaited.
New Delhi, April 4 : Indian on Tuesday said that it is closely monitoring developments which have a direct impact on its national interest, in respect to China.

Foreign secretary Vinay Kwatra, briefing media persons about visiting Bhutan King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuk's meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said that the "government very closely follows all developments which have a bearing on our national interest and we would take all necessary measures to safeguard them as necessary".

His response came to to a question on whether the Bhutanese side briefed the Indian side on China.

Bhutan is a strategically important country for India and the defence and security ties between the two sides have witnessed significant expansion in the last few years.

During his meeting with the Bhutan king, Prime Minister Modi assured the Himalayan kingdom of help to support its upcoming 13th five-year plan and also promised to extend an additional standby credit facility.

India has been helping Bhutan in its five-year plan periods since 1961.

During the peak of Coronavirus pandemic, India had sent vaccines to Bhutan.

India-Bhutan ties have witnessed an upward trajectory in the backdrop of the 2017 Doklam stand-off between Indian and Chinese troops which had lasted for 73 days.

India had objected to China's attempts of extending a road in an area, which Bhutan claimed belonged to it. This led to the stand-off.

Doklam holds strategic importance for India.

The stand-off was resolved after several rounds of talks between India and China.

Subsequently in October 2021, Bhutan and China signed an agreement to expedite their long standing border dispute. Both nations share a 400-km long boundary.

The Bhutan king had visited India last year also on a transit visit in September.
Gurugram, April 4 : A group of doctors from Indian Medical Association (IMA) Gurugram, carried out a protest in the city on Tuesday against the Right to Health Bill which was passed by the Rajasthan assembly last week.

IMA Gurugram has also extended support to the doctors of Rajasthan in protest against the Bill. To observe the protest, all types of private medical services remained closed in the entire Haryana on Tuesday.

More than 500 doctors staged a protest against the Rajasthan government's decision.

On Tuesday, doctors in Gurugram observed a 24-hour strike across Haryana. Hundreds of doctors took to the streets in Cyber City Gurugram to protest against the Rajasthan government's Right to Health Bill.

"There is a provision in the Right to Health Bill like giving treatment to the patient without charging in an emergency. Due to this, the doctors will not only have to face loss, but the cases of quarrels in the hospital will also increase. The Rajasthan government has not clarified how much and when it will pay the bills of the patients admitted in an emergency. Similarly, there are many such provisions in the Bill which are not in the interest of the doctors," said a protesting doctor.

The protesting doctors have made it clear that until this bill is withdrawn, this protest will continue.
Karachi, April 4 : The Pakistani rupee hit a new all-time low, at Rs 288 against the US dollar, on Tuesday in the interbank market amid delays in the revival of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan programme and the looming high risk of default on foreign debt repayment, media reports said.

The currency slumped 1 per cent (or Rs 2.86) to Rs287.90 against the greenback at around 10.23 a.m. on Tuesday. A day earlier, the rupee had closed at Rs 285.04 per US dollar, the Express Tribune reported.

Last month, the rupee had hit a record low, closing at Rs 285.09 per US dollar on February 3, it added.

Market talks suggest that importers have resumed the panic buying of US dollars, while the supply of foreign currency remained low in the interbank market.

Pakistan Finance Minister Ishaq Dar would visit the US on April 10-16 and make efforts to resume the IMF loan programme worth $6.5 billion.

The government said that during his visit, Dar will be attending the annual meetings of the IMF and World Bank along with other high officials in Washington DC, Express Tribune reported.

Pakistan has remained in talks with the Fund since late January to resume the programme stalled since November 2022.

The delay has caused choking inflows of foreign financing. Accordingly, the country's foreign exchange reserves have depleted to a critically low level at $4.2 billion at present.

The low foreign exchange reserves pose a serious threat of a likely default on foreign debt repayment in the near future, Express Tribune reported.

The government further said that Saudi Arabia has signalled a new bailout package for Pakistan, but how much and when it will be rolled out remains uncertain.

According to experts, the IMF and friendly countries have stopped aiding Pakistan due to heightened political and economic instability in the country, Express Tribune reported.
Toronto, April 4 : Crown prosecutors in Canada's British Columbia province have decided not to press any charges in the violent killing of Indo-Canadian activist and filmmaker Manbir Mani Amar in 2022, media reports said.

Amar, a 40 year-old father of three, was fatally injured on August 31, 2022 during a physical altercation between two neighbours, leading to the arrest of one person.

British Columbia (BC) Prosecution spokesperson Dan McLaughlin told Global News that the case didn't meet the standard for charge assessment according to the Crown.

"The BC prosecution Service can confirm that, after carefully reviewing all the investigative materials submitted by IHIT (Integrated Homicide Investigation Team) investigators, no charges were approved in the case," McLaughlin said.

When conducting charge assessment, prosecutors must weigh both whether the case has a substantial likelihood of conviction and whether it is in the public interest, he said.

"In determining whether this test is satisfied, Crown Counsel must consider what material evidence is likely to be admissible and available at a trial; the objective reliability of the admissible evidence; and whether there are viable defences, or other legal or constitutional impediments to the prosecution, that remove any substantial likelihood of a conviction," McLaughlin told Global News.

He, however, did not say what exactly did not meet the prosecution service's standards to proceed in Amar's case.

"This was an isolated incident between two neighbours, tragically this situation escalated to a point where a life was taken," Sergeant Timothy Pierotti of IHIT had said after the incident.

Amar had produced documentaries and short films focusing on guns and gangs in Vancouver. His 2009 award-winning documentary, "A Warrior's Religion" provided an insight into the gang life in Vancouver's South Asian communities.

The IMDB describes his feature film "Footsteps Into Gangland", as "an adaptation of true events that shattered Metro Vancouver's South Asian community".
Kolkata, April 4 : The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Tuesday received permission from the Calcutta High Court to file a contempt of court petition against West Bengal government for the latter's "non- cooperation" in handing over documents related to the attack on the convoy of Union Minister Nisith Pramanik, allegedly by Trinamool Congress activists, on February 25.

The CBI had approached the division bench of Acting Chief Justice T.S. Sivagnanam and Justice Hiranmoy Bhattacharya on this count on Tuesday morning, and it gave permission. The hearing in the matter will start from this week.

On March 28, the division bench of then Chief Justice Prakash Srivastava and Justice Rajarshi Bharadwaj had directed the CBI to probe the attack on Pramanik's convoy.

However, the CBI's allegation had been that till date the state government had not handed over the related documents pertaining to the case to the central agency sleuths. Meanwhile, since Justice Srivastava has retired, the CBI approached the division bench of Justice Sivagnanam and Justice Bhattacharya seeking permission to file the contempt of court case against the state government.

Meanwhile, although the state government has approached the Supreme Court challenging the March 28 order by the division bench of Justice Srivastava (retired) and Justice Bharadwaj, the apex court is yet to give any stay on the CBI probe. The contention of the CBI counsel is that since the apex court is yet to give a stay in the matter the directive of the division bench on March 28 should be adhered to by the state government.

On February 25, the vehicle of Pramanik was attacked allegedly by Trinamool activists at Burihat under Dinhata Assembly constituency in Cooch Behar while it was passing through the area. The situation got tense as Trinamool and BJP supporters clashed with each other, throwing brickbats and stones, smashing the glass window of Pramanik's car in the process.

The minister, however, did not sustain any injury as his security personnel safely escorted him out of the area, which by then had turned into a virtual battlefield.

Pramanik alleged that besides stones and bricks, the ruling party workers also hurled crude bombs targeting his convoy, his security personnel and local BJP supporters.
Mumbai, April 4 : 'Aggar Tum Na Hote' actress Simaran Kaur has shared her shooting experience in Pattaya, Thailand for her latest music video 'Sharminda'.

She said: "'Sharminda' is a music video about heartbreak. The guy cheats on the girl and later the girl confronts him. It is a very heart wrenching and touching song. We went to Thailand to shoot this song and shot at beautiful locations in Pattaya." The actress further added about the kind of response she is getting for her music video and said that it is overwhelming.

She said listeners are liking the lyrics and music.

"I am getting such a great response for this music video, very happy for that. I'm getting lot of appreciation for my acting and performance and fans are really liking my expressions in the song. On social media, I'm getting a lot of messages from all my fans saying that they got really emotional after watching the song, so I think if people are getting connected by your performance and the song is touching the right chords, that's the best compliment.

"Briefing about her future projects, she shared: "I have shot for two more music videos. Shooting is completed and they will also get released very soon." Directed by Ramji Gulati, 'Sharminda' is out now.
Bengaluru, April 4 : In a horrific incident, a specially-abled woman was allegedly raped by a 65-year-old from Mangaluru city of Dakshina Kannada district in Karnataka on Tuesday.

The police have launched a hunt for the rapist who has disappeared after the incident.

According to police, the accused has been identified as Raja Bhat, a resident of Surinje. The complaint in this regard had been lodged with Mangaluru Womens' Police Station.

Police explained that the victim resided with her brother's family. When the victim's brother and her sister-in-law had gone out for work, the accused had entered the house and raped her.

The neighbours who observed something amiss informed the family members of the victim. After finding out that the accused raped the victim, a complaint was registered with Surathkal police station. Later, the case was transferred to the Women's Police Station.

Police said that the accused Raja Bhat is living alone in a rented house. After observing that the specially-abled woman is alone at home during day-time, he planned and committed the crime. He is absconding after a complaint was lodged against him. Investigation is on in the case.
New Delhi, April 4 : Following the successful launch of their unified reservations system, Air India's subsidiary airlines - Air India Express and AirAsia India - are now focusing on cutting over to common airport check-in systems in a phased manner at all international terminals in India, followed by the overseas network.

The unified customer interface of Air India Express and AirAsia India has witnessed a surge of visitors within days of launch with the platform, contributing over 25 per cent of international flight revenue on the first day itself.

Nearly half the bookings on airindiaexpress.com have been from international markets, with Dubai being the largest source city of traffic and other top international sources of traffic being Abu Dhabi, Doha, Sharjah, and Singapore. Domestic traffic and bookings on the platform have come from metro markets like Bengaluru, Delhi and Mumbai, reflecting the domestic network and hubs of AirAsia India.

Flyers of both airlines are now logging in, booking, and managing reservations for both Air India Express and AirAsia India flights on the unified website, launched as a milestone in the integration of the two airlines.

The new website is built on the platform of the AirAsia India website developed by Tata Consultancy Services with the support of Tata Digital and provides a significantly enhanced booking, support and travel experience for Air India Express customers from its historical platform.

The launch of the new website was enabled by the migration to a common reservations and check-in system, which now unifies the entire commercial ecosystem of the two airlines.

As part of the integration, brand communications and support have also moved to common social media handles on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Online reputation management tools indicate that the integrated social media handles have the highest social reputation score amongst all Indian airlines, driven by faster response and resolution times and massive positive sentiment and feedback on the user experience of the new website and support channels.

With a unified sustainability strategy, the website also offers flyers the opportunity to offset their carbon footprint by planting a tree for every booking, with a geo-location tagged URN Certificate.

On the warm response to the integrated platform, Aloke Singh, Managing Director, Air India Express and AirAsia India, said: "The initial phase of integration of Air India Express and AirAsia India has been executed in a robust manner in record time. We have successfully migrated to modern day technology from the legacy systems that were dominant. This migration has been built by leveraging the existing strong attributes of AirAsia India with additional deployment of relevant tech solutions. We are working on adding even more unique featuresAand integrated service which will deliver enhanced experience and strengthen our position in the minds of the customers."
Hyderabad, April 4 : Hyderabad police have arrested a Nigerian national in a case of an online gift fraud in which he, along with four other accused, cheated a person to the tune of Rs 1.22 crore.

The team of Cyber Crimes Police Station nabbed Onuigbo Chibuzo Godwin alias Bobby, 42, in New Delhi.

According to police, he was maintaining fake bank accounts, SMS alert mobile numbers and used to give information to prime accused persons Sequro and Okwuchukwu who are residing in Nigeria regarding fraudulent transactions in those fake accounts.

The accused were cheating innocent people on the pretext of gift fraud. Bobby used to receive 20 per cent on credited amounts towards his share.

Bakayoko Lassina, a national of Ivory Coast (West Africa) and Shoma Purkayastha alias Shoma Prasad Purkayastha of Meghalaya were arrested in February 2023 in the same case. The Nigerian mastermind Bobby has now been arrested. Police seized laptops, mobile phones, SIM cards, bank passbooks and debit cards from his possession.

Police said Sequro and Okwuchukwu based in Nigeria are absconding.

According to police, the accused used to create fake Facebook profiles impersonating US/UK nationals and send friend requests to Indians of the opposite sex. Later after becoming friends, they used to chat over WhatsApp. After a few days of chatting, they would become very close friends. After gaining some confidence they inform the victims that they are going to send costly gifts, jewellery etc and later used to contact the victims with fake mobile numbers posing as if they were from the Customs Department and used to collect money in the name of RBI charges, customs, GST and other charges. They convinced the victims to deposit amounts in given fake bank accounts.

--IANS ms/vd

AA
New Delhi, April 4 : Online searches for cryptocurrency 'Dogecoin' on Google skyrocketed by a whopping 1,992 per cent worldwide after Elon Musk changed Twitter's bird logo to Dogecoin's shiba inu on April 3, a new report showed on Tuesday.

The finding by Japanese online casino guide 6Takarakuji revealed that this is an increase of over 20 times the search interest compared to average levels over the last seven days.

'Buy Doge' and 'buy Dogecoin' searches also soared 1,044 and 253 per cent respectively, and Shiba Inu coin also saw a 132 per cent rise.

"Elon Musk shows his power with a single logo change. By removing the iconic Twitter bird logo, Musk demonstrates that Twitter belongs to him. The effects of his actions are evident in the surge of user interest in Dogecoin, as investors rush to buy Doge to catch any potential yields as the price shoots up. But how long will it last?" a spokesperson at 6Takarakuji said.

Moreover, the report showed that Google searches for 'Twitter' have leapt over the last seven days, rising 38 per cent as users noticed the change.

According to Google Trends data, almost three-quarters (72 per cent) of top searches for Twitter over the last seven days relate to the new logo, which has created a buzz among internet users.

Further, the report mentioned that Dogecoin's price has jumped more than 30 per cent and is now ranked the seventh most valuable cryptocurrency by CoinMarketCap.com, overtaking Cardano.
New Delhi, April 4 : Congress is facing a tough task to keep both Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar in good humour ahead of the Assembly elections in Karnataka as both the leaders are chief ministerial aspirants.

The party's Central Election Committee met on Tuesday to finalise the second list of candidates at Congress headquarters in Delhi, where both the leaders were present. The second list is likely to be announced soon. Congress had announced its first list of 124 candidates on March 25.

Clarifying his statement, Siddaramaiah said that "Both he and DK DK Shivakumar are aspirants for the chief ministerial post and the primary responsibility of us is to bring back the Congress to power." Earlier, a statement was attributed to Siddaramaiah that he has spoken against Shivakumar which he said is false and misinterpreted.

Shivakumar too said that, "the Congress workers and leaders' aim is to bring back the party to power." The two leaders are said to be at loggerheads over various issues and the rift has widened on the issue of the next chief minister of Karnataka.

Ahead of the Central Election Committee meeting, party chief Mallikarjun Kharge said, "The committee will consider the names of candidates who are strong and can win in the election and give a considerable fight to the opponent." He said that the committee will prefer a consensus on the names of the candidates.

According to insiders, the selection of candidates for 30 constituencies is crucial as powerful candidates are aspirants for each of the seats. There is a chance of dissidence and leaders are carefully considering the candidatures so that the BJP do not get any advantage. The party will have to announce a list of 100 candidates. The party will have to accommodate leaders who have resigned from other party posts and joined the Congress.

Some leaders have already staged protests and urged that the leaders who worked for the Congress for years must be considered. The party is upbeat as it has not faced any major discord after the announcement of the first list of candidates.
London, April 4 : There has been a resurgence in global emissions of several ozone-destroying chemicals that were banned worldwide in 2010, according to a study by an international team of researchers from the UK, US, Switzerland, Australia, and Germany.

Chlorofluorocarbons or CFCs -- known to destroy the Earth's protective ozone layer -- were once widely used in the manufacture of hundreds of products including aerosol sprays, such as blowing agents for foams and packing materials, solvents, and in refrigeration.

But CFC production for such uses was banned under the Montreal Protocol in 2010.

However, the international treaty did not eliminate the creation of CFCs during production of other chemicals including hydrofluorocarbons or HFCs, which were developed as second-generation replacements for CFCs.

In the study, published in the journal Nature Geoscience, the researchers stated that the rise in emissions may be due to their use in the production of HFCs used primarily in refrigeration and air conditioning.

"Combined, their emissions are equal to the carbon dioxide emissions in 2020 for a smaller developed country like Switzerland. That's equivalent to about one per cent of the total greenhouse gas emissions in the US," said lead author Luke Western, a Research Fellow at Bristol.

While emissions from these CFCs currently do not significantly threaten ozone recovery, but because they're potent greenhouse gases they can still affect the climate, the researchers warned.

The study focused on five CFCs with few, or no, known current uses -- CFC-13, CFC-112a, CFC-113a, CFC-114a, and CFC-115 -- and that have atmospheric lifetimes ranging from 52-640 years.

CFC-113a, CFC-114a and CFC-115 - are currently used in production of HFCs that replaced CFCs in air conditioning, refrigerators, and fire extinguishers.

But the study could not find drivers behind increasing emissions of the other two -- CFC-13 and CFC-112a. These are not even used in the production of HFCs.

Importantly, the team could not identify particular locations of the rising global emissions.

"We don't really know where it's coming from and that's really a bit scary," Stefan Reimann, a researcher from Empa, the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, said at a recent press briefing.

The study noted these emissions might be reduced or avoided by reducing leakages associated with HFC production and by properly destroying any co-produced CFCs.

"The key takeaway is that the production process for some of the CFC-replacement chemicals may not be entirely ozone-friendly, even if the replacement chemicals themselves are," Western said.
London, April 4 : The London School of Economics (LSE) has said it will be conducting an external review of its students' union elections after an Indian student alleged that he was disqualified from elections due to "anti-India rhetoric" and "Hinduphobia" prevalent on the campus.

The London School of Economics Students' Union (LSESU) said in a statement that it has a firm zero tolerance stance towards any form of harassment and/or bullying, and operates in a fair and democratic manner.

"...given the impact this experience has had on some of the candidates involved, we will be conducting an external review this time around and will endeavour to update the community accordingly," the statement read.

Karan Kataria, a 22 year-old from Haryana pursuing post-graduate studies at LSE, said he was disqualified last week from running for the General Secretary of the LSESU because of his "Indian and Hindu identity".

He claimed in a statement posted on Twitter that he faced "personal, vicious, and targeted" attacks, and was "accused of being homophobic, Islamophobic, queerphobic, and Hindu nationalist".

He further said that despite receiving immense support from students of all nationalities, he was disqualified from the General Secretary election of the LSESU.

In reply to Kataria's claims, LSESU said the candidate was disqualified as he breached election rules.

"Candidates and campaigners must maintain a reasonable distance (around 2 metres) from anyone who is casting their vote. You cannot, under any circumstances, stand over a student or talk to them while they are voting -- even if they ask you for help. If they are struggling to vote, take them to an SU polling station or ask them to email us," the LSESU said in its statement.

The Students' Union said Kataria was given an opportunity to appeal the decision made by the Returning Officer as set out in the LSESU Bye Laws. Kataria then submitted an appeal that was considered by the remaining four members of the Democracy Committee.

Following their review of the evidence, the original decision was upheld.

Stating that all candidates are governed by a clear set of policies, procedures, protocols and election rules, the LSESU said it "always undertakes a review of how our elections have been delivered. We are confident that all decisions were followed according to due process and best practice".

Kataria said the LSESU cancelled his candidature "undemocratically", and has not provided any proof or evidence of the allegations against him.

He also said that on the last polling day, Indian students were bullied and targeted for their national and Hindu religious identities.

The students raised this issue, but the LSESU brushed it aside by not acting against the bullies, Kataria alleged.

The LSE has about 11,000 students of which more than 60 per cent come from outside of the UK.
Chennai, April 4 : Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Tuesday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to exclude the state's Cauvery Delta region from the coal bidding process to protect the interest of the farmers.

The Union government had last week commenced the launch of the seventh round of bidding process for commercial coal to increase the availability of the dry fuel in the country.

Of these, three mining areas that were notified were in Tamil Nadu - Sethiathoppu in Cuddalore, Michealpatti in Ariyalur, and Vadaseri in Thanjavur.

The Chief Minister, in the letter to the Prime Minister, said: "Delta areas should be excluded from the coal bidding process. No approval was obtained from the state government before issuing the notification in this regard and the state government was not even consulted. Unfortunately, the Union Coal Ministry is acting arbitrarily.

"The three mining areas in Tamil Nadu, Sethialathoppu in Cuddalore, Michealpatti in Ariyalur, and Vadaseri in Thanjavur - should be excluded from the auction process due to the presence of valuable farmer's land and food security of the people." "It is also emphasized that the state government should be consulted by ministries of the Union government before issuing such public announcements." All three coal mining blocks in Tamil Nadu fall under the Cauvery Delta area of Tamil Nadu with Vadaseri and East Sethiathope falling within the Protected Agriculture Zone under the Tamil Nadu Protected Agriculture Zone Development Act 2020. The Michaelpatti block falls under a major paddy growing area adjoining a very fertile part of the Cauvery Delta.

Stalin, in his letter, also noted that under Section 4(1) of the Tamil Nadu Protected Agriculture Zone Development Act 2020, " no person shall undertake any new project or new activity specified in the Second Schedule in the protected agriculture zone".

He said that the projects covered in the Second Schedule and thus prohibited include exploration, drilling, and extraction of oil and natural gas including coal-bed based methane, shale gas, and other hydrocarbons.

Stalin said that the present bid conditions include the exploitation of coal bed methane and hence are covered within the prohibition of the Tamil Nadu Agriculture Zone Development Act 2020. He said that this means that even if the tender process is conducted and a successful bidder is identified, it would not be possible to take up the mining project.

He also wrote that this implies that the auction process was a wasteful exercise as far as the identified blocks in Tamil Nadu are concerned.

Meanwhile, state Agriculture Minister M.R.K. Panneerselvam told media persons at the Secretariat on Tuesday that the DMK-led government will not allow any projects like mining in the Delta region.

"Farmers in the protected agriculture zone need not fear the notification. The Chief Minister is committed to protecting farmers and banning mines. So there is no need to worry about it," he said.
Jaipur, April 4 : Adarsh Vidya Mandir School in Rajasthan's Jaipur district became India's first digitised school where students will not need to carry textbooks and heavy bags when they go to study.

It is the first school to offer a STEM Robotics & AI Programme with the US curriculum and certifications which is the first of its kind in India, said Satish Jha, Chairman of Ashraya.

A total of 350 students of this school will now study with Tablets which have been distributed to them as well as the teachers which count 25 in number, by Ashraya, a non-government organisation.

Teaching and learning now happen using Tablets that are provided to students and teachers. Under the digitisation of classrooms, Tablets have been provided to students and teachers under our One Tablet Per Child (OTPC) and Digital Learning Ecosystem programmes, said Jha.

"The efforts are being made to redefine education in India through the 'slate to screen' journey as Tablets replace textbooks. Our aim is to ensure every child in India gets world-class education irrespective of his or her financial background. Technical knowledge is as important as school education as it has become the voice of the world nowadays. Digital education through Tablets will facilitate students get state-of-the-art education, making them ready for the future," Jha added.

When asked how this school is first in the country to go digitised, Jha said, "The schools with high fees of over Rs 50 lakh fee structure get such facilities of laptops and tablets to study. However, the USP here is that all children get digital learning ecosystem programmes. This is the first school where each student and teachers have been given Tablets. Schools here have a fee of Rs 500 per month and this is all girls' schools. We need children to touch new heights to go at par with the world education system." Located in Jaipur's Ambabari, Adarsh Vidya Mandir is India's first school where all students have access to tablets. These students studying between sixth and 12th grade can access the entire syllabus on their Tablets, allowing teachers to teach students without any requirement for textbooks and blackboards. Special training has been given on how to carry out digital teaching and learning. Students can approach teachers whenever they come across any query and get it solved immediately, which is a distinctive and special feature of the "no bag, no textbook" exercise, he added.

Shiv Prasad, organisation secretary of the Rajasthan chapter of Vidya Bharti, said Ashray revolutionised the way technology is used in education. "It is a historic step. Teaching STEM Robotics and AI and the Rajasthan Board curriculum with the Tablet is an unprecedented moment in the field of education and technology." Alka Jain, Principal of the Adarsh Vidya Mandir, said the use of technology in education will help students unlock a world of knowledge and opportunities. "We got the honour to become the first school to start Digital Learning Ecosystem in school education in India. The digital revolution backed by robotics teaching and Tablet use has certainly raised the aspirations of students. Digital tools such as Tablets enhance the curiosity and willingness of students to learn new things and explore more, which would help them grow," Jain added.
Chennai, April 4 : Private rocket maker Skyroot Aerospace on Tuesday said it had successfully test fired its 3D printed cryogenic engine called Dhawan-II for 200 seconds.

According to Skyroot Aerospace, the test was done at Solar Industries propulsion test facility in Nagpur, Maharashtra using the company's indigenously developed mobile cryogenic engine test pad.

This achievement follows the November 2022 launch of Vikram - S, which made Skyroot the first Indian private company to send a rocket into space.

"The successful test of Dhawan-II is a landmark achievement for Skyroot and the Indian private space sector. We are proud to be at the forefront in developing cutting edge cryogenic technologies in the private space sector of India, and pushing the limit with advanced technologies like 3D printing and green propellants," Pawan Kumar Chandana, Co-founder and CEO of Skyroot Aerospace said.

The Dhawan-II engine builds upon the foundation laid by Skyroot's first privately developed fully-cryogenic rocket engine, the 1.0 kN (kilo Newton) thrust Dhawan a" I, which was successfully test fired in November 2021.

The cryogenic engine series is named in honour of Dr. Satish Dhawan, an eminent Indian rocket scientist who played a crucial role in the development of the Indian Space Programme.

Naga Bharath Daka, co-founder and COO of Skyroot Aerospace, added: "This is a major milestone for our cryogenic propulsion programme, which will enhance the payload capacity of the Vikram series of space launch vehicles (rockets), making them more modular so as to meet wider customer requirements." According to Padmashri awardee V. Gnanagandhi, and veteran rocket scientist who leads liquid and cryogenic propulsion at Skyroot Aerospace, it is encouraging to have achieved continuous firing of 200 seconds with stable combustion.

"Our 3D printed Dhawan - II engine also uses a 3D printed torch igniter and a bellow actuated cryo-injection valve with quick response time. It is a remarkable achievement by our team and we could get valuable data for next generation cryogenic engine technology with LNG as fuel," Gnanagandhi said.
Hyderabad, April 4 : Actor Vijay Deverakonda has found himself a new, unique ride to work. Currently, the superstar is in Kerala and is enjoying every bit of the serene locations in the state. The stylish actor is also busy shooting for an upcoming project.

Taking to social media, Vijay Deverakonda shared a video of himself relishing the charm of Kerala as he opts for a boat ride to work. This unique ride to work has his comment section buzzing with fans commenting. Posting a video of himself in a Khaki orange shirt, with glasses on, the actor writes "Ride To Work- In Kerala." Meanwhile, on the work front, Vijay has grabbed some great deals in the brand world. Apart from this, he will be seen in 'Khushi' and the other two untitled projects, one being 'VD12' and the other one with 'Geetha Govindam' director.
New Delhi, April 4 : Democratic Azad Party Chairman and former Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad will release his memoirs "Azaad: An Autobiography" on Wednesday.

The book, a chronicle of his journey of 55 years in Congress, will be released by veteran leader Karan Singh.

In the book, Azad, who was then the Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, has mentioned promptly the issue of abrogation of Article 370 and targeted his former Congress colleague Jairam Ramesh for not joining the protest in the Parliament.

He has also given account of 'G-23' or the group of Congress leaders who had written to then interim party chief Sonia Gandhi, seeking visible and effective leadership and a wide-spread reforms in party affairs.

Though Azad had serious difference with the Congress leadership and quit the party last August to form his own political outfit, he had defended Rahul Gandhi, when he was disqualified from the Lok Sabha.

Azad joined the Congress in the mid 1970s and has held many important positions both in the party and the government. He was a minister in the Union Cabinet in the governments headed by Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, P.V. Narasimha Rao and Dr. Manmohan Singh.

Since 1980, Azad was the party General Secretary under every party President during that period.

He was the Chief Minister of J&K from 2005 to 2008.

In his resignation letter addressed to party president Sonia Gandhi, he had noted that he "had an extremely close relationship with your family from late Mrs Indira Gandhi, late Shri Sanjay Gandhi onwards including your late husband (Rajiv Gandhi)".
Islamabad, April 4 : The Pakistan Federal Cabinet on Tuesday rejected the Supreme Court's unanimous verdict on the case pertaining to the postponement of elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).

The development came during the Cabinet's meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, held after a three-member bench - headed by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial and comprising Justice Ijaz Ul Ahsan and Justice Munib Akhtar as members - announced the apex court's verdict on the matter which it had reserved a day earlier, Geo News reported.

Announcing the verdict on a plea filed by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the top court declared the Election Commission of Pakistan's (ECP) decision to postpone polls in Punjab and KP from April 30 to October 8 as "null and void".

The Supreme Court, in its verdict, states that the ECP's order dated March 22, 2023, is declared to be unconstitutional, without lawful authority or jurisdiction, void ab-initio, of no legal effect, and is hereby quashed, Geo News reported.

"The Supreme Court's decision is a minority verdict, which is why the cabinet rejects it," the sources in the federal cabinet said.

The top court's decision, as per the sources, is not enforceable, Geo News reported.

The government would raise its voice in parliament regarding the verdict, the sources added. It was also decided in the meeting that the ruling coalition's parties will talk about the apex court's decision in parliament, they added, Geo News reported.

In the meeting, the cabinet decided to present its position on the verdict.

On the SC decision, Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) Senior Vice-President and Chief Organiser Maryam Nawaz took to Twitter and wrote that today's verdict is the last blow of the conspiracy which began by "rewriting the Constitution and presenting the Punjab government on a plate" to the bench's blue-eyed boy, Imran Khan.
Lausanne, April 4 : "A Sparkling Future", designed by 27-year-old Brazilian Dante Akira Uwai, has been announced as the winner of the medal design competition for the Winter Youth Olympic Games (YOG) to be held at Gangwon, South Korea in 2024.

This year's contest saw a record-breaking 3,000 proposals submitted for the chance to design the obverse of the medals that will be handed out to the best athletes at next year's YOG.

"A Sparkling Future" is a geometric interpretation of the Gangwon 2024 motto "grow together, shine forever", the IOC informed in a release on Tuesday.

The concept of growth is conveyed through vertical lines, while the diverse group of participants in the YOG is represented by elements created through cut-outs and texture changes. The variety of shapes and forms depicts diversity and how we can all contribute to peace and coexistence in different ways. The polished finishes create dynamic little sparks of light, symbolising the desire to surpass ourselves and make positive changes in the world, the ICC said.

"I didn't want the medal to be a frame for a painting, only to be looked at," Uwai said. "I wanted it to be treated as a sculpture. Something that could be picked up, viewed from different angles, and felt for its texture. I think the medal has a lot of that and this was very important to me." The young designer was unable to contain his emotion upon finding out: "Winning recognition like that, out of 3,000 submissions, is very important to me and I will cherish it for the rest of my life," he said. "In Brazil, there is a saying: 'What differentiates an artist from other people is not talent, but a burning need to create.' That's something that resonates with me." The runner-up in the medal design competition for Gangwon 2024 was 27-year-old artist Luisa Valencia Gomez of Colombia, who designed "The Road to Victory". Third place went to 32-year-old graphic designer Carlos Alejandro CastaAeda Arenas of Mexico, with his design "Land of Dreams".

The prototype made by Uwai will now be refined while in parallel, the reverse of the medal will be designed by the Gangwon 2024 YOG Organising Committee, and will reflect elements of Korean culture as well as the YOG emblem.

The medal design competition for the Winter YOG Gangwon 2024 came to a close on March 8, with an unprecedented number of designs received and countries participating, the IOC informed.

During the six weeks of the competition, over 3,000 medal designs were submitted from 120 countries, showcasing the creativity and talent of the designers. This was 10 times more entries than for the medal design competition for the previous Winter YOG. The top countries, in terms of submissions this year, were Mexico, India and the USA, followed by the Republic of Korea and Brazil.

The winning design will be used on the medals awarded to the athletes who finish on the podium at the fourth edition of the Winter YOG, to be held in Gangwon, Republic of Korea, from 19 January to February 1, 2024.
Guwahati, April 4 : US-based secessionist group Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) has allegedly reacted to a letter from the outlawed terrorist group United Liberation Front of Asom - Independent (ULFA-I), saying that they are prepared to offer assistance for the "Assam Independence Referendum" (AIR).

The letter was sent after threats against Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma prompted ULFA-I leader Paresh Baruah to write an open letter to the SFJ.

The letter from pro-Khalistani group's founder Gurpatwant Singh Pannu reads: "We are writing to you in response to your recent Open Letter to 'Sikhs For Justice' (SFJ) regarding the ongoing controversy between the pro-Khalistan Sikhs and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma of Hindu supremacist party BJP which believes in continued tyrannical occupation of the people and land of Assam." "At the very outset, SFJ expresses gratitude to the Assamese people for always standing with the Sikh people in their struggle for freedom from India and for never being part of the state sponsored persecution of Sikhs being carried out in India since June 1984 Operation Blue Star," the letter read.

In the letter, Pannu stated that if the ULFA-I decided to hold an Assam independence referendum, his group would support it and offer all legal assistance and logistical support.

It contended that "considering that Assamese people have the right to self-determination under international law, valuing their commitment and sacrifices for the cause of freedom and accounting for ULFA-l's dedication, strength, discipline, popularity, and organisational setup", the SFJ would like to suggest that, on the lines of Khalistan Referendum, "General Paresh, you also announce to hold Referendum on the question" on should Assam be independent.

Pannu further said: "SFJ challenges and repudiates India's claim to the territorial integrity as the current territorial borders of the Union of India are a colonial legacy founded on the usurpation of right to self-determination of the indigenous people of Punjab, Assam and other areas." The threat made by Pannu against Assam Chief Minister was previously described by ULFA-I leader Paresh Baruah as "unfortunate and misunderstood" in a letter to the SFJ.

Notably Assam Police have beefed up the security measures in the wake of the threat issued by Pannu against CM Sarma.
Kolkata, April 4 : The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has sent a notice to the West Bengal government seeking clarifications on the allegations of negligence by appropriate state authorities in connection with complaints about child marriages in the state.

Sources in the state government said that the notice sought reports on action taken by the authorities in 1,640 such cases, the details for which are missing.

Sources said that NCPCR in its notice has pointed out that during the 17-month period from April 2021 till September 2022, there had been 6,733 complaints of child marriage attempts in West Bengal, of which 4,001 were reported during the 12-month period between April 2021 and March 2022, and remaining 2,732 were from April 2022 to September 2022.

As per the NCPCR notice, of the total 6,733 complaints received during the 17-month period from April 2021 till September 2022, as many as 5,093 cases were resolved, which implies that the child marriages could be prevented.

Again, out of 5,093 resolved cases, 2,732 were during the 12- month period between April 2021 and March 2022 and the remaining 2,154 were during the remaining five-month period from April 2022 to September 2022.

This, according to NCPCR, means that reports for as many as 1,640 cases during the 17-month period from April 2021 till September 2022 are missing, out of which 1,062 are during the 12- month period between April 2021 and March 2022 and the remaining 578 are during the remaining five-month period from April 2022 to September 2022.

Besides seeking a clarification from the state government on the status of such cases for which reports are missing, NCPCR has also directed the state police director general to start legal proceedings under the provisions of Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 in such cases in which the reports as missing.

The state government has been directed to reply to the notice within 10 days of its receipt.
Mumbai, April 4 : In a chilling incident, a 23-year-old Mumbai man, while in a heavily drunken state, allegedly beat his father to death, police officials said here on Tuesday.

According to Joint Police Commissioner Satyanarayan Choudhary, on Sunday, following a tip-off, a mobile police van discovered an unidentified person lying in a seriously injured condition near Hariyali village in the Indira Nagar slums in Vikhroli east, a north-east Mumbai suburb.

The mobile police team immediately rushed the person to the BMC's Rajawadi Hospital where he was pronounced dead, and the police started investigations.

The man's identity was subsequently established as Sanjay P. Salve, 52, said the police.

According to a complaint lodged by the deceased's elder sister, Nanda Salve, 53, her nephew Rahul, who was in a heavily inebriated condition, had allegedly assaulted his father brutally after a brawl on Sunday.

The motives behind Rahul's fatal attack on his elderly father is not clear, but based on his aunt's complaint, he has been arrested on charges of murder.

The accused was produced before a court which sent him to police custody till April 6, and further probe is on, said Choudhary.
Kolkata, April 4 : The Union Home Ministry has sought a detailed report from the West Bengal government on the recent cases of clashes over the Ram Navami processions in three places in the state - Shibpur in Howrah district, Dalkhola in North Dinajpur, and finally Rishra in Hooghly.

Chief Secretary H.K. Dwivedi has been asked to submit the report to the Union home ministry within the next three days.

Immediately after the clashes at violence at Rishra that started since Sunday evening and continued till Monday night, BJP's state President Sukanta Majumdar, as well as party legislator Biman Ghosh, who were injured in the clashes, wrote letters to the Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday seeking the Union government's intervention in the matter. Just a day after that the Union Home Ministry has sought a report from the state government on this count.

On March 30 afternoon, there were clashes at Shibpur area in Howrah district over a Ram Navami procession, which continued and extended to the adjacent Kazipara area in the same district on March 31. On March 30, reports of clashes over Ram Navami procession also came from Dalkhola in North Dinajpur district in north Bengal.

Already, the Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Suvendu Adhikari had filed a public interest litigation at the Calcutta High Court seeking central agency probe in the clashes. The high court too has sought reports from the state government on the action taken by the police administration in the matter.
Moscow/Minsk, April 4 : Poland's military aid to Kiev is a secret ploy intended to accomplish the latter's defeat so it can grab the lands it lost to the Soviet Union after the Second World War - which now form part of modern Ukraine, as per Russia's top spy Sergey Naryshkin, media reports said.

Once Kiev is ultimately defeated by Moscow, Poland could grab these lands, Naryshkin, the head of Russia's external intelligence agency SVR, said during a visit to Minsk to meet Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko, RT reported.

"Seizing control of the western territories of modern Ukraine, the so-called Kresy (Polish for 'borderlands'), is the coveted dream of the Polish nationalists.

"The Polish government cannot simply drop this element of its national ideology," he said, adding that Warsaw sees "the collapse of Ukrainian statehood after a military defeat as a condition for implementing this idea".

'Kresy' is the name of certain territories that historically belonged to the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth but came under control of then Tsarist Russia during the 18th century partitions, but its collapse after the Russian Revolution allowed Warsaw to regain independence.

During World War I, the British proposed the so-called Curzon Line as a Russian-Polish border, but Warsaw rejected the idea and took control of some lands to the east of the proposed demarcation. Decades later, the line served as the basis of the post-World War II settlement, with Poland gaining some German lands as compensation for ceding territory to the Soviet Union. These lands are currently controlled by Ukraine and Belarus.

The Polish government "opposes peaceful settlement (of the conflict in Ukraine) and assures that it will provide steady military assistance to the Kiev regime" because of its territorial aspirations, the SVR chief said. "This situation certainly worsens the conditions for Ukraine and the Ukrainian people." Naryshkin has previously raised the possibility that Warsaw had designs on Ukrainian territory, but Warsaw has denied harbouring any such plans and branded the Russian official's claim an information warfare operation.
Hyderabad, April 4 : YSR Telangana Party (YSRTP) leader Y.S. Sharmila on Tuesday called on Telangana Jana Samithi (TJS) leader Prof M. Kodandaram and requested him to lead the proposed Telangana Students Action for Vacancies & Employment (T-SAVE) to fight for the rights of the youth and the unemployed.

Sharmila also called on state Secretaries of Communist Party of India (CPI) and Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) and appealed to them to join hands for a united battle for the future of the youth of the state Kodandaram responded positively to Sharmila's request to head T-SAVE but said a final decision will be taken after discussing the proposal in the party.

He said that there is a need for a united struggle on the problems faced by unemployed but the party's state committee will decide whom to join hands and how to carry forward the movement.

The TJS leader said the Telangana State Public Service Commission (TSPSC) paper leak has created unrest among students. He alleged that the BRS government is playing with the lives of students.

Kodandaram said Class 10 question paper leak for last two days once again proves the negligence of the government.

Sharmila said T-SAVE will be a joint platform for all the political parties to converge and pledge their commitment and fight for the cause of the educated and unemployed youth of the state.

She invited all parties to set aside differences and join T-SAVE.

The YSRTP chief invited all parties for a meeting on April 10 to discuss the action plan.

Sharmila also met CPI-M Secretary T. Veerabhadram and CPI Secretary K. Sambasiva Rao and requested them to attend the meeting to discuss and chalk out a joint action plan.
Hyderabad, April 4 : Dalit intellectuals have hailed the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government of Telangana for installing a 125-foot statue of Dr B.R. Ambedkar.

The University Grants Commission's (UGC) former Chairman Prof Sukhadeo Thorat and other intellectuals visited the statue which is coming up near Hussain Sagar in the heart of Hyderabad and is scheduled to be unveiled on April 14, the birth anniversary of Ambedkar.

They were all praise for Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao for paying fitting tribute to the architect of the Indian Constitution by installing his tallest statue.

The statue has come close to the newly-built state Secretariat which has also been named after Ambedkar.

A thanksgiving ceremony was held in the city by various Dalit organizations to thank the Chief Minister for naming the Telangana secretariat after Ambedkar and also for installing a 125-foot statue.

Leaders of Prabuddha Bharat International, Samata Sainik Dal, SC, ST Officers Forum and others attended the meeting.

Thorat said he was feeling proud to be a part of this thanksgiving ceremony. He appreciated KCR, as the Chief Minister is popularly known, for naming the secretariat and installing a statue as a fitting tribute to Ambedkar.

K. Srinivas, editor of Telugu daily Andhra Jyothi said Chief Minister KCR has done what no other Chief Minister could do.

Press Academy Chairman Allam Narayana said that one language and one state was the dream of Baba Saheb Ambedkar and KCR has made this come true by implementing the ideals mentioned in the Constitution.

Former Chief Secretary K. Madhav Rao said that Ambedkar sacrificed his life to bring all core values of humans on one platform.

Delhi Vasanth, Founder, Gramodaya Chamber of Commerce & Technology, said that Baba Saheb Ambedkar is truly the real father of the nation with his innovative ideas for uplifting the downtrodden.

He proposed auction of the thesis "Problem of Rupee" written by Dr Ambedkar as done earlier for Theory of Relativity of Albert Einstein.

Benjamin, Chairman of Saint Paul's institutions came forward with initial bidding of Rs 1 crore. Vasanth said this process will go for 6 months, inviting different national heads and business heads to globalise the doctrine of "Problem of Rupee".
Patna, April 4 : A day after the 'Red Fort' Iftar party of Nitish Kumar, senior BJP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sushil Kumar Modi suggested him to dream big and stand before the banner of the White House. "His supporters believe that he has become the president of the USA," he said.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar attended an Iftar party in Patna's Phulwarisharif locality where the host Khalid Anwar, a JD-U MLC, made a stage identical to the Red Fort on Monday.

"Nitish Kumar has a strange situation. He claimed not having any wish to become the Prime Minister of the country and on the other hand he asked his supporters to make posters and banners. He asked his supporters to chant 'Desh Ka PM Kaisa Ho, Nitish Kumar Jaisa Ho'. Nitish Ji wants from his heart to become Prime Minister of the country at least for 5 minutes so that his name will be registered in the history," Modi said.

He further said: "At present, there is no chance. A person with only 44 MLAs, he sometimes sits on the shoulder of BJP and sometimes on the shoulder of RJD to become chief minister and if that person starts dreaming for the post of Prime Minister, it is laughable," Modi said.

"Who is giving value to Nitish Kumar in Delhi? On Monday, DMK had organised a convention on the issue of social justice and invited Tejashwi Yadav as one of the speakers. It had not invited any leader of JD-U. He was saying that the discussion on opposition unity will take place after the end of Bharat Jodo Yatra of Rahul Gandhi. Now, it's been over a month but no message from their side so far and it will not come in future," the BJP leader said.
Bengaluru, April 4 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to address a total of 20 public rallies in a span of 30 days in the poll-bound state of Karnataka ahead of the Assembly elections scheduled to be held on May 10, a BJP source said on Tuesday.

The source said that the Prime Minister's "first round of visits" ahead of the announcement of the Assembly election date helped the party gain "some momentum".

"His public rallies and road shows attracted a large number of people, and also helped the party," the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) source said.

The Prime Minister will be visiting Karnataka for the seventh time on April 9 on the occasion of the completion of 50 years of Tiger project.

The opposition Congress leaders, however, have dubbed PM Modi "a poll agent" for his "too many visits to Karnataka".

On this, the BJP source said that Modi's "visits have been successful in tilting the wave towards the saffron party and beating the anti-incumbency factor".

However, the arrest of BJP legislator Madal Virupakshappa in connection with a bribery case has come as a blow to the party.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah's public rally venue was changed from Davanagere district for the same reason.

Another source said that the party, in a bid to put that episode behind, wants to launch a high-voltage campaign ahead of the polls.

According to a party insider, PM Modi is expected to address 20 public rallies in a span of one month.

The Prime Minister's rallies would also focus on constituencies where the Congress and the Janata Dal-Secular are "strong", BJP sources said.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 4. The construction of the interconnection between North Macedonia and Greece to get access to Azerbaijani gas is planned to be completed in 2025, State Secretary in the Ministry of Economy of North Macedonia Razmena Cekic-Durovik said in an exclusive interview with Trend.

"Interconnection of Macedonian gas system with Greece (project winner of "IG" from "WBIF part for "Flagship 5- Transition coal"): The environmental impact assessment study has been prepared and all related procedures have been completed. Also, a decision from the Ministry of environment and physical planning has been received. The basic design has been completed and revised. In September 2022 the Market Test has been also finished by Greek partner in the Project prior to issuing FID," she said.

Razmena Cekic-Durovik pointed out that ARCA Agreement is expected to be signed between DESFA and JSC NOMAGAS in 2023.

"A financing agreement for construction has been signed with the European Investment Bank (50%). A part (20%) of the construction of the project will be financed with funds for co-financing infrastructure projects approved through IPA Instrument Investment framework of the Western Balkans. The other part (30%) of the project will be financed by EBRD. In October 2022 ESIA gap analysis has been prepared by Connecta in accordance with the EBRD rules in order financing to be approved by the Board of EBRD," the state secretary explained.

She noted that at the beginning of 2023, tender documentation for construction, construction supervision, inspection body and management in accordance with EIB rule was prepared.

"By the end of 2023, the contractors for construction are planned to be selected. The gas interconnection is planned to be finished in 2025 and will diversify the natural gas supply to the country with gas deliveries from TAP, LNG terminals etc.," added Razmena Cekic-Durovik.

Azerbaijan began gas supplies to Europe via the Southern Gas Corridor on December 31, 2020. The Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), the European leg of the Southern Gas Corridor has delivered a total of 22 billion cubic meters since the start of commercial operations. This year Azerbaijan plans to export 12 billion cubic meters of gas to Europe.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn
New Delhi, April 4 : In a shocking incident, a 30-year-old woman in Delhi was shot and injured in her neck by her neighbours for opposing their playing of loud music, police said on Tuesday.

The incident was reported from outer north Delhi's Siraspur area and two persons were held in this connection, a senior police official said.

According to the official, they got a PCR call of the incident at around 12.15 a.m., with the caller reporting that a woman was hurt in the incident.

A police team reached at the spot and found that the injured woman was already taken to Max Hospital, Shalimar Bagh. The injured woman was later identified as Ranju, 30, a resident of Siraspur.

After this, the scene was inspected by crime team.

"On reaching the hospital, the MLC details of the victim were collected in which a doctor mentioned gunshot injury on her neck. The woman was unfit for statement at that time," the police said.

The police said that they found out a witness of the case and her statement was recorded.

It was the sister-in-law of the victim who alleged that Harish, another resident of their colony was involved in the incident.

"She said that there was programme of 'kuwa pujan' of Harish's son in which DJ was playing. Hearing loud noise Ranju and she went to the balcony and asked Harish to stop the DJ. Afterwards a bullet hit her bhabhi which was fired by Harish who took the gun from Amit," the official said.

The official said that on her statement a case under sections 307, 34 of IPC and 27 Arms Act was registered against the accused, and both the accused Harish and Amit were arrested.
Jaipur, April 4 : In a startling coincidence, both Congress as well as RSS veterans are expressed solidarity with BJP's former Rajasthan President Satish Poonia on his removal from the post, terming it a poor decision taken by his party in the election year which will boomerang on it.

Congress leaders accused the BJP of being "two-faced", saying that on one hand, they are accusing Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of adopting an "anti-OBC stand", and on the other hand, have removed OBC leader Poonia as state party President. They also claimed that Poonia was doing fair work and was a hard working leader as they questioned that why was he removed.

The BJP has appointed Poonia as the Deputy Leader of Opposition in Assembly, after replacing him with C.P. Joshi, but Congress say this is not enough for Poonia.

A video has surfaced in which Congress MLA Mahendra Chaudhary from Nawan assembly seat in Nagaur district is seen saying that Poonia worked so hard and suffered injuries on his hands and legs, yet the BJP removed him from the post of state President. Questioning the change, he claimed that the BJP has not only done wrong to Poonia, but meted injustice to the farmers living in 70 per cent of the villages.

Making him the Deputy Leader of the Opposition won't help, he said, adding that this act of BJP was wrong.

Chaudhary said that when he became Chief Deputy Whip, there was a different arrangement. He said that the BJP has not given any message by making Poonia the Deputy Leader of Opposition, which "is just no post". He said that there was no allegation against Poonia, yet he was removed, while Poonia did all the work of the party in a better way.

The video is going viral on social media.

Even state Congress chief Govind Singh Dotasra hit back at BJP leaders for attacking Gandhi for his alleged anti-OBC statements, while terming removal of Poonia as the "anti-OBC stand" of the saffron party.

Dotasra asked with what face does the BJP who removed OBC state President talk about OBCs. "The BJP is teaching us the lesson on OBCs, but has itself removed the OBC state President. There is always respect for OBCs in the Congress. Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot, Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel and I myself belong to OBC category. BJP only works to divert the attention of the public from the real issues by bringing jumlas," he quipped.

State minister Subhash Garg even claimed that the BJP will split after removing Poonia from his post.

Meanwhile, the RSS is also dissatisfied with party's decision and veteran leaders reportedly have expressed their resentment against his removal.

On Friday, there were back to back meetings of RSS veterans including B.L. Santosh, Arun Kumar, among others who expressed their dissatisfaction over the way Poonia was removed.

They said that he should have been given some position before his removal and it could have been conveyed earlier that extension will not be given to him.

Meanwhile, after these meetings, it was decided to announce him as Deputy Leader of Opposition to calm down agitating Jats who form a significant voting bloc in Rajasthan.
Hyderabad, April 4 : The BJP's preparations for Telangana Assembly elections scheduled later this year are likely to get a boost with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Hyderabad on April 8 during which he is expected to address a public meeting and launch various development projects.

The BJP leaders expect that PM Modi's visit will boost their morale in the runup to the Assembly elections. The party expects that he will set the tone for the party's poll campaign.

The Prime Minister is expected to launch an attack on Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government for its various acts of omissions and commissions.

PM Modi is likely to target BRS and Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao over corruption, especially in the wake of questioning of his daughter K. Kavitha by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the Delhi liquor policy scam.

He is also likely to hit out at the BRS government over the Telangana State Public Service Commission (TSPSC) paper leak, which has heated up the state politics.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has also taken up state-wide protests over the paper leak, alleging involvement of KCR's son and state minister K.T. Rama Rao.

The Telangana unit of the BJP has huge expectations from PM Modi's visit in view of his recent statement about the state.

"In the south, we have always been strong in Karnataka and in Telangana, people now have confidence only in one party, BJP, and in Andhra Pradesh also people are looking towards us," Modi had said on March 28 while inaugurating the residential complex of the party in Delhi.

Modi will be launching various railway projects at Secunderabad Railway Station and later a public meeting at Parade Grounds in Secunderabad.

Union Minister for Tourism and Culture G. Kishan Reddy along with state BJP president Bandi Sanjay Kumar and party MP K. Laxman on Tuesday visited Secunderabad Railway Station and Parade Grounds to take stock of the preparations for the Prime Minister's visit.

Kishan Reddy, who is also an MP from Secunderabad, said the PM would lay the foundation stone for the re-development of Secunderabad Railway Station. The station is being revamped at a cost of Rs 719 crore and will provide world-class railway infrastructure and amenities.

He will also lay the foundation stone of the new block of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIMS) at a cost of Rs 1,336 crore.

Kishan Reddy said this would give a big boost to health infrastructure in Telangana. The expansion and new facilities include academic blocks, auditorium, staff quarters, hostels and guest houses. The hospital block renovation is also underway.

Meanwhile, Telangana Chief Secretary Santhi Kumari on Tuesday reviewed arrangements for PM Modi's visit. She instructed the officials to make foolproof arrangements.

Presiding over a coordination meeting, she said that all the departments have to work in close coordination and make the brief visit of the Prime Minister a success.

The police have to make adequate security arrangements, law and order, traffic and bandobast arrangements as per the blue book.

The fire department was asked to arrange adequate fire fighting equipment and fire tenders should be positioned at the venue. Medical staff, ambulances and other facilities should be kept ready at all the venues.

The Chief Secretary asked officials to repair roads to be used by the Prime Minister's convoy. Uninterrupted power supply at all the venues should be ensured, she said.

DGP Anjani Kumar, senior police officers and officials from various departments including railways attended the meeting.
Mumbai, April 4 : Defending champions Gujarat Titans (GT) have named Sri Lanka's Dasun Shanaka as a replacement for the injured Kane Williamson for the entire Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 season.

New Zealand captain, Williamson suffered an on-field injury to his right leg while attempting a catch at the boundary in the tournament opener against Chennai Super Kings at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, on March 31.

Shanaka, Sri Lanka's white-ball captain, is an explosive middle-order batter who also bowls right-arm seam, the franchise informed in a release on Tuesday.

Shanaka was on fire in the recent T20I series in India, smashing 124 runs in three innings at a strike rate of 187 while averaging 62.00. He was also Sri Lanka's leading run-scorer in the subsequent ODI series, scoring 121 runs in three innings.

Signed for his base price of INR 50 lakh, this will be Shanaka's maiden season in the IPL.

Latest updates on IPL 2023
New Delhi, April 4 : A woman and five other people, including hired assassins, have been arrested for killing a man in west Delhi's Naraina area, a police official said on Tuesday.

The official said that the deceased identified as Kamal Kumar, a resident of Dwarka, had filed numerous complaints against accused Renu Devi for the demolition of the temple which was built by her at a park in Indira Gandhi Camp, Naraina Industrial area, Phase-1.

"Renu had hired Sachin, 19, Sumit, 24, Bharat, 24, and Rohit, 20 to kill Kamal Kumar, who was running a small dhaba and a mobile accessories shop in the local market of Naraina while one more accused, Saurabh Tyagi, a resident of Ghaziabad (Uttar Pradesh) had helped the accused to flee," said the official.

According to police, on March 30, at 12.15 p.m, a police control room call was received at Naraina police station regarding an injured person lying behind the police station following which the injured person was taken to DDU Hospital where he was declared brought dead.

To crack the case, a police team was formed and during investigation, a white car was found on the spot with an open window on the driver's side and blood splashed inside as well as near the car.

"During probe, police found that the deceased Kamal had filed numerous complaints at the MCD against Renu and for the demolition of the temple. Both Renu and Kamal were at loggerheads. Renu was questioned, but initially she did not cooperate in the investigation," said the Deputy Commissioner of Police, West, Ghanshyam Bansal.

A police team also found that the suspected perpetrators had fled to Himachal Pradesh.

"The team acted swiftly and rushed to Himachal Pradesh. But the suspects kept evading the police team," said the DCP.

However, on strong questioning Renu broke down and revealed that as the deceased had filed numerous complaints against her therefore she hired Sachin, Sumit, Bharat and Rohit to kill him.

"Sachin, Sumit, Bharat, and Rohit were arrested on April 1 and one country made pistol, two bullets, one empty case and one scooty without number plate which were used in commission of crime were recovered from the possession of the accused," said the DCP.

"Saurabh Tyagi, who facilitated the accused to flee away to Himachal in his car, was also arrested. During the sustained interrogation it was found that accused Sachin along with his accomplices Sumit, Rohit, and Bharat had shot Kamal Kumar in the head," said the official.
Bhubaneswar, April 4 : Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, on the first day of his Japan visit on Wednesday, met Nippon Steel Corporation President Eiji Hashimoto in Tokyo and discussed the company's plan to build one of the world's largest steel plants in his state along with ArcelorMittal.

The 30 million tonne per annum (mtpa) plant will produce speciality steel, the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said in a tweet.

Patnaik has assured complete support to the proposed mega plant which will give a huge boost to socio-economic development of Kendrapara, Jagatsinghpur, Bhadrak, Jajpur and Kendujhar district and generate thousands of jobs for youths of Odisha, it said.

ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel (AMNS) India Ltd, a joint venture of Arcelor Mittal and Nippon Steel, has proposed setting up of an integrated steel mill in Odisha's Kendrapara district with an investment of Rs 1.02 lakh crore.

In January this year, the Odisha government had approved another proposal of the AMNS for setting up a 7 million tonne per annum (MTPA) steel plant in Jagatsinghpur district of Odisha. The plant will be set up with an investment of Rs 38,000 crore.

Earlier in the day, the Ambassador of India to Japan Sibi George and officials of the Embassy gave a warm welcome to the Odisha CM on his arrival in Tokyo along with the high-level delegation.

The Chief Minister expressed his confidence that the visit would further strengthen the relationship between Japan and Odisha and provide an opportunity for both sides to explore avenues of mutual interest.

He also conveyed his appreciation for the warmth and hospitality extended by the Japanese government and people towards the delegation and expressed his hope that the visit would contribute to strengthening the cultural ties between the two nations.

On April 5, the Odisha government will be hosting the Odisha Business Meet 2023 at The Okura Tokyo which is expected to be attended by over 200 industrialists, business persons and investors from across Japan and the Indo-Pacific Region.

The Chief Minister will address the investors and showcase the vast existing and emerging business opportunities in Odisha. In the evening, Patnaik will hold an interactive meeting with the Odia diaspora in Japan.

On April 6, the state delegation will make a factory visit to the Kimitsu Steel Works and the R&D centre of Nippon Steel Corporation, officials said.
New Delhi, April 4 : Mohammed Shami and Rashid Khan picked three-wicket hauls each for Gujarat Titans as they restricted Delhi Capitals to 162/8 in 20 overs on a pitch that had plenty of pace and bounce in Match Seven of IPL 2023 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium here.

For Delhi, in middling innings, captain David Warner made 37 while his deputy Axar Patel smashed 36 as they managed to breach the 160-mark. Apart from Shami and Rashid picking 3-41 and 3-31 respectively, Alzarri Joseph dazzled with 2-29.

Shami got a bit of spice from the pitch in an eventful opening over. An away swinger against David Warner disturbed the off-stump, but the bail was unmoved. Though he also cut him in size, Shami was unable to find control, giving away seven wides.

Prithvi Shaw then took on Shami in his next over by flaying a cut over the slip cordon for four. But Shami had the last laugh by having Shaw caught on a pull at mid-on. The senior India pacer had more success with the new ball by castling Mitchell Marsh.

A scratchy Warner got a move on when he slapped Shami through point for four, before pulling Hardik Pandya through the square leg for another boundary. He welcomed Joseph in the seventh over with a brace of boundaries -- a smash over mid-off was followed by steering over backward point.

Just when it looked like Warner was set at the crease, he chopped-on off Joseph in the ninth over. Joseph then dismissed Rilee Rossouw with a brute 146kph delivery that took the shoulder edge of an awkward fend and was caught brilliantly by diving backward point.

Debutant Abhishek Porel looked good in his 11-ball 20, including pulling Yash Dayal over square leg for six after being hit on the helmet by a Joseph bouncer before Rashid castled him in the 13th over.

With Sarfaraz Khan struggling to get going despite Josh Little dropping his catch in the 12th over, Axar injected some momentum with a pull and a drive off Rashid and Joseph for boundaries, followed by a stunning loft off the leg-spinner for six.

After playing a sweep off Rashid, Sarfaraz's painful stay came to an end on the very next ball of the 17th over when he miscued a sweep to deep square leg. Aman Khan slog-swept Rashid for six but sliced straight to extra cover off the leg-spinner.

But Axar continued to do some late-hitting for Delhi, lofting cleanly over long-off for six off Josh Little. In the final over, he brought out a lovely one-handed smash over wide long-on off Shami for six. But two balls later, in a bid to go big, Axar sliced to deep cover. Anrich Nortje's last ball four took Delhi to above 160.

Brief scores: Delhi Capitals 162/8 in 20 overs (David Warner 37, Axar Patel 36; Rashid Khan 3-31, Mohammed Shami 3-41) against Gujarat Titans

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Guwahati, April 4 : At least five persons have been arrested in connection with the June 2019 human sacrifice case at Kamakhya temple in Guwahati, the police said on Tuesday. The headless body of a woman was found on the stairs of Joy Durga Temple in Kamakhya on June 19, 2019, following which a probe was launched.

Guwahati Commissioner of Police, Diganta Barah, told the media that the victim visited Kamakhya temple during the Ambubachi Mela, and has been missing since then.

"On June 2019, the beheaded body of an unidentified woman was spotted on the Joy Durga Mandir's staircase. A thorough inquiry was started after a suo-moto case was filed in this regard at a police station," he said.

Almost a month later, Suresh Shaw, a resident of Tatipara in West Bengal's Hooghly, came to Guwahati's Jalukbari police station and recognised the victim as his mother, Santi Shaw (64), on the basis of her clothes, and other identification marks, the police officer said.

Barah said a special police team was formed to look into the incident.

On March 18 this year, the special police squad travelled to Cooch Behar in West Bengal and conducted a search of a home belonging to a person identified as Kailash Barman after reviewing technical evidence previously gathered.

During searches, the victim's phone along with other items like clothes and identification documents were recovered.

"As stated by Kailash Barman, one person, Mata Prasad Pandey, used to visit the village every year in June and July. Pandey has been continuing this practice for the last eight years. In the year 2019, Pandey went to Barman's house and left the belongings of the victim saying that it was his property and he would later pick them up," the police commissioner said.

"On March 25, this year, Mata Prasad Pandey (50) was taken into custody from Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh. Further questioning revealed that a Kapali puja, which included the victim, was held in Bhootnath (Guwahati) on the intervening night of June 18 and 19, 2019, and 12 people attended it. The people who performed the pooja consumed alcohol. The victim was also made to consume alcohol. They next went to Kamakhya's crematory and performed another pooja there. The men then beheaded the victim at the Joy Durga Temple in Kamakhya in the name of human sacrifice," the police officer said.

Pandey and others then packed the victim's head in a bag and dumped it in the Brahmaputra river before leaving Guwahati.

Based on Pandey's confession, the police also arrested Suresh Paswan (56), Kanu Acharjee (62) and Bhaiyaram Maoriya (60) from Bhootnath in Guwahati, while Pradeep Pathak (52) was arrested from Mathura.
New Delhi, April 4 : The Delhi Police achieved a major milestone by successfully apprehending wanted gangster Deepak Boxer, who had fled abroad in January, from Mexico, with the assistance of the FBI - the first instance in which it has collaborated with a foreign agency to catch a criminal since its formation in 1946.

As per Delhi Police, notorious gangster Deepak Pahal alias Boxer, a resident of Haryana's Sonipat, was wanted in 10 criminal cases including murder, attempted murder, and under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act, among others.

Apart from this, Boxer was also handling the Jitender Gogi gang after his death. Gogi was killed in an encounter by his rivals that occurred in the Rohini court and he was also in touch with the members of Lawrence Bishnoi gang.

The crackdown comes after the directions from Union Home Minister Amit Shah to crack down on inter-state and international gangs.

"This is probably for the first time in the history of Delhi Police that a massive, multi-continent and joint police and administrative effort is bringing a dangerous fugitive back to India from Mexico," a senior police official told IANS.

As per sources, the Union Home Minister holds regular review meetings in this regard with the police and other agencies concerned.

"In furtherance to this, after reviewing work of Delhi Police in August 2022, the Union Home Minister had given specific instructions to the Special Cell and Crime Branch to legally pursue organised criminals and terrorists trying to hide anywhere in the country or abroad and bring them to justice. Arresting dangerous fugitive criminal Deepak Boxer from Mexico and bringing him to India is a big success in this direction," the official told IANS.

According to police, the operation was launched after the Delhi Police's Special Cell received a tip-off about Deepak Boxer's location.

"... a case was registered against Boxer and his gang on March 16 this year in the Special Cell police station under which the present operation was carried out. In this case it was resolved that Boxer has to be traced and arrested from any corner of the world," Special Commissioner of Police, Special Cell, H.G.S. Dhaliwal said.

Almost a month after extensive interrogation and technical procedures, it was revealed that the criminal had fled India on a fake passport and had made stops in several countries before finally reaching Mexico.

"After arriving in Mexico with the help of human traffickers, his plan was to meet with his associates in the US and continue running the organized crime group's operations in Delhi and neighboring states," said the Special CP.

In the second phase of the operation to locate Deepak Boxer, who had fled India on a fake passport in January 2023, a joint effort between the Special Cell, the FBI, and Mexico Police began in Mexico after confirming his presence in the country.

"During this process, the authorities thoroughly interrogated all of Deepak Boxer's former comrades, criminal associates, and close relatives for about a week. The information gathered from the interrogations was verified through highly complex technical processes and shared with Mexican and FBI officials in near-real-time, despite a 12-hour time zone difference," said Dhaliwal.

Subsequently, a deeply-placed source revealed that Deepak Boxer had gotten a fake passport made in the name of Ravi Antil from Uttar Pradesh's Bareilly before fleeing abroad from Kolkata airport. Acting on this information, the authorities traced him to the Mexican beach city of Cancun.

Cancun is considered a notorious city due to the huge presence of human traffickers and the narcotics mafia.

"The Delhi Police requested the Mexican administration to deport Deepak Boxer as soon as they discovered his presence in Mexico. The Indian Embassy in Mexico City collaborated with the Delhi Police, and a team of experienced field officers was dispatched to Mexico City to coordinate with the Embassy, Mexican authorities, police, and FBI to ensure Deepak Boxer's swift deportation before any legal challenges from his criminal network," said the official.

"Deepak is being extradited to New Delhi via Istanbul. This international effort to capture a dangerous fugitive, involved the support of major intelligence agencies, including the Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of External Affairs, Embassies of various countries, Interpol, CBI, Delhi-based officials, and FBI and Mexican police officials who assisted the Delhi Police at every step," the official added.
New Delhi, April 4 : Delhi Education Minister Atishi and Mayor Shelly Oberoi met contractual teachers of MCD schools on Tuesday and assured them that their contracts will be renewed soon.

Addressing the concerns of the teachers, Atishi said that empowering government school teachers has always remained the topmost priority for Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

She further said that the renewal of teachers' contracts is automatically done without any application since the AAP government came to power in Delhi in 2015.

Mayor Oberoi said that providing better facilities to MCD school teachers is a key focus area, and that the delay in the process of contract renewal was due to the delay in the Standing Committee elections.

Nonetheless, she assured that they are trying their best to renew the contracts of all teachers in MCD schools as soon as possible.

In addition, AAP leaders mentioned that "global-level training of Delhi government school teachers played a vital role in Delhi Education Revolution, and a similar roadmap for training will be made for MCD school teachers".

"An action plan for joint training of teachers of Sarvodaya schools and MCD schools will be developed by SCERT. A joint orientation program will also be organized for principals of DoE and MCD schools from the new session," they said.
Jaipur, April 4 : The impasse between the Rajasthan government and doctors, who were on strike for 16 days against the Right to Health bill, ended on Tuesday as both sides came to an agreement.

Consensus was reached between doctors and the government on eight demands on the Right to Health (RTH) Bill at a meeting of a doctors' delegation with Chief Secretary Usha Sharma.

In the meeting, Principal Secretary, Medical Education, T. Ravikanth and the representatives of the Indian Medical Association (IMA), United Private Clinics' & Hospitals' Association of Rajasthan (UPCHAR) and Private Hospitals and Nursing Homes Society (PHNS) discussed and agreed on various points.

According to the agreement, private multi-specialty hospitals having less than 50 beds will be kept out of the purview of this law in the first phase of its implementation. The law will also not be binding on those private hospitals that have not taken any concession from the government or any rebate in allotment of land for the hospital. As per the agreement, this law will be implemented in private medical colleges and hospitals, hospitals running on PPP mode, those hospitals that have been allotted land free of cost or on subsidised rates, and hospitals run by a trust that got land on concession or subsidised rates.

It was also agreed to consider the regularisation of hospitals functioning in different places in the state as per the 'Kota Model', under which relaxation in building rules will be considered for those hospitals that are functioning in residential premises.

Also, police cases and other cases registered during the agitation will be withdrawn. It will be considered to bring a single window system for licenses and other approvals. Similarly, giving fire NOC to private hospitals every five years will be considered. Along with this, it was also agreed that changes in the rules in the Right to Health law would be made in consultation with the representatives of the IMA.

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot welcomed the end of this deadlock, saying: "I am happy that finally an agreement has been reached between the government and the doctors and Rajasthan has become the first state in the country to implement Right to Health.

"I hope that the doctor-patient relationship will remain the same in future as well." Gehlot said that the state government's objective to bring in the Right to Health bill was that no one should suffer due to lack of treatment, and expressed satisfaction that the doctors fraternity agreed to the proposals put forth by the state government regarding Right to Health.

He said that all the people of the state have extended their cooperation to the state government in the favour of the bill and have welcomed this pro-people bill. "Now the doctors agreeing to this important bill is a good sign," he added, expressing hope that all doctors will immediately join their duty and that private and government hospitals will make the Right to Health, and schemes such as the Mukhyamantri Chiranjeevi Swasthya Bima Yojana and RGHS successful.

The Chief Minister expressed confidence that the way private and government hospitals had set an example with excellent management of Covid, they will similarly successfully implement these schemes on the ground and present the 'Rajasthan Model of Public Health'.
Guwahati, April 4 : Over 4.5 lakhs cases are still pending in various courts in Assam, state Law Minister Ranjeet Kumar Dass said, adding that the state government is pursuing various measures to resolve them.

Dass made the statement in the Assembly on Tuesday while responding to a query by BJP MLA Chakradhar Gogoi.

According to the minister, overall 4,58,059 cases are pending various courts in Assam. Of them, Kamrup Metropolitan district has the most pending cases (1,06,850), followed by Nagaon and Dhubri districts with 31,101 and 30,385 pending cases respectively.

"With the exception of charges filed for egregious and violent offences, the state administration has decided to withdraw almost one lakh criminal cases where the maximum sentence is three years in prison or a fine, or both," Dass added.

He claimed that the decision will help the courts to focus on serious offences and other matters.

"Assam State Legal Services Authority (ASLSA) placed a strong emphasis on increasing the number of dispositions in both pre-litigation and pending cases through lok adalats...," Dass asserted.
Braverman told Sky News that some British Pakistanis were running child abuse networks and that authorities and civil society were turning a blind eye out of political correctness. "(We see) a practice whereby vulnerable white English girls - sometimes in care, sometimes in challenging circumstances - being pursued, raped, drugged, and harmed by gangs of British Pakistani men, who work in child abuse rings or networks".

New Delhi, April 4: By saying that <dbl-qts>almost all<dbl-qts> members of <sng-qts>grooming gangs<sng-qts> - a British euphemism for paedophile gangs, were British Pakistani men whose attitudes were incompatible with British values-British Home Secretary Suella Braverman has stirred up a hornets<sng-qts> nest.

Braverman told Sky News that some British Pakistanis were running child abuse networks and that authorities and civil society were turning a blind eye out of political correctness. "(We see) a practice whereby vulnerable white English girls - sometimes in care, sometimes in challenging circumstances - being pursued, raped, drugged, and harmed by gangs of British Pakistani men, who work in child abuse rings or networks".

Despite coming under scathing criticism from the Left parties and British Muslims, the government intends to frame new laws over "the culture of silence around British Pakistani male gangs involved in such crimes".

The British government has set up a specialist task force under the police, plans to bring in tougher sentencing, establish a new hotline and use data analytics to identify and catch perpetrators who have been involved in the horrific crimes that have scarred thousands of white British girls for lifetime.

Understandably, the Conservative Party government has been attacked for its choice of words. The British media has panned the government for being offensive and racist. Defending the government, Sunak told the media that perpetrators of sexual abuse of girls "were ignored was due to cultural sensitivity and political correctness".

British society is divided on the issue of whether British Pakistani men should be singled out for cases of sexual assaults on girls as young as 11 that have rocked cities like Newcastle, Keighley, Rotherham, Rochdale, Peterborough, Aylesbury, Oxford and Bristol. The issue of girl child abuse has been going on since at least 1997 but has been kept hush hush by the British due to political correctness, pressure from Left and for fears of being labeled racist, or Islamophobic.

In most cases, the men convicted of exploiting under-age girls were found to be Pakistani Muslim men besides two Africans. Cases of exploitation differ from place to place and victim to victim but most involved trapping underage white girls for rape and prostitution by supplying them with cigarettes, drugs and money.

Despite attempts to brush off the racial identities of the perpetrators as white men or camouflaged under the term 'Asian men', the issue has kept simmering under the surface. Recently British channel GB News released a documentary, 'Grooming Gangs: Britain's Shame', in which it spoke with girls who had been repeatedly abused and charity workers who relentlessly worked to support the abused children.

The documentary unearthed what was already known - ethnic identity protected the abusers from law.

The documentary also highlighted how the media, care workers, policemen, counsellors and the entire British system collapsed against the might of political correctness and let down the exploited children to protect the abusers.

Recently, a review of the Prevent Report by the British government pointed out the fact that religious hate has been exported by Pakistan's religious clerics to the UK through ideas like blasphemy laws. Rigid interpretations of Islam are seeping into the British Muslim society, bringing disharmony into an otherwise assimilating liberal British culture.

In an unrelated news, The Guardian published an investigative report about how the Pakistani army perpetrated a genocide on Bangladeshi women during the 1971 war of Liberation. At one point, the report says: "Official estimates put the number of Bengali women raped at between 200,000 and 400,000, though even those numbers are considered conservative by some... Though ethnic rape was feature of Partition years earlier, what Bengali women experienced was one of the first recorded examples of rape being used as a "consciously applied weapon of war" in the 20th century. But despite its shocking scale, little remains known about it outside the region..." British society is in immense churn as it debates boat landings, its failed policy of cultural assimilation, the riots in Leicester as well as how young British girls were denied justice just because it could become a political issue. The latest is how families of British schoolboys are going into hiding for fear of being attacked over blasphemy and how a teacher has been in hiding due to threats to his life from Islamist radicals.

(The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com)
Guwahati, April 4 : As National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) revised its books for various classes, including the Class 12 History textbook by omitting the chapters on the Mughal empire, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator from Assam on Tuesday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to demolish monuments such as Taj Mahal and Qutub Minar.

"I urge the Prime Minister to immediately demolish the Taj Mahal and Qutub Minar. In place of these two monuments, the world's most beautiful temples should be built. The architecture of those two temples should be such that no other monuments could be even closer to them," the legislator said.

Kurmi further said that he is ready to donate at least his one-and-a-half year's salary for construction of the temples.

The latest change would apply to all the schools in the country that follow the syllabus of the NCERT.

The NCERT said that the changes will be applicable from the current academic session -- 2023-2024.

Notably, in the latest changes in the Class 12 syllabus, the chapters related to the Mughal Empire were omitted from History textbooks by NCERT, while a few poems and paragraphs were also removed from the Hindi book.

The "Themes of Indian History-Part II" textbook's chapters on the Mughal Court, monarchs, and their history have been eliminated from the updated curriculum.

It is to be mentioned that Rupjyoti Kurmi, four-time MLA and once an ardent critic of Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, switched from the Congress to the BJP in June 2021.

He earlier won the Mariani assembly seat on Congress ticket.

After joining the BJP, Kurmi was re-elected to the Assembly from the same constituency.
Amaravati, April 4 : Actor-politician Pawan Kalyan on Tuesday met BJP national President J. P. Nadda in New Delhi but said more talks were required to decide on the electoral alliance for the next year's elections in Andhra Pradesh.

On the second day of his visit to the national capital, the Jana Sena Party (JSP) leader met Nadda and discussed the latest political situation in Andhra Pradesh. JSP Political Affairs Committee Chairman Nadendla Manohar was also present.

After the meeting, Pawan Kalyan told media persons that from the beginning, they were looking for stability with regard to Andhra Pradesh. He said it would be difficult to say at this stage to what extent they have clarity with the BJP. He, however, said they were moving ahead with the goal of coming to power.

"Our agenda is a YSRCP-free Andhra Pradesh. BJP's agenda is also the same. We discussed the issue of making Andhra Pradesh YSRCP-free from all angles," he said.

Pawan Kalyan hoped that the talks he held with the BJP leaders during the last two days would yield good results in future.

The JSP leader said there would be a plan to free people of Andhra Pradesh from the rule of the YSRCP. He said their party's preference is to see that anti-YSRCP votes are not divided.

Pawan Kalyan said JSP was trying to strengthen itself and BJP should take organisational decisions to strengthen itself. He said he discussed with Nadda the anti-constitutional rule, corruption, and clashes in Andhra Pradesh.

The JSP leader is likely to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah and some other leaders on Wednesday.
Panaji, April 4 : Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Tuesday said that he will speak to Maharashtra's Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on the issue of contruction of controversial Virdi dam in Sindhudurg district across the Valvanti river.

"Our officers have visited the site of Virdi dam. On our request Maharashtra has stopped the ongoing work. Maharashtra will also have to take permission from Mhadei Water Management Authority (PRAWAH), before starting the work," Sawant said in an interview to a local channel.

"I will speak to our leader Devendra Fadnavis in this regards. We have written letter to Maharashtra and will also give letter to PRAWAH opposing the work," Sawant further said.

Fadnavis was the BJP's in-charge during 2022 Goa Assembly election.

As soon as the Opposition came to know that Maharashtra has "restarted" the work of Virdi Dam, they criticised the Goa government stating "it is not taking any action".

Later, the Goa government issued a notice to the Maharashtra government to "immediately stop the ongoing works".

"We have also demanded an inquiry on various approvals obtained by them for the said project," Sawant said.

Goa government is already fighting with Karnataka over diversion of Mhadei water, now it is facing another jolt as Maharashtra restarted the work of Virdi dam, which is very near to the border of Goa.

The work on Virdi dam first started in 2006, which was halted in 2015 by the Mhadei Water Dispute Tribunal over environmental and other clearances.
Panaji, April 4 : Clarifying that he didn't do any 'setting' with the ruling BJP, Goa Congress MLA Adv. Carlos Alvares Ferreira on Tuesday said that if the state government accepts the suggestions given by the Opposition then it should be recognised as 'victory'.

Ferreira, a senior lawyer, was reacting to the allegation made by AAP MLA Venzy Veigas stating the former helped the government to pass the Bills by undermining the voice of the Opposition during the recently concluded Assembly session.

The Congress MLA on Tuesday addressed a press conference and rejected the allegations made by the AAP MLA where Congress Media Cell Chairman Amarnath Panjikar was also present.

"If Chief Minister Pramod Sawant asks for suggestions from the Opposition and if they are accepted by the government then it should be recognised as a victory of the Opposition. We are not here to play drama or lie to the people. One should not mislead the House," Ferreira said.

He added that Viegas should first understand that he opposed the amendments to the Agriculture and Communidade Bill during the debate.

"I know what I am saying on the floor of the House. I will not mislead. Government has all the numbers to pass the bill. They have 33 MLAs. We are just seven. They can do what they want. However, I have explained the communidade law clause by clause and opposed it," the Congress MLA said.

He added that it is completely wrong to make false statements on the floor of the House.

"He (Viegas) got angry because I told the correct position of law," Ferreira said.

He demanded to know if "people can trust such people who are elected and make completely false statements and come with falsehoods on the floor of the House? Can you trust a party which wants to mislead the citizens? Do you think they will save Goa?" He said that the AAP MLA should stop portraying Congress in a bad light.

"We went to the well of the House to oppose the amendments," he added.

"I stood with the Opposition to oppose the Bills. I did not side with the government nor did I walk out of the House," Ferreira said.
Patna, April 5 : Bihar Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar has praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said that he always acts in the interest of the country.

While addressing a public gathering during a book named 'Rashtranayak Narendra Modi' with a subtitle 'Rashtrawad Se Samajwad Ki Aur' in Patna, Arlekar added that Modi has enhanced the country's prestige in the world.

"The book has a name 'Rashtranayak Narendra Modi' is absolutely spot on but I differ with the subtitle 'Rashtrawad Se Samajwad Ki Aur'. I met him several times in the past and I firmly believe that he only knew 'Rashtrawad' (nationalism) and not 'Samajwad' (socialism). 'Samajwad' comes under 'Rashtrawad'. I always wonder what mettle he is made of," he said.

He also added: "Our basic mantra was 'Rashtrawad' and it will remain the same in future. There will be no second thought in the mind of PM Modi." "PM Narendra Modi has enhanced the country's prestige across the world. Every country wants to do business with India," Arlekar said.

"Before Bihar, I was the Governor of Himachal Pradesh. When I was appointed as Governor of Himachal Pradesh, PM Narendra Modi personally informed me. PM Narendra Modi is a person, who personally takes care of small party workers," he added.

During the occasion, state BJP President Samrat Chaudhary also praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said: "Those who eliminate poverty is 'Rashtrawad'. Those who live for others is 'Samajwad'." The book is written by a BJP leader Usha Vidyarthi and the event was held inside the campus of Bihar Legislative Council where a number of BJP MLAs and MLCs were present on Tuesday evening.
Tehran, April 5 : Iran has said the recent ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) against the US freezing of Iran's assets was a "historic defeat" for Washington.

The ICJ ruling confirmed Iran's legitimacy on the issue, semi-official Tasnim news agency quoted Iranian government spokesman Ali Bahadori Jahromi as saying at a weekly press conference on Tuesday.

On March 30, the ICJ ruled that the US had "illegally allowed its courts to freeze Iranian companies' assets" and ordered Washington to pay compensation to Iran, the amount of which will be determined later, Xinhua news agency reported.

During the press conference on Tuesday, Jahromi also accused the US of being accustomed to violating international laws.

In 2016, the US Supreme Court ruled that the Iranian assets of close to $two billion frozen in the US must be paid to American families of the victims of the bombing of a US Marine Corps barracks in Beirut in 1983 as well as other attacks blamed on Iran.

Tehran has repeatedly and vigorously rejected all claims about its involvement in the Beirut bombing and other similar allegations.

The case before the ICJ was initially brought by Tehran in 2016 against the US breach of a 1955 friendship treaty by allowing its courts to freeze Iranian companies' assets.

Washington pulled out of the treaty in 2018. However, the ICJ ruled that the accord was in place at the time of the Iranian assets' freezing.
Doha, April 5 : Qatar has launched its first digital platform for foreign investors who seek to explore business opportunities in the Gulf country, the Investment Promotion Agency (IPA) said in a statement.

The online platform, named Invest Qatar Gateway, allows foreign investors to search for business partners from both public and private sectors in Qatar, look for tender offers and post their tenders, according to the IPA, an official organisation that launched the platform, on Tuesday.

Investors could also communicate with the IPA's investor relations team for support through the platform, Xinhua news agency reported.

The agency also planned to launch Access Qatar later this year to provide investors with arrival assistance, customised information packs and round-the-clock assistance through social media applications, according to the statement.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 4. bp expects Azeri-Central-East (ACE) platform topsides onshore construction and commissioning works to be completed in the second quarter of this year, Gary Jones, bps regional president for Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkiye, said, Trend reports.

The topsides unit is the final major step the project is currently taking towards full completion. We expect topsides onshore construction and commissioning works to be completed in the second quarter of this year. Once fully completed and operationally tested the unit will be loaded out onto the transportation barge STB-1, transported to its permanent location and installed onto the jacket which is already at the field. We will then need a few months to complete offshore commissioning works and drill the first platform well to deliver first ACE oil early 2024, he said.

The ACE topsides facilities have a design weight of 19,600 tonnes containing oil and gas processing facilities, an integrated drilling rig, a gas compressor and living quarters.

The topsides unit has been constructed by Azfen in the Bayil fabrication yard using local infrastructure and resources. Currently, construction and commissioning works are in the final stages with 95 percent of overall onshore commissioning works already completed.

The $6 billion ACE project is the next stage of development of the giant ACG field in Caspian Sea. ACE is centred on a new 48-slot production, drilling and quarters platform located mid-way between the existing Central Azeri and East Azeri platforms in a water depth of approximately 140 metres. The project also includes new infield pipelines to transfer oil and gas from the ACE platform to the existing ACG Phase 2 oil and gas export pipelines for transportation to the onshore Sangachal terminal. In addition, there is a water injection pipeline between the East Azeri and ACE platforms to supply injection water from the Central Azeri compression and water injection platform to the ACE facilities.

The ACE platform and facilities are designed to process up to 100,000 barrels of oil per day. The project is expected to produce up to 300 million barrels over its lifetime. The platform will be remotely controlled from the Sangachal terminal and includes innovative system automation. Construction activities started in 2019 and 85% of the work scope is already completed with outstanding safety achievements of over 25 million hours worked injury free.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn
Kigali, April 5 : Rwanda and Kenya have signed nearly 10 agreements aimed at enhancing cooperation in several areas, including education, ICT, health, gender and child development, youth and capacity development for the public service as well as correctional services.

Addressing a joint press conference in Kigali, the capital city of Rwanda, Rwandan President Paul Kagame and his Kenyan counterpart William Ruto on Tuesday said the two countries had agreed to work together for the benefit of the people.

"Over the years Rwanda and Kenya have built strong relations. These new areas of cooperation will bring us even closer together," said Kagame.

He expressed hope that the two countries can leverage shared interest to equip youth with the skills and knowledge to innovate and compete, Xinhua news agency reported.

Ruto said the memoranda and documents signed in the different sectors "will consolidate the relations between the two countries and present new momentum and create new impetus for the growing of our relations".

The Presidents also said the two countries seek to expand trade and investment as well as help the region in terms of fostering peace and security.

Kenya is committed to working with Rwanda in advancing peace and security, trade and investment and the implementation of the continent's Agenda 2063, Ruto added.

The two leaders, meanwhile, agreed that the instability in South Sudan, Ethiopia and eastern Congo requires collaboration to address.

The signing ceremony of the cooperation agreements was preceded by a three-day meeting of the Joint Permanent Commission for Cooperation between Rwanda and Kenya in Kigali which discussed the areas of mutual interests to strengthen bilateral cooperation.
Lagos, April 5 : The Nigerian government has announced that drug control became a national agenda following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that would inflict a maximum loss on drug cartels.

The MoU is expected to inflict severe losses on the drug cartel bent on trafficking illicit substances to the detriment of Nigerians.

National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Chairman Buba Marwa and Comptroller General of the Nigerian Customs Service, Hameed Ali, signed the MoU in the Nigerian capital of Abuja on Tuesday.

In his speech, Marwa said he was happy that the two government agencies had decided to write down how they work together in an MoU, adding that the move was certainly a benchmark for information and intelligence sharing, Xinhua news agency reported.

The document contained some innovations that would encourage interpersonal relationships among the rank and file at various levels of command and administration for the two organisations, he added.

He said that it provided for joint training of personnel just as it made provisions for regular meetings of command officers at various levels of command structures.

On his part, Ali said the MoU would help send a very strong signal in the fight against crime.

Ali reiterated that the coming together of both agencies would not only send a signal to the nation but also to the international partners that the agencies were committed to protecting the borders from illicit drugs.
Kiev, April 5 : Ukraine will discuss the prospects of joining the NATO at the NATO-Ukraine Commission meeting in Brussels, Belgium, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said.

"Ukraine's membership of NATO will be one of the main topics of the talks today," Kuleba was quoted as saying by the government press service on Tuesday.

Another key theme of the meeting will be speeding up the delivery of military assistance to Ukraine, including artillery ammunition and armoured vehicles, needed for launching a counteroffensive in conflict with Russia, the Minister added.

The NATO-Ukraine Commission will also touch upon the issue of stable support for Ukraine from NATO member states, he said.

Later in the day, the meeting of the Ukraine-NATO Commission will be held within the framework of the NATO foreign ministers summit, Xinhua news agency reported.

The NATO foreign ministers summit is held in Brussels on April 4-5.
Moscow, April 5 : Russia will respond with "military-technical and other measures" to address the national security threats arising from Finland's accession to NATO, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

"Specific decisions regarding the buildup of defence capabilities along Russia's northwestern borders will depend on the specific terms on which Finland joins NATO, including the deployment of NATO's military infrastructure and offensive weapons on its territory," said the Ministry in a statement on Tuesday.

The lines of contact between NATO and Russia have more than doubled, constituting a major shift for Northern Europe, one of the most stable regions in the world, the Ministry noted.

"Finland's accession to NATO will have a negative effect on the bilateral relations between Russia and Finland," said the statement.

Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Tuesday voiced his concerns over Finland's entry into NATO, adding that it encroaches on Russia's security and interests, Xinhua news agency reported.

"We will take countermeasures to ensure our security in tactical and strategic terms," he told a daily briefing.

Finland on Tuesday formally became the 31st member state of NATO. The national flag of Finland was raised and the country's anthem was played for the first time at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Tuesday afternoon in a brief ceremony.

"The era of military non-alignment in our history has come to an end. A new era begins," Finland's President Sauli Niinisto said at the ceremony.
Tripoli, April 5 : The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) has warned of the threat posed by explosive ordnances left by armed conflicts in the North African country.

"Despite strong efforts from mine action partners over the past decade, more than 15 million square metre (15 square km) are still contaminated with explosive ordnances across Libya," the UNSMIL said on Tuesday in a statement on the occasion of the International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action.

The statement said that 19 people, including 14 children, were killed last year by explosive remnants of war in Libya, Xinhua news agency reported.

The UN mission said that the indiscriminate use of weapons in civilian areas during the recent conflicts means even urban areas are littered with explosive remnants of war.

Those remnants obstruct safe access to education, healthcare and development, and continue to injure or kill people long after the fighting ceased, posing a daily threat to life and livelihoods, the statement added.

"In 2022, international mine action partners removed 27,400 explosive ordnances in Tripoli, Misurata, Benghazi and Sirte -- but there is more to do. We need to scale up efforts to enable Libya towards a safer future without explosive hazards," it said.

Ever since the fall of the late leader Muammar Gaddafi's regime in 2011, Libya has been plagued by armed conflicts, chaos and political instability.
Baghdad, April 5 : The Iraqi federal government and the semi-autonomous Kurdistan regional government have signed an agreement to resume Kurdish oil exports through Turkey after a hiatus of several days.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani held a meeting with the Kurdistan regional Prime Minister Masrour Barzani and his accompanying delegation, during which the two sides expressed the desire to find solutions for all outstanding problems in a professional spirit, al-Sudani's office said in a statement on Tuesday.

After the meeting, the Iraqi Federal Oil Ministry and the Kurdistan regional Ministry of Natural Resources signed the agreement under which the export of crude oil from the region and Kirkuk province will be resumed, Xinhua news agency reported.

Later at a joint press conference with Barzani, the Iraqi Prime Minister said that the agreement is a temporary deal until the approval of the draft federal budget by the parliament.

"The budget draft law is clear and solves all pending problems between Baghdad and Erbil. The budget draft will include a fair distribution of wealth to all of Iraq," al-Sudani added.

For his part, Barzani said that the deal is a decisive step toward ending the long-running dispute between Erbil and Baghdad and "creating a positive and safe atmosphere for the final approval of the national oil and gas law".

"I would like to reassure all parties that this agreement is a prelude to reaching a good comprehensive agreement between the federal government and the Kurdistan government," he added.

Last month, Iraq stopped sending nearly half a million barrels of oil through the pipeline through Turkey after winning an arbitration case against Turkey over a long dispute on the independent export of oil by the Kurdish regional government.
In todays banking climate, digital offerings are essential to meeting the needs of our growing client base," said Robert White, President, and Chief Executive Officer of 1st Colonial Community Bank.

1st Colonial Community Bank announced today the successful launch of a zero-friction digital account opening solution powered by Narmi to digitize the banks consumer deposit account onboarding process and grow new revenue streams.

Through Narmi, 1st Colonial opens its new digital front door. The bank will now be able to invite customers to open accounts quickly and entirely digitally, driving deposit growth. Prospective customers will be able to move through the account opening process in less than three minutes with the ability to fund accounts from anywhere in the banks defined market area.

New York City-based Narmi's digital platform empowers financial institutions to unlock the very latest capabilities in digital banking and account opening, enabling them to move faster, tap new growth opportunities, and achieve true digital transformation.

As a leading community bank, our focus remains on providing our clients with simple and easy money access solutions, allowing them to Bank Their Way, said Robert White, President, and Chief Executive Officer of 1st Colonial Community Bank. In todays banking climate, digital offerings are essential to meeting the needs of our growing client base. We are very focused on delivering our products and services through a variety of channels while maintaining our commitment to quality, value, and service.

The New Jersey bank leverages FIS Horizon Core Banking System. Narmi was one of the first providers to integrate to the Horizon Core with FIS new REST API framework. With Narmis secure and open framework, along with modern code base architecture, 1st Colonial was able to transition from core integration to go-live in under 60 days.

Highlights of Narmis digital account opening product include:



Advanced verification methods that can automate up to 100% of application decisions

An account opening experience with an e-commerce approach designed to drive conversions in less than three minutes

Flexible initial funding options that allow users to fund via bank account or debit/credit card

A back-end portal that allows staff to quickly identify account details, application status, and success metrics

1st Colonial and Narmi share a like-minded vision for the future of robust and seamless account opening and we look forward to seeing the growth of this partnership," said Nikhil Lakhanpal, Co-Founder of Narmi. We're also incredibly excited to be one of the first account-opening companies to integrate with FIS Horizon's new REST API framework. This will enable banks like 1st Colonial to work with providers like Narmi while leveraging their core banking system.

About 1st Colonial Community Bank

1st Colonial Community Bank, the subsidiary of 1st Colonial Bancorp (NYSE: FCOB), provides a range of business and consumer financial services, placing emphasis on customer service and access to decision-makers. The bank has branches in Collingswood and Westville, New Jersey, and Limerick, Pennsylvania. The bank also has administrative offices in Mount Laurel, New Jersey. To learn more, call (877) 785-8550 or visit http://www.1stcolonial.com.

About Narmi

New York City-based Narmi's digital platform empowers financial institutions to unlock the very latest capabilities in digital banking and account opening, enabling them to move faster, tap new growth opportunities, and achieve true digital transformation. The Narmi platform was built with the customer experience in mind, empowering financial institutions with an experience that is always effortless, current, and dependable. As a result, Narmi's customers are seeing as much as 3x account growth in less than 30 days and 4x deposit growth in as little as 90 days. Additionally, Narmi's financial institution clients are winning awards like Bankrate's 2020 Best Online Bank and Nerdwallet's Best Bank of 2021 for Online Experience. For more information, please visit http://www.narmi.com.

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Earlier this month Google announced its very first Broad Core Algorithm Update of 2023 and, despite the update coming as no surprise since the last one took place 3 months ago in December, its certainly ripped several businesses apart in the effort to improve the quality of search results. Despite the update only being announced just over a week ago, Google has confirmed that it has now been completely rolled out across the web which, despite sounding like good news, isnt. In the coming days, weeks, and months we can expect even further volatility across the SERPs as rankings continue to shift.

As the founder and CEO of 15-year-old digital marketing agency Absolute Digital Media, I know too well that our businesses, both established and small, this is bad news. Keywords that you were once organically ranking well for may be stripped beneath you, leaving your website in the dark whilst providing your competitors with a higher platform to promote their brand. If your website falls into this category, then youre likely to have already noticed a drop in organic traffic and  more alarmingly  sales or leads. With that in mind, Ive compiled some further food for thought for businesses to consider.

What We Know About Google Algorithm Updates

Weve experienced Google Algorithm Updates in the past and this undoubtedly wont be the last time we hear about one. They come in all shapes and sizes. Some are big and some are small. How your website is affected completely depends on your SEO strategy - something we at Absolute Digital Media specialise in. Whilst there is no right or wrong way to prepare for an algorithm update (expected or not), we continue to focus on the three pillars of SEO which are technical, on-site optimisation and off-site optimisation.

Heres what we do (and dont) know about them:



Google makes updates to its algorithm regularly. Whilst some updates are minor, others can have a significant impact on search rankings.

Algorithm updates can either positively or negatively affect a website's rankings. For example, an update may boost the visibility of websites with high-quality content whilst penalising those with poor-quality content.

Google doesn't usually provide specific details about how algorithm updates work, which can make it challenging for website owners to know how to optimise their sites for search.

Keeping up with algorithm updates is important for website owners who want to maintain their search rankings. Staying on top of best practices for SEO and producing high-quality content can help protect websites from being negatively impacted by algorithm updates.

Why You Need To Invest In Your Marketing Now

Ultimately, algorithm updates are an important aspect of Google's ongoing efforts to improve the quality of search results. Whilst they can be disruptive to some website owners, they help ensure that searchers are presented with the most relevant and high-quality content. Websites that adhere to these guidelines will ultimately be rewarded with improved rankings in the SERPs, meaning that they will have a greater chance of appearing nearer to the top of the search results where potential clients or customers typically look first, consequently drawing in more organic traffic which can lead to increased sales and leads.

As the effects of the Google Algorithm Update continue to settle, I recommend all businesses to keep a close eye on their search visibility and act on any parts of their website that require improvement. Your website may be safe for the time being, but time will tell how geared up it is to meet Googles continuously changing requirements!

Read more about my thoughts on Googles latest algorithm update.

Get In Touch

Contact us today at 0800 088 6000 to directly speak with a member of the Absolute Digital Media team or myself, Ben Austin.
Jan Avramov launching and leading new engineering services for KSB and John Mitchell promoted to lead KSB SupremeServ North America. Our growth in North America requires best-in-class engineering services; this new division will focus our combined efforts to serve our customers better, said Luis Maturana, managing director of KSB North America.

KSB and KSB SupremeServ North America announced today the launch of a new engineering services division strategically designed to meet the business growth demand. The new group includes application engineering, product development, digitization and automation, consultancy, spare parts, technical training, licenses, technical documentation, and warranty management.

Part of the reorganization includes the current vice president of KSB SupremeServ North America, Jan Avramov, assuming the role of vice president of the new group that will support the KSB install base as well as the KSB SupremeServ service base and the promotion of John Mitchell to vice president of KSB SupremeServ North America.

Our growth in North America requires best-in-class engineering services; this new division will focus our combined efforts to serve our customers better, said Luis Maturana, managing director of KSB North America. Jans technical skills and leadership will build this necessary foundation for future growth in the region.

Im looking forward to growing our technical prowess and building a division that our customers can rely on for engineering excellence. Combining the technical expertise into one supportive service group will do just that, said Avramov.

Avramov will relocate to Richmond, Virginia, where the new engineering services will be based.

John Mitchell has been promoted to vice president of KSB SupremeServ. He will take over the North American regional leadership of its 12 networked service locations across the US, Canada, and Mexico. Mitchell is the former director of three KSB SupremeServ locations in Thomson, GA, Mulberry, FL, and Ft. McMurray, AB, and is a 25+ year veteran in the pump and pump service industry.

John is a proven leader with extraordinary service expertise and business acumen, said Maturana. I have the utmost confidence in his ability to exponentially grow our business and deliver the quality service our customers have come to expect.

My commitment to our customers is to perform with speed, urgency, and consistency; this is my passion! As the leader of KSB SupremeServ North America, I look forward to bringing this cadence to our growing service locations and business units, said Mitchell. Ive spent my career preparing to do what is now possible with KSB SupremeServ.

Mitchell will be located in Grovetown, GA.
(top l-r) Steve Hill, Doug Kertscher, Scott Wharton (bottom l-r) Julie Burke, Martha Decker, John North At thirteen attorneys, our firm is large enough to handle high-stakes, complex matters for clients worldwide. Yet, we are also small enough to take the time to truly understand our clients goals and unique situations, and to provide exceptional levels of service.

Six attorneys from the powerhouse law firm of Hill, Kertscher & Wharton, LLP were recently named Super Lawyers in the 20th anniversary edition of the industry-leading publication. Steve Hill, Doug Kertscher, Scott Wharton, John North, Julie Burke, and Martha Decker all earned the Super Lawyers honor, a distinction reserved for only 5% of the states practicing Bar. In addition, Kertscher and North continued their appearance on the Top 100 List, and North was featured on the cover in an article about attorneys who have made the list every year since the publications inception.

Doug Kertscher, one of the firms co-founding partners, believes that the size of his firm and sum of its parts is what makes it a special place to practice law and serve the needs of clients. At thirteen attorneys, our firm is large enough to handle high-stakes, complex matters for clients worldwide, said Kertscher. Yet, we are also small enough to take the time to truly understand our clients goals and unique situations, and to provide exceptional levels of client service.

Hill, Kertscher & Wharton, LLP is regularly recognized by the top independent law firm and attorney rating organizations in the world. The firm is listed in U.S. News & World Reports Best Law Firms and is AV-Rated by Martindale-Hubbell. Many of its attorneys hold perfect 10/10 ratings from Avvo and more than half were included as Legal Elite in Georgia Trend magazines annual attorney ratings. Hill, North and the firm have also been repeatedly featured in the international publication of the leading 1,000 patent professionals in the world, the IAM Patent 1000: The Worlds Leading Patent Practitioners as go to attorneys for patent litigation in the United States.

About Hill, Kertscher & Wharton, LLP: Recognized for its work on behalf of businesses, individuals, and government entities, the law firm of Hill, Kertscher & Wharton, LLP provides top tier legal representation in business litigation, intellectual property, corporate law, and employment matters. The firm is also considered a pioneer in outsourced corporate counsel services and flexible fee arrangements for businesses that seek a more cost-effective way to manage their legal matters.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 4. Hungary and Romania count on natural gas supplies from Azerbaijan, Peter Szijjarto, Hungarys Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, wrote on Facebook, as he met with Romanias Minister of Energy Virgil-Daniel Popescu, Trend reports.

On the one hand, both Romania and Hungary count on gas from Azerbaijan and on the other hand, are expecting to start gas extraction from the Black Sea, he explained.

The minister pointed out that Hungary and Romania have done their homework, as they expanded the capacity of the pipeline, connecting the gas transportation systems of the two countries to 2.5 billion cubic meters.

Weve made a decision to construct a pipeline that will transport gas from the Black Sea to the Hungarian border, added Szijjarto.

There is an agreement in place to start supplying 100 million cubic meters of gas from Azerbaijan to Hungary this year. Later, the two countries will ink a contract for 2 billion cubic meters per year. Hungary will import gas from Azerbaijan through Turkiye. The details are being discussed by stakeholders.

Moreover, Azerbaijans state oil company SOCAR and Romanias Romgaz S.A. have signed an agreement to supply 1 billion cubic meters of gas from April 1, 2023 to April 1, 2024.

Azerbaijan exports gas to Europe via the Trans Adriatic Pipeline, the final leg of the Southern Gas Corridor. The initial capacity of TAP is 10 billion cubic meters expandable to 20 billion cubic meters per year. TAP has delivered a total of 22 billion cubic meters since the start of commercial operation.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn
Spinal Resources Inc. (SRI), a leading innovator in spinal technology, has announced the FDA-clearance of its state-of-the-art, Solutions Based Spine Platform (SBSP). The unique platform is designed to provide surgeons with an unparalleled solution to address and assist in the reduction of critical spinal conditions like Proximal Junctional Kyphosis (PJK), Proximal Junctional Failure (PJF), and Adjacent Segment Disease (ASD).

The Solutions Based Spine Platform features a novel screw cap interface that toggles between a polyaxial and monoaxial head. This unique mechanism allows for free translation of the rod, facilitating screw head manipulation, compression, distraction, and coronal de-rotation. We are thrilled about the FDA-clearance of our Solutions Based Spine Platform as it is a testament to our commitment to innovation and bringing spinal care forward," said Bernard M. Bedor, Founder, President, and CEO of Spinal Resources Inc.

"In complex adult spinal surgery, the complications of non-union/rod fracture and proximal junctional failure (PJF) remain significant concerns, often driving revision surgery within the first year or two of an index operation. In some ways, these complications also counterbalance each other. Rod fracture is delayed or reduced by increasing the stiffness of the posterior rod construct. On the other hand, increased construct stiffness at the proximal junction can only increase the incidence of PJF," said Dr. Robert Hart, Medical Director for Spinal Deformity at the Swedish Neuroscience Institute. "Creating a rod that is stronger at the caudal end of the construct but of reduced stiffness at the cranial end would be ideal. While there are several design approaches to addressing this concern, none are currently optimal. Specifically, short tapers in rod diameter are problematic. For one thing, they create a stress riser at the junction from larger to smaller diameter rods, increasing potential for rod failure. Further, they are difficult to contour as traditional rod bending tools accentuate curvature within the smaller diameter portion as opposed to the stiffer, larger diameter portion of the rod."

Additional features of the system include:



A range of Bezier Taper transition rods (4.75, 5.0, 5.5, 6.0), ( 4.75,5.0, 5.5) ( 5.0, 5.5, 6.0)

A unique blend of curved Morphotypes that have been developed from post-operative data with seamless transitions between linear segments

A Swedge pedicle Screw and Locking Cap system that allows for the use of the entire rod, including the tapered segments, providing flexibility intraoperatively.

Allows surgeons to tailor individual rod diameters to bone quality (individual diameters of 4.75, 5.0, 5.5, and 6.0 can be used alone in the same head and same locking cap allowing the reduction of micromotion and stress shielding which can lead to implant loosening

The Bezier Rod applies to Deformity and Degenerative surgeons allowing for a synergistic pathway between the two. The Bezier rod platform will have shorter-length rods allowing the technology to be used across several disciplines.

"This is a rod system that enhances the physiology of spinal fusion with respect to stress and strain rather than the stress shielding that occurs with larger diameter rods. The gradual taper accommodates the differing physiological needs to optimize stress and strain at all levels of the construct promoting solid fusion and providing a proximal soft landing to reduce the formation of a stress riser," said Dr. Roland Kent, fellowship-trained Spine Surgeon and the co-founder of Axis Spine Center.

SRI is also developing an AI platform that will have the ability to the forces and loads on adjacent segments based on the in-situ functioning of the Bezier Rod and Bezier Rod Morphotype system. This innovative feature will provide valuable insights into the performance of the rods, cap, and screw interface, enabling a better understanding of the forces unloaded at the adjacent segment and the potential occurrence of failure at the adjacent segment. The platform offers a robust, biomechanically sound, and innovative approach to spinal care, leveraging our unique rod system and cutting-edge AI technology.

"The SRI system represents a significant advancement in the technology available in my surgical armamentarium. It allows for an array of interoperative choices based upon patient bone density, segment, and mobility of the spine. This provides intraoperative flexibility, using multiple rod diameters which allows surgeons to tailor patient-focused rods and solutions. This is seamlessly achieved by customizing the linear segments and transitions and controlling the flex of the rod. The result is a more even distribution of forces across the construct, unloading the proximal and distal segments" said Dr. Hamid Hassanzadeh, Chief of Orthopaedic Surgery at Johns Hopkins.

For more information about Spinal Resources Inc. and its Solutions Based Spine Platform, please visit http://spinalresourcesinc.com/ or contact the media relations team.

About Spinal Resources, Inc.

Spinal Resources, Inc. (SRI) is a Florida-based spinal medical device company that provides innovative mechanical and biomechanical products to support cost-effective patient care, alleviate pain, shorten recovery time, restore health, and extend quality of life. SRI has engineered a unique line of patented open, reduction, and minimally-invasive spinal systems for the surgical repair and reconstruction of debilitating spinal conditions. With a focus on innovation, SRI is committed to developing groundbreaking technologies that address critical spinal conditions.
600 Bealls Outlet and Burkes Outlet locations are being rebranded bealls. Uniting Burkes Outlet and Bealls Outlet as bealls is very appealing and in the long term will reduce confusion while increasing brand awareness.

Bealls, Inc. has announced a significant rebranding of two of its largest retail chains.

The companys 600 Bealls Outlet and Burkes Outlet locations in 23 states are uniting to become bealls. Changing Burkes to bealls was made possible by the Bealls Inc. acquisition of the national name rights to Bealls in 2020 from Stage Stores Inc. The company feels that the Outlet name is dated and can lead to misconceptions about the origin and quality of their merchandise.

Bealls, Inc. also operates a retail chain that exists only in the state of Florida and is commonly referred to as Bealls Department Stores or just Bealls. This 68-store chain is becoming Bealls Florida to align the storefronts with the ecommerce business http://www.BeallsFlorida.com and the chains Live.Life.Local. marketing campaign. It also highlights the companys desire to differentiate and distance itself from the traditional department store model.

"We are very excited about the changes to our two largest store chains, bealls and Bealls Florida! Uniting Burkes Outlet and Bealls Outlet as bealls is very appealing and in the long term will reduce confusion while increasing brand awareness. We feel that it elevates the perception of our stores to match the quality of merchandise that exists in our stores today, explained Matt Beall, Bealls Inc. Chairman and CEO. We are equally excited about our update to the Bealls Florida chain to align with our website. These changes will allow us to achieve our limitless potential as we continue to compete directly with larger public corporations like TJ Maxx, Marshalls, and Kohls.

All stores are scheduled to see their signs change and complete the rebranding by the end of 2023. At a time when many retailers have struggled, Bealls Inc. has experienced steady growth, adding over 150 store locations in the past two and a half years.

About Bealls Inc.

Headquartered in Bradenton, Florida since 1915, Bealls Inc. is a privately held company that has been owned and operated by the founding family for over 100 years. The company operates more than 600 retail stores in 23 states under the names bealls, Bealls Florida, Home Centric and Rugged Earth Outfitters and online at beallsflorida.com and beallsoutlet.com. (Note: beallsoutlet.com will become bealls.com.) To learn more about Bealls, Inc, please visit http://www.beallsinc.com.
"We are striving to be the vendor of choice for components supporting the lighting industry, providing the broadest portfolio of innovative, high quality products and services. This transaction demonstrates our commitment to our customers and the lighting market globally.

Inventronics, a global leader in reliable and innovative LED driver products, is pleased to announce the successful acquisition of the relevant Digital Systems business in Europe and Asia from ams OSRAM, a global leader in optical solutions. This acquisition demonstrates Inventronics' commitment to providing exceptional technology and value to its global customer base while leading the transformation to cost-effective, intelligent, connected lighting.

The ams OSRAM Europe and Asia Digital Systems business primarily focuses on power supplies, related light modules, software, and connectable components for traditional and LED illumination. These essential components enable smart lighting solutions and digitalization for professional lighting applications. With the acquisition of ams OSRAM's Digital Systems business, Inventronics expands both its regional presence and product portfolio.

Dr. Gernot Steinlesberger, Head of OSRAM Digital Systems Europe and Asia, stated, "We look forward to starting a new chapter with Inventronics. The combined portfolio, market reach and lighting focus, will bring tremendous value to our customers."

Marshall Miles, CEO of Inventronics, expressed his enthusiasm for the acquisition, stating, "We are striving to be the vendor of choice for components supporting the lighting industry, providing the broadest portfolio of innovative, high quality products and services. This transaction demonstrates our commitment to our customers and the lighting market globally.

The ams OSRAM Digital Systems business in Europe and Asia employs around 600 people, is headquartered in Garching near Munich, Germany, with additional operations throughout the territory. Inventronics is a world-class enterprise specializing in the design, manufacture, marketing, and sales of reliable and innovative LED driver products, and a global leader in driving the transformation to cost-effective, intelligent, connected lighting. Inventronics looks forward to integrating these new colleagues into the Inventronics family.

Inventronics is a publicly traded company based in Hangzhou, China, with global operations including manufacturing facilities in China, India, and Mexico, as well as distribution centers in the US and the Netherlands. The company maintains sales offices in major markets worldwide, servicing customers in over 100 countries.

For more information or inquiries, please contact Inventronics at inventronicsglobal.com.
This event is the best opportunity for real estate technology decision-makers to meet and learn about emerging solutions." - Travis Saxton, Executive Vice President of Technology

Leading management consulting and analytics firm T3 Sixty will host the T3 Tech Summit again this fall. Held Oct 23 - 25, 2023, in Fort Worth, Texas, the immersive event is designed for brokerage, franchise and MLS leaders who are charged with making technology decisions about proptech and fintech suitable for their organizations.

After a highly successful inaugural event in 2022, we are thrilled to bring back the T3 Tech Summit this fall, said T3 Sixtys executive vice president of technology Travis Saxton. This event is the best opportunity for real estate technology decision-makers to meet and learn about emerging solutions."

Immersive Experience Rooms Bolster Impact

The T3 Tech Summit is built around 12 immersive experiences called Experience Rooms, which are thoughtfully designed to showcase specific areas of technology focus and reputable companies. Each Experience Room will highlight a crucial industry technology topic, allowing attendees to engage with and explore different products and features. Visitors can interact directly with the products and delve deep into their integrations, efficacy, and scalability.

The T3 Tech Summit gathers the best-in-class tech companies and, through the Experience Rooms, presents them in a hands-on experimental workshop environment, said T3 Sixty president and CEO Jack Miller. Attendees are in a unique position to test drive products and determine how they could work for or benefit their company.

Sharing Successes, Forging Partnerships

Staying on top of innovation is critical to your brokerage future proofing their business, said Saxton. The T3 Tech Summit offers marketing and technology leaders a chance to connect and see the future innovation in an environment built around education and networking, not being sold to.

The Summit will be hosted October 23 - 25, 2023 in Fort Worth, Texas. Event registration is now open, and Early Bird Pricing is available for a limited time. Each delegates registration includes a hotel reservation for October 23 - 25.

For more information on the T3 Tech Summit, visit t3summit.com.

About T3 Sixty

T3 Sixty is the leading management consultancy in the residential real estate industry with business units in brokerage, technology, mergers and acquisitions, and organized real estate. The group also provides software and data, extensive research and reports, executive search and event management services. For more information, visit t360.com.
The mix of beautiful voices singing beautiful songs in a wonderful environment such as Highclere will be catnip to Public Television viewers, says Russ Hodge, President of 3 Roads. We are proud to be associated with this program.

Veteran Public Television Producer/Distributor 3 Roads Communications, Inc. will distribute their latest Public TV Pledge Program, Journey to Highclere Castle with The Sicilian Tenors, Featuring Lady Carnarvon, for broadcast during August Pledge across the United States.

Filmed in England at the beautiful Highclere Castle, the home of the hit TV series and movies Downton Abbey, the special features The Sicilian Tenors, the acclaimed international singing sensations, performing some of their classic repertoire along with songs from that shows period (1910-1930). The Sicilian Tenors are joined by Lady Fiona Carnarvon, who acts as our wonderful hostess for a tour of Highclere and provides fascinating anecdotes about the program, the late Majestys the Queens visits, and the 5th Earl of Carnarvon, who discovered King Tutankhamuns tomb (with Howard Carter).

Among the songs performed at select Highclere Castle locales by The Sicilian Tenors are With A Song in My Heart, If You Were The Only Girl In The World, I Hear You Calling Me, Stardust, and the Libiamo ne lieti calici (from La Traviata). The program was recorded in March, 2023, on location at Highclere Castle in Newbury, England.

For the production of this special, The Sicilian Tenors have again teamed with the Emmy Award-winning 3 Roads Communications, Inc. 3 Roads has three decades of experience producing content for Public TV and have produced six Pledge Specials grossing more than $2.5 million for Public TV. 3 Roads President Russ Hodge acts as the on-screen host. 3 Roads and The Sicilian Tenors last teamed up for An Evening with The Sicilian Tenors, which has been broadcast more than 400 times on Public TV stations across America. Journey to Highclere Castle with The Sicilian Tenors, Featuring Lady Carnarvon, will be distributed nationally to Public Television stations by the National Educational Telecommunications Association (NETA), which also distributed An Evening with The Sicilian Tenors.

Recording this program at such a beautiful and welcoming environment such as Highclere Castle was a dream come true for us, says Sam Vitale, one of The Sicilian Tenors. So many noted musical artists have performed there, including Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, John Legend, and many, many others. The environment inspired us artistically and spiritually.

The mix of beautiful voices singing beautiful songs in a wonderful environment such as Highclere will be catnip to Public Television viewers, says Russ Hodge, President of 3 Roads. We are proud to be associated with this program.

About 3 Roads Communications:

3 Roads Communications, Inc. is an Emmy Award-winning company with a long, distinguished history of supplying topnotch programming to Public Television and Amazon. 3 Roads has created and produced hundreds of hours of award-winning programming for public television, including:

 An Evening with The Sicilian Tenors, PBS Pledge Special

 Legends of Airpower, TV series

 Frontiers of Medicine , TV series

 For The Love of Their Brother, 2016 Documentary

 The Truth About Money with Ric Edelman , TV series

 Rescue in the Philippines, Documentary

 Ric Edelmans The Truth About Retirement, PBS Pledge Special

 Ric Edelmans The Truth About Your Future , PBS Pledge Special

 Ric Edelmans Mind Over Money, PBS Pledge Special

For more information, please visit 3roads.com

About The Sicilian Tenors:

The Sicilian Tenors, Aaron Caruso, Elio Scaccio, and Sam Vitale are known for taking their audiences on a romantic journey from Hollywood to Broadway to Italy with beautiful tenor voices singing a wide variety of marvelous songs the world loves. Combined with light-hearted fun, they always provide a great show for everyone. They have an award-winning program airing on PBS / Public Television Stations around the country. The Sicilian Tenors music is available on all major outlets worldwide. They have performed at Carnegie Hall, NBCs Saturday Night Live studio, multiple venues in Las Vegas, as well as headlining at the countrys largest Italian Festivals to include those in Milwaukee, Detroit, Kansas City, San Diego, Miami, Boston, New York City, and many more. For more information please visit https://www.thesiciliantenors.com .

About Lady Fiona Carnarvon and Highclere Castle:

As the eighth and current Countess of Carnarvon she helps her husband steward and share their home Highclere Castle, the real-life setting for Masterpieces Downton Abbey, Lady Fiona Carnarvon was inspired to share the true story of Highclere Castles conversion to a hospital during WWI. From diaries, letters, and photos straight out of the Edwardian era, she produced Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey.

She is New York Times Best Selling Author. Her books include Lady Almina and The Real Downton Abbey; Christmas at Highclere; Lady Catherine, The Earl, and the Real Downton Abbey; Seasons at Highclere; and her latest book The Earl and the Pharaoh.

The first written records of the estate date back to 749 when an Anglo-Saxon King granted the estate to the Bishops of Winchester. The palace was rebuilt as Highclere Place House in 1679, and in 1842 was transformed into the present-day Highclere Castle, or as it has been since dubbed The Real Downton Abbey.

During the First World War, Highclere Castle was converted into a hospital for wounded soldiers run by the 5th Countess of Carnarvon. Throughout the Second World War, Highclere Castle was home to children evacuated from London. There are between 250 and 300 rooms, and down the stairs down to the cellars and old staff quarters, one will find the Egyptian Exhibition, celebrating the 5th Earl of Carnarvon's discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun.

About NETA:

The National Educational Telecommunications Association is a professional association that serves public television licensees and educational entities in all 50 states, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. Since 1967, our reason for existing has been to connect public television people and ideas, by providing quality programming, educational resources, professional development, management support, and national representation.
AVIE! Medspa and Laser Center in Loudoun County, Virginia is now offering CoolSculpting Elite, the most advanced CoolSculpting technology on the market for non-invasive fat reduction. AVIE! has been performing CoolSculpting since 2013 and continues to invest in the latest technology.

AVIE! Medspa and Laser Center in Loudoun County, Virginia is proud to now offer CoolSculpting Elite, the most advanced CoolSculpting technology available that features dual applicators, allowing you to treat two areas at once for the most efficient and effective treatments. AVIE! has been performing CoolSculpting since 2013 and continues to invest in the latest technology.

CoolSculpting Elite works by targeting and cooling unwanted fat cells to reveal noticeable, natural-looking fat reduction in the weeks and months following treatment. With completely redesigned applicators, CoolSculpting Elite can better fit your natural curves, enabling you to treat more tissue for better results.

CoolSculpting Elite is safe, effective and FDA-cleared to treat nine areas of the body:



Submental (under the chin)

Submandibular (under the jawline)

Thighs

Abdomen

Flanks

Bra fat

Back fat

Underneath the buttocks (also known as banana roll)

Upper arms

AVIE! Medspa and Laser Center is the premiere destination in Northern Virginia for every aesthetic need, from skin rejuvenation to anti-aging, body contouring and more. We are passionate about providing you with the safest and most effective state-of-the-art technology the industry has to offer, which is why were proud to now offer CoolSculpting Elite non-invasive fat reduction so you can experience the best results possible and get back to loving your body!

This April at AVIE!, we want to help you get bikini ready, which is why were offering: Buy 4 CoolSculpting Elite Treatments, Get 4 FREE! Offer good for new patients only. To claim this special deal or to learn more about CoolSculpting Elite or our other treatments, please call 703-737-0197 or request a consultation online today.

About AVIE! Medspa & Laser Center

AVIE! Medspa & Laser Center has been offering the latest in cosmetic medical spa treatments in a relaxing spa environment in Leesburg, Virginia since opening in March 2009. Owner and Master Aesthetician Kim Marinetto, RN, in conjunction with Medical Director Khalique Zahir, MD, and their highly skilled team of nurses, nurse practitioners and aestheticians, provide specialized cosmetic and aesthetic programs so each of their clients needs are addressed on an individual basis with personalized follow-ups.

Aesthetic treatments at AVIE! have minimal to no downtime. Services include Mommy Makeover, EMSCULPT, EMSCULPT NEO, EMTONE, Halo, Moxi prejuvenation, microneedling, VirtueRF Microneedling, CoolSculpting Elite, Ultherapy, Botox, Juvederm Ultra XC, Juvederm Ultra Plus XC, Vollure XC, Voluma XC, Volbella XC, Kybella submental fat reduction, Upneeq (eyelid-lift drops), chemical peels, MicroLaserPeel, BBL HERO photofacials, HydraFacial MD, ClearV laser vein treatment, sclerotherapy, dermaplaning, SkinTyte II laser skin tightening, ProFractional laser skin resurfacing, laser hair removal, professional skin analysis, PRP/PRFM facial rejuvenation treatments, vitamin B12 shots and blepharoplasty by Dr. Zahir. AVIE! has performed over 425,000 Botox and dermal filler treatments since 2009. AVIE! also carries physician-level skin care. Consultations are complimentary and financing is available. For more information, please call 703-737-0197 or visit http://www.aviemedspa.com.

About Kim Marinetto, RN & Master Aesthetician

Kim Marinetto has over 34 years of experience as a registered nurse. In the past 16 years, she has focused her practice on cosmetic medicine, adding to her credentials a Medical Aesthetician Certification in 2006, along with additional certifications in Botox Cosmetic, facial fillers, sclerotherapy and various advanced laser systems. Kim is a Master Aesthetician in the state of Virginia. Additionally, Kim is an Aesthetic Provider Council member for Alastin Skincare USA. She has done extensive training on laser technology and her coursework is recognized by the AMA.

About Khalique Zahir, MD

Dr. Khalique Zahir, medical director of AVIE! Medspa and Laser Center, graduated from West Virginia School of Medicine and is board-certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and The American Board of Surgery. Dr. Zahir practiced general surgery from 19921999 at West Virginia University and St. Marys Hospital, then cosmetic, plastic and reconstructive surgery at Vanderbilt University Medical Center from 19992001. Dr. Zahir also holds a Virginia Medical License and a Maryland Medical License. He has written over 20 articles published in national health journals and is an assistant clinical professor of surgery at VCU School of Medicine.
Because we serve an institutional customer base, a strong security compliance program and the transparency provided by a SOC report are essential to grow our business

Amberdata, the leader in digital asset data and analytics for institutional customers, announces that it has achieved SOC 2 Type 1 compliance with a 100% clean (unqualified) SOC 2 Type 1 attestation report. This rigorous, independent assessment of our internal security controls serves as validation of our dedication and adherence to the highest standards for security, availability, and processing integrity.

While this is an important milestone, it is in no way an end to our security commitment to our customers. Amberdata views security as the foundation upon which our data infrastructure is built and the trust of our customers is earned and maintained.

Conducted by Prescient Assurance, this attestation report affirms that Amberdatas information security practices, policies, procedures, and operations meet the rigorous SOC 2 Trust Service Criteria for security, availability, and processing integrity. Prescient Assurance is a registered public accounting firm in the US and Canada and provides risk management and assurance services which includes but is not limited to SOC 2, PCI, ISO, NIST, GDPR, CCPA, HIPAA, and CSA STAR.

An unqualified opinion on a SOC 2 Type I audit report demonstrates to Amberdatas current and future customers that they manage their data with the highest standard of security and compliance.

Amberdata chose Dratas automated platform to continuously monitor its internal security controls against the highest possible standards. With Drata, Amberdata has real-time visibility across the organization to ensure the end-to-end security and compliance posture of our systems.

Because we serve an institutional customer base, a strong security compliance program and the transparency provided by a SOC report are essential to grow our business, said Shawn Douglass, CEO, Amberdata, The fact that Amberdata achieved a 100% clean SOC 2 Type 1 attestation report proves that we have the necessary controls and processes in place for compliance. Having our testing conducted by Prescient Assurance, the leader in security testing and compliance for SaaS companies, will provide additional assurance around our security, availability, and processing integrity to our customers.

Developed by the AICPA, SOC 2 is an extensive auditing procedure that ensures that a company is handling customer data securely and in a manner that protects the organization as well as the privacy of its customers. SOC 2 is designed for service providers storing customer data in the cloud.

About Amberdata

Amberdata is the leading provider of digital asset data. We deliver comprehensive data, insights, and analytics tools for blockchain networks, crypto markets, and decentralized finance, empowering financial institutions with data for research, trading, risk, analytics, reporting, and compliance. Amberdata serves as a critical piece of infrastructure for financial institutions entering the asset class and participating in digital asset markets. To learn more, visit Amberdata.io
Robert Mayer was once suicidal. Then two of his best friends committed suicide. After two decades of grappling with his experiences, Mayer brings his thoughts to the world in his first novel Those Left Behind (published by Balboa Press), the story of a man who unexpectedly journeys to a realm between life and death where he must make an agonizing choice whether to live another life or accept his current destiny.

Is life ruled by chance? And what about the afterlife? After a fall separates his body and spirit, Adam Glass finds himself drifting in a realm between life and death. While in a coma with little chance of survival, he is given the chance to live another life in another world. However, there is only one problem. He does not know who he is. Is he the lifeless body in the hospital? Or is he whatever form he finds himself in now?

After Adam chooses to live another life so he can return to his soulmate, Mary, he must face several unexpected obstacles. As he receives guidance from his deceased friends, Adam can only hope their help will be enough to overcome the obstacles, and that his love for Mary will be enough to make him endure a different existence than he ever imagined.

This book can be read in several different ways. As a love story or as a spiritual journey, as a book focused on those that are suicidal or a book focused on those that have had others close to them commit suicide. Its designed to make people laugh and cry as well as ponder deep things such as the afterlife, whether we are just the bodies we find ourselves in or if we are more than that and how holding on to things affects our lives and how it all may stem from a misunderstanding or misperception. The book also covers other topics like addiction, alcohol abuse, hope, regret and choice, Mayer says.

When asked what he wants readers to take away from the book, Mayer answered, Its never too late to make a change. Our journey of improving ourselves didnt necessarily start here nor does it necessarily stop here, in this life, at least this is what I like to believe. I think the changes we make here, in this form, are much more powerful than the changes we make beyond it. We always have a choice as to how to perceive things and how to let them affect our lives. For more details about the book, please visit https://www.balboapress.com/en/bookstore/bookdetails/805567-those-left-behind

Those Left Behind

By Robert Mayer

Hardcover | 6 x 9in | 220 pages | ISBN 9798765239308

Softcover | 6 x 9in | 220 pages | ISBN 9798765239285

E-Book | 220 pages | ISBN 9798765239292

Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble

About the Author

Robert Mayer has worked as a consultant and has owned multiple companies. He is a fellow in the International Society for Philosophical Enquiry, and holds multiple certifications related to block chain technologies. He currently lives on a small farm in Western Massachusetts with his wife, cat, dog, and 17 chickens.

Balboa Press, a division of Hay House, Inc.  a leading provider in publishing products that specialize in self-help and the mind, body, and spirit genres. Through an alliance with the worldwide self-publishing leader Author Solutions, LLC, authors benefit from the leadership of Hay House Publishing and the speed-to-market advantages of the self-publishing model. For more information, visit balboapress.com. To start publishing your book with Balboa Press, call 844-682-1282 today.
When designing the labels, we had both the trade and consumers in mind. We asked ourselves what design would catch your eye at a bar or liquor store while simultaneously matching the ultra-premium liquid in all of our bottles. The result is our sleek revamp

Tequila Bribon, produced by one of the top tequila families in Mexico, has officially launched a new label design for all three expressions: Bribon Blanco, Bribon Reposado, and Bribon Anejo. The Blanco expression is already available nationwide to trade and consumers, with the Reposado and Anejo hitting shelves in the coming months.

We are very excited to finally share the new and improved look for our Bribon Tequila, says Abelardo Orendain, the third-generation owner of Tequila Bribon. When designing the labels, we had both the trade and consumers in mind. We asked ourselves what design would catch your eye at a bar or liquor store while simultaneously matching the ultra-premium liquid in all of our bottles. The result is our sleek revamp.

Tequila Bribon pays homage to the spirit of El Bribon: a person who embraces life and makes their own rules, wanting to lift the spirits of every person they encounter and share their tequila with. It was created by Palm Bay International in partnership with family-owned Casa Don Roberto, one of the four founding families of tequila in Mexico who have been in the distilling business since 1840. Bribon is the proud result of a mission to bring a high-quality tequila that can be embraced by everyone from newbies to aficionados. This outstanding 100% blue agave tequila is made using only fully matured 8- to 10-year-old agaves, all harvested by hand. The end result is a complex and sophisticated ultra-premium tequila available at a great value price-point, that is also extremely approachable and easy to drink.

The new label designs feature a modern, fresh, and sophisticated approach, with the aim to add a luxurious look to better match the tequila in the bottle. The metal tones on the coin and the foil accents add elegance while its long neck and slip-proof shape make it easy to grip and bartender-friendly. Artistic embossed elements add an authentic, elevated link to Mexican culture. This new package design will help position Bribon as a major player among competitors.

The new look was created to help better match and reflect the ultra-premium liquid quality of our delicious agave spirits. Our hope is that these upgrades will help us achieve our ambitious 2023 case objective in an exploding category and better position us as a Go-To premium-tequila brand amongst trade and consumers, says Dave Singh, Spirits Director at Palm Bay International.

Tequila Bribons new bottles are available at select retailers nationwide at a $27.99 suggested price for the Blanco and Reposado 750ml and $37.99 for the Anejo. To learn more about Tequila Bribon, please visit http://www.palmbay.com/producers/bribon.

About Tequila Bribon:

Tequila Bribon represents a proud family heritage, a dedication to authenticity, and a desire to produce the highest quality tequila. Available in three expressions: Blanco, Reposado, and Anejo. One of the founding families of tequila, the Orendain family began distilling blue agave in Mexico in 1840. The production of Tequila Bribon remains faithful to nearly 200 years of heritage while embracing innovation with tried-and-true techniques, methodical recipes, terroir appreciation, love, and passion for the Earth. These elements all allow the production of a tequila that is bold and flavorful, yet sophisticated and approachable on its own or in delicious cocktails. Today, Tequila Bribon pays homage to the spirit of El Bribon: a person who sets their own rules, who never accepts negativity, and who  above all  embraces life. Bribon is imported by Palm Bay International, http://www.palmbay.com.


Truleo's AI-revolutionizing technology measures officer professionalism. Departments nationwide have benefited from their body camera analytics  their customers have reported experiencing a 36% decrease in use-of-force occurrences.

As the #1 provider of automated body camera reviews, they believe that professional police behavior leads to more positive outcomes. When there is mutual respect, civilians are more willing to comply with the police.

How their A.I. works:



Leverage Natural Language Processing to analyze the audio on an officers body camera.

Their engine determines when conflict-based events may have occurred during a call for service.

They then score the officers language as being professional or risky.

Their dashboard acts as a virtual sergeant, offering suggestions for improvements.

The company is holding a Q&A webinar on April 17th at 11:00 PST. Founders Anthony Tassone and Tejas will briefly dive into Truleo and the recent launch of their equity crowdfunding campaign on StartEngine.

For those interested in learning more, you can find the webinar link here.

About Truleo

Truleo has created a cutting-edge body camera analytics platform. Their revolutionary technology automatically processes 100% of BWC data and produces timely, actionable reports.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 4. The Nokia company will open a laboratory at the Azerbaijan Technical University, Azerbaijan's Innovation and Digital Development Agency told Trend.

It was noted that the laboratory will be fully equipped by Nokia.

"At the initial stage, about 800 students and teachers of the Department of Radio Engineering and Communications of the university will be instructed in the operation of the equipment. Training will be held regularly with the participation of Nokia specialists. At the same time, this laboratory will be open to local companies wishing to conduct tests and experiments," the agency said.

The relevant document on the creation of a laboratory on the basis of the Azerbaijan Technical University was signed by the rector of the university Vilayat Veliyev and the representative of Nokia in Azerbaijan Massimiliano Volpe.
"Employers believe theyre providing the best healthcare benefits possible given their financial constraints. Those employers willing to go beyond table stakes benefits are better positioned to address wellness holistically, from family-building assistance to an array of digital health tools."

A new editorial research report from Arizent, parent company of Employee Benefit News, sponsored by Quantum Health, a leader in healthcare navigation and care coordination, explores the current state of healthcare benefits for employers and their employees in 2023. The study reveals that while a majority of benefit leaders view their benefits as the best possible for their workforce, they are aware that their employees may need more  and theyre concerned about the rising costs.

The research shows that employers and employees share an optimistic view of current benefits offerings. But while employers are confident their employees have the resources to make good healthcare decisions, a majority of employees do not get any help navigating their healthcare benefits. This can lead to frustration and hesitancy to seek care, which is no doubt why both employers and employees say their healthcare navigation tools could be better.

In fact, healthcare navigation is at the bottom of employers and employees rankings. Approximately 50% of employers report feeling less confident in their healthcare navigation benefits and 26% of employees feel either minimally satisfied or completely unsatisfied with the navigation tools they are being offered.

Employers generally believe theyre providing the best healthcare benefits possible given their financial constraints, says Janet King, VP of Research for Arizent. They should continue to evaluate their offerings to make sure theyre accessible and effective, especially on the virtual health front. Those employers who are willing to go beyond table stakes benefits are better positioned to address wellness more holistically, from family-building assistance to an array of digital health tools.

And the majority of employers are looking to go beyond. Despite financial constraints, the report shows that 53% of benefits leaders are getting creative by offering innovative benefits instead of traditional plans. Over 80% reported having digital tools for healthcare navigation, fitness tracking, chronic condition management and more.

When it comes to the benefits being used the most, mental health support, family-building assistance and paid parental leave land toward the bottom, while more standard benefits like health insurance, dental insurance, paid sick leave and vision insurance are at the top.

While this may sway employers from investing in more innovative healthcare benefits, its crucial to note that receiving mental health help, or taking months of planned leave to care for a new child, may be subconsciously frowned upon in the employees work culture or discouraged by management, King continues. Just because a benefit is offered doesnt mean employees will feel empowered to use it.

The full report can be downloaded here: https://www.benefitnews.com/research-report/the-state-of-healthcare-2023-is-your-benefits-game-plan-working-and-designed-to-endure

Research Methodology

This research was conducted online by Arizent/Employee Benefit News between January and February 2023. To qualify, the 165 respondents to the employer survey had to be involved in making benefits decisions for their company and the 517 respondents to the employee survey had to receive healthcare benefits from their employer.

For more information on this survey or other Arizent research, contact:

Janet King

Vice President, Research

Arizent

janet.king@arizent.com

M 207-807-4806

About Arizent Research

Arizent delivers actionable insights through full-service research solutions that tap into their first-party data, industry SMEs and highly engaged communities across banking, payments, mortgage, insurance, municipal finance, accounting, HR/employee benefits and wealth management. They have leading brands in financial services, including American Banker, The Bond Buyer, Financial Planning and National Mortgage News, and in professional services, such as Accounting Today, Employee Benefits News and Digital Insurance.

About Employee Benefit News

Employee Benefit News (EBN) is the primary media resource for decision makers in the worlds of employee benefits, human resources and workplace culture. As the dynamics of these spaces continue to shift and become increasingly complex, EBN delivers expert insights to allow business leaders to navigate their industries with agility. From helping benefits managers meet the challenges of reducing care costs and improving retirement plans to providing HR leaders with guidance on building a talented and diverse workforce, EBN drives the conversation and delivers the research and analysis to help readers support their companies objectives.

About Quantum Health

Quantum Health is the industry-leading consumer healthcare navigation and care coordination company that delivers an unparalleled consumer experience to its members, as well as validated claims savings and high satisfaction rates for its self-insured employer clients. Quantum Health's proprietary Real-Time Intercept model identifies opportunities for early intervention in a member's healthcare journey, resulting in better engagement, outcomes and cost efficiencies.

The company was founded in 1999 and is based in Dublin, Ohio. Since its inception, Quantum Health has earned numerous awards and honors, including being named among the Fastest-Growing Private Companies by Inc. 5000, and a Great Place to Work by FORTUNE Magazine and Entrepreneur Magazine. Quantum Health has consistently been named one of the 50 Fastest-Growing Women-Owned/Led Companies by the Women Presidents Organization, and Columbus Business First has consecutively honored Quantum Health as a Best Place to Work.

To learn more about these results and the company, visit Quantum-Health.com, and connect with us on LinkedIn and Twitter.
Law Office of Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP For more information about the class action lawsuit against GMRI, Inc., call (800) 568-8020 to speak to an experienced California employment attorney today.

The San Diego employment law attorneys, at Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP, filed a class action lawsuit against GMRI, Inc. alleging the company violated the California Labor Code. The lawsuit against GMRI, Inc. is currently pending in the San Diego County Superior Court, Case No. 37-2023-00012535-CU-OE-CTL. To read a copy of the Complaint, please click here.

According to the class action complaint, the company's non-exempt employees were allegedly unable to take off-duty meal breaks due to their rigorous work schedules. California labor laws require an employer to provide an employee required to perform work for more than five (5) hours during a shift with, a thirty (30) minute uninterrupted meal break prior to the end of the employee's fifth (5th) hour of work and a second uninterrupted meal break when employees are required to work ten (10) hours. The Complaint claims that the company did not provide their employees who forfeited meal breaks additional compensation.

Additionally, GMRI, Inc. allegedly failed to reimburse employees for required business expenses. California Labor Code  2802 expressly states that "an employer shall indemnify his or her employee for all necessary expenditures or losses incurred by the employee in direct consequence of the discharge of his or her duties..." During employment, Plaintiff and other California Class Members were allegedly required to use their personal cellular phones and home offices as a result of and in furtherance of their job duties

For more information about the class action lawsuit against GMRI, Inc., call (800) 568-8020 to speak to an experienced California employment attorney today.

Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP is a labor law firm with law offices located in San Diego County, Riverside County, Los Angeles County, Sacramento County, Santa Clara County, Orange County, and San Francisco County. The firm has a statewide practice of representing employees on a contingency basis for violations involving unpaid wages, overtime pay, discrimination, harassment, wrongful termination, and other types of illegal workplace conduct.

***THIS IS AN ATTORNEY ADVERTISEMENT***
Officials from Andover Public Schools, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and the Town of Andover joined students, educators, and representatives from PMA Consultants, SMMA, and Gilbane Building Company to celebrate the official topping off of the 190,000-SF West Elementary School.

Designed by SMMA, with PMA Consultants serving as owners project manager, the new school will create inclusive, flexible, and adaptable learning environments for 925 elementary school students. The Town of Andover is also relocating its Shawsheen Preschool to this facility for 130 pre-k students. Located in a dedicated wing, separate from the elementary school, the preschool will have access to shared resources and amenity spaces.

During ceremonial remarks, Jack McCarthy, executive director of the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA), noted the continued success of the project team, commending the Town of Andover in assembling the collaborative team of SMMA, PMA Consultants, and Gilbane. I have no doubt that this project will be completed on time and successfully, he said. Because that is what these three organizations do for us all over the Commonwealth.

The new West Elementary will feature modern, adaptable educational spaces including classrooms that can easily transition into larger group work areas to support accessibility and collaboration. Each space in the new school will center on community, with classrooms grouped by grade level in separate wings focused around neighborhood learning commons with abundant natural light. Larger educational spaces located off individual classrooms allow grades to mingle and build community.

Multi-purpose spaces and other communal areas throughout the school offer diverse seating opportunities to encourage engagement. The cafeteria will share a moveable wall with the gymnasium; a flexible connection to support project-based learning, exhibitions, and performances.

This satisfying moment and important construction milestone is a reminder of the exceptional work exhibited by the entire project team in getting us to this point in the project, said Mike OBrien, senior vice president and business unit leader for Gilbane in Massachusetts. Topping off ceremonies are especially important, as they are a real celebration of our trade partners and Id like to specifically commend the hard work that got us to this point by the men and women from Locals 429, 339, 4, 175, and 7.

As part of Gilbanes student inclusion program, a project vision wall has been installed on site, allowing children a safe vantage point to monitor the construction of their new school. The viewing area features project statistics, such as the amount of concrete and steel being used throughout construction, in relatable terms for elementary school learning. The steel used to build West Elementary weighs over 2.8 million pounds  or 200 elephants.

West Elementary School is slated for completion by 2024.

About Gilbane Building Company

Gilbane provides a full slate of construction and facilities-related services  from pre-construction planning and integrated consulting capabilities to comprehensive construction management, general contracting, design-build and facility management services  for clients across various markets. Founded in 1870 and still a privately held, family-owned company, Gilbane has more than 46 office locations worldwide. For more information, visit http://www.gilbaneco.com.


St. John Paul II School in the community of Maram Khullen, located Manipur, India, has a new toilet complex thanks to donor funding from Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco.

The project is part of the Salesian Missions Clean Water Initiative. The school provides education to 170 students, ages 4-13, with the support of 10 staff members.

The funding was utilized for construction of the entire complex from the foundation to the ceiling and walls. Funding was also used to tile the floor, paint the entire building, and install the toilets and partition them. Separate areas of the building were provided for both boys and girls.

Father Sebastian Chennoth, who is in charge of the school, said, The whole school will benefit from the toilet complex. It is especially true for the girls in the higher classes. It was not easy for them prior to the new complex. This was more embarrassing when some were sick or had stomach troubles. A few students even used to run to the neighboring houses for their needs.

Houdina, a girl in class 7, expressed her gratitude for the new toilet complex. I am very happy now. I dont feel embarrassed anymore. I never went during school recess to the toilet, but used to go during class time to avoid the gaze of the boys.

With more than 1.4 billion people, Indias growing population is putting a severe strain on the countrys natural resources. According to Water.org, 91 million people lack access to safe water, and 746 million people lack access to safely managed household sanitation facilities.

While India has made some progress in the supply of safe water, there remain gross disparities in safe water access across the country. The World Bank estimates that 21 percent of communicable diseases in India are related to unsafe water with diarrhea alone causing more than 1,600 deaths daily. Access to proper sanitation is extremely poor, particularly in rural areas where only 14 percent of the population has access to a latrine.

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About Salesian Missions USA

Salesian Missions is headquartered in New Rochelle, NY, and is part of the Don Bosco Networka worldwide federation of Salesian NGOs. The mission of the U.S.-based nonprofit Catholic organization is to raise funds for international programs that serve youth and families in poor communities around the globe. The Salesian missionaries are made up of priests, brothers and sisters, as well as laypeopleall dedicated to caring for poor children throughout the world in more than 130 countries and helping young people become self-sufficient by learning a trade that will help them gain employment. To date, more than 3 million youth have received services funded by Salesian Missions. These services and programs are provided to children regardless of race or religion. For more information, go to SalesianMissions.org.

Contact:

Laura Perillo

media@salesianmissions.org

908-406-3413 (text messages OK)

Twitter: @MissionNewswire

Newswire: MissionNewswire.org

Press room: SalesianMissions.org/press
We are excited to add this property to our portfolio and build upon the strong momentum that we have developed in the market through our acquisition of Shops at Valley Square in nearby Warrington, PA last year.

Lamar Companies, in conjunction with Real Capital Solutions is pleased to announce the acquisition of Village at Cambridge Crossing, a shopping center in Mount Laurel, NJ. The property totals approximately 128,000 square feet and is ideally positioned less than one-half mile from I-295 with excellent frontage along Route 38 and daily traffic counts exceeding 50,000 cars per day. The center is anchored by LA Fitness with the remaining space comprised of a complementary mix of retail categories including casual dining, beauty, medical, and service based. Highly trafficked tenants include Pancheros Mexican Grill, European Wax Center, AAA Car Care and Ruby Tuesday. Elite Salons & Suites is expected to open later this year. The center can accommodate a range of prospective users including grocery concepts.

Cambridge Crossing is an ideal value-add acquisition opportunity for Lamar. The quality of the real estate is exceptional, and we feel that our capital improvement plan should further enhance the viability of the lease up opportunities. We are excited to add this property to our portfolio and build upon the strong momentum that we have developed in the market through our acquisition of Shops at Valley Square in nearby Warrington, PA last year, said Frank Maresca with Lamar Companies. If you are a broker or tenant interested in joining an exciting tenant line-up at Village at Cambridge Crossing, please contact Lamar Companies through the contact information listed below. For questions related to the acquisition please reach out to Frank Maresca or Kyle Hayes.

Frank Maresca

frankm@lamarco.com

973-867-0612

Kyle Hayes

kyleh@lamarco.com

(973)-302-5678

Website: http://www.lamarco.com

About Lamar Companies

Lamar Companies is a full-service, privately held, real estate investment company headquartered in Fairfield, New Jersey. Since its founding in 1972, the Company has routinely been ranked in the top 100 largest owners of retail shopping centers in the US according to National Real Estate Investors rankings. Lamar primarily focuses on opportunities created by real estate economic cycles and underperforming assets across the United States and is a principal investor in projects for its own account and in partnership with major institutions. Throughout the years the firm has maintained its entrepreneurial roots as a hands-on operating partner with a deep expertise in retail space, and a unique ability to drive value for its investors.


MIAMI Realtors Hosting 73rd FIABCI World Real Estate Congress in June Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush will be Keynote Speaker Miamis selection as host city for the FIABCI World Real Estate Congress speaks to Miamis rapid growth as a top global city and FinTech power"

The MIAMI Association of Realtors (MIAMI) is honored to announce it has been selected to host the 73rd FIABCI World Real Estate Congress on June 5-9 at the Nobu Eden Roc Hotel in Miami Beach, and that former Florida Governor Jeb Bush will be the keynote speaker. This marks the first time in the International Real Estate Federations incredible history that Miami will be the host city and a local Realtor association will be the host. MIAMI will be announcing more speakers and panels as this historic event approaches.

Miamis selection as host city for the FIABCI World Real Estate Congress speaks to Miamis rapid growth as a top global city and FinTech power, MIAMI CEO Teresa King Kinney said. We are incredibly honored to become the first local Realtor association to serve as host for this important event and we plan to showcase everything Miami, the global city of the future, has to offer to FIABCIs distinguished members and guests and to the world.

Under the theme Building for the Future, the 73rd Congress will feature more than 45 world-class speakers, attendees from 70 countries, four days of high-level conferences, the Prix dExcellence Awards known as the Oscars of Real Estate, the historic black-tie FIABCI Medal Holders Dinner, business networking opportunities and social tours of Miamis iconic neighborhoods, venues, attractions, and more.

Register and access event programming and speakers: https://miamifiabcicongress.com/

$3 Million in Economic Impact to Greater Miami

The event, with its 600 global attendees, is expected to generate $3 million and support 600 jobs in Greater Miami, according to the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau.

It is only fitting that this momentous event will take place in Miami, one of the most desirable destinations in the world right now, 2022-23 FIABCI World President Susan Greenfield said.

Jeb Bush to Deliver Keynote Address at 73rd FIABCI World Real Estate Congress in Miami

Jeb Bush, the 43rd governor of the state of Florida who served two terms from 1999 to 2007, is a renowned policy expert and one of Americas most experienced reformers who led change by inspiring citizens, businesspeople, and policy makers. Before running for the Republican presidential nomination in June of 2015, he served as the head of a consulting company whose clients ranged from technology start-ups to Fortune 500 companies.

Today, Bush demonstrates his unwavering commitment to forging a better future for America as chairman of the Foundation for Excellence in Education, which focuses on transforming and providing an education system that maximizes every students potential for learning and prepares all students for success in the 21st century.

He also showed his commitment by serving as chairman of the National Constitution Center, Americas first and only nonpartisan, nonprofit institution devoted to the U.S. Constitution, its ideals and its legacy of active citizenship. He has written three books, Profiles in Character; Immigration Wars: Forging an American Solution; and Reply All: A Governors Story 1999-2007.

Governor Bush is the son of former President George H.W. Bush and Barbara Bush. He lives in Miami with his wife Columba, and they have three children and five grandchildren.

About the MIAMI Association of Realtors

The MIAMI Association of Realtors (MIAMI) was chartered by the National Association of Realtors in 1920 and is celebrating 103 years of service to Realtors, the buying and selling public, and the communities in South Florida. Comprised of six organizations: MIAMI RESIDENTIAL, MIAMI COMMERCIAL; BROWARD-MIAMI, a division of MIAMI Realtors; JTHS-MIAMI, a division of MIAMI Realtors in the Jupiter-Tequesta-Hobe Sound area; MIAMI YPN, our Young Professionals Network Council; and the award-winning MIAMI Global Council. MIAMI REALTORS represents nearly 60,000 total real estate professionals in all aspects of real estate sales, marketing, and brokerage. It is the largest local Realtor association in the U.S. and has official partnerships with 246 international organizations worldwide. MIAMI has been selected to host the prestigious FIABCI World Congress on June 5-9, 2023. MIAMIs official website is http://www.MiamiRealtors.com

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Deacon Albert Graham announces his return to the publishing scene with the release of Revelation, Mystical Phenomena and Divine Promises (published by Trafford Publishing) which explores 43 mystical phenomena and depicts imagery of artists showing saints experiencing such phenomena.

This book is an exhaustive reference guide, an uplifting devotional, and a fount of theological and mystical knowledge. It points out to the reader that God has been and still is communicating to His creatures through miracles, wonders, private revelations and a host of mystical phenomena for over 2,000 years. A special chapter in this work deals with some saints and holy people who have had private revelations about or visits from souls in purgatory, hell or heaven. Another chapter and several of the appendixes are devoted to Marian apparitions including those approved, not approved and appending a decision by the church.

By far, one of the greatest strengths of this undertaking is the identification of some 43 categories of concomitant extraordinary phenomena and some of the saints and holy people who have experienced them. Color paintings by artists are depicted of some saints experiencing such mystical phenomena. Another unique feature of the book is a listing of some 600 individuals from the 13th to the 21st centuries who bore the stigmata. By knowing that God is present and alive to his people, this book may help bring others to a deeper faith in God.

Many in our society and culture have lost their sense of the miraculous, otherworldly and supernatural. It is my hope that this book will appeal to people of all faith and religion to strengthen their spirituality knowing that God is ever present and alive to His people. It may help to bring unbelievers to awareness, seekers to belief and believers to a deeper faith in God, Graham says. When asked what he wants readers to take away from the book, he answered, That God still intervenes in human affairs through voices, visions, apparitions, locutions, miracles, signs and wonders. For more details about the book, please visit, https://www.trafford.com/en/bookstore/bookdetails/840134-revelation-mystical-phenomena-and-divine-promises

Revelation, Mystical Phenomena and Divine Promises

By Deacon Albert Graham

Hardcover | 8.5 x 11in | 638 pages | ISBN 9781698712703

Softcover | 8.5 x 11in | 638 pages | ISBN 9781698712680

E-Book | 638 pages | ISBN 9781698712697

Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble

About the Author

Albert E. Graham lives in La Plata, Maryland. He graduated from Rutgers University in 1957 with a BA in history. The following year, he completed Officer Candidate School in Newport, Rhode Island and was commissioned and ensign in the U.S. Navy. After a three-year stint, which included teaching Russian at the U.S. Naval Academy, he returned to civilian life. He received a masters degree in Soviet area studies from Georgetown University (1970) while continuing to work for the Library of Congress where he became Deputy Chief of the European Division. During the course of his civilian life, Graham was also active in the Naval Reserve, attaining the rank of captain. Upon retirement from government service in 2001, Graham entered the Diaconate Program of the Archdiocese of Washington and was ordained a permanent deacon in 2004. He ministered in that capacity to the congregation of Sacred Heart in La Plata, Maryland until his retirement in 2020. He has been married for 58 years to his wife Fernande. They have been blessed with five children and 11 grandchildren.

Trafford Publishing, an Author Solutions, LLC, author services imprint, was the first publisher in the world to offer an on-demand publishing service, and has led the independent publishing revolution since its establishment in 1995. Trafford was also one of the earliest publishers to utilize the Internet for selling books. More than 10,000 authors from over 120 countries have utilized Traffords experience for self publishing their books. For more information about Trafford Publishing, or to publish your book today, call 844-688-6899 or visit trafford.com.
"We are thrilled to participate in Manufacturing in America 2023 and share our knowledge and experience with attendees."

Patti Engineering, Inc., a leading control system integration company with offices in Michigan, Texas, and Indiana, today announced that Founder and CEO Sam Hoff will be presenting on digitalization at the Manufacturing in America 2023 event held at Ford Field in Detroit, MI. The seminar will take place on Thursday, April 13th at 9:00 am in Ford Fields Visitors Post Game Interview Room.

Hoffs presentation, entitled "Digitalization: A Practical Guide," will offer manufacturers insights on the useful applications for digitalization in manufacturing including edge/cloud, track/trace/RTLS, digital twins, robotics, and data analytics. The discussion will focus on the most impactful practices manufacturers can adopt and how to develop a plan of action independent of their facilitys status in the digitalization process.

"We are thrilled to participate in Manufacturing in America 2023 and share our knowledge and experience with attendees. I will be diving into the potential benefits of utilizing digital tools such as AI, simulation, and edge/cloud computing and data analytics to help attendees strengthen their grasp on manufacturing processes and outcomes," said Hoff. "Digitalization is helping manufacturers solve old problems through new, innovative methods. Our team is committed to helping attendees understand the latest advancements in digitalization and how to leverage them for their own operations."

The Patti Engineering team will also be exhibiting at booth #402 to discuss control systems integration and Industry 4.0 digitalization with attendees during both days of the event.

Manufacturing in America (MiA) will gather more than 3,700 professionals, including manufacturing executives, engineers, and enthusiasts to explore the latest technologies, exchange best practices and ideas, and contribute to the progress of the manufacturing industry. The event will comprise of over 100 technical learning seminars, and 50 exhibits that will highlight the latest advancements in automation, digitalization, controls, and drives technology, all of which are vital for the evolving manufacturing industry.

To learn more and register, visit http://www.attendmia.com.

About Patti Engineering, Inc.

Patti Engineering, Inc. is a CSIA Certified control systems integration company offering high-caliber engineering and software development services. Patti Engineerings technical expertise in electrical control and information systems provides turnkey control systems integration for design/build, upgrade/retrofit and asset/energy management projects. Industrial automation, production intelligence and shop floor IT solutions services include: project management, electrical engineering, hardware design, hardware procurement, software development, installation, calibration, start-up testing, verification, documentation, training and warranty support. Customer satisfaction and project success earned the company placement in Control Engineering Magazines Hall of Fame. For more information, visit our website, Linkedin, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
After the global success of the crypto broker platform, PayBito introduced new upgrades Accessibility is a key component for financial inclusion. Our latest developments will empower every person with standardized access to advanced brokerage service offerings, without sacrificing affordability.

The US-based crypto exchange PayBito announced upcoming innovations across its crypto broker platform. The updates will enhance the overall experience, with access to AI-powered tools for trading insights, Quick Sign-Up, and other features at affordable monthly subscription charges.



A Pioneer in the Crypto Frontier

PayBito grabbed the previous years spotlight with the launch of the worlds first white-label crypto broker platform for business enterprises seeking entry into crypto trading services. Registered participants could earn attractive commissions acting as intermediaries between crypto traders and investors. The transactions were carried through the PayBito exchange, which provided additional features such as cutting-edge security, advanced trading tools, and options. Members could also build a self-branded business with options for customization.

The above features, combined with PayBitos reputation as one of the top providers of white-label crypto exchange solutions led to its global success, with applicants enlisting from all corners of the world. The positive feedback further solidified the firms vision of making brokerage accessible through innovation and tech integration.

Brokerage as a Service: The Democratization of Brokerage

PayBito CEO Raj Chowdhury states, Accessibility is a key component for financial inclusion. Our latest developments will empower every person with standardized access to advanced brokerage service offerings, without sacrificing affordability.

In contrast to conventional on-premises broker models, PayBito utilizes cloud architecture. This led to the development of the BaaS (Brokerage as a Service) model. Entrepreneurs and enterprises can complete registration using Quick Sign-Up within a few minutes. Traditional broker platforms have a minimum waiting time of 6 months, technical complexities during installation, and are expensive.

Affordable and Zero Installation Hassles

The PayBito broker platform offers intermediaries comprehensive trade solutions for a nominal monthly fee of $49.99. Users can leverage trading options such as Basic, Pro, Margin Trading, and OTC through the PayBito exchange. Advanced options like high-frequency algo trading are also available with an easy-to-install bot trading setup.

The cloud-based PayBito broker platform doesnt require coding or installation of technical infrastructure. Setup is quick, hassle-free, and compatible with all desktop and mobile platforms, including Android, MacOS, and MS Windows.

Transforming Trading with AI

Powered by OpenAI solutions, PayBito remains at the forefront of disruption across the financial services sector. PayBito participants can utilize AI/ML for predictive or sentiment trade analysis, forecasting, portfolio optimization, fraud detection, risk management, and more. The usage of artificial intelligence for trading purposes had been previously exclusive to institutional traders with high resource allocation capabilities.

PayBito utilizes an AI-enabled Data Engine to monitor transactional data, allot weightage and rank them across a neural network. Collecting news from multiple sources including social media, the engine performs impact analysis to ascertain market sentiments. Upon quantification, the engine churns buy and sell signals for the traders based on accurate AI insights, void of bias errors. Over time, the engine reports become more precise as it analyzes market conditions and replicates the trading behavior of expert traders.

Security and Compliance

PayBito's blockchain-powered crypto broker platform ensures the safety of users' funds and data. With features like 2 Factor Authentication, DDoS mitigation, Anti-phishing measures, DB encryption, and GEO-targeting, the platform provides institution-grade security, granting access only to genuine users.

PayBito integrates automated KYC and AML verification, eliminating disputes and unnecessary hassles. Additionally, the platform is also registered with global regulatory bodies, ensuring complete transparency and compliance with all legal requirements.

Brokering World Hunger Away

PayBito's crypto broker platform offers an advantage beyond financial gain. With its Brokering World Hunger Away campaign, intermediaries can contribute to social welfare by participating in a sustainable initiative that aims to alleviate global crises. The exchange matches brokers' earnings commission and donates the total funds raised to feed malnourished children worldwide, without affecting brokers' profits. This initiative presents an opportunity for a collective contribution toward the greater good.

Conclusion:

By breaking down financial barriers, promoting trust and transparency, and offering affordable trading options, PayBito has made a positive impact in closing the inequality gap. With its enhanced asset list and AI-powered trading tools, PayBito continues to boost financial inclusion, accelerating opportunities for traders and brokers to achieve financial independence. PayBito's commitment to democratizing finance and integrating cutting-edge technology positions it as a leader in the future of finance.

About PayBito:

PayBito is a leading cryptocurrency asset trading platform operating globally. The platform is designed and managed by a team with rich experience in Banking security systems, Cryptocurrency trading, and Blockchain technology. It is available in the web version as well as in iOS and Android stores. PayBito services include white-label crypto exchange solutions, white-label payment gateway, exchange affiliate, and coin listing. PayBito offers some of the best rates and top-notch security in the crypto world.
Republics flexibility was crucial and allowed us to choose what was best for our unique situation,

When the COVID-19 pandemic slowed sales and disrupted supply chains for a Midwest supplier of pipes, valves and oil transmission products and services, the company and its private equity partner needed a flexible solution. Republic Business Credit provided a $5 million factoring facility with options to offer the best fit. The private equity fund and the supplier chose Republics ledgered line of credit that features the pricing structure of an ABL facility.

The solution was quicker and more scalable than an asset-based loan. We were still dealing with supply chain issues and preferred the covenant free option that Republic provided in an ABL and factoring option at the same cost. Republics flexibility was crucial and allowed us to choose what was best for our unique situation, the private equity funds managing partner said.

The supplier of pipes and valves is based in Kansas City, Mo. Its top three customers are large gas and energy companies. Sales from the three represented 53% of total revenue at FYE 2021. The company provides value-add modifications of valves that are complemented by pipes, fittings and other distributed products to various midstream natural gas customers. But COVID-19 and the ramp-down of a major project caused the company to seek out unique solutions and a creative finance package.

We consistently partner with private equity for both of our ABL and factoring solutions, Republic Business Credit's President Robert Meyers said. We find that while people might prefer ABL on the surface, in reality they often like the flexibility of a factoring facility when the situation fits. As we continue to build out our suite of products, we are proud to see private equity and independent sponsors represent more than 40% of our clients and believe we are a rare dynamic partner who can provide working capital solutions to most portfolio companies.

The pipe and valve supplier anticipates its performance will improve as customers order more product, supply chain issues improve and margins increase due to headcount reductions and the renewal of the company's direct relationship with its main supplier. The company was founded in 1956. In 2016, it filed for bankruptcy. Assets were acquired through a stalking horse bid of approximately $25 million, which was court approved that same year. The company now operates out of six facilities across the United States.

Republics CEO Stewart Chesters said: We believe our suite of lending and factoring products will be more in demand as companies work through the growing uncertainties of 2023 and beyond. This company is an example of that  how the unique financial products we offer can be a lifeline when traditional banking products arent a good fit.

Republic partners with banks, accountants, sponsors, lawyers and investment banks to collaboratively support entrepreneurs across the United States, to create value, by enabling them to focus on growing successful businesses.

About Republic Business Credit

Republic Business Credit is a nationally recognized commercial finance company supporting the working capital requirements of companies nationwide, including private equity and entrepreneurial businesses. Republic provides asset-based lending, ledgered lines of credit, traditional factoring, factoring and Fast AR Funding. Republic partners with its clients to provide up to $15 million in senior credit facilities to rapidly growing businesses, startups and companies experiencing recoverable distress. Republic is recognized by the Secured Finance Network as one of the largest finance companies in the United States. Republic is proud to be headquartered in New Orleans with additional offices in Chicago, Los Angeles and Houston. Republic is a wholly owned subsidiary of Renasant Bank.

About Renasant Corporation:

Renasant Corporation is the parent of Renasant Bank, a 119-year-old financial services institution. Renasant has assets of approximately $17billion and operates 198 banking, lending, mortgage, wealth management and insurance offices throughout the Southeast as well as offering factoring and asset-based lending on a nationwide basis.


BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 4. The European Commission assesses very highly the reforms carried out by Kazakhstan in the field of aviation and civil aviation management, Peter Bombay, Chairman of the European Union Safety Committee of the European Commission's Directorate General for Mobility and Transport, said, Trend reports, citing the Civil Aviation Committee of Kazakhstan.

The statement was made during the meeting between Peter Bombay as well as other EU delegates, and Kazakh officials, including First Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration of Kazakhstan Timur Suleimenov, Acting Minister of Industry and Infrastructure Development of Kazakhstan Roman Sklyar, and others.

Bombay added that the reforms implemented in the country transformed Kazakhstan into a regional leader in the field of civil aviation. He also spoke highly of Kazakhstans open sky policy. The policy, introduced in international airports of the country, removes all restrictions on the number of flights and provides foreign airlines with a fifth degree of freedom of the air on routes where Kazakh airlines do not operate.

The parties also discussed various issues, such as ensuring flight safety and expanding the legal framework in air traffic between Kazakhstan and the EU.

Following the meeting, the EU and Kazakh officials agreed to continue cooperation in the field of civil aviation.
"Parker Plays X," the new collaboration by pianist Richard X Bennett and saxophonist Matt Parker. It's a unique experience to take on someone else's sensibility so intensely. I tried internalizing Richard's melodies and took it from there.

Friends and collaborators Richard X Bennett and Matt Parker heighten their creative relationship with the May 5 release of their album Parker Plays X on BYNK Records (Because You Never Know). The record finds pianist-composer Bennett and saxophonist Parker co-leading a session for the first time as theyalong with bassist Adam Armstrong and drummer Julian Edmondexplore a dozen Bennett compositions that range from straightahead bebop to avant-garde freakouts to classic jump blues, among other styles.

Both musicians embrace this kind of wide variety, though Bennett is inclined toward music with a groove while Parker prefers free jazzs boundless experimentation. It was at that confluence of form and freedom that the two came together. A lot of free players can play wild without actually playing the song, the pianist recalls of their first meeting. It was obvious in sixty seconds that Matt had it.

Its a unique experience to take on someone elses sensibility so intensely, adds Parker of their musical merger. I tried internalizing Richards melodies and took it from there.

Its not just the saxophonist who takes on someone elses sensibility. The most atonal and challenging pieces on "Parker Plays X" are not spontaneous free improvisations but premeditated compositions, with Bennett harnessing some of Parkers wild side to his own ends. The explosive Countertransference is actually a three-part suite; the frenetic No Cigarettes No Coffee No Weed No Sleep is inspired by Parkers impassioned speech during a late-night phone call to Bennett.

Indisputably, however, Parker also adapts himself to Bennetts more groove-centered aesthetic. His sonic torrents add momentum to the already rollicking jump blues Belly First; his boozy, coarse tenor line gives Semi Vintage a dose of appropriately retro swagger; and his melodic soprano improvisation drives home the high-octane waltz rhythm of Bus 61.

The remarkable contributions of Armstrong and Edmond are not to be dismissed. The rhythm players bring crucial shape and dimension to tunes like Style V Substance and the cathartic ballad Two Years Later. Even so, its the piano-and-tenor duet closer, Sagebrush, that makes manifest the two-man chemistry at the heart of "Parker Plays X."

Richard X Bennett and Matt Parker both made deep connections to jazz in their teenage years. Both made their way to Brooklyn, where they built their careers as wide-ranging improvising musicians. And both are defined by their omnivorous musical appetites and their refusal to be restrained by convention. Their paths to these similar destinations, however, were markedly different.

Arriving in New York in the 1990s, Bennett found himself working with an expansive palette, from blues and jazz to funk and rock. The palette became broader still in the 2000s, when he accompanied his girlfriend (now wife) to India and became entranced by the subcontinents raga traditions. He recorded several Indo-jazz albums for Indian record labels.

It wasnt until 2017 that he released his first jazz album for a U.S. audience: "Experiments With Truth," featuring Parker and Armstrong along with baritone saxophonist Lisa Parrott and drummer Alex Wyatt. Five more albums followed, marrying jazz to Indian music and electronica as well as exploring contemporary jazz in itself with his RXB3 trio.

Parker was born and raised in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where he fell in love with jazz after seeing trumpeter Maynard Ferguson in concert. He was mentored by the legendary South Florida saxophonist Jimmy Cavallo and played professionally as a teenager before moving to New York and studying with Jane Ira Bloom, Barry Harris, and Junior Mance.

Parker was profoundly influenced by avant-garde players along with straightahead stalwarts, paying tribute to both on his albums "Worlds Put Together" (2014) and "Present Time" (2016). His career has been a wildly eclectic one, with highlights ranging from work with Reggie Workman, Pete Fountain, and the Mingus Big Band to performance with Ariana Grande, membership in the viral ensemble Postmodern Jukebox, and appearances (both musical and on-screen) in the hit action film John Wick.

The Richard X Bennett/Matt Parker Quartet performs a CD release concert (two sets) at BWAC, 481 Van Brunt Street, Brooklyn, on Saturday 5/13, 5pm.
Waterproofed with PENETRON ADMIX: The new Shakas Head Reservoir concrete dam created a 1.5-million-liter (<400,000-gallons) drinking water reservoir for the North Coast region of KwaZulu Natal. Thanks to our experience and success with a number of similar projects across Africa and beyond, the contractor was very happy with the results.

The new Shakas Head Reservoir in Ballito (KwaZulu Natal), South Africa, was completed in August 2022. The Penetron System was specified to ensure a durable  and waterproof  concrete structure.

Situated on the KwaZulu Natal coast north of Durban, Ballito is a popular vacation destination best known for the bottlenose dolphins that frequent the coastline. With easy access to highways and an international airport, Ballito has grown significantly in recent years. The population of the nine municipal wards that make up the Greater Ballito area is currently over 75,000 and continues to grow rapidly.

The new Shakas Head Reservoir was constructed to accommodate the continued rapid growth of the Ballito municipal area along the north coast of the KwaZulu Natal province, explains Jonathan Whitehead, Technical Engineering Support at Penetron Africa.

Located in the hills of the North Coast region northwest of Ballito, the construction of the new concrete dam for the Shakas Head Reservoir created a 1.5-million-liter (less than 400,000-gallons) capacity source of drinking water for the burgeoning region.

Faced with a number of post-construction issues, R & B Civil, the projects general contractor, asked Penetron Africa for a durable concrete waterproofing solution. Inkunzi, the ready-mix concrete supplier, delivered PENETRON ADMIX-treated concrete slurry, which was topically applied to the reservoirs concrete structure to repair ferrule holes, cracks and any further defects in the concrete.

Once added to the slurry mix, PENETRON ADMIX, an integral crystalline waterproofing admixture, penetrates into the underlying concrete to create a non-soluble crystalline formation throughout the pores and capillary tracts of the concrete matrix. This enhances the durability and service life of concrete, and will also minimize any future waterproofing related maintenance costs for Siza Water, the reservoirs owner and operator.

This was a straightforward project for Penetron. The builder needed to quickly and permanently take care of a number of concrete placement defects  a result of the hot weather  to ensure the concrete structure was impermeable, adds Jonathan Whitehead. Thanks to our experience and success with a number of similar projects across Africa and beyond, the contractor was very happy with the results.

The Penetron Group is a leading manufacturer of specialty construction products for concrete waterproofing, concrete repairs and floor preparation systems. The Group operates through a global network, offering support to the design and construction community through its regional offices, representatives, and distribution channels.

For more information on Penetron waterproofing solutions, please visit penetron(dot)com or Facebook(dot)com/ThePenetronGroup, email CRDept(at)penetron(dot)com, or contact the Corporate Relations Department at 631-941-9700.
"While our acquisition process is a well-oiled machine, relatively seamless and minimally disruptive to clients, every MSP we acquire brings something special to the table. We're getting bigger, better, smarter, and faster  and we're not slowing down anytime soon," said Tim Conkle, CEO of The 20.

The 20 MSP, a leading managed service provider with offices nationwide, today announced the completion of three more MSP acquisitions, the latest moves in the company's multi-year growth plan. The 20's M&A spree began last year with thirteen acquisitions, and has continued in 2023 with six deals closed.

The three companies joining The 20 are UNI Computers (Kansas), CyberSecure IT Solutions (Florida), and The Computing Edge (Oklahoma).

As members of The 20 MSP's growth platform, all three MSPs achieved impressive, year-after-year growth, evolving into regional leaders with demonstrated excellence in delivering successful outcomes to clients. The 20's leadership team is excited to collaborate with these high-performing MSPS to bring clients with a host of cutting-edge solutions, along with enhanced support.

"Since joining our group, UNI Computers, CyberSecure IT Solutions, and The Computing Edge have been exemplary in everything that they do," said Tim Conkle, CEO of The 20. "All three have passionate and capable leadership who've built tremendous teams who understand what managed IT services are all about  helping clients win. It's an understatement to say we're feeling confident that our new team members are going to help us bring second-to-none IT support to clients at a national scale," Conkle added.

These latest acquisitions deepen The 20's rapidly expanding national footprint, broaden the range of its service offerings, and strengthen its expertise in a variety of areas, including cloud solutions, cybersecurity, IT consulting, and business continuity.

M&A activity continues to sweep through the MSP space, and 2023 is proving to be another year of vigorous deal-making. Private equity investment is a driving force behind this trend, but The 20 MSP has taken a different approach, opting for self-funding instead of private equity funding.

Another notable aspect of The 20's M&A strategy is the role of The 20 MSP Group, the company's growth platform for small and medium-sized MSPs looking for better ways to grow and scale. The group, with its 170+ members, provides The 20 MSP with a steady stream of acquisition candidates.

"We're exclusively acquiring MSPs that belong to our group because these are companies who have signed on to our way of doing things," explained Conkle. "Risk is low in that we not only know how these MSPs work from an operational and technical standpoint, but from a cultural standpoint as well. And while our acquisition process is a well-oiled machine  relatively seamless and minimally disruptive to clients  every MSP we acquire brings something new and special to the table. We're getting bigger, better, smarter, and faster  and we're not slowing down anytime soon."

Pinecrest Capital Partners served as the exclusive financial advisor to The 20 MSP on the acquisitions and associated financing.

About The 20 MSP

The 20 MSP has been helping businesses succeed through better technology since 1986. As a leading provider of managed IT services, The 20 MSP serves hundreds of businesses nationwide, providing each one with white glove service, secure and streamlined IT infrastructure, and 24/7/365 support. We believe in building lasting relationships with clients founded on trust, communication, and the delivery of high-value services for a fair and predictable price. Our clients' success is our success, and we are committed to helping each and every organization we serve leverage technology to secure a competitive advantage and achieve new growth. To learn more, visit the20msp.com

About The 20

The 20 is an exclusive consortium for Managed Service Providers (MSP) aimed at dominating and revolutionizing the IT industry with its standardized all-in-one approach. The 20s robust RMM, PSA, and documentation platform ensures superior service for its MSPs clients utilizing their completely US-based Help Desk and Network Operations Center. Extending beyond proven tools and processes, The 20 touts a proven sales model, a community of industry-leading MSPs, and ultimate scalability. To learn more, visit the20.com
The Big Brothers Big Sisters and Grant Cardone Foundation experience...helped me choose the best career path for me... and provided me with all the necessary resources to be successful." (Ronnie - a senior at Hallandale Magnet High)

The Grant Cardone Foundation (GCF) and Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) finalized a 2-year extension of their partnership to bring mentoring, direction, and guidance to underprivileged youth in South Florida.

Together, GCF and BBBS match caring mentors (called Bigs) with aspiring youths (called Littles) to help them set academic and personal goals and develop practical life skills to realize their full potential.

Ronnie, a senior at Hallandale Magnet High described his experience with BBBS and the Grant Cardone Foundation: The Big Brothers Big Sisters and Grant Cardone Foundation experience has helped me so much from learning interview tips to knowing how to use Photoshop. Its helped me choose the best career path for me and has ultimately provided me with all the necessary resources to be successful. I am really glad that I was given the opportunity to be a part of this program.

Ronnie is one of over 1000 youth in South Florida supported by the Grant Cardone Foundation.

Sarah Rice, a high school student, and aspiring entrepreneur shared her experience: Being able to be here in front of these super influential people, people I follow and look up to, and be able to present my ideas and have them receive that and connect to my vision, it was amazing.

Another student remarked: It was a great experience, probably one of the best experiences Ive had in terms of motivation. I learned the importance of focusing on your goals, really going through [my goals], and not just thinking about what I want to do, but really going for it every single day.

This is a really good program, and now Im going to do really big things when I grow up, another student said.

Now, the Grant Cardone Foundation is thrilled to continue this work through an extension with Big Brothers Big Sisters.

The two-year extension comes at the conclusion of a 14-month collaboration that positively impacted the lives of some of South Floridas at-risk youth.

Were just thrilled that the Grant Cardone Foundation has stepped up to continue its School to Work partnership with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Broward County in the coming school year, said Malena Mendez, President, and CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Broward County. This past year, Grant and his team have inspired their 14 Littles, graduating seniors from Hallandale High School, to work hard, focus on achievement and build prosperous futures. They truly have equipped these young people with the tools to ignite their power and potential.

Marco Ferreira, Director of Philanthropy at the Grant Cardone Foundation explained: The Grant Cardone Foundation values the importance of mentors in a youth's life. The Bigs in this program have seen the importance of mentorship and relationship building and saw firsthand their Littles' maturation and growth this school year. GCF is ecstatic about our extended partnership with BBBS.

For more information about The Grant Cardone Foundation, please visit grantcardonefoundation.com.

About The Grant Cardone Foundation: The Grant Cardone Foundation is an international non-profit organization invested in helping youth in our communities reach their full potential. Entrepreneur and best-selling author, Grant Cardone, created the foundation as a result of experiencing the traumatic loss of his father when he was only ten years old. Growing up without a father figure in his life affected him emotionally, socially, and academically. So he has made it his mission to help young adults who may need life and career guidance, just as he once did. The foundation partners with community organizations, municipal agencies, corporations, and other non-profit entities to help deliver energy and educational resources to kids in need.

About Grant Cardone: Grant Cardone is an American author, sales trainer, real estate investor, and motivational speaker. He wrote seven books: Sell To Survive, The Closer's Survival Guide, If You're Not First, You're Last, The 10X Rule, Sell or Be Sold, The Millionaire Booklet, and Be Obsessed or Be Average. Grant showed off his sales and marketing process when he was featured in Discovery Channel's Undercover Billionaire, Season 2.

About Big Brothers Big Sisters: Big Brother Big Sisters (BBBS) is a program dedicated to creating and supporting one-to-one mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth. For over a century, Big Brother Big Sisters has helped change kids perspectives and give them the opportunity to reach their potential. Today, BBBS operates in all 50 statesand in 12 countries around the world.

The Grant Cardone Foundation is a Section 501(c) (3) charitable organization organized under the laws of the State of Florida. For more information please visit https://grantcardonefoundation.com.

Media Contact

Public Relations, Cardone Training Technologies, Inc., pr@grantcardone.com

SOURCE: Grant Cardone Foundation
Instinct ad Relaunching Instinct in my hometown and incorporating revenue from every sale to empower underprivileged students is a dream come true. Business can solve big social problems, but if I can just help with one small problem, the life trajectory of a student, then my mission will be fulfilled

Leadership speaker, best-selling author and world champion surfer, Shaun Tomson, and his apparel designer wife Carla, will relaunch his iconic surf clothing brand, Instinct, in his native South Africa to empower underprivileged students.

Instinct launches in South Africa with Oh Two Clothing, a homegrown manufacturer, cutting, sewing, printing and producing apparel in Tomsons hometown of Durban. Home grown and Home sewn is the ethos.

Tomson is in the middle of a world speaking tour following the launch of his #1 Amazon best-selling book The Surfer and the Sage: A Guide to Survive and Ride Lifes Waves (Familius Publishing), on NBCs national Today Show.

The tour, which included New York City, then continued to London, California, Florida, Australia, and Hilton Head, highlighted the books Code Method, a transformational self-development program to activate purpose to improve wellbeing, motivation, and performance.

Over the last three years, Tomson has spoken to over 250, 000 people at in-person and virtual speaking engagements.

Read the headlines and there are many stories of business gone bad  crypto currency scandals, executives at banks enriching themselves at the expense of their depositors and shareholders  the list goes on and on. Every day a new scandal as the decision makers move away from their core values in search of more value for themselves.

However, there are many bright spots in the darkness  corporations and people doing the right thing and asking nothing in return.

I personally experienced an incredibly warm gesture from Foschini, one of South Africas top apparel retail groups, says Tomson.

In 1979, Tomson founded Instinct in Durban in partnership with a local family. He wanted to come up with a name that represented the essence of his surfing experience.

He thought about the favorite part of the surfing experience  the moments when he had experienced true stoke and fulfillment, and it was the tube ride. Those moments when you are enveloped by a hypnotically spinning tunnel of water, balanced on the edge between exhilaration and disaster. Deep inside the tube, in a state of perfect flow, aligning maneuvers to his own inner rhythm, he felt that his mind state was instinct  so thats what he called the brand  Instinct. And the subline is the inner rhythm.

The brand grew quickly and eventually was sold in 13 countries employing people across the globe. It featured a red-hot surf team and sponsored great surfers including Mike Burness, Dave Parmenter and Greg Anderson. It also sponsored the erudite Barton Lynch to his World Title in 1988, and radical Tom Carroll to his two titles in 1984 and 1985.

Many people still remember the groundbreaking ad campaign created by ad genius Rod Dyer with copy by David Lees. Surfing is lifeThe rest is details.

Tomson sold the brand to his original partners when he retired from competitive surfing in 1990. The business went through some ups and downs but he and his wife eventually re-acquired the intellectual property rights except in South Africa. The rights had been sold many years before to Foschini.

Foschini happily gave the brand back to Tomson to thank him for his work empowering students across the world through activating purpose and hope. All they asked was a contribution in perpetuity from every product sale to the 9 Miles Project in Cape Town  an NGO focused on empowering underprivileged youth through surfing.

"Relaunching Instinct in my hometown where I started it and incorporating revenue from every sale to empower underprivileged students is a dream come true. Business can solve big social problems, but if I can just help with one small problem, the life trajectory of a student, then my mission will be fulfilled. I'm excited to be partnering with Oh Two Clothing and the 9 Miles Project to improve the lives of kids through the life lessons of surfing. Over the last 17 years I have dedicated my life to helping uplift organizations, schools and universities through inspirational programs and I'm excited to be incorporating Instinct into my program of self-empowerment, says Tomson.

"This is such an awesome initiative, and we are super stoked and incredibly grateful to Shaun and his wife for choosing us. What an incredible brand and what a great initiative by a great couple! We love the way you and your family are always doing so much good and changing the world for the better. Thank you for making us part of that. We are so so excited for this!," says Sher'Neil Savel, Founder, 9 Miles Project.

"The entire team at Oh Two is stoked to partner up with Shaun and Carla to re-launch one of South Africa's most iconic home-grown and heritage brands and we will be making the product in our factory in South Africa  made by South African hands for South Africans  homegrown and home-sewn. We have created a unique collection of surfwear with inspiration from the past, present and future and we are really excited to support Shaun's worldwide mission of youth transformation by contributing a portion of every sale to the 9Miles Project to empower underprivileged youth through surfing," says Simon de Robillard, Director, Oh Two Clothing.

About Oh Two Clothing

From humble beginnings in the small back room of a Durban home over twenty years ago, Oh Two Clothing has evolved into one of South Africas leading manufacturers for the retail and promotional clothing industry. Having started off with one pattern maker and six machinists, our family-owned and managed business has grown into a thriving company with in-house Design, CMT and Screen Printing capability.

The fully vertical operation enables the manufacturing process from start to finish, giving absolute control of both quality and price. With an infrastructure built around a quick response production model, speed and flexibility are the key differentiators that sets the company apart from competitors.

About 9 Miles Project

9Miles Project is a registered non-profit organization that was founded in Cape Town in 2013. The project works with youth in coastal informal settlements and provides mentorship and support to the at-risk youth in the areas of Cape Town, Elands Bay, and St Francis Bay. With Headquarters at Strandfontein Pavilion, Cape Town, the project is a haven and refuge for youth who have very few positive role models in their lives.

Motivated by his love for surfing and the pivotal role that the discipline of this activity played in his life, Nigel Savel, along with his wife SherNeil, started the project with the vision of improving their crime and drug-scourged community. Nigel recognized that the children growing up in the surrounding informal settlements were living with gangsters and drug dealers as role models and that there were very few organized activities or programmes to motivate and mold young impressionable minds. Surfing was used as a catalyst to entice students to the project and to teach them discipline, determination and life skills.

About Shaun Tomson

Shaun Tomson is a leadership speaker who uplifts, inspires and re-connects individuals, teams and families to their true purpose to live a better and more meaningful life.

As a World Surfing Champion, he has been described as one of the 10 greatest and most influential surfers of all time. Following his career as a professional athlete, he went on to become a successful entrepreneur, leadership speaker, best-selling author, award winning filmmaker, philanthropist, and environmentalist.
Writer CEO May Habib makes Inc.s 2023 Female Founders list. May Habib, CEO of enterprise generative AI company Writer, is one of this years Inc. Female Founders List honorees. Since founding Writer in 2020, Habib has built one of the most formidable generative AI companies, delivering a platform that integrates AI into the expert workflows of professionals.

Inc. today announced its sixth annual Female Founders list, honoring a bold group of 200 women whose innovations and ideas are shaping the world into a better place.

The founders cross all industries and bring with them unique stories of success from each stage of the entrepreneurial journey  from startup to going public, being acquired by big buyers, or spending decades at the helm of an organization. They are reinventing everything from shoes to food and are challenging issues like financial literacy and reproductive health.

May Habib, CEO of enterprise generative AI company Writer, is one of this years honorees. Since founding Writer in 2020, Habib has built one of the most formidable generative AI companies, delivering a platform that integrates AI into the expert workflows of professionals in marketing, operations, and support at customers such as Accenture, Spotify, UiPath, LOreal, Uber, Intuit, Adore Me, Deloitte, United Healthcare, and Northwestern Mutual.

Its humbling and inspiring to be included in this list of incredible female founders, said Habib. Im extremely proud of the team at Writer and the progress weve made to help our customers gain massive leverage from their generative AI initiatives.

Habib is a strong advocate for diversity and inclusion within the tech industry. The Writer platform was intentionally designed to help employees communicate inclusively and to avoid gendered and biased language, and data scientists at Writer have built generative AI foundation models that contain strong controls against gendered and biased output. Habib has also been a vocal advocate for closing the gender pay gap and creating an equitable workplace, implementing diversity and inclusion policies throughout Writer.

Each year, Inc. editors review thousands of applications highlighting female founders who are challenging the status quo and tackling some of the worlds biggest problems. The list features women who have overcome challenges and lifted those around them, while leading impactful organizations across the country. They join the ranks of previous honorees including Jessica Alba, Tracee Ellis Ross, Rihanna, and Shonda Rhimes.

These 200 female founders have identified solutions to difficult problems and created valuable, industry-changing companies out of them. We congratulate this years list on their achievements and look forward to their continued success, says Inc. editor-in-chief Scott Omelianuk.

To see the complete list, go to: https://www.inc.com/female-founders

After launching in 2018, the Female Founders list is one of Inc.s most esteemed franchises. Inc. magazines Female Founders issue (April 2023) will be available online on April 4 at https://www.inc.com/magazine and on newsstands on April 11. Join the Female Founders conversation using #FemaleFounders.

About Inc.

The worlds most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning, multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels, including websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion among the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers, and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. The associated Inc. 5000 Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit http://www.inc.com.

About Writer

Writer is the generative AI platform for enterprises. We empower your people  marketing, support, product, HR, and more  to maximize creativity and 10x productivity. Our secure platform snaps easily into your business data sources and delivers accurate content thats fine-tuned on your brand, messaging, and facts. We put generative AI in peoples hands right where they work, and enable you to build it into your end-user applications, without putting your or your users data at risk. Writer is enterprise-grade and doesnt use or share your data. We're compliant with SOC 2 Type II, GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI, and are deployed at leading enterprises, including Intuit, UiPath, Spotify, LOreal, Uber, and Deloitte. Visit us at writer.com.
The EPAs reregistration of Enlist One and Enlist Duo herbicides provided updated product labels including new application timing requirements designed to reduce impacts on threatened and endangered species and their critical habitats., says Bill Chism, Ph.D.

The U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is developing an updated Endangered Species Act (ESA) Workplan that addresses how the agency can protect nearly 1,700 threatened and endangered species and their critical habitats while governing the registration, distribution, sale and use of pesticides. The Weed Science Society of America (WSSA) and its affiliates encourage growers and land managers to educate themselves immediately on the EPAs Workplan and the changes they likely will need to make to assure compliance.

To comply with the Endangered Species Act (ESA), EPA will evaluate the potential effects of pesticides on federally threatened or endangered species and their critical habitats and then recommend mitigation strategies developed in partnership with other federal agencies.

Examples include requirements for vegetative filter strips, field borders and grassed waterways, terracing, contour farming, cover cropping, mulching, the adoption of no tillage or reduced tillage strategies, and the safe disposal of excess seed that has been treated with pesticides. Once finalized, such protections will become part of the formal registration review process for various geographic regions and for various groups of herbicides, insecticides and fungicides.

The EPAs recent reregistration of the Enlist One and Enlist Duo herbicides provides a preview of whats in store, says Bill Chism, Ph.D., WSSAs ESA committee chair. The updated product labels include new application timing requirements designed to reduce runoff, leaching, spray drift and other off-target impacts on threatened and endangered species and their critical habitats. In addition, the products can no longer be used in certain counties.

The WSSA and it five affiliates  the Aquatic Plant Management Society, North Central Weed Science Society, Northeastern Weed Science Society, Southern Weed Science Society and Western Society of Weed Science  have submitted a joint response to the EPAs call for public comments on the ESA workplan update. Selected highlights from that response are below:



The organizations suggest that broader adoption of new agricultural technologies could support the EPAs objectives and reduce total herbicide use. Examples include steam weeding, electrical weeding, unmanned drones, vision-guided systems for targeted precision spraying, and harvesters that can destroy weed seeds. In addition, hooded sprayers can reduce the risk of spray drift.

The EPA plans to post detailed application instructions online, rather than relying solely on the printed product label. A 2021 USDA survey, though, shows only 67% of farms own or use computers and only 77% own or use a smartphone. It is clear one size doesnt fit all, Chism says. Multiple outreach channels and carefully tailored strategies will be needed to ensure the new requirements are successful at the local level.

The organizations recommend that EPA use greater granularity when it comes to defining areas where certain pesticides are prohibited. One example: Enlist Duo was banned in 11 counties in southern Georgia to protect two species of endangered salamander that prefer moist woodland habitats.

After an in-depth evaluation at the field level, we are finding little overlap of agricultural fields and the salamander or its critical habitat, says Stanley Culpepper, Ph.D., of the University of Georgia and current WSSA past-president.

Culpepper says these findings point to the importance of working closely with regulatory partners to improve the process. Removing critical tools from farmers on a county-level basis or inserting infield buffer restrictions can threaten the sustainability of family farms  highlighting the importance of making sure sound science is available when making ESA regulatory decisions, he says.

Bill Chism urges growers and land managers to become familiar with the EPAs updated workplan and with how to access important application instructions online through EPAs Bulletins Live! Two. Most importantly, be prepared to incorporate any mitigation strategies required by EPA, he says.

WSSA and its affiliates have posted their full response to the EPA workplan online at the WSSA website.

About the Weed Science Society of America

The Weed Science Society of America, a nonprofit scientific society, was founded in 1956 to encourage and promote the development of knowledge concerning weeds and their impact on the environment. The Society promotes research, education and extension outreach activities related to weeds, provides science-based information to the public and policy makers, fosters awareness of weeds and their impact on managed and natural ecosystems, and promotes cooperation among weed science organizations across the nation and around the world. For more information, visit http://www.wssa.net.
Planting milkweed is a great family activity that does important work for an at-risk species at the same time. Wed be thrilled if, during National Wildlife Week, everyone found a way to do something, big or small, for the native wildlife in their area.

Young Living Essential Oils, the world-leader in essential oils and oil-infused products, is highlighting the importance of nature, conservation, and preservation in a nod toward National Wildlife Week this April 39 and encouraging others to support conservation efforts year round. The company, which has various farms, offers tours to raise awareness for the challenges facing wildlife populations, suggesting ways for even the youngest advocates to get involved.

Butterfly Waystations

At the Young Living Lavender Farm and Distillery in Mona, Utah, efforts are being made to support an at-risk species: the monarch butterfly.

The Mona farm is home to two of six monarch butterfly waystations registered by Young Living, which provide milkweed for monarch caterpillars to eat. Monarch habitats are rapidly diminishing throughout the butterflies migratory route, a key contributing factor to the decline in the monarch population. The farm also serves as a rest stop for adult butterflies to refuel on a variety of flowering plants during their yearly migration from Southern California to Canada, passing through Utah.

The Mona farm is open for tours, and those who are interested in supporting the farms pollinators will want to see the beautiful fields of lavender and goldenrod in full bloom during the summer. Tours provide visitors with a significant opportunity to help monarch conservation efforts, as each patron is sent home with milkweed seeds to create their own plants for monarchs to feed on, turning their backyards into miniature waystations.

Coming to Mona not only supports the farms mission but allows everyone to be involved in helping the monarch population rebound, said Tyler Wilson, Senior Scientist at Young Living. Planting milkweed is a great family activity that does important work for an at-risk species at the same time. Wed be thrilled if, during National Wildlife Week, everyone found a way to do something, big or small, for the native wildlife in their area.

Land for Elk, Deer, Greater Sage Grouse, and Desert Bighorn Sheep

Young Living owns and operates the Skyrider Wilderness Ranch, a 16,000-acre ranch, located in Tabiona, Utah. Most of the terrain was donated to the Nature Conservatory for a conservation easement, which protects the space for the migration of elk, deer, and bison. It also has fertile ground for sage brush, which provides a habitat for endangered greater sage grouse. The bird has suffered a decline in population because of oil and gas development, the conversion of land for other uses, and climate change.

In 2022, Young Living partnered with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources and the Nevada Department of Wildlife to create the first Desert Bighorn Sheep Nursery in the state. This allows bighorn sheep that might otherwise be exposed to drought and disease to thrive in the 1,800-acre nursery until they are ready to be integrated with a nearby herd or lead a new population of bighorns.

Were very proud to be an integral part of these conservation efforts in Utah, said Skyler Olson, General Manager of Skyrider Ranch. Its so important to give back to the land that provides so much for us and support the beautiful animals that make this state so special.

Anyone can help support the mission of Skyrider Ranch, either by touring in person to learn more and bring their awareness to others or by purchasing items at the farms online store, where 100% of the proceeds benefit the ranchs cause.

Young Livings conservation efforts and projects around the world vary, but all serve to bring about meaningful and lasting change in the natural environment. These initiatives like protecting wild habitats and endangered species, as well as advancing and restoring ecosystems, work with naturenot against it. Young Living encourages others, from businesses to individuals, to get involved this National Wildlife Week to deepen the movement for a livable planet that works for everyone.

About Young Living Essential Oils

Young Living Essential Oils, LC, based in Lehi, Utah, is the world leader in essential oils, offering the highest-quality oil-infused products available. Young Living takes its industry leadership seriously, setting the standard with its proprietary Seed to Seal quality commitment. This guiding principle helps Young Living protect the planet and provide authentic products that its Brand Partners and Customers can feel confident using and sharing with friends and family. Young Livings productssourced from corporate-owned farms, partner farms, and other trusted suppliersnot only support a healthy lifestyle, but also provide opportunities for over 6 million global Brand Partners to find a sense of purpose and whole-life wellness by aligning their work with the Young Living values and passions. For more information, visit YoungLiving.com, follow @youngliving on Instagram, or like us on Facebook.

Media Contact

For media inquiries, please contact maria@redbanayn.com.
The United Nations Secretary General has acknowledged that youth activists are "at the forefront of efforts to secure a more inclusive, peaceful, and prosperous future for all." Climate Crusader Ridhima Pandey is paving the way towards a sustainable future in her country. She says she has learned a lot about the negligence of climate change in India.

In a new interview with Ved Sanyal from Net Zero, 15 year-old Ridhima Pandey discusses her journey as an environmental activist and her pioneering work in litigation for inaction on climate change. Pandey made global headlines when she sued the Indian government at the tender age of 9 for not upholding its commitments under the Paris Agreement. She is also one of 16 climate activists to file a complaint against several governments at the UN. India, as one of the world's fastest-growing economies and most biodiverse nations, has a crucial role to play in conservation and protecting the environment. When you see the work, actions and decisions the government is really taking, it's the opposite. The Indian government has to step forward and start working towards conservation, says Pandey, who acknowledges that change is difficult. This is a process that's going to take time because we need more and more people to do it, she adds.

Watch the Interview here

The Protect Our Planet Movement in association with Planet Classroom has launched the acclaimed Net Zero video and podcast series in which 24 youth climate activists from the Protect Our Planet (POP) Movement in association with Planet Classroom ask international thought leaders working on the environment the big questions as to how their nations are progressing towards their 2050 Net Zero pledges.

About the Protect Our Planet Movement

The Protect Our Planet (POP) Movement is an initiative designed to address the urgent need to share information and knowledge with the youth on solutions to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by the UN, mitigate climate change, and adapt to its growing impacts. Intended to ultimately reach the size, scale, and momentum to become a global movement, POP mobilizes the youth worldwide to take collective action needed to mitigate climate change and protect threatened ecosystems.

About the Planet Classroom Network

The Planet Classroom Network, organized by CMRubinWorld, brings together musicians, dancers, video game creators, filmmakers, activists, learning innovators, and emerging technologists from around the world to entertain, educate and engage youth, and to provide a rich cultural experience for all. Content showcased for youth and by youth on the Planet Classroom Network is provided by 30 cultural organizations from around the world. Young people globally played a significant role in conceptualizing, creating, and producing the network's vision and programming.

For more information on CMRubinWorld

Follow @cmrubinworld on Twitter

Contact Information:

David Wine

David@cmrubinworld.com
The Red Sea Wind Energy Consortium has announced the financial close, a significant milestone on the new 500 MW Gulf of Suez Wind Farm near Ras Ghareb, Egypt.

The consortium, which is majority owned by French multinational utility group Engie with a 35% stake, has Orascom Construction (25%), Toyota Tsusho Corporation (20%) and Eurus Energy Holdings Corporation (20%) as its members.

As per the agreement, the consortium will operate and maintain the wind farm under a 25-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with the Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company (EETC).

The plant will be connected to the grid over two phases with full commercial operation planned in Q3 2025. EETCs obligations under the PPA are backed by Egypts Ministry of Finance, it stated.

This new 500 MW wind farm project builds on the past success achieved by the consortium in developing Egypt's first renewable energy Independent Power Producer (IPP) project of its kind and size (completed in October 2019 ahead of schedule), and tripples the developer consortiums wind energy capacity in Egypt to 762.5 MW.

It will be built, owned and operated by Red Sea Wind Energy, while Orascom Construction will execute the construction of the civil and electrical works of the wind farm.

The project falls under the energy pillar of the Nexus of Water-Food-Energy (NWFE) program, an initiative the Government of Egypt presented at COP 27 in November 2022 that is expected to contribute toward the energy transition.

On the key project, Engie Managing Director Renewables AMEA & South Africa Country Manager Mo Hoosen, said: "We are delighted to be replicating the same partnerships as it has with the 262.5MW Ras Ghareb wind farm for the Gulf of Suez 2 which once completed in 2025 will be one of the largest onshore wind facility in ENGIEs portfolio."

"We want to showcase Engies commitment to supporting the Egyptian governments ambitions to transition to a lower carbon economy," he stated.

The project will be capable of delivering clean power to more than 800,000 Egyptian homes. The project also helps accelerate Egypt's transition to renewable power generation and will reduce CO2 emissions by approximately 1 million tonne annually.

Non-recourse project financing is provided by the Japan Bank for International Corporation (JBIC) in coordination with Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, the Norinchukin Bank, and Societe Generale S.A. under a Nippon Export and Investment Insurance (NEXI) cover, and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). HSBC Bank Egypt S.A.E. is acting as working capital bank and Onshore Security Agent.

This project marks the first co-financing between JBIC and the EBRD since the signing of an MOU in October 2022 to fortify cooperation between the two organizations, and the first joint project between NEXI and the EBRD since the signing of an MOU in October 2020.

Orascom Construction Executive Director (Concessions) Khaled El Degwy said: "This project marks the joint efforts of our consortium, a strong group of international financial institutions, export agencies and commercial banks, and EETC and NREA to deliver an important project that helps accelerate the transformation of the renewable energy sector in Egypt."

Toyota Tsusho COO (Machinery, Energy & Project Division) Toshiyuki Ishikuro expressed delight at continuing with this historic 500MW Wind Project with its partners and the Egyptian Government.

"Egypt is a very important partner of us with 90 years of business history and we remain committed to achieving Carbon Neutrality in Egypt," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 4. Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Lithuania Timur Urazaev discussed the prospects of bilateral relations between Kazakhstan and Lithuania in the framework of his meeting with the Foreign Affairs Minister of Lithuania, Gabrielius Landsbergis, Trend reports, citing the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan.

One of the key issues discussed was the parliamentary election that took place in Kazakhstan on 19 March.

Lithuanian minister offered his positive assessment of the changes in the electoral system of Kazakhstan, in addition to emphasizing the constructive position of Kazakhstan on crucial international issues.

Other topics discussed during the meetings included the problems of road freight, visa requirements, trade, and investment rules.

The diplomats also addressed the progress made in the implementation of various agreements reached during the visit of the Lithuanian minister to Kazakhstan in December 2022.
Claudia Johnson is a nationally recognized advocate for free speech, author of Stifled Laughter: One Womans Story About Fighting Censorshipnominated for the Pulitzer Prize in 1994and winner of the inaugural PEN/Newmans Own First Amendment Award for her extraordinary efforts to restore banned literary classics to Florida classrooms. Fulcrum Publishing has just released a new edition of Stifled Laughter because, the publisher says, the book is even more relevant today and they want to introduce the book to a new generation of readers.

Heres a heartening statistic80% of Americans are opposed to book banning, according to a 2022 CNN poll. But theres a disheartening gap between the 80% of us wanting book banning to stop and the stark reality that its raging across our country, worse than its ever been. We 80 percenters clearly have the conviction that book banning should endand the power to end it, given our sheer numbers alonebut we need to convert our conviction into effective action.

So I asked my son, Ross, who has lived through the censorship wars with me, Whats the most important thing I can say that would inspire others to fight book banning?

Show up, Ross said. The folks who show up are the ones who get heard.

He knows what hes talking about. Because hes witnessed the profound difference it makes when we show up and speak outand when we dont.

In March 1986 in Lake City, Fla., where my husband and our two children were living at the time, a fundamentalist preacher, Fritz Fountain, demanded that the Columbia County School Board ban the state-approved high-school humanities textbook because two selections, Lysistrata and The Millers Tale, in his opinion, promoted womens lib and pornography.

I was stunned, outraged, that anyone would recommend banning these glorious comediesmy two favorite classics. Reading The Millers Tale when I was 14 is the reason Im a writer today, and Lysistrata, in my opinion, is the finest stage comedy ever written.

Three other parents, Monya and Jim Virgil and Susan Davis, were also outraged, as Susan told me when she called and said, Well, what are we going to do?

At the school board meeting on April 22, we were the only people on our side of the room. Fountain and his flock filled theirs. Superintendent Silas Pittman said he agreed with the review committees recommendation that neither selection be banned, then recommended cutting both from the textbook or banning it entirely because Lysistrata took the Lords name in vain.

I pointed out that the Lord in question was Zeus, so Christians need not be offended, but the board voted unanimously to ban the textbook. All copies were confiscated and locked in the high school book room. Without a text, students watched movies, including Jaws and Ghostbusters, the latter of which is laced with the f-wordand takes the Lords name in vain.

A number of people in town told us they were shocked by the ban but refused to show up and speak out at the next school board meeting. As Susan wryly summed up their reaction, Short of doing something, what can we do?

And the pall of orthodoxy descended. One high school teacher said, Id like to teach To Kill a Mockingbird, but I know I dont dare. A middle school English teacher said she wouldnt teach literature anymore. My students just do grammar. And the popular humanities course was canceled.

Sickened by what we saw in Lake City, my husband and I moved to nearby Live Oak where we had great friends and no books had been banned. Until 1991 when another fundamentalist, Zeke Townsend, demanded that the Suwannee County School Board ban Of Mice and Men.

I thought, Not again!

Now remember, my husband said, the root word in fundamentalist is fun.

That got me laughing and restored my perspective. And this time I was smarter. I made a long list of like-minded people in townfriends, parents, teachers, librariansand they were willing to show up and speak out at the school board meeting, where we packed our side of the board room. Across the aisle, Townsend led his faithful in a raucous revival-style attack on the book that ended when he sank to his knees and talked to Satan through the floorboards.

When it was time for our side to speak, we didone powerful appeal after another to reinstate Steinbeck. One of the most compelling came from Suzie Tuttle, our daughters sophomore English teacher. She spoke directly to Townsend, reminding him they were fellow farmers and friends. Her appeal to their common past had a disarming effect on him and his followers, like Scout in front of the lynch mob in that often-banned book To Kill a Mockingbird: Dont you remember me, Mr. Cunningham? Im Jean Louise Finch. You brought us some hickory nuts one time, remember?

I want my daughter to read Of Mice and Men, Tuttle continued. I want my daughter to be able to experience the freedom of choice. And I request, I request, that the school board maintain the freedom of parents to choose by reinstating Of Mice and Men.

When it was my turn to speak, I kept it simpleschool budgets were shrinking. Steinbeck was paid for. The four conservative board members smiledcommon ground! And I quoted an academic coordinator at Florida State: In high school, if students are told how to think and what to think, when they get to college and a teacher says, What do you think?, theyll be lost. College is hard enough without limiting their exposure to a broad range of books and ideas in high school.

I looked at the board. If Mr. Townsend wants to limit his children, that is his choice. He has no right to limit mine.

And because so many of us showed up and spoke out, the board voted unanimously to reinstate Steinbeck.

The same was true in Virginia Beach at the school board meeting on October 26, 2021, when more than a dozen high school students showed up and spoke out passionately about the difference the six challenged books had made in their livesLawn Boy, Gender Queer, A Lesson Before Dying, The Bluest Eye, Beyond Magenta, and Good Trouble. They even held a rally outside, which prompted one right-wing book banner to shout in dismay, Theyre organized! They have a Facebook page!

All six books were reinstated.

So Ross was right. The most important thing I can say to inspire others to fight book banning is show up. And speak out. Because, as Ive learned again and again in the book-banning wars, the answer to less speech is more.

If speaking out sounds too scaryand I know it can beremember that its not just books under attack. Its public education. And democracy itself. Then take a moment to contemplate what it will be like if our democracy is destroyed, and we no longer have the right to speak out. Then pick up your phone and start calling others opposed to book banning and ask them the question Susan Davis asked me: Well, what are we going to do?
On May 2, The New Press will release Charismas Turn, an original graphic novel for teens from author Monique Couvson and illustrator Amanda Jones, edited by senior editor zakia henderson-brown.

Founded in 1992 by Andre Schiffrin and Diane Wachtell, The New Press publishes titles of public interest on issues ranging from diversity, criminal justice, education, and racial equity. The New Press is behind the publication of books such as Michelle Alexanders The New Jim Crow and expanded by adapting novels such as Paul Robesons No One Can Silence Me and James W. Loewens Lies My Teacher Told Me for younger readers. Charismas Turn is the publishers first original graphic novel.

Charismas Turn follows Black high school student Charisma after an altercation with another student lands her in the principals office with counselor Ms. Anderson. Guided by Ms. Anderson, Charisma learns to manage her emotions through healthier channels and develops her own passions for environmental justice and literature.

The graphic novel echoes the social justice work of the graphic novels author, Monique Couvson, whose nonfiction book Pushout: The Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools, explores the harmful treatment of Black girls in the education system. Couvson is also the president and CEO of Grantmakers for Girls of Color, a philanthropic organization with a mission to offer resources and support to girls of color.

When Monique had this idea of doing a book that would speak to the target audience of people whom she has advocated for in the past, we were happy to experiment with her and support her and see what we could do, editor zakia henderson-brown told PW.

The book has so many lessons for young readers, henderson-brown said. Getting involved in community, looking for the support of the adults around you, being a good daughter and sibling. I think its important to meet all readers where they are.

In terms of whats to come from The New Press on the original graphic novels front, henderson-brown said, Were excited about that process and to see what else we can do in the space.

Charismas Turn: A Graphic Novel by Monique Couvson, illus. by Amanda Jones. The New Press, $19.99 May 9 ISBN 978-1-62097-401-8
The Pardee RAND Graduate School (PardeeRAND.edu) is home to the only Ph.D. and M.Phil. programs offered at an independent public policy research organizationthe RAND Corporation.
The United States lacks the concepts and associated doctrine for its irregular warfare capabilities to achieve their potential in strategic competition.

This challenge was articulated in 2013 in a hallmark collaboration ( PDF ) of Army Chief of Staff Raymond Odierno, Marine Corps Commandant James Amos, and U.S. Special Operations Commander William McRaven. Center to their critique was the observation that the Pentagon's concept of competition does not reflect the fundamental reality that competition and conflict are about people. They concluded that the growing problem in linking military action to achieving national objectives was in significant part because the Pentagon tends to focus on the clash and lose sight of the will of the population.

Unfortunately, the Pentagon has done little in the intervening decade to address their concerns.

One of their explicit recommendations ( PDF ) that the Pentagon ignored was the examination of the concept of the human domain as a new warfighting domain encompassing the physical, cultural, and social environments. This failure may limit the ability of the United States to use its irregular warfare capabilities effectively in strategic competition.

The Chinese, Russians, and other U.S. antagonists are actively embracing new approaches that embrace the human domain concept for warfighting. Share on Twitter

In sharp contrast, the Chinese, Russians, and other U.S. antagonists are actively embracing new approaches that embrace this concept for warfighting. Both China's unrestricted warfare and Russia's hybrid warfare recognize the human domain as the critical area of competition, as does Iran's use of surrogates in Lebanon and elsewhere.

The recently signed Joint Concept for Competing represents a significant step in addressing the Pentagon's role in the complex and increasingly lethal space below the threshold of traditional war. However, it does not fully address the persistent focus on the physical domainsof air, land, sea, and spacethat has led the Pentagon to overlook, and underinvest in, the more-important aspects of war and warfarethose best defined as human.

The other challenge facing the Joint Concept for Competing is that it does not assign a lead command or service to take responsibility for the needed reforms. It took a combination of senior-level support within the Pentagon and Congress's Goldwater-Nichols Act ( PDF ) for the Pentagon to fully embrace joint operations, and Congressional leadership via the Nunn-Cohen Amendment ( PDF ) to build the special operations capabilities that the nation needed. Without comparable support, the concepts in the Joint Concept for Competing may not be operationalized.

Either the president or U.S. Congress may need to take action to address this critical national security gap. Indeed, despite the advocacy of the most senior leadership of the Army, Marine Corps, and special operations a decade ago, the Pentagon has made little progress in embracing the human domain and its underlying precepts.

In 1997, President Bill Clinton issued Presidential Decision Directive 56 as a call-to-arms for the United States to develop the concepts and structures necessary for success in complex contingency operations. This reflected a recognition that the nation was not prepared for multi-dimensional operations composed of such components as political/dynamic, humanitarian, intelligence, economic development, or security. The conceptual underpinnings of Clinton's complex contingency operations are similar to the challenge that the United States faces in addressing strategic competition in the human domain, and a presidential directive to update these concepts for the 21st century could do much to address this national security gap.

The Pentagon has made little progress in embracing the human domain and its underlying precepts. Share on Twitter

An alternative option could be for the U.S. Congress to update the Nunn-Cohen Amendment to assign the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict responsibility for Pentagon efforts in the human domain. This office, which was created by the 1987 Nunn-Cohen Amendment, already has responsibility for policy related to the human domain, given its mandate to oversee the Pentagon's low-intensity conflict efforts. Assigning it the responsibility for the human domain and giving it the service authorities it would need to accomplish these responsibilities could address many of the challenges faced in previous iterations.

It is time that the United States develop the concepts and associated doctrine, commands, field operating agencies, and personnel to maximize the potential of American irregular warfare in strategic competition. The failures of the United States to achieve its strategic objectives in low-intensity conflicts and in protecting its interests against adversaries who elect to fight below the threshold of conflict pursuing a strategy of exhaustion can no longer be afforded or ignored.

Lt. Gen. Charles T. Cleveland (Ret.) is an adjunct researcher at the nonprofit, nonpartisan RAND Corporation and a senior mentor to the Army War College. Daniel Egel is a senior economist at RAND. Col. David Maxwell (Ret.) is a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Global Peace Foundation and a senior advisor to the Center for Asia Pacific Strategy. Col. Hy Rothstein (Ret.) is a recently retired faculty member of the Naval Postgraduate School.

This commentary originally appeared on The Hill on March 31, 2023. Commentary gives RAND researchers a platform to convey insights based on their professional expertise and often on their peer-reviewed research and analysis.
Based on Matti Yrjana Joensuus series of novels, Helsinki Crimes follows the journey of a renowned detective, Timo Harjunpaa as he investigates a wave of serious crimes in present-day Helsinki. The series, written by Harri Virtanen (Deadwind) and directed by Matti Kinnunen (Cargo), also captures the modern vibrancy and long summer days of Finlands seaside capital.The shooting of the second season is now underway and will see Chief Constable Timo Harjunpaa and his murder team investigating bloody clashes between street gangs, love scams and a wave of burglaries plaguing the city among others. Olli Rahkonen stars as detective Tomi Harjunpaa, Olga Temonen plays his partner Onerva Nykanen and Alma Poysti as Hietanen. Also returning to the series, includes Sanna Saarijarvi, Robin Svartstrom, Emilia Neuvonen and Jutta Jarvinen.The first season of Helsinki Crimes became one of C Mores most-watched crime series to date. After its launch on Netflix last year, in regions across CEE, Benelux, Austria and the Nordics, the series was one of the top ten most-watched series, and the third most-watched in Finland. The first season of Helsinki Crimes sold to Australias SBS On Demand, AMC Networks Internationals SundanceTV in Spain, and on Walter Presents in the UK and Ireland in July 2022.Helsinki Crimes is not your traditional police procedural, said Maria Kangas, head of scripted, ITV Studios Finland. Harri Virtanens interpretation of Joensuus novels have delivered an original, fresh detective series, both in terms of characters and setting. Were so excited to go into the second season where viewers will be taken on another gripping journey.Following the exceptional success of the first season, we have been focusing even more on the production value for the second season of Helsinki Crimes, added Jani Hartikainen, head of drama and development at C More and MTV. So viewers can expect even higher production value, expert storytelling and edge-of-seat drama that it has become famous for.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 4. The entrepreneurs from the Altai region of Russia and Tajikistans business circles are going to hold meeting on April 10 in Tajikistans Dushanbe, Trend reports with reference to the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Tajikistan.

During their visit to Tajikistan, the entrepreneurs from Russia plan to discuss prospects for cooperation with the representatives of the Tajik business community.

The mission also includes a visit to Khujand city of Tajikistan, where B2B (business-to-business) meetings between entrepreneurs from both countries will be held.

The Russian delegation consists of representatives of six large and medium-sized influential companies and enterprises that are coming to Tajikistan to explore the country's entrepreneurial and investment opportunities and seek partners for cooperation.

According to the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, these companies operate in the production of tires and chambers for passenger and commercial vehicles, logistics services, the production of soft drinks (beer, water, kvass, lemonade, mineral water, and non-carbonated beverages), ecological and agricultural products.

Meanwhile, according to statistical data, the trade turnover between Russia and Tajikistan amounted to more than $1.6 billion in 2022.
Property details:

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Caila Quinn / Instagram

By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 04/03/2023



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Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.

alum Caila Quinn and her husband Nick Burrello have welcomed their first child into the world.Caila gave birth to a baby girl on Thursday, March 30, and she was discharged from the hospital on Monday, April 3."We'd love to introduce you to our beautiful baby girl -- Teddi Marie Burrello. 8 lbs 4 oz born on 3/30/23," Caila captioned a slideshow of photos featuring the precious newborn and the first-time parents this past weekend on Instagram."Soaking in every second of her squeaks and soft skin while we are still at the hospital -- we love you so much already baby girl & can't wait to bring you home."Congratulatory messages poured in from Bachelor Nation."She's so precious!" wrote Jade Roper Raven Gates called her "beautiful," and Sharleen Joynt commented, "She is perfection and you two will make the best parents ever. Congratulations all of you!!!" Emily Ferguson and Haley Ferguson gushed that Teddi is "beautiful" and "perfect," and Olivia Caridi wrote, "She's gorgeous!!!! Congrats!!!"According to Caila, Teddi spent three nights in the hospital but she's "super healthy." Teddi apparently "aced her tests" and then Caila got discharged from the hospital on Sunday, April 2."Hot dad summer," Caila captioned an Instagram video of Nick carrying their daughter out of the hospital on Monday, April 3."Got discharged from the hospital yesterday & we're feeling good. Been laughing at this trend on TikTok for months & I couldn't help myself."Caila wrote over the TikTok video, "When you finally get to experience the hospital hot Dad walk."Caila told Us Weekly of the baby's unique name, "I kind of brought the name up to Nick and it was one of a few we were considering, but I've always just loved the name."Caila said she endured 15 hours of labor and ended up having a C-section."She is healthy and happy, we are soaking in every second with our first baby girl!" Caila told the magazine.Caila announced she was expecting a baby in late September 2022."It doesn't feel real to type this out, but Nick and I are excited to announce... that we are having a baby!" Caila wrote on Instagram at the time, alongside pictures from a maternity photo shoot."Little Baby Burrello is joining our family in March 2023 and we are counting down the days! Thank you for your love and support over the past 5 years of our relationship, we are over the moon excited to start this next chapter. Love and big hugs, Caila + Nick."Caila then revealed she was pregnant with a girl in late December around the Christmas holiday. Caila had Nick unwrap a gift box with a teddy bear wearing a pink onesie inside.The Bachelor in Paradise alum previously told Us that she's "always wanted to be a mom" and being pregnant felt "too good to be true."Caila said she's "really excited" to watch her child develop, learn and grow and "to see what kind of little personality" she has."And I can't wait to nurture their creativity or interests whatever they may be," Caila said.Caila apparently told Nick that he's going to be a father on his 30th birthday."I put a new camel sweater on our dog Ash and tucked the pregnancy test in it," she shared with the magazine."When Nick called Ash to come sit with him on the couch, the pregnancy test fell out and Nick shouted, 'No way!' in pure shock -- and joy, of course!"At the time, Caila said she and Nick weren't sure whether they were going to find out the baby's sex ahead of the delivery."We go back and forth on that decision. I heard you push a little harder in the delivery room when you don't know the gender because you're so eager to find out!" Caila noted."That might be a silly old myth, but as a couple we do love surprises."She continued, "And we are grateful and so happy for a boy or a girl, but many of our friends are having boys so I think it would be fun for our baby to have friends their age they could go to summer camp with."Caila and Nick got married on May 30, 2021 in Sarasota, FL, after canceling an overseas wedding in Lake Como, Italy due to the coronavirus pandemic."There are no words to describe how magical this day was. I am overwhelmed by all the love from our guests, hard work from our talented vendors, and special moments with my best friend," Caila captioned a couple of wedding photos on Instagram at the time."Thank you to everyone who made this day possible! We will cherish this day for the rest of our lives!"Caila and Nick initially wanted to tie the knot in Italy in May 2021 and have a second local ceremony in the Midwest to accommodate all of their loved ones, but they felt the need to cancel both weddings due to the spread of COVID-19.Caila admitted the decision was a heartbreaking one, but Caila and Nick ultimately decided to exchange vows in Sarasota, where Nick actually proposed marriage to alum -- during a romantic beach dinner -- on January 2, 2020 after two years of dating.Caila and Nick were set up by a mutual friend and went public with their relationship in October 2017 after Nick met her parents, which was well over a year after Caila appeared on Ben Higgins ' season of .On 's 20th season, Ben eliminated Caila right after his round of overnight Fantasy Suite dates in favor of eventual runner-up JoJo Fletcher and winner Lauren Bushnell , from whom he split in May 2017.Caila, who was 24-years-old at the time Ben broke up with her, was blindsided, crushed and sent home before a Rose Ceremony in Jamaica."I thought I'd be getting engaged in a week-and-a-half. I was ready," Caila said in tears following her ouster."I was ready to get married. I was ready to be his wife. I was ready. I was ready for our future. It's all I thought about. My purpose in life is to love other people and I don't know why I haven't found it yet. I thought this was it. I thought this was it. I was ready. I didn't see this coming. I love him, too. Like, I still love him."That same year, Caila appeared on Season 3 of Bachelor in Paradise and left the show still dating Jared Haibon Caila even met Jared's family in Rhode Island, but she revealed during an August 2016 episode of After Paradise that "mystical forces" contributed to their split.Jared's tight friendship with Ashley Iaconetti , who appeared jealous and possessive of her longtime crush, seemed to be the reason behind his split with Caila about six weeks after filming wrapped.Jared and Ashley reconciled in May 2018 after remaining friends for years and tied the knot in August 2019.Although Caila didn't find love on franchise, she told Us in 2021 that her experience on reality TV placed her on a path that eventually led to her meeting Nick."I feel really lucky because I feel like I wasn't meant to go on the show to find love there," explained Caila, who moved from Ohio to New York after her stint."I was meant to go on the show to find Nick. If I wasn't on the show, I wouldn't ever have met him because I would never have been a blogger and that's who introduced us and set us up on our first date. So, I think everything happens for a reason and I thank God every day."Interested in more news? Join our The Bachelor Facebook Group
INTERVIEW WITH A LEGEND

Photos by Brian Butler

Editors Note, 4/4/23: We learned this morning that legendary Special Forces soldier and CIA paramilitary officer Billy Waugh passed away at the age of 93. We were fortunate enough to interview him less than six months ago. The article and video segment that follows is his last sit-down interview with a public media outlet, and we are proud to present it to you here in its entirety.

A video of our interview with Billy Waugh can be found on RECOIL.TV and on the RECOIL YouTube channel.

Any warrior worth their salt will tell you combat is a team sport, and theyre absolutely right. But just like in any team sport, there are people who not only survive but thrive in it. Their ability and willingness to perform at the highest levels under the hardest conditions seem effortless and, through that lens, almost superhuman. The Bible has Samson. Classic Greek literature has Achilles. The HALO video game franchise has Master Chief. America has Billy Waugh.

Waugh started his career as a paratrooper in Korea, before he transferred to Special Forces and was sent to Vietnam. There, he eventually served with the MACV-SOG program  the first of many such programs in which military special operators teamed up with the CIA to accomplish strategic objectives  continuing without pause into the dawn of the Global War On Terror.

Waugh conducted the first-ever combat HALO jump into enemy territory, as well as the last combat parachute jump of the Vietnam War. Once retired from Special Forces as a Command Sergeant Major, he went to work for the CIA, participating in the hunt for some of Americas most well-known enemies, including Carlos the Jackal and Osama Bin Laden.

With Special Forces in Vietnam.

In 2001 at the sprightly age of 72, he deployed to Afghanistan as part of a CIA Jawbreaker team. We recently spent an afternoon with Waugh, 92 years old at time of writing, to hear  in his own words  stories from a career that reads like an encyclopedia of Americas covert conflicts around the globe.

AND IT BEGAN THERE 

Before all of that, Waugh grew up in Bastrop, Texas, a town of about 400 people at the time. Waugh describes his mother as very bright and very strict. A graduate of UT and a schoolteacher, he remembers that she didnt take sh*t from anybody, especially me. But she raised me right and taught me how to get along with people.

That latter skill would serve him handily in the intelligence world later. But first, he ran away from home to join the Marine Corps at the tail end of World War II. To do so, he hitchhiked west from Texas toward California, getting arrested in Las Cruces, New Mexico. He remembers calling his mother from jail in Las Cruces, with no money, to explain where he was. We ended up getting along fine, he said of the fallout with his mom. She was an explorer-type lady, herself. And it began there. That was in  the late 40s.

Talking us through his story of rescuing a downed Navy pilot near Khe San during his time in SOG in Vietnam.

He eventually wound up in the Army, not the Marine Corps, and went to Korea the first chance I got. After a brief tour in Korea, Waugh deployed to Vietnam as part of the infamous Studies and Observations Group (SOG).

Shrouded in secrecy during the war, Waugh describes SOGs mission as such:

That meant you were going top secret into Hanoi. You were going to chart Hanoi and other places they would send you. And you werent going to get killed. And you werent going to get captured. Or your ass was going to jail.

SOGs mission eventually extended into Laos and Cambodia, as well as North Vietnam. We know from other source material that, as a unit, SOGs casualty rate was 100 percent  every single person who served in SOGs ranks was eventually wounded or killed in action. Waugh himself was awarded a total of eight Purple Hearts during his time in Vietnam, both with SOG and 5th Special Forces Group.

SOG wound up taking on other missions aside from their core task of deep reconnaissance and surveillance. Waugh recounted a story of rescuing a Navy pilot whose aircraft, an F-8 Crusader, crashed in the jungle near his SOG firebase about 20 kilometers south of Khe San. He watched the aircraft streak over their base on its crash descent. So Waugh, along with two other SOG men, grabbed their gear and took off into the bush.

We had to pull him out of the trees. From where we were launching, he was about 30 kilometers south, and hed come out by parachute. I did not realize he was a bird colonel. But I saved him on the rope. I had to hook him into this [rescue harness], and I had to treat him pretty rough to do it. Id take the snap links and smack em together, and I know it pained him. But he didnt say sh*t. Well, he better not or Id tell him get off my goddamn gizmo.

A plaque for his service in Vietnam.

It turned out later that pilot was what Waugh described as a full bird colonel (a Captain in Navy parlance) who was the Navys regional commander for that area at the time. Waugh explained:

About three or four days later he came back  he was the Naval Commander of that particular area from Okinawa down.

And he called and said hed like to talk to me. I said, Goddamn youre a friggin bird colonel! The pilot said, You didnt know that? and I said No, I didnt know that. If I did Id have treated you with a little more respect. But he responded, You saved my ass, Billy, and Im happy about it.

Waugh is also responsible for executing the first combat HALO jump during his time in Vietnam. HALO stands for High-Altitude, Low-Opening, a type of skydive where jumpers exit their aircraft above 30,000 feet, but dont open their parachutes until below 10,000 feet. The idea is to minimize the radar signature of the jumpers, since the large silk canopies of the parachutes reflect radar very well.

Waugh and fellow SOG men prepping for a HALO jump in Vietnam.

Of his HALO jumps, Waugh said:

If I need to go by this waterhole, I know about where it is from altitude  Im gonna make it over there with my parachute. And if you do that at night, who in the hell is gonna bother you?

FROM JUNGLE TO DESERT

After Vietnam, Waugh was eventually recruited by the CIA for a series of operations spanning several more decades. His specialty for the Agency was close surveillance of high value targets (HVTs), which he often conducted alone.

Waugh conducting low-profile operations on the Iranian border in the late '90s.

I had a method  I would take photos for about three weeks of areas wed never been into before, of all the countries around Sudan, Egypt, and all of the countries of Africa. I became very good with small cameras  I learned how to brief well, and I was excellent with maps. It became a pleasure to do the work. If you get killed, thats just tough sh*t.

Waugh worked a number of different African countries, including South Sudan, Libya, and others, where he saw great successes.

It started paying off immediately  taking sh*t up there [to the Pentagon] that had never been seen before, that the enemy had been using to track us  but all movement was at night, under the stars  none of the normal outfits would dare do anything so brazen as that. But once we started making captures and getting to target areas that couldnt be gotten to otherwise, everyone wanted to start that type of outfit.

One of Waughs more famous cases was hunting down freelance terrorist Ilich Ramirez Sanchez, more (in)famously known as Carlos the Jackal.

Waugh with longtime friend and fellow CIA Paramility, Ric Prado, with a Billy Waugh signature knife.

Now that took me awhile. Cofer Black told me, I want you to go into Sudan or Egypt, and I want you to find Carlos  and I want you to chase him down and figure out how we can take him down without killing him. Killing him is easy. But what do you have once you kill somebody? Youve got a dead body to take out too.

As history played out, Waugh did finally manage to help capture Carlos alive. The story is covered in depth in Waughs book Hunting the Jackal, but he added this:

We got him with three British aircraft. I told my boss We need to take this asshole in  they were afraid to do anything, but they werent afraid to be the boss of a type of individual like I am to nab someone like Carlos the Jackal. Carlos the Jackal was well known in those days  to capture Carlos the Jackal was out of this world.

Perhaps one of the most pivotal and well-known operations Waugh ever took part in was the hunt for Osama Bin Laden. The CIA was aware of Bin Ladens growing presence in the world of international terror more than a decade before Sept. 11. In 1992, Waugh was tasked with following Bin Laden and collecting information on his whereabouts and activities.

Waugh with a Special Forces ODA in Afghanistan in October of 2001, at 72 years old.

Of this mission, Waugh says:

Osama Bin Laden was staying part-time in Sudan, but he would stay where he could watch the U.S. aircraft come in and get their numbers. I knew where he lived, so I set up a deal where I could watch him from above, in another building that was about six or seven stories tall. I had to stay in there by myself because  all the other side has to do is see one somebody go in there they dont know, and your ass is gone.

While staying in Sudan, surveilling Bin Laden, Waugh was able to get much closer to Bin Laden than six or seven floors. In fact, he used to go jogging past Bin Ladens house every morning. When we asked him about it, he said:

Thats absolutely right. He lived in an area that had about 30 houses in it  I jogged alone. We didnt jog in pairs  Its a good cover, because Americans do stupid things and jogging is stupid to them. So, theyre not gonna tag along with you, cause they dont want any part of it.

Billy Waugh in Afghanistan in 2001.

This became such a regular occurrence that, at one point, Waugh told his superiors at the CIA that he was close enough to Bin Laden to kill him with a pencil. We asked him about that particular story, to which he replied:

If Id had to kill Bin Laden with a pencil, I would have driven it right through his eyes. Because if I went for his heart, I might miss that son of a bitch by 4 inches and just piss him off. Cause if you get a pencil stuck in you, youre gonna react!

TRUE AMERICAN HERO

While Waugh himself would no doubt eschew the word hero to describe himself, few others come close to capturing the magnitude of sacrifice hes made for the sake of people who continue to sleep peaceably in their beds as a result of his astonishingly hazardous work.

The techniques he pioneered in special operations and intelligence tradecraft continue to be used by Americans operating at the tip of the spear today. In addition to the video version of this interview, we also highly encourage you to check out Waughs book Hunting The Jackal for more insight into the stories we touch on here.

For the complete interview, take a look at RECOIL.TV or the RECOIL YouTube channel.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 4. The Azerbaijani-Tajik Investment Forum with the participant of Azerbaijani delegation headed by Deputy Minister of Economy of Azerbaijan Sahib Mammadov has kicked off in Tajikistans capital Dushanbe, Trend reports via Tajik media.

More than 200 representatives from both countries' business circles are participating in the forum. The Azerbaijani side is represented by about 40 companies.

The main reason of the forum is to find opportunities to for investments in the field of economy, trade, industry, energy, tourism, transport, logistics, agriculture, new technologies and export development.

Following the forum, Chairman of the State Committee for Investments and State Property Management of Tajikistan Saadi Kodirzoda and Deputy Minister of Economy of Azerbaijan Sahib Mammadov discussed the mutually beneficial trade and economic cooperation and attraction of Azerbaijani capital to the economy of Tajikistan.

The participants noted that the holding of the Azerbaijani-Tajik Investment Forum will play an important role in strengthening the trade and investment cooperation between the two countries. It was emphasized that there are enormous trade and investment opportunities between the states, the utilization of which will be in the interests of both countries in the future.
More than 300 undercover Los Angeles police officers have filed legal claims against the city and police department after their names and photographs were released to a technology watchdog group that posted them online
Conflicting views on Coal India (CIL) might leave investors confused.

Photograph: Amit Dave/Reuters

The bullish perspective that India has strong power demand (and also high steel production) means high demand for coal.

As CIL is the monopoly producer of coal -- supplying over 80 per cent of the domestic requirement  the public sector undertaking should be a beneficiary of the rising power demand.

As a result, steel producers who dont have access to CILs coal or their own captive mines, are forced to import coal.

The bear case is as follows.

A large part of CILs production must be sold at fixed long-term rates under its FSA (Fuel Supply agreements) with power plants.

The FSA rates are rarely revised, and are unlikely to go up in an election year since an FSA hike translates directly into higher power tariffs.

The last such revision took place in 2018.

CIL manages to sell between 8-15 per cent of production at e-auctions, at higher realisations.

In addition, CIL has high capex spends but according to the bears, it has not managed to generate commensurately higher volumes of production.

In addition, CIL is due for a wage hike.

Theres robust demand for coal -- both bulls and bears agree on that.

CIL hopes to ramp up production to 1 billion tonnes per year (from an estimated 700 million tonnes per annum or MTPA in the 2022-23 financial year (FY23), and envisages improved e-auction volumes and premiums.

While e-auction prices are linked to imported prices (hence global prices), and global prices have eased, higher e-auction volumes would compensate.

After protracted negotiations, wage hikes are expected to be lower than provisioned and the PSU may use wages as a lever to raise FSA prices.

The company has reduced hiring among older age groups, and as retirements occur, the wage bill should reduce.

However, it is possible that further negotiations will result in higher wage bills and also higher pensions.

The premium of e-auction prices over the FSA is 200 per cent, or higher.

This does indicate FSA prices are too low.

Analysts believe that quarter 4 e-auctions will cover around 10 per cent of production and that the premiums and volumes will be good.

Is this sustainable  especially the e-auction volumes  in the long run?

As importantly, can CIL (a PSU with its largest customer NTPC, also a PSU with locked-in FSA) hike FSA prices even if it has to commit to higher FSA volumes?

CIL has FSA commitments for up to 600 MTPA in the long term and it will despatch around 696 MT (estimated) in FY23.

The capex must translate into pushing production volumes towards the 1 billion target.

Analysts project CIL will despatch 765 MTPA by FY25.

Returning to the bear case, productivity in terms of coal produced per employee is very low.

The capex aims to improve productivity and reducing the workforce could help.

The company had Rs 44,500 crore in cash on its balance sheet (Sep 22) which is 30 per cent of its market capitalisation.

Hence, you can argue CIL is under-valued.

But the PSU also has persistently high receivables and large long-term provisions.

Is it under-valued or a value trap?

The bears calculate fair value at around Rs 198 while the bulls estimate it to be between Rs 259 and Rs 275.

At the current price of Rs 208, the possible upside seems higher than the possible downside.
Lenders fix Rs 9,000 cr as floor price; Torrent may participate, but it will be subject to SC decision on its petition, which will be heard in August.

Dev Chatterjee reports.

Photograph: Francis Mascarenhas/Reuters

Lenders have postponed the second auction to sell bankrupt Reliance Capitals assets by a week to April 11, even as the Torrent group, the highest bidder in the first round, pursues litigation in the Supreme Court.

Lenders are expecting the Hinduja group and Torrent to participate in the second auction and maximise the value of the assets.

American financial services major, Oakteee may also join the race, said a source.

Lenders have decided to give the bidders additional time to prepare for the bid as the competition is likely to go up in the next round.

The Committee of Creditors (COC) has also assured the bidders it will look at their request not to consider any offers outside the auction process once the results are out.

This will ensure value maximisation for the lenders and transparency in the bidding process.

The highest bidder in net present value terms will be declared post auction to bring finality to the resolution process.

The lenders have kept Rs 9,000 crore as the floor price for the second auction, which can be raised by Rs 500 crore in the second round and by Rs 250 crore in the next.

All bidders will have to give Rs 8,000 crore as upfront cash with their offers.

Torrent, which had made an offer of Rs 8,650 crore in the first round, may participate in the second auction but it will be subject to the Supreme Court decision on its petition, which will be heard in August.

If Torrent wins the race to acquire Reliance Capital, it plans to infuse additional capital into the two insurance companies.

Interestingly, the Piramal group and private equity firm TPG plan to sell their 30 per cent stake in Shriram General Insurance at a valuation of $2 billion (Rs 16,400 crore) for the entire company.

In comparison, Reliance Capital holds 51 per cent stake in Reliance Nippon Life Insurance and 100 per cent in Reliance General Insurance.

As both insurers are profit making, lenders expect better valuation for Reliance Capital.

The Hindujas have told lenders they will retain their earlier bid of Rs 9,000 crore of upfront cash and participate in the auction.

Reliance Capital was sent for debt resolution under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code 2016 in November 2021 for defaulting to debt worth Rs 24,000 crore.
'Hacking of an ID or an account will have the same impact on a user in a city and one in a small town.'

'Security is like a railroad, you create it to last for every customer.'

The threat of cybercrime has become a real concern for the financial world, with attacks increasing rapidly.

While traditional banking players have been tackling this menace, the fast-growing digital lending segment that wants to capture the next 500 million customers onto digital platforms is also realising the importance of cybersecurity.

Panellists at the Business Standard BFSI Insight Summit session, In a digital lending world cybersecurity threats are rising, welcomed the fact that the Reserve Bank of India's recent guidelines on the digital lending segment also focused on tackling cybersecurity.

Participants in the discussion included Rajsri Rengan, head of development, banking and payments, India and Philippines, FIS; Ranjeeth Bellary, partner, Forensic and Integrity Services, EY; Akshay Mehrotra, co-founder and CEO, Fibe (formerly EarlySalary); and Anuj Kacker, co-founder of Freo, a neo-bank, and executive committee member of the Digital Lenders Association of India.

The panellists tackled issues like approaches to handling cybersecurity within organisations, whether the size of a company matters in matters of security, the convergence of fintech firms and banks, and how the RBI's digital lending guidelines change the landscape.

The RBI recently unveiled cybersecurity guidelines, which also apply to the digital lending segment. Is cybersecurity still a top-down approach in India, or is this changing over time?

Ranjeeth Bellary: Statistically, cybercrime today is the largest in terms of monetary value.

It has surpassed illegal drug trafficking, which used to be the top crime in terms of value.

Also, the pandemic and the resultant lockdown boosted cybercriminal activities further.

There is an individual responsibility, too, to avoid getting duped by cyber criminals.

We have to make sure we take care of our data as much as possible.

When it comes to organisations, other than compliance-related issues, companies also realise that they have to protect customer data.

Banks are much more evolved from this perspective.

Security is a much more regulated industry in India.

From the banking side, we've seen a lot of good security practices adopted, especially among fintechs.

The top-down approach is definitely preferred, but at the same time, the bottom-up approach is also required, as they have to educate the end-users and ensure that, apart from putting security practices in place, customers are also well aware about security threats.

Rajsri Rengan: A recent study says that financial institutions are 300 times more vulnerable to cyberattacks than any other industry, and the cost of remedying a cyberattack in the financial services industry is 40 per cent more than in any other.

It's a no-brainer, because one of the main reasons why a malicious attacker enters our system is for financial gain.

Growing cyberattacks across the finance world as well as businesses in general are making senior executives more aware of the need for security.

In fact, our chief security officer recently remarked that earlier he would meet the board of directors of the company probably once a year for 20 minutes, but now the amount of interaction that we see with the board is 30 minutes every month.

Cybersecurity is something that is playing on the minds of everyone.

We have a lot of responsibility to protect our systems, adopt a more disciplined approach, and hence protect our clients and end-users.

We follow a very disciplined and global approach.

We have a global information security office. That provides thought leadership and direction.

Our strategy is built on four important pillars -- protect, detect, respond, and communicate.

As a global fintech, we take a bottom-up approach, and these are based on three important foundational aspects -- people, process and technology.

Do new-age fintechs have a different view towards cyber threats?

Anuj Kacker: I don't think there is much of a difference between large companies and small ones.

Every fintech firm wants to be a bank, and banks want to be fintechs.

How can you then treat customer security differently? The cornerstone of the RBI guidelines is customer protection and data privacy, apart from other things.

At Freo, we take every kind of precaution, measures, products, technology, and try to secure it.

Of course, there will be breaches, as you have seen across the globe, but I would argue that fintechs are probably better suited at present because our systems have very little manual work.

Focus on security is in-built in tech businesses or new-age firms.

At Freo, security is part of the entire structure.

Akshay Mehrotra: Our approach is slightly different. Fibe is already a mid-sized NBFC.

We have all the regulations applicable to a mid-size company, but the moment you look at your topline and think of becoming the next big player, your technology platform and game is two notches above.

Then it is all about how I will manage customers with a much larger manual? How will I bring protection for them?

Second, we believe that every three years technology changes, and we have to discard what we have built from the ground up.

In fact, as of today, we rolled out our version 3, where we discarded every piece of railroad tech that we have built so far.

Which means that the new platform is far more stable, it's meant to handle maybe 20x customers, and take us to the next three years' growth.

It's also meant to be far more secure.

This also means that we are not stopping at an ISO certification or being PCI-compliant.

As a digital lender I do not need to be PCI-certified -- it's required for banks.

But we thought we needed to have it, because we impact more people than a traditional institution does.

We have now done four million loans, and we have 20 million people registered on the platform, which is more than most banks in the country do.

My app on the Play Store is little more than 20Mbps, but underlying are products that have terabytes of data and we strive to give customers a seamless experience.

We work with many banks and they see us at their level, which changes the way the ecosystem gets built.

Bellary: The way start-ups look at technology and its adoption is centred round customers.

That's how they are able to build their business.

I would say fintechs are far ahead, because they have to ensure that the customer is satisfied -- that the customer experience is not getting hindered by any issue.

Fintechs are more adept at adopting cybersecurity practices.

Having said that, large organisations, depending on which industry they are in, are adopting cybersecurity as well as training their employees in the do's and don'ts.

Are the RBI's recent guidelines for the digital lending segment more prospective or prescriptive?

Mehrotra: It's actually much beyond that. This is the first time guidance is proactive and shows how to build the business with the right manual. It's come a little early.

It offers a clear path to growth, removing any ambiguity on how to build a company in this space.

It also lays out clear pathways on how to structure your organisation.

Whenever the regulator lays out clear paths, we have seen those markets expanding dramatically.

We saw that when UPI came up with very clear systems with NPCI-backing.

What is becoming important is that regulations are very progressive, while fintechs find it tough, because a lot of compliance work comes in.

But what is left is a very clear black and white product.

It's also given access to much larger capital pools and co-lending opportunities.

I think the industry is set to grow and become $1 trillion in size.

This is achievable within the next three years.

How is compliance seen among digital lenders, and what best practices are followed in this space, especially in view of rising cybersecurity threats?

Bellary: It's very sector-driven. Sectors like the banking sector are already highly regulated.

So it's not for them to be compliant. The challenge arises for small companies or MSMEs, who find it a bit challenging to comply with a lot of different regulations.

Hence we need to have clear guidelines in terms of what regulation needs to be followed. The greater the clarity, the less it looks like a burden.

Compliance can never be a burden for the business side, as it ensures a better customer experience.

Rengan: From an engineer's point of view, it's challenging.

The technology keeps changing and new aspects keep emerging, regulations change and customer expectations are also very volatile.

So, it does create some amount of friction in the system. But security is non-negotiable.

We have 330 million people on the mobile banking network already.

When the next 500 million come in, what will be your focus for these new users -- ease of access or cybersecurity, and how do you make sure these two are balanced?

Mehrotra: Hacking of an ID or an account will have the same impact on a user in a city and one in a small town.

The reputational risk that one suffers is equal in both cases -- whether one customer is hacked, or a million customers' data is breached.

Security is like a railroad, you create it to last for every customer.

Bellary: It's not about how you are able to build both.

One is accessibility, the second is security.

You need security embedded in your overall organisational strategy.

Technology is something which can play a greater role here.

Kacker: You cannot delineate the two. You cannot compromise on one for the other.

We as businesses cannot differentiate between customers, whether they are from a metro or from a smaller city.

Rengan: Digital adoption is here to stay, cloud migration will continue, and cyberattacks are also here to stay.

When businesses take one step forward, the attackers take 10 steps ahead.

Cybersecurity is not threat elimination, it is about measured risk-taking.

How well can you learn from what has happened and how can you harden your processes and controls, so that you recover faster when something happens? Whether it is the next 500 million coming into the biggest digital adoption world, cybersecurity should be part of this.

With security threats rising, what are the three most important factors that you look for while maintaining the security of the applications and the lending process?

Mehrotra: There are two tactical parts. One is the note-points which are open to anyone in the network externally.

You spend a fair amount of time to plug in your note-points.

Second, most of the time, we forget that employees have access to some data.

How do you eliminate personally identified information data from your internal system completely? Third, as you build an organisation in the beginning, you may also work with third-party vendors.

How you plug your system with third-party players is also important.
'Khalistanis can be divided into three categories: Firstly, hardcore ideological people. They are microscopic, not even 1%.'

'Secondly, those who consider Khalistan a business.'

'The third category that has built the narrative of Khalistan are those who gain from polarisation.'

IMAGE: Amritpal Singh and his supporters offer prayers at a gurdwara after the release of his associate Lovepreet Toofan by the Ajnala court, near Amritsar, February 24, 2023. Photograph: PTI Photo

"Punjabi society cannot be tackled from the point of view of the personal interest of particular parties," says Ramesh Inder Singh, former chief secretary of Punjab and district magistrate of Amritsar during Operation Blue Star.

Thirty-seven years after Operation Blue Star, R I Singh has written Turmoil in Punjab: Before and After Blue Star, An Insider's Story, a fascinating account of the genesis of the Punjab conflict, the rise of Sikh radicalism and the elimination of militancy.

"The Sikh community has to be tackled with tact," he tells Rediff.com's Archana Masih and Nikhil Lakshman discussing the delicate faultlines that continue to exist in Punjab decades after Op Blue Star.

The second of a multi-part interview:

PART 1 of the Interview: 'Khalistanis are a microscopic minority in Punjab'

IMAGE: Former Punjab chief secretary Ramesh Inder Singh in conversation with Rediff.com at his Chandigarh home.

As a former chief secretary of Punjab, what is it about episode Amritpal that strikes you as most bizarre?

Delayed action is not a prudent management of law and order. I can appreciate the restraint exercised by the Punjab police at that particular spot in Ajnala as a tactic because Amritpal brought the Guru Granth Sahib and played to human sentiment. But he had travelled almost 60-70 kilometres and should have been intercepted and arrested on that route.

There's speculation that he has been propped up by certain agencies?

It has been often mentioned that he might have been propped up, but I have no knowledge or information. He was a clean shaven taxi driver in Dubai who suddenly appeared from nowhere. There are stories that he went to Georgia also for a while, so anybody could have trained and brought him. Only time will tell.

There are many disclosures in my book that were not known earlier and are eye openers because various forces were playing all kinds of roles [in the run-up to Blue Star].

For example, the Congress published a six-seven volume history of the Indian National Congress on its 125th anniversary with a forward by Sonia Gandhi. It includes articles by various people where they acknowledge that they propped up Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale.

They did not create Bhindranwale because he was already head of a seminary. But the situation suited both. However, their objectives were different.

The limited objective of the Congress was to capture political power; while Bhindranwale's objective was to capture the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabhandak Committee [the organisation responsible for the management of gurdwaras]. What the Congress could not do as a secular party, it outsourced to others.

These disclosures have come now and the information about who is behind Amritpal will also be known in time, but to speculate may not be very wise.

You can analyse three possibilities: ISI, Sikh organisations based abroad like Sikhs for Justice, any of the political parties or some other factors.

How has he been able to establish such a following?

The following is because of the level of unemployment and the tradition and history of struggle in Sikhism. The Sikh community has to be tackled with tact.

For example, the Sikh empire was defeated by the British in two battles during Maharaja Ranjit Singh's time. The same Sikh army, within a few decades, went all over the world fighting for the British.

How did it happen? The British were able to handle them with psychological tact.

In fact, there are many British historians who have gone on record, and I have quoted one of them. A governor said that if you confront the Sikhs, they will retaliate. If you win them over, they will join you.

Coming back to today's context, this is a world of polarisation and polarisation pays -- earlier, it paid a political party; today it may pay some other political party.

He has not been arrested though there is a manhunt for him. So, where do you see this leading?

The simple answer to your question would be that if he's not traced and arrested now, there could possibly be some involvement somewhere and he will be arrested closer to the election.

If some force within the country has got him, then probably that sponsorship was premature and it has matured a little too early to give results. If that is so, then his arrest may happen six-seven months from hence.

Did the vacuum created by the eclipse of the Congress and Akali Dal result in the emergence of Amritpal?

There is a vacuum of moderate leadership. In Punjab, both the Akali Dal and BJP were moderate forces. Whenever they have allied together since 1966 onwards, Punjab has progressed and been peaceful.

The population is more or less evenly balanced. Sikhs were 62%, but in absence of the 2021 Census, my guess estimate is that Sikhs must be 53%-54%. Their birth rate has come down to 1.6% and the replacement rate is 2%; added to that is their exodus abroad.

Many people are migrating to Punjab from other parts of India. In various towns and cities of the state, lower level jobs are being done by non-Punjabis -- for example, textile factories etc. Hence, there is a balancing out of the population in terms of Sikhs and non-Sikhs.

There was also a spurt in the preaching of Christianity; some pastors suddenly popped up proclaiming medical cures which were viewed as a threat by the radicals. This may have prompted them to be more aggressive in adopting these tactics.

Punjabi society cannot be tackled from the point of view of the personal interest of particular parties. The liquidation of the moderate leadership -- of course, they have themselves to blame because it was their own conduct that alienated and created the vacuum that brought AAP to power.

If AAP does well and can fill in the space of the moderates, and provide economic development to the state, then maybe things may improve.

But one doesn't know, because as of today, the focus of AAP is limited to freebies. It may get them votes, but it will may not solve the problems of Punjab.

IMAGE: Central Reserve Police Force personnel patrol a street in Jalandar during a hunt for Amritpal Singh. Photograph: ANI Photo

How big an issue is Khalistan?

Khalistan is a non-issue created by the media.

Firstly, Bhindranwale never openly asked for Khalistan. His first statement to Mrs Gandhi was that if you want to give it to me, I will not say no.

The second statement, made just before Blue Star, was that if the Indian Army attacks the Golden Temple, then the foundation of Khalistan will be laid.

These are the only two statements attributable to him.

The panthic community declared the formation of Khalistan from the Golden Temple in April 1986. It was an ISI sponsored move, but subsequently the militant movement split into 17-18 smaller groups.

I have also mentioned in my book that (then Pakistan president and military dictator) Zia-ul Haq went into a rage when he saw the map of Khalistan prepared by some of the [Sikh] militant organisations.

No Sikh organisation will ever have a Khalistan without including the birthplace of Guru Nanak in [Nankana Sahib in Pakistan] and Lahore, the historical capital of the Sikhs.

Pakistan's aim was not the creation of Khalistan, but to create havoc in India and to bring the Hindus and Sikhs into conflict. The objective was to create a situation where Sikhs from other parts of India migrated to Punjab and Hindus moved out of the state.

The Sikh and Hindu communities are bound by an umbilical cord, so the tactic employed was to start dividing friends by small steps. It started around 1981 by throwing bidis into gurdwaras or the tail of cows in temples.

On many occasions, the two communities came out on the street against these moves. Then they slowly upgraded to jalsas and marches to divide people -- this is what Pakistan was doing.

Post Operation Blue Star, the anti-Sikh riots and Mrs Gandhi's murder, a survey was conducted in Punjab by Delhi University. According to the survey only 5% of the Sikh population in Punjab was sympathetic to the cause of Khalistan and this group largely comprised youngsters and educated, unemployed, youth.

Today also, Khalistanis can be divided into three categories: Firstly, hardcore ideological people. They are microscopic, not even 1%.

Secondly, those who consider Khalistan as a business. I've given you the example of Simranjit Singh Mann who is a member of the Lok Sabha and supports Khalistan. He openly says he gives letters on his letterhead in exchange for money.

The third category that has built the narrative of Khalistan are those who gain from polarisation.

The media played it up as if Amritpal set up an alternate government in Punjab! It suits certain segments of the media as well as certain political forces.

But the common people of Punjab hardly talk of Khalistan.
Glimpses from 400 days of war in Ukraine.

Caution: Graphic content. Viewer discretion is advised.

IMAGE: A pair of glasses with blood on them in the aftermath of deadly Russian shelling of residential buildings in Kostiantynivka, April 2, 2023. Photograph: Violeta Santos Moura/Reuters

IMAGE: The Antonov An-225 Mriya cargo plane, the world's biggest aircraft, destroyed by Russian troops, is seen at an airfield in the town of Hostomel, Kyiv region, April 1, 2023. Photograph: Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters

IMAGE: A woman refuses to be evacuated while firefighters and police work to evacuate residents, near the frontline, in Siversk, Donetsk region, February 28, 2023. Photograph: Lisi Niesner/Reuters

IMAGE: Emergency personnel evacuate a woman after an apartment block was heavily damaged by a Russian missile strike in Dnipro, January 15, 2023. Photograph: Clodagh Kilcoyne/Reuters

IMAGE: Remains of MLRS shells used by Russian troops for strikes against Kharkiv, November 29, 2022. Photograph: Vitalii Hnidyi/Reuters

IMAGE: The body of an army officer exhumed from, what Ukrainians said, a mass grave, in the recaptured town of Lyman, Donetsk region, October 11, 2022. Photograph: Zohra Bensemra/Reuters

IMAGE: Damage seen after a Russian strike hit a transport depot in Dnipro, September 30, 2022. Photograph: Mykola Synelnykov/Reuters

IMAGE: Firefighters work to contain a fire at a building at a location given as Zatoka, Odesa region, August 17, 2022. Photograph: State Emergency Service of Ukraine/Handout/Reuters

IMAGE: Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy takes a selfie with an injured Ukrainian soldier in a hospital in Odesa, July 29, 2022. Photograph: Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout/Reuters

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IMAGE: A couple wounded in a shopping mall hit by a Russian missile strike hold hands in a hospital in Kremenchuk, Poltava region, June 27, 2022. Photograph: Anna Voitenko/Reuters

IMAGE: Members of the Red Cross transport a man with disability, who was evacuated from a frontline area in Odesa, May 14, 2022. Photograph: Igor Tkachenko/Reuters

IMAGE: A Ukrainian soldier fires a mortar at a Russian position in the Kharkiv region, May 9, 2022. Photograph: Serhii Nuzhnenko/Reuters

IMAGE: Mykola, 70, climbs down from a bridge destroyed in the village of Kukhari in the Kyiv region, April 19, 2022. Photograph: Vladyslav Musiienko/Reuters

Photographs curated by Manisha Kotian/Rediff.com

Feature Presentation: Ashish Narsale/Rediff.com
New York City Mayor Eric Adams warned that authorities will not allow any violence or vandalism in the wake of former United States President Donald Trump's arraignment in a Manhattan court and said those found responsible for such behaviour will be arrested.

IMAGE: Supporters of former President Donald Trump arrive at the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse after Trump's indictment in New York City. Photograph: Caitlin Ochs/Reuters

The city braced itself for an unprecedented presidential courtroom saga as Trump flew in from Florida Monday afternoon to face arraignment before Judge Juan Merchan, acting New York Supreme Court justice, on Tuesday. Trump has been indicted by a grand jury in connection with USD 1,30,000 hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels, making him the first current or former US President to face criminal charges.

A day before the arraignment, Adams told New Yorkers as well as those coming in from outside the state to be on their best behaviour.

As always, we will not allow violence or vandalism of any kind, and if one is caught participating in any act of violence, they will be arrested and held accountable, no matter who you are, he said. While there may be some rabble-rousers thinking about coming to our city tomorrow, our message is clear and simple: control yourselves. New York City is our home, not a playground for your misplaced anger.

Adams specifically made a reference to Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, saying she is known to spread misinformation and hate speech.

The New York Young Republican Club said it along with Greene will hold a peaceful protest" against Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's "heinous attack" on Trump in the city Tuesday morning, just hours before Trump appears in the Manhattan courthouse for his arraignment at 2.15 pm EST (11.45 pm IST).

Adams, flanked by Deputy Mayor Philip Banks and Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell as he addressed New Yorkers, assured that there has been no specific credible threats to our city at this time and said everyone should go on with their regular activities.

Sewell said while the New York Police Department is prepared to ensure that everyone is able to have their voices heard peacefully, she reiterated that violence and destruction are not part of legitimate lawful expression and it will never be tolerated in our city.

City authorities warned residents of street closures near the courts and throughout the city and said they will see an increased police presence in parts of the city.

From the courthouses in Lower Manhattan to the Trump Tower on 5th Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, security has been beefed up, with barricades lining the roads and heavy police presence in these neighbourhoods as the city braces for significant demonstrations by Trump supporters and protestors.

Trump and his aides are expected to use his indictment to bolster further support for his 2024 re-election campaign. But there are concerns that his arrest and arraignment could bring with it a repeat of the kind of violence and protest seen during the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol building by pro-Trump rioters in the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election that Trump lost to Joe Biden.

Meanwhile, Trump, 76, flew to New York City in his Boeing 757 aircraft from his Mar-a-Lago home on Monday and arrived at the La Guardia airport around 3 pm EST (12.30 am IST).

IMAGE: Former US President Donald Trump arrives at Trump Tower in New York City. Photograph: David Dee Delgado /Reuters

His motorcade then made its way to the Trump Tower on 5th Avenue in Manhattan where he will stay for the night. Streets around the high-end Trump Tower have been cordoned off, with heavy police presence in and around the area.

American media has quoted Trump's attorneys as saying that the former president will plead not guilty. After his court appearance, Trump will immediately fly back to Florida where he will deliver remarks at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach in the evening.

The arraignment proceeding is expected to be brief. The charges in the indictment will be read to him at the hearing, which is set to last about 10-15 minutes. Trump has denied all wrongdoings in connection with the payments made to Stormy Daniels, 44, ahead of the 2016 presidential election.

The indictment comes as Trump faces legal hurdles in other potential criminal cases. Trump is currently the front-runner among all declared and potential contenders for the 2024 Republican White House nomination. But there is nothing in the US law that prevents a candidate, who is found guilty of a crime, from campaigning for and serving as President -- even from prison.

Trump was twice impeached by the House of Representatives. He was acquitted by the Senate both times.

Trump and his aides are using the indictment to rile up his supporters and bolster his 2024 re-election campaign.

"It's hard to believe that I will be ARRESTED tomorrow as a result of the most disgraceful witch hunt in our nation's history," a Trump Campaign mail titled 'Tomorrow, I will be arrested' said, as it urged voters to make a "contribution" to his campaign given that the "fate of our Republic" is "on the line".

Trump's team claimed that he has "raised over USD 4 million" in the 24 hours following Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's "unprecedented political persecution of the President, and blatant interference in the 2024 election against the leading Republican presidential candidate".

Another Trump Campaign email said that November 5, 2024 "will no longer just be an Election Day. It will be our Vindication Day. When we win, it will be a vindication for our movement -- but also a vindication for America".

President Joe Biden, who was travelling to Minnesota, refrained from commenting on the legal battle that his predecessor is facing. Talking to reporters in Minneapolis, he exuded confidence that law and order would be maintained in New York City.

I have faith in the New York Police Department, he said.

The president is focused on delivering for the American people. That's what he wakes up and thinks about each day. We're on our way to Minnesota where we'll talk about the Invest in America tour, Olivia Dalton, White House Deputy Press Secretary, told reporters during an Air Force One gaggle.

He's also talking about all the ways in which they've created an ecosystem for the private sector to invest in America as well, Dalton said in response to a question.

Last week, Trump had exuded confidence that he would win this battle as well as the 2024 presidential elections.

When this election is over, I will be the president of the United States, you will be vindicated and proud, and the thugs and criminals who are corrupting our justice system will be defeated, discredited, and totally disgraced," Trump had said.
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Tuesday said the process of selecting candidates for the assembly polls is being held in a democratic way and it will be completed smoothly with the list being announced after the party's central leadership finalises it on April 8.

IMAGE: Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai. Photograph: Kind courtesy @BSBommai/Twitter

Asked by reporters if there will be surprise candidates in the fray from the Bharatiya Janata Party, he said: "Certainly, there is a plan for new experiments in certain constituencies and they will happen."

Some seats will give a 'surprise result', he said.

"You are going to see it in the days to come. Both our workers and leaders are confident."

He also said there are clear signs of BJP getting absolute majority and coming back to power.

"Today's state election committee meeting is a continued part of the district-level core committee meeting that took place over the last couple of days; further screening would be done today and tomorrow before sending (the list of probable candidates) to the centre (central leadership). It will be sent to the centre day after tomorrow," Bommai said.

Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, he said the list of finalised candidates will be out after the central leadership decides on it on April 8.

The Congress and the Janata Dal-Secular have already announced their first list of 124 and 93 candidates, respectively.

Stating that the party workers are excited about the ruling party's prospects, the chief minister said, looking at the developments during the last three to four months in the run-up to the election, 'there are all signs of (BJP) getting a clear majority'.

Aimed at coming back to power with a clear majority, the BJP has set a target of winning at least 150 seats in the 224 member assembly.

Noting that the process of ticket distribution is being done in a democratic way, Bommai further said: "Opinion is being gathered from local level, then district and state level, and on the basis of a complete information and ground reality, it is being done in a democratic way and I'm confident that it will go on smoothly."

Responding to a question on some leaders deserting the party ahead of polls, the CM said they will not have any impact on the BJP's prospects in the election.

"The BJP has 125 sitting MLAs, there are some aspirants there, realising that they don't have an opportunity, two or three people have quit," he said.

Karnataka goes to the polls on May 10 and counting will take place on May 13.

*****

Candidates' list shared on social media fake: Karnataka BJP

Meanwhile, the Karnataka BJP dismissed as 'fake' a purported list of candidates that is in circulation on social media, and alleged that it was a 'lie manufactured in the Congress factory'.

The 'fake' four-page list of candidates for 81 constituencies is in circulation on social media with the claim that it had been released by the Central Election Committee of the BJP on Tuesday after a meeting chaired by party national president J P Nadda.

However, the party issued a statement quoting its national general secretary and Karnataka in-charge Arun Singh as saying that the list is fake.

'Another lie from the Congress' factory of lies. While the process of selecting the BJP candidates is in progress, this list is a fake one,' the BJP state unit tweeted.

BJP national general secretary and Chikkamagaluru MLA C T Ravi too tweeted, 'CONgress Fake News Factory is circulating an alleged list of @BJP4Karnataka candidates on Social Media. Kannadigas know that we have not finalised our candidates for upcoming Assembly Elections. Fearing its defeat, CONgress has resorted to its usual cheap tactics against BJP (sic).'
The Congress took strong objection on Tuesday to China renaming several places in Arunachal Pradesh, and charged it is the result of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "clean chit" to the neighbouring country and his "eloquent silence" on Chinese actions at the border.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said the country continues to face the consequences of Modi's "clean chit" to China.

"For the third time China has dared to rename our areas in Arunachal Pradesh. April 21, 2017 -- 6 places, December 30, 2021 -- 15 places, April 3, 2023 -- 11 places.

"Arunachal Pradesh is and will remain an integral part of India. After Galwan, the country is facing the consequences of Modiji's clean chit to China," Kharge said in a tweet in Hindi.

In a tweet in Hindi, former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi alleged that, "China has snatched 2000 sq km of land, they are changing names of places -- Prime Minister is silent, no answer! Prime Minister, why so much fear?"

India on Tuesday outrightly rejected China renaming some places in Arunachal Pradesh, asserting that the state is an integral part of India and assigning "invented" names does not alter this reality.

New Delhi's reaction came in response to Beijing announcing Chinese names for 11 more places in Arunachal Pradesh which the neighbouring country claims as southern part Tibet.

All India Congress Committee general secretary Jairam Ramesh said a top Chinese diplomat has recently claimed that the India-China border situation is now "stable".

"But China's provocations and transgressions continue. It has now released a third set of Chinese names for places in Arunachal Pradesh, having done so earlier in 2017 and 2021.

"This is the price we continue to pay for PM Modi's clean chit to China in June 2020 and his eloquent silence on Chinese actions," Ramesh said in a statement.

He said almost three years later, Chinese forces continue to deny Indian patrolling teams access to the strategic Depsang plains to which they previously had unimpeded access.

"And now the Chinese are attempting to undermine the status quo in Arunachal Pradesh.

"Arunachal Pradesh has always been and remains an integral and unalienable part of India. The people of Arunachal Pradesh are proud and patriotic citizens of India. There should be no doubt whatsoever on the collective resolve of India, and of all Indians, to ensure that these realities are not disturbed in any way," the Congress leader said.
Former United States President Donald Trump on Tuesday pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in a Manhattan court during his arraignment on history-making criminal charges related to paying hush money to a porn star before the 2016 presidential election in exchange for her silence.

IMAGE: Former United States President Donald Trump appears in court with his legal team for an arraignment on charges stemming from his indictment by a Manhattan grand jury following a probe into hush money paid to porn star Stormy Daniels, New York City, on April 4, 2023. Photograph: Andrew Kelly/Pool/Reuters

The 76-year-old former president, who ruled the country for four years till January 2021, was arrested when he arrived to surrender at the Manhattan criminal court.

Trump, who became the first former US president to be indicted, arrested and arraigned on criminal charges, pleaded not guilty to 34 criminal charges of falsifying business records in person before State Supreme Court Justice Juan M Merchan.

He entered the plea during a 45-minute arraignment as prosecutors unsealed a grand jury indictment.

No video cameras were allowed inside the courtroom. There was a few seconds visual as he entered the courtroom.

Trump left the court after his arraignment.

The former President earlier arrived at the specially secured Manhattan courthouse in an eight-car motorcade. He was arrested as he arrived at the court.

Shortly after Trump was put under arrest, his campaign released a mugshot picture of him on a t-shirt saying not guilty.

A large crowd had gathered in front of the courtroom ahead of his arraignment.

President Joe Biden did not respond to questions from reporters on the issue at the White House.

Trump's attorneys earlier said the Republican leader, eying the White House for a second time in 2024, will plead not guilty to the criminal charges he is facing in connection with hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels.

Trump will now fly back to Florida where he is expected to deliver remarks at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach in the evening.

Trump has denied all wrongdoings in connection with the payments made to Stormy Daniels, 44, ahead of the 2016 presidential election.

'Heading to Lower Manhattan, the Courthouse. Seems so SURREAL - WOW, they are going to ARREST ME. Can't believe this is happening in America. MAGA!' Trump posted to Truth Social as he was en route to the courthouse.

Security was tightened in New York, in particular the courthouse in lower Manhattan, as hundreds of Trump's supporters have landed in the city to rally behind him.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams has warned against any breaking of law and order.

The White House refrained from making a comment on the developments in New York except for saying that it's a legal matter.

"It's an ongoing case, so we're just not going to comment on the case specifically itself, but the president is going to focus on the American people like he does every day. This is not something that is a focus for him. He is going to focus on things like making sure that continue to lower prices for the American people," White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters at her daily news conference.

"Of course, this is playing out on many of the networks here on a daily basis for hours and hours, so obviously he will catch part of the news when he has a moment to catch up on the news of the day, but this is not his focus for today," she said in response to a question.

President Joe Biden, she said, was not given a heads up on Trump's indictment.

"He was briefed by his chief of staff and he learned about this just like all of you through the reporting. Our focus right now is on the American people. I'm just not going to comment on any ongoing case," she said.

News outlets were not allowed to broadcast Trump's arraignment.

Trump flew in his aircraft to New York City from his Mar-a-Lago home on Monday.

The development comes as Trump faces legal hurdles in other potential criminal cases.

Trump is currently the front-runner among all declared and potential contenders for the 2024 Republican White House nomination.

But there is nothing in US law that prevents a candidate who is found guilty of a crime from campaigning for and serving as president -- even from prison.

Trump was twice impeached by the House of Representatives.

He was acquitted by the Senate both times.

Trump and his aides are using the indictment to rile up his supporters and bolster his 2024 re-election campaign.

Hours before his arraignment, Trump sent an email to his supporters, which he claimed was the last one before his arrest, saying that the United States is becoming a 'Marxist Third World' country and went on social media questioning the fairness of the judiciary.

'My last email before my arrest,' Trump said in the subject line of the email.

'Today, we mourn the loss of justice in America. Today is the day that a ruling political party ARRESTS its leading opponent for having committed NO CRIME,' Trump wrote.

'As I will be out of commission for the next few hours, I want to take this moment to THANK YOU for all of your support. I am blown away by all of the donations, support, and prayers we have received. It's sad to see what's happening - not for myself - but for our country,' he said.

In less than 24 hours after being indicted he raised over more than $4 million.

'A sad day for our nation, even as we pay the highest price to prove that we are a nation of laws: no one is above the law, and now former President Trump stands indicted with 34 counts and is protected, like every American, with every Constitutional protection, including presumptive-innocence and the all powerful right to confront the witnesses against him,' Indian-American attorney Ravi Batra said after the former President pleaded not guilty.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 4. The Turkmen delegation took part in "Railway logistics: current development challenges, held under the slogan "Joining forces  to common success" international conference, organized by Belarusian Railways company, Trend reports with reference to the press service of the Turkmenawtoulaglary Agency (Turkmen automobile service).

According to the information, the conference was attended by the heads of the railways of Turkmenistan, Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, as well as companies from China. In total, it gathered more than 160 participants from 6 countries in its fields.

During the conference, the parties discussed the potential of railways, crossborder transportation, the NorthSouth and West-East corridors, as well as new prospects for railway directions.

Following the results of the conference, meetings of leading regional logistics companies were held.

Meanwhile, during a recent meeting with President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov, the head of Russian Railways JSC Oleg Belozerov said that the company is interested in deepening partnership with Turkmenistan.
On Tuesday, April 4, 2023, former US President Donald J Trump is scheduled to be arraigned in a Manhattan criminal court after being indicted by a grand jury that heard evidence on hush money paid to adult film star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 presidential election.

He is expected to be arraigned, fingerprinted, and photographed at the courthouse as he becomes the first former US president to face criminal charges.

IMAGE: Donald J Trump arrives at Trump Tower in New York city, April 3, 2023. Photograph: Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

Photograph: Jeenah Moon/Reuters

IMAGE: Police and media vehicles seen outside the Manhattan criminal courthouse. Photograph: Caitlin Ochs/Reuters

IMAGE: Law enforcement officers gather outside the courthouse. Photograph: Eduardo Munoz/Reuters

IMAGE: Members of the media work outside Trump Tower. Photograph: Carlos Barria/Reuters

IMAGE: A law enforcement officer stands guard near a poster depicting Trump. Photograph: Eduardo Munoz/Reuters

IMAGE: The Manhattan criminal courthouse building is seen through a fence. Photograph: Shannon Stapleton/Reuters

IMAGE: People gather outside the courthouse. Photograph: Eduardo Munoz/Reuters

IMAGE: Law enforcement officers stand guard outside the courthouse. Photograph: Eduardo Munoz/Reuters

IMAGE: A Trump supporter waits outside the Trump Tower. Photograph: David Dee Delgado/Reuters

Photographs curated by Manisha Kotian/Rediff.com

Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com
Bharatiya Janata Party president J P Nadda on Tuesday asked the party's social media teams to follow the organisation's values and refrain from indulging in lowering the standard of political discourse, "irrespective of what narrative the Opposition chooses".

Nadda was addressing a workshop organised by the party for its state social media teams.

He also spoke about the role of the BJP karyakartas (workers) in the organisation and said the party not only has the largest but also the most talented volunteer network to take the message of development, carried out under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to the public.

This bank of talent should be tapped further by the social media teams to come up with authentic and engaging content for such platforms, the BJP president added.

The day-long workshop was conducted by the BJP's national general secretary (organisation) B L Santhosh, national general secretary Vinod Tawde and in-charge of the organisation's Social Media & IT department Amit Malviya, party leaders said.

The session was attended by BJP social media teams of all 36 states and Union territories, they said.

Speaking during the event, Nadda emphasised on the importance of social media and its widespread usage amongst a large section of society including youths, the party leaders said.

He also underlined how social media has become the primary tool for timely responses to contemporary issues.

BJP president J P Nadda exhorted the state teams to follow the party's values of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, Sabka Prayas, and asked them not to indulge in lowering the standard of political discourse, irrespective of what narrative the Opposition chooses, a party leader said.
Five persons, two of them from Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, were arrested for allegedly beheading a woman for human sacrifice at Kamakhya Temple in Guwahati a few days before the Ambubachi Mela about four years ago, police said on Tuesday.

IMAGE: Kamakhya Temple in Guwahati is a Shakti Peeth and is one of the oldest and most revered centers of Tantrik practices. Photograph: ANI Photo

Giving the chilling details of the incident, Guwahati Police Commissioner Diganta Bora said the beheaded body of a 64-year-old woman was found covered with a blanket on the staircase of the Joy Durga Mandir in the precincts of the Kamakhya Temple on June 19, 2019 hours after she was killed.

A suo moto case was registered at Jalukbari police station in Guwahati and investigation was launched but was delayed due to lack of clues in the beginning.

It was later found that the woman had come from West Bengal along with a sadhu and two other women to attend the annual Ambubachi mela and had gone missing since then, he said.

Kamakhya Temple is a Shakti Peeth and is one of the oldest and most revered centers of Tantrik practices.

The Ambubachi mela is held in the temple every year.

The body was identified over a month later by her son, a resident of Bengal's Hooghly district.

He came to Jalukbari police station after coming to know of the finding of the body through media reports.

He identified his mother on the basis of clothes on the body and tattoos, Borah said.

The case was recently reviewed and a special team of Assam Police was entrusted to carry out further investigation, the police commssioner said.

The team analysed the technical evidences collected earlier and based on them went to Coochbehar in West Bengal and recovered the victim's mobile handset, clothes and Aadhar card from the house of a person.

On being interrogated, the person said that the bag with these objects were left in his house reportedly by a sadhu named Mata Prasad Pandey who used to visit the area for several years during the months of June and July, Borah said.

Further investigation led to the arrest of Pandey alias Mateswari Giri from Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh on March 25 this year.

After questioning him three others were arrested from Bhootnath crematorium in Guwahati for allegedly beheading the woman as an offering to the goddess Kali a few days before the Ambubachi Mela, the police commissioner said.

Borah said the woman and four men had first performed Kapali puja, a tantrik practice, on the intervening night of June 18-19 in 2019 first at the crematorium where all of them consumed alcohol.

They then went to Joy Durga Mandir, where after another round of puja the woman was beheaded with an axe.

The victim's head was taken in a packet by the men and disposed in Brahmaputra river, he said.

Borah said during investigation it was found that the puja was sponsored by a person named Pradeep Pathak alias Dinesh for his younger brother, who was a Naga sadhu and had died 11 years ago on the same day.

Pathak was subsequently arrested from his residence in Mathura on April 1, 2023.

Another sadhu who had allegedly accompanied him to Assam is still absconding and search is on to apprehend him, Borah said.
The Union home ministry on Tuesday sought a detailed report from the West Bengal government on the violence during Ram Navami in Howrah, sources said.

IMAGE: West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose visits Rishra to inspect the situation where a stone-pelting incident occurred, Hooghly, April 4, 2023. Photograph: ANI Photo

This comes days after Union Home Minister Amit Shah spoke to Governor C V Ananda Bose and took stock of the prevailing situation in the state, particularly in violence-hit areas of Howrah.

The home ministry sought a detailed report from the West Bengal government on the violence that took place on Ram Navami in Howrah, the sources said.

Clashes broke out between two groups during festivities on March 30. Several vehicles were torched, and shops ransacked in the area, the police said.

Over 30 people were arrested in connection with the violence in Howrah.
An Indian student has claimed that he was disqualified from the London School of Economics (LSE) Students' Union elections as a result of a deliberately orchestrated smear campaign because of his Indian and Hindu identity.

Illustration: Dominic Xavier/ Rediff.com Kindly note that this image has been posted for representational purposes only.

Karan Kataria, who is from Haryana and is studying for a postgraduate law degree at the leading university in London, said he was motivated by the support of his peers to contest the post of general secretary of the LSE Students' Union (LSESU). However, he was disqualified last week over what he believes are baseless allegations and without being given a chance to fully state his case.

Unfortunately, some individuals could not bear to see an Indian-Hindu leading the LSESU and resorted to vilifying my character and very identity in what was clearly in line with the alarming cancel culture which is uprooting our social communities, said Kataria.

When I started my postgraduate studies at LSE, I sincerely hoped to strive for and further fulfil my passion for student welfare. But my dreams were shattered when a deliberately orchestrated smear campaign was launched against me solely because of my Indian and Hindu identity, he said.

The 22-year-old student comes from a middle-class farming background and describes himself as a first-generation university-level graduate in his family. Soon after arriving in the UK for his Master's from the LSE Law School last year, he was elected as his cohort's academic representative and also a delegate to the UK's National Union for Students (NUS).

Despite receiving immense support from students of all nationalities, I was disqualified from the general secretary election of the LSE Students Union. The allegations against me ranged from being homophobic, Islamophobic, queerphobic, and Hindu nationalist. Instead of identifying and punishing the wrongdoers who initiated this hateful campaign... the LSESU conveniently disqualified me without hearing my side of the story or revealing the votes I received, said Kataria.

Moreover, on the last polling day, Indian students were bullied and targeted for their national and Hindu religious identities. The students raised this issue, but the LSESU brushed it aside by not acting against the bullies. The silent treatment of the students' complaints about such unacceptable behaviour also justifies the accusation of Hinduphobia against the LSESU, he added.

The LSESU issued a statement on Monday to say that the body operates in a fair and democratic manner and has a firm zero-tolerance stance towards any form of harassment and bullying. It has also ordered an external review of this year's elections.

Unfortunately, this year the election rules have been breached by a candidate, resulting in LSESU taking the difficult decision to disqualify them from this year's Leadership Race for the position of general secretary, reads the statement, pointing to a breach of the rule for candidates to keep a "reasonable distance" of around 2 metres from anyone who is casting their vote.

As a matter of course LSESU always undertakes a review of how our elections have been delivered. We are confident that all decisions were followed according to due process and best practice. However, given the impact this experience has had on some of the candidates involved, we will be conducting an external review this time around and will endeavour to update the community accordingly, the statement reads.
This is the first time after Nitish Kumar dumped the BJP in August 2022 that violence has broken out across the state, reports M I Khan.

IMAGE: Police personnel patrol Nalanda district after clashes broke out between two groups a day after Ram Navami. Photograph: PTI Photo

Does Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar know the people behind the sudden communal disturbances in the state, or is he seeking to downplay his government's failure to control the volatile situation?

The question arises after Kumar's claim that it seems the communal incidents during Ram Navami procession in the state were deliberately created by 'some people'.

'We know that some people were indulging in mischief and hell-bent on disrupting communal harmony. We will not spare them,' Kumar told the media on Saturday.

The truth may be revealed in the coming days if the government takes action against those involved in the violence -- especially since Kumar's home district Nalanda faced the brunt of communal tension.

This is the first time after Kumar dumped the Bharatiya Janata Party and joined hands with the Mahagathbandhan to form a government in August 2022 that such incidents have happened in the state.

Following the communal violence in Sasaram, senior BJP leader and Union Home Minister Amit Shah's visit to address a public meeting on April 2 there was cancelled. Shah instead addressed a public meeting in Nawada district.

IMAGE: Police patrol violence-hit Nalanda district. Photograph: ANI Photo

Senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi said the communal disturbance in Sasaram was created to foment trouble ahead of Shah's visit and that Kumar's government failed to check the attack on Ram Navami processions.

Communal tension gripped parts of half a dozen districts in Bihar on Sunday following violent clashes between two communities over a minor dispute during the Ram Navami Sobha Yatra Friday evening.

As per reports, communal disturbances were reported in Rohtas, Nalanda, Bhagalpur, Gaya, Munger and Muzaffarpur districts.

At least one person (a 16-year-old boy) died on the way to hospital after being hit by a bullet and over three dozen people were injured in communal clashes in the state.

Some houses were attacked, and shops were ransacked and looted allegedly by rioters from both sides, who also torched vehicles including motorcycles and buses.

Incidents of stone pelting, throwing of crude bombs, and firing were also reported in the state.

Till Friday morning, everything was peaceful in the state, but violent clashes between two communities first took place in Sasaram, the district headquarters of Rohtas, followed by clashes in Biharsharif, the district headquarters of Nalanda on Friday evening and later on Friday night.

Fresh violence took place on Saturday as well in both towns.

Six people were injured in a bomb explosion in a hut near a mosque in Sasaram.

"A minor boy succumbed to bullet injuries in Biharsharif on Saturday night and another middle-aged man was critically injured after a bullet hit him during fresh violence. Several others were also injured in stone pelting, " Nalanda Superintendent of Police Ashok Mishra told Rediff.com over the telephone.

IMAGE: Police personnel deployed in Nalanda, April 2, 2023. Photograph: ANI Photo

With fresh violence reported and rumours spreading fast amid tension, the state government imposed Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code in Sasaram and Biharsharif.

The administration also suspended internet service in both towns and security forces have been heavily deployed.

Most of the markets, shops and educational institutions remained closed since Friday in both towns and roads and narrow streets were deserted after the local police appealed to people to remain indoors to ensure peace.

The government had deployed additional security forces in Chakand block in Gaya and Naugachia town in Bhagalpur following communal tension after minor clashes between two communities in connection with a Ram Navami procession on Friday.

However, communal clashes took place in Munger and Muzaffarpur on Saturday over a Ram Navami procession.

The police have arrested more than 125 people allegedly involved in communal trouble, including pelting stones, attacking and looting shops and torching vehicles in six districts.

The state government has deployed 10 companies of paramilitary forces in the disturbed areas to control the situation.

The ruling Janata Dal-United, Rashtriya Janata Dal and Left parties leaders have blamed the BJP for the incidents ahead of Shah's visit.

However, RJD leader and Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav, who is camping in Delhi in connection with family engagements, has not yet rushed to Bihar despite the communal tension at several places.

IMAGE: At least 80 people were arrested in the last three days in Nalanda and 10 companies of paramilitary forces arrived in the district to control the situation. Photograph: ANI Photo

According to reports from Sasaram, the district headquarters of Rohtas, situated at a distance of about 150 km from Patna, the trouble began on Thursday night in Sahajlal locality during a Ram Navami procession, when locals objected to some youth parking their motorcycles and raising slogans.

After the procession moved ahead, some residents reportedly damaged some motorcycles and beat up two or three youth returning from the procession. The police immediately intervened and controlled the situation by talking to both communities.

However, on Friday, angry over the previous night's incident, some unidentified youth took to the streets and started pelting stones and attacking people at several places in the town.

This was followed by clashes between the two communities in which over a dozen people were injured, including two police officials.

As per reports, miscreants set ablaze a few houses, vehicles were torched and crude bombs were thrown at some houses.

Sasaram police officials refuted reports that some Hindus fled to safer places on Saturday after the communal tension.

This led senior BJP leader and Union Minister Giriraj Singh to accuse Kumar of failing to provide safety to Hindus despite voting for his party the JD-U.

In Biharsharif, the violent clashes took place after a dispute over the route of Ram Navami procession and loud music on Friday evening.

After that, over 12 vehicles were torched, and firing was resorted to in which some people sustained bullet injuries, while over one dozen were injured in stone-pelting.

Shops including an electronic showroom were ransacked in Biharsharif.

A senior police official at the police headquarters in Patna said that despite the tension, the situation is under control, additional security forces deployed, and the administration was fully alert to maintain peace.

Home Minister Shah spoke to Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar about the communal disturbances and directed him to deal strictly with the rioters.

Feature Presentation: Rajesh Alva/Rediff.com
India on Tuesday slammed the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) for its 'communal mindset' and 'anti-India' agenda.

IMAGE: View of the charred remains at Madrassa Azizia, Bihar Sharif after it was vandalised by a mob during violence that erupted during Ram Navami celebrations, in Nalanda on Monday. Photograph: ANI Photo

India's strong reaction came after the OIC secretariat issued a statement alleging targeting of the Muslim community in several states in India during Ram Navami processions.

External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi condemned the statement issued by the OIC.

'We strongly condemn the statement issued by OIC Secretariat today regarding India. This is one more example of their communal mindset and anti-India agenda,' Bagchi said.

'The OIC only does its reputation damage by being consistently manipulated by anti-India forces,' the statement said.

Earlier, the General Secretariat of the OIC issued a statement that it has followed with 'deep concern' the acts of 'violence and vandalism targeting Muslim community' in several states in India during the Ram Navami processions, including the burning of a madrassa and its library by an extremist Hindu mob in Bihar Sharif on March 31, 2023.

The OIC General Secretariat said that it denounces such 'provocative acts of violence and vandalism', which are a vivid manifestation of mounting 'Islamophobia' and systemic targeting of the Muslim community in India.

'The OIC General Secretariat calls upon the Indian authorities to take firm action against the instigators and perpetrators of such acts and to ensure the safety, security, rights, and dignity of the Muslim community in the country,' the OIC said in its statement.

-- with ANI inputs
The Kalakshetra Foundation on Tuesday said it had constituted a committee of inquiry led by a retired judge to investigate the sexual harassment allegations made by students against an assistant professor of dance and three repertory artists. The teacher has been suspended and the services of the repertory artists have been "dispensed with" pending inquiry.

The panel is led by retired judge of the Punjab and Haryana high court justice K Kannan and also comprises former Tamil Nadu DGP Letika Saran and Dr Shobha Varthaman (a medical doctor who has worked with international NGOs), the foundation said.

"Hari Padman, assistant professor, has been placed under suspension with immediate effect, pending inquiry. The services of Sanjith Lal, Sai Krishnan and Sreenath, repertory artists, may be dispensed with immediate effect, pending inquiry," the board of the prestigious institution said in a press release.

The Police on April 3 arrested Hari Padman, who worked as an assistant professor of dance at Kalakshetra Foundation's Rukmini Devi College of Fine Arts in Chennai.

These steps were taken after some students of the college accused Hari Padman and the three repertory artists Sanjith Lal, Sai Krishnan and Sreenath of sexual harassment, and protested against the management over their inaction in the past few days.

The release also said that a new student counsellor and an independent advisory committee would be appointed immediately to strengthen the administration of Kalakshetra Foundation. The decisions were taken at a board meeting of the foundation.

Making an appeal to students to attend the rescheduled examinations, the board said, "Kalakshetra Foundation is fully committed to ensuring the safety and security of its students, and providing a secure and inclusive environment for all."

Dravidar Kazhagam (DK) president K Veeramani on Tuesday criticised the institution for constituting a panel on its own to look into the allegations of sexual harassment of students on its premises, saying law and order fell under the state government's purview.

The foundation's setting up of a committee on its own has led to questions and suspicion, the top leader of the DK, the parent outfit of the ruling DMK, said in a statement.

Veeramani said there was apprehension whether the setting up of the panel was a diversionary tactic and if it was an attempt at "whitewashing" the issue.

He urged the Tamil Nadu government to pay special attention to the matter.
News outlets will not be allowed to broadcast former US president Donald Trump's historic arraignment on Tuesday in a Manhattan state court, New York Supreme Court judge Juan Merchan has ruled.

IMAGE: Judge Juan Merchan re-reads counts in the charge as requested by a note from the jury during deliberations in the Trump Organization's criminal tax trial in Manhattan Criminal Court, New York City, US, December 6, 2022, in this courtroom sketch. Photograph: Jane Rosenberg/Reuters

Trump, 76, the first former president to face a criminal charge, will appear before Judge Merchan at 2.15 pm EST (11.45 pm IST) on Tuesday amid tight security.

He was indicted last Thursday by a federal grand jury in connection with USD 1,30,000 hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels before the US presidential election in 2016 to cover up an alleged affair.

New York Supreme Court judge Merchan rejected a request by several media organisations for permission to broadcast the proceedings.

Five still photographers will be allowed to take pictures of Trump and the courtroom before the hearing begins, however.

Trump's arraignment is a public proceeding, but news cameras are not usually allowed to broadcast from inside the courtroom, CNN reported.

In rejecting the request to broadcast the arraignment, Judge Merchan nonetheless wrote about the historical significance of the proceeding in stark terms.

That this indictment involves a matter of monumental significance cannot possibly be disputed. Never in the history of the United States has a sitting or past President been indicted on criminal charges. Mr Trump's arraignment has generated unparalleled public interest and media attention, he wrote.

"The populace rightly hungers for the most accurate and current information available. To suggest otherwise would be disingenuous, he wrote.

Merchan said that while the media's request was understandable, the news organisations' interests in providing the broadest possible access to the proceedings must be weighed against competing interests.

Earlier on Monday, Trump's lawyers urged the judge to reject the media's request for cameras in the courtroom. The Manhattan district attorney's office told the judge it didn't have a position.

The media outlets that tried to get cameras into the courtroom had argued that the gravity of this proceeding -- and, consequently, the need for the broadest possible public access, cannot be overstated.

Trump is now staying at the Trump Tower on 5th Avenue in Manhattan ahead of the arraignment. A grand jury indicted the former president last week.

Trump has denied all wrongdoings in connection with the payments made to Daniels, 44. His lawyers said last week that they'll fight to get the charges dropped.

Trump's attorney said there is no scenario in which the Manhattan judge presiding over his arraignment would impose a gag order.

Can't be, won't happen. I don't believe anyone's even looking for that, Joe Tacopina told Fox News host Sean Hannity when asked about the possibility of a gag order.

That would really set ablaze the passions and the tempers that already have been inflamed by this case, Tacopina said of a judicial order that would limit what Trump, who is running for president in 2024, could say publicly about Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's case against him.

There's no scenario where that's going to happen. I'm sure of that. I don't think that's going to be requested, he added, arguing that a gag order would directly interfere with the election.

Trump called on Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg to be IMMEDIATELY INDICTED over what the 45th president claimed were illegal leaks tied to his indictment.

Wow! District Attorney Bragg just illegally LEAKED the various points, and complete information, on the pathetic Indictment against me, Trump wrote. I know the reporter and so, unfortunately, does he. This means that he MUST BE IMMEDIATELY INDICTED. Now, if he wants to really clean up his reputation, he will do the honourable thing and, as District Attorney, INDICT HIMSELF.
Union minister Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday asked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to apologise for his critical remarks on late Hindutva ideologue V D Savarkar and said no one has the right to insult him.

IMAGE: Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari. Photograph: ANI Photo

Gadkari, addressing a gathering organised as part of the 'Savarkar Gaurav Yatra' at Shankar Nagar in Nagpur, said Gandhi should realise that he insulted the Hindutva icon due to some misunderstanding.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader said the former Congress president should show a big heart and tender an apology for his 'crime'.

"Who has given him the right to insult Savarkar? No one will tolerate insult of Savarkar," Gadkari maintained.

Gadkari, speaking in a lighter vein, thanked Gandhi for giving the BJP an opportunity to make the country's youth aware about Savarkar's life and message through the yatra.

The former Congress chief has constantly targeted Savarkar by raking up the issue of his mercy plea.

His latest attack came last month following his disqualification from the Lok Sabha when he said, "My name is not Savarkar, my name is Gandhi and Gandhi does not offer an apology to anyone."

The BJP and Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena have organised 'Savarkar Gaurav Yatras' in the state to honour the Hindutva ideologue and counter Gandhi's criticism against him.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 14. Uzbekistan and Qatar have agreed to accelerate the organization of direct flights between the capitals of the two countries by Qatar Airways, Trend reports via the Ministry of Investment, Industry, and Trade of Uzbekistan.

The matter was discussed between Uzbekistans Minister of Investment, Industry, and Trade Laziz Kudratov, and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Qatar to Uzbekistan Hassan bin Hamza Hashim.

The ministrys message said that direct flights between Doha and Tashkent will help to increase not only the tourist flow but also the volume of bilateral trade.

According to the latest data from the Uzbek State Committee, Uzbekistan exported to Qatar goods and services worth $29.03 million in 2021, which is an increase of almost 3 times, compared to the figure for 2020 ($9.9 million). In 2021, Uzbekistan's imports from Qatar amounted to $19,300.

Meanwhile, Qatar Airways received permission to operate regular flights to Uzbekistan in September 2021.
The police in Maharashtra's Palghar district averted potential mob violence against two sadhus in a village after the residents mistook them as child-lifters, nearly three years after three persons were lynched in the district over similar suspicion, an official said on Tuesday.

IMAGE: Protestors, holding placards and posters, shout slogans during a protest demanding an investigation of the Palghar Sadhu lynching case, in Mumbai on Friday. Photograph: ANI Photo

Palghar Rural superintendent of police Balasaheb Patil said two men were spotted at Chandranagar village, within the limits of Vangaon police station, around 11.30 am on Sunday. A crowd gathered in no time after some villagers suspected the duo to be child-lifters, said the official.

Fearing that the crowd might become aggressive, one of the villagers alerted the police ensuring timely intervention, he said.

The official said the police rushed to the spot, pacified the villagers and took the two sadhus, one in a saffron robe and another in white, to the police station. The duo said they were from Yavatmal district and went from village to village to seek alms.

The police said the tension was defused on time due to their Jan Samvad' initiative that they had launched after the lynching at Gadchinchale village in the district in April 2020.

Under the initiative, policemen visit villages and interact with the locals to build trust and improve coordination, the official said.

We have also deployed a policeman in each of the villages who interacts with the locals and solves a lot of their problems on the spot. Some matters are referred to the higher-up, said the official.

It was due to our Jan Samvad initiative, we were alerted on time and the unpleasant situation was averted. We do not want a repetition of the Gadchinchale incident, he added.

Three persons from Kandivali in Mumbai were travelling in a car to attend a funeral in Surat in Gujarat amid the Covid-19-induced nationwide lockdown when their vehicle was stopped and they were attacked and killed allegedly by a mob in Gadchinchale village on the night of April 16, 2020, in the presence of the police.

The victims were identified as Chikne Maharaj Kalpavrukshagiri, 70, Sushil Giri Maharaj, 35, and Nilesh Telgade, 30, who was driving the vehicle.

The state government recently approached the Supreme Court seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the lynching.
Rahul Gandhi's counter to a journalist 'why do you always say what the Bharatiya Janata Party is saying' after he was asked about the ruling party's criticism of the Congress leader, evoked a sharp reaction on Tuesday from the BJP which accused him of 'attacking' the media again.

IMAGE: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi speaks to the media as he arrives at the AICC headquarters, in New Delhi on Tuesday. Photograph: ANI Photo

The former Congress president, who was walking into the Congress headquarters in New Delhi, was asked about the BJP's allegation that he tried to pressure the judiciary after he was joined by a large number of party leaders and workers while filing an appeal in a Surat court against his conviction in a defamation case on Monday.

Gandhi walked back to the media posse and asked, "Why do you always say what BJP is saying? Every time you say what BJP is saying."

"There is a very simple thing. Who owns the Rs 20,000 cr in Adani ji's shell companies? It is 'benami'. Who owns it," Gandhi said, reiterating his allegations.

In a tweet later, Gandhi questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'silence' and asked why is he 'frightened'.

Targeting him, the BJP said that 'insulting the country's backward classes and the media is Rahul Gandhi's mindset' and called him an 'arrogant dynast'.

'Rahul Gandhi has again attacked the fourth pillar of democracy. Insulting the country's backward classes and the media is Rahul Gandhi's mindset.

'He is following in the footsteps of his grandmother with his audacity to frequently attack the country's democratic system,' BJP's chief spokesperson and Rajya Sabha member Anil Baluni tweeted.

BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said, 'Rahul is an arrogant dynast.'

Gandhi's snub to a journalist during a recent press conference had drawn flak after he was asked about the BJP's allegation of insulting OBCs with his 'Modi surname' jibe.

Noting that the question was asked to him at the conference twice already, he had accused the reporter of working for the BJP and told him not to 'pretend' to be a journalist.
Private doctors in Rajasthan on Tuesday ended their 17-day strike over the Right to Health Bill after the state government agreed to their key demands including keeping unaided private hospitals outside the ambit of the proposed law.

IMAGE: Doctors protesting against the Rajasthan Right to Health Bill, in Bikaner. Photograph: ANI Photo

The doctors' bodies said that the two sides reached consensus during talks with the state government agreeing to keep private hospitals that have not availed land at subsidised rates or other benefits from it outside the ambit of the proposed law.

Besides, in the first phase of implementing the proposed law, private multi-speciality hospitals with less than 50 beds will be kept out of its purview, according to the agreement.

Among other provisions, the recently passed Bill allows people to get emergency treatment from all government and designated private hospitals without payment. The government is expected to reimburse the private hospital for this.

"An agreement with the government has been made. Private hospitals that have not taken subsidy from the government have been exempted from the new law. We have converted our rally into a 'Vijay Rally'," said Dr Vijay Kapoor, Secretary of Private Hospitals and Nursing Homes Society (PHNHS).

"We decided to end our strike at a general body meeting called after the talks with the government," Kapoor said.

Expressing happiness over the development, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said Rajasthan will become the first state in the country to implement 'Right to Health'.

'It is a matter of happiness that a consensus to the proposal placed before the doctors regarding the Right to Health Bill by the state government has been arrived at. With this, Rajasthan will become the first state in the country to implement 'Right to Health',' Gehlot said in a statement.

Earlier, a delegation of doctors, including those from the Indian Medical Association (IMA), the United Private Clinics and Hospitals Association of Rajasthan(UPCHAR) and PHNHS held talks with the government and signed a memorandum on eight points.

The doctors said their major demand that private hospitals that have not taken any benefit from the government in the form of land or buildings at subsidised rates should be kept outside the ambit of the RTH Bill has been accepted.

According to the agreement, this law will be applicable to all private medical colleges and hospitals, hospitals operating on public-private partnership (PPP) model, hospitals with land allotment at free or subsidised rates, hospitals run by trusts that have received plots at subsidised rates.

It was also agreed that regularisation of hospitals running at different places of the state according to the 'quota model' would be considered.

Under the quota model, consideration will be given to regularise the buildings of those hospitals, which are running in residential premises, by providing relaxation in the rules.

According to the agreement, the police and other cases registered during the agitation will be withdrawn.

Besides, consideration will be given to bringing a 'single window system' for issuing licences and other approvals to private hospitals.

Also, it was agreed that future changes in the rules related to the Right to Health law would be done in consultation with the representatives of IMA.

Chief Minister Gehlot said that all the people of the state cooperated with the state government in favour of this Bill.

"Now, it is a good sign that doctors have also agreed to this important Bill," he said.

Gehlot expressed hope that government and private hospitals together will make schemes like Right to Health, Chief Minister Chiranjeevi Health Insurance Scheme and RGHS successful.

He also expressed confidence that the way private and government hospitals have set an example by managing Covid well, they will successfully implement these schemes on the ground and present the Rajasthan Model of Public Health.

Congress general secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh took to Twitter to comment on the development in Rajasthan.

"The Chiranjeevi Health Insurance Scheme of the Government of Rajasthan is a model for the whole country. Now Right to Health is a legal right. This is another transformative step, making Rajasthan an example for the country. This is the result of the Bharat Jodo Yatra," Ramesh said.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday asserted that she would not let rioters go scot-free and strict action will be taken against them.

IMAGE: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Photograph: ANI

Addressing a rally in Purba Medinipur district, Banerjee alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party was maligning the name of Lord Ram by organising violence during Ram Navami processions.

Clashes were reported in Hooghly and Howrah districts during Ram Navami processions over the last few days.

"The BJP is behind the violence in Hooghly and Howrah. They had brought in hired 'goondas' from other states to unleash violence in Bengal, which is not in our culture. They are defaming the Hindu religion by pitting one community against another. But rioters have no religion, they are just political goons. I appeal to everyone to maintain calm," she said.

Taking a dig at Union Home Minister Amit Shah, without naming him, she said, "The BJP said if the party comes to power in Bihar, it would hang rioters upside down. Then why are they not doing that to their goondas who are fomenting trouble in Bengal? Charity begins at home."

Shah had made the remark during a recent public rally in Nawada district of Bihar, which has also witnessed communal clashes during Ram Navami.

Taking potshots at the Communist Party of India-Marxist, she alleged that 'Baam' (Left) and 'Ram' (BJP) have joined hands against the TMC.
The RSS-inspired weekly Organiser has come out against granting legal validity to same sex marriage, an issue being heard by the Supreme Court, and argued that the Indic perspective should be central to any deliberation on marital topics.

IMAGE: Kindly note that this image has been posted for representational purposes only. Photograph: Shailendra Bhojak/PTI Photo

"Equating same sex relations to the institution of marriage is going to the other extreme. In the Bharatiya tradition and laws, marriage as an institution is beyond a contract or legal registration. While pursuing and deliberating on marital issues, this Indic perspective should be central," its editor Prafulla Ketkar has written in the magazine's latest issue.

He also cited a statement issued by a group of former judges, including Justice S N Dhingra (retired), in this context.

"Former judges urged the conscious members of the society including those who are pursuing the issue of same sex marriage in the Supreme Court to refrain from doing so in the best interest of Bharatiya society and culture. They called it a cancerous problem that the West is facing and are sought to be imported into Bharat by vested interest groups through the misuse of judiciary," the editorial stated.

It noted that IPC Section 377, which had declared same sex relations a crime based on "Victorian morality", is already nullified.

Incidentally, several minority bodies have also spoken against granting legal validity to same sex marriage, which many rights group have sought.

The editorial also welcomed the Supreme Court reversing its 2011 ruling reviving the doctrine of guilt-by-association as it upheld Section 10 (a)(i) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

The apex court had last month held that mere membership of a banned organisation is an offence liable to be punished with imprisonment under provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

The top court said its three verdicts of 2011 pronounced by two-judge benches, which held that mere membership of a banned organisation will not incriminate a person unless he resorts to violence or incites people to violence and does an act intended to create disorder or disturbance of public peace by resorting to violence, "is not a good law".

The Organiser took note of Solicitor General Tushar Mehta's arguments that the Supreme Court bench, whose verdict has now been reversed, committed a serious error by "straightaway and directly following the US Supreme Court decisions and that too without adverting to the differences and the position of laws in India to arrive at the ruling".

"While interpreting our constitutional laws, this very problem of Americanism has created confusion in many other cases such as the right to privacy, same-sex marriages and the sanctity of temple traditions," the editorial said.

"The Constitution of Bharat is meant for 'we, the people', as it is adopted and enacted by and for the people of Bharat. The American or European wisdom on legal jurisprudence cannot become the basis for interpreting our laws. Our Constitution makers also envisaged the fundamentals in the same way.

"As many judges advocate indigenising the legal system, rejecting this trend of importing American decisions to the Bharatiya condition is a welcome step forward. It should not be the end but a beginning in indigenising jurisprudence," it said.
Former United States President Donald Trump is set to appear before a specially secured Manhattan courthouse on Tuesday to be arraigned on history-making criminal charges related to paying hush money to a porn star before the 2016 presidential election in exchange for her silence.

IMAGE: A law enforcement officer stands guard near a poster depicting Trump in New York City on Tuesday. Photograph: Eduardo Munoz/Reuters

Trump, the first former US President to face a criminal charge, would surrender before Judge Juan Merchan. American media quoted Trump's attorneys as saying that the 76-year-old Republican leader, eying the White House for a second time in 2024, will plead not guilty to the criminal charges he is facing in connection with hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels.

Trump flew to New York City in his Boeing 757 aircraft from his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida on Monday and arrived at the La Guardia airport.

His motorcade then made its way to the Trump Tower on 5th Avenue in Manhattan where he stayed overnight.

Streets around the high-end Trump Tower have been cordoned off, with heavy police presence in and around the area.

The former President waved at scores of his supporters as he came out from the SUV and was escorted immediately inside the building.

After his court appearance, Trump will immediately fly back to Florida where he will deliver remarks at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach in the evening.

The arraignment proceeding is expected to be brief. The charges in the indictment will be read to him at the hearing, which is set to last about 10-15 minutes.

Trump has denied all wrongdoings in connection with the payments made to Stormy Daniels, 44, ahead of the 2016 presidential election.

Trump faces more than 30 counts related to business fraud in the indictment, according to US media reports.

Security was tightened in New York, in particular the courthouse in lower Manhattan, as hundreds of Trump's supporters have landed in the city to rally behind him. New York City Mayor Eric Adams has warned against any breaking of law and order.

Hours before his arraignment, Trump sent an email to his supporters, which he claimed was the last one before his arrest, saying that the United States is becoming a 'Marxist Third World' country and went on social media questioning the fairness of the judiciary.

'My last email before my arrest,' Trump said in the subject line of the email.

'Today, we mourn the loss of justice in America. Today is the day that a ruling political party ARRESTS its leading opponent for having committed NO CRIME,' Trump wrote.

'As I will be out of commission for the next few hours, I want to take this moment to THANK YOU for all of your support. I am blown away by all of the donations, support, and prayers we have received. It's sad to see what's happening - not for myself - but for our country,' he said.

In less than 24 hours after being indicted he raised over more than $4 million.

Soon after his arrival at the Manhattan Criminal Courts Building, The New York Times reported, he will be arrested and fingerprinted.

'However, special accommodations will be made for the former President: He will spend only a short time in custody before his court appearance, and he likely won't be handcuffed or have a mugshot taken,' the daily said.

'At the arraignment, Mr Trump is expected to enter a not guilty plea himself, rather than through his lawyers, as an act of defiance in keeping with his approach to the day, according to people with knowledge of his thinking,' the paper said.

The investigation by the Manhattan district attorney's office began when Trump was still in the White House and relates to a $130,000 payment made by his then-personal attorney Michael Cohen to Daniels in late October 2016, days before the presidential election, to silence her from going public about an alleged affair with Trump a decade earlier.

Trump has denied the affair.

Trump's lawyers on Monday urged Judge Merchan not to allow cameras inside the courtroom.

'We submit that the media request should be denied because it will create a circus-like atmosphere at the arraignment, raise unique security concerns, and is inconsistent with President Trump's presumption of innocence,' his lawyers wrote in a letter said to Judge Merchan.

'News outlets will not be allowed to broadcast Trump's arraignment,' the judge said Monday night, but he will allow some photographers to take pictures in the courtroom before the proceedings formally begin.

'WITCH HUNT,' Trump, a Republican, wrote on his Truth Social platform shortly before travelling from his home in Florida on Monday.

The indictment comes as Trump faces legal hurdles in other potential criminal cases.

Trump is currently the front-runner among all declared and potential contenders for the 2024 Republican White House nomination.

But there is nothing in the US law that prevents a candidate, who is found guilty of a crime, from campaigning for and serving as President -- even from prison.

Trump was twice impeached by the House of Representatives. He was acquitted by the Senate both times.

Trump and his aides are using the indictment to rile up his supporters and bolster his 2024 re-election campaign.

It's hard to believe that I will be ARRESTED tomorrow as a result of the most disgraceful witch hunt in our nation's history, a Trump Campaign mail titled Tomorrow, I will be arrested' said, as it urged voters to make a contribution to his campaign given that the fate of our Republic is on the line .

Trump's team claimed that he has raised over $4 million in the 24 hours following Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's 'unprecedented political persecution of the President, and blatant interference in the 2024 election against the leading Republican presidential candidate'.

President Joe Biden, who was travelling to Minnesota, refrained from commenting on the legal battle that his predecessor is facing. Talking to reporters in Minneapolis, he exuded confidence that law and order would be maintained in New York City.

I have faith in the New York Police Department, Biden, a Democrat, said.

Alina Habba, who represents Trump in several civil matters, spent time with the former president in New York today and said,

He's in good spirits. Honestly, he's as he normally would be. He's ready to go in and do what he needs to do tomorrow.

Habba, appearing on Fox News was asked about the game plan for Trump's appearance in court in Manhattan on Tuesday and said, It's all mapped out.

She added, Barring any surprises, I think that it should be smooth. We're trying to coordinate and cooperate with everybody to make sure that there are no problems.

On whether Trump can get a fair trial in Manhattan, Habba said, "No, no. I think it's very difficult. I'd like to have faith in this state, but I've been practicing for him now for a couple of years and gone to court in New York for a few years, and I can tell you, it's not the same as representing anybody else."
Uneasy calm prevailed in Rishra in West Bengal's Hooghly district on Tuesday morning after fresh clashes were reported in the town.

IMAGE: Security personnel conduct a route march amid tension following clashes between two groups during a Ram Navami procession in Hooghly district on Monday, April 3, 2023. Photograph: Swapan Mahapatra/PTI Photo

Most shops remained closed and few people were seen on the streets as prohibitory orders under Section 144 of CrPC remained clamped.

Route marches were conducted in the affected areas in Rishra and adjoining Serampore, a senior official of the Chandannagore Police Commissionerate said.

Internet services remained suspended as police urged people to maintain calm and not fall for rumours.

Train services along the Howrah-Bardhaman line resumed on Tuesday morning after being affected by incidents of fresh clashes near railway gate number 4 in Rishra on Monday night, he said.

Governor C V Ananda Bose expressed concern over the incidents of fresh violence in Rishra and is likely to cut short his Darjeeling trip, where he had gone for a G20 meeting, and return to Kolkata during the day.

He has spoken to the chief secretary and home secretary and took note of the current situation in Hooghly district, sources in the Raj Bhavan said.

Police said they dismantled a stage set up for a scheduled sit-in demonstration of state BJP president Sukanta Majumdar in Serampore, citing the prevailing law and order situation.

Clashes were first reported in Rishra on Sunday evening during a Ram Navami procession in which BJP national vice president Dilip Ghosh and party's Pursurah MLA Biman Ghosh were present. The MLA was injured and hospitalised.

Incidents of clashes during Ram Navami processions in West Bengal were first reported in Howrah city on March 30.
Rushing from Darjeeling to visit violence-hit areas of Hooghly district, West Bengal Governor Dr CV Ananda Bose on Tuesday said hooligans will not be allowed to take law into their hands.

IMAGE: West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose visits the violence-affected area after clashes broke out between two groups during a Ram Navami procession, in Hooghly district. Photograph: Swapan Mahapatra/PTI Photo

The Centre and the state government will work together to root out mobocracy and there will be solid action on the part of law enforcement agencies, he told reporters.

"We will never allow hooligans to take law into their hands. The Centre, state, political parties, media and people will join hands to root out mobocracy, Bose said.

He also spoke to senior police officers of the district and locals to take stock of the situation.

Reaching Rishra in Hooghly district straight from the Kolkata airport after arriving from Darjeeling, Bose went to the Railway Gate No 4 which witnessed incidents of violence and arson on Monday night.

Clashes were reported in Rishra on Sunday evening during a Ram Navami procession in which BJP national vice president Dilip Ghosh and party's Pursurah MLA Biman Ghosh were present. The MLA was injured and hospitalised.

Parts of nearby Serampore also witnessed incidents of vandalism following which prohibitory orders were imposed and Internet services suspended.

Bose had gone to the hill town in the northern part of the state for a G20 meeting.
Former US President Donald Trump is expected to appear before a specially secured Manhattan courthouse on Tuesday to be arraigned on history-making criminal charges related to paying hush money to a porn star during his 2016 presidential campaign.

IMAGE: Former US president Donald Trump arrives at Trump Tower, after his indictment by a Manhattan grand jury following a probe into hush money paid to porn star Stormy Daniels, in New York City, US, April 3, 2023. Photograph: Jeenah Moon/Reuters

Trump, 76, flew to New York City in his Boeing 757 aircraft from his Mar-a-Lago home on Monday and arrived at the La Guardia airport around 3 pm EST (12.30 am IST).

His motorcade then made its way to the Trump Tower on 5th Avenue in Manhattan where he will stay for the night. Streets around the high-end Trump Tower have been cordoned off, with heavy police presence in and around the area.

The former US president waved at scores of his supporters as he came out from the SUV and was escorted immediately inside the building.

Trump, the first former US president to face a criminal charge, will appear before Judge Juan Merchan at 2.15 pm EST (11.45 pm IST) on Tuesday.

American media quoted Trump's attorneys as saying that the former president will plead not guilty. After his court appearance, Trump will immediately fly back to Florida where he will deliver remarks at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach in the evening.

The arraignment proceeding is expected to be brief. The charges in the indictment will be read to him at the hearing, which is set to last about 10-15 minutes. Trump has denied all wrongdoings in connection with the payments made to Stormy Daniels, 44, ahead of the 2016 presidential election.

Trump is expected to have his mugshot taken.

A mugshot is a photograph taken by law enforcement agencies when an individual is arrested and booked.

Trump's lawyers on Monday urged Judge Merchan not to allow cameras inside the courtroom.

We submit that the media request should be denied because it will create a circus-like atmosphere at the arraignment, raise unique security concerns, and is inconsistent with President Trump's presumption of innocence, his lawyers wrote in a letter said to Judge Merchan.

News outlets will not be allowed to broadcast Trump's arraignment, the judge said Monday night, but he will allow some photographers to take pictures in the courtroom before the proceedings formally begin.

"WITCH HUNT," Trump, a Republican, wrote on his Truth Social platform shortly before travelling from his home in Florida on Monday.

The indictment comes as Trump faces legal hurdles in other potential criminal cases.

Trump is currently the front-runner among all declared and potential contenders for the 2024 Republican White House nomination. But there is nothing in the US law that prevents a candidate, who is found guilty of a crime, from campaigning for and serving as president -- even from prison.

Trump was twice impeached by the House of Representatives. He was acquitted by the Senate both times.

Trump and his aides are using the indictment to rile up his supporters and bolster his 2024 re-election campaign.

It's hard to believe that I will be ARRESTED tomorrow as a result of the most disgraceful witch hunt in our nation's history, a Trump Campaign mail titled Tomorrow, I will be arrested' said, as it urged voters to make a contribution to his campaign given that the fate of our Republic is on the line.

Trump's team claimed that he has raised over USD 4 million in the 24 hours following Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg's "unprecedented political persecution of the president, and blatant interference in the 2024 election against the leading Republican presidential candidate.

Another Trump Campaign email said that November 5, 2024, will no longer just be an election day. It will be our vindication day. When we win, it will be a vindication for our movement -- but also a vindication for America.

President Joe Biden, who was travelling to Minnesota, refrained from commenting on the legal battle that his predecessor is facing. Talking to reporters in Minneapolis, he exuded confidence that law and order would be maintained in New York City.

I have faith in the New York Police Department, he said.

The president is focused on delivering for the American people. That's what he wakes up and thinks about each day. We're on our way to Minnesota where we'll talk about the Invest in America tour, Olivia Dalton, White House deputy press secretary, told reporters during an Air Force One gaggle.

He's also talking about all the ways in which they've created an ecosystem for the private sector to invest in America as well, Dalton said in response to a question.

Last week, Trump exuded confidence that he would win this battle as well as the 2024 presidential elections.

When this election is over, I will be the president of the United States, you will be vindicated and proud, and the thugs and criminals who are corrupting our justice system will be defeated, discredited, and totally disgraced," Trump said.

Alina Habba, who represents Trump in several civil matters, spent time with the former president in New York today and said, He's in good spirits. Honestly, he's as he normally would be. He's ready to go in and do what he needs to do tomorrow.

Habba, appearing on 'Fox News' was asked about the game plan for Trump's appearance in court in Manhattan Tuesday and said, It's all mapped out.

She added, Barring any surprises, I think that it should be smooth. We're trying to coordinate and cooperate with everybody to make sure that there are no problems.

On whether Trump can get a fair trial in Manhattan, Habba said, No, no. I think it's very difficult. I'd like to have faith in this state, but I've been practicing for him now for a couple of years and gone to court in New York for a few years, and I can tell you, it's not the same as representing anybody else."
Sunday's yatra proved that it needs both the maturity of locals as well as the police doing their duty, to ensure that a religious procession doesn't turn ugly, reports Jyoti Punwani.

IMAGE: The narrow main street of Sangam Nagar through which the yatra passed. All Photographs: Jyoti Punwani

Muslim shops were open, saffron-clad yatriS were helping Muslims make their way past and through the rally, and most surprisingly, the loud music being played along the route even before the yatra began, was switched off during the azaan that sounded just after iftaar, the breaking of the Ramzan fast.

This was the Vishwa Hindu Parishad's Ram Navami Shobha Yatra held on Sunday, April 2, 2023, evening in Sangam Nagar, Antop Hill, north central Mumbai.

"Nothing will happen, here we live in harmony. Just remind yourself of the name of our basti," smiled Sanjay Chaudhry, a Sangh Parivar member, when I asked him whether the rally would be a peaceful affair.

Dinesh Swarnkar, organiser, Bajrang Dal, Mumbai district, exuded the same confidence. "This has been an annual affair," he told this reporter later, "and we want it to continue to be one."

"We may have organised it," he explained, "but we invited all Hindu groups in the area, from young men's kreeda mandals to women's Navratri mandals, to join it, and they did. We want this larger participation of the Hindu samaj to continue. We made it clear, this is a festival; we don't want anything said from the mike that would hurt the feelings of others."

IMAGE: The controversial poster.

***

When Sunday's Shobha Yatra was announced by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, it gave rise to a sense of dread. Sangam Nagar had been the site of vicious violence during the 1992-1993 riots. However, like the rest of Mumbai, this mixed basti had been peaceful for the last 15 years.

When the rest of the country saw yatras on March 30, 2023, the day Ram Navami fell, was another yatra on Sunday a means to prolong the communal tension associated with such yatras?

The already densely populated settlement would be even more crowded on a Sunday, when the main street on which the yatra would be taken out, turns into an open-air market. To add to this, Ramzan was on; the time of the yatra would coincide with the breaking of the fast.

Then last week, came news on Twitter of a massive banner put up there saying 'Akhand Hindu rashtra mein aapka swagat hai'. (It was removed at the insistence of the police, but on Sunday, smaller posters saying the same thing had been plastered all over the area. There was no printer's name and Swarnkar claimed that the VHP had nothing to do with them.)

Finally, there was the Ram Navami yatra at Malvani in suburban Mumbai on March 30, which saw stone-throwing and a police lathi-charge.

But despite all these doubts, it turned out Chaudhry and Swarnkar were right -- the yatra remained trouble-free.

IMAGE: Taxis carrying posters of Bharat Mata, Akhand Hindu Rashtra, Dr Ambedkar, RSS ideologues.

***

In many respects, the Sangam Nagar yatra was no different from the trademark VHP Ram Navami yatras that have been making news since last year.

The turn out was large; by police estimates, there were between 4-5000 rallyists, though the organisers had not expected more than 1000. Chaudhry was surprised that outsiders had come in large numbers; Swarnkar felt it was a reaction to the incidents at Sambhaji Nagar and Malwani.

The yatra had the characteristic features of religious processions of today, whether Hindu or Muslim: decorated trucks, in this case carrying large statues and cut outs; a DJ with throbbing ear-splitting music; multi coloured laser lights; fireworks, and thousands of dancing young men. This particular yatra also had many girls; most of the younger ones were dancing too. It was like an open air party, only the music was what can be called 'Jai Sri Ram music', focusing on the Ayodhya movement.

One wonders if the parents of these youngsters know what the latter set out to do when they tell them they are going to a Ram Navami yatra.

Many of the boys carried huge saffron flags atop very long flag poles. At regular intervals, the crowd would crouch in a circle around one of them as he swirled it around, circling it at first close to the ground, then higher and higher. When he finally reached the highest swirl, they would all rise and shout "Jai Sri Ram".

It wasn't only flags that were being swirled. One youngster, propped up on the shoulders of others, was swirling a sword.

IMAGE: The main road with saffron and green flags from where the yatra passed.

If this could be called religiosity, it was certainly aeons removed from spirituality. These were Ram bhakts, but this wasn't bhakti as we've known it in the poetry of Tulsidas or in popular bhajans.

But, as Swarnkar said, "This is what the majority in the organising committee, made up of the VHP and other organisations, wanted. And all permissions were taken."

Added Chaudhry: "This is the way the youth connects to their religion; this is how they want their festivals celebrated."

Interestingly, while older residents could be seen shaking their head at the frenzied dancing and throbbing music, a young Muslim living there shrugged this off. "DJs, crackers, swords -- these are part of all processions," he said.

IMAGE: Imtiaz Shaikh, left, and Dr Shravan Yadav, in charge of the masjid and mandir.

***

As the time for the yatra to begin drew near, a sense of unease prevailed among some Muslims in the area. They had seen the videos of Ram Navami yatras not just from Malwani, but from all over the country.

"As long as they don't target us, why should we object? We have no problem with the yatra, it's taken out every year," they said.

This time however, the preparations were far stricter, they pointed out. Roadside vendors had been cleared for the day to make space on the narrow road for the yatra. With Ramzan on, that meant the cheapest eats would not be available for iftaar.

However, Dr Shravan Yadav, trustee of the Jai Bhavani Mata Mandir, did not allow that to happen in his area. When we met him, the doctor was standing in the middle of the road with Imtiaz Shaikh, secretary of the nearby Bilal Masjid.

"The police were clearing some fruit vendors," said Dr Yadav, "but I stopped them. This is the time for them to earn something; we should not get the baddua (curses) of the poor for our religious activity. I told the police, let the people buy what they need for iftaar, then clear the vendors."

Like Chaudhry, Dr Yadav was sure there would be no trouble during the yatra. "We don't want the foolishness of one day to spoil the rest of the 364 days that we live together," he said. "We're not just neighbours here; we are neighbours in UP too."

"80% of us here, both Hindus and Muslims, are from UP," said Shaikh, "that's the reason we understand each other."

Shaikh informed this reporter proudly that he, Dr Yadav and others from the local Dosti Committee had put up the stage where Deputy Commissioner of Police Dr Pravin Mundhe was felicitated. Behind the stage was a banner greeting residents both for Ram Navami and Ramzan Eid. As the yatra reached that spot, the music reached a crescendo as DCP Mundhe received bouquets from both communities.

But much before that, Dr Mundhe had climbed on the stage. He stood there arms akimbo, observing the rallyists as they inched forward. He followed them till almost the very end.

IMAGE: Police guard the mosque when the yatra passes through.

***

The police established their presence early on, as they marched through the route of the yatra in full strength, and then set up posts along it. The entrance to one road was completely barricaded; it led to the area's main mosque. The road didn't fall on the yatra's route, but the barricade was an extra measure that sent a strong visual message.

It was just next to this barricade that the Dosti Committee stage was erected, on which stood DCP Mundhe.

The yatra was to begin at 5 pm, but by the time it actually set off, led by a bullock cart carrying Chhatrapati Shivaji's statue, followed by taxis carrying the photographs of Dr Ambedkar, Savitribai Phule, the founders and ideologues of the RSS, as well as Asaram Bapu, it was 7 pm. By then, the streets were clear; iftaar was over, so was the namaaz following it.

It was close to 10 pm when the rally passed by the two mosques that fell on its route. They were lit up for Ramzan. At the entrance of each, stood a human wall of policemen. Indeed, the last mosque had policemen standing on both sides of the road, with the yatris passing between them.

IMAGE: DCP Dr Pravin Mundhe on stage.

***

"The police have been patrolling here for the last five days," revealed Aadesh Ram, who has been living there for years, and whose street-side stall had also been removed. He saw the yatra more as a show of strength than devotion.

Added his colleague, who didn't want to be named, but who also had had to shut his roadside cart for the day: "Police had told the organisers: this yatra is your responsibility. If you make trouble, you'll have to do the rounds of courts forever."

However, Senior Police Inspector in charge of the Wadala TT police station Gyaneshwar Argade made light of the preparations he and the DCP had made to ensure that this procession would remain trouble-free. "We held meetings in the last few weeks with both sides," he said.

What about the 'Hindu Rashtra' posters that had suddenly sprung up? The BMC had been told to remove them, he replied.

"Here the atmosphere is different," Argade said when asked if he had feared a repeat of Malwani.

"The youngsters are excitable, but the elders of both communities are very good. Muslims too have their processions here; they also know what's to be done. I will be posted elsewhere after two years; it's the people who have to live peacefully with each other."

Sunday's yatra proved that it needs both the maturity of locals as well as the police doing their duty, to ensure that a religious procession doesn't turn ugly.

Is that asking for too much?

Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com
BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 20. Uzbekistan and Iran plan to create an Uzbek-Iranian joint Chamber of Commerce, Trend reports via the press service of Uzbekistans Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The matter was discussed between the Uzbek Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Davron Vakhabov and Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mining and Agriculture of Iran Gholamhossein Shafei.

During the meeting, the sides also discussed prospects for developing bilateral trade, economic and logistics cooperation.

Shafei expressed Iran's interest in expanding its presence in the Central Asian market, creating a joint production chain with Uzbekistan, as well as establishing cooperation with the Tashkent International Arbitration Center.

Following the talks, the parties agreed to organize the visit of Iranian businessmen in the field of pharmaceuticals, building materials, agriculture, household chemicals, polyester, and fiberglass to Uzbekistan, as well as to hold joint Business forum and B2B meetings between businessmen of the two countries.

On March 11-12 Uzbek delegation, headed by Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov and Minister of Transport Ilkhom Makhkamov, paid a visit to Iran to discuss issues of further development of the Uzbek-Iranian strategic partnership.

According to Uzbekistans State Statistics Committee, in January 2023, trade turnover between Uzbekistan and Iran amounted to $36.6 million, decreasing by 13.4 percent, compared to the same period in 2022 ($42.3 million).
As with many aspects of life in Vermont, the central well of gravity in the budding legal cannabis industry is in the North. The population de
Photographer / Multimedia Editor

Has been working as a photojournalist since 2007, before moving into newspapers, he worked with an NGO called Project HOPE. He then went to work for the Press and Sun-Bulletin in New York, and then in New England working for the Brattleboro Reformer.
NEW HAVEN  A wrong-way car crashed into a police cruiser on Interstate 91 South on Friday night before overturning further down the highway, according to the Connecticut State Police.

Shane Martingano, 41, of Groton, was charged with second-degree reckless endangerment, interfering with a police officer, reckless driving, driving the wrong way on a divided highway and two counts of evading responsibility, according to state police. Martingano was held on $100,000 bond and was scheduled to appear at state Superior Court in New Haven at 9 a.m. Monday, state police said.

Troopers with Troop G, of Bridgeport, encountered a wrong-way car traveling northbound in the southbound lanes of I-91 between exits 2 and 1 around 8:30 p.m. Friday, according to state police. When Trooper Josue Cardenas attempted to conduct a traffic stop, the car, a 2022 Mazda 3 Preferred, struck Cardenas' cruiser in the left lane, state police said.

Dashcam footage of the crash indicates the Mazda hit the front end of the police cruiser as the car approached. State police described the nature of the crash as a sideswipe and said Cardenas was not injured.

While leaving the scene, the Mazda rolled over in the right shoulder between the Exit 3 on-ramp and off-ramp, becoming disabled in the process, according to state police. State police said the cause of the rollover remains unclear.

The driver, later identified as Martingano, fled the Mazda on foot and passed through a wooded area between the Exit 3 on-ramp and a State Street commuter parking lot in New Haven, according to state police. Troopers investigating the crashes discovered that Martingano was on probation and wore an ankle monitor, state police said. Court and newspaper records indicate Martingano has previously been accused or convicted of several criminal offenses, including conspiracy, third-degree assault and third-degree burglary.

Martingano cut off his ankle monitor but was eventually located at his North Street home by Groton cops, according to state police. Following processing at Troop G headquarters, Martingano was transported to the New Haven Correctional Center to await his Monday court appearance, state police said.

According to a crash report, the Mazda was owned by a Middletown Toyota rental car company, according to state police. Both the Mazda and the police cruiser were towed due to disabling damage, state police said.
MOSCOW (AP)  Senior diplomats from Russia, Turkey, Syria and Iran wrapped up two days of talks in Moscow on Tuesday, part of the Kremlin's efforts to help broker a rapprochement between the Turkish and Syrian governments.

The Russian and Turkish foreign ministries issued terse readouts, saying diplomats discussed preparations for a planned meeting of the four countries' foreign ministers. Moscow described the consultations as frank and direct, and Ankara said they were held in a transparent and clear manner, while offering no details.

The talks in Moscow were held as U.N.-mediated negotiations aimed at reaching a political solution to Syria's conflict have stalled.

Russia has waged a military campaign in Syria since September 2015, teaming up with Iran to allow Syrian President Bashar Assad's government to fight armed opposition groups and reclaim control over most of the country. While the bulk of the Russian military has been busy fighting in Ukraine, Moscow has maintained its military foothold in Syria and kept warplanes and troops at its bases there.

The Kremlin has also made persistent efforts to help Syria rebuild fractured ties with other countries in the region, including neighboring Turkey, which has backed armed opposition to Assad throughout the 12-year conflict. In December, Moscow hosted a surprise meeting of the Turkish and Syrian defense ministers, the first such encounter since Syria's uprising-turned-civil-war began in 2011.

Greeting the participants of the four-way talks on Tuesday, Lavrov urged Syrian and Turkish diplomats to show flexibility and constructive attitude, and abandon the confrontational rhetoric and past offenses. He added that the process of normalization will take time, emphasizing the importance to find for common ground to reach a balance of interests and avoid preconditions and promising that Moscow and Tehran will help create conditions for further talks.

Ayman Sousan, Syria's deputy foreign minister who attended the talks in Moscow, thanked Russia and Iran for their help in confronting terrorism in remarks carried by the state news agency SANA. Sousan blasted other countries that took advantage of the situation created by this war to illegally send their forces to Syria and supported terrorist groups.

Turkey has backed armed opposition groups in Syria that have sought to overthrow Assads government during the civil war, which has killed nearly 500,000 people and displaced half of the countrys prewar population. Turkey has de facto control over large swathes of northwestern Syria, and Sousan emphasized that the withdrawal of Turkish forces from Syrian territory is a prerequisite for a normalization of ties.

But even as Turkey has supported Syrian opposition fighters in the north, Ankara and Damascus are equally dismayed over the U.S.-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces in Syrias northeast. Turkey-backed opposition fighters have clashed with the SDF in the past, accusing them of being an arm of Turkeys outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK. The PKK has for decades waged an insurgency within Turkey.

Assads government has cast the SDF as a secessionist force that has been pilfering the countrys wealth while controlling Syrias major oil fields.

The efforts toward a Turkish-Syrian reconciliation come as Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is under intense pressure at home to send Syrian refugees back amid a steep economic downturn and an increasing anti-refugee sentiment. He faces presidential and parliamentary elections in May.

The reconciliation efforts between Syria and Turkey topped the agenda for Russian President Vladimir Putin's talks with Assad when he visited Moscow last month.

After the catastrophic earthquake that struck Syria and Turkey in February, international sympathy appeared to have sped up the regional rapprochement. Some have called for dialogue with Syria and for bringing the country back to the 22-member Arab League, more than a decade after its membership was suspended over the crackdown in the early months of the uprising.

___

Abby Sewell in Beirut and Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey contributed to this report.
On 4 April this year, Tashkent hosted a meeting between the Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade of the Republic of Uzbekistan Laziz Kudratov and the Minister for Government Affairs of the United Arab Emirates Muhammad bin Abdullah al-Gergawi, who is in our country on an official visit, Trend reports citing Uzdaily.

During the meeting, the current state and prospects for building up bilateral partnerships in trade, economic and investment areas, as well as further steps in the framework of ongoing projects to improve the efficiency of public administration in Uzbekistan, were discussed.

The positive dynamics of growth in the volume of mutual trade was noted, the indicators of which doubled in the last year. Among the tasks already implemented to maintain such positive dynamics, a multiple increase in flights between the two countries was noted - up to 44 flights per week. The importance of taking systematic measures to further expand the range of mutual deliveries was noted. In this regard, the parties agreed to intensify cooperation in the framework of the preparation of the Strategy for the Development of the Export Potential of Uzbekistan.

The meeting also considered the prospects for infrastructure development and increasing the industrial potential of the regions of our country. The Emirati side highly appreciated the new stage of reforms to reduce the states share in the economy, and expressed its readiness to expand cooperation in the preparation of master plans for cities and regions, taking into account the development of production capacities and the improvement of the public utilities sector.

Issues of improving the efficiency of public administration and the widespread introduction of information technologies were discussed separately. In this context, the parties came to a common opinion on the need to form a Council for the Development of Cooperation in the Field of Artificial Intelligence.

Following the results of the talks, the parties emphasized the importance of deepening active interaction between the responsible bodies of the two countries in order to successfully implement the discussed projects and initiatives.
A cheetah that ventured out of the Kuno National Park (KNP) two days back continued to move close to a village in the vicinity and was seen drinking water from the Kwari river, a forest department official said.

Oban, one of the eight cheetahs brought from Namibia in September last year, on Sunday strayed into a field near Baroda village, 15-20 kilometres from KNP, from the free range area of the park into which it was released last month, the official said.

It was spotted close to an adjoining village on Monday and was moving in one-km area adjacent to KNP, Sheopur divisional forest officer PK Verma said.

"This is a normal process for the animal. The cheetah is staying away from the village and has reached there as the spot is adjoining the KNP. Its movement is being monitored through its collared device," he said.

So far, four out of eight cheetahs brought from Namibia to KNP in September last year have been released into the wild (free range area) from hunting enclosures.

Oban and Asha were released into the wild on March 11, while Elton and Freddie, also known as "rockstars" due to their names, were allowed to move into the free-range area on March 22.

Eight Namibian cheetahs, comprising five females and three males, were brought to KNP as part of an ambitious reintroduction programme of the species and were released into special enclosures on September 17, 2022 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

One of them, Sasha, died of a kidney ailment on March 27, while another, Siyaya, gave birth to four cubs and they were first spotted on March 29.

Another set of 12 cheetahs, comprising seven males and five females, were brought to KNP from South Africa on February 18 this year.
Israel's speaker of the Knesset, Amir Ohana is currently in India on his maiden visit which began on March 31. During his stay, he met with Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla and signed a memorandum of understanding for cooperation and exchange of knowledge between the parliaments. His visit garnered immense attention as he called India "one of Israel's closest and dearest friends".

During an exclusive interview with Republic Media Network, Ohana maintained the stance and spoke on multiple subjects including terrorism and the Mumbai terror attacks which shook the nation on November 26, 2008.

  



            ,  ,         .

1/2 pic.twitter.com/hgYvRWHzn2  Amir Ohana -   (@AmirOhana) March 31, 2023

Ohana draws parallel between India and Israel

In the interview, Ohana spoke about the commonality between India and Israel as both countries have been victims of terrorism for decades. The Israeli speaker drew parallels between the two countries as Israel has been fending off its enemies in a hostile middle-east since 1947 (a year before its independence) while India has been struck by state-sponsored terrorism from Pakistan.

On behalf of the Israeli delegation, I thank you Honorable President Smt. Murmu Ji for your kind words and for the gracious hospitality. It is a true honour to be the first Speaker of the Knesset to visit India, a country we hold in high esteem and share a unique bond with  https://t.co/N1HWEmoMUB pic.twitter.com/vGXCRnkPes  Amir Ohana -   (@AmirOhana) April 1, 2023

Speaking to Republic, Ohana said that he visited the places in Mumbai where the 26/11 attacks were carried out. "We visited the place. The Taj Mahal (hotel), the Chabad House, several locations where the terror attacks took place."

"We also visited little Mosche's room," Ohana said, recalling the two-year-old child whose Israeli parents were murdered in the hotel.

"We saw on the wall how tall he was when he was 13 months old and then we saw Mosche 11 years old. And someone wrote three words next to it. In Hebrew it means the 'The people of Israel live'. And that person who wrote those words was Prime Minister (Benjamin) Netanyahu when he came to visit," he said.

'Terrorists must pay very heavy price'

Futher speaking on terrorism, Ohana shared his experience in countering terrorism in his career. "In my personal life, I have been battling terror and dealing with counter terrorism for 12 years as part of the Israel defence forces."

He also recalled the Second Intifada of the early 2000s when the Israel government faced an uprising from the Palestinians and the rocket strikes from Hamas in Gaza. "We had the roughest, the most challenging times regarding counter-terrorism in the history of the organisation," the official added.

"And one part, very important part is to prevent and foil terror attacks before they happen. But the other part is to make sure that everyone that takes part in the terror attacks pays the price, a very heavy price. So we are still waiting for those who committed, those who sent, those who operated the terror attacks to be brought to justice and we need to bring very serious pressure from the free world who stands against terrorism to make sure that this happens in order to prevent the next terror attacks."

The Israeli speaker also reflected on his country's experience in fighting external forces and terrorism and expressed his government's willingness to help India take advantage of it.

"We have developed such expertise (against terrorism) and we would like to share. We can share information and intelligence and this is something we can strengthen because we are part of the free world and we should stand against terrorism," he said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday held talks with Bhutanese King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck focusing on ways to bolster bilateral engagement in a range of areas including economic cooperation.

The King began his two-day visit to India on Monday amid some concerns in New Delhi over China's attempts to expand influence over Thimphu.

Certain remarks by Bhutan Prime Minister Lotay Tshering on the Doklam tri-junction were seen by many as the Himalayan nation cosying up to Beijing though Bhutan maintained that there is no change in its stance on the border dispute.

It is learnt that the talks between PM Modi and King Wangchuck were focused on ways to expand bilateral ties.

The Bhutanese King was received at the Delhi airport by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, in a special gesture reflecting the importance New Delhi has attached to the visit.

On Monday evening, Jaishankar called on the visiting dignitary and said the King's vision for Bhutan's future and for strengthening the unique partnership with India is deeply appreciated.

Bhutan is a strategically important country for India and the defence and security ties between the two sides have witnessed significant expansion in the last few years.

The strategic ties witnessed an upward trajectory in the last few years in the backdrop of a 73-day face-off between Indian and Chinese troops in Doklam tri-junction in 2017.

The Doklam plateau is considered an important area for India's strategic interest.

The standoff at Doklam tri-junction in 2017 began after China tried to extend a road in an area that Bhutan claimed belonged to it.

India had strongly opposed the construction as it would have impacted its overall security interests. The India-China face-off was resolved following several rounds of talks.

In October 2021, Bhutan and China signed an agreement on a "three-step roadmap" to expedite negotiations to resolve their festering boundary dispute.

Bhutan shares an over 400-km-long border with China and the two countries have held over 24 rounds of boundary talks in a bid to resolve the dispute.

In a recent interview, the Bhutanese prime minister had said that China has an equal say in resolving the border dispute in Doklam.

India has consistently been Bhutan's top trading partner, and remains the leading source of investments in Bhutan.
More than 200 protesters in South Africa have demonstrated at the Uganda High Commission against the anti-gay bill recently passed by Ugandan lawmakers.

The demonstration on Tuesday was led by South Africa's leftist Economic Freedom Fighters opposition party, which urged Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni not to sign the bill into law.

LGBTQ activists also joined the march and called on the South African government to speak out against the bill as it threatens the freedoms and safety of the LGBTQ community in Uganda.

Homosexuality is outlawed in Uganda but the recent bill has introduced harsh punishment for several acts, including the death penalty and up to 20 years imprisonment.

Almost all lawmakers of the 389 who attended the parliamentary session voted in favor of the bill, but Museveni has the powers to veto the bill and not sign it into law.

Some of the punishments introduced by the bill include the death penalty for the offence of aggravated homosexuality, which is defined as cases of sexual relations involving those infected with HIV, minors and other categories of vulnerable people.

Those who advocate for or promote the rights of LGBTQ people may face up to 20 years in jail, according to the legislation.

Ugandan queer activist Papa De told The Associated Press in South Africa Tuesday that they took part in the protest to speak on behalf of their siblings back home who face arrest if they speak out against the bill.

They are preaching hate crimes and genocide against our queer bodies, but we are human first. So, yes, I am scared because my family is still back in Uganda, said De.

While they had been outspoken against the bill, they still feared that there could be repercussions for their own safety.

Economic Freedom Front leader Julius Malema issued a warning against the Ugandan lawmakers who passed the bill, saying Museveni would in future use it against them if they disagreed with him politically.

We are saying to Museveni, leave the people the way they are. It is not our problem, it is not your problem. It is not a problem," said Malema to the protesters in front of the Ugandan High Commission .

If Museveni knows what is good for him, he will not sign it (bill) into law. Already we have a problem with Museveni with how he is treating political opponents in Uganda, said Malema in front of the Uganda High Commission.

The passing of the Ugandan bill has received widespread condemnation from the international community and those promoting the rights of LGBTQ people in Uganda and across the continent.

The U.S. has threatened to impose economic sanctions on Uganda if the bill is signed into law while the U.N. AIDS agency has warned that the legislation would hurt efforts to fight HIV.
New legislation to be drafted this year will address end-of-life options, French President Emmanuel Macron said Monday, following the release of a report indicating that most French citizens support legalizing medically assisted suicide and euthanasia.

In a speech at the Elysee presidential palace, Macron vowed to move forward toward a French model regarding end-of-life options.

Macrons move follows a report released Sunday indicating that a large majority from among a panel composed of 184 randomly selected citizens support active assistance in dying. The report concluded that French law is currently not adapted to end-of-life issues and must evolve. It offers different options involving legalizing assisted suicide and euthanasia.

Medically assisted suicide involves patients taking, of their own free will, a lethal drink or medication that has been prescribed by a doctor to those who meet certain criteria. Euthanasia involves doctors or other health practitioners giving patients who meet certain criteria a lethal injection at their own request.

Macron said the panels conclusions will be incorporated in the bill to be drawn up jointly by the government and legislators by the end of the summer.

He did not provide details about what options the bill will allow, but insisted that strict conditions would be set with any change. They include guaranteeing free and informed consent and making sure that measures are restricted to patients suffering from incurable illness associated with physical and emotional suffering.

Macron suggested any changes would exclude cases involving terminally ill children, since the panel of citizens did not reach a conclusion on the issue.

He also vowed to improve access for all terminally ill patients to end-of-life care in line with the citizens report which pointed to major disparities between regions, including some that had no specialized units.

I want we draw up a ten-year national plan to treat pain and ensure palliative care with the needed investments, Macron said.

A 2016 French law provides that doctors can keep terminally ill patients sedated before death but stops short of allowing assisted suicide and euthanasia.

Some French patients travel to other European countries to seek further options. Assisted suicide is allowed in neighboring Switzerland. Euthanasia is currently legal in the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and Spain under certain conditions.

French polls in recent years steadily showed a broad majority of people are in favor of legalizing similar measures.

The current law allows patients to request deep, continuous sedation altering consciousness until death but only when their conditions are likely to lead to a quick death. Doctors are allowed to stop life-sustaining treatments, including artificial hydration and nutrition. Sedation and painkillers are allowed even if they may shorten the persons life.

Patients can be medicated until they die of their illness naturally or until they starve. But some doctors say it may be more humane to euthanize.
NATO members Turkey and Greece can resolve their disputes through peaceful means and dialogue, Turkeys defense minister said after talks with his Greek counterpart Tuesday, in the latest sign of easing tensions between the rival neighbors. Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar and Greece's Nikos Panagiotopoulos toured areas devastated by a powerful earthquake in early February during a rare visit by the Greek official. The trip is part of efforts to tamp down tensions over long-standing disputes, including maritime boundaries and drilling rights in the eastern Mediterranean.

Greece was among the first countries to offer help to Turkey following the earthquake and the outpouring of support led to a de-escalation of tensions. Turkey for its part, offered its condolences and support following a deadly train crash in northern Greece.

I hope that as two civilized countries, Turkey and Greece can solve these problems within the framework of good neighborly relations ... through peaceful means and methods and amid mutual respect and dialogue, Akar told reporters. Our hope and expectation is that the positive, constructive atmosphere we experienced after the earthquake disaster will continue ... and the doors of dialogue will remain open, he said.

The two ministers flew over the earthquake-affected areas by helicopter and held talks in Hatay, the hardest hit province. Meanwhile, Notis Mitarachi, Greece's minister for migration and asylum, visited a refugee camp on the Turkish-Syrian border. Panagiotopoulos said: The symbolic message that comes from tragedies and natural disasters of this scale go far beyond any disagreement and differences that we may have. They may act as a lever to reduce tension and create the circumstances to facilitate better communication between the two sides.

The aim ... - and we must work toward that, - is to create an atmosphere of cooperation and stability between our two countries, he added.

Greece and Turkey resumed high-level meetings following the earthquake, including talks aimed at boosting trade and other cooperation in areas unrelated to the disputes.

Prior to that, tensions had flared in 2020 over exploratory drilling rights in areas in the Mediterranean Sea where Greece and Cyprus claim their own exclusive economic zone , leading to a naval standoff. Turkey had also blasted Greece for maintaining a military presence on eastern Greek islands that it maintains violates international treaties. Greece countered that it faces a direct threat from Turkey, which has a significant military presence in the Turkish coast near the islands,
On Monday, the Foreign Minister of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and his Greek counterpart, Nikos Dendias, discussed their countries' bilateral relations and strategic partnership.

While on a working visit to the Hellenic Republic, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Dendias discussed their countries' bilateral relations and strategic partnership. The meeting included a review of various aspects of bilateral cooperation and discussions on ways to strengthen it in several domains, such as economics, trade, investment, development, renewable energy, and food security.

Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias highlighted the strong and enduring relationship between the UAE and Greece, which began in 1975 and has steadily progressed over the years, culminating in the declaration of their strategic partnership in 2022.

During their meeting, the duo discussed various issues of mutual interest, including global efforts to combat climate change, in the context of the UAE's preparations to host the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference. Additionally, they exchanged views on regional and global developments.

Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan commended the progress and advancements that the UAE and Greece have achieved in different fields, thanks to their solid strategic partnership. Dendias welcomed Sheikh Abdullah and his delegation, emphasising the significance of the visit as a driving force to enhance the cooperation and partnership between the two countries in different fields.

Omar Saif Ghobash, the Assistant Minister for Culture and Public Diplomacy, Saeed Mubarak Al Hajeri, the Assistant Minister for Economic and Trade Affairs, and Sulaiman Hamed Salem Al Mazrouie, the UAE Ambassador to Greece were present at the meeting.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 4. Belgian and German police raided the offices of the center-right European People's Party (EPP) in Brussels (Belgium) on Tuesday morning due to the ongoing investigation in Thuringia, Trend reports with reference to Euronews.

The investigation is not directed against the party or any of its current employees, but against Mario Voigt, the leader of the Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU) in Thuringia, who is suspected of corruption and bribery.

According to the source, investigators are trying to determine the amount of money that Voigt may have received or spent during this time. They are also searching for documents related to labor contracts and interviewing witnesses in Brussels.

At the same time, Voigt denies the allegations. His lawyers called the investigation, which began in September 2022, "disproportionate and excessive" and insist that their ward did "nothing wrong."

The European People's Party is the largest party at the European level, and its group holds the largest number of seats in the European Parliament. The EPP brings together some of Europe's most prominent politicians, including European Commission President Ursula Gertrud von der Leyen, President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson.
Former Kosovo president Hashim Thaci on Tuesday insisted he is an innocent man as he addressed a panel of international judges hearing his trial on 10 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

At the end of his lawyers' opening statement to the Kosovo Specialist Chambers, Thaci stood up, buttoned up his gray pinstripe suit jacket and told black-robed judges that he expects the evidence to lead to his acquittal saying that victims do not obtain justice when the innocent are pursued.

Thaci was a student who came out of what he described as a political exile in Switzerland to join Kosovo's struggle for independence from Serbia. He was embraced by Western leaders who invited him to 1999 peace talks in France in his role as political director of the Kosovo Liberation Army and was seen as a leader who could guide the country toward independence.

Thaci said he regretted that late U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and other international diplomats who have died in the nearly quarter of a century since the war could not speak on his behalf.

They would have testified on my part about what I have said and what I did during that very important time in Kosovos history," he said. "Im happy that many others like them have come forward to testify about my innocence.

But prosecutors paint a different picture, alleging Thaci and three other former senior leaders of the KLA on trial with him were responsible for murders and the illegal detention and abuse of people they considered traitors or collaborators with Serb forces.

Im innocent of all these allegations," Thaci said. "However, Im ready to face this new challenge and succeed for my family, my people and my country.

Defense lawyer Gregory Kehoe told judges that Thaci had no effective command and control over the KLA at the time international prosecutors hold him responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity allegedly committed by members of the guerilla force in Kosovo's 1998-99 war for independence from Serbia.

The issue of how much control Thaci and three other former high-ranking KLA leaders on trial with him had over KLA fighters will be key in the trial that opened Monday and is expected to last many months.

Thaci and his fellow accused, Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi and Jakup Krasniqi are each charged with offenses including murder, torture and persecution allegedly committed across Kosovo and northern Albania from 1998 to September 1999, during and after the war.

Kehoe's opening statement aimed to counter prosecutors' assertions on the trial's opening day that Thaci and three co-defendants who were all members of the KLA general staff pursued a policy of targeting civilians perceived as collaborators and traitors.

Prosecution lawyer Matt Halling told judges Monday: Each of the four accused wielded power, authority and influence" which enabled them to enact the policy.

The trial is being held at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers, a branch of the Kosovo legal system that was established in The Hague in part due to fears about witness safety and security.

Most of the 13,000 people who died in the 1998-1999 war in Kosovo were ethnic Albanians. A 78-day campaign of NATO air strikes against Serbian forces ended the fighting. About 1 million ethnic Albanian Kosovars were driven from their homes.

The trial triggered a large demonstration in Kosovo on Sunday in support of the four defendants and another protest on Monday in The Hague by hundreds of Kosovars who waved flags and banners, including one that proclaimed: KLA fought for freedom.
Speaker of Israel's Knesset (parliament) Amir Ohana on Tuesday said the perpetrators who sent terrorists for the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai should be brought to justice.

Talking to reporters at the Nariman House, a Chabad House that witnessed a terror attack in November 2008 here, Ohana said terror does not differentiate between religion and race.

"We have yet to conclude this (26/11) terror event because we are still waiting for those who sent the terrorists to be brought to justicethe perpetrators," Ohana said without naming Pakistan.

During the attack at Nariman House in south Mumbai, Pakistani terrorists killed rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg and his wife Rivka Holtzberg besides four visitors. The two-year-old son of the rabbi, baby Moshe, survived after being rescued by his Indian nanny, Sandra Samuel.

"Everyone who took part in this terrible terror attack should be brought to justice. This is a major part of counter-terrorism. First, we need to prevent (the attack), but once we don't succeed to prevent, everyone needs to be brought to justice," Ohana said.

Ten terrorists from Pakistan launched terror attacks on Mumbai on November 26, 2008, that lasted for four days, killing 166 people and injuring more than 300. Nine of the ten terrorists were also killed.

The Knesset speaker also said Jews have been living in India for centuries but they never experienced hatred, or anti-semitism, which is very unique. Ohana said as the speaker of the Knesset, he chose India as a country to visit.

He also visited the Knesset Eliyahoo synagogue in Mumbai. PTI PR NSK NSK
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday held talks with Bhutanese King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck focusing on ways to bolster bilateral engagement in a range of areas including economic cooperation.

The King began his two-day visit to India on Monday amid some concerns in New Delhi over Chinas attempts to expand influence over Thimphu.

Certain remarks by Bhutan Prime Minister Lotay Tshering on the Doklam tri-junction were seen by many as the Himalayan nation cosying up to Beijing though Bhutan maintained that there is no change in its stance on the border dispute.

It is learnt that the talks between PM Modi and King Wangchuck were focused on ways to expand bilateral ties.

The Bhutanese King was received at the Delhi airport by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, in a special gesture reflecting the importance New Delhi has attached to the visit.

On Monday evening, Jaishankar called on the visiting dignitary and said the Kings vision for Bhutans future and for strengthening the unique partnership with India is deeply appreciated.

Bhutan is a strategically important country for India and the defence and security ties between the two sides have witnessed significant expansion in the last few years.

The strategic ties witnessed an upward trajectory in the last few years in the backdrop of a 73-day face-off between Indian and Chinese troops in Doklam tri-junction in 2017.

The Doklam plateau is considered an important area for Indias strategic interest.

The standoff at Doklam tri-junction in 2017 began after China tried to extend a road in an area that Bhutan claimed belonged to it.

India had strongly opposed the construction as it would have impacted its overall security interests. The India-China face-off was resolved following several rounds of talks.

In October 2021, Bhutan and China signed an agreement on a three-step roadmap to expedite negotiations to resolve their festering boundary dispute.

Bhutan shares an over 400-km-long border with China and the two countries have held over 24 rounds of boundary talks in a bid to resolve the dispute.

In a recent interview, the Bhutanese prime minister had said that China has an equal say in resolving the border dispute in Doklam.

India has consistently been Bhutans top trading partner, and remains the leading source of investments in Bhutan.
Ex-British American kickboxer and influential TikToker Andrew Tate, who was released from Romanian prison yesterday, has responded to South Park's animated comedys latest episode, Spring Break that featured a character like him. Tate, who was detained by the Romanian authorities on charges of organised crime and human trafficking, was featured as the character named Alonzo Fineski that had striking similarities with him. Trey Parker and Matt Stone have previously targetted some of the world's biggest stars on their animated comedy series but Tate has recently been picked on. The 36-year-old responded to South Park for showing a character that resembled him.

"When I will be proven innocent. I look forward to help create the greatest South Park episode of all time," Tate wrote on Twitter. "I met one of my lifelong heroes, Randy Marsh," he added in another tweet.

Detained in Bucharest in late December

Tate and his brother Tristan were detained in Bucharest in late December. Yesterday, Tate won an appeal to replace his detention with house arrest. "I have no resentment in my heart for the country of Romania, or for anybody else.I just believe in the truth. So I believe in God and I think that the fire of truth will eventually destroy all lies and anybody who lies in a long enough timeframe will feel the sting of regret," he was reported saying after he won the appeal. "I truly believe that justice will be served in the end. There is 0 per cent chance of me being found guilty of something I have not done. I maintain my absolute innocent innocence," Tate noted. "I think most people understand this and I look forward to being home, so thank you so much," he furthermore stressed.

Tate, who is known for misogynistic views and hate speech, also revealed that while he was in jail he did 7,417 push-ups. Earlier he had posted a bizarre video of himself pacing up and down a room looking anxious following his release from prison. Last week, a Romanian court rejected Tate's bail request following a hearing at the Bucharest Tribunal. A Romanian judge rejected Tates bail request, Ramona Bolla, a spokesperson for Romanias anti-organized crime agency DIICOT told Associated Press. It was not immediately clear what bail conditions were proposed by Tates legal team.
In Brief

Following Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wens stopover in New York City en route to Central America, reports by official Chinese media outlets described her as being embarrassed when upon arrival she was coolly received by crowds of protesting Chinese who looked at her like a rat in the street.

Such reports quoted The Wall Street Journal as saying that she is keeping largely out of the public eye and used short video clips that ostensibly showed Tsai having to quickly duck into a hotel through a side door in order to avoid the crowd.

Such claims soon spread widely across the Chinese internet and were reprinted by most national and provincial media outlets, including China Daily and Global Times.

Asia Fact Check Lab (AFCL) verified that the above descriptions misrepresented and distorted Tsais arrival and subsequent time spent in the city, after checking with on-site eyewitness reporters in New York City.

In Depth

Tsai stayed in New York City from the afternoon of March 29 to the morning of March 31, as an initial stopover during her planned 10-day diplomatic visit to Taiwans allies in Central America. The Chinese government strongly condemned Tsai's transit through the United States and organized groups of overseas Chinese within the U.S. to protest it.

Tsai arrived at the Lotte Hotel in Manhattan at 4 p.m. on March 29. AFCL learned from a number of on-site reporters that 400-500 protesters organized by China had gathered in an open space across from the southwest side of the hotel. In between chants of Down with Tsai and Taiwan independence is a dead end, the protestors waved Chinese flags and intermittently sang Chinese patriotic songs.

Meanwhile, north and south of the hotels eastern entrance, about 100 to 200 people holding Taiwanese flags gathered in support of Tsai, chanting Go Taiwan and Long live the Republic of China.

Two factions of people gather on the east [left] and west [right] sides of Tsai's hotel on the afternoon of March 29. Credit: RFA

While the two factions occasionally bandied words and competed to see who could shout their slogans the loudest, local police and special duty officers prevented a repeat of the clashes that marked Tsai's previous transit through New York in 2019.

Did Mainland Chinese media provide the full picture of Tsais hotel arrival?

No. Mainland Chinese coverage of Tsais visit only shows voices and images of the opposition protests, with official reports of the event describing her as a street rat that everyone shouted at.

At around 3 p.m. on March 29, a crowd of pro-Mainland ethnic Chinese demonstrators arrived outside the hotel where Tsai Ing-wen was staying and soon began protesting across the street. Credit: Screenshot from a World Journal report

Subsidiary media outlets of CCTV and People's Daily re-used a photo taken by journalist Zhang Wenxin in a World Journal report as evidence that Tsai received a cold reception by overseas Chinese. However, photos of Tsai's supporters also taken by Zhang and published in the same article were not used by mainland media.

Did Tsai quickly duck into her hotel through a side door?

No. A segment from a widely circulated video produced by the CCTV subsidiary social media account Riyue Tantian appears to show Tsai and her entourage quickly entering the Lotte Hotel. The corresponding voiceover narration reads, To avoid the tidal wave of protests, she had to quickly duck into the hotel through a side door.

Screenshot of the Riyue Tiantan report.

After examining both the layout of the Lotte Hotel and the full video the clip was edited from, AFCL found that Tsai neither dodged the crowd nor entered through a side door. Rather, she entered through the hotels front door.

After getting out of her car at the hotels main entrance, Tsai waved to supporters who had gathered to welcome her, voluntarily approached the crowd and shook hands with several onlookers before making her way to the hotel amidst the crowd.

A clip from Riyue Tantian, pro-Beijing news outlet on the popular Chinese social media platform Wechat edited out the first half of the video in which Tsai shakes hands with her supporters. Several Republic of China flags being held by her supporters can still be seen reflected off glass doors captured in the second half of the video.

The first half of the deleted scene: Tsai Ing-wen exits her car, walks toward a large crowd gathered outside the front of her hotel and enters after passing through throngs of people.

Did Tsai mostly keep out of the public eye while in transit?

No. A Wall Street Journal report on March 30 stated that, President Tsai Ing-wen is keeping largely out of the public eye. In addition to changing president to Taiwans leader, the Chinese translation of the article published on March 31 used slightly different wording to describe Tsais trip, claiming that she virtually didnt appear in the public eye.

AFCL confirmed through interviews with journalists and citizens that Tsai attended several public events over the three days and two nights she was in New York.

On the evening of March 29, for example, Tsai gave a speech at a banquet hosted by local Chinese. She delivered her speech in a mixture of English, Mandarin and Minnan to an audience of 700 attendees and media representatives. Tsai later politely mingled with many of the guests.

Tsai Ing-wen speaks at a banquet for overseas Chinese. Credit: RFA





On the morning of March 30, Tsai went to Brooklyn to talk with young entrepreneurs of Taiwanese descent, including Lillian Lin, co-owner of Yun Hai Taiwanese Pantry. Lin told AFCL that during her meeting with the president at a cafe, Tsai tasted their shops dried pineapples while listening to the story of how Yun Hai brought local Taiwanese produce to sell outside the country. After leaving the cafe, Tsai briefly interacted with people and media waiting outside for her, giving a thumbs up as some onlookers shouted, Taiwan No.1.

At noon, Tsai went to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York to attend a reception with representatives of friendly U.N. countries. At the reception, Tsai tasted cuisine prepared by the Taiwanese Masterchef Junior Liya Chu and viewed artwork by renowned Taiwanese illustrators Zhong Yiting and Zhang Yaqing, both of whom had come to New York to participate in an art exhibition.

The only event on Tsais itinerary closed to the media was a private meeting at the Hudson Institute on the evening of March 30.

Tsai Ing-wen attends an event at the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York in the afternoon of March 30. Credit: Associated Press.





The office of Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Kevin McCarthy, a California Republican, confirmed this Monday that he will meet with Tsai when she passes through California on her return to Taiwan. This will be the first time a president of Taiwan has met with the speaker of the House on American soil.

Conclusion

AFCL found Chinese media accounts that Tsai Ing-wen was coolly received and looked like a street rat during her time in New York to be inaccurate and misleading.

Tsai did keep a low profile during her time in the city by not holding any press conferences or giving any exclusive interviews to reporters. However, she both appeared and spoke at multiple public events covered by the media. While some overseas Chinese did fiercely oppose and protest her brief stop in the United States, many others warmly welcomed her.

Translated by Shen Ke and edited by Malcolm Foster.



Asia Fact Check Lab (AFCL) is a new branch of RFA established to counter disinformation in todays complex media environment. Our journalists publish both daily and special reports that aim to sharpen and deepen our readers understanding of public issues.
They observed transport trucks, armed groups of people and evidence of 219 fallen trees.

An illegal logging operation is seen in northern Cambodias Preah Rokar forest, March 23, 2023.

Forest protection activists found more than 200 fallen trees that had been illegally cut down in a vast protected area of northern Cambodia that showed signs of around-the-clock operations, transport trucks, motorcycles and armed security.

Activists with the Prey Lang Community Network for Preah Vihear province traveled through the area for four days and three nights in late March.

Prime Minister Hun Sen has promised publicly that he would take action to prevent illegal logging in Prey Lang Wildlife Sanctuary, which covers land in Preah Vihear, Stung Treng, Kampong Thom and Kratie provinces.

Hes even blamed Cambodias poor in recent years for the countrys growing loss of forest cover. But activists have said that government authorities have done nothing to prevent supporters of the ruling Cambodian Peoples Party from illegally exporting timber to neighboring Vietnam, a major buyer of luxury hardwood.

A 2020 survey by researchers at Denmarks University of Copenhagen showed that Cambodia had lost 26 percent of its tree cover, equivalent to about 5.7 million acres, since 2000, according to satellite imagery

Moving timber day and night

Activists told Radio Free Asia on Monday that logging transport trucks and motorcycles seen last month carried an identifying logo from the Phnom Penh-based Macle Logistics (Cambodia) Co., Ltd.

A Prey Lang community network member, Srey They, said the perpetrators brought wood out of the forest day and night in an area where forest crimes are on the rise. Groups of between five and 10 people  some of them armed  were seen cutting and transporting timber in Preah Vihears Rovieng district, he told RFA.

It is very sad that the government has established the protected area, but there are still perpetrators of deforestation for companies, Srey They said.

Illegal logging continues in Cambodia because of compliant government officials, Cambodian Youth Network project coordinator Oath Latin said.

This involves corruption between the timber traders, the perpetrators and the officers who are stationed around the Prey Lang checkpoint, he said.

RFA was unable to contact the director of the Department of Environment, Song Chan Socheat, and the spokesman for the Ministry of Environment, Neth Pheaktra, on Monday, calling several times without an answer.

Translated by Sok Ry Sum. Edited by Matt Reed and Malcolm Foster.
Diana Pang tells a pro-Beijing newspaper that she was 'doing her bit' to help Chinese business initiatives.

Chinese actress Diana Pang arrives at the opening ceremony of the 16th Shanghai International Film Festival in Shanghai, China, in 2013.

A former Hong Kong actress known for her roles in softcore adult movies and horror flicks played the role of "unofficial diplomat" in China's bid to woo Honduras away from diplomatic relations with Taiwan, she told a pro-Beijing newspaper.

In an exclusive interview with the Sing Tao Daily, Diana Pang, 50, said she had recently made a trip to Honduras to "promote business links" and met with President Xiomara Castro, who told her she was planning to switch diplomatic recognition to the People's Republic of China.

"It was necessary to help the Chinese business community gain a foothold in Honduras, said Pang, who later went on to act and direct in pro-government films in mainland China. Everyone needs to do their bit to aid the Chinese diplomatic effort.

Beijing has been stepping up its campaign to isolate Taiwan diplomatically since President Tsai Ing-wen, whose growing ties with U.S. officials has prompted military saber-rattling from the People's Liberation Army, was elected in 2016.

Taiwan now has formal relations with only 13 countries, including Belize, Nauru and the Vatican, after Kiribati and the Solomon Islands broke off diplomatic ties with Taipei last year. Honduras announced it would switch ties as Tsai began a trip to Latin America that will wind up with a meeting with U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in Los Angeles on Tuesday.

Honduras Foreign Minister Eduardo Enrique Reina [left] and Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang raise a toast following the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, at a ceremony in Beijing on March 26, 2023. Credit: Pool/AFP

The interview with Pang was published days after a meeting between Chinese Vice President Han Zheng and Honduran Foreign Minister Eduardo Enrique Reina in Beijing, right at the start of Tsai's tour of the Americas.

Beijing insists that its diplomatic partners accept its claim on Taiwan, which it calls the "one China" policy, effectively forcing them to cut ties with the democratic island.

But Taiwan's 23 million people have repeatedly shown through public opinion polls that they have no wish to give up their sovereignty or democratic way of life to be ruled by the Chinese Communist Party.

Think tank dean

Taiwanese national security researcher Shih Chien-yu noted that Pang also recently made an appearance at China's prestigious Bo'ao Economic Forum and was appointed dean of the Beijing-based International Economic Strategy Research Institute, a think tank set up in November.

"It's kind of incredible that she is now a dean of this institution," Shih said. "A lot of media are speculating about her meteoric rise from Hong Kong porn star to research institute director."

"What actual qualifications does she have for the role? Shih asked. I think Xi Jinping and the Chinese Communist Party should take the trouble to investigate."

Diana Pang recently made an appearance at China's Bo'ao Economic Forum [shown] and was appointed dean of the International Economic Strategy Research Institute, a think tank set up in November. Credit: China Daily via Reuters





In her interview, Pang called on the Hong Kong movie industry to play a role in "telling good contemporary stories" and to act as a cultural bridge between China and the rest of the world.

She predicted that "diplomatic recognition of China will become a global trend, adding that she shrugs off the labels "porn star" and "red movie star" alike.

Using celebrities

Pang was born in the south-central city of Changsha in 1972, while her grandfather was deputy mayor of Zunyi city.

She went to live in the United States at the age of 14, where she won a slew of beauty pageants including "Miss China" and "Miss Asia."

In 2013, she was appointed to the People's Political Consultative Conference  a political advisory body that includes loyal celebrities among its delegates  for the western province of Gansu in 2013.

"[Pang] is someone who has experienced a resurgence in fortunes in the new era [since Xi took power]," he said. "Her star is rising because she has deliberately set out to collaborate with the government."

Celebrities like Pang are increasingly being co-opted by the ruling party's outreach and influence arm, the United Front Work Department, said commentator Bi Xin.

"In China, former artists and celebrities can wind up with a slew of different job titles," Bi said. "On the other hand, they can bring you down just by charging you with a crime, such as drug use or prostitution."

Translated by Luisetta Mudie. Edited by Malcolm Foster.
Petition author says Yen is a public figure, and his comments could mislead the global public.

Donnie Yen arrives at the Oscars on March 12, 2023, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.

Hong Kong martial arts superstar Donnie Yen has hit back at more than 100,000 people who signed a petition calling for his removal from last month's Oscars ceremony due to his public support for Beijing, claiming the move was part of "cancel culture."

"Im allowed to love my own culture, love my own country," Yen said in a recent interview with Variety. "Why cannot I be patriotic?"

"This whole online cyber-bullying/cancel culture has got to stop," he said of the petition calling on the Academy Awards to remove him as an award presenter after he called the 2019 pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong "a riot."

"You cant own somebodys thoughts. And you want to silence them? Its totally hypocritical," Yen said.

Yen presented an award at the March 12 ceremony despite public criticism and street protests from pro-democracy activists and Chinese dissidents, who displayed photos of Yen shaking hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping in a celebrity line-up.

The protest, which was attended by former 1989 student leader Wang Dan, came as more than 110,000 people signed a petition on Change.org calling for Yen to be dropped from the ceremony.

Yen had earlier told GQ Hype magazine in a recent interview after being asked about the boycott of his movies and his view of the 2019 protest movement: It wasnt a protest, OK, it was a riot.

A lot of people might not be happy for what Im saying, but Im speaking from my own experience, said Yen, using very similar language to official descriptions of the protests.

Form of silencing

Taiwan-based petition co-author Tong Wai Hong, who was acquitted of rioting charges linked to his role in the 2019 protest movement, said creating and signing a petition was just a way for people to express their opinions, and didn't amount to cyber-bullying.

"He has the freedom to say what he likes, and we citizens are also free to use such methods to express our opposition to his remarks and his actions," Tong said.

Activists and Chinese dissidents demonstrate outside the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles on March 12, 2023, with banners satirizing actor Donnie Yens support for the Chinese Communist Party. Credit: Provided by Wang Dan





"As an artist, he is a public figure, so his comments could mislead a lot of people and distort the truth, and were therefore irresponsible," he said.

Tong said the aim of the petition had never been to silence Yen.

"Instead, I would like to ask people in Hong Kong, people in the movie industry ... why they can't even talk about not being able to make [certain] movies, and why some films the public want to see can't be screened," he said.

"If the voices of the poorest and of all citizens aren't being heard, is that not also a form of silencing?" Tong said. "I think he should consider that instead."

Tong said that while the petition hadn't been successful in getting Yen removed from the Oscars ceremony, it was a rare example of a Hong Kong rights issue making world headlines.

"Usually, it's very rare for a Hong Kong human rights issue to make an international appearance," he said.

100% Chinese

Yen was born in the southern city of Guangzhou, settling in Hong Kong at the age of 2, and emigrating to the United States at 12.

He renounced his American citizenship in 2010, saying publicly that he was "100% Chinese."

He was admitted as a delegate to the Communist Party's Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference in January 2023, following in the footsteps of Jackie Chan.

Many Hong Kongers started boycotting Yen's movies over his pro-Beijing stance during the 2019 protest movement against the erosion of Hong Kong's promised freedoms and judicial independence.

An online petition at Change.org called for removing Hong Kong actor Donnie Yen from last month's Oscars ceremony due to his public support for Beijing. Credit: RFA screenshot

They grew into pitched street battles between protesters armed with bricks, Molotov cocktails, catapults and other makeshift weapons against riot police who fired tear gas, rubber bullets and occasionally live rounds of ammunition at protesters and journalists.

Rights groups and protesters alike criticized the unsafe and indiscriminate use of tear gas and other forms of police violence during the months-long protest movement, as well as rampant abuses of police power and abuse of detainees.

Police violence against young and unarmed protesters early in the movement brought millions onto the city's streets and prompted the occupation of its international airport.

In other incidents, unarmed train passengers were attacked by both armed riot police at Prince Edward station and by white-clad mobsters at Yuen Long, who laid into passengers and protesters with rods and poles while police took 39 minutes to answer hundreds of distress calls from the scene.

Translated by Luisetta Mudie. Edited by Malcolm Foster.
China on Tuesday reacted angrily to an announcement that U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy will meet with Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen in California, saying the meeting will further damage China-U.S. relations.

On Monday, despite warnings from Beijing, McCarthys office announced that the Speaker will host a bipartisan meeting with the President of Taiwan at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley on Wednesday.

It will be the first ever meeting between a Taiwan president and a U.S. House Speaker in the United States.

Tsai is currently in Belize on an official visit to Taiwans two remaining allies in Central America that also took her to Guatemala. The third ally in the region  Honduras - has just broken ties with Taipei, switching allegiance to Beijing.

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen attends a banquet as she arrives in Belize, in this handout released on April 3, 2023. Credit: Taiwan Presidential Office/Handout via Reuters





The Taiwanese president will make a transit in Los Angeles on her way back to Taipei. A similar stopover was made in New York last week.

The Chinese Consulate in Los Angeles said in a statement that the Tsai-McCarthy meeting will "greatly hurt the national feelings of the Chinese people and is not conducive to regional peace, security nor stability, according to news reports.

China considers Taiwan one of its provinces and has repeatedly warned against what Beijing sees as a separatist campaign by the current Taiwan government, assisted by external forces.

When asked about the meeting that China labeled a provocation and whether it would retaliate with military action, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Beijing will take resolute measures to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

She did not elaborate on the measures.

Absurd and unreasonable

Taiwans Defense Ministry on Tuesday morning said that over the previous 24 hours, 20 Chinese aircraft and three warships were detected in areas around the island.

Nine of the aircraft crossed the median line in the Taiwan Strait which serves as the de facto boundary between Taiwan and Chinas mainland.

The Taiwanese Foreign Ministry hit back on Tuesday, saying that Taiwan has never been part of nor ruled by China. This is an objective fact that is clearly recognized internationally, it said.

The ministry added that Chinas reaction to Tsai Ing-wens trip has become increasingly absurd and unreasonable.

Taiwan is a sovereign and independent country, it said, and has the right to independently choose to communicate and develop relations with other countries in the world.

The meeting between Taiwans president and the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives was reportedly relocated from Taiwan to California due to concerns about Chinas retaliation.

When then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan in August last year, China staged a week-long military exercise around the island.

The change of venue is seen by some analysts as a tension-reducing measure.

Meanwhile, former Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou is in China on a visit criticized by the islands ruling Democratic Progressive Party.

Ma, who is a member of the opposition Kuomintang party, met with Chinese officials and called on both sides to do everything possible to avoid war, Chinese media reported.

Edited by Mike Firn.
















Card gives access to hospitals, schools and passports, but revealing ones identity can be risky

For the Burman majority in Myanmar, obtaining a national identification card  usually needed for accessing medical services and public schools, opening a bank account or getting a passport  is a relatively easy process.

But for the countrys Karen, Chin, Shan and other ethnic minorities  about a third of the population  obtaining an ID card is a complicated ordeal, and having one can often do more harm than help.

Identification cards reveal the holders ethnicity and the geographic area he or she is from, so that information could link them to resistance groups like the Peoples Defense Force that are fighting the military after the 2021 coup, thereby putting a target on their backs.

There's no real use (for ID cards), except for the fact that you're exposing yourself to more scrutiny by going through that kind of complicated official process, said Za Uk Ling, the deputy director of the Chin Human Rights Organization. These days, people try to stay as low profile as they can, avoiding any contact with local officials.

There are other complicating factors, too. Some minorities dont want to apply for ID cards under the junta, and thereby recognize its legitimacy.

And some administrative offices that issue ID cards have been destroyed or shut down due to the fighting.

Many simply dont have any form of identification, and so are officially stateless.

Lost our chance

But that can cut them off from opportunities and basic services.

For example, five students at Laung Lins school in Mawlamyine, in southern Myanmar, were thrilled to gain acceptance into Thai universities. But they were unable to obtain an ID card needed to get a passport required to travel because the local junta-run office has been closed amid turmoil in the country.

I feel like we lost our right, our chance. We should be able to accept these opportunities  but we cant, Laung Lin said, asking to go by a nickname. What if that village is not safe? If theres war, you cannot do it at all. Thats been difficult for us.

A man brings identity papers to the passport office in Yangon, Myanmar. Credit: RFA file photo





Ying Kawn Tai, a teacher who works for Shan education accessibility in Thailand, says that access to national identification has always been a struggle in Shan State, in eastern Myanmar, but has become almost impossible since the coup. She estimates that up to half of Shan people  roughly 2 million people  dont have a citizen ID card.

Most government-run schools require an ID card to attend, but many Shan people who have fled to the Thai border dont have any documentation. And there are very few Shan language schools which they can attend, she said.

Job hassles

Another problem is that traveling between states without proper identification can be risky. With high unemployment in Kayah State, those seeking work in nearby states could be arrested at checkpoints manned by junta soldiers.

Without an ID card, a whole slew of activities is difficult or impossible. Even bank accounts, even to register mobile [phone], SIM cards  we cant do it if we have no ID, Zue Zue, who works on education within the Karenni State Consultative Council said.

Further south, in Kayin State, where 350,000 people displaced by fighting are mostly living in camps, the problem emerges first with birth certificates.

The health department of the Karen National Union, which has been fighting the military for greater autonomy for decades, keeps records of children born in the camps. But it doesnt issue any sort of birth certificate to the parents because the health department doesn't have the funding, centralized office or international recognition to do that.

And without that documentation, applying for further types of identification as the child grows up becomes difficult.

"If we start issuing the birth certificates, then the identifications or the passport or the ID cards, everything will follow after that, a Karen Department of Health and Welfare spokesperson said, asking for anonymity for security reasons.

Educational hurdles

Schools in some areas go up to grade 10, and local educators would like to offer education to grade 12. But even if they did, taking the nationwide 12th grade examination requires an ID card.

If you do not have an ID card, you cant do that type of examination, said Zue Zue.

While she says theyre in the beginning stages of discussing an alternative ID system, they still face challenges in obtaining resources to complete such a task while focusing on humanitarian aid. We have a solution, but we dont have the support to source that solution, she said.

Other states have begun adopting similar measures. In Kachin State, National Unity Government Deputy Education Minister Ja Htoi Pan says students can use reference letters to enroll in school, rather than identification cards.

People use different methods to verify their ID, it depends on the situation, it depends on the school, she said. Some schools require their recommendation from a respectable person, a reference. Those are the temporary, interim arrangements.



Edited by Malcolm Foster.




Metito, a leading global provider of intelligent water management solutions, said it has secured a contract from the Tanzanian government to design, build and operate a new wastewater treatment plant in the capital Dar Es Salaam.

The project, being developed by Dar Es Salaam Water Supply and Sanitation Authority (Dawasa), will have a 16,000-cu-m-per-day capacity.

Metito said its scope of work involves three years of operation and maintenance for the wastewater treatment plant with the full participation of Dawasa staff members in all operational sections of the treatment plant.

Located at Mbezi Beach area in Kinondoni District of Dar Es Salaam, the wastewater treatment plant will have state-of-the-art engineering and technologies to enhance operational and maintenance costs, improve sludge quality, and minimize the overall carbon footprint.

Additionally, the plant will be designed in almost half of the allocated area, optimizing land usage and maximizing savings, it stated.

Work on the project is likely to begin this month with the commissioning date set for October 2024.

Metito said it will utilise conventional activated sludge technology and implement anaerobic digestors to produce biogas followed by Combined Heat and Power (CHP) generation system which will reduce electric power consumption by almost 40% at ultimate plant capacity.

The company will also use the sludge anaerobic digestion process in the first treatment phase to ensure the sludge is stabilised and the quality of the sludge is maintained.

On the contract win, Africa Managing Director Karim Madwar said: "Metitos founding principles are Impact, Sustainability, and Innovation, and this project ticks all the boxes. We are proud to be working with Dar Es Salaam Water Supply and Sanitation Authority on this project and are looking forward to making this a benchmark to similar projects in the region."

It is a true milestone towards modernizing Dar es Salaams wastewater system and bolstering the resilience of its water infrastructure, all while safeguarding its natural ecosystems," he added.

Kiula Kingu, the Acting CEO for Dawasa, said the project was being funded by Tanzanian government in collaboration with the World Bank.

"Access to water and sanitation in Tanzania can transform the economic outlook in Dar Es Salaam and propel its social development and sustainable growth. We have trusted Metito, a world-leading provider, to develop the new WWTP in the Mbezi beach area and we are confident that the impact that will be created once the plant is operational is highly cost-effective and brings great value to the local community," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
Finland will become a member of NATO on Tuesday, completing a historic security policy, while neighbour Sweden is kept in the waiting room, Trend reports citing Reuters.

The military alliance will welcome Finland as its 31st member in a flag-raising ceremony at NATO headquarters on the outskirts of Brussels, attended by Finnish President Sauli Niinisto and government ministers.

"It will be a good day for Finland's security, for Nordic security and for NATO as a whole," NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters on Monday.

The event marks the end of an era of military non-alignment for Finland.

But war in Ukraine, which began in February 2022, prompted Finns to seek security under the umbrella of NATO's collective defence pact, which states that an attack on one member is an attack on all.

Sweden underwent a similar transformation in defence thinking and Stockholm and Helsinki applied together last year to join NATO.

But Sweden's application has been held up by NATO members Turkey and Hungary.

After both those countries approved Finland's application last week, the final formal step on Helsinki's journey will come when Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto hands his nation's accession document to US government officials in Brussels.

Finland's flag will then be raised outside NATO headquarters alongside those of the alliance's 30 other member countries before a gathering of NATO foreign ministers.
Brokers buying food for the dangerous journey had revealed details of the trip to villagers.

Some of the more than 130 Rohingya who were arrested by the Myanmar junta navy are seen in Chaungzon township, Mon state on April 2, 2023.

Nearly 130 Rohingya Muslims leaving Myanmar for Malaysia by boat were arrested by the juntas navy in waters off Mon state on Sunday after brokers revealed information about them to local villagers.

A resident said a boat was seized when the arrests were made near the Gulf of Martaban in southeast Myanmar after brokers went to buy food in Chaungzon township. Authorities have sent 65 of the boat people to Mawlamyine Prison in Mon state to await trial, he said.

A lawyer representing the Rohingyas said the junta often regards such people as illegal immigrants, and that they would likely be charged with immigration law violations.

The four brokers, who were Buddhists from western Myanmars Rakhine state, were also arrested. Several Rohingya Muslim children were also on board, and were being cared for by local people, the resident said.

A member of a local charity group from Chaungzon township said there have been similar arrests of Rohingya in the area in the past. Those arrested are normally sent to prison, the worker said.

But I dont know what will happen to them next, the charity worker said. I think they will be interrogated and some of them might be bailed out and the rest will go to prison.

This boat was carrying more than 130 Rohingya from Rakhine state when it was stopped by the Myanmar junta navy on April 2, 2023. Credit: Citizen Journalist





Latest group to try to reach Malaysia

More than 740,000 Rohingya fled Rakhine following a military crackdown on the ethnic group that started more than five years ago, and now live in refugee camps in Bangladesh. Of the more than 600,000 that remained in Rakhine, around 125,000 are living in displaced peoples camps in the state.

Every year, hundreds abandon the camps and take to the sea in small, poorly-provisioned boats to try to reach other countries, including Muslim majority countries like Malaysia and Indonesia.

According to statistics collected by Radio Free Asia, nearly 2,000 Rohingyas have been arrested on their way to Malaysia from refugee camps in Rakhine and Bangladesh from December 2021 to March 2023.

The junta has sentenced nearly 500 of them to two to five years in prison under Myanmars immigration law.

A Rohingya aid worker in Yangon, who did not want to be named for security reasons, told RFA that the Rohingya fleeing Rakhine know they could be arrested or killed on the way, but they are risking their lives to live freely.

They are not allowed to go anywhere in that state, the aid worker said. They left risking their lives, as they know they would be free in a new land, if they escape, or they will just go back to their original lives of failure if they get caught. They have already anticipated that they could end up like this.

Rohingyas usually pay almost 8 million kyat (about U.S.$2,800) per person before they begin their journey to Malaysia from Rakhine, and some end up being abandoned by brokers along the way, he said.

RFA contacted the military junta spokesman for Mon state, Toe Win, but he didnt immediately return the call.

Translated by Myo Min Aung. Edited by Matt Reed and Malcolm Foster.
Troops shot and killed a man as he tried to flee and a woman was hit by a shell.

Two people have been killed and around 5,000 have abandoned their homes as junta troops raided two villages in Tigyaing township, in Myanmar's northern Sagaing region, residents told RFA.

Locals said that a junta column with more than 70 troops fired heavy artillery and entered Nyaung Pin Thar village on March 30. A 20-year-old woman named Zar Chi Win was killed by a shell.

Zar Chi Win was hit by the juntas heavy artillery shell and died on March 30, while she was trying to escape, said a resident, speaking on condition of anonymity for safety reasons.

The shell landed in the vicinity of Nyaung Pin Thar village.

Another column with more than 70 troops raided nearby Sit Tan village killing 30-year-old Than Pe Lay as he tried to escape, the local told RFA.

Than Pe Lay was shot dead by a column that entered Sit Tan village on April 2, while he was trying to escape near the village monastery, he said.

On the evening of April 3, the column that entered Nyaung Pin Thar village and the column that entered Sit Tan village combined and left the township.



Calls to the military junta spokesman for Sagaing region, Aye Hlaing, went unanswered.

According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, between Feb. 1, 2021, when the military seized power in a coup, and April 3, 2023, a total of 3,206 people, including pro-democracy activists, were killed by the junta.

Translated by RFA Burmese. Edited by Mike Firn.
Firms allegedly paid to get on a list of rescue flight providers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Vietnams Ministry of Public Security has recommended prosecuting 54 mostly senior officials, including the former vice minister of foreign affairs, over a pay-to-play scheme connected to the repatriation of Vietnamese nationals during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The ministrys Investigation Security Agency said Tuesday that it had completed its probe of the scheme and submitted its findings to the Supreme Peoples Court, calling for the 54 people to be charged with giving bribes, receiving bribes, brokering bribes, abusing ones position as a public servant and appropriating assets by fraud, according to state media.

The proposed charges stem from a case against former Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs To Anh Dung for having allegedly received 21.5 billion dong (U.S.$915,000) in bribes to add companies to a list of providers of repatriation flights.

State media said Dung was in charge of approving the plans to organize repatriation flights based on proposals by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Consular Department.

In addition to Dung, the agency proposed charges of receiving bribes for Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Vu Hong Nam, Assistant to the Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Quang Linh, Head of the Government Offices Department of International Relations Nguyen Thanh Hai, Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Consular Department Nguyen Thi Huong Lan, and Vice Chairman of the Hanoi City Peoples Committee Chu Xuan Dung, as well as 16 others.

Other defendants are from the ministries of public health, transport, and public security; the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam; the Peoples Committees of Hanoi and Quang Nam province and the Hanoi Municipal People's Committee.

A pilot in protective gear holds up Vietnamese flags at the Noi Bai airport in Hanoi, Vietnam, on July 29, 2020. More than 100 Vietnamese COVID-19 patients who had been working in Equatorial Guinea were brought home on a repatriation flight for treatment. Credit: VNA via AP

The agency recommended charges of brokering bribery for Major General Nguyen Anh Tuan  the deputy director general of the Hanoi police force  and three others.

During the investigation, Tuan confessed that he had received 61.6 billion dong (U.S.$2.65 million) to help Nguyen Thi Thanh Hang and Le Hong Son  the director general and deputy director general of the Blue Sky Co.  avoid criminal prosecution for their role in the repatriation scandal. On March 31, the Ministry of Public Security removed Tuan from office and ordered him to retire.

Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Nam was said to have received 1.8 billion dong (U.S.$76,600) during his posting as Vietnamese ambassador to Japan to help the Nhat Minh Company to sell air tickets and accommodations at hotels as quarantine places for passengers of six flights to repatriate Vietnamese nationals from Japan.

Nguyen Quang Linh, the assistant to Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh, was accused of receiving 4.2 billion dong or U.S.$179,000 to help some companies obtain permits to organize rescue flights.

Linh was accused of violating Vietnams laws and working rules and regulations in advising the government on selecting enterprises participating in the organization of flights to repatriate Vietnamese nationals during the COVID-19 pandemic.

From April 2020 to January 2022, Vietnam organized around 400 rescue flights, bringing back over 70,000 citizens from more than 60 countries and territories. Many passengers had to buy overcharged tickets and undergo troublesome procedures to get a flight home.

Translated by Anna Vu. Edited by Joshua Lipes and Malcolm Foster.
6 A detail of Buddhist murals in Bamiyan, which date back to around A.D. 650.



This is the earliest clear example of oil paintings in the world, although drying oils were already used by ancient Romans and Egyptians, but only as medicines and cosmetics, said Yoko Taniguchi, the leader of the team of scientists.
Ethnic Serbs have boycotted en masse local elections in four municipalities in northern Kosovo with ethnic Serb majorities where local mayors resigned in November 2022 to protest a cross-border dispute over vehicle registrations.

The Central Election Commission late on April 23 said preliminary results indicated that the Vetevendosje (Self-Determination) party of Kosovo's prime minister, Albin Kurti, had won the mayoral races in North Mitrovica and Leposavic, while the opposition Democratic Party of Kosovo had taken races in Zvecan and Zubin Potok.

As expected, turnout was low, after the dominant ethnic Serb party, Srpska Lista (Serbian List), which enjoys the support of neighboring Serbia's government, announced it was boycotting the votes. The commission said only 1,567 people -- or 3.47 percent of voters -- showed up at polling stations.

Despite the low turnout, the results are considered legally valid. There is no minimum turnout rule for the vote.

There are around 45,000 voters eligible to elect new mayors in North Mitrovica, Leposavic, Zvecan, and Zubin Potok, along with municipal assemblies in Zvecan and Leposavic.



RFE/RL correspondents reported that the only ballots that were being cast were submitted in places with ethnic Albanian residents.

WATCH: Most of the voters in RFE/RL footage from North Mitrovica and Zvecan are local Albanians, as are most of the candidates for mayor, due to a boycott by the dominant Kosovo Serb party, Serbian List.

The result could further step up tensions between ethnic Serbs who are mostly loyal to neighboring Serbia and Kosovo's central government that represents the country's overwhelmingly ethnic Albanian majority.

Ethnic Serbs compose some 1-2 percent of Kosovo's population of around 2 million people.

Milan Radoicic, vice president of Serbian List, said following the vote that "those who think that with 1 or 2 percent of votes, they can lead the municipalities in the north, I have to say that the Serbian people will never allow them to do that."

A former chairwoman of Kosovo's Central Election Commission, Valdete Daka, told RFE/RL that so long as proper procedures were being followed, the tiny number of votes would likely result in mayoral seats being filled but not necessarily an end to the local problems.

Daka said the "nonappearance in the elections" was essentially "conveying a message to the government of Kosovo that they won't accept the leaders who emerge from these elections."

Fifteen years after the mostly ethnic Albanian former province declared independence from Serbia, Belgrade continues to oppose recognition of Kosovo's independence.

Many ethnic Serbs in Kosovo continue to lean heavily on support from Serbia and its nationalist president, Aleksandar Vucic.

The Serbian List party has demanded the formation of an Association of Serb Municipalities, as Kosovo's government pledged to the international community a decade ago, and the withdrawal of special units of the Kosovo Police from the north of the country.

A total of 10 candidates were competing for the mayorships, only one of whom -- independent candidate Sladjana Pantovic in Zvecan -- is an ethnic Serb. Pantovic was the rare exception among ethnic Serbs, turning out to vote at around 8 a.m.

Pantovic received just five votes, or 2.6 percent.

Another ethnic Serb candidate, Aleksandar Jablanovic from the Party of Kosovo Serbs, withdrew from the race in Leposavic three days ago, saying there were not "adequate conditions" for voting.

All of the remaining candidates were ethnic Albanians from the Mitrovica Civic Initiative, the Democratic Party of Kosovo, and Kurti's Self-Determination movement.

The election commission had to organize alternative polling stations for the April 23 voting because the schools that normally host the voting in northern Kosovo operate within the so-called parallel system run by Serbia's leadership.

Kurti this week accused Belgrade of intimidating Serbs from the north to discourage their participate in the voting.

Vucic alleged on April 22 that Kosovar authorities were effectively staging "an occupation" of the north after the elections.

The four northern municipalities have been without mayors since November, when Serbian representatives largely loyal to Belgrade resigned from their jobs over the Kosovar government's threatened imposition of a requirement for all vehicles to be registered locally.

The voting took place at 19 polling stations, 12 of which were organized by Kosovar authorities in the final days before the vote.

Kosovar President Vjosa Osmani and the Central Election Commission urged citizens in the north to exercise their right to vote.

The international community has also expressed regret at the Serb-led boycott and urged all sides to exercise restraint.

Following the election, the U.S. Embassy in Pristina said, "We recognize Kosovan election officials' efforts to make polling places available to citizens wishing to exercise their right to vote, while minimizing potential points of tension."

"We likewise express our appreciation for the professionalism of the Kosovo Police, EU Rule of Law Mission (EULEX), and KFOR in ensuring a secure environment for the elections."

Kosovo remains blocked from many multinational organizations due to Serbian and Russian opposition to recognition, although there were recently signs of a possible breakthrough under EU-mediated talks.

The European Parliament on April 18 approved a decision on visa liberalization that will allow citizens of Kosovo to travel to most European countries without a visa by January 2024 at the latest. It is the last Western Balkan country to achieve such status.

U.S. Ambassador to Kosovo Jeffrey Hovenier told RFE/RL's Balkan Service on April 21 that citizens in the north of Kosovo and all political parties "have a responsibility to respect the democratic process, recognizing that they all had the opportunity to register and participate."
French President Emmanuel Macron will go to Beijing for a three-day trip as the European Union grapples with its desire to pursue economic interests with China while dissuading Chinese leader Xi Jinping from deepening ties with Russia.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is traveling with Macron to Beijing on April 5, where they will seek to strike a balance between EU geopolitical goals and its China-linked economic ambitions. They are expected to call on China to urge Russia to work toward a cease-fire in Ukraine and get Moscow to refrain from escalating its nuclear weapons rhetoric.

But the tightrope Europe is walking is becoming increasingly difficult, especially as Moscow's invasion of Ukraine and Beijing's position toward the war -- including China's moves to appear as a peace broker in the conflict -- reshape Brussels' ties with Beijing.

This shift was reflected in a March 30 speech by von der Leyen in which she called for a reassessment of the bloc's relations with China and warned that "we cannot close our eyes to the fact that China is not only an economic partner but also a systemic rival."

Macron, meanwhile, is looking to add a more personal touch to his discussions with Xi as part of an ambitious diplomatic push to create distance between Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin -- who recently hosted the Chinese leader for a lavish state visit.

Speaking ahead of the visit to Beijing, Macron said his goal was to "try and involve China as much as possible to put pressure on Russia" on topics such as nuclear weapons, with aides saying Macron will try to gauge Xi's reaction to Russia's threat to host nuclear missiles in Belarus.

Macron's efforts will be closely watched by the international community, but EU officials told RFE/RL that expectations remain low for the visit, especially given that the French president has minimal leverage in talks and has not succeeded in previous diplomatic gambits, including to stop Putin from using military force in the run-up to the invasion of Ukraine or in a stalled bid to revive the Iran nuclear deal.

"[The EU] wants to underline the message [to China] to not support Russia any more than is already being done, otherwise the bilateral relationship is doomed," an EU official who was not cleared to speak to the media told RFE/RL. "History will show if all this traveling [to China] is a good thing or not."

A New Tightrope

Brussels' difficulty in striking a balance in its relationship with China is not new.

As a recent report by the Asia Society Policy Institute notes, the bloc remains "caught between the United States, which is pushing for a tough approach, and China, which is pushing for closer economic ties."

Those economic ties took a hit in 2021, when Beijing blacklisted a group of European lawmakers, experts, and diplomats over the bloc's placing of sanctions on four Chinese officials for rights violations in Xinjiang. The fallout from the incident led to an EU-China investment treaty being frozen and China's growing ties with Russia amid the war in Ukraine -- with Beijing emerging as one of Moscow's closest partners -- has worsened internal divisions within the EU on how to shape its China policy.

While Beijing has stopped short of providing Moscow with lethal military support for the war in Ukraine, China has extended a crucial economic lifeline to Russian and Chinese customs data, as well as documented reports, show the growing trade in dual-use commercial goods that are repurposed for military means.

EU officials say this leaves them with few good options moving forward. "The most important thing is what China doesn't do as opposed to what they do," an EU official told RFE/RL about Beijing's support for Moscow.

The 27-country bloc will continue to pursue cooperation with China on issues such as climate change, and the EU can't afford to alienate Beijing, which is a key trade partner and a major player in global affairs. But there is also a greater push within the EU for a stronger stand for its values and interests such as democracy, human rights, and the rule of law.

This had led to the European Commission taking a harder stance toward China as part of a "bad cop" approach, the European Council on Foreign Relations, a Brussels-based think tank, said in a recent report.

In March, the French president said that he had "suggested to von der Leyen that she accompany him to China" so they could speak "with a unified voice."

But the tougher approach risks backlash from Beijing that could throw off the bloc's delicate balancing act, as evidenced by the Chinese reaction to remarks by von der Leyen in a March 30 speech in Brussels.

Fu Cong, China's ambassador to the EU, told reporters afterwards that he was "a little bit disappointed" and said in an interview with the Chinese state-owned broadcaster CGTN that von der Leyen's speech "contained a lot of misrepresentation and misinterpretation of Chinese policies and the Chinese positions" and was written by someone who "does not really understand China."

China's Peace Power

The visit by Macron and von der Leyen comes on the heels of a similar trip to China by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who also discussed the situation in Ukraine with Xi and urged the Chinese leader to discuss peace plans with Kyiv directly.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has repeatedly said that he is ready to speak directly with Xi, but the two leaders have not spoken since before Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. In the lead-up to Xi's March visit to Moscow, reports circulated that Beijing was ready to break its top-level silence, but a call with Zelenskiy did not materialize.

China has gone on a global public-relations push in the last month to paint itself as a country advocating for peace in Ukraine, with Beijing marketing a 12-point proposal that could open the door to peace talks. Western capitals have mostly shrugged off the document and criticized it as freezing the conflict along lines favorable to Moscow, but China's diplomatic push has received support from some countries in the Global South, such as Brazil, Kazakhstan, and South Africa.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told the Financial Times during a March 29 interview that he believes that "China is testing the ground, in terms of the peace process" but that it hasn't yet made a decision on what role to play. He added that Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang assured him earlier in March that China would not provide weapons to Russia.

In going to Beijing, Macron is hoping to capitalize on China's desire to paint itself as a peace broker on the global stage, even if the path forward for him is increasingly narrow amid tensions with China and widespread protests in France after the increase of the retirement age -- issues that analysts say may diminish his standing with Xi.

In addition to visiting Beijing, Macron will also travel with Xi to Guangzhou, where the Chinese leader's father served as provincial governor. French officials have said they hope the side trip will allow for private, candid discussions between the leaders.
Two days after a bomb hidden in a statuette exploded inside a crowded St. Petersburg cafe, killing a prominent blogger who avidly supported Russias war on Ukraine, questions are swirling about who masterminded what seemed like a professional hit.



But amid a swirl of speculation and claims focusing mainly on Ukrainian special forces or infighting in the Russian elite, there is one thing analysts and government critics agree on: The Kremlin will use the bombing to clamp down further on opponents of its authoritarian rule.



It is clear that the authorities will do everything with this story to maximize repression, Maksim Reznik, a former St. Petersburg lawmaker and member of the opposition, told RFE/RLs Russian Service.



Reznik said he did not believe that the attack was carried out specifically as a pretext for further tightening the screws, pointing to Ukraine and to disputes among factions in Russia as more likely explanations. Kyiv has denied that it played any role in the bombing.



The Kremlin had been steadily moving down the path of greater repression for years and did not need a violent act to justify more, said Reznik, who has himself been subject to persistent political pressure as a prominent opposition figure in St. Petersburg.



The April 2 attack at a cafe in the center of the city killed Maksim Fomin -- a widely read pro-war blogger who went by the name Vladlen Tatarsky -- and injured at least 32 other people, authorities said, some seriously.



Tatarsky was giving a presentation about his war zone experiences when the bomb went off. The cafe was formerly owned by Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of the Wagner Group, an ostensibly private mercenary company that has played a major role in Russias invasion of Ukraine.



Russia's Investigative Committee, the country's top state criminal investigation agency, arrested 26-year-old Darya Trepova the following day on suspicion of involvement in the killing of Tatarsky, accusing her of handing the blogger a bust  apparently in his likeness -- that it said contained the bomb.

Meanwhile Russia's National Anti-Terrorism Committee claimed the same day that the attack was planned by Ukraine's special services and by "agents" allegedly collaborating with Aleksei Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK). It provided no evidence.



Navalny, Russias most popular opposition leader, was imprisoned in 2021 on charges that he and his supporters contend were trumped up to sideline him from politics. In 2020, he barely survived a nerve-agent poisoning he blames on Putin and Russia's Federal Security Service.



Before his imprisonment, Navalny had organized some of the largest anti-government protests held over Putins nearly quarter-century in power as president or prime minister. The government also banned the FBK, which produced hard-hitting investigations on Kremlin corruption, branding it an extremist organization.



Trepova joined spontaneous anti-war protests in St. Petersburg on February 24, 2022, the day Russia invaded Ukraine. She was detained and sentenced to 10 days in jail. The FBK said Trepova was not a member of its organization and denied any involvement in the bombing.

'Political Benefits'



Fyodor Krasheninnikov, a political analyst who is now based outside Russia, said that Russias security services, having failed to stop a bombing in Putins hometown and the nations second-largest city, are nonetheless trying to reap political benefits by alleging the direct connection between Ukrainian security forces and Navalnys organization.



The 46-year-old Navalny, who has vehemently opposed Russias invasion of Ukraine, still remains an influential voice inside Russia despite being behind bars.



Krasheninnikov said he feared Russian authorities could start jailing individuals they dont like as terrorists if they find even the most remote connection to Navalny, such as attending one of his rallies or liking one of his posts.



Of course, this scares me very much. It could seriously affect the remaining members of the opposition in Russia, activists who once participated in opposition activities, he said.



It would not be the first time Putin has used an incident deemed a terrorist attack as a trigger for political repression. In 2004, after attackers seized a school in the town of Beslan, setting off a hostage crisis that ended with more than 330 people killed, the then second-term president took several steps that rolled back political plurality and democracy in Russia.



Krasheninnikov and Andrei Kolesnikov, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center in Berlin, see a precedent in the 1934 murder in St. Petersburg of Sergei Kirov, a member of the Soviet Politburo. The motive for Kirovs killing is unknown, but Soviet leader Josef Stalin used his slaying to justify further political repression in the country.



Politically, this will probably be a cause of further reprisals against civil society and increased pressure on Ukraine, Kolesnikov told Current Time, the Russian-language network run by RFE/RL in cooperation with Voice of America.

Tatarsky was born in Ukraines eastern Donbas region and joined pro-Russian forces in 2014 after escaping from prison, where he was serving a sentence for bank robbery. He later launched a blog where he wrote about Russias invasion of Ukraine, garnering more than 500,000 followers.



Though Tatarsky was just one of many Russian military bloggers commenting on the war, analysts said he might have become a symbolic target for Kyiv because of his presence at an event in the Kremlin in September 2022 and the notorious comments he made there.



Tatarsky attended a ceremony during which Putin signed documents that Moscow baselessly claims made Ukraines Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhya and Kherson regions parts of Russia. In a video shot at the event and posted on the Internet, Tatarsky said we will defeat everyone, we will kill everyone, we will rob everyone as necessary. Just as we like it."



Tatarsky had also called for the "total annihilation of Ukraine. Putin posthumously awarded him the Order of Valor, a state medal, citing his courage and boldness, according to a published decree.



A senior aide to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Mykhaylo Podolyak, suggested that Tatarskys killing was the result of an internal conflict in Russia, saying that spiders are eating each other in a jar.



Reznik did not discount that possibility. He said that members of the Russian elite understand that Moscow has lost the war in Ukraine and are positioning themselves for an eventual post-Putin world.



There is a struggle for power, for ones own life. People need to take positions that will allow them to bargain with the West for their own skin. Therefore, today they are solving internal issues, getting rid of competitors, he told RFE/RL.



Tatarsky reportedly had ties to Prigozhin and Wagner, and the explosion took place near Prigozhins headquarters.

Intended As A Warning?



The Washington-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said Tatarskys assassination may have been intended as a warning to Prigozhin.



Prigozhins public criticism of Russias military leadership has been the most visible evidence of tension between rival camps in Moscow over the war, in which Russia has suffered numerous setbacks in the more than 13 months since an invasion that Putin apparently expected to bring Kyiv to its knees within days.

Tatarsky and other nationalist milbloggers have urged the military to conduct the offensive more aggressively.



Krasheninnikov, however, dismissed the notion that Tatarskys killing was part of an internal struggle, saying the blogger was a low-level figure.



He said that, if Putin needed to rein in Prigozhin, he could do so in other ways that were less detrimental to stability, pointing to the arrest and conviction of former Economy Minister Aleksei Ulyukayev on a bribe-taking charge that he said was the result of a set-up.



Ulyukaev was sentenced in 2017 to eight years in prison but was released last year.

Prigozhin, meanwhile, said that radicals not affiliated with the Ukrainian government may have been responsible for the killings of Tatarsky and Darya Dugina, the daughter of Aleksandr Dugin, a far-right ideologue who backs Russias invasion of Ukraine. Dugina died in a car-bomb blast in August 2022.



Krasheninnikov and Reznik dismissed the idea that Russian partisans were behind Tatarskys murder. Krasheninnikov said Russias security services keep a close eye on anti-government groups and that it would have been near impossible for them to get explosive material and access to a laboratory to make a bomb.



Ivan Preobrazhensky, a Russian political scientist now based outside the country, suggested that, given Russian law enforcement agencies history of fabricating evidence and prosecuting people based on political expediency, it may never be clear who blew up the cafe.



However, he told Current Time, the Russian authorities will probably use this [killing] to advance some sort of political aims. Theres almost no doubt about that. Absolute cynicism is a classic for the Russian authorities.



Regardless of who was behind it, Reznik said the bombing in St. Petersburg would undermine public perceptions of Putin, who has portrayed himself as a guarantor of stability and security.



This will deliver a huge blow to Putin's image, he said.

Current Time contributed to this report.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has spoken by phone with the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, to discuss fresh EU sanctions on Russia for its war in Ukraine.

"Areas of support for Ukraine were touched upon during the call, in particular, the need to prepare the 11th package of sanctions against Russia," Zelenskiy's office said an April 4.



On February 24, a day that marked the anniversary of the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the EU adopted the 10th package of sanctions since the start of the war. That contained "targeted restricted measures against individuals and entities supporting the war, spreading propaganda or delivering drones used by Russia in the war."



Von der Leyen tweeted after the meeting that Ukraine will be an important topic during her meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing. Von der Leyen and French President Emmanuel Macron will visit China from April 5 to April 7.



Overnight, Russia launched a wave of Iranian-made drones on the southwestern region of Odesa, causing damage to civilian infrastructure but without casualties, the Ukrainian military said early on April 4, as fighting for the control of Bakhmut in the eastern Donetsk region continued despite Russian claims that it had captured the city.

A total of 17 Shahed drones were launched on Odesa region, and "14 of them were destroyed by the air defense force of the southern command," the Ukrainian Air Force reported in its morning update.



Reports on social media said that loud explosions could be heard in Odesa.

Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine RFE/RL's Live Briefing gives you all of the latest developments on Russia's full-scale invasion, Kyiv's counteroffensives, Western military aid, global reaction, and the plight of civilians. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war, click here.

"A drone hit one civilian facility in the Odesa region, causing a fire that the rescuers managed to eliminate by morning. There were no casualties," said Serhiy Bratchuk, a spokesman for the region's military administration.



Russia has denied hitting civilian targets despite having launched numerous attacks on Ukrainian civilian and energy infrastructure since October, causing casualties and extensive damage to electricity supply lines that left millions of Ukrainians without light or heating during the cold season.



In the east, the Russian military continued to launch repeated assaults on Bakhmut, the mining city in the eastern region of Donetsk that has been the focal point of the battle to control the Donbas.



Faced with stiff Ukrainian resistance in Bakhmut, Russian forces have extended their directions of attack toward other cities in Donetsk such as Lyman, Avdiyivka, and Maryinka.



Ukrainian defenders repelled 69 Russian attacks over the past day, with "the fiercest battles continuing in Bakhmut, Avdiyivka, and Maryinka," Ukraine's General Staff said in its daily report on April 4.



The Russian Army is continuing its unsuccessful attempts to take full control of Bakhmut, it said.



The latest battle report came as a U.S. official said the fight for the battle-devastated city is not over, despite claims by Wagner that the Russian mercenary force had captured the center of Bakhmut.

John Kirby, spokesman for the U.S. National Security Council, told reportersvon April 3 that the Ukrainian military had not been driven out of Bakhmut. He described fighting there as "quite, quite violent and quite close."



"Even if the Russians do get it, it isn't going to change the battlefield dynamics from a strategic perspective," Kirby said, reflecting views in the West that the city holds more of a symbolic value for Moscow seeking a victory to hail than actual strategic worth.

WATCH: At a "stabilization point" near Bakhmut, Ukrainian medics fight to save the lives of soldiers injured in the fighting.

Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address on April 3 that he had held another meeting with senior military commanders and that "the preparation of active measures for the liberation of Ukrainian lands" was in full swing, but did not explicitly mention an anticipated counteroffensive.



"Full meeting. Full coordination. Full preparation of our active actions for the sake of liberating Ukrainian lands," he said.

With reporting by Reuters, AP, and AFP
The government of Venezuela supports decisions made at the ordinary meeting of OPEC+ monitoring committee, Oil Minister Rafael Tellechea tweeted, Trend reports citing TASS.

"We participated on behalf of Venezuela in the 48th meeting of the OPEC+ ministerial committee to confirm that our country supports decisions made by the alliance to ensure stability of the global energy market," Tellechea said.

On April 2, several OPEC + countries announced the voluntary oil production cut from May to the end of 2023. The voluntary reduction will stand at 1.66 mln barrels per day.
Russias COVID-19 case tally rose by 7,141 over the past day to 22,671,103, the anti-coronavirus crisis center reported on Tuesday, Trend reports with reference to TASS.

In absolute terms, the number of daily COVID cases has been the lowest since January 31. A day earlier, 7,836 daily cases were recorded.

As many as 1,513 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 in Russia over the past day, up 186.6% from a day earlier. The number of hospitalized patients increased in 75 regions, while in five regions the figure decreased. The situation remained unchanged in five other regions. A day earlier, 528 people were rushed to hospitals.

Moscows COVID-19 cases surged by 965 over the past day versus 909 cases a day earlier, reaching 3,482,147, according to the anti-coronavirus crisis center. St. Petersburgs COVID-19 cases increased by 998 over the past day versus 995 a day earlier, reaching 1,921,698.

Russias COVID-19 recoveries rose by 12,264 over the past day, reaching 22,037,622, the anti-coronavirus crisis center told reporters on Tuesday.

A day earlier some 7,737 patients recovered.

Russias COVID-19 death toll rose by 38 over the past day, reaching 397,384, the anti-coronavirus crisis center told reporters on Tuesday.

A day earlier 34 COVID-19 deaths were registered.
Implications of the decision of OPEC+ member-countries to reduce oil production are not as bad as some people can consider, US President Joe Biden said, cited by the White House press corps, Trend reports citing TASS.

"Its not going to be as bad as you think," Biden said, when requested for a comment on the OPEC+ decision.

On April 2, several OPEC+ participants announced a voluntary oil production cut from May until the end of 2023 to ensure stability of the global energy market. The voluntary reduction will stand at 1.66 mln barrels per day and will complement arrangements to lower oil production by 2 mln barrels daily effective since November 2022.
MP JOHN Healey has criticised the Government for giving the cold shoulder to Afghan refugees over its handling of their resettlement in the country.

The Wentworth & Dearne MP spoke in the House of Commons after veterans affairs minister Johnny Mercer outlined funding of 285 million to enable local authorities to support Afghans as they move from hotels to permanent accommodation.

More than 100 refugees were initially housed at the Holiday Inn in Manvers but said to have been moved elsewhere last April. The hotel continues to provide a home for asylum seekers.

Mr Healey, the shadow defence secretary, countered that Mr Mercers plan would leave thousands of Afghan refugees without a guaranteed place to live and said the Government had failed Afghans.

Mr Mercer is serving eviction notices on 8,000 Afghans, half of whom are children, with no guarantee that they will be offered a suitable, settled place to live, he said.

This statement should be from the defence secretary, explaining why, 18 months after Afghan families were airlifted to the UK, 8,000 are still in temporary hotels and the backlog in processing cases has risen to 66,000.

It should be from the home secretary, explaining why it took nine months to open the alternative Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme and why, by the end of last year, just four people had been brought to safety in the UK since the fall of Kabul.

It should be from the Levelling Up, housing and communities secretary, explaining why he has not required all council areas to play a part in discharging the national obligation we owe to these Afghans and their families.

As the minister said, this nation promised those who put their lives at risk to serve alongside our armed forces in Afghanistan that we would relocate and settle them, give their families safety, and help them to rebuild their lives.

They want homes, not hotels; they want to rebuild their lives; they want to contribute to this country  their new country  which has offered them refuge.

The government has failed brave Afghan refugees.

Mr Mercer, in response to Mr Healeys claims, said his government remained resolute to tackling a burden which has proved to be an expensive burden felt by taxpayers.

He added: Although this is a difficult policy area, we will not yield in doing the right thing by tackling difficult problems and striking the balance between ensuring that we make it as easy and seamless as possible for Afghans to get out of hotels and to integrate into the UK.

This government will ensure that the Afghan cohort understands that the offer was never to remain in hotels ad infinitum and all the problems that brings with it.

I accept that this is a difficult policy area; I accept that the track record on this policy area has been difficult.

To be fair to everybody who has done this before, we are facing an incredibly difficult, unprecedented and dynamic situation, with the collapse of international will to remain in Afghanistan.

We are now doing our best to see through our strategic promises to the people of Afghanistan, and we will absolutely do that.

We will strain every sinew to get people out of hotels and into the UK community, and unleash the wealth of veteran and voluntary support, which I know wants to welcome those people with open arms and make them feel part of the UK.

I look forward to that challenge.
News outlets will not be allowed to broadcast former President Donald Trump's arraignment on Tuesday in a New York state court, a judge said Monday night, but he will allow some photographers to take pictures in the courtroom before the proceedings formally begin, Trend reports citing CNN.

Acting New York Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchan rejected the request by several media organizations, including CNN, for permission to broadcast the historic proceedings. Trumps arraignment  like most arraignments in the Manhattan courthouse  is a public proceeding, but news cameras are not usually allowed to broadcast from inside the courtroom.

However, the judge is allowing five pool photographers to take still photos at the beginning of the proceedings until such time as they are directed to vacate the jury box by court personnel.

Earlier on Monday, Trumps lawyers urged the judge to reject the medias request for live cameras in the courtroom. The Manhattan District Attorneys office told the judge they didnt have a position.

The media outlets that tried to get cameras into the courtroom argued that the gravity of this proceeding  and, consequently, the need for the broadest possible public access, cannot be overstated.

Trump is now in Manhattan ahead of the arraignment. A grand jury indicted the former president last week.

The arraignment is also expected to bring the unsealing of the criminal charges against Trump, which have not yet been seen by his lawyers or the public.

The indictment stems from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Braggs investigation into hush-money payments, made during the 2016 presidential campaign, to women who claimed they had extramarital affairs with Trump, which he denies.

Trump denies all wrongdoing and his lawyers said last week that theyll fight to get the charges dropped.
Deepak Boxer Gangster

Deepak Boxer is likely to be brought to India in the next 2 days: Sources

New Delhi: The Special Cell of Delhi Police nabbed the notorious and most wanted gangster Deepak Pahal alias Deepak Boxer from Mexico. The Cops achieved this feat with help of the American intelligence agency- FBI and Interpol. Deepak Boxer was considered as one of the top ten gangsters of the country.

According to sources in the Union Home Ministry, gangster Deepak Boxer is likely to be brought to India in the next two days. Delhi Police was hunting for Deepak boxer in connection with the builder Amit Gupta murder case.

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Notably, Deepak Boxer was out of the country for a long time. After the murder of Jitender Mann Gogi in the Rohini court, Deepak Boxer was operating the Gogi gang. In January 2023, he fled to Mexico via Kolkata by using a fake passport from Bareilly in the name of Ravi Antil. The address on the passport was given of Moradabad, UP. A team was formed under the supervision of Police Special Cell Commissioner HGS Dhaliwal to nab Deepak Boxer.

Notably, The Gogi gang had links with the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. Deepak came into the limelight in 2016 when he freed gangster from Delhi Police custody in Bahadurgarh. In 2018, he was on the run after a crackdown on the Boxer gang.




TikTok

TikTok is owned by Chinese technology company ByteDance

CANBERRA: Australia has banned the use of Chinese video application TikTok on government devices. It became the last country in the so-called 'Five Eyes' intelligence alliance of the US, Canada, Britain and New Zealand to ban the use of TikTok on government devices. Attorney General Mark Dreyfus said in a statement on Tuesday that the ban would take effect "as soon as possible" on the advice of intelligence and security agencies.

TikTok is owned by Chinese technology company ByteDance. It says that the app does not share data with the Chinese government. The European Parliament, the European Commission and the Council of the European Union have also banned TikTok. Members of Parliament and staff have been advised to remove the TikTok app from their personal devices as part of the European Parliament ban. India banned several other Chinese apps in 2020, including TikTok and messaging app WeChat, over privacy and security concerns.
Crypto-exchange Bittrex is set to wind down its U.S. operations this month as it is no longer economically viable due to continued regulatory uncertainty in the crypto ecosystem. The company noted that all U.S. customer funds are safe, and can be fully withdrawn immediately.

Seattle-based Bittrex said the regulatory requirements in the U.S. are often unclear and enforced without appropriate discussion or input, resulting in an uneven competitive landscape.

The exchange will permit trading for its U.S. customers until April 14, 2023, with the last date for withdrawal of all customer funds fixed for April 30, 2023.

The announcement was made on the ninth anniversary of the crypocurrency exchange, which was founded in 2014.

However, this announcement does not impact non-U.S. customers using Bittrex Global, its Liechtenstein-based trading arm.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
The U.S. unveiled $2.6 billion worth of military assistance to Ukraine that includes three air surveillance radars, anti-tank rockets and fuel trucks, the Pentagon announced on Tuesday, Trend reports citing Reuters.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Tuesday told the U.S. National Governors Association that the United States could protect its values by helping Ukraine.

"Our cooperation will allow for the new enhancement of your security, for our economy and yours, for jobs in both our countries," Zelenskiy said by video link.
After recovering from an initial move to the downside, treasuries moved sharply higher over the course of the trading session on Tuesday.

Bond prices climbed well off their early lows and firmly into positive territory. Subsequently, the yield on the benchmark ten-year note, which moves opposite of its price, slumped by 9.3 basis points to 3.337 percent.

The ten-year yield closed lower for the fourth straight session, falling to its lowest closing level in almost seven months.

The turnaround by treasuries came following the release of a Labor Department report showing job openings in the U.S. decreased by more than expected in the month of February.

The report said job openings fell to 9.9 million in February from a revised 10.6 million in January. Economists had expected job openings to decline to 10.4 million from the 10.8 million originally reported for the previous month.

"February's JOLTS report is an indication that the softening in the labor market may be gaining some momentum," said Matthew Martin, U.S. Economist at Oxford Economics.

He added, "To be sure, job openings remain highly elevated, but February's level is the first month below 10k since June 2021 and suggests businesses are becoming more wary about additional headcount.

A separate report released by the Commerce Department showed new orders for U.S. manufactured goods fell by more than expected in the month of February.

Traders also continued to look ahead to the release of the Labor Department's closely watched monthly jobs report on Friday.

Economists currently expect the report to show employment increased by 240,000 jobs in March after climbing by 311,000 jobs in February. The unemployment rate is expected to hold at 3.6 percent.

Trading on Wednesday may be impacted by reaction to reports on private sector employment, service sector activity and the U.S. trade deficit.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Market Analysis
Facelifted Harrier and Safari will come with petrol turbo engine option  Along with the existing diesel engine

Tata Harrier and Safari sales are on a decline. Thanks to new arrivals like XUV700, Scorpio N and the facelifted Hector. In Feb 2023, Harrier sales were at 2,054 units while that of Safari were at 1,252. In comparison, XUV700 sales were at 4,505 units and that of Hector was at 2,558 units. To boost sales, Tata Motors is getting ready to launch facelifted Harrier and Safari later this year.

2024 Tata Harrier facelift spied  Clearest interior shots

Facelifted Harrier and Safari get a new front design, which is inspired by the Harrier EV concept that was showcased at the 2023 Auto Expo. Though the test mules are wearing circular headlamps, these are just temporary units for the sake of testing. Production spec model will get triangular LED headlight assembly and lower grille as seen in the Harrier EV.

There will be minor revisions to front and rear bumpers. The test mule does not show any revision to the tail light design, but production-spec models can be different. We can also get to see new alloys. Tata Motors may also add rear disc brake as a standard fitment to Harrier.

Harrier Facelift Interiors Spied In Detail

On the inside, there is a new touchscreen infotainment screen. This is the same 10.2 unit found on Altroz Racer prototype with a slicker user interface. Instrument display will be revamped to include a fully-digital unit.

Tata Safari and Harrier test mules feature square modules at lower bumpers confirming ADAS features at least with top-spec models. 360-degree cameras have been spotted with ORVM-mounted cameras too. Tata Motors could also offer front and rear seat ventilation with top-spec XZ+ trims.

All New Petrol Engine From Tata Motors

Earlier, Tata Motors had revealed there was not enough demand for petrol Harrier and Safari. And this is why they have not launched a petrol engine option with Safari / Harrier. But things have changed in recent months. With diesel engines getting discontinued from passenger cars, due to stringent emission norms, more and more manufacturers are shifting to petrol / hybrid fuel options.

At the Auto Expo 2023, Tata Motors revealed their new petrol 1.5 liter turbo engine, which will power the facelifted Harrier and Safari. This engine will deliver 170 PS and 280 Nm, making it one of the most powerful petrol SUV on offer. Transmission option on offer will include manual as well as automatic.

Diesel 2.0 liter engine will continue to be on offer as is, with the updated Harrier and Safari. This engine delivers 170 PS and 350 Nm via 6 speed MT or AT. Thanks to the launch of petrol engine, expect the entry price of Harrier and Safari to be reduced by about Rs 1 lakh. 2024 Harrier facelift, Safari facelift launch is expected around Diwali 2023.

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Honda has posted one of their lowest ever monthly sales in March 2023  They are no longer No 2 two wheeler brand of India

The countrys largest scooter maker, Honda Motorcycles and Scooters India (HMSI), has closed its account for FY2022  23 (April 2022  March 2023) on a positive note. With a lot of products planned in the pipeline, we expect HMSI to register even better numbers in the coming months and all the way along FY 2023  24.

But YoY, MoM and QoQ analysis reveal that Honda is bleeding numbers in the Indian automotive market. With domination in scooters set in place, Honda seems to aim for the budget commuter motorcycle space where Hero MotoCorp is dominant. The CB Shine 100 will be directly against Hero Splendor, which is currently the highest-selling motorcycle in India by a very significant margin.

Honda 2W Sales For March 2023  One of their lowest ever monthly domestic sales

In the domestic market, Honda sold around 1,97,512 units last month. This doesnt bode well when compared to 3,09,549 units sold a year ago in March 2022. Honda saw a decline of 36.19% YoY in its numbers. Volume loss YoY in the domestic market alone is a staggering 1,12,037 units.

Honda 2W sales in March 2023 is probably one of their lowest ever monthly sales recorded, excluding the months when lockdown was implemented due to Covid-19. TVS has now beaten Honda 2W in domestic sales. TVS sold 2.4 lakh two wheelers in the domestic market last month.

When compared to 2,27,064 units sold in February 2023, Honda registered a 13.01% MoM decline. This directly led to a volume loss accounting for 29,552 units MoM. Exports stood at 14,466 units. In Hondas total sales, exports account for just 6.82%. As opposed to 11,794 units shipped in March 2022, Hondas exports is the only saving grace for the brand as it registered a 22.66% YoY growth, gaining 2,672 units in volume YoY.

Honda shipped 20,111 units in February 2023 and hence a 28.07% MoM decline was observed. In the process, Honda lost 5,645 units in volume MoM. In total, Hondas sales stood at 2,11,978 units, which was not enough to beat 3,21,343 units sold in March 2022 and 2,47,175 units sold in February 2023. A 34.03% YoY decline and 14.24% MoM decline was registered.

Honda 2W Loses No 2 Spot, falls behind TVS Motor

Now that the first quarter of 2023 is past us, Honda has sold 7,02,719 units in that time period. This was significantly lower, when compared to 9,10,422 units sold in Q1 2022 and 10,12,696 units sold in Q4 2022. Hence, a 22.81% YoY decline was registered with 2,07,703 units lost in volume.

QoQ decline was even worse, standing at 30.61% with a loss of 3,09,977 units in volume. In total, HMSIs sales between April 2022 to March 2023 was around 43,50,943 units. Out of this, domestic sales were 40,25,486 units and 3,25,457 units were exported. Hondas YTD growth stood at 14% in FY 2022  23.

February 2023 sales were considered to be a brutal blow for HMSI as the company saw YoY growth only with Activa. In comparison, March 2023 numbers seem to be even worse for the Japanese brand. We hope Honda turns the table with the new Shine 100.
Maruti Jimny is getting ready for India launch  Ahead of that, it has arrived at dealer yard

To conquer the lifestyle off-roader segment in India, Maruti Suzuki has introduced Jimny. It is being launched in only a 5-door avatar which will lock horns with other lifestyle off-roaders like Thar and Gurkha. Both of which are currently offered with a 3-door body only.

Jimny Off-road First Drive Impressions

Pricing is not yet revealed, but we expect that it will undercut Thars current Rs. 9.99 lakh (ex-sh). Thanks to Small Town Rider, we now have a glimpse of how Jimny fares off-road as he demonstrates the same in a dealer yard. Is it just a cute city vehicle as opposed to its burly rivals like Thar or Gurkha? Lets take a look.

In the video, he demonstrates some of Jimnys capabilities from within a dealer yard. Sure, this is not an off-road course, but it should give us an idea of what Jimny packs under its hood. Both manual and automatic variants have been driven. To aid its off-road endeavours, Jimny comes with 36-degree approach, 50-degree departure, 24-degree ramp over angles and 210 mm ground clearance.

Within the dealer yard, there were irregularities on the ground like a hump, and slight muck formation due to rains. He demonstrates this Jimny in 4X2, 4X4 High and 4X4 Low over similar terrains. Starting off with the 4-speed torque converter, it gets past all the obstacles within that dealer yard.

As soon as he hops into the manual variant, the car feels much more lively and fun to drive over the 4-speed AT. In both powertrain combos, Maruti Suzuki Jimny gets a 4X4 lever to shift into 4X4 High and 4X4 Low. On its instrument cluster, there is an indication when slotted into 4X4. That said, it doesnt indicate whether it is in High or Low.

Maruti Jimny will beat Thar in sales?

The only way to figure that out is by looking at traction control indication, which will be off in Low range mode. Because of its peppy 1.5L engine and a low kerb weight of 1210 kg, it might keep up with Thar where the pace is concerned.

But, the main limiting factors for Jimny are its skinny H/T tyres, and lack of mechanical locking differential (MLD). For context, Thar gets MLD at the rear in top-spec LX trim and Gurkha gets MLD at both front and rear axles as standard fitment. Jimny gets 195-section H/T tyres while Thar gets 245-section A/T tyres.

5-door Jimny comes equipped with a sole 1.5L petrol engine with 102 bhp of power and 134.2 Nm of torque, mated to either a 5-speed MT or 4-speed AT. Bookings are now open across India. Launch is expected next month, May 2023. If priced well, Maruti Jimny has the potential to beat Mahindra Thar in sales.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a rally at the Iowa States Fairgrounds in Des Moines, Iowa, U.S. (Photo : REUTERS/Rachel Mummey)

Former US President Donald Trump arrived in New York City on Monday via his private plane to address charges related to the hush money paid to an adult film actress. In the meantime, his attorneys argued against allowing camera coverage in the courtroom. As New York strengthens security measures and the mayor calls for calm, Trump is expected to surrender at the Manhattan District Attorney's Office on Tuesday, where he will likely be fingerprinted before pleading not guilty during an arraignment.



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The 76-year-old Republican, who seeks to reclaim the presidency in 2024, is the first former US president to face criminal charges. Trump's plane, adorned with his name and an American flag, landed at LaGuardia Airport in Queens after a 3.5-hour flight from West Palm Beach near his Florida residence.



Dressed in a blue suit with a red tie, Trump disembarked his plane and entered an SUV, which transported him to Trump Tower in Manhattan as part of a motorcade. He waved to onlookers before entering Trump Tower without making any public statements.



Todd Blanche, a distinguished white-collar criminal defense lawyer and former federal prosecutor, has been hired to bolster Trump's legal team. On Monday, Blanche and other attorneys for Trump urged the judge to prohibit videography, photography, and radio coverage of the arraignment. They argued in a letter to the court that such coverage would intensify the "circus-like atmosphere" surrounding the case and undermine the dignity and decorum of the proceedings.



Justice Juan Merchan is expected to make a decision on the matter. The Manhattan District Attorney's Office has left the decision up to the judge's discretion but pointed out that Merchan allowed a limited number of still photos before last year's trial in which Trump's real estate company was convicted of tax fraud.



The specific charges in the indictment by a grand jury convened by Democratic Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg remain undisclosed. Trump maintains his innocence and claims the charges are politically motivated.


A historic 1936 Oceanside building designed by a noted local architect is getting a new luster and another life, as a restaurant with a tribute to the structures ink-and-paper heyday.

The Blade-Tribune newspaper building on Seagaze Drive, a half-block west of Coast Highway, has a distinctive art deco style and the solid, poured-in-place concrete look of a structure intended to be a pillar of the community. Its large, multi-paned windows fill the interior with light.

It had that strong edifice that you wanted a newspaper to have, said John Daley, an Oceanside native and area historian. He remembers picking up bundles of newspapers at the building to deliver to downtown homes and businesses when he was an 8-year-old boy.

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It had a strong, industrial look, Daley said. There was a printing press. It was an industrial plant, as well as a newsroom bustling with reporters and editors.

The new owner is Donia Ackad Yuhong, a real estate agent in Encinitas. She said she plans to open a restaurant there, maybe Italian, Mexican or something with a fusion of cultures, and shes in the process of getting the required permits.

The inside will be filled with the history of the building, she said. I love history. It bothers me when people want to erase the history or destroy the history.

The original Oceanside Blade building was constructed elsewhere downtown in 1893. In the 1970s, it was moved to the citys Heritage Park Museum, near the Mission San Luis Rey, where it sits with a group of historical buildings open to the public.

The concrete structure on Seagaze has been closed for years. It was the last project of architect Irving Gill, who died in 1936 in Carlsbad. Gill also designed Oceansides first City Hall, built in 1934, which now houses the Oceanside Museum of Art, and the Americanization School built about 1930 on Center Street.

Some of the architects best-known buildings include The Bishops School in San Diego, the George W. Marston House in Balboa Park, and the La Jolla Womans Club.

1 / 13 The building once occupied by the Oceanside Blade-Tribune and News, newspapers built in 1936 was the last structure designed by noted architect Irving Gill. Now its being renovated and turned into a newspaper-themed restaurant. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 2 / 13 Sunlight shines through the windows and hits the concrete floor of the building once occupied by the Oceanside Blade-Tribune and News, newspapers built in 1936, and was the last structure designed by noted architect Irving Gill. Now its being renovated and turned into a newspaper-themed restaurant. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 3 / 13 The building once occupied by the Oceanside Blade-Tribune and News, newspapers built in 1936 was the last structure designed by noted architect Irving Gill. Now its being renovated and turned into a newspaper-themed restaurant. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 4 / 13 The building once occupied by the Oceanside Blade-Tribune and News, newspapers built in 1936 was the last structure designed by noted architect Irving Gill. Now its being renovated and turned into a newspaper-themed restaurant. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 5 / 13 Jesus Flores Installs windows in the building once occupied by the Oceanside Blade-Tribune and News, newspapers built in 1936, and was the last structure designed by noted architect Irving Gill. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 6 / 13 The building once occupied by the Oceanside Blade-Tribune and News, newspapers built in 1936 was the last structure designed by noted architect Irving Gill. Now its being renovated and turned into a newspaper-themed restaurant. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 7 / 13 The building once occupied by the Oceanside Blade-Tribune and News, newspapers built in 1936 was the last structure designed by noted architect Irving Gill. Now its being renovated and turned into a newspaper-themed restaurant. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 8 / 13 The building once occupied by the Oceanside Blade-Tribune and News, newspapers built in 1936 was the last structure designed by noted architect Irving Gill. Now its being renovated and turned into a newspaper-themed restaurant. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 9 / 13 The building once occupied by the Oceanside Blade-Tribune and News, newspapers built in 1936 was the last structure designed by noted architect Irving Gill. Now its being renovated and turned into a newspaper-themed restaurant. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 10 / 13 The inside of the building once occupied by the Oceanside Blade-Tribune and News, newspapers built in 1936, and was the last structure designed by noted architect Irving Gill. Now its being renovated and turned into a newspaper-themed restaurant. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 11 / 13 The building once occupied by the Oceanside Blade-Tribune and News, newspapers built in 1936 was the last structure designed by noted architect Irving Gill. Now its being renovated and turned into a newspaper-themed restaurant. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 12 / 13 The inside of the building once occupied by the Oceanside Blade-Tribune and News, newspapers built in 1936, and was the last structure designed by noted architect Irving Gill. Now its being renovated and turned into a newspaper-themed restaurant. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 13 / 13 The building once occupied by the Oceanside Blade-Tribune and News, newspapers built in 1936 was the last structure designed by noted architect Irving Gill. Now its being renovated and turned into a newspaper-themed restaurant. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune)

Gill arrived in San Diego in 1893 and his career peaked between 1910 and 1920, according to a 1997 column in the Union-Tribune. He liked simple designs with straight lines and arches, and embraced the use of concrete.

The Blade-Tribune occupied the Seagaze Drive building until it moved to a new, larger building on South Coast Highway in the 1960s. That newspaper became the Blade-Citizen, which became the North County Times, which was eventually purchased by and became part of The San Diego Union-Tribune.

Once the newspaper moved out, the building on Seagaze became a furniture store operated for more than 30 years by a partnership of three retired Marines, now deceased.

Part of the building has been occupied by a barber shop, Carmens, for years, and that business is expected to stay. A barber working there Friday said he knew nothing about the restaurant plans, but hed be glad to see something open in the building.

Yuhong said she knew little of the buildings history when she purchased it last year. Her initial plan was to turn it into apartments, but her contractor told her the building had a history and was designed by a famous architect.

Thats how the whole thing started, Yuhong said.

A restoration of the buildings front facade uncovered the original sign that reads Blade Tribune and News along with other details that had been obscured by stucco since the 1950s.

The name is a combination of three different newspapers that for a time operated as one, evidence of the regions still-evolving and convoluted journalistic history.

philip.diehl@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @phildiehl
The newly opened Hacienda de Vega restaurant on Rancho Santa Fe Road re-creates the outdoor landscape and flowing fountains of the companys former restaurant in Escondido, which closed last fall after 15 years in business.

Five months after they were forced to close their popular Hacienda de Vega restaurant in Escondido, the family behind the popular Mexican eateries will open a new location today on the border of Rancho Santa Fe and Encinitas.

The new Hacienda de Vega, at the intersection of Rancho Santa Fe Road and Manchester Avenue, is located in the Rancho Santa Fe Plaza shopping center. Company founder and president Alonso Vega-Albela said its been a challenging time, but hes happy with the result.

We are very happy to be back doing what we enjoy, he said. It certainly has been one of the most difficult transitions of my professional career, but the support of our Escondido fans and the trust and willingness of my staff to take this leap of faith with me got us through it.

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Hacienda de Vega Restaurants president Alonso Vega-Albela, center, with his daughters Joselle, left, and Jovanna, right, inside the new location on Rancho Santa Fe Road. (Pam Kragen/San Diego Union-Tribune )

Hacienda de Vega takes over the space formerly occupied by Bentleys Steak & Chop House, which closed in December when its owner retired.

Vega-Albela said he gutted the former Bentleys space and put in all new furnishings, including a new wood floor and new furniture and decor from Mexico.

The dining room now features a burbling fountain, hanging lanterns and illuminated faux trees that re-create some of the outdoor charm of the companys Escondido location, which closed on Sept. 30.

The former location at 2608 S. Escondido Blvd. was one of the citys most popular restaurants for 15 years. It was known for its scenic dining deck surrounding a large pond and waterfall.

The building in Escondido was built in 1948 as the model home for a community of adobe home properties in the area. In 1962, it was converted into a Mexican restaurant that changed hands several times. Vega-Albela leased the space and gave it his family name in 2003.

Last year, negotiations for a lease extension on the property fell through, and Vega-Albela stunned the community when he announced the closure on Facebook just hours before its final dinner service. More than 100,000 Facebook followers viewed the post over the next 24 hours and more than 600 people posted comments on their heartbreak and memories.

Vega-Albela, who lives in 4S Ranch with his family, said it was heartbreaking to close his first restaurant  they also have a 4-year-old location at 5806 Van Allen Way in Carlsbad  but he was overwhelmed by the publics response.

We were very humbled to see what happened. Our customers really responded to our news and have been so supportive, he said.

Almost all of the Escondido locations employees were given temporary jobs at the Carlsbad location until the new Rancho Santa Fe restaurant was ready. Carlsbad employees offered to work reduced shifts over the past several months to accommodate the Escondido workers, many of whom have been with the company for 10 or more years, Vega-Albela said.

Although the new 4,200-square-foot Rancho Santa Fe location has a smaller footprint than the former 1-acre Escondido location, it has more seating, with 114 seats indoors and 115 on the patio. It also has a private dining room with a communal table and a full bar.

The restaurant serves the same menu, developed by family matriarch and executive chef Patricia Vega. She was raised in Mexico City and her dishes reflects the cuisine and ingredients of that region. There are no combination plates or American-style yellow cheese on the dishes.

Vega-Albela said his goal with the new location is to upgrade the experience for diners.

Were elevating our brand, he said.

Bentleys was known for its extensive wine list. Vega-Albela said he wont try to compete with that, but he is bringing in a selection of 35 fine wines from Latin America. He is serving Monte Xanic wines from Mexicos Valle de Guadalupe and Maestro Dobel tequila from Jalisco, Mexico. There are also wines from Chile, Argentina and elsewhere in South America.

I dont want to pretend to be something that we are not and a wine destination we are not, he said. But I do know that our guests (here) are used to a good variety of styles and complexities in their wine so Im trying to make that available.

The restaurant is now serving lunch, dinner and Sunday brunch.

Hacienda de Vega

Hours: 11:30 a.m. to close (around 10 p.m.) daily. Sunday brunch service from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Where: 1621 S. Rancho Santa Fe Road, Encinitas (at Manchester Avenue)

Phone: (760) 738-9804

Online: haciendadevega.com

The new Hacienda de Vega restaurant in Rancho Santa Fe Plaza replaces one that closed last fall in Escondido. (Pam Kragen/San Diego Union-Tribune )

pam.kragen@sduniontribune.com
Russian-appointed authorities in Crimea said the military fended off a Ukrainian strike on a main naval base on Monday, while an exploding drone was also reportedly found in a forest near Moscow  attacks that come as Ukraine is believed to be preparing for a major counteroffensive.
The U.S. military airlifted embassy officials out of Sudan on Sunday and international governments raced to evacuate their diplomatic staff and citizens trapped in the capital as rival generals battled for control of Africas third-largest country for a ninth day.
African elephants (Loxodonta africana) live in stable, socially complex, multi-female groups, characterized by female philopatry, male dispersal and linear dominance hierarchies. Elephant social behavior suggests that individuals use odor to monitor the sex, reproductive status, location, health, identity and social status of conspecifics. However, to date, it was not clear what fixed or variable information is contained in African elephant secretions, and whether odor encodes kinship or group membership information.

University of Queenslands Professor Louw Hoffman and his colleagues studied 15 family groups of African elephants in Majete Wildlife Reserve, Malawi.

They found that smell was used to distinguish characteristics including age, health, reproductive status and family relationships between elephants.

We tested the DNA, glands, urine and manure of 113 African elephants to identify family groupings, Professor Hoffman said.

We found a number of chemicals were common to group members, but others that were unique to each individual.

Elephants never mate with a sibling, even if theyve been separated for years and can tell a strange elephant is close by from the smell of their manure or other excretions.

Social behavior also suggests elephants use odor to monitor other pachyderms, both within and outside their herd.

We observed elephants greeting each other by squealing and flapping their ears, Professor Hoffman explained.

We believe theyre pushing their pheromones towards the other elephant as a sign of recognition.

When elephants charge each other flapping their ears, rather than making themselves look bigger, we believe theyre blowing their pheromones as a warning not to mess with them.

The elephants not only identify different smells quickly, but also retain them in their memory.

Some of the animals in the study were bred in captivity, and one of the tricks theyd been taught was to take a tourists hat and smell it, Professor Hoffman said.

When the tourist came back hours later the elephant would be able to immediately identify who the hat belonged to.

Elephants could be trained to sense many things, including blood and explosives, he added.

These findings show elephants are complex creatures, and sound is not their only form of communication.

We see humans as the apex, but we now know elephants are one of many animals that have senses more finely attuned than ours.

There is a lot we can learn from the elephant.

The findings were published in the journal Scientific Reports.

_____

K.E.M. von Durckheim et al. 2022. A pachyderm perfume: odour encodes identity and group membership in African elephants. Sci Rep 12, 16768; doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-20920-2
A new online tool -- the first of its kind for plant pathogens -- will help researchers across the globe identify, detect and monitor species of Phytophthora, which have been responsible for plant diseases ranging from the devastating 1840s Irish potato famine to sudden oak death that still plagues West Coast oak population.

The new pathogen "tree of life" provides a plethora of information about each of the more than 192 formally described species -- including their evolutionary history and relationships within groups -- as well as more than 30 other informally described taxa. It also includes genetic sequence data from several locations on the genetic blueprint, or genome, of each species. Other important data include the global locations of each species, the plants that host the pathogen, and where the pathogen resides in -- or on -- its plant hosts.

"We're taking all known Phytophthora species and putting them into a living 'tree of life' using the Tree-Based Alignment Selector (T-BAS) toolkit that was developed by my colleague Ignazio Carbone," says Jean Ristaino, William Neal Reynolds Distinguished Professor of Plant Pathology at North Carolina State University and corresponding author of a paper in PLOS ONE that describes the tool. "Researchers can place emerging threat species into the open-access tree and look at which groups are expanding and evolving."

The new tool will allow researchers to update plant disease information in real time.

"The real key to preventing disease outbreaks is to grab the signals before the outbreak occurs," said Ristaino, who directs NC State's Emerging Plant Disease and Global Food Security cluster. "T-BAS could be useful as a tool for disease surveillance and for figuring out the next new lineage that might emerge. Researchers can query this database and the tree will incorporate the new species."

The first species in the genus Phytophthora, or "plant destroyer," was described and named in 1876. Phytophthora are present in the air, soil, and water and can cause disease on food crops, ornamental plants, and trees.

"About 150 new Phytophthora species have been identified since 2000," says NC State Ph.D. student Allison Coomber, who developed the tool with the team.

"This is an unusually large number of plant pathogen species," Ristaino said. "Many Phytophthora species have broad host ranges, so they can 'move' over wider areas."

Ristaino, who published a paper in Nature in 2001 identifying the strain of Phytophthora infestans that caused the Irish potato famine, hopes to eventually integrate physical maps with the T-BAS data to help provide better pathogen monitoring between states or countries.

"We have mined all published data on Phytophthora," Ristaino said. "Collaboration and sharing data makes much more sense than being secretive."

Ristaino added that the Phytophthora T-BAS Tool is housed in the DeCIFR web portal available through NC State's Center for Integrated Fungal Research, which explores fungi and the roles they play in agricultural, animal, environmental, and human health systems. Further information on access to the tool can be found on the Ristaino Lab website.

Coomber is the paper's first author. Amanda Saville, manager of the Ristaino lab, and Ignazio Carbone, professor of plant pathology and director of NC State's Center for Integrated Fungal Research, also co-authored the paper. The work was funded by National Science Foundation National Research Training Grant Award No. 1828820 and by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's APHIS Plant Protection Act 7721 grants AP21PPQ&ST000020 and AP21PPQ&ST000062.
In millions of years and with a long sequence of small changes, evolution has shaped a particular group of dinosaurs, the theropods, into the birds we watch fly around the planet today. In fact, birds are the only descendants of dinosaurs which survived the catastrophic extinction 66 million years ago that ended the Cretaceous period.

Troodon was such a theropod. The carnivorous dinosaur was about two meters long and populated the vast semi-arid landscapes of North America about 75 million years ago. Like some of its dinosaur relatives, Troodon presented some bird-like features like hollow and light bones. Troodon walked on two legs and had fully developed feathery wings, but its relatively large size precluded it from flying. Instead, it probably ran quite fast and caught its prey using its strong claws. Troodon females laid eggs more similar to the asymmetric eggs of modern birds than to round ones of reptiles, the oldest relatives of all dinosaurs. These eggs were coloured and have been found half buried into the ground, probably allowing Troodon to sit and brood them.

An international team of scientists led by Mattia Tagliavento and Jens Fiebig from Goethe University Frankfurt, Germany, has now examined the calcium carbonate of some well-preserved Troodon eggshells. The researchers used a method developed by Fiebig's group in 2019 called "dual clumped isotope thermometry." By using this method, they could measure the extent to which heavier varieties (isotopes) of oxygen and carbon clump together in carbonate minerals. The prevalence of isotopic clumping, which is temperature-dependent, made it possible for scientists to determine the temperature at which the carbonates crystallized.

When analyzing Troodon eggshells, the research team was able to determine that the eggshells were produced at temperatures of 42 and 30 degrees Celsius. Mattia Tagliavento, leading author of the study, explains: "The isotopic composition of Troodon eggshells provides evidence that these extinct animals had a body temperature of 42C, and that they were able to reduce it to about 30C, like modern birds."

The scientists then compared isotopic compositions of eggshells of reptiles (crocodile, alligator, and various species of turtle) and modern birds (chicken, sparrow, wren, emu, kiwi, cassowary and ostrich) to understand if Troodon was closer to either birds or reptiles. They revealed two different isotopic patterns: reptile eggshells have isotopic compositions matching the temperature of the surrounding environment. This is in line with these animals being cold-blooded and forming their eggs slowly. Birds, however, leave a recognizable so-called non-thermal signature in the isotopic composition, which indicates that eggshell formation happens very fast. Tagliavento: "We think this very high production rate is connected to the fact that birds, unlike reptiles, have a single ovary. Since they can produce just one egg at the time, birds have to do it more rapidly."

When comparing these results to Troodon eggshells, the researchers did not detect the isotopic composition which is typical for birds. Tagliavento is convinced: "This demonstrates that Troodon formed its eggs in a way more comparable to modern reptiles, and it implies that its reproductive system was still constituted of two ovaries."

The researchers finally combined their results with existing information concerning body and eggshell weight, deducing that Troodon produced only 4 to 6 eggs per reproductive phase. "This observation is particularly interesting because Troodon nests are usually large, containing up to 24 eggs," Tagliavento explains. "We think this is a strong suggestion that Troodon females laid their eggs in communal nests, a behaviour that we observe today among modern ostriches."

These are extremely exciting findings, Jens Fiebig comments: "Originally, we developed the dual clumped isotope method to accurately reconstruct Earth's surface temperatures of past geological eras. This study demonstrates that our method is not limited to temperature reconstruction, it also presents the opportunity to study how carbonate biomineralization evolved throughout Earth's history."
When the human remains found on board the warship Vasa were investigated, it was determined that the skeleton designated G was a man. New research now shows that the skeleton is actually from a woman.

About thirty people died when Vasa sank on its maiden voyage in 1628. We cannot know who most of them were, only one person is named in the written sources. When the ship was raised in 1961 it was the scene of a comprehensive archaeological excavation, in which numerous human bones were found on board and examined.

Through osteological analysis it has been possible to discover a great deal about these people, such as their age, height and medical history. Osteologists recently suspected that G could be female, on the basis of the pelvis. DNA analysis can reveal even more, says Dr Fred Hocker, director of research at the Vasa Museum, in Stockholm, Sweden.

Since 2004 the Vasa Museum has collaborated with the Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology at Uppsala University in Sweden to investigate all of the remains from Vasa and find out as much as possible about each individual. Initially the project focused on confirming if certain bones belonged to a specific person. Marie Allen, professor of forensic genetics, has led the work.

For us, it is both interesting and challenging to study the skeletons from Vasa. It is very difficult to extract DNA from bone which has been on the bottom of the sea for 333 years, but not impossible, says Marie Allen. She continues:

Already some years ago we had indications that skeleton G was not a man but a woman. Simply put, we found no Y-chromosomes in Gs genetic material. But we could not be certain and wanted to confirm the result.

The result has now been confirmed thanks to an interlaboratory study with Dr Kimberly Andreaggi of the Armed Forces Medical Examiner SystemsArmed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory (AFMES-AFDIL) in Delaware, USA. The AFMES-AFDIL is the American Department of Defenses laboratory, specializing in human remains DNA testing from deceased military personnel. They have established a new testing method for the analysis of many different genetic variants.

We took new samples from bones for which we had specific questions. AFMES-AFDIL has now analysed the samples, and we have been able to confirm that G was a woman, thanks to the new test, says Marie Allen.

For Marie Allen and Kimberly Andreaggi, the analysis of the Vasa skeletons is a way to develop their forensic methods, which can then be used to analyse DNA in criminal investigations or to identify fallen soldiers.

For the Vasa Museum the results of the DNA analysis are an important puzzle piece in the museums research into the people on the ship. Dr. Anna Maria Forssberg, historian and researcher at the museum, explains:

We want to come as close to these people as we can. We have known that there were women on board Vasa when it sank, and now we have received confirmation that they are among the remains. I am currently researching the wives of seamen, so for me this is especially exciting, since they are often forgotten even though they played an important role for the navy.

More results are expected shortly from the new samples. Marie Allen and Kimberly Andreaggi will be able to say something about how individuals looked, what colour their hair and eyes had, and possibly where their families came from.

Today we can extract much more information from historic DNA than we could earlier and methods are being continuously refined. We can say if a person was predisposed to certain illnesses, or even very small details, such as if they had freckles and wet or dry ear wax, says Marie Allen.

The Vasa Museums researchers are currently studying the skeletons from several perspectives, including the personal possessions found with them. Eventually the results will be presented in an exhibition at the museum and a book about the people who died on board Vasa.
The history of recipe books highlights the impact of scarcity and migration on Egyptian cuisine
Bloom Holding, a leading real estate development company, has appointed Edrafor Emirates as the enabling works contractor for Toledo, Phase Two of its fully integrated and all-inclusive residential community, Bloom Living, in Abu Dhabi.

Toledo comprises 405 units ranging from two-and three-bedroom townhouses with sizes starting from 120 sqm to 171 sqm to three- to five- bedroom detached villas from 254 sqm to 428 sqm.

It features a Community Center that includes two swimming pools and two childrens play areas surrounded by lush greenery and stunning landscaping, stated the developer.

And to further promote an active and healthy lifestyle, the residents can reach a mosque and two outstanding international schools by foot or bicycle, it added.

Announcing the contract award, CEO Carlos Wakim said: "Bloom Holding has established a reputation for excellence in the real estate industry. The start of enabling works in Toledo, six months after its successful launch, is another milestone in the construction of Bloom Living and a pivotal step in its development journey."

"Bloom Living has made remarkable progress over the past year, and we look forward to the start of works in its second phase. We are committed to keeping our promise to deliver one of our most exclusive community projects to the highest standards to ensure a superior living experience," he added.

Edrafor General Manager Pierre Fayad said: Bloom Living is bringing a unique proposition to the UAE real estate market, and we are honoured to have been selected by Bloom Holding for the construction of this community. Through our teams experience and expertise, and track record of delivery, we are confident that the project will be a great success."

Wakim pointed out that the 2.2-million-sq-m project is inspired by the Mediterranean Spanish architecture and once comopleted, will feature more than 4,500 homes including a selection of villas, townhouses, and apartments.

The second phase of Bloom Living is scheduled to be completed in Q2 2025, he added.-TradeArabia News Service
The Ramses the Great and the Gold of the Pharaohs exhibition is bringing the splendours of ancient Egypt to San Francisco on the second stop of a US tour, reports Nevine El-Aref

The international touring exhibition Ramses the Great and the Gold of the Pharaohs, officially inaugurated earlier this week at the de Young Museum in San Francisco on its second stop in the US after Houston, is a once-in-a-lifetime installation where visitors can explore the life and accomplishments of one of the most remarkable and celebrated rulers of ancient history, the pharaoh Ramses II, dubbed Ramses the Great.

Bringing more than 180 dazzling objects to the city, many of which are newly discovered and have never left Egypt before, the exhibition features exquisite sculpture, precious treasures, and state-of-the-art multimedia reproductions that demonstrate the opulence and beauty of ancient Egyptian civilisation.

We are delighted to share these rarely seen treasures from Egypts Golden Age with Bay Area audiences, said Thomas P. Campbell, director and CEO of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.

Ramses the Great and the Gold of the Pharaohs reveals the power and splendour of ancient Egypt and expands on the history conveyed within our own ancient art collections. Once the exhibition completes its international tour, these objects will return to Egyptian museums and will likely not travel again for decades.

The exhibition focuses on the life of the eminent military ruler Ramses II, a crown-prince who eventually became one of the longest-ruling kings of Egypt in his 67-year reign. Appropriately known as Ramses the Great, he was the third pharaoh of the 19th dynasty and is regarded as the most celebrated and mightiest pharaoh of the New Kingdom, Egypts Golden Age, when it had a wealthy and powerful empire.

Kings before and after Ramses II erected colossal statues of themselves, but none are larger or greater in number than those commissioned by Ramses the Great, said Renee Dreyfus, curator of ancient art and interpretation at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.

The temples he erected, statues he commissioned, monuments he inscribed throughout Egypt and Nubia, and funerary temple and royal tomb he built were reminders of his earthly power and closeness to the gods. The proliferation of his name led to it becoming almost a synonym for kingship.

Ramses the Greats tomb is located in the Valley of the Kings, the final resting place of New Kingdom pharaohs for over 500 years. This tomb was plundered in ancient times, but the exhibition includes objects from intact royal tombs found elsewhere to offer an idea of the extraordinary objects that Ramsess tomb must have contained.

Ramses II is considered to be the greatest king ever to rule Egypt, said secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) in Egypt Mustafa Waziri. This exhibition will illuminate the pivotal moments that earned the great pharaoh his place in history, while bringing visitors face-to-face with absolutely stunning ancient Egyptian artifacts. It is one of the most remarkable exhibitions to ever tour the globe, and it is a true honour for it to visit San Francisco and the de Young Museum.

The first exhibition about Ramses II in over 30 years is also the first ever to be presented in San Francisco. The installation features the most important trove of works of art related to Ramses II to leave Egypt. Royal statues, sarcophagi, spectacular masks, magnificent jewelry, and ornate golden tomb treasures reveal the fabulous wealth of the pharaohs, the astonishing skill of ancient Egyptian tomb builders, and the superb workmanship of Egyptian artists.

The installation also includes recently discovered animal mummies, including those of small cats, lion cubs, and a mongoose, from the Saqqara Necropolis, on view for the first time, as well as fabulous treasures discovered in the royal tombs in Dahshur and Tanis, many of which have never traveled to the US before.

It also includes precious objects from several other periods of Egyptian history to showcase the opulence of Egypts ancient civilisation and the beauty of its treasures. Many of these precious gold and silver objects come from intact royal tombs of the Middle Kingdom and the 21st and 22nd dynasties, Egypts Third Intermediate Period.

Immersion: Drone photography, immersive video settings, multimedia productions, and photomurals re-create the life and accomplishments of Ramses in the exhibition, including his monumental building projects and his triumph at the Battle of Kadesh, the largest chariot battle ever fought.

The exhibition also has a virtual-reality (VR) component, Ramses and Nefertari: Journey to Osiris, installed in an adjacent gallery. The immersive VR experience includes cinematic motion chairs that take visitors on a whirlwind tour of two of Ramsess most impressive monuments, Abu Simbel and Nefertaris Tomb.

This is an opportunity to experience ancient Egypt like never before, said World Heritage Exhibitions President John Norman, of the company organising the exhibition in the US.

Visitors will not only see priceless historical artifacts, but they can also transport themselves to Egyptian temples in an electrifying virtual reality journey across the sands of the Sahara Desert. We are proud to bring these immersive, one-of-a-kind experiences to visitors across the globe, he said.

Tarek El-Awadi, Head of Researchers at the Supreme Council of Antiquities explained that the visitor experience at the exhibition begins in a theatre with a 120-degree screen. On screen, a narrator explains that visitors are about to be taken on a journey back in time to admire the history of a great ancient Egyptian king. In the centre of the screen, a digital clock counts backwards from the present. The years flash back past the Renaissance and the Middle Ages, past the time of Christ and the Roman and Greek Empires, to over 3,000 years ago, over 100 human generations, stopping abruptly at the year 1304 BCE.

The image then expands to fill the entire screen and transitions into stunning drone footage that soars over the Great Pyramid of Khufu and the Sphinx and zooms down into ancient Memphis. A new king has just ascended to the throne, one who will come to epitomise the power and wealth of ancient Egypt at its height, who secured peace with his neighbours, and is still considered the greatest of all the pharaohs.

Historians report that when news of the 92-year-old kings death emerged, the Egyptians were devastated. Few could remember a time before he was pharaoh. Even in the age of Cleopatra 1,000 years after the death of Ramses, Egyptians still held him above all other pharaohs. His name and exploits remained well-known throughout history and his fame extends far beyond Egypt, enshrined in books and films.

Animations in the exhibition show how Ramses pushed back invasions by Nubians in the south, Libyans on the western border, pirates on the Mediterranean coast, and Hittites on the Syrian border of Egypt. Kadesh, his most famous battle with the Hittites, was recorded for posterity on many of the statues and temples he erected. This war ended when Ramses negotiated and signed the worlds first known peace treaty, cemented by his marriage to the daughter of the defeated Hittite king.

Successful trade agreements, abundant harvests, and an expanding economy ushered in a period of stability and prosperity that allowed Ramses to undertake an ambitious campaign of construction that continued throughout his reign.

History: The narrator of the film explains the history of the king, adding that in 1817 the Egyptologist Giovanni Belzoni uncovered the entrances to the spectacular temples at Abu Simbel, built by Ramses to celebrate his queen Nefertari and enshrine himself as a god.

Footage takes the visitor high above and through the temples among other remarkable edifices attributed to Ramses II such as the temples at Karnak, Abydos, and the Ramesseum, his mortuary temple.

Exhibition visitors then enter into the world of Ramses II himself, viewing the splendour that Ramsess own plundered tomb might once have held. Looted by tomb robbers and damaged by years of flooding, his tomb was practically empty when it was found by chance in 1881 as part of a cache of royal mummies in an obscure tomb in the Valley of the Kings. As the screen goes dark, large stone doors open, and dramatic lighting reveals an imposing red granite colossal head of Ramses II.

A projected interactive multimedia timeline includes descriptions of key moments in Ramsess life illustrated with images that include artifacts from the exhibition. A large mural of the spectacular and unique temples at Abu Simbel fills one wall. All the graphics emphasise the scale of the pharaohs accomplishments. Full-colour, fly-through animations on monitors recreate buildings as they appeared in antiquity. Artifacts include a column drum and a relief featuring figures of deities, both with cartouches of Ramses II, and a stela that shows one of the kings barques.

A limestone block depicts Ramses trampling on his enemies. In a semi-circular side room, the story of Ramsess military victories including the Battle of Kadesh unfolds in a dramatic multimedia presentation. A giant 3D relief map of Egypt and its neighbours is projected, and miniature figures, including military leaders from the different warring factions as well as Ramses and his sons, war chariots, and archers, move around the map as the story progresses.

Hundreds of arrows aimed at enemy forces by crack-shot archers fly across the maps terrain with the use of projection mapping. Further projections show battalions of horse-drawn chariots race across the scene, heightening the drama and storytelling as the narrator recounts some of Ramsess defining military campaigns, including one of the most famous battles in history.

Near the exit to the gallery, visitors learn that after overseeing a period of peace, stability, and economic prosperity in Egypt, Ramses died at the age of 92 and was buried in the Valley of the Kings.

Artifacts and panels showing the kings tomb and its builders are on show among those displaying the necropolis in Luxor where the tombs of Ramses II and his family are located, with the surviving funerary collection of the king also being on display.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 25 August, 2022 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly.

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Ramses IIs wooden coffin will be displayed as part of the international touring exhibition 'Ramses the Great and the Gold of the Pharaohs,' starting with its next destination in Paris, the cabinet approved on Wednesday.

The exhibition in Paris will be held from 1 April-17 September 2023, before moving on to its next destination, Sydney, Australia.

The Ramses the Great and the Gold of the Pharaohs exhibition is a once-in-a-lifetime installation where visitors can explore the life and accomplishments of one of the most remarkable and celebrated rulers of ancient history, the Pharaoh Ramses II, dubbed Ramses the Great.

Displaying more than 180 dazzling Egyptian artefacts, the touring exhibition features exquisite sculptures, precious treasures, and state-of-the-art multimedia reproductions that demonstrate the opulence and beauty of ancient Egyptian civilisation.

The exhibition was first inaugurated in November 2021 at its first location in Houston, it was then displayed at the city of San Francisco in August 2022.

Separately, a cabinet decree approved the display of 18 artefacts from the Museum of Islamic Art in Cairo and the Manial Palace at the Islamic Arts Biennale in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, from 23 January to 23 April.

These will be showcased as part of the Awwal Bait (first house) exhibition in the Hajj Terminal in Jeddahs King Abdulaziz International Airport.

The exhibition will display multiple Islamic artefacts expressing the themes of Qiblah (sacred direction) and Hijrah (migration) with the aim of preserving Islamic art.

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Navigation traffic in the Suez Canal recorded its highest ever daily transit rate, with 107 ships crossing from both directions without waiting and a total net tonnage of 6.3. million tons, Chairman of the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) Osama Rabie said on Monday.

The tally included 56 ships that entered the canal from the south with a net tonnage of 3.4 million tons, while 51 ships crossed from the north in the new navigational stream with a total net tonnage of 2.9 million tons, Rabie added.

The giant container ship EVER GIFTED, classified as one of the largest container ships in the world with a total tonnage of 223,000 tons, crossed the canal from Greece to Malaysia, while the COSCO SHIPPING UNIVERSE container ship flying the Hong Kong flag came at the head of the southern convoy, with a total tonnage of 232,000 tons, on its journey from Singapore to Greece.

Rabie attributed the increase in daily transit rates to the New Suez Canal project which has succeeded in increasing the canals capacity and raising the canals readiness to receive new and future generations of big ships with large drafts.

The SCA published in late January an infograph comparing the navigation statistics in the Suez Canal between 2008-2014 and 2016-2022 -- before and after the inauguration of the New Suez Canal project that established a parallel path to part of the original one.

Total revenues recorded $41.7 billion in the seven years after the operation of the new canal, up from $35.4 billion between 2008 and 2014, recording an increase of 17.8 percent, the SCA added in January.

In January 2023, the canal registered the highest monthly revenue in its history, reaching $802 million, surpassing the record achieved in August 2022 by $56.4 million.

Rabie stressed on Monday that these unprecedented rates are the result of developments in the navigational course. He added the southern sector of the canal was developed to increase navigational safety by 28 percent and the capacity of the canal by about six ships.

In February 2022, Rabie said work was underway to extend the two-way segment of the Suez Canal by 10 kilometres as part of the countrys plan to constantly improve the international waterway.

The two-way traffic segment will be extended from the current 72 to 82 kilometres, Rabie said in the first news conference on the process, which began in June 2021.

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The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced charges against Michael J. French, of Pendleton, South Carolina, and two companies controlled by him, MJF Holdings, LLC ("MJF Holdings") and MJF Capital, LLC ("MJF Capital"), for defrauding investors and misappropriating millions in investor funds.

According to the SEC's complaint, French, through MJF Holdings, sold more than $20 million in high-yield promissory notes to over 400 investors throughout the country. The complaint alleges that French falsely told investors that the notes - promising 12% returns for a one-year investment - were backed by a low-risk investment program, under which the note proceeds would be loaned to small businesses and/or invested in commercial loans on a fractional basis to produce returns. The complaint also states that French claimed that the loans selected for investment to back the promissory notes were strictly underwritten and thus posed little risk to investors. According to the SEC's complaint, the lending program was a sham, and French spent the money he raised to repay earlier investors and to fund a lavish lifestyle. The complaint also states that French ultimately defaulted on the notes and ceased communicating with investors.

The complaint, filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, charges French and MJF Holdings with violations of the registration provisions of Section 5 of the Securities Act of 1933 and 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 charges MJF Capital with aiding and abetting French's and MJF Holdings' alleged fraud. The complaint also names as relief defendants seven other entities allegedly controlled by French. The SEC seeks permanent injunctive relief, an asset freeze, an accounting, disgorgement of all ill-gotten gains plus prejudgment interest, and civil penalties.

The SEC's investigation was conducted by Grant Mogan, Andrew D. Mason and Tiffany Kunkle, with assistance from Taryn Hairston, all of the Atlanta Regional Office, and supervised by Thomas B. Bosch and Justin C. Jeffries. The litigation is being conducted by Kristin Murnahan and Graham Loomis.
Milham Park has added accessible playground equipment. (Shandra Martinez)

Milham Park now features an accessible playground. (Shandra Martinez)

The playground at Milham Park has undergone a transformation that has created a model for inclusive play for children with disabilities.Its about time, says Norman Peak, 38, of the park that hasnt undergone improvements in two decades. He grew up visiting the 49-acre park in Kalamazoos Milwood neighborhood.I grew up in a family where we had many physical and mental disabilities, so I know firsthand what it's like to be somewhere where you can't play, says Peak. It does have an effect on you. Just because you have a disability doesnt mean you shouldn't have fun. Kids are kids. This is a beautiful way for our tax dollars to be put to work.Milham Park is an example of a growing trend across Michigan  and the United States  to create playgrounds that are accessible for people of all abilities.Peak appreciates that the city of Kalamazoo chose to invest in an inclusive playground at Milham Park.If you're from the Kalamazoo area, this is a staple. You've either been here to play yourself as a kid, or you brought your kids. This is where you have your birthday parties or other celebrations, says Peak, who on a recent Saturday was with his daughter, Kennedy, who was having a play date with a friend.The $515,000 transformation project was funded in part by a $286,000 grant from the Irving S. Gilmore Foundation.The additional capital was helpful in incorporating more accessible features, which can be more expensive than traditional park equipment, explains Kalamazoos Parks and Recreation Director Patrick McVerry.In designing the playground, we wanted to incorporate accessible areas of play for all children. We try to do that at any park that is undergoing a new playground build, McVerry says.As part of the design process, the city held public input sessions to get ideas from the community on elements they would like to see at the playground. Then, the city worked with a design firm, and the playground vendor incorporated those ideas into drawings, within budget, of what the playground may look like. The ideas were then taken back to the community for approval.The park has an Expression Swing that allows a parent to face a child as they swing. Its designed to promote intergenerational play as adults and children swing together. Theres a bucket seat for children 5 and younger and a comfortable adult swing seat that allows a parent and child to interact with each other and experience the others facial expressions while playing.Theres also a swing for children who require additional support to swing with their friends. This could include someone who uses a wheelchair.I'm really excited that they have this here. We've driven past as weve watched the construction. This is one of those places where now, say, if you do have a child that has physical disabilities or has autism, you have somewhere you can go, Peak says.So far, the response has been positive to the new playground, adds McVerry.The playground was completed right before the snow, so we havent had a majority of the community use the new playground yet, but the reaction has been great thus far, he says.On this Saturday, the playground was busy with children of all abilities, which shows the power of creating an accessible playground. The playground is configured with equipment geared toward ages 2 to 5 and 5 to 11. It includes a quiet playscape for children with special needs, and a wheelchair-friendly concrete path and ramp leading to the play area.There are interactive pieces that create sounds, a large climbing structure in the 5-to-11-year-old area, and signage to help with communication.The quiet playscape combines the soothing benefits of nature with sensory activities to help children alleviate stress without having to leave the playground. It is designed to reduce the sights, sounds, and even smells that can overstimulate. The space is designed to give a child rest with a parent or caregiver, a secure place to refocus before heading back to play. It also includes activities to allow multiple children to spin, push, click, and move objects.For other communities considering the construction of an accessible park, McVerry suggests they aim to do as much as possible. Some of the pieces are quite expensive, but, with outside funding opportunities and grants, they can be a great addition to any park system.It was also helpful to work with an organization with expertise in accessibility, he adds. Kalamazoo turned to the Disability Network of Southwest Michigan (DNSWM) for input on the design and compliance aspects of the playground.They have great expertise and ideas that enhance any project, and are great to work with, says McVerry.Yvonne Fleener, President and CEO of DNSWM, commends Kalamazoo's Parks and Recreation and the Gilmore Foundation for their dedication to building accessible and inclusive communities."This inclusive playground is more than just a recreational area, but a space that embraces diversity, promotes empathy, and nurtures a sense of belonging for all children," Fleener says.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.
Syrian state media said Israel staged airstrikes near Damascus early Thursday, wounding two soldiers and causing material damage.

Loud explosions were heard over the Syrian capital around 1:30 a.m., and the SANA state news agency said Syrian air defenses were confronting hostile targets. SANA, quoting an unidentifed military official, said some missiles were shot down by the air defenses.

Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes on targets inside government-controlled parts of Syria in recent years, including attacks on the Damascus and Aleppo airports, but it rarely acknowledges specific operations.

Israel says it targets bases of Iran-allied militant groups, such as Lebanons Hezbollah, which has sent thousands of fighters to support Syrian President Bashar Assads forces.

An Israeli airstrike last week targeting the airport at the northern city of Aleppo put it out of commission for two days.

Along with airports, Israel has also targeted seaports in government-held areas in an apparent attempt to prevent what they say are Iranian arms shipments to militant groups backed by Tehran, including Hezbollah.

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The pandemic-fueled exodus from Californias public schools largely leveled off this year, allowing some districts across the state to stave off more budget cuts and, in some cases, the need for school closures.

Overall, the state saw enrollment decline by just under 40,000 students in the fall, a significant improvement compared with the loss of more than 110,000 in the fall of 2021 and the departure of 160,000 in the fall of 2020, according to data released Tuesday. Across all districts, 5.85 million students were enrolled statewide.

Among some of the states largest districts, San Francisco saw the most significant rebound, with enrollment at 55,537, a drop of just 55 students or a .01% decline.



Certainly this is an optimistic sign that enrollment is stabilizing for San Francisco public schools, said Superintendent Matt Wayne, adding that the district has significantly ramped up outreach efforts during the enrollment process. We remain focused on offering the types of school experiences that students and families want.

In Oakland, the district also saw a slowing in the enrollment decline, with a loss of 279 students or less than 1%, down to just over 34,000. Charter school enrollment in the district lost about 5% of enrollment year-over-year.

Sacramento and some other large districts continued to see a greater decline at nearly 2% compared with the 2020-2021 school year.

Local education officials have kept a worried eye on the loss of students over the past few years given the financial impact on schools and districts. State funding for each student equals about $17,000 and is based on enrollment and attendance. The loss of students has left many schools with significantly underenrolled schools and classrooms.

In Oakland, for example, the loss of 279 students just this year could mean a nearly $4.5 million hit to the districts budget, although state legislators could decide to mitigate ongoing enrollment declines.

While traditional public school enrollment leveled out, charter school enrollment ticked up 1% while private schools saw a slight decline of just over 3,000 students.

To some degree, the statewide rebound in enrollment comes from the expansion of transitional kindergarten, which allows more families to enroll their 4-year-olds in school. Currently, those students are counted as kindergartners in a two-year program, but that will change next year when transitional kindergarten becomes a separate grade.

While state officials lauded the slowing of enrollment declines, the pandemic appeared to leave an ongoing mark, with a 9% increase in the number of homeless students; a 2% increase in foster youth and students from low-income families; and a nearly 3% increase in students with disabilities.

Districts across the state continue to struggle with the COVID fallout, which harmed family stability and student social skills and exacerbated mental health issues, resulting in the need for more support systems to help the growing share of disadvantaged students.

It has been a state priority to work to ensure that families are engaged in public schools and ensure that schools meet family needs, the California Department of Education said in a statement. Over the last four years, Governor Gavin Newsom, the Legislature, and state Superintendent Tony Thurmond have worked together to secure $23.8 billion in programs and initiatives to engage families and students in public schools, address and dismantle barriers to student success, and jumpstart learning recovery.
Officials at the Department of Housing and Urban Development have charged the owners of a Peninsula apartment building with discriminating against a family with children, the department announced Tuesday.

In charging documents filed on March 30, HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge accuses Burlingame apartment building owner Melinda Teruel of pressuring a family who was expecting their second child to move out of their one-bedroom apartment and into a larger and more expensive unit in the complex. According to the charging documents, the landlord expressed fear that children would damage the apartment.

The owner allegedly told the tenants repeatedly that they could not stay in the unit because the unit is not for a family of your size, and that families are known to cause more wear and tear, documents show. Teruel also allegedly warned the tenants that they had evicted families from a one-bedroom apartment before.

Attempts to reach Teruel were unsuccessful on Tuesday morning.

One of the tenants, who were not named in charging documents, was about seven months pregnant when they moved into the building in September 2018, officials said. When the landlord found out, investigators said, she offered the family a larger apartment, but the family declined because they could not afford it. The tenants were paying $1,800 for their one-bedroom apartment at the time, and a two-bedroom unit was $3,000, the investigation found.

Attorneys for HUDs regional office said the landlord pressured and harassed the family until the tenants decided to move out in June 2020, telling the landlord in an email that the constant harassment from you regarding my children has been unbearable.

The landlord denied the allegations and withheld the familys security deposit, accusing the tenants of causing significant damage to the unit although Teruel was unable to provide the government with proof of damage, officials said.

Additionally, the landlord accused family members of lying about the pregnancy when they moved in.

Sensing that an eviction might be imminent, the family moved to Sacramento after failing to find an affordable home in the Bay Area, the charging documents say. As a result of the discrimination, the family suffered actual damages, including a lost housing opportunity, emotional distress, inconvenience and out-of-pocket costs, officials said.

Federal officials said they are committed to enforcing the Fair Housing Act, which prohibits discrimination against families with children under 18, people who are pregnant and those in the process of obtaining legal custody. The case will go before an administrative law judge unless one of the parties pursues it in federal district court.

The Fair Housing Act protects families from discrimination because of the presence of children or because they are expecting a child, said Damon Smith, the departments general counsel, in a news release.

He said the discrimination charges should put landlords on notice that HUD takes those protections seriously.
The wild parrots of Telegraph Hill remind me of the San Francisco I love the most.

Theyre eccentric, stubborn and colorful. Kind of random. Resilient. They just got here, and yet they still fly through the city like they own the place. Travelers seemingly from another galaxy, who made S.F. their home.

Yes, theyre a nonnative species, but doesnt that apply to nearly every human being who lives here? Parrots are the perfect metaphor for San Franciscans, and theyre the perfect choice for the Official Animal of San Francisco.

The parrots were named Official Animal after a month-long process that started with 16 animals, and ended with the parrots winning with a feather-thin 51.3% of the vote in a one-on-one competition versus the Pier 39 sea lions. True to the city they now represent, the polling ended in roiling political controversy: an October surprise (in March) that nearly propelled the sea lions  who had dominated the first three rounds of voting  to victory.

We think the sea lions would have been wonderful ambassadors as well. They came to us in a moment of struggle, providing a fun narrative, levity and a huge tourism boost after the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake felled part of the Bay Bridge and marked the city as a disaster zone.

Sea lions represent a more goofy side of San Francisco, the side of San Francisco that you see on Bay to Breakers that makes you do a belly laugh, Roll Over Easy radio host Luke Spray said on the BFF.fm show this week. Also, if were thinking about the representation of San Francisco, so many folks their first experience of San Francisco  is Pier 39. The thing I remember from my childhood Pier 39 visit was the sea lions.

Michael Macor/The Chronicle

But theres something special about the way parrots have mirrored the San Francisco experience, captured beautifully in Judy Irvings 2003 documentary The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill.

The parrots arrived in the late 1980s  there are conflicting theories about why, but a pet store escape seems most likely  and managed to proliferate. There were an estimated 220 during the last count. The red-masked parakeets and mitred conures, two different species, have mated in San Francisco to create a hybrid thats unique to the city.

We have our own little special breed of parrot now, Irving said on a recent Total SF episode.

The wild parrots are associated with North Beach and the waterfront, but theyre San Franciscos real life Pokemon, liable to show up anywhere, whether youre chilling in a backyard in Cole Valley, climbing Bayview Hill overlooking Candlestick Point or having a picnic in the Presidio.

Brant Ward/Associated Press

Theyre loud, colorful newcomers that help shape the city in their bold image  just like so many of our greatest residents. Robin Williams was a wild parrot. Harvey Milk was a wild parrot. Rita Moreno, Jerry Rice and Hunter Pence? All wild parrots.

Heather Knight and I started the Official Animal of San Francisco contest on the Total SF podcast, after Heather discovered the city has no official animal.

The sea lions easily won the first three rounds  with at least 30% of the vote and no close competitor. But the final round was a narrow and fierce battle, with the lead changing at least four times between Monday and Thursday at midnight when the voting ended. (How close was it? Based on Thursday mornings numbers I wrote a full embargoed column declaring the sea lions the winner. Now I know how Chronicle beat writers feel when the Giants blow a lead in the ninth inning.)

The election process was a wild ride. The parrots were leading on Tuesday afternoon, when the official San Francisco government Twitter account retweeted a Pier 39 post urging a sea lion vote.

Lobbying wasnt banned during the contest (in fact it was encouraged!), but parrot supporters, including the influential Telegraph Hill Dwellers Association protested the post, with Club Fugazi calling it an October surprise, a term for bombshell news stories that break just before a national election. It was taken down hours later; after the sea lions surged into the lead.

And yet grassroots parrot boosters, including parrot rescue organizations and the official account of the Oracle Park seagull, rallied supporters to a narrow 227-vote victory, with parrots receiving 4,239 votes and sea lions 4,012.

If anything, we think a bona fide San Francisco political controversy adds to the legend. (Do the sea lions know anything about the ballot box tops found floating in the bay after Willie Brown was elected in 2001?)

Supervisors Myrna Melgar and Aaron Peskin have already pledged to support a resolution naming the winner of our polling the official Official Animal of S.F.

The Total SF team hopes the parrots are forever honored for the joy theyve brought to the city. They are the loudest  and the best  of all of us.
In the late 1970s, Mark Paulson paid $250 for a bottle of wine from a liquor store on Clement Street. At the time, that felt like a lot of money.

Later this month, that bottle will be sold at an auction. The bidding will start at $50,000. And Paulson expects it may fetch $80,000 or more.

The bottle is a jeroboam  3 liters, also known as a double magnum  of 1971 Domaine de la Romanee-Conti La Tache, a Pinot Noir from Frances Burgundy region. Wines made by Domaine de la Romanee-Conti, which many experts consider to be the greatest winery on Earth, routinely command the highest prices in the market. (A Romanee-Conti from 1945  a legendary vintage in Burgundy  sold at a 2018 auction for $558,000.) La Tache is one of the winerys most prized vineyards.

Most of the time, when Romanee-Conti bottles become available for purchase, the sellers are seasoned collectors. They may have originally acquired the wines as an investment, with the intention of eventually selling them at auction.

Seldom does one see a seller like Paulson, 72, a retired commercial painter who said he doesnt even drink wine anymore. (He prefers beer.) I did 40 years in the union in the city, he said. I painted just about every building in downtown San Francisco. For the last four decades, that bottle of 71 La Tache had been sitting in a cardboard box in the basement of his South San Francisco home.

He knew it was worth something, but I was thinking $20,000, maybe $25,000, he said. It was hard to get a precise valuation, since Romanee-Conti produced very few jeroboams of the 1971 La Tache. The best comp he had was a sale in 2014, when a bottle of the wine went for $22,610 at an auction.

A few months ago, a contractor came to Paulsons house, noticed the bottle and offered Paulson $5,000 for it. He declined, knowing that was way too low. But the offer inspired Paulsons son to do a Google search on his phone.

Provided by Bonhams Skinner

Thats when his son discovered an article announcing a new relevant comparison. In October 2022, Bonhams Skinner had auctioned off another 3-liter bottle of 71 La Tache  this time, for $81,250.

We were freaking out, Paulson said. His son got in touch with Bonhams Skinner, and they arranged to consign his bottle.

The bidding will take place online April 16-26.

Paulson is hoping that he may benefit from the freshness of Octobers sale in some collectors memories. Maybe that guy who didnt get it last time is going to want to get it this time, he said.

The bottle is a relic of a happy, carefree time in Paulsons life, when he was new in San Francisco and hanging out with hippies, artists and musicians.

He moved to the city in 1971, after serving in Vietnam in the Navy. One day, while walking around the Polo Field in Golden Gate Park, he ran into some friends of his sisters. He ended up living with them in what he described as a commune. Through his housemates, he fell in with an artsy crowd, including the members of an influential local band, the Flamin Groovies. We were all kind of hippies, he said.

The Flamin Groovies were into wine. They and Paulson joined a wine tasting group organized by Roger Brandt, who owned a liquor store on Clement Street called A.E. Harris. When the group met, everyone would throw in $50 or so, and Brandt would open fine wines  some of the finest wines in the world. In the early 80s, Paulson said that Brandt opened several bottles of 1971 wines from Domaine de la Romanee-Conti, including a La Tache. (It was a regular-size, 750ml bottle, though, not a jeroboam.)

Food Guide

Because of his friendship with Brandt, Paulson ended up buying some collectible wines. All my wines came from A.E. Harris, he said. Roger always had the best prices. When Brandt came into the jeroboam of 1971 La Tache, he advised Paulson to buy it, for the then-steep price $250. So he did.

Three liters is a lot of wine  four times the size of a regular bottle  and Paulson didnt know when hed have the occasion to open such a large vessel. After his daughter was born in 1984, he decided hed save it for her wedding someday. But he changed his mind when his son discovered the $80,000-plus valuation. (His daughter did get married this year, with a ceremony in Golden Gate Park and a reception at Atwater Tavern. But Paulson said they didnt open particularly nice wine: There were too many people.)

By the late 1980s, the wine tasting group had disbanded. Paulson had four kids, and even though he made good money as a painter, he couldnt keep up his fine-wine habit. He stopped buying wine from A.E. Harris  stopped drinking it altogether, really. The last time he can remember opening one of his A.E. Harris purchases was in 1987. The bottle, a 1959 Chateau Latour, was one of my last fine wines, he said.

Along with the La Tache, Paulson held on to several treasures from A.E. Harris. Six of those will also be offered at the Bonhams Skinner auction. Theyre all Madeira, a fortified wine made on the Portuguese island of Madeira thats known for its long aging potential. Their vintage dates range from 1795 to 1870, and Bonhams Skinner estimates they will sell for $1,000-$4,000 apiece.

As for what hell do with the auction winnings, he plans to give a big fat commission to his son, he said, of at least $10,000. If it hadnt been for my son seeing that article, this never would have happened.

The rest of the money, Paulson said, hell probably just put into home repairs.
UPDATE: FDA approves 2nd bivalent COVID booster for older adults, immunocompromised

Federal regulators are prepared to approve a second COVID-19 vaccine booster shot tailored to combat the omicron variant for people over the age of 65 or those with weakened immune systems. The move is an attempt to offer extra protection to high-risk individuals.

According to individuals familiar with the plan, the Food and Drug Administration is expected to make an announcement regarding the authorization within the next few weeks. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is also expected to endorse the move, officials told the Washington Post.

This news comes less than a week after the CDC updated its vaccine guidelines to state that one updated dose was sufficient for now, even for those who had their last shot more than six months ago or were at higher risk for COVID-19.

The agencys policy was out of step with that of some other countries, including the United Kingdom and Canada, which are offering additional boosters to certain individuals, such as nursing home residents and those who are immunocompromised.

Eligible U.S. individuals, under the reported policy shift, will now be able to receive an additional dose of the bivalent booster targeted at the BA.4 and BA.5 omicron subvariants and the original coronavirus variant at least four months after receiving their first shot.

More for you Trump indictment: What charges mean  and what a potential defense will look like

The FDAs policy change is permissive, which means people may receive the shot but are not urged to get it like they were with previous vaccine rollouts. Physicians and public health officials have expressed varying opinions on the necessity of a second bivalent booster.

There has been little data confirming its effectiveness, even though some studies indicate antibody protection from the initial booster fades after just a few months.

However, much of the research does not consider the protection afforded by T cells, which are not easily measured, nor hybrid immunity derived from natural infection and previous vaccination.

Yvonne Maldonado, an infectious disease expert at Stanford, said, If you look at whos dying or getting sick now, its people who are unvaccinated or unboosted.

While more than 95% of the U.S. population age 65 and older received at least one vaccine dose, only 42.1% of those eligible have received the latest boosters which were authorized in August, according to the CDC.

Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious disease expert with UCSF, believes the most vulnerable in our society should be allowed the option of getting an additional booster shot at this time. But he added the main focus should be on the more than 50% of those over 65 who havent gotten a single bivalent booster.

Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis on Monday shared research that demonstrated booster shots targeting COVID-19 variants different from the original virus strain can help shore up immunity as new offshoots emerge.

The challenge with COVID-19 is that the virus keeps mutating, senior author Ali Ellebedy, an associate professor of pathology and immunology, said in a statement about the study published in Nature. Here we showed that its possible to design a variant-specific booster that doesnt just strengthen the antibodies people already have but elicits new antibodies. This means that periodically giving boosters targeting new variants would allow population-level protection to be maintained even as the virus evolves.

The offering of a second bivalent booster will not interfere with the Biden administrations previously stated plan of moving the nation toward an annual COVID vaccine similar to the flu shot. Some experts believe that approach will make things less complicated for the general public.

I know they tend toward trying to keep it simple, and certainly you need to get a yearly shot every fall is simpler than you should consider an extra shot if you fit the following categories: XX, YY, ZZ, if you had your booster more than 6 months ago and havent had an infection since then, said Bob Wachter, UCSFs chair of medicine.

The other plot twist is the evidence that vaccination lowers the risk of long COVID by 25% or so, Wachter added. This might tip the scales to favor vaccination, particularly in older people and women, who are at higher risk.
A federal appeals court reinstated a religious-discrimination suit Monday by a California woman who said the loyalty oath she was required to take when applying for a job with the state  pledging to uphold the California and U.S. constitutions against all enemies, foreign and domestic  violated her primary allegiance to the Kingdom of God as a Jehovahs Witness.

Brianna Bolden-Hardge, a Sacramento County resident, proposed instead to swear that she would uphold both constitutions while not giving up my right to freely exercise my religion. She also sought to delete the reference to all enemies and instead declare that she would not be required to bear arms, engage in violence, nor to participate in political or military affairs.

The State Controllers Office, which had offered a job to Bolden-Hardge in 2017, rejected her proposal and withdrew the offer. She returned to a lower-paying job with the state Franchise Tax Board, which had just begun to require loyalty oaths from its staff but accepted Bolden-Hardges changes. She then sued the controllers office, seeking damages and a court order requiring the office to likewise agree to a reworded oath.

A federal judge in Sacramento dismissed the lawsuit but was overruled Monday by the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which said Bolden-Hardge may be able to prove a violation of her right to religious freedom.

If an employee cannot claim first loyalty to God, she must, by implication, owe first loyalty to something else  here, the federal and state constitutions.  She has alleged an actual conflict, Judge Michelle Friedland wrote in a 3-0 ruling reinstating the damage claim. She said Bolden-Hardge lacks legal standing to seek a reworded oath because she is no longer applying for a job at the controllers office, but that could change in the future.

Controller Malia Cohen, represented by the state attorney generals office, argued that the oath did not require anyone to pledge loyalty to government over religion and that Cohens office would be violating state law if it allowed a job applicant to change the wording. The state cited a past Ninth Circuit ruling that said employers in California do not have to accommodate an employees religious views when the accommodation would conflict with state law.

But even if the proposed rewording violated state law, the court said, Cohens office, unlike private employers in the earlier ruling, would not face enforcement action from any other state agency. Bolden-Hardge told the court that the Franchise Tax Board and other state government departments had altered their loyalty oaths without any adverse consequences.

But the court gave more weight to an argument by Cohens office that the oath is meant to ensure that public servants are committed to upholding the rule of law, supporting and defending the federal and state constitutions, and promoting the proper functioning of constitutional government, and that it would become meaningless if changed to declare primary loyalty to ones deity.

This assertion may well prove true, but should be addressed by evidence at a later stage of the case, Friedland said.

Representatives of Bolden-Hardge and Cohens office were not immediately available for comment. UCLA Law Professor Eugene Volokh, who filed arguments supporting Bolden-Hardge, said he generally agreed with the ruling.

If Bolden-Hardge was applying for a job as a police officer or a soldier in the National Guard, Volokh said, it would be costly for the state to employ a pacifist and it could reasonably refuse to reword the oath, Volokh said. But for other positions like the one she was seeking, he said, such a change wouldnt impose any material cost on the employer.
The indictment of Donald Trump is an opportunity for politicians on both sides of the aisle to capitalize on another historic first by the former president  the first ever to face criminal charges.

For some  like Trump  it could be seen as a short-term win. The indictment unsealed Tuesday in a Manhattan courtroom could prevent his opponents from attacking him for fear of alienating his fanatical base.

For others  like his cowed political opponents  it could be a long-term victory if hes convicted of any of the 34 felony counts of falsifying business records filed against him by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. Trump pleaded not guilty.

One thing is certain: Both sides will try to raise millions of dollars off of Trumps indictment. Trump already has pulled in more than $10 million since the indictment was announced, according to his campaign. For context: Rep. Katie Porter, D-Irvine, has raised $4.5 million over three months for her U.S. Senate campaign.

Hours before the indictment was read, the Trump campaign began selling T-shirts with a fake image of Trumps mug shot (the former president was never handcuffed and did not have a mug shot taken) over the words Not Guilty. Price tag: $47. That was quite a flip-flop for Trump, whose 2016 campaign rallies regularly featured his supporters mocking Hillary Clinton by chanting Lock her up!

For now, Trumps insistence that this is a political persecution is resonating. More than 3 in 4 Americans (76%) believe that politics played at least some role in the decision to indict him, according to a CNN poll Monday. The same poll, however, found 60% approve of the decision to indict. Trumps constant wail that Braggs pursuit of him is a witch hunt has been parroted by those who support him  and frozen nearly all of his competitors from criticizing him, thus maintaining his lead in the race.

In fact, it might be growing. A Reuters/Ipsos Poll on Monday found that 48% of Republicans back Trump for president, up from 44% in a survey taken last month. Meanwhile, his closest competitor, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, saw his support drop to 19% from 30% in March. No other candidate or potential competitor breaks single-digit support.

Trump may be able to manipulate his legal problems to strengthen his grip in the race for the GOP nomination, but it wont help him win back the White House. A Quinnipiac University poll Tuesday found that 57% of Americans said criminal charges should disqualify Trump from running for president. There are no laws prohibiting him from doing so. And 62% of independents  who will likely be the difference in the 2024 race no matter who runs  back Tuesdays New York indictment, according to the CNN poll.

Another potential downside for Trump is the timing of when this case is resolved. If it drags on for several months, as is likely, the resolution could come right in the middle of the GOP primaries  perhaps as soon as while ballots are being cast in Californias March 5 primary. A conviction could alienate moderate voters. An acquittal could lift Trump to victory.

Trump may be the first presidential candidate to be charged with a crime in one state (New York), then travel to give a speech in another state (Florida) where he is being investigated for a federal crime. Federal investigators are looking into whether Trump mishandled classified documents found at his Mar-a-Lago estate, where he is expected to speak later Tuesday.

While the public reaction likely will shift in response to legal developments over the next several months, the initial political reaction is settling into a few distinct camps.

The political witch hunt camp

Most of the conservative choir sang from the same songbook Tuesday. The refrain: The prosecution is politically motivated. The Conservative Political Action Conference, the Trump-friendly right-wing group, issued its reaction more than three hours before the indictment was unsealed.

The Trump indictment is little more than politics dressed up as prosecution, and it should end, read a statement signed by leaders of the organization. At a minimum, Bragg should recuse himself, given his Soros connections. The reference to billionaire Democratic donor George Soros is an antisemitic trope often echoed by Trumps other potential rivals for the nomination. Soros gave $1 million to Color of Change, a progressive organization that funded texts, emails and other activities in support of Bragg during his 2021 campaign for district attorney.

Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, a Trump acolyte who chairs the House Judiciary Committee, tweeted: The indictment wouldnt happen if President Trump didnt run for office.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., elevated Trumps alleged persecution to biblical levels.

Trump is joining some of the most incredible people in history being arrested today, Greene told the conservative news outlet Right Side Broadcasting. Nelson Mandela was arrested, served time in prison. Jesus  Jesus was arrested and murdered by the Roman government.

Rep. Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, said he has largely seen Republican politicians mouthing the same narrative about politicized prosecution, nonsense like that. Republicans are deeply into the politicization of the criminal justice system. And that's really disgraceful, he told The Chronicle ahead of Trumps arraignment.

The silent opponents camp

In just about any other political universe, what Trump faced Tuesday would be a gold mine for his political opponents. He is facing felony charges for paying hush money to a porn star he allegedly slept with in an effort to keep the story under wraps before an election. Trump denies the affair.

Yet the response from the rest of the Republican field was either silence or an attack on the legal system. Either reaction helps Trump by not drawing distinctions between themselves and a potential felon.

Even former Vice President Mike Pence  who Trump supporters wanted to hang during the Jan. 6 insurrection  couldnt bring himself to draw perhaps the one distinction between himself and the person he served under for four years, even though they will likely soon be vying for the same job. Pence is expected to announce his presidential campaign before summer.

Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, a declared candidate, tried to change the subject. She told Fox News on Monday that she was baffled that no one was talking about issues on the U.S.-Mexico border, where she is touring this week.

We had 70,000 people die of fentanyl and synthetic opioid deaths in 2021, Haley said Monday. Yet were talking about political revenge of a former president. It doesnt make sense.

Even though he hasnt officially declared his candidacy, DeSantis is Trumps top 2024 challenger. DeSantis has steadfastly declined to capitalize on Trumps legal woes for fear of alienating the GOP base of supporters who are largely still devoted to Trump.

Last week, he said he would refuse to extradite Trump to New York. He tweeted that the weaponization of the legal system to advance a political agenda turns the rule of law on its head.

None learned the lesson of Trumps 2016 primary opponent, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz.

During the primaries, the normally combative Cruz remained silent while Trump mocked the appearance of Cruzs wife, insinuated that Cruzs father was involved in the assassination of President Kennedy and called him Lyin Ted.

Only in the final days did Cruz respond in the same tone, calling Trump a pathological liar, a narcissist and someone who doesnt know the difference between truth and lies. He lies, practically every word that comes out of his mouth  and, in a pattern that I think is straight out of a psychology textbook. His response is to accuse everybody else of lying.

It was too late. Hours after he said that, Cruz dropped out of the race. And what did Cruz say Tuesday, before the indictment was unsealed: The indictment of Donald Trump is wholly political and baseless.

The criticism-adjacent camp

Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced his campaign for president Sunday by doing something his opponents wouldnt: He called for Trump to withdraw from the race, saying it has become too much of a sideshow and distraction, and he needs to be able to concentrate on his due process.

As Ive traveled the country for six months, Hutchinson told ABC News, I hear people talk about the leadership of our country, and Im convinced that people want leaders that appeal to the best of America, and not simply appeal to our worst instincts.

But outside of Never Trumpers, Hutchinsons critical comments were rare among Republicans. Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., still hasnt commented on Trumps legal problems. On Tuesday, McConnell instead chose to issue a statement welcoming Finland to NATO.

The let the system do its job camp

California Democrats have largely stuck to the party line: Politicians should stay out of the proceedings and let the judicial system run its course.

As Donald Trump challenges the legitimacy of our criminal justice system, let us give him the equal protection and due process hes deprived everyone hes accused of a crime, Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Castro Valley, tweeted. Swalwell is suing Trump for allegedly inciting the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

As the case falls to the DA to prove, we must recognize what is most important: Even the most powerful are held to account, and that nobody is above the law, Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Burbank, tweeted. Schiff played a starring role in Trumps impeachment trial and the House Select Committee probe of the Jan. 6 attack.

President Joe Biden declined to comment on the indictment after being asked multiple times. White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Olivia Dalton told reporters Monday that the administration wouldnt discuss concerns about protests in New York around the arraignment.

A lot of people just think the criminal justice system should be above politics and should just go wherever the facts and the accountability leads. Beyond that, I really think we should just keep our noses out of it, Huffman said.

When asked if there will be any Democratic politicians celebrating the arraignment, Huffman said, not smart ones, but probably a few.

At least one Democratic lawmaker decided to be a bit more bombastic. Folks keep saying this is a sad day for our country, Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Long Beach, tweeted. Um  its not sad. Its fing accountability.
When Donald Trump steps before a judge next week to be arraigned in a New York courtroom, it will not only mark the first time a former U.S. president has faced criminal charges.

It will also represent a reckoning for a man long nicknamed Teflon Don, who until now has managed to skirt serious legal jeopardy despite 40 years of legal scrutiny.

Trump, who is the early frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination, is expected to turn himself in Tuesday. He faces charges including at least one felony offense related to hush money payments to women during his 2016 campaign.

Like any other person facing trial, he will be booked, fingerprinted and photographed before being given the chance to enter a plea.

The spectacle that is sure to unfold will mark an unprecedented moment in American history that will demonstrate once again how dramatically Trump  who already held the distinction of being the first president to be impeached twice  has upended democratic norms.

But on a personal level, the indictment pierces the cloak of invincibility that seemed to follow Trump through his decades in business and in politics, as he faced allegations of fraud, collusion and sexual misconduct.

Boy, after all this time its a bit of a shock, Trump biographer Michael DAntonio said of the indictment. You know I always thought of him as the Gingerbread Man, shouting, You cant catch me! as he ran away.

Given his track record, he said, I had trouble imagining he would ever be held accountable.

These are not things that Donald Trump ever thought in his entire life, nor I, for that matter, that he would ever be confronted with, Michael Cohen, Trump's longtime fixer and a key witness in the case who served jail time for the payments, told CNN.

Of course, some of the celebration by Trump's detractors may be premature. The former president could seek to have a judge quickly dismiss the case. And even if it moves forward, there's no guarantee of conviction. Intensifying investigations in Atlanta and Washington are seen as potentially more serious legal threats.

Still, Trump and his team were caught by surprise when word of the New York indictment broke Thursday evening, following news reports that the grand jury hearing the case was set for a weeks-long hiatus.

As the deliberations dragged on, some in Trump's orbit had become convinced that the case had stalled and that charges might never be brought. That included Trump attorney Joe Tacopina, who said Friday morning he had hoped the rule of law would prevail.

Trump, he said on the Today" show, was initially shocked by news of the charges, but quickly pivoted to his usual pushback playbook.

After he got over that," he said, Trump "put a notch on his belt and he decided we have to fight now. And he got into a typical Donald Trump posture where hes ready to be combative on something that he believes is an injustice. ... I think hes now in the posture that hes ready to fight this.

In the meantime, Trump and his team have tried to use the news to his advantage, hoping to energize his loyal base by painting the investigation as part of a larger plot to derail his candidacy.

Already, the charges have been a boon to his struggling fundraising. The campaign announced Friday evening that it had raised over $4 million in the 24 hours after the indictment became public, far smashing its previous record after the FBI search of Trump's Mar-a-Lago club.

More than 25% of donations, according to the campaign, came from first-time donors. The average contribution: $34.

His campaign also continued to blast out supportive statements from dozens of top Republicans who have rallied behind Trump, including several of his declared and likely challengers, underscoring his continued hold on the party.

Trump has been in contact by phone with key congressional allies, including members of House leadership and top committees, according to people familiar with the conversations, who, like others, spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the response.

Trump ally Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind., who formally endorsed the former president Friday, said Trump doesnt back down" and was going to "fight back," telling a local radio show it was "yet another chapter where Donald Trump is going to come back on top in the end."

The media maelstrom has catapulted the former president back into the spotlight he craves, at least temporarily limiting attention being paid to his rivals, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is widely expected to challenge Trump for the nomination and has been holding events across the county to promote his book.

Trump aides have been discussing other ideas to maximize the situation, including the possibility of holding a press event either before or after the arraignment.

Trump is expected to travel from Florida to New York on Monday and stay overnight at Trump Tower in midtown Manhattan before heading to the courthouse early Tuesday. He will return to Florida after the arraignment.

Trump has long denied that he had a sexual encounter with the porn actor known as Stormy Daniels and has blasted Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg for pursuing the years-old case.

Trump is also facing continued investigations in Georgia, over his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election, and in Washington, where a special counsel is probing the events of Jan. 6, 2021, as well as Trump's handling of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago and potential obstruction of the investigation.

But Sam Nunberg, a longtime former aide who broke with Trump years ago, said that while he no longer supports Trump, he believes the Manhattan case is a waste of time," given the allegations, which remain under seal. And he said he was skeptical it would ultimately matter.

It doesnt surprise me," he said of the indictment. What would surprise me is if he actually ended up behind bars in prison and I dont see that happening.

DAntonio said that sentiment  and a continued belief that Trump will somehow prevail and dodge the charges  continues among the many people who have reached out to him in the last 24 hours, despite the charges.

They're like, he's going to get away with it," he said. "Somehow, hes going to get it thrown out.

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A federal court jury awarded $3.175 million in damages Monday to a Black factory worker at Teslas Fremont plant who said he was repeatedly called racist names and subjected to abuse during 9 months of employment at the electric-car company.

The damage award, however, was far below the $136.9 million that another jury in San Francisco had awarded to Owen Diaz at an earlier trial in 2021.

U.S. District Judge William Orrick ruled those damages excessive and proposed reducing them to $15 million, but Diaz opted instead for a second trial, solely on the amount of damages. Jurors awarded him $175,000 for emotional distress and $3 million in punitive damages.

Were pleased that we got a second multimillion-dollar verdict for Mr. Diaz, but disappointed that I dont think they saw the full impact that the conduct had on Mr. Diaz, said his lawyer, Larry Organ of the California Civil Rights Law Group. He said each side had only nine hours to present evidence on damages, and there were no Black members of the eight-person jury.

A Tesla representative was not immediately available for comment. The case is among several legal actions claiming racial abuse at the Fremont assembly plant of the company owned by billionaire Elon Musk.

Diaz, now 53, started work at the plant in 2015. Before he left voluntarily in 2016, he testified, he was called the n-word at least 30 times by each of two supervisors, and that co-workers showed him racist cartoons and told him to go back to Africa.

In court filings, Tesla denied failing to protect Black employees and said it did not hesitate to address racial abuse at the factory when it arose. The company also denied any knowledge of racist acts against Diaz.

The California Civil Rights Department has filed a suit accusing the company of violating state laws against racial discrimination. In a separate case, a state appeals court ruled in January that minority workers could seek an injunction requiring Tesla to acknowledge a climate of discrimination at the plant and take actions to end it.

That suit was filed by two employees who were originally hired as contractors. But the First District Court of Appeal in San Francisco ruled that they could seek an injunction on behalf of all employees, rejecting Teslas argument that the case must be referred to private, individual arbitration. Tesla has appealed the ruling to the state Supreme Court.
Newly filed financial disclosures reveal some of San Franciscos elected officials real estate holdings, shedding light on who owns versus rents a home, and who collects rent as a landlord.

While 61% of San Franciscos residents are renters, only a quarter of the citys top elected officials  Mayor London Breed and two of San Franciscos 11 supervisors  rent their homes.

One of those renters also owns a home outside the city, while another supervisor shares ownership of a vacation home with family. One is a landlord who rents out three homes in San Francisco, and another owns a partial stake in an event space in the city and runs a bed-and-breakfast in El Salvador.

These financial details matter in part because supervisors and, to a lesser extent, Breed, wield enormous influence over housing policy in one of the countrys most expensive cities. Local officials make laws that decide how and where housing gets developed, place limits on evictions and sometimes even decide the fate of individual projects.

While city officials tend to agree on policies that provide added protections for tenants, progressive supervisors and the more moderate mayor have butted heads over housing development.

Jason McDaniel, a political science professor at San Francisco State University and a YIMBY (yes in my backyard) housing advocate, said homeowners are overrepresented in political offices nationwide, in California and in San Francisco, where the gap is especially stark because of the strong renter electorate.

To find out about officials housing investments, The Chronicle looked at their statements of economic interest, called Form 700s, which they are required to file every year by April 1.

While the forms include income from jobs, some investments, gifts and real estate, officials are allowed to report amounts in a broad range  and they arent required to disclose everything. Officials must report stocks invested in individual companies, but not mutual funds, for instance, and the forms dont include personal properties that do not produce income.



To gain a complete picture of officials real estate holdings, The Chronicle used PropertyShark, a real estate data website that compiles public property records, and an internal database of assessor records compiled for a previous project. Each official was contacted to confirm ownership details and asked about the existence of any other properties outside the Bay Area or owned by companies in which they were a partner. Supervisor Catherine Stefani did not respond to confirm what The Chronicle found in property records or identify any other real estate holdings not found in records.

This story does not include property owned by family members of supervisors. The Chronicle is not publishing specific addresses due to privacy concerns.

Renters versus homeowners

Out of the mayor and 11 supervisors, only three  Breed, Supervisor Shamann Walton and Supervisor Matt Dorsey  are renters in the city.

Breed, who grew up in public housing in the Western Addition, has rented for years in the Lower Haight.

Dorsey said he decided to rent because he doesnt have a family and didnt want to make the sacrifices involved with purchasing a home.

If anything, it does give me a personal stake in understanding the value of rent stabilization, he said. Especially as I get closer to retirement age, I want to make sure I can stay in my city.

Walton, while a renter in San Francisco, owns a home in Vallejo, which property records show he purchased for $430,000 in 2019. In response to questions last year, Walton said in a statement that the harsh reality is that I will never be able to afford a home in San Francisco. He said he hoped to create generational wealth elsewhere.

Most supervisors own one home in the city valued between $1 million and $2 million, although not all have paid off their mortgages. Supervisor Hillary Ronen bought partial ownership of a Bernal Heights home in 2017 for $787,500.

Supervisor Aaron Peskin has held one of his real estate investments since 1992, when he paid $30,000 for a partial stake in a property. He has fully owned his current home, now worth an estimated $1.5 million according to Zillow, since 2007.

Stefanis home in Cow Hollow is assessed by the city to be worth $2.2 million for property taxes. She did not confirm whether she is a full or partial owner.

Supervisor Dean Prestons home, which he bought near Alamo Square for $880,000 in 1999, is now worth the most of any supervisors  a Zillow-estimated $2.7 million.

Preston, who worked as a tenants rights attorney, said one of his biggest focuses as supervisor has been creating affordable housing and giving people the same housing stability he enjoys. He said he does not agree with Proposition 13, a California law that has kept property taxes low for long-term homeowners as well as commercial landlords, and would absolutely be willing to be taxed more.

Preston said he also owns a 50% interest in a family-inherited beach property in New York state.

Whos a landlord?

Peskin rents out three properties in his district. Each is estimated to be worth more than $1 million and brought in between $10,000 and $100,000 in rental income last year. YIMBY critics have argued that Peskins proposals, such as for more rent control, hurt housing production, which he disputed.

I am probably the most pro-tenant landlord that has ever been a member of the Board of Supervisors, he said. My voting record from the days of being a tenant to being a homeowner to the days of being a landlord are the same.

Supervisor Myrna Melgar also has real estate investments  both in San Francisco and in her native El Salvador. She said she joined with a group of friends to purchase a warehouse in the Mission where her friend lives and runs a company. The friend also rents it out for events.

She said she and husband dont get regular monthly income from it, but instead gain equity as the property appreciates, as well as tax benefits. She estimated income from the property to be less than $499 last year. Melgar valued the total property at between $100,001 and $1 million.

Melgar also manages a bed-and-breakfast called Surfers Paradise Casa Sunzal in El Salvador, she said. She reported making between $10,000 and $100,000 on the business last year.

Melgar, who also owns a home in Ingleside Terraces, said her personal experience colors her policies. For instance, she said she would love to divide up her home for her three daughters, but cant do that by law now.

Melgar said she wants to create housing policy that provides for people throughout their lives and addresses the needs of the very young who cant afford things and the very old who want to age in place and stay where they want.

Other income and investments

Each supervisor makes $150,000 in city salary, while Breed makes $357,000, according to the controllers office.

Peskin makes the most income outside of his job as a supervisor, bringing in between $10,000 and $100,000 as president of environmental nonprofit Great Basin Land and Water, where his wife also makes more than $100,000 as a consultant.

Supervisors Preston, Peskin, Joel Engardio and Stefani own the most individual stocks.

According to the disclosures, Preston owns shares valued between $400,000 and $4 million in tech giants Apple, Microsoft, IBM and Cisco. Peskins stocks in a slew of businesses, including Pfizer, are worth between $384,000 and $3.7 million. Engardios investments span industries, including Meta, Zillow and Nestle, and are worth from $302,000 to $3 million. Stefanis are varied, with somewhere between $228,000 and $1.4 million invested in companies including Ralph Lauren and Dennys.

Ronen holds cryptocurrency investments worth between $6,000 and $30,000 in ethereum, bitcoin and the Cardano blockchain platform. Melgar also owns bitcoin valued between $2,000 and $10,000.

Susie Neilson contributed to this story.
Damian Peterson trudged through a gritty stretch of San Francisco on a recent afternoon, making his way to a building for formerly homeless people. Nestled in his black backpack was a prescription for buprenorphine, a medication to treat opioid addiction.

Peterson, a clinical psychiatric pharmacist, walks an average of 19,000 steps a day with a clear goal in mind: Make buprenorphine easier to access for his clients than the drugs theyre using  like the highly addictive opioid fentanyl. Having someone come to their door, he said, has been life changing.

Just six months ago, Petersons ability to prescribe and manage a clients buprenorphine medication wasnt possible.

Until recently, the federal government heavily restricted who could prescribe buprenorphine, limiting access to medication that studies show is an effective way to reduce opioid cravings and alleviate withdrawal for those hoping to kick their addictions.

Lea Suzuki/The Chronicle

Now, his work is seen as part of a promising shift in San Franciscos Sisyphean battle against the opioid crisis.

Following a recent change in federal law, medical professionals like Peterson can walk up to someones door and set them up with the treatment on the spot. Thats a major shift from when patients needed to go to a clinic during business hours, often a major barrier for people who were disabled, worked full-time or lacked the motivation to seek out the treatment.

Waiting in the pharmacy is not really a fun task for anybody, Peterson said, back at San Franciscos Community Behavioral Health Services Pharmacy in SoMa, where he works. And along the way, that person is going to encounter a lot of opportunities to use  or just get derailed on their trip to the pharmacy.

San Franciscos Department of Public Health has been doubling down on buprenorphine to address the citys overdose crisis, which has exploded since the pandemic. Experts have found that those on buprenorphine can better adhere to a treatment plan while trying to kick their addictions, which decreases their risk of death from overdose.

For all of its benefits, though, studies also show that it can come with risks: The opioid can be potentially addictive, and people also face a risk of relapse and overdose after ending their treatment.

Peterson said the ultimate goal of taking the medication varies widely. Many want to overcome their addictions entirely, while others just want to depend less on opioids. Some want to enter long-term treatment, while others choose to abandon their treatment entirely.

Lea Suzuki/The Chronicle

I get to see my clients multiple times a week every week, I get to be pretty close with them and get a good feel for how theyre doing overall, outside of their substance use, he said. And I get to see people transform over time.

Meanwhile, even as state data shows buprenorphine prescriptions in San Francisco have increased by about 38% between 2020 and 2021, so have the number of overdose deaths. This avalanche of fatalities has alarmed public health experts, who struggle to manage the crisis even as the city makes record investments in treatment and prevention.

Its also a reminder of how buprenorphine alone wont make a meaningful dent in the problem without a big increase in treatment and housing options, medical professionals like Peterson say.

***

When Bryon Killilea saw a flier in his supportive housing building for home buprenorphine deliveries last summer, it was a rare moment in San Franciscos disjointed system of care: Killilea wanted the help, and the resources were available.

A few days later, Peterson came to Killileas room to set him up with a prescription. He has been visiting every week since.

Killilea, who has struggled with opioid addiction on and off for 15 years, tried another popular medication-assisted treatment a few years ago called methadone. But that was a hassle, he said, because it requires visiting a clinic every day. The buprenorphine deliveries free him up to focus on whats important, like his 10-year-old son, and also lessen the chance of him missing a dose and relapsing.

Giving up street drugs, even with the buprenorphine, has been a tough transition, he said.

But its worth it, he said, sitting in the lobby of his building.

Lea Suzuki/The Chronicle

Buprenorphine  often sold under the brand name Suboxone  has grown in popularity in recent years. San Franciscos Office-Based Buprenorphine Induction Clinic has seen a 167% increase in unique patients since 2020, DPH said.

Prescriptions citywide are expected to grow more quickly after Congress passed the bipartisan Mainstreaming Addiction Treatment Act, signed into law in January, which removed the so-called X-waiver that medical professionals needed to prescribe buprenorphine. Now, prescriptions for the medication require only a standard registration with the Drug Enforcement Administration, which essentially makes more medical professionals eligible to administer the medication.

It also eliminated any caps on the number of patients a prescriber may treat with buprenorphine, the DEA said in a Jan. 12 memo.

Expanding access to buprenorphine is part of the citys Overdose Prevention Plan, which aims to cut fatal overdoses 15% by 2025. Thanks to the relaxed federal regulations, the emergency personnel from the San Francisco Fire Department can administer buprenorphine on the spot when someone is experiencing withdrawal. The city is also expanding access to the medication in shelters, jail and permanent supportive housing.

Lea Suzuki/The Chronicle

Michelle Geier, supervising pharmacist at the Community Behavioral Health Services Pharmacy, said the change has allowed some of the citys street outreach teams to prescribe the medication to people who have just overdosed, providing another option to stave off withdrawals rather than turning back to the opioid that almost killed them.

We try to fill in the gaps, she said. That helps reduce the stigma and make it lower barrier and easier to access.

***

SFNext is Chronicle coverage devoted to the city's most vexing problems. To become involved: Send feedback, ideas and suggestions to sfnext@SFChronicle.com

In San Francisco, Dr. Christine Soran, the medical director of OBIC, said she expects prescriptions to increase amid the changes in federal law and increased local funding that allowed the clinic to expand hours and hire more staff.

But challenges remain.

Soran said nearly 40% of OBICs clients are homeless, which can make it difficult to comply with treatment. Thats why, she said, its critical for the city to expand housing, shelter, and mental health and addiction treatment.

The medication helps withdrawal and helps cravings, but it doesnt take away the reasons why someone may be using it related to their social circumstances, she said.

The Get Involved calendar Search for public meetings on top San Francisco issues so you can add your voice.

For 31-year-old Alyssa Ibarra, buprenorphine helped change her life. A native San Franciscan, Ibarra struggled with addiction on and off for several years  a downward spiral that she said started when she was overprescribed painkillers after an ankle injury.

She said she was hesitant to go on buprenorphine at first, largely because she didnt want to be beholden to another drug. But she is thankful she arrived at OBIC two years ago and took the chance. Ibarra doesnt know how long she will be on the medication, but since starting it, she said she has been thriving  she has gone back to work as a hairdresser, has more time to spend with her young daughter and has even begun dating again.

Life is so much better, she said.
In spite of worsening budget projections, Mayor London Breed struck an optimistic tone Monday about San Franciscos future, citing a litany of efforts to fix the beleaguered downtown and help it recover from the pandemic. Her statements came in the wake of coverage by The Chronicle that painted a potentially dire outlook for the city.

Economists and urban planning experts told The Chronicle that a doom-loop scenario is possible in which connected forces send the city into an economic death spiral. For example, if workers stay remote and office buildings remain empty, then mass transit suffers from a lack of riders and workers needed for small businesses leave. That in turn hurts tax revenue, which spurs budget deficits, leading to cuts to city services. Those cuts hurt the citys quality of life, which prompts more people to leave, some experts argue. The Chronicle editorial board weighed in as well, arguing that San Francisco needs a strong vision for reinvention.

Breeds statements, in a blog post on Medium.com, were intended to keep residents informed about where policy efforts stand, said spokesperson Jeff Cretan. She was not responding to the Chronicles coverage, he said.

Weve made progress introducing and passing legislation and its important to keep people updated on whats happening, Cretan said.

Breed said City Hall was aggressively confronting San Franciscos challenges.



Its easy to throw out dire predictions about the death of Downtown. But thats not our reality and its not going to happen, Breed said. We are partnering with leaders on the Board of Supervisors and in the private sector to move forward meaningful solutions.

Breed reiterated a bevy of policy changes, many of them still proposals, designed to turn around downtowns fate.

SFNext is Chronicle coverage devoted to the city's most vexing problems. To become involved: Send feedback, ideas and suggestions to sfnext@SFChronicle.com

She again called public safety the number one issue for employers and workers, and said she was addressing that with her recent, successful push to increase the Police Departments overtime budget by $25 million, as well as extend a program that puts neighborhood ambassadors downtown to make visitors feel safe.

Breed also pointed to her proposed tax reforms to entice new companies to the city and help others stay, and efforts to make it easier to start small businesses.

And she touted recent legislation, introduced alongside Board of Supervisors president Aaron Peskin, that would make it easier to convert downtown office buildings to housing. More policy changes were in the works, she said.

We are in the process of drafting more legislation that will make other office conversions, like to lab space, feasible. This is critical  while office vacancy is at 30% overall, in the life sciences area its at less than 5%. So theres clearly a need there, and we must adapt to take advantage of those opportunities.

She said that a new express bus pilot program, carrying people from the Richmond District to the downtown area, has already proved popular.

SFMTA is working to build on this program and launch others in the coming months to ensure our workers, residents, and visitors are connected to Downtown no matter where their journey begins, she said.

Breed said these transportation policies would be essential for retaining downtowns role as our economic engine by bringing the Bay Areas highly skilled workforce together in one place like nowhere else in the region.

Its unclear how far these efforts will go to revive San Francisco. Economists and officials in many other major urban areas, like New York City, have grown skeptical that business-heavy districts will thrive in a post-pandemic world  especially when widespread remote work is the new norm. Instead, many have pushed the idea of turning downtown areas into diverse residential communities.

Breed announced last week that San Franciscos budget outlook had become more grim, with a projected two-year deficit of $780 million. But on Monday, she pointed to bright spots in the citys economy, including low unemployment and a tourism sector that is springing back to life.

It wont be easy, Breed wrote, but I have hope that if we continue to do the work, day after day, we will turn the tide on Downtown.
A home burst into flames in the California mountain town of Mammoth Lakes this weekend, less than two weeks after an explosion at a nearby condo unit trapped residents and injured five.

In the early hours of April 1, an explosion was reported at an unoccupied single-family home on the 200 block of Juniper Road in Mammoth Lakes. The blast caused a structure fire, the Mammoth Lakes Police Department said in a statement.

The fire resulted in flooding from melted snow, prompting the evacuation of a nearby condo unit. No injuries were reported in the incident, and police told SFGATE the cause of the blaze is still under investigation.

Mammoth Lakes Police Department

On March 24, an explosion at the nearby Val D'Isere Condominiums at 194 Hillside Drive injured five people, one of whom, Arlene Bunch, was hospitalized in an intensive care unit after suffering serious injuries. Family members said that Bunch turned on a stove in the condo, which resulted in a propane tank explosion.

"Arlene and her family were trapped in separate rooms under building materials/ceiling, walls, furniture, and debris but not before severely burning Arlene who was in the face of the blast," Bunch's sister wrote on a GoFundMe page. Bunch has since left the ICU and is in stable condition, according to the GoFundMe post.

The resort town in Mono County has seen more snowfall than any winter in 65 years, with more than 700 inches recorded. While both explosions are still under investigation, authorities are pointing toward the weight of the snow on propane lines and tanks as a possible cause.

"Buried propane lines and regulators are an imminent threat to life and property," MLPD said in a statement sent to SFGATE. "To mitigate threat, lines and regulators must be cleared of snow and ice where propane enters the home."
LATEST April 5, 10:30 a.m. The tech world reacted with shock and grief to the news that Cash App founder Bob Lee had been killed in a stabbing in San Francisco's Rincon Hill neighborhood early Tuesday morning.

"Bob was made for the new world," MobileCoin founder Joshua Goldbard said in a statement. "He was the quintessential creator, leader, and consummate hacker."

Lee had been working as MobileCoin's chief product officer.

April 4, 11:13 p.m. A Bay Area tech executive has been identified as the man killed in a stabbing in San Francisco early Tuesday, according to NBC Bay Area.

Bob Lee, 43, died after being found stabbed on the 400 block of Main Street in SoMa. Lee was chief product officer of MobileCoin, the former chief technology officer of Square, and the founder of Cash App.

Police have made no arrests or released any information regarding possible suspects.

April 4, 3:15 p.m. A 43-year-old man from Mill Valley died after being stabbed in San Francisco early Tuesday morning, officials said.

The San Francisco Police Department said in a news release that it responded to a report of a stabbing at 2:35 a.m. near a high-rise condominium building on the 400 block of Main Street at Harrison in SoMa.

At the scene, officers found the man with stab wounds, provided medical assistance and called first responders to the scene to provide additional life-saving measures, police said. The man, whose name hasn't been released, was taken to a hospital with serious injuries. Despite efforts to save him, he died.

The San Francisco Police Department said in a post to Twitter just after noon April 4 that it's asking anyone with information about the stabbing to call the department. Police have not made any arrests.

The police department reported 56 homicides in both 2022 and 2021, up from 48 in 2020. Since the start of 2023, there have been 12 homicides, according to the crime dashboard. At this time last year, there had been 10.
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ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP)  New Jersey's first offshore wind farm may adversely affect whales and other marine mammals, but its construction, operation and eventual dismantling will not seriously harm or kill them, a federal scientific agency said.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued a report Tuesday evaluating an analysis by the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management of the Ocean Wind I project to be built off the southern New Jersey coast.

NOAA's final biological opinion examined BOEM's research, and took into account the best scientific and commercial data available.

NOAA determined the project by Danish wind power company Orsted is likely to adversely affect, but is not likely to jeopardize, the continued existence of any species of endangered whales, sea turtles and other animals. Nor is it likely to destroy or adversely modify any designated critical habitat.

The report comes as opposition to offshore wind projects on the U.S. East Coast is growing, fueled by a thus-far unproven narrative that ocean floor preparation work for offshore wind farms is hurting or killing whales. Thirty-one have washed ashore on the East Coast since Dec. 1, according to NOAA.

NOAA and other agencies have said many of the dead whales appear to have been struck by ships or entangled in fishing gear, emphasizing there is no evidence linking offshore wind production and whale deaths.

Yet that has not convinced some people, including some federal and state officials who want a pause or permanent halt to offshore wind projects while the impact of wind farm site preparation can be more closely examined.

U.S. Reps. Jeff Van Drew and Christopher Smith, both New Jersey Republicans, have introduced legislation in Congress to mandate such a pause, and have promised additional investigatory hearings into the offshore wind industry.

Complicating matters is a joint study released last week by NOAA, BOEM and the commercial fishing industry that listed several known adverse impacts of wind farms on marine life, including noise, vibration, electromagnetic fields and heat transfer that could alter the marine environment.

Ocean Wind 1 is the first offshore wind project approved by New Jersey officials. It will consist of 98 turbines about 15 miles (25 kilometers) off the coast of Atlantic City and Ocean City.

The project will generate more than 1,100 megawatts of electricity, enough to power about a half million homes each year. Orsted hopes to have it up and running by the end of 2024.

NOAA noted that the project includes numerous measures to minimize and monitor adverse effects on whales, including the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale, of which there are less than 350 remaining.

No serious injury or mortality of any (endangered) whale is anticipated as a result of the proposed project, the report read. We do not expect any right whales to be exposed to increased sound levels that would result in injury; all effects to right whales will be limited to temporary behavioral disturbance. Additionally, no effects to the features of right whale critical habitat are anticipated.

Two North Atlantic right whales were among the 30 East Coast fatalities since last December.

NOAA said its Office of Protected Resources plans to issue regulations and a letter of authorization for the project under the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act.

New Jersey has approved two other offshore wind projects: Orsted's Ocean Wind II, which would power an additional 518,000 homes, and Atlantic Shores, a project by EDF and Shell that would power 637,000 homes.

The state last month authorized another round of wind farm project solicitations.

___

Follow Wayne Parry on Twitter at www.twitter.com/WayneParryAC
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP)  The South Carolina agency tasked with ensuring occupational safety is accused of racial discrimination by failing to routinely inspect disproportionately Black workplaces in a federal complaint backed by a new union that seeks to boost labor organizing across the South.

The civil rights complaint filed Tuesday marks an escalation of the efforts by the Union of Southern Service Workers, an outgrowth of the Fight for $15 campaign's southern branch, that launched last fall with pledges to leverage the collective power of retail, fast food and warehouse employees.

According to the group's analysis, the South Carolina Occupational Safety and Health Administration neglects industries staffed predominantly by Black employees compared to fields filled largely by workers of other races. The complaint said the agency conducted zero programmed inspections from 2018 to 2022 of food/beverage and general merchandise retailers  where Black people make up 45.9% and 37.9% of workers, respectively. One such inspection was allegedly done across the food service industry, a workforce that is two-fifths Black.

Construction  where Black people compose less than a tenth of workers  received 237 programmed inspections during that period, according to the complaint. The union said the other industries had the same if not greater rates of nonfatal injuries and illnesses compared to construction.

SC OSHA selects sites for programmed inspections in a manner resulting in the disparate exclusion of black workers," Mary Joyce Carlson, the union's legal counsel, wrote in the complaint. "Moreover, this discrimination leaves thousands of low-wage black workers vulnerable to preventable injury and illness.

The complaint asks the U.S. Department of Labor to investigate the state agency's process for deciding where it conducts planned, or programmed, inspections.

Lesia Kudelka, the communications director for the South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation, said in a Tuesday email that the South Carolina Occupational Safety and Health Administration is reviewing a copy of the complaint.

Between chants of safe jobs now," striking workers described hazardous conditions at a Tuesday rally of about 40 people outside a Ryder System Inc. warehouse in Columbia, South Carolina. The Union of Southern Service Workers said hundreds of workers in South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia participated in the groups first multi-state strike since the launch.

Fast food workers reported filing Occupational Safety and Health Administration complaints after getting burned on the job. Amber Biggs said she has been burned six times in her six months working at Popeyes, where her store lacks splash shields and long gloves. Trish Anderson said she got burnt when fryers at a Wendys caught fire and she was told to stay on the clock.

Sersie Cobb, a Ryder forklift operator since November 2022, said 100-foot-tall (30-meter-tall) stacks of pallets containing pasta packages block fire exits and often collapse. Cobb said workers say wood and parcels fall so frequently that theyve taken to calling the occurrences pasta parties. When Cobb picks up the cases, he has no company-provided protective gear like hard hats or safety goggles, he said.

The concerns prompted Cobb and other employees to file complaints with the state Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Warehouse workers said inspectors came last week. Cobb hopes their arrival will bring changes but said they should have arrived sooner.

South Carolina OSHA also has to be held accountable for being here routinely doing these routine inspections. It shouldnt be on the worker to go above and beyond to seek safety, Cobb said. I shouldnt have to come into my job and see unsafe things and drive a wedge between me and my other coworkers.

In a statement Tuesday, Ryder System Inc. acknowledged the allegations and said it is working closely with the occupational safety agency. The company said it has well established mechanisms to prevent, detect and/or correct any concerns about employee health, safety, and security in all of our facilities.

Local leaders celebrated Tuesdays action as an example of a revitalized labor movement. Charles Brave Jr., the president of the South Carolina AFL-CIO, said theres a new wave in the state with the lowest reported unionization rate in the country.

Organizers looking to turn high levels of union approval into on-the-ground victories have been drawing cross-sector support in the months following the launch. The Union of Southern Service Workers joined the only two full-time workers at a Dollar General outside Columbia earlier this year, The Post and Courier reported. In Tuesday's filing, the union said the state Occupational Safety and Health Administration closed a complaint of mold and infestation at that store after officials shared photos of a different location without the alleged violations.

The union plans to continue filing complaints as organizers intensify their focus on workplace safety. Carlson said the legal team is looking into how safety regulations are enforced throughout the Southeast, where many of the named corporations have big operations.

We want to start taking them seriously, Carlson said.

South Carolina is one of 22 states that has its own agency overseeing occupational safety in the private sector. The complaint asks federal officials to ensure the states compliance or undertake regulation themselves.

___

James Pollard 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.
Israeli forces killed two Palestinian during a clash in the occupied West Bank on Monday, militant factions and medics said, and shot down a drone over the Gaza Strip.

Palestinian fighters in the Gaza Strip said they fired missiles at an Israeli warplane after it shot their drone down.

The violence followed a weekend of deadly Israeli attacks which ended a relative calm since the start of the holy month of Ramadan 10 days ago.

In the West Bank city of Nablus, "two martyrs (were) shot by the occupation", the Palestinian health ministry said. It later named them as Mohammed Abu Bakr and Mohammed al-Hallaq, without giving their ages.

At their funeral processions, an AFP journalist saw thousands of Palestinians march through the streets of Nablus, parading their bodies. Gunshots were fired in the air.

Local militant group the Lions' Den claimed the two men as members and confirmed in a statement that its fighters had been involved in "confronting the (Israeli) occupation forces' storming of the city of Nablus".

The Israeli army said it carried out the raid to apprehend two individuals linked to a shooting attack last month in which two Israeli soldiers were injured in the West Bank town of Huwara.

"During the activity, a number of armed gunmen fired at the forces who responded with live fire," the army statement said.

Two people were arrested, it added.

Three Palestinians were also injured during separate Israeli army raids on Deheisheh refugee camp in Bethlehem and the town of Kufr Nimeh west of Ramallah.

Israeli forces have carried out regular raids in the West Bank including several in the militant stronghold of Nablus, where the Lions' Den emerged over the past months.

Gaza missiles

The Islamist group Hamas, which rules the Israeli-blockaded Gaza Strip, said in a statement that it "mourns the martyrdom of two Palestinian freedom fighters" in what it called Israel's "storming" of Nablus.

Hamas said it had fired "a number of surface-to-air missiles" at an Israeli war plane after it shot down one of the group's drones.

A spokesperson for the Israeli military confirmed to AFP that "a number of shoulder-fired missiles were launched toward the fighter jet", adding that "no injuries were reported and no damage was done".

Less than 24 hours earlier, Israeli police shot dead an Arab Israeli in the occupied Old City of Jerusalem.

During a phone call, French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna reminded her Israeli counterpart Eli Cohen of "the necessity of refraining from all unilateral measures, particularly in the matter of settlements", the foreign ministry in Paris said.

It also cited the need to "respect the commitments" made last month in Egypt, and the previous month in Jordan, when Israeli and Palestinian officials agreed to restore calm.

The West Bank is home to hundreds of thousands of Israeli settlers who live in state-approved settlements considered illegal under international law.

Similarily, about 230,000 Israelis live in occupied east Jerusalem, along with at least 360,000 Palestinians living in the same areas.

Since the start of the year, Israel has claimed the lives of at least 93 Palestinians.

* This story was edited by Ahram Online

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LONDON (AP)  King Charles IIIs wife has been officially identified as Queen Camilla for the first time, with Buckingham Palace using the title on invitations for the monarchs May 6 coronation.

Camilla, who until now has been described as queen consort, is given equal billing on the ornate medieval style invitations that will be sent to more than 2,000 guests and were unveiled on Tuesday.

The new title is another step in the remarkable transformation of a woman once derided as a homewrecker because of her role in the breakdown of Charles marriage to the late Princess Diana.

Charles and Camilla met long before the future king married Diana in 1981 and their relationship continued throughout the tumultuous marriage. That made Camilla an object of scorn among Dianas many fans, who rallied around the princess as her marriage collapsed.

But Camilla has won over much of the British public with her warmth and down-to-earth humor since she married Charles in a civil ceremony in 2005. The late Queen Elizabeth II early last year issued a statement saying she hoped Camilla would be known as queen consort when Charles became king.

Camilla will be crowned alongside her husband on May 6 at Westminster Abbey.

The palace released a few more details about the coronation on Tuesday, announcing that 9-year-old Prince George, the kings eldest grandson, who is second in line to the throne, would be one of four pages of honor attending the monarch during the service. Camilla will also have four pages.

The eight young pages are either family friends or close relatives of Charles and Camilla and will carry the robes of prominent figures during the day.

The coronation invitations feature the ancient motif of the Green Man in a nod to the monarchs record of supporting conservation and environmental protection.

The Green Man is an ancient figure from British folklore, symbolic of spring and rebirth, to celebrate the new reign, the palace said.

The shape of the Green Man, crowned in natural foliage, is formed of leaves of oak, ivy and hawthorn, and the emblematic flowers of the United Kingdom.

The design, created by heraldic artist and manuscript illuminator Andrew Jamieson, will be printed on a recycled card with gold foil detailing.
A Windsor man was on his way to take his wife to the dentist when he received a knock from "Today" show reporter Donna Farizan on March 29 during the "Today with Hoda and Jenna" segment.

Farizan knocked on the door of Rich Williams home, and when he walked outside, he was greeted by cheering family and friends.

The surprise was to celebrate Rich and his wife Paulas 25th wedding anniversary. During their marriage, each of them has battled cancer; Rich was diagnosed with kidney cancer and Paula with breast cancer. Rich supported his wife every step of the way, including by shaving his head.

When I got diagnosed with breast cancer I was devastated. My husband came home and he held me and he said You dont just have breast cancer, we have breast cancer and together we are going to fight and we are going to win, Paula said during the broadcast.

Rich works for Comcast and volunteers as a deacon at the couples church.

I know that he is deserving because Im here. The two of us are here and we made it, Paula said. I just say to him Rich, I will be loving you forever.

Their kids, Trinitee and Christian, also made videos speaking about their father and his support.

I never once saw my dad breakdown, Christian said. You would think that would happen coming from a cancer survivor. He was there for her every step of the way.

The surprise came as a shock to Rich, who thought he would spend the day taking Paula to get dental work. As a final surprise, the show gave the couple a five-day trip to the Bahamas to celebrate their wedding anniversary.

"Today" hosts Hoda Kotbe and Jenna Bush Hager watched from the New York City studio where they were shown crying. Kotbe said theyve done many Knock Knock Surprise! segments, but this story was incredible.

He prayed for me. He got me through, Paula said. I am happy and healed. I am so grateful for this man. When I was weak, he made me strong.
After four decades in San Francisco, Don Ramons restaurant has permanently closed.

The March 31 closure was announced late last week on Don Ramons website. Second and third-generation family owners  Leonila, Nati, Lucy, and Nathalee Ramirez  wrote a lengthy post that indicated they had worked tirelessly to save the restaurant but  in the end, hard work, community support, love and tradition werent enough.

It breaks our hearts to say goodbye to our customers, especially our regulars, who have been able call Don Ramons a second home for years, the message read in part.  We have welcomed people from all walks of life through our doors  celebrating everything from baby showers and weddings and quinceaneras, to retirement dinners, wakes and memorials  while also catering to the citys political establishment.

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the closure came after the Ramirez family's landlord at 225 11th St. raised their rent $10,000 per month to $15,000 per month. (The Chronicle and SFGATE are both owned by Hearst but have separate newsrooms.)

Problems arose early in the pandemic when the Ramirez family faced financial setbacks due to a business deal gone awry. In 2014, the family leased the office space above their SoMa restaurant to a non-profit organization that illegally transformed the space into dwelling units. The Chronicle reports that the Ramirez family, which owned the building, did not know of the illegal housing upstairs.

photo by Kitty L. on Yelp

According to SFist, they took out a $5 million loan to repair plumbing damages caused by the tenants. When the pandemic hit in early 2020, the Ramirez's were at risk of foreclosure when they couldnt make loan payments but, with the help of city leaders, were able to continue operating the restaurant. That same year, Don Ramons earned San Francisco Legacy Business status.

The restaurant first opened in 1982 under the ownership of Ramon and Guadalupe Ramirez. Together the couple served family and regional dishes from the state of Jalisco.

The chile verde had been an enduring menu entree for decades. In a 1984 restaurant review by The San Francisco Examiner, the chile verde dish (then priced at $7.75) was described as a satisfying, hearty meal made with succulent cubes of pork covered in a spicy ancho chili sauce. Don Ramons was also known for many of its other menu offerings featured since its early days. Among them were dishes like chiles rellenos, enchiladas, and its famous chile Colorado.
Spring is here and with a new season comes new looks.

Cowboy boots and loafers are the most popular must-have fashion items.
Dear EarthTalk: How are wild tiger populations faring today around the world?

 P.K. via email

Wild tigers have been roaming the planet for upwards of a million years  about 600,000 years longer than humans. Tigers can be found across East and South Asia, with most of them lurking in the rainforests of India, Thailand and Nepal. But dont expect to see one anytime soon, as their numbers plummeted during the 20th century from 100,000 worldwide to just 4,500. Hunting has been the main cause of their demise, but threats like habitat loss and climate change could push them to extinction if we dont act fast.

Also, demand across Asia for tiger parts  traditional medicine practitioners make use of tiger bones, eyes, whiskers and teeth to treat a wide range of ailments  has led to an uptick in recent years of so-called tiger farming whereby wildlife poachers capture wild tigers and imprison them to breed. The nonprofit World Wildlife Fund reports that over 8,000 tigers (almost double the number living in the wild) are imprisoned in tiger farms across East and Southeast Asia.

Climate change is also a big threat. Rising sea levels are threatening the mangrove forests where the Bengal tigers of the Sundarban regions of India and Bangladesh reside. WWF projects that habitat loss could completely decimate the Sundarbans, given the sea level rise predicted for the region by 2070.

But its not all doom and gloom. According to ShareAmerica, tigers have begun to rebound slightly in recent years. The increase can be attributed to the reduction of conflicts over space between humans and tigers and education on the fragile status of these precious creatures (Indonesias Ministry of Environment and Forestry has trained over 1,200 community members in reducing conflicts between humans and tigers). The 2021 END Wildlife Trafficking Strategic Review states that since 2015, no tigers have been killed over landscape conflicts. Additionally, Nepal, a natural habitat for tigers, saw their 121 tigers back in 2009 skyrocket to around 355. In nearby India, new research has laid the blueprint for conservation and human development to coexist. Dr. Stotra Chakrabarti with Macalester College emphasized land-sharing, in which humans and nature both occupy shared areas. Chakrabarti offers a solution to government officials that finds the Goldilocks zone when considering biodiversity and human growth.

Just because you dont live near wild tigers doesnt mean you cant help in their revival. Refuse to purchase illegally harvested tiger products. And if you do reside in an area with wild tigers, support their protection by voting for legislation prioritizing the safety and increase of their population. Tigers have been decimated by human activity over the years, but we can take actions now to assist in their miraculous upswing. Lets all do our part to save our endangered friends.

2023 Emagazine.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
(Ad) With CBD dog treats supporting your pup's health and wellness has gotten a lot easier. Combining tasty ingredients with premium hemp-derived CBD, these treats offer pet owners the perfect way to soothe, calm, and balance their pup's acute or chronic conditions.

But choosing just any CBD treats sold online or in retail stores won't cut it when it comes to your dog's health. Quality matters, and choosing CBD treats for dogs with lab-tested ingredients and high-quality hemp extract is essential.

Ensure your dog stays happy and healthy with our top picks for the best CBD dog treats. Chosen for their unique combination of natural ingredients and high-quality CBD, these delicious CBD snacks are the perfect solution to your pet's wellness needs.

5 Best CBD Dog Treats

1. CBDfx  Overall Best CBD Dog Treats

2. Batch  Best for Large Dogs

3. Penelope's Bloom  Best for Small & Medium Dogs

4. CBDistillery  Best for Behavior & Cognition

5. Sunday Scaries  Best for Acute Anxiety

5 Best CBD Dog Treats Reviewed

1. CBDfx  Best CBD Dog Treats

Pros:

Human-grade, organic formula

Vegan, gluten-free, and no soy

Mood-boosting ingredients

Medically reviewed by veterinarians

Cons:

None

Company Highlights

CBDfx is known for making top-tier CBD oil products for humans. Their medically reviewed formulations have expanded recently to include the best CBD treats for dogs, available in two formulas: Muscle & Joint or Calming. Made with human-grade, dog-friendly ingredients, CBDfx products offer pet parents a worry-free way to support their pup's overall health and well-being.

The company is highly transparent about its practices, with detailed lab reports and educational CBD info available on every product page. Additionally, the brand is very customer service oriented, offering a 60-day money-back guarantee and rapid response customer support.

About CBDfx Dog Treats

The CBD dog treats from CBDfx are formulated with a broad-spectrum CBD oil designed to gently stimulate and balance your pup's endocannabinoid system (ECS). More specifically, the formula's concentration of 15mg CBD per treat and curated nutraceuticals works to naturally support the relief of chronic pain and inflammation, mood swings, anxiety, skin issues, and more.

Pet parents can rest easy knowing their pups are getting the highest quality, human-grade vegan ingredients without soy or gluten. Plus, the addition of natural supplements like mood-boosting L-tryptophan and GABA, along with chamomile and passion flower, provides additional calming effects to help your pup relax.

To make sure that the effects of CBD dont compromise the taste of their treats, CBDfx includes all-natural ingredients like sweet potatoes, blueberries, molasses, and a mushroom blend to ensure your doggo enjoys every last bite.

These mood-balancing treats are available in 30-count pouches that seal tight to lock in freshness. These crunchy CBD dog biscuits are shaped like little bones, making it easy for any canine to eat them up.

Why We Recommend These Treats

There are a few key criteria for a great CBD dog treat, and CBDfx checks all the boxes. From human-grade ingredients to vegan and gluten-free formulas, medical reviews by veterinarians, and a trustworthy reputation based on their transparency about their practices, CBDfx is clearly a top choice for the best CBD treats for dogs.

Learn more at CBDfx



2. Batch  Best for Large Dogs

Pros:

High-potency CBD treats

Supports pain relief

Supports joint health

Delicious flavor profile

Made from organic hemp

Cons:

No live chat support

Company Highlights

Batch takes CBD seriously, as evident by the Wisconsin-grown, organic hemp used in all their products. This extends to its tasty CBD pet treats, designed to support many conditionsespecially those affecting large dogs.

Batch's ability to meet the wellness needs of dogs and pet parents lies in its commitment to quality, consistency, and transparency. From seed to shelf, all aspects of manufacturing and extraction are monitored for potency and quality, giving you confidence that your pet has high-quality CBD oil product to enjoy.

About Batch Pet Treats

Batch's CBD dog treats have a higher potency than most, coming in at 25mg of CBD per peanut-butter-flavored bite. While an entire serving may be too much for some pets, it is the perfect dose for larger dogs (50 lbs or more) who may be suffering from chronic pain, inflammation, separation anxiety, or other issues.

The broad-spectrum CBD oil formula ensures a potent entourage effect, with all the beneficial compounds of the hemp plant working together for maximum relief. The organic ingredients and absence of fillers or artificial flavors are a major selling pointas it should be for anything you feed your beloved pet.

With added glucosamine and chondroitin to ensure peak joint health, these mobility CBD treats are both nutritious and effective. Travel-sized tubs are available from the site in 30-count containers, and special discounts are available for those who sign up for the brand's convenient auto-ship program.

Why We Recommend These Treats

Batch stands apart from the competition with its high-potency CBD dog treats that are specifically formulated for larger breeds. The organic hemp formula, delicious flavor profile, and added joint support keep pet parents and their dogs coming back for more. And with third-party lab results accessible to all customers on the product page, you can trust that your pup is getting a high quality CBD dog treat every time.

Learn more at Batch



3. Penelope's Bloom  Best for Small & Medium Dogs

Pros:

Balanced full-spectrum CBD effects

Suitable for dogs of all ages

Supports inflammation and pain issues

All-natural ingredients

Cons:

Return policy is not as comprehensive as others on this list

Company Highlights

Unlike other CBD and hemp brands that cater more to humans than animals, Penelope's Bloom is pet-centric, creating products tailored specifically to the needs of dogs. This commitment to animal wellness sets Penelope's Bloom apart and makes the company an excellent choice for those seeking CBD products for their pups.

Using premium hemp extracts sourced from the best growers in the USA, Penelope's Bloom creates potent, all-natural CBD treats infused with full-spectrum CBD oil that allow your furry friend to enjoy the benefits of hemp extract with its naturally occurring CBD in an easy-to-consume chewable form. Each is lab tested for quality and potency, ensuring your pet gets a quality product that helps them feel their best.

About Penelope's Bloom Dog Treats

The 10mg bone-shaped CBD dog treats from Penelope's Bloom are an excellent choice for both small and medium-sized breeds. The all-natural formula contains full-spectrum hemp extract, organic brown rice flour, and other healthy ingredients, making it a nutritious treat you can feel good about giving your pup.

The chews are designed to support conditions related to inflammation, pain, and stress, helping your pet to manage its symptoms in a healthy way. Whether due to aging, injury, or illness, these treats can help your best pal feel like their old self again.

The treats are also rich in vitamins, herbs, and minerals needed to support peak health and performance. This makes the 30-count pouches an excellent choice for pet parents wanting more than just CBD from their dog treats.

Why We Recommend These Treats

Penelope's Bloom is passionate about helping our four-legged friends, and it shows in the quality of its products. From premium hemp extract to all-natural ingredients, these crunchy CBD dog treats are made with your pet's needs in mind so they can enjoy natural relief with every bite.

Learn more at Penelope's Bloom



4. CBDistillery  Best for Behavior & Cognition

Pros:

Delicious roast beef flavor

Organic, plant-based formula

Supports optimal brain function

Broad spectrum of cannabinoids

Cons:

Lower CBD dose per treat than others on this list

Company Highlights

CBDistillery is world-renowned for its premium CBD products and its precedent-setting manufacturing, hemp sourcing, and quality control. The Colorado-based company has been featured in countless publications, and its products are available in several online and retail outlets.

The popularity of the brand's CBD treats for dogs is largely due to its unique brain-boosting blend of natural ingredients and supplements. Taking the same careful precautions when formulating its treats as it does with all of its products, CBDistillery has created effective and tasty CBD dog treats perfect for any pup needing a boost in brain power.

About CBDistillery Dog Treats

Each 5mg dog treat from CBDistillery is made with broad-spectrum CBD oil that is perfect for balancing erratic behavior, shyness, and problems with focus. The roast beef flavored (vegetarian) treats are also made with chickpea flour, coconut oil, flaxseed, and other healthy ingredients, making them a snack that's both tasty and healthy.

But the secret to CBDistillery's delicious CBD pet treats is the added ashwagandha and Alpha-GPC. These two ingredients are natural nootropics designed to boost cognition and focus, allowing your pup to stay sharp without the crash associated with other brain-boosting supplements.

The soft, chewy texture makes it easy for young pups and aging dogs to devour the tasty treats easily. Pouches of 45 are available as one-time or subscription orders, with the latter offering significant savings on the order total and shipping costs.

Why We Recommend These Treats

Infusing CBD dog treats with effective nootropics is a unique idea that CBDistillery implements with excellent results. Whether your pup needs to stay alert for long periods of time or is too rambunctious at home, these CBD soft chews are a great way to keep them happy and healthy without sacrificing flavor or nutrition.

Learn more at CBDistillery



5. Sunday Scaries  Best for Acute Anxiety

Pros:

Chilled-out & relaxed effects

Pure CBD isolate formula

All-natural ingredients

Easy on the digestive system

Cons:

Packages contain fewer treats than others on this list

Company Highlights

Sunday Scaries FOMO Bones products help dog owners struggling to find an effective solution for their pup's anxiety. After extensive research and development, Sunday Scaries released their FOMO Bones premium CBD treats, which is created to help reduce acute stress and fear in pets.

Designed for dogs' specific needs, these FOMO Bones treats are all-natural and free from artificial ingredients or preservatives. Each formula is backed by third-party lab testing and batch tracking for quality assurance, offering pet owners confidence that they are giving their furry friend a high-quality product.

About Sunday Scaries Dog Treats

The treats are made with a combination of pure CBD isolate and all-natural ingredients that enhance the flavor and texture. Each treat contains 5mg of CBD isolate, making it an effective way to reduce anxiety and stress in large or small dogs.

To ensure the chilled-out effect no matter the cause of stress, FOMO Bones includes herbal extracts of L-tryptophan, valerian root, passion flower, and chamomile, all known to have calming effects on the body.

These CBD dog treats are easy on the digestive system: they contain no wheat, corn, or soy ingredients and are free from dangerous chemicals and other added preservatives. Pouches of 20 are available from the site, and there is no limit to the number of orders you can make.

Why We Recommend These Treats

The FOMO Bones formula is designed for pets with acute anxiety, and Sunday Scaries goes above and beyond to ensure pet owners are getting an effective product. The treats themselves are easy on the stomach while packing an impressive 5mg of CBD per treat. And if that wasn't enough, the company offers a 100% satisfaction guarantee if you aren't happy with the results.

Learn more at Sunday Scaries



How Did We Decide which CBD Dog Treats Are Best?

To create our top 5 list, our research team started by investigating what was safe and unsafe for a dog to consume when addressing health issues.

We discovered that for dogs to benefit from CBD, the product should

be made from organically grown hemp plants

contain ingredients proven safe for dogs

be third-party lab tested for safety and potency

be easy to administer and palatable

be manufactured in FDA-registered, c-GMP, or ISO facilities

After eliminating products that didn't meet these criteria, we narrowed the list down even further by looking at each product's flavor, texture, and potency. We then looked for customer reviews and feedback to further refine our choices.

At the end of our research, we concluded that the five products above represent the best CBD dog treats available. With proven efficacy, high-quality ingredients, and quality assurance, these products are sure to help your pup live a happy life.

We understand that every dog is different, so it's important to conduct your own research and partner with a veterinarian to provide your pet whats best for them.

What is CBD?

Most people think of CBD as just another form of marijuana. However, while CBD does come from the cannabis plant (the hemp variety), it's a compound that won't get you or your pup high. CBD is short for cannabidiol; it's one of over 100 cannabinoids found in hemp and marijuana plants, but unlike its THC counterpart, CBD doesn't have psychoactive effects.

CBD is considered a major phytocannabinoid due to its abundant presence in hemp plants and its many therapeutic benefits. The cannabinoid has an affinity for interacting with CB2 receptors located throughout the body. For this reason, it's believed to positively affect anxiety, inflammation, pain relief, appetite control, and more.

CBD is typically found in three different product forms. Full-spectrum CBD oil products contain a wide array of major and minor cannabinoidsincluding THC, within legal limits.

Broad-spectrum formulas contain a limited range of cannabinoidssans THCyet offer similar benefits when it comes to comprehensively stimulating the entire system for improved efficacy.

Finally, CBD isolates are pure formulas that contain nothing but cannabidiol (CBD). All other cannabinoids, terpenes, and plant compounds are removed. These products are ideal for those who don't want the other effects of hemp cannabinoids outside of the direct effects of CBD.

Ultimately, we trust CBD is a multi-faceted compound that may be used to help improve your pet's quality of life. So whether you're looking for a natural alternative to prescription medications or just want to give your pup a daily supplement, CBD in dog treats may be a great solution.

What Are the Benefits of CBD Treats for Your Dog?

The specific benefits of CBD for dogs are being reviewed every day with satisfied customers. Dogs are thought to have the same endocannabinoid system as humanseven more sensitive, according to some studiesand benefit from the cannabinoid in the following ways.

Pain relief & mobility support

Satisfied dog owners worldwide often speak to the improvements in their dog's mobility, energy levels, and overall well-being after starting them on a regimen of CBD dog treats. Whether broad-spectrum, full-spectrum, or CBD isolate form, the powerful anti-inflammatory properties of CBD can help reduce and alleviate pain, swelling, and soreness in joints caused by arthritis, aging, surgery, and injury.

Anxiety & stress relief

CBD is said to be a natural calming agent that may help reduce stress and anxiety in dogs who suffer from separation anxiety, fear of loud noises, and general worries. This is especially helpful for pups who have difficulty adjusting to new environments or experiences like car rides, meeting strangers, or going to the vet.

Appetite stimulant & digestive aid

CBD helps regulate appetite, which is excellent for dogs who are finicky eaters or need help maintaining a healthy weight. Its natural anti-inflammatory properties also aid digestion, making it easier for your pup to break down and process their food.

Support cognitive health & behavior

CBD is thought to have neuroprotective and antioxidant properties that may help support cognitive health and behavior. It may also encourage growth in new nerve cells, improving communication within the brain. This can benefit dogs with neurological issues or those with age-related cognitive decline.

Promote overall health & wellness

CBD doesn't have to be given for any specific reason. In fact, the best CBD dog treats support the general health and wellness of your pup. Whether they're young and spry or aging gracefully, CBD can help them stay healthy and active throughout their life.

How Often Should I Give My Dog CBD Treats?

Most manufacturers recommend one treat a day, but that will depend on many factors specific to your dog's needs and condition. Consider the following factors when determining the right number of dog treats to give so that you don't accidentally overwhelm your pet's system.

Dosing advice based on weight

We recommend reading the label on each box to get the correct dosage for your pet. The reason for this is twofold: one, it ensures that the correct dosage is given, and two, it allows for easy scaling as your pet ages or grows.

CBD dosing advice based on wellness condition

Chronic conditions lasting longer than the effects of a single CBD dog treat may require a different dosing strategy. In cases like these, it may be necessary to space out additional dosing to hit the target therapeutic window around the clock. This way, your pup will consistently receive the benefits of CBD throughout the day. Always speak to a vet whenever you are unsure about dosing or if you feel the recommended label isnt accurate for your pet.

In cases where a condition is acute or a result of an injury or surgery, it may be necessary to speak to your vet to consider increasing the amount of CBD per day with multiple treats or a single, high-potency one. This may help keep the levels of CBD constant in the dogs system so they may better benefit from its effects.

CBD dosing advice based on pre-existing conditions

Sometimes, CBD can interact with other medications your pup is taking or aggravate certain pre-existing health conditions. Therefore, it is important to speak with your veterinarian before starting your dog on a CBD regimen and adjust it based on their advice.

Typically, veterinary professionals recommend skipping CBD dosing when a pet is scheduled to take medications that could be affected by the CBD. This will give your pup the best chance of getting the full benefit from their medications and CBD.

How Long Do CBD Dog Treats Take to Work?

Dogs have a speedy metabolism, allowing them to benefit from CBD quickly. Most reports indicate that the effects of CBD will set in within 30 minutes to an hour after ingestion, with peak effectiveness at around 23 hours. However, this time frame can vary based on a variety of factors, such as your pup's individual metabolism, weight, and health condition.

This will also vary depending on whether your dog has eaten or not. Dogs given CBD on an empty stomach tend to benefit from its effects more quickly than those given it after a meal.

Be aware that dogs taking CBD for the first time may react faster to the supplement, while dogs who have taken it for a while may take longer to experience its effects. This is because your pup's body builds up a tolerance to CBD over time, and the active compounds need more time to kick in.

Is CBD Safe for Dogs?

Supplements such as CBD are generally considered fine for dogs, provided the product is made specifically for them and is manufactured in a manner that eliminates harmful toxins. Generally, CBD treats for dogs have a unique formulation of ingredients that are created for pups. Speak to your vet if you are unsure before starting your dog on a new product.

It is important to note that, as with any supplement or medication, side effects are still possible, especially when taking CBD for the first time, taking too much at once, or taking it on an empty stomach. Side effects from these situations include dry mouth, stomach upset, and drowsiness.

We recommend, by starting with a small dose, giving your pet plenty of water after the treat, and ensuring you don't give CBD until your pup has eaten its meal, you may minimize the chances of any unwanted reactions.

As stated earlier, CBD can interact with some medications used to treat blood pressure, liver, and kidney issues. Therefore, it is best to consult a licensed veterinarian to ensure your pet's safety and continued health.

Is It Legal to Sell CBD for Dogs?

Yes, the sale of CBD products for dogs is legal in most parts of the world, provided that certain guidelines are followed. In the United States, CBD products must use only hemp-derived CBD oil, which is derived from a plant species with low levels of THC, rendering it non-psychoactive and legal for consumption.

It's also important to be aware that CBD oil is not a regulated ingredient, meaning there is no official agency to ensure its quality. Therefore, it is best to source your CBD products from reputable manufacturers that are transparent about their ingredients and production process.

For more information on what quality manufacturing, sourcing, and extraction practices look like, take a look at recommendations set forth by industry leaders such as the US Hemp Roundtable and the Cannabis Trade Association.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How do CBD dog treats work?

CBD dog treats work like any other CBD oil product, but are formulated to be more palatable to dogs. CBD dog treats contain the same active compounds as other products, such as capsules and tinctures, which interact with receptors in your pup's body to create a variety of therapeutic effects.

2. Can dogs consume organic coconut oil?

Yes, studies suggest that organic coconut oil found in CBD dog treats may be consumed and may even provide beneficial effects on your pup's health. Coconut oil provides essential fatty acids, which may help coat the walls of the intestines and aid digestion.

3. How often should I give my dog CBD oil treats?

It is important to speak with your veterinarian about the appropriate frequency for treating your pup with CBD. Factors such as weight, overall health, and the condition being treated will play a role in determining the best dosing regimen for your pet. Most pet parents will start with one treat per day and adjust based on the pup's response.

4. Are CBD oil tinctures better than CBD dog treats?

CBD oil tinctures are an alternative to CBD dog treats, and their use will depend on your pup's needs. Tinctures are more likely to offer faster results than treats, as the CBD enters the bloodstream directly and can take effect more quickly. On the other hand, treats may be easier to administer and be more palatable for certain dogs.

5. Can I give CBD dog treats to my other pets?

Many brands formulate their CBD dog treats to be suitable for dogs and cats. However, this isn't always the case, and it is essential to verify with the brand that the product is created for other pets before giving it to them.

While some ingredients in CBD dog treats may not cause harm for a variety of animals, others, such as those with vitamin or mineral-rich formulas, may not be. Therefore, it is always best to consult with a licensed veterinarian before giving CBD dog treatsor any other pet supplementto another animal.

Get the Best CBD Dog Treats for a Happy, Healthy Pup

CBD dog treats offer a fantastic way to promote better health and wellness in your pup. By talking to your vet, familiarizing yourself with the risks and benefits of CBD, and starting slowly with a small dose, you can find the perfect treatment for your pet that provides relief from their symptoms while avoiding any unwanted side effects.

By choosing any of the brands on this list to support your dog's wellness needs, you can ensure an effective CBD experience that will leave your dog feeling happy, healthy, and content
(Ad) Choosing a provider offering the best VPS hosting services can be daunting. You may be faced with choices between unmanaged and managed hosting and various plans with different features.

For that reason, weve reviewed and curated a list of the best VPS hosting providers. Our top picks: Hostinger and A2 Hosting.

Hostinger provides the best Linux-based VPS with unlimited freedom. It helps you create a high-performing website and lets you install various applications to support the sites growth.

If youre running an established business website for a global market, A2 Hosting can be an excellent choice as well, as its VPS plans pack ample resources.

Without further ado, lets take a look at seven different VPS hosting providers. Well also cover factors to consider when choosing a VPS service provider.

6 Best VPS Hosting Providers of 2023

Hostinger  best Linux-based, unmanaged VPS hosting provider.

A2 Hosting  best for online stores with a global market.

Bluehost  best for users looking for simplicity.

HostGator  offers the best VPS hosting plans for established online stores.

DreamHost  best for users looking for extensive developer tools.

InMotion Hosting  best for websites operating in the US.

Review of The Top VPS Hosting Providers

In the following section, we will review each of the seven VPS hosting companies featured in our list.

We'll compare each VPS web hosting service based on several factors to help you find your sites best web hosting service. These include uptime guarantee, connection speed, virtual server resources, control panel and software, security features, and customer support channels.

#1. Hostinger: Best VPS Hosting Overall

Hostinger, featured as our number one best VPS hosting provider, offers powerful Linux-based VPS hosting. Thanks to its limitless configuration options, you can build any kind of website and install a variety of third-party software to ensure fast and efficient performance.

This VPS host offers eight pricing plans, ranging from $3.99 to $7.99 per month. All of them come with full root access, enabling you to configure the hosting environment to your needs.

Lets dive deeper into what Hostingers VPS plans offer.

Uptime guarantee  Hostinger strives to maintain 99.9% uptime, resulting in high website availability throughout the year.

Speed and performance  This web hosting company offers multiple data centers worldwide, including in the US, to help reduce latency.

Bitcatchas speed test results for Hostingers servers demonstrate excellent server response time (SRT). The US data centers process visitors requests within 21 ms and 55 ms.

On top of everything, Hostinger guarantees an unrestricted 100 Mb/s network for all of its VPS plans. This helps ensure fast page load time, improving user experience on your website.

Virtual private server resources  Hostingers VPS 1 plan comes with 1 TB of bandwidth, 20 GB of SSD storage, 1 GB of RAM, and a single-core vCPU. This plan is a great choice for running a simple website with moderate traffic.

The VPS 2 at $5.99 per month is the way to go should you want to host multiple sites or web applications. It doubles all of the VPS 1 plans resources, offering 2 TB of bandwidth, 40 GB of SSD storage, 2 GB of RAM, and a dual-core vCPU.

Control panel and software  Hostinger offers Linux-based VPS. Regarding the operating system (OS), the hosting environment supports CentOs, AlmaLinux, Rocky Linux, Ubuntu, and Debian.

If youre new to this type of hosting, dont worry, as you can use cPanel and WebHost Manager (WHM) on Hostingers VPS environment. Moreover, some OSs come with pre-installed control panels. This enables you to easily keep track of resources and make necessary adjustments for your virtual private server.

On top of all this, Hostinger supports various programming languages and frameworks, including C++, C#, JAVA, Python, Ruby, Ruby on Rails, and Perl. In terms of third-party systems, you can install Node.js, Django, SEER, Tomcat, and ZeroMQ PHP on your virtual private server.

Security  Hostinger provides BitNinjas full-stack server protection to harden your server security. This integration also comes with advanced DDoS protection and a dedicated IPv6.

On top of that, you get access to your server's automated weekly backups and live snapshots. These preventive security measures ensure easy website recovery if it ever experiences an incident.

Customer support options  Reach out to Hostingers 24/7 customer support team through live chat or email ticketing system. You can also explore Hostingers comprehensive knowledge base and tutorials to solve any issue.

Hostinger cons

No automated daily backups.

No free domain name.

Click Here to Learn More About Hostinger VPS Hosting

#2. A2 Hosting: Best VPS Hosting Provider for E-Commerce Stores

A2 Hosting is a top provider of green hosting solutions. This web hosting company offers managed and unmanaged VPS services. Well focus on the web hosts managed solutions here.

A2 provides six managed VPS hosting plans, ranging from $39.99 to $99.99 per month. Lets see what A2 Hostings VPS plans include.

Uptime guarantee  A2 Hosting guarantees 99.9% server uptime throughout the year.

Speed and performance  This web hosting provider has four data centers in Michigan, Arizona, Amsterdam, and Singapore to reduce latency; it integrates with Cloudflare CDN.

The APC and OPcache integration is great for faster PHP processing, improving the sites performance. Youll also get access to Memcached and Redis, which are MySQL accelerators.

If you purchase the higher-tiered plans, Mach 8 and above, you can also take advantage of A2 Hostings Turbo servers.

Thanks to these performance boosts, A2 Hostings servers register excellent response time on Bitcatchas speed test. In the US, visitors can expect your website to respond between 21 ms and 58 ms.

Virtual private server resources  A2 Hosting is one of the VPS hosts that offers great resources. Its cheapest plan, Lift 4 at $39.99 per month, comes with 150 GB of SSD storage, 2 Tb of bandwidth, 4 GB of RAM, and a dual-core CPU.

With this VPS plan, you can host multiple websites or an eCommerce store without worrying about performance loss.

Control panel and software  If youre a beginner, dont worry, as A2 Hosting grants cPanel and WHM access for all of its VPS plans. It also includes Softaculous, enabling you to install software with one click.

For developers, this web hosting provider offers multiple advanced features, including automated Git repository deployment on cPanel and pre-installed phpMyAdmin. It also supports popular programming languages like Perl, Python, and Ruby.

Security  A2 Hosting provides reinforced DDoS protection and security patches. Regarding the latter, the web host continuously monitors and updates its security system to minimize vulnerabilities.

Other security tools include free SSL, email spam protection, password protection for restricted files, and hardened settings.

Customer support options  A2 Hostings 24/7 support crew is ready to help if you have any issues with your website or virtual private server. You can contact them through live chat, phone calls, and an email ticketing system.

Alternatively, you can browse A2 Hostings knowledge base and FAQ pages to solve the issues yourself.

A2 Hosting cons:

High renewal rates.

Does not offer live snapshots and automated backups  website owners should maintain their own backups.

Click Here to Learn More About A2 Hosting

#3. Bluehost: Great for Unlimited Domains and Websites

Bluehost, a popular WordPress hosting provider, only offers three VPS hosting plans.

Get your website up and running on Bluehosts virtual private server with the Standard plan at $19.99 per month. If you need more resources and power, you can upgrade to the Enhanced plan at $29.99 per month or Ultimate at $59.99 per month.

Lets look further into Bluehosts web hosting services for VPS.

Speed and performance  Bluehost has multiple data centers around the globe, including the USA. Bitcatchas speed test result shows that you can expect Bluehosts servers to respond between 27 ms and 60 ms of SRT across the country.

Virtual private server resources  The Standard plan comes with 30 GB of SSD storage, 1 TB of bandwidth, 2 GB of RAM, and a dual-core vCPU. This enables you to host moderate-traffic websites, such as early-stage online stores.

Control panel and software  Bluehost lets you install cPanel and create up to five accounts. The WHM integration enables you to manage your cPanel accounts individually.

Security  The access management feature strengthens your security by letting you create passwords to restrict access to server administration and confidential information. Bluehost also grants dedicated IP addresses for your websites.

Customer support options  Bluehost provides 24/7 VPS hosting assistance over the phone or live chat support. Its knowledge base is also a great resource for finding solutions.

Bluehost cons:

No server uptime guarantee.

High renewal rates.

Click Here to Learn More About Bluehost

#4. Greengeeks: Best Host for Sustainability

GreenGeeks, one of the best providers for sustainability, plants a tree for every purchase of its managed VPS hosting plans. It offers three VPS plans: 2GB, 4GB, and 8GB, with a starting price of $39.95 per month.

Lets find out more about what GreenGeeks VPS hosting packages offer.

Uptime guarantee  Like most VPS providers in this list, GreenGeeks follows the industry benchmark with its 99.9% uptime guarantee.

Speed and performance  This web host has four data centers worldwidein the US, Canada, the Netherlands, and Singapore. You can choose the nearest one to your target market to reduce latency.

Regarding SRT, GreenGeeks serves excellent speed for audiences in the US (63 ms and 25 ms), Canada (24 ms), and London (92 ms).

Virtual private server resources  The 2GB plan comes with 50 GB of SSD, 10 TB of bandwidth, 2 GB of RAM, and 4 vCPUs, perfect for hosting multiple websites. It also offers free SSL certificates and website migration.

Thanks to the generous server resources and power, this VPS plan is suitable for hosting a moderate-traffic website.

Control panel and software  To ease your web development and setup process, utilize the included cPanel and free Softaculous License.

Security  GreenGeeks equips your virtual private server with custom security rules, DDoS protection, a dedicated IP address, and real-time 24/7 monitoring. Regarding the last, this web host dedicates a team to proactively monitoring your virtual private server and fixing any issues immediately.

Customer support options  GreenGeeks customer support is available through live chat, phone calls, and an email ticketing system. Unfortunately, phone call support is limited, as its only available from 9 AM to 12 AM EST.

If youre comfortable with solving potential issues yourself, take advantage of GreenGeeks self-help support, which includes a knowledge base, blog posts, and webinars.

GreenGeeks cons:

Only available in the USA, Canada, and Europe.

Doesnt offer unlimited bandwidth.

#5. HostGator: Popular VPS Server Provider with 30-Day Money Back Guarantee

HostGator, one of the most popular hosting providers, offers three VPS plans: Snappy 2000, Snappy 4000, and Snappy 8000. All of them include unmetered bandwidth, which is great for online stores.

Here are some of the features HostGators VPS hosting packages offer.

Uptime guarantee  Your website wont have availability issues, as HostGator annually guarantees 99.9% server uptime.

Speed and performance  Thanks to its multiple US-based data centers combined with the Cloudflare integration, this hosting provider can deliver smooth performance.

From the table below, you can see that HostGators servers respond fast, especially in the US23 ms in the west and 64 ms in the east.

Virtual private server resources  If you want to host multiple websites, migrate your medium-traffic sites to a VPS platform, or build an eCommerce store, HostGator can be a great option.

The Snappy 2000 plan costs $23.95 per month and has generous resources. Youll get 120 GB of SSD storage, unmetered bandwidth, 2 GB of RAM, and a dual-core CPU.

Control panel and software  You can install cPanel along with WHM and Softaculous to easily manage your VPS hosting account.

HostGator is also great for developers as it grants unlimited MySQL databases and unlimited SFTP users. It also supports three programming languages: Rails, Python, and Perl. This VPS host uses the CentOS7 operating system.

Security  This VPS host provides centralized DDoS protection. Weekly offsite backups, manual backups, and scheduled backups are also available as preventive measures.

Dont worry about paying an extra fee for SSL, as HostGators VPS plans include Lets Encrypt SSL certificates.

Customer support options  HostGator has a variety of communication channels to choose from. Contact the customer support team over the phone or live chat for faster response.

Opt for the knowledge base or blog to find solutions on your own. In addition, this VPS hosting provider also offers customer support services via Twitter.

HostGator cons

High renewal rates.

Limited security tools.

Click Here to Learn More About HostGator

#6. DreamHost: Best Cloud VPS Provider for Developers

DreamHost is a popular cloud hosting provider. The good news is that it also offers reliable VPS services.

This host provides four monthly plans, ranging from $13.75 to $110.00. Its cheapest plan, VPS Basic, is perfect for new and small websites.

Lets see what DreamHosts VPS hosting plans offer.

Uptime guarantee  This web hosting provider strives to provide a 100% uptime guarantee for all its services, including VPS.

Speed and performance  DreamHost enables OPcache by default for websites utilizing PHP. This caching system compiles and stores PHP scripts to improve your sites performance.

Currently, this provider has two data centers, both in the US. Even with these limited server locations, DreamHost offers reliable speed worldwide.

Based on the Bitcatcha speed test result, the web hosts servers can process users requests in less than 100 ms in the US, London, Canada, and Germany.

Virtual private server resources  The VPS Basic plan includes 30 GB of SSD storage, unlimited traffic, and 1 GB of RAM. It allows you to create an unlimited number of websites and domain-based email accounts.

Control panel and software  DreamHost uses a custom control panel to make the setup easier. Moreover, this VPS host offers a wide range of advanced features. For example, Crontab Access helps to automate command-line tasks.

DreamHosts VPS also supports various programming languages and frameworks, including PHP 7, Python, Perl, and Node.js. If you need to use more than one version of Ruby, you can install Ruby Version Manager to handle them.

To help you save time, DreamHost provides automatic software updates for Ubuntu, PHP, and WordPress.

Security  DreamHost has password protection to keep your sensitive content safe. Also, this hosting provider offers free SSL certificates.

Customer support options  If you have an issue with your site or virtual private server, DreamHosts support team will help 24/7. You can also take advantage of its knowledge base and discussion forums.

DreamHost cons:

No information about CPU power.

DreamHosts starter plan may not provide the best hosting environment for customers with multiple websites, due to its limited resources.

Click Here to Learn More About DreamHost

#7. InMotion Hosting: Powerful, Fast, and Secure VPS Servers

InMotion Hosting is another managed VPS hosting provider offering ample resources at a considerably affordable rate. This provider has four VPS plans, ranging from $19.99 to $59.99 per month.

Lets review InMotion Hostings VPS plans.

Uptime guarantee  InMotion Hosting commits to providing an excellent VPS hosting service with 99.9% uptime.

Speed and performance  This web hosting provider features various performance boosts to ensure a fast browsing experience for your site visitors.

Brotli Compression ensures your files dont take up much of your server resources, and UltraStacks multi-layered caching improves your site speed. If you want to use MySQL, Redis is available for object caching.

Bitcatchas speed test results show that InMotion Hostings SRT is excellent in the US and Canada. On the US west coast, your site visitors can enjoy an 8 ms connection.

Regarding data centers, you can choose between two locations  Los Angeles, California, and Ashburn, Virginia.

Virtual private server resources  InMotion Hostings starter plan is VPS 4GB RAM, costing $24.99 per month. The plan comes with 90 GB of SSD storage, 2 TB of bandwidth, 4 GB of RAM, and a dual-core vCPU.

If youre looking for a reliable VPS hosting service to migrate your websites, InMotion Hosting can be a good choice as it comes with a free migration service.

Control panel and software  All plans come with five cPanel licenses. You also get a free WHM license, making it easier to manage multiple cPanel accounts.

Security  In addition to a free SSL certificate and dedicated IP addresses, InMotion Hosting includes Corero DDoS Attack Protection on all VPS plans. Regarding security features, you can schedule server snapshots to help restore your website restoration after an incident.

Customer support options  InMotion Hostings customer support is available through emails, the ticket system, live chat, and phone calls.

For self-help, go to the providers knowledge base, blog, or YouTube channel. It also has a community support forum, enabling you to connect with other users.

InMotion Hosting cons:

Data centers are only in the US.

Does not offer a free CDN integration.

Click Here to Learn More About InMotion Hosting

How to Choose the Best VPS Host for Your Project

Here are several factors to consider when researching the best VPS hosting service.

Uptime Guarantee

Server uptime shows the time a server fully functions, indicating its reliability. Generally, server uptime is expressed in percentages and should be as close to 100% as possible to ensure high website availability.

However, as every server needs maintenance, a 100% uptime can be ambitious.

Web hosting companies compete to serve the highest uptime. While 99.999% is often the goal, the industry benchmark is 99.9%. It equals a period of downtime of 8 hours, 41 minutes, and 38 seconds per year.

Before setting on a provider, check its system status to determine how well it can maintain its uptime guarantee. More often than not, you can find the information on the providers footer under the System Status or Server Status submenu.

Speed and Performance

Aside from uptime, the server response time (SRT) is another factor determining the reliability of VPS web hosting services.

Expressed in milliseconds, SRT measures the time to first byte (TTFB)that is, from when users request their browsers to when the web server responds to it. In other words, SRT calculates the time a server takes to respond to a request.

Site speed influences user experience and your search engine optimization (SEO) efforts. Therefore, choosing a provider with an SRT faster than 200 ms should be your priority.

Check your providers connection using speed test sites such as Bitcatcha, Pingdom, and Google PageSpeed Insights. These tests will also give you comprehensive information about Core Web Vitals.

Check if your chosen provider offers performance boosts to speed up your website. Two popular options include integrating a content delivery network (CDN) and caching plugins.

Server Location

If youre targeting a specific audience, you need to consider network latency. It measures the amount of time to transfer requested data. The farther the data travels, the higher the latency.

Latency is measured between a users device and a data center, so one of the easiest ways to reduce it is to choose the server closest to your target audience.

Thankfully, many VPS providers offer multiple data centers worldwide. One example is Hostinger, which has six data centers for its Linux VPS plans. Theyre in the Netherlands, Lithuania, the United Kingdom, Singapore, the USA, and Brazil.

Bandwidth and Storage

Bandwidth and storage are crucial when choosing a VPS hosting plan. They determine how much data and how many visitors your website can handle.

Bandwidth is the maximum data load that can be transmitted over a given time. Think of it as a pipe and the data as a stream of water. The larger the bandwidth, the more data it can transfer simultaneously.

In web hosting, two of the most commonly used storage devices are hard disk drives (HDD) and solid-state drives (SSD).

HDD storage  This device uses a spinning disk to read and write data. The drawback of a hard disk is that its slower and more prone to damage than SSD and NVMe.

SSD storage  SSD uses flash memory to process data, resulting in faster performance than HDD. Moreover, this storage device technology consumes less energy and guarantees more durability.

Some providers have also introduced a new storage access and transfer protocol called NVMe, for PCIe-based SSD. This integration enables SSDs to accelerate the data reading and writing processes.

CPU and RAM

Lets dive deeper into data processing by finding out what CPU power and RAM are and how they work.

The central processing unit (CPU) is where websites process tasks. The number of cores determines the number of tasks a CPU can perform simultaneously.

For a low-traffic website hosted on an optimized Linux OS, a single-core vCPU is sufficient. You can upgrade to another plan with more CPU power as the website grows.

Short for random access memory, RAM is responsible for temporarily storing data for faster retrieval. As a result, your site can load faster when requests are running concurrently.

Generally, the higher the RAM, the faster the processing speed. That said, RAM requirements vary from one site to another. They depend on how much traffic the site generates and what type of content the website has.

CPU and RAM work together to ensure smoother task execution. RAM stores the most frequently requested tasks, such as opening a web page or playing a product video, for faster retrieval. The CPU will then process those instructions and deliver them to users.

Control Panel and Software

Not all VPS plans come with a control panel. However, you can install the control panel of your choice if you have root access.

For VPS plans with a control panel, cPanel with WHM and Softaculous licenses are the most popular options. That said, several VPS hosts offer their own custom-built control panels, which are often more beginner-friendly. The DreamHost panel is a good example.

Security and Backup Measures

While you can always install security plugins to safeguard your site, you should also consider server-side security. Here are some of the most important security features a VPS host should offer:

Free SSL certificates. Short for secure sockets layer, this certificate enables your website to move from HTTP to HTTPS.

DDoS protection. This prevents a site from being attacked by a flood of malicious traffic.

Dedicated IPv6. The best VPS provides an exclusive IP address for each website and has IPSec to help with data privacy and routing efficiency.

Malware scanning. This includes monitoring, detecting, and removing potentially malicious software from your site.

Security patch management. Check if the providers security team continuously monitors its system for potential security loopholes and works towards improving it. Also, be sure that your provider keeps its operating system updated.

Backup. Creating backups is a great precaution to ease website restoration after an incident. Check if your provider offers scheduled or automated backups.

VPS snapshots. Some of the best VPS hosting companies provide a live snapshot feature, enabling you to register and save your running system configuration. This makes it possible to restore the system if any changes lead to unforeseen consequences.

Customer Support Options

Regarding customer support, each VPS host grants different types of service. While most web hosting companies provide 24/7 specialist assistance, self-help support, and social media, customer service is also a popular option.

Typically, you can reach out to a web hosts support team through live chat, phone calls, and emails. We recommend going with a VPS web host offering live chat support for immediate response.

Regarding self-help services, some popular choices are a knowledge base, blog posts, video tutorials, and a community forum. For social media customer service, HostGator is one of the few web hosts offering Twitter support.

Managed vs. Unmanaged VPS Hosting

When it comes to VPS, you may have two options  managed and unmanaged hosting. Lets take a look at their differences.

Managed VPS

Managed VPS is a hands-free approach to VPS hosting services, perfect for beginners. With a managed VPS plan, your provider will take care of your virtual private server, performing regular maintenance, software installation, and troubleshooting.

Managed VPS pros:

Great for beginners.

Let website owners focus on core tasks like content creation and optimization.

Less prone to human error, as experts do server configuration.

Managed VPS cons:

Higher cost than unmanaged VPS plans.

Limited control and flexibility.

Unmanaged VPS

Opting for unmanaged VPS hosting means you take full responsibility for your virtual private server.

As the webmaster, youll take care of the server maintenance, as unmanaged VPS usually doesnt come with a control panel. On the other hand, your hosting provider will focus on managing the physical server and maintaining excellent uptime.

Unmanaged VPS hosting pros

Lower cost than managed VPS hosting plans.

Unlimited server configuration options, great for web applications.

More flexibility regarding software and OS installation.

Unmanaged VPS hosting cons

Needs round-the-clock monitoring.

Requires high-level technical expertise for server configuration  you can do it yourself or have dedicated experts in-house.

Limited support from the hosting provider.

Consider these factors when choosing between an unmanaged and managed VPS plan. They include your website size, how much flexibility it requires, budgeting, and technical expertise.

Alternatives to Virtual Private Server Hosting

Before purchasing a VPS hosting plan, consider whether virtual private server hosting is the perfect solution for your project.

Typically, VPS services grant full root access, which may require technical knowledge. This may become an issue if youre a beginner in web development. So lets take a look at other types of web hosting services.

Dedicated Server Hosting

Dedicated web hosting is the most powerful solution. This service lets you use one physical server entirely for your site. Renting a dedicated server is a good option if youre running a high-traffic website, such as a video streaming site, game server, and large eCommerce store.

Dedicated server pros

Reliable performance. As your site gets dedicated resources and power, it can deliver faster loading speed and maintain higher uptime.

Flexibility. When choosing dedicated web hosting, the server you rent is yours to configure. You can install software, tools, and programs to cater to your sites needs.

Improved security. Since you have complete control over the dedicated server, you can take all security measures necessary to maintain your sites health. Also, being separated from other websites minimizes external security threats.

Dedicated server cons

Technicality. Like VPS services, dedicated servers require technical knowledge of server administration and management.

Cost. Unsurprisingly, renting a dedicated server can be expensive. Its price ranges between $100.00 and $200.00 per month, which may not be feasible for small and medium-sized businesses.

Cloud Hosting

Cloud hosting, like virtual private server hosting, uses virtualization technology to store your sites files. The difference is that it pulls its cloud servers computing resources from a network of physical servers.

Some of the best use cases for this type of web hosting service are eCommerce stores, news publications, and social networks.

Cloud hosting pros:

High server uptime. The network of virtual servers will back up each other if one of them fails.

Enhanced performance. Using a load-balancing system, the cloud infrastructure distributes your sites traffic across the entire network of cloud servers. This helps maintain excellent site speed during peak traffic times.

Cost-effectiveness. Some cloud hosting providers offer a pay-as-you-go pricing model. This payment system enables you to pay for the hosting service based on the resources your site consumes.

Cloud hosting cons:

Limited control. Unlike VPS and dedicated servers, cloud hosting doesnt have root access. Therefore, you may have minimal control over your server.

Security vulnerabilities. As your website is in the cloud, data leakage due to insecure APIs may become a risk.

Shared Hosting

Shared hosting is similar to virtual private server hosting in that it uses a physical server to host multiple websites. However, the shared hosting infrastructure doesnt use virtualization technology to ensure fixed allocated server resources for each hosted site.

Shared hosting pros:

Ease of use. Shared web hosting often comes with a user-friendly control panel, making setting up and managing your hosting account easier. Also, your web host will handle the technical aspects, so you wont need to worry about server maintenance.

Affordability. This hosting type is the most cost-effective solution. As your site shares resources with other websites, providers can lower the prices of shared web hosting plans.

Shared hosting cons:

Lack of control. Shared hosting doesnt come with root access, hence the limited access to your server.

Performance issues. Keep in mind that your site shares resources with tens, if not hundreds, of other websites in a shared hosting environment. Thus, it may experience performance issues if there is a traffic spike in other websites.

No dedicated IP. Besides resources, your website will share an IP address with its neighboring websites. This may create a security loophole, as the degree of web security awareness may differ from one webmaster to another.

Finally, if renting a whole dedicated server is too expensive, you can go with VPS hosting and enjoy similar features.

VPS comes with root accessa feature that cloud and shared hosting environments generally dont provide. Also, it ensures smoother performance, as the virtualization technology gives you allocated resources.

Cloud and shared hosting solutions are better options for a beginner. Both hosting types are easy to use and cost-effective. However, consider your website size, as shared hosting may not be a good choice for media-heavy, high-traffic sites.

Summary of the Top VPS Hosting Services

Knowing what to look for in a host is a great starting point for getting the best VPS hosting for your websites. Factors such as server reliability, resources, security, and customer support are important to consider.

Furthermore, you may also want to learn about the providers control panel and software support. Some VPS hosts offer cPanel, while others have their custom control panels. In terms of software, you can check whether or not it supports your preferred OS.

Based on those factors, our recommendations for the best VPS hosting providers are Hostinger and A2 Hosting.

Hostinger offers the best Linux-based, unmanaged VPS hosting. The environment supports various Linux OSs, including Debian, Ubuntu, and CentOS. Dont worry about the control panel; you can install cPanel with WHM on Hostigers virtual private servers.

A2 Hosting offers reliable virtual private servers with generous resources, even in its starter plan. Offering managed and unmanaged VPS plans, A2 Hosting is great for beginners and more experienced users.

Dont forget to check alternative web hosting services, such as dedicated servers, cloud, and shared web hosting. This can help you make better-informed decisions. Good luck!

Frequently Asked Questions about VPS Hosting

What Is VPS Hosting?

VPS, short for a virtual private server, is a hosting type that uses virtualization technology to divide a physical servers resources into multiple isolated virtual servers.

Why Is VPS More Expensive than Shared Hosting?

A VPS is pricier than shared hosting as it offers more control over the server, thanks to full root access. The virtualization technology also ensures a fixed amount of server resources for each user, resulting in improved performance and security.

How Can I Tell If I Need VPS hosting?

If youre already at your current hostings highest-tiered package  especially if its a shared hosting plan  consider migrating to a VPS hosting plan.

In addition, its time to move to a virtual private server environment if your site experiences slow loading time, frequent 503 service unavailable errors, and frequent downtime.

As your website generates more traffic, it may need more resources than your current plan can provide. This can lead to overloaded requests and overwhelmed servers. Hence, the 503 service unavailable error.

In the long run, this may result in frequent freezes, crashes, or downtime  issues that can potentially be solved by moving to a VPS.

How Many Websites Can I Host with a Virtual Private Server?

It depends on your VPS plan. Some providers allow you to host multiple websites on your virtual private server, while others may only let you host one site, especially if you choose a starter VPS plan.

Whats the Difference between Cloud and VPS Hosting?

Cloud hosting stores your website files on a cluster of cloud servers. On the other hand, VPS uses virtualization technology to create an isolated virtual environment within a physical server.

Can I Upgrade from a VPS to Dedicated Hosting?

Yes. If your site has overpowered VPS hosting plans, renting a dedicated server is an option. If you decide to do it, create a site backup beforehand to prevent data loss.

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Some of the benefits of VPS hosting are

Full root access control. As the highest level of server access, this lets you choose your preferred operating system and server-wide applications.

As the highest level of server access, this lets you choose your preferred operating system and server-wide applications. Dedicated server space. While your site will share one physical server with others, you wont have to worry about one site dominating the server resources.

While your site will share one physical server with others, you wont have to worry about one site dominating the server resources. Scalability. As a VPS is easy to scale, your virtual server provider can ensure zero to minimal performance issues.

As a VPS is easy to scale, your virtual server provider can ensure zero to minimal performance issues. Security and self-healing environment. As this hosting type separates each user from the others, problems in one website will not affect yours. Also, many VPS providers offer an automatic fail-over.

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VPS hosting generally ranges from $5.00 to $100.00 per month.

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Summary of Top Recommended VPS Hosts
JEKYLL ISLAND, Ga. (AP)  A dozen sea turtles returned to the wild Tuesday after several months of being treated for injuries and illnesses on the Georgia coast.

A crowd gathered on the beach at Jekyll Island as staff members from the Georgia Sea Turtle Center waded into the ocean with their hard-shelled patients and turned them loose in the water. The center opened on the island in 2007 as Georgias veterinary hospital for sick and injured sea turtles.
NEW YORK (AP)  New York police arrested two men in connection with two killings last year that investigators believe were part of a series of druggings and robbings of Manhattan bar and nightclub patrons by criminal groups, assaults that left the city's nightlife scene on edge.

Police said in a statement that Jacob Barroso of New Britain, Connecticut, and Robert Demaio of the Brooklyn section of New York were charged with murder, robbery, identity theft and other crimes. Barroso was arrested Saturday and Demaio on Monday, and police said they also were looking for a third man in the case.
DOUGLASVILLE, Ga. (AP)  A fifth suspect has been arrested in a March 4 mass shooting at a 16th birthday party in suburban Atlanta that killed two teens and wounded seven other people, authorities said Tuesday.

Tahkel Marquise Beverly-Smart, a 21-year-old resident of Dallas, Georgia, was arrested Saturday in connection with the shooting at a house in Douglasville, Douglas County Sheriff Tim Pounds announced.

In addition to two counts of murder, Beverly-Smart is facing 40 counts of participating in gang activity, nine counts each of aggravated assault and aggravated battery, and 20 counts of being a party to a crime, jail records show.

Beverly-Smart, like the four other suspects arrested so far, was denied bail. It was not clear whether any had lawyers who could speak on their behalf.

Arrested earlier were Kingston Cottman, 17, Timothy Coleman, 18, and twin brothers Chance and Chase McDowell, 17. They all face murder and gang charges, while Cottman and Coleman also face aggravated assault, aggravated battery and gun charges.

The sheriffs office didnt detail Beverly-Smarts alleged role in the killings or say who is believed to have fired guns.

The two dead have been identified as 15-year-old Samuel Moon and 14-year-old Ajanaye Hill.

Pounds has said the shooting was meant to be a gang hit but those who were shot were not the intended targets. Others have said the shooting started after homeowners discovered some of the 100 or more teenagers attending the party were smoking marijuana and kicked them out.

Pounds said Tuesday that he expects additional arrests.

Douglasville is just over 20 miles (32 kilometers) west of Atlanta.
The quadripartite meeting of the assistant foreign ministers of Syria, Russia, Iran and Turkey kicked off in Moscow on Tuesday, aiming at overcoming obstacles that are hindering the normalization of relations between Ankara and Damascus.

The Syrian delegation, headed by Deputy Foreign Minister Ayman Sousan, will focus in the meeting on three main points: the need to end the illegal Turkish presence on Syrian territory, non-interference in the Syrian internal affairs, and combating terrorism in all its forms, according to Syrian official news agency, SANA

A series of bilateral consultations took place in Moscow on Monday in preparation for the quadripartite meeting held at the level of Deputy foreign ministers, in anticipation of a potential meeting of Foreign Ministers

The Syrian delegation held separate talks with Mikhail Bogdanov, Special Representative of the Russian President and Deputy Russian Foreign Minister, and Ali Asghar Khaji, Senior Assistant to the Iranian Foreign Minister for Special Political Affairs.

Meanwhile, the Turkish delegation held separate talks with the Russian and Iranian delegations.

SANA reported that Moscow and Damascus were in agreement on the need to respect Syrias sovereignty and territorial integrity and ending Turkiye's illegal deployment there.

However, a Russian diplomatic source denied this report to Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper.

Claims that the two sides were in agreement over the illegal Turkish deployment in Syria are untrue, it added.

Rather, the source stressed that the military presence there is important because it is helping maintain calm, end the fighting between Syrians and focus the fight on terrorism.

Last Monday, Bogdanov said the planned multilateral meeting is a major step to help normalise ties between Ankara and Damascus.

We are getting ready [for a meeting]. I think that [it will be held] soon. We are hoping, Bogdanov told Russias TASS news agency.

We are hoping that our mediating mission, which is directed at a very important strategic goal  the normalisation of Syrian-Turkish relations  will result in our shared success, he added.

The negotiations, which will stretch out over two days, are expected to be a continuation of the ministerial-level meetings that began during the normalisation process promoted by Russia, said Ankara.

Turkey severed its relations with the Syrian government in March 2012, a year after the Arab country found itself in the grip of a deadly anti-government insurgency. Turkey has since provided support to the anti-government forces and occupied parts of northern Syria.

In December 2022, Russia hosted the first talks between the Turkish and Syrian defense ministers in 11 years.

Later, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he might meet his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad, as part of a process to normalise ties between the two sides.

But Assad ruled out any meeting with Erdogan until Turkey is ready to withdraw its military from northern Syria.

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HOUMA, La. (AP)  In Louisiana bayou country, where oil rig supply ships are as much a part of the waterside scenery as shrimp boats, a new kind of seagoing behemoth is taking shape that marks offshore wind power's growing presence in the energy seascape.

Louisiana shipbuilding giant Edison Chouest Offshore is assembling the 260-foot-long Eco Edison in coastal Terrebonne Parish, along the Houma Navigation Canal. It's being built for rsted, a Danish firm that builds and operates wind farms worldwide, and Eversource, a New England energy provider. When delivered next year, the ship will serve as floating housing for U.S. offshore wind technicians and a warehouse for their tools as they run and maintain wind farms in the Northeast.

Officials with the three companies gathered Tuesday under the bow of the unfinished vessel to mark construction progress and hail the role offshore oil industries are playing in the development of offshore wind generation. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, of Louisiana, attended.

It's long been understood that offshore oil companies possess know-how valuable for offshore wind, for example, how to maintain machinery in a salty marine environment.

Differences between the Eco Edison and vessels built for offshore and deep water oil rigs aren't yet apparent as the skin and bones of the towering ship take shape in a 120-foot-tall waterside assembly building. But the differences are there, said Daryl Owen, a consultant on the project. Workers in protective clothing tended computer-driven machines bending and welding sections of piping and huge plates of steel. Standing near the stern of the developing ship on Monday, Owen pointed to the deck of a nearby oil industry supply vessel.

That's all open deck space for cargo," he said. "This vessel won't have that. It's got a lot more housing space for the workers.

The cargo will be different, too Owen added. That vessel's got specialty tanks, all over, below decks, for specialty chemicals, fluids .... The wind guys don't need any of that.

While offshore oil platforms often double as living quarters for the workers who tend to them, the Eco Edison will be the temporary home for roughly 60 workers as it moves from turbine to turbine to provide maintenance.

Tuesdays unveiling of the work in progress comes almost a week after the Biden administration announced a wind power strategy aimed at providing 30 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2030.

Globally countries are building out wind power and solar in a shift away from the coal, oil and methane gas burning that cause climate change.

But it also came days after House Republicans passed legislation to sharply increase domestic production of fossil fuels, and ease permitting restrictions that delay pipelines, refineries and other projects.

Louisiana politicians, Democrats and Republicans alike, have been critical of administration attempts to curb drilling. And oil and gas remains a major employer and driver of the Louisiana economy. But they are also embracing the state's role in helping the offshore wind industry take off.

Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards recently announced that Shell will invest $10 million with New Orleans-based Gulf Wind Technology for a project to develop turbine components designed to operate in the Gulf.

Wind turbines won't be sprouting in Gulf waters right away. Although the Biden administration is considering the first-ever lease sale for offshore wind energy in the Gulf of Mexico, there are challenges to address, including slower wind speeds.

But Gulf cities and companies are a big part of what will make the offshore wind industry successful, said David Hardy, CEO of the rsted Americas region. In turn, offshore wind developers are creating high-paying jobs in the Gulf and giving companies a way to diversify to take advantage of opportunities in the energy transition, he added.

rsted and Eversource say they're investing hundreds of millions of dollars in shipbuilding across the Gulf Coast. More than 400 shipbuilding workers with Edison Chouest Offshore have worked on the Eco Edison so far. Parts of the ship have been manufactured at ECO facilities in Florida and Mississippi and shipped to Houma.

People think about offshore wind and they think about jobs where the wind farms are. But the reality is, there are jobs being created across the country, Hardy said.

Because of century-old laws, only a qualified U.S.-flagged vessel can transport people and goods between U.S. ports. The Eco Edison is the first Jones Act-qualified wind farm service operations vessel in the United States. In Texas, Dominion Energy is building the first U.S.-based offshore wind installation vessel, the Charybdis. rsted and Eversource signed up to charter it first.

Jason Grumet, CEO of the American Clean Power Association, said the Gulf region is poised to become the economic engine of the offshore wind industry because of its highly-skilled energy workforce. Leading offshore developers are racing to invest billions of dollars to construct a fleet of specialized vessels, he added.

When the Eco Edison is finished next year, it will go to Port Jefferson, New York to serve three planned Northeast wind farms, South Fork Wind, Revolution Wind and Sunrise Wind. Combined, those projects are expected to generate about 1.7 gigawatts of offshore wind energy to power over a million homes.

________

McDermott reported from Providence, R.I.

________

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.
Chris Granger/AP

NEW ORLEANS (AP)  The federal judge overseeing police reforms in New Orleans has told the citys police chief and other city officials to attend a hearing in her courtroom. The order comes a week after Mayor LaToya Cantrell said city employees cannot speak at public meetings about the reform effort without her permission.

U.S. District Judge Susie Morgans order, dated Monday, sets April 12 as the date for a courtroom hearing on a 2012 reform agreement with the U.S. Justice Department. The pact, known as a consent decree, detailed numerous reforms for the long-troubled department. The order said officials should be prepared to discuss issues including the citys Alternative Police Response program, a plan to improve police emergency response by using non-officers to handle some types of nonemergency matters.
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP)  A childrens book illustrator has been charged in Alaska with terroristic threatening after police allege he posted anti-transgender notes that referenced shooting children.

Mitchell Thomas Watley, 47, did not enter a plea to the felony charge during his first court appearance Monday, the Juneau Empire reported. A preliminary hearing was scheduled for April 11.

Watley is accused of placing notes in several public locations across Juneau starting Friday, the International Day of Transgender Visibility. The notes were the size of a business card showing an assault rifle and the colors of the transgender flag, the complaint says. Feeling Cute Might Shoot Some Children, the text read.

Anti-transgender rhetoric and disinformation followed a mass shooting last week that killed six people at a Nashville Christian school. It came as lawmakers across the country engage in a historic push for more restrictions on trans peoples rights.

Authorities have not shared any evidence linking the shooter's gender identity to the motive for the attack, which killed three children and three adults.

In Juneau, Alaskas capital city, the first notes were found Friday in a grocery store and on a bulletin board at a state office building. Others were found Sunday in a Costco store.

Officers spoke to Mitchell, who said (in essence) that he was in fear of the recent transgender school shooter and took it upon himself to print out and distribute these leaflets, the complaint against Watley said.

Rexene Finley, the assistant district attorney, called the allegations against Watley serious. Mr. Watley has targeted our most vulnerable populations, Finley told the judge.

Juneau schools increased security after the first note was found Friday, and some parents kept their children home.

Police arrested Watley after reviewing security camera footage at Costco that included tracking him to a vehicle in the parking lot and tracing it to him.

Watley is known for illustrating three books, including I Would Tuck You In" and You Are Home With Me."

Finley sought $10,000 bail and conditions including that Watley be ordered to stay away from where children gather, turn in any weapons and undergo a mental health exam.

Judge Kirsten Swanson agreed to the conditions after Watleys attorney for the hearing, Nicholas Polasky, said he did not know if he would continue to represent Watley after Mondays hearing.

I dont have a comment on it right now, Polasky said.

If convicted of the felony, he could face up to five years in prison and a $50,000 fine.
The body of a South Carolina teen killed back in 2015 was exhumed over the weekend so investigators could conduct a second autopsy.

An attorney for the family of Stephen Smith announced the exhumation and autopsy on Sunday.

"My partner, Ronnie Richter, and I, as attorneys for Sandy Smith, and on behalf of Steven Smith, would like to thank everyone who contributed in the exhumation, transporting Stephen, protecting and guarding Stephen while he was being re-examined, and the second autopsy being done, transporting him back and then putting him back to his final resting place this past weekend," Attorney Eric Bland said.

Smith was found dead on a rural Hampton County, South Carolina road back in 2015. Investigators initially blamed the 19-year-old's death on a hit-and-run, but Smith's mother, Sandy, never believed that.

Investigators announced they were reopening the investigation into Smith's death not long after Maggie and Paul Murdaugh were murdered. South Carolina Law Enforcement Division said it was due to information collected from the Murdaugh case.

At this point, authorities have not announced a connection between Smith's death and the Murdaugh family.

Buster Murdaugh recently released a statement insisting he had nothing to do with Smith's death. He said in part, "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."

Bland on Sunday said a tremendous amount of planning went into the exhumation.

"The biggest thanks goes to South Carolina Law Enforcement Division Chief Mark Keel because without him this could not have gone on without a hitch," he said. "Chief Keel gave me his word and followed through on it."



Smith's mom launched a GoFundMe page so she could exhume his body and conduct an independent autopsy. Donations poured in.



"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," she wrote.



The Bland Richter Law Firm announced on Monday that a $35,000 reward is being offered for information or a tip that leads to the arrest of the person or people responsible for the death of Stephen Smith.

"We hope that this reward will encourage anyone with information to come forward and provide the critical details needed to solve this case," Richter said. "The paramount issue here is to find answers for the Smith family. We won't stop until we do."
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ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP)  The three-week manhunt for a former top aide to Marylands governor ended in his death after public corruption charges jeopardized his career and ultimately sent him on the run from federal agents when he skipped a court appearance last month.

Following numerous twists and turns, the case against Roy McGrath ended Monday night when FBI agents confronted the fugitive outside Knoxville, Tennessee. McGrath, who had served as former Gov. Larry Hogans chief of staff, died in the hospital after being wounded by gunfire.

As the criminal investigation and prosecution dragged on for years, McGrath consistently maintained his innocence and was adamant about going to trial in hopes of clearing his name, according to his lawyer, Joseph Murtha. But when the March 13 trial date arrived, McGrath surprised his attorney by failing to appear at the U.S. District Court in Baltimore.

We were moving forward and preparing for trial, but you never know whats going on in someones mind, Murtha said Tuesday morning. The rest is three weeks of uncertainty and a tragic ending.

McGrath served as Hogan's chief of staff for just 11 weeks, resigning in August 2020 after it became public that he had received a $233,650 severance payment from his old job as head of a state-owned corporation before moving to the governor's office.

McGrath, 53, was indicted in 2021 on accusations that he fraudulently secured the severance payment, equal to one year's salary as the head of Maryland Environmental Service, by falsely telling the agencys board that the governor had approved it; Hogan denied knowledge of the plan. McGrath also was accused of fraud and embezzlement connected to roughly $170,000 in expenses.

McGrath was devastated when his professional reputation suffered because of the federal criminal charges, Murtha said.

I think he felt like he had been destroyed. He felt completely betrayed, Murtha said in a phone interview. I really believe Roy was a dedicated public servant who sought to do the best job he could for the citizens of Maryland. He was a workaholic. He worked nonstop.

Murtha said Tuesday that the biggest unanswered question is whether McGrath was killed by law enforcement agents or died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Officials also havent said whether McGrath was armed during the fatal encounter.

McGrath was wounded during an agent-involved shooting about 6:30 p.m. Monday in the outskirts of Knoxville and was taken to a hospital, where he died, according to FBI Supervisory Special Agent Shayne Buchwald in Maryland. Further details, including how McGrath was wounded and what led up to the shooting, were not released. It remained under investigation.

McGrath grew up in southern Maryland, graduated from the University of Maryland in College Park and built a career in state-level Republican politics. His relationship with Hogan dated back decades; he worked on Hogans unsuccessful 1992 congressional campaign. McGrath then spent many years working for the National Association of Chain Drug Stores, which lobbies on behalf of pharmacies, before transitioning back into state politics after Hogan was elected governor.

Skip Aldridge, who met McGrath through his work with the association, said he learned about McGraths death on the news Tuesday morning.

I was shocked beyond belief. I was absolutely blown away, he said in a phone interview. That is not the Roy I knew.

McGrath struck him as someone with the highest degree of integrity, Aldridge said, describing his friend as wholesome and well-liked among colleagues.

Imagining him under FBI gunfire is almost beyond my comprehension, Aldridge said. "But I guess when you push people to the breaking point, you dont know how theyll react to a crisis.

In 2016, McGrath was appointed to serve as executive director of the Maryland Environmental Service. He oversaw the state-owned corporation, which provides environmental services such as water and wastewater management to government entities and private clients, until he became Hogans chief of staff in 2020.

According to federal and state prosecutors, McGrath took advantage of his positions of trust as the environmental agencys director and Hogans top aide for personal gain.

In the months after his indictment, McGrath contended he had earned the severance package and received authorization from the governor.

I continue to cooperate fully, and will vigorously defend myself, in ongoing legal matters connected to politically motivated claims surrounding a customary and well-earned severance package from my position as CEO of the Maryland Environmental Service, McGrath wrote in a Nov. 30, 2021 commentary in The Baltimore Sun.

Hogan, who was expected to testify in the trial, has denied knowledge of the severance arrangement.

Yumi and I are deeply saddened by this tragic situation. We are praying for Mr. McGraths family and loved ones, Hogan said in a statement Monday night.

If convicted of the federal charges, McGrath would have faced a maximum sentence of 20 years for each of four counts of wire fraud, plus a maximum of 10 years for each of two counts of embezzling funds from an organization receiving more than $10,000 in federal benefits.

The trial was set to begin last month in Baltimore. McGrath, who moved to Florida in recent years, was supposed to catch a flight to Maryland the night before his court appearance but instead disappeared. FBI agents raided his Naples home two days later.

Another few weeks would pass before they found him in the parking lot of a suburban Tennessee strip mall Monday evening. Officials have released few details about how the shooting unfolded. A white Escalade was visible on the scene surrounded by law enforcement vehicles.

___ Sarah Brumfield contributed to this report from Silver Spring, Maryland.
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NEW YORK (AP)  For the country and for Donald Trump, the indictment of a former president represented an unprecedented day. For TV news organizations, it felt like a throwback.

Hour after hour on Tuesday, the story occupied the full attention of broadcast and cable news networks. They waited for glimpses of Trump's face to interpret his expression, followed his motorcade's movements from the air, speculated on how it must feel to be arrested.

The coverage recalled better days for now-struggling cable news outlets, through two presidential campaigns and two impeachment trials, when Trump occupied hours of air time. Consumers eagerly followed along, the way they haven't for many stories since.

For two days this week, Trump's indictment on 34 counts of falsifying business records gave outlets the chance to go back in time.

This is the most significant arraignment in the history of arraignments, Danny Cevallos, a legal analyst for NBC News, said on that network's special report.

It's hard to overdramatize what this means for Donald Trump, said MSNBC's Chris Jansing.

Oh, but many tried.

On Monday, Trump's travels from Florida to New York led cable news networks to revisit the worst of earlier excesses. Throughout the day, aerial camera shots followed Trump's plane as it took off from Florida and landed in New York, and as his motorcade traveled to Trump Tower in Manhattan  the backdrop to hours of speculation about the case.

At one point, Trump's son Eric posted on social media a picture of a television set inside the plane showing a Fox News Channel picture of the plane waiting on a Florida tarmac. Watching the plane ... from the plane, he said.

Such coverage is ridiculous, former Ohio Gov. John Kasich said on MSNBC Tuesday. There are more interesting things happening, but I guess we're all fixated.

Kasich spoke on a split screen, his face sharing time with a camera's view trained on the entrance to Trump Tower, waiting for Trump to walk out the front door and into a car to take him to a Manhattan courthouse for his arraignment.

Tuesday was clearly newsier than Trump's travels the day before, but much of the coverage consisted of waiting for such fleeting moments. New York state Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchan declined media requests for video coverage of the hearing where Trump heard the charges against him and pleaded not guilty.

That led to constant, mostly empty talk about what might happen.

Will Trump's motorcade to the court take Fifth Avenue or the FDR Drive? (The latter.) Will a mug shot of Trump be taken and released? (No.) Would the former president speak to the media before he goes into the court? (No.) After the hearing is done? (Also no.)

CNN reran footage of Trump walking out of a doorway, a court officer declining to hold the door for him, and speculated about the last time something like this had happened to the former president.

His walk out the door was judged five seconds of history by ABC's David Muir. Those views of Trump, along with still pictures of him during the arraignment, turned political and legal commentators into facial-expression and body-language experts.

This does not look like someone who is celebrating the moment. ... It looks like a man who is very unhappy to be there, said ABC's Jonathan Karl.

Look at his face, look at his body language, said CBS' Robert Costa. I'm just a reporter. But it tells you something when you can see how someone is dealing with a moment.

Said CNN's Jake Tapper, That is a very pissed-off Donald Trump.

The former president gave a primetime speech later Tuesday from his Mar-a-Lago resort, denouncing the investigations into his conduct. Fox News carried the speech in its entirety, CNN aired most of it before cutting Trump off and MSNBC avoided it, with Rachel Maddow reporting on some of what he said after the speech was done.

That was a black hole of grievance, CNN's Van Jones said after the speech.

CNN had earlier interrupted its arraignment coverage briefly  for news of a court decision in another Trump investigation.

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said Trump would often call him when Christie was a U.S. attorney with questions and observations about the legal process. No matter what his staff says, this is a very, very difficult day for Donald Trump, he said.

Asked by ABC's Muir if Trump ever thought he would face charges, Christie said, I think he thought he was too clever to ever wind up in this situation  too clever, too smart, too careful.

On Fox News Channel, Trump's attorney general, William Barr, joined a discussion with commentators about whether prosecutors should bring charges against the former president in the New York case or in other investigations Trump faces  over turning over presidential records, his role in the Jan. 6 insurrection or allegedly interfering in Georgia's presidential vote in 2020.

One wonders about the wisdom of this case and one wonders about the wisdom of all the other cases that could be brought, Fox analyst Brit Hume said.

Barr talked about prosecutorial discretion and said of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's charges  before the indictment was unsealed publicly  that this appears to be just a pathetically weak case.

It's hard to believe Alvin Bragg would bring these charges against anyone except Donald Trump, Fox's Martha MacCallum said.

___

AP Correspondent Ali Swenson in New York contributed to this report.
SOUTH WINDSOR  A New York woman who tried to fraudulently obtain $43,500 from a local bank faces identity theft charges, police said.

Nicole D. Federici, 56, of Bronx, N.Y., was arrested Friday and charged with first-degree identity theft, criminal impersonation, criminal attempt to commit first-degree larceny and first-degree forgery, Sgt. Mark Cleverdon said.
A Nebraska judge has rejected a challenge to the death penalty in the case of a man charged in the killings of four people last summer in a small town in the northeastern corner of the state.

Judge Bryan Meismer said in a ruling late last week that the lawyers representing Jason Jones, 42, didnt prove that Nebraskas death penalty law is unconstitutional, and its too soon to determine if that penalty is appropriate in this case because it is still early in the process. Jones has yet to officially enter a plea in the case.

Prosecutors said in January that they intend to seek the death penalty in this case because the killings were done at the same time other felonies were committed and at least two of the killings were carried out to conceal the other two. Plus, prosecutors said Jones set fire to the victims homes in an effort to help conceal his identity.

Jones is charged with arson, weapons counts and four counts of first-degree murder in the August killings of Gene Twiford, 86, and his wife, Janet Twiford, 85; their daughter, Dana Twiford, 55; and Michele Ebeling, 53.

Jones was arrested after officers found him with severe burns hiding in his wifes house, which sits across the street from Ebelings home in Laurel. He was hospitalized for two months before being released and moved to a prison in Lincoln.

Jones is being held without bond. He is now scheduled to appear in court May 22. His lawyer declined to comment on the case Tuesday.

Jones' wife, 43-year-old Carrie Jones, has also been charged with first-degree murder in the death of Gene Twiford as well as tampering with evidence and being an accessory for reportedly hiding her husband as authorities searched for him. Prosecutors said she told investigators that she wanted her husband to kill Twiford because she says he had been verbally harassing her with sexual comments and other remarks for a couple years. Prosecutors said at a February hearing that Carrie Jones either encouraged the killing or participated in it herself.

Carrie Jones has also not yet entered a plea to the charges against her because she is in the process of challenging them. She is being held on $1 million bail. Her attorney didn't immediately respond Tuesday to a message about the case.

Laurel is a community of less than 1,000 people, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) northwest of Omaha.
EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP)  A hospital has released the last of five students who were wounded in February in a shooting at Michigan State University, police said Tuesday.

The student was in critical condition for weeks at Sparrow Hospital but was stable when transported to another facility, MSU police said on Twitter. No other details were released.
BATTLE CREEK, Mich. (AP)  A man accused of killing a mid-Michigan woman with a crossbow was charged with first-degree murder Tuesday.

Officers were called Sunday to a home on reports that a woman had been shot, the Battle Creek Police Department said.

Kori-Lee Moser, 44, was found injured and taken to a hospital, where she later died, officers said.

Joel Wagner, 59, was arrested and lodged in the Calhoun County Jail for allegedly shooting Moser with the crossbow, police said.

Wagner and Moser had been living together at the home, Battle Creek city spokesman Eric McClure said.

It wasn't clear whether Wagner has an attorney who might comment on the accusations against him.
Egypt is the largest steel producer in Africa and the second largest in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, according to a report by Fitch Solutions, quoted by the Information and Decision Support Centre (IDSC) in a report issued on Tuesday.

The report notes that while the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted steel production in the region, Egypt's steel output remained steady throughout.

The report indicates Egypt's steel production amounted to 9.8 million tons in 2022.

Fitch's report forecasts that Egypt's steel output will have an average annual growth of 1.5 percent over the next 10 years, as government support helps wean the country off steel imports.

Egypt's mining sector is expected to receive investment, along with other regional producers like Saudi Arabia and Morocco.

Fitch expects the MENA's metals and mining industry will grow at an accelerated pace in the next decade, driven by strong government support in the region.

The report said Egypt has an ambitious target to increase mining exports to $10 billion by 2040.

The expected steady increase in gold prices over the next five years is also expected to drive mining and exploration in Egypt.

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SAULT STE, MARIE, Mich. (AP)  The president of a small university in Michigan's Upper Peninsula has resigned, setting the stage for a national search for his successor.

Lake Superior State University's Board of Trustees announced Monday that it has accepted the resignation of Dr. Rodney S. Hanley, who had been the school's president since July 2018. He previously served as provost at Nicholls State University from 2015 to 2018.
NEW YORK (AP)  A Chinese businessman charged in a $1 billion fraud was labeled sociopathic by a prosecutor as a judge heard arguments Tuesday over whether any bail conditions could ensure he'd not flee or engage in illegal business practices while awaiting trial.

U.S. District Judge Analisa Torres did not immediately rule whether bail can be set for Guo Wengui, 54, who was arrested three weeks ago on charges including wire and securities fraud. He was charged in court papers under the name Ho Wan Kwok.

Guo, once thought to be among the richest people in China, left in 2014 during an anti-corruption crackdown as individuals close to him were ensnared, including a top intelligence official. Chinese authorities have accused Guo of rape, kidnapping, bribery and other offenses.

Since then, he has been sought by that nations government. Guo has maintained that the allegations against him in China are false, saying they were intended to punish him for publicly outing corruption there and criticizing leading figures in the Communist Party.

Defense lawyer Stephen Cook acknowledged during Tuesday's hearing that some facets of Guo's life sound as if they come from a spy novel, noting the defendant has been targeted and harassed in his homeland for the last decade.

But Cook said the Chinese government's relentless pursuit of his client means Guo must use cellphone scrambler devices and other electronic equipment to avoid hacks on his devices.

He said steps were necessary to protect his ability to get his message out to the millions of followers he has around the world.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Finkel said Guo has left some victims among the thousands of investors in his frauds so traumatized at their ruined finances that they cry when they are interviewed by prosecutors.

He said Guo has the uncanny ability to get victims to part with hundreds of millions of dollars.

The defendant's fraud is, quite honestly, sociopathic, Finkel said.

He said the potential that Guo might be convicted and sentenced to decades in prison gives him an exceptionally compelling motive to flee.

While living in New York as a fugitive, he became an outspoken critic of the ruling Communist Party and developed a close relationship with Steve Bannon, a onetime political strategist to former President Donald Trump. Guo and Bannon announced the founding of a joint initiative in 2020 that they said was aimed at overthrowing the Chinese government.

Guo's lavish lifestyle has been a focus of prosecutors, who say he has a 50,000 square foot mansion, a $3.5 million Ferrari, two $36,000 mattresses and a $37 million luxury yacht.

Yet his lawyers, while maintaining Guo is broke, proposed a $25 million bail package, including $5 million in cash or property, along with location monitoring, an armed guard watching over him and home detention at a Connecticut residence where his wife resides.

Prosecutors say Guo can't be trusted and that he has access to tens of millions of dollars despite claims he is unemployed, in bankruptcy proceedings and down to about $10,000 in assets that were not liquid cash.
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Robert C. Ulin, Rochester Institute of Technology

(THE CONVERSATION) Chocolate makes for a perfect gift, a comforting snack and even a health food, thanks to its plentiful antioxidants. Rumor has it that it might even work as an aphrodisiac. It is no surprise, then, that the chocolate industry garners billions of dollars each year.

However, there is also a dark side to chocolate.

As a cultural anthropologist who has done years of research on food and drink in Europe and North America, I have come to understand the close relationship between culinary traditions and social inequality.

In a course I teach on the anthropology of food, chocolate is among the numerous food commodities that I cover in the course as an index for understanding social class relations locally and globally, including human trafficking.

Exploitative labor, especially child labor, is among the most troublesome ways in which global chocolate is tied to inequality.

History of chocolate

Chocolate can be traced to the Olmec civilization of Mesoamerica. The Olmec were the first to transform the cacao plant into chocolate, around 1750 B.C. The Olmec used chocolate in religious rituals and as a medicine. It was also used, as anthropologists Sophie D. Coe and Michael D. Coe note, by both the Maya and Aztecs throughout the 15th century.

However, the chocolate used in ritual life was a far cry from the chocolates that we enjoy today. In fact, it was very bitter. Hernan Cortes, the famous Spanish explorer, is said to have brought cacao back to Spain in the early 16th century; there it was mixed with sugar and honey as a drink. It was not until the 17th century that chocolate was consumed throughout Europe, initially among the aristocracy.

The invention of the cocoa press in the 19th century allowed manufacturers to combine sugar with the fatty butter extracted from the beans. The mixture was then poured into molds and sold, thus ushering in chocolates popularity among the European masses.

Sugar cane was cultivated by enslaved West Africans in the Caribbean and the Americas as part of the Atlantic trade. Refined sugar cane made its way to England, where it was consumed by the working class as a quick source of energy and a way to satiate hunger.

European goods then made their way to Africa in exchange for slaves, in what anthropologist Sidney Mintz noted in his 1985 book Sweetness and Power as a triangle of trade. It was Caribbean sugar produced by the enslaved West Africans in the 19th century that made chocolate palatable. The connection to slavery does not end here.

Children as cheap slave labor

During the early 19th century, a period marked by colonialism, the British introduced the cacao plants to West Africa, where the growing conditions were ideal. The plants require warmth and humid growing conditions that are common to the tropical forests of the Ivory Coast and Ghana.

The cacao farms are still operating there: mostly small, and with poor owners. Harvesting and processing cacao is labor-intensive and many of these indigent farmers simply do not have the financial means or adequate family labor to make cacao growing viable. And so to economize they turn to children  often as young as 5 but more typically 10 to 12 years in age. The beans are in pods that must be cut open with machetes, making the work quite dangerous, especially for children.

Legal scholar Erika George notes that the vast majority of the children end up on the cacao farms through trafficking. Not all but many of the children come from Mali, especially from very poor rural villages. Reporters have found that many children are approached by traffickers and told that they will earn good wages on the cacao farms. They agree to the work to help their families financially.

As journalist Miki Mistrati shows in the documentary The Dark Side of Chocolate, the traffickers then take the children to the Ivory Coast or Ghana, where they are sold to the farmers. The traffickers themselves are aided by local militia. Children who end up on the farms often work 14- to 16-hour days. They are even expected to carry heavy sacks of beans and beaten if they stumble or collapse.

It is hard to obtain exact figures on the numbers of children who have worked on the cacao farms. The International Labor Organization estimates 1.56 million in the Ivory Coast and Ghana alone

Given the vast financial network involved in the chocolate trade, it is dangerous work for journalists. Mistrati used hidden cameras and passed himself and his companion off as tourists. He mentions a French journalist who disappeared pursuing the story of childhood slavery.

Telling the story

In 2021, six Malian men filed a legal case against Nestle USA and Cargill, claiming that they were trafficked from their villages and forced to labor on cacao farms. The case was brought to the United States Supreme Court with a majority ruling that chocolate companies cannot be sued in the United States for abuse that happened elsewhere, including for child slavery on African farms.

Large chocolate companies may not be participating in the trafficking of children directly, in that they purchase the cacao beans from merchant suppliers. Indeed, eight of the largest chocolate companies signed a protocol in 2001 that condemned child labor and childhood slavery. But it did not commit the industry to put an end to the practice.

Then there are organizations responsible for Fair Trade and the UTZ labels that seek to assure consumers of fair labor practices in the chocolate sector, although this is not an ultimate guarantee that the children have not been exploited in the production process more generally. It should also be noted that the United States Department of Labor has also taken a strong stand against the exploitation of children on cacao farms.

There is a strong argument to be made here against the abuses of labor, especially when it involves children, and to that end we all bear some responsibility as consumers.

The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts. The Conversation is wholly responsible for the content.
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FALLS CHURCH, Va. (AP)  A northern Virginia man convicted on terrorism charges as a teenager has been sent back to prison for a year after violating conditions of his release by meeting with convicted Taliban supporter John Walker Lindh and others linked to terrorism.

Prosecutors had sought a two-year term at a hearing last week in U.S. District Court in Alexandria for Ali Shukri Amin of Dumfries, citing a wealth of evidence that Amin immediately began meeting and corresponding with convicted terrorists after he was released from prison in 2020. The terms of Amin's release barred him from meeting with known extremists.

Amin was just 17 years old when he pleaded guilty in 2015 to helping the Islamic State group by using social media to support them. He also admitted helping a classmate, 18-year-old Reza Niknejad, travel to Syria to join the Islamic State.

Prosecutions of minors are rare in federal courts.

He was sentenced to more than 11 years in prison but later had his sentence reduced to six years. But he was still subject to a life term of supervised release upon his release that contained many requirements, including that he submit to monitoring of online activities and that he refrain from meeting with known extremists.

Prosecutors say Amin violated terms of his release in a variety of ways. Most glaringly, though, Amin met with Lindh on three separate occasions in 2021, for several hours on each occasion.

Prosecutors also revealed in court papers filed last week that the in-person meetings were not the limit of their communication. Prosecutors say the two were also communicating in encrypted chats as recently as January. According to prosecutors, Amin offered in those chats to put Lindh in touch with Ahmad Musa Jibril, an Arab American Islamic preacher and ex-convict whom the FBI considers an extremist.

Amin described Jabril to Lindh as "an open supporter of not only violent jihad, but its global iteration and as someone who preached in support of al Qaeda.

In response, Lindh told Amin that he'd already tried to email Jabril, according to prosecutors. Lindh also told Amin that he suspects all of his communications are being monitored and that he does not trust encryption technology.

Prosecutors said Lindh went on to say that he's "not involved in anything that should be of any interest to the government."

Lindh was the first American to face major terrorism charges after the Sept. 11 attacks. He was convicted of supplying services to the Taliban after he was captured in Afghanistan in the weeks after the 9-11 attacks fighting with Taliban forces against the U.S.-backed Northern Alliance.

He was sentenced to 20 years in prison as part of a plea deal and was released from custody in 2019 after serving about 85% of his sentence, with the remainder reduced for good behavior.

Amin also communicated regularly with Abdulrahman Alamoundi from May 2020 through 2023, according to Amin's parole officer. Alamoudi was convicted in 2004 of accepting money from Libya as part of a plot to assassinate Saudi Arabia's then-crown prince, Abdullah.

Alamoudi and Amin served time together at a federal prison in Kentucky, according to court papers.

Prosecutors also say Amin, a computer expert, set up a Linux operating system to prevent the probation office from monitoring his online communications. Once discovered, prosecutors say Amin was using the Linux system to educate others on how to evade law enforcement monitoring.

In online chats, Amin espoused extremist views, according to prosecutors, saying, (W)e have to delete 1,400 years of human progress(" and we will exterminate all kuffar by force." The word kuffar is Arabic for nonbelievers or infidels.

Amin's lawyer, Jessica Carmichael, declined comment. In court papers, though, she argued that conditions banning association with extremists were impermissibly vague.

She also noted that prosecutors could just as easily have cited Lindh for violating his terms by meeting with Amin, but chose not to do so.

Lindh's supervised release has now expired, but he was still under the jurisdiction of the probation office in 2021 when he was meeting with Amin.

Carmichael had argued for a sentence no longer than 60 days on the violations of supervised release.

Amin will still face a lifetime of supervised release after serving his prison term.
A Ukrainian soldier on trial before a Russian military court on charges including murder and mistreatment of civilians pleaded partially guilty as the proceedings began Tuesday in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don.

Anton Cherednik was accused of stopping two Mariupol men in March 2022, ordering them to lie on the ground and demanding that they say a phrase in Ukrainian, according to the Russian Investigative Committee. When one of them didn't pronounce it correctly, Cherednik killed him, the investigators said. The other victim escaped.
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP)  A Washington state man accused of entering the U.S. Capitol with a pro-Trump mob during the Jan. 6 deadly insurrection has pleaded guilty to entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds.

Jeffrey Grace, 64, entered the plea on Monday and had three other charges dropped as part of a plea agreement, KGW-TV reported.

Grace could face up to six months in prison for the misdemeanor crime when he is scheduled for sentencing in August.

Graces son, Jeremy Grace, pleaded guilty to the same charge and had three others dropped last year and was sentenced to 21 days in prison and supervised release.

Court records say both went to Washington, D.C., in January 2021 to attend a rally in support of then-President Donald Trump. They traveled and stayed at a hotel with a member of the Proud Boys identified as Travis in court documents.

The three men attended a gathering of the Proud Boys on Jan. 5, prosecutors said in court documents.

On Jan. 6, the father and son joined with a large group of far-right extremist group Proud Boys at the Washington Monument before walking toward the U.S. Capitol Building, according to federal investigators.

Federal prosecutors shared photos and video with the court showing both Jeff and Jeremy Grace near the front line of protesters who pushed past law enforcement protecting the Capitol. Both also appeared in selfie photos inside and outside the Capitol Building during the insurrection, according to prosecutors.

About 1,000 people have been charged with federal crimes in the riot that temporarily halted the certification of President Joe Bidens victory and left dozens of police officers injured.
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NEW YORK (AP)  Judge warns Trump to refrain from social media posts that could foment unrest, after messages critical of prosecutor.
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TOPEKA, Kan. (AP)  Doctors accused of not providing enough care to infants delivered alive during certain kinds of abortion procedures in Kansas could face lawsuits and criminal charges under a bill that won final approval Tuesday in the state's Republican-controlled Legislature.

The legislation faces an uncertain fate in a legal and political climate that's made Kansas an outlier on abortion policy among states with GOP-led legislatures. The bill applies not only to botched or unsuccessful abortions but also when doctors induce labor to deliver a fetus that is expected to die within minutes or even seconds outside the womb, which often occurs because of a severe medical issue.

The Kansas House voted 86-36 to approve a proposed born-alive infants protection law similar to a proposed law that Montana voters rejected in November. The Senate approved the measure last week and it goes next to Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly.

The Senate voted 31-9 for the bill last week, meaning it passed both chambers with more than the two-thirds majorities necessary to override a potential veto from Kelly.

We can have differing views on abortion and still agree on the need for this legislation as a humanitarian issue, the Kansas House's three top Republicans said in a joint statement.

Even if abortion opponents succeed in overriding any veto, the measure could still be challenged in court and not enforced. Lawsuits have prevented Kansas from enforcing a 2015 ban on a common second-trimester abortion procedure and a 2011 law imposing extra health and safety rules for abortion providers.

Kansas abortion opponents havent pushed to ban abortion outright despite the U.S. Supreme Courts decision in June 2022 that the U.S. Constitution allows it. The Kansas Supreme Court ruled in 2019 that access to abortion is a fundamental right under the state constitution, and in August 2022, voters decisively rejected a proposed change to strip away protections for abortion rights.

The born alive measure is premised on a claim that abortion providers leave newborns to die if they're delivered alive during an abortion procedure. Critics of the bill said the state would be intervening in difficult medical and ethical decisions between doctors and parents. They also said parents could be forced to accept futile and expensive care.

If the infant is born alive and only has minutes to live, the mother, the father, the family, have the right to ask for palliative care and embrace the infant until it is no longer breathing, said state Rep. Susan Ruiz, a Kansas City-area Democrat.

The Kansas measure is similar to laws in 18 other states requiring infants delivered alive during labor and delivery abortions to go to a hospital and imposing criminal penalties for doctors who dont provide the same care "a reasonably diligent and conscientious provider would with other live births.

In Kansas, failing to provide reasonable care for such a newborn would be a felony, punishable by a years probation for a first-time offender. Also, the newborn's parents and the parents or guardians of minors seeking abortions could sue providers.

Like most states, Kansas doesnt collect data on births during induced abortion procedures, or other abortion procedures. The bill would require annual reports to the state.

Anti-abortion groups argue that there are likely hundreds of infants delivered alive during abortion procedures each year in the U.S. The argument is based on extrapolating data from the handful of states requiring reports of such live births, as well as from data from most Canadian provinces.

One important aspect of the bill is that it would require that reporting on abortion survivors, said Kelsey Pritchard, spokesperson for the national anti-abortion group Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America.

Abortion rights supporters argue that the Kansas measure and laws in other states are designed to paint a misleading picture of abortion care.

In Kansas, no abortions after the 21st week have been reported since at least 2016, and, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, less than 1% of the more than 600,000 abortions a year occur after the 21st week of pregnancy. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists says almost no fetuses are viable before the 23rd week of pregnancy.

Critics of the measure also argue that existing laws against homicide are sufficient to deal with what they see as a rare issue. They also argue that passing the measure defies the statewide vote in August affirming abortion rights.

This bill is absolutely unecessary, Democratic state Sen. Pat Pettey, of Kansas City, said during a debate last week. This bill will traumatize mothers who desperately want to be mothers, who already are dealing with the heart-breaking moments of loss imaginable.

___

The headline of this story has been revised to make clear that an abortion-related bill that won final approval in the Kansas Legislature would impose penalties against doctors for failing to provide reasonable care to infants delivered alive during certain types of abortion procedures, not for the abortions themselves.

___

This story was first published on April 5, 2023. It was updated on April 14, 2023, to remove an erroneous reference to Gov. Laura Kelly vetoing a similar bill in 2019. She did not veto a similar bill. In 2019, she vetoed a bill that would have required clinics and doctors to tell their patients about a disputed treatment to stop a medication abortion after a woman has taken the first of two pills.

___

Follow John Hanna on Twitter: https://twitter.com/apjdhanna
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CHICAGO (AP)  Brandon Johnson, a union organizer and former teacher, was elected as Chicago's next mayor Tuesday in a major victory for the Democratic Partys progressive wing as the heavily blue city grapples with high crime and financial challenges.

Johnson, a Cook County commissioner endorsed by the Chicago Teachers Union, won a close race over former Chicago schools CEO Paul Vallas, who was backed by the police union. Johnson, 47, will succeed Lori Lightfoot, the first Black woman and first openly gay person to be the citys mayor.

With about 91% of the vote counted, Johnson had 51.4% to 48.6% for Vallas. More votes will be counted as absentee ballots arrive in the mail.

Lightfoot became the first Chicago mayor in 40 years to lose her reelection bid when she finished third in a crowded February contest.

Johnsons victory in the nation's third-largest city capped a remarkable trajectory for a candidate who was little known when he entered the race last year. He climbed to the top of the field with organizing and financial help from the politically influential Chicago Teachers Union and high-profile endorsements from progressive Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. Sanders appeared at a rally for Johnson in the final days of the race.

Taking the stage Tuesday night for his victory speech, a jubilant Johnson thanked his supporters for helping usher in a new chapter in the history of our city. He promised that under his administration, the city would look out for everyone, regardless of how much money they have, whom they love or where they come from.

Tonight is the beginning of a Chicago that truly invests in all of its people, Johnson said.

Johnson, who is Black, recalled growing up in a poor family, teaching at a school in Cabrini Green, a notorious former public housing complex, and shielding his own young kids from gunfire in their West Side neighborhood.

He referenced civil rights leaders Martin Luther King Jr. and the Rev. Jesse Jackson and called his victory a continuation of their legacies. He also noted that he was speaking on the anniversary of Kings assassination.

Today the dream is alive, Johnson said, and so today we celebrate the revival and the resurrection of the city of Chicago.

It was a momentous win for progressive organizations such as the teachers union, with Johnson winning the highest office of any active teachers union member in recent history, leaders say. For both progressives and the partys more moderate wing, the Chicago race was seen as a test of organizing power and messaging.

Johnson's win also comes as groups such as Our Revolution, a powerful progressive advocacy organization, push to win more offices in local and state office, including in upcoming mayoral elections in Philadelphia and elsewhere.

Vallas, speaking to his own supporters Tuesday night, said that he had called Johnson and that he expected him to be the next mayor. Some in the crowd seemed to jeer the news, but Vallas urged them to put aside differences and support the next mayor in the daunting work ahead.

This campaign that I ran to bring the city together would not be a campaign that fulfills my ambitions if this election is going to divide us, Vallas said.

In a statement, Lightfoot also congratulated Johnson and said her administration will collaborate with his team during the transition.

Johnson and Vallas were the top two vote-getters in the all-Democrat but officially nonpartisan February race, which moved to the runoff because no candidate received over 50%.

On Tuesday, Johnson took many of the predominantly Black southern and western areas where Lightfoot won in February, along with the northern neighborhoods where he was the top-vote getter back then, according to precinct-level results released by election officials. Vallas did well in the northwest and southwest areas that are home to large numbers of city employees, just as he did in February.

The contest surfaced longstanding tensions among Democrats, with Johnson and his supporters blasting Vallas  who was endorsed by Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, the chambers second-ranking Democrat  as too conservative and a Republican in disguise.

Both candidates have deep roots in the Democratic Party, though with vastly different backgrounds and views.

After teaching middle and high school, Johnson helped mobilize teachers, including during a historic 2012 strike through which the Chicago Teachers Union increased its organizing muscle and influence in city politics. That has included fighting for non-classroom issues, such as housing and mental health care.

Vallas, who finished first in the February contest, was the only white candidate in that nine-person field. A former Chicago budget director, he later led schools in Chicago, New Orleans, Philadelphia and Bridgeport, Connecticut.

Among the biggest disputes between Johnson and Vallas was how to address crime. Like many U.S. cities, Chicago saw violent crime increase during the COVID-19 pandemic, hitting a 25-year high of 797 homicides in 2021, though the number decreased last year and the city has a lower murder rate than others in the Midwest, such as St. Louis.

Vallas, 69, said he would hire hundreds more police officers, while Johnson said he didnt plan to cut the number of officers, but that the current system of policing isnt working. Johnson was forced to defend past statements expressing support for defunding police  something he insisted he would not do as mayor.

But Johnson argued that instead of investing more in policing and incarceration, the city should focus on mental health treatment, affordable housing for all and jobs for youth. He has proposed a plan he says will raise $800 million by taxing ultrarich individuals and businesses, including a per-employee head tax on employers and an additional tax on hotel room stays.

That plan is no sure thing, as some members of the City Council and the state Legislature  whose support would be needed  already have expressed opposition.

Resident Chema Fernandez, 25, voted for Johnson as an opportunity to move on from what he described as the politics of old. He said he saw Vallas as being in line with previous mayors such as Rahm Emanuel, Lightfoot and Richard M. Daley, who haven't worked out great for places like his neighborhood on the southwest side, which has seen decades of disinvestment.

I think we need to give the opportunity for policies that may actually change some of our conditions, Fernandez said.

___

Associated Press journalist Teresa Crawford in Chicago and chief elections analyst Chad Day in Washington contributed.
Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi expressed his confidence in the UAE's leadership in hosting the upcoming 28th session of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP28), citing their "outstanding" capabilities in the field.

Egypts president was invited by his UAE counterpart, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, to participate in the conference, which is set to take place in Dubai this December.

UAE Ambassador to Egypt Maryam Khalifa Al-Kaabi handed the message to El-Sisi during a meeting on Tuesday in the presence of Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry, read a statement by Egyptian Presidential Spokesman Ahmed Fahmy.

The message stressed the importance of cooperation between Egypt and the UAE, particularly after Egypt successfully hosted COP27 last year in Sharm El-Sheikh.

During the meeting, El-Sisi discussed transferring Egypt's experience and expertise to the upcoming summit, emphasising the need to take into account the concerns of developing African countries and supporting international climate action.

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DENVER (AP)  A new law passed by state lawmakers opened the door for Angelica Saupe to finally a pursue a claim against the school district where she says a high school basketball coach sexually abused her in the early 2000s.

But that cathartic relief and hope at seeking justice was short-lived when a state court threw our her lawsuit. The judge ruled the new law violated the state Constitutions ban on passing laws that are retrospective.

That legal question of whether the state can change law for actions in the past was at the center of arguments Tuesday before the Colorado Supreme Court, which is considering Saupes appeal of the lower court ruling.

The court's justices heard arguments from a lawyer representing Saupe as well as Aurora Public Schools, which Saupe sued under the law that took effect last year that opened up a three-year window for people to pursue litigation for sexual abuse they suffered as children dating as far back as 1960.

The law is part of a national effort to make it easier for victims to seek justice later in life after they have had time to come to terms with what happened.

The school districts lawyer, Stuart Suller, told the justices that recognizing that the constitution places limits on the kinds of laws state lawmakers can pass does not show disrespect to the survivors of childhood sexual abuse.

The General Assembly can do many things. But what it cant do is take the legislative priorities of 2022 and transport them back in time onto conduct that occurred during the final year of the Eisenhower administration, he told the courts seven justices.

Saupes lawyer, Robert Friedman, argued that school districts, as lesser political entities than the state, cannot claim they are protected against retrospective laws the state legislature enacts. In addition, abusers cannot really ever expect to avoid being sued for abuse, he said, because the statute of limitations for sexual abuse of minors has been flexible.

A 1993 allowed victims to bring lawsuits six years after they realized they had been sexually abused, a subjective standard unlike that of the statute of limitations of other crimes, he said.

Saupe, known as Angelica Synovic when she said she was abused at Rangeview High School, said she hoped her case would be able to proceed and that it would help other women who have been abused to also come forward.

Regardless if the law has come after the crime, the crime is still a crime and has been, she said.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP)  The chairwoman of the Florida Democratic Party and a Democratic state lawmaker have been charged with trespassing after refusing to leave a protest in Tallahassee against a bill to ban abortions after six weeks.

Democratic Party Chairwoman Nikki Fried and Senate Minority Leader Lauren Book were among a small group of protestors arrested late Monday near the state Capitol building and charged with misdemeanor trespass.
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LONDON (AP)  Nigel Lawson, the tax-cutting U.K. Treasury chief under the late Margaret Thatcher and a lion of Conservative politics in the late 20th century has died. He was 91.

Lawson, who led the Treasury from 1983 to 1989, spearheaded the drive to place key public sector companies into private control. He also modernized financial markets in what became known as the Big Bang of deregulation, which strengthened London's position as a global financial hub.

He became controversial to some in the last years of his life, advocating for Britain's departure from the European Union  at times from his home in France. His embrace of Brexit further endeared him to the right wing of the Conservative Party.

He also faced criticism for being skeptical of climate change. He opposed international agreements such as the Kyoto Protocol and founded a group that lobbied against climate change policies such as focusing on net zero.

Conservative Party politicians rushed to offer tributes, a reflection of the fact that his policies remain revered. Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson described him as a fearless and original flame of free-market Conservatism.''

He was a tax-cutter and simplifier who helped transform the economic landscape and helped millions of British people achieve their dreams,'' Johnson said. He was a prophet of Brexit and a lover of continental Europe. He was a giant.''

Born on March 11, 1932, Lawson attended seven primary schools during the war after being shunted around the country, He studied at Christ Church, Oxford, and later served in the Royal Navy where he was given charge of a motor torpedo boat, the Gay Charger.

He married his first wife, Vanessa Salmon, in 1955, and moved into journalism where he worked on the Financial Times, the Sunday Telegraph and the BBC. But politics beckoned and in the early 1960s he became a speech writer for then prime minister Alec Douglas-Home.

In 1966, he became editor of the influential magazine The Spectator, but was fired in 1970. In the same year, he lost an election to enter the House of Commons but succeeded four years later when he won the contest to represent the central English seat of Blaby  a post he held until he retired from the Commons in 1992.

His marriage crumbled and it was dissolved in 1980. He later married Therese Maclear, a former Commons library researcher. His two marriages produced six children, including celebrity food writer Nigella Lawson.

When Thatcher won the 1979 election, Lawson was appointed financial secretary to the Treasury and joined the Cabinet two years later as energy secretary. He shepherded the Oil and Gas (Enterprise) Bill, seen as one of the country's most significant privatization measures.

He became Treasury chief in 1983, and presided over a turnaround in the economy. He slashed the basic rate of tax. Thatcher proclaimed him "brilliant.''

He later fell out with Thatcher amid a bitter policy dispute over her reliance on Alan Walters, who served as her economic adviser.

The Telegraph newspaper first reported Lawson's death. His family did not immediately comment.
MADISON, Wis. (AP)  The outcome of the race for an open Wisconsin state Senate seat thats been under Republican control for decades was too early to call Tuesday, with only a few hundred votes separating the candidates in a contest that could put the GOP a step closer to being able to override Gov. Tony Evers vetoes or even impeach him.

Republican Rep. Dan Knodl held a narrow lead over Democratic attorney Jodi Habush Sinykin. The Associated Press will continue to track the vote count and consider declaring a winner as election officials confirm they have completed their tabulation of all outstanding ballots.

The 8th Senate District, which includes Milwaukee's northern suburbs, came open in November after longtime Republican incumbent Alberta Darling chose to retire after serving 30 years in the Senate. Evers called a special election to fill the position to coincide with Tuesday's state Supreme Court election.

A Knodl victory would give Republicans the 22nd vote they need to have a supermajority in the Senate, giving the GOP enough votes to override an Evers veto in the Senate. A fully successful override requires a two-thirds vote in both chambers, however, and Assembly Republicans are two seats shy of the 66 they need in that house. But vetoes still wouldn't be safe; if two Democratic Assembly members can't attend a floor session Republicans would have enough votes to override.

A Knodl win also would enable Republicans to impeach Democratic rivals in the executive and judicial branches. Fifty votes in the Assembly is enough to trigger an impeachment trial in the Senate. It would take a two-thirds majority vote in that house to convict.

The state constitution says civil officers can be impeached, including the governor, lieutenant governor and judges. A February analysis from the Legislative Reference Bureau concluded that other constitutional officers such as the attorney general and the state schools superintendent can be impeached as well.

Knodl has said he's not interested in impeaching Evers, saying he has been able to work with the governor. But he said he wants to impeach Milwaukee judges for being too lenient on criminal defendants. That list could include Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Janet Protasiewicz, he said. She won Tuesday's election to the Supreme Court and will take the seat in August.

Knodl also has his sights set on Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chilsholm. Republicans have criticized the Democratic prosecutor for years as too soft on crime. They've called for his job since he acknowledged his office's bail request for Darrell Brooks Jr. was far too low.

Chisholm's office requested a judge set bail at $1,000 for Brooks after he allegedly tried to run over his ex-girlfriend with his SUV in November 2021. The judge complied. Brooks posted the money and was released from jail. Days later he drove his SUV through a Christmas parade in Waukesha, a Republican stronghold. Six people were killed and dozens more were hurt.

Chisholm has said an assistant prosecutor handling Brooks' initial case never had access to his risk assessment and shouldn't have asked for such a low bail amount.

Habush Sinykin, who holds a law degree from Harvard, worked as an attorney for Midwest Environmental Advocates. She was a key litigator in a lawsuit challenging Wisconsin wolf hunters' right to use dogs. An appeals court ultimately rejected MEA's arguments in 2014.

She said she's running for the Senate to stop Knodl from winning the seat, saying it's crucial that checks on the Legislature's power remain in place.
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Lawyers representing an American reporter arrested in Russia on spying charges met with him in a Moscow prison on Tuesday for the first time since his detention last week and said his health is good, according to his employer, The Wall Street Journal.

Evan Gershkovich, 31, was arrested Thursday in Yekaterinburg, Russias fourth-largest city. He is the first U.S. correspondent since the Cold War to be detained on espionage accusations. The Journal has denied the charges.

Evans health is good, and he is grateful for the outpouring of support from around the world. We continue to call for his immediate release, the Journal's editor-in-chief, Emma Tucker, said in a note to the newsroom Tuesday. She said the paper was encouraged by the visit.

Gershkowich's family, she said, are relieved to know we finally have contact with Evan.

The reporter is being kept behind bars for two months pending an investigation. Moscows Lefortovsky District court said Monday that it had received an appeal against Gershkovichs arrest filed by his defense, according to Russian news agencies. No date for a hearing on the appeal has been set.

Gershkovich is in Moscow's Lefortovo prison. A Russian state prison monitor said Monday that Gershkovich was in a quarantine cell while undergoing medical checks, was reading a book from the prison library, and had access to a TV, radio and refrigerator. The prison monitor, Alexei Melnikov, didn't say when he saw Gershkovich, but said he was cheerful. That report couldn't be independently verified.

Russias Federal Security Service, of FSB, the top successor to the Soviet-era KGB, accused Gershkovich of trying to obtain classified information about a Russian arms factory.

U.S. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Monday that the Biden administration was pressing hard for Gershkovich's release. Its got attention all the way up to the Oval Office in terms of how we can get him home, Kirby told reporters in Washington.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged his Russian counterpart Sunday  during a rare phone call between the diplomats since the start of the Ukraine war  to release Gershkovich immediately, as well as another imprisoned American, Paul Whelan.
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PODGORICA, Montenegro (AP)  Montenegros president-elect Jakov Milatovic is pledging to speed up the small countrys bid for membership to the European Union and to adhere to the blocs policy line toward Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. At the same time, Milatovic says he will advocate for stronger ties with Serbia and other Balkan neighbors.

One of the key foreign policy priorities for Montenegro, as well as myself as the new president of the country, will be to speed up the countrys EU accession so that Montenegro hopefully becomes the next EU member within the next five years of my mandate, Milatovic told The Associated Press in an interview on Monday.

The president-elect's commitment to EU membership appears to belie widespread accusations by pro-Western groups in Montenegro and in Serbia that he is a puppet of the pro-Russian leadership in Belgrade.

Milatovic, a 36-year-old Western-educated economics expert, won the presidential runoff election in Montenegro on Sunday, defeating pro-Western incumbent Milo Djukanovic who has been in power for more than three decades in the small NATO member nation.

A political novice who was backed by Montenegros governing majority that included pro-Serb and pro-Russian groups, Milatovic won around 60% of votes in Sunday's poll, according to independent pollsters. Djukanovic has conceded defeat. Official results are expected later this week.

Milatovic said that the key reasons for Djukanovics defeat were his long-held grip on power along with allegations of rampant corruption throughout his rule. This is why we like to say we defeated one of the last dictators in Europe, Milatovic said. This is why I truly believe that the victory yesterday in this tiny Balkan state is also a big European victory, a victory of European values.

This was Djukanovics first loss in an election since he first entered politics in the former Yugoslav republic in the early 1990s. During his decades in power, the 61-year-old switched from a pro-Serbian communist to a pro-Western politician. He had served as the countrys president twice and as a prime minister seven times.

During his tenure, Djukanovic has often been accused of corruption and of pressuring the judiciary to ignore numerous cases involving graft. He has often denied illegally accumulating a large fortune for himself and his family.

Milatovic, speaking in English, said that his predecessor is really a symbol of a regime that ruled the country using organized crime and corruption.

Those three things, a significant economic decline, organized crime and corruption, and really a very slow European integration are the symbols of (Djukanovics) regime, he said.

Relations between Serbia and Montenegro have deteriorated since Djukanovic took the country out of its union with Serbia in 2006 and later into NATO in 2017. During the election campaign, Djukanovic said voters were choosing between membership in the EU, or joining the Serbian World  a facsimile of the Russian World.

Milatovic said he will try repair relations with Serbia as well as other neighboring Balkan states.

I believe that the future of the all the Western Balkan countries is in the EU, and I think Montenegro can be for sure the first one to enter, Milatovic said referring to neighboring Serbia, North Macedonia, Bosnia and Albania.

In terms of relations with Russia, Milatovic recalled that Montenegro is strongly, 100% pursuing the foreign policy of the EU and this is going to stay.

So fully-fledged policy of the EU is the one Montenegro should pursue in the future, and it is particularly important now when it comes to the Russian aggression against Ukraine, he said. There is nobody in Europe, and in Montenegro obviously, who can support invasion of one country against another sovereign country.

The EU on Tuesday congratulated Milatovic on his election and said it looks forward to working with all political stakeholders to help Montenegro stay firmly on the EU strategic path.

Although the presidency is largely a ceremonial position in Montenegro, it influences the political trends in the country.
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP)  Human rights groups on Tuesday applauded Malaysia's move to scrap the mandatory death penalty as a major step forward in the push for the abolition of capital punishment in Southeast Asia.

Instead of the death penalty, lawmakers on Monday approved bills to give courts the option of imposing prison sentences of between 30 and 40 years and caning not less than 12 times. Previously, courts had no choice but to mandate hanging as punishment for a range of crimes including murder, drug trafficking, treason, kidnapping and acts of terror.

Phil Robertson of Human Rights Watch said Malaysia's progressive stance could help break the logjam on forward movement towards abolition of the death penalty in the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Far too many ASEAN states like to brandish the death penalty as some sort of big stick to scare criminals, but that tactic is not really working. Singapore has gone on an execution spree, Vietnam puts dozens to death every year, and even Myanmar is now executing political prisoners, but crime has hardly diminished," he said.

"Hopefully, the Malaysia move will signal a step back from the death penalty that will be picked up by other states like Thailand, Laos, Brunei and elsewhere who have not put people to death for some time, he said.

Cambodia and the Philippines are the only two countries in the region that abolished the death penalty, although there were calls to revive it in Manila.

Myanmar had a de-facto moratorium on the death penalty since 1989, but the country's military rulers executed four political prisoners last year. Singapore resumed executions by hanging 11 people last year after a hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Singapore has come under fire for executions of what critics said were low-level drug smugglers but the government has defended the use of the death penalty as a deterrent. Officials said Singapore had arrested about 6,000 people a year for illegal drugs in the 1990s, but the number has now dropped to about 3,000 people a year.

Reports said three studies conducted or commissioned by the government showed that more than seven in 10 people in the city-state supported the death penalty for the most serious crimes such as intentional murder, use of firearms and drug trafficking.

Robertson said the Malaysian government should show regional leadership by encouraging others in ASEAN to rethink their continued use of the death penalty. He also urged Malaysia to scrap whipping, which he called "feudal anachronism.

Malaysian rights groups called on the country's Senate to swiftly pass the bills so that the king can sign them into law.

Once that happens, nearly 850 prisoners on death row who had exhausted all appeals can seek a review of their death sentences, but not their convictions. Most cases were linked to drug trafficking. The review can only be done once.

Some 500 others on death row are still going through the appeal process. Dozens of others who are serving natural life sentences can seek to commute them.

Charles Hector from the Malaysians Against Death Penalty and Torture group said it was clear capital punishment had failed to deter crime as the number of killings and drug trafficking cases remained high. He said the removal of imprisonment for natural life, considered by Pope Francis as a secret death penalty," would give prisoners a chance to rehabilitate.
Iran and Saudi Arabia will open a joint chamber of commerce soon, an Iranian business leader revealed on Monday.

Keyvan Kashefi, a member of the presiding board of Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (ICCIMA), said during a meeting that ICCIMA is following up on the launch of the joint chamber of commerce.

Iran plans to begin the exchange of business delegations with Saudi Arabia immediately after the reopening of the embassies in the two countries and the reinstatement of their ambassadors, he added.

Kashefi said the normalization of ties between Tehran and Riyadh has been Iran's main political and economic issue over the past 30 days.

He added that Iran's private sector welcomed the "constructive and positive" interaction with Saudi Arabia and had started to plan for more economic cooperation.

The Iranian business leader said the two countries' decision to normalize relations has had very positive effect on Iran's economy and been a very useful mechanism, expressing hope that Iran's positive interactions with other counties would continue.

Kashefi noted that Iran and Saudi Arabia have great potential for cooperation in the oil, gas, petrochemical and technological sectors.

China, Saudi Arabia and Iran announced on March 10 that the latter two had reached a deal which includes the agreement to resume diplomatic relations and reopen embassies and missions within two months.

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MADISON, Wis. (AP)  It will be harder to get out of jail on bail before trial in Wisconsin under an amendment to the state constitution approved by voters on Tuesday.

Judges will now be able to consider past convictions for violent crimes when setting bail for someone accused of a violent crime. They also will be allowed to set conditions meant to protect public safety when releasing someone before trial.

The amendments passage, which appeared as two separate ballot questions that were approved by wide margins, is the latest victory in a Republican-backed push to enact stricter bail laws across the country. But criminal justice experts warn that it will result in higher cash bail amounts and disproportionately keep poor defendants behind bars.

Bail is meant to ensure people return to court and isn't intended to be a punishment, since defendants are presumed innocent until convicted. Criminal justice advocates say that if a judge believes someone is a threat to public safety, they should have the power to hold them without bail instead of setting high bail amounts that could still let out wealthy defendants before trial.

Wisconsin law sets such a high bar for holding someone without bail that the option is almost never used.

Support for stricter bail laws in Wisconsin grew after Darrell Brooks drove his SUV through a Christmas parade in Waukesha in 2021, killing six people and injuring more than 60. Brooks was out on $1,000 bail for another charge. His bail for the parade killings was set at $5 million to prevent his release.

A separate bill passed by the Republican-controlled Legislature last month lays out the details of the amendment, including a list of more than 100 offenses that would be considered violent crimes, such as homicide, sexual assault, arson and human trafficking.

But opponents have raised concerns that some of the crimes listed, such as watching a cockfight or leaving a firearm where a child gains access to it, should not make it harder to get out of jail. Research shows that people who stay in jail before trial are more likely to be unemployed or reoffend after their case ends. It's not uncommon for people to lose their jobs or homes while sitting in jail on a bail they can't afford.

___

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 Venhuizen on Twitter.
DETROIT (AP)  The Michigan Supreme Court heard arguments Tuesday in a dispute over parental rights when a same-sex relationship ends outside marriage.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan said the case could break new legal ground in the state.

The children of same-sex couples should be able to maintain their relationships with their parents regardless of whether the parents remain together, ACLU attorney Miriam Aukerman said in a court filing.

Carrie Pueblo is seeking joint custody of a boy who was born in 2008 to her partner at the time, Rachel Haas. Same-sex marriage was not legal in Michigan at the time, but the women had participated in a commitment ceremony in 2007.

They raised the boy together even after their relationship ended. But in 2017, Pueblo said Haas demanded that she stop having contact with the boy.

Pueblo filed a lawsuit seeking custody, but courts so far have turned her down, saying she and Haas were never married and that Pueblo has no biological connection to the boy.

Unfortunately Michigan law has not had the opportunity to keep up with the modern family style, with the modern family dynamics, with the modern family composition," Pueblo's attorney, Reh Starks, told the Supreme Court.

Haas' attorney, George Perrett, urged the court to stay on the sideline and let the state Legislature change the law if lawmakers believe it would be appropriate.

We need a comprehensive approach to this, not a piecemeal approach, Perrett said, noting a variety of consequences since the U.S. Supreme Court in 2015 legalized same-sex marriage.

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Follow Ed White at http://twitter.com/edwritez
ABUJA, Nigeria (AP)  At least 10 students were abducted by gunmen in northwest Nigeria, authorities said on Tuesday.

Students from the Government Secondary School in Kaduna state were abducted during an attack Monday, however it was unclear exactly where they were kidnapped from, said Samuel Aruwan, the state commissioner of security.
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP)  An earthquake in a remote region of Papua New Guinea killed four people and destroyed more than 300 homes, local media reported, as disaster relief officials worked to further assess damage Tuesday.

The magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck in a remote region early Monday, causing deep fissures in the land near the epicenter at Chambri Lake in the northern part of the Pacific nation.

The region is marked by swamps and people tend to live subsistence lives hunting and fishing, Mathew Moihoi, the acting assistant director of the Port Moresby Geophysical Observatory, told The Associated Press. Because of the regions remoteness and patchy communications, it could take several days to figure out the extent of the damage, he said.

Citing local officials, the Papua New Guinea Post-Courier newspaper reported four people had died and at least 17 more people were injured after the quake caused damage in 23 villages around the epicenter

Moihoi said he'd heard reports of the four deaths although his agency had yet to verify that figure.

He said the quake was big enough to be felt in surrounding regions, including in the nation's highlands.

The quake struck just after 4 a.m. about 62 kilometers (38 miles) below the Earth's surface, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Papua New Guinea is on the eastern half of the island of New Guinea, to the east of Indonesia and north of Australia. It sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, the arc of seismic faults around the Pacific Ocean where much of the worlds earthquake and volcanic activity occurs.

A magnitude 7.6 quake that struck a remote area of Papua New Guinea in September was later found to have killed 21 people.
JERUSALEM (AP)  Israel is holding over 1,000 Palestinian detainees without charge or trial, the highest number since 2003, an Israeli human rights group said Tuesday.

Israel says the controversial tactic, known as administrative detention, helps authorities thwart attacks and hold dangerous militants without divulging incriminating material for security reasons. Palestinians and rights groups say the system is widely abused and denies due process, with the secret nature of the evidence making it impossible for administrative detainees or their lawyers to mount a defense.

HaMoked, an Israeli rights group that regularly gathers figures from prison authorities, said that as of April, there were 1,016 detainees held in administrative detention. Nearly all of them are Palestinians detained under military law, as administrative detention is very rarely used against Jews. Four Israeli Jews are currently being held without charge.

There is no sense of when the nightmare will end, said 48-year-old Manal Abu Bakr in Dheisheh, a refugee camp near the West Bank city of Bethlehem. Her 28-year-old son Mohammed lost his four college years to administrative detention. Her husband, Nidal, a journalist and radio presenter, remains in custody. He has spent 17 years behind bars in the past three decades, more than half of it without charge, according to a prisoners rights group, the Palestinian Prisoners Club.

The hearing on the renewal of his detention is set for September. Im exhausted," Manal said. It's hard even to hope.

HaMoked says 2,416 Palestinians are serving sentences after being convicted in Israeli military courts. An additional 1,409 detainees are being held for questioning, have been charged and are awaiting trial, or are currently being tried.

Among the 76 Palestinians incarcerated in the last month, 49 are administrative detainees. Administrative detention orders can be issued for a maximum of six months, but can be renewed indefinitely.

The numbers are shocking, said Jessica Montell, the director of HaMoked. There are no restraints on the use of what should be a rare exception. It's just getting easier and easier for them to hold people with no charge or trial.

A widespread military crackdown on Palestinian militants in the occupied West Bank has helped fuel the sharp rise in administrative detentions.

Israel's campaign of raids into Palestinian cities and towns following a string of deadly Palestinian attacks last year led to the arrest of over 2,400 Palestinians since March 2022, according to the Israeli military. Israel's Shin Bet security service did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the latest administrative detention figures.

Israel describes the ramped-up raids as a counterterrorism effort to prevent further attacks. Palestinian residents and critics say the operation only further stokes the cycle of bloodshed, as the incursions ignite violent protests and firefights with Palestinian militants.

Nearly 90 Palestinians in the West Bank have been killed by Israeli fire this year, according to an Associated Press tally. Palestinian attacks against Israelis have killed 15 people in the same period. Israel says most of the Palestinians killed were militants, but the dead have included stone-throwing youths and bystanders who were not involved in violence.

The last time Israel held this many administrative detainees was in May 2003, HaMoked said, in the throes of a violent Palestinian uprising known as the Second Intifada.

The numbers always increase when there are heightened tensions on the ground, said Sahar Francis, a director of Addameer, a Palestinian prisoners rights group . Administrative detention "is an efficient tool for the arrest of hundreds of people in a short time.

The West Bank has been under Israeli military rule since Israel captured the territory in the 1967 Mideast war. The Palestinians want it to form the main part of their future state.

The territorys nearly 3 million Palestinian residents are subject to Israels military justice system, while the nearly 500,000 Jewish settlers living alongside them have Israeli citizenship and are subject to civilian courts.
MEXICO CITY (AP)  The killings of four men in the Mexican resort of Cancun was probably related to drug gang rivalries, authorities said Tuesday.

The Caribbean coast state of Quintana Roo said drug gang leader Hector Flores Aceves, known by his nickname Pantera, or the Panther, was involved in the killings.

The dead men were found Monday in the citys hotel zone near the beach. The killings came as Cancun kicked off the Easter Week vacations, one of its busiest times of the year.

The state offered a $50,000 reward for Flores Aceves on Tuesday, saying he was involved in the killings. But it was the same reward offered for his arrest since a series of attacks and killings at bars in Cancun in May 2022.

In 2022, Lucio Hernandez, the then-police chief of Quintana Roo, said Flores Aceves and a rival implicated in the bar attacks were members of the Sinaloa cartel, which split in the state. Two people were killed and eight wounded in shooting attacks on two bars in Cancun on May 6, 2022.

At the time, Hernandez said the two are trying to control what they call the marketplace to carry out their criminal activities."

He said the gangs' activities included drug dealing, kidnapping and extoring protection money from business owners, by threatening to attack or kill them if they didn't pay.

The information offered Tuesday did not give any more details on the motive in the latest killings, in which two suspects were detained. But gangs in Mexico frequently stake out exclusive areas where only they can sell drugs to tourists, and kill anyone selling drugs for a rival gang.

Monday's killings came less that a week after a U.S. tourist was shot in the leg in the nearby town of Puerto Morelos. The motive in that remains under investigation.

The U.S. State Department issued a travel alert last month warning travelers to exercise increased caution, especially after dark, at Mexicos Caribbean beach resorts like Cancun, Playa del Carmen and Tulum, which have been plagued by drug gang violence in the past.

In 2022, two Canadians were killed in Playa del Carmen, apparently because of debts between international drug and weapons trafficking gangs.

In 2021, farther south in the laid-back destination of Tulum, two tourists  one a California travel blogger born in India and the other German  were killed when they apparently were caught in the crossfire of a gunfight between rival drug dealers.
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ISLAMABAD (AP)  Pakistan's Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled a panel's decision to delay provincial elections was unconstitutional and ordered the votes held next month, according to a lawyer involved in the case.

Ali Zafar, the attorney for former premier Imran Khan's Tahreek-e-Insaf party, said the three-member panel of judges headed by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandyal set the new vote for May 14.

The elections board on March 22 postponed the vote in Punjab province until October 8 for lack of funds and security. The date for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province was under review when the panel said a vote there could not be held by a constitutional deadline.

The court's decision comes months after after Khans party dissolved the regional assemblies in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces in a failed bid to force snap national elections.

Since his ouster last April in a no-confidence vote in Parliament, Khan has been demanding early elections. Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif has dismissed the demand and kept to elections scheduled for later this year.

The top court ruling is a blow to Sharif's government, which wanted national elections and the voting for regional assemblies held on the same day.

Zafar said the court ordered the government to provide funds to the election board and required all provincial and federal officials to assist free, fair and lawful elections in the two provinces.

Earlier, government ministers told reporters they were expecting a verdict form the court to take the country out of constitutional crisis.

The prime minister has summoned the federal Cabinet to review the situation later Tuesday.

Azam Nazeer Tarar, the law minister, said the verdict would deepen the constitutional crisis. He said more judges should have heard this case to avoid any doubts. The government has been asking for formation of a full court but the chief justice rejected the request.
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JERUSALEM (AP)  Israeli police stormed into the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalems Old City early Wednesday, firing stun grenades at Palestinian youths who hurled firecrackers at them in a burst of violence during a sensitive holiday season. Gaza militants responded with rocket fire on southern Israel, prompting an Israeli airstrike.

The fighting, coming as Muslims mark the holiday month of Ramadan and Jews prepare to begin the Passover festival on Wednesday evening, drew Palestinian condemnations and raised fears of a wider conflagration. Similar clashes two years ago erupted into an 11-day war between Israel and Hamas. The Israeli military said one soldier was shot in a separate incident in the occupied West Bank.

The mosque sits on a sensitive hilltop compound holy to both Jews and Muslims. Al-Aqsa is the third-holiest site in Islam and is typically packed with worshippers during Ramadan. The spot, known to Jews as the Temple Mount, is also the holiest site in Judaism, who revere it as the location of the biblical Jewish temples. The conflicting claims fuel constant tensions that have spilled over to violence numerous times in the past.

The official Palestinian news agency Wafa said that dozens of worshippers who were spending the night praying were injured in the police raid.

Israeli police said they moved in after several law-breaking youths and masked agitators brought fireworks, sticks and stones and barricaded themselves into the mosque. Police said the youths chanted violent slogans and locked the front doors.

After many and prolonged attempts to get them out by talking to no avail, police forces were forced to enter the compound in order to get them out, police said.

Video released by police showed the repeated explosions of fireworks inside the mosque. One amateur video taken by Palestinians showed police scuffling with people and beating them with clubs and rifle butts as a womans voice could be heard shouting, Oh God. Oh God.

Outside the gate, police dispersed groups of youths with stun grenades and rubber bullets.

Police said one officer was injured in the leg, while dozens of people were arrested.

Talab Abu Eisha, 49, said more than 400 men, women and children were praying at Al-Aqsa when the police encircled the mosque.

The youths were afraid and started closing the doors, he said, adding that police forces stormed the eastern corner, beating and arresting men there.

It was an unprecedented scene of violence in terms of police brutality and intention to hurt the youths, he said, denying police claims that young men were hiding fireworks and rocks. He added that the police prevented all men under 50 years old from passing through the Old Citys gates leading to the compound for the dawn prayers Wednesday morning.

Palestinian militants responded by firing a barrage of rockets from Gaza into southern Israel, setting off air raid sirens in the region as residents were preparing for the beginning of the weeklong Passover holiday.

The Israeli military said a total of five rockets were fired, and all were intercepted. Hours later, Israel responded with an airstrike in Gaza. There were no immediate details on the target.

Tensions have been steadily rising since Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus new far-right government took office late last year. The government is dominated by religious and ultranationalist hard-liners, and the overlap of the Jewish and Muslim holidays  when tens of thousands of worshippers make their way to contested Jerusalem  has raised fears of violence.

The police force is overseen by Itamar Ben-Gvir, an ultranationalist with a history of violent rhetoric against the Palestinians.

In Gaza, Hamas called for large protests and people started gathering in the streets, with calls to head for the heavily guarded Gaza-Israel frontier for more violent demonstrations.

The Palestinian militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad also called for Palestinian residents of Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Israel to go and gather around Al-Aqsa Mosque and confront Israeli forces.

In the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian leadership condemned the attack on the worshippers. The spokesman of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Nabil Abu Rudeineh, warned Israel that such a move exceeds all red lines and will lead to a large explosion."

The government of Jordan, which serves as the custodian of the mosque, condemned the Israeli raid in the strongest terms. The Foreign Ministry warned of the consequences of this dangerous escalation and held Israel responsible for the safety of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque.

As violence was unfolding in Jerusalem, the Israeli military reported fighting in a Palestinian town in the occupied West Bank. It said residents of Beit Umar, near the volatile city of Hebron, burned tires, hurled rocks and explosives at soldiers. It said one soldier was shot by armed suspects, who managed to flee.

Earlier on Tuesday, a Palestinian suspect stabbed two Israelis near an army base south of Tel Aviv, police said, in the latest incident in a yearlong spate of violence that shows no sign of abating.

The Magen David Adom paramedic service said first responders treated two men for serious and light stab wounds in the incident on a highway near the Tzrifin military base. The men were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.

Israeli media identified the two victims as soldiers.

Police said that civilians at the scene apprehended the suspected attacker, who was taken into police custody for questioning.

Israeli-Palestinian violence has surged over the last year, as the Israeli military has carried out near-nightly raids on Palestinian cities, towns and villages and as Palestinians have staged numerous attacks against Israelis.

At least 88 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire this year, according to an Associated Press tally. Palestinian attacks against Israelis have killed 15 people in the same period.

Israel says most of the Palestinians killed were militants. But stone-throwing youths and bystanders uninvolved in violence were also among the dead. All but one of the Israeli dead were civilians.

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Akram reported from Gaza City, Gaza Strip.
The Opec Fund for International Development (OPEC Fund) has entered into two separate loan agreements worth $20 million each with Saudi utility project developer Acwa Power for the development of two wind power plants in Uzbekistan.

These funds, it stated, will be used to support the construction and operation of the 500 MW Dzhankeldy wind farm and 500 MW Bash wind power plant, located in the country's Bukhara region.

These new facilities will contribute to the country's renewable energy generation capacity, while also reducing greenhouse gas emissions and diversifying its energy mix, it stated.

The loan agreement for the Dzhankeldy wind farm will support the development of the plant's infrastructure, including its construction, operation, and maintenance, as well as the development of 128 km transmission infrastructure.

According to Opec Fund, the plant is expected to generate 1,550 GWh of electricity annually. The Bash wind power plant, on the other hand, will generate more than 1,650 GWh of electricity annually and will include the construction and installation of 160 km transmission infrastructure.

Together, the two plants are expected to reduce CO2 emissions by 1.8 billion tonnes, it added.

Opec Fund Director-General Dr Abdulhamid Alkhalifa said: "Increasing private sector participation is key to support Uzbekistans ambitious energy transition. We are happy to cooperate with the authorities as well as with our development and private sector partners on energy sector projects that will boost the share of renewables in energy generation and provide reliable and affordable clean energy."

The financing for both projects, he noted, was provided through a consortium of international lenders, with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) serving as the technical bank, and Standard Chartered Bank acting as the documentation bank.

The consortium also includes the French development financier Proparco, Germany's development bank Deutsche Investitions- und Entwicklungsgesellschaft (DEG), the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, and the Asian Development Bank (ADB), he added.-TradeArabia News Service
The present author initially heard the story of the tunnel within the tomb of the ancient Egyptian Pharaoh Seti I from legendary member of the Abdel-Rassoul family, Sheikh Ali Abdel-Rassoul, who owned the Al-Marsam Hotel on the west bank at Luxor.

Since its discovery by Giovanni Belzoni in 1817, the tunnel has remained mysterious to archaeologists and other explorers. Although many have desired to discover its architecture and purpose, Egyptologists have been afraid to excavate it because doing so might result in damage to the rest of the tomb, which is magnificently decorated.

The initial examination of the tunnel, which took place in 2002, allowed a team from the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) to reach the location at which the last attempted excavations, performed by Sheikh Alis workmen, had ended due to safety concerns in 1960. Having established a plan for the excavation and restoration of the tunnel, the SCA team began its own work, which ran from September 2007 to March 2010.

During this time, they began to collect data not previously recorded in the nearly 200 years since the discovery of the tunnel.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: On the evening of 17 October 1817, after several days of work in the Valley of the Kings, Belzoni located the stairway leading to the entrance of the tomb of Seti I.

Work continued into the early morning of the next day, revealing one of the largest and most beautiful tombs in the Valley of the Kings. Although the tombs furnishings had been looted long ago, the exquisite polychrome bas reliefs and the kings unique alabaster sarcophagus prompted Belzoni to declare the tomb to be his most important and exciting discovery in Egypt at the time.

For this discovery, unlike many of his others, Belzoni left a detailed description of his adventure inside the tunnel in a monumental monograph. It is clear that Belzonis work there stopped at the stage of exploring the accessible section of the tunnel, however.

After 1817, accounts of other explorations do not exist until 1903, when Howard Carter carried out some work inside the tomb of Seti I. Nevertheless, it is evident that the tunnel was accessible to travellers, most probably to a shorter distance than that reached by Belzoni. Some modern travellers who had penetrated the tunnel had even used coal to leave graffiti (in bad handwriting) recording the dates of their visits on the rocks of the ceiling.

Early scholars and writers also visited the tunnel. Of these, only Sir Gardner Wilkinson left a useful account, which appears in his Modern Egypt and Thebes, Being a Description of Egypt, published in 1843. Wilkinson describes the tunnel leading from the burial chamber as a vaulted saloon, 19 feet by 30, in whose centre stood an alabaster sarcophagus, the kenotaph [sic] of the deceased monarch, upon the immediate summit of an inclined plane, which, with a staircase on either side, descends into the heart of argillaceous rock for a distance of 150 feet.

It is obvious that Wilkinson was not copying from Belzoni but describing what he saw inside the tunnel and that he furthermore took measurements. He noted that although Belzoni had penetrated inside the tunnel for 300 feet, rocks and debris fallen from the ceilings and walls blocked almost half of the accessible passage; thus, it had become very difficult to enter without excavating and supporting the ceiling.

In 1903, Howard Carter, as chief inspector of antiquities on the west bank at Luxor, carried out major restoration work inside the tomb of Seti I (KV 17) after many falls, major and minor, of reliefs from the ceiling and walls, especially those of the inner part of the tomb.

Carters analysis correctly determined the cause of the crisis, which had occurred in the tomb repeatedly. In his opinion, the unstable condition of the fragile tafla stratum, which directly carries the limestone stratum in which the tomb was carved, was responsible for the collapses of the door jambs and the ceiling.

Carter filled the holes and gaps between the rocks in the lower parts of the tomb walls and the carved gates with red brick masonry, as noted in his report. Carters brick masonry can be seen in many locations inside the tomb, especially in the burial chamber; however, the brick arches he built from the entrance of the tunnel and for a distance of eight metres to the south stand as his main work in the tomb.

In addition to the brick arches, he performed some cleaning in that part of the tunnel that had already been uncovered. Unfortunately, Carters report does not describe the tunnel and its condition. The materials Carter installed inside the tunnel to protect travellers and to facilitate their visits indicate that conditions there were not then as bad as they were when the later team began its work in 2007.

Carters comment on the tunnel (a tunnel Q excavated in the tafle stratum and leading to sepulchral chambers below) leaves no doubt that even the architecture of the accessible part of the tunnel was not clear and caused him describe the passages of the tunnel as chambers.

After Carters restoration and cleaning in the tunnel in 1903, no further attempts were made to carry out any work until the efforts of Abdel-Rassoul in 1960. Elizabeth Thomas, however, wrote that in December 1959 she went down a partly encumbered slope for about 25 m to a small rough room; only a hole led beyond.

SHEIKH ALI: Claiming that he would need only one month to reveal the secrets of Seti Is tunnel, Sheikh Ali Abdel-Rassoul was able to secure permission to work there from the Antiquities Department in 1960.

Lacking qualifications as an archaeologist or affiliation with a scientific institution, he was aided by the press in his endeavour and raised LE300, a large sum at the time, to fund his search for supposed hidden treasure. Unfortunately, his work was never documented except through brief news reports written by others.

As already mentioned, the author met Sheikh Abdel-Rassoul in 1973-1974 while working as inspector of antiquities. Abdel-Rassouls favourite topic of discussion was always the tunnel and its treasure. He regreted that he had had to stop the work after many complaints and negative reports from the engineer of the Antiquities Service concerning the safety of the workers and the critical state of the tunnel.

According to Abdel-Rassoul, 25 m from the entrance, the tunnel narrowed so much that only one man could crawl into it for a distance of 100 m, at which point the tunnel stopped. The tafla of the tunnel was unstable, and Abdel-Rassoul mentioned that during his work many accidents occurred because of the tafla rocks falling from the ceiling. The sound of the falling rocks would terrify the workers, some of whom even believed that there were genies (devils) living in the tunnel; others believed in the curse of the Pharaohs.

Abdel-Rassoul began his work by completely removing the debris from the first part of the tunnel. He was able to clean the first 45 m beyond the eight metres of Carters brick arches, and he was also able to create a support system for the ceiling of the tunnel with wooden beams and gypsum.

But due to the long distance that the workers carrying baskets filled with debris had to walk through the long tomb of Seti I, Abdel-Rassoul had to change his work plan. His interest in uncovering the architecture of the tunnel lagged, for his goal was to reach the end of the tunnel in order to see whether there were any hidden chambers. He therefore began to remove debris and stone rubble from a narrow passage inside the tunnel that allowed only one man to proceed further. The debris from this narrow passage was dumped in the area previously cleared.

This practice increased the dust inside the tunnel, making it impossible for the workers to breathe. Abdel-Rassoul had to spend a large portion of his funds to buy an air compressor to bring air into the tunnel. The new system was not efficient because, according to Abdel-Rassoul, every worker made a hole in the compressor pipe passing in front of him in order to get an immediate supply of fresh air; as a result, fresh air did not reach those working at the far end of the tunnel.

Giving the workers a raise in pay helped for some time, but in the end Abdel-Rassoul gave up and the work had to be terminated. The result was the partial excavation of almost 136 m of the tunnel.

Almost 15 years after the abandoned excavation, Sheikh Ali insisted on showing the present author the tunnel. They went together to KV17 and entered the tunnel for some distance. Nothing within could be seen due to poor lighting and because of the debris that filled the tunnel. Sheikh Ali made me promise that if I ever became an important archaeologist one day, I would excavate the tunnel.

His only personal request was to ask that if anything was discovered, the credit should go to Sheikh Ali. Abdel-Rassoul died in 1983, but the people of Qurna, especially those who worked with him in the tunnel, still remembered his promise to throw a party lasting three days for the village when he found the treasure of king Seti I.

The story told by Sheikh Abdel-Rassoul was not difficult to believe, especially after the later team began its excavation inside the tunnel. The air-compressor pipe with many holes, digging tools, and timber baskets used by his worker were found, along with other personal items, such as Abdel-Rassouls straw hand fan and cigarettes smoked by the workers. Moreover, the teams work also revealed more information concerning Abdel-Rassouls work, as explained below.

BERKELEY AND THE SCA: After Abdel-Rassouls work was stopped, the dangerous state of the tunnel discouraged excavators, who showed no interest in continuing the project until 1979.

At that time, during the second season of work in the Valley of the Kings, the Berkeley Map Project of the Theban Necropolis, directed by Kent Weeks, explored the accessible part of the tunnel. He was able to produce the only available map. The measurements taken, as stated by Weeks himself, were of the passage dug out by Sheikh Abdel-Rassoul and not of the ancient tunnel itself, for the latter was filled with debris and not accessible to the end.

Weeks left a warning to any scholar who might plan to excavate: the passageway in the tomb of Seti I is an extremely dangerous one to penetrate. Any archaeologist seeking to explore Q should be forewarned; the stone is fragile, the air is poor, the braces are weak. Care and study are necessary and, most important, proper equipment should be available before further exploration is undertaken.

The Supreme Council of Antiquities decided in November 2007 to begin excavating the tunnel in KV17. It included the following goals: to undertake a study of the soil mechanics of the tomb and the tunnel prior to excavation; to determine and implement a method to protect the burial chamber from the debris that would result from excavation of the tunnel; to prepare for the conservation of the tunnel by using steel to support the ceiling; to install a railway system inside the tunnel to remove the debris; to build wooden stairs inside the tunnel to facilitate movement; and to choose the right personnel to work under the direction of the author.

The most important decision was, in fact, simply to proceed with work in this tunnel because there was fear among scholars of working there. Also, there was the consideration of realising Sheikh Alis dream by working with a scientific team. Of course, the fundamental reason to proceed with the excavation was to put an end to the long debate between scholars about the function of the tunnel of the tomb of Seti I.

It is clear that the stability of the tunnels structure was the first aspect on which excavators, including the discoverer of the tomb and subsequent visitors, commented. However, after Abdel-Rassouls activities in the tunnel, almost all conservation studies and restoration treatments focused solely on the tomb itself, to the exclusion of the tunnel.

Stories of the horrible sounds of rock falls witnessed by Abdel-Rassoul and his workers in 1960 reflect the fact that the tafla stratum, or Esna shale, was in an active state of swelling and shrinkage. This was a problem to which Abdel-Rassoul contributed by placing more than 50 workers, breathing and sweating from the heat and heavy work, inside the tunnel, in addition to compressed air and also the water poured to reduce the amount of dust.

These factors contributed to the severe swelling and shrinkage of the Esna shale, into which the accessible part of the tunnel was dug. Consequently, the constant pressure of the tafla on the ceiling, the side walls, and the floor led to the catastrophic deterioration of the structure.

Now, with the full discovery of the tunnel inside the tomb of Seti I, it is clear that this tomb represents a unique style in the Valley of the Kings, cut through three main geological formations of the mountain. Starting with the lowest, these are the Tarawan Formation, the Esna Shale Formation, and the Member I marl of the Thebes Formation. Prior to this excavation, the only geological information available indicated that the tomb was cut into the lower part of Member I and the Esna shale.

The tunnel of Seti I provides a unique opportunity to study the Esna Shale/Tarawan Formation sequence and the different strata of the Esna shale (namely, the upper Esna shale and the lower Esna shale). The first 55 m of the total length of the tunnel were cut into the upper layer of the Esna shale, which is reddish shale combined with marl and limestone. After 55 m, a further 80 m of the tunnel penetrates into a lower stratum of greenish Esna shale directly overlying the Tarawan Formation, a composition of marl and limestone that varies between the dark and white chalk.

The Thebes Formation, especially the Member I formation, cannot be considered a good choice for the execution of perfect bas-reliefs of a royal tomb like that of Seti I. It was only the complete closure of the tomb in antiquity that protected it from the main threat of water and the penetration of deposits by flood rains over thousands of years.

The deterioration of the tomb architecture and decoration began from the time of the discovery and opening of the tomb in 1817 and lasted until 1994. Most of this damage resulted from the repeated swelling and shrinking of the Esna shale. The swell and water intake tests performed on samples from the tunnel demonstrated that water absorption of the Esna shale tafla is immediate. Humidity changes and treasure hunters have also contributed to the deterioration of the rock structure and decoration.

The first 9.7 m of the tunnel were completely covered by Carters brick vaults, and thus nothing can be said about the original tunnel architecture or measurements behind these. Based on evidence from some intact points in the tunnel and the last 42 m, which are well preserved, the whole tunnel followed a fixed measurement of 5x5 royal cubits, or 2.6 m in height and 2.6 m in width. Some cracks can be seen easily in the brick vaults; these, monitored since November 2007, are proving to be stable.

Behind Carters brick vaults and for a distance of about 45 m, the floor was completely covered by debris. Large amount of debris were stored between each wall of the tunnel and wooden barriers made by Abdel-Rassoul. The ceiling was irregular, and only the original corner line of cutting the ceiling from the walls can be recognised in different places.

Abdel-Rassoul installed a large number of wooden beams to support the ceiling in this area, which ends with a narrow opening, three metres in length, on the west side. Nothing could be seen beyond except the hard flash-flood deposits that covered the original architecture and showed no disturbance made by Abdel-Rassoul, who continued his work for about another 50 m with the same method after passing this narrow opening.

At a distance of 110 m, the passage made by Abdel-Rassoul through the flash-flood deposits became very narrow (one metre in width and 1.2 m in height), and the wooden supports of the ceiling became infrequent and installed at reasonable distance from each other, until the team reached what Abdel-Rassoul had believed to be a room. It took the shape of a cave, its ceiling having the form of a dome as a result of the fall of large amount of the Esna shale.

This was the last reachable area in the tunnel achieved by both Abdel-Rassoul and the SCA team before the latter began its work. The total accessible length of the tunnel was almost 135 m.

* A version of this article appears in print in the 6 April, 2023 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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SURREY, British Columbia (AP)  A suspect accused of slashing a persons throat on a bus in the Canadian province of British Columbia has been charged with four terrorism-related counts in the attack that left a man with life-threatening injuries.

Provincial court documents show that Abdul Aziz Kawam, born in 1995, is accused of four counts of acting for the benefit of, at the direction of, or in association with a terrorist group, to wit: the Islamic State.

He also faces one count of attempted murder, one count of assault and one count of aggravated assault for slashing the neck of a man with a knife on Saturday.

The court documents show that Kawam is accused of assault in a separate case for allegedly attacking another person on that same day.

Kawam, who was back in court in Surrey, British Columbia on Monday, remains in custody and will appear in court again on Wednesday.

Metro Vancouver Transit Police say they discovered during their investigation that the suspect made several concerning comments, leading investigators to notify the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Integrated National Security Enforcement Team.

RCMP said the enforcement team consulted with the Public Prosecution Service of Canada on the terrorism charges.

The amended charges relate to allegations the assaults were carried out for the Islamic State, police say in a statement issued Monday.

Supt. David Teboul, acting deputy criminal operations officer for the federal policing branch, said they are committed to uncovering all the facts relating to this disturbing and unprovoked assault.

The terror charges carry a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.

Transit police say one man allegedly took out a knife and slashed the other across the throat, before being arrested at the scene by transit police and Surrey RCMP officers.

Transit police say that the man also allegedly displayed and held a knife to the throat of another individual at a bus stop about four blocks from the scene of the other crime, just before the slashing attack. That person was able to push the assailant away and escape unharmed, police say.
THE HAGUE (AP)  Amsterdam's Schiphol, one of the top airports in Europe, announced Tuesday it will turn down the noise and limit its pollution in one of the world's most densely populated areas.

The move immediately received plaudits from environmentalists but not from its biggest customer - KLM national airlines.

With its plans, the airport will phase out all traffic between midnight and 5 a.m., ban private jets and the nosiest planes and abandon a project for an additional runway.

We have thought about growth but too little about its impact for too long. We need to be sustainable for our employees, the local environment and the world, said Ruud Sondag, CEO of the Schiphol Group. The only way forward is to become quieter and cleaner more rapidly. We have thought about growth but too little about its impact for too long. We need to be sustainable, Sondag said.

The plans should kick in no later that the 2025-2026 season.

The environmental group Greenpeace welcomed the move. Finally, they seem to turn the tide, said its air transport expert Maarten de Zeeuw, especially lauding the ban on private jets.

We are happy that Schiphol is listening, De Zeeuw said. The group said that even if other European airports had nighttime flying limits, Schiphol would be the first major one on the continent to ban polluting private planes.

KLM was less enthusiastic, complaining that it wasn't more closely consulted over the decision. We are astonished that Schiphol is unilaterally putting forward proposals that will have far-reaching consequences for airlines, without involving the industry parties in this process, it said in a statement.

Last summer, the Dutch government already decided to cut the maximum number of flights allowed each year in an attempt to reduce noise and air pollution.

The decision  expected to take effect late in the year  would cut the number of flights allowed from around 500,000 to 440,000.

Schiphol, on the outskirts of Amsterdam, has been growing for years and has become one of the busiest European hubs and a significant driver of economic growth in the Netherlands.

But the government also wants to cut emissions of carbon and other pollutants such as nitrogen oxide, forcing the scaling down of flights.

___

Casert reported from Brussels

.
STOCKHOLM (AP)  Five men have been arrested on suspicion of aiding and abetting terrorist offenses, Swedens SAPO domestic security agency said Tuesday, adding the case was related to the burning of a Quran in January in Stockholm and that an attack is not imminent.

In a statement, Susanna Trehorning, deputy head of SAPO s counterterror unit said that the case had international links to violent Islamist extremism. Swedish public radio said the suspects had links to the Islamic State group.

Trehorning said that Tuesday's arrests came following "extensive intelligence and investigative work after the protests that were directed at Sweden in connection with the high-profile burning of the Quran in January and where there are international calls for attacks.

She told Swedish broadcaster SVT that the suspects were in a planning phase and that they had not immediately thought of doing anything here and now.

In January, a far-right activist from Denmark received permission from police to stage a protest outside the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm where he burned the Islamic holy book.

That angered millions of Muslims around the world and triggered protests. NATO-member Turkey said it wouldn't allow Sweden to join the military alliance as long as the Scandinavian country permits such protests to take place. In Sweden, such demonstrations are protected by freedom of speech.

All NATO members need to ratify in their parliaments the accession requests by Sweden.

Finland which sought NATO membership at the same time as Sweden is expected to join the alliance later Tuesday after all 30 member states ratified the Finns' accession request, but Turkey is holding out on ratifying Sweden's membership.

In February, Swedish police denied permission for protests involving the burning of a Quran, fearing they could provoke terror attacks or attacks against Swedish interests.

On Tuesday, Swedens Administrative Court ruled that freedom of assembly and demonstration are constitutionally protected rights and overturned the police decision, saying security risk concerns were not enough to limit the right to demonstrate.
BEIRUT (AP)  A drone strike carried out by the American-led coalition in northwestern Syria has killed a senior member of the Islamic State group who was in charge of planning attacks in Europe, the United States military said Tuesday.

The man killed Monday in the strike was identified by a U.S. military statement as Khalid Aydd Ahmad al-Jabouri. The military statement added that his death will temporarily disrupt the organization's ability to plot external attacks.

Mondays strike was the latest by the U.S. military to kill a top official with the extremist group that once controlled large parts of Iraq and Syria, where it declared a caliphate. From the areas they once controlled, the extremists planned deadly attacks in Europe that killed scores of people. In recent years, such attacks have decreased because the Islamic State group lost the last sliver of land it controlled in March 2019.

The extremist sleeper cells are still launching deadly attacks in Syria and Iraq.

Opposition activists in northwest Syria said the man killed showed up in the area about 10 days ago claiming to be a displaced person from the eastern province of Deir el-Zour, bordering Iraq. Al-Jabouri is one of Iraq's biggest tribes that also has presence in east and north Syria and the man might have said that he is from Deir el-Zour to hide his Iraqi identity as residents of east Syria speak Arabic dialect similar to the one spoken in Iraq.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, said on Monday that one person was killed in a drone strike near the rebel-held village of Kefteen. The Observatory's chief Rami Abdurrahman identified the dead man as an Iraqi citizen who was struck with a missile as he spoke on his cellular phone outside the home he rented.

The oppositions Syrian Civil Defense, also known as the White Helmets, said it evacuated the man from the scene of the attack and he later succumbed to his wounds.

The strike was the latest in a series of attacks over the past years targeting al-Qaida-linked militants and senior members of the Islamic State group in northwestern Syria.

Most of those killed by U.S. strikes in the rebel-held Idlib province over the past years were members of al-Qaida offshoot Horas al-Din, which is Arabic for Guardians of Religion. The group includes hardcore al-Qaida members who broke away from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the strongest insurgent group in Idlib province.

In February, a drone strike killed two men, whom local activists initially identified as Horas al-Din members. The Observatory later said that one of the two killed was a senior member of the Islamic State group that was defeated in Syria in March 2019.

The founder of the Islamic State group, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, was hunted down by the Americans in a raid in Idlib in October 2019. His successor, Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, was also killed in a U.S. raid in February 2022 in northwest Syria.

In October, Syrian rebels killed the group's leader, Abu al-Hassan al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, and he has since been repalced by Abu al-Hussein al-Husseini al-Qurayshi.

None of the al-Qurayshis are believed to be related. Al-Qurayshi is not their real name but comes from Quraish, the name of the tribe to which Islams Prophet Muhammad belonged. IS claims its leaders hail from this tribe and al-Qurayshi serves as part of an IS leaders nom de guerre.
For years, Google has satisfied its scores of tech workers with world-class perks: high-end computers, speedy shuttles, endless gourmet food and even on-site massages.

But for the employees who survived the firms 12,000-person layoff round this January, the workplace is getting a little less cushy. The Silicon Valley tech titan is meeting diminished digital ad revenues and economic fears with cost cuts  a push for efficiency at a Big Five tech firm that cleared almost $60 billion in profit last year.

Google will close some snack bars, known as microkitchens, and shutter cafeterias on days they see lower traffic, according to a staffwide memo sent Friday by Ruth Porat, the companys chief financial officer. Employees wont get to automatically replace computers or expense phone purchases as easily, and nonengineering workers will get Chromebooks instead of higher-end laptops, CNBC reported.

We set a high bar for industry-leading perks, benefits and office amenities, and will continue that into the future, Porat wrote in the email, which SFGATE obtained. However, some programs need to evolve for how Google works today.

The perk cuts are in part a response to the new hybrid workweek, the email said, and will include moving around fitness classes and shuttle services to better meet demand. One document CNBC reported on said that the firm had baked too many muffins on a Monday, seen GBuses run with just one passenger, and offered yoga classes on a Friday afternoon when folks are more likely to be working from home.

Google is also cutting costs by negotiating with suppliers for better equipment rates, hiring slowly, and getting more computing power out of its servers and data centers, Porats email said. A company spokesperson told SFGATE that Google is making the changes to help us remain responsible stewards of our resources, and promised that it still leads the industry in perks, benefits and amenities.

Googles job cuts in January hit 1,800 California workers, including about two dozen in-house massage therapists. In February, the firm announced it would be consolidating office space across the globe  Google Cloud employees in San Francisco and Sunnyvale were later asked to set up rotating desk-buddy systems.

Over 167,000 tech employees have been laid off so far in 2023, according to industry tracking site Layoffs.fyi. Digital advertising spending has slowed since 2021, hitting Googles dominant, money-minting search business and YouTube ad network.

Porat called back to the Great Recession twice in her memo, citing 2008 as precedent for Googles move to meet shrinking margins with new cost cuts.

We have clear [objectives and key results] and substantial resources at our disposal to pursue them, but these resources are finite, Porat wrote. Focusing on using them effectively makes a huge difference.

Hear of anything happening at Google or another tech company? Contact tech reporter Stephen Council securely at stephen.council@sfgate.com or on Signal at 628-204-5452.
San Franciscos Cafe Reveille is the type of place thats quietly pleading for you to share a photo of it on Instagram.

With its millennial pink branding, decadent brunch menu and breezy outdoor patio, youd think it would be the perfect spot to relax with a cup of coffee, or maybe even a $13 falafel bowl topped with a delicate poached egg. Thats what it seems like, at least, based on the small chains neatly curated online presence.

In person, however, its anything but.

Like a scene straight out of HBOs Silicon Valley, Cafe Reveilles Steiner Street location in the Lower Haight has morphed into a de facto WeWork for Bay Area techies, wannabe founders and industry disruptors. Its impossible to sit in peace without being interrupted by the grating din of people taking back-to-back Zoom conferences and virtual job interviews, according to perturbed San Francisco residents.

Charles Russo/SFGATE

When I visited the cafe on a brisk Wednesday afternoon, I was immediately confronted by a sea of laptops attached to their users bodies. The air was so warm and muggy, it reminded me of a sold-out concert venue, or a university library on the eve of midterms. I skipped lunch and settled for an iced coffee instead.

Right as I sat down, a man in a tight little sweater sighed and took a conference call right next to me.

He said something inane to his colleagues about job tracking statuses. I tried to tune him out, but then a kid in a radioactive green beanie and Air Force 1's started broadcasting his conversation on speakerphone. With cruelly perfect timing, a forlorn saxophone began wailing over the sound system. How anyone can actually socialize, let alone concentrate, here is beyond me.

Annoyed and terminally online San Francisco residents also have a lot to say about it. I used to enjoy it but its a zoo now, wrote one person on Nextdoor, who said she was born and raised in the city.

So obnoxious, she continued. Its not WeWork folks!

After finding her posts, which appear to have been deleted, I called this resident to ask her about the cafes transformation. (She was granted anonymity in accordance with Hearsts ethics policy because she works in tech herself.) She said the cafe is so overrun with remote workers that it feels like zombieland.

Images via Yelp

You lose that sense of connection, she told me, calling the incessant Zoom meetings royally rude and socially unconscious. Shes concerned, she said, that people staring into their screens all day destroys those opportunities for serendipity. (She also alleged that some workers have actually chained their laptops to the table after a spate of thefts at the Lower Haight Reveille in mid-2021, though that was nowhere to be seen during my visit.)

Cafes have always been spaces where people co-work  but the Bay Area bears a particular burden that other locales do not. Among metro areas with a million or more residents, the Bay Area had the leading number of remote workers in 2021, the United States Census Bureau reported last fall. As in-office perks are taken away and San Franciscos office spaces decline, whatever allure remains of working in steampunk jail cells and engineers caves has all but vanished.

Patricia Tang, a product manager who moved from Chicago to San Francisco, told me she often commutes to Cafe Reveilles Steiner Street location to escape her shared SoMa apartment. Shes well aware of its reputation, but said the busy environment is stimulating for creative tech professionals like herself. Its almost, like, Parisian, she told me over the phone.

What's great about Cafe Reveille is like, even if you don't strike up a conversation  even if you just have like a point-in-the-moment interaction with someone  that someone is super likely to be someone who's like, quintessentially San Franciscan, she said.

Charles Russo/SFGATE

Still, Tang does acknowledge that some of the painful stereotypes are true. One day, she said she saw someone bring their entire work-from-home setup to the cafe, laptop risers and all. Another time, she overheard two founders conduct a rigorous panel interview out in the open.

For reasons I cant totally explain, during my visit, I found myself trying to look busy even though no one was watching. Maybe it was because tech shamelessly turned a historically romantic gathering place into a glorified, open-air office  just another place to grill another candidate for another vague people operations job. Sitting there was a small, powerful reminder of the work-ification of our everyday lives, and the reality that most of us are probably flunkies at worst and taskmasters at best, all trying to survive capitalisms enduring grip.

I finally took a sip of my iced coffee, but by that point, it was mostly just water.

As I sat in a room where seemingly everyone was talking but not to each other, I tried to recall how many times Ive had conversations over black coffee at Moulins, the Dutch-themed diner on Geary and Larkin, or how many friends Ive made while lingering in the smoking room at Edinburgh Castle Pub. I thought about the local coffee shop that sold records near my old street in the Tenderloin, too, and then I remembered that most of these places are gone  forgotten relics of an ever-changing city.

I worry Im one of a dwindling few who got to discover themselves through San Franciscos disappearing cultural hubs  now-defunct neighborhood cafes that once celebrated artists, outsiders and the working class.

Charles Russo/SFGATE

My neighbor ended his important business call and tried to commiserate with the woman next to him. But she said nothing, and continued working at her laptop with robotic intensity. When they each packed up their stations and left, an engineer jumped at the opportunity to take over their spot and pulled out another computer. I wanted to know what he was working on, but I figured he didnt want to talk because he was wearing massive headphones and curled up in the fetal position.

When I left the cafe and waited for Muni near Duboce Park, a cool wave of air hit me. Just ahead, owners were playing with their dogs and people were basking in the sun. Groups of friends were sitting in the grass, talking, with the citys familiar skyline in the background. It really was a beautiful day in San Francisco, after all.
Destiny Pharma said in an update on Tuesday that its novel medicine for preventing life-threatening infections, NTCD-M3, had been shown to colonise the gut successfully in a C difficile infection (CDI) model study after the administration of fidaxomicin.

The AIM-traded firm said the results of the study had been peer-reviewed, and published in Microbiology Spectrum.

It said that in a phase-two clinical trial, NTCD-M3 was administered to patients shortly after antibiotics were used to treat the initial infection, resulting in a significant reduction in the recurrence of CDI from 30% in placebo to 5% in treated patients.

The patients had initially received either vancomycin or metronidazole to treat the toxic infection, before receiving NTCD-M3 treatment.

After the phase two clinical trial, fidaxomicin - a new antibiotic - was added to US clinical guidelines for treating CDI.

However, the study found that fidaxomicin and its active metabolite potentially inhibited colonisation by bacteria such as NTCD-M3 as they resided within the gut for longer.

The Microbiology Research Laboratory at the Edward Hines Jr Veterans Affairs Hospital in the US conducted the study, which monitored the colonisation of NTCD-M3 in an established and highly translatable CDI model following administration of fidaxomicin.

Destiny said the study concluded that NTCD-M3 was able to fully colonise the gut following the administration of fidaxomicin, indicating that it would be effective in patients receiving the antibiotic, as well as older antibiotics such as vancomycin and metronidazole.

This publication, authored by leading US CDI expert Dr Stuart Johnson, is a landmark for NTCD-M3, as the use of fidaxomicin is growing and it has recently been recommended by guidelines as the first choice for treatment of CDI in the US, said chief scientific officer Dr Bill Love.

This demonstration of successful and complete colonisation of the gut by NTCD-M3 postfidaxomicin, confirms that this groundbreaking live biotherapeutics product can be used alongside all currently recommended antibiotics in the treatment of this serious hospital infection.

At 1057 BST, shares in Destiny Pharma were up 2.35% at 30.19p.

Reporting by Josh White for Sharecast.com.
Almost 30,000 Virgin Media customers have reported outages of their service on Tuesday, with their internet down and the company's own fault-reporting website out of action.

By 0820 BST there had been more than 28,000 reports of Virgin Media outages on the Downdetector website. Problems appear to have started around 0100 BST. A web page provided by the company to report problems was inoperable.

The recently merged Virgin Media O2, which is owned by Liberty Global and Spanish firm Telefonica, has not provided any information so far on the outage.

On Monday, US data and cloud storage firm Western Digital reported a cyber hack on some of its systems, but gave no further details. Services were still down almost 48 hours later.

Reporting by Frank Prenesti for Sharecast
Last month, the British Ambassador to Egypt Gareth Bayley joined Egyptian and British officials in celebrating seven years work of the Newton-Mosharafa Fund (NMF). Named after British mathematician and physicist Isaac Newton, one of the most influential scientists in history, and Egyptian theoretical physicist Ali Mustafa Mosharafa who contributed to the development of quantum theory, the NMF was financed by the Egyptian and British governments on a 50-50 basis. It has allowed over 270 students to secure doctorates in UK universities. And now a new partnership is being discussed to facilitate post-graduate studies for Egyptian students in the UK.

According to Bayley, who spoke to Al-Ahram Weekly earlier this week, the NMF is an example of how the two countries can get things done when they decide to work together. Education, he said, is one of the most successful elements of bilateral cooperation. Administered at governmental and non-governmental levels, cooperation on education has secured thousands of opportunities for Egyptian students to access the British curricula, be it via UK-administered schools in Egypt and schools that work with the curricula, or universities, whether in the UK or via universities in Egypt that have partnered with British counterparts.

For years, Bayley said Egypt has been one of the top 10 countries in the UKs flagship Chevening scholarship programme. It has allowed over 1,300 Egyptian students to complete graduate studies in the UK in the discipline of their choice. Currently, more than 30 students are being selected to start the academic year in the autumn. New initiatives have also been introduced, including science, technology, engineering, and mathematics scholarships that will allow women students to pursue degrees in the UK. The deadline for applications is at the end of this month.

A UK-funded scheme, in cooperation with both the Ministry of Higher Education and Research and the International Labor Organisation (ILO), offers career support training for university graduates to help match their degrees with the job market. The three partners celebrated the launch of the strategic collaboration on the Higher Education for Career Guidance and Employability Programme in February. With UK-provided funding of 2 million, the programme focuses on developing skills, career guidance accessibility and employability in Egypt.

During the ceremony, partners took turn to highlight aspects of the project, including the setting up of a pilot Career Management Platform at Ain Shams University on which more than 500 employers posted graduate job vacancies. According to Bayley, the sustainable model has proved very successful in helping graduates find jobs and plans are afoot to role out the scheme to six additional public universities.

Despite this progress, cooperation on education is far from taking the lions share of Egypt-UK cooperation. That, says Bayley, goes to development and green investment.

Bayley took up his post in Cairo in September 2021, a month before the November inauguration of COP26 in his hometown of Glasgow. The environment was, he noted, always an important element of his posting as ambassador to Egypt, first because the UK was hosting COP, and then because handed over the presidency of COP27 to Egypt.

Development, especially on the green front, is something that really matters for both of us, Bayley says. He stresses the $700 million of development support that the UK offers, either through British International Investment, the UKs development finance institution, or through international partners, to work on everything from green hydrogen, solar and wind energy to desalination.

Agriculture has also climbed the agenda of bilateral cooperation, according to Bayley, at a time when Egypt is trying to upgrade and maximise its wheat harvest and storage of strategic reserves of the cereal. Water use and re-use, especially for the purposes of agriculture, is also becoming a key element of development cooperation.

As Ethiopia prepares for a fourth filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam in July, Bayley stressed how the UK had joined other members of the UN Security Council in calling on Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan to reach an agreement compatible with the vital interests of the three countries. The UK, he said, supports collective regional efforts to guarantee that water resources are managed in a way that ensures their long-term sustainable use for all parties.

On Sudan, Bayley asserted that the UK is closely coordinating with Egypt despite the fact it is not member of QUAD, the four-way diplomatic mechanism that brings together the UK, US, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. London regularly consults with Cairo on Sudan, he said, reeling off a list of visits to Cairo by concerned UK officials during the past month. He declined, however, to comment on possible scenarios in Egypts conflict-torn southern neighbour beyond noting that there is a political process to support and eventually a compromise will be reached.

Bayley was equally reserved in his take on the prospects of an eventual end to the ongoing conflict in Yemen following the recent rapprochement between Riyadh and Tehran. He noted that the truce currently in place is still holding and that while the Iranian-Saudi detente improves the chances for peace a Yemeni-Yemeni dialogue is crucial for stability.

Stability in Sudan and Yemen is essential to the security and stability of the Red Sea zone which Bayley identified as an area of joint Egyptian-British attention. Egypt and Britain are currently chair and deputy chair of the Combined Task Force 153, established last year to combat maritime security threats and provide capacity building in the Red Sea, Bab Al-Mandab and the Gulf of Aden. Bayley acknowledged Egyptian naval capabilities, especially with the inauguration of the Barnis military base, as important in maintaining Red Sea security.

Egypt and the UK also coordinate over security in Libya and the overall Sahel and Sahara zone. We recognise Egypts fundamental interest in Libya, said Bayley, and pay tribute to Egypts facilitation of talks between Libyas High Council of State and Presidential Council. He also argued that the work Egypt is doing to encourage an agreement in Libya is generally compatible with the work of the new UN Secretary-General Envoy to Libya Abdoulaye Bathily, who started his mission last autumn.

Though loath to make any forecasts, Bayley said he felt a glimmer of optimism over the prospects for stability in Libya which he attributed, at least partially, to the rapprochement between Egypt and Turkey. And when stability in Libya is secured, it will help decrease the sense of unease across the Sahel and Sahara zone which has been exacerbated by the presence of the Wagner Russian paramilitary organisation which is recognised as a problem by a lot of people, especially given its involvement in trafficking in this part of the world.

* A version of this article appears in print in the 6 April, 2023 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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Some of the UKs least well-off households could be left more than 200 worse-off on their energy bills this year because of reduced government support, the consumer body Which? has warned. Joining calls made by other campaigners, it said the government urgently needed to introduce a social tariff for gas and electricity to protect the most financially vulnerable.  Guardian

Britains data watchdog has issued a warning to tech firms about the use of peoples personal information to develop chatbots after concerns that the underlying technology is trained on large quantities of unfiltered material scraped from the web. The intervention from the Information Commissioners Office came after its Italian counterpart temporarily banned ChatGPT over data privacy concerns.  Guardian

Bickering in Brussels is threatening to inflict queues and disruption on British holidaymakers for years to come by derailing the rollout of new technology that would speed up passport checks. The European Union has been hit by opposition from member states over the development of a new app for border crossings by non-EU citizens.  Telegraph

A shareholder revolt against a 481 million private equity takeover of Hyve is being led by M&G Investments, which claims that it significantly undervalues the international exhibition company. Hyve announced last month that it had agreed to a 108p-a-share takeover offer from Providence Equity Partners after the media-focused US investor had initially offered 101p, then 105p.  The Times

Some savers with Phoenix Life have been unable to withdraw their funds since Friday because the companys systems were serviced by Capita, the hacked outsourcer. Chris Johnson, a customer who contacted The Times, reported that he was advised by a Phoenix Life call handler that he could not cash in his pension because of the technical issues and should ring back in a few days, with no estimated timeframe for when normal services would resume.  The Times
Syria may be invited to attend the next Arab Summit meeting in Saudi Arabia in May with a view to its proper reintegration back into the Arab fold, writes Hussein Haridy

In June 2012, then Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi announced the severing of Egypts diplomatic relations with Syria before a huge gathering fewer than 48 hours after a tweet issued by the late preacher Youssef Al-Qaradawi in which he requested the Egyptian government to take this step.

In parallel with this highly regrettable decision, Morsi asked the Egyptian Military to train recruits in the rag-tag Free Syrian Army, in reality nothing but a Muslim Brotherhood armed militia.

The misplaced fervour to install Islamist regimes in two key Arab powers, Egypt and Syria, reached a high point in 2012 when western, regional, and Arab support for the so-called Syrian Revolution was at its height. Turkey had hosted meetings of the intelligence services of some Western countries in addition to their Arab counterparts with a view to providing arms to the armed militias in Syria to help them topple the Syrian government.

Eleven years later, and after a decade that saw the successful overthrow of the Muslim Brotherhood regime in Egypt in June-July 2013 and then the direct military intervention in Syria to bolster the Syrian government in September 2015, the Middle East is now a different place. The enemies and adversaries of yesterday have opted for the return of the status quo ante before the autumn of the Arab world that started in 2011 and lasted until the Arab Summit meeting in Algiers last November that finally met after a hiatus of three years.

The Arab League Charter stipulates that regular Arab Summits should convene once a year. The three years in which there was no summit meeting should be seen as the result of the Arab world crossing a treacherous and dangerous decade in which the very concept of the nation-state was threatened by foreign-backed Islamists of every stripe, from those who claimed that they eschewed violence, like the Muslim Brotherhood, to those that did not, like Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State (IS) group.

From the second half of 2013 until 2017, the so-called Islamic State group held sway in a vast expanse of territory that stretched from the eastern part of Syria to areas north of the Iraqi capital and to Mosul, the second largest city in Iraq. Had the Syrians and the Russians not agreed on military cooperation in 2015, Syria would also most probably have fallen into the hands of a terrorist organisation.

But Syria withstood the threats and fought back, notwithstanding UN Security Council Resolution 2254 of December 2015 that outlines a road map for the establishment of a democratic government in the country. Its return to the Arab fold has taken three more years to take hold in Arab minds, however, after the suspension of Syria from the Arab League at an Arab summit meeting in 2012 that was a serious miscalculation by those Arab delegations that voted for it.

History, geography, and the winds of change on three levels, the international, the regional, and the Arab, have now pushed for a reassessment of Arab political and diplomatic relations with Syria. The change has been so marked that Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad has visited the UAE three times in a year, in addition to his official visit to Oman a few weeks ago.

The most interesting recent development has been the restoration of Saudi consular services in Damascus and, on the basis of reciprocity, Syrian consular services in Saudi Arabia last week. This was a welcome decision that came after the Chinese-brokered agreement on 10 March between Saudi Arabia and Iran to resume their diplomatic relations, severed in early 2016, after a period of two months.

What is even more interesting is the strong possibility that Syria will be invited to attend the next regular Arab Summit meeting in Saudi Arabia in May. If this happens, it would not be an overstatement to say that it will represent a watershed in inter-Arab politics with far-reaching regional ramifications. It will result in the rebalancing of regional relations.

On 1 April, Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Al-Maqdad paid a visit to Cairo where he held talks with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukri who had previously visited Syria in the wake of the devastating earthquake in February and held a meeting with the Syrian president.

It will not come as a surprise if Egypt and Syria announce the resumption of their bilateral diplomatic relations in the next few weeks prior to the next Arab Summit meeting in Saudi Arabia. This will also be a prelude to righting the destabilising and historic wrong of suspending Syria from the Arab League. In all honesty, Egypt should have opposed this decision or at least abstained from it.

Re-establishing diplomatic relations between Cairo and Damascus and inviting Syria to retake its lawful seat at the Arab League will represent the official demise, long-awaited, of the autumn of the Arabs that has now spanned more than ten years.

It is about time that the Arabs begin to find Arab solutions to Arab crises and roll back the regional and international meddling of every sort in Arab affairs.

The writer is former assistant foreign minister.

* A version of this article appears in print in the 6 April, 2023 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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GAIL (India) Limited today took a major step towards complete digitization, centralization and automation of its payment processes with the inauguration of its first state-of-the-art centre for Vendor Invoice Management (VIM) - Shared Service Centre (SSC) which has been partnered with IBM Consulting.

Titled SARATHI, the centre is a modern facility that will serve as a pan-India hub for processing and managing vendor invoices. The GAIL centre went live with SAP-OpenTexts Vendor Invoice Management.

It is a step forward for GAIL's ongoing efforts to streamline, digitize, automate and bring further efficiencies in its accounts payable processes. With the central theme of improving vendor experiences, the developed centralized VIM by GAIL aims to provide prompt payments, better experiences, enhanced efficiencies & transparency with to end users.

Speaking at the inauguration of the centre, Shri Sandeep Kumar Gupta, Chairman & Managing Director, GAIL said the company is playing a pivotal role in developing the Indian economy and is positioning itself to remain competitive and succeed in todays digital world. We are leveraging latest technologies with Shared Service Centre to optimize our operations, gain agility and improve ease of doing business. We believe this transformational program will bring significant benefits to our business and its related stakeholders, Shri Gupta said.

Shri R K Jain, Director (Finance), GAIL said The Shared Service Center - SARATHI, Supplier Portal - SPARSH and ASHA are key initiatives for us to consolidate operations from across GAIL. This will enable us to operate on one standardized platform while driving efficiencies across the Finance operations and enhancing vendor experiences.

He said the program has been implemented in a record timeframe which is a testament to the close collaboration between GAIL and its partners such as OpenText, SAP and IBM. Lula Mohanty, Managing Partner, IBM Consulting APAC, said, SARATHI is a terrific example of initiatives by large public sector organizations across Asia Pacific for making the most of technology such as automation, to transform operations and services for business value. Our engagement with GAIL brings together IBM Consultings deep knowledge & expertise in the energy sector, and our industry-leading technology & business process operations capabilities. This combination is truly a differentiator for clients seeking to deliver outcomes quickly from their transformation efforts.

The SSC is staffed by a team of highly skilled accounts payable team of GAIL & employees from IBM Consultings Business Process Operations who will be responsible for receiving and processing vendor invoices using the advanced technologies and automated workflows to ensure invoices are processed accurately and efficiently.

The new facility is equipped with Mail Room for digitizing invoices with invoice storage facility equipped security measures to ensure the safety and confidentiality of vendor information. Besides, SARATHI has helpdesk for resolution of vendor queries which operates in two channels: one through dedicated telephone no. (0120-4446060) and dedicated email: VIMHD@gail.co.in. The Centre is future ready and scalable, enabled to handle an increasing volume of invoices as high as 400 invoices per day or one lakh invoices in a year as its operations grow.
Tech Data, a TD SYNNEX company, today announced a further deepening of its long-standing strategic partnership with hybrid data company, Cloudera, in the Asia Pacific and Japan (APJ) region. Cloudera empowers businesses to transform complex data into clear and actionable insights with its hybrid data platform. Under this alliance, Tech Data will leverage Clouderas real-time insights capabilities to enable enterprises to address data in motion gaps and securely manage their entire data lifecycle with greater flexibility from the Edge to AI.

Commenting on the partnership, Bennett Wong, Vice President, Advanced Solutions - Modern Data Centre & Analytics, Tech Data Asia Pacific and Japan (APJ), said Edge computing is expected to be a USD208 billion business by 20231. With the rise in edge computing, enterprises require robust real-time insights and more efficient management of data lifecycles, preferably from one unified platform for ease of functioning, as well as the capabilities to tackle any data in motion gaps. Tech Data is delighted to enhance our partnership with Cloudera to empower enterprises in the region in expanding their data business opportunities.

Traditional analytic solutions used by enterprises have certain limitations such as an inability to scale as data increases, making it difficult for businesses to address immediate customer needs in a timely manner, or to accurately offer promotions due to an inability to continuously monitor customer interactions. Hence, harnessing data in motion is an essential step for businesses in gaining control of and leveraging data as a strategic asset.

Remus Lim, Vice President, Asia Pacific and Japan, Cloudera, said Business stakeholders today want more real-time visibility to derive insights to make faster data-driven decisions. More importantly, they want to achieve this with the flexibility to move data at scale across any environment in a secure manner. With Tech Data as a distributor, these solutions can be better tailored for businesses given its strong expertise in solutions aggregation. Its Centre of Excellence (CoE), bolstered by dedicated local teams, will play a key role in supporting the partner network to conceptualize solutions, and conduct discovery and POC.

Cloudera through its Data-In-Motion offering will provide two core services, DataFlow  which enables developers to connect any data source anywhere with any structure, process it, and deliver to any destination using a low-code authoring experience; and Stream Processing  a complete, enterprise-grade stream management and stateful processing solution. Cloudera Data Platforms SDX (Shared Data Experience) offers businesses an integrated set of security and governance technologies built on metadata to secure, monitor, and govern their data consistently.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  The NYPD is asking the publics help to identify two individuals sought for questioning in connection with a robbery that allegedly occurred on Sunday night in Elm Park.

An 18-year-old man was walking on the 300 block of Morningstar Road near David Place when he was approached by two unknown individuals at about 9:30 p.m., according to a statement from the NYPDs Deputy Commissioner of Public Information.
I am the question and the answer. I am the key to the secret and the solution to the riddle. With these words, TV scriptwriter Osama Anwar Okasha began his series Zizinia, one in a sequence of highly successful TV dramas about Egypt and Egyptian society.

Egypts identity is the question, the riddle, that Okasha has diligently addressed throughout his career. In Zizinia, the potential answer that he proposes is that the protagonist, named Bishr, contains different aspects of Egypts identity through the constituent parts of his consciousness.

The name Bishr is derived from Bishara, meaning the gospel or good news. In the series, Egypt is thus seen as a representation of the divine and a place where the sacred meets the profane.

For the ancient Egyptians, this meeting was manifested in the land of Egypt, which they considered to be a reflection of the heavens. In their belief system, the Nile Delta and Nile Valley, which appeared from the sky in the form of a lotus flower, represented life as the lotus was itself a symbol of life.

But this sacredness transcended the land itself and led to its intangible meaning. Egypt denoted nature, the archetypal mother, and the queen who shelters, protects, and provides.

For Isis, ancient Egypts mother-goddess, Bishr could represent the husband, the god Osiris, or the son, the god Horus. In either case, the masculine learned from the feminine, and grew through her giving. Through the queens flowering and the fullest manifestation of her sacred meanings, the king could perfectly command his kingdom.

This connection between the land and the king was a fundamental element in the pharaohs ascension from the human to the divine and a symbol denoting prosperity and harmonious living.

In his TV drama, Okasha made Bishr an urban and Western-educated resident of Alexandria, but someone whose origins, to which he was solidly connected, were in Upper Egypt, or the Saied in Arabic.

Bishr moves seamlessly between the chic areas of Alexandria and the citys less-affluent quarters and haunts. He has a northern Mediterranean lineage that he is proud of and a sliver of Europeanness that connects him to modernity. But this is shown as existing amidst an ocean of Egyptianness, represented by his strong attachment to the Nile Delta and the Saeid. Often, the sliver of Europeanness guides the Egyptian vastness around it, but sometimes it is submerged in it.

Bishr loves Aida, who, like him, is Egyptian to the core. However, because of her social status and education, she is also culturally connected to the West. Bishr is often drawn to Western women, with their glamour, European refinement, and sensuality having a major power over him. But when Bishr decides to marry, Okasha makes him choose a cousin of his who hails from the depths of the Nile Delta and the Saeid.

To Bishr, this is like coming home and a retreat into Egypts core culture. But Okasha also often leaves Bishr, and us, the audience, longing for Aida and the refinement of Egypts upper middle classes and for the meeting between Egyptianness and Europeanness.

Part of Okashas genius was his ability to divorce the meaning of Egypt from the struggles of its people, only to then find ways of reconnecting them and of showing how the trials of the society advance its understanding and its internalisation of Egypts identity.

In his series Asfour Al-Nar (Bird of Fire), he explored societys search for a political saviour, often with calamitous results. In Al-Shahd wal-Domoua (Pleasures and Tears), he explored the peaks and troughs of Egyptian society.

In Layali Al-Helmeya (Nights of Helmeya), he wove an intricate canvas of societys march through the 20th century. In his last work, Al-Masraweya (The Egyptians), he tells the story of modern Egypt from its beginnings and takes his audience to the moment of transition after Mohamed Alis and the Khedive Ismails transformations.

In other works, some of which seem to have been the closest to his heart, such as Al-Shawagheesh (Sea Hustlers), Abla Hikmat, Al-Raya Al-Bidaa (The White Flag), and, of course, Zizinia, Okasha takes us on long journeys to his beloved Alexandria. On Egypts Mediterranean shores, he makes the Saeid meet the Delta and together seep into the countrys openness to the fresh winds coming from the north.

He shows the distinctions between the different components of Egypts identity, as well as how harmoniously they can come together, and presents the struggles of the Egyptian people as they follow the paths by which society accrues experiences. Modern Egypts long march in the 19th and 20th centuries, including the many ordeals the society endured and the rewards it reaped, saw a slow transformation through which the collective psyche grew and matured. Today, we have come closer to figuring out the riddle of Egypts identity and holding the key to the secret, he thought.

His marvelous oeuvre has stirred peoples imagination, giving form to the different meanings of Egypt and the different facets of its consciousness. There is Fatma, for example, a strong, independent, and conservative young woman who represents the Delta and is shown in continuous interaction with Maria, an outgoing and often rebellious young woman representing Alexandria.

Fatma encourages Maria to understand more about the culture of the Nile Valley and the Saeid, while Maria encourages Fatma to visit Alexandrias Corniche, where she removes her headscarf and her hair flies in the winds of modernity coming from Europe. In representing the two young women walking together, laughing loudly, Okasha shows the harmonious merging of their psyches as the heritages and cultures of the Saeid, the Delta, and the Mediterranean come together in a fascinating flowering of the fullness of Egypt.

In his explorations of Egypts identity, Okasha transcended his role as simply a dramatist. Instead, he assumed the role of a true storyteller who guards his societys memory of what is really significant in its historical trajectory. We might disagree with his readings of certain epochs or with his renderings of certain people. But in presenting many images of modern Egypt, he guided Egyptians and Egypt-observers on illuminating and beautiful journeys into what Egypt means.

He blazed a trail that all lovers of Egypt ought to walk upon.

The writer is the author of Islamism: A History of Political Islam (2017) and Egypt on the Brink (2010).

* A version of this article appears in print in the 6 April, 2023 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  The NYPD is alerting the public that military planes will be flying in the vicinity of the Statue of Liberty during the Tuesday morning rush hour.

A U.S. Air Force UH60 helicopter and a German Air Force A400M airbus will be conducting a joint flyover in the vicinity of Lady Liberty from 8:30 a.m. about 9 a.m., according to a statement from the NYPDs Deputy Commissioner of Public Information.

The aircraft will fly at about 3,000 to 3,500 feet for a photography project, according to the police statement.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  New York City families will be able to send their child to free, all-day programming this summer through the Summer Rising program.

It is a free program administered by the New York City Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD) and the city Department of Education (DOE) that connects elementary and middle school students to fun, culturally relevant, hands-on experiences to strengthen their academic, social and emotional skills.

For the 2023 summer, there will be 110,000 Summer Rising seats available across the five boroughs.

The application portal will open on the DOEs website, at www.schools.nyc.gov/enrollment/summer, on April 17, and it will remain open through May 1.

Here are seven key things to know about the free program.

Who can apply to Summer Rising?

Students currently in kindergarten through eighth grade (in the 2022-2023 school year) in New York City can apply for Summer Rising. This includes any student attending public school, charter school, non-public school, and home-schooling students.

How can I apply?

New York City families will utilize an online application portal to submit their enrollment request.

The portal will be able to be translated, and it can be accessed from any device with an internet connection. And the DOE will be training parent coordinators to assist families who need support completing the application. Families can also reach out to their school, Summer Rising community-based organizations (CBOs), or the summer email inbox (summer@schools.nyc.gov) with any questions.

What is the new enrollment process?

The city is rolling out a new enrollment process for seats in 2023, as part of an effort to make the process more equitable, inclusive and family-friendly.

There will not be a first-come, first-served approach this year.

Instead, families will be asked to rank multiple program preferences, ensuring more families receive placements that work for them. Placements will be assigned with a focus on equity  prioritizing students in temporary housing, foster care, 12-month Individualized Education Program (IEP) programs, and students mandated for summer school and with a local connection to a school-year CBO program or school community.

What does Summer Rising offer?

In addressing the needs of young people, the city explained that Summer Rising stresses cultivating curiosity and a lifelong joy of learning through:

Activities to develop their interests, build skills, foster conversations and generate new experiences;

Helping young people feel more socially connected to their peers, caring adults, school community, and city;

Social, emotional, and academic support.

Students will also have access to other resources and academic support, including teacher-led English language arts and mathematics activities tailored to meet their needs, alongside field trips and arts activities.

What does the schedule look like?

There will be six weeks of programming for middle schoolers and seven weeks for elementary school students in July and August.

Below is what the calendar looks like.

Grades K-5:

July 5-Aug. 18  Monday to Friday, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Grades 6-8:

July 5-Aug. 11  Monday to Friday, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Students with 12-month IEPs (District 75):

July 6-Aug. 15  Monday to Friday, from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. (or similar schedule)

Students with 12-month IEPs (Districts 1-32 Extended School Year) :

July 5-Aug. 14  Monday to Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. (or similar schedule)

ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) Programs :

July 5-Aug. 1  Monday to Thursday, from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.

When will I know if my child is offered a seat?

According to the city, placement confirmations will be communicated by email approximately a week after the application window closes. The deadline to apply is May 1.

The city will not be maintaining centrally managed waitlists. However, families can reach out to a CBO program if they would like to be notified if a seat opens later on in the spring.

Families will also need to complete the DYCD Supplemental Forms provided by their CBO.

Where can I find more information?

Visit www.schools.nyc.gov/summer to find more information.

Families should email summer@schools.nyc.gov, call 311, or speak to their parent coordinator for support with Summer Rising enrollment. Families who do not have internet access or cannot access the enrollment portal should reach out to their parent coordinator, who can help them complete the application.

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Two teenage boys from Passaic County, N.J., who were killed in an upstate New York crash Friday, were being pursued by New York State Police at the time, NJ.com reported.

Seventeen-year-old Christian Enrico and 16-year-old Liam Pakonis, were identified as the teens inside of the vehicle during the crash, NJ.com said.

Enrico was driving a car traveling north on State Route 8 in Guilford, N.Y., when a Chenango County Sheriffs Deputy attempted to pull him over, according to the publication, which cited information from the New York State Police.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Members of the Muslim Sisters of Staten Island are hosting their seventh annual community Iftar during this sacred month of Ramadan.

Neighbors and friends are invited to the event at Port Richmond High School on Wednesday, April 5. from 6 to 9 p.m..

The years theme for the Iftar dinner is centered on women in leadership empowered by their faith, Safiyyah Abdul-Qawiyy, executive director of Muslim Sisters of Staten Island, said.

The event will consist of a Ramadan read-aloud session from the Quran, craft and activities for children and community resource information. There will also be a guest speakers and a panel discussion.

Ramadan, known as the holy month of fasting, is observed by Muslims worldwide.

Muslims fast for 30 days, from dawn to dusk as they pray communally and reflect during their most sacred month of the year. Iftar is the meal eaten after sunset to break fast during Ramadan.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  A plan to overhaul zoning and planning procedures for homeowners in Staten Islands Special South Richmond Development District (SSRDD), an area that encompasses the entire South Shore, has bi-partisan support after former plans were embroiled in years of disagreement.

The Department of City Planning (DCP) this week put forward its South Richmond Zoning Relief proposal, marking the opening stages of an effort aimed at unburdening homeowners attempting to make routine improvements on their property while protecting natural areas in the community.

The tedious current application process means residents in this district could have to wait 15 months for an approval to remove a tree or install a pool on their property, due to an extensive backlog of requests.

The renewed effort to shift that reality, which is among other proposals by Mayor Eric Adams to streamline land use processes, was developed in partnership with local elected officials, the South Shores Community Board 3, the Building Industry Association of NYC and the Staten Island Chapter of the American Institute of Architects.

Under the current rules, a homeowner in the SSRDD has to navigate a labyrinth of time-consuming regulations and approvals just to make a simple improvement on a property, said City Council Minority Leader Joseph Borelli (R-South Shore). This new proposal removes many of those unnecessary barriers, while striking the proper balance between protecting property rights and preserving the natural environment and unique character of these communities.

Residents of the Special South Richmond Development District have voiced stern opposition to complex regulations that create headaches for homeowners. The current rules have been in place since 1975.

The development of the special district was made in light of increasing development on Staten Island and sought to balance new construction with preservation of natural resources in an area that includes one-third of Staten Islands land.

However, the existing regulations fall short of protecting certain sites and require DCP review of virtually every lot in the special district, causing an immense backup of applications.

Previous plans limited the amount of hard surface area that can be developed on site and required some lots larger than one acre to preserve up to 25% of natural habitat on site  a non-starter for local officials and many residents.

That proposal was withdrawn in 2019 amid the community outrage. A new plan was pitched in 2020 during Mayor Bill de Blasios tenure, and the 2023 pitch builds upon the core values in those previous attempts with slight refinements informed by community leaders.

Were supportive of clear and concise rules that are not unnecessarily complicated and costly for homeowners to complete a simple improvement to their property, said Borough President Vito Fossella. This zoning relief proposal can help minimize the cost and time for residents by streamlining those processes. We encourage the public to get involved with their thoughts and suggestions on how to improve the recommendations.

NEW CHANGES

The new changes would simplify the approval process for homeowners and small properties under one acre  making minor adjustments easier for property owners. The vast majority of applications reviewed in the district are for one- and two-story homes.

In effect, it would allow property owners to complete work as-of-right  eliminating the need for city approval and allowing for city agencies to focus on larger development sites.

It would instill greater oversight for the citys Planning Commission and the local community board concerning sensitive sites over one acre, but remove the need for the agencys approval for tree removal on small sites.

Maps designed to protect vital natural areas would also be adjusted to acknowledge wetlands protected by the Department of Environmental Conservation to avoid destruction of those spaces.

For years, South Richmond homeowners have been hamstrung by needlessly complicated rules and a tangled web of red tape, the mayor said in a statement. Now, our administration has come to the table with Borough President Fossella, Councilmember Borelli, and our partners in the community to Get Stuff Done.

The new plan, Adams said, will make families lives easier, empower this community, and bring out the natural beauty of Staten Island.

The proposal is expected to enter the public review process on April 10, enabling the public and other officials to weigh in on the initiative. That period is expected to last for at least a few months.

An overview of the plan can be viewed at https://www.nyc.gov/site/planning/plans/si-distriict-text-amendment/si-distriict-text-amendment-overview.page

Dan Garodnick, director of the DCP and the chair of the City Planning Commission, said residents on Staten Islands South Shore have faced onerous requirements to make even the smallest improvements to their homes for too long.

Were pleased to be moving forward with the Zoning Relief proposal that simplifies these regulations while also strengthening the protection of important natural areas, said Garodnick.
NEW YORK (AP)  Donald Trump conspired to illegally influence the 2016 election through a series of hush money payments designed to stifle claims that could be harmful to his candidacy, prosecutors said Tuesday in unsealing a historic 34-count felony indictment against the former president.

The payments, said Assistant District Attorney Christopher Conroy, were part of an unlawful plan to identify and suppress negative information that could have undermined his campaign for president.

Trump, stone-faced and silent as he entered and exited the Manhattan courtroom, said not guilty in a firm voice while facing a judge who warned him to refrain from rhetoric that could inflame or cause civil unrest.

The next court date is December 4, though it is not clear if he will be required to appear.

The broad contours of the case have long been known, but indictment contains new details about a scheme that prosecutors say involved payoffs to two women, including a porn star, who said they had extramarital sexual encounters with him years earlier, as well as to a Trump Tower doorman who claimed to have a story about a child he alleged the former president had out of of wedlock.

The arraignment, though largely procedural in nature, amounts to a remarkable reckoning for Trump after years of investigations into his personal, business and political dealings. The case is unfolding against the backdrop not only of his third campaign for the White House but also against other investigations in Washington and Atlanta that might yet produce even more charges.

Trump, his lips pursed in apparent anger, entered the courtroom shortly before 2:30 p.m. He left court about an hour later, also without commenting. All told, the typically verbose Trump spoke only about 10 words during the entire proceeding.

Before the arraignment, he narrated his feelings in real time, describing the experience as SURREAL as he traveled from Trump Tower to lower Manhattan to face a judge.

The days schedule, with its striking blend of legal and political events, represents the new split-screen reality for Trump as he submits to the dour demands of the American criminal justice system while projecting an aura of defiance and victimhood at celebratory campaign events.

Wearing his signature dark suit and red tie, Trump turned and waved to crowds outside the building before heading inside to be fingerprinted and processed. He arrived at court in an eight-car motorcade from Trump Tower, communicating in real time his anger at the process.

Heading to Lower Manhattan, the Courthouse, he posted on his Truth Social platform. Seems so SURREAL  WOW, they are going to ARREST ME. Cant believe this is happening in America. MAGA!

Afterward, Trump lawyer Todd Blanche told reporters that it was a sad day for the country.

You dont expect this to happen to somebody who was president of the United States, he said.

Trump, who was impeached twice by the U.S. House but was never convicted in the U.S. Senate, is the first former president to face criminal charges. The nations 45th commander in chief was escorted from Trump Tower to the courthouse by the Secret Service.

He is strong and ready to go, Trump lawyer Joe Tacopina told The Associated Press. Earlier, Tacopina said in a TV interview that the former president wouldnt plead guilty to lesser charges, even if it might resolve the case. He also said he didnt think the case would make it to a jury.

New York police said they were ready for large protests by Trump supporters, who share the Republican former presidents belief that the New York grand jury indictment and three additional pending investigations are politically motivated and intended to weaken his bid to retake the White House in 2024. Journalists often outnumbered protesters, though.

Trump, a former reality TV star, has been hyping that narrative to his political advantage, saying he raised more than $8 million in the days since the indictment on claims of a witch hunt. His campaign released a fundraising request titled My last email before arrest and he has repeatedly assailed Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, egged on supporters to protest and claimed without evidence that the judge presiding over the case hates me  something his own lawyer has said is not true.

Trump was scheduled to return to his Palm Beach, Florida, home, Mar-a-Lago, on Tuesday evening to give remarks. At least 500 prominent supporters have been invited, with some of the most pro-Trump congressional Republicans expected to attend.

A conviction would not prevent Trump from running for or winning the presidency in 2024.

The investigation is scrutinizing six-figure payments made to porn actor Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal. Both say they had sexual encounters with the married Trump years before he got into politics. Trump denies having sexual liaisons with either woman and has denied any wrongdoing involving payments.

The arraignment unfolded against the backdrop of heavy security in New York, coming more than two years after Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol in a failed bid to halt the congressional certification of Democrat Joe Bidens win.

Trump was defiant ahead of his arraignment. He used his social media network to complain that he was going to court in a heavily Democratic area, declaring, KANGAROO COURT and THIS IS NOT WHAT AMERICA WAS SUPPOSED TO BE! He and his campaign have repeatedly assailed Bragg and even trained scrutiny on members of Braggs family.

Despite that, the scenes around Trump Tower and the courthouse where Trump will stand before a judge did not feature major unrest. Police tried to keep apart protesters supporting the former president and those opposing him by confining them to separate sides of a park near the courthouse using metal barricades.

Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, one of Trumps staunchest supporters in Congress, staged a brief rally at the park, but the scene was so chaotic that it was hard to hear her over the crush of reporters and protesters.

Were the party of peace, Greene said, thanking those Trump supporters present. Democrats are communists.

Embattled Republican New York Rep. George Santos also showed up in solidarity with Trump, saying, I want to support the president.

I think this is unprecedented and its a bad day for democracy, Santos said, suggesting that future prosecutors could target Biden and other presidents with other cases, which cheapens the judicial system.

New Yorks ability to carry out safe and drama-free courthouse proceedings in a case involving a polarizing ex-president could be an important test case as prosecutors in Atlanta and Washington conduct their own investigations of Trump that could also result in charges. Those investigations concern efforts to undo the 2020 election results as well as the possible mishandling of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago.
Z100 radio personality Elvis Duran was attacked on Monday on a Manhattan street by a sicko woman, which he explained on his morning show Tuesday.

Duran, 58, was turning onto 14th St. at 6th Ave. when the crazed woman approached him, according to the Post.

Her fist comes toward my face, and its holding, like, a sharp object, and she tries to cut my face, Duran told listeners. I put my arm up, and I stopped her from doing it, and she did it to the woman behind her. We were all shocked.

Duran said the attack happened so fast and the mystery assailant was gone as fast as she appeared.

She almost cut me. It is crazy! he continued. I hope no one else got hurt.

I understand the component of mental illness, he added, but at same time, just because youre mentally ill doesnt give you the right to be a total ahole and start slashing people.

Elvin Duran is married to Staten Islander Alex Carr and the couple has raised and donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to Staten Island non-profits. On Jan. 2, for example, they hosted an event at Violettes Cellar and raised $325K for the Florina Cancer Center at Staten Island University Hospital, of which $250K was donated by Duran and Carr.

Duran is the host of the daily morning radio program Elvis Duran and the Morning Show in New York on Z100 and in syndication on Premiere Network. He and Carr are long-time supporters of many Staten Island charities.

At the Meatballs and Mixology fundraiser, Staten Islanders, including Judge Matthew Titone, Surrogate of Richmond County, and his husband, Josh Pugliese, competed for bragging rights of the most delicious meatballs, to the delight of family and friends of Carr, who has been battling testicular cancer since Sept. 2022. He was diagnosed in Aug. 2022.
CITY HALL  A historic moment in U.S. history wasnt without fanfare Tuesday as supporters and opponents of former President Donald Trump staged separate protests outside the courthouse where authorities arraigned him.

Hundreds of people, about a quarter of whom were police or media, packed into Collect Pond Park across the street from Manhattan Criminal Court where Trump was arraigned on charges brought by District Attorney Alvin Bragg.

Police separated most of the Trump supporters and opponents with steel barricades, but members of the NYPDs Community Affairs division were quick to swoop in diffusing any contentious moments between the two groups.

Staten Islander Scott LoBaido, an artist and vocal Trump supporter, said he saw the indictment of the former president as an overreach on the part of his political opponents, and ultimately, a benefit to his partys leader.

For [Trump] to be dragged in like this, its the greatest thing that could happen to him and the America First movement, the painter said. Its a pure benefit for him. Its a benefit for the movement because this is the most unconstitutional travesty that we have going on.

Supporters of former President Donald Trump on the left and his opponents on the right hold dueling protests ahead of Trump arraignment Tuesday, April 4, 2023. (Staten Island Advance/Paul Liotta)

While charges against Trump had yet to be officially released by the time of publication Tuesday, Braggs 34-charge case against the former president is related to an alleged 2006 affair the former president had with pornstar Stormy Daniels, and a 2016 hush money payment Trumps then-fixer and attorney, Michael Cohen, made to her in the lead-up to that years presidential election.

Cohen, who is a convicted felon and key witness in Braggs case, has said that he made the $130,000 to Daniels on Trumps behalf, and was subsequently repaid by the former presidents family business, the Trump Organization.

In an effort to conceal the payments, the Trump Organization allegedly falsified business records, a scheme Cohen said the former president knew about.

Under New York penal law, falsifying business records is typically a misdemeanor charge, but can be elevated to a felony if done with the intent of committing, aiding or concealing another crime.

The harshest penalty the president could face in relation to a felony charge would be four years in jail, according to the state court system.

Trump, who pleaded not guilty to the charges on Tuesday, has denied the affair and any knowledge of the hush money payments.

Opponents of former President Donald Trump hold a sign reading "TRUMP INDICTED" ahead of his arraignment Tuesday, April 4, 2023. (Staten Island Advance/Paul Liotta)

Despite their lack of any official information about the charges, protesters and counter-protesters were quick to proclaim Trumps guilt or innocence depending on what team they were rooting for.

The groups shouted jeers back and forth across the steel barrier that police put between the two groups, but little more happened than a series of verbal exchanges.

Some of the citys more colorful characters, including the Naked Cowboy and disgraced Rep. George Santos (R-Queens/Nassau), made their way to the park with seemingly no other purpose than drawing attention to themselves.

Others from outside the city, particularly Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Georgia), made the trip for a seemingly similar purpose.

The congresswoman, one of Trumps most adherent supporters, addressed her ideological allies when their protest kicked off around 10:30 a.m., but was quickly whisked away by security.

Communist Democrats arrested President Trump because hes the only man standing in their way as they fight for a hostile takeover of America, she tweeted after leaving the protest. We will never abandon him.

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CITY HALL  Supporters of former President Donald Trump say he can not get a fair trial in Manhattan, and on Tuesday, Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-Staten Island/South Brooklyn) became the first Staten Island official to call for a change of venue to the borough.

Under New York law, criminal trials can be moved to different venues if the courts determine a fair and impartial trial cant be held where the case is brought, and Malliotakis took to Twitter to suggest Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Braggs case against the former president be moved to Staten Island.

How can [President] Trump have a fair trial with a rogue DA, a left wing judge & a jury of his peers in a borough where less than 15% support him, the congresswoman asked. The venue should be changed to [Staten Island]. Democrats still outnumber Republicans, but at least its more balanced.

On Staten Island, registered Democrats outnumber registered Republicans about 130,000 to 100,000, but borough voters have overwhelmingly supported the former president in his two bids for the oval office.

Trump won about 56% of the vote in his 2016 race against former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and about 57% of the vote in the 2020 campaign against President Joseph Biden, according to New York City Board of Election results.

29 Former President Donald Trump appears in NYC court

While Malliotakis is the latest to make the call to move Trumps trial to more favorable pastures, she isnt the first. Lawyer Alan Dershowitz told Fox News host Sean Hannity Thursday night that the trial should be moved to the Island or upstate, and Trump and his lawyers have since made similar claims.

The former president took to his social media platform, Truth Social, just hours before he is expected to appear in court on Tuesday, deeming Manhattan as a very unfair venue, with some areas that voted 1% Republican and a kangaroo court.

In the post, which Trump wrote entirely in capital letters, he referred to the judge, without naming him, as highly partisan with a family of well known Trump haters.

Judge Juan Manuel Merchan, who is handling the case, has overseen Trump related cases in the past. Among those is the criminal tax fraud case against the Trump Organization, which was found guilty, last year.

Two Trump companies, Trump Corp. and Trump Payroll Corp., were found guilty on all counts of criminal tax fraud and falsifying business records, with a maximum penalty of $1.61 million.

He was an unfair disaster on a previous Trump related case, wouldnt recuse, gave horrible jury instructions, and impossible to deal with during the witch hunt trial, Trump wrote in his post on Tuesday.

Merchan dispelled notions of a politically motivated prosecution following the case last year.

I will not allow you in any way to bring up a selective prosecution claim, or claim this is some sort of novel prosecution, he said.

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With most Arab leaders set to show up for the Arab summit, hosted by Saudi Arabia, on 19 May, speculation is growing over the possible participation of Syria.

If it happens, it will be the first time Damascus has attended an Arab summit since Syrias membership of the Arab League was suspended following the violent repression by the regime of Bashar Al-Assad of the democracy protests that started in 2011.

That the boycott imposed on Syria has continued for more than a decade is the result of Arab capitals being reluctant to re-engage with Al-Assads regime as long as it was facing international criticism for its use of force against Syrian civilians, the persistent opposition of key regional capitals, including Riyadh, to re-integrate Al-Assad, and firm US and European, especially French, resistance to reintegration.

They are factors that have been changing for over a year now as the Arab Spring, to which Al-Assads regime responded by committing atrocities and during which Syria turned into a hub for militant groups, fades into history.

International and regional capitals opposed to Syrias return to the pan-Arab organisation are now less strident in their opposition. According to regional diplomatic sources, European opposition to Arab re-engagement with Al-Assads regime has receded, even in France, and while the US is still opposed and has been putting pressure on key Arab capitals to not allow Al-Assad back in, most recently it has chosen to look the other way as Arab countries begin to open up to Syria.

In November, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune was keen to invite Al-Assad to join the delayed Arab summit that took place at Algiers but failed to get his way because, say sources, Riyadh gave the move the thumbs down. During the past month, however, there have been notable changes in the political dynamics around Damascus. Al-Assad visited both Oman and UAE and Tunisia decided to reopen its embassy in Damascus. Egypts Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukri visited both Damascus and Ankara a little over a month ago following the devastating earthquake that hit south Turkey and north Syria in February, killing tens of thousands, and this week Syrian Foreign Minister Faissal Al-Mekdad arrived in Cairo for talks with his Egyptian counterpart.

There are Arab countries that have taken more advanced steps in their relations with Syria, but Egypt is taking a measured path that takes into account the interests of the Egyptian people, said an Egyptian diplomatic source.

Though groundbreaking, Al-Mekdads visit to Cairo on Saturday was discrete. President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi did not receive the Syrian foreign minister whose meeting with Shoukri took place at the Foreign Ministrys headquarters rather than the building at Tahrir Square where high-profile encounters normally take place. There was no joint press conference or press statements by Shoukri and Al-Mekdad: instead, the office of the spokesman for the Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying the meeting had focused on upgrading bilateral relations to serve the interests of both the Egyptian and Syrian peoples. The statement also underlined that Shoukri had expressed Cairos continuing support for a comprehensive political settlement in Syria in line with UNSC Resolution 2254.

According to an Egyptian government source, the wording of the press statement, especially its reference to the need for a political settlement, was a nod towards international positions towards Syria under Al-Assad. A political source added that while Egypt is keen to re-integrate Syria it has interests with other parties  including the US  on which to keep an eye. But we are certainly pushing for the return of Syria, and we are hopeful about Riyadhs plans for the next Arab summit, he said.

He confirmed that after opposing the participation of Syria in the Algiers summit, Riyadh is now seriously contemplating Syrian participation in the summit in the Saudi capital.

While nothing is certain yet, the issue is being discussed in Riyadh and between Riyadh and leading international players.

A number of questions remain to be resolved. One, said the source, relates to the protocol surrounding any invitation: will it be addressed to Syria or to Al-Assad? There is also the crucial question of the statement that Al-Assad would be expected to make during the summit to appease his hosts  Al-Assads past comments about the Saudi leadership are still resented in Riyadh  and erase past grievances.

The source noted that communication channels between the two countries, including meetings between Syrian and Saudi diplomats in a number of capitals and in the New York headquarters of the UN, have increasingly opened, and Syria appears willing to accommodate Riyadhs concerns over several issues, including the need to reduce Iranian influence in Syrian territory.

Iran has been a key supporter of Al-Assad in his battle on the ground against opposition forces and the source underlined that Saudis greater openness followed the thaw in Riyadhs relations with Tehran mediated last month in Beijing.

It is clear that Saudi Arabia is trying to redesign its international and regional diplomatic approach, he argued. This includes bringing the war in Yemen to an end, something that the detente with Iran can aid, pacifying inter-Gulf Cooperation Council tensions, and containing differences with other Arab capitals in return for political or economic support.

On Sunday, President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi arrived for an evening meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman. According to informed sources, while Al-Sisi and Bin Salmans talks focused mainly on bilateral relations, they also touched on the next Arab summit. They argued that Cairo and Riyadh are on the same page when it comes to foreign intervention on the ground in Syria and its impact of Syrias stability. Cairo, they added, is fully behind inviting Syria to the Arab summit.

Diplomatic sources also note that Russia is playing a key role in encouraging the rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Syria, arguing that Moscow, whose forces on the ground in Syria are generally accepted to have saved Al-Assads regime, now wants to downsize engagement in the east of the Mediterranean. Moscow would also like to emerge from the situation as the mediator that secured a successful deal including Saudi Arabia, a key regional ally of the US.

Russia has been working on a four-way mediation scheme that includes Moscow, Damascus, Ankara, and Tehran. The assistant foreign ministers of the four countries are set to meet this week in the lead-up to a foreign ministers meeting and, possibly, a summit meeting between Russia, Syria, Turkey, and Irans leaders.

* A version of this article appears in print in the 6 April, 2023 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Former President Donald Trump is calling for his impending trial to be held on Staten Island, which he described as a very fair and secure location for the trial.

Trump is scheduled to be arraigned in a Manhattan courtroom Tuesday afternoon for criminal charges related to payments made during his 2016 presidential campaign to silence claims of an alleged extramarital affair.

The former president took to his social media platform, Truth Social, just hours before he is expected to appear in court on Tuesday, deeming Manhattan as a very unfair venue, with some areas that voted 1% Republican and a kangaroo court.

In the post, which Trump wrote entirely in capital letters, he referred to the judge, without naming him, as highly partisan with a family of well known Trump haters.

Judge Juan Manuel Merchan, who is handling the case, has overseen Trump related cases in the past. Among those is the criminal tax fraud case against the Trump Organization, which was found guilty, last year..

Two Trump companies, Trump Corp. and Trump Payroll Corp., were found guilty on all counts of criminal tax fraud and falsifying business records, with a maximum penalty of $1.61 million.

He was an unfair disaster on a previous Trump related case, wouldnt recuse, gave horrible jury instructions, and impossible to deal with during the witch hunt trial, Trump wrote in his post on Tuesday.

Merchan dispelled notions of a politically motivated prosecution following the case last year.

I will not allow you in any way to bring up a selective prosecution claim, or claim this is some sort of novel prosecution, he said.

Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-Staten Island/South Brooklyn) became the first Staten Island official to also call for a change of venue to the borough.

Under New York law, criminal trials can be moved to different venues if the courts determine a fair and impartial trial cant be held where the case is brought, and Malliotakis took to Twitter to suggest Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Braggs case against the former president be moved to Staten Island.

How can [President] Trump have a fair trial with a rogue DA, a left wing judge & a jury of his peers in a borough where less than 15% support him, the congresswoman asked. The venue should be changed to [Staten Island]. Democrats still outnumber Republicans, but at least its more balanced.

On Staten Island, registered Democrats outnumber registered Republicans about 130,000 to 100,000, but borough voters have overwhelmingly supported the former president in his two bids for the oval office

In addition, Attorney Alan Dershowitz told Fox News host Sean Hannity that the case should be moved to New York Citys most conservative borough in order to avoid a prejudiced jury.

This case has to get out of Manhattan. Will it get out of Manhattan? We dont know, Dershowitz told the talk show host. I would try to move it to Staten Island or some upstate venue.

The attorney and professor emeritus at Harvard went on to reference some controversy he got into in 2018 when he wrote an op-ed for The Hill saying that he had been shunned by former friends on Marthas Vineyard for his defense of Trumps civil liberties as rumors swirled at the time about what would become of the former presidents first of two impeachments.

Dershowitz told Hannity that Manhattanites treatment of any judge or juror responsible for a possible acquittal of the former president would be even worse than what he allegedly experienced on Marthas Vineyard.

Nobody would ever speak to them again, he said. Theres no possibility he could get a fair trial in Manhattan.

A spokesman for Staten Island District Attorney Michael McMahons office declined comment as the case is an active matter in another jurisdiction.

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The competition watchdog says it is so far unconvinced ANZ Banks $4.9 billion planned purchase of Suncorps banking arm will deliver the public benefits claims put forward by the banking giant, as it calls for more information on the deal.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) released a statement on Tuesday about its preliminary views on what would be the biggest transaction in Australian banking since Westpacs 2008 takeover of St George, if the deal goes ahead.

ANZ has argued its plan to buy Suncorps banking arm will deliver public benefits. Credit: Natalie Boog

The watchdogs decision on the deal will be released in the middle of this year, and the ACCC must weigh up whether there is any substantial lessening in competition in banking, and whether that can be offset by public benefits from the merger.

The ACCC said second-tier banks such as Suncorp played an essential role in competing with the big four, and it would need to consider whether taking out a regional bank could remove a competitive constraint on the majors. It is particularly focused on the deals implications for agribusiness banking, small and medium enterprise banking, home loans and deposits.
Existing experimental public stations  like Melbournes 3RMT and 3MBS  will be included in the three and will have their present uncertain legal status legitimised.

The Federal Government will license three special FM radio stations in each capital under a new policy to formalise the status of public broadcasting.

The policy, unveiled in Parliament yesterday, to a large extent pre-empts Cabinets impending deliberations of an overall FM policy by specifying the public sectors share of FM frequencies.

With the total number of immediately available FM frequencies in cities like Melbourne likely to be limited to eight, the policy limits the number of ABC and commercial stations to five.

One of these is already used by the ABC, leaving four to be split between other ABC uses and the commercial sector. Last night the policy came under strong attack from the commercials.

The Minister for Post and Telecommunications, Mr Staley, said the policy reflected the Governments belief in the public sector as a desirable addition to the ABC and commercial stations.

It is likely to programme for minority, rather than mass audiences, in response to special interests and needs. This is not to imply that public broadcasting should be confined to elitist interests.
The concentrations of five ozone-depleting CFC chemicals have reached a 40-year peak in the atmosphere despite a 2010 ban on the chemicals under the Montreal Protocol.

The revelation comes as scientists prepare for a burst of solar activity after two giant coronal holes, 20 times larger than Earth, opened up on the sun last week, indicating the star is ramping up to a more active stage that sees Earth hammered by increased radiation and solar flares.

In addition to dismantling molecules of ozone, which shield the earth from harmful solar radiation, the rising CFCs are also powerful greenhouse gases equivalent to about 47 million tonnes of CO2.

Dr Paul Krummel, a CSIRO expert in ozone depleting substances and lead scientist of Tasmanias Cape Grim atmospheric gas observatory, was part of the team that raised the alarm during a four-yearly check-up of the ozone layer.
Catch up with all of our recaps and coverage of the final season of Succession, in our collection.

When someone is stabbed in the back in the television series Succession, no logos or polyester are damaged in the process. The knife always pierces Italian wool or cashmere.

The fictional Roy family have become the pin-ups for billionaire dressing because of Kendalls cashmere baseball caps, Shivs brown blazers and adviser Gerri Kellmans understated Emporio Armani suits.

Actor Brian Cox who plays Logan Roy in the television series Succession wearing a Kingston suede jacket from Melbourne menswear designer Christian Kimber. Kendall Roy (Jeremy Strong) in Tom Ford jeans, T-shirt and jacket with a Loro Piana baseball cap, Shiv Roy (Sarah Snook) in a blazer and pants from Max Mara in the first episode of Season 4 of Succession, screening in Australia on Binge. Credit: Getty, Supplied

The series screening in Australia on Binge, along with Gwyneth Paltrows recent court wardrobe, has revived interest in stealth dressing as a subliminal advertisement for wealth, with the latest episode a sea of brandless beige, grey and navy.

When our customers come in theyre not wearing logos, says Melbourne menswear designer Christian Kimber. Even their sweatpants dont have logos. We are more about providence and quality than promotion.
The 12-person jury in the sexual assault trial of former NRL player Jarryd Hayne has sent a second note to the judge indicating they are unable to unanimously agree following a week of deliberations.

Hayne, 35, pleaded not guilty to two counts of sexual intercourse without consent relating to a 26-year-old woman on September 30, 2018, when he was alleged to have assaulted her with his hands and mouth and left her bleeding from the genitals. The defence claimed the acts of digital penetration and oral sex were entirely consensual.

Jarryd Hayne outside court on Tuesday with his wife Amellia Bonnici. Credit: Nikki Short

Shortly before 12.30pm on Monday, the jury of six men and six women sent their first note to the court, saying they were unable to reach a unanimous decision and were seeking guidance on how to proceed.

Judge Graham Turnbull, SC, acknowledged there had been lengthy discussions and that he did have the power to discharge them, but said he was required to ask them to persevere.
Germany has called for a Munich Group peace conference in Berlin in May on the current Palestine-Israel tensions with the participation of group members Egypt, Jordan, Germany and France, reported the Jordan Times on Tuesday.

The call was made by German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock during a joint press conference on Monday with her Jordanian counterpart Ayman Safadi in Berlin.

Ramadan is not playing out against a backdrop of "peace, family, and joy" as would be hoped, she added.

Germany and the European Union are keen to support the outcomes of the Aqaba meeting held in Jordan in late February, the German foreign minister stressed.

The Aqaba meeting, which came amid escalating violence in the West Bank and Jerusalem, involved the participation of Palestinian and Israeli leaders as well as high-ranking officials from Jordan, Egypt and the United States.

A joint statement released following the meeting reaffirmed the need to de-escalate the situation and prevent further violence.

Both Israeli and Palestinians later held a follow-up meeting in the Red Sea City of Sharm El-Sheikh in March to halt unilateral measures.

The Munich Group has been active since their quadripartite meeting in 2020 to discuss ongoing conflicts between Palestine and Israel.

Their last meeting was held in New York in September 2022 on the sidelines of the 77th United Nations General Assembly.

The group has affirmed on more than occasion the necessity of the two-state solution as well as the importance of ongoing negotiations between the two sides.

The two-state solution continues to provide the best framework for both Israelis and Palestinians to live in peace, dignity, security and self-determination, the German foreign minister asserted.

Germany will remain active in the contribution to peace efforts in Palestine and Israel, Baerbock added in the press conference.

Palestine-Israeli escalation

Tensions have been running high since the re-election of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in late December.

As a result, several raids were launched over the past few months by the Israeli forces on occupied territories of the West Bank including Jenin and Nablus.

Conflict flared up with Israel's far-right national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvirs storming of Al-Aqsa mosque in early January.

Israel has killed at least 93 Palestinians and wounded many others since the beginning of the year.

On Monday, the Israeli forces launched a deadly raid on Nablus leaving two Palestinians dead.

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Sydney Royal Easter Show general manager has defended the decision to ban rap music from the event after the stabbing death of a 17-year-old boy last year.

Ride operators in the main carnival area of the show have been told they are not allowed to play rap music and to turn the decibels right down ahead of this years event to deter criminal youth groups from attending.

The new rules have been brought in as part of a joint safety effort by both show organisers and NSW Police, who will have up to 60 officers at the show this year each day.

Along with the rap music ban, ride operators have also been provided with extra lighting which will work to lighten up the entire carnival area. Organisers will also enforce a strict closing time at the main carnival area of 9.30pm.
The site of what would have been Brisbanes equal-tallest tower will have a more modest occupant, if City Hall approves plans for a student accommodation tower.

In a positive sign for Queenslands COVID-hit international student sector, developers Brookfield and Citiplan lodged plans for the 31-storey building at 240 Margaret Street on Monday.

The proposed student accommodation tower will rise to a height of 115 metres. Credit: BCC

It would be run by Journal Student Living, which has student accommodation offerings in Melbourne.

The proposal was a far cry from a previously approved tower for the site, which would have reached the Brisbane CBDs aviation-mandated 274-metre height ceiling, just like the already complete Skytower next door.
Authorities have seized 336 kilograms of heroin  the second-largest shipment of the drug ever detected in Australia  in a police sting targeting an international smuggling syndicate.

The drugs were hidden in a shipping container sent from Malaysia to the Port of Brisbane.

They were concealed inside two concrete blocks, each weighing about 500 kilograms and marked as solar panel accessories in a sea freight container addressed to an industrial lot in Brendale, north of Brisbane.

Australian Border Force officers uncovered the stash after the consignment docked on March 13, identifying hundreds of packages hidden within the cement block.
Public schools will no longer be able to admit students outside their catchment area on curriculum grounds after school zoning rules were tightened in Victoria.

The new rules on local school enrolments, which come into effect in term 2, have reignited debate about school zoning, with the opposition calling for zoning to be scrapped.

Wayne Haworth experienced the challenges of school zoning while working at Mount Alexander College in Flemington. Credit: Joe Armao

Schools were informed on Tuesday of the changes to student placement policy, which will restrict public schools that offer specialist programs  for example, in science, arts or sport  from offering places to students who have high aptitude in those fields.

Rules on sibling enrolments have also been tightened. They will be given priority but no longer guaranteed entry, unless they live at the same address and will attend school at the same time.
Just a few months before her death, Dalia Stone was approached by two men and instructed to tell her sisters to stop their quest for justice against Malka Leifer.

The men were keen to deliver the message that if her younger sisters, Nicole Meyer, Dassi Erlich and Elly Sapper, continued to press the case against their former school principal, it would have an impact on their family.

Dalia was a world away from Melbourne and the tiny religious community in the inner south-east where the abuse occurred. And she was far from Israel, where Leifer was hiding.

A few men approached her, Elly recalled the day after Leifer was found guilty of 18 counts of sexual abuse against her and sister Dassi. They were sent from Israel to harass her and tell her that her family would be affected if she did not tell us to shut down the story.
Prominent Perth doctor Anthony Bell walked out of court on Tuesday after being found not guilty of assaulting his ex-wife during an argument in April last year.

The former St John of God Midland medical director took to the witness stand on the second day of his trial at Perth Magistrates Court, claiming he remained calm while trying to leave his home during a dispute, but was blocked from doing so by his then-wife, well-known human rights lawyer Rabia Siddique.

Perth doctor Anthony Bell, and human rights lawyer Rabia Siddique outside court on Tuesday. Credit: Nine News Perth

Siddique told the court on Monday that Bell had pushed her backwards onto the ground in the patio area of their Mount Pleasant home, which caused her to suffer cuts, bruising and tore ligaments in her wrist requiring surgery to repair.

She claimed the argument was over Bells interest in another woman.
Liberal shadow ministers will thrash out the oppositions Voice stance in a hastily convened early morning meeting on Wednesday as the party prepares to wave through the governments bill allowing the referendum to take place.

The oppositions snap party room meeting in Canberra created confusion among senior Liberals, many of whom were not aware on Tuesday night exactly what the partys leadership wanted to decide on Wednesday morning.

Conservative Queensland MP Garth Hamilton says the Liberals have spent enough time debating the detail. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

Some conservative MPs are pushing for the party to end the months-long, divisive debate and formally oppose the Voice.

Queensland conservative Liberal MP Garth Hamilton said further details on the Voice clearly were not coming and that Opposition Leader Peter Dutton should stop asking Labor for more information.
One of the Liberal Partys most senior figures is calling for urgent action to win back Australians by setting new policies on housing and climate change, while confronting dangerous perceptions that the party is intolerant, nasty and divisive.

Senator Simon Birmingham wants the Liberals to become a party of inclusion by ending rows over family structures and appealing to people who had turned against their movement  including women, migrants, city voters and the young.

The dire warning comes as Opposition Leader Peter Dutton convenes a meeting with federal Liberal MPs in Canberra on Wednesday to debate their stance on the Indigenous Voice, amid a growing debate about broader policies and his leadership.

Birmingham, the elected leader of the Coalition in the Senate, is seeking a rethink of their message after the partys brutal defeat at the Aston byelection last Saturday, while fellow Liberal moderates are also calling for a halt to crazy culture wars and dog whistling on ideological fights.
The federal governments decision to ban TikTok from its work phones has swung the spotlight onto other social media services owned by Chinas technology giants and exposed a divide between MPs jumping to delete their accounts on the popular video app and those staying on.

Government Services Minister Bill Shorten deleted his account, which had about 12,000 followers, while Melbourne backbencher Julian Hill, who is parliaments most popular politician on TikTok, with 146,000 followers, will keep his.

Tuesday's move has not halted the thawing of relations between China and Australia, with reports emerging that Beijing had issued an in principle invitation for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to visit China later this year.

Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus announced the ban on TikTok on government devices to deal with significant security and privacy risks from the app triggered by its extensive data collection and exposure to Chinas national security laws, which can compel companies to aid the Communist Party.
The NSW Labor government will start its sweeping overhaul of tolling on Wednesday, with former Australian Competition and Consumer Commission chair Allan Fels joining Premier Chris Minns and senior ministers to receive their first briefings on Sydneys sprawling motorway network.

Fels will be commissioned on Wednesday to lead the promised overhaul of the citys controversial road tolling system after Labor campaigned heavily on the financial burden the patchwork of tollways has on drivers amid the cost-of-living crisis.

Former ACCC chair Allan Fels will head the review of tolling. Credit: Louie Douvis

NSW Treasury and Transport for NSW officials will brief Minns, Treasurer Daniel Mookhey, Roads Minister John Graham and Fels before the competition expert starts his work on the review.

Fels will take over the Treasury and Transport review of tolls, started under the former Coalition government, and he will also be responsible for negotiating with tolling operators and will be tasked with looking at long-term reform options to overhaul the system in NSW.
East African regional forces have regained control of Bunagana, a strategic town in eastern Congo that had been held by M23 rebels for more than nine months, a spokesman for the regional force said Monday.

Ugandan forces officially deployed to Bunagana and will establish a foothold in the area and give the M23 forces time to vacate, said Capt. Kato Ahmad Hassan, spokesman for the Ugandan contingent of the regional force. We appreciate the command of the M23 for being cooperative to the contingent, for according us a safe passage and for allowing us to occupy Bunagana, he said.

M23 did not respond to request for comment about their departure from Bunagana.

The rebels' departure from Bunagana has been a key demand during several rounds of mediation efforts on the crisis in eastern Congo, where more than 120 armed groups have been fighting for land, power and resources and some to protect their communities.

M23 rose to prominence 10 years ago when its fighters seized Goma, eastern Congos largest city on the border with Rwanda. It derives its name from a March 23, 2009, peace deal, which it accuses the Congo government of not implementing.

After being largely dormant for a decade, the M23 resurfaced in late 2021 and started capturing territory. Congo has long accused Rwanda of supporting the M23 group and powerful voices in the West back that assertion  which Rwanda strongly denies. Earlier this year regional heads of state urged an immediate cease-fire by all parties and sought more troops for a regional force sent to eastern Congo last year.

Ugandan troops, which are part of the East African Community Regional Force in eastern Congo, will now try to bring about M23's sequenced withdrawal from other areas under rebel control including Kiwanja and Mabenga.

Bunagana is located only 60 kilometers (37 miles) northeast of Goma, which also serves as a hub for international aid organizations and the U.N. peacekeeping mission known as MONUSCO. The town is also near the border with Uganda, making it an important transit point for goods being imported into Congo from as far away as China.

While the withdrawal is a positive step, it doesn't signify a lasting resolution to the conflict, said Trupti Agrawal, senior analyst for East Africa for the Economist Intelligence Unit. The pullout is a sign of progress on regional mediation efforts, but that itself is a highly fragile process, he said.

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A squad of Australian scientists and engineers will be the first to establish contact with the astronauts undertaking the most significant space mission of this century once the Orion space capsule blasts off from Florida and begins Artemis II, the first crewed lunar mission since 1972.

The Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex will serve as a crucial conduit for correspondence and data transfer between the Artemis missions four astronauts  who were named on Tuesday  and NASAs mission control centre in Houston, Texas.

Its been 50 years since we supported human spaceflight beyond earth. Its great to be back and part of that again, the complexs spokesman Glen Nagle said.

We supported the original Apollo missions. Its a new generation now: the Artemis generation.
NASA announces the four astronauts who will go to the moon in 2025

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The decision by the Manhattan District Attorney to charge Trump for hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels during his 2016 campaign is just one of the many probes facing the Republican as he makes another run at the White House.

Heres a snapshot view of the other legal woes Trump faces.

Georgia election-tampering probe

A prosecutor in the US state of Georgia is investigating Trumps alleged efforts to overturn his 2020 election defeat in that state.

The investigation focuses in part on a phone call Trump made to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a Republican, on January 2, 2021. Trump asked Raffensperger to find enough votes needed to overturn Trumps election loss in Georgia.

Legal experts said Trump may have violated at least three Georgia criminal election laws: conspiracy to commit election fraud, criminal solicitation to commit election fraud and intentional interference with performance of election duties.

Trump could argue that his discussions were constitutionally protected free speech.

US Capitol attack

The US Justice Department has investigations under way into both Trumps actions in the 2020 election and his retention of highly classified documents after departing the White House in 2021.

Both investigations are being overseen by Jack Smith, a war crimes prosecutor and political independent. Trump has accused the FBI, without evidence, of launching the probes as political retribution.

Only the US Justice Department can decide whether to charge Trump, who has claimed the Democratic-led panels investigation is a politically motivated sham.

Pro-Trump rioters at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. Credit: AP

Missing government records

US Attorney General Merrick Garland also appointed Smith to investigate whether Trump improperly retained classified records at his Mar-a-Lago Florida estate after he left office in 2021 and then tried to obstruct a federal investigation.

Garland also appointed former US Attorney Robert Hur to investigate the removal of classified records in President Joe Bidens possession dating to his time as vice president.

In Trumps case, the FBI seized 13,000 documents from Mar-a-Lago in an August 8 search. About 100 documents were marked classified; some were designated top secret, the highest level of classification.

Trump has accused the Justice Department of engaging in a partisan witch hunt.

E. Jean Carroll alleges Trump raped her in a dressing room in Manhattans Bergdorf Goodman store in the 1990s. Credit: AP

New York attorney general civil lawsuit

New York Attorney General Letitia James sued Trump and his Trump Organisation last September for fraud.

James said her office found more than 200 examples of misleading asset valuations between 2011 and 2021, and that Trump inflated his net worth by billions of dollars.

The attorney general said the scheme was intended to help Trump obtain lower interest rates on loans and better insurance coverage.

She also said her probe uncovered evidence of criminal wrongdoing, and referred it to federal prosecutors and the US Internal Revenue Service.

The civil lawsuit seeks to permanently bar Trump and three of his adult children from running companies in New York state, and recoup at least $US250 million obtained through fraud.

Trump has called James lawsuit a witch hunt, and the defendants have called the claims meritless.

Defamation lawsuits

E. Jean Carroll, a former Elle magazine columnist, has filed two lawsuits accusing Trump of defaming her by denying he raped her in New Yorks Bergdorf Goodman department store dressing room in late 1995 or early 1996.

Carroll first sued Trump after he told a reporter at the White House in 2019 that he did not know Carroll, that shes not my type, and that she lied to drum up sales for her memoir.

The second lawsuit arose from an October 2022 social media post where Trump called the rape claim a hoax, lie, con job and complete scam.

That lawsuit includes a battery claim under New Yorks Adult Survivors Act, which gave adults a one-year window to sue their alleged attackers even if statutes of limitations have expired.

Reuters
PHILIPSBURG:--- The NAPB Police Union held an emergency meeting with its lawyer Cor Merx on Monday afternoon. The Union and its members have decided to start industrial action (Strike) starting April 4 2023 according to Cor Merx after the meeting with the members and the police union.

According to attorney Cor Merx, the minister has failed the justice workers by sticking to the deadline given to her and the Union and they are disappointed in the non-action of the minister of justice. He said he hopes that the community can get behind the cause of the police officers who are fighting for their rights since 10-10-10

Click here for the interview with Attorney Cor Merx.
~With the establishment of a UNOPS office in Sint Maarten, the first project to be developed under this cooperation framework will be the design of the Sint Maarten Rule of Law Facilities~

COPENHAGEN, Denmark:--- The Honorable Prime Minister and Minister of General Affairs of Sint Maarten, Ms. Silveria E. Jacobs, on behalf of the Government of Sint Maarten, and Acting Executive Director of the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), Mr. Jens Wandel signed the Host Country Agreement, which is a treaty that establishes the cooperation framework for the implementation of projects headed by UNOPS on Sint Maarten. Also present at the signing were Sint Maartens Honorable Minister of Justice, Ms. Anna E. Richardson, and the Deputy Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Denmark, H.E. Mr. Arne Brandsma.

As a result of this agreement, UNOPS will establish an office in Philipsburg, Sint Maarten to coordinate all necessary cooperation with the country and in the region. The establishment of UNOPS in Sint Maarten marks an important milestone for the organization in terms of providing support to Small Island Developing States in the Caribbean region in line with the objectives of social development recognized in the S.A.M.O.A. Pathway.

On December 7, 2022, the Government of Sint Maarten, UNOPS, and the Government of the Netherlands signed the project proposal, the project agreement, and the letter of agreement for the Sint Maarten Rule of Law Facilities, also referred to as the new prison project. The Sint Maarten Rule of Law Facilities will define a new model of prison infrastructure that will benefit both the prison population and its staff, ensuring full compliance with human rights and the consideration of social, gender, and environmental components in its design.

The first phase of development for the project will be the design of Rule of Law Facilities, funded by the cooperation framework existing between the Government of the Netherlands and the Government of Sint Maarten with a budget of approximately US$ 4 million.

Other potential areas that have been identified for cooperation with UNOPS are future project development that can help prepare the country for the impacts of climate change and the threat it poses to Sint Maartens development. The presence of UNOPS on the island makes it a valuable ally for promoting and developing sustainable and resilient infrastructure practices.

The opening of the UNOPS office reflects the Government of Sint Maartens commitment to expanding foreign relations, building capacity, and strengthening international partnerships. Id like to thank the technical advisors of the UNOPS Legal Team and the Directorate of Foreign Relations for negotiating and drafting of the Host Country Agreement. The agreement will facilitate the presence of UNOPS on Sint Maarten and the realization of the prison project that is currently being led by the Department of Judicial Affairs and the Cabinet of the Minister of Justice  said Silveria E. Jacobs, Prime Minister of Sint Maarten.

I am elated as the Government of Sint Maarten continues to strengthen its relationship with UNOPS. Since working with UNOPS, they have made two work visits to Sint Maarten; in May 2022, for their first mission, meeting with the Council of Ministers to discuss the new prison project, and in January 2023 for their second mission, to engage with key stakeholders for the planning and design phase of the new prison project. Building upon this fruitful relationship, the Ministry of Justice remains committed to finalizing the process for the completion of the projects first phase, said Anna E. Richardson, Minister of Justice of Sint Maarten.

Partnerships with UNOPS and other international organizations will help support the sustainable growth, expertise, and capacity of Sint Maarten. Hosting international organizations on the island can also increase opportunities for Sint Maarteners living abroad to return home. These initiatives can broaden the horizons for Sint Maarteners and in turn, combat the brain drain effect and increase our institutional capacity.

When executing projects on Sint Maarten it is beneficial to have close engagement with and physical presence of international organizations to help facilitate execution of projects, leading to higher quality and speedier implementation of projects. In pursuing an active diversification policy and foreign relations policy, we look forward to welcoming and hosting the UNOPS team, and in the future other international organizations, on Sint Maarten.

In closing, Prime Minister Jacobs stated that she looks forward to working with UNOPS on this critical new prison project and on future projects, with the shared goal of promoting sustainable development, building resilience, and creating a brighter future for the people of Sint Maarten. With UNOPS on board, we can be assured of a strong partnership to help us navigate our challenges and build a better future for our people.
SABA:--- Dutch Minister of Education, Culture, and Science Robbert Dijkgraaf concluded his visit to Saba late Monday afternoon.

Dijkgraaf said he had a wonderful day on Saba where he spoke with many people about things that we share. It was a full program during which the Minister and his delegation got to meet with government representatives, management, and students of the Saba Comprehensive School (SCS), young professionals who have returned from their studies abroad and paid a visit to the Saba Heritage Center.

The Minister, who arrived from the Netherlands late Sunday afternoon, started his working visit with a meeting with the Executive Council. The Minister was introduced to the new Commissioner of Education Eviton Heyliger. After this meeting, the Minister spoke with the Island Council. At both meetings, it was discussed how students going abroad to study can be guided, as well as the importance of vocational education.

At the SCS, Dijkgraaf spoke with the Executive Director of the SKOSaba/SEF schoolboards Anton Hermans about secondary education in Saba, its challenges, the developments, and the plans for a new school. The Minister visited class 5 academics where he spoke with students about their plans to continue their studies abroad. Some students said that they would take a gap year to work and prepare for their studies in the US or the Netherlands.

Dijkgraaf had lunch at Island Flavor with five young professionals who returned to Saba after their studies. I spoke with them about their challenges to come back. I was very inspired by how they want to engage with the community and contribute to their island. They had many ideas on how to improve education, the Minister said.

The last stop before going to the airport was the Heritage Center where Vito Charles of the Saba Archeological Center SABARC met Dijkgraaf and his delegation. Charles showed the Minister the artifacts at the center, provided historic details on Saba and he gave a presentation about Sabas slavery past and the process of emancipation.

At the Saba Heritage Center, we spoke about the terrible slavery past and what its implications are for society to this day. We talked about how together we can have a dialogue to create more awareness, to address the issues that are a remnant of that time, and look at how what I call the soft forces, namely education, culture, and science can bring us more to each other and to create a more just society, said Dijkgraaf.
Kernow Coatings addresses fast-growing Label Market

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Kernow Coatings, a leading global supplier of OEM-certified printable digital plastics, has entered into strategic cooperations with OKI Europe and Baker Materials to address the fast-growing digital label market. Kernow provides its special, extremely durable media for different and durable label applications. These fulfil relevant criteria such as for chemicals, water and abrasion resistance. Baker Materials offers these materials in every European Country in small and also large quantities.

Kernow media meet high quality standards for beauty and cosmetics

?Kernow Coatings\- range of synthetic durable media delivers outstanding results on OKI printers and meets the high quality requirements in sectors such as beauty and cosmetics. Baker Materials offers a wide range of finished materials and media in ready-to-print formats approved for OKI. Kernow thus enables a wide range of labels to be printed in-house and on demand. For example, plant labels, beverage bottles, cans and much more.

About Baker Materials?

Baker Materials is a division of Baker Labels, established for 50 years and a leading trade label printer in the UK. They are a family business with a family ethos at the centre of how they operate. Bakers pride themselves on being forward-thinking, well-respected innovators, consistently growing and investing in the latest print technologies.

Baker Materials are a leading independent converter and distributor of self-adhesive & non-self-adhesive label materials based in the UK. Offering a comprehensive range of both branded & non-branded label products, they are a aone-stop shopa for companies across Europe requiring roll label stocks to print. Bakers offer their customers low minimum order quantities, slitting from 25mm and free next day delivery on all orders placed by 1pm.

About OKI Europe

?OKI Europe Ltd is part of the printer division of OKI Electric, a global business-to-business brand and pioneer of award-winning digital LED printer technology. Its compact, robust and leading-edge products combined with customer-centric solutions, empower businesses to create and print professional quality applications in-house. Used by organisations across a range of sectors including retail, graphic arts (print for profit), education, healthcare, hospitality & events, construction, engineering, chemical and more, OKIa?s printers are renowned for their innovation, reliability, excellent media handling capabilities and high colour quality.

About Kernow Coatings

?Kernow Coatings is a global market leader in the development and manufacture of high quality durable synthetic laser printable label materials and synthetic, digital printable media. Kernow Coatings has state- of-the-art development laboratories, pilot coating facilities and flexible coating and laminating equipment that enable the development and supply of both standard and custom label materials.

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Kernow Coatings addresses label market with OKI Europe and Baker Materials.

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The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has appealed for urgent funding to respond to growing humanitarian calamities in drought and conflict-affected parts of Ethiopia.

The UN body, in its latest situation update on Ethiopia issued late Monday, said an estimated 714 million US dollars has so far been contributed toward the 2023 Ethiopian Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP-2023), corresponding to 18 percent of the HRP requirements.

Noting the impact of multiple crises including conflict, drought and floods that have continued to increase humanitarian needs across the East African country, the OCHA has called for urgent funding to respond to the growing humanitarian needs.

"Continued donors' support is urgent and critical to enable humanitarian partners to maintain and strengthen the delivery of assistance to vulnerable people in conflict and natural disaster-affected areas across the country," it said.

According to figures from the OCHA, more than 20.1 million people are food insecure in various regions of Ethiopia, including 2.73 million internally displaced people and 1.88 million returnees.

It said the humanitarian response in Ethiopia further requires scale-up considering the needs highlighted in the HRP-2023 to respond to the different humanitarian crises the people in Ethiopia are enduring.

As conflict-affected areas in northern Ethiopia become more accessible following the signing of the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement (COHA) in November last year, the OCHA said relief beneficiaries in Tigray, Amhara and Afar regions have continued to receive assistance, although not at the required scale.

The OCHA expressed concerns over worsening food insecurity in drought-affected regions, particularly in southern and south-eastern parts of the country, where livelihoods have been severely disrupted.

It also said humanitarian interventions in drought-affected areas need to be scaled up beyond primary food and water provision to multi-sectoral humanitarian assistance in sanitation and hygiene, agriculture, health, and education so as to support the affected communities in rebuilding their lives.

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Russias UN ambassador on Monday dismissed US and European Union descriptions of its presidency of the Security Council this month as an April Fools joke and announced a meeting to be chaired by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on defending the principles of the UN Charter, which Moscow is widely accused of breaking by invading Ukraine.

US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield told reporters earlier Monday that the US expects the Russians will use their presiding seat to spread disinformation and promote their own agenda as it relates to Ukraine, and we will stand ready to call them out at every single moment that they attempt to do that.

She and European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell both called Russia's takeover of the council presidency an April Fool's joke.

Under Security Council rules, the presidency rotates monthly in alphabetical order among its 15 members. Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia told reporters there will be no change in the rules of the council, which is charged with maintaining international peace and security, and he said Russia will be an honest broker.

The council president presides over meetings and gets to decide the topics of key sessions, often presided over by foreign ministers and sometimes presidents.

Lavrov on April 24 will preside over a session on "effective multilateralism through the defense of the principles of the UN Charter.

There are also required monthly meetings, including on the Middle East, which Lavrov will also preside over, Syria and other global hotspots, including Mali, Libya, Yemen, Haiti, Africas Great Lakes region and Colombia.

Nebenzia responded to the US ambassadors expectation that Russia will spread disinformation about Ukraine by calling it a Western narrative and stressing that we think just the opposite.

He said Russia plans to hold an informal council meeting on Wednesday on what Moscow claims is disinformation being spread by Western officials and media about the Ukrainian children taken to Russia. He said the aim of the meeting is to dispel this narrative that they were abducted.

The issue was put in the spotlight when the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last month for Russian President Vladimir Putin and his countrys commissioner for childrens rights, accusing them of war crimes for the unlawful deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia. Moscow called the warrants outrageous and legally void.

An Associated Press investigation first published in October found that the open effort to put Ukrainian children up for adoption in Russia was well underway.

Ukrainian officials claimed at the time that nearly 8,000 children had been deported to Russia, but the exact number was difficult to pin down.

Britains deputy UN ambassador, James Kariuki, said Russia was in no position to talk about international law or UN values.

It is waging a war of aggression against Ukraine, violating the most basic principle of the UN Charter, you dont redraw borders by force, and its president has been indicted by the ICC for the systematic abduction of Ukrainian children, he said.

The UK will keep using our seat on the council to challenge their illegal war, expose their disinformation, and protect the councils vital work tackling other threats to international peace and security, including across Africa and the Middle East.

Russias assumption of the council presidency also drew strong criticism from Ukraine and Baltic nations.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy denounced the bankruptcy of the Security Council and reiterated his call for an overhaul of the UN body and other global institutions.

Estonias UN Ambassador Rein Tammsaar, speaking also on behalf of Latvia and Lithuania, called the Russian presidency shameful, humiliating and dangerous for the councils credibility.

Under Security Council rules, a member directly connected to an issue should withdraw from participation, and Nebenzia was asked if Russia would recuse itself when Ukraine was discussed.

No, he replied, indicating that the US, Britain and France, which have been supporting Ukraine, would have to withdraw as well.

The Russian ambassador recalled that following the US-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003, the UK and US held the council presidency consecutively that September and October.

Nobody raised the question of their legitimacy to hold the presidency, Nebenzia said. And nobody put on the table the question that they withdraw from discussing an issue that was perhaps the most hot and topical then.

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French President Emmanuel Macron will have to muster all his diplomatic adeptness and political acumen on a three-day state visit to China where the war in Ukraine will be front and center, along with tough talks on trade.

Macron is expected to warn China against sending weapons to Russia and instead ask that the country use its influence to support peace efforts.

Beijing claims to hold a neutral stance in the war, but has also stressed its no-limits friendship with Russia. Chinas President Xi Jinping last month met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.

China has refused to criticize Russia for its actions in Ukraine. A top French official acknowledged that Paris isnt expecting to see a major shift in that position.

But France will push for initiatives helping ordinary Ukrainians and for possible avenues toward reaching a halfway solution to the war, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with the French presidency's customary practices.

Paris and Beijing may find a point of convergence following Putins recent announcement that his country plans to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus. China, without naming Russia, made clear its opposition to the planned deployment.

Macron will also seek to involve China deeper in global discussions on climate-related issues, as things are getting more complicated for him at home.

The 45-year-old leader has in recent weeks faced strong opposition among ordinary French citizens and lawmakers to his plan to raise the legal retirement age from 62 to 64. A surge of street protests resulted in a state visit by Britains King Charles III having to be postponed.

While Macron is in Beijing, French trade unions on Thursday will stage the 11th round of nationwide demonstrations since January.

The visit also comes amid ever-rising tensions between the U.S. and China, the worlds two largest economies.

Trade will also be a major focus as Macron has asked European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to join him for a meeting with Xi that's meant to show European unity especially on economic issues. The French president said last month that he took such an initiative because he is "attached to European coordination.

Last week, von der Leyen warned the European Union must be prepared to develop measures to protect trade and investment that China might exploit for its own security and military purposes.

China is both the EUs commercial partner and a rival, Thierry Breton, EU Commissioner for Internal Market, said Monday on French news broadcaster FranceInfo. Breton said the message to Chinese authorities is that they must stop trying to play one country against another.

Of course, China still is an important market for many European companies. But the (EU) internal market is a crucial market to China, Breton added.

Macron will be accompanied by a delegation of over 50 CEOs including from French energy giant EDF, rail transport manufacturer Alstom and European plane-maker Airbus.

The top French official said negotiations were still being held on a potential deal with Airbus that would come on top of Chinas 2019 order for 300 aircraft.

NGOs including the International Federation for Human Rights, International Campaign for Tibet and the Human Rights League have called on Macron to put human rights at the heart of his talks with Chinese authorities.

Macron must strongly denounce privately but also publicly the repression against Chinese activists and human rights advocates, Hong Kong's people, Uyghurs and Tibetans, France's Human Rights League President Patrick Baudouin said in a statement.

Macron's office said human rights issues will be mentioned during the visit.

Macron, who last traveled to China in 2019 before the COVID-19 crisis, is to start his trip Wednesday in Beijing with a speech to the French community.

On Thursday, he will have meetings with the head of the National Peoples Congress, Zhao Leji, and Chinas new No. 2 leader, Premier Li Qiang, in addition to a meeting and a state dinner with Xi in the presence of von der Leyen.

On Friday, Macron will head to the southern Chinese metropolis of Guangzhou, where Xis father used to work as provincial governor in the 1980s.

The French president will answer questions there from some of the 1,000 Chinese students at Sun Yat-Sen university. He will then meet Xi again for a private dinner and later meet with Chinese investors.

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Emissions cuts can slash heat deaths in Mideast, N. Africa: study



Paris, April 3 (AFP) Apr 03, 2023



Meeting world targets to limit climate change would avert hundreds of thousands of heat-related deaths in the Middle East and North Africa, scientists said on Tuesday, urging the region to adapt better.

A modelling study published in The Lancet Planetary Health journal found slashing carbon emissions to limit the rise in Earth's average temperature to two degrees Celsius would reduce heat-related deaths in the region by 80 percent compared to a high-emissions scenario.

The regional focus on the heat risk came as Dubai prepares to host the United Nations COP28 climate summit in November.

Countries have pledged to limit global warming to 1.5C under the Paris climate accords, prompting efforts to switch to low-carbon energy sources.

In the highest-emissions scenario without cuts, around 123 people per 100,000 in the region would die per year from heat-related causes by the end of this century, according to the study, led by specialists at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

That would be 60 times greater than the current heat-death rate and far higher than in other regions of the world.

Of the 19 countries analysed, Iran was expected to have the highest annual death rate under a high-emissions scenario -- 423 deaths per 100,000 of population.

Lead author Shakoor Hajat told AFP temperatures were projected to be very high in parts of Iran. Ageing will also occur at a faster rate there than in many other countries in the region.

Hajat said health impacts would be "catastrophic" if the 2C target were not reached.

"Even with stronger action, countries in the region need to develop ways other than air-conditioning to protect their citizens from the dangers of extreme heat," he said.

"Public health measures such as national heat protection plans and heat alert warning systems could be introduced.

"These are common in countries in Europe and North America and parts of Asia, but not in the Middle East," he said.

"Many MENA (Middle East and North Africa) countries also need to strengthen their existing health systems to better prepare for climate change impacts."
Tackling overfishing from Senegal's skies



Dakar, April 4 (AFP) Apr 04, 2023



Swooping over a cloud of seagulls off Senegal's sparkling shores, a French military airplane veers past a fishing trawler, the naval officers onboard keeping a watchful eye out for illegal activity.

The West African country's waters are some of the richest in the world, teeming with tuna, sardines, shrimp, lobster and octopus -- and fishing is critical to the economy.

But stocks are dwindling due to global warming and overexploitation.

While local artisanal fishermen account for 80 percent of the country's total catch, they have for years raised the alarm about competition and harmful practices by European and Chinese companies.

To help tackle overfishing, the Falcon 50M -- a French Navy aircraft -- is one of several rotated year-round on loan from the Lann-Bihoue base in France.

During the airplane's patrols, five French soldiers and a Senegalese inspector scan the Atlantic for signs of bad behaviour.

This can range from fishing in restricted areas, fishing without a licence, or using destructive nets which sweep up species like dolphins and sea turtles or damage the sea floor.

"On the right, we have an echo at eight nautical miles," a radar operator announced during a recent visit by AFP.

White and red arrows blinked on his screen, representing different vessels near the border with Mauritania, as the radio crackled with coded messages.

Whenever suspicion is aroused, the plane descends and soldiers snap photos.

"We have 600,000 people working directly or indirectly in the fishing industry, and millions of people depend on it, so it's important to monitor how the resource is being exploited," said Captain Ibrahima Diaw, head of Senegal's fisheries protection and surveillance department.

In the event of a violation, a report is drawn up. In exceptional cases, the Senegalese Navy can send a ship to seize the offender.

Last year, the Falcons inspected nearly 600 vessels, according to the French Navy.

Reports were drawn up in 35 cases, Diaw said, describing that number as "huge".

Fines can reach up to 30 million CFA francs ($50,000).

The military deal illustrates the ongoing close ties between Paris and its former colony.

According to the NGO Environmental Justice Foundation, Senegal loses more than $270 million in revenue each year to illegal fishing.

Fishing makes up 3.2 percent of the country's gross domestic product and 10.2 percent of exports, according to a 2022 US Department of Agriculture report.
US unveils fraud case against CEO of startup bought by JPMorgan Chase



New York, April 4 (AFP) Apr 04, 2023



US officials unveiled criminal charges Tuesday against the head of a startup who allegedly defrauded JPMorgan Chase in the course of a $175 million sale to the banking giant.

Charlie Javice, 31, was scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday in US magistrate court following her arrest Monday night, according to a Department of Justice news release.

Once a high-flyer named as part of the Forbes "30 Under 30" list, Javice touted her Frank online platform as a way to simplify the complicated process of filling out the US application for financial aid

During talks with JPMorgan and another major bank that did not pursue an acquisition, Javice "repeatedly" represented that Frank had 4.25 million users.

In fact, the platform had fewer than 300,000, according to US charges unsealed Tuesday.

"Frank was an appealing acquisition target for JPMorgan due to the marketing potential of Frank's large -- according to Javice -- customer base, which consisted of young and diverse students," the filing said.

When JPMorgan sought to verify Frank's user base, Javice "fabricated" a data set, the DOJ said.

After Frank's director of engineering declined the request, citing concerns about illegality, Javice hired an outside data scientist to "create the synthetic data set," DOJ said.

"As alleged, Javice engaged in a brazen scheme to defraud JPMorgan in the course of a $175 million acquisition deal," said US Attorney Damian Williams.

"This arrest should warn entrepreneurs who lie to advance their businesses that their lies will catch up to them, and this Office will hold them accountable for putting their greed above the law."

Javice was charged with four counts of fraud, with potential sentencing of 20-30 years per charge.

In a parallel case, the Securities and Exchange Commission asked a US court to bar Javice from serving as an officer or director of a public company and civil penalties.
Biden warns of potential AI technology dangers



Washington, April 4 (AFP) Apr 04, 2023



President Joe Biden said at a meeting of advisors on the rapidly emerging artificial intelligence sector Tuesday that the jury is still out on whether AI poses a danger to society.

It "remains to be seen. It could be," said Biden, when asked by reporters if AI is dangerous.

Biden told his White House council on science and technology, a group of experts from research universities and business, that AI could help combat "very difficult challenges like disease and climate change."

However, he said they had to "address the potential risks to our society, to our economy, to our national security."

"Tech companies have a responsibility in my view to make sure the products are safe," he said. "Absent safeguards, we see the impact on mental health and self-image."

Biden reiterated his earlier recommendations that Congress pass laws putting "strict limits" on personal data collected by tech companies and banning advertising targeted at children.

US companies are at the forefront of the burgeoning AI sector, which is transforming the power of machines to do everything from writing emails for people to driving their cars.

Last month, Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak signed a letter, along with some thousand other signatories, urging a pause in AI development.

"AI systems with human-competitive intelligence can pose profound risks to society and humanity," said the open letter titled "Pause Giant AI Experiments".
Bayt.com, a top job site, has released a new version of its flagship CV Search technology.

Bayt.coms CV Search is already used by over 40,000 of the largest employers in the region, and now its faster search results and all-in-one screen CV view, will make hiring 2x faster.

The constant innovation and enhancements in Bayt.coms flagship CV Search tool have increased the number of annual searches to 1.5 million and beyond.

The new CV search has all-in-one-screen shortlisting, enhanced performance and responsiveness, salary conversion to local currency, whatsApp preference to contact candidates.

All-in-one-screen

A major upgrade in the CV Search is all-in-one-screen information. Employers can now search, browse, manage, shortlist and contact candidates without switching between multiple tabs. The most relevant information about a candidate will be available to them in one place. With new, modern design, the CV Search results become a primary interaction point for the users where all the required information is saved. This also includes a revamped CV card view with everything about the candidate, displayed up front.

Furthermore, a more intuitive UI/UX design for clusters, filters, tags and folders now ensures an easier and smoother experience for the users. Employers will be able to save time and effort with faster load times and search results.

Akram Assaf, Chief Technology Officer at Bayt.com said: Bayt.com has always been committed to matching high-quality candidates to employers within seconds. Equipped with an intuitive user interface and faster load times, our flagship CV Search technology is making hiring 2x faster. The entire user experience has been enhanced to make finding the right candidate faster, smarter, and easier. Faster, because of the interface and engine upgrades. Smarter, because of a smarter match engine with enriched machine learning. Easier, because of mobile responsiveness and integration options with enterprises through open API. Our mission is to enable employers to find the perfect candidates through any medium of their choice, anytime, anywhere.-- TradeArabia News Service
Russia on Tuesday said it had summoned France's charge d'affaires in Moscow to protest "false publications" by the French embassy about alleged atrocities in Ukraine blamed on the Russian army.

Moscow "strongly protested against the statements published by the embassy on social media", the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement.

"It is categorically unacceptable to make false accusations against our military," the ministry said, accusing France of "actively supplying military equipment and ammunition to the Ukrainian army and thus doing everything possible to prolong hostilities".

According to Moscow, the offending French statements include mention of the massacre attributed to Russian forces in Bucha, a town near Kyiv where the bodies of civilians were discovered after the withdrawal of Russian troops.

Ukraine on Sunday marked the first anniversary of the gruesome discovery.

Prosecutors in Kyiv say Russian forces killed some 1,400 civilians around Bucha and that they have identified dozens of Russian soldiers responsible.

Ukraine says 37 children were among the dead.

Moscow has denied any involvement in the deaths and has repeatedly referred to them as being "staged" by Kyiv.

The Russian foreign ministry again on Tuesday referred to "unfounded" accusations, saying it had not seen any evidence of Russian crimes or any "objective investigation" of the facts.

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Connecticut's only Melting Pot fondue restaurant closed in Darien last month, but a new restaurant will be taking the space later this year. The New Jersey-based Harvest Restaurant Group plans to open its first Connecticut eatery in the Grove Street building.

Harvest, which runs 13 restaurants and a catering business in northern and central New Jersey, will open another location of its Roots Ocean Prime concept in the Darien space, said owner and CEO Chip Grabowski. Its menu features steakhouse classics and an "extensive" seafood section, he said, and the group has plans to offer plenty of vegetarian options.

Grabowski said Harvest looks for new restaurant space options for "long periods of time," and they'd been seeking a location in southern Connecticut for a while, searching from Greenwich to Westport and New Canaan.

Rachel Vanni / Courtesy of Harvest Restaurant Group

"We found that those communities were similar to where [we are]...we try to somewhat stay on a train line, and we also look for downtown locations. We also really enjoy getting involved in the community," he said. "We're looking for that downtown feel, and that is definitely evident in Darien."

Because of the Melting Pot's tabletop fondue setups, the restaurant wasn't able to have an outdoor dining space. Grabowski said Roots Ocean Prime will make use of the Darien space's "beautiful courtyard" for an outdoor patio.

Roots Ocean Prime, on the campus of Princeton University, features a menu of raw bar offerings and a variety of steak cuts, including prime NY strip, filet mignon, a 20-ounce dry-aged cowboy steak and a 42-ounce prime porterhouse for two. Seafood dishes include scallops, salmon, Chilean sea bass and South African lobster tail, and steakhouse-style sides include macaroni and cheese, creamed spinach, grilled asparagus and potatoes au gratin.

Grabowski said the Darien menu will spotlight more vegetarian dishes, with potential options like a vegetable Wellington, cauliflower steak and a shepherd's pie with chickpeas.

Rachel Vanni / Courtesy of Harvest Restaurant Group

"As we're evolving as an organization, we're trying to have our menus evolve," he said. Harvest's concept Agricola, which has locations in Morristown and Princeton, features a menu focused on local, seasonal and sustainable ingredients, and he said he's hoping to bring more of that to the Roots offerings.

Grabowski said none of Harvest's restaurants have televisions, as the group's management believes meals should be about connection.

"We believe that it's about being around the table with people, whether it's with family, friends or business," he said. "It's about the art of conversation. We're trying to get people to come to our locations because of its ambiance, food, service and hospitality, not because there's a Yankee game."

After a "total rebuildout" of the space, Grabowski said Harvest hopes to open Roots Ocean Prime in the fall.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP)  A federal jury has awarded nearly $3.2 million in damages to a Black former worker at a Tesla factory in California that has been at the epicenter of racial discrimination allegations hanging over the automaker run by billionaire Elon Musk.

The verdict reached Monday marks the second time former Tesla employee Owen Diaz has prevailed in trials seeking to hold Tesla liable for allowing him to be subjected to racial epithets and other abuses during his brief tenure at the pioneering maker of electric vehicles.

But the eight-person jury in the latest trial, which lasted five days, arrived at a dramatically lower damages number than the $137 million Diaz won in his first trial held in San Francisco federal court. U.S. District Judge William Orrick reduced that award to $15 million, prompting Diaz and his lawyers to seek a new trial rather than accept the lower amount.

If you had just looked at this verdict without knowing the verdict in the first trial, you would say this is a big win. So, it's still a big win," Lawrence Organ, Diaz's attorney, said Tuesday in an interview with The Associated Press.

Even so, Organ is still vying for a third trial under a motion he filed last week before the jury reached its verdict. The request for a mistrial is based on assertions that Tesla's legal team prejudiced the jury by asking improper questions that raised doubts about Diaz's mental state and cast him as a sexual harasser.

Tesla lawyers did not respond to requests for comment Tuesday.

If the motion for a mistrial is rejected, Organ told the AP he will file an appeal of the latest verdict that will also raise legal questions about Orrick's decision to slash the damages awarded by the jury in the first trial.

The case, which dates back to 2017, centers on allegations that Tesla didn't take action to stop a racist culture at its Fremont, California, factory, located about 40 miles (65 kilometers) southeast from San Francisco. Diaz, 53, alleged he was called the n-word more than 30 times, shown racist cartoons and told to go back to Africa during his roughly nine-month tenure at Tesla that ended in 2016.

The same Tesla plant, where the company has manufactured tens of thousands of cars, is in the crosshairs of a wide-ranging racial discrimination case brought last year by California regulators. The lawsuit field by the California Civil Rights Department (formerly known as California Department of Fair Employment and Housing) alleges Tesla turned a blind eye to rampant abuses that included likening Black employees to slaves and monkeys.

Tesla has adamantly denied the allegations made in state court and lashed back by accusing the agency of abusing its authority.

Musk, Tesla's CEO and largest shareholder, moved the company's headquarters from Silicon Valley to Austin, Texas, in 2021, partly because of tensions with various California agencies over the practices at the Fremont factory. Despite the strife, Musk, with California Gov. Gavin Newsom by his side, in February announced that an office complex in Palo Alto, California, will be Tesla's engineering hub.
Ned Gerard/Hearst Connecticut Media

STAMFORD  A former Norwalk resident was sentenced to three years in prison after he pleaded guilty to sexually abusing a young girl for several years starting when she was 4 or 5.



Jeffrey Jubin, 60, was sentenced to a 10-year prison sentence, suspended after he serves three years, and 25 years of probation during a disposition hearing at the state Superior Court in Stamford Tuesday afternoon.



In January, Jubin pleaded guilty to charges of third-degree sexual assault and risk of injury to a minor that stemmed from the sexual abuse of a girl, starting when she was around kindergarten age.



The girl came forward to Norwalk police in 2009  when she was 13  when she learned Jubin had been arrested in Florida for similar conduct, according to Assistant States Attorney Margaret Moscati.



Following his sentencing, Jubin was asked if he would like to say anything by Judge Gary White.



I think its a little extreme, Jubin began to say of his sentence, before his attorney Drummond Smith advised him to be quiet.



In an arrest affidavit, Norwalk police wrote that in May 19, 2009, they were contacted by the sheriffs office in Collier County, Fla. about an extraditable arrest warrant for Jubin, who was thought to be living in Norwalk at the time. The Florida warrant charged Jubin with sexual battery on a child less than 12 years old, lewd/lascivious molestation, lewd/lascivious exhibition, attempted sexual battery on a child less than 12 years old and providing obscene material to minors.



Jubin was located in Norwalk on the same day as city police were notified of the warrant. City police officers arrested him as a fugitive from justice. He was then extradited to Florida, where he was convicted and sentenced to prison, officials said.



Shortly after Jubin was extradited ... the Norwalk Police Department Special Victims Unit received a complaint that a juvenile residing in Norwalk had been victimized by Jubin prior to his arrest, police said in a statement at the time.



When Jubin was released from prison in Florida, Norwalk officers arranged to have him extradited back to Connecticut. Jubin was charged with third-degree sexual assault and risk of injury to a minor.



In addition to the sentence, Jubin will also be required to register as a sex offender for 10 years.
For former federal prosecutor Christopher Mattei, watching the scene of Donald Trump surrender at a Manhattan courthouse on Tuesday raised parallels with one of the cases that has defined his career  the prosecution of former Connecticut Gov. John G. Rowland.

Like Trump, Rowland was accused of illegally concealing payments related to a political campaign that, if made public, would have reflected poorly on a candidate.

In the case of the former Connecticut governor, the payments at hand helped hide his role as an advisor to a former Congressional candidate. In Trumps case, the alleged payments were intended to cover up an affair in the final days of his 2016 presidential run.

On Tuesday, Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records related to the alleged hush-money scheme.

The key similarity is going to be that the payments were made for one stated purpose when, in fact, that stated purpose was a pretext to commit another crime, Mattei said Tuesday.

Mattei oversaw Rowlands prosecution as head of the Public Corruption Unit in Connecticut. He was also one of two assistant U.S. attorneys who successfully tried the case in 2015, just months before Trump jumped into the presidential race.

In Connecticut, local GOP leaders reacted to last week's news of the indictment in much the same way that Trump did  dismissing the charges as part of a political persecution and lashing out at the Manhattan district attorney, Alvin Bragg. Democrats, meanwhile, have said Trumps legal quagmire did not come as a surprise after the tumult of Trumps four years in office.

In an email to CT Insider on Tuesday, Rowland denied that his conviction and the case against Trump rested on similar conduct.

The only similarity is that they are both politically motivated witch hunts, Rowland said.

Rowland, a Republican, was governor from 1995 until 2004, when he was forced to resign in the face of a burgeoning political scandal that revolved around illegal work performed by state contractors on his vacation home in Litchfield County.

The ex-governor eventually served more than 10 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to a single count of honest services fraud.

Rowland returned to Connecticut, hosting a radio show for several years before again drawing interest from federal investigators. His second case, prosecuted by Mattei, came after the 2012 election in which Rowland served as a secret consultant to Lisa Wilson-Foley, a Republican candidate for Congress.

Wilson-Foley concealed her campaigns ties to the disgraced governor through a scheme in which her husband, Brian Foley, paid Rowland through a sham consulting contract for his string of nursing homes, prosecutors said.

Those payments were meant to deceive voters and ran afoul of federal campaign finance reporting rules, Mattei said. Rowland was convicted again on charges of obstructing justice, conspiracy and falsifying documents.

Rowland served another 20 months in prisons and halfway houses before being released again in 2018.

The reason that we have campaign finance laws is so that the voting public can be well informed about who the people asking for their vote are beholden to and whos been paying them and who theyve been paying, Mattei said. This is all important information for voters to be able to consider.

Potentially complicating matters for prosecutors in New York, Mattei said, is the fact that they are pursuing the case in state court without jurisdiction over federal campaign finance violations in presidential elections.

Federal prosecutors have not charged Trump with breaking the law in the alleged hush-money scheme, though his former attorney and fixer, Michael Cohen, pled guilty in 2018 to campaign finance violations and making false statements.

It's not clear what the DA (Bragg) intends to show is, what we would call the underlying or the predicate offense, Mattei said.

Mattei also predicted that Trumps attorneys will immediately seek to have the case dismissed on procedural grounds such as falling outside the statute of limitations.

If that is not successful, he said Trump will likely have to argue that he either did not know about Cohens payments to Stormy Daniels  the pornographic actress with whom Trump allegedly had an affair  or that he knew about the payments but was not directing them to further some other crime.
S chools in England face five days of teacher walkouts in the summer term and possible action into the autumn as the UKs largest education union is set to re-ballot members in a dispute over pay.

Delegates at the National Education Unions (NEU) annual conference have voted in support of a three-day strike in late June/early July.

It comes after the union announced two further strike days on April 27 and May 2 after 98% of NEU members, who responded in a consultative ballot, voted to turn down the Governments pay offer.

A motion, passed at the unions conference in Harrogate, also called on the executive to use the exam period next month to begin a re-ballot of teacher members in England on further industrial action later this year.

If the Government does not resolve the current pay dispute the NEU will re-ballot members for a renewed mandate for further industrial action in the next academic year

If successful, the re-ballot could lead to strikes across schools in England into the next academic year.

After a period of intensive talks with unions, the Government offered teachers a 1,000 one-off payment for the current school year (2022/23) and an average 4.5% pay rise for staff next year (2023/24).

The Governments pay deal was described as paltry and inadequate by delegates at the NEUs conference.

The urgent motion on pay, passed at the conference on Tuesday, says it is vital that the union plans a programme of escalating strike action, political lobbying and community campaigning that can bring the maximum social weight to bear on the Government throughout the summer term, and beyond.

Escalation would either involve a greater number of consecutive days than previously or more frequent strikes, the motion says.

The unions executive is due to confirm the specific dates of the planned strikes in late June/early July on May 18.

Many schools in England were forced to partially or fully close during strikes staged by the NEU in February and March as a result of a dispute over pay.

Delegates at the conference voted against an amendment of the motion which called for four further strike days to be held during the exam period in May and June this year.

Members voiced concerns that disrupting pupils exams would lead to a decline in support for the unions campaign on pay.

Thomas Hoskins, from West Kent, told conference: We must continue to remind parents that we are trustworthy. For 14 years they send us their most precious people in their lives to nurture, to care for and to inspire.

If we disrupt exam classes I feel that we will lose some credit there

If they trust us with that charge, then please trust us with why we are striking. However, if we disrupt exam classes I feel that we will lose some credit there.

Kevin Courtney, joint general secretary of the NEU, said: As this Education Secretary appears not to care about the run-down and demoralised education system, the NEU will be stepping up our campaign for fair pay for teachers.

He added: If the Government does not resolve the current pay dispute the NEU will re-ballot members for a renewed mandate for further industrial action in the next academic year.

Wales and Scotland have both reached settlements on teacher pay. It is about time that the Westminster Government gets serious and gets back round the table to resolve this dispute.

What has been offered so far is clearly nothing short of insulting as our ballot showed, with an overwhelming 98% of teacher members in England rejecting the offer.

We are aware that there will be speculation about whether we will move to a formal ballot on industrial action, a step we have not yet taken because we have been focused on trying to resolve this situation through negotiation

Education Secretary Gillian Keegan has said the teaching unions rejection of the pay offer will result in more disruption for children and less money for teachers, adding that it is extremely disappointing.

Downing Street said the Government has no plans to make an improved offer after the existing one was rejected.

Members of the NASUWT teaching union, the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) and the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) have also been asked for feedback on the pay offer.

Overall, 87% of ASCL members, who took part in a survey on the pay offer, voted to turn down the deal. The turnout was 56% in the consultative ballot.

After costing children almost a week of time in the classroom and with exams fast approaching, it is unforgiveable that the NEU are re-balloting for more strike action up until Christmas this year

Among members who voted to reject the offer, 69% said inadequacy of the additional funding provided to schools for the 2023/24 pay award was the most significant factor in their decision to vote against the deal.

The ASCLs executive committee will reconvene after the Easter break to consider its next steps.

Geoff Barton, general secretary of the ASCL, said: We are aware that there will be speculation about whether we will move to a formal ballot on industrial action, a step we have not yet taken because we have been focused on trying to resolve this situation through negotiation.

This is certainly an option that will be discussed but we would emphasise that no decision on this front has been taken in either direction.

A Department for Education (DfE) spokeswoman said: After costing children almost a week of time in the classroom and with exams fast approaching, it is unforgiveable that the NEU are re-balloting for more strike action up until Christmas this year.

She added: The offer was funded, including major new investment of over half-a-billion pounds, and helps tackle issues teachers are facing like workload.

NEU and ASCLs decision to reject this offer will simply result in more disruption for children and less money for teachers today.
L ast week the City of London Corporation revealed that the capital was now sharing its position as the worlds number one financial centre with New York. Interestingly not so much because Londons score had diminished, it was the same as last year, but because New York had improved its performance in key areas of finance.

This piece of news prompted the repetition of hare-brained ideas that will supposedly make London more appealing to international investors.

My favourite is the bizarre Edinburgh Reforms announced in December 2022. These propose a loosening of the current ring-fencing rules around deposits to give banks greater flexibility with depositors money (that translates to taking more risk for more return  maybe).

Considering the recent collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and subsequent contagion fears, this just looks reckless to me.

A prime suspect for Londons woes are UK pension funds. At first glance, this doesnt look misplaced. UK pension fund asset allocation has changed radically in the last 25 years or so. In 1997 they had a 53% weighting to UK equities, last year it was down to just 6%. A smoking gun.

Or it would be if it wasnt for the fact that this enormous drop is not the disease, its the symptom. The disease is the lack of growth in equities and, importantly, the much touted economic reforms promised seven years ago by Brexiteers that were never clearly explained, let alone implemented.

UK pension funds have behaved like global investors in a globalised world, following quality Initial Public Offerings and equities where they find them. Personally, I feel reassured by pension fund chief investment officers lack of misplaced patriotism. They are there to make a return for investors, after all.

London cant just stand still. So, what now? Wheres the growth opportunity? Could it be in crypto?

On February 1 this year, the Government announced that it will set out ambitious plans to robustly regulate cryptoasset activities  providing confidence and clarity to consumers and businesses alike.

One wonders if our diligent folks in Government ever talk to each other. On one hand, we have the Edinburgh Reforms that do away with regulations, and on the other, we want to create a robust regulatory standard for crypto assets.

There isnt much detail from the announcement, but regulating a market of more than $1.2 trillion of assets, that trades $30 billion-plus every 24 hours (and this is the crypto winter period) looks like a big opportunity for London. Currently, no other global financial centre could be described as the quality go-to marketplace.

Understanding what can and what should be regulated in the crypto sector are the first important steps to building a respected regulatory environment. The UK Government needs to be specific about the types of crypto companies it wants to oversee. Diminishing reputational risk becomes easier if you dont try to regulate rubbish.

Avoiding meme coins, for example, whose growth is based on a supportive community (whatever that is?) would help, and sticking with cryptocurrencies built around innovative businesses, rather than Elon Musks tweets, would be a good choice for regulation.

Of course, there will always be bad actors in crypto, as in all businesses. I would, however, consider this. On November 6, 2022, there was a red flag on a blockchain movement of FTX native cryptocurrency FTT. Within five weeks, Sam Bankman-Fried was arrested for fraud. It took more than 34 years to arrest Bernie Madoff.

Its time for London to be the centre of quality cryptocurrency business regulation before another city gets the crown.

Stefan AlleschTaylor is a serial entrepreneur and professor of practice at Kings College London
W hether you agreed or disagreed with him, there was no denying that Nigel Lawson was a big beast of British politics in a way that few of his successors came close to matching  with the arguable exceptions of Gordon Brown and George Osborne.

He was one of the few Cabinet ministers with the self-confidence to stand up to Margaret Thatcher and his Budgets were genuinely dramatic Parliamentary set-pieces compared with todays insipid pre-briefed statements.

The mark he left on London is immense. The Big Bang reforms of 1986 revolutionised the way the City did business and ended once and for all the era of long lunches and the restrictive practices that threatened to turn the Stock Exchange into a quaint backwater on the world stage.

The huge influx of foreign money that flooded into London in the wake of Big Bang marked the start of a Golden Age for the capital that made it the pre-eminent global metropolis for the best part of three decades.

But there are worrying signs that this reign may be coming to an end. The Citys status as the worlds leading international financial centre is under threat from a rejuvenated New York and the rising capitals of Asia. Brexit  a cause that Nigel Lawson enthusiastically backed  and the Governments failure to champion London also threaten to undermine its status on the world stage.

Without the capital firing on all cylinders the UK economy cannot prosper. London once again needs a Chancellor who recognises that reality.
B illionaire Richard Bransons ambitious plans to launch the first satellites from the UK came crashing down to earth today after the company into which he had poured over $1 billion in cash filed for bankruptcy.

Virgin Orbit, which Branson founded in 2017, said it had commenced a Chapter 11 proceedings at a US Bankruptcy Court in the District of Delaware in order to sell the business after being unable to attract enough funding to secure its future.

A Virgin Group spokesperson said: Richard Branson and the Virgin Group have supported Virgin Orbit over the long term, investing more than $1 billion in the Company, including $60 million since November 2022.

However, this significant funding was not enough to counter the strong headwinds and liquidity challenges Virgin Orbit continues to face.

Virgin Orbit CEO Dan Hart said: We believe that the cutting-edge launch technology that this team has created will have wide appeal to buyers as we continue in the process to sell the company.

Virgin Orbit said it did not have enough resources to put together an annual report for 2022. The firm said it expects to post a loss for the year of $157 million and was sitting on a deficit of over $1 billion.

Last week, the company abruptly sacked 85% of its workforce, amounting to nearly 700 employees as it warned it had not generated sufficient revenues to provide sufficient cash flows to enable us to finance our operations, and may not be able to raise sufficient capital to do so.

In January Virgin Orbits attempt at its first ever satellite launch from UK ended in failure after the system experienced an anomaly at some point during the firing of the rockets second stage engine, ending the mission prematurely.

The company was adamant its inaugural launch attempt was a major step forward and vowed to return to orbit as soon as we have completed a full investigation and mission assurance process.

The decision to file for bankruptcy comes as a major blow to the UK governments space ambitions, for which the companys projects were considered a lynchpin.

Transport secretary Mark Harper had previously described the activity of Virgin Orbit as reinforcing our position as a leading space nation as we look to the future of spaceflight, which can spur growth and innovation across the sector, as well as creating thousands of jobs and apprenticeships.

Bransons share in the New York-listed business had been worth more than $2 billion at its peak in late 2021, but has plunged 97% over the past year and could now be worthless. The entrepreneur, who also founded space tourism business Virgin Galactic, is worth 3.7 billion according to an Evening Standard estimate.
Senior diplomats from Russia, Turkey, Syria and Iran wrapped up two days of talks in Moscow Tuesday, part of the Kremlin's efforts to help broker a rapprochement between the Turkish and Syrian governments.

Russian and Turkish foreign ministries issued terse readouts, saying the diplomats have discussed preparations for a planned meeting of the four countries foreign ministers.

Moscow described the consultations as frank and direct, and Ankara said they were held in a transparent and clear manner, while offering no details.

Russia has waged a military campaign in Syria since September 2015, teaming up with Iran to allow Assads government to fight armed opposition groups and reclaim control over most of the country.

While the bulk of the Russian military has been busy fighting in Ukraine, Moscow has maintained its military foothold in Syria and kept warplanes and troops at its bases there.

The Kremlin has also made persistent efforts to help Syria rebuild fractured ties with other countries in the region, including neighboring Turkey, which has backed armed opposition to Assad throughout the 12-year conflict.

In December, Moscow hosted a surprise meeting of the Turkish and Syrian defense ministers, the first such encounter since Syria's uprising-turned-civil-war began in 2011.

Ayman Sousan, Syria's deputy foreign minister who attended the talks in Moscow, thanked Russia and Iran for their help in confronting terrorism in remarks carried by the state news agency SANA.

Sousan blasted other countries that took advantage of the situation created by this war to illegally send their forces to Syria and supported terrorist groups.

Turkey has backed armed opposition groups in Syria that have sought to overthrow Assads government during the civil war, which has killed nearly 500,000 people and displaced half of the countrys prewar population.

Turkey de facto controls large swathes of northwestern Syria, and Sousan emphasized that the withdrawal of Turkish forces from Syrian territory is a prerequisite for a normalization of ties.

But even as Turkey has supported Syrian opposition fighters in the north, Ankara and Damascus are equally dismayed over the U.S.-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces in Syrias northeast.

Turkey-backed opposition fighters have clashed with the SDF in the past, accusing them of being an arm of Turkeys outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK. The PKK has for decades waged an insurgency within Turkey against the government in Ankara.

Assads government has cast the SDF as a secessionist force that has been pilfering the countrys wealth while controlling Syrias major oil fields.

The efforts toward a Turkish-Syrian reconciliation come as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who faces presidential and parliamentary elections in May, is under intense pressure at home to send Syrian refugees back amid a steep economic downturn and an increasing anti-refugee sentiment.

The reconciliation efforts between Syria and Turkey topped the agenda for Russian President Vladimir Putin's talks with Assad when he visited Moscow last month.

After the catastrophic earthquake that struck Syria and Turkey in February, international sympathy appeared to have sped up the regional rapprochement.

Some have called for dialogue with Syria and for bringing the country back to the 22-member Arab League more than a decade after its membership was suspended over the crackdown in the early months of the uprising that turned into war and has killed nearly half a million people.

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T he tech landscape gave a collective shudder last month as Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) was taken in hand by US regulators. Americas 16th largest bank had tried to plug a $2.5 billion gap in its books with a capital raise, but when news spread that the institution was looking for cash it quickly ran dry of another precious commodity  confidence.

SVBs share price plummeted by 60 per cent while customers and investors came down with a severe case of the jitters. The result of all this? Account holders pulled funds, and two days after it announced the deficit, SVB became a former bank.

This side of the Atlantic, HSBC gallantly swooped in and bought SVBs UK division for 1. The search for a new owner here was apparently dubbed Project Yeti, and prime minister Rishi Sunak and Bank of England boss Andrew Bailey are understood to have been scrambling for a backup plan in case the scheme failed.

This episode was a near miss for some 3,000 UK customers of the fallen institution who would have seen funds vanish without intervention.

But what happens next? And what lessons can we draw from the sudden evaporation of SVB?

Contingency coffers

The first lesson is a simple one for founders who housed company coffers with SVB - dont keep all your funds in one place. While the finance world has attempted to pour cold water on the idea that this collapse is indicative of a wider disaster on the way, this episode has delivered a short sharp shock to entrepreneurs.

Smart ones will be more prudent on where they store their cash, and with whom. We can expect the roll-out of more products that help founders make contingency plans. Extra lines of credit, emergency funds and backup pots will be the preserve of the prepared.

Cultural void, or a maturing sector?

While founders breathed a sigh of relief that their funds were safe, many questioned whether HSBC, a heritage bank, is apt to take on the job of helping bleeding-edge tech firms.

The banks size (and a global balance sheet of $3 trillion) makes it among the safest of ports to take in the stricken UK arm of SVB, but what about the culture of innovation that founders loved at SVB? The US-founded bank was lauded by customers for specialising in high-growth start-ups, a category that is unlike traditional businesses.

For instance, a fast-scaling tech unicorn gets a hunk of investment early on in its life, then uses that to build its product and grab market share before actually becoming profitable. Companies like these are less likely to take conventional loans or overdrafts, both of which are services that banks charge interest for.

Whether HSBC and its new slew of tech entrepreneur customers prove to be a good match remains to be seen.

Theres a more optimistic view to take here. Start-ups switching to a tried and tested financial partner like HSBC (from a more daring, less stable one like SVB) could signal a maturing of the sector.

As the era of free money comes to an abrupt halt and founders are encouraged to put profit and prudence ahead of break-neck, cash-haemorrhaging growth, perhaps a more austere bank is in keeping with the times.

Refreshingly, the UK has an opportunity to lead the US in pushing ahead with this era of realism, putting businesses that solve real problems ahead of founders who use Keynote charisma to extract funds on the never-never. Heres hoping that HSBC emerges as a grown-up bank for a grown-up sector.
R ishi Sunak is more popular than his party. As a result, the question was always whether the Prime Minister would pull the Conservatives up to his level, or be dragged down to theirs? It is too soon to tell.

In recent weeks, it appeared that the Tories might be gaining ground, reducing Labour leads from 25 percentage points to 15 in one poll. But the latest Ipsos poll for the Standard shows the Tories 23 points behind the Opposition, with two-thirds believing it is time for a change.

There is good news for Sunak. He has returned to neck-and-neck with Sir Keir Starmer as the most capable Prime Minister following policy successes, from the Windsor Framework on Northern Ireland to the recent Budget.

Meanwhile, there are some awkward questions for Starmer, with the proportion who disagree he is ready to be prime minister rising to 40 per cent.

Next months local elections therefore represent an important moment for both party leaders, and a stress test for the polls. Significant Labour gains would add to the sense that the party is in prime position to form the next government. A strong Tory showing would add real weight to the narrative that Sunak can lead a revival.

Both parties can be in no doubt  the next general election is all to play for.

Trump not going away

It would be tempting to believe that today represents the start of justice catching up with Donald Trump. That may end up being mere wishful thinking.

Later on, the Secret Service will escort the former president from Trump Tower in New York to lower Manhattan to be fingerprinted and hear the charges against him, before he is expected to plead not guilty. It will also be the first time Mr Trump will learn the precise details of the criminal charges, which result from hush money payments allegedly made to porn star Stormy Daniels in 2016.

There are signs that Mr Trump is exploiting the case politically. He has extended his lead in the Republican primary and raised millions of dollars for his campaign.

With no guarantee that either court cases or his Republican opponents will prevent Mr Trump from winning the nomination, it might fall to President Biden again to try and block his path to the White House.

Liquid rule lifted

Modern air travel raises some unexpectedly metaphysical questions. For example, is marmalade a liquid or a solid? What about peanut butter?

These  as well as the tiny plastic bags  have been consigned to the past, at least at London City Airport, which has scrapped the 100ml liquid rule thanks to the installation of new CT scanners which produce a high-resolution 3D scan of passengers luggage.

Travellers can now carry up to two litres in their hand baggage, enough preserves to last an entire Easter holiday.
Y esterday the Government released a report that found rape and sexual assault victims who pre-record their evidence are more likely to have a better experience of the court process. The measure, which has been available in all crown courts in England and Wales since September last year, has made the experience less intimidating for victims and survivors since they do not have to face their alleged attackers in the full glare of a courtroom.

As much as I welcome this move by the Government, more needs to be done  and now.

Last month Rape Crisis England & Wales release a critical report titled Breaking Point: the re-traumatisation of rape and sexual abuse survivors in the Crown Courts backlog.

The title of the report speaks for itself, but the numbers in it are eye-watering. There are currently 7,859 sexual offence cases, and 1,851 adult rape cases waiting for a trial date or for the trial to start.

I cannot tell you how incredibly painful it is to read these numbers. Because I know the courage it takes to report a sexual offence or rape. I have held the hands of friends as they have done so. I have sat in coffee shops with others as they talked about their experiences and why they chose not to report them. Many of us know how brutal the criminal justice system is for women and girls and that is one of the reasons I took on a role as an independent advisor to the Home Office.

The reality is that the failure of consecutive governments to address not just the criminal justice system but also education and the social impact of toxic male behaviour has led to a UK where men are getting away with rape, while women and girls live in fear.

This is not just my view, it is backed up by The Breaking Point report which shows that victims and survivors of rape and other serious sexual offences are waiting the longest to have their experiences heard in court, with an average wait of 839 days from report to completion in court.

Now we need to be braver.

We need to be fast-tracking sexual offence cases, which would actually be beneficial for the accused. Justice delayed is justice denied  for both sides.

I say that because of course I always believe survivors, but delays also affect those who might be innocent. The report made other recommendations alongside fast-tracking cases. The one which stood out for me was the need for specialist sexual offence courts where all staff receive trauma-informed training.

This is a brilliant idea. I dont see why the Government cant just set up special courts to hear sexual offence cases. We have these for organised crime and crimes within financial services, we could do this for rape and sexual assault cases. This would not just speed things up but would give people confidence in the system and in convictions.

Over to the Ministry of Justice, then.

Millennials are being left behind

Last week Onward, a London-based think-tank, published a report that found people felt too busy or too knackered to participate in leisure activities. Knowing Onward, I knew they were talking about us millennials as the people and thought they could have just sent us a a short note, saying You are old.

Honestly, I think we are the forgotten generation  we dont have a retirement plan, we cant afford to buy property in the cities we are contributing to, we feel guilty for taking a break, and then we burn out.

Having said that, I do think we all dream of living the simple life a la the Paris Hilton show Id rather follow her life than that of TikTok stars.

Us millennials need to find a life-work balance, but with the generation who are now the PM and First Ministers of this country I dont see that happening anytime soon.

Instead, we will just keep sending each other bittersweet videos of how much we hate our jobs and have no down time. A Simple Life, of sorts.
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Mass teacher strikes in England have been voted through at the National Education Unions conference in Harrogate.

Teachers are set to walkout within weeks after a huge majority of NEU members turned down an offer they described as insulting.

More than 191,000 teachers in England voted to reject education secretary Gillian Keegans offer, an overwhelming 98 per cent of members on a turnout of 66 per cent.

The government proposed an additional one-off 1,000 payment for teachers, plus an average 4.5 per cent rise for most staff next school year.

But now, industrial action has been announced for Thursday 27 April and Tuesday 2 May.

Keegan described the ballot result as extremely disappointing and said the government had negotiated in good faith.

The latest strike days come as pupils Years 11 and 13 knuckle down for their GSCE and A Levels preaparations.

To discuss the repercussions of the NEU vote and the classroom jobs drain, the Leader podcasts joined by Baz Ramaiah, a former London teacher and head of policy at the Centre for Education and Youth.

Listen above, and find us on your Spotify Daily Drive or wherever you stream your podcasts.
R ussias information and propaganda campaigns are becoming more erratic and incomprehensible by the day. It is hard to discern who they benefit, certainly not the personal autocracy of Vladimir Putin. These may be the first signs of Russia being a house divided over the conduct and leadership of its forces in the Ukraine war.

Last Wednesday Evan Gershkovich, 31, of the Wall Street Journal, was arrested on serious charges of espionage  the implication being that he was about to reveal unpalatable truths about Russias war economy. The arrest of such a prominent correspondent is unprecedented in post-Cold War Russia, a sign of reckless defiance or desperation from the Kremlin, maybe.

Equally obscure is the weekend assassination of the pro-war blogger Maksim Fomin, aka Vladlen Tatarsky, at the Street Food Bar # 1 in St Petersburg, a known haunt of Cyber Z ultranationalists who say they are Russias information troops.

Tatarskys blogs frequently criticised the conduct of Russia in the war in Ukraine, where he spent time reporting from the front line. Criticism of the Putin Kremlin was ill-concealed, by implication. The bar had been set up by Putins erstwhile ally, now critic, Yevgeny Prigozhin, leader and founder of the Wagner mercenary group.

Within 24 hours we have had the rather dodgy videoed confession of the bombing by Darya Trepova, a former peace demonstrator allegedly linked to the leading dissident Alexander Navalny. Navalny supporters have said the whole thing is a fake, possibly the work of the security service, the FSB.

The sense of in-fighting was enhanced by Prigozhin saying his Wagner troops had at last conquered Bakhmut, the bloodiest battleground in the war so far, hoisting the Russian flag at the town hall. Within hours of this, however, it became clear that Ukraines forces still held strategic parts of the town.

As an exercise in misdirection, all the sound, fury and propaganda would hardly qualify Putins men as conjurors worthy of the Magic Circle. They have failed to distract Russians at large from two brutal facts. Today Finland joins Nato, more than doubling the common land frontier between Nato allies and Russia. With Sweden likely to follow this summer, the Baltic becomes a Nato lake dominating maritime access to St Petersburg, Russias most important European port.

Second, the propaganda tricks cant hide the fact that Ukraine will start a crucial set of offensives. In the past 14 months Kyivs commanders have proved themselves the equal or better at military bluff than the Kremlin.

This time they will play the Russians at their own well-established game of maskyrovska, a series of feints and manoeuvres in which the real main attack is only rvealed at the last possible moment. I suspect a series of strikes are being prepared from Kharkiv to Kherson and the Crimea, with a number of guerrilla operations inside Russian-held territory and along the border.

As long as the principal allies of Nato and the EU stay solid, led by the US, Germany, France and the UK, Ukraine can prove this summer that Russias current plans court disaster. For all the bluster and fantasy propaganda, Putin is now appearing less and less in control of the timetable and agenda for his countrys destiny.
Review at a glance









T he Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood had sisters, you know, and at this exhibition on the Rossettis, you dont just get the famous poet, Christina, but works by Elizabeth Siddal who married Dante Gabriel Rossetti. So as well as the normal run of Pre-Raphaelite paintings  and if bee-stung lips, voluminous hair and languor are your thing, look no further  theres lots of poetry on the walls.

Boy, it was a weird family. There were, in fact, four siblings, but William and Maria dont really count. The father was a political exile from Italy. The children were precocious artists and poets, with Christina featuring in her brothers works, most strikingly as a shrinking Virgin Mary in a novel take on the Annunciation.

She worked charitably with former prostitutes (she was a committed Anglican); her brother painted girls on the street quite literally in Found, his picture of an honest yeoman who comes to London only to find his former girlfriend crouching on the pavement by Westminster Bridge. Sentiment, story and moral: all there.

DGR had a stock cast of types  from his Italian poet namesake Dante, from Goethes Faust (the mad girlfriend) and Edgar Allen Poe. Think medieval and manic, punctuated with exalted religious sentiment. Between him and others in the circle (notably Holman Hunt and Millais) there was a marked similarity: same faces, gestures, subjects.

It was a flight from Victorian industrialism and urbanism, but it was repetitive, though there are some vivid early sketches from real life. What would have been useful would have been a fuller explanation of the Pre-Raphaelite project, and of the Aestheticism which followed. Instead we get some nice wallpaper.

Tate Britain

This being the Tate, we are treated to stern views on empire and orientalism, especially in the context of The Beloved, DGRs take on the Song of Songs, with, oddly, a white-skinned bride. And yet the sketches in the same room of a beautiful black youth who appears in the foreground of the picture, and of other black and mixed race children, are exquisite.

The home life of Dante Gabriel anticipated the Bloomsbury Group. He married Siddal, a former milliner, who was no mean artist  there are some pleasing pencil and ink drawings  if not quite the genius that is suggested in this exhibition. He had a liaison with Fanny Cornforth, another model, too and, after Elizabeths death, with William Morriss wife Jane. There are 13 photographs of Jane here, where she looks as Pre-Raphaelite as her pictures.

Physically they were all of a type, and in pictures like Lilith, the Siren or Joan of Arc, their voluptuous attributes are almost hallucinogenic. Talking of which, theres an interesting note here on the mental illness that afflicted Dante Gabriel, Christina and Elizabeth, as well as the ubiquity of opioids and DGRs dependence on chloral for his last decade. It explains a lot.

There are splendid loans here from Delaware and private collections, which make a visit worthwhile. But you come out of this show reeling from a hothouse surfeit of sensuousness and big hair.

Tate Britain, to September 24; tate.org.uk
N apoleon, Ridley Scotts next historical drama epic, finally has a release date as Apple Original Films announced today that the film will premiere in theatres worldwide on November 22.

Its thrilling news for both Scott fans and history buffs, who have been waiting years for the film to come to fruition.

Napoleon will tell the story of Napoleon Bonapartes rise to power  battles and war strategy a plenty  while also focusing on his volatile relationship with his wife Empress Josephine. Joaquin Phoenix will play the French Emperor, while Vanessa Kirby will play Josephine.

With Napoleon, I think we dug in and found the character, or as close to what he may have been, said Scott to Empire in December. Joaquin is probably the most special, thoughtful actor Ive ever worked with.

Other cast members include French actors Tahar Rahim (The Mauritanian) and Ludivine Sagnier (The Serpent Queen), and British actors Ben Miles (V for Vendetta), Matthew Needham (Sanditon), Youssef Kerkour (House of Gucci) and Phil Cornwell (Mrs Browns Boys).

The epic has been written by David Scarpa who wrote The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008) and All the Money in the World (2017).

However, the script was apparently somewhat rewritten for Phoenix: With Joaquin, we can rewrite the goddamn film because hes uncomfortable. And that kind of happened with Napoleon, said Scott. We unpicked the film to help him focus on who Bonaparte was. I had to respect that, because what was being said was incredibly constructive. It made it all grow bigger and better.

85-year-old Scott has been involved with so many epic projects that its hard to keep track, but the Blade Runner directors Gladiator (2000), in which he also worked with Phoenix, and The Last Duel (2021) a historical action drama that starred Matt Damon, Adam Driver, Jodie Comer and Ben Affleck, are closest to the upcoming Napoleon. Gladiator was nominated for 12 Oscars and won five, including Best picture.

As well as making Napoleon, Phoenix has four other films in the works. He will star in Ari Asters Beau is Afraid, which will be released later this month; he is returning to play the Joker in Todd Phillips sequel Joker: Folie a Deux; and there have been reports that he will star in two films with his fiancee Rooney Mara: in Lynn Ramsays Polaris, which is reportedly an adaptation of a Margaret Atwood story, and in Pawel Pawlikowskis thriller The Island, a drama about an American couple who move to a deserted island in the Thirties.

Napoleon is set to be released in cinemas on November 22, before streaming globally on AppleTV+
Succession season 1-4 spoilers below

In Succession season 4 episode 2, Connor is having a bad day. His fiancee Willa has scarpered from their rehearsal dinner, and his siblings, who should be distracting him, are busy discussing the GoJo and Waystar Royco deal. Theres really only one thing that Connor wants to do to drown his sorrows and thats sing karaoke.

Would it be possible to do anything other than that in the entire universe? says Roman, and the idea gets abandoned. But later, Connor floats it again, I would like to sing one f***ing song at karaoke, because I have seen it in the movies, and nobody ever wants to go, he says. And so the young Roys finally take him for a sing song.

But which exact films with karaoke scenes has Connor been watching? There are loads, of course, but they dont seem very Connor. Here are our best guesses, in no particular order.

Lost In Translation (2003)

Its on the list because its the greatest karaoke scene in a film of all time. ScarJo and Bill Murray are glorious throughout this Sofia Coppola slow romance film, and theres no greater sequence than when the duo go for a night out on the town in Tokyo and end up in a karaoke room. Has Connor watched Lost in Translation though? Almost certainly not.

Bridget Jones Diary (2001)

Another fantastic karaoke moment on screen is when our good friend Bridget (Renee Zellweger) is belting out Harry Nilssons Without You, drunk at a Christmas party while her hot but evil boss, Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant) looks on. We think Connor actually could have watched Bridget Jones. We imagine that he watched it with a girlfriend, found the English accents odd and amusing, found the humour a little bizarre, but enjoyed the sweet love story at the centre of the film.

The Cable Guy (1996)

Were pretty certain that Connor saw this Nineties thriller comedy starring Jim Carrey and directed by Ben Stiller, about a kooky cable installer. We are guessing that Con isnt the biggest fan of Jim Carrey  hes a bit weird, after all  we have the eldest Roy pinned as more of a John Wayne guy. But, we reckon he would have enjoyed the films barmy karaoke scene.

My Best Friends Wedding (1997)

We love this scene of Cameron Diaz playing the beautiful Kimmy Wallace, belting her heart out while maybe being the least talented person, ever, at singing karaoke. Would Connor have seen this film? We think yes. Sure, its a romcom, but its also about sportswriter Michael ONeal (Dermot Mulroney) who has two of Hollywoods biggest babes  Diaz and Julia Roberts  playing women who are interested in him.

When Harry Met Sally (1989)

When Harry Met Sally has the eldest Roy written all over it: the film was a massive hit, its sweet, sincere and very American, and, were assuming, Connor was in his early twenties when it was released, meaning he was old enough to have gone to the cinema to see it (unlike his siblings). It also stands out in the list as a kind of non-karaoke karaoke scene, as Harry and Sally sing to each other in US electronics store The Sharper Image.

Ted (2012)

This chaotic scene is not one of our top karaoke moments, but we think it could be one of Connors. Sure, he chooses to sing Leonard Cohens depressing but brilliant track Famous Blue Raincoat when the gang go to the karaoke bar (which tells us that he might take himself a little bit too seriously for Ted). But, something about him makes us think he could have a soft spot for the crude humour in Seth MacFarlane satirical comedy.

Succession is currently streaming on Sky and NOW
Two words. That was all it took for Internet sleuths and tabloids to start frantically speculating about the status of one of the worlds most famous couples.

A beauty is what rapper Travis Scott wrote underneath an Instagram grid shot of the mother of his two children, Kylie Jenner, smouldering in a body-con dress during a photo shoot for her new Kylash mascara line. That she is his ex and he would compliment her publicly in this way seemed so incomprehensible  they must be getting back together, right?

But the duo has been on/off for years and in that time have never bad mouthed one another: whether they are back together or not, they are just one of many (former) couples who are consistently nice to each other online  and in the press.

Jenners sister, Khloe Kardashian could teach a masterclass in being magnanimous to errant partners. She regularly celebrates and compliments her ex Tristan Thompson, who cheated on her numerous times and even fathered a child with personal trainer Maralee Nichols behind Kardashians back, writing things like Happy birthday @realtristan13. You are truly the best father, brother & uncle on Instagram for her millions of followers to see.

Harry Styles is congratulated on his Grammy by ex-girlfriend Taylor Swift / Getty Images

Zach Braff and Florence Pugh are always popping up in each others comments, Gwyneth Paltrow posts selfies of her and ex-husband Chris Martin with thoughtful captions such as Happy birthday to the sweetest father and friend We love you. The Goop founder recently had Scarlett Johansson on her podcast, at one point drawing attention to the actresss equally famous ex-husband: we love a good Ryan Reynolds in our home, Paltrow laughs, before Johansson gives her final approval rating (hes a good guy!) Miranda Kerr is endlessly supportive of ex-husband Orlando Blooms new wife Katy Perry  the pair often have online dialogue, proving you can be friends not only with your ex, but with his new wife too. Taylor Swift was videoed jumping out of her seat to give ex Harry Styles a standing ovation at the Grammys when he won Album of the Year last month.

Scarlett Johansson says her ex-husband Ryan Reynolds is a good guy / AFP via Getty Images

But its not just a Hollywood thing. On more local turf, yesterday Strictly Come Dancing professional Katya Jones shared her ex-husband and co-stars Instagram announcement that he was expecting his first child with new girlfriend, former Love Island contestant Chyna Mills. So happy for these two! Katya wrote in her Stories. @mr_njonesoffiicial You deserve all the happiness.

Theres so much rage and snark out there in the world that its comforting to see people who are no longer together being kind to each other. Being nice to your ex speaks to confidence, emotional maturity, high self-esteem  all the coveted personality traits. Being the bigger person feels empowering, for sure, and its kind, yes.

But, to get cynical, its also a great look and, more often than not, an extremely canny PR move.

The public nature of social media, especially for famous people  literally millions of pairs of eyes guaranteed to be watching how you behave towards a former flame  means any comment or content is likely to have been carefully considered.

Also, dignity and composure is very chic (he wasnt her ex and this didnt happen on social media but it sure as heck is all over it now: Gwyneth Paltrow telling the optometrist who compared her to King Kong while trying to sue her for $300k in an orange Utah courtroom: I wish you well before she gracefully swept out is causing a viral sensation).

Neil Jones remains on good terms with ex-wife Katya / Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images

Hilda Burke, integrated psychotherapist and author of the Phone Addiction Workbook, points out that many celebrities have an entire team of publicists to either manage or advise on their presence  online or otherwise. And its certainly true that social media is the perfect place to make statements and control ones own image. These can be heavily filtered and diplomatic and possibly not at all reflective of whats going on, says Burke. People want to be perceived well  there is image maintenance going on.

Of course, people are capable of doing things unselfishly and altruistically, but when theres an audience involved theres always the benefit of everyone witnessing you being lovely. Two things can be true at once  you can be genuinely nice to your ex while simultaneously exploiting the power of free online publicity.

Khloe Kardashian and Tristan Thompson / Instagram/ Khloe Kardashian

This is certainly what some people thought of Scotts comment to Jenner, with one online commentator writing she needed more eyes on her product launch date post. pr be pr-ing while another wrote bet Kris Jenner hacked his account  referring to the beauty moguls ambitious momager.

Obviously, there are plenty of examples of celebrity exes throwing shade at one another online  and it always makes for compelling viewing for gossip mongers. It is also a show of unbridled authenticity and anger that is beyond a publicists control  and that it strangely refreshing as well as riveting.

Gwyneth Paltrow has only good things to say about her ex Chris Martin / Colin Young-Wolff/Invision/AP

Of course, its a matter of degree. A snarky one-liner or a well-timed meme can speak volumes: Diplo once tweeted that he couldnt remember having sex with Katy Perry after she declared him the worst in bed, meanwhile Rihanna once posted to Instagram the statement that None of my exs (sic) are married or in happy relationships so its safe to say that I wasnt da problem lol.

But it all begins to curdle when wronged parties are uploading essays or teary to camera monologues to their grids at all hours of the day and night. They delete and repeat feverishly and you just feel grimy watching someone in crisis relentlessly proffer their suffering to the guaranteed cruelty of the Internet.

This was the case with actor Alice Evans  whose husband Ioan Gruffudd filed for divorce in 2021 precipitating her to unleash a host of social media content  including texts between Gruffudd and one of their children  in which she let her heartbreak, anger and devastation rip, over and over. She received a three-year restraining order from Gruffudd and has been ordered, by law, not to make any mention of him on social media again.

Florence Pugh and Zach Braff / Dave Benett

Hilda Burke believes that outbursts of anger are often cathartic in the moment.

I have worked with clients who have maybe not called out an ex publicly but have written bitter messages and in the cold light of day have reflected and been regretful, she explains. It provides relief but when we speak to someone in an abusive or belittling tone no matter what theyve done or if its justified its self-sabotage. Its not so much [about] dignity as its more regulating ones own emotions. When our emotions get dysregulated like that its generally harmful to us.

When armchair sleuths and gossip columnists seize on the smallest crumbs in Instagrams vast pantry in order to build a story it must be frustrating if youre in the public eye, but when that certainty is turned on its head, theyve got self-generated publicity at their fingertips 24 hours a day. The question is  would they do it if no one could see?
A day commemorating (supposed) dragon slaying and tales of knighthood - its only St Georges Day.

The national day is acknowledged by many Christian churches and dedicated to the patron saint of England, St George.

This springtime celebration, also known as The Feast of George, is the perfect opportunity to fly your English flag - literally and figuratively.

It is not quite a holiday from work but you can still celebrate the anniversary of St Georges historic triumph this April.

Heres everything you need to know about St Georges Day:

St Georges Day is celebrated annually on April 23. / Getty Images

When is St Georges Day?

St Georges Day is typically celebrated on April 23 - the day of the patron saints death in 303 AD.

The UK does not hold a bank holiday on St Georges Day but as it falls on a Sunday this year, many will have the day off.

What is St Georges Day?

St Georges Day is a Christian feast day commemorating Saint George of Lydda, who was executed by the Romans on April 23 more than 1,000 years ago.

According to legend, St George was born in Cappadocia, in what is now modern day Turkey. Once a soldier in the Roman army, he rose up the ranks to become a member of the Praetorian Guard for the Emperor Diocletian.

However, the tale goes that St George was tortured and later executed by the Romans for refusing to renounce his Christian faith. He became a martyr for early Christians, who later venerated him as a saint.

Why do we celebrate St Georges Day in England?

St George is Englands patron saint, shared with other places such as Ethiopia, Catalonia, Aragon, Bulgaria, Russia and Portugal.

He was widely celebrated as a warrior saint, but in 134 his position was elevated to patron saint after his recounted intervention at the Battle of Crecy.

PA

In 1552 all religious banners were abolished, except for those of St George.

The myth of Saint George was further popularised in the 13th century when it was published in a manuscript called The Golden Legend, that traced the lives of various saints.

According to the hagiography (saint story), George heroically slayed a dragon and rescued a princess from being eaten. In their gratitude, the people of the town converted to Christianity.

The anniversary of his execution, on April 23, is now celebrated as Englands national day.

What are some St Georges Day traditions?

Unfortunately, St Georges Day is no longer a public holiday in England, unlike our Scottish (St Andrews Day) and Irish (St Patricks Day) cousins.

While it used to be observed much like Christmas, celebrations started to wane in the early 18th century. However, there are calls for it to be observed as a national holiday.

Celebration often includes a feast hosted by the Church of England. You can hold your own with traditional English foods such as Yorkshire puddings, cottage pie, mushroom and stilton tarts, kedgeree, shepherds pie, and fish cakes.

Or don a red rose - if you believe the tale where St George gifted the princess a flower upon saving her.

How is London celebrating St Georges Day 2023?

Last year, more than 20,000 gathered in Trafalgar Square and in 2023 the party is set to be held once more from midday to 6pm. We will be doing it all over again in April, with great music, food, markets, performers, and activities for the whole family, the Mayor of London office said. Its set to be a great day out.

Towns and parishes are also likely to be hosting a parade, with Scout groups marching in uniform. Other parts of London could be holding street parties while the day is also a chance to enjoy the countryside the capital has to offer.

St Georges Day facts

1. There is some doubt that St George even existed

Very little is actually known about the life and deeds of St George.

If he ever existed (theres no proof he did), George would likely have been born in the 3rd century AD more than 2,000 miles away in Cappadocia (modern day Turkey).

The Roman church itself had its doubts about the veracity of St Georges existence.

In the sixth century it declared that George was one of the saints who were rightly reverenced by men, but whose deeds were known only to God.

2. St George never visited England

St George might be hailed as Englands national hero, but he wasnt actually English and never even visited the country.

Born in modern day Turkey, his reputation for virtue and holiness spread across Europe and his feast day was celebrated in England from the 9th century onwards.

He became popular with English kings. Edward I (1272-1307) had banners bearing the emblem of St George (a red cross on a white background) and Edward III (1327-77) had a strong interest in the saint and owned a relic of his blood.

3. England isnt the only country to celebrate St George

England is far from the only country or region to claim St George as its patron.

England shares St George with Venice, Genoa, Portugal, Ethiopia and Catalonia among others as their patron saint and many of these places have their own celebrations in his honour.

4. The dragon was not always part of the St George legend

The well known myth that St George rode into Silene (modern day Libya) to free the city from a dragon, is actually story which post-dates the real George by several centuries.

It may have started simply as a way to explain icons of military saints slaying dragons, symbolising the triumph of good over evil.

5. King Edward I is the reason why St George became English

As a crusader, King Edward I took a liking to St George, and kitted his troops in the St Georges cross when fighting the Welsh.

He raised St Georges flag over Caerlaverock Castle in Scotland in 1300, among other things.

In 1348, King Edward III gave St George a special position as a patron saint of the Order of the Garter in thanks for his supposed intervention at the Battle of Crecy.
President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi said on Tuesday that Egypt is looking forward to increasing cooperation with the African Development Bank (AfDB), during his meeting with the banks chairman, Akinwumi Adesina and his delegation in Cairo.

According to the Egyptian Presidency, El-Sisi received Adesina ahead of hosting the annual meetings of the AfDB in Sharm El-Sheikh next May.

El-Sisi welcomed the cooperation between Egypt and the AfDB, expressing his appreciation for the bank's role in supporting development sectors on the African continent, especially in light of the growing economic challenges at the international level, presidential spokesman Ahmed Fahmy stated.

The President of the African Development Bank praised Egypts development projects during the past few years, especially in electricity, water treatment and reuse and the development of unplanned residential areas.

Adesina noted that they focus on encouraging continental economic integration and mechanisms for bridging the climate financing gap on the African continent.

Up to 4,000 participants are expected to attend the 2023 annual meetings held at the Sharm El-Sheikh International Conference Centre on 22-26 May.

The meetings bring together finance ministers from the Bank Groups 81 regional and non-regional member countries.

The events are also attended by governors of the Central Bank, key private sector leaders, academics and development partners.

The Annual Meetings theme for 2023 is Mobilising Private Sector Financing for Climate and Green Growth in Africa.

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J ust Stop Oil said that the climate crisis is more terrifying than 10 years in a British cell, as two of its activists face jail over their protest at the Dartford Crossing which caused traffic gridlock.

Morgan Trowland, 40, and Marcus Decker, 34, were both found guilty of causing a public nuisance after they used ropes and other climbing equipment to scale the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge.

Prosecutor Adam King said that police closed the bridge, which links the M25 in Essex and Kent, to traffic and that drivers were forced to use the tunnels instead.

He said the bridge was closed from 4am on October 17 last year to 9pm the following day.

Jurors found both defendants guilty, by unanimous verdicts, of causing a public nuisance following more than two hours of deliberation at Basildon Crown Court.

The pair have already spent more than five months in custody, having been remanded at their first appearance at Southend Magistrates Court on October 20.

They face a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, and Judge Shane Collery KC said: This court is considering custodial sentences.

He added: Were dealing with significant nuisance thats been caused.

Sean Irish, of Just Stop Oil, said outside court: Just Stop Oil will not stop because of a crackdown.

The climate crisis is more terrifying than 10 years in a British cell.

He said the verdicts were quite disappointing.

Mr Irish continued: Weve seen in the Old Bailey that a jury has the right to acquit based on a conscience, whether they were aware of that I dont know, but its disappointing to see that theyve come back with a guilty verdict.

Energy Security Secretary Grant Shapps said he welcomed the guilty verdicts.

Writing on Twitter, he said: The right to protest cannot be allowed to outweigh the right of the law-abiding majority to go about their day free from selfish and antisocial disruption.

We are cracking down on these guerilla tactics which cause misery for the majority.

The actions of Trowland and Decker were incredibly dangerous; for themselves, for the officers who were tasked with dealing with them and for the many, many people whose lives were disrupted as a result

Essex Police said that those impacted by the traffic disruption included a heavily pregnant woman who needed urgent medical help.

Another person missed the funeral of their best friend of 35 years, the force said, and a business lost more than 160,000 in earnings.

Chief Superintendent Simon Anslow, who led the forces response to the incident, said: The actions of Trowland and Decker were incredibly dangerous; for themselves, for the officers who were tasked with dealing with them and for the many, many people whose lives were disrupted as a result.

Prosecutor Mr King said that the protesters ascended to a point close to 200ft above the road and unfurled a giant Just Stop Oil banner and rigged up hammocks and stayed there.

This closure caused gridlock for miles around throughout that period, which we say was the point, said Mr King.

It was because of the disruption that the incident made national news.

He said the men came down at about 5.30pm on October 18 with the help of police and a very tall cherry picker crane, but the bridge was not reopened to traffic until later.

Trowland had said in evidence: We climbed it (the bridge) to deliver a warning message, to put up a banner saying Just Stop Oil and to speak that message through interviews with journalists.

Trowland, of Islington, north London, and Decker, 34, of no fixed address, denied causing a public nuisance but were both found guilty.

Judge Shane Collery KC remanded them in custody to be sentenced on April 13.
A hairdresser has been handed a suspended prison sentence for sexually assaulting two female students at salons in London.

Alan Luckhurst, 36, from Surrey, was found guilty of eight counts of sexual assault and two counts of causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent following a trial at Kingston Crown Court on January 26, 2023.

He was sentenced to six months imprisonment, suspended for 18 months, and given a sexual prevent order which stops him from employing anyone under 18 or acting as their manager on Monday, March 27.

A 17-year-old girl came forward in 2017 to report Luckhurst for sexually assaulting her while she was on a placement at a hairdressers.

Luckhurst was arrested by police and removed from the salon. He was charged in October 2019 following an investigation by the Mets Child Abuse Investigations Team.

He was bailed by the court and a trial date was set. While on court bail, Luckhurst set up his own salon.

In 2021, another 17-year-old girl came forward and said she had been sexually assaulted by him during her time as an apprentice. The offences took place just a few weeks after she had started at the company.

Luckhurst denied all of the offences, saying he was just a tactile person and at one point was simply demonstrating a head massage.

Detective Constable Natalie Alchin, who led the investigation, said: Luckhurst completely abused his position as manager of these young women and took advantage of being alone with them during their time at work.

It is clear that the offences he committed have had a serious and significant impact on both their personal and professional lives. They have shown tremendous bravery, both in coming forward to police and then giving evidence at court.

We believe there may be other young women who may have worked with Luckhurst and been victim to his predatory behaviour. We would urge anyone who believes that to be the case to come forward and speak to us. We have specialist support in place and will listen to everything you have to say.

Anyone with information should call 101 with reference 1369/4APR23.
A disabled woman who died days after she was dropped by care home workers was discharged from hospital on the day of her fall with undiagnosed rib fractures and a fracture to her left arm, an inquest has heard.

Lyn Parker, 64, fractured her ribs and both arms when she fell at least 1.5 metres after two care workers tried to lift her from her wheelchair into her bed using a sling at Tudor Avenue Residential Care Home in Hampton, south London.

Ms Parker, from Kingston upon Thames, was on the floor for more than three hours before an ambulance arrived on January 15 2021, West London Coroners Court heard.

She died 10 days later at Kingston Hospital on January 25 2021.

A consultant at the hospital told the court on Tuesday that the main cause of Ms Parkers death was aspiration pneumonia.

Ms Parker, who was non-verbal, was taken to the hospital alone in an ambulance.

She was discharged in the early hours of January 16 but had to be taken back in the morning after a care home worker found her left arm was swollen and black.

Dr Sumit Dutta, a consultant in emergency medicine at Kingston Hospital, treated Ms Parker on January 15.

Jurors heard from his statement that Ms Parker was combative to his attempts to examine her and that he treated her for the fracture to her right arm and what he believed to be a reaction to morphine which paramedics had administered.

In a second statement, he added: In hindsight I should have arranged a pan trauma CT scan.

At the time I believed the identified injuries accounted for her symptoms.

I should have had a lower threshold to widen the net of examination.

Dr Dutta said that if the scan had been ordered Ms Parker would have been admitted to hospital and would not have been discharged on that day.

Dr Khalid Mohammed Ali, a fellow consultant in emergency medicine at the hospital, co-led an internal investigation into Ms Parkers care.

Extracts of his report were read in court which detailed a missed diagnosis of fractured ribs and a left humeral fracture on Ms Parkers first presentation to hospital.

However, Dr Ali wrote that he did not think earlier recognition would have changed the final outcome because Ms Parker was an extremely frail and vulnerable adult with multiple co-morbid conditions and extremely limited physiological reserve.

If a patient cannot verbalise and tell you that there is a pain there you might miss it

Giving evidence on Tuesday, the doctor said a full trauma CT scan, done on January 16 when Ms Parker returned to hospital, showed multiple rib fractures on the right side and doctors found a fracture in her left humerus of the left arm.

He said it was not discovered during her first presentation to hospital because there had been no swelling and the non-verbal Ms Parker could not say she was in pain.

If a patient cannot verbalise and tell you that there is a pain there you might miss it, he added. That is why on the first presentation there was no X-ray done on the left arm.

He agreed that the initial medical team should have widened the scope of their investigation and ordered a trauma CT scan but insisted it would not have changed the eventual outcome.

Unfortunately, in the case of Ms Lyn Parker  the main cause of her passing was aspiration pneumonia, he said. I dont believe the outcome will change in the 12 hours difference between first and second presentation.

Rebekah Schiff, a consultant geriatrician and general physician at Guys and St Thomas Hospital, said she did not think Ms Parker should have been discharged on January 15.

That is due to the fact that she had not been adequately assessed on that day and, therefore, that led to erroneous conclusions that she could go back to the home at that point, she said.

Called to court as an independent expert, Dr Schiff told jurors Ms Parkers fractured ribs would have made it difficult for her to take deep breaths and meant she would have developed respiratory problems quicker.

She told the court that Ms Parkers death was inevitable.

Once she fell and fractured her ribs I think it was inevitable that she was going to die from the aspiration pneumonia this time, the geriatrician said.
A n ex-Met PC has been found guilty of rape.

Ireland Murdock, 26, who was a serving police officer in north London at the time of the offence, was found guilty of rape on Monday at Inner London Crown Court.

The court heard that Murdock raped the victim while off duty on September 25, 2021.

On January 9 2021, the woman reported the rape to police and Murdock was arrested two days later.

The court heard how after the victim went to the police, Murdock used police systems to search her name and access a restricted crime file about her when he had no legitimate reason to do so.

He appeared at Inner London Crown Court on May 27 last year and denied rape. But he confessed to the second charge of unauthorised access to computer material.

He was kicked out of the Met in July for gross misconduct after pleading guilty to the second charge.

Met Chief Superintendent Andy Carter, the top police officer in the unit covering Islington and Camden where Murdock worked, said: Murdock committed an absolutely atrocious offence, and caused his victim a lot of pain and fear.

He betrayed everything we stand for and I am disgusted by his actions.

I would like to thank the victim for her courage and bravery in coming forward. I would also like to thank those who investigated him for building such a strong case that led to him being found guilty.

We took immediate action to suspend Murdock from duty when his offending came to light and we dismissed him at the earliest opportunity as soon as he pleaded guilty to unauthorised access to computer material.

We are determined to have a Met that the public can trust, with officers that people feel confident to approach. When someone fails to meet these standards, we will take action to remove them from our organisation.

Murdock is due to be sentenced on Tuesday, May 23.
H ollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio and his celebrity friends jetted around the world to try to celebrate New Year in two different timezones, a US court has heard as the star gave evidence in a multimillion dollar fraud case.

The actor was called as a witness in the prosecution of former Fugees rapper Pras Michel, who is accused of funnelling stolen money into Barack Obamas 2012 Presidential election campaign.

Michel, 50, is said to have received more than $100 million from businessman Jho Low, who himself is accused of stealing billions from Malaysias sovereign wealth fund.

According to prosecutors, Mr Low used his vast wealth to befriend celebrities and wield influence.

Giving evidence, DiCaprio said he met Mr Low in Las Vegas in 2010 and attended "a multitude of lavish parties" on yachts and nightclubs alongside other celebrities, actors, and musicians.

He, with stars including Jamie Foxx and Jonah Hill, rang in New Year in 2012 in Australia before taking a private jet chartered by Mr Low to Las Vegas to celebrate the turning of the year for a second time. DiCaprio told the court Michel had also been on the flight.

Michel, who found fame as a rapper in the 1990s, is facing a slew of criminal charges including conspiracy and witness tampering, and denies all wrongdoing.

The court in Washington DC has heard Mr Low is accused of  and denies - stealing billions from the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) in the biggest alleged embezzlement case in history.

It is said he enlisted Michels help to secure "secret, illegal foreign influence" on US politics, including contributions to Barack Obamas 2012 US presidential campaign and a plan to influence Donald Trumps administration when they came under criminal investigation.

Mr Low is currently at large and believed to be in China.

DiCaprio, who is not accused of any wrongdoing, recalled discussing US politics with Mr Low and said the tycoon was interested in making a "significant contribution" of between $20-30 million to the Democratic party in 2012.

"I basically said wow, thats a lot of money, the actor told the court.

Jurors have heard stars including Alicia Keys, Paris Hilton, and Miranda Kerr attended parties thrown by Mr Low, while Britney Spears once jumped out of a cake to wish the tycoons birthday.

DiCaprio was questioned over Mr Lows financing of hit 2013 film The Wolf of Wall Street, in which he played notorious fraudster Jordan Belfort.

"I understood him to be a huge businessman with many connections", said the actor. "He was a prodigy in the business world and ultra-successful."

Mr Low was thanked in the credits of the movie, which garnered five Oscar nominations.

DiCaprio said his associates vetted the funds, and he was given the green light by my team as well as my studio for the investment to be made in the film.

He was a legitimate business person wanting to invest in the movie, he added.

The court has heard how Mr Low took part in auctions held by DiCaprio in St Tropez "to bring in funds" for his environmental charity.

DiCaprio said he lost contact with Mr Low in around 2015, when the businessman was under investigation over his financial dealings.

Jurors have been told stars including Jim Carrey, Mark Wahlberg, and Martin Scorsese might be witnesses in the trial, which continues.
A murder investigation has been launched after a young man was shot dead in south London early on Tuesday.

Police found the victim, in his 20s, on Croydon Road near the junction with Beddington Lane, Mitcham around 2.25am.

Paramedics took him to hospital for treatment.

Despite the best efforts of the emergency services, he died there a short time later.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: Enquiries are ongoing to inform next of kin. At this early stage it is believed the man had suffered a gunshot injury.

A crime scene remains in place and there have been no arrests.

Homicide detectives from the Mets Specialist Crime Command continue enquiries into the circumstances.

It comes after hundreds of people gathered in Croydon at the weekend to take a stand against violence following a recent rise in violent incidents in the borough.

Four young people have been stabbed in the past two weeks and two firearms discharged.

The march was attended by local residents, church and community leaders, politicians and the police.

Organiser Anthony King said: No matter what peoples backgrounds are, we all want to keep our children safe.

Passersby in and around the Croydon Road and Beddington Lane area on Monday night who saw anything suspicious are urged to get in contact with police.

Motorists with dash cams are asked to check their footage to see if anything of interest has been captured.

Anyone with information is asked to call 101, quoting CAD616/4Apr, or independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
A Metropolitan Police officer who abused his position as an officer to pursue his former girlfriend in a six-month stalking campaign has been handed a suspended prison sentence.

PC Jonathan Simon, 44, met the woman when he was on duty when called out to a neighbour dispute, and struck up a romantic relationship with her.

But after they split up, he refused to leave her alone and repeatedly showed up outside her home.

In one incident, Simon enlisted the help of a fellow Met officer to target the woman and he used a work phone number to try to call her.

At Westminster magistrates court on Tuesday, District Judge Daniel Sternberg said Simon had been the very opposite of a positve role model and had forced the woman to move home to get away from him.

You now accept your conduct amounted to an error in judgement and recklessness, he added.

The judge referred to recent scandals that have engulfed the Met, including the Casey review which found institutionalised sexism, racism, and homophobia, and said Simon had brought the Metropolitan Police into disrepute.

Simon, a police officer for ten years who received a Commendation for his work tackling drug dealing in Ilford, was handed a 16-week prison sentence, suspended for two years, with 200 hours of community service and 25 days in rehab.

He must wear a GPS monitoring tag for the next six months, and has been banned from contacting the woman under the terms of a restraining order. He was also ordered to pay 900 in costs.

The court heard Simon, who was part of the East Area Command Unit, now faces dismissal from the Met following his conviction for stalking at trial last month.

Met Police officer Jonathan Simon abused his position to stalk a woman / MPS

After the breakdown of the relationship with the woman, when Simon had suggested she become a sex worker to earn extra money, she blocked calls and texts from the officers personal phone.

But he used a police number to make a series of calls, and after being told to stop contacting her, Simon turned up with a fellow police officer at her home.

Another officer knocked on the door and when the complainant opened the door they stepped aside and the complainant saw you, said the judge.

The woman said she had been left feeling helpless, weak and scared when Simon insisted on speaking to her alone.

She left him voicenotes trying to end the contact, but Simon turned up at her home again and was seen loitering outside by a neighbour, pretending to be investigating an unsecure window.

He also insisted on a hug during a chance encounter at a shopping centre.

Simon was suspended from duty during his criminal case, and now faces a misconduct hearing.

He was supported in court by members of his family, who put forward character references and said Simon is relied on as a carer.

He was given a suspended prison sentence after being assessed as a low-risk of re-offending, as well as the impact a spell behind bars would have on his family.

Following the trial, Chief Superintendent Stuart Bell, responsible for policing in East Area Command Unit, said: "PC Simons behaviour was unwarranted, unwanted and caused significant concern to the victim. Our officers cannot behave like this and we will be proactive in identifying and taking positive action against those who do.

"Despite being repeatedly asked to stop he subjected the victim to a campaign of harassment which caused her considerable distress. He abused his position as a police officer and has now rightly been convicted as a result."
T hree drug dealers running a line across Tower Hamlets, Hackney and Islington have been jailed for a total of almost 20 years.

The gang were convicted for running the Ice drugs line between December 2021 and June 2022.

Following a five week trial at the same court in January and February, Shuhan Ahmed, 24, Nasir Ahmed, 24, Shumon Miah, 25, all of Tower Hamlets, were found guilty as a result of a proactive police investigation.

The convictions were part of Operation Continuum which is a partnership operation between police and Tower Hamlets Council to tackle drug crime in the borough.

DCI Sean Lyons, from the Central East BCU, said:Central East Police are committed to helping all people affected by violence and, by association, the use and supply of drugs, that is linked to violent crime.

We will continue work with communities and partners from the borough, along with those from across London, balancing the need for diversion, treatment and support, with enforcement.

The link between the supply of drugs and violence that blights communities is very clear and the more we can do to disrupt these operations and put those responsible before the courts, then the better for the communities of London.

On Thursday, 30 March at Snaresbrook Crown Court, Shumon Miah, 25, of Arrow Road, Tower Hamlets, was sentenced to seven years imprisonment for conspiracy to supply crack-cocaine, conspiracy to supply heroin and possession of criminal property.

Nasir Ahmed, 24, of Killick Way, Tower Hamlets, was sentenced to seven and a half years for conspiracy to supply crack-cocaine, conspiracy to supply heroin and possession of criminal property.

Shuhan Ahmed, 24, of Stepney Way, Tower Hamlets, was sentenced to five years and three months for conspiracy to supply crack-cocaine and conspiracy to supply heroin.
L arge numbers of teachers are helping poorer pupils pay for school uniforms, food, toiletries and period products, new research has found.

The National Education Union is calling on the government to do more to help disadvantaged families after its survey revealed that a growing proportion of teachers believe poverty is affecting childrens learning.

In a poll of 18,000 teachers who belong to the NEU, almost 80 per cent said they or their school is providing help with uniforms to disadvantaged pupils.

More than half (55 per cent) said they or their school is providing free breakfasts, 58 per cent are providing extra food during the day, 31 per cent are providing toiletries and 68 per cent period products.

One teacher told researchers: This is the worst I have ever known it in 28 years of teaching.

Another said: I stock my school kitchen every week with fruit, cereal, milk, biscuits the number of children who pop in to see me and then ask for food has grown over the last two years. It is heartbreaking.

It comes as a London teacher told the Standard it has become normal for teachers to buy resources out of their own pockets.

Jenny Williams, a primary school teacher in Croydon, said buying items such as art supplies, cooking ingredients and books for her class has become part and parcel of her job.

Mrs Williams, who works with children with special educational needs, said: At weekends I am always buying resources for the next week. We buy a lot ourselves. Our school would say please dont do that, but the necessity is there. We dont always have the stuff we need when we need it.

She added: Its part and parcel of your job, its not something that teachers complain about.

Most primary school teachers are used to having some element of that and we try and get reimbursed for it where we can but it often doesnt work like that.

The NEU poll, released during the unions annual conference in Harrogate, found that growing numbers of teachers (61 per cent) said poverty and low income affects childrens learning to a large extent. This is an increase from 2021 when 52 per cent of teachers believed it to be the case.

Teachers also said children are showing signs of tiredness and fatigue, and an inability to concentrate or complete homework, due to poverty. A total of 67 per cent of teachers said they see pupils who are frequently ill, compared to 55 per cent last year, which suggests the problem is growing.

In schools with the least deprivation, 54 per cent of teachers reported students coming to school wearing unclean, damaged or ill-fitting clothes and shoes, but in the most disadvantaged schools the figure was 86 per cent.

One teacher said: I have students who fall asleep in lessons because they havent eaten or havent been able to get a good nights sleep because of the environment they live in. I have students coming to school in -5 degrees without jumpers or coats. I have students coming to school in pouring rain with holes in their shoes because they cant afford new ones.

Another said: I worry that teachers like myself who often spend out of their own pockets for food and uniform for children who need it, wont be able to for much longer with the cost-of-living crisis.

The NEU is calling for the government to provide food vouchers during school holidays, for school uniforms to be made more affordable, and for free school meals for all primary pupils.

Kevin Courtney, Joint General Secretary of the National Education Union, said: Millions of children are going hungry, and their number is growing. It should concentrate minds in Whitehall that this is having such a profound impact on learning. The cost-of-living crisis will only serve to intensify the challenge ahead, and at such a rate that means-testing cannot possibly hope to keep pace.

He added: The Government clearly needs to do more and must stop depending on schools and individual staff to keep picking up the pieces. Schools are already working at the limits of what they can afford.
A London NHS Trust has apologised after a member of staff said that striking foreign doctors on sponsored visas would be reported to Border Force.

In a WhatsApp message, an employee at Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust said that any doctor with a visa sponsored by the trust would be reported if they join next weeks junior doctors strike.

About 60,000 members of the British Medical Association (BMA) will strike across England for 96 hours from next Tuesday in a bitter dispute over pay.

The message read: Any doctor who has a visa sponsored by the trust and decides to go on strike, the Trust will report their absence to the Border Force and this could potentially make it problematic when renewing their visa.

Please note that this is not a consultant decision but a trust decision and is in keeping with most (if not all) other trusts in London.

A spokesman for Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust told the Standard that the message had been sent in error on a local WhatsApp group and did not reflect the trusts policy.

The sender of the message was not identified by the screengrab.

Dr Latifa Patel, from the BMA, told the BBC that the organisation was deeply concerned by the impact of this communication, which will unnecessarily instil fear and doubt in the minds of junior doctors with visas over their legal right to take strike action.

She added: We will not take any form of industrial action that will impact the legal status of a doctor's visa  either future or present.

To employers  we remind you of your responsibility to act professionally. We have zero tolerance for bullying and harassment.

A spokesperson for the trust said: This is absolutely not our trust policy. We are, and always have been, fully supportive of everyone's right to strike without judgement, fear or consequence.

This message was sent in a local WhatsApp group by an individual who made a mistake. It has been corrected internally at the most senior level and we have assured our all teams, including our international colleagues, that this is not our position.

Understandably, it has been distressing for some colleagues and we are deeply sorry that this has impacted them at a time when we are all pulling together to do our very best for our patients.

This message was reportedly sent by a consultant in charge of staff rotas for the trust.

Senior doctors criticised the message, with one writing that international medics were not at risk of visa issues if they went on strike.

Guidance on the BMAs website says that unpaid leave taken to participate in legally organised industrial action is exempt from the rule that your sponsorship will be terminated if you are absent from work unpaid for 28 days or longer in a calendar year.

The union is seeking a pay rise of 26 per cent for junior doctors to restore a real-terms fall in income since 2008. A Foundation Year 1 doctor earns about 29,000 per year, rising to 34,000 a year later.

NHS trusts across the country began to notify patients on Monday of delays to treatment as a result of next weeks industrial action. The last junior doctors strike, held over three days in March, led to the cancellation or postponement of 175,000 procedures and appointments.
Iraq's federal government and the Kurdistan autonomous region signed an accord Tuesday to allow Kurdish oil exports to resume through Turkey after they were halted 10 days ago, officials said.

The agreement, signed in Baghdad in the presence of Prime Minister Mohamed Shia al-Sudani and Kurdish premier Masrour Barzani, was to be implemented "today", a Kurdish regional government official told AFP.

The deal comes two days after Iraq, Saudi Arabia and several other major oil exporters announced a sharp reduction in their production from May that has sent up oil prices.

Barzani said on Twitter that the deal is "temporary" until parliament agrees a new oil and gas law, but he called it "a crucial step towards ending the long-standing dispute" between Arbil and Baghdad.

The deal, thrashed out in talks between federal and regional officials, spells the end of independent oil exports by the Kurdish regional government and marks a clear limit to its autonomy.

Ankara had stopped handling Iraqi Kurdish oil last month after an international tribunal ruled in a nine-year-old dispute that Baghdad was right to insist on overseeing all Iraqi oil exports.

Sales of Kurdistan crude will be managed from now on by the State Oil Marketing Organization, a federal government official and a Kurdish official told AFP.

A joint committee formed by the federal and regional governments will supervise the export process, they added.

Revenues will be paid into an account under the control of the Kurdish government which will be overseen by Baghdad, they said.

The halt to exports through a pipeline to the Turkish Mediterranean port of Ceyhan had left foreign oil firms with nowhere to pump Kurdish oil.

Norway's DNO, one of the main firms operating in Iraqi Kurdistan, announced it was halting production at its wells.

Prior to Ankara's action on March 25, the autonomous region was exporting roughly 450,000 barrels per day (bpd) of crude.

Oil exports are the key revenue source for both the federal and regional governments and their management has long been a sensitive topic in relations.

The Kurdistan government sees Baghdad as trying to profit from the region's resources, while the Iraqi government argues it should enjoy sovereign control over all of the country's oil production.

Iraq, the second largest producer within the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), exports an average of 3.3 million bpd.

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F rench health authorities have launched an investigation after 59 per cent of people in a new mpox cluster said they were fully vaccinated.

Vaccination does not offer complete protection against the virus  though only one in four French cases are usually in immunised people.

Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, can cause and unusual spots, ulcers or blisters anywhere on the body; fever; headaches; muscle aches; chills; fatigue and swollen glands.

Though most people have a mild illness, with recovery within three weeks, some cases can cause severe illness and occasionally result in death.

Mpox is not normally a sexually-transmitted infection, but it can be passed on by direct contact during sex.

The cluster in Frances Centre-Val de Loire comes despite the region having a high vaccination rate, with experts warning of a potential mutation in the virus.

The mpox vaccine is not tailored to the disease and was originally created to protect against smallpox. Last year, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) recommended offering Imvanex to those at increased risk of exposure to the virus.

Dr Michael Marks, Associate Professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, told the Telegraph that health authorities may need to investigate whether a mutation has affected the vaccines efficacy.

He also noted that many mpox cases have been reported in people with HIV.

HIV may modify how effective the vaccine is. We dont know the HIV status of this cluster at the moment.

Frances public health body, Sante Publique France, have said they are investigating the cluster and are waiting for robust data on the efficacy of the vaccine.

Mpox can also be spread through touching clothing, bedding or towels used by someone with the mpox rash, and through the coughs and sneezes of somebody with the infection.

An outbreak of the disease in London and other British cities made headlines last year  though infections have slowed following a targeted vaccination programme.

The outbreaks raised alarm because the viral disease, which spreads through close contact and was first found in monkeys, mostly occurs in west and central Africa and only occasionally spreads elsewhere.

Over 25,800 cases have been reported in Europe since spring 2022, mostly among men who have sex with men.
 Attack is the watchword of the Government as it starts preparing for an election. A staffer outside Number 10 yesterday was snapped by photojournalist Steve Back flaunting an election planning document. It lists the current situation in marginal seats, recommending rough campaigns in Labour and Lib Dem territory. The plan also shows the Tory scramble to sort out their own backyard.

A number of seats are designated as potential displacement areas, where the sitting MP might be moving on. This is due to some MPs trying a chicken run from unsafe to safe seats. Because the next election will be fought after a boundary review, many seats have changed shape or disappeared entirely. A combination of redrawn boundaries and a poor showing for the Conservatives could see some previously comfortable MPs fighting for their political careers at the next election.

Possibly displaced MPs listed in the document include Scott Benton (Blackpool South) and Stuart Andrew (Pudsey) who have already, to varying degrees, made their intentions to find safer seats known. However, others in the leaked document like Christopher Clarkson (Heywood and Middleton) and Andy Carter (Warrington South) are new.

The plan gives no indication of the timing of an election, but there have been rumours of a spring 2024 contest.

Photo leak of election planning document / Steve Back

Telescopic lens toting photographers like Back have caused trouble for governments before. In 2015, David Camerons No 10 staff installed a sign instructing those leaving and entering the building to cover their loose papers after security documents were snapped from across the street.

Inside track on the meeting where Labour banned Corbyn

Jeremy Corbyn and Sir Keir Starmer (Ben Birchall/Jacob King/PA) / PA Wire

Labour National Executive Committee member Ann Black says it wasnt all smooth sailing at the meeting where Jeremy Corbyn was banned from the party. She recalls complaints from some that banning Corbyn for bad election results sets a dangerous precedent as most Labour leaders lose elections. Most of the anger at Corbyn during the meeting was over anti-Semitism, she writes in LabourList. Black ultimately voted to purge Corbyn despite thinking the motion was fundamentally dishonest.

Britain has a toxic international reputation says Philippe Sands

Philippe Sands / Getty Images

Fans of Philippe Sands, right, may be waiting a while for his next book. Right now, Im turning my attention to preventing the Government taking forward policies that could cause the UK to leave the European Convention on Human Rights, he says following the battles over new illegal immigration policies. Sands, an international lawyer and the author of East West Street, says: Britains international reputation is toxic.

Trumped up charges on International Carrot Day?

Donald Trump / AFP via Getty Images

We notice Donald Trumps big court appearance in New York today falls on International Carrot Day. But perhaps its more than pure coincidence. Fredrik Fredricsson, the mysterious organiser of International Carrot Day, told us: About Mr Trump, it was not easy to get this lined up and took a lot of work behind the scenes. But we really do hope he also will have some time to celebrate Carrot Day!

Stars switch to hunger games

Londoners Diary 4th April 2023 1 / 6 Londoners Diary 4th April 2023 Pedro Pascal and Jon Favreau Pedro Pascal and Jon Favreau Paul Mescal Paul Mescal Max Porter and Ruth Wilson Twitter Vick Hope Instagram / Vick Hope Munya Chawawa and Amelia Dimoldenberg Instagram

After his turn in The Last of Us, Pedro Pascal has been enjoying an extended stay in London. Last night he met up with fellow American actor Jon Favreau for a curry at Tayabbs in E1. After bagging his Olivier award, Paul Mescal was spotted with a bag of McDonalds. Munya Chawawa and Amelia Dimoldenberg were together at a Flannels party and Vick Hope tried on a fit from Kyha Studios. At the Southbank Centre, Ruth Wilson read from Max Porters new novel, Shy.
F inland has become Natos newest member with the UK saying the move demonstrates the strength of the alliance in the face of Vladimir Putins aggression.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said Finnish membership had made the alliance stronger and pushed for Sweden to also be given permission to join the group.

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said Russias invasion of Ukraine had resulted in a Nato that was larger and bound tighter together.

Russias invasion of Ukraine led the previously neutral Finland and Sweden to seek membership.

Finland, which has an 830-mile border with Russia, formally became the 31st member of the alliance at a ceremony at Natos Brussels headquarters on Tuesday.

Neighbouring Sweden has seen its process of joining the organsation delayed by objections from Turkey and Hungary, but Mr Sunak made clear he wanted those issues resolved.

The Prime Minister said: This is an historic day for Finland and for Nato.

Their accession has made our alliance stronger and every one of us safer.

All Nato members now need to take the steps necessary to admit Sweden too, so we can stand together as one alliance to defend freedom in Europe and across the world.

Mr Cleverly, who was at Natos headquarters, said: Today we see, as a direct result of Vladimir Putins aggression and his illegal invasion of Ukraine, the day where a new ally joins our defensive alliance.

He added: Russia thought its aggression would divide us. Instead, we are bound tighter together, resolute in our defence of the principles of freedom and the rule of law.

Let us be clear that our door remains open.

We will welcome further Allies with open arms and we continue to push for Swedens swift accession.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said: Let Finland be a lesson to President Putin.

Finland chose to join, based on their own free will.

The freedom to choose their alliances as a sovereign state is a matter for their citizens and their citizens alone.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned that Moscow will respond depending on what weapons Nato allies place in Finland.

We will closely monitor what will be going on in Finland and how Nato will use the territory of Finland for the deployment of weapons, equipment and infrastructure next to our border that would potentially threaten us.

Measures will be taken dependent on that, Mr Peskov said.

Meanwhile the UK announced 10 million for Natos support package for Ukraine, providing non-lethal aid such as medical equipment, rations, fuel and counter-drone equipment.

Some 2 million will also go to Nato efforts to help Georgia, Moldova and Bosnia & Herzegovina defend themselves against Russian activity.
M onday April 10 marks 25 years since the Good Friday Agreement came into being.

The historic agreement, which was signed in Northern Ireland on April 10, 1998, effectively brought an end to the Troubles.

An open border between the Republic and Northern Ireland was a key component of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, and one that brought hard-won peace to Northern Ireland following decades of conflict. It established a consensus for peace and the future direction of the region after the political conflict had been raging for more than 30 years.

The full weight of the British and Irish administrations was brought to bear in painstaking negotiations that brought unionists and republicans together after fighting between the two groups that led to the deaths of thousands.

Tony Blair recalls 'incredibly complicated and difficult' Northern Ireland talks

The recently secured Windsor Framework, was in part proposed to avoid any return of the conflict that the Good Friday Agreement put an end to.

What caused the Troubles?

In the 1960s Northern Ireland faced a bitter conflict between unionists who wanted to remain within the UK and republicans who wanted the province to become part of a united Ireland.

Republicans and the wider nationalist community are mostly Catholic, while unionists mostly Protestant. The conflict was perpetuated by paramilitary groups the IRA and the UVF. Further people were killed by the British security forces after the army was deployed in 1969. More than 3,500 people died overall, many of whom were killed in tit-for-tat attacks across the sectarian divide.

The situation worsened in 1972 when 14 people were killed by British troops during a peaceful civil rights march led by Catholics and Republicans in Londonderry. This day became known as Bloody Sunday.

Police and rioters fight in Londonderry in 1969 / PA

What was included in the agreement?

The Good Friday Agreement, also known as the Belfast Agreement, was formally made by the British and Irish governments and eight political parties of Northern Ireland. It acknowledged Northern Irelands constitutional status as part of the UK.

It also established a principle of consent. A united Ireland could happen if a majority of people in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland wanted it to. In this instance, the British government would be bound to hold a referendum and honour the result.

(L to r) Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern, US Senator George Mitchell and UK Prime Minister Tony Blair on April 10, 1998, after they signed the Good Friday Agreement / Getty Images

The agreement committed the parties to democratic and peaceful methods of resolving political disputes and it marked a commitment to the mutual respect, the civil rights and the religious liberties of everyone in the community.

What has happened since the Good Friday Agreement was made?

The British and Irish governments agreed to hold referendums on May 22, 1998. The Northern Ireland referendum was on accepting the Good Friday Agreement itself. In all 71 per cent voted Yes. The referendum in the Republic was to amend the countrys constitution to acknowledge the new principle of consent, for which 94 per cent of people voted in favour.

In the years that followed there was still turbulence. While the Northern Ireland Assembly was established it was periodically suspended, largely over concerns about paramilitary activity in the region.

It was not until 2005 that the IRA was decommissioned. In 2007 Sinn Fein threw its support behind the newly established policing force the PSNI, which replaced the RUC, the Royal Ulster Constabulary.

Northern Ireland experienced relative political calm due to the power sharing agreement. The cordial relationship between Ian Paisley, a loyalist, and Martin McGuinness, a republican, as first and deputy first minister, was a sign that Northern Ireland had changed. However, the power sharing arrangement proved unstable and has been suspended a number of times. The Northern Ireland Assembly does not currently have an executive because of DUP objections to the Northern Ireland Protocol, and is only able to perform very limited governmental functions.

How does the Windsor Framework uphold the Good Friday Agreement?

The Northern Ireland Protocol was signed as part of the Brexit withdrawal agreement, which is now ratified under international law.

To maintain the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, both the UK and EU agreed that the inspection of goods would be conducted between Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) and Northern Ireland, effectively creating a de facto border in the Irish Sea between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.

The Windsor Framework avoided a hard border on Ireland and supported North-South cooperation, while also upholding Northern Irelands integral place in the United Kingdom and its internal market. It introduced a green lane for traders transporting goods to Northern Ireland exempt from custom controls and a red lane for goods going to the Republic of Ireland and remainder of the EU.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak also hoped the Windsor Framework would boost relations with the US, which helped broker the Good Friday Agreement. In February he met Vice-President Kamala Harris in Munich, where the two leaders affirmed their shared commitment to protecting and building on the gains of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement, according to the White House.
F irst Minister Humza Yousaf has announced 25 million in funding for the Scottish National Investment Bank (SNIB) to be invested in the transition away from oil and gas.

On his first visit to Aberdeen  the countrys energy hub  since taking office last week, Mr Yousaf announced 25 million of the Just Transition Fund will be handed to the bank in order to leverage further private investment in the north east.

The fund was set up by Nicola Sturgeons administration, which pledged 500 million over a decade to shift away from fossil fuels.

Delivering on our climate obligations is an absolute priority for this Government  but so too is our unwavering commitment to ensuring the journey to net zero is fair and just for everyone, the First Minister said after the visit to the Port of Aberdeen expansion project.

Scotland is an energy-rich nation and the oil and gas industry has made a vast contribution to our economy, while its workers are some of the most highly-skilled in the world.

But Scotlands oil and gas basin is now a mature resource and, as a responsible Government, we must take action to ensure the sector, and the communities it supports, are supported in a transition to cleaner, greener energy system.

The North East has long been known as the oil and gas capital of Europe. It can now become the net-zero capital of the world.

He added: Our draft energy strategy and just transition plan sets out a very clear vision to capitalise on the enormous opportunities that a net-zero energy system offers the industry, our economy and our climate.

We will invest on commercial terms and look to leverage additional private sector capital to support of the north east economy

The Just Transition Fund for the north east and Moray is already helping communities seize these opportunities.

By using a portion of the fund to support the Scottish National Investment Bank, we can leverage further investment in the region to ensure a fair and just transition for the energy sector, and for the people of Scotland.

Willie Watt, the chairman of the SNIB, said the bank has already invested 225 million in businesses dedicated to the move to net zero, and leveraged a further 475 million from other investors.

He added: We welcome this additional capital which, like the funds we have invested so far, we will invest on commercial terms and look to leverage additional private sector capital to support of the north east economy.
A senior Labour MP has dropped out of a Confederation of British Industry (CBI) event after the organisation was embroiled in fresh allegations of serious sexual assault and drug use among its staff.

Lisa Nandy was due to be the key speaker at the political engagement dinner on April 25, in which guests would be able to pose burning questions directly to the shadow secretary of state for levelling up.

An advert for the event, which was still live on the CBIs website onTuesday morning, states: The Labour party is eager to engage with business leaders to help inform its manifesto and programme for potentially becoming the next government.

This dinner aims to bring together Lisa Nandy, the Labour team supporting her, and business leaders to discuss how we can create a regionally thriving economy.

But Ms Nandys office confirmed that she would not be attending in light of fresh allegations.

More than a dozen women have now reportedly come forward about the behaviour of senior staff members at the lobby group, which represents many of Britains biggest companies and campaigns on behalf of some 190,000 businesses.

One woman alleged she was raped at a staff party on a boat on the River Thames in 2019, the Guardian reported.

Another complained about an attempted sexual assault by a manager at the same event.

Other allegations include senior staff behaving inappropriately towards female colleagues and widespread drug use at CBI events.

Last month Director-General Tony Danker was asked to step down while separate accusations about his behaviour in the workplace were investigated.

Mr Danker has previously apologised for any offence he had caused and said it was completely unintentional.

The CBI said it has launched an independent investigation into the allegations.

A spokesman said it takes all matters of workplace conduct with the utmost seriousness, which is why, earlier this month, we commissioned a thorough investigation by an independent law firm into all recent allegations that have been put to us.

We will not hesitate to take any necessary action when the investigation concludes.
L iz Truss told the family of a Londoner imprisoned in Iran that he was no longer her "problem" when he was not released as expected with Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, MPs have claimed.

The then-Foreign Secretary suggested to Morad Tahbaz's family that he would be included in a deal to release detainees in March last year, a report by the Foreign Affairs Select Committee revealed on Tuesday.

Ms Truss agreed to include the UK-US-Iranian trinational in the pact to return Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Anoosheh Ashoori to the UK, in return for the Americans helping broker the arrangement.

"However, Liz Truss did not stand by this arrangement and failed to let either the family or US officials know that Morad was not to be released with Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Anoosheh Ashoori," the report said.

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was brought home in March 2022 / REUTERS

Instead of being informed by the Foreign Office or the Foreign Secretary, the Tahbaz family learnt about Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Mr Ashoori's release through news reports.

The report added: "It was, instead, left to senior US State Department officials to formally notify them that Morad had not been released. Liz Truss eventually called the family to say that 'Morad is now a US problem'.

The former Prime Minister hit out at the claims, insisting that "many of the assertions in the report are not true" and the "US did not help broker the deal".

But Tory MP Alicia Kearns said ministers "deeply distressed" British citizens imprisoned abroad through poor communication, including "speaking offensively" to their families.

The chairwoman of the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee added that the treatment of some hostages' families had been "insensitive and hurtful".

Referring to Ms Truss's handling of Mr Tahbaz's case, she said "the most heinous failure of a minister" was to tell a family "you're no longer our problem".

Mr Tahbaz, who was born in London, was working as a conservationist with the Persian Wildlife Heritage Foundation in January 2018 when he was arrested and accused of spying by the Iranian authorities.

The 67-year-old was jailed in 2019 and has been held in Tehran ever since.

His wife Vida, 62, was also banned from leaving Iran. In an interview with the Standard last year, their daughter Roxanne Tahbaz criticised Boris Johnsons Government, and Ms Truss, for failing to secure the release of her father.

The family told the committee Ms Truss claimed she had secured an "indefinite furlough" for Mr Tahbaz from prison and his wife's travel ban would be removed and she would be free to leave Iran.

Mr Tahbaz was released on the same day charity worker Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe and retired civil engineer Mr Ashoori were freed but returned to prison soon after their plane took off.

He was released on furlough for three months later in the year which the family argue was "only achieved through the pressure and hard work of Oman and USA".

The committee added that Ms Truss gave "inaccurate descriptions" to Parliament over her communications with Mr Tahbaz, which she subsequently corrected.

He remains in Iran's Evin Prison.

A spokesman for Liz Truss said in a statement to the Standard: Many of the assertions in the report are not true. The US did not help broker the deal.

"It was always the case that as Morad Tahbaz was also a US citizen, the maximum on the table in any deal with the UK was securing furlough, which was achieved. Morads family were aware of this and were kept informed of developments throughout. Without the action Liz took, Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Anoosheh Ashoori would still be in jail today.
M inisters deeply distressed Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and other British citizens imprisoned abroad through poor communication, including speaking offensively to their families, the Conservative chairwoman of the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee has said.

Speaking about a damning new report on the Foreign Offices handling of hostage diplomacy, Alicia Kearns said the treatment of some hostages and their relatives had been insensitive and hurtful, marked by a lack of transparency and coordination.

Referring to former foreign secretary Liz Trusss handling of the case of a British-born environmentalist held in Iran, she said the most heinous failure of a minister was to tell a family youre no longer our problem.

For dual nationals their Britishness too often, they felt, was in question

Ms Truss did not stand by an arrangement agreed with US officials that UK-US-Iranian trinational Morad Tahbaz would be released alongside Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe and fellow British-Iranian dual national Anoosheh Ashoori in March last year, and failed to let his family know, according to the report.

Liz Truss eventually called the family to say that Morad is now a US problem, implying that she would not put further effort into his release, and she did not have time to speak to them further, MPs said.

The report also highlighted then-foreign secretary Boris Johnson saying in 2017 that Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe had been teaching journalism in Tehran, comments which were blamed for exacerbating her plight following her arrest for alleged spying.

There were also examples of ministers getting the names of hostages wrong, Ms Kearns told Times Radio.

For dual nationals their Britishness too often they felt was in question, she said.

The report also criticised the considerable ministerial transience in recent years, with Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe questioning, on her release, why it took five foreign secretaries over six years to bring her home.

This contributes to inconsistency of approach and increases the risks of missing opportunities, not least when dealing with autocratic states with greater ministerial security of tenure, MPs said.

The committee called for a director for arbitrary and complex detentions.

That is somebody who would have a direct line to the prime minister, who can make sure that we have the cohesion, the continuity, the focus, the creativity that is needed to get our people home, Ms Kearns said.

Because the reality is that one of our most important findings was if you can get people home before they are charged, that is your best window of opportunity.

The senior Tory also said we have to call a spade a spade, as there is currently too much nervousness within the Foreign Office about calling out state hostage-taking for what it is.

The committee rejected a Foreign Office presumption that quiet diplomacy and family silence is always appropriate, saying that other than in the initial phase, silence abets state hostage-taking.

Amnesty International welcomed the findings of the report, which should lead to a major policy change.

Sacha Deshmukh, the charitys UK chief executive, said: Year after year during Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Anoosheh Ashooris gruelling incarcerations we were warning that the UK simply wasnt rising to the challenge of dealing with situations that went well beyond ordinary miscarriages of justice

The test of whether UK officials have learnt from previous failings will be whether they can be effective in quickly securing the release of the jailed conservationist Morad Tahbaz and fellow Briton Mehran Raoof, as well as another British national, Alaa Abd el-Fattah, whos been jailed in Egypt for his human rights work.

A Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office spokesman said: Consular officials are available 24/7 for families to receive tailored support. The Foreign Secretary and FCDO ministers are fully engaged in complex cases and have raised concerns with foreign governments.

The best interests of British national detainees is at the heart of our consular work and we support and work with their families wherever we can.
R ishi Sunak has recovered ground on Sir Keir Starmer but the Tories are still trailing far behind Labour, a new poll revealed on Monday.

The Ipsos survey for The Standard showed Mr Sunak back neck-and-neck with the Labour leader as the most capable Prime Minister.

He has also seen a jump in backing among Tory supporters.

However, the Conservatives are still 23 points behind Labour, with two thirds of adults now believing it is time for a change at the next election.

Despite showing some signs of improvement, the Tories are still lagging behind Labour on being seen as fit to govern, having a good team of leaders, keeping promises and understanding problems facing Britain, while also being seen as more extreme and divided.

The findings suggest some voters are warming to Mr Sunak after the Brexit deal on Northern Ireland trade, moves to restore damaged ties with France, the Budget, his plans to deal with the small boats Channel crisis, childcare reforms and other steps.

But despite the decline in political turbulence, especially compared to the brief Liz Truss premiership, any revival in the Tory partys overall electoral prospects appears to be in the early stages at best.

Economic optimism, which could be a key factor at the next election expected in 2024, is also flatlining, with 22 per cent expecting the general economic conditions in Britain to improve over the next 12 months, with 58 per cent saying get worse.

Key results include:

Labour is on 49 per cent (down two points on February), Conservative 26 per cent (up one point), Liberal Democrats 11 per cent (up two points) and Greens six per cent (up one point).

37 per cent say Mr Sunak would make the most capable PM, compared to 36 per cent for Sir Keir who was ahead by 39/33 in January.

Seven in ten of the public believe the Conservatives have done a poor job, just 21 per cent say they are a competent Government and 65 per cent think it is time for change at the next election, all figures little changed on January.

More people may be making up their mind about Sir Keir, with 39 per cent saying he is ready to be Prime Minister, up three points on January, but those who disagree has risen by the same amount to 40 per cent.

Thirty-two per cent are satisfied with the job Mr Sunak is doing as PM (up five points on February) and 54 per cent dissatisfied (down five point), with Sir Keir slipping back to a similar position, 31 per cent/51 per cent.

Three quarters of Conservative backers are satisfied with Mr Sunak, up ten points, and 15 per cent dissatisfied, down 11 points.

Labour supporters are less convinced by Sir Keir, with 48 per cent satisfied (down eight points) and 45 per cent dissatisfied ( up 16 points).

Seventy-seven per cent are dissatisfied with how the Government is running the country, unchanged from last month.

The detailed party image figures show Mr Sunaks party making progress on a number of findings but still are grim reading for the Tories.

On being fit to govern, they are up eight points from a dismal 16 per cent in October, the month Ms Truss quit as PM, to 24 per cent but still significantly behind Labour on 38 per cent.

Similar improvements for the Conservatives from last autumn puts them trailing Labour on having a good team of leaders by 17 points to 26 points, on understanding problems facing Britain (27/45), looking after the interests of people like me (19/37), and on being concerned about people in real need in the country (16/53).

Six in ten adults believe the Tories are divided, compared to 42 per cent for Labour, and the respective split for being seen as extreme is 30/14.

Just over a third say Labour is out of date, with 54 per cent having this view for the Conservatives.

People have little faith either party will keep their promises, with just 21 per cent believing Labour will and 11 per cent the Tories.

Seven in ten believe Mr Sunaks party will promise anything to win votes, and 58 per cent say the same for Sir Keirs.

Forty-four per cent believe Labour is ready to form the next government, down three points on December, with those who disagree up six points to 37 per cent.

Twenty-eight per cent believe they would be better off under a Labour government, 16 per cent say a Conservative one, and 51 per cent do not believe it would make any difference, similar figures to the start of the year.

Ipsos Director of Politics Keiran Pedley said: There are positives and negatives to take from these findings for Rishi Sunak but the overall political headwinds he faces are very challenging.

On the one hand, he will be encouraged to see his personal poll ratings improve, both individually and compared to Keir Starmer.

On the other hand, we see no meaningful movement in headline voting intention figures, with Labour still more than 20 points ahead.

The public remain pessimistic about the economy, overwhelmingly think the Government is doing a bad job running the country and crucially two in three think it is time for change at the next General Election.

All of which makes a Conservative victory at that election look improbable  for now.

Any Tory attempt to seek to portray that Britain would be plunged into chaos if Labour wins power also looks unlikely to gain traction, as just 25 per cent believe this will happen, with 52 per cent disagreeing, according to the poll.

Two thirds of adults say they do not like the Conservative Party, up five points on November, with a quarter stating they do, down one point, with Labour more liked than disliked by 47 per cent to 42 per cent.

The two leaders are broadly equally liked, with 43 per cent positive towards Mr Sunak (down four points from November), and 49 per cent negative (up eight points), with those liking Sir Keir down two points to 37 per cent, and disliking up three points to 52 per cent.

Ipsos interviewed 1,004 adults by phone between March 22 and 29. Data are weighted.
A pilot is lucky to be alive in hospital after his light aircraft crashed into trees and bushes shortly after take-off in east London.

Havering Police said a man and woman were in the aircraft that came down at roughly 12.12pm on Tuesday.

The plane crash-landed into shrubs next to a fishing pond after taking off from a nearby Damyns Hall aerodrome, according to witnesses.

Firefighters worked for more than an hour to cut the pair out of the aircraft.

The woman walked away unscathed from the crash and got into an ambulance.

Firefighter work to cut out the pair / @LFB

The pilot is believed to have suffered a broken ankle and broken ribs in the crash.

Police said he has potentially life-changing or life-threatening injuries.

A pilot told the Standard: I was flying myself at the time. Someone else flying overhead saw them go down into trees and bushes next to a fishing pond. Thats why they are still alive - its lucky.

The lady walked away and went with the ambulance. The pilot had a broken ankle and broken ribs. He was taken to the hospital in a helicopter.

The fire brigade were there in five minutes. I didnt know them or know if they were a couple. But I think it was their own aircraft.

A caterer working nearby added: I see planes take-off and land there all the time. To hear of a plane crash is so rare. You have to think of it compared to like car crashes they are more frequent.

The plane travelled nearly 500m before crash landing / Google

A Met spokesman said: Police were called to reports of a light aircraft that crashed shortly after take-off, in the area of Aveley Road Upminster.

Officers and London Ambulance Service are in attendance.

A man and a woman were located. Despite initial reports of no serious injuries, a man has now been taken to hospital with potentially life-changing or life threatening injuries.

Emergency services remain on the scene.

London Fire Brigade Station Commander Jeremy Davies said 40 firefighters worked for over an hour to free the pair by 1.40pm.

He said: Firefighters worked with partners to release a man and a woman trapped inside a lightweight aircraft in woodland near the aerodrome.

They were both taken to hospital by road and air ambulance crews.

A London Ambulance Service spokesperson said: We treated a man and woman at the scene and took them to hospital.
The government is teaming up with writers to raise awareness of climate change and the need to protect the environment, reports Mahmoud Bakr

The Ministry of the Environment and the Society of Writers on Environment and Development signed a cooperation protocol this week to implement a host of programmes and activities to prioritise the protection of the environment and raise peoples awareness of climate change and ways of mitigating its repercussions.

Minister of Environment Yasmine Fouad, who attended the signing ceremony, said the protocol was meant to leverage the medias role in raising awareness of the importance of protecting the environment and explaining environmental challenges such as climate change.

She described Egypts role at the upcoming UN COP28 Climate Change Conference in the UAE, saying that the Egyptian and Emirati sides are coordinating in preparation for the conference and Egypt will be assisting the UAE with expertise and technical support gleaned from its successful holding of the COP27 Conference in Sharm El-Sheikh in November last year.

The committee set up to oversee the Loss and Damage Fund at the COP27 Conference has held its first meeting with the countries participating in setting out the framework for the fund, Fouad said, adding that work on initiatives connecting the COP27 and COP28 is ongoing, with a focus on food and energy security, women and youth, and biodiversity.

She said that Egypt was the first country to establish a connection between the climate and biodiversity on the agenda of the COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh last year.

Egypt has also been working with the UAE to put biodiversity at the heart of the COP28, Fouad noted, especially after the release of the biological diversity framework post-2020. Denmark is presently hosting a meeting between Egyptian Foreign Minister and President of COP27 Sameh Shoukri and the president of COP28 to help in the preparations.

Fouad said that hopes were being pinned on COP28 to come up with recommendations on three critical topics: the developing countries and adaptation to climate change; following up on efforts to restrict the rise in the Earths temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius; and following up on the Loss and Damage Fund established at COP27.

She said that Egypt had taken important steps to localise the technology converting waste into energy by signing a contract for the first plant to convert waste into electricity in Abu Rawash using international technology implemented by an Egyptian consortium.

The contractual arrangements had been drawn up through a joint project of the ministries of the environment, finance, electricity, local development, housing, and military production, she said, through a consultative process that had included the State Council and an international law firm.

Fouad honoured the winners of the second edition of the Award for Journalistic Excellence and Writing on the Environment and Climate Change named after late journalist Mohamed Abdel-Maksoud. The first edition of the award was held last year as a cooperative venture between the Ministry of Environment and the Environment and Development Writers Association.

The association comprises 75 journalists from different media and seeks to encourage more writers interested in environmental affairs to help in the implementation of the governments development goals, increase environmental awareness, and raise the skills of journalists in the environmental field.

During this years event, the association honoured Fouad for her efforts in promoting the environmental sector in Egypt and her distinguished role during Egypts hosting of COP27.

* A version of this article appears in print in the 6 April, 2023 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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A police station has been closed in Herefordshire after a hand grenade was handed in by a member of the public.

A bomb squad has been sent to Hereford Police Station to assess the device and ensure it is disposed of safely, West Mercia Police said on Tuesday morning.

The station remains closed as a precaution while the Explosive Ordnance Disposal team responds. Bath Street is also closed, according to local reports.

The team is a British Army specialist team that is responsible for the detection, identification, recovery and final disposal of unexploded explosive ordnances.

A cordon has been put in place around the station and is likely to remain in place for some time, West Mercia Police wrote on Twitter.

We would like to reassure the public that there is not believed to be any risk to the wider area or the community.

A hand grenade is typically a small bomb consisting of explosive material in a metal or plastic container that can be thrown easily.
A woman in her 60s died on board a Jet2 flight from Tenerife to Manchester on Sunday.

The tragic incident took place several hours into flight which forced the jet to make an emergency landing at Newquay in a bid to save the womans life.

Crew on board the flight provided CPR, a witness said, but her life could not be saved.

The witness, who spoke to the Manchester Evening News, said: She seemed to take a sudden turn. The cabin crew put out an announcement for any medical staff on board.

Then the plane took a very dramatic veer to the right and it was clear something had changed and we needed to land straight away.

Quite a few people were visibly upset and emotional by what was going on.

She passed out, and they had oxygen on board and a defibrillator on board and started performing CPR. They did this for around an hour until we landed at Newquay.

Devon and Cornwall Police said the passenger was a woman in her 60s from Cheshire.

A spokesperson said they were called to Newquay airport at 7.20pm after the plane made the emergency landing.

Despite best efforts, the woman, in her 60s and from Cheshire, was pronounced deceased at the scene, he said.

Her next of kin have been informed. The death is not being treated as suspicious and a file will be prepared for HM Coroner.

A Jet2 spokesperson confirmed the womans death on board the flight and passed on condolences to her family.

Our thoughts are with the customers family and friends at this very difficult time, said the spokesperson.

We would like to express our thanks to our crew, as well as other customers who provided assistance onboard.
A Polish woman who went on Dr Phil claiming to be Madeleine McCann has received DNA tests results that reveal she is 100 per cent Polish.

Julia Wendell, 21, made the bold claim in February on social media that she was the missing British toddler last seen on on a family holiday in Portgual in 2007, aged three.

Her family issued a statement denying the claim via a Polish Missing Persons charity, Zaginieni przed laty, stating that Julia had taken family photos, her birth certificate and numerous hospital discharges from her home.

After receiving death threats for pointing out physical similarities between her and McCann, Wendell went to the US and publicised her case with the aide of private detective and celebrity medium Dr Fia Johansson, who was granted power of attorney over Julia.

The pair made an appearance on Dr Phil and other media outlets, with Julia claiming that her Polish mother wasnt her real parent.

But Ms Johansson confirmed on Tuesday that Julia had received DNA test results revealing she does not have any British or German connections, and was returning home to Poland.

In an Instagram post Ms Johansson wrote: Although it is impossible to tell for sure without the parents DNA results on either side, the test results speak to the origins of Julias roots.

The test results revealed that she is a 100 per cent Polish, with negligible influence from Lithuania and Russia.

The DNA test results did not show any connecion to British or even German roots.

Ms Johansson went on to defend Julias claims, saying she truly believed what she was saying and with so many questions about her childhood it is easy to understand where she was coming from.

This story is much more complicated than a simple girl from a small town in Poland making a claim to get attention, she continued, adding that Julia had decided to return to live with her father in Poland.

I prepared a short interview with Julia before leaving the US. She broke down in tears about her past.

Madeleine McCann - In pictures 1 / 34 Madeleine McCann - In pictures PA Media Kate and Gerry McCann, whose daughter Madeleine disappeared from a holiday flat in Portugal ten years ago, during an interview with the BBC's Fiona Bruce at Prestwold Hall in Loughborough PA Screen grabbed image taken from the Official Find Madeleine Campaign Facebook page of a message from Madeleine McCann's parents, Gerry and Kate, who has described the tenth anniversary of her daughter's disappearance as a "horrible marker of time, stolen time" PA Ocean Club in Praia Da Luz The Ocean Club in Praia Da Luz where Madeleine McCann disappeared Kate and Gerry McCann Kate and Gerry McCann with a computer image of how their missing daughter Madeleine might look Reuters Maddie disappeared in 2007 Madeleine McCann: Disappeared in 2007 aged three PA Madeleine McCann Maddie disappeared in 2007 PA Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley, who has revealed that British detectives working on the Madeleine McCann case are still pursuing "critical" leads as the 10th anniversary of her disappearance approaches PA Kate and Gerry McCann Kate and Gerry McCann before a charity run in London AFP/Getty Images The Ocean Club which is next to Apartment 5A in Praia Da Luz in Portugal, where Madeline McCann went missing PA Kate and Gerry McCann, whose daughter Madeleine disappeared from a holiday flat in Portugal ten years ago, during an interview with the BBC's Fiona Bruce at Prestwold Hall in Loughborough PA Kate McCann Kate McCann speaks to press at a Lisbon court last year AFP/Getty Images Kate and Gerry McCann with their children Kate and Gerry return home from Portugal in 2007 AFP/Getty Images A general view of the coastline in Praia Da Luz in Portugal, where Madeline McCann went missing PA Portugal police Police in Portugal comb the Algarve resort after Madeleine disappeared in 2007 AFP/Getty Images Kate and Gerry McCann Kate and Gerry McCann pictured shortly after Maddie went missing AFP/Getty Images Kate McCann Kate McCann cries during a 2008 TV appearance Madeleine McCann Maddie in an Everton shirt Everton FC/PA A general view of Church of Nossa Senhora da Luz in Praia Da Luz, Portugal, close to where Madeline McCann went missing PA Members of Scotland Yard dig at an area during the search for missing British girl Madeleine McCann in Praia da Luz, near Lagos on 07 June 2014 Reuters Kate and Gerry McCann Kate McCann and Gerry McCann speak to press after being cleared of being formal suspects Getty Images A poster is shown whilst Kate and Gerry McCann give a press conference in 2012 about their missing daughter Madeline McCann Daily Mail Kate and Gerry pictured five years after Maddie went missing Getty Images The Ocean Club which is next to Apartment 5A in Praia Da Luz in Portugal, where Madeline McCann went missing PA Maddie's parents in an interview with Crimewatch A scene from a Crimewatch reconstruction BBC

Convicted sex offender Christian Brueckner is accused of five offences between 2000 and 2017 in Portugal  with the charges unrelated to the McCann case.

But investigators believe the 45-year-old killed Madeleine after abducting her from a holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal, on May 3 2007.

Brueckner, who has reportedly denied any involvement in the youngsters disappearance, was identified as a murder suspect in the McCann case by Portuguese officials in June 2020.
U K stamps will feature the Kings image for the first time from today, but the Queens image will remain on our post for some time to come.

Charles image, adapted by the design of artist Martin Jennings for use on coins by the Royal Mint, will appear on all new stamps with presentation packs on sale.

But the new stamps will not be sold at post offices and other retailers until stocks featuring his mothers image have been used up.

Royal Mail director of external affairs and policy David Gold said Charles has asked for existing stocks to be used, rather than destroyed.

Mr Gold said: The King gave very clear directions he didnt want anything to be pulped, he didnt want things being shredded, he didnt want stock being thrown away.

He was very clear, however long it takes to clear the stock theres no rush entirely in line with his well-stated principles of waste and environmentalism.

REUTERS

The new stamp features Charles head and neck facing left, as all monarchs have done since Queen Victoria appeared on the Penny Black  the worlds first postage stamp  in 1840.

Mr Gold said: The guidance we got from His Majesty was more about continuity and not doing anything too different to what had gone before.

I think theres an acknowledgement that, for 70 years, people have been so used to seeing the image of Her Majesty  even through the current image only started in 1967  they didnt want anything too different.

The continuity sees the colours of the stamps remaining  plum purple for first class, holly green for second class, marine turquoise for large first class and dark pine green for large second class.

The new first class stamp forms part of an exhibition at Londons Postal Museum which runs until September 23.

The first stamps featuring Charles silhouette went on sale in March in the corner of a collection celebrating the nations favourite flowers.

His mothers silhouette had featured on special edition stamps since 1966.

The final set using her image was unveiled in February on a set of stamps marking the 100th anniversary of steam locomotive the Flying Scotsman.

The change in images comes a day after a rise in stamp prices  first class increasing by 15p to 1.10 with second class rising by 7p to 75p.

Royal Mail said the rise was necessary to continue its one-price-goes-anywhere Universal Service.

Chief commercial officer Nick Landon said: We appreciate that many businesses and households are facing a challenging economic environment and we are committed to keeping our prices affordable.

Letters have declined by 25% compared to pre-pandemic.

We have to carefully balance our pricing against a continued decline in letter volumes and the increasing costs of delivering letters six days a week to an ever-growing number of addresses across the country.
T ransport Minister Richard Holden has expressed a hope that City of Derry Airport can move towards becoming self-sustaining.

Mr Holden was speaking during a visit to the airport on the outskirts of Londonderry following confirmation of support to ensure the only air route from the city to London will continue for another year.

The City of Derry to Stansted flight, operated by Loganair, has been subsidised by the UK Government since 2017 under a public service obligation.

The Department of Transport and the Stormont Department for the Economy recently confirmed that the support will continue to March 2024.

The two departments will be providing 1.1 million in 2023/24 to maintain the connection.

Loganair took over the Derry to London route after the original operator, Flybmi, entered administration in February 2019.

It will operate 16 weekly return flights during the winter season and 19 weekly return flights during the summer.

Visiting the airport on Tuesday, Mr Holden commended the move to support the route.

He also said he hopes that the 50% reduction in the Domestic Air Passenger Duty, which came in on April 1, will boost business.

Some of that wont need to be supported with as much tax payer money in the future because they wont have to pay that tax, hopefully that means places like Derry will be able to see a boost in that direction, particularly with regional tourism, he said.

Hopefully this will spur economic growth, but more broadly what we want to see is tourism as well as business, working together to help drive forward fantastic airports like this.

We have got those routes to Manchester opening up as well soon, and hopefully others too.

Were seeing steps in the right direction, obviously the long term aim though is for all airports like this to not just be self sustaining, but even getting to a point where they can provide some cash back to the local tax payers as well.
A British woman died after travelling to Turkey to undergo gastric band surgery.

Shannon Bowe, 28, from Denny, Stirlingshire, is understood to have died in the country on Saturday.

Tributes flooded in for her as UK consular officials confirmed they had been in contact with her family.

It has been reported that she did not have any travel insurance and her family is now facing a huge bill to bring her body back home.

Among those paying their condolences was Ms Bowes boyfriend, Ross Stirling.

On a social media platform, he described her as an angel, adding: Sleep tight, love you forever and always.

Writing on Facebook, a family friend said: Shannon was one of the kindest people I knew and she would do anything for anyone.

She was the life and soul of a party. It is so sad. These operations obviously are risky but it is so rare you hear of this happening.

Everyone is finding it really hard to believe she is no longer with us.

She did not have any travel insurance and her family are now going to have to pay thousands of pounds to bring her back home.

This is the last thing they need to worry about.

Gastric band surgery is a weight loss procedure which involves placing a band around the stomach to decrease food consumption.

It has become increasingly popular with thousands of Britons, with many opting to travel to Turkey to have the work carried out.

So far, it is unclear where Ms Bowe had travelled to undergo the operation or what led to her death.

A Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office spokesman said: We are supporting the family of a British national who died in Turkey and are in contact with the local authorities.
The politician held several Cabinet posts under Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s and oversaw the Lawson Boom period of economic growth. He had six children, including the celebrity chef Nigella Lawson.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is among the politicians who have paid tribute to Lord Lawson. Mr Sunak said: One of the first things I did as chancellor was hang a picture of Nigel Lawson above my desk.

He was a transformational chancellor and an inspiration to me and many others. My thoughts are with his family and friends at this time.

Who was Nigel Lawson?

Nigel Lawson, was a Conservative politician and a journalist. He was born on March 11, 1932, in Hampstead, London, to a non-orthodox Jewish family. He studied at Westminster School before attending Oxford, where he graduated with a first-class degree in philosophy, politics and economics.

Lawson completed his national service in the Royal Navy, before beginning a career in journalism. He worked for the Financial Times, the Sunday Telegraph and became the editor of The Spectator.

He then entered politics, representing the former Leicestershire constituency of Blaby in the Commons from 1974 until 1992, when he was made a life peer. He sat in the House of Lords until he retired in January 2023.

Nigel Lawson / Gareth Fuller/PA Wire

What roles did he serve under Thatcher?

Joining Margaret Thatchers newly elected government in 1979, he first served as financial secretary to the Treasury from 1979 until 1981, and energy secretary from 1981 until 1983.

Lawson then served as her chancellor from 1983 to 1989, until he quit over Thatchers refusal to sack her economics adviser, Professor Sir Alan Walters, whom he accused of undermining his position.

His decision came as a heavy blow to Thatcher and began a chain of events that led to her downfall the following year.

Margaret Thatcher: The Lady had the great city of London in her heart 1 / 8 Margaret Thatcher: The Lady had the great city of London in her heart Richard-Branson.jpg The Lady is in charge: Thatcher on the Thames with Richard Branson on the Virgin Atlantic Challenger II in July 1986 (Picture: Rex Features) (c) Rex Features thatcher.jpg Thatcher with Westminster council leader Shirley Porter to promote the boroughs clean-up campaign in April 1989. Glenn Copus thatcher-photos.jpg Mrs Thatcher feeds the ducks in Hyde Park on the 1987 general election trail Rex Features Prime-Minister-Margaret-Tha.jpg Thatcher opening the M25 in October 1986 (c) Rex Features Thatcher-picking-tulips.jpg Human touch: picking tulips at 10 Downing Street in May 1985 Rex Features maggie-battersea.jpg Thatcher at Battersea Power Station in 1988 REX

Who are his family members?

Nigel Lawson was married to Vanessa Salmon, with whom he had four children, celebrity chef Nigella Lawson, journalist Dominic Lawson, Horatia and Thomasina, who died at age 32 from breast cancer.

Lawson and Salmon divorced and he married Therese Maclear, with whom he had two children, Eastbourne College headmaster Tom Lawson and TV producer Emily Lawson.
A n extraordinary moment in US history unfolded on Tuesday, as former president Donald Trump surrendered himself to a Manhattan courthouse.

Trump has appeared in court to be arraigned on criminal charges stemming from 2016 hush money payments made to porn star Stormy Daniels.

The former president pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records, as he appeared before a judge on Tuesday afternoon local time (Tuesday evening in the UK).

He appeared after being escorted to the courthouse from Trump Tower in Manhattan by the Secret Service, and surrendering himself.

Trump is thought to have been fingerprinted, before he appeared before Judge Juan Merchan, and learned the charges against him and entered his not guilty pleas.

Judge Merchan previously ruled that television cameras will not be allowed in the courtroom - but a handful of photographers have been admitted.

Trump, who was impeached twice by the US House but was never convicted in the US Senate, is the first former president to face criminal charges.

Large crowds of protesters gathered outside the courtroom where Trump is appearing.

New York police said they were ready for large protests by Trump supporters, who share the Republican former presidents belief that his indictment by a New York grand jury and three additional pending investigations are politically motivated and intended to weaken his bid to retake the White House in 2024.
D onald Trump has pleaded not guilty to charges stemming from hush-money payments made during the 2016 campaign to bury allegations that he had extramarital sexual encounters.

The former president, 76 became the first sitting or former president to face criminal charges in a historic arraignment in New York on Tuesday.

One of the charges relates to hush-money payments Trump is alleged to have paid to cover up a child conceived out of wedlock.

The former president, who forcefully denies wrongdoing , w as escorted from his own plush Trump Tower into a side entrance to the grimy Manhattan Criminal Courthouse by Secret Services and the New York Police Department.

He was formally arrested and processed at the court and had his fingerprints taken.

Court officials will create a record of his name, age, birthdate, height and weight before taking his fingerprints via a computerized system.

He also learned the exact 34 charges against him for the first time before taking an elevator usually reserved for judges into the media-free chamber on the 15th floor.

Scores of Trump fans, including controversial figures Marjorie Taylor Greene and George Santos, turned out to support the former US president and front-runner for the 2024 Republican nomination.

He is strong and ready to go, Trump lawyer Joe Tacopina said before the hearing.

We know the basis of the indictment and the factual allegations in the indictment, Tacopina said, adding that Trump would maintain his innocence.

One thing I can assure you as I sit here today: Therell be no guilty plea in this case. Thats one thing I can guarantee you, he said.

Tacopina appeared to predict that the case would ultimately be dismissed.

I dont think this case is going to see a juror, he said. I think theres a legal challenge that will be made and should be made successfully.

Anti-Trump protesters hold signs outside Manhattan Criminal Courthouse / REUTERS

Trump, a former reality TV star-turned-politician, has been hyping that narrative to his political advantage, saying he raised more than $8 million in the days since the indictment on claims of a witch hunt.

His campaign released a fundraising request titled My last email before arrest and he has repeatedly assailed the Manhattan district attorney, egged on supporters to protest and claimed without evidence that the judge presiding over the case hates me  something his own lawyer has said is not true.

Trump is scheduled to return to his Palm Beach, Florida, home, Mar-a-Lago, on Tuesday evening to give remarks, punctuating his new reality: submitting to the dour demands of the American criminal justice system while projecting an aura of defiance and victimhood at celebratory campaign events. At least 500 prominent supporters have been invited, with some of the most pro-Trump congressional Republicans expected to attend.

A conviction would not prevent Trump from running for or winning the presidency in 2024.

The investigation is scrutinizing six-figure payments made to porn actor Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal. Both say they had sexual encounters with the married Trump years before he got into politics.

Trump denies having sexual liaisons with either woman and has denied any wrongdoing involving payments.

Trump was defiant ahead of his arraignment. He used his social media network to complain that he was going to court in a heavily Democratic area, declaring, KANGAROO COURT.

He and his campaign have repeatedly assailed Bragg and even trained scrutiny on members of Braggs family.

On social media site Truth Social, which Trump owns, he today wrote an all-caps message accusing the radical left democrats of having criminalised the justice system. He added: This is not what America was supposed to be!

In another message, also penned entirely in capital letters, he described the judge set to preside over his case as highly partisan, accusing him and his family of being well known Trump haters.
D onald Trump is gearing up with his legal team for his appearance in a Manhattan courthouse on Tuesday as he prepares to face history-making criminal charges.

It will be the first time he will hear the exact details of his criminal charges, which stem from 2016 hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels.

The former president will be fingerprinted, hear his charges and is expected to plead not guilty in the short appearance. He may have a mug shot taken.

The Secret Service will escort Mr Trump from his New York Trump Tower to lower Manhattan for the appearance, and police are braced for protests by his supporters outside.

Groups gathered outside on Monday night, including clergy praying for peace and anti-Trump protesters holding placards reading Lock him up!.

Mr Trumps supporters share his belief that the New York grand jury indictment - and three additional pending investigations - are politically motivated and intended to weaken his bid to retake the White House in 2024.

The former reality-TV star has been using that narrative to his political advantage, raising millions of dollars since the indictment on claims of a witch hunt.

He has personally assailed the Manhattan district attorney, egged on supporters to protest, and claimed without evidence that the judge presiding over the case hates me - something Mr Trumps own lawyer has said is not true.

Getty Images

Mr Trump is scheduled to return to his Florida home, Mar-a-Lago, on Tuesday evening to hold a rally. A conviction would not prevent Mr Trump from running for or winning the presidency in 2024.

Inside the Manhattan courtroom, prosecutors led by New Yorks district attorney, Alvin Bragg, are expected to unseal the indictment issued last week by a grand jury. This is when Mr Trump and his defence lawyers will get their first glimpse of the precise allegations against him.

The indictment includes multiple charges of falsifying business records, including at least one felony offense, two people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press last week.

AP

After the arraignment, Mr Trump is expected to be released by authorities because the charges against him do not require that bail be set.

The investigation is scrutinising six-figure payments made to porn actor Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal. Both say they had sexual encounters with the married Trump years before he got into politics.

Mr Trump denies having sexual liaisons with either woman and has denied any wrongdoing involving payments.

Top Republicans, including some of Trumps potential rivals in next years GOP presidential primary, have decried the case against him. US President Joe Biden and leading Democrats have largely had little to say about it.
Egypt signed an agreement last week with the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) under which it will receive $336 million to support the Universal Health Insurance System (UHIS). The money is being granted in the form of an Official Development Assistance (ODA) agreement which comprises providing concessional grants and soft loans, promoting the economic development and welfare of developing countries as the main objective.

The agreement, according to Finance Minister Mohamed Maait, would help in expanding the UHIS to cover all Egyptian governorates. The system has so far been applied in the governorates of Port Said, Ismailia, Luxor, Aswan, and North Sinai.

The amount will help in the achievement of Egypts Sustainable Development Goals [SDGs], said Maait, adding that the agreement will help in completing the UHIS objectives by 2030 as was planned.

Hossam Abdel-Ghaffar, the spokesman of the Ministry of Health and Population noted that implementing the UHIS requires huge amounts of money.

It is essential to improve health services in existing hospitals, as well as build 135 new healthcare facilities and improve 5,314 health units, Abdel-Ghaffar said.

Due to the amount of money required, Abdel-Ghaffar stated that JICA, the World Bank (WB), the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the French Development Agency (AFD) vowed to provide Egypt with $1 billion to finance the countrys UHIS. The General Health Insurance Authority would be responsible for the administration and financing of the system, while the Health Ministry would provide health and treatment services in and out of hospitals.

Under the new system, the government will provide its medical services to limited income brackets. This new system will give citizens the chance to enjoy health care at the hospital of their choice, thus creating competition among the private, governmental and military hospitals which will all be included in the new system, Abdel-Ghaffar said.

The UHIS covers over 3,000 health services including surgical interventions, medical analyses, radiology scans, tumour treatments, organ transplantations, and prosthetic devices. This is in addition to visual and audio aids, dental treatment, therapeutic food, and other supplements, according to the latest treatments and internationally approved medicines.

Abdel-Ghaffar pointed out that the system is being incrementally implemented in six phases which started in 2018 and will end in 2032. It initially began in Port Said and has been gradually rolling across the nations governorates. Priority has been given to governorates with the lowest income citizens.

* A version of this article appears in print in the 6 April, 2023 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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N asa has revealed the names of the first woman and the first African American ever assigned as astronauts to a lunar mission.

They are part of a four-member team who will fly as early as next year on Nasas Artemis mission to the moon. In November 2022, the rocket was launched on a 25-day test flight to fly around the moon and back. The space agencys last Apollo moon mission was 50 years ago.

The Apollo missions of the 1960s and 1970s landed 12 men on the moon, and the Artemis mission is the first time in a generation people will see men  and a woman  make a lunar landing.

Last year, Libby Jackson, head of space exploration at the UK Space Agency, said: The launch of the Artemis 1 mission is a hugely significant moment for the global space community, paving the way for humanity to return to the Moon in the coming years. The Artemis programme marks the next chapter of human space exploration, and we look forward to continued involvement as it comes to life.

Heres what you need to know about who will be on board Artemis II.

Which astronauts will fly on Nasas Artemis moon rocket?

The Artemis II quartet were introduced at a televised news conference in Houston at the Johnson Space Center, Nasas mission control base.

Christina Koch is an engineer who already holds the record for the longest continuous spaceflight by a woman, and she has now been named as a mission specialist.

In addition, Victor Glover, a US Navy aviator, was selected as the Artemis II pilot. He was part of the second crewed flight of a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule, and will become the first astronaut of colour ever to be sent on a lunar mission.

Jeremy Hansen is the first Canadian ever to be chosen for a flight to the moon, serving as a mission specialist.

Finally, Reid Wiseman, an International Space Station veteran, has been named as Artemis II mission commander.

How long does it take to get to the moon?

The moon is about 238,855 miles from Earth on average, depending on where it is in its orbit.

The time it takes to get to the moon depends on a number of factors, including whether the rocket is crewed or not. According to Nasa, it takes between 2.5 and four days to reach the moon.

The Apollo 11 mission, which was the first crewed mission to land on the moon, took four days to make the journey.

What does Artemis mean and what is the projects mission?

The Artemis project is named after the Greek goddess of the moon and sister to Apollo, who gave his name to Nasas first moon missions. Appropriately, Artemiss mission will land the first woman on the moon in 2025.

Nasa said the projects aims are scientific discovery, economic benefit, and inspiration for a new generation of explorers.

The space agency will build an Artemis base camp, which will allow astronauts and robots to explore more extensively than before.

Nasa launched its Artemis rocket on Wednesday morning / Keegan Barber/Nasa via Getty Images

Who was the first person on the moon?

The first astronauts landed on the moon as part of the Apollo 11 mission in 1969.

Astronaut Neil Armstrong was the first person to step foot on the moon, famously saying: Thats one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind, as he did so.

Edwin Buzz Aldrin soon joined Armstrong on the moon, while astronaut Michael Collins remained in lunar orbit.

Who was the last person on the moon?

The last astronauts to walk on the moon were Gene Cernan and Harrison Jack Schmitt, as part of the Apollo 17 mission in 1972.

Astronaut Ronald Evans was also a part of the mission but remained on board.

Full list of astronauts to walk the moon

A total of 12 men have walked on the moon as part of six Apollo missions.

Apollo 11: Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin

Apollo 12: Pete Conrad, Alan Bean

Apollo 14: Alan Shepard, Edgar Mitchell

Apollo 15: David Scott, James Irwin

Apollo 16: John Young, Charles Duke

Apollo 17: Gene Cernan, Harrison Schmitt

The Apollo 13 astronauts Jim Lovell and Fred Haise were also set to walk on the moon but their mission was aborted because an oxygen tank exploded.
N asa has included a woman and a Black man in the crew for a lunar mission for the first time.

Engineer Christina Koch will be mission specialist and US navy aviator Victor Glover will pilot the four-member Artemis II crew that will fly as early as next year.

The mission will be Nasas first to the Moon in more than 50 years.

Ms Koch already holds the record for the longest space flight by a woman, with a total of 328 days, and participated in the first all-female spacewalk.

She will be joined by Jeremy Hansen, the first Canadian chosen for a moon flight, named as a second mission specialist, and mission commander Reid Wiseman, an International Space Station veteran.

Ms Koch said: Am I excited? Absolutely. We are going to carry all of your excitement, your aspirations, your dreams.

This is a big day - we have a lot to celebrate and its so much more than the four names that have been announced, Mr Glover said.

Artemis II will be the first crewed flight of the landmark programme aimed at returning astronauts to the Moons surface this decade and establishing a sustainable outpost there, creating a stepping stone to human exploration of Mars.

The objective of the Artemis II flight, a 10-day, 1.4 million-mile journey around the Moon and back late next year or early in 2025, is to demonstrate that all of Orions life-support apparatus and other systems will operate as designed with astronauts aboard in deep space.

The three Nasa astronauts were chosen from a pool of nine women and nine men who were selected for the programme in 2020.

The kickoff Artemis I mission was successfully completed in December 2022, capping the inaugural launch of Nasas powerful next-generation megarocket and its newly built Orion spacecraft on an uncrewed test flight that lasted 25 days.

If Artemis II succeeds, Nasa plans to follow up a few years later with the programes first lunar landing of astronauts - one of them a woman - on Artemis III, then continue with additional crewed missions about once a year.
F inland has officially joined Nato in a historic moment for the country, which more than doubles the Western military alliance's border with Russia.

Finland ended its post-war neutrality by joining the military alliance in the wake of Putins unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.

It marks a blow to Putin, with the Kremlin warning of retaliatory measures in response.

Speaking just before accepting the documents making Finlands membership formal, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said: I'm tempted to say this is maybe the one thing that we can thank Mr. Putin for because he once again here precipitated something he claims to want to prevent by Russia's aggression, causing many countries to believe that they have to do more to look out for their own defence and to make sure that they can deter possible Russian aggression going forward.

Neighbouring Sweden, which also had a policy of neutrality, has also applied but has yet to be approved.

Finland, which shares an 832-mile border with Russia, will now be protected under Natos Article 5, which declares that an attack on any one member is considered an attack on all members.

Finnish Foreign Affairs Minister Pekka Haavisto (L) hands over Finlands accession to Nato documents to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken / POOL/AFP via Getty Images

In effect, this means if Finland were attacked, Nato allies including the US and Britain, would pledge to come to the countrys aid.

Russia's Foreign Ministry said the country will be forced to take military-technical and other retaliatory measures to counter the threats to our national security arising from Finland's accession to NATO."

It said Finland's move marks a fundamental change in the situation in Northern Europe, which had previously been one of the most stable regions in the world.

Shortly before Finland formally joined Nato, its parliamentary website was paralysed by a denial-of-service attack. A pro-Russian hacker group known as NoName057 (16) claimed responsibility.

Nato Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said earlier on Tuesday that no more troops would be sent to Finland unless it asked for help.

There will be no Nato troops in Finland without the consent of Finland, he told reporters at the alliance's headquarters in Brussels.

The country is now protected by what Stoltenberg called NATO's "iron-clad security guarantee," under which all member countries vow to come to the defense of any ally that comes under attack.

But Stoltenberg refused to rule out the possibility of holding more military exercises there and said that NATO would not allow Russia's demands to dictate the organization's decisions.

"We are constantly assessing our posture, our presence. We have more exercises, we have more presence, also in the Nordic area," he said.

Finland's entry will be marked with a flag-raising ceremony at Nato headquarters, which its president, foreign and defence ministers will take part in.

Among those welcoming the news was Rishi Sunak.

This is an historic day for Finland and for Nato. Their accession has made our alliance stronger and every one of us safer, he said.

All Nato members now need to take the steps necessary to admit Sweden too, so we can stand together as one alliance to defend freedom in Europe and across the world.

Sweden's application has been held up by Nato members Turkey and Hungary.

Turkey says Stockholm harbours members of what Ankara considers terrorist groups  which Sweden denies  and has demanded their extradition as a step toward ratifying Swedish membership.

Hungary is also holding up Sweden's admission, citing grievances over criticism of Prime Minister Viktor Orban's democratic record.
M edia baron Rupert Murdoch has reportedly called off his latest engagement to Ann Lesley Smith just weeks after they announced their betrothal, according to reports.

Sources close to the 92-year-old Fox Corporation chairman told Vanity Fair that his engagement to the 66-year-old former dental hygienist turned conservative radio host has been abruptly called off.

One source close to Murdoch said he had become increasingly uncomfortable with Smiths outspoken evangelical views.

A spokesperson for Rupert Murdoch declined to comment to Vanity Fair.

Murdoch, who is the head of a global media empire, told his own tabloid newspaper, the New York Post in March: I was very nervous.

Murdoch and his wives / Comp ES

I dreaded falling in love, but I knew this would be my last. It better be. Im happy. Were both looking forward to spending the second half of our lives together.

The pair were set to marry in the summer. The nuptials would have marked the fifth time that the media titan has wed.

Murdoch, whose business empire includes the controversial US network Fox News and The Sun newspaper in the UK has six children from his first three marriages.

Prudence MacLeod, with his first wife Patricia Booker and daughter Elisabeth and sons Lachlan and James with his second wife Anna Mann.

His two youngest children, Grace and Chloe, are with his third wife Wendi Deng.

Smith had told the New York Post: Im a widow of 14 years. Like Rupert, my husband was a businessman.

Worked for local papers, developed radio and TV stations and helped promote Univision. So I speak Ruperts language. We share the same beliefs.
A woman accused of being involved in the bombing that killed Russian military blogger Vladlen Tatarsky is set to face a court hearing.

Darya Trepova, 26, was arrested by police after Mr Tatarsky was killed on Sunday at a St Petersburg cafe as he led a discussion.

Mr Tatarsky, 40, was an avid supporter of the war in Ukraine who filed daily reports on the fighting from the front lines.

Ms Trepova is set to face a court hearing in Moscow on Tuesday that will set terms for her pre-trial detention.

She was seen on video moments before the blast presenting Mr Tatarsky with a statuette that is believed to have contained explosives.

Russian authorities described the bombing as an act of terrorism and blamed Ukrainian intelligence agencies for orchestrating the attack.

The Interior Ministry released a video in which Ms Trepova told a police officer that she brought the bust to the cafe.

When asked who gave it to her, she said she would explain later. The circumstances under which Ms Trepova spoke were unclear, including whether she was under duress.

The National Anti-Terrorist Committee, which coordinates counterterrorism operations, said the bombing was planned by Ukrainian special services, noting Ms Trepova was an active supporter of imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

Last year she was arrested and spent 10 days in custody after taking part in an anti-war rally.

Darya Trepova was arrested this week / via REUTERS

Ukrainian authorities did not directly respond to the accusation, but President Volodymyr Zelensky said in reference to the attack that he doesnt think about events in Russia, and his top adviser described the bombing as part of Russias internal turmoil.

While Ms Trepova was arrested in St Petersburg, her case was sent to Moscow, where the headquarters of the countrys top investigative agencies are located, in an apparent reflection of its high priority.

She will face a hearing at Moscows Basmanny District Court that is expected to order her to be held in custody pending the investigation.

Russian law envisions a life sentence for terrorist crimes.

The bombing, which injured 40 other people, 25 of whom have been hospitalised, was the latest attack inside Russia on a high-profile pro-war figure.

Last year, a nationalist TV commentator was assassinated when a bomb exploded in her SUV outside Moscow.

Mr Tatarsky was the pen name of Maxim Fomin, who had accumulated more than 560,000 followers on his Telegram messaging app channel.

Mr Tatarsky, who joined separatists in eastern Ukraine after a Moscow-backed insurgency erupted there in 2014, fought on the front lines for years before turning to blogging.

Military bloggers have become increasingly visible, supporting the war but occasionally exposing flaws in Russian military strategy while the Kremlin has shut independent media outlets and muzzled any criticism of the war.
N ew York was gripped by a fear of violence on Tuesday over Donald Trumps historic court showdown.

Thousands of police were deployed from early this morning ahead of the ex-president being taken from Trump Tower, under security service protection, to the Manhattan Criminal Court.

Mr Trump is the first former president to be indicted to face criminal charges over a case involving a $130,000 hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels in 2016. He denies having had a relationship with her and has vowed to fight the charges which threaten to further deepen the US political rift.

REUTERS

After the storming of the US Capitol on January 6, 2021 by Trump supporters, New Yorks mayor Eric Adams appealed for calm ahead of Tuesdays hearing.

Our message is clear and simple: Control yourselves. New York City is our home, not a playground for your misplaced anger, he said.

The arraignment, where Mr Trump will hear charges and have a chance to enter a plea, was planned for 2.15pm local time (7.15pm UK time). Mr Trumps lawyers, who said he will plead not guilty, opposed photography, video and radio coverage, arguing that it would exacerbate an already almost circus-like atmosphere around this case.

District Attorney Alvin Bragg, a Democrat who led the investigation, will give a news conference in the afternoon. Mr Trump will return to Florida and deliver remarks from his Mar-a-Lago estate at 8.15pm local time (1.15am UK time), his office said. The specific charges in the indictment by a grand jury have been kept secret until today.

Yahoo News reported that Mr Trump would face 34 felony counts for alleged falsification of business records. The ex-president was expected to be fingerprinted at the court but it was not clear if he would have his mugshot taken. He claims the charges are politically motivated, writing on his Truth Social profile: We have to take back our country and, make America great again!

President Joe Biden, who is widely expected to seek re-election next year and face a potential rematch against Mr Trump, said when asked about potential unrest: No, I have faith in the New York Police Department.

Analysts expect the court case to boost Mr Trumps chances of becoming the Republican presidential candidate while denting the likelihood that he would win it.

He is also linked to several other inquiries including into his alleged role in the Capitol attack and government papers found at Mar-a-Lago.
D onald Trump sat stone-faced as he declared he was not guilty to 34 charges stemming from hush-money payments made during his 2016 election campaign.

New details emerged about a scheme that prosecutors say involved payoffs to two women, including a porn star, who said they had extramarital sexual encounters with him years earlier, as well as to a Trump Tower doorman who claimed to have a story about a child he alleged the former president had out of wedlock.

In one instance, American Media Inc, paid $30,000 to a former Trump Tower doorman, who claimed to have a story about a child TRUMP had out of wedlock, the Manhattan district attorneys office announced Tuesday, referring to the company that owned The National Inquirer at the time.

Trump, stone-faced and silent as he entered and exited the Manhattan courtroom, said not guilty in a firm voice while facing a judge who warned him to refrain from rhetoric that could inflame or cause civil unrest.

Trump, his lips pursed in apparent anger, entered the courtroom shortly before 2:30 p.m. He left court about an hour later, also without commenting. All told, the typically verbose Trump spoke only about 10 words during the entire proceeding.

Wearing his signature dark suit and red tie, Trump turned and waved to crowds outside the building before heading inside to be fingerprinted and processed. He arrived at court in an eight-car motorcade from Trump Tower, communicating in real time his anger at the process.

Donald Trump Court Indictment | April 2023 1 / 33 Donald Trump Court Indictment | April 2023 AP AP Getty Images AP AP AFP via Getty Images Getty Images REUTERS AP AP Getty Images AFP via Getty Images Getty Images AP AP Getty Images AP AFP via Getty Images AFP via Getty Images Getty Images AP AP AFP via Getty Images AFP via Getty Images AP

Heading to Lower Manhattan, the Courthouse, he posted on his Truth Social platform. Seems so SURREAL  WOW, they are going to ARREST ME. Cant believe this is happening in America. MAGA!

Donald Trump is due to return to Florida in the coming hours where he is expected to make a statement.

In a fundraising email to supporters sent after his appearance, Trump said: While we are living through the darkest hours of American history, I can say that at least for this moment right now, I am in great spirits.

Trump then asked his supporters to consider contributing to his 2024 presidential campaign, saying: I have never been more certain that we will win back the White House and save our Great Nation.

Trump lawyer Todd Blanche told reporters that it was a sad day for the country.

You dont expect this to happen to somebody who was president of the United States, he said.

At his press conference, Alvin Bragg asserted that the scheme to pay hush money to adult film star Stormy Daniels to suppress the story of her alleged affair with Donald Trump ran afoul of multiple laws.

The scheme violated New York election law, which makes it a crime to conspire to promote a candidacy by unlawful means, the Manhattan district attorney said.

The 130,000 dollar wire payment exceeded the federal campaign contribution cap, and the false statements in [American Media Incs] books violated New York law.

Trump, who was impeached twice by the U.S. House but was never convicted in the U.S. Senate, is the first former president to face criminal charges. The nations 45th commander in chief was escorted from Trump Tower to the courthouse by the Secret Service.

The next court date is December 4, though it is not clear if he will be required to appear.
B efore we delve into the many, varied and wonderful fringe jackets on the market right now, its important we pay our dues to the history of the surprisingly functional style.

The design was the result of a practical innovation by Native Americans, whereby the addition of fringe trimmings to traditional buckskin mountain wear and woollen ponchos helped the garments to shed rain and dry faster during the wetter months. Fringe, or sometimes quills, worked as water-wicking devices to quickly disperse water droplets.

The concept of fringe as a decorative embellishment only arrived in the early 1920s, otherwise known as the flapper era. Thanks to the daring and outrageous libertine women who chose to flaunt traditional societal expectations, skirts rose inches above the knee for the first time in Western history. Fringe at once became a provocative style choice for movers and shakers, as well as a means to add little bit of extra length to garments.

Native American-inspired fringe clothing in modern fashion, however, was born out of the late 1960s and early-70s hippie, free-love movement. If youve been bingeing Daisy Jones and the Six like the rest of us, youll already have an idea of just what this kind of style looked like. With a particular interest in civil rights and the support of minority groups across the country, young Americans often wore fringed jackets to show solidarity with Native American communities.

As we develop a better understanding of where we might be crossing the line from cultural appreciation to cultural appropriation, we feel it necessary to stress that wearing modern adaptations of native-inspired fringe jackets is all well and good. Traditional Native American clothing and regalia, on the other hand, is not a costume and is never appropriate to wear  even when bought second-hand through supposed vintage retailers.

Sparkly tassel here, suede, cowboy-like fringe there, its an effortlessly stylish adornment that has enduring popularity. In fact, the likes of Katie Holmes, Dakota Johnson and Miley Cyrus have all been spotted sporting stylish fringe jackets in recent years. Even Taylor Swift, as she blazes through her first set of US dates on The Eras Tour, has been showing-off some dazzling, beaded fringe numbers.

Keep scrolling for our round-up of the best fringe jackets available right now for the most wonderfully dramatic outerwear moments.
L ets get this straight: gift baskets and hampers arent just for Christmas, Mothers Day, Easter or corporate schmoozing, particularly if they come crammed with booze of the red wine variety and are dressed up with a big, beautiful bow.

Even better if said baskets and hampers are accompanied by gourmet treats  condiments, conserves, crackers and the rest  to soak up the aforementioned booze. The point is that anyone can receive them, at any time, just because, so they shouldnt be dismissed as a gift throughout the year to those you love dearest  or, indeed, to yourself.

Red wine is the safest bet when it comes to these package deals, as its familiar territory and a crowd-pleaser, while some baskets and hampers are just too niche to please all palates.

Better still, red wine goes so well with foods both sweet and savoury  nuts and dark chocolate are winners  so more often than not they come with something pleasing to nibble on as your neck your wine.

Joanna Purvis, Product Development Manager for Online Gifting at M&S, says: We know shoppers love to treat their family, friends and loved ones and its no secret that a delicious bottle of wine can help make thoughtful foodie gifts even more special. For example, weve paired a bottle of fruity Nerello Cappuccio from our Found wine range with the savoury nibbles and Italian delicacies in our Antipasti Gift Box, as its the perfect accompaniment to enjoy alongside.

It couldnt be easier to send a hamper of happiness to someone who needs it, whether its a fabulous box of chocolates and fizz or a more elaborate hamper of treats with one of our brilliant red wines.

Here, we round-up the best red wine gift baskets and hampers to browse and buy  all personally tried and tested. Someone had to do the legwork, after all.

Shop the best of the bunch below
After a period in which Egypt experienced the highest rate of terrorist attacks in its modern history, Sinai is now free of terrorism, writes Ahmed Kamel El-Beheiry

Last weekend, President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi visited military and security sites in Sinai, east of the Suez Canal. The visit, which came a few weeks after he hailed the success of counterterrorism operations in eliminating terrorism in the peninsula, was anything but routine. As presidential statements and Al-Sisis itinerary made clear, the trip was designed to showcase the second component of the counterterrorism strategy, namely the comprehensive development of Sinai.

On 5 February 2011, Sinai witnessed the first terrorist attack following the 25 January Revolution. It would prove to be no more than a prelude to the waves of attacks that erupted following the 30 June 2013 Revolution which overthrew Muslim Brotherhood rule.

Terrorist operations, which peaked in 2015, took various forms and employed a variety of strategies and techniques. North Sinai was the governorate most impacted during the past decade in terms of the frequency of attacks and the numbers of casualties among army and security forces.

The terrorists were primarily adherents to Al-Qaeda or Islamist State (IS)-linked groups, though some were more fluid in their affiliations. Their targets ranged from security and military personnel and military facilities to civilians, houses of worship and civilian infrastructure.

July 2015 saw one of the largest terrorist operations ever launched against Egyptian security forces when 300 terrorist fighters attacked 15 military sites, killing 17 security personnel. Around 100 attackers died in the assaults. The terrorists goal was not so much to inflict casualties as to take control of parts of Sheikh Zuweid, Rafah, and Arish in order to raise their flags on government buildings and proclaim an Islamic state in Sinai. This attempt to repeat the IS scenario in Mosul, Raqqa and Deir Ez-Zor failed thanks to the Egyptian governments counterterrorist strategy.

The IS affiliate in Sinai was the most deadly in pursuit of its strategy to intimidate inhabitants of the peninsula. Staring in 2015, it killed around 320 civilians, including 35 tribal elders, on the pretext of cooperating with security agencies.

In January and February 2017, IS announced that it had killed seven Christians in Sinai. The organisation did not state a reason, so we can only assume the victims were targeted on the basis of their faith rather than for having cooperated with security forces. The same applied to the murder of Coptic Egyptian Nabil Habash in April 2021.

The organisation also killed Sheikh Suleiman Abu Haraz, a revered Sufi cleric, on the grounds that he was an apostate. Its most bloody attack targeted the Al-Rawda Mosque in Bir Al-Abd in November 2017, killing over 300 worshippers. The mosque is affiliated with a Sufi order.

In 2018, President Al-Sisi launched Comprehensive Operation Sinai 2018, marking a turning point in the fight against terrorism and the dismantling of terrorist command structures, infrastructure, military capacities, and territorial control. Between 2018 and 2022 terrorist attacks decreased. By the middle of 2020, their number had fallen to 95 per cent of the average in the period between 2014 and 2018. The number of foreign operatives and recruits into the ranks of the IS Sinai franchise also dropped sharply thanks to the tightening of border security.

Not a single attack took place in the first quarter of this year. The Sinai-based IS fanchise has also halted publication of its usual communications and bulletins. Given the central IS organisation in the Levant continues to issue such publications, the cessation is a sign that Sinai is now free of the terrorist group.

IS Sinai elements have acknowledged their losses in terms of personnel and equipment: indeed, the central organisation released an audio recording conceding the defeat of its affiliate in Sinai which was broadcast following the killing of IS commander Abul-Hassan Al-Hashimi Al-Qurashi in November 2022.

While it is clear that President Al-Sisis announcement that terrorist activities in Sinai have ceased rests on solid ground, this does not mean that extremism has disappeared entirely or that extremists will never resurface. This is why the president and other governmental authorities are so keen to step up comprehensive development of the peninsula. The multifaceted social, economic, and cultural development process is crucial to eliminating an environment conducive to terrorism and the spread of terrorist ideas and to forestalling a resurgence of terrorism.

* A version of this article appears in print in the 6 April, 2023 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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C hloe Ayling has said she is excited that the BBC is to tell her story of being kidnapped in a new factual drama.

The 25-year-old former Celebrity Big Brother contestant was abducted after arriving at an address in Milan, Italy, for a modelling job but was later released.

A six-part series called Kidnapped, written by Georgia Lester, who worked on Killing Eve, will cover Aylings time in captivity, and the subsequent court case.

It is based on research, interviews, the legal proceedings and the autobiography Kidnapped  The Untold Story Of My Abduction.

Ayling said: I am excited that BBC Studios are telling my story and that the wider world will get to know the truth about what happened to me and learn of the many details that werent brought to light originally.

Georgia Lester and the team have been incredibly supportive in our conversations, and I couldnt be happier that they are making this series.

In 2017, Ayling was held in a farmhouse near Turin while a 300,000 euro (265,000) ransom was demanded.

She was released six days later, on July 17, at the British consulate in Milan.

Polish national Lukasz Herba and his brother Michal Herba were subsequently jailed after an Italian court convicted them of kidnapping Ayling.

Lester said: Every moment that I have spent researching this series and spending time with Chloe, learning about the ordeal she suffered both by the men who abducted her and the people who doubted her, has been shocking and infuriating.

Its been an honour to work with Chloe and I cant wait for audiences to finally see her courage, her charm and her unwavering resilience.

The six-part BBC Three series will be directed by Without Sins Al Mackay and produced by Viewpoints Clare Shepherd.

The corporation said the drama will ask How do we relate to survivors of crime who make the front pages? And how does it feel to be an ordinary person, caught up in events so extraordinary that you arent believed?

Priscilla Parish, head of drama for BBC Studios and executive producer, said: This is a jaw-dropping true story of a woman who survived a horrific ordeal using her wits, but was vilified in the aftermath.

Georgias scripts are exemplary in their treatment of this highly topical subject matter.

 Casting for the series has yet to be announced, and filming will start later this year.
G raham Norton is set to host the first Irish original series on Prime Video, which will see the chat show host pit Irish comedy stars against each other to see who will have the last laugh.

The 60-year-old Irish TV presenter and comedian will present LOL: Last One Laughing Ireland, a six-part comedy series which will be filmed in Dublin later this year.

During the series, which will air on Prime Video in 2024, Norton will bring together 10 of Irelands top comics who will attempt to make each other laugh using any method and any means, but without cracking a smile themselves.

Speaking about the show, Norton said: Im thrilled to be the host for the first Irish Original, LOL: Last One Laughing Ireland on Prime Video, and to be working on home ground for the first time in many, many years.

Im so proud of our comedy culture and its wonderful to have a platform to showcase Irish talent to a global audience.

I cant wait to see what our comedy masterminds do to get the laughter going.

The series will see the competing comedians attempting to hold in their laughter as the clock counts down, with the competitor who manages to outlast their rivals crowned the first winner of LOL: Last One Laughing Ireland.

The show will also feature a number of celebrity cameos.

Dan Grabiner, head of originals for UK and Northern Europe at Amazon Studios, said: Ireland is home to world-class comedy and a booming television scene. We cant wait to celebrate and be part of that with our first Irish original production.

Norton is best known for his popular BBC One chat show The Graham Norton Show and is also a regular host of the BBCs Eurovision Song Contest coverage.

He has also hosted fundraising show Comic Relief and currently presents a weekend show on Virgin Radio.

LOL: Last One Laughing Ireland is adapted from Documental, a successful Amazon series in Japan, which sees creator and presenter Hitoshi Matsumoto lead 10 comedians betting their own money in an anything goes battle of laughter behind closed doors.

The forthcoming Irish series will be the latest version of the LOL: Last One Laughing format, which has also been aired in countries including Italy, Germany, Mexico, Australia, India, Brazil, Canada and the Netherlands.

The local versions feature a range of celebrity hosts, including comedian and film star Rebel Wilson for the Australian edition.

Prime Video recently confirmed LOL: Last One Laughing South Africa as the streaming services first South African original, which is set to be hosted by comedian Trevor Noah.
B ritains Got Talent will return to screens next week for its 16th series, ITV has announced.

The new season of the long-running programme will see Bruno Tonioli step in as a new judge to join Amanda Holden, Alesha Dixon and Simon Cowell.

Two episodes will air over the April 15-16 weekend with auditions from Salford in Greater Manchester and London.

Other contestants have been found through videos entered via WhatsApp and members of the public secretly nominating acts they love.

Hopefuls are again competing for a prize of 250,000 and the opportunity to perform at the Royal Variety Performance in front of the royal family later this year.

Comedian Axel Blake was crowned the 2022 winner and performed at the Royal Albert Hall for the Earl and Countess of Wessex.

Former Strictly Come Dancing judge Tonioli, 67, replaced David Walliams on the panel after the comedian apologised last year for making disrespectful comments about auditioning contestants recorded during filming breaks in January 2020.

Walliams had been with the show since 2012.

Geordie duo Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly are also returning to the programme they have presented since it began in 2007.

Britains Got Talent will air on ITV1 and STV from Saturday 15 April at 8pm and Sunday April 16 at 7.45pm.
E lle Fanning has claimed she is a hopeless romantic while admitting that wearing a prosthetic bump while playing a pregnant Catherine the Great has made her think seriously about having children.

The star of Super 8, Maleficent and All The Bright Places, 24, will return as the historic figure in season 3 of The Great - which fans will be able to stream in the UK later this year.

Fanning - the younger sister of fellow actor Dakota Fanning - spoke about wearing a prosthetic bump for the series to Harpers Bazaar UK  admitting she was obsessed with the way her body looked while wearing it.

The Hollywood star also spoke about believing in love at first sight  suggesting she thought it was her destiny to fall in love and have children.

The star, who is reportedly dating Handmaids Tale actor Max Minghella, about playing a pregnant Catherine: I was obsessed with it. I had a bespoke bump with boobs moulded onto me that went all the way up to my neck.

The costume team told me that this is pretty accurately what my body will look like when Im pregnant... which did feel quite crazy. I loved the way it looked. It made me want to do it, to be pregnant.

And speaking about her life and professional aspirations, Fanning added: Id love to play Grace Kelly in something. And to have kids. But Im a hopeless romantic. I believe in love at first sight. Call me crazy, but I believe in those things. I feel that its my destiny.

Harpers Bazaar UK/Alexi Lubomirski

Fanning  who has played Catherine since 2020 - said she had grown as a person along with her character.

She said: Ive been playing Catherine in such formative years of my life. Ive grown as a woman alongside her.

Fanning began her acting career as a child - playing younger version of her sisters character in the drama film I Am Sam.

As a child actress, she appeared in several films - including The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Babel.

Fanning said she had a strong work ethic - suggesting her parents had alwasys instilled the importance of dedication in to her and her actor sister.

My parents instilled the importance of dedication in us  work hard for what you want, always show up on time, reinvigorate yourself constantly, she said.

When preparing for a scene, I get pumped up like before a match, like youre going out there to try to win something.

Season 3 of The Great is available to stream on Hulu in the US on 12 May and on Prime Videos Lionsgate+ channel in the UK later this year.

The May issue of Harpers Bazaar UK is on sale from 06 April.
A li Bastian has revealed the adorable name of her newborn daughter as she shared her emotional rollercoaster birth story.

The former Hollyoaks actress, 41, and husband David O Mahony welcomed their second child via Caesarean section at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London on February 11.

They also share daughter Isla, three, and decided to call their new addition Isabella Charlotte, with her middlename a nod to Davids grandfather Charles.

Bastian  who competed in the 2009 series of Strictly Come Dancing  wasnt initially sold on her baby girls name.

I vetoed it initially, she told OK! magazine, but the name came back up again and I kind of put it through an actress database in my head.

Ali Bastian admitted she wasnt initially sold on her new daughters name / Instagram

And I thought of Isabella Rossellini, whos had to have so much strength, especially as shes got older.

Shes always been beautiful and rejected Hollywood ideas of womanhood. It just kind of stuck. We really liked it.

She told the publication that Isla is already besotted with her new baby sister and has even given Isabella the nickname Bingo, after the little sister of cartoon character Bluey.

Isabellas arrival wasnt all plain sailing, however, as while the C-section had been pre-planned, when they turned up to the hospital for the booked appointment on February 9, they were turned away due to a lack of space.

Bastian had gestational diabetes and her sugar levels began to drop very low, meaning they had to stay in until the evening.

Two days later, they returned to the hospital when Bastian went hypoglycaemic (meaning her blood sugar levels were very low). After an injection of sugar, she was rushed into the theatre.

It was then found that the baby was in an awkward position and born with bruising as a result.

Bastian started haemorrhaging soon after the birth but luckily stabilised very quickly.
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TikTok has been fined 12.7 million by the UK's digital watchdog for mishandling childrens data.

The Information Commissioners Office estimates one million under-13s were inappropriately granted access to the platform, with TikTok collecting and using their personal data.

Nasa has named its four-person crew for the upcoming Artemis II moon mission, and they include the first woman and first person of colour assigned to a lunar mission.

The crew will be taking part in the space agencys second phase of the Artemis programme, trialling their Orion spacecraft as it travels around the moon and back to earth.

A group of major space companies are calling on governments to agree to a highway code for space.

The Space Safety Coalition has released a landmark publication aimed at tackling the "rapidly increasing" risk of space junk collisions.

Peter Hadinger, Chief Technology Officer at Inmarsat, describes to Tech & Science Daily the risks associated with debris in space, and the need for countries and companies to agree on a set of rules.

Richard Bransons Virgin Orbit has filed for bankruptcy.

Last week the company sacked 85% of its workforce, a total of around 700 employees, as a result of what it called its inability to secure meaningful funding.

And the rest

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While leading Sudanese figures remain at loggerheads, the peoples eyes are now fixed on the agreement meant to settle the political crisis.

Parties to Sudans political process are scheduled to sign a final agreement on 6 April to settle the political crisis and form a civilian government in which the armed forces play no political role.

In Sudans political memory 6 April is of great significance. On 6 April 1985 the regime of Gaafar Numeiri was overthrown.

Amid cycles of democratic civil rule in Sudan, three military coups were toppled by popular revolutions: on 24 October 1964 the people removed the rule of general Ibrahim Abboud; on 6 April 1985 Numeiri was toppled; and in December 2019, the Muslim Brotherhood led by Omar Al-Bashir was overthrown.

Since the toppling of Al-Bashir, Sudan has been on a bumpy road, consumed by fights between the military and civilian forces over ruling a country already exhausted by Civil War, the cessation of South Sudan, the bloody conflict in Darfur, and famine striking parts of it.

A civilian government was formed under Abdallah Hamdok, deputy executive secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, headquartered in Addis Ababa. Hamdoks government remained in power for two years, before the military took over on 25 October 2021 under army commander Lieutenant General Abdel-Fattah Al-Burhan. The move ignited protests and the population stood divided into groups supporting or opposing the army.

On 5 December, civilian forces, the armed forces and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF)  a paramilitary force, founded by Al-Bashir and drawing on Arab Bedouin tribes in the west of the country  signed an agreement to target the protests of non-Arab farmers in Darfur and armed rebel movements in Darfur and Southern Blue Nile.

However, the 5 December accord was a framework agreement made up of eight principles: handing over power to a civilian government without the participation of the armed forces; ensuring that the army should shun political, economic, and commercial activities; reforming the police and intelligence services and placing them under the authority of the prime minister; reforming the judiciary and the prosecution and launching transitional justice procedures; implementing the Juba Peace Agreement; removing the remnants of Al-Bashirs regime from power; drafting a new constitution; and holding elections by the end of the 24-month transitional period.

This agreement was widely rejected by the Muslim Brotherhood and their Islamist current who had claimed they supported a civilian state. The communist party, which doesnt have much electoral weight but has a solid cultural base, also rejected the accord, claiming it did not decisively decide on the matter of keeping the army away from power and ignored justice issues.

Sudan is left with no choice but to accept the framework and final agreements. Otherwise, the country will remain mired in supporting and opposing protests, said Faisal Mohamed Salem, who served as information minister in Hamdoks government.

Salem, a veteran journalist, added that the problem now is not between civilian and military forces, but rather between two military leaderships, Al-Burhan and [Mohamed Hamdan] Dagalo.

Dagalo, aka Hemedti, is the leader of the RSF, the forces accused of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur, in the westernmost part of Sudan.

However, Fayez Al-Salik, media adviser to Hamdok, disagreed with Salem, saying the two men share the same boat and neither of them can politically survive if they sacrifice each other.

For many months Khartoum has been witnessing muffled struggles between Hemedti and Al-Burhan due to integrating the RSF into the armed forces. Army leaders are not in harmony with the fact that the military now comprises former rebels and the RSF.

Meanwhile Hemedti is courting the Forces of Freedom and Change (FFC), leading some observers to suggest he is trying to book a place in the coming political arrangement.

Amin Magzoub, a professor of political science in Khartoum, noted, I dont have confirmed information, but I can deduce the FFC and Hemedti have some sort of agreement whereby the latter will run for president with the support of the FFC.

Neither does Magzoub have a logical explanation for the rapprochement between Hemedti and the FFC except that integrating the RSF into the army strips Hemedti and his fellows of the power that can be granted by tens of thousands of armed men, which is why he wants to be shielded by the rapprochement with the FFC.

However, democracy-supporting FFC cant accept this arrangement, said Al-Salik, adding that if the FFC supports Hemedti  a man who has accusing fingers pointed at him  the force may lose part of their popular credit.

It is no secret the FFC suffers wide rifts due to its rapprochement with the military, whereas neighbourhood committees comprising extremist youth reject the participation of the army. Moreover, none of Sudans political parties or organisations are elected and none have been close to power for very long since the Al-Bashirs Muslim Brotherhood ruled the country for 30 years.

The Sudanese Professionals Association, the backbone of the FFC, was disassembled during the negotiations over the 5 December agreement.

According to Islamists, the Sudanese Professionals Association doesnt enjoy considerable weight among professionals and the middle class, which resulted in the associations failure to secure victory in any syndicate and led them to found unelected groups such as the Central Committee of Sudans Doctors and the Sudanese Lawyers Assembly.

The same goes for armed movements, formerly described as rebel currents, members of which were not elected by the national groups that claimed to have supported them.

On this Sudanese stage, none other than the armed forces  being a legitimate institution  has real legitimacy, said Magzoub. Even the RSF doesnt enjoy the legitimacy of a regular army because it is formed of the tribal members of west Sudan.

In the meantime, Al-Burhan and Hemedti are at loggerheads. Al-Burhan wants to see more parties engaged in the Sudanese formula, while Hemedti, and the FFC, are rushing the formation of a civilian government.

According to Magzoub, Expanding the agreement will strengthen  and complicate  the deal. However, forming the government quickly will mean the armys exit from the political scene and result in the creation of a weak administration that does not represent everyone.

* A version of this article appears in print in the 6 April, 2023 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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A total of 54 people graduated from the Niagara Folk Arts "health navigators" program, aimed at helping internationally educated healthcare professionals become people who can help other refugees and immigrants navigate Ontario's healthcare system.



A pilot project helping Internationally Educated Health Professionals (IEHPs) in Niagara has come to a close, but thats not the end of their story.

The program, run through the Folk Arts Multicultural Centre, aimed to have immigrants who have medical training from their home countries take a course to become health navigators, to help other immigrants and refugees navigate Ontarios health-care system.

At a ceremony at Robertson Hall on March 30, 54 people who had successfully completed the program were honoured.

Moises Vasquez, one of the programs directors, told his story of coming to Canada as a refugee in 2014.

He had been working as a physician in Colombia before coming to Canada, and he and his wife worked various jobs, including picking peaches, to raise money to afford to get their necessary certifications in Canada.

In April 2022, he said he was approached by Emily Kovacs, executive director of the Folk Arts Multicultural Centre, to help with the new project.

Kovacs said the goal with the project was to cultivate a pool of trained professionals that can assist and advocate for newcomers to Canada who require access to health care in Ontario.

She said many newcomers to Canada hold educational credentials in the health care field that are often overlooked by potential employers.

The old adage used to be that in Canada, if you come internationally educated, doctors drive cabs, and 20 years later the same story goes. But instead of cabs, they now drive ubers, said Kovacs. What a waste of talent for all of us. And what a disrespect to those who have decided to choose Canada as their new professional home.

The program consisted of 12 weeks in-class training, and ten-week placement.

Within the program there were people from 17 different nationalities, who spoke a total of 32 different languages, allowing the navigators to meet refugees and immigrants where theyre at.

Sixty per cent of our participants are registered physicians in other countries, explained Graham Love, one of the program co-ordinators. So, they are internationally educated doctors. I believe 16 per cent is the number of nurses. And then the remainder are a group of different professions, including dental surgeons, public health officers, physiotherapists. I even believe we have one veterinarian in our group too.

While the pilot project may have finished, Love hopes the work will continue and they will be able to run something similar again.

We want all IEHPs and actually all internationally educated professionals to watch out in the coming spring for information about how we're going to take our learnings from this program and begin to apply them in this peer-to-peer navigator model where we can have really high impact really quickly so we can build a community based on belonging, reciprocity, and competency, he said.

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Glynn Green speaks at a town hall on mental health, homelessness and additions at the Meridian Community Centre in Pelham on March 31.



Glynn Green was moved to tears when he talked about his troubled life.

I used to line up at the Salvation Army on Bay Street (in Hamilton) with people from all walks of life, Green said. And anybody who thinks that they can maintain their pride, it doesnt happen. I have long since given up any sense of personal pride because of that.

Green, a Fonthill resident, recently moved home from the Steel City where, during his time on the streets, he said he saw a lot.

Nobody in this room, not even you have seen what I have seen. I know three ladies who died of opioid overdoses before fentanyl came around.

Green was speaking at a town hall to discuss the issues of mental health, homelessness and addiction at the Meridian Community Centre in Pelham on March 30. The town hall was organized by Steven Soos, who spearheaded a drive to have Niagara Region declare a state of emergency surrounding mental health, homelessness and addiction.

Green, meanwhile, said life is still a challenge for him.

Im dirt poor. Serious. Were spending 65 per cent of my monthly cash flow to keep a roof over my head and food, he said.

Green was one of about 20 people who attended the town hall organized by Soos. It featured a panel that included: Pelham Mayor and regional Coun. Marvin Junkin; Pelham Ward 1 Coun. Wayne Olson; Niagara Falls regional Coun. and co-chair of the regions public health and social services committee Joyce Morocco; Welland regional Coun. Pat Chiocchio; and Miles Howe, assistant professor of critical criminology at Brock University. Staffer Michael Zwiep was on hand representing Niagara West member of provincial parliament Sam Oosterhoff.

Bob Hillier, the former chair of the board for Start Me Up Niagara in St. Catharines, worked alongside Start Me Ups longtime executive director Susan Venditti, who recently retired. He has seen plenty.

Through Susans eyes, I got to see the kind of s--tstorm of homelessness and drug addiction up close, Hillier said.

What was once an agency that was mainly helping men whod fallen on hard times has become something different.

Our clientele grew younger, shockingly younger, Hillier said, adding those numbers included sex trade workers who plied their trade just a few blocks down the street on Gale Crescent. Additionally, addiction issues became more prominent with young people collapsing on Start Me Ups office doorstep.

Chiocchio, who voted in favour of the state of emergency, said the issues cannot be tackled alone. There should be communication between municipal, provincial and federal levels of government before committing to funding.

I want all three levels of government to start coming together and start talking, he said. I wasnt even thinking about the funding at that time. I just wanted the three to get together to share where the gaps are.

A measure in the recent provincial budget to provide $404 million to address homelessness was a big, big step, he said. An additional $425 million over three years for mental health is also welcome, he added.

Junkin called it a disgrace in this country that we have 175,000 Canadians that sleep on the streets, that sleep in overpasses, and we all hear about the mess and pretty soon theyre going to be out and around our parks.

And the solutions currently employed by municipalities to remove encampments is not the answer, he added. Our answer is to chase them from one park to another, Junkin said. Well, that isnt much of a solution, either. The suffering out there is immense.

Soos, meanwhile, said although he has had plenty of support through his own struggles with mental health, many others are not as fortunate.

Im free because of this community  it was that community that brought me back, he said. We cannot let these people be ghosts in our society. We cannot forget about them.

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Niagara Falls city council is again calling for the province to support a fully functional Highway 405.

In April 2018, local politicians endorsed a resolution put forth by Coun. Victor Pietrangelo regarding 405-QEW access. In February 2021, Transportation Minister Caroline Mulroney sent a letter to city hall which, in part, said study results indicated the highway will operate satisfactorily beyond 2030.

But the new council is not giving up, having recently approved a motion asking the ministry to pursue a fully functional 405/Queen Elizabeth Way interchange and for the minister to visit to witness traffic concerns.

When a motorist is travelling west on 405 approaching the QEW, their only option is to travel Toronto bound. A fully functional interchange at this location should include an option for the motorist to travel south on QEW, Niagara Falls bound, reads the motion.

Pietrangelo has long advocated getting commercial vehicles off city roads, especially ones headed out to 405 and Stanley Avenue and needing to cross Niagara Falls because they have no access to the QEW.

He said if 405 was fully functional, motorists could catch it no matter which direction theyre going. If motorists are headed north on the QEW and pass Mountain Road, they should be able to get onto Highway 405.

Pietrangelo said the provinces current plan is to make an interchange at 405 and Concession 6, which is Mewburn Road in Niagara Falls, but Concession 6 at the bottom of the hill in Niagara-on-the-Lake.

Going down Mewburn Road, its a shame really, but theyve clear cut a whole line of trees on both sides of the street and it looks like theyre just going to have to carve into the escarpment in order to widen the road, if thats really where theyre going to send the trucks, he said during a March 21 meeting.

I just really see it as a travesty. I dont even think its going to solve the problem, to be honest with you, because then youre still going to have large trucks on city streets.

Pietrangelo said council should continue pushing its message that it just makes all the sense to take the big trucks off of our city roads and put them on the highways where they belong.

Mayor Jim Diodati suggested Pietrangelo bring the new motion forward so he can raise the issue during his next meeting with the minister.

Maybe its a good time because the province, I understand, theres some announcements coming  some major infrastructure announcements, so probably good to put it onto their purview, he said.

In an interview, Pietrangelo said he believes its absurd to make an interchange at Mewburn.

All the trucks that are trying to access the 405, theyre either going to have to get off at Glendale and then get back on to the highway to get to the 405, or theyre going to get off on Mountain Road and go down Mewburn and Concession 6 to get on to the 405, he said. Its absurd. All Im saying is, hey guys, youve got two 400-series highways here  keep the traffic on the highways.

Pietrangelo said the last time council went to the province about this issue, the minister said the governments focus was on the diverging-diamond interchange at QEW and Glendale Avenue in Niagara-on-the-Lake and could revisit the matter after thats done.

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When the family saw Lucas Thomass school picture for the first time, it made them all laugh. He had a unique look on his face  both grimacing and smiling, with a mischievous glint in his bright blue eyes.

It showed exactly who Lucas was.

Even at just 10 years old, Lucas had a brilliant mind. He was always listening. He was curious, almost to a fault, wanting to take things apart  like an electric outlet  and put it back together. He was inquisitive and gave 100 per cent to everything he did. He did complicated calculations in his mind, and was non-stop from the moment he woke up to when he went to sleep.

He loved Hot Wheels cars, with more than a thousand in his bedroom, and kept every empty car box in his closet. He loved iPads and iPhones, and knew everything about Tesla vehicles. His favourite colour was blue and he took his safety blanket, a stuffed raccoon named Swiper, with him everywhere he went.

Lucas had his challenges  but in so many ways, he surpassed all of us.

We would often talk about, I wonder what hell do as a professional, said his uncle Kevin Krestinski. We always pictured him as an engineer.

He was just amazing.

Last Thursday Lucas was sitting in the backseat of his familys SUV with his twin brother Ethan. Their mom, Rosalie, was driving on the QEW from their home in Beamsville to their twice-weekly after-school math lesson. At 5:30 p.m., almost at a complete stop during rush-hour traffic, their vehicle was struck from behind.

Ontario Provincial Police said a vehicle operated by a 31-year-old woman collided into the back of the Thomases SUV, which was then pushed into a third vehicle.

Lincoln Fire Rescue and Emergency Services extricated Lucas from the the SUV, and Niagara Emergency Medical Services transported him to hospital  first West Lincoln Memorial Hospital in Grimsby and then McMaster Childrens Hospital in Hamilton. But said Lucass internal injuries were too extensive.

He was pronounced dead at 9 p.m.

(Our) family was able to go in and see him, once he had passed and I held his hand and we just loved him, said Krestinski, who is married to Rosalies sister Lisa. It was just really hard  were broken, were devastated.

Rosalie has a neck injury and four broken ribs, and Ethan has a mild concussion and a small bruise near his right eye, but otherwise they are both physically OK, he said.

Rosalie doesnt remember anything, Ethan doesnt remember anything. Ethan would have been two feet from Lucas  were grateful they didnt see or didnt remember anything.

The first night, Ethan was in a fog, and is still having a difficult time comprehending what happened. Sometimes confused, sometimes times angry at the other driver. Other times, he asks when hell see Lucas again, his uncle said.

Lucas and Ethan were fraternal twins, born a minute apart on Dece. 13, 2012, only three pounds at birth. Ethan, who is unable to hear without a hearing aid, was released from hospital after a few weeks old, but Lucas, who was diagnosed with autism, stayed for five weeks.

When youre on the autism spectrum  often they dont share how they feel, but in Lucass case, he showed us love. He would say I love you and he would hug us. Were so grateful for that, said Krestinski.

In the few days since the crash, a GoFundMe page set up for the family has nearly raised $25,000. The goal was $10,000. Krestinski said the outpouring of love and support from the community has been wonderful, and he hopes people remember Lucas for the love he shared with others.

We have a strong faith, our family and we believe that he is with Jesus right now, and thats the only comfort we have, he said. All we know is hes gone from here and we have a horrible loss but hes touching so many lives  we are broken but we will never forget.

There will never be another Lucas.

Jennifer DeCoff, principal of St. Mark Catholic Elementary School, expressed her heartbreak for Lucass parents, grandparents, as well as other siblings Owen and Caitlyn. She said Lucas was a well-loved member of the school community and his bright smile and curious nature will never be forgotten.

I pray that they find comfort as they grieve in the difficult days and weeks ahead, she said. I also hope they take solace in their certainty that Lucas is safe in the arms of Jesus, and that they will be reunited with him one day.

Niagara Catholic District School Board communications officer Jennifer Pellegrini said the death of a student is a profound loss for the entire school community, with each situation unique. She said Niagara Catholic believes in the importance of integrating mental health services and a faith response to begin the healing process. That includes directing supports, such as counselling and chaplaincy team members, to the school as soon as possible, and who will return in the days that follow.

OPP Sgt. Kerry Schmidt said Monday the investigation into the crash is ongoing and was unable to provide any further details. No charges have been laid.

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Two Niagara Falls residents have taken home $100,000 and $50,000 after recently winning two top lottery prizes.

Avi Patel celebrates $100,000 after winning an Instant Money Match game, while Safia Durrani is all smiles after a $50,000 win in an Instant Crossword game.

Instant Money Match was available for $5 and the top prize was $100,000. Odds of winning any prize are one in 3.79.

The winning ticket was purchased at Jollys Variety & Grocery store on Barker Street in Niagara Falls.

Instant Crossword is available for $3 a play and the top prize is $50,000. Odds of winning any prize are one in 3.91.

In a press release issued Tuesday morning by Ontario Lottery and Gaming, Durrani said this is her first big win.

Crossword is my favourite, she said while at the OLG prize centre in Toronto to pick up her winnings.

The great-grandmother said she first thought she won $25,000 and woke up her husband to share the news.

I went to the store to check it and thats when I noticed I actually won $50,000. I started dancing in the store I was so excited.

Durrani said its her 50th wedding anniversary and that winning $50,000 is so meaningful.

We will be investing this money.

The winning ticket was purchased at Pioneer on the Run on Drummond in Niagara Falls on Drummond Road.

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Last Friday was a great day for Meghan Markle, and a not such a great one for her half-sister, Samantha Markle.

Thats because Meghan successfully petitioned a judge to dismiss a lawsuit that Samantha brought against Meghan. (Samantha and Meghan have the same father, Thomas Markle, but are the children of his first and second marriages, respectively.)

In the suit, brought in a Florida court, Samantha accused Meghan of defamation and injurious falsehood, asking USD $75,000 in damages.

The supposedly reputation-ruining statements? In her 2021 interview with Oprah, Meghan said that she essentially grew up as an only child, and that she hadnt seen her sister in nearly 20 years, and even then only after a 10 year gap in contact. She also said that Samantha had strategically changed her last name back to Markle after Meghan began dating Prince Harry. (Samantha also pointed to claims made about her in Finding Freedom, a biography written by journalists Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand with an undetermined degree of cooperation by the Sussexes.)

Samantha Markle has spent the past several years working a profitable line in capitalizing on her half-sisters fame.

Samantha has given interviews saying Meghan treats people like dish rags, compared her estranged relationship with their father to elder abuse and, in 2021, published a memoir called The Diary of Princess Pushys Sister Part 1. As you may have gleaned from the title, a hagiography of Meghan it is not.

When the case, which has been moving through the courts for over a year, finally went in front of a judge, the verdict was swift: Meghan was merely expressing an opinion, and as such, could not be subject to empirical proof. To translate the legalese: Meghan won because she was talking about her own experiences of her childhood, and it would be impossible to independently verify something so inherently subjective.

This isnt Meghans only recent legal victory: Last year, she won a suit against the Daily Mails Sunday edition, claiming it violated her privacy by publishing a private letter to her father. And of course, Meghan wasnt the only Sussex in court last week. Prince Harry spent a high-profile few days in London, showing up for several days of preliminary hearings in a case he and several other celebrities have brought against the Daily Mail parent company.

Meghan and Harry, collectively, have been involved in at least 10 lawsuits in just the past four years

That its hard to keep count speaks to how litigious they are. Some of it is legal fallout from their unprecedented break with The Firm, such as Harrys lawsuit to retain the government security protection that he lost when he quit being a working royal, but most involves media outlets, which is a testament to the intensity of the global interest in them and their story  and their own desire to reclaim that narrative.

Time and again, theyve prevailed on the legal front, both when theyve gone on the offence, as in Meghans case against the Daily Mail, or the defence, as in her victory against Samantha last week. However, this vindication in court hasnt necessarily translated to a victory in the court of public opinion. Outside of the measured, technical realm of jurisprudence, the Sussexes public image remains as fraught and contested as ever.

Legal action is often messy: Accusations, which may or may not be proven, are flung on both sides; cross-examination can end up showing you in a bad light; discovery can dig up things youd rather it didnt. This is the reason that the royal family, with some exceptions, generally steers clear of legal action, their never complain, never explain M.O. usually extending to court rooms.

It may also explain why Meghan and Harry dont seem to be benefiting from a post-trial innocence halo effect. For instance, Meghan won her case against the Mail On Sunday but also had to apologize to the court for not remembering that shed given her royal aides the okay to brief and give background information to the authors of Finding Freedom, something that came up as the tabloid was defending the choice to publish the letter shed sent her father.

Meghan and Harry both frame these lawsuits as something much larger than a simple litigious wrangle.

When she won her case against the Mail On Sunday, for example, Meghan called it a victory not just for me, but for anyone who has ever felt scared to stand up for what is right. Harry has labelled his fight to take on the tabloids his lifes work.

They arent wrong about this: The cases they take on are precedent-setting, and have the potential to change entrenched, problematic behaviours, and they have also broken a cone of silence that Harry has said masks a toxic reciprocal relationship between the British media and the royal family.

Plus, as the internet and social media platforms only seem to get bigger and trollier, Harry and Meghans efforts to combat the endless cycle of abuse stoked by clicks can only be seen as a genuine win for us all. (Their legal fees alone must be worthy of a conversation around beatification.)

The problem with Meghan and Harrys martyr-on-the-altar-of-global-justice framing, however? Its just the kind of self-righteous posturing that tends to get peoples backs up  particularly those inclined to dislike them in the first place. It doesnt help that Meghan and Harry are not entirely innocent of fuelling the drama that surrounds them, which often leads to this legal action. Perhaps youve heard of a little book called Spare?

If you didnt like Harry and Meghan before, their winning a court case isnt going to change your mind

Which brings us to the real reason that Meghan and Harry continue to battle in the court of public opinion, despite their legal victories: If you didnt like them before, their winning a court case isnt going to change your mind, and vice versa. Its a common refrain these days, the pro-con sides are so deeply entrenched that whichever way a verdict goes, it can confirm bias and fuel existing opinion.

This goes for the various accolades theyve received lately too: just today, Meghan was honoured as a 2023 Woman of Vision by the Ms. Foundation. If youre of the opinion that she and Harry are a clout-chasing couple attempting to legitimize themselves post-royal life by racking up awards from organizations that are just honouring them to get their own names in the paper, well, bias confirmed.

If you take the opposite view  that these two are genuine change-makers whom history will smile upon for their activism  then youll applaud as the world simply recognizes what youve seen all along. In our polarized age, there is little room for nuanced thought about complicated people in complicated situations.

In short: The Sussexes legal wins are unlikely to vindicate them in the eyes of their detractors because that verdict was decided before the jury had even been named.

Sarah Laing is a Toronto-based freelance contributor for The Kit, writing about about celebrity and culture. Follow her on Twitter: @sarahjanelaing

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The Assembly of First Nations and the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society said they have announced a revised final settlement agreement in a landmark child-welfare case.

The new proposal increases the federal governments settlement spend to $23 billion  up from $20 billion  to compensate First Nations children and families who have experienced discrimination in the child welfare system.

This compensation recognizes the serious harms First Nations, children, youth, and families suffered including unnecessary family separations and the denial of life saving and life wellness services, said Cindy Blackstock, the executive director of FNCFS, in a release Monday.

To truly honour them and the residential school and 60s scoop survivors, we must ensure this is the last generation of First Nations children who are hurt by the Government of Canada. That work continues and they are our inspiration to get it right.

The AFN, which represents more than 600 First Nations across the country, has been working to negotiate a deal after the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal in 2016 found that Canada discriminated against First Nations children by paying less for child welfare services on-reserve compared to those offered off-reserve.

On the last day of 2021, Canada unveiled a $40-billion package to settle two class action lawsuits related to First Nations child welfare discrimination and Jordans Principle, a legal rule that ensures all First Nations children can access necessary services without delay.

The tribunal ordered the federal government to pay each child, parent or caregiver impacted $40,000, the maximum amount under the tribunals powers.

The governments original proposal slated $20 billion for long-term reforms to the system and $20 billion to compensate children and families.

But the tribunal agreed with concerns raised by Blackstock that the proposed $20 billion would leave some people out of the agreement and decided against approving the original settlement.

AFN Regional Chief for Manitoba, Cindy Woodhouse said the $3-billion increase will ensure they reached the best possible agreement to compensate children and families harmed.

Weve held our children, youth, and families in our hearts and in our prayers throughout negotiations, said Woodhouse in a release Monday. The Canadian Human Rights Tribunal has been clear there was more work to do to satisfy its orders to ensure Canada provided proper compensation and other remedies for the racial discrimination imposed on First Nations by Canada.

The settlement agreement will be presented this week to the Special Chiefs Assembly for approval, after which the agreement will be brought to the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal and the Federal Court of Canada for approval.

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Seidu Mohammed knows too well the price irregular migrants can pay to make it to Canada for freedom and safety.

In 2016 he and another Ghanaian man almost died in sub-zero temperatures while crossing the U.S. border into Canada near Emerson, Man., in order to skirt a bilateral treaty that would turn asylum seekers back if they crossed at an official port of entry.

The Safe Third Country Agreement left us with no choice but to cross the border irregularly, which caused us to lose our fingers, said Mohammed, who had to have all his 10 digits amputated due to frostbite.

Ten days ago, Washington and Ottawa announced a plan to immediately expand the pact through the entire 9,000-kilometre land border in order to stop the flow of irregular migration. That means that asylum seekers crossing anywhere will now be turned back to the other country within two weeks of arrival.

Mohammad said news of a stricter border rule still left him terrified, though six years have passed since he fled Ghana (where he faced persecution as a bisexual man) for the United States, was refused asylum and detained for months before taking the perilous journey to Canada.

Its going to put a lot of refugees at risk. They are going to lose their lives from this, said Mohammed, who was granted asylum in Canada in 2017 and became a Canadian citizen in March.

Bad as the crossing was for him, he fears its going to be worse as migrants can no longer take the once-safe route at Roxham Road in Quebec, which accounted for 99 per cent of irregular entry into Canada. Theyll now go further in the woods to avoid detection, he said.

On the eve of Canadas Refugee Rights Day on Tuesday, Mohammed returned to Emerson for a news conference and joined the chorus of voices calling on Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus government to have a change of heart and suspend the agreement.

NDP immigration critic Jenny Kwan criticized Trudeau and U.S. President Joe Biden for secretly signing the modified agreement a year ago but only making it public the day before the new rule took effect, on March 25.

People who are persecuted for trying to escape discrimination, for trying to escape violence, for trying to escape rejection for being who they are, for trying to get to safety would be pushed further underground, Kwan told Mondays outdoor news conference amid a -15 C wind chill.

Human trafficking will increase as a result of this rule.

The Safe Third Country Agreement left us with no choice but to cross the border irregularly, which caused us to lose our fingers, said Mohammed, who had to have all his 10 digits amputated due to frostbite.

The number of irregular migrants arriving in Canada surged in 2017 after Donald Trump won the presidency and introduced a string of anti-immigrant measures.

At the time, Kwan said, Trudeau refused the opposition Conservatives demand to close the border, saying it was neither the right way to go nor enforceable.

So it was a ridiculous idea and that was not something that they would do. But here we are today, she said. Thats exactly what they are doing, taking the same (position as) the Trump administration.

According to the Immigration and Refugee Board, more than 81,400 irregular migrants have filed an asylum claim in Canada since 2017, and of the 51,198 claims heard, 30,518  almost 60 per cent  were granted. Kwan noted that approval rate: The vast majority of those claims are found to have a valid refugee claim and as a result, they manage to get status here in Canada  we most certainly should not be closing the border for people to get to safety, she said.

University of Winnipeg law professor Shauna Labman said fewer irregular migrants may cross into Canada as a result of the expansion of the agreement but it wont seal the border.

More will die trying. Their crossings will be in more remote, more isolated and more dangerous places, she said. Women already fleeing gender-based violence will be at risk of further violence while reliant on smugglers and susceptible to human trafficking.

Last week, eight bodies, including two children, belonging to Romanian and Indian families were found in the St. Lawrence River after their attempt to cross into the U.S. by a small boat. That grim discovery came less than a week Canada and the U.S. tightened the border.

Advocates have said these deaths were predicted and are predictable.

On Monday, Trudeau said Canada is welcoming more immigrants than ever, but wants to do it appropriately, so people arent putting themselves in danger. He said Canadians cant have confidence in a system where people are taking such risks and hiring criminals to get them across the border.

A protest has been planned at noon on Tuesday at Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicinos office.

With files from The Canadian Press

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TATASKWEYAK CREE NATION - Manitoba RCMP say the body of a 25-year-old woman has been found in a house that burned in a remote Indigenous community.

RCMP say they were called Sunday night about a structure fire in Tataskweyak Cree Nation about 900 kilometres north of Winnipeg.

Once the fire was extinguished, firefighters entered the home and located the woman who was pronounced dead.

Mounties say the cause of the fire remains under investigation and there has been no official information released about the cause of death.

Earlier this year, the community dealt with a fire at an apartment block that sent two people to hospital and displaced eight families.

At the time Tataskweyak did not have a working fire truck and relied on help from the neighbouring communities of York Landing and the town of Gillam.

Chief Taralee Beardy is calling on the federal government to address the gap in fire safety for remote First Nations after the community scraped together funds to purchase a new fire truck.

But we had no one available to train our personnel how to properly use it, Beardy said in a statement Monday. The results were fatal.

Grand Chief Walter Wastesicoot, of Keewatin Tribal Council, said the lack of response from the federal government following the February apartment fire is appalling.

Another tragic fire, which cost a life this time leaves me disheartened, he said. We needed more action from the federal government and didnt receive it. We need more action from them to give us the ability to fight fires in our communities.

Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak, which represents some northern First Nations in the province, is sending support teams from their mobile crisis response and missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls unit to help the community.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 3, 2023.

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WINNIPEG - The Manitoba government has ordered an external organizational review of its Crown-owned auto insurance provider after a sharp jump in the cost of technology upgrades and a steep rise in projected staffing levels.

Kelvin Goertzen, the minister responsible for Manitoba Public Insurance, said the review was also prompted by other factors including untendered contracts.

It wasnt one thing. It was all of these things that led me to believe  that this organizational review would be important. Goertzen said Monday.

The highest-profile trouble at MPI has been an overhaul of its core information technology systems, called Project Nova. The projected cost has nearly tripled in three years from its original $106-million price tag.

Goertzen said last year the corporation did not realize the scope of the work needed to make the new technology secure.

Recently, the corporation submitted plans to increase its staffing by 420 people, or 21 per cent, from the level before the COVID-19 pandemic. Much of the new staff would be linked to Project Nova.

That prompted a caution from the Public Utilities Board, the provinces independent regulator. The board said in January that the hiring seemed imprudent and Project Nova was lacking in management control.

The board ordered the corporation to submit updated projections and discuss budget details with the board. At the same time, the board approved a much lower increase in driver insurance premiums than MPI had sought.

MPI did not comment in detail on Goertzens decision.

As MPI has not yet received an official directive from government, the corporation cannot offer commentary on the details of the review at this time, spokesperson Kristy Rydz wrote in an email.

MPI will fully co-operate with the review and commits to providing information in a forthcoming manner as needed.

There was no decision on who is to conduct the review, which Goertzen said should be complete by the end of the year.

In addition, the government appointed a member of the Progressive Conservative caucus to MPIs board of directors. Ron Schuler, who once served as minister responsible for the corporation, has been given the task.

The Opposition New Democrats called Monday for the government to have MPI officials appear before the legislatures standing committee on Crown corporations so that the officials could be questioned in a public forum.

We dont even know at this point the scope of the problem, said Matt Wiebe, the NDPs critic for MPI.

We dont know what the organizational issues may be. Having an opportunity to sit down with the CEO, with senior leadership, and ask those questions at a Crown corporations (committee) meeting could be one way that we could get to the bottom of this.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 3, 2023

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Vietnamese students win two second prizes at MRC technology contest

Students' teams from the Water Resources University and Can Tho University of Vietnam won two second prizes for technologies to monitor water level and measure soil moisture in a contest initiated by the Mekong River Commission (MRC), which took place in Vientiane, Laos, on March 30 and 31.









Students receive the prizes at the award ceremony. (Photo VNA)



At the award ceremony on April 3, the organiser presented four first prizes and four second prizes to the winners.



The competition saw the participation of 14 teams from 11 universities in MRC member states of Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam.





It aimed to seek sustainable and advanced technologies for monitoring water levels, rainfall, soil moisture and water quality in the Mekong River. The contest also contributed to improving the professional capacity of young people, while promoting the belief that the people of the Mekong river basin can solve relevant problems through innovation and creativity in technology.





Products of all the 11 participating universities are being displayed at the Lao national convention centre, where the 4th MRC Summit is taking place from April 2-5.





The MRC, an intergovernmental organisation established in 1995 following the Mekong Agreement among Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam, serves as a regional platform for Mekong-related cooperation and knowledge sharing.





The MRC is currently running about 250 monitoring stations for factors affecting Southeast Asia's largest river such as hydrology, rainfall, water quality, ecological health, fisheries, and drought. However, most of their monitoring technologies rely on imported equipment, which is often expensive and sometimes outdated./.
The Saudi Industrial Investment Group (SIIG), a privately owned petrochemical firm, has signed an agreement to invest approximately $70 million in Unibio International, the leading sustainable protein company.

The investment in Unibio will be paid in two tranches: the first tranche of approximately $25 million is paid now with the second subject to applicable Foreign Direct Investment approvals. BofA Securities acted as placement agent to Unibio in connection with the transaction.

The proceeds will be deployed to enable Unibio's vision of feeding the world's growing population in a sustainable way. Unibio will use the funds to roll-out new global production capacity, grow operating capabilities, and accelerate innovation and commercialization.

Improve the world's food security

Through industrial protein production based on Unibio's unique fermentation technology  the U-Loop technology - it is possible to improve food security and feed the world's growing population in a sustainable way without any use of arable land and with low water usage.

The fermentation technology mimics a process that occurs in nature every day and uses methane (e.g. natural gas or biogas) as feedstock. The production of Uniprotein is efficient, stable, and independent of weather deviations that impact the production of traditional protein sources.

Uniprotein is approved for feed in the European Union and global registrations are in progress. The protein provides nutrition on par with or better than other high-quality proteins, such as fishmeal, and has been tested successfully in various aqua and animal species.

Free from pesticides

Uniprotein is free from pesticides, fully traceable, and non-GMO. It has been launched commercially and Uniprotein is attracting significant global interest from feed compound companies and animal and fish farmers. The production of Unibio's protein for direct human consumption is under development.

David Henstrom, CEO of Unibio commented: "We are delighted to welcome SIIG as a significant investor in Unibio. Their investment will enable us to play a pivotal role in meeting our customers' need for sustainable protein. Unibio's technology will improve food security and speed up the process of feeding the world in a sustainable way. We are pleased that SIIG shares our ambition of providing food security for the world's growing population and helping stop hunger (#SDG2) and we look forward to working together to make it happen."

Abdulrahman S. Alismail, CEO of the SIIG, added: "We are extremely pleased to invest in Unibio and see it as strongly aligned with SIIG's new strategy to diversify its investments, enter new sectors focused on sustainability and new technologies, and develop partnerships with international companies. Unibio's focus aligns with Saudi Arabia's commitment to increasing domestic protein production and supporting food security through innovation and technology. We are investing in Unibio for the long-term and believe that by doing so we will contribute to a more diverse and sustainable economy."-- TradeArabia News Service
HALIFAX - An innovation centre under construction at Saint Marys University is getting $20 million in joint funding from the Halifax school and the federal government.

Federal Infrastructure Minister Dominic LeBlanc says Ottawa will contribute $8 million toward the Sobeys Inspiration Hub, which will support entrepreneurship and innovation.

Saint Marys is contributing $12 million to the project.

LeBlanc says the funding will help pay for new solar panels and audiovisual communications technology.

Some of the funding will also pay for energy-efficiency enhancements for other buildings on campus.

Officials say the installation of solar panels across several campus buildings will increase the universitys capacity to generate clean energy by an estimated 230 per cent  to 0.66 megawatts from 0.2 megawatts.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 4, 2023.

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KEY FACTS Donald Trump plead not guilty to 34 felony charges of falsifying business records

The Manhattan District Attorneys Office has released the full list of charges against former president Donald Trump

Flanked by American flags, Trump delivered a campaign-style speech to cheering supporters at Mar-a-Lago Tuesday night

Former President Donald Trump, who faces multiple election-related investigations, will surrender Tuesday to face criminal charges stemming from 2016 hush money payments.

6:45 a.m. Stormy Daniels must pay nearly $122,000 of Donald Trumps legal fees that were racked up in connection with the porn actors failed defamation lawsuit, an appeals court ruled Tuesday.

The decision in California came at about the same time that that Trump became the only ex-president to be charged with a crime. Trump pleaded not guilty in a New York City courtroom to a 34-count felony indictment accusing him falsifying business records in a scheme to hush up allegations of extramarital affairs with Daniels and Playboy model Karen McDougal that broke during his first White House run.

Daniels, whose real name is Stephane Clifford, alleges she had an affair with Trump in 2006 and was paid $130,000 as part of a nondisclosure agreement days before the 2016 presidential election.

10 p.m. (Updated): Flanked by American flags, former President Donald Trump delivered a campaign-style speech to cheering supporters at Mar-a-Lago Tuesday night.

Trump was defiant, referring, among other things, to his two impeachment trials during his presidency and an ongoing probe into alleged attempts to interfere in that states 2020 presidential election. He called the New York indictment the latest in an onslaught of fraudulent investigations.

This fake case was brought only to interfere with the upcoming 2024 election and it should be dropped immediately, Trump said.

He also lashed out at the prosecutor and the judge presiding over the New York case  despite being warned hours earlier by the judge to refrain from rhetoric that could cause civil unrest.

The crowd included supporters like failed Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake and longtime ally Roger Stone.

8 p.m.: Need a recap of the days events?

Former U.S. president Donald Trump appeared at a Manhattan courthouse Tuesday to face historic charges relating to an alleged hush-money conspiracy. He plead not guilty to 34 felony charges of falsifying business records before heading back to Mar-a-Lago to address his followers.

Here are some key moments from Trumps historic arraignment

6:30 p.m.: And hes back, writes Star columnist Heather Mallick. The Western worlds bete noire, its king of comedy, its basest instincts made palpable, its portly orange tyrant walking the streets of New York claiming victimhood surrounding his arrest and arraignment on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.

It is the spring of 2018 all over again and once again I worry what the wind at La Guardia is doing to those peculiar yellow hair extensions.

Once again the great toad squats on our life.

Actually Trump will never leave  we know that  because he likes attention and what could be better for his campaign to be the next Republican candidate in 2024 than a protracted stage-managed reality show of bluster, racism, fantasy conspiracy-mongering, promises of violence to come, brutally stupid Trump fans in costumes sending out a spray of incoherence.

Read Heather Mallicks full column here

6:15 p.m.: The criminal charges that Donald Trump is now facing in New York stem from three separate instances in which the former president and his associates are accused of making hush money payments during his 2016 campaign: to two women to suppress information about extramarital sexual encounters they said they had with years earlier, and to a onetime Trump Tower doorman who claimed to have a story about a child he alleged Trump had out of of wedlock.

Bragg first listed the incident involving a former Trump Tower doorman who was paid $30,000 after he claimed he had information about a child who Trump had out of wedlock.

That doorman, Dino Sajudin, received the payment from the parent company of the National Enquirer in exchange for signing over the rights, in perpetuity, to a rumor that the president had fathered a child with an employee at Trump World Tower, a skyscraper he owns near the United Nations.

Stream your PBS favorites with the PBS app: https://to.pbs.org/2Jb8twG

The contract between Sajudin and the American Media Inc. would penalize Sajudin for $1 million if he disclosed either the rumor or the terms of his agreement with the tabloids parent company.

In an interview with The Associated Press in August 2017, the woman at the center of the rumor denied that she had had an affair with Trump.

Read the full story here from the Associated Press.

5:30 p.m.: The long and winding road from farce to felony, from demagogue to disgrace, has finally brought Donald Trump to a reckoning: fingerprints, rap sheet and criminal arraignment, writes Star columnist Rosie DiManno.

Not guilty, spoke Trump.

But of course he is. If not ultimately on any of the 34 felony counts  not misdemeanors  formally laid against the former president Tuesday afternoon when the indictment package was unsealed in a Manhattan courtroom, then a cornucopia of villainy. His amoral cup runneth over.

A liar surrounded by liars, a rogue surrounded by rogues, a scrote surrounded by scrotes.

Read Rosie DiMannos full column here

4:40 p.m.: In a press meeting Tuesday, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg told reporters Trump repeatedly made false statements on New York business records. He also caused others to make false statements.

Under New York State law, it is a felony to falsify business records with intent to defraud, and intent to conceal another crime, Bragg said. That is exactly what this case is about.

According to Bragg, Trumps claim that he was paying his attorney Michael Cohen for legal services performed in 2017 simply was not true.

Full list of charges against Donald Trump View document on Scribd

Instead, the money was sent as part of a conspiracy dating back to 2015 to buy and suppress negative information to help Mr. Trumps chance of winning the election, Bragg alleged.

Trump and his associates allegedly paid three people to keep quiet, including Stormy Daniels, to whom Cohen wired $130,000.

No matter who you are, we cannot and will not normalize serious criminal conduct, Bragg said.

4:15 (Updated): The Manhattan District Attorneys Office has released the full list of charges against former president Donald Trump.

The historic indictment was unsealed and released to the public Tuesday afternoon.

The 16 page document from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg detailed 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree.

All charges related to false entries made to records kept by the Trump Organization. All entries were made in 2017, according to the document.

4:05 p.m.: As Trumps motorcade departs for LaGuardia Airport following the former presidents arraignment, his attorneys Todd Blanche and Joe Tacopina expressed disappointment in the turn of events.

The indictment itself is boilerplate, Blanche told reporters outside the courthouse. It doesnt allege that any federal crime, any state crime has been violated... Its really disappointing, its sad and were going to fight it.

As for Trump: Hes frustrated. Hes upset. But Ill tell you what, hes motivated, Blanche said. ...Its exactly what he expected, and so to that extent theres no surprise.

Todays unsealing of this indictment shows that the rule of law died in this country, Tacopina said, because while everyone is not above the law, no ones below it either.

Trump is expected to address supporters at Mar-a-Lago at around 8 p.m. on Tuesday.

3:50 p.m. A judge has warned former president Donald Trump to refrain from rhetoric that could inflame or cause civil unrest.

Trump, speaking briefly during his arraignment, told the judge he was pleading not guilty and was advised of his rights by the judge.

Judge Juan Merchan also warned Trump that he could be removed from the courtroom if he is disruptive, but Trump spoke only a few times to respond to questions.

Hes next due in court in December, but his lawyers asked for him to be excused from attending the hearing in person because of extraordinary security proceedings.

3:10 p.m. Former President Donald Trump pleaded not guilty Tuesday to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, according to two law enforcement officials familiar with the matter.

The plea came during a brief arraignment in a Lower Manhattan courtroom as Trump faced a grand jury indictment arising from a hush money payment to a porn actor during Trumps 2016 campaign.

The two officials who confirmed the plea spoke on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press because prosecutors had not yet released the indictment publicly.

The arraignment, though procedural in nature, amounts to a remarkable reckoning for Trump after years of investigations into his personal, business and political dealings. The case is unfolding against the backdrop not only of his third campaign for the White House but also against other investigations in Washington and Atlanta that might yet produce even more charges.

A silent and stone-faced Trump, his lips pursed in apparent anger, entered the courtroom shortly before 2:30 p.m. without saying anything. Minutes earlier, he narrated his feelings in real time, describing the experience as SURREAL as he travelled from Trump Tower to Lower Manhattan to face a judge as the first former president in American history to be criminally prosecuted.

2:55 p.m. Donald Trump is facing 34 felony charges and has pleaded not guilty, according to New York Times and CNN reports.

-Allan Woods

2:50 p.m. The question of Donald Trumps mug shot has become a hot-button issue, especially as the former presidents campaign attempts to capitalize on his legal troubles. Theres uncertainty, however, whether the photos will ever see the light of day.

In 2019, a New York law essentially banned the release of most mug shots to the public, unless those photos would help with a specific law enforcement purpose, like when searching for a wanted person.

Later on Tuesday, the New York Times reported Trump was unlikely to have his photos taken in the first place, citing unnamed sources with knowledge of the matter. Officials told the Times Trumps photos are already commonly available and that some are concerned about a leak should they be taken.

Trump is unlikely to be handcuffed as well, the Times reports, although he will have his fingerprints taken and be assigned a New York state Identification Number.

Citing three unnamed sources, the Rolling Stone reported Tuesday Trumps advisers have advised him to turn his mug shot into fuel for a fundraising drive, or as a potent new symbol on 2024 campaign merchandise.

-Kevin Jiang

2:50 p.m. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg will be holding a news conference later this afternoon to discuss the charges against former president Donald Trump after his historic appearance in Manhattan court. That event is scheduled to begin in about one hour and can be watched here.

-Allan Woods

2:45 p.m. Former President Donald Trump has entered the Manhattan courtroom where he is scheduled for arraignment on criminal charges stemming from a hush-money payment during his 2016 campaign.

Trump reached the 15th floor courtroom about 70 minutes after he entered the courthouse to surrender and be booked ahead of the hearing. A stone-faced Trump entered the courtroom shortly before 2:30 p.m. without saying anything.

Trump did not acknowledge a television camera sending live images from the hallway outside the courtroom.

Judge Juan Merchan has ruled that TV cameras will not be allowed in the courtroom. Trumps attorneys have said he will plead not guilty.

2:30 p.m. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has entered the courtroom where former president Donald Trump is scheduled for arraignment on criminal charges stemming from a hush-money payment during his 2016 campaign.

Trump has not yet been seen on the 15th floor where the hearing is supposed to take place. Wearing a navy blue suit and a bright red tie, Trump entered the courthouse around 12:20 p.m. to surrender on the charges and be processed before the hearing.

2:06 p.m. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said at a Tuesday briefing that Trumps case is not a focus for President Joe Biden.

Of course, this is playing out on many of the networks here on a daily basis for hours and hours, so obviously, he will catch part of the news when he has a moment, said Jean-Pierre, when asked by a reporter about whether Biden is following his predecessors arrest. But this is not his focus for today.

Jean-Pierre also stressed that Biden was not given a heads up about Trumps indictment. He was briefed by his chief of staff and he learned about this just like all of you  through the reporting, she said. -Joshua Chong

Here are some Canadian politicians who had brushes with the law

2:03 p.m. Former President Donald Trump is under arrest, having surrendered ahead of his arraignment Tuesday after he was indicted, or formally accused, by a Manhattan grand jury last week, making him the first former U.S. president to face a criminal charge.

His charges are widely expected to include at least one felony offence related to hush money payments to women during his 2016 campaign.

Prosecutors did not say whether they intended to seek prison time in the event of a conviction, a development that wouldnt prevent Trump  who is the early front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination  from assuming the presidency in 2024, despite being the first president to be impeached twice.

Read the full story from the Stars Alessia Passafiume

1:55 p.m. Trump is expected to be fingerprinted and processed, and his mug shot may be taken.

Trump posts on his social media platform as he heads to the courthouse

1:50 p.m. Donald Trump posted on his social media platform, Truth Social, as he headed to the Manhattan Courthouse on Tuesday afternoon. Heading to Lower Manhattan, the Courthouse, he wrote at 1:22 p.m. Seems so SURREAL  WOW, they are going to ARREST ME. Cant believe this is happening in America. MAGA! -Joshua Chong

1:45 p.m. Donald Trump has entered the courthouse, surrounded by Secret Service agents.

He is expected to plead not guilty to criminal charges stemming from a hush money payment during his 2016 campaign. TV cameras are prohibited in the court, but Trump will be fingerprinted and processed after surrendering to the office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. -Joshua Chong

1:36 p.m. Trumps motorcade from his residence at Trump Towers to the Manhattan courthouse consisted of 11 vehicles, led by an NYPD car.

Just beyond the midpoint of that motorcade was another NYPD car and an ambulance.

Its a significantly smaller motorcade than the former president is used to; a presidential motorcade would have been three or four times larger, with much greater police presence.

Although it seems portions of the route have been cleared, other portions are still open. For a portion of the route, his motorcade was trailed by a yellow school bus.  Steve McKinley

Trump arrives at Manhattan courthouse

1:24 p.m. Donald Trump has arrived at the Manhattan courthouse where he is expected to be arraigned and arrested. Trumps trip to the courthouse from Trump Tower in midtown Manhattan took less than 15 minutes. The roads were cleared as the former president made his way downtown with a secret service motorcade. Trump promptly exited the vehicle and entered the courthouse, where he will be fingerprinted. - Joshua Chong

Trump departs Trump Tower

1:09 p.m. (updated) Donald Trump has left Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue and is heading down to the New York City courthouse where he is expected to voluntarily surrender on criminal charges stemming from a hush money payment during his 2016 campaign.

As he exited the tower, Trump was greeted by a crowd of supporters and critics. A motorcade of vehicles is accompanying the president to the courthouse.

The former president will face a judge at 2:15 p.m. The New York City Police Department previously said there would be intermittent road closures throughout the day.  Joshua Chong

Hundreds gathering at Collect Pond Park in Manhattan

12:45 p.m. A small park built on a site that was once a swampy, sewage-filled pond is ground zero for the frenzy surrounding Trumps expected surrender Tuesday at a courthouse in Lower Manhattan.

Hundreds of onlookers, protesters, journalists and a few attention-seeking politicians are gathered in the confines of Collect Pond Park.

The crowd is small, by the standards of New York City protests, which routinely draw thousands.

Metal barricades separate Trump supporters from anti-Trump protesters, and police have stepped in to break up small skirmishes.

Read the full story from the Associated Press

12:10 p.m. Democratic New York congressman Jamaal Bowman criticized Marjorie Taylor Greene for protesting Donald Trumps arraignment. Go back to your district. What are you doing here? Youre here for politics, youre here because you want to be VP, youre here for your own fundraising, youre here for your own nonsense, he said in a scrum with reporters late this morning.

Earlier today, Greene along with other Trump supporters protested the criminal charges levelled against Trump. -Joshua Chong

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene speaks briefly amid shouts

11:30 a.m. (updated) Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene quickly left a protest after being shouted down by anti-Trump protesters. Greene was speaking to supporters of Trump at Collect Pond Park while facing a swarm of counterprotesters and media.

A large crowd surrounded the Georgia Republican, once shunned by the GOP as a political pariah for her extremist rhetoric, as she made her way through a park.

In video of the remarks, Greene thanked patriotic Trump supporters who are here today. She called Republicans the party of peace and called Democrats the party of violence.

In an interview posted online, Greene said she planned to speak with media from a car and accused counterprotesters of assault for blowing whistles and shouting as she spoke.

10:32 a.m. Trump is expected to return to Mar-a-Lago immediately following his arraignment in New York on Tuesday afternoon. The former president has scheduled a prime time address for Tuesday evening at his Palm Beach resort. The remarks are scheduled to begin at 8:15 p.m. local time. -Joshua Chong

George Santos joins Trump supporters outside courthouse

9:55 a.m. (updated) Republican House Rep. George Santos, a staunch Trump ally, was spotted in front of the Manhattan courthouse where the former president is set to appear this afternoon.

Santos, whose lies and embellishments about his resume and personal life have drawn deep scrutiny, was swarmed by media outside the court.

In a scrum, Santos said he was there in support of the president.

Trump to fly back to Florida immediately after arraignment

9:50 a.m. People began gathering Tuesday morning for a rally for Donald Trump in a park outside the courthouse where the former president is scheduled to be arraigned.

The rally with Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene was scheduled to start several hours ahead of Trumps court appearance.

Some anti-Trump protesters also appeared, unfurling a large banner saying Trump Lies All the Time.

Trump supporters also are expected to gather at his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida on Tuesday night as he returns.

9:20 a.m. The public likely wont know the details about Donald Trumps arraignment until it is over, after the judge overseeing the case denied a formal request from news organizations to broadcast the proceedings.

In a ruling issued Monday, Judge Juan M. Merchan said five pool photographers will be permitted to take still photos before the arraignment for several minutes.

However, other electronic devices, including cellphones and laptops, will not be allowed in the courtroom, meaning journalists will not be able to report on the arraignment as it unfolds. In his decision, Merchan said the indictment involves a matter of monumental significance  Never in the history of the United States has a sitting or past President been indicted on criminal charges, he wrote.

Unfortunately, although genuine and undoubtedly important, the interests of the News Organizations must be weighed against competing interests, Merchan said, citing possible interference of the dignity or decorum of the court among other factors. -Joshua Chong

Who is Alvin Bragg?

9:05 a.m. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg arrived at court Tuesday morning in New York ahead of former president Donald Trumps arraignment.

Bragg became Manhattans first Black district attorney in 2022, following his election the previous November. He inherited a years-long grand jury investigation into hush money paid on Trumps behalf during his 2016 presidential campaign.

Meet the district attorney whos set to go to war with Donald Trump

8:42 a.m. New Yorks mayor, Eric Adams, held a press conference with Keechant Sewell, commissioner of the NYC police department, on Monday, ahead of Donald Trumps arrival in the city.

While there may be some rabble rousers thinking about coming to our city tomorrow, our message is clear and simple: control yourselves, Adams said at the briefing. New York City is our home, not a playground for your misplaced anger.

Adams also issued a specific warning to Marjorie Taylor Greene, who said she will be in New York to protest Trumps criminal charges

While you are in town, be on your best behaviour, Adams told the Republican representative. Sewell, the citys police commissioner, added that there will be intermittent road closures and an increased police presence this week. -Joshua Chong

8:40 a.m. Trump attorney Joe Tacopina said the former presidents appearance in court for Tuesdays arraignment would be brief because the processing does not take long.

It wont be a long day in court, he said on ABCs Good Morning America.

8:35 a.m. Spectators, many of them members of the news media, lined up overnight to get a seat inside the courtroom, or even just a glimpse of Trump, who wasnt expected until Tuesday afternoon.

The building was surrounded by barricades, and people were undergoing layers of security checks.

8:30 a.m. Trump is scheduled to face a judge for his arraignment at 2:15 p.m. EST

Who are Karen McDougal and Stormy Daniels?

8:10 a.m. Last week, a Manhattan grand jury indicted Donald Trump on charges related to hush money payments made in 2016, suddenly making him the first former U.S. president to ever face a criminal charge.

The payments were made to two women who said they had sexual encounters with the former president while he was already married. Trump denies the encounters and cast the investigation as a witch hunt trying to sabotage his 2024 presidential election campaign.

Because the indictment is sealed, theres a lot that still isnt public. For instance, there hasnt been a formal announcement over the time frame into the grand jurys secret work into the case. Its also not clear why the charges  which come six years after the payoff  would be filed now or how prosecutors intend to get around New Yorks statute of limitations, which are two years for misdemeanour offence or five years for felony offences.

Read the timeline from the Stars Manuela Vega

8 a.m. His caseload has featured charges against former president Donald Trumps company and some of Trumps closest associates in business and politics.

Now Judge Juan Manuel Merchan is poised to take the historic hush-money prosecution of Trump himself.

Merchan, a former prosecutor with 16 years on the bench, is expected to preside Tuesday over the unprecedented arraignment of a former U.S. commander in chief. Trump will appear to answer charges arising from a grand jury investigation into payments made during his 2016 campaign to bury allegations that he had extramarital sexual encounters.

Trump, who is running for the White House again, says hes completely innocent and has called the case a political persecution. He has also seized on Merchans involvement.

Who is Juan Merchan, the New York judge handling Donald Trumps case?

Heres what to expect on Tuesday

7:52 a.m. Former President Donald Trump is set to appear in a Manhattan courtroom Tuesday on charges related to falsifying business records in a hush-money investigation, the first president ever to be charged with a crime.

Trump, who has denied any wrongdoing and has repeatedly assailed the investigation, has called the indictment political persecution and predicted it would damage Democrats in 2024. Trumps lawyers have said the former president did not commit any crime. We will vigorously fight this political prosecution in court.

Read the full story from the Associated Press

7:45 a.m. Americas rich history is full of meaningful moments put into words.

One small step for man  for the first moon landing.

The first Black president, Barack Obama, who described himself as a skinny kid with a funny name.

Or the pilot who dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima and lamented, My God, what have we done?

Read the full story from Allan Woods

7:30 a.m. An extraordinary moment in U.S. history is set to soon unfold in a Manhattan courthouse on Tuesday: Former President Donald Trump, who faces multiple election-related investigations, will surrender to face criminal charges stemming from 2016 hush money payments.

The booking and arraignment are likely to be relatively brief  though hardly routine  as Trump is fingerprinted, learns the charges against him and pleads, as expected, not guilty.

Trump, who was impeached twice by the U.S. House but was never convicted in the U.S. Senate, will become the first former president to face criminal charges. The nations 45th commander in chief will be escorted from Trump Tower to the courthouse by the Secret Service and may have his mug shot taken.

Read the full story from The Associated Press

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LONDON (AP)  On Oct. 14, a Russian engineer named Gleb Karakulov boarded a flight from Kazakhstan to Turkey with his wife and daughter. He switched off his phone to shut out the crescendo of urgent, enraged messages, said goodbye to his life in Russia and tried to calm his fast-beating heart.

But this was no ordinary Russian defector. Karakulov was an officer in President Vladimir Putins secretive elite personal security service  one of the few Russians to flee and go public who have rank, as well as knowledge of intimate details of Putins life and potentially classified information.

Karakulov, who was responsible for secure communications, said moral opposition to Russias invasion of Ukraine and his fear of dying there drove him to speak out, despite the risks to himself and his family.

Our president has become a war criminal, he said. Its time to end this war and stop being silent.

Karakulovs account generally conforms with others that paint the Russian president as a once charismatic but increasingly isolated leader, who doesnt use a cellphone or the internet and insists on access to Russian state television wherever he goes.

He also offered new details about how Putins paranoia appears to have deepened since his decision to invade Ukraine in February 2022. Putin now prefers to avoid airplanes and travel on a special armored train, he said, and he ordered a bunker at the Russian Embassy in Kazakhstan outfitted with a secure communications line in October  the first time Karakulov had ever fielded such a request.

A defection like Karakulovs has a very great level of interest, said an official with a security background from a NATO country, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive political matters.

That would be seen as a very serious blow to the president himself because he is extremely keen on his security, and his security is compromised, he said.

The Kremlin did not respond to requests for comment. Neither did Karakulovs father or brother.

As an engineer in a field unit of the presidential communications department of the Federal Protective Service, or FSO, Karakulov was responsible for setting up secure communications for the Russian president and prime minister wherever they went. While he was not a confidant of Putins, Karakulov spent years in his service, observing him from unusually close quarters from 2009 through late 2022.

Karakulov, his wife and his child have gone underground, and it was impossible to speak with them directly due to security constraints.

The Dossier Center, a London-based investigative group funded by Russian opposition figure Mikhail Khodorkovsky, interviewed Karakulov multiple times and shared video and transcripts of more than six hours of those interviews with The Associated Press, as well as the Danish Broadcasting Corporation DR, Swedish Television SVT, and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation NRK.

The Dossier Center confirmed the authenticity of Karakulovs passport and FSO work identity card, and cross-checked details of his biography against Russian government records, leaked personal data and social media postings, all of which the AP reviewed.

The AP also independently confirmed Karakulovs identity with three sources in the U.S. and Europe and corroborated his personal details, including passport numbers, date and place of birth, two registered addresses, and the names and ages of family members. The AP was unable to verify all details of his defection.

The AP also confirmed that Karakulov is listed as a wanted man in the Russian Interior Ministrys public database of criminal suspects. The ministry initiated a criminal investigation against Karakulov on Oct. 26 for desertion during a time of military mobilization, according to documents obtained by the Dossier Center and seen by the AP.

The FSO is one of the most secretive branches of Russias security services.

Even when they quit, they never talk, but they know a lot of details of the private life of the president and the prime minister, said Katya Hakim, a senior researcher at the Dossier Center.

Karakulov moved as part of an advance team, often with enough specialized communications equipment to fill a KAMAZ truck. He said he has taken more than 180 trips with the Russian president, and contrary to widespread speculation, Putin appears to be in better shape than most people his age. Putin has only canceled a few trips due to illness, he said.

Unlike the prime minister, Putin does not require secure internet access on his trips, Karakulov said.

I have never seen him with a mobile phone, he said. All the information he receives is only from people close to him. That is, he lives in a kind of information vacuum.

Karakulovs work brought him to luxury hotels for summits, beach resorts in Cuba, yachts  and aboard a special armored train outfitted for the Russian president.

Putins train looks like any other, painted gray with a red stripe to blend in with other railway carriages in Russia. Putin didnt like the fact that airplanes can be tracked, preferring the stealth of a nondescript train car, Karakulov said.

I understand that hes simply afraid, he said.

Putin began to use the train regularly in the run-up to the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Karakulov said. Even last year, Putin continued to insist on strict anti-COVID-19 measures, and FSO employees took shifts in two-week quarantine so there would always be a pool of people cleared to travel with Putin on the train, he said.

Putin has set up identical offices in multiple locations, with matching details down to the desk and wall hangings, and official reports sometimes say hes one place when he is actually in another, according to Karakulov and prior reporting by a Russian media outlet.

When Putin was in Sochi, security officials would deliberately pretend he was leaving, bringing in a plane and sending off a motorcade, when he was in fact staying, Karakulov said.

I think that this is an attempt to confuse, first, intelligence, and second, so that there are no assassination attempts, he said.

Karakulovs defection was a surprising turn for a family steeped in patriotic military tradition. Karakulovs father is a former military man, and his brother is a local government official.

Karakulov said he couldnt tell his parents about his disillusionment, because their minds had been molded by years of watching Russian state television. So he never told them he was leaving.

But he denies that he is unpatriotic and urged others to break their silence to stop the war.

Patriotism is when you love your country, he said. In this case, our homeland needs to be saved because something crazy and terrible is happening.

___

Associated Press reporters Jamey Keaten in Geneva, Aamer Madhani in Washington and Joanna Kozlowska in London contributed to this report.

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HOUSTON - A quick look at Col. Jeremy Hansen, the Canadian astronaut named Monday as a member of Artemis II, the first mission to the moon in more than half a century:

Born: Jan. 27, 1976, in London, Ont.

Education: Attended Royal Military College Saint-Jean in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que. Earned bachelor of science in space science and later a masters degree in physics from Royal Military College in Kingston, Ont.

Career: Joined the Air Cadets at 12, earned his glider pilot wings at 16 and his private pilots licence at 17. Served as a CF-18 pilot in the Royal Canadian Air Force from 2004 to 2009. Selected to join Canadas astronaut corps in 2009. Earned rank of colonel.

Highlights: Served in 2011 at Mission Control in Houston as capsule communication, or capcom, the liaison between the ground and the International Space Station. In 2013, lived underground for six days in Italy as part of the European Space Agencys CAVES program. Also flies the historic Hawk One F-86 Sabre jet. In 2014, lived and worked on the ocean floor for seven days as an aquanaut, simulating deep space exploration underwater as a crew member of NEEMO 19.

Family: Married, three children.

Hobbies: Mountain biking, rock climbing and sailboat cruising and racing.

Quote: We face global challenges right now. They demand global solutions; they will require global solutions from our young generation. We have to show them how we can do more together, how by bringing the globe together instead of dividing it, we can do more and we can accomplish big things.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 3, 2023.

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OTTAWA - Gov. Gen. Mary Simon wants Indigenous leaders to meet with King Charles to reset their relationship with the Crown, the national chief of the Assembly of First Nations said Monday.

Speaking to chiefs gathered in Ottawa, RoseAnne Archibald said she meets frequently with Simon, who is the first Indigenous person to hold the position of Governor General, the Kings representative in Canada.

Archibald said Simon is facilitating an opportunity for Indigenous leaders to meet with King Charles before his coronation in May.

She did not divulge further details and Rideau Hall did not immediately to a request for comment.

Simon, an Inuk leader, has said advancing reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people is one of her top priorities.

On a recent trip to Finland to mark the 75th anniversary of diplomatic ties with Canada, Simon brought Indigenous leaders to build better ties with the Sami, Indigenous people of northern Europe.

There have been questions about what kind of role Indigenous people will have at King Charles upcoming coronation.

During his visit to Canada last May, months before the death of Queen Elizabeth II, he signalled an openness to listening to Indigenous people and confronting what he called the darker and more difficult aspects of the past.

At the time, Charles said he had spoken with Simon about the vital process of reconciliation in Canada.

He said he and his wife Camilla left the country with heavy hearts after meeting survivors of the residential school system and told a crowd in Yellowknife that he was deeply moved by hearing of their experiences.

The Crown has faced renewed calls to apologize for its role in colonialism and to renounce a set of papal bills used as the basis for the Doctrine of Discovery, as the Vatican recently did.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 3, 2023.

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OTTAWA - The excitement was palpable on Tuesday as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau formally admitted Quebec-based Chantier Davie into the exclusive club of shipyards eligible for billions of dollars in federal work.

The announcement was the result of a decade of intense lobbying by the company and delays by the other two yards in the delivery of new vessels for the Canadian Coast Guard and Royal Canadian Navy.

It also followed protracted negotiations between Davie and the federal government that appeared at times on the verge of collapse, as questions swirled about Davies ability to deliver a fleet of new icebreakers on time and on budget.

Many of those questions remained as Trudeau appeared before a jubilant crowd of hard hat-wearing workers and politicians to confirm Davies addition to Ottawas shipbuilding plan with Vancouver-based Seaspan Shipyards and Halifax-based Irving Shipbuilding.

Today, were announcing that our government has reached an agreement with Chantier Davie for the shipyard to become the third strategic partner under the national shipbuilding strategy, Trudeau said to applause from the crowd.

This means that were officially starting negotiations for contracts that include the construction of six icebreakers and one polar icebreaker for the Canadian Coast Guard.

The prime minister, who was joined at the shipyard by Quebec Premier Francois Legault and a bevy of federal and provincial ministers, later pegged the cost of those icebreakers at around $8.5 billion.

Both Trudeau and Legault, whose province will be contributing $500 million to help Davie expand and upgrade its facilities to build the much-needed icebreaker fleet, also expressed confidence that work on the fleet would begin soon.

We wouldnt be here today making this announcement if we werent incredibly optimistic, Trudeau told reporters.

But there were also reasons for skepticism, starting with the fact it took Ottawa and Davie over three years to negotiate the agreement  more than two years longer than anticipated. Officials at one point raised the prospect heading back to the drawing board.

The shipyard, which is owned by a company based in Monaco, also has a mixed record when it comes to making good on the federal contracts that it has won in recent years. That includes the provision of three second-hand icebreakers to the coast guard.

Originally ordered in August 2018, the last of the three Norwegian-built icebreakers was only delivered by Davie late last year. By that point, the cost to Canadian taxpayers had soared from $610 million to nearly $1 billion.

Trudeau did not provide a timeline for when the government expects Davie to begin producing new icebreakers to replace the coast guards existing vessels, many of which have already exceeded their expected lifespans.

Davie, which is owned by a company based in Monaco, referred questions to Public Services and Procurement Canada. Neither that department nor Fisheries and Oceans Canada, which oversees the coast guard, responded to requests for comment.

Trudeau did defend the delay and the shipyard, saying: Bringing this all together today took a lot of work by a lot of partners. But the fact were able to do this is a validation ... of the great work people have done here at Davie, and of the leadership of governments.

The prime minister also stood by the decision to add a third shipyard to the strategy, which was originally premised on the idea of supporting only two national shipyards to create a stable and sustainable Canadian shipbuilding industry.

When Irving and Seaspan were selected to the plan, analysis at the time said adding a third yard would undermine the strategys long-term objectives.

But Trudeau said Tuesday that more recent assessments have shown there is enough work for everyone.

Such assurances did not convince Rob Huebert, an expert on the Arctic and Canadian Coast Guard at the University of Calgary, who predicted the addition of Davie will ultimately undermine the long-term sustainability of the shipbuilding plan.

Huebert blamed years of government mismanagement for the fact the government now has to undercut the original intent of the shipbuilding strategy to build new icebreakers, which are long overdue.

Whats happening is were saying were in a crisis situation, but the crisis has been self-created by the government, Huebert said.

Davie was initially excluded from the shipbuilding plan following a 2011 competition that selected Irving to build the navys new warships, and Seaspan to build two new naval support ships and the bulk of the coast guards new fleet.

The Quebec shipyard was able to pick up some piecemeal work, including the construction of two federal ferries and the provision of several second-hand ships for the navy and coast guard. Those included a supply vessel for the navy and the three used icebreakers.

But Davie made no secret of its desire for more and, with help from allies in Quebec City and the opposition benches in Ottawa, the company based in Levis, Que., lobbied the federal Liberal government hard for official inclusion in the shipbuilding plan.

At the same time, Seaspan was struggling to meet its delivery schedules thanks to mismanagement by both the Vancouver yard and federal government. All the while, the coast guards fleet was becoming increasingly decrepit.

The impact of those delays crystallized last year when the coast guard announced it was retiring CCGS Hudson, an ocean research vessel, at the same time it revealed Seaspan would not deliver its replacement until at least 2025.

It was in this context that the Liberal government announced in August 2019 that it was adding a third yard to the shipbuilding plan to build Canadas next icebreaker fleet, and formally called for shipyards to indicate their interest.

Ontario shipyard Heddle Marine wasted no time accusing the government of stacking the deck in Davies favour. Yet the Canadian International Trade Tribunal was blocked from investigating Heddles complaint after Ottawa invoked a special exemption.

In December 2019, the government announced Davie was the only shipyard to meet its requirements.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 4, 2023.

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The ghost of Doug Ford is wafting over our mayoral election.

Toronto could be making history in the June 26 vote. Instead, thanks to the premiers obsession with reining in  and reigning over  the city, the election will be a missed opportunity for democracy.

Thats because there are too many high profile candidates to end up with a solid choice. Yes, you can have too much of a good thing  candidates  if no one emerges as a clear winner in the competition.

And when the winners mandate is a mirage, it makes a mockery of democracy. Heres why:

As many as eight well-known politicians are declared or likely to enter the race, with another four lesser lights lining up to run. Thats 12 candidates competing for the limelight  and splitting the vote on voting day.

Which means we could have a mayor who carries the day, but backed by a slim plurality far from a solid majority. Imagine a winner who won barely 17 per cent of the ballots emerging as chief executive of Canadas biggest city with so little legitimacy.

What makes this scenario so pitiable is that it was so avoidable. For there is  or was  a viable alternative.

An electronic runoff would ensure the winner truly wins the day with a majority. Its called the ranked ballot, which allows voters to rank their choices on the ballot in order of preference.

If no one wins a majority on the first round, the losers votes are reallocated (based on the preferences their supporters indicated on their ballots as second and third choices). The process of eliminating the losers and reapportioning their votes continues until someone attains a majority of the total votes cast.

Sound foreign? Its an utterly Canadian convention.

In truth, its precisely the process used by Ford to win the leadership of the Progressive Conservatives in 2018, and how most politicians are chosen to head their parties. In fact, thats how Dalton McGuinty won the Liberal leadership years ago  in the middle of the night, when the fifth ballot took him over the 50 per cent threshold.

With a ranked ballot, you dont need to stay up all night for subsequent ballots. You simply rank your first, second and third choices when you arrive at the voting booth, and await the magic of electronic runoffs.

Its emphatically faithful to democracy. Which is why Ontario first raised the ranked ballot idea in a 2015 consultation, and decided in 2017 to let municipalities try it out.

At a time when voter turnout is going down in many communities, its time look at ideas that can reverse that trend, mused Ted McMeekin, the municipal affairs minister, in 2015.

London used the ranked ballot successfully in the 2018 election, while Kingston and Cambridge held referendums that green-lighted the idea. Toronto also studied the idea, which had wide support from many councillors and then-mayor John Tory.

But Ford has never been able to stay away from municipal meddling. Within days of becoming premier in 2018  years after losing his own mayoral campaign in 2014  Ford unilaterally halved the size of city council.

Who knew that second-guessing Toronto would be his number one provincial priority? His obsession with intervention became big news when the case went to the courts and he threatened to override the Charter of Rights to get his way.

Yet for all the publicity in 2018 over his wrong-headed rightsizing of city council in mid-campaign, barely anyone noticed his fateful 2020 decision to banish the ranked ballot in mid-pandemic. Under cover of COVID-19, buried in the bowels of a broad legislative package, the premier inserted wording to undo the previous law enabling ranked ballots in municipal elections.

Banned. Barred. Prohibited.

This anti-democratic decision came so suddenly and thoughtlessly that Londons then-mayor Ed Holder, a former federal Conservative cabinet minister, forced Ford to reimburse his city for transition expenses. It also undercut the momentum for Toronto, Canadas biggest city, to modernize its vote.

The June 26 special election would have been an ideal showcase for a ranked ballot. Thats because it is a mayoral-only vote to replace Tory after he resigned unexpectedly this year  without the distractions of regular councillor or trustee races.

Now, the election campaign is destined to be a free-for-all as candidates compete for attention. When I compared notes with city hall bureau chief David Rider, he enumerated the declared and undeclared rivals:

Councillors Brad Bradford and Josh Matlow; former councillor Ana Bailao; former police chief Mark Saunders; MPP Mitzie Hunter; and ex-candidate Gil Penalosa. Add councillor Stephen Holyday as another possible, along with ex-MP Olivia Chow. Three more former councillors and a columnist with less name recognition shall go unnamed here. At least 10 more also-rans are likely to run again, which brings us to at least 22 rivals.

Thats a lot of ways to split the vote, especially among centrist or centre-left candidates who are fighting for the same piece of pie in the mushy middle that represents most people. Against that backdrop, while a cluster of progressives try to one up each other, a candidate of the right could win the fight by default.

In which case the premier may have the last laugh, knowing he helped elect the mayor he always wanted to be, while denying Toronto the ranked ballot system used by his PC party. His hypocrisy is a lost opportunity for democracy.

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In a YouTube video titled Budget 101, Justin Trudeau appears at the head of a classroom, scribbling on a whiteboard all the steps in creating the annual budget.

Its meant to show Trudeau in full teacher mode, but also as the data geek he often professes to be. As it happens, his governments latest budget could be called pretty data geeky, too.

Throughout the made in Canada budget unveiled last week are a raft of measures to amass data on everything from the state of Canadians health to air-travel information.

I talked to a member of Trudeaus team deeply involved in this years budget preparation, who said he would prefer to speak on background. He said he hadnt noticed just how much data-gathering had figured into the governments planning until we drew it to his attention, but yeah, there is a lot.

It is everywhere  it is in the Trudeau governments conditions for providing more health-care dollars to the provinces, and its a major part of laying the foundation for the new dental-care program.

To improve labour and trade mobility in Canada, theres a plan to create an internal trade data and information hub. Transport Canada is amassing data to help deal with supply-chain problems. And one of the big efforts to crack down on financial crime (and possible future election interference) revolves around the creation of a registry.

This whole fixation on data is, first and foremost, a big product of the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in the realm of health care. Trudeau has talked often about how the government learned in the early days of the pandemic just how little information it had at its fingertips.

We actually worked in those first few weeks of the pandemic, on top of everything else, to try and make sure that all the provinces were at least collecting and reporting (data) on a similar basis, the prime minister said in an interview with me earlier this year.

That sort of got us all thinking, well, how many other areas are we not comparing?

Essentially, the pandemic put the federal government back in the service-delivery business in a large way, the adviser explained, and you cant deliver services without data. Moreover, if this is a government that wants to keep billing itself as progressive, activist and constructively involved in the lives of its citizens, it needs an accurate, ongoing handle on where things stand.

The logjams at passport offices and airports were a good illustration of what happens when government doesnt have the data it needs, he said.

We werent as effective as we could have been at deploying scarce resources, because we just didnt have the picture that we needed to have.

So there is also very definitely a political  even ideological  force at work here, too. The Trudeau Liberals came to power promising to be far more data-friendly and activist than the old Conservative government, which scrapped the gun registry and the long-form census. (Remember how geeky Canadians celebrated the return of the long-form census in 2015?)

Occasionally, youll hear members of Trudeaus government talking about how hollowed-out they found the public service in terms of data collection when they came to power nearly eight years ago. The adviser confirmed this is indeed a motivation  a need to play catch-up in modernizing the data capacities of the federal government after a decade of darkness, you might say, of the Stephen Harper years.

It is shocking what we inherited in departments like industry, and others, in terms of the investments that had not been made in understanding huge swaths of the economy, the adviser said.

The data deficit in the current public service has also been cited as one reason the government has needed to lean so heavily on outside consulting firms  another hot political topic from earlier this year, revolving mainly around how much contract work has been handed out to McKinsey & Company

Dominic Barton, a former managing partner at McKinsey, testified at a Commons committee on this controversy in February and alluded to the governments lack of sophistication in data and technology, and why that may be forcing Ottawa to get that expertise from outside.

Theres a technology transformation thats needed in this government and in all governments. I dont want to be harsh about it, but were in the stone age, Barton said.

Big data, big government isnt likely to be among the sales pitches Canadians will be hearing as Trudeau and his ministers fan out to sell Budget 2023 this week. But it is a budget that reveals a government that is heavily channelling its data geekiness.

Susan Delacourt is an Ottawa-based columnist covering national politics for the Star. Reach her via email: sdelacourt@thestar.ca or follow her on Twitter: @susandelacourt

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It has only been a few months since my article The Israeli question appeared in this space. Dated 28 December 2023, it was modelled on the idea of the Palestinian question, a heading under which discussions of Arab-Israeli interaction are subsumed. My piece relied heavily on Thomas Friedmans editorial in the New York Times entitled What in the world is happening in Israel? which addresses the multilayered complexities in the land between the Jordan River to the Mediterranean. Friedman delineates four types of interactions: between Jews and Jews, Jews and Israeli Arabs, Jews and Palestinians, and Palestinians and Palestinians. My article focused on the last three levels, as has generally been my custom. I had not at the time anticipated that the first level, the interaction between Jews and Jews, would erupt into weeks of furious mass protests against the Israeli governments attempt to amend the laws governing the Israeli Supreme Court to render it subordinate to the Knesset and, hence, to the current ruling coalition led by Benjamin Netanyahu.

Today, nearly two months after a demonstration in which more than 600,000 Israelis marched against the Netanyahu government, we see that the only democratic way the Israeli people have in order to express their opposition to that governments designs is to take to the streets. We also see that this is what that government wanted as part of its plan to create an imbalance of power between the executive branch, which holds the parliamentary majority, and the judiciary, thereby undermining the Supreme Courts powers to override legislation passed by parliament. The crux of the Israeli question here is that Israel does not have a constitution, per se. It has a Basic Law promulgated upon the establishment of the state and founded on a consensus at the time that legislation would be consistent with a secular state. Israels ultraconservative religious groups want to change that. They want to supplant secular law with Halakha or Jewish Law. This Fissuring has precipitated and given rise to predictions of civil war and comparisons between Israel and Lebanon. As the demonstrations gained momentum and Netanyahu felt his government teeter, he dismissed his provocative defence minister and agreed to temporarily postpone the vote on the controversial amendment.

The roots of the current crisis date back to 2018 when Israel declared it was the nation state of the Jewish people and the Knesset affirmed this notion. This step was built on previous ones such as claiming the unified Jerusalem the capital of Israel and feverish settlement expansion in the West Bank. Just a quarter of a century ago, let alone seven decades, few would have imagined that Israel would take such steps. But it did, and they are evidence of an imperialist hubris that makes it forge ahead with attempts to realise theocratic dreams that were thought too madcap to be anything but the fantasies of the kind of fanatical religious currents of which no society is free. Moreover, those currents in Israel are producing new fantasies that are now likely to join their predecessors in becoming de facto realities. They include annexing the occupied Syrian Golan, annexing West Bank lands on which Israeli settlements have been built, and then engulfing pretty much the whole of the West Bank Area C. These are some of the projects of Israeli fundamentalists who want to impose Jewish Law over a country in which Arabs make up 21 per cent of the population.

Anyone who has followed the history of Israel since its establishment realises that it is riddled with divisions. The best known is the divide between Ashkenazis and Sephardim. It is a division based on countries of origin (Eastern Europe versus the Middle East), culture, class and politics. There are also the political divides between the left wing Labour and right wing Likud, Tel Aviv and Jerusalem and, in short, liberals versus conservatives. But neither side took issue with the secularism of the state and its Basic Law. However, in the last decade or so, we have seen the rise of a third camp which has pitted itself against everyone. This is the camp of Jewish fundamentalists who base their vision of the state on the Torah, who see the land between the Jordan and the Mediterranean as belonging exclusively to Jews with no room for Palestinians, and who insist that the Jews who populate that land should be true Jews, meaning abiding to the letter by rigid interpretations of Jewish Law. The current ruling coalition in Israel is not very different from the Salafi groups that proliferated during the Arab Spring. In the Israeli spring, the Salafi counterparts in Israel are also clamouring to meddle in peoples personal lives, from what they wear and eat to who they marry and how they perform funeral rights.

This may largely explain the massive outpouring of criticism and anger from a large swathe of political parties and civil society that awoke to find that the electoral process had produced results that threaten to change the very nature of the state in ways reminiscent of what happened in Arab countries where the Muslim Brotherhood and its ilk gained power. Perhaps this, too, accounts for the anxiety that has gripped Jewish communities in the US and Europe, all aghast at the tide of ultra-orthodox fundamentalism that contrasts so starkly with the predominant reform Judaism among Western Jews. At the same time, one is struck by the fact that the rise of Jewish salafism occurred after Arab reform drives succeeded in reversing the salafi tide in their countries, whether by removing them from power or through military means when salafi groups turned to terrorism.

Does this mean that Israel is inexorably heading towards a violent confrontation between the reformist demonstrators and the Israeli government which has approved the creation of a new national guard militia that can be deployed at home against Israel citizens? It is difficult to predict what will happen at this stage in Israeli politics. We can not overlook the fact that Netanyahus decision to back down is an acknowledgement that the current balance of forces is not in favour of him pressing ahead with his coup attempt against the judiciary. On the other hand, such a truce, temporary or not, runs against the grain of the Jewish fundamentalists as would be the case with Arab fundamentalists. So maybe Netanyahu, along with his Likud Party, will take the current situation as a cue to reconsider the far right groups he has aligned with, especially given that he would not be inclined to alienate Jewish communities and governments in the US and Europe. But he has another option. That is to take Israel to the polls yet again in the hope of garnering enough popular support to enable him to implement his agenda. That would buy all sides more time in which, perhaps, the Arab minority in Israel would be able to shift the balance. But that is only one scenario in a future rife with possibilities, some less grim than others.

* A version of this article appears in print in the 6 April, 2023 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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Premier Doug Ford is increasing the pressure on the federal government to speed reforms making it tougher for violent offenders to get bail, saying there appears to be no urgency from Ottawa despite continuing tragedies.

Speaking just over a week after the fatal stabbing of 16-year-old Gabriel Magalhaes at Torontos Keele subway station, Ford warned delays are costing lives.

Its not an exaggeration to say that people are now dying because of the failures of our justice system, the premier said in the legislature Monday.

We need action and we need it now.

The comments came as MPPs debated a motion from Solicitor General Michael Kerzner calling on Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus government to immediately reform the Criminal Code to prevent violent and repeat offenders from being released back into our communities.

That motion follows a spate of violent incidents, including others on the TTC and the killing of OPP Const. Greg Pierzchala while on patrol in a snowstorm near Hagersville on Dec. 27.

Magalhaes was on the ground floor of Keele station at around 9 p.m. on March 25 after a day out with friends when he was the victim of an unprovoked attack by a stranger. The aspiring astrophysicist died later in hospital.

Toronto police have charged Jordan OBrien-Tobin, 22, with first-degree murder.

The Star reported Monday that a judge had previously warned that the accused was a threat to the public if he did not get aid for his mental health and substance abuse issues.

In transcripts of a sentencing hearing from Sept. 29, 2022, Ontario Court Judge Sandra Caponecchia cited four prior assaults since 2021 and many, many breaches of court orders coupled with a remarkable history of family violence and mental health issues. It is unclear if OBrien-Tobin ever received treatment.

Federal Justice Minister David Lametti said following a meeting with provincial justice ministers on March 10 that he would move quickly on targeted reforms of the bail system, noting there was broad consensus after provincial premiers wrote to the federal government in January.

Bail is a constitutional right, but it is not absolute, Lametti told reporters at the time. Bail can be denied when there is just cause, when it is necessary for the safety of the public.

The premiers are seeking a reverse onus system for some offences, which would require a person seeking bail to prove why they should not be held in custody pending trial.

Ford said Monday the current system has judges crossing their fingers that accused persons released on bail do not reoffend, and asked, Why arent judges held accountable?

During Mondays debate, New Democrat MPP Peggy Sattler (London West) said Ontario does not provide sufficient mental health, homelessness and other supports that could help prevent tragedies.

Magalhaes was the fourth person killed in what appear to be random attacks on TTC property in the last 12 months. More than 500 people joined his mother in a candlelit walk to Keele station last Thursday to remember him.

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Transportation Minister Caroline Mulroney is charging that federal Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault will do anything to stop Highway 413 from being built.

But Guilbeaults office countered that Premier Doug Fords government needs to submit its environmental paperwork before the project can proceed.

Revving up the rhetoric between the province and Guilbeault, Mulroney called upon Liberal MPs in Peel Region to stand up in their caucus and to stand up to their federal minister to promote the highway.

Its clear that Minister Guilbeault will do anything to stop this project from getting built, she said Monday of the proposed 60-kilometre Milton-Vaughan freeway linking Highways 401 and 400.

Every riding along the route is represented by a Tory MPP and a Liberal MP.

Mulroneys comments come after Ford described the federal minister as a real piece of work on Thursday for his claim Ontario has no plan to fight climate change.

In an interview broadcast Sunday with Vassy Kapelos on CTVs Question Period, Guilbeault shrugged off the barb and outlined his many differences with the provincial Progressive Conservatives.

My role as environmental and climate change minister is to work to ensure that Canadians have access to cleaner air, cleaner water, healthy ecosystems, which leads to healthy Canadians  and on that it seems that the premier of Ontario and myself have a difference of opinion as to what needs to be done, he said.

I didnt say that Ontario wasnt doing anything. I said that the Ontario government has no climate plan, which is true and theyve admitted as much themselves, the minister told Kapelos.

A plan to me is you list a series of measures whether theyre regulatory, legislative (or) investment, you have targets, you have annual reports, you track your progress  whats going well, whats not, which is exactly what were doing federally, he said.

Ontario has none of that. They have a strategy  but its not a climate plan, said Guilbeault, who also criticized Queens Park for not addressing Indigenous concerns over the Ring of Fire mining development in northern Ontario.

But on Highway 413, Mulroney said Ottawa moved the goalposts by saying the project requires a federal environmental impact assessment  even though in March 2020 it said the freeway did not need one.

Thats why last week my ministry sent a letter to the federal government expressing that this is unacceptable, especially for a project that is so critical to our province, she said.

Weve actually been working collaboratively with the federal government for many years on their questions with respect to the impact on the environment and on species at risk.

In a statement Monday, Guilbeaults aide Oliver Anderson said the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada is still waiting for information from the province in order to begin the planning phase of the impact assessment process.

The project cannot advance as long as the province does not fulfil this step in the process, said Anderson.

To suggest that Minister Guilbeault has any predetermined view about a project that was designated before his time as minister and an assessment process that hasnt even been launched yet, due to lack of information from the province, is totally inappropriate and unjust.

NDP Leader Marit Stiles, for her part, said theres a lot of opposition still to the 413 and to the development and paving over of the Greenbelt.

So Im happy to see the federal government step forward and actually get involved. I think its really important, she said.

Robert Benzie is the Stars Queens Park bureau chief and a reporter covering Ontario politics. Follow him on Twitter: @robertbenzie

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The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bogdan Aurescu, participated, on Tuesday, in Brussels, at the official ceremony marking the accession of the Republic of Finland to the North Atlantic Alliance.

I welcome the Republic of Finland in the framework of the strongest political-military Alliance in history! Romania, as a firm supporter of NATO's "Open Door" policy, was a firm promoter of Finland's accession to NATO. I personally supported, through active political-diplomatic actions with the Allies and in contact with the Secretary General of NATO, this process. Finland is stronger and safer in NATO, and NATO is safer and stronger with Finland next to it, as an ally. The strengthening of our Alliance is all the more relevant in this period in which Europe and the Euro-Atlantic area are facing the worst security crisis since World War II. Romania, as an ally located in the southern Eastern Flank, on the Black Sea, benefits from the strongest security guarantees in history sa, which clearly shows the advantages of belonging to the Euro-Atlantic family of values, said Minister Aurescu on this occasion, according to the Foreign Ministry (MAE).

He welcomed the Finnish commitment to assume responsibilities for collective security.

I am glad that, together with our Finnish allies, we will actively collaborate to further consolidate, in a united and coherent manner, the deterrence and defense posture on the Eastern Flank, from the North to the South, from the Baltic Sea to the Black, to ensure an integrated vision for Forward Defense, in accordance with the approaches at the level of the Bucharest Format 9, as well as those within the Alliance, said Minister Aurescu.

He announced that, in the next period, Romania will continue to be actively involved in supporting Sweden's accession to NATO.

I hope that at the NATO Summit in Vilnius we will be able to raise the flag of Sweden along with the 31 of the allied states, Aurescu also said.

He conveyed to NATO partners, both the global ones and the most vulnerable - Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova -, an unequivocal message regarding the unity and strong commitment of NATO and each of the allies to promote and defend Euro-Atlantic values and the partnership transatlantic, for cooperation in combating common threats and continuing support for strengthening the resilience of allies and partners in the face of these threats.

The ceremony marking Finland's accession to NATO took place on the day of the 74th anniversary of the signing of the Washington Treaty on April 4, 1949, which created the North Atlantic Alliance and established the collective defense mechanism.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, Minister Aurescu will participate in the meeting of Foreign Ministers from the NATO member states that takes place in Brussels, the first in the new format of the North Atlantic Alliance, of 31 members, and the first after the ministerial meeting hosted in Bucharest, in November 2022, by the Romanian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bogdan Aurescu. Sweden will continue to participate in all meetings as a guest until joining the Alliance.
Board of the National Bank of Romania (BNR) decided on Tuesday's meeting to keep the monetary policy rate at 7 percent per annum, the Central Bank informed.

Moreover, the BNR decided to leave unchanged the lending (Lombard) facility rate at 8 percent per annum and the deposit facility rate at 6 percent per annum and to keep the existing levels of minimum reserve requirement ratios on both leu- and foreign currency-denominated liabilities of credit institutions. AGERPRES
Bucharest Mayor Nicusor Dan met on Tuesday with US Ambassador Kathleen Kavalec, with whom he discussed about the projects of the Bucharest local administration.

"Today, I have welcomed at the Capital City Hall headquarters, the US Ambassador to Romania, HE Kathleen Kavalec, on an official visit, with whom I have discussed about the priorities of Bucharest, about the projects and challenges of this mandate. Mrs ambassador stated that since 2008, when she ended the mandate as cultural attache to Romania, Bucharest has made significant progress and congratulated the Capital City Hall and the subordinated institutions for the support granted to Ukrainian refugees," Nicusor Dan wrote on his Facebook page.

Mayor Nicusor Dan presented within the meeting, the main projects of the administration, aimed at urban mobility, modernisation of public transportation, central heating system.

Furthermore, the talks also tackled "the financial challenges and the real estate development" in Bucharest.
Bogdan Aurescu will attend the meeting of NATO foreign ministers on Tuesday and Wednesday, which will take place at the Alliance's headquarters in Brussels, where he will call for continued support from allies and partners for Ukraine and will show Romania's multidimensional contribution in supporting the neighbouring country, informs a press release sent by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE) to Agerpres.

Minister Aurescu will also call, in preparation for the Vilnius Summit, for the full implementation of the Madrid Summit decisions and will ask for the strengthening of the Allied presence in the Black Sea region, in line with the references in the Strategic Concept to the strategic relevance of this area for Euro-Atlantic security.

The Romanian official will point out to the allies that "it is necessary to transform and strengthen NATO's deterrence and defence posture in the long term, especially on the Eastern Flank and at the Black Sea".

Discussions in the three ministerial working sessions will address the main issues of relevance to Euro-Atlantic security, more than a year after the start of Russia's military aggression against Ukraine.

The official ceremony of Finland's accession to NATO will take place before the start of the meeting.

The meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers will begin with a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Commission (NUC) with the participation of Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, where recent developments regarding Russia's aggression, strengthening Allied support for Ukraine and the internal reform process in Ukraine will be discussed.

Work will continue on Wednesday with a session of the North Atlantic Council (NAC) in Allied format dedicated to preparations for the Vilnius Summit. During this session, NATO heads of diplomacy will review the implementation of the Madrid Summit decisions, with a focus on strengthening cooperation with partner states, NATO's "Open Doors" policy, the Allied commitment to fair burden-sharing.

At the same time, Minister Bogdan Aurescu will call for continued support for Ukraine's neighbours, vulnerable to Russia's aggressive actions, such as the Republic of Moldova, which is also facing hybrid threats aimed at destabilising the state and hijacking its European course, as well as Georgia. He will call on allies to continue to support Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova through NATO's Defence Capacity Building (DCB) assistance packages.
Addressing on Tuesday the Romanian Academy's festive General Assembly dedicated to the 157th anniversary of Romania's highest scientific and cultural institution, Academy President Ioan-Aurel Pop said that the institution embodies "the prototype of the Romanian scholar", being characterized by a uniqueness that springs from the "independence of the creative spirit of the best intellectual elite".

"The Romanian Academy thus embodies the prototype of the Romanian scholar praised by Nicolae Iorga, and is among those few cornerstone institutions that founded Romania. This why the great historian called the Academy a 'holy foundation'," Pop told the audience.

Highlighting the most important moments in the activity of the venerable institution throughout its history of more than a century and a half, Pop evoked the adversities posed by the totalitarian communist regime.

"Just like all of Romania's cultural institutions, the Romanian Academy too has known the adversities caused by the totalitarian communist regime, whose interference was fully felt. As you know, 98 members were expelled from the Academy in 1949. This is a huge number. The Academy was practically abolished. The full, corresponding and honorary members who, due to their line of thinking, work and political convictions, were considered unadaptable to the new cultural orientations, were branded as hostile to the communist regime; we shouldn't mince words, with the Soviet commissars here, they were considered class enemies. Many were arrested, and some of them died in the communist prisons," Pop said.

He mentioned that Romanian researchers also underwent purges, and the Academy's properties were nationalized.

"Subsequently, the Academy was dispossessed, sometimes without elementary legal forms, of foundations, document collections, of the coin treasure, archaeological items, works of art, which were all abusively transferred to other institutions and partially recovered only after 1989," the top academician added.

Ioan-Aurel Pop recalled that "between 1974 and 1989, the Academy was under the forbiddance to receive new members, it was robbed of its institutes, and was going to die by biological extinction".

At the same event, Professor Adrian Bejan, honorary member of the Romanian Academy, delivered the conference "Freedom, beauty, evolution, nature", which approached the topic from inter- and multidisciplinary perspectives.

"Both the scientific and humanistic culture belong to the same discussion, or to the same compartment, and it's good to know that we are actually together, talking about the same things that are important to us," the scientist pointed out.

A meeting of the leaders of the Romanian Academy and the Moldovan Academy of Sciences took place online.

As part of the Open Day event, the public could visit the Academy Grand Hall, the Academicians' Club, the Memorial Museum, and take a guided tour of the Library of the Romanian Academy. AGERPRES
The chairman of the Hungarian Democratic Union of Romania (UDMR), Deputy Prime Minister Kelemen Hunor, met on Monday with the US Ambassador in Bucharest, Kathleen Kavalec, with whom he discussed, among other things, the exploitation of oil and gas reserves in the Black Sea, the war in Ukraine and the rights of minorities.

"At the end of last year, the new ambassador of the United States of America, Kathleen Kavalec, started her mission in Bucharest, whom I received on Monday, at the Government. During the meeting, we discussed the Russian-Ukrainian war, the Romanian-American cooperation in the field of security in the region and in the eastern flank of NATO, about the exploitation of oil and gas reserves in the Black Sea, about green energy, but also the rights of minorities, an important topic for us, had their place in the discussion," Kelemen wrote on Facebook, on Monday.

According to him, the two officials agreed on the consolidation of Romanian-American economic relations.AGERPRES
Romania is a major hub of assistance offered to Ukraine by NATO, the European Union and partner countries and supports Ukraine by all means, the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Marcel Ciolacu, said on Tuesday.

"As an ally with the longest border with Ukraine, Romania plays a major geostrategic role and makes every effort to support this neighbouring country in the war waged by Russia. We express our appreciation for Ukraine's heroism in the fight against Russia," said the Social Democrat leader during a meeting with a delegation of the Committee on Democracy and Security of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly.

He stressed that Romania has stood and fully stands in solidarity with Ukraine.

"We have supported the refugees having fled the war with numerous prompt measures and with an unprecedented mobilization of Romanian citizens. This has been recognized and appreciated at European and international level. Few people know that, in the first days after the outbreak of the war, many women with minor children left Ukraine and not always those minor children were the children of the ladies accompanying them. They were also the children of neighbours, and the children of relatives, something that required a special effort on the part of the Romanian authorities, so that in the following period we would not have to deal with child trafficking in Europe and in the world. And, sincerely, I would like to congratulate the Romanian authorities especially for this episode which is very little known to the world," said Marcel Ciolacu.

The PSD leader then highlighted the efforts made by our country to solve the food crisis.

"Romania is a major hub of assistance offered to Ukraine by NATO, the European Union and partner countries and supports Ukraine by all means. I would mention, in particular, my country's efforts to solve the food crisis generated by the blocking of grain exports, even at the risk of significant costs for Romanian farmers. Just to give you an idea - Romania has ensured the transit of over 11 million tonnes of grain and agricultural products through the Danube and Black Sea ports. The facilitation of these Ukrainian exports has directly contributed to the stabilization of global food markets and to the improvement of food security," explained the speaker of the Chamber of Deputies.

At the same time, he added, we must not lose sight of other partners affected by the war in Ukraine, with reference to the Republic of Moldova and Georgia.

"In this difficult context, Romania has provided substantial support to the Republic of Moldova to enable it to face multiple challenges, such as the energy crisis, the increased number of Ukrainian refugees, security and resilience risks. The Eastern flank is essential for Euro-Atlantic security, especially at this time, which makes it all the more important that the decisions of the NATO Summit in Madrid are fully and timely implemented. Beyond this complicated picture, we also have events to celebrate and, in this regard, I would like to welcome the accession of Finland, which officially becomes a NATO member state today. At the same time, I hope that Sweden will have the same positive path," said Marcel Ciolacu.

He also noted with satisfaction the significant steps made by the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in recent years towards increasing the democratic dimension of the Alliance.

"As this war shows, we are a defence community, but values such as democracy, rules-based international order, sovereignty, territorial integrity remain fundamental for Allied states and their partners. I believe that your work in this committee is very relevant, including from this perspective. You have a substantial and relevant agenda for a key Euro-Atlantic security region," concluded Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Marcel Ciolacu. AGERPRES
The Silk Road-themed art exhibition is organised by the Egyptian and Chinese culture ministries, the League of Arab States (LAS), and the Chinese Embassy in Cairo, and embraces dozens of artworks by Arab and Chinese artists, a statement by the Egyptian Ministry of Culture said.

The exhibition showcased 47 artworks by a number of Arab artists, 40 paintings and artistic ceramics created by Chinese artists to promote Arab-Chinese friendship, in addition to 10 distinguished works of ceramics, added the ministry.

The exhibition is held in appreciation of the prominent role that had been played by the Silk Road in promoting cultural exchange between countries over many centuries, El-Kilany said in a speech at the inauguration ceremony.

El-Kilany also hailed the major role played by the Silk Road in enriching ancient civilisations, especially the Egyptian, Chinese and Indian civilisations, besides its main role as a trade corridor.

The ancient Silk Road constituted a network of trade routes that linked China with Europe and the Middle East for more than 1,500 years and helped facilitate economic, cultural, and religious interactions between the East and West.

In a speech, Minister Hu Heping read out a message from Chinese President Xi Jinping to Arab artists.

In the message  which was translated by state-owned China Daily news website  Xi said that culture can connect hearts, and art can interlink the world.

"Exchanges between the Chinese and Arab civilisations have spanned thousands of years with mutual appreciation from the opening of the ancient Silk Road to the Belt and Road cooperation, he said.

The history of such Arab-Chinese exchanges has written a historical legacy of mutual learning, the Chinese president added.

Xi noted that China and Arab countries agreed last year at the first Arab-China Summit to spare no effort to build a China-Arab community with a shared future in the new era.

The China-Arab relations are now at a new historical starting point, he stressed, inviting Arab artists to visit China in order to create more artworks that can promote cultural exchange between the two sides.

Haifa Abu Ghazaleh, Assistant Secretary-General of the League of Arab States (LAS), affirmed the keenness of the LAS member states on participating in this major event, hailing the role played by the Egyptian culture ministry as a bridge of communication between peoples.

Minister Hu Hepings visit to Egypt, which started on Saturday, is his first official visit outside China since the outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19).

Hu held a meeting yesterday with Egyptian Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Ahmed Issa in which he expressed Chinas keenness to enhance cooperation with Egypt in various fields, including tourism.
Milestone 213, related to payment request 2 for the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), is now fulfilled, the Constitutional Court of Romania rejecting the objection of unconstitutionality formulated by Save Romania Union (USR) on the Law for the approval of the Emergency Ordinance of Government no. 174/2022 for the modification and completion of some normative acts in the field of private pensions, the Minister of Labor, Marius Budai, announced on Tuesday.

"Despite USR's efforts to prevent the fulfillment of milestones and the attraction of European funds by Romania, milestone 213, related to payment request 2 for PNRR, is currently fulfilled. The Constitutional Court of Romania rejected, as unfounded, the objection of unconstitutionality formulated by USR on the side of the Law regarding the approval of the Government's Emergency Ordinance no. 174/2022 for the modification and completion of some normative acts in the field of private pensions (pillar 2 of pensions)", the minister wrote on his Facebook
Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca met on Tuesday at the Victoria Governmental Palace with representatives of the Romanian Association of Banks (ARB) and stressed, in this context, that there is a need for financial-banking instruments capable of complementing European funds for those who want to invest.

According to a Government press release, the participants highlighted the good evolution of the banking system, which enjoys stability and liquidity above the European average.

At the same time, the Prime Minister presented the opportunities generated by the important financial flows, in the context in which Romania will benefit from almost 80 billion euros in the next six years - European funds from the Multi-annual Financial Framework and the PNRR.

Special attention was been paid to key areas for Romania's development, such as energy, agriculture, IT&C, the press release mentions.

"Romanian entrepreneurs, farmers, the food industry and the energy system need financing to develop. The competitiveness of the Romanian economy depends on increasing the performance and efficiency of the technologies used, including for the exploitation of the raw materials we have. In order to achieve this, we need financial-banking instruments capable of complementing European funds for those who want to invest. This way we consolidate the economic growth registered last year and generate new lines of economic development, so that the business environment can prosper and take advantage of the single European market, which it cannot enter without capital and high-performance technologies," the Prime Minister is quoted as saying in the press release.

In their turn, ARB representatives confirmed their willingness to contribute to the development of the entrepreneurial environment and to facilitate access to banking products and services to all citizens, by expanding the level of digitisation and running new financial-banking education campaigns.

The meeting was also attended by Minister of Finance Adrian Caciu and Minister of Research, Innovation and Digitisation Sebastian Burduja. AGERPRES
Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca received on Tuesday, at the Victoria Palace of Government, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan, who is on an official visit to Romania.

According to a government press release, the security situation in the Extended Black Sea Region, generated by Russia's aggressive war in Ukraine, the events after the 44-day war between Armenia and Azerbaijan and the developments of the peace process in the region.

The parties also discussed at length the state of bilateral relations.

The Romanian prime minister stressed the need to build on the good bilateral relations in order to increase the level of trade for the benefit of both countries. At the same time, Prime Minister Ciuca stressed the importance of stabilizing the region and the steps towards peace, announcing full support for the peace process launched by the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, and participation in the European peace mission in Armenia.

"The peace process must move forward and the situation in the region must be resolved on the basis of international law, with respect for the sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of all states," the Romanian premier said.

According to the cited source, the promotion of democratic reforms in the region is of primary importance, as is the rapprochement with the formats offered by the European Union, including from the perspective of strengthening democracy in this extended Black Sea region, which could give Armenia a more active role from the perspective of economic projects in relation to the European Union. AGERPRES
President Klaus Iohannis hailed Finland's official accession to NATO saying that the North Atlantic Alliance is stronger now.

"Romania congratulates Finland which, today, became the 31st member of NATO. While dealing with unprecedented challenges in our region, our unity and solidarity will always prevail. Our alliance is stronger now!," wrote Iohannis, on Tuesday, on Twitter.

Finland became, on Tuesday, the 31st member of the North Atlantic Alliance, following a ceremony held at the NATO headquarters, during which the accession instrument has been submitted, which was presented to the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, the representative of the guardian state of the founding treaty.
The Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Marcel Ciolacu, leader of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), said that, from a statesman's perspective, he rules out snap elections, because Romania needs stability.

Asked in Parliament whether the ruling coalition had discussed the possibility of snap elections, Ciolacu said on Tuesday that as a politician he did not rule out any option.

"As a politician, I never rule out any option. As a statesman, as far as I am concerned snap elections are out of the question, because Romania needs stability, we are in a regional security crisis and I don't think that Romania, Europe and the strategic partnership we have with the United States can afford at present snap elections or other political crises in Romania. Look at what is happening in the surrounding countries," the PSD leader said.

Asked when the repeal of special pensions in the Chamber of Deputies would be approved, he said: "In due course". AGERPRES
Interim Senate President Alina Gorghiu pleaded on Tuesday for the establishment of a joint parliamentary committee to protect children's rights, stressing that it is "an emergency."

"The subject of children's rights is so important that the effort should not be occasional, nor the work of a single parliamentarian. And certainly not only at Parliament level. The effort must be a joint, constant effort by all the actors involved. That is why the proposal to set up a joint parliamentary committee on children's rights in both chambers of Parliament is welcome. And I thank Save the Children Romania for the insistence, for the arguments, for the exhaustive studies that were the basis of this initiative. We must understand that if we respect and protect children's rights, we protect and respect the future. These are not big words, it is the natural course of things and it is good to be concerned now, not later," said Gorghiu, at the Senate on Tuesday, at the presentation of Save the Children's report on "Awareness, importance and respect for children's rights in Romania."

Gorghiu highlighted that, through this new committee, the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies will be more rigorous with the legislation concerning children.
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP)  A Connecticut businessman who conspired with a now-former state lawmaker to steal federal coronavirus relief funds from the city of West Haven was sentenced Monday to eight years in prison for his role in the scheme.

A federal investigation found John Trasacco, 50, had conspired with former state Rep. Michael DiMassa to submit fraudulent invoices from two companies Trasacco controlled for goods and services never provided.

The list included thousands of items of personal protection equipment, billings for heating and air conditioning maintenance at several municipal buildings, COVID-19 supplies for the school board, and cleaning services for various city and school buildings, including one building that had been vacant and abandoned for years.

Federal prosecutors determined Trasacco's companies received approximately $431,982 from the scheme. A jury found Trasacco guilty on Dec. 2 of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. U.S. District Judge Omar A. Williams, who presided over Monday's hearing, has ordered him to pay $143,994 in restitution.

Trasacco was remanded to custody following Monday's court appearance. Once his prison sentence is complete, he must serve five years of supervised release.

Trascacco is the latest person involved in the scheme to be sentenced. Last month, Lauren DiMassa, 38, the former state lawmaker's wife, was sentenced to six months in federal prison for her role. Former city employee, John Bernardo, 66, was sentenced to 13 months in prison.

Michael DiMassa, a Democrat, served as an aide to the city, with authority to approve reimbursement of COVID-19 expenditures.

He resigned from that job and the General Assembly after his 2021 arrest. He has pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy charges related to the total theft of more than $1.2 million in coronavirus relief funds from the city and agreed to pay more than $1.2 million in restitution. His sentencing is set for this month.
Dear Dr. Roach: Whenever I got a wound while I was young, my mother would take me to the hospital to get stitches. I am now 94. I went to get 
The following editorial appeared in The Washington Post:

The Washington Post's investigative series on the AR-15's dominant place in the United States' marketplace and psyche sat atop the newspaper's website on Monday, the day of its release  until, hours later, breaking news replaced it. Three adults and three children had been killed in a Nashville school shooting by a 28-year-old assailant with three guns, including at least one AR-15style rifle.

These attacks are always heart wrenching. But they're not surprising anymore  neither the massacres themselves nor the weapons used to carry them out. Ten of the 17 deadliest mass killings in the United States since 2012 involved AR-15s. The names of the towns and cities where these tragedies took place have become familiar: Newtown, San Bernardino, Las Vegas, Parkland, Uvalde and beyond. The Washington Post series chronicles the journey this now-iconic rifle took from military-issued firearm to off the-shelf bestseller, and underscores the danger in the public's embrace of a weapon the Defense Department once lauded for its "phenomenal lethality."

"I don't know why anyone needs an AR-15," President Donald Trump reportedly told aides in August 2019 after back-to-back mass shootings in Dayton, Ohio, and El Paso. There's no good answer. The AR-15 was designed for soldiers, yet its associations with warfare eventually became a selling point for everyday buyers. "Use what they use," exhorted one ad displaying professionals wielding tactical rifles. Now, about one of every 20 U.S. adults own at least one AR-15. That's roughly 16 million people, storing roughly 20 million guns designed to mow down enemies on the battlefield with brutal efficiency. Two-thirds of these were crafted in the past decade  and when more people die, popularity doesn't fall. Instead, it rises.

The AR-15, as the series explains, is materially different from traditional handguns. The rifle fires very small bullets at very fast speeds. The projectiles don't move straight and smooth through human targets like those from a traditional handgun. Their velocity turns them unstable upon penetration, so that they tumble through flesh and vital organs. This so-called blast effect literally tears people apart. A trauma surgeon notes, "you don't see the muscle  just bone and skin and missing parts." Another mentions tissue that "crumbled into your hands."

A Texas Ranger speaks of bullets that "disintegrated" a toddler's skull.

This explains the lead poisoning that plagues survivors of the shooting in Sutherland Springs, Texas; David Colbath, 61, can scarcely stand or use his hands without pain, and 25-year old Morgan Workman probably can't have a baby. It explains the evisceration of small bodies such as that of Noah Pozner, 6, murdered at Sandy Hook Elementary, and Peter Wang, 15, killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High. The series examined the way bullets broke inside of them  obliterating Noah's jaw and Peter's skull, filling their chests with blood and leaving behind gaping exit wounds.

Even thinking about these injuries is horrifying, so much so that crime scene photos are often kept confidential. But the gruesome reality of what an AR-15 can wreak poses an argument in itself: There is no excuse for the widespread availability of these weapons of war.

No single action will stop mass shootings, much less gun violence more generally. The newspaper's reporting is only more evidence of the need for a ban on assault rifles. It's evidence, too, of the need for a ban on high-capacity magazines. Rules restricting how many rounds a gun can fire before a shooter has to reload are more difficult to skirt than flat-out assault rifle bans, which sometimes prompt manufacturers to make cosmetic changes that would reclassify their products. A number is a number. These prohibitions might face legal challenges, but lawmakers in four states have recently added caps. More should follow.

Think of Sutherland Springs, where the shooter, armed with a Ruger AR556, got off 450 military-grade bullets within minutes, killing 25 people including a pregnant woman. Think of Dayton, where the gunman needed only 32 seconds to hit more than two dozen people with 41 bullets. That's because he was equipped with a 100-round drum magazine. Even a 30-round magazine  the industry standard these days  would have forced him to reload at least once. A 15-round magazine would have forced him to reload twice. The Washington Post's analysis of the time this would have taken reveals the lives it could have saved: potentially six of the nine who were killed, in the case of a 15-round magazine.

Think, in contrast, of Poway, California, where a gunman killed one person at a synagogue and injured three others with a 10-round magazine before running out of bullets. Members of the congregation moved to confront him as he fumbled with another magazine, and he fled. Children who survived Sandy Hook told their parents they ran away while the assailant was "playing with his gun." What they'd seen was plain enough. The shooter had stopped to reload.

The AR-15 has become a cultural symbol. But what kind of culture tolerates death after death after 10 murders  or after 27, or 49, or 60? Respect for the Second Amendment doesn't require standing by while 6-year-olds are torn to shreds. The nation needs to act on guns. The AR15 and weapons like it are a good place to start.
The announcement came during the 17th session of the Commission on Phytosanitary Measures (CPM-17), which was held at the FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy on 27-31 March with the attendance of agricultural quarantine leaders from around the world.

Egypt will be the main candidate for the position of the CPM chairperson after its new term as vice-chairperson of the commission ends, Ahmed El-Attar, head of the Central Administration for Plant Quarantine at the Ministry of Agriculture, said.

Egypt was chosen from among the 184-member states of the IPPC for this important international position, El-Attar said.

He added that this accomplishment strengthens Egypt's international profile in phytosanitary and agricultural quarantine and facilitates entry to many key export markets that are difficult to enter.

The post will also actively contribute to eliminating many barriers facing the agricultural exports.

It will also facilitate sharing of experiences and participating in international decision-making.

Moreover, the post will help provide Egypt with a high degree of credibility in terms of agricultural quarantine at the international level, he added.

The IPPC is an intergovernmental treaty overseen by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and signed by more than 180 countries.

It aims to protect the world's plant resources from the spread and introduction of pests and promote safe trade.

Egypt held several high-level positions in global agricultural organisations, including being the current chair of the Near East Plant Protection Organization (NEPPO) operating under the IPPC.
WASHINGTON  A celebrity and insatiable publicity hound long before he was president, Donald Trump has been photographed countless times. But never like this.

Now that a New York grand jury voted to indict him for his role in the payment of hush money to a porn actor, Trump will have to appear at district attorney headquarters in Manhattan to be booked, fingerprinted and get a mug shot taken. The former president, the first ever to be indicted, is expected to surrender to authorities early this week.

New York law discourages the release of mug shots in most cases, though they have leaked in the past. Less clear is whether Trump would seek to have the picture released himself, for political or other reasons. Within minutes of word of his indictment breaking, his 2024 presidential campaign was sending fundraising messages off the news.

Some Trump aides floated the idea of holding a post booking press conference  a political trail blazed by Texas Gov. Rick Perry when he surrendered to authorities for his own mug shot in 2014.

Indeed, what is a moment of shame for many accused hasn't always been that for politicians. Some have offered large smiles  or at least defiant smirks. They've tried to frame the moment as a political boon, looking to boost their popularity with supporters who see them as being unfairly targeted.

Here's a look at how some notable politicians handled their own mug shots:

A smirk and a soft-serve cone Clad in a dark suit, white shirt and blue tie, Perry removed his then-signature black glasses  as mandated by county rules  and offered a smirking half smile in his 2014 mug shot.

The Republican faced abuse of power charges over a veto that prosecutors said he issued to settle political scores. But the governor did his best to convey that he considered the case a waste of time.

A group of cheering supporters gathered outside and, when he emerged, Perry told them, "We will prevail." He then went for vanilla ice cream at a nearby soft-serve joint in Austin, Texas, and tweeted a photo of himself and his lawyers hoisting their own cones under the caption, "And then, ice cream."

Noting the governor's posturing, the Democratic National Committee responded, "This may be a sideshow to Rick Perry but no amount of spin can cover up two felony charges."

Perry was looking to build momentum for a 2016 presidential run that ultimately fizzled in a matter of months  much like the case against him, which never went to trial.

Putting on a happy face

While he didn't mark the occasion with a press conference, another Texas Republican, former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, also saw political opportunity in his mug shot.

Indicted in Houston in 2005 on accusations of money laundering, DeLay wore a dark suit with his gold House security pin still attached and offered such a wide and toothy mug shot grin that it looked like the resulting photo could have been affixed to a campaign poster. He was convicted, but the verdict was later overturned on appeal.

Also smiling broadly in his mug shot was 2004 Democratic vice presidential nominee and North Carolina Sen. John Edwards. Edwards, who wore a white shirt and blue tie in his 2011 mug shot, was charged with using almost $1 million in funds from his 2008 presidential campaign to help cover up an extramarital affair. He was acquitted of one charge, and the jury deadlocked on others.

The smile was less deliberate for former Attorney General John Mitchell, who offered a confused-looking half grin, wearing a shirt and tie but no jacket when he was booked in 1974.

Mitchell was eventually convicted of conspiracy, perjury and obstruction of justice related to the Watergate scandal that brought down President Richard Nixon. Once the nation's top law enforcement officer, Mitchell ultimately served 19 months in prison.

Somber shots

Not every politician sees criminal charges as a boost to their political future, though.

Idaho Republican Sen. Larry Craig was arrested in 2007 by a plainclothes police officer in a men's bathroom at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct. The officer said Craig tapped his foot and signaled under the stall that he wanted sex.

Craig looked exceedingly uncomfortable in his mug shot in a suit, a tie and an American flag lapel pin  offering a tight-lipped look and wearing glasses that threw back deep light reflections.

Though he later sought unsuccessfully to rescind his guilty plea and rebuffed calls from his own party to resign his Senate seat, Craig opted not to seek reelection in 2008.

Looking equally troubled was Democratic Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who wore a blue jogging suit, his famous black hair decidedly less poofy than usual, as he peered impassively into the camera shortly after federal agents showed up at about 6 a.m. to arrest him.

Serving his second term, Blagojevich was arrested in 2008 and accused of trying to sell the Senate seat that Barack Obama vacated when he won the White House. He was convicted and sentenced to 14 years in federal prison  until Trump commuted his sentence in 2020.
EDWARDSVILLE  Bernhardt Mueller, a barber, testified he saw Joseph Riegel lead the lynching. Riegel grabbed the rope first, Mueller said, and shouted to his cohorts, "Let's not have any slackers here."

Defense lawyers asked Mueller why he was "pro-German."

Riegel was accused of being the ringleader in the murder of Robert Paul Prager, a coal miner and native of Germany. A mob hanged Prager, 30, from a hackberry tree west of Collinsville on the false and flimsy tale that he was a spy for the Kaiser during World War I.

Riegel, a cobbler and former soldier, and 10 other men went on trial in the Madison County Courthouse on May 28, 1918, seven weeks after the lynching. It had taken the lawyers two weeks to seat a jury.

Many of their questions were about loyalty to America, or the supposed lack of it.

"When the present laws were made, we were not at war," said defense lawyer Thomas Williamson. "Things are different now."

The day St. Louis public schools dropped introductory German After Congress declared war against Germany on April 6, 1917, pressure grew to muzzle the slightest German tendencies.

The U.S. had declared war against Germany one year before, and public sentiment turned hard against German-Americans. Prager tried to join the U.S. Navy and dutifully reported his legal status as an "enemy alien." It wasn't loyalty enough.

A rumor flashed through Collinsville that he was a saboteur. On April 4, he posted a proclamation declaring himself "heart and soul for the good old USA." Collinsville police hid him in the City Hall basement, but Riegel and Wesley Beaver, a saloon porter, brushed past the guard and dragged Prager into the street.

With Beaver carrying an American flag, a mob of as many as 300 people pushed Prager west on St. Louis Road. Witnesses testified that Riegel let Prager jot a note to his parents in Germany, then led a group in pulling on the rope. Prager died at 12:30 a.m. on April 5, 1918.

A few hours later, Riegel gave Prager's note to the Collinsville Herald. He bragged about his role to Post-Dispatch reporter Paul Y. Anderson.

In court, Riegel denied everything. Beaver testified he went home before the lynching.

Shortly before closing arguments began on June 1, a Navy band played patriotic tunes in the courthouse lobby. Madison County States Attorney Joseph Streuber sought to turn the defense strategy, saying, "The man who justifies mob rule is a disloyalist." But chief defense lawyer James Bandy said "the men who hung Prager were good, loyal citizens."

The jury acquitted everyone in 45 minutes. Charges against four police officers for failing to intervene were dropped.

Seven months later, the guilt-ridden Beaver fatally shot himself. The "hangin' tree," at the current entrance of St. John's Cemetery in Collinsville, was cut down in 1962.

Robert Paul Prager lynching Look Back: Robert Paul Prager lynching, 1918 Look Back: Robert Paul Prager lynching, 1918 Look Back: Robert Paul Prager lynching, 1918
The year 1968 shook the foundations of American life, defining the end of one generation and the beginning of another.

On April 4, 1968, civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., 39, was shot and killed while standing on a balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee; his slaying was followed by a wave of rioting (Washington, D.C., Baltimore and Chicago were among cities particularly hard hit). James Earl Ray later pleaded guilty to assassinating King, then spent the rest of his life claiming hed been the victim of a setup.

More on 1968:

A look back on the year in photos.

Remembering the last days of Robert Kennedy

Was Sirhan Sirhan hypnotized to be the fall guy?

AP was there: 'I've got a flash: Kennedy shot.'
CHESTERFIELD  The Hermann police officer who survived a shooting last month will leave Mercy Hospital and fly to Colorado on Tuesday morning, according to the police department.

Officer Adam Sullentrup was shot in the head March 12 at a Caseys convenience store in Hermann when he and Hermann police Detective Sgt. Mason Griffith tried to arrest a man for multiple warrants.

Griffith was also shot during the altercation and died.

In the days following the shooting, Sullentrup was in a medically induced coma and underwent multiple surgeries, including one to repair his spleen. Sullentrup was also shot in the side and broke a rib.

Hermann police on Monday announced with great joy that the officer would be leaving Mercy Hospital in Creve Coeur around 9:30 a.m.

Tuesday and would be escorted by his family, friends and first responders to Spirit of St. Louis airport in Chesterfield. Hes headed to Craig Hospital in Englewood, Colorado.

Paralyzed: Two St. Louis area officers embark together on recovery Michael Flamion and Craig Tudor have been on similar, yet separate, journeys to recovery from spinal cord injuries at Craig Hospital in Colorado.

The suspect, 35-year-old Kenneth Simpson, was charged with fatally shooting Griffith and critically injuring Sullentrup after a 13-hour standoff in the historic Missouri River town of Hermann, 80 miles west of St. Louis.

Simpson has a lengthy criminal record including property damage, assault, trespassing and drug possession.

Sullentrup joined the Hermann police force in December, after spending more than four years with the New Haven Police Department.

Last year, seven months before he left the New Haven force, Sullentrup wrote about what policing there meant to him.

With all the hate for law enforcement that is happening right (now) I would like to spread some positivity, Sullentrup wrote last May. Every day this job humbles me.

Photos: Suspect in Hermann police killing arrested following standoff
ST. LOUIS  A Jennings woman on bond for charges of letting her infant ingest drugs and die is now charged in another childs fentanyl overdose death.

St. Louis County prosecutors last week charged Mary Curtis, 30, with first-degree child endangerment in the overdose death of 17-month-old Brailey Stevenson. The childs death came almost exactly a year after Curtis 17-day-old son overdosed and died.

Curtis latest charges mark at least the ninth time since the beginning of 2022 that charges have been filed after a childs fatal overdose in the St. Louis area, according to Post-Dispatch records.

Curtis was tasked on March 20 with babysitting 17-month-old Brailey Stevenson for a few hours when the child overdosed in the 5600 block of Janet Avenue in Jennings. Brailey was pronounced dead at a hospital and tested positive for fentanyl and xylazine, a veterinary tranquilizer thats not approved for human use but is increasingly mixed with fentanyl in the U.S.

In the March 11, 2022, death of Curtis 17-day-old son, Tremon Austin, the baby had enough methadone in his system to kill an adult, according to charging documents. Methadone is an opioid used to curb withdrawal systems in people who have opioid addiction.

The toxicologist also stated she was positive that (Tremon Austin) was purposely given methadone as there was too much methadone in (Tremon Austins) system to come from breastfeeding, court records said.

Curtis was charged with first-degree child endangerment and fourth-degree assault in Tremons death and released on bond about six weeks ago.

But in addition to the child endangerment charge, Curtis also had several pending drug and theft charges, so her defense lawyer, Alexa Hillary, said she was immediately transferred from city custody to county jail on those charges. One of those cases includes a charge of interfering with the custody of another of her children and endangering their safety.

Curtis was released on bond for those charges on March 2  less than three weeks before 17-month-old Brailey overdosed while in Curtis care.

Every case is different and needs to be evaluated individually, St. Louis court spokesperson Joel Currier said of the bond decision. Judges have to consider a variety of factors when deciding to release someone. They have to consider the least restrictive means available to ensuring someones presence at trial.

City prosecutors filed to revoke Curtis bond in the case of her sons death one day after Braileys died, but the toddlers death was not mentioned in court filings. The court wrote in an order that Curtis had violated her bond and that holding her in custody was the only way to ensure she was not a danger to the community.
ST. LOUIS  Makenna Schlemmer still remembers the day when she was young and her dad marched into her room, playfully dumped water on her head and told her to get up.

It was a school day, Schlemmer remembered, but she didnt want to go to class. Her dad let her play hooky instead. They got ice cream. They saw a movie.

Schlemmer, now 18, has returned to that memory frequently over the last 3 years after her father, 38-year-old Mark Schlemmer, was shot and killed outside a St. Louis nightclub following a Halloween party in 2019.

On Tuesday, Leron Harris, 28, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in Schlemmers death.

Harris was tried twice: Once in April 2022 when a jury couldnt reach a unanimous decision, and again in January when he was convicted of first-degree murder and armed criminal action.

Prosecutors argued Harris shot Schlemmer as he left a club roughly a block off of Washington Avenue in downtown St. Louis around 2:15 a.m. Nov. 1, 2019. Schlemmer was not the intended target of the shooting, friends said, but his death has had ripple effects on his two daughters and the family that loved him.

Family members told the judge they would miss the time spent together with Schlemmer and his heart of gold and smile that wouldnt quit.

His stepmother, Kathy Schlemmer, said he always encouraged others to think positively and live life to the fullest.

Its like he knew there was no time to waste, she said.

Harris, for his part, apologized to the family for their loss but maintained his innocence. He said he didnt testify at trial because he knew the jury would look poorly on his criminal history, which includes weapons offenses.

He outlined several instances during his trial when he was treated unfairly by the justice system.

No justice has been served, he said. I didnt do it.

In other tense moments, Harris fired back at Judge Katherine M. Fowler as she asked him questions, arguing she presided over an unfair trial. He pledged to appeal.

Fowler ultimately sentenced Harris to life in prison without parole  the mandatory sentence for first-degree murder  and 15 years for armed criminal action.

She spoke to Schlemmers family and noted that they attended both trials from beginning to end.

Mark was so loved, she said. I think its really beautiful the way your family has shown up.
ST. LOUIS  Police early Tuesday were investigating after a man was found rolled up in plastic and carpet in the city's Dutchtown neighborhood.

Officers were called around 6:30 a.m. to the 3700 block of Dunnica Avenue after someone found the man on a rear parking pad, a police spokesperson said.

The man was pronounced dead at the scene. He had not been identified by police on Wednesday morning.

Homicide detectives and the medical examiner were investigating.
ST. LOUIS COUNTY  Prosecutors dropped the criminal case against a former St. Louis County lieutenant accused of stealing time from the department by working a security job while on the clock for the county.

St. Louis County prosecutors dropped one count of felony theft on March 7 against Lt. Johnathan Cunningham as part of a deferred prosecution agreement, said Chris King, a spokesman for St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell's office.

King said the details of the agreement were a closed record.

Cunningham was accused of working for Hudson Services, which provides security services for Spire, while on the clock for 50  hours over 11 days from June 1 through Aug. 9.

Charges alleged that amounted to a loss of $2,374.01 to the department.

He worked as a patrol officer for the department beginning in June 2008, became a sergeant in April 2017 and was promoted to lieutenant in March 2022.

Prior to being promoted to lieutenant, Cunningham worked in the departments internal affairs unit, known as the Bureau of Professional Standards.

Cunningham was charged Aug. 26, 2022. He left the department about a month later on Sept. 29, 2022.
JEFFERSON CITY  Missouri lawmakers are pushing back against a decision by state transportation officials to phase out population figures on welcoming signs posted on the borders of towns and cities.

In an amendment on a House bill focusing on billboards, Rep. Cheri Toalson Reisch, R-Hallsville, introduced legislation that would require the population of a municipality to be listed on the green and white signs.

The Missouri Department of Transportation announced it would be eliminating the population tallies last year as part of a cost-cutting measure.

Toalson Reisch said the signs are a point of pride for some towns and an interesting fact that motorists enjoy seeing as they travel across the state.

Statewide, people were pretty upset about that, Toalson Reisch said.

In outlining the decision, MoDOT said the population signs are not critical to the states road system and can be distracting to drivers, who should be focused on speed limits and other safety measures.

Passengers, if they are interested, could instead use a search engine on their mobile devices to look up the population of a community as they passing through, MoDOT officials said.

The legislation is House Bill 805.
Shoukry praised the level of British investments in Egypt, citing the UK's position as the countrys largest single foreign investor.

British investments in Egypt reached $21 billion according to statements by the UK ambassador to Egypt, Gareth Bayley, in early March.

According to the UK Department of Trade and Business in late March, the total amount of goods and services traded (bought and sold) between the UK and Egypt was worth 4.5 billion in 2022. This is 43 percent higher than in 2021an increase of 1.4 billion.

The discussion centered on joint economic and trade cooperation, with Shoukry expressing the Egyptian government's keenness to involve British companies in major national development projects.

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry confirmed that the two officials discussed the need to prepare for the second meeting of the Egypt-UK Association Council, scheduled in Cairo this year and to be chaired by both foreign ministers.

Minister Shoukry and Lord Ahmed also exchanged views on various regional and international matters of mutual interest, including the Russian-Ukrainian crisis, recent escalations in the occupied Palestinian territories and developments in Libya, Syria, Sudan and Yemen.

Both Shoukry and Ahmed agreed to continue working together to further advance bilateral relations between Egypt and the UK.
JEFFERSON CITY  The chief Senate budget writer said he plans to restore state funding for Missouris public libraries that was stripped out of the House version of the states spending plan.

Sen. Lincoln Hough, R-Springfield, who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee, said Tuesday that the panel will place $4.5 million back in the budget, which covers spending for the fiscal year beginning July 1.

There is no way that money is not going back into the budget, Hough told the Post-Dispatch.

The restoration could mark the second reversal of a House budget priority that has stirred controversy under the Capitol dome. Hough and Senate President Caleb Rowden earlier said they oppose Republican language in the House blueprint that would prohibit the state from spending tax dollars on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.

Rowden said the diversity and inclusion provisions were overly broad and would result in billions of dollars in cuts to hospitals, health care facilities, colleges and universities, and the Missouri House of Representatives itself.

The library money was removed from the House blueprint by House Budget Chairman Cody Smith and backed by the Republicans who control the chamber last week. He cited a lawsuit by two library groups to overturn a new state law banning sexually explicit material in school libraries.

The ACLU, the Missouri Association of School Librarians, and the Missouri Library Association in February asked a judge in Kansas City to find the law unconstitutional or clarify how and when it applies.

Smith, R-Carthage, believes the state shouldnt subsidize the lawsuit by giving public libraries money.

For libraries, the money is distributed based on a population-based model. The St. Louis city library system receives an estimated $452,000, while St. Louis County library district is on tap to receive about $660,000, according to figures provided by the Secretary of States office.

Houghs hometown library district, which covers Springfield and Greene County, would receive an estimated $368,000 if the money is restored.

Hough said libraries serve multiple purposes in communities, allowing people to not only get books, but internet service, job assistance and programs for adults and children.

Libraries are an important resource for so many people, Hough said.

The Missouri Library Association has argued that smaller library systems would be most affected if the cuts are not restored.

Our rural libraries rely the most heavily on this funding to serve their communities, and they will be crippled by this drastic budget cut, the organization said in a statement.

The disputed law, which was approved in 2022, does not apply to written descriptions of sex or sexual acts. But, photographs, drawings, videos and other visual depictions are prohibited.

Librarians and other school officials face up to a year in jail or a $2,000 fine for violating the policy, which makes it a crime to provide minors with sexually explicit visual material. Exceptions are provided for works of art, science classes, and other educational courses.
HERMANN, Mo. (AP)  A Missouri police officer who was badly injured in a shooting that killed a colleague will continue his rehabilitation at a specialty hospital in Colorado.

Hermann Officer Adam Sullentrup, 31, was shot in the head on March 12 while confronting a gunman at a convenience store in the eastern Missouri town of 2,100 residents. Another Hermann officer, Detective Sgt. Mason Griffith, died in the shooting.

Sullentrup has been hospitalized at Mercy Hospital in St. Louis County. Several well-wishers offered support Tuesday morning as Sullentrup was driven to an airport for the flight. He'll be treated at Craig Hospital in Englewood, Colorado.

Officers went to the convenience store to arrest Kenneth Lee Simpson of St. Louis County on multiple outstanding warrants. The Missouri State Highway Patrol said the officers were shot in an altercation inside the store.

Simpson was captured the next day inside a nearby house, after a police tactical team fired tear gas into the home.
BRUSSELS  Finland joined the NATO military alliance Tuesday, dealing a major blow to Russia with a historic realignment of the continent triggered by Moscows invasion of Ukraine.

The Nordic country's membership doubles Russias border with the worlds biggest security alliance and represents a major change in Europes security landscape: The nation adopted neutrality after its defeat by the Soviets in World War II. But its leaders signaled they wanted to join the alliance just months after Russian President Vladimir Putins invasion of Ukraine sent a shiver of fear through Moscows neighbors.

The move is a strategic and political blow to Putin, who has long complained about NATOs expansion toward Russia and partly used that as a justification for the invasion.

Russia warned that it would be forced to take retaliatory measures to address what it called security threats created by Finlands membership. It had also warned it would bolster forces near Finland if NATO sends any additional troops or equipment to what is its 31st member country.

The alliance says it poses no threat to Moscow.

Neighboring Sweden, which has avoided military alliances for more than 200 years, has also applied. But objections from NATO members Turkey and Hungary have delayed the process.

Alarmed by Moscow's invasion of Ukraine last year, Finland, which shares a 1,340 kilometer (832 mile) border with Russia, applied to join in May, setting aside years of military non-alignment to seek protection under the organizations security umbrella. Read more here:

Finland's NATO membership ACCEPTANCE LETTERS INVITATION SIGNATURES FULL MEMBERSHIP FINLAND-SWEDEN
CHICAGO  In a windowless room, across the street from the muddy maw of earth that will soon mark the legacy of President Barack Obama, lifelong Chicago resident Michele Williams leaned on the handlebars of her walker.

Wedged between people sitting around folding tables, scattered chairs and standing along every spare inch of wall, the 80-yearold considered whether to ask a question about the issue foremost on everyone's mind: being able to stay in their homes on the South Side.

The Obama Foundation has told residents that the $500 million presidential center will help transform some of Chicago's poorest neighborhoods and offer opportunities to those who live there. But Williams and others have watched its construction with mistrust. With the center's opening still two years away, rents in the surrounding South Shore and Woodlawn neighborhoods already are rising. Median home prices have more than doubled since the center's location was unveiled. Some longtime residents have been priced out.

In February, nearly 90 percent of voters on the South Side told city officials via a referendum that they should do more to create affordable housing and provide aid to renters and homeowners who live near the Obama Center. But whether the city acts on that will depend on the next mayor.

As Brandon Johnson, one of the two Democrats competing to replace Mayor Lori Lightfoot (D) in a runoff Tuesday, strode into the packed room last month, people already had their hands up, questions at the ready.

"Will our rents be raised?" asked one resident.

"Will we have to move?" asked another.

"Some of us have lived here for more than 40 years," a woman said.

Advocates hope that overwhelming voter support for legislative intervention will spur the next administration to act. But an unspoken question looms: Would that be enough? Or are the forces of displacement amid such colossal development unstoppable?

"What happens in communities where there is economic development is families get pushed out because of property value raises," Johnson told the room. "We have to make sure, for families that live in the very communities where economic development is taking place, that landlords don't see it as an opportunity to push the families out who have been a part of these communities for decades, since-"

"Since before the library's come," a woman interjected.

"Talk to me, sister," Johnson said.

In the back row, Williams listened closely. Then she told her neighbors what she said no one likes to say out loud.

"The Obama Center is not being built for Chicago," she said. "It's being built for the world."

And the people of the world, Williams said, "don't want us here. So what do you think is going to happen?"

As Obama Center rises, so do neighborhood's rents

At a ceremonial groundbreaking two years ago, the former president and first lady picked up shovels, turned soil and declared the site open for business.

By then, the project had endured a federal review, protests from community members who believed it would be better placed elsewhere and five years of legal challenges from environmental groups.

The ceremony was meant to showcase the community where Michelle Obama was raised and the place where Barack Obama launched his political career. The Obamas each were introduced at the dais by a student from the high school across the street.

"It feels natural for Michelle and me to want to give back to Chicago and to the South Side in particular," the former president told the audience. "The Obama Presidential Center is our way of repaying some of what this amazing city has given us."

As he spoke, a cluster of demonstrators calling for affordable housing guarantees from the city stood just beyond the perimeter of the construction site, holding poster boards and bullhorns. Dixon Romeo, a South Shore native and founder of the community organization Not Me We, told a gaggle of assembled press that South Shore residents don't want Obama's legacy marred by the displacement of thousands of Black families.

"This is the community that sent him to the White House, and we should be the community that gets to stay and benefit from the presidential center," Romeo said.

The Obama Foundation said it has attempted to engage community members in discussions about resource allocation and the impact the historic investment will have on the area. It has estimated the center will bring $3.1 billion to the surrounding community during the construction period and first decade of operations, not counting an estimated $16.5 million in indirect and induced state and local tax revenue.

Michael Strautmanis, the Obama Foundation's executive vice president for civic engagement, said he was "encouraged" by the overwhelming February referendum vote. Although the Foundation did not take a position on the ballot measure, Strautmanis said it would support communitydriven efforts to mitigate the harms of gentrification.

"Our hope and intention is that the people who live there now are able to enjoy the center when it comes online," Strautmanis said. "There is an opportunity for this to be a success story."

But housing costs in the three Zip codes surrounding the Obama Center have risen dramatically since 2015, just before the center's location was announced, according to Zillow data. Median rents around the center increased by 43 percent. Home values, the data shows, have jumped more than 130 percent over that span. That's more than 50 percentage points higher than the U.S. average.

"With a development of this size and economic impact, it was unavoidable that it would have a profound effect on the local housing market and exacerbate existing affordability challenges for many low-income residents of Woodlawn and South Shore," said William Sites, a professor in the Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice at the nearby University of Chicago. "The evidence was pretty clear that even before the groundbreaking, early on in the predevelopment process, housing values were rising quite dramatically in both Woodlawn and South Shore."

In 2019, the neighborhood was dubbed the worst in Chicago for eviction filing rates by the Lawyers' Committee for Better Housing. Vacant homes, advocates said, have since become an attractive commodity for developers trying to flip houses and hike rents.

The area "is fundamentally changing  now," said Sarah Ware, president of the Chicago Association of Realtors and herself a South Shore resident. As the center progresses, she said, interest and home prices have continued to climb. "Once we can see the actual center it will, of course, be a destination," Ware said.

Nearly a third of homes for sale in the third quarter of 2022 were purchased by investor buyers, according to data analyzed by the Illinois Answers Project, a nonprofit investigative outlet.

For the past two years, South Side homeowners said, they've had to swat away increasingly frequent calls from developers who want to purchase their homes.

"I get these phone calls almost every day, like, 'Are you looking to sell your home?'" said Linda Jennings, 73, a retired nurse who has lived in her South Shore condominium for nearly 20 years. "I tell them no, because this is my home."

Pushed out of South Shore

It's been more than a year since Tahiti Hamer, 42, was forced to move out of the only neighborhood where she had ever lived.

Hamer, a single mother of three, was born and raised in South Shore. She went to church there, graduated from school there, went on to work and raise her own family there.

In 2021, the same year the Obama Center broke ground, her landlord raised the rent by nearly 40 percent. Hamer, already paying more than a third of her income on housing, said she called the landlord to see if she could negotiate it back down.

But there was nothing she could do.

"She said, 'Oh, you know, the area is changing. My taxes have gone up,'" Hamer recalled. "So, that's it, then. I'm a working mother who can't afford to live in my own community that I've lived in for 42 years."

Just before she moved to a home in the suburbs, Hamer noticed that an investor had bought and flipped the house across the street. It sold at a markup of roughly 10 times what the developer paid for it.

Hamer's new place, a single-story house on a tree-lined street south of the city, has a backyard and a one-car garage and room enough for her girls and their black cat, Galaxy. But she misses being close to friends and family, being a short drive from work, being a part of the only place that feels like home.

"I'm afraid if I ever want to move back into the city, it's just going to be that much harder to get back there," she said.

Sites, the University of Chicago professor, said the best chance Chicago has to prevent more displacement is implementing requirements around the development and protection of affordable housing in South Shore. Other legislative changes, such as establishing rent controls, would also help, he said, but would need to be adopted citywide  a process that would take much longer than a neighborhood ordinance.

"What these community members are asking for is merely that they have a chance to stay in the community once the conditions many of them have suffered through, in some cases for generations, begin to change," Sites said. "Unfortunately, they've started to change not because the people who live there are, on their own, deserving of investment and opportunity, but because outside investors have determined that these are places they want to develop."

Chinella Miller, 38, who works as an educator for a local nonprofit, was forced to move out of her South Shore home less than a year ago, when her landlord raised the rent by 90 percent. She tried looking for another place nearby, but, she said, rents were higher than she had ever seen.

"That was when I knew we couldn't do it anymore," she said.

Though she and her three children found a place in a different neighborhood on the South Side, she said she hopes to be able to move back to South Shore, to be closer to family. She's been scouring rental listings, searching for the right one. Recently, she said, she began to notice a pattern: Property listings in South Shore are increasingly citing the Obama Center as a selling point.

One recent listing read: "71st Street will be the next hot area for shopping, restaurants and rental units according to the Obama planning committee."

Fighting for a Chicago legacy

Romeo got involved in the push to safeguard residents of the South Side soon after returning from college. With an economics degree in hand, he came back to a neighborhood that had just been told it was the new site of the Obama Presidential Center.

"It seemed to me that some of the concerns folks were raising  even then  about having a really visually appealing tourist attraction in the middle of all these homes, what's going to happen?" Romeo said. "Rents, property taxes, all of that is going to exponentially rise."

For Romeo, the fight against displacement in South Shore isn't just the right thing to do for the community he calls home. It is about his own family's survival.

Romeo, 29, a third-generation Chicagoan, grew up in the neighborhood in the modified American Foursquare home his grandparents bought in 1964. The red-brick house where he did his homework and sat around the dinner table with his two siblings is less than a mile from the soonto-be Obama Center. It was his refuge.

Then, in 2021, his mother lost her job as a charter school teacher and fell behind on tax payments. For years, Romeo said, she told no one. Before long, she was close to $30,000 in debt.

Romeo, who rents a two-bedroom apartment within walking distance of his family home, won an award last year from the Field Foundation of Illinois for his work organizing communities on the South Side. It came with a cash prize of $25,000  money he said he used to buy himself a single pair of shoes. He then headed down to the Cook County Clerk to pay off the lien on his mother's house.

"I know what it feels like to go down to Cook County and pay off a tax lien. I know how they treat you," Romeo said. "I know that regardless of why you're there, it's just this terrible feeling. This deep amount of shame."

It's why the list of demands that Romeo's organization and its partners have devised to present to the city includes tax debt forgiveness. Low-income residents of Chicago's 5th and 7th wards owe roughly $2.3 million in property taxes as of 2019, according to the Obama Community Benefits Coalition.

In 2020, Chicago passed a similar ordinance in the nearby Woodlawn neighborhood that established a program to provide homeowners with repair assistance and reduce their property taxes. The legislation also outlines a city plan to turn 52 vacant lots into affordable housing, allow renters first dibs on properties put up for sale and offer financial assistance to residents amid a changing housing market.

Romeo, who also advocated for the passage of the Woodlawn ordinance, said these guarantees must be expanded to residents in neighboring areas, who are facing the same threat of displacement.

"This is deeply personal to me," Romeo said. "I do this work because my mom has been extremely vulnerable to being displaced. I, myself, am extremely vulnerable to being displaced. That drives me. It's not charity; it's not me coming down from on high to talk to ye little people. I'm a little person. It's not a you-all problem; it's an us problem."

Though the Lightfoot administration declined to take on establishing an ordinance for the residents of South Shore, both mayoral candidates  Johnson and Paul Vallas (D)  have signaled their support.

At the meeting with Island Terrace residents, Johnson told them that he would support their demands. In a written statement last week, Vallas's campaign said he "is certainly open to meeting with residents and advocates about expanding" the Woodlawn ordinance "to protect the area against gentrification."

Priscilla Dixon, 62, has watched with blooming pride as her son challenged members of Chicago's City Council, called out the mayor and even challenged the Obamas to consider the community impact of their newest project.

When the voter referendum was on ballots this February, she said, she proudly checked yes.

"I wanted to reach out to all of the ancestors and go, 'Look! My baby is on the ballot,'" she said as Romeo shook his head.

As she spoke, a neighbor driving past in a minivan slowed to a crawl. The neighbor called out the car window as Dixon waved. The community, she said, used to be filled with Black families. Everyone, it seemed, knew each other. As a girl, she used to walk to a commercial corridor nearby replete with a designer shoe shop, theaters and restaurants. Her neighbors held receptions for the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and blues artist Bo Diddley.

That was before South Shore became a food desert, before eviction and crime rates rose, before the pandemic drove even more businesses and people from the area. "I'm a notorious magical thinker, but I have to believe," Dixon said, grabbing her son's arm, "something is going to happen and make things better."

Romeo nodded. He had a tenant meeting to get to, parents to meet with and, always, more doors to knock on.

"I'm doing everything I can," Dixon said later. "In political spaces, people can become numbers, experiences can become trends. But the reality is that this is about real people, and we don't want the Obama Center  the center honoring the first Black president  to be another page in the long history of displacing Black people or doing harm to Black families. The city is the only one that can stop that."
On the morning of Oct. 24, I sat working at my kitchen table as siren after siren punctuated the air. Several whirring helicopters followed. I live a half-mile from the BJC emergency room, so hearing sirens and helicopters is fairly routine. What was unusual, however, was the sheer number and duration of the sirens, enough to prompt me to check Twitter to assess the situation. Like everyone else, I soon learned of the awful news of the fatal school shooting at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School down the road from my house.

I almost included the word unimaginable in the sentence above, but that would be highly inaccurate. In fact, just two weeks ago as I touched down in Denver to attend an education policy research conference, the first headline on my phone detailed a Denver high school shooting.

Last year, 51 school shootings nationwide resulted in injuries or deaths, the most ever recorded. Thirteen have followed over the first three months of 2023 and, heartbreakingly, in all likelihood that number will be outdated by the time this piece is published.

After the fatal school shooting last week in Nashville, Tennessee, the local congressman, Republican Rep. Tim Burchett, proclaimed: Were not gonna fix it. Burchett then noted that his family homeschools his daughter. As the parent of a newborn daughter, I too hold the safety of my child of the greatest importance  a reality that should not be compromised by my intention to enroll her in a public school.

While homeschooling may represent one strategy to avoid school shootings, its certainly not the only one. The United States is the only leading nation in the world where school shootings are commonplace, in part due to the sheer abdication of responsibility by many state and national elected officials to legislate meaningful gun control.

Lest you think local public opinion falls squarely with the most conservative views on the Second Amendment, recent Missouri and national polling data firmly suggests otherwise. In fact, despite its conservative-leaning electorate, Missouri voters strongly support many seemingly controversial gun control measures.

Polling data from a St. Louis University/YouGov Poll administered to Missouri voters in February may surprise you: 79% favor expanding criminal background checks for all gun purchases at gun shows and private sales, and 69% favor requiring mental health background checks and increasing the minimum purchase age to 21. A 72-hour purchase waiting period has 60% support, as does enacting red flag laws to allow courts to temporarily remove guns from individuals judged to present danger to themself or others.

You may recall our governor fumbling a television interview response when posed a question concerning Missouris nonexistent red flag laws.

Missourians favor increased gun control perhaps, in part, because they are worried about a shooting occurring in their day-to-day lives. Seventy-five percent indicated theyre at least slightly worried about the possibility of a shooting at a local public school and 88% at a school somewhere else in the state, 70% voiced the same concern about a local grocery store and 48% were concerned about safety at their place of worship.

I urge Missourians to reconsider their stances on two additional gun control measures  the banning of semi-automatic weapons used in a large proportion of mass shootings, and the legality of arming teachers and school leaders. A majority of voters opposed semi-automatic weapons bans to non-law enforcement individuals while support outstripped opposition for allowing teachers and school administrators to carry guns in schools.

I would encourage voters to look up what weapons are typically used in mass shootings or Google teacher accidental gun discharge to read story after story of the dangers of these policies.

Nonetheless, even in a conservative political state like Missouri, voters support commonsense gun laws to protect its citizens and especially its children. At present, Missouri has one of the highest gun-death rates in the nation and one of the weakest sets of gun laws. We know the states voters disagree with this state of affairs. Its time the Legislature finally listens to us and enacts change to protect our children.

J. Cameron Anglum, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of education policy and equity at the St. Louis University School of Education.
Maybe it is because I am preparing to launch one of my children off to college, but I have been thinking a lot about inflection points in life. The Republican Party is also at one of those points. The party, like my daughter, needs to decide what it wants to be and whether it wants to win. But unlike my daughter, I am afraid there will be no turning back for the GOP once it chooses its fate.

This critical juncture provides an opportunity for Republican primary voters. While voters may love Donald Trump and feel he is being politically persecuted, they should consider two things and one other person; three GOP election-cycle losses, potential exhaustion from the electorate if Trumps legal woes continue, and former Vice President Mike Pence.

While Pence has yet to enter the race, he has been in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina offering a vision for the country and the party based on values and policies, all the while strategically not attacking the former president or demeaning his supporters. Republican primary voters need to consider what the party stands for and whether it is a winning message as they shoulder the responsibility of choosing the standard bearer of the party. Here are just a few examples of the Pence-Trump divide.

Speaking in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, at an event I attended, Pence touted the policies enacted during the Trump administration, but it was the rhetoric around principles that was particularly contrasting to his former boss.

Pence opened his remarks with an anecdote about his fathers service in the Army during the Korean War. He received the Bronze Star. Pences son is a Marine officer. Pences son-in-law serves in the Navy. Trump, by contrast, has shared little admiration for the military. Trump has referred to fallen soldiers as losers and suckers. Trump openly mocked the late Sen. John McCain of Arizona and his service in Vietnam, including as a prisoner of war.

Pence left no doubt where he stands on the importance of standing up to Russia. The war in Ukraine is not our war but freedom is our fight. He called America the arsenal of democracy. He told Fox News Tucker Carlson There is no room for Putin apologists in the Republican Party. This is not Americas war, but if Putin is not stopped and the sovereign nation of Ukraine is not restored quickly, he will continue to move toward our NATO allies, and America would then be called upon to send our own.

Trump has favored a U.S. withdrawal from NATO and recently said that the greatest threat to Western civilization today is not Russia. Its probably, more than anything else, ourselves and some of the horrible USA-hating people representing us.

Pence is convinced better days are ahead and that America needs to have a government as good as its people.

Pence described himself as a Christian, a conservative, and a Republican in that order. In an interview, I asked Pence where being an American fit on that list. I feel very proud to be an American. I described myself by my values as a Christian, a conservative, and a Republican in that order. But underpinning all of it, I am a proud American. I promise you that.

Anti-Trumpers and Never Trumpers might not think Pence passes the purity test. They might be justifiably angry that he has not responded to subpoenas or testified. While it may be a low bar, they should find comfort in the fact that Pence stood up to Trump when it truly mattered. I had made a promise to the American people to support and defend the Constitution, and I was determined to keep it, he wrote in his book of the Jan. 6, 2021, confrontation with Trump.

The values and policies that past Republican presidents have espoused, and that Pence is emulating, have been winners throughout the partys modern history. President Ronald Reagan had a 63% approval rating when he left office. George W. Bush, who believed in compassionate conservatism, was the last Republican president to win the popular vote.

Conversely, election denialism and political instability is a real loser with the American electorate. I still believe that Trump will be the 2024 Republican nominee. I am also under no illusion that the GOP base is even interested in establishment approaches, but they should give them and Pence a second look.

The road ahead for the GOP isnt about making big decisions. The future is in the small choices, like a primary vote, that may have big consequences and may reveal themselves to be of crucial importance later.

I hope Republican primary voters do the same as I tell my teenage daughter: Make good choices.

Lynn Schmidt is a Post-Dispatch columnist and Editorial Board member. lynnschmidtrn@outlook.com On Twitter: @lynnschmidtrn
As voters in St. Louis city and county sift through all the candidates vying for public office, two referendum items merit special attention. Were talking about St. Louis city Proposition C and the Proposition M question on the countywide ballot. Both deserve heavy scrutiny, and if voters have any qualms about either, we recommend rejection with an eye toward forcing governing officials to refine their arguments and make sure they werent too hasty in pushing these items onto the ballot before they were ready.

City Prop C asks voters whether to empower the mayor to appoint a board of commissioners once every 10 years to propose changes to the city charter. Commissioners, nominated by the mayor and confirmed by the Board of Aldermen, would review the charter and recommend refinements starting Aug. 15 this year. All proposed changes would still have to win three-fifths of voters approval.

We have no problem with efforts to eliminate or modernize clearly outdated charter provisions. Our problem is with the rapid-fire way this measure was proposed and rushed through the Board of Aldermen a few weeks ago. The measure has all the hallmarks of a progressive-led campaign to empower Mayor Tishaura Jones to reshape the charter to her liking. St. Louis voters are notorious for their low election turnout and tendency not to challenge progressive orthodoxy. The potential is high to skew this process to advance progressives selfish agenda.

We recommend voting against Prop C.

As for Prop M, the St. Louis County Council and County Executive Sam Page have already skewed the process to favor an outcome  approval  that this measure doesnt necessarily deserve. The County Council last month approved, without debate, a $300,000 taxpayer-funded public education campaign to sway the vote in favor of a county tax in hopes of generating cash to ease the countys $41 million budget hole.

Cities and municipalities across the state are asking voters whether to approve a 3% tax on marijuana sales. State law doesnt allow counties to stack a county sales tax on top of a city one. But as marijuana-legalization lobbyist Jack Cardetti points out, there only appear to be three dispensaries in unincorporated parts of the county. The sales-tax revenues those dispensaries could generate might not even be enough to cover the costs of the countys hastily organized education campaign, much less fill the budget hole.

A final note to voters in St. Louis city Ward 9: Weve had our differences with incumbent Alderman Tina Pihl, but we have no argument with the studious and methodical way she represents her constituents. Voters should weigh that against challenger Michael Browning, who favors not only defunding St. Louis police but also disarming them during traffic stops. The Board of Aldermen doesnt need Brownings brand of lunacy.
The nation learns Tuesday the details of a New York grand jurys indictment of former President Donald Trump, but even without knowing what he is accused of, many prominent Republicans have already rendered their verdict. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has declared, bizarrely, that he would prevent any attempt to extradite Trump out of Florida  a constitutional absurdity and a non-issue, since Trump voluntarily traveled to New York Monday for his arraignment. But its still a telling statement about DeSantis eagerness to exploit the situation for political gain. Missouri Sens. Josh Hawley and Eric Schmitt have joined other elected Republicans in declaring the case against Trump to be pure political harassment, though they know nothing more about the indictment than anyone else.

Some conservative pundits are tempting violence with statements like Fox News host Tucker Carlsons comment that this is probably not the best time to give up your AR-15s. If theres still any semblance of law and order in the party that once prided itself on that concept, cooler heads must prevail within the GOP to await the facts.

A common theme of the near-universal Republican condemnation of Trumps indictment is that its unprecedented to criminally charge a former president. This is true, but the argument ignores a crucial factor: Trumps behavior is and always has been unprecedented.

No other president in history has flouted legal and constitutional norms to the extent that Trump has: consorting with the Kremlin to gain advantage during the 2016 campaign, profiting from the presidency throughout his term in flagrant violation of the Constitutions emoluments clauses, and inciting a mob to prevent the peaceful transition of power. Republicans blind condemnation of any criminal action against Trump as being banana-republic stuff conveniently forgets that Trump remains the only president in U.S. history to have publicly, repeatedly called for the jailing of his political opponents. What the psychologists call projection actively afflicts Trumps defenders.

None of which is to say Trumps Manhattan indictment wont turn out to be a goose egg. Prosecuting an ex-president for paying off a porn star, which appears to be the focal point of the indictment, seems almost trivial when he more recently attempted to overturn a valid national election. The whole prosecution has a certain Al Capone income-tax-evasion feel to it. Capone deserved prison, as Trump arguably does, but reasonable people can disagree about whether this is the proper case for that outcome  especially with other, potentially stronger cases in the pipeline.

Whats not reasonable is to argue that any attempt whatsoever to hold Trump accountable for his multiple, public, flagrant flouting of the rules is automatically illegitimate and corrupt. The American public has signaled, with its refusal to heed Trumps call for mob action, that they are willing to wait for the facts. The Hawleys, Schmitts, DeSantises and Carlsons of the world should follow suit.
Creating and approving the state budget is among the most fundamental duties that Missouri legislators must carry out. That annual document is ultimately supposed to be a fiscal expression of the will of the taxpayers who fund it. Its likely that a great many of those taxpayers, whatever their politics, would agree with Democratic budget proposals like raising teachers pay, creating more after-school programs and (in light of the continuing scourge of school shootings in Missouri and nationally) improving school safety.

Yet House Republicans in budget negotiations last week turned back those constructive ideas to focus instead on culture-war catnip like prohibiting state contracts for businesses that promote diversity and yanking public library funding to punish librarians for opposing censorship. Once again, the majority party in state government is prioritizing ideological pandering to the extreme right over sober public service to Missourians as a whole. Missouri Senate President Pro Tem Caleb Rowden said he would remove these distractions as the Senate takes up the budget, but it still speaks volumes about the extremism rattling around this Legislature.

A budget amendment by state Rep. Doug Richey, R-Excelsior Springs, would prohibit state government from paying for staff, vendors or programs associated with diversity, equity [and] inclusion. As the Post-Dispatchs Kurt Erickson reports, the real-world effects of Richeys amendment could be to cancel some of Missouris biggest and most important service contracts with vendors like Ford Motor Co., Aramark food services and Maryland Heights-based World Wide Technology, all of which tout  gasp!  diversity and inclusion in their promotional materials.

Never mind that these companies are merely reflecting an increasingly diverse and tolerant American society (with, as always, their eye on their bottom line). And never mind that this crusade effectively scuttles the GOPs long-held principle of opposing governmental interference with private enterprise. Never mind any of that  Richey is determined to ensure that anyone who wants to do business with the state of Missouri must display the requisite intolerance and exclusion.

Meanwhile, state Rep. Cody Smith, R-Carthage, seeks to cut the states entire $4.5 million budget for public libraries in response to library lawsuits over the states move to ban certain books from school collections  to punish these institutions for standing up against censorship, in other words. The ability to appreciate irony is apparently in short supply in Jefferson City.

Smith, it should be noted, earlier suggested that Gov. Mike Parsons laudable request of $134 million for child-care subsidies should be reduced. These are the priorities of Missouris ruling party: Spend the taxpayers time and money belittling diversity and attacking libraries while denying needed raises to teachers and needed child care to parents. These arent the actions of a functioning political party, but of a cult of populist demagoguery.
Declawing bans are good for cats, owners and veterinarians

As a veterinarian, I appreciated the Post-Dispatchs coverage of the Missouri Senates vote to nullify St. Louis County ordinances that ban cat declawing. (Missouri Senate votes to neuter St. Louis and St. Louis County ordinances on cat declawing, March 28). Im disappointed by the Senate vote, as a ban would be a serious misstep that harms cats as well as veterinarians.

Without a ban on declawing, many veterinarians would face pressure from clients who mistakenly believe declawing their cats is a viable solution to their problems. Though state Sen. Justin Brown believes local jurisdictions shouldnt be allowed to obstruct the practice of veterinary medicine, veterinarians are burdened with being the sole defenders of animal welfare. Without legislative backing, this creates an adversarial relationship with our clients. Thus, declaw bans dont actually interfere with veterinarians relationships with their clients but rather strengthen them.

Importantly, when clients seek out declawing, the side effects are often worse than the initial problem. Research shows 18.5% of declawed cats are more likely than non-declawed cats to bite, while 15.4% begin house soiling, and these behavioral issues are often cited as reasons cat guardians surrender their felines. Fears that a ban on declawing would result in more cats being relinquished to shelters are unwarranted. A 2022 study found that after a declaw ban was passed in British Columbia, there was no change in the number of cats surrendered.

Because of the serious need for a statewide declaw ban, I urge Missourians to contact their representatives and push for a statewide ban on declawing.

Crystal Heath  Berkeley, Calif.

GOP trifecta of control in Missouri makes for bizarre laws

Missouri Republicans hold a trifecta of power in the governorship and in both legislative houses. The result is reflected in startling statistics: Missouri was the last state to compile an opioid database, its public school teachers are the lowest paid in the nation, and it is one of just 13 states that tax Social Security benefits. Missouri has also declared that some federal gun laws cannot be enforced by law enforcers within the state. Who does that?

The Missouri statute restricting federal gun laws was thrown out by a federal judge, who declared it unconstitutional in its entirety. Since 2017, Missouri has allowed people to carry concealed firearms without background checks. Anyone can carry a loaded handgun in public with no ID, registration, license or permit. Spousal abusers have carte blanche.

As if these astonishing facts werent bad enough, Republican legislators have added yet another appalling statistic to their legacy, passing bills to ban gender-affirming health care to trans youth. Anyone, parent or doctor, who encourages such treatment could face felony charges in Missouri.

Welcome to the Show-Me the Way Out state.

Colleen ODonnell  St. Louis

Ballot initiatives are crucial for democracy in Missouri

The people of Missouri have had to depend on the ballot initiative to make their voices heard. Through the ballot initiative process, we were able to pass measures legalizing marijuana, protecting labor rights and expanding Medicaid. These are all measures opposed by the majority of Missouri Republican legislators.

There is a pending bill sponsored by Sen. Mike Moon, R-Ash Grove, that proposes that the Missouri constitution be amended to further prohibit the right to abortion in this state (Senate Joint Resolution 19). There are many other bills pending in Jefferson City restricting LGBTQ rights, health care and imposing educational restrictions. Is this the will of the people of Missouri?

The ballot initiative petition allows citizens to have a voice. We did not elect these people to impose their values on us. We elected them to represent our values. When they do not represent us, we have the right to petition for a vote. Yet Missouri legislators are trying to make it more difficult for citizens to file an initiative petition to get a motion on the ballot for a statewide vote.

Any Missouri citizen should have the right to start a petition to demand the Missouri Legislature abide by the majority of its citizens wishes. Any representative muzzling our voices by making a ballot initiative petition more difficult should be voted out of office, especially those who have promoted restrictions on basic human rights, including banning books, the source of our knowledge.

Kay Park  St. Louis

Lawmakers prioritize guns over protection of citizens

Some lawmakers give guns a higher priority over people. Some refuse to outlaw semi-automatic weapons. Some support high-capacity magazines that can mow down men, women and children at astonishing rates. Some refuse to pass red flag laws.

This has nothing to do with rights. The people in our community, schools and places of worship also have rights.

Missouri legislators should be ashamed for their negligence to protect citizens.

Lynn Allen  Kirkwood

Endorsements need to come sooner in early voting era

Regarding the thoughtful editorial suggesting voting against St. Louis ballot Proposition C (Editorial: We recommend voting no on St. Louis city Prop C, March 30): Regardless of the merits of the position, the editorial was no help to me in deciding how to vote because I had already voted before the editorial appeared. In this age of no-excuse absentee voting up to two weeks before the election, I think the Editorial Boards ballot recommendations need to appear before the two-week voting window opens if they are to be of use to anyone.

Lawrence Katzenstein  St. Louis

Read letters online at STLToday.com
Dropping out of school is losing its stigma among young people as pressures to perform are growing intolerable and other opportunities open up.

Dropouts often leave to learn other skills that are not taught in traditional educational system, launch their own start-ups or turn into YouTube content creators. Since such decisions are no longer considered embarrassing, many young Koreans in fact celebrate the occasion and film it for social media.

According to a study by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, 37 percent of students who quit school said they were not happy there. Some 29 percent said they dropped out to learn something else they found interesting.

Jung Chae-yoon (16), who dropped out of high school in May, said, "I used to suffer from panic attacks and depression in school and thought hard about the merits of dropping out. I had a talk with my parents and made the decision to quit."

Cho Yoon-eui (18), who quit school two years ago, said, "I never felt a sense of accomplishment from memorizing formulas and solving problems. I wanted to study and experience things that really widen my horizon."

She has keen interest in film and is now preparing to go on to college to study it.
There's a trend among suburban Missouri politicians, primarily on the conservative side, of trying to avoid accountability for past statements or actions by simply shrugging them off as ancient history. It's like a get-out-of-jail-free card in Monopoly. Only voters in upcoming elections haven't issued any such absolution, nor should they.

One of the best examples emerged recently when a 2016 video resurfaced in which Parkway school board candidate Ryan Kerr, 39, of Ballwin, launches into an expletive-filled, four-minute tirade. He refers repeatedly to an Asian woman as "panda" and makes derogatory remarks about another woman. Women competing against him on the April 4 ballot insist Kerr's tirade should be disqualifying.

What's past is past, Kerr said in a written statement. "This was a very isolated and targeted event, intoxicated, and immediately following [a] false allegation of assaulting a female. It wasn't right regardless and there weren't any excuses. I apologized very publicly, privately, and sought a counselor."

What Kerr neglected to mention, but which is obvious from the video, is that he was driving while recording it. Driving while drunk. And this is someone who proposes to oversee the education of Parkway kids and, presumably, serve as a model for them.

Then there's Ferguson mayoral candidate Nick Kasoff. He apparently thinks it's unfair to judge him based on his past positions, including those outlined in a June 12, 1990, Post-Dispatch letter to the editor. In it, he complains about news coverage of criminal acts against homosexuals while lamenting a lack of adequate coverage of crimes committed by homosexuals.

"The damage that homosexuals have done in our community, by flagrantly disregarding both decency and law, far exceeds the isolated incidents of violence that are aimed at them," Kasoff wrote. "First, the continued practicing of homosexuality in public places is an unlawful nuisance." Kasoff blasted behaviors that go "far beyond the decent, private exercise of personal preference, which we are told is representative of homosexuality." Kasoff expressed outrage at harassment letters and phone calls he had received, asking, "Will we now start tracking hate crimes by homosexuals as well?"

Kasoff now says that he was a "religious conservative Republican activist" back then, and his views have changed.

Meanwhile, state Rep. Doug Richey of Excelsior Springs is trying to rally fellow Republicans around budget rules to restrict spending on any initiatives that promote "collective guilt" and "the concept that disparities are necessarily tied to oppression" from the past. Apparently the blatantly racist acts that keep surfacing around the state  such as high school kids in Eureka recently putting "white" and "colored" signs on bathroom stalls  have no relationship to past oppression.

No matter how much Richey protests, collective guilt does exist across the state. It is the collective guilt of voters who mark their ballots in favor of candidates like him, Kerr and Kasoff.
A new (to me, at least) air travel hack lets you buy elite status in a few lines' programs. It joins other hoary hacks, around for years, that offer some great cost reductions but violate airline policies and contracts.

Two outfits  airlinestatus.com/ and joindeluxe.com  sell time-limited elite status in several major airlines. Currently, airlinestatus.com sells Gold and Platinum status on Delta, Platinum on Hawaiian, and A-List on Southwest. Joindeluxe.com adds Gold, Platinum, and 1K status on United, and Platinum on American. The blog where I first noticed these deals listed JetBlue as also available, but it wasn't posted as of yesterday on either site.

Why pay for elite status? The primary benefit is no-cost space-available upgrades on domestic flights at departure times, but other benefits are also valuable, including bonus miles up to 120 percent when you fly, free checked bags, early boarding, special phone lines, and such. Airlines typically offer several levels of status, and the higher the level, the better the perks and deals. Status is extremely attractive  retaining elite status is a primary reason so many road warriors take aimless flights at the end of their year to pile up enough miles to re-qualify.

Status sale prices range from $99 to $299 every four months, plus one-time startup fees from $250 to $650. I won't try to list all the details of each offer, but you can check the websites. According to the websites, they can do this by buying excess status upgrades airlines hand out to preferred big-company travel departments. The blogosphere suggests that the specific mechanism is buying status challenges.

If the system works as the sellers describe, the benefits of free baggage check and mileage bonus alone on a single trip can be more than the price. But for many, "free" standby upgrades from "main cabin" to first class are the key benefit. And here I have no idea of how well purchased status works. I've flown myself and talked with frequent travelers enough to know that most flights depart with far more upgrade-eligible elite status travelers waiting in the departure area than available upgrade seats. To counter that problem, airlinestatus.com even promises to refund the price if you don't get an upgrade during the period you have status. A key exception is that status upgrades generally are not available on international flights.

To me, the biggest unknown is whether people who buy status actually get upgrades. And I haven't found anything, either in personal contacts or online, from anyone who has actually bought and used status. Some bloggers even suggest buying status might be a scam, but without presenting any evidence.

Buying status violates airline rules. Presumably, airlines could detect "misuse" of status challenges. And their typical responses for rule violations include billing you for what they say you should have paid and nuking your frequent flyer miles. But the blogosphere reports on relatively little such enforcement.

Right now, my bottom line is "caveat emptor." I would never recommend any sort of hack without first trying it myself. If it works, buying status looks like a no-brainer, but does it work? This write-up is for information  decide for yourself whether to try.

Other rule-violating hacks have been around for years, often touted as "insider" travel tips, include:

 Point-beyond is useful for flying into a big line's fortress hub on routes with little or no low-fare competition. You buy a ticket to a popular destination with a connection at the hub, and don't take the connection. An example from my home airport at Medford is typical: For a test day next month, I would pay $208 for a nonstop to San Francisco but $154 for a Medford-San Francisco-Santa Ana ticket using the same $208 nonstop to San Francisco. Obviously, it doesn't work for round-trips or trips from a big hub to a smaller "spoke."

You can buy frequent flyer awards from brokers who buy them from other travelers. The deals are almost all for international business class.

You can get caught and getting caught could be expensive. It's your call. More later.
On this version of Hot off the Wire (posted April 3 at 4 p.m. CT):

Former President Donald Trump has arrived in New York from his home in Florida for his historic booking and arraignment. As he prepared to head into Manhattan, the nations largest city was bolstering security and warning potential agitators that it is not a playground for your misplaced anger.

A top official in Virginia's Office of the Chief Medical Examiner says an autopsy determined the cause of death for Irvo Otieno was positional and mechanical asphyxia with restraints."

Residents across a wide swath of the U.S. are racing to assess the destruction from fierce storms that spawned possibly dozens of tornadoes from the South and the Midwest into the Northeast.

Floridians will be able to carry concealed guns without a permit under a bill signed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.

A giant red spoon that was stolen from an Arizona Dairy Queen and sparked a mystery on social media was found and its partly thanks to Pokemon GO.

Riding terrific reviews and a strong word-of-mouth, the role playing game adaptation Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves opened with $38.5 million in U.S. and Canadian movie theaters over the weekend. That is according to studio estimates Sunday, stealing the top box-office perch from John Wick: Chapter 4.

NASA has named the four astronauts who will fly around the moon late next year. The first moon crew in 50 years includes the first woman and the first African American assigned to a lunar mission.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg says Finland will officially join the military alliance on Tuesday.

Grammy winners Tanya Tucker and Patty Loveless, along with hit country songwriter Bob McDill, are going into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

The Associated PressSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The Ukraine War did less visible damage to the Russian fleet than to the army (very heavy losses) and air force (mediocre leadership and equipment exposed). The navy lost one of its few destroyers, which was the flagship of the Black Sea fleet, and several smaller warships along with a few amphibious warfare ships and some even smaller ships. These losses were minor compared to the damage the war did to the navys upgrade and expansion plans. The unprecedented economic sanctions imposed on Russia for its Ukraine misadventure means drastically less money for the navy and its rebuilding effort.

Since the 1990s, the navy has been trying to recover from the damage done by the collapse of the Soviet Union. That was all about poor economic performance and national bankruptcy. Over two decades of massive overspending on the military eventually led to national bankruptcy and a sharp reduction in the navy budget after 1991. This quickly led to the loss of 80 percent of military personnel as well as the inability to maintain, much less operate all the vehicles, aircraft and ships purchased since the 1960s. Thousands of armored vehicles were literally abandoned somewhere, sometimes in such large quantities that surveillance satellites could see and count them. Some of these vehicles were kept in reserve in guarded facilities with minimal maintenance to keep them available for service if needed. Most surplus armored vehicles were simply abandoned. Many were left in small collections of a few dozen or hundred armored vehicles in remote areas of the country near one of the many abandoned military bases. Locals soon began plundered the abandoned tanks and other armored vehicles for anything useful or valuable to someone else. The same happened with the air force and the many abandoned air bases, or near airbases that had some activity and plenty of space for aircraft that had no crews or maintainers, all of which soon became unflyable because of exposure and looters.

With the navy it was a little different. On average, each ship was a lot larger and more expensive than any tank or aircraft. Ships had to be left at or near a port or naval base, preferably anchored or secured at dockside. In 1991 the Soviet navy was the second largest in the world, right behind the U.S. Navy., The Soviet fleet actually had more ships than the Americans because Russia needed a lot of smaller patrol ships and armed patrol boats to guard a huge coastline. In the early 1990s the admirals running the new Russian fleet tried to keep as many ships as possible operational. This meant staffing many ships with skeleton crews and not sending the ships to sea at all. These ships needed some maintenance and they werent getting much at all because of untrained skeleton crews and no budget for needed parts or basic items like paint and rust remover.

It was worse with the many submarines the Soviets accumulated. Since the 1960s the Soviets built about 260 nuclear ships, nearly all submarines, that were still in service. After 1991 Russia was unable to keep most of those subs in service. Russian nuclear boats were expensive to maintain, and many were not worth keeping in service because they were too noisy, too old and had too many other flaws. These ships were also radioactive and, if simply allowed to sink, posed a threat to marine life and fishermen in the region and people who ate that fish. This threat led to an international effort to pay for safely dismantling Russias nuclear-powered submarines. Most of the cost (over $15 billion) was covered by the United States with technical help from other NATO member nations. This was part of 1990s agreements with Russia and a coalition including the United States, Britain, Canada, Japan, Italy and Norway that contributed cash and technical assistance to this effort.

Throughout the 1990s, Russia only decommissioned two, three or four nuclear subs a year. Many nuclear subs were taken out of service in the early 1990s, although lots of older boats were being decommissioned in the late 1980s. By the end of the 1990s, Russia had 150 decommissioned nuclear subs waiting to be dismantled. Russia hoped to complete dismantling these submarines by 2007, but things went much slower than expected for lack of funding. It cost up to $10 million to dismantle each boat. The primary task was to safely take apart the nuclear reactor and move its radioactive components to a secure storage facility. The foreign nations contributing to this effort are all maritime nations that were concerned about the old Soviet subs falling apart while still in the water. What got this aid program going was the late 1990s discovery that the Soviets had just dumped some of its old ship and submarine nuclear reactor radioactive components into Arctic waters. Russia was more willing than the Soviets to do the right thing, and only needed Western aid to do so here. The early 21st century foreign financial assistance in this effort also enabled Russia to afford new nuclear subs to replace the aging Soviet-era fleet.

The dismantling plan was still operating until Russia attacked Ukraine in 2014 to seize the Crimean Peninsula and the Donbas (two eastern provinces). That led to a low-level war with Ukraine as the Ukrainians mobilized to halt the Donbas attack and the first round of Western economic sanctions on Russia. It also brought in NATO aid for Ukraine and more activity in the Black Sea by NATO nation warships, including American destroyers and maritime surveillance aircraft.

While Russian seized some Ukrainian shipbuilding facilities in Crimea, even more vital Ukrainian manufacturing operations were in Ukrainian controlled territory and these firms stopped deliveries to Russia. That halted or disrupted the construction of new Russian frigates and corvettes. There were no new large warships planned but several very large ships were scheduled to be refurbished, as was Russias only aircraft carrier. This effort was not only facing financial shortfalls because of the 2014 sanctions, but shortages of skilled shipyard workers. Despite all that, by 2022 180 obsolete or unneeded Russian nuclear subs had been safely decommissioned, despite incidents where naval personnel were caught stealing nuclear fuel rods in the hope of finding a buyer. These fuel rods are not weapons grade and often no longer suitable for nuclear fuel but they are very radioactive. This makes them easier to track but still a health threat to the thieves and anyone close to them. Theres a lot of nun-nuclear material, like copper wire, that is also pilfered for resale. There are more people willing to buy copper wire rather than nuclear fuel rods. The extent of the looting of Russian military equipment, retired or not, became obvious as Russia scrambled to find working armored vehicles to replace losses in Ukraine.

After 2014 the Russian defense budget suffered several substantial cuts and faced more if the sanctions continued or got worse. This was bad because the remaining Soviet-era ships were rapidly reaching, approaching or past retirement age. Its cheaper and more effective to build new warships, or substantially modernize older ones than trying to keep overage ships in service. Russia had developed contingency plans for current procurement programs. For the navy that meant fewer new submarines and instead more major refurbishment of boats worth keeping in service. What money the navy has left for new construction will go towards a new class of SSBN (ballistic missile carrying nuclear powered boat, also called "boomers") because the old ones are less capable of getting the job done with each passing year. The SSN (attack boats) and SSGNs (anti-ship missile carrying boats) will get production cut severely and see many more recent boats get refurbished. This approach gets the refurbed boats many of the capabilities of new designs but not as much time they can remain in service.

Russia has a centuries old solution for that; use the refurbed subs much less. This was actually the norm doing the Cold War largely because Russian nuclear sub tech was far behind what American boats had and the Russians quickly figured out that whenever one of their nukes (nuclear powered subs) went to sea it was quietly (enough so the Russians could rarely detect their stalker) followed by an American SSN which considered this excellent practice for wartime operations. Cold War era Russian subs rarely went far from coastal waters or stayed at sea for long each time out. Russia confirmed after the Cold War that the American SSNs would often quietly enter Russian territorial waters (less than 22 kilometers from the coast) for training and espionage.

The post-Cold War Russian submarine admirals were hoping they would get the money to build more competitive nuclear boats and put the Americans on the defensive some of the time. But now that goal has to be deferred. The refurbed boats will have better sensors, but little can be done to improve their noise control (how quiet the sub is under water). They will not be able to go to sea as much as the American boats but that will mean Russia will have a nuclear submarine force nearly half the size of the American one and, with China building more nuclear boats, the West will still feel threatened at sea.

For this strategy to work Russia needs better weapons for its remaining subs. This meant replacing most of the older heavy anti-ship (carrier killer) missiles on its subs with a more recent design that is very similar to the American Tomahawk. The Russian equivalent is 3M54 (also known as the SS-N-27, Sizzler or Klub/Kalibr), which many Russian and some Indian, Vietnamese, Algerian and Chinese subs are already equipped with. The Kalibr (Klub is the less capable export version) had growing pains that the Russians appear to have remedied. For example, India was an early adopter but encountered reliability problems in 2010 when there were repeated failures of the Klub during six test firings. The missiles were fired off the Russian coast, using an Indian Kilo class submarine, INS Sindhuvijay. That boat went to Russia in 2006 for upgrades. India refused to pay for the upgrades, or take back the sub, until Russia fixed the problems with the missiles, which Russia eventually did. The 3M54 officially entered service in 2012 and has since used the surface ship and air launched versions of Kalibr in combat against targets in Syria.

The Russians are responding to the U.S. Navy discovering that, given current sensor (sonar, magnetic, heat, chemical) technology, it is possible to detect very quiet submerged diesel-electric sub. This includes the new ones using AIP (Air-Independent Propulsion) systems that allow diesel-electric sub to stay under water, silently, for several weeks at a time. Since 2000 the United States has done a lot of work on improving systems used to detect submerged subs. This included lots of tests on diesel electric and AIP subs that led to many small tweaks to existing sensors on subs and surface ships. AIP boats, in particular, were found to have many vulnerabilities. The AIP technology generated more noise and heat than just using batteries for underwater propulsion. The more the U.S. studied AIP subs in operation the more ways they found these subs could be detected.

The passive (listen only) sonar systems in the new Virginia class SSNs (nuclear attack sub) were tweaked considerably to better find diesel-electric and AIP boats. The sensors on the Virginia are also among the best (if not the best) available for finding surface ships or other nuclear subs. But it depended on how noisy the other ships were. Diesel-electric subs operating submerged using battery power are theoretically the quietest. But the older a sub gets the more components become noisy and some diesel-electric sub designs are simply quieter. Even the older and noisier diesel-electric subs tend to be quieter than most nuclear subs, which have to run pumps at all times to circulate cooler water around the hot nuclear reactors. The most recent nuclear sub designs have found more ways to conceal the pump noise along with noise in general. Add that to more effective noise detecting sonar and you have a Western edge that Russia was getting close to matching when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. Before 1991 the Russians had managed to steal a lot of the silencing tech and smuggle in special manufacturing equipment to create the quieter components. But all that ended in the 1990s and all the Russians had left were less than a dozen quiet nuclear subs that had been completed by 1991. After that Western, especially American, silencing and sensor tech continued to improve, although not as fast as during the Cold War.

Stealing tech is one thing, being able to use it in new submarines is another matter. An example of this is the Russian Yasen-Class SSNs. These are the Russian answers to the American Virginia class. The Virginias are a more recent design while the Yasen is a late Cold War effort that had some tech upgrades in the two decades it took to build the first one. The first one entered service in 2017 and currently only four have been completed and only seven more are being built. Thats all Russia can afford. The first Virginia entered service in 2004. So far 22 have been built, with six more presently under construction and plans to build 66 or 70 total.

The 9,500-ton Yasens were built after the Cold War but from Cold War era designs, and are armed with Klub/Kalibr anti-ship or cruise missiles and ten torpedo tubes (8 650mm and two 533mm). What Russia has not been able to do is keep up with silencing and detection (sensor) tech. American sub commanders are not being overconfident about all this but base their assessments on growing opportunities for the quieter American SSNs (especially the Virginias) to detect a Russian SSN (or diesel-electric boat) and stalk it for days or weeks without ever being discovered. This was a Cold War practice as well and how the U.S. Navy discovered, in the 1980s, that the latest Russian SSNs were much quieter. But there are few of them and now improved American sensors make them easier to detect. The U.S. was apparently able to detect and stalk the Yasen, getting a good sense of how much quieter (apparently not enough) it is. As improved as Yasen is, it had lots of problems getting into service.

Russian submarine building has been on life support since the Cold War ended in 1991. Many subs under construction at the end of the Cold War were canceled, and the few which avoided that spent a decade or more waiting for enough money to resume construction. The first Yasen crew was put together in 2007 and then spent years training, and waiting. The crew finally got their new boat in 2014, after record delays and time spent in the shipyard getting tweaked. Russia has not tried to use its ramshackle post-Soviet fleet in the Ukraine War, at least not since suffering several major losses in the first months of the fighting. Since then, the few ships of the Black Sea fleet have served as a potential threat to shipping. The Ukrainians continue to search for and attack the Black Sea fleet. The Russian ships concentrate on defensive measures against the growing threat of Ukrainian attack. The other three fleets (Baltic, Northern and Pacific) are also maintaining a low profile. Not just because of potential attack but because the loss of any warships to hostile action or accidents means replacements will not be available for years, if ever.
WILMINGTON, DE / ACCESSWIRE / April 4, 2023 / The Chemours Company ("Chemours") (NYSE: CC), a global chemistry company with leading market positions in Titanium Technologies, Thermal & Specialized Solutions, and Advanced Performance Materials, today announced a long-term sustainability program for its glycolic acid product portfolio to address growing consumer demand for sustainable products at the 2023 in-cosmetics Global tradeshow. The sustainability program's ultimate goal is to reduce the carbon footprint of all of Chemours' glycolic acid grades by 80% against a 2023 baseline.

"The world increasingly expects companies to produce products responsibly and sustainably. At Chemours, we share those expectations. We are committed to driving more sustainable manufacturing processes that reduce the impact on the environment while providing our customers with the high-quality products they expect," said James Kanicky, Chemical Solutions Global Business Director at Chemours. "Our goal to drive greater sustainability in producing our leading glycolic acid portfolio of products is aligned with our Corporate Responsibility Commitment (CRC) and our work to reduce our absolute greenhouse gas emissions by 60% by 2030, on a journey to net-zero by 2050."

Chemours glycolic acid products include Glypure", a high-purity glycolic acid for personal care applications, which is one of the most popular active ingredients in anti-aging formulations, and Glyclean" D, a disinfection grade glycolic acid that delivers high antimicrobial efficacy as well as excellent cleaning and environmental properties.

The long-term sustainability program will address the three main phases contributing to the products' carbon footprint. The first phase includes replacing fossil fuel-based electricity with renewable energy. The second will replace fossil fuel-derived carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) with renewably sourced or recycled CO 2 . The final stage will replace petrochemical-based formaldehyde with syngas-based formaldehyde, a key raw material for glycolic acid formation.

Chemours will partner with its local electricity supplier to support the development of renewable energy programs in the West Virginia and Ohio region. These programs will supply Chemours with renewable energy credits from wind and solar power generators. Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) from the local projects will displace most of the Chemours Belle's glycolic acid facility's power-related carbon footprint and will start to be received in 2024 and fully available by mid to late 2025.

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from The Chemours Company on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: The Chemours Company

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/chemours-company

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE: The Chemours Company

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NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / April 4, 2023 / International Paper Company



International Paper mobilizes our people, products and resources to address critical needs in the communities where our employees live and work.

Our four signature causes - education, hunger, health and wellness, and disaster relief - address basic needs to build stronger, more resilient communities. Often, the underserved and vulnerable populations that most need this support include people who are Latinx, African American, Native American, refugees, LGBTQ+, and children and women. By addressing the most basic needs of these populations, we can help eliminate or reduce barriers that impede self-sufficiency, resilience and opportunity.

Through our community giving strategy, we aim to improve the lives of 100 million people by 2030.

Empowering Employees to Support Communities and Causes

Despite the ongoing pandemic, we found ways to engage and connect our employees to support our communities and signature causes. Our initiatives included:

Day of Caring volunteer kits delivered for six separate initiatives to interested employees

100,000+ trees planted in 10 International Paper communities through our partnership with Arbor Day Foundation, including an environmental equity event to improve the urban tree canopy in Chicago and tree planting in Cedar River to restore the area following a devastating derecho

14 facilities participating in packing Period Poverty contributions for local community distribution

While our overall volunteer hours were down due to pandemic restrictions, we are proud of the contributions our International Paper volunteers made, and especially pleased to welcome the increased participation by our hourly employees, made more accessible with our shift to virtual volunteerism.

In 2021, International Paper contributed more than $23.3 million worldwide to support charitable organizations aligned with our signature causes, positively impacting more than 13.6 million people

84,626 people of that total were reached in Sylvamo communities

Giving Locally, Nationally and Internationally

Our strategy is implemented through a combination of locally driven support, grant funding and national and global collaborations.

Despite the ongoing challenges, International Paper employees generously supported our communities through approx. 13,500 socially distanced volunteer hours across 32 U.S. states and eight countries.

At the local level, for example, our facility in Chile supported Casa Betal, a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center in Graneros, with supplies, volunteerism and a cash donation. Our Chalon, France facility supplies corrugated offcuts to Id'ees Services, a social agency that supports people with disabilities, which uses the waste material to make cat litter.

In North Carolina, our Maysville and Henderson Mills awarded the Henderson Boys & Girls Club $75,000 over three years. The grant will contribute to the renovation of the local armory into their new facility.

Nationally, we continued our support to Wreaths Across America and its mission to remember fallen U.S. veterans. Each year, we provide in-kind donations of customized shipping boxes, as well as funding and transportation for more than two million wreaths to Arlington Nation Cemetery.

Read more about our community contributions here.

Our Signature Causes: How We are Making a Difference

Education: We focus on literacy from birth through third grade because reading skills form the foundation of all childhood learning.

Hunger: We partner with food banks and other agencies to address hunger and food security for children, families and seniors.

Health and Wellness: We engage our employees and work with agencies to promote healthy living habits and achieve measurable improvements in health and wellness.

Disaster Relief: We partner with agencies to help communities prepare for and recover from natural disasters, and we use our Employee Relief Fund to support our affected colleagues.

Our employee giving campaigns and company matching gift programs generated $3.4 million to help people in need throughout our communities.

Tracking our Progress to 100 Million Lives

Working collaboratively with our non-profit partners, we can quantify our impact on people in our communities. Standardized metrics and reporting enable us to track each organization's impact and quantify the number of lives improved through our volunteers and contributions.

$23.3M in IP Global Giving in 2021

13.6M people reached

160,000 corrugated products, boxes, bags, paper and absorbent pulp products donated

$3.4M employee giving and company match combined

approx 13,500 volunteer hours across 32 states and 8 countries

2,800+ IP employee volunteers

Read more

About International Paper

International Paper (NYSE: IP) is a leading global supplier of renewable fiber-based products. We produce corrugated packaging products that protect and promote goods, and enable worldwide commerce, and pulp for diapers, tissue and other personal care products that promote health and wellness. Headquartered in Memphis, Tenn., we employ approximately 38,000 colleagues globally. We serve customers worldwide, with manufacturing operations in North America, Latin America, North Africa and Europe. Net sales for 2021 were $19.4 billion. Additional information can be found by visiting InternationalPaper.com.

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from International Paper Company on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: International Paper Company

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/international-paper-company

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE: International Paper Company

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NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / April 4, 2023 / KeyBank

A $250,000 gift from the KeyBank Foundation will benefit current and future Farmer School students in several ways.

The gift includes scholarships for underrepresented students, making the dream of a Farmer School education more easily obtainable. Current students will benefit from additional funding for academic advising, wellness, and tutoring. Finally, the gift includes support for curriculum development in the key growth areas of cyber security, analytics, and financial modeling.

"As a graduate, I am extremely proud of The Farmer School's long and distinguished track record of developing students from all backgrounds to be leaders in the dynamic world of business," said Christopher Gorman, CEO and Chairman of KeyCorp. "On behalf of KeyBank, I am pleased that this gift will help ensure that The Farmer School will continue to graduate students who are well-prepared for both the challenges and opportunities ahead."

Jenny Darroch, Farmer School dean and Mitchell P. Rales Chair in Business Leadership, said, "KeyBank has been a tremendous supporter of our students and the school for many years. Employees and executives have served as mentors, participated in semester-long class projects, spoken to small and large groups of students and faculty, offered internships to our students and employment to our graduates, as well as providing critical insights and guidance through membership on advisory boards. If I were asked to design the perfect business-college partnership, KeyBank would be the model."

This newest gift brings the total investment KeyBank has made in the Farmer School to more than a half million dollars.

"KeyBank's latest investment represents another path forward for students interested in careers in banking and finance," said Michael McCuen, Market President for KeyBank in Dayton and Cincinnati. "We are proud to support the work they do to provide opportunities by connecting teaching, research, and practice."

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from KeyBank on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: KeyBank

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/keybank

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE: KeyBank

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QUEBEC, QC / ACCESSWIRE / April 4, 2023 / NuRAN Wireless Inc. ("NuRAN" or the "Company") (CSE:NUR)(OTC:NRRWF)(FSE:1RN), a leading rural telecommunications company, is pleased announce that it has secured a non-convertible bridge loan from a US based institution (the "Lender") for US$1,500,000 (the "Loan"). The initial tranche of the Loan has already been funded for US$400,000 and the balance of US$1,100,000 is expected to be funded on April 18, 2023 (the "Second Tranche").

On February 21, 2023, NuRAN previously announced that it may raise additional funds to bridge its operations until the first EIB/DFI drawdown. This Loan is expected to satisfy the Company's capital requirements until the first EIB/DFI drawdown, and the Company is pleased to confirm that it is no longer pursuing additional funds from existing bridge lenders.

In addition, this Loan provides NuRAN with sufficient capital to continue its site installations under the existing NaaS contracts, accelerating the Company's rollout, which was previously delayed waiting for the initial EIB/DFI drawdown. Upon receipt of the Second Tranche of the Loan, the NuRAN operations team will resume rollouts of new sites. The team has also upgraded site capacity in Cameroon to meet high demand from increased traffic levels and improved the overall technical performance of the network. This has resulted in an increase of site revenue for both Orange and NuRAN. NuRAN has also completed a number of Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) reports and put in place an Environmental and Social Management System (ESMS) in order to comply with EIB/DFI conditions as well as to contribute to the Company's overall corporate governance and compliance.

The land to build the next batch of sites has already been acquired as NuRAN has refined its geo-marketing approach to identify optimal site configurations to deliver the backlog of sites for DRC, Cameroon, and South Sudan. The Ivory Coast, Sudan and Madagascar projects are progressing well including local incorporation, permitting, licenses and geo-marketing. The Company expects to initiate build in those new countries in 2023. Concerning Namibia, the selection of the 4G core network by the MNO is already in process.

Loan Terms

The Loan is for a term of six months and is subject to a number of terms and conditions including the following: (i) the principal amount to be repaid is US$1,578,947.39 including a 5% original issuance discount, (ii) 10% interest per annum, paid on maturity, (iii) the Loan will be senior to all existing and future debt and secured by all the assets of the Company and its subsidiaries excluding the shares in its African subsidiaries and any other assets which are to be pledged as part of the security package to the DFI lenders, (iv) a right of participation in future debt offerings during the term of the Loan and customary information rights and default provisions for a loan of this nature; and (v) a lending fee of 5% of the funded amount. In the event of a default, interest will accrue at the lesser of: (i) 24% and (ii) the maximum legal rate. The Loan may be prepaid by the Company at any time prior to the maturity date, without penalty.

The use of proceeds from the Loan includes the repayment of some short-term debt of the Company, resuming rollouts of new sites, payment to various service providers assisting with the EIB/DFI loans, and working capital.

The Company has also agreed to issue to the Lender 2,000,000 share purchase warrants with each warrant exercisable to acquire a share of the Company at an exercise price of $0.45 for a period of two years. Any securities issuable upon exercise of these warrants will be subject to a statutory hold period of four months and one day from the Second Tranche closing date. The Loan is subject to the parties entry into definitive agreements respecting the terms of the Loan and related security agreements. There is no assurance the Loan will be completed as planned or at all.

The Company is also pleased to announce it has granted an aggregate of 1,250,000 stock options (the "Options") to a consultant of the Company to purchase 1,250,000 common shares (the "Option Shares") of the Company pursuant to the Company's stock option plan. The Options, which vest immediately, are exercisable at an exercise price of $0.425 per Option Share for a period of five (5) years from the date of grant. Pursuant to the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange, the Options are subject to a hold period of four months from the date of grant.

The Company relied on section 5.5(b) of Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101") as the exemption from the formal valuation requirements of MI 61-101 in respect of the Options grant to the consultant of NuRAN as no securities of NuRAN are listed on a specified market as defined in MI 61-101. NuRAN relied on section 5.7(a) of MI 61-101 as the exemption from the minority approval requirements of MI 61-101 in respect of the Options grant to the consultant of NuRAN as neither the fair market value of the subject matter of, nor the fair market value of the consideration for, the Options granted to the directors and officers of the Company exceeded 25% of NuRAN's market capitalization.

On February 21, 2023, NuRAN announced it is finalizing negotiations with the lenders of short-term bridge loans, and the Company expects to enter into debt settlement agreements with these lenders concurrently with the signing of the definitive agreements with EIB and the other DFI. The short-term bridge lenders are expected to extend the maturity on those loans and waive certain rights relating to events of default in favour of EIB and the other DFI.

About NuRAN Wireless:

NuRAN is a leading rural telecommunications company that meets the growing demand for wireless network coverage in remote and rural regions around the globe. With its affordable and innovative scalable solutions of 2G, 3G, and 4G technologies, NuRAN offers a new possibility for more than one billion people to communicate effectively over long distances efficiently and affordably. "Bridging the Digital Divide, One Connection at a Time."

Additional Information:

For further information about NuRAN Wireless: www.nuranwireless.com

Francis Ltourneau,

Director and CEO

[email protected]

Tel: (418) 264-1337

Frank Candido

Investor relations

[email protected]

Tel: (514) 969-5530

Forward Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as, "expects", "is expected", "anticipates", "intends", "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. Forward-looking statements include those relating to the Company's lender with the Lender including the ability to complete the issuance of, and meet all closing conditions for, the Loan. Forward-looking statements are not a guarantee of future performance and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results projected, expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements, such as: NuRAN's ability to meet all closing conditions for the Loan and other DFI financings of which there is no assurance, the uncertainties regarding the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak, and measures to prevent its spread, risks relating to NuRAN's business and the economy generally; NuRAN's ability to adequately restructure its operations with respect to its new model of NAAS service contracts; the capacity of the Company to deliver in a technical capacity and to import inventory to Africa at a reasonable cost; NuRAN's ability to obtain project financing for the proposed site build out under its NAAS agreements with Orange, MTN and other telecommunication providers, the loss of one or more significant suppliers or a reduction in significant volume from such suppliers; NuRAN's ability to meet or exceed customers' demand and expectations; significant current competition and the introduction of new competitors or other disruptive entrants in the Company's industry; NuRAN's ability to retain key employees and protect its intellectual property; compliance with local laws and regulations and ability to obtain all required permits for our operations, access to the credit and capital markets, changes in applicable telecommunications laws or regulations or changes in license and regulatory fees, downturns in customers' business cycles; and insurance prices and insurance coverage availability, the Company's ability to effectively maintain or update information and technology systems; our ability to implement and maintain measures to protect against cyberattacks and comply with applicable privacy and data security requirements; the Company's ability to successfully implement its business strategies or realize expected cost savings and revenue enhancements; business development activities, including acquisitions and integration of acquired businesses; the Company's expansion into markets outside of Canada and the operational, competitive and regulatory risks facing the Company's non-Canadian based operations. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward looking information. Other factors which could materially affect such forward-looking information are described in the risk factors in the Company's most recent annual management's discussion and analysis that is available on the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

SOURCE: NuRAN Wireless Inc.

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HALIFAX, NS / ACCESSWIRE / April 4, 2023 / Silver Tiger Metals Inc. (TSXV:SLVR)(OTCQX:SLVTF) ("Silver Tiger" or the "Corporation") has intersected 1,156.4 g/t total silver equivalent over 2.0 meters in the Sulphide Zone in Drill Hole ET-23-446 from 390.5 meters to 392.5 meters, consisting of 666.2 g/t silver, 0.17 g/t gold, 0.93% copper, 4.26% lead and 8.67% zinc within 17.9 meters grading 425.9 g/t total silver equivalent from 382.8 meters to 400.7 meters consisting of 200.7 g/t silver, 0.19 g/t gold, 0.42% copper, 2.23% lead and 3.55% zinc in the Sulphide Zone.

Highlights from the on-going drilling program include the following:

Hole ET-23-445: 1.6 meters grading 1,269.6 g/t total silver equivalent from 467.0 meters to 468.6 meters, consisting of 441.7 g/t silver, 0.59 g/t gold, 2.14% copper, 7.58% lead and 12.0% zinc within 9.6 meters grading 364.6 g/t total silver equivalent from 465.0 meters to 474.6 meters consisting of 115.1 g/t silver, 0.24 g/t gold, 0.58% copper, 1.98% lead and 3.88% zinc in the Sulphide Zone.

from 467.0 meters to 468.6 meters, consisting of 441.7 g/t silver, 0.59 g/t gold, 2.14% copper, 7.58% lead and 12.0% zinc from 465.0 meters to 474.6 meters consisting of 115.1 g/t silver, 0.24 g/t gold, 0.58% copper, 1.98% lead and 3.88% zinc in the Sulphide Zone. Hole ET-23-448: 1.0 meters grading 1,285.5 g/t total silver equivalent from 254.9 meters to 255.9 meters, consisting of 1,194.5 g/t silver, 0.04 g/t gold, 0.84% copper, 0.03% lead and 0.19% zinc within 4.9 meters grading 521.7 g/t total silver equivalent from 253.0 meters to 257.9 meters consisting of 484.8 g/t silver, 0.03 g/t gold, 0.33% copper, 0.01% lead and 0.08% zinc in the El Tigre Vein Zone.

Drill Hole Results Table

Hole ID Comment From

m To

m Length (1)

m Gold g/t Silver

g/t Copper

% Lead

% Zinc

% AgEq Total (2)

g/t ET-23-445 Sulphide Zone 397.7 400.8 3.1 0.24 129.6 0.16 0.81 1.97 246.8 including 399.1 399.9 0.8 0.17 305.0 0.31 1.69 4.83 547.5 Sulphide Zone 465.0 474.6 9.6 0.24 115.1 0.58 1.98 3.88 364.6 including 467.0 468.6 1.6 0.59 441.7 2.14 7.58 12.00 1,269.6 including 468.1 468.6 0.5 0.52 857.0 1.74 6.44 14.60 1,700.0 ET-23-446 Sulphide Zone 382.8 400.7 17.9 0.19 200.7 0.42 2.23 3.55 425.9 including 390.5 392.5 2.0 0.17 666.2 0.93 4.26 8.67 1,156.4 including 394.6 397.0 2.4 0.31 427.6 0.66 4.03 5.05 777.4 including 394.6 395.1 0.5 0.48 804.0 1.22 3.99 0.57 1,071.5 ET-23-447 Sooy Vein Zone 237.5 240.1 2.6 0.02 264.7 0.16 0.01 0.03 282.4 including 237.5 238.5 1.0 0.02 573.0 0.35 0.01 0.07 610.5 El Tigre Vein Zone 311.0 312.0 1.0 0.08 1,689.2 0.80 0.08 0.18 1,780.2 including 311.5 312.0 0.5 0.16 3,351.0 1.59 0.13 0.33 3,530.4 ET-23-448 El Tigre Vein Zone 253.0 257.9 4.9 0.03 484.8 0.33 0.01 0.08 521.7 including 254.9 255.9 1.0 0.04 1,194.5 0.84 0.03 0.19 1,285.5 including 254.9 255.4 0.5 0.05 1,560.0 1.14 0.04 0.27 1,683.6 ET-23-449 Sooy Vein Zone 305.7 306.6 0.9 0.01 345.0 0.18 0.00 0.12 367.6 El Tigre Vein Zone 451.5 452.1 0.6 0.05 18.6 0.03 0.80 1.53 95.3 ET-23-450 El Tigre Vein Zone 267.4 268.5 1.1 0.20 135.0 0.49 0.19 1.37 246.5

Notes:

Not true width. Silver Equivalent ("EqAg") ratios are based on a silver to gold price ratio of 75:1 (Au:Ag). Copper, lead and zinc are converted using $3.66/lb copper, $0.90/lb lead, $1.26/lb zinc at 100% metal recoveries based on a silver price of $26.00/oz.

Silver Tiger's CEO, Glenn Jessome, stated, "These next drill holes through the Sulphide Zone have extended the strike length another 25 meters to the North with consistent high-grade widths similar to previous Sulphide Zone holes. Drilling on the Sulphide Zone continues to step out along strike to the North and South." Mr. Jessome further stated "The first 26 drill holes in the newly discovered Sulphide Zone indicate wide zones of high-grade mineralization varying from 10 meters up to 50 meters with grades from 300 grams per ton to over 1 kilogram per ton silver equivalent. This adds the potential for underground bulk tonnage at exceptional grades."

Drill Holes Previously Released from the Sulphide Zone.

Hole ID Comment From To Length(1) Gold Silver Copper Lead Zinc AgEq Total (2) m m m g/t g/t % % % g/t ET-22-443 Sulphide Zone 362.8 367.5 4.7 0.11 419.8 0.45 0.26 0.42 491.4 including 365.2 366.3 1.1 0.29 901.0 1.00 0.84 1.05 1,073.3 Sulphide Zone 418.6 456.4 37.8 0.19 171.7 0.39 1.85 3.67 388.8 including 441.0 444.3 3.3 0.19 633.8 1.04 4.80 11.38 1,239.0 including 443.2 444.3 1.1 0.18 977.0 1.65 4.79 12.32 1,671.5 ET-22-441 Sulphide Zone 415.3 435.3 20.0 0.35 369.0 0.85 4.11 8.15 845.1 including 432.5 434.5 2.0 0.20 1,255.7 2.02 12.67 26.87 2,656.0 including 432.5 433.8 1.3 0.21 1,484.1 2.71 14.67 29.82 3,097.9 ET-22-440 Sulphide Zone 377.1 434.3 57.2 0.20 231.5 0.41 0.71 1.02 336.2 Sulphide Zone 397.9 434.3 36.4 0.25 314.6 0.58 0.90 1.40 457.2 including 421.7 424.5 2.8 0.21 1,986.3 4.02 3.94 5.64 2,668.8 including 421.7 423.2 1.5 0.25 2,714.0 5.41 0.08 1.04 3,289.9 including 422.5 423.2 0.7 0.26 3,054.0 7.28 0.09 1.37 3,822.4 ET-22-438 HW Gold Zone 9.2 52.7 43.5 0.16 18.7 0.00 0.01 0.01 31.3 including 29.0 29.6 0.6 2.26 566.0 0.02 0.02 0.02 739.5 Sooy Vein Zone 321.3 324.5 3.2 0.52 300.5 0.18 0.73 0.33 384.8 including 322.1 323.0 0.9 1.51 773.0 0.48 2.08 0.77 1,006.7 Sulphide Zone 393.5 413.0 19.5 0.27 408.4 0.53 0.88 0.83 527.5 including 394.8 398.5 3.7 0.24 879.4 0.76 0.86 1.36 1,035.8 including 396.0 396.5 0.5 0.62 2,796.0 1.75 1.85 4.16 3,193.1 including 403.8 411.8 8.0 0.51 564.3 0.90 1.68 1.31 771.9 including 406.3 407.0 0.7 1.47 1,148.0 1.40 1.52 0.71 1,452.3 ET-22-434 HW Gold Zone 6.5 15.0 8.5 0.39 96.7 0.01 0.08 0.01 129.8 including 10.1 11.6 1.5 2.04 336.0 0.02 0.17 0.04 496.6 Sooy Vein Zone 184.6 197.6 13.0 0.16 172.5 0.36 2.08 2.56 354.0 including 190.6 195.8 5.2 0.19 326.4 0.84 4.89 5.97 734.8 including 192.3 194.4 2.1 0.24 496.1 1.76 7.17 8.62 1,139.2 Sulphide Zone 306.7 313.3 6.6 0.11 376.8 0.32 0.14 0.09 421.9 including 311.3 313.3 2.0 0.20 1,116.5 0.89 0.20 0.11 1,225.9 including 312.3 313.3 1.0 0.25 1,859.0 1.44 0.33 0.19 2,030.4 Sulphide Zone 361.7 381.6 19.9 0.22 605.6 1.13 4.04 7.43 1,072.9 including 370.1 380.6 10.5 0.20 914.0 1.68 5.92 12.42 1,642.4 including 359.0 360.2 1.2 0.19 1,345.0 1.57 2.10 0.83 1,587.4 ET-22-433 HW Gold Zone 0.0 14.2 14.2 0.10 56.9 0.01 0.04 0.01 66.8 Sooy Vein Zone 190.9 201.9 11.0 0.29 165.4 0.16 1.43 4.42 382.5 including 193.6 198.4 4.8 0.41 369.9 0.35 3.19 9.96 840.2 including 194.7 195.8 1.1 0.12 634.5 0.57 4.68 18.48 1,422.5 Sulphide Zone 330.5 374.9 44.4 0.16 508.2 0.55 1.76 3.17 720.5 including 332.9 337.9 5.0 0.17 1,431.8 1.41 2.47 6.27 1,846.8 including 335.5 336.1 0.6 0.18 3,225.0 4.19 5.34 15.59 4,285.5 including 364.5 370.5 6.0 0.20 1,354.4 1.57 6.10 10.86 2,025.5 including 366.8 367.8 1.0 0.19 2,371.5 3.07 10.00 17.81 3,508.8 ET-22-432 HW Gold Zone 4.6 14.0 9.4 0.10 39.0 0.01 0.02 0.02 48.5 Sooy Vein Zone 191.2 201.6 10.4 0.16 399.0 0.43 2.84 5.16 690.6 including 195.6 197.7 2.1 0.24 1,153.6 1.29 9.76 16.82 2,084.8 Sulphide Zone 348.4 383.2 34.8 0.13 257.4 0.47 1.18 2.02 407.4 including 372.4 380.6 8.2 0.13 956.6 1.69 3.58 7.01 1,446.2 including 378.5 380.6 2.1 0.17 1,663.5 4.32 6.28 11.50 2,622.5 ET-431 HW Gold Zone 10.1 46.5 36.4 0.13 41.9 0.00 0.01 0.01 52.6 including 10.1 11.6 1.5 0.11 731.0 0.00 0.05 0.00 740.9 Sooy Vein Zone 83.9 86.7 2.8 0.59 137.4 0.03 0.19 0.24 196.5 339.5 342.6 3.1 0.06 211.5 0.08 0.02 0.03 225.2 El Tigre Vein 409.1 418.5 9.4 0.19 641.3 0.65 3.32 6.51 1,013.3 including 413.5 415.6 2.1 0.19 1,536.1 1.62 7.71 13.66 2,341.9

Notes:

Not true width. Silver Equivalent ("EqAg") ratios are based on a silver to gold price ratio of 75:1 (Au:Ag). Copper, lead and zinc are converted using $3.66/lb copper, $0.90/lb lead, $1.26/lb zinc at 100% metal recoveries based on a silver price of $26.00/oz.

Attached as illustrations are the Sulphide Zone Plan, Sulphide Zone-Cross Section 4965N, El Tigre - Conceptual Cross Section, El Tigre-Conceptual Long Section, and El Tigre Long Section Showing Exploration Potential.

Sulphide Zone Plan

Sulphide Zone-Cross Section 4965N

El Tigre - Conceptual Cross Section Showing Mineralization Styles

El Tigre-Conceptual Long Section Showing Mineralization Styles

El Tigre-Long Section Showing Exploration Potential

Drill Hole Location Table

Hole ID Easting Northing Elevation (m) Azimuth Dip Length (m) ET-23-445 670715 3384958 1834.1 93 -60 503.3 ET-23-446 670715 3384959 1834.0 87 -60 509.4 ET-23-447 670780 3385123 1813.4 90 -65 335.0 ET-23-448 670703 3385094 1775.3 90 -45 317.0 ET-23-449 670711 3384956 1834.4 83 -59 477.1 ET-23-450 670718 3385073 1775.6 90 -45 313.4

Underground Rehabilitation at Historic El Tigre Mine Update

As previously announced Silver Tiger has contracted Cominvi, a Mexican underground contract mining and development company to rehabilitate the Historic El Tigre Mine. Cominvi are progressing well in the underground rehabilitation of the Historic El Tigre Mine and have already completed over 450 meters of rehabilitation in Level 7, which was the main portal to the mine. Silver Tiger is still on schedule to reach the Sooy Vein and then begin underground drilling of this newly discovered wide high grade Sulphide Zone under the Northern end of the unmined portion of the Historic El Tigre Mine.

El Tigre Resource Estimate

After acquiring El Tigre, Silver Tiger drilled 12,500 meters to define the wide halo of near surface gold mineralization around the mined high-grade veins of the historic El Tigre Mine. This allowed Silver Tiger to deliver a maiden resource estimate for the El Tigre Property to a depth of 150 meters containing indicated resources of 661,000 gold equivalent ounces at 0.77 g/t (21 g/t silver and 0.51 g/t gold) and inferred resources of 341,000 gold equivalent ounces at 1.59 g/t (88 g/t silver and 0.52 g/t gold). The National Instrument 43-101 Technical Report titled "NI 43-101 Technical Report and Updated Mineral Resource Estimate on the El Tigre Project, Sonora, Mxico" effective as of September 7, 2017 and dated October 26, 2017 prepared by David Burga, P.Geo., Yungang Wu, P.Geo., Fred Brown, P.Geo., Jarita Barry, P.Geo., Eugene Puritch, P.Eng., FEC, CET, Alfred Hayden, P.Eng. and Richard H. Sutcliffe, Ph.D., P.Geo. of P&E Mining Consultants Inc. is available on the Corporation's website at www.silvertigermetals.com and on www.sedar.com under the Corporation's profile.

About Silver Tiger and the El Tigre Historic Mine District

Silver Tiger Metals Inc. is a Canadian company whose management has more than 25 years' experience discovering, financing and building large hydrothermal silver projects in Mexico. Silver Tiger's 100% owned 28,414 hectare Historic El Tigre Mining District is located in Sonora, Mexico. Principled environmental, social and governance practices are core priorities at Silver Tiger.

The El Tigre historic mine district is located in Sonora, Mexico and lies at the northern end of the Sierra Madre silver and gold belt which hosts many epithermal silver and gold deposits, including Dolores, Santa Elena and Las Chispas at the northern end. In 1896, gold was first discovered on the property in the Gold Hill area and mining started with the Brown Shaft in 1903. The focus soon changed to mining high-grade silver veins in the area with production coming from 3 parallel veins the El Tigre Vein, the Seitz Kelley Vein and the Sooy Vein. Underground mining on the middle El Tigre vein extended 1,450 meters along strike and was mined on 14 levels to a depth of approximately 450 meters. The Seitz Kelley Vein was mined along strike for 1 kilometer to a depth of approximately 200 meters. The Sooy Vein was only mined along strike for 250 meters to a depth of approximately 150 meters. Mining abruptly stopped on all 3 of these veins when the price of silver collapsed to less than 20 per ounce with the onset of the Great Depression. By the time the mine closed in 1930, it is reported to have produced a total of 353,000 ounces of gold and 67.4 million ounces of silver from 1.87 million tons (Craig, 2012). The average grade mined during this period was over 2 kilograms silver equivalent per ton.

The El Tigre silver and gold deposit is related to a series of high-grade epithermal veins controlled by a north-south trending structure cutting across the andesitic and rhyolitic tuffs of the Sierra Madre Volcanic Complex within a broad silver and gold mineralized prophylitic alteration zone developed in the El Tigre Formation that can be up to 150 meters wide. The veins dip steeply to the west and are typically 0.5 meter wide but locally can be up to 5 meters in width. The veins, structures and mineralized zones outcrop on surface and have been traced for 5.3 kilometers along strike in our brownfield exploration area. Historical mining and exploration activities focused on a 1.6 kilometer portion of the southern end of the deposits, principally on the El Tigre, Seitz Kelly and Sooy veins. The under explored Caleigh, Benjamin, Protectora and the Fundadora exposed veins continue north for more than 3 kilometers. Silver Tiger has delivered its maiden 43-101 compliant resource estimate and is currently drilling to update its resource estimate and publish a PEA.

VRIFY Slide Deck and 3D Presentation - Silver Tiger's El Tigre Project

VRIFY is a platform being used by companies to communicate with investors using 360 virtual tours of remote mining assets, 3D models and interactive presentations. VRIFY can be accessed by website and with the VRIFY iOS and Android apps.

Access the Silver Tiger Metals Inc. Company Profile on VRIFY at: https://vrify.com

The VRIFY Slide Deck and 3D Presentation for Silver Tiger Metals Inc. can be viewed at: https://vrify.com/explore/decks/492 and on the Corporation's website at: www.silvertigermetals.com.

Procedure, Quality Assurance / Quality Control and Data Verification

The diamond drill core (HQ size) is geologically logged, photographed and marked for sampling. When the sample lengths are determined, the full core is sawn with a diamond blade core saw with one half of the core being bagged and tagged for assay. The remaining half portion is returned to the core trays for storage and/or for metallurgical test work.

The sealed and tagged sample bags are transported to the Bureau Veritas facility in Hermosillo, Mexico. Bureau Veritas crushes the samples (Code PRP70-250) and prepares 200-300 gram pulp samples with ninety percent passing Tyler 200 mesh (Code PUL85). The pulps are assayed for gold using a 30-gram charge by fire assay (Code FA630) and over limits greater than 10 grams per tonne are re-assayed using a gravimetric finish (Code FA530). Silver and multi-element analysis is completed using total digestion (Code MA200 Total Digestion ICP). Over limits greater than 100 grams per tonne silver are re-assayed using a gravimetric finish (Code FA530).

Quality assurance and quality control ("QA/QC") procedures monitor the chain-of-custody of the samples and includes the systematic insertion and monitoring of appropriate reference materials (certified standards, blanks and duplicates) into the sample strings. The results of the assaying of the QA/QC material included in each batch are tracked to ensure the integrity of the assay data. All results stated in this announcement have passed Silver Tiger's QA/QC protocols.

Qualified Person

David R. Duncan, P. Geo., V.P. Exploration of the Corporation, is the Qualified Person for Silver Tiger as defined under National Instrument 43-101. Mr. Duncan has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical information in this press release.

For further information, please contact:

Glenn Jessome

President and CEO

902 492 0298

[email protected]

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT:

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.

This News Release includes certain "forward-looking statements". All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this release, including, without limitation, statements regarding potential mineralization, resources and reserves, the ability to convert inferred resources to indicated resources, the ability to complete future drilling programs and infill sampling, the ability to extend resource blocks, the similarity of mineralization at El Tigre to Delores, Santa Elena and Chispas, exploration results, and future plans and objectives of Silver Tiger, are forward-looking statements that involve various risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements are frequently characterized by words such as "may", "is expected to", "anticipates", "estimates", "intends", "plans", "projection", "could", "vision", "goals", "objective" and "outlook" and other similar words. Although Silver Tiger believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, 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 Silver Tiger's expectations include risks and uncertainties related to exploration, development, operations, commodity prices and global financial volatility, risk and uncertainties of operating in a foreign jurisdiction as well as additional risks described from time to time in the filings made by Silver Tiger with securities regulators.

SOURCE: Silver Tiger Metals Inc.

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South Korea, the U.S. and Japan staged a maritime drill in international waters on Wednesday to practice detecting, tracking and intercepting North Korea's medium- and long-range ballistic missiles. The drill was a rare trilateral show of force which came after the North launched an intercontinental ballistic missile last week.

"The drill was a warning message to the North that the three countries have the capabilities to intercept its ballistic missiles anytime," the Joint Chiefs of Staff here said.

Three Aegis destroyers took part -- South Korea's 7,600-ton Sejong the Great-class guided missile destroyer, the U.S. Navy's 6,900-ton USS Barry and the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force's 7,700-ton Atago-class guided missile destroyer.

The exercise was conducted in international waters about 185 km from Dokdo Islets and some 120 km from the Japanese mainland.

The three countries "strengthened security cooperation and further consolidated the emergency response system through the latest missile defense exercise," the JCS added.

A JCS spokesman said the three countries will engage in such cooperation more frequently. "North Korean nuclear missiles pose a direct threat not only to South Korea, but also to U.S. military bases in Japan and the U.S. mainland," a government source here said. "It won't be possible to respond properly unless the three countries cooperate because North Korean missiles are getting more advanced and better at avoiding interception."
NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / April 4, 2023 / We're helping solve our customers' big challenges by innovating and delivering solutions that are better for their business - and for the environment.

Project At-a-Glance:

The opportunity: Help Derby College (UK) decarbonize its Broomfield Hall campus as a part of the United Kingdom's Public Sector Decarbonization Scheme.

The solution: Replacing existing fossil-fueled boilers with a thermal system of cascading Trane air- and water-source heat pumps.

Sustainability outcomes:

790,000 kWh in annual energy savings

Annual reduction of 160 tons of CO2 emissions

A People's Choice Award from the European Heat Pump Association

When the United Kingdom's Derby College Group (DCG) was awarded significant government funding to improve the efficiency of its buildings and reduce its carbon emissions, the network of public colleges looked for strategic, tangible ways to make operations on its four campuses more efficient, more sustainable, and healthier for the nearly 20,000 students served by its programs.

Guided by the long-term, legally binding environmental targets outlined in the UK's Climate Change Act of 2008, DCG had already committed to taking urgent action to reduce the use of carbon and carbon embedded products and resources on its campuses. With new funding in place from the government's Public Sector Decarbonization Scheme (PSDS), DCG chose to partner with Trane to make its bold commitments a reality. The top priority was replacing antiquated coal-burning boilers at Broomfield Hall, a public college offering a variety of land-based programs such as agriculture, equine, and horticulture.

A thermal system of cascading heat pumps

DCG and Trane recognized that a comprehensive, state-of-the-art upgrade of the heating system was essential for preserving the efficiency and sustainability of the Broomfield Hall campus. Trane's innovative and efficient solution was to install a combination of six air-source and three water-source heating pumps in cascade configuration. The project also provided new centralized plant and distribution pipework, upgraded controls, and thermal storage, allowing for optimized energy use and providing buildings with low-carbon heating and hot water.

In total, the new Broomfield Hall thermal system, part of a wider project that also included the installation of solar panels and new LED lights at the college, will produce 600kW of heating while saving 790,000 kWh in energy consumption and 160 tons of CO2 emissions annually.

Award-winning partnerships for a sustainable future

The positive impacts of Trane's system upgrades to Broomfield Hall have garnered significant attention. In January 2022, the project was included in the UK government's decarbonization summary report. And in September of that year, the Broomfield Hall project and Trane Technologies received the People's Choice Award at the European Heat Pump Awards in Brussels.

Broomfield Hall's sustainable upgrades highlight the far-reaching benefits of strategic partnership and alignment. Programs like the UK's PSDS help fund capital energy efficiency and decarbonization projects with the goal of helping the UK reach its 2050 net-zero commitments. Trane Technologies' innovative solutions advance its bold, industry-leading 2030 Sustainability Commitments.

"The quality of our estate, and the efficiency with which it is operated, can have real and measurable social, economic and educational impact," affirms Derby College Group's Director of Estates Iain Baldwin. "This installation is a step in the right direction for DCG and is a great example of how green, clean energy provision can be utilized on a greenfield site."

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Trane Technologies on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: Trane Technologies

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/trane-technologies

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE: Trane Technologies

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NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / April 4, 2023 / 3M:

Originally published on 3M News Center

Imagine a heart surgeon who doesn't have the technology to monitor your heart.

A similar situation is happening right now with U.S. electrical grids: Many grid operators have limited visibility to critical information about what's happening in their networks.

Fortunately, 3M developed a technology to help solve this problem more than a decade ago. It first caught on in Europe but is now gaining traction in the U.S. amid a sharp increase in extreme weather events and new energy demands.

The innovation is an easy-to-install sensor that can transmit real-time data about vital parameters in underground medium-voltage networks. "It's like a heart-rate monitor for your electrical system," said Terry Collier, vice president of R&D for 3M's electrical markets.

3M captured the attention of Powering Chicago, an electrical industry labor-management partnership that featured the technology in a recent video.

"Having this technology will show the customer that there might be some problems in their system, and they can repair that before a catastrophic failure," said Jerry McGlynn, vice president of field operations for McWilliams Electric, in the video.

The executive director of Powering Chicago, Elbert Walters III, visited 3M's innovation center in Austin, Texas, to see the product first-hand and talk with in-house experts.

"This technology has proven to be a difference maker for those clients that have been using it in Europe for years now," he said in the video. "It will allow projects in the U.S. to maximize efficiency and safety."

3M first entered the electrical industry in the 1940s with the invention of electrical tape, and now has more than 75 years of experience providing proprietary technologies to the market segment.

"As we look to better manage our electrical infrastructure, the ideal business case for grid modernization is one that combines extending the life of current assets in a cost-effective manner, while preparing for future grid opportunities," said Collier.

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from 3M on 3blmedia.com.



Contact Info:

Spokesperson: 3M

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/3m

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE: 3M

View source version on accesswire.com:
SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- AGC Biologics, a leading global Biopharmaceutical Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO), announced it signed a service agreement with The Jikei University in Japan. Under the agreement, AGC Biologics will assume a technology transfer and feasibility study for a drug product focused on the treatment of Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis at the CDMO's center of Cell and Gene Excellence in Milan.

In the feasibility study, scientists at the Milan site will focus on identifying proof of concept and viability for developing a prototype for an exosome-based treatment for IPF derived from bronchial epithelial cells. Current research at The Jikei University School of Medicine has revealed extracellular vesicles extracted from a bronchial epithelial cell can potentially play a vital role in IPF pathogenesis. If the feasibility study is successful, pre-clinical studies may commence in the coming year.

The emerging field of exosomes has the potential to become an important part of the cell and gene industry. We welcome the opportunity to help further the important work of The Jikei University in Japan, a historic research and medical institute in the field of medicine, said Luca Alberici, General Manager of AGC Biologics Milan. This partnership demonstrates AGC Biologics' ability to offer the scientific ingenuity and support researchers and developers need as they explore new therapies and methods within this field.

Exosomes have shown the promise to make cell and gene therapies more commercially viable for large populations because of their potential to provide a targeted approach to drug delivery. AGC Biologics' Milan location has 30 years of experience in the cell and gene field and expertise with complex advanced therapy projects. The core team has guided three products from development to commercial stages.

Our research is specifically designed to discover how we can better understand and treat IPF, a condition that can drastically impact lung health. With only two current treatments on the market, it would be a paradigm shifting change to create a new option for patients using the power of exosomes. We look forward to partnering with the talented team at AGC Biologics Milan to explore feasibility, said Principal Investigator, Dr. Yu Fujita from The Jikei University School of Medicine.

To learn more about AGC Biologics global cell therapy services visit www.agcbio.com/capabilities/cell-therapy, go to www.agcbio.com/capabilities/viral-vector and learn more about the CDMOs viral vector offerings.

About AGC Biologics

AGC Biologics is a leading global biopharmaceutical Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) with a strong commitment to delivering the highest standard of service as we work side-by-side with our clients and partners, every step of the way. We provide world-class development and manufacture of mammalian and microbial-based therapeutic proteins, plasmid DNA (pDNA), messenger RNA (mRNA), viral vectors, and genetically engineered cells. Our global network spans the U.S., Europe, and Asia, with cGMP-compliant facilities in Seattle, Washington; Boulder and Longmont, Colorado; Copenhagen, Denmark; Heidelberg, Germany; Milan, Italy; and Chiba, Japan and we currently employ more than 2,000 employees worldwide. Our commitment to continuous innovation fosters the technical creativity to solve our clients most complex challenges, including specialization in fast-track projects and rare diseases. AGC Biologics is the partner of choice. To learn more, visit www.agcbio.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230403005743/en/

Nick McDonald

AGC Biologics

Email: [email protected]

Mobile: (425) 419-3555

Source: AGC Biologics
LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- AM Best has affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of A (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of a (Excellent) of Jacana Re Limited (Jacana Re) (Guernsey). Jacana Re is a subsidiary of BHL Holdings Limited (BHL), a non-operating holding company. The outlook of these Credit Ratings (ratings) is stable.

The ratings reflect Jacana Res balance sheet strength, which AM Best assesses as very strong, as well as its strong operating performance, limited business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management. In addition, the ratings consider, in the form of lift, Jacana Res strategic importance to its parent company, BHL, as the groups internal reinsurer.

Jacana Res balance sheet strength is underpinned by its risk-adjusted capitalisation, which was at the strongest level at year-end 2022, as measured by Bests Capital Adequacy Ratio (BCAR). The balance sheet strength assessment reflects the companys conservative investment portfolio, which supports its excellent liquidity position, and the absence of retrocession dependence, as all risks are retained fully. In 2022, the company received a capital injection to support its growing exposure to catastrophe risk in Australia.

Jacana Re has a track record of strong operating performance, evidenced by a five-year (fiscal-years 2018-2022) weighted average combined ratio and weighted average return-on-equity ratio of 86.6% and 18.6%, respectively. Jacana Res performance reflects the companys strong underwriting discipline across the underlying books of business that it reinsures. Investment income makes a small, albeit positive, contribution to overall earnings.

Jacana Re was established in Bermuda in March 2004 as an internal reinsurer of the BHL group and re-domiciled to Guernsey in 2013. The majority of the risks underwritten by Jacana Re stem from South Africa, with a smaller portion derived from Australia. The entity is used by BHL as a risk management tool, retaining 100% of risks ceded from insurance companies of the BHL group and its ultimate shareholders. Jacana Res business profile assessment is constrained somewhat by the operations and strategic decisions of the BHL group in terms of geographic diversification, premium volume and lines of business underwritten.

This press release relates to Credit Ratings that have been published on AM Bests website. For all rating information relating to the release and pertinent disclosures, including details of the office responsible for issuing each of the individual ratings referenced in this release, please see AM Bests Recent Rating Activity web page. For additional information regarding the use and limitations of Credit Rating opinions, please view Guide to Bests Credit Ratings. For information on the proper use of Bests Credit Ratings, Bests Performance Assessments, Bests Preliminary Credit Assessments and AM Best press releases, please view Guide to Proper Use of Bests Ratings & Assessments.

AM Best is a global credit rating agency, news publisher and data analytics provider specialising in the insurance industry. Headquartered in the United States, the company does business in over 100 countries with regional offices in London, Amsterdam, Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore and Mexico City. For more information, visit www.ambest.com.

Copyright  2023 by A.M. Best Rating Services, Inc. and/or its affiliates. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

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Katharine Campkin

Financial Analyst

+44 20 7397 4383

[email protected]

Christopher Sharkey

Associate Director, Public Relations

+1 908 439 2200, ext. 5159

[email protected]

Tim Prince

Director

+44 20 7397 0320

[email protected]

Al Slavin

Senior Public Relations Specialist

+1 908 439 2200, ext. 5098

[email protected]

Source: AM Best
ORANGE, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- AVANGRID, Inc. (NYSE: AGR) will be releasing its first quarter 2023 financial results on Tuesday, April 25, 2023, after the market closes in a news release to be posted to the Investors section of the companys website at www.avangrid.com/wps/portal/avangrid/Investors. The company will issue an advisory news release over Business Wire the evening of April 25th, which will include a link to the financial results news release on the companys website.

In conjunction with the earnings release, AVANGRID will conduct a webcast conference call with financial analysts on Wednesday, April 26, 2023, beginning at 10:00 A.M. ET. AVANGRIDs Executive team will present an overview of the financial results followed by a question and answer session.

Interested parties, including analysts, investors and the media, may listen to a live audio-only webcast by accessing a link located in the Investors section of AVANGRIDs website at www.avangrid.com/wps/portal/avangrid/Investors.

About AVANGRID: AVANGRID, Inc. (NYSE: AGR) aspires to be the leading sustainable energy company in the United States. Headquartered in Orange, CT with approximately $41 billion in assets and operations in 24 U.S. states, AVANGRID has two primary lines of business: networks and renewables. Through its networks business, AVANGRID owns and operates eight electric and natural gas utilities, serving more than 3.3 million customers in New York and New England. Through its renewables business, AVANGRID owns and operates a portfolio of renewable energy generation facilities across the United States. AVANGRID employs more than 7,500 people and has been recognized by JUST Capital in 2021, 2022 and 2023 as one of the JUST 100 companies  a ranking of Americas best corporate citizens. In 2023, AVANGRID ranked first within the utility sector for its commitment to the environment. The company supports the U.N.s Sustainable Development Goals and was named among the Worlds Most Ethical Companies in 2023 for the fifth consecutive year by the Ethisphere Institute. AVANGRID is a member of the group of companies controlled by Iberdrola, S.A. For more information, visit www.avangrid.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230404005842/en/

Analysts: Alvaro Ortega 207-629-7412

Source: AVANGRID, Inc.
The transaction deepens BearingPoints Salesforce expertise in the UK, enhancing core client services and building upon its unique market position.

AMSTERDAM--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- European management and technology consultancy BearingPoint announced it has acquired London-based specialist Salesforce consulting company, Smplicity. As a registered Salesforce Partner, Smplicity offers clients a range of services to help deliver strategic and business improvement projects through the use of the Salesforce platform.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230404005194/en/

European management and technology consultancy BearingPoint has acquired London-based specialist Salesforce consulting company, Smplicity. (Photo: Business Wire)

With the transaction, a team of highly skilled experts will join BearingPoint, bringing with them extensive experience across diverse sectors such as Insurance, Retail, Media, and Publishing. BearingPoint is proud to have a unique offering in this space; leveraging the deep industry expertise of its team, combined with its Customer Experience (CX) First methodology. The addition of the Smplicity team will further support BearingPoints ability to act as a nimble, trusted partner, and deliver tailored solutions that meet clients' specific needs  building great Salesforce experiences together.

I am delighted to welcome the Smplicity team to the BearingPoint family. Their proven track record in delivering Salesforce solutions to their clients complements BearingPoints existing Salesforce practice, and will enhance our strong position in this space. With this acquisition, we are continuing to invest in our Salesforce growth plans, with the combined practice of BearingPoint and Smplicity strengthening our delivery of a comprehensive suite of services and expertise to support our clients ambitions.  Kiumars Hamidian, Managing Partner, BearingPoint.

This acquisition demonstrates the commitment of BearingPoint in developing its Salesforce capabilities, investing in deep expertise and capabilities to support its existing market presence.

With our shared vision and values, I am confident that the Smplicity team will fit seamlessly into BearingPoint. We will continue to focus on delivering leading solutions that meet the needs of our clients, and I look forward to further building our joint Salesforce capabilities.  Goolshun Belut, CEO, Smplicity.

With a continued focus on growth in the UK, and particularly for our Salesforce practice, the experience that Smplicity has in this space is a fantastic fit for BearingPoint  both strategically and culturally. BearingPoints deep industry knowledge  combined with the technical expertise of the team  positions us uniquely in this market, and the addition of Smplicity is truly exciting.  Eric Conway, GROW Regional Leader, BearingPoint.

The BearingPoint Capital team led and supported the acquisition, leading on preliminary due diligence, M&A negotiations and associated completion deliverables.

About BearingPoint

BearingPoint is an independent management and technology consultancy with European roots and a global reach. The company operates in three business units: Consulting, Products, and Capital. Consulting covers the advisory business with a clear focus on selected business areas. Products provides IP-driven digital assets and managed services for business-critical processes. Capital delivers M&A and transaction services.

BearingPoints clients include many of the worlds leading companies and organizations. The firm has a global consulting network with more than 13,000 people and supports clients in over 70 countries, engaging with them to achieve measurable and sustainable success.

For more information, please visit:

Homepage: www.bearingpoint.com

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/bearingpoint

Twitter: @BearingPoint

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230404005194/en/

Press

Alexander Bock

Global Senior Manager Communications

Telephone: +49 89 540338029

E-Mail: [email protected]

Source: BearingPoint
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Behavox, the leading provider of AI-driven compliance solutions, is making its Benchmark Test Datasets available to the industry. The datasets, mapped to specific risks and regulations, are designed to simplify the evaluation process for compliance professionals, monitors, and auditors, while ensuring the effectiveness of their surveillance programs.

The Behavox Benchmark Datasets were created by over 200 compliance professionals and have been carefully reviewed. They incorporate enforcement cases and years of experience, offering a robust dataset for evaluating the performance of AI solutions and lexicon scenarios.

These datasets are accompanied by detailed instructions on how to perform outcomes analysis and calculate recall and precision metrics. The release follows the launch of Behavox LLM, the most powerful domain-specific and task-specific AI for compliance surveillance, delivering unprecedented accuracy of compliance alerts. Behavox LLM captures 84% of risk phrases in the Behavox Benchmark Datasets, compared to mid-teens for lexicon scenarios.

Alex Glasman, Chief Data Scientist at Behavox, said, "Sharing Benchmark Test Datasets is considered best practice in AI, and it is a crucial part of rolling out AI responsibly. By making our Benchmark Test Datasets available, we aim to encourage collaboration and transparency across the industry, as well as improve the overall effectiveness of compliance surveillance."

Fahreen Kurji, Chief Customer Intelligence Officer at Behavox, added, "For years, the industry has been grappling with inconsistent evaluation methodologies for surveillance programs, with the main pain point being the creation of planted content. With Behavox releasing its Benchmark Datasets, planted content can now be done as simply as copy and paste."

With this announcement, Behavox invites consulting firms, regulators, academia, financial institutions, and auditors to review, use, and contribute to the Behavox Benchmark test dataset.

To experience AI for Compliance live in action, join Behavox on April 6th in NYC at their AI Summit. See how and why we have outperformed ChatGPT and learn more about explainable and effective AI compliance solutions.

About Behavox Ltd.

Behavox, the leading provider of AI-driven compliance solutions.

As a market leader in the application of Artificial Intelligence to monitoring of text and voice communications, Behavoxs software protects companies and their employees from bad actors engaged in illegal and malicious activities.

Compliance, surveillance, legal and SOC teams rely on Behavox software to reduce false positives and increase detection rate across a broad range of risks. There are many solutions to protect companies from outside risks; Behavox protects companies from inside risks.

Founded in 2014, Behavox is headquartered in Montreal and has offices in New York City, London, Seattle, Singapore, and Tokyo.

More information about the company is available at www.behavox.com

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230404005849/en/

[email protected]

Source: Behavox
BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- BXP (NYSE: BXP), the largest publicly traded developer, owner, and manager of premier workplaces in the United States, announced today that it will release financial results for the first quarter on Tuesday, April 25, 2023, after the close of trading on the NYSE. BXP will host a conference call and webcast on Wednesday, April 26, 2023, at 10:00 A.M. Eastern Time, to discuss the financial results and provide an update on BXP.

Participants who would like to join the call and ask a question may register here to receive the dial-in numbers and a unique PIN to access the call. There will also be a live audio, listen-only webcast of the call, which may be accessed in the Investors section of BXPs website.

Shortly after the call, a replay of the call will be available on BXPs website for up to twelve months.

ABOUT BXP

BXP (NYSE: BXP) is the largest publicly traded developer, owner, and manager of premier workplaces in the United States, concentrated in six dynamic gateway markets - Boston, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington, DC. BXP has delivered places that power progress for our clients and communities for more than 50 years. BXP is a fully integrated real estate company, organized as a real estate investment trust (REIT). As of December 31, 2022, including properties owned by unconsolidated joint ventures, BXPs portfolio totaled 54.1 million square feet and 194 properties, including 13 properties under construction/redevelopment. For more information about BXP, please visit our website or follow us on LinkedIn or Instagram.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230404006067/en/

AT BXP

Helen Han

Vice President, Investor Relations

[email protected]

Source: BXP
PrecivityAD2 blood test matches up in amyloid detection to CSF testing and amyloid PET in real-world study of patients with cognitive impairment presenting to primary care

Precivity-related blood biomarkers have high accuracy in the cognitively unimpaired population

ST. LOUIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- C2N Diagnostics, a leader in advanced brain health diagnostics, announced the presentation of two research studies at the AD/PD 2023 International Conference on Alzheimers and Parkinsons Diseases and related neurological disorders that bolster the role of the Precivity-related blood biomarkers (BBM) to help healthcare providers determine the presence or absence of amyloid plaques in the brain, a hallmark sign of Alzheimers disease (AD). These findings underscore the ability of the Precivity-related BBM to help clinicians with the diagnosis of AD in cognitively impaired patients as well as risk prediction in unimpaired individuals.

PrecivityAD2 blood test shows robust accuracy in real-world study

Dr. Sebastian Palmqvist and Dr. Oskar Hansson, neurologists with Skane University Hospital and Lund University in Sweden, used the PrecivityAD2 blood test (Research Use Only) that relies on precise mass spectrometry-based measurements of two key plasma proteins (p-tau and amyloid beta) implicated in AD. The blood test reports out plasma p-tau217 Ratio (phospho-Tau217 / non-phospho-tau217) and plasma A42/40 Ratio measures as well as the Amyloid Probability Score 2 (APS2) derived from a pre-established regression model based on those ratio measures. The APS2 results determine whether a patient is positive or negative for brain amyloid plaques based on a binary cutoff value.

The study included 307 patients (average age of 76 years old) with symptoms of cognitive impairment evaluated within primary care sites in Sweden. All patients received the PrecivityAD2 blood test as well as cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis or an amyloid positron emission tomography (PET) scan. The Precivity-related BBM showed robust discrimination between amyloid positive and amyloid negative patients using CSF or PET biomarkers as the reference tests. In particular, the AUC of 0.91 (95% CI 0.88-0.94) for p-tau217 Ratio and AUC of 0.94 (95% CI 0.92-0.97) for the APS2 result were noted. Furthermore, the investigators work showed that primary care physicians (PCPs) without use of the blood test diagnosed only 60% of symptomatic AD correctly, leading to overdiagnosis in 23% and underdiagnosis in 17% of patients.

Dr. Palmqvist says, The primary care physicians diagnosis certainty with standard of care only was low, which highlights that they are completely aware that currently available diagnostic tools in primary care are not adequate. The results weve seen so far indicate that this can radically change with a blood test for AD. The blood biomarkers showed robust clinical validity and accuracy among patients with comorbidities known to interfere with the performance of plasma. The PrecivityAD2 data represent the highest correlation data Ive seen for a blood test against corresponding CSF biomarkers.

Precivity-related BBM accurately identify amyloid pathology and predict clinical decline in cognitively unimpaired individuals

In a separate study, Karly Cody, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Alzheimers Disease Research Center, found that in a cognitively unimpaired population of 281 individuals, the PrecivityAD2 blood test with the APS2 score had the highest diagnostic accuracy (AUC~96%) for detecting brain amyloid among other BBM studied alone or in combination.

As an extension of this study, 291 cognitively unimpaired individuals (average age 59) received blood tests and longitudinal cognitive follow-up (mean 8.2 years) to examine the associations of plasma biomarkers with cognitive status over time. When compared against the other individual biomarkers, an elevated value for the p-tau217 ratio (an integral component of the PrecivityAD2 blood test) was the best biomarker for predicting cognitive decline.

We congratulate our collaborators from Skane University Hospital, Lund University and University of Wisconsin for their outstanding work to further validate C2Ns blood tests in a variety of important clinical applications. These research findings add to the quality and number of Precivity-related biomarker measures we have reported through peer-reviewed publications, which now stands at approximately 10,000, says Dr. Joel Braunstein, CEO of C2N Diagnostics. Both studies reinforce the perspective of the 2022 Clinical Trials On Alzheimer's Disease Task Force report on the characteristics of an ideal blood biomarker. This means blood biomarkers with prospectively defined endpoints, validation across multiple different independent cohorts, suitability for use in primary care, and the ability to help with both diagnosis and risk prediction. In particular, Dr. Palmqvists work highlights that as AD-specific treatments are approved and become widely accessible, the need for detection and accurate diagnosis will be amplified.

About C2N Diagnostics, LLC

CN Diagnostics is a specialty diagnostics company with a vision to bring Clarity Through Innovation. CN strives to provide exceptional laboratory services and products in the field of brain health. CNs high-resolution mass spectrometry-based biomarker services and products are used for: clinical decision-making to improve patient care, including diagnosis and treatment monitoring; maximizing the quality and efficiency of clinical trials that test novel treatments for neurodegeneration; and providing innovative tools to help healthcare researchers better understand novel mechanisms of disease, identify new treatment targets, and conduct important epidemiologic studies to improve global public health. The company acknowledges generous support from National Institute on Aging, GHR Foundation, Alzheimers Drug Discovery Foundation, BrightFocus Foundation and Alzheimers Association. For more information visit www.C2N.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230404006012/en/

COMPANY CONTACT:

Joni Henderson

Director of Marketing, Outreach and Strategic Growth

C2N Diagnostics

[email protected]

571-355-3371

MEDIA CONTACT:

Adam Shapiro

[email protected]

202-427-3603

Source: C2N Diagnostics
April 12 cliff-edge for entrepreneur fighting for return of $22 million in crypto assets, currently subject to a freezing order by the BVI court

Arman Oyekenov alleges the funds were stolen by Julian Svirsky and Denis Donin, his former partners in the crypto real estate fund Tensigma. The funds are frozen pending resolution of the dispute

Oyekenov warns the approaching Shanghai upgrade  a technical upgrade that increases users direct control over their staked ether funds  will empower the pair to abscond with more than $10 million of the disputed funds

Tensigma assets worth over $6m have allegedly already been stolen and hidden. Judge previously noted real risk of Svirksy and Donin dissipating their assets in order to frustrate any judgment against them

Svirsky worked previously for Renaissance Capital, BNP Paribas and Sberbank

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- A renowned Kazakh entrepreneur says he is fighting against time for the return of crypto assets worth millions of dollars, after they were allegedly misappropriated by his former business partners.

Arman Oyekenov claims that imminent changes in the way certain funds in the Ethereum network are housed will give Julian Svirsky, an American-Russian banker who formerly worked at Renaissance Capital, the opportunity to flee with millions of dollars in stolen money, despite an international court order freezing the disputed funds.

The case is being closely watched by legal experts and raises important questions about the ability of regulators, the courts and the criminal authorities to combat fraud and money-laundering on crypto networks. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and other agencies are being alerted about the case.

Oyekenov, a one-third owner of Tensigma, established the crypto real estate business with Svirsky and Denis Donin before suing the pair for alleged fraud. In May 2021, the British Virgin Islands High Court (Commercial Division) granted a worldwide freezing order prohibiting Svirsky and Donin from dealing with the assets of Tensigma Limited up to the value of $23 million. The freezing order was continued in December 2021 and remains in force today.

In apparent breach of the freezing injunction, more than $6.2 million of cryptocurrency has since been stolen and funnelled through cryptocurrency mixers, rendering efforts to trace the Bitcoin and Ethereum almost impossible.

Tensigmas only remaining cryptocurrency asset, worth about $10 million, is Ethereum staked on the Beacon Deposit Contract. The so-called Shanghai Upgrade to the Ethereum platform, scheduled for April 12, allows holders to unstake their assets for the first time. Parties will be watching closely what happens to the staked Ethereum at that point.

CANDEY LLC in New York has been instructed to refer Julian Svirsky and Denis Donin to the US criminal authorities for extradition to the United States on charges of wire fraud and theft.

Background  ICO to shareholder dispute

The funds at the centre of this dispute were raised through an initial coin offering in late 2017 in connection with the Atlant.io platform and two ventures known as uvas.com and karta.com.

Oyekenov is a one-third owner of Tensigma and claims that the theft and appropriation of cryptocurrency by Svirsky and Donin has resulted in the destruction of his shareholder value. Tensigma is now in liquidation.

In their Defence, Svirsky and Donin say that Oyekenov obtained his shareholding in Tensigma through coercion and was only an employee. It is also alleged the cryptocurrency no longer belongs to Tensigma having been transferred to a Gibraltar company named Digital Asset Exchange Limited for $559,279 in July 2020. Oyekenov refutes the claim that he was merely an employee and alleges that DAE transaction was a sham transaction, as the true value of the cryptocurrency was millions of dollars.

Freezing Injunction  Mr. Svirsky and Mr Donin are ready to lie

In reaching his decision to grant the worldwide freezing injunction, Mr Justice Gerhard Wallbank commented that:

If it is right, as it appears to be, that Mr. Svirsky and Mr Donin are ready to lie about the position of the Claimant within their business, and basically to try and mislead the Court into pretending that the Claimant was a mere employee as opposed to a partner. If thats right, and on the documents it appears to be right. []

They also have, reading those text messages, what I think can best be called a macho vulgarity in the obscenity of their language that they use between them such that they seem to be rather crude individuals. I dont think for one moment that theyd lose sleep over putting assets a few steps further, may using nominees to pretend that they dont have them.

Appeals

Svirsky and Donin have appealed various orders in the proceedings including the grant of the freezing injunction itself. The appeals are due to be heard by the Eastern Caribbean Court of Appeal in May 2023.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230404005094/en/

Media enquiries:

Palatine Communications: Conal Walsh / Victoria Fell

[email protected]

Source: CANDEY LLC
A nuclear-powered U.S. aircraft carrier with a full-load displacement of over 100,000 long tons is expected to dock in Busan next month as North Korea ramps up provocations.

The Nimitz-class carrier arrives as South Korea is conducting joint military drills with the U.S. and other allies in response to the North's latest launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile and short-range missiles earlier this month.

"We are in discussions with the U.S. about a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier docking late next month and staying here until early April," a military source said Thursday. "It will take part in a ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of the South Korea-U.S. alliance and various operations."
The DiversiTree Project is Designed to Help Create Allergy-Friendly Environments by Balancing Tree Populations with More Pollen-Free Female Trees

WHIPPANY, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Fighting rising pollen levels, one female tree at a time! Today, Claritin, the #1 doctor-recommended non-drowsy oral allergy OTC brand from Bayer, announced the launch of The DiversiTree Project, an initiative designed to help fight rising pollen levels through the planting of female trees. Many tree species have separate male and female trees, and for those species, the male trees are the ones that produce some of the pollen that causes allergy symptoms for as many as 60 million Americans. Female trees, however, do not produce any pollen and are not of allergenic concern.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230404005826/en/

DiversiTree Project (Photo: Business Wire)

According to a 2022 study published in Nature Communications1, pollen concentrations are expected to more than double by the end of this century. Claritin aims to help offset rising pollen levels by planting female trees throughout the country.

Kicking off the initiative this spring, Claritin sponsored female tree planting events in public parks and city streets to help restore botanical balance. The brand launched the Project by hosting female tree planting events in two cities ranked by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America as some of the most challenging places to live with allergies, New Orleans, LA and Richmond, VA.

With The DiversiTree Project, Claritin is on a mission to help reduce pollen levels and restore botanical balance, said Catherine Vennat, VP GM Upper Respiratory at Bayer. Through female tree plantings in cities across the country, were aiming to help communities one tree at a time and are committed to research within the field of plant science, all with the goal of having everyone enjoy the outdoors every day.

As part of The DiversiTree Project, the brand is conducting a study in partnership with Dr. Dan Katz, a Senior Research Associate at the School of Integrative Plant Science at Cornell University. A report with the study results will be released on April 7. The study, funded by the makers of Claritin, examines the potential for planting low pollen trees, including female trees, to reduce airborne pollen concentrations in New York City over the next 50 years.

There's rising interest in creating low-allergen cities. Avoiding high-pollen trees could be an important part of the solution and for some species, that means planting female trees instead of males, stated Katz. "I look forward to working alongside Claritin to use insights from our joint study to better understand the role of tree planting in reducing allergenic pollen exposure."

The makers of Claritin are also encouraging the public to be part of the change and are partnering with The Arbor Day Foundation and its Community Canopy program to plant more female trees. We are spreading the word across the nation and getting more female trees planted.

For more information about Claritin and The DiversiTree Project, visit www.Claritin.com.

About Bayer

Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the life science fields of health care and nutrition. Its products and services are designed to help people and the planet thrive by supporting efforts to master the major challenges presented by a growing and aging global population. Bayer is committed to drive sustainable development and generate a positive impact with its businesses. At the same time, the Group aims to increase its earning power and create value through innovation and growth. The Bayer brand stands for trust, reliability and quality throughout the world. In fiscal 2021, the Group employed around 100,000 people and had sales of 44.1 billion euros. R&D expenses before special items amounted to 5.3 billion euros. For more information, go to www.bayer.com.

________________________

1 Zhang, Y., & Steiner, A. L. (2022). Projected climate-driven changes in pollen emission season length and magnitude over the continental United States. Nature Communications. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-28764-0

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230404005826/en/

Press: Denise Vitola [email protected]

Source: Bayer
CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Equity Commonwealth (NYSE: EQC) announced today that the company will release its first quarter 2023 operating results on Wednesday, May 3, 2023, after the close of trading. A conference call to discuss those results will be held on Thursday, May 4, 2023, at 9:00 am Central Time. The conference call will be available via live audio webcast on the Investor Relations section of the companys website (www.eqcre.com). A replay of the audio webcast will also be available following the call.

About Equity Commonwealth

Equity Commonwealth (NYSE: EQC) is a Chicago based, internally managed and self-advised real estate investment trust (REIT) with commercial office properties in the United States. EQCs portfolio is comprised of 4 properties totaling 1.5 million square feet.

Regulation FD Disclosures

We use any of the following to comply with our disclosure obligations under Regulation FD: press releases, SEC filings, public conference calls, or our website. We routinely post important information on our website at www.eqcre.com, including information that may be deemed to be material. We encourage investors and others interested in the company to monitor these distribution channels for material disclosures.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230404005764/en/

Bill Griffiths, (312) 646-2801

Source: Equity Commonwealth
Veteran Strategic Growth Entrepreneur, Gwen Hall, Joins Factor to Lead Award-Winning Enterprise Information Architecture Consultancy

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- As the company celebrates its 10-year anniversary, Factor, the award-winning Information Architecture (IA) and taxonomy consultancy, announced the appointment of veteran consulting executive, Gwen Hall, as its first-ever CEO. Ms. Hall joins Factor after 20+ years with global consulting firm Point B, where she most recently was responsible for the growth of its Life Sciences practice to annual revenues of $13M in five years.

Hall takes the leadership reins from co-founders, Bram Wessel and Gary Carlson, and will focus on developing and implementing strategic growth and brand building initiatives as the company moves into its second decade. Wessel and Carlson will now focus on what they do best, advancing the field of information architecture by creating a definitive methodology and practice, and developing the next generation of Factor leaders. Halls first week involves meeting the leaders of the firms field at The IA Conference in New Orleans. She will remain based in Seattle.

As we have grown and are celebrating our 10-year anniversary, it became clear that we needed an established leader with a proven track record of growth and innovation, as well as someone with an abundance of genuine empathya natural understanding of human information experiences, explained Wessel and Carlson in a joint statement.

Factor was founded by Wessel and Carlson in early 2013 to explore the power of a human-centered design approach to enterprise-scale information strategy. Factor challenges organizations to shift the way they think about their business, including experiences, technology, and information, both internally and externally. Factor believes every organization has an Information Layer that is foundational to extracting value from data in increasingly complex and information-dense environments.

I was attracted to Factors focus on data to transform an organization. In the era of Digital Transformation their capabilities are essential to the success of our clients. Also, their emphasis on quality delivery and their employees was a corporate culture that I was seeking, said Hall. Im grateful for Bram and Garys trust, and for the warm welcome I received from the entire Factor team.

In addition to her experience as a strategic and results-driven leader with a focus on helping organizations grow and transform to reach their full potential, Halls entrepreneurial spirit extends into her personal life, where she is a co-owner of a Home Services company and a Sniffspott host, enabling dogs and their owners to have a safe place to roam.

Finally, to further celebrate its 10th anniversary, Factor is sponsoring the aforementioned IA Conference, particularly its student scholarship initiative. The company will also launch a new series of content to help organizations unlock the value of their enterprise data.

About Factor

Factor is an Information Architecture consultancy that helps organizations extract value from their data, content, and information. Factor brings a human-centered design approach to its expertise in enterprise information management, complex data structures, and data governance. The company partners with clients to ensure the success of their enterprise digital transformation initiatives, including Search Optimization, Knowledge Management, Marketing Automation, Advanced Analytics, Findability, and Personalization. For more information visit www.factorfirm.com or email [email protected].

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230404005978/en/

Bram Wessel

[email protected]

Source: Factor
NASHVILLE, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- FB Financial Corporation (FB Financial or the Company) (NYSE: FBK) announced today that it will release its 2023 first quarter results of operations on Monday, April 17, 2023, after the close of market trading. The Company will host a conference call at 8:00 a.m. Central Time on Tuesday, April 18, 2023, to discuss its first quarter results of operations. For investors or analysts who want to attend the call, the dial-in number is 877-883-0383, confirmation code 3946795. A telephonic replay will be available approximately two hours after the call through April 25, 2023, by dialing 877-344-7529 and entering confirmation code 9142688.

A live online broadcast of FB Financials conference call will also begin at 8:00 a.m. Central Time, on Tuesday, April 18, 2023, at FBK 1Q23 Webcast. An online replay will be available on the Companys website approximately two hours after the conclusion of the call and will remain available for 12 months.

ABOUT FB FINANCIAL CORPORATION

FB Financial Corporation (NYSE: FBK) is a financial holding company headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee. FB Financial Corporation operates through its wholly owned banking subsidiary, FirstBank with 82 full-service bank branches across Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama and North Georgia, and mortgage offices across the Southeast. FirstBank has approximately $12.8 billion in total assets.

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MEDIA CONTACT:

Jeanie M. Rittenberry

615-313-8328

[email protected]

www.firstbankonline.com

FINANCIAL CONTACT:

Michael Mettee

615-564-1212

[email protected]

[email protected]

Source: FB Financial Corporation
- $10,000 to $20,000 grants will be awarded to 75 businesses

- Applications are open until April 28, 2023

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Fearless Fund and the Tory Burch Foundation opened applications for the third cohort of the Women of Color Grant Program. The program will award 75 women of color-owned small businesses with $10,000 and $20,000 grants, access to a self-paced learning portal and peer-to-peer community networking.

Applications are open until Friday, April 28. To learn more about the program and how to apply, visit the Fearless Fund's website at https://www.fearless.fund/tory-burch-foundation. Accepted grantees will be notified in July 2023.

While the number of women-owned businesses continues to rise, due to funding disparities, only 2% of women-owned startups generate $1 million in revenue; men are 3.5 times more likely to achieve this number. The Woman of Color Grant Program was created to help women of color entrepreneurs gain access to much-needed capital, and this year's grant program marks another significant step in advancing women's empowerment, entrepreneurship, and reducing racial inequalities.

About Fearless Fund:

Launched in 2019, Fearless Fund invests in WOC-led businesses seeking pre-seed, seed level, or series A financing. Its mission is to bridge the gap in venture capital funding for female founders of color building scalable, growth-aggressive companies. The Fearless Fund team also runs The Fearless Foundation, a 501c3 organization with a goal to educate entrepreneurs through training, reduce racial inequities, and empower African-Americans to gain access to capital, as well as the Get Ready Venture Program, a 12-month training program for WOC business owners to acquire the needed training, mentorship, knowledge, and skills needed to gain access to capital. For more information on Fearless Fund, please visit www.fearless.fund.

About Tory Burch Foundation:

The Tory Burch Foundation empowers women and women entrepreneurs in the United States by providing access to capital, education and digital resources: the Fellows Program has provided over $1,200,000 in grants to help women grow their businesses; the Tory Burch Capital Program, powered by Bank of America has distributed over $95 million dollars in loans to nearly 5,500 women entrepreneurs; and each month, the Foundations Women of Color Grant program has deployed $2.2M funding in partnership with Fearless Fund; the Foundation provides online tools and digital education to more than 600,000 women and more than 12,000 women have created their business plans on the digital destination ToryBurchFoundation.org.

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LaShay Price at [email protected] or (803)404-9414

Source: Fearless Fund
WATSONVILLE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Granite (NYSE: GVA) has been awarded an approximately $126 million contract by Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC) Pacific for the construction of buildings and infrastructure which will support the relocation of U.S. Marines to Marine Corps Base (MCB) Camp Blaz, Guam, USA. The project will be funded by NAVFAC Pacific and be included in Granites 2023 first-quarter CAP.

Granite's work involves constructing three buildings, totaling more than 110,000 square feet, and site infrastructure related to the relocation of U.S. Marines to Guam from Okinawa, Japan. The project encompasses a warehouse for battalion equipment storage, a climate-controlled space for electronic equipment maintenance and support of battalion vehicles, an automotive organizational shop for the upkeep and support of battalion vehicles, a reinforced concrete four-bay vehicle wash rack, and a reinforced concrete vehicle holding shed for vehicles awaiting repairs and service.

This strategic win is a result of Granite's Federal Division's more than a decade-long work in Guam, supporting initiatives to strengthen our home market and promoting our client-centric culture, said Granite VP of Regional Operations, Curt Haldeman. This project diversifies our Federal portfolio, and we are extremely excited to continue our partnership with NAVFAC and strengthen our commitment to the Department of Defense's Guam buildup initiative.

The project will begin in April 2023 and is expected to be completed by December 2025.

About Granite

Granite is Americas Infrastructure Company. Incorporated in 1922, Granite (NYSE: GVA) is one of the largest diversified construction and construction materials companies in the United States as well as a full-suite provider in the transportation, water infrastructure, and mineral exploration markets. Granites Code of Conduct and strong Core Values guide the Company and its more than 6,000 employees to uphold the highest ethical standards. In addition to being one of the Worlds Most Ethical Companies for ten consecutive years, Granite is an industry leader in safety and an award-winning firm in quality and sustainability. For more information, visit graniteconstruction.com, and connect with Granite on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

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Media

Erin Kuhlman - 831-768-4111

Investors

Wenjun Xu - 831-761-7861

Source: Granite
NEEDHAM, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- International Data Corporation (IDC) has published its first-ever forecast for the performance intensive computing as a service (PICaaS) market. IDC projects that the total worldwide PICaaS market will grow from $22.3 billion in 2021 to $103.1 billion in 2027 with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) or 27.9% over the 2022-2027 forecast period.

IDC recognizes the performance-intensive computing as a service market as a fast-developing category of the public cloud services offerings with end users leveraging the advantages of special cloud technology to run mathematically intensive computations. Mathematically intensive computations are typically found in artificial intelligence (AI), high-performance computing (HPC), Big Data and analytics (BDA), and engineering/technical use cases.

The percentage that the PICaaS market represents of the total $241.3 billion as-a-service market for 2022 is 12.5%. The PICaaS market encompasses revenue generated by cloud service providers for compute, storage, and software offerings within their infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS), platform-as-a-service (PaaS), and software-as-a-service (SaaS) portfolio for AI, BDA, HPC, and engineering/technical workloads.

The BDA as a service market segment will remain the predominant contributor to the overall market throughout the forecast period, followed by AI as a service. The HPC-as-a-service market segment shows the highest growth rate, followed by AI, and then engineering/technical workloads.

Drivers for the market growth, according to IDC, are:

Performance-intensive computing goes mainstream and is increasingly considered mission critical

A growing number of enterprises identify themselves as digital businesses

But the market is also hampered by several inhibitors:

Complexity in managing hybrid technologies and lack of HPC talent within enterprises

Transferring of PIC workloads from the public cloud back into dedicated IT environments

Disrupted IT spending plans (due to supply chain issues, labor shortages, economic slowdown, and geopolitical tensions)

IDC recommends that suppliers:

Formulate an end-to-end bundled performance-intensive computing as a service product offering

Demonstrate a secure and compliant cloud infrastructure

Segment prospects by their level of enterprise intelligence and communicate on early vendor engagement opportunities and cost transparency

Align teams with performance-intensive computing capabilities and demonstrate abilities to work with evolving roles such as chief data officer

Be a trusted advisor of hybrid deployment models for performance-intensive computing workloads, offer multicloud support, and showcase a strong partner ecosystem

"IDC is projecting significant growth in the performance-intensive computing as a service market, which measures the revenue that providers generate from offering compute instances, storage, and software for Big Data and analytics, AI, HPC, and engineering/technical workloads," said Madhumitha Sathish, research manager, Performance Intensive Computing as a Service at IDC. "These workloads all demand more advanced technologies, and cloud service providers are investing heavily to capture market share in a market that will grow to $103.1 billion by 2027."

The IDC report, Worldwide Performance-Intensive Computing as a Service Forecast, 20232027: Strong Growth for Big Data Analytics, AI, HPC, and Engineering/Technical Workloads (Doc #US50507923), provides IDC's first-ever forecast for the performance-intensive computing as a service (PICaaS) market. The report includes worldwide PICaaS revenue for the 2022-2027 forecast period by segment as well as by percentage of overall as-a-service spending. The forecast includes public cloud, shared tenancy revenue only; IDC plans to size the market for PIC in dedicated cloud in the foreseeable future.

About IDC

International Data Corporation (IDC) is the premier global provider of market intelligence, advisory services, and events for the information technology, telecommunications, and consumer technology markets. With more than 1,300 analysts worldwide, IDC offers global, regional, and local expertise on technology, IT benchmarking and sourcing, and industry opportunities and trends in over 110 countries. IDC's analysis and insight helps IT professionals, business executives, and the investment community to make fact-based technology decisions and to achieve their key business objectives. Founded in 1964, IDC is a wholly owned subsidiary of International Data Group (IDG), the world's leading tech media, data, and marketing services company. To learn more about IDC, please visit www.idc.com. Follow IDC on Twitter at @IDC and LinkedIn. Subscribe to the IDC Blog for industry news and insights.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230404005277/en/

Michael Shirer

508-935-4200

[email protected]

Source: International Data Corporation (IDC)
The organic search leaders latest innovation empowers enterprises with greater content findability and organic search accessibility

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Botify, a leading performance marketing platform for organic search, announces Botify Assist, a collection of ChatGPT-powered tools for the Botify community. This first-of-its-kind offering combines the vast intelligence of the GPT-4 API with Botifys proprietary unified data model, building upon existing core AI functionality to provide additional insight and content recommendations for greater organic search impact. By further unlocking the power of the Botify platform, users will be empowered to make strategic decisions even faster and implement more content ideas at scale  further helping brands be found in this new era of search.

Organic search is quickly becoming the preferred channel by savvy digital marketers. Recent data from Gartner shows that CMOs are choosing to harness the power of organic search to amplify their other online marketing efforts, with a 45% expected investment increase, averaging about 9% of total marketing budget.

Botifys enhanced capabilities will provide a deeper level of analysis and insight that can empower brands with the ability to uncover new opportunities and optimize their content with even greater speed, relevancy and precision. Specifically, with Botify Assist, platform users now have access to:

A personalized search assistant that helps users find information within Botify's platform of over 1,000 data points. Users can ask simple questions in plain text, while the tool uses advanced technology to search and provide real-time results without requiring complicated search queries or filters. The user-friendly, chat-like interface makes it easy for anyone to find the answers they need quickly.

that helps users find information within Botify's platform of over 1,000 data points. Users can ask simple questions in plain text, while the tool uses advanced technology to search and provide real-time results without requiring complicated search queries or filters. The user-friendly, chat-like interface makes it easy for anyone to find the answers they need quickly. AI-powered content optimization recommendations to assist content writers in developing the most relevant and impactful web content for ultimate findability. By analyzing pages and the latest search trends, Botify Assist delivers tailored recommendations for enhancing page titles and meta descriptions of the most strategic landing pages, as well as identifying content gaps by recommending additional relevant topics and keywords  driving both sustained visibility and brand authority.

Having already partnered with Microsoft Bing to promote the indexing of their clients most critical site pages in real-time, Botify is now integrating the same generative intelligence supported by Bing to deliver even more value to enterprise teams.

AI is rewriting the rules of organic search, especially how results are sorted and summarized through new Large Language Models. Over time, it will become impossible for enterprise websites to keep pace with change and user demand without AI innovation on their side. By embracing the mission-critical advancements AI innovation brings to search technology, Botify is now delivering essential ChatGPT-enabled capabilities to further enable organic findability with both speed and relevance.

With the introduction of generative AI, brands can respond to shifting consumer trends faster and with greater relevance than ever before, said Adrien Menard, Co-Founder and CEO of Botify. AI has underpinned our innovations from the very beginning, so embracing the promise of ChatGPT was an obvious choice. Having always been at the forefront of organic search innovation, Botify remains committed to defining the industrys future and is thrilled to offer these cutting-edge capabilities to our customers.

About Botify

Botify, a leading performance marketing platform for organic search, strengthens the digital brand experience by creating greater content findability. Using proprietary first-party data, Botify protects and scales organic web traffic by surfacing deeper insights and understanding behind hidden organic search ROIoffering intelligent opportunities to increase relevant search results, profitability and build better brand authority in parallel and at scale.

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Natasha Koleas

PAN Communications

949-397-7582

[email protected]

Source: Botify
Article 223-16 of the General Regulations of the Financial Markets Authority (AMF - Autorite des Marches Financiers)

LYON, France--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Regulatory News:

MaaT Pharma (EURONEXT: MAAT  the Company), a French clinical-stage biotech and a pioneer in the development of Microbiome Ecosystem TherapiesTM (MET) dedicated to improving survival outcomes for patients with cancer, today published the number of shares comprising the share capital and the total number of voting rights (Article L. 233-8 of the French Commercial Code (Code de commerce) and Article 223-16 of the General Regulations of French Autorite des Marches Financiers (AMF)) on March 31, 2023.

Listing place: Euronext Paris

ISIN code: FR0012634822

Website: www.maatpharma.com

Date Total number of shares comprising the share capital Total number of

theoretical voting rights (1) Total number of effective voting rights (2) 03/31/2023 11 547 637 11 547 637 11 547 637

(1) In accordance with Article 223-11 of the AMF General Regulation, this number is calculated on the basis of all shares to which voting rights are attached, including shares whose voting rights have been suspended.

(2) Effective voting rights correspond to the total number of voting rights that may be used at a General Meeting. The total number of effective voting rights is calculated without taking into account the shares with suspended voting rights.

About MaaT Pharma

MaaT Pharma, a clinical stage biotechnology company, has established a complete approach to restoring patient-microbiome symbiosis in oncology. Committed to treating cancer and graft-versus-host disease (GvHD), a serious complication of allogeneic stem cell transplantation, MaaT Pharma has launched, in March 2022, a Phase 3 clinical trial for patients with acute GvHD, following the achievement of its proof of concept in a Phase 2 trial. Its powerful discovery and analysis platform, gutPrint, supports the development and expansion of its pipeline by determining novel disease targets, evaluating drug candidates, and identifying biomarkers for microbiome-related conditions. The companys Microbiome Ecosystem Therapies are produced through a standardized cGMP manufacturing and quality control process to safely deliver the full diversity of the microbiome, in liquid and oral formulations. MaaT Pharma benefits from the commitment of world-leading scientists and established relationships with regulators to support the integration of the use of microbiome therapies in clinical practice.

MaaT Pharma is listed on Euronext Paris (ticker: MAAT).

Forward-looking Statements

All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this press release about future events are subject to (i) change without notice and (ii) factors beyond the Companys control. These statements may include, without limitation, any statements preceded by, followed by or including words such as target, believe, expect, aim, intend, may, anticipate, estimate, plan, project, will, can have, likely, should, would, could and other words and terms of similar meaning or the negative thereof. Forward-looking statements are subject to inherent risks and uncertainties beyond the Companys control that could cause the Companys actual results or performance to be materially different from the expected results or performance expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.

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MaaT Pharma  Investor Relations

Herve AFFAGARD

Co-Founder and CEO

Sian Crouzet, COO/ CFO

+33 4 28 29 14 00

[email protected]

MaaT Pharma  Media Relations

Pauline RICHAUD

Senior PR & Corporate Communications Manager

+33 6 14 06 45 92

[email protected]

Trophic Communications  Corporate and Medical Communications

Jacob VERGHESE or

Gretchen SCHWEITZER

+49 151 7441 6179

[email protected]

Source: MaaT Pharma
Manufacturing Pioneer Adds Kyle Hickey and Michael Polino

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Machina Labs today announced the further expansion of its executive team to include engineering and product veterans Kyle Hickey and Michael Polino. Mr. Hickey is Machinas new Vice President of Engineering and Mr. Polino will serve as Vice President of Product.

Hickey has joined Machina Labs after serving as the VP of Engineering at Sandvik, a multinational engineering company based in Sweden. Sandvik had acquired Artisan Vehicles in 2019, where Hickey played a crucial role in transforming the underground mining sector by creating high-performance mining machines powered by batteries. This move away from diesel has started a significant shift in the industry. Before his time at Artisan, Hickey held various leadership and engineering positions at Ensign-Bickford Aerospace & Defense, Sierra Space (SNC), and other companies. Hickey comes to Machina with extensive experience, illustrated in more than 30 technical patents, in the fields of electric vehicle technology, robotic space flight systems, and heavy industry.

Polino most recently ran the product team at Clutter, a storage and logistics technology company. Starting in 2017, Polino took Clutter from an early-stage service to a nationwide network of automated warehouses doing more than $100 million in revenue. Polino's work at Clutter included launching the storage industry's first online-only and contactless signup experience, along with workforce management software that drove industry-leading damage incident rates. Prior to Clutter, Polino held product management positions at DataScience, a software company acquired by Oracle in 2018. He holds degrees from Harvard University and UCLA Anderson School of Management.

Machina Labs is growing rapidly and on pace to exceed 100 employees later this year.

As Machinas business continues to expand and as we develop new technologies and products, its vital we also grow our roster of talent, expertise, and leadership, said Edward Mehr, CEO of Machina Labs. For these reasons and many more, Im excited to have Kyle and Michael join our team as we continue to redefine the future of manufacturing.

Your Robotic Blacksmith Army

Machina Labs is unlocking the centuries-old manufacturing industry by combining the latest advances in robotics and AI to build the next generation of factories. Machinas capabilities enable rapid iteration and production in days  not months or years  to accelerate design, engineering, and innovation.

About Machina Labs

Founded in 2019 by aerospace and automotive industry veterans, Machina Labs is an advanced manufacturing company based in Los Angeles, California. Enabled by advancements in artificial intelligence and robotics, Machina Labs is developing Software-Defined Factories of the Future. The mission of the company is to develop modular manufacturing solutions that can be reconfigured to manufacture new products simply by changing the software. For more information, please visit https://www.machinalabs.ai/

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Tim Smith

Element Public Relations

[email protected]

415-350-3019

Source: Machina Labs
Germany could follow in Italy's footsteps by blocking ChatGPT over data security concerns, the German commissioner for data protection told the Handelsblatt newspaper in comments published on Monday.

Microsoft-backed MSFT.O OpenAI took ChatGPT offline in Italy on Friday after the national data agency banned the chatbot temporarily and launched an investigation into a suspected breach of privacy rules by the artificial intelligence application.

"In principle, such action is also possible in Germany," Ulrich Kelber said, adding that this would fall under state jurisdiction. He did not, however, outline any such plans.

Kelber said that Germany has requested further information from Italy on its ban. Privacy watchdogs in France and Ireland said they had also contacted the Italian data regulator to discuss its findings.

"We are following up with the Italian regulator to understand the basis for their action and we will coordinate with all EU data protection authorities in relation to this matter," said a spokesperson for Ireland's Data Protection Commissioner (DPC).
SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- This week at the Sea-Air-Space show in National Harbor, Maryland (April 3-5), the Manifest work-instruction platform from Taqtile, Inc. is being demonstrated in the Magic Leap booth (3125). Show attendees will experience how Manifest can assist military staff in the inspection process of complex equipment, such as airplane landing gear.

With a head-mounted display like the Magic Leap 2, the Manifest platform provides instant access to step-by-step work instructions supporting Maintenance, Repair and Operations (MRO), preventative maintenance, and inspection procedures, as well as training initiatives. For extremely complex tasks, the advanced Manifest platform enables access to real-time remote assistance from knowledge experts who can access see-what-I-see video, and guide deskless users with spatially anchored content within the AR environment.

Manifest and the Magic Leap 2 deliver AR-enabled instructions directly to the location of the equipment, resulting in faster and more accurate execution of critical procedures. Through the Manifest platform, military personnel can access essential instructions in intuitive formats, such as step-by-step videos, animated 3D models, detailed holograms, digitized manuals, and other knowledge assets.

The ability for military personnel to access and put to use spatial content within an AR-environment will dramatically increase operational readiness, stated Mr. Kelly Malone, Chief Business Officer, Taqtile. Manifest delivers detailed information directly to the site of the equipment, exactly where the job needs to be done.

About Taqtile

Seattle-based Taqtile equips industrial workers with the tools they need to complete their jobs more efficiently, accurately, and safely. By leveraging proven technologies, including augmented reality, 3D visualization, and real-time collaborative communication, Taqtiles Manifest platform is revolutionizing how deskless workers do their jobs and complete complex tasks. Taqtile is the 2020 Microsoft Mixed Reality Partner of the Year and a proud member of Fast Companys World Changing Ideas list for two consecutive years (2021 and 2022). For more information, please visit https://taqtile.com/.

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Ray Vincenzo

Taqtile

(206) 290-4431

[email protected]

Source: Taqtile, Inc.
Share Buyback Transaction Details March 27  March 31 2023

LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Regulatory News:

MotorK Plc (AMS: MTRK) (MotorK or the Group") announces today that it has purchased the following number of ordinary shares in the Company.

This is part of a repurchase program announced on July 18, 2022. MotorK intends to buy back its own ordinary shares by way of off-market purchases on Euronext Amsterdam and via block trades up to a maximum aggregate value of 3,000,000 (the Programme). The authorization will expire following the conclusion of the Annual General Meeting of the Company to be held in 2023.

Aggregate Information

Date Transactions Number of Ordinary Shares Total Consideration () Average price

( per share) Minimum price

( per share) Maximum price

( per share) 27/03/2023 Purchase 7,972 19,370 2.43 2.42 2.43 28/03/2023 Purchase 7,701 18,409 2.39 2.36 2.41 29/03/2023 Purchase 7,631 17,656 2.31 2.30 2.34 30/03/2023 Purchase 5,953 14,059 2.36 2.36 2.37 31/03/2023 Purchase 7,638 17,802 2.33 2.31 2.37 Total Weekly 36,895 87,295 2.37 2.30 2.43 Cumulated to date 1,819,277 2,954,279

The Programme is implemented within the limitations of the authority granted by the General Meeting on July 18, 2022. Any shares so repurchased shall be treated as cancelled pursuant to section 706(b) of the Companies Act 2006.

The Group has entered into non-discretionary instructions with Kepler Cheuvreux SA (Kepler Cheuvreux) to conduct the Programme on its behalf and to make trading decisions under the Programme independently of MotorK.

REGULATED INFORMATION

This press release contains information that qualifies or may qualify as inside information within the meaning of Article 7(1) of the EU Market Abuse Regulation (596/2014/EU)

ABOUT MOTORK PLC

MotorK (AMS: MTRK) is a leading software as a service (SaaS) provider for the automotive retail industry in the EMEA region, with over 400 employees and eleven offices in eight countries (Italy, Spain, France, Germany, Portugal, the UK, Belgium and Israel). MotorK empowers car manufacturers and dealers to improve their customer experience through a broad suite of fully integrated digital products and services. MotorK provides its customers with an innovative combination of digital solutions, SaaS cloud products and the largest R&D department in the automotive digital sales and marketing industry in Europe. MotorK is a company registered in England and Wales. Registered office: 5th Floor One New Change, London, England, EC4M 9AF - Company Registration: 9259000. For more information: www.motork.io or www.investors.motork.io.

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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

Etienne Jacquet

[email protected]

+33 6 22 18 39 09

MotorK Investor Relations

MotorK Corporate Communications

[email protected]

Source: MotorK plc
The two companies will jointly go to market with a fully managed Edge and Private 5G solution including expanded coverage through satellite

LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- NTT Ltd., a leading global IT infrastructure and services company, and SES, a leading global content connectivity service provider via satellite, today announced a multi-year partnership to use SES satellites to deliver NTTs Edge as a Service to enterprise customers. The collaboration will bring together NTTs expertise in networking and enterprise managed services with SESs unique satellite capabilities to deliver reliable connectivity to enterprises that must meet surges in connectivity demand or are based beyond the reach of fixed terrestrial networks.

The unique offering combines NTTs fully managed Private 5G and Edge Compute with SESs second-generation medium earth orbit communications system - O3b mPOWER - to provide expanded and reliable connectivity. This solution is intended for companies operating in regions where terrestrial networks are lacking and enterprises wanting to leverage high-performance connectivity to increase their efficiency and grow revenue. Through the combined versatility of Private 5G networks and satellite technology, this end-to-end solution is expected to propel industries - such as energy, mining, maritime, manufacturing, industrial, etc. - that have otherwise been limited by connectivity today and will need to ramp up their digital transformation plans and increase revenue streams.

"We are excited to embark on this journey with SES, combining our collective expertise to help businesses digitally transform and scale," said Miriam Murphy, CEO Europe at NTT Ltd. "As organizations grapple with the challenges of a rapidly changing world, it is now more important than ever to leverage the power of technology to drive growth and innovation."

Putting control and ownership back into the hands of the customer, the joint solution will deliver coverage to over 190 countries with public-private roaming. In addition to NTTs Private 5G and Edge Compute capabilities, NTT will also provide use-case consulting and design, application development, system integration, implementation, and managed services, while SES will provide end-to-end satellite networks via O3b mPOWER that will be seamlessly integrated with NTTs offering.

Private 5G is a transformative power that enables enterprises to build upon existing network infrastructure and deliver reliable, high bandwidth, and low latency connections for multiple use cases operating on a single Private 5G network, said Olivier Posty, Country Managing Director Luxembourg, NTT Ltd. Posty adds, As our customers continue to innovate, network partners with the right skills and expertise will be critical to success in todays competitive market. NTTs robust Private 5G network-as-a-service full stack solution, delivered on-premises, at the edge, or as a cloud service, is complemented by NTTs 24/7 remote monitoring services and a CIO self-service portal, ensuring that NTTs full stack of managed Edge Compute services delivers real-time actionable intelligence to drive processing efficiency and accelerate business performance.

NTTs Edge-as-a-Service offering includes IoT, Edge Compute, and Private 5G connectivity delivered by NTT across its global footprint. NTTs Edge-as-a-Service is a unique, fully managed, integrated solution that accelerates business process automation, enabling enterprises to quickly deploy their applications more securely and monitor them closer to the edge, thereby reducing downtime, improving user experience, and optimizing costs.

This partnership between NTT and SES is an industry-first milestone at the whole industry level, combining massive amounts of expertise that both companies are bringing in each field, and the joint value proposition is ahead of the curve in terms of added value that will be provided to customers. This will open great opportunities also in countries where 5G spectrum is not yet ready, enabling the transformation of companies at a global scale, said Alejandro Cadenas, Associate Vice President of EMEA Telco Mobility Research, IDC.

According to John-Paul Hemingway, Chief Strategy Officer at SES, the partnership is one of its kind as both companies jointly provide comprehensive and resilient connectivity solutions for customers around the world. "In addition to its predictable low latency capabilities, O3b mPOWERs best throughput and full flexibility on asymmetric or symmetric services will result in the seamless integration and extension of terrestrial and satellite networks, enabling our customers to unlock the full potential of emerging technologies like 5G, IoT, and cloud computing, and drive digital transformation across industries," he said.

The partnership between NTT and SES comes as organizations are increasingly turning to technology to drive growth and innovation. Organizations recognize the positive impact of high-speed connectivity and resilient networks on business operations, driving demand and fueling widespread digital transformation. By leveraging their respective strengths, NTT and SES are well positioned to provide customers with the innovative Edge as a Service solutions they need to succeed in a rapidly changing world.

###

About NTT Ltd.

As part of NTT DATA, a USD 30 billion IT services provider, NTT Ltd. is a leading IT infrastructure and services company serving 65% of the Fortune Global 500 and more than 75% of the Fortune Global 100. We lay the foundation for organizations edge-to-cloud networking ecosystem, simplify the complexity of their workloads across multi-cloud environments, and innovate at the edge of their IT environments where networks, cloud and applications converge. We offer tailored infrastructure and ensure consistent best practices in design and operations across all of our secure, scalable and customizable data centers. On the journey towards a software-defined future, we support organizations with our platform-delivered infrastructure services. We enable a connected future.

Visit us at services.global.ntt

About SES

SES has a bold vision to deliver amazing experiences everywhere on earth by distributing the highest quality video content and providing seamless connectivity around the world. As the leader in global content connectivity solutions, SES operates the worlds only multi-orbit constellation of satellites with the unique combination of global coverage and high performance, including the commercially-proven, low-latency Medium Earth Orbit O3b system. By leveraging a vast and intelligent, cloud-enabled network, SES is able to deliver high-quality connectivity solutions anywhere on land, at sea or in the air, and is a trusted partner to the worlds leading telecommunications companies, mobile network operators, governments, connectivity and cloud service providers, broadcasters, video platform operators and content owners. SESs video network carries around 8,000 channels and has an unparalleled reach of 369 million households, delivering managed media services for both linear and non-linear content. The company is listed on Paris and Luxembourg stock exchanges (Ticker: SESG). Further information is available at: www.ses.com

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230404005801/en/

Lori Bosio

External Communications, NTT Ltd.

[email protected]



Wireside Communications for NTT Ltd.

[email protected]

Suzanne Ong,

External Communications, SES

[email protected]

Source: NTT Ltd.
ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- For the third year in a row, PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE: PHM) has been recognized among the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For by Great Place To Work and Fortune. PulteGroup is ranked #36 this year, up from #43 in 2022 and #75 in 2021.

This recognition follows several other prestigious acknowledgements of the companys commitment to supporting all aspects of employee development and well-being. In 2022, PulteGroup was named among the Best Workplaces for Parents (#43), Best Workplaces in Construction (#2), Best Workplaces for Women (#32), Best Workplaces for Millennials (#33), and PEOPLEs Companies that Care (#3).

Inclusion on the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For list is always so meaningful because it is based on what our employees say about their experience as a member of the PulteGroup team, said PulteGroup President and Chief Executive Officer Ryan Marshall. Delivering quality homes and delighting our customers starts and ends with the contributions of our people and the commitments we make to support them. To our 6,100 employees dedicated to doing the right thing, taking care of our customers, focusing on quality, and lifting the teams around them, thank you for making PulteGroup an exceptional place to come to work each day.

The 2023 Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For list is determined through rigorous analytics and confidential employee feedback evaluated by Great Place To Work, the global authority on workplace culture. Companies also submitted detailed essays describing their culture, values, and innovative efforts to support employees, which were validated against employee survey responses.

In PulteGroups Great Place to Work survey, 92% of employees said it is a great place to work, compared to 57% of employees at a typical U.S.-based company. PulteGroups employee survey results also demonstrated:

98% of employees said they are treated fairly, regardless of race or sexual orientation.

97% of employees said they felt welcome when they joined the company.

95% of employees said management is honest and ethical in their business practices.

94% of employees are proud to tell others they work at PulteGroup.

Its in times like these that the best workplaces separate themselves, says Michael C. Bush, CEO of Great Place To Work. In a challenging economy, many companies reduce investments in their people and scale back goals for diversity, equity, and inclusion. But these companies, the 100 Best, relentlessly pursue a better work experience for every employee, and if anything, double down on the employee experience regardless of title, tenure, gender, or ethnicity. These companies know this is how you increase performance, productivity, and your innovation velocity when your firm needs it the most.

Fortune is pleased to have collaborated once again with Great Place To Work to recognize the 100 Best Companies to Work For, says Fortune Editor-in-Chief Alyson Shontell. We congratulate all the organizations included in this years ranking for creating positive work environments and value for their employees, especially during this period of economic uncertainty.

To learn more about PulteGroups culture and values, visit pultegroupcares.com. To view PulteGroups company profile and certification results on Great Place To Work, please visit: https://www.greatplacetowork.com/certified-company/1274415.

About PulteGroup

PulteGroup, Inc. (NYSE: PHM), based in Atlanta, Georgia, is one of Americas largest homebuilding companies with operations in more than 40 markets throughout the country. Through its brand portfolio that includes Centex, Pulte Homes, Del Webb, DiVosta Homes, American West and John Wieland Homes and Neighborhoods, the company is one of the industrys most versatile homebuilders able to meet the needs of multiple buyer groups and respond to changing consumer demand. PulteGroups purpose is building incredible places where people can live their dreams.

For more information about PulteGroup, Inc. and PulteGroup brands, go to pultegroup.com; pulte.com; centex.com; delwebb.com; divosta.com; jwhomes.com; and americanwesthomes.com. Follow PulteGroup, Inc. on Twitter: @PulteGroupNews.

About the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For

Great Place To Work selected the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For list by analyzing survey responses of over half a million employees who work for Great Place To Work Certified companies with at least 1,000 workers. The survey contained 60 employee experience questions that make up the Great Place To Work Trust Index. Companies also submitted essays about their workplace benefits and employee support programs, which were validated against employee survey data. Great Place To Work determines its lists using its proprietary For All Methodology to evaluate and certify thousands of organizations in Americas largest ongoing annual workforce study. Read the full methodology. To get on this list next year, start here.

About Great Place To Work

Great Place To Work is the global authority on workplace culture. Since 1992, we have surveyed more than 100 million employees worldwide and used those deep insights to define what makes a great workplace: trust. Our employee survey platform empowers leaders with the feedback, real-time reporting, and insights they need to make data-driven people decisions. Everything we do is driven by the mission to build a better world by helping every organization become a great place to work for all.

Learn more at greatplacetowork.com and on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

About Fortune

The Fortune mission is to change the world by making business better. We achieve that by providing trusted information, telling great stories, and building world-class communities. We measure performance by rigorous benchmarks. And we hold companies accountable. Our goal is to make Fortune a force for good through its second century and beyond. For more information, visit www.fortune.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230404005772/en/

Macey Kessler

office: 404.978.6414

[email protected]

Source: PulteGroup, Inc.
Latest data from AMS Verified reflects the need for organizations to fill key roles quickly amidst a tight talent market and despite a slowing economy.

CLEVELAND--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- AMS, the global talent solutions business, has unveiled the latest data on search trends seen on its talent technology analysis platform, AMS Verified.

AMS Verified allows members to search for and receive deep product analysis of over 160 of the worlds leading talent technology solutions. Anonymized data from these searches has demonstrated the topics most on the minds of over 150 talent acquisition professionals.

Launched just six months ago, AMS Verifieds most recent data analysis shows:

72% of members searched for technology to reduce the time to hire

66% of members selected the objective to increase the quality of hire

50% of members selected the objective to increase candidate satisfaction

These search trends support the recent Bureau of Labor Statistics data which showed 828,000 jobs were added to the U.S. economy in the first two months of 2023 alone. In a tight labor market, competition for skills remains intense, reflecting talent professionals requirements to get the right skills into their organizations quickly.

Commenting on the data, Nicky Hancock, Managing Director, Americas Region AMS said: The labor market in the U.S. remains at its tightest in 50 years. With record vacancies facing a significantly smaller workforce, the competition for talent remains fierce. This is reflected in the technology that talent professionals are looking for to help them fill open roles. Skills shortages remain significant impediments to success across a range of industries, and as the economy itself tightens its more important than ever that organizations do everything they can to put the right people in the right roles.

Jonathan Kestenbaum, Managing Director, Technology Strategy & Partners, AMS said: HR technology trends are changing quickly. You only need to look at the recent noise around ChatGPT to see that organizations are open, now more than ever, to new and innovative ways of finding the right hires to enable their business success.

The data weve seen go through AMS Verified over the past six months has been a bellwether for the trends were seeing elsewhere in the talent world. To reflect this, next month members will be able to conduct searches by business problem. This will provide them with the ability to source the products which most match their requirement and enable their business objectives.

To arrange a demonstration of AMS Verified, contact: [email protected]

About AMS:

We are a talent solutions business

Working with clients across the globe, we have learnt what it takes to build a high performing employer. It starts with talent; sourcing, selecting and keeping the right people in the right jobs.

To do this well, you need unmatched expertise in digital innovation, and a deep understanding of the complex needs of the talent you are seeking to engage  whether that talent is external to your business or already inside it.

Taking a holistic approach to the HR value chain and to attracting and retaining a world class workforce enables business success.

10,000+ experts, across 120+ countries, speaking more than 50 languages, delivering projects for the worlds most admired companies.

We are AMS. This is what we do. Talent is our world.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230404005779/en/

Media Contact:

Karen Pressman

ClearEdge Marketing

[email protected]

917.650.2159

Source: AMS
Bankruptcy Court Approves Plan to Reduce Debt by More Than $2 Billion

Revlon Expected to Emerge With Simplified Capital Structure and Path For Future Growth

Exit from Chapter 11 On Track for Late April

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Revlon, Inc. (Revlon or the Company) today announced that the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York has confirmed the Companys Plan of Reorganization (the Plan). The Plan positions Revlon to emerge from bankruptcy in late April  consistent with the timeline announced at the beginning of the restructuring.

As a result of the restructuring process and the Plan, Revlon is expected to emerge with approximately $285 million of liquidity, to be funded through an equity rights offering, a new money senior secured credit facility, and new asset-based loans. Upon its emergence from bankruptcy, the Company will eliminate more than $2.7 billion in debt from its balance sheet, with approximately $1.5 billion of debt outstanding.

Under the terms of the Plan, Revlon will emerge as a private company no longer listed on any stock exchange or subject to public company reporting requirements. The majority of the Companys equity will be owned by its former lenders.

The plan confirmation is a critical milestone and positions Revlon to emerge from the restructuring process with a greatly simplified capital structure that will support the business going forward, said Debra Perelman, Revlon's President and Chief Executive Officer. We know this financial restructuring has been challenging for our employees, vendors and partners, and we thank them all for their support. Our new capital structure and increased liquidity will enable us to continue to animate our brands in the market, and we look forward to the future of Revlon.

Additional information, including court filings and other documents related to the court-supervised process, is available on the Companys restructuring website at https://cases.ra.kroll.com/Revlon, by emailing [email protected] or by calling (855) 631-5341 (toll free) or (646) 795-6968 (international).

PJT Partners is acting as financial advisor to Revlon and Alvarez & Marsal is acting as restructuring advisor. Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP is acting as legal advisor to the Company.

About Revlon

Revlon has developed a long-standing reputation as a color authority and beauty trendsetter in the world of color cosmetics and hair care. Since its breakthrough launch of the first opaque nail enamel in 1932, Revlon has provided consumers with high quality product innovation, performance and sophisticated glamour. In 2016, Revlon acquired the iconic Elizabeth Arden company and its portfolio of brands, including its leading designer, heritage and celebrity fragrances. Today, Revlon's diversified portfolio of brands is sold in approximately 150 countries around the world in most retail distribution channels, including prestige, salon, mass, and online. Revlon is among the leading global beauty companies, with some of the worlds most iconic and desired brands and product offerings in color cosmetics, skin care, hair color, hair care and fragrances under brands such as Revlon, Revlon Professional, Elizabeth Arden, Almay, Mitchum, CND, American Crew, Creme of Nature, Cutex, Juicy Couture, Elizabeth Taylor, Britney Spears, Curve, John Varvatos and Christina Aguilera.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, included in this filing that address activities, events or developments that the Company expects, believes, targets or anticipates will or may occur in the future are forward-looking statements. The Companys actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of certain risks and other factors, which could include the following: the Companys ability to emerge from Chapter 11 by late April, as well as other risk factors set forth in the Companys Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company therefore cautions readers against relying on these forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements attributable to the Company or persons acting on the Companys behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the foregoing cautionary statements. All such statements speak only as of the date made, and, except as required by law, the Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230403005911/en/

Claims Agent:

Kroll

https://cases.ra.kroll.com/Revlon

[email protected]

(855) 631-5341 (toll free)

(646) 795-6968 (international)

Media:

Longacre Square Partners

Dan Zacchei / Joe Germani

[email protected] / [email protected]

Source: Revlon, Inc.
MELBOURNE, Australia--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Rio Tinto will support Energy Resources of Australia Ltds (ERA) recently disclosed plans for an Interim Entitlement Offer (IEO), which seeks to raise up to A$369 million to address funding requirements for the Ranger Rehabilitation Project in Australias Northern Territory to the end of Q2 2024.

Rio Tinto, which owns 86.3% of ERAs shares, has pre-committed to subscribe for its full entitlements under the terms of the IEO, at a cost of A$319 million.

Rio Tinto Chief Executive, Australia, Kellie Parker said We are committed to ensuring the critical rehabilitation of Ranger is completed to a standard that will establish an environment similar to the adjacent Kakadu National Park.

Rio Tinto notes that ERA has, in the IEO offer material, recognised the Mirarr Peoples opposition to further uranium mining on their land. This was a relevant factor in Rio Tintos recent decision to no longer report the Jabiluka deposit as a mineral resource. Rio Tinto also recognises that the Mirarr Peoples continued involvement in and support of the Ranger Rehabilitation Project is critical for its timely completion and success.

As announced by ERA today, funds from the IEO are not expected to generate any financial return and will be dedicated strictly to the Ranger Rehabilitation Project and repayment of the credit facility.

Funds raised from this IEO will be partly used to repay a A$100 million credit facility provided by Rio Tinto to assist ERA with its management of immediate liquidity issues.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230403005970/en/

Please direct all enquiries to [email protected]

Media Relations, UK

Matthew Klar

M: +44 7796 630 637

David Outhwaite

M: +44 7787 597 493

Media Relations, Americas

Simon Letendre

M: +1 514 796 4973

Malika Cherry

M: +1 418 592 7293

Media Relations, Australia

Matt Chambers

M: +61 433 525 739

Jesse Riseborough

M: +61 436 653 412

Alyesha Anderson

M: +61 434 868 118

Investor Relations, UK

Menno Sanderse

M: +44 7825 195 178

David Ovington

M: +44 7920 010 978

Clare Peever

M: +44 7788 967 877

Investor Relations, Australia

Tom Gallop

M: +61 439 353 948

Amar Jambaa

M: +61 472 865 948

Rio Tinto plc

6 St Jamess Square

London SW1Y 4AD

United Kingdom

T: +44 20 7781 2000

Registered in England

No. 719885

Rio Tinto Limited

Level 43, 120 Collins Street

Melbourne 3000

Australia

T +61 3 9283 3333

Registered in Australia

ABN 96 004 458 404

This announcement is authorised for release to the market by Steve Allen, Rio Tintos Group Company Secretary.

riotinto.com

Category: ERA

Source: Rio Tinto
-- Scorpion receives $65 million from an upfront payment and the achievement of near-term milestones and is eligible to receive up to $553 million in potential milestones, plus royalties on net product sales --

-- Scorpion will retain rights to STX-721 and STX-241 in the United States, Canada and Japan; Pierre Fabre granted rights in all other global territories --

-- Collaboration will accelerate development of STX-721 and STX-241 in key international markets and support Scorpion and Pierre Fabre's missions to bring transformational therapies to patients globally --

BOSTON & CASTRES, France--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Scorpion Therapeutics, Inc. (Scorpion), a pioneering oncology company redefining the frontier of precision medicine through its Precision Oncology 2.0 strategy, and Pierre Fabre, a French pharmaceutical and dermo-cosmetic group present in 120 countries, today announced an exclusive collaboration and license agreement for the co-development of STX-721 and STX-241, two candidates in Scorpions franchise of highly-selective, next-generation mutant epidermal growth factor receptor ("EGFR") inhibitors. Discovered by Scorpion, STX-721 and STX-241 are potentially best-in-class inhibitors of EGFR mutations and potent treatment options for emergent and unmet medical needs in non-small cell lung cancer ("NSCLC"). Under the agreement, Scorpion will lead clinical development of STX-721 and Pierre Fabre will lead clinical development of STX-241. Scorpion will retain commercialization rights to STX-721 and STX-241 in the United States, Canada and Japan, and Pierre Fabre will be responsible for commercialization activities in all other territories, with a focus on Europe and China.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230403005684/en/

Our mission is to develop the next generation of transformational therapies and to deliver them to patients worldwide, said Axel Hoos, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Scorpion. Pierre Fabre is the ideal partner to accelerate this vision; a global pharmaceutical company with a robust clinical and commercial footprint in Europe and Asia, and a track record of successfully partnering with biotechnology companies to develop and provide access to innovative cancer medicines. This partnership should help to expand the reach of our EGFR targeting programs, allowing us to help patients who urgently need these treatments, including in markets such as China, where nearly 50% percent of all cases of NSCLC are expected to be EGFR-mutant by 2030.1

We are excited to engage into this co-development collaboration with Scorpion and eager to add STX-721 and STX-241 to our portfolio in oncology. Pierre Fabre has a track-record in developing and commercializing cancer therapies for nearly four decades. We recently focused our R&D efforts on targeted therapies and this partnership with Scorpion embodies this strategic move, said Eric Ducournau, Chief Executive Officer of Pierre Fabre.

NSCLC is the most common sub-type of lung cancer and various EGFR mutations are the most frequent drivers of NSCLC, occurring in approximately 14-38 percent of tumors, depending on geography.2, 3, 4 Scorpion's franchise of highly selective, next-generation mutant EGFR inhibitors is designed to address several of these activating mutations, with STX-721 targeting EGFR Exon 20 insertion mutants, and STX-241 targeting Exon 19 or 21 mutations with the co-occurring C797S mutation, a known resistance mechanism to 3rd generation EGFR inhibitors.

For NSCLC driven by EGFR Exon 20 insertion mutations, toxicities associated with the inhibition of wild-type EGFR in healthy tissues, such as the skin and gastrointestinal tract, often occur during treatment. These toxicities can lead to dose reductions or interruptions which, in turn, may reduce the overall efficacy of the treatment. STX-721 and STX-241 have been designed to maximize selectivity for the mutant form of the enzyme and to avoid the inhibition of wild-type EGFR in healthy tissues to minimize the occurrence of these toxicities.

Up to 12.5 percent of patients with NSCLC driven by mutations in Exon 19 or 21 who are treated with covalent inhibitors of EGFR in a front-line setting develop secondary resistance mutations at C797S.5 There are currently no approved therapeutic options for the significant number of patients that develop double mutant EGFR NSCLC, creating a significant and growing unmet need.

Together, Scorpions next-generation EGFR inhibitors may have the potential to address over 90 percent of activating mutations in EGFR-mutant NSCLC, potentially providing improved clinical outcomes to thousands of patients globally.

Based on their preclinical data, we've concluded that STX-721 and STX-241 may present best-in-class product profiles. Further, this partnership will significantly expand our efforts in precision oncology, allowing us to better support the care and treatment of thousands of people globally, added Francesco Hofmann, Head of Research and Development for Medical Care at Pierre Fabre.

Subject to the terms of the agreement, Scorpion will receive a combined $65 million from an upfront payment and the achievement of near-term milestones, and will be eligible to receive up to a total of $553 million in potential milestone payments. In addition, Pierre Fabre will pay Scorpion tiered percentage royalties on a licensed product-by-licensed product basis, ranging from mid-single to mid-teens based on annual net sales of each licensed product in territories excluding the United States, Canada and Japan. Scorpion will pay Pierre Fabre tiered percentage royalties based on a licensed product-by-licensed product basis, ranging from low-single to low-double digits on annual net sales of each licensed product in the United States. The companies will share global development expenses based on a pre-specified cost-sharing arrangement.

About STX-721

STX-721 is a next-generation, orally delivered small molecule designed with potentially best-in-class selectivity to target Exon 20 insertion mutations in EGFR. Scorpion estimates that NSCLC tumors that express EGFR with Exon 20 insertion mutations have an incidence of approximately 3,400 patients per year in the United States. STX-721 is currently advancing through preclinical studies and Scorpion expects to submit an investigational new drug (IND) application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the middle of 2023.

About STX-241

STX-241 is a fourth generation, orally delivered, central nervous system ("CNS")-penetrant small molecule designed with potentially best-in-class selectivity to target resistance mutations at C797S. Scorpion estimates that up to 3,000 patients per year in the United States, or up to 12.5 percent of NSCLC patients with Exon 19 or 21 mutations, develop resistance mutations at C797S. STX-241 is currently advancing through preclinical studies, and Scorpion expects to submit an IND to the U.S. FDA in the first half of 2024.

About Scorpion Therapeutics

Scorpion is a pioneering oncology company redefining the frontier of precision medicine to deliver optimized and transformational therapies for larger populations of patients with cancer, a strategy Scorpion refers to as Precision Oncology 2.0. Scorpion has built a proprietary and fully integrated platform of the most advanced technologies across cancer biology, medicinal chemistry, and data sciences, with the goal of consistently and rapidly creating exquisitely selective small molecule compounds against an unprecedented spectrum of targets. Scorpion aims to leverage its platform to advance a broad pipeline of wholly owned, optimized compounds across three target categories: best-in-class molecules targeting validated oncogene targets; first-in-class molecules for previously undruggable targets; and first-in-class molecules for novel cancer targets. For more information, visit www.scorpiontx.com.

About Pierre Fabre

Pierre Fabre is a leading French medical and beauty care company with 4 decades of experience in innovation, development, manufacturing and commercialization in oncology. The company dedicated about 80% of its R&D spendings to oncology in 2022 and has recently declared targeted therapies as its main R&D priority. Its current commercial portfolio in oncology covers colorectal, breast and lung cancers, melanoma, hematology and pre-cancerous skin conditions like actinic keratosis.

In 2022, Pierre Fabre posted 2.7 billion euros in revenues, 69% of which came from international sales in 120 countries. Established in the South-West of France since its creation in 1962, the Group manufactures over 90% of its products in France and employs some 9,600 people worldwide. The company is 86%-owned by the Pierre Fabre Foundation, a government-recognized public-interest foundation, and secondarily by its own employees through an international employee stock ownership plan. Pierre Fabre's sustainability policy has been assessed by the independent AFNOR Certification body at the "Exemplary" level of its CSR label (ISO 26 000 standard for sustainable development).

Further information about Pierre Fabre can be found at www.pierre-fabre.com, @PierreFabre.

________________

1 SEER*Explorer; WHO Cancer Today, both accessed March 2022

2 The Prevalence of EGFR Mutation in Patients with Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer, Oncotarget, October 2016

3 EGFR Mutation Incidence in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer, J Cancer Res., August 2015

4 Molecular Epidemiology of EGFR Mutations in Asian Patients, PLoS ONE, November 2015

5 Ramalingam S. (2022, August 6-9). Real-World Landscape of EGFR C797X Mutation as a Resistance Mechanism to Osimertinib in NSCLC. [Oral presentation]. 2022 World Conference on Lung Cancer, Vienna, Austria.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230403005684/en/

Scorpion Media:

Ravi Moorthy

Scorpion Therapeutics

[email protected]

Scorpion Investor:

Hannah Deresiewicz

Stern Investor Relations

[email protected]

Pierre Fabre Media:

Laure Sgandurra

Pierre Fabre

+33 6 32 54 92 01

[email protected]

Source: Scorpion Therapeutics, Inc.
PARIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Technip Energies (PARIS: TE) has been awarded a significant(1) contract by Shaanxi LNG Reserves & Logistics Co. Ltd. for the 3 million normal cubic meters per day Xi'An LNG Emergency Reserve & Peak Regulation Project in China.

The contract covers the Process Design Package (PDP), Front-End Engineering and Design (FEED), and supply of key equipment of a single 0.8 MTPA(2) LNG train. It also covers technical services for construction, commissioning, start-up and performance testing.

The plant will utilize AP-SMR liquefaction technology which is well suited for mid-scale LNG and will be all-electric motor-driven with the aim of reducing emissions. It will be the largest liquefaction unit in the world using a single electric motor-driven mixed refrigerant compressor, hence being a reference in terms of low-carbon LNG production.

Loic Chapuis, SVP Gas & Low-carbon Energies of Technip Energies, commented: We are pleased to have been one more time entrusted by Shaanxi Yanchang Petroleum Group and Shaanxi Gas Group following the successful Yangling LNG project awarded in 2012. This award strengthens our positioning in the mid-scale LNG market in China. By being all-electric motor-driven, this LNG plant will be a reference for low-carbon LNG in the industry and we are committed to bringing our leadership in LNG and best-in-class execution to support our client in this important project.

(1) A significant award for Technip Energies is a contract award representing between 50 million and 250 million of revenue.

(2) MTPA: million ton per annum

About Technip Energies

Technip Energies is a leading Engineering & Technology company for the energy transition, with leadership positions in Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), hydrogen and ethylene as well as growing market positions in blue and green hydrogen, sustainable chemistry and CO2 management. The company benefits from its robust project delivery model supported by extensive technology, products and services offering.

Operating in 35 countries, our 15,000 people are fully committed to bringing our clients innovative projects to life, breaking boundaries to accelerate the energy transition for a better tomorrow.

Technip Energies is listed on Euronext Paris with American depositary receipts (ADRs) trading over-the-counter in the United States. For further information: www.technipenergies.com.

Disclaimers

This release is intended for informational purposes only for the shareholders of Technip Energies. This press release is not intended for distribution in jurisdictions that require prior regulatory review and authorization to distribute a press release of this nature.

Important Information for Investors and Securityholders

Forward-Looking Statement

This release contains forward-looking statements as defined in Section 27A of the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the United States Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements usually relate to future events and anticipated revenues, earnings, cash flows or other aspects of Technip Energies operations or operating results. Forward-looking statements are often identified by the words believe, expect, anticipate, plan, intend, foresee, should, would, could, may, estimate, outlook, and similar expressions, including the negative thereof. The absence of these words, however, does not mean that the statements are not forward-looking. These forward-looking statements are based on Technip Energies current expectations, beliefs and assumptions concerning future developments and business conditions and their potential effect on Technip Energies. While Technip Energies believes that these forward-looking statements are reasonable as and when made, there can be no assurance that future developments affecting Technip Energies will be those that Technip Energies anticipates.

All of Technip Energies forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties (some of which are significant or beyond Technip Energies control) and assumptions that could cause actual results to differ materially from Technip Energies historical experience and Technip Energies present expectations or projections. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements.

For information regarding known material factors that could cause actual results to differ from projected results, please see Technip Energies risk factors set forth in Technip Energies filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, which include amendment no. 4 to Technip Energies registration statement on Form F-1 filed on February 11, 2021.

Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties and speak only as of the date they are made. Technip Energies undertakes no duty to and will not necessarily update any of the forward-looking statements in light of new information or future events, except to the extent required by applicable law.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230403005904/en/

Investor relations

Phil Lindsay

Vice-President Investor Relations

Tel: +44 20 7585 5051

Email: Phillip Lindsay

Media relations

Stella Fumey

Director Press Relations & Digital Communications

Tel: +33 (1) 85 67 40 95

Email: Stella Fumey

Jason Hyonne

Press Relations & Social Media Lead

Tel: +33 1 47 78 22 89

Email: Jason Hyonne

Source: Technip Energies
BOCA RATON, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Terran Orbital Corporation (NYSE: LLAP), a global leader in satellite-based solutions primarily serving the aerospace and defense industries, today announced Vice President of Business Development and Strategic Partnerships, Scott Bennett, will present at the Arizona Space Summit at Arizona State University on Thursday, April 6 at 12:00 p.m. PT.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230404006029/en/

Terran Orbitals Scott Bennett to Present at Arizona Space Summit (Image Credit: Terran Orbital Corporation)

Mr. Bennett will support the Manufacturing Panel that will be moderated by Arizona State University School Director and Professor in the School of Manufacturing Systems & Networks, Dr. Binil Starly. Bennett will be joined by Chris Hodge, General Manager for Moog Space and Defense Group, Christopher Keeler, Senior Director for Space Avionics and Electronics Solutions, Space and Intelligence Systems for General Dynamics Mission Systems, and Kavan Hazeli, Associate Professor of Aerospace & Mechanical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, and Optical Sciences at the University of Arizona.

More information on the Arizona Space Summit can be found at www.azspacesummit.com including details regarding the luncheon keynote featuring Ambassador Barbara Barrett, 25th Secretary of the U.S. Air Force and Space Force, and the dinner keynote featuring Lt. Col Justin Chandler, Director - Strategic Initiatives Group for the U.S. Space Force.

Terran Orbital will also proudly support student recruitment on campus as part of the Space Career Fair held on Wednesday, April 5th from 12:00-4:00 p.m. PT at the Arizona State University Tempe campus in the Memorial Union, Ventana (241).

About Terran Orbital

Terran Orbital is a leading manufacturer of satellite products primarily serving the aerospace and defense industries. Terran Orbital provides end-to-end satellite solutions by combining satellite design, production, launch planning, mission operations, and on-orbit support to meet the needs of the most demanding military, civil, and commercial customers. Learn more at terranorbital.com.

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Investor Relations Contact

Jonathan Siegmann

[email protected]

949-202-8476

Media Contact

Virginia Norder

[email protected]

949-508-6404

Source: Terran Orbital
The Philippines identified on Monday four more of its military bases that the United States will get access to, almost doubling the number included in a defense agreement that seeks to advance a decades-old alliance between them.

The expansion of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) underlines the Philippines' strategic importance to the former colonial ruler the United States, coming at a time of growing concern over China's conduct in the South China Sea and tension over self-ruled Taiwan.

The EDCA, signed in 2014 under U.S. President Barack Obama, 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 sites named on Monday are the Camilo Osias navy base in Santa Ana and Lal-lo airport, both in Cagayan province, and Camp Melchor Dela Cruz in Gamu, Isabela province and the island of Balabac off Palawan.

The locations are significant, with Isabela and Cagayan facing north towards Taiwan, while Palawan is near the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, where China has built artificial islands equipped with runways and missile systems.

Defense chief Carlito Galvez called the sites "very strategic" and stressed the Philippines had a responsibility to the international community in the South China Sea. "That's a trade route... where more or less $3 trillion trade passes [annually]," he said. "Our responsibility to collectively secure that is huge."
Selected from over 52,000 nurses across 202 countries, out of these 10 finalists, one nurse would win the grand title award of $250,000 in London on 12th May 2023  International Nurses Day.

The 10 finalists will undergo a public voting process starting from next week, followed by final evaluation by the Grand Jury.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Aster Guardians Global Nursing Award  an award instituted to recognize inspirational work done by nurses from around the world  has announced its top 10 finalists hailing from across the world. They are: Cathy Cribben-Pearse from UAE, Christine Mawia Sammy from Kenya, Gloria Ceballo from Panama, Jincy Jerry from Ireland, Lilian Yew Siew Mee from Singapore, Margaret Helen Shepherd from England, Michael Joseph Dino from Philippines, Shanti Teresa Lakra from India, Teresa Fraga from Portugal, and Wilson Fungameza Gwessa from Tanzania.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230403005867/en/

Top 10 Finalist Nurses for Aster Guardians Global Nursing Award 2023. (Photo: AETOSWire)

These nurses have been selected from over 52,000 nurses who registered for the award from over 202 countries, through a stringent review process run independently by Ernst & Young LLP, a Screening-Jury and the Grand Jury. To know more about the top 10 finalists, please visit: https://www.asterguardians.com/

Speaking on this, Dr. Azad Moopen, Founder Chairman and Managing Director of Aster DM Healthcare, said, Millions of nurses across the world are working hard every single day to serve their patients and form the core of the healthcare eco-system. Aster Guardians Global Nursing Award is our way of acknowledging their dedication and recognizing their work. This year, with more than 50,000 nurses vying for the coveted award, it has been a hard task for the eminent Jury members to shortlist the top 10 outstanding nurses. Each of the finalists have a remarkable trajectory and have made significant contribution to the field of nursing. We wish each of them all the very best.

He also added, With more than 8000 nurses working across Aster DM Healthcares facilities across 7 countries, we have witnessed the commitment and efforts put in by nurses very closely. This is the least we can do to shine a spotlight on the work being done by the nursing community globally.

While one winner will be awarded the grand prize of USD 250,000, the other nine finalists will also be recognised. The final round will consist of public voting for each of the nurses starting from 6th April and in-person interview with the Grand Jury members consisting of: Mr. Howard Catton - Chief Executive Officer, International Council of Nurses, Switzerland; Prof. Sheila Tlou - Co-Chairperson, Global HIV Prevention Coalition and Ex - Minister of Health & Member of Parliament  Govt. of Botswana; Prof. James Buchan - Adjunct Professor, WHO Collaborating Centre for Nursing; Dr. J Carolyn Gomes, Vice-Chair of the Strategy Committee - The Global Fund Board and Board Member of The Developing Country NGO Delegation to the GF Board; Dr. Peter Carter, an OBE awardee, an independent healthcare consultant and former CEO of the Royal College of Nursing; and Dr. Niti Pall - Senior Digital Advisor for AXA (EC), Board Chair of Harbr and Managing Director of Health4all advisory.

The final winner would be announced at a gala event at Queen Elizabeth II Centre in London, UK on 12th May 2023  International Nurses Day.

About Aster DM Healthcare

Aster DM Healthcare Limited is one of the largest private healthcare service providers operating in GCC and in India. With an inherent emphasis on clinical excellence, we are one of the few entities in the world with a strong presence across primary, secondary, tertiary, and quaternary healthcare through our 30 hospitals, 125 clinics, 496* pharmacies, 20 labs and 157 patient experience centers in seven countries, including India. We reach out to all economic segments in the GCC states through our differentiated healthcare services across the Aster, Medcare and Access brands.

* Including 239 Pharmacies in India operated by Alfaone Retail Pharmacies Private Limited under brand license from Aster.

*Source: AETOSWire

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230403005867/en/

For media enquiries on Aster Guardians Global Nursing Awards:

Lavanya Mandal

Aster DM Healthcare

Tel: +971528126577

[email protected]

Charlotte Joseph

markettiers London

Tel: 07725079378

[email protected]

Source: Aster Guardians
California-based startup looks to secure the cloud environment by expanding the development of its cloud native access management solution with more AI-driven capabilities

WALNUT CREEK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Trustle, provider of innovative cloud access management solutions, today announced a $6 million seed funding round led by Glasswing Ventures, with participation from FUSE, Correlation Ventures, and Capital Technology Ventures. Founded in 2019, Trustles mission is to revolutionize the management of access-at-risk. The company will use this funding to expand product development, marketing research and sales resources.

According to a 2022 report from Identity Defined Security Alliance, 84% of respondents experienced an identity-related breach in the last year, with 78% citing a direct business impact as a result. Trustle is helping organizations address identity and access-based attacks by enabling them to follow the principle of least privilege and just-in-time access for securing sensitive and confidential data.

Specifically, Trustle enables deep integration into a companys critical cloud resources, including Azure, Okta, and Google Workspaces, and makes it simple for citizen developers to automate secure access control and compliance reviews across systems. Most recently, Trustle added support for Tableau and expanded support for GitHub.

The mechanisms to manage access differ across cloud resources, making it incredibly difficult for teams to wrap their arms around who has access to what, creating risk for enterprises. Trustle packages all of these nuances into one streamlined platform that provides dynamic permissions and access management for citizen developers," said Emiliano Berenbaum, CEO, Trustle. "We are thrilled to have the support of each of our investors and look forward to growing our presence in the market."

With Trustle, teams can automatically grant and rescind access to multiple resources on a user-by-user basis while offering a holistic overview of all connected systems. The Trustle platform also allows companies to categorize employees, contractors, systems, and customers without storing this information in an HRM (human resource management) system. To support audit and regulatory requirements, Trustle provides approval workflows.

To further enhance the user experience, Trustles upcoming product roadmap includes new Trustle Pacs, allowing users to cluster permissions from multiple systems such as AWS or Github. In practice, this will enable the head of an account the ability to grant access to specific individuals rather than an HR manager or system administrator, allowing for enhanced efficiency. Additionally, Trustle will calculate micro and macro risk levels for individual employees, contractors, customers, and connected systems based on misconfigured settings and access.

"As identity and access management practitioners themselves, Trustles leadership team has seen firsthand the seemingly never-ending stream of access requests that a business generates daily, said Rick Grinnell, Glasswing Ventures Founder and Managing Partner. They have witnessed the pervasive challenges associated with employee access, and how contractors, systems and customer access are also being improperly managed and tracked. Glasswing is impressed by Trustles AI-driven solutions to address access management in the cloud, and we believe the company is well-positioned for success in this market."

"Cloud systems are both the most critical and often least protected assets, mainly because current solutions lack the depth and alignment with modern operating models. Trustle recognized a significant market need to improve on cloud platforms and operations management, and has already taken significant steps to present a meaningful solution to the market. FUSE is pleased to invest in Trustle and be part of their journey to revolutionize access management, added Kellan Carter, partner at FUSE.

Trustle will be at the 2023 RSA Conference in San Francisco from April 24-27. To meet the Trustle team and learn more about the companys access management technology during the event, please get in touch.

About Trustle

Trustle simplifies needs-based access control and enables a more secure and efficient cloud environment. With Trustle, system owners can create a comprehensive catalog of permissions and policies that allow front-line users to request access or be granted temporary, just-in-time, or until-revoked access. Trustle helps developers, citizen developers, teams and organizations manage access-at-risk within minutes, establish new strategies and structure to protect business data within days, and improve and accelerate compliance. Learn more about Trustle at https://www.trustle.com/.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230404005243/en/

Dana Segan

LaunchTech Communications

732-997-9881

[email protected]

Source: Trustle
Decision by US Dept of Health & Human Services paves the way for sales growth of TruClr, first product designed to actively empty the bladder, as company pushes into new markets

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Ur24 Technology, Inc., a privately-held medical device company, has cleared a key hurdle to grow sales of its revolutionary external catheter system, winning approval for Medicare reimbursement for TrueClr products that actively empty a patients bladder.

Victoria Suarez, chief operating officer of Ur24Technology, said: This is a major financial step for hospitals, nursing homes, assisted-living facilities and at-home patients who will now be reimbursed for a large portion of the cost of this system  the only catheter of its kind in the world - which delivers the highest level of safety, efficiency, comfort and dignity to patients.

In its decision, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, stated that Ur24Technology sought a new reimbursement code for its active catheter system because existing codes do not adequately describe the product due to the fact that it is revolutionary.

The external TruClr system eliminates catheter-associated urinary tract infections in hospitals, improves patient quality of life, and lowers health care costs, added Suarez. Because TruClr products are reusable for up to a month, they provide significant savings over internal catheters, which must be replaced far more frequently.

Ur24 Technology has a strategic partnership with Miami-based DemeTECH Corp. to manufacture and distribute TrueClr products in the US and internationally, using DemeTechs network in 132 countries. The catheters have been showcased recently at major global health industry trade shows in Germany and the United Arab Emirates, and will be demonstrated for medical device distributors and hospitals in Chile.

Ur24Technology and DemeTECH will also jointly attend the 2023 Annual Meeting of the American Urological Association in Chicago, April 28-May 1. The meeting, now in its 118th year, is the largest gathering of urologists in the world and features unrivaled access to groundbreaking research and the latest products and medical advancements.

About Ur24Technology, Inc.

Ur24Technology, Inc. is a privately held medical device company located in Southern California that was founded in 2016 by Landon Duval. Five different external catheter prototypes were researched, designed and developed  leading to the TrueClr external catheter range of products. These revolutionary products perfectly fit the companys core mission: to improve patient care through innovation.

Learn more at www.ur24technology.com or call 1-833-448-7248.

About DemeTECH Corp.

Headquartered in Miami, Florida, DemeTECH, is a world-renowned leader in surgical sutures, mesh and bone wax. DemeTECH strives to enhance doctor-patient relationships through hard work, dedication, and a commitment to the pursuance of cutting-edge technology and innovation. DemeTECH's N95 masks and TrueClr external catheters are made in the USA with American materials.

Learn more at https://demetech.us

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230403005964/en/

Victoria Suarez

Chief Operating Officer

949.629.5424

[email protected]

www.ur24technology.com

Source: Ur24 Technology, Inc.
Technology veteran to bolster VikingClouds strong growth and build on companys cybersecurity and compliance leadership position

DUBLIN & CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- VikingCloud, a leading provider of cybersecurity and compliance solutions, today announces the appointment of Jim Burke as chief executive officer and member of the VikingCloud board to drive the companys next phase of growth. Robert McCullen will continue as board chairman and play an active role in the company.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230404005777/en/

VikingCloud Welcomes Jim Burke as New CEO (Photo: Business Wire)

Mr. Burke brings more than two decades of experience leading and scaling global software and technology-enabled companies and has a proven track record of driving sustained growth. Most recently he served as CEO of Workforce Logiq, a global provider of AI-powered workforce intelligence and technology services to large corporations.

Prior to Workforce Logiq, Mr. Burke served as CEO of three other technology businesses: Advanced Discovery, vRad, and Global Compliance. At each, he has driven significant value creation, with remarkable increases in revenue and EBITDA. Previously, he was president of global information services at Dun & Bradstreet and served as an officer in the Marine Corps before embarking upon his career in business.

Chairman of the Board at VikingCloud, Robert McCullen, said: I am delighted to welcome Jim to VikingCloud. His leadership and impressive track record of driving growth and operational excellence will serve the company well in its next phase.

There is a tremendous opportunity in front of us. Cybersecurity and compliance are only growing in importance, and we have built VikingCloud into a market leader that is unique in its technology, team, and ability to service both large enterprises and SMBs. I look forward to working closely with Jim and helping him guide VikingCloud through this next phase of continued growth and innovation.

Building on VikingClouds strong position as a global market innovator in cybersecurity, Mr. Burke will remain focused on strengthening the companys unified technology platform, while continuing to invest in sales and marketing to capitalize on the immense market opportunity ahead.

Mr. Burke said of his appointment: I am thrilled to join VikingCloud at an exciting inflection point for the company as we embark on the next chapter of sustained growth and further capitalize on our leadership, helping organizations integrate cyber security and compliance into their risk management and business growth strategies. I look forward to working with the VikingCloud team to accelerate our vision through topflight customer service, product innovation, and actionable strategic thinking.

Headquartered in Chicago and Dublin, with offices globally, VikingCloud is transforming the way organizations approach cybersecurity and compliance by leveraging its industry-leading Asgard PlatformTM. Combined with its customer centric focus and breadth of security and compliance offerings VikingCloud has achieved over 3x revenue growth over the past three years and today serves over four million merchants, including some of the worlds most trusted brands.

VikingCloud is backed by FTV Capital, a leading sector-focused growth equity investment firm, and True Wind Capital, a San Francisco-based private equity firm.

For more information, visit: https://www.vikingcloud.com/

ENDS

About VikingCloud

VikingCloud provides end-to-end security and compliance solutions to businesses worldwide, offering the latest in cloud-based solutions to secure networks and maintain compliance. Almost five million businesses use VikingClouds award-winning platform, and the company maintains partnerships with many of the worlds leading acquirers and payment service providers.

VikingCloud also works with the worlds largest brands helping them proactively mitigate evolving cyber threats and business risk. VikingClouds Asgard Platform processes billions of security events daily, providing real-time intelligence access to an organizations cyber risk landscape. Headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, and Chicago, IL, with operations in the United States, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Mexico, Philippines, Poland, South Africa, and the United Kingdom, VikingCloud has clients in more than 70 countries and a global team of more than 1,000.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230404005777/en/

Media contacts

Claire Holden, SkyParlour for VikingCloud

[email protected]

+44 7447 665 778

Source: VikingCloud
MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Yukon Partners (Yukon), a provider of mezzanine capital for middle market private equity transactions, is pleased to announce its mezzanine and equity investment in Jitterbit, Inc. (Jitterbit or the Company), a global leader for empowering transformation through automation, to support the acquisition of Zudy, a leading provider of no-code / low-code application-development platforms for enterprise organizations. Jitterbit is a portfolio company of Audax Private Equity (Audax).

Zudys enterprise-grade application-development platform, Vinyl, is used by a wide variety of commercial and government enterprises, ranging from Optum, Otis Worldwide Corp., and the Department of Defense to retail and media organizations such as J. Crew Group and iHeartMedia. Vinyl enables businesses to build powerful, fully integrated, bi-directional applications through on-premise deployment without a single line of code.

This acquisition expands on Jitterbits existing capabilities in the no-code / low-code application-development space, further demonstrating the companys commitment to providing a best-in-class suite of tools and services for integrating and automating business processes. The newly acquired platform complements Jitterbits existing solutions with additional choice and flexibility, making Jitterbits full suite of tools and services available via cloud deployment, on-prem installation or a hybrid approach.

Jitterbit is well positioned in a large and growing market with strong industry tailwinds to support the Companys impressive growth trajectory, said Michael Furey, Partner of Yukon. We are excited to partner with Audax and management to support Jitterbits continued expansion of its services and capabilities.

Dorsey & Whitney LLP provided legal counsel to Yukon.

About Jitterbit

Jitterbit empowers business transformation by automating critical business processes for faster, more informed decision-making. Harmony is the only platform to seamlessly combine and simplify the power of integration, APIM, and no-code app creation to amplify the value of your tech stack and speed up your digital journey. Organizations worldwide rely on Jitterbits experience and expertise to help them save time and money, while creating exceptional experiences, now and into the future. For more information, please visit www.jitterbit.com.

About Yukon Partners

Yukon Partners is an independent and unaffiliated junior capital provider, primarily serving middle market private equity sponsor led business transactions in the U.S. and Canada. The transactions in which Yukon invests include buyouts, growth and platform strategies, recapitalizations, mergers/acquisitions, and public-to-private buyouts. Yukon typically invests up to $60 million per transaction and currently manages over $1.8 billion across four funds. Yukon Partners has offices in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Boston, Massachusetts, and West Palm Beach, Florida. For more information, please visit www.yukonpartners.com.

About Audax Private Equity

Based in Boston and San Francisco, Audax Private Equity is a leading middle market investment firm with approximately $15 billion of assets under management, over 185 employees, and 80-plus investment professionals. Since its founding in 1999, the firm has invested in more than 160 platforms and 1,150 add-on acquisitions. Through our disciplined buy-and-build approach, across six core industry verticals, Audax helps portfolio companies execute on organic and inorganic growth initiatives that fuel revenue expansion, optimize operations, and significantly increase equity value.

Audax Private Equity is a part of Audax Group, a leading alternative investment manager with approximately $36 billion of assets under management. For more information, visit www.audaxprivateequity.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230404005415/en/

Michael Furey

Partner

Yukon Partners

617-315-1534

Source: Yukon Partners
Granite (NYSE: GVA) has been awarded an approximately $126 million contract by Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC) Pacific for the construction of buildings and infrastructure which will support the relocation of U.S. Marines to Marine Corps Base (MCB) Camp Blaz, Guam, USA. The project will be funded by NAVFAC Pacific and be included in Granites 2023 first-quarter CAP.

Granite's work involves constructing three buildings, totaling more than 110,000 square feet, and site infrastructure related to the relocation of U.S. Marines to Guam from Okinawa, Japan. The project encompasses a warehouse for battalion equipment storage, a climate-controlled space for electronic equipment maintenance and support of battalion vehicles, an automotive organizational shop for the upkeep and support of battalion vehicles, a reinforced concrete four-bay vehicle wash rack, and a reinforced concrete vehicle holding shed for vehicles awaiting repairs and service.

This strategic win is a result of Granite's Federal Division's more than a decade-long work in Guam, supporting initiatives to strengthen our home market and promoting our client-centric culture, said Granite VP of Regional Operations, Curt Haldeman. This project diversifies our Federal portfolio, and we are extremely excited to continue our partnership with NAVFAC and strengthen our commitment to the Department of Defense's Guam buildup initiative.

The project will begin in April 2023 and is expected to be completed by December 2025.
FILE PHOTO: Pfizer logo is seen in this illustration taken, May 1, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo/File Photo

(Reuters) -Arbutus Biopharma on Tuesday sued U.S. drugmaker Pfizer Inc and its German partner BioNTech SE in a New Jersey district court, claiming their mRNA COVID-19 vaccines infringe five of Arbutus' patents.

Arbutus, along with its licensee Genevant Sciences, is seeking damages, including reasonable royalties, over the use of lipid nanoparticle (LNP) delivery technology in Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines to carry and transfer genetic material into the body.

The lawsuit by Arbutus and Genevant says Pfizer/BioNTech engaged in licensing discussions for the technology but they did not "result in a settlement".

Genevant is a joint venture between Arbutus and Roivant Sciences Ltd.

Arbutus Biopharma had also sued Moderna Inc in the Delaware federal court last year, claiming the latter's mRNA COVID-19 vaccine also infringes its patents.

In its lawsuit against Moderna, Arbutus had said it was not looking to block the drugmaker from producing or distributing the vaccines but was seeking monetary damages including a reasonable royalty.

"Pfizer and BioNTech are aware that Arbutus Biopharma and Genevant Sciences have filed an action for infringement with respect to certain U.S. Patents," BioNTech told Reuters, and added that the companies would not comment on their legal strategy.

Pfizer had said earlier in the day that the company "will vigorously defend against the allegations of the lawsuit."

Arbutus declined to comment beyond the press release.

Moderna had sued Pfizer and BioNTech in August 2022 for allegedly infringing three patents related to their multibillion-dollar mRNA COVID-19 vaccines.

Pfizer and BioNtech are facing another patent infringement lawsuit related to the vaccines brought by Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc in March 2022.

Arbutus fell 2.6% to $2.98 on Tuesday, while Pfizer was down 1.2% and U.S.-listed shares of BioNtech dropped almost 3%.

(Reporting by Bhanvi Satija and Khushi Mandowara in Bengaluru and Blake Brittain in Washington, D.C; Editing by Krishna Chandra Eluri and Sriraj Kalluvila)
FILE PHOTO: Microsoft founder Bill Gates waits in the basement of the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington., U.S., March 29, 2023. REUTERS/Julia Nikhinson/File Photo

By Jennifer Rigby

LONDON (Reuters) - Calls to pause the development of artificial intelligence will not solve the challenges ahead, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates told Reuters, his first public comments since an open letter sparked a debate about the future of the technology.

The technologist-turned-philanthropist said it would be better to focus on how best to use the developments in AI, as it was hard to understand how a pause could work globally.

His interview with Reuters comes after an open letter -- published last week and co-signed by Elon Musk and more than 1,000 AI experts  demanded an urgent pause in the development of systems "more powerful" than Microsoft-backed OpenAI's new GPT-4, which can hold human-like conversation, compose songs and summarise lengthy documents.

The experts, including Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, said in the letter the potential risks and benefits to society need to be assessed.

I dont think asking one particular group to pause solves the challenges, Gates said on Monday.

Clearly theres huge benefits to these things what we need to do is identify the tricky areas.

Microsoft has sought to outpace peers through multi-billion-dollar investments in ChatGPT owner OpenAI.

While currently focused full-time on the philanthropic Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Gates has been a bullish supporter of AI and described it as revolutionary as the Internet or mobile phones.

In a blog titled "The Age of AI has begun" which was published and dated March 21, a day before the open letter, he said he believes AI should be used to help reduce some of the worlds worst inequities.

He also said in the interview the details of any pause would be complicated to enforce.

I dont really understand who theyre saying could stop, and would every country in the world agree to stop, and why to stop, he said. But there are a lot of different opinions in this area.

(Reporting by Jennifer Rigby; Editing by Josephine Mason and Bernadette Baum)
The Finnish flag flutters outside the city hall, as Finland becomes a member of NATO, in Helsinki, Finland, April 4, 2023. REUTERS/Tom Little

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Finland became a member of NATO on Tuesday, completing a historic security policy shift triggered by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto completed the accession process by handing over an official document to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken at NATO headquarters in Brussels.

(Reporting by Andrew Gray)
Former U.S. President Donald Trump arrives at Manhattan Criminal Courthouse, after his indictment by a Manhattan grand jury following a probe into hush money paid to porn star Stormy Daniels, in New York City, U.S., April 4, 2023. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

(Reuters) -Donald Trump has been indicted by a Manhattan grand jury after a probe into hush money paid to porn star Stormy Daniels, becoming the first former U.S. president to face criminal charges. He pleaded not guilty in court on Tuesday to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.

The charges from an investigation led by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg come as Trump seeks the Republican nomination to run again in 2024.

Below is reaction to Trump's arraignment:

REPRESENTATIVE ADAM SCHIFF:

A somber moment in the life of our country, when its necessary to arraign a former president on criminal charges, Schiff, a Democrat of California, wrote on Tuesday afternoon.

As the case falls to the DA to prove, we must recognize what is most important: Even the most powerful are held to account, and that nobody is above the law, wrote Schiff, who was the lead prosecutor in the Senate impeachment trial of Trump in 2020.

SENATOR MARCO RUBIO:

Today is a bad day for all of us & we are all going to regret it for a very long time, Rubio, a Republican of Florida, tweeted.

"Today we set the new normal that if you really want to take someone down, nothing should stop you. You should be able to manipulate the law anyway you want to charge someone," Rubio said in a video posted on his Twitter account, describing the charges against Trump as "absurd."

REPRESENTATIVE JAMAAL BOWMAN:

Take responsibility, hold yourself accountable, and go away, Bowman, a Democrat of New York, said when reporters asked if he had a message for Trump.

TEXAS ATTORNEY GENERAL KEN PAXTON

"I stand w/Trump & will always fight against those who want to destroy our Republic," Paxton, a Republican, said in a tweet.

WHITE HOUSE:

"I think the American people should feel reassured that when there is an ongoing case like this one that we're just not commenting," White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters in a press briefing.

SENATE MAJORITY LEADER CHUCK SCHUMER:

Schumer, a Democrat of New York, tweeted: "I believe that Donald Trump will have a fair trial that follows the facts and the law. Theres no place in our justice system for any outside influence or intimidation in the legal process. As the trial proceeds, protest is an American right, but all protests must be peaceful.

REPRESENTATIVE MADELEINE DEAN:

Mr. Trump was a president of many firsts  none of which were good for our country. His arraignment is another first  all of his own making, tweeted Dean, a Democrat of Pennsylvania, adding that the twice-impeached president was an immoral man and a corrupt citizen.

SENATOR TED CRUZ:

"The indictment of Donald Trump is wholly political and baseless," said Cruz, a Republican of Texas, on Twitter.

REPRESENTATIVE GEORGE SANTOS:

"I stood by Trump from the moment he came down the escalator, I voted for him in the primary and twice for president in the general elections," the Republican representative for New York wrote on Twitter. "Today I showed up, because thats what real supporters do, they show up for your best and your worse days."

MARY TRUMP:

"The events in New York City have, obviously, been a long time coming. This is a historic day and the implications of what's about to happen at the courthouse in Lower Manhattan will have massive implications for this country," the niece of the former president said in a tweet.

"Donald has eluded accountability for so long and left so much destruction in his wake that there is a lot to take in," she added with the hashtag "#HappyIndictmentDay."

(Compiled by Aurora Ellis; Editing by Leslie Adler and Grant McCool)
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has announced that the IATA World Cargo Symposium (WCS), taking place in Istanbul, Turkiye from April 25 to 27 will focus on sustainability, safety and digitalization.



Air cargo is operating at nearly pre-pandemic levels. But the way it operates has changed dramatically. This is due to a convergence of economic and geo-political forces, continuing priorities on improving sustainability, safety, and reliability, as well as emerging opportunities with new markets, technologies, and digitalization. This years WCS will explore how to keep air cargo profitable while addressing these priorities, challenges, and opportunities, said Willie Walsh, IATAs Director General.



Session tracks will cover several key aspects of safety, sustainability, and digitalization:

 Lithium batteries

 ULD and operations

 ESG reporting in air cargo

 Reducing plastic waste in the air cargo industry

 Attracting and retaining talent

 E-commerce

 Air cargo market dynamics

 Digital distribution and booking

 Digital Cargo and ONE Record



Air Cargos humanitarian efforts

The WCS program will also include a special session on the vital role of air cargo in humanitarian efforts. This session will have a particular focus on recent efforts to deliver aid to the people of Turkiye and Syria affected by the devastating earthquakes in the region.



Air cargo plays a critical role in delivering aid to those in need. The industrys recent mobilization to provide support to the people of Turkiye and Syria affected by the tragedy is the latest example. With this years WCS being hosted in Turkiye, its the perfect opportunity to reflect on the role that air transport plays so that airlines are even better prepared for the next humanitarian crisis, said Brendan Sullivan, IATAs Global Head of Cargo.



Workshops

The WCS program will be complemented by a series of workshops, including:



 The benefits of competency-based training through IATAs Competency-Based Training and Assessment Center (CBTA Center) and how it helps to improve workplace safety and performance.

 Improving performance on key market segments using IATA Center of Excellence for Independent Validators CEIV programs (CEIV Pharma, CEIV Live Animals, CEIV Lithium Batteries and CEIV Fresh).

 How DG AutoCheck, CargoIS, Net Rates and CO2 Connect, are assisting the industry in decision making and cargo compliance, towards improving safety and efficiency.

 An interactive E-Commerce Think Tank to identify how more transparency in e-Commerce would benefit stakeholders.

 Building the next generation of talent at the Future Air Cargo Executives Summit (FACES)



IATA Air Cargo Innovation Awards 2023

The winner of the fourth edition of the IATA Air Cargo Innovation Awards which recognizes new solutions, concepts and ideas that contribute to air logistics digitalization, sustainability, safety and security will also be decided at WCS.



Three finalists will be invited to present their projects during the conference. Delegates will then vote for their preferred innovation and the winners will be announced at the closing plenary of WCS.  TradeArabia News Service
Many schoolkids have spent so long studying only online in lockdown that they now have trouble socializing and joining in class activities.

In interviews, teachers from 20 high schools around the country voiced concerns that many students do not know how to form social relationships. Teachers say they noticed a lot of students spending time alone in school, either in the nurse's office or glued to their smartphones.

One 16-year-old at a high school in Yongin south of Seoul spent her middle-school years attending online classes from home. "I wasn't like this in elementary school, but now I'm not sure what I have to do to get closer to my classmates," she said.
FILE PHOTO: The Toronto Dominion (TD) bank logo is seen on a building in Toronto, Ontario, Canada March 16, 2017. REUTERS/Chris Helgren/File Photo

By Maiya Keidan

TORONTO (Reuters) - TD Bank Group should abandon or renegotiate its $13.4 billion acquisition of U.S. lender First Horizon as the regional banking crisis has unearthed unknown risks, some small shareholders told Reuters.

Regional lenders in the U.S. face a crisis of confidence after the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank last month.

First Horizon shares are trading almost 30% below TD's offer price of $25 each, which points to the high risk to the deal closing. Since the acquisition was first announced, TD shares are down 11.1% vs 4.5% for the financials sector

"I don't think it's something TD should go ahead with in this environment," said Barry Schwartz, portfolio manager at Baskin Financial Services, a shareholder in TD.

"Walk away and take the break fee and be able to get other deals cheaper now," Schwartz said.

TD, Canada's No. 2 lender, is obligated to go through with the transaction but would have to pay $25 million to First Horizon if regulators don't approve it, according to the contract. If TD does not proceed, First Horizon could sue for damages, and lawyers estimated it would cost hundreds of millions. That compares with TD's last reported quarterly profits of C$1.6 billion ($1.19 billion).

A First Horizon spokesperson did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

"As a shareholder, I'm fine with these write-offs," said Schwartz. "It will all be forgotten, but if there are more problems at First Horizon, that's so much worse."

TD offered a 37% premium to buy First Horizon more than a year ago in a deal that would make TD the sixth-largest U.S. bank, operating in 22 states.

While the deal isn't subject to a shareholder vote, the opposition underscores how some investors are turning cautious on the Canadian bank's U.S. acquisition strategy, which was once seen as the best way to beat sluggish growth at home.

Canada's top six banks control about 90% of banking operations in the country.

The transaction awaits approval from the Federal Reserve and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency in the U.S. and the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions in Canada.

As previously disclosed, TD is in discussions with First Horizon to extend the May 27 closing date, a TD spokesperson said on Monday.

"I am against the acquisition and would like to see the bank cancel it," Tim Burt, founder of Cardinal Capital Management, who personally owns 3,000 shares, told Reuters.

Even the shareholders who support TD going ahead with the deal say it should not pay the original price proposed.

"I think this gives them an opportunity to be in the driver's seat, to renegotiate at a lower price," said Ben Jang, a portfolio manager at Nicola Wealth.

But some are hopeful that the deal will close.

Brokerage Wells Fargo on March 24 said it expected the deal to still take place by May 27, without price renegotiation.

A First Horizon top-20 shareholder told Reuters he expects the deal to be extended with no other changes.

"TD still wants the asset, and also probably knows this is the last deal that they will be able to make in the U.S. with the Biden (administration) probably getting another four years."

($1 = 1.3442 Canadian dollars)

(Reporting by Maiya Keidan; Editing by Denny Thomas and Jonathan Oatis)
Preliminary data of Ampligen seen to date demonstrates potential to be an effective treatment option for post-COVID conditions

OCALA, Fla., April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- AIM ImmunoTech Inc. (NYSE American: AIM) (AIM or the Company), an immuno-pharma company focused on the research and development of therapeutics to treat multiple types of cancers, immune disorders and viral diseases, today announced central Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval for the protocol of its Phase 2 study evaluating Ampligen as a therapeutic for patients with post-COVID conditions (AMP-518). With this approval in hand, AIM is moving forward with the start-up process for the studys planned clinical sites.



The AMP-518 clinical trial is a two-arm, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter study to evaluate efficacy and safety of Ampligen in patients experiencing the post-COVID condition of fatigue. The primary outcome measure of the study is change from baseline to week 13 in PROMIS Fatigue Score. Other study outcomes include: change from baseline to week 6 in PROMIS Fatigue Score; change from baseline to weeks 6 and 13 in distance traveled during a Six-Minute Walk Test; proportion of subjects that surpass 54 meters in the Six-Minute Walk Test at the end of 12-week treatment phase; change from baseline to weeks 6 and 13 in PROMIS Cognitive Function Score; and change from baseline to weeks 6 and 13 in PROMIS Sleep Disturbance Score.

AIM Chief Executive Officer Thomas K. Equels commented, This is an important step forward in the development of Ampligen as a potential therapeutic for the treatment of post-COVID chronic fatigue-like conditions. We continue to be encouraged by the pilot data demonstrated to date and believe Ampligen has the potential to meet an important growing unmet medical need, with a patient population that exceeds several million in the United States alone, with even more worldwide. With central IRB approval, our team is working toward getting our pre-selected sites open so that patient enrollment and dosing can be up and running as quickly and efficiently as possible.

AMP-518 is expected to enroll approximately 80 subjects between the ages of 18 to 60 years across up to 10 centers in the United States. Patients will be randomized 1:1 to receive twice weekly IV infusions of Ampligen or placebo for 12 weeks with a follow up phase of two weeks. The Company expects to begin patient enrollment and dosing in the AMP-518 study in Q2 2023.

For more information about AMP-518 please visit ClinicalTrials.gov and reference identifier NCT05592418.

About AIM ImmunoTech Inc.



AIM ImmunoTech Inc. is an immuno-pharma company focused on the research and development of therapeutics to treat multiple types of cancers, immune disorders and viral diseases, including COVID-19. The Companys lead product is a first-in-class investigational drug called Ampligen (rintatolimod), a dsRNA and highly selective TLR3 agonist immuno-modulator with broad spectrum activity in clinical trials for globally important cancers, viral diseases and disorders of the immune system.

For more information, please visit aimimmuno.com and connect with the Company on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook.

Cautionary Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (the PSLRA). Words such as may, will, expect, plan, anticipate and similar expressions (as well as other words or expressions referencing future events or circumstances) are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Many of these forward-looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Among other things, for those statements, the Company claims the protection of safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the PSLRA. The Company does not undertake to update any of these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that occur after the date hereof. The information found on our website is not incorporated by reference into this press release and is included for reference purposes only.

Investor Relations Contact

JTC Team, LLC

Jenene Thomas

833-475-8247

[email protected]
Singapore City, Singapore, April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Leading Web3 multi-chain decentralized wallet solution BitKeep announced that its total user count has exceeded 10 million as of April 2023. BitKeep will rebrand Bitget Wallet following a $30 million investment last week at a $300 million valuation from the namesake cryptocurrency derivatives exchange.

Following the investment, BitKeep has stated that it will continue to function as an independent entity both operationally and structurally. It will focus on building up its ecosystem as well as independent tokenomics while protecting the rights and interests of existing BitKeepers and BKB holders during the transition process of this strategic repositioning.

March alone saw the non-custodial wallet's new user count spike upwards by 560,000, stoked by several successful campaigns between BitKeep and numerous prominent blockchains such as Arbitrum and Sui. $ARBK, the native token launched in tandem with BitKeep's Arbitrum campaign, for instance, observed a total of 708,800 on-chain transactions and was airdropped to over 100,000 active users who participated in campaign-related tasks and activities. $ARBK could be exchanged by participants of the campaign for $ARB, the official native token of the Arbitrum chain, and ranked first on Arbitrum's new ecosystem popularity chart during the campaign period with 150,000 token-holding addresses and an interaction volume of 330,000.

In the same month, BitKeep NFT Market also both ranked first by trading volume on BNB Chain and by number of active wallets on Polygon, and reported $28,000 in daily transaction volume on Arbitrum - second only to OpenSea. Additionally, BitKeep also placed amongst the list of recommended wallets supported by DappRadar, allowing users to easily connect to the leading Web3 DApp distribution platform from their BitKeep Wallet.

Access to 80 new DApps were also added on to BitKeep's integrated DApp browser in March, with the likes of Maverick Protocol, Defina, TinyTap, Pyme, Sociogram, and many more. Its latest V7.3.2 update will also allow users to track wallet transactions and balances without having to import any private keys through its "Watch Wallet" feature. Further, the update introduced support for hardware wallet solution Keystone, allowing users to manage their accounts in an even more secure manner.

True to its vision to serve as the ultimate portal into Web3, BitKeep will also continue making headway for its Swap function, introducing new cross-chain support for Optimism and Conflux eSpace, as well as DEX aggregation support from Swappi, Camelot, and WOO Network.

Moving forward into the rest of 2023, BitKeep has set its sights on enriching its suite of product offerings and will be looking to delve into the realms of MPC (multi-party computation) and AA (account abstraction). It is also developing features related to Web3 DID (decentralized identity) and is in the process of supporting the ZK-Rollup ecosystem, providing users with seamless access to everything they would need as they explore the frontiers of Web3.

About BitKeep

BitKeep is a decentralized multi-chain digital wallet that provides an all-in-one solution for a comprehensive portfolio of services, including an integrated NFT Marketplace, wallet function, swap services, DApp Browser, and Launchpad. It offers reliable and secure asset management and trading services to more than 10 million users worldwide, covering 168 countries in North America, Europe, and Asia, and is the top-rated wallet on Google Play globally, surpassing Metamask. BitKeep currently supports over 255,400 types of cryptocurrencies across over 90 chains, including major ones such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, Polygon, BNB Chain, Fantom, and Solana.

For more information, visit: Website | Twitter | Telegram | LinkedIn | Discord

For media inquiries, please contact: [email protected] , https://bitkeep.com/

Chole Qian BitKeep business-at-BitKeep.com

Source: BitKeep
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. and TAMPA, Fla., April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CongruityHR (Congruity), a North Carolina-based, leading outsourced HR solutions provider, announced today its acquisition of JanusHR, a Tampa-based provider of comprehensive, personalized HR services for small to medium-sized businesses across Florida.

JanusHR (Janus) was founded and led by Daneen Gurney, who previously had a 20+ year career with Oasis Outsourcing, where she started as one of the first sales representatives and quickly rose to District Manager, Regional Vice President, and then VP of Strategic Partnerships. Gurney managed eight (8) markets, opened over ten (10) offices, and helped manage several acquisitions for Oasis. Under Gurneys leadership, JanusHR achieved significant market share in the Tampa Bay region.

We are thrilled to join forces with Congruity, and take advantage of their existing brand, channel, and presence in the Southeast, said Gurney.

We are excited to welcome Daneen and the Janus team to the Congruity family. They bring a high level of industry expertise to our organization, said Darrin Hunter, Congruity CEO. The addition of JanusHR brings great value to Congruitys portfolio and expands on our commitment to legacy brands, relationships and people.

Janus has seen tremendous organic growth over the years, and we are thrilled about adding them to our team, said Matt Lewis, President of Congruity.

G2 Capital Advisors served as exclusive buy-side advisor to Congruity in the successful transaction. Congruity has been a portfolio company of RFE Investment Partners since 2021.

About CongruityHR CongruityHR is a Human Resource outsourcing company providing HR, compliance, payroll, tax administration, employee benefits, and workers compensation and safety services to small and medium-sized businesses predominately in the southeastern U.S. via a professional employer organization (PEO) and administrative services organization (ASO) model. Visit www.congruityhr.com.

About JanusHRA Tampa-based PEO, JanusHR provides comprehensive, personalized HR services for small to medium-sized businesses across Florida. For more information, visit www.wesolvehr.com.

About RFE Investment PartnersRFE Investment Partners is a private equity firm focused on making control investments in established small market companies located in the U.S. RFE is a long-standing firm founded in 1980 with over 40 years of experience investing in the lower middle market. RFE's investment strategy is to transform its portfolio companies from the lower end of the market to fully professionalized and market-leading middle-market companies. RFE is currently investing out of Fund IX. For more information, visit www.rfeip.com.

About G2 Capital AdvisorsG2 Capital Advisors provides M&A, capital markets, and restructuring advisory services to the middle market. G2 offers integrated, multi-product, and sector-focused services by pairing highly experienced C-level executives with specialist investment bankers. G2 aspires to be the trusted advisor of choice to our clients including corporations and institutional investors. For more information, visit https://g2capitaladvisors.com.

Contact: John Mooney, (908) 720-6057, [email protected]

Source: Congruity HR
VANCOUVER, BC, CANADA, April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cypher Metaverse Inc., formerly Codebase Ventures Inc. ("Cypher" or the "Company") (CSE: CODE - FSE: C5B  OTCQB: BKLLF) ) announces it has completed a non-brokered private placement (the Financing). The Company raised proceeds on the Financing of $96,140 through the sale of 873,999 Units. The Company paid finders fees to a qualified finder of $1,254 and issued 11,400 broker warrants, which are on the same terms as the warrants forming part of the units.

Each unit consists of one common share and one common share purchase warrant at $0.11. Each warrant entitles the holder to purchase one additional common share at $0.15 for a period of two years from the date of closing, subject to the option of the Company to accelerate the expiry date in the event that its shares trade at $0.20 or more for 10 consecutive days.

Securities issued as a result of the closing of the Financing will be subject to a statutory hold period until August 5, 2023.

The net proceeds of the Financing will be used for general working capital.

About Cypher Metaverse Inc.

Cypher Metaverse Inc. seeks early-stage investments in emerging technology sectors, including the blockchain ecosystem, fintech and the metaverse. The Company identifies such opportunities and applies its relationships and capital to advance its interests. www.cypher-meta.com

For further information, please contact:

George Tsafalas - Ivy Lu

Corporate Communications

Telephone: Toll-Free (877) 806-CODE (2633) or 1 (778) 806-5150

E-mail: [email protected]

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward Looking Statements

Certain information set forth in this news release may contain forward-looking statements that involve substantial known and unknown risks and uncertainties. All statements other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, statements regarding future financial position, business strategy, use of proceeds, corporate vision, proposed acquisitions, partnerships, joint-ventures and strategic alliances and co-operations, budgets, cost and plans and objectives of or involving the Company. Such forward-looking information reflects management's current beliefs and is based on information currently available to management. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "predicts", "intends", "targets", "aims", "anticipates", "may" or "believes" or variations (including negative variations) of such words and phrases or may be identified by statements to the effect that certain actions "may", "could", "should", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. A number of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors may cause the actual results or performance to materially differ from any future results or performance expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. These forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, certain of which are beyond the control of the Company including, but not limited to, the impact of general economic conditions, industry conditions, risks relating to epidemics or pandemics such as COVID19, including the impact of COVID19 on the Company's business, financial condition and results of operations, lack of investor demand for Bitcoin and/or Bitcoin futures exchange traded funds, and dependence upon regulatory approvals. Readers are cautioned that the assumptions used in the preparation of such information, although considered reasonable at the time of preparation, may prove to be imprecise and, as such, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements. The Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by securities laws.

Ivy Lu Cypher Metaverse Inc. 778-806-5150 [email protected]

Source: Cypher Metaverse Inc.
TORONTO, April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Eloro Resources Ltd. (TSX: ELO; OTCQX: ELRRF; FSE: P2QM) (Eloro, or the Company) is pleased to provide an update on its ongoing preliminary metallurgical testwork program for the Iska Iska silver-tin polymetallic project (the Project) in the Potosi Department, southern Bolivia. The ongoing work, including flowsheet development testwork and mineralogical characterization, is being carried out by Blue Coast Research Ltd. (Blue Coast or BCR) based in Parksville, British Columbia, and Mineral Concentration Laboratory of the National Faculty of Engineering from the Technical University of Oruro (UTO), Bolivia. The objective of the coordinated work programs is to develop a geo-metallurgical understanding of the mineralized domains and to obtain preliminary metallurgical recovery estimates for the main valuable constituents of the mineralized material currently identified at the Project.

Tom Larsen, CEO of Eloro, commented: The Iska Iska silver-tin polymetallic deposit is a remarkably extensive system with multiple potential ore types which require more metallurgical work than originally anticipated, especially for tin, as outlined in this press release. The preliminary metallurgical recovery estimates are a prerequisite for the release of the Projects maiden mineral resource (MRE). Consequently, the release of the MRE has been delayed until this metallurgical work, which is in progress, has been completed. All other work required for the MRE has been largely completed by Micon International Limited, including much of the reporting.

Mr. Larsen continued, I am very pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Mike Hallewell, B.Sc., F.I.M.M.M., F.S.A.I.M.M., F.M.E.S., C.Eng,, an internationally recognized expert on tin metallurgy, as Senior Strategic Metallurgist for Eloro. Going forward Mike will be working closely with our metallurgical consultants to optimize our tin recovery and with our geological team to define geo-metallurgical domains for mineral resource definition and future potential production.

Geometallurgical Domains Iska Iska

The Iska Iska silver-tin polymetallic deposit has many characteristics of the typical Bolivian tin deposits. Extensive tin mineralization likely developed deep in the earths crust with cassiterite forming at high temperatures from 350C to 500C. This major initial stage of magmatism drove the formation of the major stratovolcano at Iska Iska some 18 to 15 million years ago. Subsequently, when the magma chamber was depleted, the volcano collapsed, forming a classic collapsed caldera. Resurgence of the collapsed volcano included the intrusion of the Iska Iska porphyry, followed by dacitic domes and brecciation such as the Santa Barbara breccia pipe. These events were closely associated with widespread porphyry-epithermal Ag-Zn-Pb mineralization, which partially overprinted the pre-existing tin mineralization.

Figure 1 shows the distribution of Sn:Cu at Iska Iska. The Sn:Cu ratio is an indicator of the presence of oxide tin (cassiterite  shown in green, within the core) vs sulphide tin (stannite  shown in red, making up the periphery). Tin is found predominantly on the west side of the Santa Barbara deposit. Deep drilling and magnetic modelling indicate that the tin porphyry is present beneath the Iska Iska Porphyry. As previously reported, the signature of the overall tin porphyry system based on magnetic data likely extends for some 5 km by 3 km which includes the Casiterita area to the southwest, which is currently being drill-tested (see Eloros press release dated February 14, 2023). The longitudinal section in Figure 1 covers a strike length of 2.5km.

Figure 1: Longitudinal Section Showing Distribution of Sn/Cu ratio (Looking West-southwest). The core of the Iska Iska deposit contains higher Sn and low Cu whereas the low Sn/Cu ratio is predominantly at the top and on the margins of the tin mineralization.

Metallurgical Testwork

The overall metallurgical testwork / mineralogical characterization program has evolved into the development of several potential flowsheets to best fit the extensive mineralization identified within the Project area. The main metallurgical studies in the ongoing development program are:

1) Recovery of lead, zinc and silver from polymetallic sulphide mineralization; and

2) Recovery of tin from cassiterite-rich Iska-Iska mineralization and the adjoining Casiterita property to the south-southwest of Iska Iska.

Future work will include recovery of gold and copper, where they are found enriched within the system.

The geo-metallurgical program is being directed by Mr. Mike Hallewell, C.Eng., a senior mineral processing consultant based in Cornwall, England, who has extensive specialist knowledge in the recovery of tin at mining operations and exploration projects worldwide, and Richard Gowans, P.Eng., Principal Metallurgist for Micon International Limited, an independent Qualified Person as defined under NI 43-101. The mineralogical characterization testwork is being managed by Nichola McKay P. Geo., MBA, an experienced Professional Geoscientist who specializes in the development of geo-metallurgical programs.

Mineralogical and Geometallurgical Characterization

Mineralogical testing of the Iska Iska resource consists of three main campaigns:

1) On-site downhole hyperspectral analysis with high resolution core imaging,

2) QemSCAN mapping of polished thin sections selected from drill core across the resource representing key lithologies and mineralization types, with supporting X-ray diffraction and microprobe analysis, and

3) QemSCAN analysis of ground metallurgical test feeds and selected test products.

A group of geometallurgical variability samples are being tested using a standardized testing protocol that will link metallurgical behaviour with mineralogy for samples from different zones in the resource.

In parallel to the laboratory-based geomet work, all QemSCAN data is being used as a training set for calibration / correlation with the hyperspectral program, with the objective of identifying key markers of tin mineral zonation that can be populated through the resource.

Lead-Zinc-Silver Flotation

The initial metallurgical testwork, using composite samples of sulphide mineralization from the Santa Barbara polymetallic zone, comprised the development of a preliminary flotation flowsheet to maximize lead, zinc and precious metals into saleable concentrates. The results of this initial work were presented in the Companys press release dated June 13, 2022. These preliminary results indicated good lead, zinc and silver recoveries using conventional flotation technology.

The estimated recoveries based on preliminary locked cycle flotation tests are 79.6% lead and 55.8% silver into a lead concentrate, and 87.0% zinc and 32.0% silver into a zinc concentrate (total silver recovery of 87.8%). These recoveries are based on preliminary scoping level bench scale tests completed by BCR in 2022 using two composite samples of polymetallic mineralization. These tests were not optimized and improved performance in terms of higher recoveries would be expected with further mineralogical and metallurgical studies.

The next phase of Pb-Zn-Ag flowsheet development testwork, following completion of the inaugural mineral resource estimate, is to optimize the preliminary flowsheet, with integrated mineralogy/metallurgy studies using a variety of samples representing a range of lithologies and ore-types, and to undertake silver deportment studies. The deportment and recovery of potential by-products will also be investigated.

Tin Metallurgy

The recovery of cassiterite is usually conducted using a mixture of gravity and tin flotation with removal of sulphide minerals either prior to these processes and/or as part of concentrate clean-up. Coarser cassiterite grain sizes tend to be more amenable to gravity concentration, whereas finer cassiterite particles are recovered by tin flotation down to ~6 microns, which is normally discarded since it is too fine for current beneficiation technologies. The different Iska Iska ore types are currently being characterised to better understand the cassiterite grain size and cassiterite associations with other minerals as a function of ore type so as to better understand and estimate the level of tin recovery in terms of geological space. Stannite is present, but at this time will be assumed to deport as a tin loss to sulphides.

Initial tin deportment studies undertaken on various samples of mineralization obtained from the Project exploitation drilling campaign have suggested the occurrence of various forms of tin mineralization within the extensive mineralized domains currently identified at the Project. The tin mineralogy and physical competence is linked to geological attributes. The styles of tin mineralization identified at the Project can be characterized as follows:

Type A - High grade coarse-grained cassiterite (tin oxide).This style of tin mineralization is the easiest to process due to the coarser liberated tin mineralization that is amenable to conventional mineral processing technologies, such as gravity separation and flotation. This type of tin mineralization is expected to predominate deeper in the deposit and also at Casiterita where artisanal miners have previously produced high grade (~50%) tin concentrates from cassiterite-quartz veins (see Eloros press release November 22, 2022).

Type B  High/medium grade fine-grained cassiterite. Tin-rich sulphide mineralization is typically found below and west of the eastern Santa Barbara area Pb-Zn-Ag rich polymetallic sulphide zones. This style of tin mineralization requires fine to very fine grinding, sulphide removal via flotation, tin flotation and fine particle gravity separation.

Type C  Medium grade fine-grained cassiterite with significant wood tin (low temperature form of cassiterite). Tin of this type occurs predominantly in areas with moderate to strong oxidation which has leached sulphides and redeposited the tin as wood tin. High grade Type A tin also may exist in this zone. This form of tin has similar metallurgy to Type B, but good recoveries can be obtained if Type A mineralization is present.

Type D - Medium grade stannite (copper-tin-iron sulphide mineral). Stannite is not recoverable using conventional tin mineral processing technology. Predominant stannite tin mineralization tends to occur at the top and peripheral to the core of the tin mineralization. Where stannite mineralization has been oxidized and leached, the mineralization type becomes more Type B or C depending on intensity of oxidation.

Tin metallurgical studies completed to date include preliminary tests on two composite samples and the development of a standard test protocol to assess the amenability of tin mineralized samples to obtain a tin concentrate of acceptable grade.

A high-grade tin composite made up of crushed assay reject samples from exploration drilling was prepared and used for preliminary metallurgical tests at UTO in Bolivia. The 67 kg composite sample, considered Type A tin (see description above), comprised mineralized samples from drill holes DSB-32 (from 62.3 m to 76.7 m) and DSB-33 (from 356.7 to 365.6 m). The sample was from an oxidized zone and had an average tin grade of 1.68% Sn.

Scoping tests completed on this sample included gravity separation tests using a shaking table and centrifugal concentrator, and cassiterite flotation tests. Although not optimized, the gravity only tests using both tables and centrifugal concentrator resulted in a 39% tin grade concentrate with about 60% recovery. Tests using a table only produced a concentrate containing about 50% Sn although recovery was only around 30%. Flotation tests at a non-optimum grind size resulted in about 50% tin recovery into a 6% Sn concentrate. These preliminary test results suggest a direct tin smelter feed concentrate can be produced from this type of tin mineralization with about a 60% recovery. The estimated tin recovery into a lower grade concentrate suitable for feeding a tin-fuming process is about 75%.

Recent development tests by BCR using a composite sample of crushed assay rejects from drill hole DSBU-03 containing 0.52% Sn, produced a tin-fuming feed concentrate with a tin recovery of about 28%. Mineral characterization of this sample via optical microscopy suggests that the tin mineralization comprises mainly fine-grained cassiterite with minor fine wood tin (Types B and C).

The preliminary flowsheet used by BCR comprised sulphide flotation, which rejected approximately 92% of the sulphide sulphur with less than 15% tin losses, gravity roughing using a centrifugal concentrator and upgrading of sized rougher product using a laboratory supper-panner, cassiterite flotation with upgrading of sized re-ground flotation rougher product using a laboratory supper-panner.

Following a detailed review of the test results and testing procedure, a standard tin amenability test protocol has been defined. This flowsheet will be used over the coming weeks by BCR to test a variety of samples. Samples have been selected to include a range of tin grades and types of tin mineralization.

Copper-Gold and Other Valuable By-Products

Drilling has shown zones of mineralization with gold grades above 1 g/t as well as zones with elevated levels of copper. A metallurgical-mineralogical characterization program is being planned to assess the potential for recovering these valuable metals.

The future geo-metallurgical program also will include studies to understand the deportment of other potential metals such as bismuth and indium.

Qualified Person

Richard Gowans, P.Eng., Principal Metallurgist for Micon International Limited, is an independent Qualified Person as defined under NI 43-101. Mr. Gowans. Has reviewed and approved the technical content of this news release.

Dr. Osvaldo Arce, P. Geo., General Manager of Eloros Bolivian subsidiary, Minera Tupiza S.R.L., and a Qualified Person in the context of NI 43-101, supervised all exploration work at Iska Iska. Dr. Bill Pearson, P.Geo., Executive Vice President Exploration Eloro, and who has more than 45 years of worldwide mining exploration experience including extensive work in South America, manages the overall technical program working closely with Dr. Osvaldo Arce, P.Geo., Manager of Minera Tupiza. Dr. Quinton Hennigh, P.Geo., Senior Technical Advisor to Eloro and Independent Technical Advisor, Mr. Charley Murahwi P. Geo., FAusIMM of Micon International Limited are regularly consulted on technical aspects of the project.

Eloro is utilizing both ALS and AHK for drill core analysis, both of whom are major international accredited laboratories. Drill samples sent to ALS are prepared in both ALS Bolivia Ltdas preparation facility in Oruro, Bolivia and the preparation facility operated by AHK in Tupiza with pulps sent to the main ALS Global laboratory in Lima for analysis. More recently Eloro has had ALS send pulps to their laboratory at Galway in Ireland. Eloro employs an industry standard QA/QC program with standards, blanks and duplicates inserted into each batch of samples analyzed with selected check samples sent to a separate accredited laboratory.

Drill core samples sent to AHK Laboratories are prepared in a preparation facility installed and managed by AHK in Tupiza with pulps sent to the AHK laboratory in Lima, Peru. Au and Sn analysis on these samples is done by ALS Bolivia Ltda in Lima. Check samples between ALS and AHK are regularly done as a QA/QC check. AHK is following the same analytical protocols used as with ALS and with the same QA/QC protocols. Turnaround time continues to improve, as laboratories return to more normal staffing levels.

About Iska Iska

Iska Iska silver-tin polymetallic project is a road accessible, royalty-free property, wholly controlled by the Title Holder, Empresa Minera Villegas S.R.L. and is located 48 km north of Tupiza city, in the Sud Chichas Province of the Department of Potosi in southern Bolivia. Through its Bolivian subsidiary, Eloro has an option to earn a 100% interest in Iska Iska.

Iska Iska is a major silver-tin polymetallic porphyry-epithermal complex associated with a Miocene possibly collapsed/resurgent caldera, emplaced on Ordovician age rocks with major breccia pipes, dacitic domes and hydrothermal breccias. The caldera is 1.6km by 1.8km in dimension with a vertical extent of at least 1km. Mineralization age is similar to Cerro Rico de Potosi and other major deposits such as San Vicente, Chorolque, Tasna and Tatasi located in the same geological trend.

Eloro began underground diamond drilling from the Huayra Kasa underground workings at Iska Iska on September 13, 2020. On November 18, 2020, Eloro announced the discovery of a significant breccia pipe with extensive silver polymetallic mineralization just east of the Huayra Kasa underground workings and a high-grade gold-bismuth zone in the underground workings. On November 24, 2020, Eloro announced the discovery of the SBBP approximately 150m southwest of the Huayra Kasa underground workings.

Subsequently, on January 26, 2021, Eloro announced significant results from the first drilling at the SBBP including the discovery hole DHK-15 which returned 129.60 g Ag eq/t over 257.5m (29.53g Ag/t, 0.078g Au/t, 1.45%Zn, 0.59%Pb, 0.080%Cu, 0.056%Sn, 0.0022%In and 0.0064% Bi from 0.0m to 257.5m. Subsequent drilling has confirmed significant values of Ag-Sn polymetallic mineralization in the SBBP and the adjacent CBP. A substantive mineralized envelope which is open along strike and down-dip extends around both major breccia pipes. Continuous channel sampling of the Santa Barbara Adit located to the east of SBBP returned 442 g Ag eq/t (164.96 g Ag/t, 0.46%Sn, 3.46% Pb and 0.14% Cu) over 166m including 1,092 g Ag eq/t (446 g Ag/t, 9.03% Pb and 1.16% Sn) over 56.19m. The west end of the adit intersects the end of the SBBP.

Since the initial discovery hole, Eloro has released a number of significant drill results in the SBBP and the surrounding mineralized envelope which along with geophysical data has defined an extensive target zone. In its September 20, 2022 press release, the Company reported that new downhole geophysical data have significantly extended the strike length of the high-grade zone at Santa Barbara a further 250m along strike to the south-southeast from existing drilling. The 3D inverse magnetic model which correlates very strongly with the conductive zone suggested that the high-grade feeder zone may extend across the entire caldera for as much as a further 1 km along strike for a total potential strike length of at least 2 km. As reported, the definition drill program was modified to sectionally drill this potential extension to define a major open pittable deposit in the valley of the caldera. As a result, the estimated completion date for the maiden National Instrument 43-101 mineral resource was pushed back to the end of Q1 2023.

The Company completed 84,495m in 122 drill holes for the definition drill program in the Santa Barbara target area as announced on November 27, 2022.

On November 22, 2022, Eloro announced the acquisition of the Mina Casiterita and Mina Hoyada properties covering 14.75 km2 southwest and west of Iska Iska. These properties connect with the TUP-3 and TUP-6 claims previously staked by Eloro. Eloro has also staked additional land in the area. Following the acquisition, the total land package in the Iska Iska area to be controlled by Eloro will total 1,935 quadrants covering 483.75 km2.

Artisanal mining in the 1960s identified high grade tin (Sn) veins on the Mina Casiterita property that are hosted in an intrusive dacite. Production from 1962 to 1964 is reported by the Departamento Nacional de Geologia in Bolivia to be 69.85 tonnes grading 50.60% Sn.

Magnetic surveys recently completed by Eloro have outlined an extensive, near surface, magnetic intrusive body on the Mina Casiterita property immediately southwest of Iska Iska. This intrusive hosts the previously mined high-grade tin veins and is very likely the continuation of the porphyry tin intrusion projected to be below the epithermal Ag-Sn-Zn-Pb mineralization at Iska Iska.

The Porco adit from which previously reported channel sampling returned 103m grading 521 g Ag eq/t (including g 117g Ag/t, 1.44 g Au/t, 0.54% Cu and 0.66% Sn) in altered basement sediments, is located near the northeast part of the magnetic anomaly, attesting to the potential strength and high-grade nature of the mineralized system in the area.

Drilling is planned in the Porco area and on Mina Casiterita commencing in February 2023 with geological mapping, sampling and geophysical surveys now in progress on the full land package across the Iska Iska region.

About Eloro Resources Ltd.

Eloro is an exploration and mine development company with a portfolio of gold and base-metal properties in Bolivia, Peru and Quebec. Through its Bolivian subsidiary, Eloro has an option to acquire a 100% interest in the highly prospective Iska Iska Property, which can be classified as a polymetallic epithermal-porphyry complex, a significant mineral deposit type in the Potosi Department, in southern Bolivia. A recent NI 43-101 Technical Report on Iska Iska, which was completed by Micon International Limited, is available on Eloros website and under its filings on SEDAR. Iska Iska is a road-accessible, royalty-free property. Eloro also owns an 82% interest in the La Victoria Gold/Silver Project, located in the North-Central Mineral Belt of Peru some 50 km south of Barricks Lagunas Norte Gold Mine and Pan American Silvers La Arena Gold Mine.

For further information please contact either Thomas G. Larsen, Chairman and CEO or Jorge Estepa, Vice-President at (416) 868-9168.

Information in this news release may contain forward-looking information. Statements containing forward looking information express, as at the date of this news release, the Companys plans, estimates, forecasts, projections, expectations, or beliefs as to future events or results and are believed to be reasonable based on information currently available to the Company. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate. Actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information.

Neither the TSX nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/b2e3ec73-2187-4597-a77e-c10d10570636

Figure 1 Longitudinal Section Showing Distribution of Sn/Cu ratio (Looking West-southwest). The core of the Iska Iska deposit contains higher Sn and low Cu whereas the low Sn/Cu ratio is predominantly at the top and on the margins of the tin mineralization.

Source: Eloro Resources Ltd.
Analyst Conference Call  8:00 a.m. Pacific, Friday, May 5, 2023

BURNABY, British Columbia, April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- INTERFOR CORPORATION (Interfor or the Company) (TSX: IFP) will release its first quarter financial results on May 4, 2023. Information related to Interfors first quarter financial results will be available at www.interfor.com/investors.

The analyst conference call is scheduled for 8:00 a.m. Pacific on Friday, May 5, 2023. It will feature a brief summary of financial results by Interfor management followed by a question and answer period with analysts. The dial-in phone number is:

1-888-396-8049

The conference call will also be recorded for those unable to join the live discussion. The number to call to listen to the recording is 1-877-674-7070, Passcode 786874# and it will be available until June 4, 2023.

ABOUT INTERFOR

Interfor is a growth-oriented forest products company with operations in Canada and the United States. The Company has annual lumber production capacity of approximately 5.2 billion board feet and offers a diverse line of lumber products to customers around the world. For more information about Interfor, visit our website at www.interfor.com.

For further information:Richard Pozzebon, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer(604) 689-6804

Svetlana Kayumova, Senior Manager, Corporate Affairs & Communications(604) 422-7329[email protected]

Source: Interfor Corporation
ROME, April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- IRBM, a drug discovery and early development research institute and global contract research organization, announces that it is joining the Chemical Biology Consortium (CBC), the discovery engine of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Experimental Therapeutics (NExT) Program, administered through the Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research (FNLCR), a federal national laboratory sponsored by the NCI, part of the National Institutes of Health, and currently operated by Leidos Biomedical Research, Inc. The goal of the program is to help support the translation of novel therapeutic interventions arising from academic, private or government entities into tomorrows anticancer therapeutics.

IRBMs CEO Matteo Liguori said: We are privileged to have been selected to participate in the CBC with the vital mission of progressing oncology programs globally, delivering transformational treatments for patients worldwide. We will be collaborating closely with the consortiums network of scientists to help fuel the worlds discovery engine in the fight against cancer.

IRBMs Chief Science Officer Carlo Toniatti said: We are thrilled and honoured to join other high calibre scientists as part of the CBC and support the praiseworthy mission of delivering novel anticancer drugs for rare and/or orphan tumours. Our goals include significantly decreasing the time promising discoveries spend in drug development, reducing the failure rate, and overall accelerating novel targeted therapies into the clinic.

IRBMs participation in the consortium is funded through a contract to Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, operated by Leidos Biomedical Research, Inc. in Frederick, Maryland. The CBC operates as a collaborative network of 19 Institutes with longstanding drug discovery know-how from target identification through to proof-of-concept clinical trials. Members contribute their expertise in high throughput screening, structural biology, medicinal chemistry, compound profiling, cancer cell biology, and in vivo & in vitro models for oncology. The research focuses on addressing unmet needs in therapeutic oncology. IRBM is the only member based outside the USA to be part of the CBC network.

CBC members are selected in five-year cycles and chosen for their knowledge and expertise in small molecule drug discovery and high-level capabilities to advance projects from target validation to clinical candidate selection.

Background information

IRBM is an innovative research organization working across all aspects of drug discovery and early development. The integrated team of seasoned researchers fosters collaborations with organizations from the pharmaceutical, biotech, non-profit and academic sectors to accelerate the development of vaccines and medicines. More than 200 scientists work at IRBMs state-of-the-art R&D facility near Rome where projects are carried out under one roof enabling rapid cycle times and close integration of the scientific teams. IRBMs scientists have discovered several marketed therapeutics, and more than 25 molecules have progressed into clinical testing.

IRBM has a strong heritage in oncology research, having supported the discovery and development of approved cancer drugs, Zejula and Zolinza, and the advancement of several clinical candidates to oncology trials.

Precision medicines, immune checkpoint inhibitors, cell therapies, protein degraders, antibody-drug conjugates, peptide drugs and radiotheranostics are some examples of the many new drug modalities that IRBM has worked on in the fight against cancer.

For more information, please visit www.irbm.com

Press contacts

[email protected]

Source: IRBM
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Latin Metals Inc. (Latin Metals or the Company)  (TSXV: LMS, OTCQB: LMSQF) announces that ongoing mapping and prospecting has identified two additional mineralized zones with high-grade copper and base metal mineralization at the Companys Auquis Project (Auquis or the Project). Several styles of mineralization have been identified including newly discovered porphyry-style copper mineralization, and skarn mineralization. The property now hosts three distinct mineralized zones (Figure 1).

Keith Henderson, the Companys President & CEO stated, Our work at Auquis continues to deliver excellent results, with the recognition of two mineralized porphyry centers and a separate zone of skarn mineralization so far, giving all the indications of a large and robust hydrothermal system with potential to define both porphyry and skarn deposits. We eagerly await the results of a ground magnetic survey recently completed over the property which will aid our interpretation and continued exploration over the property.

Tinto and Blanco Zone Details

Newly discovered mineralized areas are in the western portion of the property (Figure 1). Grab samples of outcropping mineralization are photographed (Figure 2). Highlights from 23 rock grab samples are discussed below.

At the Tinto Zone porphyry target, strongly developed sulfide stockworks (pyrite-chalcopyrite) are associated with intense sericite alteration and partial oxidation to hematite and goethite. Grab sampling of outcropping mineralization returned grades of 1.8% copper and 54 g/t silver with trace molybdenum (Sample A) and confirms the Tinto Zone as a priority target for porphyry style mineralization.

At the Blanco Zone, prograde garnet-dominated skarn alteration has been identified as well as retrograde epidote and magnetite alteration (Samples C & D). The Blanco Zone is proximal to a dark fine-grained limestone, where marble has been recognized but not yet fully mapped. Veins and structures with base metal mineralization and jasperoid have been identified cutting the limestone package, with one grab sample returning 1.4% lead, 0.7% zinc, 0.08% copper, and 17 ppb gold (Sample B).

Sampling at the Blanco Zone returned values of up to 9.3% zinc, 6.1% lead, 2.8% copper, 176 g/t silver and 82 ppb gold. The skarn alteration does not appear to be related to either the Tinto Zone to the west, or the previously identified porphyry mineralization at the Rose Zone to the east, where sampling outlined a large area of copper and molybdenum mineralization measuring 1.5 km x 1.5 km (see news release November 3, 2022). The skarn mineralization at the Blanco Zone is tentatively interpreted as being related to an intrusive at depth.

Grab samples (23 samples) are taken across an area of approximately 8 km by 1 km and results are variable ranging from 1.5 ppm to 28,000 ppm (2.8%) copper, 8 ppm to 93,000 ppm (9.3%) zinc, 4.5 ppm to 60,400 ppm (6.0%) lead, 1 ppm to 19.4 ppm molybdenum, 0.01 ppm to 176 ppm (176 g/t) silver and below detection to 82 ppb gold.

Figure 1. Location of mineralized zones at Auquis, including newly discovered zones at Tinto and Blanco. Photos of outcrops taken at sample locations A to E are shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2. Samples showing porphyry and skarn type mineralization in the new Tinto and Blanco Zones

Next Steps

Once processing of the recently collected magnetic data is complete, the data will be interpreted and used to refine the exploration model before additional follow-up sampling is undertaken at the new zones of mineralization and throughout the remainder of the property.

Coastal Copper Belt

The Coastal Copper Belt in Peru is a Cretaceous belt hosting a variety of deposit types including Porphyry, Epithermal, VMS and IOCG. Latin Metals has a total of six 100%-owned copper exploration properties in the Coastal Belt. The Companys Lacsha copper-molybdenum project is drill ready and fully permitted for drilling. The Auquis copper-molybdenum-gold project is advanced and expected to be drill ready in 2023 and Tillo and Para properties are in the starting process of exploration.

QA/QC

The work program at Auquis was designed and supervised by Eduardo Leon, the Company's Exploration Manager, who is responsible for all aspects of the work, including the quality control/quality assurance program. On-site personnel at the project rigorously collect and track samples which are then security sealed and shipped to the ALS laboratory in Lima. Samples used for the results described herein are prepared and analyzed by multi-element analysis using an inductively coupled mass spectrometer in compliance with industry standards.

Qualified Person

The technical content of this release has been approved for disclosure by Keith J. Henderson P.Geo, a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101 and the Companys CEO. Mr. Henderson is not independent of the Company, as he is an employee of the Company and holds securities of the Company.

About Latin Metals

Latin Metals is a mineral exploration company acquiring a diversified portfolio of assets in South America. The Company operates with a Prospect Generator model focusing on the acquisition of prospective exploration properties at minimum cost, completing initial evaluation through cost-effective exploration to establish drill targets, and ultimately securing joint venture partners to fund drilling and advanced exploration. Shareholders gain exposure to the upside of a significant discovery without the dilution associated with funding the highest-risk drill-based exploration.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors of

LATIN METALS INC.

Keith Henderson

President & CEO

For further details on the Company readers are referred to the Company's web site (www.latin-metals.com) and its Canadian regulatory filings on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

For further information, please contact:

Keith Henderson

Suite 890999 West Hastings StreetVancouver, BC, V6C 2W2

Phone: 604-638-3456E-mail: [email protected]

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 news release.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian and U.S. securities legislation, including the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein including, without limitation, statements regarding the negotiation of the Option Agreements and exercise of the Option for the Properties, the anticipated content, commencement, timing and cost of exploration programs in respect of the Properties and otherwise, anticipated exploration program results from exploration activities, and the Company's expectation that it will be able to enter into agreements to acquire interests in additional mineral properties, the discovery and delineation of mineral deposits/resources/reserves on the Properties, and the anticipated business plans and timing of future activities of the Company, are forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Often, but not always, forward looking information can be identified by words such as "pro forma", "plans", "expects", "may", "should", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates", "believes", "potential" or variations of such words including negative variations thereof, and phrases that refer to certain actions, events or results that may, could, would, might or will occur or be taken or achieved. In making the forward-looking statements in this news release, the Company has applied several material assumptions, including without limitation, market fundamentals will result in sustained precious metals demand and prices, the receipt of any necessary permits, licenses and regulatory approvals in connection with the future development of the Companys Argentine projects in a timely manner, the availability of financing on suitable terms for the development, construction and continued operation of the Company projects, and the Companys ability to comply with environmental, health and safety laws.

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 differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. Such risks and other factors include, among others, operating and technical difficulties in connection with mineral exploration and development and mine development activities at the Properties, including the geological mapping, prospecting and sampling programs being proposed for the Properties (the "Programs"), actual results of exploration activities, including the Programs, estimation or realization of mineral reserves and mineral resources, the timing and amount of estimated future production, costs of production, capital expenditures, the costs and timing of the development of new deposits, the availability of a sufficient supply of water and other materials, requirements for additional capital, future prices of precious metals and copper, changes in general economic conditions, changes in the financial markets and in the demand and market price for commodities, possible variations in ore grade or recovery rates, possible failures of plants, equipment or processes to operate as anticipated, accidents, labour disputes and other risks of the mining industry, delays or the inability of the Company to obtain any necessary permits, consents or authorizations required, including TSX-V acceptance for filing of the Option Agreements, any current or future property acquisitions, financing or other planned activities, changes in laws, regulations and policies affecting mining operations, hedging practices, currency fluctuations, title disputes or claims limitations on insurance coverage and the timing and possible outcome of pending litigation, environmental issues and liabilities, risks related to joint venture operations, and risks related to the integration of acquisitions, as well as those factors discussed under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Company's latest Management Discussion and Analysis and other filings of the Company with the Canadian Securities Authorities, copies of which can be found under the Company's profile on the SEDAR website at www.sedar.com.

Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward looking statements. Except as otherwise required by law, the Company undertakes no obligation to update any of the forward-looking information in this news release or incorporated by reference herein.

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c0c7e1d2-4cdf-44ee-bfc0-37639c299c06

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/6384027a-4176-493a-b74c-2702f184f5d8

Figure 1. Location of mineralized zones at Auquis, including newly discovered zones at Tinto and Blanco. Photos of outcrops taken at sample locations A to E are shown in Figure 2. Figure 2. Samples showing porphyry and skarn type mineralization in the new Tinto and Blanco Zones

Source: Latin Metals Inc.
NEW YORK, April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cayuga Centers partnered with Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine to host a book reading for minors in its Transitional Foster Care program that serves unaccompanied children (UC-TFC). The event took place on Friday, March 24th, and was organized in collaboration with Literary Inc. (LINC), a non-profit with a mission to promote early literacy development throughout New York City.

The event was attended by a group of minors in the UC-TFC program ages 5 to 11 years old and by Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine, who greeted the youth and read the Spanish version of the childrens book, Dreamers (Sonadores) by Yuyi Morales. Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine remarked, "As we celebrate National Reading Month, it's essential to recognize the magic of teaching children the joys of reading from a young age. Reading opens up a world of imagination and knowledge, empowering our youth to dream big and explore new horizons. I had the honor of spending a delightful afternoon reading to children from Cayuga Centers and witnessing their enthusiasm for stories, and learning reminded me of the incredible impact that books can have on young minds. A special shoutout to Literacy Inc., who provided books and activities for the children  your commitment to promoting literacy is truly inspiring. Let's continue to foster a love for reading in our children, for it is the foundation of a brighter future for all."

LINC provided copies of Moraless book and donated 100 books in English, Spanish, Creole, and Tagalog to benefit the Cayuga Centers Foster a Love of Reading Book Drive. On behalf of our agency, we sincerely thank Manhattan Borough Presidents office for hosting this amazing event, providing refreshments, and facilitating this partnership with LINC to benefit the minors in our care. We are grateful and welcome opportunities to collaborate in the future, said Troy Brathwaite, COO of Federal Programs at Cayuga Centers.

The visit offered an opportunity for the minors in Cayuga Centers care to play an interactive game of bilingual Bingo, facilitated by staff from LINC. The most touching thing to see was when the children's faces lit up with excitement because they were able to read the words on the cards and win prizes with their reading skills. Early literacy programming is fun, and it is the most effective tool we have to achieve educational equity, said Albania Jimenez, Senior Director of Family & Community Mobilization at LINC. The minors also received LINC gift bags with books and other fun prizes.

Cayuga Centers UC-TFC program provides transitional foster care to unaccompanied children from around the world who are seeking asylum and are awaiting unification with a sponsor in the United States. The event was in celebration of National Reading Month, which occurs every March and is part of the Cayuga Centers Foster a Love of Reading Book Drive. To learn more about Cayuga Centers programs, visit www.cayugacenters.org.

About Literary Inc. (LINC)LINC equips children with foundational literacy skills essential for academic achievement by empowering families and mobilizing the community. For the past 25 years, LINC has worked to harness the power that exists in every community to make literacy a value and right of all children and promote educational equity. Its two-generational Community Literacy Model connects families with each other and with resources that already exist in the community to surround children with literacy-rich environments inside and outside of the home. When a child reads, a community succeeds.

About Cayuga CentersCayuga Centers is a nationally accredited and awarded 501(c)(3) non-profit, human services agency headquartered in Auburn, NY. Founded in 1852, the agency has delivered quality services by following the agencys core mission of helping individuals and families grow as independent, healthy, and productive citizens through quality counseling, out-of-home care, and support services. Cayuga Centers provides a continuum of support services nationally, with offices in over 10 cities. The agency specializes in providing individualized, culturally appropriate, and trauma-informed support to diverse populations. Cayuga Centers currently serves 10,000 individuals and families annually. Visit www.cayugacenters.org to learn about its services, how to become a foster parent, and employment opportunities.

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/3dd3084f-54d8-42e4-927e-30a0af696f11

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/21539566-1700-4f16-8232-ab5cc1956f07

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/88cb67f2-5bb1-4ac4-8e3f-2399fa8988fb

Media Contact: Jasmine Lawrence Media & Community Specialist [email protected]

Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine reads Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine reads to foster youth CC_BP_LINC Photo of Cayuga Centers staff, Literacy Inc staff, and Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine Manhattan Borough President with child from Cayuga Centers UC program Manhattan Borough President with child from Cayuga Centers program

Source: Cayuga Centers
South Korea, the U.S. and Japan kicked off two days of maritime exercises in international waters south off Jeju Island on Monday that include the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Nimitz. They are already the second three-way drills since last September.

From South Korea, the Aegis destroyer Yulgok Yi Yi, destroyers Choe Yeong and Dae Jo-yeong and the combat support ship Soyang are taking part.

From the U.S., the Aegis destroyer USS Decatur and guided-missile destroyer USS Wayne E. Meyer are joining and from Japan the destroyer Umigiri.
Continued Growth of Freshman Year for Free Program Highlights Need for Alternative Pathways to College for Students of All Ages and Backgrounds

Over 125,000 credit-bearing exams taken by students, and paid for by Modern States; an estimated $300 million savings on college costs for students and families

Key alliances in place with Purdue, HBCUs, New York City high schools and others

Freshman Year for Free program creates an onramp into more than 2,900 traditional colleges and universities

NEW YORK, April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Modern States Education Alliance (Modern States), the nations leading philanthropy dedicated to making a college degree more affordable and accessible for everyone, today announced that it has over 400,000 registered students on its online learning platform.

ModernStates.org offers a collection of completely free freshman-level courses online that lead to real credit at thousands of colleges and universities. To date, students have completed 128,000 courses and received full reimbursement by Modern States for exam fees. Assuming 10 college courses per year, this is the equivalent of up to 12,800 free years of college; a potential savings of approximately $300 million, at an average cost of college of $30,000 per year, all in.

The philanthropic goal of Modern States is to give away great, free, credit-bearing college courses to everyone who wants them. The free Modern States courses, plus our willingness to pay the fees of the credit-bearing College Board exams, create a cost-free onramp into thousands of traditional colleges and universities, said Steve Klinsky, Modern States founder and chief executive officer.

Modern States produced and created an online library of over 30 top quality online college courses, all available to everyone at ModernStates.org, and all taught by professors from leading universities such as Columbia, Johns Hopkins, Tufts and Purdue. The courses include lectures, readings and practice questions (all entirely free of charge) that prepare students to pass any of the College Boards credit-bearing College Level Examination Program (CLEP) exams. These CLEP exams have been widely accepted for college credit for more than 50 years and Modern States pays the CLEP exam costs for students who successfully pass its courses.

I saved a ton of money and time, and I'm not sure what my life would look like now if I didn't use it, said Logan Lathrop, a Modern States learner who thought he would never pursue college. He discovered CLEP during his time in the Air National Guard and took advantage of the program to further his education while deployed in Kuwait. I'm now a 1L at Harvard Law School and without using Modern States to clear out a full semester and a half of courses, it's very possible that the entry into higher education would have been too daunting for me to consider starting.

Any learner  high school students, college students, active-duty military and adults  can sign up at ModernStates.org in minutes and began taking these self-paced courses in subjects such as English, Math, Science, American Government, American History, Psychology, Spanish and many others. There are no entrance, financial, or other requirements to use Modern States.

Like a digital public library, the Modern States free online courses are available 24/7 and are self-paced, allowing students full flexibility and convenience. All it takes is an internet connection and a desire to learn. Some students take courses on their cell phone.

Modern States exists to help all people, of any age and background, including high schoolers and adult learners, save about a full years worth of money and time on their education, said Klinsky.

Launched in 2017, Modern States was created to help students and their families deal with the high cost of college that has resulted in more than $1.7 trillion of student debt, more than all the credit card debt in the U.S. By enabling students to save on the cost of college, Modern States reduces student debt and offers a pathway to college. Students can take one course or as many courses as they choose. By passing 8-10 CLEP exams, students can save up to a full year of college cost.

As the program continues bringing its promise of free college credit to more students across the country, Modern States has forged dozens of partnerships with like-minded organizations, including the Carnegie Corp., the Hearst Foundation, The Heckscher Foundation, The Starr Foundation, the I Have a Dream Foundation and many others, including The Archdiocese of New York.

It also has forged partnerships with Purdue University; with historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) led by Morgan State University; with hundreds of high schools and colleges; and with numerous cities and states.

Purdue and Morgan State started Fast Start programs with Modern States, which specially admit Modern States/CLEP students into Purdue and Morgan State at major cost and time savings.

The NYC x Freshman Year for Free program has more than 3,500 registered students from 100 New York City public high schools in Brooklyn, the Bronx, Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island. The NYC students who receive stipends for passing courses and exams use Modern States courses to earn free college credit during high school.

The overall pass rate for CLEP students has been 74 percent to date, which is about 10 percentage points higher than the national average pass rate for all CLEP test takers. Research has shown that students who pass CLEPs are more likely to graduate, and more likely to do well on the follow-up course.

Now, with courses taught by college professors online to prepare students to pass these exams, students can get college credit for what they learn, said David Vise, executive director of Modern States.

Registering for Modern States courses is free and easy. The philanthropy aspires to help over one million learners and to save students and taxpayers over $1 billion in total. The program also symbolizes a model of a national or global free digital library of college and vocational training, that a government or NGO could institute on a broader scale.

For more information about Modern States and its courses, please visit https://modernstates.org/.

About Modern StatesModern States is a NYC-based philanthropy dedicated to making a college degree more affordable and accessible for everyone. Its first initiative is Freshman Year for Free: more than 30 online college courses available tuition-free for credit, from top university professors available to anyone with an Internet connection. Students can use these courses to earn college credits by preparing for and taking credit-bearing CLEP exams, as offered by the College Board, and accepted by more than 2,900 colleges, including most HBCUs. Learn more at ModernStates.org.

Media Contact: Jennifer Leckstrom RoseComm for Modern States [email protected] 215-681-0770

Source: Modern States Education Alliance
SURREY, British Columbia, April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- March 2023 saw the second consecutive month of growth in sales in the Fraser Valley, and although still below seasonal norms, the trend is an encouraging sign that the region continues to head towards increased market stability.

At 1,550, property sales posted on the FVREBs Multiple Listings Service (MLS) were 72.6 per cent higher than sales recorded last month. Although 39.9 per cent lower than a year ago and nearly 25 per cent below the ten-year average, it marks the first time since August that monthly sales exceeded the 1,000 level.

After months of uncertainty made it difficult for buyers and sellers to re-enter the housing market, we may well be seeing a turning point, said Narinder Bains, Chair of the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board. The pause in rate hikes has helped to restore a much-needed sense of predictability, which is building consumer confidence. As a result, were starting to see more traffic at open houses along with more multiple offer situations.

As in all regions across the province and the country, low supply is still an issue and a primary factor driving price growth.

New listings, at 2,559, were 32 per cent higher than in February, but still 44.1 per cent below last year, while active listings were up by 2.8 per cent over last month and 3.5 per cent below last year. However, both are well off the ten-year average and among the lowest March listings recorded in a decade.

As a result, the aggregate sales-to-active listings ratio grew to 34 per cent, shifting the market into sellers territory, with demand for townhomes even more pronounced, at a 62 per cent ratio. (The market is considered balanced when the sales-to active listings ratio is between 12 per cent and 20 per cent.)

Benchmark prices continued to edge upward with roughly two per cent month-over-month growth across all categories. The composite Benchmark price was $965,100 in March.

While market demand continues to trend up, we still face an uphill battle on the supply side, which is keeping prices elevated, said FVREB CEO, Baldev Gill. The province will require sustained inventory growth of at least 25 per cent over each of the next five years in order to normalize inventories. Until then, we strongly advise buyers and sellers to consult with a REALTOR to plan the best strategy.

Properties spent slightly fewer days on the market compared to last month with detached homes posting 30 days on the market and apartments 29. Townhomes moved faster, at 26 days.

MLS HPI Benchmark Price Activity

Single Family Detached: At $1,390,600 the Benchmark price for an FVREB single-family detached home increased 1.9 per cent compared to February 2023 and decreased 21.7 per cent compared to March 2022.

At $1,390,600 the Benchmark price for an FVREB single-family detached home increased 1.9 per cent compared to February 2023 and decreased 21.7 per cent compared to March 2022. Townhomes: At $794,400, the Benchmark price for an FVREB townhome increased 2.3 per cent compared to February 2023 and decreased 14.5 per cent compared to March 2022.

At $794,400, the Benchmark price for an FVREB townhome increased 2.3 per cent compared to February 2023 and decreased 14.5 per cent compared to March 2022. Apartments: At $521,800 the Benchmark price for an FVREB apartment/condo increased 2.3 per cent compared to February 2023 and decreased 11 per cent compared to March 2022.

The Fraser Valley Real Estate Board is an association of 4,958 real estate professionals who live and work in the BC communities of Abbotsford, Langley, Mission, North Delta, Surrey, and White Rock.

ContactVanessa Cheng, Communications CoordinatorFraser Valley Real Estate Board[email protected]Telephone: 604.930.7652www.fvreb.bc.cawww.fvreb100.ca

Source: Fraser Valley Real Estate Board
Feasibility and safety demonstrated in patients with advanced heart failure

Safe maximal dose for continuation into Phase 2 (Proof-of-Concept) identified

Proof for successful heart remuscularization obtained

Interim data on 15 patients with 800 million cells dose expected in Q2 2024

GOTTINGEN, Germany, April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Repairon, a clinical-stage German biotech company focused on developing a novel reparative treatment for heart failure, together with the University Medical Center Gottingen (UMG) and the University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein (UKSH), Campus Lubeck, as well as the German Center for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK) today announced the completion of enrolment and follow-up of patients in the dose-finding cohort of the BioVAT-HF-DZHK20 Phase 1/2 trial. The clinical trial is evaluating the safety and efficacy of iPSC1 -derived engineered human myocardium (EHM) as Biological Ventricular Assist Tissue (BioVAT) in Advanced Heart Failure (NCT04396899).

Dr. Rainer Knaus, Managing Director of Repairon, emphasized that "Since 2017 Repairon is the exclusive industry partner of UMG to bring the EHM therapy from the bench to the bedside. Strongly encouraged by the emerging data from the BioVAT-HF study, Repairon will continue the commercial development of the EHM technology with the aim to establish it as the therapeutic option of choice for patients with advanced heart failure."

"We are very pleased to announce the completion of the dose-finding part of our clinical study, evaluating a fundamentally new clinical strategy in the treatment of patients with advanced heart failure," said Professor Tim Seidler from the Heart Center of the University Medical Center Gottingen and Principal Investigator of the BioVAT-HF study.

"With BioVAT implantation a new therapeutic opportunity for patients with advanced heart failure and a realistic chance to avoid more invasive therapeutic procedures such as the implantation of mechanical circulatory assist devices is evolving," said Professor Ingo Kutschka Director of the Clinic for Cardiothoracic Surgery at the University Medical Center Gottingen and principle surgical investigator of the BioVAT-HF study at UMG.

"After many years of preclinical research we are pleased to see the transition of BioVAT implantation into patients with heart failure and addition of new muscle to the failing human heart," said Professor Stephan Ensminger Director of the Clinic for Cardiac and Thoracic Vascular Surgery at the University Heart Center Lubeck and principle surgical investigator of the BioVAT-HF study at UKSH, Campus Lubeck.

"We are finally seeing true remuscularization in patients with heart failure and look forward to the outcome of BioVAT-HF," said Professor Gerd Hasenfu Director of the Heart Center at the University Medical Center Gottingen.

"We are excited about our involvement in the first-in-patient, first-in-class BioVAT-HF trial, which addresses a critical unmet medical need in our patients with advanced heart failure," said Professor Ingo Eitel Director of the Medical Clinic II (Cardiology/Angiology/Intensive Care Medicine) at the University Heart Center Lubeck.

"Advanced heart failure treatment requires new reparative therapies; with BioVAT-HF remuscularization of the failing heart is becoming a clinical possibility," said Professor Stefan Anker Charite Berlin.

The open-label, non-randomized, multi-center trial is investigating the hypothesis that cardiomyocyte implantation as BioVAT results in sustainable remuscularization and biological enhancement of myocardial performance in patients with advanced heart failure. As such it is the first of its kind in heart repair by tissue engineered remuscularization.

In the dose ranging part of the study, 10 patients with advanced heart failure with left ventricular ejection fraction 35% and NYHA III were implanted with EHM hosting an increasing number of iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes and stromal cells:

The first 2 patients were implanted with 200 million cells

Followed with 2 patients implanted with 400 million cells

Followed with 6 patients implanted with 800 million cells (the maximal dose under the study protocol)

With maximal follow-up of 2 years in the low dose group and 1 year in the high dose group, the study continues to enroll patients during a transition period from Phase 1 to Phase 2 (Proof-of-Concept) based on a positive risk-benefit assessment following an adaptive clinical trial design.

"There is a huge unmet medical need for the development of new reparative treatment options for patients suffering from advanced heart failure," said Professor Wolfram-Hubertus Zimmermann, Director of the Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology at the University Medical Center Gottingen (UMG), Co-Founder of Repairon, and BioVAT-HF Study Director. "After more than 25 years of research, the BioVAT-HF study is testing whether the addition of new heart muscle to the failing human heart can offer a new therapeutic solution for patients suffering from advanced heart failure despite optimal medical therapy. Our observation as to long-term remuscularization in BioVAT-HF is aligned with our preclinical data and our strategy to address the root-cause of heart failure."

This first-in-patient and first-in-class study is conducted by the University Medical Center Gottingen with support from Repairon, the German Center for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), and the University Heart Center Lubeck. The interim data readout from 15 patients receiving 800 million cells is anticipated for Q2 2024, with then first data on the primary efficacy endpoints (augmentation of the target heart wall with evidence for local and global enhancement of contractility). The completion of BioVAT-HF with 35 patients treated with the safe maximal dose is expected in H2 2025.

About RepaironRepairon is a clinical-stage private German biotech company focused on developing a treatment for heart failure. The company was founded in 2014 on the pioneering work of Professor Wolfram-Hubertus Zimmermann and his team, who have developed several tissue engineering technologies with documented applicability in organ repair. Repairon's lead therapeutic candidate, engineered heart muscle (EHM), is being evaluated in a Phase 1/2 clinical trial as Biological Ventricular Assist Tissue in Terminal Heart Failure (BioVAT-HF). Repairon maintains strong partnerships with the University Medical Center in Gottingen and the German Center for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK). The company is headquartered in Gottingen, Germany.

Contact

Rudolf-Wissell-Str. 28a37079 Gottingen, Germanywww.repairon.de Dr. Rainer KnausManaging Director [email protected]

_____________________1 induced pluripotent stem cell

Source: Repairon gmbh
LONDON, April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Small Pharma Inc. (TSXV: DMT) (OTCQB: DMTTF) (the Company or Small Pharma), a biotechnology company focused on short-duration psychedelic-assisted therapies for mental health conditions, today announces positive six-month data from the Companys Phase IIa clinical trial of SPL026. In the study, patients with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) received SPL026, the Company's proprietary, pharmaceutical-grade formulation of N,N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT), during a clinical session with supportive therapy. New data from the Phase IIa trial shows that among the patients who had achieved remission within three months with SPL026, 64% sustained remission to six months.

The trial investigated the efficacy and safety of 21.5mg intravenous (IV) SPL026 with supportive therapy in 34 patients with moderate/severe MDD. The study was conducted in two stages. The first stage consisted of a blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled two-week phase where the primary endpoint was to assess the efficacy of a single dose of SPL026 with supportive therapy. In the second open-label phase, all study participants received SPL026 treatment, and were followed-up for a further three months in study.

Patients continued to be followed up out-of-study to six months following the open-label dose, enabling further assessment of durability of antidepressant effect, using the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS). A total of 25 patients from both treatment arms (single and two dose regimen) completed the six-month patient follow-up.

Of the 25 patients who completed the six-month patient follow-up:

14 patients had initially achieved remission1 within the three-month in-study period (the  Prior Remitters )

) 9 of the Prior Remitters (64%) sustained remission at six-months

Overall, 10 of the 25 patients (40%) met the criteria for remission at six-months

The chart below sets out aggregated remission ratesa at one week to six months post open-label dose, demonstrating the remission rates of patients over time:

Note: n = number of datapoints(a) Aggregated data includes all participants who received either one dose or two doses of SPL026; and includes four participants excluded from the formal statistical analysis who received a blinded dose of SPL026 but did not receive a second open-label dose.

Dr. Carol Routledge, Chief Medical & Scientific Officer said: With our ongoing analyses of the Phase IIa trial data, we are increasingly encouraged by the treatment potential of SPL026. A single dose in conjunction with therapy demonstrated a rapid and robust antidepressant effect after one week. This new data shows that the antidepressant effect was sustained for six months in two-thirds of patients who were in remission at an earlier time-point in the study. As we finalize the design of the Phase IIb study, this data helps to inform our understanding of treatment durability and our approach to patient retreatment within the trial.

George Tziras, Chief Executive Officer of Small Pharma said: We are pleased to see that participants in our study experienced durable relief from their depression for an extended period of time. Given these clinical outcomes from one or two treatments, this could further offer potential value to healthcare systems that face challenges with patients who struggle to adhere to their daily antidepressant use.

Robin Carhart-Harris PhD, Director of the Psychedelics Division at the Weill Institute for Neurosciences at the University of California San Francisco, and Ralph Metzner, Distinguished Professor of Neurology, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences commented: "This data indicates that SPL026 can elicit a fast-acting antidepressant response that appears to be enduring in several cases. Recent neuroimaging and preclinical findings imply a regenerative action with DMT and other related serotonergic agonists.

About Small PharmaSmall Pharma is a biotechnology company progressing a pipeline of short-duration psychedelic-assisted therapies for the treatment of mental health conditions. The Companys current focus is on exploring new therapeutic approaches for depression. Small Pharmas lead candidate, SPL026, is a proprietary synthetic formulation of DMT. The Company is advancing clinical programs of SPL026 and SPL028 with supportive therapy for the treatment of mental health conditions, and was granted an Innovation Passport designation from the U.K. Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (the MHRA) for IV SPL026 with supportive therapy for MDD. In addition, Small Pharma has a pipeline of proprietary preclinical assets in development.

References:1 Remitters/remission: patients with MADRS score 10

For further information contact:

Small Pharma Inc.George Tziras, Chief Executive OfficerEmail: [email protected]Tel: +44 (0)7456 915968

Media Relations Contacts:Jaber MohamedMHP CommunicationsEmail: [email protected] Tel/text: +44 (0)7720 326 847

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains statements that constitute forward-looking information (forward-looking information) within the meaning of the applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking information and are based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release. Any statement that discusses predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance (often but not always using phrases such as expects, or does not expect, is expected, anticipates or does not anticipate, plans, budget, scheduled, forecasts, estimates, believes or intends or variations of such words and phrases or stating that certain actions, events or results may or could, would, might or will be taken to occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking information. Forward-looking statements in this news release include statements regarding the Companys Phase IIa study of SPL026, including the six-month data informing the Companys understanding of treatment durability and approach to patient retreatment in the Phase IIb trial design; the impact of the data on the Companys future clinical strategy and expansion of its clinical pipeline; the potential value of mental health treatments to healthcare systems and patients suffering from depression and struggling with antidepressant use, including the Companys ability to provide such treatments; and the Companys ability to progress short-duration psychedelic assisted therapies for the treatment of mental health conditions.

In disclosing the forward-looking information contained in this press release, the Company has made certain assumptions. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking information are reasonable, it can give no assurance that the expectations of any forward-looking information will prove to be correct. Known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Such factors include, but are not limited to: compliance with extensive government regulations; domestic and foreign laws and regulations adversely affecting the Companys business and results of operations; the impact of COVID-19; and general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking information contained in this press release. Except as required by law, the Company disclaims any intention and assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information to reflect actual results, whether as a result of new information, future events, changes in assumptions, changes in factors affecting such forward-looking information or otherwise.

Small Pharma makes no medical, treatment or health benefit claims about its proposed products. The MHRA or other similar regulatory authorities have not evaluated claims regarding DMT-assisted therapies and other next generation psychoactive compounds. The efficacy of such therapies has not been confirmed by MHRA-approved research. There is no assurance that such DMT-assisted therapies and other psychoactive compounds can diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease or condition. Vigorous scientific research and clinical trials are needed. Any references to quality, consistency, efficacy and safety of potential therapies do not imply that Small Pharma verified such in clinical trials or that Small Pharma will complete such trials. If Small Pharma cannot obtain the approvals or research necessary to commercialize its business, it may have a material adverse effect on Small Pharmas performance and operations.

The TSX Venture Exchange (TSXV) has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release. 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.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/464735f0-225c-4707-9af9-3d684f7d3b11

Aggregated Remission Rates Aggregated Remission Rates

Source: Small Pharma Inc.
LIMERICK, Pa., April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Victory Bank has been awarded a Top Workplaces 2023 honor by Philadelphia Inquirer Top Workplaces. The list is based solely on employee feedback gathered through a third-party survey administered by employee engagement technology partner Energage LLC. The confidential survey uniquely measures 15 culture drivers that are critical to the success of any organization: including alignment, execution, and connection, just to name a few.

Earning a Top Workplaces award is a badge of honor for companies, especially because it comes authentically from their employees, said Eric Rubino, Energage CEO. That's something to be proud of. In today's market, leaders must ensure theyre allowing employees to have a voice and be heard. That's paramount. Top Workplaces do this, and it pays dividends.

ABOUTEstablished in 2008, The Victory Bank is a Pennsylvania state-chartered commercial bank headquartered in Limerick Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, dedicated to the strategy of becoming The Employer of Choice in the banking industry. In addition to providing community banking services, the Bank is a specialized business lender that offers high-quality banking services to small and mid-sized businesses and professionals through its three offices in Montgomery and Berks Counties, Pennsylvania. Additional information about The Victory Bank is available at VictoryBank.com. Member FDIC.

AWARDS

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/e89e0520-ff4d-4f1b-afc5-f6679cc1c59b

ABOUT ENERGAGEMaking the world a better place to work together.

Energage is a purpose-driven company that helps organizations turn employee feedback into useful business intelligence and credible employer recognition through Top Workplaces. Built on 16 years of culture research and the results from 27 million employees surveyed across more than 70,000 organizations, Energage delivers the most accurate competitive benchmark available. With access to a unique combination of patented analytic tools and expert guidance, Energage customers lead the competition with an engaged workforce and an opportunity to gain recognition for their people-first approach to culture. For more information or to nominate your organization, visit energage.com or topworkplaces.com.

COMPANY CONTACT The Victory Bank Kelly Taylor  484-791-3407 VictoryBank.com

Delaware Valley Top Workplaces 2023 Award Delaware Valley Top Workplaces 2023 Award

Source: The Victory Bank
April 20 in Downtown Toronto

Live Music by Skratch Bastid

$10 Tickets Available Now at TokyoSmoke420.com (19+)

TORONTO, April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ontarios largest cannabis retailer, Tokyo Smoke, is hosting its second annual cannabis celebration on Thursday, April 20 at RendezViews (229 Richmond St W) in Toronto from 3:20 PM to 10:30 PM ET. The 19+ celebration is the largest legal 4/20 party in Canada and was established to celebrate cannabis culture with leading cannabis and accessory brands, food and beverages, prizes, activities, live music by JUNO AWARD-nominated Canadian DJ and record producer, Skratch Bastid, along with other unforgettable experiences.

"We're thrilled to host our nations largest 4/20 celebration in Downtown TorontoCanadas largest, most diverse city and the birthplace of Tokyo Smoke, said Sam Vanderveer, Vice president, Tokyo Smoke. This celebration is a testament to the growing cultural significance of cannabis in Canada, and we encourage cannabis enthusiasts from all walks of life to join us on April 20th. Our industry has come a long way, and we hope to continue spreading the message of acceptance, quality, safety and responsible use. Its going to be our best party yet!

In addition to event entry, ticket holders will have access to:

Food and beverages, swag, giveaways and a variety of top cannabis brand activations

Retro arcade, t-shirt printing, lawn games and many other activities

Live music by DJ Skratch Bastid

Tickets can be purchased at TokyoSmoke420.com. This is a 19+ event.

Members of Tokyo Smokes loyalty program, The High Roller Club, are eligible for 50% off tickets. Sign up in-store for exclusive access.

About Tokyo SmokeTokyo Smoke is a multiple award-winning cannabis retailer and market leader with tremendous cross-country expansion and growth potential as the retail cannabis industry continues to consolidate and mature. At Tokyo Smoke, we believe cannabis within the legal market can have a powerful impact and that the customer experience should be nothing short of great. We are committed to bringing our customers the very highest quality, regulated products in stunning retail stores with convenient locations. Tokyo Smoke empowers Canadians to make well-informed decisions about safe, high-quality cannabis products. We curate unique offerings and deliver a product assortment that reflects our customers' interests, neighbourhood-by-neighbourhood.

OEG Retail Cannabis is now the sole owner of the Tokyo Smoke brand and trademark. Learn more at tokyosmoke.com

About DJ Skratch Bastid

Skratch Bastid, is a Canadian DJ and record producer. He is a three-time Scribble Jam DJ Battle winner and the first ever Canadian DJ to be nominated for the Juno Award for Producer of the Year. Skratch is also the global ambassador and judge for Red Bulls annual Thre3style DJ Competition.

For more information, please contact:

Kevin RapanosOEG Retail Cannabis587-710-0692[email protected]

Source: Tokyo Smoke Brands Company Ltd.
MALVERN, Pa., April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Vishay Intertechnology, Inc., (NYSE: VSH) announced today that its Annual Meeting of Stockholders will be held at 9:00 a.m., U.S. eastern time, on Tuesday, May 23, 2023.

Vishay has adopted a virtual annual meeting in 2023. The annual meeting will be accessible to stockholders via the Internet at www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/VSH2023.

United States Securities and Exchange Commission rules allow the Company to mail a notice to its stockholders advising that its proxy statement, annual report to stockholders, electronic proxy card and related materials are available for viewing, free of charge, on the Internet. Stockholders may then access these materials and vote over the Internet or request delivery of a full set of materials by mail or email. Vishay has elected to utilize this process for the 2023 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. The proxy materials are available for viewing, free of charge, on the Internet, at ir.vishay.com.

These rules give Vishay the opportunity to serve stockholders more efficiently by making the proxy materials available quickly online and reducing costs associated with printing and postage. Stockholders who receive a Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials will not receive a paper or electronic copy of the proxy materials unless they request a copy using the procedure described in the Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials and posted on the investor relations section of Vishays website, at ir.vishay.com.

To participate in the virtual meeting, stockholders will need the control number included in the Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials, on their proxy card, or on their voting instruction form. Those without a control number may attend as guests of the meeting, but they will not have the option to vote their shares or ask questions during the virtual event.

About VishayVishay manufactures one of the worlds largest portfolios of discrete semiconductors and passive electronic components that are essential to innovative designs in the automotive, industrial, computing, consumer, telecommunications, military, aerospace, and medical markets. Serving customers worldwide, Vishay is The DNA of tech. Vishay Intertechnology, Inc. is a Fortune 1,000 Company listed on the NYSE (VSH). More on Vishay at www.vishay.com.

Statements contained herein that relate to the Company's 2023 Annual Meeting of Stockholders are forward-looking statements within the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as "will be" or other similar words or expressions often identify forward-looking statements. Such statements are based on current expectations only, and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions, many of which are beyond our control. Among the factors that could cause the Companys 2023 annual meeting logistical arrangements to change include: general business and economic conditions; or the imposition of restrictive governmental regulations implemented to address public health concerns, or uncertainty regarding the same. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

The DNA of tech is a trademark of Vishay Intertechnology

Contact: Vishay Intertechnology, Inc.Peter HenriciExecutive Vice President, Corporate Communications+1-610-644-1300

Source: Vishay Intertechnology, Inc.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Unceded Territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations -- Zephyrus Marine announces today that it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Mirai Ships, a Japan-based leading shipyard located in Miyagi prefecture, to build the Zephyrus Zero Carbon Offshore wind service vessel. Ad Hoc Marine Designs Ltd. (Ad Hoc) will be providing the design for the zero-emission Crew Transfer Vessel (CTV) which will incorporate Shifts leading-edge PwrSwap technology This class NK-approved energy storage system will allow crew transfer vessels to swap their modular battery systems with ease while providing a zero-emission service to the Japanese offshore wind sector.

The design of the Zephyrus Zero Carbon Offshore wind service operation will be tailored to specifically service Japanese wind and offshore vessels. The fully electric Mothership will operate as the hotel and charging station with fully electric daughter vessels that will either be stowed on deck or returned to shore for near-shore operations. These daughter vessels will be lifted off the Mothership and launched into the field. When the charge is low, these CTVs will return to the Mothership to dock at the stern, allowing for the spent batteries (e-pods) to be lifted and replaced with fully charged ones within minutes.

Rob Stewart, Director at Zephyrus said, We need to make it easy for shipowners and the offshore wind sector to go zero carbon. By partnering with Mirai Ships in building our unique solution, we can move the needle towards a net-zero shipping industry and we can do so while improving the operational cost and reducing the risk profiles within the offshore Japanese wind sector.

Takeyoshi Kidoura, CEO of Mirai Ships, mentioned: It is a great honor to become a part of this team of people who are trying to make the planet a better place to live. It is a challenge and requires dedication, passion, and, most of all, teamwork. As JFK once said, Our problems are man-made; therefore, they can be solved by man. Man's reason and spirit have often solved the seemingly unsolvable. I believe they can do it again. I believe he was correct, and we can do this in Japan as well.

Paul Hughes, President and founder of Shift, said: When it comes to decarbonization, it needs to be a collaborative effort. We are thrilled to partner with Zephyrus and Mirai Ships to power these zero-emission wind service vessels. Utilizing our PwrSwap technology, we give shipowners the power and freedom to utilize clean, reliable energy without having to purchase the energy storage system. Our energy storage systems provide the energy needed for the trip saving space, weight and costs. This is an important step towards lowering shipping emissions in Japan and beyond.

The Zephyrus Zero Carbon Offshore wind service operation will utilize Shifts PwrSwap technology - a pay-as-you-go energy subscription service that delivers instant renewable, clean energy to vessels without risk. As a result, vessels can utilize only the energy they need without committing to a fixed energy storage system. The technology is rooted in a network of swappable battery e-Pods and containers which are connected through cloud-based service and management centres. Not only does PwrSwap reduce emissions and costs, it saves time. Unlike traditional refueling which can take hours, it takes between 3-15 minutes to swap modular batteries. This addition will facilitate the transition of Japanese wind and offshore vessels to hybrid or fully electric.

John Kecsmar, Naval Architect and owner of Ad Hoc, added: We are excited to work with the team at Zephyrus and Mirai Ships to build this unique solution for the Japanese market. This groundbreaking technology is a game changer, allowing vessels to quickly adopt electric energy while dealing with the space and weight constraints that CTVs and other smaller vessels experience when seeking a solution to reduce carbon emissions and improve operating costs. Also, teaming up with our partners at AMC is exciting, having previously shared historical roots in the same company many years ago. AMC is a trusted known builder of high-quality aluminum vessels, including  of the worlds CTVs over the last 17 years. Collaborating with Mirai Shipbuilding to bring world-class aluminum production expertise into Japan, a country known for its attention to detail and quality, by linking with Mirai Shipbuilding, serves as the perfect platform to ensure the locally built vessels for the Japanese market are built to the highest quality standards.

This project and partnership between Zephyrus Marin, Shift, Mirai Ships, and Ad Hoc, marks an important step towards the decarbonization of the shipping industry in Japan and beyond. Zephyrus is rapidly accelerating the electrification solutions for offshore wind. With Japanese waters known for the rough seas all year around, it was a natural fit to use Ad Hocs SWATH CTVs, which are tailor designed to withstand such harsh annual conditions.

Zephyrus Marine,Zephyrus is a collaboration between` Vessel Manufacturers, Naval architects and both battery manufactures and infrastructure electrical charging specialists. The group has combined the most experience operators in Offshore wind. Zephyrus is able to offer a optimized package in the provision of all electric zero carbon vessels operations with the option of both on and offshore charging. Zephyrus offers training and knowledge transfer to offshore wind farm owners and operators.

Mirai ShipsMirai Ships is a Japan-based shipyard specializing in the construction, design, repair, and sale of a wide variety of vessels. The company has over 100 years of experience within the maritime industry. Mirai Ships was founded in 1910 and has built a trusted reputation for its high quality construction and meticulous attention to detail.

www.miraiships.co.jp

About Shift Clean Energy:Shift Clean Energy provides energy storage solutions to decarbonize the marine transport industry and other hard-to-abate sectors. Shift enables customers to meet their climate action and ESG goals with clean energy solutions based on leading-edge energy storage systems. Understood to be the safest and most reliable energy storage solutions on the market today, and the first commercial marine solutions company to offer pay-as-you-go PwrSwap subscription energy systems. Customers save money from day one through electrification, integrating ESS and renewable energy for both commercial and maritime applications. Shift now has offices in the US, UK, and the Netherlands, with a new office under construction in Singapore. Join us on our mission to zero emissions.https://shift-cleanenergy.com/

Ad Hoc Marine Designs Ltd:Ad Hoc is a UK-based design and consultancy company with over 60 years of experience in shipyard production and design. It offers a wide range of technical services, including Naval Architecture, Marine Design, and Technical Support Services. Ad Hocs staff are experts in their field, notably with more than 30 years of multihull and novel hull form designs such as: high speed passenger ferries and CTVs etc. and extensive research into Aluminum fabrication and fatigue having authored many international technical papers on hydrodynamics and structural design within the marine sector. John Kecsmar is on Lloyds Registers Technical Committee and sits on the chair of many global institutions.

www.adhocmarinedesigns.co.uk

Press contact:Yulu PR[email protected]

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c98244ae-af3c-4e70-8029-f274467d0ff7

Zephyrus Marine announces MOU with Mirai Ships, SHIFT and Ad Hoc to power wind service hubs in Japan The Zephyrus Zero Carbon Offshore service operation will streamline the electric transition for Japanese offshore vessels.

Source: Shift Clean Energy
Washington, DCs medical marijuana program will undergo a few changes in the coming months after a Congressional Review resulted in the approval of an amendment measure. The bill includes further social equity provisions, gets rid of cannabis business licensing caps and allows cannabis operators to obtain tax relief.

In addition, the bill will create new business categories in the states cannabis program, such as marijuana cooking classes and

Read More>>

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Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - April 4, 2023) - Appia Rare Earths & Uranium Corp.(CSE: API) (OTCQX: APAAF)(FSE: A0I0) (FSE: A0I0.F) (FSE: A0I0.MU) (FSE: A0I0.BE)(the "Company" or "Appia")is excited to announce the release of assay results from 2022 diamond drilling of various regional exploration targets at its 100%-owned Alces Lake Rare Earth Elements (REES) Property, Northern Saskatchewan.

Final assays for Appia's 2022 Alces Lake diamond drilling program have been received, compiled, and interpreted zone-by-zone, the third (and final) set of results is reported here. In 2022, The Company completed an extensive diamond drilling campaign of regional exploration targets. Targets were identified primarily through the interpretation of the company's 2021 Airborne Radiometric (U, Th, K) survey in conjunction with its 2021 and 2022 prospecting results. Table 1 below highlights the most significant geochemical assay results from the regional drilling program. Table 2 provides the collar information for all of the drill holes from the 2022 regional diamond drilling program. The complete assays results are available in Table 3 by clicking on this link.

The Magnet Ridge West Target (Figures 1 and 2), first identified and drilled in 2022, returned multiple intervals of a REE (monazite-bearing) mineralization over significant drill widths, including:

15.78m @ 0.201 wt.% TREO from hole 22-MRW-005

from hole 22-MRW-005 6.29m @ 0.253 wt.% TREO from hole 22-MRW-006

from hole 22-MRW-006 10.12m @ 0.145 wt.% TREO from hole 22-MRW-009

from hole 22-MRW-009 Follow-up drilling is warranted

The West Limb area (Figures 1 and 3), where Appia recently reported a discovery of massive monazite at surface, returned 2.07m @ 0.447 wt.% TREO from hole 22-WEL-004. And from the large Western Anomaly area (Figures 1 and 4), DDH 22-WES-003 returned 8.31m @ 0.123 wt.% TREO.

"Combined with the recently released results from the WRCB's high-grade Wilson Zone (See March 2nd, 2023 News Release) and the extension of the Magnet Ridge Zone's thick sequences of REES near surface over significant strike length and drilled widths exceeding 28 metres (See March 20th, 2023 News Release), Appia's 2022 work season produced excellent results and further established Alces Lake as the Company's priority project," stated Stephen Burega, President."

He continued, "Follow-up geophysical and geochemical surveys are planned along and across the highest-priority areas of Alces Lake's major structural corridor that extends south-southeast from the main mineralized zones at WRCB to Magnet Ridge and continues for another 20 to 25 km. A highly focussed drilling campaign will test numerous targets to further delineating the continuity of mineralization controlled by this important structural corridor."

Vice President, Exploration Irvine Annesley says, "The scale and extent of regional REE anomalies on the Alces Lake project provides us with numerous targets to test (drill) outside of the WRCB and Magnet Ridge areas. This clearly shows us that the Alces Lake area has a lot more mineralization to discover/uncover from surface to depth. Volume and tonnage is the intended result".

Summary Table of Highlighted Drillhole Composites

Hole ID From (m) To (m) Wt.% TREO Drilled length (m) ZONE 22-DAN-001 126.00 127.00 0.226 1.00 Danny 22-DAN-002 65.95 68.62 0.136 2.67 Danny 22-DAN-002 11.00 12.53 0.138 1.53 Danny 22-DAN-002 32.16 33.83 0.108 1.67 Danny 22-MRW-001 66.81 67.88 0.126 1.07 Magnet Ridge West 22-MRW-003 38.76 40.70 0.204 1.94 Magnet Ridge West 22-MRW-004 67.02 68.18 0.118 1.16 Magnet Ridge West 22-MRW-005 157.07 172.85 0.201 15.78 Magnet Ridge West 22-MRW-005 183.60 191.93 0.102 8.33 Magnet Ridge West 22-MRW-006 168.50 174.79 0.253 6.29 Magnet Ridge West 22-MRW-006 150.81 155.16 0.114 4.35 Magnet Ridge West 22-MRW-006 162.00 164.22 0.107 2.22 Magnet Ridge West 22-MRW-007 167.43 170.13 0.109 2.70 Magnet Ridge West 22-MRW-008 82.97 84.54 0.188 1.57 Magnet Ridge West 22-MRW-008 63.79 65.00 0.12 1.21 Magnet Ridge West 22-MRW-009 176.58 186.70 0.145 10.12 Magnet Ridge West 22-MRW-010 159.71 161.96 0.12 2.25 Magnet Ridge West 22-STR-002 39.72 42.65 0.141 2.93 Strocen 22-WEL-004 6.72 8.79 0.447 2.07 West Limb 22-WES-001 189.69 192.47 0.146 2.78 Western Anomaly 22-WES-002 85.12 86.40 0.119 1.28 Western Anomaly 22-WES-003 12.61 20.92 0.123 8.31 Western Anomaly 22-WES-003 24.95 26.25 0.12 1.30 Western Anomaly





Table 1. Highlighted assay composites from Alces Lake regional exploration targets. wt.% TREO = ([CeO2 ppm] + [Dy2O3 ppm] + [Pr6O11 ppm] + [La2O3 ppm] + [Nd2O3 ppm] + [Sm2O3 ppm] + [Eu2O3 ppm] + [Gd2O3 ppm] + [Tb4O7 ppm] + [Ho2O3 ppm] [Er2O3 ppm] + [Yb2O3 ppm] + [Lu2O3] ppm + [Y2O3 ppm] ) / 10000

Table 2 - Drill hole collar details for 2022 Regional drilling, including those of reported intercepts.





To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/5416/161213_img.jpg

Table 3 - Assay Results for 2022 Regional Diamond Drill Holes - see link at beginning of news release.









Figure 1. Map of primary REE (monazite-bearing) exploration targets on Appia's Alces Lake property

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/5416/161213_img1.jpg





Figure 2. Map of 2022 diamond drillholes at Appia's Magnet Ridge West exploration target, west-southwest of Magnet Ridge.

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/5416/161213_img2.jpg





Figure 3. Map of 2022 diamond drillholes at Appia's West Limb exploration target.

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/5416/161213_img3.jpg





Figure 4. Map of 2022 diamond drill holes at Appia's Western Anomaly exploration target.

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/5416/161213_img4.jpg

About the Alces Lake Project

The Alces Lake project encompasses some of the highest-grade total and critical* REEs and gallium mineralization in the world, hosted within several surface and near-surface monazite occurrences that remain open at depth and along strike.

* Critical rare earth elements are defined here as those that are in short-supply and high-demand for use in permanent magnets and modern electronic applications such as electric vehicles and wind turbines (i.e: neodymium (Nd), praseodymium (Pr), dysprosium (Dy) and terbium (Tb)).

The Alces Lake project is located in northern Saskatchewan, the same provincial jurisdiction that is developing a "first-of-its-kind" rare earth processing facility in Canada (currently under construction by the Saskatchewan Research Council and scheduled to become fully operational in early 2024). The Alces Lake project area is 38,522.43 contiguous hectares (95,191.00 acres) in size and is 100% owned by Appia.

All lithogeochemical assay results of core samples were provided by Saskatchewan Research Council's Geoanalytical Laboratory, an ISO/IEC 17025:2005 (CAN-P-4E) certified laboratory in Saskatoon, SK. All analytical results reported herein have passed internal QA/QC review and compilation.

The technical content in this news release was reviewed and approved by Dr. Irvine R. Annesley, P.Geo, Vice President, Exploration, and a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101.

About Appia Rare Earths and Uranium Corp (Appia)

Appia is a publicly traded Canadian company in the rare earth element and uranium sectors. The Company is currently focusing on delineating high-grade critical rare earth elements and gallium on the Alces Lake property, as well as exploring for high-grade uranium in the prolific Athabasca Basin on its Otherside, Loranger, North Wollaston, and Eastside properties. The Company holds the surface rights to exploration for 113,837.15 hectares (281,297.72 acres) in Saskatchewan. The Company also has a 100% interest in 12,545 hectares (31,000 acres), with rare earth element and uranium deposits over five mineralized zones in the Elliot Lake Camp, Ontario.

Appia has 130.5 million common shares outstanding, 153.8 million shares fully diluted.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: This News Release contains forward-looking statements which are typically preceded by, followed by or including the words "believes", "expects", "anticipates", "estimates", "intends", "plans" or similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are not a guarantee of future performance as they involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. We do not intend and do not assume any obligation to update these forward- looking statements and shareholders are cautioned not to put undue reliance on such statements.

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

For further information, please contact:

Tom Drivas, CEO and Director: (cell) 416-876-3957, (email) [email protected]

Stephen Burega, President: (cell) 647-515-3734 or (email) [email protected]

Irvine R. Annesley, Ph.D., P.Geo., Vice-President, Exploration: (tel.) (416) 546-2707 or (email) [email protected]

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/161213
President Yoon Suk-yeol hosted a dinner on Monday for a team of inspectors from the Paris-based Bureau International des Expositions who are here to assess Busan's ability to host the 2030 World Expo.

Yoon told the eight-member team headed by BIE official Patrick Specht, "With this inspection you will be able to confirm Korea and Busan's ability to host the Expo Busan is an attractive city visited by many tourists and has completed preparations to develop into a world-class port city. Busan is ready."

Finance Minister Choo Kyung-ho said the government will provide "100-percent" financial guarantees for Busan to host the Expo.

Yoon also spoke on the phone with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte to thank the Netherlands for being the first Western European country to support Busan's bid.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 4, 2023) - Blue Star Gold Corp. (TSXV: BAU) (OTCQB: BAUFF) (FSE: 5WP0) ("Blue Star" or the "Company") is pleased to announce its participation in the Government of Nunavut's Discover, Invest, Grow ("DIG") program. Through DIG, the Company will receive up to a $250,000 contribution towards drilling activities at its Nunavut exploration projects.

The DIG program supports advancing mineral exploration activities in Nunavut and encourages local Nunavut employment at Blue Star's projects. Blue Star has received an initial contribution of $125,000, and an additional $125,000 contribution is expected following review/approval of the Company's 2022 exploration summary report. Blue Star also intends to participate in the DIG program for the upcoming 2023 exploration campaign.

Blue Star's CEO Grant Ewing commented, "Blue Star is a grateful recipient of these exploration support funds. There is abundant, yet-to-be realised value in the vast underexplored and highly prospective Territory of Nunavut. Exploration support programs like this improve investor confidence, demonstrating that Nunavut is an excellent jurisdiction for precious and critical metals exploration and development."

About Blue Star Gold Corp.

Blue Star is a gold company focused on exploration and development within Nunavut, Canada. Blue Stars landholdings total 270 square kilometres of highly prospective and underexplored mineral properties in the High Lake Greenstone Belt, Nunavut. The Company owns the Ulu Gold Project, comprised of the Ulu Mining Lease and Hood River Property, and the Roma Project. A significant high-grade gold resource exists at the Flood Zone deposit (Ulu Mining Lease), and numerous high potential exploration target areas occur throughout the Company's extensive landholdings, providing Blue Star with excellent resource growth potential.

Blue Star is listed on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol: BAU, the U.S. OTCQB Venture Market under the symbol: BAUFF, and on the Frankfurt Exchange under the symbol: 5WP0. For information on the Company and its projects, please visit our website: www.bluestargold.ca.

For further information, please contact:

Grant Ewing, P. Geo., CEO

Telephone: +1 778-379-1433

Email: [email protected]

Raffi Elmajian, Corporate Communications Manager

Telephone: +1 778-379-1433

Email: [email protected]

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 AND INFORMATION

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as: "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "goal," "seek," "believe," "project," "estimate," "expect," "strategy," "future," "likely," "may," "should," "will" and similar references to future periods. Examples of forward-looking statements include, among others, statements we make regarding prospective income and revenues, anticipated levels of capital expenditures for fiscal year, expectations of the effect on our financial condition of claims, litigation, environmental costs, contingent liabilities and governmental and regulatory investigations and proceedings, and estimates of mineral resources and reserves on our properties.

Forward-looking statements are neither historical facts nor assurances of future performance. Instead, they are based only on our current beliefs, expectations and assumptions regarding the future of our business, future plans and strategies, projections, anticipated events and trends, the economy and other future conditions. Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, they are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict and many of which are outside of our control. Our actual results and financial condition may differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements. Therefore, you should not rely on any of these forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause our actual results and financial condition to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements include, among others, the following: economic and financial conditions, including volatility in interest and exchange rates, commodity and equity prices and the value of financial assets, strategic actions, including acquisitions and dispositions and our success in integrating acquired businesses into our operations, developments and changes in laws and regulations, including increased regulation of the mining industry through legislative action and revised rules and standards applied by the regulatory bodies in Nunavut, changes in the price of fuel and other key materials and disruptions in supply chains for these materials, closures or slowdowns and changes in labour costs and labour difficulties, including stoppages affecting either our operations or our suppliers' abilities to deliver goods and services to us, as well as natural events such as severe weather, fires, floods and earthquakes or man-made or other disruptions of our equipment, and inaccuracies in estimates of mineral resources and/or reserves on our mineral properties.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/161184
Squamish, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 4, 2023) - ToqueAI, the AI-powered content creation platform for businesses and digital marketing professionals, is proud to announce its latest update for beta testers. This most recent update includes dynamic new features and enhancements, making it easier for businesses to create engaging and meaningful content more quickly.

At the heart of the update is the integration of the latest AI model, GPT-4, which offers enhanced creativity, coherence, and context understanding. In support of the Ukrainian people, ToqueAI's latest version is now available in 37 languages, including Ukrainian, Thai, Bulgarian, and Lithuanian, providing businesses with the ability to create content for a wider global audience.

Additionally, ToqueAI's AI Images solution, now hosted on the highly reliable and secure Amazon S3 storage infrastructure, allows users to generate images based on a prompt and select from 10 distinct image moods, including Bright, Calm, Cheerful, and Chilling.

"As part of our commitment to providing Canadian businesses with the most up-to-date AI technologies for streamlining their content creation process, we are thrilled to bring this latest update to the Canadian market," said Lior Ishai, founder of ToqueAI.

Digital marketing professionals and agencies who are looking to offer Canadian businesses the latest in AI-powered marketing technology can apply to participate in the beta testing program by visiting www.toque.ai/join.

About ToqueAI

ToqueAI is a Canadian AI-powered writing assistant platform designed to assist businesses in creating engaging and meaningful content more quickly. ToqueAI helps users generate high-quality content that brings their brand to life.

Contact Information:

ToqueAI

38016 Cleveland Ave, P1159

Squamish, BC V8B 0A1 Canada

Email: [email protected]

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/161249
Ottawa, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - April 4, 2023) - New public polling data conducted on behalf of the Canadian Dental Hygienists Association (CDHA) by Abacus Data reveals that 88% of Canadians support the federal government's new dental care funding, but there are also some areas of concern. The new data follows the recent announcement of additional federal budget investments to implement the new Canadian Dental Care Plan, that will begin providing coverage by the end of this year.

"These findings show that Canadians acknowledge the need for improved access to oral health care services in this country," says Anne Caissie, CDHA President. The report also found that 87% of Canadians believe the national program will improve access to dental care services in Canada.

A concerning statistic is that the number of Canadians with dental health benefits has dropped to 32%, down 8% since 2020. "Most Canadians know that oral health is critical to overall health and that access to care, especially for vulnerable populations, should not come down to the ability to pay," adds Caissie.

Concerns regarding seniors and their access to oral health care continues to rise from 2022, with the majority of Canadians feeling both seniors' financial & physical access as well as their awareness & education around proper oral health care are a serious problem. The survey found that 81% find government-funded programs supporting seniors oral health are inadequate, up 9% from 2022.

"Oral health is essential to overall health, and results show that better access to preventive care improves health outcomes. As our government moves forward with our plan to expand access to dental care for Canadians, we look forward to collaborating with partners, including hygienists and the Canadian Dental Hygienists Association, and to seeing healthier and brighter smiles across the country. "

- The Hon. Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Health.

Caissie adds, "It's clear from these numbers and the early uptake in the Interim Canada Dental Benefit that Canadians recognize the need for better oral health care."

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Link to the report

About the CDHA:

CDHA is the collective national voice of more than 31,000 dental hygienists working in Canada, directly representing 21,000 individual members, including students. Since 1963, CDHA has worked to advance the profession and promote the importance of oral health.

Media inquiries:

Angie D'Aoust

Director of Marketing and Communications

[email protected] or 613-878-3607

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/161089
Nacogdoches, Texas--(Newsfile Corp. - April 4, 2023) - Spoonful of Courage LLC has launched a new Christian encouragement YouTube channel that shares short inspirational Christian videos. The concept behind the new YouTube platform launched by Spoonful of Courage LLC is to provide both devout Christians and those who are curious about the Christian faith with uplifting, motivating and inspiring videos that reflect the joys of a life lived through faith. Spoonful of Courage has been founded by Charles W. Page, MD, known as Dr. Chuck, a Christian author, husband, father of five and practicing surgeon based in Texas.

More information is available at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-SzyZWvn4WTjB-PRozPprg.





Christian Encouragement YouTube Channel Launched By Spoonful Of Courage LLC

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8814/161183_7881776e441b5a98_001full.jpg

As Americans, even Christian Americans, become less likely to attend regular church sermons and services, Spoonful of Courage's founder Dr. Chuck understands it is necessary for Christian believers like himself to make more meaningful use of new avenues of digital communication in order to reach out to those who may not have a current local church affiliation.

Dr. Chuck describes himself as "the best guy to see on the worst day of your life", and it is this signature optimism, faith, trust in God and warm wit that he seeks to bring to his new YouTube channel.

Newly uploaded videos on the Spoonful of Courage platform include short encouraging devotions, which Dr. Chuck recommends to both those who are worshiping in private and to those who lead Sunday School and other community faith-based services.

The new channel also features interviews between Dr. Chuck and Christian experts and inspiring stories of everyday Americans' journeys with and towards faith. More information can be accessed at https://www.spoonfulofcouragetv.com.

Above all, Spoonful of Courage LLC advocates that Christian faith can be a salve in times of struggle and hardship. For those that are seeking greater Christian support and wisdom, they also have their Uscreen channel on their website.

Dr. Chuck said, "Welcome to our YouTube site. I'm glad you're here. Spoonful Full of Courage is about encouraging you to help see the possibilities God brings your way. We provide you with free devotions and interviews with experts in a variety of fields. We also share stories of hope, faith and courage from everyday folks. I'm Dr. Chuck, the host, and we're honored you found our site here on the web. My motto is, show me your focus and I'll show you your future."

More details can be found at https://mailchi.mp/aa2b54a731de/devotional-sign-up.

Contact Info:

Name: Chuck Page

Email: [email protected]

Organization: Spoonful of Courage LLC

Address: 1320 South University Drive, Nacogdoches, TX 75961, United States

Website: https://www.spoonfulofcourage.com/

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/161183
Saguenay, Quebec--(Newsfile Corp. - April 4, 2023) - First Phosphate Corp. (CSE: PHOS) (FSE: KD0) ("First Phosphate" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it intends to complete a non-brokered private placement for gross proceeds of up to $2,000,000 (the "Offering") or such greater amount as the Company may determine.

The Company intends to issue up to 1,250,000 flow-through units ("FT Units"), or such greater amount as the Company may determine, at a price of $0.80 per FT Unit. Each FT Unit will be comprised of (i) one (1) common share of the Company that will qualify as "flow-through shares" (within the meaning of subsection 66(15) of the Income Tax Act (Canada) (the "FT Shares"); and (ii) one half of one common share purchase warrant (each a "Warrant") exercisable for one non-flow-through share in the capital of the Company (a "Share") at a price of $1.25 for 36 months following closing of the Offering.

The Company also intends to issue up to 1,428,571 hard dollar units ("HD Units"), or such greater amount as the Company may determine, at a price of $0.70 per HD Unit. Each HD Unit will be comprised of (i) one (1) Share; and (ii) one half of one Warrant.

The Company can elect to accelerate the expiry date of the Warrants in the event that the volume-weighted average trading price of the Shares on the Canadian Securities Exchange equals or exceeds $2.00 for any five (5) consecutive trading days, in which case the Warrants will expire thirty (30) days after the date that the Company issues a press release triggering the acceleration.

The gross proceeds from the issuance of FT Units will be used to incur "Canadian exploration expenses" that are "flow-through mining expenditures" (as such terms are defined in the Income Tax Act (Canada)) related to the Company's mineral exploration projects, primarily for drilling at the Company's Bgin-Lamarche and Lac a l'Orignal properties in Quebec. The proceeds from the issuance of HD Units will be used for general corporate purposes.

The Offering is expected to close on or about April 21, 2023, or such other date or dates as may be determined by the Company. Closing may be completed in one or more tranches as the Company may determine. Completion of the Offering is subject to certain conditions including, but not limited to, the receipt of all necessary approvals. There can be no assurance that the Offering will be completed, whether in whole or in part.

All securities issued under the Offering will be subject to a four-month and one day statutory hold period in accordance with applicable securities laws.

In connection with the Offering, eligible finders will receive (a) a cash commission equal to 8% of the gross proceeds raised from subscribers to the Offering who were introduced by such finder, and (b) such number of non-transferrable finder warrants ("Finder Warrants") as is equivalent to 8% of the number of FT Units and/or HD Units, as applicable, issued to such subscribers. Each Finder Warrant will entitle the holder thereof to purchase one Share at a price of $1.25 for 36 months following closing of the Offering, subject to the same acceleration provisions of the Warrants.

The securities issued pursuant to the Offering have not been, and will not be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"), or any U.S. state securities laws and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an available exemption from the registration requirement of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable U.S. state securities laws. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of, such securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful

-30-

For additional information, please contact:

Bennett Kurtz, CFO

[email protected]

Tel: +1 (416) 200-0657

Investor Relations: [email protected]

Media Relations: [email protected]

Website: www.FirstPhosphate.com

Follow First Phosphate:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/FirstPhosphate

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/first-phosphate

About First Phosphate Corp.

First Phosphate is a mineral development company fully dedicated to extracting and purifying phosphate for the production of cathode active material for the LFP battery industry. First Phosphate is committed to producing such material at high purity level, at full ESG standard and with low carbon footprint. First Phosphate plans to vertically integrate from mine source directly into the supply chains of major North American LFP battery producers that require battery grade LFP cathode active material emanating from a consistent and secure supply source. First Phosphate holds over 1,500 sq. km of royalty-free land claims in the Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean Region of Quebec, Canada that it is actively developing. First Phosphate properties consist of rare anorthosite igneous phosphate rock that generally yields high purity phosphate material devoid of high concentrations of harmful elements.

Forward-Looking Information and Cautionary Statements

Certain information in this news release constitutes forward-looking statements under applicable securities laws. Any statements that are contained in this news release that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are often identified by terms such as "may", "should", "anticipate", "expect", "potential", "believe", "intend" or the negative of these terms and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements in this news release include statements relating to: the anticipated timing of the closing of the Offering; and the anticipated use of proceeds from the Offering; the receipt of required approvals.

These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements, including but not limited to: the Company's inability to complete the Offering and/or utilize the use of proceeds on the terms and within the timelines anticipated or at all; and the Company's inability to obtain the required approvals to complete the Offering on the proposed terms and timeline or at all.

Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list is not exhaustive. Readers are further cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward looking statements, as there can be no assurance that the plans, intentions or expectations upon which they are placed will occur. Such information, although considered reasonable by management at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated.

Forward-looking statements contained in this press release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement and reflect the Company's expectations as of the date hereof and are subject to change thereafter. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, estimates or opinions, future events or results or otherwise or to explain any material difference between subsequent actual events and such forward-looking information, except as required by applicable law.

THIS NEWS RELEASE IS INTENDED FOR DISTRIBUTION IN CANADA ONLY AND IS NOT INTENDED FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/161193
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - April 4, 2023) - Happy Belly Food Group Inc. (CSE: HBFG) (OTCQB: VGANF) ("Happy Belly" or the "Company"), a leading consolidator of emerging food brands is pleased to announce that Heal Wellness has begun construction to open another corporate location located in downtown Milton.



"This new store location comes just five (5) months after Heal Wellness opened a corporate store in downtown Burlington, and makes its third (3rd) net new in construction/operations since being acquired 10 months prior, demonstrating an ability to quickly integrate into existing infrastructure provided by Happy Belly to maximize operational efficiency and accelerated speed to market ability for real estate. Furthermore, the new location will replicate the successful integration and leveraging of shared resources that is currently being utilized across our brand portfolio," said Sean Black, Chief Investment Officer of Happy Belly.

"Shareholders can start to see a repeatable pattern emerging with our ability to organically grow our brands post acquisition. We share and leverage infrastructure across the portfolio while enabling access to our shared resource pool that provides access to SMEs not readily or normally available to brands during their growth phase. Our approach has always been to specialize in the development and growth of emerging brands in the food sector."



"This new location expands HEAL's customer reach in an area that is heavily populated and is demographical aligned to the brand, giving us tremendous opportunity in-store, as well as delivery. Having a stable of emerging QSR growth brands is what will allow Happy Belly to quickly leverage real estate opportunities like this recent project to accelerate our disciplined organic growth. We look forward to continuing to execute on our model as we accelerate our business organically and inorganically through accretive M&A. The rapid expansion of the Heal Wellness brand is a prime example of our approach reflected in our execution."

The new location anticipates operations to commence with a grand opening in May. Heal Wellness was an accretive acquisition by Happy Belly Food Group, and it is anticipated that the new store location will continue to drive both the top line and bottom line of the company.

Happy Belly 1

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About Heal Wellness



Prior to becoming a founding partner of Heal Wellness, Jay Zuccato was a spokesperson alongside a globally distributed nutritional companies to market health and wellness foods. Long-time childhood friend and also a founding partner of Heal Wellness, Jesse Davidson, specialized in business operations with one of Canada's top protein companies as they grew nationwide in operations and storefronts.

With these strong backgrounds and a passion for wellness, they came together to identify a need for a quick-serve healthy food lifestyle. In June of 2019, they responded to this need by opening the first Heal Wellness location in their hometown of Hamilton, Ontario with the goal of being at the forefront of the health food revolution.

"Heal Wellness was created out of a passion and mission to serve quick, fresh wellness foods that power and support a busy, active lifestyle. Currently, we are pleased to offer a wide variety of smoothie bowls, smoothies, and delicious breakfast waffles. We are proud to highlight that every superfood ingredient in the Heal Wellness menu is carefully selected with the intention of fueling the body with a reduced ecological footprint," said Jesse Davidson, Co-founder of Heal Wellness.

About Happy Belly Food Group

Happy Belly 2

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Happy Belly Food Group Inc. (CSE: HBFG) (OTCQB: VGANF) ("Happy Belly" or the "Company") is a leading consolidator of emerging food brands.

Happy Belly Food Group

Shawn Moniz

Chief Executive Officer

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE VISIT:

www: www.happybellyfg.com or email [email protected]

If you wish to contact us please call: (604) 737-2303



Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release, which has been prepared by management.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

All statements in this press release, other than statements of historical fact, are "forward-looking information" with respect to the Company within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking information is frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur, and include the future performance of LumberHeads Food Co. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates at the date the statements are made, and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements. There are uncertainties inherent in forward-looking information, including factors beyond the Company's control. There are no assurances that the business plans for Happy Belly described in this news release will come into effect on the terms or time frame described herein. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking information if circumstances or management's estimates or opinions should change except as required by law. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. For a description of the risks and uncertainties facing the Company and its business and affairs, readers should refer to the Company's Management's Discussion and Analysis and other disclosure filings with Canadian securities regulators, which are posted on www.sedar.com.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/161211
Chicago, Illinois--(Newsfile Corp. - April 4, 2023) - I-ON Digital Corp (OTCQB: IONI) announced two strategic partnership agreements designed to aggressively expand the capabilities of the Company's gold digitization and asset-back security ecosystem.

I-ON entered into a development and Channel Partner Reseller relationship with Nodalium, Inc. to utilize and resell the Company's Enterprise Workflow/Intelligent Automation Platform featuring Digital Trust integration and its "viaNode" platform. These enabling business process management and workflow automation platforms use integrated identity and access management to elevate data-reliant operational processes' adaptability, efficiency, and security. Nodalium's Adaptive Case Management (ACM) capabilities excel in navigating complex, non-linear, and ever-changing workflows, transforming challenges into efficiencies that drive growth. In addition, Nodalium uses intelligent automation, AI-driven decision management, and advanced real-time analytics to streamline workflow automation by, reducing errors, improving decision-making, and enhanced customer experiences.

"We are incredibly excited to be working with the talented team and leading-edge technologies that drive Nodalium's workflow automation suite," said I-ON CEO Carlos X. Montoya. "Their thought leadership and innovation is second to none, and their trusted leadership position inside of healthcare will bring even greater performance durability, accountability, and transparency to our asset-backed digital security ecosystem."

I-ON also solidified a key relationship with UK-based Instruxi Limited, who specializes in developing hybrid Web 2.0 and 3.0 applications for enterprises to deliver enhanced security, distributed data efficiencies, and immutable user consent for privacy capabilities and asset tracking. I-ON will utilize Instruxi's proven track record in asset digitization to expand and improve its institutional-grade digital banking ecosystem. Instruxi's "Intent and Consent" framework provides users with greater transparency and control over their data, building greater trust and confidence in each transaction while enforcing consent at a granular level. In addition, Instruxi's advanced "Proof-of-Policy" protocols enable organizations to share data more quickly and efficiently without compromising security or privacy, thus reducing the risk of data breaches and other security threats that have plagued other digital currency platforms.

"With Instruxi, I-ON can offer a scalable, secure and ethical data management platform which will enable accurate tracking and distribution of assets and associated data," shared Instruxi's CEO Mathew Harrowing, "providing I-ON with a more secure and scalable asset digitization framework that will track and ensure custody, compliance, and accuracy in every transaction."

As demonstrated by its highly assertive technology acquisition and partnering strategies, I-ON solidifies its commitment to enhancing the world's first regulatory-compliant and institutional-grade gold digitization ecosystem into the fastest, most secure, and most transparent asset-backed digital asset ecosystem and next-generation digital banking platform in the market today.

About I-ON Digital Corp

I-ON Digital Corp (the "Company") designs, develops and acquires technologies to deploy fully compliant, institutional-level ecosystems that fuel precious metals digitization, safe and secure wealth transfer, and data and identity sovereignty for a new generation of financial and data-driven transactions. The Company's channels for value creation include but are not limited to, service fees associated with asset digitization, secure transactional revenues, and the licensing of the Company's growing intellectual property portfolio for offerings to prominent institutional organizations within the financial, healthcare, and information technology services marketplace. Additional information is available at https://iondigitalcorp.com/.

About Nodalium, Inc.

Nodalium is an intelligent automation and workflow platform that enables businesses to design, automate, and optimize their business processes. With advanced technologies like AI, machine learning, and RPA (Robotic Process Automation), Nodalium can reduce errors, improve decision-making, and enhance customer experiences. The platform includes a visual process designer, powerful analytics, and integration with third-party services, providing a unified view of all business processes. Along with sister company, Inpriva's, accredited identity provider, certificate authority, trusted secure messaging, and health information services, Nodalium offers healthcare-grade interoperability, decision support, patient management, and clinical/administration process automation.

About Instruxi Limited.

Instruxi is a web 3.0 company focused on helping clients hyper-scale data availability. Instruxi enables secure and universal data sharing, facilitating clients' analytics and AI projects and building apps and dApps. The Company has accomplished this through the tokenization of data and our unique distributed data protocol called Proof of Policy. In addition, Instruxi offers a data mesh toolkit called Neutrino Mesh and builds validator infrastructure to support this offering on private blockchains. Through the deployment of our solutions, enterprises can seamlessly connect web 2.0 and 3.0 technologies, enabling universal data access and participation in the emerging data economy.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements involving risks and uncertainties, which may cause results to differ materially from the statements made. When used in this document, the words "may," "would," "could," "will," "intend," "look to," plan," "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "seek," "potential," "outlook," and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such statements, including, but not limited to, I-ON's current views with respect to future events and its financial forecasts, are subject to such risks and uncertainties. Many factors could cause actual results to differ materially from the statements made, including those risks described from time to time in filings made by I-ON with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In addition, there is uncertainty about the further spread of the COVID-19 virus or new variants thereof, or the occurrence of another wave of cases and the impact it may have on the Company's operations, the demand for the Company's products, global supply chains and economic activity in general. These and other risks and uncertainties are detailed in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, 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. Statements in this news release regarding past trends or activities should not be taken as a representation that such trends or activities will continue. I-ON does not intend or assume any obligation to update these forward-looking statements other than as required by law.

SOURCE: I-ON Digital Corp

Media Contact:

Ken Park

[email protected]

(866) 440-2278

www.iondigitalcorp.com

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/161158
Kamloops, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 4, 2023) - Infracon Construction, Inc., (the "Company" or "Infracon") is pleased to announce that it has acquired all of the assets of Hangingstone Ventures Inc ("HSV"), of Fort McMurray, AB.

HSV is a hydro-vac and air-vac service company operating in Western Canada with locations in Alberta and BC, efficiently mobilizing crews and equipment to its clients' work sites. HSV provides single-axle and tri-axle hydro-vac services and air excavation technology to a wide range of clients. Combining HSV's expertise, relationships and history of delivering successful solutions to its customers with the extensive capabilities of the Infracon Group will make a compelling service offering.

HSV is the fourth acquisition by the Infracon Group in Western Canada in the last three years. In 2019, in partnership with the Lower Nicola Indian Band, Infracon acquired Ogilvie Mountain Holdings, Inc, a pipeline integrity contractor with MSA's with Enbridge and Trans Mountain Pipelines. In 2021, Infracon acquired AWS, Inc., one of the top pipeline welding service providers in Western Canada. In 2022, Infracon acquired SCS, a civil construction service company providing services such as the installation of pond liners, field welding, culverts, fencing and barriers, geo textiles supply and installation, road maintenance and light civil construction services. With the acquisition of HSV, Infracon has expanded its geographic coverage to Alberta and added hydro-vac and air excavation to its service offering.

Infracon is also pleased to announce that Chad Henderson, General Manager of Ogilvie Mountain Holdings LP ("OMH"), Infracon's partnership with the Lower Nicola Indian Band, has been promoted to President of the Infracon Group of Companies. He will continue to act as General Manager of OMH.

Chad began his career as a pipeline sandblaster working on integrity digs. His keen interest in providing quality service advanced his career rapidly and has led to 25 years in pipeline inspection, integrity, construction and remediation. Chad's leadership and industry expertise has resulted in the over 100% annual growth that OMH has experienced over the last five years. Having worked in multiple aspects of the oil & gas sector, from gathering systems to transmission lines, and with a strong understanding of the design and civil aspects of the industry, his leadership has created an environment for the company to build its capacities, revenues and customer base while maintaining one of the best safety records in BC.

Geoff Hampson, CEO of Infracon, states, "HSV is a great fit for the Infracon Group as it further expands competencies and geographical reach. It is also a good cultural fit for Infracon and our management style. HSV's management provides "best in class" customer service and commits to continuously developing their people's skills. HSV is also a technology leader, introducing the newest technology to the market. Infracon recognizes the growing opportunity in Western and Northern Canada and can provide comprehensive end-to-end solutions for our clients. Chad has proven himself a strong leader who makes things happen. Our clients have come to appreciate Chad's dedication. We are confident that Infracon and the new HSV division will continue to grow and prosper under Chad's leadership. Infracon is well positioned for many years to come."

ABOUT THE INFRACON GROUP

The Infracon Group of Companies ("Infracon") is a group of specialty construction companies involved in the heavy civil, pipeline, welding and construction materials business in Western Canada. It is one of the fastest growing construction groups in Canada with year over year average revenue growth of over 65%. The group has grown from revenues of under $30 million in 2018 to over $180 million in 2022. Infracon also has a number of highly successful indigenous partnerships which contribute to local communities. The Company has operations centers in Kamloops, Hope and Dawson Creek BC. The company focuses on pipeline integrity and construction, heavy civil construction, mine construction, contract mining and mine remediation in both urban and remote projects.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

"C. Geoffrey Hampson"

Chief Executive Officer

For further information, please contact Andrea Laird, telephone: +1-604-259-0302

All statements, analysis and other information contained in this press release about anticipated future events or results constitute forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "seek", "anticipate", "believe", "plan", "estimate", "expect" and "intend" and statements that an event or result "may", "will", "should", "could" or "might" occur or be achieved and other similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are subject to business and economic risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results of operations to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on estimates and opinions of management at the date the statements are made. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements even if circumstances or management's estimates or opinions should change except as required by applicable laws.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/161170
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - April 4, 2023) - MYRIAD URANIUM CORP. (CSE: M) (OTCQB: MYRUF) (FSE: C3Q) ("Myriad" or the "Company") is pleased to advise, in potentially transformative news for Myriad, that Orano has announced that it will invest over C$115 million in formal in-situ recovery (ISR) testing at its Imouraren project in the prolific Tim Merso Basin, Niger[1]. Imouraren is Africa's largest uranium deposit, and the world's second largest, at 384 Mlbs eU 3 O 8 . If successful, the application of ISR to these deposits could be a game changer, as ISR is the uranium industry's leading low-cost production method globally, but has hitherto not been used in Niger.

The Arlit Fault, which hosts Imouraren and is considered to control mineralisation throughout the Tim Mersoi Basin, runs directly into Myriad's Agebout licence. There, approximately 15 km north of Imouraren, it intersects with part of the important Madaouela Fault system which hosts Goviex's 100 Mlbs eU 3 O 8 Madaouela deposit.

Myriad calls the area around the intersection of the Arlit and Madaouela faults "Imouraren North". See Figure 1 below.





Figure 1 - Imouraren North and Neighbours



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Imouraren North has never been properly explored. Orano's predecessor Areva had planned an extensive drill program for the area, entailing approximately 65 boreholes, but then the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi accident intervened.

Now Myriad, which holds a 100% option interest in Agebout, will take up the task. Myriad possesses Areva's historic regional exploration data for Agebout, including airborne geophysics, radiometry, mapping, and 39 boreholes. However, most of this work was conducted in the eastern part of Agebout, away from Imouraren North.

"Since day one this intersection of key fault structures has been a high priority target area within our land package of over 1,800 square kilometres," stated Thomas Lamb, Myriad's CEO. "We know that Areva planned to test it intensively for roll-front sandstone deposits like Imouraren, but withdrew from all exploration in Niger before it could start the program. We also know that since Global Atomic's high grade Dasa discovery, geologists have been keen to test Imouraren North and other areas within Myriad's licences, since Athabasca-like high grade may be found at deeper strata along important fault boundaries. Now Myriad gets to do both. The announcement by Orano regarding Imouraren, just a few kilometers to the south of us, that they are going to invest heavily to confirm amenability to ISR, has elevated Imouraren North to the highest priority. We can't wait to get to work."

David Miller, one of the world's foremost authorities on ISR and a member of Myriad's Technical Committee, added "The recent press release on Orano's Imouraren project that ISR testing will begin next year, bodes well for our adjacent Agebout project. ISR is far less costly and intrusive on the environment than conventional open-cast or underground mining. The ISR method involves injecting a solution directly into the mineralised part of the orebody. The uranium is dissolved in water and then pumped to the surface and extracted by technology similar to a water softener. After uranium extraction, the water is refortified and reinjected in a closed loop with extremely low water consumption. Uranium extraction by ISR is little known in Niger, but over half of the world's uranium production is now extracted by this method."

Myriad intends to explore Imouraren North this year. The program will include high resolution airborne and ground geophysics for drill targeting, followed by drilling.

Qualified Person

George van der Walt (MSc. Economic Geology, Pr.Sci.Nat.), a "Qualified Person" for the purpose of National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical information included in this news release.

About Myriad

Myriad Uranium Corp. is a Canadian mineral exploration company with a 100% option interest in over 1,800 km2 of uranium exploration licences in the Tim Mersoi Basin, Niger. Myriad also has a 50% interest in the Millen Mountain Property located in Nova Scotia, Canada, with the other 50% held by Probe Metals Inc. For further information, please refer to the Company's disclosure record on SEDAR (www.sedar.com), contact the Company by telephone at +1.604.418.2877, or refer to the Company website, at www.myriaduranium.com.

Myriad's factsheet is here. A CEO interview with Crux Investor which may be of interest is here.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Thomas Lamb

President and CEO

[email protected]

Mineralization hosted on adjacent or nearby properties is not necessarily indicative of mineralization hosted on the Company's properties. This news release contains "forward-looking information" that is based on the Company's current expectations, estimates, forecasts and projections. This forward-looking information includes, among other things, the Company's business, plans, outlook and business strategy. The words "may", "would", "could", "should", "will", "likely", "expect," "anticipate," "intend", "estimate", "plan", "forecast", "project" and "believe" or other similar words and phrases are intended to identify forward-looking information. The reader is cautioned that assumptions used in the preparation of any forward-looking information may prove to be incorrect, including with respect to the Company's business plans respecting the exploration and development of the Company's mineral properties, the proposed work program on the Company's mineral properties and the potential and economic viability of the Company's mineral properties. Forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the Company's actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Such factors include, but are not limited to: changes in economic conditions or financial markets; increases in costs; litigation; legislative, environmental and other judicial, regulatory, political and competitive developments; and technological or operational difficulties. This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect our forward-looking information. These and other factors should be considered carefully, and readers should not place undue reliance on such forward-looking information. The Company does not intend, and expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to, update or revise any forward-looking information whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law.

The CSE has not reviewed, approved or disapproved the contents of this news release.

[1]https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Orano-eyes-2024-for-Imouraren-ISL-pilot-programme

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/161260
Washington, D.C.--(Newsfile Corp. - April 4, 2023) - The Securities and Exchange Commission today charged Charlie Javice, the founder of the now shuttered student loan assistance company previously known as Frank, with fraud in connection with the $175 million sale of the company to JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., (JPMC) in 2021. The SECs complaint alleges that Javice orchestrated a scheme to deceive JPMC into believing that Frank had access to valuable data on 4.25 million students who used Franks service when in reality the number was less than 300,000.

The SECs complaint alleges that Javice made numerous misrepresentations about Franks purported millions of users to entice JPMC. As negotiations progressed, JPMC pressed the Frank executives for the data associated with its customers, and Javice allegedly sought the help of Franks director of engineering to generate synthetic data to make it appear as if Frank had 4.25 million customers. When the director refused to comply, Javice allegedly paid a data science professor to manufacture the data required to close the deal with JPMC.

The SECs investigation shows that, as a result of the eventual $175 million acquisition of Frank, Javice received $9.7 million directly in stock proceeds, millions more indirectly through trusts, and a contract entitling her to a $20 million retention bonus as a new employee of JPMC.

"Rather than help students, we allege that Ms. Javice engaged in an old school fraud: she lied about Franks success in helping millions of students navigate the college financial aid process by making up data to support her claims, and then used that fake information to induce JPMC to enter into a $175 million transaction," said Gurbir S. Grewal, Director of the SECs Division of Enforcement. "Even non-public, early-stage companies must be truthful in their representations, and when they fall short we will hold them accountable as in this case."

The complaint, filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, charges Javice with violating the antifraud provisions of the Securities Act of 1933 and Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The complaint also names trusts held by Javice as relief defendants. The SEC seeks injunctive relief, an officer and director bar, disgorgement and prejudgment interest thereon, and civil penalties.

The SECs investigation was conducted by Wesley Wintermyer and Lindsay S. Moilanen and supervised by Tejal D. Shah. The litigation is being handled by Nancy Brown, Mr. Wintermyer, and Ms. Moilanen. The SEC appreciates the assistance of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, which announced a parallel, criminal investigation today, as well as the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The lawn in front of the presidential office in Yongsan will open to the public next month to mark the first anniversary of President Yoon Suk-yeol's inauguration on May 10.

It was part of the U.S. Forces Korea's old garrison that is currently in the process of being turned into a huge park.
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - April 4, 2023) - Steep Hill Inc. (CSE: STPH) ("Steep Hill" or the "Company") announces that, further to its press release of March 1, 2023, where it was announced that the Company's wholly-owned subsidiary ("Steep Hill US") and Green Analytics MD, LLC, Green Analytics Massachusetts LLC, Green Analytics East LLC, Green Analytics North LLC, Green Analytics Virginia, LLC, Green Analytics West Virginia, LLC, and Green Analytics New York, LLC (collectively, the "Green Analytics Parties") entered into settlement and release agreements, pursuant to which the various license agreements between Steep Hill US and the Green Analytics Parties were terminated, management has negotiated similar settlement and release agreements with the other licensees. As a result, Steep Hill US has ceased current operations in the US.

Moreover, management negotiated settlement and release agreements with the other licensees towards ensuring Steep Hill US concluded its contractual obligations with these parties. Steep Hill US also laid off the remainder of the US-based employees and consultants.

As a consequence, the Company and Steep Hill US has no operations or staff in the US. Management is continuing efforts to monetize any and all assets such as licensed trademark, which will enable Steep Hill US to meet its obligations.

ABOUT STEEP HILL

Steep Hill is in the process of restructuring its business and is exploring strategic alternatives.

For further information, please contact:

Raj Ravindran, CFO

Email: [email protected]

416-839-7424

www.steephill.com

Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Information

The information in this news release includes certain information and statements about management's view of future events, expectations, plans and prospects that constitute forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to, management's expectations with respect to the potential of the Transaction to contribute to the Company's growth. These statements are based upon assumptions that are subject to significant risks and uncertainties, including assumptions about the operations, financial condition and future performance of Steep Hill and the Company's business as a whole. Although the Company considers these assumptions to be reasonable based on information currently available to them, they may prove to be incorrect, and the forward-looking statements in this news release are subject to numerous risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause future results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements, including the impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic on the Company's operations and growth plans. Although the Company's management believes that the expectations reflected in forward-looking statements are reasonable, the Company can give no assurances that the expectations of any forward-looking statements will prove to be correct. Except as required by law, the Company disclaims any intention and assume 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.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/161214
Phoenix, Arizona--(Newsfile Corp. - April 4, 2023) - The Stock Day Podcast welcomed Zerify, Inc. (OTC Pink: ZRFY) ("the Company"), formerly StrikeForce Technologies, an Edison, New Jersey-based company with over two decades of experience in cybersecurity solutions. CEO of the Company, Mark L. Kay, joined Stock Day host Everett Jolly.

Jolly began the interview by asking about the Company's background and current projects. "Zerify is a cybersecurity company with many products," explained Kay. "We were formerly StrikeForce Technologies, Inc." he added. "Our products include Zerify Defender, Zerify Meet, and Zerify API," said Kay. "Zerify Meet is our secure video conferencing product, which is very strong and secure," he said. "It is the only secure video conferencing product in the marketplace that we are aware of; what makes it so special is that it includes ProtectID and Zerify Defender, and is fully authenticated."

"What is your price structure?" asked Jolly. "Zerify Meet on a monthly basis is $15.95, which is the same or even lower than other products out there," shared Kay. "We do include automatic protection," he added. "Every single person is identified and authenticated for each video conference."

Jolly then asked about the Company's recent developments. "We have made several announcements recently about a lot of new clients, and they are clients for revenues," said Kay. "We also hired Vation Ventures, and they are getting a lot of resellers into the picture for us," he added. "We actually have a contract from a major distributor in the market and we will be announcing that within the next month; it is a $26 billion global IT service organization with over 1,900 resellers."

"What do you think the revenue potential is moving forward?" asked Jolly. Kay elaborated on the potential of the new companies coming onboard with the Company. "As of right now, with these companies coming onboard, we expect two to four million dollars in revenues, which would be one-year from when they start," explained Kay, adding that the companies could be onboarded as soon as June or July. "Once they start selling, I would stand behind that forecast."

To close the interview, Kay encouraged listeners and shareholders to keep up-to-date on the Company's current and upcoming projects as they continue to grow and expand their sales pipeline.

To hear Mark L. Kay's entire interview, follow the link to the podcast here: https://audioboom.com/posts/8275356-zerify-inc-discusses-onboarding-of-new-clients-and-2023-revenue-potential-with-the-stock-day-po.

Investors Hangout is a proud sponsor of "Stock Day," and Stock Day Media encourages listeners to visit the company's message board at https://investorshangout.com/.

About Zerify:

Zerify Inc. (OTC Pink: ZRFY), formerly StrikeForce Technologies, is an Edison, New Jersey-based company with over two decades of experience in cybersecurity solutions. The company helps to prevent cyber theft and data security breaches for consumers, corporations and government agencies through powerful multi-factor "out-of-band" authentication and keystroke encryption along with mobile solutions. Zerify offers a video conferencing solution that uses no desktop and is entirely web-based, offering a five-level meeting security control approach designed to protect valuable information. Features include keystroke protection, anti-screen capture, and push and biometric authentication to keep businesses secure.

The technology also protects cameras, microphones and speakers, keeping computers and confidential data secure even when one is offline and not on a video conference.

CONTACT:

Mark L. Kay

[email protected]

(732) 661-9641

About The "Stock Day" Podcast

Founded in 2013, Stock Day is the fastest growing media outlet for Nano-Cap and Micro-Cap companies. It educates investors while simultaneously working with penny stock and OTC companies, providing transparency and clarification of under-valued, under-sold Micro-Cap stocks of the market. Stock Day provides companies with customized solutions to their news distribution in both national and international media outlets. The Stock Day Podcast is the number one radio show of its kind in America.

SOURCE:

Stock Day Media

(602) 821-1102

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/161222
Paid press release content from Send2Press. The StreetInsider.com news staff was not involved in its creation.

Eyes Being the First Gen Z Woman Voted to Congress with a Campaign Offering Bold Solutions for a Brighter Future

LOS ANGELES, Calif., April 4, 2023 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) Cheyenne Hunt, a passionate advocate for social justice and equality, announced today her candidacy for Congress representing Californias 45th district. Hunt has built a strong following on social media platforms like TikTok, where she has used her often provocative content to educate and mobilize young people around progressive issues.

Im running for Congress because I believe we need leaders who will fight for working families, for our planet, and for justice and equality for all, Hunt said in a statement. Ive seen firsthand how our current representative has failed our community by putting corporate interests ahead of our needs. Its time for a change, and Im ready to be that change.

Hunt quickly to prominence on Capitol Hill as the youngest law clerk for Senator Amy Klobuchar. During her time working with the Senate Judiciary Committee, Cheyenne was instrumental in drafting and promoting legislation that advanced progressive causes. She was a driving force behind numerous initiatives, including social media policy, civil rights, reproductive justice, and democracy reform.

Hunts campaign will focus on a number of key issues, including building a stronger and more equitable economy, improving infrastructure, taking bold action on climate change, and reining in big tech companies. She is also committed to advancing racial and social justice, and to fighting for the rights of marginalized communities including women and seniors.

We need leaders who understand the challenges facing our communities and who are committed to working towards real solutions, Hunt said. Im proud to be running a campaign that is powered by the peopl, and puts the needs of our community first.

Hunts candidacy has already generated significant excitement and support from voters in her Orange County district and beyond. She has a strong track record of grassroots organizing and activism and is poised to build a powerful coalition of supporters to help her win in November.

For more information about Cheyenne Hunts campaign, please visit her website at: https://www.cheyennehunt.com/.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Lynn Munroe

845-548-1211

[email protected]

PHOTO link for media:

https://www.Send2Press.com/300dpi/23-0404-s2p-cheyenne-hunt-300dpi.jpg

Caption: Cheyenne Hunt

* PAID FOR BY CHEYENNE HUNT FOR CONGRESS *

NEWS SOURCE: Cheyenne Hunt for Congress



This press release was issued on behalf of the news source (Cheyenne Hunt for Congress), who is solely responsible for its accuracy, by Send2Press Newswire.

To view the original story, visit: https://www.send2press.com/wire/cheyenne-hunt-announces-candidacy-for-congress-representing-californias-45th-district/

Copr.  2023 Send2Press Newswire, a service of NEOTROPE, Calif., USA. -- REF: S2P STORY ID: 89659SI.03
VERONA, Italy (PRWEB) April 03, 2023

Pasqua Vigneti e Cantine has announced that Colangelo & Partners, a fine wine, spirits, and food-focused integrated communications firm, will be its agency of PR. Colangelo & Partners will develop and execute a comprehensive PR strategy targeted to key media, trade and consumer stakeholders. The partnership will focus on engaging new and current consumers through strategic media relations, events, and partnerships.

"We are pleased to be partnering with the Colangelo & Partners team, to promote the innovative and unconventional icons behind Pasqua in the US market," shared President of Pasqua USA, Alessandro Pasqua. "We currently sell approximately 350,000 cases in the US market and we look forward to showcasing our bold spirit and vision of the future to a wider audience, developing more 'Pasqua lovers' among consumers and press."

Colangelo & Partners will work on a range of traditional and new media activities across Pasqua's collection of fine wines, with a heavy focus on the PassioneSentimento, Hey French, 11 Minutes, Famiglia Pasqua, and Mai Dire Mai lines. Pasqua Wines joins a growing roster of prestigious clients at the agency, including those international and California- based. The program is designed to strengthen popularity with wine trade media and strategically increase visibility for the core lines, keeping Pasqua as a legacy Italian wine producer. Colangelo & Partners will also strategically advise the company for potential activations, partnerships and sponsorships.

"Pasqua Wines is recognized worldwide for the production of wines embodying centuries of Veneto winemaking tradition, standing out for its unique style and pioneering spirit," commented Colangelo & Partners' President, Gino Colangelo. "Their commitment to creativity, innovation, and excellence aligns with our values, and our team is excited to represent their portfolio of outstanding wines in the American market."

The winery's commitment to quality and innovation has prompted an increase in premiumization of the winery's production. The latest award of "Best Ros of the Competition - Vinolok Trophy" won by "Y By 11 minutes" 2020 in the Rose Selection by Concours Mondial de Bruxelles represents an important result showcasing Pasqua as a well-established beacon in the international wine scenario.

Pasqua is a family-owned winery that stands out in the Italian wine scenario thanks to its innovative and unconventional approach to wine and wine communication. Over the years, the Verona based winery has been able to carve a deeply identifiable and recognizable style for both its wines and the winery, offering a new compelling image of traditional products from Veneto and the Valpolicella region while exploring new roads through the different winery's labels.

# # #

About Pasqua

Pasqua Vigneti e Cantine is a Veronese wine company, owned by the Pasqua family. Founded in 1925, the winery is recognized worldwide as a producer and ambassador of prestigious Veneto wines. The company's ambition is to bring into the future, with renewed stylistic codes, all the winemaking experience consolidated over 100 years of history. Today, working alongside President Umberto are his sons Riccardo, Chief Executive Officer, and Alessandro, President of Pasqua USA. With the presentation of the Pasqua House of the Unconventional manifesto, today the company aims to be a research laboratory, a space for dialogue, where quality and creativity are the protagonists.

About Colangelo & Partners

Colangelo & Partners specializes in premium food, wine and spirits brands, and has long- established relationships with the key press that drive these business categories and help determine the industry leaders. Agency principals have years of experience in retail and distribution as well as communications, a rare combination that gives Colangelo & Partners invaluable insights into consumer purchasing behavior. The agency focuses on 'closing the loop' between creative communications programs, distribution, promotion, publicity and the consumer in order to maximize the efficiency of its communications programs and deliver measurable results. Founded in 2006, Colangelo & Partners was honored as one of the year's top integrated communications firms at the 2013 Agency Elite Awards and for one of the best digital marketing campaigns at the 2014 Digital PR Awards.

Read the full story at https://www.prweb.com/releases/pasqua_wines_partners_with_leading_pr_agency_for_us_communications/prweb19262593.htm
Global Sanitary Landfill to be Transformed into Clean Energy for 400 Homes a Year

NEW YORK , April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Global Sanitary Landfill in Old Bridge Township, New Jersey moved another step closer to becoming a solar energy facility this month with AC Power 's sale of the solar project, and its 25-year lease, to NJR Clean Energy Ventures (CEV). Meanwhile, Superfun LLC , an AC Power affiliate, took title to the real estate. This site will become the first New Jersey community solar project in CEV's portfolio and the first superfund site in AC Power's ownership structure.

"We are excited that this true 'trash-to-treasure' solar project is closer to powering 400 local homes with clean energy," said Annika Colston , AC Power founder and CEO. "NJR CEV, AC Power , and all our Global site redevelopment partners are committed to finding innovative solutions to environmental challenges and working toward a sustainable future. This project would not have been realized without the support of dozens of key partners including Old Bridge Township , the NJ Department of Environmental Protection , U.S. EPA and AC Power's committed consultants and engineers. Despite countless reasons why this project was just too complicated, this group of dedicated stakeholders persevered."

" NR Clean Energy Ventures has a long history of working with AC Power and CS Energy to bring complex solar projects to fruition," said Robert Pohlman , Vice President of NJR CEV. "With projects like Old Bridge  our first New Jersey community solar project  we are committed to repurposing brownfields and other beneficial use sites to create clean energy. Any time we can transform underutilized space to produce renewable energy to benefit customers and advance the state's clean energy goals it is win-win for all."

The Global Sanitary Landfill is a former municipal and non-hazardous industrial waste site that was designated as a Superfund site by the U.S. EPA . The landfill has been inactive since 1984 and a financial burden to the township for decades. AC Power began development of the site in 2020 with the goal of securing community solar offtake for the generated power.

In October 2021 , the 2.8-MWdc project was awarded capacity by the NJ Board of Public Utilities in the second year of their highly competitive Community Solar Pilot Program. The program provides subscribers an opportunity to reduce their electricity costs with local renewable, clean energy. The program also ensured that ancillary benefits were deployed in the community with AC Power partnering with Solar One and the County College of Morris (CCM), to sponsor student enrollment in an interactive workforce development program. Students who complete the course can earn an associate level certification from North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) which will propel these local students into careers in the growing clean energy sector.

CEV is one of the largest solar owner/operators in New Jersey with a portfolio of 64 commercial solar projects in New Jersey , New York , Rhode Island and Connecticut with a portfolio of more than 430 MW of installed capacity. CEV acquired the Old Bridge project  its first New Jersey community solar project - from AC Power in 2023. AC Power affiliate, Superfun, took title to the land in February 2023 . CS Energy, a leading engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) renewable energy firm, will begin construction on the solar facility in June of this year.

VHB an environmental engineering consulting firm, designed an extensive ecological recovery plan for the site, including the creation of pollinator habitats to help improve landscape connectivity, restore natural processes and increase biodiversity.

About AC Power, LLC

AC Power is a mission-driven solar development company in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions, with a vision of redeveloping undervalued land to provide renewable energy to local communities. AC Power is a certified WBE.

About NJR Clean Energy Ventures

NJR Clean Energy Ventures (CEV) is the renewable energy subsidiary of New Jersey Resources, a Fortune 1000 company. CEV invests in, owns and operates solar projects and provides residential and commercial customers with low-carbon solutions. Today, CEV is one of the largest solar owner/operators in New Jersey with a total capacity of more than 430 megawatts.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ac-power-announces-sale-of-old-bridge-solar-project--to-njr-clean-energy-ventures-301789781.html
TOKYO , April 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Authlete, the leader in implementing the latest digital identity and API security standards, announced today that it has raised approximately US$4M ( 500 million Japanese yen ) in Series A funding from SBI Digital Asset Holdings (SBI DAH), part of the Japanese conglomerate SBI Group . Authlete will use the funds to accelerate its global expansion, develop new products, and explore new industries in partnership with SBI DAH.

Authlete is a pioneer in providing services related to OAuth 2.0 and OpenID Connect (OIDC), two industry standards that enable secure API authorization and identity federation. This is a critical component as every service provider will become an API provider to engage their business partners. "Authlete is the OAuth/OIDC Component as a Service solution, that provides core functionality of OAuth and OIDC as API components," said Takahiko Kawasaki , co-founder and representative director of Authlete. "Our unique approach has been adopted by enterprise customers in financial services, e-commerce, healthcare, media, B2B SaaS etc., and we are the industry leader in implementing the latest OAuth/OIDC specifications, including being the first in the world to receive all Certified FAPI and FAPI-CIBA OpenID Providers certifications."

Open banking / open finance is one of the most notable industry trends, establishing a "financial API ecosystem" around the world. Authlete has many customers in the financial services sector, including the world's largest digital bank in Brazil and the first digital bank in Japan amongst others. Authlete has also contributed to the OpenID Foundation in the United States in developing its OpenID Certification test suite, which is the de-facto standard for open banking / open finance ecosystems to validate whether banks' API security standards are adequately implemented. In other words, Authlete is virtually the reference implementation for all banks in open banking / open finance ecosystems worldwide. "Some countries, including the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), are actively embracing the open banking movement. Authlete is one of the leading services that can provide these emerging ecosystems with the expertise in collaborating with the OpenID Foundation , as well as the Authlete solution that has been proven in the real world. We are in a perfect position to expand our business globally," said Ali Adnan , co-founder and director of Authlete.

Some business domains are gaining momentum requiring the next-generation identity/API standards and frameworks. For example, gaming and metaverse industries have a critical need for "assured identity" because the cyberspace they provide is now another real space, and digital identities must be backed by real-world entities.

"We run digital asset-related businesses globally and envision several potential opportunities across several sectors, from Banking to the Metaverse, including digital wallets. We are familiar with Authlete as an existing commercial partner of SBI Digitrust. With this investment we aim to significantly expand our partnership to realise its full potential" said Fernando Luis Vazquez Cao , CEO of SBI DAH. "We look forward to working with Authlete to open new markets and add new standards with their cutting-edge technology."

About Authlete

Authlete, Inc. was established by Takahiko Kawasaki et al. in 2015. The Authlete solution provides essential security features for all APIs, as a software component. Service providers in all industries, from financial institutions such as banks and securities firms to media and e-commerce, can quickly and securely implement API access authorization (OAuth 2.0) and identity federation (OpenID Connect) capabilities by integrating Authlete into their services. Authlete is available as a SaaS offering, allowing its customers to always use the latest industry-standard API security specifications.

Please visit www.authlete.com for more information.

About SBI Digital Asset Holdings

SBI Digital Asset Holdings endeavors to bring innovation to the financial industry by building an ecosystem for issuance, custody, management, and liquidity for digital assets. SBI Digital Asset Holdings , via SBI group companies, has strong links with other group investments such as Ripple, R3, B2C2, Securitize, Elliptic and has inroads to banking and securities infrastructure across Asia with businesses in Thailand , South Korea , Hong Kong , Malaysia , and Cambodia . SBI DAH has investments in key portfolio companies including Sygnum, Boerse Stuttgart Digital Exchange, Lancium, and Tangem among others. Through SBI Digital Markets and Asia Digital Exchange, the group is growing its presence in the region to help shape the digital asset ecosystem and contribute towards making Singapore one of the world's leading digital asset hubs.

The SBI Group is a leading financial conglomerate based in Japan . The SBI Group's core businesses include Financial Services Business, Asset Management Business, Investment Business and Crypto-asset Business, and Non-financial Business. In addition, it is one of the largest Japanese private equity firms and leverages its extensive eco-system to further drive the value of its investments.

Please visit www.sbidah.com and www.sbigroup.co.jp for more information.

Authlete Media Contact:

[email protected]

Tatsuo Kudo

Hiroko Soga

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/authlete-raises-4m-in-series-a-funding-from-sbi-digital-asset-holdings-301788446.html
GREENVILLE, S.C. , April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Azalea Capital is pleased to announce that Modus eDiscovery, Inc., a portfolio investment of The Azalea Fund III, L.P. , has been acquired by Repario, a portfolio investment of JLL Partners . Modus, headquartered in Cary, NC , provides law firms, corporations, and government entities industry-leading technology solutions encompassing all phases of the litigation lifecycle. Modus is a client-focused, results-driven team of consultants, project managers, data engineers and developers whose combined knowledge of the legal industry and information systems provide an incomparable ability to design tailored solutions for every case.

Steven Horan , CEO, commented that "During our partnership with Azalea Capital , Modus grew from a niche player in the e-Discovery sector into one of the most trusted and dynamic data management businesses with industry leading capabilities. Working with Azalea enabled Modus to build a cohesive team of industry professionals aligned around one goal  to be the partner of choice for companies, law firms, and Federal & State Government Agencies requiring the e-discovery, information governance, and data management services Modus provides. Our new partnership with Repario will enable us to significantly expand our national presence as well as broaden our service offering to our valued clients." The Modus leadership team will remain with the Company.

VRA Partners represented Modus in the transaction.

JLL Partners is a New York City -based private equity firm with significant investment experience in technology-enabled companies focused on the legal services sector.

About Azalea Capital

Azalea Capital is a private investment firm headquartered in Greenville, SC . Azalea partners with entrepreneurs, management teams, and family-owned companies by providing investment capital and operating expertise to enhance the long-term value and growth prospects for each investment. Azalea's primary focus is to invest in companies located in the Southern and Midwest regions of the U.S. , which operate in the Agriculture, Food, Pet, and Industrial markets.

For additional information about Azalea Capital and its family of investment funds, please call or visit our website at www.azaleacapital.com.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/azalea-capital-announces-sale-of-modus-ediscovery-301790126.html
A community petition signed by more than 350 people shows strong support for Berkshire VNA clinicians as they seek improved working conditions and fair wages

PITTSFIELD, Mass. , April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Clinicians from Berkshire VNA, represented by the Massachusetts Nurses Association , will deliver a community petition on Wednesday, April 5 to the Vice Chair of the Berkshire Health Systems Board of Trustees seeking swift action on the clinician's first MNA contract so they can provide the quality of care their patients and the community deserve.

Berkshire VNA Community Petition Delivery

Date: Wednesday, April 5, 2023

Time: 2:30 p.m.

Location: Greylock Credit Union 150 West St. Pittsfield to see John L. Bissell  Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees for Berkshire Health Systems

Details: BVNA clinicians will present the community petition as a large banner, demonstrating strong support from people across the region.

"Quality healthcare is deeply important to all of us," the petition reads. "At any time, we may need help caring for ourselves or a family member in our homes. That is why we value Berkshire VNA clinicians and support them in their efforts to secure a first union contract with the Massachusetts Nurses Association ."

One main issue holding up the contract agreement is improvements clinicians are seeking regarding the way BVNA allocates time for different types of patient care. Clinicians need enough time to properly assess, provide care, and document care so that their patients have the best chance to recover well at home. They are also seeking fair wages that properly value the care they provide and help to retain and recruit clinicians to perform this important work. Read the full petition at www.massnurses.org/BNVApetition.

BVNA registered nurses, and physical, occupational and speech therapists joined MNA in December 2021 following an election overseen by the National Labor Relations Board . Berkshire VNA is owned by Berkshire Health Systems , which also owns Berkshire Medical Center where the MNA represents approximately 900 registered nurses.

Established in 1901, the Berkshire VNA provides comprehensive care to patients of all ages who are recovering from an illness or hospitalization in their own home. The medical needs of Berkshire VNA patients are varied and complex and may include, among other things, post-surgical conditions such as total hip or total knee replacements; stroke; Parkinson's Disease; Multiple Sclerosis; Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS); cardiopulmonary conditions; amputations; and post-trauma care (breaks, fractures).

In recent years, many hospital-based services for patients have shifted to in-home services, making VNAs and their caregivers an essential and ever-expanding part of the healthcare system. Hospitals now move patients back home faster than before as doing so reduces costs and opens in-hospital beds. This has led to a dramatic increase in the size of the region's at-home patient population as well as in the complexity of those patients.

MassNurses.org  Facebook.com/MassNurses  Twitter.com/MassNurses Instagram.com/MassNurses

____________________________________________

Founded in 1903, the Massachusetts Nurses Association is the largest union of registered nurses in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts . Its 23,000 members advance the nursing profession by fostering high standards of nursing practice, promoting the economic and general welfare of nurses in the workplace, projecting a positive and realistic view of nursing, and by lobbying the Legislature and regulatory agencies on health care issues affecting nurses and the public.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/berkshire-vna-nurses-and-healthcare-professionals-to-deliver-community-petition-in-support-of-first-mna-contract-to-bhs-trustee-on-wednesday-april-5-301790081.html
Bright Pattern and EasyPay Solutions combine both conversational and traditional IVR with payment acceptance services to improve billing efficiency, reduce operational costs and boost agent productivity for Call Centers.

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. , April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Bright Pattern, a leading provider of omnichannel communication software for Call Centers, and EasyPay Solutions, a provider of integrated payments acceptance services, have partnered to offer seamless payment capture functionality within the Bright Pattern AI-powered, omnichannel Call Center software and service management solutions.

Bright Pattern partners with EasyPay Solutions to deliver smarter ways for contact centers to process payment info.

Through its partnership with EasyPay Solutions, Bright Pattern delivers a solution allowing businesses to easily and securely accept payments and settle funds efficiently and seamlessly. EasyPay Solutions adds important payment functionality to Bright Pattern's existing PCI compliant, omnichannel capabilities, causing Bright Pattern users to process customer payment information quickly and efficiently.

"By combining the Bright Pattern omnichannel platform with EasyPay Solutions integrated payment acceptance services, Call Center operators can connect traditional and conversational IVR to payment acceptance services, improving billing efficiency, reducing operational costs, and boosting agent productivity." said Michael McCloskey , CEO of Bright Pattern. "The integration of EasyPay Solutions eliminates the need for third-party processors and improves efficiency for businesses and their Call Centers."

"With increasing consumer-vendor interaction over conversational IVR, chatbot AI, CRM, and full-featured mobile apps, the integration of EasyPay Solutions will allow Bright Pattern Call Centers to capture payments in an engaging and convenient environment, capitalizing on the tremendous growth of this consumer trend." said Stephen Goodrich , CEO of EasyPay.

EasyPay and Bright Pattern enable Call Centers to consolidate payment collection and settlement processes into a seamless experience that improves efficiency and reduces processing costs in a PCI certified environment.

About Bright Pattern

Bright Pattern provides the simplest and most powerful all-in-one omnichannel contact center solution, with over 500 Call Centers in 26 countries, including Bank of America, Bell24, Cable and Wireless, City of Brampton, Community Medical, Detroit Water, Enercare , EY, First Bank , Hairclub, Hurtigruten, Mediterranean Shipping Company , Naver, Officeworks, Pepsi, Randstad, SEIU, Southern Cross Health Insurance , Sun Country Airlines, Sylvan Learning , United Power , VW Bentley, YMCA , and Zillow. Bright Pattern is the highest rated omnichannel platform by customers and analysts , with the shortest time to deploy, and the fastest ROI in the industry.

About EasyPay Solutions

EasyPay Solutions has provided creative and omnichannel payment solutions for over two decades to a wide range of users, leveraging its PCI certified payment gateway, APIs, and Virtual Terminal products, in the provision of payments acceptance services to some of the nation's best-known names.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bright-pattern-and-easypay-solutions-announce-partnership-offering-integrated-payments-solutions-for-call-centers-301789220.html

SOURCE Bright Pattern
Investors seeking to 'dollarize' their assets have a safe and liquid option to protect their investments in the Bank's new instrument

SAO PAULO, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- BTG Pactual, the largest investment bank in Latin America , announces the launch of its first stablecoin through Mynt, the Bank's crypto platform. BTG Dol is a crypto asset, with a price backed by the US dollar and a 1 to 1 parity, which enables interacting between the traditional financial system and the new digital economy.

BTG Dol is structured as a stablecoin, a type of crypto asset backed by a stable asset, in this case the US dollar (USD), it offers its holders the opportunity to 'dollarize' part of their equity in a simple, efficient, and secure manner.

"Once again, we are innovating in using financial technology in our clients' benefit. When buying BTG Dol, investors have access to an easier, safer and smarter way to invest in dollars", says Andre Portilho , Head of Digital Assets at BTG Pactual.

BTG Dol is custodied by BTG Pactual, who guarantees and manages its backing, providing the entire security framework for the asset, such as due diligence, money laundering prevention, and Compliance processes.

For Marcel Monteiro , Head of Operations at Mynt, the new cryptocurrency positions BTG as a benchmark in the market. "We recently launched eight new assets, we already have 22 cryptocurrencies on the platform, and now we have our own stablecoin. This shows that the Bank trusts technology and will continue with its commitment to offering new innovative digital products and services, with the solidity and trust that are BTG's hallmark", says Monteiro.

BTG Dol, BTG's new crypto asset, is now available for purchase on the BTG Pactual investment platform and on the Mynt app. It is possible to start investing from R$ 100 .

About Mynt

In the Mynt app, users have a simplified access to investments in crypto assets, as well as educational materials about crypto, quotes, market, and technology news. Another differential is having Mynt's own team available to answer all questions from customers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. For more information, access the website and follow Mynt's social media.

About BTG Pactual

BTG Pactual (BPAC11) is the largest investment bank in Latin America and is active in Investment Banking, Corporate Lending, Sales & Trading , Asset Management, Wealth Management and Banking. It has cemented its status as one of the countrys most innovative investment platforms, offering a full range of banking services to support clients in their day-to-day life and in building their own stories. We are also pioneers on the ESG front, with financial products that support the transition to a greener, more sustainable economy. Our award-winning bank has won numerous international awards and has over six thousand employees in Brazil , Chile , Argentina , Colombia , Peru , Mexico , the US, Portugal and England .

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/btg-pactual-launches-btg-dol-the-worlds-first-dollar-backed-stablecoin-from-a-bank-301789477.html

SOURCE BTG Pactual
A love letter to a mother mixed with a fable of psychological and folk horror, Nanny, the debut of filmmaker Nikyatu Jusu that won the Grand Jury Prize at the last edition of the Sundance Film Festival, had gone unnoticed by the general public until director Guillermo del Toro put it on the radar: Hypnotic horror film. Symbol, myth and spirit join to tell an internal saga. Fraught with danger, menace and full of mystery and power. Its remarkable color palette and rock-solid audiovisual storytelling rematched by breathtaking performances, he tweeted at the end of December, a few days after the production premiered on Prime Video and after it was announced that Jusu would be in charge of directing the sequel to Night of the Living Dead that Amazon is working on.

Jusu, the daughter of migrants from Sierra Leone, with an MFA in film production from New York University and recipient of the Spike Lee scholarship, made her debut with the story of Aisha (played by Anna Diop), an undocumented Senegalese woman who works as a nanny for a privileged white couple (Michelle Monaghan and Morgan Spector) in New Yorks Upper East Side. Her only goal is to raise as much money as she can so she can bring her son Lamine to the United States. However, strange visions haunt her conscience, guilty for having migrated without him.

Working to death

Delving into the fears and experiences of those mothers who leave their own children in their countries of origin to go raise other peoples sons and daughters was a lifelong obsession for this director. Her own mother was one of those domestic caregivers who spent the day away from home, between multiple jobs, looking for a better future. What leads a mother to sacrifice herself like this? What guilt does she carry? What toll is paid in this mother-child separation? And how are those nannies actually treated in these houses?

Nanny searches for answers in a film that defines the American dream as working until you die. It does so by relying on two West African myths (Mami Wata and Anansi) to convey the tensions and oppressions of class, gender and race suffered by its main character; experiences as subtle as they are devastating, that make witnessing the suffocating nightmares suffered by the protagoniststalked by a Haitian deity of wateralmost as terrifying as watching a millionaire demand gender compassion from a person that they exploit at work.

Anna Diop and Michelle Monaghan in 'Nanny.' Prime Video

Their stories, from their point of view

Jusu is not the only one that explores the realities of female caregivers from their own point of view. For a few years now, fiction and literary essays have focused on the lives of those women who populate the playgrounds of Europe and the United States; stories that do away with the fantasy of the candid and devoted Mary Poppins-style nanny as well as the archetype of the overly sexual babysitter who threatens the family order.

Writer Emma Cline reversed the cliche of the homewrecking babysitter in The Nanny (one of the stories included in Daddy, her latest book), by putting herself in the shoes of the victim and exposing the vulnerability of those domestic employees who are both conflicted and exploited by the system, transforming one of Hollywoods favorite tropes: a sensual young woman who sexually torments the patriarch or the protagonist, like the ones played by Alicia Silverstone in The babysitter (1995), Marilyn Monroe in Dont Bother to Knock (1952) or Lio Tipton in Crazy Stupid Love (2011).

Kiley Reid. Suma de Letras

Im just a sitter. Im not a nanny, explained Emira, the main character of Such a Fun Age, in a display of disdain for her own livelihood. Nannies are full-time. Theyre salaried and they get bonuses and vacations. And babysitters are part-time, and they do like... date nights and emergencies. The debut novel of writer Kiley Reid, who worked taking care of other peoples children for six years in order to pay off her university loan, tells the story of a 25-year-old African-American girl who suffers a racist episode in a supermarket while taking care of the (white) daughter of her bosses when a security guard assumes that the child had been kidnapped.

This novel about women who usually have no rights or health insurance, in which race, classism and the problematic boundaries between work and personal of some employers (as progressive and left-wing they consider themselves to be) converge, was long listed for the Booker Prize, as well as a New York Times bestseller and a selection of Reese Witherspoons book club. In addition, its television rights were bought by Lena Waithe (co-writer and actress of Master of None).

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OFFER EXTENSION ANNOUNCEMENT

URGENT NOTIFICATION

LUXEMBOURG, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Canaima Fund Lux ("Issuer"), a securitization fund governed by the Luxembourg Law of 22 March 2004 on securitization undertakings, registered under number O27, and more precisely for and on behalf of the compartment named Canaima I ("Compartment"), with identification number ISIN XS2540585481 represented and managed by CANAIMA CAPITAL LUX SARL ("Company"), a company duly incorporated under the law of Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, having its registered office at 12C, rue Guillaume J. Kroll , L-1882 Luxembourg, and

CANAIMA GLOBAL OPPORTUNITIES FUND PCC LIMITED, a company duly incorporated under the laws of the Island of Guernsey, having its registered office at Ground Floor, Dorey Court, Admiral Park , St Peter Port, Guernsey , GY1 2HT, registered under the reference 68019 under the Companies (Guernsey) Law, 2008, acting in its name and on behalf of "CANAIMA FUND II" and duly managed and represented by Canaima Capital Management Limited (the "Investment Fund"),

HEREBY INFORM PROFESSIONAL INVESTORS

holders of a portfolios of bonds ("Portfolio") represented by Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and Petroleos de Venezuela S.A. listed below and in the final terms of the Compartment ("Final Terms") originally dated 26 September 2022 ("Eligible Bonds"),

THAT THE OFFER

to exchange their Portfolio with the financial instruments issued by the Compartment with ISIN XS2540585481 ("Notes") in order to facilitate the recovery, in whole or in part, of the credits incorporated in the Eligible Bonds, by contributing their Portfolio to the Investment Fund which shall in turn issue investor shares to the Compartment,

has been extended to the 31st of July 2023 and deadline to submit proof of holding and KYC documents is the 21st of July 2023 .

The minimum investment, size of Notes and further information can be found in the Final Terms.

Below the list of the Eligible Bonds:

ISIN ISSUER NAME ISSUE DATE MATURITY XS0294364954 Petroleos de Venezuela SA 4/12/2007 4/12/2027 XS0294367205 Petroleos de Venezuela SA 4/12/2007 4/12/2037 USP7807HAK16 Petroleos de Venezuela SA 10/29/2010 11/2/2017 US716558AB79 Petroleos de Venezuela SA 10/29/2010 11/2/2017 US716558AC52 Petroleos de Venezuela SA 2/17/2011 2/17/2022 USP7807HAM71 Petroleos de Venezuela SA 2/17/2011 2/17/2022 US716558AD36 Petroleos de Venezuela SA 11/17/2011 11/17/2021 USP7807HAP03 Petroleos de Venezuela SA 11/17/2011 11/17/2021 USP7807HAQ85 Petroleos de Venezuela SA 5/17/2012 5/17/2035 US716558AE19 Petroleos de Venezuela SA 5/17/2012 5/17/2035 USP7807HAR68 Petroleos de Venezuela SA 11/15/2013 11/15/2026 US716558AF83 Petroleos de Venezuela SA 11/15/2013 11/15/2026 USP7807HAT25 Petroleos de Venezuela SA 5/16/2014 5/16/2024 US716558AG66 Petroleos de Venezuela SA 5/16/2014 5/16/2024 XS1126891685 Petroleos de Venezuela SA 10/28/2014 10/28/2022 USP7807HAV70 Petroleos de Venezuela SA 10/28/2016 10/27/2020 US716558AH40 Petroleos de Venezuela SA 10/28/2016 10/27/2020 US922646AS37 Venezuela Government 9/18/1997 9/15/2027 US922646AT10 Venezuela Government 8/6/1998 8/15/2018 USP9395PAA95 Venezuela Government 9/27/2001 8/15/2018 US922646BE32 Venezuela Government 9/27/2001 8/15/2018 USP97475AD26 Venezuela Government 12/1/2003 12/1/2018 US922646BL74 Venezuela Government 1/14/2004 1/13/2034 XS0217249126 Venezuela Government 4/21/2005 4/21/2025 USP97475AG56 Venezuela Government 12/9/2005 12/9/2020 USP97475AJ95 Venezuela Government 11/15/2007 3/31/2038 USP17625AB33 Venezuela Government 5/7/2008 5/7/2028 USP17625AA59 Venezuela Government 5/7/2008 5/7/2023 USP97475AN08 Venezuela Government 10/13/2009 10/13/2019 USP97475AP55 Venezuela Government 10/13/2009 10/13/2024 USP17625AC16 Venezuela Government 8/23/2010 8/23/2022 USP17625AD98 Venezuela Government 8/5/2011 8/5/2031 USP17625AE71 Venezuela Government 10/21/2011 10/21/2026 XS0029484515 Venezuela Government 18/12/1990 15/04/2020 XS0029484788 Venezuela Government 18/12/1990 15/04/2020 XS0029484861 Venezuela Government 18/12/1990 15/04/2020 XS0029484945 Venezuela Government 18/12/1990 15/04/2020 XS0029485322 Venezuela Government 18/12/1990 15/04/2020 XS0504851535 Venezuela Government 30/04/2010 13/10/2024 XS0838864808 Venezuela Government 03/10/2012 13/10/2024 XS0838835451 Venezuela Government 03/10/2012 21/10/2026

The Issuer intends to issue an aggregate nominal amount of Notes up to USD 50,000,000 represented by 50,000,000 Notes.

The Issuer, and the Compartment is directing its investors wishing to subscribe for such financial instruments to register on the Transaction Website in order to provide the details of their current holdings by submission of a proof of holdings. The Company will perform the relevant KYC steps for each registration following which investors will receive the password to access the documentation to participate in the Offer contemplated therein, should they wish to do so. The Company has retained D.F King as the Information Agent for this process. Investors should visit the Transaction Website hosted by D.F King to register their details at https://sites.dfkingltd.com/canaima . Should Investors have any question on the registration process, please contact D.F King via email on [email protected] .

This Offer is not intended to any person in the United States , Australia , Canada , Japan or any other country in which such Offer is not allowed without the authorisations of the competent authorities nor may the financial instruments be offered, sold or otherwise transferred, directly or indirectly, on behalf of citizens or residents of Australia , Canada , Japan , The United States or any other country, unless the company, at its discretion, avails itself of any exemption under applicable law.

Canaima Capital Lux SARL Contact Details:

Stefano Giuffra

[email protected]

Information Agent: D.F King Ltd.

Transaction Website: https://sites.dfkingltd.com/canaima

D.F King Ltd. Contact details:

[email protected] .

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/canaima-fund-lux-and-canaima-global-opportunities-fund-pcc-limited-exchange-extended-the-offer-for-venezuelan-government-and-petroleos-de-venezuela-sa-bonds-301789825.html

SOURCE CANAIMA GLOBAL OPPORTUNITIES FUND PCC LIMITED
NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION IN OR INTO OR TO ANY PERSON LOCATED OR RESIDENT IN THE UNITED STATES , ITS TERRITORIES AND POSSESSIONS (INCLUDING PUERTO RICO , THE U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS , GUAM , AMERICAN SAMOA , WAKE ISLAND AND THE NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS ), ANY STATE OF THE UNITED STATES OR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA ( THE "UNITED STATES ") OR IN OR INTO ANY OTHER JURISDICTION WHERE IT IS UNLAWFUL TO DISTRIBUTE THIS DOCUMENT.

THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS FOR INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT AN OFFER TO BUY OR SELL, OR AN INVITATION OR SOLICITATION OF AN OFFER TO BUY OR SELL, SECURITIES IN ANY JURISDICTION. THE INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN DOES NOT CONSTITUTE OR FORM PART OF ANY OFFER TO ISSUE OR SELL OR TENDER, OR ANY SOLICITATION OF ANY OFFER TO SUBSCRIBE OR PURCHASE, ANY INVESTMENTS IN ANY JURISDICTION.

LONDON , April 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- CFG Investment S.A.C. (the "Company") today announced the initial results of its previously announced offers to (i) redeem for cash its Variable Rate Senior Secured Notes due 2032 (the "Senior Secured Notes") and (ii) purchase for cash its 10.00% Second Lien Notes due 2032 (the "Second Lien Notes", and together with the Senior Secured Notes, the "Notes") (each such offer, an "Offer" and together, the "Offers"), up to a maximum aggregate principal amount of U.S. $40,000,000 (such amount as may be modified by the Company in its sole discretion, the "Maximum Payment Amount"), from eligible holders of the Notes ("Eligible Holders") at redemption amounts or purchase prices, as applicable, determined pursuant to a modified Dutch auction on the terms and conditions set forth in the Company's Offer Memorandum, dated as of March 13, 2023 (the "Offer Memorandum"). Capitalised terms used but not defined in this announcement have the meanings given to them in the Offer Memorandum.

Initial Results of the Offers

The table below sets forth the results of the Offers, according to information provided by the Tender Agent, as of 16:00 ( London time) on March 31, 2023 :

Description of

Notes ISIN Aggregate

Principal Amount

Outstanding Aggregate

Principal Amount

of Notes Tendered Aggregate

Principal Amount

of Notes Accepted (1) Redemption Value

/Clearing Price(2) Variable Rate Senior Secured

Notes due 2032| N/A $150,000,000 $26,639,865 $8,337,632 135 10.00% Second Lien Notes

due 2032| Regulation S ISIN: XS2550128271

Rule 144A ISIN: XS2550128438 $288,831,454 $112,821,212 $32,800,629 80

_____________________

(1) This amount excludes accrued and unpaid interest from and including the interest payment date immediately preceding the Initial Settlement Date (as defined below) to, but excluding the Initial Settlement Date ("Accrued Interest"), which will be paid by the Company to the holders of the Notes validly tendered and accepted in the Offers.

(2) Expressed as a percentage of the outstanding aggregate principal amount of the Notes.

The Company expects to accept for redemption all Senior Secured Notes tendered at the Redemption Value of up to 135% of the outstanding aggregate principal amount of the Senior Secured Notes and to accept for purchase all Second Lien Notes tendered at the Clearing Price of up to 80% of the outstanding aggregate principal amount of the Second Lien Notes, as applicable (such aggregate principal amount accepted, the "Initial Settlement Amount"), and the settlement thereof is expected to occur on or about April 6, 2023 (the "Initial Settlement Date"). All Holders of Notes accepted for redemption or purchase will receive the Redemption Value or the Clearing Price, as applicable, plus Accrued Interest.

Upsize and Extension of the Offers

Pursuant to the terms set forth in the Offer Memorandum, the Company announced today that it is upsizing, amending and extending the Offers on the terms and conditions set forth herein (the "Extended Offers"). The Company has increased the Maximum Payment Amount to $61,138,261 (which amount includes the Initial Settlement Amount).

In addition to the Initial Settlement Amount, the Company is offering to purchase or redeem, as applicable, for cash, up to an additional $20,000,000 aggregate principal amount of Notes (in each case, excluding any accrued but unpaid interest, and such amount as may be modified by the Company in its sole discretion) tendered, with respect to the Second Lien Notes, at the Clearing Price of 80% of the outstanding aggregate principal amount of the Second Lien Notes and, with respect to the Senior Secured Notes, at the Redemption Value of 135% of the outstanding aggregate principal amount of the Senior Secured Notes. Notes will be purchased on a pro rata basis up to the Maximum Payment Amount. The expiration time for the Offers has been extend until 16:00, London Time, on April 14, 2023 (the "Expiration Deadline").

To participate in the Extended Offers, Eligible Holders must submit tenders to the Tender Agent at the Redemption Value or Clearing Price, as applicable.

The Offers are being made pursuant to the terms and subject to the conditions described in the Offer Memorandum, as amended by this announcement. Except as described in this announcement, all other terms and conditions of the Offers as described in the Offer Memorandum remain unchanged.

No Withdrawal of Tenders

Once tenders of the Notes have been made, such tenders may not be withdrawn at any time, unless the applicable Offer is terminated without any Notes being accepted or as required by applicable law. If such a termination occurs, the Notes will be returned to the tendering holder as promptly as practicable.

Indicative Timeline:

Expiration Deadline: 16:00 ( London time) on April 14, 2023 Announcement of Results: As soon as reasonably practicable on April 17, 2023 Settlement Date: Expected to be on or around April 19 , 2023

Holders are advised to check with any bank, securities broker or other intermediary through which they hold Notes when such intermediary would require to receive instructions from a Holder in order for that Holder to be able to participate in the Offers before the deadlines specified above. The deadlines set by any such intermediary or Clearstream Banking, S.A. for the submission of Tender Instructions will be earlier than the relevant deadlines specified above.

Information and Tender Agent:

Kroll Issuer Services Limited

The Shard

32 London Bridge Street

London

SE1 9SG

United Kingdom

Telephone: +44 20 7704 0880

Email: [email protected]

Attention: Illia Vyshenskyi / Paul Kamminga

Website: https://deals.is.kroll.com/cfgtender

The Offer Memorandum is available upon request to the Tender Agent at the contact details set forth above, subject to applicable distribution restrictions and eligibility confirmations.

The Offers are not being made, and will not be made, directly or indirectly in or into, or by use of the mails of, or by any means or instrumentality of interstate or foreign commerce of or of any facilities of a national securities exchange of, the United States . This includes, but is not limited to, facsimile transmission, electronic mail, telex, telephone, the internet and other forms of electronic communication.

The Notes may not be tendered in the Offers by any such use, means, instrumentality or facility from or within the United States or by persons located or resident in the United States . Accordingly, copies of the Offer Memorandum and any other documents or materials relating to the Offers are not being, and must not be, directly or indirectly mailed or otherwise transmitted, distributed or forwarded (including, without limitation, by custodians, nominees or trustees) to U.S. persons (as such term is defined in Regulation S), in or into the United States or to any persons located or resident in the United States . Any purported tender of Notes in an Offer resulting directly or indirectly from a violation of these restrictions will be invalid and any purported tender of Notes made by a U.S. person, a person located in the United States or any agent, fiduciary or other intermediary acting for a principal located in the United States will be invalid and will not be accepted. The Offers are being made and may be accepted by dealers or other professional fiduciaries in the United States acting on a discretionary basis only for the benefit or account of non- U.S. persons located outside the United States .

Each Eligible Holder of Notes participating in an Offer will represent that it is a non- U.S. person (as such term is defined in Regulation S) located outside the United States or a dealer or other professional fiduciary in the United States acting on a discretionary basis only for the benefit or account of non- U.S. persons located outside the United States . For the purposes of this and the above paragraph, " United States " means United States of America , its territories and possessions (including Puerto Rico , the U.S. Virgin Islands , Guam , American Samoa , Wake Island and the Northern Mariana Islands ), any state of the United States of America and the District of Columbia .

This communication is neither an offer to redeem or purchase nor a solicitation of an offer to redeem or sell securities, nor is it a solicitation for acceptance of an offer. This communication is not for release, publication or distribution in or into, or to any person resident and/or located in, any jurisdiction where such release, publication or distribution is unlawful. None of the Company, the Tender Agent or any of their respective affiliates makes any recommendation as to whether or not any bondholder should tender its Notes pursuant to the Offers. Each bondholder must make its own decision as to whether or not to tender its Notes in connection with the Offers.

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CHICAGO , April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - The Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative commends the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ( U.S. EPA ) for today's announcement that the 7th Drinking Water Infrastructure Needs Survey and Assessment incorporates updated data on lead service line burden, bringing more federal dollars to Great Lakes states. This policy change follows more than a year of advocacy by the Cities Initiative and the Mayors Commission on Water Equity and represents a key milestone in safeguarding the equitable distribution of federal funding for lead service line replacement.

Needs surveys are revised periodically and govern U.S. EPA 's distribution of the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) to states in the form of capitalization grants. By incorporating data on lead service line burden, this latest version will ensure that Great Lakes states  where the nation's remaining lead service lines are most heavily concentrated  receive significant increases in federal funding to replace lead service lines.

"We have more lead service lines in the Great Lakes than anywhere in the country, and we need to get the lead out," said Mayor Cavalier Johnson of Milwaukee, Wisconsin , a Co-Chair of the Cities Initiative's Mayors Commission on Water Equity . " U.S. EPA clearly recognizes the equity of channeling federal resources to historically lead-burdened cities in order to make real progress on our shared goal of safe, clean and affordable drinking water for all."

"We welcome U.S. EPA 's ongoing efforts to expedite progress on lead service line replacement," stated Mayor Justin Bibb of Cleveland, Ohio , a Co-Chair of the Cities Initiative's Mayors Commission on Water Equity . "It is critical for U.S. EPA to add new data to future iterations of the Drinking Water Infrastructure Needs Survey and Assessment as water systems complete their lead service line inventories."

The 7th Drinking Water Infrastructure Needs Survey and Assessment will now guide the distribution of federal funding for the DWSRF and lead service line replacement under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and congressional appropriations. The IIJA provides $11.73 billion for the DWSRF and $15 billion for lead service line replacement over five years; the Consolidated Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 provides $1.13 billion for the DWSRF.

In addition to the inclusion of data on lead service line burden, this needs survey finds $625 billion in capital improvements for drinking-water infrastructure are planned in the next 20-year period, a 32 percent increase above the financial needs identified by the previous survey. It also estimates that, based on the data received, there are 9.2 million lead service lines remaining in the United States , including more than four million remaining in Great Lakes states.

"We applaud U.S. EPA 's responsiveness to our member cities' recommendations and are fortunate to have such a collaborative partner at the federal level," noted Mayor Billy McKinney of Zion, Illinois , the Cities Initiative's Chair. "However, with $625 billion needed for drinking-water infrastructure nationally over the next two decades and an estimated four million-plus lead service lines remaining in Great Lakes states, it is clear that our work is far from finished."

Per U.S. EPA 's announcement, Great Lakes states will receive the following allotments for drinking-water infrastructure in FY23:

State DWSRF Base IIJA DWSRF General Supplemental IIJA DWSRF Emerging Contaminants IIJA DWSRF Lead Service Lines FY23 Total Illinois $14,985,000 $63,895,000 $23,186,000 $230,177,000 $332,243,000 Indiana $8,473,000 $36,128,000 $13,109,000 $65,161,000 $122,871,000 Michigan $11,267,000 $48,042,000 $17,433,000 $72,881,000 $149,623,000 Minnesota $7,470,000 $31,850,000 $11,557,000 $37,896,000 $88,773,000 New York $23,065,000 $98,347,000 $35,687,000 $113,656,000 $270,755,000 Ohio $11,151,000 $47,547,000 $17,253,000 $166,913,000 $242,864,000 Pennsylvania $16,290,000 $69,462,000 $25,205,000 $154,956,000 $265,913,000 Wisconsin $8,455,000 $36,053,000 $13,082,000 $81,203,000 $138,793,000

About the Cities Initiative

The Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative is a binational, mayor-led coalition of U.S. and Canadian cities dedicated to the environmental and socioeconomic health of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River Basin . With more than 230 member cities, the Cities Initiative is the largest municipally-driven organization in the basin focused on these issues.

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SOURCE The Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative
Public voting begins online and in-person as metro Detroit small businesses compete to win $100,000 grand prize from Comerica Bank

DETROIT, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The results are in! The Comerica Hatch Detroit Contest powered by TechTown, the small business competition responsible for launching some of the city's most popular neighborhood storefronts, is excited to reveal its Top 10 semifinalists. These businesses are now in the running to win $100,000 in startup funds from Comerica Bank and make their dream of owning a brick-and-mortar Detroit, Hamtramck or Highland Park storefront a reality.

Public voting to narrow down the semifinalists from 10 to four will begin Wednesday, April 5 , at noon and run through Wednesday, April 12 , at noon.

The four finalists of the 2023 Comerica Hatch Detroit Contest will then be announced on Thursday, April 13 , with the final round of public voting beginning at noon on Monday, April 24 and running through the completion of the pitch competition at the Hatch Off on Wednesday, April 26 .

Community members can vote for their favorite businesses once per day by visiting HatchDetroit.com.

In addition to voting online, in-person voting will take place at each of the following locations from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. on April 5 and April 6 :

Black Coffee Cafe, located at 9405 John R St , Detroit, MI 48202.

, 48202. Detroit Pepper Company , located at 17180 E Warren Ave , Detroit, MI 48225.

, located at , 48225. Detroit Rosa, located at 19180 Grand River Ave , Detroit, MI 48223.

"A key reason we believe our alumni have so much success in Detroit's small business landscape is the overwhelming amount of support from the community," said Christianne Malone , assistant vice president for economic development at Wayne State University and chief program officer of TechTown Detroit. "The Comerica Hatch Detroit Contest has become a proven launching pad for budding entrepreneurs, not just because of the startup funding from Comerica Bank and expert counsel from TechTown Detroit and its partners, but because the public has a voice in which businesses they'd like to see set up shop in their neighborhoods, and they are dedicated to supporting those businesses."

Over the years, the Comerica Hatch Detroit Contest has helped launch some of Detroit's most successful and well-known businesses, including La Feria (2012), Sister Pie (2014), Meta Physica Massage (2016), Baobab Fare (2017) and 27th Letter Books (2019).

With this year's investment, Comerica Bank and the Comerica Charitable Foundation will have committed nearly $1 million to Hatch Detroit since Comerica's partnership began in 2012.

Below are the top 10 businesses competing to win the 2023 Comerica Hatch Detroit Contest:

Bouncing Around The Motor City: Detroit's premier one-stop shop for balloons, decor, event planning and party rentals.

Detroit's premier one-stop shop for balloons, decor, event planning and party rentals. Chi Fan Le : a Chinese food-making experience and fast casual eatery that shares the ingredients, process, and stories behind diverse and nutritious homestyle dishes.

a Chinese food-making experience and fast casual eatery that shares the ingredients, process, and stories behind diverse and nutritious homestyle dishes. CLEAN Sneaker Care: Detroit's premier footwear and accessory restoration service. They also offer a curated assortment of goods, including sneaker storage display cases, cleaning accessories and an in-house Detroit-inspired apparel collection.

Detroit's premier footwear and accessory restoration service. They also offer a curated assortment of goods, including sneaker storage display cases, cleaning accessories and an in-house Detroit-inspired apparel collection. Highland Park Community Kitchen : a space to support food entrepreneurs in every stage of their businesses, doubling as a gathering spot to evoke culinary curiosity and foster strength in the community.

a space to support food entrepreneurs in every stage of their businesses, doubling as a gathering spot to evoke culinary curiosity and foster strength in the community. Ice Cream Detroit: Detroit's only liquor-infused frozen dessert company. They infuse handcrafted ice cream and sorbet with your favorite liquor, beer or wine, and they also offer virgin flavors.

Detroit's only liquor-infused frozen dessert company. They infuse handcrafted ice cream and sorbet with your favorite liquor, beer or wine, and they also offer virgin flavors. JP Makes & Bakes: is about sharing their love for sweets and Filipino heritage with those in Detroit and the metro Detroit area.

is about sharing their love for sweets and Filipino heritage with those in and the metro Detroit area. Konjo Me: a unique and vibrant Ethiopian food experience that shares appreciation for the rich and diverse global cuisine with the community it serves.

a unique and vibrant Ethiopian food experience that shares appreciation for the rich and diverse global cuisine with the community it serves. Next Chapter Books : a general interest new and used bookstore in Detroit working to reflect and create community, inspire learning and nurture the joy of reading among all ages.

a general interest new and used bookstore in working to reflect and create community, inspire learning and nurture the joy of reading among all ages. Sepia Coffee Project LLC : a minority-owned roastery sourcing specialty coffee from farmers throughout Africa , the Americas and the Indian-Pacific regions.

a minority-owned roastery sourcing specialty coffee from farmers throughout , the and the Indian-Pacific regions. Shell Shock 'd Tacos: a Latin-inspired Detroit-style street food that is an escape from the ordinary.

" Comerica Bank is proud to contribute to an organization that rewards ingenuity and helps incubate promising small businesses with big plans," said Linda Nosegbe , Comerica Bank National Community Impact Manager. "The Comerica Hatch Detroit Contest is truly the epitome of what we envision when we think of 'The American Dream'  these top 10 candidates will have a chance at winning $100,000 in startup funding, which will ultimately help them make their dreams of opening their own storefront in Detroit a reality."

2023 Hatch Off

On April 26 , the four finalists will have the opportunity to present their business pitch to a panel of judges and a live audience, "shark tank" style, for a shot to win the grand prize at the Hatch Off competition. The winner of the 2023 Comerica Hatch Detroit Contest will be chosen through a combination of the public's vote and judges' deliberations.

Tickets are now available to witness the top four business pitches and see the winner of the Hatch Off competition crowned. The Hatch Off takes place on Wednesday, April 26 at 6 p.m. , located at the Wayne State University Industry Innovation Center at 461 Burroughs Street in Detroit . To purchase your ticket to the Hatch Off, visit HatchDetroit.com.

Comerica Bank , a subsidiary of Comerica Incorporated , has served Michigan longer than any other bank with a continuous presence dating back nearly 174 years to its Detroit founding in 1849. It is the largest bank employer in metro Detroit and has approximately 4,500 employees (FTE) statewide. With one of the largest banking center networks in Michigan , Comerica nurtures lifelong relationships with unwavering integrity and financial prudence. Comerica positively impacts the lives of Michigan residents by helping customers be successful, providing financial support that assists hundreds of charitable organizations, and actively participating in Detroit's downtown revitalization. Comerica Incorporated (NYSE: CMA) is a financial services company strategically aligned by three business segments: The Commercial Bank , The Retail Bank , and Wealth Management. Follow on Facebook: www.facebook.com/Comerica, Twitter: @ComericaBank and Instagram: @comerica_bank. Download new Comerica Bank corporate logo.

TechTown is a nonprofit business service organization that provides programs, education and resources for early- to growth-stage small businesses and tech entrepreneurs. By building bridges for entrepreneurs to succeed, TechTown is accelerating an inclusive economy for Detroit and Southeast Michigan . Since 2007, TechTown has supported 5,371 companies, which created 2,277 jobs and raised more than $385 million in startup and growth capital. For more information, visit techtowndetroit.org.

Hatch Detroit supports both existing and new retail initiatives in the cities of Detroit, Highland Park and Hamtramck . Hatch Detroit , now part of TechTown Detroit's small business services programming, was founded in 2011 to give residents and aspiring entrepreneurs an opportunity to have a voice in neighborhood retail development and joined TechTown in 2022. Hatch Detroit provides funding, exposure and mentoring in support of its alumni entrepreneurs. With support from Hatch Detroit , 50 alumni have opened businesses. They employ over 500 people and have invested over $13 million in economic development. To learn more, visit hatchdetroit.com.

# # #

MEDIA CONTACT:

Comerica Bank :

Matt Barnhart

[email protected]

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Nijhara announced as the MSCRF executive director

COLUMBIA, Md. , April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Maryland Stem Cell Research Commission announces the appointment of Ruchika Nijhara, Ph.D., MBA, as executive director of the Maryland Stem Cell Research Fund (MSCRF). As executive director, Nijhara oversees all MSCRF activities and seven programs accelerating stem cell research, commercialization and cures.

Nijhara announced as the MSCRF executive director

The Maryland Stem Cell Research Commission (Commission), which oversees the fund, was established as an independent unit within the Maryland Technology Development Corporation (TEDCO). It leads the way in identifying and supporting the most promising stem cell technologies in our region.

"On behalf of the Commission, we are delighted to announce the selection of Dr. Ruchika Nijhara as the new executive director of the Maryland Stem Cell Research Fund ," said Diane Hoffmann , M.S., J.D., chair of the Maryland Stem Cell Research Commission . "Dr. Nijhara's strong life science background and understanding of academic research environmentscoupled with her insights on technology transfer and commercial potential of new discoveriesmade her the ideal leader to support transformative stem cell research and development here in Maryland ."

Nijhara's extensive experience positions her to ensure that Maryland's scientists, physicians and companies have the resources to advance their research and deliver cures to patients in need. Her specialties include academic-industrial partnerships, intellectual property protection and management, technology development and commercialization, applied research and development, and technology-led economic development. She most recently served as the interim vice president and senior director of the Office of Technology Commercialization at Georgetown University and oversaw all activities related to technology transfer including management and commercialization of intellectual property assets of the university and new venture formation. She holds an MBA from the University of Maryland and a doctorate in biochemistry from the University of Delhi .

"I look forward to building on the exciting work of TEDCO, the Commission and staff at the MSCRF," said Nijhara. "Together, we can enhance the impact of the MSCRF, collaborating and innovating across the Maryland stem cell communitywith the ultimate goal of accelerating research and cures for patients close to home and across the globe."

About the Maryland Stem Cell Research Commission

The Maryland Stem Cell Research Commission is focused on identifying and fostering cutting-edge research and innovation in the field of regenerative medicine in Maryland . Our Accelerating Cures initiative comprises programs that help transition human stem cell-based technologies from the bench to the bedside, as well as mechanisms to build and grow stem cell companies in Maryland . Visit us at www.mscrf.org to learn more about our funding opportunities.

About TEDCO

TEDCO, the Maryland Technology Development Corporation , enhances economic empowerment growth through the fostering of an inclusive entrepreneurial innovation ecosystem. TEDCO identifies, invests in, and helps grow technology and life science-based companies in Maryland . Learn more at www.tedcomd.com.

Media Contact

Tammi Thomas , Chief Development & Marketing Officer, TEDCO, [email protected]

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SOURCE TEDCO
CU SoCal Will Award $250 in College Funds to 20 Youth Members

ANAHEIM HILLS, Calif. , April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- This April, the credit union movement celebrates Youth Month, an industry-wide celebration meant to plant the seeds of financial wellbeing in young Members. In honor of Youth Month, Credit Union of Southern California (CU SoCal) is awarding $250 in college funds to 20 youth Members who sign up for a checking account.

The Youth Month giveaway will run from April 1-30 and is open to young Members ages 13-21. To qualify for the giveaway, Members ages 13-17 must open a Classic Checking Account during the promotional period. Members ages 18-21 will qualify with a new Rewards Checking Account or Classic Checking Account.

Further giveaway details and terms and conditions can be found at www.CUSoCal.org/Learn/Special-Offers/Youth-Month.

"Youth Month not only captures the spirit of the credit union movement; it dovetails with our mission as a credit union," said CU SoCal President and CEO Dave Gunderson . "Our goal is to build better lives, and instilling financial wellbeing into a new generation of Members is a great way to carry out that mission."

About Credit Union of Southern California (CU SoCal)

Founded in 1954 as Whittier Area Schools Federal Credit Union , CU SoCal is a credit union open to those who live, work, worship, or attend school in Los Angeles , Orange , Riverside and San Bernardino counties. CU SoCal has a superior five-star financial rating from BauerFinancial, holds more than $2.7 billion in assets, and serves approximately 145,000 Members. For more information, visit CUSoCal.org

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REDDITCH, England, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Concentric has the pleasure to invite investors, financial analysts and media to its Capital Markets Day held at 13.00 CET on Tuesday, May 23, 2023 at Tandstickspalatset, Vastra Tradgardsgatan 15, 111 53 Stockholm. Registration begins at 12.30 CET.

The presentations will also be broadcasted live and viewers joining digitally will be able to ask written questions through the webcast and participants joining remotely will be able to ask questions by using the conference call dial-ins.

During the afternoon, Concentric's CEO Martin Kunz , CFO Marcus Whitehouse and other members of the senior leadership team will provide an update on Concentric's strategy and growth priorities.

A full agenda, along with webcast and conference call details, will be made available on https://www.concentricinvestors.com in due course.

Please register your participation for the physical event no later than May 16, 2023 via https://www.concentricab.com/index-Registration-CMD2023.asp. There is no need to pre-register to participate via webcast. The webcast and presentation slides will be available on Concentric's website as soon as practically possible after the conclusion of the event.

For additional information please contact Marcus Whitehouse , telephone +44-121-445 6545; [email protected]

The following files are available for download:

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Jengo Facilities LLC achieved 173% annual revenue growth, 100% client retention and expanded throughout North America .

DALLAS , April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Jengo Facilities LLC leadership team had its annual meeting last month to coincide with their anniversary of being in business for four years. The meeting was convened to review their progress on accomplishing their five-year strategic plan called Ambition 2025. Their strategic plan outlines a plan to diversify their client base, retain their existing clients, expand talent at all levels of the organization, and grow their revenue.

Jengo Facilities LLC president, Kwame Watkins shared at the meeting, "We are making tremendous progress towards achieving our strategic goals within our Ambition 2025 plan. I am also very proud of the culture of innovation and client-centric service that we have created as a team to drive excellent results for our clients." He then went on to share the following accomplishments:

Diversified their client base to now support, a national office and retail asset management firm that holds over $4 Billion in assets.





in assets. Expanded their service reach to now deliver services throughout the US and Canada .





. Launched a command and contact center to manage their national vendor network and client sites.





Increased their year-over-year annual revenue by 173% through organic sales and new customers.





Achieved 100% client retention through improved customer service.





Partnered with an industry-leading technology firm to drive their maintenance and asset management growth.

About Jengo Facilities LLC

A facilities management, maintenance, construction and consulting company. The company initially only provided facility consulting and construction services. They have grown to also provide the following facilities services: cleaning, HVAC, electrical, plumbing, general maintenance, landscaping and other services. A certified African American and woman owned company that is headquartered in Dallas, Texas . For more information about Jengo Facilities LLC services and organizations visit www.jengofm.com or @jengofacilities on Instagram or Twitter.

Media Contact:

Nzingha Millar

Communications Director

844-500-9698

[email protected]

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Award-winning healthcare PR agency partners with data infrastructure and analytics leader to amplify thought leadership and company achievements

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. , April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Amendola, a nationally recognized, award-winning healthcare technology and life sciences public relations and marketing firm, announced today that Kalderos, creator of the world's first Drug Discount Management platform, has chosen the firm to amplify client successes, thought leadership, and industry best practices.

Amendola is implementing a comprehensive PR plan to demonstrate Kalderos' industry-leading technology and services, new offerings, accomplishments, customer wins, and industry partnerships.

"Drug discount programs are complex and multilayered, creating challenges for manufacturers seeking to reduce revenue leakage and bolster program integrity," said Brent Dover , CEO of Kalderos. "Through our partnership with Amendola, we look forward to showcasing how Kalderos' collaborative network enables drug manufacturers, covered entities and payers to remove obstacles to seamless communication for the good of patients. And there is no better agency to do this than Amendola. I have worked with Jodi Amendola and her team at three other companies over a 25-year span and their client service, industry knowledge and top-notch results are what keep me coming back."

Welcoming Kalderos to the Amendola agency roster, Amendola CEO Jodi Amendola states, "It is an incredible honor to work with the Kalderos team to educate the industry on how Kalderos' Drug Discount Management solutions enable manufacturers to verify duplicate discounts, mitigate revenue leakage, and provide true data transparency. The company, the platform, and the people are fantastic, and we look forward to sharing their story to help pharma manufacturers manage drug discounts and reduce noncompliance."

Kalderos recently introduced Kalderos for Manufacturers , a new portal designed exclusively for drug manufacturers to ensure a simplified, more efficient way to process drug discount claims. The new purpose-built product suite will allow manufacturers to better leverage Kalderos' one-of-a-kind multi-sided platform proven to improve efficiency across drug discount programs.

About Amendola

Amendola is an award-winning, insights-driven public relations and marketing firm that integrates media relations, social media, content, and lead gen programs to move healthcare, life sciences/pharma and healthcare IT decision-makers to action. The agency represents some of the industry's best-known brands as well as groundbreaking startups that are disrupting the status quo. Nearly 90% of its client base represents multi-year clients and/or repeat client executives. Amendola's seasoned team of PR and marketing pros understand the ongoing complexities of the healthcare ecosystem and provide strategic guidance and creative direction to drive positive ROI, boost reputation and increase market share. Making an impact since 2003, Amendola combines traditional and digital media to fuel meaningful and measurable growth. For more information about the industry's "A-Team," visit www.acmarketingpr.com , and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

About Kalderos

Kalderos is a data infrastructure and analytics company that created the world's first Drug Discount Management platform, simplifying drug discount program compliance for all stakeholders. The platform applies sophisticated data models and machine learning to identify and resolve noncompliance, with collaboration-oriented solutions built for both drug manufacturers and covered entities. Based in Chicago , Kalderos was founded in 2016 by a team dedicated to reducing inefficiencies in the U.S. healthcare system, empowering everyone to focus on the health of people. More information can be found at www.kalderos.com .

Media contact:

Marcia Rhodes

Amendola Communications

[email protected]

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AUSTIN, Texas , April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Kanerika Inc. is proud to announce the launch of its highly anticipated flagship tech product, FLIP : a zero-code DataOps automation tool that delivers operational intelligence to business users.

FLIP is a business-ready solution for enterprises to enhance efficiency and empower business users.

"We are thrilled to unveil FLIP," said Bhupendra Chopra , CEO, Kanerika Inc. "We believe that FLIP will revolutionize data transformation and provide our customers with a significant competitive advantage. FLIP is a result of Kanerika's unflinching focus on data engineering and learning from leading global enterprises on key data-related pain points. This product launch provides a glimpse into the future of Kanerika, as we continue to bring cutting-edge, innovative solutions to help our clients craft efficient enterprises."

FLIP is a state-of-the-art AI-enabled DataOps automation tool that streamlines data processes to increase operational efficiency and reduce costs. With an intuitive user interface, FLIP allows business owners to control and manage their data pipelines and processes with no or little technical knowledge, without the dependence on data engineers. FLIP comes pre-configured with industry-specific data templates and integrations for faster onboarding. Deploying FLIP can be up to 50% more cost-effective than traditional DataOps tools and can save up to 75% of overall DataOps costs. It frees up data engineers to focus on higher value and strategic initiatives. With FLIP, enterprises can collaboratively connect and cleanse datasets to unlock their value.

Kanerika is delighted to welcome Krishna Guda to its advisory board, to further strengthen FLIP's core team. Having held senior leadership positions in several successful companies, Mr. Guda's experience in steering global companies combined with his deep knowledge of AI/ML is expected to enhance the capability of FLIP exponentially.

In his words, "I am honored to join Kanerika's Advisory Board and look forward to working with the team to drive continued success. The company has a strong reputation for delivering innovative solutions and I am excited to play a part in FLIP's growth."

About Kanerika Inc.

Kanerika is a global consulting firm crafting efficient enterprises by deploying automated, integrated, data engineering and analytical solutions. Kanerika crafts innovative strategies harnessing the power of proprietary digital consulting frameworks and composable solution architecture. Strengthening its implementation expertise, Kanerika expanded its domain from Insurance, Logistics, Financial Services, Healthcare to Manufacturing, Retail, Hi-tech, and Telecom industries. Kanerika has helped top brands increase their speed in responding to evolving market conditions, reducing their operational costs, and empowering them with the right tools and insights for effective decision-making. Focused on innovation and committed to excellence, Kanerika is dedicated to delivering the best possible solutions to its customers.

For more information, please contact:

Sales:

Kshitij Singhal

[email protected]

Partnerships:

Bhupendra, CEO

[email protected]

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Copenhagen, 1968: a writer who prefers to think that her husbands infidelities are a provocation, like when children play with porridge, falls into the abyss. During her medical confinement, she is tormented by the faces and voices of others.

Boston, 1892: a woman diagnosed with nervous depression with a slight tendency to hysteria is confined by her husband in a room and ends up going crazy, peeling the yellow wallpaper with her fingernails.

Tuscany, 1561: At 16 years old, the perceptive Lucrezia de Medici lives in a delusional state of terror, convinced that her new husband wants to murder her in the wild and lonely fortress in which she is forced to live.

There is an invisible thread that unites these plots, which belong to The Faces, a novel by the Danish author Tove Ditlevsen; The Yellow Wallpaper, a short story by American writer Charlotte Perkins and The Marriage Portrait, a novel by Maggie OFarrell. All the protagonists of these works are married women, whowhile appearing happy in the eyes of othersend up collapsing into a paranoia caused by the oppression of marriage. Through their heroines, whose judgement has been suspended by their alienation, the authors allow readers to contemplate the power imbalances of the institution of family.

Like Bertha Masonthat cursed character isolated in a house used by Charlotte Bronte in Jane Eyreit could be said that these fictional women update the archetype of the madwoman in the attic. A new twist on the concept, which was analyzed by academics Sandra Gilbert and Susan Gubar in the 1970s, through a well-known essay on the possibilities of female imagination in 19th-century literature.

This archetype was explored through the fiction of Jane Austen, the Brontes, Mary Shelley and Emily Dickinson, works in which a supposedly deranged woman had the objective of exposing the duality and struggle between the angelic wife and the crazy one. Dominican-British author Jean Rhys would also resort to this in her novel Wide Sargasso Sea (1966)which was received as a sort of prequel to Jane Eyreas did Janet Frame with An Angel at my Table (1984). These works conveyed hysterical women being cornered, in an interrogation of the power imbalances within marriages and families.

Married women who are not safe

In The Facesthe 1968 novel that Ditlevsen published a few years before her Copenhagen Trilogy and her suicideLise Mundus is a writer of childrens books who has just become famous after receiving an award. Afterward, however, she experiences an episode of extreme alienation that ultimately sees her end up in a hospital bed. She feels that fame has removed with brutal force the veil that had kept her from realityshe hears voices and is tormented by the faces of others.

As the newspapers harass her to write about whether the miniskirt is going to kill marriage, she thinks that her husband, Gert, is having an affair with their domestic worker, Gitte. And that he is doing all of this after Gretehis former lovertook her own life. Shes convinced that Gitte is giving her sleeping pills, so as to also guide her towards suicide.

If in The Faces Lise clings to the master bedroom because it provides her with the fragile security provided by the absence of change, in The Married Portraitreleased last yearMaggie OFarrells audacious protagonist is afraid to embrace her husband or be left alone with him, because she is convinced that he wants to kill her. Her husband is the Duke Of Ferrara12 years her seniorby way of a marriage that her father arranged out of obligation. The Duke was previously engaged to her older sister, who died suddenly during the preparations for the wedding banquet. The protagonist doesnt understand why he insists on isolating her in a fortress for the sake of rest and a change of scenery.

Its not surprising that OFarrell opted for such a plot. The Irish writer penned the preface for the new edition of The Yellow Wallpaper, a short story that feminist pioneer Charlotte Perkins Gilman published in 1892, in an act of revenge against the doctor who forbade her to write because of her postpartum depression.

The story revolves around a nameless young woman who spends a summer in a mansion in the countryside. She goes mad there, as she is confined to a room by her husband.

For centuries, writers have been using the trope of the mad womanusually in a secondary way, OFarrell writes in her introduction. What Yellow Wallpaper does is provide the crazy woman with a pencil and paper and, ultimately, with her own voice [...] The only thing we can do is listen, she notes, possibly anticipating part of what she has done in her latest novel.

The Danish writer Tove Ditlevsen in 1972, four years before she committed suicide. Scanpix Ritzau / TopFoto

Worry, my dear

Literary critic Phyllis Rose explains that marriage is such an important political issue that it should be taken as seriously as debating national elections. This is how she puts it in Parallel Lives, a juicy essay on how human beings tend to resort to love whenever they want to camouflage transactions that imply power.

In the essay, Rose delves into five famous Victorian-era weddings. From John Stuart Milla prominent defender of equalityto the marriage of writer John Ruskin and Effie Gray, whom he drove out of her mind and left a virgin. She filed for divorce after a medical analysis, which checked to see if her body suffered from a maladjustment that provoked this carnal rejection (there wasnt any).

Every marriage is a subjective fiction, with two points of view often in conflict, and sometimes, fortuitously, working in unison, Rose writes in her foreword.

Curiously, this theory is fully in line with the one established by Fleishman is in Trouble, the Disney+ series that adapts the novel by journalist Taffy Brodesser-Akner. While the plot initially seems focused on empathizing with the life of the male protagonist, Tobya doctor who is portrayed by Jesse Eisenbergeverything suddenly changes near the end, when the viewers discover the perspective of his ex-wife, Rachel (portrayed by Claire Danes).

Florence Pugh as a housewife in the film 'Dont Worry, Darling.' Merrick Morton (Merrick Morton)

As already happened with the praise that Florence Pugh received for her role in Dont Worry, Darlinga dystopic film about a reactionary movement that calls for the return of the traditional housewifeClaire Danes has been cheered for her performance. However, many critics have taken issue with the former star of Homelandthey appear to be exhausted with her new role, which has been heavily associated with the privileged women of New York, who are obsessed with protecting their status.

In Fleishman, what initially seems like a selfish, maternal disconnect actually turns out to be a portrait of how female self-demand can lead to psychosis or a severe anxiety crisis. One so sharp that it makes the protagonist hallucinate and isolate herself in her Upper East Side home.

Rachels crisis is narrated through another deranged woman named Libby, although this character is seen as functional in the eyes of others. Close to Toby and played by Lizzy Caplan, the voice that narrates the series is a journalist for a mens magazine who has thrown in the towel due to the lack of recognition she has received for her work. This narrator is resigned to her fate, trapped in suburban New Jersey. Yet, she longs for the bustle of Manhattan, especially after having quit her job to focus on her role as a wife and mother. Her new life isnt going so wellbut its the easiest choice. In one episode, she tells the audience: Now that I stay at home, I can say that out loud. But since I no longer work, no one is listening to me.

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DENVER , April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Lumen Technologies (NYSE: LUMN), will release its first quarter 2023 results on May 2, 2023 . The company will broadcast a live conference call on its Investor Relations website at http://ir.lumen.com at 5 p.m. ET .

Additional information regarding the first quarter 2023 results, including the company's earnings release, investor presentation, and related materials will be available on Lumen's Investor Relations website. If you are unable to join the call via the web, the call can be accessed live at +1 877-283-5145 ( U.S. Domestic) or +1 312-281-1201 (International).

The call will be archived and available as an audio replay on Lumen's Investor Relations website starting at 8 p.m. ET on May 2 , until 8 p.m. ET on Jul. 31, 2023 . The replay can be accessed by dialing +1 800-633-8284 ( U.S. Domestic) or +1 402-977-9140 (International), reservation code 22026583.

About Lumen Technologies

Lumen connects the world. We are dedicated to furthering human progress through technology by connecting people, data, and applications  quickly, securely, and effortlessly. Everything we do at Lumen takes advantage of our network strength. From metro connectivity to long-haul data transport to our edge cloud, security, and managed service capabilities, we meet our customers' needs today and as they build for tomorrow. For news and insights visit news.lumen.com, LinkedIn: /lumentechnologies, Twitter: @lumentechco, Facebook: /lumentechnologies, Instagram: @lumentechnologies, and YouTube: /lumentechnologies.

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Expanding Mercer Advisors' Northeast Presence

DENVER , April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Mercer Global Advisors, Inc. (" Mercer Advisors "), a national Registered Investment Adviser (RIA), today announced the acquisition of Andesa Financial Management, Inc. (hereinafter "Andesa"). Andesa is a comprehensive wealth management firm located in Allentown, Pennsylvania focusing on serving the financial needs of their clients. Andesa was founded in 2004 by a team including Paul C. Barbehenn ("Paul"), CFA, CFP, Principal, and later joined by Michael C. Baittinger ("Michael"), CFP, ChFC, Principal, in 2006. Paul, Michael and the rest of the Andesa team serve 260 clients with assets under management ("AUM") of approximately $330 million .

Paul Barbehenn , Principal, commenting on the transaction, stated: "Andesa anchors on financial planning and is committed to serving our clients at the highest level. To that end, when looking to combine with a new partner, it was essential that they too believe in the value of financial planning and the importance of the client-advisor relationship. Further, we were looking for ways to add additional services to our clients while offloading onerous back-office responsibilities. Mike and I had known about Mercer Advisors through other Raymond James firms that had joined Mercer Advisors , and our consultant Christian Williams of Williams Private Wealth Advisory & Consulting, also recommended them. Thereafter, we met with David Barton , Mercer Advisors' Vice Chairman who leads mergers and acquisitions. Their comprehensive "family office" approach to client care with in-house services like estate planning, tax consultation and tax return preparation, etc., adds the depth and breadth of service we were looking to bolt on, while allowing me and my team to offload burdensome back-office work so that we can focus on what is most important  our clients."

David Barton , Vice Chairman, who led the acquisition of Andesa on behalf of Mercer Advisors stated: "Paul and Michael, are highly credentialed planners and have built a very respected business with a deep bench of talent. For Mercer Advisors , the addition of Andesa's talented team to our service ranks is the most valuable asset of the transaction."

Dave Welling , Chief Executive Officer of Mercer Advisors , said, "The business combination between Mercer Advisors and Andesa is a perfect cultural fit with both firms anchoring on financial planning. We are thrilled they are joining the Mercer Advisors team and bolstering our significant presence in Pennsylvania and the Eastern region. We look forward to working together to help deliver meaningful results for our shared clients."

About Mercer Advisors

Established in 1985, Mercer Global Advisors Inc. (" Mercer Advisors ") is a total wealth management and financial planning firm that provides comprehensive, fee-based investment management, financial planning, family office services, retirement benefits and distribution planning, estate and tax planning, insurance solutions, and corporate trustee and trust administration services. Mercer Advisors Inc. is a parent company of Mercer Global Advisors Inc. (RIA), and Regis Acquisitions, Inc. (RIA). Both are majority owned by Oak Hill Capital and Genstar Capital . Mercer Global Advisors, Inc. is headquartered in Denver, Colorado , is privately held, has over 900 employees, and operates nationally through 90 offices across the country. Mercer Advisors manages over $48 billion in client assets. For more information, visit www.merceradvisors.com

Data as of January 31, 2023 . AUM includes affiliates and wholly-owned subsidiaries.

" Mercer Advisors " is a brand name comprising Mercer Global Advisors Inc. and Regis Management Company . Regis Management Company is a tradename used by Regis Acquisition, Inc. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. and Regis Acquisition, Inc. are affiliated SEC registered investment advisers and deliver investment advisory and family office related services. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. and Regis Acquisition, Inc. , are subsidiaries of Mercer Advisors Inc. , a parent company not involved with investment services.

Mercer Advisors is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice to clients. All estate planning documentation preparation and other legal advice is provided through its Advanced Services Law Group, Inc. Tax preparation and tax filing are a separate fee from Mercer Advisors' investment management and planning services. Trustee services are offered through select third parties with which a client would engage directly.

Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. (CFP Board) owns the CFP certification mark, the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER certification mark, and the CFP certification mark (with plaque design) logo in the United States , which it authorizes use of by individuals who successfully complete CFP Board's initial and ongoing certification requirements. CFA and Chartered Financial Analyst are registered trademarks owned by CFA Institute . The ChFC mark is the property of The American College , which reserves sole rights to its use, and is used by permission.

Contact: Chris Tofalli

Chris Tofalli Public Relations, LLC

914-834-4334

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MEMPHIS, Tenn. , April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare is the first health system in Tennessee to offer an enhanced ablation tool for heart patients  especially for those suffering from an irregular heartbeat (atrial fibrillation or AFib).

Clinicians at Methodist University Hospital first unveiled the DiamondTemp ablation system in the fall of 2022. Since then, the health system has performed approximately 30 procedures using this advanced ablation technology.

Through a minimally-invasive procedure, doctors create a small incision in a patient's groin and carefully maneuver a catheter to their heart. An ablation tool at the tip of the catheter uses heat energy to create tiny scars on the heart  that restores a regular heartbeat.

The DiamondTemp ablation system allows for an even safer and more efficient procedure. The temperature mechanism equips cardiac electrophysiologists with advanced capability to monitor how effective an ablation is. This technology increases the chance of patients experiencing a quicker recovery.

Heart disease is the number one killer in the United States and in the Mid-South community. As a result, our clinical team performs a robust amount of atrial fibrillation ablations. Our expert team of dedicated cardiovascular surgeons and clinicians have built a trusted reputation that makes Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare a regional destination for heart care, with patients traveling as far as Kentucky , Alabama and Florida .

By offering the latest, cutting-edge technology, Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare continues delivering on its mission to improve our community's health and well-being through high-quality, innovative and compassionate care.

About Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare

Based in Memphis, Tennessee , Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare has been caring for patients and families regardless of their ability to pay for more than 100 years. Guided by roots in the United Methodist Church and founded in 1918 to help meet the growing need for quality healthcare in the greater Memphis area, MLH has grown from one hospital into a comprehensive healthcare system with 13,000 Associates supporting six hospitals, including nationally ranked Le Bonheur Children's Hospital , ambulatory surgery centers, outpatient facilities, hospice residence and physician and specialty practices serving communities across the Mid-South. From transplants and advanced heart procedures to expert neurology services and compassionate cancer care, MLH offers clinical expertise with a focus on improving every life we touch.

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OKLAHOMA CITY , April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- OGE Energy Corp. (NYSE: OGE) will hold its quarterly conference call to discuss first quarter 2023 results at 9 a.m. Eastern Time ( 8 a.m. Central Time ), Thursday, May 4, 2023 .

This call is being webcast by Notified and can be accessed at OGE Energy's website at www.oge.com.

OGE Energy Corp. is the parent company of OG&E , a regulated electric company with approximately 889,000 customers in Oklahoma and western Arkansas .

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WASHINGTON , April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The following is a statement from Eileen O'Reilly , President of the National Press Club and Gil Klein , President of the National Press Club Journalism Institute on the news today that Evan Gershkovich , a reporter for the Wall Street Journal , was able to meet with his attorney.

"We were heartened to hear the news that Evan Gershkovich was able to meet today with his attorney in prison. It has been almost a week since Evan was unjustly detained. During all that time the only legal representation provided to him was from a Russian government attorney. That is a situation unworthy of a nation that this week is also the Chair of the United Nation's Security Council . We are glad to hear that Evan was in good health. Now the important legal work can begin to get Evan home."

Founded in 1908, the National Press Club is the World's leading professional organization for journalists. With 3,000 members representing nearly every major news organization, the Club is a leading voice for press freedom worldwide.

The National Press Club Journalism Institute promotes an engaged, global citizenry through an independent and free press and equips journalists with the skills and standards to inform the publicv in ways that inspire a more representative democracy, The NPCJI is the nonprofit affiliate of the National Press Club .

Contact: Bill McCarren , 202-725-7787 for the National Press Club

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MONTCLAIR, N.J. , April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Treevana Retail New Jersey LLC ("Treevana"), a cannabis retail company committed to improving the state's economy and contributing positively to the communities it serves, has announced its application for a cannabis dispensary license in Montclair, New Jersey .

If approved, the company aims to provide safe access to high-quality cannabis products while creating job opportunities for local residents, donating to local charities, and participating in community outreach activities.

Dr. Frank Barnes Jr ., a proud Montclair resident for over 29 years and an active member of various community organizations, is helping lead the Treevana initiative in Montclair .



Dr. Barnes' community service experience includes:

Montclair Economic Development Corporation : Board of Trustees , Business Award 2008

Montclair Health Advisory Board : Member

Head Start Health Advisory Board : Member

Montclair Chamber of Commerce : Member

Montclair Post Office Community Advisory Board : Member

Montclair Master Plan Committee: Member

Montclair South End Business District Association : District Leader

Montclair Film Festival : Board of Trustee , Diversity Committee Co-Chair

The proposed location for the dispensary, pending approval of the license, is at the historic Chase bank building on Bloomfield Avenue . A rendering of the location has been provided to showcase the stunning transformation of the historic building, demonstrating Treevana's commitment to preserving Montclair's architectural heritage while integrating modern and sophisticated elements.

Treevana has engaged with the local community and organizations to adapt its services accordingly, committing to contributing funds to the Urban League of Essex County , the Montclair Film Festival's renovation of the Clairidge Theater , and The Montclair Foundation , upon successful licensing. These partnerships reflect the company's dedication to supporting minority and disadvantaged residents, fostering economic empowerment, and enriching the cultural landscape of Montclair .

Letters of support have been received from various organizations, including the Montclair Center Bid, Montclair Neighborhood Development Corporation , the Department of the Air Force , United States Space Force, the United States Marine Corps , Veterans for Cannabis, and Holistic Hope.

For more information about Treevana Retail New Jersey LLC and its plans for the Montclair community, please visit https://treevanaretailmedia.com or contact Dana Blick at (609) 225-9301 or [email protected].

About Treevana Retail New Jersey LLC

Treevana is a cannabis retail company dedicated to improving the state's economy and contributing positively to the communities it serves. The executive team includes long-time Montclair residents and industry experts with a passion for delivering the safest and most effective cannabis products on the market.

Treevana Retail New Jersey | Montclair Open Letter Showcase

Treevana Retail is a platform that provides safe access to the highest quality cannabis products. The Company is pleased to be considered as an applicant for an adult use cannabis dispensing license in beautiful Montclair, New Jersey .

https://treevanaretailmedia.com

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SOURCE Treevana
5-year partnership agreement will help power houses, C&I and utility projects in Yemen

CHANGZHOU, China , April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Trina Solar and Al-Raebi for Trading (Al-Raebi) signed a 5-year partnership agreement to supply 500MW of module shipments for the Yemeni market, following the 40MW n-type modules deal last year. Trina Solar will supply Al-Raebi with 100MW of Vertex N modules in 2023.

The newly upgraded Vertex N series bring module efficiency to as high as 22.4%, with power reaching 605W and 695W for residential, C&I PV applications and utility settings. Last week, the Vertex N 695W modules rolled off the production line in Trina Solar's Huai'an factory in Jiangsu province, after n-type modules rolling off its' Changzhou factory in January, ensuring the delivery of industry-leading n-type modules.

Al-Raebi, Trina Solar's authorized distributor in Yemen , will ensure that the country benefits from the latest technology and quality service by supplying Trina Solar's latest Vertex N modules.

Antonio Jimenez , Managing Director and Vice President, Middle East , Trina Solar commented: "We are proud to bring our latest Vertex N modules to the region. Our long and prosperous relationship with Al-Raebi allows us to deliver the power, efficiency and reliability needed to accelerate the adoption of clean energy in the Yemeni market."

Abdullah M. Raebi, General Manager of Al-Raebi, stated: "Solar energy has rapidly gained popularity, and became the foundation of Yemen's electricity supply, more than 70 percent of households are now using solar energy as their primary source. We are truly proud to lead the way in the Middle East solar sector by introducing Trina Solar's latest Vertex N modules, allowing us to deliver the most advanced solar technology to address the current and future market demand."

"With the tremendous success that these n-type modules supplied last year have demonstrated, we are now witnessing an increasing demand this year to purchase the upgraded n-type modules. The new 500MW deal comes as a strong testament and a clear indication of the excellent value that these modules are providing to users in Yemen .," added Jimenez.

In the n-type era, 210mm technology and n-type i-TOPCon cell technology will work together by combining strengths to highlight the LCOE-oriented principle. Trina Solar will maintain its leadership and meet the increasing market demand for high- performance PV modules.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/trina-solar-and-al-raebi-signed-500mw-deal-for-yemeni-market-301789382.html
A man stands next to flowers and messages for the victims of a fatal train crash, at the closed train station of Thessaloniki, Greece, March 24, 2023. REUTERS/Alexandros Avramidis

By Karolina Tagaris

THESSALONIKI, Greece (Reuters) - A month after 12 students at Greece's largest university were killed in a train crash, messages of grief across the campus are tinged with rage.

"This crime will not be forgotten," a note on a makeshift memorial at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki reads.

Fifty-seven people died in the country's deadliest rail disaster on Feb. 28, when a passenger train and a cargo train travelling on the same track collided head-on.

Many of the victims were students returning from a long carnival weekend and in the days after the crash, grief over their loss spilled into angry street protests at safety failings at the country's ailing railways, which authorities have acknowledged.

"This intense sadness turned into rage," said Konstantina Ksini, 22, an engineering student whose friend Agapi Tsaklidou was killed and who was shocked after seeing another funeral notice at the university's entrance.

"It's gut-wrenching. A funeral notice for a kid we knew... This broke me," she said. "It infuriates us that this could have not happened."

The crash stirred anger against consecutive governments and a political system that has repeatedly ignored calls by railway unions to improve safety and hire more staff. The government has promised a transparent and thorough investigation.

"It is a shame for Greece, a European country in 2023, to have railways which are not safe," said Lysimachos Papazoglou, a professor of veterinary surgery, whose 22-year-old physics student son Giorgos died.

Moments before the crash, Giorgos entered a cafe in a carriage that was obliterated.

"It's as if there was a crack in the future, telling you the future no longer exists," Papazoglou said, his gaze fixed on a photograph showing his two sons smiling alongside their mother in a swimming pool. "The kids were the future, not us."

A makeshift memorial lists the names of those killed alongside their departments. Twenty-six students were injured.

"We paid a heavy price in blood in this tragedy," Rector Nikos Papaioannou said.

In the university cafes, corridors and classrooms, discussion has shifted to what can be done.

"This sadness, this anger, we tried - as students - to turn it into a fight," said Evangelia Grigoriou, a civil engineering student.

In a nearby classroom, a black-and-white drawing shows a derailed carriage with the word "murderers" in red. Elsewhere, a hand-drawn poster on window shows two trains crashing.

"We'll be quiet when the kids are sleeping," it reads. "Not when they're killing them."

(Additional reporting by Alexandros Avramidis; Editing by Conor Humphries)
FILE PHOTO: A nuclear-powered Type 094A Jin-class ballistic missile submarine of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy is seen during a military display in the South China Sea April 12, 2018. Picture taken April 12, 2018. REUTERS/Stringer

By Greg Torode and Eduardo Baptista

HONG KONG (Reuters) - China is for the first time keeping at least one nuclear-armed ballistic missile submarine constantly at sea, according to a Pentagon report - adding pressure on the United States and its allies as they try to counter Beijing's growing military.

The assessment of China's military said China's fleet of six Jin-class ballistic missile submarines were operating "near-continuous" patrols from Hainan Island into the South China Sea. Equipped with a new, longer-range ballistic missile, they can hit the continental United States, analysts say.

The note in the 174-page report drew little attention when it was released in late November, but shows crucial improvements in Chinese capabilities, according to four regional military attaches familiar with naval operations and five other security analysts.

Even as the AUKUS deal will see Australia field its first nuclear-powered submarines over the next two decades, the constant Chinese ballistic missile patrols at sea pile strain on the resources of the United States and its allies as they intensify Cold War-style deployments.

"We're going to want to have our SSNs trying to tail them... so the extra demands on our assets are clear," said Christopher Twomey, a security scholar at the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School in California, speaking in a private capacity. SSN is a U.S. designation for a nuclear-powered attack sub. "But the point here is that the information  the near continuous patrols  has changed so rapidly that we don't know what else has changed."

The new patrols imply improvements in many areas, including logistics, command and control, and weapons. They also show how China starting to operate its ballistic missile submarines in much the same way the United States, Russia, Britain and France have for decades, military attaches, former submariners and security analysts say.

Their "deterrence patrols" allow them to threaten a nuclear counterattack even if land-based missiles and systems are destroyed. Under classic nuclear doctrine, that deters an adversary from launching an initial strike.

The Chinese subs are now being equipped with a third-generation missile, the JL-3, General Anthony Cotton, the commander of the U.S. Strategic Command, told a congressional hearing in March.

With an estimated range of more than 10,000 kilometres (6,214 miles) and carrying multiple warheads, the JL-3 allows China to reach the continental United States from Chinese coastal waters for the first time, the Pentagon report notes.

Previous reports had said the JL-3 was not expected to be deployed until China launched its next-generation Type-096 submarines in coming years.

The Chinese defence ministry did not respond to a request for comment on the Pentagon report and its submarine deployments. The Pentagon did not comment on its earlier assessments or whether the Chinese deployments posed an operational challenge.

The U.S. Navy keeps about two dozen nuclear-powered attack subs based across the Pacific, including in Guam and Hawaii, according to the Pacific Fleet. Under AUKUS, U.S. and British nuclear-powered subs will be deployed out of Western Australia from 2027.

Such submarines are the core weapons for hunting ballistic missile subs, backed by surface ships and P-8 Poseidon surveillance aircraft. The U.S. also has seabed sensors in key sea lanes to help detect submarines.

Timothy Wright, a defence analyst at London's International Institute for Strategic Studies, said U.S. forces could probably cope with the situation now, but would have to commit more assets in the next 10 to 15 years once the stealthier Type-096 patrols begin.

China's rapid expansion of its nuclear forces mean U.S. strategists must contend with two "nuclear peer adversaries" for the first time, along with Russia, he added.

"That will be of concern to the United States because it will stretch U.S. defences, hold more targets at risk, and they will need addressing with additional conventional and nuclear capabilities," he said.

COMMAND AUTHORITY

China's navy has for years been thought to have the capability for deterrence patrols, but issues with command, control and communications have slowed their deployment, the military attaches and analysts say. Communications are crucial and complex for ballistic missile subs, which must remain hidden as part of their mission.

The Jin-class subs, expected to be replaced by the Type-096 over the next decade, are relatively noisy and easy to track, the military attaches said.

"Something concerning command authority must have also changed, but we just don't have very good opportunities to talk to the Chinese about this kind of stuff," Twomey said.

The Chinese military has emphasised that the Central Military Commission, headed by President Xi Jinping, is the only nuclear command authority.

Hans Kristensen, director of the nuclear information project at the Federation of American Scientists, said he believed command and communications issues remained a "work in progress".

"While China probably has made progress on establishing secure and operationally meaningful command and control between the Central Military Commission and the SSBNs, it seems unlikely that the capability is complete or necessarily fully battle hardened," he said, using the designation letters for a nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine.

Two researchers at a Chinese navy training institute in Nanjing warned in a 2019 underwater-warfare journal of poor command organisation and co-ordination among submarine forces. The paper also urged improvements in submarine-launched nuclear strike capability.

The navy must "strengthen ballistic missile nuclear submarines on patrol at sea, so as to ensure that they have the means and capabilities to carry out secondary nuclear counterattack operations when necessary," the researchers wrote.

SOUTH CHINA SEA 'BASTION'

With the advent of the JL-3 missile, Kristensen and other analysts expect Chinese strategists to keep their ballistic missile subs in the deep waters of the South China Sea - which China has fortified with a string of bases - rather than risk patrols in the Western Pacific.

Collin Koh, a security fellow at Singapore's S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, said China could keep its ballistic missile submarines in a "bastion" of protected waters near its shores.

"If I was the planner, I would want to keep my strategic deterrence assets as close to me as possible, and the South China Sea is perfect for that," Koh said.

Russia is thought to keep most of its 11 ballistic missile submarines largely in bastions off its Arctic coasts, while U.S., French and British boats roam more widely, three analysts said.

Kristensen said the more numerous Chinese submarine deployments have meant the PLA and U.S. militaries increasingly "rub up" against each other - increasing the odds of accidental conflict.

"The Americans of course are trying to poke into that bastion and see what they can do, and what they need to do, so that is where the tension can build and incidents happen," he said.

(Reporting By Greg Torode in Hong Kong and Eduardo Baptista in Beijing; Additional reporting by Idrees Ali in Washington; Editing by Gerry Doyle.)
SYDNEY (Reuters) - At least four people have been killed and hundreds of houses destroyed in a remote area of northern Papua New Guinea, an official said on Tuesday, a day after a 7.2 magnitude earthquake.

Teams from Papua New Guinea's National Disaster Centre are at the quake's epicentre near Chambri Lakes, a remote and swampy part of East Sepik province, Felix Taranu, a seismologist with the Port Moresby Geophysical Observatory, told Reuters on Tuesday.

Four people are confirmed dead and 300 houses destroyed along the Sepik River region, and there are unconfirmed reports of further deaths and several hundred more houses destroyed, he added.

"The local member is liaising with his people to confirm the exact details of the number of houses and victims and any effects in the region," Taranu said.

The quake struck at a depth of 80km (49.71 miles) early on Monday, according to the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC).

Australia is ready to assist with relief and recovery efforts, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said on Tuesday.

Papua New Guinea straddles the Pacific's "Ring of Fire", a region known for frequent earthquakes. A 7.6 magnitude quake last September killed seven and triggered landslides across three provinces.

(Reporting by Lewis Jackson. Editing by Gerry Doyle)
A sign bearing the Tesla company logo is displayed outside a Tesla store in Cherry Creek Mall in Denver, Colorado, February 9, 2019.

Teslas first-quarter vehicle sales rose 36% after the company cut prices twice in a bid to stimulate demand. The electric car, SUV and heavy truckmaker said it delivered 422,875 vehicles worldwide from January to March, up from just over 310,000 a year ago. But the increase fell short of analyst estimates of 432,000 for the quarter, according to FactSet.

Tesla cut prices in early March on its more expensive models, the S and X, by $5,000 to as much as $10,000. In January it slashed the sticker numbers on several versions of its EVs, making some eligible for a U.S. $7,500 federal tax credit. Some versions of the top-selling Model Y small SUV saw price trims of nearly 20%, and the base price of the Model 3 small car was dropped by 6%.

Analysts are watching to see if the price drops cut into the companys profit and margins per vehicle. The company says it will release first-quarter after the markets close on April 19.

The Austin, Texas-based company said it sold 412,180 Model Y and Model 3s for the quarter, up almost 40% from the 295,324 sold a year ago.

Sales of the aging Model X large SUV and Model S big sedan fell nearly 38% to 10,695.

When Tesla cut prices, some analysts wondered whether demand was slowing. Others suggested the company was taking advantage of its higher profit margins in a bid to pull market share from upstart companies and legacy automakers that are starting to sell more EVs. Some analysts predicted the start of a widespread price war that has yet to materialize.

The growth rate in Teslas sales, while impressive, was below the pace needed to reach the companys pledge to increase deliveries about 50% per year into the foreseeable future.

Tesla produced more vehicles than it sold during the first quarter, making 440,808 as it ramped up production at new factories near Austin, Berlin and Shanghai.

During Teslas investor day event in early March, CEO Elon Musk conceded that affordability remains a drag on sales but said many people still want to buy a Tesla. The limiting factor is their ability to pay for a Tesla, he said.

The top-selling Model Y, for instance, starts at $54,990, while the Model 3s base price is $42,990. A Model S has a starting price of $89,990, while the X starts at $99,990.

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden told Britain's King Charles in a phone call on Tuesday that first lady Jill Biden will attend the king's coronation in May, the White House said in a statement.

Biden also congratulated Charles on his upcoming coronation and said he would like to meet with him in the United Kingdom at a future date, it said.

Charles and his wife, Queen Consort Camilla, will be formally crowned on May 6 in a solemn religious ceremony at London's Westminster Abbey where the coronation of kings and queens has taken place for the best part of a thousand years.

Dozens of world leaders are expected to attend the event. U.S. presidents traditionally have not attended the coronation of the British monarch. Biden did attend the funeral of Charles' mother, Queen Elizabeth, in September.

(Reporting by Eric Beech; Editing by Tim Ahmann)
By Michelle Nichols

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) -Britain has blocked the U.N. webcast of an informal Security Council meeting on Ukraine on Wednesday at which Russia's commissioner for children's rights - whom the International Criminal Court wants to arrest on war crimes charges - is due to speak.

The meeting will focus on "evacuating children from conflict zone" and Russia said on Tuesday that commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova would feature virtually. Such meetings are not held in the Security Council chamber and all 15 council members have to agree to allow it to be webcast by the United Nations.

The Hague-based International Criminal Court last month issued an arrest warrant against Russian President Vladimir Putin and Lvova-Belova, accusing them of illegally deporting children from Ukraine and the unlawful transfer of people to Russia from Ukraine since Russia invaded on Feb. 24, 2022.

"She should not be afforded a U.N. platform to spread disinformation," a spokesperson for Britain's U.N. mission in New York said in a statement. "If she wants to give an account of her actions, she can do so in The Hague."

Moscow has not concealed a program under which it has brought thousands of Ukrainian children to Russia but presents it as a humanitarian campaign to protect orphans and children abandoned in the war zone.

"Russia will from now on block U.N. webcasts of all similar meetings citing 'UK censorship clause'," Russia's Deputy U.N. Ambassador Dmitry Polyanskiy wrote on Twitter.

Russia's U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia told reporters last month that the informal meeting of Security Council members to be held on Wednesday had been planned long before the ICC announcement and it was not intended to be a rebuttal of the charges against Putin and Lvova-Belova.

Diplomats have said it is rare for a U.N. webcast to be blocked. However, last month China blocked the U.N. webcast of a U.S.-convened informal Security Council meeting on human rights abuses in North Korea.

(Reporting by Michelle Nichols; editing by Grant McCool)
FILE PHOTO: Kiril Petkov, leader of "We Continue the Change" (PP) speaks during an election rally as he stands next to leader Assen Vassilev, ahead of October 2 snap elections, in Sofia, Bulgaria, September 30, 2022. REUTERS/Spasiyana Sergieva/File Photo

SOFIA (Reuters) - The runner-up in Bulgaria's parliamentary elections will not form a coalition with the winning GERB party, the leader of We Continue the Change (PP) said on Tuesday, signalling a likely continuation of the country's political deadlock.

The European Union member held its fifth parliamentary election in two years on Sunday, but distrust between the pro-Western reformist party PP and GERB means another temporary cabinet or another vote are the most likely due to the difficulties of forming a coalition with a majority, according to analysts.

"The National Council of the party has decided that We Continue the Change will not support a Cabinet with... the participation of the political party GERB," Assen Vassilev, co-leader of PP told reporters.

"The National Council mandates the Executive Council to send representatives to hold policy talks with all parliamentary parties."

Bulgaria's prolonged political deadlock, caused mainly by personal animosity among leaders of the two main blocs, has already forced the country to delay its target date for adopting the euro, and it has yet to approve a budget bill for 2023.

Preliminary results show GERB won 26.5% of the vote, while PP received 24.6%.

The nationalist Revival party, which is sympathetic to Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Ukraine war and opposes Bulgaria joining the euro, placed third in Sunday's election with 14.2%, up several percentage points from the previous vote last October.

(Reporting by Stoyan Nenov; Writing by Alan Charlish; Editing by Josie Kao)
FILE PHOTO: Flags of U.S. and China are seen in this illustration picture taken August 2, 2022. REUTERS/Florence Lo/Illustration

(Reuters) -Chinese regulators have slowed down their merger reviews of several proposed acquisitions by U.S. companies, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, a move seen as a response to Washington's curbs on China's tech industry.

The potential slowdown includes deals such as Intel Corp's $5.2 billion takeover of Tower Semiconductor Ltd and chipmaker MaxLinear Inc's $3.8 billion purchase of Silicon Motion Technology Corp.

China's State Administration for Market Regulation has asked the companies involved to make available in China products they sell in other countries in a bid to counter U.S. export controls on China, the report said, citing people close to the process.

The competition regulator, which has made this demand a precondition to approving the deals, could not be immediately reached for a comment.

As U.S.-China ties fray, merger reviews have become an additional tool for Beijing in its tit-for-tat fight with Washington over access to advanced technology.

Approval is required from Chinese authorities if companies involved in a deal have a sizable business presence in the country.

If two companies in a deal have revenue of more than $117 million a year from China, the merger needs Beijing to sign off, according to the WSJ report.

Intel, Tower, MaxLinear and Silicon Motion did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Reuters.

(Reporting by Yuvraj Malik in Bengaluru; Editing by Arun Koyyur)
FILE PHOTO: Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) wields the speaker's gavel as members of Congress gather on the House floor to attend U.S. President Joe Biden's State of the Union address before a joint session of Congress in the House Chamber at t

By Laurie Chen and Ben Blanchard

BEIJING/TAIPEI (Reuters) -China warned U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Tuesday not to "repeat disastrous past mistakes" by meeting Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen, saying it would not help regional peace and stability, only unite the Chinese people against a common enemy.

The Republican McCarthy, the third-most-senior U.S. leader after the president and vice president, will host a meeting in California on Wednesday with Tsai, during a sensitive stopover in the United States that has prompted Chinese threats of retaliation.

China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory, staged war games around the island last August after then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat, visited the capital, Taipei.

Tsai will make what is formally called a "transit" in Los Angeles on her way back to Taipei after a trip to Central America. The United States says such stopovers are common practice and there is no need for China to overreact.

But China's consulate in Los Angeles said it was "false" to claim it as a transit, adding that Tsai was engaging in official exchanges to "put on a political show".

No matter in what capacity McCarthy meets Tsai, the gesture would greatly harm the feelings of the Chinese people, send a serious wrong signal to Taiwan separatist forces, and affect the political foundation of Sino-U.S. ties, it said in a statement.

"It is not conducive to regional peace, security nor stability, and is not in the common interests of the people of China and the United States," the consulate added.

McCarthy is ignoring the lessons from the mistakes of his predecessor, it said, in a veiled reference to Pelosi's Taipei visit, and is insisting on playing the "Taiwan card".

"He will undoubtedly repeat disastrous past mistakes and further damage Sino-U.S. relations. It will only strengthen the Chinese people's strong will and determination to share a common enemy and support national unity."

Speaking to reporters in Beijing on Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said China will closely follow developments and resolutely and vigorously defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity, without giving details.

CHINESE MILITARY ACTIVITIES

Although Taiwan has not reported unusual Chinese movements in the run-up to the meeting, China's military has continued activities around the island.

Taiwan's defence ministry on Tuesday morning reported that in the previous 24 hours it had spotted nine Chinese military aircraft in its air defence identification zone, in an area between Taiwan's southwest coast and the Taiwan-controlled Pratas Islands at the top of the South China Sea.

In a statement on Tuesday, Taiwan's foreign ministry said China had no right to complain, as the People's Republic of China has never ruled the island.

China's recent criticism of Tsai's trip "has become increasingly absurd", it added.

"Even if the authoritarian government continues with its expansion and intensifies coercion, Taiwan will not back down," the statement said.

In China, prominent commentator Hu Xijin wrote on his widely followed Twitter account "the Chinese mainland will definitely react, and make the Tsai Ing-wen regime lose much more than what they can gain from this meeting."

Hu, who had voiced his concerns over House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan last year, also wrote "The U.S. side is definitely not getting any real advantage either," on his Weibo account, a Twitter-like social media platform in China.

Hu is former editor-in-chief of Chinese state-backed tabloid the Global Times, known for its strident nationalistic stance.

Taiwan has lived with the threat of a Chinese attack since the defeated Republic of China government fled to the island in 1949 after losing a civil war with Mao Zedong's communists.

Life in Taiwan has continued as normal, with shops, restaurants and tourist spots in Taipei packed during a long holiday weekend that ends on Wednesday.

"They will certainly get angry and there will be some actions, but we are actually used to this," said social worker Sunny Lai, 42.

(Reporting by Laurie Chen in Beijing and Ben Blanchard in Taipei; Additional reporting by Beijing newsroom and Fabian Hamacher in Taipei; Editing by Himani Sarkar, Clarence Fernandez and Gerry Doyle)
FILE PHOTO: A logo of the Swiss bank UBS is seen on the Paradeplatz in Zurich, Switzerland March 21, 2023. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse

By Stefania Spezzati and Oliver Hirt

LONDON (Reuters) - The Bank of England has approved UBS Group AG's takeover of Credit Suisse Group AG in the United Kingdom, people familiar with the process told Reuters, a key market for the Swiss lenders racing to close the rescue deal.

Reuters could not establish if any conditions have been requested for the approval, which comes less than three weeks since the takeover was announced and reflects the urgency surrounding the transaction.

Change of control approvals by regulators typically can take up to 60 working days to secure in Britain. Representatives for UBS and Credit Suisse declined to comment.

On March 19, just after the deal was announced, the Bank of England said it welcomed "the comprehensive set of actions set out by the Swiss authorities today in order to support financial stability," without elaborating.

UBS needs 58 countries to sign off on the combination that will make Switzerland biggest bank a wealth management giant with more than $3 trillion in assets. The longer the deal takes to close, the harder it could be for Credit Suisse to hold on to its business.

The United Kingdom, where Credit Suisse has $60 billion of risk-weighted assets primarily in its investment banking division, is one of its biggest markets outside of Switzerland.

UBS on Tuesday also secured a temporary green light from European Union antitrust regulators to complete its acquisition of Credit Suisse, but will still have to request clearance under EU merger rules, the European Commission said.

UBS Chief Executive Officer Ralph Hamers, who will step down on Wednesday after the annual shareholder meeting, told reporters on March 29 that "plans can only partially be developed" because Credit Suisse is still a separate company.

"That's why it's very important that we get the regulators support globally and as soon as possible," he said.

John Glen, chief secretary to the UK Treasury, said last week he did not have any immediate concerns about the execution of Switzerland's Credit Suisse rescue by UBS.

(Reporting by Stefania Spezzati and Oliver Hirt in Zurich; additional reporting by William J. Schomberg; Editing by Elisa Martinuzzi and Mark Potter)
FILE PHOTO: The logo of Stada Arzneimittel AG is pictured at their headquarters in Bad Vilbel near Frankfurt, Germany, August 24, 2017. REUTERS/Ralph Orlowski

By Patricia Weiss

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Generic drugmaker Stada has asked the German government to seek assurances from Ukraine that the company can continue operations there even though it also does business in Russia, according to a letter seen by Reuters.

In the March 21 letter to German Economy Minister Robert Habeck, Stada CEO Peter Goldschmidt said there was a risk Kyiv might withdraw the company's market authorisation.

Stada "still has no longer-term certainty that we will be able to sell our products in Ukraine in the future," the letter said, with the subject line: "Please prevent the exclusion of international pharmaceutical companies from the Ukrainian market."

The Economy Ministry did not have an immediate comment on the letter.

Habeck promised investment guarantees for German companies during a trip to Ukraine on Tuesday as part of his goal to speed up reconstruction in the war-torn country.

Goldschmidt said restricting Stada's operations would be bad for Ukraine.

"In the worst case, this would mean that vital medicines would suddenly no longer be available to Ukrainian patients because Stada and other manufacturers would have to stop production and distribution," he said.

Medicines are excluded from Western sanctions against Russia, which is an important market for Stada. Pharmaceutical companies such as Stada and German rivals Bayer and Boehringer Ingelheim continue to deliver medicines to the country.

Stada said it had invested more than 60 million euros ($66 million) in Ukraine since 2019 with the acquisition of Ukrainian drugmaker Biopharma, which it said remained the largest investment to date by a foreign pharmaceutical company in Ukraine and allowed it to switch to predominantly local production.

Stada is very keen to maintain its presence in Ukraine, Goldschmidt told Habeck. "Therefore, we would like to ask you again for your support and for clear signals in the direction of Ukraine to strengthen German companies there," his letter added.

($1 = 0.9136 euros)

(Reporting by Patricia Weiss and Andreas Rinke; Writing by Miranda Murray; Editing by Mark Potter)
Rescue team members search for survivors after an avalanche in the northeastern state of Sikkim, India, April 4, 2023. Indian Ministry of Defence/Handout via REUTERS

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - At least seven people died in an avalanche in India's northeastern state of Sikkim on Tuesday, according to the Indian army. It was one of many avalanches in the Indian Himalayas that have killed at least 120 people over the last two years.

Following are some details of past avalanches.

UTTARAKHAND, FEBRUARY 2021

At least 80 people were killed and more than 200 reported missing after part of a glacier broke away in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand in northern India on February 7, 2021, according to media reports.

The avalanche, below India's second-highest peak, Nanda Devi, swept away the Rishiganga hydro electric project and damaged a bigger project further down the Dhauliganga river being built by state firm NTPC.

UTTARAKHAND, APRIL 2021

At least eight people died in an avalanche that was triggered after a glacier broke close to the India-China border in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand on April 23, 2021. More than 380 people were rescued.

ARUNACHAL PRADESH, FEBRUARY 2022

An avalanche killed seven Indian soldiers in the northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh near the China border on February 06, 2022. The avalanche struck in the Kameng region, which is at an altitude of 14,500 feet.

UTTARAKHAND, OCTOBER 2022

At least 16 people died, including trainee mountaineers, after they were hit by an avalanche in the northern state of Uttarakhand on October 04, 2022.

KASHMIR, FEBRUARY 2023

Two Polish skiers were killed and 21 other people rescued in Indian Kashmir after an avalanche swept through the popular ski resort of Gulmarg on Feb 1, 2023.

(Compiled by Shivam Patel; Editing by Frank Jack Daniel)
FILE PHOTO: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen leaves after an EU summit at the European Council building in Brussels, Belgium March 24, 2023. Olivier Matthys/Pool via REUTERS

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will travel with French President Macron to Beijing for a joint meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday, having said the European Union must reduce its economic dependence on China.

Von der Leyen said the bloc could not decouple from China, but needed to reduce risk and "rebalance" economic ties.

The following outlines ways in which the EU relies on the world's second-largest economy and elements of its strategy to reduce its exposure.

TRADE DEFICIT

The EU's goods trade deficit with China has widened, particularly since the COVID-19 pandemic, to reach 396 billion euros ($432 billion) in 2022 from 145 billion euros in 2016, as imports more than doubled and exports rose by 50%.

China accounts for 20% of EU goods imports and 9% of its goods exports.

TRADE IN CARS

EU producers have succeeded in exporting cars to China, with shipments increasing to 24.3 billion euros worth in 2022, some 56% higher than in 2016. About 80% of EU car exports are from Germany.

China is the EU's third largest outside market for its cars, and some 15% of EU car exports head there.

By contrast, the trade in electric vehicles (EVs) shows the EU in clear deficit. Chinese EV exports to the bloc shot up to 6.9 billion euros in 2022 from less than 800 million euros in 2020.

A study by PwC forecast nearly 800,000 cars built in China would be sold in Europe by 2025, roughly double the 2022 level. Just under half of them would be from Western automakers with production in China, such as BMW and Renault, and just over half from Chinese producers, such as MG and BYD.

CRITICAL MINERALS

The European Commission under president von der Leyen, has proposed the "Green Deal Industry Plan," which places the focus on securing more raw materials, boosting its clean tech manufacturing sector and reducing reliance on China.

For supply of rare earths, used in wind power generation, hydrogen storage or batteries, Europe is 98% dependent on China. For battery mineral lithium, the dependence is 97%, and for magnesium, one of the EU's 34 "critical raw materials", it is 93%.

In many cases, the minerals are not extracted in China, but processed there. The EU wants by 2030 to be processing 40% of the critical raw materials it consumes.

CLEAN TECH

The EU imports 80% of its solar panels from China, importing 21 billion euros worth in 2022.

Under the EU's proposed Net Zero Industry Act, public tenders for green projects would make it harder for bids to succeed if they are from countries supplying 65% or more of a particular technology or product type, such as photovoltaic cells, wind power or heat pumps.

This is part of an EU goal of producing at least 40% of the solar panels, fuel cells and other equipment it needs for its green transition.

The Commission is also looking into possible controls on outward investment that might cover 'dual use' products that could, for example, have military applications or surveillance technology.

($1 = 0.9173 euros)

(Reporting by Philip Blenkinsop; editing by Barbara Lewis)
By Sara Merken

(Reuters) - As artificial intelligence pushes deeper into the legal industry, Fastcase and vLex are merging in a deal the legal research companies said Tuesday will speed up the creation of AI tools for lawyers.

London-based private equity firm Oakley Capital and Bain Capital Credit, part of global investment firm Bain Capital, are investing an undisclosed amount into the combined company, which will be named vLex Group.

"AI is absolutely a motivator for the combination," Fastcase CEO Ed Walters said.

With large language models like OpenAI's GPT-4 and Google's Bard quickly increasing their power and reach, vLex and Fastcase are betting their combined document library will be a rich training data set for legal AI products.

"It will always make sense to train legal LLMs on legal data instead of the World Wide Web," Walters said.

The merger creates a law library that is "the biggest legal data corpus ever assembled," the companies said. The new company will have more than one billion legal documents from more than 100 countries, including judicial opinions, statutes, regulations, briefs, pleadings and legal news articles, they said.

The combined company will license the dataset to other entities for use in creating their own large language models, Walters said.

The combined company will also build its own products trained on the legal data, he said.

Generative AI has fueled a new tech gold rush since OpenAI's November debut of ChatGPT. Legal tech companies have joined in the frenzy and are already deploying new products for law firms and corporate legal teams.

Lawyers at global law firm Allen & Overy and accounting and consulting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers are starting to use an AI platform from a startup named Harvey, which received funding from OpenAI's investment fund. Other large law firms are using new products from companies like Casetext, a legal research company that last month released a new generative AI legal assistant product.

The new vLex Group will have headquarters in Washington, D.C., Miami and Barcelona. The products will keep the vLex name in global markets and the Fastcase name in the United States, reaching about 1.1 million U.S. lawyers, according to Tuesday's announcement.

Spokespeople for Bain Capital and Oakley Capital, which acquired a majority stake in vLex in September, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Casey Flaherty of legal innovation collective LexFusion predicted the new vLex would be a "serious player" among legal information companies as AI progresses. "The agglomeration of valuable legal and regulatory data is what makes this merger so potentially impactful," he said in an email.

Read more:

PwC's 4,000 legal staffers get AI assistant as law chatbots gain steam

Bar exam score shows AI can keep up with 'human lawyers,' researchers say
Montenegros president-elect Jakov Milatovic is pledging to speed up the small countrys bid for membership in the European Union and to adhere to the blocs policy line toward Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. At the same time, Milatovic says he will advocate for stronger ties with Serbia and other Balkan neighbors.

One of the key foreign policy priorities for Montenegro, as well as myself as the new president of the country, will be to speed up the countrys EU accession so that Montenegro hopefully becomes the next EU member within the next five years of my mandate, Milatovic told The Associated Press in an interview on Monday.

The president-elects commitment to EU membership appears to belie accusations by detractors that he is somehow a puppet of Moscow.

Milatovic, a 36-year-old Western-educated economics expert, won the presidential runoff election in Montenegro on Sunday, defeating pro-Western incumbent Milo Djukanovic who has been in power for more than three decades in the small NATO member nation.

A political novice who was backed by Montenegros governing majority that included pro-Serb and pro-Russian groups, Milatovic won around 60% of votes in Sundays poll, according to independent pollsters. Djukanovic has conceded defeat. Official results are expected later this week.

Milatovic said that the key reasons for Djukanovics defeat were his long-held grip on power along with allegations of rampant corruption throughout his rule. This is why we like to say we defeated one of the last dictators in Europe, Milatovic said. This is why I truly believe that the victory yesterday in this tiny Balkan state is also a big European victory, a victory of European values.

This was Djukanovics first loss in an election since he first entered politics in the former Yugoslav republic in the early 1990s. During his decades in power, the 61-year-old switched from a pro-Serbian communist to a pro-Western politician. He had served as the countrys president twice and as a prime minister seven times.

During his tenure, Djukanovic has often been accused of corruption and of pressuring the judiciary to ignore numerous cases involving graft. He has often denied illegally accumulating a large fortune for himself and his family.

Milatovic, speaking in English, said that his predecessor is really a symbol of a regime that ruled the country using organized crime and corruption.

Those three things, a significant economic decline, organized crime and corruption, and really a very slow European integration are the symbols of (Djukanovics) regime, he said.

Relations between Serbia and Montenegro have deteriorated since Djukanovic took the country out of its union with Serbia in 2006 and later into NATO in 2017. During the election campaign, Djukanovic said voters were choosing between membership in the EU, or joining the Serbian World  a facsimile of the Russian World.

Milatovic said he will try to repair relations with Serbia as well as other neighboring Balkan states.

I believe that the future of the all the Western Balkan countries is in the EU, and I think Montenegro can be for sure the first one to enter, Milatovic said referring to neighboring Serbia, North Macedonia, Bosnia and Albania.

In terms of relations with Russia, Milatovic recalled that Montenegro is strongly, 100% pursuing the foreign policy of the EU and this is going to stay.

So fully-fledged policy of the EU is the one Montenegro should pursue in the future, and it is particularly important now when it comes to the Russian aggression against Ukraine, he said. There is nobody in Europe, and in Montenegro obviously, who can support invasion of one country against another sovereign country.

Although the presidency is largely a ceremonial position in Montenegro, it influences the political trends in the country.

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A view of the flags of Finland, NATO and Sweden during a ceremony to mark Sweden's and Finland's application for membership in Brussels, Belgium, May 18, 2022. REUTERS/Johanna Geron/Pool

By Anne Kauranen and Andrew Gray

HELSINKI/BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Finland formally joined NATO on Tuesday, its flag unfurling outside the military bloc's Brussels headquarters, in a historic policy shift brought on by Russia's invasion of Ukraine that drew a threat from Moscow of "counter-measures."

Finland's accession, ending seven decades of military non-alignment, roughly doubles the length of the border the North Atlantic Treaty Organization shares with Russia and bolsters its eastern flank as the war in Ukraine grinds on with no resolution in sight.

Finland's flag - a blue cross on a white background - was hoisted alongside those of the alliance's 30 other members as a military band played in bright spring sunshine.

"For almost 75 years, this great alliance has shielded our nations and continues to do so today," NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg declared at the ceremony. "But war has returned to Europe and Finland has decided to join NATO and be part of the world's most successful alliance."

Stoltenberg earlier noted that Russian President Vladimir Putin had cited opposition to NATO's eastward enlargement as one justification for invading Ukraine.

"He is getting exactly the opposite... Finland today, and soon also Sweden will become a full-fledged member of the alliance," Stoltenberg said.

Finnish President Saul Niinisto said Finland's most significant contribution to NATO's common deterrence and defence would be to defend its own territory. There is still significant work to be done to coordinate this with NATO, he said.

"It is a great day for Finland and I want to say that it is an important day for NATO," Niinisto said at a joint news conference with Stoltenberg.

The Kremlin said Russia would be forced to take "counter-measures." Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said Finland's accession raised the risk of the Ukraine conflict escalating further.

In dropping non-alignment, Russia's Foreign Ministry said, Finland was committing a dangerous historical mistake that would fray relations with Moscow and undo its status as a confidence-building presence in the Baltic Sea and Europe at large.

"This is now a thing of the past. Finland has become one of the small members of (NATO) that doesn't decide anything, losing its special voice in international affairs. We are sure that history will judge this hasty step," a ministry statement said.

Russia said on Monday it would strengthen its military capacity in its west and northwest in response to Finland joining NATO.

Ukraine hailed Finland's step.

"I congratulate all the people of Finland," President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in his evening address. "Russian aggression clearly proves that only collective guarantees, only preventive guarantees, can be reliable."

END TO MILITARY NON-ALIGNMENT

Finland's era of strategic non-alignment began after the country repelled an attempted Soviet invasion during World War Two and opted to maintain friendly relations with neighbouring Russia.

But the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 prompted Finns to seek security under NATO's collective defence pact, which states that an attack on one member is an attack on all.

Since the end of the Cold War three decades ago, Moscow has watched successive waves of NATO enlargement, and the issue was contentious even before the invasion of Ukraine.

NATO has repeatedly stressed that it is solely a defensive alliance and does not threaten Russia. Moscow says the funnelling of heavy weaponry to Ukraine by NATO countries since the war began proves the West is bent on destroying Russia.

Finland's accession brings NATO significant military capabilities. It is one of the few European countries to have retained a conscription army through decades of peace, wary of Russia next door. Finland's ground, naval and air forces are all trained and equipped with one primary aim - to repel any Russian attack.

In Finland, people said their country's entry into NATO made them feel more secure.

In Virolahti, near the Russian border, retired combat engineer Ilkka Lansivaara, 70 - whose father was an air force pilot in World War Two - had hung a NATO flag from the side of his house. "It's a special day for Finland. Now we have power also behind us, not just our own forces."

People in the Russian city of St. Petersburg, only about 150 km (93 miles) from the Finnish border, said Finland would make problems for itself by joining NATO.

"We used to consider it a brotherly country of the capitalist world, the closest to us in spirit, in ... mutually beneficial economic relations," said Nikolai, a St. Petersburg resident. "But now we'll consider it as a state that is unfriendly to us."

Finland and its neighbour Sweden applied together last year to join NATO, but Sweden's application has been held up by NATO members Turkey and Hungary.

Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstroem told reporters it was Stockholm's ambition to become a member at the NATO summit in Vilnius in July.

Turkey says Stockholm harbours members of what Ankara considers terrorist groups - which Sweden denies - and has demanded their extradition as a step toward ratification.

Hungary cites grievances over Swedish criticism of Prime Minister Viktor Orban's record on democracy and rule of law.

(Reporting by Anne Kauranen, Tom Little and Essi Lehto in Helsinki; and Andrew Gray, Kate Abnett, Jan Strupczewski and Sabine Siebold in Brussels; writing by Angus MacSwan, Mark Heinrich and Patricia Zengerle, editing by Nick Macfie, Richard Chang and Rosalba O'Brien)
FILE PHOTO: Containers are seen at a terminal in the port of Hamburg, Germany November 14, 2019. REUTERS/Fabian Bimmer/File Photo

BERLIN (Reuters) -German exports rose significantly more than expected in February due to strong demand from the United States and China, posting their biggest increase in 10 months, data showed on Tuesday.

Exports increased by 4.0% on the previous month, the federal statistics office said. A Reuters poll had predicted a month-on-month rise in exports of 1.6%. Exports had risen 2.5% month-on-month in January.

"The export sector is back on track for growth, and the sharp setback in December has been made up," Alexander Krueger, chief economist at Hauck Aufhaeuser Lampe, said. Exports fell 6.1% month-on-month in December.

In February, exports to European Union countries rose 2.0% on the previous month, while exports to the U.S. and China increased by 9.4% and 10.2% respectively compared with January.

"The exports business is benefiting from better functioning supply chains and the opening of the Chinese economy," Thomas Gitzel, chief economist at VP Bank, said.

Imports grew by 4.6% compared with January, the office reported, versus analysts' expectations for a 1.0% rise. The increase follows five consecutive monthly contractions.

The foreign trade balance showed a surplus of 16.0 billion euros ($17.42 billion) in February, unchanged from the previous month and up from 10.7 billion euros in the same month of the previous year, both in calendar and seasonally adjusted terms.

Supply chain problems, the energy crisis and geopolitical risks are expected to take their toll on exporting companies this year.

The German Chamber of Commerce and Industry DIHK forecasts real export growth of 2.5% in 2023, one percentage point below average growth during the previous decade.

Sentiment among German exporters brightened somewhat in March, with Ifo's export expectations rising to 4.0 points from 3.5 points in February.

Despite the increase, export demand still lacks momentum, Klaus Wohlrabe, head of surveys at Ifo, said.

(Reporting by Maria Martinez and Linda Pasquini, editing by Friederike Heine and Andrew Heavens)
FILE PHOTO: A view of the Twitter logo at its corporate headquarters in San Francisco, California, U.S. November 18, 2022. REUTERS/Carlos Barria

BERLIN (Reuters) -Germany's federal office of justice has started proceedings to fine Twitter, accusing the social media company of mishandling user complaints over "illegal" content, a statement said on Tuesday.

Several instances of content published on Twitter were reported to the office, "which the authority considers illegal and, despite user complaints, was not deleted or blocked by the provider within the legally stipulated periods," the statement said.

Twitter did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The German authority did not specify which examples of illegal content it was referring to, or the size of a possible fine. It said it had now given Twitter the chance to respond to the allegations before deciding whether to refer the matter to a district court in Bonn.

Twitter has come under scrutiny from Berlin especially since the takeover by billionaire Elon Musk. In December, a senior German official called for the company to be put under direct supervision of the European Commission.

(Reporting by Rachel More; writing by Matthias Williams; editing by Friederike Heine and Miranda Murray)
FILE PHOTO: High school students Konstantinos Timinis and Vladimir Baranov work on "Alnstein", a robot powered by ChatGPT, in Pascal school in Nicosia, Cyprus, March 30, 2023. REUTERS/Yiannis Kourtoglou

By Yiannis Kourtoglou

(Reuters) - High school students and their tutors in Cyprus have developed a prototype robot powered with ChatGPT artificial intelligence technology to harness and improve teaching experiences in the classroom.

Named AInstein, the squat robot created by three Pascal Schools in Cyprus stands roughly the size of a small adult and looks like a sculpted version of the Michelin Man. It is powered with ChatGPT, a chatbot developed by U.S. firm OpenAI and backed by Microsoft Corp. A screen for a face tries to mimic human features with blinks and frowns.

Speaking in a North American accent, it can tell jokes (Why was the maths book sad? Because it had too many problems), attempt to speak Greek and advise on how Albert Einstein's theory of relativity can be taught in class.

He does not have a favourite movie since it was "before his time", he says. But he enjoys reading science books and spending leisure time with his violin.

Student Richard Erkhov, 16, lead programmer of the AI brain, said artificial intelligence was poised to improve exponentially. "It might help in a lot of spheres of life, such as education and medicine," Erkhov told Reuters.

Another student, Vladimir Baranov, 15, said the technology was "incredible".

"It mimics human thinking, answers like humans, responds like humans. It is not yet very polished .. But it is getting there," he said.

Tutors say the ultimate purpose of AInstein is to incorporate it into teaching.

"It's a very interactive experience. Students can ask him questions, he can answer back and he can even facilitate teachers to deliver a lesson more effectively," said tutor and project leader Elpidoforos Anastasiou.

Anastasiou demonstrated how AI can be adapted to the classroom with AInstein showing how gravitational time dilation from Albert Einstein's theory of time relativity can be explained by moving a pendulum relative to the gravitational field in which it is placed.

Their experience with AInstein showed that AI is not anything to fear, project members said.

The European Union is considering legislation governing artificial intelligence, though advances in the technology far outpaces lawmakers' efforts.

AInstein himself answers whether the technology is something to be feared. "Humans are the ones who create and control AI, and it is up to us to ensure that its development and implementation serve the betterment of humanity.. Therefore we should not fear AI, but rather approach it with care and responsible consideration."

(Writing By Michele Kambas; Editing by Josie Kao)
FILE PHOTO: Traces of the dismantled IKEA signage are seen on a facade in central Saint Petersburg, Russia September 9, 2022. REUTERS/Anton Vaganov

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Swedish furniture giant IKEA does not have an option to buy back its largest factory in Russia, the new owner said on Tuesday, closing a possible route back to the country should it wish to return one day.

Invest Plus, a special purpose vehicle beneficially owned by Vadim Osipov, finalised a deal to buy IKEA's plant in the city of Novgorod in late March. Osipov is CEO and co-owner of Slotex, a Russian producer of laminates and kitchen worktops.

"The deal does not involve any buyback option," Osipov said in a press conference on Tuesday, adding he could not disclose other terms of the deal.

"We aim to develop this purchase as a strategic investor on a long-term basis," Osipov added.

The factory's name, IKEA Industry Novgorod, must be changed within eight months of the deal's completion, he said.

IKEA halted all retail and production operations in Russia soon after Moscow sent troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, along with scores of other Western companies. IKEA briefly resumed online sales last summer and part of the company still operates 14 MEGA-branded shopping malls in Russia.

Local media in February reported that Ingka Group, the owner of most IKEA stores, had started looking for buyers for the malls.

IKEA has previously declined to disclose terms relating to its departure.

Exits by Western companies have been complicated as deals involving firms from so-called unfriendly countries - those that imposed sanctions against Russia - need approval from a government commission. Companies often insert buyback clauses that could one day see them return.

Osipov said the factory should be fully operational again in three to six months, with some production to resume at the end of May.

Investments in the plant will amount to 2-3 billion roubles ($25.3-$37.9 million) over the next two or three years, he said.

The Russian government approved the sale to Slotex in February, also giving lumber manufacturer Luzales the right to finalise a deal for two other IKEA plants.

In the year to August 2021, Russia was IKEA's 10th-biggest market with retail sales of 1.6 billion euros ($1.8 billion), or 4% of total retail sales.

($1 = 79.2060 roubles)

(Reporting by Olga Popova Writing by Alexander Marrow; Editing by Mark Potter)
FILE PHOTO: Brookfield Asset Management Vice Chairman and former Bank of England Governor Mark Carney speaks during a panel discussion at the headquarters of the International Monetary Fund during the Annual Meetings of the IMF and World Bank in Washingto

By Huw Jones

LONDON (Reuters) - Banking rules introduced following the global financial crisis more than a decade ago need "rethinking" to reflect how quickly cash can exit a lender in a digital age, former Bank of England Governor Mark Carney said on Tuesday.

The collapse of Silicon Valley Bank in the United States last month highlighted the "greater flightiness" of desposits, particularly those of small business clients, Carney told a Reuters Breakingviews podcast.

Over $40 billion left Silicon Valley Bank in 24 hours, leaving authorities confronting a new risk: the social media bank run as depositors can withdraw cash with just a few taps on their phone.

"That will, I think, require some rethinking of the assumptions behind liquidity coverage ratio, the net stable funding ratio," Carney said, referring to the LCR and NSFR.

The LCR aims to ensure that banks have enough cash or high quality bonds to survive stresses in markets for a month, while the NSFR seeks to reduce funding risks over a longer term horizon.

Both are part of the "Basel III" minimum standards from the global Basel Committee of banking regulators following the 2007-09 financial crisis when taxpayers had to bail out lenders.

"I think the system will probably need to adjust both the definitions of LCR and NSFR," Carney said.

These buffers should also count a bank's access to central bank liquidity as part of their calculations, he added.

The United States has generally applied Basel standards only to its biggest banks, which did not include Silicon Valley Bank.

"It's a good idea to actually put in place the net stable funding ratio. That was one of the reforms not applied fully in the U.S. and, you know, with some cost," Carney said.

Bank of England Deputy Governor Sam Woods told lawmakers last week that bank liquidity rules might now be an open question for international policymakers.

(Reporting by Huw Jones; Editing by Christina Fincher)
By Andrew Gray and Gabriela Baczynska

BRUSSELS (Reuters) -A new Lithuanian bid to push the European Union to impose sanctions on Russia's nuclear energy industry includes proposed exemptions for Hungary and a two-year period to phase out existing contracts, according to a document seen by Reuters.

Unlike similar, earlier proposals by the EU's Russia hawks, the latest plan from Vilnius includes a nuanced approach, an apparent attempt to win over sceptics in Budapest and elsewhere.

"It is proposed to introduce individual restrictive measures for Rosatom," says the policy proposal dated March 17, which has not been released publicly.

"In addition, it is appropriate to introduce a derogation on the basis of which operations, contracts or other agreements concluded with Rosatom could be still executed for a fixed period of time allowing European Union member states to complete the execution of these contracts or other agreements."

The document proposed setting that at two years.

The EU has slapped 10 rounds of sanctions on Russia since it invaded Ukraine in February 2022, but hundreds of millions of euros worth of trade with Russia's nuclear energy industry has not been directly affected.

All EU countries must agree for the bloc to impose sanctions and Budapest - where Rosatom is to expand the Paks nuclear power plant - has vowed to oppose any curbs on the Russian nuclear energy industry.

Lithuania's proposal sought to address that by offering Budapest specific carve-outs of up to nine years for Paks.

Otherwise, the proposed sanctions would ban new investments in Russia's civil nuclear energy sector, prevent new cooperation agreements with Rosatom, and end imports of enriched uranium from Russia, with opt-outs for France and others who have running contracts there.

The detail of the proposal is reported here for the first time.

'ONION APPROACH'

Lithuania's Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis spoke of it in broader terms on arriving for talks with his EU peers in Brussels on March 20. He said the plan amounted to "an onion approach".

"That means that it has a lot of layers to choose from. We can peel all those that we cannot... agree upon," he told reporters.

"But still there are things that we can sanction when it comes to board members, it can be new contracts, it can be a lot of things taking into consideration those countries who have existing contracts and existing projects that need to be safeguarded."

It was not clear when the EU would impose any new sanctions on Russia.

There was no immediate comment from Hungary but two French diplomatic sources suggested such a piecemeal approach could work for Paris.

If the pressure mounts on Rosatom, I dont think France will be last on the barricade, said one of the sources. There are French firms which work with Rosatom... but if we have to find an alternative solution, then well find one.

The second French diplomat said any nuclear sanctions on Russia would need to be narrowly focused on specific individuals, rather than taking the form of broader sectoral curbs. The person said one example would be Russian officials overseeing Ukraine's embattled Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant.

EU imports of Russian nuclear industry products totalled nearly 750 million euros ($820 million) in 2022, according to Eurostat. EU nuclear agency Euratom said Russia provided a fifth of the uranium used by EU utilities in 2021, the latest data available, as well as a fourth of conversion and a third of enrichment services.

The agency said Russias share in the EU market might have increased in 2022 as utilities with existing contracts advanced deliveries to mitigate short-term risks following the invasion.

The French energy ministry disputed parts of a recent report by Greenpeace, which said Paris had sharply increased imports of enriched uranium from Russia since the war began.

Nuclear reactors in Hungary, Bulgaria, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Finland depended on Russian-made fuel, and France was relying on Russia for reprocessing uranium, according to Euratom.

The future dependence on Russia in the nuclear fuel cycle depends on investment in the global West, Euratom told Reuters.

($1 = 0.9125 euro)

(Reporting by Andrew Gray and Gabriela Baczynska; Editing by William Maclean and Jonathan Oatis)
FILE PHOTO: The logo of consulting firm McKinsey and Company is seen at the high profile startups and high tech leaders gathering, Viva Tech,in Paris, France May 16, 2019. REUTERS/Charles Platiau/File Photo

(Reuters) -McKinsey & Co on Tuesday denied a media report that said the consulting firm was shutting down its corporate restructuring practice.

Earlier in the day, the Wall Street Journal reported that McKinsey was shuttering its restructuring unit, and some partners in the division were laid off while yet others were being absorbed into other practices.

"McKinsey RTS is not being shut down. Reports to the contrary are inaccurate," the spokesperson for McKinsey told Reuters.

The unit has been involved with several lawsuits and a regulatory probe over recent years.

In October, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear McKinsey's bid to escape a lawsuit by retired turnaround specialist Jay Alix. Alix had accused the firm of concealing potential conflicts when seeking permission from bankruptcy courts to perform lucrative work on corporate restructurings.

In November 2021, an affiliate of the consulting firm had agreed to pay $18 million to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for compliance failures in handling non-public information.

(Reporting by Manya Saini and Jaiveer Singh Shekhawat in Bengaluru; Editing by Devika Syamnath)
FILE PHOTO: Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador speaks during a news conference at the Secretariat of Security and Civilian Protection in Mexico City, Mexico March 9, 2023. REUTERS/Henry Romero/File Photo

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) -Mexico's president said on Tuesday he had written to his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, urging him to help control shipments of fentanyl as he fended off criticism in the U.S. that Mexico is not doing enough to stop trafficking of the synthetic opioid.

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador read out the letter to Xi dated March 22 in which he defended efforts to curb supply of the deadly drug, while rounding on U.S. critics, some of whom want Washington to intervene militarily in Mexico.

"We come to you, President Xi Jinping, not to ask for your support in the face of these rude threats, but to request that for humanitarian reasons, you help us control shipments of fentanyl that can be sent from China to our country," he said.

Speaking at a news conference, Lopez Obrador said the letter took shape after a recent visit by U.S. lawmakers, in which they proposed he speak to China to address the fentanyl threat.

The Chinese embassy in Mexico did not have any immediate comment on the letter.

Fentanyl has been blamed for fueling a surge in overdose deaths in the U.S., and Republican lawmakers especially have accused Mexico of failing to stop drug cartels producing and moving the powerful painkiller north.

In his letter, Lopez Obrador asked Xi if he could provide Mexico with information on when and where fentanyl was being sent, as well as how much and by whom.

Lopez Obrador says fentanyl laboratories have sprung up in Mexico, and he told Xi that law enforcement had last year destroyed nearly 1,400 clandestine labs mixing the drug with other substances, and seized seven tonnes of it.

A Reuters report found that many of the labs were inactive.

But Lopez Obrador says Mexico does not produce fentanyl and that cartels buy it direct from Asia. He said in the letter that only 30% of the drug consumed in the U.S. enters via Mexico.

U.S. officials contest the view that fentanyl is not produced in Mexico, arguing the opioid is mass-produced in the country using chemicals sourced largely from China.

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham has been at the forefront of U.S. pressure on Mexico, and on Monday he said he would put forward legislation on fentanyl that would include designating Mexican cartels as foreign terrorist organizations.

Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said countering the fentanyl threat was a top priority, and he pushed back against Graham's criticism, saying the vast majority of people arrested in the U.S. for trafficking fentanyl are Americans.

"There's no other country in the world that's doing as much against fentanyl trafficking to the United States as Mexico," Ebrard told the news conference.

(Reporting by Dave Graham; Editing by Brendan O'Boyle, Sharon Singleton and Marguerita Choy)
BRUSSELS (Reuters) -Belgian police and German investigators carried out a raid on Tuesday at the headquarters of the centre-right European People's Party (EPP) as part of an investigation in Germany.

The party, which has the most members in the European Parliament, said in a statement that representatives of authorities from Belgian and Germany had visited its headquarters in Brussels on Tuesday.

The visit related to an investigation in the German state of Thuringia, the statement said, without elaborating.

"The party is cooperating in full transparency with the authorities involved, providing all relevant information and documentation," the EPP said in a statement.

Further information could not be revealed as the investigation in Germany was ongoing, it said.

According to the Thueringer Allgemeine newspaper, the raid was in relation to an ongoing corruption investigation into Mario Voigt, the leader of the central state of Thuringia's Christian Democrats, over his role in the EPP's digital election campaign in the 2019 European elections.

The investigation centres around allegations that Voigt received kickbacks from an internet company that was awarded a contract during the campaign, the paper said.

Voigt's lawyers rejected prosecutors' allegations as groundless and called the investigation excessive.

Prosecutors in Thuringia were not available for comment.

The EPP has parties across the 27 EU members and others outside the bloc, such as in the western Balkans, Norway, Switzerland and Ukraine.

(Reporting by Philip Blenkinsop and Joern Poltz;Editing by Bernadette Baum and Ed Osmond)
Russian President Vladimir Putin has built his power on a legend that has seeped through Russian society in the last two decades: that he put an end to the violence that ravaged the country in the 1990s. But Sundays attack in a Saint Petersburg cafe and last Augusts car bombing that killed the daughter of one of Russias leading ultra-nationalists have stirred up memories of those nightmare years, especially among the elite.

While the war is being fought on Ukrainian soil, there is a feeling that no one is safe anymore. This terrorist attack is one more reason for us to think about our own security hundreds of kilometers from the front. The war can reach anyone, anywhere, Andrey Gurulyov, a retired member of the Russian military and a deputy of the Duma, posted on Telegram.

Even the Russian opposition has been caught in the firing line. The Kremlin has linked it to Sundays terrorist act without any evidence other than that opposition leader Alexei Navalny has expressed similar views to Daria Trepova, the anti-war activist who is the main suspect of the bombing.

Pro-Russian blogger Vladlen Tatarsky was killed on Sunday when an explosion went off in a busy cafe in St. Petersburg, where he was speaking at a patriotic discussion event. Another 30 people were injured. Russian media said that a woman presented him with a box containing a statuette that apparently exploded. On Monday, Putin posthumously awarded Tatarsky with the Order of Courage.

Hours after the bombing, dozens of people approached the police cordon around the cafe to pay their respects to the blogger, who had more than half a million followers. One of them, a young woman who wanted to remain anonymous, told EL PAIS of a message that her friends have been repeating these months: On February 24, you thought that St. Petersburg was very far [from the front] and [the invasion] would not affect us, but I told you: it will affect us all one way or another.

For this woman, a red line was crossed with the murder of Darya Dugina, the daughter of Russian ideologue Aleksandr Dugin, an ultra-patriot who, to a certain degree, influenced the idea that Russia should wage war with the West. The slogan on Dugins website Geopolitika is Cartharge must be destroyed  a quote by Cato The Elder, which seeks to compare the West to Carthage.

The murder of Dugina, who was killed in a car bomb in the outskirts of Russia, and the suspects successful escape put the Russian elite on edge for the first time  until then, they believed they were safe from their enemies.

We have seen that the Ukrainian special services and their supervisors can carry out operations [in Russia]. This is demonstrated by the terrorist attacks in which Daria Dugina and Maxim Fomin [Tatarskys real name] were killed, Alexander Kots, a pro-Russian war correspondent, told Vladimir Solovyov, a prominent TV presenter and propagandist. Ukraine acts aggressively and professionally within the territory of the Russian Federation, said Kots, adding that critics within Russia also present a threat to the country.

This point was also made by Yevgeny Prigozhin, who controls the state-backed group of mercenaries known as the Wagner Group. In a video posted on Monday, Prigozhin appeared in military gear and a Russian flag, which he said had the words in good memory of Vladlen Tatarsky. Since the attack on Sunday, he has been inundated with questions  Prigozhin is also the owner of the cafe where the bomb went off.

Yes, it is all similar to the death of Darya Dugina, but I would not blame the Kyiv regime for these actions. I think there is a group of radicals that doesnt have much to do with their government, said the businessman, who used to be known as Putins chef because of his catering company, in a statement.

Ironically, the Russian TV channel Shot on Monday not only released the first images of the suspect, but also said, that according to its sources, a former member of the National Bolshevik Party  which was co-founded by Dugin and later banned by the Kremlin for its radicalism  could have been involved in the attack. According to the channel, the partys former Moscow chief, Roman Popkov, may have given Daria Trepova the statuette, lying to her that it was a listening device, not a bomb.

Popkov has denied the allegations. He admits that Daria Trepova started writing to him at the beginning of the war, but that he would never launch such an attack. Do you think I would do this, with my family in Russia? he told the newspaper The Insider, adding that there are enough groups [within Russia] that would carry out attacks like this.

The Kremlin looks for the enemy within Russia

Trepova, 26, was arrested on Monday in a friends apartment in St. Petersburg. The Kremlin has used the fact that she took part in the protests against the war in Ukraine in February 2022 to link Sundays attack to Russian opposition parties.

Russias National Antiterrorism Committee said that the bombing was perpetrated by Ukraines special services with the participation of people collaborating with the Anti-Corruption Foundation [FBK], the organization led by Russian dissident Alexei Navalny, which authorities have declared extremist.

The Investigative Committee of Russia (SKR) repeated the same message, pointing out that Trepova holds opposition views and is a supporter of the FBK.

The Anti-Corruption Foundation has denied the allegations. The organization involved in political assassinations in Russia is not the FBK, but the FSB [Russian Federal Security Service], Navalnys chief of staff, Leonid Volkov, wrote in a message on Twitter.

Questions remain unanswered, he added. In the center of St. Petersburg, in the 24th year of [Putins] stability, in broad daylight, a key propagandist is boldly killed. One way or another, this is the responsibility of the supposedly omnipotent special services.

Political scientist Tatiana Stanovaya, the founder of the R.Politik analysis center, argues that the accusations against Navalny and his organization are aimed at criminalizing all voices that oppose the invasion of Ukraine. Now all those who participate in anti-war actions will automatically be seen as potential terrorists in the eyes of not only the security forces, but also the patriotic public. This, of course, will exacerbate the social division, said Stanovaya.

Another well-known pro-war correspondent, Alexander Sladkov, criticized the fact that the police  not Russias secret service FSB  was investigating the St. Peterborough bombing. I dont think the quality of police professionals is inferior to that of the Cheka [the Soviet secret police], but it is a very important case of terrorism. Why isnt the FSB at the center? Sladkov wrote on a blog. We are losing ideological fighters, he continued, adding that the fight against Ukraine was like a chess game where the white side [Russia] is running out of pawns and bishops.

Meanwhile, some members of the Kremlins inner circle have been clamoring for revenge. This time there will be no sympathetic juries or juries of any kind. And thank God, said Margarita Simonyan, the editor-in-chief of the Russian-state controlled media organization RT.

Authorities have also used Tatarskys murder to rally support for the war in Ukraine. Russia is confronting the Kyiv regime. It supports terrorism; it is behind the murder of Dugina and may be behind the murder of Fomin. It has been behind the murder of people for years, Putins spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday.

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FILE PHOTO: Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko during a meeting at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside Moscow, Russia February 17, 2023. Sputnik/Vladimir Astapkovich/Kremlin via REUTERS

(Reuters) - Belarus' President Alexander Lukashenko will travel to Moscow on Wednesday for two days of talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Kremlin said.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said last week the two leaders would discuss Lukashenko's call for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine at an upcoming face-to-face meeting.

Putin and Lukashenko will hold talks on "topical bilateral and international issues" on April 5, before a meeting of the Supreme Council of the Union State on April 6, the Kremlin said in an announcement published on Tuesday.

Russia and Belarus are formally part of a Union State, a borderless union and alliance between the two ex-Soviet countries, though long-standing plans for closer integration of their economies have repeatedly stalled.

Moscow is Belarus' key political and financial backer, while Lukashenko allowed Putin to use Belarus' territory as a launchpad for Russia's invasion of Ukraine last year.

Last month Putin said Russia would deploy tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus.

Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Tuesday that Russia was boosting Belarus' nuclear capabilities in response to Finland joining the NATO military alliance.

(Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Gareth Jones)
Darya Trepova, suspected of bringing explosives to the cafe where war blogger Vladlen Tatarsky (real name Maxim Fomin) was killed in an explosion the day before, is escorted inside the building of Russian Investigative Committee, in Saint Petersburg, Russ

(Reuters) -Russian investigators on Tuesday charged Darya Trepova, a 26-year-old St Petersburg resident, with terrorist offences over the killing of pro-war blogger Vladlen Tatarsky in a bomb blast, and remanded her in pre-trial detention.

Tatarsky, a cheerleader for Russia's military campaign in Ukraine whose real name was Maxim Fomin, died on Sunday in a St Petersburg cafe where he was due to talk.

The Investigative Committee, which probes major crimes, said it had charged Trepova with committing "a terrorist act by an organised group that caused intentional death". The charges carry a maximum jail term of 20 years.

It said she had acted under instructions from people working on behalf of Ukraine.

Russia's health ministry said 42 others had been injured in the blast, and 24 were still in hospital as of late Tuesday.

Trepova was transferred from St Petersburg to Moscow, where the Basmanny district court on Tuesday remanded her in custody until June 2, Russian news agencies reported.

Footage of the St Petersburg event had Tatarsky showing the figurine off to his audience before it exploded.

Russia's National Anti-Terrorism Committee on Monday accused Ukrainian intelligence of organising the killing with help from supporters of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny - a possible reference to the fact that Trepova once registered for an anti-Kremlin tactical voting scheme promoted by Navalny's movement.

An aide to the Ukrainian president said the attack was the result of internal conflict in Russia.

Ilya Ponomaryov, a former Russian lawmaker turned Ukraine-based Kremlin critic, published a statement from what he said was a group of Russian militants called the National Republican Army in which it claimed responsiblity for the blast.

Last August Ponomaryov said the National Republican Army had planted a car bomb that killed Darya Dugina, the daughter of an ultra-nationalist, near Moscow. Until that point the group had never been referred to publicly before.

His assertion and the group's existence could not be independently verified by Reuters.

Court documents indicated Trepova had been detained at a protest on Feb. 24 last year, the day Russia sent its armed forces into Ukraine.

Trepova's husband told the independent investigative outlet The Insider he believed she had been framed and had not known the statuette contained explosives.

Tatarsky had himself fought in Ukraine for separatist forces, and also served time in Ukraine for bank robbery.

Last year, in a video shot at a ceremony in the Kremlin to mark Russia's unilateral annexation of four Ukrainian regions, he said Russia should "kill everyone" and "rob everyone" in Ukraine.

(Reporting by Reuters; Writing by Jake Cordell, David Ljunggren and Kevin Liffey)
By Guy Faulconbridge and Andrew Osborn

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's commissioner for children's rights on Tuesday dismissed International Criminal Court (ICC) allegations that she was responsible for unlawfully deporting children from Ukraine as false.

The Hague-based ICC on March 17 issued arrest warrants for President Vladimir Putin and Children's Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova for the war crime of unlawfully deporting children from areas of Ukraine occupied by Russian forces.

The ICC said it had information that hundreds of children had been taken from orphanages and children's care homes in areas of Ukraine claimed by Russia. Some of those children, the ICC said, had been given up for adoption in Russia.

Lvova-Belova told a news conference her commission acted on humanitarian grounds to protect the interests of children in an area where military action was taking place and had not moved anyone against their will or that of their parents or legal guardians, whose consent was always sought unless they were missing.

Nor were children given up for adoption, she said, saying they were placed with temporary legal guardians in foster homes.

"As far as the ICC's accusations are concerned, we don't understand what we are accused of. Give us the facts and we will look into it. So far, it all looks like a farce without specifics and is incomprehensible," she said.

The ICC had not submitted any documents to her office, she complained, noting that Russia did not recognise the court's jurisdiction anyway. Nor, she said, had Ukraine sent any official requests regarding children allegedly separated from their parents.

Ukraine says it is investigating the deportation of over 16,000 children, many of them taken from parents at "filtration points" as they tried to leave newly captured territory, removed from care institutions, or taken from people who were caring for them after their parents were killed in the war.

"Give us lists of parents who are looking for their children and we will find them. If mothers, fathers...are looking and need help we are open to giving it," said Lvova-Belova.

RE-EDUCATION ALLEGATIONS

She called allegations that Ukrainian children had been taken to camps for alleged re-education "a conspiracy theory".

Her commission did not know of a single case of a child from eastern Ukraine being separated from his or her blood relative to be given up to a foster home, she added.

The most deadly conflict in Europe since World War Two has killed or maimed hundreds of thousands of men on both sides while millions of adults and children have been displaced by what has turned into a grinding artillery war.

Ukraine has cast Russia as a brutal imperial aggressor that has committed war crimes, including the theft of children. Russia, which says it is carrying out "a special military operation," says the West has ignored Ukraine's own crimes and denies committing war crimes itself.

Lvova-Belova said Russia had accepted more than 5 million refugees from Ukraine's Donbas region, including 730,000 children with parents or legal guardians, since February 2022, when Putin ordered troops into Ukraine.

The Russian-installed leaders of two Ukrainian regions claimed and partially controlled by Russia had asked Russia to accept the civilians, including orphans and children whose parents were missing, her commission said.

She said 380 orphans and children not in the custody of their parents had been placed under the guardianship of Russian foster families between April and October of last year.

They would be free to return when the situation was safe, she added, if they were aged 18 or over and wanted to, or if their parents or legal guardians or local authorities took such a decision.

(Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge and Andrew Osborn; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky)
(Reuters) - Telecommunication firm Spark New Zealand said on Wednesday it will invest more in data centres and its 5G business over the next three years as part of a new strategy.

The company will spend NZ$250 million ($157.78 million) to NZ$300 million in the data centre market until fiscal 2026, and between NZ$40 million and NZ$60 million in the 5G business.

Spark and several other regional telcos have been looking to reduce their reliance on physical towers and boost their technology with investments on digital infrastructure and data centres.

In July last year, Spark sold a 70% stake in its towers business for NZ$900 million to Canadian investment firm Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan Board.

"If there is one thing the last three years have taught us, it is that the businesses that will thrive are the ones that can adapt the most quickly to change," the company said in a statement.

In its interim financial report for fiscal 2023, Spark noted that the expansion of its Takanini data centre was expected to complete in the second half of the year. Spark invested NZ$50 million in its data centres business in the first half of fiscal 2023.

Back in February, Spark said it had allocated NZ$350 million of proceeds from the sale of its towers to invest in digital infrastructure, data centres and emerging technologies, with about NZ$90 million to NZ$110 million earmarked for fiscal 2023.

($1 = 1.5853 New Zealand dollars)

(Reporting by Nausheen Thusoo in Bengaluru; Editing by Devika Syamnath)
FILE PHOTO: Twitter logo and a photo of Elon Musk are displayed through magnifier in this illustration taken October 27, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration

By Daniel Wiessner

(Reuters) - Twitter Inc faced a lawsuit on Tuesday accusing the social media giant of illegally laying off contract workers without notice after Elon Musk bought the company last year, the latest action stemming from its massive job cuts.

The proposed class action, filed in San Francisco federal court, claims Twitter in November laid off numerous workers employed by staffing firm TEKsystems Inc without the 60 days of advance notice required by U.S. and California law.

Five other cases are pending in the same court accusing Twitter of violating those laws, targeting female workers for layoffs and discriminating against employees with disabilities. Twitter has denied wrongdoing.

Twitter laid off roughly 3,700 employees, or half its workforce, in early November in a cost-cutting measure by Musk, who paid $44 billion to acquire the social media platform. Hundreds more employees subsequently resigned.

Twitter and Maryland-based TEKsystems, named as a defendant in the lawsuit, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Shannon Liss-Riordan, who represents the plaintiffs in all of the cases, said in an email: "While Elon Musk seems to think he's saving the company money by avoiding these obligations, we plan to show him that not meeting his responsibilities can be a lot more costly."

Liss-Riordan said she also has filed complaints in private arbitration on behalf of more than 1,700 former Twitter employees and contractors who signed agreements to arbitrate legal disputes. She said workers employed by TEKsystems did not sign arbitration agreements.

Liss-Riordan also represents workers who have filed complaints against Twitter with a U.S. labor board claiming they were fired for criticizing the company, attempting to organize a strike, and other conduct protected by federal labor law.

Twitter has not responded to those claims.

(Reporting by Daniel Wiessner in Albany, New York; Editing by Alexia Garamfalvi and Richard Chang)
FILE PHOTO: A pedestrian passes a "Help Wanted" sign in the door of a hardware store in Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S., July 8, 2022. REUTERS/Brian Snyder

By Lucia Mutikani

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. job openings dropped to their lowest level in nearly two years in February, suggesting that labor market conditions were finally easing, welcome news for the Federal Reserve as it considers whether to pause its interest rate hiking cycle.

Despite the larger-than-expected decline in job vacancies reported by the Labor Department on Tuesday, the labor market remains tight, with 1.7 job openings for every unemployed person in February, down from 1.9 in January. Fed officials have been closely monitoring this ratio. Friday's employment report for March will shed more light on the labor market's health.

The broad drop in job openings occurred before the recent financial market turmoil, which led to tighter credit conditions and sparked fears of widespread job losses in the economy.

"Arguably this report provides the first evidence of an easing in labor market conditions, which nonetheless remain very tight," said Conrad DeQuadros, senior economic advisor at Brean Capital in New York.

Job openings, a measure of labor demand, were down 632,000 to 9.9 million on the last day of February, the lowest level since May 2021, the monthly Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, or JOLTS report, showed. They fell 1.3 million in first two months of this year.

Economists polled by Reuters had forecast 10.4 million job openings. The decline was led by the professional and business services sector, where job openings fell 278,000. There were 150,000 fewer vacancies in the healthcare and social assistance industry. Job openings in the transportation, warehousing and utilities sector fell by 145,000.

But the construction industry sought more workers, with job openings increasing by 129,000. There were an additional 38,000 vacancies in the arts, entertainment and recreation sector. Regionally, the decline was concentrated in the Midwest, South and West. The Northeast reported a moderate drop.

Small and medium-sized businesses, who have been the drivers of job growth, accounted for most of the decrease, with establishments with a 1,000 workers and more reporting a small reduction in job openings.

The job openings rate fell to 6.0% from 6.4% in January.

Graphic-Unemployed to job openings - https://www.reuters.com/graphics/USA-FED/JOBS/egvbkmeoepq/chart.png

DANGEROUS SITUATION

Stocks on Wall Street were trading lower. The dollar fell against a basket of currencies. U.S. Treasury prices rose.

The decrease in vacancies suggested that the Fed's aggressive rate hikes to tame high inflation were starting to yield results. But against the backdrop of banks tightening lending standards, some economists worried about a sharp weakening in the labor market. There has been a raft of layoffs, mostly in the technology and housing sectors.

The Fed last month raised its benchmark overnight interest rate by a quarter of a percentage point, but indicated it was on the verge of pausing further rate hikes due to financial market turmoil. The U.S. central bank has hiked its policy rate by 475 basis points since last March from the near-zero level to the current 4.75%-5.00% range.

"The labor market was starting to lose steam even before the banking crisis hit the economy in March and this sets up a dangerous situation where tighter credit conditions could prompt actual layoffs in the months ahead as corporations struggle to get costs under control," said Christopher Rupkey, chief economist at FWDBONDS in New York.

Hiring fell to 6.2 million from 6.3 million in January. That lowered the hires rate to 4.0% from 4.1% in the prior month.

Even as job openings declined, the number of people voluntarily quitting their positions increased 146,000 to 4.0 million. The resignations were mostly in small businesses.

About 115,000 people resigned in the professional and business services sector. In the accommodation and food services industry, 93,000 workers quit, while wholesale trade reported 31,000 resignations. About 18,000 educational services workers quit in February. But there were fewer quits in the finance and insurance industry, where resignations fell 39,000.

The quits rates, which is viewed as a measure of labor market confidence, rose to 2.6% from 2.5% in January. It is, however, down from the 2.9%-3.0% range in late 2021 and early 2022 when job hopping was at its peak.

"The more settled state of workers should contribute to a further drop in job openings in the months ahead, as fewer departures reduce the number of new vacancies," said Sarah House, a senior economist at Wells Fargo in Charlotte, North Carolina. "With retention less of an issue for employers, the weakening trend in the quits rate should help to further reduce wage growth."

Layoffs and discharges dropped 215,000 to 1.5 million, concentrated in small and medium-sized businesses. The layoffs rate dropped to 1.0% from 1.1% in January.

"Companies are holding on to workers due to the tight labor market but are starting to think twice about adding more expenses to their books," said Ben Ayers, senior economist at Nationwide in Columbus, Ohio.

(Reporting by Lucia Mutikani; Editing by Paul Simao and Andrea Ricci)
FILE PHOTO: A view shows the pre-trial detention centre Lefortovo, where Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, arrested on suspicion of espionage, is reportedly being held in Moscow, Russia March 30, 2023. REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina/File Photo

(Reuters) -Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was arrested and charged with espionage in Russia last week, met his lawyers for the first time on Tuesday, editor-in-chief Emma Tucker said in a message to staff.

"Evan's health is good, and he is grateful for the outpouring of support from around the world," Tucker said in the letter, a copy of which was seen by Reuters.

"Evan's family ... are relieved to know we finally have contact with Evan," she said, adding she was encouraged by the meeting. Last Thursday a Moscow court remanded Gershkovich in pre-trial detention until May 29 on charges that carry a prison term of up to 20 years.

He has appealed the detention through his lawyers, as Washington said it was pushing hard to secure his release.

Russia's FSB domestic security service later said it had detained a married Russian couple on suspicion of spying on a military plant in the Siberian city of Nizhny Tagil, which is home to a tank factory. Tass cited the FSB as saying the couple had passed on technical information to Ukraine.

A Russian political expert last week told Reuters that Gershkovich had planned to travel to Nizhny Tagil, which is around 1,400 km (870 miles) east of Moscow.

A state-appointed official said on Monday he had visited Gershkovich at Moscow's Lefortovo prison, the main pre-trial jail for high-profile suspects and those charged with espionage or treason.

"We continue to call for his immediate release. The legal avenue is one of several avenues we are working to advocate for Evan's release," said Tucker.

The Wall Street Journal denies the charges. The Kremlin said last week, without providing evidence, that Gershkovich had been "caught red-handed".

(Reporting by Jake Cordell and David Ljunggren; Editing by Leslie Adler and Daniel Wallis)
FILE PHOTO: International Monetary Fund logo is seen inside the headquarters at the end of the IMF/World Bank annual meetings in Washington, U.S., October 9, 2016. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas

By Olena Harmash

KYIV (Reuters) - Ukraine hopes to receive two more tranches worth $1.8 billion from the International Monetary Fund this year under its newly-approved four-year lending program, top Ukrainian central bank officials said on Tuesday.

Ukraine this week received the first $2.7 billion tranche under the program, which is a part of a bigger $115 billion global package of support.

"We hope to receive all planned tranches this year with an overall amount of $4.6 billion. It includes two more tranches worth $0.9 billion each," said Serhiy Nikolaichuk, one of the central bank's deputy governors.

Ukraine faces an unprecedented budget deficit this year and is relying heavily on Western financial support. The Finance Ministry said it had already received a total of $12.6 billion in foreign aid so far this year.

Andriy Pyshnyi, the central bank's governor, hailed the $15.6 billion IMF program and the bigger global support package as a sign that Ukraine's economy continued to demonstrate "resilience and ability" after 13 months of war with Russia.

"The (IMF) memorandum defines what Ukraine needs in order to strengthen our capacity on our way to the victory," Pyshnyi said. "The $115 billion package should help reduce uncertainty."

Ukraine must meet certain conditions to ensure the IMF financing, including steps to boost tax revenue, maintain exchange rate stability, preserve central bank independence and strengthen anti-corruption efforts.

Pyshnyi said the central bank was strongly committed to meeting its obligations under the program. "The 2023 and 2024 will be the years to assess the banking system stance, these will be years of the diagnostics," he said. "We will conduct banks' diagnostics by ourselves in 2023. We will start in a few weeks."

The next phase would include work with independent consultants and was likely to begin in 2024, he said.

The Ukrainian economy has performed better than expected so far this year. Nikolaichuk said the central bank was likely to revise up its forecast for gross domestic product growth for 2023 from the 0.3% projection unveiled in January.

"I can see that the situation is considerably better than we had forecast in January. It is related to a much more resilient energy sector. We had more conservative estimates," Nikolaichuk said.

The central bank said business sentiment had improved now that winter had ended and energy blackouts had been avoided.

Ukraine's energy sector survived months of Russian attacks, but fast repairs and imports of Western equipment have enabled the country to generate enough electricity to cover its needs.

(Reporting by Olena Harmash; Editing by Paul Simao)
GENEVA (Reuters) - Up to 1 million people have been "disappeared" in Iraq during a tumultuous last half century spanning the dictatorial rule of Saddam Hussein, U.S.-led military occupation and the rise of Islamic State militants, the United Nations said on Tuesday.

The U.N. Committee on Enforced Disappearances urged Iraq, which has one of the highest numbers of missing people in the world, to seek victims and punish perpetrators.

But that was hampered by the lack of definition of enforced disappearance as a crime in Iraqi law, its report said.

"The UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances urged Iraq to immediately establish the basis to prevent, eradicate and repair this heinous crime," it said.

There was no immediate reaction from an Iraqi government spokesperson or the interior ministry.

Up to 290,000 people, including some 100,000 Kurds, were forcibly disappeared by Hussein's "genocidal campaign" in Kurdistan between 1968 and 2003, the U.N. report said.

Disappearances continued after the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, which saw the capture of at least 200,000 Iraqis, nearly half of whom were held in prisons run by the U.S. or Britain.

"It is alleged that detainees were arrested without a warrant for their involvement in insurgency operations, while others were 'civilians in the wrong place at the wrong time'," the committee said.

A new wave of abductions accompanied Islamic State's proclamation of a caliphate over part of Iraq's territory.

"Other ongoing patterns include the alleged enforced disappearance of children, especially Yezidi children born after their mothers were sexually abused in ISIL/Dae'sh camps," the committee said, using terms for Islamic State.

Saying that between 250,000 and 1 million people were estimated to have disappeared since 1968, the committee also asked Iraq to create an independent task force to ensure detainees are listed and families informed of their location.

(Reporting by Gabrielle Tetrault-Farber in Geneva and Charlotte Bruneau in Baghdad; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)
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Darya Trepova, suspected of involvement in a bombing at a St. Petersburg cafe, sits in a cage in the courtroom prior to a court session in the Basmanny District Court, in Moscow, April 4, 2023.

A court in Moscow ruled Tuesday that a woman suspected of involvement in a bombing at a St. Petersburg cafe that killed a Russian military blogger who was an ardent supporter of the war in Ukraine should stay in custody for two months pending an investigation.

Vladlen Tatarsky, 40, who filed daily reports on the fighting from the front lines, was killed Sunday as he led a discussion at the riverside cafe in the historic heart of St. Petersburg, Russias second-largest city. Russian authorities described the bombing as an act of terrorism and blamed Ukrainian intelligence agencies for orchestrating the attack.

Police arrested 26-year-old St. Petersburg resident Darya Trepova, who was seen on video moments before the blast presenting Tatarsky with a statuette that is believed to have contained explosives.

The Interior Ministry released a video in which Trepova told a police officer that she brought the bust to the cafe. When asked who gave it to her, she said she would explain later. The circumstances under which Trepova spoke were unclear, including whether she was under duress.

The National Anti-Terrorist Committee, which coordinates counterterrorism operations, said the bombing was planned by Ukrainian special services, noting Trepova was an active supporter of imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Last year, Trepova was arrested and spent 10 days in custody after taking part in an anti-war rally.

Ukrainian authorities did not directly respond to the accusation, but President Volodymyr Zelensky said in reference to the attack that he doesnt think about events in Russia, and his top adviser described the bombing as part of Russias internal turmoil.

While Trepova was arrested in St. Petersburg, her case was sent to Moscow, where the headquarters of the countrys top investigative agencies are located, in an apparent reflection of its high priority.

In an a closed-doors hearing, Moscows Basmanny District Court ordered Trepova to remain in custody until June 2 pending the investigation. Russian law foresees a life sentence for terrorism-related crimes, but life terms arent handed down to women who could instead face sentences of up to 20 years in prison.

According to Russian media reports, Trepova told investigators she was asked to deliver the bust, but didnt know what was inside it.

The bombing, which injured 40 other people, 25 of whom have been hospitalized, was the latest attack inside Russia on a high-profile pro-war figure. Last year, a nationalist TV commentator was assassinated when a bomb exploded in her SUV outside Moscow.

Tatarsky was the pen name of Maxim Fomin, who had accumulated more than 560,000 followers on his Telegram messaging app channel. Tatarsky, who joined separatists in eastern Ukraine after a Moscow-backed insurgency erupted there in 2014, fought on the front lines for years before turning to blogging.

Military bloggers have become increasingly visible, supporting the war but occasionally exposing flaws in Russian military strategy while the Kremlin has shut independent media outlets and muzzled any criticism of the war.

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HONOLULU (Tribune News Service)  The 23-year-old former Schofield Barracks soldier indicted in the March 19 beating death of Alvin Matsumoto, his 64-year-old landlord, was discharged for undisclosed reasons from the Army three weeks before the vicious killing.

Kendall Gray was administratively separated from the Army on Feb. 23, which refers to involuntary separation for reasons ranging from being physically unfit to a civilian criminal conviction.

Gray was arraigned Monday in Circuit Court on a charge of second-degree murder, appearing via Zoom before Judge Christine Kuriyama.

His public defender asked for supervised release or bail, but the court found that electronic monitoring or home detention is not appropriate since he has no verified home address.

The judge confirmed that Gray continued to be held without bail in accordance with the grand jury bench warrant.

Grays trial is set for June 5 before Judge Rowena Somerville.

Video surveillance showed a man stomping on Matsumotos head and chest multiple times as he lay motionless in a stairwell.

A witness said he saw a man dragging the victim down some steps in front of the apartment building and placing his body on a wall before fleeing.

Matsumoto texted he was going to evict Gray, and had filed a complaint against him and Cheryl Dula in December for defaulting on a rental agreement for an apartment at 620 Sheridan St.

Due to privacy concerns, we cannot release the reason for his separation or characterization of his service, said spokesperson William Costello of the U.S. Army Human Resources Command, based in Fort Knox, Ky.

Grays last duty assignment was at Schofield Barracks. His home of record was Georgia when he joined the Army in July 2017.

Gray served as a cavalry scout in Germany from 2017 to 2019. Within that period he also deployed to Turkey.

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(Tribune News Service)  The USS George H.W. Bushs deployment has been extended following a series of Iranian attacks in Syria.

The extended deployment means the return of more than 5,000 Norfolk-based sailors wont happen as scheduled.

Last week, the Department of Defense ordered the U.S. Navys George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group be postured to bolster the capabilities of CENTCOM (U.S. Central Command) in the Middle East, said Col. Joe Buccino, spokesperson for U.S. Central Command, in a statement emailed Monday to The Virginian-Pilot.

The deployment was extended after a series of attacks in Syria over the past two weeks. On March 23, an Iranian unmanned aerial vehicle struck a maintenance facility on a Coalition base near Hasakah, Syria, killing a U.S. contractor and injuring five U.S. service members and one additional contractor. On March 31, Syrian Democratic Forces killed two ISIS suicide bombers in Hasakah, Syria. The suicide bombers were ambushed and killed before they were able to detonate their explosives.

In response, U.S. Central Command released a statement via Twitter: U.S. forces and Syrian Democratic Forces are exploiting the information from the explosives and material for follow-on raids against ISIS. CENTCOM is committed to the enduring defeat of ISIS alongside our partners in Iraq and Syria.

News of the Bushs extension was first reported Friday by Reuters, nearly eight months since Bush sailors moved the flagships American flag from the fantail to the mast. The carrier will be supported by guided-missile destroyer USS Delbert D. Black and guided-missile cruiser USS Leyte Gulf, which departed around Aug. 10, 2022, alongside the Bush from Naval Station Norfolk for a scheduled deployment.

The USNS Arctic, a Military Sealift Command fast combat support ship, will provide additional support to the Bush strike group, and the DOD also expedited the scheduled deployment of an A-10 fighter squadron to the region.

Collectively, these actions demonstrate the United States ability to rapidly reposition forces across the globe and underscores that all necessary measures will be taken to defend U.S. forces. We are committed to supporting the defeat-ISIS mission alongside a global coalition in Syria and are prepared to respond to a range of contingencies in the Middle East if needed, Buccino said.

During this extension, Buccino confirmed the Bush strike group will be under the U.S. European Command, which includes the Baltic and Mediterranean seas. According to Marine Vessel Traffic, three days the Bush was reportedly in the Ionian Sea, off the coast of Italy, heading south to the Mediterranean Sea.

It is unclear how long the Bushs return will be delayed.

caitlyn.burchett@virginiamedia.com

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PORTLAND, Oregon (Tribune News Service)  The wooden box  about a foot long and maybe six inches deep  remained on a pantry shelf in a Portland Heights home in the Southwest hills for 36 years.

No one opened it.

No one moved it.

No one touched it.

The box held the familys hope and optimism for a long-awaited reunion  until that hope and optimism finally were extinguished for good. Then, when it was time to accept the truth about that grim Wednesday in 1944, it held very different qualities. Tears and pain. Thats when the box was moved from the homes living quarters and placed on the pantry shelf.

All of that, wrapped up in a simple wooden box, tucked away in an ordinary Portland home.

Tom Triplett, the boy who lived in the home, first noticed the box when he was 9 or so after his mother asked him to fetch something for her from the pantry. He saw that box weekly, if not daily, and it became a part of his childhood.

He left home, graduated from college and then law school. He married. The couple had two daughters. After a long career as a Portland attorney, he retired and now lives in Bend.

Its been a long time, but Triplett, 82, can still close his eyes and see that box on the pantry shelf of his childhood home. Even at 9 he knew it was something special. He would soon learn from his father that it was a marker, a before-and-after in his familys history.

My uncle went missing when I was 4, he said. My only memory of him is when I was 3.

During World War II, his uncle, Jim Triplett, married and living in Seattle, enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps, the precursor to what eventually became the U.S. Air Force. He rose to the rank of master gunnery sergeant and was assigned as a radio operator to the 445th bomber group, which was a part of the Eighth Air Force. Stationed in England  and known as the Mighty Eighth  the group planned and carried out bombing missions against Nazi and Axis targets throughout occupied Europe.

On Sept. 27, 1944, 35 B-24 Liberators of the 445th bomber group, with 336 crew members, mistakenly veered off course during a mission targeting Kassel, Germany. Separated from the pack, they were, in every sense of the word, flying naked, with no fighter-plane support to protect their flanks.

The group dropped their payloads on a secondary target and were making their prescribed turns to head home when 150 German Luftwaffe fighters came through the cloud cover and attacked. Of the 35 American planes, 25 were downed inside Germanys borders. Others crash-landed in France, England and Belgium. Only four bombers safely returned to their air base in England. Records showed that 117 airmen were killed in action, 121 taken prisoner and eight were missing in action.

The lumbering bombers, with no fighter cover, were easy targets, said Jim Bertram, whose father was a navigator on one of the bombers. Bertram, who lives in the San Francisco Bay Area, is the chairman of the Kassel Mission Historical Society, a nonprofit that endeavors to keep alive the collective memory of that day and the participants legacies.

This air battle would become the greatest single-day loss to a single group in air-warfare history, said Bertram.

Jim Triplett, 36, was on one of those bombers.

About a month before the attack over Kassel, Tom Tripletts father, Bill Triplett, wanted to do something for his brother for Christmas.

Bill, a Stanford University graduate, who ran a chain of Portland-area grocery stores started by his father-in-law, came home with a wooden box. It was unpainted, simply constructed and functional. He filled it with small gifts to send to his brothers air base in England.

I never, ever, looked in the box, said Tom Triplett. But I know from my father there was tobacco in it. Chocolate  things to eat.

One day, later in 1944, the doorbell rang at the Triplett home. His wife, Eileen Triplett, a fellow Stanford University graduate, opened the door and saw a man from the Army. In his hands was a wrapped package.

The box.

The man said it was being returned to sender, labeled addressee unknown. When Bill Triplett arrived home from work, his wife handed him the box.

Bill Triplett made calls, learned about the attack over Kassel and was told his brother was listed as missing in action. A year later, the family was notified that Triplett had been officially declared dead.

Because of the location where the planes went down, my grandmother and my father believed my uncle might have been taken prisoner, said Tom Triplett. My father was convinced that one day his brother would come home. He put that box in the pantry because he wanted to hand it to his brother.

And there the box remained.

It was a constant reminder to the family, said Tom Triplett. To her dying day, my grandmother believed her son was coming home.

Of the nine men on Jim Tripletts bomber, only three parachuted to safety  and they were captured by Germans. Bill Triplett later learned what supposedly happened onboard when the fighters attacked.

My father heard that my uncle told everyone on the plane to go first, Tom Triplett said. He didnt have children. They did and he told them it was important they survived. My uncle was the last one to parachute from the plane. I dont know where my father heard that. I cant prove or disprove it, but it became part of our family legend.

Now, late in his own life, Tom Triplett has a theory about the box in the pantry and his father.

Bill Triplett had planned to enlist with his brother, his son pointed out. The Army, however, rejected him because he had bad ankles from a ski accident on Mount Hood.

I think there may have been a certain amount of feeling on my fathers part that he should have been there with his brother, said Tom Triplett. Im surmising. He never told me this, but as I got older, I knew what he might have felt like.

Tom Triplett was living out of the country when his parents sold their Portland Heights home and moved to a planned community in West Linn.

His mother died in 1994, his father four years later.

When their son helped clean out the place, he couldnt find the wooden box. He never learned what became of it. For 36 years, the wooden box on a shelf in the pantry had been the one constant in a changing world.

Now it was gone.

The Kassel Mission Memorial Association was formed 40 years ago to honor the Kassel mission. A memorial was built on the site where the lead B-24 bomber went down near Friedlos, Germany.

It is the only known memorial dedicated to honoring airmen from both sides of the conflict who perished that day.

Members of the society, made up mostly of descendants of those who participated in the Kassel Mission, travel to the memorial every five years to meet each other and local Germans, and to pay their respects. The memorial was built in the spirit of reconciliation and the need for cooperation among nations.

Only one person from that mission, a pilot now 99, is still alive. For decades, eight servicemen from the Kassel Mission, including Jim Triplett, were not accounted for.

A German man affiliated with the association spent years attempting to identify each crash site, and another German man helped with archaeological digs to try to locate the eight missing men. That information was shared with the U.S. Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, which looks for remains of missing servicemen.

In 2016, working with German partners, the U.S. agencys officials began an excavation at a potential Kassel mission site and found bone fragments.

Four years ago, Tom Triplett was asked by the Kassel Mission Historical Society if he would provide a DNA sample. He agreed.

What happens then, said Bertram, is you wait and wait and wait.

Two months ago, Triplett received a call that he describes as coming out of the blue.

His DNA matched the DNA on bones found in Germany.

Officials had located Jim Triplett.

It was a great relief, Tom Triplett said.

After hanging up the phone, Triplett began calling all his relatives.

A 79-year-old mystery was over.

Triplett later learned that DNA provided by someone else in the United States allowed identification of other bone fragments found at the site, allowing the remains of Lt. Porter Pile, the co-pilot of Jim Tripletts bomber, to be identified too.

Tom Triplett and one of Piles descendants talked by phone and agreed on a joint ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. The remains of both Jim Triplett and Porter Pile will be taken by an honor guard for an October inurnment.

Tom Triplett will stand at attention.

He will not be alone.

His father will be there with his brother.

His grandmother will be there with her son.

The spirit of the entire family, he said, will be with me in Arlington.

Triplett said he has experienced what he calls moments of quiet reflection.

He has not cried.

That, he knows, will happen at Arlington National Cemetery.

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This article first appeared in the Stars and Stripes Mideast edition, Aug. 26, 2011. It is republished unedited in its original form.

FORWARD OPERATING BASE PASAB, Afghanistan  It was the worst of places, but the soldiers on the ground had few options when they marked the landing zone for the medevac helicopter. One of their buddys legs had been blown off by an IED near Pashmul South, and another had suffered a traumatic brain injury from the blast.

Grape rows, tree lines and mud walls surrounded the field. It was the perfect setting for an ambush.

Purple smoke billowed from the landing zone as the crew of Dustoff 59 sped toward a small band of the 1st Infantry Division soldiers, waiting with their wounded. As pilot and Chief Warrant Officer 2 Marcus Chambers slowed for the landing, gunfire broke out and the all-too-familiar tat-tat-tat, tat-tat-tat pinged around them.

Chambers set the aircraft down and flight medic Staff Sgt. Garrick Morgenweck flung the door open to retrieve the wounded. As he stepped out, insurgents fired a rocket-propelled grenade from close range, striking a mud wall and narrowly missing the helicopter as it blasted through.

Pilot in command Capt. Chris Morisoli immediately called the crew back in and told Chambers to take off. Morgenweck fell backward into the cabin, pulling the door shut as Chambers steadied the aircraft while the crew struggled to strap in.

The helicopter darted into the sky, forcing the crew to leave the soldiers on the ground. Dustoff 59 circled out of range while an Apache gunship fired on insurgents. Chambers followed the Apache in, but a second RPG was fired. It missed the aircraft, but the blast wave shook the cabin.

Frustration gripped the crew as Chambers circled for a third attempt. But insurgents attacked with a barrage of small-arms fire, which shook the rotor system and nearly hit crew chief Staff Sgt. Bruce Garrett. A bullet passed just inches from his chest, knocking a ballistic plate into his knees and sending bullet fragments throughout the cabin. A spray of shrapnel caught Morgenweck in the face. Again they charged away.

Morisoli checked in with the crew. Theyd all seen enough of this war to know that the soldier whose legs had been blown off stood little chance of survival if he didnt get to a surgeon soon. Without discussion, each crewmember voted for a fourth attempt.

Morisoli took the controls and followed in fast on yet another gun run by the Apache. The crew watched as soldiers huddled over the wounded, trying to protect them.

As Morisoli closed in, he pulled up and rotated the aircraft by shifting into an unexpected decelerating turn over a mud wall, landing the nose of the helicopter just four feet from the wounded. If they werent under attack, he would have never landed so close. Gunfire erupted.

One last explosion blew in the distance. Morgenweck covered flight medic Cpl. Amanda Mosher with his M4 as she pushed out of the aircraft and guided the wounded on board.

Forty seconds later, Dustoff 59 lifted off.

The golden hour

As coalition forces push into the Arghandab River Valley, and Taliban reprisals exact their toll on U.S. and Afghan soldiers, Dustoff crews from Company C, 1st Battalion, 52nd Aviation Regiment, 16th Aviation Brigade, fly throughout the Kandahar province, pulling the wounded from the battlefield.

Their work revolves around the medical golden hour, the fleeting 60 minutes that critically wounded have to receive surgical care before their chances of survival begin to dwindle rapidly.

It is a no-fail mission. If we dont fly, they dont live, pilot and Chief Warrant Officer 4 Stephanie Truax said. When its your time, its your time. I dont think any of us worry about dying. Its what we see, day in and day out. War is hell.

When Truax flies, she sees her sons, who are 18 and 19.

For me, its close, she said, fighting back tears, When I pick up the guy and hes missing his legs, he looks just like my son, and my son is a Marine.

Though crewmembers are immensely diverse in personality and upbringing, they are bound by their ability to remain calm under unimaginable duress. When faced with adversity, they find clarity, becoming more focused as the mission toughens.

They fly low and fast and always unpredictably when retrieving the wounded. While their aviation methods appear chaotic, each decision is thoughtful, every flying maneuver deliberate. They depend on the speed and agility of their workhorse, the UH-60A Black Hawk, to get in and out of hot zones quickly.

You turn that aircraft into an extension of your own body and you just fly it, said Morisoli, who is also the executive officer for the company.

While on duty, crews are never more than a few hundred yards from their aircraft, which is preset for flight. Everything is arranged for speed. Gloves are left just so; body armor hangs where it cant get tangled. Some sleep in their clothes. Rarely do they get too comfortable in one spot. They read and watch movies, play video games and laugh. Practical jokes abound.

They can wait for hours  sometimes days  for a call, but when medevac, medevac, medevac cracks over the radio, they tear toward their aircraft, leaving whatever task was at hand in a pile behind them.

Though their mandate allows them 15 minutes to launch after theyve received a 9-line, named for the nine lines of information the mission contains, theyre usually off the ground in less than seven. Their call sign, Dustoff, was first used in 1962 by a helicopter medevac crew in Vietnam.

In 2009, then-Secretary of Defense Robert Gates issued an order requiring that medevac units transport the critically wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan to a trauma facility within an hour of receiving a call.

According to NATO-led International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, average flight times in Regional Commands East, South and Southwest are averaging about 39 minutes in 2011.

Thats five minutes faster than the average flight time in 2010.

A moments notice

During the summer months, temperatures soar in the aircraft, and the smell of fuel permeates the air. Dust landings can fill a cabin with debris and cover the flight medic and crew chief in dirt. Sweat pours from their bodies as they work over a patient while wearing a fire-repellant suit, body armor and a flight helmet. Their knees can ache from kneeling over the wounded, and spectacular bruises are commonplace.

Because the aircraft will pitch and pull in flight, especially in a hot landing zone, medics have learned to look at the floor instead of the horizon to avoid becoming disoriented while treating patients.

The vibrating cabin roars from the deafening sound of the engine and rotors, so medics, deprived of their ability to hear patients or speak to them, use sight and touch to check for breathing and simple hand gestures to communicate.

Though an armed Black Hawk follows all medevac flights, an air weapons team, usually made up of a Kiowa Warrior and Apache Longbow, often accompanies them to provide fire cover in a hot landing zone.

Sometimes, medevac crews are forced to wait for launch approval until the bigger guns arrive. Nothing about the rigors of their job can cause them more strife.

Its the only time during a mission that the cadence of their voice changes. Even under direct fire, theyll remain calm, but waiting for a launch approval when they know a soldier needs them can undo them like nothing else.

Recently, a crew waited at FOB Pasab. Tension filled the cabin as their helicopter sat, engines fired and rotors turning. They knew from the 9-line that a U.S. soldier had been shot in the chest. They knew he was barely breathing. But division headquarters had received reports that a firefight raged, and they wouldnt allow the unarmed medevac to go in without an air weapons team.

The pilots know they cant risk the crew and the aircraft by landing in a firefight without backup. If the bird goes down, theyll become the injured instead of the rescuers. But being rational doesnt make the waiting any easier. Theyre soldiers. And soldiers take risks to help other soldiers.

The same frustration occurs when theyre unable to land because of an attack.

Its all about those guys on the ground, so if we have to go in there 10 times, Ive got to put my fears aside because theyre counting on me, said Garrett, who, along with the rest of Dustoff 59s crew, was nominated for an Air Medal with Valor for his actions under fire in Pashmul South.

Im counting on them to go out there to fight the Taliban head to head, in close quarters. When they need medevac, were going in there.

Nearly half the casualties are Afghan soldiers or civilians. They treat enemy prisoners of war and suspected Taliban fighters with the same care they provide coalition forces. But theres an unmistakable communion they share with U.S. soldiers.

Those poor bastards get so beat up out there, said flight medic Sgt. Brandon Lowther.

Sometimes, the troops on the ground have a hard time letting go of the wounded.

Youll have to push them away from the aircraft because theyre leaning in and want to grasp hands or get one last look at their buddy before they leave them, Lowther said.

Like many of the soldiers, Lowther struggles to understand why Taliban insurgents fire on medevac crews. Though the Taliban are hardly signers of the Geneva Conventions, which prohibits firing on marked ambulances, Afghanistan is an original signatory of the 1949 protocol.

I cant wrap my mind around it, especially with the number of Afghans that Ive picked up, Lowther said, It makes my brain hurt to try and process and understand what goes through their mind.

A little more closer to hell

Capt. Maureen Pennington, director of nursing services at the NATO Role 3 Multinational Hospital at Kandahar Air Field, believes that medevac crews carry a quiet burden, one they arent often willing to share with outsiders, and she worries about what they see.

She senses the relief they feel when they hand over a patient and notices a slight drop in their head once the trauma team takes over. She knows theyre retracing their actions and wondering whether they did everything they could.

You cant even imagine what they go through. I think they have the weight of the world on their shoulders with all of the soldiers that they take care of, Pennington said, adding after a brief pause, That responsibility must weigh very heavy on them.

While most of the medevac soldiers attempt to disengage their personal feelings from their work, some, like Lowther, let the swell of emotions wash over them. He cant help but cry at times, especially when his patients are Afghan children. An endless stream of them, robbed of their childhood by poverty and war, make their way onto their helicopters.

Some have been caught in crossfire; others are simply victims of the brutal Afghan rural life.

Sometimes he calls the hospital to check on someone hes treated. Hes one of the few who wants to know if they made it. Most cant bear to know.

But even Lowther has a threshold. Recently, while other crewmembers were watching mission footage shot by an embedded film crew, he was overcome with a sickening pain and left the room. He can live it every day, but he cant stand to watch it replayed.

Even those who try to disengage eventually think about what they see. Catastrophic blast injuries from IEDs that shred a body like nothing else. Gunshot wounds that cause a man to writhe as he pleads with a medic to help him breathe or give him water.

Sometimes, the pain in the eyes of the soldiers gets to Morisoli.

He thinks about the journey theyll have trying to put their life back together. He thinks about the families that will welcome them home. He cant linger in his thoughts too long, though, because he knows that in the end, it just hurts too much.

He has to let go because he knows that tomorrow, or the next day, he and his crew will pick up another soldier who has lost his legs.

This is a rough game, and I dont care who you are, its going to affect you, Role 3 hospital commander Capt. Mike McCarten said.

Theyre seeing things a little more closer to hell.
(Tribune News Service)  James Earl Ray drove from Los Angeles on March 18, 1968 in the 1966 white Ford Mustang he purchased in Birmingham months earlier, leaving behind a television set on which he had admiringly watched George Wallace speak.

The journey east toward Atlanta was the most recent on his cross-continent journey, which began with his escape from a Missouri prison in April 1967 and continued with him taking his Mustang with Alabama plates to Puerto Vallarta. He went to Chicago, Montreal and volunteered with Wallaces presidential campaign in California.

That same Mustang would soon carry Ray to Selma where he expected Martin Luther King Jr. to speak.

After leaving Los Angeles, Ray drove the Mustang toward Atlanta, stopping in New Orleans and Selma, then going back to Birmingham. Ray had stayed briefly in the Magic City after his escape from the Missouri prison that caged him for seven years for robbing a grocery store.

It was while back in Birmingham that Ray purchased the rifle he used to end Kings life on the balcony of a Memphis motel 17 days after he left L.A.

While in California, living under the name Eric Starvo Galt, Ray aided former Gov. Wallaces run for president, which brought many of his supporters from Alabama to the California campaign trail, author Hampton Sides wrote in Hellhound on his Trail: The Electrifying Account of the Largest Manhunt in American History.

To the core of his angry soul, Eric Galt identified with Wallaces rants against big government, his championing of the working man, his jeremiads on the spread of Communism, Sides wrote. What Galt found most appealing about Wallace, though, was the governors stance as an unapologetic segregationist. Wallaces rhetoric powerfully articulated Galts own smoldering prejudices.

As much as he admired Wallace. Ray loathed King. It was no coincidence Ray was bound for Atlanta, where King lived and preached.

Rays probable stalking of Dr. King continued with his trip to Selma, Alabama following his departure from Los Angeles, according to records in the National Archive of a Congressional committee hearing on the assassination.

Dr. King was in the Selma area on March 21. Ray admitted being in Selma on March 22 (a motel registration card for his Galt alias confirms his stay there), but his explanation for being there was not convincing. He claimed that while driving from New Orleans to Birmingham .... he got lost and had to spend the night in Selma. The committee noted, however, that in 1968 there were two direct routes from New Orleans to Birmingham, and that Selma was on neither of them. It was situated in between the two routes, about 45 miles out of the way. The committee further determined that it would be difficult for Ray to have become lost between New Orleans and Birmingham.

Sides notes Ray saw news of King traveling to Selma but doubts he would try to kill MLK when he was only armed with a .38 handgun and not a rifle.

For that, Ray would travel to Birmingham.

The last known address of Ray, under the name of Eric S. Galt, was at 2608 Highland Avenue in Birmingham.

The house has since been demolished, and a convenience store occupies the location today, journalist Stan Diel wrote for AL.com in 2010.

Ray first tried Long-Lewis hardware in Bessemer on March 29, 1968, Sides wrote, but did not think the guns there were powerful enough. He went from there to Aeromarine Supply Company, where he bought a Remington Gamemaster .243. He returned the rifle the next day for the more powerful .30-06 Remington Gamemaster 760.

The store where he bought the gun was on property that now is part of Shuttlesworth International Airport, according to the book. The airport was named after civil rights icon the Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth in 2008, the 2010 article stated.

When Ray bought the rifle, he identified himself as Harvey Lowmeyer and listed an address in the 1900 block of 11th Street South as his home.

The biggest mystery from Rays time in Birmingham is why he was here at all, Sides said in a 2010 AL.com interview. The only explanation found so far is his affinity for Wallace.

He could have bought the gun at a gun store in Georgia. But he chose to go to Birmingham to buy the gun, Sides said. I dont know why.

Having stalked Kings movements in Atlanta, Ray decided to travel to Memphis where King was leading a protest by the citys sanitation workers.

Signing in at the New Rebel Motel, Ray listed his name and address as Eric S. Galt, 2608 Highland Avenue, Birmingham, Alabama, Sides wrote.

Ray would soon relocate to a nearby rooming house with a better view of Kings motel.

As storms battered the Mason Temple, King gave what turned out to be one of his most remembered speeches. It was his last.

We arent going to let any mace stop us. We are masters in our nonviolent movement in disarming police forces; they dont know what to do. Ive seen them so often, King said.

I remember in Birmingham, Alabama, when we were in that majestic struggle there, we would move out of the 16th Street Baptist Church day after day; by the hundreds we would move out. And Bull Connor would tell them to send the dogs forth, and they did come; but we just went before the dogs singing, Aint gonna let nobody turn me around....

And we just went on before the dogs and we would look at them; and wed go on before the water hoses and we would look at it, and wed just go on singing Over my head I see freedom in the air. And then we would be thrown in the paddy wagons, and sometimes we were stacked in there like sardines in a can. And they would throw us in, and old Bull would say, Take em off, and they did; and we would just go in the paddy wagon singing, We Shall Overcome.

The next day, from the rear of a rooming house, Ray stood in a bathtub to fire the shot.

The tragic deed done, Ray scooped up his belongings from the seedy flophouse and ran to the Birmingham-bought Mustang he had driven across America. He ditched his belongings, including the rifle he bought in Alabama, in the doorway of a nearby business.

After the assassination Ray drove through Alabama, but didnt stay, as he had initially planned. Instead, he ditched camera equipment somewhere east of Florence, and drove on to Atlanta, Diel wrote in 2010.

Ray, historians have speculated, may have thought Wallace would pardon him for killing King  assuming Wallace won the 1968 presidential election.

He harbored a vague hope that George Wallaces Alabama ... would protect him, that the majority of citizens would praise him for his act and shield him from pursuers, Sides wrote. It was a pitifully naive train of reasoning.

Ray was charged in federal court in Birmingham on April 17, 1968, for shooting King and soon led authorities on a global manhunt.

The Mustang he purchased here was found in Atlanta, still with its Alabama plates.

On June 8, 1968, Ray was arrested at Londons Heathrow Airport.

Former Birmingham Mayor Arthur Hanes represented Ray with his son, Art Hanes Jr., before a new legal team took over.

Hanes Sr. was a staunch segregationist, compared to his replacement as mayor, Albert Boutwell.

The younger Hanes discussed the Ray case with AL.com in 2013:

Hanes Jr. says Ray was browbeat by his new lawyer into making a confession.

To this day, Hanes Jr. continues to say he believes Ray didnt fire the shot that killed King. What would have been Exhibit A of Hanes Jr.s defense hangs on his office wall, an aerial photograph of the Lorraine Motel and its surroundings in Memphis.

Ray wrote a book claiming a conspiracy and government cover-up. The King family joined Rays relatives in 1997 in calling for a trial to discover the full truth about what happened in Memphis.

For years, Hanes Jr. has said there was interesting information Ray provided him. Hanes Jr. still isnt saying what that may be.

Its important in the sense that it accounts for what he was doing that day, Hanes Jr. says. Its the explanation of how did your gun get there, how did this happen. Its just an interesting link to the puzzle. Ill share it some time.

Ray proclaimed his innocence until his death in prison in 1998.

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Kandahar Air Field, Afghanistan, June 15, 2011: Pfc. Kyle Hockenberry, of 4th Squadron, 4th Cavalry Infantry Regiment, 1st Heavy Combat Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, who was injured in an improvised explosive device attack near Haji Ramuddin, is treated by flight medic Cpl. Amanda Mosher while being transported by medevac helicopter to the Role 3 hospital. Throughout Hockenberry's multiple surgeries and skin grafts, doctors have worked around his tattoo and left it intact.

The photo  taken by Stars and Stripes reporter and photographer Laura Rauch as she embedded with the medevac unit  went around the world.

Read Rauch's 2011 story on the Dustoff crews from Company C, 1st Battalion, 52nd Aviation Regiment, 16th Aviation Brigade here.
Four B-52 bombers arrived last week at Andersen Air Force Base on Guam as part of the Air Forces ongoing bomber task force missions intended to project U.S. air power in the region.

The bombers are assigned to the 96th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron at Barksdale Air Force Base, La., the Air Force said in a news release Monday.

More than 210 airmen deployed with the bombers that arrived Thursday, the Air Force said. B-52s last deployed to Guam in February 2022.

In recent years, the Air Force has routinely deployed B-52 and B-1 and bombers to Guam, but the service withholds timetables for arrivals and departures to maintain unpredictability.

B-1 bombers deployed to Guam in June and October last year.

The bomber task force gives crews the chance to hone technical and weapons system expertise and also sends an extremely important message, Lt. Col. Vanessa Wilcox, commander of the 96th Bomb Squadron, said in the release.

It demonstrates our continued readiness and commitment to our allies in the region to ensure freedom of movement now and in the future, as well as ensures stability in the region, Wilcox said.

Bombers in past task force missions have flown with aircraft from Japan, South Korea and Australia during joint exercises.

In November, Australian public broadcaster ABC reported that the Pentagon plans to rotate B-52 bombers to Australias Northern Territory.

Under the Air Forces agile combat employment concept, Guam serves as a hub for the services aircraft while landing strips in remote and austere locations act as spokes.

Guam is particularly vital to U.S. power projection in the Indo-Pacific. It is home to military installations such as Andersen, Naval Base Guam and Camp Blaz, a Marine Corps base still under construction that will become the permanent station for about 1,300 Marines, with another 3,700 expected to rotate through.

Given those assets, Guam would serve as a prime staging area for U.S. forces in a conflict with China or North Korea.

The Defense Department is spending $1.5 billion to build a rigorous missile defense system for the American territory, which will include radars, launchers, interceptors and a control system aimed at neutralizing the kinds of cruise and ballistic missile systems China has or is developing.
MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan  Japanese police arrested an enlisted Marine on suspicion of auto theft Sunday morning after he was stopped in a car that was reported stolen less than an hour earlier, an Iwakuni Police spokesman said Tuesday.

Police allege that Lance Cpl. Helder Molina, 29, of MCAS Iwakuni, drove off in a car that was parked with its engine running at 5:53 a.m. on Marifu Cho Street, 1  miles north of the base.

The cars owner, a 50-year-old woman, reported the alleged theft to police, who found Molina driving the vehicle, the spokesman said.

Molina told the police that he did not steal the car, said the spokesman, who declined to provide further details, citing an open investigation. Some government officials in Japan are required to speak to the media only on condition of anonymity.

We are aware of this matter, base spokesman 1st Lt. Aaron Ellis said by email Tuesday. We take all allegations seriously, and are fully cooperating with the local investigation.

Molina was still in police custody as of Tuesday morning, the police spokesman said.

This is the second case of alleged car theft involving a Marine in Iwakuni since December. Japanese prosecutors charged Lance Cpl. Dominic Youngren with stealing a car from a local dealership on Dec. 3 and crashing into another vehicle. Youngren has been charged with illegally entering a car dealership, theft, negligent driving resulting in injuries and violations of Japans Road Traffic Law.
Former US President and front-runner for the 2024 Republican nomination Donald Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records included in an indictment against him, appearing in a Manhattan courtroom on Tuesday after surrendering to police to face the unprecedented charges for the first time, said a media reports.

The charges were handed down in an indictment by a grand jury investigating the circumstances surrounding a payment made on Trump's behalf to an adult film star in 2016 in exchange for her silence about an alleged affair, which Trump has denied.

Trump, who has called the charges politically motivated, held his fist in the air in a gesture to reporters as he departed Trump Tower.

Looking somber, Trump said nothing as he walked past police and through a hallway in the courthouse before entering the courtroom for the arraignment proceeding. A photo taken by a photographer in the courtroom authorized by the judge showed Trump sitting at the defense table, flanked by his lawyers, reorted Reuters.

Trump's Secret Service motorcade left Trump Tower in midtown Manhattan for the courthouse shortly after 1 p.m., cutting through New York traffic with a police escort as spectators looked on. When his motorcade arrived, Trump waved to the crowd and cameras before entering the courthouse to turn himself in.

The indictment against Trump charges him with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records and conspiracy in connection with hush money payments to two women before the 2016 presidential election.

The media dubbed this as an extraordinary moment in US history, as Trump also becomes the first US president who faces criminal charges.

The Republican party leader who had earlier announced his bid to run for 2024 US Presidential elections faces multiple election-related investigations.

Earlier in the day, his plane  painted in red, white and blue with TRUMP in big letters on the side and an image of the American flag on the tail  arrived at LaGuardia Airport in Queens after a 3-1/2 hour flight from West Palm Beach near his Florida home.

Clad in a blue suit and wearing a red tie, Trump walked deliberately and alone down a flight of stairs from the airplane and climbed into an SUV for a drive in a motorcade to Trump Tower in Manhattan.

He got out of the vehicle, waved to people behind barricades set up by police for security purposes and walked into Trump Tower while making no public comments.

Beefing up his legal team, Trump hired Todd Blanche, a prominent white-collar criminal defence lawyer and former federal prosecutor, to join his defence, two sources familiar with the matter said.

Blanche and other Trump lawyers yesterday urged the judge not to allow videography, photography and radio coverage of the arraignment.

In a letter to the court, they argued against allowing such coverage, saying it would exacerbate an already almost circus-like atmosphere around this case and detract from both the dignity and decorum of the proceedings and courtroom.

Scores of reporters and observers gathered near the lower Manhattan courthouse, as police arranged barricades. One of Trumps strongest allies in Washington, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R., Ga.), spoke at a rally earlier in the day.

The Manhattan District Attorneys investigation into the $130,000 payment to Stormy Daniels, triggered in part by a series of Wall Street Journal articles in 2018, is the longest-running of several active criminal probes of Trump, reported The Wall Street Journal.

Hundreds of Donald Trump supporters and anti-Trump protesters on Tuesday swarmed the streets around the courthouse in New York City.
The most promising drug against Alzheimers in recent decades reduces patients brain volume without scientists knowing why or what effects it may have in the long term. The drug, called lecanemab, reduces cognitive impairment associated with this disease by 27% in patients who are in the early stages of Alzheimers. But the experimental drug also produces worrisome side effects such as minor bleeding, and may have been linked to the deaths of two people.

A new study has analyzed another side effect of this drug and others like it: the accelerated brain volume loss in patients who take it. According to the analysis, people who receive lecanemab experience a 28% greater reduction in the size of their brains than those who take a placebo. Another similar experimental drug, donanemab, also produces similar effects.

In 1901, a woman with paranoia, insomnia, sudden mood swings and memory loss was examined by the German neurologist Alois Alzheimer. The womans name was Auguste Deter. The German doctors notes on his dialogues with her portray the ravages of this disease: She sits on the bed with a helpless expression. What is your name? Auguste. Last name? Auguste. Whats your husbands name? Auguste. [...] You are married? Yes, with Auguste. There was little the doctor could do for his patient, who died five years later. Alzheimer analyzed the womans brain and described the characteristic lesions of the disease.

Auguste Deter, pictured in 1902. The Lancet

More than a century later, Alzheimers disease affects more than 30 million people worldwide and there is still no cure. The expectations surrounding lecanemab are huge because it could be the first drug that stops the mental deterioration process associated with this disease. But its effects are so timid that many experts believe that they are imperceptible to patients, their caregivers and their families.

Although the cause of the disease is unknown, it has been documented that Alzheimers kills neurons and that the brain of patients shrinks progressively. That is why it is so surprising that a drug that theoretically stops the disease produces even more brain volume loss than the disease itself.

Scott Ayton, a neurologist at the University of Melbourne (Australia) is the main author of the new study, which was published in the specialized journal Neurology. The analysis reviews the results of 31 clinical trials of drugs aimed at eliminating amyloid-beta protein, one of the markers of the disease. Our results are worrying. We do not know what consequences the observed reduction in brain volume may have, so we are calling for more studies, he warns. The pharmaceutical companies that funded these clinical trials have a wealth of data that can shed light on this problem of brain atrophy, but that data has hardly been analyzed and the companies have not published it.

Ayton was an advisor to Eisai, the Japanese company that developed lecanemab together with the US firm Biogen. He says he alerted the company to these results and asked for detailed data on brain volume, but they didnt give it to him.

The available data are based on a clinical trial with more than 1,700 early-stage patients in 14 countries who were followed for 18 months. But several experts consulted by this newspaper warned that follow-up data over the course of three or four years will probably be necessary to determine whether the observed benefits are sustained or stagnate. It is also important to resolve all the unknowns that the new drug raises.

Two years ago, the FDA approved another drug against Alzheimers, aducanumab, despite the fact that it had not shown effectiveness. Three experts on the official review panel resigned in protest. Aducanumab has been a medical and economic fiasco for Biogen, the company that developed it and is now also promoting lecanemab together with the Japanese company Eisai.

An Eisai spokesperson told EL PAIS that they are continuing with the approval process and suggests that the observed effects may be due to the disappearance of the amyloid protein from the brain. The pharmaceutical company did not answer the question of whether it will publish the complete data sets on the drug so that independent scientists and doctors can analyze them.

In an editorial accompanying Aytons article, neurologists Frederik Barkhof and David Knopmanone of the experts who resigned over the aducanumab scandalhighlighted the uncertainty about the effects of the enigmatic loss of brain volume. It is possible, they wrote, that it does not have an impact on patients health, although they ruled out that it is only due to the disappearance of the amyloid protein plaques.

Aytons work also found ventricular enlargement in patients brains, and observed a striking correlation between ventricular volume and the frequency of amyloid-related imaging abnormalities. The researchers expressed concern that brain volume and ventricular volume appear to move in opposite directions from what would be expected with a therapeutic intervention. The only way to find out for sure, they said, is to continue observing the patients who took these drugs.

Neurologists are divided between those who clearly hear alarm bells and those who believe that the reduction of brain volume may be an unimportant side effect. Currently it is impossible to know who is right.

Raquel Sanchez del Valle, coordinator of behavior and dementia at the Spanish Society of Neurology, believes that these recent observations should not stop the approval of lecanemab, since they do not question the safety of the drug. The neurologist highlights that the reduction in brain volume may be an indication that the drug is working. Similar brain shrinkage, she explains, occurs with multiple sclerosis drugs that have proven to be effective.

Sanchez del Valle, a neurologist at Hospital Clinico in Barcelona, has participated in clinical trials of lecanemab, but explains that she cannot say if any of her patients have suffered a reduction in the size of their brains because she does not have access to that information. That is in possession of the pharmaceutical companies that finance the trials, something that is common in clinical trials, she details. Its the same problem Ayton ran into in Australia.

David Perez, head of neurology at Hospital 12 de Octubre in Madrid, explains that the loss of brain volume with this type of drug has been known about for a long time, but on many occasions it has been tiptoed around because the drugs did not prove their efficacy and were dropped. It is logical to think that the observed brain atrophy is due to the loss of neurons. It can be argued that it is due to removal of the pathological amyloid protein, but this is at least debatable. The most important thing is to determine if after five or six years of treatment with lecanemab, its positive effects continue, which would represent a striking therapeutic effect, or if they stagnate, as has happened with previous drugs. In his opinion, full approval of this drug would be premature.

Miguel Medina, deputy scientific director of the Network Center for Biomedical Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases CIBERNED, believes that asserting that the loss of brain volume is due to the elimination of amyloid plaques and that it does not cause damage is pure speculation. This expert believes that the matter is significant enough to be taken seriously and monitored.
The U.S. military hasnt seen any indications of an imminent nuclear weapons test by North Korea, though it continues to monitor the communist regimes testing facilities, a Pentagon spokeswoman said Monday.

We continue to assess and work with our allies and partners in the region, deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters in Washington, D.C. Our goal and our allies' goal is the full denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

For the past year, U.S. and South Korean intelligence officials have warned that North Korea has fully prepared to conduct its seventh nuclear test. The communist regime last detonated what it claimed was a hydrogen device on Sept. 3, 2017.

The director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, Army Lt. Gen. Scott Berrier, told reporters on March 22 that North Korea did not appear to be conducting a nuclear test soon.

There are a bunch of different factors that play into [North Korean leader Kim Jong Uns] decision calculus on that, he said, according to Reuters. And there are a bunch of things that we watch in terms of indications and warning. Those two haven't aligned.

North Koreas state-run Korean Central News Agency released images on March 28 of what it described as new Hwasan-31 nuclear warheads. The same report said the North had traveled a rigorous and long road for possessing nuclear weapons."

North Korea has no plans to cease its nuclear program, according to U.S. and international agencies.

Kim is continuing efforts to enhance North Koreas nuclear and conventional capabilities targeting the United States and its allies, according to the annual threat assessment released March 8 by Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines.

"Kim almost certainly views nuclear weapons and [intercontinental ballistic missiles] as the ultimate guarantor of his autocratic rule and has no intention of abandoning those programs, believing that over time he will gain international acceptance as a nuclear power, the report states.

The Punggye-ri site, where North Korea previously tested its nuclear devices, remains prepared to support a nuclear test, and we continue to see indications of activity , according to a March 6 statement by Rafael Grossi, director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

The reopening of the nuclear test site is deeply troubling, Grossi said. The conduct of a nuclear test would contravene U.N. Security Council resolutions and would be a cause for serious concern.

The September 2017 test triggered a 6.3 magnitude earthquake, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. A study by the American Geophysical Union published in 2019 estimated the explosion yielded the equivalent of 250 kilotons of TNT, or roughly 17 times the size of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, in 1945.
NATOs eastern flank grew stronger Tuesday as Finland became the alliances 31st member, adding military muscle in the Arctic region, where allies say they are now better positioned to check any further Russian aggression.

The accession of Finland, which possesses one of the largest artillery arsenals in Europe and a conscription ground force capable of fielding up to 1 million reservist troops in a crisis, upended decades of military nonalignment for the Nordic state.

I am tempted to say this is maybe the one thing we can thank Mr. Putin for because he once again precipitated something he claims to want to prevent, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday at NATO headquarters in Brussels.

Russia lashed out after the formal induction.

"The Kremlin believes that this is yet another escalation and that NATOs expansion is posing a threat to our security and the interests of the Russian Federation, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian reporters Tuesday. We will take countermeasures to ensure our own security, both tactically and strategically.

For NATO, Finlands entry builds upon a relationship that has grown closer over many years.

It was Russias invasion of Ukraine last year that became the impetus for Helsinki to join NATO, which it resisted doing throughout the Cold War.

Finnish President Sauli Niinisto told those gathered at alliance headquarters that it was a historic day for his country, which he said would add to security in Europe.

Russian President Vladimir Putins repeated threats and warnings about the perils of joining NATO were part of the rationale for seeking out membership, he said.

Russia tried to create this fear, Niinisto said.

For the Kremlin, Finlands alliance membership amounts to a strategic blow, since it means that NATO just more than doubled its land border with Russia.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Putin sought to slam NATOs door shut with his war in Ukraine. But instead of less NATO on his border, Putin now has more, Stoltenberg said.

He is getting more troop(s), more readiness, more forces, land, sea and air in the eastern part of the alliance, Stoltenberg said.

Up next for NATO is getting Sweden, which aimed to enter the alliance simultaneously with Finland, into the fold. So far, Swedens NATO ambitions have been stymied by Turkish opposition.

Stoltenberg said efforts are ongoing to resolve the dispute between Sweden and Turkey. Ankaras opposition revolves around its position that Sweden has given sanctuary to people it says are Kurdish militants.

While Finlands accession gives a military boost to the alliance, its not likely to cause a dramatic shift in day-to-day military activities, officials said.

Niinisto said collaboration with NATO has increased year after year.

The change is not that radical.  In daily life I do not believe people (will) see very many changes, he said.

But he said Finns themselves will feel more secure within the alliance.

That is most important for us, Niinisto said.

For now, no senior officials in NATO or Finland have suggested ramping up the number of allied troops in the country, which has happened in other alliance nations, such as the Baltic states, Poland and Romania.

There will be no NATO troops in Finland without the consent of Finland, Stoltenberg said.
NAPLES, Italy  It wont be long before military working dog Toto is living la dolce vita, but the 8-year-old German shepherd at Naval Support Activity Naples almost didnt get that chance.

I thought he was going to die, said U.S. Army Capt. Paulynne Bellen, a veterinarian assigned to the base who cares for its military working dogs.

Last year, Toto developed a catastrophic infection in his right hind leg. Bellen knew he needed more care than she could provide but worried that he wouldnt survive the wait for transport to Veterinary Medical Center Europe in Kaiserslautern, Germany, where military working dogs in Europe, the Middle East and Asia are routed for surgeries.

But thanks to a lifesaving medical evacuation to Germany traditionally used for humans and organized by the bases hospital, Toto is healthy and looking toward retirement and a comfy couch.

His four-month recovery underscores an unusual relationship between the bases hospital and veterinary clinic that prioritizes the health and well-being of military working dogs to much the same degree as for any other service member.

Its a commitment that finds the hospital standing in as an important resource for treating four-legged patients, from supplying antibiotics, painkillers and other drugs to sharing equipment, training medical staffers in providing trauma care for dogs and, if needed, arranging an emergency medical evacuation.

I cant function without them, Bellen said of the hospital. Our partnership is integral so I can support the military working dogs appropriately.

The Army Veterinary Corps is small. For example, there isnt a veterinarian at Naval Support Activity Souda Bay in Greece, which relies on the corps staff at a Navy base in Sicily, Bellen said. And last summer, two dogs from NSA Souda Bay were brought to Naples for X-rays and needed medical care.

There are about 1,600 military working dogs in the U.S. armed forces, according to the Defense Department. They are deployed across the services, but only the Army provides veterinary care.

For military working dogs in Europe and the Middle East, it has just one clinic each in Spain, England, Belgium and Turkey as well as four in Italy and eight in Germany, according to the Armys public health website.

That small footprint means a dogs handler or a hospital corpsman may have to provide trauma care for an injured animal on the battlefield or in other situations, sometimes without veterinary training.

Navy Capt. Justice Parrott, commanding officer of U.S. Naval Hospital Naples, knows how overwhelming that responsibility can be. Early in his career as a nurse anesthesiologist, Parrott unexpectedly treated a military working dog injured in battle.

While he and others saved its life, the experience was profound, Parrott said.

Id never taken care of a dog before, he said. At that point, I decided I was never going to let a nurse anesthesiologist or someone else who needs to care for dogs downrange do it without practicing first.

Since then, Parrott has ensured that the people he trains acquire experience treating dogs so that they will know what to do.

Since arriving in Naples eight months ago, Parrott has worked with Bellen to expand that mission to support the base veterinary clinic in a variety of ways, including routine trauma training.

Bellen will teach a 2 1/2-hour class for hospital corpsmen this month using a simulation dog named Diesel.

Bellen isnt certain what caused Totos infection but suspects that a traumatic puncture injury or a bite by a venomous insect could have been the culprit.

After surgeries that included a skin graft, a months stay in Germany with his handler, Seaman Emily Willis, and rehabilitation, Toto is back in service on light duty.

In his six years at NSA Naples, he has been dually assigned to patrol and explosives detection. Hes also been deployed to Africa.

But damage from the infection has left Toto unable to perform his duties as easily as before. Bellen is recommending retirement for him and hopes that he will qualify for adoption. She is striving to ensure that Toto makes it to that point.

For her, the dedication shown to Toto during his ordeal embodies the importance of canine military personnel.

They are a sailor or a soldier like any service member, Bellen said. They have served their country in their own capacity.
WASHINGTON  Rocket fire that targeted U.S. and coalition forces in Syria on Friday was the latest in a series of retaliations that included U.S. airstrikes a day earlier on Iran-linked sites and a drone attack that killed an American contractor and wounded other U.S. personnel, defense officials said.

The strike on Friday included 10 rockets that were aimed at Mission Support Site Green Village, a compound in northeastern Syria that houses U.S. and allied forces. The attack was a response to two U.S. airstrikes on other facilities in Syria used by forces linked to Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, according to defense officials.

The attack resulted in no injuries to U.S. or coalition personnel and no damage to equipment or facilities, Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagons top spokesperson, told reporters Friday. Our focus in Syria is on the defeat ISIS mission and that will remain our focus.

U.S. Central Command said one of the rockets missed its target and hit a civilian house nearby, slightly injuring two women and two children there.

This kind of indiscriminate rocket attack places not only our forces and coalition forces at risk, but also jeopardizes the local civilian population as well as the security and stability of Syria and the entire region, Army Col. Joe Buccino, a CENTCOM spokesman, said in a statement Friday. As President [Joe] Biden has made clear, we will take all necessary measures to defend our people and will always respond at a time and place of our choosing.

The series of attacks began Thursday when a drone crashed into a U.S. and coalition base in Al-Hasakah, Syria. Ryder said U.S. officials are confident the drone was made by Iran and supplied to proxy forces in Syria who crashed it into the base. An American contractor was killed in the attack and five U.S. troops and another contractor were hurt. Al-Hasakah is about 95 miles northeast of Green Village.

A few hours later, the U.S. sent two F-15 fighter jets to blow up two facilities in east-central Syria in the Deir el-Zour area that the Pentagon said were frequented by Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps. The rocket attack followed on Friday.

Press TV, a state-run Iranian news agency, claimed in a report Friday that the U.S. airstrikes hit a rural development center and grain center  not a military post aligned with the IRGC.

U.S. officials have not detailed the extent of the troops injuries in the drone attack, but CNN reported they were all in stable condition. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights  a British-based group that monitors human rights abuses in Syria  said the U.S. airstrikes killed several Iranian-backed militiamen.

Ryder said Friday that the U.S. does not seek confrontation with Iran, which has had adversarial relations with the United States and Israel for decades. The Islamic republic often uses proxy fighters to strike targets across the Middle East and Africa. Ryder declined to say whether U.S. officials might respond with another retaliatory strike.

We dont seek escalation with Iran, he said. But the strikes we took [Thursday] night were intended to send a very clear message, that we will take the protection of our personnel seriously and that we will respond quickly and decisively if they are threatened.

We will always reserve the right to respond appropriately, he added.

CENTCOM has said there are roughly 900 American troops stationed in Syria and 2,500 in Iraq, who are there mostly to prevent a resurgence of terrorism in those countries, especially the Islamic State terrorist group, known as ISIS. The Defense Department has about 6,500 contractors in Syria and Iraq.

Military officials are still investigating the strikes against the U.S. personnel, Ryder said.

A New York Times report said the air-defense system at the coalition base in Al-Hasakah wasnt functioning. Ryder said thats also being explored.

U.S. Central Command will conduct a review to assess what happened and take a look at what, if any, other type of mitigating actions need to be taken, he said. But it would obviously be premature to talk about that.

The United States and Iran havent had formal diplomatic relations since the takeover of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and the countrys Islamic revolution in 1979. The Iranian government, however, regularly keeps up a steady stream of criticism toward the U.S. and Israel and has been taking steps for years to develop a nuclear weapon.

Syria has been devastated by civil war since 2011. Iran and Russia have supported the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad. The United States has supported groups opposed to Assads government, particularly the semi-autonomous region in the northeast and a collection of militias and rebels known as the Syrian Democratic Forces.

This is a dangerous part of the world. The work we do is inherently dangerous, Ryder said.

Stars and Stripes reporter J.P. Lawrence contributed to this report.
A unilateral strike by U.S. troops in northwest Syria killed an Islamic State senior leader in charge of planning attacks in Europe and Turkey, U.S. Central Command said in a statement Tuesday.

The person killed in the Monday attack, Khalid Aydd Ahmad al-Jabouri, also was responsible for developing the leadership of the ISIS network in Turkey, the command said.

ISIS continues to represent a threat to the region and beyond, CENTCOM head Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla said in the statement. Though degraded, the group remains able to conduct operations within the region with a desire to strike beyond the Middle East.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Monday that one person was killed in a drone strike near the rebel-held village of Kefteen. The CENTCOM statement did not mention the means of the attack, but the Associated Press on Tuesday reported that al-Jabouri was killed in a drone strike.

The Syrian Civil Defense, also known as the White Helmets, said it evacuated the man from the scene of the attack and he later succumbed to his wounds, according to the AP report.

No civilians were killed or injured in Mondays strike, CENTCOMs statement said.

The strike comes weeks after U.S. military leaders told Congress that force is necessary to prevent an ISIS resurgence.

ISIS would return within one to two years if U.S. troops were to leave Syria, Kurilla told the House Armed Services Committee on March 23.

The U.S. has about 900 service members in Syria, part of joint efforts with Kurdish fighters to prevent an ISIS resurgence, according to CENTCOM.

The U.S. also has about 170 contractors in Syria, CENTCOM spokesman Lt. Col. Dave Eastburn said last month.

These forces launched at least 34 operations against ISIS in the first three months of the year, statements by CENTCOM said.

The Islamic State, which took over much of Iraq and Syria in 2014, lost the last territory it held in 2019.

Some 10,000 ISIS fighters remain in detention camps in northeast Syria, State and Pentagon officials have said.

Attacks on these camps to break fighters out included one raid in 2021 that left 425 ISIS militants and 121 Kurdish fighters killed, CENTCOM said last year.

Other U.S. military operations in recent years have resulted in the killings of ISIS leaders.

In October last year, the leader of ISIS, Abu al-Hassan al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, was killed in battle with Syrian rebels in southern Syria.

His predecessor, Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, was killed in a U.S. raid in northwest Syria earlier that year. ISIS founder Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was by U.S. forces in a raid in October 2019.
Just a month ago, Carmens nightmares came true. She was back at the corridors of the Complutense University of Madrid, where she studied; she even went into her old classroom. However, this time she did not have to take a test, as she has dreamed of repeatedly since she finished her degree a decade ago. In fact, she was there to give a talk, so in some way her dreams also came true. Proud, she shared a photo of the moment in a WhatsApp group chat, along with her thoughts: You know, Ive had nightmares that I had to come back here because I hadnt gotten my degree. Has it happened to you?

Oh yes, yes, and with high school, too, replied one friend. One after another, the answers filled the chat window. Everyone had experienced something similar.

This is a recurring dream all over the world. Long after graduation, the anxiety of day-to-day life drags dreamers back to the classroom in their sleep. You leave school in real life, but in the dream world, a part of you remains there. It is in school where you begin to understand how life works; that is where you face your first tests, which are not always passed. The first social relationships away from the protection of the family are also established there. And it is there that one returns, over and over again, to relive ones traumas.

Luca Maria Aiello has spent years diving into the worlds libraries of dreams. This computer science professor from the University of Copenhagen designed a virtual dreamcatcher, an algorithm that reads texts in search of keywords, and he is using it to comb the internets dream databases. A few years ago he did it with Dreambank.net, a collection of more than 20,000 dreams that began to be collected in the early 20th century, but in recent months he has been working on a newer, larger database: 44,000 dreams written in a Reddit forum thread. He explains that for this new, still unpublished work, they are using machine learning to extract a taxonomy of dreams and find their different themes.

His team classified 22 recurring themes; among them, of course, is school. It includes almost 10% of the dreams, said the professor, highlighting its prevalence by comparing it to the workplace  another place where dreamers also spend a lot of their awake time, but which is only present in 3% of dreams.

Intuition  experience, even  would make a person assume that, if sleep takes you to school, you are in for a nightmare. However, the data says otherwise: only 18% of the dreams that occur in this scenario could be classified as nightmares. I also would have bet that they were more, admitted Aiello. But the difference between a dream and a nightmare is relative, just like the feelings that going back to school to reunite with classmates, teachers and exams from the past can generate in many.

Aiello and his group have not been able to draw a profile of the dream student. They do not know if there are more men or women, if they are older or younger or what their education or economic levels are, because the Reddit users have not provided this information. However, from previous studies he can infer that, in general, women have more optimistic, friendly dreams, while those of men, by contrast, tend to be more aggressive and negative.

Ursula Oberst, a professor of psychology at the Ramon Llull University in Barcelona, Spain, agreed that generic conclusions cannot be reached. The existence of a universal dream symbology has been ruled out. We dont interpret the dream, we interpret the dreamer, she explained. Oberst points out that we can understand these dreams as metaphors for a current situation. It has even been shown that the dreamer uses these processes as a resource to find solutions to this current problem, such as answering the teacher with something original.

Childhood and adolescence are stages of life that leave a deep mark, said Oberst. That is why we return to them in dreams that are frequently loaded with negative affectivity. However, in order to find the cause, added the expert, we should not look to the past, but to the present. This can happen to us when we go through difficult moments in our adult lives, which are represented metaphorically in dreams, she explained.

Deirdre Barrett, a dream researcher at Harvard University and author of the essays Pandemic Dreams and The Committee of Sleep, mentions some common variants of school dreams: the dreamer has to run to take a test after having fallen asleep, or they cannot find their classroom, dont understand a text, studied the wrong subject or show up naked. All these variants share a common element: the anxiety of not being up to the task, of not passing a test.

Maybe in the real world people have graduated, or dropped out of high school or college forever, with good grades or maybe bad memories. But, at nightfall, everyone repeats the grade and revisits the trauma, with the school serving as a sort of psychological consultation, a metaphor from the past that helps solve the problems of the present. How poetic to think that, even though our school years are behind us, in the dream world one keeps going back, night after night, to continue learning.

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WASHINGTON  Three of the astronauts chosen to fly to the moon next year aboard Artemis II are former military pilots, and two were Navy aviators who have decades of collective flying experience.

NASA on Monday announced the Artemis II crew at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. The four-person crew includes commander Gregory Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Jerome Glover, mission specialist Christina Koch and mission specialist and former Canadian air force pilot Jeremy Roger Hansen.

Wiseman, 47, started flying in the Navy in 1999 and piloted multiple aircraft, including the F-14 Tomcat and F/A-18 Super Hornet. He also later became a test pilot and left the Navy as a captain.

Following his initial training, Reid was assigned to Fighter Squadron 31  and made two deployments to the Middle East, supporting Operations Southern Watch, Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom, NASA said of Wisemans military service. He was at sea when he was selected for astronaut training.

Wiseman joined NASA in 2009 as part of the agencys 20th astronaut group. Glover was part of the 21st group four years later.

Glover, 46, earned his wings in 2001 and also flew the F/A-18 Super Hornet, along with dozens of other aircraft. He flew in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in the mid-2000s and later graduated from U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School as a Navy exchange pilot. He left the service as a captain.

During the one-year experimental test piloting course, he flew more than 30 aircraft in the U.S. and Italy, NASA said of Glovers military background. Glover accumulated 3,000 flight hours in more than 40 aircraft, over 400 carrier arrested landings and 24 combat missions.

Following his selection on Monday, Glover  who will be the first Black man to leave low-Earth orbit and circle the moon  tweeted a photo that showed the flag patches on each crew members flight suit, three American flags and one Canadian.

Collectively, Glover and Wiseman have spent more than 330 days in space.

During his military service, Wiseman earned several awards and honors, including the Air Medal with Combat V, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with Combat V and the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal. He is from Baltimore.

Glover earned the Defense Superior Service Medal, Navy Commendation Medal, two Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals and a NASA Distinguished Service Medal. He is from the Los Angeles area.

Artemis I was an uncrewed flight that launched in November and spent 25 days in space, orbiting the moon several times before returning to Earth. Artemis II will take humans beyond low-Earth orbit for the first time since Apollo 17 returned in 1972.

The main function of Artemis II is to test the Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft with a human crew, and the mission will take Wiseman, Glover, Koch and Hansen for a flyby around the moon before they return to Earth. The crew, who will spend 10 days in space, is scheduled to launch in late 2024. Artemis III, the first human landing on the moon since 1972, is scheduled for late 2025.
WASHINGTON  The United States announced a new round of military aid for Ukraine worth more than $2.6 billion to help the country prepare for intensified Russian attacks in the coming months, the Pentagon said Tuesday.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the U.S. has committed more than $35 billion in security aid. The aid announced Tuesday is split into two portions  $500 million in immediate aid and $2.1 billion in equipment that Ukraine will receive in the next several months.

The Pentagon said the two aid packages reflect the U.S. commitment to its ongoing support of Ukraines war effort and focus on three areas of need  air defense, ammunition supplies and armored vehicles.

Our focus is on supporting the Ukrainians and changing the dynamic on the ground, said a senior defense official who spoke on condition of anonymity. The war is at an important stage.

For the first time, Ukraine is getting several counter-drone 30mm gun trucks, which can detect and intercept sophisticated unmanned drones like the ones that Iran has given to Russia. The Ukrainians will also get a number of refueling trucks and tactical vehicles that can recover equipment in the field.

Some of the thinking behind the new aid, the defense official said, is focused on giving Ukraine a layered and integrated approach to air defense. Many of the Russian attacks in the past 14 months have been in the form of missiles and other aerial munitions.

The new aid also provides Ukraine a steady flow of artillery rounds and ammunition, spare parts, maintenance components, and expanded U.S.-led training in combined arms and joint maneuver operations, the official said.

Included in the $500 million portion is ammunition for various weapons systems, including the Patriot air defense system, the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, or HIMARS, and missiles that are tube-launched, optically tracked and wire-guided.

That aid is being provided through the presidential drawdown authority, which allows the Pentagon to take the items from the Defense Department stocks and ship them to Ukraine on an emergency basis.

Ukraine has so far been given three Patriot air defense systems  one each from the U.S., Germany and the Netherlands  and Ukraine troops have recently completed training at Fort Sill, Okla., on how to use the sophisticated missile system.

The remaining $2.1 billion in aid is being given through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, a program that procures the items from manufacturers. Most equipment pledged through the initiative takes longer to reach Ukraine because they need to be built. The M1 Abrams tanks that the U.S. has committed to Ukraine, for example, are being provided through the initiative and arent expected to arrive in Ukraine until late 2023 or early 2024.

Included in the initiative portion of the aid is what the Pentagon called a significant package of air-defense capabilities, such as the new gun trucks, munitions for National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems, air-surveillance radars, armored bridging systems and mobile laser-guided rocket systems.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and President Joe Biden have said repeatedly that the United States will help Ukraine defend its homeland for as long as Russia keeps up its attacks, some of which have targeted civilians and non-military infrastructure.

For weeks, the U.S. and its allies have been working with Ukraine to prepare for intensified Russian attacks as the weather has become increasingly warmer.

We want to help Ukraine advance and hold its position in what we expect will be a Ukrainian counteroffensive, the defense official told reporters Tuesday.

Tuesdays new round of aid came on the same day that Finland became the 31st member of NATO, which expands the defensive alliances eastern flank along Russias border. From the beginning, Moscow has said it considers NATO expansion an existential threat. Sweden is also set to join the alliance soon.

Finland is one of the highest [dollar value] contributors to Ukraine, the senior defense official said. The package we are announcing today will complement many of the capabilities our allies and partners are providing.

Sweden had intended to join NATO at the same time as Finland, but Turkey has slowed the process  mainly because it argues that Sweden has given sanctuary to people Turkey claims are Kurdish militants. Ukraine has also applied to join NATO but has not yet received a formal invitation.
Federal regulators have decided to authorize a second omicron-specific coronavirus vaccine booster shot for people who are at least 65 or have weak immune systems  an effort to provide additional protection to high-risk individuals, according to several officials familiar with the plan.

The Food and Drug Administration is expected to announce the step in the next few weeks, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is expected to move quickly to endorse it, said the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss internal discussions.

Eligible individuals will be able to receive the dose as long as it is at least four months since their first shot of what's known as the bivalent booster, which targets omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5 as well as the original novel coronavirus. The expectation is that consumers will consult with their health-care providers about whether to get the extra booster, the officials said.

The FDA's policy change will be "permissive"  people may get the shot but will not be told they should get it, the officials said. It's not clear whether the CDC's vaccine advisory committee would meet to discuss the change before CDC Director Rochelle Walensky makes a final recommendation.

Doctors and other experts have expressed mixed views about a second bivalent booster. Some say there is little data to justify it, while others argue it would benefit high-risk individuals who received their first omicron-targeting shot last fall and probably have reduced protection as the effects fade.

Some anxious patients have been "really clamoring" for a second omicron booster, said Camille Kotton, clinical director for transplant and immunocompromised host infectious diseases at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. At a recent meeting of the CDC vaccine advisory panel, she said she would support allowing additional booster doses for high-risk groups, especially for the most significantly immunocompromised patients.

Jamie Loehr, a family medicine doctor in Ithaca, N.Y., who is also a member of the vaccine advisory panel, said there is evidence that older people and those with weak immune systems don't produce especially robust responses to vaccines in general, and to the coronavirus vaccine in particular. It would seem reasonable to give them more frequent boosters, he wrote in an email, but he wants to see data before deciding whether he would support a more frequent booster for these groups.

John P. Moore, a professor of microbiology and immunology at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York, said an extra booster could benefit people who are in poor health or have an impaired immune system. But he was skeptical everyone older than 65 needs it. Boosters lead to "a short-term boost against mild infection but protection against severe disease is still pretty robust" because of previous shots, he said.

Moore said it is a mistake to think "everyone over a certain age is in the same health bracket," when in fact health status varies widely. He said he is older than 65 and healthy  and "not giving a moment's thought about getting another booster, though I might next winter if infections tick up."

Administration officials acknowledge there is not extensive data on the bivalent vaccine, which was first authorized in August. But they said real-world data and smaller studies are consistent with large studies on the original vaccine showing that its protection against symptomatic infection fades after several months.

In addition, unpublished data presented at the CDC's vaccine advisory panel meeting in February confirmed earlier real-world reports that bivalent vaccines are providing protection against serious illness  emergency room visits and hospitalizations  in adults, compared with people who received previous doses of the original vaccine and no omicron-targeting dose.

Other studies also suggest older people might be better shielded from serious illness with an additional booster, the officials said. They noted they are not advocating the second omicron booster for young people, who might experience rare heart-related side effects.

The Wall Street Journal and NPR previously reported that the FDA was considering a second bivalent booster for high-risk groups.

Only about 42 percent of people 65 and older have received the first bivalent booster dose, according to the CDC.

A second booster will not affect the FDA's plan to move to a once-a-year coronavirus vaccine booster for most Americans - a strategy announced by the agency in January, the officials said. This summer, the agency and its advisers will select a retooled formula for an updated vaccine to be deployed during a campaign planned for next fall. The formula will be based on which coronavirus strain scientists think will be circulating in the fall and winter.

In a statement, the FDA said: "We continue to closely monitor the emerging data in the United States and globally, and we will base any decision on additional updated boosters upon those data. Importantly, individuals who have not yet received an updated (bivalent) booster are encouraged to speak with their health care provider and consider receiving one."

The updated shot will be free of charge, regardless of someone's insurance coverage, because the government has an ample supply of boosters.

Even after the federal supply of vaccines is gone, shots will continue to be free of charge to most people with private and public health insurance. But once federally purchased doses are depleted, uninsured and underinsured adults may have to pay, and privately insured people may need to confirm their provider is in-network, according to an analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine and professor of pediatrics and molecular virology and microbiology at Baylor College of Medicine, said he is a strong proponent of making a second omicron-targeting booster available for everyone 50 and older.

Michael T. Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, agreed, saying a second booster would provide an additional tool for people who have been conscientious about reducing their risks of contracting COVID.

An omicron subvariant, XBB.1.5, now accounts for almost 90% of the cases in the United States, according to the CDC.

The Washington Post's Dan Diamond contributed to this report.
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (Tribune News Service)  The Golden Rule, a wooden sailboat devoted to peace, will pull into Annapolis later this month to promote nuclear nonproliferation and raise awareness of the threat of nuclear war.

The 34-foot ketch, owned by Veterans for Peace, a global organization of veterans and allies, is on a 15-month journey around the "Great Loop" of the central, southern and eastern United States where it will visit 100 ports. It will arrive in Annapolis on April 24, kicking off a series of events organized by peace organizations Annapolis Friends Meeting, Anne Arundel Peace Action and Backbone Campaign.

"We are sailing for a nuclear-free world and a peaceful, sustainable future," Golden Rule project manager Helen Jaccard said in a news release.

After the boat's arrival, there will be an official welcome ceremony on April 25 at Annapolis Yacht Basin on Compromise Street from 11 to 11:30 a.m. Mayor Gavin Buckley, County Executive Steuart Pittman and state Sen. Sarah Elfreth are slated to attend.

The next day, from 7 to 8:30 p.m., a presentation will be held at First Presbyterian Church on Duke of Gloucester Street. The presentation will include the history of the Golden Rule mission dating to 1958 and a discussion of the urgency of negotiating new peace treaties to counter the most recent tensions between the United States and Russia in Ukraine.

"Our mission is all the more urgent now that the two nuclear superpowers are confronting one another in Ukraine, greatly increasing the possibility of nuclear war," Jaccard said.

The public is invited to visit the peacekeeping vessel; groups can arrange educational tours by contacting Jaccard at vfpgoldenruleproject@gmail.com or 206-992-6364.

The Golden Rule made its maiden voyage in 1958 when four Quaker peace activists, including former Navy officer Albert Bigelow, set sail for the Marshall Islands to protest U.S. nuclear weapons testing. The activists were stopped in Hawaii before they could reach the Pacific islands.

It wasn't until 1963, when the Limited Test Ban Treaty was signed, that most, but not all, atmospheric nuclear tests were ended.

The Golden Rule has changed owners several times since its construction. In 2010, the Golden Rule sank off northern California. Members of Veterans of Peace along with Quakers and wooden boat lovers restored the vessel and its original mission of promoting nuclear nonproliferation and disarmament. Since 2015, the Golden Rule has sailed the seas from Hawaii to Canada, to various U.S. ports, to Cuba, and now up the East Coast.

(c)2023 The Capital (Annapolis, Md.)

Visit at www.hometownannapolis.com

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(Tribune News Service)  Fifty-one years ago today, Larry Zich flew his final mission in Vietnam  on his birthday.

On June 5, he will be laid to rest at Lincoln Memorial Cemetery in Lincoln, Neb. The Patriot Guard will be there, and military jets will fly over.

Tina Mueller, Larry's sister, will at last get to say goodbye to her little brother.

"He was quiet and reserved, but he could pull tricks when he wanted to," she said.

Mueller last saw her little brother in 1971, before he shipped out to Vietnam.

Zich was the middle child of five, all born in Sturgis, S.D. The family moved around a lot, migrating through several small South Dakota towns before finally crossing the Nebraska border and moving to Lincoln, where Zich would attend Lincoln High.

According to relatives, Zich was happiest with his head under the hood of a car. He loved drag racing, building engines and going fast.

On April 3, 1972, Zich was the copilot of a Huey helicopter with three other members of the 37th Signal Battalion. They were flying to Quang Tri City, Vietnam, but got lost in bad weather. After a transmission from the pilot to ground control saying that they were lost, the crew was never heard from again.

They were declared missing, and the Zich family was shocked.

"We thought, you know, that he would be found," Mueller said. "Then that turned into thinking he was a POW. That lasted a long time."

In October 2022, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency identified Zich's remains, thanks to a wisdom tooth that was received from a Vietnamese immigrant in 1988, according to a press release in March.

The source claimed that the remains were from an aircraft crash involving nine people.

After finding that a dental X-ray of Zich was accidentally reversed, forensic analysts confirmed that the remains belonged to Zich.

It was a relief to Mueller.

"I'm glad he wasn't a POW," she said. "It's a relief to know what actually happened."

Tina was the oldest of the Zich kids, five years between her and Larry. Lincoln has been her home since the family moved here in the 1960s. She has two daughters, Sue and Tanya. She and Sue Green opened Tina's Cafe more than 30 years ago, and have been serving homestyle breakfast and famous cinnamon rolls ever since.

Back in 2006, Green ran into a man at the Nebraska State Fair, and noticed he was wearing a POW bracelet just like hers.

She would be shocked to discover that the bracelet had her uncle's name on it.

Later, Mueller and her daughters would visit a memorial marker for Zich that was placed in Black Hills National Cemetery, and it was there they met seven servicemen from Zich's detachment.

"They all loved Larry," Mueller said. "It was the only aircraft they lost, so it affected them deeply."

Debbie Zich Peters, his former wife, said that one of the men in Zich's attachment abandoned his mission to search for Zich, but to no avail.

"It was just like they disappeared."

Zich married Peters on May 29, 1969.

He sold the engine out of his beloved '57 Chevy to buy her engagement ring. That's when she knew he loved her, she said.

"He loved going fast, that's why he wanted to fly," she said. "He had interest in getting his fixed-wing (license) when he got back."

Peters says that after Zich was reported missing, her "whole world stopped." The Army never gave any information about what happened, just that he had gone missing.

"How do you process it when you don't even know what happened?" she asked.

That question, among others, would lead to her joining a class-action lawsuit in the 1970s with several families of Vietnam prisoners of war.

In the years after Zich went MIA, his wife went back to school in San Diego and got her degree in social work. She worked with the National League of Families of POW/MIA, and would eventually remarry. Sometime in the 1980s, the '57 Chevy, which her brother had promised to fix up for Zich when he got back, was sold.

She moved to Florida 15 years ago, but retired and came back to Lincoln in 2021 due to health problems.

When Zich's remains were identified, Peters says she found out through the news on TV.

"That's a hard way to find out," she said. "It totally knocked the props out from under me."

Peters said that Zich was her first love. She said he was dedicated, and was always striving to make life better.

"There hasn't been one day in 51 years that this hasn't been part of my daily life," she said.

dbennett@journalstar.com

(c)2023 Lincoln Journal Star, Neb.

Visit at www.journalstar.com

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The Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that the Election Commission of Pakistans (ECP) decision to postpone polls to the Punjab Assembly till Oct 8 was unconstitutional and fixed May 14 as the date for polls in the province.

The apex court announced that general elections of the Punjab Assembly would be held on May 14.

The bench was headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial and comprised Justice Munib Akhtar and Justice Ijazul Ahsan.

The court declared that the ECP's orders postponing the provincial assembly elections until October 8 was "illegal" and "unconstitutional". "The law does not permit the ECP to extend the election date," declared the court.

The government has been directed by the court to release funds of Rs21 billion for polls by April 10. The judgment also stated that the court would issue appropriate orders should the government fail to comply.

Earlier in the day, the Ministry of Defence, as per the apex court's directives, had submitted its report through Attorney General of Pakistan (AGP) Mansoor Awan detailing the availability of security personnel for election duties.

After analysing the report, the SC announced its verdict and reinstated the previous schedule with amendments.

The apex court ordered returning officers to accept nomination papers until April 10, and publish the candidates' list by April 19.

The ruling further held that free and fair elections must be ensured on the new poll date.

The bench further noted that "other issues were also raised during the proceedings" and clarified that two judges had recused themselves from hearing the case.

The hearings in the case, which lasted over a week, witnessed high drama after two judges of the original five-member bench  Justices Jamal Khan Mandokhail and Aminuddin Khan  recused themselves from hearing the case. Thereafter, the chief justice constituted a bench comprising himself, Justice Ahsan and Justice Akhtar to proceed with the PTI petition.

Earlier, the government had submitted a statement through AGP Awan, requesting the formation of a full court to hear the case. It also sought dismissal of the PTI petition in light of what it interpreted as a 4-3 order issued by the apex court on March 1.

During proceedings a day earlier, the SC bench appeared irked by the government declaring no-confidence in it, and refused to listen to the arguments of the ruling parties lawyers before it reserved the verdict.

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) lawyer Akram Sheikh stated that he had appeared before the Supreme Court to assist it. He contended that he could make his own decisions if a party asked him to support something illegal. The lawyer added that he had the utmost respect for the apex court.

The chief justice stated that he had respect for Sheikh, Farooq H Naek and Kamran Murtaza. However, the ruling parties had expressed no-confidence in the three-member bench hearing the case.

He added that Sheikh was not present before the court in a personal capacity, rather was there to represent a political party.

Adding to this, Justice Akhtar said that the lawyers power of attorney was also not filed in a personal capacity, and that the governments stance was relayed to the court by its staff through a statement shared from the PML-Ns Twitter account.

At one point during the hearing, the CJP noted that harmony among judges was crucial for the SC. He observed that while judicial proceedings were made public, consultations among judges were considered internal matters.

On the other hand, Justice Akhtar stated that if the logic behind the 4-3 verdict were accepted, the matter would be referred to the same nine-member bench that was first constituted to hear the elections suo motu proceedings. He added that the decision then would either be of the five-member bench or the nine-member bench.

Justice Bandial pointed out that the dissenting notes of the judges did not include anything about the reconstitution of the bench.

Earlier during the hearing, the court had directed the defence secretary to submit a classified report to explain reasons why the armed forces are not available to perform security duties in general elections of provincial assemblies.

Addressing the National Assembly a day earlier, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar warned that the government will not accept if the top court delivers its verdict on a sensitive and important issue in haste.

The law minister said that the entire nation was waiting for the top courts decision and categorically stated that any hasty decision on such a sensitive issue would be rejected.

He also asked President Arif Alvi to sign the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Bill 2023, which aims to curtail the suo motu powers of the office of the chief justice of Pakistan (CJP).

Tarar had introduced the bill in the lower house of the parliament last week, March 29. It was passed by the Senate, or upper house, a day later. The new draft law, which has been sent to the president for assent, has cut down the chief justice's powers to constitute panels, hear appeals or assign cases to judges in his team, according to a copy of the bill.

The government is currently involved in a row with the SC over the holding of snap polls in two provinces where PTI chief Imran Khan had dissolved the local governments earlier this year in a bid to force early elections.

The government says it is economically not viable to hold snap elections first and then have general elections again this year.
Illustration of a person head with little people around it Miguel Pang Ly

There is a video in which Spanish psychiatrist Marian Rojas Estape uses the history of human evolution to explain the way people behave today, a common practice in self-help. Prehistoric men only did one thing: hunt. Men in the 21st century do one thing: hunt. Prehistoric women gathered: little flowers, information about the wind, the rains. The woman of the 21st century goes out and gets all kinds of information, anywhere, she states in the first seconds. With this peculiar vision of gender roles, both ancestral and current, and aided by the supposed knowledge of human nature that the study of our evolution provides, she emits a common-sense opinion on the differences between men and women.

The psychiatrist is one of Spains most successful writers, the best-known face of a kind of self-help that uses brain science to give advice on how to live, a thriving phenomenon in a climate of growing emotional discomfort in which more and more people seek scientific explanations and solutions for their ailments. There is a misunderstanding. People think that neuroscience consists of applying common sense, and we often see neuroscientists on television explaining things with no neuroscience whatsoever, applying psychology or just common sense, states psychobiologist Ignacio Morgado, author of several books aimed at making neuroscience accessible to the general public. That a pleasant environment has a positive effect on a person is not neuroarchitecture, it is psychology or common sense, he insists. There is a growing interest in mental health and people search in psychologists for what used to be searched for in other places. Explaining your problems to someone you trust and having that person give you advice and be with you can help to put your mind at ease. That used to be done by people in confessionals, and now the psychologist sometimes replaces the priest.

The advice of someone reliable and authoritative has always been in demand, which also explains the success of psychological self-help. However, as seen during the Covid-19 pandemic, scientists are very reluctant to offer dogmatic recipes, and science is more effective at detecting falsehoods than at revealing the truth. Daniel Sanabria, professor of psychology at the University of Granada (Spain), is one of many killjoy scientists that spend their time questioning established truths that many take as recipes for life. In a review of studies published recently in the journal Nature Human Behavior, he and his team concluded that the evidence accumulated to date is not enough to state that regular physical exercise produces cognitive benefits, something that is widely accepted.

For him, much of the advice from self-help professionals revolves around stating the obvious. I dont need to be told by a neuroscientist that doing things I like, such as playing an instrument or sports, improves my well-being, he says. From their point of view, many of these authors, who give advice based on their own experience or beliefs, justify their authority with science, speaking of the activation of a region of the brain, or a hormone, for example. Regarding this, he agrees with Morgado, who warns: People love it when you simplify tremendously complex matters for them using a chemical substance. That you say that oxytocin is the love hormone, for instance. There is some truth to that, because it is a prosocial hormone, but it would also have to be said that this hormone can lead to suspect strangers and trust our loved ones too much, to believe that they have the truth, even if its not the case.

Sanabria believes that certain claims made about the application of neuroscience to everyday life have the potential to undermine the credibility of the field, painstakingly obtained through meticulous work to find the real effects that sometimes exist, but do not apply to our lives. He uses music as an example: Imagine that you give an intelligence test to people who have practiced with an instrument and to people who have not. Those who play may have slightly better performance as a group, but if you randomly pick one person from the group of musicians, the probability that they are more intelligent than those from the other group is 57%. Therefore, although the scientific literature seems to show that playing a musical instrument improves cognition, it doesnt mean that we can advise, on an individual level, that playing an instrument will improve your intelligence. We are not at that point yet, he explains. I think we have to be cautious. Some people that offer recipes that work for everything  something typical of pseudoscience  generate expectations that, if they are not met, produce frustration in people, who will think that psychologists just say anything and will end up looking for answers in worse places, he points out.

Nazareth Castellanos is the director of Nirakara Lab and the Extraordinary Chair of Mindfulness and Cognitive Sciences at the Complutense University of Madrid. Along with her research work, she has published successful books and gives talks where she goes beyond what could be considered a scientific approach. Science is wonderful, but it doesnt provide many answers, she laments. In addition to doing my job, placing cables and making very precise measurements, I turn to poetry, spirituality and mythology, she says. Not only what is scientifically proven exists. Castellanos, a graduate in theoretical physics and a PhD in medicine (neuroscience), adds: The world of science does not make an effort of dissemination to make everyone understand us, and we cling to formalisms for fear of being dismissed as frivolous. The researcher believes that scientists must loosen up so that their place will not be taken by charlatans with no scientific training. She follows her own advice: in a television interview, Castellanos assumed that adults generate new neurons, something widely debated, and that exercise makes it happen, even though so far no studies have proven this.

Although many books that promote brain science can be classified as self-help, the differences are important. In her recently published essay El Murmullo (The murmur), writer Belen Gopegui contemplates: Self-help as a genre encompasses too many things. However, should we see a book like Behave, by [Robert] Sapolsky, or Being You, by Anil Seth, as self-help? Not from my perspective, as these books aim to transmit knowledge. In what is usually understood by self-help, there is always a promise of improvement; that is where something breaks, because its a promise that, even if it does transmit knowledge sometimes, it often abstains from taking the responsibility of elaborating on its arguments, and one almost never sees to what extent they can be misleading and incomplete, she explains.

Jose Miguel Cuevas, professor of social psychology at the University of Malaga (Spain), also believes that it is necessary to discern who can benefit from this kind of read and who cannot, because giving universal advice is risky, especially among people with pathologies. If you give a depressive person a book on positive thinking, you will only mess them up, because they will feel worse. They wont understand why, despite doing what theyre told, they dont feel good, they dont feel that life is wonderful, as the book says, he explains. Something quite different is to recommend a specific book to a specific patient, he adds. For some, certain self-help books can be a nice placebo, but some have sect-like messages, Cuevas warns. There are books that give you practical exercises so that you can unlearn what you have learned, so you can start from scratch and create your successful self; they even recommend to distance yourself from people around you because they hold you back, he continues. If there is a message of a total change of identity or values, we are talking about manipulation, because we dont seek improvement while respecting the person. You are treated as a human failure. They tell you that you are special, a diamond in the rough, to then cancel out your interests and experience, he sums up.

Another critique of self-help could also apply to some psychiatric approaches to mental illness or to the interpretation of brain studies. Although the person who suffers is an individual who can make changes in their life to have better habits and adapt to their environment, we must not forget that this environment has a great influence on their well-being, and it can be changed. A recently published worldwide study on the increase in emotional distress showed that people with fewer resources had worse mental health. Some self-help books promote the idea that only individual responsibility matters, which generates frustration in those who are trying to improve their quality of life, a problem whose solution is mainly collective.

Despite its deficiencies, neuro-help responds to a human need for certainties and encouraging arguments in the face of an existence that is full of confusion and fears, and it will always have a market. Scientists themselves, even the most serious ones  particularly at the end of their careers  want to transcend the basics of their work. When I was 25, I loved explaining physics, chemistry, neurotransmitters, I learned it all and enjoyed learning and teaching, but now that Im older I want to project all of that further, into real life, acknowledges Morgado, who started the faculty of psychology of the Autonomous University of Barcelona. There is a need to transcend, to see what has been the use of all your studies, but there are people who climb a rope and when the rope runs out they continue climbing, he says, ironically. Even a scientist like Humphrey Davy, one of the fathers of modern chemistry and an example of the power of science to transform the world, was aware of how little help it can sometimes be when seeking comfort. In his memoir Consolations in Travel, written near his death, he states that the art of living happily is the art of being pleasantly deluded; faith, he wrote, is superior to reason, which in old age is nothing more than a dead weight. In a bad moment, anyone can accept that men only hunt and women do nothing but gather flowers and information.

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The federal cabinet Tuesday rejected the Supreme Court's "unanimous verdict" on the case pertaining to the postponement of election in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).

The development came during the cabinet's meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, held after a three-member bench announced the apex court's verdict on the matter which it had reserved a day earlier.

Announcing the verdict on a plea filed by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the country's top court declared the Election Commission of Pakistan's (ECP) decision to postpone polls in Punjab and KP from April 30 to October 8 as 'null and void'.

The Supreme Court, in its verdict, states that the ECP's order dated March 22, 2023, is declared to be unconstitutional, without lawful authority or jurisdiction, void ab-initio, of no legal effect, and is hereby quashed.

"The Supreme Court's decision is a minority verdict, which is why the cabinet rejects it," the sources in the federal cabinet said.

The top court's decision, as per the sources, is not enforceable.

The government would raise its voice in parliament regarding the verdict, the sources added. It was also decided in the meeting that the coalition parties in power will talk about the apex court's decision in parliament, they added.

In the meeting, the cabinet decided to present its position on the verdict.
The offence was as a result of Covid and Brennans own addiction to cannabis at the time, his barrister said.

A Dublin man caught with cannabis edibles in his bedroom in a garda search of his home has been given a six-month suspended sentence.

Gardai stopped Fergal Brennan (24), acting suspiciously on a street and they seized more than 1,300 worth of the drug in the follow-up search of his address.

A court heard he became addicted during Covid lockdown after losing his job.

Brennan, with an address at Dargle Wood, Knocklyon, pleaded guilty to possession of cannabis with intent to sell or supply.

Garda Sergeant Gail Smith told Dublin District Court gardai saw the accused acting suspiciously at Whitehall Road on November 20, 2020.

When stopped he was found in possession of 580 in cash and a quantity of cannabis herb. His premises was searched and further cannabis as well as cannabis edibles were found in his bedroom. The total value was 1,310.

The accused was living in Liverpool and had met gardai by appointment to be charged, the court heard.

The offence was as a result of Covid and Brennans own addiction to cannabis at the time, his barrister said.

This had started off as recreational use, but at the time he had lost his job due to lockdown and moved home, he had no income and found himself quite depressed.

Brennan had a supportive family. His barrister asked Judge Paula Murphy to treat what happened as a one-off.

The judge said the charges were serious. She suspended the sentence for two years.
Former US President Donald Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.

Trump is now officially a criminal defendant  the first time in US history a sitting or former president has been in this position.

The hearing before a Manhattan court is underway with Trump arraigned on criminal charges stemming from a hush money payment to a porn actress during his 2016 campaign.

A stony-faced Trump entered the courtroom, flanked by security officers and his legal team, shortly before 7.30pm Irish time. He did not respond to reporters questions.

He pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.

Trump sat with his hands folded as he entered his plea flanked by his lawyers.

"Not guilty," he said when asked how he pleaded.

Taken together, the charges carry a maximum sentence of 136 years in prison under New York law but an actual prison sentence, if he is convicted at a trial, would almost certainly be far less than that.

While falsifying business records in New York on its own is a misdemeanour punishable by no more than one year in prison, it is elevated to a felony punishable by up to four years in prison when done to advance or conceal another crime.

Earlier the former president had pumped his fist as he left Trump Tower accompanied by Secret Service agents before travelling in an eight-car motorcade down a road along the East River to the court.

As he travelled to court, he posted on his social media platform: "Heading to Lower Manhattan, the Courthouse. Seems so SURREAL - WOW, they are going to ARREST ME. Can't believe this is happening in America. MAGA!"

Wearing his signature dark suit and red tie, he turned and waved to crowds outside the courthouse building before heading inside to be fingerprinted and processed - a remarkable reckoning after years of investigations into his personal, business and political dealings and an extraordinary moment in US history.

The booking and appearance before Judge Juan Merchan should be relatively brief - though hardly routine - as Trump learns for the first time the charges against him.

TV cameras are not allowed in the courtroom.

Trump, who was impeached twice by the US House of Representatives but was never convicted in the US Senate, is the first former president to face criminal charges.

Speaking ahead of the court appearance, Trumps lawyer Joe Tacopina told reporters: He is strong and ready to go.

Earlier, Tacopina said in a TV interview that the former president wouldn't plead guilty to lesser charges, even if it might resolve the case. He also said he didn't think the case would make it to a jury.

New York police said they were ready for large protests by Trump supporters, who share the Republican former presidents belief that the New York grand jury indictment and three additional pending investigations are politically motivated and intended to weaken his bid to retake the White House in 2024. However journalists often outnumbered protesters.

Donald Trump arriving at Manhattan Criminal Courthouse. Photo: Reuters/Eduardo Munoz   REUTERS

Trump, a former reality TV star, has been hyping that narrative to his political advantage, saying he raised more than $8m in the days since the indictment on claims of a witch hunt.

His campaign released a fundraising request titled My last email before arrest and he has repeatedly assailed the Manhattan district attorney, egged on supporters to protest and claimed without evidence that the judge presiding over the case hates me - something his own lawyer has said is not true.

Trump is scheduled to return to his home in Mar-a-Lago, in Floridas Palm Beach, following his court appearance where he will give a speech. At least 500 prominent supporters have been invited, with some of the most pro-Trump congressional Republicans expected to attend.

A conviction would not prevent Trump from running for or winning the presidency in 2024.

Inside the Manhattan courtroom, prosecutors led by New Yorks district attorney, Alvin Bragg, a Democrat, are expected to unseal the indictment issued last week by a grand jury. This is when Trump and his defence lawyers will get their first glimpse of the precise allegations against him.

The indictment contains multiple charges of falsifying business records, including at least one felony offense, two people familiar with the matter told the Associated Press last week.

Supporters of Donald Trump demonstrate outside Manhattan Criminal Courthouse. Photo: Reuters/Eduardo Munoz   REUTERS

After the arraignment, Trump is expected to be released by authorities because the charges against him dont require that bail be set.

The investigation is scrutinizing six-figure payments made to porn actress Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal. Both say they had sexual encounters with the married Trump years before he got into politics. Trump denies having sexual liaisons with either woman and has denied any wrongdoing involving payments.

The arraignment will unfold against the backdrop of heavy security in New York, coming more than two years after Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol in a failed bid to halt the congressional certification of Democrat Joe Bidens win.

Trump was defiant ahead of his arraignment. He used his social media network to complain that he was going to court in a heavily Democratic area, declaring, KANGAROO COURT and THIS IS NOT WHAT AMERICA WAS SUPPOSED TO BE!

He and his campaign have repeatedly assailed Bragg and even trained scrutiny on members of Bragg's family.

Despite that, the scenes around Trump Tower and the courthouse where Trump will stand before a judge did not feature major unrest. Police tried to keep apart protesters supporting the former president and those opposing him by confining them to separate sides of a park near the courthouse using metal barricades.

Anti-Trump performance artist Michael Picard demonstrates outside Manhattan Criminal Courthouse. Photo: Reuters/Amanda Perobelli   REUTERS

Georgia Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, one of Trumps staunchest supporters in Congress, staged a brief rally at the park, but the scene was so chaotic that it was hard to hear her over the crush of reporters and protesters.

Were the party of peace, Greene said, thanking those Trump supporters present. Democrats are communists.

Embattled Republican New York Representative George Santos also showed up in solidarity with Trump, saying: I want to support the president."

I think this is unprecedented and its a bad day for democracy, Santos said, suggesting that future prosecutors could target Biden and other presidents with other cases, which cheapens the judicial system.

One demonstrator hoisted a sign reading "Trump or death 1776 2024, but others carried placards showed images of Trump in prison.
He sped past the garda car and drove up onto the footpath, which was occupied by pedestrians.

A scrambler driver who sped down a footpath, narrowly missing pedestrians, has been jailed for five months for his dangerous manoeuvres.

Jordan Grimes (24) was already under a road ban when he mounted the path before driving out in front of oncoming traffic as gardai followed him, a court heard.

As well as sentencing him, Judge Bryan Smyth banned him from driving for another 10 years.

Grimes, a father-of-one from Ferrymans Crossing in Dublins north inner city, pleaded guilty to dangerous and uninsured driving.

Dublin District Court heard gardai were on patrol at Ferrymans Crossing on April 22, 2021, when they saw Grimes on a blue Yamaha scrambler. He was not wearing a helmet and the bike had no plates.

He sped past the garda car and drove up onto the footpath, which was occupied by pedestrians.

He narrowly avoided them and drove onto Seville Place, out in front of oncoming traffic while performing various dangerous manoeuvres, a garda said.

Separately, the court heard on the same day he was seen in a suspicious transaction at Ferrymans Crossing and fled on a bicycle, which he abandoned outside his home before running inside.

The bicycle worth 300 had been stolen. He pleaded guilty to handling stolen property.

Grimes further admitted possession of cannabis and Alprazolam tablets found in a search of his home on April 26 last year.

Grimes had 109 previous convictions including motoring, drugs and other offences. He was already serving a sentence in Mountjoy prison when he appeared in court.

The accused had had a difficulty with cannabis use but seems to be at a point where hes turned a corner, his solicitor Tony Collier said.

He asked Judge Smyth not to add to Grimes time in jail and instead suspend any sentence that would then be hanging over the accused.

The judge said he had to take account of the accuseds previous convictions.

Theres dangerous driving on a footpath with people on it and he was disqualified at the time, he added.

Judge Smyth sentenced the accused to five months in prison on the dangerous driving charge and made it consecutive to the prison term he is currently serving.

He gave him a concurrent five month sentence for uninsured driving and took the other charges into consideration.
"Work carries on, we always knew this would be a difficult target but much diminished from what it was a year ago," he said.

The Garda Commissioner has said "significant advances" have been made in bringing charges against the Kinahan cartel leadership.

The crime gang's hierarchy, including its leader Daniel Kinahan, were hit with financial sanctions by the United States' Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC) almost a year ago.

US officials also offered a $5 million reward for information leading to the arrest of Kinahan, his brother Christopher Jnr, and their father Christy Snr.

Speaking today the Garda Commissioner Drew Harris said that the transnational crime gang have "much diminished" in the past year.

"The whole purpose of this is to bring the leaders of the Kinahan organised crime group to justice.

"Significant advances have been made, particularly in Europe but also then with our US federal law enforcement partners. And so there is action in this and it keeps on moving forward.

Christy Kinahan

"Every month I'm updated on progress between ourselves and our partners. We're still working very closely.

"Work carries on, we always knew this would be a difficult target but much diminished from what it was a year ago," he said.

Mr Harris was speaking in Galway at the annual conference of the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI).

The Garda chief said he does not have a preference on whether the Kinahan leadership are brought before the criminal courts in Ireland or in another jurisdiction.

"I would also point out that we ourselves are stepping up our activity and putting a Detective Superintendent out to the UAE and that has proved very, very important in other nations in terms of getting intelligence, acting on the intelligence and also in terms of obtaining evidence.

"So we hope to see good advances when that appointment happens which will be in the Summer," he said.

Gardai believe the Kinahan leadership currently remain in the Middle East.

Another senior crime figure, Crumlin man Sean McGovern, is also being sought by gardai on foot of a European Arrest Warrant (EAW).

Gardai want to charge him in relation to the 2016 murder of Noel 'Duck Egg' Kirwan as well as organised crime offences.

The Garda Commissioner has also said the organisation "responded immediately" in putting additional resources to the border following the attempted murder of Detective Chief Inspector John Caldwell in Omagh.

"And we've maintained a very strong presence in the Derry, Donegal border area as well. So that is just part of our ongoing operational activity with the PSNI. We're always there to support them.

"We're also very conscious of any threats that arise from this jurisdiction and that's constantly under review as well. Obviously, it's very bad news that the threat level has been increased. "But then we will want to work with our colleagues and psni and make sure we do all we can to stop any further attacks," he said.
Six shots were fired at Hutchs home in Stoneybatter in the incident caught on CCTV.

A MAN who tried kill relatives of Gerry The Monk Hutch is the latest Kinahan Cartel gun-for-hire to be convicted at the Special Criminal Court.

Michael Carroll (43) had been extradited from the UK last year to face charges for attempting to murder both The Monks brother John Hutch and slain Gary Hutchs cousin Eddie Staunton on two occasions.

Staunton was lucky to survive after being rammed off his bicycle and shot twice in Dublins north inner-city six years ago during the height of the Hutch/Kinahan feud.

The Kinahan Cartel, out to revenge the murder of David Byrne at The Regency, had shown they were prepared to kill innocent friends and members of the Hutch family.

They had already murdered Eddie Hutch, another brother of The Monk, in February 2016 as well as John Hutchs son Gareth in May the same year when Carroll attempted to kill John Hutch.

Carroll is still facing a charge of attempting to murder John Hutch in a shooting at his Drumalee Avenue home, on the North Circular Road, Dublin, on September 2, 2016.

The scene on Railway Street and inset, Eddie Staunton

This week he pleaded guilty to having a firearm with intent to endanger life on the night, as well as pleading guilty to attempting to Eddie Staunton at Railway Street on March 26, 2017.

In July of last year the non-jury Special Criminal Court said it would hear the trial of Michael Carroll who was accused of three attempted murders, including the one relating to John Hutch seven years ago.

Carroll spoke only to answer "guilty" to each charge when read to him by the registrar and will now be sentenced on 22 May.

His defence lawyer asked the court for six weeks to prepare mitigating factors for Carroll's sentence hearing and asked that a governor's report from Mountjoy Prison be furnished to the court.

Six shots were fired at Hutchs home in Stoneybatter in the incident caught on CCTV.

The gunmen escaped in a car that was found partly burnt-out near the scene and two guns were recovered by gardai.

As a result of the reckless attack John Hutch had added extra rows of blocks to the back wall of his fortified house and had given up working as a taxi driver.

The Sunday World previously revealed how underworld sources claimed the Kinahan cartel made serious efforts to track down and kill John Hutch and his son Jonathan, even though neither had any involvement in gangland crime.

At one point when John Hutch was in Turkey there were reports of Irish gangsters being on the hunt for him where members of the Hutch family were believed to have owned properties.

In March 2018 he flew back from Kusadasi to Ireland for treatment for a broken ankle sustained during what he thought was an attempted hit.

It also believed his son Jonathan was the intended target of gunmen at a Majorcan holiday resort in 2016 who instead shot and killed father-of-three Trevor ONeill.

John Hutch then passed away in 2019 at the age of 66 after an accident in his home when he fell down the stairs suffering head injuries.

Armed gardai who were on duty nearby came to his aid but were unable to save him.

His funeral in July that year was held amid tight security from gardai amid fears it could still be targeted by the vengeful Kinahan Cartel.
Great resignation. Burnout. Silent quitting. In recent years, the workplace vocabulary has grown with concepts that reflect the social reality of many employees: work-related boredom. In a situation of professional dissatisfaction, leaving your job may be the most desired option, albeit not always the most viable one, as people usually need a good economic cushion to soften the effects of such a decision. The challenge can be even greater if you are betting on your own project, intending to start a business and follow your own vision.

Esther Cid did something along these lines when, upon returning from her maternity leave in September 2019, and seeing the limited room for growth at her job, she decided to drop everything and follow her instinct. Redirecting your professional career is not easy, she points out, and explains that the situation was not the most favorable when she made the decision: Its not something easy to bring up when you are in a stable position with an indefinite contract and you have your first six month old baby.

However, the desire trumped the doubts and she launched her own project: Tipscool, a platform created to connect students with mentors to guide them in their professional career, an idea that was born from Cids own work as a psychologist and professor at the Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona, Spain, where she found that 85% of the second-year students who drop out do it because no one has guided them correctly. She adds that she was very clear that this need existed in the market. In entrepreneurship sessions that took place over a weekend, she developed the idea along with some partners. Her success was such that in July 2022 the tool was sold to a multinational interested in integrating the service.

Things went well for her, but being an entrepreneur is hard, and the Covid-19 pandemic did not make things any easier. Still, some projects flourish, like that of sisters Esther and Maria Fabrega Moyano, both lawyers by profession. It was precisely in the middle of the pandemic when Esther decided to relaunch Cashfana, a fashion firm started during her university years and now transformed into an artisanal jewelry brand with hand-painted ceramic pieces made in Italy. On March 1, 2020, I left the law and went to the tourism sector. But tourism lasted 15 days before they put us in ERTE [a suspension of employment used in Spain during times of economic crisis or other exceptional circumstances], she recounts.

Confined at home and with all the time in the world in her hands, she gave her old college project another chance, something she had been considering for years. The lockdown and the ERTE made me make up my mind, she says. She runs the business from her home at the Costa Brava region of Spain, along with her sister Maria, who lives in Los Angeles, California, who also left her job for Cashfana. One of our challenges is to enter the American market, says Esther. At the moment the numbers add up and, she says, the undertaking has exceeded expectations. Since the brand started, it hasnt stopped growing. The fact that Queen Letizia wore one of her designs at the inauguration of the contemporary art fair Arco, held in Madrid last February, also helped to boost its visibility.

The three-year challenge

The workshop of Oficio, a brand of leather designs made in Madrid, Spain. Laura C. Vela

The percentage of new businesses that manage to consolidate is very low; not many are able to surpass the three-year barrier, the estimated time necessary to know the feasibility of a project.

This year, Pepina Pastel overcame that barrier. This dessert company from Valencia, Spain, created by Lara Guerrero in 2019, has carved a niche for itself thanks to the sweets they make with the recipes of Pepa, the founders mother. Guerrero blindly trusted her mothers talent for confectionery, and although she admits that the decision was a bit hasty, she was determined to go ahead and show the world the desserts that she had been enjoying all her life at home. She left her previous business  a cafeteria  and focused entirely on Pepina Pastel.

I sold my vehicle and with the money I got I bought a refrigerated van to distribute and contact hospitality business to offer our desserts. In the beginning, our strategy was to get clients who wanted to have Pepina desserts in their restaurants, recalls Guerrero. Then, the Covid-19 crisis forced restaurants to close and Pepina Pastel to rethink its strategy. That is when the online sale of their homemade cakes directly to consumers began to gain strength. Now, the team has grown to thirty people; shipments have also expanded, reaching all points of mainland Spain. At the end of last year they opened their first physical store in Valencia, and they closed 2022 with a growth of 120% compared to 2021, according to company data.

The 2019-2020 Global Entrepreneurship Monitor report on Spain listed several reasons why people decide to become entrepreneurs: Creating wealth or a very high income, Making a difference in the world, Making a living, because work is scarce or Following a family tradition. But there are as many motivations as there are types of companies and projects, such as that of David Iglesias Resina and Melina Carranza Maciel. Both left their jobs in law and architecture, respectively, to enter an unknown world: leather products. They decided to learn a trade from scratch and in 2012 Oficio was born, a brand of leather designs made in a small workshop in Madrid.

We started selling to friends, then to friends of friends... and the word spread, explains Melina. They make handbags, backpacks, purses and more. Learning the technique took them 12 months. Production is very limited because the team is small and they have no intention of growing any further, so the motivation to get rich does not apply to them. The lack of intermediaries allows them to lower the costs of their exclusive leather products, which are unique in the sense that, being made by hand, no two are the same. The work is hard, usually producing one piece a day, but the effort is worth it for them. Melina is clear: I would never have a boss again.

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If he had put his intelligence to better endeavours, Young could have been a CEO of a proper legitimate company

Barry Young is said to be a major player in crime

Detectives believe they have seriously disrupted the retirement plans of gang boss Barry Young after they carried out eight searches in the Alicante region of Spain last week.

Officers from Sligo have identified two mid-range apartments and a bar that Young (37) is suspected of controlling at locations in Spains Costa Blanca.

The raids were carried out in a joint operation with Spains Policia Nacional, the Gardas National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau (GNDOCB) and the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB).

A total of 12 Garda personnel were involved, including six officers from Sligo, three from CAB and three from GNDOCB.

The main focus of this phase of the operation was to get documentation and other relevant electronic items in relation to property that Barry Young is suspected of controlling in Spain, a senior source told the Sunday World.

Gardai enter a house during the searches in Spain

Investigations have established that he owns two apartments and has a major interest in a lucrative pub in the area.

However, it is likely there is even more property and businesses linked to him in the locality and what will happen now is the documentation and information on devices will need to be translated from Spanish to English.

Once this is done it will be primarily the job of the CAB officers to determine exactly what Young owns and then a decision will be made on what action can then be taken by law enforcement, the source explained.

Professional premises such as legal firms were among the eight locations hit in the searches in Spain, which happened over a two-day period and involved targeting locations in some cases which are hundreds of kilometres away from each other.

Barry Young has long-standing links to this part of Spain. Before the Covid pandemic, he spent a lot of time in Alicante but he almost got trapped back in Ireland when the health crisis began in 2020 and he was stuck at his home in Sligo.

A Garda with a Spanish police officer at the search scene

The benefit of this from a Garda point of view is that it helped when they were building their gangland case against him as he could be watched at close quarters.

The belief is that Young will be fuming in prison about what took place in Spain during the week because what was targeted there is effectively his retirement plan  properties and a major interest in a pub bought by the proceeds of drug trafficking on a massive scale.

He will now know now that there is a risk of losing his assets and this will surely be a major concern for him, the source said.

Senior sources confirmed that Young has close links to notorious gangster John Gilligan, who is also based in the Alicante area and is facing drugs and weapons charges after being arrested by police there in October, 2020.

Yes, Young is associated with John Gilligan but there is barely an organised crime gang in the entire island of Ireland that he does not have some link to, a senior source said.

This includes his long-running links to the Mr Big crime network, very close associations with drug traffickers based in Northern Ireland as well as numerous other criminal mobs, including some of the most dangerous criminals operating in the Clondalkin area.

Put simply, this is a man that has made major wealth from crime. He is a very smart individual and is generally fairly affable to deal with.

He absolutely hates being in the media  he hates that attention almost as much as being locked up a senior source said.

Gardai in Spain during the joint operation

The truth of the matter is that if he had put his intelligence to better endeavours, Barry Young is a person who could have been a CEO of a proper legitimate company or be in some other highly skilled role.

But no, he has devoted his life to crime and is now paying the price for this, the source added.

Young, with an address of Geldof Drive, Cranmore, Co. Sligo, pleaded guilty at the Special Criminal Court last month to directing a criminal organisation.

He was charged with directing the activities of a criminal organisation between October 4, 2019 and January 15, 2022,both within and outside the State.

Young, who is in custody in Portlaoise Prison, appeared before the three-judge, non-jury court on March 10, where he replied guilty when the charge was put to him by the registrar.

He faces the prospect of a very lengthy sentence on May 9 in a case which has been described as landmark and an example of excellent police work by sources familiar with the probe.

It is understood the weight of evidence sparked him to plead guilty to the charge, which can carry a life imprisonment.

When the evidence is outlined at that sentencing hearing many people will be astounded at how high-level Young had been operating at in terms of criminality.

He is a huge player in this country, a senior source said.

Convicted drug dealer Young muscled in on the lucrative turf of Sligo, Donegal and Leitrim and his network of dealers took control and even managed to bribe a disgraced garda to leak sensitive information over a five-month period.

Former Garda Jimell Henry was jailed for 18 months after she accessed the forces Pulse system from her base in Sligo and passed on details to Youngs crew in Sligo. A court heard she had become compromised by a drug habit.

Young was a close associate of slain gangster Mark Guinea Pig Desmond for years and the West Dublin enforcer moved to Sligo to work as a heavy before his murder in a Lucan park in December 2016.

At one stage Young, the Guinea Pig and his gang were in a bitter dispute with dissident Republicans in Sligo and the drug dealers ended up coming out on top against the once feared terrorists.

Meanwhile with Young locked up there are concerns his drug-dealing rival Patrick Irwin (41) may try to reassert his control of drug trafficking in the west of Ireland.

On Thursday, Gardai announced details of their search operation.

The force said in a statement: As part of an ongoing investigation targeting organised crime in Sligo, we worked with our Spanish colleagues Policias.es on a number of searches in Alicante.
The original Universal theme park has just added a whole new Mario-themed world

Mario and Luigi will be on hand to guide guests throughout the new park   ?? `??_/O??

The new area is designed around the computer game from the 80s   ?? `??_/O??

It is known as the entertainment capital of the world and the playground of the rich and famous, a place budding actors flock to in pursuit of their dreams.

But in February, I got to live out my own LA dream when I spent a few days exploring Universal Studios Hollywood.

My only previous visit to a theme park was a day trip to Disneyland Paris 12 years ago, which was shortened considerably by accidentally getting off at the wrong Metro stop and having to walk for hours.

So full of nervous excitement, I arrived at London Heathrow for my Virgin Atlantic flight armed with my Gryffindor jumper and the most comfortable pair of runners I own.

I was visiting Universals original theme park for the official opening of Super Nintendo World and therefore was one of the lucky few who got a sneak peek inside Marios kingdom before it opened its doors to the public on February 17.

Being a self-confessed Harry Potter nut, but not as familiar with the video game that turned into a billion-euro franchise, I was not sure what to expect.

But just a few steps inside the giant green tube that takes you into the Mushroom Kingdom, I was hooked, as my world was suddenly lit up in technicolour. Everywhere I looked there were interactive activities to entertain the whole family.

Eimear in Hogsmeade

I took full advantage of the media preview night, and raced up to become one of the first punters to enjoy a go on the lands stand-out attraction Mario Kart: Bowsers Challenge.

If I wasnt as familiar with the universe of Luigi, Princess Peach and co as some, just one go on the technologically mind-blowing ride was enough to make me a loyal member of Team Mario.

Quite literally a video game in motion, the ride starts when you take your place on a four-seater go-kart that brings you around a moving track, as you take on Bowsers team of bandits using head-mounted AR (augmented reality) goggles.

While my score was nothing to be proud of, I can confidently say the challenge is perfectly set up for Mario fans. Video game enthusiasts will relish navigating the various courses  some underwater, others in the clouds  as they bid to collect the gold coins and defeat Team Bowser.

As well as colourful landmarks such as Bowsers Castle and Mount Beanpole, Super Nintendo World is also home to a huge number of interactive areas, including punching blocks where you can collect digital coins. Guests can also collect keys after winning the key challenges dotted around the land  collecting at least three keys will ultimately allow access to the final boss battle with Bowser Jr.

Mario Kart: Bowsers Challenge is one of the new rides

Power-up bands come in six character designs, and help you keep track of your team and individual scores, as well as collecting digital coins and obtaining keys. They can be purchased in the gift shops for $40.

Being a major foodie and not a great loser as the key challenges continued to elude me, I was keen to move into the Toadstool Cafe  one of the highlights of Super Nintendo World for me. A clever queuing system means you order and pay before being seated, and the food is then delivered to your table by a staff member.

I usually expect themed food to be more about a feast for the eyes than the taste buds, but Chef Toad must have been hard at work for months perfecting a menu that is as delicious as it is creative.

I certainly didnt think food that comes with a moustache would be a taste sensation, but the Mario Burger followed by a Princess Peach Cupcake was a winning combination for me. An honourable mention must also go to the Toadstool Cheesy Garlic Knots and the ? Block Tiramisu  a really impressive creation. The menu also offers vegetarian and gluten-free options.

Mushroom Kingdom can fit up to 4,000 people at maximum capacity and that is likely to be thoroughly tested over the coming months as Mario fans throng to Super Nintendo World  the first in America.

While I was excited to get my game on and dive into the world of Mario, it is just one of many themed lands ready for exploration in the park.

The VIP Experience ($363 per day) gave me express access onto each of the rides and it certainly was a day to remember, not to mention a rollercoaster of emotions.

I left reality as I knew it and travelled through New York and then onto Paris where I dropped into the Moulin Rouge for a delicious lunch before joining Gru and his daughters on the Despicable Me Minion Mayhem experience. Later we travelled through Springfield, and even stopped by Moes Tavern for a Duff beer.

The park has something for everyone and while the Kung Fu Panda and Secret Life of Pets areas are perfect for children and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter is suitable for both big and small kids, there are plenty of hair-tingling moments for the thrill seekers in your group.

Even the food is Mario themed throughout the park

After entering the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, I was mesmerised as we were guided through Hogsmeade, up towards the castle and past Hagrids Hut where we jumped on the Flight of the Hippogriff. This teaser coaster is fun, fast and over in no time, so perfect for those who like a quick thrill.

But thats where the fear factor really ups its game, and I made my way inside Hogwarts Castle to be briefed by Ron, Harry and Hermione before following them into action on Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. This dizzying and hugely immersive ride turned my world upside down  quite literally.

During the thrilling adventure, we came face to face with dementors, dragons, and even got to take part in a game of quidditch as Harry tried to lead us safely back to the castle.

While I absolutely loved it, its not for the faint-hearted and it probably wasnt the best idea to ride it twice in a row after one too many cocktails the night before.

Another stand-out attraction at the park was, without a doubt, Revenge of the Mummy  The Ride. Both thrilling and terrifying in equal measure, it is a hair-raising experience for even the most sturdy of rollercoaster riders. Jurassic World  The Ride is also a highly enjoyable experience but strap yourself in for the ending. Exhilarating, to say the least!

There are definitely bigger theme parks out there, but I enjoyed being able to make my way around Universal Studios Hollywood and redo some of my favourites without feeling overwhelmed and having to queue for hours. It offers so much but also affords you the time and space to take it all in.

Another draw of Universals original theme park is that it also offers a studio tour, where you are treated to a close-up look at some of the sets, both past and present, from hit shows and movies.

From Amity Island, where Jaws still prowls the infested waters, to a 3D tunnel experience courtesy of The Fast and the Furious, and the King Kong 360 3D experience created by Peter Jackson, the amazing tour is well worth doing.

The new area is designed around the computer game from the 80s   ?? `??_/O??

I would also recommend the VIP tour if you have some extra cash to spare. It allows you to get out of your transport and walk around some of the original sets, including wreckage of the Boeing 747 from Steven Spielbergs War of the Worlds.

There are plenty of food options within the park itself thanks to its many themed restaurants, but the Universal CityWalk is also a great place for food and shopping  if like me, you dont spend all of your money on merchandise in the numerous gift shops.

Reminding me of vibrant Las Vegas, the lengthy strip is full of bars and restaurants, and lights up at night. It is therefore a popular option for guests staying in the hotels surrounding the parks, and for those who dont want to bother having to book transport to go for dinner.

The Toothsome Chocolate Emporium & Savoury Feast Kitchen was a stand-out for me here. Despite what the title would lead you to believe, there are plenty of delicious non-chocolate food options too. But if you are feeling a bit adventurous, the chocolate chicken wings are definitely worth a try.

I would also recommend dropping by Margaritaville if you need a stiff drink after a few times screaming your way through the Revenge of the Mummy ride.

The shopping is pretty good too, with Sephora and Abercrombie & Fitch among the stores on the strip.

I stayed in the Sheraton Universal Hotel, which I would highly recommend with its close proximity to the park (only a five-minute walk) beautiful rooms and extremely comfortable beds.

Mario and Luigi will be on hand to guide guests throughout the new park   ?? `??_/O??

The hotel offers a pool and jacuzzi, which is a great way to wind down after a busy day at the park or to take a few hours off from a jam-packed trip and enjoy the sunshine if visiting in warmer months.

Some people considering a theme park holiday may feel that the long-haul flight from Dublin or London is a step too far.

But the lure of La La Land is real, and when you are over there you realise how much the city has to offer  and how you can easily turn your theme park holiday into whatever you want it to be.

This area offers so much, from the bars of west Hollywood to sightseeing around the Hollywood Walk of Fame. A short Uber ride will bring you to Santa Monica for a beach stroll, or to Beverly Hills and its famous Rodeo Drive for some shopping.

I spent a very enjoyable morning getting lost in the Hollywood Hills as we made our way up a challenging but hugely rewarding hike towards the famous sign. The starting point was Griffith Observatory, a brilliant vantage point from which to enjoy stunning city views.

For me, a theme park holiday combined with the bright lights of a bustling city and the breathtaking views that LA boasts really was a game changer. I cant wait for my next theme park adventure!

TRAVEL FACTFILE UNIVERSAL STUDIOS HOLLYWOOD See universalstudioshollywood.com  SEVEN nights in Universal Hollywood with Virgin Atlantic Holidays costs from 1,239pps, including return flight from London to LA, deluxe king room at The Garland Hotel, and all applicable taxes and fuel surcharges, which are subject to change. Price is based on a May 18, 2023, departure, and includes a digital shopping voucher. See virginholidays.co.uk.

 ONE day tickets to Universal Hollywood costs from 100 (adult) and 95 (child aged 3-9). Tickets can be printed or shown on a smartphone and, for a limited time, you can get a second days visit for free with Attraction Tickets. The second visit can be taken any time within six days of the first visit. To book, visit attractiontickets.com or call 1800 927 467.
In January and February of this year, 120,000 worth of cocaine was seized in Galway City and County, compared to 140,000 seized in the entire of 2022

Cocaine is now as easy to source in rural Galway as a bag of sugar with young people increasingly turning to the drug because of the exorbitant increase in the price of alcohol.

That is according to members of the County Galway Joint Policing Committee (JPC), who yesterday heard that almost as much cocaine was seized by Gardai in Galway in the first eight weeks of this year as was seized in all of 2022.

Galway Chief Superintendent, Gerard Roche, has put a renewed focus on breaking the drugs supply-chain in the county since taking control of the Galway Garda Division last November.

The Galway Garda Drug Unit is now one of the largest in the country outside of Dublin and boasts two sergeants and 20 gardai, with the focus now on tackling the sale and supply of drugs, rather than simple possession.

In January and February of this year, 120,000 worth of cocaine was seized in Galway City and County, compared to 140,000 seized in the entire of 2022.

The meeting heard that this figure was only the tip of the iceberg in terms of cocaine use in Galway, with Fine Gael councillor, Peter Roche, blaming increases in the price of alcohol for pushing people towards using cocaine.

I dont think that there is a community anywhere in the county which is not suffering because of drugs. Its not unusual these days to see people resorting to drugs because of the rising cost of alcohol, he said.

People need to socialise and I think that the extortionate cost of alcohol is an issue and it is driving drug use.

Headford councillor, Andrew Reddington (FG), called for a focus to be placed on education in schools and increased efforts to prevent young people from starting to experiment with illegal drugs.

Its as easy to get a bag of cocaine as it is to get a bag of sugar in rural Galway at the moment, he said.

We need to reach the young people early. Its a much more difficult situation to tackle people when they are already using it.

Chief Superintendent Roche warned that Galway drug dealers are becoming increasingly volatile and said that the main focus for the Gardai must be to tackle the drugs supply chain as well as anyone involved in money laundering and intimidation.

If we put a lot of resources into drugs, we will get results. I want to make things very difficult for the people who are going down the lines of sale and supply, he said.

We have arrested groups who are starting to become quite volatile in the city and county but this drugs strategy takes a lot of effort and a lot of resources.

Cocaine use is now endemic and it is in every class of society. If a person wants to take drugs, they will do it. It is our job to disrupt the sale and supply of drugs and make life as uncomfortable as possible for anyone involved.

Galway Independent TD, Catherine Connolly, called for a drug treatment facility located in Merlin Park Hospital in Galway to be reopened.

This facility has been closed since it was gutted in an arson attack in 2013 and a HSE spokesperson told the JPC in 2020 that it has no plans to reopen it and will instead focus on community-based addiction services.

It is very clear that the [addiction] services are inadequate on the ground in Galway, she said.

In the past, there was a fantastic facility in Merlin Park. That building burned down, there was insurance there to rebuilt it, but it never happened.

Chief Superintendent Roche declined to comment on the Merlin Park facility, saying it was a matter for the HSE, but said there was a great need for more resources to tackle addiction.

We need a lot more [resources to tackle addiction]. Prosecuting people is of no benefit without treatment, he said.

Chief Superintendent Roche also said that the spike in cocaine usage is leading to increased aggression among people socialising in Galway as well as greater incidents of attempted suicide.

Increased aggression is also being shown to people while they are out and about, which is possibly due to the increase in cocaine use.
Its hard to believe looking at these images that grandmother Joyce Fullen is only 62 years old

The family of granny Joyce Fullen want answers as to why she has been left bed-bound and needs round-the-clock care shortly after getting the Covid jab.

Its hard to believe looking at these images that Joyce is only 62 years old but having spent almost six months in hospital, after she got her second Covid vaccination in December 2021, she is home but needs constant care from her family.

The mother of five and grandmother of 23 has gone from being a size 20 to a size 6 and her family say her life has been devastated.

Her daughter Crystal Bradley, who worked in the same hospital her mum was in, has demanded answers as to what has happened to her beloved mum.

Though there is no conclusive proof the Covid jab made her mum ill, the family believe Joyces health plummeted shortly after having it.

She says her mum had suffered from bipolar disorder and depression before going into hospital but that despite that she was taking medication and was living a full life.

My mum got the Covid jab on December 11, 2021 and she fell ill about a week later and now weve effectively lost her, says Crystal.

As a family we are not anti-vax but we have no doubt her life has been completely devastated by the Covid jab.

Crystal Bradley at her mothers bedside this week

She was admitted to Craigavon Area Hospital on December 26 because she was acting very strangely, and she remained there for six full months.

Before she went into hospital, she was independent and fun- loving. She could go to the shops to get her own prescriptions and groceries and she loved spending time with her grandkids.

But she came out of that hospital a different woman. You can see the state shes in. Shes faded away to nothing. She used to be a size 20 and now shes a size six.

Shes now non-verbal. She just lies in bed all the time. Shes not strong enough to do anything for herself and shes now unable to communicate verbally with us.

We now have to take it in turns to stay and look after her 24 hours a day. Shes not even a pensioner but look at the state of her. She looks more like shes 90 than 62.

She just lies in bed and repeatedly says the word help over and over again. Weve had to fix a quilt around her bed because she tries to bash her own head off the bed. Its heartbreaking to see a woman who is still so young behaving in such a distressed way.

We dont know what happened to her in that hospital but we want answers and all we want is a proper diagnosis so we can know how to treat her.

THUMBS UP: Joyce Fullen was previously living a full life

Crystal says her mum recently had a brain scan in Craigavon Hospital which showed she was suffering from a form of brain disease and they are still waiting for blood test results to be returned from Oxford to get a better idea of what is wrong with her.

Doctors want her to have another bigger scan in the Belfast City Hospitals neurology department.

Crystal says her mum needs an ambulance to take her to that scan in Belfast because she lashes out and needs to be strapped down.

Crystal has raised concerns with the Southern Health and Social Care Trust about how she was treated in Craigavon Area Hospital for those six months.

We are worried she wasnt being cared for properly, says Crystal. It was hard to get to see her because at that time there was still strict Covid rules about visiting. I was working as a domestic in the hospital and so I could call and wash her.

But we know for part of her time there she was taken to the mental unit at Bluestone where we could hardly get to see her and we know at one point they had her in a nappy, which we were disgusted with.

Two weeks ago the family made the tear-jerking discovery of their mother trying to strangle herself.

She had her hands around her own throat, says Crystal. She was trying to kill herself. We requested an ambulance to take her to hospital but it took 21 hours to come. She needed to be assessed by the Bluestone unit and she spent seven days in the hospital but then they let her out, still without a diagnosis of whats wrong with her.

Joyce is a mother of five and grandmother to 23 kids

Shes bed-ridden and rotting away. If she was dying of cancer shed be treated better than this.

We just want whats best for her and we want answers about how she was treated in hospital during those six months.

When people see her now they cant believe its the same woman. Shes a shadow of her former self.

And it is having a devastating impact on the whole family. I was working in the hospital as a domestic but I quit my job to look after my mum.

Last night the Southern Health and Social Care Trust said Whilst we are unable to comment on any individual patient, we can confirm that concerns were previously raised with the Trust regarding this patient. These concerns were fully investigated before a comprehensive response was sent back to the patient.

The government has repeatedly stated that the benefits of vaccines outweigh the risks in the majority of people. But there have been rare cases where a Covid vaccination has caused fatalities.

The UK government says: Vaccines are the best way to protect people from Covid-19 and have already saved tens of thousands of lives. As with all vaccines and medicines, the safety of Covid-19 vaccines is being continuously monitored.

The benefits of the vaccines in preventing Covid-19 and serious complications associated with Covid-19 far outweigh any currently known side effects in the majority of patients.
The actor is the proud owner of an adorable Czech Shepherd named Koda, who he adopted almost two years ago.

Barry Keoghan is reportedly training his dog to be a canine bodyguard as his celebrity status continues to blossom.

The actor, who recently scooped up a Bafta for his role in The Banshees of Inisherin, is the proud owner of an adorable Czech Shepherd named Koda, who he adopted almost two years ago.

And now that hes had a starring role in an Oscar-nominated flick, the Dubliner is looking to ramp up his security team.

But instead of hiring security personnel, Barry is hoping his canine companion can offer him the protection he needs by taking part in a doggy bodyguard course.

He is reportedly forking out almost 400 a week to have his pooch trained as a canine bodyguard, the Daily Mail reports.

While bodyguard dog classes are much more of a rarity in Ireland, one academy located in California seems to have exactly what Barry is looking for.

The Master Dog Academy in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles offers a course on bodyguard dogs, which involves teaching a dog the complicated skills needed to ensure the security of the trainer and the members of his family.

Pups are trained to assess various situations and increase their vigilance as they learn to watch and guard their owner and family members throughout the course.

The academy lists ten mandatory skills that dogs are taught during the course, including protection and apprehension in a vehicle or apartment; protection against attacks while on the street, staircases, or in elevators; restraint of strangers; unsupervised apartment checks; and protection against guns.

Dogs taking part in the course also learn to protect and apprehend while wearing a muzzle, as well as unsupervised child protection.

A note on the companys website adds: A protection dog is a great friend as well as a reliable bodyguard.

It comes after Barry was honoured by his native city in a Lord Mayors Award ceremony at the Mansion House in Dublin last week.

Although he was unable to attend the event in person due to filming commitments, the star was presented with the award alongside others who have helped make Dublin a better place.

Barry, who famously dedicated his Bafta award to the children of the north inner city, was honoured by the Lord Mayor, Caroline Conroy, for his efforts in promoting the city alongside the Irish Wildlife Trust; Sandra Dillon, the founder of The Meeting Place Club; Sail Training Ireland; athlete Gerard Prendergast and An Taisce.
Eleven-year-old Brooke expressed discomfort during the filming of this moment, but that discomfort was not taken seriously by the director.

Brooke Shields has spoken about how her first kiss was with a 29-year-old actor when she was just 11.

In the new Hulu documentary Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields, the actor, now 57, opens up about the exploitation and sexualisation she experienced as a child star.

Shields appeared as a child sex worker in the 1978 film Pretty Baby, directed by the late French filmmaker Louis Malle.

For one scene, Shields had to kiss actor Keith Carradine (Dexter; Nashville), who was in his late twenties at the time.

In the documentary, Shields describes the incident, recalling that Malle grew frustrated at the face she pulled while kissing (per TVInsider).

Brooke Shields pictured last month (Getty Images)

According to Shields, Carradine took her to one side and offered reassurance.

Hey, he said to me. You know what? This doesnt count. This is all make-believe, she said.

Speaking to Rolling Stone, the documentarys director Lana Wilson said: This is a moment I wanted to feature and unpack because, even if child Brooke wasfully cognisant of the role she was playing, and even if she realised that acting was pretend, I cant help but think: This is an actual 11-year-old girl having to kiss an actual 29-year-old man.

That inescapably isreal. And the impact of that is real, too. Eleven-year-old Brooke expressed discomfort during the filming of this moment, but that discomfort was not taken seriously by the director.

Elsewhere in the documentary, Shields opened up about being sexually assaulted in her twenties, allegedly by a Hollywood executive.

She also confessed that she didnt know why her mother consented for her to star in Pretty Babyand pose nude for a magazine at the age of 10.

Pretty Baby: Brooke Shieldspremieres on Hulu in the US on 3 April, and will arrive on Disney Plus in the UK on 4 April.
The widening of the nasal appendage during pregnancy is due to a change in the structure of the soft areas of the nose.

For weeks, pregnant women have been uploading videos on social media websites like TikTok to show how their noses have changed during pregnancy. One can see a widening and reddening of the nose in the before and after images they post. But how do experts explain this physical metamorphosis? Changes in the nose happen because of the fluid retention and dilation of the blood capillaries that occur during pregnancy to prepare the body for childbirth, explained Patricia Barbero, an obstetrician and the coordinator of the Childbirth Care Unit at Madrids 12 de Octubre Hospital. Whether these changes are visible or not, she said, they generally occur in most pregnant women as a result of the edemas produced by an increase in blood volume, which serve to compensate for the blood loss during childbirth (between 500 milliliters and one liter).

In some cases, fluid retention and edema leading to changes in a pregnant womans face may stem from other causes: It can be [from] increased blood pressure at the end of pregnancy, which can be aggravated by preeclampsiahigh blood pressure and signs of liver or kidney damage that occur in women after the 20th week of pregnancyor changes in blood pressure.

According to Raimundo Gutierrez, the head of the Otorhinolaryngology [Ear, Nose and Throat] Department at Madrids Rey Juan Carlos University Hospital, the nose widens because of a change in the structure of the noses soft areas. There is fluid retention in the face that causes the tissues to thicken. Hormone-induced vasodilatation, which sometimes causes facial and nasal reddening, causes the nose to become wider in the subcutaneous region, he explained.

Gutierrez explained that other changes also occur in the nose during pregnancy, such as congestion of the nasal turbinates and mucosa, which leads to increased mucus production, itching, sneezing and difficulty breathing through the nose: This is called pregnancy rhinitis. He said that women often self-medicate to alleviate these symptoms with products such as vasoconstrictor sprays, which may seem to improve them. However, he warned that the relief is only temporary, because a so-called rebound effect occurs, which worsens [the situation] and can even cause perforations in the nasal septum; in the most severe cases, it requires surgery. This medication also poses other risks: [It] can be absorbed and cause a change in uterine dynamics, which, in advanced stages of pregnancy, can sometimes induce premature labor.

The sense of smell and the survival instinct

The sense of smell is often associated with instinct. Common phrases like this smells off to me allude to that connection. Some cultures, such as the Inuit (commonly known as Eskimos), the indigenous peoples living in the Arctic territories of America, Greenland and Siberia, sniff each other as a greeting, which also serves to gather information about the other person. In pregnant women, the sense of smell is often heightened. But there is a controversy over this, because no significant differences [in the sense of smell] have been found between pregnant women and non-pregnant women. That is probably because of hormonal changes and not the size of the nose, said Dr. Patricia Barbero.

The obstetrician explained one of the hypotheses about pregnant womens sharpened sense of smell: Smell is the main mechanism we humans have for detecting toxic substances, such as chemicals or spoiled food In the first trimester of pregnancy, especially, women have a more acute sense of smell and feel aversion to certain odors to protect the fetus during the period [when theres the] greatest danger for defects to develop.

In short, as Barbero explained, pregnant womens state of sensory hypervigilance stems from the hormonal changes that occur during gestation and the postpartum period (the months after childbirth). All of these changes promote the bond between a mother and her newborn and help ensure the babys survival: The sensory organs are exceptionally active; its not only smell, but also hearing to capture the babys cry and touch, which is why skin-to-skin contact is so important in activating this hormonal and emotional cascade and in developing a healthy emotional bond between the mother and her child.

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A man who walked into court with 119 convictions, left with two more in a prison van to serve a sentence of seven months in jail.

Lawrence Alexander David Branson-Marsters was sentenced at the Auckland District Court on two charges of giving the Companies Office false details when he set up two companies.

Justice Evangelos Thomas said each of the two charges carried a maximum penalty of five years in prison.

Last year, Branson-Marsters, was banned from being a company director or manager for 15 years by the High Court in Auckland after an investigation by the Registrar of Companies into the two companies, one of which held itself out as a mortgage lender.

Branson-Marsters, of Tauranga, came to the attention of authorities last year after a tip-off that he was behind a company claiming to make loans to people with poor credit histories despite not being registered to deliver financial services.

When he banned Branson-Marsters from being a company director Justice Geoffrey Venning in a judgment in June outlined Branson-Marsters extensive criminal history.

That comprised 119 convictions, including 74 dishonesty convictions for burglary, dishonest use of documents and obtaining by deception, as well as 30 offences related to breaching bankruptcy obligations.

Cybercrime is the second least-reported crime, after sexual assault, according to the Crime and Victims Survey.

Branson-Marsters asked to be allowed to serve a sentence of home detention with leave to work, but Justice Thomas said the starting point for his offending was nine months in jail.

Theres a high public interest in ensuring that our Companies Office, our companies, our marketplace has integrity, the judge said.

If it doesnt have integrity it undermines public confidence in the marketplace. It effects the ability of our economy to function in a credible way.

Lawrence Alexander David Branson-Marsters came to the attention of authorities last year after a tip-off that he was behind a company claiming to make loans to people despite not being registered to deliver financial services. Photo: Screenshot/Stuff.

He said Branson-Marsters had set up two companies called Qualifund Limited and H&D Property Developments and Investments Limited.

He gave a false address to the Companies Office when registering H&D Property Developments and Investments, and used a false name when setting up Qualifund.

It was a deliberate decision from a man with a long list of dishonesty convictions, including 30 for breaching the obligations of bankruptcy, Justice Thomas said.

He gave Branson-Marsters credit for early guilty pleas.

In June, Justice Venning outlined Branson-Marsters convictions when he banned him.

He said in 2005 Branson-Marsters pleaded guilty charges relating to filing numerous false GST returns while involved in the management of five companies and a trust.

After serving the prison term for that offending, on August 23, 2011, Branson-Marsters was convicted of further charges.

Branson-Marsters was sentenced to four months community detention on two charges of dishonesty involving the use of a document, and one of obtaining by deception.

Bryce Rayner, a senior investigator in the Integrity and Enforcement Team from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, estimated the total sum of losses caused through Branson-Marsters dishonesty offending, personal bankruptcies and mismanagement of companies to be in excess of $2.1 million.

Justice Venning said Branson-Marsters had changed his name on at least three occasions.

-Rob Stock/Stuff.
Superheroes within the Tauranga and WBOP communities have rallied together in support of the 2023 Waipuna Hospice Superhero Challenge and raised an incredible $23,923.

This years Waipuna Hospice Superhero Challenge tracked exercise activity in hours. Participants were encouraged to choose between three different time targets and work towards completing them.

Each time challenge represented key areas of the work Waipuna Hospice does for the community - Hospice at home, Inpatient-Unit care, and Family Support.

Each area plays an extremely important role in providing our community with specialist medical care for patients living with a life-limiting illness, and support services for them and their families.

From walking to rowing, fundraisers chose their very own activity and collectively logged hours.

To celebrate the conclusion of the Superhero Challenge, superheroes of all ages came together at Coronation Park, Mount Maunganui on March 25 and completed a walk to celebrate, remember, and honour a hero in their life.

With John Martin providing live music and Tina Neville leading the Zumba warmup, things got off to a great start.

Participants enjoyed free coffee, ice cream, and prizes as families, friends and colleagues walked to celebrate their hero.

EVES Real Estate took out the top team and individual prizes for the top fundraisers, raising an impressive $7290.

BNI First took out the top Team Activity Challenge with 106 hours, and Lisa Fowler took out top honours in the individual challenge at 100 hours.

Holland Becket Law, Tauranga Party Hire, EVES Real Estate, TECT and MTF Finance (Fraser Street) sponsored the event, playing a key part in the success of this years Superhero Challenge.

Hospitality businesses also joined forces in giving prizes for the day. Rice Rice Baby, Polar Dessert Bar, Mount Hot Pools, Classic Flyers, Float Fitness, V8 Trike Tours NZ, Unichem Bethlehem, The Cave, Mini Golf Tauranga, Bayfair, Warm Earth Cottage, and Countdown Bethlehem all contributed to make the Celebration Walk a successful and enjoyable event.

We are blown away by the efforts of our superheroes, says Richard Thurlow, Waipuna Hospice CEO.

They worked hard to finish their personal challenges and raised an impressive $23,923. If it werent for the superheroes we have in the community, it simply wouldnt be possible to provide specialist palliative care and mental health support at no cost to those who need it.

Whether you raised funds, donated, or attended our Superhero Celebration Walk, a heartfelt thank you on behalf of Waipuna Hospice, our patients and their families.

All monies raised will go directly to fund the services provided through Waipuna Hospice.

These include medical care for patients as well as further services for both patients and their families - counselling/bereavement, spiritual care, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and social work.
Former prime minister Jacinda Ardern will depart Parliament this week for a role working on the Christchurch Call.

She will also work alongside Prince William, on a climate change charity he founded. William, the next in line to the British throne, confirmed Arderns role on the Earthshot Prize board  which he sits on as its president.

Four years ago, before The Earthshot Prize even had a name, Jacinda was one of the first people I spoke to, and her encouragement and advice was crucial to the prizes early success. I am hugely grateful to her for joining us, he says.

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins earlier hinted that Ardern would be working on the Christchurch Call. Her role, as a special envoy, would see her report directly to the prime minister.

Although this would be her job post-politics, a statement from Hipkins office said Ardern would not be paid for it.

Jacinda Ardern has declined to receive any remuneration as Special Envoy, and will commence her role on 17 April, it said.

The Christchurch Call was launched by Ardern in the wake of the March 15 terror attack.

It sought to achieve global cooperation from other nations and from social media and tech giants, to combat the spread of terrorist activity and propaganda online.

The attacks on two Christchurch mosques were livestreamed on Facebook, which inspired other killers to stream murders on social media.

Alongside French president Emmanuel Macron, Ardern launched the Christchurch Call summit in May 2019.

Since then, more than 120 countries have signed up to the unenforceable call to action and promised to take action to limit the spread of violence and terrorism through social media.

Work on the call has included research into algorithms and the establishment of a multinational emergency taskforce to monitor and remove terrorist content when attacks occur.

In a statement, Hipkins says Arderns global connections and commitment to the Christchurch Call meant she was well-placed to take on the special envoy position.

The Christchurch Call is a foreign policy priority for the Government and Jacinda Ardern is uniquely placed to keep pushing forward with the goal of eliminating violent extremist content online, he says.

Arderns leadership on the Christchurch Call has already made New Zealand, and the world, a safer place.

Her leadership after the March 15 attack was remembered by many around Parliament as a defining moment of her prime ministership.

Even Opposition MPs paid tribute to her work as a diplomat and globally recognised leader on Tuesday.

Judith Collins, who ran against Ardern as Nationals leader at the 2020 election, says her international presence had been extraordinary. However, she says Arderns Government had struggled to make progress on matters other than Covid-19 and responding to the terror attack.

Ardern announced her resignation with little warning during a Labour caucus retreat to Napier in January. Less than a week later, Hipkins had been sworn in as prime minister.

Ardern remained an MP, representing Mt Albert, so as not to trigger a by-election. She is scheduled to deliver her valedictory speech on Wednesday, marking the end to her 15 years in Parliament.

The final speech to Parliament is expected at 5.30pm. Stuff will livestream the speech.

Since announcing her resignation, Ardern has spent little time in Parliament.

She returned on Tuesday to attend the weekly Labour Party caucus meeting. Labour MPs arrived with various gifts and lei, to farewell Ardern.

She avoided speaking to reporters on her way in, other than to say she was feeling great on her last week in Parliament.

On January 25, Ardern formally finished the job as prime minister by meeting with Governor-General Dame Cindy Kiro.

That morning, she left the Beehive to a guard of honour stretching across the Parliament forecourt, made up of Labour MPs, staffers, Green Party supporters and members of the public.

- Glenn McConnell/Stuff.
Holy Week image affected by fire in Velez-Malaga is 80% damaged, but 'repairable' The investigation into the incident suggests that the fire started just after the float had stopped for a break and as it tried to avoid an electricity cable

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The image of the Virgen del Rocio that caught fire on Palm Sunday in Velez-Malaga has suffered 80 per cent damage to its arms and face, as well as to the mantle and other items, but it is "repairable" according to the La Pollinica brotherhood.

The diagnosis comes after seeking advice from local image-maker Israel Cornejo, following the incident on Sunday when a candle apparently fell from its candlestick and set fire to the cloth on the wooden carving, which was made in 1980.

The procession had been on the street for just half an hour when the incident occurred in Calle Virgen de la Paz. The two floats were returned to the San Francisco market as members of the brotherhood and onlookers were visibly shaken by the dramatic events.

Town hall to help pay for repairs

Velez-Malaga town hall has announced that it will help with the costs of repairing work needed to the image. Mayor Antonio Moreno Ferrer said that the town hall had agreed "to collaborate with the brothers and sisters of this brotherhood once the damage to the image, the mantle and the other ornamental elements of the float have been assessed by experts", they said in a statement.

Related article This is the shocking moment a candle set alight a Palm Sunday procession in Malaga province Eugenio Cabezas

According to the bipartite government team of PSOE and GIPMTM, "we support our 19 local brotherhoods and the Association of Brotherhoods throughout the year and we believe it is important and necessary to collaborate in a special and extraordinary way with Pollinica and Rocio in these difficult times they are going through and in support of maintaining and conserving the rich historical and cultural heritage of our Holy Week and our city".

The fire was quickly extinguished thanks to the rapid intervention of members of the brotherhood, local police officers and fire extinguishers.

Two brothers aged 19 and 24, Jesus and Francisco, were injured and were attended to by ambulance staff. One of the men was taken to Malagas Regional hospital suffering from minor burns to his hands. They have declined to speak to the media about the events.

The image, which is 1.7 metres high, is at the Holy Week museum in Velez-Malaga, waiting to be transferred to a workshop in Seville after Easter Week, where it will be repaired.

President of Velez-Malagas association of Holy Week brotherhoods, Francisco Javier Garcia del Corral, said that the other brotherhoods have offered support to La Pollinica in these difficult moments. He went on to say, "It is a shame what has happened, but the important thing is that the image can be restored and that the men have not suffered serious injuries.
Chaos on the metro to Malaga city centre for Holy Monday processions An unexpected rush of passengers before one of the big processions left people unable to board trains at some stations heading for the newly opened line

A SUR reader sent in a photo of a packed carriage on the Malaga metro on Holy Monday.

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Hundreds of passengers were forced to wait for long periods to arrive in Malaga city centre as Mondays metro services were so crammed with passengers no one could board at some stops on the line.

Related article Holy Monday processions in the heart of Malaga, in pictures Hugo Cortes / Salvador Salas / Francis Silva / Nito Salas / Migue Fernandez / LM Gomez Pozo

The chaos happened just before 5.30pm when crowds of people boarded Malaga city bound trains to see the Holy Monday procession of El Cautivo through the centre, which was scheduled to start at 5.20pm. But some travellers were forced to wait for later trains due to the high volume of passengers using the service.

It was an unforeseen peak in passengers before a rush hour that had initially been predicted, technical sources from the metro told SUR.

Starting from 5.30pm every day during Holy Week the frequency of trains is increased to one service every five minutes and fifty seconds in a bid to reduce congestion. On Monday, the frequency was every seven minutes.

The company has its entire fleet of 14 trains in circulation, with four additional trains to come into service in September, but huge numbers are expected to continue to flood onto the metro throughout the week.

Malaga Metro transported 53,445 passengers on Palm Sunday, according to data provided by the Junta de Andalucia. The huge figure was triple that of Palm Sunday in 2022 when 17,022 users packed onto metro trains.
The story of Hector Alejandro Cabrera Fuentes has taken another twist. The Mexican scientist, who is accused of spying in the US on behalf of Russias Foreign Intelligence Service, has reached an agreement with the public prosecutor and pleaded guilty to the charges at a hearing held on Tuesday in Miami. Cabrera Fuentes has been held in a prison in Florida since February 2020. Up until now, he had maintained his innocence, despite admitting that he had been contacted by the Russian government about following and collecting information about an FBI agent. The researcher is facing a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. His future will be decided at a hearing scheduled for May.

I plead guilty, said Cabrera Fuentes, handcuffed and in a beige jumpsuit, when he appeared in court on Tuesday. After the public prosecution read him the charges he was accused of, the scientist responded to several questions in English and confirmed that he understood the implications of recognizing that he had acted as an agent of a foreign government in US territory, according to Spanish news agency EFE. The hearing was in person, and not broadcast via video conference. The researchers legal team did not speak to the press.

Two weeks ago, news emerged that Cabrera Fuentes was going to plead guilty, a situation that EL PAIS confirmed with two people in his inner circle. The change came about following negotiations between the public prosecutor and the defense, which would allow the scientist to seek a reduced sentence. The court gave Cabrera Fuentess legal team until February 15 to make a decision: the scientist could maintain his innocence and go to trial or plead guilty and hope for reduced charges. Judge Donald M. Middlebrooks accepted the agreement between the defense and prosecution, but there is still one question that is yet to be answered: the sentence that will be handed down to the renowned scientist. I am hoping they give him two years in prison, Jose Manuel Castillos, a close friend of Cabrera Fuentes, who is in contact with him via email, told EL PAIS.

The case has attracted international attention due to its complexity and surprising plot twists. Born in 1985 in El Espinal, a small Mexican village in the state of Oaxaca, Cabrera Fuentes was able to find a path to becoming a world-renowned biologist. The scientist was educated in Russia, where he was personally handed the prize for best Masters thesis by then-president Dmitry Medvedev. He then completed his PhD, with honors, in Germany. Before being arrested, Cabrera Fuentes was working at the National University of Singapore, where he was studying cardiovascular diseases. I was born in a place where people have to work hard to have a better life and with this mantra, I have gotten where I am, he wrote in a letter sent to the University of Giessen in Germany in 2017. The researcher was a local hero of El Espinal: he promoted science, encouraged education programs and paid for youngsters to travel overseas out of his own pocket.

Hector Alejandro Cabrera Fuentes with students from El Espinal, in a photo provided by the scientist. Gladys Serrano (EL Pais)

In the United States, he was accused of spying. Cabrera Fuentes was about to board a plane to Mexico City from Florida when he was arrested on February 17, 2020. After being interrogated for hours, the scientist admitted that a Russian official had asked him to follow the car of an FBI agent and to take photos of the license plate. The photograph, taken with his wifes cellphone, was found in his folder of recently deleted files and in WhatsApp chats. His wife and daughter had to fly without him to Mexico, while he remained under arrest in Florida. I am not going, I have to stay here and resolve a problem, his close friends remember him saying.

The investigation revealed that Cabrera Fuentes had another wife and two daughters in Russia. The Russian family of the scientist lived in Germany, but had returned to Russia to complete immigration and administrative paperwork. But once there, they were not able to leave, according to an FBI report. This report claims that the mysterious Russian official offered to help Cabrera Fuentes overcome these bureaucratic obstacles in exchange for collaborating with Russian intelligence. We can mutually help each other, the official told him. Neither the scientists family, nor his friends knew about his double life. Photos of his wedding, which was celebrated at a Muslim ceremony, appeared in the Russian press. According to US court records, Cabrera Fuentes had been spying since 2018.

Conspiracy claims

In his hometown of El Espinal, the community thinks it is a conspiracy: for the past two years, there have been rumors about all sorts of discoveries and investigations by Cabrera Fuentes that may have put him at risk. Just a month after his arrest, the Covid-19 pandemic hit the world, which fueled further conspiracies about the case. Following the accusations against Cabrera Fuentes, deputies from the Congress of Oaxaca came out in support of his innocence, fundraising campaigns were launched to help him with his legal costs and the Mexican consular network offered its support. His close circle, however, points out that the Mexican government of Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador never made any statement and that all the institutions that initially offered support ended up turning their backs on him.

He is very intelligent and I think he has done what is most advantageous for him and what will allow him to leave [prison] in the shortest time possible, said Hazael Matus, a friend of Cabrera Fuentes and the mayor of El Espinal. After two years of twists and turns, just as Russia and the US lock horns over Ukraine, the small village in Oaxaca is waiting to see how its own spy novel will end.
Two missing Spanish mountaineers found dead in the French Pyrenees The pair intended to climb the Carlit peak, but called the rescue services after they were caught in bad weather at an altitude of 2,700 metres

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French emergency services have located the bodies of two Spanish mountaineers who had been missing since the weekend in the area of the Carlit peak, on the eastern French side of the Pyrenees.

It is believed that they could have died due to the low temperatures - up to 25 degrees below zero were recorded in the area - aggravated by the bad weather conditions with snow, ice and very strong wind gusts of more than 100 kilometres per hour.

The French authorities had mobilised different resources to locate the two mountaineers after receiving a first call for help from the climbers themselves. On Monday some 15 rescuers were involved in the search, including specialist mountain teams, reported local French media.

The difficult weather conditions, aggravated by poor visibility, meant that the rescue helicopter waiting in the area could not be used much of the time.

The two mountaineers, 54 and 56, left Barcelona on Saturday to do some high-mountain hiking trails. Their objective was to reach the Carlit peak, whose summit is 2,921 metres above sea level in the French region of Occitania, passing through the Alta Cerdanya region.

They planned to spend the night in a mountain refuge, although apparently they never managed to locate it due to the bad weather and exhaustion. For this reason they had to spend the night outdoors despite the strong wind and snow, according to Europa Press.

Only their altitude was known

The two mountaineers managed to contact the Bolquere mountain rescue services early Sunday morning, after spending the night in the open. They told them their altitude, 2,700 metres, but they could not indicate the exact geographical position, which made subsequent rescue tasks difficult.

According to Le Parisien newspaper, the two men sent several subsequent messages until their mobile phone ran out of battery; in the last one they said that they had taken refuge in their sleeping bags in an area where there seemed to be less wind.

Ampliar A French civil security helicopter similar to the one that had difficulties in participating in the rescue efforts - due to bad weather. R.C.

The French news portal actu.fr reported that a helicopter was able to fly over the area on Monday. After going around the area several times, the crew managed to spot the bodies of the two climbers when they were near the Tossal Colomer peak, 2,700 metres above sea level.

The authorities have opened an investigation, although it appears that both died of hypothermia and fatigue during the period from Sunday night to Monday morning, unable to withstand the extreme cold temperatures. Once the bodies were recovered, they were transferred to the French city of Perpignan.
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Starbucks has fired one of the workers who helped kick off a unionization effort at the company.

Lexi Rizzo, an eight-year Starbucks employee and shift supervisor, was fired from her store in Buffalo, New York, on Friday. Starbucks Workers United, the union organizing Starbucks workers, said Rizzo was fired after arriving a few minutes late for work. It claims the firing was retaliation for Rizzos vocal support of the union.

Rizzo was one of the workers who first reached out to labor organizers in 2021 to unionize Starbucks stores. Since then, at least 294 of Starbucks 9,000 company-owned U.S. stores have voted to unionize, according to the National Labor Relations Board. Seattle-based Starbucks opposes the unionization effort.

Starbucks said Monday that Rizzo was fired for repeated and substantial violations of its attendance policy, including one instance where she arrived more than three hours late for a shift. Starbucks said it had documented six instances in which Rizzo missed more than four hours of work.

Our policies exist to maintain a welcoming environment for all partners and customers, and interest in a union does not exempt partners from following policies and procedures that apply to all, the company said in a statement.

Rizzo said in a statement that she will fight to be reinstated.

Rizzos name appears repeatedly in a decision issued last month by a federal labor judge at the NLRB, who ordered Starbucks to reinstate seven fired workers in Buffalo after finding egregious and widespread misconduct by the company.

Among other things, the judge found that Starbucks was inconsistent in warning Rizzo about tardiness and illegally withheld pay raises for her and other supervisors. Starbucks is appealing that ruling.

Starbucks Workers United said two other union supporters in Buffalo and one in Eugene, Oregon, were also fired last week.

Starbucks can fire our leaders, but they cannot stop our movement or stop the public from seeing the truth, the union said.
As students across Nashville walked out of class on Monday to protest gun violence at the Tennessee Capitol following a school shooting last week, police said the person who killed six people, including three 9-year-old children, had been planning the massacre for months.

Police have not established a motive for the shootings at The Covenant School, a small Christian elementary school where the 28-year-old shooter was once a student, according to a Monday news release from the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department. Both Nashville police and FBI agents continue to review writings left behind by Audrey Hale, both in Hales vehicle and home, police said.

It is known that Hale considered the actions of other mass murderers, police said.

The three children who were killed in the shooting were Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs and William Kinney. The three adults were Katherine Koonce, 60, the head of the school, custodian Mike Hill, 61, and 61-year-old substitute teacher Cynthia Peak.

Hale fired a total of 152 rounds during the attack before being killed by police. That included 126 rifle rounds and 26 nine-millimeter rounds, according to police.

Outside the state Capitol on Monday, thousands rallied in a call for gun reform, many of them students from Nashville-area schools who walked out of their classes en masse.

The crowd echoed chants such as thoughts and prayers are not enough and sang along to songs like All You Need is Love  adding to it, and action! At one point, they sat for a moment of silence, raising posters above their heads that read, Thoughts and prayers are useless to dead children, Book bags not body bags, and 2nd graders over 2nd amendment. Some students wore orange shooting-target stickers on their shirts.

Vivian Carlson, a senior at Hume-Fogg High School nearby in downtown Nashville, helped organize her schools walkout. She told the crowd that her biggest fear last week, when the shooting unfolded, should have been missing the bus or my stepmom scolding me for not cleaning the cat litter box. Instead, she said she was missing English class Monday because politicians are protecting old laws for a new society.

Carlson, like many others who addressed the crowd, called for changes to Tennessees gun laws, including a ban on assault weapons, tougher background checks and a red flag law. Red flag laws generally allow law enforcement to temporarily confiscate weapons from people whose statements or behavior are deemed to make them a danger to themselves or others.

To my fellow students, we cannot let this pressure and fire escape us, Carlson said. Feel the fear as you walk into school and let it inspire you to fight for change. And please, if there is one thing you can do, I beg you to vote.

Tennessees Republican governor and supermajority Republican legislature have moved to loosen gun laws in recent years. The same day as the Covenant shooting a federal judge quietly cleared the way to drop the minimum age for Tennesseans to carry handguns publicly without a permit to 18  just two years after a new law set the age at 21.

Governor Bill Lee on Monday unveiled a proposal to allocate enough funding to place a school resource officer in every public school, increase school building security and boost mental health resources. The announcement marks the first public address the governor has made since last weeks shooting. Lees proposal did not include any gun control measures, but noted that there is much to do even after today.

Police have said Hale was under a doctors care for an undisclosed emotional disorder. However, authorities havent disclosed a link between that care and the shooting. Police also said Hale was not on their radar before the attack.

Social media accounts and other sources indicate that the shooter identified as a man and might have recently begun using the first name Aiden. Police have said Hale was assigned female at birth but used masculine pronouns on a social media profile. However, police have continued to use female pronouns and the name Audrey to describe Hale.

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Butternuts, N.Y.  Two New Jersey high school students were killed in a crash over spring break in Upstate New York, state police said.

Christian A. Enrico, 17, of Wayne, NJ, was driving south on state Route 8 Friday night in the town of Guilford when a Chenango County sheriffs deputy attempted a traffic stop, troopers said in a news release.

Enrico failed to stop and kept driving into Otsego County, according to state police. As he drove into the town of Butternuts, Enrico veered off the road and crashed into several trees at 9:41 p.m. at the intersection of state Route 51 and Flatiron Road, troopers said.

Enrico and his passenger, 16-year-old Liam C. Pakonis, also of Wayne, N.J., were pronounced dead at the scene, state police said.

The crash site was just west of Oneonta, and about a 90-minute drive from Syracuse.

Enrico and Pakonis were best friends and both juniors at Wayne Hills High School in New Jersey. They were driving to a cabin in Upstate New York at the start of spring break when the crash happened near a sharp turn on a wet and foggy road in Gilbertsville, a small, historic village in the town of Butternuts, according to CBS News.

The teens had planned to meet Enricos brother for a weekend of fishing and off-roading, and had called to say they would be a little late, but then never showed up, CBS News reported.

The state Attorney Generals Office also responded to the scene and is handling the investigation. The AGs office investigates any deaths involving interactions with law enforcement.

Have a tip or a story idea? Contact Catie OToole: cotoole@syracuse.com | text/call 315-470-2134 | Twitter | Facebook
Syracuse, N.Y. -- 100 Black Men of Syracuse are hosting a town hall later this month to talk with residents about the lead poisoning crisis in the city.

The town hall will start at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 18 at the Southwest Community Center, 401 South Ave.

The meetings goal is to educate the public about the dangers of lead exposure and to offer resources that families can use to protect themselves and their families, according to Charles Anderson, chair of the groups health and wellness committee.

The number of Syracuse children diagnosed with lead poisoning increased in 2021 for the first time in six years, according to the Onondaga County Health Department.

A total of 396 children tested showed elevated blood lead levels, the department said. Thats an 11% increase from 2020, when 356 city children were identified with lead poisoning.

The town hall will be moderated by Joe Driscoll, the Interstate 81 Project Director. The panel of experts and community members will include Paul Ciavarri, a community organizer for Legal Services of Central New York; Kiara Van Brackle, a community health researcher; and public health consultant Debra Lewis, Lead Poisoning Prevention Program coordinator for the Onondaga County Health Department.

The event is free for everyone to attend, but attendees must pre-register at Microsoft Forms.
For the second time, New Yorks Office of Cannabis Management has failed to meet its deadline to produce a social and economic equity plan.

Described in the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act, the plan is meant to guide the rollout of the states adult-use marijuana industry.



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Its the responsibility of OCMs chief equity officer, Damian Fagon, to assist with the development and implementation of the plan and hold the agency and the Cannabis Control Board in compliance with it moving forward.

The social and economic equity plan is expected to:

Define the criteria used in awarding licenses, including how applicants are prioritized.

Determine which communities were most impacted by the War on Drugs. These are the areas that will be eligible for the New York State community grants reinvestment fund.

Guide the issuances of additional licenses for medical cannabis companies.

Review nationwide cannabis social equity initiatives for lessons learned and best practices.

Summarize key findings from community roundtables and stakeholders.

The MRTAs guidelines are not suggestions, said New York State Senator Jeremy Cooney, but rather statutory requirements set forth by the state legislature to ensure social and financial goals are met.

While we respect the need for OCM to hire staff and compile data in the drafting of its social equity plan, the agency must be accountable to its progress in launching the legal cannabis market in New York, Cooney told NY Cannabis Insider.

Related: Where is the social and economic equity plan? (guest column)

The MRTA mandated that the report be completed and presented by Jan. 1, 2023. When that deadline was missed, an OCM spokesperson told NY Cannabis Insider that the agency expected to release the report in the first quarter of 2023.

That date was further solidified in Fagons 2022 annual report to the board.

An OCM spokesperson said on Monday that the plan is late again because the agency took the time to focus on invaluable public input to ensure its included in the document, which is nearing completion.

We are excited to share it with the public to inform them of the path forward to expand on the momentum we have with our nation-leading Seeding Opportunity Initiative and the equitable market we are building, the spokesperson said.

However, as of late March, the states Cannabis Advisory Board had yet to see or hear anything about the plan, according to the groups chair, Joe Belluck.

Tosin Ajayi, a cannabis entrepreneur and founder of NYU CannaPolicy, commended the OCM and CCB for advocating for social justice and racial equity.

But, she said, we have not seen a clear path forward to their steadfast goal of awarding 50% of all adult-use licenses to social and economic equity applications.

Id be remiss to bypass this weeks win, as the OCM awarded 99 new CAURD licenses, Ajayi said.

But, even so, what are we doing about other aspects of the social and economic equity plan, such as mental health and substance abuse services, community banking, nutrition programs, or after-school and childcare services?
A recent exodus from the United Methodist Church that tore through the Bible Belt in the last year has reached New York state. The split is the end-game result of an ideological divide centered around the role of LGBTQ+ members in the church.

Upstate New Yorks former bishop Mark Webb left the church in January and joined the new, more conservative Global Methodist Church, which he helped create. Hes the first bishop north of the Bible Belt to do so. A handful of Upstate New York congregations, too, have decided to leave in recent months.
By Denis Slattery | New York Daily News (TNS)

Albany, N.Y.  After blowing past the states fiscal deadline over the weekend, Gov. Hochul and legislative leaders agreed to pass a temporary budget extender on Monday to give themselves more time to talk about bail.

The stopgap measure, which covers government operations through April 10, ensures that more than 57,000 state employees will get paid this week while Hochul and her fellow Democrats seek common ground on her proposed bail reform rollbacks.

Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie (D-Bronx) admitted that differences over the governors plan to remove the least restrictive standard judges are meant to follow when setting bail for serious crimes have held up budget talks.

I would say bail is now taking up all of the oxygen in the room, Heastie said, noting that reluctance among Dem lawmakers to once again revisit the issue is based on data showing little correlation between bail reform and rising crime.

Id say thats where things are: data versus perception, he said. New York remains one of the safest states, New York City remains one of the safest [cities] but I dont know if people feel that way.

The governor claims the least restrictive clause, which predates 2019 reforms limiting pretrial detention for most nonviolent crimes, has led to confusion among judges after changes included in last years budget directed jurists to weigh a host of other factors when considering bail for serious crimes.

Pretrial detention has been a lightning rod of political controversy since the reforms went into effect three years ago, and bail has becoming the rallying cry of Republicans painting Democrats as soft on crime.

Polling has shown that crime remains a major concern for most New Yorkers and a majority believe granting judges greater discretion would be a step in the right direction.

Criminal justice advocates, defense attorneys and others familiar with the issue argue, however, that Hochuls latest change would gut the 2019 reforms meant to ensure defendants awaiting trial are not jailed simply because theyre poor.

In a statement on Monday, Hochul said theres more work to be done.

New Yorkers are concerned about public safety, the rising cost of housing, and ensuring high-quality schools for all our kids, and any budget deal must make progress on these core issues, the governor said. I have been negotiating in good faith with the Legislature, but it is clear there is more work to be done before we reach an agreement.

The extender comes as the governor and the Dem-led Legislature remain at loggerheads over not just bail, but also her ambitious mandate-based housing plan and a measure included in her $227 billion executive budget proposal that would allow more charter schools to open up in the five boroughs, something progressive Dems have staunchly opposed.

Heastie said talks have been cordial, but added that theres a lot of daylight between the governors proposals and what lawmakers are willing to accept in a final budget.

Advocates calling for tenant protections, raising taxes on the wealthy and stricter climate standards have flooded the Capitol in recent weeks, hoping to win over lawmakers and the governor.

Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins (D-Yonkers) last week said she doesnt expect a very late budget.

But with Passover beginning on Wednesday and Easter weekend approaching, its unclear how much time it will take for the three sides to reach a consensus. Rank and file lawmakers are not due back in the Capitol until Monday, April 10.

We are disappointed that all parties couldnt come together to pass a final budget in a timely manner, Stewart-Cousins said on Monday, adding that the short-term extender will ensure our public employees continue to be paid and state operations can carry on as usual as negotiations proceed.

Last years budget was approved nine days after the April 1 deadline, in large part due to Hochuls insistence that changes to the bail law be included in the policy-packed fiscal package.

The current delays have been met by consternation from both sides of the aisle.

Just like last year, we find ourselves in a situation where the budget is being delayed because the Governor has prioritized her personal political agenda over the needs of working New Yorkers, said Sochie Nnaemeka, director of the New York Working Families Party.

Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay (R-Oswego) slammed Democrats for accepting an extender and failing to reach a budget agreement in a timely manner.

Passing a budget extender signals to the rest of New York that One-Party Rule is not working, Barclay said. The inability to meet the April 1 deadline illustrates the Albany dysfunction that people have come to expect.

The secretive budget process has produced another embarrassing result, he added.

-------

2023 New York Daily News. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Upstate New York is home to some of the worst cities in America for seasonal allergies, according to a new report.

The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America released its list of the top 20 Allergy Capitals for March 2023, and Rochester ranked 20th in the U.S. with a total pollen score of 76.74. Rochester also ranked No. 8 in the country for tree pollen, behind Wichita, Kansas; Dallas, Texas; Des Moines, Iowa; and two cities in both Oklahoma and Florida.

The Democrat & Chronicle reports Rochester is seeing worse than usual total pollen scores this spring, likely due to changing weather patterns and a milder winter.

With warmer temperatures, pollen season does tend to be longer, Dr. S. Shahzad Mustafa, head of allergy, immunology and rheumatology at Rochester Regional Health, told the publication. There is this trend toward a worsening pollen season.

Allergies are largely caused by plants, trees and grass releasing pollen in the springtime to fertilize other plants. The particles can be breathed in, causing immune systems to overreact in some people, leading to the release of histamines and triggering sneezes, runny noses, itchy eyes and other symptoms.

According to the D&C, spring arrived three to four weeks earlier than usual in many states. The USA National Phenology Network, which tracks growth rates of leaf and flowers across the country, said New York has seen the earliest signs of spring in 40 years, contrary to what the groundhog predicted in February.

Three other cities in Upstate New York are seeing normal allergy seasons this year, but still among the nations 100 worst: Albany ranked 40th with a pollen score of 72.63, slightly above the national average of 71.49; Poughkeepsie ranked 42nd with a pollen score of 72.45; and Syracuse ranked 57th with a pollen score of 70.04. Albany also ranked 28th worst for grass pollen, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation.

Buffalo is seeing a better than average allergy season, possibly thanks to a severe winter that had more than twice as much snow as Syracuse, but still made the list as the 100th worst allergy city in the country.

Top U.S. Allergy Capitals - March 2023

1. Wichita, KS

2. Dallas, TX

3. Scranton, PA

4. Oklahoma City, OK

5. Tulsa, OK

6. Sarasota, FL

7. Cape Coral, FL

8. Orlando, FL

9. Des Moines, IA

10. Greenville, SC

20. Rochester, NY

40. Albany, NY

42. Poughkeepsie, NY

57. Syracuse, NY

86. New York, NY

100. Buffalo, NY
NEW YORK (AP)  A small park built on a site that was once a swampy, sewage-filled pond was ground zero for the frenzy surrounding former President Donald Trumps expected surrender Tuesday at a courthouse in Lower Manhattan.

Hundreds of onlookers, protesters, journalists and a few attention-seeking politicians swarmed into the confines of Collect Pond Park, which sits across the street from the criminal courthouse where Trump was to be arraigned.

The crowd was small, by the standards of New York City protests, which routinely draw thousands. And fears that unruly mobs might force police to shut down swaths of the city proved to be unfounded, with security measures mostly disappearing within a couple of blocks.

But within the park and the surrounding sidewalks, there was plenty of chaos.

Metal barricades separated Trump supporters from anti-Trump protesters, and police stepped in to break up small skirmishes. Journalists, some of whom had taken turns waiting in line all night to reserve a coveted seat in the courtroom, pressed in on notable figures who appeared.

Whistles and jeers from anti-Trump protesters nearly drowned out remarks by U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Georgia Republican, who had come to support Trump. But she drew cheers from the pro-Trump contingent before making a fast exit as journalists jostled for position around her.

Also on hand to support Trump was U.S. Rep. George Santos, the besieged Republican congressman facing multiple investigations into lies about his biography that he told while running for office.

Im not here for the cameras, he insisted to reporters. I want to support the president, just because I think this is unprecedented, and its a bad day for democracy.

Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., walks past the criminal courthouse in New York on Tuesday, April 4, 2023. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)

The crowds grew larger as the hour drew closer to Trumps arrival at the courthouse to become the first president in U.S. history to face criminal charges.

New York police had said they were ready for large protests by Trump supporters, who share the Republican former presidents belief that the New York grand jury indictment and three additional pending investigations are politically motivated and intended to weaken his bid to retake the White House in 2024.

A few hundred did show up to support Trump on Tuesday, waving Trump flags and wearing Make America Great Again hats.

But security was loose enough in the neighborhood that plenty of passers-by walked through the park just to see what was going on.

One woman went through what looked like a Tai Chi routine, steadfastly ignoring the reporters.

At one point, a tour guide led a group of tourists through the area. The guide stopped to take photos of the scene, then continued on. Others lingered after wandering near the large pack of journalists.

Kyle Heath, 37, from Carmel, Indiana, was in the city for a family vacation that had been planned for some time. He walked through the park amid the throngs of journalists, taking it all in.

We wanted to come down and kind of witness what was going on, and say that we were as close to it as we could be, Heath said. In Indiana, we dont have this much excitement.

In the late 1700s, Collect Pond Park was the site of a small body of water that had become an open sewer as the city grew. It was filled in in the early 1800s, but for decades was part of Manhattans notorious Five Points slum, known for gang warfare.

A different sort of tension ran high around the courthouse and park Tuesday as news media jostled for position. Television networks hired security personnel who pushed people away. Some reporters had begun lining up for a seat in the courtroom on Monday afternoon, and stayed there all night or paid others to hold their place.

A small skirmish erupted when anti-Trump protesters unfurled a large banner that read TRUMP LIES ALL THE TIME in the middle of a Trump supporters. Police quickly diffused the scene.

I think its very important. I think its very symbolic, you know, it shows that at least in New York with the DA that no man is above the law, said Gregory Williams, 57, who showed up with a life- size cutout of Hillary Clinton and a handmade sign saying Lock Him Up.
In a city that often feels like a living movie set, Donald Trumps date with justice on Tuesday could easily shatter records: there will be celebrities, extras, protests, celebrations, an overwhelming police presence, and levels of anxiety close to hyperventilation among members of the media as they cover the first ever arraignment in U.S. history of a sitting or former president. Trumps lightning quick visit to New York City to hear the charges against him has the city on alert.

Although security forces are not aware of any specific serious threats, they are preparing for the foreseeable disturbances when the former president shows up to surrender at the office of the Manhattan district attorney, Alvin Bragg, and when he is arraigned at the Manhattan Criminal Courts Building. Demonstrations by both supporters and detractors of Trump are expected.

Trump arrived in town on Monday after flying in from Florida on his private plane, and he spent the night at Trump Tower, the Fifth Avenue headquarters of his business empire and springboard of his political career, and outside which supporters had been planning a welcoming committee. Trump is due on Tuesday at around 2:15 p.m. local time at the Manhattan prosecutors office and criminal court; six hours later, during television prime time, he will address his followers from his mansion in Mar-a-Lago, Florida, where he has been confined since the legal offensive against him intensified.

Former President Donald Trump's plane after landing at LaGuardia airport in New York on Monday. Craig Ruttle (AP)

Possible obstruction of justice

One of Trumps open legal fronts, involving classified documents that he took from the White House, has become more complicated in recent hours after the Department of Justice and the FBI found evidence of possible obstruction of the investigation by the business mogul, according to The Washington Post. After accessing emails and text messages from a ex-staffer, investigators are focusing on what transpired after Trumps legal team received a subpoena in May demanding the return of all classified documents, sources familiar with the matter told the D.C. newspaper.

But the Mar-a-Lago papers are looking little more than an anecdote compared to the scene of Trump being booked just like any suspected criminal. The presidential hopeful for the 2024 campaign will plead not guilty on Tuesday after hearing the charges read by Judge Juan Merchan, acting justice in the New York State Supreme Court. The more than 30 charges to be brought against him, and which are yet to be made public, are related to the hush money paid in 2016 to the porn actress Stormy Daniels so she would keep quiet about an extramarital affair.

Access to the building that houses the D.A.s office and the court, as well as the adjacent streets, will be closed to traffic to facilitate Trumps arrival and departure and to prevent a rally by supporters called by Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (known as MTG), a Republican from Georgia who is one of the former presidents main supporters, as well as a leading backer of the far-right QAnon movement on Capitol Hill. Her views are so extreme that in February 2021 she was repudiated by the House, which voted to remove her from committee assignments.

Supporters of Donald Trump carry banners insulting Manhattan D.A. Alvin Bragg and President Joe Biden outside the Manhattan Criminal Courts building on Monday. KENA BETANCUR (Getty Images via AFP)

In a Democratic stronghold like New York, the success of MTGs call remains unknown, but the NYPD has ordered all its officers to stand ready in anticipation of incidents. There is evident fear of a repetition, even if it is on a small scale, of the violence seen in D.C. on January 6, 2021 when die-hard Trump supporters stormed the Capitol. Federal, state and local security forces have been coordinating efforts for days together with the secret service. There were significantly more helicopters flying overhead in Manhattan than usual on Monday. Mayor Eric Adams has asked drivers to leave their car at home on Tuesday ahead of a foreseeable collapse of traffic in Manhattan.

According to NBC station, Trump will surrender at the Manhattan prosecutors office, located on the 15th floor of the building at 100 Center Street, which borders bustling Chinatown. During the process he will not be handcuffed and he will be allowed to keep his cellphone. There will be no video cameras allowed as he is fingerprinted and processed. The entire 15th floor will be vacated, as other cases scheduled for Tuesday have been postponed. Trump will then appear before Judge Merchan, who is expected to charge the Republican with falsifying accounting records to hide the nature of the bribe to Stormy Daniels. The Trump Organization recorded as a legal expense a reimbursement of $130,000 to Trumps lawyer, Michael Cohen, who had advanced the money to the actress. Trump signed the checks to repay that sum to Cohen when he was already president. This irregular accounting is at the root of the legal proceedings.

Trumps legal team maintains that the whole thing amounts to political persecution and a complete abuse of power that the former president is willing to fight, according to what one of his lawyers, Joe Tacopina, declared this Sunday on ABC News. He is a tough guy, stressed the lawyer, before expressing his confidence that the process will take place as quickly as possible to exonerate him. Trump himself lashed out again against the accusation and the witch hunt of which he claims to be a victim.

Judge Juan Merchan during the trial against the Trump Organization for tax evasion in Manhattan criminal court, in November 2022. JANE ROSENBERG (REUTERS)
Singapore, April 4th, 2023  Vitols Singaporean bunker operations company, V-Bunkers, has today announced that they will be taking delivery of its first electric-hybrid bunker tanker, MARINE CHARGE. Classed by Bureau Veritas (BV), a world leader in testing, inspection and certification, the electric-hybrid bunker tanker features advanced energy storage and charging technologies that will help curb greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) from port operations in Singapore.

V-Bunkers placed an order to build two of these cutting-edge vessels in 2021, with the second tanker, MARINE DYNAMO, scheduled for delivery in Q2 2023. These electric-hybrid bunker tankers are designed to significantly reduce carbon emissions in port locations and will be deployed for harbour operations within Singapore.

The vessels have been built by Zhejiang Shenzhou Sunshine Heavy Industry Co., Ltd. and were designed by a Singapore-based designer. The BV-classed bunker tankers are built with BVs Electric-Hybrid notation and feature state-of-the-art Energy Storage Systems (ESS) technology, comprising Lithium-ion batteries and a highly automated Power Management System (PMS), to achieve an estimated 10% reduction in GHG emissions. The design configuration enables the auxiliary engines to operate at the most optimal specific fuel oil consumption (SFOC), while the ESS performs peak shaving during low power consumption periods for usage of stored energy during high consumption periods. The ESS has recharging capabilities, and while onshore power supply is currently unavailable, the bunker tankers are ready for when charging infrastructure and facilities become available in Singapore.

BVs Electric-Hybrid notation addresses the complexity of electric hybrid system implementation, defining requirements for storage, power distribution, control, and instrumentation, as well as tests that must be carried out to validate power management and critical safety considerations, such as thermal runaway. Bureau Veritas is continuously working towards the development of a standardised safety framework for on-board batteries, which is crucial as the industry explores various options to achieve carbon-neutral shipping.

David Barrow, Vice-President South Asia and Pacific, Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore, commented: "Bureau Veritas is committed to supporting the safe development and deployment of batteries within the maritime sector, and it is heartening to see the industry embrace sustainable solutions to reduce carbon emissions and improve energy efficiency. V-Bunkers' electric-hybrid bunker tankers are a positive step towards building a greener and more sustainable future for Singapore's port operations."

The launch of these electric-hybrid bunker tankers is a significant milestone for V-Bunkers and demonstrates the company's commitment to sustainable shipping practices. By deploying these vessels in Singapore's port, V-Bunkers aims to reduce carbon emissions and pave the way for a more sustainable future in the maritime industry.

Mike Muller, Head of Vitol Asia, said: We are delighted to be the first to bring ESS technology to the local bunker craft sector and thus contribute to the reduction of emissions in the port of Singapore, the worlds largest bunkering port. We shall continue to support Singapores aspirations, led by the Maritime Port Authority of Singapore, to be a leader in maritime decarbonisation. We consider deployment of these two electric-hybrid bunker tankers to be an important step forward in Singapores decarbonisation journey.
WFW advises Societe Generale on financing and delivery of vessel Lech Kaczynski

Watson Farley & Williams has advised Societe Generale on the financing and delivery of the LNG vessel Lech Kaczynski built and completed by Hyundai Heavy Industry Co., Ltd., South Korea.

4 April 2023 Watson Farley & Williams (WFW) has advised Societe Generale on the financing and delivery of the 174,000 cbm Class LNG vessel Lech Kaczynski (the vessel) built and completed in December 2022 by Hyundai Heavy Industry Co., Ltd., South Korea. The vessel is subject to financing by way of credit-bail, partially backed by Export Credit Agency K-SURE (Korea Trade Insurance Corporation). The vessel is bareboat chartered to an affiliate of the Knutsen Group and sub-time chartered to a subsidiary of Polish multi-energy company PKN Orlen. Societe Generale is one of the leading European financial services groups. Based on a diversified and integrated banking model, the group combines financial strength and proven expertise in innovation with a strategy of sustainable growth. Committed to the positive transformations of the worlds societies and economies, the bank is committed to supporting its clients in their sustainability transitions through dedicated solutions, and a commitment to contribute to sustainable finance with 300bn by 2025. The cross-border WFW Finance team that advised Societe Generale was led by Paris Partners Philippe Monfort and Laurence Martinez-Bellet, supported by Associates Hugues Hounkpati, Lisa Tavlaridis and Vincent Cossavella. London Finance Partner Richard Smith assisted on the English law aspects of the transaction. Philippe commented: We are privileged to have advised Societe Generale on this complex cross-border transaction. It highlights their expertise in the shipping and energy sectors and their important role in promoting the global energy transition. Paul Taylor, Global Head of Maritime Industries at Societe Generale, commented: We really appreciate the advice from Philippe, Laurence and the rest of the team at WFW on what was a highly complex and structured transaction. Societe Generale are happy to support a core client of the bank in the Knutsen Group and Poland in their shift towards alternative energy source in the current climate.




MotorDev BANNED

Join Date: Feb 2023 Location: Banglore Posts: 109 Thanked: 504 Times Infractions: 0/2 (9)

Car Companies and their Websites in India



10 years ago, no one cared about these companies websites of cars but now people are ready to buy a car from a website. So for achieving this, car companies are ensuring that their websites are as good as their cars.



The car websites :



Audi: The website is very smooth and has tons of information about their cars and is modern too.





BMW: Very smooth website, has tons of information and has virtual experience too.





Lexus: Decent website, gives information about their cars in detail.





MG: A good website with exellent configurators but a bit laggy.





KIA: One of the best websites of car companies in India.





Isuzu: Okish website, too old and no modern features, look cluttered.





MINI: Good website with exellent features and good user experience.





BYD: Nice website and it is very smooth and responsive. Good amount of information is present too.





Honda : Very good website with one of the best car configurators.





Jeep: A bit cluttered but is very responsive. First time users may find some difficulty,





Jaguar: Nice website with good interface.





Hyundai: Very nice and responsive website.





VW: Decent website but the configurator takes for ever to load.





Skoda: Nice and simple website.





Mahindra: One of the best website car configurator and is smooth too.





Land Rover/Range Rover: Awesome website with own build feature.





Maruti: A bit cluttered but smooth.





Mercedes: One of the best websites with a buttery smooth experience.





Porsche: Very good website with good information.





Nissan: Very good website.





Renault: Good user experience.





TATA: A bit laggy and cluttered.





Toyota: One of the best car websites.





Volvo: Very smooth and responsive website.





Citroen: Suprised , had a very good experience !







The lag which I mentioned might be my device's issue. All the above views are my views and they will change accordingly from person to person. Which Car company website is best according to you ? Car companies in India are very active now. Buying a car has become a necessity for many now. Along with customer experience in a car dealership, nowadays, car companies are also making sure that their websites are exellent in terms of user experience.10 years ago, no one cared about these companies websites of cars but now people are ready to buy a car from a website. So for achieving this, car companies are ensuring that their websites are as good as their cars.The car websites :: The website is very smooth and has tons of information about their cars and is modern too.: Very smooth website, has tons of information and has virtual experience too.: Decent website, gives information about their cars in detail.: A good website with exellent configurators but a bit laggy.: One of the best websites of car companies in India.: Okish website, too old and no modern features, look cluttered.: Good website with exellent features and good user experience.: Nice website and it is very smooth and responsive. Good amount of information is present too.: Very good website with one of the best car configurators.: A bit cluttered but is very responsive. First time users may find some difficulty,: Nice website with good interface.: Very nice and responsive website.: Decent website but the configurator takes for ever to load.: Nice and simple website.: One of the best website car configurator and is smooth too.: Awesome website with own build feature.: A bit cluttered but smooth.: One of the best websites with a buttery smooth experience.: Very good website with good information.: Very good website.: Good user experience.: A bit laggy and cluttered.: One of the best car websites.: Very smooth and responsive website.: Suprised, had a very good experience !The lag which I mentioned might be my device's issue. All the above views are my views and they will change accordingly from person to person. Which Car company website is best according to you ? Last edited by MotorDev : 2nd April 2023 at 11:45 .
A grand jury is an institution that only exists in two countries: the United States and Liberia, which was created by former slaves from the U.S. It was a grand jury that decided to indict former U.S. president Donald Trump on charges stemming from his alleged involvement in hush money paid to porn actress Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential campaign.

Trump claims that the indictment is a form of political persecution, casting aspersions on the U.S. justice system and accusing Judge Juan Merchan, who is presiding over the case, of hating him. But do these claims have any basis? With the former president set to be arraigned on Tuesday, EL PAIS spoke with lawyer Pedro Soriano about how a grand jury is formed, and whether it is vulnerable to political bias.

Q. What is a grand jury?

A. A grand jury is an institution of citizens who are appointed so that prosecutors can present them with a series of witnesses and documents. Once this process is completed, these citizens decide whether criminal charges should be brought against one or more persons. It is a process that does not involve a judge. It is a process in which the only participants are the members of the grand jury and the prosecutor. As a result, the institution of a grand jury has often been criticized because it is a totally unilateral process: only the prosecutor presents evidence. As a prosecutor from Rochester spitefully put it, a grand jury could indict a ham sandwich.

Q. How are members chosen?

A. Grand jury members are usually chosen randomly, they are not chosen on purpose. They are like normal jurors.

Q. What is the risk of bias in the Trump case?

A. Its possible that there was ideological bias, but this is possible for a very simple reason. The grand jury was elected on the island of Manhattan, and the island of Manhattan is one of the great Democratic strongholds of the United States. So there were inevitably more Democrats than Republicans on that grand jury, which is logical. But with the facts as we know them, we cannot say that this is a purely political process.

Q. What about Judge Merchan?

A. Judge Merchan was first appointed by Michael Bloomberg, who is now a Democrat, but when he appointed him he was a Republican. He is also a judge who has a pretty clear reputation of being a tough and an honest judge; a judge with no major political biases.

And this doesnt just go for Judge Merchan. Contrary to what one might think, the New York judicial system is not plagued by extremely liberal judges, quite the opposite.

Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition
Online raiders are stealing IP addresses and converting them to cash by selling them to so-called proxyware services.

Malicious actors are planting proxyware on computers without the owners knowledge, then selling the units IP address to a proxyware service, making as much as US$10 a month for every compromised device, the threat research team at Sysdig reported Tuesday.

Proxyware services allow a user to make money by sharing their internet connection with others, the researchers explained in a company blog. Attackers, however, are leveraging the platforms to monetize the internet bandwidth of victims, similar to how malicious cryptocurrency mining attempts to monetize the CPU cycles of infected systems.

Proxyware services are legitimate, but they cater to people who want to bypass protections and restrictions, observed Michael Clark, director of threat research at Sysdig, a San Francisco-based maker of a SaaS platform for threat detection and response.

They use residential addresses to bypass bot protection, he told TechNewsWorld.

For example, buying up a lot of a sneaker brand can be very profitable, but websites put in protections to limit a sale to a single pair to an IP address, he explained. They use these proxy IP addresses to buy and resell as many pairs as possible.

Sites also trust residential IP addresses more than other kinds of addresses, he added. Thats why theres such a premium on residential addresses, but cloud services and mobile phones are also starting to be desirable for these services.

Food for Influencers

These apps are often promoted via referral programs, with many notable influencers promoting them for passive income opportunities, said Immanuel Chavoya, the senior manager of product security at SonicWall, a network firewall maker in Milpitas, Calif.

The income-seekers download the software to share their bandwidth and make money, he told TechNewsWorld.

However, he continued, these proxyware services can expose users to disproportionate levels of risks, as the users cannot control the activities performed using their home and mobile IP addresses.

There have been instances of users or their infrastructure unwittingly becoming involved in criminal activity, he added.

Such activity includes accessing potential click-fraud or silent advertisement sites, SQL injection probing, attempts to access the critical /etc/passwd file on Linux and Unix systems (that keeps track of registered users with access to a system), crawling government websites, crawling of personally identifiable information  including national IDs and social security numbers  and bulk registration of social media accounts.

Organizations Beware

Timothy Morris, chief security advisor at Tanium, a maker of an endpoint management and security platform in Kirkland, Wash., pointed out that proxyware services can be used to generate web traffic or manipulate web search results.

Some proxy clients will come with bonus content that can be trojanized, or malicious, providing unauthorized use of the computer running the proxy service, typically for crypto mining, he told TechNewsWorld.

Organizations infested with proxyware can see their cloud platform management costs increase and see service degradation, noted Sysdig Threat Research Engineer Crystal Morin.

And just because theres an attacker doing crypto mining or proxyjacking on your network, that doesnt mean thats all that theyre doing, she told TechNewsWorld.

Theres a concern that if theyre using Log4j or any other vulnerability, and they have access to your network, she continued, they could be doing something beyond using the system for profit, so you have to take precautions and look for other malicious activity.

Clark added that an organization could face some reputational risks from proxyjacking, too.

There could be illegal activity going on that could be attributed to a company or organization whose IP was taken, and they could end up on a deny list for threat intelligence services, which could lead to a whole host of problems if people stop dropping the victims internet connections, he said.

Theres also potential law enforcement investigations that could occur, he noted.

He added that the proxyjacking activity uncovered by the Sysdig researchers was aimed at organizations. The attackers cast a wide net over the whole internet and targeted cloud infrastructure, he said.

Usually, he continued, wed see this kind of attack bundled in Windows adware. This time were seeing cloud networks and servers targeted, which is more business oriented.

Log4j Vulnerability Exploited

The attackers studied by the Sysdig researchers exploited the Log4j vulnerability to compromise their targets. That flaw in a popular open-source Java-based logging utility discovered in 2021 is estimated to have affected 93% of all enterprise cloud environments.

Millions of systems are still running with vulnerable versions of Log4j, and according to Censys, more than 23,000 of those are reachable from the internet, the researchers wrote.

Log4j is not the only attack vector for deploying proxyjacking malware, but this vulnerability alone could theoretically provide more than $220,000 in profit per month, they added. More conservatively, a modest compromise of 100 IPs will net a passive income of nearly $1,000 per month.

While it shouldnt be an issue, there is still a long tail of systems vulnerable to the Log4J vulnerability that hasnt been patched, observed Mike Parkin, a senior technical engineer at Vulcan Cyber, a provider of SaaS for enterprise cyber risk remediation in Tel Aviv, Israel.

The number of vulnerable systems keeps going down, but itll still be a while before it reaches zero  either from all of the remaining ones being patched or the remaining ones being found and exploited, he told TechNewsWorld.

The vulnerability is being actively exploited, Morris added. There are also reports of vulnerable version still being downloaded.

Protect Through Detection

To protect themselves from proxyjacking, Morin recommended strong and continuous real-time threat detection.

Unlike cryptojacking, where youll see spikes in CPU use, the CPU usage is pretty minimal here, she explained. So, the best way to detect this is through detection analytics, where youre looking for the kill chain aspects of the attack  initial access, vulnerability exploitation, detection evasion, persistence.

Chavoya advised organizations to create granular rules through application whitelisting for which types of applications are permissible on end-user devices.

Whitelisting involves creating a list of approved applications that can be run on devices within the organizations network and blocking any other applications from running.

This can be a highly effective way to prevent proxyware and other types of malware from running on devices within an organizations network, Chavoya said.

By creating granular rules for which types of applications are permissible on end-user devices, organizations can ensure that only authorized and necessary applications are allowed to run, he continued.

This can greatly reduce the risk of proxyjacking and other types of cyberattacks that rely on unauthorized applications running on end-user devices, he concluded.
In a nutshell: Nintendo quietly expanded its free Joy-Con drift repair program across Europe. The change recently appeared on a support page on "responsiveness syndrome"---Nintendo's term for Joy-Con drift. The repair program has been offered in other regions for about four years.

Along with tips for troubleshooting the issue before repair, the support page mentions that UK, Switzerland, and the European Economic Area users can now take advantage of the free repair offer regardless of warranty status. Previously, users could only get their controllers repaired gratis if they had a valid warranty, which covers the device for 24 months from purchase.

Of course, the offer comes with standard caveats. It is ineligible if the unit's casing has been opened or was previously repaired by a nonsanctioned service provider. "Accidental damage" or drift caused by third-party accessories are also disqualified. However, it's hard to imagine what third-party accessory could cause the problem or how Nintendo could make that qualification.

It's unclear precisely when Nintendo expanded the program. It was first spotted by Nintendo Life on April 3. Before that, free repairs were only available in the US, Canada, Latin America, and France. It's also uncertain when the offer expires. Nintendo only states, "until further notice" on the support page. The program started in North America around four years ago, if you wish to use that as a crude guesstimate.

Joy-Con drift first appeared just months after the original Switch launched in 2017. Shortly after initial reports of the problem, it bloomed into a full-blown nightmare for Nintendo, with the issue affecting not only the first-generation Switch but also the sold-separately Joy-Cons, the Switch Pro controller, and the Switch Lite with integrated unremovable joysticks.

Nintendo initially denied the problem was its fault. However, after taking a beating in the press, scrutiny from consumer watchdogs, and two high-profile class action lawsuits, Nintendo finally apologized for the problem and initiated a limited repair program. Subsequently, one of the lawsuits was dropped, and a California court dismissed the other.

Nintendo maintains that the issue is not caused by a defect but by normal wear and tear. The problem is not limited to Joy-Cons, either. Sony's PS5 DualSense and Microsoft's Xbox Elite controllers also suffer from responsiveness syndrome. I have experienced it with two DualSense controllers, the Joy-Cons included with my Switch, and a set of third-party Joy-Cons.
In brief: Having a job that offers plenty of paid vacation days might be a great perk, but it's not much good when people don't, or feel that they can't, take them all off. According to a new survey, over half of US workers don't use all the time they're allowed.

The Pew Research Center's data (via Bloomberg) shows that only 48% of workers in the United States say they use up all their allocated vacation days. It might seem strange that someone would refuse to take paid time off that they're owed, but many say they worry about falling behind at work or feel bad about leaving an excessive workload with co-workers. Then there are those who feel they simply don't need the time off - people who really love their jobs, presumably.

Another reason is the all-too-familiar fear (and occasionally a justified one) that using up all of one's vacation time could mean losing out on a promotion. Many also believe that if a company is making layoffs, which has become a familiar sight in the tech world these days, bosses are more likely to retain staff who take fewer vacation days.

Elsewhere, 12% of those surveyed don't use up all their vacation days because their boss discourages time off.

The results make for sad reading at a time when many employees are still suffering from the burnout that started during the pandemic. The shaky global economy and the threat to jobs are also giving workers extra stress, meaning taking vacation breaks is more important than ever right now.

Ironically, working from home has also led to people taking fewer vacation days. Common reasons why employees used to take days off work, such as visiting a doctor, can now be done remotely or by leaving the home office for a short while.

"US employees have been conditioned to believe if you aren't at work, you are lazy or at risk of being replaced," said Christy Pruitt-Haynes, global head of talent and performance at workplace consultant firm NeuroLeadership Institute. "We also have been taught that to get more you have to work more, and since we all want more, we tend to prioritize active work over other things in our life."

The problem is less severe in Europe, where workers usually get more than the 15 - 20 average paid days off that US employees receive - and feel less guilty about using them.

Ultimately, the only way to guarantee US workers use at least some vacation time might be for companies to require that employees take a minimum number of days off.

Elsewhere in the survey of more than 5,900 US workers, only 51% of participants said they were satisfied with their job overall. Older workers offer the most positive assessments of their job, and about four-in-ten workers (39%) say their job or career is extremely or very important to their overall identity. And despite so many people not using their full allocation, most workers place a high priority on paid time off.
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WTF?! With a market cap of $1.32 trillion, Google parent Alphabet is the fourth most valuable company in the world, so it might come as a surprise to learn that, as part of money-saving measures, Google is cutting back on employee fitness classes, staplers, tape, cafe opening times, and even the frequency that it replaces workers' laptops.

Google's finance chief Ruth Porat announced the cutbacks to employee services in a companywide email, reports The Wall Street Journal. Porat wrote that the cuts were part of big, multi-year efforts aimed at making savings.

Alphabet's revenue in the most recent financial year amounted to $282.8 billion, up from $257.6 billion the previous year, but that doesn't mean all of its employees will keep enjoying the company's snack bars, or "microkitchens," some of which are being eliminated. The firm is also closing cafeterias on less-busy days.

The WSJ writes that to save more money, Google will introduce an internal tool that helps teams pick low-cost providers of outside services such as software and equipment providers.

In separate documents seen by CNBC, Google said employee fitness classes were also being cut back. The time between employee laptop replacements is being extended, as is the refresh rate for desktop PCs and monitors. Even basic office supplies such as staples and tape are being restricted to save costs.

"We have been asked to pull all tape/dispensers throughout the building," a San Francisco facility directive stated. "If you need a stapler or tape, the receptionist desk has them to borrow."

Google employees who don't work in engineering roles and require a new laptop will receive a Chromebook by default; they used to have the option of high-end MacBooks. Google claims this also helps prevent external compromises.

Porat wrote that Google's aim this year is to "deliver durable savings through improved velocity and efficiency."

The document claimed that cuts to the food, fitness, massage, and transportation programs were the result of more people coming in 3 days per week rather than 5.

"We've baked too many muffins on a Monday, seen GBuses run with just one passenger, and offered yoga classes on a Friday afternoon when folks are more likely to be working from home," it stated.

Back in January, Alphabet became one of the many tech giants to announce 12,000 people were being laid off, the result of overhiring during the pandemic and the current shaky global economy. It led to Swiss Google workers walking out and offering to reduce their wages to prevent cuts, which Google refused.

This isn't the first time Google has implemented extreme money-saving measures. In February, it asked some of its employees to share desks with co-workers.
In context: Wikipedia is the internet's most popular encyclopedia, a collaborative effort featuring over 58 million articles written in more than 300 languages. This trove of free digital knowledge is currently put together by human editors and writers with no "AI" in sight. Things could change pretty soon, though.

ChatGPT-like chatbots and other "intelligent" algorithms could one day write entire Wikipedia articles, even though that future is still far away. Jimmy "Jimbo" Wales, founder of the collaborative encyclopedia and the Wikimedia non-profit organization, tackled the AI problem in a recently published interview, stating that machine learning-based chatbots are a promising technology that could help vastly improve Wikipedia.

As things are today, ChatGPT and other over-hyped AI algorithms are probing the whole internet to create a massive database of text snippets to statistically answer people's prompts. A non-trivial part of the database comes from Wikipedia, one of the most quoted online sources. There could be a role reversal where the AI will write most of the information on the platform in the future.

Wales thinks that future is still in the distance, without a guess "how far away we are." We're certainly closer than he would have thought just a couple of years ago, Wales said, even though his tests have highlighted the many flaws still affecting the chatbot business.

Wales is particularly worried about the hallucination problem, which he appropriately calls "lying." The AI tends to fabricate "facts," which is not appropriate for Wikipedia. ChatGPT can provide false or made-up information, kill people beforehand, or answer prompts with contradicting facts, all with absolute confidence. Wales provided an example of a conversation he had with the bot about the Empire State Building.

"I asked ChatGPT, did an airplane crash into the empire state building? And it said no, an airplane did not crash into the empire state building. But then it went on to say there is a famous building in New York, and one of the most famous things that happened is when a B25 bomber crashed into the Empire State Building. I said, is a B25 bomber a type of airplane? It said says [yes]---so I said you were wrong when you said a plane didn't crash into it. And it said, you're right. I apologize for my error."

While complete AI authorship is still out of the question, Wales said, Wikipedia is already discussing other ways the chatbot algorithms could help improve the encyclopedia in the coming months (and years). Wales is thinking about intriguing opportunities for an AI trained "on the right corpus of things," like checking two Wikipedia entries to see if there are statements that contradict each other.

Human editors could detect those contradictions, but the AI would automate the entire process, potentially finding hundreds of examples and greatly helping the Wikipedia community. Another well-known issue is AI bias, which results from unbalanced algorithm training. Wikipedia continually struggles with this issue. Critics have often charged Wikipedia with having a male-centric and white-centric perspective on world events. A biased AI wouldn't help address that problem.

However, a properly trained AI could spot information gaps that haven't been covered yet, providing new ideas and content. Wales estimates that if the AI could triple the number of Wikipedia entries, the encyclopedia's operating costs would only increase by around $1,250 annually.
TechSpot is about to celebrate its 25th anniversary. TechSpot means tech analysis and advice you can trust

A hot potato: In another example of society's increasing abandonment of cash, some branches of a massive bank have stopped dealing with physical money over the counter. It comes after years of falling ATM use, a trend that drastically accelerated during Covid.

The Australia and New Zealand Banking Group (ANZ), Australia's second-largest bank by assets, recently said that a significant drop in in-branch transactions has led it to stop handling cash at some branches.

ANZ told NCA NewsWire that cash and cheque deposits and cash withdrawals would only be possible at these branches by using the onsite SmartATMs. Bank staff will be on hand to help customers who may have not previously used the machines - instead of handling cash behind the counter, presumably.

The reason behind the decision is that Australia, like the rest of the world, is using less cash. As per The Reg, Australia's Reserve Bank reports that the use of cash in day-to-day transactions has been declining since the mid-2000s.

The number and value of ATM withdrawals in Australia have declined by 60% and 40%, respectively, since 2008. Cash withdrawals took a huge nosedive during the pandemic, and have only slightly recovered since then.

Australians made 75 million ATM withdrawals in the month of December 2008. That felt to just 31 million in February 2021, a slight improvement over the 21 million withdrawals made during the Covid lockdowns.

With more people favoring digital payments over traditional physical methods, ANZ said fewer people are visiting banks, with a 50% decline in in-branch transactions over the last four years. "Only eight percent of our customers solely rely on branches for their everyday banking needs, with the majority preferring online and mobile banking methods," said an ANZ spokesperson, adding that most customers who visit are there to discuss large and complex financial transactions.

We are now at the 'give me convenience or give me death' stage of Western civilisation.



ANZ Bank ends cash withdrawals from its branches - as the end of paper notes looms. It's tap and go from here on in...https://t.co/Y99GQF8Vrd pic.twitter.com/p9vSCZhRVA --- dystopian down under (@dystopian_DU) March 30, 2023

Despite the world moving closer to a cashless society, some Australians have expressed outrage at the bank's decision. "I'll let my 90-year-old Italian grandmother know that she can (no) longer access her own money in a supposedly first world country," one social media user wrote. "It's disgusting, what about the elderly who don't have debit cards and only have bank books?" said another.

But with just 13% of purchases in Australia now using banknotes or coins, plenty of people said they can understand why the bank is making this move.

Back in November, a report suggested that only two states in the US were opposed to a cashless society: Alabama and Delaware. Despite objections, it increasingly looks as if we're rapidly heading in this direction, whether people like it or not.
Ouch! Struggling rocket firm Virgin Orbit is all but finished. Its parent company hasn't yet stuck a fork in it yet as it seeks an out under Chapter 11 protection. However, buyers are staying away from the failing company. Richard Branson says even he doesn't want the Virgin Galactic spinoff anymore. The only certainty is that if it does survive bankruptcy, it will be under different ownership.

Virgin Orbit's insolvency woes solidified as it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection this week. The move comes after financial struggles culminating in an expensive failed launch that lost nine satellites. The aborted mission resulted in the company halting operations and furloughing most of its staff last month.

Virgin's space spinoff struggled practically from its inception in 2015. Virgin Orbit launched its first successful mission in 2021 after several years of slow development. Since then, it has only had four other commercial flights---three successful and one aborted. Even without the failed launch, The company was not launching enough commercial missions to hit its breakeven point.

Virgin Orbit to Continue Sale Process Under Chapter 11 Protection. Read more: https://t.co/MhsPTxqUQF pic.twitter.com/xOMMXEC0oK --- Virgin Orbit (@VirginOrbit) April 4, 2023

Hemorrhaging money, the company attempted to raise $438 million through a SPAC (special purpose acquisition company) merger. However, that venture only resulted in $228 million. Since its 2021 initial public offering, its market value has tumbled from $3.1 billion to just over $200 million. Financial Times analysts expect the company to report only around $33.1 million in revenue, with a $191 million figure in the loss column for the fiscal year 2022.

According to CNBC, Sir Richard Branson wants nothing to do with the company anymore, and parent company Virgin Group is desperately trying to find a buyer. Since shuttering operations last month, the company has scrambled to find investors to bail it out. At one point, it was in talks with Texas investor Matthew Brown to take a majority stake in the company for $200 million, but the talks broke down, and Brown backed out.

Chapter 11 protection puts creditors on hold while the company continues to operate and plans a reorganization or seeks additional funding. Virgin Group can still offload the company if it can find a buyer. Otherwise, the firm will shutter for good. Its prospects do not look good, considering that Brown would not buy the company even at a $27 million discount.
TechSpot is about to celebrate its 25th anniversary. TechSpot means tech analysis and advice you can trust

In a nutshell: Apple announced refreshed MacBook Pros with M2 Pro and M2 Max chips back in January but according to a recent report out of Korea, chip production had to be paused for two months due to weak demand.

South Korean publication The Elec reports that Apple froze production of its M2 series of SoCs in January and February due to lower than anticipated MacBook demand. Production reportedly resumed in March, but at just half the rate compared to before.

The production hiccup impacted other cogs in the supply chain as well. Companies that supply materials and smaller components like thermal interface material, solder balls and the package lid all had to idle down as Apple regrouped. According to one insider, repurposing the M2 manufacturing line during the two-month break to accommodate other hardware production was impossible.

Apple CEO Tim Cook said in early February that the company is continuing to navigate a challenging environment. Cook added that things might be a little rough in the short term but noted Apple's low share position in a large market and the competitive advantage that Apple silicon brings to the table.

Apple's challenges are a microcosm of the larger PC and tech industry.

CPU shipments experienced their biggest decline in three decades during the usually lucrative holiday quarter. PC shipments slid 28 percent during the same period, and some motherboard and hard drive vendors saw yearly shipments nearly cut in half. Logitech's peripheral and accessories business took a turn south, and smartphone shipments reached their lowest point in a decade.

In the meantime, we may have another new product category to look forward to as Apple is widely expected to unveil its long-rumored augmented reality / virtual reality ambitions this year - perhaps during WWDC in June. Some employees are reportedly concerned that Cook is rushing the launch of the headset and that it will be an expensive failure. Only time will tell.

Image credit: Do More by Remy Loz, Colorful by Andras Vas
KYODO NEWS - Apr 4, 2023 - 09:34 | Feature, All, Japan

A Japanese couple with intellectual disabilities, whose relationship blossomed some three decades ago, finally tied the knot at the age of 62, overcoming resistance from family members and many others who believed they could never get married.

Shunsuke Watarai and his wife Kikuyo, who now live together in Nagoya, central Japan, met in their early 30s through an acquaintance. Although they hit it off from the start, family and welfare support staff arbitrarily decided that a romantic relationship was out of the question for them, according to Watarai.

"There are quite a few things we can do on our own if we try," said Shunsuke, who has a mild mental impairment. "Instead of unilaterally deciding 'No,' we want people to explain to us why something cannot be done."

Kikuyo, who is the same age as her husband, has a moderate mental disability. "He was gentle and dependable," Kikuyo said, recalling the time she first became attracted to Shunsuke, which eventually led to them dating.

They later started working together in a youth group formed by people with mental disabilities, which was connected to a larger support association made up of parents with mentally disabled children. They would organize trips and study groups amongst themselves.

"We learned all sorts of new things from our club activities, which gave us the confidence to think that there are many things that we can do independently," said Shunsuke.

Kikuyo had thought about marrying Shunsuke for many years, but "I could never say anything because I knew people would be against it," she said. It wasn't until they were about 50 that they began thinking realistically about getting married.

As the years went by, the possibility that one of them may suffer from the death of a parent, or need to put them into care, increased. Living together so that they could support one another, therefore, began to seem like a smart move. At that point, Kikuyo lived in a group home, while Shunsuke received support from a welfare office.

But when they finally revealed their intention to get married to their families and support staff, "they fiercely opposed the idea. They told us, 'It's impossible for the two of you to live together,'" Shunsuke said.

However, as the dementia Kikuyo's mother was suffering from gradually worsened, Shunsuke began to help out with her care. They obtained lawyers through the adult guardianship system, and eventually, those around them relented to their strong desire to be together.

They got married on Shunsuke's 62nd birthday last year, Nov. 22, known in Japan as "Good Marriage Day." In February, they made a big announcement in front of over 30 well-wishers and supporters, receiving their blessings.

Naoko Nagata, 68, a former board member of the parents' support association who counseled the couple for more than a decade, said, "I think that the perseverance of these two, which never wavered and their determined appeals to those around them, ultimately changed the minds of family and supporters."

The couple lives in an apartment building in the city with Kikuyo's mother. A helper from a disability welfare service visits the home once a week.

Shunsuke works as a janitor at the city's water department, and Kikuyo has a job in a workshop. They can make ends meet by pooling their wages together with their disability pensions.

A Kyodo News nationwide survey conducted early this year found that nearly 70 percent of respondents who were families of persons with intellectual disabilities want a system to support their children's relationships, marriage and childbirth.

The survey, conducted after it came to light that a group home in Hokkaido, northern Japan, had required residents with mental disabilities to undergo sterilization treatment if they wanted to get married or live together, also showed that about 20 percent of such people have been restricted from marrying and having children.

"We want many people to know that there are people like us out there," Shunsuke said.
Scientists in the Arctic are set to conduct saving samples of ancient ice for analyzing previous environmental conditions. This effort was called a race against time before the frozen layers melt away due to climate change.

(Photo : Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

LONGYEARBYEN, NORWAY - JULY 31: In this aerial view from a drone water carves a winding channel down the surface of the melting Longyearbreen glacier during a summer heat wave on Svalbard archipelago on July 31, 2020 near Longyearbyen, Norway. Svalbard archipelago, which lies approximately 1,200km north of the Arctic Circle, is currently experiencing a summer heat wave.

Saving Ancient Ice Samples from Melting

Researchers from Italy, France, and Norway have set up camp on Norway's Svalbard archipelago to save samples of ancient ice. The Straits Times reported that the scientists are taking this effort to save samples before climate change melts away the ancient ice samples from frozen layers.

Ice Memory Foundation Vice Chairman Carlo Barbante stated that this study aims to recover and preserve for future generations of scientists. "These extraordinary archives of our Planet's climate before all the information they contain is completely lost."

Scientists were warned by experts that as the ice melts from the heat, it affects the whole research study process as it alters geochemical records preserved in ancient ice. Ice Memory Foundation President Jerome Chappellaz stated that they "are seeing their primary material disappear forever from the surface of the planet."

[Press release] Saving the ice memory of Svalbards glaciers where global warming impacts are going 4 times faster

 The #IceMemory Foundation launches its 8th drilling operation participating in the Sentinel project expedition on Holtedahlfonna icefield https://t.co/giGtDxRwE0 pic.twitter.com/fZ2JBdCjr7  Ice Memory Foundation (@icememory_) April 3, 2023

Along with the eight Arctic scientists, Chappellaz also runs the operation. He added that through this study, it is their responsibility to make sure that the ancient ice is preserved as they are the glaciologists of this generation.

Also Read: Scientists Dissect 3,500-Year-Old Bear, Found in Siberian Permafrost as Perfectly Preserved

ABC reported that human-caused carbon emissions have made the planet to warm by 1.1 degrees Celsius since the 19th century, with Arctic warming between two and four times faster than the global average.

Conducting the Operations

Based on a report from Phys.org, the researchers have already set up camp at an altitude of 1,100 meters on the "crevasse-ridden" Holteedahlfonna ice field and will conduct the operations on Tuesday. They will work for three works in a temperature of minus-25C, as they cut down a series of ice each one meter long and 10cm wide.

The ice will be extracted in a series of tubers from as far as 125m below the surface, which contains frozen geochemical traces all the way from three centuries back. The scientists will analyze the saved samples to provide valuable data regarding past environmental conditions.

Saved samples of ice tubes will be used for immediate analysis while a second set will be sent to Antarctica for storage in a sanctuary under the snow, dedicated to ice memory. This is where the samples will be preserved for future generations of scientists to study years from now.

This mission costs $1.1 million and was partly funded by the Italian research ministry, and was followed by a series of early ice core operations by the same foundation, including the one in the Alps and the Andes.

Related Article: Arctic Climate Crisis Allowed New Maritime Routes, Shipping Emissions Accelerates Ice Melt

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An industry-first, Switzerland-based luxury watch brand, Audemars Piguet, is bringing a guarantee to its customers and ensuring that their watches stay theirs despite being stolen or damaged due to an incident. The company is promising to replace its timepieces when a crime-related incident takes place, ensuring that owners get to enjoy their famous watches.

Audemars Piguet Ensures Luxury Watches Despite Theft or Damage

(Photo : Audemars Piguet)

Famous Swiss brand, Audemars Piguet, is doing one for the public, extending its customer care and assistance, as well as understanding what it is like to own a luxury watch and be the target of mugging. In Bloomberg's report, this is known as the "AP service guarantee," and it would replace luxury watches when it is stolen or damaged due to a robbery incident.

In an interview with chief executive Francois-Henry Bennahmias, he said that "We listen to our clients, and we have to look also at what's going on in the world right now. We have important cities in Europe and in the US that are not as safe anymore."

The company aims to extend its guarantees for the new owners, especially that there have been rising incidents of watch-related crimes in the world.

Read Also: AirTags With No Speakers Discovered on eBay and Etsy, Alamared Privacy Advocates

Audemars Piguet, The Le Brassus will Replace it for Two Years

Audemars Piguet and The Le Brassus brand are best known for their Royal Oak, and its watches average at around 50,000 Swiss francs, about $72,700 are now seeing an extended warranty under a new service program.

Users only need to create an AP account and register their watches for this guarantee.

This will ensure that watches bought in 2022 and 2023 have as much as two years for an in-house replacement or repair from the company, under the new observation.

Luxury Watch Industry: Now Back in Business

Brands like Audemars Piguet, Patek Phillipe, and Rolex, among others in the luxury watch industry, are now back in business and seem like they never left. These are the brands that did not opt to sell their watches to the internet, mainly centering on having people come to their stores or retailers to purchase their preferred pieces.

The COVID era has been a significant test for these brands, as they refused to bring their luxury items to the public via the internet, despite many transitioning.

However, there are still carriers or retailers which brought their watches for online purchase, with the likes of Avi & Co. delivering a preferred timepiece for a certain customer. This also includes the guarantee of a contactless, premium, and safe transaction, from buying the watch down to its delivery, as there are multiple scams present on the internet.

Audemars Piguet is one of the best-known brands in the Swiss luxury watch markets, and since the thieves are well-versed on which are the expensive or valuable ones, the company had to up its game. It is now giving a guarantee for all watches from 2022 to 2023, with a safety net for two years for replacement, should they be stolen or damaged by thieves.

Related Article: Apple AirTags Help in Recovering $16,000 Worth of Stolen Goods from Airport

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Google Drive has begun limiting how many files its users can create and save on the file-sharing platform. Even if users pay for extra storage, the tech giant reportedly imposes a cap.

So if you are fond of backing up relatively large system files on Google Drive, you might want to think twice this time around.

(Photo : Mario Tama/Getty Images)

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JANUARY 08: People walk past the Google pavilion at CES 2020 at the Las Vegas Convention Center on January 8, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Google Drive File Creation Limitation

As per The Verge, Google Drive now limits the number of files users can create or save on the platform. They could now only create a maximum of 5 million files.

The spokesperson of Google, Ross Richendrfer, told The Verge that the new limit seeks to "maintain strong performance and reliability" of the file-sharing platform. On top of that, the additional measure also aims to prevent "misuse" of the systems of the service.

The Google spokesperson reveals that once users reach the file creation limit, they will receive a notification. From there, they may reach out to Google support to talk about the problem.

Read Also: Google Docs, Sheets, Slides Get Material You Redesign: Slight Difference for the Apps

How Does the File Creation Limit Work

Although Drive now has a 5 million limit, it only applies to the files users have "created" on the platform. And as such, the files users have "shared" to their Drive do not count.

(Photo : PAU BARRENA/AFP via Getty Images)

The logo of Google internet giant is seen on the opening day of the Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) audiovisual and systems integration exhibition in Barcelona on January 31, 2023.

With that, users may still have at least 5 million files as long as not all of these were created by the Google Drive user.

The renowned tech firm further assures that the new limitation only affects a "vanishingly small" number of users. In other words, most users should be able to go on with their lives after all despite the new file creation limitation, at least according to the search giant.

However, Engadget notes in its report that the new limit that Google imposed carries a problem for heavy users. Some folks might end up hitting the limit before the storage they paid for actually runs out.

The news outlet notes that 2TB Google One users might enter into problems if their average file size is roughly 400KB or even lower. At that rate, these accounts might get a limit notification before even reaching their storage capacity.

The Verge highlights that Google failed to tell affected users about the new maximum file cap before it started quietly rolling out. But then again, the tech giant believes that only a relatively few folks will encounter the limit.

For most of us, who would never create up to a whopping 5 million files, we may continue using Google Drive without running into this limitation.

Related Article: Google Drive Search Filter Feature Launches: Three Filter Options Available

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Hotels.ng Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mark Essien, co-founded the largest hotel booking agency in Nigeria, Africa.

But before that, he created computer software and mobile apps, which he later on sold.

(Photo : from Hotel.ng CEO Mark Essien Linkedin Profile )

Hotels.ng Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mark Essien.

Meet Hotels.ng CEO Mark Essien

The founder and CEO of Hotels.ng, Essien, kicked off his journey to become one of the most successful tech entrepreneurs in Africa when the fire for his passion for computers began burning.

Before founding his tech firm, Essien grew up in Nigeria with parents who were business-oriented. After all, according to Forbes, they owned a host of schools in the region.

Later on, the Hotels.ng founder graduated from a German university. And during his stay in the European nation, he got acquainted with the growing world of digital technology in time for the booming "dot com" era.

He exposed himself to the burgeoning world of digital products despite not owning a computer during those days. Essien borrowed the computer from his sister to connect to the internet, which before 5G and fiber technology single-handedly relied on dial-up technology.

And from there, the man, who founded Hotels.ng, started developing his own software. One of his first creations is a file-sharing platform that goes by the name Gnumm. After gaining a couple of downloads, the tech firm under the Bertelsmann group, Snoopstar, purchased it, as per CNET.

He did not stop there. Essien created a new service that offered a MPEG encoder, a first of its kind, which he sold to prominent clients like Disney and the United States military.

Besides PC software, he also ventured into creating apps for smartphones. Then he suddenly realized that there was an opportunity for the emerging technology market in Africa.

And now, Essien sits as the chief executive of the largest online hotel booking service in Nigeria.

The Linkedin account of the tech exec says that he is the "founder of the biggest hotel booking agency in Nigeria (B2B and retail)."

Read Also: Worksport CEO to Participate on March 30th Electric Vehicle & Auto Tech Virtual Online Conference Presented by Maxim Group and hosted by M-Vest

Hotels.ng: the First Online Hotel Booking Agency in Nigeria

Essien founded Hotels.ng over a decade ago, or in February 2013, to be more exact, according to Crunch Base.

Since then, the hotel booking platform has grown significantly into one of the largest tech platforms in the country. It now has more than 10,000 hotel listings. It sure is a massive expansion since its launch wherein, CrunchBase says, it only hosted 100 hotels.

And with that, the Hotels.ng founder has been recognized in his pursuit to expand the online hotel booking service. He has been featured in the Forbes 30 under 30, which puts the spotlight to young entepreneurs in Africa.

The wide range of accommodations gives users ample choices on where to stay, making it Hotels.ng, founded by Essien more than ten years ago, a success it is today.

Related Article: OpenAI CEO Sam Altman's Worldcoin is Pushing for Iris Verification to Replace Passwords Soon

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The infamous Chinese Spy Balloon, as dubbed by the United States as it flew over US territory, is now confirmed to be indeed an instrument used to collect information and intelligence on the country. US officials also claimed that the spy balloon centered on the US military sites, picking up as much information as it could before sending it back to Beijing in real time.

It was shot down last February 4, and the US has taken this time to examine its remains and know what China is up to, with the latest discovery uncovering what is behind this flying object.

Chinese Spy Balloon Claimed to Collect Info about the US Military

(Photo : Ryan Seelbach/U.S. Navy via Getty Images)

In an exclusive report by NBC News, US officials have confirmed that the "civilian airship" which was shot down in February was indeed a Chinese spy balloon that entered the US territories. The Biden administration did countermeasures and tried to block the balloon's efforts from the time it detected it entering the airspace.

Two current US officials that remained anonymous claimed that it collected information and gathered intelligence in US military sites as it hovered over them, picking up electronic signals in the present.

According to The Straits Times, the aircraft managed to fly in a "Figure 8" formation at times and was able to make multiple passes over these sites to collect the data it needed.

Read Also: [LOOK] US Navy Shares Images of Alleged Chinese Spy Balloon After Take Down

China was Indeed Spying Claims US Officials

"The intelligence China collected was mostly from electronic signals, which can be picked up from weapons systems or include communications from base personnel, rather than images," as per the US officials, cited by NBC.

China was indeed collecting information and spying over the US military sites, as confirmed by the two US officials and one former senior administration official.

Chinese Spy Balloon Controversy

There were significant concerns when the public spotted a weird-looking balloon, flying over the Northern US and its territories, which became a national controversy on its flight above the country. It was then shot down by American authorities, as it was believed to be a Chinese spy balloon, which the East Asian country confirmed as its airship.

It was a significant concern for the country, as this balloon was hovering over the country peculiarly, and it appeared out of the blue at the start of the year.

Still, China defended its balloon to be a civilian airship, and the shooting down of it was considered an act of aggression, particularly as Beijing claims it was only blown off-course. China has also threatened to take action against the shooting down of its civilian airship, with the United States said to be overreacting to this event.

After the US collected this "spy balloon," the government and its military decided to study and look into what it is, with over a month since its capture and only now did it have answers for the public. The US officials indeed confirm that this is a Chinese spy balloon, hovering over military sites, and managed to gather intelligence which it already sent to Beijing last February.

Related Article: China Says It Will Take Measures Against US Entities After Balloon Takedown

 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
One of the reasons Earth is habitable is due to its strong magnetic fields, which envelop the planet's atmosphere. Without magnetic fields, the charged particles will strip away from the atmosphere, making our planet inhabitable.

When it comes to other planets in the universe, finding hints of magnetic fields sparks hope, as there could be other worlds in which humans may be able to live.

In a recent press release, scientists have discovered a promising exoplanet candidate that may potentially have magnetic fields.

The YZ Ceti b

Scientists have identified a planet similar to the size of Earth that can be found beyond our solar system. It is named YZ Ceti b, and it orbits a small red dwarf star approximately 12 light-years away from Earth.

The planet is close to the star and completes an orbit in only two days. They were able to detect this through repeating radio signals that originate from the str YZ Ceti after extensive observations.

According to the team, the radio signals could be the result of particle interactions between the exoplanet's magnetic field and its star. When the planet orbits close to its star, it produces powerful radio waves that enable scientists to study them.

Also read: Exoplanet Models Its Magnetic Field for Physicists

An Unusual Phenomenon

The closeness causes an unusual phenomenon in which the YZ Ceti b orbits its star so close that it plows the charged material back toward the star. Thus, the magnetic field directs charged plasma back toward the star. In turn, the energetic particles come into contact with the star's magnetic field, which causes an aurora to form on the star.

This indicates that the radio signals are from the star's aurora, which will let researchers estimate the strength of the exoplanet's magnetic field by measuring the power of radio waves.

So far, the study is one of the best examples of a potential magnetic field on an exoplanet. They are planning to conduct more follow-up work to confirm where exactly the radio waves are coming from.

This new discovery, it will pave the path for a new method in the detection of magnetic fields on planets that are beyond our solar system.

The discovery of exoplanets beyond our solar system is one of the most exciting and groundbreaking achievements in astronomy in recent years.

For centuries, humans have been fascinated by the possibility of other worlds beyond our own. The discovery of exoplanets has given us a glimpse into the incredible diversity of planets that exist throughout the universe.

The first exoplanet was discovered in 1995, and since then, thousands of planets have been found using various techniques.

One of the most common methods is the radial velocity method, which looks for the tiny wobbles in a star's motion caused by the gravitational pull of orbiting planets.

Another method is the transit method, which looks for the slight dimming of a star's light as a planet passes in front of it.

The discovery of exoplanets has revolutionized our understanding of how planets form and evolve. We have found planets that are much larger or smaller than anything in our solar system, as well as planets that orbit their stars at incredibly close distances. Some of these planets may even be habitable, with conditions supporting life as we know it.

As technology continues to improve, astronomers can discover even more exoplanets and learn more about the incredible diversity of planetary systems throughout the universe. This research has the potential to answer some of the biggest questions in astronomy, including whether or not we are alone in the universe.

Related article: Newly Discovered Earth-Sized Metallic Exoplanet Is Just As Dense As Mercury

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Virgin Orbit, the private space company owned by Sir Richard Branson, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection just a few days after ceasing its space launch operations, reported first by the Financial Times.



The company, struggling financially, reported a loss of $49.2 million in its last fiscal quarter. Although Virgin Orbit attempted to raise funds through a public SPAC merger, it only received less than half the expected $483 million in gross proceeds.

Virgin Orbit's Financial Problems

With the failure of the "Start Me Up" mission in 2022, which was supposed to be the first orbital launch from the UK but failed to reach orbit due to a dislodged fuel filter, the company's financial problems became more apparent.



In March, the company ceased operations and furloughed most of its staff while seeking new backers. However, towards the end of the month, the company was forced to extend its staff leave due to a lack of new deals.



Virgin Orbit's talks with Texas-based investor Matthew Brown, who was preparing to invest $200 million in the company, reportedly fell through, prompting the company to file for bankruptcy.



According to CNBC's Investing in Space newsletter, Sir Richard Branson did not want to keep control of the company even if it went bankrupt. The Virgin Group was looking for new funding sources and potential buyers.



Virgin Orbit is expected to lay off 85% of its workforce, with up to 675 employees losing their jobs. One hundred employees will be retained when the subsidiary shuts down.



The laid-off employees will receive a severance package, cash payment, benefits extension, and a direct pipeline to apply to Virgin Galactic.

Read Also: Virgin Orbit Scrubs First Night Launch of the LauncherOne Rocket After the Alarming Temperature of the Propellants

Chapter 11 Protection

Virgin Orbit has completed six flights since 2020, four of which were able to put satellites in orbit.



Virgin Orbit's search for a buyer will proceed while protected by Chapter 11, but the process could result in the business being wound down if it doesn't find a new owner.



The company hit the headlines in January 2022 when its mission to launch the first satellites into orbit from Europe failed after a rocket's upper stage malfunctioned.



The company had hoped that the launch from Cornwall would be the start of more commercial opportunities. In February, the company revealed that a fuel filter had become dislodged, leading to engine overheating and other component malfunctions over the Atlantic Ocean.



Despite four successful satellite launches from California, Virgin Orbit struggled to secure additional funding, leading to the latest job cuts.

The company stated that the layoffs would occur across all areas of the company and planned to cost $15.5 million in redundancy expenses.

Related Article: [BREAKING] Virgin Orbit Launches First Commercial Payloads Using LauncherOne Rocket

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Samsung Galaxy S23 Fan Edition (FE) is reportedly right around the corner, potentially launching late this year. It might be priced a bit cheaper than the Galaxy S21 when it debuts.

Despite the lack of the S22 FE last year, leaks are now pointing out that Samsung may proceed with the comeback of the highly-anticipated Fan Edition in 2023.

Samsung Galaxy S23 FE Likely to Get Get a Cheaper Price

As early as now, leaks and predictions give us a glimpse of what to expect from the mid-range mobile device, including its specs and, now, the estimated price tag.

It looks like the South Korean phone maker is planning to make the upcoming Galaxy S23 FE more appealing to consumers.

After all, affordable bargain offerings currently flood the mid-range market. Some popular choices are Apple's iPhone SE and the Google Pixel 6a, as well as flagship killers from OnePlus and other Chinese firms.

As per a report by Sam Mobile, industry watchers are now predicting that the price of the Galaxy S23 FE might come out cheaper when it debuts in the last quarter of 2023.

The price prediction suggests that Samsung plans to make the next-generation Galaxy FE slightly cheaper than the S21 FE.

Galaxy S23 FE vs. S21 FE Price

When the giant phone maker launched the Galaxy S21 FE last January 2022, it was significantly cheaper than the flagship S21 series. It starts at nearly $700, or $699, to be more precise.

On the other hand, the price prediction for the Galaxy S23 FE estimates that it might sell to the tune of $599. In other words, it looks like Samsung is slashing the price tag of the upcoming mid-range device by roughly $100.

The latest prediction deviates from previous expectations that the Galaxy S23 FE will be more expensive than its older sibling. It has been the trend for next-generation devices, apart from keeping the pricing.

Read Also: [LEAK] Samsung Galaxy Tri-Fold Could Be on the Way! Features, Pros, Cons, Other Details

Galaxy S23 FE: What to Expect

With the cheaper price tag, it looks like Samsung is planning a few cost-cutting measures.

For instance, Tom's Guide reports that the Galaxy S23 FE might rock a more affordable processor, potentially Samsung's Exynos chipset.

Besides that, it might feature a plastic rear body rather than the glass finish found on the flagship S23 lineup.

As for the camera department, it might get an upgrade 50MP primary snapper, which Galaxy S22 users are familiar with. It is worth mentioning that the Galaxy S21 FE only comes with a 12 MP shooter.

Related Article: Samsung Galaxy S24, S24 Plus Leak Hints Storage Boost: Starts at 12 GB RAM?

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Amazon has recently launched a new accelerator program to help generative artificial intelligence (AI) startups from around the world.

TechCrunch tells us in a report that Amazon Web Services will lead the 10-week program, which will provide founders with access to AI models, machine learning stack optimization, customized go-to-market advice, and $300,000 in AWS credits.

A Demo Day will be held in San Francisco at the end of the program. You can read more about the Amazon program here.

AWS's Focus on Generative Technology

While AWS welcomes all startups, Howard Wright, the company's Global Head of Startups, affirms that those who have developed a minimum viable product, gained traction with customers, are working on refining product value propositions, and are already building on AWS are likely to derive the most benefits.

Although AWS does not invest in startups and does not currently have an AI/ML investment division, accepted applicants will receive up to $300,000 in AWS credits to help build their businesses and other packages.

AWS' focus on generative AI is because the technology has unlocked new developments and creativity, according to Rob Ferguson, AWS' Global Head of AI/ML Startups.

Ferguson told TechCrunch that the technologies of artificial intelligence and machine learning are among the most significant ones of our time, and Amazon has been heavily invested in them for over two decades. He also mentioned that the company is eager to explore new developments that cloud technology can support.

According to Statista, Amazon is one of the largest hyper-scale cloud providers, alongside Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, and Alibaba. Hyperscalers outperform other players regarding technological advancement, revenue generation, global reach, and qualifications.

AWS provides a wide range of cloud-based services, including databases, analytics, management tools, security, IoT, enterprise applications, and developer tools.

Tapping AI Developers

AWS' generative AI approach involves investing and innovating across three layers of the generative AI stack to make the technology available to customers of any size and developers of all skill levels.

The startups accepted into the program will have the opportunity to build and launch their companies with the help of AI models and tools, machine learning stack optimization, and custom go-to-market advice.

Read Also: Apple iPhone Roadmap Revealed: ProMotion, Under Display Face ID, Selfie Camera, and MORE

The program is open for applications for the next two weeks, and ten startups will be chosen to participate.

This initiative is expected to generate fresh value propositions for customers by fueling the development of new AI-based technologies, ultimately transforming how we live and work.

Amazon has been at the forefront of AI and machine learning development for over two decades, investing heavily in these technologies.

AWS has been a key player in providing cloud-based AI solutions to organizations worldwide, allowing them to harness the power of AI and machine learning to drive business growth and innovation.

Stay posted here at Tech Times.

Related Article: Amazon is Investing in World's First 'Commercial-Scale' Seaweed Farm: Here's How it Can Fight Climate Change

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Japan's new bomb shelter bill is now on its way to becoming law.

Many Japanese officials are considering passing this new defense bill because of the intensifying missile activities of North Korea and China.

As of writing, Japan has a vast network of subways that can be used for civil defense in case of nuclear or missile attacks from other countries.

However, the majority of residential houses don't have their own basements or bomb shelters. Due to the lack of underground shelters in civilian homes, Japan could pass a bill that will lead to more bomb shelters.

Japan's New Bomb Shelter Bill On Its Way to Becoming Law

According to Japan Times' latest report, Keiji Furuya, the co-leader of a Japanese lawmaker group, said that the new bomb shelter bill could be passed.

Also Read: Russian Military Blogger Killed in Bomb Attack at St. Petersburg Cafe; Investigations Ongoing

"Japan hasn't been involved in a war for 77 years, but what we've taken for granted since then no longer holds true," said the ruling Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker.

He added that the world really did change a lot. Due to this fact, the Asian country is now in an increasingly dangerous neighborhood.

This was seen in 2022 when China fired its ballistic missiles into waters near its southwestern islands.

Aside from China, sources also stated that North Korea is building its missile power; a missile launch that flew over Japan was even reported in October 2022.

Dangers of Lack of Bomb Shelters

The South China Morning Post reported that the lack of bomb shelters or underground shelters in residential houses could put the lives of Japanese residents at risk during missile attacks.

Furuya said that residents' houses near nuclear power plants should be the priority of the Japanese government when it comes to bomb shelters.

You can click this link to learn more about the soon-to-be law bomb shelter bill of Japan.

Japan is not the only country enhancing its defenses.

Previously, some Chinese military-funded researchers developed an AI warship electric layout. We also reported on the plan of the U.S. Army to use Red River's IT enterprise solutions.

For more news updates about defense, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.

Related Article: North Korea's Nuclear-Capable Underwater Drone Could Lead to Radioactive Tsunami

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The Global Restaurant Investment Forum (GRIF) 2023 is returning to Saudi Arabia as part of the Future Hospitality Summit (FHS) to be held between May 7 and 9 at Al Faisaliah Hotel in Riyadh.



The event will see attendance from select high-level industry executives, investors, franchisors, and restaurateurs, who will come together to share best practices, trends, insights, and innovations to further the growth and development of the restaurant industry in Saudi Arabia.



GRIF is a platform that facilitates investment decision-making within the restaurant space. Founded in 2014, GRIF was built with a strong sense of community and passion for the industry, and it has hosted 3-day conferences in the likes of Dubai and Amsterdam in the past.



For 2023, GRIF will once again head to Saudi Arabia, running it parallel to the hotel investment-focused content. There is immense focus on the location of this years conference, as Saudi Arabia has come to be recognised as the new hospitality hub of the Middle East, with its F&B sector growing at an immense speed.



It is crucial to recognise the speed of evolution of the F&B space in Saudi Arabia, as until 2018-2019, Riyadh had only two upscale restaurants. Cut to the present, where the city is now brimming with many local and international outlets, catering primarily to a savvy local audience.



The energy and enthusiasm are contagious amongst restaurateurs in Riyadh, and there is a passionate restaurant community full of people working to drive the industry forward and evolve it in terms of Saudi-led talent, concepts, supply chain, and cuisine. Even with imported concepts, there is the desire to infiltrate the experience, menus, and service with a touch of Saudi Hospitality that seeks to evolve the local market.



The Mingora Foodservice Consumer Confidence Survey 2023 for Saudi Arabia brings to light some positive statistics that show high levels of optimism for a promising future for the countrys hospitality sector.



About 58% of the respondents expect significant or somewhat better financial situations in the coming years. The study also showed significant optimism amongst respondents about Saudi Arabias future leading up to 2030, indicating that they are very confident that vision 2030 will be realised.



Jennifer Pettinger, the Managing Director - Middle East of The Bench and Founder of GRIF said, It is fascinating to watch the rapid development of the F&B scene in Saudi Arabia and the enthusiasm of those driving it forward. The focus on developing Saudi-led talent, concepts, and cuisine, as well as showcasing the country's culture and people, is a positive step towards shifting the global narrative around the country.



It is also interesting to note the desire to incorporate Saudi Hospitality even in imported concepts, indicating a commitment to adapting to and evolving the local market. The opportunity in the premium casual and casual dining sector is a promising area for growth, and it will be exciting to see how the restaurant scene in Saudi Arabia continues to evolve in the coming years.



The Global Restaurant Investment Forum 2023 (GRIF)  Saudi Arabia will bring together investors, restaurant and concept owners, franchisors, and high-level industry experts to this hub of opportunities, and it will become a forum for the future of this promising industry.  TradeArabia News Service
KYODO NEWS - Apr 4, 2023 - 20:00 | All, World, Japan

Japanese Prime Minster Fumio Kishida's visit late March to the Ukrainian capital Kyiv and nearby Bucha, the site of a civilian massacre by Russian troops, was "historic," Ukraine's first deputy foreign minister told Kyodo News in a recent interview.

Emine Dzhaparova called Kishida's surprise visit and meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a "huge sign of solidarity and support" from the country, which will host the Group of Seven summit in Hiroshima in May.

With the Russian war in Ukraine highlighting issues of global concern such as energy and food security and the danger of nuclear weapons, she suggested Kyiv hopes the leaders of the G-7 will advance discussions in these areas during the gathering.

The G-7 comprises Japan, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Britain and the United States, plus the European Union.

Japan is "pushing for Ukraine globally, especially in Asia now with the G-7 leadership," she said, adding, "The initiatives that Japan is putting on the table within the G-7 leadership also include Ukraine."

The Foreign Ministry official applauded Japan's provision of humanitarian aid to her country and imposition of sanctions against Russia over the invasion.

She also praised Japan, which has a lackluster record on accepting refugees, for opening its doors to Ukrainians fleeing the war, calling it a "huge signal of support."

Kishida's March 21 visit to Ukraine coincided with a three-day visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to Russia and meeting with Putin.

While noting that Ukraine's position was at odds with China's proposal for a cease-fire and a diplomatic settlement, she said that the country had "hope with China," recalling their traditional friendly ties.

"We know that China is trying to initiate formats" for a "peace resolution" between the warring countries, Dzhaparova said, adding that Zelenskyy "wants to have a conversation with Xi" and that given the Chinese leader's Moscow visit for talks with Putin "it's also a matter for parity" to hold discussions with Zelenskyy.

On a personal note, Dzhaparova felt that Kishida's background as a lawmaker elected from Hiroshima, a city devastated by an atomic bomb during World War II, gave him a deep understanding and empathy for the people of Ukraine.

"I felt this, that the prime minister really, really sensed the suffering, and he really shared the suffering" of the Ukrainian people as he commemorated the dead in Bucha.

She said it was a "very emotional moment for her" as she accompanied Kishida, who spent "a lot of time paying tribute" to the victims of the Bucha massacre.

"A year ago, we couldn't even expect that Prime Minister Kishida would come...But it happened," she said.

While Kishida was the last of the G-7 leaders to visit Ukraine, Dzhaparova said that being the first or the last does not matter.

"What is important is that he paid this visit," she said.
Jimmy Wales, the founder of Wikipedia, has expressed interest in using OpenAI's ChatGPT to write new entries for the online encyclopedia, as reported first by New Atlas.

In an interview with the Evening Standard newspaper in London, Wales acknowledged the potential for AI to triple the number of Wikipedia entries without significantly increasing running costs.

One possible use case would be to use the large language model to identify inconsistencies in existing articles that human volunteers could then address.

Tendency to 'Hallucinate'

While Wales is enthusiastic about the potential of AI to improve Wikipedia, he is also aware of the challenges inherent in using language models like GPT. He notes that AI has a tendency to "hallucinate" or create false information, which is a serious concern for an online encyclopedia that prides itself on accuracy.

Wales acknowledges that AI-generated content must be closely monitored to prevent misinformation from being disseminated.

One possible solution to this problem is to use AI to create summary entries for topics that have not yet been covered on Wikipedia.

By using information from the web, ChatGPT could fill in gaps in the encyclopedia's coverage without relying on inaccurate or false information.

Wikipedia is written and maintained by volunteers, a majority of whom are white males, leading to the tendency to ignore certain topics or cover them from a limited perspective.

While ChatGPT attempts to provide a balanced perspective, it also has inherent bias problems in its training data, as noted by New Atlas.

Read Also: Open Letter to Pause AI Developments Beyond GPT-4 Signed by Woz, Elon Musk, and MORE-But Why?

Wales acknowledges that the technology is not yet advanced enough for ChatGPT to write an entire Wikipedia entry. However, he believes that it may be closer than he thought two years ago.

He cautions that using AI to expand the resource could help with or exacerbate systemic and unconscious bias, and it is important to ensure that any AI-based system does not worsen existing problems.

"I do think there are some interesting opportunities for human assistance where if you had an AI that was trained on the right corpus of things - to say, for example, here are two Wikipedia entries, check them and see if there are any statements that contradict each other and identify tensions where one article seems to be saying something slightly different to the other," Wales said in a statement with Evening Standard.

Related Article: Newegg Adds ChatGPT Integration to Help Online Shopping, PC Building: Here's How it Works

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SenseTime Group Inc., a Chinese AI company, has seen its stock rise 13% on speculation that it intends to launch a large-scale AI model to compete with OpenAI's popular ChatGPT, Bloomberg reports.

According to reports, SenseTime is set to unveil a new generative AI model at an upcoming media event, which may be related to AI-generated content.

This news has piqued the interest of investors closely following the rise of AI and the numerous software companies vying for a piece of the pie in this burgeoning technology space.

Is SenseTime the Next Top AI System?

SenseTime is based in Shanghai and is best known for its artificial intelligence-powered computer vision technology.

According to the company's annual earnings report, released last month, the company has already developed text-to-image large generative models. It is working on a large-language model that will be released in mid-2023.

However, due to US Treasury and Commerce Department sanctions that limit its access to capital and restrict the sale of AI accelerator chips to Chinese customers, SenseTime faces challenges in accessing high-end technology to develop large-scale AI models.

SenseTime and the Chinese AI Landscape

Despite these challenges, SenseTime is backed by Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. and SoftBank Group Corp. However, the US sanctions have cast doubt on the future of China's AI efforts.

Baidu Inc. is currently leading the competitive Chinese landscape with its offering, Ernie Bot, which has received mixed reactions.

Baidu intends to gradually integrate Ernie into its search and other software services, similar to how Microsoft integrated ChatGPT into its Edge browser and Google uses Bard to augment search results.

Meanwhile, executives from Alibaba and Tencent Holdings Ltd. have expressed an interest in incorporating AI into their products.

What's Next for SenseTime?

SenseTime's plan to launch a new AI model to compete with ChatGPT and other generative AI services like Dall-E and Bard comes as the AI industry grows rapidly.

Read More: President Joe Biden to Discuss With Experts About AI's Risks and Opportunities

Microsoft Corp. recently pledged a $10 billion investment in OpenAI, which developed the ChatGPT bot, while Alphabet Inc.'s biggest company has prioritized its response to ChatGPT.

AI Race Continues to Shake Up Tech Sector

Experts believe that new generative models and applications will emerge as AI technology continues to evolve at a rapid pace.

However, ethical concerns have been raised about the possibility of AI being used for malicious purposes.

Governments and regulatory bodies are struggling to keep up with technology and calling for greater transparency and accountability in the AI industry. Recently, Italy became one of the countries to ban ChatGPT.

Despite the industry's concerns, the advancement of AI has the potential to revolutionize a wide range of industries, including healthcare, finance, and manufacturing.

Whether SenseTime's new AI model can compete with ChatGPT and other established market players remains to be seen.

Stay posted here at Tech Times for the latest news on AI and more.

Related Article: Crypto Has Much To Gain From Artificial Intelligence (AI): Ahmed W Ismail, FLUID's President & CEO

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The fastest ransomware has been identified by cybersecurity experts of Check Point Software Technologies Ltd.; a leading cybersecurity solutions provider.

Involved security experts said that the new Rorschach ransomware has technically unique features. Among all its unusual characteristics, the most noticeable that Check Point saw is its ultra-fast encryption speed.

Fastest Ransomware Identified by Check Point

According to Bleeping Computer's latest report, Check Point's cybersecurity researchers conducted multiple tests.

Also Read: Vulkan Files Unmask How Putin, Russia Launched Shocking Cyberwarfare on the World

Based on their results, Rorschach is the fastest ransomware threat up to date.

"Due to different implementation methods, Rorschach is one of the fastest ransomware observed, by the speed of encryption," said the cybersecurity firm via its official blog post.

Aside from having a fast encryption speed, the new Rorschach ransomware is also highly customizable.

Check Point explained that it contains direct syscalls (a feature rarely found in ransomware) and other unique capabilities.

Another alarming functionality of Rorschach is that it is partially autonomous; it can spread itself automatically after being executed on a Domain Controller (DC).

How Rorschach Ransomware Works

Check Point explained that Rorschach ransomware works by encrypting data first. It will do this if the target machine is configured with a language outside CIS.

After that, it will follow the intermittent encryption trend to blend the curve25519 and eSTREAM.

This means that it will encrypt the victim computer's files partially. Here are the three files targeted by Rorschach:

cy.exe - Cortex XDR Dump Service Tool version 7.3.0.16740, abused to side-load winutils.dll.

config.ini - Encrypted Rorschach ransomware which contains all the logic and configuration.

winutils.dll - Packed Rorschach loader and injector, used to decrypt and inject the ransomware.

Thanks to this method, Rorschach's process will become faster than any other ransomware attack.

If you want to learn more about the new Rorschach ransomware, just click this link.

Here are other stories we recently wrote about cybersecurity threats:

A recent report claimed that ransomware attacks started to focus on undermanned U.S.-based rural hospitals. Meanwhile, the BreachForum owner was arrested by the FBI due to email server hacking accusations.

For more news updates about security threats, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.

Related Article: BianLian Ransomware Crew Ditches Ransom Upon Encryption to Full-On Extortion: No More Free Decryptor Victims?

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A new health study has identified the cause of post-COVID-19 syndrome memory loss.

Health professionals from UniRio and the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) worked together to make critical research possible.

The Carlos Chagas Filho Foundation for Research Support of the State of Rio de Janeiro (FAPERJ) funded the new health study.

Aside from FAPERJ, the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) and the Coordination for Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (Capes) also assisted them financially.

Cause of Post-COVID-19 Syndrome Memory Loss

According to News Medical Life Sciences, the new study suggested that the novel coronavirus spike protein causes memory loss in post-COVID-19 syndrome.

Also Read: New COVID-19 Origin? Data Says Raccoon Dogs at Wuhan Market May Have Caused the Pandemic

Aside from the spike protein, involved health researchers also discovered that the TLR4 receptor could be a therapeutic target for the symptoms.

Their experiments were conducted with mice. Based on the results they acquired when the TRL4 receptor is activated could lead to the elimination of synaptic proteins.

This happens because of the process called phagocytosis. Health researchers discovered that genes related to TLR4 have a higher risk of developing memory impairments, such as memory loss.

About Post-COVID-19 Syndrome

The World Health Organization explained that the post-COVID-19 syndrome (aka COVID) is the long-term symptom experienced by people who recovered from the virus.

Among the most common symptoms linked to COVID include the following:

fatigue

loss of smell or taste

depression or anxiety

fever

chest pain

trouble speaking

muscle aches

shortness of breath or difficulty breathing

concentration, or sleep problems

persistent cough

You can see that memory loss is omitted if you check the symptoms above. This is because memory impairments are rare in the post-COVID-19 syndrome.

If people develop these post-COVID-19 symptoms, their daily activities will likely be affected.

You can click this link to learn more about the post-COVID-19 syndrome.

Here are other health stories we recently wrote:

Experts warned about the drawbacks posed by the Elon Musk-advertised weight loss drug. We also reported the new mRNA treatment, which could prevent (even cure) peanut allergies.

For more news updates about COVID-19 and other health topics, keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.

Related Article: COVID-19 Psychosis: Should You Be Worried? Here's How It Starts

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Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and Twitter as well as a vocal proponent of cryptocurrencies, has caused the value of meme-inspired cryptocurrency Dogecoin to skyrocket following a recent tweet indicating that Twitter's blue bird logo would be replaced with Dogecoin's Shiba Inu dog, which he later enacted.

According to Reuters, the move increased the meme coin's market value by up to $4 billion, causing its value to shoot from 7 cents to 10 cents around 1500 EST.

Twitter Logo Change Boosted Doge Coin Value

Dogecoin's market valuation was around $10 billion before the news, but with the addition of $4 billion, it is now the seventh-largest cryptocurrency with a market capitalization of $13.7 billion, according to data site CoinMarketCap.com. The shiba inu token, a Dogecoin spinoff that trades in fractions of cents, also rose 5.6% to $0.000014.

Musk and His Obsession with DogeCoin

Dogecoin, a cryptocurrency created in 2013 as a playful critique of the then-burgeoning crypto mania, lacks any underlying utility yet boasts an enormous fanbase.

Dogecoin's value more than doubled in October after Musk, dubbed the "Dogefather" by retail traders, agreed to buy Twitter for $44 billion.

Meanwhile, there are a few instances in which the billionaire has shown an unparalleled interest in the meme-inspired digital currency. For example, in May 2021, Musk announced that he would launch a SpaceX rocket christened "Doge-1" that would be paid for entirely in cryptocurrency.

And, as if that were not enough, Musk's electric vehicle company Tesla announced in January 2022 that it would begin accepting Dogecoin as payment. In the same month, the billionaire went so far as to challenge fast-food giant McDonald's to embrace the digital coin in exchange for filming himself eating a Happy Meal.

Read Also: Twitter Accused of Censoring Keywords 'Trans', 'LGBT', 'BLM': Activists Rattle Elon Musk-led App

Despite his continued support for Dogecoin, Tesla CEO Elon Musk has recently asked a US judge to dismiss a massive $258 billion racketeering lawsuit.

The lawsuit alleges that Musk had been operating a pyramid scheme to promote the cryptocurrency, a claim the billionaire categorically denied.

DogeCoin Racking Up Millions

According to CoinDesk, futures tracking Dogecoin tokens have racked up $26 million in liquidations in the past 24 hours, with both longs and shorts being impacted nearly equally.

Traders on the crypto exchange OKX were the most affected, taking on $12 million in losses on Dogecoin futures positions. Open interest, or the number of unsettled futures contracts, on Dogecoin futures has also surged to over $580 million.

It is worth noting that the majority of these liquidations occurred as social media platform Twitter appeared to change its bird logo to a popular image referencing a Shiba Inu dog meme.

However, the change may only affect users in the United States and Europe, as Twitter users in India continue to see the bird logo as of Tuesday, implying that the logo update was not a global one.

Stay posted here at Tech Times.

Related Article: Twitter Doge: Blue Bird Logo Changed to Shiba Inu Mascot Amidst Dogecoin Lawsuit Against Elon Musk

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After a disagreement on layoffs, a large number of Google workers in London staged a walkout on Tuesday, Apr. 4, at the company's headquarters in the city.

Notably, Google's parent firm, Alphabet, said in January that it would be laying off 12,000 employees throughout the globe, or about 6% of its global workforce.

Layoffs.fyi reports that since the beginning of the year, more than 290,000 people have lost their jobs in corporate America, the majority of them in the tech industry.

Issues That Seem to Have Been Ignored

According to Evening Standard, Unionized Google workers staged the protest, with some exclaiming, "What's disgusting? Union busting" and "Enough is enough." Others held signs with sayings like "Being evil is not a strategy" and "RIP Google culture 1998 - 2023".

The Google workers and the trade union Unite representing them have claimed that the firm has disregarded their complaints.

In a report by Reuters, Unite regional officer Matt Whaley said, "Our members are clear: Google needs to listen to its own advice of not being evil."

He went on to say that the Google employees, together with Unite, will not back down until the tech giant gives these people full union protection, participates in the consultation process in a meaningful way, and treats its personnel with the "respect and dignity" they deserve.

Talks between workers and management, according to a Google employee who attended the demonstration but requested not to be identified for fear of reprisal, were "extremely frustrating." The individual said it had been a trying time for everyone concerned.

To ensure that all workers' voices are heard, they have established a redundancy procedure. "But it feels as if our concerns have fallen on deaf ears," they said.

Also Read: Google Targeted in New Ad Lawsuit With Potential Damages in the Billions

Meeting Employees, Hearing Their Feedback

Google's upper management has had redundancy negotiations throughout most of Europe to comply with national labor regulations, as Reuters reported.

Employee representatives at Google's Zurich branch in Switzerland said last month that the corporation had rejected their ideas to decrease job cutbacks, prompting a walkout by employees there.

An official from Google expressed their understanding that this is a really tough moment for our staff. "As we said on January 20, we've made the difficult decision to reduce our workforce by approximately 12,000 roles globally."

Reportedly, in the UK, Google's management has been constructively engaging and listening to staff via a number of meetings. They are also working hard to provide them clarity and share information as quickly as possible in accordance with all UK protocols and regulatory obligations.

Google claims it would help workers whose positions are terminated as a result of the layoffs. In the UK alone, Google has around 5,000 employees.

Also Read: Google Takes Down Hundreds of Loan Apps from Kenyan Play Store

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Recent reports suggest that employees at Samsung have accidentally leaked confidential information while using ChatGPT for work.

In case you missed the hype, ChatGPT is an artificial intelligence writing service created by OpenAI that uses machine learning algorithms to predict and generate text responses to user prompts.

How Samsung Workers Leaked Critical Info to ChatGPT

TechRadar tells us in a report that Samsung's semiconductor division allowed engineers to use the service to help them fix problems with their source code. However, the workers unintentionally entered sensitive data, such as the source code for a new program, internal meeting notes, and hardware-related information.

Disturbingly, Samsung also discovered three instances of employees leaking confidential information via ChatGPT over the course of 20 days. Samsung's trade secrets have now become OpenAI's intellectual property, as ChatGPT retains user input data to further refine its algorithms.

In one case, Tom's Hardware reports that an employee requested ChatGPT to optimize test sequences for detecting faults in chips, a highly confidential process. This optimization has the potential to save chip companies a significant amount of time and money by streamlining the processor testing and verification process.

In another instance, an employee used ChatGPT to convert meeting notes into a presentation that Samsung did not want external parties to see.

Following these incidents, Samsung Electronics issued a warning to its employees about the risks of disclosing sensitive information.

Since the data is now stored on OpenAI servers, it is impossible to retrieve or delete it, leaving the company vulnerable to potentially disastrous consequences in the highly competitive semiconductor industry.

Samsung Builds Own AI Chat Tool After Leak Incidents

According to the Economist, Samsung Semiconductor has responded to the series of leak incidents by creating its own AI tool for internal use. However, the size of the prompts is limited to 1024 bytes. It is unclear whether this new tool will be as effective as ChatGPT, which is already widely used by many businesses.

What's next for Samsung?

Samsung may be unable to retrieve or delete the sensitive data that OpenAI now has, which, according to TechRadar, could render ChatGPT non-compliant with the EU's GDPR.

Read Also: Short Video AI Generators May Come Anytime! NY-Based Startup Claims Its Systems Only Needs Few Words

The decision by Samsung Semiconductor to use a homegrown AI tool that can cater to 1024 bytes per request is only a temporary solution. However, in the long run, the business needs to find a more permanent solution to prevent further data leaks.

The incident points out the hazards of using AI services that retain user input data in order to train themselves. In the highly competitive semiconductor industry, losing trade secrets could be disastrous.

Concerns with ChatGPT

Professor Uri Gal of the University of Sydney Business School explains that OpenAI's use of data to train ChatGPT is problematic due to privacy violations and breaches in textual integrity.

The data was not obtained with consent and could potentially identify individuals and their locations. Even publicly available data can be misused if it reveals information outside its original context.

Stay posted here at Tech Times.

Related Article: President Joe Biden to Discuss With Experts About AI's Risks and Opportunities

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It seems like Google is not satisfied with the recent laying off of 12,000 employees to reduce spending costs, as it is looking to implement more cost-saving options, which include reductions in equipment expenses, supplies, and some employee services, according to a new report from CNBC.

Last Friday, the companys Chief Financial Officer Ruth Porat in a rare recent company-wide email as well as through a number of internal memos told its employees that Google is making cuts to employee services in an effort to reduce expenses.

These are big, multi-year efforts, Porat wrote in the email to the employees.

One of the companys important goals for 2023 is to deliver durable savings through improved velocity and efficiency, she said in the email. All PAs and Functions are working toward this, Porat said, referring to product areas.

Porat explained how Google is cutting back on everything from reducing fitness classes for employees to basic office supplies from tape and staplers or paper clips while decreasing the frequency of replacing employee laptops.

We have been asked to pull all tape/dispensers throughout the building, one recent note sent to a San Francisco office reportedly stated as part of a cost-effectiveness initiative. If you need a stapler or tape, the receptionist desk has them to borrow.

Not just this, Porat also told employees in the countrywide email that those who require a new laptop and are not working on engineering duties would now get a Chromebook by default. Previously, Google employees were offered other laptops, including new Apple MacBooks.

Google cited replacing Apple MacBooks with Chromebooks as a way of enhancing internal security. It also provides the best opportunity across all of our managed devices to prevent external compromise, read one of the documents sent regarding laptop changes.

In addition, the search giant is also pausing refreshes for laptops, desktop PCs, and monitors at its offices. It is also changing how often equipment is replaced, according to internal documents viewed by CNBC.

Further, an employee can also no longer expense the cost of a new smartphone, if it offers them one for use internally. Employees will need to get prior approval from the director or above, if they need an accessory that costs more than $1,000 and will be allowed to do so if it is not available internally.

Additionally, Google employee services like food, fitness, massage and transportation programs also received the cut, which was all introduced when employees were coming into the office five days a week.

As a result, Google has decided to close cafes on Mondays and Fridays and shut down some facilities that are underutilized due to hybrid schedules, i.e. employees working from the office three days a week.

Now that most of us are in 3 days a week, weve noticed our supply/demand ratios are a bit out of sync: Weve baked too many muffins on a Monday, seen GBuses run with just one passenger, and offered yoga classes on a Friday afternoon when folks are more likely to be working from home, the document stated.

This is not the first time that Google has implemented cost-saving measures. Previously, the company refused to pay the remaining laid-off employees maternity and medical leaves. Also, recently Google informed employees that some workers would require to rotate and share desk space amid office downsizing.
KYODO NEWS - Apr 5, 2023 - 00:02 | All, World, Japan

Trade ministers from the Group of Seven advanced economies on Tuesday agreed to cooperate to impose export controls for cutting-edge technologies amid concerns that countries such as China may use them for military purposes and surveillance.

"We reaffirm that export controls are a fundamental policy tool to address the challenges posed by the diversion of technology critical to military applications as well as for other activities that threaten global, regional, and national security," the ministers said in a joint statement after an online meeting.

The G-7, which groups Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States, plus the European Union, also underscored the need to use such export restrictions to address the "misuse" of critical and emerging technologies by "malicious actors," without citing specific countries.

Japan, which holds the rotating G-7 presidency this year, has joined U.S.-led efforts to stymie China's ability to develop high-end semiconductors, which could be used for military modernization and artificial intelligence training.

"We continue to work with other states in strengthening effective and responsible export controls in a way that keeps pace with rapid technological developments," the statement said.

China has also faced criticism over its oppressive treatment in the country's Xinjiang region of the Muslim Uyghur minority, who are said to be under heavy surveillance via AI-using cameras and facial recognition devices.

The G-7 trade ministers, meanwhile, expressed serious concern over the use of economic leverage to interfere with the choices of other countries, saying that they "strongly oppose any unilateral attempt to change the status quo by economic coercion."

Amid a standoff between Russia and the West over Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, the G-7 has condemned Russian attempts to use Europe's dependence on Russian oil and natural gas as a weapon. China's use of its economic power to seek concessions has also been a source of concern among countries in the Indo-Pacific.

Recognizing the importance of building resilient supply chain networks, the group also touched on the importance of collaborating with non-G-7 partners, especially emerging and developing countries, as "key suppliers, producers and purchasers in global supply chains."

"We....will discuss ways to deepen cooperation with these partners," the G-7 ministers said in the statement.

They also said transparency, diversification, trustworthiness and reliability are among the "essential principles" toward building robust supply chains.

"We would like to deepen discussions to spread these new principles of supply chains to like-minded nations outside the G-7, including the Global South," Japanese Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Yasutoshi Nishimura told reporters after the meeting.

The outcome of the ministerial-level discussions is expected to be reflected in the G-7 leaders' meeting slated for May 19 to 21 in the western Japan city of Hiroshima.

The trade representatives of the G-7 are scheduled to gather in-person in October in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, after the summit.
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KYODO NEWS - Apr 4, 2023 - 13:37 | All, Japan

Japan plans to increase its supply of hydrogen sixfold from the current level to around 12 million tons by 2040 in an effort to spur use of renewable energy, a draft revision to its resource policies showed Tuesday.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's government will aim to generate 15 trillion yen ($113 billion) in investment from both the public and private sectors over the next 15 years to achieve the goal, the draft said.

At a meeting attended by relevant ministers on Tuesday, Kishida pledged to revise the Basic Hydrogen Strategy, formulated in 2017, by the end of May. Hydrogen does not emit carbon dioxide when combusted.

Japan is aiming for net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, meaning hydrogen is viewed as a key driver in its plan to bring about a green transition, otherwise known as "GX," an initiative to transform a fossil fuel-based economy into one centered on cleaner energy.

"It is necessary to utilize GX bonds and prompt investment from the private sector" to promote decarbonization in Japan, Kishida said, referring to a new type of sovereign debt, to be issued for the first time during the fiscal year starting April.

The government plans to issue the GX bonds worth about 20 trillion yen from the latter half of fiscal 2023.

Kishida said the government is eager to accelerate building international supply chains to provide more hydrogen in collaboration with Australia, as well as Middle Eastern and other Asian countries.

He also said Japan aims to implement new technologies into Japan's power supply, such as next-generation "perovskite solar cells" that can directly convert sunlight energy into electricity, by 2030.

In the Basic Hydrogen Strategy, the government promises to encourage the widespread use of vehicles and buses that use hydrogen fuel cells.

The government has also vowed to realize the commercialization of hydrogen power generation by 2030.
KYODO NEWS - Apr 4, 2023 - 23:44 | All, World

Finland officially became the 31st member of NATO on Tuesday, marking an end to its decades-long military neutrality in the face of fears about the threat posed by Russia following its invasion of Ukraine a year earlier.

Finland, alongside Sweden, applied to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in May last year, seeking security against its powerful neighbor through NATO's collective defense guarantee.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has welcomed the imminent accession of Finland, saying, "It will be a good day for Finland's security, for Nordic security and for NATO as a whole."

The latest development came after Turkey became the last of NATO's 30 members to ratify the accession of Finland, which shares a 1,300-kilometer-long border with Russia.

Sweden's bid, however, has been kept on hold, as Turkey has been criticizing the country for refusing to extradite alleged terror suspects. Hungary, another NATO member, also has reservations about Sweden's entry.

The two Nordic countries joined the European Union in 1995 but had remained outside NATO to avoid provoking Russia, which has been against the trans-Atlantic alliance enlarging and moving closer to its borders.

But Russia's invasion of a non-NATO member, Ukraine, which began in February last year, has pushed them to reconsider their status and embrace a move that would change the European geopolitical landscape.

"When (Russian President Vladimir) Putin launched his brutal war of aggression against the people of Ukraine, he thought he could divide Europe and NATO. He was wrong," U.S. President Joe Biden said in a statement welcoming Finland as a new member. "Today, we are more united than ever."

NATO held a celebration on Tuesday at its headquarters in Brussels to welcome Finland's entry.

Prior to Finland, North Macedonia was the most recent country to be accepted into the alliance in March 2020.
Theyre fierce, carnivorous and weigh as much as three grapes, with a stubby tail where they store energy like a camels hump.

The tiny, nocturnal fat-tailed dunnart shelters under rocks in the dwindling native grasslands of Victoria, and sometimes shares a nest with mice for warmth over winter before they turn on their bedfellows and eat them.

Researcher Emily Scicluna holds a fat-tailed dunnart. Credit: John Jiang

When Emily Scicluna went looking for Victorias fat-tailed dunnarts during her doctoral research they were believed to be common in grasslands and woodlands, based on historical records. But this is no longer the case.

These marsupials are one of a number of unique animals that scientists and conservationists want the Victorian government to recognise are in peril in the hope this will trigger plans for their recovery.
I dont want the values of others being imposed on my children in my school, and I dont think that should be happening in a public or a private school. So said then-prime minister Scott Morrison in 2018, speaking about a Victorian respectful relationships program. At the time, Morrison was commenting on talkback radio as both politician and parent, demonstrating in one moment the entanglement of the personal and the political when it comes to RSE.

Sex-ed is caught in the middle of what is often a deadly embrace between politicians and parents: deadly for sex-ed, that is, for it is an issue that is both political and politicised around the world. I observed it in several European and North American countries I travelled to, on a 2019 fellowship researching the implementation of RSE. For example, the main conservative political party in Germany opposed RSE in schools on the basis that it would result in fruhsexualisierung: the early sexualisation of children.

If we recognise that sexual wellbeing and freedom from sexual violence are matters of public wellbeing, RSE  a key protective measure  is therefore a political issue. It is politicised when bad faith actors wield the issue to stir up moral panic and fearmonger, even though the real fear should be that kids are not getting good enough sex-ed, given the evidence clearly shows that sex-ed acts as a protective factor against sexual violence and tends to delay first sexual experiences. Either way, parents-as-voters seem to spook politicians on all sides  although one wonders why we care so much more about what parents think of RSE, than what young voters and other members of the community are calling for in their concern about preventing sexual violence.

Yet, even if parents were the only group we listened to on this issue, we should still be throwing everything at improving RSE in schools, according to this recent survey (disclaimer: Im one of the authors of the research). In the first national examination of parental attitudes towards school-based delivery of RSE within Australia that is inclusive of all school sectors, just shy of 2500 people were asked about relationships and sexual health education  with almost 90 per cent agreeing or strongly agreeing that it should be provided in schools.
Doctors offering cosmetic procedures will be banned from using influencer testimonials or posting photoshopped images on social media, and their would-be patients will need a GP referral under a suite of reforms aimed at cracking down on rogue cosmetic operators.

Cosmetic practitioners have three months to delete any deceptive and misleading social media posts before new practice guidelines issued by the Medical Board of Australia and the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) are enforced from July 1.

Simone Williams says botched surgery left her deformed and ashamed to leave her home. Credit: James Brickwood

Last year, state and federal health ministers flagged urgent action to improve the safety of the $1.4 billion cosmetic surgery industry, including banning doctors without suitable qualifications from calling themselves cosmetic surgeons.

It followed a 2022 investigation by the Herald, The Age and 60 Minutes which revealed dozens of patients were left permanently disfigured and in pain, and hundreds of others were left scarred by improperly trained doctors.
Online news outlet Crikey will seek to use testimony given by media baron Rupert Murdoch in a US lawsuit about Fox News coverage of the 2020 presidential election as part of its defence to a defamation suit brought by Murdochs elder son Lachlan, the Federal Court has heard.

Barrister Michael Hodge, KC, acting for Crikeys publisher Private Media, told the Federal Court in Sydney on Tuesday that a substantial volume of relevant material had been made public in voting machine company Dominion Voting Systems US defamation suit against Fox News.

Lachlan Murdoch, Private Media chair Eric Beecher and the US Capitol building on January 6, 2021. Credit: Jessica Hromas, Thom Rigney, AP

He said the material goes to the heart ... of the issues raised by the Crikey article in the Australian defamation case, and to the heart of Lachlan Murdochs reputation.

Dominion is suing Fox for $US1.6 billion ($2.3 billion) for allegedly knowingly airing false allegations that Dominion was involved in rigging the 2020 presidential election against Donald Trump. The US trial is expected to proceed in April.
KYODO NEWS - Apr 4, 2023 - 18:30 | All, World

U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy will host a meeting with Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen on Wednesday in California, his office said.

A statement released Monday by his office finally confirmed the widely expected meeting that is likely to provoke an angry response from China, which has threatened "resolute countermeasures" against the United States if it happens.

The brief statement said the meeting will be bipartisan and it will take place at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. Tsai is now on a 10-day tour of Central America, which involves transit through the United States at a time when tensions between Washington and Beijing run high.

A spokesperson from China's Consulate General in Los Angeles criticized the meeting between Tsai and McCarthy, the third-highest-ranking U.S. official, calling it "another serious violation of the one-China principle."

It will "greatly hurt the national sentiments of the 1.4 billion Chinese people" and "undoubtedly further damage China-U.S. relations, and even strengthen the strong determination of the Chinese people to unite and fight for national reunification," the spokesperson added.

At a press conference in Beijing on Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning urged Washington not to arrange any meeting between Tsai and U.S. political figures. "The Chinese side will closely monitor the situation as it develops and resolutely defend our sovereignty and territorial integrity," she warned.

The U.S. House speaker is second in line to succeed the president, after the vice president.

Bilateral relations became tense after McCarthy's Democratic predecessor Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan last August. The move led to China freezing military communication channels between the two countries.

China, which regards Taiwan as part of its territory, also conducted large-scale military exercises in areas encircling the self-ruled democratic island. The retaliatory move included the firing of ballistic missiles, some of which fell into Japan's exclusive economic zone.

McCarthy, a Republican, had earlier expressed hope to visit Taiwan if he was elected to the top leadership post in the U.S. House.

Tsai last had a stopover in the United States in 2019. U.S. officials have repeatedly stressed a trip in which a Taiwanese leader transits the country is not extraordinary and urged China not to use it as a "pretext" to step up military activity in the Taiwan Strait.

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Its a good question, and one we need to ask. I know people are thinking about this, Cheng says. Its a very different situation to where we were. No kidding, Allen! In this weeks Examine, we ask  should young, healthy people be getting the latest booster? Risk

Lets start with the risk that COVID-19 poses to young, healthy people who have had at least two doses of vaccine. The relationship between age and risk of death from COVID-19 is strong. At age 35, 0.1 per cent of unvaccinated people who catch the virus will die from it; this rises to 1 per cent by age 60 and 8 per cent by age 80. That means this older group accrues much more value from a vaccine or booster. Israeli data suggests a bivalent booster cuts hospitalisation rates by 81 per cent in over-75s, and probably cuts mortality by the same amount. A nurse prepares to administer an AstraZeneca vaccination against COVID-19 at a district health centre in Nairobi, Kenya. Credit: AP Its reasonably difficult to measure the protection against severe illness a fourth or fifth booster might provide a young, healthy person. Because the proportion of young, healthy people who get severe disease is small, the studies needed to elucidate it would need to be large, says Dr Claire von Mollendorf, who is part of a trial on fourth doses at the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute.

The UK has produced handy modelling looking at number needed to vaccinate: how many people would you need to vaccinate to prevent one person being hospitalised? Loading For the first two doses, youd need to vaccinate 21,700 healthy people aged 30 to 39 (this is with Omicron, so against earlier strains the number would have been lower). One or two doses was huge bang for your buck, says Cheng. For a fourth dose, youd need to vaccinate 210,400 people. Not so much bang for your buck.

What about severe hospitalisation? If youre aged 35 and healthy, giving a fourth booster to everyone would prevent no cases. None! To this, we can add the reality that most of us now have hybrid immunity thanks to a breakthrough infection. Evidence suggests hybrid immunity is even stronger than vaccine-induced immunity  there is 97.4 per cent effectiveness against preventing severe disease 12 months after infection. The figures are similar for people who have hybrid immunity plus a booster  suggesting, again, there isnt a huge amount to be gained. Transmission The big reason I and many other people my age had a COVID-19 vaccine was to try to slow transmission of the virus through the community, take the load off the healthcare system and protect the vulnerable.

We may have reached a point where the vaccines are no longer achieving any of those goals. There is high-quality evidence that getting a booster reduces transmission. Sophia Tan and colleagues tracked infections at 35 California state prisons and found infected, unvaccinated cases had a 36 per cent chance of passing on Omicron  compared to 28 per cent in a fully vaccinated inmate. SARS-CoV-2 virus particles which cause COVID-19. Credit: AP Each dose of vaccine, up to three, reduced transmission by about 11 per cent, in relative terms. The true transmission reduction value will be higher as a person who is vaccinated is less likely to get infected, and therefore less likely to pass the bug on. But thats not the full picture. Booster rates are low (45 per cent for fourth doses) particularly among the young people who do most of the transmitting. Under-30s only just became eligible for a fourth dose, so we can guess their rates are even lower.

To reduce transmission on a population level, you need really high population coverage, says von Mollendorf. Getting a booster to reduce transmission, when a) no one else is getting one and b) it provides only partial protection, seems equivalent to trying to plug a waterfall with a finger. Federal government modelling suggests the transmission-suppressing effect of vaccination has fallen to just 12 per cent. In new guidance released last week, the World Health Organisations Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunisation said it would not recommend additional boosters (i.e. beyond a third dose) for healthy people aged under 60 given the comparatively low public health returns. Long COVID One possible reason a young person could want a booster: a reduction in the risk of long COVID.

Theres lots of evidence people who are unvaccinated are more likely to have long-lasting COVID symptoms, but we dont know about the effect of boosters. On the other hand, you could be persuaded by (very) controversial evidence suggesting each subsequent reinfection seems to increase harms to a person. If that holds up, doing everything you can to avoid reinfection makes sense. The evidence probably isnt there to say its a good reason to do it, but it might fit into some peoples strategy, says Cheng. Its rational  but the evidence isnt necessarily strong. Actually, cost-effectiveness does matter

You might be thinking to yourself, well, does it really matter? If people want a vaccine, lets just pay for it. Loading But the health dollar is finite. Professor Peter McIntyre, a leading vaccine expert at the WHO, suggests a good comparator: the meningococcal B vaccine. Health authorities have repeatedly refused to fund it  despite modelling showing that rolling it out to Australias children would prevent nine deaths over five years and 93 children with lifelong injuries in that period. At $400 million, thats not deemed cost-effective. The government just signed a deal with Moderna for a new supply of 3 million doses of COVID vaccine this year  but we have no indication how much that will cost (the US pays about $US15 ($23) a dose).
The sisters deserved their day in court. After nine years, it seemed impossibly far away. Loading Weeks later, I raised this issue with the premier. Ultimately, he  alongside then prime minister Malcolm Turnbull and other state and federal members of parliament  made representations to the Israeli government, including the prime minister of Israel. But the reality was clear: for all the bipartisan and community support we had in Australia, the campaign for justice needed to be taken to Israel. In June 2017, as co-convenor of the Parliamentary Friends of Israel, I launched a petition to the Israeli Knesset to extradite Leifer to Australia.

Ultimately, with the help of the community, 17,000 people signed. A month later, I flew to Israel and presented the petition to parliamentarians from the Likud and Labor parties, Sharren Haskel and Michal Biran. It was a 15-year campaign for Leifer to face justice. Credit: Paul Tyquin Both committed to do everything they could, and Haskel took our plea to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as a matter of importance. In November of that year, returning to Israel, the sisters and I met with Israels then justice minister, Ayelet Shaked.

We told the minister that Leifers flouting of the justice system was nothing short of brazen. Images had emerged of her going about her usual daily life, yet she was allegedly unfit to be extradited. Worse still, Leifer was free to teach children in Israel. There was a level of sick irony here: by feigning mental illness to avoid extradition, Leifer was denying her victims the chance to heal from the very real psychological trauma she had caused them. Undercover footage shows Malka Leifer shopping in Israel at a time when she was said to be mentally unfit to face a court. At the very least, we said, give Dassi, Elly and Nicole the dignity of a day in court. The minister gave the type of cautious, clinical response a minister gives in question time: there are processes. The system must run its course. We will have to wait and see.

But, in a small sign of hope after the formal meeting, a staffer to the justice minister indicated that things were moving in a positive direction. Less than a year later, Leifer was arrested, and an extradition trial began. In May 2020, the news came: her mental illness was a sheer act, and her extradition had been approved. Following the great news I stood with the sisters, Ted Baillieu and Labor MP Josh Burns at a press conference outside the Glen Eira Town Hall. With so much international media present, I was struck by the global reach of this case and the magnitude of what had just happened. It was a testament to the unrelenting courage, strength and determination of the sisters in pursuit of their abuser. But there was to be yet another legislative hurdle to overcome.

Changes to the Victorian Judicial Proceedings Reports Act, made just months after the Israeli court decision, effectively barred survivors from telling their stories without court approval. Loading A poorly drafted law with profound unintended consequences left the sisters and indeed any survivor of sexual abuse unable to speak out. Having fought for so long and having come so far, as Leifer was finally about to be extradited, all survivors were now publicly voiceless. After raising this in parliament and writing to the attorney-general, the sisters application to speak out on the case was fast-tracked and approved by the courts. The laws were ultimately changed  which was a win for survivors everywhere, and a sobering reminder of how important survivor-centric lawmaking is. Indeed, this entire 15-year journey highlights the immense power communities and politicians have to achieve positive and just outcomes for survivors.
During the pandemic, building companies locked in tens of thousands of fixed-price contracts in response to the federal governments HomeBuilder scheme, which offered cash grants of $25,000 for newly built homes as part of a stimulus package. The number of home loans issued to build or buy a newly built home more than doubled from 5837 in June 2020 to peak at 12,809 in February 2021, before collapsing to just 4267 by February this year. As the world emerged from the pandemic the cost of raw materials and labour surged to meet booming demand. The Russian invasion of Ukraine pushed building input prices even higher, leaving builders who had locked in fixed-price contracts dangerously exposed, and facing large losses. The cost of building in Melbourne, for example, rose 29 per cent between June 2020 and December 2022 as the price of raw materials such as concrete, timber, steel and glass increased.

Master Builders Victoria interim chief executive Michaela Lihou said the current lack of flexibility in fixed-priced contracts was placing an unrealistic stranglehold on builders. Our argument is simple. A review of a contract, which may include some fair and reasonable price rises based on data, is better than an unrealistic fixed contract which drives a builder into a wall. Vaughan Mcdonald, the director of construction group Sienna Homes, backed an overhaul of fixed-price house building contracts. He said thousands of homes could be at risk if another one or two builders of a similar volume collapsed.

Loading On Saturday, Vlad Simunkovic went to one of the houses he was working on to pick up his scaffolding. If we dont have our gear, we cant work, so I cant leave that there for six months, he said. He said that within five minutes of being on the site, a stranger started filming him. Since the liquidation news, there have been widespread reports of unfinished Porter Davis homes being looted. All we were doing was picking up our gear, Vlad said. I understand both sides, people are so distraught now, but we feel like we are being tainted and portrayed as a villain when we are not.

Vlad said he did not condone homes being vandalised and felt sorry for the affected homeowners. As bad as we feel, I know they feel a lot worse and theres probably a lot worse off out there. No ones a winner here thats the problem. And we feel were just left with nothing, nowhere to go and no one cares. Julie Fuller, who has worked for Porter Davis as a cleaner since 2017, says she now has no income. Credit: Paul Jeffers Vlad said he had called the bank and was told nothing could be done on hardship grounds. The beginning of the year is the hardest for most tradies because youve had a holiday with no income and youve got tax to pay at the end of the month. So, its a double dip for us. Everythings gone out. Plus, we lose $35,000. Ive been here for a long time and Ive never been dealt a blow like this.

Julie Fuller had subcontracted to Porter Davis Homes as a builders cleaner since 2017. I am out of pocket $10,000 and now have no work or income, Fuller said. I dont have a partner who can support me. I have bills and rent to pay like everyone else, and now I have no way to do that. Fuller said she was finishing cleaning a property at 10.30am on Friday when her supervisor told her Porter Davis had collapsed. She was blindsided by the news. I had no idea. I had worked with a lot of different other builders and Porter Davis quality was definitely far above a lot of the other builders. They took pride in their work, and they all loved their actual job. Fuller said working as a subcontractor for Porter Davis had given her the flexibility to care for her mother, who has Alzheimers disease.

She is why I became self-employed. My supervisors made me a part of their team and to them I will be forever grateful, she says. This has dramatically affected my mental health and I struggle to see a way forward. Robert James, who worked as a maintenance subcontractor for Porter Davis Homes, said he was shocked by the news. Robert James worked as a maintenance subcontractor for Porter Davis. Credit: Justin McManus Im down around $7000, which isnt as much as most people, but its a lot of money for me, he said. Its all just blown up in my face. Working for a big company like that, you dont expect them to go down.

James said there was a lot of talk in the industry that other builders were also on the brink of collapse. I am trying to get out of the industry. Marchetti Constructions Pty Ltd, the main frame carpenter for Porter Davis, said the effect on its business of the company going into liquidation had been huge. The rising costs of labour, materials and COVID just got them and, hopefully, theres not other builders that will follow suit, said Luke Marchetti, director of Marchetti Constructions. Its just a perfect storm now, and its very, very scary. Marchetti said fixed-price contracts had played a massive role. All of Porter Davis contracts for its Victorian customers were on fixed-price contracts, where the price of the build is set up to 24 months before completion.

The margins they had were not sustainable to keep the business afloat due to increases throughout the overall build, Marchetti said. During COVID, there were severe shortages of sand and timber with all the government restrictions and the prices shot up. Porter Davis did everything they could to keep the company afloat. Marchetti urged the government to free up the supply chain and slow major projects that he said were sucking labour and resources out of housing, leading to greater expense. He said he had been saddened by the vandalising of some Porter Davis properties. Youre not hurting Porter Davis, youre hurting good people. If anyone is going and damaging sites, please stop. We all need to stick together and get through these challenging times.
An independent federal government-commissioned review has confirmed what an investigation by The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald and the ABCs 7.30 program revealed last year: that the health system is haemorrhaging money because of waste and stands to lose billions more in rorts due to weak systems, poor regulation and the corporatisation of medicine.

Only a small proportion of its 500 million transactions a year are scrutinised, and the growing corporate ownership of medical clinics has weakened the doctor-patient relationship and limited oversight of billing, the review revealed.

Health Minister Mark Butler faces a Herculean task in fixing Medicare. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

Dr Pradeep Philip, a health economist and former head of the Victorian Health Department, found the cost of all of this to be huge. His conservative estimate is that $1.6 billion to $3 billion is misspent. He flagged several areas requiring urgent attention, including a continuous monitoring system that would send SMS alerts to patients when claims are made and simplifying the Medicare billing system with items that better cater for complex conditions, clearer language and more details of the service, such as length and location. Thats all a good start, but it wont be enough.

Philip also recommends the establishment of a new Medicare oversight committee made up of department representatives and independent experts, as well as stripping the powerful Australian Medical Association of its veto power over who runs the systems regulator, the Professional Services Review. The Age is not suggesting any individuals in the Medicare oversight organisation engaged in any wrongdoing, but rather that its ties to the AMA give it the appearance of a body that lacks true independence. It is inappropriate for any lobby group to have veto power over a regulator that supposedly governs its members actions.
Finance Minister Katy Gallagher says billions of dollars leaking from Medicare each year need to return to government coffers as Labor prepares May budget reforms of a healthcare system no longer fit for purpose.

Doctors groups said on Tuesday they would work with the government on recommendations to rein in up to $3 billion a year in wasted Medicare spending, largely the result of billing errors and non-compliance in an overly complex system.

Finance Minister Katy Gallagher has acknowledged the stress GPs are under and says health practitioners overwhelmingly do the right thing. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

But they signalled their support would come with conditions, including no more red tape for doctors already struggling in an under-pressure primary health system.

A government-commissioned report by health economist Dr Pradeep Philip this week warned the $38 billion universal healthcare system was so poorly structured and loosely scrutinised that the gate had been left wide open to fraud.
New York: Donald Trump has pleaded not guilty to conspiring to influence the 2016 election by embarking on a series of hush-money deals to cover up sex scandals that could have harmed his chances of becoming president.

In a historic moment that has upended the 2024 presidential race and further divided the United States, Trump was charged with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, as part of a broader scheme to pay off a porn star, a Playboy model and a doorman who claimed Trump had fathered a love child out of wedlock.

Hours after he was charged, the former Republican president was giving a speech maintaining his innocence.

The only crime that I have committed is to fearlessly defend our nation from those who seek to destroy it, Trump told supporters at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.

Earlier in New York, Trumps motorcade left Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue to the court precinct in Lower Manhattan at 1.09pm (US time) and was escorted by his Secret Service detail into the office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg about 17 minutes later, under one of New Yorks biggest security operations.

Heading to Lower Manhattan, the Courthouse. Seems so SURREAL - WOW, they are going to arrest me, the 76-year-old wrote on his Truth Social online platform as he made the journey with only a few aides and without his wife, Melania. Cant believe this is happening in America.
KYODO NEWS - Apr 4, 2023 - 21:16 | World, All, Japan

The Japanese Embassy in Beijing had consular access Tuesday to a senior employee of pharmaceutical firm Astellas Pharma Inc., who has been detained in China since last month on suspicion of engaging in spying activities, according to a Japanese government source.

The man in his 50s has no health issues, the source added. Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi strongly demanded the early release of the man in his talks with Premier Li Qiang and senior Chinese officials during his weekend visit to Beijing.

Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang told Hayashi on Sunday that China will handle the case "in accordance with the law."

It is customary in China that allegations concerning national security are not released and trials are closed to the public. Even after rulings are finalized, the details are not announced in most cases.

Since 2014, 17 Japanese nationals, including the Astellas employee, have been detained in China for alleged involvement in espionage activities. Five of them are still being held in China, according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry.

Related coverage:

Japan foreign minister urges China premier to free detained citizen
A customer visits an area dedicated to the works of late Japanese composer and musician Ryuichi Sakamoto at a record store in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan, April 3, 2023. (Xinhua/Zhang Xiaoyu)

TOKYO, April 2 (Xinhua) -- Renowned Japanese composer and musician Ryuichi Sakamoto has died at the age of 71, his agency reported Sunday.

The award-winning artist passed away on March 28th, according to an announcement by Japan's record label Avex.

"While undergoing treatment for cancer diagnosed in June 2020, Sakamoto continued to create works in his home studio whenever his health would allow," said the announcement on the official website of the company.

Also a member of the electronic music band Yellow Magic Orchestra, known as YMO, Sakamoto was best known for his work as a film composer.

He became the first Japanese winner of the Academy Award for Best Original Score for "The Last Emperor" in 1988.

After the earthquake and tsunami of March 11, 2011, the artist used his music to support children affected by the disaster, according to local media reports. 

This photo taken on April 3, 2023 shows an area dedicated to the works of late Japanese composer and musician Ryuichi Sakamoto at a record store in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan. (Xinhua/Zhang Xiaoyu)

This photo taken on April 3, 2023 shows an area dedicated to the works of late Japanese composer and musician Ryuichi Sakamoto at a record store in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan. (Xinhua/Zhang Xiaoyu)
ISLAMABAD, April 3 (Xinhua) -- The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship project of the Belt and Road Initiative, has been playing a vital role in strengthening and modernizing infrastructure in Pakistan, Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal has said.

CPEC projects have pushed forward the socio-economic development in Pakistan, the minister said when meeting with heads of Chinese enterprises on the sidelines of the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2023 held in South China's Hainan Province, according to a statement released by Pakistan's Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives on Monday.

Lauding contribution of Chinese enterprises in the success of the CPEC, Iqbal said the people of Pakistan will never forget China for helping them at a time when the whole country was plunged into darkness due to power shortages, by implementing a host of energy projects.

In the statement, the minister also highlighted the newly proposed CPEC projects, such as the Karachi coastal comprehensive development zone project and Karachi-Hyderabad Motorway alignment projects, expressing hope that the projects would act as an emerging hub for sectors including tourism, information technology, ports, shipping and services in Pakistan, while creating thousands of new jobs for youths.

Iqbal also assured the Chinese enterprises of the Pakistani government's full support for the successful implementation of their projects in Pakistan, the statement said. 
Wang Yi, director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, meets with Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, former president of the Philippines and senior deputy speaker of the House, in Beijing, capital of China, April 3, 2023. (Xinhua/Zhai Jianlan)

BEIJING, April 3 (Xinhua) -- Wang Yi, director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, met Monday with Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, former President of the Philippines and Senior Deputy Speaker of the House.

Noting China attaches great importance to China-Philippine relations, Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, said the two sides should stay committed to properly handling differences through communication and dialogue.

China and the Philippines should not allow maritime issues to impede the overall development of bilateral relations or allow a third party to undermine China-Philippine friendly relations, still less should the two sides allow the Cold War mentality to return and harm regional peace and stability, Wang added.

Chinese-style modernization makes us full of expectations, and building a community with a shared future for mankind is the right path for the world, said Arroyo, adding she would continue to make efforts to promote the sound development of Philippine-China relations. 
Cheyenne, WY (82001)

Today

Cloudy with occasional rain late. Low 36F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%..

Tonight

Cloudy with occasional rain late. Low 36F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%.
Students take an exam in computer skills at a computer lab in Adado town, central Somalia, on April 3, 2023. (Photo by Abdi/Xinhua)

MOGADISHU, April 3 (Xinhua) -- From a distance, the Skillful International College located in Adado town in central Somalia looks like an ordinary tertiary institution, but upon interacting with the managers and students, its prestigious status comes to the fore.

At the entrance to the college, one is greeted by its bold motto engraved on a king-size billboard that reads "where champions are made."

One needs to jostle with students milling around books tucked on their armpits to find space in the corridors to walk.

The number of young men and women rushing in or out of lecture rooms where diverse courses are taught was evident even as the Somali youth defy instability in their motherland to chart a brighter future for themselves.

Osman Mohamed Daleel, an orphan, is one of the youths whose dream of becoming an ICT professional was realized upon the inception of the college.

On a balmy afternoon, he was busy exploring different computer programs under the supervision of his tutor, Abdiwahab Girig.

"If it were not for the opportunity given to me by the college, I would have either been lured into crime to earn a living or would have risked looking for greener pastures by migrating illegally overseas," Daleel told Xinhua in a recent interview in Adado town.

"But at least I have developed computer skills which can help me seek employment with local charities, work as a tutor or start my cyber cafe," he added.

The college which was started in 2022 by a group of youth to help shield their idle peers from crime or joining extremist groups is currently a hub for providing youngsters with market-driven skills.

Mohamed Abdi Adan, the college's manager, said the college offers diverse courses such as English, ICT, guidance and counseling, and catering skills that have helped the youth secure employment or start profitable business ventures and dissuade them from migrating overseas to look for opportunities.

"The college has defied odds by coming up with several innovative ideas, aimed at not only promoting peace and stability in the region but also supporting the government of Somalia's efforts to recover from the lingering effects of civil strife," Adan said.

He added that the college is also educating the youth on leadership skills and responsible citizenry, thereby inspiring them to contribute towards Somalia's reconstruction.

A photography student at the college said his life changed when he learned how to shoot photographs using a camera.

"I was used to shooting using an AK47, but now, a camera forms part of the tool of the trade I have embraced. I use the photographic skills I acquired in telling positive stories to the world," the student said.

Farah Diriye Warsame, the Adado District Commissioner, hailed the college for its immense contribution to Somalia's rebuilding amid the provision of technical and life skills to the youth.

"As a government, we challenge the youth to take advantage of the existing opportunities provided by the college, which is the initiative of selfless local youth, and enroll for educational programs that are offered at a subsidized fee," Warsame said.

Sabrin Hassan Mohamed, a 23-year-old hotel proprietor in Adado town, said the college has inspired the youth to participate in rebuilding their motherland besides providing solutions to crime and other social ills.

Sabrin, who recently graduated from the Horn of Africa University's Adado campus, said the majority of Somali youth are no longer interested in undertaking risky ventures like migrating across on their way to the gulf to look for greener pastures.

Mohamed Sharif, an educationist and director of the Youth Empowering Council (YECO) based in Adado town, said that empowered youth will contribute immensely to Somalia's reconstruction after decades of civil strife.

His sentiments were shared by Aisha Abdullahi, a youth leader in Adado town who observed that her peers who have pursued post-secondary education are making huge contributions towards transforming the livelihoods of their families and the community. 

Mohamed Abdi Adan, manager of the Skillful International College, works at his office in Adado town, central Somalia, on April 3, 2023. (Photo by Abdi/Xinhua)
Egypt leads the hospitality market in Africa with almost 25,000 rooms in 103 hotels in the pipeline for 2023, according to this years African Hotel Chain Development Pipeline report.



The survey, conducted by Lagos-based W Hospitality Group, in association with the Africa Hospitality Investment Forum (AHIF), is based on responses from 45 global and African hotel chains, reporting on a pipeline of hotel development activity totalling around 84,400 rooms in 482 hotels, in 42 of Africas 54 countries.



Egypt, which alone has 21% of the hotels and 30% of the rooms being planned or built on the entire continent, also has more than three times the number of rooms being developed in second-placed Nigeria, and four times Morocco and Ethiopia.



Despite its clear leadership in the absolute pipeline numbers, Egypt has the lowest percentage of rooms onsite due to its relatively young pipeline. Of the total 103 projects, half were signed in 2020 and later, and thats nearly 60% of the rooms.



In contrast, Morocco and Algeria have some of the highest ratios of rooms under construction on the continent. After Egypt, Nigeria has quite a low percentage onsite, and, of the 22 hotels that have started construction there, eight of them, with about half of the onsite rooms, have stalled (often due to a lack of funds) and the sites are closed.



On a city basis, Greater Cairo has by far the largest share, 12% of the entire pipeline, followed by Sharm El Sheikh and Addis Ababa.



As in previous years, three international hotel chains, the USAs Marriott International and Hilton, plus France-based Accor, top the table, with Marriott pulling firmly ahead in 2023.



Radisson has been opening hotels at a faster pace than any other operator, with some hotels opening the same year they are signed  four in Morocco in 2021, and one in Tunisia in 2022. Marriott are projecting a massive number of openings in 2023, more than opened in total for all the chains in 2022, and Accor are projecting a catch-up with eight times their 2022 performance.



Kerten Hospitality and Hyatt Hotels & Resorts have all their pipeline on site, but Marriott International, the worlds largest hotel chain, with the largest number of rooms and the largest African development pipeline, have three times the number of rooms onsite of those two hotel chains put together. Hilton is in second place for onsite rooms, after Marriott International.



Of the total 84,427 rooms in the pipeline, over 37,500 rooms (about 45%) are expected by the hotel chains to open in 2023 and 2024. After a positive performance in 2019 (75% opened), the actualisation of hotel deals (the proportion that opened, versus what the chains expected to open) has been 30 per cent or less in the last three years  severely down for obvious reasons. The headwinds that developers have faced are mostly abating, although it can still be a challenge to open on time.



Trevor Ward, Managing Director, W Hospitality Group said: There are several reasons why new hotel development in Egypt is so strong, including the low value of the Egyptian pound, its unparalleled tourism assets, its proximity to major source markets and good infrastructure. One of the drivers of Marriotts strong performance is a growing trend towards franchising in Africa, and Marriotts relative strength in franchising with 30 brands in its portfolio. Franchising appeals to owners and investors as they retain more control of their properties; and they are now able to work with proven white-label operators in Africa to run them.



Matthew Weihs, Managing Director of The Bench, which organises AHIF, concluded: The high expectations for 2023 and 2024 openings dont just make a really good news story; they bode very well for AHIF, as there will be an optimistic atmosphere at the conference, which is likely to encourage participants to seek new deals and further investment opportunities.



While North Africa continues to dominate the pipeline, West Africas share of the total is slightly down this year, despite having the largest number of countries. After several years of slumber, Central Africa is increasing its share, particularly in Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The top ten countries represent 68% of hotels in the survey, and 74% of the rooms.  TradeArabia News Service
KIEV, April 3 (Xinhua) -- Secretary-General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Jens Stoltenberg said Monday that the alliance will discuss a multi-year support program for Ukraine, the Interfax-Ukraine news agency reported.

The program will be on the agenda of the meeting of NATO foreign ministers on April 4-5, Stoltenberg said.

"I expect that the ministers will agree to start work on the development of a multi-year program for Ukraine," Stoltenberg told a press conference in Brussels, Belgium.

Along with providing support for Ukraine in the conflict with Russia, the program is important for the long-term perspective of the development of relations between Ukraine and NATO, said Stoltenberg.

At their meeting, the foreign ministers of NATO countries will also discuss ways to strengthen the support for Ukraine's Armed Forces and ensure their transition to NATO standards, he added.

On April 4, the meeting of the Ukraine-NATO Commission will be held within the framework of the NATO foreign ministers summit. 
Cutty Sark celebrates 100 years; Label 5 presents new packaging

Cutty Sark Blended Scotch Whisky has unveiled a vintage anniversary limited edition to celebrate the brands 100 year anniversary.

The new festive and vibrant label will appear on its original range, as well as a giftbox, with the same Cutty Sark inside the bottle.

To celebrate, the brand has put in place a global anniversary plan, with the release of the new campaign Never Ending Adventure, as well as the launch of a Commemorative Edition whisky also in the works to bring together all the craftsmanship and personality of the whisky.

Commenting on the release, brand manager Manon Brochet said: This limited edition emphasizes the brand legacy and maritime anchoring, along with its adventurous personality and international dimension.

Meanwhile, Label 5 Scotch Whisky has presented its new packaging identity, in exclusivity at ProWein trade fare.

The new presentation includes a new redesigned logo, said to develop and revitalize and give more status to the brand.

In 2022, Label 5 sold 2.5 million cases of whisky, across 100 countries.

International whisky manager Clemence Leclerc commented: We are very happy to present this new design for LABEL 5 to reinforce the brand DNA and deliver greater shelf standout

La Martiniquaise is a leading spirits group in France, founded in 1934 and currently employs 3,400 people. For more information, visit its website.

4 April 2023 - Bradley Weir
2nd Suspect Arrested in Connection with Fatal Fallbrook Mall Shooting

WEST HILLS, Calif.A second suspect was behind bars April 3 in connection with a weekend shooting at the Fallbrook Shopping Center in West Hills that left one person dead and three others injured.

Amy Waters, 33, is suspected of helping the shooting suspect flee the scene by picking him up and then leading police on a short pursuit that ended near Saticoy Street and Canoga Avenue, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

The shooting was reported at about 3:45 p.m. Saturday in the shopping centers parking lot in the 22900 block of Vanowen Street, according to the LAPD.

Police over the weekend identified the shooting suspect as 34-year-old Mark Connole, who was booked on suspicion of murder at the LAPDs Topanga- area station and was being held on $2 million bail.

One of the victims met with the suspect for unknown reasons. An argument ensued between the suspect and the victims when the suspect produced a handgun and began to fire at them, police said.

One person died at the scene and three people were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries, police said.

According to police, Connole crashed his vehicle fled from the shooting scene, but Waters drove to the area in a red Honda and picked up the suspect. Waters then led police on a pursuit, but she eventually pulled over and was taken into custody along with Connole, according to the LAPD.

Police said a firearm was recovered.

Waters was booked on suspicion of felony evading, police said. She was being held in lieu of $75,000 bail, according to jail records.

The name of the victim killed in the shooting was being withheld pending notification of relatives.

Authorities asked anyone who was at the shopping center Saturday and witnessed the shooting to come forward, including anyone who captured cell phone video of the altercation that preceded the shooting.

Anyone with pertinent information was asked to contact LAPD Valley Bureau homicide detectives at 818-374-9550, or 213-972-2971. Those wishing to remain anonymous may contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or www.lacrimestoppers.org.
A Credit Crunch Is Inevitable

Commentary

Federal Reserve data show that $174.5 billion of deposits left the banking system in the week after Silicon Valley Bank collapsed. Most of the money went to money-market funds, as Bloomberg shows that assets in this class rose by $121 billion in the same period.

The data show the challenges of the banking system in the middle of a confidence crisis. However, as many analysts point out, this isnt necessarily the main factor that dictates the risk of a credit crunch.

Deposit flight is certainly an important risk. Many regional banks will have to cut lending to families and businesses as deposits shrink, but in the United States, bank loans are less than 19 percent of corporate credit, according to the International Monetary Fund, while in the euro area, theyre more than 80 percent.

What will generate a credit crunch is the destruction of capital in the asset base of most lenders. The slump in mark-to-market valuations of all asset classes from loans to investments is what will ultimately drive an inevitable credit contraction.

Credit standards have tightened significantly already, and the credit impulse of the economy, both in the United States and the euro area, has deteriorated rapidly, according to the respective Bloomberg indices. Both are below the March 2021 low.

We must remember that tightening of credit standards was already a reality before Silicon Valley Banks demise. But the reality check of capital destruction in the financial systems asset base is far from done.

Startups will most likely see the most severe crunch in financing, as the tech bubble burst adds to the asset base capital destruction in private equity and venture capital firms, which have delayed the required write-downs all they could and face a sobering reality check. Our internal estimate of capital destruction in the asset base of banks and private equity firms is between a 15 percent to 25 percent wipeout, which is consistent with the average decline in market value over the October 2021 to March 2023 period.

Real estate investments all over the United States and Europe require a significant reevaluation now that real estate has underperformed the market for 18 months, according to Morgan Stanley. The optimistic valuations of real estate and corporate investments in banks balance sheets will require a significant analysis and subsequent write-off that will lead to much tighter credit standards and stringent investment conditions.

Capital destruction tends to be forgotten in a world used to constant central bank easing, but its likely to be the main source of the strangling of credit to families and businesses, as banks and private equity firms deal with the loss of value and weakening earnings and cash flow from investments made at elevated valuations and high prices.

The main challenge this time is that capital destruction is happening in almost every part of the lenders asset base, from the allegedly low-risk partsovereign bond portfoliosto the aggressively priced investments in volatile businesses and bull-market valuations of corporate and venture capital investments.

The profitable asset part of banks will likely require important provisions for nonperforming loans, a subject that was raised by the Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank months before the banking crisis. Furthermore, as governments will likely blame the recent collapses on lack of regulation again, its extremely likely that new rules will be imposed demanding that banks book large provisions recognizing losses on the loan book ahead of time.

Even if we assume a modest impact on banks balance sheets, the combination of higher rates, declining optimism about the economy, and the slump in equity, private investments, and bond valuations is going to inevitably lead to a massive crunch in access to credit and financing.

Its more than banks. The crunch will come from private direct middle market loans and a decline in high-yield bond demand, while institutional leveraged loans will likely fall as access to leverage is more expensive and challenging, and investment grade bonds may likely continue to see strong demand but at higher costs.

The question isnt when there will be a credit crunch, but how large and for how long. Considering the size of the famous bubble of everything and its slow implosion, it may last for a couple of years even with a central bank pivot, because, by now, a reverse in monetary policy may only zombify the financial system.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
A Crossing the Rubicon Kind of Event: Navarro on Trump Indictment

Peter Navarro, the former trade adviser to President Donald Trump, speaks to reporters as he departs U.S. District Court after being indicted on two counts of contempt of Congress for his failure to comply with a subpoena from the House of Representatives committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, in Washington on June 3, 2022. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)

Former White House aide Peter Navarro on April 4 said that the move to indict President Donald Trump and his allies is a crossing the Rubicon kind of event for Democrats.

Navarro made the comments during an appearance on NTD. Manhattan District Attorney (DA) Alvin Bragg, who is leading the case against Trump, is poised to release the list of charges against Trump on the afternoon of April 4.

Trump is accused of making a hush money payment to porn actress Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential election. Daniels claims the two had an affair in 2006, a charge that Trump denies. Further, the charges against Trump are considered misdemeanors past the statute of limitations that Bragg has elevated to a felony.

During his appearance on NTD, Navarro suggested that the charges were so unjust that moving ahead with the indictment constitutes a crossing the Rubicon kind of event for Trumps enemies.

Its pure persecution that stems from the clear weaponization of our government for partisan purposes, Navarro said when asked his opinion on the issue.

This is unprecedented, Navarro said. Today is a very historic day in the sense that theyve really gone too far.

Executive Privilege

A key aspect of Navarros comments focused on the U.S. legal principle of executive privilege.

Navarro is under federal investigation for contempt of Congress due to his refusal to appear before the Jan. 6 panel during the last Congress. Like other Trump advisers, Navarro has claimed that executive privilege protected him from cooperating with the probe. Executive privilege is a U.S. legal tradition whereby the president is immune to specific congressional inquiries and subpoenas because he is the commander-in-chief and key national security figure.

Navarro still faces criminal proceedings for alleged contempt of Congress and faces up to two years in prison if convicted.

[Trump] is the first president in our history of our republic to ever be indicted on a criminal charge, Navarro said. I myself am the first senior White House adviser and alter ego to the President ever to be charged with contempt of Congress. So these are like crossing the Rubicon kind of events.

Navarro denounced Bidens effort to strip Trump and his advisers of executive privilege as part of the larger weaponization of the federal government.

Executive privilege  is something that goes back to the days of George Washington, Navarro said. Its an institution in this country designed to enhance effective executive decision-making by ensuring the separation of powers, and of course, Biden has attacked that one head-on.

Specifically, Biden has attempted to retroactively withdraw the claims of Trump and his aides using executive privilege.

During the interview, Navarro was asked what concerns he has about the effort to undermine the doctrine of executive privilege.

I want to again reiterate what executive privilege means, Navarro replied. The word privilege has kind of got a sketchy connotation these days, the way its been bandied about by the woke left, but executive privilege, again, goes back to George Washington.

Navarro explained, When [Washington] was president, he noticed that the legislative branch, that is, Congress, was trying to encroach upon the executive branchs responsibilities. So the principle of separation of powers says that the President himself and his top advisors, who are treated identical to the president  have this executive privilege, meaning that they cannot be subpoenaed by Congress to testify or provide documents.

The move to strip Trump and his advisers of executive privilege marks a sharp departure from previous Department of Justice (DOJ) policy, Navarro said. For over 50 years, the DOJ has worked on the assumption of complete testimonial immunity for the president and his advisors.

During the last Congress, however, Navarro and former Trump aide Steve Bannon were indicted for contempt of Congress after refusing to cooperate with the Jan. 6 panel.

Theres no precedent, theres no case law, theres nothing, not a zip to justify the change, Navarro said. Its a ridiculous kind of thing, but for me, it was the tell in the whole case because it revealed the true partisan nature of it.

Agent Provocateurs

During the interview, Navarro expressed concern that protests following the release of charges could be sabotaged by agent provocateurs working with the FBI, DOJ, or Antifa.

Im very concerned, in both New York and in Mar-a-Lago, that there will be agent provocateurs, Antifa, BLM, maybe even FBI informants trying to provoke a crowd to violence because one of the Democrats spinsfor example, in the Jan. 6 thingis that somehow were extremists and we incite violence, Navarro said.

He cited reporting by Revolver News Darren Beattie that showed conclusively that FBI informants were in the crowd on Jan. 6. In the past, the FBI has evaded questions by Congress about its level of involvement during the Jan. 6 protest.

If anybody tries to incite violence, take their picture, and lets find out whether theyre there, whether theyre in Antifa, BLM, or the FBI, Navarro said.

Many Republicans have expressed concern about protests taking a violent turn following the announcement of charges against Trump.
AbouThai Owner Turns Prosecution Witness, in Ongoing 47 Court Trial Faces Business Plummet

The Hong Kong 47 Case trial began on Feb. 6, 2023. The 47 defendants, charged under National Security Law in suspicion of conspiring to subvert state power, were political figures supporting democracy and universal suffrage.

Of the 47 defendants, four had turned their back on democracy and became prosecution witnesses.

One of them is businessman Mike Lam King-nam, who formerly advocated liberty and support for the anti-extradition movement in Hong Kong. Lam is the owner of the AbouThai chain stores.



Pro-movement Hongkongers were the pillar of Lams lifestyle stores due to his backing of democracy and human rights and for his vocal criticism of the government, pro-Beijing figures, and groups in 2019. The business of AbouThai, selling Thai imported products and snacks, boomed and expanded to 26 stores and convenience shops, thanks to Hongkongers loyal support.

However, as soon as the news confirmed Lam becoming a prosecution witness, Hongkongers and other pro-democracy brands cut ties with Lam and ceased doing business with AbouThai.

On March 30, multiple reports said the AbouThai branch in Sham Shui Po would be closed on March 31. At about 3 p.m. on March 30, The Epoch Times reporters headed to the AbouThai store on 257, Cheung Sha Wan Road, Sham Shui Po, Hong Kong. There were only a few staff members but no customers.

When asked about the closure, a staff member confirmed that the Sham Shui Po branch would be closed on March 31. According to AbouThais website, there are still 25 branches in Hong Kong. However, lawsuits have been filed against AbouThai and its owner for owing HK$1.3 million (US$170,000) in rent covering at least five branches.

AbouThai has seen better days. At its peak, there were 26 branches, and endless queues were outside most of their stores. The shops would be sardine-full of pro-democracy or yellow customers.

The Beginning of the End

On March 22, AbouThais owner Lam released a statement on Facebook. Lam announced, Effective immediately, AbuTai hereby declares that our business no longer has anything to do with the yellow economic circle.

In his statement, Lam called the yellow economy circle a wrong example and said AbouThai would continue to serve Hong Kong and spread the positive Hong Kong story, a phrase the Hong Kong government PR campaign had used regularly since the end of the pandemic.

Yellow Versus Blue

The yellow economy circle is a term dubbed during the pro-democracy protests back in 2019. It describes a group of business owners that support the anti-extradition movement. Pro-democracy Hongkongers would primarily shop in these like-minded businesses that supported the Hong Kong Protests. Meanwhile, yellow shoppers would boycott businesses in opposition, blue shops, which are pro-police and pro-government.

Pro-police enterprises, such as restaurant chain Maxims, suffered from a drastic decline in revenue since 2019, leading to the closures of multiple shops all over the city.

Public Outrage

An hour after the statements release, angry netizens flooded the comment section. Netizens called Lam a sellout, a CCP dog for betraying the pro-democracy Hongkongers who had supported Lam and given money to his business in recent years.

Meanwhile, some questioned whether it was really Lam who sent the government-toned post. The boycotts began on Feb. 8, a chain of Hong Kong brands and suppliers announced the ceasing of cooperation with AbouThai, and that they would no longer supply products to the chain store.

Additionally, companies were taking AbouThais products off their shelves. Liberal companies also stopped offering AbouThais cash coupons or promoting anything related to Lam or its lifestyle franchise.

AbouThais overall business has plunged.

Morals Over Money

Lams long-time star partner, Chapman To, announced on Facebook that his brand Chapmans Premium Select would no longer supply products to AbouThai chain stores in Hong Kong. At the end of Tos statement, the actor told his followers, Everything is a choice. I respect everyones decision.

It was Tos response to Lam switching sides and becoming a witness for the prosecution, kowtowing to the regime.

The Hong Kong actors statement later influenced a domino effect of brands ending relationships with AbouThai.

Mee PunishC is a well-known app promoting businesses in the yellow economic circles. The app exclusively serves small local shops, restaurants, and businesses supporting the Hong Kong protests. Companies would be listed in the app and offer discounts to potential customers.

Betrayal of Trust

The Hong Kong 47 case trial began on Feb. 6. Under the National Security Law, all defendants were charged with conspiring to subvert state power. Most defendants had been in custody for over a year while waiting for a trial date. Lam King-nam was one of the 47 defendants.

Formerly pro-democracy, Lam switched sides to become a prosecution witness, and testifying against other democrats confirmed an earlier rumor. Lam is one of four defendants who turned prosecution witness. The other three included former LegCo member and convener of Civil Human Rights Front, Au Lok-hin, former democracy activist and convener of Power For Democracy, Chiu Ka-yin, and former Convener of Neo Democrats, Ben Chung Kam-lun.

Lam and his business AbouThai were critical members of the yellow economy circle and were beloved by many pro-freedom Hongkongers.

Since 2019, Hongkongers would frequent Lams stores in appreciation of his support of the Hong Kong Protests. AbouThais products were so popular that they would often be sold out. However, as soon as the news of Lam becoming a prosecuton witness in the Hong Kong 47 trial, netizens were taken aback.

Most AbouThai suppliers cut ties with the chain store, mainly because suppliers were all democracy supporters and did not appreciate Lams betrayal of Hongkongers. After netizens realized Lams plea to change sides, they were deeply concerned that he would leak their information to the police.

Meanwhile, the blue camp did not favor Lams sudden patriotism either.

On Feb. 8, Lam released a public statement on Facebook. Lams statement first addressed that Hong Kong cant afford chaos and the yellow economy circle was a wrong example.

Lam also echoed the governments tone and said AbouThai would continue to serve Hong Kong and contribute to the country.

AbouThai has also deleted previous posts and some of its official pages. Lam cutting ties with the yellow circle had caused a nose-dive in his business. AbouThai would later amass rent debts of HK$1.3 million.

Commentators believed Lams switch was for a reduced sentence. In contrast, others suspected Lams intention to expand his business in China. Some also felt that the CCP might have threatened Lam and forced him to make patriotic comments.

Support for Xi Jinpings Message

According to multiple media reports, in August 2022, upon being charged for the primaries, the once-freedom-seeking business owner shared his thoughts on the speeches Xi Jinping gave on July 1.

Lam describes Xis speech as having deep, significant, and profound meanings. He also said Xi Jinpings reference to avoid Hong Kong independence thinking and believed that one country, two systems would be stable and far-reaching.

Lam reminded everyone not to break the law and steer away from anything that might link to the thoughts of Hong Kongs independence.

Lam also stated that he believed, with the perfected electoral system under one country, two systems, more patriots would join the government and achieve great things.

Lams former followers were dumbfounded that Lam would say anything supportive of Xi, the Chinese authorities, or the CCP.

At the time, netizens were generally anxious that Lam might have been coerced to make pro-communist remarks.

Lies Were Brought to Light in March 2021.

The National Security Bureau charged Lam King-nam and 46 other democratic figures, activists, politicians, and scholars with conspiring to subvert the state power under national security law for participating in the democratic election primaries.

After one of the most lengthy hearings in Hong Kong history, Lam was released on bail for HK$1 million on March 4

Upon Lams release on bail, rumors circulated of Lam agreeing to be the prosecutions witness in exchange for freedom.

Former legislator Lester Shum O-fai shared his thoughts in a letter from prison, suggesting Lam was a sell-out.

Meanwhile, several netizens claimed AbouThais former employees accused Lam of secretly doing business in mainland China while profiting from the yellow economy circle.

On March 28, Lam argued the allegation was a miscommunication with those in custody.

Other defendants in the same case and their families, including Shums wife, however, disputed Lams attempt to clear the allegations, exposed Lams lies, and confirmed the allegations against him.

Once a Freedom Fighter

Lam used to be a customs officer. In an interview in 2015, Lam said that the Hong Kong Customs Department fired him after expressing political views opposed to the government.

Lam was a high-profile democratic figure during the anti-extradition movement in 2019. After his dismissal, he opened the AbouThai business.

After closing 13 AbouThai stores for a day to support the citizens plan to besiege the Legislative Council on June 12, 2019, the yellow groups backed Lam and AbouThai, which led to a skyrocketing expansion of Lams businesses in 2019. AbouThai also expanded into the convenience store markets in Sham Shui Po, Yuen Long, and Causeway Bay.

The Glory of Its Past

Regarded as yellow business, both AbouThai and Lam stood against and opposed the Blue Camp, any groups pro-China and pro-government, or pro-police brutality.

AbouThai and Lam received praise and loyal support from pan-democracy groups and people for the following few years.

In 2020, Lam tried to become a politician. He joined the Democratic primaries of the Legislative Council but lost the election. He was arrested for taking part in the primaries in 2021 by the national security police.

AbouThai shops used to be mini Lennon Walls where citizens could leave Post-it notes and pro-protester slogans such as Liberate Hong Kong and Remember 831 Prince Edward Attack during the anti-extradition movement.

As of March 30, at least five branches of AbouThai, including the flagship stores in Quarry Bay, Shatin, Mongkok, and Kowloon Bay, were in debt by nearly HK$1.3 million for unpaid rent.

Once a beloved and popular destination to buy products imported from Thailand, AbouThai had lost its glory and the loyalty of many Hongkongers to its business.
JERUSALEM, April 4 (Xinhua) -- The number of tourists who visited Israel in March reached 351,900, said a report issued by the country's Central Bureau of Statistics on Tuesday.

This is the highest monthly figure since December 2019. The latest figure reflects the gradual recovery of Israel's inbound tourism since the country opened its borders to vaccinated and recovered tourists in January 2022 and to unvaccinated ones as well two months later.

Accordingly, the number of tourists who visited Israel in the first quarter of this year reached 916,300, which is about three times the figure in January-March last year, according to the bureau's data.

The number of tourists who arrived in Israel in the first quarter is close to the figure registered in the first quarter of 2019, which was 1.05 million tourists.

The number of Chinese tourists who arrived in Israel in the first quarter this year rose to 4,200, compared to 500 in the first three months of 2022. 
Afghan Taliban Raid Kills 6 Members of ISIS

Taliban extremists stand guard along a street in Kabul on Jan. 21, 2022. (Mohd Rasfan/AFP via Getty Images)

ISLAMABADAn overnight raid by Taliban members in Afghanistans northern Balkh Province killed six members of the ISIS terrorist group, a Taliban spokesman said on Tuesday.

The regional affiliate of ISIS has been the key rival of the Taliban since their takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021. The terrorist group has increased its attacks, targeting both Taliban members and members of Afghanistans Shiite minority.

According to Mohammad Asif Waziri, a spokesman for the police chief in Balkh, the operation late Monday night targeted an ISIS hideout in Nahri Shahi district and six members of the extremist group were killed.

The Taliban swept across Afghanistan in August 2021, seizing power as U.S. and NATO forces were withdrawn after 20 years of war.

The international community has not recognized the Taliban government, wary of the harsh measures they have imposed since their takeoverincluding restricting rights and freedoms, especially for women and minorities.

In March, a terrorist of ISIS carried out a suicide bombing that killed three people, including Daud Muzmal, the Talibans appointed governor for Balkh. Muzmal is one of the most senior Taliban officials to have been killed since they took power in mid-August 2021.
Agent-Involved Shooting Leaves Ex-Chief of Staff to Former Maryland Governor Dead, Ends FBI Manhunt

Roy McGrath, previously a top aide to the former Governor of Maryland, Larry Hogan, is seen in this U.S. Marshals Service wanted poster released on March 14, 2023. (U.S. Marshals Service/Handout via Reuters)

The FBI manhunt for Roy McGrath, an ex-chief of staff for the former Maryland Republican Gov. Larry Hogan, ended on Monday when McGrath was killed near Knoxville, Tennessee.

The FBI is reviewing an agent-involved shooting which occurred at approximately 6:30 p.m. on Monday, April 3, 2023, the FBI told The Epoch Times. During the arrest, the subject, Roy McGrath, sustained injury and was transported to the hospital. The FBI takes all shooting incidents involving our agents or task force members seriously. In accordance with FBI policy, the shooting incident is under investigation by the FBIs Inspection Division.

The FBI later stated that the agency reviews every shooting incident involving an FBI agent.

The review will carefully examine the circumstances of the shooting and collect all relevant evidence from the scene, the FBI spokesperson said.

McGrath had been on the run for almost three weeks after not attending this first federal trial on March 13.

On March 28, the U.S. Marshals and the FBI offered a combined reward of up to $20,000 for information on the whereabouts of McGrath.

The Charges

In 2021, 53-year-old McGrath was charged with fraud, theft of funds, and falsifying records to obtain funds from the Maryland Environmental Service (MES) corporation.

The Department of Justice alleged that from March 19 to December 2020, McGrath used his position of trust as the executive director of MES and the chief of staff for the governor to manipulate the MES to make payments on his behalf.

Specifically, the federal indictment and state criminal information allege: that McGrath caused MES funds to be paid to a museum where he was a member of the Board of Directors instead of using his personal funds to pay his pledge to the museum; that McGrath caused the MES Board of Directors to approve paying McGrath a $233,647.23 severance paymentequal to one years salaryupon his departure from MES by falsely telling them that the Governor was aware of and approved the payment; that McGrath caused MES to pay tuition benefits for McGrath after he left MES by personally approving reimbursements for payments made by Subordinate Employee #1 on McGraths behalf; and that McGrath falsified his time sheets, reporting that he was at work while on two separate vacations in 2019, the DOJ said in a 2021 press release.

McGrath faced a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for each of those five counts, a maximum of 10 years for each of the two counts of embezzling funds from an organization receiving more than $10,000 in federal benefits, and a maximum of 20 years in federal prison for falsifying documents.

McGraths attorney, Joseph Murtha, told ABC News that McGrathwho pleaded not guilty never wavered about his innocence.

According to the Maryland U.S. Attorneys office, McGrath was awaiting trial at his residence in Naples, Florida.

A judge issued a warrant for McGraths arrest when he failed to board the plane for Baltimore, Maryland, where the trial was to take place.
Its an immense task to try to capture the essence of Gods creation, although one artist made a powerful attempt.

Jacopo Il Tintoretto Robusti (15181594) apprenticed in the workshop of the leading Venetian artist at that time, Titian. A 2019 retrospective exhibition of the artists work at the National Gallery of Art in Washington marked the 500th anniversary of Tintorettos birth.

Legend has it that when Jacopo Tintoretto was 12 years old, he was so good at drawing that he rattled Titian, Susan Stamberg wrote in an article covering the exhibit for National Public Radios Oregon Public Broadcast. As the story goesthe old master had gone away for several days, and when he came back he found some of Tintorettos drawings.

According to Frederick Ilchman, co-curator of the exhibit: He saw these drawings and said, Who did this? The young Tintoretto was nervous, thinking hed done a bad job  and was going to be corrected. No, they were not badin fact, they were too good.

After the young artist left his apprenticeship with Titian, he was soon recognized among the greats of Venetian artists.

God Fills the World

A painting that highlights Tintorettos dynamic style was completed for the School of the Holy Trinity in Venice: his Creation of the Animals (15501553). The painting is large, at 8 1/2 feet wide. It depicts the Biblical story of God filling the world with an abundance of animals.

The figure of the Divine Creator resembles Michelangelos depiction of God on the Sistine Chapels ceiling. Detail of Creation of the Animals, 15501553, by Tintoretto. Oil on canvas, 5 feet by 8 1/2 feet. Academic Gallery, Venice. (Public Domain)

The artist painted a scene of great action and tremendous power. The upper and lower sections of the canvas are dark and barren, barely more than a void. The composition swirls with an exciting rhythm as the Creator, in a halo of light, appears out of the darkness.

Then, God gets to work.

God flies across the canvas, animating the animals, who fly, swim, leap, and gallop in the same direction at the very moment of their creation, the web journal Taylor & Francis Online states, and goes on to say that in this painting Tintoretto may have been laying claim to a sort of inspired, vivifying divine velocity.

The Divine Creator wears a wrap of brilliant red, which flows and snaps excitedly around him. He floats over the ground near shore, with a foot against a large tree.

Like an archer, God seems to bend the bow of a small tree, shooting his finger like an arrow. As he extends a hand, fish and birds explode forward as if in a race. He has only to have a thought and they come to life, immediately rushing to fill every corner of the earth. The animals are painted in dynamic lines, rushing to fulfil their roles in the newly created world.

Fish of all kinds are depicted in Creation of the Animals, 15501553, by Tintoretto. Oil on canvas, 5 feet by 8 1/2 feet. Academic Gallery, Venice. (Public Domain)

The sea is filled with marine animals of every kind: sturgeon, salmon, and red mullet (a species of goatfish found in the Mediterranean). Their eyes seem to communicate an understanding of where they are going: They are enriching the world of humanity.

According to Answers in Genesis, ornithologists estimate the number of living bird species in the world to be about 10,380. Abundance indeed. In Tintorettos sky are, just created, an array of winged fowl: swans, ducks, possibly long-beaked pelicans. They are in full flight after just coming into being. With just a thought, God does everything quickly.

In muted browns, land animals await Gods instruction. A dog drinks at the shore, and rabbits cavort under the feet of God. On the right, there are some common creatures that one would expect: a deer, cow, and a turkey. Yet there are some that are unexpected. An ostrich is in the background. Exotic creatures like the ostrich walking on the shore were much admired as gifts from guests to the princely courts of northern Italy, according to the Web Gallery of Art website.

The artist included a unicorn in his painting of the Genesis story. Detail of Creation of the Animals, 15501553, by Tintoretto. Oil on canvas, 5 feet by 8 1/2 feet. Academic Gallery, Venice. (Public Domain)

Most unexpected of all is an animal thought to exist only in mytha unicorn. The mythical creature, mouth open, seems to be straining to be set free into mans world. Amazingly, unicorns are mentioned in the King James Version of the Bible and were well known in ancient classical culture. The tusk of another mammal, the narwhal, was sought and valued in Tintorettos time and in previous centuries as a medicinal cure.

On this day of creation, the world is being populated by wonderful creatures for man. The Divine Creator must have been pleased with what he had just made.

And God saw that it was good. (Genesis 1:25)

Many species of birds fly off as they are immediately created in this detail of Creation of the Animals, 15501553, by Tintoretto. Oil on canvas, 5 feet by 8 1/2 feet. Academic Gallery, Venice. (Public Domain)

Tintorettos Adept Brushwork

The School of the Holy Trinity in Venice commissioned Tintoretto in 1550 to do a cycle of paintings inspired by the stories of Genesis. The paintings highlighted his technique of painting with swift brushstrokes.

In this work, Tintoretto also emphasizes his famously rapid brushwork, which picks out the multitudes of animals, Gods beard, and the furls of his cloak with quick flicks of white, according to Taylor & Francis.

And he learned from the best. The work of Michelangelo and Titian guided him throughout his career. The artist greatly admired Michelangelos genius of depicting the human figure. He studied Michelangelos Sistine Chapel ceiling, especially the figures of God creating the sun, the moon, and Adam. Tintoretto learned how to use brilliant color from his Venetian master, Titian.

In fact, Tintoretto installed an inscription over his studio to remind him of the source of his inspiration: Michelangelos drawing and Titians color (Il disegno di Michelangelo ed il colorito di Tiziano).

In a bow to both of his masters in this painting, Tintoretto dynamically portrays the sacred human body with a joyful nod to the natural world. The Creation of the Animals is now at the Academic Gallery in Venice.
At a Crossroad: Canadas Police Chiefs Request Urgent Meeting With Premiers

Winnipeg police Chief Danny Smyth provides an update to an ongoing homicide investigation in Winnipeg, Dec. 1, 2022. (The Canadian Press/John Woods)

The Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police has requested an urgent meeting with Canadas premiers to discuss bail reform and the recent killings of officers.

In a letter dated Monday to Manitoba Premier Heather Stefanson, association president Danny Smyth said there has been a link in the rise of violence by people released on bail since federal legislation changes were brought in four years ago.

Stefanson is the chair of the Council of the Federation that constitutes all of the premiers in Canada

Over the last four years, we can track distinct spikes in the numbers of people released on bail and incidences of violent offences committed by those on bail, said Smyth in the letter.

Smyth, who is also Winnipegs chief of police, said that an increase in drug, gang and gun violence has escalated the danger of the profession, noting that eight officers have been killed in the line of duty in the last six months.

The number of murders of police officers has resulted in stark comparisons with countries like the United States, to which we have never before found reason to compare, Smyth wrote.

Last month, Const. Brett Ryan and Const. Travis Jordan were fatally shot by a 16-year-old boy in Edmonton while they were responding to a family dispute.

A little more than a week ago Sgt. Maureen Breau was fatally stabbed while performing an arrest in Louiseville, Que., about 100 kilometres northeast of Montreal.

Smyth said the criminal justice system often renders police work pointless by failing to shield communities from violent offenders.

Policing is at a crossroad in our nation, said Smyth. The stresses and dangers of the job, combined with the intense politicization of policing weve witnessed at every level, threaten the integrity and trust in our profession and our ability to safely and ethically ensure public safety.

Stefanson said that she looks forward to discussing the issues brought up in the letter with the police chiefs, adding that she has sent the letter to all of the other premiers.

Weve seen a significant number of homicides in our police forces across the country, Stefanson said Tuesday. We dont want to see that continue.

We need to make sure that were taking action.

Stefanson said one of those actions that (Smyth) asked about is bail reform.

We have been a champion on making sure that we call on the federal government to make those changes so that its not so easy for violent offenders to get out, she said. I think thats one area we need to focus on.

Earlier this year, Canadas premiers called on the federal government to establish a reverse onus system for specific firearm offences that would require the person seeking bail to demonstrate why they should not remain behind bars.

Federal Justice Minister David Lametti has said he is giving serious consideration to reforming Canadas bail laws in response to the request from premiers for changes.
ATF Director Says Weapons Ban Is Up to Congress

Steven Dettelbach testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee during his confirmation hearing to be the next director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington on May 25, 2022. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

The Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) said he supports banning certain firearms, while noting that such a measure would have to be approved by Congress.

He denied that the ATF bore any responsibility for the ongoing dispute over pistol braces.

Im a member of the administration; I agree with the president, [and] the attorney general. It will be up to Congress, of course, as the president has said, to decide whether to act on (a weapons ban), said ATF Director Steven Dettelbach during an interview with The Washington Post on April 3.

The question of an assault weapons ban arose during a discussion about violent crime. Post reporter Leigh Ann Caldwell showed an animation illustrating a bullets effect on a human body. She also showed a video in which Alfred Lyons, 70, a minister from Jackson, Mississippi, explained why he purchased an AR-15 rifle.

Lyons claims he is seeing a resurgence of racist extremism similar to what he saw before the Civil Rights movement. He decided to buy an AR-15 because of its reputation as a dependable weapon.

An AR-15 rifle at FT3 tactical shooting range in Stanton, Calif., on May 3, 2021. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times_

It would be a good thing to be prepared to defend my community, Lyons said. You fight fire with fire.

Dettelbach said it is important to remember that the Second Amendment protects the peoples right to defend themselves. Still, he said it is also important to remember that there are agencies like the ATF to defend citizens.

Hopefully, we can live in a country where law enforcement and the greater community can protect people from violence and not just leave them to their own devices to protect themselves, he said.

According to Dettelbach, any gun ban would have to come from Congress. Although he said, the ATF would be willing to provide any information or technical expertise needed.

It is Congress who will decide whether to take that issue up, he said.

FBI and ATF agents investigate a home connected to the Christmas Day bombing, in Nashville, Tenn., on Dec. 26, 2020. (Mark Humphrey/AP Photo)

Caldwell also pointed out that Dettelbach is the first Senate-confirmed ATF director since 2015. She said this delay was seen by many as an ongoing attempt by Congressional Republicans to weaken the agency. She asked how this apparent lack of support would put any pressure on the ATF.

Dettelbach said it is all part of the ongoing debate on guns and the Second Amendment. He said the ATF would stay focused on its primary mission.

Our job is to take what comes of that debate and put it to use, he said. We are not going to be pressured by anybody on any side of the debate.

Caldwell asked Dettelbach if the ATF would play any role in quelling potential violence related to the criminal proceedings involving former President Donald Trump. She pointed out that New York police are gearing up for the possibility of violent demonstrations.

He said ATF has no official role at this time. But would assist in any investigations.

Former President Donald Trump waves as he arrives at Trump Tower in New York on April 3, 2023. (ED JONES/AFP via Getty Images)

We have to live in a country of laws where people respect the law and dont engage in violent activities because they disagree with something thats going on, he said.

During the discussion of violent crime, pistol braces came up. A recent rule promulgated by the ATF would effectively ban the devices introduced in 2012 to help disabled shooters fire large-format pistols that use rifle-caliber ammunition.

The U.S. Department of Justice announced on Jan. 13, 2023, its final rule to Address Stabilizing Braces, Accessories Used to Convert Pistols into Short-Barreled Rifles. Under the rule, Owners of the devices have until the end of May to destroy them, turn them in, or register them with the government.

The ATF and pistol brace owners have been going back and forth over the devices for years as ATF issued statements saying the braces did not make the pistols into short-barreled rifles before deciding that they do. Short-barreled rifles are banned under the National Firearms Act of 1934, which ATF is tasked with enforcing.

A pistol stabilizing brace is seen in this undated photo. (Michael Clements/The Epoch Times)

The rule is now the subject of a wide variety of lawsuits. Congressmen and Second Amendment rights organizations are calling for the defunding or dissolution of the ATF, and the up to 4 million pistol brace owners are wondering where they stand.

Dettelbach did not address the ATFs role in the debate saying that Congress passed the National Firearms Act, so ATF must enforce it.

Some people said, Well, its been confusing in the past about whether National Firearms Act covered this because ATF had said some things, Dettelbach said. I dont have to get into the history of that. This is under litigation, so I am limited in what I can say, Dettelbach said.

Were doing our best to implement the laws as Congress has passed them.
BC House Speaker Rejects Interference Concerns as Report Says Chinese Diplomat Complained of Tibetan Monks Legislature Tour

Speaker for the 42nd Parliament of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia Raj Chouhan is seen in the Legislature in Victoria, B.C, on Dec. 7, 2020. (Jonathan Hayward/The Canadian Press)

The Speaker of the B.C. Legislative Assembly said concerns about his office being influenced by foreign interests are incorrect, as the opposition calls for a probe into whether complaints from the Chinese Consulate about Tibetans visiting the legislature had prompted the speakers office to deny a visit by another group of Buddhist monks.

On Feb. 15, a group of Tibetans visited the legislature, including Penpa Tsering, president-elect of the Tibetan government-in-exile. Tsering posted photos on social media, saying it was his first official visit to the B.C. legislature, which was part of his tour of Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom earlier this year.

The visit, however, drew protestations from the Chinese Consulate, which echoed Beijings position of denouncing the Tibetan government-in-exile in comments to Postmedia News, calling Tsering a Tibetan separatist.

The office of the Speaker of the B.C. Legislative Assembly later reportedly rejected a BC Liberals request to host another event inviting a delegation of Buddhist monks to the legislature. While that decision was later reversed, the initial rejection prompted Liberal House Leader Todd Stone to question whether it was affected by the complaint from the Chinese Consulate.

We are deeply troubled that past concerns expressed by the Chinese government, and apparent fear of further concerns being raised by foreign governments, seem to be influencing discussions concerning who can and cannot attend events at the legislative assembly, Stone told House Speaker Raj Chouhan in a March 29 letter, according to Postmedia.

In a response letter to Stone, Chouhan said the initial rejection was a brief miscommunication regarding the use of the Hall of Honour at the legislature, where the BC Liberals planned to host the event for the Buddhists. The speaker also added that no officials, or tourists, were ever denied access to British Columbias Parliament Buildings.

I have always made it clear that the BC Legislature is a public venue and everyone is welcome. Any suggestion that my office would be influenced by foreign interests is simply incorrect, said Chouhan in a statement to The Epoch Times.

The BC Liberals are reportedly calling for an investigation into the alleged Chinese influence at the Legislative Assembly Management Committee, which oversees business at the legislature, according to Postmedia.

The BC Liberals and Stone didnt respond to requests for comment from The Epoch Times.

Concerns

Shortly after Tserings visit to the B.C. legislature, Liberal MLA Teresa Wat, who is the multiculturalism critic, invited a separate group of Buddhist monks to the legislature on Feb. 27 to celebrate the introduction of her private members bill, the Buddhist Culture Day Act, 2023.

Hours before the event began, an executive assistant in the Speakers office wrote to a Liberal staffer, asking if any of the Buddhist monks invited were from Tibet, according to Postmedia.

Stone also said in his March 29 letter that the House speaker told Liberal caucus whip Doug Clovechok on Feb. 27 that If theres Tibetan Monks in this group, Ill be blamed for it, which Postmedia said was a reference to the Chinese regime.

Chouhan pushed back against Stones allegation.

I specifically told my colleague Doug Clovechok, MLA that regardless of any negative reaction from representatives of the government of China, this event will go forward as planned and we would not be responding to concerns raised in correspondence from the Consul General of China, Chouhan told The Epoch Times.

Clovechok told The Epoch Times via email that he wont comment on the issue.

The unidentified Liberal staffer was also cited as saying that the BC Liberals had contacted the parliamentary education office asking to host a follow-up event to establish an official Buddhist culture day.

Cai Dong, manager of the education office, reportedly called the Liberal staffer on March 15, asking if Tibetan monks could be excluded from the follow-up event. The staffer said he was not in a position to decide and asked Dong to contact Stone, according to Postmedia. Following more correspondence, Dong reportedly wrote to the Liberal staffer that his office was unable to approve the event request in the Hall of Honour, but that MLA Wat could still host the Buddhist delegation in the Official Opposition caucus space.

Dong declined to confirm the correspondence with the Liberal staffer to The Epoch Times.

Following inquiries from Postmedia, the Speakers office reportedly told the BC Liberals on March 29 that a date had been set for Wats follow-up event, which is scheduled for May 3.

Stone, however, questioned the explanation from the speakers office that the initial rejection was a misunderstanding by an internal event management group.

If the Chinese Consulate, through phone calls and emails or written confirmation, was expressing an opinion that in any way shape or form has resulted in a decision being made to not allow certain people to come into this building, that just needs to be called out, he told Postmedia. Its totally unacceptable.

Concerns about foreign interference in Canada have been on the rise in recent months following reports about Chinese interference in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections, as well as the 2022 Vancouver municipal election.

Chouhan noted that the sergeant-at-arms, who oversees security at the B.C. legislature, has reviewed both Stones letter and the correspondence from the Chinese Consulate and confirmed that there were no internal or external security related concerns.
Belize, Guatemala Reaffirm Alliance With Taiwan Amid China Threats

The governments of Belize and Guatemala have reaffirmed their diplomatic support for Taiwan during talks with the Taiwanese leader amid the Chinese Communist Partys (CCPs) threats against the self-ruled island.

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen arrived in Belize on Monday, the final stop of her 10-day trip to Central America, where she met with Belizian Prime Minister Johnny Briceno for bilateral talks.

The two nations signed a framework to expand cooperation in various areas, including agriculture, technology, education, and climate change. Belizes Parliament also passed a resolution reaffirming its support for Taiwan.

A strong start as #Taiwans #Belize visit saw a framework agreement on technical cooperation inked by Minister Wu & @MFABelize Minister @EcourtbzeEamon, witnessed by @iingwen & @JohnBricenoBZE. Then smiles all round as the president presented the PM with 5k computers! pic.twitter.com/DHVmsRyxt2   Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ROC (Taiwan)  (@MOFA_Taiwan) April 3, 2023

The resolution states that Belize reaffirms its stand with the people and the government of Taiwan in solidarity and continues to support Taiwans participation in all related international organizations, Belizes Press Office stated on Facebook.

Guatemala, another Central American ally of Taiwan, made a similar move when its president reaffirmed his commitment to speaking up on the world stage in support of the islands sovereignty.

Taiwan, through its resilience, has shown the world that it is capable of overcoming global challenges, especially its efforts in maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and across the world, Guatemalas President Alejandro Giammattei said.

Taiwan and Guatemala signed a Basic Cooperation Agreement during Tsais visit, which will help to expand opportunities for new technical cooperation and exchanges between the two countries.

Belize and Guatemala are among the 13 nations that have diplomatic relations with Taiwan, a democratically-elected island that Beijing claims as its own and has vowed to conquer by force if necessary.

Tsais visit came weeks after Honduras severed ties with Taiwan in favor of Chinas relations.

Tsai will transit the United States through California on her way back to Taiwan on April 5, where she will meet with U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif).

CCP Vows Resolute Countermeasures

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Monday that Beijing strongly opposed any form of official interaction and contact between U.S. and Taiwanese officials.

The CCP vowed to respond with resolute measures if Tsai and McCarthy meet, she told reporters.

Mao also denounced Tsais trip to Central America and her pursuit of Taiwans independence, saying that Taiwan is an inalienable part of Chinas territory and that no force can hold back this trend.

Taiwans Foreign Ministry dismissed Maos statement as increasingly absurd and reiterated that Taiwan is a sovereign nation that can independently communicate and develop relations with other countries.

It does not accept interference or suppression by any country for any reason, and will not set limits on itself because of intimidation or interference, the ministry said in a statement.

Even if the authoritarian government continues to expand and increase coercion, Taiwan will not back down, and friends from all walks of life in the United States who support Taiwan and TaiwanU.S. relations will not back down, it added.

State Department deputy spokesman Vedant Patel has clarified that transits by high-level Taiwan authorities in the United States are not visits, but rather private and unofficial.

Every Taiwan president has transited the United States. President Tsai has transited the U.S. six times since taking office in 2016. This will be her seventh transit, Patel told reporters on March 29.

Theres no reason for Beijing to turn this transit, which is consistent with longstanding U.S. policy, into something its not or to overreact, he added.

20 Chinese Warplanes Sent Toward Taiwan

Taiwans Defense Ministry said on Tuesday that it detected 20 Chinese aircraft and three naval vessels near the island at around 6 a.m. local time, with nine aircraft spotted crossing the Taiwan Strait median line and entering Taiwans Air Defense Identification Zone.

Taiwan responded by deploying aircraft, navy vessels, and land-based missile systems to monitor the Chinese militarys activities.

The CCP staged military drills around Taiwan following former House Speaker Nancy Pelosis (D-Calif.) visit to Taiwan in August 2022, and restricted military-to-military communication with the United States.

It remains unclear whether Beijing will respond with comparable action this time.

Jackson Richman contributed to this report.
California Lifts States COVID Mandates on Health Care Facilities and Providers

A lab technician works in the Emergency Department at Providence St. Mary Medical Center in Apple Valley, Calif., on March 11, 2022. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

California has lifted all government-enforced COVID protocols, with the state no longer requiring medical professionals to wear masks, allowing local management to apply their own protocols. The lifting of mandates came into effect on April 3.

Californians can be mask free inside any health care setting, including high-risk locations, elderly care centers, places that serve people experiencing homelessness, and correctional facilities, as stated by the new guidelines.

The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) initially made the announcement in March 2023 and detailed their updated COVID guidelines.

According to the new guidelines, health care workers are no longer required to get vaccinated if they choose not to.

Hundreds of parents and students gather in front of the Chino Valley Unified School District to protest California Gov. Gavin Newsoms decision to keep mask mandate at K12 schools on Feb. 15, 2022. (Linda Jiang/The Epoch Times)

We stand before Californians today with a humble message of thanks for taking the hard steps to help manage COVID-19, and with an ongoing commitment to be prepared for what comes next, CDPH Director and State Public Health Officer Dr. Tomas Aragon said in a statement at the time.

Aragon praised Californians for taking seriously the COVID protocols designed to help ease the spread of COVID throughout the state.

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. 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, Aragon added.

California became the first state to mandate masks when the pandemic first broke out in March 2020.

The State of California is deploying every level of government to help identify cases and slow the spread of this coronavirus, Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement at the time. This emergency proclamation will help the state further prepare our communities and our health care system in the event it spreads more broadly.

In an effort to lead the pack, Newsom immediately issued a stay-at-home order that lasted months, closing all business and in-person classes, along with enforcing the mask mandates. Many Californians couldnt interact with other people or enter a building without a face covering.

Californians became frustrated with how long the mandate lasted and pushed against Newsoms orders, especially parents who protested against the school mask mandate.

Dr. Larry Kociolek, a pediatric infectious diseases physician and researcher at Northwestern University, reassured parents that face masks were necessary to protect children at school.

With the exception of vaccination, masking is the most effective risk mitigation strategy for schools, Kociolek told the Los Angeles Times at the time. Lifting thatparticularly in areas with substantial or high transmission of COVID-19will undoubtedly result in more transmission in schools.

Newsom finally announced the end of the COVID-19 state of emergency last year in October.

The State of Emergency was an effective and necessary tool that we utilized to protect our state, and we wouldnt have gotten to this point without it, Newsom said in a statement. With the operational preparedness that weve built up and the measures that well continue to employ moving forward, California is ready to phase out this tool.

Health departments and individual health care facilities will be allowed to implement their plans in accordance with their personalized needs in response to local COVID outbreaks and containment.

In March 2022, California announced the release of the states SMARTER Plan.

Individuals will now be in control of continuing to abide by COVID guidelines without the strict protocols in place. It will be the responsibility of community members to help keep those who are most at risk for COVID protected from catching the virus.

These steps included vaccine shots to stay protected, properly wearing masks to slow the spread COVID and other viruses, awareness of how COVID is evolving, readiness to stay prepared for any new updates, continued testing, educational safety for in-person learning, and improving treatments for COVID, according to the states previous COVID plan.

Andrew Noymer, an associate professor at the University of CaliforniaIrvings Program in Public Health, agrees with allowing people to be mask free in certain instances.

At this point in the pandemic, I dont feel a masking mandate is justified for grocery stores, laundromats, post offices, etc. People should make their own decision about whether to mask or not, Noymer said in a phone interview.

But, health care settings should continue to productively maintain a masking mandate, because they have a high concentration of immune-compromised people and people coming in to seek treatment for COVID, Noymer added.
California Pharmacist Sentenced 15 Years for Role in $11 Million Scheme

LOS ANGELESA former Orange County pharmacist was sentenced April 3 to 15 years behind bars for her role in a health care fraud scheme that bilked the U.S. militarys health care plan out of more than $11 million.

Sandy Mai Trang Nguyen, 43, of Irvine, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Otis D. Wright II, who also ordered her to pay over $11,000,000 in restitution, according to the U.S. Attorneys Office.

Nguyen was convicted in November in Los Angeles of 21 counts of health care fraud, and one count of obstruction of a federal audit.

The scheme involved the filling of more than 1,000 bogus prescriptions for compounded medications at the expense of the Tricare health care plan.

Compounded drugs are tailor-made products doctors may prescribe when the Food and Drug Administration-approved alternative does not meet the health needs of a patient.

Nguyen was the lead pharmacist at the now-shuttered Irvine Wellness Pharmacy. From late 2014 to May 2015, Nguyen and others under her supervision filled about 1,150 compounded prescriptions for pain, scarring, and migraines, with Tricare funding reimbursements of tens of thousands of dollars per prescription.

Prosecutors said the bulk of the prescriptions were directed to the pharmacy by so-called marketers who received kickbacks of nearly 50 percent of the Tricare reimbursements.

According to prosecutors, beneficiaries were solicited to provide their Tricare insurance information for medications they did not need, and most were never examined by a physician.

The jury in Los Angeles federal court heard that Nguyen knew the prescriptions were written by doctors who didnt live in the same state as the supposed beneficiaries. In some cases, multiple members of the same families received the same medications. In one case, a 13-year-old boy in Chicago received the same prescription as an 86-year-old woman in Orange County who turned out to be Nguyens grandmother, prosecutors said.

The pharmacy billed beneficiaries for hundreds of dollars in required co-payments, but they balked at the payments, saying they understood the medications were fully covered by Tricare. The total co-payments due during the scheme exceeded $16,000, but the pharmacy never collected them.

Nguyen obstructed a federal audit by providing bogus, cut-and-pasted prescriptions to cover up Tricares effort to validate millions of dollars paid for the same prescriptions.

Last month, Marcus Armstrong, 56, of Miami, was sentenced by Wright to 9 1/2 years in federal prison for his role in the scheme. Armstrong was once the director of operations at the Irvine pharmacy. He pleaded guilty in October to two counts of paying illegal kickbacks for health care referrals.

Co-defendants Leslie Andre Ezidore, 53, of West Los Angeles, and Alexander Michael Semenik, 51, of Las Vegas, have pleaded guilty to felony charges in this case and await sentencing.
Canadas Privacy Commissioner Launches Investigation Into Company Behind ChatGPT

The OpenAI logo on a mobile phone in front of a computer screen displaying output from ChatGPT in Boston on March 21, 2023. (Michael Dwyer/AP Photo)

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC) says it has launched an investigation into OpenAI, the U.S.-based company that created the popular artificial intelligence-powered chatbot ChatGPT.

 AI technology and its effects on privacy is a priority for my Office, Privacy Commissioner Philippe Dufresne said in an April 4 announcement. We need to keep up withand stay ahead offast-moving technological advances, and that is one of my key focus areas as Commissioner.

The OPC says it launched the investigation into OpenAI because it received a complaint alleging the collection, use and disclosure of personal information without consent, according to the announcement. It said it wont release further details at this time, as the investigation is ongoing.

ChatGPT, which was launched as a prototype last November, uses available online information to provide detailed responses to inquiries that users pose. Two months after it launched, the platform had an estimated 100 million active monthly users, making it the fastest-growing consumer platform in history.

The platform is versatile, having been used to debug computer programs, compose music, write student essays, simulate chat rooms, and play games like Tic-Tac-Toe. OpenAI has also announced it will be adding support for plugins, such as Expedia, OpenTable, Shopify, and Slack.

On March 31, Italys data protection authority ordered OpenAI to stop processing Italian users personal data with immediate effect. The Italian DPA said it is concerned that OpenAI is breaching the European Unions General Data Protection Regulation and is opening an investigation.

OpenAI did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

When The Epoch Times asked Chat GPT directly about the investigation launched in Canada, the program responded that privacy concerns are a serious matter and investigations into privacy violations are essential to ensure that individuals personal information is being handled with the utmost care and respect for their privacy rights.

ChatGPT told The Epoch Times that while it could not comment on the details of the complaint or the investigation itself, OpenAI has previously made commitments to prioritize privacy and data protection in its operations, including its language models like ChatGPT.

Overall, privacy is an important issue, and it is important for organizations to take steps to protect individuals personal information. It is also important for regulators to investigate and enforce privacy laws to ensure that organizations are held accountable for any violations of individuals privacy rights, it said.

Data Breach

In March 2023, some users reported on social media that a ChatGPT bug allowed them to see the titles of other users conversations. Days later, OpenAI confirmed that some users personal information had been leaked, including first and last name, email address, payment address, the last four digits (only) of a credit card number, and credit card expiration date.

Upon deeper investigation, we also discovered that the same bug may have caused the unintentional visibility of payment-related information of 1.2% of the ChatGPT Plus subscribers who were active during a specific nine-hour window, the company said in a statement on March 24.

After fixing the bug, OpenAI said it reached out to affected users about the potential data breach.

We apologize again to our users and to the entire ChatGPT community and will work diligently to rebuild trust, it said.

There has also been some controversy surrounding the answers ChatGPT provides in response to certain queries. OpenAI has acknowledged that ChatGPT has multiple limitations, including sometimes writing plausible-sounding but incorrect or nonsensical answers. The platform also has limited knowledge of events that occurred after September 2021.

Additionally, there is evidence that the platform has some left-leaning political biases. ChatGPT has refused to write poems about the positive attributes of former U.S. president Donald Trump while consenting to do so about current U.S. President Joe Biden. ChatGPT has also been known to give liberal answers on topics such as affirmative action, diversity, and transgender issues.
UNITED NATIONS, April 3 (Xinhua) -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is ready to meet U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken later this month when he travels to New York, if there is willingness from Washington, said Russian envoy here on Monday.

Lavrov will be in New York to preside over two Security Council meetings on April 24 and 25, Russia's permanent representative to the United Nations, Vassily Nebenzia, told a press conference on his country's assumption of the rotating presidency of the Security Council for the month of April.

Nebenzia said such a meeting depends on the availability of Blinken and his willingness to meet with his Russian counterpart when asked whether Lavrov will meet Blinken.

"If such a meeting is requested, I presume that Minister Lavrov will be ready to meet Secretary Blinken. But for that, we need at least one condition, a willingness to meet," he added.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will meet with Lavrov when he is in town, said Guterres' spokesman on Monday.

"I have no doubt that when Mr. Lavrov is here, he and the secretary-general will have a sit-down," said Stephane Dujarric, the spokesman. "The sit-down would be about going through the long list of issues and agenda items between the Russian Federation and the United Nations Secretariat." 
Canadian Astronaut Will Join Historic Mission to Moon

Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen stands in front of a display as he participates in an interview at the opening of Earth in Focus: Insights from Space, a new exhibition at the Canada Science and Technology Museum in Ottawa, on Nov. 26, 2021. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press)

Jeremy Hansen is set to make history as the first Canadian astronaut to fly to the moon, the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) has announced.

Hansen will fly around the moon, joining NASAs Artemis II 10-day mission, expected to take place in November 2024. The mission will make Canada the second country to ever send an astronaut around the moon, according to an April 3 news release from the CSA.

According to the space agency, this is the first crewed mission to the moon since the end of the Apollo space program more than 50 years ago.

The announcement was made at Ellington Field, a joint military facility and flight operations base in Houston, Texas.

Over the last four decades, Canadas astronauts have earned a world-class reputation as modern-day explorers while being a source of inspiration to countless Canadians, said the CSA.

Hansen is a 47-year-old former military fighter pilot. Raised on a farm in Ontario, he speaks English, French, and basic Russian. At 12 years old, he joined the Air Cadets, obtaining his private pilot license at 17 years old, eventually going to the Royal Military College Saint-Jean in Quebec.

Hansen joined the Canadian Armed Forces in 1994 and served as a CF-18 fighter pilot. He was one of two recruits selected by the CSA in 2009, and worked as a communications officer at the Mission Control Centre, serving as the voice between earth and the International Space Station.

As part of his training in 2013, Hansen lived underground in Sardinia, Italy, for six days, taking part in the European Space Agencys CAVES program.

He also spent seven days working on the ocean floor off Key Largo, Florida. By 2017, Hansen was the first Canadian to lead a NASA astronaut training class, in charge of recruits from both Canada and the United States.

Hansen, who is a lieutenant colonel, said he had been fascinated with space exploration for as long as he could remember.

He said that the United States could have chosen to send only American astronauts to the moon, but instead chose to collaborate.

At the end of it all, I am left in awe of being reminded what strong leadershipsetting big goals with a passion to collaborate and a can-do attitudecan achieve, Hansen said.

Were going to the moon together. Lets go.

The other three astronauts on the Artemis II mission are American and include mission commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, and mission specialist Christina Hammock Koch.

The crew will orbit Earth, then do a figure-8 around the moon.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau described Hansen as an exceptional individual who made Canadians proud.

Im very, very excited to see that a Canadian has been chosen to actually go to the moon. Its a major event for us, said Trudeau.

In 2018, Canadian David Saint-Jacques, an astrophysicist and medical doctor from Montreal, flew to the International Space Station. Nine Canadian astronauts in total have flown to space 17 times, according to the CSA.

The agency said that Hansens Artemis II flight is a direct result of Canada contributing Canadarm3, a smart robotic system, to the Lunar Gateway.

The Artemis program is a collaboration led by NASA, with contributions from the European Space Agency, the Canadian Space Agency, and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, and the participation of several companies.

Artemis is a multi-mission program that begins with missions around the moon before a mission that lands on the lunar surface. In addition to crewed and uncrewed missions, the program includes the construction of the Lunar Gateway space station in orbit around the moon.
Chicago Mayoral Runoff: Paul Vallas, Brandon Johnson Make Final Push as Voters Head to Polls

Voters prepare to cast their ballots during the mayoral runoff election at Robert Healy Elementary School on April 4, 2023 in Chicago, Illinois. (Alex Wroblewski/Getty Images)

CHICAGO, Ill.Paul Vallas, a moderate Democrat, and Brandon Johnson, a progressive Democrat, have been trying to get last-minute votes ahead of polls closing in the April 4 Chicago Mayoral runoff.

The winner will succeed Lori Lightfoot, who lost in the Feb. 28 primary following years of coming under fire on issues ranging from COVID to public safety.

Johnson, 47, is a commissioner on the Cook County Board of Commissioners. The board governs the county where Chicago is located.

Vallas, 69, was the CEO of Chicago Public Schools for almost six years and held numerous education leadership positions in Philadelphia, Louisiana, and Bridgeport, Louisiana.

Polls show Vallas with a slight lead.

One of the top issues surrounding the election, which has attracted nationwide attention, is public safety given the overall increase in crime in 2023 compared to last year.

While murders this year, compared to 2022, have gone down 15 percent, according to the Chicago Police Department, criminal sexual assaults have increased 6 percent, robberies have been up 15 percent, aggravated batteries have increased 6 percent, burglaries have been up 8 percent, thefts have increased 23 percent, and motor vehicle thefts have skyrocketed 133 percent. Overall, crime has been up 46 percent.

Johnson: I Expect to Lead the City of Chicago for Everyone

Johnsons coalition has mainly consisted of his fellow progressives, typically those in the 18 to 35 age group. However, in response to a question from The Epoch Times after he cast his early-morning ballot at a public housing building if he can get enough non-progressive voters in his corner, Johnson said that he would be a mayor for not just progressives.

I expect to lead the city of Chicago for everyone, he said just before entering his vehicle to leave the polling location.

This sentiment was echoed by one of his supporters.

Bill Lowry, who is one of Johnsons fellow commissioners on the Cook County Board of Commissioners, remarked that Johnson seeks to work for all people and that he has a commitment to communication and is action-oriented after he first listens and collaborates.

I know he has certainly tried to appeal to all of Chicago. All 77 communities and all of the facets of those 77 communities, he told The Epoch Times. Thats all you can ask of a candidate. He has tried to do so. I think hes done it.

Vallas has run on a moderate platform including school choice and calling for more police officers. However, he told The Epoch Times, after he casted his late-morning ballot at an elementary school, that hes tried appealing to everyone.

Vallas: Im as Progressive as Anybody

He touted that his progressive agenda on investing on the south and west sides, on returning schools to the control of the community so that they can be centers of community activities  my stand on protecting womens reproductive rights and obviously supporting, early on before many did, the issues important to the LGBTQ community  makes me as progressive as anybody.

Vallas has run on a pro-police platform, while Johnson has come under fire, including from Vallas, for his past support of the Defund the Police movement, which he in 2020 called an actual, real political goal. Johnson has since sought to distance himself from that cause.

Johnson told Laura Washington, a political analyst for ABCs Chicago affiliate, in March, that he said it was a political goal. I never said it was mine.

As far as my vision for public safety, Im not going to defund the police, he said.

Lowry told The Epoch Times that Johnson would look to use public safety resources judiciously.

For a fact, he wants to look at the resources that we have, that we can commit for public safety and hes gonna commit those resources, he said. Hes not going to detract any of the funding. He just wants to make sure that were utilizing it to the best of our ability to solve the problem.

Top Issues Include Crime, Taxes, Education

However, Roger, a north-side voter, lamented the state of affairs in the Windy City.

The city is in terrible condition. I mean, crime is rampant, he said. Its incredible. I mean, I live on the north side of the city, [which is] relatively safe compared to other parts of the city in terms of shootings and murders, but it does happen within blocks of my home. And we have real problems here with crime. Something has to change here and I dont know what it is.

From my opinion, I keep hearing about these politicians like Brandon Johnson saying invest in the community, etc.. And I got a novel idea and that is bigger prisons  lets try that for a while. And I keep hearing this stuff about invest in the community. Well, weve invested in the community since the 60s. Ive lived in the city all my life.

Roger said he lean[s] toward Vallas, whom he called levelheaded.

Roger also expressed concerns about Johnsons closeness with the Chicago Teachers Union, which has endorsed him and of which he is a member.

And therein lies another problem, he said, decrying the state of public school education in Chicago.

Johnson was once an elementary and high school social studies teacher.

The high school graduation rate in Chicago is just 78.4 percent as students have struggled to demonstrate proficiency in mathematics and reading. At the elementary school level, the test score proficiency in math is 21 percent and 25 percent in reading. At the middle school level, the test score proficiency in math is 21 percent and 24 percent in reading. At the high school level, the test score proficiency in math is 23 percent and 21 percent in reading.

Roger also criticized the high property taxes in Chicago and warned therell be more were Johnson to win. The average property tax in Chicago is around 6.7 percent. Johnson and Vallas have committed to not raising property taxes.

Another voter, Demetricka, who was voting on the west side of the city and was undecided when interviewed by The Epoch Times, also expressed alarm, saying that raising taxes, which Johnson has pledged while Vallas has vowed to work within existing budget limits, would harm  the city.

Polls close at 7 p.m. CDT.
Chinas Dual-Use Moon Ambitions

A screen shows footages of spacecraft for Chang'e-5 Mission, during an event on Chinas lunar exploration program, at the National Astronomical Observatories of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), in Beijing on Jan. 18, 2021. (Tingshu Wang/Reuters)

Commentary

It appears that a 2022 agreement between China and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to have a 15-pound moon rover hitch a ride on the 2026 Chinese Chang-e-7 unmanned probe to the moon has reportedly been canceled following objections from the United States that it may violate U.S. International Traffic In Arms Regulations (ITAR).

While the cancellation has not been confirmed yet by any public announcement from China or the UAE, it was unofficially announced on March 24 in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), a Hong-Kong based newspaper owned by Alibaba Group.

The UAE is also an original 2020 signatory to the U.S.-led Artemis Accords, in which 23 nations now pledge to commit to seek to refrain from any intentional actions that may create harmful interference with each others use of outer space in their activities under these Accords.

Chinas manned space program, including its unmanned and manned moon and Mars programs, is controlled under the Strategic Support Force (SSF) of the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA), the armed wing of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

These linear relationships justify concern that Beijing will place military capabilities on the moon and may seek to control access to and from that body as part of larger ambitions to control the Earth-moon system, and to better enforce eventual military hegemony on Earth.

The CCPs intention to militarize its presence on the moon was signaled in a recent article in the Number 3, 2022 volume of Chinas Journal of Deep Space Exploration, titled Current Status and Prospect of Lunar-based Earth Observation Research.

The article was written by Guo Huadong with the Beijing-based International Research Center for Big Data for Sustainable Development, Ding Yixing of the Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Digital Earth, Aerospace Information Innovation Research Institute, and Liu Guang of the Chinese Academy of Sciences University in Beijing.

The authors note that for 50 years, Earth observation from space has been carried out by various platforms. They claim that no single platform can solve all space Earth observation problems. It is necessary to explore the advantages of different platforms to form a complete Earth observation system to solve this problem. The moon is the closest extraterrestrial body to us, and it is also the only planet that humans have landed on. It provides us with a unique place to observe the Earth.

The authors list scientific objectives that could be assisted by lunar-based Earth observation, such as monitoring the Earths climate, monitoring the macroscopic land movement on Earth, and lunar observation, which could even assist the monitoring of distant stars in determining if their exoplanets can support life.

The Yutu-2 moon rover, taken by the Change-4 lunar probe on the far side of the moon on Jan. 11, 2019. China will seek to establish an international lunar base one day, possibly using 3D printing technology to build facilities, the Chinese space agency said on Jan. 14, 2019, weeks after landing the rover on the moons far side. (China National Space Administration/AFP via Getty Images)

But without saying so specifically, the authors also describe a clear civil-military dual use that would benefit the military objectives of the PLAdetecting targets in the cis-lunar space between the Earth and the moon.

They note, Detecting, tracking, identifying, and cataloging space objects such as small natural celestial bodies and man-made spacecraft can help improve the safety of man-made spacecraft, and can also provide timely warnings of catastrophic events such as planetary impacts.

The authors add: Since there is almost no atmosphere on the surface of the moon, the transmission loss of the moon-based space target monitoring system is small, and there is no atmospheric window limitation, so the band selection is more flexible. The microgravity on the surface of the moon makes it easier to design and install various large-caliber telescopes and antennas, thus effectively improving the ability to monitor space targets.

Regarding the best sites on the moon for observing the Earth, the authors note that the National Astronomical Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has listed Sinus Iridum, Mare Nectaris, and Shackleton.

Shackleton is on the south pole of the moon, and both China and the United States have identified it as a potential early candidate for unmanned and manned lunar landings.

However, using the moon for Earth observation is not enough. Earth observation should also be conducted from the Lagrangian points, locations of equal gravitational pull around the Earth that would ease the placement of unmanned satellites or manned space stations.

The article states: Extend the concept of moon-based Earth observation to lunar orbit, orbit around the moon, and Earth-moon Lagrangian point observation. The Earth-moon Lagrangian point can form a full-coverage observation network for the Earth with the moon base, and can also form a long baseline formation flight, thereby enriching the mission chain.

This article illustrates how Chinas communist regime intends to deploy dual-use military capabilities to the moonunder the guise of peaceful exploration.

Using radar, optical, and digital sensors to find targets between the Earth and the moon means they will also be assisting the SSF in its mission to find and destroy U.S. deep space early warning satellites critical to the U.S. ability to sustain nuclear deterrence.

Identifying the Shackleton site as having potential military value means that the CCP may seek to contest control of this area with the United States and other countries; it warns others that Beijing could view this area as territory.

In addition, the articles suggestion that Earth observation systems be deployed to the Lagrangian points to supplement observation from the moon clearly indicates that China seeks greater control over the Earth-moon system and that it eventually wants to control access within and then beyond to Mars.

This article is the latest indication that Beijings intentions for the moon are inconsistent with the Artemis Accords. Its signatories should avoid cooperation with the Chinese regime in space until it agrees to transparency and a system of assurances that prove that they are.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Chinese Banking Fraud Victims Strive to Have Their Voices Heard

People hold banners and chant slogans during a protest at the entrance to a branch of China's central bank in Zhengzhou in central China's Henan Province, on July 10, 2022. (Yang/AP Photo)

Customers of Henans rural banks are continuing to seek access to their bank deposits, which have been frozen since April of last year. They are also searching for ways to let the outside world hear them voice their frustrations.

On April 2, hundreds of Chinese deposit-holders gathered on a busy overpass in Zhengzhou city, Henan province to protest and show their banners. They shouted in unison: Henan government, give me back my deposit, and Henan bank, give me back my deposit.

The gathering was organized covertly. The Chinese police could not prevent the gathering, although some demonstrators were arrested afterwards, a protester revealed to the Chinese-language edition of The Epoch Times.

David vs. Goliath

Mr. Xiu (a pseudonym), who participated in the protest, said the depositors are fully aware that the protest is not going to resolve the issue. Their purpose, he said, is to let the outside world hear their voices.

The demonstrators wanted to show their protest on the internet via videos and photos. This time we organized it rather covertly, so the operation was successful, he said. With around 300 people, we have created some sensation online.

Xiu explained that because so many victims are visiting Henan to protest every day, the police are not able to pay attention to just a few hundred of them.

We chose a time-frame when the police force is at its minimum, he said.

At around five oclock on Sunday morning, April 2, the demonstrators visited three destinations: the Xinzheng Rural Commercial Bank of Henan, the Xinzheng Branch of the Peoples Bank of China, and the motorway overpass in Zhengzhou. The overpass is five minutes walk from the bank. To avoid being arrested, they kept their demonstration short and then evacuated the area quickly, Xiu said.

More than 300 deposit-holders of a village Bank in Henan province gathered in front of the Henan Supervisory Bureau to protest and demand that they be allowed to withdraw their money on June 25, 2022. (Courtesy of interviewee Mr. Xiu/ The Epoch Times)

An Angry Roar

A video posted online shows depositors putting up banners of different sizes on the overpass in Zhengzhou, with messages such as UnionPay cards can be withdrawn globally, why not in Henan? Other slogans included Henan Bank robbed our deposits at UnionPay Card, the country should help the depositors!, Xuchang Rural Commercial Bank, return my deposits, The Peoples Bank of China, return my deposits, and Henan Rural Credit Union, return my deposits. The protesters also shouted their slogans in unison.

One netizen posted on social media: After a year of tears, Henan Banks UnionPay card depositors were rejected from withdrawing. In the early morning of April 2, 2023, they gave their angry roar!

Xiu told The Epoch Times that their protest was organized to draw attention to the fact that U.S. depositors at Silicon Valley Bank received their money within three days of its entering receivership, thus illustrating one of the fundamental differences between the United States and China. One protects the depositors rights, but the other drives the depositors to a dead end, he said.

We did not get our deposits back. Theyre only delaying our access to our savings by means of deception and concealment.

Xiu also revealed that after the protests, the police arrested over 20 people, but they were all released later.

In April 2022, many Chinese depositors found their access to their bank accounts in Henan denied. Since then, numerous protests have erupted.

According to the Chinese investigation, local authorities identified a businessman known as Lu Yi who was allegedly the leader of a criminal gang. The authorities allege that the gang illegally manipulated four rural banks and their online banking systems, which later resulted in the multi-billion-dollar swindling of hundreds of thousands of bank depositors across China.

Police arrested 234 people they say are associated with the banking scam. Although local authorities briefly had him under house arrest in early 2022, the 48-year-old Lu has since eluded capture.

Xia Song and Gu Xiaohua contributed to this report.
Court Challenge of Emergencies Act Invocation Begins

Civil liberties groups argue that Emergencies Act usage wasn't justified

The Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA) and other civil liberties groups argued in a federal court Monday that the government did not have sound statutory grounds to invoke the Emergencies Act to deal with the Freedom Convoy protests.

It was important to know if the legal threshold required to invoke the Emergencies Act was met, not only to assess a historical event, but also because it could serve as a guide for the government in the future. At the end of the day, this is a question that only the courts can answer, Cara Zwibel, director of fundamental freedoms at the CCLA, said in a press release.

We look forward to this weeks Federal Court hearing and look forward to its contribution to holding the government accountable for its decision to resort to extraordinary measures in response to disruptive civilian protests.

From April 3 to 5, the federal court will hear from groups who filed actions contesting the use of the emergency measures, including the Canadian Constitutional Foundation, Canadian Frontline Nurses and Kristen Nagle, and individuals Jeremiah Jost, Edward Cornell, Vincent Gircys, and Harold Ristau.

The judicial review by a court is separate from the Public Order Emergency Commission, and will not be bound by its findings. The court will also make a formal legal finding on the question of whether using the act was justified, unlike the public inquiry.

The government said the measures it took to deal with the protests were targeted and proportional, while also remaining compliant with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The Public Order Emergency Commission, which reviewed the governments invocation of the Emergencies Act, found that it met the very high threshold for using the law.

Groups Say Threshold Not Met

In a written submission to the court, the CCLA argues that the governments invocation of the Emergencies Act on Feb. 14, 2022, did not meet the legal thresholds necessary. They said the protests did not, as the act requires, create a threat to the security of Canada within the meaning of section 2 of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service Act.

The organization claims that even if the emergency proclamation were sustainable on judicial review, the subordinate emergency measures did not hold up under charter scrutiny. By prohibiting various forms of participation in public assembly and allowing for the freezing of bank accounts without due process, the regulations interfered with Sections 2, 7, and 8 of the charter.

In her opening statement, CCLA lawyer Ewa Krajewska of Henein Hutchison LLP told the court that the government had other means to deal with the protests. She pointed out that the border blockades in Windsor, Ontario, and in Coutts, Alberta, had been solved without the invocation of the Emergencies Act.

She also argued that the measures in the act were overly broad and the process was done without due process or oversight, which led to sections 2, 7, and 8 of the charter being violated.

CCF Litigation Director Christine Van Geyn said in an April 3 press release that the governments use of the Emergencies Act may have been the most severe example of overreach and violations of civil liberties that was seen during the pandemic. She also said the legal threshold was not met, as it can only be used when there is a national emergency and no other laws can address the situation.

Parliament cannot use the Emergencies Act as a tool of convenience, as it did in this case. Canadas past teaches us that emergency powers should never be used except as a last resort, and indeed, being a power of last resort is built into the language and threshold of the Act. Review through the courts is now the last remaining guardrail of accountability, she said.
Coroner to Hold Public Inquests Into Deadly Montreal Fire, Police Killing

Investigators survey the scene after a fire in Old Montreal on Mar. 19, 2023, that gutted a heritage building. (The Canadian Press/Graham Hughes)

Quebecs chief coroner has accepted a request by the provinces public security minister to hold public inquests into the killing of a provincial police officer and a fire in Old Montreal that left seven people dead.

Public Security Minister Francois Bonnardel said Tuesday he hoped the public hearings would lead to recommendations to help prevent similar deaths in the future and provide answers to Quebecers about the two high-profile fatal cases.

Provincial police Sgt. Maureen Breau was stabbed to death March 27 while attempting to make an arrest in Louiseville, Que. The man accused of killing herwho was shot dead by policehad a history of mental health issues and had been found not criminally responsible at least five times for past offences.

And on March 16, seven people died in a fire in an Old Montreal heritage building that housed illegal Airbnb rentals. The father of one of the victims has said his daughter told 911 operators as the fire spread through the building that her unit had no fire escape or windows.

Bonnardel told reporters in Quebec City he called for a public inquest into Breaus death to seek recommendations that will improve our processes in the future.

And, in parallel, to also start an inquest into the fire in Montreal, which will allow us to have, again, important recommendations on how to proceed.

Isaac Brouillard Lessard, 35, the man police believe killed Breau, was considered a significant risk to public safety by the provinces mental health review board. Breaus killing is being investigated by Montreal police; the provinces police watchdogBureau des enquetes independantesis investigating Brouillard Lessards death.

Since Breaus killing, the union representing provincial police officers has said it planned to submit a petition to the legislature, calling for improvements to the supervision of violent people who are released from custody.

Bonnardel said he understands why police officers are frustrated, adding that he asked his deputy minister to meet with their counterparts in the justice and social services departments to see how police officers can have access to patient data from the mental health review board.

I understand their concerns, he said of the provinces police officers.

Quebecs chief coroner, Pascale Descary, said Tuesday afternoon that coroner Gehane Kamel would preside over both inquests. Kamel had already been tasked with investigating the Montreal fire.

The coroners office said in a news release that the inquest into Breaus death will investigate the factors that contributed to her killing. The other inquest, the office said, will look for the probable cause and circumstances of the deaths of seven people in the fire: Camille Maheux, An Wu, Dania Zafar, Saniya Khan, Charlie Lacroix, Nathan Sears and Walid Belkahla.

A police investigation into the fire is ongoing and no charges have been laid.
DNA Test Results From Woman Claiming to Be Madeleine McCann Revealed

A Polish woman who has claimed to be missing British girl Madeleine McCann is not the same person who vanished from a Portuguese resort nearly 16 years ago, DNA results have revealed.

Julia Faustyna, 21, also called Julia Wandelt and Julia Wendell, became an internet sensation in February after claiming on social media that she could be Madeleine.

Dr. Fia Johansson, a psychic medium and private investigator granted power of attorney to work with Faustyna, revealed Tuesday morning that Faustyna is 100 percent Polish and the outcome of the DNA test did not have the DNA of a person from another country.

Julias test results are back. We finally know the reality, Johansson, who has nearly 10 million followers, said on Instagram after spending weeks testing Faustynas family ancestry.

Although it is impossible to tell for sure without the parents DNA results on either side, the test results speak to the origins of Julias root. The test results revealed that she is 100 percent of Polish heart, with negligible influence from Lithuania, and Russia, she continued, noting that the results did not show any connection to British or even German roots.

Madeleine disappeared on May 3, 2007, at the age of three, while on holiday with her family in Praia de Luz, Portugal. So far, detectives have spent about $16 million on Operation Grange, a case set up in 2011 to discover what happened to the little abducted girl.

Earlier this year, Faustyna created a firestorm on Instagram after sharing side-by-side comparisons between herself and Madeleine. The account, which went with the username Iammadeleinemccann, was removed from the platform after reaching over one million followers.

I have similar eyes, shape of face, ears, lips, I had the gap between the teeth, Faustyna wrote in one of many posts claiming she is the missing toddler. Faustyna also claimed that someone abducted her as a toddler, and details of her childhood do not add up.

Faustyna showed pictures of herself with the same eye imperfection that McCann had as seen in photos of her. When McCann went missing, a coloboma abnormality in her right eye was used as a significant identifying feature.

Kate McCann, whose daughter Madeleine went missing during a family holiday to Portugal in 2007, attends a news conference at the launch of her book in London, UK, on May 12, 2011. (Chris Helgren/Reuters)

Faustyna had also shared a police sketch of the man witnesses saw carrying a child on the resort the night Madeleine disappeared. I recognize this person. . it looks very similar to my abuser [sic], she wrote.

Investigation Reinvigorated

Johansson, meanwhile, told RadarOnline.com that although test results returned negative, the investigation has reinvigorated Operation Grange in both Portugal and the United Kingdom, where authorities are considering increasing funding to support the McCann search further.

At least Julia got the investigators to move on the McCann caseshe made things happen, Johansson told the publication.

Johansson also said that the person who allegedly abused Faustyna might be linked to the McCann caseand investigators in Portugal have expressed an interest in looking into his background.

Julia had all the birthmarks as Madeleine McCann, which I believe is God and the universes way of wanting us to get close to the man who sexually abused her, expose him, and his possible ties to the McCann case, she said.

In Johanssons post, the private investigator also said Faustynas story is much more complicated than a simple girl from a small town in Poland making a claim to get attention.

She truly believed what she was saying, and with so many questions about her childhood, it is easy to understand where she was coming form [sic], Johansson said.

Madeleines parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, have not publicly commented on Faustynas claims.

Kate and Gerry McCann pose with an artists impression of how their daughter might look at 9 in London on May 2, 2012. (AFP/Getty Images)

Faustyna is one of several women who have claimed over the years to be Madeleine. In 2017, Manchester University student Harriet Brookes went viral after claiming she was Madeleine, insisting she had the same features as the missing girl, including a similar eye mark. She was later criticized after saying her post, shared thousands of times, was just a joke.

Madeleine McCanns Disappearance

Meanwhile, the search for Madeleine continues. The missing girls parents publicly addressed the search for their daughter in a January statement, which said they would not forget nor give up but would be heading into the new year with continued determination.

At the time of Madeleines disappearance, the young girl and her two siblings were sleeping in their bedroom while her parents were dining at a nearby restaurant.

When her mother checked on her later that evening, she found the bedroom door and window open and the young girl missing.

Police immediately suspected her parents were involved in her disappearance, but investigators later surmised that German sex offender Christian Bruckner possibly kidnaped Madeleine.

Despite extensive searches over the years, Madeleines body has never been found.

Jane Nguyen contributed to this report.

From NTD News
DNA: Woman Was on Famed 17th Century Swedish Warship

The royal warship Vasa is seen at the Vasamuseet museum in Stockholm on April 24, 2011. (Scanpix Sweden, Anders Wiklund/AP Photo)

COPENHAGEN, DenmarkA U.S. military laboratory has helped Swedes confirm what was suspected for years: A woman was among those who died on a 17th-century warship that sank on its maiden voyage, the museum that displays the ship said Tuesday.

The wreck of the royal warship Vasa was raised in 1961, and was remarkably well-preserved after more than 300 years underwater in the Stockholm harbor. It has since been place at the Vasa Museum, one of Stockholms top tourist attractions where visitors can admire its intricate wooden carvings.

Some 30 people died when the Vasa keeled over and sank just minutes after leaving port in 1628. They are believed to have been crew members and most of their identities are unknown.

For years, there were indications that one of the victims, known as G, was a woman, because of the appearance of the hip bone, Fred Hocker, research leader at the Vasa Museum, said in a statement.

Anna Maria Forsberg, a historian with the Vasa Museum, told The Associated Press that women were not part of the crew in the Swedish navy in the 17th century, but they could be on board as guests. Seamen were allowed to have their wives with them onboard unless the ship was going into battle or going for a long journey.

We know from written sources that around 30 people died that day, Forsberg said. It is thus likely that she was a seamans wife who wanted to come along on the maiden journey of this new, impressive ship.

She said the exact number of people on board that day was not known but we think there were around 150 people. An additional 300 soldiers were supposed to board further out in the archipelago, she said.

Since 2004, the Vasa Museum collaborated with the Department of Immunology, Genetics, and Pathology at Uppsala University, which examined all the skeletons on Vasa in order to find out as much as possible about the various individuals on the doomed vessel.

It is very difficult to extract DNA from bones that have been on the seabed for 333 years, but not impossible, Marie Allen, professor of forensic genetics at Uppsala University said in the statement. Simply put, we found no Y chromosomes in Gs genome. But we couldnt be completely sure and we wanted to have the results confirmed.

So they turned to the Delaware-based Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory. And thanks to the forensics laboratory specializing in DNA profiling at the Dover Air Force Base, we have been able to confirm that the individual G was a woman, using the new test, Allen said.

The Vasa which was supposed to go to a naval base outside Stockholm to wait for the boarding of the soldiers, is believed to have sunk because it lacked the ballast to counterweigh its heavy guns.

By Jan M. Olsen
Doctors Appeal Ruling in Favor of FDA Over Ivermectin Posts, Urge Court to Intervene

A group of doctors is urging a U.S. court to block the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) from issuing guidance on using ivermectin, in an appeal lodged after a district court judge rejected their bid.

The FDA cannot advise whether or for what purpose a doctor should prescribe, or a patient should take, an approved drug, lawyers for Drs. Paul Marik, Mary Talley Bowden, and Robert Apter said in a February brief to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.

Ivermectin is approved for several uses, including treating parasites. It is not approved for COVID-19, but prescribing drugs for a different purpose from which they were approved is common and known as off-label use.

Apter, Bowden, and Marik have all prescribed patients ivermectin but got into trouble with various organizations, who cited the FDAs warning not to treat COVID-19 with ivermectin.

The FDA in 2021, for instance, told people on social media to stop using ivermectin against COVID-19.

That guidance violated the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA), which says the FDA is not authorized to limit or interfere with the practice of medicine, the doctors alleged in their lawsuit.

U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Brown, a Trump appointee, rejected the suit in late 2022, finding that the law only applies to medical devices, not drugs, and that the FDA had authority to act because it is charged with Congress to protect public health.

Brown was wrong, the appeal states.

While he reasoned that, as there is no statute limiting the FDAs actions here, it cannot have acted outside of any statutory limitations, agencies must point to explicit congressional authority justifying their decisions, the doctors told the appeals court, citing one of its previous rulings.

The District Court then relied on the FDAs mission statement  which the court summarized as protecting public health and ensuring that regulated medical products are safe and effective, among other things. The court presumed the FDA has authority, generally, to make public statements in-line with these purposes. But statements of purpose  cannot override a statutes operative language, and the FDA wasnt ensuring that any product was safe and effective, anyway, which is how the mission statement directs the FDA to promote public health, they added. The agency was instead playing doctor and telling physicians and patients what already-approved medications should be used and for what purpose. That transgressed a bright line the FDA was not authorized to cross.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration in White Oak, Md., on July 20, 2020. (Sarah Silbiger/Getty Images)

Government Argument

Government lawyers challenged the position, telling the appeals court that Browns ruling was correct.

While the FDA offered statements on ivermectin, they were merely conveying information, the lawyers claimed.

None of FDAs informational statements purports to impose any requirements, restrictions, or limitations on anyone, the governments brief, entered in March, said, adding later, None of these statements purports to impose any legal requirements on anyone, and, in particular, none of them requires doctors to refrain from prescribing ivermectin products to prevent or treat COVID-19.

The Department of Justice lawyers also said the doctors failed to allege an injury that is fairly traceable to the statements, prove standing based on their allegations, and demonstrate standing based on the alleged injuries to patients.

Those injuries, according to court filings, include patients of the doctors unable to get ivermectin because pharmacies refused to fill the prescriptions, citing the FDAs statements.

Apter has also been referred for discipline in both Arizona and Washington for prescribing ivermectin for COVID-19. The referrals included copies of the FDAs statements. Marik has said he was forced to resign as chief of pulmonary and critical care medicine at Eastern Virginia Medical School and as director of the intensive care unit at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital because he promoted ivermectin.

Ivermectin tablets packaged for human use. (Natasha Holt/The Epoch Times)

Reply

In a reply brief, filed in late March, the doctors emphasized the view that the FDA lacks authorization for its actions.

Nothing in the FDCA or Public Health Service Act authorizes FDA to advise the public on whether to use specific drugs for specific purposes, let alone say Stop an off-label use, they said. One part of the former, they noted, actually says that the law shall not be construed to limit or interfere with the authority of a health care practitioner to prescribe or administer any legally marketed device to a patient for any condition or disease within a legitimate health care practitioner-patient relationship.

The FDAs claim that its statements are purely informational is also wrong, the doctors said.

Statements identifying whether a drug is approved and for what purposes, or notifying the public about adverse event reports, are informational. Dispensing medical advice and directing the public on what FDA-approved drugs should or should not be used, and for what purposes, is not, they said.

The brief also said that doctors have demonstrated injuries that are traceable to the FDA statements.

FDA completely ignores that third parties are explicitly relying on FDAs ivermectin statements, they said. That is as clear as causality gets.
Ending Tax Exemptions for Real Estate Investment Trusts Would Save Government Nearly $286M: PBO

A for sale is sign is displayed in front of a house in the Riverdale area of Toronto on Sept. 29, 2021. (The Canadian Press/Evan Buhler)

A report by the Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO) estimates that the federal government could collect nearly $286 million in additional tax revenues over the next five years if it cuts tax exemptions currently granted to Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) and instead brings them under the statutory corporate income tax rate.

We estimate that the federal government would collect $285.8 million additional revenues over the 2023 to 2027 tax years, says the report, published on April 3 and titled Cost of removing the tax exemptions for Real Estate Investment Trusts, as first reported by Blacklocks Reporter.

The statutory corporate income tax rate is currently 38 percent, but REITs are exempt under Canadian legislation if they meet certain revenue and property conditions.

The PBO writes that REITs have become increasingly popular since the legislative change in 2011 bringing the tax exemption into place.

The number of REITs increased steadily in the first decade of the century and

jumped further from 15 in 2010 to 110 in 2021, which equals an average annual increase of just under 20 percent, the report says.

The PBO also says taxing REITs would equate to $95.5 million over the next five years in additional taxes collected indirectly on income distributed to non-residents and another $242.6 million on income distributed to non-taxable residents.

However, subtracted from that amount would be just over $52 million in tax revenue collected directly and indirectly on income distributed to taxable residents, bringing the total amount to just under $286 million.

If the tax exemptions on REITs were to be removed this year, the PBO estimates annual additional revenues for Ottawa would increase slightly year-by-year, going from $53.6 million this year to just under $61 million by 2027. Estimates for years beyond 2027 were not provided.

Real Estate Investment Trusts

The PBOs estimates of how much additional tax revenue Ottawa can bring in by cutting exemptions for REITs were requested by Green Party MP Mike

Morrice, who has said in the House of Commons that REITs are contributing to sky-high real estate and housing rental prices across Canada.

Morrice introduced a petition in the Commons in December 2022 that called on the government to introduce a number of measures regarding the issue, including bringing in tightened regulations for REITs.

Private corporations and real estate investment trusts are rapidly buying up affordable units across the country and raising rents, he said. This financialization of the housing market is inflating real estate prices.

Morrice is the sponsor of Motion 71, titled Affordable Housing Strategy, which he placed on notice in the Commons in September 2022.

The motion calls on the government to remove tax exemptions for REITs and subject them to the standard corporate income tax rate.

It also calls for the government to use any additional tax revenue generated from removing the exemptions to invest in quality, affordable, and dignified non-profit and cooperative housing.

Morrice told Blacklocks that REITs are not in housing for what they can contribute, theyre in it for what they can take out. At the very least, they should be taxed fairly.
TEHRAN, April 3 (Xinhua) -- Iran and Saudi Arabia will open a joint chamber of commerce soon, an Iranian business leader revealed on Monday.

Keyvan Kashefi, a member of the presiding board of Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (ICCIMA), said during a meeting that ICCIMA is following up on the launch of the joint chamber of commerce.

Iran plans to begin the exchange of business delegations with Saudi Arabia immediately after the reopening of the embassies in the two countries and the reinstatement of their ambassadors, he added.

Kashefi said the normalization of ties between Tehran and Riyadh has been Iran's main political and economic issue over the past 30 days. He added that Iran's private sector welcomed the "constructive and positive" interaction with Saudi Arabia and had started to plan for more economic cooperation.

The Iranian business leader said the two countries' decision to normalize relations has had very positive effect on Iran's economy and been a very useful mechanism, expressing hope that Iran's positive interactions with other counties would continue.

Kashefi noted that Iran and Saudi Arabia have great potential for cooperation in the oil, gas, petrochemical and technological sectors.

China, Saudi Arabia and Iran announced on March 10 that the latter two had reached a deal which includes the agreement to resume diplomatic relations and reopen embassies and missions within two months.

Saudi Arabia cut diplomatic ties with Iran in 2016 in response to the attacks on Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran after the kingdom executed a Shiite cleric. 
Everyone Will Have to Comply: Students to Be Banned from Smartphone Use During Class

Schoolgirls wait with their mobile phones up for the arrival of Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex at Macarthur Girls High School in Sydney, Australia, on Oct. 19, 2018. (Phil Noble - Pool/Getty Images)

New South Wales (NSW) students will be barred from using their phones at the start of term four in October.

Newly elected NSW Education Minister Prue Car said the ban would improve educational outcomes, reduce distractions in classrooms, and help address cyberbullying issues.

Students will hand over their devices at the beginning of the day, before retrieving them once school is finished.

Car told 2GB radio on April 3 that the ban would also apply during recess and lunch.

Car said she has lost count of the number of times teachers have reported students sitting in the playground playing on their phones rather than interacting with each other.

The education minister said further consultation was needed around how a ban would be implemented but noted that everyone will have to comply.

Labor Shadow Education Minister Prue Car during an election debate hosted by the Centre of Independent Studies in Sydney, Australia, on March 14, 2023. (Courtesy of the Centre of Independent Studies)

Car did not rule out paying for lockers if schools determined they were the best for storing phones, but said the state would not ban iPads or smart watches.

NSW Premier Chris Minns said the ban, a longstanding election promise made by the centre-left Labor party, will be applied with commonsense and in consultation with the experts.

Labor leader and Premier elect Chris Minns during the NSW Labor reception in Sydney, Australia, on March 25, 2023. Labor won the election and will form a majority government after Premier Dominic Perrottet conceded defeat. (AAP Image/Dean Lewins)

He pointed to northern Sydneys Davidson High School, which reported a 90 percent improvement in student behaviour in just eight weeks after banning the use of mobile phones.

The move follows similar bans across public primary and secondary schools, as well as private schools in Victoria in 2020.

As for ChatGPT, the NSW education minister said she had sought urgent advice on the issue but a ban is unlikely to happen.

Its a brave new world and we certainly dont want to be doing anything that sort of harm our childrens educational opportunity, thats a 100 percent for sure, Car said.

Researchers Show Mobile Phones Cause Classroom Disruption

Michael Carr-Gregg, an adolescent and child psychologist, as well as the author of 14 books, backed the phone ban.

He said students and classes would benefit from being required to switch off their phones and store them securely in lockers from the start of the school until the final bell.

The only exceptions should be when students use phones to monitor health conditions, or when teachers instruct students to bring their phones for a particular classroom activity.

The lived experience of schools who have employed this approach is that it removes a major distraction from the classrooms, so that teachers can teach, and students can learn in a more focused, positive and supported environment, he told The Epoch Times in an email.

Clinical experts have also warned that multitasking on phones, between different devices, and between phones and other tasks, can hamper the ability to think.

A 2009 Stanford study showed that heavy media multitaskers are more prone to interference from irrelevant environmental stimuli.

While a 2021 study published in Frontiers in Psychology revealed that constant disruptions from the phone could evoke negative emotional reactions and undermine the users psychological well-being.

Kids will start a task, try to get the task done, but not take the time to travel along and figure out how to do the task best, Carr-Gregg added, noting that people without a disciplined routine of thinking and learning will have more difficulty improving their performance.

According to a 2021 survey by Monash University of more than 2,000 adults, nearly 80 percent backed a ban, although 69 percent agreed phones make a positive contribution to the school experience.

A 2021 research by review.org revealed that the Generation Z (1997-2012) cohort spend about 7.3 hours a day on the screen. This is higher than the average amount of time that Australians spend on their phone, which is 5.5 hours per day, equating to 16.6 years of the average lifespan.

Some Experts Disagree

Some researchers still doubt the effectiveness of mobile phone bans.

A 2015 study by Swedish researchers showed mobile phones did not cause disruption in the classroom because students were on their phones at the end of lessons or between tasks.

Meanwhile, a 2020 Swedish study that examined high school students marks before and after a year of a phone ban found no impact on student performance. The study is frequently cited by those who disagree with the phone ban.

Teachers may in fact already have mobile phone bans in practice in the classroom regardless of school policy. On the other hand  although teachers in upper secondary schools may not consider mobile phones, in general, to be particularly useful during lessons, they may still permit specific schoolwork-related usage, the paper said.

The research partly replicates an influential 2016 study that showed a phone ban was an effective and low-cost policy. The authors noted that they increased the number of participants in their survey although at the expense of the amount of information collected.
FDIC Looking to Sell $60 Billion Loan Portfolio It Acquired From Failed Signature Bank

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. logo at its headquarters in Washington, on Feb. 23, 2011. (Jason Reed/Reuters)

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) is looking to sell a $60 billion loan portfolio in the new few months, which it acquired in receivership following the collapse of Signature Bank last month.

The portfolio mainly consists of commercial real estate loans (CRE), commercial loans, and a small pool of single-family residential loans, the FDIC said in a statement.

The CRE loans included a number of multifamily properties, mostly in New York City, said the federal regulator.

Signature Bank ended last year with $33.13 billion of CRE loans, according to its last annual report before it went under.

The failed banks deposits and some of its loans were taken over by a unit of New York Community Bancorp (NYCB) on March 20, after the FDIC was left with its remaining assets, in the wake of its failure on March 12.

NYCB bought more than $34 billion in Signatures deposits, as well as $13 billion in loans and 40 bank branches.

FDIC Still Saddled With Signature Assets After Deal With Bank

However, the $60 billion in CRE loans were excluded from the deal with NYCB, which were left in the FDICs possession pending a sale, the agency announced at the time.

This remaining package included $11 billion of toxic waste loans against rent-stabilized New York City apartments, whose values have tumbled in recent years.

One of the issues with these so-called toxic loans is that rent-stabilized apartment price hikes are capped under New York State law.

Landlords were previously able to increase rents by larger increments when a tenant moved out, or could convert the buildings to deregulated status once rates rose beyond certain levels.

A new law passed in 2019 placed new restrictions on owners, however, limiting investor demand for the regulated properties and making them undesirable.

The FDIC has a statutory obligation, among other factors, to maximize the preservation of the availability and affordability of residential real property for low- and moderate-income individuals, it said.

The regulator said it would review the CRE loans secured by multifamily residences that are rent-stabilized or rent-controlled, which it calls an important source of affordable housing in New York City.

For this portion of the portfolio, the FDIC plans to reach out to state and local government agencies, as well as community-based organizations, to inform them of the FDICs efforts and to seek their input as the FDIC develops its marketing and disposition strategy, it explained.

Meanwhile, the FDIC hired Newmark & Company Real Estate as an adviser to help it with the sale of about $60 billion of Signature Bank loans, which is expected to take place over the next 90 days, reported Bloomberg.

The sales process will be handled by Douglas Harmon and Adam Spies, Newmarks co-heads of U.S. capital markets, as well as Dustin Stolly and Jordy Roeschlaub, co-presidents of debt and structured finance, and executive managing director John Howley, sources told Bloomberg.
Florida Senate Passes 6-week Abortion Ban: Life Is Sacred and Must Be Protected

Florida State Sen. Ileana Garcia asks people in the Senate gallery to "be quiet" during debate over Floridas six-week abortion ban, in Tallahassee, Fla., on April 3, 2023. (Alicia Devine/Tallahassee Democrat via AP)

The Florida Senate on April 3 passed a bill prohibiting abortions after six weeks, a measure backed by Gov. Ron DeSantis that prompted demonstrations at the states capital, which resulted in the arrest of a state senator and the Florida Democrat Party leader.

The state Senate voted 26-13 in favor of the bill, while the House version of the billwhich is nearly identicaladvanced out of committee last week and is expected to be voted on soon.

For decades now, Florida has been a nationwide leader in defending the rights of the unborn. The Heartbeat Protection Act will make Florida a beacon of hope for those who understand that life is sacred and must be protected, said state Sen. Erin Grall, a Republican who sponsored the bill.

This bill represents an unprecedented opportunity to protect innocent life, and to stand with the brave moms who choose life for their babies, Grall added.

Either bill could be approved by the other chamber and sent to DeSantiss desk as early as this week to be signed into law.

Florida currently prohibits abortions after 15 weeks, and a six-week ban would align Florida more closely with the abortion restrictions of other Republican-controlled states.

The new bill will only take effect if Floridas 15-week ban is upheld in an ongoing legal challenge that is currently before the state Supreme Court.

If the proposal does become law, it would be a political win for DeSantis on an issue important to Republican primary voters ahead of his potential White House run.

Were for pro-life. I urge the legislature to work, produce good stuff, and we will sign, DeSantis said in February when asked about a six-week abortion ban.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis answers questions from the media in the Florida Cabinet following his State of the State address during a joint session of the Florida Senate and House of Representatives at the Florida State Capitol in Tallahassee, Fla., on March 7, 2023. (Cheney Orr/AFP via Getty Images)

More Details

The bill makes exceptions for abortions when the mothers life or health are at serious riskexcluding psychological health. There are also exceptions in cases where the pregnancy was caused by rape or incest until 15 weeks of pregnancy.

Our bill also includes strong and clear exceptions for rape, incest, and human trafficking, in addition to those already available for the life of the mother, Grall said in a statement.

We also clarify the existing exception for the horrible situation when parents are facing the heartbreaking diagnosis of a fatal fetal abnormality.

The bill clarifies that the exception for fatal fetal abnormalities is available until the third trimester and not until viability.

It would also require that the drugs used in chemically-induced abortions could only be dispensed in person by a physician and cannot be delivered by mail or courier.

The new measure also includes $30 million in new funding to support pregnant women and families, while also providing additional counseling and nonmedical material assistance such as car seats, cribs, and baby formula.

Reactions, Arrests

The bills passage drew praise from pro-life groups and condemnation from advocates of greater access to abortion.

Sixty-two percent of Floridians support protecting unborn children from abortion when their heartbeat can be detected, including 61 percent of Independents and 58 percent of women, SBA Pro-Life Americas State Policy Director Katie Daniel said in a statement.

Floridas life-saving heartbeat protection legislation not only represents the will of people by bringing the Sunshine State into line with 19 other states that protect babies with beating hearts, but also by funding vital services for women and families, Daniel added.

Groups opposed to the measure sought to portray the forces behind it as extremists.

Governor Ron DeSantis and other anti-abortion extremists are forcing this bill through the Florida legislature, ignoring that Floridians are opposed to banning abortion, the ACLU said in a post on Twitter.

Without the ability to make reproductive decisions for ones own body, women cannot participate equally in our democracy, the League of Women Voters of Florida said in a statement.

The legislation was opposed by Florida Democrats, some of whom staged a protest outside the Florida State Capitol, leading to several arrests.

Florida Democrats will not back down in our defense of abortion rights. Our Chair made that clear tonight, Florida Democrats said in a statement on Twitter.

The party said that Nikki Fried, chair of the Florida Democratic Party, and Lauren Book, Floridas senate minority leader, were arrested at the sit-in protest.

Images and videos shared on social media showed the two women and other demonstrators handcuffed by police.

The Tallahassee Police Department (TPD) said in a statement that protesters against the abortion ban were told they would have to leave after sunset, but 11 people refused to leave and were arrested for trespassing despite numerous requests to leave.

TPD encourages individuals exercising their First Amendment right of peaceful assembly to do so in accordance with the law, adding that it supports non-disruptive demonstrations.

The bill would have larger implications for abortion access throughout the South, as the nearby states of Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi prohibit the procedure at all stages of pregnancy, and Georgia bans it after cardiac activity can be detected, which is around six weeks.
For Democrats, MAGA Republican Label Is Designed to Paralyze Opposition

President Joe Biden speaks outside of Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia, Pa., on Sept. 1, 2022. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)

News Analysis

These days, it seems like every top Democrat has to work the term MAGA Republican into their messages. Its no coincidence.

Their party first deployed the term in mid-2022 as part of a midterm strategy that aimed to activate voters outraged about the Supreme Courts abortion decision, among other issues.

The terms MAGA Republicans and Extreme MAGA Republicans were created by the Democrats along with some never Trump Republicans in an attempt to isolate Trump supporters as being outside the mainstream of the American political process, said Richard Manning, president of the Republican-aligned Americans for Limited Government, in an April 3 email to The Epoch Times.

Others argue that the talk of MAGA Republicans is, in actuality, unifying and necessary.

The term MAGA Republicansas used by President [Joe] Biden, Chuck Schumer, and other prominent politiciansdoes not aim to divide the country as many critics claim, said David Carlucci, a Democratic strategist, in an April 4 email to The Epoch Times.

Instead, it is meant to rally all Americans regardless of party affiliation against an ideology that has sought to dismantle our democratic institutions.

Biden Leads and Some Republicans Follow

Biden helped to normalize, and step up, rhetoric aimed at MAGA Republicans.

As early as August 2022, the commander-in-chief took aim at Trump loyalists in the GOP using the memorable MAGA Republicans branding.

He didnt stop there.

He claimed that the philosophy behind support for former President Donald Trump amounted to a kind of semi-fascism.

That language met with plaudits from Never Trumper Bill Kristol.

Bill Kristol at the National Press Club in Washington on Oct. 3, 2011. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Kristol, an influential early advocate of the Iraq War, is the son of the late godfather of neoconservatism, the ex-Marxist Irving Kristol.

You know what you call a movement thats semi-OK with violence against its opponents? Semi-fascist, Kristol wrote on Twitter in late October 2022, just before the midterm election.

In the judgment of one anonymous GOP strategist who spoke with The Epoch Times, that sort of labeling adds fuel to the fire of partisan divisions in this country.

Yet Democrats relatively strong performance last November may have convinced them the approach worked.

If you want to see the effectiveness of MAGA Republican rhetoric, look no further than the 2022 midterms where several ultra-vocal MAGA Republicans like Kari Lake, Dr. Oz, and Herschel Walker lost their elections, said Carlucci, the Democratic strategist.

Carlucci cited December 2022 polling from Vanderbilt University showing that only 34 percent of Republicans say they are more of a supporter of the Make America Great Again, or MAGA, movement than they are a supporter of the Republican Party.'

The anonymous GOP strategist acknowledged that some of that language seeks to link a range of Republicans to the most unpopular figures on the right.

Andrew Cuff, communications director at the political agency Knight Takes Rook, thinks Democrats MAGA Republicans tactic succeeded thanks in part to the leadership of some top Republicans.

Tiny minorities of establishment Republican leaders approved and encouraged these attacks, lending credence to the notion that feckless Republicans who have given up fighting are more sane and civil than the extreme majority of their party.

Its abundantly clear that the GOP establishment prefers the role of controlled opposition under Democrat rule than to be dislodged from power in their own party, he told The Epoch Times in an April 3 interview.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) in February accused MAGA Republicans of contributing to a lack of GOP unityan expression of concern that is difficult to take at face value, but one wholly in keeping with a wedge strategy.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) speaks to reporters during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on July 28, 2022. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

For now, backing for Trump among Republicans seems to be on the rise, if recent polls on the upcoming 2024 contest are to be believed.

The upshot: Bidens speeches still target MAGA Republicans.

In one March 15 speech, he opined that MAGA Republicans are different.

This is not your fathers Republican Party, Biden added.

MAGA and Extremism

Talk of MAGA Republicans extremism has also escalated.

The White Houses March 27 response to Republicans recent budget proposal asserts it is the product not merely of MAGA Republicans but of extreme MAGA Congressional Republicans.

In a March 24 press release, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) referenced Extreme MAGA Republicans no fewer than 13 times.

Extreme MAGA Republicans want to ban books on the Holocaust. Ban books on the Holocaust. Extreme MAGA Republicans want to ban books on Martin Luther King Jr. Extreme MAGA Republicans want to ban books on the LGBTQ journey in the United States of America, Jeffries said.

U.S. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) delivers remarks after House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) was elected speaker of the House in the House Chamber at the Capitol Building in Washington on Jan. 7, 2023. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Most folks dont view all these Republicans as extremist, the anonymous GOP strategist told The Epoch Times.

This ideology should not speak for the entire party, but with all the noise caused by figures like Lauren Boebert, Matt Gaetz, Marjorie Taylor Greene, and of course former President Trump, it is particularly concerning that MAGA extremism will become the overwhelming voice of the Republican Party, said Democratic strategist Carlucci.

The use of the word extreme continues to serve as an effective slur against Republican candidates, said Cuff.

Extremism, he said, is a national security trigger word.

Cuff tied that rhetoric to Bidens Sept. 1, 2022, Dark Brandon speech, which saw him deliver remarks against a blood-red backdrop while flanked by U.S. Marines.

Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans represent an extremism that threatens the very foundations of our republic, Biden said in his remarks that day.

He tied it [extremism] with the MAGA label in order to connect it with President Trump and his MAGA movement, Cuff said.

He noted that it followed the administrations actions on parent protesters at school boards and an FBI memo targeting radical-traditionalist Catholic ideology.

The seal of the Federal Bureau of Investigation is seen outside of its headquarters in Washington on Aug. 15, 2022. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)

The words are chosen very carefully, Cuff said.

The neocon ex-Republican Kristol was, if anything, ahead of the curve when it came to alleged extremism among his opponents.

If the term MAGA Republicans works, fine. But wouldnt it be easier just to call them extremists? Why the MAGA complication? he asked in a July 1, 2022 Tweet, responding to a Politico story on Democrats use of the MAGA Republicans label in their midterm messaging.

MAGA-Baiting Across Ticket

MAGA-baiting has takers at lower echelons of the Democratic Party too.

During her unsuccessful campaign for reelection as Chicagos mayor, Lori Lightfoot accused opponent Paul Vallas of having MAGA Republican ways.

Even closer to the ground, members of the Chicago City Councils Progressive Reform Caucus, which includes numerous open socialists, referred in scathing terms to Vallas backing from what they called MAGA Republicans.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot on June 07, 2021, in Chicago, Illinois. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Legacy media outletseven those outside the United Statesare also echoing the extreme MAGA Republican rhetoric that has been issued by leading Democrats.

A March 4 U.S. politics article in the Guardian, a UK paper, claimed that one of Trumps speeches at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) was aimed at MAGA Republicans.

A November 2022 analysis in the Washington Post asked, Can MAGA Republicans learn to love democracy again?

In January of this year, Jennifer Rubinlike Kristol, a Bush II-era neoconservatism who distanced herself from the right after Trumps electionopined in the Washington Post that Republicans have embraced the ways of extreme MAGA Republicans in the months since their mediocre midterm performance.

Pushback Begins

House Republicans targeted by the language of extremism, semi-fascism, and more have pushed back.

We are addressed as MAGA extremists, extreme MAGA Republicans, and I would like to make just a clarification pointits Ultra MAGA. Thats what we prefer, Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) said in Congress several weeks ago.

Just days ago, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) accused Biden of having functionally gaslit Trumps indictment by saying Extreme MAGA Republicans were dangerous.

Its Bidens government that we are currently investigating for super-charging the notion of domestic violent extremism, he said in an interview with Laura Ingraham on Fox News.

U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) speak at a news conference on Republican lawmakers response to the breach of the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Jan. 6, 2022. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

SpaceX founder and Twitter CEO Elon Musk has also questioned Bidens rhetoric.

In a March 27 Tweet, the president attributed opposition to one policy he supports to extreme MAGA House Republicans.

Is it accurate to refer to those making the proposal as extreme MAGA,' Musk wrote in response.

He tagged the sites Community Notes account, which often corrects and adds context to Twitter posts.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk and his security detail depart the companys local office in Washington on Jan. 27, 2023. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)

Carlucci thinks the apparent resonance of Democrats extreme MAGA Republicans rhetoric should serve as a wake-up call for Republicans.

The midterms tell us that independent voters are fed up with MAGA ideology and that the Republican Party should reclaim its narrative from its extreme side, said Carlucci.

Cuff believes the language hints at a broader campaign of repression from the Left.

Ultimately, the goal is to treat the entire Republican base as domestic extremists, extralegally surveil and censor them, and instill the mass fear of arrest and repression [to which many prominent Republicans, including former President Trump, have already been subjected], Cuff said.

One thing seems clear: extreme rhetoric, including accusations of extremism, triggers a reaction.
Foreign Affairs Minister Responds to Committee Report Supporting December Mass Protests Against Chinas Zero-COVID Policy

Protesters at Grange Park in downtown Toronto hold a banner saying they "stand in solidarity with the White Paper Revolution" in China, on Dec. 3, 2022. (The Epoch Times)

Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly says she was pleased to receive a report by a House committee that voiced support for those in China who took to the streets en masse last December to protest draconian lockdowns and the suppression of human rights amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The report by the Canada-China special committee was presented to the House on Dec. 1, 2022, during the massive protests in China over the communist regimes draconian zero-COVID policy. The protest was dubbed the White Paper Revolution, as many participants held up a blank piece of paper instead of banners with slogans to avoid censorship or arrest.

The report stated: That the Chair be directed to present the following to the House forthwith: That the committee express its support for the brave and courageous Chinese protestors who are fighting for their fundamental human rights and freedoms of association and expression, and call on Beijing to respect the right to peaceful assembly and avoid a repeat of the Tiananmen Square massacre of 5 June 1989.

The committee requested a response from the government, which Joly did in a statement dated March 30.

The Government is pleased to receive the committees report and would like to thank all members for their time and effort, she wrote, while reiterating Ottawas position in its Indo-Pacific Strategy that labelled communist China as an increasingly disruptive global power.

As reiterated in the Governments recent announcement of its Indo-Pacific Strategy, the promotion of human rights is an integral part of Canadian foreign policy and a long-standing priority in our relationship with China. It is in this context that the Government has made clear its support for the freedom of peaceful assembly everywhere, including in China, Joly wrote.

Joly said Canada has consistently called on China to respect and protect human rights and freedoms for all Chinese people.

Canadian officials continue to discuss human rights issues in direct bilateral conversations with Chinese counterparts. We call on the Government of China to respect its own constitution and its international obligations, she wrote.

Following the protests, the Chinese authorities abruptly relaxed many of its COVID-19 restrictions, and subsequently reopened its borders for foreign travellers last month. Despite the concessions, the Chinese authorities cracked down on the protesters and made multiple arrests.

Joly noted in her statement that Canada will continue to monitor the situation in China and continue to call on Beijing to release individuals in China who have been detained or imprisoned for exercising their human rights.
Former Alberta Justice Minister Faces Law Society Hearing for Alleged Misconduct

A Court of King's Bench courtroom is shown at the Edmonton Law Courts building on June 28, 2019. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press)

A former Alberta justice minister and MLA has been accused of professional misconduct by the provinces law society.

In a hearing schedule posted on the website for the Law Society of Alberta (LSA), lawyer Jonathan Denis faces two citations.

The LSA alleges Denis, a Kings Counsel, acted for an individual identified as R.M. while in a conflict of interest.

It also alleged that Denis threatened to make a complaint to a regulatory authority in an attempt to gain a benefit for his client, C.K.

In both cases, said the LSA, the conduct is deserving of sanction.

A hearing date has not been set for the matters.

Denis served two terms as an MLA in Alberta from 2010 to 2015, and held a cabinet position as minister of justice for the last three years of his service. He lost his seat in the 2015 election and went back to practicing law, founding Guardian Law Group.

His career has experienced a number of high-profile controversies.

In April 2022, Denis told reporters that he had hired a political fixer. The self-described fixer, David Wallace, claimed that Denis hired him to get phone records of Alanna Smith, who was formerly a Calgary Herald reporter, presumably to trace the sources of a story.

Wallace alleged the reporter had written a story about Deniss wedding reception in 2021 and whether the number of guests invited was following COVID public health orders in place at the time.

In 2022, Denis admitted he had a contract with the investigator, but denied trying to get private phone information.

I am sorry if the reporter felt her privacy was being violated, just as I felt she was violating my privacy by trying to find a negative story about the happiest day of my life. Lets not forget that, he said.

Wallace said at the time that he did not give Denis truthful information.

The records are legitimate, he said. I just didnt provide him with the legitimate phone box in terms of the actual calls, times and orders.

In November 2022, the Court of Appeal overturned a previous conviction against the former justice minister for contempt of court involving witness intimidation.

He was found in contempt of court on April 13, 2022, when he had his lawyer threaten to sue the provinces former chief medical examiner for defamation. At the time, the medical examiner was testifying in court for her lawsuit against the province for wrongful dismissal.

Denis took issue with comments she made, reportedly outside of court to media. She eventually dropped her lawsuit.

Denis did not respond by press time to a request for comment.

The Canadian Press contributed to this report.
Former Maryland Governors Top Aide Dies in Hospital After Confrontation With FBI

Knox County Sheriff's Office and FBI officers work in a parking lot area following a manhunt for Roy McGrath, in Knoxville, Tenn., on April 3, 2023. (Saul Young/Knoxville News Sentinel via AP)

A former chief of staff in Marylands government who was wanted on corruption charges died on Monday in Tennessee after he was wounded in a confrontation with FBI agents, according to The Washington Post, citing the former politicians lawyer.

Roy McGrath, 53, who in 2020 was appointed chief of staff to Republican former Gov. Larry Hogan, was wanted for failing to appear in court in March on fraud charges.

McGrath had pleaded not guilty to charges of wire fraud and falsification of records in October 2021 and was released on bond, but did not appear in court for his trial.

The U.S. Marshals Service, part of the Justice Department, said in March it had initiated an interstate fugitive investigation and published a wanted poster for McGrath.

Roy McGrath, the former top aide to an ex Maryland Governor, is seen in this U.S. Marshals Service wanted poster released on March 14, 2023 after McGrath failed to appear in court where he was charged with wire fraud and falsification. (U.S. Marshals Service/Handout via Reuters)

The loss of Roys life is an absolute tragedy, and I think its important for me to say that Roy never wavered about his innocence, attorney Joseph Murtha said, according to the Post.

The exact circumstances of McGraths death are unclear. The Baltimore Sun said he was shot, but it is not clear whether it was self-inflicted or by the FBI.

Knox County Sheriffs Office and FBI officers work in a parking lot area in Knoxville, Tenn., on April 3, 2023. (Saul Young/Knoxville News Sentinel via AP)

The FBI said in a statement it was reviewing an agent-involved shooting, the Post reported.

During the arrest the subject, Roy McGrath, sustained injury and was transported to the hospital. The FBI takes all shooting incidents involving our agents or task force members seriously, the statement said.

McGrath died in the hospital, the Baltimore Sun reported, citing William Brennan, an attorney for McGraths wife.

Hogan, who served as Marylands governor from 2015 to 2023, had considered running for the 2024 Republican nomination for president as a critic of former President Donald Trump. But he announced in March, before McGrath went missing, that he would not run.

In a statement, Hogan said he and his wife, Yumi, are deeply saddened by this tragic situation. We are praying for Mr. McGraths family and loved ones.

McGrath was indicted in 2021 on accusations he fraudulently secured a $233,648 severance payment, equal to one year of salary as the head of the Maryland Environmental Service, by falsely telling the agencys board the governor had approved it. He was also accused of fraud and embezzlement connected to roughly $170,000 in expenses. McGrath pleaded not guilty.

McGrath resigned just 11 weeks into the job as Hogans chief of staff in 2020 after the payments became public.

If convicted of the federal charges, he would have faced a maximum sentence of 20 years for each of four counts of wire fraud, plus a maximum of 10 years for each of two counts of embezzling funds from an organization receiving more than $10,000 in federal benefits.

Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Former President Arrives at Trump Tower Ahead of Arraignment

'He's fighting for our country': supporters rally behind Trump outside his Manhattan home

Former President Donald Trump arrives at Trump Tower, after his indictment by a Manhattan grand jury following a probe into hush money paid to porn star Stormy Daniels, in New York City, on April 3, 2023. (David Dee Delgado/Reuters)

NEW YORKFormer President Donald Trump waved to supporters on April 3 before entering his namesake tower in New York City, where he will spend the night before his arraignment on April 4, when charges from a grand jury indictment will be unsealed.

Trump walked into the building through a side door on 56th Street, away from the throngs of reporters and dozens of supporters waiting for him at the main entrances. Three black helicopters hovered over the building ahead of his arrival at the 58-story skyscraper, where his motorcade pulled up not long after 4 p.m. local time.

Stephanie Lu, a Chinese American, was among a small group of Trump supporters who waved U.S. flags and chanted we love Trump as the former president walked by with his son Eric Trump. She said she felt excited for the chance to express her support.

At least he saw us waving the flags, she told The Epoch Times. We love him so much, because hes fighting for our country.

Stephanie Lu outside Trump Tower in New York City on April 3, 2023. Former President Donald Trump is scheduled to be arraigned April 4 at the Manhattan Supreme Court following his indictment by a grand jury on March 30, 2023. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)

Trump faces charges relating to the payment of hush money to adult film actress Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential campaign. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is expected to bring charges alleging that Trump illegally classified the payment in violation of federal campaign finance laws. Trump has denied all wrongdoing in the matter.

Security has ramped up near the tower and the Manhattan Supreme Court ahead of the April 4 arraignment, with police erecting metal barriers and blocking access to part of the courthouse in lower Manhattan where court proceedings are set to take place.

During the course of the afternoon, drivers of several black vans passing by beeped their car horns to signal support for Trump, eliciting cheers from the crowd.

At one point, a driver of a truck shouted obscenities directed at the former president, prompting supporters to shout back we love Trump.

Paul Ingrassia, a member of the New York Young Republican Club who was showing his support outside Trump Tower, dismissed the charges against Trump as bogus and said that he hopes his presence could help show that Donald Trump still has supporters, even in the most liberal part of the country.

Police near Trump Tower in New York City on April 3, 2023. Former President Donald Trump is scheduled for an arraignment on April 4 at Manhattan Supreme Court following his indictment by a grand jury on March 30, 2023. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)

Echoing some political analysts, Ingrassia believes the indictment is only going to give Trump a boost in the 2024 presidential race, noting that Trump was able to raise $4 million within 24 hours after the indictment was reported.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat, has urged people who are planning to travel to the city to protest to exercise control and be on your best behavior.

While there may be some rabble-rousers thinking about coming to our city tomorrow, our message is clear and simple: control yourselves, Adams said on April 3. New York City is our home, not a playground for your misplaced anger.

Karen Lichtbraun, a 62-year-old preschool teacher in New York, rebuffed Adamss warning, pointing to the rising crime rate in the city.

Why doesnt he tell the people on the streets who are shooting up our city to behave themselves? Were not violent, we protest peacefully, Lichtbraun, another supporter outside Trumps Manhattan residence, told The Epoch Times. The city is going up in flames, and he tells MAGA supporters to behave?

Media gather near Trump Tower in New York City on April 3, 2023. Former President Donald Trump is scheduled to be arraigned on April 4 at Manhattan Supreme Court following his indictment by a grand jury on March 30, 2023.(Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)

Lichtbraun, who is Jewish, said she was especially appreciative of Trumps pro-Israel policy during his presidency.

Meanwhile, Robert Hoatson was among a handful of counterprotesters waiting near Trump Tower.

He was toting signs reading Lock him up and Throw away the key, a reference to the Lock her up chant that Trump helped popularize during the 2016 presidential campaign, which focused on Democrat rival Hillary Clintons handling of classified information.

Robert Hoatson outside Trump Tower in New York City on April 3, 2023. Former President Donald Trump is scheduled for an arraignment on April 4 at Manhattan Supreme Court following his indictment by a grand jury on March 30, 2023.(Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)

Weve got to neutralize him to the point where he can have no part in any determination of American policy ever again, he said.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) is set to host a pro-Trump rally at a park near the Manhattan courthouse on the morning of April 4; Ingrassia, who is attending, thinks it will have a large turnout.

Im sure many other supporters will be coming out from across not just New York state, but really across the country, he said. Theyre going to be coming out to rally on behalf of President Trump and show that his base is strong, and were behind him.
GOP Lawmakers Call for Alejandro Mayorkas to Lose Salary Over Border Crisis

Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas testifies before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee in Washington on March 28, 2023. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

GOP House members have urged for the cancellation of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas paycheck over his alleged failure to stem the border crisis.

On March 29, 11 Republican members of the lower chamber of Congress co-signed and sent a letter to House Appropriations Committee Chair Kay Granger (R-Texas) and House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security Chair Dave Joyce (R-Ohio), requesting that not a penny be appropriated to pay Mayorkas (pdf).

The representatives say in the letter that Mayorkas should not be paid because he has not done his job and is not serving and protecting the American people.

As you begin drafting the Homeland Security Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2024, we request that you decrease Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Nicholas Mayorkas salary to $0 for willfully ignoring his oath to enforce our border security and immigration laws, reads the letter.

The letter continues: The Secretary of Homeland Security is responsible for ensuring our nations borders are secure from unauthorized entries and individuals threatening our public safety and national security. In addition, the Secretary is required to maintain operational control and prevent narcotics and other contraband from entering the country. Secretary Mayorkas is actively failing to attain and maintain control of the southern border by weakening our security apparatus and implementing policies attracting record-breaking numbers of illegal migrants and bad actors seeking to be released into the United States.

Signatories of the letter are Reps. Chip Roy (R-Texas), Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.), Harriet Hageman (R-Wyo.), Eric Burlison (R-Mo.), Josh Brecheen (R-Okla.), Daniel Webster (R-Fla.), Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), Bob Good (R-Va.), Jeff Duncan (R-S.C.), Eli Crane (R-Ariz.), and Scott Perry (R-Pa.).

Republicans Say Resign or Face Impeachment

Cutting off funding to pay Mayorkas is a component of a series of actions taken by Republicans against the homeland security chief, on whom they place considerable blame that during the Biden presidency a record numbers of illegal aliens and suspected terrorists have been apprehended trying to enter the United States.

Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) speaks during a news conference in front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Feb. 1, 2023. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

As The Epoch Times reported on Nov. 22, in the wake of the midterm elections which returned control of the House to the GOP, then House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthywho was expected to become speaker when the next Congress was seatedsaid that he and his party intended to remove Mayorkas as Secretary of Homeland Security

He [Mayorkas] cannot and must not remain in that position, said McCarthy. If he does not resign, House Republicans will investigate every order, every action, and every failure to determine whether we should begin an impeachment inquiry.

A leader in the GOPs move to impeach Mayorkas is Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), who, in August of 2021, was the first member of Congress to file articles of impeachment against the secretary. Biggs filed new articles of impeachment against Mayorkas on Feb. 1.

Every day Secretary Mayorkas remains in office America becomes less safe, Biggs said in a statement at the time. Secretary Mayorkas is the chief architect of the migration and drug invasion at our southern border. His policies have incentivized more than 5 million illegal aliens to show up at our southern borderan all-time figure. Instead of enforcing the laws on the books and deporting or detaining these illegal aliens, the vast majority of them are released into the interior and never heard from again.

The Epoch Times has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for comment.
Candida albicans is a type of fungus that causes some of the most common fungal diseases. The drug-resistant strain has received a lot of attention, but the majority of cases are caused by the yeasts more easily treated forms. Lets look at whats known about this disease, what it can do to us, and what can be done about it.

We All Carry It

Everyone carries a small amount of Candida. Normal strains of Candida are usually present in small amounts in our mouths, digestive tract, and skin.

Problems start when the balance of microorganisms in our bodies is disrupted; then Candida can overgrow, which causes infection.

The risks of this vary depending on the location of the infection, and common types of candidiasis include:

Thrush: a yeast infection of the mouth or throat that can cause white patches in these areas, pain, and difficulty swallowing.

a yeast infection of the mouth or throat that can cause white patches in these areas, pain, and difficulty swallowing. Vaginal yeast infection: an infection of the vagina that can cause itching, burning, and discharge.

an infection of the vagina that can cause itching, burning, and discharge. Diaper rash: a rash that develops in the diaper area of infants.

Thrush and vaginal yeast infections are the most common fungal diseases. A rarer but more serious type of infection occurs when Candida enters the bloodstream and spreads throughout the body. This is called systemic or invasive candidiasis and it can cause a range of symptoms like fever and low blood pressure and can affect internal organs.

Major risk factors for this condition are the use of central venous catheters, exposure to broad-spectrum antibiotics, and low white blood cells (neutropenia). Extended stays in the hospital are also associated with increased risk.

The signs and symptoms associated with Candida include fever and chills as well as ear and wound infections, Dr. Christopher Calandrella, chair of emergency medicine at Long Island Jewish Forest Hills, part of Northwell Health in New York, told The Epoch Times.

Infections on the skin can present suddenly as painless groups of small, pus-filled blisters on a red base, or as small, red bumps on the skin, he added.

Preventing Infection

Fortunately, infection is relatively easy to prevent by taking several commonsense precautions.

Chief among them is practicing good hygiene, such as regularly washing your hands and keeping skin clean and dry. It helps to wear loose-fitting, breathable clothing, and minimize time spent in damp clothing.

In the health care setting, use of the appropriate transmission-based precautions, cleaning and disinfecting surfaces, as well as screening contacts of recent cases is also key to reducing risk, said Calandrella.

Its also important to avoid using antibiotics unnecessarily; these drugs can disrupt the balance of microorganisms in the body and increase the risk of creating antibiotic-resistant strains of certain pathogens, including Candida.

Tips to Fight Candida

If someone does develop a Candida infection, there are treatment options available, three of which are natural and easy to do.

Antifungal medications can be taken orally, applied topically, or inserted into the affected area.

Consuming foods or supplements that contain probiotics can help restore the balance of microorganisms in the body. These include yogurt with live bacterial cultures and fermented foods like kimchi, kefir, and kombucha. Probiotic supplements should contain Lactobacillus or acidophilus.

Two home therapies that can help some people find relief from Candida are nature-based substances such as tea tree oil or coconut oil.

Tea tree oil was found to be effective against fluconazole-resistant Candida when used as a topical antiseptic.

Coconut oil can help kill Candida because it contains a medium-chain fatty acid called caprylic acid, which infiltrates yeast cells and ruptures them, reducing fungal growth. One study found coconut oil has similar efficacy to the antifungal medication ketoconazole for treating yeast infections.

Antibiotic-Resistant Candida Auris

Theres a drug-resistant strain of Candida called Candida auris thats spreading throughout U.S. health care facilities. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently issued a warning about Candida auris.

Candida auris is an emerging, multidrug-resistant fungal pathogen with clinical isolates [that] are typically resistant to commonly prescribed antifungal drugs, said Dr. Mahmoud Ghannoum, fungal disease expert and co-founder of BIOHM.

First identified in Japan in 2009, Candida auris has since been reported in over 40 countries. Its increasingly recognized as a cause of infections and outbreaks in hospitals and nursing homes.

This strain was first identified in the United States in 2013.

The CDC calls this pathogen an urgent threat because it can be resistant to treatment with antifungal drugs and can cause severe infections with high death rates. Unlike other strains of Candida, which are typically treated with antifungal medications like fluconazole, Candida auris is resistant to multiple classes of antifungal drugs.

Although still rare in the United States, more than 1 in 3 patients with invasive Candida auris infection die from the disease. This fungus survives on surfaces in health care environments and can spread from person to person.

Those at increased risk of infection with the resistant strain include people with weakened immune systems, people who have recently undergone surgery, or those hospitalized for an extended period.

Ghannoum said that symptoms of Candida auris infection are not very specific since patients infected by this emerging fungus typically have other underlying diseases, such as cancer or diabetes, which hide their symptoms and can vary greatly.

Therefore, a laboratory test is needed to determine whether a patient is infected with this fungus, he emphasized. It is important that clinicians treating patients should think fungus, especially if they are not responding to antibiotics within four days.

Prevention of Candida auris infections includes some of the same infection control measures used for other types of Candida: practicing good hand hygiene, cleaning surfaces, and especially for Candida auris, using isolation precautions for infected patients.

Similar to what is now done with antibiotic use, antifungal stewardship programs can help prevent the development and spread of antibiotic-resistant strains of Candida by promoting the appropriate use of antifungal medications.

If you develop a Candida auris infection, your treatment options may be limited due to how resistant the infection is to various antifungal medications.

The vast majority of Candida auris infections can be treated with echinocandins, a class of antifungal drugs, said Ghannoum. However, some strains are resistant to all clinically available antifungal drugs.

In this case, treatment will typically involve a combination of antifungal medications, and the duration of treatment could be significantly longer than for other types of Candida.
BEIJING, April 4 (Xinhua) -- China's Ministry of Public Security on Tuesday issued an early warning for road traffic safety risks during the Qingming Festival, or Tomb-Sweeping Day, which falls on April 5 this year.

Based on analysis, the ministry expects road traffic safety risks to arise due to five main factors: the concentrated road traffic flow around tomb areas, driving under the influence of alcohol, an increase in highway traffic accidents, overlapped multiple traffic flows in rural areas, and rain or snow.

The ministry suggested paying close attention in advance to information about local weather and road conditions if planning to travel by car during the holiday, and to plan travel times and routes reasonably to avoid peak travel. 
He was duped by the matrix of propaganda, but after he took the vaccine he had horrible side effects and went on to discover they lied about everything as part of a criminal act on an unbelievable scale. Now hes spitting fire at the evil psychopathic system.

Download Interview Transcript Download my FREE Podcast Video Link

Dore warns that the entire government is corrupt. Corruption has been integrated into every part of the government, and every system used to run it.

During the Omicron wave, Dore got COVID three times, and it was the mildest cold hed ever had in his life. Unfortunately, he made a second mistake. He took Paxlovid, and got COVID again. That Paxlovid makes you prone to reinfection is now also an established fact.

Dore realized the medical establishment lied not only about ivermectin, but also about hydroxychloroquine and early treatments. They lied about herd immunity and natural immunity. They lied about masks. They lied when they said the COVID jab prevents transmission and could end the pandemic. They lied about the safety of the shots, and about the seriousness of the virus itself too.

Comedian Jimmy Dore initially got caught up in the propaganda and believed the COVID jab would be a good strategy. He took the shot and suffered severe side effects from it. Dore quickly put two and two together and realized hed been duped. The shot was nowhere near as safe (or effective) as they claimed.

In this interview, one of my favorite comedians, Jimmy Dore, and I discuss the propaganda machine surrounding all things COVID. Ive posted many of his videos on this site, as I enjoy his direct and incisive commentary. Like me, Dore grew up in Chicago, Illinois. He packed up his belongings and drove to Los Angeles, California, in 1995, and never looked back.

Everything worked out in Los Angeles for me when I got to town, he says. It was a real refuge being around all the other comedians and actors and artists. I got lucky, I got an agent right away and I was able to get on television right away. So everything worked out.

Exiting the Matrix

Im impressed with Dores critical thinking skills because, like most people, he got caught up in the propaganda and believed the COVID jab would be a good strategy. He took the shot, suffered side effects from it, and had to find a holistic physician who was able to guide him back to health.

Unlike most people, however, Dore was able to put two and two together after that, and realized hed been duped. The shot was nowhere near as safe (or effective) as they claimed. After that realization, he started seeing through other propaganda narratives as well.

I was completely propagandized, he says. I have a bone condition that I have to treat every day, so I was afraid. They made it sound like if you got COVID, its going to go find the most vulnerable part of your body, its going to infect it and kill you. So, I was convinced that if I got it, it was going to go right to my bones and kill me. I was scared to death. So, I knew I was going to take the vaccineand I was afraid to look into it. This is true, right? Because I knew I was going to take it anyway, and because both of my doctors had told me to take it, because they didnt know any better. None of us knew at the time that they were suppressing accurate information. I didnt know that. Neither did my doctors. At that time, we didnt know there were other doctors out there with another narrative. I didnt know about the Great Barrington Declaration. I didnt know there were leading scientists and doctors who had a different idea. I didnt know what a criminal Dr. Fauci was. I didnt know that he did the same thing in the AIDS crisis.

So, I took the vaccine, I got sick, and never got better. It was just horrible side effects. I had 180/120 blood pressure. I could have had a stroke at any moment. I had nerve pain, nerve damage. I was diagnosed with occipital neuralgia, which if you know what that is, its the most wicked stiff neck youve ever had in your life.

I had joint pain, exhaustion, shortness of breath. I had it for months. Luckily, [I found doctors] who were on the forefront of treating people who were vaccine injured  and they had a theory. My doctor was Dr. [Ram] Yogendra. He was working with [Dr.] Bruce Patterson and their idea was that people who got vaccine injured would be presenting as if they had long COVID.

They did a special blood test. He showed me my biological markers and said, You are presenting as if you had long COVID, but youve never had COVID. So, you got this from the vax  They gave me fluvoxamine, azithromycin, and ivermectin. And when he gave me ivermectin, I was like, Hey, whats this? I thought this was that horse paste.

Thats when it was explained to me that we were being lied to on a scale that our minds cant comprehend. That ivermectin not only is not dangerous, its not only for animals, its a human medicine. In fact, it won the Nobel Prize for human medicine, and its on the World Health Organizations list of essential medicines, has been prescribed billions of times and has saved billions of lives, and is less toxic than Tylenol.

I was like, Are you kidding me? And he said, Jimmy, before COVID, they were looking at ivermectin to treat cancer. It was considered a wonder drug. And the reason why theyre lying about it now is because if ivermectin treats COVID, they cant get their emergency use authorization for these vaccines 

So that was like, Oh my god, theyre lying about it. This is just a big money grab. And as soon as I figured that out, and no matter what I looked into, they were lying about it.

All Lies

As Dore eventually realized, the medical establishment lied not only about ivermectin, but also about hydroxychloroquine and early treatments. They lied about herd immunity and natural immunity. They lied about masks. They lied when they said the COVID jab prevents transmission and could end the pandemic. They lied about the safety of the shots, and about the seriousness of the virus itself too.

The virus was never a serious virus, Dore says. Bill Gates, after he cashed in his stock, money that he invested in Pfizer, then he started telling people the truth. He said, Yeah, well, the virus, it isnt that deadly. It has a low fatality rate. This is a direct quote 

It affects the elderly and those with comorbidities, kind of like the flu, but a little different. The average age of death from COVID is over the age of life expectancy, but were vaccinating high schoolers  children and babies. This is a criminal act on an unbelievable scale. And theyre still doing it because they own the media and because theyve gotten away with it and because they have immunity from lawsuits.

Why do you need immunity from a lawsuit? Why do you need that if its safe and effective if youve done all the trials? Because its not, and you havent done all the trials. Thats why.

The people who are pushing this are the biggest criminals in the world, and theyve already proven that they are willing to kill massive amounts of people for profit  Its the most psychopathic evil system Ive ever seen. And everybody is OK with it. So, that was my journey.

On the Vaccine That Isnt

As noted by Dore, a vaccine that doesnt block transmission of a virus (and therefore doesnt prevent you from getting sick) isnt a vaccine. Its a therapeutic. We now know for a fact that the COVID shots dont block transmission. They never even tested to see if it would prevent transmission, which is something I and other scientists pointed out from the very beginning. We also have an abundance of evidence showing the shots do more harm than good.

More people were injured by the vaccine than got saved by it, Dore says. Right now, nobody should take it. Omicron is a cold. It has done exactly what Dr. Robert Malone explained on my show in early 2021, that the virus is going to mutate to become way more infectious and less deadly. And thats exactly what happened.

During the Omicron wave, Dore got COVID three times, and it was nothing, he says. It was the mildest cold I ever had in my life. Unfortunately, he made a second mistake the first time he got COVID. He took Paxlovid and got it again. That Paxlovid makes you prone to reinfection is now also an established fact.

Corruption Will End the US Empire

Whats happening is were run by psychopathic criminals and  people dont realize that our government is not regular corrupt, Dore says. Most people think of government corruption in terms of Joe Biden giving his son Hunter a cushy job on an energy board in Ukraine, or Donald Trump setting his son up with a business deal in Saudi Arabia.

But the corruption were now starting to see is far worse and more widespread than that. Its been integrated into every part of the government, and every system used to run it.

The whole thing is corrupt, Dore says. The whole COVID policy was corrupt. The whole vaccine rollout 100 percent corrupt. Everything that happens in Congress happens because of grease from the oil of corruption. And if there isnt corruption in there to grease the wheels, the mechanisms of government dont run.

Thats why we can send $100 billion to Ukraine because thats $100 billion in corruption, while we dont send $100 billion to the United States to end homelessness. $100 billion dollars could end homelessness three times in the United States, and they wont send it to our own country because theres nobody there to make a profit off it  Our legislators make a big profit off war.

So, we have an endless death economy, and thats all we can do. We will not invest in our own country. This is called an end of an empire. This is how all empires end, and were ending right now 

We have 1,000 military bases around the world. You know how many Russia has? Three. You know how many China has? I dont know, two. Its like nothing. We have 1,000 military bases. Were the terrorists. Weve had 400 military bases surrounding China since the Korean War.

Were doing a war right now on Russias border. Can you imagine if Russia was financing a war against us in Mexico to the tune of $100 billion dollars? Could you imagine if Russia was sending their missiles and their tanks? What do you think we would do? And thats exactly whats happening right now.

We Live in an Illusion of Democracy

As noted by Dore, Russia, China, India, Italy, and Venezuela are now joining forces to create new economic power centers to combat the United States hegemony. And theyre doing it by saber-rattling with two nuclear powers, Dore says.

This was the stuff that they said Trump was going to do. Trump actually wasnt, he was actually a peacenik compared to these guys. Trump didnt start another war. Thats why theyre arresting him. Thats why they impeached him twice. They had to do an FBI op on January 6.

The whole thing is, they know that people are done with the oligarchy. Theyre done with this two-party duopoly, which is a uniparty because they all work for the same people. The Democrats and the Republicans get paid by the same guys: Wall Street, Big Pharma, health insurance, Silicon Valley, and the military-industrial complex.

They all work for the same people, which is why we can have an ecological disaster thats poisoning people in East Palestine, and nobody cares about it in the government, but they will fly to Kiev and promise another $10 billion to a foreign country because corruption is greasing the wheels of that happening 

We live under a fascist government. Anybody who thinks theyre voting for Democrats and patting themselves on the back like theyre fighting against fascism or white supremacy, I want to disabuse you of that stupid idea. You are not. You are voting for another brand of fascism 

This idea that youre going to end fascism by voting for a Democratwe already live under a fascist government! Your democracy has already been stolen from you. The perfect marriage of corporations and government, thats what fascism is. Thats why they mandated vaccines. Thats why they gave $100 billion to Ukraine, and they wont fix homelessness in America.

Predictions for the Future

Like me, Dore believes things will get far worse before they get better. In terms of overthrowing the corrupt uniparty, he believes we need a brand-new party that hasnt yet been swallowed by corruption, and his suggestion for Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., who is contemplating running for President in 2024, is to ditch the Democratic party and form a new one.

I wish Bobby Kennedy would run as a third party, and I wish he would organize people to get in the streets, Dore says. The guy, hes a real hope. When you talk to him, you can just sense hes the real deal  I know he is going to run as a Democrat, and wouldnt it be great if he proved me wrong? 

But superdelegates  would find other ways to rig it. Look what they did to Bernie Sanders this last time. They invented a new app for the Iowa primary, and somehow that new app couldnt count votes. Isnt that amazing? They couldnt figure out how many people voted. And who invented that app? A bunch of Democratic Party operatives and donors.

So, theyre going to invent a way. If it isnt the superdelegates, which it will be, they will invent new ways to do it, plus the onslaught of the media. Plus, theyll just say, Oh, he didnt win. He didnt get the votes. And then if you say, You guys are stealing the election, theyll call you a conspiracy theorist, just like they did to anybody who challenges their elections.

When the Democrats challenge an election, its because theyre good people standing up for democracy like they did against the 2016 election. They say the 2016 election was stolen by Russia. So, thats OK to say, but you cant say any other election was stolen or youre a kook.

So, our elections werent secure enough in 2016 that a conman like Donald Trump could win, but theyre so secure in 2020 that you could never have a question about it.

These people are pathological liars, criminals. Were ruled by criminals. And I hope Bobby Kennedy gets people in the streets because thats the only way to get this done. Just like Martin Luther King did, just like Gandhi did. Thats the only way to overthrow [the oligarchy].

More Information

You can find more of Dores insightful and funny commentary by subscribing to his YouTube channel. You can get livestream notifications by signing up for them on JimmyDore.com. You can also follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Originally published April 02, 2023 on Mercola.com
While potentially fatal blood clots and heart inflammation have been acknowledged as rare side effects of the COVID-19 vaccines, there might be a more expansive field of potential adverse events across multiple body systems.

In this series, we evaluate some of the lesser-known yet common adverse events that are appearing in the research literature as well as in doctors clinics and, more importantly, how to deal with them and reduce the risks.

On March 10, the Japanese government reported its first death deemed to be directly caused by the COVID-19 vaccine.

A 42-year-old woman took her fourth dose of the Pfizer vaccine. In less than 10 minutes, she started feeling sick and experienced respiratory distress. Five minutes after, she fell unconscious. She didnt respond to resuscitation and was pronounced dead from pulmonary edema, which is caused by a sudden build-up of fluid in the lungs.

Japan isnt the first country to officially disclose deaths caused by the COVID-19 vaccines.

Since the COVID-19 vaccine rollout, 102 deaths have been officially documented by major countries, including the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, of which, 97 deaths were causally related to COVID-19 vaccines. Vaccine side effects have also become increasingly recognized by governments across the world.

Deaths Causally Related to COVID-19 Vaccines

United States: 9 Deaths

As of March 1, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has received 19,475 preliminary reports of deaths through its Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS).

So far, nine deaths from rare blood clots have been causally associated with Johnson & Johnson (J&J) COVID-19 vaccinations.

Other vaccines havent been officially linked with any deaths, although Pfizer and Moderna vaccinations make up the majority of adverse event and death reports on the CDCs VAERS.

But local news reports based on coroner statements have shown that at least two young men have died from myocarditis complications related to mRNA vaccines (1, 2).

Board-certified cardiologist and internist Dr. Peter McCullough argued that the deaths being officially reported only represent the tip of the iceberg, writing to The Epoch Times that its unclear how the regulatory agencies are making the assessment on causally-linked deaths.

Canada: 4 Deaths

As of March 3, 427 post-vaccine deaths have been reported to the Canadian government, of which four deaths were consistent with causal association to immunization, a statement on the Canadian governments Health Infobase website reads.

Three of the deaths were reported by CBC News in 2021 with blood clotting from AstraZeneca vaccines being the cause of death (1, 2, 3). The cause of death for the fourth deceased individual is unknown, as is the vaccines manufacturer.

UK: 52 Deaths

The UK hasnt officially released any statements on COVID-19 vaccines. However, the UKs Office for National Statistics shows that between March 2020 and January 2023, 59 death certificates had the ICD code for COVID-19 vaccines causing adverse effects in therapeutic use, meaning that adverse events were involved in the deaths of the individuals.

Among these, 51 deaths listed the same ICD code as an underlying cause, meaning that the deaths were fully or partly due to adverse events from the vaccine.

In Wales, one death was reported with vaccine-caused adverse events as an underlying causal factor. None of the vaccines involved nor the causes of death were specified.

Australia: 14 Deaths

As of January, the Australian drug regulatory agency, the Therapeutic Goods Administration, has linked COVID-19 vaccines to the deaths of 14 people.

Thirteen of these deaths occurred after the first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine, while the last death was due to myocarditis from a Moderna booster.

New Zealand: 4 Deaths

The New Zealand Ministry of Health has linked four deaths to the Pfizer mRNA vaccines.

The ministry couldnt confirm if the four deaths were directly caused by vaccination, but determined that at least three out of the four deceased individuals developed myocarditis, which could be directly linked to the Pfizer vaccine.

Details on the other confirmed death havent been fully disclosed.

Japan: 1 Death

Japan confirmed its first COVID-19 vaccine-induced death on March 10, following 2,000 reports of deaths after vaccination.

A report published by the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare states that a causal relationship between the vaccine and the death of the 42-year-old woman cannot be denied. (pdf)

The woman died from pulmonary edema.

India: 15 Deaths

As of February, the Indian Ministry of Health & Family Welfare has documented 15 deaths causally linked to COVID-19 vaccinations in its Adverse Events Following Immunization (AEFI) database.

All 15 deaths were linked to the AstraZeneca vaccine, with blood clots documented as the most common adverse reaction. Deaths from brain bleeds and anaphylaxis were also documented.

More than 400 deaths in COVID-19-vaccinated individuals have been reported to the AEFI system.

Singapore: 1 Death

In a Feb. 17 statement, the Singapore state coroner confirmed the citys first potentially vaccine-related death.

The deceased individual was a 28-year-old Bangladeshi man who died on July 9, 2021, three weeks after getting the Moderna vaccine. He collapsed at his work, and it was ruled that he died from myocarditis.

On the balance of probabilities, it was likely to be related to COVID-19 vaccination, the statement reads.

South Africa: 2 Deaths

The South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) confirmed that J&J vaccines were causally linked to two deaths.

On Sep. 13, 2022, SAHPRA confirmed the second case of death following vaccination. Both individuals died of Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) following vaccination.

Causality assessment of the reported case was conducted by the National Immunization Safety Expert Committee (NISEC) using the World Health Organizations methodology, the SAHPRA wrote in a statement.

The case was classified as a vaccine product-related event following investigations conducted and causality assessment. The events reported in the vaccine recipient were consistent with the case definition of GBS and no other likely cause of GBS was identified at the time of illness.

Suspension of COVID-19 Vaccinations

Concerns about side effects and under-researched adverse events have prompted health professionals from nations around the world to call for the COVID-19 vaccines to be suspended. Since the rollout in 2021, some countries have gradually suspended and limited the use of certain vaccines.

AstraZeneca

AstraZenecas vaccine received conditional approval in the UK in December 2020 and was soon thereafter rolled out across Europe.

Beginning in March 2021, reports of blood clots, pulmonary embolism, and subsequent deaths started to surface among Austrians vaccinated with AstraZeneca, leading Austria to pause one batch of AstraZeneca vaccines on March 7 as the country investigated these events.

On March 11, 2021, Norway, Denmark, and Iceland stated that they would suspend the vaccine entirely until they had more evidence of potential side effects. Other countries, including Romania, Ireland, Sweden, France, Germany, Italy, Spain (pdf), and many more also applied temporary suspensions to the batch.

By April 7, 2021, the European Medicines Agency safety committee had listed unusual blood clots with low blood platelets as a very rare side effect of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

After the update on side effects, Norway and Denmark stopped the vaccines permanently.

Johnson & Johnson

J&J received emergency and conditional authorizations in the United States and Europe in February 2021 and March 2021, respectively.

Like AstraZeneca, J&J is an adenovirus vaccine, and it also causes similar side effects of thrombosis, thrombocytopenia, and Guillain-Barre syndrome.

Concerns about blood clots initially surfaced in April 2021. As a response to these reports, Denmark removed J&J from its vaccination program, although people could still choose to take the vaccine if they wished.

In the United States, J&J is restricted to individuals aged 18 and older.

Moderna

Several Nordic countries, including Sweden, Norway, and Finland, suspended the use of Moderna COVID-19 vaccines in young people because of concerns about myocarditis and pericarditis.

On Oct. 6, 2021, Sweden announced a suspension of the Moderna vaccine in people born in 1991 or later, although the country described the risk of being affected as very low.

Deaths by Non-mRNA Vaccines More Prevalent, Expert Raises Questions

Although most countries have linked deaths and taken action against the AstraZeneca or the J&J vaccines, indicating they may be less safe than the more popular mRNA vaccines, Kim Witczak, president of drug safety advocacy group Woody Matters and consumer representative on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory committee for new therapeutics, speculated about whether political motivations were the main factor in steering vaccine popularity.

The lack of official acknowledgment from government and health agencies only adds to the narrative that mRNA vaccines may be safer than adenovirus vaccines, despite their safety being called into question.

The U.S. had the highest uptake of mRNA injections manufactured by Pfizer and Moderna, professor Linda Wastila from the University of Maryland, whose expertise is in pharmacotherapy and drug policy, told The Epoch Times, referring to the more than 650 million doses of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines that have been administered.

Although the population-uptake trends dont show it, Wastila noted that other countries, including India, the UK, Canada, and many other European countries favored non-mRNA vaccines in their policies.

India didnt purchase any mRNA vaccines. The country was in negotiation with Pfizer, but the two parties reached a dispute over vaccine indemnity with Pfizer. Citing adverse reactions, Indias Subject Expert Committee also ruled that the vaccine shouldnt be recommended for emergency use authorization with Pfizer, ultimately withdrawing its application as a result. Canada was the first country to give J&J vaccines full authorization. The AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines were the products of a partnership between AstraZeneca and Oxford in the UK, which hints at why they were also favored over mRNA vaccines.

In the United States, however, non-mRNA vaccines appeared to have been subject to greater scrutiny by the health regulatory agencies, as was the case with Novavax, a protein adjuvant vaccine, according to Wastila.

Lack of Investigation

While Norway, Brazil, and many other countries have made public admissions that the deaths of mRNA-vaccinated individuals need to be investigated, there have been no such public admissions from U.S. federal health agencies.

The Epoch Times exclusive reporting on the CDC shows that the agency didnt perform a data mining analysis on the VAERS database despite making a promise to do so back in January 2021. A CDC spokesperson told The Epoch Times that this analysis had only begun on May 25, 2022: almost a year and a half after it was promised.

Research by applied mathematician and computational biologist Jessica Rose shows that 2021 saw the greatest spike in VAERS reporting, particularly in relation to COVID-19 vaccines. This same trend can also be seen in the number of VAERS reports from 2020 through 2022.

The same people that approve these drugs are the same people who are looking at the data, so you need to have people who are completely detached from results and be willing to also find something, Witczak said. But if theres no curiosity, youre never going to find it  But again, it tells you to go in and actually do a deep dive, deep study, and make sure that were not manipulating the data.

Signals for Other Potential Side Effects

Signals for other potential side effects may be impending.

The European Medicines Agency in August 2021 revealed that it has been investigating the link between mRNA vaccines and a rare skin disorder, as well as two kidney diseases (pdf 1, pdf 2).

In January, the CDCs Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD) detected sufficient incidents of stroke in people aged 65 and older to trigger a safety signal, finding that those who had taken bivalent boosters (which protect against two or more viral strains) were more likely to experience an ischemic stroke within 21 days than within 22 to 42 days after vaccination, although the signal may have also been related to an influenza vaccine taken in combination.

Several of the unofficial but well-documented adverse events will be successively explored over the next several articles in this series. Stories will include accounts from individuals suffering from such events, doctors clinically observing such cases, and documentation in the literature.

Next: New Hampshire state Rep. Mike Belcher, a Republican, has been suffering from ocular migraines for almost two years. He took his first Pfizer COVID-19 mRNA immunization in April 2021, and things havent been the same since.
On Oct. 29, 2022, Whitney Reising Oliver died. She was 22 weeks pregnant with her first child, a little boy she and her husband had named Felix. Their unborn son also died.

Whit was so excited to be a mother and raise baby Felix in Chicago, ILthe city she loved, alive with her favorite art, culture, music, and foodand the city she called home for the past 17 years, her obituary read. Oliver worked with artists with developmental disabilities and loved hiking, cooking, and cuddling her cocker spaniel Magic.

Unexpected, age-inappropriate death of otherwise healthy people is always shocking. But when a pregnant woman like Whitney Oliver and her unborn baby die, it seems even more devastating and tragic.

Americas Subpar Maternity Care

America has a state-of-the-art medical system and some of the best research universities in the world.

Scientists come to the United States from abroad to conduct meticulous medical research and contribute to advancing the art and science of medicine.

Despite all of this, Americas health care systemespecially maternity careis riddled with problems.

Most people dont realize that for years, the United States has had one of the highest maternal mortality rates of any country in the industrialized world. America has an ignominiously high infant mortality rate as well.

And our abnormally high maternal mortality rates dont include what experts call near missespregnancy complications so severe they cause a mom to come close to death.

According to a 2010 Amnesty International report, Deadly Delivery: The Maternal Health Care Crisis in the USA, some 1.7 million women a yeara third of all pregnant womenhave pregnancy-related complications, and over 68,000 experience a near miss.

But now our already subpar maternity care system (compared to other high-income countries), appears to be getting worse.

Skyrocketing Maternal Death Rate in 2021

According to a new report by the National Center for Health Statistics, in 2021, maternal deaths soared to their highest rates in almost 60 years. There was a 40 percent increase in the number of birthing moms who died during pregnancy or within 42 days of giving birth.

That translates into 1,205 pregnant women and postpartum moms who died in 2021 (over three women a day), compared to 861 women in 2020 and 754 in 2019.

This is the highest rate of maternal demise since 1965, according to newspaper reports.

These numbers are actually more concerning than they may first appear. The birth rate in the United States has been trending downward, so we would expect fewer women to die in or around childbirth in the past few years.

Why Are Birthing Women Dying?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the main causes of pregnancy-related deaths are cardiovascular conditions, infection, cardiomyopathy, and hemorrhaging.

In the past, experts have blamed women, saying that the death rates in America are high because American women are overweight, are of advanced maternal age (even though being an older mom is also associated with longevity and other positive health outcomes), or dont seek out enough maternity care.

Other experts, including the late Marsden Wagner, M.D., a perinatologist and epidemiologist who worked for the World Health Organization for 15 years, and California-based obstetrician Stuart Fischbein, M.D., blame the system.

These pundits point out that overly medicalized birth often leads to the worst outcomes; that unnecessary cesarean birth sharply increases maternal mortality; and that systemic racism in the society at large as well as in the medical system, makes birth much riskier for African-American women and people of color.

Is COVID-19 or COVID Vaccines Causing Maternal Mortality?

But with this upswing in maternal deaths, in the absence of hard evidence, some pundits are blaming COVID-19. And the mainstream media, including Reuters, CNN, and the Wall Street Journal, have reported that COVID-19 infection has contributed to the surge in maternal demise.

The number and percentage of maternal death records mentioning COVID-19 were greater in 2021 than in 2020, which (suggests) that COVID-19 has likely contributed to the increase in maternal deaths, Donna Hoyert, author of the study at CDCs National Center for Health Statistics, told Reuters.

However, there has been and continues to be enormous pressure on pregnant women to get vaccinated for COVID-19. If the vaccines were making COVID-19 infections less likely, then we would expect the maternal mortality rates to have fallennot risenin 2021.

Over 1.5 Million Adverse Events Reported

As of March 10, 2023, there have been 1,533,181 reports of adverse events following the COVID-19 vaccines, according to CDC data.

These adverse events include 34,725 deaths following vaccination and 4,949 miscarriages.

The COVID-19 vaccines must be considered as a potential causative agent for any pregnant woman who has had them and subsequently experiences a miscarriage, loses a baby after birth, or loses her life during the pregnancy or after the birth.

According to a December 2022 study available as a pre-print (which means it has not yet gone through peer review), data collected by the CDC shows that COVID-19 vaccines are much more reactogenic than flu vaccines, associated with more than twice the number of menstrual abnormalities, miscarriages, fetal chromosomal abnormalities, fetal malformations, fetal cardiac disorders, stillbirths, and premature death, among other things.

COVID-19 vaccine [adverse events] far exceed the safety signal on all recognized thresholds, the team of scientists, which included three medical doctors, wrote.

Pregnancy complications and menstrual abnormalities are significantly more frequent following COVID-19 vaccinations than Influenza vaccinations. A worldwide moratorium on the use of COVID-19 vaccines in pregnancy is advised until randomized prospective trials document safety in pregnancy and long-term follow-up in offspring.

In America, pregnant women are given one to two influenza vaccines (two if the pregnancy spans more than one flu season), a vaccine to protect the baby against pertussis, tetanus, and diphtheria (TdaP), and a COVID-19 vaccine.

The safety of giving these vaccines at the same time has never been established.

The synergistic effect of exposing a pregnant mom and her fetus to the ingredients in these vaccines is also not understood.

COVID-19 Vaccines Contributing to Maternal Mortality

On April 28, 2021, Whitney Reising Oliver made a public post on Facebook about the FREE VACCINATION EVENT at the Bridgeport Art Center in Chicago.

The flyer she posted features an ethnic-looking young woman in braids with a mask on her face who is proudly displaying a band-aid on her arm.

Whether Oliver herself was vaccinated then or not is unknown. However, according to Cedars Sinai, some 62 percent of pregnant women have gotten at least one COVID-19 vaccine.

The vaccines are contributing to a rise in neonatal mortality. The stillbirth data is hard to ignore, Dr. Stuart Fischbein, an obstetrician based in southern Utah who has over 40 years of clinical experience, said.

But Fischbein also said that he believed that maternal mortality is often due to a combination of things. In the context of the last two years, these include lack of access to prenatal care because of the lockdowns; overwhelming anxiety, stress and depression; lack of exercise, outside time, and vitamin D; as well as poor nutrition.

However, Fischbein said, in addition to these issues, the COVID-19 vaccines are likely a contributing factor as well. COVID-19 vaccination was the only thing that changed in 2021, he pointed out.

Weve seen a rise in maternal deaths from heart issues, he said. Pregnant women should not be having heart problems, and we know that the vaccines affect the heart. Theres nothing in the environment thats changed in the last two years other than the known risk of myocarditis, pericarditis, and arrhythmias caused by these COVID-19 mRNA vaccines.

So the simplest explanation is probably the most likely one, Fischbein continued. These vaccines affect the heart and the clotting mechanisms. Were seeing more heart issues, hemorrhaging, placenta irregularities, and menstrual irregularities. If you were a detective investigating a crime scene and there were Skittles all over, you might want to suspect the Skittles.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times. Epoch Health welcomes professional discussion and friendly debate. To submit an opinion piece, please follow these guidelines and submit through our form here.
Indictment Against Trump Is Chance for Unity Against Government Weaponization

Commentary

In a singularly inglorious moment that even the left has condemned, former President Donald Trump is now reportedly facing a 34-count indictment at the hands of a politically weaponized prosecutors office. Its a mistake of historic proportions.

New York County District Attorney Alvin Bragg, like fellow Democrat New York Attorney General Letitia James, campaigned on a promise to get Trump. Now, regardless of the merit or lack thereof of an indictment, Americans can be assured that fulfillment of this campaign promise is wholly motivated by partisan politics.

Lets look at just the facts as we currently know them:

Both the Department of Justice and the former New York County District Attorneys Office under Cyrus Vance (whos no friend of Trump) previously declined to prosecute any alleged offense related to the $130,000 payment to porn actress Stormy Daniels. Bragg now seeks to revive a long-dead claim against Trump thats well outside the statute of limitations and any reasonable prosecutorial conduct.

Further, both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton were only fined for similar alleged campaign finance violations, not prosecuted under legally dubious statutory theories that Bragg is manipulating into a legal pretzel to force into felonies.

But, the left argues, 34 counts allegedly contained in the indictment, which is under seal at the time of writing, must signal something more serious. As noted legal scholar Jonathan Turley wrote: Multiplying a flawed theory 34 times does not make it 34 times stronger. Serial repetition is no substitute for viable criminal charges.

I think Bragg knows that the indictment is spurious but also knows that the downside of giving Trump a boost among his MAGA base might be outweighed by the hit to Trumps finances (defending an indictment is costly) and to the numbers of moderate and independent voters who are already voicing Trump fatigue.

Its a calculation that clearly the Democrats are willing to take. But why wouldnt they?

Democrats also know that even if this political move against Trump succeeds in pushing him over the line for the Republican nomination for president, his chances in the general election will take a nosedive. And we havent even factored in the Fulton County, Georgia, and Washington, D.C., grand juries.

This all comes as the Democrats and Never-Trump establishment, including the Jan. 6 Select Committee, have for the past seven years weaponized every possible institution, agent, and process of government against Trump and anyone associated with him, solely for the crime of daring to win the 2016 election and ousting Clinton from her perceived rightful inheritance. As a former senior adviser and attorney for Trump, Ive been a target of government weaponization as well. Almost every attorney I know who has worked with Trump in any capacity has incurred harm in one form or another.

The most remarkable thing about this weaponization of government is that its not just against Trump. Its been against the very fabric of American justice and our system of government. Its against his former attorneys, associates, and a wide swath of supporters and people whose crime is simply being conservative.

For example, Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.) spoke on my radio show recently about uncovering evidence during a subcommittee hearing on constitutional and civil liberties of the FBIs collusion with the Biden administration and teachers unions to target concerned parents, labeling them domestic terrorists. On March 31, a Trump supporter was convicted in another political prosecution for sharing memes about Clinton.

This is all beyond reprehensible and fully unconstitutional. But what are Trump and the Republican National Committee doing to mount a comprehensive, coordinated strategy to protect everyone targeted by the weaponization of government, particularly former Trump campaign and administration officials?

Many Republicans in elected office on the federal and state level immediately condemned the politically motivated prosecution of Trump, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, widely believed to be Trumps top contender for the Republican nomination, although he hasnt yet announced his candidacy.

DeSantis responded to the possibility of a forthcoming indictment by condemning Soros-backed prosecutors and the weaponization of government, promising that his office wouldnt cooperate or be involved with a politically motivated prosecution. He doubled down on that promise soon after news broke of the indictment, explicitly posting on Twitter that Florida wont assist with an extradition request.

Trump had a unique opportunity to unify Republicans by working with DeSantis against the real enemy: those who would manipulate the tools of justice for political gain.

This is a moment when all Republicans, conservatives, and anyone who believes in the rule of law and the U.S. Constitution, regardless of party or politics, can and should come together to fight the weaponization of government against Trump and every targeted American on every level.

The Democrats have declared war. We cant back down or become fractured over politics. I hope that Trump leads the way and does whats right for the country and for every American citizen rather than just fighting for his own political interests. Otherwise, were on the brink of losing our country and, with it, the recognition that our rights come from Godnot governmentand that governments sole legitimate purpose is to preserve and protect our rights, not weaponize the power of government against political opponents.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Infant Killed, Parents Injured in Suspected DUI Crash in Orange County

A California Highway Patrol vehicle in Orange, Calif., on May 22, 2021. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

A suspected DUI driver allegedly rammed into a couple pushing their infant in a stroller, killing the baby, April 2 in Los Flores, an unincorporated neighborhood bordering Mission Viejo, California, police said.

Daniel Lenihan, 54, of San Clemente, was driving a 2017 Hyundai Sonata on the east sidewalk of Antonio Parkway, south of Oaktree Lane when he allegedly jumped the curb and drove several hundred feet on the sidewalk prior to the accident, according to the California Highway Patrol, who responded to the accident at 4:15 p.m.

Lenihan was arrested and he was suspected of being under the influence of drugs during the incident, according to the highway patrol.

The victims were rushed to Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo, where the infant succumbed to his injuries.

The parentsidentified as Kyle Ohlwhiler, 34, and Hayley Ohlwiler, 31, of Rancho Santa Margaritaare being treated for major injuries, Officer Brian Kinsey told The Epoch Times.

Their child, Madden, was 11 months old, Kinsey said.

Lenihan was arrested and booked at the Orange County jail on a $100,000 bond, Kinsey said. He faces charges of involuntary manslaughter, he said.

Lenihan has an upcoming court appearance April 4, according to jail records.
During the summer of 2022, protests erupted in the Netherlands over the governments plan to reduce nitrogen emissions from the countrys farms by up to 95 percent. The Dutch government expects that many farms will have to close to achieve this goal.

Whats the rationale for such a plan from the government? Is it only happening in the Netherlands, or other parts of the world as well?

Last September, The Epoch Times Roman Balmakov visited the Netherlands and spoke with a variety of farmers on the ground for upcoming documentary Eat the Bugs. They described the challenges their sector faces from the national government and the EU, as those and other powerful factions seek to change how the world produces and consumes food.

Joining Larry Elder, Balmakov shares his knowledge and insights gained from filming the documentary. He thinks that the plan is driven by a belief that the world is ending due to manmade climate change, and the agricultural sector is being targeted to combat this threat. Farmers are being pushed out, and bugs are being promoted as an alternative source of protein.

He says theres no one person to blame, but rather a tapestry of policies and agencies that are having the effect of pushing farmers out.

Balmakov also traveled around the world to interview farmers, agricultural departments, and governments and has found that the situation is complex in every country. Farmers fight back through legal channels, protests, and embargoes, but they are a tiny segment of the population and find it difficult to make their voices heard.

And if youre into it, you can eat bugs. The problem is that theyre forcing it on us, says Balmakov, who has tried bugs himself. What were exposing is the ideology that is being forced on people, not necessarily the bugs as a food item itself.

The Larry Elder Show is sponsored by Birch Gold Group. Protect your IRA or 401(k) with precious metals today: http://larryforgold.com/
Kenyan Opposition Leader Calls Off Protests Amid Talks

Raila Odinga (2nd R), the leader of the Kenyan opposition coalition Azimio la Umoja, walks to attend their presser condemning the brutality of police during their rally at the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Foundation in Nairobi on March 28, 2023. Police fired tear gas to disperse anti-government protests on March 27, 2023, over the high cost of living, after the opposition vowed demonstrations would go ahead despite a police ban. (YASUYOSHI CHIBA/AFP via Getty Images)

NANDI HILLS, KenyaKenyan president William Ruto has called on the opposition leader Raila Odinga to call off demonstrations that have rocked the country for the past two weeks.

Ruto addressed the nation on April 2, calling on the nations opposition leader Raila Odinga to call off the demonstrations, inviting him for a bipartisan engagement in parliament to discuss some of Odingas demands.

In these circumstances, and in view of the recent events that led to the loss of lives and destruction of property, I urge Hon. Raila Odinga to call off any further demonstrations, Ruto said in the televised national address on April 2.

Odinga publicly responded a few minutes later, accepting the request and calling off what he had said would have been the mother of all demonstrations and would have taken place early April 3. Odinga gave conditions for the talks, saying that in the case that his demands are not met, he will still call for the demonstrations to continue.

Among Odingas demands were the reinstatement of suspended lawmakers over their involvement in protests against soaring prices and alleged fraud in last years presidential election.

Kenyan daily newspaper Daily Nation proclaims Kenyas 5th President elect William Ruto the winner of the hard-fought presidential election on Aug. 16, 2022, in Eldoret but his opponents cry foul. All eyes were on defeated rival Raila Odinga, who failed at his fifth stab at the presidency but has yet to make any public comments about the outcome of the Aug. 9 election. (SIMON MAINA/AFP via Getty Images)

Odinga also wants the government to grant his team access to the data that was sent to the electronic voting system, which ended up tabulating the number of votes garnered by each of the four presidential candidates in last years general elections.

Protesters are also calling for the government to do more to address the rising cost of living. The government had scrapped subsidies on fuel, maize, and electricity.

The president agreed to resolve protesters demands in parliament.

We are convinced the issues shall be conclusively handled by Parliament in order to allow us focus on our economic transformation programme, the president said.

Odinga said that protesting and picketing are the peoples constitutional right and that he will not hesitate to call for people to use them if the demands are not met.

On April 3, the Director of Public Prosecutions dropped charges against six MPs and is in the process of doing the same for over 200 other protestors who were arrested in protests.

The case has been withdrawn  for the sake of peace, dialogue and justice between the accused persons and the state, lawyer Danstan Omari said.

Riot police officers detain a supporter of Kenyas opposition leader Raila Odinga of the Azimio La Umoja (Declaration of Unity) One Kenya Alliance, as they participate in a nationwide protest over cost of living and President William Rutos government in Mathare settlement of Nairobi, Kenya, on March 30, 2023. (John Muchucha/Reuters)

In Kenyas western county of Nandi, which is President Rutos stronghold, people had mixed reactions to this speech, with some saying that Ruto wasnt supposed to yield to Odingas demands, while others saying that he did a good thing, given the countrys needs for peace and stability.

David Lagat, a school teacher in Nandi Hills town, says that Rutos move weakens his stance as a president and that he wasnt supposed to dialogue with Odinga.

Im not happy with the presidents speech, Lagat said, as he had his shoes shined while reading the days newspaper before he could dash to school for his days duties.

I wanted the president to hold on to his stance and not bow to the oppositions pressure because that tells a lot about the grip he has on the country. At the ballot box when I voted for him, I had all faith and confidence in him that he was capable of driving this country in his own wisdom, he explains.

A few meters away by the roadside, Benard Kiprop, a taxi motorbike rider, was also reading a newspaper as he waited for customers. He said that what Ruto did was not only noble but also very wise for a leader of his caliber.

Theres no glory in fighting with the opposition as a show of might by the government when we are losing property and lives, and damaging our own economy through the protests. At the end of the day, its us who will suffer the consequences, Kiprop said.

Kenyas Azimio La Umoja Party (One Kenya Coalition Party) presidential candidate Raila Odinga waves to supporters outside the Milimani High Court in Nairobi on Aug. 22, 2022, after filing a petition to the countrys top court challenging the result of the Aug. 9, 2022 election that handed victory to his rival William Ruto. (SIMON MAINA/AFP via Getty Images)

Many political leaders in the country have praised President Ruto for putting the country first in accepting to talk with Odinga.

On April 3, Ruto met with members of his ruling party to organize themselves on how they were going to deal with Odingas demands.

Daadab Member of Parliament Farah Maalim claimed that the truce between Ruto and Raila was made possible by U.S. Sen. Chris Coons. Coons had visited the East African country last week when he sat down with the two leaders.

Coons visited Kenya with a congressional delegation of U.S. Senate and House Representatives on March 29 for meetings with Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and former Prime Minister Odinga.

The biggest game changer here is not the church, the religious sector, or the political class. It is the American senator Chris Coons. He went and talked to everybody and told them to stand down, Maalim said on national television on Monday.

Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, on his Twitter account, said that Kenyans should resume their businesses as usual after the weekly protests were called off late April 3 by Odinga.

All lawbreakers will be swiftly apprehended and prosecuted in accordance with the law. I am happy our economy, which had started showing signs of recovery, is now back on track, Gachagua said.

Ann Waiguru, who is the chairperson of the Council of Governors, said that the truce between the two leaders will help the country economically and unify Kenyans.

I wish to congratulate President William Ruto for exercising reason and restraint and guiding our nation back to constitutionalism and public order. I also wish to thank Raila Odinga for halting their demonstrations and accepting the presidents appeal, to rely upon available, legal, and harmonious means to resolve issues they consider contentious, Waiguru said in on Twitter.

Reuters contributed to this report.
Medicare Not Fit for Purpose: Taxpayers Forking up to $3 Billion a Year for Administration Errors

People are seen waiting in line at the Prahran Centrelink office in Melbourne, Australia on March 24, 2020. (AAP Image/James Ross)

Australias universal healthcare system, Medicare, is no longer fit for purpose because of its complexity, lack of clarity, and lack of continuous monitoring, an independent review has found.

Commissioned by Health Minister Mark Butler in response to reports of widespread rorting and fraud, the review by health economist Pradeep Philip found that Medicare was bleeding between $1.5 billion to $3 billion (US$2 billion) to non-compliance.

At present, it is my view that a significant part of the leakage in the Medicare payment system stems from noncompliance errors rather than premeditated fraud, Philip said.

Reports in media last year that alleged rorting and wastage were eating up $8 billion or a third of its budget every year were not substantiated in Philips report.

But he noted that Medicares governance, system, and tools were currently not fit for purpose and that, if left unchecked, these vulnerabilities will lead to significant levels of fraud.

For example, the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) now has around 6,000 items that are not all clear and easy to navigate. Additionally, they change at a rate that is difficult for individual medical practitioners to keep up with, with around half the items having undergone changes in the last two to three years.

With around 6,000 Medicare items, which are undergoing constant change, and 14 claim channels, simplicity is a critical objective for reform, Philip said.

He also said that there is currently a disproportionate focus on the post-payment systems, with little attention paid to areas such as pre-payment and pre-claim.

To reduce noncompliance and fraud, clarity of the rules and system focus on pre-claim, and pre-payments are a necessity, he said.

Despite the complexity and large size of the system, Medicare lacks continuous monitoring and scrutiny of payments, meaning there were no feedback loops to help providers make more accurate claims which held the door wide open to fraud.

With $38 billion in annual Medicare payments and more than 500 million transactions a year, it would be expected that, like what exists in financial institutions, that continuous monitoring be established, Philip said.

In order to implement continuous monitoring, the brain of the system needs to be modernised, and new controls, in line with three lines of defence methodology, should be adopted.

The government said it would consider the recommendations and work with the health sector to develop a response.

Minister Butler said the report showed that the overwhelming majority of Australian doctors and health professionals are honest and comply with Medicare rules.

But they also understand that, at a time of great pressure on household and government budgets, every dollar in Medicare is precious and must be spent directly on patient care, he said.

Strengthening Medicare also means safeguarding the taxpayer funds that underpin it, and this government is committed to that task.

Doctors Demand Apology

It comes after a separate study by the University of Sydney found that General Practitioners (GPs) were more likely to undercharge than overcharge Medicare for their services.

In a survey of 2,760 GPs, the health system was undercharged nearly 11.8 percent of the time and overcharged 1.6 of the time, saving Medicare an estimated $351.7 million in 2021-22.

Lead author Christopher Harris said the findings contrasted with the reports alleging widespread GP billing fraud.

General practice is in crisis. Allegations of fraud have been damaging to a workforce that is struggling to attract medical graduates to general practice, he said.

While some GPs may undercharge Medicare for altruistic reasons and others because they still consider the complexity of care when determining the Medicare item charged, we believe that a major reason GPs undercharge, even for long consultations, is the fear of being audited.

We hope that these results will help inform the current discussion around how to strengthen Medicare and primary care in particular.

Nicole Higgins from the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners said the study vindicated GPs, and they anticipate an apology for the allegations.

Give us a break. For those who got it wrong, an apology is in order to all the hardworking GPs out there, she told the AAP.

The issue is with the system and not the GPs. The government needs to simplify the system and ensure we have a focus on education and not punitive measures.
Mississippi Senator Endorses Trump the Night Before His Arraignment

Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) speaks alongside President Donald Trump during a "Keep America Great" campaign rally at BancorpSouth Arena on November 1, 2019 in Tupelo, Mississippi. Trump is campaigning in Mississippi ahead of a state gubernatorial election where Republican Tate Reeves is in a close race with Democrat Jim Hood. Reeves won the election. (Photo by Brandon Dill/Getty Images)

Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) threw her support behind former President Donald Trumps 2024 presidential bid on the evening of April 3, the day before Trumps arraignment.

Hyde, who became the first woman to represent Mississippi when she was sworn into Congress in 2018, was formerly a Democrat who switched parties in 2010.

She called the prosecution of Trump a political stunt by a prosecutor whose campaign was funded by George Soros, referring to the left-wing billionaire financier.

That charade is all about self-promotion by the prosecutor and has nothing to do with justice, Hyde-Smith said in a statement on Twitter. I believe the whole affair will backfire on the prosecutor and Democrats.

According to The Hill, Hyde-Smith joins six other Republican senators in their endorsement of Trumps campaign.

Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), and J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) have all made similar endorsements.

On Friday, Graham called the indictment shocking, dangerous, and one of the most irresponsible decisions in American history by any prosecutor.

Hyde-Smith went on to promote Trumps policies that she said improved America, such as his securing of the U.S.-Mexico border.

Trump, she said, cut taxes, appointed conservative judges, increased wages, and made the country energy independent, in addition to cultivating a healthy economy and garnering respect from nations around the world.

I support a return to those policies and to President Trumps effective leadership, Hyde-Smith said.

She added that the former president has also been attentive to the needs of Mississippi, making several trips to the Magnolia state.

Therefore, I am endorsing Donald J. Trump for another term in the White House and will be working to assist him in winning the Republican nomination for President in 2024, Hyde-Smith said.

Campaign Fundraising Skyrockets

The Make American Great Again Inc. political action committee announced that fundraising for Trumps campaign has skyrocketed to $7 million in the three days since Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg voted on Thursday to indict.

Twenty-five percent of the donations came from first-time donors, the committee said.

This incredible surge of grassroots contributions confirms that the American people see the indictment of President Trump as a disgraceful weaponization of our justice system by a Soros-funded prosecutor, the committee said.

The Manhattan district attorneys office has been investigating what it alleges to be Trumps hush-money scheme involving his personal attorney Michael Cohen paying $130,000 to adult performer Stormy Daniels weeks before the 2016 presidential election.

It is alleged that the money was to bribe Daniels to remain silent about an alleged affair with Trump over a decade prior, which Trump denies happened.

Braggs motives for the indictment have been called into question by Republicans considering Braggs connection to Soros, who is known for funding left-wing prosecutors and political candidates.

Though Soros denied having a connection to Bragg, according to Open Secrets, in May 2021 Soros donated $1 million to the Color of Changepolitical action committee that pledged over $1 million to an independent expenditure campaign to support Bragg.

Trump, now the first president to ever face criminal charges, pleaded not guilty to 34 felony criminal charges of falsifying business records and is expected to give a public statement tonight.

Tom Ozimek and Jana J. Pruet contributed to this report.
Montana Rail Link Confirms Substance Spilled in Paradise Train Derailment

A train derailed along the Clark Fork River near Paradise, Mont., on April 2, 2023. (Daffney Clairmont via AP)

With a carriage containing butane gas cleared of leaks, emergency responders to a train derailment on Sunday morning near the town of Paradise in western Montana confirmed that no other hazardous substances were included in the freight being transported by the fated train.

Upon news of the derailment, first responders, rail owner Montana Rail Link (MRL), and local leaders worked to quickly identify the freight onboard after reports that the train had derailed at a site along the Clark Fork River just west of Paradise around 9:20 a.m.

Witnesses at the crash site reported that numerous carriages had entered the nearby waterway.

The Sanders County Sheriffs Office told local outlet KPAX that clay-like powder could be seen coming from some of the carriages that contained what appeared to be cans of food and clay. Some of the cars were reportedly refrigerated.

State Gov. Greg Gianforte responded to initial reports of the derailment on Twitter, saying, I was briefed this morning on the train derailment in Sanders County, and we are prepared to mobilize the states resources.

Hundreds of Cases of Beer

Paradise Rural Fire District confirmed later on Sunday that while freight had been spilled into the local waterway in the 25-car derailment, there were no hazardous chemicals involved. One carriage was carrying butane gas, but that was found to be contained and not leaking, with the carriage only partially derailed.

Visual inspection and utilizing a gas meter did not detect any leaks, a statement from the fire district read.

The railcars that reached the river were empty or carrying Coors Light and Blue Moon, it said, adding, This is not floating down the river and is secured in the derailment area.

The Fire District, which was among the first to respond, said in a press release on Sunday night that alongside St. Regis Fire and a Plains Community Ambulance, they sent 13 firefighters and six apparatuses to respond at the crash site.

It said that MRL employees quickly assessed the damage from the derailed carriages and concluded there was no danger to the public or railway employees at the spill site.

MRL spokesman Andy Garland told The Epoch Times in a statement on Monday that a more thorough assessment of the site, which included air, soil, and water monitoring, revealed that asmall amount of fuel was released to the soil from two impacted refrigerator cars.

The railway said that the boom deployed will help monitor for potential diesel impacts.

MRL has been in communication with both local and federal authorities and will conduct any necessary site remediation, including impacted soil removal in coordination with DEQ. There continues to be no risk to the public, no reported injuries, and there are no concerns involving hazmat release.

We are committed to addressing any impacts to the area as a result of this accident, prioritizing the safety of our employees and the public, and understanding the reasons for this incident, Garland said in a statement.

The cause of the derailment remains unclear.

Garland told The Epoch Times in an update on Thursday that significant progress had been made at the crash site, with many of the damaged cars and debris having been removed, and the process of site remediation underway.

Additionally, infrastructure in the affected area has been replaced and we are expecting train traffic to resume later today when all safety measures have been met.

Local authorities on Sunday had ordered people staying in cabins at a hot spring resort just across the river from the derailment site to evacuate as a precaution.

Guests at Quinns Hot Springs Resort posted video of the derailment on Twitter.

Quinns general manager Denise Moreth told the Missoulian that reception staff described a loud, rumbling crash, and then they heard the train derailment.

She said this is the first derailment she has seen after two decades at Quinns, which usually has around four to five trains pass through daily.

Video of the derailment site from CBS affiliate KENS5 showed hundreds of cases of beer spilled from the railcars. KENS5 reported a timeline for the cleanup efforts has not yet been set.

Over the following days and weeks, we will be working with MRL while they clean up and rebuild the track, the Fire District said.

Derailment Risk

The toxic train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, in February, triggered renewed attention to railway safety nationwide.

Since the East Palestine tragedy, numerous other train derailments have left residents near railways concerned over whether safety measures are adequate to protect them from another spill involving hazardous chemicals.

According to data from the Federal Railroad Administration, 1,173 train derailments were reported across the country last year.

The American Association of Railroads (AAR), which represents the major freight railroads like Amtrak and others, said that the data showed that railway accidents are down 28 percent since 2000.

Last month, we all saw the devastating impact a train derailment can have on a community, and we are committed to continuing our industrys efforts to prevent what happened in East Palestine from happening elsewhere, AAR President and CEO Ian Jefferies said in a statement.

This data makes clear that our employees strong safety culture, paired with the sustained, disciplined investments in maintenance and technologies that target the primary causes of accidents, deliver meaningful safety results.

There is more work to do, but FRAs data clearly reflects railroads steadfast safety commitment.

This article has been updated to include comments from MRL.
SEOUL, April 4 (Xinhua) -- South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol on Tuesday vetoed a bill that made it mandatory for the government to purchase excess rice, according to the presidential office.

Yoon rejected the revised grain management act at a cabinet meeting, marking his first veto since he took office in May last year.

The National Assembly, controlled by the main liberal opposition Democratic Party, passed the revision 12 days ago.

The rejected bill forced the government to purchase all overproduced rice when the excess production is 3 percent to 5 percent higher than rice demand or when rice prices fall 5 percent to 8 percent compared to the previous year.

The Democratic Party had pushed the bill to stabilize rice prices and income for farmers.

Yoon said the revision was a typical populist bill that goes against the government's goal of expanding agricultural productivity and raising the income of farming households while being of no help to farmers and rural development.

The president noted that the revision was a law for the forced purchase of leftover rice that required the government to buy all of the leftover rice with an enormous amount of taxpayers' money regardless of rice consumption in the market.

To pass the bill again in the National Assembly, it is required to win two-thirds approval in a vote with at least half of incumbent lawmakers being present. 
National Boysenberry Day Celebrated at Knotts Berry Farm Annual Festival

BUENA PARK, Calif.Do you want me to get a picture of you kissing this giant Boysenberry? a man jokingly asked a Knotts Berry Farm park-goer over the sounds of people joyfully screaming from an overhead rollercoaster.

Do it, this thing is huge!

In celebration of National Boysenberry Day on April 3, the Knotts Berry Farm theme park not only adorned its 160-acre property with purple color schemes and giant boysenberry statues, but also outfitted its various cafes with boysenberry-flavored dishes for park guests to enjoy.

People celebrate the Boysenberry Festival at Knotts Berry Farm theme park in Buena Park, Calif., on April 3, 2023. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

Ive been having a lot of fun out here today riding the rides and trying out all of the boysenberry dishes, annual park pass holder John from Fountain Valley, California, told The Epoch Times as he stood in line for a boysenberry pie-eating contest.

They even have boysenberry jambalaya for sale down by the GhostRider rollercoaster, which was amazing, I should add!

A roller coaster at Knotts Berry Farm theme park in Buena Park, Calif., on April 3, 2023. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

A Berry Created in California

It was over 100 years ago when Walter and Cordelia Knott moved to a small town named Buena Park to start a farm on 20 acres of rented land with the goal of growing berries. However, it was not until the 1930s when Walter became associated with the boysenberrythe large, purple, sweet-tasting berry which would become the Knott family trademark.

Just down the road from the Knott family farm at the time in the City of Anaheim, park superintendent Rudolph Boysen had been experimenting with a new strain of berry but had since abandoned the projectall that changed once he connected with Walter Knott. The experienced farmer took the few remaining scraggly plants and nurtured them to grow into the worlds newest berry under the name the boysenberry.

People celebrate the Boysenberry Festival at Knotts Berry Farm theme park in Buena Park, Calif., on April 3, 2023. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

A cross between a loganberry, red raspberry, and blackberry, all boysenberries in the world trace their roots to Knotts Berry Farm and the days before its world-famous roller coasters. Every year, the park celebrates the berry with its own festival.

Look, they even have boysenberry salsa, one woman in the parks entryway gift shop told her husband as she pushed a stroller.

And boysenberry honey, too!

Ending Next Month

What started with the humble beginning of a great depression-era local berry farm in Buena Park over a century ago has now evolved into the 12th most visited theme park in the United States.

Boysenberry jam for sale at Knotts Berry Farm theme park in Buena Park, Calif., on April 3, 2023. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

Along with being Californias first ever theme park, Knotts now features live stage shows, world-famous roller coasters, and of course: Knotts signature boysenberry jam available at shops around the park.

The Knotts Boysenberry Festival will be held daily from March 10 to April 16, and on the weekends April 21 through May 7.
NATOs Border With Russia Doubles as Finland Joins Military Bloc

Finnish reservists of the Guard Jaeger Regiment stand at a shooting range as they take part in a military exercise at the Santahamina military base in Helsinki, Finland on March 7, 2023. (Alessandro Rampazzo/AFP via Getty Images)

Finland formally joined NATO on Tuesday and essentially doubled the military alliances border with Russia amid the year-long war in Ukrainedrawing a warning from the Kremlin.

The move by Finland, which shares an approximately 832-mile border with Russia, will bolster NATOs eastern flank as Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto completed the accession process by handing over an official document to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken at its headquarters in Brussels, Belgium.

We welcome Finland to the alliance, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said at the end of a brief ceremony on Tuesday. This will make Finland safer and NATO stronger, he told reporters, adding that Russia has a declared goal of the invasion of Ukraine to get less NATO along its borders and no more membership in Europe and the Kremlin is getting exactly the opposite.

Both Finland and its neighbor Sweden had previously adopted a policy of non-alignmentnamely during the Cold War. However, after the Ukraine-Russia conflict erupted, both countries sought to join the alliance amid fears of a wider conflict brewing in Europe.

As for Sweden, which only shares a maritime border with Russia, its NATO bid remains stuck as top officials in Turkey have accused the Swedish government of harboring left-wing Kurdish militant groups that it has accused of terrorist acts. Hungary has also signaled opposition to Sweden joining the alliance.

But Tuesdays event marks the end of an era of military non-alignment for Finland that began after the country repelled an invasion attempt by the Soviet Union during World War Two and opted to try to maintain friendly relations with nearby Russia. Since the end of the Cold War three decades ago, Moscow has watched successive waves of NATO expansion to the formerly communist east of Europe with consternation, and the issue drew sharp criticism from Russian President Vladimir Putin long before the invasion of Ukraine.

Reactions

Finnish President Saul Niinisto said Finlands most significant contribution to NATOs common deterrence and defense would be to defend its own territory. There is still significant work to be done to coordinate this with NATO, he said.

It is a great day for Finland and I want to say that it is an important day for NATO, Niinisto said at a joint news conference with Stoltenberg.

On Tuesday morning, the White House released a statement from President Joe Biden, who said that he look[s] forward to welcoming Sweden as a NATO member as soon as possible, and encourage Turkiye and Hungary to conclude their ratification processes without delay.

When Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine last February, the Kremlin believed it could divide Europe and NATO  today, we are more united than ever. And togetherstrengthened by our newest Ally Finlandwe will continue to preserve transatlantic security, defend every inch of NATO territory, and meet any and all challenges we face, Biden added.

NATO flag (C) and Finland flags flutter over the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building in Helsinki on April 4, 2023. (Sergei Grits/AP Photo)

The Kremlins chief spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, warned that Russia will have no choice but to respond to Finlands accession. Peskov, however, noted that Finland is fundamentally different from Ukraine, which was a former Soviet territory, and that Finland never became anti-Russia.

The Kremlin believes that this is another aggravation of the situation, he told reporters, according to Russias Interfax news agency. NATO expansion is an encroachment on our security and the national interests of the Russian Federation.

Naturally, this forces us to take countermeasures to ensure our own security and both tactically and strategically, Peskov said. He did not elaborate.

NATO has repeatedly stressed that it is solely a defensive alliance and does not threaten Russia. The Kremlin and Putin long accused the bloc of attempting to destabilize Russia.

Sweden?

Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstroem told reporters it was Stockholms ambition to become a member at the NATO summit in Vilnius in July. This is a question of utmost importance for Sweden  there is no reason for neither the Turkish parliament or the Hungarian parliament to make any further delays, he said.

Turkey says Stockholm harbors members of what Ankara considers terrorist groupsan accusation Sweden deniesand has demanded their extradition as a step toward ratifying Swedish membership. Hungary cites grievances over criticism of Prime Minister Viktor Orbans record on democracy and rule of law. NATO diplomats say they expect Budapest to approve Swedens bid if it sees Turkey moving to do so.

Reuters contributed to this report.
Shen Yun Performing Arts took to the stage at the Orpheum Theater in Omaha, Nebraska, on the evening of April 3 and is set to perform again on April 4.

Ahead of the performance, several Nebraska officials welcomed the worlds premier classical Chinese dance company.

Representative Don Bacon wrote, Thank you for the opportunity to learn about 5000 years of Chinese culture and history, but also your willingness to spread the message of democratic principles.

Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen wrote, Shen Yun Performing Arts discloses the truth about human rights, which blends in Nebraskas highest value of freedom, peace, and equity.

Nebraska state senators Teresa Ibach, Steve Erdman, and Jane Raybould also wrote letters of welcome for the New York-based arts company.

It is truly a unique work of traditional Chinese art and culture that is certain to captivate all who witness this dynamic performance, wrote Ibach. I would like to sincerely thank Shen Yun for their dedication to sharing this classical Chinese performance and for promoting cultural diversity through dance and music.

Erdman expressed appreciation for the cultural exchange opportunity. Shen Yun Performing Arts has for many years presented performances which foster a love of music and raise appreciation for traditional Chinese art and culture. We are extremely excited to welcome Shen Yun Performing Arts back to Nebraska.

Raybould was grateful for the benefits Shen Yun could bring to audiences mental health. I am grateful for Shen Yuns dedication to create performances and music that can make people calm down, be peaceful, relieve pressure, stress, and anxiety.'

Omaha City Mayor Jean Stothert welcomed Shen Yun with a proclamation.

Evoking themes of virtue, compassion, and courage, audiences from all backgrounds leave Shen Yun Performing Arts filled with joy, energy, hope, and peace, Stothert wrote.

The Omaha City Council also issued a proclamation welcoming Shen Yun.

The City of Omaha commends Shen Yun Performing Arts commitment to educating audiences about authentic Chinese culture and encourages everyone who can to attend performances at the Orpheum Theater.

La Vista City Mayor Douglas Kindig encouraged residents of the Greater Omaha area to see the performance.

Shen Yun is an artistic revival and celebration of Chinas rich cultural heritage, he wrote.

The Douglas County Board of County Commissioners also passed a resolution welcoming Shen Yun.

The companys success has been remarkable, with artists and critics alike agreeing that the production is among the best in the world now traveling to more than 180 cities yearly with all-new productions showcasing China before Communism,' it states.
New Zealand Seeks to Deepen NATO Alliance

New Zealand is moving toward closer ties with NATO after the New Zealand (NZ) Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nanaia Mahuta, announced she would be attending a session of the NATO Foreign Ministers Meeting in Brussels.

NZ has a long-standing partnership of 25 years with NATO and has supported various NATO-led efforts, including in Afghanistan, between 2001-2021.

NATO is a long-standing and like-minded partner for Aotearoa, New Zealand. It is valuable to join a session of this meeting in person, to express our ongoing condemnation of Russias illegal invasion of Ukraine one year on, and as NATO and New Zealand work to renew our formal partnership this year, Mahuta said.

It is important that we continue to engage with our close partners to address shared security challenges, many of which are global in nature with wide-ranging implications, including in the Pacific.

FILE PHOTO: New Zealand Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta speaks during a session of the UN Human Rights Council, which voted to hold an urgent debate about Russias deadly invasion of Ukraine at Kyivs request, amid widespread international condemnation of Moscows attack, in Geneva, Switzerland, Feb. 28, 2022. Fabrice Coffrini/Pool via REUTERS

The visit will also provide the opportunity to hold bilateral calls with a number of my counterparts from the NATO allies and our other close partners, Mahuta said.

Australia and New Zealand Deepening Engagement with NATO

The trip comes just 13 days after NATO military officials visited Australia and New Zealand from March 20-24.

Leading the delegation of NATOs Cooperative Security Division (CS), Director Lieutenant General Francesco Diella said that it was important for NATO to deepen its engagement in the region because the link between European and Indo-Pacific security is clear.

Russias war against Ukraine has shattered peace in Europe, and other global challenges are on the rise. We have a responsibility to preserve the rules-based international order. This order protects democracy and freedom and allows for prosperity to flourish. Therefore, NATO Allies will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes, and we are grateful to our Partners for doing the same, Diella said.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern (R) arrives for the NATO summit at the Ifema congress centre in Madrid, Spain, on June 29, 2022. (Javier Soriano/AFP via Getty Images)

In an era of strategic competition, NATO must work even more closely with like-minded countries. We are determined to continue to deepen and strengthen our cooperation with our Indo-Pacific partners, for example, by having their Armed Forces take part in NATO exercises and activities, which improves our collective interoperability and ensures our forces can meet common challenges.

The enhanced engagement follows former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern attending a NATO Summit last year, and the visit in May 2022, of Australias and New Zealands Chiefs of Defence to the NATO Military Committee Chiefs of Defence meeting in Brussels. Chair of the NATO Military Committee, Admiral Rob Bauer, also attended the 24th annual Indo-Pacific Chiefs of Defence Conference in Australia in July 2022.

New Zealand NATO Deepening Alliance A Natural Fit

The move by the Hipkins government to deepen ties with NATO has been applauded by international relations experts, with the University of Otago politics Professor Robert Patman telling Radio New Zealand that it was a logical fit.

We believe in a multilateral approach to security, and we have done for decades. NATO is the biggest multilateral security organisation in the world, largely consisting of democracies, he said.

The other thing here, of course, is that we have a huge stake in what is often described as the international rules-based system or rules-based order, and thats under threat at the moment.

Patman noted that it was important for New Zealand to have good security relations with its economic partners because the world was becoming smaller with middle powers and small powers exercising more influence.

And that gives us an opportunity to shape the world in the direction wed like to go. And thats how I see the relationship with NATO, he said.
North Korea Could Attack South Korea if China Invades Taiwan: Report

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visits a hall displaying what appear to be various types of warheads designed to be mounted on missiles or rocket launchers in undisclosed location in North Korea on March 27, 2023. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)

North Korea could use a Chinese communist invasion of Taiwan as a distraction to begin its own assault on South Korea, according to a new report.

The United States will need to help South Korea better integrate into bilateral and minilateral agreements to deter such a threat, according to a report published on March 15 by The Center for a New American Security think tank.

Washington has declared China to be the only country with both the intent to reshape the regional and global order and the power across every dimension to do it, the report reads.

In South Korea  the policy debate about China is likewise growing in importance and urgency, and potentially shifting away from legacy paradigms that prioritized partnership and economic engagement with Beijing and downplayed geopolitical differences.

Central to this break with longstanding policy is South Koreas fear of Chinese Communist Party (CCP) aggression toward Taiwan and other powers in the Indo-Pacific, which South Korea sees as a increasingly destabilizing force, the report says.

If the CCP were to invade Taiwan and draw the United States and all its resources into the conflict, the report states, North Korea could capitalize on the United States distraction and attack South Korea.

Chinas military assertiveness elsewhere in Asia, particularly mounting pressure on Taiwan, also drives [South Korean] unease about Beijings ambitions to revise the regional order, the report reads.

Seoul worries that the United States responding to military aggression from China against Taiwan could occupy U.S. resources and attention, prompting North Korea to use that opportunity to attack South Korea.

Multilateral Institutions

The report found that, while Beijing enabling North Korea is an immense challenge for the United States and South Korea, there was also much opportunity to increase cooperation to improve regional security.

The threat from North Korea continues to be severe  but in general, we wanted to look with a broader lens, report co-author Jacob Stokes said on April 4.

This was important given that the United States now considers China the pacing challenge.

To that end, Stokes highlighted that the report encourages that the United States assist the further integration of South Korea with bilateral and unilateral cooperation efforts, particularly in the defense space.

Washington should support Seouls ambitions to work more closely with major democracies, including as an informal aligned country or part of plus formats for the G-7, NATO, and the Quad, the report reads.

In addition, Washington and Seoul should look for opportunities to work together in multilateral institutions toward specific ends, especially where traditional processes are blocked.
Orange County Officials Chip in for Plaza Park Fountain Restoration After Car Crash

Orange County officials hold a press conference at the damaged historic fountain at Plaza Park in Orange, Calif., on March 30, 2023. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

Orange County Supervisors Don Wagner and Vicente Sarmiento pledged $225,000 March 28 to help with the reconstruction of Plaza Park in the city of Orange, California, after the driver of a suspected stolen car crashed into it last month during a high-speed chase.

When we saw what happened here, it was a pretty easy call for us to say we have some resources that are available for the people in my district, Wagner said during a press conference March 30.

Both supervisors are donating from their discretionary funds. Wagner will be giving $200,000, while Sarmiento has chipped in $25,000.

Orange County Supervisor Don Wagner discusses upcoming repairs for the damaged historic fountain at Plaza Park in Orange, Calif., on March 30, 2023. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

Sarmiento recalled during the same press conference standing in the plaza in January for the candlelight vigil remembering Elliot Blair, a California Public Defender from Orange who died in Mexico.

When Blairs family sought a place to mourn their loss they didnt want to go to any other place but this, Sarmiento said. He called the plaza a special place, for city residents and for others from neighboring communities.

Orange officials approved about $310,000 in September to enhance and add protective barriers at the plaza. Work had been scheduled to begin just weeks prior to the crash before being delayed by rain.

Orange County Supervisor Vicente Sarmiento discusses upcoming repairs for the damaged historic fountain at Plaza Park in Orange, Calif., on March 30, 2023. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

Orange Mayor Pro Tem Arianna Barrios, who led the press conference, said the city plans to have renovations completed in about a year, saying historical restorations require more time.

She said the plaza, designed in 1886, is listed as a historic site on both the city and states historic registry, and said it received an award in 2018 as one of the five great public spaces in the U.S. by the American Planning Association.

This is not only the historic heart and core of our city, but it is also the historic heart of Orange County, she said.

The accident has brought many together for its restoration, including the family of the plazas original designer.

Orange County officials hold a press conference at the damaged historic fountain at Plaza Park in Orange, Calif., on March 30, 2023. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

Some historic tile work around the base of the fountain was destroyed by the crash, which was first installed by Charles McCandless in 1937.

His grandson Mark McCandless, with Santa Ana-based McCandless Tile, has offered to help with repairs and restore the fountain, in an effort, officials said, to keep true to the original.

There is this circle of life were witnessing, Sarmiento said about the grandsons offer to help.
Oscar Pistoriuss Lawyer: Mistake to Deny Parole, Appealing

Oscar Pistorius leaves the High Court in Pretoria, South Africa, on June 14, 2016, during his trail for the murder of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. (Themba Hadebe/AP Photo)

CAPE TOWN, South AfricaThere was an obvious mistake in the process to deny Oscar Pistorius parole last week and the former Olympic runner is seeking to overturn that decision and have a new hearing to be considered for early release from prison as soon as possible, his lawyer told The Associated Press on Monday.

Im confident that common sense will prevail, lawyer Julian Knight said, claiming that Pistorius was not given credit in his parole application for an extra year and four months he has served in prison after being convicted of murder for the 2013 shooting of girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

The 36-year-old Pistorius was denied parole on Friday because he hasnt served the minimum amount of jail time required, a parole board said, a surprise reasoning that prompted criticism of the Department of Corrections for holding the hearing at all if Pistorius wasnt eligible.

The parole board ruled that he will only be eligible in August 2024.

Pistoriuss legal team is disputing that and the push to have a new hearing appears set to unleash another round of legal wranglings in a case that has captured the worlds attention for a decade and changed direction dramatically as a result of numerous appeals and overturned decisions.

Both of Pistoriuss lower legs were amputated when he was a baby because of a congential condition but he went on to become a multiple Paralympic champion sprinter and even competed against the worlds best able-bodied athletes at the 2012 Olympics, running on carbon-fiber blades.

Photographers take photos of Olympic athlete Oscar Pistorius as he appears at a bail hearing for the shooting death of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, in Pretoria, South Africa, on Feb 20, 2013. (Themba Hadebe/AP Photo)

He was ultimately sentenced to 13 years and five months in prison for murder for shooting Steenkamp through a toilet door in his home.

But that final sentence only came in 2017, three years after his widely-televised murder trial ended and after a series of appeals by prosecutors. They successfully overturned an initial conviction comparable to manslaughter, arguing that it was too lenient, and then also had a six-year sentence for murder more than doubled.

Serious offenders in South Africa must serve half their sentence before they can be eligible for parole, meaning Pistorius must serve six years, eight 1/2 monthshalf of 13 years and five monthsto be eligible for early release.

The problems have arisen over the 2017 ruling by South Africas Supreme Court of Appeal to increase his murder sentence. The court said it was sentencing him to 13 years and five months and not the mandatory minimum of 15 years for murder in South Africa because it took into account the one year and seven months he served after the manslaughter conviction between late 2014 and mid-2016.

But the Supreme Court didnt take into account another year and four months Pistorius served in prison between when he was first sentenced for murder in July 2016 and when the Supreme Court increased his sentence in November 2017, lawyer Knight said.

That extra year and four months makes Pistorius eligible for parole now, the lawyer said.

It was an obvious mistake not to count that time, Knight said.

Knight said he was now applying for the Supreme Court to clarify its judgment relating to when Pistoriuss murder sentence should have started and that would likely take around a month. It was unclear how long it would take to get a new parole hearing, he said.

The Department of Corrections declined to comment on the confusion surrounding Pistoriuss parole eligibility, with spokesman Singabakho Nxumalo saying the parole board which ruled Pistorius was ineligible was an independent body that the department had no control over.

The parole board said last week that it was guided by the Supreme Court decision when denying Pistoriuss parole application.

Steenkamps parents, Barry and June, opposed Pistoriuss parole for a different reason. They say he should not be considered to be rehabiliated unless he comes clean over the circumstances of their daughters killing 10 years ago.

Pistorius killed the 29-year-old Reeva Steenkamp, a model and law graduate, in his home in the pre-dawn hours of Valentines Day 2013 by firing four shots through a door and into a tiny toilet cubicle where she was, hitting her multiple times.

He has always claimed that he killed her by mistake with his licensed 9 mm pistol, believing she was a dangerous intruder. He said he didnt realize that she had gotten out of bed and gone to the bathroom in the middle of the night.

Steenkamps parents say they believe Pistorius killed their daughter intentionally after a late-night argument and is still lying.

June Steenkamp attended Pistoriuss parole hearing on Friday to argue he should not be released early from prison.

Even if Pistorius is granted a new parole hearing, it is not guaranteed he will be released.

A parole board takes several factors into account, including the seriousness of the crime, submissions from a victims relatives, the behavior of the offender in prison and if their release is likely to pose a danger to the public.

By Gerald Imray
Overdoses Now a Leading Cause of Death for Pregnant Women

Few treatment options available, but Ohio's ground zero for overdoses has found success

A direct supervision womens bunkroom, which holds 58 inmates. Ten of the 44 women held here on Dec. 8, 2017, were actively detoxing from opioids, and the majority were on suicide watch. (CHARLOTTE CUTHBERTSON/THE EPOCH TIMES)

Joanne Harrison Clough, a single mother and attorney raising her granddaughter, said that when her daughter, Emily, was pregnant, she sought in-person treatments for opioid addiction. However, no one was willing to accept her as a patient.

She had a terrible time when she was pregnant, Clough said. We tried to get her in in-patient rehab, and no one would take her because she was 21 weeks pregnant, high-risk pregnancy. They would not take her.

And they said, Well, she could go into early labor, or she could die. So, she used to sit in my house, and wed call for eight hours a day to rehabs and get turned down. Two phones, two of us, eight hours a day for two weeks, and she would just sob, Mommy, nobody thinks Im worth helping. Nobody even thinks Im worth helping.'

Emily died of fentanyl poisoning in December 2016, leaving behind her 9-month-old daughter.

The Dunes, a residential addiction treatment center in East Hampton, N.Y., on March 23. (Samira Bouaou/Epoch Times)

Fatal overdoses are now a leading cause of death for pregnant women in America, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). CMS reports that those deaths are driven by a lack of access to health care during pregnancy and postpartum and a lack of treatment programs for women who are addicted to opioids.

Many treatment programs do not accept pregnant clients and/or Medicaid beneficiaries. Maternity care providers often do not have the needed experience with substance use disorders to make evidence-based recommendations for treating OUD [opioid use disorder] in pregnancy, CMS stated.

In 2019, CMS Maternal Opioid Misuse (MOM) Model reports that women struggling with opioid addiction are especially engaged with the healthcare system when theyre pregnant, and by failing to offer effective treatment options for addiction during pregnancy, a critical opportunity is missed.

Officials in Montgomery County, Ohio, the nations previous opioid overdose epicenter, have developed a program to effectively treat pregnant women struggling with addiction.

Effectively Treating Addiction

In the late 1990s, pharmaceutical companies told the medical community that opioid pain relievers wouldnt result in addiction, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). That assurance led health care providers to prescribe opioids at increasing rates.

Fast forward to today, and opioid abuse is officially a public health emergency, having been declared such by HHS in 2017. Despite that declaration six years ago, more than 130 Americans are still dying daily from opioid-related drug overdoses.

For pregnant women, addiction is even more complicatedthey cant simply stop taking drugs. That could harm her unborn child, according to Teresa Russell, director of criminal justice outreach in Dayton, Ohio.

Russell works between the county jail and community health and treatment facilities to find the right help for women.

We have pregnant females enter the [jail] facility that test positive for opioids, Russell told The Epoch Times. When that happens, we just want to work to make sure that theyre started on medication-assisted treatment to prevent withdrawal, and we always begin education on treatment options and maintenance as needed for stability throughout the pregnancy.

For treatment, either buprenorphine or methadone is used for pregnant women as Russell said the studies show that theyre safe and effective.

Teresa Russell, director of criminal justice outreach at the Montgomery County jail, in Dayton, Ohio, on Oct. 30, 2019. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)

Russell noted that a crucial aspect of her work is making sure that when an expectant mother is released from jail, she has a place in a community facility to continue her addiction treatment.

One of the most important things for us, if we have a woman in custody with those needs, is that we have a discharge plan in place that creates a warm handoff to a community-based provider upon release, she said.

Russell works in Montgomery County, Ohio. From 2011 to 2017, it had the highest unintentional drug overdose death rates in Ohio, with deaths increasing to 566 in 2017 from 130 in 2011, according to Montgomery Countys Community Overdose Action Team. In 2017, Montgomery County was named the overdose capital of the United States.

That spurred Montgomery officialsand the communityto action.

Thats when we had a lot of national news and a lot of highlights put on our county, Russell said.

Our countys drug-free coalition, our community overdose team, families of addicts, and just concerned neighbors and friends, and people, just started getting together and saying, What are we going to do about this?'

She said that during that first year of the community and officials coming together to implement a plan of attack for addiction and substance abuse, overdose deaths decreased by half.

Can [increasing opioid abuse be] reversed? Absolutely. I know it can because weve done it, Russell said. In that first year  we dropped those [overdose death] numbers from 566 to 280.

Specifically, she said that in Montgomery County, outpatient addiction services and mental health programs partnered with private physicians or a hospital network, and funding for treatment facilities and programs was increased.

Weve had this hospital who started this division within the hospital named Promise to Hope, Russell said. Promise to Hope has been around for quite a long time, but more funding was provided to it when we started to see the opioid crisis.

That program was developed comprehensively to provide medication-assisted treatment and withdrawal treatment to [women and infants] exposed to opioids. It works with everybodyin the criminal justice [system] or not.

She explained that if a pregnant woman in the community is struggling with addiction and her physician isnt trained to handle that, theres an in-place network to partner with another physician with the necessary medical training.

We have multiple providers and options for pregnant women in our community, Russell said. Most of which work very closely with our major hospital network to ensure that appropriate care is provided. [Lack of treatment options is] definitely not something we experience here.

Addressing Mental Health

In addition to treating drug addiction, Russell said Montgomery County had to recognize that drugs are only part of the problem.

For a really long time, we probably didnt do a great job treating mental health and addiction co-occurring, Russell said. But I definitely think that dual diagnosis is more common now than it was when I first came into criminal justice services six years ago.

Russell said shes currently seeing more pregnant women addicted to opioids than she was 10 or even five years ago. Now, theres also the recognition that women abusing opioids are often self-medicating an underlying mental health need.

Kristen Lacaze, former drug addict and current peer supporter for the Montgomery County jail, in Centerville, Ohio, on Oct. 30, 2019. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)

As a result, Montgomery County is addressing the mental health aspect simultaneously with addiction.

Previously, if you came into the jail or you went into a correctional setting, or even if you showed up for treatment if addiction was assessed to be the issue, thats what was put down as a primary need and what was worked on first, Russell said.

Now its a lot more thorough. If someone comes into jail, we look at mental health and addiction. You know, up front.  A lot of the clinicians have said its kind of the chicken or the egg. Which one comes first? Do you clean someone up from addiction to work on mental health? Or do you start addressing mental health to help the addiction issues? So, we do a much better job now than we did, I know, when I first came into service six years ago, just looking at things co-occurring and treating them that way instead of one at a time.

Increasing Treatment Options

In recognition of the lack of treatment options for pregnant women struggling with addiction and substance abuse, in 2021, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) distributed $3.6 million to four grantees in a state pilot program to treat pregnant and postpartum women. The distribution was the first of its three-year award cycle, which will total $10.8 million in the end.

SAMHSA stated about the program, The funds support family-based services for pregnant and postpartum women with substance use disorders, emphasizing treatment of opioid use disorders; help state substance abuse agencies address the continuum of care, including services provided in nonresidential-based settings; and promote a coordinated, effective, and efficient system by encouraging new approaches and models of service delivery.

Montgomery County Deputy Sheriff Andy Teague speaks with two people who had allegedly been using drugs inside an abandoned home in the Drexel neighborhood of Dayton, Ohio, on Aug. 3, 2017. (Benjamin Chasteen/The Epoch Times)

CMS MOM program is working with eight states to address the lack of access to comprehensive services during pregnancy and the postpartum period for women struggling with substance abuse. The eight states involved in the program are Indiana, Maryland, Texas, Maine, Tennessee, Colorado, New Hampshire, and West Virginia.

Still, Russell said about addressing the rising opioid crisis, The issue cant just fall on law enforcement. It cant fall on local addiction and mental health boards or public health departments in general.

Your schools have to be involved. Your churches have to be involved. Everybody has to come together and do the work to break the stigma related to addiction and mental health and start passing out resources. You know, the more people talk about it, the less stigma attached to it, the more people will utilize the resources that are available in the community.

For Help

SAMHSA National Helpline

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Palaus government has imposed a ban on the sale and use of electronic cigarettes in the Pacific Island nation, citing the detrimental effects of the products on public health, according to local reports.

The bill, signed into law by Palaus President Surangel Whipps Jr. on Wednesday, will also prohibit the import and advertisement of electronic cigarettes in Palau. The new rules will take effect on May 29.

This bill will protect the health of the public, especially our youth, from the detrimental effects of electronic cigarettes and will further our goal of promoting a healthy lifestyle among our citizens, Whipps said.

Under the bill, those who violate the law may be subjected to a $1,000 fine, while businesses or persons who import, distribute, or sell electronic cigarettes could face a fine of up to $20,000, Island Times reported.

Valerie Whipps, Palaus first lady and chair of the Tobacco Coalition, said that e-cigarettes contain substances that could harm a persons brain development and nicotine, which makes e-cigarettes addictive.

This product is specifically designed to attract young people, and if we let it, we will be raising an entire generation that is damaged by this harmful product, she was quoted as saying by Island Times.

Palau is the latest country to ban e-cigarettes. According to the Global Center for Good Governance in Tobacco Control, 37 countries have banned the sales of e-cigarettes as of February 2021, including Brazil, Australia, Singapore, India, and Mexico.

Declining Trend of E-Cigarettes

E-cigarettes, better known as vapes, seem to be on the path of decline. After a series of regulations and market takedowns by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), media reports of adverse effects, and lobbying by legislators and health advocates, the demand for e-cigarettes has fallen.

In July 2022, FDA banned JUUL products, a popular vaping brand that was popular with smokers as well as non-smoking young adults and teenagers.

This received controversial responses of support and backlash from the public, though the FDA later placed a pause on the ban, their action caused damage to JUULs image, and likely to the culture of vaping, which the company once broadly represented.

A report funded by the Foundation for a Smoke-Free World (FSFW) estimated that misinformation shock through health agency recommendations and the media as a result of e-cigarette or vaping use-associated lung injuries (EVALI) and deaths from 2019 to 2020 have reduced e-cigarette demand by 24 to 36 percent in the United States.

It has not only driven non-smokers to fear health implications, but also led some smokers to think that vaping is worse than smoking, despite long-term consensus among health experts that vaping was safer than smoking.

Studies on vaping use also reflect a slight decline, though market reports project growth and increased revenue for the e-cigarette market in the coming years from $7 billion in 2020 to a forecast of $40.38 billion in 2028.

Studies on Vaping

Health experts argue that e-cigarettes are safer as they contain fewer chemicals that are also less harmful. The chemicals in e-cigarettes include nicotine, propylene glycol, glycerin, flavorings, and other chemicals.

These chemicals are generally deemed to be safe for human use, yet no one is certain of their effects when inhaled over the long term.

Some studies have also detected flavoring agents such as diacetyl (a chemical linked to lung disease), volatile organic compounds (a health concern if in high concentrations), as well as heavy metals such as nickel, tin, and lead in the e-liquids.

Research on the health implications of e-cigarettes has also been limited. Studies have found e-cigarette use is associated with increased risk of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Similar to tobacco, e-cigarette use is linked with increased blood pressure and hardening of the arteries, though some reports found that the harm to arteries is lower for e-cigarettes than for smokers.

Health 1+1 and Marina Zhang contributed to this report.
Photos: Protesters Rally Outside Manhattan Courthouse Ahead of Trump Arraignment

A supporter of former US president Donald Trump argues with opponents outside the Manhattan District Attorney's office in New York City on April 4, 2023. (LEONARDO MUNOZ/AFP via Getty Images)

NEW YORKAhead of former President Donald Trumps scheduled arraignment in Manhattan on Tuesday, both pro- and anti-Trump protesters amassed outside the Manhattan District Attorneys office.

As of midday on Tuesday, there were sporadic reports of physical confrontations between the two groups of demonstrators. In one instance, a woman who appeared to be a Trump supporter walked across a large banner that read, TRUMP LIES ALL THE TIME. Footage showed the woman attempting to grab the flag before she fell onto the ground.

So far, the New York City Police Department has not indicated whether there were any arrests Tuesday.

A Trump supporter (L) removes a banner from anti-Trump protesters outside the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse on April 04, 2023 in New York City. (Kena Betancur/Getty Images)

A Trump supporter removes a banner from anti-Trump protesters outside the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse in New York City on April 4, 2023. (Kena Betancur/Getty Images)

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is reportedly investigating Trump for alleged hush-money payments made to Stormy Daniels, an adult film actress, during the 2016 campaign. Trump has denied any wrongdoing in the case.

Late last week, a Manhattan grand jury indicted him on yet-to-be-disclosed charges. The indictment in the case hasnt been unsealed yet.

Opponents of former US President Donald Trump protest outside the Manhattan District Attorneys office in New York City on April 4, 2023. (Leonardo Munoz/AFP via Getty Images)

But Trumps lawyers, in interviews with the media, have indicated they will file motions to dismiss the case after his arraignment. Its not clear whether Trump will be handcuffed or subject to having his mug shot taken.

The former president said he would give a speech after his arraignment. When he returns to Mar-a-Lago, the former president will make a televised address at 8:15 p.m. ET, according to campaign spokesman and adviser Jason Miller.

A Trump supporter hands out whistles to Trump supporters in New York on April 4, 2023. (Eva Fu/The Epoch Times)

A protester displays a Trump 4 Prison sign outside the New York courthouse where former President Donald Trump will be arraigned on April 4, 2023. (Chung I Ho/The Epoch Times)

Several House lawmakers, including Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), George Santos (R-N.Y.), and Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y), appeared outside the courthouse on Tuesday amid the protest during which Greene made a brief speech.

New York Public Advocate Jumaane Williams was one of Mayor Adams thugs blowing a whistle at me in the park today across from the courthouse while I peacefully protested and used my free speech rights to protest the weaponization of government and persecution of President Trump, she wrote on Twitter. The Democrat Party and Democrats in government are Antifa.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) speaks outside Manhattan Criminal Courthouse on the day of former President Donald Trumps planned court appearance on April 4, 2023. (Reuters/Caitlin Ochs)

Protesters outside the New York County Supreme Court ahead of former President Donald Trumps arraignment on April 4, 2023. (Chung I Ho/The Epoch Times)

Protesters outside the New York County Supreme Court ahead of former President Donald Trumps arraignment on April 4, 2023. (Chung I Ho/The Epoch Times)

Also on Tuesday, Trump suggested on Truth Social that hell attempt to change the venue from Manhattan to Staten Island, New York.

His lawyer, Joe Tacopina, said Sunday that its too early to make such a decision, however.

A protester carries a Trump flag in New York to protest the indictment of former President Donald Trump on April 4, 2023. (Eva Fu/The Epoch Times)

Protesters outside the New York County Supreme Court ahead of former President Donald Trumps arraignment on April 4, 2023. (Chung I Ho/The Epoch Times)

Protesters outside the New York County Supreme Court ahead of former President Donald Trumps arraignment on April 4, 2023. (Chung I Ho/The Epoch Times)

As of Tuesday afternoon, Trump has not left his Trump Tower residence on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan for his arraignment.
URUMQI, April 4 (Xinhua) -- The Khunjerab Pass, a major land port on the China-Pakistan border in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, resumed passenger customs clearance on Monday, said local authorities.

The import and export cargo volume at the Khunjerab Pass topped 200,000 tonnes from 2016 to 2020, according to the Khunjerab customs.

Located approximately 5,000 meters above sea level, the Khunjerab Pass is a major trade station between China and Pakistan, and an important gateway to South Asia and Europe. China imports mainly textiles, agricultural products and daily commodities at the land port, and exports mainly plants and herbs. 
Police Say Missing Akwesasne Man Tied to Migrants Found Dead in St Lawrence River

Authorities investigating the disappearance of an Akwesasne man whose boat was found near the bodies of eight migrants pulled from the St. Lawrence River last week are confirming he is connected to the case.

In a statement, Akwesasne Mohawk police say Oakes is linked to the discovery on Thursday and Friday of the eight victims, but they did not provide further details.

The 30-year-old Oakes remains missing and police are continuing their search for him today in the territory about 130 kilometres southwest of Montreal.

Police have said the eight victims consisted of two families, one of Romanian and another of Indian descent.

Authorities have said the eight people were allegedly attempting to illegally cross into the United States from Canada through Akwesasne Mohawk Territory, which straddles provincial and international boundaries and includes regions of Quebec, Ontario and New York state.

Oakes was last seen Wednesday night operating a boat that was found next to the migrants bodies, and police have said some items of clothing that belong to Oakes have also been found.
Progressive Conservatives Win Decisive Majority in Prince Edward Island

Prince Edward Island premier Dennis King, leader of the Progressive Conservative Party, greets supporters at his event in Winsloe South, P.E.I. on Mar. 6, 2023. (The Canadian Press/Brian McInnis)

Voters in Prince Edward Island delivered a decisive majority to the incumbent Progressive Conservatives on Monday after an election campaign dominated by debate over heath care.

With all polls reporting, Premier Dennis Kings Tories were elected in 22 of the provinces 27 ridings, the Liberals won three seats and the Greens two. The Conservatives captured 55.9 percent of the popular vote, and King was easily re-elected in his riding of Brackley-Hunter River.

Kings first term in office was marked by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, two major post-tropical storms and mounting health-care woes.

We havent shied away from challenges over the last four years, and were certainly not going to shy away from them for the next four years, he said late Monday to a crowd of 300 supporters bathed in blue light at a downtown Charlottetown hotel.

His partys main challengers were the Green Party, led by Scottish-born dentist Peter Bevan-Baker, and the Liberals, led by former bureaucrat Sharon Cameron, who was acclaimed leader less than five months ago. She challenged Bevan-Baker in his riding and lost to him Monday, finishing a distant third.

At dissolution, the Conservatives held 15 seats. The Greens had eight seats, and the Liberals held four, having lost their majority to the Tories in 2019. The vote in April 2019 saw P.E.I. become the first province in Canada where the Green Party formed the official Opposition.

After the ballots were counted Monday, Bevan-Baker told supporters that the Green Party was entering a new chapter with the loss of that special status in the legislature.

We will continue to serve Islanders  even if our new role is, as it appears to be, as third party, he said. Weve been there before. We made the most of it. We did some stellar work, and we will continue to do that.

Political observers on the Island had said the electorate did not appear to be in a mood for more change when the campaign began on March 6. And there were indications the Greens were not ready for an electoral contest. At one point, a former Green member of the legislature, Hannah Bell, said the party did not do enough planning or grassroots work.

Both the Greens and Liberals nominated only 25 candidates, two short of a full slate.

Don Desserud, a Prince Edward Island political analyst, said the slump in support for the Greens was the result of the Islands electorate going back to its traditional patterns. This is probably a more normal result, and 2019 was the aberration, he said in an interview Monday.

Still, Desserud noted the Greens managed to win 21.6 percent of the popular vote, compared with the Liberals 17.2 percent under Cameron. The Liberals focus on criticizing the Green Party to win back voters who deserted them in 2019 had limited success, but the Liberals will form the official Opposition with one more seat than the Greens.

On Monday night, Cameron told her supporters she regretted Islanders didnt get a better chance to know her fellow candidates due to the fact King called the election six months before the provinces fixed election date. She said nothing about her political future.

We knew going into this it was going to be a major challenge, she said.

When the campaign started, King made a point of citing the challenges his government had faced: two hurricane-force stormsDorian in 2019 and Fiona last Septemberand the economic fallout caused by a potato fungus that halted exports of the Islands most important crop, not to mention a health-care crisis.

A former journalist and spokesman for former premier Pat Binns, King called the election less than two weeks after the province landed a 10-year health-care funding deal with Ottawa worth $966 million. Among other things, the Conservatives have promised to get every Islander off the provincial wait-list for a doctor in the next two years.

The Tory strategy was to ask voters to note what they had achieved in spite of the obstacles thrown in their way. Desserud said it was as if King were saying: If we can do that under those circumstances, imagine what we can do when we dont have to deal with these crises. That message seemed to resonate at the doorstep.

The New Democrats were never a factor in the provincial race, finishing with just 4.5 percent of the vote. Elections P.E.I. said 68.5 percent of the provinces 109,587 registered voters cast a ballot.
Provinces Should Collect Data on the Suffering of Patients on Health-Care Wait Lists, Says New Report

A surgery is performed at the operating room at Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children on Nov. 30, 2022. (The Canadian Press/Chris Young)

Provincial governments do not conduct analysis of the potential patient suffering that may occur while people are on long wait-lists for surgery or other medical care, according to new research.

The findings were published in a policy brief on April 4 by SecondStreet.org, a think tank that examines government policies. The research was the result of freedom of information requests filed with all 10 provincial governments, to ask for any data collected on patients waiting for health care. The time period for the requests was from June 1, 2020, to August 1, 2022.

Not one province had analysis into patient suffering between 2020-22, said the brief.

According to SecondStreet.org, patients report a number of consequences that result while waiting long, agonizing periods for surgery.

Patients can suffer mental health issues, including considering suicide or assisted suicide (MAID), or develop an addiction to painkillers. The organization said some people suffer vision loss, paralysis, and other permanent damage.

A patient could also require further medical care as a result of long wait times, said the organization, citing an example of a patient having to wait so long for knee surgery that both knees need surgery due to carrying additional pressure for so long.

Weve heard of patients developing health problems, some even considering suicide because they had to wait so long for surgery, said Colin Craig, the president of SecondStreet.org, in an April 4 release.

Yet, when we asked governments for information about these types of problems, no province had any information on the problem.

The brief said governments should consider asking patients about side effects they experience while waiting for treatment as standard practice, in order to learn from patient suffering and find ways to mitigate it.

Existing patient surveys could be amended to ask about this problem. Data from this research could potentially help policymakers as they work to reduce wait times and mitigate patient suffering, said the brief.

The organization also pointed to the impacts of long waits on income, from being unable to work due to pain, mobility issues, and mental health problems. The brief noted family breakdown and strained relationships also occur as treatable illnesses are turned into chronic illnesses purely to long waiting periods.

Research from the Fraser Institute calculated that Canadian patients lost $4.1 billion in wages and productivity in 2021 as they waited for health care service, representing an average of $2,848 per patient.

Recommendations

SecondStreet.org recommended Canada implement a cross-border directive policy similar to that in Europe, which allows patients to choose a public or private health-care facility in another EU country and be reimbursed for their surgical bills by their home country.

Governments could help many patients find immediate relief by copying what the European Union does and reimburse patients for surgery they receive in other jurisdictions, said Craig.

In Europe, reimbursements are paid at the same rate that governments would have spent on local surgery, so it doesnt really cost more money. It does, however, help patients get the care they need much faster and end their suffering.

SecondStreet.org has prepared four Died on a Waiting List reports since the organization began investigating waitlists in 2019. The report uses data publicly available, but the organization says the numbers do not paint a complete picture because many health regions simply do not track the data.

These reports show more than 41,000 patients have died while waiting for various health services since April 1, 2018.

The waiting list deaths cover a wide array of health servicesheart operations, hip operations, cataract surgery, CT and MRI scans. Patients died after waiting anywhere from less than a month to more than eight years.

Governments lack of interest in tracking and reporting on patients dying on waiting lists stands in stark contrast to how governments often require businesses to track minor accidents in the workplace, said the brief.
READ: Donald Trumps Indictment

Former U.S. President Donald Trump is accompanied by members of his legal team, Susan Necheles and Joe Tacopina, as he appears in court for an arraignment on charges stemming from his indictment by a Manhattan grand jury, April 4, 2023. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly

Former President Donald Trump has been indicted on 34 counts of falsifying business records.

Trump was indicted by a New York grand jury following a probe by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.

The 16-page indictment, released on April 4 after Trump was arraigned, says that Trump falsified records related to multiple payments made to keep concealed negative information about him.

That includes the payment made to Stormy Daniels, an adult film actress who has claimed Trump had an affair with her, according to the charges.

Trump has denied claims of an affair. Cohen has said he paid Daniels to keep her quiet about the claims ahead of the 2016 presidential election, and has pleaded guilty to making an illegal campaign contribution.

After the election, Trump reimbursed Cohen through a series of checks. The payments were logged as being for legal services rendered in 2017 pursuant to a retainer agreement, according to a statement of facts entered in the case. But there was no retainer agreement, and Cohen was not being paid for services rendered in 2017.

Trump caused his entities business records to be falsified to disguise his and others criminal conduct, the statement says.

Trumps trial date has not been set as of yet. Its expected to take place in 2024.
Rep. Green Introduces Bill to Boost US-Poland Defense Ties on NATO Anniversary

Rep. Mark Green (R-Tenn.), in an interview with the "American Thought Leaders" program at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Orlando, Fla. on Feb. 28, 2021. (The Epoch Times)

Rep. Mark Green (R-Tenn.) introduced legislation on April 4, the 74th anniversary of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), which aims to enhance ties between the United States and Poland through increased cooperation and training programs.

The General Thaddeus Kosciuszko Memorial Exchange Program For Polish-American Defense Cooperation Act (pdf) was named after a Polish Revolutionary War hero, General Thaddeus Kosciuszko, who played a vital role in assisting the United States during the American Revolution and fiercely defended freedom and equality.

Green believes that with an increasingly aggressive Russia and a malevolent China, it is more important than ever to have strong allies who share the United States values.

NATO has helped contribute to relative global peace for seven decades. And with a malign China and an increasingly aggressive Russia, we need strong allies who share our values now more than ever, the lawmaker said in a press release sent to The Epoch Times.

The Chinese Communist Party and the Putin regime would like nothing more than to weaken NATOs influencewe cannot concede any ground. Thats why I introduced the General Thaddeus Kosciuszko Memorial Exchange Program For Polish-American Defense Cooperation Act, which will strengthen ties between the U.S. and Poland.

Green hopes that the bill will demonstrate to adversaries that NATO is not a thing of the past and that the strongest countries in the world stand united against tyranny in all its forms.

The bill also encourages increased cooperation between NATO allies to emphasize the ideals of peace and stability and enhances both nations national security and defensive capabilities.

According to the bill, Kosciuszko was vital to the American victory at the Battle of Saratoga due to his tactical acumen and engineering skills. He was also involved in establishing and defending West Point and the blockade of Charleston, which helped end the Revolutionary War.

The bills namesake is deemed a fierce defender of freedom and equality and a tireless advocate for the end of slavery and serfdom in America, Poland, and across the globe.

Green said he believes this legislation will further honor and strengthen the long-standing friendship and bond between the United States and Poland:

The United States and Poland share a history dating back to our founding. My bill honors the memory of our Revolutionary hero and the face of Polish resistance against oppression, Green said in a statement to The Epoch Times.

When the United States and our allies stand together, theres nothing we cant accomplish. Its time to show the Chinese Communist Party that NATO will never back down to communist regimes.

Eva Fu contributed to this report.
Reparations Proposals Would Cost California $800 Billion: Economists

A crowd listens to speakers at a reparations rally outside of City Hall in San Francisco, on March 14, 2023. (Jeff Chiu/AP Photo)

Economists estimated this week that reparations under consideration for black Californians could cost $800 billion, findings they provided to the states Reparations Task Force during meetings in Sacramento March 29 and 30.

After two days of discussion, the panel suggested the responsibility of determining individual payment amounts lies with state lawmakers.

Established in May of 2021 with the passing of California Assembly Bill 3121, the task force is composed of nine members, five appointed by the governor, two by the President pro-Tempore of the Senate, and two by the Speaker of the Assembly.

The issue of reparations is a complex matter, especially when working to determine fair and just compensation, said Assemblymember Reginald Jones-Sawyer (D-Los Angeles) and a task force member in an email to The Epoch Times March 29. This process includes input from expert researchers, economists, criminal justice experts, and the legal field, alongside public engagement.

Vice-Chair of the committee, Amos C. Brown, a member of the board of directors for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and who was traveling with Vice President Kamala Harris in Ghana at the time, opened the meeting virtually by saying he was very pleased with the very thorough, scholarly, relevant, and substantive work the task force has done.

Drafts of similarly guided proposals in the city of San Francisco were met with criticism this month, as lump sum payments of $5 million per eligible black resident are being considered.

Brown took a moment to respond to those who have said that payout is not tenable.

Our position is through all the hell, the horror, and the harm that weve gone through. If it were a matter based on a sensible, factual plan for reparations, it would even possibly be more than $5 million cash given out to individuals.

Eric McDonnell, Chair with the African American Reparations Advisory Committee (middle left) speaks at a reparations rally outside of City Hall in San Francisco, on March 14, 2023. (Jeff Chiu/AP Photo)

But some critics have argued covering the costs would present significant problems.

The City of San Francisco proposal is completely delusional, John Dennis, Chairman of the San Francisco Republican Party, told The Epoch Times March 29. Its a $50 billion price tag on a city with a $14 billion budget. We cant afford it on a per capita basis.

Last weeks meeting was to discuss the groups final report, due June 1, which will be sent to the state Legislature, which will then decide how to respond and whether to adopt the task forces proposals.

It has identified five-time frames to be considered for reparations dating from 1850 to the present for various harms, including unjust property takings, devaluation of black businesses, housing discrimination, mass incarceration and over-policing, and health-related issues.

According to the task force, compensation would be calculated for each harm and would be an initial down payment and the beginning of a conversation about historical injustices, not the end of it.

Any numbers that arise out of our final report still must go through a final legislative process and debate. These numbers could change as a result of policy decisions, Jones-Sawyer told The Epoch Times.

Concerns have been raised for the states $800 billion plan considering its current 202223 budget is $286.4 billion.

Meanwhile, one opponent of both the states and San Franciscos current proposals believes there is a way forward that recognizes concerns and identifies solutions.

This is something that has been talked about for generations, and theres pain there that we as fellow Americans should address, Dennis said about the proposals. My mind is open, but lets have the conversation in a serious way, so the community can see what the problems are.
Russia to Station Nukes in Belarus Near NATO Borders, Envoy Says

Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) meets with his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence, outside Moscow, on Feb. 17, 2023. (Vladimir Astapkovich/Sputnik/AFP via Getty Images)

Russia will station tactical nuclear weapons close to Belarus borders with NATO countries, a Russian envoy confirmed on Sunday.

The weapons will be moved to the western border of our union state and will increase the possibilities to ensure security, Russian ambassador to Belarus, Boris Gryzlov, told Belarusian state television.

It will expand our defense capability, and it will be done regardless of the outcry raised in Europe and the United States, he said, in reference to the Wests criticism of Putins decision.

Gryzlovs comments come after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced his plans last month to station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus. His decision came as a reaction to Britains decision to provide Ukraine with armor-piercing rounds containing depleted uranium.

We are doing what they have been doing for decades, stationing them in certain allied countries, preparing the launch platforms and training their crews, Putin said in an interview on Russian state television last month.

The Russian president noted that the United States has had nuclear weapons stationed in Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Turkey for years.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February last year, NATO has increased the number of its troops stationed in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland almost tenfold. Belarus shares an almost 800-mile long border with three of these four NATO member states: Poland, Latvia, and Lithuania.

Ambassador Gryzlov did not specify where the tactical nuclear weapons will be stationed, but reiterated that a storage facility would be completed by July 1, as earlier announced by Putin. It is unclear how many nuclear weapons will be installed.

Tactical nuclear weapons are designed to eliminate specific targets on the battlefield, as they have a shorter range and less yield than so-called strategic nuclear weaponsthe much more powerful nuclear warheads fitted to long-range and intercontinental missiles that are capable of destroying entire cities.

According to Putin, Russia has helped the Belarusian army to modify its airplanes to allow them to carry nuclear warheads. He furthermore claimed that Russia has provided Belarus with short-range missiles capable of delivering nuclear payloads.

Russia and Belarus signed a supranational union state pact in 1999. The main focus of the agreement lies on economic unification and integration of both countries defense and intelligence apparatus. Talks to expand and deepen the integration of the two nations have continued ever since, a process that accelerated after the Belarusian government allowed Russia to send troops into Ukraine through its own territory last year.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

From NTD News
Russian Envoy Floats Notion of UN Meeting for Blinken and Lavrov

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken greets Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov before their meeting, in Geneva, Switzerland, on Jan. 21, 2022. (Alex Brandon/TPX Images of the Day/Pool via Reuters)

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is prepared to meet his U.S. counterpart, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, during an upcoming visit to New York, Moscows permanent representative to the world body said on April 4.

Vasily Nebenzya said the meeting would depend on where Secretary Blinken will be at that time and his ability and willingness to meet our foreign minister, in remarks cited by Russias TASS news agency.

If the proposal garners a positive response, Lavrovwho will be in New York on April 24will be ready to meet Secretary Blinken, Nebenzya said.

Early last month, Blinken and Lavrov met briefly on the sidelines of a G-20 meeting in New Delhi.

Russias Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (C) and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken (R) attend the East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers Meeting during the 55th ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on Aug. 5, 2022. (Andrew Harnik/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)

It was the first meeting between the two top diplomats since Russia invaded Ukraine more than one year agobut it failed to yield any breakthroughs.

The U.S. State Department responded in a statement that it has no short-term plans to engage in top-level discussions with Moscow.

We dont have any plans for Secretary Blinken to meet with FM Lavrov in New York right now, a State Department spokesperson told The Epoch Times.

Bakhmut Situation Still Undecided: Kyiv

The proposal for a diplomatic summit follows Russian claims of victory in the hard-fought city of Bakhmut, a key Ukrainian transport hub in the eastern Donetsk region. The scene of fierce fighting for months, the fall of Bakhmut would likely disrupt Ukrainian supply lines and pave the way for a Russian advance to the northwest.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, who leads the Wagner Group, a Kremlin-linked paramilitary force thats spearheading Russian operations in Donetsk, claimed on April 2 that Wagner fighters had captured the citys administrative headquarters.

But officials in Kyiv have contested the claim, saying central Bakhmut is still the scene of heavy ground fighting.

Protesters wave Georgias national flag, also known as the Five Cross Flag, as they take part in a rally against Russia in Tbilisi, Georgia, on July 18, 2015. (Vano Shlamov/AFP/Getty Images)

Bakhmut is Ukrainian, Serhiy Cherevatyi, a spokesman for Ukraines eastern military command, said on April 3. They [Russian forces] have not captured anything, and theyre very far from doing so.

The Epoch Times was unable to verify battlefield assessments made by either side.

Nevertheless, the Ukrainian armys general staff has conceded that Bakhmut is the current epicenter of operations.

It has also been confirmed that fighting remains ongoing in Avdiivka and Maryinka, both south of Bakhmut.

Recent days have seen little sign of a major Ukrainian counteroffensive, which has been expected for weeks, in either Donetsk or the southern Zaporizhzhiya region.

In September 2022, Russia claimed to have annexed both regions, along with two others. According to Moscow, the move was meant to protect local Russian speakers from abuses by the pro-West Kyiv government.

Kyiv and its Western allies reject the claims, saying Russias invasionand subsequent annexationsamounts to an illegal war of aggression.

West Wants 2nd Front, Spy Claims

In the geopolitical arena, the head of Russias foreign intelligence service has claimed that Western powers were seeking to push Georgia, which borders Russia, into opening a second front against Russia.

On April 4, Sergey Naryshkin said there were persistent attempts by Washington, Brussels, and London to persuade the Georgian leadership to open a so-called second front.

They [Western powers] see the situation on the battlefield is not in Ukraines favor, he said at a meeting with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.

Naryshkin, in comments cited by TASS, claimed that Western powers were encouraging Tbilisi to try to reassert control over the disputed Abkhazia and South Ossetia regions.

In 2008, Russia foughtand wona brief war with Georgia over the two regions in the South Caucasus. Tbilisi and much of the West view both regions as part of Georgia; Moscow recognizes them as independent republics.

Last month, thousands took to the streets of Tbilisi to protest against legislation they claimed was inspired by Russia and threatened GeorgiaEuropean Union relations.

After three days of protests, Georgias parliament withdrew the bill, which had sought to limit foreign interference in local civil society.

At the time, Lavrov suggested that the protests were being orchestrated from abroad, comparing them to Ukraines 2014 Maidan Revolution.

Moscow contends that the 2014 uprising in Kyiv, which swept Ukraines pro-Russian president from power, was a Washington-backed coup against a democratically elected leader.

In televised comments, Lavrov had claimed that the proposed legislation was being used as a pretext to attempt regime change.

A U.S. State Department spokesperson described the claimsby both Naryshkin and Lavrovas a now-common narrative of disinformation.

This rhetoric distracts Georgias citizens from their goal of Euro-Atlantic integration, the spokesperson told The Epoch Times. As weve said before, it is absolutely untrue.

Reuters contributed to this report.
Search Continues for Jan. 6 Vandal Dubbed #CapitolGlassMan by Sedition Hunters

More than two years after journalist Bobby Powell began circulating his video of a suspicious actor vandalizing a large window on the east patio of the U.S. Capitol, the popular Sedition Hunters website created a page for the man and dubbed him #CapitolGlassMan.

The man, in his 30s and wearing dark tactical gear with a green American flag cap, tried to persuade Powell to enter the Capitol through the broken window on the afternoon of Jan. 6, 2021.

According to the now-iconic video, Powell told the man that would be illegal. Moments later, Powells camera caught #CapitolGlassMan pulling a large sheet of tempered glass from the window and dropping it in a heap on the sidewalk.

I believe Sedition Hunters is just trying to cover their own [expletive] by posting #CapitolGlassMan now, Powell told The Epoch Times on April 4. Why did it take 26 months to do it?

In mid-December 2022, Powell said he sent images of #CapitolGlassMan to Sedition Hunters and suggested the hashtag that the organization eventually adopted.

Sedition Hunters ran a facial recognition scan on its database and developed a graphic with several images showing the man without his face covering.

Powell said it was his understanding that the site would then include #CapitolGlassMan in its listings, but searches of the site on Dec. 19 and 20 yielded no results.

The graphic provided to Powell in December now makes up the top of the #CapitolGlassMan page. The Sedition Hunters listing includes some half-dozen other photos showing the man in various locations around the Capitol on Jan. 6.

I shamed Sedition Hunters into giving him a hashtag, Powell told The Epoch Times on Dec. 18, 2022. Best part? They published pictures of him without his face covering.

Two masked men filmed by Bobby Powell at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. (Bobby Powell/Screenshots via The Epoch Times)

Powell said he first sent images and video of #CapitolGlassMan to Sedition Hunters in March 2021 and has tagged the organization on Twitter numerous times, asking about the suspicious actor. Eventually, Sedition Hunters blocked him on Twitter.

The Epoch Times asked Sedition Hunters for comment on Powells assertions, but has not received a reply.

Now that #CapitolGlassMan is getting more attention, Powell said he hopes Sedition Hunters will feature the second suspicious actor he filmed in the same vicinity on Jan. 6.

That man used a wooden pole to hold open the giant Columbus Doors while shouting, Hold the line! and shoving protesters into the building, Powell said. After a while the man got hit with tear gas and fled the area, video shows.

The suspicious actors in Powells videos were featured in the 2022 documentary, The Real Story of Jan. 6, by The Epoch Times. Neither man has been listed on the FBIs Jan. 6 most-wanted page.

Bobby Powell is interviewed in Terra Ceia, Fla., in November 2022 for a forthcoming Jan. 6 documentary from The Epoch Times. (Paulio Shakespeare/The Epoch Times)

Powell has spent much of the past 26 months trying to get the FBI, journalists, congressional representatives, and social media influencers to look at his video of the two men he believes may be federal agents.

In his office, Powell has dozens of U.S. Postal Service delivery confirmations for thumb drives containing video he sent over the past two years. Almost none of those mailings generated a response from the recipient.

He handed out thumb drives to some of the same people at conventions and political events, including the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). He handed a copy to Peter Ticktin, one of former President Donald J. Trumps lawyers, in early May 2022.
Senior ISIS Leader Killed in US Military Operation in Syria

A mural bears the logo of the ISIS terrorist group, on March 1, 2017. (Ahmad Al-Rubaye/AFP via Getty Images)

A senior ISIS leader has been killed in a U.S. military operation in Syria, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement on April 3.

Khalid Aydd Ahmad al-Jabouri, who was in charge of planning attacks in Europe and developing the leadership structure of the terrorist group ISIS, was killed in a drone strike on April 3, officials said.

ISIS continues to represent a threat to the region and beyond, CENTCOM commander, Gen. Erik Kurilla, said in the statement. Though degraded, the group remains able to conduct operations within the region with a desire to strike beyond the Middle East.

The military statement added that al-Jabouris death will temporarily disrupt the organizations ability to plot external attacks and noted that CENTCOMs operations against ISIS alongside partner forces in Iraq and Syria continue.

No civilians were killed or injured in the strike, CENTCOM noted.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), an opposition war monitor, said on Monday that al-Jabouri was killed near his home while he was walking and speaking on the phone. According to SOHR, the senior ISIS leader had moved to Idlib 10 days prior to this death.

In an April 3 post on Twitter, The White Helmets organization, officially known as Syria Civil Defence, said that one person had been killed by a missile strike from an unidentified drone on the outskirts of the town of Killi, north of Idlib, in Syria.

Our teams responded and took the injured person to Bab Al-Hawa Hospital, where he died, the organization said.

The latest strike comes after another senior ISIS leader, Hamza al-Homsi, was killed in a U.S. helicopter raid in Syria in February, according to CENTCOM. Four U.S. soldiers and a dog were injured during that strike and were receiving treatment, officials said in a statement at the time.

Decline in Morale

Two other ISIS leaders have been killed by the U.S. military in Syria in recent years: former head of ISIS Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, who committed suicide during an October 2022 raid, and Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in 2019, who was killed after U.S. Special Forces launched a nighttime raid on an ISIS-held compound in the north of the country.

At its peak in 2014, ISIS controlled large swathes of Iraq and Syria and had between 20,000 and 31,000 fighters, according to CIA estimates.

However, U.S.-backed counter-offensives ended the last of their caliphate territorial control in Iraq in 2017 and in Syria in 2019. The group now has an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 members and supporters spread between Syria and Iraq, roughly half of them fighters, according to a United Nations report published in February.

Despite the report noting a decline in morale among ISIS core members in both nations, Ambassador Richard Mills, deputy representative to the U.N., told a security council meeting in February that ISIS continues to take advantage of conflict, corruption, and inequality to attract followers and organize its terrorist attacks.

The latest drone strike comes as the U.S.-led multinational coalition against ISIS has conducted a number of strikes in northern Syria in recent months targeting al-Qaida-linked terrorists and senior members of ISIS.

Those strikes resulted in the deaths of members of the al-Qaida offshoot Horas al-Din, which was formed in 2018 and includes hardcore al-Qaida members who broke away from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the strongest insurgent group in the rebel-held Idlib province.
DAMASCUS, April 4 (Xinhua) -- A new Israeli missile strike hit military sites in the capital Damascus early Tuesday, killing two civilians, the Syrian army said in a statement.

The attack, launched from the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, has triggered the Syrian air defenses, which shot down some of the missiles, it said.

Meanwhile, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said the Israeli missiles hit the vicinity of the Damascus International Airport, an Iranian position near Sayyida Zaynab and Al-Ma'amil area in Al-Kiswah south of Damascus.

According to the Observatory, it has been the fourth Israeli attack since Thursday and the tenth since the beginning of 2023.

Israel has recently intensified its attacks on Syrian military sites, targeting Iranian military presence. 
Chungsen Leung enjoyed Shen Yuns evening performance at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts on March 31, 2023. (NTD)

TORONTO, CanadaChungsen Leung, a former member of the Canadian Parliament, attended Shen Yuns evening performance at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts on March 31.

Though this was already Mr. Leungs fourth time watching Shen Yun, he felt each time was a brand new experience.

Based in New York, Shen Yun Performing Arts is the worlds premier classical Chinese dance and music company. To the delight of its audience worldwide, the company presents a new set of music and choreography every season.

A Taiwanese-born Canadian who had spent most of his life in the West, Mr. Leung doesnt often get to see classical Chinese dance. He felt very touched that Shen Yun is presenting it to the world.

A lot of young people are under the impression that Chinese history only begin in 1949 [after the communist takeover,] the reality is that it started over 4,000 years ago, he said.

To know that China has traditions like theseits very moving.

According to Shen Yuns website, Chinese dance seen in China today is heavily mixed with military and modern dance styles.

Only at Shen Yun can you find it performed in its purest formthe way it was originally passed down through the generations.

Shen Yuns dedication to preserving traditional Chinese culture made a huge impression on Mr. Leung.

This was something that made me very happy and very touched. The show brought us not just Chinese legends and dance but also traditional values of how, we, as humans should behave.

Decorum, justice, integrity, and honorthe fact that they were able to keep these values alive was very special, he said.

Mr. Leungs daughter accompanied him to the show.

I want to pass this culture on to the next generation. My daughter was born in Canada so she really hadnt had any opportunity to learn about China. I brought her here today hoping she can gain some knowledge [through Shen Yun.]

He added that he will also be teaching his 2-year-old grandson Mandarin with the hope that the child will pick up some culture and history through the language.

Mr. Leung felt very proud of what Shen Yun is doing and will definitely be recommending it to all his friends. They must come take a look and learn about Shen Yuns dance and music! he exclaimed.

Reporting by NTD and Jennifer Tseng.

The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts. We have covered audience reactions since Shen Yuns inception in 2006.
Solomon Islands Prominent China Critic Allegedly Gets US Travel Visa

US bipartisan congressional support overcomes initial glitch

The streets of downtown Honiara, the capital of the Solomon Islands, on Dec. 6, 2021. (Mavis Podokolo/AFP via Getty Images)

Daniel Suidani, the former premier of the Malaita province in the Solomon Islands and a known critic of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), allegedly got a visa on April 4 to travel to the United States after bipartisan congressional support poured in for his cause.

The development happened almost two months after Suidani was ousted from power in a no-confidence motion, allegedly for his vocal criticism of his countrys controversial relationship with China.

News about the visa approval was confirmed by Celsus Talifilu, the political adviser of Suidani, who said it would be collected on Tuesday afternoon, Fiji time.

We are thankful for the support given by the senators towards the VISA application of Hon. Suidani, Talifilu told The Epoch Times in a text message. More so a bipartisan one from both sides of the politics in the U.S. This is [an] unprecedented show of support from the U.S. lawmakers.

The bipartisan support came after the State Department denied the first visa application. The second attempt was supported by Congress members from both parties, including, Reps. Neal Dunn (R-Fla.), Ed Case (D-Hawaii), and Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen (R-American Samoa).

Suidani wants to visit the United States to meet leaders in Honolulu, Washington, New York, and Seattle to share his experience of indigenous environmental guardianship, reported Samoa News, an American Samoa-based media.

Daniel Suidani, the former premier of the Malaita province in Solomon Islands. (Picture courtesy Celsus Talifilu)

Pacific Island Caucus co-chairs Radewagen and Case had earlier sent a letter (pdf) to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, expressing their support for a short-term U.S. visa for Suidani.

Having had his application turned down once, we strongly encourage the timely issuance of the visa. Please provide your full and fair consideration of this request consistent with all applicable laws, rules, and regulations, the leaders wrote in their letter, adding that Suidani has also been invited to participate in the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues that will take place in New York on April 823.

Talifilu said that even without meeting Suidani, the U.S. lawmakers were concerned about him because they share the same democratic values and principles.

The State Department refused to comment on the visa approval. By law, visa applications and visa records are confidential, so we cannot comment on individual cases, a department spokesperson told The Epoch Times in an email.

Suidanis Anti-CCP Stance

A former school teacher, Suidani was new to politics when he was elected premier of the most populous province of the Solomon Islands in 2019. He came to the limelight immediately because of his vocal stand against communist China.

When the Solomon Islands changed its diplomatic allegiance from Taiwan to China, Suidani continued to support and recognize Taiwan and created the Auki Communique, banning CCP-backed investment in the province.

We are a democracy in Malaita, we believe in the principles of democracy, Suidani told Australian Broadcasting Corporation in an interview last year. They are a communist nation. We are very mindful of involving the Communist Party here. They must not come, in any way.

Suidani preferred Japanese, Australian, or New Zealand companies for investments in his province. He was viewed as a troublemaker by the CCP-aligned federal government under Prime Minster Manasseh Sogavare.

Since Sogavare came to power in 2019, he undid the countrys bilateral relations with Taiwan, signed a controversial security deal with Beijing in April last year, and secured a $66 million loan from China three months later. The move allowed Chinese telecom giant Huawei to build 161 mobile communication towers across the country.

Suidani was the only leader from the countrys nine provinces who stood up against the agendas of the CCP. He banned Chinese companies from the province, accepted development aid from the United States, and traveled to Taiwan for medical treatment. He also rejected the 27 Huawei towers to be installed in his province.

Suidani was ousted from power in February this year in a unanimous vote of no confidence thats currently being challenged in the court.

Prime Minister Manasseh Damukana Sogavare (3rd L) of the Solomon Islands meets with Chinese leader Xi Jinping (2nd R) at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing on Oct. 9, 2019. (Parker Song-Pool/Getty Images)

Stories in Local Media

Since his ouster from power, various speculations have been floating about Suidani in the local media. The Solomon Star reported that Suidani had already secretly left Honiara on Feb. 16 and joined discussions hosted by Washington.

The media claimed that the United States had given two options to Suidani: to fund his political campaign after his return, and to create a government-in-exile if he lost the upcoming election.

The visit is reportedly part of a fundraising drive for Mr. Suidanis new party, U4C or Youth for Change, which intends to field candidates at next years national general election, according to Solomon Star, which quoted an anonymous source who claimed that Suidani was engaging in Washington-backed propaganda.

The animosity between Suidani and Sogavare allegedly goes back to 2021, when the leader of the opposition in the Solomon Islands national parliament, Mathew Wale, in his no-confidence motion against Sogavare, claimed that Sogavare was persistent in bringing down the Suidani government in Malaita, reported the Solomon Times.

Wales alleged that Sogavare openly encouraged opposition MPs in the Malaita provincial government to go against their premier.
Some Democrats Getting Anxious of a Trump 2016 Repeat: Weve Seen This Story Before

Former President Donald Trump arrives on stage during an event at his Mar-a-Lago home in Palm Beach, Fla., on Nov. 15, 2022. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Although Democrats should be pleased with former President Donald Trumps indictment Tuesday, some lawmakers have expressed alarm that theyre walking into a trap.

Last time people were rooting for Donald Trump, he ended up president of the United States, Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif) told Politico. Weve seen this story before.

Dan Pfeiffer, who served as an adviser to former President Barack Obama, claimed that Trump is a tremendously flawed candidate but noted that it is impossible to say that he is the weakest because none of these other Republicans have been on the national stage before. He added that due to the Electoral Colleges contours, any Republican, including Trump, could win the election.

In 2016, Democrats and mainstream news outlets had predicted that Trump would be beaten handily by then-candidate Hillary Clinton. Polls also showed Trump trailing greatly behind Clinton in swing states, although he ultimately prevailed.

Rick Wilson, a controversial anti-Trump strategist who helped found the Lincoln Project, said that there are similarities between the 2024 and 2016 elections. Over the past week, with the indictment and arraignment, Trump is once again the center of the medias attention. Virtually every corporate news outletfrom Fox to NBC Newshas Trump as their respective lead stories.

A lot of Democrats in 2016 were like, Oh yes, Hillary will wipe the floor with Donald Trump. And I warned them at the time: Dont you bite that apple, Wilson said. I feel like were in a very, very twisted time loop where God is punishing us for our sins.

After the 2016 win, some Democrats made statements to take a different approach toward Trump. For the 2024 race, strategists told Politico that the former commander-in-chief would likely be the easiest candidate to beat in the general election.

Id say in a general election Trump may be the weakest of the major GOP contenders, Democratic strategist Mark Longabaugh told the news outlet. And he likely will take on more water over time as several of the other legal cases play out.

Even a former 2016 Clinton super PAC chief, Anne Caprara, argued that the odds are stacked against Trump for 2024.

When we dealt with Trump the first time around, he was a different quantity. People knew him as an entertainer and he had this kind of bulletproof image  people saw him as this successful businessman who theyd grown up with or seen on TV for so many years, she remarked. And I just think hes got a much different image now.

Joe Caiazzo, a former Clinton campaign surrogate, concurred and said that the indictment could sink the former president. Its tough to tell where the public will be by the fall of 2024, but getting indicted has never served a candidate well, he said.

Former President Donald Trump departs from Trump Tower on the day of Trumps planned court appearance on April 4, 2023. (Carlos Barria/Reuters)

Other Details

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is reportedly investigating Trump for alleged payments made to Stormy Daniels during the 2016 campaign. An indictment in the case had not yet been unsealed as Trump returned to New York City to face his arraignment.

After the indictment was voted on by a grand jury, nearly all of the declared and undeclared 2024 Republican presidential candidates decried Braggs investigation and described it as a politicized prosecution designed to harm Trump. Even the top Trump rival, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, stated that he would not cooperate with Trump being extradited to New York if asked to do so.

If the case against Trump progresses, it would likely take several months before it goes to trial. Some analysts have said Trump could delay the case for monthif not yearsby filing motions.

If he can push this thing back until after the election then he can effectively win the trial that way, Matthew Galluzzo, a former prosecutor in the New York County District Attorneys Office, told NPR. Galluzzo noted that the jury will likely be incredibly biased against the former president.

If I had to pick which side to be on, and I had to win to save my life, I would probably choose to be on the prosecutions side simply because the jury pool in Manhattan is so incredibly against Donald Trump, he said.

Correction: DeSantiss response to a possible Trump extradition has been clarified. The Epoch Times regrets the error.
South African Court Urged to Revoke Authorization of Pfizers COVID-19 Vaccine

A man receives a dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in Johannesburg, South Africa on Dec. 15, 2021. (Luca Sola/AFP via Getty Images)

A court in South Africa is being urged to revoke the authorization for Pfizers COVID-19 vaccine, noting alarming trial data and evidence of side effects.

The High Court of South Africa should set aside the authorization because trial data did not show the vaccine was effective against severe disease or death, which have become the promoted purposes of the vaccine since it performs so poorly against infection as newer variants have emerged, the new filing says.

Six-month data from Pfizers trial, for instance, showed that there were 20 deaths among the vaccinated arm and just 14 among the unvaccinated, the Freedom Alliance of South Africa noted in the filing.

The group is asking for a judicial review of the South African Health Products Regulatory Authoritys decision to authorize the vaccine as a primary series and, later, as a booster.

The regulatory authority has promoted the vaccine as safe and effective against infection, transmission, serious illness, and death.

Pfizers trial did not test against transmission. It found high efficacy against symptomatic infection but little sign of efficacy against severe illness or death.

The high efficacy cant be trusted because of problems such as the exclusion of people with underlying health conditions, said the alliance and its experts, including Dr. Aseem Malhotra.

Further, South African regulatory authorities appeared to rely solely on Pfizers own data when they authorized the vaccine, the filing states.

The sole reliance on the very party responsible for commercialization of these vaccines creates a significant conflict of interest, meaning the authority could not have exercised its powers under the [law] rationally, Dr. Herman Jacobus Edeling, a neurosurgeon and mediator who has offered his view as an expert in hundreds of cases, said in the filing.

Attached to the filing are documents including affidavits from medical practitioners and a summary of postmarketing adverse event reports collected by Pfizer that was released after a transparency group successfully sued the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The summary showed that 42,086 cases of adverse events after vaccination had been reported through Feb. 28, 2021, just months after the vaccine was first authorized. Of the cases, 1,223 resulted in death and more than 11,300 had not recovered.

Drugs and vaccines have been pulled off the market for much lower numbers of deaths, the filing noted, wondering why Pfizers vaccine is still being promoted as safe and effective despite such alarming safety signals.

The court should, after reviewing the evidence in the petition, revoke the authorization for the shot in South Africa, the alliance said.

Malhotra, a British cardiologist who has called for the Pfizer vaccine to be removed from the market, said he reviewed the filing and that its conclusions are factually, medically, and scientifically sound.

It is highly likely there would have been substantially less deaths and illness in the global population if the vaccine had never been approved in the first place, Malhotra said in a statement, expressing the hope that the South African court would lead the way toward a global rectification of a serious injustice.

The South African regulatory authority declined to comment. Pfizer did not return an inquiry.
South Korea, US, Japan Hold Anti-Submarine Drills to Counter North Korea Threats

Crews on the flight deck of the USS Nimitz, off the coast of Busan, South Korea, on March 27, 2023. (Jeon Heon-Kyun/Pool via Reuters)

The navies of South Korea, the United States, and Japan started two days of anti-submarine exercises on Monday to better counter North Koreas evolving nuclear and missile capabilities, South Koreas defense ministry said.

The drills are being staged in international waters off South Koreas southern island of Jeju, involving a U.S. carrier strike group led by USS Nimitz, which had arrived in the southeastern city of Busan last week.

The trilateral drills come as North Korea unveiled last week new, smaller nuclear warheads, vowed to produce more weapons-grade nuclear materials to expand its arsenal, and boasted of what it called a nuclear-capable underwater attack drone.

This weeks exercises will use a mobile anti-submarine warfare training target to improve the capabilities needed to detect, track and destroy North Korean underwater threats, the ministry said.

Japans top government spokesperson, Hirokazu Matsuno, told reporters that the drills are meant to promote trilateral cooperation to deal with regional security concerns, protect our shared security and prosperity and show the three countries commitment to strengthening the rule-based international order.

Asked about the drills on Monday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning blamed the drills by the United States and its allies around the peninsula as the main reason for the high tensions on the Korean peninsula.

Relevant parties should create favorable conditions for the resumption of dialogue, Mao said. The United States has said that it stands ready for talk with Pyongyang, but Kim has turned down the offer.

The three countries last held trilateral anti-submarine drills in Septemberthe first time in five yearsamid tension over North Koreas unprecedented number of missile tests.
Supreme Court Declines to Hear Death Sentence Appeal Where Prosecution Allegedly Withheld Evidence

Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee on her nomination to serve on the Supreme Court, on Capitol Hill in Washington on March 23, 2022. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)

The Supreme Court refusedover the dissent of three liberal justiceson April 3 to take up an appeal by a death row prisoner in Louisiana who was seeking a new sentencing hearing.

The inmate, David Brown, argued the prosecution improperly withheld a confession from a co-defendant that could have affected the sentence Brown was given.

The case goes back to a 1999 attempt at escape from the Angola state prison. Brown and four co-defendants, called the Angola 5 in the media, were convicted of first-degree murder in the killing of prison guard David Knapps.

Brown said he was entitled to have his death sentence reconsidered because prosecutors failed to hand over potentially exculpatory evidence to defense lawyers.

Had the jury been allowed to hear the evidence they might have decided to spare his life, he argued. Prosecutors only produced the evidence after sentencing.

Brown acknowledged that he was involved in his co-defendants initial assault on Knapps but during the trial Brown insisted that he was not present when the victim was killed and that he did not want the victim to die.

One of Browns co-defendants, Barry Edge, had confessed to a fellow inmate, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson wrote in an opinion dissenting from the courts denial of Browns petition.

The opinion was joined by Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan.

The prosecution obtained the confession before Browns trial but did not hand it over to the defense until after sentencing had been completed.

In the confession, Edge said that he and another co-defendant, Jeffrey Clark, were the only ones that were thinking rationally during the highly charged situation, and that Clark and he decided to kill Knapps in order to help themselves.

At no point in the confession did Edge suggest Brown was involved in the fatal attack; his description of the events leading up to the murder did not mention Brown at all, Jackson wrote.

Violation of Rights

Had the jury found Brown less culpable than his co-defendants, that finding could have served as a mitigating factor that spared him a sentence of death. Yet the only evidence supporting Browns account was his own self-serving statement given to police shortly after the event. The jury voted to sentence Brown to death.

Jackson wrote that the delay in handing over the confession evidence to Browns legal team violated his constitutional rights as established by the Supreme Court in Brady v. Maryland (1963).

That ruling held evidence is favorable to the defendant if it holds some value in helping the defendants case.

There is value where, for example, the evidence tends to exculpate the defendant or impeach a witness  or might reduce the potential penalty.

Favorable evidence is also considered materially relevant if there is any reasonable likelihood it could have affected the judgment of the jury, Jackson wrote, citing a 2016 Supreme Court ruling in Wearry v. Cain.

Sentence Invalidated, Reinstated

Here, Edges confession satisfies the favorability test: By inculpating Edge and Clark in the victims deathwithout any mention of Brownthe confession supports an inference that Brown was not one of the individuals who killed or decided to kill the victim, the justice wrote.

It thus provides some value in supporting Browns argument that he was less culpable than his co-defendants and did not deserve to be sentenced to death, according to Jackson.

Edges confession was material to the penalty phase of Browns trial.

The fact that Edge confessed without naming Brown or suggesting that he had participated in the murder supplied independent evidence corroborating Browns argument that he was not present during the murder and did not intend to kill the victim, the justice wrote.

A Louisiana state judge invalidated the death sentence, but the Louisiana Supreme Court reinstated it on a vote of 4 to 3, ruling that Edges confession was not favorable to Brown.

Jefferson Parish District Attorney Paul Connick Jr. told The Epoch Times by email, We respect the Courts decision.

The Epoch Times reached out for comment to Browns counsel, Jeffrey Fisher of OMelveny and Myers, but had not received a reply as of press time.
Suspected Chinese Police Station in Montreal Removes Online Form After CCP-Related Logo Questioned: Report

The Chinatown gate is seen on March 9, 2023 in Montreal. The Chinese Family Service of Greater Montreal (SFCGM), located in Chinatown, is one of two Quebec community groups that are under investigation for allegedly operating as secret Chinese police stations. (The Canadian Press/Ryan Remiorz)

An agency located in Montreal that is currently under investigation by the RCMP over suspicions that it hosts a Chinese police station recently removed a document from its website that allegedly bore the same logo as a Chinese Communist Party (CCP) department, according to a media report.

The Chinese Family Service of Greater Montreal (SFCGM) has been open in Montreals Chinatown neighbourhood for decades, providing multifaceted services to the Chinese community.

In early March, Quebec RCMP said its Integrated National Security Enforcement Team was investigating SFCGM along with its counterpart organization Centre Sino-Quebec in Brossard, on Montreals south shore.

RCMP said at the time that it was conducting police actions aimed at detecting and disrupting these foreign state-backed criminal activities, which may threaten the safety of persons living in Canada, and said it recognizes that Chinese Canadians have been victims of the possible activities conducted by these centres.

A recent Toronto Star report found that an intake form on SFCGMs website bore the same name and logo of the Overseas Chinese Service Centre program, which is directly operated by the CCPs United Front Work Departmenta CCP agency responsible for co-opting opposition inside China and carrying out influence activities abroad.

SFCGMs online intake form also contained a QR code encouraging scanners to download an app called QiaoBao, which is operated by the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office and is meant to communicate with Chinese expatriates worldwide, among other uses.

The intake form also asked for the social insurance number of those filling it out, along with their birthplace, status in Canada, income, and their account name on WeChata Chinese-owned social media app that has been criticized for spying on and censoring users.

The form was previously available for download on the website, but the Star reported that SFCGM took it down shortly after the newspaper asked questions about its alleged connection to Beijing.

The Epoch Times contacted SFCGM for comment and had previously contacted the organization to comment on police station allegations, but hasnt received a response to date.

A lawyer for the two centres under investigation published a statement on the SFCGM website on March 14, saying they learned with surprise of the RCMP investigation from media reports.

We wish to remind of the importance of presumption of innocence, wrote lawyer Virginie Dufresne-Lemire.

To conclude that these organizations are guilty in the absence of facts could cause irreparable harm to these two organizations.

Questions on Interference

Conservative MP and foreign affairs critic Michael Chong raised questions on social media about the intake form, questioning whether it could be a CCP method of data collection and political interference.

Could the information [being] collected by a Montreal group helping newcomers be used by Chinese Communist Party to make political contributions? he wrote on Twitter on April 4. Could this be how the CCP is funnelling money?

Chong was referring to previous reports alleging that a Montreal-based Chinese consulate senior diplomat urged attendees at an event in 2017 to support a candidate for municipal government in the area, Xixi Li, who is the director of the SFCGM and Sino-Quebec. Li also serves as a city councillor in Brossard.

Brossards Mayor, Doreen Assaad, said last month that she previously referred Li to the director of Elections Quebec because of concerns that Li may have broken electoral law during the 2021 municipal elections.

Investigations

Elections Quebec said in mid-March that there was not enough existing evidence of Li breaking provincial electoral laws to warrant an investigation.

The Epoch Times previously contacted Li for comment on the allegations but did not hear back. The Epoch Times has also asked Li to comment on SFCGMs online intake form and alleged CCP connections but did not hear back by publication time.

The RCMP told The Epoch Times on March 13 that it had received over a dozen serious leads on alleged Chinese police service stations suspected of operating in the Montreal area.

RCMP Sergeant Charles Poirier said at the time that the federal police were analyzing 15 serious tips received in relation to the presumed Chinese police stations in Montreal and Brossard.

RCMP spokesperson Sandrine Paiement said on April 4 that there have been no updates to the investigation since mid-March.

The investigation is running its course, Paiement said in an email.

Andrew Chen and Noe Chartier contributed to this report.
Former Diplomats Call for Nuanced Approach to Newly Empowered Taliban in Afghanistan

Taliban extremists stand guard at the site of an explosion, near the Interior Ministry, in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Jan. 1, 2023. (Ebrahim Noroozi/AP Photo)

As the second anniversary of the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan approaches, the international community is grappling with how to deal with the countrys new regime. The Talibans recent acquisition of billions of dollars worth of U.S. military equipment has led some diplomats to argue that a nuanced approach relying on politics over military intervention and sanctions is necessary to secure meaningful progress.

On April 3, former Ambassador of Pakistan to the United States Husain Haqqani spoke at the Hudson Institute with Adela Raz, former ambassador of Afghanistan to the United States. They agreed that sanctions arent the answer.

Sanctions were not effective in many countries, and it will not be effective in Afghanistan, Raz said. I wanted to be clear that I personally am not in support of sanctioning the country  I support sanctions on the Talibans leadership.

Haqqani concurred, saying sanctions hurt commoners while leaving the ruling class largely untouched.

People in power know how to evade sanctions for themselves, he said. We saw that in Iraq. Saddam Hussein and his regime did all right.

People shelter from the rain outside a shop in Kabul, Afghanistan, on March 22, 2023. (Wakil Kohsar/AFP via Getty Images)

Haqqani believes that the Talibans desire for acceptance on the world stage can be leveraged to secure greater freedom for the Afghan people. He suggested a policy of stigmatization.

The Taliban are really eager for international recognition and acceptance, being able to be normal in the world, the diplomat said. If we do not normalize the Taliban, there will be forces within the Taliban and within Afghan society that will reassert themselves politically.

Raz offered an array of solutions, ranging from enhanced protection of Taliban dissidents to enhancing Afghan access to the internet and communication tools, mentioning Elon Musks Starlink as a potential avenue for achieving this.

They are on the ground. They are the ones who raise their voices, she told The Epoch Times. We have to find tools inside the country that would help them to be protected.

Both diplomats strongly ruled out a U.S. military engagement in the nation, after decades of warfare.

I lost my family members to this war, Raz said. At this stage, I think a military solution is pretty hard for me [to support].

Taliban fighters keeping a watch at an outpost in Tawakh Village of Anaba district, Panjshir Province, Afghanistan, on July 8, 2022. (Wakil Khosar/AFP via Getty Images)

Haqqani mentioned that Afghanistan has seen war now since 1979. The former diplomat instead recommends a balance of opposition toward Taliban rule and violent confrontations.

China Entering the Region

One factor that complicates the situation in Afghanistan is Chinas growing involvement in the region.

China is already moving into Afghanistan, Haqqani said. Theres a very small narrow corridor that separates China from Afghanistan.

Beijing has recently strengthened financial ties with the newly Taliban-controlled Kabul, which should warrant the attention of the Biden administration, according to Haqqani.

China has just signed an agreement with the Taliban to extract oil in the Amu Darya basin, he said. They will be involved there economically.

In January, the Afghan minister of mines and petroleum and representatives of the Chinese National Petroleum Corp. agreed to grant the Chinese firms drilling access to more than 1,700 square miles of land in northern Afghanistan.

The deal is expected to provide a much-needed boost to Afghanistans economy, according to Taliban officials, but Haqqani and some U.S. officials worry that its the beginning of a strategic partnership against the West.
Teachers to Strike Again as Union Rejects Government Pay Offer

Striking members of the National Education Union (NEU) on Piccadilly march to a rally in Trafalgar Square, central London, on March 15, 2023. (Aaron Chown/PA Media)

Teachers in England are set to strike again in the following months as the largest teachers union overwhelmingly rejected the governments pay offer.

Strikes will go ahead on April 27 and May 2 unless Education Secretary Gillian Keegan can reach an agreement with the union before then, the National Education Union (NEU) said on Monday.

Schools could also face another three days of strikes in June and July, as well as more strikes in the autumn, after the union passed a motion on Tuesday.

Keegan said the teaching unions rejection of the offer will result in more disruption for children and less money for teachers, adding that it is extremely disappointing.

The Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) union also rejected the governments pay offer, the union said on Tuesday.

Following intensive talks with education unions, the government offered teachers a 1,000 one-off payment for the current school year, an average 4.5 percent pay rise for staff next year, and some working condition reforms.

The government said existing school budgets can cover a 4 percent pay rise next year because energy costs are forecast to fall at a faster rate than previously expected. A new grant will cover the rest of the pay rise next year and the one-off payment this year.

But the offer has so far been overwhelmingly rejected by the two unions.

Announcing the ballot result on the first day of the NEU annual conference on Monday, President Louise Atkinson said 195,564 NEU members voted in the ballot during the previous weeka turnout of 66 percentand 98 percent voted to reject the offer.

The union said the offer was not fully funded, would widen the pay gap between teachers in England and their colleagues in Wales and Scotland, and would represent another two years of real-terms pay cuts.

It would do nothing to reverse the problems of recruitment and retention in our schools, it said in a statement.

An urgent motion on teachers pay was passed on Tuesday, calling on the NEU executive to use the period of exams from May 15 to begin a re-ballot of teacher members in England running until the end of July.

If successful, the ballot could lead to a programme of action in the autumn term, as well as a national demonstration in Manchester during the Conservative Party conference in October.

The motion also calls on the union to timetable a three-day strike in late June and early July, which would be confirmed by the executive in mid-May.

Kevin Courtney, joint general secretary of the NEU, said on Tuesday, If the government does not resolve the current pay dispute, the NEU will re-ballot members for a renewed mandate for further industrial action in the next academic year.

Courtney told reporters on Monday: If I was the government, I would be very worried about our capacity to carry on the campaign.

I think the ballot result we have announced today proves that we can win a re-ballot. I think they would think that we wouldnt win a re-ballot. We will, he said.

We will win a re-ballot and that will take us into next year and into their election year.

Education Secretary Gillian Keegan leaves 10 Downing Street, London, on March 15, 2023. (Jordan Pettitt/PA Media)

ASCL on Tuesday said 56 percent of eligible members voted on the offer, with 87 percent voting to reject it.

The school leaders union asked those who voted not to provide a reason. Almost 70 percent said the offer is not fully funded, 29 percent wanted a better offer, and 2 percent said other measures in the offer are inadequate.

Commenting on Monday in response to the NEUs rejection of the governments pay offer, Keegan said, After costing children almost a week of time in the classroom and with exams fast approaching, it is extremely disappointing that the NEU have called more strike action.

The offer was funded, including major new investment of over half a billion pounds, in addition to the record funding already planned for school budgets, she added.

The NEUs decision to reject it will simply result in more disruption for children and less money for teachers today. Pay will now be decided by the independent pay review body, which will recommend pay rises for next year, she said.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak refused to be drawn on whether the offer of a one-off payment of 1,000 for teachers would be revoked following the NEUs decision to push forward with strikes.

Asked by broadcasters during a visit to Rochdale whether the payment would go ahead, he said: Weve made a very reasonable pay offer worth around 8 percent on average for teachers, worth up to 13 percent for new teachers combined with reductions on workload, and for the NEU teaching union to be striking in the face of that and impacting childrens education, particularly in the run-up to the exams, is extremely disappointing.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer urged teaching unions and the government to get around the negotiating table to resolve the dispute.

He told LBC: I am disappointed because I want to see this resolved. Obviously it is back around the negotiating table now but I would urge both sides to compromise and to come to an agreement as quickly as possible.

He added: Obviously I support their right to take industrial actionit is very important I say thatbut I will be clear: I dont want to see industrial action and that is why I want the government around the table resolving this.

It is possible to resolve these disputes, and the sooner the government gets on with that the better.

Members of the NASUWT teaching union and the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) are also being asked for feedback on the governments offer.

Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the NAHT, said last week that industrial action by school leaders will be necessary if NAHT members decide to reject the governments inadequate pay offer.

The NAHT has said it could move to a second formal industrial action ballot if its members turn down the governments pay offer.

PA Graphics

On Monday, the British Medical Association announced plans to ballot NHS consultants in England for strike action from May 15 if the government does not meet its demands over pay.

Passport Office workers have begun a five-week strike in a dispute over jobs, pay, pensions, and conditions as a union warned it could cause delays for those looking to renew their passports.

More than 1,000 members of the Public and Commercial Services union at eight sites are walking out in an escalation of the long-running row.

PA Media contributed to this report.
Tennessee Governor Increases School Security Budget After Nashville Shooting

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee delivers his State of the State address in the House Chamber of the Capitol building in Nashville, Tenn., on Jan. 31, 2022. (Mark Zaleski/AP Photo)

One week after the mass shooting at The Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee, Gov. Bill Lee is requesting an increase in his school security budget.

This past week will be remembered as one of the most heartbreaking weeks in our states history, Lee said when announcing his amended budget request on April 3.

The history books will also reflect how Tennessee leaders responded.

Lees proposed state budget included $30 million to place at least one Homeland Security agent in every county to serve both public and private schools, and increase the requirements and accountability for physical security at all schools.

Tanya Coats, president of the Tennessee Education Association, praised the move in a statement on the TEA Facebook page.

A balloon with names of the victims is part of a memorial tribute at the entrance to The Covenant School, in Nashville, Tenn., on March 29, 2023. (Wade Payne/AP Photo)

TEA applauds Gov. Lees and legislative leaderships announcement to take immediate steps to fund school resource officers in every school, improve school security, and invest in mental health support, the statement reads.

Lees amended request under HB322 and SB274 includes three components.

The first request is for $140 million to place an armed School Resource Officer (SRO) in every public school in the state. Each SRO would be required to have active shooter training. Lee said this is the most essential step and the most needed.

There is no excuse to not have a guard in every school, Lee said.

The next item is a $27 million grant fund for physical security upgrades. The fund would be divided into $20 million for public schools and $7 million for private schools. This is in addition to a previous proposal requiring all exterior school doors to be locked. The law will also authorize local law enforcement to check school doors.

The third proposal would provide $8 million for additional school-based mental health liaisons. Lee said the liaisons would alert officials to anyone exhibiting possible red flags.

We Cannot Control Evil

We cannot control evil, but we can do something. Our work to ensure the safety of Tennessee students and teachers will not stop, Lee said.

On March 27, Audrey Hale, 28, of Nashville, killed Cynthia Peak, 61; Katherine Koonce, 60; Mike Hill, 61; and Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs, and William Kinney, all age 9. at The Covenant School.

Nashville Police officers shot and killed Hale minutes after a school official called 911.

Hale, a female, used male pronouns and the name Aidan on social media.

Police have not released a motive for the shooting. They say Hale had been planning the crime for months, based on writings found in her vehicle and home. Hale was reportedly being treated for mental health issues, including a reported emotional disorder.
BELGRADE, April 3 (Xinhua) -- Jakov Milatovic has triumphed in the second round of Montenegro's presidential elections, according to official preliminary results published on Monday by the State Electoral Commission of Montenegro (DIK).

The 36-year-old former economy minister won 58.88 percent of votes, while his opponent, current president Milo Djukanovic, gained 41.12 percent.

Although the results of the March 19 first round of elections put Djukanovic in the lead, supporters of the opposition parties whose candidates were eliminated voted for Milatovic on Sunday.

After hearing preliminary estimations on Sunday night, Milatovic said the victory was a collective effort that had helped to topple Djukanovic.

Milatovic promised that during his five-year mandate, Montenegro will become a member of the European Union.

Djukanovic, the leader of the Democratic party of Socialists (DPS) who has ruled Montenegro for over 30 years either as President or Prime Minister, congratulated Milatovic.

After completing his Master's degree in economics at Oxford University, Milatovic spent almost a decade at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), becoming its principal economist in charge of several countries.

He entered the political spotlight in December 2020 as the Minister of Economic Development and Tourism in the government of PM Zdravko Krivokapic, which was ousted in April 2022. Subsequently, he co-founded the movement "Europe Now" with Milojko Spajic, and ran for mayor of Podgorica.

Milatovic's presidential candidacy this year was unplanned. He was nominated as a replacement for his party colleague Spajic, who was disqualified for having dual Montenegrin-Serbian citizenship. 
Tennessee Lawmakers Face Expulsion After Joining Pro-Gun Control Protest at State Capitol

Three Democratic lawmakers in the Tennessee House of Representatives who took part in pro-gun control protests in the state capitol have reportedly been stripped of their committee assignments and now face being removed from the legislature.

Reps. Justin Jones (D-Nashville), Justin J. Pearson (D-Memphis), and Gloria Johnson (D-Knoxville) participated in demonstrations for tighter gun control laws in the state capitol on March 30.

The protests came just days after 28-year-old Audrey Elizabeth Hale, who police say identified as transgender, opened fire at Covenant Christian Academy in Nashville, shooting dead three children and three adults.

According to the Nashville Tennessean, the three lawmakers took to the podium on the House floor with a bullhorn in hand and cheered on the crowd of demonstrators, without being recognized to speak; marking a breach of chamber rules.

House Republicans later condemned the lawmakers disorderly behavior and House Speaker Cameron Sexton (R-Crossville) called for a 30-minute recess during Thursdays incident, according to the publication.

Jones on April 3 posted on Twitter a photo of a letter he had received from Rep. Bud Hulsey (R-Sullivan), informing him of a resolution he and other lawmakers filed to remove the three lawmakers from their seats.

The resolution cites Article 2, section 12 of the Tennessee constitution, which states that each House may determine the rules of its proceedings, punish its members for disorderly behavior, and, with the concurrence of two-thirds, expel a member, but not a second time for the same offense; and shall have all other powers necessary for a branch of the Legislature of a free state.

Disorder and Dishonor

The resolution goes on to state that all lawmakers must comply with the rules of the Tennessee House including preserving order, adhering to decorum, speaking only with recognition, not crowding around the Clerks desk, avoiding personalities, and not using props or displaying political messages.

It states that the three did knowingly and intentionally bring disorder and dishonor to the House of Representatives through their individual and collective actions over a roughly one-hour period.

Republicans voted Monday that the House expedite the process and vote on the resolutions to expel the three members on Thursday, although they will likely have a chance to defend their actions during the Senate session.

Sexton has already stripped the Democrats of their committee assignments, and Republicans voted to revoke their ID badges, restricting their access to the legislature, according to Newsweek.

Just handed this on the House floor, but they still have to vote. Well not be intimidated. THE PEOPLE are demanding we act to stop kids from being murdered in school, Jones wrote alongside the photo, using the hashtag #goodtrouble.

Johnson also shared a photo on Twitter of the resolution letter she had received from Republican lawmakers for what she said was their efforts in fighting to protect children from gun violence.

A week after six people were slaughtered in a Tennessee school shooting, House Republicans are taking action. Not to stop gun violence. But to silence voices who are calling for reform. We will not be silent, Johnson wrote in a later post.

Pearson has not publically commented on the resolution but wrote on Twitter on March 30 that he and his fellow lawmakers took to the House floor demanding justice to end the support of the NRA, end the support of gun violence, & end support of these guns.

Democrats Actions a Distraction

In a tweet on Monday, Sexton said the actions of the three Democrats are and will always be unacceptable, and they break several rules of decorum and procedure on the House floor.

Their actions and beliefs that they could be arrested on the House floor were an effort, unfortunately, to make themselves the victims, Sexton said. In effect, those actions took away the voices of the protestors, the focus on the six victims who lost their lives, and the families who lost their loved ones.

The Republican added that the House has always welcomed peaceful protestors to the capitol to have their voices heard on any issue but that it cannot allow the actions of the three members to distract us from protecting our children. 

In a statement on Monday after the vote, the House Democratic Caucus said it stands firmly united with the three lawmakers, adding that it has unanimously, formally voted to oppose the baseless resolutions for expulsion & will zealously oppose them should they come up for a vote on the House floor.

The Epoch Times has reached out to Sexton and the three lawmakers for further comment.

Jones was temporarily banned from the Tennessee Capitol in 2019 after throwing a cup of coffee at then-House Speaker Glen Casada (R-Williamson) and other lawmakers while protesting against the bust of Confederate Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest being inside the Capitol. At the time, Jones was working as an activist and not a Tennesse representative.

The last lawmaker to be expelled from the Tennessee State Senate was in 2022, when senators voted 275 to remove Sen. Katrina Robinson (D-Memphis) from office following a wire fraud conviction. Robinson denied any wrongdoing.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The Emergency Is Not Over

Commentary

The U.S. House and Senate have voted by a supermajority for an early end to the National Emergency that Donald Trump issued on March 13, 2020. He issued this the same day that the Department of Health and Human Services declared in a classified document that the National Security Council would henceforth head the COVID response.

This day marked the beginning of a largely lawless regimeat all levels of governmentruling with its own discretion rather than according to the Constitution, established court precedent, or any principles at all. It was government by the whim of experts and their rule impacted every aspect of our lives.

The COVID emergency has been formally ended but the egregious habits of government that were unleashed that day continue even now, ensnaring even the former president himself, who was just indicted by a New York State attorney general for reasons we still do not know. For all the world, it looks purely political.

Just as this indictment is a first ever of a former president Trumps executive order was the first ever to be issued for an infectious disease. Its powers were uncertain in the midst of such an unfamiliar cover for the invocation of total power.

The edict applicable to the whole country issued on March 16, 2020, said: indoor and outdoor venues where people congregate should be closed. So no more Bill of Rights, including the freedom of assembly and worship? Not even one reporter questioned this at the March 16th press conference, perhaps because they were too confused. Its hard to know.

And for how long? It was pure psyops: 15 Days. For starters. Then it went on for three years in various iterations. Even now, unjabbed travelers cannot enter our shores unless they are given diplomatic clearance. One rule for the ruling elites, another for everyone else. So it has been all this time.

But was this enforceable? Did the president even possess this power? He certainly believed he did. But it was never clear. The courts did nothing to stay such astonishing executive overreach. Instead, all states but South Dakota went along, some with enthusiasm, some out of trust, and some out of sheer fear of what could happen under what felt like a situation of quasi-martial law. And how did South Dakota get away with this defiance? Was it only because it is not among the states that makes the news?

The precise powers that are possible under such a declaration are still uncertain. All anyone knew is that some very powerful people at the very top were demanding actions that seemed very much in contradiction to the Bill of Rights.

Who or what could stop such an overreach was unclear. And did the people have to obey? Certainly the mass media was all in, whipping up a populist compliance movement that would, over the course of two years, denounce anyone who dared disagree as selfish in their desire to exercise their freedumb. Plenty of people went to jail merely for exercising their civil rights.

Meanwhile the social fabric was torn asunder again and again until it was in tatters on the floor. Over time, the whole of the public sector gradually step away from the insanity once it became clear that 1) the mitigation efforts were achieving nothing remotely close to the promise, 2) the vaccine had no public-health benefit, 3) everyone got sick of COVID mania, 4) the courts finally started closing in on the whole racket, and 5) the anger of regular people toward their lawmakers finally boiled to the surface.

It is finally over, three years later. Or is it?

Robert Malone explains:

A national emergency declaration was issued by former President Donald Trump March 13, 2020, pursuant to Section 201 of the National Emergencies Act. A national emergency declaration is in effect unless terminated by the President, or through a joint resolution of Congress, or if the President does not issue a continuation notice annually. Such a notice was issued by President Trump to continue the emergency beyond March 1, 2021, and by President Biden to continue beyond March 1, 2022. As announced by the Biden administration on Jan. 30, 2023, the administration plans to extend the national emergency to May 11, 2023, then end it on that date.

The Biden administration opposed the legislative action. National Review explains:

With a supermajority of senators voting in the affirmative, the upper chamber of Congress ratified a February House vote that will put an end to the Covid-19 emergency orders implemented by Donald Trump in 2020. The White House insists that it is opposed to such legislation. It argues that Congress would get what it wants on May 11, when the eleventh extension of the Covid public-health emergency is set to expire. Nevertheless, when the bill reaches Bidens desk, administration officials have said the president will sign it.

The action by Congress speeds up the timeline but what this changes precisely is unclear. It likely will not affect the Emergency Use Authorization for the vaccines or tests, because Congress very cleverly moved the authorizations of those to a different piece of legislation.

Still, it represents the formalization of a perceptual undertow of populist revolt, one that is truly bipartisan at this point. You can bet that every lawmaker is faced with constituents screaming about the school closures, the masking, the shut businesses and mask mandates, not to mention the forced jabs. The constituent base of these people was brutalized for three years. Plenty of political donors are asking questions. Lawmakers are just tired of the whole thing.

That all of this was based on fake science and terrible misapprehension of the true threat of the virus is very obvious, not perhaps from the mainstream press but not that far away with a few mouse clicks. Anyone who has bumped into evening news running on Fox would have heard Tucker Carlson and Laura Ingraham interviewing various Brownstone writers and scholars on this topic.

It only takes a few search terms to introduce one to a new information universe in which one discovers that the whole of civilized life was shattered for no good reason based on the posturing of a handful of government-funded bureaucrats who believed that they had more power than all the laws of the United States and the rights of people everywhere. In so doing, they worked hand-in-glove with Big Tech and Big Media to create the appearance of unity.

Its a scandal for the ages but all major power centers (media, academia, social media, and corporate America) tried everything in their power to keep it all under wraps for the better part of three years. Congress did not have to act. They chose to actto wash this disaster out of their hairbecause they faced pressure from below.

Even then, their actions were opposed by the Washington Post, of course. The vote was largely symbolic, the paper has written but then adds: Several members of the White House covid response team, including its covid-19 response coordinator, Ashish Jha, are expected to leave the administration, according to sources.

Yes of course they will leave the administration, all in an effort to make accountability impossible. The people who did this to us at most levels of society have gradually vanished from public life, or were pushed out.

The journalists who championed the lockdowns have gone on to other things. The academics are busy deleting posts. The pundits are deleting their pro-lockdown tweets. The think tanks that were either complicit or silent (and therefore also complicit) have moved on to pretend nothing happened. The politicians just want to change the subject. There are have precious few apologies and no admissions of wrong doing.

Its as if the whole of the ruling class wants everyone to forget the horror of the last three years. Meanwhile, the pandemic response of brutal suppression of human liberty is now in the process of being codified as normal in the annals of the World Health Organization, even as Bill Gates argues for a new international bureaucracy to do it all over again. It was too gainful, too delightful, too thrilling, for all those who benefitted from this to pass up a chance to deploy it again.

Remarkably, even after all these years, it is not clear precisely what it is they were trying to achieve beyond the largest and fastest redistribution of wealth from the poor and middle class to the rich in history. They paid attention to no particulars of the virus itself, much less treatments, but instead focused entirely on some elusive goal having to do with forever flattening curves and imposing a new way of life with full anticipation that the pharmaceutical companies would save the day, which they very clearly did not.

If we want true accountability, rather than a global ruling-class effort to sweep it all under the rug, it has to come from somewhere, starting with a continued deep dive into all the players, motivations, delusions, and corruptions. Then we need clear restrictions, not on people but on states, among which to curb these national emergencies that signal to the population that they are nothing but serfs and the power holders their masters backed by the best science.

The lawless government that went into overdrive three years ago, even if its roots extend far back in time, has finally ensnared the president who was manipulated into pulling the trigger. So yes, the lockdowns and this apparently political Trump indictment are connected. They are all signs of a loss of government restraint, taking us back before the days of the Magna Carta.

The New York Times said we should go medieval on the virus. They used the virus as the excuse but we find ourselves in a situation that does indeed feel pre-modern, like the year 1000 except ruled by a cartel of global elites.

Trust is gone. And our liberties and rights, not to mention the American system of government and the reliability of rules, are in dramatic decline. Given this, we have to do much more than pretend like nothing happened.

What happened with the COVID regime was an imposed reversal of 1,000 years of progress in human rights. This cannot be allowed to stand much less be forgotten. Declaration or not, the real emergency is far from over. It is still with us and cries out for an end that can only come from truth telling, some modicum of justice, and a dramatic turn toward Enlightenment values. Barring that, there is darkness ahead.

From the Brownstone Institute

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
The Last Governor of Hong Kong: Hopeful for Hong Kong-Born UK Prime Minister in the Future

The British Hong Kong People's Summit invited the Former Hong Kong governor Lord Chris Pattern to speak at the event on March 27, 2023. (The Epoch Times)

Lord Chris Patten, the last Governor of Hong Kong, attended the UK Hong Kong Summit 2023 in London on March 27. He praised Hong Kong people for contributing to the United Kingdom, affirming they had been a tremendous addition to British society.

Patten also expressed his hope that there would be a British Prime Minister from Hong Kong in the future.

The 78-year-old Chancellor of the University of Oxford gave a half-hour speech at the summit. Patten was trembling with a microphone in his hand during his speech. He explained that he was fine but had a hospital appointment after the event.

Hope for Hongkongers

Patten talked of an Indian couple who migrated to the United Kingdom long ago, whose son, Rishi Sunak, became the countrys prime minister.

He used Sunaks story as an inspiration to Hongkongers. Patten joked that he might not be alive to witness the day. Nonetheless, he firmly believed that someday, there would be a future president of the Royal Society, judges, cabinet members from Hong Kong, and a Hong Kong-born prime minister.

Baron Patten of Barnes praised Hongkongers for bringing and contributing their talents, skill sets, and spirits to the United Kingdom.

He added that he would run into many Hongkongers wherever he went in the UK, in a park or his alma mater of a middle school in West London. The school hired a new chemistry teacher who was from Hong Kong,

A Hongkonger he met on his walk turned out to be someone he had previously taken a photograph with while holding a yellow umbrella in Oxford. The boy had become a diabetes specialist after completing his medical degree at Oxford University.

The young man asked Patten on behalf of his girlfriend, who was studying for a masters degree in life science.

Should we go back to Hong Kong?

That question was the most difficult for Patten. Although he did not elaborate on how he answered at the time, Patten believed that he could learn from the past.

Hong Kong and East Berlin

Patten recalled an experience of a good friend of his, who was once the Minister of European Affairs of the British government. Around the time his friend visited Berlin on business in 1989, a local young man was reportedly shot and killed by the East Berlin guards when he tried to flee to West Berlin.

Two weeks later, East Berlin and East Germany crumbled. Patten noted tyranny would not last forever and would lose until it eventually melted away. Patten stated that the same would go for the Chinese Communist Party.

Hongkongers Well-being in the UK

Patten also mentioned that the Hongkongers attending the summit would remind the British government of its moral and political responsibilities to Hong Kong and the members of Congress to look out for Hong Kong and speak out for its political prisoners.

He also spoke about the incident in Manchester in 2022, when the diplomats of the Chinese Community Party were attacking people; the CCPs embassy staff suppressed students and those who attended social movements in Hong Kong.

Another problem Hongkongers faced in the UK was under the BNO visa program.

Young people would not be eligible to enroll in universities with lower tuition fees for local students. Patten hoped the British Home Office would ramp up the processing of political refugee applications from Hong Kong.

He believed the Chinese Community Party threatened the UKs long-term interests of national security, economy, values, and institutions.

When Xi Jinping became a lifelong dictator, the rule of law, separation of powers, role of civil society in a free and open community, legislative democracy, and freedom of speech threatened the regimes supremacy.

Perseverance Wins the Race

Patten emphasized that Hongkongers represent not only the past but also the future and possibly beyond Hong Kong, which he described as an unstoppable force.

He also referenced the wisdom of Nelson Mandela, Nobody can lock up an idea, and nobody can lock up the idea of freedom and the rule of law and shared decency.
The Show Trial of Donald TrumpThe Beatles Were Right!

Former President Donald Trump and his defense team in a Manhattan court for his arraignment on April 4, 2023. (Seth Wenig/AP Photo)

Commentary

Its not just the show trial of former President Donald Trump that is being watched by millions, even billions, across the worldsomething beyond the wildest dreams of Joseph Stalin and his NKVD henchman Lavrentiy Beria.

Signs are everywhere, big and small, that the United States is evolvingin many ways has already evolvedinto a new form of communism, closer every day, ironically, to that of communist China, our supposed enemy, where party membership (and fealty) is the royal road to billions.

Communismin total contradiction to what Karl Marx wrote and evidently told himself; he spent most of his life in a museum library, after allis the best system ever devised to keep the rich and powerful rich and powerful and the rest in their place.

Some have been saying the United States has turned into a banana republic.

If only.

Las republicas bananeras are tiny, weak redoubts run by tin-pot dictators, ultimately inconsequential. America is still, for now anyway, far and away the worlds biggest economy, with its most powerful military.

Its therefore the linchpin of the global communism sought by the World Economic Forum and their so-called elite allies, whose goal, whether they admit it or not, and sometimes they do, is the total control of every human being on the planet.

This is, of course, the exact opposite of Marxs dream of the withering away of the state. Its the state uber alles.

The show trial of Trump is a giant step toward that goal.

Many realize this. Many, lets hope, will try to resist. But in that process, the small steps to communism, and they are everywhere, shouldnt be overlooked. Some of them may have as much impact in the end, possibly even more.

We are being brainwashed in virtually every area of our lives, the hallmark of a communist regime.

We have two rather telling examples of that in recent days, while most of us were transfixed by the events leading up to the show trial.

CBS forbade its journalists to employ the words transgendered or transgender when reporting on the recent murders of what we might call the Six of Nashville, which included three school children. The network did that even though the shooter was a woman dressed in the most flagrant fashion in the equivalent of male terrorist drag, wielding exactly the kind of weapon the left has wanted to ban.

That Orwellian Ministry of Truth-style censorship comes, in part, from a fear of offending the transgender community, part of whats left of the diminishing CBS news constituency, but also from a conscious/subconscious agreement with or backing of that communitys deeper intentthe dissolution of the nuclear family.

That has been an on-again, off-again goal of communist countries since the early Bolshevik days and has grown in intensity in America of late. When the family dissolves, all we have to depend on is the state.

At the same time, we have lower-level purge trials, weaponizing the justice system against the average citizen. An example is Douglass Mackey, described in Politico (shall we call them far-left since they propagandistically love to call others far-right) as a far-right influencer convicted in voter suppression scheme.

The dastardly crime of Monsieur Mackey? He wrote a Twitter prank, urging 2016 Hillary Clinton supporters to text their votes, when only an imbecile would do that. This happened to be the exact same trick played on the other side by Hillary supporter Kristina Wong, for which, unsurprisingly, she has never been cited.

Small stuff? Not to Mackey, who may have to do time. But also it prepares the field, almost like adding mulch, for a communist system in which only one side gets to speak.

I saw this in person during two cultural exchange visits to the Soviet Union in the 80s. On those trips, Soviet authors, people I genuinely admired, whispered in my ear, desperately asking for my help in getting them out of the Soviet Union, something I had no way of doing.

That was some years after The Beatles first recorded Back in the USSR (August 1968). So, although I always enjoyed the song as a Beach Boys knockoff, I found it then more than a little overstated, with its implied moral equivalency between us and them.

In fact, I thought the Fab Four were taking what we would call a cheap shot.

No longer.

These days, however, with the Trump show trial and God-knows-what to come, I find myself replaying it constantly in my head, even though the rousing Paul McCartney reprise in Red Square (2005) features an approving Vladimir Putin in the crowd.

Still, the lyrics many of us remember well sting more than ever. These days they might even be heartbreaking:

Im back in the USSR

You dont know how lucky you are, boy

Back in the US

Back in the US

Back in the USSR

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
The US Dollar Will Stay the Worlds Reserve Currency

Commentary

There has been a lot of worry about the burgeoning partnership between Russia and China. Russias economy is very small, and it cannot afford to fight the continuing war in Ukraine. It needs China to help, and China is more than willing to buy energy products from Russia. The trading is being executed in Chinese yuan. Of course, Russia needs what China is selling and is happy to sell the Chinese oil at a huge discount to the world market price. This development scares a lot of people, and their fears are fanned by reporters on television that breathlessly report that the U.S. dollar is in danger of losing its status as the worlds reserve currency. What happens, however, to Russia when it runs out of U.S. dollar reserves? How do the Russians buy goods on the world wide market at a competitive price? They are going to have to ask the Chinese to be their banker.

Instead of worrying if the sky is falling, we ought to welcome the competition! Americans used to be competitive. The United States has a lot going for it, despite the problems we have. In many cases, the problems are caused by our own doing and not because we lost a competitive race with another country.

Below is a chart showing the volume that the United States exports in goods and services. Those exports arent going to dry up anytime soon. The United States is the most innovative country on earth, with the most powerful economy on earth. People from outside the United States want and demand U.S. stuff. China puts up good numbers, but the Chinese engage in almost all commoditized manufacturing with no value added. For an example, compare a Chinese refrigerator to a U.S.-made SubZero. Sure, the Chinese one is cheap and keeps your food cold, but the odds are really good that it will not last nearly as long as the SubZero made in Wisconsin. You will have more problems with it over the lifetime of the refrigerator, too.

One huge mistake people look at is simply the gross numbers the United States imports and exports. They assume that if the number is negative, a trade deficit, its bad. However, that isnt necessarily the case. If the United States is exporting high-quality value-added goods, and importing cheap commoditized goods, thats usually a net positive for the pocketbooks of U.S. citizens. Why should you spend more money on something that can be produced and imported somewhere else? We should take our resources and apply them to manufacturing goods and services that bring the highest margin for our economy.

The rest of the world also knows that there is no transparency in China. They know that China is a communist country, and you cannot entirely trust a communist country. Other countries will use Chinese yuan around the edges, but when push comes to shove, there are only a few currencies that they will hold and put their faith in. The U.S. dollar is their number-one choice, along with the British pound, Japanese yen, the euro, and the Swiss franc next in line. The United States is the only country in the world with a large enough supply, or float, of currency to support the worlds trading operations. Thats not going to change anytime soon.

At the same time, the United States should think about using its economic might as a weapon against our enemies. We shouldnt use tariffs, however, because those get passed down directly to consumers. However, we could change tax policy and go to a so-called Fair Tax system that would increase domestic investment by building new plants and buying equipment. We should think about redoing our oppressive and bureaucratic system of regulation to make it easier and cheaper to innovate and employ people. Currently, the system pays no mind to opportunity costs, and we over-regulate everything. We do need to think hard about helping U.S. companies and people defend their intellectual property. We also need to think long and hard about how we keep international students who complete graduate degrees in STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) programs inside the United States working for U.S. companies rather than going home and taking their intellect with them.

China is certainly competing head to head with the United States both economically and militarily. But the flip side for China is their demographics make sustained domination difficult. They dont have enough people. When the United States doesnt have enough people, we rely on immigration to bring them in. You never hear stories of people marching to illegally cross the Chinese border to work in China, because no one wants to immigrate there. They want to leave instead.

Another advantage the United States has is intellectual capital. The United States has the best college and graduate schools in the world, despite the problems they are having with discrimination these days. The worlds best engineering, medical, business, and science schools are in the United States. Hopefully, the move toward equity instead of merit in our colleges and universities is a passing phase. Slowly but surely the school choice movement is taking hold in K12 education across the country, and that will have big ramifications for our educational systems. They should get significantly better with school choice since it will bring competition into the education market.

The U.S. medical system is the best in the entire world. It has problems for sure, but where else would you want to go if you were really sick? People dont go to China for cancer operations. They come to the United States. The United States develops and innovates more drugs and medical devices than any other country in the world. The demand for those kinds of goods is going up, not down, and they are paid for in U.S. dollars.

Here is a test for you: Go to a merchant in a third-world country anywhere. See if you can buy what they are selling with a U.S. dollar. Then see if they will take Chinese yuan. My guess is that you will be able to spend dollars anywhere you go. It will be a challenge for you to spend Chinese yuan.

According to World Bank data, in 2021, China had a GDP of $17,734,062 trillions, and U.S. GDP was $23,315,080 trillion. For what its worth, Russias 2021 GDP was $1,778,782 trillion. The entire world had a GDP of $92 trillion. Chinas economy will grow, but the United States isnt sitting still. The only positive export Russia has is hard assets, like minerals, oil, and vodka. New York, California, and Texas all have larger economies inside their state than Russia, and Florida is close. Because the U.S. economy is so incredibly dynamic, it can grow more quickly than other world economies. Chinas economy is nowhere near as dynamic.

Every time China exports something to the United States, it gets paid in U.S. dollars. It has to take those dollars and either converts them to another currency in the foreign-exchange market or recycles them into U.S. Treasury debt. It pays for China to hold a lot of U.S. Treasurys and U.S. dollars since we are Chinas largest trading partner by far. When the Chinese trade with other countries, in most cases the export/import currency used is U.S. dollars. Vietnam doesnt want Chinese yuan and the Chinese dont want the Vietnamese dong. China might try and tell Vietnam to do the trade in Chinese yuan, but because China mostly exports commoditized goods that could be manufactured anywhere, Vietnam can tell the Chinese to go pound sand. Given time, India, and Mexico can replicate what China has.

It is not a stretch to imagine a future in 2030 years where Mexico produces a lot of the commoditized goods China currently produces because the supply chain will be shorter.

The advantage China has set up for itself is that it built huge, focused, centralized manufacturing hubs that produce a lot of commoditized goods cheaply. That centralization combined with cheap labor makes them very competitive. On the flip side, China has a billion people, so it is a big market. They will consume a lot of goods, but, interestingly, China needs to import the ones that are most essential to keeping its people happy, like food. China cannot grow enough food inside its own borders to satisfy the appetite of its people. China also cannot produce enough indigenous energy to satisfy the needs of its economy.

You know who can do both of those things? America.

At the end of the day, if a world war started similar to the one that started Sept. 1, 1939, ask yourself which countrys passport youd like to have in your hand if you were trapped and needed to get out. The country you picked is going to have a strong world currency that is accepted anywhere. My guess is that, if given a choice, 99.9 percent of the world would be happy to be holding a U.S. passport. Theyd want to have that countrys currency in their pocket, too.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
This Is What Happens in Communist Countries: Rep. Greene Decries Trump Indictment in Rally Outside NY Courthouse

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) speaks outside Manhattan Criminal Courthouse on the day of former President Donald Trump's planned court appearance on April 4, 2023. (Reuters/Caitlin Ochs)

NEW YORKRep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) joined supporters of former President Donald Trump in New York on April 4 to protest his indictment.

I came to your state to peacefully protest against the persecution of an innocent man, Greene told a crowd of protesters at Collect Pond Park just hours before Trump was scheduled to be arraigned across the street. Not just any manthis is the former president of the United States of America, and the government has been weaponized against him.

Every American should take a stand, she added. This is what happens in communist countries, not the United States of America. We have to take a stand against the injustice, the corruption, and the communist Democrats who are taking our legal code and twisting it, manipulating it, and converting it into something it was never meant to be.

Last week, Trump was indicted by a Manhattan grand jury on charges that remain under seal, though the indictment is suspected to include falsification of business records charges relating to a hush money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels made by Trumps former attorney Michael Cohen in the weeks preceding the 2016 presidential election.

Cohen, who has since been disbarred, pleaded guilty in 2018 to campaign finance violations relating to the payment, among other unrelated charges.

Decrying the indictment as a travesty that amounts to election interference, Greene asserted that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, a Democrat, was pursuing charges against Trump to prevent him from winning the presidency in 2024.

But Trump, she contended, was not their only target.

Theyre coming after President Trump today, and they will come after you tomorrow, she said.

Nadine Seiler of Waldorf, Maryland, celebrates the indictment of former President Donald Trump ahead of his arraignment in New York on April 4, 2023. (Chung I Ho/The Epoch Times)

Dueling Protests

Organized by the New York Young Republicans Club, the pro-Trump protest was met with pushback from counter-protesters who were there to express their distaste for the former president.

Displaying banners with such statements as Trump Lies All the Time and Trump 4 Prison, the anti-Trump protesters jeered, whistled, and shouted obscenities during Greenes remarks in an attempt to drown her out.

Kristine Goddard, a Trump supporter, outside a Manhattan courthouse where the former president appeared for an arraignment on April 3, 2023. (Eva Fu/The Epoch Times)

Kristine Goddard, 54, who traveled from Washington, D.C., to support Trump, said the opposing protesters were behaving like bullies.

These people are bullyinglook what theyre doing here, she said. Someones trying to speak and theyre disrespecting. Its everything they do, and its mean.

Although she had hoped to listen to Greenes remarks, Goddard said she was unable to hear over the din caused by the anti-Trump crowd but added that she wasnt surprised.

This is what they do, she said. Its just pure meanness. And theyve got somebody [Trump] who is honest and wants to help all the people. He doesnt do drugs, he doesnt drinkhes not a drinkerand hes an open book on everything, so they try to bring up junk.

Meanwhile, anti-Trump protester Nadine Seiler, 57, said she had come from Waldorf, Maryland, specifically to oppose Greene, whom she contended was aiming to incite another insurrection.

Thats what shes doingshes just trying to instigate these people into action, she asserted. And we know their action. We saw them in action. So, the fact that she wanted to do that, I am going to come here to make sure that we show up just as much as they are here.

Seiler added that she felt Trump supporters were divorced from reality and that she did not care about their perspective.

A Trump supporter hands out whistles to pro-Trump protesters in New York on April 4, 2023. (Eva Fu/The Epoch Times)

On April 3, New York Mayor Eric Adams warned Trump supportersspecifically, Greenethat violent protests would not be tolerated.

However, Greene said Tuesday that it was the anti-Trump protesters who were guilty of violence.

Im here in NY to protest with my voice against the weaponization of the justice system on innocent President Trump, but the counter protestors are coming to commit assault that can cause audible damage to everyones ears including NYPD, she wrote in a Twitter post. But Mayor Adams warns me by name! If counter protestors are violating freedom of speech and committing assault, they should be arrested.

Notably, one of the protesters handing out whistles Tuesday was a man named Spiro, who said he was there to support President Trump.

People must hear us, said Spiro, who declined to share his last name. We are here to make noisewe demonstrate.

Noting that he felt the former president was being unjustly crucified, Spiro added: We want America great again. We like our prosperity, freedom, justice, and we have to do something about it.
Tibetan Independence Is Now

Commentary

Throughout most of recorded history, Tibetan independence and sovereignty coexisted uncomfortably with foreign powers upon which they depended for territorial protection from other foreign powers. That which was protected was not only a plateau territory, but Tibetan Buddhism, arguably the core of Tibetan identity.

Today is a little different, with the center of Tibetan independence and sovereignty, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama and the Central Tibetan Administration, having established themselves in Dharamshala, India, since 1959.

While the most independent people of Tibet now find themselves in exile from their own land, the flame of Tibet remains alive and well, wherever Tibetans practice their beliefs and reject the rule of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in thought, speech, or action.

Defining independence as within the spirit of a democratic people rather than in some outward construction between authoritarian leaders decades or centuries ago is truer to fact and allows for a more fine-grained and continuous, rather than discrete, understanding of the concept.

Likewise, sovereignty, defined as the inviolable will of the people as realized through democratic elections, implies that not only is the spirit of independence alive and well in Tibet, defined as its people and diaspora, but that Beijing already lacks sovereignty over not only the people of Tibet, but their territory.

Until 1950, Tibet had not only its independence, as it always and still had according to the definitions above, but its land, most recently after the collapse of the Manchus in 1911 through a series of mutinies.

Manchu forces in Tibet likewise mutinied, and by 1912, His Holiness the 13th Dalai Lama and his allies had forcefully mopped them up and returned to rule an independent Tibetan territory.

Buddhist monks in Dharamshala, India. (Nolan Peterson/The Daily Signal)

Tibetan control of Tibet lasted until the communists invaded in 1950. Since then, a free Tibet has stood strong in spirit, despite losing territory and disappointing diplomatic retreat of allies like the United States and the United Kingdom after the opening to China in the 1970s.

As recently as 2008, the UK switched from allowing for Tibets independence to advocating its mere autonomy under the control of Beijing. But we have already seen what this autonomy means for places like Tibet and Xinjiang, whose official communist names already and perversely include the word autonomy.

In fact, this autonomy, in the context of Tibet, means repression, control, and genocide, with the added insult of a misnomer.

Most of the world has looked the other way from genocide in Tibet, deceiving themselves through silence and the active exploitation of Tibetan territory that can only be considered criminal. But now, the geopolitical foundations that underpin this wilful blindness to an atrocity are rooted in a tectonic shift. There has been no great ethical awakening, as one might hope, to robustly oppose genocide wherever it is found.

Instead, there is now a congruence of interests in which regular American, European, Japanese, Indian, and allied citizens are finally waking up to the fact that communist China represents a threat to all of humanity.

The 97 million CCP members, about 1 percent of the worlds population, are not only powerful enough to determinately influence international institutions, but to take them over, and with intent.

A Tibetan worshiper looks at Chinese police officers patrolling in front of Potala Palace, in Lhasa, Tibet, China, on June 20, 2008. (Guang Niu/Getty Images)

The CCP controls a military capable of making territorial gains, each of which empowers the next, with no end in sight. It is engaged in the same strategy of weaponizing development and infrastructure globally that was so successful in the capture of Tibet and East Turkestan (Xinjiang) in the 1950s and 1960s, and now captures the hearts, or rather wallets, of leaders in Africa and South and Southeast Asia through checkbook diplomacy masquerading as development.

Therefore now, unlike anytime previously, the world has a realized interest in limiting the growth of the CCPs power. One way to do this is to promote the legitimate aspirations for independence and territory of groups within China like Tibetans and Uyghurs. An independent and democratic Tibet and East Turkestan would help counterbalance the increasing concentration of power in Beijing. They would slow communisms relative growth, complicate its ambitions of global hegemony, and decrease its threat to the international rule of law and sanctity of democracy, diversity, and free markets established after World War II that protects the delightful and independent plethora of nations, peoples, and cultures.

Therefore now, unlike in the past, freedom-minded Tibetans can reasonably expect more support from the global powers that could one day help them regain control of their homeland as a fully sovereign country and a new member of the United Nations.

This is and should be the dream of a free Tibeta dream that not only helps Tibet, but helps the world resist the totalitarian threat of the CCP.

The first principle of Tibetan freedomwhich is independenceis justified by, but not dependent upon, its history. Todays policy of genocide against the Tibetan people and culture is all that is required to justify Tibets full and internationally-recognized independence, sovereignty, and reacquisition of territory.

The same goes for any other people anywhere subject to the worlds worst crime, whether it be the Jewish people, Uyghurs, and other Turkic Muslims, the Rohingya in Burma (Myanmar), or the Tigrayans in Ethiopia.

When any people is attacked to the point of genocide, they naturally seek, and ethically deserve, to regain sovereign independence over their homeland. All other nationalities are duty-bound to support their just aspirations for independence and territorial sovereignty.

Young Tibetan Buddhist novice monks stand in the grasslands of their nomadic camp on the Tibetan Plateau in Madou County, Qinghai Province, China, on July 24, 2015. (Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)

This does not mean that they can drive out or deprive all those people of other identities who now live within their homeland. Those people must be accorded equal rights in any new state, however hard that may be given their possible complicity in past crimes.

While the leaders of genocide should face justice, average citizens of other identities should be allowed full citizenship with all their rights in any new state. Any other approach leads to further war, violence, and human rights abuse, threatening the reattainment of a Tibetan state complete with territory. The right of territorial control comes with the obligation to accept diversity in every territory.

There is no easy answer to the dilemma the CCP has forced upon Tibet and the world. The uprising to free Tibet from communist control in the 1960s and 1970s led to the deaths of as many as 1.2 million Tibetans. Yet the cause was and still is just. The need for Tibetan independence becomes more urgent for the world as Beijings power increases and is used for unspeakable crimes up to and including genocide.

Some counsel patience. Perhaps the Peoples Liberation Army will dash itself on the rocks of Taiwan as has Putins army on the rocks of Ukraine. But the strategists in Beijing have long been underestimated. The growth of their power and influence since the 1970s has been unprecedented. If time is on the CCPs side, waiting could be a mistake. Taking opportunities for initiative could be the only option to escape disaster.

Smaller initiatives across the CCPs frontlineswhether they be economic, military, or diplomaticmay achieve more than large-scale armies ever could, and with far fewer costs. One of those initiatives may be a diplomatic reversal of past concessions to Beijing on Tibets independence.

The worlds democratic powersincluding in North America, Europe, and East Asiacan, as one, explain to Beijing that the CCP has gone too far in its genocidal policies. We can support Tibetans, as well as other horribly repressed identities in China, to aspire to their rightful status as independent nations with a recognized territory because, at the very least, genocide justifies the provision of a territory in which the people can feel safe.

Of course, Beijing will protest these diplomatic reversals in the strongest terms, as it always does for any reversal.

But now is the time when ethics and geopolitical conditions, thankfully, may finally coincide. It is both in the worlds interests to recognize Tibetan independence and in accord with the worlds moral conscience.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
TikTok Banned on Australian Government Devices

TikTok app logo is seen in this illustration taken on Aug. 22, 2022. (Dado Ruvic/Illustration/Reuters)

The Australian government has banned the social media app TikTok from all government devices following a security review by Home Affairs Minister Clare ONeil amid ongoing international concern.

The ban, which was announced on April 4 by Attorney General Mark Dreyfus, will prohibit any government-issued devices used by politicians and public servants from installing the social media app.

Dreyfus said in a statement that the ban would come into effect as soon as practicable. He said exemptions would be granted on a case-by-case basis.

After receiving advice from intelligence and security agencies, today I authorised the secretary of the Attorney-Generals Department to issue a mandatory direction under the Protective Security Policy Framework to prohibit the TikTok app on devices issued by Commonwealth departments and agencies, Dreyfus said.

The direction will come into effect as soon as practicable.

However, he noted that possible exemptions will be granted on a case-by-case basis and with appropriate security mitigations in place.

The move brings Australia into line with its Five Eyes allies and nine other countries and multinational organisations, including the UK, the United States, India, Canada, New Zealand, Taiwan, the Netherlands, France, Denmark, Norway, Pakistan and the EU.

Concerns around TikTok security have risen after the company admitted last year that employees of its parent company, ByteDance, spied on U.S. journalists from Forbes who were investigating the company.

A team led by ByteDances former chief internal auditor, Chris Lepitak, improperly gained access to multiple journalists IP addresses and other user data through TikTok and then cross-referenced that data to identify whether the journalists had frequented the same areas as ByteDance employees.

Following the report, national security and cyber experts raised concerns over the amount of access the Chinese Communist Party had to data from TikTok under its National Intelligence Law from 2017, which forces civilian companies to provide private data to Beijing.

TikTok Australia General Manager Lee Hunter denied any issue with data security, telling The Epoch Times in an email that there is no evidence to suggest TikTok is a security risk.

We are extremely disappointed by this decision, which, in our view, is driven by politics, not by fact. We are also disappointed that TikTok, and the millions of Australians who use it, were left to learn of this decision through the media, despite our repeated offers to engage with the government constructively about this policy, Hunter said.

Again, we stress that there is no evidence to suggest that TikTok is in any way a security risk to Australians and should not be treated differently to other social media platforms.

Our millions of Australian users deserve a government which makes decisions based upon facts and who treats all businesses fairly, regardless of country of origin.

TikTok Security Concerns Very Real

However, the chief strategy officer at CyberCX Australia, Alastair MacGibbon, pushed back on Hunters comments, saying TikTok has a history of denying it actually breaches privacy.

For example, in December last year, you had them admitting to tracking journalists using their own app to look for what the sources of information were that journalists were using, MacGibbon told Radio National on April 4.

The CEO, in front of Congress, just recently denied that they would access data but then admitted under questioning that if asked or compelled by the Chinese Communist Party that he would provide data, so the denials are worthless.

MacGibbon said he was pleased with the federal governments decision to ban the social media app, adding that it was well known that TikTok reduces the visibility of anti-CCP advocates like pro-democracy activists for Uyghurs.

So why should we allow ourselves to be subjected to a company that will essentially depress and press people in favour of democracy? he said.

Why should we trust a company that will track a journalist? Why wouldnt they track public officials or bureaucrats? Because that is what they will do. Thats what the Chinese Communist Party does, and its time for action.

Victorian Government Follows Suit

The ban looks set to flow through to Australian states and territories, with a spokesperson for the Victorian premier, Daniel Andrews, confirming the state would follow the federal governments guidance.

Weve always said well follow the Commonwealths guidance when it comes to cybersecurityand well now work on implementing these changes across the public service as soon as possible, the spokesperson said, reported hit.com.au.

We agree with a nationally consistent approach on these policy settings, and thats what well get on and deliver.

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation has also confirmed that the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) would also implement a ban on its devices.

The ACT government was notified yesterday of an imminent announcement from the Commonwealth to ban TikTok from government devices, they said in a statement.

Based on the Commonwealths advice and the desirability of national cybersecurity consistency, the ACT government will consider similar restrictions on territory government devices at a security and emergency management meeting of Cabinet tomorrow.

The Epoch Times has also reached out to South Australia, Western Australia, Queensland, Northern Territory, Tasmania and New South Wales over whether they will follow suit.

Concerns Over TikToks Effect on Teenagers and Children

William Burns, the director of the CIA, has warned about children being potentially harmed by spending time on TikTok.

In a recent interview with PBS, Burns was asked about his recommendation for children using the app.

Id be really careful, he replied.

He said it was genuinely troubling how the Chinese government is able to manipulate TikTok.

Because the parent company of TikTok is a Chinese company, the Chinese government is able to insist upon extracting the private data of a lot of TikTok users in this country, and also to shape the content of what goes on to TikTok as well to suit the interests of the Chinese leadership. I think those are real challenges and a source of real concern, he said.

In a recent interview with Fox News, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) called for a wider ban on TikTok, arguing that the app exposes minors to violent, depraved, degrading sexual material, and body image issues for young girls.

He said this was the kind of material Beijing would never let Chinese teenagers watch.

Burns warning about TikTok use comes as a new report by the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) found that the app is pushing self-harm and eating disorder content onto childrens feeds.

Imran Ahmed, CEO of CCDH, insisted that TikTok was designed to influence young users into giving up their time and attention.

The app is poisoning childrens minds, promoting hatred of their own bodies, and pushing suggestions of self-harm and potentially deadly attitudes towards food, he stated.

Parents will be shocked to learn the truth and will be furious that lawmakers are failing to protect young people from Big Tech billionaires, their unaccountable social media apps, and increasingly aggressive algorithms, Ahmed said.

Last month, Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, told Fox News that TikTok is an enormous threat.

He also admitted that former President Donald Trump was right about the danger the app posed.

So, if youre a parent, and youve got a kid on TikTok, I would be very, very concerned. All that data your child is inputting and receiving is being stored somewhere in Beijing.
Trump Accuses Manhattan DA of Illegally Leaking Indictment Ahead of Arraignment

Former President Donald Trump waves as he arrives at Trump Tower in New York City, N.Y., on April 3, 2023. (Ed Jones/AFP via Getty Images)

President Donald Trump late Tuesday accused Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg of having illegally leaked the contents of the indictment ahead of his arraignment.

Trump was indicted by a grand jury in New York City, becoming the first-ever U.S. president to be criminally charged. The indictment against Trump, confirmed on March 30, remains under seal.

Wow! District Attorney Bragg just illegally LEAKED the various points, and complete information, on the pathetic Indictment against me, Trump said on his social media platform TruthSocial at 8:40 p.m. ET.

I know the reporter and so, unfortunately, does he. This means that he MUST BE IMMEDIATELY INDICTED. Now, if he wants to really clean up his reputation, he will do the honorable thing and, as District Attorney, INDICT HIMSELF. He will go down in Judicial history, and his Trump Hating wife will be, I am sure, very proud of him!

Ten minutes later, the former president issued another post: D.A. BRAGG JUST ILLEGALLY LEAKED THE 33 points of Indictment.

There are no changes or surprises from those he leaked days ago directly out of the Grand Jury. No Crime by Trump. What a MESS. Bragg should resign, NOW!

The statements were made after Yahoo News published a report at 8:12 p.m. ET titled, Exclusive: Trump to be charged Tuesday with 34 felony counts, but spared handcuffs and mug shot.

The report said that Trump will be placed under arrest on Tuesday and informed that he has been charged with 34 felony counts for falsification of business records.

Authored by Michael Isikoff, the outlets chief investigative correspondent, the report relies on an unnamed source who has been briefed on the procedures for the arraignment of the former president.

Isikoff noted in his report that after it was posted, Trump responded with a post on TruthSocial. Isikoff also noted that a spokesman for Trumps team said the legal team has not seen the indictment or been briefed on the details.

Isikoff is a longtime investigative reporter who previously worked with Newsweek and NBC. In 1998, Isikoff broke the story on the affair between then-president Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky, who was interning at the White House.

In 2016, Isikoff was first to report on claims in the now-debunked Steele Dossier that had formed part of the material that the FBI, under the Obama administration, used in order to obtain FISA warrants to spy on former Trump campaign aide Carter Page. The surveillance formed part of the FBIs Crossfire Hurricane investigation into Trumps 2016 election campaign and alleged Russian collusion.

The dossier was compiled by ex-British spy Christopher Steele, who was hired by opposition research firm Fusion GPS and funded by Hillary Clintons 2016 presidential campaign and the DNC. None of the 103 key allegations in the Steele dossier were verified during former special counsel Robert Muellers 22-months-long investigation.

The Clinton campaign and the DNC have since paid fines after federal officials ruled they were likely in violation of federal law for not accurately describing payments made to a law firm that funneled money to Steele and his associates.

Grand Jury Leaks Could Be Crimes: Attorney

Michael Bachner, a New York defense lawyer and former Manhattan prosecutor, told The Epoch Times that, by law, grand jury proceedings are secret, and whoever leaked information from the Manhattan grand jury could face charges.

It could be a felony to leak information from a grand jury, he said.

Bachner said he has been involved in cases in which courts have ordered investigations into who leaked information.

People who serve on grand juries, officials involved in the proceedings, and even foreign language interpreters, if used, all take an oath of secrecy, Bachner said.

The only person who can talk about what happened in the grand jury is the witness himself, because he has a First Amendment right to talk about what he said, Bachner said.

When reports came out that Trump faced at least 30 counts, if those were accurate, the information could have only come from someone inside the grand jury room, the prosecutors office, the clerk of courts office or somebody with knowledge, Bachner said.

And Im troubled by that. Grand jury secrecy is extremely important to protect the rights of the defendant.

Braggs office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Late Tuesday, Trumps lawyer Joe Tacopina separately told Fox Newss Sean Hannity that Trumps legal team is planning to file a motion to dismiss the charges based on selective prosecution and prosecutorial misconduct.

He added that after seeing the indictment, the team will also consider filing a motion to change the venue.

Gary Bai and Janice Hisle contributed to this report.
Former President Donald Trump is expected to be arraigned in a New York courthouse on Tuesday, after he was indicted by a grand jury.
BEIJING, April 4 (Xinhua) -- China firmly opposes the U.S. arrangement for Tsai Ing-wen's "transit" trip to the United States and a meeting between her and U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, the third highest-ranking official of the U.S. government, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Tuesday.

Spokesperson Mao Ning made the remarks at a daily news briefing, noting that it seriously contravenes the one-China principle and provisions in the three China-U.S. joint communiques and gravely undermines China's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

"We urge the United States to abide by the one-China principle and provisions in the three China-U.S. joint communiques, not to allow Tsai Ing-wen's 'transit' trip to the United States, and not to arrange for any meeting or contact between Tsai and U.S. political figures and officials," Mao said.

The Chinese side will closely monitor the situation as it develops and resolutely defend the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity, the spokesperson said. 
Trump Arrives at Manhattan Courthouse Ahead of Arraignment

Former US President Donald Trump waves as he arrives at the Manhattan Criminal Court in New York on April 4, 2023. (Kena Betancur/Getty Images)

President Donald Trump has arrived at the Manhattan courthouse ahead of his scheduled arraignment when charges will be announced against him for the first time.

Trump has surrendered himself to the office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg where he is now under arrest until the arraignment hearing. At the office, Trump will undergo standard processing where he is expected to be fingerprinted and read his Miranda Rights. It is unclear if the former president will have to get his mug shot taken. Trumps attorney Joe Tacopina has said that the former president wont be handcuffed during the process.

The former president, in a Truth Social post en route to the courthouse, wrote: Seems so SURREAL  WOW, they are going to ARREST ME. Cant believe this is happening in America. MAGA!

The arraignment is scheduled at the New York County Supreme Court at 2:15 p.m. Judge Juan Merchan will preside over Trumps arraignment.

Trump is facing charges related to an investigation into a hush money payment made to porn actress Stormy Daniels in 2016. Daniels claims that Trump had an affair with her, but Trump has denied this. The payment was carried out by attorney Michael Cohen, a former Trump ally who has turned against the former president.

The arraignment marks the first proceeding of the criminal prosecution of a former president, something unprecedented in American history. It came days after a New York grand jury voted to indict Trump on March 30.

The Charges

While the indictment remains sealed, legal experts anticipate that Trump would be charged with felony-level falsifying business records. This charge would require Bragg to prove that Trump intended to falsify business records in an attempt to commit or cover up another crimein this case, federal campaign finance violations.

It is believed that the case heavily relies on the testimony of former Trump attorney Michael Cohen. Weeks before the 2016 presidential election, Cohen paid $130,000 in hush money to Daniels to prevent her from going public about an alleged affair she had with Trump a decade earlier. Trump denies the affair.

Cohen pleaded guilty to violating federal campaign finance laws in 2018 by arranging payments to Daniels and another woman who claimed to have had an affair with Trump. In his plea agreement, Cohen claimed to have done so at Trumps direction and that he was reimbursed by the Trump Organization through routine legal expenses, despite his earlier claims to the contrary.

Trump has denied any wrongdoing in the matter, denouncing the case as political persecution.

Possible Gag Order

It has been speculated that Bragg may request the judge issue a gag order to prevent Trump from discussing the case publicly, a move that Republicans were quick to denounce as unconstitutional.

If the judge agrees to Braggs request, it could mean that Trump or his lawyers could be found in contempt of court if they try to discuss the case publicly.

In an April 4 press release, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and Oversight Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) expressed significant concerns over reports that Bragg may seek a gag order against Trump.

To put any restrictions on the ability of President Trump to discuss his mistreatment at the hands of this politically motivated prosecutor would only further demonstrate the weaponization of the New York justice system, the duo wrote. To even contemplate stifling the speech of the former commander in chief and current candidate for President is at odds with everything America stands for.

Protests

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), a longtime Trump ally, appeared before the courthouse the same morning at a rally in support of the former president, where she blasted Braggs investigation.

Every American should take a stand, she added. This is what happens in communist countries, not the United States of America. We have to take a stand against the injustice, the corruption, and the communist Democrats who are taking our legal code and twisting it, manipulating it, and converting it into something it was never meant to be.

Greenes comments came amid competing protests over the indictment.

Republicans and other pro-Trump voices took to the streets to denounce the planned charges, while counter-protestors mounted a rally in support of Braggs move.

Organized by the New York Young Republicans Club, the pro-Trump protest was met with pushback from counter-protesters who were there to express their distaste for the former president.

Displaying banners with such statements as Trump Lies All the Time and Trump 4 Prison, the anti-Trump protesters jeered, whistled, and shouted obscenities during Greenes remarks in an attempt to drown her out.

Trump is expected to speak to reporters briefly outside the courtroom before a scheduled speech later tonight at his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida.

Further protests are expected following Trumps arraignment.

During an April 4 appearance on NTD, the sister media outlet of The Epoch Times, former White House aide Peter Navarro called the criminal proceedings a crossing the Rubicon kind of event for Democrats. He expressed concerns that protests following the arraignment could turn violent due to infiltration by agent provocateurs and encouraged protesters to keep things peaceful and make records of anyone endorsing or pushing for violence.

Gary Bai and Samantha Flom contributed to this report.
Trump Charged With Felony-Level Falsifying Business Records, Pleads Not Guilty

Former U.S. President Donald Trump waves as he arrives at the Manhattan Criminal Court in New York on April 4, 2023. (Kena Betancur/Getty Images)

NEW YORKFormer President Donald Trump has been charged with 34 counts of felony falsifying business records to the first degree under New York Penal Law 175.10, unveiled at an arraignment hearing in Manhattan on Tuesday. He pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Trumps arraignment hearing commenced at around 2:15 p.m. ET on the 15th floor of the courthouse, kicking off the first court proceeding of an unprecedented case where a former U.S. president is facing criminal charges. Judge Juan Merchan presided over the arraignment hearing.

The charges mark a watershed moment in American history, which some analysts believe may hurl the country into a state of chronic dysfunction.

Trump pleaded not guilty at the hearing and waived his right to have the indictment read in court. After the hearing, Trump left at his own cognizance as is usually allowed with white-collar felony defendants. He is due to deliver a speech later tonight at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida.

The Charges

The hearing came days after a grand jury voted to indict the former president on March 30.

The 16-page indictment and 13-page statement of facts, released on April 4 after Trump was arraigned, says that Trump falsified records related to multiple payments made to keep concealed negative information about him.

That includes the payment made to Stormy Daniels, an adult film actress who has claimed Trump had an affair with her, according to the charges.

The falsifying business records charge is normally a misdemeanor-level offense, with a statute of limitations of merely two years, which would have likely expired considering Trump allegedly made the payment in 2016.

Alan Dershowitz, a professor who taught at Harvard Law School for nearly fifty years, expressed skepticism of the legal grounds supporting Braggs case, saying he is using made-up laws to muster a politically motivated attack.

Nobody should ever be arrested based on made-up laws or combining a federal and state statute, Dershowitz told The Epoch Times in an interview on March 18. I taught criminal law for 50 years at Harvard, and the one rule was, no creativity is permitted by prosecutors. The law has to be clear.

Its not a righteous prosecution. Its not a just prosecution. And I think every libertarian, whether youre conservative, or liberal, should be opposed to it, he said.

Motions to Dismiss

During the hearing, Trumps lawyer Joseph Tacopina declared intent to file a motion to dismiss charges on the basis that the prosecutors on the case have engaged in selective prosecution and prosecutorial misconduct.

That move echoed what Tacopina said on Fox Newss Hannity program late Monday night. The attorney said that the motion to dismiss will be part of a host of motions that the defense team will make.

If the was not named Donald Trump, there would be no indictment, the attorney told Hannity when asked to elaborate on his reasons for filing a motion to dismiss based on these grounds. There would not be a case if this wasnt Donald Trump,

And so thats where you  were really gone amok here. You select the person you dont like, Donald Trump, and you try to find a crime. So, it is mind-boggling to me that were here. We are here. But its just not going to hold up, Tacopina added.

Defense Strategies to Watch

In media appearances prior to the hearing, Tacopina gave signals about the aspects that Trumps defense team may be looking to tackle during the trial.

The first of these is the jury pool. When asked about the expected predominately-Democrat Manhattan jury on Hannity on Monday, Tacopina said that the defense team will try to appeal to the jury that the trial should not be centered on politics, but is instead about blind justice and a mans life.

Another question that came up prior to the trial was whether it would be wise for the defense team to request moving the trial to a different district to Staten Island, where the potential jury pool is relatively more favorable to Trump.

Trump made a statement on Monday morning suggesting in favor of that idea. He suggested that the trial will take place in a very unfair venue, with some areas that voted 1% Republican, and that the case should be moved to Staten Island.

Tacopina has also laid out another defense strategy, which is questioning the credibility of former Trump attorney Michael Cohen. It is believed that the case against Trump relies heavily on Cohens testimony.

He previously touched on this point in an interview with The Epoch Times.

Of course, you cant make a case on the word of Michael Cohen. Hes a pathological convicted liarsomeone who has absolutely no credibility, Tacopina said in an interview in March.

Cohen initially told media outlets in February 2018 that he paid the hush money out of his own pocket, but he later reversed this account in his guilty plea, claiming to have done so at Trumps direction and that The Trump Organization reimbursed him through routine legal expenses. Trump has previously called the payment part of a monthly retainer given to Cohen and said the lawyer entered into, through reimbursement, a private contract between two parties. Trump has denied any wrongdoing in the matter.

Cohen has rebutted allegations that hes a liar, saying, Truth is truth, and the documents in the possession of the [New York district attorneys office] demonstrate this.

Trumps defense team may also make motions based on attorney-client privileges, Kaley added.

We make motions, not because we necessarily think were gonna prevail, but because it might force the district attorney to disclose some information, Kaley explained.

Breaks the Spell

According to former Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin OBrien, the charge against Trump in Braggs case may facilitate the progression of other probes against Trump that may lead to a criminal charge, because it allows the other prosecutors to do without hesitation of pursuing an unprecedented persecution of a former president.

It kind of breaks the spell, and maybe other prosecutors offices will get more active, OBrien said. So you can see it can be done in this case, then it sort of emboldens other prosecutorial officers.

Currently, the former presidents legal troublesthose potentially carrying criminal liabilitiesinclude Braggs case; potential charges related to election interference in Georgia; a probe into Trumps handling of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago property; and an investigation into Trumps alleged interference with the transfer of power after the last presidential election.

Frank Fang contributed to this report.
Former Assistant US Attorney Weighs in on Trumps Defense Strategy Ahead of Arraignment

Former President Donald Trump waves as he arrives at Trump Tower in New York City, N.Y., on April 3, 2023. (Ed Jones/AFP via Getty Images)

Former President Donald Trump could deploy several legal tactics to fight off criminal charges against him, according to John Kaley, former assistant U.S. attorney in the Southern District of New York.

Theyll make a claim that prosecution is barred by the statute of limitations, Kaley told The Epoch Times on April 3, adding that Trumps defense team may also argue that the case should be dismissed because there is the problem of selective prosecution.

Under New York law, the statute of limitations is capped at five years, and it can be extended if the defendant has been out of state.

New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan is expected to arraign Trump on April 4, to face charges brought by a grand jury empaneled by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.

The exact charges in Trumps indictment are currently under seal. However, the charges are believed to be centered on whether the former president made a $130,000 payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels and documented the payment as false business recordsa state offense to cover up or commit violations of federal campaign finance laws.

I dont know if theyll claim that he has any kind of immunity, because acts occurred during the period of time that he was president, not that that would necessarily preclude anyone from charging him for those acts.

Trumps defense team may also make motions based on attorney-client privileges, Kaley added.

We make motions, not because we necessarily think were gonna prevail, but because it might force the district attorney to disclose some information, Kaley explained.

Trumps attorney Joseph Tacopina has previously announced his plans to file a host of motions to dismiss the case, including one based on selective prosecution and prosecutorial misconduct.

Tacopina has also laid out another defense strategy, which is questioning the credibility of former Trump attorney Michael Cohen. It is believed that the case against Trump relies heavily on Cohens testimony.

Under normal circumstances, the false business records charge would be a misdemeanor. To elevate it to a felony, the charge could be linked to a federal charge of covering up or committing campaign violations.

One possibility is to connect the business records charge to a conspiracy charge, Kaley added.

I wouldnt be surprised also, if there is an overarching conspiracy charge, he said. I can see them elevating a conspiracy charge to wrap it all up into a ball. And that also might facilitate the admission of evidence later on.

He added: And it also has something to do with, what statements of others are admissible in evidence, as statements of co-conspirators in furtherance of the conspiracy. So it all gets intertwined.

Prosecutors could file additional charges against Trump by working in synergies with New York Attorney General Letitia Jamess civil investigation into Trump, and the criminal investigation of the Trump Organization that led to then-Chief Financial Officer Allen Weisselbergs guilty plea, according to Kaley.

Theyre considering tying any of that to Mr. Trump now, Kaley said.

The Trump Corporation and the Trump Payroll Corp, both part of the Trump Organization, received a $1.6 million fine on multiple tax fraud-related felony convictions in January.

Weisselberg was sentenced to five months in jail in the same month for his involvement in a tax fraud scheme at the Trump Organization.

Kaley is now in private practice. His practice includes representing clients in white-collar criminal and complex commercial litigation matters.
Trump Fundraising Soars to $7 Million in Just 3 Days After Indictment

Former President Donald Trump speaks during a 2024 election campaign rally in Waco, Texas, on March 25, 2023. (Suzanne Cordeiro/AFP via Getty Images)

Donations have soared to former President Donald Trumps campaign, with $7 million raised in just three days since he was indicted.

Jason Miller, senior adviser to Trump, made the announcement in a post on Twitter.

In only three days since news of the indictment, President @realDonaldTrumps campaign has raised a record $7M.#MAGA   Jason Miller (@JasonMillerinDC) April 3, 2023

Millers post follows an earlier announcement by Trumps political action committee, which noted that in the 24 hours since the former president was indicted by a New York grand jury, his presidential campaign had raised over $4 million.

The Make America Great Again Inc. political action committee said in a statement Friday that since a grand jury empaneled by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg voted on Thursday to indict the former president, his campaign has seen donations soar.

This incredible surge of grassroots contributions confirms that the American people see the indictment of President Trump as a disgraceful weaponization of our justice system by a Soros-funded prosecutor, the statement said, noting that over 25 percent came from first-time donors.

Former President Donald Trump arrives at Trump Tower in New York on April 3, 2023. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)

The grand jury voted on Thursday to indict Trump on allegations linked to a business records investigation related to a hush money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels in 2016 over an alleged affair Trump has denied.

Trump is the first-ever U.S. president to face criminal charges.

The former presidents campaign called Braggs investigation of the former president an unprecedented political persecution and blatant interference in the 2024 presidential election, with Trump being the leading Republican candidate.

Bragg, for his part, has pushed back on the characterization of the probe against Trump as politically motivated.

Leslie B. Dubeck, the general counsel for Braggs office, wrote a letter to top House Republican chairmen, denouncing what she called baseless and inflammatory allegations that our investigation is politically motivated.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg speaks at a press conference after the sentencing hearing of the Trump Organization at the New York Supreme Court in New York on Jan. 13, 2023. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

Legal analysts have said that Trumps defense lawyers are likely to raise a number of issues when hes arraigned, including that the statute of limitations bars the alleged charges and that the case may be based on a faulty legal theory.

Trump has insisted that hes a completely innocent person and that the indictment is the latest in a line of actions meant to destroy his Make America Great Again movement.

The exact charges in Trumps indictment remain under seal.

Trump Arrives in New York

Millers announcement came as Trump was heading to New York City, where he arrived later in the day and spent the night at Trump Tower.

The former president entered the tower through a side door, away from the throngs of reporters and dozens of supporters waiting for him at the main entrance.

Security has been ramped up near the tower and the Manhattan Supreme Court ahead of the April 4 arraignment. Police have erected metal barriers, blocking access to part of the courthouse in lower Manhattan where the arraignment proceedings are set to take place.

Former President Donald Trump waves as he arrives at Trump Tower in New York City, N.Y., on April 3, 2023. (Ed Jones/AFP via Getty Images)

New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat, has urged people planning to travel to the city to protest to exercise control and be on your best behavior.

While there may be some rabble-rousers thinking about coming to our city tomorrow, our message is clear and simple: control yourselves, Adams said on April 3. New York City is our home, not a playground for your misplaced anger.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) is set to host a pro-Trump rally at a park near the Manhattan courthouse on the morning of April 4.

Police near Trump Tower in New York City on April 3, 2023. Former President Donald Trump is scheduled for an arraignment tomorrow at New York County Supreme Court following his indictment by a grand jury on March 30, 2023. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)

Plans to File Motions to Dismiss

Trump lawyer Joseph Tacopina said Monday he plans to file a number of motions to dismiss the case.

There will be a host of motions were going to make, including  a motion to dismiss based on selective prosecution and prosecutorial misconduct, Tacopina told Fox News Sean Hannity on Monday.

Tacopina added that the defense team will consider other motions after seeing the indictment, such as a venue change or statute of limitations considerations.

Trumps arraignment hearing is set to begin at 2:15 p.m. local time on April 4, according to Lucian Chalfen, director of Public Information for the New York Court System.

The arraignment wont be televised after a judge presiding over the case declined a request from media outlets to let video cameras into the courtroom.

Five pool photographers will be allowed inside the courtroom before the arraignment begins, but they will only be allowed to take still photographs for several minutes, Acting New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan decided in a ruling (pdf) late Monday.

Tacopina also addressed rumors that the judge might place a gag order on Trump that would prevent him and his lawyers as well as witnesses from talking about the case publicly.

He was asked by Hannity whether the judge would issue a gag order in the case and prevent a presidential candidate from using his free speech rights and defending himself.

Tacopina replied that he doesnt believe this is the case.

Wont happen. I dont believe anyone is even looking for that, he said. That would really set ablaze the passions and the tempers that already have been inflamed by this case. People view this as a political persecution.

Defendants who violate a gag order in New York risk being held in criminal contempt, a Class A misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail.

Eva Fu contributed to this report.
Trump Indictment Makes Him a Martyr but Doesnt Assure Him of 2024 Win: Strategists

News Analysis

Former President Donald Trump raised more than $8 million in the four days after it was announced that a grand jury had indicted him at the prompting of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg on multiple charges made public on April 4 in a New York City courtroom.

During the same period, according to the Trafalgar Group, Trump stretched his lead among Republicans in the race for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination over his nearest rival, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, to 33 from 14 points.

Trumps fundraising haul and impressive surge in the polls bolstered the apparent conventional political wisdom about the likely political impact of the Bragg indictment, as expressed during a Fox News interview on the court date with Karl Rove, who was chief political strategist and deputy White House chief of staff under President George W. Bush.

This has helped him clearly in the race for the [2024] Republican presidential nomination, all the polls show so. Hes demonstrated the ability to turn this into a massive fundraising effort. Ive received 11 emails from the Trump campaign in the last 24 hours, Rove said.

It is not helpful for the long term, however. If you look inside the ABC-Ipsos Poll, 16 percent of Republicans thought he should have been indicted. Thats one out of every six Republicans. And how many independents who did not vote for him last time around are going to be excited by this issue, even if its resolved in his favor, since it involves hush-money payments to a porn star?

Martyr

But interviews by The Epoch Times of political strategists and elected officials in both major political parties following the indictments unsealing suggest the conventional wisdom may prove only half right.

Cristina Antelo, a senior Democratic strategist, and Brian Darling, a senior Republican strategist, both told The Epoch Times they see Trump benefitting both short and long term.

I think this helps his narrative all around. Hes the victim. And now hell be the martyr, Antelo said.

Darling said: I think this case is a tempest in a teapot. Big deal today, but a story that will quickly become a boring battle of legal briefs. The other Trump cases may impact the election, but not this case.

Christy Setzer, another Democratic strategist, questioned whether Trump will actually benefit in either the short or long term.

Im not even sure it helps him politically in the short-termat least not among all voters. Sure, it fires up some GOP primary voters on his behalf, but no one that wasnt already with him. And he loses support from those who werent already in his circle: regular people dont want a 34-time-criminal as president, Setzer observed.

David Molina, another Democratic strategist, said its too early to see how the indictment of Trump will affect the former chief executives political prospects. I think there needs to be more discussion among voters, Molina told The Epoch Times.

Rep. Josh Brecheen (R-Okla.) said: Common sense tells us that Donald Trump has announced for president in 2024 and this indictment would not be happening if he wasnt running. Donald Trump is a fighter and he is going to come out swinging. Hes a fighter, hell go the distance. This guy has shown hes got energy.

Brecheen, one of the 20 House members who secured a host of conservative reforms in how the lower chamber of Congress functions during Januarys heated speaker of the House contest, added that he believes the American people are tired of seeing this for his familys sake, this constant bombardment against Trump.

Turning Point

Whether the indictment ultimately proves beneficial or damaging to Trumps prospects for winning a second term in the Oval Office in 2024, its clear that both sides of the indictment debate view the case as representing a profoundly serious turning point for the country.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) wrote on Twitter shortly after Trumps arraignment: Alvin Bragg is attempting to interfere in our democratic process by invoking federal law to bring politicized charges against President Trump, admittedly using federal funds, while at the same time arguing that the peoples representatives in Congress lack jurisdiction to investigate this farce. Not so. Braggs weaponization of the federal justice process will be held accountable by Congress.

McCarthy was referring to a joint demand delivered to Bragg from House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) and House Administration Committee Chair Bryan Steil (R-Wis.). The House panel chairmen want documents related to Braggs Trump investigation and are expected to issue a subpoena if the Manhattan district attorney continues to refuse to cooperate.

Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) denounced Braggs action in a series of tweets.

The American people see this for what it ispolitical prosecution, she wrote. Soros-backed DA Alvin Bragg is allowing violent criminals to run free in his city while weaponizing the legal system in an attempt to take down a former President. Make no mistake: if the former Presidents name were anything but Trump, he would not be facing these charges.

Similarly, for House Republicans such as Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) and Rep. Randy Weber (R-Texas), the Trump indictment is the latest chapter in the weaponization of federal regulatory and law enforcement powers against anti-establishment voices across the political spectrum.

Overall the indictment of President Trump by the socialist Democrat Party should be a Wake-up Call to all Americans!! The total weaponization of every branch of government is on Full Display!! Time to fight for our Freedom before its too late, Norman told The Epoch Times in a text message.

Similarly, according to Weber: Bragg campaigned for office on a promise to get Trump, and he will do anything in his corrupt power to deliver to the same base that has been after President Trump from day one. Its pitiful and politically motivated. Americans should wake up and realize that this is another attempt from the radical left to weaponize our justice systemTrump supporter or not. This has no place in America.

Democrats Respond

Democratic strategist Max Burns, however, sees peril in Trumps situation, but mostly for the Republican Party, telling The Epoch Times that he would be deeply worried about a country where a 34-count felony criminal indictment makes someone more likely to become president. Trumps legal woes are now something every Republican will be expected to answer for, at their own peril.

As they have since Trumps indictment first appeared on the national political debate, congressional Democrats continue to insist that the Trump prosecution isnt weaponization but instead demonstrates that nobody in the United States is above the law.

Todays arrest shows that nobody is above the law, even if you recently held the highest office in the land. No matter who you are, the power you hold, or the size of your bank account, it demonstrates that people will be held accountable for their actions. This case must now work its way through our justice system and do so in a fair manner without any interference. The former President, like everybody else in our country, is entitled to due process, Rep. Grace Meng (D-N.Y.) said in a statement.

Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, complimented Braggs work, saying: On its face, this indictment seems methodical and well-reasoned. Mr. Trump will, of course, have every opportunity to defend himself in court, like every other defendant in the New York judicial system.

And Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) declared in a tweet that Republicans want you to believe our legal system is targeting Trump. But at every step of this process, were reminded that the rich and powerful are treated better than the Black & brown communities who are actually targeted by the criminal legal system.

Similarly divergent views were heard in the advocacy community.

Mike Davis, founder of Article III Project and Sen. Chuck Grassleys former chief counsel for nominations, told The Epoch Times that todays arraignment confirms Soros-funded Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg, after hiring senior Biden Justice Department political appointee Matthew Colangelo, crossed the Rubicon by indicting President Bidens political enemy based upon a bogus legal theory previously rejected by the Manhattan DA, Manhattan U.S. Attorney, Federal Election Commission, and Bragg himself.

Daniel Schuman, policy director for Demand Progress, noted that our view generally is that Presidents and former Presidents should be capable of being indicted by a grand jury and that no one is above the law.
Trump Suggests Manhattan DA Case Be Moved to Staten Island

Former President Donald Trump arrives at Trump Tower the day after FBI agents raided his Mar-a-Lago Palm Beach home, in New York on Aug. 9, 2022. (David 'Dee' Delgado/Reuters)

Former President Trump on Tuesday suggested his criminal case over a payment made during the 2016 election cycle be moved from Manhattan to Staten Island.

Very unfair venue, with some areas that voted 1 percent Republican. This case should be moved to nearby Staten Island  would be a very fair and secure location for the trial, Trump wrote in all-caps on Truth Social ahead of his slated arraignment.

The former president also criticized the judge in the case, Juan Merchan, who had presided over a criminal case involving former Trump Organization official Allen Weisselberg, who received a five-month prison term. Merchan, he wrote, is a highly partisan judge and that his family are well-known Trump haters.

He was an unfair disaster on a previous Trump-related case, Trump wrote, referring to the Weisselberg conviction, and added that he wouldnt recuse himself. The former president then wrote that his daughter worked for Kamala (Harris) and now the Biden-Harris campaign.

Staten Island is generally considered the most Republican-leaning of New York Citys five boroughs. Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.) currently represents the area, while Trump received 57 percent of Staten Islands vote during the 2020 election, and President Joe Biden received 42 percent, data shows.

Meanwhile, some conservative commentators last week noted that pro-Trump memester Douglass Mackey was subject to a jury trial at a federal court in Brooklyn, an overwhelmingly Democrat-voting area, and further alleged that he received an unfair trial due to a biased jury pool. Mackey, known as Ricky Vaughn, was convicted of election interference during the 2016 presidential race and faces up to 10 years in prison, according to the Department of Justice.

Reports indicate that Trump will be indicted for allegedly misclassifying a payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels during the 2016 campaign. The indictment in the case has not been unsealed yet.

Trumps attorney in the payment case, Joe Tacopina, has said that filing motions to move the venue to Staten Island is premature. The lawyer said that there has been no discussion of that whatsoever when asked during an ABC News interview on Sunday.

Its way too premature to start worrying about venue changes until we really see the indictment and grapple with the legal issues, Tacopina told ABCs This Week on Sunday. But Tacopina has said the legal team plans on filing motions to dismiss the case.

Protesters outside the New York County Criminal Court ahead of former President Donald Trumps arraignment on April 4, 2023. (Chung I Ho/The Epoch Times)

Protesters outside the New York County Criminal Court ahead of former President Donald Trumps arraignment on April 4, 2023. (Chung I Ho/The Epoch Times)

Prominent attorney and retired Harvard Law professor Alan Dershowitz told Fox News last week that the trial against the former president should be moved to Staten Island or to upstate New York to avoid a biased jury pool. Only 9 percent of registered voters in Manhattan are Republicans, while Trump only won about 12 percent of the vote in Manhattan during the 2020 contest.

This case has to get out of Manhattan. Will it get out of Manhattan? We dont know, Dershowitz told Fox News Sean Hannity, noting that any member of the Manhattan jury who votes against convicting Trump could face ostracization from their peers. I would try to move it to Staten Island or some upstate venue.

On Monday, Trump returned to his Trump Tower in Manhattan after arriving at LaGuardia Airport via his private jet.

Late last week, Tacopina said that Trump will not be pleading guilty and that there is zero chance he will take a plea deal in the case. One thing I can assure you as I sit here today is there will be no guilty plea in this case, he told ABC News. That is one thing I can guarantee you.

Trump also wont be placed in handcuffs and will be processed the way anyone else would be, to a degreeagain, with Secret Service involvement, he remarked. I think there will be a typical processing, which does not take long  20, 30 minutes, he said. And then well appear before a judge, you know, deal with a couple issues right off the bat and it wont be a long day in court.

The lawyer also suggested that the judge probably will not place a gag order on Trump due to his status as the leading GOP presidential candidate for 2024s election. Hes expected to face his arraignment on Tuesday, and by then, the indictment in the case should be unsealed.

It cant happen in this case, he added. The defendant is the leading Republican candidate for the office of the president of the United States and will be campaigning. Hard to put a gag order when hes going to be fielding questions about his current legal situation.
Trump Supporters, Detractors Protest Outside Manhattan Courthouse Amid Arraignment

A Trump supporter (L) removes a banner from anti-Trump protesters outside the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse on April 4, 2023 in New York City. (Kena Betancur/Getty Images)

NEW YORKAs former President Donald Trump prepared to turn himself in to the Manhattan District Attorneys Office on April 4, protesters both for and against his indictment gathered across the street from the courthouse where he was set to be arraigned.

As chants of No Trump, no KKK, no racist USA! echoed on one side of Collect Pond Park, on the other side, Trump supporters gathered in solidarity with the former president.

Among the latter group was David Rem, 59, who attended the same private school as TrumpKew-Forest in Forest Hills, Queensand has known the Trump family since 1974, when his father died of a heart attack.

Three days after my dads body was buried, Donald Trumps father, Frederick Trump, knocked on my door at my house, asked to speak with my mother, and said, From this day forward, Mrs. Rem, youre not paying for two out of your three children. Im on the board at Kew-Forest, and I am paying for those kids because I do not want them to be forced to go into the public school system, Rem recalled, overcome with emotion.

David Rem (right) of Forest Hills, New York, gathers with other supporters of former President Donald Trump in New York on April 4, 2023. (Eva Fu/The Epoch Times)

That experience, Rem said, had informed his opinion of why Trump continues to put up with this nonsense.

He loves this country, like no one ever has and no one ever will, Rem said. And that is why he is running in 2024.

Further pushing back against claims that the indictment was an embarrassment for Trump, Rem countered that the charges against the former president were an embarrassment for the United States and called for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Braggs resignation.

He criticized Braggs alleged soft-on-crime policies, noting that he had downgraded 52 percent of felony cases in his jurisdiction to misdemeanors. Violent criminals dont do any jail timethat is an embarrassment.  That is disgraceful.

Trump was indicted by a Manhattan grand jury last week, and though the charges against him remain sealed, it is widely believed that they will include falsification of business records charges relating to a hush money payment made in 2016 to adult film actress Stormy Daniels.

Supporters of the 45th president have maintained that Bragg has chosen to pursue the case for political reasons in an attempt to keep him from returning to the White House.

However, those who dislike the former president, like New York resident Ozzie Hernandez, 59, say he needs to finally face justice.

Anti-Trump Camp

Hes a walking felony, Hernandez siad. Everywhere he goes, he commits felonies. He thinks hes above the law, and its about time that he faces the music.

Long Island resident Tony Villar echoed those sentiments, noting: Im here to demonstrate my dislike for this man [Trump] and let people know that there are people here that really want to preserve democracy and care about the country. So, its very important that we make people aware that our democracy is in jeopardy right now and that he should be held accountable for the things that he did.

Asserting that conservatives aimed to intimidate their detractors into silence using authoritarian suppression tactics, Villar stressed that it was important for people to protest.

As for Trumps indictment, the Long Islander said it would be good for the country because nobodys above the law.

And while he said he believed Trump would win the 2024 Republican nomination for the presidency, he added that he also thought the indictment would ultimately hurt the former president in the general election.

But whats more important is that we get the indictment on the insurrectionthe sedition on Jan. 6 at the Capitol, where four police officers died, he stressed. If Trump cared so much about the blue [police], he would have felt bad about that, but he never went to see the families or said anything to console them.

New York resident Ozzie Hernandez protests against former President Donald Trump in New York on April 4, 2023. (Eva Fu/The Epoch Times)

Clashes

While tensions ran high among the different groups, Tuesdays demonstrations were largely peaceful, though there were a couple of scuffles.

In one incident, a giant banner with the words Trump Lies All the Time prompted an altercation when a woman in a red MAGA hat tried to pick it up off the ground where it was displayed.

Later, when Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) gave remarks in support of the 45th president, anti-Trump protesters began heckling, shouting obscenities, in whistling in the ears of Trump supporters to drown her out.

Decrying those actions in a Twitter post, Greene wrote: Im here in NY to protest with my voice against the weaponization of the justice system on innocent President Trump, but the counter protestors are coming to commit assault that can cause audible damage to everyones ears including NYPD. But Mayor Adams warns me by name! If counter protestors are violating freedom of speech and committing assault, they should be arrested.

The day before, New York City Mayor Eric Adams had warned Trump supporters against engaging in violent protests, singling out Greene as someone who is known to spread misinformation and hate speech and telling her to be on her best behavior.

Words of Encouragement

Hours before his 2:15 p.m. court hearing, Trump took the opportunity to thank his supporters for their encouragement in a campaign email.

As I will be out of commission for the next few hours, I want to take this moment to THANK YOU for all of your support, he said. I am blown away by all of the donations, support, and prayers we have received. Its sad to see whats happeningnot for myselfbut for our country.

While adding that he believed the U.S. was becoming a Marxist third-world country, he urged his supporters not to lose hope in America.

We are a nation that declared its independence from the worlds biggest empire, won two world wars, and landed the first man on the moon, he noted. Resilience is in our blood.

Our movement has overcome so much. And there is no doubt in my mind that we will prevail once again and WIN the White House in 2024.
Unending Conflict: Former Labor Minister Warns of Clash Between The Voice and Native Title Holders

Native Title holders are concerned that an Indigenous Voice to Parliament could erode their hard-fought gains, says former Keating Labor government minister Gary Johns.

The now-author on Indigenous affairs and committee member of the No Campaign against The Voice says he has spoken to Aboriginal Native Title holders who are worried a new layer of bureaucracy could conflict with their land rights.

They say: Weve done our deals, weve got our contracts, we know our state members, federal members, public servants, and we are getting along fine[its] not as well as wed like, but we understand our own politicsso who the Hell [is] The Voice?' Johns said during the Recognise a Better Way launch in Tamworth, New South Wales, on March 31.

Former Keating Labor government minister Gary Johns is now an adjunct professor and author. (Courtesy of Gary Johns)

Australians will vote in a referendum on The Voice sometime this year. If successful, the proposal will alter the Constitutions preamble and set up a near-permanent advisory body to the Parliament supposed to represent Indigenous communities.

More Government, More Bureaucracy: Johns

While there are supporters of changing the Constitution, the proposal has its detractors.

It will work like this, as it always works for everyone in Australia. If youre unhappy with the deal you got from the government, you appeal to someone else, said Johns. Now thats a recipe for unending conflict.

If someone  is unhappy with what they have, they have existing arrangements they can use: the courts, federal members, whatever, he added.

Now theyll be able to go to The Voice, the 24 selected members will become, in effect, a committee that will recreate all the conflict youve just worked through. It will be a nightmare.

Children of the Yolngu people from north-eastern Arnhem Land prepare to perform the Bunggul traditional dance during the Garma Festival near Nhulunbuy, East Arnhem Land, in Australia, on Aug. 4, 2018. (AAP Image/Mick Tsikas)

Native Title is a legally complicated property right solidified in the 1992 High Court case, Mabo v Queensland.

It recognises historical Aboriginal rights over parcels of Australian land but sets a high bar for interested parties to prove their ownershipa necessity given much land is now owned by different landowners.

Already in January, South Australian Native Title holders wrote to the states attorney-general expressing concerns its Voice proposal will impinge on their rights.

We do not support and are deeply concerned by certain aspects of the proposed model, in particular the failure to build into the model native title groups and leadership, the letter stated.

The proposed model would establish a regional or local Voice with no defined representation, linkages or accountability back to native title groupsto First Nations. How is this a First Nations Voice?

Imagine Trying to Remove The Voice: Nationals MP

Meanwhile, Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce also spoke at the event, cautioning voters against changing the Constitution.

Weve had a multiplicity of bodies dealing with Indigenous issues. Weve had the National Aboriginal Consultative Committee, the National Aboriginal Congress, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission, and the National Indigenous Council  I know there are others, the member for New England said.

Australias former Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce speaks to the media during a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, on June 21, 2021. (AAP Image/Lukas Coch)

Each one has been superseded in time because they believed the body was inadequate, wasnt fit for purpose, and they could do it better, he added. But once you put it in the Constitution. Thats it. And the only way youd ever get it out is to have another referendum.

Imagine a referendum to remove The Voice? That would really set the place alight.

Concerns of Doubling Up on Existing Work

However, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has worked hard to galvanise support for The Voice.

The prime minister has also pledged to fully implement the Uluru Statement from the Heart, which includes three parts: implement The Voice into the Constitution, set up a commission for treaty-making between Indigenous peoples and local governments, and truth-telling about colonial history.

It is now 2023. It is time to accept the generous invitation in the Uluru Statement from the Heart. It is time to listen, Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus told the Parliament in late March.

Yet Johns said these initiatives were unnecessary because Indigenous people were already assimilating and part of wider Australia.

How do you have a treaty when 70 percent of Aboriginal people are married to a non-Aboriginal person? When their children are both of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal descent? How do you have a treaty with yourself? he said.

A very sad figure is that 20 percent of Aboriginal men have been to jail. Thats shocking, Johns said. But the 80 percent of men who did not go to jail are doing about as well as other Australians. They are reconciled, and they are integrated.

Regarding truth-telling, Johns said numerous commissions and inquiries (many Indigenous-led) had already uncovered thousands of stories detailing problems in Aboriginal communities, including child abuse.

Weve done the truth-telling; why would we go through it again, get the same stories, and still be left with the problem?
Update Windows Now to Avoid Potentially Exposing Account Details

Microsoft has released an emergency security update for Windows 10 and Windows 11, according to a new security alert, as some experts urged users to update their devices as soon as possible.

The Redmond, Washington-based tech giant said a security flaw had been found in the Windows 10 and 11 Snipping Tool application, sometimes known as the Acropalypse vulnerability. The bug, categorized as CVE-2023-28303, means that image editors havent been removing cropped image data when the original file is overwritten.

While Microsoft said the vulnerability was rated as low in severity, the firm told news outlets last week that we have released a security update for these tools via CVE-2023-28303. We recommend customers apply the update.

The severity of this vulnerability is low because successful exploitation requires uncommon user interaction and several factors outside of an attackers control, said Microsoft in its bulletin, adding that an image that can be exploited has to meet one of two conditions.

The user must take a screenshot, save it to a file, modify the file (for example, crop it), and then save the modified file to the same location, the bulletin stated.

The other condition is that the user must open an image in Snipping Tool, modify the file (for example, crop it), and then save the modified file to the same location.

A file photo shows Microsofts Snipping Tool. (Screenshot via The Epoch Times)

It noted: For example, if you take a screenshot of your bank statement, save it to your desktop, and crop out your account number before saving it to the same location, the cropped image could still contain your account number in a hidden format that could be recovered by someone who has access to the complete image file.

But if a user copies the cropped image from the Snipping Tool program and pastes it into a document or email, anything that has been cropped out or hiddensuch as an account numberwont be copied, Microsoft noted.

To exploit the flaw, an attacker could recover portions of the original image when an image is partially overwritten, the firm said.

Researchers with tech website BleepingComputer noted that the extra data from cropped images could be used to partially recover the cropped image content, potentially exposing sensitive content that was never meant to be public. And security researchers told the website that there may be a large number of images impacted by this flaw.

To install the update, a user can open the Microsoft Store, go to the library, and click get updates. Then they can apply the latest patch to Windows Snipping Tool.

It is possible for customers to disable automatic updates for the Microsoft Store. The Microsoft Store will not automatically install this update for those customers. You can get the update through the store by following this guide: Get updates for apps and games in Microsoft Store. Based on your operating system, Microsoft Store will display the update that is available for the Snipping Tool you have installed, the company says.
US Needs to Be Worried About Chinas Model in the Middle East: Expert

A man holds a local newspaper reporting on the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, in the Iranian capital Tehran on March 11, 2023. (Atta Kenare/AFP via Getty Images)

Communist Chinas apparent efforts to broker peace in the Middle East are part of a larger campaign to undermine global U.S. influence, according to one expert.

The regimes role in brokering a diplomatic detente between Iran and Saudi Arabia in March was just as much an attempt to gain an advantage over the United States as it was to stabilize the region, said Alex Vatenka, founding Director of the Iran Program at the Middle East Institute think tank.

So far, what China has done is act as a sort of venue and score a diplomatic point against the United States, Vatenka said during an April 4 talk with the Jamestown Foundation, a D.C.-based think tank.

The Chinese just came in and were able to create the venue. And Im sure this was deliberate for both Iran and the Saudis.

Vatenka said that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which rules China as a single-party state, was working to undermine the United States international influence by trying to convince other nations it is a destabilizing influence, and that the Chinese regimes authoritarian model for peace was preferable for the international system.

China wants to be, not just a deal broker, but a peacemaker, Vatenka said.

This is where the United States needs to be worried. The contrast to the Chinese model is the American model, which Beijing wants to portray as either warmongering or deliberately creating tensions throughout the regions of the world.

Still, Vatenka added, the CCP does not have the power or influence to create and champion such a deal on its own.

Indeed, he said, Iran and Saudi Arabia began talks to reach such an agreement in Baghdad back in April 2021, with China only being brought in later to provide a venue for the negotiation and send a signal to the United States that the two powers were diversifying their options for international engagement.

I doubt China has the kind of Middle East expertise and clout to do this on its own, Vatenka said.

Biden Admin Failing to Maintain Middle East Presence

The CCPs diplomatic surge in the Middle East, and regional powers decision to signal their discontent with the United States through such diplomacy, stems in part from a Biden administration decision to pull resources from the region to pivot toward prioritizing the Indo-Pacific, said Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.).

This transition left leaders in the Middle East unsure of U.S. commitment, and baffled as to what the nation was actually willing to do to stabilize and engage with the region, he added.

No one in the region knows where America stands with Iran, Lankford said during a March 23 discussion with the America First Policy Institute, a conservative think tank.

If [leaders in the Middle East] dont know what America is willing to do, theyre going to turn to China, theyre going to turn to somebody else, theyre going to figure out how they can just survive because theres no clear plan.

To that end, Lankford said that the CCPs largely symbolic victory in brokering the thawing of diplomatic relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia was more a result of a failure in American political strategy than any innovation on Chinas part.

While we were pivoting to Asia, Asia was pivoting to the Middle East, Lankford said.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) is launching Focus Africa to strengthen aviations contribution to Africas economic and social development and improve connectivity, safety and reliability for passengers and shippers.



This initiative will align private and public stakeholders to deliver measurable progress in six areas.



Africa accounts for 18% of the global population, but just 2.1% of air transport activities (combined cargo and passenger). Closing that gap, so that Africa can benefit from the connectivity, jobs and growth that aviation enables, is what Focus Africa is all about, said Willie Walsh, IATAs Director General.



Infrastructure constraints, high costs, lack of connectivity, regulatory impediments, slow adoption of global standards and skills shortages affect the customer experience and are all contributory factors to African airlines viability and sustainability. The continents carriers suffered cumulative losses of $3.5 billion for 2020-2022. Moreover, IATA estimates further losses of $213 million in 2023.



Delivering on Africas opportunities

Sustainably connecting the African continent internally and to global markets with air transport is critical for bringing people together and creating economic and social development opportunities. It will also support the realization of the UNs Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) for Africa of lifting 50 million people out of poverty by 2030. In particular, trade and tourism rely on aviation and have immense unrealized potential to create jobs, alleviate poverty, and generate prosperity across the continent.



Africa has a solid foundation to support the case for improving aviations contribution to its development. Pre-Covid aviation supported 7.7 million jobs and $63 billion in economic activity in Africa. Projections are for demand to triple over the next two decades.



Africa stands out as the region with the greatest potential and opportunity for aviation. The Focus Africa initiative renews IATAs commitment to supporting aviation on the continent. As the incoming Chair of the IATA Board of Governors, and the first from Africa since 1993, I look forward to ensuring that this initiative gets off to a great start and delivers benefits that are measurable, said Yvonne Makolo, CEO of RwandAir and first female Chair of the IATA Board of Governors (2023-2024).

Six critical areas

"The limiting factors on Africas aviation sector are fixable. The potential for growth is clear. And the economic boost that a more successful African aviation sector will deliver has been witnessed in many economies already. With Focus Africa, stakeholders are uniting to deliver on six critical focus areas that will make a positive difference. Well measure success and will need to hold each other accountable for the results, said Walsh.



The six focus areas are:



 Safety: Improve operational safety through a data driven, collaborative program to reduce safety incidents and accidents, in the air and on the ground.

 Infrastructure: Facilitate the growth of efficient, secure, and cost-effective aviation infrastructure to improve customer experience and operational efficiency.

 Connectivity: Promote the liberalization of intra-African market access through the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM).

 Finance and Distribution: Accelerate the implementation of secure, effective and cost-efficient financial services and adoption of modern retailing standards.

 Sustainability: Assist Africas air transport industry to achieve the Net Zero by 2050 emissions targets agreed to by industry and the UNs International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) member states.

 Future Skills: Promote aviation-related career paths and ensure a steady supply of diverse and suitably skilled talent to meet the industrys future needs.



The power of partnerships

Partnerships will differentiate the outcome of Focus Africa from previous efforts to stimulate Africas development with air transport. By partnering, stakeholders will effectively pool their resources, research, expertise, time and funding to support the common goals of the six work areas, said Kamil Al Awadhi, IATA Regional Vice President for Africa and the Middle East.



The partners will be announced and join forces in Addis Ababa on 20-21 June to officially launch the Focus Africa initiative with more details for each task area.



The timing is right

Africa continues the path to recovery from the Covid-19 crisis. Air cargo is 31.4% over 2019 levels and air travel is 93% of 2019 levels. Full recovery for air travel is expected in 2024.



The tasks for Focus Africa are not new. Work is already underway as part of the work of IATA and other stakeholders in Africa. But after the financial trauma that the pandemic brought to African aviation, we are at a unique time of rebuilding. By launching Focus Africa now, we can ensure that the recovery from Covid-19 moves aviation to an even better place than we were in 2019, said Al Awadhi.  TradeArabia News Service
Wang Zhongxiang tells historical stories to children in Houying Township of Liaocheng City, east China's Shandong Province, March 30, 2023. (Xinhua/Zhang Liyuan)

JINAN, April 4 (Xinhua) -- While the Tomb-Sweeping Day is drawing near and people clean gravesites on this traditional occasion for paying respect to the deceased, Wang Zhongxiang plans to continue his own way of commemoration.

"I have promised some children to talk about the Huaihai Campaign in the community square on the Tomb-Sweeping Day, and I have to keep my word," said the 74-year-old man who is dearly called the "story grandpa" by local children. The Huaihai Campaign was a decisive battle ahead of the founding of the People's Republic of China.

Wang's father was a war hero who died in battle in 1949, his mother was also a soldier. He was raised in Liaocheng City in east China's Shandong Province and grew up listening to stories about the war.

An important base of the revolution led by the Communist Party of China, Liaocheng is rich in wartime stories. In June 2015, Wang, retired from a local company, embarked on a campaign of spreading such stories, because "war heroes should not be forgotten."

He spent his own money to make more than 100 display panels about that history. Local people can often see a gray-haired grandpa, who stops at various locations to tell his stories, riding a tricycle loaded with these panels. "I am telling this history to our next generation," he always explains.

Wang showed Xinhua an old map close to falling apart, which he carries with him everywhere he visits. Pointing at a town named Houying, Wang said that in 2016 he learned from documents that there were soldiers from Houying who died in the Battle of Kaifeng before China's liberation. But he didn't find a record of the names of these soldiers.

"I then decided to collect their information," the man recalled. "These war heroes deserved to be known."

It was by no means an easy task, considering the passing of time and changes in local jurisdictions. He didn't drive and did not use navigation APP to guide the way. Relying solely on the map, he rode on the tricycle and visited 122 villages, circling each of them on the map afterwards as a reminder.

"I knocked on each and every one of the doors to ask for information about the deceased heroes," Wang said. "Some of their relatives had absolutely no idea that they were war heroes, and some others could not enjoy the beneifits as heroes' relatives because their identities were not ascertained."

Wang knew that his work was meaningful.

In four years the man traveled about 5,000 kilometers in total, and found evidence for 154 heroes from Liaocheng who died in the Battle of Kaifeng but remained unknown throughout the years.

He reported his findings to local authorities of veteran affairs in October 2019. The next year 154 names were added to the memorial wall in the Kaifeng Martyrs' Cemetery.

"I have always remembered that day, when the daughter of a war hero hugged me and cried," Wang said. "She told me that finally she knew where to go when she wanted to mourn for her father."

The information he collected also became stories for the children.

"He is called the 'story grandpa' by children here," said Tian Dongwen, a teacher from the Central Primary School of Houying Town. "Each time the 'story grandpa' arrives, children flock to the school gate to greet him."

Wang often has a big smile when he talks to the children, but at the emotional parts of the stories, both the narrator and the listeners shed tears.

To date, Wang has spent more than 200,000 yuan (about 29,060 U.S. dollars) on his mission, visited 125 primary and middle schools and more than 100,000 people have listened to his stories. About 300 volunteers have been attracted to join him.

He has been suffering from uremia, and needs dialysis every week. But the disease doesn't prevent him from continuing his dream.

Talking about his own story, the old man was passionate. "After those children grow up, they will tell the stories to their children, so that the history will be forever remembered." 
What Could Happen If a Judge Is Asked to Muzzle Trump

Top Republicans denounce gag order as 'unconstitutional'

Former President Donald Trump speaks at the New Hampshire Republican State Committee's Annual Meeting in Salem, N.H., on Jan. 28, 2023. (Scott Eisen/Getty Images)

A gag order against former President Donald Trump could forbid him from publicly commenting on his criminal case, but it would be improper for a judge to curtail him from making statements about other topics, legal analysts say.

Considerable speculation is swirling around whether Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg will seek such an order, and, if he does, whether the New York judge assigned to the case will grant it.

Judge Juan Merchan could address the gag order issue when Trump makes his initial court appearance during the afternoon of April 4. Details of the allegations against Trump, the nations first ex-president to face criminal indictment, will be released publicly.

The charges are expected to revolve around alleged misrepresentations of hush money payments made to one or more women prior to the 2016 election, which Trump won. He denies any wrongdoing.

Joe Tacopina, a Trump attorney, has publicly stated that he doubts Merchan would impose a gag order. And, just hours before Trumps court appearance, the leaders of two congressional committees denounced the possible gag order as unconstitutional.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) said in a statement they were deeply concerned by reports that Bragg might seek a gag order.

To put any restrictions on the ability of President Trump to discuss his mistreatment at the hands of this politically motivated prosecutor would only further demonstrate the weaponization of the New York justice system, Jordan and Comer said. To even contemplate stifling the speech of the former commander-in-chief and current candidate for President is at odds with everything America stands for.

If Bragg does try to get Merchan to muzzle Trump, two ex-prosecutors told The Epoch Times that the judge would have to weigh the desire to insulate the legal process against Trumps free speech rights, coupled with citizens rights to hear from a presidential candidate.

Media gather near Trump Tower in New York City on April 3, 2023. Former President Donald Trump is scheduled for an arraignment tomorrow at New York County Supreme Court following his indictment by a grand jury on March 30, 2023. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)

Other Topics Allowed

The analysts, who have no connection to the case, said they think Merchan would be out-of-bounds if he attempts to muzzle Trump from discussing other topics.

Michael Bachner, a New York defense lawyer and former Manhattan prosecutor, said he didnt think it would be enforceable. In fact, he doubts that a judge could or would issue such a sweeping gag order.

However, Merchan does have the power to specify what Trump, Bragg, and others directly involved in the case are permitted to disclose about the court proceedings or the evidence for and against Trump.

Ohio attorney Mike Allen said, The judge would have to tailor the order narrowly, so as not to gag him from speaking out on other issues.

Gag orders are generally reserved for cases that garner a lot of publicity or other cases in which lawyers are out of control or lawyers lose control of their clients, Bachner said.

Bachner agreed that gag orders are generally crafted in the least restrictive way.

Jail Threat Looms

In Trumps case, the judge might allow leeway for general statements such as Im going to beat the charges, Bachner said, cautioning that Trump could be thrown in jail for running afoul of any such order.

Merchan does not suffer fools lightly, Bachner said. In my experience with him, he will not let this turn into a circus. He will not hesitate, in my opinion, to hold someone in contempt if that person violates a rule or does something wrong.

Robert Hoatson outside Trump Tower in New York City on April 3, 2023. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)

Allen, who is also a former judge, said that if he were asked to impose a gag order in such a case, he would refuse.

You have to consider that Trump is in the middle of a presidential race. Even if the trial judge grants it, it will be appealed to a higher court, Allen predicted.

Both Bachner and Allen said that, if the judge issues a gag order, it would surely apply to both the prosecution and the defense. Neither Bachner nor Allen has seen a one-sided gag order in their decades of legal experience.

While the judge must be careful about treading on Trumps First Amendment rights, Trump must be mindful that, now that hes a criminal defendant, he could talk his way into further trouble, Bachner said.

Statements Against Prosecutor

Trumps got to be careful, Bachner said, noting that the former president has made numerous public statements against Bragg. If any statements against the district attorney could be considered threats or interference in the case, Trump could end up with an indictment for obstruction of the administration of justice, Bachner said.

On April 3, the eve of his first court appearance, Trump accused Bragg of illegally leaking grand jury information. He declared that Bragg should be indicted or resign.

Bachner confirmed that, if an investigation proves anyone revealed secret grand jury proceedings, criminal charges could follow. He said he knows of cases in which people have been prosecuted for breaching a promise to maintain confidentiality. Witnesses are allowed to discuss their grand jury testimony, Bachner said. But everyone else involved is bound by a secrecy oath.

Trump has also criticized Merchan, who handled other cases involving Trumps business affairs, alleging that the judge hates him. Some legal wonks have said Trumps team could seek another judge and is also likely to ask that the charges be dismissed as politically motivated, selective prosecution.

Bragg, a Democrat, campaigned on promises that he would target Trump.

Other Restrictions Possible

Under New York state laws regarding nonviolent offenses, the former president is expected to be released on his promise to appear for future court proceedings, Bachner said.

A court can still condition your release on abiding by various dictates, such as a gag order or a restriction on foreign travel, Bachner said.

So far, news of Trumps indictment seems to have buoyed his campaign. His campaign reported reaping more than $7 million in a three-day span after the grand jurys decision leaked out last week.

Bragg issued a general statement confirming that Trump had been indicted. Trump and his supporters have denounced the prosecution as a witch hunt, and they assert that everyday citizens are so outraged, they are donating to his campaign to help him fight back.

Supporters of former President Donald Trump wave flags and cheer at a rally in West Palm Beach, Fla., on April 3, 2023. (Wilfredo Lee/AP Photo)

The former president also faces several other legal probes.

Trump, who served as the nations 45th president from 201721, is the current frontrunner to become the Republican Partys nominee for the 2024 election. Democratic President Joe Biden, who now holds office as the 46th president, has not yet declared whether he will seek reelection.

Whatever happens with the criminal case, Bachner said Trump needs to be aware of one thing.

When youre under the auspices of the court  the judge, he is the single most powerful person youre dealing with at this point, he said.
Why Hasnt the GOP Yet Walked the Walk on Its Mayorkas Impeachment Talk?

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas participates in an interview with Michael Isikoff from Yahoo News in Washington, D.C., on June 14, 2021. (DHS/U.S. government)

Its almost an understatement to say that Republican candidates campaigned hawkishly on border control in the runup to the 2022 midterms: As they decried the flow of illegal immigrants and drugs from Mexico, many vowed to impeach the man they largely blamed for the mess, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

Republicans have continued hammering Mayorkas since taking control of the House. Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, who called the flooding of more than 5 million illegal immigrants across the southern border since President Biden took office an intentional policy, has made several visits to the U.S.-Mexico border with other Republicans, and the House has held multiple hearings on immigration.

But as winter has turned to spring, the GOP has taken little action to remove Mayorkas. Republicans Andy Biggs of Arizona and Pat Fallon of Texas have each filed bills, but the House Judiciary Committee, from which any impeachment move must come, has not taken up either resolution.

Conservative groups focused on the southern border told RealClearInvestigations (RCI) that impeachment did not come up during recent meetings in Washington.

I just came from the Hill and a bunch of meetings with staffers and theyre reporting the same thing; one said the conference is split, with a lot of GOP George W. Bush types who love the cheap labor for American industry and agriculture, said Todd Bensman of the conservative Center for Immigration Studies and author of Overrun: How Joe Biden Unleashed the Greatest Border Crisis in U.S. History.

Bensman calls it an old story, but cheap labor is only part of it. Republicans arent united on this issue because some fear that following through on impeachment talk will alienate the moderate swing voters that the GOP needs to remain in control of the House.

Even Republicans who have publicly attacked Mayorkas are now reticent about discussing impeachment. RCI reached out to 16 GOP House members for comment. Neither Biggs nor Fallon responded. Virginia Rep. Bob Good, a member of the Freedom Caucus who is co-sponsor of both resolutions, declined to comment on the record. Other outspoken administration critics such as Dan Crenshaw of Texas, Tom McClintock of California, and Matt Gaetz of Florida did not respond.

Only two of the 16 Republican House members agreed to speak on the record.

I have repeatedly called for his impeachment and am confident that Chairman Jordan will hold true to his word of impeaching Mayorkas for overseeing an unprecedented surge of illegal activity at our southern border, Rep. Paul Gosar of Arizona said.

Rep. Scott Perry of Pennsylvania said Biden administration officials have lied about what they have done at the border but was more circumspect on impeachment, suggesting a wait-and-see attitude may be behind the aggressive rhetoric.

Im not on the Judiciary Committee and it would have to come from there, he said. My hope is that at least some information will come from hearings because some members legitimately have some questions.

Perry and others said they would like to see the Judiciary Committee make the case for impeachment, a process Jordan appears to be favoring. For the moment, however, the only concrete step Republicans have taken is a symbolic gesture by Rep. Chip Roy of Texas to try to cut Mayorkas salary from the DHS budget.

The bills filed by Reps. Biggs and Fallon contend that Mayorkass conduct meets the constitutional threshold for impeachment, high crimes and misdemeanors. Fallons bill, H. Res. 8, alleges that the secretary has violated the oath all cabinet members take to faithfully uphold the laws of the United States by failing to enforce:

 The Secure the Fence Act of 2006 that requires the DHS secretary to maintain operational control over the entire international land and maritime borders of the United States.

 The Immigration and Nationality Act that requires the DHS secretary to detain inadmissible aliens arriving in the United States or aliens who are present in the United States without inspection until processed. Instead, it claims, Mayorkas catch and release approach has allowed more than 1,000,000 illegal aliens into the country.

While referencing those two laws, the Biggs resolution, H. Res. 582, also accuses Mayorkas of violating the Public Health Services Act by failing to protect U.S. citizens from risk and exposure to and contracting Covid-19 by refusing to take necessary steps to prevent contagious illegal aliens from entering the United States.

In sum, the Biggs resolution concludes Mayorkas should be impeached because his actions have subverted the will of Congress and the core tenets of the Constitution.

RCI reached out repeatedly to a dozen Democratic members of the House Judiciary Committee seeking comment on a possible impeachment of Mayorkas and their reaction. None of them responded.

Mayorkas has stated repeatedly he has no intention of resigning, a suggestion Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas made again Tuesday when Mayorkas appeared at a Senate committee hearing. If you had any integrity you would resign, Cruz said.

The volley came after the two got into a verbal spat over how truthful the administration has been about the border. Cruz cited comments by White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre that people are not walking across the border along with photographs of people doing just that. You claim you care, Mr. Secretarythat is a lie, Cruz said.

Cruz again accused Mayorkas of dissembling after the DHS chief would not answer a question about whether Jean-Pierre lied. Mayorkas called Cruzs accusation revolting.

Nevertheless, the department is bracing for a possible impeachment and taking steps for Mayorkas defense. A government contract was signed with the law firm Debevoise & Plimpton to provide legal assistance to the secretary; that contract would kick in only if the Judiciary Committee moved an impeachment motion to the House floor.

Debevoise & Plimpton did not respond to a request for comment about the arrangement. Biden administration officials familiar with it said it was necessary because the impeachment of a cabinet secretary is so rare none of its legal staff has any relevant experience.

The terms of the contract were not disclosed, although officials pointed to examples in the past where House Republicans hired outside legal counsel to assist it on legislation that proved legally fraught.

A DHS spokesperson said the contract was necessary to ensure the Departments vital mission is not interrupted by the unprecedented, unjustified and partisan impeachment efforts of some members of Congress, who have already taken steps to initiate proceedings.

History shows the House can move swiftly on impeachment if members choose to. The Democratic majority, along with a handful of Republicans, voted to impeach departing President Trump just one week after the post-election riot at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

Defenders of the governments current border policies say that the conservatives argument is flawed. The Biden administrations approach is basically a relaxation of the Trump administrations more stringent strategy. As such, they amount to policy differences between the two major political parties and fall far short of any crimes and misdemeanors that would justify impeachment.

But, as RCI has previously reported, President Bidens policies have marked a sharp break from his predecessors, since Bidens first day in office, when he signed seven executive orders on immigration that, among other things, suspended deportations.

Hans von Spakovsky, a senior fellow at the conservative Heritage Foundation who co-authored the February report, The Case for Impeachment of Alejandro Nicholas Mayorkas Secretary of Homeland Security, defended the impeachment argument from liberals who deride it as purely political.

It inaccurately and incorrectly asserts that we are confusing the requirements of the Immigration and Naturalization Act with the Trump administration policies, he said. Our analysis is based not on disagreeing with the policies implemented by Mayorkas, but with his violation of federal immigration law.

I think we have laid out in our paper what we think the basis is for impeachment, von Spakovsky told RCI. They include the claims that Mayorkas:

 deliberately defied and contravened the laws he is charged with faithfully executing.

 repeatedly abused the authority of his office, including by, among other conduct, enticing a flood of aliens to cross the U.S. southern border with his policies and Statements.

 betrayed the trust of the people by lying to Congress and withholding information and misleading the public in an effort to hide and suppress the nature and consequence of his abominable policies.

Von Spakovsky added that the misguided priorities of Mayorkas have resulted in a huge backlog in the adjudication system that unfairly hurts the many thousands of U.S. citizens and lawful applicants whose immigration matters are delayed many months.

Although von Spakovsky and others argue impeachment is warranted consistent with U.S. history and constitutional traditions, it would also be a highly unusual move. Only one cabinet member has ever been impeached, President Ulysses S. Grants War Secretary William Belknap in 1876, but he resigned the same day the House voted unanimously against him.

Attorney General Harry Daugherty in 1922 and Treasury Secretary Andrew Mellon in 1932 also faced possible impeachment proceedings by the House, but the former resigned in 1924 and the latter left the cabinet and became U.S. ambassador to England.

Impeachment supporters also point to the dangers the Biden administrations porous border have created. In addition to the humanitarian issues of hundreds of thousands of people migrating through Mexico to the United States, and the money they have paid to Mexican cartels to facilitate their passage, the southern border has become the main conduit for deadly illicit fentanyl.

Scott Perry said his constituents would like to see the Republicans do more than simply talk about the border crisis, though he noted that Mayorkas is the agent who carries out policies set by President Biden.

Its chaos down there with the fentanyl and the cartels making millions of dollars, he said.

Most of our constituents are distraught about that and want it fixed, and many would like accountability for how it occurred. Ultimately, the president is responsible so why not impeach him?

But as to what might actually happen with Mayorkas, Perry acknowledged he wasnt sure.

My sense is that with the Judicial Committee holding hearings we are working toward those kind of things, he said. That will go to the fact-finding we need to have to convince some of our skeptical members.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Why Taiwan Matters to Us All

Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen speaks during a news conference with the incoming Taiwan Premier Chen Chien-jen and outgoing Taiwan Premier Su Tseng-chang at the presidential office in Taipei, Taiwan, on Jan. 27, 2023. (Carlos Garcia Rawlins/Reuters)

Commentary

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen is meeting with U.S. House Speaker McCarthy on April 5 before travelling to Latin America. European states like the Czech Republic, Lithuania, and the United Kingdom are also continuing to deepen political engagement with the independent island.

At the same time, were getting another round of fire and brimstone from Chinese state media and foreign ministry spokespeople threatening others for daring to talk or meet with President Tsai.

Chinas military is ratcheting up its military intimidation around Taiwan. And in the dance for diplomatic recognition, Beijing has convinced Honduras to switch, while outgoing Micronesian President David Panuelo has raised the prospect of shifting back to recognising Taiwan.

Out of all this, its important for Australian public debate to understand whats at stake if Beijing succeeds in isolating Taiwan, using a combination of propaganda and military intimidation to set the conditions for it to act unopposed against it.

One simple outcome of isolation would be to make an invasion of Taiwan more likely, with a broader war being a disturbingly credible consequence.

This is made more real because of the drive Chinese leader Xi Jinping seems to have brought to efforts to control Taiwan.

And theres a personal element here for Xi: achieving this historic goal of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) during his time in leadership would catapult him beyond Mao in the Party pantheon.

Taiwans President Tsai Ing-wen and New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy attend an event with members of the Taiwanese community in New York in a handout picture released on March 30, 2023. (Taiwan Presidential Office/Handout via Reuters)

Some observers have said that the United States has fewer core interests in Taiwan than Beijing, and so it wont fight over the islandthey also tell us that if the United States has no core interests there, Australia and other U.S. allies should have fewer.

This belief, unfortunately, aligns well with two key planks of the narrative that Beijing seeks to promote: its relentless determination to reunify the island with the mainland, by force if necessary, and its portrayal of U.S. power as unreliable or weak.

The 4 Reasons Why We Must Defend Taiwan

So, why is Taiwan a core security and political issue for Australia, as it is for the United States and partners like South Korea and Japan?

There are four key reasons: geography, the fate of 24 million people living in a democracy, control of foundational elements of our digital world, and lastly, the strategic effect of a successful Chinese invasion.

On geography, by remaining outside Beijings control, Taiwans strategic location and size matter. It complicates the Chinese militarys ability to project power and provides advantages to Beijings potential adversaries during a conflict.

The Chinese Peoples Liberation Army controlling and using Taiwan as a base would undercut Japanese and South Korean security and help the Chinese military oppose U.S. access and cooperation with its allies.

This would be detrimental to Australian security interests and to the stability of Northeast Asia.

In simple human terms, Taiwan is an island of around 23 million people in the Indo-Pacific that serves as an example to 1.4 billion mainland Chinese that a democratic system of government is possible for them.

If an island democracy of 23 million is not significant enough for the United States, Australia, and other partners to help protect, then why would Australia have any confidence that allies and partners would help defend Australia?

If Beijing were to invade Taiwan successfully, U.S. inaction would profoundly undercut U.S. power and show that America and its allies and partnersincluding Australiacannot act together to secure important common interests in the face of CCP action.

Taiwan is also a critical source of high technology, including much of the global production capacity for semiconductors.

An engineer holds a chip at the Taiwan Semiconductor Research Institute in Hsinchu, Taiwan, on Feb. 11, 2022. (Ann Wang/Reuters)

If controlled by Beijing, Taiwans advantages would tip the military, technological, and economic power balance in the CCPs favour and close enduring gaps in the Chinese economy and states technological capability.

Digital decoupling would accelerate, but in ways not to Australia or other liberal democracies advantage.

Further, analysts who assert that Taiwan is strategically insignificant to the U.S. and allied strategy and power in the Indo-Pacific, are eerily reminiscent of those who back in the early 2010s dismissed the importance of Chinese island-building in the South China Sea as just a pile of rocks or targets.

The strategic effect of Chinas island-building and development of Chinese military capabilities in the South China Sea, combined with the ineffectual response from claimant states, Australia, the United States, and other like-minded partners, has increased Chinese power in North and Southeast Asia. Taiwan is a much more significant piece of real estate than any of these rocks.

Time to Stop Getting Distracted

As we see Taiwan make new rounds in reaching out to partners in our region and Europe, accompanied by threats from Beijing, its sensible to think about what Australian politicians and officials might do to help prevent the CCP from politically isolating and demoralising Taiwan and its people.

Its important to signal Australias clear interest in the status of Taiwan not being changed by forceas our government has.

But its equally as important to work on deterrence strategies and plans with its partners, while increasing political, economic, and people-to-people engagement with the like-minded, vibrant democracy of Taiwan and its people.

Australias public debate uncritically repeating Beijings narratives or getting side-tracked on whether domestic voices are simply stoking anxiety is the time taken away from working to understand whats at stakeand what can be done to make Beijings use of force against the people of Taiwan less likely.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Wine lore says that the cork, which comes from the bark of the cork oak tree, may first have been used to seal wine bottles by the Benedictine monk Dom Perignon, replacing wooden stoppers in about 1670.

This advance then led to the development of literally dozens of gadgets designed to remove them from bottles.

The corkscrew is just one of numerous wine paraphernalia that have been developed in the last three and a half centuries that purport to make it easier for consumers to enjoy a simple bottle of chardonnay or zinfandel.

All corkscrews work about the same way, but the best are those helix contraptions that are hollow in the middle, all of which are intended to drive through the cork, grabbing it from the inside and allowing the consumer to withdraw the cork. The best are Teflon-coated.

Single-piece flanged corkscrews work for most young wines but can be a disaster for older wines whose natural corks have begun to degrade.

A clever alternative to the helix is the two-pronged invention called the Ah-So, which works by pushing the longer prong down inside between the glass of the bottle and the cork, then putting the other prong into the opposite side of the bottle. When it is rocked back and forth and is all the way seated, touching the cork, a careful twisting motion will remove the cork.

Another gadget that works reasonably well is the pneumatic pump. A sharp needle with a hole in the bottom is inserted all the way through the cork. Then gas or air are injected into the bottle below the cork. The air or gas pushes the cork out of the bottle.

If a cork should fall into the wine bottle, one gadget has been invented to pull it back out, using a thin blade with a hook at the bottom.

Keeping white and rose wine chilled without having to keep them in a refrigerator is done by various means, and several expensive decanters have been invented that may be kept in a freezer. Between the outer and inner walls of the decanter is a liquid that stays below freezing temperature without actually freezing.

The consumer pours the wine into the decanter and the liquid stays quite cold for at least an hour.

Alternatively, and for far less money, plastic ice cubes filled with water may be purchased and kept frozen in a freezer. Two or three of them will keep a glass of wine relatively cold until it is consumed.

Recorking a wine using the original cork is best done using a can of inert gas sprayed into the bottle, such as a product called Private Preserve.

Using the original cork for resealing occasionally isnt a solution, especially if the cork expands so much that getting it back into the bottle is a chore. Synthetic plugs specifically made for wine bottles are easily found in fine wine stores, as are plastic pouring spouts that have twist closures.

Sparkling wines that still have a few ounces left may be resealed with spring-loaded steel plugs intended to keep the effervescence from dissipating. They run about $10 each. For about half that, small plastic/rubber resealers that expand at the bottom after a lever is depressed work well.

To keep wine bottles horizontal so the cork stays moist and cant dry out, all kinds of wine racks are available including wooden cubes (such as the 12-inch-by-12-inch ones so widely seen stacked on top of one another).

Elaborate, expensive wine bottle refrigerators or storage cabinets are designed to keep wine bottles at the proper temperature for decades, but they cost a lot and often entail use of electricity. If you have an extra closet, a small wine cellar that can be kept cool year-round may well suit most consumers needs.

No wine of the week.
Chinese spy balloon gathered information from sensitive US military sites: Report





WASHINGTON,

A CHINESE spy balloon that flew across the US was able to gather Intelligence from several sensitive American military sites and transmit it back to Beijing in real-time, despite the Biden administrations efforts to block it, a media report said on Monday. A suspected Chinese spy balloon said to be the size of three buses, was spotted over the airspace of the United States in late January. China was able to control the balloon so it could make multiple passes over some of the sites (at times flying figure-eight formations) and transmit the information it collected back to Beijing in real time, NBC News reported, quoting three unnamed officials. The intelligence China collected was mostly from electronic signals, which can be picked up from weapons systems or include communications from base personnel, rather than images, the officials were quoted as saying in the report. The three officials said China could have gathered much more Intelligence from sensitive sites if not for the Biden administrations efforts to move around potential targets and obscure the balloons ability to pick up their electronic signals by stopping them from broadcasting signals, the report said. The balloon first entered US airspace from Alaska on January 28, according to the Biden administration.

Over the next four days, it was flying over the Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana, where the US has some of its nuclear assets. The development further strained the already tense bilateral ties between the US and China, with the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken abruptly postponed his key visit to Beijing in February this year. The US National Security Council has referred NBC News to the Defence Department for comment.

In its response, Beijing maintained that the balloon was a Chinese civilian airship which had deviated from its planned route. The airship is from China. It is a civilian airship used for research, mainly meteorological purposes, the spokesperson of the Chinese foreign ministry said in a statement posted on the Chinese foreign ministrys website. On February 4, the US shot down the balloon off the coast of South Carolina. This afternoon, at the direction of President Biden, US fighter aircraft assigned to US Northern Command successfully brought down the high altitude surveillance balloon launched by and belonging to the Peoples Republic of China over the water off the coast of South Carolina in US airspace, Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin had said. US officials said they tried to reconstruct the balloon from the debris recovered.
Sky-High Expectations





By Rachel Kyte

OVER the past two years, a drumbeat of calls for reforming the World Bank has pushed its way onto the front pages of major newspapers and the agenda of heads of state. Many low- and middle-income countries  the population the World Bank is tasked with helping  are falling deeper into debt and facing growing costs as the impacts of climate change increase in severity. A chorus of critics accuse the World Bank of failing to evolve to meet the crises.

The job of leading that reform is now almost certain to fall to Ajay Banga, an Indian American businessman and former CEO of Mastercard who was nominated by President Joe Biden to replace resigning World Bank President David Malpass. Nominations closed on March 29, 2023, with Banga the only candidate. There is no shortage of advice for what Banga and the World Bank need to do. The G-20 recently issued a report urging the World Bank and the other multilateral development banks to loosen their lending restrictions to get more money flowing to countries in need.

A commission led by economists Nicholas Stern and Vera Songwe called for a rapid, sustained investment push that prioritises transitioning to cleaner energy, achieving the UN sustainable development goals and meeting the needs of increasingly vulnerable countries. African Ministers of Finance will soon come out with their own to do list for the World Bank, and Indias Minister of Finance just pulled together an expert group to consider World Bank reform. Banga will walk into the job with these and many other to-do lists. Yet he will inherit a corporate culture that makes the World Bank Group too inwardly focused and too slow to respond. I have worked for the World Bank Group and with it from the outside. I see four key roles  four Cs  that Banga will need to master from the outset. From his track record and his reputation for deep thoughtfulness, I am confident that he can.

1) Act as a CEO and get the entire World Bank Group house in order. The World Bank Group is a conglomerate with four balance sheets, three cultures and four executive boards, plus a dispute resolution arm. Lending to low- and middle-income countries is just part of its role. The World Bank Group also provides technical assistance across all areas of economic development and invests in and provides risk insurance to encourage companies to invest in projects and places they might otherwise consider too risky. 2) Assume the mantle of collaborator in chief to take on the debt and climate crises. Many of the World Bank Groups client countries are facing both mounting debt and rising costs from climate change.

In the past, the leaders of the development banks, the International Monetary Fund and the World Trade Organisation have cooperated, more or less, depending on crises and personalities, and can move fast when they need to. The new President of the World Bank will need to support more radical collaboration among development financial institutions, including pooling capital and talent, to help respond quickly to countries needs.

It wont be easy. Institutional rivalries run deep. But with budgets tight, there is growing clarity that there is no choice  the capital that is already in the system is the closest at hand and can be deployed to better effect if the institutions are willing to adapt. 3) Be a convenor. Overhauling how international finance works will require everyone to be on board  development banks, central banks, regulators, investment banks, pension funds, insurance companies and private equity. Banga and International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva can settle institutional differences and present a coordinated face to private investors and the major lending countries, including China  which has emerged as the biggest holder of developing country debt  to speed up support to struggling countries. 4) Be a champion for the most vulnerable. The worlds most vulnerable people are the World Bank Groups ultimate beneficiaries. For those living on the front line of biodiversity loss and climate impacts, such as extreme heat, drought and flooding, the current international financial system is proving inadequate. The World Bank Groups management incentives are still too oriented to lending approved by the board, not the outcomes of that lending, advice and assistance. Throughout its history, World Bank leaders have been able to make rapid changes to better help vulnerable countries when they stay close to the needs of their ultimate beneficiaries and the goals that the world has set. The next President faces turbulent times. Bangas careful listening on his campaign tour signals that he understands the complexity. Its an extraordinary moment in the history of the institution, with sky-high expectations of what one leader needs to do.
NEW DELHI,

ABOUT Rs 35,000 crore unclaimed deposits as of February 2023 were transferred to the Reserve Bank by public sector banks (PSBs) in respect of deposits which have not been operated for 10 years or more, Parliament was informed on Monday. These unclaimed deposits belong to 10.24 crore accounts transferred to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) as of the end of February 2023. As per information available with the RBI, as of the end of February 2023, the total amount of unclaimed deposits transferred to RBI by PSBs in respect of deposits which have not been operated for 10 years or more was Rs 35,012 crore, Minister of State for Finance Bhagwat Karad said in a written reply in the Lok Sabha. State Bank of India (SBI) tops the chart of unclaimed deposits worth Rs 8,086 crore followed by Punjab National Bank Rs 5,340 crore, Canara Bank Rs 4,558 crore and Bank of Baroda Rs 3,904 crore.

To a question that if SBI officials do not assist/extend any help to the family of deceased and even they do not contact the family who have submitted death certificates of deceased, the Minister said, the bank provides help to family of the deceased in settling all cases of claims. Settlement of account (s) of deceased constituent are taken up on priority by SBI. SBI staff has been sensitised and instructions are reiterated in all forums of banks at regular frequency, he said.

For the convenience of SBI customers, he said, the details/ process of settlement of claims without legal representation in respect of account(s) of deceased constituents, the specimen of prescribed forms, as well as updated FAQs for easy understanding have been uploaded on SBIs website. Every application for settlement of the account of a deceased constituent received at the SBI branch is duly acknowledged, the reply said.

Banks have also been advised to consider launching a special drive for finding the whereabouts of the customers/legal heirs in respect of accounts which have become inoperative, i.e., where there are no transactions in the account over a period of two years, it said. Further, it said, banks are required to display the list of unclaimed deposits/inoperative accounts which are inactive / inoperative for ten years or more on their respective websites, with the list containing the names and addresses of the account holder(s) in respect of unclaimed deposits/ inoperative accounts, it said.
DENVER (AP)  A Colorado woman knew what she was doing when she stabbed her young stepson 18 times and then shot him in the head before driving across the country to dump a suitcase with his remains over a bridge in the Florida Panhandle, a prosecutor told jurors Monday at the start of her trial.

Authorities allege Letecia Stauch killed 11-year-old Gannon Stauch in his bedroom a few hours before reporting him missing on Jan. 27, 2020, while his father was on a National Guard deployment. They have suggested she was unhappy in her marriage and resentful of being treated like an unpaid babysitter.

Attorneys for Stauch, who has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, countered that by claiming she suffered a major psychotic crack as a result of childhood trauma when she killed Gannon.

The dueling narratives for why Stauch carried out the crime came during opening statements in Colorado Springs for a trial expected to last several weeks.

District Attorney Michael Allen argued in his opening statement that the steps that Stauch took to cover up her actions are proof that she knew what she did was wrong and was therefore sane. She cleaned up blood in Gannon's bedroom, moving his body to various locations to hide it before disposing of it like garbage in a river that flows into the Gulf of Mexico in hopes it would never be found, he said.

Stauch also lied to investigators various times to try to hamper their investigation, Allen said, changing her accounts of what happened to Gannon. She claimed two different men had raped her and then abducted Gannon and, later, that one of those men had taken Gannon after he hurt himself in a bike crash.

All of her actions were purposefully designed by her to distance herself from what she did, Allen said.

But defense attorney Will Cook said the gruesome details highlighted by Allen, including how Gannon was killed and the lack of a motive, are proof that Stauch was insane because it all does not make sense.

These are all signs and evidence of a mind, a soul, that is broken in a most fundamental and profound way, he said.

Cook suggested Stauch developed dissociative identify disorder as a result of being physically, emotionally and sexually abused by her absent mother's string of partners during her childhood, sometimes sleeping in a car in the driveway to escape the abuse. When she killed Gannon, she was not, in her mind, killing her stepson, but the demons from her childhood and life, he said.

Based on surveys given to potential jurors, many were skeptical of Stauch's mental health defense, Cook said. He urged jurors to put aside their impulse to make someone pay for such a brutal killing and keep an open mind because the judicial system requires Stauch to be presumed innocent.

I'm not telling you to like it. I'm just telling you that's the way it is," he said.

Initially, authorities said they responded after Stauch said Gannon had not returned from playing with a friend. But she did not provide the names of any friends he may have been with or their parents. Within days, she concocted a variety of stories to mislead them, including that a man she hired to repair a carpet raped her and then abducted Gannon, according to investigators.

Over 200 volunteers conducted searches for the boy in the area around where the family lived near Colorado Springs, as authorities investigated. About two weeks after Gannon disappeared, searchers found a piece of particle board with Gannon's blood on it in a rural area nearby. Presuming the boy to be dead, authorities arrested Stauch in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, on March 2, 2022. Gannon's remains were found later that month in the small city of Pace, on the Florida Panhandle.

Stauch was charged with first-degree murder, tampering with a deceased human body and tampering with physical evidence.

Investigators found Gannons blood on Stauchs shoe, found her DNA on a gun linked to his death and learned that she traveled to the Florida Panhandle shortly after he disappeared, prosecutors have said.

Stauch was also accused of trying to escape from jail after her arrest. According to court documents, she asked a fellow inmate to help her get out, explaining that she planned to use a broom handle to break the window in her cell, and that she had already measured herself to make sure she could fit through.
BEIJING, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Tuesday talked over phone with Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin.

Li said that under the strategic guidance of the two countries' heads of state, the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era has maintained a high level of development.

China-Russia relations adhere to the principles of non-alignment, non-confrontation and non-targeting of any third party, mutual respect, mutual trust and mutual benefit, which not only promote their own development and rejuvenation, but also uphold international fairness and justice, he said.

Li stressed that during Chinese President Xi Jinping's recent successful visit to Russia, he and Russian President Vladimir Putin jointly drew up a new blueprint for the development of bilateral relations, charting a new direction for bilateral cooperation.

China is willing to work closely with Russia, he said, adding that the government departments of the two countries should implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state and push forward the pragmatic cooperation between China and Russia to achieve new development.

For his part, Mishustin said Russia-China relations are based on international law and the principle of pluralism, which is an important factor to ensure global peace and stability, adding that at present, bilateral relations are at the highest level in history, and President Xi's state visit to Russia was a complete success, opening a new chapter in Russia-China relations.

Russia cherishes its comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination with China and is willing to strengthen good-neighborly friendship with China, deepen practical cooperation in various fields and push for common development of the two countries, he said. 
COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP)  A U.S. military laboratory has helped Swedes confirm what was suspected for years: A woman was among those who died on a 17th-century warship that sank on its maiden voyage, the museum that displays the ship said Tuesday.

The wreck of the royal warship Vasa was raised in 1961, and was remarkably well-preserved after more than 300 years underwater in the Stockholm harbor. It has since been place at the Vasa Museum, one of Stockholms top tourist attractions where visitors can admire its intricate wooden carvings.

Some 30 people died when the Vasa keeled over and sank just minutes after leaving port in 1628. They are believed to have been crew members and most of their identities are unknown.

For years, there were indications that one of the victims, known as G, was a woman, because of the appearance of the hip bone, Fred Hocker, research leader at the Vasa Museum, said in a statement.

Anna Maria Forsberg, a historian with the Vasa Museum, told The Associated Press that women were not part of the crew in the Swedish navy in the 17th century, but they could be on board as guests. Seamen were allowed to have their wives with them onboard unless the ship was going into battle or going for a long journey.

We know from written sources that around 30 people died that day," Forsberg said. It is thus likely that she was a seamans wife who wanted to come along on the maiden journey of this new, impressive ship.

She said the exact number of people on board that day was not known but we think there were around 150 people. An additional 300 soldiers were supposed to board further out in the archipelago, she said.

Since 2004, the Vasa Museum collaborated with the Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology at Uppsala University, which examined all the skeletons on Vasa in order to find out as much as possible about the various individuals on the doomed vessel.

It is very difficult to extract DNA from bones that have been on the seabed for 333 years, but not impossible, Marie Allen, professor of forensic genetics at Uppsala University said in the statement. Simply put, we found no Y chromosomes in Gs genome. But we couldnt be completely sure and we wanted to have the results confirmed.

So they turned to the Delaware-based Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory. And thanks to the forensics laboratory specializing in DNA profiling at the Dover Air Force Base, we have been able to confirm that the individual G was a woman, using the new test, Allen said.

The Vasa which was supposed to go to a naval base outside Stockholm to wait for the boarding of the soldiers, is believed to have sunk because it lacked the ballast to counterweigh its heavy guns.
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NEW YORK (AP)  A small park built on a site that was once a swampy, sewage-filled pond was ground zero for the frenzy surrounding former President Donald Trump's surrender Tuesday at a courthouse in Lower Manhattan.

Hundreds of onlookers, protesters, journalists and a few politicians swarmed into the confines of Collect Pond Park across the street from the criminal courthouse, where Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts. Ultimately, though, hardly anyone got a glimpse of Trump: He entered and left the courthouse out of view of demonstrators gathered in the park.

The crowd was small, by the standards of New York City protests, which routinely draw thousands. And fears that unruly mobs might force police to shut down swaths of the city proved to be unfounded, with security measures mostly disappearing within a couple of blocks.

But within the park and the surrounding sidewalks, there was plenty of chaos.

Metal barricades separated Trump supporters from anti-Trump protesters, and police stepped in to break up small skirmishes. Journalists, some of whom had taken turns waiting in line all night to reserve a coveted seat in the courtroom, pressed in on notable figures who appeared.

Whistles and jeers from anti-Trump protesters nearly drowned out remarks by U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Georgia Republican, who had come to support Trump. But she drew cheers from the pro-Trump contingent before making a fast exit as journalists jostled for position around her.

Also on hand to support Trump was U.S. Rep. George Santos, the besieged Republican congressman facing multiple investigations into lies about his biography that he told while running for office.

Im not here for the cameras, he insisted to reporters. I want to support the president, just because I think this is unprecedented, and its a bad day for democracy.

The crowds grew larger in the moments leading up to Trump's arrival at the courthouse to become the first president or former president in U.S. history to face criminal charges.

But the energy of the crowd faded as the hours passed Tuesday, and after it was clear Trump had departed, the park started to empty out quickly.

New York police had said they were ready for large protests by Trump supporters, who share the Republican former presidents belief that the New York grand jury indictment and three additional pending investigations are politically motivated and intended to weaken his bid to retake the White House in 2024.

A few hundred did show up to support Trump on Tuesday, waving Trump flags and wearing Make America Great Again hats.

But security was loose enough in the neighborhood that plenty of passers-by walked through the park just to see what was going on.

One woman went through what looked like a Tai Chi routine, steadfastly ignoring the reporters.

At one point, a tour guide led a group of tourists through the area. The guide stopped to take photos of the scene, then continued on. Others lingered after wandering near the large pack of journalists.

Kyle Heath, 37, from Carmel, Indiana, was in the city for a family vacation that had been planned for some time. He walked through the park amid the throngs of journalists, taking it all in.

We wanted to come down and kind of witness what was going on, and say that we were as close to it as we could be, Heath said. In Indiana, we dont have this much excitement.

In the late 1700s, Collect Pond Park was the site of a small body of water that had become an open sewer as the city grew. It was filled in in the early 1800s, but for decades was part of Manhattan's notorious Five Points slum, known for gang warfare.

A different sort of tension ran high around the courthouse and park Tuesday as news media jostled for position. Television networks hired security personnel who pushed people away. Some reporters had begun lining up for a seat in the courtroom on Monday afternoon, and stayed there all night or paid others to hold their place.

A small skirmish erupted when anti-Trump protesters unfurled a large banner that read TRUMP LIES ALL THE TIME in the middle of a Trump supporters. Police quickly diffused the scene.

I think its very important. I think its very symbolic, you know, it shows that at least in New York with the DA that no man is above the law, said Gregory Williams, 57, who showed up with a life- size cutout of Hillary Clinton and a handmade sign saying Lock Him Up.

___

Associated Press writer Paul J. Weber in Austin, Texas, contributed to this report.
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Linkedin Joris Fioriti (AFP) Paris, France  Tue, April 4, 2023

It's a revenge thriller where a mother turns into a ruthless vigilante, tracking down and drowning a soldier who has killed her baby, in an explosion of violence and jubilation.

What might sound like the plot of the latest flick by Quentin Tarantino or another Hollywood auteur is actually the fruit of a partnership between streaming giant Netflix and the UN cultural agency UNESCO to give a platform to new voices in African cinema.

Katera of the Punishment Island, directed by Ugandan Loukman Ali, is among six short films co-financed on the continent by the American platform and the UN agency.

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Linkedin Ni Komang Erviani (The Jakarta Post) Denpasar  Tue, April 4, 2023

An Australian woman, identified by the initials MLD, has been deported by Indonesian immigration after a viral video showed her arguing with police officers who had reprimanded her for riding a motorbike without a helmet.

Ngurah Rai Immigration Office chief Rai Sugito said the 53-year-old Australian national was deported on March 31.

We have deported a total of 40 foreigners within this year, including the Australian woman who went viral on social media for breaking the traffic law and arguing with the police, Sugito said in a statement on Sunday.

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Linkedin Suherdjoko (The Jakarta Post) Semarang  Tue, April 4, 2023 13:01 20 91bd6e1d1220161ebde1a4c1faa5bca7 1 Archipelago Idul-Fitri,mudik,Holiday,Transportation Free

People traveling to their hometowns for Idul Fitri during mudik (exodus) this year are expected to use a total of 27.32 million private cars and 25.13 million motorcycles, according to a study by the Transportation Policy Agency.

Separately, the government projects that 123.8 million people will travel for mudik.

Djoko Setijowarno, deputy chairman of the Indonesia Transportation Society (MTI), said that motorcycles remained an attractive option for travelers for reasons of cost and mobility.

They will be able to move around in their hometowns easily, something that cannot be provided by public transportation and if they have no vehicles back [in their hometowns], Djoko, a civil engineering expert at Soegijapranata University in Semarang, Central Java, told The Jakarta Post on Monday.

Djoko is calling on the government to completely ban people from using motorcycles to transport their children during mudik.

The government should not just issue suggestions, but rather forbid them, he said.

He said that a number of efforts had been made to dissuade motorcycle use during mudik, including by increasing public transportation capacity, improving road infrastructure and providing free mudik trips.

But these efforts have so far been unable to reduce [the number of] motorcycle accidents, said Djoko.

Last year, 85 million people traveled for mudik, hitting the road with an estimated 23 million cars and 17 million motorcycles, according to projections at that time. Data from the Transportation Ministry show that only around 11 million mudik travelers used public transportation last year.

Separately, Central Java Police chief Insp. Gen. Ahmad Luthfi said the province expected to see 4.5 million homecoming travelers.

This years mudik will return to pre-pandemic [levels], he added.

The Central Java Police plan to set up 254 service and security posts and deploy a total of 20,339 police officers during the holiday season. (dre)
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Linkedin Fikri Harish and Dio Suhenda (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, April 4, 2023

Five of the seven pro-government political parties in the legislative body are expected to build a grand alliance for the 2024 presidential election amid speculations of strained relations between President Joko Jokowi Widodo and the establishment of his own political party.

A gathering of party elites involving members of the United Indonesia Coalition (KIB) and the Great Indonesia Awakening Coalition (KIR) at an iftar event on Sunday produced an understanding between the two alliances over the possibility of building a big-tent coalition to nominate a unified presidential ticket in the next election.

The five political parties involved were the Gerindra Party, the Golkar Party, the National Awakening Party (PKB), the United Development Party (PPP) and the National Mandate Party (PAN). The NasDem Party, which backs opposition figure Anies Baswedan, and the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), which has enough seats in the legislative body to go it alone in the 2024 presidential race, were conspicuously absent from the meeting.

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This photo taken on April 3, 2023 shows circuit boards produced by Traffic Control Technology Equipment Co., Ltd. in Wuqing District, north China's Tianjin. The Traffic Control Technology Equipment Co., Ltd. in north China's Tianjin is seeing a continuous increase in order volume this year. Inside the factory, dozens of machines are running at full capacity, and rows of circuit boards for the train operation control system are waiting to be delivered after rolling off automatic production lines.

Headquartered in Beijing, the enterprise officially went into production in 2020. It has reduced the operation cost by about 30% thanks to the supportive polices provided by the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region. (Xinhua/Li Ran)

Employees work at a workshop of Traffic Control Technology Equipment Co., Ltd. in Wuqing District, north China's Tianjin, April 3, 2023. The Traffic Control Technology Equipment Co., Ltd. in north China's Tianjin is seeing a continuous increase in order volume this year. Inside the factory, dozens of machines are running at full capacity, and rows of circuit boards for the train operation control system are waiting to be delivered after rolling off automatic production lines.

Headquartered in Beijing, the enterprise officially went into production in 2020. It has reduced the operation cost by about 30% thanks to the supportive polices provided by the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region. (Xinhua/Li Ran)

An employee works at a workshop of Traffic Control Technology Equipment Co., Ltd. in Wuqing District, north China's Tianjin, April 3, 2023. The Traffic Control Technology Equipment Co., Ltd. in north China's Tianjin is seeing a continuous increase in order volume this year. Inside the factory, dozens of machines are running at full capacity, and rows of circuit boards for the train operation control system are waiting to be delivered after rolling off automatic production lines.

Headquartered in Beijing, the enterprise officially went into production in 2020. It has reduced the operation cost by about 30% thanks to the supportive polices provided by the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region. (Xinhua/Li Ran)

Employees work in a driving simulator of Traffic Control Technology Equipment Co., Ltd. in Wuqing District, north China's Tianjin, April 3, 2023. The Traffic Control Technology Equipment Co., Ltd. in north China's Tianjin is seeing a continuous increase in order volume this year. Inside the factory, dozens of machines are running at full capacity, and rows of circuit boards for the train operation control system are waiting to be delivered after rolling off automatic production lines.

Headquartered in Beijing, the enterprise officially went into production in 2020. It has reduced the operation cost by about 30% thanks to the supportive polices provided by the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region. (Xinhua/Li Ran)

This photo taken on April 3, 2023 shows a transportation robot at a workshop of Traffic Control Technology Equipment Co., Ltd. in Wuqing District, north China's Tianjin. The Traffic Control Technology Equipment Co., Ltd. in north China's Tianjin is seeing a continuous increase in order volume this year. Inside the factory, dozens of machines are running at full capacity, and rows of circuit boards for the train operation control system are waiting to be delivered after rolling off automatic production lines.

Headquartered in Beijing, the enterprise officially went into production in 2020. It has reduced the operation cost by about 30% thanks to the supportive polices provided by the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region. (Xinhua/Li Ran)
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Linkedin Editorial board (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, April 5, 2023 03:06 20 5fceed71997e5776a1634d25dc3e5811 1 Editorial human-rights,report,United-Nations,Respect,protection,discrimination,violation,Papua,minority,recommendations Free

Securing Indonesias reelection as a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) for another three years and, more importantly, demonstrating that we are serious as a nation about enacting the councils long list of recommendations should be top priorities for the government this year.

As Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said in a speech at the UNHRCs recent annual meeting in Geneva, the government must show that it truly intends to contribute to the global effort to end wars and conflicts in countries such as Myanmar, Ukraine and Afghanistan.

But it must also prove that human rights activists at home and abroad are wrong to say that Indonesia is seeking another term on the council only to conceal its rampant human rights violations at home. The government must make it clear that it has no intent to abuse the position to deflect criticism.

Indonesia is widely regarded as the world's third-largest democracy, behind India and the United States, but in terms of human rights, we still fail to meet many of the standards set by liberal democracies.

At the UNHRCs annual meeting, which ended on Tuesday, the council adopted Indonesia's fourth cycle Universal Periodic Report (UPR), which addresses the countrys progress in advancing human rights. Of the 269 recommendations submitted, Indonesia supported 205 of them, but 59 of them were simply noted. The government added qualifications to five other recommendations.

The council recommended that Indonesia ratify and make available international instruments such as the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC), which the country still opposes. Additionally, it called for Indonesia to take stronger action to advance environmental human rights, equality and non-discrimination, the elimination of torture and other forms of cruelty, the administration of justice and fair trials, the freedom of expression and access to information.

The council advised the country to address issues of human trafficking, modern-day slavery, social security rights, the right to an adequate standard of living, human rights and poverty, as well as issues of violence against women, discrimination against people with disabilities and the right to health.

Freedom of speech, conscience and religion, as well as human trafficking and modern slavery, are some of the most prominent examples of serious ongoing issues in the country. We continue to struggle to protect religious and racial minorities and eliminate discrimination based on gender.

However, Indonesia rejected a proposal on the right to self-determination, which the government likely felt would have provided support for the independence aspirations of Papua. Many Papuans do not feel like Indonesian citizens or part of Indonesia. This alienation will keep growing so long as the national and local governments maintain their oppressive and discriminatory policies.

There have been requests from within the country for the Foreign Ministry to do more to fend off outside criticism and convince the world of Indonesias human rights bona fides. But the truth is that Indonesia's diplomatic efforts to this end will be ineffective as long as human rights violations remain rampant in the country. No matter how skillful or smart our diplomats are, their work will be useless if domestic conditions continue to deteriorate.

The world won't be persuaded until Indonesia demonstrates real improvement on a number of fundamental issues, including the protection of minorities, the freedom of religion and expression and freedom from state coercion and intimidation. Despite the fact that the Constitution guarantees freedom of religion, minority religious groups still face difficulties in building their places of worship and practicing their beliefs, as demonstrated by recent incidents in Kulon Progo regency in Yogyakarta and Purwakarta regency in West Java.

Indonesia should be able to walk the talk and prove at next year's session that it has made significant progress in implementing the councils recommendations.
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Linkedin Elias Huuhtanen (The Jakarta Post) Agence France-Presse/Helsinki  Tue, April 4 2023

Finland's center-right leader claimed victory in Sunday's tight general election that saw the far-right post a record score to come in second, as Prime Minister Sanna Marin's Social Democrats finished third.

"This was a great victory," the 53-year-old head of the conservative National Coalition Party, Petteri Orpo, told his cheering supporters.

"On the basis of this election result [...] we will start negotiating a government in Finland," he said.

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Linkedin Reuters (The Jakarta Post) Kuala Lumpur  Tue, April 4 2023

Malaysia is prepared to negotiate with China over a dispute between them in the South China Sea, state news agency Bernama reported on Monday, citing Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

China claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, through which about US$3 trillion worth of ship-borne trade passes annually. Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam have some overlapping claims.

The issue was raised at a meeting between Anwar and Chinese President Xi Jinping in China last week as Malaysia has energy exploration projects in the area, Bernama cited Anwar as saying at an address on Monday at the prime minister's department.

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Linkedin Agence France-Presse (The Jakarta Post) Manila  Tue, April 4 2023

The Philippines announced on Monday the location of four additional military bases to be used by United States troops, with one site near the hotly disputed South China Sea and another not far from Taiwan.

The longtime treaty allies agreed in February to expand cooperation in "strategic areas" of the country as they seek to counter China's growing assertiveness over self-governed Taiwan and its building of bases in the South China Sea.

The 2014 Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), gave US forces access to five bases in the Philippines.

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Linkedin Fikri Harish (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Wed, April 5 2023

With the 2024 general election being less than a year away, controversies continue to hound the General Elections Commission (KPU). Observers and election watchdogs have warned that without immediate action, these scandals could start to erode public trust in the election process.

The KPUs first controversy emerged in December 2022, just as the commission was about to announce the list of parties that would take part in the 2024 legislative elections. On Dec. 13, Themis Indonesia Law Firm, a member of a coalition of civil society organizations to Safeguard the Elections, accused the KPU central branch of manipulating the results of the verification process.

KPU Sangihe, North Sulawesi, member Jeck Stephen Seba alleged that there was an instruction from the commissions leadership to alter the verification results for several political parties. Jeck accused KPU commissioner Idham Holik of threatening regional KPU members to obey instructions from Jakarta in a national KPU consolidation meeting held in December.

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Linkedin Max Delany (The Jakarta Post) Agence France-Presse/Brussels  Wed, April 5 2023

Finland became the 31st member of NATO on Tuesday in a historic shift that drew an angry warning of "countermeasures" from the Kremlin.

Moscow's all-out invasion of Ukraine last year upended Europe's security landscape and prompted Finland, and its neighbor Sweden, to drop decades of military non-alignment.

"Not so many years ago we thought it was unthinkable that Finland would become a member. Now they will be a fully-fledged member of our alliance and that is truly historic," NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said.

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Linkedin Reuters (The Jakarta Post) Kuala Lumpur  Wed, April 5 2023

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Tuesday said Beijing had expressed concerns about energy activities by Malaysian state firm Petronas in the South China Sea, even though Kuala Lumpur believes the projects are in its territory.

Anwar's remarks come after he opened the door for negotiations with China earlier this week, in a sign of mounting pressure on Malaysia's energy operations in waters that Beijing claims as its own.

China claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, through which about US$3 trillion worth of ship-borne trade passes annually. Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam have some overlapping claims.

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Linkedin Agencies Beijing, China  Tue, April 4, 2023 15:28 20 5fceed71997e5776a1634d25dc3dbbb1 2 Asia and Pacific China,Philippine,US,geopolitics,military,Marcos-Jr,Xi-Jinping,South-China-Sea,Taiwan Free

China warned on Tuesday that Washington was "endangering regional peace and stability" with a new deal expanding American troops' access to bases in the Philippines.

"Out of self-interest, the US maintains a zero-sum mentality and continues to strengthen its military deployment in the region," foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said, adding the "result will inevitably be increased military tension and endangering regional peace and stability".

On Monday, the Philippines identified four more of its military bases that the United States will get access to, almost doubling the number included in a defence agreement that seeks to advance a decades-old alliance between them.

The expansion of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) underlines the Philippines' strategic importance to the former colonial ruler the United States, coming at a time of growing concern over China's conduct in the South China Sea and tension over self-ruled Taiwan.

The EDCA, signed in 2014 under US President Barack Obama, allows US 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 sites named on Monday are the Camilo Osias navy base in Sta Ana and Lal-lo airport, both in Cagayan province, and Camp Melchor Dela Cruz in Gamu, Isabela province and the island of Balabac off Palawan.

The locations are significant, with Isabela and Cagayan facing north towards Taiwan, while Palawan is near the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, where China has built artificial islands equipped with runways and missile systems.

Defence chief Carlito Galvez called the sites "very strategic" and stressed the Philippines had a responsibility to the international community in the South China Sea.

"That's a trade route... where more or less $3 trillion trade passes (annually)," he said.

"Our responsibility to collectively secure that is huge."
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Linkedin Reuters Moscow, Japan  Tue, April 4, 2023 16:49 20 d5259e4d93052b0e76bee70b053c72dd 2 Europe Vladimir-Putin,Sergei-Shoigu,NATO,Jens-Stoltenberg,finland,conflict Free

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Tuesday that Finland's accession to the NATO military alliance and NATO's move to increase its own combat-readiness increased the risk of conflict.

Shoigu also said that some Belarusian military jets were now capable of carrying nuclear warheads and that Iskander rocket systems had been transferred to Belarus, which could be used to carry conventional or nuclear missiles.

Meanwhile, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said Finland's accession to NATO later on Tuesday will be a historic event and direct result of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, adding the alliance would ensure that Sweden will also become a full-fledged member.

"(Russian) President (Vladimir) Putin had as a declared goal of the invasion of Ukraine to get less NATO," he told reporters ahead of a meeting of the alliance's foreign ministers.

"He is getting exactly the opposite... Finland today, and soon also Sweden will become a full fledged member of the alliance," he said.
NAIROBI, April 4 (Xinhua) -- The implementation of projects under the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) will be key to enhancing peace and inclusive prosperity in the African continent and shaping Africa's future development path, a former African Union (AU) official said in a recent interview with Xinhua.

Erastus Mwencha, former deputy chairperson of the AU Commission said that BRI projects are directly tied to Africa's quest for integration, enhanced cross-border trade, energy security, technology transfer and green transition.

While acknowledging that the future of the initiative in Africa is bright, Mwencha, a Kenyan national, stressed that it will help the continent tackle the infrastructure funding gap, and promote local manufacturing and cross-border trade.

"In Africa, a number of key projects have been developed under the Belt and Road Initiative, key ones being infrastructure, particularly rail, and road," Mwencha said.

He observed that under the BRI, China-Africa cooperation in energy, agriculture, cultural exchanges, and capacity development for the continent's youth has also flourished.

The digital economy, financial services, and industrial sectors in Africa will also benefit from the implementation of BRI projects, positioning the continent as the next frontier for growth and foreign direct investments, Mwencha said.

He noted that signature BRI projects such as the 480-km Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) have injected vitality into local and regional economies through enhanced mobility of people, goods and services.

The former AU official observed that BRI projects have not only stimulated economic growth in Africa but have also created a mutual platform for countries to trade and cooperate in diverse fields.

The BRI has reshaped multilateralism, ensuring that African countries have alternative sources of capital, skills, and technology required to modernize their economies, Mwencha said.

He commended BRI projects in Ethiopia, Egypt, Angola, Gabon, and Morocco that have transformed local economies through reduced costs of doing business, increased exports, and value addition for agricultural commodities.

Mwencha debunked the myth from western pundits that BRI projects were saddling African countries with debts, stressing that instead, they were helping the continent tackle poverty and infrastructure deficit in a cost-effective manner.

China's BRI will be an integral part of Africa's future quest for economic diversification, he said, citing its role in helping the continent develop its agro-industries, mining and housing sectors. 
Photographer and local resident Destiny Mata sent along these photos from a recent Lower East Side Resource Fair for Migrants. The event was held at PS 20 last weekend and Mata was there to document it.

One of the organizers, Lilah Mejia, President of the Community Education Council for District 1, wrote this note about the event:

As President of the Community Education Council for District 1, I have been working alongside Carry Chan, our Superintendent, looking at our school numbers and waiting for migrants to show up since we did see an influx in other districts.

Photo by Destiny Mata

In December we had about 1 or 2 and in a matter of a couple of months that number kept increasing. The Superintendent wanted to do something to support these families and she asked for help. I came up with the idea of having a resource fair.

I called all these organizations  to provide tangible resources to our community. The orgs who attended were University Settlement, Henry Street Settlement, Grand Street Settlement, Educational Alliance, GOLES, HRA (Human Resources Administration), East Harlem Tutorial and RYAN  NENA Community Health Center.

We also had elected officials [with] tables: Harvey Epstein, Carlina Rivera and Dan Goldman. Grace Lee stopped by.

We used the CEC1 platform and put out a call through our schools for donations and we had parents donate toiletries and clothes.

Our superintendent had an organization in New Jersey donate toiletries alongside a Synagogue who donated, as well.

This was a community led effort I just happened to spearhead.

Photo by Destiny Mata

Our volunteers were people from the community, alongside Parent Coordinators who brought their families and stayed to help out. We had students volunteer. We saw a foot traffic of 500 plus people who came to our event. Families received clothing, shoes, food, toys, books and haircuts and toiletries.

Blessed for the partnership with PS 20 who helped to make the event successful. Principal Pinto and Custodian Gil were instrumental in helping with this event.
Edison International (NYSE:EIX  Get Rating) saw a significant increase in short interest in the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 8,520,000 shares, an increase of 9.0% from the February 28th total of 7,820,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 2,020,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 4.2 days.

Edison International Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE EIX traded down $0.05 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $70.54. The companys stock had a trading volume of 2,468,341 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,111,345. Edison International has a 1-year low of $54.45 and a 1-year high of $73.32. The firms fifty day moving average price is $67.65 and its 200-day moving average price is $64.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a current ratio of 0.68. The firm has a market cap of $26.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.12, a P/E/G ratio of 5.03 and a beta of 0.78.

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Edison International (NYSE:EIX  Get Rating) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 23rd. The utilities provider reported $1.15 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.08 by $0.07. Edison International had a net margin of 4.48% and a return on equity of 12.05%. The business had revenue of $4.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.61 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.16 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Edison International will post 4.72 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Edison International Announces Dividend

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, April 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.7375 per share. This represents a $2.95 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.18%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 30th. Edison Internationals payout ratio is 184.38%.

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of EIX. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in shares of Edison International by 12.6% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,234,491 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $86,534,000 after buying an additional 137,840 shares in the last quarter. Aviva PLC grew its position in Edison International by 21.5% during the first quarter. Aviva PLC now owns 151,158 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $10,596,000 after purchasing an additional 26,797 shares in the last quarter. Prudential PLC bought a new stake in Edison International in the first quarter worth approximately $688,000. Cetera Investment Advisers grew its position in Edison International by 30.5% in the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 6,916 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $485,000 after acquiring an additional 1,617 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Edison International by 1.7% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 44,530,226 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $3,121,569,000 after acquiring an additional 731,841 shares in the last quarter. 87.19% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on EIX shares. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an outperform rating and set a $82.00 price target on shares of Edison International in a research note on Monday, March 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Edison International from $72.00 to $74.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Thursday, February 2nd. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Edison International in a research note on Thursday, March 16th. They issued a hold rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded shares of Edison International from an overweight rating to an equal weight rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $76.00 to $73.00 in a research note on Wednesday, February 1st. Finally, Credit Suisse Group dropped their price target on shares of Edison International from $68.00 to $67.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 24th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $69.00.

Edison International Company Profile

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Edison International is a renewable energy company, which through its subsidiaries, generates and distributes electric power, and invests in energy services and technologies. The company was founded on July 4, 1886, and is headquartered in Rosemead, CA.

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Owens Corning (NYSE:OC  Get Rating) EVP Paula Russell sold 2,000 shares of Owens Corning stock in a transaction on Friday, March 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.00, for a total value of $190,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 24,342 shares in the company, valued at $2,312,490. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website.

Owens Corning Price Performance

Shares of OC traded up $0.89 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $96.69. 472,420 shares of the companys stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 849,208. The stock has a market cap of $8.78 billion, a PE ratio of 7.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a current ratio of 1.69, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65. The firms 50 day simple moving average is $96.07 and its 200-day simple moving average is $90.12. Owens Corning has a 12 month low of $72.97 and a 12 month high of $105.62.

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Owens Corning (NYSE:OC  Get Rating) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 15th. The construction company reported $2.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $2.34 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $2.29 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.24 billion. Owens Corning had a return on equity of 27.36% and a net margin of 12.71%. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.20 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Owens Corning will post 9.49 EPS for the current year.

Owens Corning Dividend Announcement

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.52 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 2nd. This represents a $2.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.15%. Owens Cornings dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 16.40%.

A number of research firms have recently commented on OC. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut Owens Corning from a neutral rating to an underweight rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $85.00 to $79.00 in a research note on Tuesday, December 20th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on Owens Corning from $91.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock a sector perform rating in a report on Thursday, February 16th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Owens Corning from $121.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Thursday, February 16th. Credit Suisse Group lifted their price objective on Owens Corning from $90.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a report on Thursday, February 16th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on Owens Corning from $99.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock a hold rating in a report on Tuesday, January 10th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Owens Corning presently has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $99.92.

Institutional Trading of Owens Corning

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of OC. Tobam bought a new stake in Owens Corning in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Belpointe Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Owens Corning in the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Compass Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Owens Corning in the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. bought a new stake in Owens Corning in the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. bought a new stake in Owens Corning in the 4th quarter worth approximately $41,000. Institutional investors own 94.59% of the companys stock.

Owens Corning Company Profile

(Get Rating)

Owens Corning engages in the development, manufacture, and marketing of insulation, roofing, and fiberglass composites. It operates through the following segments: Composites, Insulation, and Roofing. The Composites segment manufactures, fabricates, and sells glass reinforcements in the form of fiber, and includes vertically integrated downstream activities.

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American Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AFG  Get Rating) saw a significant decline in short interest in the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 924,800 shares, a decline of 8.4% from the February 28th total of 1,010,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 362,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.6 days. Currently, 1.2% of the companys shares are short sold.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AFG has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of American Financial Group in a research report on Thursday, March 16th. They set a hold rating on the stock. BMO Capital Markets started coverage on shares of American Financial Group in a report on Thursday, January 19th. They set a market perform rating and a $155.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Piper Sandler boosted their target price on shares of American Financial Group from $162.00 to $168.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Tuesday, January 10th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $162.75.

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Insider Buying and Selling

In other American Financial Group news, insider John B. Berding sold 5,417 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Friday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $136.62, for a total transaction of $740,070.54. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 36,083 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $4,929,659.46. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 14.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Financial Group

American Financial Group Stock Up 0.6 %

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of AFG. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in American Financial Group by 219.0% during the 4th quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 201 shares of the insurance providers stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 138 shares during the period. Dark Forest Capital Management LP bought a new position in American Financial Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Money Concepts Capital Corp bought a new position in American Financial Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in shares of American Financial Group by 166.9% during the 3rd quarter. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. now owns 331 shares of the insurance providers stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 207 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Alaska Permanent Fund Corp purchased a new stake in shares of American Financial Group during the 3rd quarter valued at about $45,000. Institutional investors own 64.04% of the companys stock.

American Financial Group stock traded up $0.78 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $122.28. The stock had a trading volume of 295,650 shares, compared to its average volume of 373,919. The company has a market capitalization of $10.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.54 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $129.79 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $133.83. American Financial Group has a one year low of $113.85 and a one year high of $152.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 0.44 and a quick ratio of 0.44.

American Financial Group (NYSE:AFG  Get Rating) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 2nd. The insurance provider reported $2.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $2.95 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $1.62 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $1.55 billion. American Financial Group had a net margin of 12.76% and a return on equity of 23.52%. American Financial Groups revenue was up 11.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $4.12 EPS. On average, analysts expect that American Financial Group will post 11.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

American Financial Group Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a None dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 28th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 15th were paid a $4.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 14th. American Financial Groups payout ratio is 23.93%.

American Financial Group Company Profile

(Get Rating)

American Financial Group, Inc is an insurance holding company, which engages in property and casualty insurance, focusing on commercial products for businesses, and in the sale of fixed and fixed-indexed annuities in the retail, financial institutions and education markets. Its Property and Casualty Insurance Products include Property and Transportation, Specialty Casualty, and Specialty Financial.

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Bank of Montreal Can lifted its holdings in shares of ResMed Inc. (NYSE:RMD  Get Rating) by 7.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 123,297 shares of the medical equipment providers stock after purchasing an additional 8,677 shares during the quarter. Bank of Montreal Can owned approximately 0.08% of ResMed worth $25,859,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of ResMed during the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in shares of ResMed by 72.8% during the 4th quarter. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. now owns 159 shares of the medical equipment providers stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. Guardian Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of ResMed during the 3rd quarter worth $36,000. Coston McIsaac & Partners acquired a new position in shares of ResMed during the 2nd quarter worth $41,000. Finally, Twin Lakes Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in ResMed in the 3rd quarter valued at $44,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.73% of the companys stock.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

RMD has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. William Blair reiterated an outperform rating on shares of ResMed in a report on Tuesday, January 31st. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of ResMed in a report on Thursday, March 16th. They issued a hold rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of ResMed from $245.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Friday, January 27th. Finally, Citigroup upgraded shares of ResMed from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, January 18th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, ResMed presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $263.17.

Insider Buying and Selling

ResMed Price Performance

In related news, COO Robert Andrew Douglas sold 1,500 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $220.43, for a total transaction of $330,645.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 226,208 shares of the companys stock, valued at $49,863,029.44. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link . In other news, CEO Michael J. Farrell sold 5,675 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $224.36, for a total value of $1,273,243.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 436,900 shares in the company, valued at $98,022,884. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link . Also, COO Robert Andrew Douglas sold 1,500 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $220.43, for a total transaction of $330,645.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 226,208 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $49,863,029.44. The disclosure for this sale can be found here . Insiders sold a total of 29,119 shares of company stock valued at $6,283,323 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 1.39% of the companys stock.

Shares of ResMed stock traded up $2.54 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $221.71. 188,431 shares of the companys stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 634,578. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 3.17 and a quick ratio of 1.82. The firms fifty day moving average price is $216.63 and its 200 day moving average price is $218.22. ResMed Inc. has a twelve month low of $189.40 and a twelve month high of $253.67. The company has a market cap of $32.57 billion, a PE ratio of 40.19, a PEG ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.48.

ResMed (NYSE:RMD  Get Rating) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 26th. The medical equipment provider reported $1.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.62 by $0.04. ResMed had a net margin of 21.51% and a return on equity of 25.46%. The firm had revenue of $1.03 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $996.22 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.47 EPS. The firms quarterly revenue was up 15.5% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that ResMed Inc. will post 6.38 earnings per share for the current year.

ResMed Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 16th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 9th were paid a $0.44 dividend. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.79%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 8th. ResMeds dividend payout ratio is presently 31.94%.

About ResMed

(Get Rating)

ResMed, Inc engages in providing digital health and cloud-connected medical devices. Its digital health technologies and cloud-connected medical devices transform care for people with sleep apnea, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, and other chronic diseases. The firm operates through the Sleep and Respiratory Care and Software as a Service segments.

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Barry Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of iShares Europe ETF (NYSEARCA:IEV  Get Rating) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 54,354 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $2,462,000. Barry Investment Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.13% of iShares Europe ETF as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Captrust Financial Advisors lifted its holdings in iShares Europe ETF by 2.6% during the 2nd quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 9,917 shares of the companys stock worth $424,000 after buying an additional 249 shares in the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in iShares Europe ETF by 5.0% during the 1st quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 5,929 shares of the companys stock worth $298,000 after buying an additional 284 shares in the last quarter. Spire Wealth Management lifted its holdings in iShares Europe ETF by 68.5% during the 3rd quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 814 shares of the companys stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 331 shares in the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG lifted its holdings in iShares Europe ETF by 0.7% during the 2nd quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 57,174 shares of the companys stock worth $2,441,000 after buying an additional 402 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lifted its holdings in iShares Europe ETF by 2.7% during the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 24,778 shares of the companys stock worth $936,000 after buying an additional 647 shares in the last quarter.

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iShares Europe ETF Stock Down 0.1 %

NYSEARCA:IEV traded down $0.06 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $50.36. 201,366 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 511,266. The companys 50 day moving average is $49.01 and its two-hundred day moving average is $45.46. iShares Europe ETF has a twelve month low of $36.88 and a twelve month high of $50.77. The company has a market capitalization of $2.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.47 and a beta of 0.93.

iShares Europe ETF Company Profile

iShares Europe ETF (the Fund), formerly iShares S&P Europe 350 Index Fund, is an exchange-traded fund (ETF). The Fund seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of the S&P Europe 350 (the Index). The Index measures the performance of the stocks of companies in the countries, which includes Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

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Bonness Enterprises Inc. grew its position in shares of Koninklijke Philips (NYSE:PHG  Get Rating) by 104.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 97,229 shares of the technology companys stock after purchasing an additional 49,611 shares during the period. Bonness Enterprises Inc.s holdings in Koninklijke Philips were worth $1,457,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of PHG. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its stake in shares of Koninklijke Philips by 15.5% during the 2nd quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 39,303,903 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $844,622,000 after purchasing an additional 5,280,066 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in shares of Koninklijke Philips by 16.7% during the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 8,245,236 shares of the technology companys stock worth $251,727,000 after acquiring an additional 1,178,744 shares during the period. BlackRock Inc. raised its position in shares of Koninklijke Philips by 59.6% in the 1st quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 4,430,980 shares of the technology companys stock worth $135,277,000 after acquiring an additional 1,655,150 shares in the last quarter. Pendal Group Ltd lifted its stake in shares of Koninklijke Philips by 39.8% in the 4th quarter. Pendal Group Ltd now owns 2,740,720 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $41,083,000 after purchasing an additional 779,800 shares during the period. Finally, Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC boosted its position in shares of Koninklijke Philips by 1.0% during the third quarter. Thompson Siegel & Walmsley LLC now owns 2,456,391 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $37,804,000 after purchasing an additional 24,599 shares in the last quarter. 10.17% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Koninklijke Philips Price Performance

Shares of NYSE PHG opened at $18.22 on Tuesday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $16.89 and a 200 day moving average of $15.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 0.78 and a current ratio of 1.29. Koninklijke Philips has a twelve month low of $11.75 and a twelve month high of $31.53.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Koninklijke Philips Profile

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Sanford C. Bernstein began coverage on Koninklijke Philips in a report on Tuesday, March 7th. They issued a market perform rating for the company. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Koninklijke Philips from 17.00 ($18.48) to 16.00 ($17.39) and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 17th. Societe Generale cut shares of Koninklijke Philips from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report on Tuesday, January 31st. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Koninklijke Philips from 19.00 ($20.65) to 18.50 ($20.11) and set an overweight rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 10th. Finally, UBS Group downgraded Koninklijke Philips from a neutral rating to a sell rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 17th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $16.79.

(Get Rating)

Koninklijke Philips NV is a technology company, which engages in the healthcare, lighting, and consumer well-being markets. It operates through the following segments: Diagnosis and Treatment businesses; Connected Care businesses; Personal Health businesses; and Other. The Diagnosis and Treatment businesses segment consists systems, smart devices, software and services, powered by AI-enabled informatics-that support precision diagnoses and minimally invasive procedures in therapeutic areas such as cardiology, peripheral vascular, neurology, surgery, and oncology.

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Cyndeo Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Campbell Soup (NYSE:CPB  Get Rating) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 73,851 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $4,191,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Campbell Soup by 0.9% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 23,656,041 shares of the companys stock worth $1,114,673,000 after buying an additional 213,004 shares in the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. boosted its holdings in Campbell Soup by 3.1% during the third quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 16,317,414 shares of the companys stock worth $768,878,000 after buying an additional 487,385 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in Campbell Soup by 3.5% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 12,608,907 shares of the companys stock worth $605,858,000 after buying an additional 426,864 shares in the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC boosted its holdings in Campbell Soup by 4.9% during the first quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 3,306,268 shares of the companys stock worth $147,360,000 after buying an additional 153,741 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP boosted its holdings in Campbell Soup by 6.0% during the third quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,847,218 shares of the companys stock worth $134,161,000 after buying an additional 160,697 shares in the last quarter. 50.39% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Campbell Soup Trading Down 0.9 %

Campbell Soup stock traded down $0.50 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $54.65. 708,170 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,399,417. Campbell Soup has a fifty-two week low of $44.35 and a fifty-two week high of $57.78. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.43, a PEG ratio of 4.63 and a beta of 0.34. The stocks 50-day simple moving average is $52.64 and its 200 day simple moving average is $52.47. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11.

Campbell Soup Dividend Announcement

Campbell Soup ( NYSE:CPB Get Rating ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 8th. The company reported $0.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.74 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $2.49 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $2.43 billion. Campbell Soup had a net margin of 8.86% and a return on equity of 26.97%. Campbell Soups revenue was up 12.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.69 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Campbell Soup will post 3.01 EPS for the current year.

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 6th will be paid a dividend of $0.37 per share. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.71%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 5th. Campbell Soups dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 54.82%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of Campbell Soup from $50.00 to $51.00 in a report on Thursday, March 9th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price objective on shares of Campbell Soup from $54.00 to $53.00 and set a hold rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 20th. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on shares of Campbell Soup to $53.00 in a report on Monday, December 12th. StockNews.com raised shares of Campbell Soup from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report on Friday, March 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Campbell Soup from $53.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Thursday, March 9th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $51.33.

About Campbell Soup

(Get Rating)

Campbell Soup Co engages in the business of manufacturing and marketing food and beverage products. It operates under the Meals and Beverages, and Snacks segments. The Meals and Beverages segment includes soup, meals, and beverage products in retail and foodservice. The Snacks segment offers cookies, crackers, bakery, and frozen products.

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Focused Investors LLC increased its stake in The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO  Get Rating) by 2.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,201,800 shares of the companys stock after purchasing an additional 23,900 shares during the quarter. Coca-Cola comprises about 2.5% of Focused Investors LLCs holdings, making the stock its 22nd largest position. Focused Investors LLCs holdings in Coca-Cola were worth $76,446,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Coca-Cola by 1.1% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 363,258,425 shares of the companys stock worth $20,349,737,000 after buying an additional 3,864,004 shares in the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. lifted its stake in Coca-Cola by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 301,952,085 shares of the companys stock worth $16,915,357,000 after purchasing an additional 4,994,047 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its position in shares of Coca-Cola by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 171,570,198 shares of the companys stock valued at $9,685,693,000 after purchasing an additional 885,816 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Coca-Cola by 2.6% in the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 51,570,921 shares of the companys stock worth $3,197,397,000 after purchasing an additional 1,301,902 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its position in shares of Coca-Cola by 1.1% in the third quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 41,213,079 shares of the companys stock worth $2,308,758,000 after buying an additional 462,803 shares in the last quarter. 68.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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Coca-Cola Trading Down 0.3 %

NYSE KO traded down $0.16 on Tuesday, hitting $62.24. The companys stock had a trading volume of 4,239,528 shares, compared to its average volume of 13,724,622. The companys 50-day simple moving average is $60.28 and its 200 day simple moving average is $60.36. The Coca-Cola Company has a 52-week low of $54.01 and a 52-week high of $67.20. The firm has a market cap of $269.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.36, a PEG ratio of 3.59 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a current ratio of 1.15, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41.

Coca-Cola Increases Dividend

Coca-Cola ( NYSE:KO Get Rating ) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 14th. The company reported $0.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.45. The firm had revenue of $10.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.92 billion. Coca-Cola had a return on equity of 42.35% and a net margin of 22.19%. The businesss revenue was up 6.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.45 EPS. Research analysts predict that The Coca-Cola Company will post 2.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, March 17th were given a dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.96%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 16th. This is a positive change from Coca-Colas previous quarterly dividend of $0.44. Coca-Colas dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 83.64%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Coca-Cola

In other news, CEO James Quincey sold 34,875 shares of Coca-Cola stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.32, for a total value of $2,103,660.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 351,737 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $21,216,775.84. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, CEO James Quincey sold 34,875 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.32, for a total value of $2,103,660.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 351,737 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $21,216,775.84. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Nancy Quan sold 74,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $58.71, for a total transaction of $4,344,540.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 219,790 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,903,870.90. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 282,268 shares of company stock worth $17,137,823. 1.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have weighed in on KO shares. Citigroup assumed coverage on Coca-Cola in a report on Thursday, February 16th. They issued a buy rating and a $68.00 price target on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada set a $69.00 price objective on shares of Coca-Cola in a research report on Tuesday, February 14th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Coca-Cola from $70.00 to $68.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on Coca-Cola from $61.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research note on Monday, February 13th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. set a $67.00 price objective on Coca-Cola in a research report on Tuesday, February 14th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, Coca-Cola presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $67.55.

About Coca-Cola

(Get Rating)

The Coca-Cola Co engages in the manufacturing and marketing of non-alcoholic beverages. It operates through the following segments: Europe, Middle East and Africa, Latin America, North America, Asia Pacific, Global Ventures, and Bottling Investments. The company was founded by Asa Griggs Candler on May 8, 1886 and is headquartered in Atlanta, GA.

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Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. raised its position in shares of Lowes Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW  Get Rating) by 15.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,499 shares of the home improvement retailers stock after acquiring an additional 206 shares during the quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc.s holdings in Lowes Companies were worth $300,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Pershing Square Capital Management L.P. boosted its position in shares of Lowes Companies by 1.6% during the third quarter. Pershing Square Capital Management L.P. now owns 10,374,801 shares of the home improvement retailers stock valued at $1,948,491,000 after purchasing an additional 167,495 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its stake in shares of Lowes Companies by 13.0% in the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 7,916,354 shares of the home improvement retailers stock worth $1,486,770,000 after acquiring an additional 912,518 shares in the last quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. lifted its position in Lowes Companies by 4.9% during the 3rd quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. now owns 3,463,854 shares of the home improvement retailers stock valued at $650,546,000 after acquiring an additional 160,651 shares during the period. London Co. of Virginia boosted its stake in Lowes Companies by 2.9% during the third quarter. London Co. of Virginia now owns 2,071,408 shares of the home improvement retailers stock worth $389,031,000 after acquiring an additional 58,983 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC grew its holdings in Lowes Companies by 7,952.8% in the first quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 1,586,400 shares of the home improvement retailers stock worth $320,754,000 after purchasing an additional 1,566,700 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 72.62% of the companys stock.

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Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently commented on LOW shares. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on Lowes Companies from $241.00 to $246.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 7th. Truist Financial reduced their price target on Lowes Companies from $258.00 to $235.00 in a report on Thursday, March 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Lowes Companies from $230.00 to $210.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 2nd. Oppenheimer reduced their price objective on shares of Lowes Companies from $300.00 to $275.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 28th. Finally, Loop Capital upped their target price on shares of Lowes Companies from $200.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a hold rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating and fifteen have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Lowes Companies presently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $223.85.

Insider Activity

Lowes Companies Price Performance

In other Lowes Companies news, EVP Donald Frieson sold 9,411 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $197.00, for a total transaction of $1,853,967.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 17,888 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,523,936. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink . Insiders own 0.24% of the companys stock.

Shares of LOW traded down $2.15 on Tuesday, reaching $201.84. The companys stock had a trading volume of 671,983 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,063,877. The stocks 50 day simple moving average is $202.96 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $200.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $120.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.38, a PEG ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 1.09. Lowes Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $170.12 and a 12-month high of $223.31.

Lowes Companies (NYSE:LOW  Get Rating) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 1st. The home improvement retailer reported $2.28 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.21 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $22.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $22.71 billion. Lowes Companies had a net margin of 6.63% and a negative return on equity of 82.30%. The companys revenue was up 5.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.78 EPS. Analysts expect that Lowes Companies, Inc. will post 13.83 earnings per share for the current year.

Lowes Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 26th will be paid a $1.05 dividend. This represents a $4.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.08%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 25th. Lowes Companiess dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 41.96%.

Lowes Companies Profile

(Get Rating)

Lowes Cos., Inc engages in the retail sale of home improvement products. The firm offers products for maintenance, repair, remodeling, home decorating and property maintenance. It also provides home improvement products in the following categories: appliances, bathroom, building supply, electrical, flooring, hardware, paint, kitchen, plumbing, lighting & fans, outdoor living, windows and doors.

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BEIJING, April 4 (Xinhua) -- A meeting on the education campaign about the study and implementation of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era was held on Monday in Beijing. President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), attended the meeting and made an important speech.

In his speech, Xi stressed that the great goals of building China into a stronger country and realizing national rejuvenation are inspiring and stimulating us to forge ahead. Our generation of Communists have been entrusted with glorious missions and important responsibilities. We need to take this education campaign as an opportunity to equip all Party members with the Party's new theories, further advance their understanding of Marxism, and improve the Party's ability to govern and lead, so as to enhance cohesion and pool strengths to forge ahead with enterprise and fortitude on the new journey and strive in unity to build a modern socialist country in all respects and advance the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts.

Li Qiang, Zhao Leji, Wang Huning, Ding Xuexiang, Li Xi, all members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, and Vice President Han Zheng attended the meeting. Cai Qi, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and head of the central leading group for the education campaign on the study and implementation of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, made concluding remarks.

Xi pointed out that the Party-wide education campaign on the study and implementation of the Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era with the focus on leading officials at and above the county and director level is a major initiative to implement the guiding principles of the 20th CPC National Congress. It is of great significance for the Party to achieve unity in thinking, solve prominent problems within the Party, always maintain close ties with the people, and advance the cause of the Party and the country. The education campaign should yield concrete results in the in-depth study and implementation of the Thought, guide Party members and officials to affirm and consolidate their convictions and continue to improve their capacity for political judgment, thinking, and implementation. The education campaign is meant to guide Party members and officials to become more conscious of the need to maintain political integrity, think in big-picture terms, follow the leadership core, and keep in alignment with the central Party leadership, stay confident in the path, theory, system, and culture of socialism with Chinese characteristics, uphold Comrade Xi Jinping's core position on the Party Central Committee and in the Party as a whole and uphold the Central Committee's authority and its centralized, unified leadership, and closely follow the Party Central Committee in thinking, political stance, and action. In doing so, they can focus their ingenuity and energy on the same goal and come together as a mighty force to forge the Party into "one piece of adamantine iron" that is invincible. All Party members and officials need to be educated and guided to study the Thought and put what they have learned into action, foster a correct outlook on power, performance and career, enhance their sense of responsibility and mission, and constantly improve their ability to promote high-quality development, serve the people, and forestall and defuse risks. They need to be guided to strengthen the courage and ability to carry on fight, forge ahead with determination, take on responsibilities and demonstrate enterprise in their work. Efforts need to be made to educate and guide Party organizations at all levels, all Party members and officials to have a problem-oriented mindset so as to identify shortcomings and deficiencies and know what to do with them. They need to be guided to have regular political "health checks" through intra-Party activities, thereby "sweep off the dust," rectify misdeeds, and solve prominent problems of impurity in thinking and organization in the Party. They need to be guided to comprehensively advance the Party's capacity to purify, improve, renew, and excel itself. This will ensure that our Party always retains its vigor and vitality, and remains the strong leadership core in building socialism with Chinese characteristics.

Xi stressed that it is important to meet the general requirement for this education campaign, that is to learn the Thought, strengthen Party consciousness, attach importance to practice and make new achievements. It is imperative to fully study and understand the Thought, comprehensively and systematically grasp its basic viewpoints, and scientific system, as well as its worldview and methodology. It is also a must to uphold and put to good use the stances, viewpoints and methods running through it, and constantly boost all Party members' political, ideological, theoretical and emotional identification with the Party's new theories. In this way, we will be able to master the essentials of Marxism and consciously use the Thought to guide our work. We must consciously transform ourselves with the Thought, have a good command of its requirements for maintaining firm ideals and convictions, raising our ideological level and enhancing our Party consciousness, and forever preserve the political character of Communists. We must be more purposeful in practicing the Thought of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and use it to transform the world and promote the development of our cause. We should use it to observe, understand and steer the trends of the times and to actively identify, respond to and steer changes. We should use it to solve various problems in economic and social development and Party building, to forestall and defuse major risks and to make new progress and breakthroughs in promoting modernization through a Chinese path. We should draw wisdom and strength from the Thought to forge ahead and master the management, thinking and work methods running through it. It is important to continue to improve the capacity for fulfilling duties, make concerted efforts to promote development, work ceaselessly to ensure implementation, do one's work well to make contributions and strive to yield results that can stand the test of time and the people.

Xi pointed out that the fundamental task of this education campaign is to apply what we have learned in practice, act on our beliefs and turn the Thought into a powerful force for strengthening ideals, enhancing Party consciousness, guiding practice, and advancing our work. In this way, the entire Party will be unified in thinking, firm in will, coordinated in actions and inspired in fighting, and concrete results will be achieved in forging inner strength, gaining wisdom, improving Party conduct and motivating actions through the program. It is important to enhance cohesion and forging the Party's soul so as to bolster the foundation, to educate and guide all Party members and officials through the program to consolidate their belief in Marxism, conviction in socialism with Chinese characteristics, and confidence in realizing the Chinese Dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and to carry forward the great founding spirit of the Party. To do so, it is imperative that we never forget our original aspiration and founding mission, that we always stay modest, prudent, and hard-working, that we have the courage and ability to carry on our fight, and that we keep the roots of our convictions healthy and strong, and absorb the mental nutrients we need to maintain the right line in our thinking.

Characters must be tempered and loyalty intensified. All the Party members and officials must be guided and educated to build up political characters, so that they will keep following the banner, the will and the mission of the Party. They must remain loyal to the Party, the people and Marxism, love the Party sincerely, concern themselves about the Party at all times, firmly protect it and do their utmost to promote it. Solid work must be done in a responsible manner to advance development. All Party members and officials should be guided to bear in mind the country's most fundamental interests, focus on the Party's central task in the new era on the new journey, do solid work, strive for concrete results and solve problems, and meet obstacles and difficulties head on, so as to fulfill their duties for the Party and the people with a strong sense of responsibility and commitment, to make greater efforts for new progress in promoting high-quality development, and harness the indomitable fighting spirit to open up new horizons for the development of the Party's cause. The Party's purpose must be applied to deliver for the people. All the Party members and officials should be educated and guided to firmly maintain a people-centered philosophy of development, do whatever they should for the people and rely on the people in everything they do, consciously seek the people's opinions on the work of the government and know about what the people need, always breathe the same air as the people, share the same future with the people, stay truly connected to the people, work hard to solve the most pressing difficulties of immediate concern to the people, and ensure that work on improving people's livelihood, warming the cockles of their hearts and respecting their will is done to their greatest satisfaction, so as to let the people have a stronger sense of fulfillment, happiness and security. Duties should be performed in a clean and honest manner to foster new trend. All the Party members and officials should be educated and guided to have stronger awareness of disciplines and rules, and continue to rectify pointless formalities, bureaucratism, hedonism, and extravagance, placing the rectification of pointless formalities and bureaucratism in an even more prominent position. They should also exercise power in a just and fair manner, in accordance with the law, for the interests of the people, and with integrity, build a clean work relationship among colleagues, and between ranking officials and their subordinates, and cultivate a cordial and clean relationship between government and business, so as to play a good role in guiding, creating and safeguarding a good political atmosphere within the Party and a good social tendency as well.

Xi emphasized that this education campaign is not divided into stages or links, but integrates theoretical study, investigations and researches, promotion of development, and inspection and rectification, and it is thereby advanced with a holistic approach. It is a must to read the original works and articles and fully understand the principles, reflect on what we have learned and develop an in-depth understanding of them, and comprehensively learn and understand the scientific system, the essence and the practical requirements of the Thought, so as to digest it thoroughly. In accordance with the work plan of the CPC Central Committee on encouraging investigations and researches throughout the Party, Party members and officials, especially leading officials at all levels, should be organized to go to rural areas, communities, enterprises, hospitals, schools, new economic organizations, new social organizations and other grassroots units, to sort out problems and difficulties and use the Party's new theories to study new situations and solve new problems. We should focus on high-quality development, the primary task of building a modern socialist country in all respects, strengthen theoretical study to guide work on development, deepen investigations and researches to promote the solution of development problems, integrate study, investigations and researches into the accomplishment of the tasks deployed at the 20th CPC National Congress, and test the results of the education campaign with the new achievements in promoting high-quality development. We should make sure that study, checking, inspection and rectification are carried out at the same time, and rectification of misdeeds must be conducted throughout the process, so that the people can feel we are solving problems for them. The central Party and government departments should do a good job in the education of officials during this education campaign.

Xi pointed out that this education campaign is a major event concerning the overall situation, the task is heavy with high requirements, and we have no time to lose. The Party committees (leading Party members groups) at all levels should shoulder the main responsibility, and plan, organize and implement the education campaign well. The major leaders of Party committees (leading Party members groups) should earnestly fulfill their duties as the first person responsible, plan personally, command in front, and supervise and guide the education campaign. The CPC Central Committee will dispatch guiding groups to supervise and guide the implementation of the education campaign. The Party committees of provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities, and leading Party members groups (Party committees) of competent authorities shall dispatch circular guiding groups to strengthen the supervision and guidance of the education campaign in their respective regions, departments and units. All regions, departments and units must focus on the central task and serve the overall interests of the country, combining the education campaign with the implementation of the CPC Central Committee's decisions and plans, and with the core task of their respective regions, departments and units. They must work on and push forward both combinations to motivate Party members and officials to transform their enthusiasm for learning and work into a powerful driving force for overcoming difficulties and making progress.

Cai Qi said in his concluding speech that General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speech, from the strategic height of the overall development of the Party and the country on the new journey in the new era, profoundly expounded the significance, the target and requirements of the education campaign, made comprehensive arrangements for various tasks of the campaign, and provided a fundamental guideline for the whole Party to carry out the campaign. It is a guiding Marxist document that must be earnestly studied, comprehended and fully implemented in the entire Party. We must comprehensively boost the theoretical studies, enhance cohesion and forge the Party's soul with Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, educate and guide Party members and officials to acquire a deeper understanding of the decisive significance of the establishment of both Comrade Xi Jinping's core position on the Party Central Committee and in the Party as a whole and the guiding role of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, boost their consciousness of the need to maintain political integrity, think in big-picture terms, follow the leadership core, and keep in alignment with the central Party leadership, and to ensure they stay confident in the path, the theory, the system, and the culture of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and firmly uphold Comrade Xi Jinping's core position on the Party Central Committee and in the Party as a whole and uphold the Central Committee's authority and its centralized, unified leadership. Efforts must be made to conduct inspections and researches and apply the Party's new theories in studying new situations, solving new problems and obtaining new experiences. It is imperative to rectify misdeeds throughout the education campaign, and to have a problem-oriented mindset to discover problems, study by seeking solutions to the problems, and make rectifications. It is imperative to make new progress in promoting high-quality development through hard work. The Party's "mass line" in the new era must be followed to make the education campaign open and inclusive, so as to address the pressing concerns of the people and deliver real benefits to the people. Leading officials must perform their duties well and strengthen supervision and guidance to make sure that all tasks of the education campaign are achieved as expected.

Members of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, members of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee, vice chairpersons of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress who are CPC members, state councilors, president of the Supreme People's Court, procurator-general of the Supreme People's Procuratorate, vice chairpersons of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference who are CPC members and members of the CMC attended the meeting.

The meeting was held as a teleconference, with the attendance of members of the central leading group for the education campaign on the study and implementation of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, members of the leadership bodies of all provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities directly under the central government, sub-provincial cities and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, leading officials in charge of central Party and government departments, people's organizations, financial institutions under central administration and relevant departments in enterprises, universities and the military, as well as all chiefs and deputy chiefs of Central Steering Groups on the education campaign. 
Invesco Quality Municipal Income Trust (NYSE:IQI  Get Rating) announced a monthly dividend on Tuesday, April 4th, Wall Street Journal reports. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 17th will be paid a dividend of 0.0372 per share by the financial services provider on Friday, April 28th. This represents a $0.45 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.55%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 14th.

Invesco Quality Municipal Income Trust Price Performance

NYSE IQI traded down $0.04 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $9.82. 40,724 shares of the companys stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 104,952. Invesco Quality Municipal Income Trust has a 1-year low of $8.76 and a 1-year high of $11.39. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $9.74 and a 200-day simple moving average of $9.57.

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Institutional Investors Weigh In On Invesco Quality Municipal Income Trust

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Nelson Van Denburg & Campbell Wealth Management Group LLC acquired a new position in Invesco Quality Municipal Income Trust during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $94,000. Captrust Financial Advisors acquired a new position in shares of Invesco Quality Municipal Income Trust in the 2nd quarter worth $101,000. WealthPLAN Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Invesco Quality Municipal Income Trust in the 4th quarter worth $141,000. WealthPlan Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Invesco Quality Municipal Income Trust in the 4th quarter worth $143,000. Finally, Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Invesco Quality Municipal Income Trust during the first quarter valued at $165,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 24.96% of the companys stock.

Invesco Quality Municipal Income Trust Company Profile

Invesco Quality Municipal Income Trust is a closed-ended fixed income mutual fund launched by Invesco Ltd. The fund is co-managed by Invesco Advisers, Inc, INVESCO Asset Management Deutschland GmbH, INVESCO Asset Management Limited, INVESCO Asset Management (Japan) Limited, Invesco Hong Kong Limited, INVESCO Senior Secured Management, Inc, and Invesco Canada Ltd.

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LTC Properties, Inc. (NYSE:LTC  Get Rating) announced a monthly dividend on Monday, April 3rd, Zacks reports. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 20th will be paid a dividend of 0.19 per share by the real estate investment trust on Friday, April 28th. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.72%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 19th.

LTC Properties has increased its dividend by an average of 7.7% per year over the last three years. LTC Properties has a payout ratio of 120.6% indicating that the company cannot currently cover its dividend with earnings alone and is relying on its balance sheet to cover its dividend payments. Research analysts expect LTC Properties to earn $2.82 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $2.28 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 80.9%.

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LTC Properties Stock Performance

NYSE LTC opened at $33.94 on Tuesday. The stocks fifty day moving average is $35.80 and its two-hundred day moving average is $37.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.69 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 13.87 and a current ratio of 13.87. LTC Properties has a fifty-two week low of $31.90 and a fifty-two week high of $45.49.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On LTC Properties

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Money Concepts Capital Corp raised its holdings in shares of LTC Properties by 3,395.0% in the 4th quarter. Money Concepts Capital Corp now owns 699 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 679 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of LTC Properties in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of LTC Properties in the 2nd quarter valued at $41,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its holdings in shares of LTC Properties by 59.1% in the 3rd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 2,340 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $87,000 after buying an additional 869 shares during the period. Finally, Point72 Middle East FZE purchased a new stake in LTC Properties during the 4th quarter worth about $123,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.68% of the companys stock.

LTC has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. BMO Capital Markets lowered LTC Properties from a market perform rating to an underperform rating and set a $38.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Friday, December 16th. Credit Suisse Group lowered their price objective on LTC Properties from $37.00 to $36.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. StockNews.com initiated coverage on LTC Properties in a research note on Thursday, March 16th. They set a hold rating on the stock. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on LTC Properties from $37.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 1st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, LTC Properties currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $39.86.

About LTC Properties

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LTC Properties, Inc is a real estate investment trust, which engages in managing seniors housing and health care properties. It operates through the Texas, Michigan, Florida, Wisconsin, Colorado, and Remaining States geographic segments. The company was founded by Andre C. Dimitriadis on May 12, 1992 and is headquartered in Westlake Village, CA.

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Olo Inc. (NYSE:OLO  Get Rating) shares saw strong trading volume on Tuesday . 672,510 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 27% from the previous sessions volume of 922,012 shares.The stock last traded at $7.97 and had previously closed at $7.81.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of OLO in a research report on Thursday, March 16th. They issued a hold rating for the company. Piper Sandler reiterated a neutral rating and set a $9.00 price target on shares of OLO in a research report on Tuesday, March 7th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of OLO from $9.00 to $10.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Thursday, February 23rd. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $11.58.

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OLO Stock Performance

The stocks 50-day moving average price is $7.91 and its 200-day moving average price is $7.62.

Insider Buying and Selling

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

In related news, CEO Noah H. Glass sold 8,918 shares of OLO stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $7.80, for a total transaction of $69,560.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 310,880 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,424,864. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website . In related news, CEO Noah H. Glass sold 8,918 shares of OLO stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $7.80, for a total transaction of $69,560.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 310,880 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,424,864. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website . Also, CRO Diego Panama sold 11,826 shares of OLO stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $8.04, for a total value of $95,081.04. Following the transaction, the executive now owns 680,606 shares of the companys stock, valued at $5,472,072.24. The disclosure for this sale can be found here . Insiders sold 34,491 shares of company stock worth $271,782 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 40.52% of the companys stock.

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Blair William & Co. IL grew its stake in OLO by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 101,379 shares of the companys stock worth $634,000 after acquiring an additional 1,251 shares during the period. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System grew its stake in OLO by 10.2% in the 4th quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System now owns 15,780 shares of the companys stock worth $99,000 after acquiring an additional 1,460 shares during the period. State of Wyoming grew its stake in OLO by 41.7% in the 4th quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 5,317 shares of the companys stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 1,566 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC grew its stake in OLO by 14.5% in the 3rd quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 13,623 shares of the companys stock worth $108,000 after acquiring an additional 1,723 shares during the period. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC grew its stake in OLO by 12.3% in the 1st quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 16,036 shares of the companys stock worth $213,000 after acquiring an additional 1,758 shares during the period. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About OLO

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Olo Inc provides software-as-a-service platform for multi-location restaurants in the United States. The company's platform enables on-demand commerce operations, which cover digital ordering and delivery through online and mobile ordering modules. Its modules include Order Management, an on-demand digital commerce and channel management solutions that enables consumers to order directly from and pay restaurants via mobile, web, kiosk, voice, and other digital channels; and Delivery Enablement, a fulfillment network, as well as a network aggregator and channel management solution, which enables restaurants to offer, manage, and expand direct delivery, as well as allows restaurants to control and syndicate menu, pricing, location data, and availability, while directly integrating and optimizing orders from third-parties into the restaurants' point-of-sale and systems.

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Pettee Investors Inc. reduced its stake in Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE:WM  Get Rating) by 7.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 15,483 shares of the business services providers stock after selling 1,200 shares during the quarter. Waste Management accounts for 1.2% of Pettee Investors Inc.s investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd biggest holding. Pettee Investors Inc.s holdings in Waste Management were worth $2,429,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of WM. Acadian Asset Management LLC lifted its position in Waste Management by 534.5% in the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 3,344 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $530,000 after purchasing an additional 2,817 shares during the period. Blair William & Co. IL lifted its holdings in shares of Waste Management by 0.7% in the 1st quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 53,067 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $8,411,000 after buying an additional 370 shares during the period. Baird Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Waste Management by 0.6% in the first quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 358,624 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $56,842,000 after buying an additional 2,309 shares in the last quarter. Covestor Ltd grew its holdings in Waste Management by 83.8% during the first quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 680 shares of the business services providers stock worth $108,000 after acquiring an additional 310 shares during the period. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its position in Waste Management by 44.8% in the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 33,030 shares of the business services providers stock worth $5,234,000 after acquiring an additional 10,212 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.48% of the companys stock.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Stifel Nicolaus cut Waste Management from a buy rating to a hold rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $185.00 to $171.00 in a report on Monday, December 19th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Waste Management from $177.00 to $179.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research report on Thursday, February 2nd. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price objective on Waste Management from $167.00 to $158.00 and set a market perform rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 2nd. UBS Group cut Waste Management from a buy rating to a neutral rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $190.00 to $165.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 10th. Finally, Raymond James decreased their price target on shares of Waste Management from $167.00 to $166.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 6th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $172.27.

Insider Transactions at Waste Management

Waste Management Price Performance

In related news, Director John C. Pope sold 218 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $154.76, for a total value of $33,737.68. Following the transaction, the director now owns 55,809 shares in the company, valued at $8,637,000.84. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link . In other news, SVP Tara J. Hemmer sold 7,515 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $155.00, for a total value of $1,164,825.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 46,542 shares of the companys stock, valued at $7,214,010. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link . Also, Director John C. Pope sold 218 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $154.76, for a total value of $33,737.68. Following the sale, the director now owns 55,809 shares in the company, valued at $8,637,000.84. The disclosure for this sale can be found here . In the last quarter, insiders sold 31,027 shares of company stock worth $4,806,619. 0.27% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

WM opened at $164.36 on Tuesday. Waste Management, Inc. has a 1 year low of $138.89 and a 1 year high of $175.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.12, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 0.81. The companys 50 day simple moving average is $152.99 and its 200 day simple moving average is $157.84. The stock has a market capitalization of $66.86 billion, a PE ratio of 30.40, a P/E/G ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.73.

Waste Management (NYSE:WM  Get Rating) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 1st. The business services provider reported $1.30 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $1.39 by ($0.09). The company had revenue of $4.94 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.97 billion. Waste Management had a net margin of 11.36% and a return on equity of 32.91%. The firms revenue for the quarter was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.26 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Waste Management, Inc. will post 6.04 EPS for the current year.

Waste Management Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 10th were issued a $0.70 dividend. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.70%. This is an increase from Waste Managements previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 9th. Waste Managements dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 51.95%.

Waste Management announced that its board has initiated a share repurchase plan on Thursday, December 8th that permits the company to buyback $1.50 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the business services provider to reacquire up to 2.2% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically a sign that the companys leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Waste Management Company Profile

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Waste Management, Inc is a holding company, which engages in the provision of waste management environmental services. It operates through the following segments: East Tier, West Tier, and Other. The East Tier segment consists of Eastern U.S., the Great Lakes Region, and Canada. The West Tier segment includes the upper Midwest region and British Columbia, Canada.

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Shares of Pinnacle West Capital Co. (NYSE:PNW  Get Rating) have been assigned an average recommendation of Hold from the fourteen research firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have given a hold recommendation and one has assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $73.73.

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on PNW shares. Mizuho dropped their target price on shares of Pinnacle West Capital from $76.00 to $74.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Pinnacle West Capital from $70.00 to $82.00 in a research report on Wednesday, December 14th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of Pinnacle West Capital from $76.00 to $71.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 21st. Credit Suisse Group upgraded shares of Pinnacle West Capital from a neutral rating to an outperform rating and upped their target price for the stock from $77.00 to $80.00 in a research report on Tuesday, March 14th. Finally, StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Pinnacle West Capital in a research report on Thursday, March 16th. They set a hold rating for the company.

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Pinnacle West Capital Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE PNW opened at $78.47 on Tuesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $75.60 and a 200-day moving average price of $73.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a current ratio of 0.99 and a quick ratio of 0.74. The stock has a market cap of $8.88 billion, a PE ratio of 18.38 and a beta of 0.44. Pinnacle West Capital has a 1 year low of $59.03 and a 1 year high of $80.60.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Pinnacle West Capital

Pinnacle West Capital ( NYSE:PNW Get Rating ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 27th. The utilities provider reported ($0.21) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of ($0.18) by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $1.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $638.28 million. Pinnacle West Capital had a return on equity of 7.87% and a net margin of 11.18%. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 26.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.24 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Pinnacle West Capital will post 4.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of PNW. Quent Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Pinnacle West Capital by 153.6% in the 4th quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 350 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 212 shares during the last quarter. Dark Forest Capital Management LP bought a new stake in shares of Pinnacle West Capital in the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Pinnacle West Capital by 128.3% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 411 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 231 shares during the last quarter. Addison Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Pinnacle West Capital by 223.5% in the 3rd quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 537 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 371 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Pinnacle West Capital by 284.0% in the 3rd quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 672 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 497 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 85.21% of the companys stock.

About Pinnacle West Capital

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Pinnacle West Capital Corp. is a holding company, which engages in providing energy and energy-related products. It offers regulated retail and wholesale electricity businesses and related activities, such as electricity generation, transmission and distribution through its subsidiary, Arizona Public Service Co The company was founded on February 20, 1985, and is headquartered in Phoenix, AZ.

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Solo Brands, Inc. (NYSE:DTC  Get Rating) shot up 3.8% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $7.90 and last traded at $7.86. 118,100 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 68% from the average session volume of 366,562 shares. The stock had previously closed at $7.57.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Solo Brands from $8.00 to $9.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Thursday, March 23rd. Piper Sandler boosted their target price on shares of Solo Brands from $7.00 to $9.00 in a research report on Friday, March 10th. Finally, Credit Suisse Group boosted their target price on shares of Solo Brands from $9.00 to $10.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Friday, March 10th.

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Solo Brands Stock Up 3.6 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a current ratio of 2.91. The firm has a market cap of $752.88 million, a PE ratio of -108.14, a PEG ratio of 0.56 and a beta of 2.39. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $5.06 and a 200-day moving average price of $4.43.

Insiders Place Their Bets

Solo Brands ( NYSE:DTC Get Rating ) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, March 9th. The company reported $0.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.18 by $0.08. Solo Brands had a positive return on equity of 12.18% and a negative net margin of 0.96%. The business had revenue of $197.24 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $153.71 million. Research analysts expect that Solo Brands, Inc. will post 0.73 EPS for the current year.

In related news, Director David Powers purchased 15,500 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 15th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $6.49 per share, for a total transaction of $100,595.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 15,500 shares in the company, valued at $100,595. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 4.34% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Solo Brands

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in shares of Solo Brands by 39.0% in the 1st quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 10,777 shares of the companys stock valued at $92,000 after purchasing an additional 3,023 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its position in Solo Brands by 62.1% in the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 32,571 shares of the companys stock worth $278,000 after buying an additional 12,478 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers acquired a new stake in Solo Brands in the first quarter worth $100,000. BlackRock Inc. increased its position in Solo Brands by 1.2% in the first quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 758,686 shares of the companys stock worth $6,472,000 after buying an additional 8,878 shares during the period. Finally, Cibc World Market Inc. acquired a new stake in Solo Brands in the first quarter worth $471,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.25% of the companys stock.

Solo Brands Company Profile

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Solo Brands, Inc operates a direct-to-consumer platform that offers outdoor lifestyle branded products in the United States. The company provides camp stoves under the Solo Stove Lite brand name; fire pits under the Solo Stove brand name; grills, cook tops, and tools; kayaks under the Oru brand name; paddle boards under the ISLE brand name; and storage solutions for fire pits, firewood, and other accessories.

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UBS Group AG acquired a new stake in Seaboard Co. (NYSEAMERICAN:SEB  Get Rating) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 42 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $159,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of SEB. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. increased its holdings in Seaboard by 3,450.0% in the 1st quarter. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. now owns 71 shares of the companys stock worth $298,000 after buying an additional 69 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. acquired a new position in Seaboard in the 1st quarter worth approximately $383,000. Citigroup Inc. increased its holdings in Seaboard by 36.4% in the 1st quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 30 shares of the companys stock worth $126,000 after buying an additional 8 shares during the period. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund acquired a new position in Seaboard in the 1st quarter worth approximately $400,000. Finally, MetLife Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Seaboard in the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. 18.11% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Seaboard Price Performance

NYSEAMERICAN:SEB traded down $32.98 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $3,800.01. The companys stock had a trading volume of 165 shares, compared to its average volume of 918. Seaboard Co. has a fifty-two week low of $3,295.00 and a fifty-two week high of $4,394.25. The company has a current ratio of 2.47, a quick ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15. The company has a market cap of $4.41 billion, a PE ratio of 7.67 and a beta of 0.48.

Seaboard Announces Dividend

About Seaboard

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 24th were paid a dividend of $2.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 23rd. This represents a $9.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.24%. Seaboards payout ratio is 1.80%.

(Get Rating)

Seaboard Corp. engages in hog production and pork processing in the U.S., commodity trading and grain processing in Africa and South America, cargo shipping services in the U.S., Caribbean and Central and South America, sugar and alcohol production in Argentina, and electric power generation in the Dominican Republic.

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TEHRAN, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Iran said on Tuesday the recent ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) against U.S. freezing of Iran's assets was a "historic defeat" for Washington.

The ICJ ruling confirmed Iran's legitimacy on the issue, semi-official Tasnim news agency quoted Iranian government spokesman Ali Bahadori Jahromi as saying at a weekly press conference on Tuesday.

On March 30, the ICJ ruled that the United States had "illegally allowed its courts to freeze Iranian companies' assets" and ordered Washington to pay compensation to Iran, the amount of which will be determined later.

During the press conference on Tuesday, Jahromi also accused the U.S. of being accustomed to violating international laws.

In 2016, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Iranian assets of close to 2 billion U.S. dollars frozen in the U.S. must be paid to American families of the victims of the bombing of a U.S. Marine Corps barracks in Beirut in 1983 as well as other attacks blamed on Iran.

Tehran has repeatedly and vigorously rejected all claims about its involvement in the Beirut bombing and other similar allegations.

The case before the ICJ was initially brought by Tehran in 2016 against the U.S. breach of a 1955 friendship treaty by allowing its courts to freeze Iranian companies' assets.

Washington pulled out of the treaty in 2018. However, the ICJ ruled that the accord was in place at the time of the Iranian assets' freezing. 
The National Emergency Management Agency(NEMA) has successfully evaluated fresh batch of 144 stranded Nigerians from Niamey in Niger Republic.

Dr Nuradeen Abdullahi, NEMA Coordinator Kano Territorial Office, received the returnees at the Malam Aminu Kano International Airport in Kano.

Represented by NEMA Kano Head of Human Resources, Mr Suleiman Saad-Abubakar, Abdullahi said that the returnees arrived at the airport at about 2:30 p.m on Monday.

The returnees were transported into Nigeria by SKY MALI Airlines, operated by Ethiopian airline B737-400 with registration number UR-CQX, he said.

He added that the returnees were brought back under the care of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) from Niamey through a voluntary repatriation programme.

In his words:, The programme is for the distressed, who had left the country to seek greener pastures in various European countries and could not afford to return when their journey became frustrated.

Abdullahi further stated that the returnees included 106 male adult, 16 female adult and 22 children (10 female and 12 male), while noting that the returnees are from Kano, Kaduna, Katsina, Abia, Sokoto and Edo among others.

He said the returnees will undergo training in various skills.

My advice to Nigerians is that they avoid endangering their lives by travelling to seek for greener pastures in other countries, adding that no country is better than Nigeria, he said.

It would be recalled that the agency between February and March received 300 stranded Nigerians from Niamey Niger Republic.

One of the returnees who spoke to newsmen to recount her ordeal, Fatima Muhammad, a widow and mother of two, said she travelled to Algeria to seek for greener pastures with her kids.

I had no one to cater for me and my children. I decided to seek greener pastures. I regret embarking on the ill-fated journey. I thank God we came back safely

Nigeria is far better than where we went in our quest for better lives. We surffered Muhammad said.
Aviation unions in Nigeria have given the federal government seven-day ultimatum to withdraw Services from all Nigerian Airports otherwise, they would shutdown all airports as a means of taking their destiny in their hands.

The joint congress of aviation unions stated their position in a letter addressed to the Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika on Tuesday.

The signatories to the letter which was titled: Aviation Workers Are Tired of Crying  Time To Take our Destiny in Our Hands, include Francis Akinjole who is the Principal Deputy Secretary of Air Transport Services Senior Staff of Nigeria; General Secretary of the National Union of Air Transport Employees Abdul Rasq Saidu; and General Secretary of Association of Nigerian Aviation Professionals.

Others are Umo Ofonime the Deputy General Secretary of National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers and Sikiru Waheed; the General Secretary of the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service, Technical and Recreational Services Employees.

The union said, Our letter of 7th February with the above title refers; and we note with sadness that all the issues therein remain unresolved. In particular, the minimum wage consequential adjustment for NiMet with its attendant arrears remain unimplemented.

The reviewed conditions of service (CoS) for Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT) and the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) remain in the dungeon of the National Incomes, Salaries and Wages Commission (NISWC) and the Office of the Head of Service of the Federation (OHSF) where they have been for upward of nine years.

We may recall that a 14-day ultimatum was issued via our letter under reference, and the consequent intervention of the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Aviation has regrettably returned only a token result, despite his best efforts.

As a result of the above, the joint Congress of our Unions has irrevocably resolved to withdraw all services in the aviation industry in the light of failure to resolve the above stated issues.

Accordingly, and in compliance with the decision of the joint congress, a 7-day notice of total withdrawal of services in all Nigerian airports is hereby served.

For clarity, should the above stated issues remain unresolved within seven days hence, our unions as named above shall have no alternative than to direct all aviation workers to withdraw their services without further notice.

Once again, we are tired of crying! We have to take our destiny in our hands.
UNITED NATIONS, April 3 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations and partners are seeking 194 million U.S. dollars to aid Burundi this year and an additional 70 million dollars for Malawi, UN Humanitarians said on Monday.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said the appeal for Burundi's humanitarian response plan is to aid 1.1 million people affected by climate change, extreme weather, internal displacement and disease outbreaks such as cholera, measles and malaria.

The humanitarians said 1.5 million people in Burundi would need relief in 2023.

While last year's appeal was only halfway funded, 673,000 people were helped in Burundi, the humanitarian office said.

The appeal for Malawi is in the context of Cyclone Freddy.

"Since Tropical Cyclone Freddy hit the country last month, we and partners have reached over 370,000 people with humanitarian assistance including clean water, sanitation and hygiene, as well as food assistance to complement the government's relief efforts," OCHA said.

The new funding of 70 million dollars is on top of the 45 million dollars called for earlier this year for a cholera response.

The humanitarian office said the revised Malawi flash appeal will support the government-led response to floods and cholera, including the provision of shelter, nutrition, health, water, sanitation and hygiene, following Freddy. 
From opioid overdoses to ice water rescues, modern policing is about much more than just arresting criminals, as was evident during a recent Kawartha Lakes Police Service Awards ceremony in Lindsay.

During 2020, the first full year front-line officers had access to Naloxone  a lifesaving drug that temporarily reverses the effects of an opioid overdose  officers were called to 135 suspected overdoses, 13 of which were fatal.

Much like many communities across the province and across the country, Kawartha Lakes has seen the devastating impacts of the opioid crisis, shares Chief Mark Mitchell, noting that Kawartha Lakes officers administered Naloxone on 14 occasions, quite possibly preventing even more drug-related deaths.

Insp. Tom Hickey, master of ceremonies at the awards ceremony, noted how different policing is for officers in the midst of the opioid crisis. He recalls performing CPR a total of three times in his 34-year career.

These officers have probably done CPR on (members of) our vulnerable population more times this year than I have in my entire career, he says, adding that officers bringing back drug users from the brink of death are not exactly getting thanked for their efforts, but instead facing anger for ruining the persons high.

Unfortunately, as time goes on, the use of this life-saving drug has become commonplace in communities across the country. It is important to recognize the extraordinary efforts and quick response of these officers as they assisted some of the most vulnerable people in our community, Hickey adds.

Kawartha Lakes special constables Nolan Dunn and Eric Kennedy, alongside constables Ken Downing, Terry Edwards, Paul Hatton, Aaron Morrison, Kevin Walden, Mark Earl and Ashley Donaldson were all presented Exemplary Service Awards for their work helping to save lives in the community with Naloxone.

It actually really meant a lot to me in the long run because I dont see it as going above and beyond, I see it as an everyday thing, but when it is recognized by other people, it does mean a lot, so Im very proud, Const. Donaldson told This Week after the ceremony, adding that she is proud to share the experience with her children Rebecca, 9, and Andrew, 11.

Constables Earl and Donaldson were once again lauded for going above and beyond the call of duty, alongside Const. Sarah Ashwood for helping a man who had stabbed himself several times in the stomach in October 2022. Arriving first on scene and learning that all local paramedics had been tied up on other emergency calls and were several minutes away, the officers took immediate action as the mans condition was quickly deteriorating due to blood loss.

The officers emergency first-aid efforts not only stabilized him and kept him conscious until paramedics arrived, but ultimately saved the man's life.

Although such harrowing experiences and the trauma inherent with serving as a police officer can take a lot out of those who choose it as a profession, Donaldson adds that having people who understand the experience, including her husband who is also a police officer and her colleagues, helps.

It does take a lot of resilience and I know there is a lot of heartbreak for a lot of people and its something that you have to rely on your peers a lot, she says, noting that the past few years have been particularly difficult.

Half a dozen officers were also honoured for saving a woman who fell through the ice of the Scugog River in late 2020. Without a specific location of where the woman had ventured out onto the thin ice, officers co-ordinated a search, ultimately learning the woman was in the area of Barron Boulevard and had fallen through the ice about 50 metres from shore. The officers jumped into action and were able to use a rope to pull the woman to shore as fire personnel arrived on scene and helped get her to a waiting ambulance.

All the officers involved displayed exemplary teamwork in co-ordinating a quick response to locate the victim and then successfully rescue her from the cold water. Their actions quite likely prevented a tragedy, says Hickey.

For the ice rescue, constables Mark Alldred, Keith Watson, Matt Self, Mark Earl, Jason Ramsay and Det. Const. Joe Bell received Kawartha Lakes Police Exemplary Service Awards.

We all pursued this job as a way to serve and a way to help our communities, and I think when you have that sense of commitment, when you have that sense of duty and belonging and you believe in what youre doing, then you find yourself going above and beyond what any normal person could possibly expect of you. I think thats a testament of the individual character of those officers and again, I couldnt be more proud of them, said Mitchell.

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Update: Wednesday, April 5, 2023 - Police say a U-Haul used in an alleged break and enter incident has been recovered after a citizen noticed it in the Bethune and Dublin Street area and called the police.

The investigation is ongoing as the suspect has not been located.

Original story as follows:

The Peterborough Police Service is investigating after an incident at a convenience store where the suspect allegedly left in a U-Haul early Tuesday morning.

Police say at approximately 1 a.m. on April 4, officers were called to the store in the Parkhill Road East and Auburn Street area about a break and enter.

Upon arrival officers learned that someone had allegedly entered the store and left with a few items before driving off in a U-Haul vehicle.

The suspect was described to police as:

 Male

 Thin build

 Unshaven

 Black jacket

 Light coloured hood

 Dark grey track pants

 White shoes with a red diamond pattern on the back heels

Vehicle was described to police as follows:

 Arizona license plates: AL97185

 2023

 White

 Ford

 Transit

 Van

 U-Haul decals

Anyone with information is asked to call Peterborough Police at 705-876-1122 x555 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at www.stopcrimehere.ca.

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Councillors say they want an estimate from municipal staff on how much it cost the city to administer the election of local school board trustees as part of the 2022 municipal vote in the fall.

At a committee meeting on Monday night, councillors gave preliminary approval to have staff come up with a figure.

A final vote will still be needed, which cannot happen until the next city council meeting on April 24.

But in the meantime, councillors voted in favour of a motion from Coun. Kevin Duguay to find out the cost to the city.

Duguay said Monday his motion isnt a comment on the need for school boards or on the importance of school board trustees. He simply wants an estimate on the cost to the city to include the election of trustees in the overall municipal election.

The city budgeted $645,255 to run the 2022 municipal election in October, according to city communications manager Brendan Wedley  plus there was a smaller sum approved in 2021 to start election planning (he couldnt peg exactly how much as of Friday).

Municipalities run school board elections across the province as part of the municipal election held every four years.

On Monday, Coun. Gary Baldwin said its known that about a third of that $645,255 went toward electing school board trustees.

Coun. Dave Haacke noted that the provincial government has already said it doesnt want to refund the cost of electing school board trustees and that it isnt interested in requiring school boards to run their own elections.

Coun. Lesley Parnell said she wasnt sure how helpful it is to know the sum spent on school board elections since the money always comes from taxes.

Whether its the city paying for the election of trustees, she said, or its the school boards or the provincial government, she said, theres only one taxpayer, paying.

Councillors still voted to ask for details from the city clerk in an upcoming report breaking down election costs from the fall of 2022.

Peterboroughs election in October was for 10 city councillors and the mayor, plus school board trustees across four local school boards:

Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board has two trustee seats for the city while the Peterborough Victoria Northumberland and Clarington Catholic District School Board has two trustee seats for the city.

There were also two French school boards included in the election: Viamonde (two trustees elected) and MonAvenir (one acclaimed).

Other Ontario municipalities are also looking into the cost of administering the election of school board trustees.

The North Bay Nugget reported that the 2022 election had cost that city $250,000 and that Coun. Mac Bain said at a meeting the areas school boards ought to be covering half the cost of their municipal election.

joelle.kovach@peterboroughdaily.com

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City councillors have approved a plan for a new six-storey apartment building at 539 George St. N.  at the site of the former Kaye Funeral Home, and more recently Vinnies second-hand store  against the concerns of some neighbours.

At a committee meeting on Monday night, councillors voted to give preliminary approval for the rezoning and Official Plan amendment needed to allow Toronto-based developer Simon Zhang to start construction this summer.

Its not final  a ratification vote is still needed at the April 24 city council meeting.

But on Monday councillors said they think the plan ought to go ahead, in accordance with city planning staffs recommendation; planning staff said in a report it will bring much-needed housing to the downtown.

Some neighbours told councillors at Mondays meeting theyre concerned that there are only 32 parking spots in the plan for 95 apartments  they said people will illegally park on their next-door properties.

Charlene Banbury, a chiropractor from Peterborough Chiropractic Group to the immediate south, said theres a very real possibility Ill lose my business if tenants, delivery people and visitors double-park consistently on her property, for lack of spots at 539 George St. N.

David Rishor  whose family owns what is primarily a medical building to the immediate north at 555 George St. N.  said he now offers free parking.

Many of my tenants are concerned that were going to be running into issues with patients and clients not having anywhere to park ... I really dont want to put paid parking in there, Rishor said. But he might have to.

Typically the city would require a developer to have 101 parking spots for 95 apartments. In this case, city planning staff recommended far fewer spots, councillors heard, because the property is downtown and close to transit, stores and services.

City planner Brad Appleby told council its part of bringing Peterborough up to date when it comes to urban design.

We see it as a step toward the evolution of downtown, to make it a walkable, intensified community, he said.

Coun. Alex Bierk said he sees the desperate need for housing, but that hed feel more comfortable supporting the proposal there were a better plan for parking.

Coun. Joy Lachica asked planner Laura Stone  who works for the developer  whether there was ever any consideration given to designing a smaller building, but Stone said no.

There are fewer parking spots than usually required, Stone said, but there are transportation options other than cars in the downtown location.

Coun. Gary Baldwin called it a difficult decision: he could see why the neighbours were concerned but also see that the city needs the housing.

But Coun. Keith Riel wasnt having any of it: he moved to defer the vote, saying he wanted city planning staff to return with a better plan for parking.

After the deferral vote lost  Riel was the only one to vote in favour of it  the main motion to allow the development carried 7-1, with Riel again as the lone dissenter.

Coun. Kevin Duguay, a professional planner, didnt vote. He declared an interest because he worked on the original plan two years ago for the developer.

Neither did Coun. Dave Haacke, because the applicant is a client of the commercial real estate firm he co-owns.

Mayor Jeff Leal was away on vacation, arriving back home Monday night as the meeting was happening.

At the meeting Riel called it a myth and complete nonsense that tenants would use the bus or bicycles to get around the downtown: People have cars, he said.

I need staff to go back and do their homework and tell us how this is going to work, Riel exclaimed. Do your job and give us the report we need!

But Richard Freymond, the citys interim city chief administrative following the recent retirement of Sandra Clancy, said that staff had indeed already done its job.

Freymond said that if Peterborough wants to offer more housing, and at the same time boost the downtown with a flood of new people living there, then we need to ante up what can be offered to developers.

Coun. Lesley Parnell said 15,000 post-secondary students  whom she called an absolute vital part of our community  live in Peterborough and need housing.

I anticipate many Trent students will live here (in the building)  and they use transit, she said.

Parnell added that if the proposal meets the planning criteria  and she said it does, according to city staff  then turning it down guarantees it will be appealed to the Ontario Land Tribunal.

Parnell predicted the city would lose an OLT appeal: The province has had it with councils saying No, not in our neighbourhood, she said.

Planners have done their jobs  they are the pros, Parnell said. We have to listen to them.

joelle.kovach@peterboroughdaily.com

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A fundraiser was held at Rubidge Retirement Residence on Tuesday for the displaced family of personal support worker Regan Hunt after their Bolivar Street house in Peterborough was severely damaged by a fire on March 28.

Our kitchen got hit, and the area directly above our kitchen got a lot of damage too, she said. The rest of the house suffered from smoke and water damage.

Staff and residents banded together to host a silent auction, bake sale and sale of household items to raise money to help the family recover.

My mom ended up opening our front door to let our two dogs out, she said. But our two cats unfortunately didnt make it.

The blaze started when an air fryer caught on fire, explained Hunt. The family is currently staying with relatives.

A online fundraising campaign for the family on GoFundMe has raised $7,275 so far from 60 donors.

 Alex Schummer, Examiner Staff

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Trent University in Peterborough held its third annual Trent Day on Tuesday, encouraging students, staff, faculty and alumni around the world to provide some philanthropic support for student needs.

Trent Day has established a new tradition of showcasing our founding values of service, Trent president Leo Groarke stated in a press release.

Our Trent spirit shines brighter than ever on this day as we collect non-perishables for local food banks, encourage philanthropic support, and volunteer for causes close to our hearts. We hope alumni and supporters across the world join us in celebration.

The event pays tribute to the April 1963 signing of the Trent University Act. This years event marks the 60th anniversary since the university was officially granted the ability to confer degrees.

Trent Day challenged members of the university community to become one of 50 new monthly donors to the Trent Fund, which supports student needs such as emergency housing and mental health initiatives.

Trent alumni also united by volunteering with organizations including Kawartha Food Share, Feed the Need in Durham, Cuddles for Cancer, Peterborough Museum and Archives and Casey House in Toronto.

A Trent Day food drive took place Tuesday at both the Peterborough and Oshawa campuses in support of Kawartha Food Share in Peterborough and Feed the Need in Durham in Oshawa.

Alumni and community members were also encouraged to show school spirit by wearing Trent gear for the day and sharing photos on social media with the tag @TrentAlumni and the #TrentDay hashtag.

This is great way to celebrate Trent. We hope all members of the Trent community will show their Trent pride, take part in Trent Day activities, and make a gift to assist and empower a student, stated Sherry Booth, Trents associate vice-president of philanthropy and alumni engagement.

 Examiner Staff

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Springtime for Westwood Tree Care is generally filled with the roar of chainsaws and wood chippers. This season, however, a series of digital hiccups led to the suspension of Westwoods Google profile  a move that decimated business for a month.

Normally, would-be customers looking for the business on the search platform would find them and the highly recognizable Google Business Profile to the right of results, listing their phone number, website, hours, reviews and more.

Suddenly, the Hamilton-area arborists found themselves shut out of their primary marketing tool; owner Louis Stroud says Westwood is getting far fewer phone calls than they are used to. To make matters worse, a search for Westwood Tree Care was sending customers to Westwood Tree Services, a similar company based out of Kingston.

I have work from repeat customers, but Im seeing instant differences from last year to this year, Stroud said.

Trouble started when Stroud moved, leaving his Burlington rental  where Westwood was registered  for a newly purchased Cambridge home. Hoping to expand into the Waterloo Region, but keep his business base in the Hamilton and Burlington area, he set up a new profile at his new address. Stroud grew up in Hamilton with the reporter of this story.

Google differentiates between companies with physical locations and those with service areas. Stroud admits that he didnt realize his business should have a service area, not a physical address. However, none of the dozens of emails between him and the tech company explained what prompted a suspicious-activity notice.

Vince Bucciachio, founder of Hamilton-based SociallyInfused Media, says marketing companies exist for this very reason. They dont just advertise, he added, marketing teams are akin to insurance if anything goes wrong.

Bucciachio says trying to manage these tools on your own is difficult.

Youre an arborist, youre a plumber; this is not your expertise.

In the series of emails between late February and mid-March viewed by The Spectator, Stroud pleaded with four different representatives from Google, asking for information and sending documents and photos, including his certificate of incorporation and insurance papers, to prove his company was legitimate. None satisfied requirements.

Google reps insisted the case had been escalated and that they were working on the issue. Stroud said he spoke to a representative on the phone, but the call was only to tell him that someone else would be reaching out.

As an arborist, Stroud can often be found dangling in a tree, chainsaw in hand. Unfortunately, that meant he missed calls from Google and there is no way to call back.

Instead of the desired verification, Westwood Tree Cares business profile was suspended March 8  removing it from Googles results page entirely.

In an email March 9, a Google representative told Stroud that their team of specialists have run the respective checks and have concluded that (his) business profile does not meet the necessary criteria to be shown on Google Maps.

A few days after that, communication fizzled, forcing Stroud to seek help from a third party to reinstate his profile.

The Spectator reached out to Google for comment but did not receive a response to Strouds situation by deadline.

Westwood started out eight years ago; a small business spread by word of mouth and lawn signs, Stroud says. He spent little on advertising. Real growth came when he started focusing on his Google reviews and profile.

I noticed a real drastic change in my customers calling saying, We saw you on Google, or Youre the best company on Google in our area, Stroud says.

He expected that growth to continue, adding two new employees, bringing Westwoods staff up to eight. And spending money on new trucks and equipment.

Decals on Strouds dump truck dont include his website. Before these issues, he said, customers were better off going to his Google profile.

Bucciachio calls that reliance on a platform they have no control over a dangerous game.

Not only are you so dependent on this third-party platform ... youre not managing it efficiently  thats a real scary combination.

While in limbo, waiting and hoping for a resolution, Stroud showed his frustration over the callousness of communications with Google and the helpless feeling of his business being tied to the tech giant. I understand I am nothing to them, he said, but he still needed his profile back online.

He hired Ohio-based Next Call, a company specializing in Google marketing, to advocate on his behalf.

To his clients, Bucciachio recommends a diverse marketing portfolio. No matter how easy business comes, you should always be investing in alternatives, because storms come and go and you want to be resilient.

Now, Stroud agrees. Considering the scope of marketing possibilities and use of Google, he didnt do his due diligence.

When youre a small business you end up tackling more than you should in order to save money, but it can definitely bite you, he said.

However, following a March 28 meeting with the Next Call marketing team, Stroud said in a phone call the next day, I woke up this morning to your page is now live, then breathing a deep sigh of relief.

The month-long experience with Google was quite the ordeal, he added.

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OTTAWA - The federal privacy commissioner has launched an investigation into the company behind ChatGPT, an explosively popular artificial intelligence-powered chatbot.

The watchdogs office announced Tuesday that it is initiating the investigation into U.S.-based company OpenAI because it received a complaint alleging the collection, use and disclosure of personal information without consent.

Privacy commissioner Philippe Dufresne said in a statement that artificial intelligence and its effects on privacy are a top priority, and his office must stay ahead of fast-moving technological advances.

Dufresnes office said it wont release further details at this time, but its mandate is to publicly report on the results of investigations after they conclude.

ChatGPT, launched last November, uses written information already available on the internet to provide detailed, conversational responses to queries posed by users  and has been exploited to spit out everything from computer code to screenplays.

Microsoft is using similar, even more powerful technology from OpenAI to update its search engines and other products.

OpenAI did not respond to a request for comment about the privacy commissioners investigation.

Prompted by The Canadian Press for its own response, the ChatGPT bot said that as an artificially intelligent language model, I do not have access to the current responses or actions taken by the company running ChatGPT, OpenAI, regarding the investigation by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada.

The bots response said it is common for companies under investigation to cooperate with regulatory bodies and provide information as required by law.

OpenAI may release a public statement regarding the investigation, or they may keep the matter private until the investigation is complete, it said.

Critics have raised concerns about plagiarism, and last week, Italys own privacy watchdog ordered a ban while it investigates a suspected breach of European data rules.

Germanys commissioner for data protection recently told a German newspaper that the country may make the same move.

The 27 nations that make up the European Union are negotiating a law that would classify artificial intelligence programs and tools based on their perceived level of risk.

The risks and opportunities of artificial intelligence are also being discussed during a Tuesday meeting between President Joe Biden and his council of science and technology advisors.

The White House says Biden will discuss the importance of protecting rights and safety to ensure responsible innovation and appropriate safeguards.

ChatGPT is also the source of a matter brought to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission. In a complaint made to the consumer protection body and posted on its website, a tech ethics group says ChatGPT is a risk to privacy and public safety.

In its complaint, filed March 30, the Center for Artificial Intelligence and Digital Policy said the OpenAI technology does not meet the trade commissions requirements that artificial intelligence be transparent, explainable, fair and empirically sound while fostering accountability.

The complaint was filed shortly after a group of tech industry stars, including Tesla, Twitter and SpaceX mogul Elon Musk and Apples co-founder Steve Wozniak, called in an open letter for a six-month pause to companies rolling out artificial intelligence technology.

The letter, organized by the nonprofit Future of Life Institute, said that in recent months there has been an out-of-control race to develop and deploy ever more powerful digital minds that no one  not even their creators  can understand, predict, or reliably control.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 4, 2023.

 With files from The Associated Press.

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Chinese Vice President Han Zheng meets with Indonesia's Coordinator for Cooperation with China and Coordinating Minister of Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan in Beijing, capital of China, April 4, 2023. (Xinhua/Li Tao)

BEIJING, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice President Han Zheng on Tuesday met with Indonesia's Coordinator for Cooperation with China and Coordinating Minister of Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan.

Noting this year marks the tenth anniversary of the establishment of the China-Indonesia comprehensive strategic partnership, Han said China is ready to take this opportunity to strengthen strategic synergy with Indonesia, set a fine example of high-quality development cooperation and establish a model for a community with a shared future, as well as bring more benefits to the two peoples.

Han said China supports the work of Indonesia as the incumbent of the rotating presidency of ASEAN, and is actively pushing for more fruitful results from the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and ASEAN.

Luhut thanked China for its selfless assistance to Indonesia in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, which fully reflected the spirit of building a community with a shared future between the two countries.

Indonesia attaches great importance to its relations with China and is willing to deepen Belt and Road Initiative cooperation with China to push bilateral relations to a new level, Luhut added. 
Twitter on Monday suddenly replaced its iconic blue bird logo above the desktop home tab with doge  the memeified shiba inu which is also the face of the cryptocurrency dogecoin.

While theres been no official explanation for why, the move came just days after Twitter CEO Elon Musk asked a judge to throw out a $258 billion lawsuit accusing him of racketeering by promoting the currency, Reuters reported.

After the change Tuesday, he shared a screenshot of an exchange last March, in which a Twitter user suggested the billionaire just buy the app and change the bird logo to a doge. Musk replied, Haha that would sickkk.

Since the logo change on Monday afternoon, dogecoins value has jumped nearly 26 per cent.

What we know about Dogecoin

The coin started out as a joke  two software engineers created it in 2013 to poke fun at the speculation surrounding cryptocurrencies like bitcoin and Ethereum. But, they argued, anything can be crypto, and figured they would create a digital coin with the face of the shiba inu meme on it.

Slowly, bitcoin investors got in on the joke and purchased small increments of dogecoin.

Other financial trends that emerged from the internet include NFTs, GameStop, stonks and rocket ship emojis.

The lawsuit against Musk

Musk has long touted his appreciation for the cryptocurrency, even promoting it during his appearance last year on Saturday Night Live.

The suit by dogecoin investors accused the billionaire of running a pyramid scheme and deliberately boosting dogecoins price by more than 36,000 per cent over two years and then letting it crash. This resulted in billions of dollars of profit at other dogecoin investors expense, Reuters reported.

Musks lawyers called the case a fanciful work of fiction over Musks innocuous and often silly tweets.

Verification and Twitter Blue

The dogecoin icon adds to other unpredictable and abrupt changes that have come from the app since Musks $44 billion takeover in October.

The latest change comes after the apps owner set a Saturday deadline for verified users to buy a premium Twitter subscription or lose their check mark. The costs range from $8 per month for individual users to a starting price of $1,000 monthly for an organization, plus $50 monthly for each affiliate or employee account.

The only noticeable organization or individual to lose its verification, however, was the New York Times main account.

The move also reflects Musks ideas that the verification checks became an undeserved or corrupt status symbol for elite personalities, news reporters and others previously granted verification without charge.

Among Twitters main reasons for verification, before Musk bought the company, were to prevent celebrity impersonation, and to verify people who suddenly found themselves in the news and to little-known journalists as part of an effort to curb misinformation.

With files from The Associated Press and Jacob Lorinc

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LONDON (AP)  Britains privacy watchdog hit TikTok with a multimillion-dollar penalty Tuesday for misusing childrens data and violating other protections for young users personal information.

The Information Commissioners Office said it issued a fine of 12.7 million pounds ($15.9 million) to the short-video sharing app, which is wildly popular with young people.

Its the latest example of tighter scrutiny that TikTok and its parent, Chinese technology company ByteDance, are facing in the West, where governments are increasingly concerned about risks that the app poses to data privacy and cybersecurity.

The British watchdog, which was investigating data breaches between May 2018 and July 2020, said TikTok allowed as many as 1.4 million children in the U.K. under 13 to use the app in 2020, despite the platforms own rules prohibiting children that young from setting up accounts.

TikTok didnt adequately identify and remove children under 13 from the platform, the watchdog said. And even though it knew younger children were using the app, TikTok failed to get consent from their parents to process their data, as required by Britains data protection laws, the agency said.

There are laws in place to make sure our children are as safe in the digital world as they are in the physical world. TikTok did not abide by those laws, Information Commissioner John Edwards said in a press release.

TikTok collected and used personal data of children who were inappropriately given access to the app, he said.

That means that their data may have been used to track them and profile them, potentially delivering harmful, inappropriate content at their very next scroll, Edwards said.

The company said it disagreed with the watchdogs decision.

We invest heavily to help keep under 13s off the platform and our 40,000-strong safety team works around the clock to help keep the platform safe for our community, TikTok said in statement. We will continue to review the decision and are considering next steps.

TIkTok says it has improved its sign-up system since the breaches happened by no longer allowing users to simply declare they are old enough and looking for other signs that an account is used by someone under 13.

The penalty also covered other breaches of U.K. data privacy law.

The watchdog said TikTok failed to properly inform people about how their data is collected, used and shared in an easily understandable way. Without this information, its unlikely that young users would be able to make informed choices about whether and how to use TikTok, it said.

TikTok also failed to ensure personal data of British users was processed lawfully, fairly and transparently, the regulator said.

TikTok initially faced a 27 million-pound fine, which was reduced after the company persuaded regulators to drop other charges.

U.S. regulators in 2019 fined TikTok, previously known as Musical.ly, $5.7 million in a case that involved similar allegations of unlawful collection of childrens personal information.

Also Tuesday, Australia became the latest country to ban TikTok from its government devices, with authorities from the European Union to the United States concerned that the app could share data with the Chinese government or push pro-Beijing narratives. U.S. lawmakers are also considering forcing a sale or even banning it outright as tensions with China grow.

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VICTORIA - British Columbias Electoral Boundaries Commission is recommending the creation of six more electoral districts in the province, raising the number of ridings to 93 from the current 87.

The commission has submitted its final report and elected members of the legislature must decide whether to accept all, some or none of its recommendations.

In addition to the call for six new districts that reflect areas of rapid population growth, the commission is also seeking adjustments to the boundaries of 72 other districts and changes to the names of 41 ridings.

Of the six newly proposed electoral districts, the commission says four should be located in Burnaby, Langley, Surrey and Vancouver.

It says many ridings across Greater Vancouver continue to grow quickly and are already more than 25 per cent above the quotient that ensures fair representation by population.

Single new electoral districts are also recommended for southern Vancouver Island and in the southern Interior as the commission seeks to balance voter populations in the Langford area, West Kelowna, Kelowna, Lake Country and Vernon.

Census 2021 population statistics were used by the commission to estimate the number of people within an electoral district and provincial Supreme Court Justice Nitya Iyer, who chaired the commission, says the recommendations reflect B.C.s growth.

We do not recommend reducing the number of ridings in more sparsely populated areas of the province because doing so would undermine effective representation, Iyer says in a statement.

Based on census data, the commission found British Columbias electoral quotient is 53,773 and the usual deviation range is between 40,330 and 67,216 people per riding.

Adding the six ridings to create greater balance among districts will have a ripple effect across the province, eventually changing the boundaries of 72 ridings, says the commission report.

The report points to the Kootenay region where two of the four current electoral districts, Columbia River-Revelstoke and Nelson-Creston, are among 11 that fall below the accepted number of residents, while six in other parts of B.C. are higher than the maximum.

The commission recommendations would fix all but five northern districts where populations remain below the electoral quotient, the report says.

However, the commission is not calling for changes to boundaries of the North Coast, Skeena, Stikine, Nechako Lakes and Peace River South ridings or to Peace River North, where the population is just above the accepted lower range.

Although we carefully examined options for consolidating the current six ridings into five, we are convinced that any such changes would deprive residents of these districts of effective representation, the commission says of the large, remote ridings that include challenging terrain and weather and often poor internet connectivity.

B.C. is required to form an electoral boundary commission after every second provincial general election, in order to ensure boundaries and ridings accurately reflect population shifts.

The latest report closes with a recommendation that six months be added to the 18-month timeline currently allotted for each commission to do its job.

We believe that a longer legislated timeline for commission work would support a more robust and meaningful consultation process, says the report, which was submitted to the Speaker of the legislature on Monday.

Sixty-three public meetings were held in 44 B.C. communities, while more than 2,000 submissions were received as the 2022 electoral boundaries final report was compiled.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 4, 2023.

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A former bureaucrat accused of embezzling public funds has pleaded guilty to stealing $47.4 million from the Ontario government.

The Ministry of the Attorney General says a judge sentenced Sanjay Madan to ten years in prison on Tuesday after a joint submission from the defence and the Crown.

Madan had faced two counts of fraud over $5,000 and two counts of breach of trust after he was accused of stealing nearly $11 million in COVID-19 relief funds.

The ministry said he was also accused of and pleaded guilty to stealing more than $36 million from the government through kickbacks from 2011 to 2020.

The province had sued Madan, his wife and two adult children, alleging they illegally issued and banked cheques aimed to offset the cost of kids learning at home during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020.

Madan had a senior IT role and helped develop a computer application related to a COVID-19 relief benefit before he was fired in 2020. His wife and two sons all worked for the province in information technology.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 4, 2023.

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MONTREAL - Authorities investigating the disappearance of an Akwesasne, Que., man whose boat was found near the bodies of eight migrants pulled from the St. Lawrence River last week confirmed Tuesday he is connected to the case.

In a statement, Akwesasne Mohawk police said Casey Oakes, 30, is linked to the tragic discovery, but they didnt provide further details.

Akwesasne Mohawk police investigators now believe Casey Oakes was connected to the eight deceased victims recovered from the water on (Thursday and Friday), the police said in a brief statement. The investigation continues to evolve.

Police continued their search for him for a sixth day Tuesday in the territory about 130 kilometres southwest of Montreal. Quebec provincial police and RCMP units joined the Akwesasne police in the search. Authorities have said they have about eight kilometres of waterways to comb.

Police have said the eight victims consisted of two families, one of Romanian and another of Indian descent. They have been identified as Florin Iordache, 28; his wife, Cristina (Monalisa) Zenaida Iordache, 28; their two-year-old daughter, Evelin; and one-year-old son, Elyen. Both children were Canadian citizens.

The other four victims were from a family hailing from the western Indian state of Gujarat  Praveenbhai Chaudhari, 50; his wife, Dakshaben Chaudhari, 45; their 20-year-old son, Meet; and 23-year-old daughter, Vidhi.

The bodies of five adults and one child were found in a marshy area on Thursday, and the bodies of a second child and an adult woman were recovered on Friday.

Authorities have said the eight people were allegedly attempting to illegally cross into the United States from Canada through Akwesasne Mohawk Territory, which straddles provincial and international boundaries and includes regions of Quebec, Ontario and New York state.

In February, police in Akwesasne reported an increase in human smuggling into the Mohawk territory. Authorities have said the areas geography makes it a popular spot for human smugglers, with police making 48 separate interceptions involving 80 people trying to enter the United States illegally since January.

Most of them have been of Indian or Romanian descent.

Oakes was last seen Wednesday night operating a boat that was found next to the migrants bodies, and police have said some items of clothing that belong to Oakes have also been found. Police said the boat has been placed in secure storage for inspection.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 4, 2023.

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Quebecs chief coroner has accepted a request by the provinces public security minister to hold public inquests into the killing of a provincial police officer and a fire in Old Montreal that left seven people dead.

Public Security Minister Francois Bonnardel said Tuesday he hoped the public hearings would lead to recommendations to help prevent similar deaths in the future and provide answers to Quebecers about the two high-profile fatal cases.

Provincial police Sgt. Maureen Breau was stabbed to death March 27 while attempting to make an arrest in Louiseville, Que. The man accused of killing her  who was shot dead by police  had a history of mental health issues and had been found not criminally responsible at least five times for past offences.

And on March 16, seven people died in a fire in an Old Montreal heritage building that housed illegal Airbnb rentals. The father of one of the victims has said his daughter told 911 operators as the fire spread through the building that her unit had no fire escape or windows.

Bonnardel told reporters in Quebec City he called for a public inquest into Breaus death to seek recommendations that will improve our processes in the future.

And, in parallel, to also start an inquest into the fire in Montreal, which will allow us to have, again, important recommendations on how to proceed.

Isaac Brouillard Lessard, 35, the man police believe killed Breau, was considered a significant risk to public safety by the provinces mental health review board. Breaus killing is being investigated by Montreal police; the provinces police watchdog  Bureau des enquetes independantes  is investigating Brouillard Lessards death.

Since Breaus killing, the union representing provincial police officers has said it planned to submit a petition to the legislature, calling for improvements to the supervision of violent people who are released from custody.

Bonnardel said he understands why police officers are frustrated, adding that he asked his deputy minister to meet with their counterparts in the justice and social services departments to see how police officers can have access to patient data from the mental health review board.

I understand their concerns, he said of the provinces police officers.

Quebecs chief coroner, Pascale Descary, said Tuesday afternoon that coroner Gehane Kamel would preside over both inquests. Kamel had already been tasked with investigating the Montreal fire.

The coroners office said in a news release that the inquest into Breaus death will investigate the factors that contributed to her killing. The other inquest, the office said, will look for the probable cause and circumstances of the deaths of seven people in the fire: Camille Maheux, An Wu, Dania Zafar, Saniya Khan, Charlie Lacroix, Nathan Sears and Walid Belkahla.

A police investigation into the fire is ongoing and no charges have been laid.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 4, 2023.

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A Romanian man who perished in the St. Lawrence River with his young family last week twice came to Canada for asylum and was arrested by American authorities when trying to sneak into the U.S. to join his siblings there.

For five years, Florin Iordache was desperate to start a new life. He risked his personal safety all while starting a family with his partner as they struggled to find a new country to call home.

Iordache, the son of a Roma musician, first flew to Toronto to claim asylum on June 9, 2018, with his then common-law partner, Mona Lisa Calderaru. Two months later, he was arrested near Blaine, Wash., after hopping off a freight train to flee from American authorities.

In March 2020, after being deported from the U.S., Iordache and his now wife returned to Toronto from Romania, making a new refugee claim using his wifes former last name. Eighteen months later, he and his wife  who was seven months pregnant with their son, Elyen  and their Canadian-born daughter, Evelin, were arrested in Washington state after trying to cross into the U.S. in a rental car near Pioneer Park in British Columbia.

The family was sent back to Canada this time, and Iordache would appear before a tribunal to plead for his release from detention so he could be by the side of his wife and child.

This is the second time that you have come to Canada to make a refugee claim. Both times you arrived in Ontario, but ended up in the Vancouver area. And both times you ended up in the United States, said adjudicator Michael McPhalen at the mans detention review in October 2021.

I could possibly believe that a person could end up in the United States by accident once, but not two times like you have.

Last week, Iordache and his wife, identified by police as Cristina (Mona Lisa) Zenaida Iordache, along with two young children with Canadian passports, were among eight migrants whose bodies were recovered in the St. Lawrence River near Akwesasne, Que., close to the border with New York state.

The other four victims were an Indian family in Canada on a visitor visa, including the father, Praveenbhai Chaudhari, 50; mother, Dakshaben, 45; son, Meet, 20; and daughter, Vidhi, 23. An Akwesasne man, Casey Oakes, whose boat was found near the bodies, is still missing, but police have confirmed he is connected to the case.

The tragedy came less than a week after Ottawa and Washington hashed out a deal to tighten bilateral rules to stop irregular migration along the 9,000-kilometre shared land border between Canada and the U.S.

Iordache and his wife, both 28, sought asylum in Canada based on ethnic persecution as Roma minorities and were scheduled to be deported from Canada last Wednesday after they were assessed to be safe to return to Romania.

Their lawyer Peter Ivanyi said Iordache, a construction worker, had two brothers in Florida while his parents and a sibling are in Craiova, Romania.

Just two days before their removal, they were informed that their request to defer the deportation was denied by the Canada Border Services Agency, which was Iordaches last contact with Ivanyi, who was not told of his clients plan to leave for the U.S.

He was stressed to the max. This was consuming him. Everything had to do with the kids for him. Whenever he said anything, it was always Peter, please, I have Canadian kids and they need to stay here because I cant take them home. He was prepared to do anything for his kids, recalled Ivanyi.

It might explain the dangerous decision that they undertook by getting into that boat. I guess he thought that was the only option. Hed run out of other options, is the way he viewed it.

According to the transcripts from Iordaches 2021 detention reviews, he got married a month before he and his partner returned to Canada for a second time, in 2020, with a passport using the wifes family name.

The couple failed to show up at their refugee hearing in March 2021 and the claim was deemed abandoned. They re-emerged on the border agencys radar that fall when Iordache, his wife (pregnant with son Elyen) and daughter Evelin were returned to the Pacific Highway Port of Entry by U.S. Customs and Border Control.

The couple told border agents they were on a road trip from Ontario to B.C. and the sole purpose of their trip was to visit Pioneer Park. They said they only entered the U.S. accidentally, blaming a GPS unit.

Authorities found items that make it clear that they intended to relocate to the U.S., along with $2,000 in cash, a rough map with directions, which noted Bender Road and Main Street in Washington state, the photo, address and rental agreement for a place in Nebraska on a tablet.

At his detention hearing in 2021, Iordache testified he left Toronto around Sept. 20 and stayed in a hotel in Surrey, B.C., before they were picked up by American authorities a week later.

I went to visit, to relax with my family, he told the tribunal through a translator, saying he wasnt crossing the U.S. border to seek asylum.

He said he accidentally entered the U.S. because he had little schooling and didnt know how to use the GPS.

Basically, I try to take turns to get out on different streets or roads to see whether I can get reconnected  I was going all over the place, basically, just to try to see if Im getting somewhere where its working, he said.

During cross-examination, Iordache insisted he didnt drive through a ditch or a field or through a fence to enter the U.S. Government counsel said it was impossible to cross from Surrey without going through an official port of entry.

In denying Iordaches release, tribunal adjudicator Jerry Cikes chided the man for placing his young family in such an outrageous situation in the midst of a global pandemic.

I find it very telling that you would also travel to British Columbia the first time you entered Canada with your wife, and you entered the United States from the Vancouver area with the same explanation that it was entirely an error on your part in terms of crossing into the United States knowingly, Cikes concluded.

You would take the opportunity to try entering the United States again or to effectively drop off the radar if given the opportunity.

Iordache did. And this time, theres no return.

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ISLAMABAD (AP)  Female Afghan employees of the United Nation have been banned by the ruling Taliban from working in the country, U.N. officials said Tuesday.

The U.N. mission expressed serious concern after its female staffers were prevented from reporting to work in eastern Nangarhar province.

We will continue to pursue all avenues to ensure that we can reach the most vulnerable people, especially women and girls, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

He said U.N. officials were told through various conduits that the ban applied to the whole country.

Taliban spokesmen were not immediately available for comment, and the group did not issue a statement.

Despite initial promises of a more moderate rule than during its previous stint in power, the Taliban have imposed harsh measures since seizing power in 2021 as U.S. and NATO forces were pulling out of Afghanistan after two decades of war.

Girls are banned from education beyond sixth grade. Women are barred from working, studying, traveling without a male companion, and even going to parks. Women must also cover themselves from head to toe.

Afghan women were also barred from working at national and international non-governmental organizations, disrupting the delivery of humanitarian aid.

Women working for the U.N. were not included in the NGO ban, but the U.N. raised fears that women working for the U.N. could be targeted.

Dujarric told reporters Tuesday that Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said that any such ban would be unacceptable and frankly, inconceivable.

Were still looking into how this development would affect our operations in the country, and we are expected to have more meetings with the de facto authorities tomorrow in Kabul in which were trying to seek some clarity.

Dujarric said female staff members are essential to executing life-saving U.N. operations on the ground, saying that out of a population of about 40 million people, were trying to reach 23 million men, women and children with humanitarian aid.

The U.N. has about 3,900 staff in Afghanistan, approximately 3,300 Afghans and 600 international personnel, he said, including 600 Afghan women and 200 women from other countries.

Dujarric wouldnt speculate when asked if the U.N. can continue to operate in Afghanistan if the Taliban dont reverse the ban on Afghan women.

The U.N. contingency plan is almost too tragic to contemplate, he added later.

The U.N. political mission in Afghanistan, UNAMA, is headed by a woman, Roza Otunbayeva, a former president and foreign minister of the Kyrgyz Republic. She was appointed by the secretary-general in coordination with the U.N. Security Council. Dujarric said theres been no Taliban action regarding the U.N.s senior leadership.

Taliban restrictions in Afghanistan, especially the bans on education and NGO work, have drawn fierce international condemnation. But the Taliban have shown no signs of backing down, claiming the bans are temporary suspensions in place allegedly because women were not wearing the Islamic headscarf, or hijab, correctly and because gender segregation rules were not being followed.

___

Associated Press writer Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations contributed to this report.

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LONDON (AP)  On Oct. 14, a Russian engineer named Gleb Karakulov boarded a flight from Kazakhstan to Turkey with his wife and daughter. He switched off his phone to shut out the crescendo of urgent, enraged messages, said goodbye to his life in Russia and tried to calm his fast-beating heart.

But this was no ordinary Russian defector. Karakulov was an officer in President Vladimir Putins secretive elite personal security service  one of the few Russians to flee and go public who have rank, as well as knowledge of intimate details of Putins life and potentially classified information.

Karakulov, who was responsible for secure communications, said moral opposition to Russias invasion of Ukraine and his fear of dying there drove him to speak out, despite the risks to himself and his family. He said he hoped to inspire other Russians to speak out also.

Our president has become a war criminal, he said. It is time to end this war and stop being silent.

Karakulovs account generally conforms with others that paint the Russian president as a once charismatic but increasingly isolated leader, who doesnt use a cellphone or the internet and insists on access to Russian state television wherever he goes. He also offered new details about how Putins paranoia appears to have deepened since his decision to invade Ukraine in February 2022. Putin now prefers to avoid airplanes and travel on a special armored train, he said, and he ordered a bunker at the Russian Embassy in Kazakhstan outfitted with a secure communications line in October  the first time Karakulov had ever fielded such a request.

Along with information on Putin, Karakulovs testimony offers an intimate view of one mans decision to defect  without telling his own mother, who he said remains a strong Putin supporter. It raises critical questions about how deep the Russian publics acceptance of the war runs, and how Putins opponents in the West and beyond might leverage any silent opposition.

While not speaking directly about his case, an official with a security background from a NATO country said a defection like Karakulovs has a very great level of interest. He spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive political matters.

That would be seen as a very serious blow to the president himself because he is extremely keen on his security, and his security is compromised, he said. Thats something that he would be very unhappy about  particularly if the compromise is to do with communications, upon which a great deal relies.

PUTIN IS SIMPLY AFRAID

As an engineer in a field unit of the presidential communications department of the Federal Protective Service, or FSO, Karakulov was responsible for setting up secure communications for the Russian president and prime minister wherever they went. While he was not a confidant of Putins, Karakulov spent years in his service, observing him from unusually close quarters from 2009 through late 2022.

Karakulov, his wife and his child have gone underground, and it was impossible to speak with them directly due to security constraints.

The Dossier Center, a London-based investigative group funded by Russian opposition figure Mikhail Khodorkovsky, interviewed Karakulov multiple times and shared video and transcripts of more than six hours of those interviews with The Associated Press, as well as the Danish Broadcasting Corporation DR, Swedish Television SVT, and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation NRK. The Dossier Center confirmed the authenticity of Karakulovs passport and FSO work identity card, and cross-checked details of his biography against Russian government records, leaked personal data and social media postings.

The Associated Press reviewed the materials from the Dossier Center and independently confirmed Karakulovs identity with three sources in the U.S. and Europe, who were not authorized to speak publicly. The AP also independently corroborated personal details, including Karakulovs passport numbers, date and place of birth, two registered addresses, and the names and ages of family members, but was unable to verify details of his defection.

The AP also confirmed that Karakulov is listed as a wanted man in the Russian Interior Ministrys public database of criminal suspects. The ministry initiated a criminal investigation against Karakulov on Oct. 26 for desertion during a time of military mobilization, according to documents obtained by the Dossier Center and seen by the AP.

The FSO is one of the most secretive branches of Russias security services.

Even when they quit, they never talk, but they know a lot of details of the private life of the president and the prime minister, said Katya Hakim, a senior researcher at the Dossier Center.

The Kremlin did not respond to requests for comment. Neither did Karakulovs father or brother.

Karakulov moved as part of an advance team, often with enough specialized communications equipment to fill a KAMAZ truck. He said he has taken more than 180 trips with the Russian president, and contrary to widespread speculation, Putin appears to be in better shape than most people his age. Putin has only canceled a few trips due to illness and has annual medical checkups, he said.

Unlike the prime minister, Putin does not require secure internet access on his trips, Karakulov said.

In all my service, I have never seen him with a mobile phone, he said. All the information he receives is only from people close to him. That is, he lives in a kind of information vacuum.

Karakulovs work brought him to luxury hotels for summits, beach resorts in Cuba, yachts  and aboard a special armored train outfitted for the Russian president.

Putins train looks like any other, painted gray with a red stripe to blend in with other railway carriages in Russia. Putin didnt like the fact that airplanes can be tracked, preferring the stealth of a nondescript train car, Karakulov said.

I understand that hes simply afraid, he said.

Putin began to use the train regularly in the run-up to the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Karakulov said. Even last year, Putin continued to insist on strict anti-COVID measures, and FSO employees took shifts in two-week quarantine so there would always be a pool of people cleared to travel with Putin on the train, he said.

Putin has set up identical offices in multiple locations, with matching details down to the desk and wall hangings, and official reports sometimes say hes one place when he is actually in another, according to Karakulov and prior reporting by a Russian media outlet. When Putin was in Sochi, security officials would deliberately pretend he was leaving, bringing in a plane and sending off a motorcade, when he was in fact staying, Karakulov said.

The guys would talk about this, really laughing, he said. I think that this is an attempt to confuse, first, intelligence, and second, so that there are no assassination attempts.

FACES OF WARRIORS

Karakulovs defection was a surprising turn for a family steeped in patriotic military tradition.

Born in Dagestan, Karakulov was raised to be ready for war, believing it was his sacred duty to defend his homeland. After graduating from a military academy, he found his way into the FSO.

To be close to the president  it sounded pretty cool, he said.

Karakulovs father is a former military man, who has worked as a professional photographer, among other jobs. He is working on a project he calls Faces of Warriors, a series of elegant, hagiographic portraits of Russian soldiers and veterans.

Karakulovs brother is a local government official, records show, and served as the point person for a regional, government-backed project devoted to civic patriotism and honoring Heroes of the Fatherland.

Karakulovs job introduced him to a world beyond his family. Even as his father and brother marched in patriotic military parades, his own doubts deepened. Hes horrified to think that he might also be rallying around the letter Z in support of the war in Ukraine if his job hadnt taught him to see through the lies of Russian state television.

Thanks to my work in the FSO, I have seen how information is distorted, he said.

He also began to question the conspicuous spending of Russias top leaders. He said he saw officials convene large delegations at luxurious resorts that cost more each night than his monthly salary. Theyd all attend a brief meeting and then hang out for a week, he said.

If this is from the budget, then the question is, Is it not too much to spend this kind of money on one person? he said. If its not from the budget, then its total corruption.

Russias invasion of Ukraine was a breaking point, he said. He told his wife he wanted out. He didnt want their young daughter brainwashed in preschool, where children were doing patriotic salutes and being told about bombs.

This is not the future I would like for my child, he said.

With Russias September mobilization drive, Karakulov realized that if he quit his job, he was likely to be drafted into a war he didnt want to fight. But even if he stayed, he could get sent to the front.

He learned that some of his colleagues had been dispatched to Ukraine and killed. He saw photos of FSO crews destroyed by Ukrainian rockets, with dozens likely dead.

He was outraged that no one in Russia acknowledged those deaths.

Theres no information about them, Karakulov said. What were they doing there? Why did they end up there? Why did they die there?

The only conversations he had were with colleagues who seemed to relish the war. He imagined others must share his views, but he had no way to find them.

They simply cannot even open their mouths, he said.

Karakulov said he couldnt tell his parents about his disillusionment either, because their minds had been molded by years of watching Russian state television.

As the war streamed in on the evening news, his parents seemed to savor the view from the front. He found it unbearable and asked his mother to turn off the TV. She refused.

He said he tried to explain to her that Ukraine is an independent country, but she immediately cut him off. What is this? she said to him. You want to run away? Are you some kind of foreign agent?

He never told them he was leaving.

In October, a series of official meetings in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, gave Karakulov his chance to run away. He and his wife packed their lives into three suitcases. He flew out Oct. 6 with the rest of his team. His wife and daughter joined two days later, staying in a separate hotel.

But each day, Karakulov found another reason not to go.

On the last day of the delegation, Oct. 14, he realized he couldnt postpone any longer. His wife collected his suitcase from his hotel room to avoid raising suspicion. He slipped away after lunch, telling colleagues that he was heading out to buy souvenirs.

He climbed in a taxi with his wife and daughter and set off for the airport around 3 p.m.

From then on, it was only a matter of my own nerves, he said.

He got through check-in and started getting messages from colleagues asking where he was. The flight was delayed by an hour. He could feel a distant fury building against him. By 5 p.m., he figured people had started to look for him.

You scumbag, read one message.

Fifteen minutes before takeoff, he switched off his phone.

His wife was very upset. They spent the 5 1/2-hour flight waiting for something to go wrong.

When they finally cleared passport control in Turkey, Karakulov said it was like a great stone had fallen from his soul.

He said he knows many people will accuse him of being unpatriotic, but he disagrees.

Patriotism is when you love your country, he said. In this case, our homeland needs to be saved, because something crazy and terrible is happening in our country. We need to fix this.

THE PRICE OF DISSENT

What the future holds for Karakulov  and anyone who might dare to follow in his footsteps  is far from clear.

He was not the only one who wanted out.

On Sept. 27, days after Russias mobilization, an engineer at a regional FSO center in Siberia named Mikhail Zhilin sneaked through the forest across the border to Kazakhstan. Many Russians fled to Kazakhstan to avoid the draft, but the authorities refused Zhilins request for asylum and sent him back to Russia. On March 20, a Russian court sentenced him to 6 1/2 years in a penal colony.

Abbas Gallyamov, a Russian political analyst now living in Israel who was a speechwriter for Putin from 2000 to 2001 and again from 2008 to 2010, said he believes the majority of Russias elites secretly oppose Putins war. He added that if the West had offered them an exit strategy instead of sanctions, more might have left.

They are all shocked, he said. From their point of view, there was no reason to do this because everything was okay  now all of a sudden, everything collapsed.  Were enemies of the world.

Gallyamov, like Karakulov, is on the wanted list of Russias Interior Ministry. He said a defection like Karakulovs is a particular blow because the FSO is like a royal elite above other military and security structures in Russia, charged with protecting the states most precious asset: Putin himself.

They will be very angry, he said. There will be hysterics.

Tatiana Stanovaya, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said Russian public opinion about the war is divided but there is little space for public dissent, especially for people working within the system.

The rule is that the elite stick to Putin, she said.

Those who do leave Russia often pay a price to keep their conscience clear.

Boris Bondarev, a career Russian diplomat in Geneva, quit in May and denounced the war.

Speaking from an undisclosed location in Switzerland, Bondarev told the AP he is living as a political refugee on a government allowance, with security constraints hed rather leave deliberately ambiguous. He cant find a job and has had to move apartments several times, for both financial and safety reasons. He cant travel freely  not even to meet a reporter for a cup of coffee in town.

I sent my CVs to dozens of think tanks in the U.S., in the U.K., in Europe, and most were ignored, he said. I got a few answers that sorry, but we already have Russia experts.

He said there are plenty of Russians who quietly oppose the war but dont dare speak out, for fear of losing their livelihoods. A few colleagues who quit Russias Foreign Ministry after he did contacted him for advice. They were having trouble finding work. One returned to Moscow because he couldnt make a living outside of Russia, he said.

Bondarev said he sometimes has second thoughts when he sees pictures of people eating out at nice restaurants in Moscow, living the kind of good life he can no longer afford.

But then he remembers the price: brainwashing, propaganda, hypocrisy.

I would come to my office at 9 and leave at 6 p.m. and in between I would have to produce numerous papers explaining why Ukraine attacked Russia, he said. I dont want it. No, no, I cant complain today.  I live very, very well.

___

Associated Press reporters Jamey Keaten in Geneva, Aamer Madhani in Washington and Joanna Kozlowska in London contributed to this report.

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Chinese acupuncturist Yang Yi poses for a photo with Algerian patient Appomata (R) at the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Center in Algiers, Algeria, June 8, 2022. (Chinese Medical Team to Algeria/Handout via Xinhua)

by Xinhua writers Shuai Anning, Chen Mengyang

ALGIERS, April 4 (Xinhua) -- It was a Monday morning at the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Center in Algiers, the capital of Algeria. The corridor, as usual, was thronged with patients who booked appointments at least half a year in advance for a session of acupuncture treatment.

Among them was Appomata, an Algerian woman in her 40s who came for the last treatment for her myelitis. Looking healthy and robust, one could hardly imagine that two months ago, she could hardly move her body from the neck below.

"I was prepared to live the rest of my life in a wheelchair," said Appomata. But thanks to the electro-acupuncture treatment with "magical needles" by Yang Yi, a Chinese acupuncturist, Appomata could sit up after two weeks and stand up after one month of treatment.

Accompanied by her husband and daughter, Appomata came this time also to express her gratitude for Yang, for whom she even performed a dance.

Having been operating for six years, the TCM center in Algiers' Ben Aknoun hospital enjoys huge popularity among local Algerians. Many are amazed at how a metal needle could relieve their chronic pain that is intractable to modern western medicine.

Chinese acupuncturist Yang Yi performs acupuncture therapy for a patient at the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Center in Algiers, Algeria, March 20, 2023. (Chinese Medical Team to Algeria/Handout via Xinhua)

"The Chinese acupuncture is magical," said Ayoub Touati, a patient with tenosynovitis, a painful condition that limits the movement of one's thumbs and wrist due to the inflammation of a tendon and its sheath. The 62-year-old had planned to undergo surgery in France before his pain was cured by Yang with the so-called "needle knife" method.

"I was amazed by this magical needle," said Touati. "No surgery, no stitches. Just in a few seconds, and the pain is gone."

Yang said she had treated about 20 patients with tenosynovitis in the past one and a half years, most of whom were referred to her by other patients.

She usually receives 20-30 patients a day, a heavy workload for the 56-year-old. Yet, she felt fulfilled by being able to help as many patients as possible and promote Chinese traditional medical treatment.

"The Chinese acupuncture has taken root in Algeria thanks to the continuous dedication of the Chinese medical teams over the past 60 years," said Yang, a member of the 27th Chinese medical team sent to Algeria in 2021 from China's central Hubei province.

A patient receives acupuncture therapy at the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Center in Algiers, Algeria, Feb 26, 2023. (Xinhua)

China was the first country to send a medical team to Algeria after the latter declared independence from France in 1962. Over the past 60 years, China has sent more than 3,500 medical staff to the North African country, most of them are acupuncturists and obstetricians.

Over the past six decades, those Chinese doctors have treated about 27.37 million patients in Algeria, performed about 1.74 million operations, and delivered 2.07 million newborns.

Yang Yi said she was proud to learn that Chinese doctors and the TCM have earned recognition and respect from the Algerians for their dedicated services and magical effects.

She recalled that one time, a 58-year-old Algerian woman showed a photo taken 27 years ago with some Chinese doctors who cured the woman's twisted ankle with acupuncture.

Pointing at the faded photo, Yang said that the Chinese doctors in the picture are still remembered by the Algerian patients who received their help, which makes "their efforts all the more worthwhile."

A patient shows two photos taken with doctors of the Chinese medical team in Algeria in 1994 at the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Center in Algiers, Algeria, Nov 14, 2021. (Chinese Medical Team to Algeria/Handout via Xinhua)



The Algerian patient proposed to take a new picture with Yang and other Chinese doctors, saying that she will always keep the photos as a witness to the long-lasting friendship between the peoples of the two countries.

Yang Shengyu, the younger sister of Yang Yi, also a member of the 27th batch, said she plans to stay for a third two-year term after the end of her current second term.

"I feel happy that I could help the people here," she said, "I am just an ordinary person... but I feel honored just being able to help." 
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP)  The three-week manhunt for a former top aide to Marylands governor ended in his death after public corruption charges jeopardized his career and ultimately sent him on the run from federal agents when he skipped a court appearance last month.

Following numerous twists and turns, the case against Roy McGrath ended Monday night when FBI agents confronted the fugitive outside Knoxville, Tennessee. McGrath, who had served as former Gov. Larry Hogans chief of staff, died in the hospital after being wounded by gunfire.

As the criminal investigation and prosecution dragged on for years, McGrath consistently maintained his innocence and was adamant about going to trial in hopes of clearing his name, according to his lawyer, Joseph Murtha. But when the March 13 trial date arrived, McGrath surprised his attorney by failing to appear at the U.S. District Court in Baltimore.

We were moving forward and preparing for trial, but you never know whats going on in someones mind, Murtha said Tuesday morning. The rest is three weeks of uncertainty and a tragic ending.

McGrath served as Hogans chief of staff for just 11 weeks, resigning in August 2020 after it became public that he had received a $233,650 severance payment from his old job as head of a state-owned corporation before moving to the governors office.

McGrath, 53, was indicted in 2021 on accusations that he fraudulently secured the severance payment, equal to one years salary as the head of Maryland Environmental Service, by falsely telling the agencys board that the governor had approved it; Hogan denied knowledge of the plan. McGrath also was accused of fraud and embezzlement connected to roughly $170,000 in expenses.

McGrath was devastated when his professional reputation suffered because of the federal criminal charges, Murtha said.

I think he felt like he had been destroyed. He felt completely betrayed, Murtha said in a phone interview. I really believe Roy was a dedicated public servant who sought to do the best job he could for the citizens of Maryland. He was a workaholic. He worked nonstop.

Murtha said Tuesday that the biggest unanswered question is whether McGrath was killed by law enforcement agents or died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Officials also havent said whether McGrath was armed during the fatal encounter.

McGrath was wounded during an agent-involved shooting about 6:30 p.m. Monday in the outskirts of Knoxville and was taken to a hospital, where he died, according to FBI Supervisory Special Agent Shayne Buchwald in Maryland. Further details, including how McGrath was wounded and what led up to the shooting, were not released. It remained under investigation.

McGrath grew up in southern Maryland, graduated from the University of Maryland in College Park and built a career in state-level Republican politics. His relationship with Hogan dated back decades; he worked on Hogans unsuccessful 1992 congressional campaign. McGrath then spent many years working for the National Association of Chain Drug Stores, which lobbies on behalf of pharmacies, before transitioning back into state politics after Hogan was elected governor.

Skip Aldridge, who met McGrath through his work with the association, said he learned about McGraths death on the news Tuesday morning.

I was shocked beyond belief. I was absolutely blown away, he said in a phone interview. That is not the Roy I knew.

McGrath struck him as someone with the highest degree of integrity, Aldridge said, describing his friend as wholesome and well-liked among colleagues.

Imagining him under FBI gunfire is almost beyond my comprehension, Aldridge said. But I guess when you push people to the breaking point, you dont know how theyll react to a crisis.

In 2016, McGrath was appointed to serve as executive director of the Maryland Environmental Service. He oversaw the state-owned corporation, which provides environmental services such as water and wastewater management to government entities and private clients, until he became Hogans chief of staff in 2020.

According to federal and state prosecutors, McGrath took advantage of his positions of trust as the environmental agencys director and Hogans top aide for personal gain.

In the months after his indictment, McGrath contended he had earned the severance package and received authorization from the governor.

I continue to cooperate fully, and will vigorously defend myself, in ongoing legal matters connected to politically motivated claims surrounding a customary and well-earned severance package from my position as CEO of the Maryland Environmental Service, McGrath wrote in a Nov. 30, 2021 commentary in The Baltimore Sun.

Hogan, who was expected to testify in the trial, has denied knowledge of the severance arrangement.

Yumi and I are deeply saddened by this tragic situation. We are praying for Mr. McGraths family and loved ones, Hogan said in a statement Monday night.

If convicted of the federal charges, McGrath would have faced a maximum sentence of 20 years for each of four counts of wire fraud, plus a maximum of 10 years for each of two counts of embezzling funds from an organization receiving more than $10,000 in federal benefits.

The trial was set to begin last month in Baltimore. McGrath, who moved to Florida in recent years, was supposed to catch a flight to Maryland the night before his court appearance but instead disappeared. FBI agents raided his Naples home two days later.

Another few weeks would pass before they found him in the parking lot of a suburban Tennessee strip mall Monday evening. Officials have released few details about how the shooting unfolded. A white Escalade was visible on the scene surrounded by law enforcement vehicles.

___ Sarah Brumfield contributed to this report from Silver Spring, Maryland.

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Reconciliation is not an Aboriginal problem  it is a Canadian problem. It involves all of us.  Justice Murray Sinclair

This spring, Canadian banks are facing questions at their annual shareholder meetings about their roles in financing fossil fuel expansion and violations of Indigenous rights, both of which contribute to the climate crisis and the increased risks we all face.

Banks play a critical, yet fragile role in the economy by pricing, balancing, and managing risk. The recent failure of Silicon Valley Bank is a stark reminder about the importance of prudent risk management and effective regulation.

Next week, at Royal Bank of Canadas annual shareholder meeting in Saskatoon, investors will vote on a shareholder proposal filed by the B.C. General Employees Union (BCGEU) in partnership with the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs (UBCIC). The proposal encourages RBC to take action on its commitments to truth and reconciliation by starting to operationalize free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) into their business practices.

This modest first step is aligned with international industry good practices, the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, and the Truth and Reconciliation Commissions call to action No. 92.

We joined forces  a labour union and a First Nations political advocacy organization  to advance the critical work of reconciliation within corporate Canada. BCGEU, as a long-term investor, believes that companies that engage in reconciliation are the best governed companies and that this work enhances shareholder value.

Truth and reconciliation require more than platitudes and symbolic acts. What matters is how we grapple with the hard truths of colonialism and turn those into action. For UBCIC, that means embedding and operationalizing free, prior and informed consent as a minimum standard as set out in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People.

Together, we engaged with several Canadian banks for the simple reason that financial institutions are the gatekeepers and backbone of the Canadian economy. When banks begin to put their commitments to truth and reconciliation into action by operationalizing FPIC, it will ripple throughout the economy.

Businesses like RBC have an important role to play in fulfilling the promise of reconciliation. While economic reconciliation and equity, diversity, and inclusion are important, true reconciliation cannot occur if companies like RBC continue to heavily fund projects and companies that do not obtain FPIC from the proper title holders.

RBCs failure to adequately consider FPIC as a material risk has already caused the bank reputational harm, not to mention significant delays, cost overruns, conflict, and legal risk. One need look no further than the Indigenous protests and resulting operational delays for Coastal GasLink as a prime example of the cost of accepting a lower standard than FPIC.

Shareholders should not be persuaded by the banks reliance on the Equator Principles (EP4). EP4 falls short of the minimum standard set out in UNDRIP and will not mitigate the material risks associated with ignoring Indigenous rights.

The EP4 is reactive instead of proactive: Rather than implementing the identify, protect, mitigate and address framework within the UNGPs as a way to create proactive risk assessment processes, EP4 remains reactionary by setting forth language to minimize, mitigate, and compensate once impacts have already occurred.

FPIC will soon also be a compliance issue, with legislation mandating human rights due diligence gaining steam around the world and federal legislation such as the Bank Act being reviewed for consistency with UNDRIP. FPIC is a fundamental standard, and companies cant land acknowledge their way around it.

RBC is lagging behind other banks in disclosing how it considers the free, prior and informed Consent procedures of its business clients. Aiming for Canadas current legal minimum standards is not enough. If RBC is serious about reconciliation, it needs to aim higher than the floor.

Grand Chief Stewart Phillip is the president of the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs and Paul Finch is the Treasurer of BCGEU.

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Army inducts only 47 conscripts from Kathu

PHUKET: Of the 433 young men in Kathu District called up to present themselves for conscription duty at Saphan Hin yesterday (Apr 3), only 47 will serve as soldiers, officials have reported.

military

By The Phuket News

Tuesday 4 April 2023, 05:44PM

The conscription service was conducted at the 4,000-seat Indoor Sports Stadium, with Lt Col Kawit Satitsomboon overseeing the proceedings. Lt Col Kawit is Commander-in-Chief of the 5th Infantry Division, serving with the Region 4 Army base in Nakhon Sri Thammarat,

Of the 433 men called to present themselves, 24 chose to enlist voluntarily, while 23 drew the red card, meaning they will be obliged to perform mandatory military service. The remaining 386 were exempted from military service.

Some of those conscripted formally requested to delay their period of military service.

According to the Government Contact Center (GCC), Thai men who must attend the call-up for conscription in 2023 are men who were born in 2002, and men born between 1994 and 2001 who had never attended a conscription call-up before or had been called up previously but never completed their military service.

However, students who reach the age for conscription are allowed to delay their conscription according to the ministerial regulations (namely so they can complete their studies).

Thai men who reach the conscription age must go to their local district office and be issued a summons (SorDor 35) from a Military Recruiting Officer.

Those who do not present themselves to be issued a SorDor 35 within the permitted time face a B300 fine or up to three months imprisonment.

Those who are issued a SorDor 35 and do not attend the conscription call-up face up to three years imprisonment.
Malaysian MPs vote to axe mandatory death penalty

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysias parliament passed a bill yesterday (Apr 3) to remove mandatory death sentences, with rights groups welcoming the vote as an important step that could have a knock-on effect elsewhere in Southeast Asia.

crimedeath

By AFP

Tuesday 4 April 2023, 09:15AM

While the new bill does not completely remove capital punishment, it allows judges the discretion to pass alternatives. Photo: AFP

Convictions for several offences, including murder and drug trafficking, previously came with automatic death penalties, giving judges no leeway.

The bill does not scrap death sentences, but grants judges the option to instead impose lengthy prison sentences of between 30 to 40 years under certain conditions.

Speaking before the lower house of Malaysias parliament, Deputy Law Minister Ramkarpal Singh said: We cannot arbitrarily ignore the existence of the inherent right to life of every individual.

Malaysia has had a moratorium on executions since 2018, but courts have continued to send inmates to death row.

The reform will still have to clear the senate, but is widely expected to pass without major opposition.

Human Rights Watch deputy Asia director Phil Robertson called yesterdays vote an important step forward for Malaysia, and hopes it will add pressure for other Southeast Asian nations to follow suit.

This is an important breakthrough that will cause some serious conversations in the halls of upcoming ASEAN meetings, he told AFP, referring to the 10-member Southeast Asian bloc.

Malaysia should show regional leadership by encouraging other governments in ASEAN to re-think their continued use of the death penalty, starting with Singapore which has recently gone on a post-COVID execution spree.

Last year, the prosperous city-state hung 11 people - all for drug offences.

Myanmars junta has also resumed using death sentences after a decades-long pause.

Cambodia and the Philippines are the only ASEAN members to have fully abolished capital punishment.

While Malaysias vote stopped short of ending capital punishment, Anti-Death Penalty Asia Network executive coordinator Dobby Chew welcomed the vote as a good way forward.

We have data that shows that the death penalty doesnt change anything, he told AFP.
Phuket candidates register for election

PHUKET: Crowds of supporters turned out in droves at the Phuket Auditorium, located at the Phuket Provincial Administration Centerin Phuket Town, yesterday (Apr 3) as candidates registered to contest seats as Members of Parliament representing Phuket in the upcoming election to be held on May 14.

politics

By The Phuket News

Tuesday 4 April 2023, 01:48PM

Yesterday marked the first day for candidates to register for the election. Nationwide, candidates have until 4:30pm Friday (Apr 7) to register.

In line with national policy and registration centres set up elsewhere throughout the country, the Phuket office of the Election Commission of Thailand (ECT Phuket) started receiving registrations at the provincial government centre, on Tha Kraeng Rd, Phuket Town, at 8:30am.

In Phuket, a total of 28 candidates representing 13 political parties registered. Only five parties  Kao Klai, Bhumjaithai, Palang Pracharat, Pheu Thai and Seri Ruam Thai  fielded candidates to contest all three MP seats available.

The May 14 election will be the first that three MP seats for Phuket will be up for grabs. Previously Phuket had been allocated only two.

SILENT ANNOUNCEMENTS

ECT Phuket has been required twice to seek public feedback on which of three maps will be used to define the three constituencies in Phuket.

However, so far ECT Phuket has yet to announce through a public announcement exactly which map will be used in the May 14 election.

After calls by The Phuket News to the main ECT Phuket office yesterday went unanswered, The Phuket News was finally able to speak to an ECT Phuket officer today, who said that Map 2 had been selected.

The officer repeatedly said that ECT Phuket had announced which map was to be used on its website  but was unable to explain where. The Phuket News has been unable to locate the public announcement. At the time of this story being posted online today (Apr 4), the public announcement still had yet to be posted on ECT Phukets official Facebook page.

The Phuket office of the Public Relations Department and its affiliate Phuket branch of Radio Thailand Phuket both also still had yet to announce to Phuket people through their official Facebook pages that Map 2 has been chosen.

FULL STEAM AHEAD

The lack of public knowledge of which map was to be used, hence which areas each MP seat will cover, did not stop candidates from turning out in force yesterday to register to enter the election. Apparently the prospective candidates had already been told.

As such, as posted on the public boards at the registration centre were the full list of candidates, and their numbers on the ballot, as follows:

Candidates for Area 1

Pol Lt Col Payao Maneerat from Thai Pakdee Party Acting Second Lieutenant Somchat Techathavaroen, Kao Klai Party Niphon Aikwanich, Bhumjaithai Party Prasert Prateep Na Thalang, Thai Sang Thai Party Anantarak Phethin, Seri Ruam Thai Party Jirayut Songyos, Palang Pracharat Party Watcharapong Anantakul, Pheu Thai Party Piya Sidokbuab, Thai Sang Chart Party Natdanai Hirunsetthi, Plian Party

Candidates for Area 2

Awut Noochet, Pheu Thai Party Chalermpong Sangdee, Kao Klai Party Nuanchan Samart, Ruam Thai Sang Chart Party Sutha Prateep Na Thalang, Palang Pracharat Party Wongsakorn Chanakij, Bhumjaithai Party Pakwan Kitprasarn, Thai Sang Thai Party Thames Kraitat, Chart Pattana Kla Party Nio Nimu, Seri Ruam Thai Party Karom Dermlim, Pheu Chart Thai Party

Candidates for Area 3
Police link husband of Thai actress to gambling site

BANGKOK: Police say they have found evidence showing the husband of a Thai actress has operated a gambling website with its server in Cambodia and more than B3 billion in circulation over the past year.

corruptioncrimepolice

By Bangkok Post

Tuesday 4 April 2023, 12:45PM

Police display valuables and land title deeds seized from businessman Rama Rassameerama, the husband of actress Yardthip Rajpal, at a briefing on Friday (Mar 31). Photo: Bangkok Post

Police inspect one of the luxury cars seized from businessman Rama Rassameerama. Photo: Bangkok Post

Pol Maj Gen Wiwat Khamchamna, deputy commissioner of the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB), said on Friday (Mar 31) that investigators had examined the money trail of bank accounts of people hired to open them. The money, he said, had been transferred from those accounts to the bank accounts of businessman Rama Mek Rama Rassameerama, 36, who is married to actress Yardthip Rajpal, reports the Bangkok Post.

Pol Maj Gen Wiwat elaborated at a briefing held to update details about Thursdays raid on 17 locations with suspected links to online gambling. Mr Rama and eight accomplices were arrested during the raids in Bangkok and other provinces.

Seized from him were luxury cars, expensive watches, houses and more than 100 land title deeds in Phuket and Bangkok, Buddha amulets, some cash and other items worth over B1 billion in total, said Pol Lt Gen Worawat Watnakhornbancha, the CCIB commissioner.

All nine suspects were charged with colluding in operating gambling or persuading people either directly or indirectly to bet.

Pol Lt Gen Worawat hailed the operation as a success in that police were able to arrest everyone involved, including the people hired to open bank accounts, administrators of the website and the owner of the website www.1six8.com.

CCIB investigators will now work with the Anti-Money Laundering Office to examine the seized assets. Some might also be linked to the Forex-3D Ponzi scheme that the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) has been handling, said Pol Lt Gen Worawat.

Last month, the DSI confiscated a B220 million penthouse belonging to Mr Rama for alleged involvement in Forex-3D.

A police investigation found that some of 72 land title deeds in Phuket had been acquired since 2020.

The CCIB chief denied reports that certain officers had been lobbying investigators not to move against Mr Rama and the other suspects.

During the search of the businessmans home in Bangkok, police believed some valuables and other assets might have been moved to other places before the raid.

The initial examination of the money trail of the nine suspects has so far showed no links to other people, said the CCIB chief.

The investigation is continuing and he vowed to take action against all people involved. At this stage, Ms Yardthip has not been implicated.

There has been some speculation about the nationality of the accused, but Mr Rama is Thai, said Pol Lt Gen Worawat. During the raid, his Thai mother confirmed that her son had been born at Ramathibodi Hospital, hence the name. His father was Chinese.

The eight other suspects - all men - are Navaprin Thongnoi, 31; Naruephong Luenam, 29; Ratthasart Wongcheewasut, 32; Chukiart Uangram, 28; Chakhorn Supamaneewitsiri 33; Phapakorn Ruengpakdee, 38; Sanaret Manomai-ngamlert, 31; and Kittithat Uppaphong, 30.

During questioning, only Mr Nareuphong confessed to the charges.

Police on Friday took the suspects to the Criminal Court and opposed bail, saying they posed a flight risk. The court agreed and all nine were taken to the Bangkok Remand Prison.
Warrants out for 3 Chinese fugitives in student kidnap-murder case

NONTHABURI: Police have obtained court warrants for the arrest of three fugitive Chinese men in the kidnap and murder of a Chinese university student whose body was found in a ditch in Nonthaburi province on Saturday (Apr 1).

Chinesepolicemurderviolencecrime

By Bangkok Post

Tuesday 4 April 2023, 08:58AM

Police at the ditch where a sack containing the body of the murdered Chinese student was found in Bang Yai district, Nonthaburi, on Saturday afternoon. Photo: Phupitak Facebook

National police chief Pol Gen Damrongsak Kittiprapas said yesterday (Apr 3) that investigators had identified all suspects in the case. Warrants had already been approved by the court, Pol Gen Damrongsak said.

The body of Jin Can, a 22-year-old Chinese music student at Bangkok Thonburi University, was found in a ditch at a planation in Bang Yai district of Nonthaburi on Saturday afternoon.

Her body was in a sack and had five stab wounds. A towel was tied around her neck, reports the Bangkok Post.

Surveillance camera footage showed three Chinese men abducted her from from the university last Tuesday. They took her in a red Mazda car to a rented house in a high-priced housing estate in Bang Yai and detained her there, according to Pol Maj Gen Nopasilp Poolsawat, deputy Bangkok police chief.

Detectives learned that gang then used the WeChat app to demand a ransom of 500,000 yuan, about B2.5 million, from her father in China. The father received the ransom demand together with a picture of his daughter with her wrists and ankles tied. He then asked the university about his daughters whereabouts. He suspected it was a prank.

The university told her father that his daughter was last seen at the university betwee 5pm and 7pm last Tuesday.

Pol Gen Damrongsak said the unpaid ransom and a love affair were thought to be factors in her murder.

The investigators found that the suspects have fled abroad. Interpol will be asked to issue a red notice and Chinese police will be asked to help bring them to task. Deputy national police chief Pol Gen Surachate Hakparn has been assigned to coordinate with the Chinese embassy to accelerate the procedures, the police chief said.

He said there had been a considerable number of Chinese nationals committing crimes in Thailand. He had issued instructions to handle this problem. Thailand and China were working closely to deal with crime involving Chinese nationals, he said.

Thailands issuing of visas on arrival meant tourists could get visas at the airport and this had proved convenient for them. But this also made it easier for criminals to enter the country, the national police chief said. Suitable measures had to be drawn up to promote tourism and at the same time keep out criminals.

Yesterday, police led by Pol Col Somphon Wongsrisunthorn, deputy chief of Nonthaburi police, again searched the suspects rented house in Bang Yai district, looking for additional evidence. It is believed the young woman was murdered there.

A woman had rented this house for one month and the contract was signed on Mar 20. On the night of Mar 29 she had contacted the house owner, saying she had to urgently return to her country and asked for the return of part of the money she had paid in advance.

Witnesses told police that they saw a red Mazda leave the housing estate around 8:20pm on Mar 29. It did not return. The car was believed earlier used by the gang to bring the abducted woman to the house.
Wang Yi, director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, co-hosts the Third Meeting of China-Indonesia High-level Dialogue Cooperation Mechanism with Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, Indonesia's coordinator for cooperation with China and coordinating minister of maritime affairs and investment, in Beijing, capital of China, April 4, 2023. (Xinhua/Ding Haitao)

BEIJING, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Wang Yi, director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, on Tuesday co-hosted the Third Meeting of China-Indonesia High-level Dialogue Cooperation Mechanism with Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, Indonesia's Coordinator for Cooperation with China and Coordinating Minister of Maritime Affairs and Investment.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, said China is ready to work with Indonesia to strengthen all-round strategic coordination, further deepen the new cooperation pattern covering politics, economy, culture and maritime affairs, and jointly promote the development of the two countries and the prosperity of the region.

Noting this year marks the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative, Wang said China is willing to work with Indonesia to advance cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative in the next stage.

Wang called on both sides to strengthen cooperation in development financing, green economy and grain security, deepen maritime cooperation, and promote bilateral economic, trade and investment cooperation.

China and Indonesia should also strengthen defense and law enforcement cooperation, increase personnel exchanges and deepen strategic mutual trust and people-to-people friendship, Wang added.

When talking about the Global Civilization Initiative, Wang said China is ready to strengthen exchanges and mutual learning between civilizations with Indonesia and encourage the governments, political parties, parliaments, localities and non-governmental forces of the two countries to play a positive role in enriching and improving the content and forms of inter-civilization dialogue.

For his part, Luhut said Indonesia regards China as an important strategic partner and is willing to work with China to jointly build the Belt and Road with high quality, actively explore the Global Development Initiative and strengthen the sense of a community with a shared future. 
I'm one of the major things Canada is known for. I can be found in the cupboards and pantries of many Canadian homes. I go well with many dishes. My initials are M.S. What am I?

If you answered maple syrup, you're correct.

When youre having pancakes and you drizzle some of that good ol maple syrup on it, have you ever been curious how this delicious syrup was made?

New Hamburg Independent spoke with Ian Roth from Roths Maple Syrup to learn more.

Roth has been making maple syrup for two decades. Hes recently partnered with James Byler, and the two of them along with their families operate the business.

This Q-and-A has been edited for length and clarity.

WHEN IS MAPLE SYRUP SEASON IN CANADA?

February to April.

HOW IS MAPLE SYRUP MADE?

Water is evaporated from sap until it reaches 66.5 brix sugar. (Brix is a unit of measurement. It measures the number of dissolved solids in a liquid measured via its specific gravity and is commonly used to measure dissolved sugar content of an aqueous solution.)

HOW DO YOU TAP TREES FOR MAPLE SYRUP?

Drill a small hole into a maple tree and a spout is put in to direct drips into pails or pipelines.

HOW CAN PEOPLE STORE MAPLE SYRUP FOR WHEN ITS OUT OF SEASON?

RELATED STORIES United Way to give more than $663K to 47 Waterloo Region organizations

It can be stored in sealed containers or kept refrigerated if its not sealed.

INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT MAPLE SYRUP

Its a natural sugar with lots of nutrients. Its only made in climates that are freezing and warm in the same season. The amount of sap harvested from trees during the season is the fraction amount that passes up through the tree. It takes 40 to 50 litres of sap to make one litre of maple syrup.

Roth's Maple Syrup is located at 1944 Bean Rd, New Hamburg. For more information visit https://www.rothsmaple.com/.

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CAMBRIDGE  A superior court has rejected a bid by citizens to have the courts review Cambridge councils decision to let a massive Amazon warehouse go forward.

The decision effectively ends debate over the project, which is expected to be complete in 2024.

The citizens group Blair Engaged, which formed to oppose the project, went to court after Cambridge council abruptly and without notice voted last May to overturn an earlier decision, effectively giving the green light to the proposal.

Three Superior Court judges agreed with the residents group that city council violated its procedural bylaw  which spells out the rules by which council conducts its business  but ultimately rejected the application. They also ordered the non-profit to pay $20,000 for the developers court costs.

The developer, Broccolini Real Estate Group, had applied to the city to change the zoning for the property on Old Mill Road, east of Highway 401 so that it could build a million-square-foot warehouse on the outskirts of historic Blair village.

The project faced intense opposition and attracted large crowds and petitions to council. In March 2022, council voted 5-4 to reject heritage impact and traffic studies for the warehouse project, effectively killing the project.

Broccolini appealed the decision to the Ontario Land Tribunal, which decides land planning disputes.

But on May 17, 2022, without any prior notice, a member of council made a motion to reconsider the Broccolini application. Council voted 6-2 to waive its rules to give public notice about a reconsideration, voted to reconsider the matter, and then voted to overturn its earlier decision and approve Broccolinis application.

Blair Engaged asked for a judicial review, a court examination that can overturn a council decision.

Blair Engaged argued councils decision should be set aside on grounds of bad faith, illegality, and lack of procedural fairness, because council gave no advance notice that it would reconsider the application.

The court agreed in its March 31 ruling that the councils actions were a significant departure from the procedural bylaw, but the breach wasnt enough to overturn the planning approvals for the project.

There was no urgency to justify departing from the requirements of the procedural bylaw. Members of council were not advised until the moment the motion was placed on the floor. Given the absence of notice, members of the community who might have wished to attend the meeting could not do so, the ruling says.

Although we conclude that council breached its procedural bylaw by failing to give adequate notice of the motion to reconsider the matter, council did not act in bad faith in doing so and, having regard to all the circumstances, we decline to grant the relief sought by Blair Engaged, the decision reads.

Alan Van Norman from Blair Engaged said he had not yet seen the decision so he was unable to comment.

The decision went on to say that when the court heard the application for judicial review this past February, the warehouse project was already half finished, so the violation of the procedural bylaw would not constitute a sufficient basis for quashing the decision (of council.)

The warehouse application had been streamlined with whats known as a Ministers Zoning Order or MZO.

Residents rallied against the MZO application, largely out of concern that there wasnt enough public consultation.

Paige Desmond is a Waterloo Region-based reporter focusing on municipal issues for The Record. Reach her via email: pdesmond@therecord.com

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KITCHENER  A youth is facing multiple criminal charges in connection to a shooting late last year in Waterloo.

On Dec. 30, 2022, Waterloo Regional Police were called to a business at 150 University Ave. W. for reports of a gunshot. No one was hurt in the shooting.

On Monday, police arrested a youth in Kitchener in connection to the shooting. He faces multiple charges including careless use of a firearm, two counts of unauthorized possession of a prohibited weapon, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, possession for the purpose of trafficking, possession of suspected methamphetamine, and four counts of fail to comply with release order.

Police seized a handgun as part of the investigation.

The youth was held for a bail hearing.

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WATERLOO REGION  The Region of Waterloo is asking the province for nearly 1,000 more child-care spaces to meet a growing demand for licensed child-care spots in the community.

The region has been allocated funding to create 1,871 new child-care spaces between 2022 and 2026 but it needs more  at least 997 more spots  to meet provincial guidelines, said Barbara Cardow, the regions director of childrens services.

The additional spots for children up to five years of age are planned for a variety of spaces, including in schools, standalone centres, or attached to a place of worship, or in a caregivers home.

A provincial-federal agreement last year to introduce $10-a-day child-care is truly transformational change and a once-in-a-generation investment, said Cardow.

Locally, 98 per cent of operators opted in to the $10-a-day program.

We can really make a difference for children, for working mothers, for poverty, for families ... and for society as a whole, said Cardow, who will update regional councillors on child care in the region at a community services committee Tuesday.

Last March, the provincial and federal governments signed an agreement to fund 86,000 new licensed child-care spaces in Ontario.

In the region, that means 1,871 new licensed child-care spaces, both home- and centre-based for children from newborns to age four, being created from now until 2026.

Currently, there are 7,241 spaces for children up to age four in licensed home and centre-based child care. About 13,827 children, ages five to 12, are in before- and after-school care.

The province has set a target of 37 per cent of children in a community having access to child-care spaces. Locally, 26 per cent of children have access to a licensed centre or home-based space.

The region wants child-care providers to put in proposals to create the 997 child care spaces in 13 priority areas with high numbers of children living in low-income households and needing child care, Cardow said. Priority will also be given to proposals that meet the needs of Black, racialized and Indigenous families, she said.

The 13 areas the region has identified include Alpine Laurentian Hills, Chicopee/Idlewood/Stanley Park in Kitchener, Lakeshore, Dearborn/Lexington/Lincoln in Waterloo, Preston/Blair in Cambridge, rural Wilmot and parts of Wellesley Township.

If you look at Alpine and you see there is 425 children, 22 per cent living in low-income homes and they have no access to child care. Its just a critical need in that area, Cardow said.

As of February, 7,214 children were on a wait list for a licensed child-care space in the region.

Its a significant number. Thats a lot of children, Cardow said.

Childcare operators are saying they have never seen wait lists like this before, she said.

Some of the children under four have been on a wait list for a while and may be in another placement, while some of the children on the wait list havent even been born yet, Cardow said.

Im receiving calls and emails from parents saying, This ($10-a-day child care) is great but I cant get in,  she said. It just breaks my heart because, as much as this is really great news, its also challenging for parents who are not able to access the system.

Compounding the problem is a shortage of licensed child-care educators, Cardow said. Finding qualified workers  and retaining them  is an enormous challenge, she said.

It is certainly like nothing Ive ever seen in my almost 40 years as an early childhood educator, she said.

Some operators are reducing their hours or temporary closing certain rooms. They may have the physical space, but they just dont have the staff, she said.

Cardow said child care workers need to be valued for the important work they do with increased wages and benefits .

I think the pandemic has started to help realizing that Oh my goodness we need these people and we need to keep our economy moving, because people are going to need child care if theyre going to go to work,  she said.

But most importantly, licensed child care is a real game changer for children, supporting their development and putting them on a good trajectory for life.

If we did one thing to make our world better, it would be creating a system that every single child has access to high-quality child care. ... What a difference that would make in society as a whole.

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WATERLOO REGION  The University of Waterloo Institute for Artificial Intelligence is holding a three-week program in May to help leaders integrate the latest advances in artificial intelligence.

Jimmy Lin, the institutes director, organized the program in response to the hype and dire predictions around ChatGPT4  the latest version of an AI platform that generates answers in response to questions, rather than simply pointing to information on the internet.

We just rolled it out, said Lin of the program. What does ChatGPT mean for our company? Does it enhance it? Does it take away from it? Does it obviate our value add? Everybody is taking a look at this.

After California-based OpenAI released ChatGPT3 in November 2022 it sparked a furious round of speculation that continues to this day  300 million jobs worldwide will be lost, deep fakes will become courtroom evidence , thousands signed a petition that calls for a six-month pause on AI research until regulations are developed and in place, and tech companies that refuse to pause should have their data centres destroyed by airstrikes.

We try to be more even-keeled about this, said Lin of the reactions. The extreme positions are almost always wrong; the truth is always somewhere in the middle.

OpenAI is getting most of the attention, and its ChatGPT platform is the acknowledged leader. But all big tech companies have released or partially released versions of generative AI: Microsofts Bing Chat (which uses OpenAI technology), Googles Bard and Metas Llama.

A pause on research and development of generative AI would be closing the barn door after all the horses have fled, said Lin. Everybody has their own motivation and hidden agendas in calling for a pause  it is completely unworkable.

ChatGPT may have produced the most advanced AI on the planet, but OpenAI acknowledges on its website the tech is far from perfect.

While we have safeguards in place, the system may occasionally generate incorrect or misleading information and produce offensive or biased content. It is not intended to give advice, it says.

Please dont share any sensitive information in your conversations, it adds.

There is nothing new in students buying essays, misinformation on social media platforms, or fake evidence in the justice system, said Lin. Schools, courts and governments learned how to deal with those issues in the past, and they will again with the rise of generative AI, he said.

We need to be concerned about it, yes, but these are not fundamentally new problems, said Lin.

Currently, generative AI produces answers to questions and prompts, but does not take any action.

Today for example I can ask Bing AI to help me plan a trip to Montreal, but at the end of the day I still have to book the plane ticket, buy the ticket, reserve a hotel room, said Lin.

But once generative AI platforms are connected to travel sites, credit cards, bank accounts, restaurant reservation apps, airlines and the like, the technology will do all of that.

This is in private beta but people know about it, said Lin.

If ChatGPT is going to buy plane tickets on your behalf, it actually needs access to your wallet, and your credit card information, said Lin. And that comes with a lot of security risks.

As soon as Siri or an Amazon Echo can order stuff on your behalf, that could be more worrisome for the same reasons, he added.

Italy has banned ChatGPT after learning OpenAI was using personal data to train its AI platform. The Centre for AI and Digital Policy in the United States filed a complaint with the federal telecommunications regulator urging an investigation of OpenAI and the suspension of ChatGPT sales.

The Future of Life Institute started the petition that calls on OpenAI to pause research and development. And AI pioneer Yoshua Bengio of the Montreal Institute for Learning Algorithms is among those who have signed it.

The Montreal institute worked with the United Nations to produce a book, released March 20, that calls for global regulation and oversight of AI.

The book explores themes such as the influence of AI on Indigenous and LGBTQ communities and the need to include southern countries in global governance of AI to support innovations with social benefits. It maps out possible solutions for AI that is ethical, inclusive and respectful of human rights.

The authors also warn against the use of AI in potentially harmful contexts like autonomous weapons or the manipulation of digital content for social destabilization, deplore the increasing centralization of decision-making power in the development of AI systems and biases embedded in them, and the lack of transparency and accountability in the industry, says the institute in a statement.

Maura Grossman, a lawyer who teaches AI and ethics at Waterloo and a research affiliate at the Vector Institute for Artificial Intelligence in Toronto, said the world is at an inflection point.

And maybe we ought to stop and think about this before we do what Silicon Valley loves to do, which is move fast and break things, said Grossman. That may not be a really good idea with this technology.

The University of Waterloo and the Vector Institute have not gone as far as Bengio and the Montreal institute in calling for a pause and global governance of AI.

While it may be unrealistic to halt development at this point, said Grossman, it might be sensible to require more transparency  informing people when the technology is deployed.

That at least would be a start, said Grossman. Having a discussion about it and putting it in the limelight may put the brakes on it a little bit.

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We did it all, we saw it all, and we accomplished it all together. This past weekend in Los Angeles, Bob flew in from New Zealand to join me for Wrestlemania weekend and the related festivities, neither of us knowing it would be our last days together and his last days of life.
Air travel continued strong growth in February 2023 with traffic reaching 84.9% of February 2019 levels, according to data released by International Air Transport Association (IATA).

Total traffic in February 2023 (measured in revenue passenger kilometres or RPKs) rose 55.5% compared to February 2022.

Middle Eastern airlines saw a 75% traffic increase compared to February 2022. Capacity climbed 40.5% and load factor pushed up 15.8 percentage points to 80%, IATA said.

Global domestic traffic for February rose 25.2% compared to the year-ago period. Total February 2023 domestic traffic was at 97.2% of the February 2019 level.

International traffic climbed 89.7% versus February 2022 with all markets recording strong growth, led once again by carriers in the Asia-Pacific region. International RPKs reached 77.5% of February 2019 levels.

Despite the uncertain economic signals, demand for air travel continues to be strong across the globe and particularly in the Asia-Pacific region. The industry is now just about 15% below 2019 levels of demand and that gap is narrowing each month, said Willie Walsh, IATAs Director General.

International passenger markets

 Asia-Pacific airlines had a 378.7% increase in February 2023 traffic compared to February 2022, maintaining the very positive momentum of the past few months since the lifting of travel restrictions in the region. Capacity rose 176.4% and the load factor increased 34.9 percentage points to 82.5%, the second highest among the regions.

 European carriers posted a 47.9% traffic rise versus February 2022. Capacity climbed 29.7%, and load factor rose 9.1 percentage points to 73.7%, which was the lowest among the regions.

 North American carriers traffic climbed 67.4% in February 2023 versus the 2022 period. Capacity increased 39.5%, and load factor rose 12.8 percentage points to 76.6%.

 Latin American airlines had a 44.1% traffic increase compared to the same month in 2022. February capacity climbed 34.0% and load factor rose 5.8 percentage points to 82.7%, the highest among the regions.

 African airlines traffic rose 90.7% in February 2023 versus a year ago. February capacity was up 61.7% and load factor climbed 11.4 percentage points to 75.0%.

Domestic Passenger Markets

 Japans domestic traffic surged 161.4% in February compared to a year ago and now stands at 89.9% of pre-pandemic levels.

 US airlines domestic demand rose 10.6% in February and was 0.7% ahead of February 2019 levels.
Anesthetist Peng Xihua checks the condition of a patient at Sidi Bouzid Regional Hospital in Sidi Bouzid, Tunisia, on Feb. 17, 2023. (Xinhua/Xu Supei)

by Xinhua writers Xu Supei, Huang Ling

TUNIS, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Despite the passage of 50 years, Xiao Chengjing still remembers vividly the day he traveled to Tunisia on his first trip abroad.

"Everything was new to me," Xiao, 84, recalled the excitement of flying on a Boeing plane while donning headphones and listening to music back in 1973.

The veteran Chinese hematologist, from the Jiangxi province in southeastern China, was a member of the first medical team that China sent to Tunisia in a goodwill gesture to provide medical assistance to the North African country. Xiao called himself and his colleagues as "diplomats in white" as they helped deepen mutual understanding and friendship between the two peoples.

Huang Jian, a Chinese anesthetist and member of the current 27th batch of Chinese doctors sent to Tunisia last December, found many familiar names when browsing the list of previous teams, including his colleagues, retired hospital deans, and even his neighbor, Xiao Chengjing.

Over the past half-century, China's Jiangxi province has sent a total of 1,153 medical personnel in 27 batches to Tunisia, providing a total of 6.1 million outpatient services to Tunisians.

The Chinese doctors work not only in urban cities, but also in rural and remote areas, alleviating the pains of tens of thousands of Tunisians. Currently, there are 38 Chinese medical personnel assigned to work in four Tunisian cities, including the Tunisian capital of Tunis, Sidi Bouzid, Gafsa and Jendouba.

Joining the Chinese medical team in Tunisia was a dream coming true for Peng Xihua, an anesthetist working with the team in Sidi Bouzid.

"Since my first day here, I was told how the Jiangxi medical teams had represented our motherland and provided assistance to faraway Tunisia. These stories sowed a seed in my heart," Peng told Xinhua.

Before departure for Tunisia, Peng was fully prepared for the challenging work ahead. Nevertheless, she was still taken aback by the shortage of medical resources and the heavy workload upon her arrival. As the only anesthesiologist in the Sidi Bouzid Regional Hospital, she once received 37 calls for surgery in a single morning.

Because of Peng's dedication and professionalism, the Tunisian doctors and nurses in the hospital enjoy working with her. They often bring her plates of couscous, a traditional Tunisian dish, as a token of gratitude.

In the northwestern Tunisian city of Jendouba, the capital of the Jendouba Province, Hadda Daboussi, the widow of the former governor, has kept a tradition of inviting every Chinese medical team to her home in the past 40 years.

"Everyone in Jendouba knows that Madame Hadda is a good friend of the Chinese people," Daboussi said, adding that she was moved by the Chinese doctors' persistence in fulfilling their responsibilities of helping the Tunisian people even during the turmoil of the 2011 Arab Spring.

In December last year, at a farewell ceremony held for the outgoing 26th Chinese medical team, Tunisian Health Minister Ali Mrabet commended the Chinese doctors for making a great contribution to taking care of Tunisians' health.

Mrabet noted that the outstanding performances of the Chinese medical staff embody the essence of the China-Tunisia friendship and medical cooperation.

For many Tunisians, their friendship with Chinese doctors over the years has also led them to explore more about Chinese culture and people.

Inspired by her Chinese friends from the medical teams, Daboussi so far has visited China twice, during which she also intentionally visited the Jiangxi province, the hometown of the Chinese medical teams sent to Tunisia.

Mgadmi Salwen, a Tunisian anesthesiologist at the Gafsa Regional Hospital, always bombards Huang Jian with interesting questions about China and even once asked Huang to give him a Chinese name.

Based on the transliteration of Salwen, Huang proposed to him the Chinese name of "Shi Lewen."

"Lewen means joy and refinement. Shi is a common Chinese surname that means 'rock,' symbolizing our wish for the ties between China and Tunisia to be as solid as a rock," Huang explained. 
Ex-gratia paid

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IMPHAL, Apr 4: The State Government today handed over an ex-gratia of Rs five lakh to the family of Seigunlal Misao.

Seigunlal Misao was shot dead by some armed men at his residential gate at Motbung Bazar on March 25.

Notably, he was appearing in the Higher Secondary (Class XII) Examination 2023 conducted by COHSEM.

Chief Minister N Biren handed over the ex-gratia of Rs five lakh to the mother of Seigunlal Misao in the presence of the JAC members at the Chief Ministers Secretariat this evening.

The Chief Minister assured that the next of kin of Seigunlal would be given a suitable Government job.

In a Facebook post, the Chief Minister said that the Government has already decided to hand over the murder case of Seigunlal Misao to the NIA.
Mike Waters says hes lucky to be alive  and thats no bull.

Waters, 64, nearly died after one of the bison he raises on a farm west of Hagersville charged at him in July, sending him flying and landing him in hospital with more than a dozen broken bones.

He was trying to manoeuvre an eight-year-old bison  which weighed in at between 2,500 and 3,000 pounds  through a series of fenced chutes into a trailer bound for a butcher shop in Waterford.

The bull had other ideas.

One of the bison in the herd at Mike Waters' Haldimand County farm. Barry Gray/The Hamilton Spectator

It got kinda panicky, said Waters, describing how the shaggy freight train picked up speed  when agitated, bison can run 30 miles an hour  and charged at the equally panicked farmer, who ducked behind a gate that was not quite closed.

It hit that gate and kept going, and got me, Waters said. And thats the last thing I remember until I woke up in the trauma unit.

Waters was thrown into the air, his flight interrupted by a hydro pole some 15 feet away.

The impact blew the skin off his ribs and crushed his left side, tearing a hole in his lung and leaving him with numerous broken ribs, a fractured spine and a shoulder broken in three places.

He was rushed to Hamilton General Hospital for what would be an extended stay in the trauma unit.

It was touch and go whether I was going to make it or not, said Waters, who also suffered a concussion and a stomach hernia that still plagues him eight months later.

Mike Waters, a longtime Haldimand bison farmer, nearly died after one of his bulls charged him. He's now recovering after spending time at Hamilton General Hospital in the summer. Mike is back once again tending to the bison on his farm. Barry Gray/The Hamilton Spectator

I couldnt move. I was on my back for a month, he said, describing how his early days in recovery were spent hooked up to a feeding tube and catheter, with his wife, Michelle, giving him nightly sponge baths to take the pressure off the nurses.

They said I wouldnt walk for six months, but they had me up and going within a month and a week, Waters recalled.

The first time they got me up for physical therapy, I think they heard the scream around the whole hospital.

Walking, even while in excruciating pain, was the lesser of two evils, he said, since languishing in bed risked a possible fatal pneumonia infection.

He said surgery was ruled out due to that same risk of infection, meaning his body had to heal on its own, with help from painkillers and the phenomenal health-care workers he got to know well over nearly two months at Hamilton General.

Bison gather in a pen to eat old buns, which they consider a treat. Barry Gray/The Hamilton Spectator

They encouraged me and watched over me 24-7, making sure everything was good and I was very comfortable, Waters said, marvelling at how attentive the nurses were despite having many patients to look after.

For girls that are run off their feet, you could never tell, he said.

While he was in good hands, Waters said there were moments when he nearly lost heart.

My cry was, God, take me home, because the pain was unbearable, he said.

But this overwhelming peace said, nope, not done with you yet.

Call of the wild

Waters has heard Gods voice before. He grew up on the streets of Hamilton, running with the Sherman gang and spending more time in street fights than study halls.

When I was 23 I became a Christian, and I just felt that at 30 years old, God was calling me to farm buffalo, he said.

So he and Michelle moved their two children from their Hamilton apartment to a farmhouse halfway to Brantford, where a veteran farmer showed Waters the ropes.

Part of the bison herd run from the pen. Barry Gray/The Hamilton Spectator

I got my first five buffalo and we just took off from there, said Waters, who now raises about 50 of the giant animals at his own operation, Springvale Bison Farm, with a baby boom expected within the month.

The grass-fed bison  which Waters sells for their meat or to other breeders and farmers  are typically docile in the open field.

The only problem is when you get them in a confined area. Then they go into a panic, he said. My wifes been thrown 15 feet. Ive been gored once. It happens.

The bison may live on a farm, but they are still wild at heart, he added.

If these things ever got out, theyd kill you in a heartbeat, Waters said.

So these people who go to Yellowstone Park thinking theyre going to pet these big animals, Im telling you, you just dont do that.

The healing journey

Eight months after his violent brush with death, the longtime bison farmer is out of his wheelchair and back on the farm  still moving slowly, but with no plans to quit.

Not 100 per cent, but Im going, he said.

His broken bones have healed, and he is finally off morphine after months of treatment that left him with reduced vision in one eye.

But he still gets choked up when remembering his ordeal.

Mike navigates the muddy pen at his Haldimand County bison farm. Barry Gray/The Hamilton Spectator

When you have a near-death experience, you become very emotional. And its still with me, he said.

I have 13 grandchildren, and you come to the conclusion that collecting stuff and making money is not really worth it, but memories are everything.

Every month he sends pizza to the sixth-floor trauma unit at Hamilton General, where a framed photo of the buffalo that caused Waters to become a patient there hangs on the wall.

Dr. Paul Engels, trauma medical director at Hamilton General, said hospital staff cheer when patients like Waters get back on their feet.

Weve been working together with the patient to achieve a goal, Engels said. So to see the patient become successful, that is amazing, and we always love hearing those stories.

Hospital staff develop a long-term relationship with trauma patients and their loved ones, Engels added. By talking the patient through the healing process at the outset, health-care workers can physically and mentally prepare them for the weeks and months to come.

Its helpful for them to understand what the next steps are, and provide some reassurance that even though the journey is long, its something that theyre going to be able to complete, Engels said.

Love for the bison

While Waters was in hospital, his wife, Michelle, ran the farm.

She was a trooper, he said.

The couple briefly wondered if the accident was a sign to get out of the bison business.

Bison keep an eye on the photographer at Mike Waters' farm. Barry Gray/The Hamilton Spectator

Problem is, I have such a love for the bison and the farming, Waters said. So I thought, no, were going to keep going with it.

The bull that put Waters in hospital was finally shipped to the slaughterhouse in March, winning an eight-month reprieve while the farm added more fencing and cages to its chute system.

Plus, Waters said, no one would fill in for him on the bison transport team while he was laid up.

Everybody was terrified. Nobody would go in there, he laughed.

There were some nights in the trauma unit that Waters had nightmares about the accident. But among his bison, he feels at ease.

When I got back on the property, I had no problems at all, he said.

J.P. Antonacci s reporting on Haldimand and Norfolk is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative. jpantonacci@thespec.com

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FORT MCKAY, ALBERTA - Oilsands giant Syncrude Canada Ltd. has been charged in the death of a worker north of Fort McMurray, Alta.

The Alberta government says on June 6, 2021, in Fort McKay a worker was operating an excavator to build a berm when the bank slumped into the water.

It says the cab of the excavator was fully submerged and the worker drowned.

Syncrude faces charges under Albertas Occupational Health and Safety Act, including failure to ensure the health and safety of a worker.

Other charges include failure to ensure the health and safety of their worker by permitting the worker to operate the excavator on a ramp with an over-steepened slope, failure to comply with Energy Safety Canada safety rules, and other offences.

The Syncrude Project is a joint venture that includes Suncor Energy Inc., Imperial Oil Resources Ltd., Sinopec Oil Sands Partnership and CNOOC Oil Sands Canada.

The case is to be heard in Fort McMurray court on May 24.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 3, 2023

Companies in this story: (TSX:SU, TSX:IMO)

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Typically, its not the kind of paperwork that would garner a lot of attention.

It looks like a largely innocuous  if quite detailed  intake form.

But a closer look at the document, found on the website for a Montreal agency thats now being investigated by the RCMP, appears to raise new questions about the organizations ties to Beijing.

The form has the name of the Chinese Family Service of Greater Montreal  an organization meant to help newcomers from China. Yet it also bears the name and logo of a program run directly by a Chinese Communist Party department. The form encourages people to download an app that experts say is meant to push propaganda from Chinas government.

That, combined with the extensive information the form requests, should raise questions, cybersecurity experts say, about what was being done with the information received and just who was collecting it.

The form was available to be downloaded on the website, but was removed recently after the Star asked questions about it.

Among other information, it asked for a persons social insurance number, place of birth, status in Canada, income and account on a Chinese social media platform (WeChat).

The form indicated the information was for the Chinese Family Service of Greater Montreal. But the form also bears the logo and name the Overseas Chinese Service Centre program. The program is purported to offer assistance to Chinese citizens in foreign countries and it lists the Montreal group as one of its designated locations.

The office that runs that program was cited as a potential threat for espionage by a Canadian court in January 2022. It is a division of Chinas United Front Work Department. The department is tasked with pushing the agenda of the Chinese Communist Party around the world, including through making connections with politicians and business leaders.

Further down the form is a QR code for an app called QiaoBao run by the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office. According to the overseas service centre website, the QiaoBao app is a new medium to carry out Beijings overseas Chinese affairs work and communicate with Chinese expatriates worldwide.

Benjamin Fung is the Canada Research Chair in data mining for cybersecurity and a professor at McGill University. Fung said one of the main functions of QiaoBao is to spread Beijings propaganda to overseas Chinese.

Similar to WeChat, this app has the capability to form social groups, allowing different pro-CCP groups around the globe to communicate, he said. I believe all the conversations are monitored by the Chinese government, as the app policy explicitly mentions that the users cannot distribute any information that violates Chinese laws.

The app also acts as a one-stop shop for all of Beijings propaganda apps around the world, he said. It enables the government to launch a unified response when any major issues arise, he said, laying out arguments for their policies that supporters can spread.

QiaoBao was developed for the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office, its website says. The name translates to Overseas Treasure.

Christian Leuprecht, a Munk senior fellow in security and defence and professor at the Royal Military College, said theres also concern the QiaoBao app could suck sensitive personal information off a users mobile phone.

The Chinese Family Service of Great Montreal is one of two organizations under investigation by the RCMP over suspicion so-called secret Chinese police stations are being run out of them; the other is the Centre Sino-Quebec de la Rive-Sud. Advocates have pointed to a global network of such stations they say are used by Chinese police as a headquarters to intimidate critics of China and to pressure those wanted by authorities there to return to the country to face their legal issues.

Both organizations have received municipal-level funding in the past and receive some funding for language programs from Quebec.

The director of both organizations, municipal councillor Li Xixi, has not responded to numerous interview requests from the Star, including one to explain how the information gathered by the family service is being used.

She has denied any connection to the Chinese Communist Party in Montreal media. The Chinese Family Service of Greater Montreal released a statement saying it was astonished to learn it was being investigated.

The Centre Sino-Quebec de la Rive-Sud  in the Montreal suburb of Brossard  also asks clients to download the QiaoBao app.

A 2018 report on the website of the Centre Sino-Quebec de la Rive-Sud boasts that 13,000 people have followed the centre using QiaoBao. The same report said one of the services the centre is meant to provide is encouraging more people to download QiaoBao.

QiaoBaos disclaimer tells users that information the app gathers about them will be given to the government upon request to conform to national security laws.

Questions about the QiaoBao app were also put to Li and the organization itself with no response.

An article on Centre Sino-Quebec de la Rive-Suds website says Li praised the QiaoBao apps integration into the local overseas service centre.

The success of the Montreal Overseas Chinese Service Centre cannot be achieved without the guidance and help from the OCAO and the Chinese Consulate General in Montreal, the article said, attributing the remarks to Li. Neither could it be achieved without the support and trust from the local Chinese community organizations, and the support from the Canadian governments.

There are other concerns with the information gathering aside from Chinese Communist Party propaganda being streamed to the apps users, said Leuprecht.

There is nothing to suggest China has done so, but the information requested on the paper forms is extensive enough to be used for identity theft and or to open bank accounts, he said.

Given that its relatively easy to open a bank account in this country, clearly that creates an incentive for malicious actors to collect all sorts of information on private individuals, Leuprecht said. The less you can do with the information the less payoff there is for collecting it.

Vito Pilieci, communications adviser for the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, said the office was not aware of this situation regarding the Montreal organization, but, in general terms, stressed social insurance numbers are confidential and should only be collected and used for income reporting purposes.

He said its important people know why they are being asked for certain information.

Our Office advises individuals to ask questions about why organizations are asking for personal information and what it will be used for, wrote Pilieci in an email. They should refuse to provide information in instances where they are not satisfied with the explanation they receive.

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BRAZZAVILLE, April 4 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese medical missions to the Republic of the Congo has witnessed the growing solidarity between the two countries, said Gilbert Mokoki, Congolese minister of Health and Population on Monday.

Mokoki made the remarks at the reception held by the Chinese Embassy in the country to celebrate the 60th anniversary of China dispatching its first medical aid team abroad.

China "has always marked its presence with the Republic of the Congo, even in the most worrying moments that have been ours," he noted, recalling that China was the first country to provide his country with medical assistance and vaccines right after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The presence of Chinese doctors also testifies to the closeness between the two peoples, said the Congolese minister, voicing his hope that more Congolese students could study medical skills in China and strengthen bilateral ties.

Chinese Ambassador to the Republic of the Congo Ma Fulin said for 60 years, the medical assistance missions to the African continent have reflected the fact that China stands side by side with African countries.

Bilateral cooperation has delivered fruitful outcomes in various fields, including the health sector, Ma said, noting that Chinese doctors stand out in the China-Congolese brotherhood with their professionalism.

Since 1967, China has sent 934 doctors in 29 batches to the Republic of the Congo. Chinese doctors have treated nearly 5 million patients and performed about 150,000 operations. 
AMQUI, Que. - The Quebec man charged after a pickup truck plowed into pedestrians last month is now facing three counts of first-degree murder.

According to charges outlined in an arrest warrant filed Tuesday at the courthouse in Amqui, Que., Steeve Gagnon also faces nine counts of attempted murder.

On March 13, a truck hit several groups of pedestrians on a main street in Amqui, about 350 kilometres northeast of Quebec City, in what police have described as an intentional act.

Gagnon, 38, was facing two counts of dangerous driving causing death, but the prosecutor had indicated more charges were expected, and a third victim has since died.

Three men were killed in the crash: Gerald Charest, 65, Jean Lafreniere, 73, and Simon-Guillaume Bourget, 41.

Charest and Lafreniere were killed the day of the crash while Bourget died several days later in a Quebec City hospital.

The truck hit 11 people ranging in age from less than a year old to 77.

Gagnon, who has been in custody since the incident, is due back in court on Wednesday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 4, 2023.

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Canada needs to start paying attention  quickly  to the poverty and precarious housing crisis its aging population will face, especially among older women.

Long overlooked, the impoverishment of women in their later years is highlighted in the five-year strategic plan released last month by the federal CIHR Institute of Aging, which one scientist says must lead to a new focus on the issue that diminishes the final decades of life.

Poverty has a very negative impact on health, and women in particular are more likely to experience it, said Dr. Paula Rochon, a geriatrician, senior scientist at Womens College Research Institute and chair of the Institute of Aging advisory board. People dont often think about the implications, but its very, very important. We have to talk about it.

A recent Star story detailed the struggle of older women living in a modern version of elder destitution.

Spiralling rents and limited retirement income have left many in a precarious and often isolated existence with no solution in sight, despite calls for a new focus on affordable housing options, such as not-for-profit co-operative rentals.

More than seven million Canadians  19 per cent  are 65 and older, and by 2046, the number who have hit their 85th birthday is expected to triple to 2.5 million, from 861,000 in 2021.

The strategic plan, called Reframing Aging, is meant to sharpen the focus of government policy and independent research projects funded by the Institute of Aging. It is one of 13 organizations within the federal governments Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). In 2021-22, CIHR invested $1.3 billion in research grants and awards throughout all of its institutes.

Overall, the plan highlights a wide range of health-related issues for seniors that need new research, including options to age in the right place; chronic-disease prevention; the long-term impacts of COVID-19 and greater community access to primary care (which includes a mix of doctors, nurses, social workers, pharmacists or physiotherapists).

We know that women are living longer than men and that they are more likely to suffer from social isolation, Kamal Khera, Canadas minister of seniors, said in a recent statement to the Star, adding that the government has increased old age security and the guaranteed income supplement (for low-income seniors).

Jane Rylett, the scientific director of the CIHR Institute of Aging, said its 2023-28 strategy was shaped by 2,100 responses to online surveys, virtual town halls and workshops, along with input from health experts and older adults on the institutes advisory boards.

The plan identifies priority areas for the institutes funding of outside research. It does not conduct its own studies. The institutes website says it was created to advance training, research and knowledge mobilization to maintain and improve the health and well-being of all Canadians as they age.

Academics, doctors and scientists from universities or other organizations are among those who compete for grants but, Rylett said, the strategy is also aimed at policymakers, health-care professionals, associations and older adults, including caregivers.

There is a need for our society and our communities to understand the value of older people, said Rylett, who is also a scientist in the Molecular Medicine Research Laboratories at Robarts Research Institute.

Its really about embracing age and embracing aging, and showing that older adults are a critical part of our community who have an enormous amount to offer.

The gender pension gap

While many older men struggle with housing costs, 21 per cent of Canadian women over 75 are at risk of living on a low income compared to 13.9 per cent of men, according to the Ontario governments Pay Equity Office.

Retirement income  including public and private pensions  for Canadian women over age 65 is nearly 22 per cent lower than for the men in their demographic, according to a 2021 report by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.

As a result of time spent out of the workforce while raising children, many women end up with a smaller Canada Pension Plan payment, although Khera said the government now gives some credit for time spent at home. Still, many experience what is known as the gender pension gap, the difference in retirement income between women and men.

In their later years, many women live alone, struggle financially and, with little money for social outings, suffer from loneliness, which can lead to a significant decline in health, including heart disease and dementia.

Statistics Canada measured the living arrangements of Canadians over 65 and  based on 2021 census numbers  found that 32 per cent (1,123,435) of women live alone, while for men its 18.7 per cent (575,545). The percentage of singles increases after age 75, when 41 per cent of women (590,840) and 20 per cent of men (236,785) live alone.

Laura Tamblyn Watts, a lawyer and CEO of CanAge, a national seniors advocacy group, says the recognition of older women in the institutes plan is significant.

I think its really important that we are seeing an emphasis in the strategic plan about the gender impact of aging, Tamblyn Watts said. It could have a significant impact, she added, given the institutes role in supporting the development of new studies and attracting new researchers.

This is the strongest statement that I have seen coming out of the institute or, for that matter, other research funders about the importance and prioritization of looking at gender and aging together.

Still, Canada is lagging when it comes to solutions that will help older adults avoid poverty and isolation, she said.

What we know is we need better and more creative housing and financial solutions that are less prejudiced against women and less prejudiced against solo people.

New housing solutions needed

Dr. Samir Sinha, who sits on the Institute of Aging advisory board, said the fact that many older women are living in poverty shows the need for new research on innovative housing, such as co-operatives, co-owning or home sharing.

When we start realizing that, as women age, theyre more likely to age in poverty with basic issues of access to affordable housing, so we need to research and understand the optimal models of housing that could allow more older women to age in the right place, said Sinha, director of geriatrics at Sinai Health and the University Health Network.

Its important to have a research strategy that reflects our aging population and doesnt neglect issues like gendered ageism and the fact that there are gender differences, said Sinha, who is also director of health policy research at the National Institute on Ageing at Toronto Metropolitan University.

Aging is complex and unless we look at it in a comprehensive way, were going to miss key insights.

High Park renter Sheilagh Hagens, 80, recently told the Star she tried to find an affordable bachelor apartment in the nearby Swansea co-op, but the wait-list is years long. Now, she is living in a 216-square-foot privately owned basement apartment, spending over $400 a month more than her budget allows.

Many co-ops were built by government social housing programs in the 1970s and 1980s for people on moderate or low incomes and are controlled by their members, not a landlord, according to the Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada (CHF Canada), which supports co-op development. (Equity co-ops are a separate model, sold privately for prices that are comparatively lower than condos.)

The role of housing co-ops

A 2022 study commissioned by the CHF Canada and other co-op federations compared private rents with not-for-profit monthly housing charges (they dont call it rent) in co-ops and found that in two-bedroom units, co-op fees are roughly $400 to $500 less per month. Co-op monthly charges rose over time, the report said, but not as fast as private rentals.

At the age of 88, Christine Mounsteven lives in a downtown Toronto not-for-profit co-op, a few blocks from the University Avenue hospitals.

She pays $1,326 for her two-bedroom unit in a building that is home to a diverse group: some are young with families, others older and living alone; many are working while others are retired and some are living with disabilities on a low income.

A former co-op board member, Mounsteven said the monthly charges are based on the unit size, so unlike private rentals where new tenants usually pay more for rent, co-op fees are the same for all.

Moving into the co-op 30 years ago was the best decision I ever made, she said.

I feel secure, she said. I have a roof over my head. I have neighbours that I know and feel safe with, who know me. I have a community.

The other part, and its part of the aging process that everyone talks about, is the whole idea of isolation that leads to further ill health. Im not isolated.

Last year, the federal government announced a new co-op development program, with $500 million in funding and $1 billion in loans for the development of co-ops.

We recognize the importance of co-op housing in making life more affordable for Canadians, Khera said. We actually made the largest investment in 30 years to expand co-op housing in Budget 2022.

A city of Toronto spokesperson said it welcomes this commitment and eagerly awaits further details on when the program will be rolled out.

Tim Ross, executive director of the Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada, said the demand for co-ops  with their affordability, stability and community connections  is on the upswing.

There are more and more people calling for the need to invest more significantly in the creation of non-market community housing, including co-operatives, Ross said.

At the end of the day, the question of who owns it and who benefits really matters. And thats why co-ops in non-market housing are an attractive option to make sure that were meeting housing needs of the most vulnerable and for everyone in Canada.

While the federal money can help mitigate the rising costs of new development, Ross said another way to increase the co-op supply is through the purchase of private buildings. Years ago, a very significant portion of Canadas co-op rentals was acquired from existing private apartment stock, Ross said.

Now, as a confluence of demographics, low income and expensive housing creates havoc in the lives of older adults, Ross said governments need to act.

We have a demographic time bomb when it comes to access to decent, affordable housing that meets the needs of our changing population.

Moira Welsh is a Toronto-based investigative reporter for the Star leading The Third Act, a Toronto Star partnership with the National Institute On Ageing that pushes Canada to do better for its older adults. Follow her on Twitter: @moirawelsh

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A Romanian family who had hoped to build a life near Toronto with their two Canadian-born children saw their dreams end tragically in the frigid waters off Akwesasne, Que., after fleeing a deportation order.

Florin Iordache, his wife Cristina (Monalisa) Zenaida Iordache, their two-year-old daughter Evelin and one-year-old son Elyen were among eight people found dead in a river near the Akwesasne Mohawk Territory last week.

Peter Ivanyi, a Toronto lawyer who had represented the Iordache family since 2018, said in an interview Tuesday the couple were desperate to stay in the country for the sake of their two children, who were Canadian citizens.

Police say the family, as well as four members of a family from India, were trying to cross illegally to the United States through Akwesasne, which straddles provincial and international boundaries and includes regions of Quebec, Ontario and New York state. Casey Oakes, a 30-year-old Akwesasne man whose overturned boat was found near the victims, remains missing.

Ivanyi said his last communication with Florin Iordache was early last week to inform him that all the familys legal avenues to stay in Canada were exhausted and they were facing removal from the country on March 29. He believes that news prompted the Iordaches to attempt the risky river journey to the United States.

In a phone interview, Ivanyi said he doesnt believe Iordache really wanted to settle in the United States, despite having family in Florida, because his children were Canadian citizens. But he was determined they would not return to Romania and face the discrimination he and his wife had experienced as Roma.

I think it was out of desperation and having run out of other options and hope as far as they saw it, Ivanyi said.

He said the couple were among a flood of Romanians who arrived in the country in December 2017 after Canada waived most visa requirements. Florin Iordache and his wife, who is listed as Monalisa Budi on immigration applications, filed for asylum the next year on the grounds that they face discrimination back home.

Ivanyi said Roma are excluded, ostracized, alienated in most aspects of Romanian life, from medical care to housing and social services. They often dont finish school due to the abuse and discrimination they face, leading to high unemployment rates, he said.

While the Immigration and Refugee Board found the couples story to be credible, Ivanyi said, it denied their application because they didnt believe the situation was so dire that the couple would be denied basic human rights in Romania. He said he was not authorized to provide a copy of the decision.

Ivanyi said he was shocked to learn that Florin Iordache was only 28 when he died, because he had always seemed so much older. It was clear that he felt the burden of having to keep his kids in Canada, he said. To give them, not just a better life, but to prevent them from having to live through all those terrible things that he and his wife had growing up.

Ivanyi said Iordache settled near Toronto and made a living in part by buying cheap cars and reselling them. Friends have said he also worked in cleaning and construction.

While the lawyer said the family didnt have much money, photos show them settling into Canadian life, including trips to Niagara Falls and Christmas celebrations. They attended the All Saints Romanian Orthodox Church, in Scarborough, where their children were baptized.

He said that after their asylum claim was rejected, the couple applied late last year for a pre-removal risk assessment in an attempt to show they faced danger if deported. When that was denied last month, they appealed and asked for a deferral of removal, on grounds that included their two young childrens medical conditions.

Ivanyi described his last conversation with Iordache, when he informed his client those options had failed, as dejected, terrible.

The Iordaches died alongside a family from the western Indian state of Gujarat  Praveenbhai Chaudhari, 50; Dakshaben Chaudhari, 45; their 20-year-old son Meet; and 23-year-old daughter Vidhi.

Achal Tyagi, superintendent of police for the city of Mehsana in Gujarat, told The Canadian Press the Chaudharis were regularly in touch with family back home, but the messages stopped about a week before their deaths. Family members were distraught to learn of the fatal mishap through news reports and social media, he said.

Tyagi said the investigation suggests the Chaudharis were in Canada on a tourist visa. He said Indian officials will work with their Canadian counterparts to get more information on the familys journey, and on whether the family used agents to get to Canada or to attempt the crossing to the United States.

They are being given false assurances by somebody that this is a safe route, he said. If they realized that its very dangerous, I dont think people would want to do that.

The deaths have come at a time when police in Akwesasne have warned of an increase in human smuggling in the territory, whose border-straddling geography has long made it a hot spot for illicit crossings.

Mohawk Police Chief Shawn Dulude told reporters on Friday that his police force has made 48 interceptions involving 80 people trying to enter the United States illegally since January, and that most were people of Indian or Romanian descent.

Ivanyi, who has represented Romanian immigrants since 1997, said hes heard indirectly of other people who crossed frozen lakes or rivers to the United States but has never before heard of anyone taking a boat.

I think its probably the most risky way to do it, he said. And who would do that? Im speculating here, but (it would be) the most desperate.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 4, 2023.

 With files from Hina Alam

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REGINA - Emile Gariepy usually supervises people using drugs inside one of Saskatchewans overdose prevention sites but says its those in the nearby parking lot who often need his attention.

Gariepy, the harm reduction manager at the Newo Yotina Friendship Centre in Regina, says he regularly helps people overdosing in the parking lot behind the centre, administering naloxone to prevent what could be another death.

We just did that last week. It happens all the time, Gariepy said in an interview. A lot of the overdoses ... are outside because of people smoking outside.

The centre can only offer supervision of injected drugs. But if it could provide a supervised smoking room, Gariepy said, it would give those who smoke a safe place.

Getting that room, let alone any additional harm reduction measures, is expected to be an uphill battle.

Unlike other provinces that offer safe consumption sites, the Saskatchewan government does not fund those services. Community organizations, such as the Newo Yotina Friendship Centre, have taken on the work and rely on grants.

Prairie Harm Reduction in Saskatoon is a second site in the province that offers such services.

The organizations have long asked for provincial funding, saying the money would keep doors open longer and provide clients with more safe resources.

Gariepy said that would help prevent overdose deaths, as well as save time for first responders who are already strained.

It saves the community and the health-care system money, he said, noting that the Newo Yotina Friendship Centre has received some funding from the City of Regina.

In here, if someone does overdose, were watching it in real time. Its a lot easier to reverse that than if someone is on the streets.

Supervised consumption sites have grown in popularity across Canada as provinces and cities look to reduce the number of overdose deaths and spread of diseases, such as HIV.

Trained staff supervise in a hygienic environment, providing clean equipment and connecting users with services.

Alberta, British Columbia and Ontario provide funding for such sites. Manitoba does not have a stand-alone location, but that province recently introduced legislation that would require organizations to apply for provincial licences.

In Saskatchewan, Mental Health and Addictions Minister Everett Hindley has questioned the effectiveness of the sites, pointing to the overdose crisis in Vancouver.

British Columbia leads the country in overdose deaths per capita, followed by Alberta then Saskatchewan.

In 2022, Saskatchewan had 245 confirmed drug toxicity deaths and 159 suspected deaths. In 2016, there were 109 confirmed drug toxicity deaths.

Hindley has said the government is focusing on treatment and recovery. There is funding for new detox beds, he said, and the province is making drug testing strips and naloxone kits more available.

However, advocates in Saskatchewan say whats lacking are earlier services, like safe consumption sites.

Barb Fornssler, a professor at the University of Saskatchewan who studies harm reduction and substance use, said many people cant access services.

(The government) has been asked for years now to provide additional services that they might find morally objectionable, but its not about our morality as leaders, Fornssler said. Its about what the research evidence says works, and harm reduction works. And its less expensive and it saves lives.

She said more education on prevention is also needed, where youth can learn how to cope with stress without having to turn to drugs or alcohol.

Since December, the Newo Yotina Friendship Centre said staff have seen 924 drug consumptions with 13 overdoses. Of those overdoses, 12 required naloxone. No one died.

Were not enabling people to use drugs. People are already using drugs and theres already a crisis, Gariepy said.

People are already dying all over Regina and Canada, and were having the worst drug death rates weve had ever. Why cant we meet people and help them to use safely and maybe lower those numbers a little bit?

Advocates have said the services have eventually directed some toward a path of recovery.

Gariepy said the centre calls those cases a small win.

Recently one guy kind of vanished from the scene and I found out hes somewhere up north trying to get clean and trying to get off the streets of Regina. Those are just small good things that happen, he said.

If we can have more resources, more people coming in, we may see more of those more often.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 4, 2023.

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The Crowns star witness is pointing the finger directly at her friend, Saaid Mohiadin, as the man who jumped out of her car and shot Jerome Belle as he and a friend walked in a Junction Triangle laneway mid-afternoon three years ago.

And she is also denying the defence suggestion that the reason she is testifying against Mohiadin is to save her own skin. Instead, she said, she is in court to do the right thing.

Mohiadin has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder at a trial that began last week.

The prosecutions case hinges on the credibility of the 34-year-old witness, who became friends with Mohiadin  his nickname is Postman  over social media in the months leading up to the killing.

She testified that on March 19, 2019, Mohiadin asked her to pick him up at his mothers place, which is in the same housing complex where Belle lived with his family in the area of Perth and Randolph Avenues. She had retrieved Mohiadin there before in prior weeks.

At 3:17 p.m., around the time Belle and his friend left his unit to take out the garbage, the witness was arriving in her white Mercedes to pick up Mohiadin.

Surveillance video played in court showed her vehicle pulling up and a male figure  the Crown says he is Mohiadin  climbing inside. The witness says Mohiadian changed his black puffer jacket for a white hoodie and asked her to pull over and park because he had forgotten something back home.

The witness said that after he left, she remained inside her vehicle and then heard the sound of gunshots and watched children fleeing. The surveillance footage, taken from a Wheel-Trans bus camera, also captured from a distance a male figure re-entering the Mercedes after the shooting.

After Mohiadin got back into her vehicle, he said drive, drive, drive, she testified. His hands were shaking and he seemed angry, paranoid and upset. He gave her directions to an address near Jane and Finch and on the way told her to park her car and offered to pay for a rental.

I believe it was him telling me to get rid of my vehicle, she told court Monday, adding she refused the offer.

Just before dropping him off, the witness said Mohiadin said, we need to get married soon so you cant testify against me.

The witness was originally charged, in May 2019, with first-degree murder and accessory after the fact but the murder charge was withdrawn in early 2020. Last week, prosecutor Tim DiMuzio asked her why that happened.

Not sure, she said, adding: But I obviously didnt commit the crime.

On Monday, defence lawyer Dirk Derstine suggested the witness fingered Mohiadin  after he was arrested in November 2019  in order to get bail after spending seven months in custody.

You know co-operating could make good things happen ... (and) you hated being in jail, the lawyer said.

I was hopeful that prosecutors would make good on a promise to not oppose her release as a condition of giving a sworn statement.

But the witness said she couldnt answer if prosecutors are keeping the accessory after the fact charge hanging over her head as leverage while this trial is going on.

I dont know whats going to happen, she said of her future.

Derstines cross-examination is expected to continue Tuesday.

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Hot out of the oven, the golden brown crust of this pizza flops under the weight of the toppings: heaps of mozzarella, postage-stamp-sized pieces of bacon and, of course, gooey, chewy, savoury mochi that has absorbed the flavours of the mayonnaise and teriyaki sauce.

This is the Teriyaki and Savoury Mochi pizza, the bestseller at Pizza Saint Tropez, an Osaka-based pizza chain that opened downtown last fall, its first location outside of Japan. Its savoury and sweet with a bit of tang.

The mochi adds an additional QQ texture (that bouncy chewiness you get from boba or pasta) thats different from the fluffiness of the crust underneath the crisp exterior. The mayo adds a hint of creamy acidity to the house marinara that takes eight hours to make (in addition to the usual aromatics like garlic and onion, theres also celery to add to the flavour base).

In a city that already has Thai, Lebanese, Jamaican and Sri Lankan-influenced pizzas, its about time Torontonians get a taste of Japanese pizza.

Pizza Saint Tropez, at 78 Gerrard St. W., is run by husband and wife team Masakazu and Rie Araki, the former being the CEO of the pizza franchise and the latter an accountant for the company.

In the last decade, Toronto has been the go-to spot for overseas chains entering the North American market  Uncle Tetsu and Don Alfonso 1890 come to mind. (A PR rep once told me that, because the city has such a diverse population, its an effective way to test how the food resonates with different demographics before opening in other cities.) But seldom do the boss and accountant of these chains move overseas themselves, as the Arakis did, and work in the kitchen.

We first came here when one of our sons was studying in Toronto in 2018, said Masakazu, who recruited one of their regular customers to help translate from Japanese when I spoke with them. We visited a few times and loved it. We wanted to spend half of the year in Toronto and another half in Japan.

The people are so nice here so we started to look for a place, added Rie, who also posts wholesome content to the pizzerias Instagram page (@Pizza_Saint_Tropez.ca) such as photos of first-time guests and the couple exploring the city on their days off.

Pizza Saint Tropez is originally an offshoot of Saint Tropez, an Italian restaurant that opened in 1980 in the city of Kadoma in the Osaka Prefecture. The dedicated pizzeria opened in 1987, where Masakazu started to make and deliver pizzas after graduating from high school, with the goal of someday opening his own pizza shop.

Pizza delivery started to emerge in Japan around 40 years ago, he said. At that time, options for delivery in Japan were sushi, udon and Chinese food only. Pizza quickly became very popular.

By the time Masakazu was 30, the previous owner decided to close the shop and Masakazu offered to take over operations in 2000. There are currently 14 locations in Japan. Toronto is the 15th and its where Masakazu returns to his pizza-making days.

Weve been using the same recipes since the beginning, he said, while stretching out a ball of dough in the kitchen, which is staffed by just him and his wife. The menu here is the same in Japan and everything is made from scratch.

The pizzeria is located within a narrow Victorian townhouse dating back to 1889 and is (literally) overshadowed by the towering office buildings and condos that now surround it. Still, the building has a history for being a place for food that stood out in the downtown core. Before Saint Tropez, it was briefly home to Oh Snack!, an attempt to bring a Hong Kong-style diner to the neighbourhood. That took over from Somethin 2 Talk About, a long-standing shawarma spot that was one of the few halal options for nearby workers and students when it first opened in 1997.

While the pies at Saint Tropez might seem jarring to those who still cant wrap their heads around pineapple as a topping, Japanese-style pizzas belong to the broad category of cuisine called yoshoku, a century-old style of Japanese cooking thats influenced by the West (more common examples found in the city include omurice, tonkatsu, hamburg steak and curry). Mayonnaise was also among the ingredients embraced; Rie said its acidity lends itself well to pairing with Japanese ingredients.

Aside from the teriyaki and mochi pizza, theres the second bestseller among the 20 pizzas on the menu: the Mentai Mayo, which contains cod roe mixed with mayonnaise and topped with potato, bacon, nori and corn (the latter is also a common ingredient in yoshoku cooking).

The potato comes creamy with an almost whipped consistency, rather than sliced, giving the pizza a bit of airiness while still hitting the palate with salty umami goodness. Theres another pizza topped with tuna, mayo, ham and corn (once again, staples of yoshoku). As a side, the couple also makes karaage, bite-sized pieces of lightly battered boneless fried chicken thats a mainstay in Japanese fast food.

The pepperoni and cheese lovers will be able to order that basic combo here as well, but wheres the fun in that?

Masakazu said he hopes hell be able to open more locations in Canada but, with the first outpost less than a year old, hes hoping to first get more Torontonians to fall in love with his pizzas the same way diners did in Osaka decades ago.

Weve had this style of pizza for a long time, but not a lot of Canadians know about it, said Masakazu. When customers had it for the first time, they said its really delicious. Some practised Japanese so that they could tell us that.

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MEXICO CITY (AP)  Belize on Monday reaffirmed its diplomatic ties with Taiwan, the second country to do so in a week as Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen travels across Central America in an effort to shore up a dwindling number of allies.

Together we can promote our shared values like democracy, the right of the people to self determination and respect for international law, Johnny Briceno, Belizes prime minister, said in a speech before the countrys National Assembly.

Belize follows in the footsteps of Guatemala, another ally of Taiwan, whose leader declared its relationship with the self-governed island unchangeable during a visit by Tsai. The Central American nations represent two of Taiwans 13 formal allies across the world, a number that has dipped as China has put pressure on and funneled money into isolating the island.

The trip came just a week after Honduras announced it would cut allegiances with Taiwan in favor of China, potentially prompted by a $300 million hydroelectric dam project in central Honduras built by a Chinese company.

Over the past two decades, China has slowly carved out a space for itself in Latin America by pouring money into the region, investing in major infrastructure, energy and space projects.

Between 2005 and 2020, the Chinese have invested more than $130 billion in Latin America, according to the United States Institute of Peace. Trade between China and the region has also shot up, expected to reach more than $700 billion by 2035.

That investment has translated to rising power for China and a growing number of allies at a time of geopolitical importance.

The people of Taiwan face constant threats and pressure from the neighbor on the other side of the Taiwan Strait, Tsai said of China, speaking in Belizes capital of Belmopan.

Taipei, meanwhile, has struggled to keep up.

During her stay in Guatemala, Tsai visited a rural hospital built with a donation from Taiwan.

Meanwhile, before Belizes National Assembly, the countrys leader Briceno listed off a number of development projects funded by Taiwan, including farming programs and funds to build key infrastructure like hospitals.

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PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP)  Militants in Pakistan shot at the countrys police force in a volatile northwestern province overnight, killing two officers, officials said Tuesday.

The latest attack on police was made overnight in the Kohat district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, bordering Afghanistan. Senior police officer Islamuddin Khan said two officers were on their way on motorcycle for protection duty at a mosque during the special night prayers in the holy month of Ramadan.

Khan said the gunmen opened fire on the officers when they slowed at a turn, killing them on the spot. He said a search operation to arrest the shooters had begun.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.

Two attacks last week in the same province that killed four officers and wounded six were claimed by the Pakistani Taliban.

Pakistani Taliban is allied with but separate separate from Afghanistans Taliban. There has been an increase in attacks by the Pakistani Taliban since they unilaterally ended a cease-fire with the government.

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TIRANA, Albania (AP)  An international forum bringing together officials from the Western Balkans and southern Europe to Albanias capital aims to promote sustainable regional tourism as a main source of revenue, officials said Tuesday.

Tirana is hosting three days of the Future of Environmental and Sustainable Tourism in Albania forum, supported by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO ).

UNWTO official Zurab Pololikashvili urged the Balkan countries to join together an form a single tourism destination in order to more effectively compete with large markets such as China, the United States or the Gulf countries.

We are not rivals. We are complimentary to each other, said Albanian Tourism Minister Mirela Kumbaro.

With 450 kilometers (280 miles) of coastline and 300 days of sunshine per year Albania offers a diverse range of attractions ranging from beaches to mountain resorts, as well as great food and culture. .

Whats new beyond the sea and the beaches is nature, the protected areas, the adventurous, mountainous, natural tourism and agro-tourism, said Kumbaro, adding that the aim is to attract tourists year-round.

Tourism and agriculture are two main revenue resources for post-communist Albania, one of Europes poorest countries. Tourism generated 17% of GDP in 2021, with arrivals increasing 33% last year to 7.5 million people. Kumbaro said 59% more tourists have come in the first quarter this year compared to last year.

Albanian officials say environmental protection goes hand-in-hand with tourism promotion. Last month, Tirana declared the Vjosa River - the last wild river in Europe - a national park meaning that any development is prohibited. More than a fifth of the country is protected.

Mohamed Ali Alabbar of the Eagle Hills Group of Companies, an Abu Dhabi-based private real estate investment and development company, is to invest $2.5 billion to build the Durres Yachts & Marina port and residence area.

Like many others, Albanias tourism industry is grappling with a worker shortage as many young Albanians have emigrated to western European countries in search of a better life.

Dorin Sema, a chief waiter at Lalezi Bay tourist resort, says its not easy to keep young workers when higher salaries beckon abroad.

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TALLINN, Estonia (AP)  A prominent Polish minority activist has been released from custody in Belarus after authorities dropped criminal charges against her following a two-year criminal probe, officials said Tuesday.

The Belarusian Prosecutor Generals office announced that the criminal investigation against Andzelika Borys, 49, has been closed, all charges against her have been dropped and she has been freed from house arrest.

Borys was arrested in March 2021 and after a year moved to house arrest due to deteriorating health. She was accused of inciting interethnic strife and condoning Nazism  charges that she rejected.

The prosecutors move followed comment on Friday by Belarus authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko, who said that Borys has expressed an intention to stay in Belarus. She is a Pole, but shes my Pole, he said.

About 300,000 of Belarus 9.5 million people are ethnic Poles. Belarusian authorities shut the Union of Poles that Borys headed after accusing Poland of trying to foment an uprising against Lukashenko, who has led the ex-Soviet nation with an iron fist for nearly 29 years.

The Polish Foreign Ministry welcomed Borys exoneration as the first good news coming from Minsk in a long time, and voiced hope that it would herald a shift in Belarusian authorities attitude toward Poles in Belarus and its readiness to engage in constructive dialogue.

In February, Andrzej Poczobut, 49, was sentenced to eight years in prison on charges of harming Belarus national security and inciting discord. Poczobut, a journalist for the influential Polish newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza and a top figure in the Union of Poles in Belarus, has been behind bars since his detention in March 2021.

Poczobut reported extensively on the mass protests that swept Belarus after an August 2020 presidential vote handed Lukashenko a new term in office but was rejected by the opposition and the West as rigged.

Polish Foreign Ministry spokesman Lukasz Jasina reaffirmed a call for Minsk to release Poczobut and drop all charges against him, adding that this issue remains our highest priority.

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KIGALI, April 4 (Xinhua) -- The 23rd Chinese medical team in Rwanda has donated a consignment of medical supplies to Masaka Hospital in the Kicukiro district in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda.

The team presented various medical supplies to the hospital Monday, including hand disinfectant, dental treatment equipment, medical isolation goggles, disposable sterile operating overalls, and electric operating table.

Upon receiving the donation at Masaka Hospital, Director General Jean Damascene Hanyurwimfura expressed his gratitude to the Chinese medical team for their generous support toward the hospital's medical care.

"The Chinese medical team has been providing specialist medical support which has contributed to improved medical care at the hospital. The medical equipment donation would enhance the hospital's capacity to diagnose and treat a wide range of medical conditions, ultimately leading to better health outcomes for patients," he said.

Speaking at the event, Zhao Shangjun, the leader of the Chinese medical team, said that the donation will help in providing specialized medical care to patients at Masaka Hospital.

"We discussed with the hospital authorities about the shortage of medical equipment in the hospital. Based on their needs, we donated various medical supplies to Masaka Hospital, including an electric operating table. We believe that this donation will significantly improve the hospital's capacity to deliver quality medical care," said Zhao.

At the event, Wang Jiaxin, the economic and commercial counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Rwanda, said that providing medical supplies to Masaka Hospital is an annual activity of the Chinese medical team. "The better the hospital is equipped with medical care necessities, the better the service provided to local patients."

He said that the medical cooperation between China and Rwanda has been going on for several years, with the Chinese medical team providing medical care support to Masaka and Kibungo hospitals. China started to dispatch medical teams to Rwanda in 1982. 
PODGORICA, Montenegro (AP)  Montenegros president-elect Jakov Milatovic is pledging to speed up the small countrys bid for membership to the European Union and to adhere to the blocs policy line toward Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. At the same time, Milatovic says he will advocate for stronger ties with Serbia and other Balkan neighbors.

One of the key foreign policy priorities for Montenegro, as well as myself as the new president of the country, will be to speed up the countrys EU accession so that Montenegro hopefully becomes the next EU member within the next five years of my mandate, Milatovic told The Associated Press in an interview on Monday.

The president-elects commitment to EU membership appears to belie widespread accusations by pro-Western groups in Montenegro and in Serbia that he is a puppet of the pro-Russian leadership in Belgrade.

Milatovic, a 36-year-old Western-educated economics expert, won the presidential runoff election in Montenegro on Sunday, defeating pro-Western incumbent Milo Djukanovic who has been in power for more than three decades in the small NATO member nation.

A political novice who was backed by Montenegros governing majority that included pro-Serb and pro-Russian groups, Milatovic won around 60% of votes in Sunday's poll, according to independent pollsters. Djukanovic has conceded defeat. Official results are expected later this week.

Milatovic said that the key reasons for Djukanovics defeat were his long-held grip on power along with allegations of rampant corruption throughout his rule. This is why we like to say we defeated one of the last dictators in Europe, Milatovic said. This is why I truly believe that the victory yesterday in this tiny Balkan state is also a big European victory, a victory of European values.

This was Djukanovics first loss in an election since he first entered politics in the former Yugoslav republic in the early 1990s. During his decades in power, the 61-year-old switched from a pro-Serbian communist to a pro-Western politician. He had served as the countrys president twice and as a prime minister seven times.

During his tenure, Djukanovic has often been accused of corruption and of pressuring the judiciary to ignore numerous cases involving graft. He has often denied illegally accumulating a large fortune for himself and his family.

Milatovic, speaking in English, said that his predecessor is really a symbol of a regime that ruled the country using organized crime and corruption.

Those three things, a significant economic decline, organized crime and corruption, and really a very slow European integration are the symbols of (Djukanovics) regime, he said.

Relations between Serbia and Montenegro have deteriorated since Djukanovic took the country out of its union with Serbia in 2006 and later into NATO in 2017. During the election campaign, Djukanovic said voters were choosing between membership in the EU, or joining the Serbian World  a facsimile of the Russian World.

Milatovic said he will try repair relations with Serbia as well as other neighboring Balkan states.

I believe that the future of the all the Western Balkan countries is in the EU, and I think Montenegro can be for sure the first one to enter, Milatovic said referring to neighboring Serbia, North Macedonia, Bosnia and Albania.

In terms of relations with Russia, Milatovic recalled that Montenegro is strongly, 100% pursuing the foreign policy of the EU and this is going to stay.

So fully-fledged policy of the EU is the one Montenegro should pursue in the future, and it is particularly important now when it comes to the Russian aggression against Ukraine, he said. There is nobody in Europe, and in Montenegro obviously, who can support invasion of one country against another sovereign country.

The EU on Tuesday congratulated Milatovic on his election and said it looks forward to working with all political stakeholders to help Montenegro stay firmly on the EU strategic path.

Although the presidency is largely a ceremonial position in Montenegro, it influences the political trends in the country.

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BEIRUT (AP)  Israel staged airstrikes on the southern suburbs of the Syrian capital of Damascus early Tuesday, killing two civilians and causing some material damage, Syrian state media reported.

Damascus residents said strong explosions were heard in the capital and its southern suburbs as Syrian state television reported that the countrys air defenses were confronting an Israeli aggression.

State TV, quoting an unnamed military official, said two civilians were killed in the strikes near Damascus and southern Syria, adding that some of the missiles were shot down by Syria air defenses before they reached their targets. It that the strikes also caused some material damage.

Israels shadow war with Iran in Syria intensified over the past days with four strikes on the Damascus area and the central province of Homs killing two Iranian military advisers since last week.

Hours after strikes on central Syria Sunday, the Israeli military said it shot down an aircraft that crossed from Syria into Israels airspace. The Israeli military said Iran appears to have been behind the drone that was shot down over Israeli airspace.

Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes on targets inside government-controlled parts of Syria in recent years, including attacks on the Damascus and Aleppo airports, but it rarely acknowledges specific operations.

Israel says it targets bases of Iran-allied militant groups, such as Lebanons Hezbollah, which has sent thousands of fighters to support Syrian President Bashar Assads forces.

Along with airports, Israel has also targeted seaports in government-held areas in an apparent attempt to prevent Iranian arms shipments to militant groups backed by Tehran, including Hezbollah.

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ANKARA, Turkey (AP)  NATO members Turkey and Greece can resolve their disputes through peaceful means and dialogue, Turkeys defense minister said after talks with his Greek counterpart Tuesday, in the latest sign of easing tensions between the rival neighbors.

Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar and Greeces Nikos Panagiotopoulos toured areas devastated by a powerful earthquake in early February during a rare visit by the Greek official. The trip is part of efforts to tamp down tensions over long-standing disputes, including maritime boundaries and drilling rights in the eastern Mediterranean.

Greece was among the first countries to offer help to Turkey following the earthquake and the outpouring of support led to a de-escalation of tensions. Turkey for its part, offered its condolences and support following a deadly train crash in northern Greece.

I hope that as two civilized countries, Turkey and Greece can solve these problems within the framework of good neighborly relations ... through peaceful means and methods and amid mutual respect and dialogue, Akar told reporters.

Our hope and expectation is that the positive, constructive atmosphere we experienced after the earthquake disaster will continue ... and the doors of dialogue will remain open, he said.

The two ministers flew over the earthquake-affected areas by helicopter and held talks in Hatay, the hardest hit province. Meanwhile, Notis Mitarachi, Greeces minister for migration and asylum, visited a refugee camp on the Turkish-Syrian border.

Panagiotopoulos said: The symbolic message that comes from tragedies and natural disasters of this scale go far beyond any disagreement and differences that we may have. They may act as a lever to reduce tension and create the circumstances to facilitate better communication between the two sides.

The aim ... - and we must work toward that, - is to create an atmosphere of cooperation and stability between our two countries, he added.

Greece and Turkey resumed high-level meetings following the earthquake, including talks aimed at boosting trade and other cooperation in areas unrelated to the disputes.

Prior to that, tensions had flared in 2020 over exploratory drilling rights in areas in the Mediterranean Sea where Greece and Cyprus claim their own exclusive economic zone, leading to a naval standoff.

Turkey had also blasted Greece for maintaining a military presence on eastern Greek islands that it maintains violates international treaties. Greece countered that it faces a direct threat from Turkey, which has a significant military presence in the Turkish coast near the islands,

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NEW YORK (AP)  New York police arrested two men in connection with two killings last year that investigators believe were part of a series of druggings and robbings of Manhattan bar and nightclub patrons by criminal groups, assaults that left the citys nightlife scene on edge.

Police said in a statement that Jacob Barroso of New Britain, Connecticut, and Robert Demaio of the Brooklyn section of New York were charged with murder, robbery, identity theft and other crimes. Barroso was arrested Saturday and Demaio on Monday, and police said they also were looking for a third man in the case.

The arrests were related to last years deaths of Julio Ramirez, a 25-year-old social worker, in April and John Umberger, a 33-year-old political consultant visiting from Washington D.C., in May. Their deaths were the result of drug-facilitated thefts, the medical examiners office said.

Police said the pattern involved slipping revelers dangerous levels of drugs to knock them out, then taking their wallets and phones and sometimes using their digital banking info to drain their accounts. Investigators said they were looking into 17 such incidents between September 2021 and August 2022.

Barroso, Demaio and several others were indicted last month by a grand jury.

Barroso and Demaio were arraigned in court Monday and ordered held without bail. Barrosos lawyer said they will fight the charges, while Demaios attorney said his client had only a minimal role in the crimes and asked that he be released.

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LOS ANGELES (AP)  California law enforcement took away 54 so-called ghost guns last year from people who cant legally own firearms, a 38% jump in the number of the hard-to-trace weapons seized since 2021 under a unique state program, officials said Monday.

The ghost guns, which are privately made firearms without a serial number, were part of nearly 1,500 guns taken statewide last year through an only-in-California program called the Armed and Prohibited Persons System, known as APPS.

The California registry cross-matches databases to find people who legally purchased weapons but are now banned from ownership because they have been convicted of felonies or a violent misdemeanor, or have a history of domestic violence or mental illness. State and local authorities then can move to seize the weapons under the program, which began in 2006.

Generally, firearms manufactured by licensed companies are required to have serial numbers that allow officials to trace the gun back to the manufacturer, the firearms dealer and original purchaser. Thats how the registry can find the people who are prohibited from having guns, as well as the weapons linked to them.

Ghost guns, however, are made of parts and are then assembled together  without the serial numbers that can be used to follow the guns path. Law enforcement working to find the legal firearms listed on the state registry coincidentally found the ghost guns and seized those as well.

The number of ghost guns discovered by law enforcement through their APPS work has jumped dramatically in recent years. In 2018, officials seized just eight ghost guns through their work on the registry, Attorney General Rob Bontas office said.

Bonta has ordered the states Department of Justice to focus more on ghost gun investigations in general after years of increased illegal activity.

Guns without serial numbers have been used in deadly violence over the past year, including in New York, where a teenage girl was killed outside a high school in the Bronx, and in Sacramento, when a man fatally shot his three daughters inside a church.

The APPS registry included 23,869 people as of Jan. 1, including nearly 9,300 active cases. The remaining cases  almost 15,000  include people who are incarcerated, have moved out of state or cannot be located after multiple attempts, Bontas office said.

In one case, an attempt to contact a man in Costa Mesa led to an eight-hour armed standoff in Southern California after he fired at the officers. The suspect was on the states list because he had a misdemeanor conviction for domestic violence, as well as an active misdemeanor arrest warrant. He eventually surrendered and authorities recovered a rifle, a shotgun and multiple handguns, the attorney generals office said.

Last year, the total seizure included 712 handguns, 360 rifles, 194 shotguns, 80 assault weapons, three short-barreled shotguns and a machine gun, as well as more than 281,000 rounds of ammunition, according to a report released Monday.

Thats roughly comparable to seizures in 2021, when 1,428 firearms  including 39 ghost guns  were taken by law enforcement under the APPS program.

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DOUGLASVILLE, Ga. (AP)  A fifth suspect has been arrested in a March 4 mass shooting at a 16th birthday party in suburban Atlanta that killed two teens and wounded seven other people, authorities said Tuesday.

Tahkel Marquise Beverly-Smart, a 21-year-old resident of Dallas, Georgia, was arrested Saturday in connection with the shooting at a house in Douglasville, Douglas County Sheriff Tim Pounds announced.

In addition to two counts of murder, Beverly-Smart is facing 40 counts of participating in gang activity, nine counts each of aggravated assault and aggravated battery, and 20 counts of being a party to a crime, jail records show.

Beverly-Smart, like the four other suspects arrested so far, was denied bail. It was not clear whether any had lawyers who could speak on their behalf.

Arrested earlier were Kingston Cottman, 17, Timothy Coleman, 18, and twin brothers Chance and Chase McDowell, 17. They all face murder and gang charges, while Cottman and Coleman also face aggravated assault, aggravated battery and gun charges.

The sheriffs office didnt detail Beverly-Smarts alleged role in the killings or say who is believed to have fired guns.

The two dead have been identified as 15-year-old Samuel Moon and 14-year-old Ajanaye Hill.

Pounds has said the shooting was meant to be a gang hit but those who were shot were not the intended targets. Others have said the shooting started after homeowners discovered some of the 100 or more teenagers attending the party were smoking marijuana and kicked them out.

Pounds said Tuesday that he expects additional arrests.

Douglasville is just over 20 miles (32 kilometers) west of Atlanta.

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KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP)  A former researcher, who was accused of hiding work he did in China while employed at the University of Kansas, has asked a federal judge to reverse a conviction for making a false statement on an employee form.

Feng Franklin Tao was convicted in April 2022 of three counts of wire fraud and one count of making a false statement. U.S. District Court Judge Julie Robinson threw out the wire fraud convictions in September, but let the false statement conviction stand.

Tao was sentenced to time served.

In a motion filed Monday, Taos attorneys argued his remaining conviction also should be reversed, or go to trial again.

Tao was accused of not properly filling out an institutional responsibilities form for the University of Kansas, by not disclosing that he was traveling to China to work on setting up a laboratory and recruit staff for Fuzhou University.

Federal prosecutors argued that Taos activities defrauded the university, as well as the U.S. Department of Energy and National Science Foundation, which had awarded Tao grants for research projects at the school.

In the motion for a reversal, Taos attorneys said the university did not share the form with the two federal agencies, meaning it did not impact any decisions on research projects. They also argued that Taos alleged omissions on the form did not violate federal law concerning making false statements.

The motion said the case against Tao was a breathtaking instance of prosecutorial overreach that sought to make a human resources issue at the university into a federal crime.

The U.S. Attorneys Office in Washington did not immediately return a request for comment.

The case against Tao was part of the U.S. Justice Departments China Initiative, which started in 2018 to thwart what the agency said was the transfer of original ideas and intellectual property from U.S. universities to the Chinese government. The department ended the program amid public criticism and several failed prosecutions.

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WASHINGTON (AP)  The U.S. will send Ukraine about $500 million in ammunition and equipment and spend more than $2 billion to buy an array of munitions, radar and new weapons to help Kyiv counter drones in the coming months, the Pentagon said Tuesday, as Ukrainian troops gear up for a spring offensive against Russian forces.

The aid to be taken from military stockpiles so it can be in the war zone quickly includes ammunition for U.S.-provided HIMARS, air defense interceptors, and artillery rounds that Ukraine is using to defend itself, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement. HIMARS are multiple rocket launchers.

The package includes at least two new weapons systems that are designed to counter drones  specifically the Iranian-made Shahed, which Tehran has provided to Russia and has been heavily used in attacks on Ukrainian cities.

The U.S., for the first time, will send nine 30mm gun trucks and an undisclosed amount of ammunition for them, and 10 mobile laser-guided rocket systems, also developed to counter drones.

The wide array of ammunition being sent from Pentagon stocks includes 155 mm artillery rounds for howitzers as Ukraine burns through the rounds fighting back against Russias ground invasion. The Pentagon does not provide the amounts of munitions in most cases.

The immediate assistance also includes anti-armor systems, small arms, heavy equipment transport vehicles, 61 fuel tankers and maintenance support, the Pentagon said in a statement.

A senior defense official said the focus is on helping Ukraine change the dynamic on the ground. Right now, the official said, the battle lines are relatively static and neither side has gained much territory. The official, who briefed Pentagon reporters on condition of anonymity to provide military details, said the U.S. wants to help Ukraine advance and hold its positions in the expected counteroffensive.

We very much appreciate everything that the United States has done specifically in the last month to help our army prepare itself for the counteroffensive, said Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, speaking at NATO headquarters in Brussels before a meeting with with Blinken. The Biden administration has upheld its commitment to provide Ukraine with a lot of what we need and set an example to other allies.

The $2.1 billion in longer-term aid, which is being provided under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, will buy missiles for the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System, or NASAMS, as well as radar, additional satellite terminals and fuel tanker trucks, anti-armor rockets and bridging systems. It also will fund additional training for Ukraines forces.

The defense official said weapons already bought using the security assistance funding in previous packages are beginning to make their way to the battlefield. That is key because in some cases  such as with the 155 mm rounds  the Pentagon had been sending its own stocks, which are also needed for American troop training, and there is a finite supply. Now, the official said, the deliveries of 155 rounds Ukraine is getting include ammunition that was bought a number of months ago through the USAI program.

The new weapons and money come as Russia has continued to bombard Ukraine with long-range missiles and the hotly contested battle for the eastern city of Bakhmut drags on. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told The Associated Press in an exclusive interview that unless his country wins that fight, Russia could begin building international support for a deal that could require Ukraine to make unacceptable compromises.

Zelenskyy said if Moscows forces take Bakhmut, Russian President Vladimir Putin would sell this victory to the West, to his society, to China, to Iran.

The latest U.S. package, with its mix of short-term and long-term aid, involves a wide variety of ammunition from Pentagon stocks, 23 million rounds of small arms ammunition and 200,000 grenades, mortars, rockets and an array of precision guided munitions.

It brings the total amount of U.S. security assistance to Ukraine to more than $35.1 billion since Russia invaded in February 2022. Defense leaders testifying on Capitol Hill last week said the U.S. is prepared to support Ukraine for as long as needed.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has echoed that sentiment, saying the alliances foreign ministers meeting in Brussels were discussing how to step up support for Ukraines armed forces. Our support is for the long haul, he said before the meeting Tuesday.

The White House said last week that it has new evidence that Russia is looking again to North Korea for weapons as it also prepares for a spring offensive. Russia would provide Pyongyang with needed food and other commodities in return.

U.S. officials also are concerned that the president of Belarus has warned that Russian strategic nuclear weapons might be deployed in his country, along with part of Moscows tactical nuclear arsenal.

Putin has said he planned to place tactical nuclear weapons in neighboring Belarus. Those weapons are comparatively short-range and low-yield. Strategic nuclear weapons, such as missile-borne warheads, would be a greater threat.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, while talking up the possibility of nuclear weapons, has also called for a cease-fire in Ukraine. He said a truce must have no preconditions and all movement of troops and weapons must be halted.

Russia, however, has rejected a cease in fighting, claiming that Ukraine has refused to enter talks under pressure from its Western allies.

_____

Lee reported from Brussels. Associated Press writer Tara Copp contributed to this story from Washington.

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NEW YORK (AP)  For the first time in history, a former U.S. president has appeared in court as a criminal defendant.

Donald Trump surrendered to authorities Tuesday after being indicted by a New York grand jury on charges related to hush money payments at the height of the 2016 presidential election.

Trump, a 2024 presidential candidate, pleaded not guilty to 34 felony charges in a Manhattan courtroom. He then flew home to Florida and spoke to a crowd of supporters at his home.

Heres what to know about Trumps day in court:

HUSH MONEY PAYMENTS RELATED TO 2016 ELECTION

Prosecutors unsealed the indictment against the former president Tuesday, giving Trump, his lawyers and the world their first opportunity to see them. Trump was charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. Prosecutors said Trump conspired to undermine the 2016 presidential election by trying to suppress information that could harm his candidacy, and then concealing the true nature of the hush money payments. The payments were made to two women  including a porn actor  who claimed they had sexual encounters with him years earlier, and to a doorman at Trump Tower who claimed to have a story about a child Trump fathered out of wedlock, according to the Manhattan district attorneys office.

___

DONALD J. TRUMP, DEFENDANT

Trump was only seen briefly outside the district attorneys office, where he surrendered to authorities and was booked and fingerprinted behind closed doors. Trumps mugshot was not taken, according to two law enforcement officials who could not publicly discuss details of the process and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

As the former president entered the courtroom, he briefly looked at a huddle of news cameras but did not stop to speak to reporters.

Inside the courtroom, Trump sat at the defense table with his hands in his lap and his lawyers at his side. He looked right at photojournalists who were briefly allowed into the courtroom as they snapped his photo. During the rest of the proceeding, he stayed still with his hands together and looked straight ahead. Trump only spoke briefly in court, telling the judge he was pleading not guilty and had been advised of his rights. The judge warned Trump that he could be removed from the courtroom if he was disruptive. Trump made no comment when he left court just under an hour later.

Trumps lawyer Todd Blanche said during the hearing that Trump is absolutely frustrated, upset and believes that there is a great injustice happening in the courtroom.

___

A SURREAL DAY IN THE CITY WHERE HE GAINED FAME

Before he appeared in court, Trump made posts on his social media network complaining that the heavily Democratic area was a VERY UNFAIR VENUE and THIS IS NOT WHAT AMERICA WAS SUPPOSED TO BE! As his motorcade carried him across Manhattan, he posted that the experience was SURREAL.

The Republican has portrayed the Manhattan case and three separate investigations from the Justice Department and prosecutors in Georgia, as politically motivated. In recent weeks, he has lashed out at Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, called on his supporters to protest and warned about potential death and destruction if he were charged.

___

TRUMP ADDRESSES SUPPORTERS

Appearing in front of several hundred supporters at his Florida home, Mar-a-Lago, Tuesday night, Trump repeated his claims that the investigation was politically motivated. He and attacked Bragg and the judge in the New York case, the judges family and other prosecutors investigating him in other cases.

The only crime that I have committed is to fearlessly defend our nation from those who seek to destroy it, Trump said.

___

BRAGG SPEAKS BRIEFLY

Bragg, speaking publicly for the first time since the indictment last week, held a brief news conference after the court proceedings in which he said the hush money scheme constituted felony crimes in New York state  no matter who you are.

We cannot and will not normalize serious criminal conduct, Bragg said. The Democratic prosecutor said accurate and true business records are important everywhere, but especially in Manhattan, because its the financial center of the world.

Bragg was asked at the news conference why he was bringing the case now and if the timing was political. The district attorney said his office had additional evidence that his predecessor did not.

I bring cases when theyre ready, he said.

___

WARNINGS AND POTENTIAL CONSEQUENCES

The judge on Tuesday did not impose a gag order but warned Trump to avoid making comments that were inflammatory or could cause civil unrest. If convicted of any of the 34 felony charges, Trump could face a maximum of four years in prison, but hed likely be sentenced to less.

That could be an issue for Trump, who has already singled out his cases judge and the judges family and posted on his social media network on Wednesday that, The people are seeing what is going on and they will not allow it to continue.

Trump lawyer Joe Tacopina pointed to the chaotic mix of media and protesters outside the courthouse as the former president was arraigned on Tuesday and said that it was an insane scene but there was no violence.

President Trump heard the judge, Tacopina told NBCs Today Show on Wednesday. Hes not doing anything to try to incite violence.

Asked about Trumps comments about the judge, Tacopina responded, Its not an attack on the judge, or certainly, his family.

No one is suggesting that anything should happen to the judge or the family, and President Trumps comments did not, in any way, shape or form, incite violence against the judge or anyone else, he said.

___

TRIAL WHILE CAMPAIGNING FOR PRESIDENCY

Trump is due back in court in December, but his lawyers asked that he be excused from attending that hearing in person because of the extraordinary security required to have him show up. Prosecutors asked the judge to set a trial for January  weeks before the first votes will be cast in the 2024 Republican presidential primary. Trumps lawyers asked that it be pushed to the spring. The judge did not immediately set a date.

___

MIXED POLITICAL IMPACTS

Though he faces a swirl of legal challenges, Trump is running for president again and has sought to use the charges and other investigations to galvanize his supporters.

Most of the Republicans also running or eyeing campaigns have released statements supportive of Trump while slamming the investigations of him as politically motivated. Many Democratic elected officials have said little about the New York indictment, including President Joe Biden. Trumps legal troubles are only expected to bolster Democratic voters opposition to him, but its unclear whether some Republicans and independent voters will see the legal problems as too much baggage.

___

A NEW YORK CIRCUS

A crowd of Trump supporters, thronged by journalists, gathered Tuesday outside the Manhattan courthouse. Republican Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and George Santos of New York, who is facing multiple investigations over lies he told while running for office, were swarmed by cameras and reporters when they arrived and spoke mid-morning. A band of anti-Trump protesters appeared with a large banner saying, Trump Lies All the Time.

___

Associated Press reporters Michael Balsamo and Colleen Long in Washington contributed to this report.

___

This story has been corrected to show that no trial date has been set but prosecutors asked for the trial to start in January.

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Only eight weeks until an election in Alberta and it appears Premier Danielle Smith is still in thrall of rabid anti-vaxxers, freedom convoy zealots, and conspiracy-mongers.

For proof of this, you just have to listen to a recorded 11 minute phone call that was available all over the internet last week. In the recording Smith promises to go to bat for Artur Pawlowski just before he was due to go on trial for charges relating to a fiery speech he gave urging on protesters at the Freedom Convoys Coutts border blockade in February 2022. The blockade ended when a truck loaded with guns and other armaments was uncovered by the RCMP.

Pawlowski wanted Smith to convince the prosecutor to drop the charges. The premier explained that she had been working on doing exactly that and would continue to do so with the justice minister and his deputy. Smith also let drop that she had been questioning prosecutors weekly about the case. If all true, it is a shocking interference with the justice system on behalf of someone facing criminal charges.

What on earth was she thinking? Is she that clueless? Or devious?

She seemed to know this was a line she shouldnt cross because she referred to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau getting himself into trouble over the SNC-Lavalin affair. According to the ethics commissioner, Trudeau did try to influence his attorney-general about the case. But as far as we know he didnt call the president of SNC-Lavalin and give him a sympathetic update on his attempts to reduce the charges.

And why on earth was Smith taking 11 minutes out of her busy day (she had been premier for only three months at the time) to speak with someone as notorious as Pawlowski.

As I wrote in a recent column, it was Pawlowski who presented German neo-fascist Christine Anderson with Calgarys symbolic white cowboy hat as a welcome gesture. But long before that he was already well known for his bigoted behaviour.

For years he provided food to street people in front of Calgary City Hall while preaching through an amplified megaphone about the wickedness of homosexuality.

In 2020 he focused his wrath on pandemic-related public health restrictions. In February 2021 as part of his campaign against them he co-organized the Jericho Torch March, which featured flaming tiki torches just like the infamous 2017 Unite the Right protest in Charlottesville, Virginia.

In May 2021, when police officers turned up after a complaint about his church flouting COVID-19 restrictions, Pawlowski demanded they leave, while screaming Nazis and Gestapo at them.

At the Coutts border blockade he allegedly urged on protesters demanding the end of vaccine mandates by telling them this is our Alamo and people must be willing to sacrifice their lives. At his trial in February, he was also accused of interrupting operation of essential infrastructure. A verdict has yet to be delivered.

Who on earth could have convinced Smith that she needed to take that call just before the trial was due to get underway?

Apparently, it was Dennis Modry an Edmonton surgeon who endorsed The Barrington Declaration  a since debunked theory that claimed most people would eventually acquire immunity from COVID-19 if it were allowed to run rampant through the population. Modry introduced Pawlowski and stayed on the line for the entire call.

Obviously Smiths advocacy for Pawlowski didnt result in the charges being dropped. So thats a good thing for the rule of law and the integrity of the justice system.

But what if Smith and the UCP get re-elected and COVID-19 erupts again? Or some other frightful virus starts to spread rapidly? Will the government do anything to protect Albertans? Will it spurn any kind of public health measures?

If Smith has her way the government will likely do nothing other than advise us all to take Ivermectin. And thats a frightful prospect.

GS Gillian Steward is a Calgary-based writer and freelance contributing columnist for the Star. @GillianSteward

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Visiting Chinese Minister of Culture and Tourism Hu Heping reads a reply from Chinese President Xi Jinping to the Arab artists at the opening ceremony of the "Silk Road Artists' Rendezvous" exhibition in Cairo, Egypt, April 3, 2023. (Xinhua/Sui Xiankai)

CAIRO, April 4 (Xinhua) -- The "Silk Road Artists' Rendezvous" exhibition opened at the Cairo Opera House on Monday, displaying artworks from Arab countries and China featuring paintings and porcelain.

Visiting Chinese Minister of Culture and Tourism Hu Heping, Egyptian Minister of Culture Neveen Al-Kilany, Arab League assistant secretary general Haifa Abu Ghazaleh and Chinese Ambassador to Egypt Liao Liqiang attended the opening ceremony.

During the opening ceremony, Ahmed Nawar, an artist from Egypt, read a letter written by Arab artists to Chinese President Xi Jinping. Hu read a reply from President Xi to the Arab artists.

Xi's reply spoke highly of the important contributions made by Arab artists to promote the communication between Chinese and Arab people, and once again advocated strengthening exchanges and mutual learning between Chinese and Arab civilizations, and promoting the building of a China-Arab community with a shared future in the new era, he said.

The exhibition is "a recognition of the prominent role played by the Silk Road via several centuries in promoting the cultural exchange among ancient civilizations in addition to its essential function as a trade passage," said Al-Kilany.

She added that over the past seven decades and more, the Egyptian-Chinese cultural ties witnessed continuous development in all fields, and that cultural ties have always been the momentum behind state-to-state and people-to-people connections.

"Cultural ties between China and Arab nations carry common features that mainly seek to spread peace and mutual interests, and that call for building the democracy of relations and the respect of other cultures," said the Egyptian minister.

Both Arab states and China have a long history of civilization and rich cultural and artistic resources, said Abu Ghazaleh, adding that strengthening cultural cooperation is an effective way to enhance the exchanges and mutual learning between civilizations.

This cultural event shows the strong will of Arab countries to strengthen cooperation with China in various fields, she said, noting that the Arab League will actively work to promote the sustainable development of Arab-China cooperation in various fields.

Nawar said his painting was inspired by his visit to China in 2013, when he toured the Asian country and felt overwhelmed with the beauty of its natural heritage and elements of civilization.

Impressed by the progress he and other Arab artists saw in China in all fields, Nawar told Xinhua that he felt a necessity to help promote the dialogue between Chinese and Arab civilizations and to enhance the artistic and cultural exchanges.

Standing in front of his painting, Amr Douqman, an artist from Algeria, said his work was motivated by Chinese characters and calligraphy.

The Chinese signs are not simple letters, they are like waves that flow with freedom, said Douqman, who traveled to China three times. "Art helps me to fly to a distant country, but very close to us in culture and heritage." 

People visit the "Silk Road Artists' Rendezvous" exhibition in Cairo, Egypt, April 3, 2023. (Xinhua/Sui Xiankai)
The big number $651 the amount on the average 2023 Toronto property tax bill of $3,569 that will go toward funding the Toronto Police Service. Thats the second-biggest amount, following debt financing for construction projects.

Big number: $651, the amount on the average 2023 Toronto property tax bill of $3,569 that will go toward funding the Toronto Police Service. Thats the second-biggest amount, following debt financing for construction projects.

Premier Doug Ford, who keeps saying hes going to stay out of Torontos mayoral race right before offering his thoughts on Torontos mayoral race, told city voters last week to reject a certain type of candidate: those who have tried to defund the police.

The people that voted for defund the police  dont vote for them. Simple as that, Ford said, referring to the council voting records of current and former city councillors who are seeking the mayors office in the citys June 26 byelection to replace John Tory.

With crime and public safety making the headlines, were bound to hear more stuff like this, from Ford and others, over the next couple of months.

So, as a service to readers, Im going to devote this column to giving you a complete list of all the mayoral candidates with experience on Toronto city council who have voted to defund the Toronto Police Service, so youll be able to properly heed the premiers warning.

You ready? Here goes  the full list: No one.

Turns out its a really short list, consisting of nobody.

City councillor Josh Matlow isnt on it, though I suspect hell be defending himself against this accusation throughout his bid for mayor. Opponents will cite a motion Matlow introduced at a city council meeting in the summer of 2020 to request the police provide city hall with a budget submission with at least a 10 per cent reduction. That motion failed with eight councillors in support and sixteen opposed.

City councillor Brad Bradford certainly isnt on the list either, though he was one of the eight to support Matlows motion in 2020. He released a thoughtful statement explaining his vote, saying of the police budget, if pursued together, reallocating funds and pushing for reforms can lead to the change we need.

And former city councillor Ana Bailao also isnt on the list. Unlike Bradford, she opposed the Matlow motion in 2020 but had been supportive of efforts to constrain the growth of the police budget. Over her 12 years in office, between 2010 and 2022, police spending per capita fell from $444.15 to $365.28.

Two other potential mayoral candidates with council experience  current city councillor Stephen Holyday and former councillor Giorgio Mammoliti  were broadly supportive of this budget trend too.

Heres the point: its ridiculous to paint these kinds of attempts to hold the line on the $1.1-billion police budget  or even attempts to cut it by 10 per cent (or more)  as moves to defund the police.

And the premier should know it. He was at city hall when his brother Rob, then mayor, demanded then-chief Bill Blair cut the police budget for 2012 by 10 per cent. Rob Ford ultimately backed off, but only after some tense negotiations. At the time, there was no suggestion the Ford administration was trying to defund the police. They were just trying to keep spending under control.

Because the simple truth about city hall finances is that its basically impossible to hold down spending if youre not going to stand tough with the police. The cops, after all, represent the second-biggest annual cost on the Toronto property tax bill, after debt financing.

So voters might want to worry less about fantasy defund the police candidates and more about candidates who could endlessly sink money into funding the police. Thats the kind of approach that could quickly overwhelm the citys already-moribund financial situation.

For example, a briefing note released by the police during city halls most recent budget process offered some numbers on what it would cost to increase the number of police officers per 100,000 population in Toronto (currently 163) to the level in New York City (414). The move would cost a staggering $1.1 billion annually, as the number of uniformed officers would more than double from 5,127 to 12,828.

Is that the path tough of crime mayoral candidates want to take?

Because theres another path. A path based on data and fiscal responsibility. Candidates could instead look at the early success of Torontos nonpolice crisis intervention service, where mental health agencies operating in four pilot areas of the city dealt with 1,530 emergency calls in their first six months of operation  78 per cent of them with no police involvement.

They could also ask some tough questions about police clearance rates  the measure of how often reported crimes are solved. Why, according to figures included in the 2023 budget report for the police, did the clearance rate for assaults drop from 71 per cent in 2015 to a projected 63 per cent in 2022? Why did crimes involving theft over $5,000 fall from an already-low 20 per cent to just 12 per cent? Why did a staggering 94 per cent of car thefts go unsolved last year?

Spare us your tired slogans about defunding. Recent headlines about crime in Toronto dont minimize the need for accountability on the police budget. They make the case for more of it.

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Tuesday marks Equal Pay Day  which signifies how much longer a woman must work, on average, to earn the same as a man. According to the 2016 Ontario census, women earn nearly 30 per cent less than men, while Indigenous, immigrant, racialized, LGBTQ and senior women, as well as women with disabilities, experience pay disparity at substantially higher rates.

As we navigate the social and economic fallout of the pandemic, women, gender diverse people and their families are more reliant on social services than ever before. Poverty, gender-based violence and mental health crises continue to deepen, yet public services intended to respond to these needs are continually defunded. Privatization threatens critical services, such as child care, health care and education, hurting those who need them the most.

Public services are grounded in and prioritize care. Privatization prioritizes profit, inherently leaving people who live in poverty, low-income earners, and those who face other forms of marginalization, behind.

Typically, privatizing social services makes them less accessible by creating a two-tier system. One tier is pay-for-access services that only the wealthiest can afford, which drains staff and resources from the other, publicly funded, tier of services. Proponents of privatization claim it will address emergency room closures and surgery backlogs while giving us more choice, but what we are really being sold is poor-quality services that cost us all more.

Privatization widens the wage gap, exploits workplace rights, and reinforces poverty  especially for women, racialized, and immigrant workers, who tend to be employed in lower-paying social service jobs.

Bill 124 capped the salaries of care workers  a largely feminized and racialized workforce  across the province, including nurses and shelter workers  this amidst a global pandemic and housing crisis. Now, after two years of being deemed essential, front-line staff are experiencing rampant rates of burnout and subpar wages, forcing many to leave their fields. As a result, Ontario faces a health care crisis, leaving many without access to critical care services.

Similarly, child-care workers are leaving their field in droves due to inadequate pay and benefits. Access to child care is integral to womens labour market participation and is a tenet of gender equity.

Ensuring women can build strong economic futures is foundational to building and maintaining a stable economy. Financial security empowers women which, in turn, empowers their families and their communities, creating a positive ripple effect on the entire economy and social fabric.

Policies that address gender disparities, such as the gendered and racialized wage gap and inadequate working conditions, will help women workers who are concentrated in the lowest-paid, most precarious jobs.

All workers, regardless of sector or immigration status, should have access to permanent paid sick days, living wages and pay transparency. Implementing strong labour standards and resisting privatization supports gender equity and reduces precarious employment.

The onus is on our governments. Women, labour experts and advocates have long been calling for change. The solutions exist, what we need now is political will.

Sami Pritchard is interim director of advocacy and communications with YWCA Toronto.

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Kenya is on the brink of a civil war. Forces that precipitated deadly violence in 2007, killing 1,200 Kenyans and displacing 600,000 people, are at play once again.

President William Ruto and former president Uhuru Kenyatta, indicted for crimes against humanity committed in 2007, escaped trial and conviction, laying ground for impunity.

Fifteen years later, another war, ignited by a disputed August 2022 election, is brewing. Battle lines appear drawn along class and ethnic divisions. The uprising of the poor against wealthy Kenyans and a political class, flaunting ill-gotten wealth. The invasion of former president Kenyattas farm is telling.

There are rumbling about dominant ethnic communities controlling political power for too long but the oppositions attempts to take power by any means necessary has put the country on edge.

On Sunday, President-elect William Ruto moved to restore temporary peace and pull the country back from the brink by inviting the opposition to talk. The opposition agreed to halt demonstrations but gave a seven-day ultimatum to have a raft of demands met or it will return to the streets, indicating continued unrest.

The Ruto government stands accused of failure to unite the country and instead, employing heavy-handed tactics to silence dissenting voices. The rising cost of living, heavy taxation, corruption, mismanagement and plunder of public resources have also been cited to declare Ruto unfit to lead.

Opposition leader Raila Odinga has led street protests, which began mid-March, calculated to force Ruto to relinquish if not share power. The government has reacted with brutal force against protesters, setting the stage for escalated violence.

Several people, including a police officer are reported dead and many others, scores of them journalists, seriously injured, following violent clashes between protesters and heavily armed police. The media is up in arms protesting targeted assault against them by government agents.

Last week, marauding men, armed with crude weapons were seen roaming the streets looting and terrorizing residents in Nairobi and Kisumu, which is Kenyas third largest city and Odingas stronghold.

People claiming to be landless invaded Kenyattas Northlands farm and started building shanties, while property owned by Odinga was also raided at the behest of a pro-government lawmaker, Kimani Ichungwa, who called on Kenyans to invade property belonging to wealthy politicians he claimed were funding the opposition to destabilize government.

Trade Cabinet Minister Moses Kuria was also quoted threatening to unleash violence against Odinga and his supporters. We will deal with Raila Odinga the way President Kagame and President Museveni of Rwanda has dealt with opposition, Kuria said, while Odinga has claimed a plot to kill him, further escalating tensions.

In a chilling replay of events preceding the deadly violence of 2007, political rhetoric has taken a dangerous turn, with hate speech directed at two ethnic communities. Retaliatory attacks seem to follow a familiar pattern, indicating an urgent need for outside intervention.

It may be argued that what happens in Kenya has no bearing to North American or global politics and therefore no relevance to a Canadian audience, but consider this: Kenya plays a significant role in the stability of East Africa and has been instrumental in brokering peace in Somalia, Sudan, Ethiopia, and Eritrea.

Presently, former president Kenyatta is engaged in peace negotiations in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It doesnt take much imagination to see what would happen to the region should Kenya slide into anarchy.

The International Refugee Agency estimates 560,000 refugees and asylum seekers were living in Kenya in 2022, thus mitigating the refugee crisis affecting western countries like Canada and United States, where many Africans escaping instability at home seek refuge. Kenya is also an economic hub for Eastern Africa and its instability spells doom for the region.

For these reasons and for the sake of the 55 million people who call Kenya home, I would argue, the world cannot afford to turn a blind eye to conflict and politically instigated violence in Kenya.

Wanja Gathu is a Gordon N. Fisher/JHR fellow at Massey College, University of Toronto.

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For Jeremy Hansen, the sky really is the limit.

On Monday, Hansen was named one of the four astronauts who will crew NASA's Artemis II mission to the moon. A colonel in the Royal Canadian Air Force and CF-18 pilot, the 47-year-old Hansen has made it his lifes mission to reach for the stars.

The budding astronaut joined the air cadets at 12, then studied space science at the Royal Military College. He was recruited by the Canadian Space Agency in 2009, and by 2017 became the initial Canadian to lead the training of both Canadian and American astronaut candidates.

And now, he will become the first Canadian to visit the moon. The Artemis II mission marks the first time humans will venture to our nearest celestial neighbour since Apollo 17 departed the lunar surface in December, 1972.

Building on the success of last years Artemis I mission, which used an uncrewed spacecraft, the Artemis II crew will, in the words of World War II RCAF pilot and poet John Magee Jr., slip the surly bonds of Earth in November, 2024.

Over the 10-day mission, theyll orbit the Earth, make their way around the moon and head back home to splash down in the Pacific Ocean. Although the astronauts wont land on the lunar surface, the mission may take them farther from Earth than any man  or woman  has gone before.

During the flight, the crew will test the spacecrafts systems and assess the readiness for longer missions. Artemis II will be followed in 2025 by Artemis III, which will land the first woman and the first person of colour on the moon.

Successive missions will develop the Lunar Gateway, a space station orbiting the moon, and the Artemis Base Camp, a station on the lunar surface. The gateway and base camp will be used as jumping off points for deep space exploration, including trips to Mars and beyond.

Canadians will also play important roles in future missions, including one which will use a Canadian lunar rover to explore the moons polar regions. The proposed gateway will also be fitted with a robotic arm, something with which Canadians are extremely familiar.

Indeed, the first robotic arm  Canadarm  made 90 flights between 1981 and 2011, and Canadarm2 is currently operating aboard the International Space Station.

Aside from the benefits the arms provide, every Canadian astronaut owes a debt to the Canadarm. As the first arm proved an enormous success, NASA offered a Canadian the opportunity to fly in space in 1982. Two years later, Marc Garneau boarded the shuttle Challenger, thereby becoming the first Canadian in space.

Yet while astronauts receive the lions share of attention, Canadians have worked extensively behind the scenes of numerous space missions, including the first moon landing.

Sarnia engineer Owen Maynard helped design Apollo 11s landing module the Eagle, of the Eagle has landed fame. In fact, the first legs on the moon were Canadian, and they didnt belong to Neil Armstrong. The first legs were those of the Eagles landing gear, which was built by Quebec manufacturer Heroux-Devtek.

Armstrong and his crewmates were then cared for by Canadian flight surgeon William Carpentier upon their return to Earth. And astronauts for subsequent Apollo missions completed part of their training in the Sudbury Basin, as the otherworldly landscape acted as an effective body double for the moon.

Canadians continued their service on shuttle missions and International Space Station, with nine astronauts in all taking flight (some more than once), and many more scientists and engineers working behind the scenes. The Artemis program is evidently no different, as Canadians already play key roles on the project.

And all of those Canadians will help to expand our reach  not merely by taking us further into space, but by making possible that which we thought impossible, unattainable. The Artemis project may one day take us to the stars, but its real value lies in teaching us that if we try hard enough, nothing need exceed our grasp, that the skys the limit for us all.

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A division bench of the Calcutta High Court on Monday sought a detailed report from the West Bengal government on the recent Ram Navami clashes in Howrah and Hooghly districts.

The two-member division bench of Acting Chief Justice T.S. Sivagnanam and Justice Hiranmoy Bhattacharya has directed the state government to submit the report along with CCTV footage of the clashes by Wednesday.

The development occurred during the first hearing on a PIL filed by the leader of the opposition in state assembly Suvendu Adhikari, demanding a central agency probe in the March 30 clashes which turned Shibpur and Kazipara in Howrah into virtual battlefields.

The division bench also directed the state police to ensure that the common people are not affected because of the tension.

While criticising the role of the police on this count, the bench also alerted the administration to be careful so that such incidents are not repeated.

Also on Monday, the state advocate general Soumendra Nath Mookherjee faced questions from the bench on the alleged failure on part of the police in the matter.

Why did the police fail to have prior information of such possible incidents though there had been precedence of similar development before? How could police have such a casual approach? What actions have been taken so far? Has Section 144 been imposed in those areas? Justice Sivagnanam questioned.

The state advocate general argued that the police gave permission for a peaceful procession.

However, after some time a section of the protestors resorted to violence. Section 144 has been imposed. Internet services have been suspended in certain pockets. So far as many as 36 individuals have been arrested, he informed the court. The next hearing is scheduled for Thursday.
Following clashes in pockets of West Bengal over Ram Navami processions in the last few days, chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday warned of repeating similar tension on 6 April on the occasion of Hanuman Jayanti.

I am asking my administration as well as the common people to remain alert on April 6. We all respect Bajrangbali, and we do not want any tension or violence in his name. The youth should come forward in preventing any kind of tension, the chief minister said while addressing an administrative review meeting at Khejuri in East Midnapore district.

Banerjee said the tension over Ram Navami procession was deliberately stoked by taking it to routes that were not permitted.

We are in the middle of Ramzan month. But some people are steering the processions to sensitive areas with the intention of creating tension. The fruit stalls in those areas have been burnt down. They are even participating in the procession with firearms and other lethal weapons, Banerjee said.

Chief minister Mamata Banerjee has accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of deliberately taking out rallies in minority areas of the state without permission. This comes after clashes broke out between two groups during a Ram Navami procession in Rishra and Serampore in Hooghly district. Miss Banerjee has called for an end to the carrying of arms during such processions. Speaking at a public distribution programme at Thakurnagar Ground in Khejuri of East Midnapore, Miss Banerjee criticized the BJP for entering minority areas without permission and carrying arms during processions.

Why will there be Ram Navami processions for five days? You can organise several such rallies on the day it is celebrated. We will have no objection But, do not carry arms with you, Miss Banerjee said.

They (BJP) are deliberately entering minority areas with such processions without permission. Yesterday in Rishra, too, they took out rallies in which people were seen with arms, she claimed. Miss Banerjee urged her Hindu brothers to make sure that no violence takes place against minorities during Ramzan and said her Didir Suraksha Kawach scheme would protect every citizen of Bengal.

Violence during Ram Navami celebrations had also rocked parts of Howrah district on Thursday and Friday, leading to the arrest of 45 people.

Mamata accuses BJP of deliberately holding processions with arms in minority areas without permission
LUSAKA, April 4 (Xinhua) -- At least seven people were killed after a boat capsized in Luangwa District in Lusaka Province, Zambian Vice President Mutale Nalumango said on Tuesday.

Four bodies have been retrieved while a search for the remaining three bodies was currently underway, Nalumango was quoted by the state broadcaster Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation as saying.

So far, she could not give the circumstances that could have caused the accident, but warned transporters against overloading to prevent avoidable accidents.

The government will not tolerate any transporters for negligence, she added.

Last week, 14 people died when a boat capsized on Lake Bangweulu in Luapula Province due to strong waves and winds. 
Delhi Education Minister Atishi on Tuesday said the Kejriwal Government in Delhi stands in solidarity with MCD contractual teachers and is working towards resolving all their issues pertaining to contract renewal.

Atishi and Delhi Mayor Shelly Oberoi met with contractual teachers from MCD schools on Tuesday.

The Delhi education minister and mayor addressed the teachers concerns and assured them that the process of renewing their contracts would be streamlined soon.

Atishi said empowering government school teachers and providing them with improved working conditions has always been the topmost priority for Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

Dr Oberoi also said education is a pillar of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwals governance agenda, and as per his vision for MCD, all issues of teachers contract renewal will be addressed soon.

Atishi emphasised the need to provide a better working environment for teachers in government schools and said, Teachers are an essential component of the mission to provide world-class education to Delhis students. Before 2015, the renewal of guest teachers contracts was a major issue in Delhi government schools, but since the government led by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal came to power in Delhi, the contracts of contractual teachers are automatically renewed, without requiring any applications.

She and Dr Oberoi assured the teachers of MCD schools that the process of contract renewal of MCD teachers would be streamlined, as done in the Delhi government schools, and MCD teachers would no longer need to worry about having to renew their contracts.

The Delhi Education Minister and Mayor further assured the teachers that the government is committed to providing them and their students with a better environment to teach and learn.

Dr Oberoi further said under the guidance of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, education has always remained the pillar of AAPs governance agenda.

Now that the Aam Aadmi Party is also in power in the MCD, education will continue to be our priority in the MCD as well, she added. She mentioned that due to delays in the Standing Committee elections, there had been a delay in the process of the contract renewal. Nonetheless, she continued, We are trying our best to renew the contracts of all teachers in MCD schools as soon as possible.
The Delhi Cabinet on Tuesday approved extension of 200 units of free electricity under power subsidy scheme and also the

continuation of 50 per cent subsidy on consumption between 200 to 400 units.

In a cabinet meeting held on Tuesday, the proposal to give subsidy on electricity was approved unanimously under the leadership of CM Arvind Kejriwal.

This decision comes as a relief to the people of Delhi who have been benefitting from the scheme since its inception in 2019, an official statement said.

The free electricity scheme was introduced by the Kejriwal Government in 2019. The statement claimed that the scheme has been a huge success, benefiting lakhs of households in the national capital. With this decision, the government has once again shown its commitment to the welfare of the people of Delhi.

All cabinet ministers  Atishi, Saurabh Bhardwaj, Gopal Rai, Imran Hussain, Kailash Gahlot and Raaj Kumar Anand  as well as the chief secretary and senior officers of departments concerned were present during the meeting.

Later, Delhi Power Minister Atishi held a press conference along with Cabinet Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj after the Cabinet meeting.

They said, The state government will continue to provide free electricity to the residents of Delhi despite the attempts of the Central Government to obstruct the continuation of the scheme.

The Delhi power minister alleged that in the last couple of days the Central Government, under the pretext of the LG Office, has been trying hard to stop the free electricity that is provided to the residents of Delhi.

She said the Kejriwal government has kept its promise and in the coming year, just like in the previous years, the electricity subsidy scheme will be continued.

She said that it was a commitment of the Kejriwal government to not only provide electricity for 24 hours but also provide it for free.

Applications received for power subsidy from October last year till now will be considered valid till April 2024, Atishi said.

Atishi went on to provide the details of the four types of electricity subsidies that are given by the Delhi Government. The first is the subsidy to Agricultural Consumers  To provide electricity subsidy on existing tariff @Rs 105/kW/Month on fixed charges to agricultural connections in Delhi.

The second type of subsidy is Subsidy to Domestic Consumers  To extend electricity subsidy, irrespective of the load, of entire bill amount comprising of fixed charges, energy charges, PPAC, all surcharges and electricity tax, utilising up to 200 units in a month, and to extend electricity subsidy of up to Rs 800 per month, for the households utilising 201 units to 400 units per month.

The third type is the subsidy to 1984 Sikh Riots Victims  To provide 100 per cent electricity subsidy up to 400 units per month, irrespective of the load, of entire bill amount, comprising of fixed charges, energy charges, PPAC, all surcharges and electricity tax and waiving-off of all pending electricity bills of 1984 Sikh Riots Victims affected families living anywhere in Delhi, except Late Payment Surcharge (LPSC) which is to be waived-off by Distribution Companies (DISCOMS) at their level. In the case of bills above 400 units, the entire bill amount of 400 units will be subsidised, and the balance amount of above 400 units is to be paid by consumers.

The fourth and the final type is subsidy to Lawyers chambers within the premises of the Court complex in NCT of Delhi. This program includes three different subsidy levels based on the chambers monthly electricity consumption.

For chambers consuming up to 200 units per month, the program provides a subsidy for the entire electricity bill amount, including fixed charges, energy charges, PPAC, all surcharges, and electricity tax. For chambers consuming between 201 and 400 units per month, the program offers a subsidy of up to Rs 800 per month, and subsidies their non-domestic tariff to a domestic tariff to make their effective electricity bill similar to a domestic consumer with the same monthly consumption.

Finally, for chambers consuming over 400 units per month, the program subsidises their non-domestic tariff to a domestic tariff to make their effective electricity bill similar to a domestic consumer with the same monthly consumption.
In a major offshore operations, a team of Delhi Police Special Cell arrested top gangster Deepak Boxer from Mexico with the help of Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), police said on Tuesday.

The gangster will be brought to India in a day or two. He is among the most wanted gangsters of Delhi-NCR, who fled the country on a fake passport, said an officer. The police suspect that Boxer flew to Mexico in December, last year or January. The development comes after the sleuths retrieved a passport, with Boxers photograph on it but issued under a different name.

The passport holder had taken a flight from Kolkata, police informed.

The fake passport was made under the name of Ravi Antil from Moradabad and on January 29, he took a flight from Kolkata to Mexico.

Boxer had been on the lookout for a builder named Amit Gupta from Delhis Civil Lines area.

In September 2022, taking to Facebook, Boxer had claimed responsibility for the builders murder.

Earlier, on August 2022, Gupta was shot several times by unknown assailants in the Burari area of Delhi and died later while receiving treatment.

Boxer, who is part of the infamous Gogi gang, had been absconding since then.

During its investigation into Guptas killing, Delhi Police said it was prima facie a case of extortion and murder, and one accused was arrested.

Deepak Boxer, who runs the gang, claimed on Facebook that he killed the Delhi builder and motive for the murder wasnt extortion, but revenge.

Further in his Facebook post, Boxer also claimed that the builder was associated with the Gogi gangs known enemy Tillu Tajpuria gang and he was, in fact, the financier of that gang. He was killed over his link to the rival gang, the gangster claimed in his Facebook post.

The post further claimed that the main member of the Gogi gang, Kuldeep alias Fazza, who was killed in an exchange of fire with the Special Cell, and it was Gupta who had tipped off the sleuths about his whereabouts.

According to reports, Deepak Boxer had been leading the Gogi gang after the murder of gangster Jitendra Gogi in Rohini Court.

Boxer, a resident of Gannaur, had a reward of 3 lakhs on him.
A large number of social activists and academicians, including historians, have sharply reacted to the removal of two chapters related to the Mughal Empire in NCERT textbook for class 12.

The NCERT revised the history syllabus and dropped a chapters on Kings and Chronicles and The Mughal Courts (16th and 17th centuries) from the CBSE medieval history textbook  Themes of Indian Hitory  for class 12.

Former director of the Khuda Baksh Oriental Public Library, Patna Prof Imtiaz Ahmad said, The reported changes in the textbooks for class 12 made by the NCERT are disappointing and unfortunate.

Ahmad, who is also a former professor of history, Patna University, categorically said, History cannot be studied in a selective manner by leaving major gaps in the chronology. Such an approach fails to take into account the evolution of institutions and policies in a holistic manner, he told The Statesman.

Former head of department of history LN Mithila University, Darbhanga Prof Ratneshwar Mishra said, History cannot be customised to suit the ethics of today rather than to the day when in fact it took place. History has been a work of objective scholarship with the support of narratives based on evidence instead of entertaining into the services of the ruling establishment.

According to Prof Mishra, this is not to suggest whats right or whats wrong of the issue, but just to highlight the fact that whatever is being changed or modified will also be part of the history.

Prof Ashok Anshuman, who teaches history in LS College Muzaffarpur, echoed similar views. He called it an absurd decision which should immediately be reviewed.

Talking about Mughal rulers, he said apart from being a political dynasty, its a cultural heritage. History, according to him, cannot be taught in bits and pieces. It is being taught in continuity with different stages of civilisations, he added. I dont see any valid reason to revise its curriculum by dropping two chapters, he contended.

Former professor and head of the department of history, Patna University Prof Kameshwar Prasad said it should not be done in this way. If they wanted to remove some chapters, they should have discussed it among subject experts before taking a final decision, he said.

The teaching of modern history would now be completely disoriented and difficult to grasp for the students, he pointed out.

The professor and head of the department of ancient Indian history and archeology, Vishwa Bharati University, Shantiniketan, West Bengal Prof Anil Kumar asked, How can we ignore 500 years of history from our textbooks, and more importantly, the policies of Sulah-e-Kul.

He further said I completely disagree with the idea of excluding Mughal history from the textbook. Its a matter of interpretation.

If someone disagrees with the policies of any dynasty, he/she can come out with alternative narratives, Kumar told SNS.

Some cultural and activist groups also criticised the NCERTs removal of two chapters  American Hegemony in world and The Cold War Era  from the civics textbook for class 12.

Similarly, two chapters  Rise of Popular movement and Era of one party Dominance  from the class 12 textbook Indian Politics after Independence have also been removed.
Higher education of the country is set to take a giant leap as for the first time, foreign universities will be able to set up their campuses in India.

Higher education regulator University Grants Commission (UGC) has made rules to allow foreign universities to enter the country.

According to the Union Education Ministry, these regulations will be implemented within the next one month.

The Education Ministry will take advice from the Reserve Bank of India on these regulations and legal opinion will also be taken on several important aspects before implementing the guidelines for foreign universities.

Universities in some countries like the US, England, France, Australia, Italy, Malaysia Canada have shown a keen interest in setting up campuses in India.

These universities will have the freedom to devise their own admission process and fee structure.

There will be no interference in academic and other day-to-day activities in the campuses of foreign universities.

However, the Indian regulatory bodies will ensure that the foreign universities function within the stipulated norms.

UGC Chairperson M. Jagadesh Kumar said: The draft related to setting up and operation of campuses of foreign universities in India will be implemented in the beginning of May.

Kumar said the draft has received positive feedbacks from several foreign universities and embassies and the UGC is in the final stage of consolidating these suggestions.

He said that the UGC will consult the Reserve Bank of India in this regard and will also take legal opinion before announcing the guidelines.

Till date, 49 foreign higher education institutions are collaborating with Indian higher education institutions.

UGC has also contacted ambassadors and heads of missions of about 66 countries whose universities are eligible for collaboration. These include the US, UK, Australia, Canada, Germany, Singapore, Israel, New Zealand, Norway, Malaysia, etc.

Meetings were organised with select American universities in collaboration with the Indian Mission and German universities in collaboration with The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD).

According to the UGC, many of the suggestions received so far are from universities in Europe and North America.

Several embassies have also approached us with their queries and suggestions, UGC Chairperson said.

According to the UGC, these rules are based on the National Education Policy for Internationalisation of Higher Education in India.

The draft states that the move is intended to promote academic collaboration between Indian Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and foreign HEIs.

According to the UGC, this important step will help Indian students to develop collaborative research and educational activities with foreign students.

There are several Indian academicians in foreign universities. They can come to India to teach in the universities and this will improve the overall standard of higher education in the country.

The UGC will reach out to the embassies and foreign universities with the revised draft before any final announcement.

The draft prepared by UGC states that no foreign university will be able to set up its campus in India without UGCs approval and the universities that are placed in the top 500 global rankings can apply to enter India.

The universities of the US, England, France, Australia and Italy have expressed their interest to open campuses in the country. It is expected that once the provision is in place, foreign universities with global rankings will come forward with applications to set up campuses.

The new move will allow Indian students to acquire foreign qualifications at affordable cost and make the country an attractive global study destination.
Uttar Pradesh government has taken strong action against 2 jail officials for providing VVIP treatment to Atiq Ahmed and his brother. Bareilly Jail Superintendent Rajeev Shukla was suspended by the government on Tuesday on the report of in-charge DIG Jail RN Pandey.

Jail officials here on Tuesday said that Rajeev Shukla is accused of providing VIP facilities to Ashraf, brother of mafia don Atiq Ahmed lodged in Bareilly District Jail (Central Jail-2). In this case, before the suspension of jail superintendent, the jailer and deputy jailer had also been suspended. Seven people including two jail warders have been sent to jail.

Meanwhile, Senior Jail Superintendent Shashikant Singh of Central Jail Naini has also been suspended. Shashikant Singh also had the charge of DIG Jail. On Saturday night the officials raided the Naini Jail. During this, laxity was found and objectionable items were recovered.

Mafia Atiq Ahmed was lodged in Naini Jail last week, when he was brought from Sabarmati Jail. Ashraf was also brought from Bareilly Jail to Naini jail. Based on the input received after the killing of Umesh Pal and his 2 gunners, the investigation was handed over to DIG Jail RN Pandey after finding the role of Bareilly jail officials suspicious.

Investigation revealed that Ashrafs henchmen were made to meet him in the jail without an entry record and were provided with VIP facilities. It was also revealed in the investigation of the SIT that the jail authorities had removed the CCTV cameras from the part of the jail where Ashraf used to roam.

With the kindness of the prison staff, Ashraf used to walk outside his compound and meet other prisoners. While in jail, Ashraf had prepared a network of his operatives in Bareilly. Recently, the state government had shunted out DG Jail Anand Kumar.
As many as 30 hotels of Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation in the state are running in losses. Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri informed this to the state Assembly while responding to a question asked by MLA Sudhir Sharma during Question Hour on Tuesday.

These include hotels located at Dharamsala, Manali, Shimla, Kullu, Chail, Kufri, Kalpa, Palampur, Keylong, Pong Dam, Parwanoo, Chamba, Nurpur, Chindi, Rampur, Fagu, Rohru, Paonta, Mandi, Kyarighat and other places.

Besides, the Tourism Development Corporation had to close the hotels and cafes located in Sadhupul and Parwanoo after Covid pandemic, he added.

Responding to a supplementary question, he said that the government would consider taking a policy decision to lease out the loss-making hotels of the corporation.

In response to a question by MLA Devendra Kumar Bhutto, Mukesh Agnihotri said that from the year 2020 till January 31, 2023, about 2,73,34,891 fish seeds were put in various reservoirs, rivers and drains of the state.

Govind Sagar, Kol Dam, Pong Dam, Chamera, and Ranjit Sagar Dam produced 605.44 metric tonnes of fish in the year 2020-21, while in 2021-22 around 601 metric tonnes and 503 metric tonnes of fish were produced in 2022-23 till February 28.

In response to a question by Congress MLA Inder Dutt Lakhanpal, Agnihotri said that Tanda Medical College is a registered institute for Cadaver Organ Retrieval Surgery, since March 2021 and so far two patients have been operated.

He said that this surgery related to organ transplant is possible only when the organ related to the transplant is available.

In response to a question by MLA Ajay Solanki, the Deputy Chief Minister said that there have been no irregularities in the purchase of PPE kits, sanitizers, and other equipment in the Nahan Medical College during the Corona period.

He said that during the Corona period, only one ventilator has been purchased in this hospital for Rs 6.59 lakh, which is in use and is functioning smoothly.
Responding to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankars remarks on the Western countries, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Monday urged him to cool a little bit after the latter criticised the West over its bad habit of commenting on other countries.

We need not be so thin-skinned, I think its very important that as govt we take something in stride. If we react to every comment, we are doing ourselves a disservice. I will strongly urge EAM Jaishankar to cool a little bit, said Tharoor. Earlier on Sunday, Jaishankar during Meet and Greet interaction organised by Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya and Bengaluru Central MP PC Mohan with over 500 young voters, joggers and visitors at Cubbon Park, criticized the West for its habit of commenting on internal matters of other countries.

The West thinks it has a God-given right to comment on internal matters of other countries, said Jaishankar.

Jaishankar said, I will give you the truthful answer (on why we see West commenting on India). There are two reasons. It is because the West has a bad habit of commenting on others. They somehow think it is some kind of God-given right. They will have to learn only by experience that if they keep doing this, other people will also start commenting and they will not like it when it happens. And I see that happening.

He added, The second part of the truth  In our arguments, you are inviting the people to comment on you. Then more and more people are tempted to comment. We also need to stop giving generous invitations to the world saying there are problems in India, and (urging) America and the world (by saying), why are you standing by doing nothing? So if somebody from here goes and says why are you standing by and saying nothing, then obviously they are going to comment. Part of the problem is them, and part of the problem is us. And I think both need fixing.

Jaishankars remark came after Germany and US reacted to the disqualification of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi as a Member of Parliament.
The private doctors in Rajasthan protesting against the Right to Health Bill (RTH) are likely to call off their fortnight-long stir as the Private Doctors Associations affiliated to the Indian Medical Association (IMA) as the state government has accepted their eight-point charter of demands.

An agreement to this effect was reached at a meeting of the protesting doctors with the state Chief Secretary Usha Sharma here late last night.

Private hospitals medical fraternities, including para-medical staff, are on strike for the last 15 days causing immense inconvenience to patients in the state with all medical services including emergency, OPD, and IPD services being paralysed. They even denied treatment to the beneficiaries of RGHS and CM Chiranjivi Health Scheme despite their empanelment with the state government.

The strike will most likely be called off after holding todays Maha Rally of doctors and para-medical staff members who have come from the adjoining states of Haryana, Delhi, Punjab to show off their strength, IMA-Rajasthan President Dr Sunil Chug, who circulated copies of the MoU with the state government on his WhatsApp group, read.

In his Tweet, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot expressed his happiness over the joint agreement with the private hospitals. He said, Rajasthan will be the first in the country to implement RTH.

I hope that patients-doctors relationship would be the same as before the RTHrr bill, Gehlot added.

Meanwhile, Principal Secretary of the state Medical Education T Ravikanth (IAS) told SNS that the MoU was signed by a number of heads of private doctors and hospitals associations (IMA too) on assurance that their points of interests would be added to the rules of RTH when framed.

RTH bill would not be withdrawn in any case, the MoU has been clearly defined to the agitating doctors, Ravikanth said.

Among the terms of the MoU is a provision that says all private hospitals established without availing of any concession from the government in the form of land and building at a subsidised rate shall be excluded from the RTH Act. The government while passing the bill in the assembly on March 21 has also excluded the hospitals having less than 50 beds.

The hospitals covered under the RTH will be: private medical college hospitals, hospitals established on PPP mode, hospitals established after taking land from the government free of cost or on subsidised rates (as per land allotment terms and conditions), hospitals run by trusts, and regularization of hospitals constructed at various places in Rajasthan.

Police and other cases registered during the agitation shall be withdrawn. Single window system for licenses and other approval for hospitals be set up. Fire NOC renewal will be made every five years. And further change in rules if any will be done after consultation with two representatives of IMA.

Earlier in the day, thousands of private medical practitioners affiliated to IMA and Private Hospitals and Nursing Homes Society gathered at the SMS hostel ground and started a rally on the state capitals streets against the RTH, which they said was a symbolic protest after holding the MoU.
A seer of Hanumangarhi temple, Mahant Sanjay Das, on Tuesday offered Congress leader Rahul Gandhi stay at the Ayodhya temple premises after the latter was asked to vacate his government bungalow following his disqualification as a member of the Lok Sabha.

The Congress leader lost membership of the Lower House of Parliament after a Surat court convcited and sentenced him in a 2019 criminal defamation case. The case pertained to a remark he made using the surname Modi while adressing a campain event ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The Lok Sabha Secretariat on March 27 issued a notice to Rahul Gandhi, asking him to vacate his government bungalow following his disqualification as an MP.

As per the notice, the allotment of his government bungalow will be cancelled with effect from April 24.

Offering him stay at the Hanumangarhi shrine, Mahant Sanjay Das said, We will welcome Rahul Gandhi at Hanumangarhi and Ayodhya. We will offer our place to him if he comes here.

In a letter to deputy secretary, MS Branch, Lok Sabha Secretariat, dated March 28, Rahul said he owes the happy memories of his time spent at the bungalow to the mandate of the people.

Earlier, on March 28, Rahul said he will abide by the direction to vacate the government-allotted property.

As an elected Member of Lok Sabha over last four terms, it is the mandate of the people to which I owe the happy memories of my time spent here. Without prejudice to my rights, I will, of course, abide by the details contained in your letter, Rahul tweeted.

Congress workers held protests in different parts of the country following the disqualification of the former Wayanad MP.

Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge said Rahul Gandhi can come to stay with him or Sonia Gandhi.

They will make all attempts to weaken him (Rahul Gandhi) but once he vacates his bungalow, he can move in with his mother or me, Kharge told ANI earlier.

I condemn the attitude of the government to scare, threaten and humiliate him. This is not the way. Sometimes, weve been without a bungalow for three to four months. I received my bungalow after six months. People do this to humiliate others. I condemn such an attitude, he added.
NEW DELHI, April 4 (Xinhua) -- India and Bhutan should expand their collaboration on fin-tech, start-ups and emerging technology fronts so as to better utilize the energy and potential of youths of both countries, Indian President Droupadi Murmu said on Tuesday.

Murmu made the remarks while welcoming Bhutanese King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, who arrived here on Monday for a three-day official visit to India.

She said that this year Bhutan is set to graduate from the Least Developed Country category, and embark on the path towards becoming a high-income economy. "India would remain a reliable partner of Bhutan on this journey," she added.

The Indian president said that India deeply values a multi-faceted and unique partnership with Bhutan, and that it will continue to support projects in Bhutan in sectors like health, education, agriculture, infrastructure, digitization and skill development.

Earlier in the day, the Bhutanese King met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar. 
The government on Tuesday has reacted sharply to China renaming 11 places in Arunachal Pradesh, asserting that the Northeastern state was and would always remain an integral and inalienable part of India.

Reacting to reports from Beijing on Chinas Ministry of Civil Affairs releasing a third set of names for 11 places in Arunachal, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said; We have seen such reports. This is not the first time China has made such an attempt. We reject this outright.

The spokesperson asserted; Arunachal Pradesh is, has been, and will always be an integral and inalienable part of India. Attempts to assign invented names will not alter this reality.

China has been from time to time asserting its claim over the Northeastern state terming it as a part of South Tibet.

The first batch of six places renamed by China in Arunachal was announced in 2017 and the second batch of 15 places in 2021.

The names are standardised in Chinese, Tibetan, and Pinyin characters, which follow the regulations on geographical names issued by the State Council, Chinas Cabinet.
The BJP on Tuesday released the third episode of Congress Files, attacking the UPA government over the alleged coal scam worth Rs 1,86,000.

In the video, BJP came down hard on Congress, alleging discrepancies in the allocation of coal mines during the UPA tenure. The official Twitter handle of the BJP posted the video titled, Koyle ki dalali mein haath kaala, tagging it with the message, Watch in the third episode of Congress Files, The story of blackened hand in coal brokerage.

You all must have heard the proverb Koyle ki dalali mein haath kaala. But its not just a proverb, it is also the truth. In the 2012 coal scam, it was not just the hands but also the face of the then UPA government that got blackened, the BJP stated in the video.

The party alleged that coal , which is an important natural instrument in the economy, became a victim of corruption.

When Manmohan Singh became the Prime Minister for the second time, he made many promises, However, during his tenure, instead of his promises, it was the corruption on his watch that made the headlines, the BJP added in the video.

BJP claimed further that the coal scam resulted in a loss of Rs 1,86,000 crore to the national exchequer.

During 2004-2009, about 100 companies were allocated coal mines without any auction violating the rules. This scam resulted in a loss of around Rs 1,86,000 for the country. The CAG had also pointed out the wrong allocation of coal mines, the BJP stated.

During 2004-2009, the Union Coal ministry was under former Jharkhand chief minister Shibu Soren and the Prime Minister himself. This scam not just resulted in economic loss to the country but also dented its image.

The BJP posted the first episode of Congress Files on Sunday titled Congress means corruption.

In the video, the ruling party alleged a scam of Rs 48,20,69,00,00,000 in the 70 years of Congress rule.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has sought a detailed report from the West Bengal government on violence that broke out between two groups during a Ram Navami procession in Howrah city last week.

Official sources said on Tuesday that the state government has been asked to submit the report as soon as possible.

The MHAs move came after West Bengal Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Sukanta Majumdar on Sunday wrote his second letter to Home Minister Amit Shah over the violence and sought his immediate intervention.

In the second letter, the state BJP chief said, In continuation to my earlier letter dated March 31 regarding the communal attack on the processions of Ram Navami in Howrah and Dalkhola, it is further informed that the attack has not yet been stopped and is occurring in different parts of West Bengal.

Majumdar complained that there was another attack on the Ram Navami procession at Rishra in the Hooghly district on Sunday in which BJP MP and All India Vice President Dilip Ghosh was participating.

Along with the Ram Bhaktas, he too was attacked by stone pelting. His vehicle was torched and incidents of arson happened as police stood still as mere spectators which strengthens our allegations that there is definite support from the ruling party TMC and section of the administration led by Mamata Banerjee who has already issued several statements in favour of the miscreants belonging to the minority community, the BJP leader said.

In view of the deteriorating law and order situation, we immediately seek your kind intervention as per law so that the situation does not go out of control and lives and properties of ordinary citizens are saved, he said.

Shah on Sunday had spoken to state Governor C V Ananda Bose and took stock of the situation.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee assured strict action against the perpetrators of the violence and asserted that the usage of an unauthorised route led to the clash.
If there is something that is in plenty in a cash-starved Pakistan, it is diesel. Iranian diesel is making its way into large areas of Pakistan through speed boats operating in the ocean and in Balochistans Dasht river.

Pakistanis are using so much Iranian diesel that the countrys own diesel reserves are going up astronomically. In March 2023 it saw just 12,000 MT of diesel consumption as compared to 30,000 MT of consumption last year.

People are preferring to purchase smuggled Iranian diesel over their own diesel due to a big price difference between Pakistani and Iranian diesel. But how is this diesel flowing so freely into the country?

It is mostly the Baloch community living on both sides of the Pakistan-Iran border that has been smuggling the diesel into Pakistan. Twitter user, @Callsign_Ciphar has given a detailed account with photographs, videos and routes of how diesel from Iran is brought into Balochistan from where it is further transported to Sindh and Punjab.

Thousands of speed boats from Shahrak Maskuni-ye-Gavater in Irans Baluchistan-Sistan province bring diesel in cans along with other Iranian goods covering about 17 kms to reach the Dasht river delta in Jiwani in Balochistan. This travel from Iran to Pakistan is done through the Gulf of Oman.

The boats enter Balochistan through the Dasht river delta and travel northwards. Over the next 5 kms, the boats drop the diesel cans along the river banks where thousands of other people are at work  emptying the diesel cans into cemented tanks on ground, transferring these into storages or drums.

From these storage areas, which also have hotels for people to stay for the night, the diesel is then transferred into pickups vans and cargo trucks, which then use road routes to transfer Iranian diesel and other smuggled items to other parts of Balochistan, south Punjab and Sindh.

With Balochistan steeped in poverty and little infrastructure in the spread-out desert and mountainous region, the Baloch people on both sides of the Pakistan-Iran border have taken to smuggling. With the Pakistani economy creaking under poor governance, high defence budgets and political bickering, smuggling of packaged Iranian food as well as diesel has only increased.

With large quantities of diesel and other petroleum products being smuggled out of Iran, a US-sanctioned Tehran too is not complaining.
Railway tracks will be shifted from Palamu Tiger Reserve in Jharkhand for the protection of wildlife. A joint team of officials from the Ministry of Railways and the state Forest Department will soon start a survey for the possible locations of the railway track.

Besides shifting of two railway tracks located in Palamu Tiger Reserve, a place will also be found for the third track.

It may be noted here that at present the railway tracks pass through the core area of Palamu Tiger Reserve. It is believed these railway tracks can be shifted from the core area of the forest to the buffer zone.

The freight corridor between Son Nagar in Bihar to Patratu in Jharkhand passes through the Palamu Tiger Reserve. Besides, a new railway track of 11 kilometers is also proposed.

The Forest Department opposed the freight corridor that passes through the middle of the Tiger Reserve. Due to the construction of the new track, the tiger reserve will be divided into two parts and the life of wildlife and their movement will also be affected by the frequent passing of trains from here.

The National Tiger Conservation Authority has also warned about the construction of another railway line in Palamu Tiger Reserve. Taking cognizance of this, the Jharkhand government has proposed to shift the track to the railways after the forest department protested. After which the possibilities of shifting the railway track to the buffer zone of the Tiger Reserve are now being explored. Railways are also ready for this and a new place is being searched for the railway track.

The Palamu Tiger Reserve was made in 1974. Spread over 1,129 square kilometers, the core area of this tiger reserve is 414 square kilometers where tigers are commonly found. The rest is the buffer zone. Of the buffer zone, 53 square kilometers are open to tourists. Wild animals like elephants, leopards, wolves, pangolins, deer, etc. are found in Palamu Tiger Reserve.

In the year 2020, two tigers were also seen here. The first railway line was laid in Palamu Tiger Reserve in 1964 and the second railway line was laid in 1974-75.
The Private Doctors Associations affiliated to the Indian Medical Association (IMA) on Tuesday called off their fortnight-long strike after signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the government of Rajasthan on an eight-point charter of demands on the Right to Health Bill (RTH)

The strike was called off after holding todays Maha Rally of doctors and para-medical staff members who have come from the adjoining states of Haryana, Delhi, Punjab to show of their strength, IMA-Rajasthan President Dr Sunil Chug told SNS here.

The MoU was placed and discussed with the IMA working committee that directed us to end the agitation, he added.

An agreement to this effect was reached at a meeting of the protesting doctors with the state Chief Secretary Usha Sharma here late last night.

All medical services including emergency, OPD, and IPD services were paralysed in the state as private hospitals medical fraternity including para-medical staff was on strike for the last 15 days. Treatment was denied to even the beneficiaries of RGHS and CM Chiranjivi Health Scheme despite their empanelment with the state government.

Principal Secretary, Medical Education, T Ravikanth (IAS) said the MoU was signed by a number of heads of private doctors and hospitals associations (IMA too) and they have agreed that their points of interests would be added in the rules of RTH when framed.

RTH bill would not be withdrawn in any case as per the MoU, Ravikanth said.
For a second consecutive day on Tuesday, Telangana witnessed leakage of question papers of 10th class exams.

Hindi question paper of Second School Certificate (SSC) was allegedly circulated on some WhatsApp groups in Warangal district on Tuesday. Minutes after the Hindi exam started, the paper was circulated on social media.

Education minister P. Sabita Indra Reddy has taken serious note of the reports and directed the district education officers of Warangal and Hanamkonda to lodge complaints with the police. The DEOs denied the reports of paper leak.

This comes a day after Telugu paper was circulated on WhatsApp group in Vikarabad district. Two teachers were arrested by the police for leaking the paper from an examination centre in Tandur.

One of the teachers, who was on invigilation duty at the exam centre, allegedly took a photo of the question paper and shared it on WhatsApp. The education department suspended four others who were on duty at the exam centre.

Meanwhile, some answer sheets of the first paper went missing in Adilabad districts Utnoor town. Police registered a case and took up investigation after education department officials lodged a complaint.

The answer sheets of the Telugu paper went missing on Monday when they were being transported from post office to bus stand in an autorickshaw. One of the 11 bundles of the answer sheets was found missing.

Additional collector launched an investigation. However, police officials informed him that CCTV cameras on the route from post office to bus stand were not functioning. Footage from CCTV cameras installed in shops was being scanned as part of the investigation.

Answer sheets of nine students are reported to be missing. The education department officials said justice would be done to them.

The education department blamed postal staff for the negligence.

The Second School Certificate (SSC) board exam began across Telangana. A total of 4,94,620 students are appearing for the exams at 2,652 centres.
Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Tuesday said that with the enactment of the Haryana Control of stated that, similarly Organised Crime Bill, 2019 (HCOCA), stringent action will be taken against the criminals who commit serious crimes.

Speaking at Sandwa village in Bhiwani, the CM said that the Maharashtra government had enacted the MCOCA law to curb criminals, similarly the Haryana government has also passed the HCOCA in the recent Assembly session.

He said like Uttar Pradesh, properties of criminals involved in the illegal drug business and other heinous crimes are being razed in Haryana.

Haryana Assembly on 7 August passed the Haryana Control of Organised Crime Bill, 2019 (HCOCA) on the last day of Monsoon Session. The new law will empower the state government with powers to intercept wire, electronic or oral communication to control the menace of organised crime.

Khattar said the introduction of the e-tendering system in Panchayat works was necessary to assure Haryanas growth by eliminating corruption from its roots. He said a positive atmosphere is being observed among the villagers regarding the e-tendering system.

Meanwhile, the CM today visited Dulheri village in Bhiwani district, which has become a source of inspiration for the Swachhata Abhiyan across the country. He said Dulheri village has done the work of spreading the message of cleanliness in the country, for which the people of the village deserve appreciation.

Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, had also praised the Swachhata Abhiyan of Dulheri village in his Mann Ki Baat programme.

Khattar said tractor trolleys will be given in 135 big villages of the state under the Swachhata Abhiyan and the number of safai karamcharis will also be increased as per requirement. He said that other villages should also follow the Swachhata Abhiyan, considering Dulheri as a model.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami urged Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav to introduce Janshatabdi train service between Tanakpur and Dehradun and a Shatabdi Express train service between Delhi and Ramnagar.

Pushkar Singh Dhami raised the issue during a courtesy call he paid to the Union minister in New Delhi on Tuesday.

The chief minister also requested Ashwini Vaishnav to approve the construction of a tunnel-based rail line project and the Rishikesh-Uttarkashi rail line project to connect Dehradun to Saharanpur via Mohand railway. Urging the Union railway minister to start the Vande Bharat Rail service from Haridwar to Varanasi, he said it would ease the movement of devotees and tourists.

He urged the government of India to bear the full cost of the Kichha-Khatima new rail line project. He also requested to operate a direct train service between Ramnagar, Haridwar and Dehradun.

A sufficient number of train services should also be started from different places of the country mainly from New Delhi, Mathura, and Lucknow to Tanakpur for the remaining period of Purnagiri Mela.

The CM said, At present Dehradun-Kathgodam Janshatabdi is the only train service connecting Kumaon and Garhwal. On The Nepal border, the traffic of the people there also happens from Tanakpur only, so the operation of the Janshatabdi train service between Tanakpur-Dehradun is necessary.

He said the famous tourist destination Jim Corbett National Park under the Ramnagar area of Nainital keeps coming and going tourists from the country and abroad. Thats why the operation of the Delhi-Ramnagar Shatabdi Express train service is very important. The Chief Minister said that at present one has to go via Haridwar to reach Dehradun from New Delhi by rail.

The railway line between Haridwar and Dehradun is a single lane as the most part comes under Rajaji National Park, hence train speed is highly regulated with respect to wildlife protection. As a result, the entire journey takes a relatively long time.

In such a situation, if some part of the Dehradun to Saharanpur via Mohand rail line passes through the tunnel, it will increase the speed of the train and reduce the travel time.
Ten districts of Uttar Pradesh have been found to have suffered substantial crop damage due to unseasonal rain in the survey by the UP relief commissioners office.

The affected districts are Fatehpur, Pilibhit, Bareilly, Sitapur, Aligarh, Moradabad, Sonbhadra, Hamirpur, Sambhal and Unnao.

These districts were hit by hailstorm and rain between March 31 and April 2.

In the survey conducted from March 15 till date, over one lakh farmers were found to have been affected by unseasonal rain in 11 districts.

Official reports said that a total of 35,480.52 hectares of agricultural land was badly hit and Rs 58.59 crore was payable to the affected farmers.

At least 1,343 hectares of land belonging to 5,026 farmers in Fatehpur, 2804 hectares of land of 4,738 farmers in Agra, and 559 hectares of land of 3,090 farmers in Bareilly has been affected.

Likewise, 11,265 farmers in Chandauli having 2,986 hectares of land, 396 farmers with 271 hectares in Hamirpur, 205 farmers with 145 hectares in Jhansi, and 7,380 farmers having 6,216 hectares land in Lalitpur have been affected.

In Prayagraj, at least 9,252 farmers having 4,448 hectares faced crop losses.

Since the last two weeks, Uttar Pradesh has received unseasonal rain accompanied by thunderstorm, hailstorm and gusty wind due to the western disturbances.
DHAKA, April 4 (Xinhua) -- China's telecommunication giant Huawei plans to develop 50,000 information and communication technology (ICT) talents in South Asia in the next five years.

The strategy will include various programs like building ICT academies, different ICT and startup competitions, online course enrollment and fresh employee recruitment.

The announcement was made at the "Building a Smart Talent Ecosystem, In South Asia, For South Asia" held at its South Asia representative office in the Bangladesh capital on Monday.

The event has been attended by journalists and Huawei officials from Huawei South Asia countries.

The Dhaka office aims to support the region with more attention and create better value for the customers, partners and ecosystem, as well as society with the inspiration "In South Asia, For South Asia."

Huawei has developed more than 6,000 ICT talents last year in South Asia. "And now this company has the plan to develop 50,000 new ICT talents in the next five years," the Chinese company said in a statement. 
The German foreign ministry spokesperson stated in Berlin after the disqualification of Rahul Gandhi that it expects standards of judicial independence and fundamental democratic principles will equally apply to the proceedings against Rahul Gandhi. The US State Department spokesperson said, In our engagements with our Indian partners, we continue to highlight the importance of democratic principles and protection of human rights, including freedom of expression, as a key to strengthening both our democracies.

When the Amritpal issue was at its peak, Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi, a Sikh MP from UK tweeted, Very worrying reports coming from India, of the imposition of an internet blackout in Punjab, with mass arrests and restrictions on gatherings. Preet Kaur Gill, another MP from the UK added, Ministers should engage with Indian authorities so UK families who cant reach their relatives regain contact as soon as possible.

Few MPs from Canada issued a similar tweet: Very concerned about reports coming out of Punjab, India. The government has suspended internet services and restricted gatherings of more than 4 people in some areas. We are closely following the situation. Possibly the tweet was circulated and Sikh MPs requested to endorse it.

These remarks were justified on grounds of their nationals visiting India or safety of their family members. It was a similar situation during the farmers agitation as also after abrogation of Article 370. Commenting on Indian government decisions has become a norm for spokespersons abroad. The reason is because India maintains silence and does not pass judgement on others internal matters.

The US President had criticized Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahus decision to change laws concerning the judiciary despite nation-wide protests. Netanyahu responded, Israel is a sovereign country which makes its decisions by the will of its people and not based on pressures from abroad, including from best of friends. This is the policy which India must adopt.

India refused to comment when the Canadian government broke their truckers strike, following the Indian farmers agitation, employing nondemocratic methods, including invocation of emergency powers, use of force and arrests, despite adverse comments from Canada on the farmers agitation. While protests in India ended peacefully, Justin Trudeau faced violence. India had every right to voice its concerns as some involved were of Indian origin.

These events also display the biases of the Western media. The Washington Post in an editorial praised Canadas actions by saying, Justin Trudeau is justified in invoking an emergency law enabling enhanced government powers to end the protest that has paralyzed the capital city of Ottawa. That the protesters enjoy bellowing the word liberty does not negate the fact that their demands are blatantly antidemocratic and canticonstitutional.

On the farmers agitation in India, it had stated, protesting farmers are protecting Indian democracy from further degradation  and showing the world how social justice movements can lead the values and practices of liberal democracy to flourish.

There has not been a murmur from anywhere around the world on the ongoing anti-retirement protests in France and the brutal police crackdown with large-scale arrests. Not one nation has stated it is monitoring human rights and state brutality. However, every nation comments when protests happen in India, despite them being peaceful with no police highhandedness. India is the global target because it minds its own business.

Currently India should be hitting out on the indictment of ex-President Donald Trump especially with presidential elections drawing close. The indictment is timed to ensure that he is out of the race for the White House. Simultaneously, it displays poor democratic norms. If the US considers it a birth-right to comment on standards of democracy and human rights across the globe, the rest of the world possesses a similar right against the US. India must also commence discussions in Parliament on law-andorder incidents in nations where it has a significant diaspora.

One of the major reasons why India has been unable to respond in Parliament has been its divergent politics which prevent the nation from speaking in one voice. With the government and the opposition divided on almost all issues, political parties can never come together to give a fitting response. Thus, there was silence on criticism of abrogation of article 370, farmers agitation and the Rahul Gandhi issue. Congress leader Digvijay Singh by tweeting, Thank you German Foreign Affairs Ministry and Richard Walker for taking note of how democracy is being compromised in India through the persecution of Rahul Gandhi, displayed that to gain brownie points, Indian politicians would welcome global criticism of the country.

The only instance of political parties joining hands was on the crackdown on Amritpal. Abhishek Manu Singhvi, a Congress MP, countered British parliamentarians on their comments by asking, What about making a Khalistan within the UK? Lack of coordination between political parties opens doors for global rebuke of India. While international comments may not hold any water nor influence decisions of Indian institutions, they do impact the nations standing abroad, and display a weak political structure.

In every democracy the opposition and the government are at loggerheads on multiple issues, the major reason being the fight for power. Actions by the government or national institutions are perceived to be wrong or against the opposition by those fighting to regain power. However, in most cases they unite against international criticism.

There are flaws in laws as also lapses in the manner in which national institutions react to situations. However, these must be rectified within and comments from outsiders discouraged. India is no longer a member of the global south which can be pushed to behave. It can respond and it should.

When it comes to giving a shutup call to adverse comments from outsiders, political parties must put their differences aside and join hands. We must remember that we are Indians first and members of political parties with different ideologies second. At the end of the day, it is the nations reputation that is at stake. Ultimately, it is the Indian voter who determines which political party heads the state not other nations.

(The writer is a retired Major-General of the Indian Army.)
The Dubai Court of Cassation has rejected the appeal of British-Indian Sanjay Shah, who is wanted by Danish authorities on charges of money laundering and committing tax fraud to the tune of $1.7 billion.

In doing so, it upheld the Dubai Court of Appeals ruling last year to grant Denmarks request for his extradition.

Chancellor Essam Issa Al Humaidan, Attorney General of Dubai, announced that Dubai Court of Cassation has rejected the appeal of Sanjay Shah, a British national wanted by Danish authorities, and Sanjay Shah can be extradited to Denmark over fraud and money laundering charges, the Dubai governments media office announced on Twitter.

Shah, 52, a hedge fund trader who lived on The Palm Jumeirah, was arrested by Dubai Police in June last year following Denmarks extradition petition.

His fraud scheme involved submitting thousands of applications to the Danish Treasury on behalf of investors and companies from several countries around the world in order to receive dividend tax refunds, according to Dubai Police.

The Dubai Courts had initially rejected Denmarks extradition request.

Attorney General Chancellor Essam Issa Al Humaidan appealed the decision in accordance with the Law of International Judicial Cooperation, and the Dubai Court of Cassation has now upheld the decision to extradite the suspect to Denmark, according to a statement.

Shah is accused of masterminding a scam, which ran for three years since 2012, has been described as one of the largest fraud cases in Denmarks history.

His fraud scheme involved submitting thousands of applications to the Danish Treasury on behalf of investors and companies from several countries around the world in order to receive dividend tax refunds, according to a Dubai Police statement.
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Have an interesting bit of news youd like to see mentioned in the Along the Way column? Email it to Natasha Connolly at news@thesunchronicle.com.
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FILE Pigeons take off from wires in front of the Russian Foreign Ministry building, in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, March 29, 2018. Senior diplomats from Russia, Turkey, Syria and Iran on Tuesday, April 4, 2023 have wrapped up two days of talks in Moscow, part of the Kremlin's efforts to help broker a rapprochement between the Turkish and Syrian governments.
Taiwan defied threats of retaliation by China ahead of an expected meeting between the islands president and the U.S. House speaker Wednesday that will underscore her governments claim to sovereignty
ISLAMABAD, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan will vaccinate over 4 million children under the age of five against the incurable polio virus in the second phase of an anti-polio drive in two provinces of Pakistan, the country's health ministry said on Tuesday.

More than 4.12 million children will be vaccinated in the immunization campaign that began on Monday in 12 districts of southwest Balochistan and 26 districts of northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces of the country, a spokesperson for the ministry said.

Hundreds of health workers are taking part in the door-to-door vaccination drive, the ministry said, urging the parents and caregivers to vaccinate their children to save them from the crippling disease.

Earlier, a total of 17.41 million children up to five years of age have been vaccinated against the polio virus during the first phase of the drive, which ran from March 13 to March 17 across the country.

Pakistan reported its first case of polio virus in the country's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in March this year. Last year, the virus was found in 20 children in the same province. 
Larry Ruark is a Sun Chronicle columnist. His essays are published the first Tuesday of each month. Reach him at larryruark37@gmail.com .
EDWARDSVILLE  An Edwardsville man was caught allegedly driving on a revoked license April 1, making 16 or more violations since 1996.

Randy W. Robbs, 51, was charged April 3 with driving while license revoked (15th-plus subsequent offense), a Class 2 felony.

The case was presented by the Edwardsville Police Department.

According to court documents, on April 1 Robbs allegedly was driving a 1992 Chevrolet Silverado in the 400 block of North Main Street in Edwardsville with a revoked license.

His license had been revoked for multiple DUI convictions in 1994, 1995, 1996, 2004, 2006 and 2009.

He also has numerous prior convictions for driving while license revoked out of Macoupin County in 1996, 1997,1999 and 2005; Madison County in 2005, 2007, 2011; Jersey County in 2006; and St. Clair County in 2017.

Bail was set at $50,000.

Other felony charges filed April 3 by the Madison County States Attorneys Office include:

 Gene R. Babcock, 65, of Moro, was charged with unlawful possession of a controlled substance, a Class 4 felony. The case was presented by the Bethalto Police Department. According to court documents, on April 1 Babcock allegedly had less than 15 grams of cocaine. Bail was set at $20,000.

 Laschon Y. Miller, 22, listed as homeless out of Edwardsville, was charged with criminal damage to property over $500, a Class 4 felony. The case was presented by the Edwardsville Police Department. According to court documents, on March 31 Miller allegedly damaged a glass window in Edardsville, causing in excess of $500 damage. Bail was set at $25,000.
EDWARDSVILLE  The family of a woman who died Feb. 24, 2020, in the Madison County Jail on Monday released a statement on the Madison County Board's approval of a $3 million settlement in the case.

The board's March 29 action stemmed from a February 2022 lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in East St. Louis relating to the death of Elissa A. Lindhorst, 28, while in custody at the jail in 2020.

On Monday, Lindhorst's family issued a statement about the settlement through their attorneys, the Chicago-based law firm of Meyer & Kiss.

While this settlement does not erase the pain of that horrific day, it does begin the necessary work needed to help prevent another needless death," the released statement reads. "Elissa deserved better than what happened to her on Feb 24th 2020. No one deserves to die the way Elissa did.

"Elissa had a family who loved her for 28 years of her life, and her life mattered," the statement said. "This resolution keeps our family from reliving the tragedy in a courtroom for years to come and allows us to focus on furthering our shared mission of educating and training jail security, guards, and support staff about the crucial medical needs of individuals in their custody. That is the real work that honors Elissa."

The family said it applauds the Madison County Sheriffs Department for agreeing to additional training as part of the settlement to hopefully prevent a similar tragedy in the future.

"As a society, we need to focus on helping those who struggle instead of casting them aside only to get lost in the system," they said. "Elissa will always be with us in our hearts and never forgotten, and now we can truly begin to heal. Thank you to everyone who has supported Elissa, and our family, during this incredibly difficult time.

The suit was filed by Rana Schmidt, the administrator of Elissa Lindhorsts estate and her mother, through Meyer & Kiss. Defendants in the suit included the county, then-Madison County Sheriffs John D. Lakin, 17 named sheriffs department personnel and Advanced Correctional Healthcare Inc. which provides medical service for the jail.

Lindhorst had been arrested on an outstanding warrant for unlawful possession of controlled substance. While appearing in court in Granite City a judge realized she had an outstanding Hartford warrant and Lindhorst was taken to the county jail. Lindhorst told jail officials she was suffering from opiate withdrawal.

The suit claimed that jail employees saw Lindhorst's health falter but failed to take any steps to provide medical attention. Her condition deteriorated over the next few days and she stopped breathing on Feb. 24, 2020.
Stacker referenced news coverage and legal documents to compile a list of former leaders who were prosecuted after leaving office. Read on to learn about what they were charged with and the sentences they received.
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PARADISE, Mont. (AP)  Crews could face a difficult cleanup task after a 25-car train derailment spilled powdered clay and cases of beer beside a scenic western Montana river, leaving some cars off the tracks in a narrow, century-old tunnel with limited access, officials said.

Its a terrible spot to get in and out of, Bill Naegeli, manager for Sanders County Disaster and Emergency Services, said of the derailment on the Clark Fork River. The biggest issue is the cars derailed inside the tunnel with little clearance.

Montana Rail Link has said nobody was hurt and no hazardous materials spilled Sunday morning in the derailment that left some cars precariously close to the banks of the river and some slightly dipping into the water in an area where the railroad tracks run between the base of the mountain and the river.

Seven cars are believed derailed in the narrow tunnel where it will be hard to extricate them, Naegeli said.

The train derailed Sunday across the river from Quinns Hot Springs Resort in Paradise, spilling the clay and cases of Coors Light and Blue Moon beer, in cans and bottles, the Missoulian reported.

A tanker car carrying butane was on its side, but it did not leak, Naegeli said.

A boom was deployed across the river to secure any cans or bottles of beer that enter the water and to monitor for any possible diesel impacts after a small amount of fuel spilled on the dirt from two refrigerator cars that derailed, said Andy Garland, spokesperson for Montana Rail Link, in a statement Monday.

MRL has been in communication with both local and federal authorities and will conduct any necessary site remediation, including impacted soil removal in coordination with DEQ, Garland said.

Directly across the river, some guest cabins at Quinn's resort were evacuated as a precaution, the Plains-Paradise Rural Fire District said in a social media post.

Denise Moreth, the resort's general manager, told the Missoulian that front desk workers heard a loud, rumbling crash, and then they heard the train derailment.

Garland said Sunday it was unclear how long it would take to remove the derailed cars and repair the tracks and railroad bed, which appeared to have been damaged when the cars slid off the tracks. Crews were working in the area on Monday.

The derailed area can only be reached by vehicles traveling on the blocked railroad track or by taking a boat across the river, Garland said Sunday.

The cause of the derailment is still under investigation, officials said.

Federal regulators and members of Congress are urging railroads to do more to prevent derailments after recent fiery wrecks involving hazardous chemicals in Ohio and Minnesota prompted evacuations.

Rail accidents including derailments have been trending downward in the U.S. as the number of miles traveled by trains decreases.

However, the rate of accidents per mile has been increasing, according to the Federal Railroad Administration. Railway unions contend rail transportation has become riskier in recent years following widespread job cuts.

Most rail accidents involve freight trains, and fatalities involving passenger trains are rare.
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PARIS (AP)  French President Emmanuel Macron will have to muster all his diplomatic adeptness and political acumen on a three-day state visit to China where the war in Ukraine will be front and center, along with tough talks on trade.

Macron is expected to warn China against sending weapons to Russia and instead ask that the country use its influence to support peace efforts.

Beijing claims to hold a neutral stance in the war, but has also stressed its no-limits friendship with Russia. Chinas President Xi Jinping last month met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.

China has refused to criticize Russia for its actions in Ukraine. A top French official acknowledged that Paris isnt expecting to see a major shift in that position.

But France will push for initiatives helping ordinary Ukrainians and for possible avenues toward reaching a halfway solution to the war, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with the French presidency's customary practices.

Paris and Beijing may find a point of convergence following Putins recent announcement that his country plans to deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus. China, without naming Russia, made clear its opposition to the planned deployment.

Macron will also seek to involve China deeper in global discussions on climate-related issues, as things are getting more complicated for him at home.

The 45-year-old leader has in recent weeks faced strong opposition among ordinary French citizens and lawmakers to his plan to raise the legal retirement age from 62 to 64. A surge of street protests resulted in a state visit by Britains King Charles III having to be postponed.

While Macron is in Beijing, French trade unions on Thursday will stage the 11th round of nationwide demonstrations since January.

The visit also comes amid ever-rising tensions between the U.S. and China, the worlds two largest economies.

Trade will also be a major focus as Macron has asked European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to join him for a meeting with Xi that's meant to show European unity especially on economic issues. The French president said last month that he took such an initiative because he is "attached to European coordination.

Last week, von der Leyen warned the European Union must be prepared to develop measures to protect trade and investment that China might exploit for its own security and military purposes.

China is both the EUs commercial partner and a rival, Thierry Breton, EU Commissioner for Internal Market, said Monday on French news broadcaster FranceInfo. Breton said the message to Chinese authorities is that they must stop trying to play one country against another.

Of course, China still is an important market for many European companies. But the (EU) internal market is a crucial market to China, Breton added.

Macron will be accompanied by a delegation of over 50 CEOs including from French energy giant EDF, rail transport manufacturer Alstom and European plane-maker Airbus.

The top French official said negotiations were still being held on a potential deal with Airbus that would come on top of Chinas 2019 order for 300 aircraft.

NGOs including the International Federation for Human Rights, International Campaign for Tibet and the Human Rights League have called on Macron to put human rights at the heart of his talks with Chinese authorities.

Macron must strongly denounce privately but also publicly the repression against Chinese activists and human rights advocates, Hong Kong's people, Uyghurs and Tibetans, France's Human Rights League President Patrick Baudouin said in a statement.

Macron's office said human rights issues will be mentioned during the visit.

Macron, who last traveled to China in 2019 before the COVID-19 crisis, is to start his trip Wednesday in Beijing with a speech to the French community.

On Thursday, he will have meetings with the head of the National Peoples Congress, Zhao Leji, and Chinas new No. 2 leader, Premier Li Qiang, in addition to a meeting and a state dinner with Xi in the presence of von der Leyen.

On Friday, Macron will head to the southern Chinese metropolis of Guangzhou, where Xis father used to work as provincial governor in the 1980s.

The French president will answer questions there from some of the 1,000 Chinese students at Sun Yat-Sen university. He will then meet Xi again for a private dinner and later meet with Chinese investors.

____

AP journalist Nicolas Garriga contributed to the story.
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TOKYO, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Japanese weather officials said most regions in Japan logged record-high average temperatures for March this year.

According to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), average temperatures in checkpoints from northern to western Japan were higher than the norm by 2 to 3 degrees Celsius, making this March the warmest since record-keeping began in 1946.

The figures were higher in 114 checkpoints out of 153 across the country.

By region, the average temperatures in northern and eastern Japan were up 3.4 degrees, a record high, while in western Japan, the rise of 2.6 degrees tied the record of March 2021.

The average temperatures in the northern cities of Sapporo and Sendai in March were 3.8 degrees higher than the norm, while the figures in central Tokyo and Nagoya were 3.5 degrees higher, and in Osaka 3.1 degrees, and Fukuoka 2.8 degrees.

The JMA said temperatures in the April-to-June quarter are expected to be high mainly in northern Japan, calling on the public to watch out for avalanches in snowy areas as the warm weather will melt the snow. 
State Bank of India (SBI) said a technical glitch led to the outage, which affected the online services on Monday, and added that the issue has been resolved and the services have been restored.

SBI customers, on Monday, took to social media to complain that UPI transactions, YONO app, card payments and internet-banking services were down.

"We regret to inform you that due to a 'technical glitch', some of our digital services were impacted for a few hours on April 03, 2023, the country's biggest lender said in a statement. However, the issue stands resolved, and the digital services are live and restored. We apologise for the inconvenience to our valued customers.

Details about the exact issue, services impacted and the total duration of the downtime were not disclosed.

In the past, the RBI had penalised HDFC Bank for repeated technical outages.

The regulatory action had also forced the lender into having an overhaul of its system architecture with the aim of minimising the instances of outages and restoring the systems as quickly as possible if they go down.
The Maharashtra government has issued an order extending benefits of its healthcare scheme to 865 villages in neighbouring Karnataka, amid the ongoing border dispute between the two states.

A government resolution (GR) to this effect was issued by Maharashtra on Monday.

It said people who are already beneficiaries of the Antyodaya food scheme, priority group families (under the National Food Security Act 2013) and Annapurna ration card holders can avail of healthcare benefits under the Mahatma Jyotirao Phule Jan Arogya Yojana.

The order said 865 villages from 12 tehsils in Belagavi, Karvar, Kalburgi and Bidar have been included under the Mahatma Jyotirao Phule Jan Arogya Yojana.

The families there will get medical insurance up to Rs 1.50 lakh per year for 996 types of treatments identified by the state. It also includes 34 different types of expert consultancies as well, the GR said.

The Maharashtra government has recognised several hospitals in the state where this scheme can be availed by the people, the order said.

The border issue dates back to 1957 after the reorganisation of states on linguistic lines.

Maharashtra laid claim to Belagavi, which was part of the erstwhile Bombay Presidency as it has a sizable Marathi-speaking population. It also laid claim to more than 800 Marathi-speaking villages which are currently part of the southern state.

Karnataka, however, considers the demarcation done on linguistic lines as per the States Reorganisation Act and the 1967 Mahajan Commission Report as final.
On Tuesday, Delhi Police achieved a rare feat. For the first time, they managed to arrest a gangster from outside the country. Deepak Boxer, one of the most-wanted gangsters, was arrested in Mexico on Tuesday after he fled the country three months ago on a fake passport.

Boxer was arrested by Mexican law enforcement officials with the aid of Delhi Polices special cell members. The Delhi Police had been camping in Mexico for the past couple of days to nail Boxer.

Boxer, a 27-year-old gangster from the Gannaur area of Haryana, shot to popularity in 2016 when he freed gangster Jitender alias Gogi from police custody. Boxer was an active member of the Gogi gang until the latter was killed inside the Rohini courts complex in September 2021. He then took over the gang.

But, it was the murder of a realtor in August 2022 that triggered the police chase. The builder, Amit Gupta, was gunned down on a busy road in Delhi's Civil Lines area. Boxer, who shot him down, put up a Facebook post claiming responsibility for the murder, stating that the motive was not extortion but revenge. Boxer claimed that Gupta was associated with a rival Tillu Tajpuria gang. He said Gupta was the financier of that gang.

Following the murder, Boxer used a fake passport to leave the country. He fled to Mexico on January 29 from Kolkata under the alias Ravi Antil. Boxer carried a reward of 3 lakhs on his arrest.

The Delhi Police then contacted Mexican law enforcement authorities and the Federal Bureau of Investigation to track Boxer. "Some weeks ago, we got authentic information that Deepak Boxer had fled India on a fake passport. We had definite clues that he had gone to Mexico and was staying there. His escape from India was facilitated by jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, and Goldy Brar, who is also a fugitive and hiding on foreign soil," a special cell officer told Hindustan Times.

After his presence was confirmed in Mexico, the special cell contacted Interpol and the Mexican law enforcement agencies. Following this, a two-member team of the special cell left for Mexico. Boxers location was tracked, and his hideout identified. After this, the local agencies arrested him.

The Delhi Police now have to convince the Mexican authorities and court to hand over Boxers custody. A team of Special Cell officials have left for Mexico to work through the legal hurdles for his extradition.
COLOMBO, April 4 (Xinhua) -- The three foreign companies that were selected to enter the fuel retail market will commence operations within the next two months, a minister said here on Tuesday.

Minister of Power and Energy Kanchana Wijesekera told media that agreements will be signed with these companies within the next two to three weeks.

The minister said that the three companies are keen on starting operations in Sri Lanka and have requested the government to fast-track the process.

Sri Lanka's cabinet last week agreed to award licenses to more foreign companies that intend to enter the fuel retail market in the country, Wijesekera said.

China's Sinopec, United Petroleum of Australia and RM Parks of the United States in a collaboration with Shell Plc will now enter the fuel retail market in Sri Lanka.

The foreign companies will be each allocated 150 dealer-operated fuel stations that are currently operated by the state-owned Ceylon Petroleum Corporation and will be granted a license to import, store, distribute and sell petroleum products in Sri Lanka for 20 years.

The companies will also be allowed to establish 50 new gas stations each in new locations.

Currently, the only two players in Sri Lanka's market are Ceylon Petroleum Corporation and Lanka IOC.

Sri Lanka has tried to encourage foreign companies to enter the domestic fuel retail market amid its economic woes. 
A day after assistant professor Hari Padman was arrested by the Chennai city police for sexual harassment allegations, the board of Kalakshetra Foundation has appointed an independent inquiry committee to probe into the allegations by students against the professors and teaching staff. In addition to the inquiry committee, the foundation has also terminated the services of three repertory artists - Sanjith Lal, Sai Krishnan and Sreenath who are also facing sexual harassment allegations.

The inquiry committee will be led by Justice (Retd) K. Kannan and will include Letika Saran, former Tamil Nadu DGP, and Dr Shobha Varthaman. The decision to appoint an inquiry committee came after the foundations board held an elaborate review meeting on Tuesday to discuss the situation. Expressing concern over the recent developments and the events inside the campus, the board took several decisions including the appointment of an independent inquiry committee.

The board also announced its decision to reconstitute the Internal Complaints Committee, the appointment of a new student counsellor and the establishment of an independent advisory committee to strengthen the administration of the Kalakshetra Foundation. The reconstitution of complaints committee and an independent advisory committee were some of the major demands made by the students during their week-long protest.

The foundation has also appealed to the students to attend the examinations, as rescheduled, while assuring the safety and security of the students. The Kalakshetra Foundation is fully committed to ensuring the safety and security of its students, and providing a secure and inclusive environment for all, the statement added.

In the meantime, popular advocate and external member of the Kalakshetra Foundations Internal complaints committee, B.S. Ajeetha, has tendered her resignation. In her resignation letter, she expressed her dissatisfaction over the administrations response to sexual harassment allegations against faculty members. The present atmosphere in the institution and the large-scale discontentment of women students and staff make me rethink as to whether I should continue to be an external member of the IC attached to the institute. I have my own reservations regarding the responses made by the administration to the present controversy. Hence, I dont want to associate myself anymore with your institution and particularly to continue as a member of the IC.

She also expressed hope that "a better counsel will prevail to the administration" and things will be sorted out in a judicious manner which will be acceptable to all affected students.

Kalakshetra Foundation is a fine arts institution funded by the union government. It is one of the prestigious institutions where art and dance form the major components. However, complaints of sexual harassment and the institution propagating toxic culture had come up in the recent past. Four professors-- Hari Padman, Sanjith Lal, Sai Krishnan and Sreenath--have been accused of sexually harassing the students. Most of the complaints have been against assistant professor Padman, who was arrested by the Chennai Police from North Chennai on Monday.
The shadow of the dragon loomed large over Bhutan King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchucks three-day visit to India. This was the first high-level meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the King this year. There will be closer cooperation on space, railways and energy. But did China and the border come up? The ministry of external affairs chose to maintain a diplomatic silence.

The conversation between the two leaders covered the entire gamut of issues, said foreign secretary Vinay Kwatra at a special media briefing. He did not provide specific details on the dialogue, but said: India and Bhutan are in close coordination relating to national interest.

The visit came in the backdrop of Bhutanese Prime Minister Lotay Tshering's recent comments to a Belgian daily that had set the cat among the pigeons. He had indicated that the talks on the disputed areas in Doklam plateau would be complete in one or two more meetings. We are not experiencing major border problems with China, but some territories have not yet been demarcated. After one or two more meetings, we will probably be able to draw a dividing line, he was quoted as saying.

A Chinese technical team was also due to arrive soon. Referring to the Doklam plateau issue, Tshering was quoted as saying: It is not up to Bhutan alone to solve the problem. There are three of us. There is no big or small country, there are three equal countries, each counting for a third. His comments sparked off a controversy in India with the oppositionespecially the Congressclaiming that the relationship between India and Bhutan was facing a challenge from an aggressive China.

While Tshering tried to smoothen the ruffled feathers later by clarifying in a Bhutanese newspaper that there was no change in the position, his comments are likely to have caused concern in the South Block. They also suggest that Beijing is putting pressure on Bhutan to resolve the issue. In 2020, China had claimed that Sakteng wildlife sanctuary was also a disputed territory. It has been three years since the stand off, the beginning of the frostiness between India and China, which so far is not showing any chances of melting. Instead, China has chosen to become more aggressive on the borders.

Any increase in frostiness in the relationship between the two countries is a cause for concern for Thimpu. On Monday, China chose to add to the tensions by releasing the names of 11 places in Arunachal Pradesh in a bid to assert their claims over the state. India, however, reacted strongly. We have seen such reports. This is not the first time China has made such an attempt. We reject this outright," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said.

The cloud of China may have hovered around the King's visit, but there were other takeaways. India has promised to step up assistance for the 13th five year plan for Bhutan. On the cards is also an integrated check post, as well as cooperation on an energy engagement.
The Union Home Ministry on Tuesday sought a detailed report from the West Bengal government on the incidents of violence during Ram Navami processions in the state. Reports said the Mamata Banerjee government has been asked to submit the report as soon as possible.

The MHA directive comes after BJP West Bengal president Sukanta Majumdar wrote a fresh letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, seeking his intervention over the deteriorating law and order situation.

"In continuation to my earlier letter dated March 31 regarding the communal attack on the processions of Ram Navami in Howrah and Dalkhola, it is further informed that the attack has not yet been stopped and is occurring in different parts of West Bengal," Majumdar said in his letter.

He also mentioned the clashes at Rishra in Hooghly district on Sunday during a 'shobha yatra' held by the party.

"In view of the deteriorating law and order situation, we immediately seek your kind intervention as per law so that the situation does not go out of control and lives and properties of ordinary citizens are saved," he further said in his letter.

Violence broke out during Ram Navami processions in Shibpur and Kazipara areas of Howrah district on Thursday with several shops ransacked and a number of vehicles set on fire. Police personnel deployed in the area were pelted with stones following which prohibitory orders were imposed in the area and internet services were suspended.

On Sunday, a fresh bout of violence was reported in Hooghly after two groups clashed during a Ram Navami 'shobha yatra' organised by the BJP.

Chief Minister Banerjee blamed the BJP for the violence and said plans are afoot for another round of violence in the state on April 6 when the nation celebrates Hanuman Jayanti.

She said the clashes during the processions were deliberately stocked by the organisers who took them to routes that were not permitted. "We are in the middle of Ramzan month. But some people are steering the processions to sensitive areas with the intention of creating tension. The fruit stalls in those areas have been burnt down. They are even participating in the procession with firearms and other lethal weapons," Banerjee said.
A day after China released third set of names for 11 places in Arunachal Pradesh that it claims as South Tibet, India has strongly reacted to it, stating that it rejects the move outright.

A statement by Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said this is not first time China has made such an attempt.

"We have seen such reports. This is not the first time China has made such an attempt. We reject this outright. Arunachal Pradesh is, has been, and will always be an integral and inalienable part of India. Attempts to assign invented names will not alter this reality," Bagchi said.

China's Ministry of Civil Affairs, in its bid to stake claim over the Indian state, released standardised names of 11 places for Arunachal Pradesh, which it calls "Zangnan, the southern part of Tibet." The names were in Tibetan and pinyin, and according to Beijing "were in accordance with regulations on geographical names issued by the State Council."

Chinese state mouthpiece Global Times quoted experts who said the renaming "was a legitimate move and China's sovereign right to standardise the geographical names."

It also gave precise coordinates of the 11 places, which included two residential areas, five mountain peaks, two rivers and two other areas.

This isn't the first time that Beijing is resorting to such a move. In 2021, it announced Chinese names for 15 places in Arunachal Pradesh. Before that, Beijing sought to assign names for six places in 2017. Interestingly, the first set of names were announced by China just days after the Dalai Lama's visit to Arunachal Pradesh. Beijing was then sharply critical of the Tibetan spiritual leader's visit. The Dalai Lama fled from Tibet through Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh and sought refuge in India in 1959 after China took military control of the Himalayan region in 1950.

India had earlier too reacted to the renaming, stressing that "Arunachal Pradesh has always been, and will always be an integral part of India."
Former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro is back in Brazil, now in a tempest of political forces and legal circumstances that bestow him with some power but constrain his choices and actions.

In many ways, he is in a position as both a king and a pawn, a duality reflective of the complex and fraught circumstances in which he left the country after his defeat in last years presidential elections that also won a plurality of 99 deputies to congress, a feat that entitles his Partido Liberal (PL) to R$205.8 million (USD 40.6 million) from the electoral fund to finance electoral campaigns.

ALSO READ: Bolsonarismo, a Trumpian feat of monumental impact

Of the uncertain mix of messages coming from Bolsonaro and the PL, the image of intentions is forming clear: The party, flush with the electoral money is attempting to build a permanent alliance with Bolsonaro and to shape public opinion around the party and the Bolsonarian ideology, seeking to consolidate its position today into a permanent true political party, finally with an ideology that can provide a clear and coherent set of principles to guide its policy development and actions. Bolsonaro would in turn, get a political base.

That is why the party has been actively luring him back from Florida and offering him an honorary PL presidency and party leadership, which he declined before leaving Orlando making it clear he did not intend to lead the opposition to the Lula government. He did, in the end, settle to become an adviser to the party as a person with experience. However, he went on to shoot down prospects of his wife Michelle being postulated as a candidate for vice-president. She does have the experience for a position in the executive branch.

Since its founding in 1975, Brazils Liberal Party has been staggering around like a drunk explorer trying to navigate the shifting waters of Brazilian politics in an Amazonian tropical storm. With a fluctuating ideology and desperate opportunism, they have struggled to find a firm foothold in the political jungle. The iterative swings begin with its initial attempt to brand itself as a centrist party, away from extremism either on the right or left. In 2002, the party sought power in forming a coalition with Lulas Workers Party, PT by its Portuguese initials. Then, it supported the government of Dilma Rousseff, only to shift in the opposite direction later and be responsible for half the votes to impeach her.

Like the Israelites wandering the desert for 40 years in search of the Promised Land, the PL journeyed through the political wilderness until Bolsonaro, then a partyless president, joined it in 2021. When he delivered an impressive number of allies elected in the first round of the general 2022 election and with them substantial electoral funds, PL president Valdemar Costa Neto could see the Promised Land on the far-right side of the spectrum.

With Bolsonaro in its ranks, the anti-extremist Liberal Party, then, is coming to define itself for its allegiance to the extreme conservative right that shifts away from libertarianism toward an authoritarian bend and a penchant to praise the countrys brutal military dictatorship that disappeared as many as 20,000 Brazilians.

It is not a strategy without peril, but Costa Neto may be counting on keeping Bolsonaro close in order fold Bolsonarism into its ranks. Calls for accountability may end up leaving Bolsonaro declared ineligible to run for office; those have already resulted in investigations into Bolsonaros handling of the Covid-19 pandemic that left Brazil, a country with the 11th largest population, with the second-highest death rate in the world.

Mounting are accusations of genocide for allowing illegal miners into protected Yanomami territory and causing tens of thousands of indigenous deaths; inquiries into his role in inciting the January 8 anti-democratic riots that attacked and destroyed parts of Brazils Presidential, Legislative and Supreme Court palaces; and a potential case of corruption related to the apparent misappropriation of millions of dollars of jewels gifted to Brazil by Saudi Arabia and allegedly attempted to be smuggled into the country as an alleged gift for his wife. That is a case that can be easily understood by the general public and threatens to undermine the law-abiding-against-thievery image of himself he projected at campaign rallies.

If Bolsonaro is declared ineligible, Costa Neto may see himself in a position to take over the presidential candidacy for a party now imbued with a conservative agenda and an extremist Bolsonaro legacy that includes anti-environmental, anti-indigenous, anti-gay, anti-immigrant policies and anti-democratic rhetoric coupled with a pro-gun and pro-privatisation agenda.

During his term, Bolsonaro dismantled many of Brazils environmental protections and actively promoted deforestation and exploitation of the Amazon rainforest. He promoted the interests of agrobusinesses over the rights of indigenous communities and pushed for the integration of indigenous peoples into what he defined as mainstream society.

In the end, Bolsonaro managed to gain considerable power that many argued he misused but set up a more lasting legacy by electing large numbers of supporters to office. He successfully appealed to populist sentiments of the Brazilian electorate, but he showed himself subject to personal whims, making him a controversial and divisive figure who has inspired both disdain and a loyalty that kept hundreds of supporters journeying daily to greet him and be in his presence at Alvorada Palace, the Brazilian presidents official residence, during much of his term.

That those crowds were far thinner than the PL expected in its planned massive welcome for the man who received nearly half the votes in the election late last year may indicate that the populism that put him in office has begun to wane, or it may be a signal that the jewel scandal and what many perceived as his abandoning their movement by leaving for the United States have taken a toll on his appeal.

The Brazilian public may not yet have tired of political polarisation, but the Partido Liberal may have found in the ex-president a useful pawn to keep their game going, crowning him with glory, while giving its base a Bolsonarist framework to stay in power.
Former President and Republican 2024 presidential nominee Donald Trump has arrived in New York ahead of his Tuesday appearance before the Manhattan court for arraignment in connection with the hush money case.

Trump, the first ex-US president to face a criminal case, was indicted on charges relating to paying porn actress Stormy Daniels in 2016, just before the 2016 Presidential elections.

His private Boeing 757 emblazoned with his name on the fuselage landed at LaGuardia Airport after a two-and-a-half-hour flight from Florida on Monday, a day before his surrender. His arrival was captured live by American television. The former president, clad in a blue suit and wearing a red tie, left the airport to Trump Tower in Manhattan in an SUV.

Though his supporters lined the street and outside the Trump Towers, the former president did not make any public comments.

Security has been tightened up as authorities expect protests by Trump supporters outside the Manhattan court. The New York police have already put up barricades along the edge of the sidewalks around Trump Tower and the Manhattan Criminal Court building downtown ahead of his surrender. "Officers have been placed on alert and the department remains ready to respond as needed and will ensure everyone is able to peacefully exercise their rights," the New York Police Department said in a statement.

Dozens of police and court officers and Secret Service agents are also likely to escort Trump through the streets of New York to the Lower Manhattan court complex on Tuesday.

A lone Trump supporter stands in front of Manhattan Criminal Courthouse on April 03, 2023 in New York City |AFP

Meanwhile, Trump also held discussions with his attorneys Susan Necheles and Joe Tacopina at Trump Tower after arriving in New York City. He has also hired a new lawyer Todd Blanche before the arraignment. Blanche is a prominent white-collar criminal defence lawyer and former federal prosecutor who earlier represented Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort.

Indictment

The charges he faces will be disclosed in full at the hearing and Trump's lawyers have already said he will plead not guilty. The arraignment proceeding is expected to be brief. The charges in the indictment will be read to him at the hearing, which is set to last about 10-15 minutes.

Despite the wide public interest in his indictment, Trump's arraignment will not be broadcast. Acting New York Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchan wrote his Monday night order that the medias request to broadcast the arraignment of former President Donald Trump "was understandable, but that the news organisations interests in providing the broadest possible access to the proceedings must be weighed against competing interests."

However, some pool still photographers will be allowed to take pictures for several minutes before the arraignment formally starts.

Trump's lawyers opposed media coverage of the arraignment citing that it would "exacerbate an already almost circus-like atmosphere around this case", detracting from dignity and decorum.

Meanwhile, Trump and his aides are using the indictment to rile up his supporters and bolster his 2024 re-election campaign.

"It's hard to believe that I will be ARRESTED tomorrow as a result of the most disgraceful witch hunt in our nation's history," a Trump Campaign mail titled Tomorrow, I will be arrested' said, as it urged voters to contribute to his campaign.

Trump's team said they raised over USD 4 million in the 24 hours following Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's "unprecedented political persecution of the President, and blatant interference in the 2024 election against the leading Republican presidential candidate."
The bombastic and combative politician, unapologetic and unyielding, likes to double down on his statements even in the face of fierce criticism and opposition. His populist appeal and ability connects with working-class voters and he plays on the fears and frustrations of voters.

He is an authoritarian who demands loyalty and is known to surround himself with blind loyalists and to attack those who criticise him; he gives them nicknames. He is distrustful of the media and of government institutions he thinks have it in for him. He is a divisive and polarising figure promoting a politics of hate and intolerance. He is being indicted.

It is 1973.

He is Spiro Agnew, sitting vice-president of the United States. He who nicknamed his critics, the nattering nabobs of negativity. The president he served under was Richard Nixon. Agnew resigned, taking a plea, and Nixon resigned under threat of impeachment; he was later pardoned before indictment by President Gerald Ford, the only US president not elected to the executive office.

This occurred because of an indictment and a looming indictment at the highest levels of the US executive branch.

The point is, that while Trump's indictment is a topic of intense debate and scrutiny over the role of the presidency and the rule of law in American democracy, his indictment is not unprecedented in some important ways. In others, yeah, it is unprecedented. Lets look at it.

It is not unprecedented for high-ranking executives in government in the US to be indicted. Besides vice-president Agnew, five state governors have been indicted. Trump himself pardoned former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich who was sentenced to prison for corruption charges.

And yes, it is unprecedented for a twice-impeached former US president to face a criminal indictment. Impeachment, too, is an indictment, a political indictment. Though accused, Trump was not convicted by the House of Representatives that held his impeachment trial.

Trumps criminal indictment does, however, herald the highest level of tensions between the powerful US presidency even after leaving office and the rule of law upon which rest the democratic principles of the United States.

That a large portion of the country finds it inconceivable and unacceptable for a former president to be held to the same standards as average citizens, underscores a looming existential threat for the US Democracies are underpinned by laws, and following the laws are the ways a fair democracy is maintained and protected.

Now, 30 or more criminal charges to the man who was bestowed with the most powerful office in the world, that is unprecedented. So is expecting a pass, simply because he is a popular politician.

The billionaire Trump claims to have raised USD7 million in personal donations since the indictment was announced last Thursday, raising questions about the very foundations of American democracy and how easily it could be undermined by a wily politician with an uninformed or undereducated population in his hands.

Trump has called his indictment the weaponization of the justice system and, polls show some 60 per cent of people believe that is what it is. Thats unprecedented.

It is also unprecedented for the country that autodenominates itself as the greatest democracy to use the full weight of the law against a man who once held the most powerful office in the world it created, the US presidency.

It is nonetheless not unprecedented for a former US presidential candidate to be indicted. Democrat John Edwards, who ran for vice-president under John Kerry, and for president twice in 2004 and 2008, was indicted in 2012 on charges of conduct quite similar to that which is purportedly at the centre of Trumps New York indictment.

What is unprecedented is Trump using his candidacy to the US presidency as a criminal defence strategy, spinning the charges as a political hit job (or witch hunt, take your pick) against a leading presidential candidate, implying that the only reason he faces charges is his candidacy.

Billionaire peer Silvio Berlusconi, the former prime minister of Italy, was indicted in 2011 for having paid for sex with an underage prostitute and for abuse of power in trying to cover it up. He was convicted to seven years of prison, though he served far less as his sentence was reduced on appeal. The appeal was his right, and his money bought him top legal counsel, but he had to face the law.

Around the world, prosecution of those in power who break the law is not unprecedented. Peru has prosecuted and jailed six of its former presidents to protect the integrity of its democracy.

ALSO READ: The curious case of Perus persistent president-to-prison politics

A recent report by Axios tells us that bringing former leaders to account through prosecutions is not unique in many parts of the world. It is unique, however, that Trump is casting the prosecution of him is "an attack on our country.

Reporters Dave Lawler and Ivana Saric take issue with Trumps complaint that the indictment makes the US a Third World Nation noting that at least 78 countries have prosecuted or jailed leaders who left office since 2000. Those include France, Israel, and South Korea.

In most of the cases noted by Axios, the indictments were related to the leaders' activities in office.

Trump has at least three other criminal investigations which could result in indictments over his actions while in office.

That, is unprecedented.

But, in the most unprecedented of all things, Tuesday afternoon, for the first time in his life, Donald J. Trump will face nattering criminal consequences.
Australia has become the last of the Five Eyes security partners to ban the Chinese-owned video-sharing app TikTok from its federal government's devices.

Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said in a statement on Tuesday that based on intelligence and security agencies' advice, the ban would come into effect as soon as practicable.

The so-called Five Eyes intelligence-sharing partners -- the United States, Canada, Britain and New Zealand -- have taken similar steps.

TikTok objected to the decision.

We are extremely disappointed by this decision, which, in our view, is driven by politics, not by fact, the company's general manager for Australia, Lee Hunter, said in a statement. Again, we stress that there is no evidence to suggest that TikTok is in any way a security risk to Australians and should not be treated differently to other social media platforms. He urged the Australian government to treat all businesses fairly, "regardless of country of origin."

Western governments are worried that TikTok poses risks to cybersecurity and data privacy, and that the app could be used to promote pro-Beijing narratives and misinformation.

TikTok is owned by the Chinese technology company Bytedance and has long maintained that it does not share data with the Chinese government. It is carrying out a project to store US user data on Oracle servers, which it says will put the information out of China's reach.

The company has disputed accusations it collects more user data than other social media companies and insists that it is run independently by its own management.

The European Parliament, European Commission and the EU Council, the 27-member bloc's three main institutions, have also imposed bans on TikTok on staff devices.

Under the European Parliament's ban, which took effect last month, lawmakers and staff were also advised to remove the TikTok app from their personal devices.

India imposed a nationwide ban on TikTok and dozens of other Chinese apps, including the messaging app WeChat, in 2020 over privacy and security concerns. The ban came shortly after a clash between Indian and Chinese troops at a disputed Himalayan border killed 20 Indian soldiers and injured dozens.

In early March, the US gave government agencies 30 days to delete TikTok from federal devices and systems. The ban applies only to government devices, though some US lawmakers are advocating an outright ban.

China has lashed out at the US for banning TikTok, saying it is an abuse of state power and is suppressing companies from other countries.

More than half of the 50 US states also have banned the app from official devices, as have Congress and the US armed forces.

Meanwhile, in the UK, the Information Commissioners Office fined the app for 12.7 million for violating data protection laws relating to children. The Guardian reported that according to ICO estimates, due to lack of age limits, up to 1.4 million UK children, under the age of 13, used the platform as of 2020, even though the companys own rules banned the practice. UK data protection law does not have a strict ban on children using the internet, but requires organisations that use the personal data of children to obtain consent from their parents or carers, the publication reported.

The Guardian, quoting a statement from ICO reported, As a consequence, an estimated 1 million under-13s were inappropriately granted access to the platform, with TikTok collecting and using their personal data. That means that their data may have been used to track them and profile them, potentially delivering harmful, inappropriate content at their very next scroll.

In a statement, John Edwards, Information Commissioner said, TikTok should have done better. Our 12.7m fine reflects the serious impact their failures may have had. They did not do enough to check who was using their platform or take sufficient action to remove the underage children that were using their platform.
Britain's defence intelligence on Tuesday reported that Russia is looking for an alternative private mercenary group to replace Wagner group over growing feud between the group and Russia's defence ministry.

In an intelligence update, Britain's defence ministry said, Russia is likely seeking to sponsor and develop alternative private military companies (PMCs) to eventually replace the Wagner Group PMC in its significant combat role in Ukraine. The report added, This takes place in the context of the high-profile feud between the Russian Ministry of Defence and Wagner Group. Russias military leadership likely wants a replacement PMC that it has more control over.

According to Britain's intel, no other private group currently has Wagners size or combat power. According to the report, Russia likely sees continued utility of private groups in Ukraine because they are less constrained by the limited pay levels and inefficiency which hamper the effectiveness of the regular army.

Russias leadership probably believe heavy casualties amongst PMCs will be better tolerated by Russian society compared to regular military losses, the report said.
Hours before his arraignment, former president Donald Trump sent an email to his supporters, which he claimed was the last one before his arrest, saying that the United States is becoming a 'Marxist Third World' country and went on social media questioning the fairness of the judiciary.

"My last email before my arrest," Trump said in the subject line of the email sent to his supporters hours before he was scheduled to be arraigned in a Manhattan court to face criminal charges in connection with hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels in 2016.

He was indicted last Thursday by a federal grand jury in connection with $1,30,000 hush money payments to Daniels before the US presidential election in 2016 to cover up an alleged affair. Trump, 76, is expected to plead not guilty.

"Today, we mourn the loss of justice in America. Today is the day that a ruling political party ARRESTS its leading opponent for having committed NO CRIME," Trump wrote.

"As I will be out of commission for the next few hours, I want to take this moment to THANK YOU for all of your support. I am blown away by all of the donations, support, and prayers we have received. It's sad to see what's happening not for myself but for our country," he said.

In less than 24 hours after being indicted he raised over $4 million.

"Our nation is becoming a Marxist Third World country that CRIMINALIZES dissent and IMPRISONS its political opposition. But do NOT lose hope in America! We are a nation that declared its independence from the world's biggest empire, won two world wars, and landed the first man on the moon. Resilience is in our blood," he said.

"Our movement has overcome so much. And there is no doubt in my mind that we will prevail once again and WIN the White House in 2024, Trump wrote.

Trump is expected to speak at least twice on Tuesday, one of them being a live press conference from Mar-a-Lago in Florida later in the night. Media reports said that he might speak before or after his arraignment. He is the first former US president to be arrested on criminal charges.

Taking up the social media platform Truth Social, Trump called for moving the case from lower Manhattan to nearby Staten Island. "Very unfair venue, with some areas that voted one per cent Republican. This case should be moved to nearby Staten Island Would be a very fair and secure location for the trial," Trump wrote.
BEIJING, April 4 (Xinhua) -- As agreed between China and the European Union, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will visit China from April 5 to 7.

Von der Leyen, 64, has served as Germany's federal minister for family affairs, senior citizens, women and youth, federal minister of labor and social affairs, and federal minister of defence. She has been the president of the European Commission since December 2019.

She is married and has seven children. 
Today, BMT India launches an updated brand with a new visual identity reflecting the company's transformational journey and focus on empowering embedded Infrastructure engineering and consulting. At the same time, the name changes to 'Merizen'.



AHMEDABAD, India, April 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of this brand transformation, BMT India, a regional leader in infrastructure ports engineering and consulting, is unveiling a new independent business structure for its India operations, including the launch of an updated brand, with a new logo and visual identity reflecting the company's mission. Additionally, the brand name changes to Merizen. The bold refresh of the brand and its adoption to a new brand name "Merizen", a portmanteau word created by combining 'Meridian' and 'Zenith', is in favour of a rejuvenated form that's synonymous with modern wave technology, advanced infrastructure engineering, and intelligence. In addition, the logo for Merizen is evolved by using the first letter 'M' of the brand name signifying construction block and perpetual wave energy. The timing of the new corporate brand aligns with the significant transformation that is taking place across the company.



Merizen will function as an independent company under the leadership of Tarun Kaw and Rajat Roy Chaudhury, senior officials of Merizen and also of former branded company BMT India. The new rebranded company Merizen, while retaining its original corporate branded ownership structure and staff, will continue to draw on strategic and technology support from its former parent and holding company BMT. This shift comes at a time when the company is considering to grow its footprint beyond ports and harbours to other fast-growing infrastructure sectors in India.



The company, in its last 16 years of operation that drew on its previous corporate branding design and architecture, has built an enviable portfolio of clients and projects in India and offshore. It has successfully executed more than 500 assignments in ports and logistics domain including feasibility studies, DPR preparation, lender engineer and owner engineer services, detailed design and engineering, transaction advisory services, environmental studies and traffic studies.



Merizen will continue to operate with its experienced staff based in its Ahmedabad and Chennai offices whilst leveraging upon its vast technical experience and brand equity in the market.



"We are the same company with same team of experts to deliver on all aspects of port development projects and the new brand illustrates our growing ambition in the market," said Tarun Kaw, Managing Director, Merizen. "While we grow our portfolio across the expanding infrastructure sector, we will draw on our rich legacy and heritage as one of the most reliable port consultants, amongst our wide and diverse array of clients, including banks and financial institutions, port developers, and shipping and logistics companies," he added.



Rajat Roy Chaudhary, Merizen's Director asserted that the new branding effort is a logical and important next step in realising the vision of becoming one of the most trusted infrastructure consulting companies locally. "We are truly excited about India's growth trajectory, and our strengthening, maturation and cultivation of relationships with existing and new customers, through our diversified participation in Infrastructure projects. We are looking forward to providing our current and future customers with value-added insights and effective solutions, whilst drawing on our local and proven technical experiences, and at the same time leveraging on the global network of our legacy brand products and services," said Rajat who is heading Chennai operations.



About Merizen (formerly known as BMT India):



Merizen, formerly known as BMT India, is the leading provider of consultancy services in ports and logistics sector in India. The company has executed more than 500 projects in India and abroad over the span of 16 years. The company operates from its offices in Ahmedabad and Chennai.



Contact:



Registered office:

310, Sarthik Square, S.G. Highway, Ahmedabad - 380054, Gujarat, India

Tel: +91 79 4002 8708 / 2685 4184

email : enquiries@merizen.in

website : www.merizen.in



Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2046339/MERIZEN_Logo.jpg



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MUMBAI, India, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- NMIMS Balwant Sheth School of Architecture was excited to host Open Studio 2022-23 program by the renowned architectural theorist and digital design expert, Neil Leach, on 28th March 2023 and the title was, 'Tell me that AI ain't scary.'



Leach is a co-founder of Digital FUTURES and an academician at the Academy of Europe. Leach has published over 40 books on architectural theory and digital design, including 'Architecture in the Age of Artificial Intelligence: An Introduction to AI for Architects' and 'The AI Design Revolution: How AI Will Transform Architecture.'



In the lecture, Leach highlighted the potential threat that artificial intelligence (AI) poses to the field of architecture. With the recent launch of GPT4 and the growing capabilities of AI, there is concern among architects that their jobs may be at risk. Leach provided an informed overview of the current state of AI and its potential impact on the architecture profession.



"We are very happy and proud to host Professor Neil Leach at the school. As a leading school of architecture, we are committed to providing our students with a comprehensive education that equips them with the skills and knowledge needed to thrive in the rapidly evolving field of design. Our Open Studio program and public lectures, and talks by experts like Neil Leach, play a critical role in this mission by enabling students to learn from distinguished scholars and practitioners and engage with cutting-edge ideas and technologies. We are excited to continue providing these opportunities and look forward to seeing the impact they will have on the future of architecture and design," said, BSSA Dean, Dr. Kaiwan Mehta.



As the field of architecture continues to evolve, it is essential to stay informed about emerging technologies and their potential impact on the profession. NMIMS BSSA School enables students to learn from experts and engage with pressing issues in architecture and design. By inviting renowned scholars and practitioners like Neil Leach to share their insights and expertise, the school provides a valuable opportunity for students to expand their knowledge and deepen their understanding of the field.



About BSSA



Balwant Sheth School of Architecture will learn from the past, envision the future, redefine, enhance, integrate the present, and constantly evolve. BSSA focuses on various modes of architectural education, research, and practice. It emphasizes the ever-changing ethos, behavioral sciences, tools, and techniques, and assimilates all in contemporary design expression. The students would be offered holistic exposure and understanding through Art, History, Technology, Architectural Design, and Construction process.



Please visit: https://architecture.nmims.edu/



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Microsoft Azure customers worldwide now gain access to Tredence Migration and Modernization solutions to take advantage of the scalability, reliability, and agility of Azure to drive application deployment and shape business strategies.



BENGALURU, India, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Tredence Inc, a leading data analytics and AI solutions provider, today announced the availability of its Azure certified Data Migration and Modernization solution in the Microsoft Azure Marketplace, an online store providing applications and services for use on Azure. Tredence clients can now take advantage of the productive and trusted Azure cloud platform, with streamlined deployment and management.



Tredence has a proven track record of leading large-scale data migration and modernization initiatives for global companies across a wide range of industries, including retail, consumer goods, telecom, travel and hospitality, and industrials. The company helps clients migrate their legacy analytics and big data to a modern cloud-native architecture.



Tredence's well-honed Migration solutions help clients migrate and modernize their data ecosystem and create new analytics capabilities. Tredence offers end-to-end advisory, discovery, design, implementation, and support capabilities to modernize enterprise data and analytics platforms through migration from legacy technology to cloud-based capabilities. The solution helps clients quickly design a future-state cloud architecture, build a roadmap to achieve it, and execute a proof of concept to validate migration solution and technology choices.



The Data Migrate to Modernize solution joins other Tredence Data & AI solutions available in the Azure Marketplace: MLWorks, Sancus Data Quality Management, Revenue Growth Management, HealthEM.AI Trade Promotions Management, Predictive Maintenance, Supply Risk Management and Digital Sustainability Management.



Tredence's 21 solutions in the Microsoft Azure Marketplace are designed to help businesses unlock the full potential of their data by providing AI-driven insights that enable data-driven decision-making. Microsoft enterprises can now access Tredence's solutions on Azure Marketplace, allowing them to seamlessly integrate AI and data analytics into their operations.



"Tredence enables enterprises to modernize and transform their data into a strategic asset, unlocking greater value from enterprise data, enabling higher ROI and faster value realization up to the last mile, while also lowering the cost of implementation. Our Azure Data Migration solution provides the first seamless step towards that goal," said Hari Natarajan, Chief Alliance Officer of Tredence. "Our collaboration with Microsoft through a mutually beneficial co-selling relationship enhances our footprint in the Azure Data Migration domain, accelerating time to market and value for enterprises seeking to upgrade their data estate for competitive business advantage."



"Through Microsoft Azure Marketplace, clients around the world can easily find, buy, and deploy partner solutions they can trust, all certified and optimized to run on Azure," said Jake Zborowski, General Manager, Microsoft Azure Platform at Microsoft Corp. "We're happy to welcome Tredence's migration solution to the growing Azure Marketplace ecosystem."



The Azure Marketplace is an online market for buying and selling cloud solutions certified to run on Azure. The Azure Marketplace helps connect companies seeking innovative, cloud-based solutions with partners who have developed solutions that are ready to use.



About Tredence



Tredence is a global data science and AI solutions provider focused on solving the last mile problem in AI. The 'last mile' is the gap between insight creation and value realization. Tredence is a Great Place to Work-Certified and Winner of Microsoft 2022 Partner of the Year in Analytics. Tredence is 2,000-plus employees strong with offices in San Jose, Foster City, Chicago, London, Toronto and Bangalore, with the largest companies in retail, CPG, hi-tech, telecom, healthcare, travel, and industrials as clients.



For more information, please visit www.tredence.com and follow us on LinkedIn.



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 IBC Media announced a total of 150+ Grants, amounting to INR 48 Lakhs for it to be distributed amongst 118 teams from across the State of Tamil Nadu who participated in IBC Alt Hack in Chennai.



 Students are eligible for applying for IBC Startup Pitch Competition with grants over INR 80 lakhs after successfully completing internship



 Polkadot - a flagship project of Web3 Foundation and Parity Technologies, which facilitates a fully-functional and user-friendly decentralized web - gave students an overview of the Polkadot environment architecture and its functional ecosystem.



CHENNAI, India, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- India's leading Blockchain and Web 3.0 education pioneer, IBC Media's Alt Hack - Chennai edition, a third in the series, concluded successfully at Anna University, Guindy recently. The 8-day on-ground education boot camp, conducted in association with the Government of Tamil Nadu and the Tamil Nadu Skill Board, was part of the IBC Internship Program designed specifically for student developers to transition from Web 2.0 to Web 3.0 seamlessly and subsequently build their future in this space.



From a total number of registrations of 2716 students from Tamil Nadu, 560 distinct students participated offline in IBC Alt Hack - Chennai. Out of which, 354 students forming 118 teams will get industry internships from global companies like Polkadot, Chingari and Unique Network. The remaining students will participate in the IBC Online Education Program for industry internships.



The full-cycle training program was holistic in its approach, facilitating students from across the city to avail free education and certification, practical learning, business ideation process and guidance from top mentors in the field to help them be conversant in Web 3.0, Blockchain and other new-age technologies, come up with relevant business problems and solutioning, and become industry-ready professionals. At the same time, IBC Media's association with the Tamil Nadu Skill Board further augmented the program, making it a significant opportunity for students with benefits like grants, high-paying jobs and opportunities to bring their Web 3.0 ideas and MVPs to successful outcomes.



In the 8 days of the education boot camp, the students were trained in relevant aspects of Blockchain and emerging technologies as well as Web 3.0-related careers by IBC Media along with key thought leaders in the industry via impactful and value-driven sessions.



Furthermore, IBC Media's headline sponsor, Polkadot - a flagship project of Web3 Foundation and Parity Technologies, which facilitates a fully-functional and user-friendly decentralized web - gave students an overview of the Polkadot environment architecture and its functional ecosystem. Online speakers from Polkadot included Bill Laboon (Head of Education and Grants at Web3 Foundation), Abhishek Shah (Polkadot Application Engineer at Parity Technologies), Ben Greenberg (Senior Developer Relations Engineer at Parity Technologies) and Urban Osvald (Developer Relations, Engagement Team Lead at Parity Technologies).



With a massive response in terms of student participation, Alt Hack - Chennai witnessed 1789 new ideas and proposals utilizing Web 3.0 and Blockchain generated. 14 teams with the best ideas were selected, and 3 winning teams were declared. The winning teams were awarded certificates by IBC Media.



Meanwhile, the final day of the hackathon event also saw the presence of respected Dr M Jayaprakasan (I.S.D.S., CEO - Naan Mudhalvan), along with delegates from leading engineering colleges in Tamil Nadu closely associated with Alt Hack - Chennai. The online speaker line-up included leading minds from the Web 3.0 and Blockchain industry, such as Dr Prakash Kamraj (Lead Blockchain Architect from Chingari) and Urban Osvald from Parity Technologies. An immersive panel discussion on "How does upskilling in emerging tech benefit both recruiters and talent?" was part of the agenda, and the panelists included Ms Mathi Vathani (Associate Vice President, Tamil Nadu Guidance Cell) Professor Senthil Kumar (Vice Principal, Saveetha Engineering College), Mr Pritam (Chennai DAO), Mr Mohan Raja (Director of Touchwork Designs Pvt Ltd), and Mr Vignesh Babu (Co-founder of Print 2 Block), with Praveen Thakur (COO, IBC Media) as the moderator.



Respected Dr M Jayaprakasan, I.S.D.S. (CEO - Naan Mudhalvan) said "IBC Media is announcing a total of 150+ Grants, amounting to INR 48 Lakhs for it to be distributed amongst 118 teams from across the State of Tamil Nadu who participated in IBC Alt Hack - Chennai on ground program. Successful completion of their internship will make them eligible for applying for IBC Startup Pitch Competition with grants worth over INR 80 lakhs."



Abhishek Pitti - Founder & CEO - IBC Media , said, "There is an urgent need to bridge the huge skill gap in the area of emerging technologies as they are gradually penetrating almost all spheres of our lives. Also, upskilling students in the industry was crucial to further strengthen India's IT workforce. Alt Hack - Chennai was a step in this direction as it brought together industry experts, educators and HR professionals on the same page to chart students' careers in the tech space. I am happy that this edition was a success and look forward to many more such editions in the future."



The future is predicted to be Web 3.0 and Blockchain-based, and bearing this in mind, IBC Media will embark on another initiative - Superverse Tamil Nadu - a DAO community in collaboration with the Government of Tamil Nadu to upskill students and address the lack of such a skilled workforce in India.



About IBC Media



IBC Media is building the largest student/developer community in the world of emerging tech education, innovation and investments from India. The company has a pioneering legacy of managing partnerships and establishing grassroots efforts in the Indian market. IBC Media's debut event  IBC 2018 was a major success which had a confluence of top-line government attendees, VCs, regulators, Blockchain companies, speakers, and sponsors.



IBC 2.0, the second edition in this series is the kick-start to IBC's massive 5-year agenda with a global focus on creating Web3.0 industry-ready talent across 1000 engineering colleges, building 1000 DApps, a top-line talent pool of 1 Mn developers and 10 Mn retail investors.



Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2046492/AbhishekPittiwithDrMJayaprakasan.jpg



(Disclaimer: The above press release comes to you under an arrangement with PRNewswire and PTI takes no editorial responsibility for the same.). PTI PWR

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HYDERABAD, India, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Council of Architecture (CoA) annual National Excellence Awards 2022 was hosted by Woxsen University on 31st March at its campus in Hyderabad. The coveted annual awards ceremony was instituted by CoA to encourage and motivate students of architecture in three categories - National Awards for Excellence in UG Architectural Thesis, PG Architectural Thesis, and Documentation of Architectural Heritage.



School of Architecture & Planning, Woxsen University takes immense pride in partnering with CoA to recognize and reward the talented architecture students across the country. The CoA national awards are presently the highest recognition for students' work in India, making the event most prestigious. The awards aim to inspire and motivate students to pursue excellence in architecture, gain exposure and contribute to the industry's growth.



"My term began with the CoA National Student Awards for Excellence in 2018 and will close with this, of 2022. This shows the importance of the event in my calendar, year after year. I visited Woxsen a couple of weeks ago and was immediately sure that if this grand competition and award ceremony could happen anywhere, it would be in Woxsen," exclaimed Ar. Habeeb Khan, President - Council of Architecture during his speech at the award ceremony.



"Woxsen team has lived up to a challenge and excelled in organising this grand annual event. We are glad to have partnered with Woxsen's School of Architecture & Planning and look forward to deeper engagements," stated Prof. Jayshree Deshpande, Director - CoA Training & Research Centre, Pune.



The CoA National Excellence Awards, 2022 saw a huge line-up of esteemed architects & administrators of CoA from across the country including:



Ar. Habeeb Khan, President, Council of Architecture



Ar. P. Vaitianadin, Executive member of CoA, Puducherry



Ar. Ramesh Kumar, Executive member of CoA, Port Blair



Prof. Jayashree Deshpande, Director, CoA Training & Research Centre, Pune



R.K. Oberoi, Registrar, CoA



B.Arch students of Woxsen University actively engaged in several discussions with the architects and witnessed presentations of top 10 entries in the country, gaining insights into the different approaches to design and delineation practised in established & evolving universities.



The discussions & learnings from these interactions will go a long way towards positively connecting with architectural firms for internship, placement and career advancement.



The event saw thesis presentations by 10 students for UG, 10 students for PG (2 from each of the 5 zones  NSEW & Central) and 27 entries in 3 categories of architectural documentation for this year's awards. These students from across the country have presented their thesis to the jury on predominant socio-climatic issues such as slum towards inclusive & sustainable development, Architecture for community revitalization in kerala, Architecture & Asylum  Rehabilitation of Bru/Reang IDPs in North Tripura, Heterotopias of an Augmented Public Space, Interpretation and Research Centre for Theyyam  Kannur, Monumenting The Dead - A Case Of Dutch Cemetery, A Living Hertiage In A Historic Urban Landscape: Dhundiraj Ganapati Mandir, Gujarat, Architectural Documentation of Krishnabai Temple at Kshetra Mahabaleshwar and more.



"Design of campus reflects its versatility and along with good infrastructure and a cohesive team of faculty and students, the experience was seamless," said Ar. Partha Ranjan Das, Jury member.



About Woxsen University, Hyderabad: Woxsen University, located in Hyderabad, is one of the first private universities of the state of Telangana, India. Renowned for its 200-acre state-of-the-art campus and infrastructure, Woxsen University offers new-age, disruptive programs in the fields of Business, Technology, Arts & Design, Architecture, Liberal Arts & Humanities, Law, Sciences. With 90+ Global Partner Universities and Strong Industry Connect, Woxsen is reckoned as one of the top universities for Academic Excellence and Global Edge. Woxsen is Ranked #13, All India Top 150 B-Schools by Times B-School Ranking 2022, Rank #15, All India Top Pvt. B-School, BusinessWorld 2022 and features in India's Best B-Schools beyond IIMs by Dalal Street Investment Journal.



Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2046358/Woxsen_University.jpg



(Disclaimer: The above press release comes to you under an arrangement with PRNewswire and PTI takes no editorial responsibility for the same.). PTI PWR

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(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)
Islamabad, Apr 4 (PTI) The Pakistani rupee sank to Rs 287.29 against the US dollar, a record low on Tuesday as the cash-starved country struggles to unlock critical International Monetary Fund (IMF) funding while dwindling foreign exchange reserves become another source of concern for investors, a media report said.

The local unit, in the interbank market, closed at 287.29 against the US dollar, 0.78 per cent or Rs 2.25, down from Mondays close of 285.04, Geo News reported.

Last month, the rupee hit a record low, closing at Rs 285.09 per US dollar on March 2, the data released by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) showed.

According to financial experts, Financial importers have resumed the panic buying of US dollars, while the supply of foreign currency remained low in the interbank market.

Pakistans loan programme is yet to materialise months after it raised taxes and energy prices and allowed the currency to depreciate to meet IMFs conditions. The nation has missed multiple deadlines to resume its bailout.

The cash-strapped nation secured a USD 6 billion IMF bailout in 2019. It was topped up with another USD 1 billion last year to help the country following devastating floods, but the IMF then suspended disbursements in November due to Pakistan's failure to make more progress on fiscal consolidation.

After months-long unfruitful talks, the Washington-based lender has asked Pakistan to seek commitments for new loans from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates before it revives the bailout.

The IMFs resident representative for Pakistan said the country has a few more tasks to complete to meet requirements for a USD 6.5 billion bailout.

The lender approved a USD 3 billion loan programme for Sri Lanka last month to ease its economic crisis.

Uncertainty on IMF and friendly countries' inflow affecting rupee, said Mohammad Sohail, CEO of Topline Securities.

Some of the ruling coalition partners are due to visit Saudi Arabia next week and it is a key event to watch, Sohail added.

Finance Minister Ishaq Dar will be leading a high-powered delegation to the US which will attend the upcoming annual spring meeting of the Bretton Woods Institutions, known as the IMF and World Bank, from April 10 to 16.

Moreover, the countrys foreign exchange reserves have also declined in recent weeks, which is another source of concern for investors.

The forex reserves held by the central bank stand at a critical level of only USD 4.24 billion (as of March 24, 2023).
Colombo, Apr 4 (PTI) India on Tuesday expressed hope that Sri Lanka would soon achieve early economic recovery, with the Indian Deputy High Commissioner here, reaffirming New Delhi's steadfast support to the island nation through the crisis.

Sri Lanka has been struck by a catastrophic economic and humanitarian crisis sparked by years of mismanagement and the raging pandemic.

Vinod K Jacob, the Deputy High Commissioner of India, speaking at the Coordination Forum of Development Partners of Sri Lanka, said that "India had steadfastly supported the people of Sri Lanka through the economic crisis as well as at the IMF," a press release by the Indian High Commission in Colombo said.

Jacob expressed hope that Sri Lanka will achieve early economic recovery.

Explaining the flagship development cooperation partnership between Delhi and Colombo, the Deputy High Commissioner said that the engagement was based on the principles of South-South cooperation between friendly neighbours.

The projects are selected in line with the priorities of the Sri Lankan side and pertain to socio-economic sectors," the press release said.

According to the press release, the total development cooperation portfolio between the two neighbours stands at USD 600 million, and in the past eight years, more than 20 projects have been completed.

Jacob emphasised the reliance of Indian projects on Sri Lankan partners for the supply of locally available and environmentally sustainable materials, calling it a "unique characteristic".

Elaborating on the challenges faced for the completion of projects, Jacob pointed out that during the past few years, import restrictions and capacity issues have impacted the pace of execution.

"India remains confident of jointly resolving these concerns with the Sri Lankan side," the press release quoted him as saying.

India has extended lines of credit worth over USD 4 billion to Sri Lanka in diverse sectors, including the supply of essential items, petroleum, fertilisers, development of railways, infrastructure, defence sector and renewable energy, according to the Indian High Commission here.

The Indian Oil Companys local operation kept fuel supplies going in the face of miles-long queues forming at retail fuel stations mid-last year as the state ran dry of forex to import petroleum.

The Washington-based International Monetary Fund's Executive Board approved a 48-month extended arrangement under its Extended Fund Facility (EFF) last month with an amount of SDR 2.286 billion (about USD 3 billion) to Sri Lanka.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who spearheaded the IMF negotiations, specially mentioned the contributions made by the Indian finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman to assist his government.
Islamabad, Apr 4 (PTI) Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) government has initiated an investigation to ascertain the facts regarding the adoption of a resolution in the region's Legislative Assembly seeking an opening of a Kartarpur-type corridor connecting both sides of Kashmir.

PoK "Prime Minister" Sardar Tanveer Ilyas Khan shared this plan in his speech at a dinner hosted by him in honour of Hurriyat leaders, the Express Tribune newspaper reported on Tuesday.

Khan expressed his serious concern over the resolution presented in the Legislative Assembly and said a fact-finding inquiry was underway and added it would soon be made public.

Inaugurated in 2019, the Kartarpur corridor links Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan, where Sikhism founder Guru Nanak Dev lived and died at the start of the 16th century, to Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Punjab's Gurdaspur district. The 4 km-long corridor provides visa-free access to Indian pilgrims to visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib.

Virtually inaugurating the Mata Sharda Devi temple near the Line of Control in the Karnah sector of Jammu and Kashmir last month, Home Minister Amit Shah said the opening of the temple has been made possible by the blessings of Mata Sharda Devi and by the joint efforts of the people on both sides of the LoC.

Referring to the demand for the opening of the Sharda Peeth across LoC on the lines of the Kartarpur Corridor, Shah said the Centre will surely make efforts on this and there is no doubt about it.

Sharda Peeth, the seat of Sharda, the Kashmiri name for goddess Saraswati, was one of the foremost ancient universities of the Indian subcontinent.
Beijing, Apr 4 (AP) Furious at U.S. efforts that cut off access to technology to make advanced computer chips, China's leaders appear to be struggling to figure out how to retaliate without hurting their own ambitions in telecoms, artificial intelligence and other industries.

President Xi Jinping's government sees the chips that are used in everything from phones to kitchen appliances to fighter jets as crucial assets in its strategic rivalry with Washington and efforts to gain wealth and global influence. Chips are the center of a technology war, a Chinese scientist wrote in an official journal in February.

China has its own chip foundries, but they supply only low-end processors used in autos and appliances. The U.S. government, starting under then-President Donald Trump, is cutting off access to a growing array of tools to make chips for computer servers, AI and other advanced applications. Japan and the Netherlands have joined in limiting access to technology they say might be used to make weapons.

Xi, in unusually pointed language, accused Washington in March of trying to block China's development with a campaign of containment and suppression. He called on the public to dare to fight.

Despite that, Beijing has been slow to retaliate against U.S. companies, possibly to avoid disrupting Chinese industries that assemble most of the world's smartphones, tablet computers and other consumer electronics. They import more than $300 billion worth of foreign chips every year.

The ruling Communist Party is throwing billions of dollars at trying to accelerate chip development and reduce the need for foreign technology.

China's loudest complaint: It is blocked from buying a machine available only from a Dutch company, ASML, that uses ultraviolet light to etch circuits into silicon chips on a scale measured in nanometers, or billionths of a meter. Without that, Chinese efforts to make transistors faster and more efficient by packing them more closely together on fingernail-size slivers of silicon are stalled.

Making processor chips requires some 1,500 steps and technologies owned by U.S., European, Japanese and other suppliers.

China won't swallow everything. If damage occurs, we must take action to protect ourselves, the Chinese ambassador to the Netherlands, Tan Jian, told the Dutch newspaper Financieele Dagblad.

I'm not going to speculate on what that might be, Tan said. It won't just be harsh words.

The conflict has prompted warnings the world might decouple, or split into separate spheres with incompatible technology standards that mean computers, smartphones and other products from one region wouldn't work in others. That would raise costs and might slow innovation.

The bifurcation in technological and economic systems is deepening, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong of Singapore said at an economic forum in China last month. This will impose a huge economic cost.

U.S.-Chinese relations are at their lowest level in decades due to disputes over security, Beijing's treatment of Hong Kong and Muslim ethnic minorities, territorial disputes and China's multibillion-dollar trade surpluses.

Chinese industries will hit a wall in 2025 or 2026 if they can't get next generation chips or the tools to make their own, said Handel Jones, a tech industry consultant.

China will start falling behind significantly, said Jones, CEO of International Business Strategies.

Beijing might have leverage, though, as the biggest source of batteries for electric vehicles, Jones said.

Chinese battery giant CATL supplies U.S. and Europe automakers. Ford Motor Co. plans to use CATL technology in a $3.5 billion battery factory in Michigan.

China will strike back, Jones said. What the public might see is China not giving the U.S. batteries for EVs.

On Friday, Japan increased pressure on Beijing by joining Washington in imposing controls on exports of chipmaking equipment. The announcement didn't mention China, but the trade minister said Tokyo doesn't want its technology used for military purposes.

A Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman, Mao Ning, warned Japan that weaponizing sci-tech and trade issues would hurt others as well as oneself.

Hours later, the Chinese government announced an investigation of the biggest U.S. memory chip maker, Micron Technology Inc., a key supplier to Chinese factories. The Cyberspace Administration of China said it would look for national security threats in Micron's technology and manufacturing but gave no details.

The Chinese military also needs semiconductors for its development of stealth fighter jets, cruise missiles and other weapons.

Chinese alarm grew after President Joe Biden in October expanded controls imposed by Trump on chip manufacturing technology. Biden also barred Americans from helping Chinese manufacturers with some processes.

To nurture Chinese suppliers, Xi's government is stepping up support that industry experts say already amounts to as much as $30 billion a year in research grants and other subsidies.

China's biggest maker of memory chips, Yangtze Memory Technologies Corp., or YMTC, received a 49 billion yuan ($7 billion) infusion this year from two official funds, according to Tianyancha, a financial information provider.

One was the government's main investment vehicle, the China National Integrated Circuit Industry Investment Fund, known as the Big Fund. It was founded in 2014 with 139 billion yuan ($21 billion) and has invested in hundreds of companies.

The Big Fund launched a second entity, known as the Big Fund II, in 2019 with 200 billion yuan ($30 billion).

In January, chip manufacturer Hua Hong Semiconductor said Big Fund II would contribute 1.2 billion yuan ($175 million) for a planned 6.7 billion yuan ($975 million) wafer fabrication facility in eastern China's Wuxi.

In March, the Cabinet promised tax breaks and other support for the industry. It gave no price tag. The government also has set up integrated circuit talent training bases at 23 universities and six at other schools.

Semiconductors are the main battlefield' of the current China-U.S. technology war, Junwei Luo, a scientist at the official Institute of Semiconductors, wrote in the February issue of the journal of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Luo called for self-reliance and self-improvement in semiconductors.

The scale of spending required is huge. The global industry leader, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp., or TSMC, is in the third year of a three-year, $100 billion plan to expand research and production.

Developers including Huawei Technologies Ltd. and VeriSilicon Holdings Co. can design logic chips for smartphones as powerful as those from Intel Corp., Apple Inc., South Korea's Samsung Electronics Co. or Britain's Arm Ltd., according to industry researchers. But they cannot be manufactured without the precision technology of TSMC and other foreign foundries.

Trump in 2019 crippled Huawei's smartphone brand by blocking it from buying U.S. chips or other technology. American officials say Huawei, China's first global tech brand, might facilitate Chinese spying, an accusation the company denies. In 2020, the White House tightened controls, blocking TSMC and others from using U.S. technology to produce chips for Huawei.

Washington threw up new hurdles for Chinese chip designers in August by imposing restrictions on software known as EDA, or electronic design automation, along with European, Asian and other governments to limit the spread of dual use technologies that might be used to make weapons.

In December, Biden added YMTC, the memory chip maker, and some other Chinese companies to a blacklist that limits access to chips made anywhere using U.S. tools or processes.

China's foundries can etch circuits as small as 28 nanometers apart. By contrast, TSMC and other global competitors can etch circuits just three nanometers apart, ten times the Chinese industry's precision. They are moving toward two nanometers.

To make the latest chips, you need EUV (extreme ultraviolet lithography) tools, a very complicated process recipe and not just a couple of billion dollars but tens and tens of billions of dollars, said Peter Hanbury, who follows the industry for Bain & Co.

They're not going to be able to produce competitive server, PC and smartphone chips, Hanbury said. You have to go to TSMC to do that.

China's ruling party is trying to develop its own tool vendors, but researchers say it is far behind a global network spread across dozens of countries.

Huawei said in a video on its website in December it was working on EUV technology. But creating a machine comparable to ASML's might cost $5 billion and require a decade of research, according to industry experts. Huawei didn't respond to a request for comment.

The day when China can supply its own EUV machine is very far away, said Hanbury. (AP) AMS
HELSINKI, April 3 (Xinhua) -- Whether the center-right parties in Finland would be able to form a cabinet or whether a coalition of the center-left Social Democratic Party (SDP) and conservatives - with some small parties - would take over remained unclear on Monday. Petteri Orpo, chair of the conservative National Coalition, said he would begin coalition talks after the Easter break.

On Sunday, voters in Finland cast their ballots in a closely contested parliamentary election. The opposition Conservatives came out on top, claiming 48 seats in the 200-member Parliament, followed by the right-wing populist Finns Party with 46 seats, and the SDP, the leading party in the outgoing coalition, with 43 seats. The Center Party, the Greens and the Left Alliance suffered major losses.

The party with the highest number of parliamentary seats will form the government. In absence of a clear majority - 101 seats - it is inevitable for the parties to enter into coalition talks.

Jenni Karimaki, a researcher at Helsinki University, told the news agency STT that the conservatives and the Finns could fairly easily agree on economic policy issues, but major disagreements prevail between them on immigration, climate change issues, and European Union policies.

"Meanwhile, as for cooperation between the conservatives and the SDP, the situation is the opposite", said Karimaki. The conservatives and the SDP differ on the measures needed to stabilize the Finnish economy, Karimaki added.

On Monday, both the chair of the Center Party, Annika Saarikko, and the chair of the Greens, Maria Ohisalo, said that their parties would go into opposition following their losses.

Markku Jokisipila, director of the Center for Parliamentary Studies at Turku University, told the newspaper Turun Sanomat that a possible refusal by the Center Party to take government responsibility would weaken the chances of the Finns to get into the government and could lead to the formation of a coalition of the conservatives and the SDP, especially "if the Greens would be willing to take part after their major losses."

For a possible coalition option between the conservatives and the Finns, the Swedish People's Party's attitude could be important, Elina Kestila-Kekkonen, professor of political science at Tampere University, said on national radio Yle.

The conservatives and the Finns would have 94 MPs based on initial election results, which are to be confirmed on Wednesday. However, with the help of Christian Democrats and the "Movement Now", they would reach 100 seats and would thus need the Swedish People's Party.

Despite the huge problems to be tackled during the coalition talks, the likelihood of a minority government is very low, Jokisipila said. The last time Finland had a minority government was in 1976. 
New York, Apr 4 (PTI) News outlets will not be allowed to broadcast former US President Donald Trumps historic arraignment on Tuesday in a Manhattan state court, New York Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchan has ruled.

Trump, 76, the first former president to face a criminal charge, will appear before Judge Merchan at 2.15 pm EST (11.45 pm IST) on Tuesday amid tight security.

He was indicted last Thursday by a federal grand jury in connection with USD 1,30,000 hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels before the US presidential election in 2016 to cover up an alleged affair.

New York Supreme Court Judge Merchan rejected a request by several media organisations for permission to broadcast the proceedings.

Five still photographers will be allowed to take pictures of Trump and the courtroom before the hearing begins, however.

Trumps arraignment is a public proceeding, but news cameras are not usually allowed to broadcast from inside the courtroom, CNN reported.

In rejecting the request to broadcast the arraignment, Judge Merchan nonetheless wrote about the historical significance of the proceeding in stark terms.

That this indictment involves a matter of monumental significance cannot possibly be disputed. Never in the history of the United States has a sitting or past President been indicted on criminal charges. Mr. Trumps arraignment has generated unparalleled public interest and media attention, he wrote.

"The populace rightly hungers for the most accurate and current information available. To suggest otherwise would be disingenuous, he wrote.

Merchan said that while the medias request was understandable, the news organisations interests in providing the broadest possible access to the proceedings must be weighed against competing interests.

Earlier on Monday, Trumps lawyers urged the judge to reject the medias request for cameras in the courtroom. The Manhattan district attorneys office told the judge it didnt have a position.

The media outlets that tried to get cameras into the courtroom had argued that the gravity of this proceeding  and, consequently, the need for the broadest possible public access, cannot be overstated.

Trump is now staying at the Trump Tower on 5th Avenue in Manhattan ahead of the arraignment. A grand jury indicted the former president last week.

Trump has denied all wrongdoings in connection with the payments made to Daniels, 44. His lawyers said last week that theyll fight to get the charges dropped.

Trumps attorney said there is no scenario in which the Manhattan judge presiding over his arraignment would impose a gag order.

Can't be, won't happen. I don't believe anyone's even looking for that, Joe Tacopina told Fox News host Sean Hannity when asked about the possibility of a gag order.

That would really set ablaze the passions and the tempers that already have been inflamed by this case, Tacopina said of a judicial order that would limit what Trump, who is running for president in 2024, could say publicly about Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Braggs case against him.

There's no scenario where that's going to happen. I'm sure of that. I don't think that's going to be requested, he added, arguing that a gag order would directly interfere with the election.

Trump called on Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg to be IMMEDIATELY INDICTED over what the 45th president claimed were illegal leaks tied to his indictment.

Wow! District Attorney Bragg just illegally LEAKED the various points, and complete information, on the pathetic Indictment against me, Trump wrote. I know the reporter and so, unfortunately, does he. This means that he MUST BE IMMEDIATELY INDICTED. Now, if he wants to really clean up his reputation, he will do the honourable thing and, as District Attorney, INDICT HIMSELF.
Dubai, Apr 4 (PTI) The Dubai Court of Cassation has rejected the appeal of Sanjay Shah, a British national wanted by Danish authorities on charges of fraud and money laundering, and has upheld the Dubai Court of Appeals ruling to grant Denmarks request for his extradition, a statement said.

Shah, 52, a hedge fund trader, was arrested by Dubai Police in June last year in response to Denmarks extradition petition, and his extradition was referred to the Dubai Courts by the Attorney General.

Though the Dubai Courts initially rejected Denmarks extradition request, Attorney General Chancellor Essam Issa Al Humaidan appealed the decision in accordance with the Law of International Judicial Cooperation, and the Dubai Court of Cassation has now upheld the decision to extradite the suspect to Denmark, according to the statement issued here on Sunday evening.

In December last year, a court in Dubai had ruled Shah, accused of masterminding a USD 1.7 billion tax scheme, be extradited to Denmark.

Shah, a hedge fund trader, was accused of orchestrating a scheme that ran from 2012 to 2015, in which foreign businesses pretended to own shares in Danish companies and claimed tax refunds for which they were not eligible.
London, Apr 4 (PTI) An Indian student has claimed that he was disqualified from the London School of Economics (LSE) Students Union elections as a result of a deliberately orchestrated smear campaign because of his Indian and Hindu identity.

Karan Kataria, who is from Haryana and is studying for a postgraduate law degree at the leading university in London, said he was motivated by the support of his peers to contest the post of General Secretary of the LSE Students Union (LSESU). However, he was disqualified last week over what he believes are baseless allegations and without being given a chance to fully state his case.

Unfortunately, some individuals could not bear to see an Indian-Hindu leading the LSESU and resorted to vilifying my character and very identity in what was clearly in line with the alarming cancel culture which is uprooting our social communities, said Kataria.

When I started my postgraduate studies at LSE, I sincerely hoped to strive for and further fulfil my passion for student welfare. But my dreams were shattered when a deliberately orchestrated smear campaign was launched against me solely because of my Indian and Hindu identity, he said.

The 22-year-old student comes from a middle-class farming background and describes himself as a first-generation university-level graduate in his family. Soon after arriving in the UK for his Masters from the LSE Law School last year, he was elected as his cohorts Academic Representative and also a delegate to the UK's National Union for Students (NUS).

Despite receiving immense support from students of all nationalities, I was disqualified from the General Secretary election of the LSE Student Union. The allegations against me ranged from being homophobic, Islamophobic, queerphobic, and Hindu Nationalist.  Instead of identifying and punishing the wrongdoers who initiated this hateful campaign... the LSESU conveniently disqualified me without hearing my side of the story or revealing the votes I received, said Kataria.

Moreover, on the last polling day, Indian students were bullied and targeted for their national and Hindu religious identities. The students raised this issue, but the LSESU brushed it aside by not acting against the bullies. The silent treatment of the students complaints about such unacceptable behaviour also justifies the accusation of Hinduphobia against the LSESU, he added.

The LSESU issued a statement on Monday to say that the body operates in a fair and democratic manner and has a firm zero-tolerance stance towards any form of harassment and bullying. It has also ordered an external review of this year's elections.

Unfortunately, this year the election rules have been breached by a candidate, resulting in LSESU taking the difficult decision to disqualify them from this years Leadership Race for the position of General Secretary, reads the statement, pointing to a breach of the rule for candidates to keep a "reasonable distance" of around 2 metres from anyone who is casting their vote.

As a matter of course LSESU always undertakes a review of how our elections have been delivered. We are confident that all decisions were followed according to due process and best practice. However, given the impact this experience has had on some of the candidates involved, we will be conducting an external review this time around and will endeavour to update the community accordingly, the statement reads.
Islamabad, Apr 4 (PTI) Pakistan's Supreme Court on Tuesday termed as "unconstitutional" the election commission's decision to postpone polls in the Punjab province till October 8, in a blow to the federal government that has been trying to delay the provincial election citing security issues and the economic crisis.

The apex court also fixed May 14 as the date for polls in the province.

On March 22, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) delayed assembly polls in the politically crucial Punjab province by more than five months, citing the deteriorating security situation in the cash-starved country, a move criticised by former premier Imran Khan, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party chairman.

The verdict on the issue was delivered by a three-member bench  headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial and comprising Justice Munib Akhtar and Justice Ijazul Ahsan, in a boost to ousted prime minister Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party.

Heavy security was deployed outside the apex courts building, with a large contingent of police guarding the main entrance.

"Constitution and law do not give (Election Commission of Pakistan) the authority to postpone the election date," said the apex court, adding that the electoral process was at its fifth stage when the ECP announced its decision.

The court remarked that the ECP's order wasted 13 days, saying that the electoral body made an unconstitutional decision by shifting the date for the polls to October 8.

The verdict says the last date for submitting appeals against the returning officer's decision is April 10 and the Election Tribunal will announce the decision on the appeals on April 17.

"Elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa should be transparent, impartial and as per the law," said the verdict.

It added that the federal government should provide Rs 21 billion in funds by April 10 to the ECP and directed the body to present a report on the issue by April 11.

The verdict also said that the Supreme Court will issue instructions to the authorities concerned in case the funds are not provided.

"The Punjab government should give a security plan to the Election Commission," said the top court's verdict. It added that Punjab's interim cabinet and chief secretary should report to the ECP on the electoral staff by April 10.

The verdict also directed the caretaker government to assist and provide resources to the electoral body for elections in Punjab.

The ECP had earlier set the date for elections in Punjab on April 30, but later it was postponed to October 8  in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) as well.

Khan's PTI challenged the ECP's decision to postpone polls in the Punjab Assembly to October 8, instead of holding it within 90 days as per mandated by the Constitution.

The assembly in the Punjab province was dissolved on January 14 by the erstwhile PTI government.

The apex court  which initiated proceedings on PTI's petition on March 27  reserved the verdict a day earlier, saying it would announce it the next day, April 4.

The hearings in the case, which lasted over a week, witnessed high drama after two judges of the original five-member bench  Justices Jamal Khan Mandokhail and Aminuddin Khan  recused themselves from hearing the case. Thereafter, the chief justice constituted a bench comprising himself, Justice Ahsan and Justice Akhtar to proceed with the PTI petition.

Earlier, the government had submitted a statement through Attorney General for Pakistan Mansoor Awan, requesting the formation of a full court to hear the case. It also sought dismissal of the PTI petition in light of what it interpreted as a 4-3 order issued by the apex court on March 1.

During proceedings a day earlier, the SC bench appeared irked by the government declaring no-confidence in it and hence refused to listen to the arguments of the ruling parties lawyers before it reserved the verdict.

Meanwhile, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah had said that the government expected the apex court to pass a verdict that would help push the country out of the crisis.

We hope better sense will prevail and the political crisis in the country will come to an end, he told media persons outside the apex court.

Reiterating the federal coalitions demand regarding a full court, Sanaullah stated that the government still stood by it. Our stance right now is the voice of the nation  this matter can only be resolved via a full court.

Even the PTI has said that they dont have any objection to a full court. Then why isnt the CJP forming it? he asked.

The minister also stressed that elections should be held in the country simultaneously, adding that separate polls to provincial assemblies will only create anarchy, chaos and further political crises.

Standing beside Sanaullah, Law Minister Azam Nazir Tarar said: Institutions work collectively and not on the dictation of one person. We hope that the SC will also use collective wisdom and take this matter forward.

The issue of the election has taken centre stage in Pakistani politics as Khan has been pushing for timely elections in Punjab and KP provinces.

Khan had condemned the ECP's move to postpone the elections till October, calling it a violation of Pakistan's constitution.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) governor Haji Ghulam Ali had fixed May 28 as the date for polls in the province but subsequently backtracked on his decision while calling for key challenges to be addressed before a new date is announced.

However, the federal government has been trying to delay the provincial polls with the plea that elections should be held after August 2023 when the term of the current House comes to an end.
Washington, Apr 4 (PTI) As former US President Donald Trump arrived in New York to appear before a Manhattan court to face arraignment, Republican lawmakers called the indictment politically motivated while the ruling Democrats insisted that no one is above the law.

President Joe Biden, however, remained focused on his development agenda and was travelling to Minnesota.

Regardless of your opinion of President Trump, we should all be able to admit this fact: This decision to indict a former President and current presidential candidate on a very weak case is going to have serious ramifications for the future, Republican Congressman Dan Crenshaw told CNN in an interview.

He alleged the entire episode is politically motivated.

It weakens everyones faith in the integrity of Americas judicial system. And for all the lefts talk about threats to our democracy. I would certainly classify a weaponised justice system against political opponents as a threat to democracy. The fairness of our judicial system is essential to our nations rule of law, and the rule of law is essential to our democracy. This bogus case against Donald Trump undermines both, Crenshaw said.

Congresswoman Kathy Manning said Trump cannot be shielded from legal responsibility, if warranted by the facts, simply because he served as President.

Our Democracy is based on the fundamental principle that every person should be treated equally under the law. Regardless of position, status, or wealth  if you break the law, you should be held accountable. Two top Trump employees have already been convicted of crimes related to their work with former President Trump, she said.

As we wait for the indictment to be unsealed, its critical that the Manhattan District Attorney can continue his investigation without political interference. I encourage all Americans to respect the justice system and allow this case to move forward without threats of violence or interference, Manning said.

Republican Congressman Dan Bishop said using state prosecutorial authority, especially in an unusual way, for political retaliation against a former President and to intimidate or manipulate his presidential candidacy violates the United States Constitution.

For Americans who live in or frequent overwhelmingly Democrat urban areas, this is a cautionary tale. As the Left becomes more openly authoritarian, something of an Iron Curtain is descending on parts of the US in which Democrat power is unchecked. Wrong-thinkers are persecuted - scofflaws skate, Bishop said.

Meanwhile, top US Senators Jim Risch and Mike Braun, along with Senators Rick Scott, Todd Young, Mitt Romney, Shelley Moore Capito and Jerry Moran, introduced a bill to prevent the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) from being used as a political weapon against conservative and ideological non-profit groups.

The IRS should never expose taxpayers private information because of their political ideology. The Dont Weaponize the IRS Act will prevent the Biden administrations IRS agents from targeting Americans regardless of their political leanings, said Risch.

Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswami announced a policy plan to end the weaponisation of police power in America, which includes shutting down and replacing both the IRS and the FBI.

The corrupt administrative state is a grave threat to liberty and justice in America. President Trump exposed this problem, but I will go further to actually fix it  by leading with principles and moral authority, not grievance and vengeance. I will end the weaponisation of police power in our country without apology, he said.
Islamabad, Apr 4 (PTI) Pakistan's federal Cabinet on Tuesday rejected the Supreme Court's "unanimous verdict" on advancing the elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces which were earlier postponed by the election commission.

The development came during the Cabinet's meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif after a three-member bench headed by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial announced the apex court's verdict on the matter which it had reserved on Monday, Geo News reported.

The bench, also comprised Justice Ijaz Ul Ahsan and Justice Munib Akhtar, announced the verdict on a plea filed by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party led by former prime minister Imran Khan and declared the Election Commission of Pakistan's (ECP) decision to postpone polls in Punjab and KP from April 30 to October 8 as "null and void".

The Supreme Court in its verdict said the ECP's order dated March 22 was declared to be unconstitutional, without lawful authority or jurisdiction.

"The Supreme Court's decision is a minority verdict, which is why the Cabinet rejects it," the report quoted a source in the federal Cabinet as saying.

The top court's decision, as per the source, is not enforceable.

The government would raise its voice in the parliament regarding the verdict, the source added.

Commenting on the SC decision, Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) Senior Vice-President and Chief Organiser Maryam Nawaz Sharif tweeted that the verdict was the last blow of the conspiracy which began by "rewriting the Constitution and presenting the Punjab government on a plate" to the benchs blue-eyed boy, Khan.

Maryam termed the three-member bench as "Khans facilitators" and said that this was done so he could be reselected under their presence and supervision.

This bench has taken responsibility for the work done by [Lt Gen] Faiz [Hamid], [ex-CJP Asif Saeed] Khosa, and Saqib Nisar in 2018. A majority of the Supreme Court revolted against this appalling and brazen facilitation and one-man show, the PML-N scion tweeted.

She stressed that it was now time for the parliament to stop this facilitation using its constitutional and legal hands.

Maryam further added that it was not enough for the federal Cabinet to reject the verdict and that those who tried to impose the favourite by defying the Constitution and law must be brought to the rostrum.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday termed as "unconstitutional" the election commission's decision to postpone polls in the Punjab province till October 8 and fixed May 14 as the date for polls in the politically crucial Punjab province.

On March 22, the ECP delayed assembly polls in the politically crucial Punjab province by more than five months, citing the deteriorating security situation in the cash-starved country, a move criticised by Khan's PTI.

The court remarked that the ECP's order wasted 13 days, saying that the electoral body made an unconstitutional decision by shifting the date for the polls to October 8.

The verdict says the last date for submitting appeals against the returning officer's decision is April 10 and the Election Tribunal will announce the decision on the appeals on April 17.

"Elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa should be transparent, impartial and as per the law," said the verdict.

"The Punjab government should give a security plan to the Election Commission," said the top court's verdict. It added that Punjab's interim cabinet and chief secretary should report to the ECP on the electoral staff by April 10.

The verdict also directed the caretaker government to assist and provide resources to the electoral body for elections in Punjab.

Earlier in the day, the Ministry of Defence, as per the apex court's directives, had submitted its report through Attorney General Mansoor Awan detailing the availability of security personnel for election duties.

After analysing the report, the Supreme Court announced its verdict and reinstated the previous schedule with amendments.

The apex court ordered returning officers to accept nomination papers until April 10 and publish the candidates' list by April 19. The ruling further held that free and fair elections must be ensured on the new poll date.

The assembly in the Punjab province was dissolved on January 14 by the erstwhile PTI government.

The hearings in the case, which lasted over a week, witnessed high drama after two judges of the original five-member bench  Justices Jamal Khan Mandokhail and Aminuddin Khan  recused themselves from hearing the case.

Thereafter, the chief justice constituted a bench comprising himself, Justice Ahsan and Justice Akhtar to proceed with the PTI petition.
Washington, Apr 4 (AP) Thirteen years after the massive Deepwater Horizons spill fouled the Gulf of Mexico, regulators and industry have reduced some risks in deep water exploration in the gulf but some troublesome safety issues persist, a new study by the National Academy of Sciences said.

The creation of a specific federal agency for offshore oil drilling safety, an industrywide safety centre and new technology have all helped reduce risks, Tuesday's report said. But federal inspectors remain relatively powerless over contractors on rigs, which are 80 per cent of the workers.

The report also worried about the lack of an industrywide safety culture that integrates accident prevention into everyday work.

"There are a lot of things that are happening that are really good, but the industry is not at a place'' where it should be, said panel chairman Richard Sears. He was a longtime Shell executive who was the chief technical adviser to the federal panel that initially investigated the 2010 explosion on the BP rig that killed 11 people and caused America's biggest oil spill  more than 130 million gallons.

A culture that gave lip service to safety but didn't really integrate it into the way it does business was part of the problem with the accident, Sears and others said. Some companies are treating safety the proper way  including giving flash bonuses to workers who stopped drilling because of potential dangers  but others that don't seem to get it, he said.

They have not figured out how to naturally embrace safety in particular... in who they are and what they do but instead treat it like a box to check off, Sears said.

That's far different from the more uniform industrywide safety culture seen in commercial airlines and nuclear power plants, he said.

There's a long list of specifics on safety culture process that other high-risk industries like aviation, have done but the drillers have not, said Steve Murawski, a University of South Florida marine ecologist who was a top NOAA scientist during the spill.

Federal safety inspectors lost a court case giving them power to directly regulate contractors so when they find a problem on an offshore rig they can ding the operator but not the contractor who is actually creating the problem, Sears said.

It's then up to the operator to crack down on the contractor, and it becomes complicated and not as effective, he said.

The report said that was one of the problems on the Deepwater Horizons rig.

Murawski, who wasn't part of the study team, said the report highlights many of the recommendations that still haven't been put into effect 13 years after that disaster, especially changes to a key oil spill law. He also said the report shows the need for greater transparency into industry actions.

Another outside scientist involved in the spill, Christopher Reddy of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, said he was impressed by the amount of positive change since 2010 but then that was offset by the safety culture issue.

The oil and natural gas industry and the federal government have together taken great strides to enhance the safety of offshore drilling operations, American Petroleum Institute Vice President Holly Hopkins said.

National Academy President Marcia McNutt, who was a top Obama administration official dealing with the spill in 2010, said her concern is that officials are preparing for the last disaster, not the next one.

Still, McNutt said, the public should find the report at least partially reassuring that this isn't high school or elementary school shootings in terms of sticking your head in the sand and ignoring the problem". (AP) PY

PY
Washington, Apr 4 (PTI) Hours before his arraignment, former president Donald Trump sent an email to his supporters, which he claimed was the last one before his arrest, saying that the United States is becoming a "Marxist Third World" country and went on social media questioning the fairness of the judiciary.

"My last email before my arrest," Trump said in the subject line of the email sent to his supporters hours before he was scheduled to be arraigned in a Manhattan court to face criminal charges in connection with hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels in 2016.

He was indicted last Thursday by a federal grand jury in connection with USD 1,30,000 hush money payments to Daniels before the US presidential election in 2016 to cover up an alleged affair. Trump, 76, is expected to plead not guilty.

"Today, we mourn the loss of justice in America. Today is the day that a ruling political party ARRESTS its leading opponent for having committed NO CRIME," Trump wrote.

"As I will be out of commission for the next few hours, I want to take this moment to THANK YOU for all of your support. I am blown away by all of the donations, support, and prayers we have received. Its sad to see whats happening  not for myself  but for our country, he said.

In less than 24 hours after being indicted he raised over more than USD 4 million.

"Our nation is becoming a Marxist Third World country that CRIMINALIZES dissent and IMPRISONS its political opposition. But do NOT lose hope in America! We are a nation that declared its independence from the world's biggest empire, won two world wars, and landed the first man on the moon. Resilience is in our blood," he said.

"Our movement has overcome so much. And there is no doubt in my mind that we will prevail once again and WIN the White House in 2024, Trump wrote.

Trump is expected to speak at least twice on Tuesday, one of them being a live press conference from Mar-a-Lago in Florida later in the night. Media reports said that he might speak before or after his arraignment. He is the first former US president to be arrested on criminal charges.

Taking up the social media platform Truth Social, Trump called for moving the case from lower Manhattan to nearby Staten Island. "Very unfair venue, with some areas that voted one per cent Republican. This case should be moved to nearby Staten Island  Would be a very fair and secure location for the trial," Trump wrote.
Washington, Apr 4 (PTI) Former US president Donald Trump is expected to have his mugshot taken on Tuesday when he is scheduled to appear before a Manhattan court in New York to face criminal charges in connection with hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels in 2016.

A mugshot is a photograph taken by law enforcement agencies when an individual is arrested and booked,

Trump, 76, the first former US president to face a criminal charge, will appear before Judge Juan Merchan at 2.15 pm EST (11.45 pm IST) on Tuesday.

He was indicted last Thursday by a federal grand jury in connection with USD 1,30,000 hush money payments to Daniels before the US presidential election in 2016 to cover up an alleged affair.

Trump, a Republican, has announced that he will run for the next presidential election in 2024. He has denied the charges. He is scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday.

Well have a mugshot. For the record, it will be the most manly, most masculine, most handsome mugshot of all time, Hogan Gidley, former White House Deputy Press Secretary and his campaign spokesperson told The Time Magazine in an interview. I can say that definitely, before having even seen it, he said.

New York law was amended four years ago to prohibit the release of booking photos unless police determine there is a legitimate law enforcement purpose to release a person's image. It is highly unlikely Trump's mugshot would meet that threshold.

According to the Albany Times Union, New York law was amended four years ago to prohibit the release of booking photos unless police determine there is a legitimate law enforcement purpose to release a person's image.

It is highly unlikely Trump's mugshot  an image of one of the world's most photographed individuals  would meet that threshold, the daily reported.

The booking photo of Trump may not be made public unless he decides to release it.

Many political analysts said that the mugshot might be used as a political tool. Alan Dershowitz, a former Harvard Law School professor, said during interviews with multiple news outlets last week that Trump should put his booking photo on T-shirts and posters and sell them to support his 2024 presidential campaign, The Union newspaper reported.

Trump is expected to surrender before the Manhattan court on Tuesday, after law enforcement would take a mugshot of him, as is a mandatory procedure in all such arrests and surrenders. Media reports said Trump is expected to be charged on 30 counts.

Trumps lawyers on Monday urged Judge Juan Merchan not to allow cameras inside the courtroom.

We submit that the media request should be denied because it will create a circus-like atmosphere at the arraignment, raise unique security concerns, and is inconsistent with President Trumps presumption of innocence, his lawyers wrote in a letter said to the MerChan.

According to media reports, cameras will not be allowed in the courtroom, but a group of credentialled reporters will be allowed inside, in keeping with a longstanding New York state law.

Its unclear if Trump will be photographed walking into the courthousea classic perp-walk momentor will instead be taken in through a private entrance, the reports said.

Following his arraignment, Trump is expected to fly back to his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. His office has announced that he would address a press conference later in the night.

Trump wants to turn his indictment into a larger symbol, connecting himself with conservative Americans who feel targeted or alienated for their views, the report said.

The fears and concerns of a weaponised government are now personified in Donald Trump, Gidley was quoted as saying. He can take that pulpit, that podium, and point out the fact that we are all victims of a government that has targeted each of us because we attend the wrong rallies, like the wrong tweets, go to the wrong movies, he said.
The national flag of Finland flies after a ceremony for Finland's accession to NATO at the NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, April 4, 2023. Finland on Tuesday formally became the 31st member state of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), ending its military non-alignment in the fastest accession procedure in record time. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)

BRUSSELS, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Finland on Tuesday formally became the 31st member state of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), ending its military non-alignment in the fastest accession procedure in record time. Meanwhile, Russia said it could be forced to take "counter-measures."

The national flag of Finland was raised and the country's anthem was played for the first time at NATO headquarters on Tuesday afternoon in a brief ceremony.

"The era of military non-alignment in our history has come to an end. A new era begins," Finland's President Sauli Niinisto said at the ceremony, adding that he hoped to see neighboring Sweden join soon. "Finland's membership is not complete without that of Sweden."

"This is a historic day. We welcome Finland as the newest member of our Alliance," NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said.

Finland received its formal invitation to join the Alliance from U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken earlier on Tuesday. In exchange, Finland's Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto handed over his country's instruments of accession, thus completing formalities.

As Finland did not stop investing in defense after the end of the Cold War, the country is bringing well-trained and well-equipped military forces with a high level of readiness, Stoltenberg said.

Finland's NATO accession will not change the country's foreign policy, Haavisto said during Tuesday's ceremony.

"Finland's membership isn't targeted against anyone ... Finland is a stable and predictable Nordic country that seeks peaceful resolution of disputes," he said.

Finland and Sweden both applied for NATO membership in May last year and were formally invited to join the Alliance in June.

The accession process requires the approval of all member states. Turkiye was the last NATO member to ratify Finland's accession bid, while Sweden's path to the Alliance remains blocked by Turkiye and Hungary.

Regarding Sweden's accession process, Stoltenberg said that Finland, Turkiye and Sweden will continue trilateral meetings on Stockholm's bid.

Finland's formal NATO accession elicited an immediate response from Russia. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told a press briefing on Tuesday that Russia considered it another aggravation of the situation. In Russia's opinion, the expansion of NATO infringes on its security and national interests.

The expansion of NATO "forces Russia to take counter-measures to ensure its own security," Peskov was quoted by Russia's state-owned Sputnik News Agency as saying.

Commenting on Finland's NATO accession, Russia's Foreign Ministry said it was an "ill-conceived step" that would negatively affect relations between Helsinki and Moscow. 

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg speaks at the ceremony for Finland's accession to NATO at the NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, April 4, 2023. Finland on Tuesday formally became the 31st member state of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), ending its military non-alignment in the fastest accession procedure in record time. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)

Delegates attend a ceremony for Finland's accession to NATO at the NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, April 4, 2023. Finland on Tuesday formally became the 31st member state of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), ending its military non-alignment in the fastest accession procedure in record time. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)

The national flag of Finland and emblem of NATO are seen at the NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, April 4, 2023. Finland on Tuesday formally became the 31st member state of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), ending its military non-alignment in the fastest accession procedure in record time. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)

Finland's President Sauli Niinisto speaks at the ceremony for Finland's accession to NATO at the NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, April 4, 2023. Finland on Tuesday formally became the 31st member state of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), ending its military non-alignment in the fastest accession procedure in record time. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)

Finland's President Sauli Niinisto speaks to the press at the NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, April 4, 2023. Finland on Tuesday formally became the 31st member state of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), ending its military non-alignment in the fastest accession procedure in record time. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)

Finland's President Sauli Niinisto (L) and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg meet the press at the NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, April 4, 2023. Finland on Tuesday formally became the 31st member state of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), ending its military non-alignment in the fastest accession procedure in record time. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg speaks at the ceremony for Finland's accession to NATO at the NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, April 4, 2023. Finland on Tuesday formally became the 31st member state of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), ending its military non-alignment in the fastest accession procedure in record time. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)
New York, Apr 4 (PTI) Former US President Donald Trump arrived at a specially secured Manhattan courthouse on Tuesday ahead of his arraignment on history-making criminal charges related to paying hush money to a porn star before the 2016 presidential election in exchange for her silence.

Trump, the first former US President to face a criminal charge, would surrender before Judge Juan Merchan. American media quoted Trumps attorneys as saying that the 76-year-old Republican leader, eying the White House for a second time in 2024, will plead not guilty to the criminal charges he is facing in connection with hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels.

After his court appearance, Trump will immediately fly back to Florida where he will deliver remarks at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach in the evening.

The arraignment proceeding is expected to be brief. The charges in the indictment will be read to him at the hearing, which is set to last about 10-15 minutes. Trump has denied all wrongdoings in connection with the payments made to Stormy Daniels, 44, ahead of the 2016 presidential election.

Trump faces more than 30 counts related to business fraud in the indictment, according to US media reports.

Security was tightened in New York, in particular the courthouse in lower Manhattan, as hundreds of Trumps supporters have landed in the city to rally behind him. New York City Mayor Eric Adams has warned against any breaking of law and order.
Washington, Apr 4 (AP) The US will send Ukraine about USD 500 million in ammunition and equipment and spend more than USD 2 billion to buy an array of munitions, radar and other weapons for that country in the future, the White House announced Tuesday, as Ukrainian troops prepare for a spring offensive against Russian forces.

Much of the ammunition will be taken from military stockpiles so they can be in the war zone quickly, including US-provided HIMARS, air defense interceptors, and artillery rounds that Ukraine is using to defend itself, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement. HIMARS are multiple rocket launchers.

The package, like many of the previous ones, is pushing forward more 155 mm artillery rounds as Ukraine burns through that stock fighting back against Russia's ground invasion.

The immediate assistance includes anti-armour systems, small arms, heavy equipment transport vehicles, and maintenance support, the Pentagon said in a statement.

We very much appreciate everything that the United States has done specifically in the last month to help our army prepare itself for the counteroffensive, said Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, speaking at NATO headquarters in Brussels before a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

The Biden administration has upheld its commitment to provide Ukraine with a lot of what we need and set an example to other allies.

The USD 2.1 billion in longer-term aid, which is being provided under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, will buy missiles for the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System, or NASAMS, as well as radar, additional satellite terminals and counter-drone rocket systems and gun trucks.

The new weapons and money come as Russia has continued to bombard Ukraine with long-range missiles and the hotly contested battle for the eastern city of Bakhmut drags on.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told The Associated Press in an exclusive interview that unless his country wins that fight, Russia could begin building international support for a deal that could require Ukraine to make unacceptable compromises.

Zelenskyy said if Moscow's forces take Bakhmut, Russian President Vladimir Putin would sell this victory to the West, to his society, to China, to Iran.

The latest US package, with its mix of short-term and long-term aid, involves a wide variety of ammunition from Pentagon stocks, 23 million rounds of small arms ammunition and 200,000 grenades, as well as money for more high-tech weapons, such as counter drone rocket systems, air surveillance radar and satellite communications terminals and services.

It brings the total amount of US security assistance to Ukraine to more than USD 35.1 billion since Russia invaded in February 2022.

Defense leaders testifying on Capitol Hill last week said the US is prepared to support Ukraine for as long as needed.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has echoed that sentiment, saying the alliance's foreign ministers meeting in Brussels were discussing how to step up support for Ukraine's armed forces. Our support is for the long haul," he said before the meeting Tuesday.

The White House said last week that it has new evidence that Russia is looking again to North Korea for weapons as it also prepares for a spring offensive. Russia would provide Pyongyang with needed food and other commodities in return.

US officials also are concerned that the president of Belarus has warned that Russian strategic nuclear weapons might be deployed in his country, along with part of Moscow's tactical nuclear arsenal.

Putin has said he planned to place tactical nuclear weapons in neighbouring Belarus.

Those weapons are comparatively short-range and low-yield. Strategic nuclear weapons, such as missile-borne warheads, would be a greater threat.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, while talking up the possibility of nuclear weapons, has also called for a cease-fire in Ukraine. He said a truce must have no preconditions and all movement of troops and weapons must be halted.

Russia, however, has rejected a cease in fighting, claiming that Ukraine has refused to enter talks under pressure from its Western allies.

_

Lee reported from Brussels. Associated Press writer Tara Copp contributed to this story from Washington.



RUP
Patna, Apr 4 (PTI) The Bihar Museum, one of the largest such facilities in India, has been selected for a two-month-long international exhibition for the artists of G20 countries.

Selected artists of the G20 countries will be displayed in the exhibition, christened Together We Art, from August 7, an official said.

The Bihar Museum is now organising and implementing the project for the G20 Initiative. Together We Art is based on the theme of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam', a concept from the Maha Upanishad, state Art and Culture Secretary Bandana Preyashi told PTI on Tuesday.

The exhibition will continue till October 7 after which it will move to a venue in New Delhi, she said.

The artist selected by the respective governments would work through their medium of expression - paintings, graphics, etching, photography, film, video or even a combination of mediums, said Preyash.

The artists whose work will be exhibited in the event are yet to be chosen.

The artists would also be part of a symposium One World One Family, which is slated for August 8 and August 9.

We will organise a visit to two world heritage sitesGaya and Rajgirin Bihar, she said.

Meanwhile, two meetings of the G20 engagement groups, which were scheduled to be held in Patna in March this year, are now expected to be held on June 22 and June 23.

The G20 meeting in Patna is to be held on labour tracking, and several delegates are expected to take part in it.

India assumed the G20 Presidency on December 1, 2022, for a year.

The G20 or Group of 20 is an intergovernmental forum of the worlds major developed and developing economies.

It comprises Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the UK, the US, and the European Union (EU).
Kolkata, Apr 4 (PTI) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday accused the BJP of organising violence during Ram Navami processions and asserted that she would not let any rioter go scot-free and warned that strict action would be taken against dangabaaz (rioters).

Addressing a rally in Purba Medinipur district, Banerjee also took a dig at Union Home Minister Amit Shah without naming him and pointed out that BJP had said if it comes to power in Bihar, it would hang rioters "upside down" and wondered why such action was not being taken against "their 'goondas".

Clashes and instances of fire-bombing were reported from towns in the industrial belt of Hooghly and Howrah districts related to Ram Navami processions over the last few days including last night.

The unfolding of events also saw Bengals Governor Dr CV Ananda Bose rushing from Darjeeling to visit violence-hit areas on Tuesday.

While state BJP leaders - Sukanta Majumdar and Suvendu Adhikari - demanded that central forces be deployed in violence-hit areas with article 355 of the constitution being invoked.

"The BJP is behind the violence in Hooghly and Howrah. They had brought in hired 'goondas' from other states to unleash violence in Bengal, which is not in our culture. They are defaming the Hindu religion by pitting one community against another. But rioters have no religion, they are just political goons. I appeal to everyone to maintain calm," she said.

Taking a dig at Union Home Minister Amit Shah, without naming him, she said, "The BJP said if the party comes to power in Bihar, it would hang rioters upside down. Then why are they not doing that to their `goondas who are fomenting trouble in Bengal? Charity begins at home."

Shah had made the remark during a recent public rally in Nawada district of Bihar, which has also witnessed communal clashes during Ram Navami.

Taking potshots at the CPI(M), she alleged that 'Baam' (Left) and 'Ram' (BJP) have joined hands against the TMC.

"I am on the phone constantly because we don't know when and where BJP will start violence," she said, adding that people in the processions organised by BJP have been found carrying weapons.

Bengal Police have arrested a man from Bihar's Munger for allegedly carrying a gun during a Ram Navami procession in Howrah district last week, a senior officer said on Tuesday.

"He has been arrested from Bihar's Munger. During interrogation, the youth admitted that he carried a revolver with him during the Ram Navami procession. He was seen in the video. We have handed over him to the state CID," the officer told PTI.

Banerjee said as people in Bengal didn't take part in violence, the BJP has started bringing in people from outside the State to incite violence.

"Bengal government is making all efforts to restore the livelihood of those affected by the violence. We had recently passed a law where losses suffered during organised protests would be compensated by attaching and auctioning off the alleged vandals' properties," she said.

"It is a criminal act. Under the garb of the Ram Navami procession, they are asking people to carry guns and swords to incite violence," she said.

The chief minister said she had never opposed Ram Navami processions, but BJP leaders were bringing in bulldozers, tractors, petrol bombs, guns and swords to these rallies.

Governor Bose after touring violence-hit areas in Rishra, said hooligans will not be allowed to take law into their hands.

The Centre and the state government will work together to root out mobocracy and there will be solid action on the part of law enforcement agencies, he promised reporters.

"We will never allow hooligans to take law into their hands. The Centre, state, political parties, media and people will join hands to root out mobocracy, Bose said.

He also spoke to senior police officers of the district and locals to take stock of the situation.

Clashes were reported in Rishra on Sunday evening during a Ram Navami procession in which BJP national vice president Dilip Ghosh and party's Pursurah MLA Biman Ghosh were present. The MLA was injured and hospitalised.

Parts of nearby Serampore also witnessed incidents of vandalism following which prohibitory orders were imposed and Internet services suspended.

Bose had gone to the hill town in the northern part of the state for a G20 meeting.

Meanwhile, BJP's West Bengal president Sukanta Majumdar on Tuesday was stopped for the second consecutive day from visiting the riot-hit areas of Hooghly district by the police citing prohibitory orders.

The BJP state president who later met the Governor to appeal to him to intervene on the issue also wrote a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah in the afternoon "pointing at the worsening law and order situation in the riot-hit areas" and sought bringing in of central forces to control the situation.

Majumdar, demanded that central forces be immediately deployed in the trouble-hit areas and an NIA probe as the "state police have completely failed to control the situation", said if he is not allowed to join the protest at Battala, he will launch a sit in on that spot. His party colleague Suvendu Adhikari, leader of the opposition in the West Bengal assembly similarly demanded that, "Article 355 of the constitution be invoked and central forces be deployed" in the violence affected areas of Rishra and Shibpur. PTI PNT SCH ACD MM NN

JRC JRC
Hazaribag, Apr 4 (PTI) Four students died and two more were seriously injured in a collision between their two motorcycles in Jharkhand's Hazaribagh district, police said on Tuesday.

The accident occurred on Monday evening in Dohar Nagar area under the Barkagaon Police Station limits, when their two motorcycles collided head-on, a senior officer said.

Three students died on the spot, while one breathed his last when he was taken to Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), Ranchi from Hazaribag, Barkagaon SDPO Amit Kumar Singh told PTI.

Two more students were grievously injured in the accident, he said.

Three of the four deceased were identified as Md Shamir (20), Sahil alias Nepali (18) and Dilip Kumar Thakur (20), all residents of Barkagaon.

The identity of another deceased, aged around 18, could not be ascertained, the officer said.

The students were returning to their homes from their intermediate examination centre.
New Delhi, Apr 4 (PTI) Former chief minister and veteran politician Ghulam Nabi Azad has favoured early polls in Jammu and Kashmir saying the exercise is "very much" important not only for democracy but also for resolving issues of the common people of the region.

He also rejected that his newly-created political party will have a pre-poll alliance before polls are held in the Union Territory.

"We are very keen, rather we are getting very late because we have almost completed nine years - after two or three months we will be entering the 10th year after the elections.

"Elections are very much important for not only democracy but also for issues which the people of the state are confronted with," he told PTI in an interview.

He said while restoration of statehood is an important thing but this is not up to the assembly. "I am happy and thankful to the Prime Minister, home minister that after our repeated speeches in the parliament both of them assured on the floor of the house, that the statehood would be restored," he said.

When the prime minister called the all-party meeting, there the home minister also repeated commitment of restoration of statehood but made it clear that it would be done after the elections are held.

Azad, who has been campaigning in Jammu and Kashmir, ruled out any tie ups before the elections. "I don't think I would have any tie up with any political party before elections. And post elections one does not know whether any political party gets majority or not ... I do not want to commit myself to a thing which one is not able to know what to do post elections."
Samba/Jammu, Apr 4 (PTI) A day after the recovery of a cache of arms near the International Border, a senior police officer on Tuesday said Pakistan is making repeated attempts to smuggle weapons and narcotics but majority of these were foiled by the security forces guarding the borders.

Pakistan is making repeated attempts to smuggle weapons, improvised explosive devices and grenades (in the recent past) but majority of these attempts were foiled as we have full control of the situation (on the borders), Additional Director General of Police, Jammu zone, Mukesh Singh told reporters in Samba.

On Monday, security forces recovered three pistols, six magazines, four hand grenades and 48 rounds of ammunition from a packet believed to have been dropped by a Pakistani drone near the International Border in Samba district.

I want to assure all that all the conspiracies hatched across the border will be foiled, Singh said, adding the shortcomings, if any, will be addressed to make the borders fully secure.

Responding to a question about the possibility of terrorists trying to sneak into this side from Pakistan, he said there have been many infiltration attempts in the past couple of years and all such attempts were foiled.

Our attempt is to foil their plans (to push terrorists) and we are doing our job, he said.

Singh was in Samba district to preside over a police-public meet as part of the efforts to reach out to the public and listen to their problems.

The people raised many issues of concern like drug trafficking, weapon smuggling, illegal mining and bovine smuggling (during the meet). We will have one more meeting in the coming days and chalk out a proper action plan to address all these issues, the ADGP said.

He said the people were appreciative of the police campaign to make Samba a drug-free district.

Singh said the drug smugglers who had fled to other districts amid the crackdown will be identified and arrested.
Srinagar, Apr 4 (PTI) The State Investigation Agency (SIA) Tuesday conducted raids at multiple locations in three districts of Jammu and Kashmir in connection with a terror funding case, officials said.

"The SIA carried out searches in connection with investigation of case FIR No 22/2022, U/S 13,17,38 and 40 of UA(P) Act, PS CIK/SIA Kashmir. The searches were conducted at multiple locations in three Districts -- Kupwara, Baramulla and Srinagar," an official said.

The case was registered to unearth the logistic and funding support channels of terrorism, emanating from Pakistan and its ISI network, the officials said.

"Since the conspiracy is deep rooted and has multi-ramifications, hence covers wide range of subjects and locations to be scanned and analysed...current searches have been an essential aspect of the investigation to collect relevant and vital evidences for the logical conclusion of the case," the official said.

In this connection, the officials said obeying the search orders issued by TADA Court Srinagar, the sleuths of SIA Kashmir conducted searches at five potential locations in the three districts under legal provisions of criminal procedure code.

However, no arrests were made from any of the searched locations, they said, adding the investigation of the case is going on.
Jaipur, Apr 4 (PTI) The Rajasthan government is working on a bill for the constitution of a "Groundwater Conservation and Management Authority" for the proper use of groundwater and the convenience of industrial units.

The move assumes significance in the light of the fact that more than 72 per cent of the water blocks in the desert state have come under the "over-exploited" category due to excessive water extraction and a limited recharge of groundwater.

The number of exploited blocks in the state has increased as compared to the previous years, according to an official.

The situation of depleting groundwater level has also raised concerns for farmers.

According to farmers, the government should shift its focus to addressing irrigation water problems, frame irrigation schemes and effectively implement projects such as the Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project (ERCP).

The ERCP was envisaged during the rule of the previous Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in the state to meet the irrigation and drinking water needs of 13 districts in eastern Rajasthan. The present Congress government has approved a financial proposal of Rs 14,500 crore for the project and has also been rigorously demanding that the Centre accord the status of a national project to it because of the high cost involved.

According to the latest assessment of the state's groundwater resources carried out in 2022, only 38 of the 302 units (295 blocks and seven urban units) are under the "safe" category, while 219 are over-exploited, 22 in the "critical" zone, 20 in the "semi-critical" zone, while the assessment of three units could not be carried out due to the water being saline.

In the recently-concluded Budget Session of the Rajasthan Assembly, the minister who is in charge of the groundwater department, Mahesh Joshi, informed the House that in compliance with the budget announcement to constitute a "Ground Water Conservation and Management Authority", the department has prepared the draft bill.

He said the bill has been sent to the finance department after incorporating the suggestions received from the law department.

The dynamic groundwater resources of Rajasthan, as on March 31, 2022, were assessed jointly by the Central Ground Water Board and the state ground water department and approved by a state-level committee in September last year.

According to the report, groundwater extraction was at 151.06 per cent. The highest amount of water extraction was for the purpose of irrigation.

In 14 of the 33 districts, all the blocks are over-exploited, which means the water extraction is more than 100 per cent (extraction is more than recharge).

These districts are -- Ajmer, Alwar, Bharatpur, Bhilwara, Chittorgarh, Dausa, Dholpur, Jaipur, Jaisalmer, Jalore, Jhunjhunu, Nagaur, Sawai Madhopur and Sikar.

In four districts -- Banswara, Dungarpur, Ganganagar and Hanumangarh -- most of the blocks are safe.

Those blocks are considered safe where the water extraction is up to 70 per cent.

RK Mishra, the superintending engineer of the groundwater department's Jaipur circle, said the water levels of the designated wells before and after monsoon are monitored and numerous other factors, including the population and industrial set-up in an area, are considered for carrying out the assessment.

"A total of 219 blocks are under the over-exploited category, according to the latest report. This number is higher than the previous years. The number of safe zones is reducing and the numbers of over-exploited, critical and semi-critical blocks are increasing due to excessive water extraction," he told PTI.

Mishra said the status of the blocks keeps changing on the basis of groundwater recharge and extraction.

In the assessment report, the annual extractable groundwater resource was 10.96 billion cubic metre (BCM), while the annual gross ground water extraction for all uses was 16.55 BCM, including 14.18 BCM for irrigation and 2.37 BCM for domestic and industrial use.

Farmer leader Rampal Jat said water works as magic and brings prosperity for agriculture and if the water issue is addressed properly by governments, many farmers would not even need to take a loan.

"The priority of the governments has been to strengthen road infrastructure and not addressing the irrigation water problems. Groundwater is constantly depleting. The excess water in rivers is being wasted. It can be utilised more meaningfully for irrigation projects, but it seems that it is not on the priority list of the governments," he said.

Citing an example of Jaipur, he said pea cultivation used to be high in Jhotwara and nearby regions and the former government was considering setting up a dedicated "mandi" (wholesale market) for the crop, which could not happen due to a constant reduction in the yield because of a lack of water.

He said when irrigation projects are set up, drinking water problems are also solved.

"The Indira Gandhi canal project in Rajasthan was made for irrigation purposes but today, several drinking water projects are linked to it," he said.

The canal is the lifeline of irrigation in Ganganagar, Hanumangarh and nearby districts.

Another farmer in Jaipur, Ramdev Saini, said barring the northern region that has the Indira Gandhi canal, most of the areas depend on groundwater and monsoon rains for water.

He said wheat is one of the most water-intensive crops and if a proper amount of water is not given to it, the grain size is affected. He said crops that are produced with less water do not give high returns.

"The input cost gets significantly reduced when there is proper availability of water," another farmer said.
Faridabad, Apr 4 (PTI) An 18-year-old class 12 student was stabbed to death while he was sleeping in his house in Sanjay colony here, police said on Tuesday.

Hearing him scream, the younger brother of the victim woke up and tried to chase the assailant but lost him, they said.

According to a complaint filed by the victim's father, Santosh Bhagat, Vishal, his elder son, was sleeping in the house with his younger brother and sister Monday night when he was stabbed by someone unknown.

Mujesar Police conducted the body's post mortem and handed it over to family on Tuesday. The post mortem revealed that he was stabbed five times in his chest.

Bhagat in his complaint said he was on duty when his son was stabbed and was told about it by his wife on phone around 1 am.

"I reached home and took Vishal to Badshah Khan Civil Hospital, where doctors declared him dead. My son had an altercation with a youth a few days back who lives in the same colony," he said in his complaint.

Faridabad Police Spokesman Sube Singh said police are scouring the CCTV footage of the area and questioning the people around.

A probe is underway and the assailant will be arrested soon, he said.
KIEV, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Ukraine will discuss the prospects of joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) at the NATO-Ukraine Commission meeting in Brussels, Belgium, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said Tuesday.

"Ukraine's membership of NATO will be one of the main topics of the talks today," Kuleba was quoted as saying by the government press service.

Another key theme of the meeting will be speeding up the delivery of military assistance to Ukraine, including artillery ammunition and armored vehicles, needed for launching a counteroffensive in conflict with Russia, Kuleba said.

The NATO-Ukraine Commission will also touch upon the issue of stable support for Ukraine from NATO member states, he added.

Later in the day, the meeting of the Ukraine-NATO Commission will be held within the framework of the NATO foreign ministers summit.

The NATO foreign ministers summit is held in Brussels on April 4-5. 
Palakkad (Kerala), Apr 4 (PTI) A special court in Kerala on Tuesday convicted 13 people for beating to death a tribal man in Palakkad district of the state for allegedly stealing food articles in 2018.

The court sentenced them for the offence of culpable homicide not amounting to murder under Section 304 Part II of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) which carries a maximum punishment of 10 years jail term, Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) Rajesh M Menon told reporters.

The SPP said the court was of the view that the accused did not have the intention to kill the tribal man.

Madhu, a tribal man from Attappady, was beaten to death after he was caught, tied and thrashed by a group of local people alleging theft on February 22, 2018.

More than five years after the incident, a special court for trial of offences under the SC/ST Act held 13 of the 16 accused in the case guilty for the crimes under Section 304 II of IPC and various other provisions of the IPC and SC/ST Act, the SPP said.

The 14th convict was only held guilty for the offence of assault or criminal force otherwise than on grave provocation under Section 352 IPC which carries a punishment which may extend to three months or a fine which may extend to Rs 500 or both.

Special court judge K M Ratheesh Kumar, however, acquitted the remaining two accused in the case, the SPP said.

The special court had reserved its judgement in the case on March 30.

Prior to pronouncement of the verdict, the victim's mother and sister said they expected that Madhu will get justice. "We expect a good verdict," the victim's mother said.

His sister said: "I believe my brother will get justice. We expect it to be a good verdict."

The trial in the matter saw witnesses turning hostile, allegations of threats to the victim's family to settle or withdraw the case and a change in the Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) in June last year.

Advocate Menon, who was the additional public prosecutor in the case, took charge as SPP in June last year after the victim's family sought a change in prosecutor.

According to the post-mortem report in the case, Madhu had injuries on the head and bruises all over the body, including broken ribs, as well as internal bleeding, police had said.

Madhu, who was said to be mentally unsound, was living in a cave in the forest for the past several months, his family had said.

His mother and sister had told television channels back in 2018 that a group of nearly 10-15 persons had gone to the forest and thrashed him for allegedly stealing food articles from some shops in the forest-fringe Agali town in Palakkad district.
New Delhi, Apr 4 (PTI) The spike protein of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, allowing the virus's entry into human cells, could be responsible for memory loss as a part of post-Covid symptoms, according to a study in mice.

Researchers from Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) and UniRio, Brazil, also identified a receptor, TLR4, as a potential therapeutic target for the symptoms.

They describe the mechanism behind this cognitive and memory impairment as a part of post-Covid symptoms in their study published in the journal Cell Reports.

In the study, the researchers observed an increase and activation state of microglia, when they infused the spike protein into the brains of mice.

Microglia is a type of brain cell involved in the innate immune response and plays an essential role in neuroinflammatory diseases.

The study leaders, Claudia Figueiredo and Giselle Passos from UFRJ, explained that the activation of the TRL4 receptor by the viral spike protein induces neuroinflammation, leading to the elimination of synaptic proteins by microglia through a phagocytosis process.

Phagocytosis is a process in which phagocytes, or scavenger cells, engulf and digest microorganisms and cellular debris.

This series of events triggered by the infusion of spike protein in the brain induced delayed memory impairment, which was observed by scientists in both mice and humans.

They also found that patients with polymorphisms in the gene related to TLR4 were found to have a higher risk of developing late memory impairments after SARS-CoV-2 infection.

The researchers, thus, concluded that the viral spike protein had a central role in the development of cognitive changes after COVID-19.

They further suggested TLR4 receptor as a promising target for the development of preventive and therapeutic strategies to avoid or treat memory loss caused by SARS-CoV-2.
Lucknow, Apr 4 (PTI) Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday directed that an autonomous commission be set up for appointment of teachers in various educational institutions, a step that would help ensure time-bound selection, better utilisation of human resources and financial discipline.

At present separate authorities, boards and commissions have been constituted for the selection of qualified teachers in basic, secondary, higher and technical educational institutions operating in the state.

At a meeting, the chief minister said apart from the Examination Regulatory Authority, Secondary Education Service Selection Commission and Higher Education Service Selection Commission, teachers are also being selected through the Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission.

For minority institutions of higher or secondary education, the selection process is conducted through the Board of Management for minority institutions and for technical education it is done through Board of Governance or Board of Directors for technical institutions, he said.

Adityanath said in order to carry out practical reforms, it would be appropriate to set up a unified commission for selection of teachers.

He said the 'Uttar Pradesh Siksha Seva Chayan Ayog' (Uttar Pradesh Education Service Selection Commission) should be formed as a corporate body by giving an integrated form to teacher selection commissions, a statement here said.

The Commission should be given the form of an autonomous corporate body and the guidelines on direct recruitment of teachers will be made by it.

Directing officials to prepare and present the proposal, setting the outline on the nature of the new commission, he said qualification of the chairman and members, powers and functions of the Commission should also be decided.

A person holding a post like vice-chancellor of universities or having long experience of Indian Administrative Service should be made the chairman of the Commission, he said.

Similarly, senior judges and experienced educationists should be among the members. Other backward classes, scheduled castes/tribes, women and minorities should also be represented in the Commission, he added.

He said the Uttar Pradesh Teacher Eligibility Test (UPTET) should also be organised through this Commission.

TET should be held on time, he said, adding new recruitment of teachers of primary, secondary, minority and other institutions should be held through this Commission.
Nagpur, Apr 4 (PTI) Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday attacked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his critical remarks on late Hindutva ideologue V D Savarkar, saying some people born in India have no knowledge about its history.

Fadnavis also took on former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray for his "worthless" remarks targeted at him, and asserted he is a "bullet" (kartoos) and then with a rhetorical flourish added, "I won't bow down, but pierce".

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader slammed Thackeray for joining hands with the Congress and said he has no respect for people who have allied with political forces that regularly insult Savarkar.

Fadnavis was addressing a gathering at the concluding programme of the "Savarkar Gaurav Yatra" in his hometown Nagpur.

Referring to Gandhi, who has attacked Savarkar multiple times over the issue of mercy plea, the state home minister said some people born in India have no knowledge about its history or contemporary times.

"Someone who has no political future wakes up everyday and abuses Savarkar daily and to answer such people everyone in Maharashtra has come on roads in the form of the Savarkar Gaurav Yatra," said Fadnavis.

Latching on Gandhi's remarks that he will not apologize (for Modi surname comments) as he is not Savarkar, the BJP leader said the disqualified Lok Sabha MP can not become like the Hindutva icon.

"You are not Savarkar and not even Gandhi. To become Savarkar you need to make sacrifices," he said.

Fadnavis said the former Congress president cannot stay in prison even for one day, while Savarkar spent years in the Cellular Jail in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands under harsh conditions.

The deputy CM said people like Gandhi, who are born with a golden spoon, do not know what sacrifices Savarkar made and untold suffering he underwent.

"Before independence, Britishers troubled us and after independence agents of Britishers are troubling us today," Fadnavis said in an oblique reference to the Congress.

Fadnavis said Gandhi can never understand the late Hindutva icon and added "Savarkar resides in our hearts and you can never finish him".

Attacking former CM Thackeray, the BJP leader said he joined hands for power with the Congress which has been regularly insulting Savarkar.

"I want to ask Uddhav Thackeray -- what you were earlier and what you have become now. You left your father's (Bal Thackeray) ideology," said Fadnavis, slamming his political ally-turned-foe.

"You have to come on the ground because inheritance does not come with birth but with your acts. I have no respect for those who stand with people who insult Savarkar," said Fadnavis.

BJP leader Sudhanshu Trivedi, addressing the gathering, said Savarkar sacrificed everything for the country, but did not get credit for it.

"Those who criticize him do not know the history of India," Trivedi added.
Jaipur, Apr 4 (PTI) Rajasthan BJP state president C P Joshi on Tuesday accused the Congress government of cheating farmers, youths and common people during its four years of rule.

He said there is resentment among all sections of society and people are ready to oust the Congress government.

Joshi was on a tour to Chittorgarh on Tuesday where he offered prayers at the Sanvalia Seth temple after being appointed as state BJP chief.

Joshi said farmers used to get compensation for crop damages of more than 50 per cent, but the BJP-led Central government enacted a new law bringing it down to 33 per cent.

He alleged that the Gehlot government remained a mute spectator in the Kanhaiyalal murder case in Udaipur whereas the Centre worked to eliminate terrorists in the country and also giving them a befitting reply by entering foreign land as well.

The state BJP president said the 2008 Jaipur bomb blasts resulted in 71 deaths, but the Congress government neither hired big lawyers nor insisted on any lobbying from the government's side which led to "terrorists who killed the innocent" people being released.

"This is such an insensitive Congress government. Such a government has to be changed," he said.

Addressing the gathering, Leader of Opposition Rajendra Rathore said common people are upset with the government and ready to bring about a change in the state.
Bengaluru, Apr 4 (PTI) The BJP on Tuesday dismissed as "fake" a purported list of candidates for the May 10 Assembly elections in Karnataka that is in circulation on social media, and alleged that it was a "lie manufactured in the Congress factory".



The ruling party has not yet released the list of candidates and is likely to come out with one after its Parliamentary Board meeting on April 8.



The "fake" four-page list of candidates for 81 constituencies is in circulation on social media with the claim that it had been released by the Central Election Committee of the BJP on Tuesday after a meeting chaired by party national president J P Nadda. However, the party issued a statement quoting its national general secretary and Karnataka in-charge Arun Singh as saying that the list is fake.



Another lie from the Congress factory of lies. While the process of selecting the BJP candidates is in progress, this list is a fake one, the BJP state unit tweeted.



BJP national general secretary and Chikkamagaluru MLA C T Ravi too tweeted, CONgress Fake News Factory is circulating an alleged list of @BJP4Karnataka candidates on Social Media. Kannadigas know that we have not finalised our candidates for upcoming Assembly Elections. Fearing its defeat, CONgress has resorted to its usual cheap tactics against BJP.

Earlier in the day, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said the process of selecting candidates for the Assembly polls was being held in a democratic way and it would be completed smoothly with the list being announced after the party's central leadership finalises it on April 8.

Asked by reporters if there would be surprise candidates in the fray from the BJP, he said: "Certainly, there is a plan for new experiments in certain constituencies and they will happen." PTI GMS RS GMS ANE GMS 3/14/2023 ANE
LAUREL MCINTOSH, Chariho Girls Lacrosse, Senior; McIntosh scored six goals and assisted on another in a Chariho win against Toll Gate. Chariho is 5-0 this season.

DYLAN CIMINI, Stonington, Baseball, Junior; Cimini allowed just one hit and struck out 10 in a win against Ledyard. Cimini did not give up the hit until the sixth inning.

ALLYSON FAUBERT, Westerly, Girls Lacrosse, Sophomore; Faubert scored the winning goal with 49.6 seconds left in a win against Cranston East. Faubert finished with two goals in the game.

REESE MAIN, Wheeler, Softball, Junior; Main pitched a one-hitter and struck out 10 in a win against Bacon Academy. Main walked just two batters and also drove in three runs at the plate.

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On Monday, April 3rd, the Florida Highway Patrol hosted a leadership meeting between local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies along with local Fire Rescue agencies, Chesed Shel Emes of Florida, and Hatzalah Orlando. The meeting was held to prepare for the annual arrival of Jewish tourists to the area and to educate and inform the agencies about various religious customs, cultural sensitivities, and potential issues that may

arise with such a large influx of Pesach visitors.

The meeting was arranged by State Police Chaplain Mark Rosenberg and was attended by top brass from the Florida Highway Patrol, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Disney World Security, Orange, Osceola and Polk County Sheriffs offices, Orlando Police Department, Fire Rescue agencies from Orange, Osceola and Polk Counties, as well as the city of Orlando. Representatives of the Jewish community included Dovie Katz of Chesed Shel Emes of Florida as well as Dr. Yossi Schenker MD, Medical Director and Chief Medical Officer Hatzalah Orlando, Joshua Hartman, ALS Supervisor Chevra Hatzalah, and Hatzalah Orlando Supervisor Dovid Goldwasser

Hatzalah leaders expressed their appreciation to Chaplain Rosenberg and the FHP for organizing this important gathering and say that meetings like this have proven invaluable in strengthening the collaboration and lines of communication between the local agencies and the community.

Hatzalah Orlando, under the leadership of Hatzalah South Florida, has a trained and experienced team of Florida licensed paramedics and EMTs strategically positioned throughout the resort areas for a professional and quick response. The Hatzalah Orlando Emergency Number is: 407-307-3600.

(YWN World Headquarters  NYC)
This photo taken on April 3, 2023 shows the Trump Tower on the Fifth Avenue in Midtown of Manhattan in New York, the United States. New York City further reinforced its security measures ahead of the scheduled arraignment of former U.S. President Donald Trump at a criminal court in Lower Manhattan on Tuesday. (Xinhua/Liu Yanan)

NEW YORK, April 3 (Xinhua) -- New York City further reinforced its security measures ahead of the scheduled arraignment of former U.S. President Donald Trump at a criminal court in Lower Manhattan on Tuesday.

More law enforcement staff and barricades were put in place around Manhattan Criminal Court and Manhattan District Attorney's Office in Lower Manhattan as well as at Trump Tower on the Fifth Avenue in Midtown.

New York State Court officers were seen on duty around the Manhattan Criminal Court, where Trump is expected to face criminal charges.

Crossroads close to the above-mentioned sites already came under tight control and pedestrians were subject to guidance and barricades on Monday.

Scores of people rallied around Trump Tower on Monday with big banners in support of Trump while Collect Pond Park opposite Manhattan Criminal Court was left quiet on the day.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams Monday warned against violence or vandalism from protesters, noting that if someone is caught participating in any act of violence, they will be arrested and held accountable.

"But to those planning to protest, the message is clear: Protest peacefully or you will be held accountable. We also urge all New Yorkers and visitors to use public transportation to avoid traffic delays and any potential street closures," said a post by the New York City Mayor's Office on Monday.

New York City planned to close streets intermittently, according to reports.

It's also reported that the New York City Police Department has sent a stand-ready order to about 35,000 officers.

"I think you'll see some spurts, and I think you'll see a few things going on here and there. But overall, I think New York's prepared for it," said Rich Herrera, a Florida-based podcaster who is traveling in New York City.

"If Trump is arrested on Tuesday, things could get pretty crazy," said Ashwood Kavanna, an artist who was prompting his work at Collect Pond Park.

Trump reportedly faces more than 30 counts related to business fraud in an indictment from a recent Manhattan grand jury related to his alleged role in organizing hush money payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election, which was filed under seal. 

A worker trims branches blocking the view of a monitoring camera outside the complex of Manhattan Criminal Court and Manhattan District Attorney's Office in New York, the United States, April 3, 2023. New York City further reinforced its security measures ahead of the scheduled arraignment of former U.S. President Donald Trump at a criminal court in Lower Manhattan on Tuesday. (Xinhua/Liu Yanan)

A law enforcement staff moves barricade outside the complex of Manhattan Criminal Court and Manhattan District Attorney's Office in New York, the United States, April 3, 2023. New York City further reinforced its security measures ahead of the scheduled arraignment of former U.S. President Donald Trump at a criminal court in Lower Manhattan on Tuesday. (Xinhua/Liu Yanan)

Law enforcement staff are on duty outside the complex of Manhattan Criminal Court and Manhattan District Attorney's Office in New York, the United States, April 3, 2023. New York City further reinforced its security measures ahead of the scheduled arraignment of former U.S. President Donald Trump at a criminal court in Lower Manhattan on Tuesday. (Xinhua/Liu Yanan)

New York police officers are on duty outside the Trump Tower in Midtown of Manhattan in New York, the United States, April 3, 2023. New York City further reinforced its security measures ahead of the scheduled arraignment of former U.S. President Donald Trump at a criminal court in Lower Manhattan on Tuesday. (Xinhua/Liu Yanan)




The last time Secret Service agents escorted a U.S. leader to face criminal charges, they kept their mission a secret  even from their own bosses.

It was Oct. 10, 1973, and just a few agents knew the history they would make in ensuring that Vice President Spiro Agnew appeared in a federal courtroom to enter a plea and resign from office.

It was a big day for the country, and a sad day, said Jerry Parr, one of those agents, in a 2010 interview. And we didnt tell anyone it was happening. For better and worse.

There is no secret the second time around: The Secret Service on Tuesday is expected to deliver former President Donald Trump to a New York City courtroom to be arraigned on state charges tied to hush money payments made in the weeks before the 2016 election. The event is sure to be a spectacle and Trump himself plans a news conference that evening.

While much has been made of Trump becoming the first former president to appear in court to answer an indictment, the Secret Service has been in a similar spot before. And there are lessons to be gleaned in how Parr and other agents helped Agnew navigate his final hours as the nations 39th vice president.

The main one: The agents allowed their admiration of Agnew, who died in 1996, to get in the way of properly doing their jobs.

Parr, who joined the Secret Service in 1962, wasnt sure what to expect when he was tapped a decade later to be the deputy chief of Agnews detail. The vice president had a reputation for being President Nixons attack dog and skewering political opponents as nattering nabobs of negativism, vicars of vacillation and pusillanimous pussyfooters.

Behind closed doors, however, Parr discovered that Agnew was nothing like his antagonistic persona.

He was actually a very nice man, said Parr in a series of interviews for a book on the agents life-saving role in the Ronald Reagan assassination attempt. All the agents really liked him.

An example of Agnews kindness occurred in 1972 when the Parrs threw a Christmas party for agents. Agnew insisted on coming so agents working on that shift could attend. Not many top government officials were that thoughtful, according to Parr, who died in 2015 at 85.

To a unique degree the vice president and his wife, Judy (whom we called Mrs. A), recognized our humanity and appreciated our service, Parr wrote in his 2013 memoir,  In the Secret Service. To them, we were people and not furniture that came with the job.

Signs of Agnews serious legal trouble emerged in August 1973 when the U.S. Attorney for Maryland informed Agnew that prosecutors were investigating the vice president for allegedly taking bribes as Marylands governor. It did not take long for news of the investigation to dominate front pages.

Suffering showed on his now-haggard face, Parr wrote. As summer passed into autumn, I frequently heard sighs and groans coming from the backseat of the car; sometimes the soft sound was Mrs. Agnew weeping as her husband tried to comfort her.

One morning, Parr said, the vice president grew upset when they drove past a platoon of journalists staking out his house in a tony Washington suburb. They just want to put me in jail, Agnew huffed.

Parr turned in his seat and jokingly told Agnew not to worry: He would go to jail with him. And well find someone to smuggle us a hacksaw blade in a pie, Parr added, so we can get you out.

Within a few weeks, however, Parrs boss, Samuel Sulliman, pulled him aside to explain that Agnew would soon be entering a plea to end the investigation. As part of the deal, he would have to resign.

Parrs job would be to escort Agnew to the Baltimore federal courthouse. Sulliman warned his deputy that he didnt know if we had to take him to jail after the (hearing), or not, and I should know that, Parr said. The judge could sentence him to prison.

Next, Sulliman gave Parr an order: He could tell no one about the trip, not even their superiors.

Upon learning that the vice president might resign, the Secret Service would be required to rush agents to protect the House speaker, next-in-line for the presidency. Such a move would draw the attention of reporters. Agnew didnt want news to leak before his resignation became official, and he asked his detail to keep it quiet.

I only knew about it because Sam told me, and Sam was sworn to secrecy, Parr said of his boss in a 2008 oral history. On Oct. 10, a warm Wednesday, the vice presidents motorcade made a quick stop at the White House where Agnew dropped off his resignation letter.

Next they headed to the Baltimore federal courthouse.

It was just after 2 p.m. when Agnew entered that courtroom, already filled with 50 reporters attending a hearing involving the vice presidents efforts to force journalists to reveal their sources of leaks about the Justice Department probe. Reporters gasped when they realized the significance of Agnews appearance.

Agnews resignation was announced by his attorney, and the former vice president expeditiously pleaded no contest to failing to report $29,500 in federal taxes in 1967. In exchange, federal prosecutors declined to bring far more serious charges of bribery, extortion and conspiracy. (The Justice Department alleged in court papers that Agnew accepted at least $87,500 in kickbacks in exchange for issuing no-bid contracts. A Maryland judge later determined that Agnew had accepted $147,000 in bribes over a two-year span).

Attorney General Elliott Richardson argued that leniency was justified due to the historic magnitude of Agnews resignation and felony conviction. The judge ultimately agreed with the attorney general, sentencing Agnew to three years of probation and ordering him to pay a $10,000 fine.

The hearing was surreal for Parr, who had chased his share of counterfeiters and fraud artists. He recalled feeling shock and disappointment in a man he had so admired.

Forty minutes later, Parr and other agents pushed their way through crowds of onlookers and reporters on their way to the motorcade. Before he could get settled in the front passenger seat, Parr said he heard his radio erupt with the voice of an irate superior.

The official demanded to know why the agency had not been informed Agnew was going to resign. Upon learning from news reports of Agnews departure, the agency had to scramble to find agents to protect Democratic House Speaker Carl Albert.

Something could have happened! the supervisor yelled.

In retrospect, Parr said, he had made a mistake in keeping the secret, writing that we had allowed ourselves to be drawn in, to the possible detriment of a protectee (Albert), the country, and our careers.

As they drove from the courthouse, the agent heard a murmur from the back seat. Listening carefully, he realized Agnew was reciting a famous Shakespearean soliloquy: All the worlds a stage, and all the men and women merely players; they have their exits and their entrances.

(AP)




Iran appears to have been behind the launch of a drone that was shot down over Israeli airspace this week, the Israeli military said Monday.

The army announced its conclusions on Monday, a day after air force helicopters and fighter jets were scrambled to intercept the drone when it entered Israeli territory from Syria. There were no casualties in the incident, but it added to the already heightened tensions between the two arch-enemies.

The interception happened shortly after Iranian state media reported that an Iranian adviser who was wounded in an Israeli airstrike in Syria over the weekend had died of his wounds. That made him the second Iranian adviser allegedly killed by Israel in recent days.

Last week, Greece announced the arrest of two Pakistani operatives it said were planning an attack on a Jewish center in Athens. Israel has said Iran was behind the plot.

The Israeli military said Monday an initial inquiry determined the intercepted drone was Iranian. It said debris was still being collected and analyzed.

Since the start of Syrias conflict in March 2011, Iran has been a main supporter of President Bashar Assads government and has sent advisers and other assistance to the Syrian leader.

Throughout the Syrian war, Israel has carried out scores of airstrikes in the neighboring country.

Most of these strikes have been aimed at Iranian targets or suspected arms shipments to Hezbollah and other Iran-backed groups.

Israel rarely acknowledges individual strikes, though Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledge recent unspecified activity in an address to soldiers at an Israeli air force base on Monday.

I know the important work you are doing and while it is always important, it is especially so at this time, he said. You know very well that in recent days we have been active beyond our borders against regimes that support terrorism and are plotting to destroy us.

(AP)




The head of the U.S. House Intelligence Committee said Monday that there is overwhelming support in the United States to continue supplying aid to Ukraine in its fight against Russia, despite vocal opposition from a hard-right faction of his own Republican Party.

Rep. Michael Turner of Ohio, the Republican chairman of the committee, which serves as the Houses main body for overseeing American intelligence organizations, spoke alongside three other GOP congressmen during a brief visit to Kyiv.

There are those on the left and on the right who question continued support or the amount of support. That will certainly be part of the debate, Turner said. But overwhelmingly, there is support for continuing aid to Ukraine, so that they can continue to fight against this aggression of Russia.

The trip to the Ukrainian capital was the latest effort from top-ranking Republicans in the House, who are laying the groundwork for continued U.S. assistance but facing opposition in their own ranks. Emboldened by former President Donald Trumps America First approach, many on the right are clamoring for the Ukraine aid to come to an end, creating the potential for a politically bruising fight when the current American assistance runs out.

For instance, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a likely Trump rival for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, recently suggested that defending Ukraine in a territorial dispute with Russia was not a significant U.S. national security priority. He later walked that statement back following criticism from other members of the party.

With the war in Ukraine now entering its second year, Rep. Chris Stewart of Utah said the American people would continue supporting aid as long as U.S. resources were being used judiciously.

This is going to take some time, he said of the war. Thats not surprising. Most conflicts such as this between nation-states take time to resolve themselves. I think the American people understand that, as long as they feel like progress is being made over being careful with the money and being thoughtful of how we involve U.S. resources.

Stewart, who is also on the intelligence committee, said NATO members should also fulfill their commitment to spend 2% of their gross domestic product on defense.

Most of them have not done that except for a few of the smaller countries, Stewart said. The American people also look at this and go, This is in Europes backyard. They should be at least as invested in this as we are. And I dont know that we can assure them right now that thats the case.

Rep. Rich McCormick of Georgia noted that nations have rallied to Ukraines support.

For the first time, maybe ever, countries were talking about putting pressure on each other and holding each other accountable inside of NATO, said the congressman, who is a member of the House Armed Services Committee. There is a new sort of urgency that never existed before, that I think youre seeing Europe actually step up to the plate like theyve never done before.

The fourth member of the delegation to Kyiv, Rep. Darin LaHood of Illinois, another member of the intelligence committee, said the visit to Ukraine was aimed at observing the situation on the ground from the illegal, unprovoked war that Putin engaged in here.

That, he said, will help us as we go back and have to make decisions on further funding and further support for this conflict.

Also in Kyiv to underline the importance of support for Ukraine was former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who joins a long list of potential Republican candidates for the presidential nomination.

Why is it that the United States should expand its resources and its peoples resources to support the effort here that you all are engaged in? I think it is pretty straightforward, Pompeo said Monday during an event organized by prominent Ukrainian businessman Victor Pinchuk. If we have learned one singular thing that is that when bad guys begin to march, they do not stop marching.

Asked about the dissenting voices in the United States, Pompeo said that your president has asked for equipment. He hasnt asked for our young men and women. So long as we stay in that place, Im convinced that most American leaders will see it that way and will support the continued efforts.

(AP)




Russias U.N. ambassador on Monday dismissed U.S. and European Union descriptions of its presidency of the Security Council this month as an April Fools joke and announced a meeting to be chaired by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on defending the principles of the U.N. Charter, which Moscow is widely accused of breaking by invading Ukraine.

U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield told reporters earlier Monday that the U.S. expects the Russians will use their presiding seat to spread disinformation and promote their own agenda as it relates to Ukraine, and we will stand ready to call them out at every single moment that they attempt to do that.

She and European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell both called Russias takeover of the council presidency an April Fools joke.

Under Security Council rules, the presidency rotates monthly in alphabetical order among its 15 members. Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia told reporters there will be no change in the rules of the council, which is charged with maintaining international peace and security, and he said Russia will be an honest broker.

The council president presides over meetings and gets to decide the topics of key sessions, often presided over by foreign ministers and sometimes presidents. Lavrov on April 24 will preside over a session on effective multilateralism through the defense of the principles of the U.N. Charter.

There are also required monthly meetings, including on the Middle East, which Lavrov will also preside over, Syria and other global hotspots, including Mali, Libya, Yemen, Haiti, Africas Great Lakes region and Colombia.

Nebenzia responded to the U.S. ambassadors expectation that Russia will spread disinformation about Ukraine by calling it a Western narrative and stressing that we think just the opposite.

He said Russia plans to hold an informal council meeting on Wednesday on what Moscow claims is disinformation being spread by Western officials and media about the Ukrainian children taken to Russia. He said the aim of the meeting is to dispel this narrative that they were abducted.

The issue was put in the spotlight when the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last month for Russian President Vladimir Putin and his countrys commissioner for childrens rights, accusing them of war crimes for the unlawful deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia. Moscow called the warrants outrageous and legally void.

An Associated Press investigation first published in October found that the open effort to put Ukrainian children up for adoption in Russia was well underway. Ukrainian officials claimed at the time that nearly 8,000 children had been deported to Russia, but the exact number was difficult to pin down.

Britains deputy U.N. ambassador, James Kariuki, said Russia was in no position to talk about international law or U.N. values.

It is waging a war of aggression against Ukraine, violating the most basic principle of the U.N. Charter  you dont redraw borders by force  and its president has been indicted by the ICC for the systematic abduction of Ukrainian children, he said.

The U.K. will keep using our seat on the council to challenge their illegal war, expose their disinformation, and protect the councils vital work tackling other threats to international peace and security, including across Africa and the Middle East.

Russias assumption of the council presidency also drew strong criticism from Ukraine and Baltic nations.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy denounced the bankruptcy of the Security Council and reiterated his call for an overhaul of the U.N. body and other global institutions.

Estonias U.N. Ambassador Rein Tammsaar, speaking also on behalf of Latvia and Lithuania, called the Russian presidency shameful, humiliating and dangerous for the councils credibility.

Under Security Council rules, a member directly connected to an issue should withdraw from participation, and Nebenzia was asked if Russia would recuse itself when Ukraine was discussed.

No, he replied, indicating that the U.S., Britain and France, which have been supporting Ukraine, would have to withdraw as well.

The Russian ambassador recalled that following the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003, the U.K. and U.S. held the council presidency consecutively that September and October.

Nobody raised the question of their legitimacy to hold the presidency, Nebenzia said. And nobody put on the table the question that they withdraw from discussing an issue that was perhaps the most hot and topical then.

(AP)




The blue-and-white Finnish flag rises outside NATO headquarters Tuesday afternoon, making Finland a member and doubling Russias border with the worlds biggest security alliance.

The move is a strategic and political blow to President Vladimir Putin, who has long complained about NATOs expansion toward Russia and partly used that as a justification for his countrys war with Ukraine.

What we see is that President Putin went to war against Ukraine with a declared aim to get less NATO, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said. Hes getting the exact opposite.

Like all NATO members, Finland will benefit from the collective security guarantee that an attack on one is considered an attack on all.

NATO has said that it has no immediate intention to step up its presence in Finland. Some members have deployed troops there for war games over the last year.

Russia immediately warned that it would bolster forces near Finland if NATO sends any additional troops or equipment to what will be its 31st member country

Finland has substantial, well-trained armed forces with elite troops capable of operating in the sub-zero temperatures of the high north. The Nordic country also has a large reserve army and is investing heavily in new equipment, including dozens of U.S.-made F-35 fighter jets.

The Finnish flag rising between the French and the Estonian in a ceremony scheduled for 1330 GMT will complete the fastest accession process in the organizations recent history .

Alarmed by Russias invasion of Ukraine last year, Finland applied to join NATO in May 2022. Neighboring Sweden also applied, but its accession process will take longer.

The ceremony falls on NATOs very own birthday, the 74th anniversary of the signing of its founding Washington Treaty on April 4, 1949.

It will be a good day for Finlands security, for Nordic security, and for NATO as a whole, Stoltenberg told reporters on Monday on the eve of a meeting of alliances foreign ministers in Brussels.

Russias Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko warned that Moscow would bolster its own forces in case of deployment of forces of other NATO members on the territory of Finland.

We will strengthen our military potential in the west and in the northwest, Grushko said, according to the state RIA Novosti news agency, although Russia is already having trouble marshaling forces against far-smaller Ukraine.

Finland shares a 1,340-kilometer (832-mile) border with Russia and unlike most members of the alliance, Finland did not cut defense spending and investment after the Cold War.

They have trained and built a large army over many years and maintain that high level of readiness. Finland is also a country with extremely high level of resilience, of preparedness throughout the whole society, Stoltenberg said.

The country also helps to complete NATOs geographical puzzle by filling in a major gap in the strategically important Baltic Sea region in Europes north.

On Tuesday, Stoltenberg said, Turkey, the last country to have ratified Finlands membership, will hand the official document enshrining its approval to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

NATOs top civilian official said he will then invite Finland to hand over its own signed documents, to complete the procedure.

Finnish President Sauli Niinisto and Defense Minister Antti Kaikkonen will attend the flag-raising ceremony along with Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto.

It is a historic moment for us. For Finland, the most important objective at the meeting will be to emphasize NATOs support to Ukraine as Russia continues its illegal aggression, Haavisto said in a statement. We seek to promote stability and security throughout the Euro-Atlantic region.

Left-wing Prime Minister Sanna Marin had championed her countrys NATO accession, and lost a chance at another term over the weekend, but joining NATO was widely popular and not seen as a factor in her loss.

Lars Kahre, an entrepreneur from Helsinki, said the countrys decision to abandon its military non-alignment was caused by the changes in Europe over the last year.

For a long time, we have been relying on our independence and neutrality and now we just realize that thats not the path of the future, he told The Associated Press. Now we need to look for new options for the future.

All 30 allies signed Finlands and Swedens accession protocols soon after they applied. Turkey and Hungary delayed the process for months but relented on Finland. Turkey has sought guarantees and assurances from the two, notably to crack down on Kurdish groups. Hungarys demands have never been explicit.

NATO must agree unanimously for new members to join, and the vast majority of members are keen to bring Sweden within the fold before U.S. President Joe Biden and his alliance counterparts hold their next summit in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius on July 11-12.

Sweden is not left alone. Sweden is as close as it can come as a full-fledged member, Stoltenberg said, and he urged Turkey to quickly ratify the countrys accession protocol, saying: my position is that Sweden has delivered on the commitments they made.

(AP)




Lawyers representing an American reporter for The Wall Street Journal arrested in Russia on espionage charges have appealed his arrest, a court in Moscow announced Monday.

Evan Gershkovich, 31, was detained last week in Yekaterinburg, Russias fourth-largest city. It was the first time a U.S. correspondent had been detained on spying accusations since the Cold War. The Journal has said it vehemently denies the charges and demanded his release.

At a hearing Thursday, Moscows Lefortovsky District court quickly ruled that Gershkovich would be kept behind bars for two months pending the investigation.

On Monday, the court reported that it has received an appeal against Gershkovichs arrest that was filed by his defense, according to Russian news agencies. No date for a hearing on the appeal has been set yet.

Gershkovich was put in Moscows Lefortovo prison, which dates from the czarist era and has been a terrifying symbol of repression since Soviet times. In the first report of his condition and prison circumstances, a Russian state prison monitor said Monday that Gershkovich was in a quarantine cell while he underwent medical checks, was in a double cell without a cellmate, was reading a book from a prison library, and had access to a TV, radio and refrigerator.

The Moscow-area prison monitor, Alexei Melnikov, wrote on the Telegram messaging app that the journalist hadnt complained about the prison conditions.

At the time of the visit, he was cheerful. During the conversation there were a lot of jokes, Melnikov wrote, without specifying when he saw the journalist. The monitors report couldnt be independently verified.

Russias Federal Security Service, the top successor to the Soviet-era KGB that is known by the acronym FSB, accused Gershkovich of trying to obtain classified information about a Russian arms factory. The Kremlin alleged that Gershkovich was caught red-handed, without offering details.

U.S. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Monday that the Biden administration was pressing hard for Gershkovichs release. Its got attention all the way up to the Oval Office in terms of how we can get him home, Kirby told reporters in Washington.

President Joe Biden himself weighed in on Friday, urging Russia to release Gershkovich. Let him go, Biden told reporters at the White House when asked if he had a message for Russia.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged his Russian counterpart Sunday  in a rare phone call between the diplomats since the start of the Ukraine war  immediately to release Gershkovich, as well as another imprisoned American, Paul Whelan.

(AP)




Four homes on Kibbutz Maale Gilboa in northern Israel were hit by gunfire early Monday evening by terrorists who opened fire from across the security fence in northern Shomron. BChasdei Hashem, despite the fact that many of the kibbutz residents were outside when the shooting occurred, there were no injuries.

The IDF launched a manhunt for the terrorists, who fled after the attack.

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades took responsibility for the attack and published a video of the shooting.

A resident of the kibbutz told Ynet: A vehicle came from the other side of the security fence, from the direction of Jenin, and fired at the houses on the kibbutz. Then we saw the vehicle drive back toward the village of Jalabun.

It was a miracle there were no injuries, it was at a time when most people were outside. We were preparing for Pesach, making pita from the leftover flour, and then suddenly we heard shooting. We didnt understand what was happening, we thought it was firecrackers, but then someone heard a metallic impact and we realized it was a shooting.

Shlomo Neeman, the head of the Gush Etzion Council and chairman of the Yesha Council, said in response to the shooting: Terrorism in the Shomron and Gush Etzion, Elad, and Tel Aviv is the same terrorism that threatens the entire State of Israel. Whoever draws an imaginary line [the Green Line] and thinks that the problems in Yehuda and Shomron only apply there  fails to understand that were dealing with terror organizations that want to eradicate the State of Israel.

(YWN Israel Desk  Jerusalem)




Two IDF soldiers were wounded in a stabbing attack, one seriously and one lightly, near the Tzrifin army base, near Rishon LTzion, on Tuesday morning.

MDA paramedics administered emergency medical aid to the victims at the scene and evacuated them to Assaf HaRofeh Hospital.

The terrorist was subdued by civilians and detained until the arrival of the police.

United Hatzalah EMT Benny Meshulam later told Kan News that he was driving by the base and witnessed the attack. He stopped, got out of the car, and attacked the terrorist by punching and kicking him. Other civilians helped him to wrestle the terrorist to the ground and Meshulam then turned his attention to administering medical aid to the wounded soldiers.

In the video below of an officer handcuffing the terrorist, a civilian can be heard saying: Enough already, shoot him in the head and finish the story.

(YWN Israel Desk  Jerusalem)




Ukraines Western allies have sent the country 65 billion euros ($70 billion) in military aid to help thwart Russias full-scale invasion, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Monday, and with no peace negotiations on the horizon the alliance is gearing up to send more.

We cannot allow Russia to continue to chip away at European security, Stoltenberg told a news conference in Brussels, adding there are no signs that (Russian President Vladimir) Putin is preparing for peace. He is preparing for more war.

NATO foreign ministers meeting in Brussels on Tuesday will discuss how we can step up our support, including by continuing to strengthen Ukraines armed forces, Stoltenberg said. Our support is for the long-haul.

Analysts suspect Putin plans to dig in and hold out against a possible Ukraine counteroffensive in the coming months, hoping that the Wests costly support for Kyiv will unravel.

Putins invasion in February 2022 backfired in key respects. It led NATO to deploy more troops and weapons into the territories of its members in Eastern Europe and persuaded Sweden and Finland to scrap their neutrality and seek NATO membership.

Finland will formally join the alliance on Tuesday, Stoltenberg said.

The war has also bound together more tightly foreign leaders viewed by Putin as adversaries.

In a fresh example of the closer ties that Ukraine is forging, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is to head to Warsaw on Wednesday for a meeting with Polish President Andrzej Duda. Polish authorities announced the visit Monday in an unusually early disclosure of the Ukrainian leaders travel plans.

Against a backdrop of fears among Russias other neighbors about the Kremlins ambitions, the leaders of Germany, Romania and Moldova were due Monday to look at ways of shoring up defenses along NATOs eastern flank.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz was meeting in Bucharest with Romanian President Klaus Iohannis and Moldovan President Maia Sandu. Their talks were expected to focus on security, the economy and energy supply.

Meanwhile, German Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck, who is also the economy minister and responsible for energy, arrived in Kyiv on Monday on an unannounced visit. He traveled with a business delegation that included the head of Germanys main industry lobby group, the Federation of German Industries.

Habeck said the trip was meant to send a clear signal that we believe they will be victorious, that they will be rebuilt, that there is an interest on Europes part not just to support them in an emergency, but in Ukraine being an economically strong partner in the future.

Zelenskyy and Habeck visited the village of Yahidne  140 kilometers (87 miles) north of Kyiv. Zelenskyy stopped at the Yahidne secondary school, in whose basement Russian occupiers forcibly kept 367 Ukrainian civilians for 27 days in March of last year. Eleven people died in the dark, crowded basement.

Possible sabotage and assassinations behind the front lines continued. A Moscow-appointed official was seriously injured when his car exploded in the Russia-controlled southern city of Melitopol early Monday, according to the Moscow-appointed regional administration. Maxim Zubarev, the former head of the village of Antonovka, was hospitalized in grave condition.

Meanwhile, in Ukraines eastern Donetsk region, where much of the fighting has taken place in recent months, six civilians were killed in a Russian rocket strike on the town of Kostiantynivka, Ukraines presidential office said.

Four more civilians were killed in the northern Chernihiv region when their vehicles hit land mines, underscoring the perils of living in the war zone. The head of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay, on Monday visited Chernihiv city, where parts of the historic center were damaged during a siege by Russian forces in late February of last year.

Intentional destruction of cultural heritage is a crime, Azoulay said after visiting a former movie theater that was partially destroyed.

Donetsk Gov. Pavlo Kyrylenko said a spell of cold weather has worsened the civilians plight.

Freezing temperatures and snow make life unbearable for civilians. They have to survive in damp basements without power and communications and can only occasionally get out to warm themselves around a campfire, Kyrylenko said in televised remarks.

The Russians never run out of ammunition, equipment and personnel whom they use as cannon fodder to keep trying to storm cities.

In other developments:

Russia transferred to Ukraine 12 prisoners, including five seriously injured Ukrainian soldiers, officials said. Some had fought in Bakhmut, the biggest focus of the war in recent months and the scene of some of its bloodiest battles. On March 24, Ukraine had turned over five seriously hurt Russian prisoners. Such transfers are a rare example of cooperation between Ukraine and Russia.

International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi will visit Kaliningrad, Russia, on Wednesday as part of his efforts to ensure the protection of Ukraines Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power plant, IAEA spokesman Fredrik Dahl said. Grossi will meet Russian officials as a follow-up to his visit last week to the Zaporizhzhia station, whose six reactors are shut down.

(AP)




A woman suspected of involvement in a bombing at a St. Petersburg cafe that killed a Russian military blogger is set to face a court hearing in the Russian capital Tuesday that will set terms for her pre-trial detention.

Vladlen Tatarsky, 40, an ardent supporter of the war in Ukraine who filed daily reports on the fighting from the front lines, was killed Sunday as he led a discussion at the riverside cafe in the historic heart of St. Petersburg, Russias second-largest city. Russian authorities described the bombing as an act of terrorism and blamed Ukrainian intelligence agencies for orchestrating the attack.

Police arrested 26-year-old St. Petersburg resident Darya Trepova, who was seen on video moments before the blast presenting Tatarsky with a statuette that is believed to have contained explosives.

The Interior Ministry released a video in which Trepova told a police officer that she brought the bust to the cafe. When asked who gave it to her, she said she would explain later. The circumstances under which Trepova spoke were unclear, including whether she was under duress.

The National Anti-Terrorist Committee, which coordinates counterterrorism operations, said the bombing was planned by Ukrainian special services, noting Trepova was an active supporter of imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Last year, Trepova was arrested and spent 10 days in custody after taking part in an anti-war rally.

Ukrainian authorities did not directly respond to the accusation, but President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in reference to the attack that he doesnt think about events in Russia, and his top adviser described the bombing as part of Russias internal turmoil.

While Trepova was arrested in St. Petersburg, her case was sent to Moscow, where the headquarters of the countrys top investigative agencies are located, in an apparent reflection of its high priority. Trepova will face a hearing Tuesday at Moscows Basmanny District Court that is expected to order her to be held in custody pending the investigation. Russian law envisions a life sentence for terrorist crimes.

According to Russian media reports, Trepova told investigators she was asked to deliver the bust, but didnt know what was inside it.

The bombing, which injured 40 other people, 25 of whom have been hospitalized, was the latest attack inside Russia on a high-profile pro-war figure. Last year, a nationalist TV commentator was assassinated when a bomb exploded in her SUV outside Moscow.

Tatarsky was the pen name of Maxim Fomin, who had accumulated more than 560,000 followers on his Telegram messaging app channel. Tatarsky, who joined separatists in eastern Ukraine after a Moscow-backed insurgency erupted there in 2014, fought on the front lines for years before turning to blogging.

Military bloggers have become increasingly visible, supporting the war but occasionally exposing flaws in Russian military strategy while the Kremlin has shut independent media outlets and muzzled any criticism of the war.

(AP)
NEW DELHI: Bhutanese King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck on April 3 started his two-day visit to India with External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar receiving him at the airport here, reflecting the importance New Delhi has attached to the visit.

The King will hold talks with President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday. "Warm welcome to India, Your Majesty! His Majesty the King of Bhutan, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck arrived in India a short while ago. His Majesty was received by EAM @DrSJaishankar at the airport," External Affairs Ministry S p o k e s p e r s o n Arindam Bagchi tweeted. Bhutan is a strategically important country for India and the defence and security ties between the two sides have witnessed significant expansion in the last few years.

The strategic ties witnessed an upward trajectory in the last few years in the backdrop of a 73-day face-off between Indian and Chinese troops in Doklam tri-junction in 2017. The Doklam plateau is considered an important area for India's strategic interest. The standoff at Doklam tri-junction in 2017 began after China tried to extend a road in an area that Bhutan claimed belonged to it. India had strongly opposed the construction as it would have impacted its overall security interests.

The India-China faceoff was resolved following several rounds of talks. In October 2021, Bhutan and China signed an agreement on a "three-step roadmap" to expedite negotiations to resolve their festering boundary dispute. Bhutan shares an over 400-km-long border with China and the two countries have held over 24 rounds of boundary talks in a bid to resolve the dispute. The King of Bhutan had a transit visit to Delhi in September last year.

Notably, India has been providing assistance to Bhutan for the implementation of its successive Five Year Plans since 1961. Indias assistance towards Bhutans XII five-year-plan (2018-23) was Rs4500 crore for various multi-sectoral projects, small development projects and direct budgetary support.

PM Modi becomes world's most popular leader

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German hospital fire leaves 4 injured; suspect is detained




Former President Donald Trump will be arraigned in Manhattan court Tuesday after a grand jury voted to indict the 2024 presidential candidate on charges related to alleged hush money payments made in 2016.

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By Rabbi Yair Hoffman for 5tjt.com

On Wednesday, we will all be making an Eiruv Tavshilim. Generally speaking, we use an egg and a Matzah for an Eruv Tavshillin. But should we? Whatever happened to Hidur Mitzvah  doing a Mitzvah in the best possible way?

Let;s come back to this, later.

Whenever any day of Yom Tov comes out on a Friday  an Eruv Tavshilin must be made before the Yom Tov begins.

What is an Eruv Tavshilin?

An Eruv Tavshilim is a Rabbinic device  that involves 3 things:

 a baked item

 a cooked item

 and a special formula to recite.

This Rabbinic device allows one to continue preparing and cooking for Shabbos on Yom Tov.

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In other words, through the Eruv Tavshilin, one actually begins the Shabbos preparations on the day before Yom Tov. The Malachos performed on the Yom Tov for Shabbos are considered to be a continuation of these preparations. (Rema O.C. 527:1).

FUNDAMENTAL QUESTION

We know, however, that performing Malacha on a Yom Tov for another day other than the Yom Tov itself is, in fact, a Torah prohibition. If this is the case, how can a Rabbinical enactment allow one to get around a Biblical prohibition?

ANSWER

The answer is that, technically, it was permitted by the Torah to cook on Yom Tov for Shabbos.

Why was it permitted? There is an argument about this very point that is found in the Gemara:

 Rabbah said that it was permitted because you never know when guests may drop in and eat.

 Rav Chisda, on the other hand, said that the Torah actually made an exception for Shabbos.

The Rabbis, however, forbade cooking on Yom Tov even when it was done for Shabbos. Why did they forbid it?

 Either because they were afraid that people would take the best items for Yom Tov and leave nothing significant for Shabbos (Rabbahs explanation).

 Or because they were afraid that it would lead to much confusion in that people would think that one could also cook for another day of the week, too, not just Shabbos (Rav Chisdas explanation).

DIFFERENCE IN HALACHA

There is a difference between the two approaches. According to Rabbah, all the food would have to be cooked before Shabbos. According to Rav Chisda, the food may still be cooking over Shabbos.

WHO DO WE RULE LIKE?

According to whom do we pasken? Ideally, we should be concerned to make sure the food is all cooked from before Shabbos starts. Post fact, we can rely on the opinion of Rav Chisda.

According to both opinions, however, the cooking and baking that is permitted for Shabbos on a Yom Tov may only be done on Friday. It may not be done on Thursday Yom Tov at all. This year it can because it is Cgik HaMoed.

A MARRIED SON OR GUESTS

If guests are expected who are not supported financially by the person performing the Eruv Tavshilim, then in order for the guests to avail themselves of the Eruv Tavshilin, the host must give a portion of it to someone else who will accept IT on the behalf of the guests. According to the Shulchan Aruch (527:10), the host himself cannot accept it for them, and he requires another person (a spouse is fine). This accepting on behalf of the guests is called Zikui.

Most Poskim are of the opinion that when a married son comes to the home of his parents, the Zikui system should be used rather than mere reliance on the Eruv performed by the household owner.

To perform the Zikui one merely has to say to another, please accept this on behalf of those who are coming later.

MISTAKES AND MESS UPS

If one mistakenly left out the egg from the Eiruv Tavshilin (this is the cooked food)  the Eruv Tavshilin must be recited again. The Eruv may not be used at all  even if it is just for baking. However, if one mistakenly left out the challah or the matzah, the Eruv Tavshilin is still considered to be valid. We see that the cooking is key.

If one ate or lost the egg (or the cooked item) before Shabbos began, then the Eruv is also not valid. If, however, one ate or lost the baked item before Shabbos then the Eruv is still valid.

SIZE AND FOOD REQUIREMENTS

Ideally, both the baked item and the cooked item should be the size of one Baitza, but, post facto, it is still valid if it was the size of a kezayis.

Ideally, one should also cook the food for the purpose of the Eruv Tavshilin. Although most people use an egg, the Mishna Brurah (527:8) recommends that one should use meat or fish. This is on account of the idea of Hidur Mitzvah  beautifying a Mitzvah. Why then did the custom of using an egg develop? The Aruch HaShulchan explains that the hard-boiled egg was used because it spoiled less than fish or meat.

EVERYONE SHOULD MAKE THE ERUV

Even if someone does not plan on cooking or baking for the Yom Tov, he or she should still make an Eruv Tavshilin. This is in order to allow for the lighting of the Shabbos candles on Yom Tov (See SA 527:19). However, if one is not cooking and or baking, a berachah would not be recited under such circumstances.

If the person changes his or her mind and does participate in cooking or baking activities, then it is permitted to do so even if the berachah was not recited (See SSK 31 note 83 citing Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach).

THE ONE FREEBIE

The Rav of each town also makes an Eruv Tavshilim for people in his town who neglected to make one. However, one is only permitted to rely on the Ravs Eruv one time. There is a question as to whether this means once in a lifetime or one time per year. One should seek guidance from his own Rav or Posaik on this issue.

THE PROCEDURE

We set aside food for the Eruv Tavshilin from before Yom Tov. These foods should be eaten on Shabbos. At a minimum one must have one cooked item (and at least a kzayis of it) and ideally, one baked item as well. The custom is to use an egg and a matzah or a challah. It is proper to use these foods at the Shabbos meal. As mentioned earlier, some, including the Mishna Brurah, recommend using meat or fish instead of an egg as the cooked item.

Generally, a berachah is recited on the Eruv and the text for the Eruv is recited. It is in Aramaic. If the person performing the Eruv understands Aramaic, then there is no need to recite it in Hebrew or in English. If not, then it should be recited in English. The words mean: With this Eruv, we are permitted to bake, cook, keep warm, kindle fire, prepare and do all that is necessary on the holiday for Shabbos, for ourselves, and for all Jews who live in this city.

EAT IT ON SHABBOS

Ideally, the food should be eaten on Shabbos, for a number of reasons. One such reason is that an item used for one Mitzvah should be used for another Mitzvah too.

In the zchus of our rigorously adhering to halacha, and our studying of it, may we all merit a personal geulah in the days ahead.

This article was written lzaicher nishmas my father, Dr. Nathan Hoffman zl, whose yartzeit is coming up in the weeks ahead. My father was an extraordinary baal chessed who gave to others in both compassionate words of encouragement as well as of his time.

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The author can be reached at [email protected]

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We spoke with Rabbi Yehuda Breyer, the CEO of the Tiferet auction house, about expensive, important and special Haggadot.

Collectors and treasure hunters alike are looking forward to the festival of Pesach (Passover).

It is the festival that introduces the best of Judaica, collectibles and Jewish treasures.

There is hardly a home without a Seder plate with an intriguing story, a Kiddush cup with a glorious past or a napkin embroidered by Grandma, which was brought from Tunisia, Bukhara or maybe even Spain, by Grandpa.

The Passover Haggadot hold a central place. Collectors are willing to pay a fortune for a rare or pedigreed, important or ancient Haggadah, each one of them with his preferences.

The Tiferet auction house, the large home of Judaica and Jewish treasures, presents every year the top-notch of Jewish treasures to collectors [only recently, Tiferet auctions sold, among others, the pedigreed pipe that had belonged to the Baal Shem Tov, a letter by the Ohev Yisroel of Opatow, ancient manuscripts from Spain ad Yemen and books by leading rabbis. Each of these items was sold in the sum of a quarter million dollars at least].

Specifically, Tiferet is holding a special auction for Passover of Haggadot and manuscripts related to Passover, recounting, in a nutshell, the history of precious and ancient Haggadot.

First, it is noted by Tiferet, one should remember that the Haggadah is one of the most ancient Jewish texts and one of those with the largest number of commentaries and elucidations written on it. Moreover, Passover in general and Leil HaSeder in particular is a festival that unites the Jewish people and almost like Brit Milah, it was and still is practiced by almost every Jew. Thus, an entire nation is gathered around the Passover Haggadah.

Currently, the most expensive Haggadah in the world is the Birds Head Haggadah; it is also the oldest surviving illuminated Passover Haggadah.

It was produced in the late 13th century and is now on display at the Israel Museum. The Birds Head Haggadah contains many color illustrations and is so called because the illustrated figures have human bodies with faces and beaks of birds. Numerous theories have been advanced to explain the unusual phenomenon; however, not many people know that non-Jewish figures, such as that of Pharaoh, are not depicted as birds but their faces are blank or blurred.

We asked the experts of the Tiferet auction house to describe the latest auction for Passover. Rabbi Yehuda Breyer, the founder and CEO, recalls:

Every month, we present to the public a variety of unique items. Collectors and knowledgeable people, thank G-d, are already familiar with our auction house. Every two-three months, we hold a special auction of truly rare and expensive items. However, we have a soft spot in our hearts for the festival auctions which present only items related to the upcoming Jewish festival.

This is why the special auction for Passover, included only 50 items. Each and every one of these was special and unique for Passover. The catalog included rare Haggadot that were sold for thousands of dollars.

An extraordinary item that caught our attention was an impressive white Kittel, which is worn by many during the Seder, and which was sold for no less than $6500. What is the Kittels secret?

Rabbi Breyer told us that the Kittel was made by an artist and integrates remnants of garments that were used by the greatest Chassidic rabbis of the first generation, including a piece of fabric from the Atarah of the Talit of the Rav of Chernobyl, of Rabbi Yisroel of Ruzhin, of rabbi Hirsch of Ziditchov, of Rabbi Baruch of Mezhibuzh and of the holy Rav Rabbi Yitzchak of Boyan. We were astounded when we received the Kittel and the buyer who had purchased it merited bringing into his home a unique new garment, a rich Segulah for success and blessing.

Another item that was auctioned was an interesting Haggadah with an elucidation by the Divine Kabbalist Rabbi Yosef Gikatilla and an elucidation by the Gaon of Vilna. The Haggadah is extremely rare and was therefore sold for a high price.

Another fascinating Haggadah that was sold in the boutique auction for Passover is a Haggadah that was printed in Amsterdam, in Hebrew, yet the Dinim and Halachot were written in Ladino, which was then used by many Jews who were exiled from Spain yet today is considered extinct.

Rabbi Breyer shows us receipts of Kimcha DePischa that were sent by famed Tzaddikim, a letter by the Rebbe of Karlin for Passover, embroidered napkins and of course, a variety of Haggadot.





What warms our hearts is a Haggadah that was printed at the DP camps after the Holocaust. Like the other Haggadot, it too received a place of honor at Tiferet. A museum commemorating the heroic time of resurrection after the most horrific war purchased the Haggadah at the auction.

There is nothing more symbolic than a Haggadah telling the story of the Exodus from Egypt, depicting the waves, wreckage and miracles, which was printed during the first days of resurrection after the terrible Holocaust.

How much strength of soul was required from those Jews to continue and print Sifrei Kodesh after such a deep and terrible crisis. Choosing the Haggadah as the first book to be printed at that DP camp in Germany symbolizes more than anything its significance to the Jewish people and the victory of mind over matter.

The Haggadah was kept and passed down through the generations for almost eighty years, this single volume encapsulating the entire Jewish story, notes Rabbi Breyer with excitement.




Natuzzi (NYSE:NTZ  Get Rating) will be issuing its quarterly earnings data after the market closes on Wednesday, April 5th. Parties interested in registering for the companys conference call can do so using this link.

Natuzzi Price Performance

Shares of NTZ opened at $5.47 on Tuesday. The businesss 50-day moving average price is $6.05 and its 200 day moving average price is $6.18. Natuzzi has a 1-year low of $4.40 and a 1-year high of $14.00.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, StockNews.com initiated coverage on Natuzzi in a research report on Wednesday, March 29th. They set a hold rating for the company.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Natuzzi

Natuzzi Company Profile

An institutional investor recently raised its position in Natuzzi stock. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Natuzzi S.p.A. ( NYSE:NTZ Get Rating ) by 11.3% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 15,577 shares of the companys stock after purchasing an additional 1,577 shares during the quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. owned approximately 0.14% of Natuzzi worth $171,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 16.70% of the companys stock.

(Get Rating)

Natuzzi SpA engages in the design, production and marketing of contemporary and traditional leather and fabric upholstered furniture. Its products include sofas, armchairs, home furniture, and home accessories. The firm operates through the following product lines: Natuzzi Brand and Softaly/Private Label.

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Veolia Environnement SA (OTCMKTS:VEOEY  Get Rating) shares are scheduled to split on Wednesday, April 12th. The 2-1 split was announced on Wednesday, April 12th. The newly issued shares will be payable to shareholders after the closing bell on Wednesday, April 12th.

Veolia Environnement Stock Performance

Shares of VEOEY stock opened at $31.11 on Tuesday. The companys fifty day simple moving average is $29.83 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $26.19. The company has a current ratio of 0.99, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.51. Veolia Environnement has a 52 week low of $18.39 and a 52 week high of $32.92.

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Veolia Environnement Company Profile

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Further Reading

Veolia Environnement SA engages in the management of water supplies and distribution systems and provides waste management services. It operates through the following business segments: Water, Environmental Services, and Energy Services. The Water segment integrates drinking water and waste water activities such as water distribution, water and waste water treatment, industrial process water, and manufacture of water treatment equipment and systems.

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Ares Acquisition (NYSE:AAC  Get Rating) and Paul Mueller (OTCMKTS:MUEL  Get Rating) are both small-cap oils/energy companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their profitability, dividends, earnings, risk, valuation, analyst recommendations and institutional ownership.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

73.4% of Ares Acquisition shares are owned by institutional investors. 20.0% of Ares Acquisition shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 4.0% of Paul Mueller shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

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Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of current ratings and price targets for Ares Acquisition and Paul Mueller, as reported by MarketBeat.

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Ares Acquisition 0 0 0 0 N/A Paul Mueller 0 0 0 0 N/A

Profitability

This table compares Ares Acquisition and Paul Muellers net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Ares Acquisition N/A -41.82% 2.09% Paul Mueller 1.88% 10.61% 2.88%

Volatility & Risk

Ares Acquisition has a beta of 0.01, meaning that its stock price is 99% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Paul Mueller has a beta of 0.6, meaning that its stock price is 40% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Valuation & Earnings

This table compares Ares Acquisition and Paul Muellers revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Ares Acquisition N/A N/A $20.98 million N/A N/A Paul Mueller $191.52 million 0.26 $3.61 million $3.32 13.55

Ares Acquisition has higher earnings, but lower revenue than Paul Mueller.

Summary

Paul Mueller beats Ares Acquisition on 5 of the 8 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Ares Acquisition

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Ares Acquisition Corporation does not have significant operations. It intends to effect a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization, or similar business combination with one or more businesses. The company was incorporated in 2020 and is based in New York, New York.

About Paul Mueller

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Paul Mueller Co. engages in the provision of equipment used in a variety of industries. It operates through the following segments: Dairy Farm Equipment, Industrial Equipment, Field Fabrication, Transportation, and Other and Corporate. The Dairy Farm Equipment segment includes standard products that are built to stock and are available for sale from inventory. The Industrial Equipment segment sells products directly to industrial customers such as food, beverage, chemical, and industrial processing equipment, biopharmaceutical equipment, and pure water equipment. The Field Fabrication segment offers large field-fabricated tanks and vessels that cannot be built and shipped from the plant. The Transportation segment focuses on the delivery of products to customers and backhauls of materials and components. The Other and Corporate segment represents other revenue, unallocated corporate assets and expenses, and corporate other income. The company was founded by Paul J. Mueller and Gordon Mann in 1940 and is headquartered in Springfield, MO.

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Forge Global (NYSE:FRGE  Get Rating) is one of 23 public companies in the Security & commodity brokers, dealers, exchanges & services industry, but how does it weigh in compared to its peers? We will compare Forge Global to similar companies based on the strength of its dividends, valuation, profitability, earnings, risk, institutional ownership and analyst recommendations.

Risk & Volatility

Forge Global has a beta of 2.33, meaning that its share price is 133% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Forge Globals peers have a beta of 1.23, meaning that their average share price is 23% more volatile than the S&P 500.

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Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of current ratings for Forge Global and its peers, as provided by MarketBeat.

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Forge Global 0 4 2 0 2.33 Forge Global Competitors 144 899 1198 31 2.49

Valuation and Earnings

Forge Global presently has a consensus target price of $3.48, suggesting a potential upside of 119.94%. As a group, Security & commodity brokers, dealers, exchanges & services companies have a potential upside of 30.30%. Given Forge Globals higher possible upside, research analysts clearly believe Forge Global is more favorable than its peers.

This table compares Forge Global and its peers revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

Gross Revenue Net Income Price/Earnings Ratio Forge Global $69.38 million -$111.86 million -1.09 Forge Global Competitors $7.34 billion $656.15 million 31.07

Forge Globals peers have higher revenue and earnings than Forge Global. Forge Global is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than its peers, indicating that it is currently more affordable than other companies in its industry.

Institutional & Insider Ownership

13.7% of Forge Global shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 63.7% of shares of all Security & commodity brokers, dealers, exchanges & services companies are held by institutional investors. 20.0% of Forge Global shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 13.0% of shares of all Security & commodity brokers, dealers, exchanges & services companies are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Profitability

This table compares Forge Global and its peers net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Forge Global -161.22% -26.59% -22.44% Forge Global Competitors 4.06% 20.57% 5.50%

Summary

Forge Global peers beat Forge Global on 10 of the 13 factors compared.

Forge Global Company Profile

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Forge Global Holdings, Inc. provides marketplace infrastructure, data services, and technology solutions for private market participants. It enables private company shareholders to trade private company shares with accredited investors. The company was founded in 2014 and is based in San Francisco, California.

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DTE Energy (NYSE:DTE  Get Rating) has been given an average rating of Moderate Buy by the eleven brokerages that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $128.56.

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of DTE Energy in a research note on Thursday, March 16th. They set a hold rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of DTE Energy from $138.00 to $133.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 1st. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of DTE Energy from $126.00 to $120.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 21st. TheStreet raised shares of DTE Energy from a c+ rating to a b- rating in a research report on Friday, January 13th. Finally, Wolfe Research raised shares of DTE Energy from a peer perform rating to an outperform rating and set a $125.00 price target for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 8th.

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DTE Energy Trading Down 0.5 %

Shares of DTE stock opened at $108.99 on Thursday. DTE Energy has a 52-week low of $100.64 and a 52-week high of $140.23. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $110.51 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $113.73. The company has a market capitalization of $22.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.74, a PEG ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62, a quick ratio of 0.63 and a current ratio of 0.81.

DTE Energy Increases Dividend

DTE Energy ( NYSE:DTE Get Rating ) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 23rd. The utilities provider reported $1.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.24 by $0.07. DTE Energy had a net margin of 5.63% and a return on equity of 12.99%. The business had revenue of $4.48 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $4.07 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.05 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that DTE Energy will post 6.22 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, April 15th. Investors of record on Monday, March 20th will be paid a $0.9525 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 17th. This represents a $3.81 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.50%. This is a boost from DTE Energys previous quarterly dividend of $0.95. DTE Energys dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 69.02%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On DTE Energy

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in DTE. Millennium Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of DTE Energy by 224.8% during the 4th quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 2,379,882 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $279,708,000 after acquiring an additional 1,647,053 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in DTE Energy by 6.6% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 23,028,699 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $3,044,624,000 after buying an additional 1,420,586 shares during the period. BlackRock Inc. raised its holdings in DTE Energy by 6.5% in the 3rd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 18,213,090 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $2,095,415,000 after buying an additional 1,111,992 shares during the period. Point72 Asset Management L.P. raised its holdings in DTE Energy by 459.1% in the 4th quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 1,199,900 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $141,024,000 after buying an additional 985,300 shares during the period. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its holdings in DTE Energy by 15.8% in the 3rd quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 4,431,298 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $509,910,000 after buying an additional 605,522 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.55% of the companys stock.

DTE Energy Company Profile

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DTE Energy Co operates as a diversified energy company, which engages in the development and management of energy-related businesses and services. It operates through the following segments: Electric, Gas, DTE Vantage, Energy Trading, and Corporate and Other. The Electric segment consists of generation, purchase, distribution, and sale of electricity to residential, commercial, and industrial customers in southeastern Michigan.

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StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Resolute Forest Products (NYSE:RFP  Get Rating) (TSE:RFP) in a report issued on Monday. The firm issued a strong-buy rating on the basic materials companys stock.

Separately, Scotiabank cut shares of Resolute Forest Products from a sector perform rating to a sector underperform rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $22.40 to $22.80 in a research note on Monday, February 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Resolute Forest Products presently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $22.93.

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Resolute Forest Products Price Performance

Shares of RFP opened at $21.92 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $21.80 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $21.23. The company has a market cap of $1.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 4.03 and a beta of 2.49. Resolute Forest Products has a one year low of $11.55 and a one year high of $22.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.14, a current ratio of 2.91 and a quick ratio of 1.70.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Resolute Forest Products

About Resolute Forest Products

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in RFP. Point72 Middle East FZE bought a new position in Resolute Forest Products in the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Captrust Financial Advisors lifted its holdings in shares of Resolute Forest Products by 146.3% during the 1st quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 3,005 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 1,785 shares during the last quarter. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Resolute Forest Products during the 4th quarter worth $47,000. Great West Life Assurance Co. Can lifted its stake in Resolute Forest Products by 64.7% in the first quarter. Great West Life Assurance Co. Can now owns 3,749 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 1,473 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank bought a new stake in Resolute Forest Products in the second quarter worth $78,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.00% of the companys stock.

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Resolute Forest Products, Inc engages in the production and sale of forest products. It operates through the following segments: Market Pulp, Tissue, Wood Products, Papers, and Corporate and Other. The company was founded on January 25, 2007 and is headquartered in Montreal, Canada.

Further Reading

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Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile (NYSE:SQM  Get Rating) and Atlas Lithium (OTCMKTS:ATLX  Get Rating) are both basic materials companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, profitability, institutional ownership, risk, dividends, valuation and earnings.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of current ratings and price targets for Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile and Atlas Lithium, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

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Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile 0 1 3 0 2.75 Atlas Lithium 0 0 1 0 3.00

Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile presently has a consensus price target of $102.00, suggesting a potential upside of 30.59%. Atlas Lithium has a consensus price target of $12.00, suggesting a potential downside of 28.66%. Given Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chiles higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile is more favorable than Atlas Lithium.

Valuation & Earnings

Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile $10.71 billion 2.08 $3.91 billion $13.68 5.71 Atlas Lithium N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

This table compares Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile and Atlas Lithiums top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile has higher revenue and earnings than Atlas Lithium.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

18.4% of Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile shares are owned by institutional investors. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Profitability

This table compares Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile and Atlas Lithiums net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile 36.47% 95.37% 40.22% Atlas Lithium N/A N/A N/A

Summary

Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile beats Atlas Lithium on 7 of the 8 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile

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Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile SA engages in the production and distribution of fertilizers, potassium nitrate, iodine, and lithium chemicals. It operates through the following segments: Specialty Plant Nutrients, Iodine and Derivatives, Lithium and Derivatives, Industrial Chemicals, Potassium, and Other Products and Services. The Specialty Plant Nutrients segment produces potassium nitrate, sodium nitrate, sodium potassium nitrate, and specialty blends. The Iodine and Derivatives segment manufactures iodine and iodine derivatives, which are used in a wide range of medical, pharmaceutical, agricultural, and industrial applications. The Lithium and Derivatives segment covers lithium carbonate for electrochemical materials for batteries, frits for the ceramic and enamel industries, heat-resistant glass, air conditioning chemicals, continuous casting powder for steel extrusion, primary aluminum smelting process, pharmaceuticals, and lithium derivatives. The Industrial Chemicals segment comprises industrial chemicals including sodium nitrate, potassium nitrate, and boric acid. The Potassium segment produces potassium chloride and potassium sulfate. The Other Products and Services s

About Atlas Lithium

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Atlas Lithium Corporation operates as a mineral exploration and mining company in Brazil. It focuses on advancing and developing its 100%-owned hard-rock lithium project, which consists of 52 mineral rights covering an area of 56,078 acres that is located primarily in the municipality of Aracuai in the Vale do Jequitinhonha region of the state of Minas Gerais in Brazil. It also owns 100% interests in various mining concessions for gold, diamond, and industrial sand; and participates in iron and quartzite projects. The company was formerly known as Atlas Lithium Corporation and changed its name to Brazil Minerals, Inc. in October 2022. Atlas Lithium Corporation is based in Beverly Hills, California.

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Jakarta: Siti Maesaroh, 24, who is Japanese-speaking and bowing, hands a tray containing a mug and two bowls to a classmate who is posing as an elderly person before asking if he needs chopsticks and a spoon to eat with.

The role play is an illustration of the kind of instruction provided by vocational schools all over Indonesia to students looking to fill job openings in Japan.

Maesaroh, a student at the Onodera User Run school in Jakarta, Indonesia, said, "I think the reason Japan chooses us is because Indonesian youths are very capable of caring for the elderly."

Also Read: Sri Lanka asks India for help with governance and policy reforms

The school, which opened in 2022, also provides Japanese language instruction for those who wish to enrol in a government initiative in Japan to hire foreigners with specialised skills for jobs in fields like caregiving.

According to UN statistics, Japan has one of the fastest-aging societies in the world, with 28 percent of the country's population now being 65 or older.

Also Read: Erdogan advises the US ambassador to respect his position

According to official data, births in Japan dropped to less than 800,000 for the first time last year as the country's working-age population declines.

Only 130,000 of the 340,000 special skilled job openings in Japan, according to Hiroki Sasaki, labour attache at the Japanese embassy in Jakarta, have been filled.

Consequently, he said, a foreign labour force is becoming more and more essential.The second-highest number after Vietnam of Indonesians employed under Japan's special skilled worker scheme as of December 2022 was over 16,000.

Also Read: Trump investigation looking into potential interference evidence

With 280 million people, Indonesia is the fourth most populous country in the world. The principal of the school, Kamila Mansjur, claimed that sending workers to Japan to take care of the elderly benefited both nations. Every year, the population of Indonesia grows by about three million people. But here, the lack of jobs is our own problem," the speaker said.
New Mountain Finance (NYSE:NMFC  Get Rating) and AGF Management (OTCMKTS:AGFMF  Get Rating) are both finance companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, valuation, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, risk, profitability and earnings.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of current ratings for New Mountain Finance and AGF Management, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

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Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score New Mountain Finance 0 0 0 0 N/A AGF Management 0 1 0 0 2.00

AGF Management has a consensus price target of $9.04, indicating a potential upside of 55.62%. Given AGF Managements higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe AGF Management is more favorable than New Mountain Finance.

Dividends

Profitability

New Mountain Finance pays an annual dividend of $1.28 per share and has a dividend yield of 10.4%. AGF Management pays an annual dividend of $1.08 per share and has a dividend yield of 18.6%. New Mountain Finance pays out 177.8% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. AGF Management pays out 154.3% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. AGF Management is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

This table compares New Mountain Finance and AGF Managements net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets New Mountain Finance N/A N/A N/A AGF Management N/A N/A N/A

Institutional & Insider Ownership

31.0% of New Mountain Finance shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 40.3% of AGF Management shares are held by institutional investors. 10.2% of New Mountain Finance shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares New Mountain Finance and AGF Managements gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio New Mountain Finance $89.09 million 13.88 $72.67 million $0.72 17.01 AGF Management N/A N/A N/A $0.70 8.30

New Mountain Finance has higher revenue and earnings than AGF Management. AGF Management is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than New Mountain Finance, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

About New Mountain Finance

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New Mountain Finance Corp. is a is an externally managed, closed-end, non-diversified management investment company, which engages in investments in the middle market. Its objective investment is to generate current income and capital appreciation through investments in debt securities and equity interests. The company was founded on June 29, 2010 & completed its initial public offering (IPO) on May 19, 2011 and headquartered in New York, NY.

About AGF Management

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AGF Management Ltd. is a diversified global asset management firm. It offers investment solutions to a wide range of clients, from individual investors and financial advisors to institutions, including pension plans, corporate plans, sovereign wealth funds, endowments, and foundations. The firm provides investment management with operations and investments in North America, Europe, and Asia. Its products include a diversified mutual funds, mutual fund wrap programs, and pooled funds. The company was founded by C. Warren Goldring and Allan Manford in 1957 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada.

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Chunghwa Telecom Co., Ltd. (NYSE:CHT  Get Rating) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 494,400 shares, a growth of 5.5% from the February 28th total of 468,500 shares. Approximately 0.1% of the companys shares are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 135,100 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.7 days.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, StockNews.com lowered shares of Chunghwa Telecom from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Friday, March 10th.

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Chunghwa Telecom Stock Up 0.7 %

Shares of CHT opened at $39.36 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $30.53 billion, a PE ratio of 24.91 and a beta of 0.11. The companys fifty day moving average is $38.15 and its two-hundred day moving average is $36.54. Chunghwa Telecom has a fifty-two week low of $32.90 and a fifty-two week high of $44.91. The company has a quick ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Chunghwa Telecom

Chunghwa Telecom Company Profile

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Guardian Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Chunghwa Telecom during the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Royal Bank of Canada lifted its holdings in Chunghwa Telecom by 184.2% in the 3rd quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 790 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 512 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Arbitrage SA lifted its holdings in Chunghwa Telecom by 848.0% in the 1st quarter. BNP Paribas Arbitrage SA now owns 1,877 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $83,000 after buying an additional 1,679 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Arbitrage SNC lifted its holdings in Chunghwa Telecom by 50.6% in the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Arbitrage SNC now owns 2,475 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $88,000 after buying an additional 832 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Atlas Capital Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Chunghwa Telecom by 155.3% in the 2nd quarter. Atlas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 2,369 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $98,000 after buying an additional 1,441 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 2.19% of the companys stock.

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Chunghwa Telecom Co, Ltd. engages in the provision of integrated telecommunication services. It offers domestic & international fixed communication, mobile communication, broadband, Internet services. The Company also provides information and communication technology services; and innovative technology services such as Internet of things and artificial intelligence.

Further Reading

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AstraZeneca (OTCMKTS:AZNCF  Get Rating) and Sanofi (NYSE:SNY  Get Rating) are both health technology companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, earnings, valuation, risk, profitability, analyst recommendations and dividends.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares AstraZeneca and Sanofis revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

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Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio AstraZeneca N/A N/A N/A $0.82 168.50 Sanofi $45.39 billion 3.01 $7.14 billion $2.83 19.14

Sanofi has higher revenue and earnings than AstraZeneca. Sanofi is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than AstraZeneca, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Profitability

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets AstraZeneca N/A N/A N/A Sanofi N/A N/A N/A

Analyst Ratings

This table compares AstraZeneca and Sanofis net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

This is a summary of current recommendations and price targets for AstraZeneca and Sanofi, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score AstraZeneca 0 0 1 0 3.00 Sanofi 0 0 0 0 N/A

Institutional & Insider Ownership

40.9% of AstraZeneca shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 10.0% of Sanofi shares are held by institutional investors. 1.0% of Sanofi shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Dividends

AstraZeneca pays an annual dividend of $2.80 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.0%. Sanofi pays an annual dividend of $1.37 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.5%. AstraZeneca pays out 343.1% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Sanofi pays out 48.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Sanofi has raised its dividend for 1 consecutive years. Sanofi is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Summary

Sanofi beats AstraZeneca on 6 of the 9 factors compared between the two stocks.

About AstraZeneca

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AstraZeneca Plc is a holding company, which engages in the research, development, manufacture, and commercialization of prescription medicines. The company was founded on June 17, 1992 and is headquartered in Cambridge, the United Kingdom.

About Sanofi

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Sanofi engages in the research, production, and distribution of pharmaceutical products. It operates through the following business segments: Pharmaceuticals, Consumer Healthcare, and Vaccines. The Pharmaceuticals segment comprises the commercial operations of the following global franchises: specialty care, diabetes and cardiovascular, established prescription products and generics, and research, development, and production activities. The Consumer Healthcare segment includes the commercial operations for its Consumer Healthcare products. The Vaccines segment consists commercial operations of Sanofi Pasteur. The company was founded in 1973 and is headquartered in Paris, France.

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Paragon 28 (NYSE:FNA  Get Rating) and Biostage (OTCMKTS:BSTG  Get Rating) are both small-cap medical companies, but which is the better business? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, valuation, dividends, earnings, analyst recommendations, profitability and risk.

Profitability

This table compares Paragon 28 and Biostages net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

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Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Paragon 28 -37.12% -39.97% -25.77% Biostage N/A N/A -281.32%

Analyst Recommendations

This is a summary of recent ratings for Paragon 28 and Biostage, as reported by MarketBeat.com.

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Paragon 28 0 0 3 0 3.00 Biostage 0 0 0 0 N/A

Volatility and Risk

Paragon 28 presently has a consensus target price of $28.60, suggesting a potential upside of 67.15%. Given Paragon 28s higher probable upside, equities research analysts clearly believe Paragon 28 is more favorable than Biostage.

Paragon 28 has a beta of 0.58, meaning that its stock price is 42% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Biostage has a beta of -0.93, meaning that its stock price is 193% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

21.9% of Paragon 28 shares are owned by institutional investors. 19.5% of Paragon 28 shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 14.6% of Biostage shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Paragon 28 and Biostages revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Paragon 28 $181.38 million 7.76 -$67.33 million ($0.89) -19.22 Biostage N/A N/A -$7.98 million ($0.97) -6.37

Biostage has lower revenue, but higher earnings than Paragon 28. Paragon 28 is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Biostage, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Summary

Paragon 28 beats Biostage on 8 of the 12 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Paragon 28

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Paragon 28, Inc. designs, develops, distributes, and sells foot and ankle surgical systems in the United States and internationally. It offers plating systems, including gorilla plating systems, such as lisfranc, lapidus, lateral column, calcaneus slide, and naviculocuneiform (NC) fusion plating systems; baby gorilla plate-specific screws, navicular fracture plates, and 5th metatarsal hook plates; and silverback plating systems. The company also provides precision guide technology for various procedures consisting of fusion, a procedure to address bunion deformities that fuses two bones on the big toe; first tarsometatarsal arthrodesis; and metatarsal osteotomy for bunion correction, medial column beaming for charcot foot reconstruction, ankle fusion plating, and NC joint arthrodesis. In addition, it offers monster, mini monster, and joust beaming screw systems for use in bone reconstruction, osteotomy, arthrodesis, joint fusion, ligament fixation, fracture repair, and fracture fixation; and APEX 3D total ankle replacement systems; total talus spacers to replace the talus and bone in the ankle that connects the leg and foot. Further, the company provides bunion or hallux valgus correction systems, including nail systems phantom intramedullary nail systems for the treatment of severe hallux valgus; and various orthobiologics comprising bone wedges, grafts, demineralized bone matrices, bone void fillers, synthetic materials, amniotic products, and a biocompatible collagen matrix, as well as PRESERVE bone graft systems for homologous application. Additionally, it offers soft tissue fixation systems, titanium sprayed polyetheretherketone implants, nitinol staple systems, stabilization systems, and curved instruments. The company serves hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers through a network of sales representatives and stocking distributors. Paragon 28, Inc. was founded in 2010 and is headquartered in Englewood, Colorado.

About Biostage

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Biostage, Inc. is a biotechnology company, which engages in the development of organ implants to treat congenital defects, cancers, and life-threatening conditions of the esophagus, bronchus and trachea. It operates through Cellframe technology, engineered to stimulate the bodys signaling pathways and natural healing process to regenerate and restore organ function. The company was founded on May 3, 2012 and is headquartered in Holliston, MA.

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Box, Inc. (NYSE:BOX  Get Rating) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 7,880,000 shares, a growth of 5.2% from the February 28th total of 7,490,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 1,610,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 4.9 days. Approximately 5.7% of the companys shares are short sold.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Eli Berkovitch sold 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $29.94, for a total transaction of $179,640.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 136,328 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $4,081,660.32. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other BOX news, VP Eli Berkovitch sold 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $29.94, for a total transaction of $179,640.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 136,328 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,081,660.32. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Dylan C. Smith sold 13,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.11, for a total transaction of $365,430.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 1,288,904 shares in the company, valued at $36,231,091.44. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 48,299 shares of company stock valued at $1,422,480. Company insiders own 5.20% of the companys stock.

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Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Valmark Advisers Inc. grew its position in BOX by 8.4% during the 3rd quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. now owns 36,181 shares of the software makers stock worth $882,000 after purchasing an additional 2,808 shares during the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its position in BOX by 51.4% during the 3rd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 617,675 shares of the software makers stock worth $15,082,000 after purchasing an additional 209,752 shares during the last quarter. Macquarie Group Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of BOX by 28.9% in the second quarter. Macquarie Group Ltd. now owns 2,890,365 shares of the software makers stock valued at $72,664,000 after acquiring an additional 648,830 shares in the last quarter. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of BOX by 27.4% in the third quarter. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. now owns 4,446 shares of the software makers stock valued at $112,000 after acquiring an additional 957 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Stephens Investment Management Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of BOX by 27.1% in the third quarter. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC now owns 1,307,391 shares of the software makers stock valued at $31,887,000 after acquiring an additional 278,525 shares in the last quarter. 85.67% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

BOX Price Performance

NYSE BOX opened at $26.33 on Tuesday. The firms fifty day moving average price is $30.06 and its 200 day moving average price is $29.02. The company has a market capitalization of $3.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 526.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 12.84 and a beta of 1.07. BOX has a 12 month low of $22.31 and a 12 month high of $34.98.

BOX (NYSE:BOX  Get Rating) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, March 1st. The software maker reported $0.07 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.03 by $0.04. BOX had a net margin of 2.70% and a negative return on equity of 2.53%. The firm had revenue of $256.48 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $256.29 million. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that BOX will post 0.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on BOX. JMP Securities restated a market outperform rating and issued a $32.00 price objective on shares of BOX in a report on Thursday, March 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of BOX from a neutral rating to an overweight rating and raised their price objective for the company from $31.00 to $34.00 in a report on Monday, December 12th. KeyCorp raised their price objective on shares of BOX from $34.00 to $37.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Wednesday, January 18th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of BOX from $39.00 to $37.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 2nd. Finally, Credit Suisse Group restated an outperform rating and issued a $36.00 price objective on shares of BOX in a report on Thursday, March 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $34.20.

BOX Company Profile

(Get Rating)

Box, Inc engages in the provision of an enterprise content platform that enables organizations to securely manage enterprise content while allowing easy, secure access and sharing of this content from anywhere, on any device. Its products include cloud content management, IT and admin controls, Box Governance, Box Zones, Box Relay, Box Shuttle, and Box KeySafe.

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Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich lifted its holdings in Franklin FTSE Switzerland ETF (NYSEARCA:FLSW  Get Rating) by 1.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 35,120 shares of the companys stock after acquiring an additional 554 shares during the quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich owned approximately 1.95% of Franklin FTSE Switzerland ETF worth $1,021,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of FLSW. Retirement Planning Group lifted its position in Franklin FTSE Switzerland ETF by 4.8% during the 4th quarter. Retirement Planning Group now owns 11,246 shares of the companys stock worth $327,000 after buying an additional 513 shares in the last quarter. Flow Traders U.S. LLC grew its stake in shares of Franklin FTSE Switzerland ETF by 17.1% during the third quarter. Flow Traders U.S. LLC now owns 10,203 shares of the companys stock valued at $266,000 after purchasing an additional 1,492 shares during the last quarter. Citadel Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Franklin FTSE Switzerland ETF by 526.8% in the third quarter. Citadel Advisors LLC now owns 162,226 shares of the companys stock valued at $4,232,000 after purchasing an additional 136,346 shares in the last quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. raised its position in Franklin FTSE Switzerland ETF by 3.5% in the 2nd quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 62,894 shares of the companys stock worth $2,005,000 after purchasing an additional 2,105 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC acquired a new position in Franklin FTSE Switzerland ETF during the 1st quarter worth $784,000.

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Franklin FTSE Switzerland ETF Stock Performance

Shares of FLSW opened at $31.29 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $56.33 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.70 and a beta of 0.74. Franklin FTSE Switzerland ETF has a 52 week low of $25.12 and a 52 week high of $34.60. The businesss fifty day moving average price is $30.44 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $29.16.

About Franklin FTSE Switzerland ETF

The Franklin FTSE Switzerland ETF (FLSW) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the FTSE Switzerland RIC Capped index, a market-cap-weighted index of Swiss equities, excluding small-caps. FLSW was launched on Feb 6, 2018 and is managed by Franklin Templeton.

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Want to see what other hedge funds are holding FLSW? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Franklin FTSE Switzerland ETF (NYSEARCA:FLSW  Get Rating).

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Louisiana State Employees Retirement System boosted its holdings in OGE Energy Corp. (NYSE:OGE  Get Rating) by 0.6% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 53,600 shares of the utilities providers stock after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the period. Louisiana State Employees Retirement Systems holdings in OGE Energy were worth $2,120,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of OGE. American Century Companies Inc. increased its stake in OGE Energy by 56.9% in the 1st quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 52,482 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $2,140,000 after buying an additional 19,035 shares during the period. Citigroup Inc. increased its stake in OGE Energy by 24.4% in the 1st quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 56,516 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $2,305,000 after buying an additional 11,082 shares during the period. Great West Life Assurance Co. Can increased its stake in OGE Energy by 14.9% in the 1st quarter. Great West Life Assurance Co. Can now owns 120,197 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $5,036,000 after buying an additional 15,620 shares during the period. Sei Investments Co. increased its stake in OGE Energy by 16.1% in the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 38,387 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $1,606,000 after buying an additional 5,317 shares during the period. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board increased its stake in OGE Energy by 371.2% in the 1st quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 452,349 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $18,447,000 after buying an additional 356,349 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.78% of the companys stock.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

OGE has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. UBS Group cut shares of OGE Energy from a buy rating to a neutral rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $41.00 to $39.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 28th. Guggenheim cut shares of OGE Energy from a buy rating to a neutral rating and upped their price target for the stock from $39.00 to $40.00 in a research note on Monday, January 23rd. TheStreet cut shares of OGE Energy from a b rating to a c+ rating in a research note on Monday, March 27th. Bank of America cut shares of OGE Energy from a buy rating to a neutral rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $41.00 to $39.00 in a research note on Friday, February 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of OGE Energy to $42.00 in a research note on Wednesday, December 14th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $39.00.

OGE Energy Price Performance

NYSE:OGE opened at $37.23 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $7.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a current ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.80. The companys 50-day moving average is $37.15 and its two-hundred day moving average is $37.96. OGE Energy Corp. has a 12-month low of $33.28 and a 12-month high of $42.91.

OGE Energy (NYSE:OGE  Get Rating) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 23rd. The utilities provider reported $0.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of ($0.05) by $0.30. The company had revenue of $711.90 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.06 billion. OGE Energy had a net margin of 19.72% and a return on equity of 15.33%. The firms quarterly revenue was up 22.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.27 EPS. Research analysts expect that OGE Energy Corp. will post 2.03 EPS for the current year.

OGE Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 10th will be issued a $0.4141 dividend. This represents a $1.66 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.45%. This is a positive change from OGE Energys previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 6th. OGE Energys dividend payout ratio is 50.15%.

Insider Transactions at OGE Energy

In related news, Director David L. Hauser bought 1,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 14th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $35.09 per share, with a total value of $35,090.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 3,000 shares of the companys stock, valued at $105,270. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, Director David E. Rainbolt bought 5,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 27th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $36.65 per share, with a total value of $183,250.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 15,000 shares of the companys stock, valued at $549,750. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director David L. Hauser bought 1,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 14th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $35.09 per share, for a total transaction of $35,090.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,000 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $105,270. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have purchased a total of 6,100 shares of company stock worth $221,925 in the last three months. Company insiders own 12.90% of the companys stock.

OGE Energy Profile

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OGE Energy Corp. is a holding company with investments in energy and energy service providers, offering physical delivery and related services for electricity in Oklahoma and western Arkansas and natural gas, crude oil and NGLs across the U.S. OGE Energy conducts these activities through two business segments: Electric Utility and Natural Gas Midstream Operations.

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Louisiana State Employees Retirement System increased its holdings in The Bank of New York Mellon Co. (NYSE:BK  Get Rating) by 0.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 47,500 shares of the banks stock after acquiring an additional 400 shares during the quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement Systems holdings in Bank of New York Mellon were worth $2,162,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its stake in Bank of New York Mellon by 149.6% during the 2nd quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 8,104,949 shares of the banks stock valued at $338,058,000 after purchasing an additional 4,857,962 shares in the last quarter. Great West Life Assurance Co. Can bought a new stake in Bank of New York Mellon during the 3rd quarter valued at about $55,646,000. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Bank of New York Mellon by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 67,626,336 shares of the banks stock valued at $2,604,967,000 after purchasing an additional 1,183,130 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in Bank of New York Mellon by 13.8% during the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 9,278,963 shares of the banks stock valued at $357,425,000 after purchasing an additional 1,127,786 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LMR Partners LLP bought a new stake in Bank of New York Mellon during the 3rd quarter valued at about $37,030,000. 82.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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Bank of New York Mellon Trading Down 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE:BK opened at $45.15 on Tuesday. The Bank of New York Mellon Co. has a 1 year low of $36.22 and a 1 year high of $52.26. The firm has a market capitalization of $36.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 0.66 and a quick ratio of 0.66. The businesss 50 day moving average price is $48.52 and its 200-day moving average price is $45.35.

Bank of New York Mellon Dividend Announcement

Bank of New York Mellon ( NYSE:BK Get Rating ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 13th. The bank reported $1.30 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.22 by $0.08. Bank of New York Mellon had a return on equity of 10.78% and a net margin of 12.87%. The firm had revenue of $3.92 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.12 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.04 EPS. The firms revenue was down 2.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that The Bank of New York Mellon Co. will post 4.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, January 23rd were given a dividend of $0.37 per share. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.28%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 20th. Bank of New York Mellons payout ratio is 51.03%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on BK shares. Bank of America started coverage on shares of Bank of New York Mellon in a report on Thursday, January 12th. They set a buy rating and a $56.00 price target on the stock. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Bank of New York Mellon from $57.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Bank of New York Mellon from a neutral rating to a buy rating and set a $59.00 target price for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 4th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price on shares of Bank of New York Mellon from $49.00 to $44.00 and set a sector perform rating for the company in a research note on Friday, March 24th. Finally, StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Bank of New York Mellon in a research note on Thursday, March 16th. They set a hold rating for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $52.04.

About Bank of New York Mellon

(Get Rating)

The Bank of New York Mellon Corp. is a bank holding company, which engages in the provision of financial services. It operates through the following segments: Securities Services, Market and Wealth Services, Investment and Wealth Management, and Other segment. The Securities Services segment includes Asset Servicing business, which provides global custody, fund accounting, integrated middle-office solutions, transfer agency and data and analytics solutions.

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Louisiana State Employees Retirement System lifted its holdings in AptarGroup, Inc. (NYSE:ATR  Get Rating) by 0.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 17,500 shares of the industrial products companys stock after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Louisiana State Employees Retirement Systems holdings in AptarGroup were worth $1,925,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. State Street Corp grew its stake in shares of AptarGroup by 5.7% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 3,159,250 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $300,224,000 after purchasing an additional 171,060 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of AptarGroup by 24.7% in the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,883,322 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $274,002,000 after purchasing an additional 571,194 shares during the last quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp grew its stake in shares of AptarGroup by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 1,251,562 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $137,647,000 after purchasing an additional 9,527 shares during the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its stake in shares of AptarGroup by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 1,019,717 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $96,903,000 after purchasing an additional 15,968 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of AptarGroup by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 631,259 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $59,993,000 after purchasing an additional 4,774 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.37% of the companys stock.

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Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on ATR shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their target price on shares of AptarGroup from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 21st. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of AptarGroup from $121.00 to $132.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 21st. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on shares of AptarGroup from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 21st. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of AptarGroup in a research report on Thursday, March 16th. They issued a buy rating on the stock. Finally, TheStreet raised shares of AptarGroup from a c+ rating to a b- rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 17th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $122.33.

AptarGroup Price Performance

Shares of AptarGroup stock opened at $118.65 on Tuesday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $114.10 and a 200-day simple moving average of $107.62. The company has a current ratio of 1.56, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. AptarGroup, Inc. has a 1-year low of $90.23 and a 1-year high of $122.30. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.14, a PEG ratio of 4.38 and a beta of 0.63.

AptarGroup (NYSE:ATR  Get Rating) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 17th. The industrial products company reported $0.92 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.79 by $0.13. AptarGroup had a net margin of 7.20% and a return on equity of 12.78%. The business had revenue of $795.91 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $775.57 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.93 earnings per share. AptarGroups revenue for the quarter was down 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that AptarGroup, Inc. will post 3.86 earnings per share for the current year.

AptarGroup Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 23rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 2nd were issued a $0.38 dividend. This represents a $1.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.28%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 1st. AptarGroups dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 42.46%.

Insider Buying and Selling at AptarGroup

In other news, Director Maritza Gomez Montiel sold 1,500 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $114.67, for a total value of $172,005.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 4,024 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $461,432.08. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, CFO Robert Kuhn sold 64,560 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $114.04, for a total transaction of $7,362,422.40. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 54,044 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,163,177.76. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Maritza Gomez Montiel sold 1,500 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.67, for a total transaction of $172,005.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 4,024 shares in the company, valued at approximately $461,432.08. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.20% of the companys stock.

About AptarGroup

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AptarGroup, Inc engages in the design, manufacture, drug delivery, consumer product dispensing, sealing and active packaging solutions, and services for the prescription drug, consumer health care, injectable, active packaging, beauty, personal care, home care, and food and beverages industries. It operates through the following segments: Pharma, Beauty and Home, and Food and Beverage.

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Park Avenue Securities LLC increased its position in shares of Aflac Incorporated (NYSE:AFL  Get Rating) by 78.1% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 29,651 shares of the financial services providers stock after buying an additional 13,007 shares during the quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLCs holdings in Aflac were worth $2,133,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. ProShare Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Aflac by 8.3% during the 3rd quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 2,971,489 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $166,997,000 after acquiring an additional 228,828 shares during the last quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Aflac by 3.4% during the 3rd quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 6,843 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $385,000 after buying an additional 223 shares during the period. EHP Funds Inc. raised its holdings in Aflac by 21.6% during the 3rd quarter. EHP Funds Inc. now owns 7,050 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $396,000 after buying an additional 1,250 shares during the period. Westpac Banking Corp raised its holdings in Aflac by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter. Westpac Banking Corp now owns 103,220 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $5,801,000 after buying an additional 2,167 shares during the period. Finally, Advisors Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in Aflac by 5.3% during the 3rd quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 108,149 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $6,078,000 after buying an additional 5,423 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 66.22% of the companys stock.

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Insider Buying and Selling at Aflac

In other Aflac news, Director Masatoshi Koide sold 19,291 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.36, for a total value of $1,357,314.76. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 87,598 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $6,163,395.28. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.10% of the companys stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Aflac Stock Up 0.2 %

AFL has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Raymond James raised their target price on shares of Aflac from $74.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Monday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Aflac from $62.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a report on Friday, January 6th. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Aflac in a report on Thursday, March 16th. They issued a hold rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of Aflac from $78.00 to $77.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 24th. Finally, Truist Financial boosted their target price on shares of Aflac from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a hold rating in a report on Monday, February 6th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $71.75.

Shares of AFL stock opened at $64.66 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $39.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.84, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 0.06 and a current ratio of 0.06. Aflac Incorporated has a 52-week low of $52.07 and a 52-week high of $74.01. The firms 50-day moving average is $67.44 and its 200-day moving average is $67.08.

Aflac (NYSE:AFL  Get Rating) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 2nd. The financial services provider reported $1.29 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.21 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $4.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $4.49 billion. Aflac had a net margin of 21.54% and a return on equity of 13.69%. The businesss revenue was down 26.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.28 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Aflac Incorporated will post 5.59 EPS for the current year.

About Aflac

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Aflac, Inc is a holding company. engages in the provision of financial protection services. It operates through the followings segments: Aflac Japan and Aflac United States (U.S.). The Aflac Japan segment offers life insurance, death benefits, and cash surrender values. The Aflac U.S. segment sells voluntary supplemental insurance products for people who already have major medical or primary insurance coverage.

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SINGAPORE, April 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- 01Fintech, a growth stage private equity (PE) firm specialising in financial technology in Southeast Asia, announced today a strategic partnership with Sinar Mas Financial Services (known locally in Indonesia as Sinar Mas Multiartha Tbk, or SMMA). SMMA is a subsidiary of the Sinar Mas Group, one of the largest conglomerates in Indonesia, and provides a broad range of financial services such as life and non-life insurance, securities, banking, capital markets as well as Web3 and fintech services to over 25 million customers daily. The strategic investment and partnership involve 01Fintech leveraging its market insights, investment experience, technical and operational expertise and proven unicorn-building experience to transform and operationalise SMMA's fintech vision and ambition.

The partnership with 01Fintech is the latest in a series of announcements by SMMA to shore up its fintech capabilities within the group and to the larger Indonesia economy. With 01Fintech Founder and Managing Partner Kenny Man's established experience in building many fintech unicorns in the region, and his deep advisory expertise from his Board roles across 10 companies, the announcement underscores the scale of SMMA's fintech vision, and will leverage the 01Fintech team's specialisation to drive synergies amongst the business units and various fintech investments across the entire Sinar Mas Group ecosystem.

"We're thrilled to partner with Sinar Mas Financial Services as we shape the future of fintech in Southeast Asia. Together, we are committed to helping SMMA achieve its digital transformation goals, and ultimately, bring greater synergy to the Sinar Mas Group through this digitisation exercise. Our work to support and nurture promising fintech companies in the region will still continue, now with additional funds from SMMA. We look forward to driving fintech growth in Indonesia and being part of the new wave of innovative financial solutions that will transform the industry," said Kenny Man, Managing Partner of 01Fintech.

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Commenting on the cooperation, Pak Indra Widjaja, President Commissioner, SMMA said, "01Fintech's team has a proven track record of identifying and nurturing promising fintech companies in Southeast Asia, and we are confident that their expertise and guidance will play a crucial role in building our fintech ecosystem for more seamless collaboration and better consolidation of resources within the Group. We are excited about the potential of this partnership to bring about positive changes in the financial industry and to the larger Indonesia digital ecosystem, and look forward to better serving our customers in Indonesia and beyond."

01Fintech stands apart from traditional private equity firms that simply provide capital to growth stage companies. With a commitment to expanding financial services access for all and leveraging its extensive global LP network that comprises prominent fintech CEOs, family offices and conglomerates in Asia Pacific, 01Fintech goes beyond funding and regularly offers strategic, operational, and technical guidance to portfolio companies and partners seeking to adopt financial technology. This approach is driven by the team's passion for supporting the growth and success of the businesses they work with and is underpinned by their deep experience in grooming fintech companies. The founder, Kenny Man, has successfully built numerous fintech unicorns in the past and previously sat on over multiple boards within fintech companies. In addition, his team has extensive technological and product experience in preparing fintechs to become unicorns, which underscores their ability to guide companies towards achieving their full potential.

About 01Fintech

01Fintech is a growth-stage Fintech private equity firm in Asia (ex-China) with a core emphasis on Southeast Asia. The company strongly believes that technology can play a crucial role in providing financial services to underbanked and underserved communities in the region. Leveraging its extensive global LP network that comprises prominent CEOs, family offices and conglomerates in Asia Pacific, and together with entrepreneurs and company founders, 01Fintech aims to make a difference in people's lives and make digital financial services accessible to all.

For more information, please visit http://www.01fintech.com.

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First American Trust FSB bought a new stake in shares of iShares Russell 3000 ETF (NYSEARCA:IWV  Get Rating) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 1,392 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $307,000.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of IWV. Horizons Wealth Management acquired a new position in iShares Russell 3000 ETF during the 2nd quarter valued at about $30,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of iShares Russell 3000 ETF during the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. RFP Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of iShares Russell 3000 ETF during the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Horan Securities Inc. bought a new position in shares of iShares Russell 3000 ETF during the 4th quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, Hexagon Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of iShares Russell 3000 ETF during the 3rd quarter valued at about $44,000.

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iShares Russell 3000 ETF Trading Up 0.3 %

NYSEARCA:IWV opened at $236.11 on Tuesday. iShares Russell 3000 ETF has a twelve month low of $201.82 and a twelve month high of $265.51. The company has a 50-day moving average of $232.35 and a 200-day moving average of $225.79. The firm has a market cap of $11.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.53 and a beta of 1.02.

iShares Russell 3000 ETF Profile

iShares Russell 3000 ETF, formerly iShares Russell 3000 Index Fund (the Fund), is an exchange traded fund. The Fund seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the United States equity market, as represented by the Russell 3000 Index (the Index).

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Lindbrook Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of Roper Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:ROP  Get Rating) by 4.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,305 shares of the industrial products companys stock after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLCs holdings in Roper Technologies were worth $564,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. North Point Portfolio Managers Corp OH boosted its holdings in Roper Technologies by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. North Point Portfolio Managers Corp OH now owns 33,210 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $14,350,000 after acquiring an additional 91 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Roper Technologies during the 4th quarter valued at about $287,000. Oak Ridge Investments LLC boosted its holdings in Roper Technologies by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Oak Ridge Investments LLC now owns 13,485 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $5,827,000 after acquiring an additional 179 shares during the period. Empirical Finance LLC lifted its holdings in Roper Technologies by 8.8% in the 4th quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 2,788 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $1,205,000 after buying an additional 225 shares during the period. Finally, Louisiana State Employees Retirement System lifted its holdings in Roper Technologies by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 6,900 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $2,981,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. 92.41% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on ROP shares. StockNews.com started coverage on Roper Technologies in a report on Thursday, March 16th. They issued a hold rating for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Roper Technologies from an underweight rating to a neutral rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $385.00 to $420.00 in a report on Wednesday, March 22nd. Barclays increased their price objective on Roper Technologies from $510.00 to $518.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Monday, January 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on Roper Technologies from $423.00 to $468.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Thursday, December 15th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated an outperform rating and issued a $528.00 target price on shares of Roper Technologies in a research note on Wednesday, March 22nd. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $492.08.

Roper Technologies Stock Up 0.0 %

ROP stock opened at $440.79 on Tuesday. Roper Technologies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $356.21 and a twelve month high of $488.23. The company has a quick ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. The firm has a market cap of $46.83 billion, a PE ratio of 10.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 1.04. The business has a 50 day moving average of $429.33 and a 200 day moving average of $418.86.

Roper Technologies (NYSE:ROP  Get Rating) last posted its earnings results on Friday, January 27th. The industrial products company reported $3.92 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $3.77 by $0.15. The business had revenue of $1.43 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.43 billion. Roper Technologies had a return on equity of 11.43% and a net margin of 80.89%. The companys quarterly revenue was up 13.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $3.73 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Roper Technologies, Inc. will post 16.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Roper Technologies Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 21st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 6th will be paid a $0.683 dividend. This is an increase from Roper Technologiess previous quarterly dividend of $0.68. This represents a $2.73 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.62%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 5th. Roper Technologiess dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 6.41%.

Insider Transactions at Roper Technologies

In other news, Director Robert D. Johnson sold 250 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $436.00, for a total value of $109,000.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 6,153 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,682,708. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other news, Director Richard F. Wallman purchased 1,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 14th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $424.95 per share, for a total transaction of $424,950.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 1,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $424,950. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Robert D. Johnson sold 250 shares of Roper Technologies stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $436.00, for a total value of $109,000.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 6,153 shares in the company, valued at $2,682,708. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 5,721 shares of company stock worth $2,529,168 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.88% of the companys stock.

Roper Technologies Profile

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Roper Technologies, Inc is a diversified technology company, which engages in the provision of engineered products and solutions for global niche markets. It operates through the following segments: Application Software, Network Software, and Technology Enabled Products. The Application Software segment includes Aderant, CBORD/Horizon, CliniSys, Data Innovations, Deltek, Frontline Education, IntelliTrans, PowerPlan, Strata, and Vertafore.

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VinaCapital Vietnam Opportunity Fund Limited (LON:VOF  Get Rating) announced a dividend on Thursday, March 23rd, Upcoming.Co.Uk reports. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 6th will be paid a dividend of $0.06 per share on Thursday, May 11th. This represents a dividend yield of 1.18%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 6th. The official announcement can be viewed at this link.

VinaCapital Vietnam Opportunity Fund Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of LON:VOF opened at GBX 440.25 ($5.47) on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 55.38 and a current ratio of 414.57. VinaCapital Vietnam Opportunity Fund has a 1 year low of GBX 388.81 ($4.83) and a 1 year high of GBX 527.50 ($6.55). The stock has a market capitalization of 708.36 million, a P/E ratio of -717.21 and a beta of 0.48. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of GBX 450.07 and a 200-day simple moving average of GBX 447.26.

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VinaCapital Vietnam Opportunity Fund Company Profile

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VinaCapital Vietnam Opportunity Fund Limited specializes in private equity investments. The fund seeks to invest 80 percent of its portfolio in private equity and 20 percent in equitization projects will be re-allocated to listed shares. The fund also makes private investments. It invests in stocks of companies operating across the diversified sectors.

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General Mills, Inc. (NYSE:GIS  Get Rating) declared a quarterly dividend on Monday, January 30th, RTT News reports. Investors of record on Monday, April 10th will be paid a dividend of 0.54 per share on Monday, May 1st. This represents a $2.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.51%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 6th.

General Mills has decreased its dividend payment by an average of 6.7% annually over the last three years. General Mills has a payout ratio of 48.2% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Analysts expect General Mills to earn $4.46 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $2.16 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 48.4%.

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General Mills Stock Up 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE:GIS opened at $85.92 on Tuesday. General Mills has a 52-week low of $64.94 and a 52-week high of $88.34. The stock has a market cap of $50.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 0.27. The businesss 50 day moving average is $79.32 and its 200 day moving average is $80.53. The company has a quick ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78.

Insider Buying and Selling

General Mills ( NYSE:GIS Get Rating ) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, March 23rd. The company reported $0.97 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.91 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $5.13 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $4.97 billion. General Mills had a return on equity of 24.51% and a net margin of 14.04%. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 13.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.84 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that General Mills will post 4.24 EPS for the current year.

In related news, insider Sean N. Walker sold 27,157 shares of General Mills stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $84.87, for a total value of $2,304,814.59. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 90,975 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,721,048.25. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In related news, CAO Mark A. Pallot sold 1,955 shares of General Mills stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.99, for a total value of $168,110.45. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 17,146 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,474,384.54. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Sean N. Walker sold 27,157 shares of General Mills stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $84.87, for a total value of $2,304,814.59. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 90,975 shares in the company, valued at $7,721,048.25. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 48,036 shares of company stock worth $4,078,559. Insiders own 0.67% of the companys stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Cibc World Market Inc. raised its position in shares of General Mills by 4.8% during the 1st quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 22,026 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,492,000 after buying an additional 1,003 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of General Mills by 45.3% during the 1st quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 5,867 shares of the companys stock valued at $397,000 after buying an additional 1,828 shares during the period. Candriam Luxembourg S.C.A. raised its position in shares of General Mills by 2.1% during the 1st quarter. Candriam Luxembourg S.C.A. now owns 73,176 shares of the companys stock valued at $4,955,000 after buying an additional 1,503 shares during the period. Baird Financial Group Inc. raised its position in shares of General Mills by 2.3% during the 1st quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 279,604 shares of the companys stock valued at $18,935,000 after buying an additional 6,176 shares during the period. Finally, Covestor Ltd raised its position in shares of General Mills by 15.3% during the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,834 shares of the companys stock valued at $124,000 after buying an additional 244 shares during the period. 74.48% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

GIS has been the topic of several recent research reports. UBS Group increased their target price on General Mills from $88.00 to $96.00 in a research report on Monday, March 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on General Mills from $76.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a report on Thursday, March 16th. StockNews.com upgraded General Mills from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report on Friday, March 24th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on General Mills from $88.00 to $89.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a report on Friday, March 24th. Finally, Barclays raised their target price on General Mills from $81.00 to $83.00 in a research note on Monday, March 27th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $83.88.

About General Mills

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General Mills, Inc engages in the manufacture and marketing of branded consumer foods sold through retail stores. The firm operates through the following segments: North America Retail, Europe & Australia, Convenience Stores & Foodservice, Pet, and Asia & Latin America. The North America Retail segment includes grocery stores, mass merchandisers, membership stores, natural food chains, drug, dollar and discount chains and e-commerce grocery providers.

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Steel Peak Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Consolidated Edison, Inc. (NYSE:ED  Get Rating) by 243.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 20,019 shares of the utilities providers stock after acquiring an additional 14,196 shares during the quarter. Steel Peak Wealth Management LLCs holdings in Consolidated Edison were worth $1,908,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Burleson & Company LLC acquired a new position in shares of Consolidated Edison in the third quarter worth $26,000. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich purchased a new position in Consolidated Edison in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Destiny Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in Consolidated Edison in the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. Boyd Watterson Asset Management LLC OH acquired a new stake in shares of Consolidated Edison during the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Almanack Investment Partners LLC. purchased a new stake in shares of Consolidated Edison during the third quarter worth about $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.95% of the companys stock.

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Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Consolidated Edison from $76.00 to $70.00 and set an underweight rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 21st. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on Consolidated Edison from $94.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a sector perform rating in a report on Monday, February 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Consolidated Edison from $88.00 to $87.00 and set an underweight rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 2nd. Argus upgraded Consolidated Edison from a hold rating to a buy rating and set a $104.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 22nd. Finally, Credit Suisse Group lowered their price target on Consolidated Edison from $95.00 to $91.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 17th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $90.50.

Consolidated Edison Stock Down 0.6 %

ED opened at $95.09 on Tuesday. Consolidated Edison, Inc. has a 1 year low of $78.10 and a 1 year high of $102.21. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $93.04 and a 200 day moving average price of $92.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.14. The company has a market cap of $33.76 billion, a PE ratio of 20.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 9.88 and a beta of 0.37.

Consolidated Edison (NYSE:ED  Get Rating) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 16th. The utilities provider reported $0.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.78 by $0.03. Consolidated Edison had a net margin of 10.59% and a return on equity of 7.79%. The company had revenue of $4.03 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.18 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.00 earnings per share. Consolidated Edisons revenue for the quarter was up 18.0% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Consolidated Edison, Inc. will post 4.84 earnings per share for the current year.

Consolidated Edison Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 15th were issued a $0.81 dividend. This is an increase from Consolidated Edisons previous quarterly dividend of $0.79. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.41%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 14th. Consolidated Edisons dividend payout ratio is currently 69.38%.

Consolidated Edison Profile

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Consolidated Edison, Inc is a holding company, which engages in the business of regulated electric, gas, and steam delivery. It operates through the following segments: Consolidated Edison Company of New York (CECONY), Orange and Rockland Utilities(O&R), Con Edison Clean Energy Businesses and Con Edison Transmission.

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VAALCO Energy (NYSE:EGY  Get Rating) is scheduled to announce its earnings results on Wednesday, April 5th.

VAALCO Energy Stock Performance

Shares of EGY stock opened at $5.02 on Tuesday. VAALCO Energy has a 12-month low of $3.88 and a 12-month high of $8.77. The businesss fifty day simple moving average is $4.58 and its 200-day simple moving average is $4.76. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.01. The company has a market cap of $544.07 million, a PE ratio of 4.40 and a beta of 1.59.

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VAALCO Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 24th were paid a dividend of $0.0625 per share. This represents a $0.25 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.98%. This is an increase from VAALCO Energys previous quarterly dividend of $0.03. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 23rd. VAALCO Energys payout ratio is 21.93%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On VAALCO Energy

Analyst Ratings Changes

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Metropolitan Life Insurance Co NY grew its stake in VAALCO Energy by 80.4% during the 4th quarter. Metropolitan Life Insurance Co NY now owns 6,446 shares of the energy companys stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 2,872 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new stake in VAALCO Energy in the first quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Prelude Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in VAALCO Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in VAALCO Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $48,000. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised its position in VAALCO Energy by 35.8% during the 3rd quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 11,310 shares of the energy companys stock worth $49,000 after buying an additional 2,980 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 31.61% of the companys stock.

EGY has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Roth Capital reissued a buy rating on shares of VAALCO Energy in a report on Monday, March 6th. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of VAALCO Energy in a research report on Thursday, March 16th. They set a hold rating on the stock. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus initiated coverage on shares of VAALCO Energy in a research note on Wednesday, March 1st. They set a buy rating on the stock.

VAALCO Energy Company Profile

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VAALCO Energy, Inc engages in the acquisition, development, and production of crude oil. It operates through the following segments: Gabon and Equatorial Guinea. The Gabon Segment focuses on the Offshore Gabon-Etame Marin Permit operation. The Equatorial Guinea segment deals with the Equatorial Guinea-Block P operation.

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Whittier Trust Co. cut its holdings in shares of McKesson Co. (NYSE:MCK  Get Rating) by 0.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 16,140 shares of the companys stock after selling 76 shares during the quarter. Whittier Trust Co.s holdings in McKesson were worth $6,054,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. WCM Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of McKesson in the third quarter worth $302,630,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its stake in shares of McKesson by 53.8% in the first quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 915,949 shares of the companys stock worth $280,399,000 after buying an additional 320,588 shares during the period. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board increased its stake in shares of McKesson by 7,667.1% in the third quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 230,062 shares of the companys stock worth $78,191,000 after buying an additional 227,100 shares during the period. Great West Life Assurance Co. Can purchased a new position in shares of McKesson in the third quarter worth $73,045,000. Finally, First Republic Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of McKesson by 134.4% in the third quarter. First Republic Investment Management Inc. now owns 297,009 shares of the companys stock worth $100,944,000 after buying an additional 170,299 shares during the period. 85.23% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently weighed in on MCK shares. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of McKesson from $445.00 to $450.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a report on Thursday, February 2nd. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of McKesson from $420.00 to $426.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Thursday, February 2nd. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of McKesson in a report on Thursday, March 16th. They issued a strong-buy rating on the stock. Citigroup started coverage on shares of McKesson in a report on Friday. They issued a buy rating and a $420.00 price target on the stock. Finally, UBS Group cut their price target on shares of McKesson from $450.00 to $440.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 31st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $416.64.

McKesson Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MCK opened at $363.77 on Tuesday. McKesson Co. has a fifty-two week low of $298.69 and a fifty-two week high of $401.78. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $356.31 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $365.74. The firm has a market cap of $49.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 0.58.

McKesson (NYSE:MCK  Get Rating) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 1st. The company reported $6.90 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $6.36 by $0.54. McKesson had a negative return on equity of 216.12% and a net margin of 1.15%. The business had revenue of $70.49 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $70.98 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $6.15 EPS. McKessons revenue was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that McKesson Co. will post 25.93 earnings per share for the current year.

McKesson Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 3rd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 1st were given a dividend of $0.54 per share. This represents a $2.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.59%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 28th. McKessons payout ratio is currently 9.88%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Nancy Avila sold 161 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $370.02, for a total transaction of $59,573.22. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 4,631 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $1,713,562.62. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, CEO Brian S. Tyler sold 7,416 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $380.00, for a total transaction of $2,818,080.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 75,737 shares in the company, valued at approximately $28,780,060. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Nancy Avila sold 161 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $370.02, for a total value of $59,573.22. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 4,631 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,713,562.62. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.21% of the companys stock.

McKesson Profile

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McKesson Corp. engages in the provision of supply chain management solutions, retail pharmacy, community oncology and specialty care, and healthcare information technology. It operates through the following segments: U.S. Pharmaceutical, International, Medical-Surgical Solutions, and Prescription Technology Solutions (RxTS).

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Fifth Third Bancorp reduced its stake in American Tower Co. (NYSE:AMT  Get Rating) by 20.2% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 162,912 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock after selling 41,142 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorps holdings in American Tower were worth $34,515,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in American Tower by 0.7% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 60,720,664 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $13,036,726,000 after acquiring an additional 406,906 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its stake in shares of American Tower by 0.5% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 21,350,193 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $5,486,565,000 after purchasing an additional 96,970 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of American Tower by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 6,223,809 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $1,336,250,000 after purchasing an additional 91,188 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its stake in shares of American Tower by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 5,191,334 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $1,115,635,000 after purchasing an additional 89,868 shares during the period. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its stake in shares of American Tower by 8.8% in the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 5,073,686 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $1,089,321,000 after purchasing an additional 408,300 shares during the period. 89.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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American Tower Price Performance

Shares of American Tower stock opened at $201.10 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.75, a current ratio of 0.54 and a quick ratio of 0.54. The businesss 50 day simple moving average is $206.08 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $210.75. The stock has a market capitalization of $93.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 52.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 0.57. American Tower Co. has a one year low of $178.17 and a one year high of $282.47.

American Tower Dividend Announcement

American Tower ( NYSE:AMT Get Rating ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 23rd. The real estate investment trust reported ($1.47) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.16 by ($3.63). American Tower had a net margin of 16.49% and a return on equity of 15.80%. The firm had revenue of $2.71 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.68 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.18 earnings per share. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that American Tower Co. will post 9.26 EPS for the current year.

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 14th will be paid a $1.56 dividend. This represents a $6.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.10%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 13th. American Towers dividend payout ratio is currently 162.50%.

Insider Transactions at American Tower

In other American Tower news, Director Samme L. Thompson sold 1,739 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $218.59, for a total transaction of $380,128.01. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 22,099 shares of the companys stock, valued at $4,830,620.41. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, Director Samme L. Thompson sold 1,739 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $218.59, for a total transaction of $380,128.01. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 22,099 shares of the companys stock, valued at $4,830,620.41. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Rodney M. Smith sold 1,574 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $233.92, for a total value of $368,190.08. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 47,071 shares of the companys stock, valued at $11,010,848.32. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 8,587 shares of company stock worth $1,947,849 over the last quarter. 0.24% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AMT has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Credit Suisse Group lowered their target price on American Tower from $251.00 to $244.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 24th. Raymond James reduced their price objective on American Tower from $233.00 to $227.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 24th. Moffett Nathanson upgraded American Tower from a market perform rating to an outperform rating and cut their price target for the company from $244.00 to $234.00 in a research note on Thursday, March 30th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on American Tower from $219.00 to $224.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research note on Monday, January 23rd. Finally, Truist Financial cut their price target on American Tower from $325.00 to $275.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 13th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $257.76.

About American Tower

(Get Rating)

American Tower Corp. provides real estate investment services, and owns, operates, and develops multi-tenant real estate properties. It offers leasing of space on communications sites to wireless service providers, radio and television broadcast companies. It operates through the following segments: U.S.

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Steel Peak Wealth Management LLC lessened its holdings in shares of Blackstone Inc. (NYSE:BX  Get Rating) by 6.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 35,287 shares of the asset managers stock after selling 2,547 shares during the period. Steel Peak Wealth Management LLCs holdings in Blackstone were worth $2,618,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Whalerock Point Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Blackstone during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $282,571,000. Mach 1 Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Blackstone in the third quarter worth about $25,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Blackstone during the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. HWG Holdings LP acquired a new position in Blackstone in the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Trust Co. of Vermont boosted its position in Blackstone by 133.3% during the third quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 350 shares of the asset managers stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. 62.39% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of Blackstone from $86.00 to $100.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Monday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Blackstone from a neutral rating to an overweight rating and lifted their price target for the company from $104.00 to $105.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 24th. Piper Sandler lowered their price objective on shares of Blackstone from $114.00 to $111.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, December 21st. StockNews.com assumed coverage on Blackstone in a research report on Thursday, March 16th. They set a sell rating for the company. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on Blackstone from $86.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research note on Friday, January 27th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $112.33.

Blackstone Stock Performance

NYSE:BX opened at $84.96 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $60.01 billion, a PE ratio of 35.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 1.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.97 and a quick ratio of 0.97. The businesss fifty day moving average price is $90.15 and its 200 day moving average price is $87.14. Blackstone Inc. has a 12 month low of $71.72 and a 12 month high of $132.93.

Blackstone (NYSE:BX  Get Rating) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 26th. The asset manager reported $1.07 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.95 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $1.70 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $2.62 billion. Blackstone had a return on equity of 19.43% and a net margin of 20.52%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.71 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Blackstone Inc. will post 4.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Blackstone Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, February 13th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 6th were paid a $0.91 dividend. This represents a $3.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.28%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 3rd. This is an increase from Blackstones previous quarterly dividend of $0.90. Blackstones dividend payout ratio is currently 153.59%.

Insider Activity at Blackstone

In other news, major shareholder Holdings L.P. Blackstone III sold 205,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.00, for a total value of $6,781,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 9,844,228 shares of the companys stock, valued at $324,859,524. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, Director Ruth Porat acquired 277 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Monday, February 13th. The stock was bought at an average price of $92.61 per share, for a total transaction of $25,652.97. Following the transaction, the director now owns 30,851 shares in the company, valued at $2,857,111.11. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Holdings L.P. Blackstone III sold 205,500 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.00, for a total transaction of $6,781,500.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 9,844,228 shares in the company, valued at $324,859,524. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders bought 80,772 shares of company stock valued at $3,744,062 and sold 140,532,616 shares valued at $1,726,902,967. Insiders own 1.00% of the companys stock.

About Blackstone

(Get Rating)

Blackstone, Inc engages in the provision of investment and fund management services. It operates through the following segments: Real Estate, Private Equity, Credit and Insurance, and Hedge Fund Solutions. The Real Estate segment includes management of opportunistic real estate funds, Core+ real estate funds, high-yield real estate debt funds, and liquid real estate debt funds.

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Steel Peak Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Ameriprise Financial, Inc. (NYSE:AMP  Get Rating) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 5,466 shares of the financial services providers stock, valued at approximately $1,702,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of AMP. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its stake in Ameriprise Financial by 1,166.6% during the 2nd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 312,845 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $74,358,000 after buying an additional 288,145 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. raised its stake in Ameriprise Financial by 33.5% during the 1st quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,078,807 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $324,031,000 after buying an additional 270,755 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its stake in Ameriprise Financial by 48.5% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 763,424 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $229,303,000 after purchasing an additional 249,192 shares in the last quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. increased its stake in Ameriprise Financial by 121.4% during the 1st quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 362,345 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $108,834,000 after purchasing an additional 198,694 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky bought a new stake in Ameriprise Financial during the 3rd quarter valued at $45,896,000. 81.66% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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Ameriprise Financial Stock Down 0.1 %

AMP opened at $306.27 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.43. The stock has a market cap of $32.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.64, a PEG ratio of 0.56 and a beta of 1.49. Ameriprise Financial, Inc. has a twelve month low of $219.99 and a twelve month high of $357.46. The companys 50-day moving average price is $328.44 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $312.39.

Ameriprise Financial Dividend Announcement

Ameriprise Financial ( NYSE:AMP Get Rating ) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 26th. The financial services provider reported $6.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.35 by $0.59. The firm had revenue of $3.62 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.46 billion. Ameriprise Financial had a return on equity of 70.64% and a net margin of 17.91%. The businesss revenue was down 3.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $6.15 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Ameriprise Financial, Inc. will post 30.69 earnings per share for the current year.

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 10th were paid a $1.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 9th. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.63%. Ameriprise Financials payout ratio is 22.27%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO William F. Truscott sold 11,483 shares of Ameriprise Financial stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $347.69, for a total value of $3,992,524.27. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 16,262 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,654,134.78. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, CEO William F. Truscott sold 11,483 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $347.69, for a total transaction of $3,992,524.27. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 16,262 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $5,654,134.78. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Heather J. Melloh sold 769 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $352.87, for a total transaction of $271,357.03. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 3,033 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,070,254.71. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 75,328 shares of company stock valued at $26,478,645 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 1.00% of the companys stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Ameriprise Financial from $340.00 to $345.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 10th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised their price objective on Ameriprise Financial from $350.00 to $375.00 and gave the company a market perform rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 31st. StockNews.com started coverage on Ameriprise Financial in a research note on Thursday, March 16th. They set a hold rating on the stock. Credit Suisse Group raised their price objective on Ameriprise Financial from $382.00 to $401.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 1st. Finally, Argus increased their price objective on shares of Ameriprise Financial from $340.00 to $392.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 31st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $347.18.

Ameriprise Financial Company Profile

(Get Rating)

Ameriprise Financial, Inc operates as a holding company. The firm provides financial planning, asset management and insurance services to individuals, businesses and institutions. It operates through the following business segments: Advice & Wealth Management, Asset Management, Retirement & Protection Solutions, and Corporate & Other.

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(Bloomberg) -- Synthetic exchange-traded funds find themselves at the heart of the latest controversy to hit ESG ratings.

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Synthetic ETFs use swaps to offer investors exposure to indexes such as the S&P 500. Nine of the 10 biggest such funds registered in Europe currently have environmental, social or governance ratings of at least AA at MSCI ESG Research, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. At the same time, all of them are listed as Article 6 funds under European Union guidelines, meaning they dont market themselves as ESG.

The absence of consistency in ESG classifications shows the hurdles investors face when trying to allocate capital. Against that backdrop, MSCI has said its planning to dramatically reduce the number of funds that it gives top ratings. The changes, which will take effect by the end of the month, were triggered by feedback from MSCIs clients.

Across all public fund categories, 31,000 now face ESG ratings downgrades, with the proportion of AAA funds set to plunge to 0.2% of the total from roughly 20%. AA funds will contract to make up about 22% of the universe from 33%.

For swap-based ETFs, MSCI is changing its methodology to move away from scores that reflected the characteristics of a synthetic funds collateral to instead look at the constituents of the underlying index being tracked. Though MSCI has made clear there will be far fewer top-rated funds, it hasnt made public how individual products will be affected.

Invesco Ltd. manages the worlds largest synthetic ETF  the $15 billion Invesco S&P 500 UCITS ETF (ticker SPXS LN). Though Invesco hasnt registered the ETF as an ESG product, the fund now sits in at least three other portfolios that claim to promote ESG in Europe, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Story continues

While the firm expects the fund to be impacted by the MSCI downgrades, it says SPXS will sidestep the changes that target its swap-based peers.

Thats because MSCI rates these funds based on third-party holdings data, which is compiled from what swap-based ETF providers submit. Unlike its peers that provide collateral data, Invesco already submits index constituents, said Chris Mellor, the firms head of EMEA ETF equity product management.

Assessing ESG ratings based on a synthetic funds collateral has no real relevance for the performance of an ETF, Mellor said in an interview. He expects the proposed changes to improve the reliability and consistency of MSCI scores.

What MSCI ESG Research Says...

MSCI ESG Research is implementing a solution to rate swap-based funds based on the exposure of the fund to underlying index constituents (rather than the collateral), to better reflect the funds exposure to ESG risks and opportunities. This solution will enable MSCI ESG Research to continue coverage of swap-based funds by extending the current data submission model with fund managers to provide us with the underlying constituents of the replicating index, the company said in an email to clients seen by Bloomberg News.

Its the latest headache to descend on the market for ESG investing, where existing classification systems are facing serious questions. In Europe, the fund industry ended 2022 by stripping the highest ESG tag off 175 billion ($190 billion) worth of client assets, with analysts predicting more to come. The upheaval has led the EU to reconsider its ESG investing rules, and explore major changes to fund labels.

Mellor said it makes sense to assign ESG ratings to swap-based ETFs, provided the methodology holds up.

If you think about what the ESG rating is telling an investor, its telling them what the risks are to that investment from an ESG perspective, he said. That will affect the performance of a synthetic ETF in exactly the same way as it would affect the performance of a physically replicating approach. So, it is as relevant for a synthetic as it is for a physical fund.

In response to a European Commission consultation on ESG ratings, MSCI has suggested investors are better served if ratings models are diverse.

Today, the lack of uniformity in ESG ratings is often described as a weakness; we believe it demonstrates the diversity of opinions and methodologies. By analogy, there would be limited utility if all investment advisers came to the same buy/sell/hold determinations in their assessments of securities. Dispersion of views and approaches demonstrates a dynamic and competitive market where investors have choices to select providers that reflect their perspective or multiple providers that provide varying and diverse inputs. A mandated one-size fits-all approach to ESG ratings would reduce the thoroughness, innovation, effectiveness and evolution of the ratings, MSCI said in June.

Assigning ESG ratings to synthetic ETFs is a controversial step in itself. Other ESG score providers have shied away from trying to assess the sustainability of products that are based on derivatives.

After debating the issue a few years back, Sustainalytics parent Morningstar Inc. decided that whether a ratings methodology was based on collateral or underlying indexes wasnt really the issue, said Hortense Bioy, the firms global director for sustainability research.

Both options had flaws and the potential to mislead investors, she said. So we dont assign ESG ratings to synthetic ETFs.

ISS ESG, another competitor to MSCI, said few swap-based ETFs would be rated within its methodology.

To the extent we cover synthetic ETFs, we do so on the basis of the actual holdings, not on the basis of the index they are tracking, said Till Jung, managing director and global head of ESG products at the sustainable investment arm of Institutional Shareholder Services.

Invesco, which offers a total of 62 synthetic ETFs with more than $30 billion of client assets according to Bloomberg data, only markets one as having any ESG attributes.

If theres scary things in the basket, then Im making a mistake, Mellor said. The approach we take is to ensure that the collateral basket restrictions are aligned with the restrictions of the index itself. We also apply some additional constraints around ESG score, and so on.

Amundi SA, whose owner Credit Agricole SA is the biggest provider of swap-based ETFs in Europe with well over $70 billion in client assets according to Bloomberg data, says investors shouldnt rely on a single ESG ratings provider when deciding how to allocate their money.

Third-party fund ratings help investors compare different products using the same methodologies, but changes like this show the issues that reliance on one data vendor can bring, said an Amundi spokesperson. Amundi works with several data providers and uses its own scoring methodology and due diligences to assess issuers and funds ESG characteristics.

Meanwhile, the ESG ratings industry is facing a crackdown from policymakers across jurisdictions. The European Commission is planning to unveil new industry rules in the first half of this year. And the UK has just launched a consultation on the extent to which ESG raters need to be reined in by clear rules.

(Bloomberg LP, the parent of Bloomberg News, also provides ESG scores.)

--With assistance from Akiko Itano, Amine Haddaoui, Carlo Maccioni and Sam Potter.

(Corrects headline, first and second paragraphs of story published April 3 to focus on synthetic ETFs and how MSCIs change in ratings methodology will affect them. Adds in sixth and seventh paragraphs that Invesco fund is the worlds largest synthetic ETF and that the fund will likely be among those downgraded by MSCI.)

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Steel Peak Wealth Management LLC reduced its stake in Rio Tinto Group (NYSE:RIO  Get Rating) by 6.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 22,160 shares of the mining companys stock after selling 1,558 shares during the quarter. Steel Peak Wealth Management LLCs holdings in Rio Tinto Group were worth $1,578,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Rio Tinto Group by 5.6% in the 4th quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. now owns 53,851 shares of the mining companys stock worth $3,540,000 after acquiring an additional 2,874 shares during the period. Thrive Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Rio Tinto Group in the 4th quarter worth $333,000. Lindbrook Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of Rio Tinto Group by 11.9% in the 4th quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 1,962 shares of the mining companys stock worth $140,000 after acquiring an additional 209 shares during the period. Sigma Planning Corp raised its stake in shares of Rio Tinto Group by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Sigma Planning Corp now owns 26,436 shares of the mining companys stock worth $1,882,000 after buying an additional 678 shares in the last quarter. Finally, White Lighthouse Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Rio Tinto Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $214,000. 10.43% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on RIO. Barclays raised Rio Tinto Group from an underweight rating to an equal weight rating in a research note on Thursday, January 12th. StockNews.com raised Rio Tinto Group from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note on Monday, March 27th. UBS Group cut shares of Rio Tinto Group from a neutral rating to a sell rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 13th. Berenberg Bank upgraded shares of Rio Tinto Group from a sell rating to a buy rating in a research report on Thursday, January 12th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on shares of Rio Tinto Group from GBX 5,800 ($72.03) to GBX 6,200 ($77.00) in a research report on Tuesday, January 10th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $5,790.00.

Rio Tinto Group Trading Down 0.7 %

Rio Tinto Group Cuts Dividend

Shares of RIO stock opened at $68.09 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. Rio Tinto Group has a one year low of $50.92 and a one year high of $83.21. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $71.72 and a 200 day moving average price of $66.76.

The company also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 20th. Investors of record on Friday, March 10th will be given a $2.25 dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 9.8%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 9th.

About Rio Tinto Group

(Get Rating)

Rio Tinto Plc engages in the exploration, mining, and processing of mineral resources. It operates through the following business segments: Iron Ore, Aluminium, Copper and Diamonds, Energy and Minerals, and Other Operations. The Iron Ore segment supplies global seaborne iron ore trade. The Aluminium segment produces bauxite, alumina and primary aluminum.

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Fifth Third Bancorp trimmed its position in shares of American Express (NYSE:AXP) by 7.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 233,184 shares of the payment services companys stock after selling 17,954 shares during the quarter. Fifth Third Bancorps holdings in American Express were worth $34,453,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in AXP. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its stake in shares of American Express by 79.6% in the 3rd quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 2,713,458 shares of the payment services companys stock valued at $366,073,000 after acquiring an additional 1,202,912 shares in the last quarter. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main raised its stake in shares of American Express by 16.4% in the 2nd quarter. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main now owns 4,807,168 shares of the payment services companys stock valued at $666,377,000 after acquiring an additional 675,971 shares in the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. raised its stake in shares of American Express by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 44,553,661 shares of the payment services companys stock valued at $6,010,732,000 after acquiring an additional 665,857 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC raised its stake in shares of American Express by 42.5% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 2,110,826 shares of the payment services companys stock valued at $284,769,000 after acquiring an additional 629,960 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nuveen Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of American Express by 10.2% in the 3rd quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 6,525,852 shares of the payment services companys stock valued at $880,402,000 after acquiring an additional 602,762 shares in the last quarter. 83.30% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on AXP. Oppenheimer cut their price objective on American Express to $180.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Bank of America raised their price objective on American Express from $172.00 to $205.00 in a research note on Sunday, January 29th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reaffirmed an outperform rating on shares of American Express in a research report on Friday, January 27th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on American Express from $175.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Monday, January 30th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on American Express from $175.00 to $186.00 and gave the stock a sector perform rating in a research report on Monday, January 30th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $175.22.

American Express Price Performance

American Express stock opened at $163.78 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.72, a quick ratio of 1.62 and a current ratio of 1.62. The firm has a market cap of $121.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.64, a P/E/G ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 1.18. The businesss fifty day moving average is $170.17 and its two-hundred day moving average is $155.97. American Express has a 52 week low of $130.65 and a 52 week high of $192.42.

American Express (NYSE:AXP  Get Rating) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 27th. The payment services company reported $2.07 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $2.18 by ($0.11). The business had revenue of $14.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $14.25 billion. American Express had a return on equity of 31.76% and a net margin of 14.16%. American Expresss revenue for the quarter was up 16.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.18 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that American Express will post 11.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Express Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 7th will be given a dividend of $0.60 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 5th. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.47%. This is an increase from American Expresss previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. American Expresss payout ratio is presently 21.14%.

American Express announced that its board has approved a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, March 8th that authorizes the company to repurchase 120,000,000 shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the payment services company to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically a sign that the companys management believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Transactions at American Express

In other news, insider Howard Grosfield sold 5,456 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $174.52, for a total transaction of $952,181.12. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 7,045 shares in the company, valued at $1,229,493.40. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, insider Denise Pickett sold 28,688 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $180.78, for a total value of $5,186,216.64. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 12,557 shares in the company, valued at $2,270,054.46. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Howard Grosfield sold 5,456 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $174.52, for a total value of $952,181.12. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 7,045 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $1,229,493.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 49,361 shares of company stock worth $8,773,678 over the last 90 days. 0.12% of the stock is owned by insiders.

American Express Company Profile

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American Express Co engages in the provision of charge and credit card products and travel-related services. It operates through the following segments: U.S Consumer Services (USCS), Commercial Services (CS), International Card Services (ICS), Global Merchant and Network Services (GMNS), and Corporate and Other.

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Greenleaf Trust grew its holdings in shares of American Water Works Company, Inc. (NYSE:AWK  Get Rating) by 7.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 21,608 shares of the utilities providers stock after buying an additional 1,453 shares during the quarter. Greenleaf Trusts holdings in American Water Works were worth $3,293,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in American Water Works by 0.7% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 22,489,085 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $2,927,179,000 after purchasing an additional 161,915 shares during the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. lifted its stake in American Water Works by 1.0% during the third quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 16,530,383 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $2,151,593,000 after purchasing an additional 160,435 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its stake in American Water Works by 1.5% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 10,679,936 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $1,390,100,000 after purchasing an additional 153,609 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp lifted its stake in American Water Works by 2.6% during the first quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,470,141 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $574,412,000 after purchasing an additional 87,934 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc lifted its stake in American Water Works by 0.9% during the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 2,784,790 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $414,294,000 after purchasing an additional 24,695 shares during the last quarter. 83.06% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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American Water Works Price Performance

NYSE:AWK opened at $145.44 on Tuesday. The businesss 50-day moving average price is $145.82 and its 200 day moving average price is $145.99. The firm has a market cap of $28.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.25, a PEG ratio of 3.80 and a beta of 0.57. American Water Works Company, Inc. has a 52-week low of $122.77 and a 52-week high of $173.87. The company has a quick ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

American Water Works ( NYSE:AWK Get Rating ) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 16th. The utilities provider reported $0.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.75 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $931.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $923.74 million. American Water Works had a return on equity of 10.76% and a net margin of 21.62%. American Water Workss revenue was down 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.85 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that American Water Works Company, Inc. will post 4.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on AWK shares. StockNews.com started coverage on American Water Works in a research report on Thursday, March 16th. They issued a hold rating on the stock. TheStreet lowered American Water Works from a b rating to a c+ rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 15th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an outperform rating and issued a $180.00 target price on shares of American Water Works in a research report on Tuesday, March 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on American Water Works from $149.00 to $159.00 in a report on Wednesday, December 14th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $158.29.

American Water Works Profile

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American Water Works Co, Inc engages in the provision of complementary water and wastewater services. It operates through the following segments: Regulated Businesses, Market-Based Businesses, and Other. The Regulated Businesses segment offers water and wastewater services to customers. The Market-Based Businesses segment includes the military services group, which enters into long-term contracts with the U.S.

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Fifth Third Bancorp raised its stake in Cummins Inc. (NYSE:CMI  Get Rating) by 60.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 97,627 shares of the companys stock after acquiring an additional 36,619 shares during the quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp owned about 0.07% of Cummins worth $23,654,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in Cummins in the 4th quarter valued at about $483,000. Mayflower Financial Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Cummins by 22.5% in the 4th quarter. Mayflower Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,990 shares of the companys stock valued at $482,000 after acquiring an additional 365 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co. raised its holdings in Cummins by 5.0% in the 4th quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 2,262 shares of the companys stock valued at $548,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares during the period. Lindbrook Capital LLC raised its holdings in Cummins by 3.7% in the 4th quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 1,806 shares of the companys stock valued at $438,000 after acquiring an additional 64 shares during the period. Finally, Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Cummins in the 4th quarter valued at about $216,000. 80.94% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Credit Suisse Group increased their price target on shares of Cummins from $287.00 to $291.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a report on Tuesday, February 7th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Cummins from $264.00 to $262.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 20th. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Cummins in a research report on Thursday, March 16th. They set a buy rating on the stock. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Cummins from $247.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Thursday, February 16th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their target price on shares of Cummins from $235.00 to $231.00 and set a hold rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 7th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $254.75.

Cummins Stock Performance

NYSE CMI opened at $238.64 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.27, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $33.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.79, a P/E/G ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.00. The firms 50 day simple moving average is $244.44 and its 200 day simple moving average is $238.65. Cummins Inc. has a 1 year low of $184.27 and a 1 year high of $261.91.

Cummins (NYSE:CMI  Get Rating) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 6th. The company reported $4.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $4.52. The business had revenue of $7.77 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.21 billion. Cummins had a net margin of 7.66% and a return on equity of 24.58%. The firms revenue for the quarter was up 32.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.85 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Cummins Inc. will post 18.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cummins Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 9th. Investors of record on Friday, February 24th were paid a $1.57 dividend. This represents a $6.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.63%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 23rd. Cumminss payout ratio is 41.56%.

Insider Activity at Cummins

In related news, Director Georgia R. Nelson sold 1,933 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $251.64, for a total value of $486,420.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 21,742 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $5,471,156.88. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, Director Georgia R. Nelson sold 1,933 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $251.64, for a total value of $486,420.12. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 21,742 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $5,471,156.88. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Sharon R. Barner sold 5,540 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $252.34, for a total transaction of $1,397,963.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 16,144 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $4,073,776.96. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 16,709 shares of company stock valued at $4,245,545 in the last quarter. Insiders own 1.05% of the companys stock.

Cummins Profile

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Cummins, Inc engages in the design, manufacture, and market of diesel and natural gas engines. It operates through the following segments: Engine, Distribution, Components, Power Systems, and New Power. The Engine segment manufactures and markets diesel and natural gas-powered engines under the Cummins brand name, for the heavy- and medium-duty truck, bus, recreational vehicle, light-duty automotive, construction, mining, marine, rail, oil and gas, defense, and agricultural markets.

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Thrive Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in American Express (NYSE:AXP  Get Rating) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 1,461 shares of the payment services companys stock, valued at approximately $216,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in AXP. RB Capital Management LLC increased its stake in American Express by 5.3% in the 1st quarter. RB Capital Management LLC now owns 3,783 shares of the payment services companys stock valued at $707,000 after buying an additional 190 shares during the last quarter. Roundview Capital LLC increased its stake in American Express by 0.4% in the 1st quarter. Roundview Capital LLC now owns 27,029 shares of the payment services companys stock valued at $5,054,000 after buying an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. increased its stake in American Express by 5.6% in the 1st quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. now owns 1,421 shares of the payment services companys stock valued at $266,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd increased its stake in American Express by 207.1% in the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 946 shares of the payment services companys stock valued at $177,000 after buying an additional 638 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Donaldson Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in American Express in the 1st quarter valued at $397,000. 83.30% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

AXP has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Argus boosted their price objective on shares of American Express from $180.00 to $210.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 31st. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of American Express from $170.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Thursday, December 15th. Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of American Express from $172.00 to $205.00 in a research note on Sunday, January 29th. Credit Suisse Group boosted their price objective on shares of American Express from $132.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an underperform rating in a research note on Monday, January 30th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of American Express from $158.00 to $178.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research note on Monday, January 30th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $175.44.

Insider Transactions at American Express

American Express Stock Performance

In other news, insider Denise Pickett sold 28,688 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.78, for a total transaction of $5,186,216.64. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 12,557 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $2,270,054.46. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink . In related news, insider Monique Herena sold 15,217 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $173.18, for a total transaction of $2,635,280.06. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 13,712 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,374,644.16. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website . Also, insider Denise Pickett sold 28,688 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $180.78, for a total transaction of $5,186,216.64. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 12,557 shares of the companys stock, valued at $2,270,054.46. The disclosure for this sale can be found here . In the last 90 days, insiders sold 49,361 shares of company stock valued at $8,773,678. Company insiders own 0.12% of the companys stock.

NYSE AXP opened at $163.78 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.62, a current ratio of 1.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.72. The company has a market capitalization of $121.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.64, a P/E/G ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 1.20. American Express has a 12-month low of $130.65 and a 12-month high of $192.42. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $170.17 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $155.97.

American Express (NYSE:AXP  Get Rating) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 27th. The payment services company reported $2.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $2.18 by ($0.11). The business had revenue of $14.18 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.25 billion. American Express had a net margin of 14.16% and a return on equity of 31.76%. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 16.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.18 EPS. Analysts anticipate that American Express will post 11.25 earnings per share for the current year.

American Express Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 7th will be issued a dividend of $0.60 per share. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.47%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 5th. This is an increase from American Expresss previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. American Expresss dividend payout ratio is 24.39%.

American Express declared that its board has initiated a share buyback program on Wednesday, March 8th that authorizes the company to buyback 120,000,000 shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the payment services company to repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often an indication that the companys board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

About American Express

(Get Rating)

American Express Co engages in the provision of charge and credit card products and travel-related services. It operates through the following segments: U.S Consumer Services (USCS), Commercial Services (CS), International Card Services (ICS), Global Merchant and Network Services (GMNS), and Corporate and Other.

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Fifth Third Bancorp decreased its holdings in shares of Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE:YUM  Get Rating) by 1.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 291,044 shares of the restaurant operators stock after selling 4,565 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp owned approximately 0.10% of Yum! Brands worth $37,277,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. BlackRock Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Yum! Brands by 6.6% in the 3rd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 20,766,507 shares of the restaurant operators stock valued at $2,208,310,000 after buying an additional 1,278,710 shares during the period. Capital World Investors grew its holdings in shares of Yum! Brands by 19.6% in the 1st quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 5,507,237 shares of the restaurant operators stock valued at $652,773,000 after buying an additional 901,181 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Yum! Brands by 11.0% in the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,850,748 shares of the restaurant operators stock valued at $409,489,000 after buying an additional 381,797 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its holdings in shares of Yum! Brands by 66.7% in the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 876,193 shares of the restaurant operators stock valued at $112,223,000 after buying an additional 350,434 shares during the period. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC grew its holdings in shares of Yum! Brands by 119.7% in the 1st quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 617,400 shares of the restaurant operators stock valued at $73,180,000 after buying an additional 336,400 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 77.54% of the companys stock.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

YUM has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Yum! Brands from $137.00 to $142.00 and gave the company a sector perform rating in a report on Thursday, February 9th. Cowen reaffirmed an outperform rating and issued a $155.00 target price on shares of Yum! Brands in a research note on Wednesday, February 8th. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on shares of Yum! Brands from $146.00 to $155.00 in a research note on Wednesday, December 14th. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Yum! Brands from $128.00 to $136.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research note on Thursday, February 9th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Yum! Brands from $140.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 18th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $145.81.

Yum! Brands Price Performance

Yum! Brands stock opened at $133.21 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $128.86 and a 200-day moving average of $123.99. Yum! Brands, Inc. has a one year low of $103.96 and a one year high of $133.77. The company has a market cap of $37.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.21, a P/E/G ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 1.00.

Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM  Get Rating) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 8th. The restaurant operator reported $1.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.26 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $2.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $1.92 billion. Yum! Brands had a net margin of 19.37% and a negative return on equity of 15.16%. Yum! Brandss quarterly revenue was up 8.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.02 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Yum! Brands, Inc. will post 5.09 earnings per share for the current year.

Yum! Brands Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 22nd were issued a $0.605 dividend. This represents a $2.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.82%. This is a boost from Yum! Brandss previous quarterly dividend of $0.57. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 21st. Yum! Brandss dividend payout ratio is presently 53.07%.

Insider Activity

In other news, COO Tracy L. Skeans sold 3,925 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $130.00, for a total value of $510,250.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 14,393 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $1,871,090. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Yum! Brands news, COO Tracy L. Skeans sold 3,790 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $132.00, for a total value of $500,280.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 10,603 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $1,399,596. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, COO Tracy L. Skeans sold 3,925 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $130.00, for a total transaction of $510,250.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 14,393 shares in the company, valued at $1,871,090. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 11,449 shares of company stock valued at $1,490,088. 0.37% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Yum! Brands Profile

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Yum! Brands, Inc operates as a service restaurant company. The firm engages in the development, operation, franchise, and licenses of a system of restaurants. It operates through the following segments: KFC Division, Pizza Hut Division, Taco Bell Division, and Habit Burger Grill Division. The KFC Division segment consists of all operations of the KFC concept.

Further Reading

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Fifth Third Bancorp lessened its stake in shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK  Get Rating) by 5.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 317,509 shares of the utilities providers stock after selling 18,489 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorps holdings in Duke Energy were worth $32,700,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Duke Energy by 1.5% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 70,549,902 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $6,562,551,000 after acquiring an additional 1,035,303 shares in the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. increased its holdings in Duke Energy by 2.1% during the third quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 54,910,595 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $5,107,783,000 after buying an additional 1,109,394 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its holdings in Duke Energy by 1.8% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 45,155,130 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $4,200,330,000 after buying an additional 816,427 shares during the period. Royal Bank of Canada increased its holdings in Duke Energy by 2.6% during the third quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 8,123,493 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $755,646,000 after buying an additional 207,627 shares during the period. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc increased its holdings in Duke Energy by 1.4% during the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 7,767,349 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $832,744,000 after buying an additional 104,622 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 63.22% of the companys stock.

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Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently issued reports on DUK. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Thursday, March 16th. They set a hold rating on the stock. Mizuho lifted their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $100.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a report on Friday, December 9th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $116.00 to $112.00 and set a sector perform rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 16th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Duke Energy from $111.00 to $103.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 10th. Finally, Seaport Res Ptn raised shares of Duke Energy from a sell rating to a neutral rating in a report on Friday, March 17th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $104.70.

Insider Activity at Duke Energy

Duke Energy Trading Down 1.4 %

In related news, SVP Louis E. Renjel sold 1,900 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Monday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $99.90, for a total transaction of $189,810.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 9,967 shares in the company, valued at $995,703.30. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website . 0.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

NYSE:DUK opened at $95.09 on Tuesday. Duke Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $83.76 and a 12 month high of $116.33. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $97.30 and a 200-day simple moving average of $97.85. The company has a current ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.34. The company has a market capitalization of $73.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.64, a PEG ratio of 3.15 and a beta of 0.43.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK  Get Rating) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 9th. The utilities provider reported $1.11 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.06 by $0.05. Duke Energy had a net margin of 9.11% and a return on equity of 8.45%. The business had revenue of $7.35 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.27 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.94 earnings per share. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 17.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.62 earnings per share for the current year.

Duke Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 16th. Investors of record on Friday, February 17th were given a dividend of $1.005 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 16th. This represents a $4.02 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.23%. Duke Energys dividend payout ratio is presently 121.08%.

Duke Energy Profile

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Duke Energy Corp. engages in the distribution of natural gas and energy related services. It operates through the following segments: Electric Utilities and Infrastructure, Gas Utilities & Infrastructure and Commercial Renewables. The Electric Utilities and Infrastructure segment conducts operations in regulated electric utilities in the Carolinas, Florida and the Midwest.

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Fifth Third Bancorp lessened its stake in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC  Get Rating) by 2.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 183,548 shares of the railroad operators stock after selling 5,389 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorps holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $45,230,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Lazard Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Norfolk Southern by 18.3% in the third quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 7,647,054 shares of the railroad operators stock valued at $1,603,203,000 after acquiring an additional 1,181,936 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 31.4% during the second quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 2,330,991 shares of the railroad operators stock worth $529,811,000 after purchasing an additional 557,432 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 1.1% during the third quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,295,294 shares of the railroad operators stock worth $481,323,000 after purchasing an additional 24,172 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc raised its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 0.8% during the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 2,166,108 shares of the railroad operators stock worth $492,338,000 after purchasing an additional 17,430 shares in the last quarter. Finally, London Co. of Virginia raised its holdings in Norfolk Southern by 1.9% during the third quarter. London Co. of Virginia now owns 1,462,496 shares of the railroad operators stock worth $306,613,000 after purchasing an additional 27,419 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.98% of the companys stock.

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Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NSC has been the subject of several analyst reports. Susquehanna increased their price target on shares of Norfolk Southern from $225.00 to $231.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a report on Thursday, January 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $261.00 to $266.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 25th. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $240.00 to $255.00 in a report on Monday, December 5th. Benchmark dropped their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $280.00 to $270.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 26th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut shares of Norfolk Southern from an overweight rating to an equal weight rating and dropped their target price for the company from $285.00 to $245.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 4th. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $249.83.

Norfolk Southern Stock Down 1.5 %

Shares of NYSE NSC opened at $208.78 on Tuesday. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 1 year low of $196.33 and a 1 year high of $276.65. The firms 50 day moving average price is $224.67 and its 200 day moving average price is $233.27. The firm has a market cap of $47.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a quick ratio of 0.66 and a current ratio of 0.76.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC  Get Rating) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 25th. The railroad operator reported $3.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $3.41 by $0.01. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 25.66% and a return on equity of 24.98%. The firm had revenue of $3.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.20 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $3.12 earnings per share. Norfolk Southerns revenue was up 13.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13.65 earnings per share for the current year.

Norfolk Southern Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 21st. Investors of record on Friday, February 3rd were given a dividend of $1.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 2nd. This represents a $5.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.59%. This is a positive change from Norfolk Southerns previous quarterly dividend of $1.24. Norfolk Southerns dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 38.85%.

Norfolk Southern Profile

(Get Rating)

Norfolk Southern Corp. is a transportation company, which engages in the rail transportation of raw materials, intermediate products, and finished goods. The company also transports overseas freight through several Atlantic and Gulf Coast ports. Its services include property leases and sales, wire line or pipeline and fiber optics projects, access property, managing private crossings, promoting businesses with signboards, and natural resource management.

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Mayflower Financial Advisors LLC lowered its holdings in iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF (NYSEARCA:EEM  Get Rating) by 6.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 23,321 shares of the exchange traded funds stock after selling 1,619 shares during the period. Mayflower Financial Advisors LLCs holdings in iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF were worth $884,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. BlackRock Inc. raised its holdings in iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF by 2.8% during the 3rd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 79,056,643 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $2,757,495,000 after acquiring an additional 2,120,629 shares during the period. Jane Street Group LLC raised its stake in shares of iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF by 617.1% during the 2nd quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 30,902,851 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $1,239,204,000 after purchasing an additional 26,593,451 shares during the period. Toronto Dominion Bank lifted its holdings in iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF by 190.1% during the 3rd quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 10,219,950 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $356,352,000 after purchasing an additional 6,697,550 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can boosted its stake in iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF by 60.3% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 9,605,304 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $373,647,000 after purchasing an additional 3,614,016 shares during the period. Finally, National Bank of Canada FI grew its holdings in iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF by 3,639.2% during the 3rd quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 4,095,355 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $142,837,000 after buying an additional 3,985,830 shares in the last quarter. 82.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of EEM opened at $39.54 on Tuesday. iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF has a twelve month low of $33.49 and a twelve month high of $46.78. The businesss 50-day moving average price is $39.54 and its 200-day moving average price is $38.20.

iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF Profile

iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, formerly iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Index Fund (the Fund), seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of publicly traded equity securities in global emerging markets, as measured by the MSCI Emerging Markets Index (the Index).

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Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY  Get Rating) declared a quarterly dividend on Friday, March 3rd, Wall Street Journal reports. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 10th will be given a dividend of 0.57 per share by the biopharmaceutical company on Monday, May 1st. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.27%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 6th.

Bristol-Myers Squibb has increased its dividend by an average of 9.2% per year over the last three years and has increased its dividend annually for the last 16 consecutive years. Bristol-Myers Squibb has a dividend payout ratio of 27.8% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities research analysts expect Bristol-Myers Squibb to earn $7.97 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $2.28 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 28.6%.

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Bristol-Myers Squibb Stock Performance

Shares of BMY opened at $69.69 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13. Bristol-Myers Squibb has a 52-week low of $65.28 and a 52-week high of $81.43. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $69.99 and a 200 day moving average price of $72.81. The company has a market capitalization of $146.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 0.45.

Insider Activity at Bristol-Myers Squibb

Bristol-Myers Squibb ( NYSE:BMY Get Rating ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 2nd. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.82 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.71 by $0.11. Bristol-Myers Squibb had a net margin of 13.71% and a return on equity of 51.60%. The company had revenue of $11.41 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $11.20 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.83 earnings per share. The firms revenue for the quarter was down 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Bristol-Myers Squibb will post 8.06 EPS for the current fiscal year.

In other Bristol-Myers Squibb news, EVP Ann Powell sold 11,183 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Monday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.69, for a total transaction of $835,258.27. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 23,043 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,721,081.67. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other Bristol-Myers Squibb news, CEO Giovanni Caforio sold 240,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Monday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.65, for a total transaction of $17,916,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 236,104 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,625,163.60. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Ann Powell sold 11,183 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Monday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.69, for a total transaction of $835,258.27. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 23,043 shares in the company, valued at $1,721,081.67. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Bristol-Myers Squibb

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb during the 4th quarter worth $1,873,696,000. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb by 114,228.7% during the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 21,469,785 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $1,544,751,000 after buying an additional 21,451,006 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb by 1.8% during the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 11,005,473 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $803,730,000 after buying an additional 197,000 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its stake in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb by 21.6% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 7,397,454 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $532,246,000 after buying an additional 1,311,960 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. raised its stake in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb by 41.5% during the 3rd quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 4,093,531 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $291,009,000 after buying an additional 1,200,434 shares during the last quarter. 75.51% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on BMY. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb in a report on Monday, March 6th. They set a hold rating and a $62.00 price objective on the stock. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb from $60.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock an underweight rating in a report on Friday, February 3rd. Cantor Fitzgerald initiated coverage on shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb in a report on Tuesday, January 17th. They set an overweight rating and a $95.00 price objective on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb from $70.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 3rd. Finally, StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb in a research report on Thursday, March 16th. They set a strong-buy rating on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $79.69.

About Bristol-Myers Squibb

(Get Rating)

Bristol Myers Squibb Co engages in the discovery, development, licensing, manufacture, marketing, distribution, and sale of biopharmaceutical products. It offers chemically-synthesized drugs or small molecules and products produced from biological processes called biologics. The company was founded in August 1933 and is headquartered in New York, NY.

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PeopleImages / Getty Images

Remote work has been gaining in popularity for some time; it allows people flexibility and convenience, removes commutes and adds more control over schedules. Remote jobs significantly increased during the COVID-19 pandemic and have remained prevalent in the years following. According to the career site Ladders, by the end of 2022 approximately 25% of all professional jobs in North America were remote, and the number of these jobs will only continue to rise.

Im a Self-Made Millionaire: These Are the 6 Investments Everyone Should Make During an Economic Downturn

More: With Student Loan Forgiveness At Risk, Is a Forever Payment Pause Possible?

That said, not all remote work is ideal. Whether boring, stressful, isolating, tiring or low-paying, the remote jobs on this list are some that experts call the worst.

1. Data Entry

Data entry jobs are among the worst remote work options, according to Sukhy Dhillon, brand director at E-Careers. They usually pay little, are boring and call for very little in the way of talent or originality. The task is monotonous and includes inputting data into a computer system or spreadsheet. In addition, data entry work has been linked to conditions including carpal tunnel syndrome, back discomfort and eye strain.

2. Online Surveys

You should also stay away from online surveys, another undesirable kind of distant work, Dhillon says. Despite their apparent simplicity, these methods of making money seldom provide more than minimum wage and require a significant investment of effort. Spending a significant amount of time on surveys might result in little payout. In addition, many survey sites online are fraudulent, meaning you might waste your time without receiving any compensation.

Take Our Poll: Are You Concerned About the Safety of Your Money in Your Bank Accounts?

3. Call Center Agent

What could be so bad about sitting on a phone for work? Well, according to Meika Welds, a personal finance blogger and founder of Working Momspiration, I would avoid this like the plague if you dont like people, hate being on the phone, cant stand repeating yourself  and did I mention if you dont like people? As someone who has worked in the field for more than five years, call center remote jobs can be highly stressful, repetitive and demanding.

Story continues

Most of the time, call center work focuses on handling annoyed, upset or irritated customers who are calling with complaints and questions.

The job requires strong communication skills and the ability to deal with difficult customers, which can be mentally exhausting.

4. Content Mill Writer

Freelance writing itself can be very rewarding and potentially lucrative, however, there is an exception, according to Welds.

Ive worked as a freelance writer for a few years now and really enjoy it. However, without much experience, some writers find themselves working for content mill websites. This happened to me when I started out. You should avoid this kind of remote work because not only is the pay low, youre also expected to produce articles at a rapid pace, which can turn out to be low quality. Content mills also have tight deadlines and the environment doesnt allow you to grow your career as a freelance writer.

5. Phone Sales

Its hard enough to make sales when youre in person, but imagine trying to do it by phone or Zoom. According to Sean Stevens, director of Immerse Education, Even when youre not working from home, being in sales may be a challenging profession. This line of work is actually very cutthroat in nature. Just consider how many of your friends on social media are always trying to sell you some kind of product or another. Do you really want to be the kind of person who drives their loved ones and friends completely bonkers with [a] never-ending stream of promotional messages?

6. Internet Sales

Jonathan Rogers, founder of Credexel, adds that internet selling is a tough market to work in remotely as well.

A job in online sales can be quite competitive and takes a significant amount of marketing and promotion effort to be successful. While making sales online, employees also have the responsibility of managing inventory, taking care of shipping and returns and addressing concerns and complaints from customers. This can be a hard task for employees who work remotely. In addition, the volume of internet sales might be highly unpredictable because it can change substantially.

7. Multi-Level Marketing (MLM)

If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is, and MLMs often fall into this category. These sales pyramid schemes work where you make money by recruiting other people into a sales team below you, so that you earn commissions not only on your own sales, but on your affiliates sales.

The potential earnings from jobs in direct sales are very enticing right from the start, says Joe Troyer, CEO and head of growth for Digital Triggers. [You can] work from home, have limitless possibilities for earning and be your own boss while maintaining normal(ish) working hours, but you will be responsible for making sales to everyone all the time, which can be a very tiring process. It is also quite difficult to do so in a market that is already very competitive.

8. Cryptocurrency and Blockchain Jobs

Cryptocurrency took the world by storm in the past decade or so, seeming to promise exciting financial growth opportunities. However, Marius Grigoras, CEO of BHero  a cryptocurrency launchpad for startups  cautions against the industry.

Remote jobs in the cryptocurrency and blockchain space are not for everyone. Due to the fast-paced nature of the industry, working from home can often lead to burnout or disengagement. Additionally, the tedious tasks involved in the development of blockchain protocols and cryptocurrency projects can also make it difficult for individuals to maintain their focus and productivity.

More From GOBankingRates

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 8 Worst Remote Jobs You Should Try To Avoid
Beaumont Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF (NYSEARCA:IWF  Get Rating) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 6,927 shares of the exchange traded funds stock, valued at approximately $1,484,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P boosted its position in shares of iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF by 34.1% in the first quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P now owns 26,203 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $7,275,000 after acquiring an additional 6,665 shares during the last quarter. Worth Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF in the first quarter worth approximately $42,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF by 11.6% in the first quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 6,211 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $1,724,000 after acquiring an additional 644 shares during the last quarter. West Michigan Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF by 3.7% in the first quarter. West Michigan Advisors LLC now owns 7,595 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $2,109,000 after acquiring an additional 272 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Flow Traders U.S. LLC acquired a new stake in shares of iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF in the first quarter worth approximately $33,422,000.

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iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF Stock Performance

IWF opened at $244.66 on Tuesday. The companys 50 day simple moving average is $233.98 and its 200 day simple moving average is $224.86. iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF has a 1 year low of $202.05 and a 1 year high of $283.28. The stock has a market capitalization of $64.31 billion, a PE ratio of 26.14 and a beta of 1.07.

About iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF

iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF (the Fund), formerly iShares Russell 1000 Growth Index Fund, is an exchange-traded fund (ETF). The Fund seeks investment returns that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of the Russell 1000 Growth Index (the Index). The Index measures the performance of equity securities of Russell 1000 index issuers with relatively higher price-to-book ratios and higher forecasted growth.

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Want to see what other hedge funds are holding IWF? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for iShares Russell 1000 Growth ETF (NYSEARCA:IWF  Get Rating).

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Whittier Trust Co. cut its position in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY  Get Rating) by 1.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 109,931 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock after selling 1,355 shares during the quarter. Whittier Trust Co.s holdings in Bristol-Myers Squibb were worth $7,909,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Bristol-Myers Squibb by 1.6% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 199,886,585 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $14,209,937,000 after acquiring an additional 3,058,491 shares in the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. boosted its holdings in Bristol-Myers Squibb by 2.0% in the third quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 174,002,852 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $12,369,862,000 after acquiring an additional 3,357,590 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc boosted its holdings in Bristol-Myers Squibb by 4.1% in the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 17,053,158 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $1,313,101,000 after acquiring an additional 674,921 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in Bristol-Myers Squibb by 1.1% in the third quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 14,659,982 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $1,042,264,000 after acquiring an additional 155,845 shares in the last quarter. Finally, California Public Employees Retirement System boosted its holdings in Bristol-Myers Squibb by 0.5% in the third quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 11,442,639 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $813,457,000 after acquiring an additional 59,791 shares in the last quarter. 75.51% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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Insider Transactions at Bristol-Myers Squibb

In other news, EVP Ann Powell sold 11,183 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.69, for a total value of $835,258.27. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 23,043 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,721,081.67. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, EVP Ann Powell sold 11,183 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.69, for a total value of $835,258.27. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 23,043 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,721,081.67. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Giovanni Caforio sold 240,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.65, for a total value of $17,916,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 236,104 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $17,625,163.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the companys stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Bristol-Myers Squibb Stock Performance

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on BMY. Cantor Fitzgerald began coverage on Bristol-Myers Squibb in a report on Tuesday, January 17th. They set an overweight rating and a $95.00 price target on the stock. Atlantic Securities upped their price target on Bristol-Myers Squibb from $88.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Friday, February 3rd. StockNews.com began coverage on Bristol-Myers Squibb in a report on Thursday, March 16th. They set a strong-buy rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Bristol-Myers Squibb from $60.00 to $62.00 and gave the company an underweight rating in a report on Friday, February 3rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on Bristol-Myers Squibb in a report on Monday, March 6th. They set a hold rating and a $62.00 price target on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Bristol-Myers Squibb presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $79.69.

Shares of BMY opened at $69.69 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $69.99 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $72.81. The stock has a market cap of $146.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.62, a PEG ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 0.45. Bristol-Myers Squibb has a 52 week low of $65.28 and a 52 week high of $81.43.

Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY  Get Rating) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 2nd. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.82 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.71 by $0.11. The business had revenue of $11.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $11.20 billion. Bristol-Myers Squibb had a return on equity of 51.60% and a net margin of 13.71%. The businesss quarterly revenue was down 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.83 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Bristol-Myers Squibb will post 8.06 EPS for the current year.

Bristol-Myers Squibb Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 10th will be paid a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.27%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 6th. Bristol-Myers Squibbs dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 77.29%.

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company Profile

(Get Rating)

Bristol Myers Squibb Co engages in the discovery, development, licensing, manufacture, marketing, distribution, and sale of biopharmaceutical products. It offers chemically-synthesized drugs or small molecules and products produced from biological processes called biologics. The company was founded in August 1933 and is headquartered in New York, NY.

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Event at the AAON headquarters in Tulsa, OK to include tours of AAON's new Exploration Center.

TULSA, Okla., April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- AAON, Inc. (NASDAQ: AAON) ("AAON" or the "Company"), a provider of commercial and industrial HVAC solutions, announces it will host an Investor Day Event on May 17th and 18th at its headquarters in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The event will consist of facility tours the afternoon of the 17th and a formal presentation the morning of the 18th by CEO Gary Fields, CFO Rebecca Thompson, and additional members of the senior leadership team. For more details and to register to attend, visit www.aaon.com/investors. For those unable to attend in person, a live webcast of the presentation will also be available.

AAON, Inc. Logo (PRNewsfoto/AAON)

Facility tours will include AAON's new Exploration Center, which provides a new dimension of interactive customer engagement, showcasing AAON products side-by-side with alternative products offered in the market. The Exploration Center's grand opening is set for April 2023, and the building will be a valuable marketing tool for AAON and its independently-owned sales channel. In addition to the Exploration Center, investors will have the opportunity to tour the Company's state-of-the-art laboratory, the Norman Asbjornson Innovation Center (NAIC). The NAIC is a 65-foot tall, 135,000 square-foot facility utilized for R&D and testing purposes. The building consists of 10 chambers with thermal performance and acoustic testing, as well as measuring capabilities simulated under various weather conditions. The NAIC provides AAON with the necessary resources to lead the industry in the development of the most technologically-advanced, energy efficient HVAC equipment. No other facility like this exists anywhere in the world.

AAON management will give a formal presentation, including an overview of the Company and industry, disruptive market trends like decarbonization and government regulations, growth strategies, new sales and marketing investments, long-term capacity expansion plans, and management's long-term outlook. The presentation will also provide investors with plenty of time to have questions answered by AAON's management team.

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About AAON

Founded in 1988, AAON is a leader in HVAC solutions for commercial and industrial indoor environments. The Company's industry-leading approach to designing and manufacturing highly configurable equipment to meet exact needs creates a premier ownership experience with greater efficiency, performance, and long-term value. AAON is headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where its world-class innovation center and testing lab allows AAON engineers to continuously push boundaries and advance the industry. For more information, please visit www.AAON.com .

Contact Information

Joseph Mondillo

Director of Investor Relations

Phone: (617) 877-6346

Email: joseph.mondillo@aaon.com

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NEW YORK, April 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The global active optical cable market size is estimated to grow by USD 5.78 billion from 2021 to 2026, according to Technavio. The market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 25.93% during the forecast period. The market is driven by the expansion of data centers. The growth in the volumes of data generation among IT and telecommunication industries has increased investments in the construction of data centers. In addition, the rising adoption of cloud computing among companies has created significant demand for data centers. The rapid expansion in the number of data centers has subsequently increased the demand for active optical cables for faster data transmission. All these factors are driving the growth of the global active optical cable market. For more insights on the market size (2022 to 2026) - Request a sample report

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Global Active Optical Cable Market - Segmentation Assessment

Segment Overview

Technavio has segmented the market based on end-user (data center, consumer electronics, high-performance computing, telecommunication, and others) and geography (APAC, North America, Europe, South America, and Middle East and Africa).

The market growth will be significant in the data center segment during the forecast period. Companies are expanding their data center facilities to meet their growing requirements. For instance, in May 2022, NTT DATA Corporation announced the launch of its first data center in Madrid, Spain. Such expansions by enterprises worldwide are driving the growth of the segment.

Geography Overview

The report provides actionable insights and estimates the contribution of all regions to the growth of the global active optical cable market.

APAC will account for 55% of the market growth during the forecast period. The increasing number of telecom subscribers and the deployment of active optical cables in the communication sector are the major factors driving the growth of the regional market. Also, the ongoing deployment of the fourth-generation (4G) network and the future deployment of the fifth-generation (5G) network will continue to drive the growth of the active optical cable market in APAC.

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Insights on the market contribution of various segments including country and region

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Global Active Optical Cable Market  Vendor Analysis

The global active optical cable market is fragmented. The market is steadily becoming more competitive due to evolving standards, significant changes in smart technologies, rising product awareness among end-users, and product launches in line with customer requirements. The vendors are focused on launching new and innovative products, cost-effective production cycles, and technological developments. They are making huge investments in expanding their production capacity to meet the ever-growing demand for active optical cables. Established vendors are investing in research and development to gain a competitive edge. All these factors are increasing the competition in the market. Some of the key vendors covered in the report include:

3M Co. - The company offers active optical cable, which is lightweight, flexible, and routable. It is designed with high-performance computing clusters and high-speed servers.

Amphenol Corp. - The company offers active optical cables, which are characterized by low power consumption, small size, and high reliability. It is designed to increase the capacity of data centers, improve port density, and reduce power consumption.

Broadcom Inc. - The company offers CXP2 AOC active fiber optic cable, which is permanently embedded into each end for applications with predictable and consistent link distance needs. It provides generations of optical connectivity at data rates up to 100 gigabytes per second and link distances up to 100 meters.

Emcore Corp. - The company offers 120 gigabytes per second CXP active optical cable. It is designed for high-performance computing, high-end ethernet routers, and switch applications that can reach up to 100 meters with an exceptionally low bit error rate.

Global Active Optical Cable Market  Market Dynamics

Leading trends influencing growth

The adoption of 5G networks is a major trend in the market.

The growing demand for larger bandwidth and speed has increased investments in 5G technologies.

Telecommunication service providers and network device manufacturers are focusing on the deployment of 5G networks.

The deployment of 5G networks helps enterprises in enhancing the performance of their high-bandwidth applications such as streaming and downloads.

Active optical cables serve as essential components in the deployment of 5G services.

Thus, the increasing adoption of 5G networks will positively influence the growth of the market during the forecast period.

Major challenges hindering growth

The complexities involved in wired communication networks will challenge the growth of the market.

Active optical cables are pre-installed with fault detection techniques. The fault detection approach used by vendors involves the use of expensive testing equipment such as oscillators and pulse generators.

Also, deploying wired communication networks incur significant installation, workforce, and replacement costs.

These expenses could lead to a reduced return on investments (ROI).

Such challenges are leading to the development of wireless technologies, which is expected to hinder the growth of the market.

Drivers, trends, and challenges have an impact on market dynamics, which can impact

businesses. Find more insights in a sample report!

What are the key data covered in this active optical cable market report?

CAGR of the market during the forecast period

Detailed information on factors that will drive the growth of the active optical cable market between 2022 and 2026

Precise estimation of the size of the active optical cable market and its contribution to the parent market

Accurate predictions about upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior

Growth of the active optical cable market across APAC, North America, Europe, South America, and Middle East and Africa

A thorough analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information about vendors

Comprehensive analysis of factors that will challenge the growth of active optical cable market vendors

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The optical switches market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 11.38% between 2022 and 2027. The size of the market is forecasted to increase by USD 4,896.63 million. The market is segmented by application (data communications, telecommunications, and others), type (large enterprise and SMEs), and geography (APAC, North America, Europe, Middle East and Africa, and South America).

The optical lens market size is expected to increase by USD 6.12 billion from 2021 to 2026, and the market's growth momentum will accelerate at a CAGR of 6.96%. The market is segmented by end-user (consumer electronics, healthcare, life science, and others) and geography (North America, Europe, APAC, South America, and the Middle East and Africa).

Active Optical Cable Market Scope Report Coverage Details Base year 2021 Forecast period 2022-2026 Growth momentum & CAGR Accelerate at a CAGR of 25.93% Market growth 2022-2026 USD 5.78 billion Market structure Fragmented YoY growth 2021-2022 (%) 25.11 Regional analysis APAC, North America, Europe, South America, and Middle East and Africa Performing market contribution APAC at 55% Key countries US, China, Japan, South Korea, and Germany Competitive landscape Leading Vendors, Market Positioning of Vendors, Competitive Strategies, and Industry Risks Key companies profiled 3M Co., Amphenol Corp., Broadcom Inc., Emcore Corp., Fujikura Co. Ltd., Fujitsu Ltd., GIGALIGHT, Hitachi Ltd., International Business Machines Corp., II VI Inc., Koch Industries Inc., Leoni AG, Lumentum Holdings Inc., Optomind Inc, SANWA DENKI KOGYO Co.Ltd., Sopto Technology Co. Ltd., Sumitomo Electric Industries Ltd., TE Connectivity Ltd., The Siemon Co., and Yangtze Optical Fibre and Cable Joint Stock Ltd. Co. Market dynamics Parent market analysis, market growth inducers and obstacles, fast-growing and slow-growing segment analysis, COVID-19 impact and recovery analysis and future consumer dynamics, and market condition analysis for the forecast period. Customization purview If our report has not included the data that you are looking for, you can reach out to our analysts and get segments customized.

Browse through Technavio's Consumer Discretionary Market Reports

Table of contents:

1 Executive Summary

1.1 Market overview

2 Market Landscape

2.1 Market ecosystem

3 Market Sizing

3.1 Market definition

3.2 Market segment analysis

3.3 Market size 2021

3.4 Market outlook: Forecast for 2021-2026

4 Five Forces Analysis

4.1 Five forces summary

4.2 Bargaining power of buyers

4.3 Bargaining power of suppliers

4.4 Threat of new entrants

4.5 Threat of substitutes

4.6 Threat of rivalry

4.7 Market condition

5 Market Segmentation by End-user

5.1 Market segments

5.2 Comparison by End-user

5.3 Data center - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

5.4 Consumer electronics - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

5.5 High performance computing - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

5.6 Telecommunication - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

5.7 Others - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

5.8 Market opportunity by End-user

6 Customer Landscape

6.1 Customer landscape overview

7 Geographic Landscape

7.1 Geographic segmentation

7.2 Geographic comparison

7.3 APAC - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

7.4 North America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

7.5 Europe - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

7.6 South America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

7.7 Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

7.8 China - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

7.9 US - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

7.10 Japan - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

7.11 South Korea - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

7.12 Germany - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

7.13 Market opportunity by geography

8 Drivers, Challenges, and Trends

8.1 Market drivers

8.2 Market challenges

8.3 Impact of drivers and challenges

8.4 Market trends

9 Vendor Landscape

9.1 Overview

9.2 Vendor landscape

9.3 Landscape disruption

9.4 Industry risks

10 Vendor Analysis

10.1 Vendors covered

10.2 Market positioning of vendors

10.3 3M Co.

10.4 Amphenol Corp.

10.5 Broadcom Inc.

10.6 Emcore Corp.

10.7 Fujitsu Ltd.

10.8 Hitachi Ltd.

10.9 II VI Inc.

10.10 Leoni AG

10.11 Optomind Inc

10.12 SANWA DENKI KOGYO Co.Ltd.

11 Appendix

11.1 Scope of the report

11.2 Inclusions and exclusions checklist

11.3 Currency conversion rates for US$

11.4 Research methodology

11.5 List of abbreviations

About Us

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focus on emerging market trends and provide actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

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Technavio Research

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Media & Marketing Executive

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UK: +44 203 893 3200

Email: media@technavio.com

Website: www.technavio.com/

Global Active Optical Cable Market

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ALBANY  If at first you don't succeed, get the lines redrawn so you win next time.

That seems to be the message from Democrats who are quietly waging a court battle to get New York's congressional districts redrawn to their liking. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is apparently the force behind the case, reports the Times Union's Brendan J. Lyons.

You may have thought that this issue was done and dusted, or that Democrats would be so humiliated by the gerrymandering fiasco of 2022 that they would just let it go. If so, you must have forgotten just how shameless politicians can be.

As political obsessives will remember, Democrats in the state Legislature responded to the collapse of an Independent Redistricting Commission  some argue it was designed to fail  by drawing districts that gave the party a massive electoral advantage. Had the egregiously biased districts blessed by Gov. Kathy Hochul remained in place, Democrats likely would have won in 22 of New York's 26 congressional districts.

Fortunately for democracy, courts rebuffed the plan, reminding Democrats that New York voters in 2014 made their distaste for gerrymandering clear in language added to the state constitution. The districts were then redrawn by a "special master" with an eye toward promoting competition.

Hooray! Fairness won the day! End of story?

Well, no, because of what happened on Election Day. Voters in 11 districts sent Republicans to Congress  including, alas, the mendacious George Santos, whose Long Island district was made more balanced by the new maps. The surprising result in New York helped put the House under GOP control.

Context is key. Republicans in New York did well across the board, not just in congressional races. The governor's race, for example, ended up being the closest in a generation, with Hochul winning by 6 percentage points.

With those results suggesting many voters were displeased by progressive policies and that maps alone weren't responsible for so many congressional seats going red, Democrats were left with two reasonable options.

1. They could engage in self-reflection and wonder whether they had drifted too far from the mainstream on issues such as crime and the economy. The party could have asked itself whether it should move to reassure voters  as Hochul is seeking to do with her proposed changes to bail reform.

2. They could attempt to persuade voters that their the party's policies are the correct ones and that Democratic congressional candidates are worthy of success next time around.

Both options are hard work, though, and they require faith in democracy and the will of the electorate. Too risky! So the party, or at least some portion of it, has decided to take the lazy route and ask a court to toss existing congressional districts. The Appellate Division of state Supreme Court in Albany is scheduled to hear the case next month.

If it succeeds, the duty for drawing new maps returns to the hapless Independent Redistricting Commission, which we could reasonably expect to fail again. The task would then fall to Democrats in the Legislature, who, no doubt, would be happy to resume their gerrymandering ways. The minority of voters who bother to pay attention to this stuff would be left with a dizzying case of deja vu.

Some blue partisans will note that Republicans in red states also gerrymander, which, of course, is true. Neither party has a monopoly on shameless electoral shenanigans and neither occupies the moral high ground. But as our third-grade teachers tried to tell us, two wrongs don't make a right, even if little Jimmy hit you first.

Gerrymandering is bad because it undermines democracy. It robs voters of choice by denying them competitive elections. It uses existing political power to ensure future political power. It empowers cynicism and undermines trust.

It would also be confusing to redraw congressional maps that were meant to remain for a decade. Voters in places such as Schoharie County, which is newly within U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik's district, might find themselves in new districts again and choosing from unfamiliar faces for the 2024 election.

Instead of making New Yorkers suffer through any more of this madness, Democrats should just accept that they went too far with those outrageous initial maps and deal with the consequences. If districts had only been mildly gerrymandered, after all, courts wouldn't have been compelled to step in. Greed was not good.

cchurchill@timesunion.com  518-454-5442  @chris_churchill
ARKVILLE  Mountaintop communities in the Catskills are pushing for New York City to rethink how it preserves land in their region.

The majority of New York City's water supply comes from Catskills reservoirs, and the city's Department of Environmental Protection must offer to buy 10,000 acres of land a year in the reservoirs' watersheds to preserve the purity of the water supply, which is unfiltered. The DEP has so far purchased more than 200 square miles in the region.

The Catskills have chafed under land-buying programs since they were launched in the late 1990s, with town leaders saying they inhibit growth, strangle property tax revenues and undermine the self-determination of the region.

A new plan formulated by a group of Delaware County officials aims to limit the number of large land purchases, replacing them with temporary leases, and to give town governments a say over what land is considered.

Windham Town Supervisor Tom Hoyt, whose family has lived in the Catskills since the 1840s, said the land-buying programs have hurt his town.

"It's taken too much valuable land off the market to sustain the community," he said.

Land purchased by the DEP cannot be developed, leaving limited options for new building in the communities and keeping property tax revenues low.

Under the original land-purchasing agreement, the Land Acquisition Program, the DEP was tasked with buying parcels on the open market throughout the region, though landowners wanting to sell had to OK the purchases with town boards if they were in "designated hamlets"  town centers in the region.

Hoyt said land purchases under this program made large areas around Route 12 in the town undevelopable before the area of the designated hamlet was expanded.

In part because of opposition to the Land Acquisition Program, the Streamside Acquisition Program was launched in the early 2010s. The program, which is in a pilot phase and only applies to the watershed of the Schoharie Reservoir, targets purchases near streams, doing away with purchases throughout the Catskills as a whole.

But Catskills locals also had issues with this program.

The purchased land was still permanently preserved, and town leaders had no say in what was bought outside designated hamlets. Hoyt said town leaders would receive "worksheets" explaining what the DEP had purchased after the fact.

"It's all a communication thing," he said.

The new plan, which was presented to the DEP during a closed-door meeting in Arkville last week attended by more than 50 regional stakeholders, stems from a report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, according to a slideshow presenting the plan. The academy was tasked with reviewing New York City's entire reservoir system  the United State's largest unfiltered water system  releasing a report in 2020.

The report suggested large land buys were no longer a great benefit to the reservoir system and the city's money could be better spent protecting the reservoir in other ways that should further take into consideration the needs of Catskill communities. One of these ways was to pinpoint purchases near streams that feed the reservoirs.

The state Department of Health, which is in charge of maintaining the potability of New York City's water, endorsed the National Academies plan in December 2022.

The plan presented at the meeting suggests limiting the original land-purchasing program to 500 acres a year, and would give towns a much bigger place at the table with regards to all preservation.

Perhaps most importantly, it would replace most purchases with temporary leases between landowners and the DEP. Towns would also have to sign off on any of these leases.

Delaware County Planning Board Director Shelly Johnson-Bennett, who helped craft the new plan, said local stakeholders were still open to purchases, but they would be targeted by the towns themselves, and would mostly involve land that was not developable.

The new plan also allows for stewardship of the protected lands, including through licensing agreements with the landowners. A lack of stewardship for the DEP-purchased land in the past was a sticking point in the Catskills.

"Without stewardship, (the stream acquisition program, SAP) does not have credibility as an effective tool for water quality protection," according to the slideshow presenting the plan. "In other words, if SAP was about water quality, stewardship would be a very important factor. The lack of stewardship gives the impression to our communities that SAP is just a land grab to control and limit our communities futures."

Johnson-Bennett's comments during the presentation put local opposition to the land-purchasing programs in blunt terms, saying Catskill streams, which nearly all Catskill communities are built around, were a vital resource, and "the idea of an outside government owning and controlling this resource is completely unacceptable to the communities."

Hunter Town Supervisor Sean Mahoney said towns in the Catskills would like more oversight about what parcels the DEP would entertain buying, with the towns directing the DEP.

Towns currently struggled with emergency repairs in infrastructure, such as culverts, when DEP land abutted roads, and "the towns would like some flexibility," he said.

He wanted further options for subdividing parcels, which would allow the DEP to preserve a sensitive area without having to purchase the whole tract.

Utility lines cannot currently be run through DEP land, which Hoyt said left the region "not in the 21st century" because of limited fiber optic internet. Johnson-Bennett said she wanted this to be a discussion point between the towns and the DEP as the future of land-buying programs are hashed out.

The DEP said it was "actively engaged in an ongoing process with all stakeholders" with hashing out a new plan, "with a goal that any potential proposal to modify the Streamside Acquisition Program would include consensus of all the stakeholders."

The plan would ultimately have to be submitted at the end of 2023. The state Department of Environmental Conservation would have a final say over the plan.
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BETHEL  More than 50 years ago, nearly half a million people journeyed to a dairy farm field in the Sullivan County town of Bethel to attend the Woodstock Music and Arts Fair  the iconic festival that inspired an entire cultural phenomenon.

There have been several attempts to recreate the magic born from the 1969 festival that became a watershed moment in the 1960s counterculture movement, but nothing has compared. Even the festivals co-creator, the late Michael Lang, couldnt hack it in 1994 and 1999 with Woodstock Two and Woodstock Three.

To better understand this fateful weekend, the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts museum, housed on the historic grounds of the original festival, wants to interview 4,500 Woodstock attendees  or 1 percent of the total live audience  as part of the Woodstock Oral History Initiative. With 75 being the average age of Woodstock attendees, the museum hopes to collect and commemorate a generations unique perspective before its too late.

The oral history project has taken off in a mobile audio-video studio to interview Woodstock alumni across the country, with a goal of recording 500 stories this year. The museum has selected pop-up locations with historical roots in countercultural activity associated with Woodstock. In October, curators held the first pop-up in Santa Fe, New Mexico, the regional hub of The Hog Farm, the hippie commune (considered Americas oldest) recruited to set the fairs peaceful tone in 1969.

This week, the studio will head to Columbus, Ohio, with ComFest, one of the longest running community festivals in the U.S. Later this spring, oral histories will be collected in cities along the west coast  San Diego, Los Angeles, and San Francisco  before returning to New York later this summer for a pop-up in New York City.

One festival, 450,000 stories

Neal V. Hitch, the museums director and senior curator, hopes that by inviting concertgoers to record their stories, the project will bring to light individual experiences that comprise the festivals broader mythology.

Its not one story, he said. Its 450,000 stories.

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the museum has greatly expanded its capacity to interview Woodstock attendees remotely and in person. Before the pandemic, it had recorded 89 oral histories from the Woodstock festival. Since 2020, over 500 additional oral histories have been recorded.

Hitch has noticed an increase in general enthusiasm since the pandemic. In 2020, the museum received an uptick in registration on its Woodstock Alumni page, a forum where attendees can connect and reflect on the festival together.

People began to think about legacy, Hitch said. And with more time to reflect on their lives during the pandemic, people began to contact us in a way that we hadnt experienced before.

In the spirit of the festival, the Oral History Initiative will focus on voices and stories that havent been highlighted in mainstream publications.

Often, we hear that the promoters of Woodstock were the heroes, Hitch said. I think that the people who attended Woodstock were the heroes. Its the audience that maintained the peace; its the audience that had hope for a future.

The project also strives to show future generations the lifelong impacts of a single weekend of music and community.

If you just step back and say, Woodstock was a bunch of bands. They played for three days, all the kids got rained on, and it was muddy, Hitch said. The individual story is very different. There are people that had experiences that defined their lives.

One interviewee, Woodstock alumna Elizabeth Alexander, spent that weekend in 1969 in the festivals medical tent. She was so inspired by the direct care she witnessed that she became a nurse.

She says in her interview that for the rest of her life, she cared for people, Hitch said.

The collection will be preserved at the Bethel Woods museum and eventually archived online for public access.

Museum visitors can experience stories from the expanding archive beginning this weekend at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts annual special exhibit, The Place Where Peace Happened: The Hog Farm and Other Communes. The interactive exhibit will give visitors a glimpse into the various hippie communes that contributed to the culture and legacy of Woodstock. The exhibition opened April 1 and will remain open through the end of the year.

Woodstock attendees who want to record an oral history in person at a pop-up or remotely may email OralHistory@BethelWoodsCenter.org for more information.
Teens from Waterbury, Danbury and Hartford have been known to steal cars and commit other crimes in the Hudson Valley before returning to Connecticut, the Dutchess County Sheriff's Office said.

But Detective Sgt. Adam Harris said his agency is now working with Waterbury, Conn., police to determine if the drowning of 17-year-old Benjamin Payton is connected with a fatal crash of a stolen SUV hours earlier in Rhinebeck.

"This is the first time we've had a fatality," Harris said.

At the height of the COVID pandemic in spring 2020, Harris said his agency saw an increasing number of Connecticut juveniles coming into New York in stolen vehicles to commit other crimes such as vehicle break-ins before heading home.

"There were cars that were stolen from all over Dutchess County that were ending up in Danbury, Hartford and Waterbury and visa versa," Harris said. "Juveniles were coming from those cities to Dutchess County in stolen cars."

Harris believed the surge in activity was related to new laws in Connecticut that released juveniles after committing a car theft. Harris said his department believed the youth were part of an organized group that spawned copy cats who saw others getting away with the crimes.

"There was not a lot of repercussions," Harris said.

But the Dutchess County activity had slowed when the fatal crash occurred early on March 28, Harris said.

The Dutchess County Sheriff's Office received a call about a fatal head-on crash on Route 9 around 6:25 a.m. that day in Rhinebeck, which is about 30 miles from the northwest corner of Connecticut.

Jonathan Kiech, 49, a New Jersey resident, was pronounced dead at the scene after his Chevy van was struck head-on by a Toyota 4Runner that had been stolen the night before in Connecticut, the sheriff's office said.

The 4Runner, driven by a 14-year-old, was going the wrong way on the northbound side of the highway when the crash occurred, the sheriff's office said. The teen suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was remanded to a detention center pending further investigation and potential charges, the sheriff's office said. The teen, whose name was not released due to his age, was believed to be the only occupant in the SUV, the sheriff's office said.

Around noon that day, Waterbury police said one of their officers found an abandoned and unoccupied vehicle that had been reported stolen in Millertown, which is just over the Connecticut border. The officer then discovered a second vehicle nearby that had been stolen in Ridgefield, Conn., and the four male occupants ran as he approached, police said.

Two of the occupants, ages 14 and 16, were caught nearby, Waterbury police said. Two other 17-year-old boys fled into the woods near Lakewood Lake, a local reservoir, and were seen entering the water, police said.

One came to shore and was captured, while Payton never surfaced, police said. His body was located hours later by a regional dive team.

The Waterbury case was similar to what Dutchess County authorities have been seeing, Harris said. Investigators in both states are now trying to determine if the fatal crash and Payton's death are associated with a group of juveniles who have been stealing cars in both states, Harris said.

The Dutchess County Sheriff's Office has been in contact with Waterbury police to determine if Payton or the minors he was with are connected with the fatal crash in Rhinebeck.

Waterbury Police Lt. Ryan Bessette said he had no further information Monday since the investigation is in the preliminary stages.

Harris said his department believes the cases may be related to the string of previous thefts or could be the work of a copy cat group.

"We have a very strict pursuit policy, which makes this very low risk for people since they don't have to stop, so it's very difficult," Harris said. "I don't know if we have any specific information that would say the cases are related, but it is a similar incident."
School districts in Washington and Warren counties closed or delayed the start of classes Tuesday morning after, officials said, the schools received bomb threats.

The delays were reported in school districts in Argyle, Cambridge, Greenwich, Hartford, Hudson Falls, Queensbury, Salem, Whitehall and the Newmeadow school in Fort Edward were among the schools that closed. Several day care centers were also closed.
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ALBANY  The biggest question surrounding the former Kenwood Academy site is what caused the massive fire that destroyed the historic sites convent.

The second question might be who walks away with the $2 million insurance policy a developer purchased last year when it declared bankruptcy.

Attorneys for the former developer and the investment group that paid $100,000 for the property at auction last month both believe their client should get the proceeds from the policy, which may end up in litigation.

During a status conference hearing held virtually Tuesday morning before U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Sean H. Lane, the attorneys for both parties made it clear they should be the ones to send a demand notice to the insurer, requesting payment on the policy, which was set to expire five days after the fire started.

Josephy Moldovan, an attorney for firm that purchased the site March 21, Guild Investment Group, said the group is evaluating its options after the totally unexpected casualty event before moving forward with closing the sale.

The insurance is a significant amount, a significant issue, he told Lane. Not quite significant enough to really enable any kind of real reconstruction on the premises. However, it is a $2 million policy, and we would like to get our hands on that as the loss payee on that policy.

Attorney Wayne Greenwald, who has been representing Kenwood Commons in its bankruptcy proceedings and other litigation related to the property said his client, Jacob Frydman, believes his company should receive the policy payout. Greenwald added Kenwood Commons may file litigation over the policy.

Moldovan took exception to that, arguing that Kenwood Commons has no income, $1,000 in its bank accounts and is administratively insolvent.

"The law is pretty crystal clear. We are the loss payee under this policy," he said. "I really do not want to have to go through more rounds of litigation with an insolvent debtor."

Lane expressed reservations about the issue devolving into contentious litigation and encouraged the two sides to come to an agreement on how to move forward outside of litigation.

This is not rocket science in terms of figuring out the next steps here, he said. And so I will be watching very carefully if everybody's acting in good faith in terms of asserting legal positions.

The two sides will meet May 4 to update Lane on their discussions.

The hearing comes just days after city officials offered $10,000 for information on what caused the fire the destroyed the nearly 175-year-old building March 23.

City officials believe the blaze was set by a person, but have said they do not know whether the fire was accidental or intentional. Much of the physical evidence that might have helped with the investigation was destroyed in the fire and the demolition efforts. The demolition and associated engineering costs are expected to reach about $300,000. That money will be added to the existing $5.5 million tax lien on the property.

The sprawling historic complex had been vacant since the Doane Stuart School left in 2009 after it could not come to a purchase agreement with the religious order that owned the campus. Frydman, a New York City developer, then the property in August 2017 and sold it to Kenwood Commons, a limited liability company he also controlled. But redevelopment never happened and a lender began foreclosure in 2019. Kenwood Common declared bankruptcy in March 2022 and Guild Investment Group assumed Kenwood's debt from the previous lender late last year.
SEATTLE, April 03, 2023--(BUSINESS WIRE)--AGC Biologics, a leading global Biopharmaceutical Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO), announced it signed a service agreement with The Jikei University in Japan. Under the agreement, AGC Biologics will assume a technology transfer and feasibility study for a drug product focused on the treatment of Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis at the CDMO's center of Cell and Gene Excellence in Milan.

In the feasibility study, scientists at the Milan site will focus on identifying proof of concept and viability for developing a prototype for an exosome-based treatment for IPF derived from bronchial epithelial cells. Current research at The Jikei University School of Medicine has revealed extracellular vesicles extracted from a bronchial epithelial cell can potentially play a vital role in IPF pathogenesis. If the feasibility study is successful, pre-clinical studies may commence in the coming year.

"The emerging field of exosomes has the potential to become an important part of the cell and gene industry. We welcome the opportunity to help further the important work of The Jikei University in Japan, a historic research and medical institute in the field of medicine," said Luca Alberici, General Manager of AGC Biologics Milan. "This partnership demonstrates AGC Biologics' ability to offer the scientific ingenuity and support researchers and developers need as they explore new therapies and methods within this field."

Exosomes have shown the promise to make cell and gene therapies more commercially viable for large populations because of their potential to provide a targeted approach to drug delivery. AGC Biologics' Milan location has 30 years of experience in the cell and gene field and expertise with complex advanced therapy projects. The core team has guided three products from development to commercial stages.

"Our research is specifically designed to discover how we can better understand and treat IPF, a condition that can drastically impact lung health. With only two current treatments on the market, it would be a paradigm shifting change to create a new option for patients using the power of exosomes. We look forward to partnering with the talented team at AGC Biologics Milan to explore feasibility," said Principal Investigator, Dr. Yu Fujita from The Jikei University School of Medicine.

Story continues

To learn more about AGC Biologics global cell therapy services visit www.agcbio.com/capabilities/cell-therapy, go to www.agcbio.com/capabilities/viral-vector and learn more about the CDMOs viral vector offerings.

About AGC Biologics

AGC Biologics is a leading global biopharmaceutical Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) with a strong commitment to delivering the highest standard of service as we work side-by-side with our clients and partners, every step of the way. We provide world-class development and manufacture of mammalian and microbial-based therapeutic proteins, plasmid DNA (pDNA), messenger RNA (mRNA), viral vectors, and genetically engineered cells. Our global network spans the U.S., Europe, and Asia, with cGMP-compliant facilities in Seattle, Washington; Boulder and Longmont, Colorado; Copenhagen, Denmark; Heidelberg, Germany; Milan, Italy; and Chiba, Japan and we currently employ more than 2,000 employees worldwide. Our commitment to continuous innovation fosters the technical creativity to solve our clients most complex challenges, including specialization in fast-track projects and rare diseases. AGC Biologics is the partner of choice. To learn more, visit www.agcbio.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230403005743/en/

Contacts

Nick McDonald

AGC Biologics

Email: nmcdonald@agc.com

Mobile: (425) 419-3555
Weather has a large impact on our daily lives. You may wonder, for example, when spring temperatures will be here to stay. Or, when severe weather approaches, you may be concerned about power outages and flooding. In winter, snowstorms can close schools and make your commute a nightmare. And sometimes, unexpected weather events can wreck property and empty your wallet.

None of this should be surprising if you live in upstate New York. But that doesn't mean we can't do a better job of answering your questions about the weather and climate and helping you prepare for what's coming. That's why, as we assess our current weather tools and explore new ones, we want to understand what's important to you. Please take a moment to complete our brief survey.
Things sound awfully odd in the town of Coeymans lately. Odd enough, one would think, to merit attention from those whose job it is to keep an eye on governments and the people who run them.

It was odd enough when, after voters rejected a $7 million proposal to build a new Town Hall, the town decided to pay $2,000 a month to lease new municipal offices on property owned by the towns Planning and Zoning Board chairman, Robert Nolan. As the Times Union previously reported, the town also paid for upgrades to the property, which were previously the headquarters of Mr. Nolans company, Nolan Propane.

That was followed by the resignation last month of the attorney for the Planning and Zoning Board, Andy Brick, after he was told that the Town Board had lost confidence in him. Surrounding that resignation is an allegation that Mr. Nolan has been interfering in a town matter concerning a proposal by a competitor.

The competitor, Long Energy, wants to build a propane storage terminal in Coeymans, but says that Mr. Nolan, along with town Supervisor George McHugh, have been obstructing the project. According to Mr. Bricks resignation letter, Mr. Nolan had complained that it was Mr. Brick who was biased in his work for the Planning and Zoning Board. Neither Mr. Nolan nor Mr. McHugh have answered Times Union requests for comment.

Oddly, too, at least one Town Board member couldnt get an answer from the supervisor on why Mr. Brick was asked to resign  other than that Mr. McHugh claims he didnt ask him to quit  while several Planning and Zoning Board members said they support Mr. Brick and were blindsided by word of Mr. Nolans accusations, which still havent been detailed to them.

Mr. McHugh, for his part, has tried to stall the Long Energy project since it was proposed last year, asking for a three-month moratorium to address some supposedly ill-defined terms in the town code. He later withdrew that request. Long says the supervisor also suggested the state Department of Environmental Conservation would have a problem with the proposed terminal; DEC has since said it does not.

All of this ought to at least be raising red flags beyond town government. Indeed, an attorney for Long suggested that Mr. Nolan may be in violation of state law by not recusing himself from discussions involving a business competitors proposal.

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The apparent conflicts and machinations in Coeymans sound like exactly the sort of thing the state attorney generals Public Integrity Bureau was created to look into. By its own description, the bureau exists as a place where New Yorkers can be sure their concerns about public corruption can be investigated without the fear of local politics influencing the outcome. It also teams up with financial experts from the state comptrollers office in cases that potentially involve the handling of public funds.

It may sound like just so much small-town petty politics, and ultimately thats all it may be. But it bears investigation. No public official, at any level of government, should be abusing their position for private gain.
ALBANY  Ongoing negotiations on a final state budget will keep going at the Capitol after Gov. Kathy Hochul moved on Monday to extend a key deadline to April 10.

The holdup has been attributed almost entirely to a stalemate over Hochuls desire for additional rollbacks of the 2019 changes to the states bail laws, as well as some disagreement about her ambitious housing plan that would enlist local communities to create 800,000 new homes over the next 10 years.

Legislative leaders had previously seemed unfazed by the prospect of a late budget, telling reporters last week that an on-time final package was less important than crafting one that satisfied both houses' major asks.

I have been negotiating in good faith with the Legislature, but it is clear there is more work to be done before we reach an agreement, Hochul said in a statement released Monday afternoon that cited the need to boost public safety, reduce high housing costs and maintain high-quality schools as the core issues in budget talks.

In a separate statement, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins said she was disappointed in the delay.

Assembly Speaker Carl E. Heastie told reporters that the required short-term budget "extender," introduced as a bill in both chambers Monday afternoon, will get lawmakers and staff through a week crammed with religious observances, including Passover and Easter Sunday.

But the extender has few practical effects other than dragging out the protracted deal-making process, according to some Capitol observers.

What is an extender?

Though a final package was technically due on March 31  the day before the start of the state fiscal year  this years budget deadline fell on Monday, at least in order to process thousands of checks for state employees who work in institutions, according to the Office of the State Comptroller.

When the budget is late, however, legislative leaders must agree to authorize an extender, the stopgap measure needed to pay employees and fund state services. Monday's extender gives the state enough time to meet its first payroll deadline this week. But another payroll deadline looms after April 10, leaving open the possibility of a second extender.

Much of the negotiation process has remained relatively opaque this year, said Blair Horner, who heads the New York Public Interest Research Group.

Everything's being negotiated in secret, so we don't really know the state of play, Horner said.

Who is affected by a late budget?

Under the extender, institutional state employees due to receive a paycheck this week by Thursday will not be affected. And regular payouts of various contracts and grants will proceed as planned this week.

But one key date in budget negotiations is April 12, when lawmakers get their next paychecks  which are much higher after they voted in December to raise their salaries by $32,000. Lawmakers do not get paid without a final budget in place.

Another 83,000 state agency workers who also need to be paid next week will rely on a final budget or at least another extender being in place by April 10 to receive checks.

I don't have a time frame; I don't have a time limit, Heastie said when pressed on whether April 10 would mark the end of this years budget process or not.

Budget fights and delays to final agreements are par for the course at the Capitol, said E.J.McMahon, who heads the fiscally conservative Empire Center for Public Policy.

McMahon characterized the core issue of those delays as the Legislature's desire to spend more with the governor's agreement, and the governor's desire to avoid a veto-override fight.

Yet beyond state workers and lawmakers themselves, a delayed budget likely does not affect the broader public: It's optics, McMahon said.

"The public won't like it, but it doesn't impact their lives," Horner agreed, adding that unless delays stretch for months, public outrage is usually not forthcoming. It can, however, feed general cynicism about Albany, he noted.

Progressive advocates who have long opposed any more significant changes to the bail statutes criticized the holdup as an indicator that future rollbacks may be on the horizon. Those criticisms were partially echoed by some Republican lawmakers who during Monday's extender vote blamed Democratic rule in both chambers for the delays.

"The secretive budget process has produced another embarrassing result," said Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay in a statement. "Meeting the April 1 deadline is a basic responsibility of the governor and the Legislature. But with no final agreement in sight, New Yorkers still have more questions than answers.
In the latest in restaurant and food news:

Kitchen 216, which has already had two Albany locations in less than five year, was poised to open in late September at its latest home, a standalone building at Crossgates Commons in Albany, but a ribbon-cutting ceremony was called off only hours in advance. Problems with the building, formerly home to the second location of Latham-based Zaitoon Kitchen, were said to be the cause of the delay. It is now scheduled to open on April 10, with takeout-only food available from 1 to 5 p.m. Offering a modern version of soul food, Kitchen 216 opened in 2018 at 216 Lark St. in Albany. The restaurant moved to 85 Central Ave. in 2019, then closed there in autumn 2021 to relocate to the Crossgates Commons building. Its sibling eatery, QuitaB's, now occupies 216 Lark. The address for Kitchen 216 is 161 Washington Ave. Ext. Days, hours and menu were not immediately clear. The owners of Kitchen 216 and QuitaB's are a married couple, Emrys and Wasiim Young.

The Dutch Udder Craft Ice Cream, which started serving at pop-up events in 2016 and opened a shop at 282 River St. in Troy in May 2017, will be expanding into the next-door space, according to a Facebook post from Sunday. It's unclear when the shop, closed for the winter since late December, will reopen with its new, larger quarters, and management did not reply to a request for more details. In related news in the announcement, the company has purchased land in South Troy on which to build a larger facility for ice cream production, currently done in a Cohoes residential building with a commercial kitchen. The Dutch Udder expects to be making ice cream in the new facility next year, the announcement says.

Chianti il Ristorante in Saratoga Springs will celebrate its 25th anniversary with a party from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, April 30, at the restaurant, located 18 Division St. There will be food and wine tastings, and the first 100 poeple will receive a commemorative wine glass. Chianti was opened on South Broadway in Saratoga in 1998 by David Zecchini, an Italian native who moved to the Spa City from California. It relocated to its downtown spot on Division Street in 2008. Tickets for the anniversary fete are $35 per person, available online. Proceeds will benefit the Dake Family Foundation.

Brunswick BBQ & Brew in Cropseyville closed March 24 after a nearly 15-year run. Owner Gary "Goose" Gosselin opened the business, in a building at 3925 Route 2 that has been a tavern of sorts for about 200 years, in mid-May 2008. He posted a farewell and thank-you note on March 15 but did not offer a reason for the closure. A veteran brewer, Gosselin intended to make beer at the business  hence the name  but regulatory problems thwarted the plans.
Tanaiste and Foreign Affairs Minister Micheal Martin is to bring a memo to Cabinet on Wednesday to establish an oversight group to ensure changes are carried out within the Irish military.

An independent report published last week detailed allegations of sexual misconduct, bullying and discrimination within the Defence Forces.

The Government has pledged to set up a judge-led statutory inquiry into the allegations outlined, which ministers have expressed shock and outrage at.

Mr Martin said on Tuesday that a date has not yet been chosen on when a public inquiry would be established, but said he was liaising with the Attorney General on establishing the initial steps.

Speaking to reporters at a Fianna Fail event in Dublin to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, Mr Martin said the aim of the group is to ensure change is enacted.

The agenda [that] has been laid in respect of a whole range of issues to be implemented following the IRG report and other issues are followed through and implemented, he said.

And the key one being that on the ground within the Defence Forces, that they are seen to happen.

There have been a lot of strategic policies and frameworks, articulated and developed but what has come back to me from people on the ground basically, is that theyre not seeing it on the ground in terms of change.

And we need to see it manifested in terms of the rank and file members of our Navy or Army Air Corps.

And that to me is the litmus test for the cultural transformation that has to occur here.

And the oversight group is a key body that will hold us all into account in terms of the implementation of these recommendations, Mr Martin added.
[April 04, 2023] Adludio Raises 2m to Build on Rapid US Growth and Launch New Platform

Adludio, the global AI-powered platform delivering attention-led and data-driven mobile advertising, has secured a further 2 million investment from Mercia, following an initial investment of 4 million in 2021. This new funding round will enable Adludio to capitalize on its rapid growth in the US and launch a new fully-automated version of its platform. Powered by AI and data science, this will offer marketers a one-stop-shop for the automated design and delivery of ad campaigns that guarantee engagement. Having produced advanced mobile creative for major brands including Ford, Land Rover Jaguar, Estee Lauder, Nike, Adidas and Microsoft, the announcement will see Adludio help even more marketers win the battle for brand attention. Currently sharing its expertise and technology with the IAB to develop this field, Adludio is redefining attention as a metric for success. Paul Coggins, Adludio's CEO, said: "At a time when privacy regulation is increasingly limiting the use of personal data, our sophisticated and unique combination ofcreative, media and AI is leading brand performance on mobile. With this additional investment from Mercia, the next stage of our AI-led platform, offering fully-automated capabilities, will provide brands and agencies the chance to translate user attention into profit."



Founded in 2015, the company now has a presence across five US cities - New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta and Detroit - and also delivers services via resellers in Hong Kong and Singapore. In 2022, Adludio achieved 50% growth in the US and, across the globe, has continued to increase its revenues. It has also boosted its management team with a number of leading industry figures, including Ian Liddicoat as Chief Technology Officer and Dave Ramsay as Chief Product Officer. The new version of Adludio's platform, due to be launched in 2024, will fully automate many of its processes and offer customers a software-as-a-service (SaaS) product to manage their own campaigns.

This latest investment comes as the adtech industry contends with continued economic uncertainty, the introduction of stricter privacy rules in many countries as well as the declining use of cookies, and aims to help Adludio consolidate its position at the forefront of the market. Mercia was investing from its Northern Venture Capital Trust (VCT) Funds. Martijn Kleibergen of Mercia said: "With stricter privacy rules, relying on 'cookies' to deliver targeted advertising is no longer a viable option. Adludio combines strong creative campaigns with algorithms that optimize campaigns in real time to engage consumers without using personal data. This investment will enable it to continue its growth in the US and expand its client base with the launch of its new self-service platform." ENDS About Adludio Adludio is an AI-driven technology company that delivers premium mobile advertising. As the primary means of consuming content, mobile needs to deliver interactive experiences to engage audiences, but the majority of mobile advertising remains static. Combining data-driven creativity, proprietary technology and automation with pioneering engagement metrics, Adludio delivers privacy-compliant mobile campaigns with engagement at its heart. With offices in London, Los Angeles, New York, Atlanta, Detroit and Chicago, Adludio is defining the next generation of mobile brand solutions in North America and EMEA. To find out more information, visit Adludio.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230404005159/en/

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[April 03, 2023]

NEWSWEEK DEBUTS HOMEPAGE REDESIGN

Iconic Media Brand's Reimagined Homepage is First in a Series of Updates Planned for Newsweek's 90th Anniversary Year

NEW YORK, April 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today Newsweek launched a new streamlined homepage design. This redesign is the kick-off to a series of updates and innovations that Newsweek will be rolling out as the iconic media brand celebrates its 90th anniversary year.

The new homepage experience was orchestrated by a cross-functional team that included representation from all areas within the news organization. As a result, the homepage now features intuitive design  a more user-friendly interface that makes it easier for readers to navigate the site and find specific stories. In addition, it allows them to access Newsweek's newsletters, podcasts, and video programming more easily.

The redesign also offers significant opportunities for brand marketers to meaningfully engae with Newsweek's vast audience within new impactful ad formats.







"Newsweek is, and remains, committed to excellence in journalism and presenting different perspectives on the key issues of the day. This redesign represents our ongoing dedication to providing readers with a vibrant, easy-to-navigate online destination  one uniquely positioned to immerse them in news and views from across the political and cultural spectrum," said Dev Pragad, CEO, Newsweek.

To visit the new homepage, go to newsweek.com.

About Newsweek

Newsweek is the modern global digital news organization built around the iconic, 90-year-old American magazine. Newsweek reaches 50 million people each month with its thought-provoking news, opinion, images, graphics, and video delivered across a dozen print and digital platforms. Headquartered in New York City, Newsweek also publishes international editions in EMEA and Asia.

Media Contact:

Laura Goldberg

LBG Public Relations for Newsweek

[email protected]

+1-347-683-1859

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/newsweek-debuts-homepage-redesign-301788725.html

SOURCE Newsweek
[April 03, 2023] TerraPay raises $100 million in series B funding to expand global payments infrastructure

LONDON, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- TerraPay, a leading global payments infrastructure company, has successfully closed its Series B equity financing round, raising in excess of $100 million in equity and debt financing. The funding round was led by IFC and supported by Prime Ventures, Partech Africa, U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) and a consortium of other investors. The funding will help further TerraPay's global expansion plans, especially across the LATAM and MENA regions, strengthen its existing pay-out network to 150 countries by 2024, support and accelerate its growth, and invest in the marketing and adoption of alternate payment methods for mobile wallets, like Request-to-Pay  an interoperable mobile wallet solution, at a larger scale. Furthermore, TerraPay also aims to expand its regulatory and compliance infrastructure including key license applications across the world. Currently, TerraPay's agile payments infrastructure and solutions platform offers business/merchant pay-outs, acquiring and issuing services, among others. The company has built a far-reaching network of partners and customers, present in more than 108 receiving countries and 205 sending countries with 62 settlement currencies. Ambar Sur, Founder and CEO of TerraPay, said, "We are thrilled to announce the successful completion of our Series B financing round. This latest funding is a testament to our exceptional achievements and the unwavering dedication of our team in delivering innovative payment solutions to customers globally. The continuous support from our investors and lending partners has enabled us to expand our infrastructure, enhance our network coverage, and accelerate investment in our operations, product development, and technology. We look forward to continuing our valuable strategic partnership with our investors and delivering continuous value to all our stakeholders, including customers, partners, investors, and employees." The cost of migrant remittances to developing markets remains expensive and well above the UN Sustainable Development Goals target of 3%. As a leading payments infrastructure company, TerraPay is committed to driving financial inclusion and specializes in enabling the delivery of cross-border remittances and instant money transfers, ecurely, and at a low cost. With the new funding, the company is well-positioned to capitalize on the growing demand for its remittance and payments solutions and continue its mission of making cross-border payments more accessible, secure, and affordable for all.



IFC has been one of TerraPay's key investors since 2019. Talking about the Series B funding, William Sonneborn, IFC's Global Director of Disruptive Technologies and Funds said, "Low-cost cross-border payments are critical to financial inclusion and global trade. We are delighted to announce our continued support for TerraPay, as they deliver efficient payments instantly and securely, between individuals, businesses, and financial institutions, while also strengthening regulatory and compliance infrastructure. They are building a unique global highway for inclusive payments." "Since we originally invested, TerraPay has gone from strength to strength and we are extremely excited to continue to support Ambar and his team in this journey," says Pieter Welten, Partner at Prime Ventures. "TerraPay's global payment infrastructure is addressing real-world problems in emerging markets and its innovative payments solutions have the scalability, flexibility and usability its partners need. Cross-border payments represent a huge, global market opportunity and therefore we strongly believe the company will continue its profitable, fast growth trajectory in the coming years."

Cyril Collon, General Partner, Partech said, "TerraPay has built what is today the leading global payments infrastructure allowing individuals and businesses across 200+ countries to settle any payment instantly in a secure & reliable manner. With this new funding round, Partech is proud to keep supporting this exceptional visionary team led by Ambar and help TerraPay to further accelerate its highly profitable growth ambition. Powering real-time transactions, small or large value, across the globe, requires innovative & inclusive pay-in and pay-out solutions with the highest compliance and security standards, and this is exactly what TerraPay has delivered every single day since we invested." "DFC is excited to support TerraPay's mission to expand access to financial services and inclusion around the world. Through its digital capabilities, the company enables users to seamlessly transmit cross-border payments connecting communities' oceans apart," said James Polan, Vice President of DFC's Office of Development Credit. TerraPay's success in raising over $100 million in the Series B funding underscores its position as a leading player in the global payments infrastructure space. The company has been profitable and is now poised to take its payments platform to the next level, expanding its capabilities and providing more seamless cross-border payment solutions to people all over the world. About TerraPay Headquartered in The United Kingdom, TerraPay believes that the smallest payment deserves a borderless journey as safe as the largest. The group has been building an ever-expanding payments highway that empowers businesses to create transparent customer experiences with an uninterrupted, secure, and real-time global passage for every payment, however small or large. Registered and regulated across 27 global markets, TerraPay is a leading global partner to banks, mobile wallets, money transfer operators, merchants, and financial institutions, creating a more expansive and inclusive international financial ecosystem. With access to payments infrastructure that spans the globe, their partners become beacons of the promise of global financial inclusion. For more information, please visit terrapay.com Media Contact:

Anwesha Mukherjee

[email protected] SOURCE TerraPay

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[April 03, 2023] STANLEY BLACK & DECKER SHAREHOLDER ALERT by Former Louisiana Attorney General: Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC Reminds Investors With Losses in Excess of $100,000 of Lead Plaintiff Deadline in Class Action Lawsuit Against Stanley Black & Decker, Inc. - SWK

Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC ("KSF") and KSF partner, former Attorney General of Louisiana, Charles C. Foti, Jr., remind investors that they have until May 23, 2023 to file lead plaintiff applications in a securities class action lawsuit against Stanley Black & Decker, Inc. (NYSE: SWK), if they purchased the Company's shares between October 28, 2021 and July 28, 2022, inclusive (the "Class Period"). This action is pending in the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut. What You May Do If you purchased shares of Stanley and would like to discuss your legal rights and how this case 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 ([email protected]), or visit https://www.ksfcounsel.com/cases/nyse-swk/ to learn more. If you wish to serve as a lead plaintiff in the class action, you must petition the Court by May 23, 2023.



About the Lawsuit Stanley and certain of its executives are charged with failing to disclose material information during the Class Period, violating federal securities laws.

On July 28, 2022, the Company released its Q2 2022 results disclosing that "significantly slower demand in late May and June [] drove the majority of the challenges we faced this quarter" including that net income for the quarter had plummeted from $459.5M in the year-earlier quarter to $87.6M, and that it was cutting its 2022 earnings per share guidance by nearly half. On this news, shares of Stanley plummeted over 16%, from a closing price of $117.45 per share the evening prior, to a closing price of $98.58 per share on July 28, 2022 on heavy trading volume. The case is Rammohan v. Stanley Black & Decker, inc., et al., No. 23-cv-00369. About Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC KSF, whose partners include former Louisiana Attorney General Charles C. Foti, Jr., is one of the nation's 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. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230403005987/en/

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Alibaba Group Holding's recent decision to split its US$257 billion business empire into six independently-run units has been largely welcomed by investors, but internally, some employees are worried about the future of less profitable departments and job security.

The Hangzhou-based tech giant last week announced its plan to restructure the firm into half a dozen entities, each reporting to their own CEOs and responsible for their own funding. The units include cloud computing, Chinese commerce, smart logistics, local services, global business, and media and entertainment.

"When the kids are grown, they need to leave home to face the market by themselves," Alibaba CEO Daniel Zhang Yong told employees in a widely-circulated video last week. "I hope there will be multiple listed companies emerging from the Alibaba system, and that they will continue to nurture their own sons and daughters, and cultivate more listed companies."

Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team.

Alibaba's share price shot up in both New York and Hong Kong after the announcement of the restructuring plan.

Some employees, however, appear less hopeful.

One Alibaba staff member, whose work is unrelated to e-commerce and who declined to be identified because of the sensitivity of the matter, said some colleagues have started to fret over how potential clients and business partners would view the change.

An advertisement for the Singles' Day shopping event on Alibaba's Tmall e-commerce platform at a subway station in Shanghai in November 2022. Photo: Bloomberg alt=An advertisement for the Singles' Day shopping event on Alibaba's Tmall e-commerce platform at a subway station in Shanghai in November 2022. Photo: Bloomberg>

The name Alibaba carries weight when the team is building business relationships in the industry, the person said, but that advantage could be lost when the team becomes independent.

Story continues

Being spun off into a smaller organisation could also deprive employees of a sense of belonging to a bigger group, the person said, adding that the restructuring might work out better for the domestic commerce unit, which contributed most of Alibaba's revenue.

Over two-thirds of Alibaba's recent revenue came from China-based e-commerce, while the other five units each generated 3 per cent to 8 per cent of the group's sales, according to Scott Kessler, global sector lead at business consultancy Third Bridge.

Employees work in the warehouse of Cainiao Smart Logistics Network, an affiliate of e-commerce giant Alibaba, in Wuxi, China's eastern Jiangsu province. Photo: AFP alt=Employees work in the warehouse of Cainiao Smart Logistics Network, an affiliate of e-commerce giant Alibaba, in Wuxi, China's eastern Jiangsu province. Photo: AFP>

Another employee, who works in a middle-office role at Alibaba and also requested anonymity, expressed concern about job losses, as CEO Zhang has said the company would "lighten" its middle and back-office functions.

In 2022, Alibaba axed almost 20,000 jobs as China's Big Tech companies worked to streamline their businesses and rein in costs under a regulatory crackdown and slowing economy.

One employee, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said breaking down Alibaba into smaller units would not solve the challenges that it currently faces.

That person said collaboration has already been difficult between teams, and the restructuring could erect more walls and make communication even harder.

This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright  2023 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

Copyright (c) 2023. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
[April 04, 2023] ChopValue Announces USD $7.7M Growth Funding to Scale its Circular Global Microfactory Network, 100 Million Chopsticks Recycled

ChopValue marks two key milestones  transforming its 100 millionth chopstick (10 million in Singapore alone) into new produces, and closing a USD $7.7 million funding round to expand its decentralised Microfactory network

The funding round was with the aim to further expand in Asia Pacific and Europe , and funds gained will be used to better serve its B2B operations SINGAPORE, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- ChopValue, a company that creates sustainable products from recycled materials marks two key milestones today: transforming its 100 millionth chopstick into new products and closing a USD $7.7 million funding round to expand its decentralised Microfactory network. In Singapore alone, ChopValue has approximately 10 million chopsticks recycled since the grand opening of the first local Microfactory in 2021. ChopValue is the first circular economy franchise in Singapore and its presence in the market marks a turning point in the conversations on reducing carbon emissions taking place in Singapore. These milestones align with ChopValue's rapid growth since its inception in 2016, as demonstrated by the creation of 150+ jobs across 6 countries through 63 in-development franchises, and the storing of 136,000+kg of carbon into new products from material collected by 1,700+ community restaurant partners. Evelyn Hew, Founder and Managing Director of ChopValue Singapore, shares "The expansion of the Microfactory network demonstrates a steadily increasing awareness for sustainable issues and creating demand for sustainable goods and services, all in line with Singapore's Green Plan 2030." The company also recently signed Strategic Growth Agreements for market entries in Japan, Singapore, Central Europe, and the US. The new scale achieved through its Microfactory network is allowing the company to serve strategic B2B clients for projects such as mlti-restaurant build outs, while continuing to meet end-customer demand.



Felix Bock, CEO and Founder of ChopValue, credits the team's "commitment to demonstrating that the circular economy should become the norm when our natural resources are strained, and our landfills continue to grow." He hopes that the "decentralised Microfactory approach that uses local resources for local production to meet local demand will also give a reason to rethink globalised supply chains," as ChopValue enables small business owners to own local ChopValue franchises. The funding round was led by two high-profile technology entrepreneurs with expansion interest in Asia Pacific and Europe. Also joining the round were corporate venture capital funds and existing investors. The funds will be used to expand ChopValue's operations, particularly to better serve B2B partnerships. The focus will be on increasing production capacity and developing new product lines. The company also plans to invest in research and development with the goal of optimising its micromanufacturing principles and continuing to reduce its environmental footprint.

"ChopValue's innovative approach to circular manufacturing, which has the potential to significantly reduce the carbon footprint of the manufacturing industry, is a vision that's coming to life and has tremendous potential for positive impact," said Andy Burt, one of ChopValue's strategic growth partners. By continuing to expand its network of Microfactories, ChopValue is paving the way for a more sustainable future. The unique approach to commercialising its "waste" to "resource" philosophy allows it to scale responsibly as each Microfactory is tailored to its end market size and needs. ChopValue is looking to announce the opening of 100+ new locations in the near term, and will be hiring a corporate team which will be working locally to boost the demand for ChopValue's products in the APAC region. About ChopValue Singapore The World Economic Forum forecasts the circular economy to be a $4.5 trillion industry by 2030. ChopValue is the world's first circular economy franchise, designing and manufacturing products using an innovative, high-performance material engineered entirely from recycled chopsticks. Since its founding in 2016, ChopValue's "urban harvesting" approach has saved over 100 million chopsticks from landfill, turning them into beautiful and sustainable products for the home and office. Their compelling vision to redefine the term "waste" to "resource" has garnered the attention of top-tier media outlets such as Business Insider, BBC, The Guardian, and Forbes. To learn more about their resource-efficient impact for a carbon-neutral future, please visit www.chopvalue.com and www.chopvalue.com.sg . Our Commitment to the Circular Economy With ChopValue's global network of corporate and franchise Microfactories, the company sources, manufactures, distributes, and employs within local communities. They are expanding with like-minded and purpose-driven partners to redefine waste to resource, one chopstick at a time. ChopValue is actively seeking single and multi-unit franchise development partners who want to lead the change in their community within the US states of CA, FL, HI, NY and TX. The international expansion opportunities for their first-of-its-kind circular concept include Australia, EU, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and the SEA region. Learn more about how you can make a positive environmental impact in your city by visiting www.chopvalue.com/pages/franchising . View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/chopvalue-announces-usd-7-7m-growth-funding-to-scale-its-circular-global-microfactory-network-100-million-chopsticks-recycled-301789178.html SOURCE ChopValue

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[April 04, 2023] Scanbot SDK's new Web Barcode Scanner Demo lets you scan barcodes from your browser

BONN, Germany, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- After successfully launching three new demo apps for iOS and Android in 2022, Scanbot SDK has started off 2023 by releasing a web-based version of its Barcode Scanner Demo App. The Web Barcode Scanner Demo is based on JavaScript and runs in any modern browser, such as Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge. Companies can use the Scanbot SDK to turn any mobile device into a reliable and easy-to-use barcode scanner. With the Web SDK, no native iOS or Android app is required, since its powerful scanning features can be easily integrated into any websites or web app. The new demo showcases the speed and reliability customers can expect when integrating the SDK into their solutions. With the SDK, companies enable their users to scan all common 1D and 2D barcodes individually and in batches, right from their browsers. With the "Multiple Scanning" feature, all barcodes in view are scanned simultaneously. "Batch Scanning" lets users capture multiple barcodes one after another, with the esults saved to the scan history. From there, they can quickly copy a barcode's value to their clipboard or launch a Google search for it right away.



The Barcode Scanner's user interface was adapted to work in any browser. Users can easily switch between cameras, turn recognition of specific barcode types on and off, and adjust the scanner's viewfinder and sound feedback. "Our focus as a company has always been to provide fast and reliable data capture for mobile devices," says Christoph Wagner, CEO at Scanbot SDK. "Smartphones now account for well over half of all web traffic, so offering a browser-based scanning solution in addition to our iOS, Android, and Windows apps was an easy decision."

The Scanbot SDK Web Barcode Scanner Demo is now available for anyone to try out for free. Companies can also test the full version of Scanbot Web Barcode Scanner SDK by integrating it into their own web application. More information about the product is available at scanbot.io. About Scanbot SDK Scanbot SDK offers quick, reliable, and accurate mobile data capture solutions for iOS, Android, Windows, and Web, helping companies reduce costs by eliminating slow and error-prone manual data entry. More than 200 enterprises worldwide use Scanbot SDK's products for billions of scans every year. Niklas Kreck, +49 (0)228 94800044 Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2045210/Scanbot_SDK.jpg

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[April 04, 2023] IQM Quantum Computers Announces Global Expansion Into Asia-Pacific Region, Opens Singapore Office

IQM Quantum Computers (IQM), the European leader in building quantum computers, today announced the expansion of its global operations into Asia-Pacific (APAC) with an office opening in Singapore, its first in the region and outside Europe, to drive the advancement of quantum technology. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230403005891/en/ Left to right: Raghunath Koduvayur, Head of Asia-Pacific Business and Sylwia Barthel de Weydenthal, Head of Marketing and Communications. (Photo: Business Wire) With Singapore's strategic combination of talent, world-class research, vibrant tech-transfer and well positioned to become quantum ready, IQM aims to build public-private collaborations with the quantum ecosystem to explore applications and accelerate research, development, and education of quantum hardware. Dr. Jan Goetz, CEO and Co-founder of IQM Quantum Computers, said: "Our presence in Asia aligns with our commitment to building world-leading quantum computers for the well-being of humankind, now and for the future, and we are confident this new office will be instrumental in helping drive the development of he quantum community in Singapore and the region."



"In addition, we will tap into the incredible local talent, and we are also excited about bringing our technical track record and world-class expertise to the region, and our regional team will play a crucial role in broadening our global development. We look forward to partnering with important players in the value-chain as we continue to push the boundaries for the ecosystem," added Goetz. Singapore marks IQM's fifth office, with headquarters in Espoo, Finland, and other offices in Munich, Madrid, and Paris. The office opening paves the way for the hiring of new employees in the coming months.

New Appointments: As part of the expansion, Raghunath Koduvayur, formerly the Head of Marketing and Communications, has been appointed the Head of Asia-Pacific Business, while Sylwia Barthel de Weydenthal has been named the new Head of Marketing and Communications for IQM. "Our brand presence has progressed tremendously, and Koduvayur has played a vital role in leading those global efforts. I am pleased that he will continue to be in the management team and lead our APAC operations, bringing his sales and people management expertise to the region. Likewise, in Barthel de Weydenthal, we have gained an executive with vast leadership experience in companies like Coca-Cola, Heineken, Danone, and, most recently, Meta. I'm confident that this experience will help us achieve our goals and remain at the forefront of the industry," said Goetz. "The launch of our office in Singapore underscores our commitment to the APAC region and the aspiration to build a global business. As we continue to grow, I am pleased to leverage our extensive market expertise to drive our business forward and foster mutual relationships with all our stakeholders," said Koduvayur in a speech to government representatives, academics, and solution providers leading the charge to quantum advantage at the Quantum.Tech APAC summit in Singapore today. Koduvayur noted that IQM is prepared to play a significant role and that other efforts as part of the Quantum Engineering Programme (QEP) are needed for Singapore to seize the opportunity presented by the consistent investments made by the country in research in quantum technologies over the course of two decades and the formation of three national quantum initiatives (the National Quantum Computing Hub, the National Quantum Fabless Foundry, and the National Quantum-Safe Network). IQM, founded in 2018, has the only private quantum fabrication facility in Europe and has assembled the largest team of quantum experts in Europe. About IQM Quantum Computers IQM is the European leader in building quantum computers. IQM provides on-premises quantum computers for supercomputing centres and research labs and offers full access to its hardware. For industrial customers, IQM delivers quantum advantage through a unique application-specific, co-design approach. IQM's commercial quantum computers include Finland's first commercial 54-qubit quantum computer with VTT, IQM-led consortium's (Q-Exa) HPC quantum accelerator in Germany, and IQM processors will also be used in the first quantum accelerator in Spain. IQM has over 230 employees with offices in Paris, Madrid, Munich, Singapore, and Espoo. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230403005891/en/

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[April 04, 2023] QUANTUM TEMPLE UNVEILS WORLD'S FIRST COLLECTION OF CULTURAL HERITAGE NFTs TO PRESERVE AND FUND ANCESTRAL COMMUNITIES

First recorded sale of a cultural heritage NFT, 'Royal Topeng', raises $97,000 with 40% of funds distributed directly to local Balinese community and immortalized on blockchain BALI, Indonesia, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Quantum Temple , the Web3 platform preserving cultural heritage, has unveiled the world's first collection of cultural heritage NFTs - 'Paths to Alango' , a debut series of 11 ethnographic films as digital assets, featuring expressions of tangible and intangible culture from Bali, Indonesia. Developed in partnership with The Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy of Indonesia, Quantum Temple has also confirmed the first recorded sale of a cultural heritage NFT for $97,000 (USD), with proceeds transparently directed to preserve and fund ancestral Balinese communities. Using blockchain technology, 40% of the auction proceeds have been distributed directly to the local culture keeper of 'Royal Topeng' and 5% to a social impact fund for their community. The transparent distribution of NFT royalties to culture keepers respects the value of their work, providing more equitable revenue streams for local communities in perpetuity. "We are thrilled to launch Quantum Temple with our debut collection of cultural heritage NFTs, 'Paths to Alango' featuring Bali, and the historic auction of the first NT, 'Royal Topeng'. By immortalizing these cultural traditions and knowledge on the blockchain, we are enabling new pathways for positive stewardship of cultural heritage and transparent distribution of socio-economic benefits for its practitioners and the communities involved. We also hope this redefines the values of cultural tourism in connecting conscious travellers to local communities around the world." Linda Adami, CEO and Founder, Quantum Temple



"When we were introduced to Quantum Temple last year, we did not think twice about giving our full support. Because at the heart of it, this new model values and protects our culture and people. Most importantly, it reminds us that human connection through arts and culture can be experienced in the digital age." Angela Herliani Tanoesoedibjo, Vice Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Republic of Indonesia. The debut collection, 'Paths to Alango' , features Bali, Indonesia with 11 original ethnographic films as collectible NFTs. Each NFT represents a different aspect of Balinese cultural heritage, such as dances, temples, heritage sites, and philosophy, filmed on location against breath-taking backdrops of Bali's cultural landscape.

The NFTs are created in partnership with local communities in Bali, leading anthropologists, and cultural heritage experts, ensuring that they accurately represent the expressions of Balinese culture. The 'Paths to Alango' NFT collection is designed to be a source of income for Balinese cultural heritage keepers and a new approach to preserve and promote these ancestral communities and their knowledge, transparently distributing NFT royalties directly to the communities in perpetuity. Future collections will include physical and experiential NFTs, and support ancestral communities in Peru, Panama and beyond. For media inquiries, please contact:

Adnan Abbasi

[email protected] NOTES TO EDITORS

PRESS KIT

Quantum Temple Digital Press Kit available here .

High resolution images available upon request. DIGITAL CHANNELS

Website: quantumtemple.xyz

Twitter: @quantum_temple

Instagram: @quantumtemple

YouTube: youtube.com/quantumtemple

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/quantum-temple

TikTok: @quantumtemple

Hashtags: #quantumtemple #qtpathstoalango ABOUT QUANTUM TEMPLE Quantum Temple is the Web3 platform preserving cultural heritage. Our platform enables equitable exchanges between conscious collectors and ancestral communities to protect and share knowledge, traditions, and art forms of cultures around the world in perpetuity through blockchain technology. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2045272/Quantum_Temple_Royal_Topeng.jpg View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/quantum-temple-unveils-worlds-first-collection-of-cultural-heritage-nfts-to-preserve-and-fund-ancestral-communities-301787134.html

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[April 04, 2023] Oracle Strengthens Commitment to South East Asia with Second Cloud Region in Singapore

New region will help meet increasing demand for OCI services in South East Asia while addressing growing business continuity and compliance requirements Industries across South East Asia including financial services and telecommunications will benefit from Oracle Cloud Infrastructure's high performance and security, powerful data and analytics, and distributed cloud capabilities Second cloud region in Singapore will join Oracle's 41 existing and nine other planned public cloud regions SINGAPORE and AUSTIN, Texas, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Oracle CloudWorld Tour -- To meet the rapidly growing demand for its cloud services in South East Asia, Oracle today announced plans to open a second cloud region in Singapore. Continuing one of the fastest expansions of any major cloud provider, the new region is one of 10 planned public regions to join the 41 regions that Oracle currently operates. The region will offer Oracle's public and private sector customers and partners a new option to locate their infrastructure, applications, and data for optimal performance and latency. Customers will have access to a wide range of cloud services to modernize their applications; innovate with data, analytics, and AI; and migrate mission-critical workloads from their data centers to Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) . In addition, customers will be able to achieve greater business continuity by using both Oracle Cloud Singapore Regions together while retaining data residency within Singapore. "Our upcoming second cloud region in Singapore will help meet the tremendous upsurge in demand for cloud services in South East Asia," said Garrett Ilg, president, Japan & Asia Pacific, Oracle. "With the new region, Oracle offers customers true business continuity and disaster protection while meeting in-country data residency requirements. As a result, we're extending our commitment to helping organizations in South East Asia embrace technologies like AI, machine learning, and IoT to address their most complex challenges and achieve more with less." The new Oracle Cloud Singapore Region will offer over 100 OCI services and applications, including Oracle Autonomous Database , MySQL HeatWave Database Service , Oracle Container Engine for Kubernetes , and Oracle Cloud VMware Solution . These applications and services will help startups and medium-sized and large organizations across financial services, telecommunications, manufacturing, healthcare, and retail in South East Asia harness data to help uncover new business value and optimize applications, typically without requiring costly re-architecture. The first Oracle Cloud Singapore Region has supported the innovation needs of more than 1,000 customers in South East Asia, including Pacific International Lines and Siam Makro. High Availability and Low Latency Provides Customers with a Resilient Cloud Foundation OCI's next-generation architecture maximizes performance and security. Each Oracle Cloud Region contains at least three fault domains, which are groupings of hardware that form logical data centers for high availability and resilience to hardware and network failures. The second region in Singapore will help customers inrease business continuity while addressing regulatory needs.



Both Singapore regions will provide low-latency networking and high-speed data transfer to allow customers and partners to derive better value from their data. In addition, OCI's distributed cloud solutions, including Dedicated Region and Exadata [email protected], can assist with applications where data proximity and low latency in specific locations are critical. Spurring South East Asia's Digital Economic Growth

In its Top ICT Predictions for 2022 and Beyond at IDC FutureScape 2022, IDC said that by 2023 digital will rule in South East Asia, as one in three companies will generate more than 15 percent of their revenue from digital products and services, compared to one in six in 2020. The strong focus on increasing revenue from digital products and services will contribute towards cloud technology playing an even more integral role in business continuity and resiliency for South East Asian organizations in today's digital-first world. "Oracle's second cloud region in Singapore is a welcomed addition as the country continues to establish itself as one of the top markets for data centres globally, with sustainability at its core. Despite economic uncertainties, cloud spending by South East Asia organizations remains strong as cloud adoption continues to be seen as a business differentiator to meet the challenges of the post-pandemic future. IDC forecasts the Asia/Pacific (excluding Japan) overall public cloud services market will increase at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 23.5% from US$53.4 billion in 2021 to reach US$153.6 billion in 2026," said Estelle Quek, senior research manager, Cloud Buyer Trends and Intentions Research, IDC. A Focus on Driving Sustainable Operations Across the Globe Underscoring its ongoing focus on sustainability , Oracle has committed to matching all worldwide Oracle Cloud Regions with 100 percent renewable energy by 2025, including the new Oracle Cloud Region in Singapore. Several Oracle Cloud Regions are already powered by 100 percent renewable energy, which enables customers to run their computing services more sustainably and with a lower carbon footprint. To further advance its commitment to sustainable operations, Oracle and its Asset Recovery partners recycled 99.9 percent of retired hardware they collected in FY'22. Customers and Partners Welcome Oracle's Second Cloud Region in Singapore "We're excited to hear Oracle's plans to launch another cloud region in Singapore. Singapore Pools had a good experience with the first cloud region. With the launch of the second region, this strengthens our confidence for maximum high availability for our cloud services," said Yeo Teck Guan, chief business technology officer, Singapore Pools. "The upcoming second Oracle cloud region in Singapore is timely for Siam Makro as we are expanding across the South East Asia region. We'll soon be able to scale up on our cloud-based technology as well as consolidate our cloud needs holistically, allowing us to operate more efficiently," said Paul Stephen Howe, group chief information technology officer, Siam Makro. "We're thrilled to embark on this journey with Oracle as its second cloud region will offer endless possibilities for system integrators and independent software vendors like us to scale our operations and achieve greater performance. With Oracle's advanced technologies and our expertise in delivering mission-critical IT services, we are poised to help our customers and advisors navigate the complexities of the digital landscape and optimize their digital journey," said Richard James, managing director, enterprise application services, APMEA, DXC Technology. Oracle Cloud's Rapidly Growing Global Footprint Oracle provides a broad and consistent set of cloud services, with the same low prices, across more than 41 cloud regions in 22 countries. OCI currently operates 34 commercial regions and seven government regions, in addition to multiple dedicated and national security regions. Currently available Oracle Cloud Regions include: Asia Pacific : Tokyo ( Japan ), Osaka ( Japan ), Seoul ( South Korea ), Chuncheon ( South Korea ), Mumbai ( India ), Hyderabad ( India ), Sydney ( Australia ), Melbourne ( Australia ), Singapore ( Singapore )

Tokyo ( ), ( ), ( ), Chuncheon ( ), ( ), ( ), ( ), ( ), ( ) Americas: San Jose ( United States ), Phoenix ( United States ), Ashburn ( United States ), Chicago ( United States ), Toronto ( Canada ), Montreal ( Canada ), Sao Paolo (Brazil) , Vinhedo (Brazil), Santiago ( Chile ), Queretaro ( Mexico )

San Jose ( ), ( ), ( ), ( ), ( ), ( ), Sao , Vinhedo (Brazil), ( ), Queretaro ( ) Europe : Frankfurt ( Germany ), London ( United Kingdom ), Newport, Wales (United Kingdom ), Zurich ( Switzerland ), Amsterdam ( The Netherlands ), Marseille (France), Stockholm ( Sweden ), Milan ( Italy ), La Courneuve, and Paris (France) , Madrid ( Spain )

Frankfurt ( ), ( ), Newport, ), Zurich ( ), ( ), (France), ( ), ( ), La Courneuve, and , ( ) Middle East : Jeddah ( Saudi Arabia ), Abu Dhabi and Dubai (U.A.E), Jerusalem ( Israel )

Jeddah ( ), and (U.A.E), ( ) Africa : Johannesburg ( South Africa )

Johannesburg ( ) Government: Two general U.S. Government regions, three U.S. Department of Defense specific Government regions, several U.S. National Security regions, and two United Kingdom Government regions ( London and Newport, Wales ) Additional Resources Learn more about the Oracle Cloud Regions

Learn more about Oracle Cloud Infrastructure About Oracle Oracle offers integrated suites of applications plus secure, autonomous infrastructure in the Oracle Cloud. For more information about Oracle (NYSE: ORCL), please visit us at www.oracle.com. About Oracle CloudWorld Tour Oracle CloudWorld Tour is Oracle's global celebration of customers and partners. Join us to discover the insights you need to tackle your biggest business challenges, build your skills, knowledge, and connections, and learn more about our cloud infrastructure, database, and applications from the people that build and use them. For live keynotes, session details, news and more visit oracle.com/cloudworld-tour or oracle.com/news . Trademarks Oracle, Java, MySQL and NetSuite are registered trademarks of Oracle Corporation. NetSuite was the first cloud companyushering in the new era of cloud computing. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1766551/3970682/Oracle_Logo_Logo.jpg

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[April 04, 2023] HGC Group Appoints Anthony Yeung as Vice President - Corporate Business

HONG KONG, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- HGC Global Communications Limited (HGC Group) announced the appointment of Anthony Yeung as Vice President  Corporate Business, with immediate effect. He will lead the Group's local ICT corporate business team, including development and implementation of business strategies to further spearhead and facilitate the growth of the business, leveraging HGC's comprehensive digital infrastructure and solutions portfolio. In his new and elevated role, Anthony and his team will further empower the ICT business and take advantage of the Group's digital capabilities to expand the market share and cater to the customers' emerging needs for sophisticated and bespoke solutions in the fiercely competitive digital era. With over two decades of experience in corporate market, Anthony has demonstrated a proven track record of success in the industry. He has dedicated to providing high-end infrastructure and ICT services to key customers and global enterprises across various business sectors, such as government bodies, properties, retail, trading & manufacturing and other service providers etc. Daniel Ng, Senior Vice President of Corporate Business of HGC Group, said, "As the world is going through the digital transformation journey, HGC Group is playing a pivotal role i helping customers with system integration and full suite of ICT solutions. We are delighted to have a leader of Anthony's calibre in taking up the Vice President role and are confident that he will be successful in leading his professional team and pursue inspiring digital strategies that leverage our innovation, infrastructure and ecosystem to capture more business opportunities for HGC Group."



Anthony Yeung, Vice President  Corporate Business of HGC Group, said, "With the support from HGC Group's professional team, I am honored to have the opportunity to expand my involvement and contribution towards driving the Group's ICT business. The Group's robust digital infrastructure, fully-fledged telecom & ICT solutions, and well-equipped Techco capabilities will enable us to provide customers with enhanced value and service levels to meet their business objectives in the ever-evolving business world. " About HGC Global Communications Limited

HGC Global Communications Limited (HGC) is a leading Hong Kong and international telecom operator and ICT solution provider. The company owns an extensive network and infrastructure in Hong Kong and overseas and provides various kinds of services. HGC has 25 overseas offices, with business over 5 continents. It provides telecom infrastructure service to other operators and serves as a service provider to corporate and households. The company provides full-fledged telecom, data centre services, ICT solutions and broadband services for local, overseas, corporate, SME and mass markets. HGC owns and operates an extensive fibre-optic network, five cross-border telecom routes integrated into tier-one telecom operators in mainland China and connects with hundreds of world-class international telecom operators. HGC is one of Hong Kong's largest Wi-Fi service providers, running over 29,000 Wi-Fi hotspots in Hong Kong. The company is committed to further investing and enriching its current infrastructure and, in parallel, adding on top the latest technologies and developing its infrastructure services and solutions. In 2019, HGC Group completed the acquisition of Macroview Telecom Limited (Macroview), a leading digital technology solution and managed services provider. The addition of Macroview further accelerates HGC Group's digital transformation path and positioning as a pioneering ICT and digital services leader. HGC is a portfolio company of I Squared Capital, an independent global infrastructure investment manager focusing on energy, utilities and transport in North America, Europe and selected fast-growing economies. To learn more, please visit HGC's website at: www.hgc.com.hk View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/hgc-group-appoints-anthony-yeung-as-vice-president--corporate-business-301789274.html SOURCE HGC Global Communications Limited (HGC)

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[April 04, 2023] ATFX Won the "Best Global Forex MT4 Broker 2023" Award

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The list of the winners of the Global Brand Magazine Awards 2023, hosted by Global Brands Magazine, was recently announced. Once more, ATFX won the "Best Global Forex MT4 Broker 2023" award. It's worth noting that this isn't the first time ATFX has won such an award. The past few years have seen ATFX win similar awards, such as the "Top 10 Hot Brands of the Year 2022", "The Most Trusted Brand", "Best Institutional Forex Broker", "Best Global Broker", etc. For an international broker with a global multi-asset perspective, ATFX knows that regional recognition is also great marketing for the brand. Of all the past awards, there are many regional ones, covering the Middle East, North Africa, Latin America, Southeast Asia and Asia, etc. ATFX fully appreciates the great value of global awards but cannot downplay the glory of regional awards. After all, each award fully showcase the comprehensive strength of the ATFX platform and verifies customers' trust in our brand.



Currently, ATFX is in a period of high-growth and rapid development. Relying on the market experience accumulated in the past and its brand strength, the broker offers customers fintech-driven services of the highest quality. Our customers have recognised our efforts over the years, for which the broker has gained numerous awards and honours so that more investors have witnessed the growth in the brand's strength. Be that as it may, the past glory is a bygone, and we can only refer to it as a guide for our future actions. ATFX is committed to winning the long-term trust of its global clientele with highly-competitive products and better service experience and will spare no effort in achieving this goal. ATFX

ATFX is an award-winning currency pairs/CFD broker with a global presence offering customer support in over 15 languages. With over 300 tradable financial assets, including currency pairs, precious metals, energy, indices, and shares traded as CFDs, ATFX is regulated by the UK's Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC) in Cyprus, the Financial Services Commission (FSC) in Mauritius, and the Financial Services Authority (FSA) in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. (ATFX Website: https://www.atfx.com)

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/atfx-won-the-best-global-forex-mt4-broker-2023-award-301789394.html SOURCE ATFX

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[April 04, 2023] General Atlantic Completes Acquisition of Iron Park Capital, Formal Integration of GA Credit Team

General Atlantic, a leading global growth equity firm, announced today that it has completed its acquisition of Iron Park Capital Partners, LP ("Iron Park"), a global investment manager with deep experience across public and private credit markets, to form General Atlantic Credit ("GA Credit"). The transaction first was announced on October 26, 2022, and today's close marks the formal integration of the firms. General Atlantic and Iron Park first started working together in 2020 upon the formation of the Atlantic Park strategy, which provides capital to companies at varying stages of their corporate and economic lifecycles. Initially structured as a joint venture between the two firms, Atlantic Park has leveraged General Atlantic's global reach, domain expertise and reputation among owners and entrepreneurs. The GA global platform played a pivotal role in Atlantic Park I by providing advantages across all phases of the investment process, ranging from sourcing to diligence and effective implementation of value-add initiatives. Tripp Smith, founder of Iron Park, serves as Head of GA Credit, and Mike Whitman serves as President. Prior to Iron Park, Tripp co-founded GSO Capital Partners ("GSO"), Blackstone's credit arm, and Mike served as co-head of GSO's European team. Tripp and his partners started GSO in 2005 and grew its AUM to more than $127 billion in 2018, before Tripp launched Iron Park in 2019. The GA Credit senior team also includes Matthew Bonanno, Jeff Rowbottom, Rob Hedlund and Nate Powell, as well as more than 20 investment professionals based in New York and London. The private credit opportunity set continues to evolve after reaching $1.4 trillion of assets under management globally at the end of 2022, up from $250 billion in 2010, and is expected to grow to $2.3 trillion by 2027.1 Additionally, General Atlantic's longstanding investing sectors - including Consumer, Financial Services, Healthcare and Technology - represent more than half of the leveraged finance market.2 "Over the past three years, the General Atlantic and Iron Park teams have worked together under a shared mission to partner with strong businesses and management teams, to provide capital solutions and to drive long-term value," said Bill Ford, Chairman and CEO of General Atlantic. "Current economic conditions have shown how growth, even in high-quality companies, can be constrained by uncertainty in equity markets. As we recognize the formal integration of the GA Credit team, we believe we are well positioned to provide differentiated solutions as more companies seek experienced strategic partners who can help them grow throughout different economic lifecycles." Tripp Smith, Head of GA Credit, commented, "Since our initial partnership in 2020, I have enjoyed working with Bill and the General Atlantic team to bring their over 40 years of growth equity investing experience to bear in credit investing. We believe we are entering one of the strongest market environments to invest in credit, and our integration with General Atlantic is expected to further enhance our experienced team's capabilities to meet the deployment needs of our strategic partners and support entrepreneurs and businesses globally." "Through our decades of experience working with management teams, we know how much they appreciate tailored capital solutions, creativity and real partnership," said Mike Whitman, President of GA Credit. "The global demand for customized debt and equity capital requires a strategic partner with a proven credit strategy and deep sector expertise. We seek to be that partner of choice for businesses across industries globally, particularly as they navigate the shifting market volatility and their growth trajectory." Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. J.P. Morgan Securities LLC and Jefferies LLC served as financial advisors to General Atlantic on this transaction, and Paul, Weiss provided legal counsel to the firm. Houlihan Lokey served as financial advisor, and Kirkland & Ellis LLP as legal counsel, to Iron Park. About General Atlantic General Atlantic is a leading global growth equity firm with more than four decades of experience providing capital and strategic support for over 495 growth companies throughout its history. Established in 1980 to partner with visionary entrepreneurs and deliver lasting impact, the firm combines a collaborative global approach, sector specific expertise, a long-term investment horizon and a deep understanding of growth drivers to partner with great entrepreneurs and management teams to scale innovative businesses around the world. General Atlantic has more than $72 billion in assets under management inclusive of all products as of December 31, 2022, and more than 220 investment professionals based in New York, Amsterdam, Beijing, Hong Kong, Jakarta, London, Mexico City, Miami, Mumbai, Munich, San Francisco, Sao Paulo, Shanghai, Singapore, Stamford and Tel Aviv. For more information on General Atlantic, please visit: www.generalatlantic.com.







________________________ 1 Preqin Global Report 2023: Alternative Assets. Data as of January 19, 2023 2 ICE BofA U.S. High Yield Index. Leveraged Credit Outstanding defined as U.S. HY + Leverage Loans + Private Debt, with Atlantic Park estimate for Private Debt outstanding in 2021 and 2022. Data as of August 31, 2022.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230404005462/en/

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[April 04, 2023] Finanzguru Raises 13 million in New Funding Led By SCOR Ventures and PayPal Ventures

Finanzguru now boasts 1.5 million registered users

Company tripled revenues and achieved operational break-even in 2022 FRANKFURT AM MAIN, Germany, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Frankfurt-based fintech Finanzguru, Germany's leading open-banking enabled, holistic financial advisor, has raised 13 million led by new investors SCOR Ventures and PayPal Ventures, with participation from existing investors including Deutsche Bank, coparion, VR Ventures, Hannover Digital Investments, Venture Stars and former Postbank CEO Frank Strauss. This raise brings Finanzguru's cumulative funding to 27 million since its launch in 2018. Finanzguru will use the funding to accelerate profitable growth in Germany, as well as to further expand its product platform. The company will also significantly strengthen its current team of 70 employees. In 2022, Finanzguru tripled its revenues and is now generating annualized revenues of over 10 million. In addition, the company achieved operational break-even, excluding its growth marketing efforts. Alexander Michel, co-founder and co-CEO of Finanzguru, said, "We have broken new ground with our financial advice products, which are based on a digital analysis of each customer's payment transactions and unique financial situation. Our already strong growth shows that our products are resonating with customers, and we are now focused on expanding our insurance and pension business." Benjamin Michel, co-founder and co-CEO of Finanzguru, said "By adding personal financial advice as an offering in the Finanzguru app, we are meeting a real need in the German consumer market. This has allowed us to greatly expand our business over the past 18 months. We are pleased to be able to continue to drive growth with the support of two new high-profile investors".



Will Thorne, Head of SCOR Ventures, added, "SCOR Ventures invests in innovative companies solving risk for individuals, businesses, and our planet. We believe Finanzguru has a unique opportunity to support financial resiliency and community wellbeing by offering products that close the care and protection gap for all users." Alexandros Bottenbruch, Principal at PayPal Ventures, commented, "Finanzguru has pioneered a data-driven, open banking solution that democratizes access to financial well-being by removing complexity from personal financial management. We're excited to support Finanzguru on the next stage of their journey as they work to ensure that everyone, regardless of background or economic standing, can take control of their financial lives."

Initially launched in 2018 as a pure multibanking app, in recent years Finanzguru has expanded into an independent platform that allows its customers to manage all of their banking accounts and contracts. Since mid-2021, the company has also offered its customers independent advice on insurance and financial products based on a digital analysis of their banking data, which can be accessed in a state-of-the-art setting by phone or video chat. Finanzguru has grown to more than 1.5 million registered users and is Germany's fastest growing financial startup in terms of downloads. More than 100,000 of the app's users are already utilizing Finanzguru's brokerage services and buying financial and insurance products. Given that Finanzguru's customers have already linked their bank accounts to the app, they are able to receive personalized, in-depth financial advice based on an analyses of their bank data, and can purchase insurance policies without any additional administrative effort. About Finanzguru dwins GmbH is a financial technology company based in Frankfurt am Main, which was founded in 2015 by the brothers Alexander and Benjamin Michel, Sandro Sonntag and Florian Hirsch. Today, the company has around 70 employees at its locations in Frankfurt am Main and Nuremberg. The founders are shareholders in the company, while several international financial investors hold minority stakes. The product of dwins GmbH is the app Finanzguru, which was launched in 2018 - a digital and individual financial assistant based on artificial intelligence. Finanzguru is the control centre for its users' money: they can use it to keep track of their income, expenses and contracts, save and invest, and take out insurance and other financial products. For this purpose, user can connect any online banking account in Germany to Finanzguru. The Finanzguru app already has more than 1.5 million registered users, making it the largest bank-independent financial app in the German market. Press contact Finanzguru

Alexander Michel

Managing Director

[email protected]

+49 171 939 0 540 View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/finanzguru-raises-13-million-in-new-funding-led-by-scor-ventures-and-paypal-ventures-301789428.html SOURCE Finanzguru

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[April 04, 2023] Local bank recognized by SBA

The Union Bank Company is announcing their accomplishment of achieving the status of Preferred Lender with the Small Business Administration (SBA). The SBA connects entrepreneurs with lenders and funding to help them plan, start and grow their business. They are the nation's most expansive network of financing and management support and help more than 50,000 businesses annually. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230404005561/en/ Pictured from left to right are members of both The Union Bank Co. and the U.S Small Business Administration of Columbus: Rob Gray, Lori Watson, Margie Nwoko, Jerome W. Jones, Everett M. Woodel, Jr, David M. Townsend, Rose Roman, Daron McGuire, Terry A. Bolden, and Mike Sullivan (Photo: Business Wire) "It's quite an honor to have this distinction with the SBA, as it allows The Union Bank Co. to provide even more opportunities to businesses across Central and Nrthwest Ohio," said Rose Roman, Governmental Lending Manager at The Union Bank Company. She added, "We know the industry and how to connect the right funding options with the needs of the businesses that we serve."



The Washington Business Journal states, "Small banks may work best for small businesses before, during and after a crisis." The Union Bank Co. helps to provide SBA loans which can be used for numerous phases of acquiring or starting a business. It can also be used to obtain working capital to support accounts receivable and inventory, equipment purchases to expand, owner-occupied commercial real estate, and leasehold improvements for buildouts. On Wednesday, March 29, SBA members, Jerome W. Jones, Everett M. Woodel, Jr., David M. Townsend and Terry A. Bolden traveled to The Union Bank Company's Gahanna branch, 461 Beecher Road, to announce that the bank is now designated an SBA Preferred Lender and to honor the achievement with a plaque.

This Preferred Lender designation is held by only 23 of Ohio's 192 affiliate lenders. "The Union Bank Co. is consistently at the top of the SBA Columbus District's list of high-performing community banks," said SBA District Director Everett M. Woodel, Jr. "Receiving this designation will enable the bank to further provide much-needed capital and SBA-backed resources to small business as they move beyond the COVID-19 crisis." To learn more about this Ohio-based bank or for assistance with your business's financial needs, visit https://www.theubank.com/. ABOUT THE UNION BANK COMPANY Since 1904, The Union Bank Company has been here to provide full-service banking to the people and businesses throughout the communities we serve. Today, the bank has grown to include 18 offices across northwest and central Ohio, including Bowling Green, Columbus Grove, Delphos, Findlay, Gahanna, Gibsonburg, Kalida, Leipsic, Lewis Center, Lima (Bellefontaine Avenue, Elida Road, Shawnee Road), Marion (Main Street, Richland Road), Ottawa, Paulding, Pemberville and Westerville. The Union Bank Company is headquartered in Columbus Grove, Ohio, and remains committed to providing the very best banking service and products to all the communities we serve. The Union Bank Company is Member FDIC and an Equal Housing Lender. Learn more at www.theubank.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230404005561/en/

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Vantage Market Research, The North Star for the Working World

WASHINGTON, April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Global Ambulatory Surgical Center Market is valued at USD 2.54 Billion in 2021 and is projected to attain a value of USD 7.53 Billion by 2028 at a CAGR of 27.6 % during the forecast period, 2022-2028.

Market Overview

Ambulatory Surgical Center are healthcare facilities that provide surgical and other medical procedures on an outpatient basis. These centers are typically smaller than hospitals and have lower costs. ASCs are often used for procedures that do not require an overnight stay in the hospital.

The demand for outpatient surgeries is increasing due to the rising cost of inpatient care. Inpatient care is more expensive than outpatient care, and patients are often eager to avoid the hassle and expense of a hospital stay. ASCs offer a more convenient and affordable alternative to inpatient care.

The aging population is another factor driving the growth of the ASC market. As the population ages, the number of people with chronic diseases is also increasing. Chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancer often require surgery. ASCs are well-suited for the treatment of these conditions, as they offer a lower-risk environment than hospitals.

The increasing prevalence of chronic diseases is also driving the growth of the ASC market. Chronic diseases often require surgery, and ASCs are well-suited for the treatment of these conditions. ASCs offer a lower-risk environment than hospitals, and they are often more affordable.

The ASC market is segmented on the basis of type of center, specialty, and geography. Based on type of center, the market is segmented into single-specialty centers and multispecialty centers. Single-specialty centers focus on a specific type of surgery, such as orthopedic surgery or gastroenterology. Multispecialty centers offer a range of surgical procedures.

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Market Dynamics

The ambulatory surgical center (ASC) market is driven by a number of factors, including the increasing demand for outpatient surgeries, the rising number of aging populations, and the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases.

The demand for outpatient surgeries is increasing due to the rising cost of inpatient care. Inpatient care is more expensive than outpatient care, and patients are often eager to avoid the hassle and expense of a hospital stay. ASCs offer a more convenient and affordable alternative to inpatient care.

The aging population is another factor driving the growth of the ASC market. As the population ages, the number of people with chronic diseases is also increasing. Chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancer often require surgery. ASCs are well-suited for the treatment of these conditions, as they offer a lower-risk environment than hospitals.

The increasing prevalence of chronic diseases is also driving the growth of the ASC market. Chronic diseases often require surgery, and ASCs are well-suited for the treatment of these conditions. ASCs offer a lower-risk environment than hospitals, and they are often more affordable.

The ASC market is also being driven by technological advancements. New technologies are making it possible to perform surgeries that were previously only possible in hospitals. These advancements are making ASCs a more viable option for patients and providers.

The ASC market is facing some challenges, however. One challenge is the increasing competition from hospitals. Hospitals are increasingly offering outpatient surgery services, which is putting pressure on ASCs. Another challenge is the rising cost of healthcare. The rising cost of healthcare is making it difficult for ASCs to maintain their profitability.

Despite these challenges, the ASC market is expected to continue to grow in the coming years. The growth of the market will be driven by the factors mentioned above, as well as the increasing demand for quality healthcare.

Top Players in the Global Ambulatory Surgical Center Market

Community Health Systems Inc.

Envision Healthcare Corporation

Terveystalo

Tenet Healthcare Corporation

MEDNAX Services Inc.

TeamHealth

Quorum Health Corporation

UnitedHealth Group

Surgery Partners

Healthway Medical Group

Budget Limitation? Contact us for Special Discount and Pricing

Top Report Findings

The global ambulatory surgical center market size was valued at USD 7.53 Billion in 2021 and is expected to expand at a CAGR of 27.6 % from 2022 to 2028.

The low expenditure as compared to hospitals, favorable reimbursement scenarios, and reduce risk of infection are key drivers for the global market.

The increasing demand for multispecialty ambulatory surgery centers is likely to drive the market growth during the forecast period.

North America is the largest market, followed by Europe. Asia Pacific is the fastest-growing market.

Here are some of the key trends that are expected to shape the ambulatory surgical center market in the coming years:

The increasing demand for outpatient surgeries

The rising number of aging populations

The increasing prevalence of chronic diseases

Technological advancements

Increasing competition from hospitals

Rising cost of healthcare

The ambulatory surgical center market is expected to grow at a significant rate in the coming years. The growth of the market is attributed to a number of factors, including the increasing demand for outpatient surgeries, the rising number of aging populations, and the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases. Technological advancements and increasing competition from hospitals are also expected to drive the growth of the market.

Top Trends in Global Ambulatory Surgical Center Market

Increasing demand for outpatient surgeries: The demand for outpatient surgeries is increasing due to the rising cost of inpatient care, the aging population, and the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases. Outpatient surgeries are less expensive than inpatient surgeries, and they allow patients to return home the same day. This is a major advantage for patients who have other commitments, such as work or family.

Rising number of aging populations: The aging population is another factor driving the growth of the ASC market. As the population ages, the number of people with chronic diseases is also increasing. Chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancer often require surgery. ASCs are well-suited for the treatment of these conditions, as they offer a lower-risk environment than hospitals.

Increasing prevalence of chronic diseases: The increasing prevalence of chronic diseases is also driving the growth of the ASC market. Chronic diseases often require surgery, and ASCs are well-suited for the treatment of these conditions. ASCs offer a lower-risk environment than hospitals, and they are often more affordable.

Technological advancements: New technologies are making it possible to perform surgeries that were previously only possible in hospitals. These advancements are making ASCs a more viable option for patients and providers.

Increasing competition from hospitals: Hospitals are increasingly offering outpatient surgery services, which is putting pressure on ASCs. ASCs need to find ways to differentiate themselves from hospitals in order to remain competitive.

Rising cost of healthcare: The rising cost of healthcare is making it difficult for ASCs to maintain their profitability. ASCs need to find ways to control costs in order to remain competitive.

These are just some of the top trends that are expected to shape the ambulatory surgical center market in the coming years. The market is expected to grow at a significant rate, and it is important for stakeholders to be aware of the trends that are driving this growth.

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Regional Analysis

North America: The North American ASC market is the largest in the world, dominated by the United States. The market is driven by the high demand for minimally invasive surgeries and the rising prevalence of chronic diseases that require surgical interventions.

Europe: The European ASC market is relatively small compared to North America, but it is growing rapidly. The market is driven by the increasing demand for outpatient surgeries, cost-effective healthcare solutions, and government initiatives to reduce healthcare spending.

Asia-Pacific: The Asia-Pacific ASC market is the fastest-growing in the world, driven by the rising prevalence of chronic diseases, the increasing demand for minimally invasive surgeries, and the growing aging population. The market is dominated by countries such as China, India, and Japan.

Latin America: The Latin American ASC market is growing at a moderate pace, driven by the increasing demand for outpatient surgeries and government initiatives to improve healthcare infrastructure.

Middle East and Africa: The Middle East and Africa ASC market is relatively small but growing rapidly. The market is driven by the increasing demand for cost-effective healthcare solutions and the rising prevalence of chronic diseases.

Overall, the ASC market is growing rapidly in all regions of the world, driven by factors such as the increasing demand for outpatient surgeries, the rising prevalence of chronic diseases, and government initiatives to reduce healthcare spending.

Browse market data Tables and Figures spread through 178 Pages and in-depth TOC on Ambulatory Surgical Center Market Forecast Report (2023-2030).

Global Ambulatory Surgical Center Market Segmentation

By Application

Ophthalmology

Orthopedics

Gastroenterology

Pain Management/Spinal Injections

Plastic Surgery

Others

By Region

North America United States Canada Mexico

Europe Germany UK France Italy Spain Rest of Europe

Asia Pacific China Japan India South Korea South-East Asia Rest of Asia Pacific

Latin America Brazil Argentina Rest of Latin America

Middle East & Africa GCC Countries South Africa Rest of MEA



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Scope of the Report:

Report Attributes Details Market Size in 2021 USD 2.54 Billion Revenue Forecast by 2028 USD 7.53 Billion CAGR 27.6 % from 2022 to 2028 Base Year 2021 Forecast Year 2022 to 2028 Key Players Community Health Systems, Inc.; Envision Healthcare Corporation; Terveystalo; Tenet Healthcare Corporation; MEDNAX Services, Inc.; TeamHealth; Quorum Health Corporation; UnitedHealth Group; Surgery Partners; and Healthway Medical Group. Customization Options If our report does not include the information you are searching for, you may contact us to have a report tailored to your specific business needs https://www.vantagemarketresearch.com/ambulatory-surgical-center-market-1257/request-sample

The key questions answered in the Ambulatory Surgical Center Market Report are:

What is the current size and growth rate of the ASC market, both globally and regionally?

What are the key drivers and challenges facing the ASC market, and how are they impacting market growth?

What are the key trends in the ASC market, such as the adoption of new technologies, the increasing demand for outpatient surgeries, and the changing regulatory environment?

Who are the major players in the ASC market, and what are their market shares and strategies?

What are the most common types of surgeries performed in ASCs, and what are the key factors driving demand for these procedures?

What are the key regulations and standards governing the operation of ASCs, and how are they evolving over time?

How is the COVID-19 pandemic impacting the ASC market, both in terms of short-term disruptions and longer-term trends?

What are the future growth prospects for the ASC market, and what factors are likely to shape its development in the coming years?

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[April 04, 2023] Crown Bioscience Announces Transaction Closing of Indivumed's Service Business and Supporting Biobank

Crown Bioscience, a global contract research organization (CRO) and JSR Life Sciences company, announced today that it has completed its acquisition of the IndivuServ business unit of Indivumed GmbH on March 31, 2023. With this transaction, the new entity, now known as Indivumed Services GmbH, becomes a wholly owned subsidiary of Crown Bioscience and includes all associated laboratory operations in Hamburg, Germany and Frederick, MD, US, and adds 120 employees to the Company's global headcount. The acquisition of Indivumed Services brings a range of synergistic service platforms to Crown Bioscience, from enhanced immunohistochemistry to spatial transcriptomics, complementing the company's already established capabilities supporting biomarker discovery. The deal also includes an industry-leading biobank of clinical specimens unique in quality and associated clinical history, which has been expertly curated and characterized, and which currently totals almost one million patient samples. In addition, as part of the acquisition, Crown Bioscience gains access to an extensive clinical network of more than 60 entities in the United States, Europe, and Asia which provides direct and controlled access to relevant surgical biospecimens and blood samples. Armin Spura, PhD, CEO of Crown Bioscience, stated: "I am thrilled to welcome the highly experienced Indivumed Services team to Crown Bioscience. With this acquisition, we once gain invest in new capabilities to place Crown Bioscience as the preferred solution provider to support our partners in their early-stage drug development efforts."



By acquiring Indivumed Services' capabilities, Crown Bioscience moves closer to the patient, with the ability to source (for both prospective and retrospective collections) and analyze clinically relevant patient materials. This analysis includes multi-omics lab facilities on the East Coast of the US and mainland Europe. The exceptional quality of the Indivumed Services network and biobank, employing proprietary SOPs, will also provide the foundation for the next generation of growth in Crown Bioscience's existing platforms, ensuring client access to the latest clinically relevant translational models across their ex vivo patient tissue (EVPT), tumor organoid, and patient-derived xenograft (PDX) model collections. Michael Prosser, CBO of Crown Bioscience, added: "The completion of this acquisition demonstrates our commitment to integrating unique capabilities and industry-leading quality into all areas of our business. We will continue to create solutions that meet the needs of our clients, empowering the industry to further accelerate and de-risk drug discovery and development."

Indivumed Services will initially operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of Crown Bioscience, maintaining operations in Germany and the US, and growing the clinical network. Financial details of the transaction are not being disclosed. To find out more, visit: www.indivumedservices.com. ### About Crown Bioscience Crown Bioscience, a JSR Life Sciences company, is a global CRO that provides preclinical and translational platforms to help our customers advance their research and development in oncology, immuno-oncology, and immune-mediated inflammatory diseases. We are the exclusive preclinical CRO to offer tumor organoid services with the well-established Hubrecht Organoid Technology. In addition, we have developed the largest commercially available PDX collection in the world. We focus on helping our customers develop novel therapies to maximize the chances that patients receive the right treatment at the right time. Founded in 2006, Crown Bioscience has 14 facilities across the United States, Europe, and Asia. For more information or to get in touch, please visit www.crownbio.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230404005119/en/

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[April 04, 2023] Arizona Digital Marketing Agency Opens New Office in Scottsdale

E Squared Marketing Announces Impressive Growth SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Award-winning digital marketing agency E Squared Marketing recently announced the opening of its new office in Scottsdale. The Arizona-based firm has nearly tripled in size over the past few years and continues to grow its client roster across the country. "We are thrilled at the growth and expansion of our team and office, and we are excited to continue to provide stellar marketing services to some incredible brands and companies nationwide," says Ashley Richards, Founder of E Squared Marketing. "This new expansion also allows us to service more clients and expand our services to include more digital offerings that are in demand." Since the launch of the agency in 2017, Ashley and her team have worked remotely with a smaller executive suite as home base. The new 1,000 square foot office is the first time E Squared Marketing will have a stand-alone headquarters that will serve as a hub for their office, allowing for more in-person collaboration and creativity. The agency currently has 30 team members and anticipates more internal growth this year. Although E Squared has epanded into this new office, they continue to be a pioneer in the remote workspace, and with over 80 percent of its current staff as mothers, they continue to prioritize the work-life balance that comes with a hybrid or remote position.



E Squared Marketing has grown 50 percent year over year since 2017. They have also grown its services, most recently adding video packages and Google ads, to be more full-service and attract new clientele. Some of the brands that the agency currently works with include Scottsdale Fashion Square, Christian Family Care, The Ravenscroft, and Ling's Wok Shop. For more information on E Squared Marketing, visit www.esquaredmarketing.com or follow them on social media at @esquaredmarketing.

About E Squared Marketing:

Founded in 2017, E Squared Marketing is an Arizona-based award-winning digital marketing agency servicing clients across the United States. Services include social media management, newsletter campaigns, ad management, influencer marketing, branding, website and graphic design, events, photography, and videography. For more information on the growing company, visit www.esquaredmarketing.com. Media Contact:

Robyn Patterson, Mack Media Relations

480-242-8001

[email protected] View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/arizona-digital-marketing-agency-opens-new-office-in-scottsdale-301789083.html SOURCE E Squared Marketing

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[April 04, 2023] Navy Federal Credit Union Recognized as a 2023 Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For

Navy Federal Credit Union has ranked #53 on the Great Place To Work and 2023 Fortune magazine 100 Best Companies to Work For list. This is Navy Federal's 13th time being named to this prestigious list. As the only credit union, Navy Federal has surpassed rigorous benchmarks, establishing itself as one of the best places to work for. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230404005048/en/ See what our employees have to say about working at Navy Federal Credit Union (Graphic: Business Wire) To determine the 100 Best Companies to Work For, Great Place To Work analyzed the anonymous survey responses of more than half a million employees from Great Place To Work Certified companies with at least 1,000 workers. Companies also submitted essays describing their efforts to offer generous and innovative support for workers, which were validated against employee survey responses. "Our team members are the heartbeat that drives our mission," said Holly Kortright, chief human resources officer at Navy Federal. "We know that our ability to provide superior member service is a direct reflection of our employees feeling that same level of service and support in the workplace. We're incredibly proud of our dedicated workforce and the culture of service our team members foster daily to serve our members." Making the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For list is highly competitive. Survey responses reflect a comprehensive picture of the workplace experience. Honorees were selected based on their ability offer positive outcomes for employees regardless of job role, race, gender, sexual orientation, work status, or other demographic identifier. "It's in times like these that the best workplaces separate themselves," said, Michael C. Bush, CEO of Great Place To Work. "In a challenging economy, many companies reduce investments in their people and scale back goals for diversity, equity, and inclusion. But these companies, the 100 Best, relentlessly pursue a better work experience for every employee, and if anything, double down on the employee experience regardless of title, tenure, gender, or ethnicity. These companies know this is how you increase performance, productivity, and your innovation velocity when your firm needs it the most." "Fortune is pleased to have collaborated once again with Great Place To Work to recognize the 100 Best Companies to Work For," says Fortune Editor-in-Chief Alyson Shontell. "We congratulate all he organizations included in this year's ranking for creating positive work environments and value for their employees, especially during this period of economic uncertainty."



In 2022, Navy Federal Credit Union also ranked #55 in Best Workplace for Parents, #35 in Fortune Best Workplaces for Women, and #16 in Fortune Financial Services & Insurance in addition to the Fortune 100 selection. About Navy Federal Credit Union: Established in 1933 with only 7 members, Navy Federal now has the distinct honor of serving over 12 million members globally and is the world's largest credit union. As a member-owned and not-for-profit organization, Navy Federal always puts the financial needs of its members first. Membership is open to all Department of Defense and Coast Guard Active Duty, veterans, civilian and contractor personnel, and their families. Navy Federal employs a workforce of over 23,000 and has a global network of 356 branches. For more information about Navy Federal Credit Union, visit navyfederal.org. Federally insured by NCUA. Equal Opportunity Employer.

About the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For: Great Place To Work selected the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For list by analyzing survey responses of over half a million employees who work for Great Place To Work Certified companies with at least 1,000 workers. The survey contained 60 employee experience questions that make up the Great Place To Work Trust Index. Companies also submitted essays about their workplace benefits and employee support programs, which were validated against employee survey data. Great Place To Work determines its lists using its proprietary For All Methodology to evaluate and certify thousands of organizations in America's largest ongoing annual workforce study. Read the full methodology. To get on this list next year, start here. About Great Place To Work: Great Place To Work is the global authority on workplace culture. Since 1992, we have surveyed more than 100 million employees worldwide and used those deep insights to define what makes a great workplace: trust. Our employee survey platform empowers leaders with the feedback, real-time reporting, and insights they need to make data-driven people decisions. Everything we do is driven by the mission to build a better world by helping every organization become a great place to work for all. Learn more at greatplacetowork.com and on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. About Fortune: The Fortune mission is to change the world by making business better. We achieve that by providing trusted information, telling great stories, and building world-class communities. We measure performance by rigorous benchmarks. And we hold companies accountable. Our goal is to make Fortune a force for good through its second century and beyond. For more information, visit www.fortune.com. From Fortune.  2023 Fortune Media IP Limited. All rights reserved. Used under license. Fortune and Fortune 100 Best Companies are registered trademarks of Fortune Media IP Limited. Fortune and Fortune Media IP Limited are not affiliated with, and do not endorse products or services of, Navy Federal Credit Union. From Fortune.  2023 Fortune Media IP Limited. All rights reserved. Used under license. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230404005048/en/

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[April 04, 2023] DataScan Launches uVerifi, a Revolutionary Digital Auditing Tool for Wholesale Lenders in the USA and Canada

ALPHARETTA, Ga., April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- DataScan, the leader in providing solutions for wholesale asset financing and inventory risk management, has partnered with CheckVentory, an innovative software-as-a-service provider, to bring uVerifi, a game-changing digital auditing tool, to the US and Canadian markets. With an exclusive agreement for North America, DataScan will be the go-to provider of this cutting-edge technology. uVerifi is a powerful AI-driven mobile "self-audit" solution offering both accuracy and flexibility. This innovative platform allows users to securely authenticate any number of assets rapidly and without the need for expensive equipment. Sending out a skilled field auditor to validate a set of assets may not always be the best or most timely option. With uVerifi, you can send a link to an individual (dealer employee, relationship manager, auditor, etc.), instructing that person to take a series of photographs to validate those assets. In the field, the mobile app provides a simple and intuitive user interface, allowing any authorized person- with a mobile device to carry out the work quickly and accurately. This method saves time and money while providing accurate and reliable results. DataScan CEO Brian Koprowski is excited about the launch of uVerifi, stating, "The process of accounting for inventory risk is evolving. The ability to provide our clients with inventory risk management alternatives is critical to DataScan's future. The industry has been looking for an efficient and cost-effective way to validate assets, and uVerifi is the perfect solution and a great first step in reinventing inventory risk management. We are thrilled to partner with CheckVentory to bring this cutting-edge technlogy to the North American market."



The uVerifi platform has already generated extensive interest from DataScan clients who have previewed the product. With its powerful and innovative technology-driven audit solution, uVerifi is poised to revolutionize how financial institutions monitor their wholesale loan portfolios by providing an alternative risk mitigation tool. This partnership between DataScan and CheckVentory is a testament to their shared passion for innovation and proactive problem-solving. With their combined expertise and industry knowledge, uVerifi is set to become a game-changing solution for wholesale lenders.

For more information about uVerifi and how it can benefit your business, please visit: https://www.onedatascan.com/solutions/uverifi/ About DataScan DataScan, a leading provider of solutions for wholesale asset financing and inventory risk management, has served the lending industry since its founding in 1989. With a team of industry experts and a deep understanding of the market, DataScan has become the go-to partner for providing lenders with solutions for wholesale asset financing and inventory risk management. Whether providing advanced technology solutions or expert advice, DataScan is committed to delivering its clients the highest level of service. As a trusted partner in the lending industry, the company is proud of its reputation for excellence and looks forward to continuing to serve its clients with the same level of dedication and passion for many years to come. About CheckVentory CheckVentory is a leading provider of innovative technology-led solutions, offering software as a service to national and international businesses. Established in 2013 and headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, the company has won numerous awards for its cutting-edge solutions. Led by CEO Adrian Walsh, CheckVentory's platform is used across Europe, Africa, and Australia, providing businesses with valuable insights and actionable intelligence to improve their operations and drive growth. With a strong focus on innovation, CheckVentory is dedicated to delivering solutions that meet the ever-evolving needs of businesses in today's fast-paced and competitive environment. Media Contact

DataScan

Lisa Mallean, Sr. Marketing Manager

[email protected]

678.230.0384 View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/datascan-launches-uverifi-a-revolutionary-digital-auditing-tool-for-wholesale-lenders-in-the-usa-and-canada-301788684.html SOURCE DataScan

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[April 04, 2023] Tanium Named to 2023 Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For

Tanium, the industry's only provider of converged endpoint management (XEM), today announced it has been honored by Great Place To Work and Fortune magazine for the second year in a row as one of the 2023 Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For. Tanium continues to establish itself as one of the best places for employment in the country. To determine the 100 best companies, Great Place To Work analyzed anonymous survey responses of more than half a million employees from Great Place To Work-Certified companies with a U.S.-based population of at least 1,000. Companies also submitted detailed essays describing their continued efforts to offer generous and innovative support for their people, which were validated against employee survey responses. "We're incredibly grateful to each and every one of our team members who, by their own contributions, helped us achieve this honor alongside some of the largest names in business today," said Tobias Julen, chief people officer at Tanium. "Without their commitment and passion to provide organizations with proven protection and peace of mind against today's most pervasiv cyber threats, Tanium would not be where it is today."



Achieving a position on the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For list is highly competitive. Survey responses reflect a comprehensive picture of the workplace experience, and honorees were selected based on their ability to offer positive outcomes for their people regardless of job role, race, gender, sexual orientation, work status, or other demographic identifier. "It's in times like these that the best workplaces separate themselves," says Michael C. Bush, CEO of Great Place To Work. "In a challenging economy, many companies reduce investments in their people and scale back goals for diversity, equity, and inclusion. But these companies, the 100 best, relentlessly pursue a better work experience for every employee, and if anything, double down on the employee experience regardless of title, tenure, gender, or ethnicity. These companies know this is how you increase performance, productivity, and your innovation velocity when your firm needs it the most."

In addition to being named to this prestigious list two years running, Tanium has also been recognized as a top employer by Great Place To Work for the past six years-a testament to the success of employee offerings such as equity incentive programs, volunteer time off policies, weekly yoga and meditation classes, as well as personal and professional development in role-specific training. Tanium also placed eighth on the 2023 Great Place To Work list in Japan and took home the top spot on the United Kingdom's 2022 annual list. "Fortune is pleased to have collaborated once again with Great Place To Work to recognize the 100 Best Companies to Work For," says Fortune Editor-in-Chief Alyson Shontell. "We congratulate all the organizations included in this year's ranking for creating positive work environments and value for their employees, especially during this period of economic uncertainty." Become a part of the Tanium team by visiting, www.tanium.com/careers. About Tanium Tanium, the industry's only provider of converged endpoint management (XEM), leads the paradigm shift in legacy approaches to managing complex security and technology environments. Only Tanium unifies teams and workflows and protects every endpoint from cyber threats by integrating IT, Compliance, Security, and Risk into a single platform that delivers comprehensive visibility across devices, a unified set of controls, and a common taxonomy for a single shared purpose: to protect critical information and infrastructure at scale. Tanium has been named to the Forbes Cloud 100 list for seven consecutive years and ranks on Fortune's list of the Best Large Workplaces in Technology. In fact, more than half of the Fortune 100 and the U.S. armed forces trust Tanium to protect people; defend data; secure systems; and see and control every endpoint, team, and workflow everywhere. That's the power of certainty. Visit www.tanium.com and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter. About the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For Great Place To Work selected the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For list by analyzing survey responses of over half a million employees who work for Great Place To Work Certified companies with at least 1,000 workers. The survey contained 60 employee experience questions that make up the Great Place To Work Trust Index. Companies also submitted essays about their workplace benefits and employee support programs, which were validated against employee survey data. Great Place To Work determines its lists using its proprietary For All Methodology to evaluate and certify thousands of organizations in America's largest ongoing annual workforce study. Read the full methodology. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230404005743/en/

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[April 04, 2023] The Franklin-Thomas Company, INC Unveils Revolutionary M2Matrix AI System

DELTONA, Fla., April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Franklin-Thomas Company, INC (FTC) is proud to announce the launch of its groundbreaking Artificial Intelligence (AI) system, the M2Matrix. Developed by company president Joe Shepard, the M2Matrix has been rigorously tested and perfected over the course of 25 years. This sophisticated AI matrix is now poised to revolutionize forecasting across a range of industries, including finance, corporate market data analysis, product performance, and more. The M2Matrix made its first public debut in 2001 at the Las Vegas Money Show. Out of 1,100 exhibitors, FTC was the only company that accurately forecasted the S&P500 and the Qs, using the M2Matrix. These remarkable predictions were displayed live on a big screen throughout the event, garnering widespread attention and acclaim. Futures Magazine, positioned across the aisle from FTC, observed the M2Matrix's continuous and accurate forecasts over the course of three days. As a result, the magazine invited Joe Shepard to contribute an article, which was subsequently published in their September 2001 issue. Over the years, Shepard has tested the M2Matrix against virtually every AI and Machine Learning software available on the market. To truly put the system to the test, he sought a data source that was both massive and challenging to forecast accurately. While the stock market was a possibility, it didn't offer the level of difficulty Shepard required. Ultimately, Shepard chose thoroughbred horse racing as the ideal testing ground for the M2Matrix. This decision was driven by the availability of a massive stream of daily data, the clear-cut nature of the outcome (a single winner), and the certainty of knowing the correct answer. The M2Matrix ingested thousands of data points from thousands of previous races, including factors like spee, pace, and historical performance, and used this information to generate weights for forecasting future races. Remarkably, the M2Matrix proved capable of accurately predicting the entire order of finish, far exceeding expectations.



While the M2Matrix has demonstrated its proficiency in forecasting thoroughbred horse races, its true potential lies in its ability to analyze and predict outcomes across a diverse array of industries and applications. From corporate market data to product performance, and even financial forecasting, the M2Matrix is equipped to handle any challenge involving numerical data. Recognizing the immense potential of the M2Matrix and the growing interest in AI, Joe Shepard has decided to make this powerful tool available to the public in various forms. The M2Matrix can be an invaluable asset for any company or individual with historical inputs and an historical target, as it can learn from this data and provide weights that can be used to accurately forecast unknown outcomes.

The Franklin-Thomas Company, INC is excited to share the M2Matrix with the world, opening up new possibilities for businesses and individuals alike. By harnessing the power of this revolutionary AI system, users will be able to make more informed decisions and predictions across a wide range of sectors, ultimately driving growth and success in their respective fields. Don't miss this opportunity to leverage the power of the M2Matrix, a cutting-edge AI system that has been refined, tested, and proven over 25 years of rigorous testing and development. The future of AI-driven forecasting is here, and The Franklin-Thomas Company, INC is at the forefront of this technological revolution. With the M2Matrix, businesses and individuals now have access to a powerful and versatile tool that will not only revolutionize their decision-making processes but also help them stay ahead of the competition in an increasingly data-driven world. You can get specialized M2Matrix software to conquer your challenges from FTC. About The Franklin-Thomas Company, INC: Based in Deltona, Florida, The Franklin-Thomas Company, INC (FTC) is a forward-thinking company specializing in the development and application of advanced AI and machine learning technologies. Founded by company president Joe Shepard, FTC is committed to pushing the boundaries of AI to unlock new possibilities and drive innovation across various industries. The company's flagship product, the M2Matrix, is a testament to their dedication to research and development, as well as their belief in the transformative power of AI. Contact:

Joe Shepard, President

Direct Line  (386) 747-3999

[email protected]

www.ftcinnovations.com View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-franklin-thomas-company-inc-unveils-revolutionary-m2matrix-ai-system-301788650.html SOURCE The Franklin-Thomas Company, INC

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[April 04, 2023] Volly Unveils New Brand Identity Reflecting Its Commitment to Greater Growth & Success

WOBURN, Mass., April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Volly,? an industry-leading?provider of?dynamic technology and marketing services for banks and mortgage companies, completed an extensive rebranding effort in response to accelerated company growth and a renewal of its corporate mission, vision, and values. Volly's new brand represents the company's commitment to its customers, its dedication to greater growth and success, and its passion for creativity and teamwork. "Our brand gives us a more precise, recognizable identity," said Volly CEO Katharine Loveland, "one that demonstrates our dedication to delivering quality products and service, building long-lasting relationships, and exceeding our customers' expectations. This exciting endeavor has injected new energy into our company and will expand our reach within the mortgage, real estate, and finance industries." Volly's rebranding efforts were spearheaded by its in-house creative and development teams. The new brand will debut on the corporate < rel="nofollow" href="https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=3827541-1&h=50534269&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.myvolly.com%2F&a=website" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">website, on Facebook, on LinkedIn, and in marketing collateral.



Elements of Volly's new brand New logo: The checkmark in Volly's logo represents a successfully completed goal as well as its recommitment to helping customers meet and exceed their business objectives. The oblique typeface illustrates Volly's promise to always be forward thinking while moving forward.

New color scheme: The colors blue, teal, and pear in the "O" symbolize the core solutions of the Volly Marketing Automation Suite: capture leads, convert prospects, and retain customers. They are also reflective of the passion, commitment, and energy Volly brings to its customer relationships. New mission: To enhance borrower journeys through dynamic, cutting-edge technology combined with compelling, personalized marketing. New vision: Streamlining customer journeys, enhancing customer experiences, and improving customer outcomes. About Volly Volly enhances customer journeys through dynamic, cutting-edge technology and compelling, personalized marketing. Volly provides an overall better home financing process by ensuring that borrower, lender, and real estate professional operate in total synchronicity throughout a transaction. For more information, visit www.myvolly.com or call (866) 435-7050. About New Capital Partners New Capital Partners (NCP) is a private equity firm headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama. NCP partners with tech-enabled services companies in the healthcare, financial, and business services industries. Leveraging its extensive operational experience, NCP helps create significant value in portfolio companies by focusing on one core goal: building great companies. For more information, visit www.newcapitalpartners.com. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/volly-unveils-new-brand-identity-reflecting-its-commitment-to-greater-growth--success-301788920.html SOURCE Volly

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[April 04, 2023] Paysend Expands Bank Account Transfer Capabilities to Latin America

Expanding its roster for receiving countries, Paysend offers more options for U.S. customers to send funds to Latin American recipients quickly, securely and for a low fee MIAMI, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Paysend , the card-to-card pioneer and international payments platform, is solidifying its money transfer services to Latin America by enabling U.S. customers to send money to Latin America quickly, securely and for a low fee through transfers to bank accounts. Since launching transfers to bank accounts in the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica and Mexico in 2022, U.S. customers will now be able to transfer money to friends and loved ones bank accounts in Bolivia, Colombia, Peru, Uruguay, Brazil, Chile and Argentina. At Paysend, we understand that remittances play an important role for our customers in supporting thei loved ones.



"At Paysend, we understand that remittances play an important role for our customers in supporting their loved ones," said Jairo Riveros, title, Paysend. "Given the current macroeconomic conditions, transferring funds play an even more important role, because it's being used to cover necessities like food and housing. By offering card-to-card, card-to-bank or card-to-digital wallet transfers, we're making it easier, and more affordable, for our U.S. customers to send money back home when their loved ones need it the most." Empowering the Unbanked Communities in Latin America

Today, 70% of LatAm's population remains unbanked or underbanked. With a mission to improve financial inclusion across the globe and support migrants looking to send money back home, Paysend has stepped in to offer low fee, fast and secure transfers for the community as current economic pressures have made it more difficult to send funds. This expanded offering comes on the heels of Paysend launching its Paysend Libre solution powered by Mastercard Send technology last year. With Paysend Libre, unbanked recipients located in Northern Central America (i.e., Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador) can receive and utilize funds from the U.S. instantly through digital card. As a global end-to-end payment platform, Paysend has a strong global payments network that includes partnerships with the major international card networks, including Visa, Mastercard and China Union Pay. To start transferring funds or to learn more about Paysend's mission to promote financial inclusion for all, visit https://paysend.com . ABOUT PAYSEND Paysend is a next-generation integrated global payment ecosystem, enabling consumers and businesses to pay and send money online anywhere, anyhow and in any currency. Paysend is UK-based and has global reach having been created in April 2017 with the clear mission to change how money is moved around the world. Paysend currently supports cross-network operability globally across Mastercard, Visa, China UnionPay and local ACH and payment schemes, providing over 40 payment methods for online SMEs. Paysend can send money to over 100 countries worldwide. As a global end-to-end payment platform, Paysend has its own global network of banks and international and local payment systems and has partnerships with the major international card networks Visa, Mastercard and China Union Pay as a principal member and certified processor. For further information visit https://paysend.com . View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/paysend-expands-bank-account-transfer-capabilities-to-latin-america-301788706.html SOURCE Paysend

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[April 04, 2023] TD SYNNEX U.S. and Canada Named "HP Inc. Partners of the Year"

TD SYNNEX (NYSE: SNX) has been named a 2023 "HP Inc. Partner of the Year." Presented during the HP AMPLIFY Partner Conference, HP's largest partner forum, which brings together HP channel partners from around the globe, HP's Partner of the Year Awards honor top-performing HP partners for exemplary achievements in growth and innovation. TD SYNNEX was recognized as the HP U.S. Print Hardware Distributor of the Year award, continuing a longstanding relationship between the two organizations. "Channel partners are the lifeblood of our business, and it's a pleasure to recognize the achievements of this year's partner award winners, each of whom have demonstrated strategic growth through innovation and a true commitment to our mutual customers," said Scott Lannum, Vice President and General Manager, North America Commercial Channel Sales at HP Inc. "We congratulate TD SYNNEX on this well-deserved recognition, and thank them for their continued partnership with HP." Additionally, TD SYNNEX Canada was named a 2023 "HP Inc. Partner of the Year," recognized as the Canada Distributor of the Year at the HP AMPLIFY Partner Conference. "Our company's success is closely tied to the contributions of our channel partners, who are an essential part of our business. It brings us great satisfaction to commend the winners of this year's partner awards, each of whom has exhibited remarkable collaboration, innovative practices while prioritizing the needs of our joint customers," said Mary Ann Yule, President and CEO, HP Canada. "We congratulate TD SYNNEX Canada on this well-deserved recognition, and thank them for their continued partnership with HP." "This is an exciting moment for both the U.S. and Canada teams. We are proud of this recognition and of the ongoing commitment and support from HP," said Peter Larocque, president, North America Technology Solutions at TD SYNNEX. "As a leading global distributor and solutions aggregator, we're excited to continue to evolve our relationship with HP." HP's2023 U.S. and Canada partner award winners were selected based on a variety of criteria including strategic growth and innovation, and were given in the categories of Personal Systems, Print Hardware and Supplies across distributors, retailers, national solution providers and resellers.



About TD SYNNEX TD SYNNEX (NYSE: SNX) is a leading global distributor and solutions aggregator for the IT ecosystem. We're an innovative partner helping more than 150,000 customers in 100+ countries to maximize the value of technology investments, demonstrate business outcomes and unlock growth opportunities. Headquartered in Clearwater, Florida, and Fremont, California, TD SYNNEX's approximately 23,500 co-workers are dedicated to uniting compelling IT products, services and solutions from 1,500+ best-in-class technology vendors. Our edge-to-cloud portfolio is anchored in some of the highest-growth technology segments including cloud, cybersecurity, big data/analytics, IoT, mobility and everything as a service. TD SYNNEX is committed to serving customers and communities, and we believe we can have a positive impact on our people and our planet, intentionally acting as a respected corporate citizen. We aspire to be a diverse and inclusive employer of choice for talent across the IT ecosystem. For more information, visit www.TDSYNNEX.com or follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.

Safe Harbor Statement Statements in this news release that are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties which may cause the Company's actual results in future periods to be materially different from any future performance that may be suggested in this release. The Company assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this release. Copyright 2023 TD SYNNEX Corporation. All rights reserved. TD SYNNEX, the TD SYNNEX Logo, and all other TD SYNNEX company, product and services names and slogans are trademarks of TD SYNNEX Corporation. Other names and trademarks are the property of their respective owners. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230404005212/en/

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[April 04, 2023] Acronis launches new Cyber Cloud data center in Mexico City

MEXICO CITY, April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Acronis, a global leader in cyber protection, today announced the availability of a new Cyber Cloud data center in Mexico City, Mexico. This new addition to the company's global network of Cyber Cloud data centers provides Acronis partners with access to a comprehensive range of cutting-edge cyber protection solutions, empowering them to create new services and offerings to manage their clients' data protection needs more efficiently and effectively with faster access, continuous data availability, and the added benefit of data sovereignty.

Acronis global network of Cyber Cloud data centers includes more than fifty locations in the U.S., U.K., Switzerland, France, Germany, Japan, Australia, Singapore, and other regions. Todays announcement marks Acronis' seventh Cyber Cloud data center presence in North America, following the launch of the Toronto location last month. With the new Cyber Cloud data center, Acronis partners in Mexico and the LATAM region will have access to a full suite of cyber protection solutions and managed cloud solutions via the Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud platform, with the added benefit of local data management and support from their service providers. The expansion of Acronis Cyber Cloud data centers into Mexico offers a great advantage to our customers, said Omar Navarro, General Director at VirtualTech. We are proud to be an Acronis partner and distributor of its cyber protection solutions throughout Mexico andother Latin American countries, providing the best data security possible. With the proximity of a Cyber Cloud data center closer to our customers, the benefits are vast as Acronis continues to safeguard customer data, but now with a more local presence.



The Acronis Cyber Cloud data centers are tailored to meet corporate and regulatory needs, enabling partners to exceed compliance, data sovereignty, and performance requirements. Acronis' worldwide Cyber Cloud data centers adhere to the highest standards of physical security to restrict unauthorized physical access and protect the safety of customer data. The Mexico City Cyber Cloud data center's standards and reports include ISO/IEC 27001:2013, ISO 14001:2015, ISO/IEC 20000-1:2018, ISO 9001:2015, ISO/IEC 38500:2015, ISO22301:2019, MX-574-2022, and MX-575-2022 underscoring Acronis' commitment to providing secure and reliable cyber protection solutions. Purpose-built to provide organizations with the utmost levels of data availability, security, and safety for their critical data, applications, and systems, each facility features state-of-the-art as well as the best operational and security controls. The Acronis Cyber Cloud data centers also follow the approach of need plus one (N+1) for greater redundancy across all hardware layers of its infrastructure, minimizing risks and eliminating single points of failure. This ensures that customers can always rely on Acronis for resilient and robust cyber protection solutions.

Acronis General Manager of Latin America and the Caribbean, Agustin Mella, said "The addition of an Acronis Cyber Cloud data center in Mexico is a huge milestone for our company and our LATAM partners. We are rapidly expanding into the market so this latest launch arms us with the juxtaposition necessary to meet the needs of local customers. With each new Acronis Cyber Cloud data center, we are further enhancing the network of availability to offer the most exceptional cyber protection solution in the market." Service providers interested in learning more about the advantages and opportunities that are created by offering integrated cyber protection solutions available are encouraged to visit: https://www.acronis.com/en-us/products/cloud/cyber-protect/. About Acronis Acronis unifies data protection and cybersecurity to deliver integrated, automated cyber protection that solves the safety, accessibility, privacy, authenticity, and security (SAPAS) challenges of the modern digital world. With flexible deployment models that fit the demands of service providers and IT professionals, Acronis provides superior cyber protection for data, applications, and systems with innovative next-generation antivirus, backup, disaster recovery, and endpoint protection management solutions powered by AI. With advanced anti-malware powered by cutting-edge machine intelligence and blockchain based data authentication technologies, Acronis protects any environment - from cloud to hybrid to on premises - at a low and predictable cost. Acronis is a Swiss company, founded in Singapore. Celebrating two decades of innovation, Acronis has more than 2,000 employees in 45 locations. Acronis Cyber Protect solution is available in 26 languages in over 150 countries and is used by 18,000 service providers to protect over 750,000 businesses. Media Contact:

Karl Bateson

[email protected]



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Chico, Calif. --News Direct-- Ameramex International

AmeraMex International, Inc. (OTC: AMMX), a provider of heavy equipment for logistics companies, infrastructure construction, and forestry conservation, announced the appointment of George Anast to the Companys Board of Directors and Andrew Gustafson to the position of CFO.

We are pleased to welcome George as a new independent director to the AmeraMex Board, he fills the seat vacated by Marty Tullio, said Lee Hamre, AmeraMexs Chairman and CEO. With a career spanning 20+ years, George has an entrepreneurial background with expertise in leadership skills, business development, sales and marketing as well as sales operations and accountment management. We are confident he will provide the Board and management with valuable perspectives and guidance on continuing to expand the Companys business outlook. We look forward to his contributions and are excited he chose to join our Board of Directors.

Anast is a Senior Recruiter and Territory Sales Manager of InSync Consulting Services and has been ranked as the number one recruiter in the company for the past two years. Prior to joining InSync Consulting, Anast was a founding partner and sales director for Dionysos, a wine fulfillment company, a Regional Sales Manager for Producers Dairy, and Sales Manager of the New Channels Division for Dreyers Grand Ice Cream. Anast graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from California State University, Chico.

We are disappointed with Martys decision to leave the Board but understand that family is first and foremost. We thank her for her significant contributions to the Board and to the management team- she will be missed, commented Hamre.

We are also pleased to welcome Andrew Gustafson to AmeraMex as Chief Financial Officer effective immediately. Reporting directly to CEO Lee Hamre, he will be responsible for all financial aspects of the Company including accounting oversight, financial reporting, analysis and budgeting. He will be the point of contact for all outside accounting and advisory firms. Gustafson will replace Hope Stone who has taken a new position that will allow her to spend time with her active family.

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Before joining AmeraMex International, Gustafson was an Assistant Director with Stanford Health Care in the Bay Area. With a career spanning over 25 years, Gustafson brings a wealth of experience in accounting and operations, including a successful IPO with eCollege.com and the founding of a boutique consulting practice.

Gustafson is a native of California and holds a BS in Accountancy from California Lutheran University and an MBA from the University of Colorado.

AmeraMex CEO Lee Hamre commented, On behalf of the Board and everyone at the Company, I would like to thank Hope for her dedication to the Company and her many contributions during her tenure as CFOwe wish her continued success. I appreciate her assisting the Company, on an as-needed basis, to ensure a smooth transition.

About AmeraMex International

AmeraMex International sells, leases and rents heavy equipment to companies within multiple industries including construction, logistics, mining, and lumber. AmeraMex, with a US and international customer base, has over 30 years of experience in heavy equipment sales and service. Follow AmeraMex on Twitter @ammx_intl and visit the AmeraMex website, www.AMMX.net or www.hamreequipment.com for additional information and equipment videos.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical facts included in this press release are forward-looking statements. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "plan," "potential," "continue" or similar expressions. Such forward-looking statements include risks and uncertainties, and there are key factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Investors are encouraged to review the Companys filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Investors should not place any undue reliance on forward-looking statements since they involve known and unknown, uncertainties and other factors which are, in some cases, beyond the Companys control which could, and likely will, materially affect actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. Any forward-looking statement reflects the Companys current views with respect to future events and is subject to these and other risks, uncertainties and assumptions relating to operations, results of operations, growth strategy and liquidity. The Company assumes no obligation to publicly update or revise these forward-looking statements for any reason, or to update the reasons actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements, even if added information becomes available in the future.

Contact Details

Marty Tullio

+1 949-632-1900

marty@mccloudcommunications.com

Company Website

https://www.ammx.net

View source version on newsdirect.com: https://newsdirect.com/news/ameramex-international-appoints-new-board-member-and-chief-financial-officer-263888309
[April 04, 2023] Working Americans Aged 45 + Say It Will Take $1,100,000 Saved to Retire Comfortably, but Only One in Five Will Get to a Million

For the second year in a row, working Americans ages 45 and older say on average it will take about $1,100,000 in savings to retire comfortably, according to the Schroders 2023 U.S. Retirement Survey. Unfortunately, only 21% expect to reach the $1,000,000 mark, down from 24% in 2022. More than half (59%), say they expect to have less than $500,000 saved, including 34% forecasting less than $250,000 in savings. Millennial workers (ages 27-42) expect on average it will take about $1,300,000 to retire comfortably, but only 29% say they expect to reach $1,000,000 in retirement savings. Almost half (49%) say they expect to have less than $500,000 saved, including 27% with less than $250,000 in savings by retirement. On the Doorstep of Retirement, Readiness Persistently Low The percentage of non-retired Americans nearing retirement age (60-67 years old) who said they have enough money to retire was just 24%, a slight uptick from 22% in 2022. "There are profound gaps between what American workers say they need for a comfortable retirement and what they expect to have," said Deb Boyden, Head of US Defined Contribution, Schroders. "This could be from a lack of planning, or for many it might just be too hard to save and invest enough to reach their retirement goals. The fact that, once again, so few Americans nearing retirement are confident they have enough money speaks volumes about the work we still need to do. All of us, from employers to advisors to our industry, must do more to make it easier for American workers to reach retirement security." Anxiety, Lost Sleep, Health Concerns: The Real Impact of Financial Stress Almost two-thirds (64%) of working millennials and 53% of older workers are concerned that financial stress will negatively affect their overall health. The majority of older workers (56%) and working millennials (55%) said the 2022 stock market greatly increased their anxiety. Almost half (49%) of millennial workers have lost sleep worrying about their financial situation, as have 40% of workers 45 and older. Millennials Spend the Most Time Worrying About Money Among working Americans, 85% of millennials said they worry each day about money; and those that do spend on average 1.9 hours per day or about 13 hours a week worrying. This calculates to approximately 28 full days a year worrying about money. Of workers ages 45 and up, 69% said they worry each day about money; and those that do spend on average 1.6 hours or about 11 hours each week. This amounts to approximately 24 days a year worrying about money. Retirement Plans Contribute to Anxiety. High Cash Balances a Result? Almost half (48%) of working millennials, and 50% of older workers with a workplace retirement plan like a 401k, said the performance of their plan in 2022 caused them anxiety. Further, almost two-thirds (64%) of working millennials and 62% of older workers with workplace retirement plans worry they won't be able to grow their workplace retirement plan assets to the level they hoped to achieve. A look at how they allocate their retirement investments - including workplace plans, IRAs, or other retirement accounts - reveals a significant allocation to cash. Why? Fear of losing money. 2022 average asset allocation of retirement investments:







Workers aged 45 and older Working Millennials Equities 31% 31% Fixed income 16% 16% Cash 29% 33% Target date funds 13% 14% Other 10% 6%

The reason the majority give for holding so much cash in their retirement accounts is safety - 62% of working millennials and 66% of older workers say they have so much cash because they are afraid of losing too much money if the stock market goes down. Another point of concern: 38% of working millennials and 24% of older workers say they have no idea how their retirement assets are allocated. Among those with a workplace retirement plan, more than half (59%) of working millennials said they did not change their asset allocation in those plans in 2022; 26% said they became more conservative, and 15% said they invested more aggressively. Among older workers, 65% left their allocations unchanged, 25% became more conservative, and 10% invested more aggressively. "Given the performance of stocks and bonds last year, it's not surprising that fear of losing money heavily influenced asset allocations, but cash shouldn't be king, especially for millennials saving for retirement," says Joel Schiffman, Head of Strategic Partnerships, Schroders. "Even the oldest millennial will have decades to ride out any short-term market volatility. With this long-term time horizon in mind, the benefits of working with a financial advisor to create a suitable asset allocation strategy that isn't dictated by bouts of market volatility can't be emphasized enough. Plus, imagine how much time investors can get back in their lives if an advisor helps give them greater peace of mind." Where Did Working Americans Find Helpful Advice to Deal With 2022 Market Volatility? Working millennials said family (38%), financial websites/publications (23%), and their financial advisor (22%) were the most helpful sources of financial advice during 2022. Another 13% said social media; similarly, 13% said their employer and 7% said their workplace retirement plan provider. Only 19% did not seek out any advice. Older workers said the most helpful advice came from their financial advisor (30%), financial websites/publications (25%), and family (24%). Another 11% said their workplace retirement plan provider and 7% said their employers. One-quarter didn't seek out advice. Interestingly, 56% of working millennials and 39% of older workers with workplace retirement plans said they wish they received more guidance from their employer on how to invest their workplace retirement plan in 2022. About the Survey The Schroders 2023 U.S. Retirement survey was conducted by 8 Acre Perspective among 2,000 U.S. investors nationwide ages 27-79, including respondents between ages 27-44 for the first time. The survey was conducted from February 13 to March 3 in 2023. The median household income for working Americans surveyed was $75,000. For more information on the Schroders 2022 U.S. Retirement Survey, visit www.schroders.com/dc. Schroders plc Founded in 1804, Schroders is one of Europe's largest independent investment management firms by assets under management. As at 31 December 2022, assets under management were 737.5 billion (831.3 billion; $887.2 billion). The founding family remain a core shareholder, holding approximately 44% of the firm's shares. Schroders has continued to deliver strong financial results. It has a market capitalisation of circa 7 billion and employs over 6,100 people across 38 locations. Schroders has benefited from the most diverse business model of any UK asset manager by geography, by asset class and by client type. Schroders offers innovative products and solutions across their five business areas of solutions; institutional; mutual funds; private assets & alternatives; and wealth management. Clients include insurance companies, pension schemes, sovereign wealth funds, endowments and foundations. They also manage assets for end clients as part of their relationships with distributors, financial advisers and online platforms. Schroders' Wealth Management offering reflects their strategic ambition to provide wealth management and financial planning services to clients across the wealth spectrum. Schroders' strategic aims are to grow their asset management business, build closer relationships with end clients and expand their private assets and alternatives business. Schroders' purpose is to provide excellent investment performance to clients through active management. The business channels capital into sustainable and durable businesses to accelerate positive change in the world. Schroders' business philosophy is based on the belief that if we deliver for clients, we deliver for Shareholders and other stakeholders. Important Information: All investments involve risk, including the loss of principal. The views and opinions stated are those of the individuals quoted and are subject to change. This document does not purport to provide investment advice and the information contained is for informational purposes and not to engage in any trading activities. Reliance should not be placed on the views and information in the document when making individual investment and/or strategic decisions. The material is not intended to provide, and should not be relied on for accounting, legal or tax advice, or investment recommendations. Schroder Investment Management North America Inc. ("SIMNA Inc.") is registered as an investment adviser with the US Securities and Exchange Commission and as a Portfolio Manager with the securities regulatory authorities in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Quebec and Saskatchewan. It provides asset management products and services to clients in the United States and Canada. Schroder Fund Advisors LLC ("SFA") markets certain investment vehicles for which SIMNA Inc. is an investment adviser. SFA is a wholly-owned subsidiary of SIMNA Inc. and is registered as a limited purpose broker-dealer with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority and as an Exempt Market Dealer with the securities regulatory authorities in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Quebec, and Saskatchewan. SIMNA Inc. and SFA are wholly-owned subsidiaries of Schroders plc, a UK public company with shares listed on the London Stock Exchange. Further information about Schroders can be found at www.schroders.com/us or www.schroders.com/ca. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230404005458/en/

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[April 04, 2023] Waverly Advisors Acquires Omni Wealth Advisors

Waverly Advisors, LLC ("Waverly"), a registered investment advisor ("RIA") that specializes in investment management, financial planning and wealth management solutions for a diverse group of high-net-worth individuals, corporate retirement plans and institutional clients, has acquired Omni Wealth Advisors, Inc. ("Omni Wealth"). This acquisition is Waverly's first of 2023 following four acquisitions in 2022. The partnership with Omni Wealth further enhances Waverly's presence in Atlanta and Tampa. Omni Wealth brings over 30 years of financial planning, investment and tax knowledge to Waverly. Brian Hershberger, President of Omni Wealth, has led the organization since 2001. The firm serves approximately 140 southeast based high-net-worth clients. "Omni Wealth's dedication to culture and service immediately drew us to the firm and we knew they would be a great fit," said Scott Craig, Regional Director of Waverly. "We are excited to welcome Brian's team and their clients to the Waverly family." "We realized very quickly that our journey with Waverly would be a positive one," said Hershberger. "Waverly's values align with our own and we knew that this transaction would benefit all parties, especially our clients, through access to more services and resources." This acquisition marks Waverly's fifth since accepting an equity investment in December 2021 from Wealth Partners Capital Group ("WPCG") and HGGC's Aspire Holdings platform. The collective partnership supports Waverly's growth, with a particular focus on offering partnership solutions to RIAs across the Southeast. "Brian's wealth management philosophy is very similar to that of Waverly's. It was clear from the start that Omni Wealth approaces the business from a position of service, while providing deep planning, investment, and tax capabilities. This cultural and technical combination is what Waverly seeks in a partner, and we're thrilled to have Brian join the Waverly team," said Mac Selverian, WPCG Principal.



The acquisition of Omni Wealth closed on March 31, 2023 and will increase Waverly's assets under management by $105 million. Financial and legal terms of the deal will not be disclosed. About Waverly

Waverly Advisors, LLC ("Waverly") is a fee-only registered investment adviser that serves the investment management and wealth planning needs of a diverse group of clients, including high-net-worth individuals and families, corporate retirement plans, trusts, endowments and institutions. Waverly manages $5.5 billion in assets (as of 12/31/22) and offers collaborative investment, tax, estate and financial planning services. Founded in 1999 in Birmingham, Alabama, the company currently has nine offices across the Southeast and a team of over 80 professionals who hold many of the industry's most prestigious credentials. For more information, please visit www.waverly-advisors.com. About Wealth Partners Capital Group Wealth Partners Capital Group ("WPCG") is a financial services holding company, which invests in and partners with select leading wealth management firms. WPCG assists its partner firms by identifying and integrating like-minded registered investment advisers and financial advisors who are seeking access to expanded business capabilities, strategic growth and customized transition solutions. For more information, please visit www.wealthpcg.com. About HGGC HGGC is a leading middle-market investment firm based in Palo Alto, California, with over $6.9 billion in cumulative capital commitments. HGGC is focused on partnerships with management teams, founders and sponsors who reinvest alongside HGGC, creating a strong alignment of interests. HGGC makes investments in RIAs via its Aspire Holdings platform, which is targeting $300 million of total investment in the space. More information is available at www.hggc.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230404005052/en/

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[April 04, 2023] NCM Associates Announces Strategic Partnership With Foundation Direct for 20 Group Clients

KANSAS CITY, Mo., April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- NCM Associates today announced a strategic partnership with Foundation Direct to provide NCM 20 Group clients with a real-time Digital Performance Composite compiling a dealerships' website & digital marketing efforts in one, easytounderstand report card. Clients will access these new digital insights through both an always-available, real-time digital composite and easy-to-digest weekly snapshots. Consistent Digital Peerset comparisons and trends will enable NCM Members to have more productive 20 Group discussions with peers about the effectiveness of their website & digital advertising  two areas that have quickly become the new battleground to win automotive shoppers. Compiling these analytics and insights into one composite allows car dealerships to better manage marketing goals and tasks across the entireorganization, and to improve ROI.



"Our industry's robust digital data is woefully underutilized by dealers, often held hostage by inaccessible systems, non-transparent vendors, and lacking standardization across both OEMs and vendors. The NCM Digital Performance Composite, partnered with Foundation Direct's unmatched digital expertise, is one more way NCM is helping our dealers future proof their investments and performance," said NCM President & CEO Paul Faletti Jr. "As our industry continues to face unprecedented challenges, arming our dealers with real-time data to drive more informed decision making online and in-store is absolutely essential," he said. "We are thrilled to partner with an organization as well respected as NCM, and look forward to helping NCM Members unlock the power and potential of their own digital data," said Andrew Diffenderfer, Co-Founder of Foundation Direct. "This first-of-its-kind offering will give dealers clear, transparent insights to fuel more data-driven decisions that undoubtedly lead to increased ROI, decreased waste, and a competitive advantage in their marketplace."

The NCM Digital Performance Composite unlocks contextual insights on aggregated and peerset website performance metrics, transparency into Google Ads spend and performance, and deep dives into traffic coming from 3rd Parties. It also reveals performance across a diverse set of common dealer website tools including Chat, Text, and Digital Retailing, along with visualizations comparing digital trends against available inventory and much more. This offering will also equip dealers to effectively handle Google's mandatory migration from Google's Universal Analytics to the new privacy-forward GA4. The team at Foundation Direct is ensuring that enrolled NCM members are future-proofed and ready to embrace this massive shift in digital measurement. About Foundation Direct Foundation Direct is the leading digital advertising & intelligence solution for automotive advertisers, helping customers reduce waste and improve results while future proofing for the digital revolution through data ownership, intelligence, and competitive insights. Led by a powerhouse team of former Google Executives with unprecedented expertise spanning 50+ collective years in Google's Automotive practice, Foundation simplifies the aggregation, analysis, contextualization, and integration of online and offline data sets into simple, intuitive insights & recommended actions. Foundation partners with some of the most successful automotive manufacturers and retailers, in addition to this exciting strategic partnership with NCM. About NCM Associates NCM Associates' business is knowledge. From peer-to-peer collaboration 20 Groups, management training, and consulting, to business intelligence, and Benchmark reporting, NCM delivers the intelligence businesses need to take their operations to the next level. With expertise spanning both retail automotive and OEM support, NCM's grounded and proven best practices and seamless reporting provide businesses with a strong partner to be successful in the industry. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ncm-associates-announces-strategic-partnership-with-foundation-direct-for-20-group-clients-301789645.html SOURCE Foundation Direct

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Apex's Aries Spacecraft Will Fly for the First Time on SpaceX's Transporter-10 Mission

Apex, the Los Angeles-based spacecraft mass manufacturing company, announced its flagship product, the Aries satellite bus, will fly for the first time on SpaceX's Transporter-10 mission, which is targeted for no earlier than January 2024.

Apex builds productized satellite buses, starting with their flagship Aries spacecraft, capable of a maximum 200kg wet mass. Apex spacecraft are produced in bulk and can be configured with different performance packages, enabling Apex customers to leverage the benefits of serial production for varied mission needs.

This first mission, named "Call to Adventure", involves the Aries satellite bus fitted with multiple customer payloads. Upon successful flight in early 024, Apex's spacecraft will be the fastest founding-to-launch of any spacecraft in the Aries size class, with Apex delivering the satellite bus in under 12 months from order.







As Apex continues to increase its manufacturing capabilities, it expects to continue to reduce lead times, meeting the demands of its customers. Apex is producing five Aries spacecraft buses in 2024, 20 in 2025, and 100 in 2026.

Apex, based in Los Angeles, has received venture capital funding from Andreessen Horowitz alongside XYZ, J2, Lux Capital, Village Global, and 75andSunny.

The executive team, Ian Cinnamon and Max Benassi, lean on their extensive experience across aerospace, dual use, and deep technology companies to bring their vision of Apex to life. Ian, Apex's CEO, previously led his venture-backed company Synapse through its growth and acquisition by Palantir. CTO Max previously scaled aerospace manufacturing at SpaceX before operating as Director of Engineering at Astra.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230404005059/en/
[April 04, 2023] FB Financial Corporation Announces 2023 First Quarter Earnings Call

FB Financial Corporation ("FB Financial" or "the Company") (NYSE:FBK) announced today that it will release its 2023 first quarter results of operations on Monday, April 17, 2023, after the close of market trading. The Company will host a conference call at 8:00 a.m. Central Time on Tuesday, April 18, 2023, to discuss its first quarter results of operations. For investors or analysts who want to attend the call, the dial-in number is 877-883-0383, confirmation code 3946795. A telephonic replay will be available approximately two hours after the call through April 25, 2023, by dialing 877-344-7529 and entering confirmation code 9142688. A live online broadcast of FB Financial's conference call will also begin at 8:00 a.m. Cntral Time, on Tuesday, April 18, 2023, at FBK 1Q23 Webcast. An online replay will be available on the Company's website approximately two hours after the conclusion of the call and will remain available for 12 months.



ABOUT FB FINANCIAL CORPORATION FB Financial Corporation (NYSE: FBK) is a financial holding company headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee. FB Financial Corporation operates through its wholly owned banking subsidiary, FirstBank with 82 full-service bank branches across Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama and North Georgia, and mortgage offices across the Southeast. FirstBank has approximately $12.8 billion in total assets.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230404005843/en/

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[April 04, 2023] BitKeep & Bitget: Missed out on the $ARB Airdrop? Here's Your Chance to Qualify for our Exclusive "KEY" NFT Airdrop!

Singapore City, Singapore, April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Missed out on the $ARB Airdrop? Fret not, because here's your chance to qualify for our "KEY" NFT Airdrop! Following BitKeep's brand upgrade on March 29, BitKeep and Bitget have jointly launched the "Power of B, 2023 Annual Airdrop Plan" campaign to celebrate this momentous occasion with all Web3 users. More details of the campaign tasks pertaining to this month-long event, which will begin on April 3, will be gradually revealed over time, so stay tuned! Even though NFTs will be the main feature of the event, do not mistake them for merely as such! Even greater surprises and benefits await users on the horizon. Today marks the launch of the "KEY" NFT airdrop event. The "KEY" NFT will serve as an access pass for users to participate in a series of activities within the broader "Power of B" campaign. It's important to keep in mind, however, that the "KEY" NFT is only just the beginning. On March 25, we posted an extra-special tweet on our Twitter: " See You in April?" A big thank you to everyone for your participation! We were certainly blown away by the amazing response. A few lucky users will be selected to qualify for the Airdrop, so do keep an eye out for that and congratulations if you have been selected! Moving forward, here's how you can get your hands on the "KEY" NFT Airdrop: 1. For existing BitKeep users, we will be conducting airdrops based on your past activities and transaction volume. 2. For new users, you may rceive the "KEY" NFT Airdrop whitelist upon completion of Galxe or QuestN tasks. Do bear in mind that whitelist spots are distributed on a first come, first served basis, as there are limited spots available!





3. This week, BitKeep's official Twitter account will be releasing a whitelist application form for the "KEY" NFT, which will only be available for a limited time. The whitelist will similarly be offered on a first-come, first-served basis.

4. Additionally, we will also be offering whitelist spots to loyal partners who have continuously supported both BitKeep and Bitget. Do note, however, that several restrictions and regulations will be implemented to avoid Sybil attacks and the monopolization of the "KEY" NFT by a small number of users. Successful whitelist applicants can expect to have the "KEY" NFT delivered to their indicated addresses by April 11, so be sure to participate in the event before then and don't miss out! Additional Notes: 1. If you have applied for the "KEY" NFT whitelist through the Polygon address of your BitKeep wallet, we seek your patience and understanding to await our airdrops alongside the next event announcement. 2. If you are not using BitKeep yet, we recommend downloading BitKeep wallet before participating in the event. You may also add the Polygon mainnet to your BitKeep wallet by following this guide here. 3. Download the BitKeep wallet to import or create a new wallet after obtaining the "KEY" NFT, and transfer the "KEY" NFT to the BitKeep wallet to participate in activities for more airdrop rewards. If you have made it to the end of this post, congratulations! Fill up this Google form to notify us of the Polygon address of your BitKeep wallet! Lucky users will be added to our growing whitelist, so good luck! The "KEY" is only the beginning. Get your BitKeep wallet ready and revel in the Power of B, because surprise airdrops are on their way to you! Until next week! Official Website:https://web3.bitget.com/en



Contact Details: Contact Person: Chole Qian Email: business-at-bitkeep.com Contact Person: Emily Yun Email: media-at-bitget.com

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[April 04, 2023] Novum Launches HYFI Conference That Showcases Synergies Between Traditional and Decentralized Finance

Singapore, April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Novum Group is pleased to announce the inaugural launch of HYFI Conference 2023, due to take place in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, on 20th April 2023. HYFI stems from a synergy of two words - "Hybrid Finance." HYFI is where traditional finance meets decentralized finance - TradFi + DeFi. TradFi has been around since the beginning of time and hence, would offer much knowledge to participants in the DeFi space. Through HYFI Conference, participants will gain valuable insights from each side of the divide. Christopher Low, Chairman of The Novum Group, said, "DeFi has grown exponentially in the last couple of years due to the advent of blockchain. As a result, traditional finance will inevitably converge with DeFi to create a strong synergy. We believe that only when such synergies are achieved can mass adoption of decentralized technologies occur." This year's HYFI Conference will also feature a quality selection of start-ups seeking venture investments. In addition, start-ups will have the opportunity to pitch their business ideas during the HYFI conference. HYFI 2023 aims to bring together 500+ participants to share knowledge and create synergies among them. Notably, one of the innovative blockchain companies to support HYFI 2023 as a Diamond sponsor is PurpleFi, a decentralized investment platform that gives access to tokenized assets. We are thrilled to partner with HYFI Conference to introduce you to PurpleFi, an ecosystem that revolutionizes Web3 investing. With PrpleFi, our users can invest smarter and unlock the potential of Web3. We provide mutually beneficial opportunities for investors, enabling them to invest in the future. Meet with us at HYFI Conference and learn how we can enable you to invest smarter, simpler and more meaningfully., said Alex Goldsmith, Head of Products at PurpleFi.



Other interesting sponsors include Blockbase Ventures, Markovian Studios and Davensi. One of the worlds leading automated trading bot platforms, CryptoHero.ai, is also a sponsor of HYFI 2023. The Novum Group has previously organized several online conferences that brought together thousands of participants in the Web3 space. Now, through its HYFI Conference, it aims to demonstrate a shift towards an open and engaging discussion between both TradFi and DeFi industries.

Access more details regarding HYFI 2023 at the following URL: https://www.hyficonference.com

About Novum Group The Novum Group comprises several companies specializing in the Web3 and financial software. Since its founding in 2017, it has grown from strength to strength to operate in the following areas - Web3 news (www.supercryptonews.com), consulting (www.novum.global) and software (www.cryptohero.aiand www.stockhero.ai). The Novum Group is headquartered in Singapore, with a presence in Malaysia and Vietnam.





Andrelle Chiew Marketing Manager Novum Global Consultancy andrelle-at-novum.global

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[April 04, 2023] Symetra Appoints Kevin Byrne and Thomas Girard to Board of Directors

Symetra Financial Corporation today announced the appointments of Kevin R. Byrne and Thomas J. Girard to its board of directors. Mr. Byrne is recently retired chief executive officer of Pacific Global Asset Management, and Mr. Girard most recently served as chief investment officer, Fixed Income for NYL Investors, from which he retired in June 2018. The appointments were effective March 31, 2023. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230404005862/en/ Kevin R. Byrne has joined the board of directors of Symetra Financial Corporation. (Photo: Business Wire) "We are very pleased to welcome Kevin and Tom to the Symetra board. Our new directors bring impressive backgrounds to the company. Their deep business and industry acumen will be invaluable as we pursue Symetra's strategic vision and long-term growth. I look forward to their insights and contributions and to working with them," said Tom Marra, chairman of the board for Symetra. "Kevin and Tom's collective years of experience and expertise add to the strength of our board," added Margaret Meister, president and CEO of Symetra. "The dialogue and perspective among our board members is an invaluable asset to company management as we develop and exeute company strategy. We are operating in a dynamic and rapidly changing marketplace, and I am grateful for what Kevin, Tom and the rest of our board members offer in support of successfully growing the business in this environment."



Mr. Byrne retired from Pacific Life in January 2022. From 2018 to 2021, he served as chief executive officer of Pacific Global Asset Management. From 2012 to 2017, he was senior vice president and chief financial officer for Pacific Life's Retirement Solutions Division. Prior to Pacific Life, Mr. Byrne spent over 20 years with Equitable Life Insurance, ultimately serving as executive vice president and chief investment officer for AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company, with responsibility for the strategy and oversight of insurance investment portfolios, corporate finance, and corporate treasurer.

Mr. Byrne received an MBA in international business from New York University, and a bachelor's degree in finance from Fordham University. He is a member of the board of directors for New York Community Trust, serving as chair of the Investment Committee. Tom Girard retired as the chief investment officer, Fixed Income, for NYL Investors, a wholly owned subsidiary of New York Life Insurance Company. He oversaw the management of $145 billion in fixed income assets and was responsible for setting investment strategy and overseeing risk management of all fixed income portfolios. During his tenure, Mr. Girard was instrumental in building the firm's third-party asset management business. He was a member of NYL Investors board of directors and senior leadership team and was responsible for providing annual reviews to the Investment Committee of the New York Life board of directors as well as credit rating agencies. Prior to joining NYL Investors, Mr. Girard served as a managing director and head of Fixed Income for Robeco Investment Management, Weiss Peck & Greer, where he oversaw $11 billion and was a key architect of the overall investment philosophy and process. He was a member of the Operating Committee and the Investment Policy Committee. Mr. Girard received an MBA in finance from Fordham University and a bachelor's degree in accounting from St. John Fisher College. He is a member of the advisory board at Hollow Brook Wealth Management, and formerly served as an advisory board member at Schultze Asset Management, LP, and at the Fixed Income Forum. About Symetra Symetra Financial Corporation is a diversified financial services company based in Bellevue, Washington. In business since 1957, Symetra provides employee benefits, annuities and life insurance through a national network of benefit consultants, financial institutions, and independent financial professionals and insurance producers. For more information, visit www.symetra.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230404005862/en/

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[April 04, 2023] Turnitin Turns On AI Writing Detection Capabilities for Educators and Institutions

New capabilities in the existing Turnitin workflow give educators highly accurate insights into the presence of AI-generated text for more than 50 million students OAKLAND, Calif., April 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Turnitin - a leading provider of academic integrity solutions globally - will activate its AI writing detection capabilities. The technology identifies the use of AI writing tools including ChatGPT, with 98 percent confidence, enabling educators to analyze and review the authenticity of academic work. Turnitin began working on detection capabilities for GPT3, the underlying technology on which many AI writing applications are based, nearly two years prior to the release of ChatGPT. Built to help educators and academic institutions identify AI-generated text in student-written submissions, Turnitin's AI writing detection capabilities are integrated into existing Turnitin systems and accessible through learning management systems, and does not require additional steps for current Turnitin educator users to access. Over 10,700 institutions and more than 2.1 million educators will be able to quickly and easily evaluate a submission for the presence of AI-generated text and provide feedback to students in their current Turnitin workflows. Turnitin's AI detector provides an evaluative measure of how many sentences in a written submission may have been generated by artificial intelligence, which educators can use to determine if further review, inquiry or discussion with the student is needed. Turnitin's AI writing detection capabilities are available within existing products and solutions, including: Turnitin Feedback Studio (TFS), TFS with Originality, Turnitin Originality, Turnitin Similarity, Simcheck, Originality Check and Originality Check+. Please note that for this release, the AI detection capability will only work for content submitted in English. It will not process any non-English submissions at this time. "Educators told us that being ble to accurately detect AI written text is their first priority right now. They need to be able to detect AI with very high certainty to assess the authenticity of a student's work and determine how to best engage with them," said Turnitin CEO, Chris Caren. "It is equally important that detection technology becomes a seamless part of their existing workflow, which we have done by integrating AI detection capabilities into Turnitin solutions."



"Turnitin's technology has high accuracy and low false positive rates when detecting AI-generated text in student writing. To maintain a less than one percent false positive rate, we only flag something when we are 98 percent sure it is written by AI based on data that was collected and verified in our controlled lab environment," said Turnitin Chief Product Officer, Annie Chechitelli. "What we are providing for educators now has been in development for years. In the coming months, we will continue to refine and adapt our detection capabilities, using field data to increase accuracy." To help the education community navigate and manage this new technology in the classroom, Turnitin has published an AI writing resource page . The publicly available web page is regularly updated with practical resources from the company's Teaching and Learning team, which consists of former and current educators. Current resources include a glossary of AI terms, a guide on updating an academic integrity policy in the age of AI and a downloadable AI misuse rubric to help educators proactively prepare writing assignments from potential AI-generated text. The page also reports progress in refining detection capabilities as AI writing technology continues to evolve.

For 25 years, Turnitin has been a trusted partner of educators, giving insights into student writing, and helping to uphold the standards of academic integrity for more than 16,000 institutions in 140 countries worldwide. Press contact: [email protected] About Turnitin Turnitin is a global company dedicated to ensuring the integrity of education and meaningfully improving learning outcomes. For 25 years, Turnitin has partnered with educational institutions to promote honesty, consistency, and fairness across all subject areas and assessment types. Turnitin products are used by educational institutions and certification and licensing programs to uphold integrity and increase learning performance, and by students and professionals to do their best, original work. Turnitin has offices in Australia, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Mexico, the Netherlands, the Philippines, Sweden, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Over 16,000 academic institutions, publishers, and corporations use Turnitin services: Gradescope by Turnitin, iThenticate, Turnitin Feedback Studio, Turnitin Originality, Turnitin Similarity, ExamSoft, ProctorExam, and Ouriginal. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2001658/Turnitin_v1_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/turnitin-turns-on-ai-writing-detection-capabilities-for-educators-and-institutions-301789910.html SOURCE Turnitin

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[April 04, 2023] Beasley Allen/Arnold & Itkin Law Firms: On Eve of J&J Bankruptcy Dismissal, Cancer Victims Prepare to Enter Civil Court System

Cancer victims who are seeking to hold Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) responsible after being exposed to cancer-causing talc in its Johnson's Baby Powder will be asking state courts and the judge in the federal talc multidistrict litigation to immediately resume civil court trials. "The bankruptcy that was rejected by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit exposed J&J's lack of seriousness about resolving claims on a 'fair and equitable basis,'" says Andy Birchfield, head of the Mass Tort Section at the Beasley Allen Law Firm, which represents thousands of victims with ovarian cancer claims against the company. "Any resolution must acknowledge that in the average tragedy caused by talc, a victim is facing more than $500,000 in medical costs and lost wages." Plaintiff attorneys report that the number of total cases has grown since J&J first attempted its now discredited "Texas Two-Step" legal maneuver. "There are close to 50,000 current claims that could easily be resolved if Johnson & Johnson would stop playing games and abusing the bankruptcy court process," says Birchfield. "In addition, any resolution must factor in at least 20,000 future claims. This represents the ongoing damage caused by Johnson & Johnson." Plaintiff attorneys vow that they will fight any attempt by Johnson & Johnson to return to the bankruptcy courts.



"The appellate court was crystal clear after examining J&J's tactics: Bankruptcy means bad faith," says Jason Itkin, a founding partner of Houston-based Arnold & Itkin. Mr. Itkin predicts that any effort by J&J to advertise a settlement as part of a renewed bankruptcy is destined to fail. "Johnson & Johnson wouldn't have the required 75% vote now and will never have the votes," says Mr. Itkin. "J&J set aside $61.5 billion in its first bad-faith bankruptcy. We believe J&J is still determined to try to convince cancer victims to accept a low-ball deal that does not even pay for medical bills or wages lost due to illness. Our clients look forward to having their cases decided by a jury of their peers." About Beasley Allen Law Firm

Headquartered in Montgomery, Alabama, Beasley Allen is comprised of more than 70 attorneys and 200 support staff. One of the largest plaintiff law firms in the country, Beasley Allen is a national leader in civil litigation, with verdicts and settlements in excess of $26 billion. Beasley Allen was one of only 12 firms in the nation named by Law360 to its Most Feared Plaintiffs Firms list in 2015, and the firm was included on the National Law Journal Midsize Law Firm Hot List and the NLJ Elite Trial Lawyers List in 2014. For more information, visit www.beasleyallen.com. About Arnold & Itkin LLP Arnold & Itkin is a trial law firm based in Houston that exclusively represents plaintiffs. Founded in 2004, the firm has won cases against household names like Johnson & Johnson, BP, Shell, and numerous others. The total amount from their verdicts and settlements exceeds $10 billion, including a record-setting $222 million verdict last year for a woman who lost her husband in an industrial accident. The firm is also involved in various charitable causes in the Houston area, most notably The Monarch School & Institute, a school for learners with neurological differences. Learn more about Arnold & Itkin at www.arnolditkin.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230404005917/en/

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Chico, Calif. --News Direct-- Ameramex International

AmeraMex International, Inc. (OTC:AMMX), a provider of heavy equipment for logistics companies, infrastructure construction and forestry conservation, announced that it has informed the OTC Market System that the Company has elected to move from the OTCQB to the OTC Pink Market. This move will be effective today, April 4, 2023.

AmeraMex CEO Lee Hamre commented, We did not make the decision to move from the OTCQB to the OTC Pink Market lightly, both the Board and management team are disappointed as we fought hard to become a fully reporting company. We believe that becoming a fully reporting would provide the Company with greater exposure to the financial community and retail investors. This exposure, along with continued revenue growth would increase the Companys stock price, which would provide a means to raise monies to finance our growth plans and acquisition strategy. Unfortunately, that did not happen and instead, it has increased our costs for legal and auditing, etc., to over $250,000+ annually, or $960,000 since 2019. This is money that could have helped strengthen our balance sheet and improve our bottom line.

We have had conversations with several groups, attended financial conferences both digitally and in person, and the end result was to spend thousands of dollars monthly on marketing campaigns to hopefully, no guarantees, increase the stock price through expanded visibility, or to deal with groups that offered money at a incomprehensible cost to the company and its shareholder for raising small amounts of money that wouldnt make a dent in the amount needed finance our growth plans.

We will continue to provide transparency to our shareholders through news releases, quarterly conference calls and updates to our OTC profile and disclosure documents and, of course, conversations with our shareholders, said Hamre.

Hamre concluded, If, in the future, we find ourselves in the position to clearly benefit from being a fully reporting company, we will most certainly take it under consideration.

Story continues

About AmeraMex International

AmeraMex International sells, leases and rents heavy equipment to companies within multiple industries including construction, logistics, mining, and lumber. AmeraMex, with a US and international customer base, has over 30 years of experience in heavy equipment sales and service. Follow AmeraMex on Twitter @ammx_intl and visit the AmeraMex website, www.AMMX.net or www.hamreequipment.com for additional information and equipment videos.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical facts included in this press release are forward-looking statements. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "plan," "potential," "continue" or similar expressions. Such forward-looking statements include risks and uncertainties, and there are key factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Investors are encouraged to review the Companys filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Investors should not place any undue reliance on forward-looking statements since they involve known and unknown, uncertainties and other factors which are, in some cases, beyond the Companys control which could, and likely will, materially affect actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. Any forward-looking statement reflects the Companys current views with respect to future events and is subject to these and other risks, uncertainties and assumptions relating to operations, results of operations, growth strategy and liquidity. The Company assumes no obligation to publicly update or revise these forward-looking statements for any reason, or to update the reasons actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements, even if added information becomes available in the future.

Contact Details

Marty Tullio

+1 949-632-1900

marty@mccloudcommunications.com

Company Website

https://www.ammx.net

View source version on newsdirect.com: https://newsdirect.com/news/ameramex-international-to-begin-trading-on-the-otc-pink-market-540351693
[April 04, 2023] Blackfoot Communications to Invest $76 Million in Fiber-based Broadband in Rural Montana

Blackfoot Communications today announced plans to invest more than $76 million in fiber-based broadband in rural Montana. The investment is being made possible by more than $60 million in ConnectMT grants awarded by the State of Montana with Blackfoot contributing more than $16 million to fully fund the project. "Blackfoot Communications is proud to put these funds to work in rural Montana," said Jason Williams, CEO. "Access to high-speed internet is essential for businesses, education and families, and these grants help us reach underserved communities in Western Montana. As a Montana-based company with nearly 70 years of experience building and operatin networks, we look forward to continuing to help strengthen rural communities across Western Montana and connecting more Montana businesses, schools and homes to fast, reliable broadband."



Blackfoot Communications was awarded seven grants to deliver broadband to the following counties: Granite, Missoula, Ravalli and Sanders. Individual communities include Darby, Drummond, Philipsburg, Plains and Potomac. Construction to deploy fiber in these areas begins in the Spring of 2023 with a projected completion date in 2026. The investment from Blackfoot will allow customers access to fast, reliable broadband internet speeds of up to 1 Gbps or more. Since 2017, Blackfoot has invested nearly $50 million in fiber-based broadband infrastructure throughout Montana, including deploying full fiber-to-the-premise networks in Thompson Falls and St. Ignatius, and is currently building an all fiber-network west of Anaconda, including the Georgetown Lake area.

According to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Montana ranks low among states with broadband access, with nearly 1 in 3 Montanans lacking access to high-speed internet. Blackfoot is working hard to reverse this trend and is committed to building out fiber-based broadband to its entire Montana service territory which covers 5,000 square miles. Blackfoot Communications delivers voice, broadband and fiber-based internet connectivity to homes and businesses in Western Montana and Eastern Idaho. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230404005334/en/

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[April 04, 2023]

Credit Union of Southern California Celebrates Youth Month

CU SoCal Will Award $250 in College Funds to 20 Youth Members

ANAHEIM HILLS, Calif., April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- This April, the credit union movement celebrates Youth Month, an industry-wide celebration meant to plant the seeds of financial wellbeing in young Members. In honor of Youth Month, Credit Union of Southern California (CU SoCal) is awarding $250 in college funds to 20 youth Members who sign up for a checking account.

The Youth Month giveaway will run from April 1-30 and is open to young Members ages 13-21. To qualify for the gieaway, Members ages 13-17 must open a Classic Checking Account during the promotional period. Members ages 18-21 will qualify with a new Rewards Checking Account or Classic Checking Account.







Further giveaway details and terms and conditions can be found at www.CUSoCal.org/Learn/Special-Offers/Youth-Month.

"Youth Month not only captures the spirit of the credit union movement; it dovetails with our mission as a credit union," said CU SoCal President and CEO Dave Gunderson. "Our goal is to build better lives, and instilling financial wellbeing into a new generation of Members is a great way to carry out that mission."

About Credit Union of Southern California (CU SoCal)

Founded in 1954 as Whittier Area Schools Federal Credit Union, CU SoCal is a credit union open to those who live, work, worship, or attend school in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties. CU SoCal has a superior five-star financial rating from BauerFinancial, holds more than $2.7 billion in assets, and serves approximately 145,000 Members. For more information, visit CUSoCal.org

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/credit-union-of-southern-california-celebrates-youth-month-301790028.html

SOURCE Credit Union of Southern California
[April 04, 2023] iBio Discovers New Panel of CD3 T-Cell Binding Antibodies Using its Patented AI Epitope Steering Platform

BRYAN, Texas, April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- iBio, Inc. (NYSEA:IBIO) (iBio or the Company), an AI-driven innovator of precision antibody immunotherapies, announced that a presentation given today by its VP & Head of Machine Learning & Platform Technologies, Matt Greving, Ph.D., during Carterra's "Unlocking High-Throughput Biology and Drug Discovery" symposium in San Diego, CA, revealed the discovery of a panel of CD3 T-cell binding antibodies, representing an important first step for the Company into bispecific immuno-oncology therapies.

T-cell-redirecting bispecific antibodies are a new class of therapeutic antibodies designed to simultaneously bind to T cells via CD3 and to tumor cells via tumor-specific antigens (TSA) or tumor-associated antigens (TAA), inducing T-cell-mediated killing of tumor cells.1 Early studies of CD3-based T-cell engagers showed promising clinical efficacy, but were hampered by severe dose-limiting toxicities, due in large part to anti-CD3 binders with high potency.2 Another hurdle in the development of CD3-based T-cell engagers has been the often-observed lack of cross-reactivity with non-human primates. This has made it difficult to assess the potential of CD3 antibody therapies in humans, potentially delaying their clinical development.3 With the aim of overcoming these challenges, iBio employed its patented epitope steering technology to guide antibodies towards specific CD3 epitopes. The Companys AI-based antibody optimizer, combined with its mammalian display technology broadened the range of CD3 affinities, identified antibodies with cross-reactivity to non-human primates and increased the humanness of the antibody sequences. Dr. Greving explained, Our leading epitope-steering and mammalian-display integration enabled efficient discovery of a diverse panel of CD3 antibodies. With our technology stack, we were able to overcome key challenges associated with CD3 antibody discovery, including identifying T-cell binding antibodies with non-human primate cross-reactivity. In response to the Company's latest AI platform success, iBio's Interim Chief Executive Officer and Chief Scientific Officer, Martin Brenner, DVM, Ph.D., affirmed that, By combining two of our platform technologies, we were successful in generating anti-CD3 antibodies with highly desirable characteristics. By adding CD3-based T-cell engaging antibodies as a tumor cell killing modality, we now have a valuable option to tune efficacy and sfety of our future and existing pipeline programs.



References 1. L. Haber, K. Olson, M. P. Kelly, A. Crawford, D. J. DiLillo, R. Tavare, E. Ullman, S. Mao, L. Canova, O. Sineshchekova, J. Finney, A. Pawashe, S. Patel, R. McKay, S. Rizvi, E. Damko, D. Chiu, K. Vazzana, P. Ram, K. Mohrs, A. DOrvilliers, J. Xiao, S. Makonnen, C. Hickey, C. Arnold, J. Giurleo, Y. P. Chen, C. Thwaites, D. Dudgeon, K. Bray, A. Rafique, T. Huang, F. Delfino, A. Hermann, J. R. Kirshner, M. W. Retter, R. Babb, D. MacDonald, G. Chen, W. C. Olson, G. Thurston, S. Davis, J. C. Lin, E. Smith, Generation of T-cell-redirecting bispecific antibodies with differentiated profiles of cytokine release and biodistribution by CD3 affinity tuning. Sci Rep. 11, 14397 (2021).

2. O. Vafa, N. D. Trinklein, Perspective: Designing T-Cell Engagers With Better Therapeutic Windows. Frontiers in Oncology. 10 (2020) (available at https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fonc.2020.00446). 3. F. R. Brennan, J. Cavagnaro, K. McKeever, P. C. Ryan, M. M. Schutten, J. Vahle, G. F. Weinbauer, E. Marrer-Berger, L. E. Black, Safety testing of monoclonal antibodies in non-human primates: Case studies highlighting their impact on human risk assessment. mAbs. 10, 117 (2018). About iBio, Inc. iBio develops next-generation biopharmaceuticals using computational biology and 3D-modeling of subdominant and conformational epitopes, prospectively enabling the discovery of new antibody treatments for hard-to-target cancers and other diseases. iBios mission is to decrease drug failures, shorten drug development timelines, and open up new frontiers against the most promising targets. For more information, visit www.ibioinc.com. FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS Certain statements in this press release constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Words such as "may," "might," "will," "should," "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "continue," "predict," "forecast," "project," "plan," "intend" or similar expressions, or statements regarding intent, belief, or current expectations, are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based upon current estimates and assumptions and include statements regarding the guarantee of broad coverage of the Companys proprietary, epitope-steering antibody discovery engine and the engine providing iBio a competitive advantage. While the Company believes these forward-looking statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on any such forward-looking statements, which are based on information available to us on the date of this release. These forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties, many of which are difficult to predict that could cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations and assumptions from those set forth or implied by any forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations include, among others, the Companys ability to continue to execute its growth strategy; its ability to obtain regulatory approvals for commercialization of its product candidates, or to comply with ongoing regulatory requirements; regulatory limitations relating to its ability to promote or commercialize its product candidates for specific indications; acceptance of its product candidates in the marketplace and the successful development, marketing or sale of products; its ability to maintain its license agreements; the continued maintenance and growth of its patent estate; its ability to obtain or maintain the capital or grants necessary to fund its research and development activities and whether the Company will incur unforeseen expenses or liabilities or other market factors; successful compliance with governmental regulations applicable to its manufacturing facility; competition; its ability to retain its key employees or maintain its NYSE American listing; and the other factors discussed in the Companys filings with the SEC including the Companys Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended June 30, 2022 and the Companys subsequent filings with the SEC on Forms 10-Q and 8-K. The information in this release is provided only as of the date of this release, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this release on account of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by law. Contact: Stephen Kilmer

iBio, Inc.

Investor Relations

(646) 274-3580

[email protected]



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The behind the scenes of this debate was far more interesting . . .

What we noticed is that LGBT activists & their allies targeted Kansas City Black leadership for their resistance on this staple of gay rights . . . Meanwhile, this aspect of the progressive agenda doesn't really play well in the urban core.

Of course TKC doesn't have any love for the pseudoscience of "conversion therapy" which is typically a practice of torturing youngsters who don't comply with some facet of religious ideology.

However . . .

We also notice that this bit of reporting CONVENIENTLY drowned out public frustration with property taxes rising at a rate of 30% and higher.



Here's the word and more info . . .



County legislators unanimously passed an ordinance that will prohibit any attempts to change a minors sexual orientation or gender identity through conversion therapy.



Jackson County is now the first Missouri county to ban the practice. Several other cities in the Kansas City area have also done so in recent years.



Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .

Jackson County unanimously passes conversion therapy ban KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The Jackson County Legislature has voted to ban conversion therapy for minors Monday after the measure failed just weeks ago. County legislators unanimously passed an ordinance that will prohibit any attempts to change a minor's sexual orientation or gender identity through conversion therapy.

Jackson County Legislature passes conversion-therapy ban on 2nd try KANSAS CITY, Mo. - If at first you don't succeed, try - try again. Two weeks after an ordinance that would ban conversion therapy in Jackson County failed, the Jackson County Legislature passed an amended version of the ban championed by Manny Abarca IV and Jalen Anderson.

Jackson County Legislature unanimously approves conversion therapy ban for minors The Jackson County Legislature unanimously voted Monday to approve a ban on conversion therapy for minors. The vote comes after weeks of debate and at times, some frustration over the process. It was approved Monday after it did not pass at two previous meetings. At one point, three different versions of the bill were proposed.

Jackson County Legislature unanimously approves conversion therapy ban for minors The Jackson County Legislature unanimously voted Monday to approve a ban on conversion therapy for minors. The vote comes after weeks of debate and at times, some frustration over the process. It was approved Monday after it did not pass at two previous meetings. At one point, three different versions of the bill were proposed.

Developing . . .
We hope to have a bit more perspective on this report later but for now we just wanted to share the facts of the investigation as they've been reported.

First note . . .



Homicide 6400 blk of Manchester

Just before 1am officers were called to the 6400 blk of Manchester on a reported shooting. Upon arrival, officers located the victim, an adult male, inside an apartment building suffering from apparent gunshot wounds. EMS responded to the scene and declared the victim deceased.



Homicide detectives and Crime Scene Personnel have responded to the scene. They will be processing the scene to recover any evidence and speaking to any potential witnesses.



Anyone with information is asked to call detectives at 816-234-5043. Or if you wish to remain anonymous you can do so by calling the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS. There is a reward of up to $25,000 for information provided to TIPS which leads to an arrest in the case.



We are working with Partners for Peace in all our homicide investigations to monitor risks for retaliation and provide social services to affected residents.

###########



Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com links . . .

Kansas City Police investigating homicide near 64th and Manchester KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Kansas City Police are investigating a homicide in the 6400 block of Manchester. Police were called to the area just before 1 a.m. When they arrived, police say they found an adult man inside an apartment who had been shot. Police say he died on the scene.

1 dead following shooting at 64th ,Manchester in Kansas City SOURCE: KMBC Kansas City police are investigating a fatal shooting that happened early Tuesday morning. One person was killed in a shooting in the 6400 block of Manchester Avenue, according to police. The shooting happened at 12:55 a.m. on Tuesday morning. There's no word yet if the victim is a man or a woman.

Kansas City police investigate deadly shooting near 64th and Manchester KANSAS CITY, Mo. - One person is dead after an overnight shooting in south Kansas City Tuesday morning. Just before 1 a.m. Kansas City police were called to the the 6400 block of Manchester for a reported shooting. There officers located an adult man inside an apartment building with gunshot wounds.

Developing . . .


This little tidbit makes for an effective organized labor talking point.

Make no mistake . . .

Working the stands at the K is a very TOUGH JOB.



It's also worth noting that the work has lifted DOZENS of people out of poverty.

Meanwhile . . . Careful news readers should know that recent labor clap backs are likely a signal to the home team that they're going to HAVE TO PAY BIG AND PAY THE RIGHT PEOPLE for a new stadium.

Here's the official story . . .

A press release from the union states workers used to bring their cups into Kauffman Stadium from their homes to drink water from. But two years ago, they said the team stopped allowing that.



You would have to speak with the Royals as to why theyre doing this, and why they dont allow this and as to why they refuse to allow that as part of the bargaining contract that theyre working on right now, an SEIU Local 1 spokesman said.

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .

Royals employee union protests working conditions at Kauffman Stadium Royals employees speak out against unsafe working conditions. // Photo by Chris Ortiz Royals employees are speaking out against what they claim to be unsafe working conditions at Kauffman Stadium, including sub-standard drinking water and managerial policies. For years, employees could bring their own insulated water bottles to games, but about two years ago, Royals management allegedly banned personal water...

Union calls working conditions 'unsafe' at Kauffman Stadium KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The SEIU Local 1 union is criticizing the Kansas City Royals for what it's calling unsafe drinking water for the employees it represents. A press release from the union states workers used to bring their cups into Kauffman Stadium from their homes to drink water from.

Developing . . .
KCPD updated homicide stats this week and here's what's important a few voters head to the polls.

KANSAS CITY'S 2023 HOMICIDE PACE IS MORE THAN 25% HIGHER THAN LAST YEAR & THREATENING TO BREAK ANOTHER RECORD!!!

In any kind of vibrant Democracy that wasn't completely ruled by corporate corruption . . . The entire metro would be having a conversation about this and the topic would be at the forefront of local discussion.

Instead . . .

Kansas City is caught in an infinite loop of culture war politics and petty personal vendettas.

Don't be us wrong . . . There are a few promising candidates who are making local crime their top priorities.

But let's be honest . . . This conversation has been politely ignored for DECADES.

And now most of us are content to politely ignore the numbers.



For now, we'll simply share the news deets . . .



Police say just before 5 a.m. they received a call for an armed party in the 8600 block of Hillcrest Road. When officers arrived on scene they discovered one deceased victim.

After the suspect fired shots at police, KCPD returned fire and did not strike the suspect.

The suspect was taken into custody.



Here's the first report . . .

Homicide and OIS



This morning just before 5am, officers were called to 8601 Hillcrest on an armed disturbance which was subsequently updated to sounds of shots and then a shooting. Upon arrival, officers located a victim, an adult male, inside the hotel suffering from apparent gunshot wounds. Officers began performing life saving measures on the victim.



Simultaneously, additional officers on scene were directed by a witness to the suspect who was running southbound from the scene on foot. Officers pursued the suspect on foot. As the suspect approached E 87th St and 435 Hwy, officers observed the suspect to have a gun. There was an exchange of gunfire between the suspect and the officers. No officers were injured by gunfire nor was the suspect.



The suspect, an adult male, was taken into custody.



EMS responded to the scene and declared the victim at the hotel deceased.



Homicide detectives have responded. As well as crime scene personnel. Because no one was struck, KCPD will be investigating the officer involved shooting as well as the homicide. They will be processing the scene to recover any evidence and speaking to witnesses.



Anyone with information in regard to the homicide or OIS is asked to call detectives at 816-234-5043. Or if you wish to remain anonymous you can do so by calling the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS.

############



Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .

KCPD investigates homicide near 87th St. and I-435 KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A homicide investigation in underway after one person was killed near 87th St. and I-435 in south Kansas City Tuesday morning. Police say just before 5 a.m. they received a call for an armed party in the 8600 block of Hillcrest Road.

1 dead, police exchange gunfire with suspect after Tuesday morning homicide in Kansas City, Missouri KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department says one person is dead and a suspect is in custody after exchanging gunfire with officers Tuesday morning in Kansas City, Missouri. The incident first started at Days Inn & Suites near 87th Street and Hillcrest Road in KCMO.

KCPD: Officer involved in shooting after responding to homicide at an area hotel Kansas City, Missouri, police are investigating a homicide at a hotel near I-435 and 87th Street.Police also say they are investigating a shooting involving an officer at the same location. A spokesperson for Kansas City police said officers were called to the scene around 5 a.m. to investigate an armed disturbance.

Developing . . .


Tragic news following a standoff in nearby Gladstone, Missouri . . . Here are the basics from a police press release . . .



Officers were dispatched around 1:30 p.m. to the 400 block of Northeast 75th Terrace on a reported domestic disturbance, Capt. Karl Burris of Gladstone police said in a statement. The call concerned a woman and a man, who police said was armed with a gun.



After the officers arrived, police said the woman exited the residence while the man remained inside. A tactical response team with the Clay County Sheriffs department was called in along with other area law enforcement agencies.



Hours later, officers entered the home to find the man dead of an apparent gunshot wound, Burris said.



Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .

Officers find man dead inside a Gladstone house after hours-long standoff KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A man was found dead Monday night from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound after a standoff with law officers at a Northland house. The 42-year-old man's name has not been released. Gladstone police were sent about 1:30 p.m.

Developing . . .
An anticipated record tourism year in Greece is facing a problem with a shortage of workers to staff facilities. These jobs, which offer low pay, long hours, no days off, and require workers to find their own accommodations, are being shunned by the Greeks.

While the Tourism Ministry promotes the countrys attractions and provides enticing slogans as reasons to visit, the worker shortage is causing major headaches for hotels, restaurants, and tavernas, some of which rake in huge profits while evading taxes.

As the spring season begins and a busy summer approaches, the government is signing deals with Egypt, Syria, Bangladesh, and even Pakistan, following the arrest of two Pakistanis in a terrorism plot.

Workers are also needed in other fields, such as agriculture, to fill positions that Greeks are unwilling to take, despite high unemployment rates. There is also a need for employees in livestock and fisheries, according to Egypt Independent.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis stated that they are working to activate the agreement signed with Egypt in agricultural production, but delays in granting visas could exacerbate the dilemma.

In 2022, there were 55,000-60,000 vacancies as tourists began arriving and pandemic health measures were eased. However, working conditions were so harsh that thousands of workers did not return, with some even having to sleep in their cars due to high island rents.

According to the Hellenic Federation of Industries (SEV), the level of employment deficit in Greece is 10%, compared to the European Union average, with jobs available in tourism and other industries remaining unfilled.

The Greek financial daily Naftemboriki reported that there are over 61,000 vacancies for jobs in hotels, and market agents suggested that the shortage should be increased by as much as 25% due to tourism workers moving to other sectors.

Giorgos Hontzoglou, President of the Panhellenic Federation of Food and Tourism Workers (POEET), told Naftemboriki, How can foreign workers stay in Greece? In Spain, they work in hotels for a basic salary of 1,600 euros for five days, eight hours a day, which is strictly observed. Here they will receive 900 euros for 14 hours a day, 30 days a month.

Read more at thenationalherald.com

RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations, Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report

Photo Source: pixabay.com
Andrew Palamarchuk is a reporter with Metroland Media Toronto and toronto.com. He has been covering the crime beat since 2002 and has a passion for giving a voice to those affected by tragedy and looking at societal issues that may have contributed to it.
Longstanding Tradition Continues as America's Egg Farmers Donate Eggs for Annual White House Easter Egg Roll

WASHINGTON, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Continuing a nearly five-decade tradition, the American Egg Board (AEB), on behalf of America's egg farmers, will present Dr. Jill Biden with the 2023 First Lady's Commemorative Egg at the White House Easter "EGGucation" Roll on Monday, April 10.

Experience the full interactive Multichannel News Release here: https://www.multivu.com/players/English/9148351-american-egg-board-reveals-46th-annual-first-ladys-commemorative-egg/

2023 First Ladys Commemorative Egg, Opened

The 2023 First Lady's Commemorative Egg, intricately designed by longtime egg artist Carolyn Bickel, highlights how the power of education allows children of all ages to meet their goals and dream big for the future. This year's Commemorative Egg is a hand-painted jewel box design depicting children reading books together, with a hinged top which reveals a miniature Easter scene featuring another smaller real, hand-painted egg. The special Commemorative Egg design honors Dr. Biden's commitment to ensuring quality education to all Americans by visually capturing how children can reach for the stars, one book at a time.

"The American Egg Board and America's egg farmers are honored to gift the 46th First Lady's Commemorative Egg to Dr. Jill Biden celebrating her lifelong commitment to education, as part of the White House Easter 'EGGucation' Roll," said Emily Metz, president and CEO of the American Egg Board. "We're proud to continue this legacy and to celebrate Easter and Passover holidays with an essential ingredient at the center of people's memories, festivities and traditions: eggs."

America's Egg Farmers Support and Celebrate the White House Easter "EGGucation" Roll

The White House Easter "EGGucation" Roll brings together egg farmers and thousands of families from across the country to celebrate a timeless tradition held on the White House South Lawn. Along with the iconic roll itself, families will have an opportunity to visit the American Egg Board's interactive Hen to Home exhibit to learn about an egg's journey from the farm to the plate and participate in a variety of egg-centric activitiesfrom egg hunts to egg decorating. Showcasing the versatility of the egg, this year's White House Easter "EGGucation" Roll will spotlight a unique food experience, with the incredible egg featured in all dishes in the cafetorium. Eggs will even be provided to NASA for a special activity they are holding as part of the "EGGucation" classroom activities.

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"United States of Possibility" Colonnade of Eggs Exhibit to Feature Kid-Designed Eggs

In the spirit of Dr. Biden's commitment to education, the White House East Colonnade will be transformed into the "United States of Possibility" Colonnade of Eggs exhibit, featuring hand-painted and decorated eggs representing all 50 U.S. states and six territories. In a show of state pride and national unity, children submitted creative egg designs under the theme of "United States of Possibility" that highlight why they love their home state/territory and its contributions to the future of the country, from their state's natural resources to technological inventions to cultural developments.

America's Egg Farmers Donate More Than 5.5 Million Eggs to Fight Hunger by the Dozens

America's egg farmers are working around the clock to ensure Americans have eggsa spring holiday essentialon their tables to celebrate with friends and family this Easter and Passover season. In the three weeks leading up to these holidays, egg farmers across America are donating more than 5.5 million eggs to local food banks as part of their "Fighting Hunger by the Dozens" initiative. In 2023, America's egg farmers have already donated more than 15.3 million eggs to food banks around the U.S. and will continue to donate eggs all year round.

"Egg farmers across the country are committed to fighting hunger in America and supporting Americans facing food insecurity," said Metz. "Eggs make Easter and Passover family traditions extra special and America's egg farmers are working hard to make sure eggs can be at the table for all celebrations this season and available as a high-quality, nutritious protein for all Americans."

About the American Egg Board (AEB)

Home of The Incredible Egg, the American Egg Board (AEB) is the national marketing organization of America's egg farmers. AEB's mission is to increase demand for eggs and egg products through research, education and promotion. AEB is located in Chicago. For more, visit IncredibleEgg.org.

Cision

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/american-egg-board-reveals-46th-annual-first-ladys-commemorative-egg-301789201.html

SOURCE American Egg Board
Paul Forsyth is a veteran of more than 30 years of community journalism who covers a wide range of issues in Niagara Falls and other parts of south Niagara, as well as topics of regional significance in Niagara.
Dimaline wanted to look at the grief experienced during the pandemic. Where does it live in our body? What are the ways in which it informs our life? How do we use it?
Sumi Yashshree Hotels signs GSA Agreement with Kall Trip P Ltd



(TRAVPR.COM) INDIA - April 4th, 2023 - Sumi Yashshree Hotels, a leading hospitality company, based in North East India, is pleased to announce the appointment of Kall Trip Pvt. Ltd as its General Sales Agent (GSA) for the Western & Southern India regions, effective 16th April 2023. The partnership will enable Sumi Yashshree Hotels to increase brand presence & grow revenue in West/South India and offer its unique hospitality services to a broader audience.

Kall Trip Pvt. Ltd. is a well-known travel technology marketing company that specialises in providing customized hotel marketing solutions to its hotel clients since 2011. With a strong travel agent network, its own bulk email solution, and extensive experience in the travel tech industry, Kall Trip Pvt. Ltd is well-equipped to represent Sumi Yashshree Hotels in the West & South Indian market.

"We are excited to partner with Kall Trip Pvt. Ltd as our General Sales Agent for West & South India," said Mr. Sadip Lama, MD of Sumi Yashshree Hotels. "Their expertise in the travel industry and proven track record of delivering exceptional services to their clients make them an ideal partner for us. We are confident that this partnership will help us to reach new heights and strengthen our presence in the West & South Indian market."

As the General Sales Agent for Sumi Yashshree Hotels, Kall Trip Pvt. Ltd will be responsible for promoting and marketing the hospitality services of Sumi Yashshree Hotels to the travel trade and consumers in West & South India. They will also provide assistance to travel agents and tour operators in booking Sumi Yashshree Hotels for their clients, along with ground transportation services.

"We are delighted to partner with Sumi Yashshree Hotels," said Mr. Suresh Gopalan, Director of Kall Trip Pvt. Ltd. "Their commitment to delivering exceptional hospitality services is aligned with our values of partnering with upcoming high quality hospitality service providers and helping them reach out effectively to grow their business. We are confident that this partnership will bring tremendous value to Sumi Yashshree and help us to grow their business revenue in West & South India."

About Sumi Yashshree Hotels:

Sumi Yashshree Hotels is a leading hospitality company based in North East India. With upcoming properties in Mussoorie & Lachen, along with 9 Hotels in Darjeeling, Gangtok and the leading Hotel in Lachung, they are focused on delivering exceptional hospitality services and personalized experiences to their guests. Sumi Yashshree Hotels has established itself as a preferred choice for travellers seeking luxury and comfort in the North East Region.

About Kall Trip Pvt. Ltd:

Kall Trip Pvt. Ltd is a well-known travel technology marketing company, with offices in Mumbai & Delhi, that provides customised travel technology marketing solutions to its clients. With a strong network and extensive experience in the travel industry, Kall Trip Pvt. Ltd is well-equipped to provide exceptional hotel marketing services to its hotel clients.

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Summer 2023 rafting and sailing holidays for adventure-seekers with Water by Nature



(TRAVPR.COM) UNITED KINGDOM - April 4th, 2023 - For adventure seekers looking for a summer holiday with a difference, Water by Nature, an adventure travel company celebrating its 25th year in business, has last minute places available on sailing trips to Croatia and multi-day rafting trips to Peru and California.

The Croatian sailing trips running 24 June - 2 July and 8 - 16 July 2023 from Split, take in the islands of Hvar and Vis, amongst others, and include a side trip for a day of white water rafting in Montenegro on the beautiful Tara River, before ending in historic Dubrovnik. Guests stay onboard a 50-foot yacht, spend their days swimming in pristine bays, trying their hand on the helm, and visiting a selection of Michelin star restaurants. Limited places still available. Cost per person is 3,895/USD5,695.

For those wanting a taste of adventure combined with bucket list experiences, a multi-day rafting trip on the Rio Cotahuasi in Peru with an optional excursion to UNESCO World Heritage site Machu Picchu is available 28 May - 7 June. This is an adventure for experienced rafters looking for the ultimate white-water challenge. The Cotahuasi was only first rafted in 1994, making it one of the last remaining secrets in the rafting world. A remote river consisting of world-class, non-stop rapids, spectacular campsites and unexplored archaeological ruins all set in a breathtakingly beautiful canyon, declared the Worlds Deepest Canyon, combine to create a memory-making trip of a lifetime. Costs 5,295/USD6,495 per person.

Head to California, home of the Sierra Nevada Mountains and some of the best rivers in the world. The California Dreamin trip takes in five different rivers in a week making the most of the spring run off, as well as a visit to Yosemite National Park plus plenty of small town American hospitality. Fly into San Francisco and explore the city while youre there. Running 22 - 29 July 2023, 3,250/USD4,595 per person.

Water by Nature has been running white-water rafting trips since 1998 and has pioneered rafting trips in a number of off the beaten track locations like Papua New Guinea and Morocco, as well as renowned rivers like the Zambezi. It has branched into sailing in Croatia, Greece and Sardinia and even canal boat trips in the UK. With a focus on safety but getting back to nature experiences, the company is dedicated to helping clients discover their inner adventurer and lesser explored parts of the world. For more information go to www.waterbynature.com

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WEST DES MOINES, Iowa, April 04, 2023--(BUSINESS WIRE)--American Equity Investment Life Holding Company ("American Equity") (NYSE: AEL), a leading provider of financial dignity solutions through general account annuities, today announced the appointment of Mike Hayes to its Board as an independent director. Following the appointment of Mr. Hayes, the Board will be comprised of 10 directors, eight of whom are independent.

"I am pleased to welcome Mike Hayes to the American Equity Board. Mike brings significant operating experience in both the financial services and technology industries, as well as a strong track record of designing and overseeing operations to drive best-in-class customer value propositions and strategic execution," said David Mulcahy, Chairman of the American Equity Board. "He adds another experienced, independent voice to the Board as the Company executes against its AEL 2.0 strategy and as we position the business for continued, sustainable, long-term value creation."

"Im excited to join the Board of American Equity, which is such an innovator in its space," said Mr. Hayes. "I look forward to working with my Board colleagues and the management team under CEO Anant Bhalla to create even more value for policyholders and shareholders."

Mike Hayes Biography

Mr. Hayes is currently Chief Operating Officer of VMware, Inc., where he is responsible for worldwide business operations and the acceleration of VMwares SaaS transition. Before joining VMware in October 2020, he served as Senior Vice President and Head of Strategic Operations for Cognizant Technologies, where he was a member of the 14-person executive leadership group and oversaw the companys business with banking and financial services firms, which generated approximately $2 billion in annual revenues. Mr. Hayes previously served as Chief of Staff to the CEO and Chief Operating Officer at investment management firm Bridgewater Associates from July 2013 to January 2017.

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Prior to joining the private sector, Mr. Hayes spent 20 years in the U.S. Navy SEALs, where his last role was Commanding Officer of SEAL Team TWO. He served in the Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq, and Afghanistan conflicts. Mr. Hayes was selected as a White House Fellow, served as Director of Defense Policy and Strategy at the National Security Council, and was the Deputy Commander for Special Operations in Anbar Province, Iraq. His military decorations include the Bronze Star for valor in combat in Iraq, a Bronze Star for Afghanistan, and the Defense Superior Service Medal from the White House.

Mr. Hayes also serves on the Boards of Directors of Immuta, a leader in data security, and the National Medal of Honor Museum, and serves as a Senior Advisor to Inherent Group and as a lifetime member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He holds a masters degree in Public Policy from Harvards Kennedy School and a bachelors degree in Mathematics from Holy Cross College.

ABOUT AMERICAN EQUITY

At American Equity Investment Life Holding Company (NYSE: AEL), we think of ourselves as The Financial Dignity Company. Our policyholders work with independent agents, banks and broker-dealers through our wholly-owned operating subsidiaries, to choose one of our leading annuity products best suited for their personal needs to create financial dignity in retirement. To deliver on its promises to policyholders, American Equity has re-framed its investments focus  building a stronger emphasis on insurance liability driven asset allocation and specializing in alternate, private asset management. American Equity is headquartered in West Des Moines, Iowa with satellite offices in Charlotte, NC and New York, NY. For more information, please visit www.american-equity.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230404006104/en/

Contacts

Investors:

Steven D. Schwartz, Vice President, Investor Relations

(515) 273-3763, sschwartz@american-equity.com

Media:

Jared Levy/Jamie Tully

FGS Global

AEL@FGSGlobal.com
Analysis-HSBC, Goldman gender pay gaps widen in UK as finance makes slow progress People walk over London Bridge towards the City of London financial district during rush hour in London

By Iain Withers

LONDON (Reuters) - HSBC, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and Standard Chartered reported a widening in the gap between what they paid women and men in 2022, according to data reviewed by Reuters.

The data also showed that, at the banks which detailed their pay gaps by ethnicity, the gap was widest between Black staff and their white colleagues.

The numbers show how far financial institutions have to go to close pay differentials, despite a global push by national authorities and investors to tackle inequities.

Businesses with more than 250 employees in Britain must disclose the difference between the pay and bonuses of male and female staff. They had a deadline of April 4 to disclose data for the year up to April 2022.

Several major finance companies also voluntarily reported ethnicity pay data for the period.

HSBC - already one of the most unequal banks in Britain in terms of gender pay - reported a wider mean average gap for the year, disclosing women were paid 45.2% less than men. This was up from 44.9% the prior year.

The British arm of Wall Street giant Goldman Sachs' gap increased to 53.2% - remaining the largest among major finance employers reviewed by Reuters and up from 51.3% the prior year.

Morgan Stanley's UK arm's gap widened to 40.8%, up from 40.5%, while Standard Chartered's gap increased to 29% from 27%.

All four banks said in their gender pay gap reports that the figures reflected the under-representation of women in senior roles and that they were taking steps to address this.

"I assure you that we are intent on changing this, but of course it takes time," Richard Gnodde, CEO of Goldman Sachs International, wrote in a memo to staff on Tuesday.

The majority of major finance firms nonetheless made progress in narrowly closing their gender pay gaps, according to their disclosures.

The average across 20 of the biggest employers decreased to 30.1% in 2022, compared to 31.7% the prior year.

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But this gap remains way above the average across all UK employers of 8.3%, according to official data.

"Organisations think and say they're doing the right thing to advance gender equality in the workplace - but when it comes to taking action ... they are failing to deliver," said Ann Francke, CEO of the Chartered Management Institute.

Experts say that while the gender pay gap data is a blunt tool for measuring disparities - as it does not reflect gaps at the same level of seniority, for example - it can capture broad inequities and affect change.

ETHNICITY PAY GAPS

Half of the 20 finance firms reviewed reported varying detail on ethnicity pay gaps, with some including insurer Phoenix doing so for the first time.

The largest overall ethnicity pay gap disclosed was by UBS at 23%, although this had improved from 24% the prior year. Where data was available across two years, overall ethnicity pay gaps narrowed at the majority of firms.

Where pay gaps were further broken down by ethnicity, they showed the largest pay disparities were between Black and white employees. The widest gap was Deutsche Bank's at 38.4%, though this narrowed slightly on the prior year.

The pay gap between Black and white staff increased at both HSBC and Barclays - to 24.8% from 22.9% and to 19.6% from 19.2% respectively.

All the employers said in their pay gap reports they were taking steps to improve diversity, particularly at senior levels.

Other firms with disclosures reviewed by Reuters included Lloyds, NatWest, Bank of America, JPMorgan and Credit Suisse, and Aviva, M&G, Admiral, Legal & General, abrdn, St James's Place and Schroders.

(Reporting by Iain Withers, additional reporting by Simon Jessop, Editing by Tommy Reggiori Wilkes and Mark Potter)
American R&B group Boyz II MEN.. is the feature act tonight ..as the curtain comes down.. on the 2023 edition of the Tobago Jazz Experience . .

They spoke with reporters..at a conference at Stone Haven Villas.
At a selector meeting with the country's armed forces leadership, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu reported on equipping military units in Belarus with Iskander-M systems that can carry nuclear charges.

This was reported by Ukrinform with reference to the Telegram of the Russian state news agency.

"The Belarusian military has been transferred an Iskander-M missile system capable of using nuclear-capable missiles," Shoigu said.

According to him, on April 3, training of the Belarusian units on how to use the systems began at a training ground in Russia.

The Russian Defense Minister also pointed out that some Belarusian attack aircraft have gained the ability to strike with nuclear weapons. According to Shoigu, Belarusian pilots were retrained in Russia and learned how to operate aircraft equipped with nuclear weapons.

As Ukrinform reported, the day before, self-proclaimed President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko said that the deployment of nuclear weapons in Belarus was done on his initiative. It was not intimidation or blackmail, but an opportunity to "secure the Belarusian state."

On March 25, Russian president Vladimir Putin, for whom the ICC issued an arrest warrant, said that Russia would deploy tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus. Before that, in February, he announced the "suspension" of Moscow's participation in the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty.

According to Russian Ambassador to Belarus Boris Gryzlov, the tactical nuclear weapons that Moscow intends to deploy in Belarus will be placed closer to its western border.

The EU called on Belarus to refuse to allow Russia to deploy nuclear weapons on its territory.
Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Oleksiy Danilov emphasized that statements by Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu about the alleged transfer of Iskander-M systems, which can carry nuclear weapons, to Belarus are a bluff.

Secretary of NSDC Oleksiy Danilov said this during the discussion "Ukraine in the Face of External Challenges," an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"As for nuclear weapons, it is a pure bluff by the Russian Federation. They have a strong desire to reach negotiations as soon as possible and come to an agreement behind our backs to sit down with them at the negotiating table," Danilov said.

In Danilovs opinion, Russia wants to enter into negotiations and "do everything possible and impossible to make it happen, including the so-called nuclear blackmail."

"If Russia delivers the warheads, because now there are delivery tools, as the Russian Defense Minister said, Iskander-M, I can say that they will continue to try to escalate this situation," the NSDC Secretary said.

At the same time, Danilov emphasized that the results of French President Emmanuel Macron's upcoming visit to China will be important.

As reported, at a selector meeting with the country's Armed Forces leadership, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu reported on equipping military units in Belarus with Iskander-M systems that can carry nuclear charges.
The U.S.-EU Energy Council intends to continue to support Ukraine and Moldova by assisting with their long-term economic and clean energy transition.

The Council said this in a statement following a meeting in Brussels on Tuesday, April 4, according to Ukrinform.

"Following the successful synchronization of Ukraine and Moldova with the EU electricity grid, the Council intends to continue to support Ukraine's rapid recovery and reconstruction, and support both Ukraine and Moldova by assisting with their long-term economic and clean energy transition," the document reads.

According to the statement, the United States, the EU and its Member States intend to continue providing emergency energy assistance to Ukraine via the support fora set up in 2022, including the G7+ coordination forum and the International Advisory Energy Council for Ukraine, and to other heavily affected countries in the region such as Moldova.

Read also: Ukraine planning to become European hub for renewable energy development

The Council reaffirmed that the future of Ukraine, Moldova, and their citizens lies within the European Union and would continue to support Ukraine's and Moldova's further integration with the EU.

At the same time, the Council condemned Russia's dangerous actions at Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and underlined its full support for the International Atomic Energy Agency's work to apply safeguards to assist Ukraine in its effort to manage nuclear safety and security at its nuclear facilities.

"The United States and the EU strongly call on Russia to withdraw its personnel and military equipment from the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and return its full control to its rightful owner, Ukraine," the statement said.

It added that the Council intends to intensify cooperation to reduce dependency on Russia for nuclear materials and fuel cycle services, and supports ongoing efforts by affected EU Member States to diversify nuclear fuel supplies, as appropriate.

The U.S.-EU Energy Council is a high-level body launched in 2009 to coordinate strategic energy issues of mutual interest and R&D cooperation.
Ukraine and Romania will hold the First Black Sea Security Conference of the International Crimea Platform in Bucharest on April 12-13.

As Ukrinform reports with reference to the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, the event will be attended by foreign ministers and defense ministers, heads of international institutions, government officials, and independent experts representing the participants of the International Crimea Platform.

"They will analyze the multidimensional impact of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine on the security situation in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov region and the world, discuss a possible strategy for responding to challenges and threats, as well as the framework of the future configuration of the security system in the region. The focus will also be on issues of information warfare and cyber attacks," the Ministry informs.

The conference is organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Romania, the Ministry of National Defense of Romania, in partnership with the Centre for Defence Strategies (Ukraine).

As reported, the First Parliamentary Summit of the International Crimea Platform was held in the capital of Croatia, Zagreb, last October.
The decision of the Russian Federation to deploy nuclear weapons on the territory of Belarus leads to further escalation of tension and is a direct threat to the entire European security system.

This was stated by EU High Representative Josep Borrell in Brussels following a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"Its more than one year ago that Putin start destroying Ukraine, and he seems determined to continue with his brutal bloodshed and destruction, and he still escalates further despite not achieving anything. His newest nuclear gamble  with nuclear weapons moved to Belarus  constitutes a new escalation and poses a direct threat to European security," the EU top diplomat said.

He called the situation "ironic" when the Kremlin made this decision just a few days following the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Moscow, where, following a meeting, the parties called for the non-deployment of nuclear weapons beyond the borders of nuclear powers. A few days later, Russia placed tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus.

"We have been discussing with Secretary Blinken about the role of China on supporting Russias blatant violations of the United Nations Charter. There is a clear expectation from a permanent member of the Security Council to stand up in defense of international rules-based order. And China has a moral duty to contribute to a fair peace. They cannot be siding with the aggressor. They cannot be militarily supporting the aggression," Borrell emphasized.

Josep Borrell pointed out that French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will be visiting China today. The EU High Representative himself intends to visit China next week.

As reported, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu reported at a selector meeting with the country's armed forces leadership that the Belarusian military is being equipped with Iskander-M systems that can carry nuclear weapons.
Propagandists invented statements by Ukraine's State Statistics Service and State Border Guard Service and took MP Arakhamia's words out of context

The Russian propaganda's Telegram channel has spread misleading information about the increased number of Ukrainians leaving the country after Russian President Putin's announcement that tactical nuclear weapons will be stationed in Belarus. Propagandists supported this claim with an interview that Davyd Arakhamia, leader of the Servant of the People party, gave to Sky News, in which he expressed an opinion about the need for additional mobilization and added that according to Ukraine's State Statistics Service, from March 26 to 29, there was greater demand for tickets to Poland. In addition, citing a statement by Ukrainian State Border Guard Service spokesperson Andriy Demchenko, the propagandists wrote that the number of citizens leaving Ukraine was growing, as if between March 20 and 24, about 20,000-21,000 people left Ukraine every day, and on March 25, this number increased to 40,000 people and continued to grow by about 4,000-5,000 every day.

Such information is false.

First, Davyd Arakhamia's words were taken out of context. In fact, he stated that if Russia stations tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, Ukraine will face a challenge, which today it considers as a threat, not a reality, however, in the event of the opening of a second front on the border with Belarus, it will be necessary to form additional brigades. Later, Arakhamia explained on national television that Ukraine is ready for all threats from the enemy and any scenario is theoretically possible. He also added that the mobilization campaign in Ukraine is ongoing and will be ongoing in the future. He explained that mobilization in Ukraine is taking place on a regular basis and there are no extraordinary actions. If it is necessary to create additional brigades, mobilization will still continue.

Secondly, it turned out that the propagandists simply invented the data which they used when creating the post. For example, there is no information on the official website of the State Statistics Service that from March 26 to 29, the demand for tickets from Ukraine to Poland increased by many times. In addition, the State Statistics Service's press service denied such allegations and noted that the State Statistics Service had nothing to do with this data.

In a comment to Ukrinform, Demchenko also denied his involvement in the statement used by the Russians. He also added that the information provided in the post by propagandists was not true.

Dmytro Badrak
Andrew Bailey, governor of the Bank of England (BOE), during the Monetary Policy Report news conference at the bank's headquarters in the City of London, UK, on Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023. The Bank of England raised interest rates a half point, saying more increases will be needed if signs of an inflationary spiral persist.A Photographer: Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg - Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg

The Governor of the Bank of England has cancelled his appearance at the Confederation of British Industrys flagship annual dinner as the business lobbying group grapples with a growing sexual misconduct scandal.

Andrew Bailey had been due to address hundreds of business executives next month at the gathering in Old Billingsgate, London, billed as the CBIs most high-profile dinner and networking evening.

But on Tuesday morning Threadneedle Street informed the CBI that it would no longer be appropriate for the Governor to attend, the Telegraph understands.

The move came just hours after new allegations of rape, sexual assault and other inappropriate behavior were made against a slew of senior managers at Britains biggest business lobby group.

One woman says she was raped at a CBI staff party held in 2019, according to the Guardian, with complainants describing a toxic culture of unchecked misogyny at the organisation.

It has forced bosses to widen the scope of an independent investigation being led by law firm Fox Williams, which was already examining an allegation of sexual harassment made by a female staff member against CBI director general Tony Danker. He has temporarily stepped aside, pending the investigations outcome.

He has said: Its been mortifying to hear that I have caused offence or anxiety to any colleague. It was completely unintentional, and I apologise profusely.

Mr Baileys decision underlines the concern within British boardrooms about the growing crisis, with Marks & Spencer and the engineering business Rolls-Royce among companies that have raised the matter directly with the CBI this week.

M&S  one of the CBIs most prominent members  said it had written to Matthew Fell, the acting director general, on Monday to seek assurances that the new allegations of sexual misconduct would be thoroughly investigated.

The food and clothing retailer also demanded information about how the investigation led by law firm Fox Williams is being conducted, amid claims that all complaints are going through the CBI first.

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As CBI bosses grappled with the situation on Tuesday, they announced the lobbying group would temporarily pause all external events, including the dinner Mr Bailey was due to attend on May 11, in light of the very serious allegations that are subject to independent investigation.

The statement made no mention of Mr Baileys decision to cancel.

A spokesman said the lobbying group hoped to receive the early findings of the first phase of its investigation after Easter. and that it would then reconsider plans for the event.

The Bank of England declined to comment.

A spokesman for M&S said: Following the allegations published in the Guardian we have written to the acting director general of the CBI to seek reassurances that these are being taken seriously and fully investigated as part of the independent investigation already established.

We have also requested information on how CBI colleagues involved are being supported while the investigation takes place and what is being done to give them confidence in the process.

Confederation of Business Industry (CBI) director general Tony Danker addresses the annual CBI conference at the Vox Conference Centre in Birmingham on November 21, 2022. - The UK's recent austerity budget may avert a deeper recession, but the government must focus more on growth to improve the country's long-term prospects, the CBI will say. (Photo by Oli SCARFF / AFP) (Photo by OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images) - Oli SCARFF / AFP

The CBI is Britain's highest profile business lobbying group and has taken a vocal stand on major issues such as Brexit, which it opposed during the 2016 referendum.

It has previously given evidence to Parliament about the importance of creating safe and inclusive workplaces, while Mr Danker urged businesses to embrace progressive values only days before the scandal first erupted.

Following the latest allegations, the CBI has insisted that it is treating all matters of workplace conduct with the utmost seriousness.

The group has refused to say whether any managers have been suspended, arguing this would undermine the investigation and be prejudicial to individuals involved.

Among the alleged victims is a woman who says she was raped by a senior colleague at the CBIs 2019 summer boat party.

She reported the incident to a manager but said she felt let down when they urged her to seek out counselling  instead of taking further action.

The woman subsequently did not report the incident to the police.

The CBI said it has found no evidence or record of the alleged rape, allthough it has asked Fox Williams to include the claims in its investigation.

At the same boat party, another manager was accused of attempted sexual assault, which the CBI did investigate.

The manager left the organisation but the CBI declined to say whether it had referred the matter to the police.

Several other serious allegations have also been made against the organisation in the Guardian report.

Some junior female employees said they had received unsolicited and explicit images from a senior manager via the mobile phones, while others complained of being propositioned by a different manager after being pressured to drink alcohol.

In other incidents, managers are said to have behaved inappropriately towards younger colleagues, with one former board member accused of touching a female employees bottom and making a sexualised remark to another woman within earshot of colleagues.

The CBI board member who made the remark apologised and claimed they did not mean to cause offence, according to the Guardian, but then made a similar remark to a different woman some months later.

The board member is said to deny touching the female staff members bottom.

Rolls-Royce said it was reconsidering its membership of the CBI in light of the scandal.

A spokesman said: As a business that does not tolerate misconduct, the recent allegations are deeply concerning.

We expect the CBI to thoroughly investigate and take real action on any findings from that investigation.

We will await the outcome of the investigation before considering our membership.
Pope Francis greeted all those present and believers around the world for the Palm Sunday celebration and asked everyone to unite in prayers for peace, remembering Ukraine.

This is reported by Vatican News, according to Ukrinform.

I thank you for your participation and also for your prayers, which intensified during these past days. Thank you! said Pope Francis before leading the recitation of the Angels prayer.

Pope Francis offered his blessing to a peace caravan that left Italy for Ukraine in recent days to bring humanitarian aid.

He noted that this is a sign of the closeness of the people of Italy to the battered people of Ukraine.

Let us unite ourselves to this gesture with our prayer, which will be more intense during the days of Holy Week, he said.

As reported, at the end of March, Pope Francis was taken to a hospital in Rome after complaining of some breathing issues. Tests carried out showed that he did not have Covid-19.

On Saturday, April 1, Pope Francis was discharged from the Agostino Gemelli University hospital in Rome.
PUERTO PENASCO, Mexico, April 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Arctech, the world's leading solar tracking and racking solution provider, is poised to provide 365.8MW SkyLine II solar tracking solution to Puerto Penasco Solar Park in Mexico. Once completed, this project would become the largest solar plant in a single unit in Mexico and 8th in the world.

Arctech 118MW Horus Project in Mexico

Located in Puerto Penasco in the Sonora state of Mexico, the project is led by the Mexican government as a flagship project to expedite the country's energy transition.

In November 2022, Mexico Announced Aggressive Renewable Energy Targets during COP27, and the target is to reduce emissions by 35% from business-as-usual levels by 2030. Mexico is the second largest greenhouse gas emitter in Latin America.

Arctech has a trackable record of several flagship projects including the 167.12 MW Sonora project and the 118MW Horus project in the country since entering Mexico in 2018. In late 2022, Arctech inked three deals to supply nearly 10 MW solar tracking solutions in Mexico. The three projects applied SkyLine II, SkyLine, and SkySmart respectively, showing the diversification of the market needs of the region and Arctech's solution catering to various scenarios.

Arctech has a local office in Mexico offering white glove service including sales, project management, technological support, and on-site support.

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SOURCE Arctech
Duane Burnett, PhD, appointed Chief Technology Officer, Raymond Hurst, PhD, promoted to Senior Vice President, Head of Discovery

Irena Webster, MPH, MA, joins as VP, Program Strategy and Development Operations, bringing 20 years of experience in clinical development operations

Lead candidate ARKD-104 to enter clinical trials for Frontotemporal Dementia in H1 2024

WATERTOWN, Mass., April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Arkuda Therapeutics, a biotechnology company applying novel insights at the intersection of lysosomal biology and neuronal health to develop medicines that change the trajectory of neurodegenerative disease, today announced Arkuda co-founder and previous Senior Vice President, Head of Discovery, Duane Burnett, PhD, has been appointed Chief Technology Officer, and Raymond Hurst, PhD, has been promoted to Senior Vice President, Head of Discovery. In addition, Irena Webster, MPH, MA, has joined as Vice President, Program Strategy and Development Operations to guide clinical development as the company prepares to advance its lead compound to the clinic early next year.

"There has been a great deal of recent progress in the understanding and treatment of neurodegenerative disease. It's an exciting time also for Arkuda as we enhance our leadership team and work to advance ARKD-104 into clinical trials," said Gerhard Koenig, PhD, Co-Founder, President, and CEO of Arkuda Therapeutics. "We've been fortunate to have Duane Burnett as a co-founder. Duane will now transition to the role of Chief Technology Officer and continue to work very closely with the R&D team, with Raymond Hurst leading drug discovery. Irena Webster, who joins with more than 20 years of experience in drug development, together with our CMO, Serena Hung, will ensure Arkuda is clinic-ready the first half of next year."

Before founding Arkuda in 2018, Dr. Burnett served in roles at top pharmaceutical companies, developing drugs for cardiometabolic and CNS disorders. He has 60 published papers and more than 110 granted or published patents and applications, and is best known as an inventor of the cholesterol absorption inhibitor ezetimibe, used in two highly successful, multi-billion dollar products for treating hypercholesterolemia.

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Dr. Hurst has more than 20 years of CNS drug discovery experience spanning small, mid and large-sized biopharmaceutical companies. He has served as VP of Pharmacology at Arkuda since 2020.

"We are excited to welcome Irena to Arkuda's management team as we prepare to enter the clinic," said Serena Hung, MD, Chief Medical Officer of Arkuda Therapeutics. "Her expertise in neurology, rare diseases and clinical development will be key to position our lead program for success in treating the lysosomal dysfunction underlying a range of neurodegenerative diseases."

Ms. Webster brings more than 20 years of experience in clinical development operations and project management at Forma Therapeutics, Sage Therapeutics, and Alkermes. She has worked across therapeutic areas including neurology, psychiatry, oncology, cardiovascular, and rare disease providing oversight of global clinical trials. Ms. Webster joins as Arkuda works to advance its lead candidate ARKD-104, a first-in-class small molecule progranlin enhancer, into clinical trials for the treatment of GRN-related frontotemporal dementia (FTD-GRN).

ARKD-104 is a therapy designed to increase progranlin production and restore lysosomal function in neurodegenerative disease. In people living with FTD-GRN and neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's Disease and Parkinson's Disease, decline of progranulin has been shown to impact lysosomal function, leading to further cognitive decline.

About Arkuda Therapeutics

Arkuda Therapeutics is a biotechnology company applying insights into lysosomal biology to drive the development of medicines to change the trajectory of neurodegenerative disease. Arkuda's lead program ARKD-104 aims to correct progranulin deficiency and lysosomal dysfunction in patients with GRN-related frontotemporal dementia (FTD-GRN), a genetically-defined subtype of frontotemporal dementia caused by an autosomal dominant mutation in the progranulin (GRN) gene. The company is further exploring the therapeutic potential of its molecules in other neurodegenerative diseases where genetic links to dysfunction in progranulin biology have been established, including Alzheimer's Disease and Parkinson's Disease. Arkuda is backed by leading investors including Atlas Venture, Cormorant Asset Management, Pfizer Ventures, funds managed by Tekla Capital Management LLC, Mission BioCapital, and Eli Lilly and Company. To learn more visit www.arkudatx.com.

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SOURCE Arkuda Therapeutics
ROLLING MEADOWS, Ill., April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. today announced the acquisition of La Vista, Nebraska-based Quality First Insurance, LLC. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Logo (PRNewsfoto/Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.)

Quality First Insurance is an insurance agency serving health care and senior living facilities in Nebraska and its surrounding states. Kathy Mock and her team will relocate to Gallagher's Omaha office under the direction of Ryan Isaacs, head of Gallagher's Midwest region retail property/casualty brokerage operations.

"Quality First Insurance is a highly regarded firm whose expertise in senior living will enhance our capabilities in this market," said J. Patrick Gallagher, Jr., Chairman, President and CEO. "I am delighted to welcome Kathy and her associates to Gallagher."

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG), a global insurance brokerage, risk management and consulting services firm, is headquartered in Rolling Meadows, Illinois. Gallagher provides these services in approximately 130 countries around the world through its owned operations and a network of correspondent brokers and consultants.

Investors: Ray Iardella, VP - Investor Relations Media: Paul Day, Communications Manager 630-285-3661/ ray_iardella@ajg.com 630-285-5946/ paul_day1@ajg.com

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SOURCE Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.
STRIVE Juvenile Indonesia dedicates a week to support the reintegration of children associated with violent extremist and terrorist groups

Jakarta (Indonesia), 14 March 2023  The third STRIVE Juvenile Indonesia Project Coordination Meeting was led by the National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT) and co-chaired by the European Union and UNODC. High-level representatives from 12 ministries and 9 civil society organizations, working in the security, justice and child protection sectors, gathered in Jakarta to reiterate their commitment to protecting children from the dangers of terrorism and violent extremism and providing rehabilitation and reintegration assistance to children who exit these groups.



The Surabaya attacks of 2018 changed the perception of terrorism in Indonesia. For the first time, the extent to which children were being recruited, exploited and killed by terrorism became visible. UNODC and the Government of Indonesia have worked tirelessly together since then to ensure that children associated with terrorist and violent extremist groups can be freed from violence and access a better future.



STRIVE Juvenile Indonesia, funded by the EU, builds on this strong partnership to implement an ambitious programme of activities. Delegates to the Project Coordination Meeting unanimously adopted the STRIVE Juvenile Indonesia workplan for 2023, that is in line with national priorities, strategies, and frameworks, and confirmed once again the value and sustainability of STRIVE Juvenile in addressing this complex phenomenon.



Mr. M. Zaim A. Nasution, Director for Regional and Multilateral Cooperation of BNPT, remarked that The success of STRIVE Juvenile in Indonesia would not have been possible without the strong sense of national ownership and close cooperation between national stakeholders to ensure efficient coordination and shared responsibility over the various activities.

This years workplan pursues a twofold objective. The launch of an awareness-raising campaign targeting children, parents, youth and teachers is aimed at strengthening critical thinking and dialogue; and ultimately at effective prevention of violent extremism. Capacity building activities will support the decentralisation of rehabilitation and reintegration programmes for children associated with these groups.



Her Excellency Tri Rismaharini, the Minister of Social Affairs, highlighted the reasons why decentralisation must be prioritized: Communities need to learn to see these children as victims, to accept them, welcome them, and actively participate in preventing the involvement of children in violence, especially those perpetrated by terrorist groups. This entails working to ensure better assistance at the local level, enhancing the skills of professionals in the communities that are most directly affected by this phenomenon, so that the children can receive help without being separated from their families, friends and the realities that they know.



15-17 March, Jakarta - the STRIVE Juvenile project launched a series of three Training of Trainers (ToT) workshops targeting social workers from four selected centres located in Jakarta and three other provinces based on mapping that was conducted with the Ministry of Social Affairs. Through this comprehensive training cycle, UNODC will support social workers in gaining specialized knowledge of how terrorism and violent extremism affect children and the most effective psychosocial assessment processes to support their rehabilitation and reintegration. Through capacity development and ongoing mentoring, UNODC will support national social workers so that they in turn can help children to make a new start and gain new hope.
April 4 2023

The National Galleries of Scotland has shared its plans for an 11,000sq/m Passivhaus storage, conservation and research facility at Granton Park Avenue, Edinburgh.

The Art Works (TAW) by John McAslan + Partners is designed to improve access to the collection by providing publically accessible viewing rooms, study spaces and a community studio as well as a cafe.

Establishing a cultural landscape on the post-industrial site the works will include an active travel route connecting to Waterfront Broadway as part of efforts to ensure the collection is experienced not locked away.

Stretching to the equivalent of two playing fields the sprawling site will present its public face to Waterfront Avenue, connecting to existing museum storage buildings to the southwest and the B-listed Madelvic car factory.

Describing their design proposal the architects wrote: We have conceived the Art Works as a new type of cultural collections archive facility - a vibrant new urban environment in which structured and unstructured juxtapositions of people and art mingle.

TAW holds the edge of the site with an engaging frontage full of life and activity to its western plaza. Equally important, is the fact that it strategically connects the main pedestrian spine through to the west with the Madelvic Factory  an important piece of history, and a Internally, along its street, the Art Works brings together visitors, artists, academics, curators, conservators  a marketplace for new creative collisions.

Comprising aluminium curtain walling and rainscreen cladding the functional buildings are to be enlivened by temporary artwork installed at key areas such as the main entrance, as well as the projection of digitised art.
Damascus, April 4 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 4th Apr, 2023 ) :An Israeli air strike early Tuesday killed two Syrian civilians, state media reported, the fourth such attack on government-held areas of the war-torn country in less than a week.

"At 00:15 (2115 GMT Monday) the Israeli enemy carried out an air strike... and the attack resulted in the death of two civilians," state news agency SANA said, quoting a military source.

The strike came from the direction of "the occupied Syrian Golan, targeting some points in the vicinity of Damascus and the southern region", it said, adding that air defence intercepted "most of" the missiles.

SANA had earlier reported "an explosion heard in the vicinity of Damascus".

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor gave the same civilian death toll.

An Israeli missile targeted a radar in the countryside of Sweida, while another hit a glass factory in the Al-Kiswah area of the Damascus countryside, killing the two civilians, it said.

The monitor had earlier said the missiles also targeted the vicinity of Damascus International Airport and an Iranian complex near the Sayyida Zeinab area, with Syria's air defence intercepting at least two missiles.
Nineteen troops who were taken by rebels in the northern Central African Republic in February have been released, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Tuesday

Bangui, Central African Republic, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 4th Apr, 2023 ) :Nineteen troops who were taken by rebels in the northern Central African Republic in February have been released, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Tuesday.

Out of 20 soldiers seized in the raid in Vakaga region on February 14, 19 have been released and will arrive shortly in the town of Birao, "and will remain there until their return to Bangui can be organised," deputy mission chief Yves Van Loo told AFP, referring to the car capital.

The soldiers "seem to be in good health and able to make the journey," he said.

The troops had been seized by a group called the Coalition of Patriots for Change (CPC) after clashes at the village of Sikikede that the government had said inflicted "considerable losses" on its forces.

The landlocked CAR is one of the poorest and most troubled countries in the world, despite an abundance of mineral wealth.

It remains scarred by a 2013 civil war, unleashed by a coup against then president Francois Bozize, in which armed groups battled along sectarian lines.

The CPC is an alliance of militias created in 2020 in a bid to overthrow Bozize's successor, Faustin Archange Touadera.

In a statement, the CPC said it had taken a "voluntary and unilateral decision to release the 20 soldiers who had been taken prisoner." Van Loo said the 20th soldier had been wounded and was receiving medical care.

"He will be picked up at a different location later," he said.

Armed forces spokesman Augustin Ndando Kpako said the release of the 20 "had been our greatest priority... we wanted to see them free." The CPC advanced on Bangui in December 2020 as presidential elections loomed.

They were thwarted with the help of Russian paramilitaries, who were rushed in to shore up the country's fragile military after an appeal by Touadera.

Their presence became the trigger for a chill in relations between CAR and France, the country's former colonial power and traditional ally.

France, the United Nations and others say they are mercenaries from the Wagner group, who have been linked with atrocities and looting of resources.

Facing a mounting anti-French campaign allegedly steered by Russia, France suspended military cooperation and last December pulled its last troops from the country.
The United States on Tuesday unveiled details of $2.6 billion in new military aid for Ukraine in its war against invading Russian forces, including ammunition for HIMARS precision rocket systems, artillery rounds and small arms

Washington, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 4th Apr, 2023 ) :The United States on Tuesday unveiled details of $2.6 billion in new military aid for Ukraine in its war against invading Russian forces, including ammunition for HIMARS precision rocket systems, artillery rounds and small arms.

"The United States will continue... to provide Ukraine with capabilities to meet its immediate battlefield needs and longer-term security assistance requirements," the Pentagon said in a statement.

The package also includes munitions for Patriot and NASAMS air defense systems, as well as ammunition and anti-tank missiles used by Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles that Washington previously promised to Kyiv, among other items.

Most of the aid -- $2.1 billion -- comes in the form of Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative funds, which pay for the procurement of equipment from the defense industry.

The remaining $500 million is drawn from existing US stocks, meaning it will arrive on the battlefield sooner.

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.

Kyiv has pushed for some items that its international supporters have been reluctant to provide, including Patriot air defense systems and advanced heavy tanks -- which were eventually promised -- and others such as Western fighter aircraft, which have not been pledged so far.
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

The State Department summoned last week Russia's Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov for a meeting with Under Secretary for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland on the arrest of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, CNN reported on Tuesday

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 04th April, 2023) The State Department summoned last week Russia's Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov for a meeting with Under Secretary for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland on the arrest of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, CNN reported on Tuesday.

Nuland told Antonov that Russia should release Gershkovich and the envoy responded by reading Russia's public statement on the reporter's case, the report said, citing a Biden administration official.

Russia's Federal Security Services detained Gershkovich last month on charges of espionage.

The White House is reportedly preparing to designate Gershkovich as being "wrongfully detained" - a status that would activate government resources to lobby for his release.

Gershkovich's detention marked the first time since the Cold War that a US reporter had been detained by Russia on espionage charges.
ReportLinker

INTRODUCTION. Aseptic fill finish refers to accurate and sterile filling / sealing of drug products into packaging containers, such as vials, syringes, ampoules and cartridges. These aseptic conditions during fill finish operations are not only essential for ensuring end-users safety, but also maintaining pharmacological efficacy and product quality.

New York, April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Aseptic Fill Finish Market by Type of Molecule, Type of Packaging Container Offered, Type of Drug Product, Scale of Operation, Company Size, Target Therapeutic Area and Geographical Regions: Industry Trends and Global Forecasts, 2023-2035" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06443480/?utm_source=GNW

It is worth noting that aseptic fill finish operations require skilled personnel, specialized automated equipment, cleanroom setup and continuous supervision to maintain the sterility and safety of the final drug product. However, given the high cost of specialized equipment and affiliated expertise required for such operations, it is difficult for a drug developer with limited finances and capacity constraints to meet the needs of their clientele. As a result, various stakeholders are outsourcing their fill finish related needs to contract service providers, in order to ensure the development of quality drug products. In fact, a number of companies are involved in offering services for aseptic fill finish of a wide range of biologics and small molecules. Additionally, there is a need for expanding the capacity to meet the anticipated demand for such operations. For this purpose, service providers have inked several agreements over the last few years. Driven by the consistent initiatives being undertaken by players in this domain, the aseptic fill finish services market is anticipated to grow at a steady pace, over the coming years.



KEY MARKET INSIGHTS

The Aseptic Fill Finish Services Market by Type of Molecule (Small Molecules and Biologics), Type of Packaging Container Offered (Ampoules, Cartridges, Syringes and Vials), Type of Drug Product (Antibodies, Cell Therapies, Gene Therapies, Oligonucleotides, Recombinant Proteins, Vaccines and Other Products), Scale of Operation (Preclinical / Clinical and Commercial), Company Size (Large, Mid-sized and Small), Target Therapeutic Area (Autoimmune Disorders, Cardiovascular Disorders, Infectious Diseases Oncological Disorders, and Other Disorders) and Geographical Regions (North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East and North Africa and Latin America): Industry Trends and Global Forecasts, 2023-2035 report features an extensive study of the current market landscape and future opportunity for the aseptic fill finish service providers. The report answers many key questions related to this domain.



Growing Demand for Aseptic Fill Finish Services

Aseptic fill finish is a critical step in the production of drugs, as it involves the aseptic filling and packaging of therapeutic products into containers. In fact, even a minute error during the aseptic filling process can lead to microbial contamination, posing a considerable risk to the patients health. Therefore, aseptic fill finish operations need to be performed under controlled environmental conditions, in order to minimize the exposure of drug product to factors that could negatively impact its stability and efficacy. This, in turn, helps in extending the shelf life of a drug product. It is also worth mentioning that, in recent years, many players are carrying out fill finish operations using automated equipment, without any manual intervention. This practice is believed to enhance the production efficiency, minimize downtime, reduce waste production, as well as increase the overall productivity. ,



Need for Outsourcing Aseptic Fill Finish Operations

The growing demand for pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical drug products has created a need for higher capacity for production of therapies and their corresponding aseptic fill finish operations. However, extensive capital investment and complex infrastructure is necessary for carrying out in-house filling of biologics and small molecules. In addition, mishandling of drug product during the fill finish process can lead to microbial contamination, which can subsequently result in the loss of drug product, production delays and most importantly, pose a risk to the patients health. These aforementioned challenges have prompted pharmaceutical drug developers to outsource their fill finish operations to service providers, which have the required aseptic facilities and specialized equipment to ensure the quality of end products.



Key Drivers of the Aseptic Fill Finish Services Market

At present, the rising demand for outsourcing of aseptic fill finish services is driven by multiple factors, such as growing pipeline of drug products, stringent regulatory requirements, in-house capacity constraints, technological advancements and increased awareness related to the benefits of aseptic fill finish services.



Current Market Landscape of Aseptic Fill finish Service Providers

The current market landscape features the presence of over 235 aseptic fill finish service providers, spread across the globe. Overall, the market seems to be well-fragmented, featuring the presence of large, mid-sized and small companies, which have the required expertise to offer aseptic fill finish services across different types of packaging containers. Additionally, various recent developments in this segment of the pharmaceutical industry indicate that service providers are actively upgrading their sterile pharmaceutical manufacturing capabilities and infrastructure to accommodate the current and anticipated demand for aseptic fill finish services.



Overall Size of the Aseptic Fill Finish Services Market

Driven by the growing pipeline of pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical drug products, as well as the rising demand for contract services in this sector, the aseptic fill finish market is anticipated to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7%, during the period 2023-2035. Specifically, in terms of type of packaging container, the highest share of the market is anticipated to be captured by vials and prefilled syringes. In addition, at present, a major proportion of the market is represented by players based in North America and Europe.



Key Players in the Aseptic Fill Finish Services Market

Examples of key players engaged in offering aseptic fill finish services for biologics and small molecules include (which have been captured in this report) Aenova, AbbVie Contract Manufacturing, APL, Asymchem, BioPharma Solutions, BioReliance, Boehringer Ingelheim BioXcellence, Catalent Biologics, Charles River Laboratories, CordenPharma, Delpharm, Fareva, Fresenius Kabi, Glaxo SmithKline, Hetero Drugs, Intas Pharmaceuticals, Lonza, Pierre Fabre, Patheon, Pfizer CentreOne, Plastikon Healthcare, PiSA Farmaceutica, Recipharm, Sharp Services, Wacker Biotech, Syngene, Takara Bio, WuXi Biologics, Siegfried and Wockhardt.



SCOPE OF THE REPORT

The study also presents an in-depth analysis of various stakeholders engaged in this domain, highlighting their capabilities across different geographies. Following are some of the key focus areas and topics elaborated in this report:

A summary of the key insights derived from our research, which offers a high-level view on the likely evolution of the aseptic fill finish service providers market in the short to mid-term, and long term.

A general introduction to pharmaceuticals and contract manufacturing, which features a detailed discussion on the need for outsourcing within the pharmaceutical industry and key operations outsourced by biologic and small molecule drug developers, including fill finish. It also provides information on the key considerations for selecting a fill finish service provider, along with the advantages and risks posed by outsourcing fill finish operations.

A detailed assessment of the overall landscape of aseptic fill finish service providers, along with information on several relevant parameters, such as year of establishment, company size (in terms of number of employees), location of headquarters, type of molecule(s) (biologics and small molecules) and type of packaging container(s) offered (ready-to-use cartridges, ready-to-use syringes and ready-to-use vials).

A review of the overall landscape of companies offering aseptic fill finish services for biologics, along with analyses on a number of relevant parameters, such as year of establishment, company size, location of headquarters, location of fill finish facilities, type of packaging container(s) used (ampoules, cartridges, syringes and vials), type of biologic(s) manufactured (antibody drug conjugates, antibodies, biosimilars, cell therapies, gene therapies, oligonucleotides, peptides / proteins, vaccines, viral products, and others), scale of operation (preclinical, clinical and commercial) and type of additional drug product-related service(s) offered (lyophilization, labeling, quality testing, storage and distribution services).

A detailed assessment of the overall market landscape of the companies offering aseptic fill finish services for small molecules, along with analyses on a number of relevant parameters, such as year of establishment, company size, location of headquarters, location of fill finish facilities, type of filling service(s) offered (aseptic filling, terminal streilization and blow-filling-seal), type of finishing service(s) offered (inspection and labelling and packaging), type of packaging container(s) offered (ampoules, cartridges, syringes and vials), scale of operation (preclinical, clinical and commercial), type of dosage form(s) filled (solid, liquids, lyophilized products / powders and semi-solids), type of process(es) (automated and manual / semi-automated).

Tabulated profiles of key players based in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific. Each profile provides an overview of the company, along with information on its service portfolio, fill finish facilities, financial information (if available), recent developments and an informed future outlook.

A detailed analysis of the various partnerships and collaborations established by stakeholders in this domain, since 2013. It includes a brief description of different agreement models (including service agreements, service alliances, product integration agreements, joint ventures and acquisitions) adopted by stakeholders in this domain. Further, it comprises of analysis based on year of partnership, type of partnership, scale of operation, type of molecule(s), type of service(s) offered, type of process(es) involved, and type of drug product(s) filled. It also highlights the most active players (in terms of number of partnerships) in the domain.

A case study focused on use of robotic systems in fill finish operations. It provides a list of equipment used by fill finish service providers (wherever specified), highlighting the purpose of robotics in various manufacturing operations. It also includes a list of companies offering robots for use in the manufacturing processes which are carried in the pharmaceutical sector.

A case study on use of ready-to-use packaging components in aseptic fill finish operations. The chapter also provides information related to the advantages and disadvantages of ready-to-use packaging components, along with a list of suppliers providing these components.



One of the key objectives of this report was to estimate the current market size and future opportunities in the aseptic fill finish services market, over the coming 12 years. We have provided an informed estimate of the likely evolution of the market in the short to mid-term and long term, for the period 2023-2035. In order to provide a detailed future outlook, year-wise projections of the current and future opportunity have been further segmented on the basis of type of molecule (small molecules and biologics), type of packaging container offered (ampoules, cartridges, syringes and vials), type of drug product (antibodies, cell therapies, gene therapies, oligonucleotides, recombinant proteins, vaccines and other drug products), target therapeutic area (autoimmune disorders, oncological disorders, cardiovascular disorders, infectious diseases and other disorders), scale of operation (preclinical / clinical and commercial), company size (large, mid-sized and small) and geography, (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East and North Africa, and Latin America). To account for uncertainties in the market and to add robustness to our model, we have provided three forecast scenarios, portraying the conservative, base and optimistic tracks of the markets evolution.



The opinions and insights presented in this report are backed by our understanding of key data generated from both secondary and primary research. The perceptions presented in this study were also influenced by our discussions with senior stakeholders in the industry. The report further features detailed transcripts of interviews held with the following industry and non-industry players:

Gregor Kawaletz (Former Chief Commercial Officer, IDT Biologika)

Matt Delaney (Former Vice President Business Development & Marketing, ?Cytovance Biologics)

Purushottam Singnurkar (Vice President and Head of Formulation Development, Syngene International)

Ales Sima (Head of Business Development, Oncomed Manufacturing)

Amit Chandra (Former Technology Watch Manager, Yposkesi)

Jos Vergeest (International Business Developer, HALIX)



All actual figures have been sourced and analyzed from publicly available forums and primary research discussions. It is important to highlight that, financial figures mentioned in this report are in USD, unless otherwise specified.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

The data presented in this report has been gathered via secondary and primary research. For all our projects, we conduct interviews / surveys with the domain experts (academia, industry, medical practice and other associations) to solicit their opinions on emerging trends in the market. This is primarily useful for us to draw out our own opinion on how the market will evolve across different regions and technology segments. Wherever possible, the available data has been checked for accuracy from multiple sources of information.



The secondary sources of information include:

Annual reports

Investor presentations

SEC filings

Industry databases

News releases from company websites

Government policy documents

Industry analysts views



While the focus has been on forecasting the market till 2035, the report also provides our independent view on various technological and non-commercial trends emerging in the industry. This opinion is solely based on our understanding of the relevant markets, and knowledge gathered from various secondary and primary sources of information.



FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Question 1: What is the aseptic fill finish?

Answer: Fill finish is the last step in the aseptic manufacturing process, where drug products are filled and packaged in various packaging containers, such as vials, syringes, ampoules and cartridges, under sterile conditions. Further, the process is carried out in a controlled cleanroom environment, which has low levels of particulate matter and microorganisms to prevent microbial contamination. It is worth mentioning that fill finish is a complex and highly regulated process, to ensure the safety and efficacy of these drug products, as any contamination could lead to serious health risks for patients.



Question 2: What are the requirements and considerations for aseptic fill finish operation?

Answer: Aseptic filling process requires close coordination and complex interactions between supporting personnel and key operational equipment, sterilized drug product, cleanroom and other supporting facilities, and ancillary materials.



Question 3: How many players are providing aseptic fill finish services?

Answer: Presently, more than 235 companies offer aseptic fill finish and other related services (such as aseptic filling, terminal sterilization and blow-fill-seal).



Question 3: What are the latest trends in aseptic fill finish services market?

Answer: Aseptic fill finish market is evolving to meet the growing demands of the pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical industry. Advanced technologies, such as robotics and single-use systems are being adopted to improve the accuracy, efficiency and safety of aseptic fill finish procedures. In fact, single-use technology reduces the risk of cross-contamination and need for cleaning validation. Further, automated aseptic filling systems reduce the human interference and can meet various operational requirements, from loading of raw material to cleaning of the equipment. This, in turn, can improve the consistency and quality of the final product.



Question 4: What is the growth rate of aseptic fill finish services market?

Answer: The global aseptic fill finish services market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 7%, during the period 2023-2035.



Question 5: Which region captures the largest share of the aseptic fill finish services market?

Answer: Currently, Europe contributes to more than 35% share of the overall market. Further, Asia-Pacific is likely to grow at a relatively faster pace, during the forecast period.



Question 6: Which segment, in terms of type of molecule, currently accounts for the largest share of the aseptic fill finish services market?

Answer: The small molecules segment currently holds the largest share (68%) in the overall aseptic fill finish services market. This trend is unlikely to change during the forecast period.



Question 7: Which types of packaging containers are most widely used in the aseptic fill finish services market?

Answer: Presently, the vials (67%) account for the largest share in the global aseptic fill finish services market.



Question 8: What type of partnerships are taking place in the aseptic fill finish services market?

Answer: At present, service agreements represent the most preferred type of partnership model adopted by stakeholders in this domain. This is followed by acquisitions and service alliances.



CHAPTER OUTLINES

Chapter 1 is a preface providing an introduction to the full report, Aseptic Fill finish Services Market, 2023-2035.



Chapter 2 is an executive summary of the key insights captured in our research. It offers a high-level view on the likely evolution of the aseptic fill finish service providers market in the short to mid-term and long term.



Chapter 3 provides a general overview of pharmaceuticals and contract manufacturing, which features a detailed discussion on the need for outsourcing within the pharmaceutical industry and key operations outsourced by the biologics and small molecules drug developers, including fill finish. It also provides information on the key considerations for selecting a fill finish service provider, along with the benefits and risks associated with outsourcing fill finish operations.



Chapter 4 includes the overall landscape of aseptic fill finish service providers and analysis based on parameters, such as year of establishment, company size (in terms of number of employees), location of headquarters, type of molecule(s) (biologics and small molecules), and type of packaging container(s) (ready-to-use vials, ready-to-use cartridges and ready-to-use syringes).



Chapter 5 presents an overall landscape of the companies offering aseptic fill finish services for biopharmaceuticals / biologics, along with analyses based on a number of relevant parameters, such as year of establishment, company size, location of headquarters, location of fill finish facilities, type of packaging container(s) offered (ampoules, cartridges, syringes and vials), type of biologic(s) manufactured (antibody drug conjugates, antibodies, biosimilars, cell therapies, gene therapies, oligonucleotides, peptides / proteins, vaccines, viral products, and others), scale of operation (preclinical, clinical and commercial), type of additional drug product-related service(s) offered (lyophilization, labeling, quality testing, storage and distribution services).



Chapter 6 presents an overall landscape of the companies offering aseptic fill finish services for small molecules, along with analyses based on a number of relevant parameters, such as year of establishment, company size, location of headquarters, location of fill finish facilities, type of filling service(s) offered (aseptic filling, terminal streilization and blow-filling-seal), type of finishing service(s) offered (inspection and labelling and packaging), type of packaging container(s) offered (ampoules, cartridges, syringes and vials), scale of operation (preclinical, clinical and commercial), type of dosage form(s) filled (solid, liquids, lyophilized products / powders and semi-solids), type of process(es) (automated and manual / semi-automated).



Chapter 7 includes detailed and tabulated profiles of the key players based in North America. Each profile features a brief overview of the company, its overall contract service offerings highlighting the capabilities of fill finish facilities (if available), financial information (if available), recent developments and an informed future outlook.



Chapter 8 includes detailed and tabulated profiles of the key players based in Europe. Each profile features a brief overview of the company, its overall contract service offerings highlighting the capabilities of fill finish facilities (if available), financial information (if available), recent developments and an informed future outlook.



Chapter 9 includes detailed and tabulated profiles of the key players based in Asia-Pacific. Each profile features a brief overview of the company, its overall contract service offerings highlighting the capabilities of fill finish facilities (if available), financial information (if available), recent developments and an informed future outlook.



Chapter 10 features a detailed analysis of the various partnerships and collaborations that have been inked amongst players since 2013. It includes a brief description of the partnership models (including service agreements, service alliance, product integration agreements, joint ventures and acquisitions) adopted by stakeholders in this domain. Further, it comprises of analysis based on year of partnership, type of partnership, scale of operation, type of molecule(s) involved, type of service(s) offered, type of process(es) involved and type of drug product(s) involved. It also highlights the most active players (in terms of number of partnerships) in the domain.



Chapter 11 presents a comprehensive market forecast analysis, highlighting the likely growth of the aseptic fill finish services market till the year 2035. In order to provide an informed future outlook, our projections have been segmented on the basis of type of molecules (small molecules and biologics), type of packaging container offered (ampoules, cartridges, syringes and vials), type of drug product (antibodies, cell therapies, gene therapies, oligonucleotides, recombinant proteins, vaccines and other drug products), target therapeutic area (autoimmune disorders, oncological disorders, cardiovascular disorders, infectious diseases and other disorders), scale of operation (preclinical / clinical and commercial), company size (large, mid-sized and small), and geography (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East and North Africa, and Latin America).



Chapter 12 is a case study focused on use of robotic systems in fill finish operations. It provides a list of equipment used by the service providers (wherever specified) for fill finish operations, highlighting the purpose of robotics in various manufacturing operations. It also includes a list of companies providing robots for applications in pharmaceutical manufacturing.



Chapter 13 A case study on use of ready-to-use packaging components in aseptic fill finish operations. The chapter also provides information related to the advantages and disadvantages of ready-to-use packaging components, along with a list of suppliers providing these components.



Chapter 14 presents the summary of the overall report. The chapter provides the key takeaways from the report and expresses our independent opinion on the aseptic fill finish services market, based on the research and analysis described in the previous chapters.



Chapter 15 contains the transcripts of interviews conducted with representatives from renowned organizations that are engaged in the aseptic contract manufacturing and fill finish domain. In this study, we spoke to Gregor Kawaletz (Chief Commercial Officer, IDT Biologika), Matt Delaney (Vice President Business Development & Marketing, ?Cytovance Biologics), Purushottam Singnurkar (Research Director and Head of Formulation Development, Syngene International), Ales Sima (Business Development Manager, Oncomed Manufacturing), Amit Chandra (Technology Watch Manager, Yposkesi) and Jos Vergeest (International Business Developer, HALIX).



Chapter 16 is an appendix, which contains tabulated data and numbers for all the figures included in this report.



Chapter 17 is an appendix, which contains a list of companies and organizations mentioned in this report.

Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06443480/?utm_source=GNW



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ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place.



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CONTACT: Clare: clare@reportlinker.com US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001




The Buy Now, Pay Later Sector in Vietnam: A Quick Guide

With a low rate of credit card use and high consumer demand, the race is on to become the number one provider of buy now, pay later services in Vietnam. Heres what foreign firms entering the fray should know.

Based on data from the General Statistics Office, it is estimated that the overall retail sales of consumer goods and services in Vietnam grew by 19.8 percent in 2022 compared to 2021. The majority of these sales, however, were not made with credit.

In fact, the proportion of the Vietnamese population who own a credit card is relatively low, at approximately 5-6 percent of the population. Nonetheless, Vietnams middle-class is growing and consumer demand is rising.

Fintech companies are now trying to capture this middle segment, with a range of buy now, pay later (BNPL) services.

These services allow customers to purchase products or services and defer the payment for a later date or convert the full price into smaller, regular installments. This has proved very popular around the world, particularly with younger consumers who may have difficulty accessing credit.

This is true of Vietnam as well, where the uptake of BNPL services is growing rapidly.

See also: Google Wallets Arrival Highlights Fertile Fintech Sector in Vietnam

The growth of BNPL services in Vietnam

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The BNPL sector in Vietnam is expected to grow steadily over the next few years, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 45.2 percent between 2022-2028, according to Research and Markets. This translates to an increase from US$496 million in 2021 to more than US$4.7 billion in 2028 in purchases made using BNPL services.

Notably, BNPL has gained significant prominence in the Asia-Pacific region, with 83 percent of the Mastercard New Payments Index 2022 survey respondents stating they were familiar with this particular payment method. It also reported that 62 percent of individuals were comfortable utilizing BNPL to make purchases.

The top reasons for using BNPL include low or zero-interest payment options (57 percent), the ability to expedite a purchase (55 percent), and emergency purchases (55 percent).

Why is BNPL so popular in Vietnam?

E-commerce

In 2022, the value of Vietnams e-commerce market amounted to US$14 billion, and it is projected to increase by up to US$32 billion by 2025, according to Googles e-Conomy SEA 2022 report.

However, with just a fraction of the population using credit cards, alternative payment methods will be needed. BNPL is one alternative currently being trialed by Tiki and Sendo, two of Vietnams most popular e-commerce marketplaces.

The growth of mobile payments

In the initial 11 months of 2022, payments made through e-wallets, apps, and bank cards increased 85 percent in volume and 31 percent in value over a year earlier.

According to data from the State Bank, there are a total of 45 electronic wallet providers in Vietnam whose collective wallets contain VND3,300 billion (US$140 million) and this number is growing particularly among young people.

Mobile payments have made it easier for BNPL services to flourish in Vietnam as they offer a simple and streamlined payment process. BNPL services often require only basic personal information and can be accessed directly through a mobile device, making them an attractive option for many consumers.

Key BNPL partnerships in Vietnam

Sendo (Vietnam) and Kredivo (Indonesia)

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Sendos BNPL service is made possible through a partnership between Kredivo, an Indonesian online credit platform, and local financial firm, Tin Viet Finance Joint Stock Company (VietCredit), which operates in the fields of finance, credit, and capital mobilization.

Users can register for an account to obtain a credit line and use it to pay for purchases on Sendos e-commerce marketplace.

Kredivo and Phoenix

Kredivo also has a BNPL arrangement with Vietnams Phoenix Holdings. Phoenix Holdings is a corporation that offers investment, retail, and financial services. The first joint venture between Kredivo and Phoenix Holdings was also established in partnership with VietCredit.

Momo and TPBank

In July 2021, MoMo joined forces with TPBank to enter the BNPL market. The MoMo Postpaid Wallet enables users to access small lines of credit for a vast range of services within the MoMo application with term limits of 35 to 45 days. This includes various essential services like electricity and water bills, internet services, apartment fees, and tuition fees, and for shopping at supermarkets, convenience stores, and online.

LOTTE and OpenWay

LOTTE Finance Vietnam, a subsidiary of South Koreas leading credit card company, LOTTE Card, has recently introduced a BNPL service named PayLater by LOTTE Finance to enhance the online shopping experience of Vietnamese consumers. It is among the first BNPL solutions in Vietnam and was developed using Way4 digital payments software provided by OpenWay.

Domestic BNPL firms

MFast announced its entry into BNPL with the MFast Pay Later service after raising US$2.7 million in July. Another BNPL startup, Fundiin, also raised US$1.8 million for a seed round in the previous year.

Viettel Money has partnered with FE Credit to launch Paynow, a postpaid wallet service that can be activated online within 30 seconds with a maximum spending limit of VND 2 million (US$85). This service offers a deferred payment period of up to 45 days without interest.

Potential benefits of offering BNPL services

The BNPL model has significant advantages for retailers. It can improve their business performance by increasing the purchase conversion rate and the average order value, thereby boosting sales.

Moreover, BNPL service providers and loan partners benefit from the fees they receive from retailers. Compared to regular loans, payments for BNPL services can be collected within a few months, yielding higher profits, over shorter periods of time

Potential risks of offering BNPL services

Lack of regulatory framework

In the context of BNPL services, several challenges exist in ensuring fairness, transparency, and protection of consumer interests. The current regulatory framework in Vietnam poses constraints for BNPL providers, in that it restricts who can and cannot offer credit.

In this light, in Vietnam, BNPL services are offered through a contract to sell coupons with deferred payments between the BNPL provider and the consumer, however, the actual lender must be an authorized finance company.

Consumer over-leveraging

There is also a risk of consumer over-leveraging as BNPL services may encourage overspending and impulse buying through easy financing of purchases. This could lead to consumer default and negatively impact the safety and stability of the traditional credit market.

Risks in data protection

Additionally, the rapid growth of BNPL business models and the expansion of the market may pose additional risks to consumers, such as misuse of customer data and lack of support mechanisms for vulnerable or financially challenged customers. These risks must be addressed to protect consumer interests in the rapidly growing BNPL industry.

A case study from Australia-based Openpay

Openpays most recent quarterly report showed it had suffered US$18.2 million in operating losses, and a US$38 million loss over the last two quarters leaving it with just US$17 million in cash equivalents. Its insolvency receiver, McGrathNicol, is yet to confirm whether these retailers will get their money back, while customers will still have to pay off their debts in installments.

As a result, Australia has already begun requiring members of the Australian Financial Industry Association to impose restrictions on overdue payments.

Lessons from the case of OpenPay are notable. When bankruptcy occurs, many service and product providers may not be able to get their money or products back. BNPL service providers need to have specific and effective risk management tools and limit customers from using too many BNPL services at the same time.

Future of buy now, pay later in Vietnam comes with both opportunities and risks

The demand for fast and convenient financial services has made the buy now, pay later trend in Vietnam irreversible. With an increasing number of BNPL projects and partnerships being formed, there is potential for improved performance, increased customer loyalty, and boosted profits for both service providers and retailers.

However, the lack of specific regulations for BNPL in Vietnam means that the risks associated with these services cannot be overlooked. Investors should closely monitor developments in the regulatory environment and be aware of the limited financial literacy among Vietnamese consumers.

Therefore, it is crucial for the development of BNPL products to be sensible and thoughtful to benefit all parties involved.
With elections just a few months away, young Cambodians have a message for their government: "We are hungry for truthful and independent news."

More than 10 youth organizations in the country have petitioned Cambodia's Ministry of Information calling for authorities to reinstate independent media outlet Voice of Democracy.

The outlet was closed on February 13, on the orders of Prime Minister Hun Sen over its coverage of Cambodian aid to help Turkey after that nation's devastating earthquake in early 2023.

Authorities revoked Voice of Democracy's license and blocked access inside Cambodia to its English and Khmer-language news websites.

The closure has left Cambodians without a reliable source of independent news, the youth organizations have said.

Members of the organizations gathered at the Information Ministry in the capital, Phnom Penh, on Friday to deliver their petition. The groups included the Khmer Youth Capacity Development, Youth for Social Development and Democracy, and Youths for Awareness Club.

Ke Chamroeun, 28, who acted as a representative for the groups, told reporters that while Cambodia has several media outlets, not all of them are active in covering news that is beneficial to audiences.

"Most of them [media outlets] only disseminate propaganda rather than the social issues which need a solution," he said.

Arn Sreyoun, 21, said most media in Cambodia fail to report sensitive stories including those focused on politics, corruption, deforestation, and land disputes.

"We need an independent media outlet to report about those issues," said the Phnom Penh-based university student.

Soeun Makara, who also joined the groups presenting the petition to the ministry, told reporters, "We are hungry for truthful and independent news."

"Providing untruthful news to the youths is like killing their hearts," said the 27-year-old.

Stressing the importance of the media when elections are scheduled for July 23, the petition said, "We think that independent media will play a very crucial role in ensuring the free and fair process of the upcoming national election."

The petition cited the Cambodia Press Law on how authorities should handle media violations. Under that law, authorities can issue fines, order a broadcaster to run a correction, or temporarily cease operations rather than revoke the license.

In the case of Voice of Democracy, the broadcaster sent two letters to Hun Sen expressing "regret" and ran a follow-up story to clarify its reporting. But the move to revoke the license remained.

Chhan Sokunthea, the director for media development at the Cambodia Center for Independent Media, which oversees Voice of Democracy, said she didn't expect any changes soon.

"I don't have any hope of reinstating [the license] since it is the order of the prime minister," she told VOA Khmer.

In response to the youth petition, the Ministry of Information issued a statement that defended the action taken against Voice of Democracy.

"The revocation of any media outlet license follows legal procedures," the statement said. "The revocation of media outlets which violate law, seriously abuse professional and ethical code of conduct, defy other people's right and not admit the mistakes can't be considered as restriction of rights to freedom, threats or persecution against media or journalists."

Media analysts viewed Voice of Democracy as one of the few independent news outlets left in Cambodia.

Founded in 2003, its journalists took on big issues including deforestation, cyber scams, and a repressive political space in the lead-up to the 2022 local elections.

In the past year, it published dozens of articles on a people-trafficking operation inside Cambodia.

On March 14, the European Parliament issued a joint motion for a resolution calling Cambodian authorities to stop restricting civil liberties and media freedom ahead of elections.

The U.N. high commissioner for human rights, Volker Turk, said in a February statement the government decision appeared arbitrary.

"It was not preceded by a thorough and transparent process as required under Cambodia's own press law, and fails to meet the tests of legality, necessity and proportionality that international human rights law requires for any permissible restriction on freedom of expression."

Cambodia ranks 142 out of 180 countries, where 1 denotes the best media environment, on Reporters Without Borders' World Press Freedom index.

This story originated in VOA's Khmer service.
FILE PHOTO: An investor looks at his mobile phone in front of a board showing stock information at a brokerage office in Beijing, China

By Patturaja Murugaboopathy and Gaurav Dogra

(Reuters) - Shares of Asian companies with big cash balances are outperforming the broader market and analysts say the money will be a cushion against volatility and earnings downgrades.

The shares of the top 300 listed Asian companies based on their net cash levels have risen about 9% this year, according to Refinitiv data, compared with the MSCI Asia Pacific share index's 4.6% gain.

"Cash implies safety amidst the volatility we have seen to start the year, said Vikas Pershad, investments portfolio manager for Asian Equities at M&G Investments.

"It is understandable that investors would be allocating more capital to companies with above-average cash balances, and would be taking capital away from companies with heavy balance sheets," he said.

A balance sheet buffer can offer protection against rising borrowing costs and be a ready source of funds for buybacks, dividends or investment in future growth and can come in handy as rates go up and markets turn fickle and jittery.

"A healthy balance sheet is a prerequisite for us," said Pershad.

Cash levels do not necessarily drive stock performance alone, though strong balance sheets have enhanced the appeal of shares in companies such as China Mobile, Samsung Electronics and TSMC since the start of 2023.

China Mobile is up 37% this year as investors like its high dividends and growth potential. Chipmakers Samsung Electronics and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co also hold high cash and have been rebounding on hopes that chip demand will pick up.

By contrast Asia's top 300 holders of net debt, about a quarter of which are real estate firms, mostly in China's beaten-down property market, have risen just 0.2% this year.

Nomura said Asian investors could find insulation from recession risks by looking for cash-rich companies likely to be able to sustain dividends or buybacks even in tough times.

For Nomura, such a strategy, which the brokerage calls BCD or buybacks, cash, and dividends, has outperformed the MSCI Asia Pacific index by 60% since the index's inception in May 2019, it said.

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There are signs it is a popular theme, with the Global X Asia Pacific High Dividend Yield ETF, which invests in companies that provide high and stable dividends, up 6.6% this year.

Even though March brought the steepest bond rally for years, something that usually supports growth stocks as yields become less attractive, BNP Paribas' Asia-Pacific head of equity research, Manishi Raychaudhuri, sees safety commanding a premium for a while yet.

"Our search for deep value now takes us to stocks that have more net cash on their balance sheets than their market cap," he said.

(Reporting by Patturaja Murugaboopathy and Gaurav Dogra in Bengaluru: Editing by Tom Westbrook and Susan Fenton)
Cameroon says fighting between troops and rebels is slowing reconstruction of homes, schools, hospitals, and other public buildings in its troubled western regions. Authorities say in the three years since the launch of a reconstruction plan for thousands of homes and hundreds of public buildings damaged in the seven-year separatist conflict, less than 100 have been re-built.

In a broadcast on Cameroon state media Tuesday, 50 children sang in their classroom at the Cameroon Baptist Convention Inclusive Primary School.

The children sang that they love their school because without it they would not be able to count from one to ten and to speak English well.

Vega Gladys is the head teacher at the school in Bamenda, the capital of Cameroon's mostly English-speaking Northwest region.

She says the government repaired the school last year after it was damaged in 2018 during clashes between troops and anglophone separatists.

"The reconstruction work by the government has been a boost in that the children have nine classrooms that they can sit freely. There were about one hundred benches donated to decongest the classrooms and the children's performance is increasing," she said.

Vega said the number of children in the school has increased from tens of students in 2018 to several hundred this year, some of them displaced from ongoing fighting.

But the school is one of only 60 re-built while hundreds of others were abandoned.

Rebels on social media have vowed to make the English-speaking Northwest and South regions a breakaway nation they call Ambazonia.

The rebels say government schools and offices are legitimate targets as they are used by the French-speaking majority to suppress the English-speaking minority  a notion which authorities reject.

Yaounde in 2020 launched a reconstruction and development plan for the Northwest and Southwest regions.

The government promised to reconstruct 12,000 private homes, schools, hospitals, bridges, and markets that were destroyed or damaged in the fighting.

But deputy coordinator of the reconstruction plan Njong Donatus says so far, theyve re-built less than one hundred.

He blames ongoing fighting for the slow pace and says rebels regularly seize and destroy construction materials and abduct workers for ransom.

"We are at the recovery phase of the plan to bring back the two regions to where they were before the crisis, and I think that it is to the interest of every son and daughter of our regions to come on board so that we get this done. I will equally call on children who are in the bush (rebels] that it is time for them to come out so that our people benefit from this. Some of the areas are still hostile and we have difficulties penetrating those areas," he said.

After a visit to the Northwest and Southwest regions last week, officials said the construction plan would need an additional $100 million to rebuild from the seven years of fighting.

The original plan called for $150 million in rebuilding costs.

Cameroon says it will provide 70% of the funds while the rest will be covered by international donors, including the U.N., France, and Japan, and private companies  both local and foreign.

Cameroons President Paul Biya announced the reconstruction plan in 2020 after a national dialogue to solve the conflict, which separatists did not attend.

The International Crisis Group estimates the conflict has killed about 6,000 people and displaced more than half a million in Cameroon's western regions.
Finland joined the NATO military alliance Tuesday, dealing a major blow to Russian President Vladimir Putin with a historic realignment of Europe's post-Cold War security landscape triggered by Moscows invasion of Ukraine.

The Nordic country's membership doubles Russias border with the worlds biggest security alliance. Finland had adopted neutrality after its defeat by the Soviets in World War II, but its leaders signaled they wanted to join NATO just months after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine sent a shiver of fear through its neighbors.

The move is a strategic and political setback for Putin, who has long complained about NATOs expansion toward Russia and partly used that as a justification for the invasion.

Im tempted to say this is maybe the one thing that we can thank Mr. Putin for because he once again here precipitated something he claims to want to prevent by Russias aggression, causing many countries to believe that they have to do more to look out for their own defense and to make sure that they can deter possible Russian aggression going forward, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said before accepting the documents that made Finlands membership official.

The U.S. State Department is the repository of NATO texts concerning membership.

Russia warned it would be forced to take retaliatory measures to address what it called security threats created by Finlands membership. It had also warned it would bolster forces near Finland if NATO sends any additional troops or equipment to what is its 31st member country.

The alliance says it poses no threat to Moscow.

Alarmed by Moscow's invasion of Ukraine last year, Finland, which shares a 1,340 kilometer (832 mile) border with Russia, applied to join in May, setting aside years of military nonalignment to seek protection under the organizations security umbrella.

"Its a great day for Finland and an important day for NATO, too, said Finnish President Sauli Niinisto. Russia tried to create a sphere around them and, well, we are not a sphere. Im sure that Finns themselves feel more secure, that we are living in a more stable world.

Neighboring Sweden, which has avoided military alliances for more than 200 years, has also applied. But objections from NATO members Turkey and Hungary have delayed the process.

Niinisto said Finlands membership "is not complete without that of Sweden. The persistent efforts for a rapid Swedish membership continue.

Earlier, Russia's Foreign Ministry said Moscow "will be forced to take military-technical and other retaliatory measures to counter the threats to our national security arising from Finlands accession to NATO.

It said Finland's move marks "a fundamental change in the situation in Northern Europe, which had previously been one of the most stable regions in the world.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Finlands membership reflects the alliances anti-Russian course and warned that Moscow will respond depending on what weapons NATO allies place there. But he also sought to play down the impact, noting that Russia has no territorial disputes with Finland.

It's not clear what additional military resources Russia could send to the Finnish border. Moscow has deployed the bulk of its most capable military units to Ukraine.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said no more troops would be sent to Finland unless it asked for help.

The country is now protected by what Stoltenberg called NATO's iron-clad security guarantee, under which all member countries vow to come to the defense of any ally that comes under attack.

But Stoltenberg refused to rule out the possibility of holding more military exercises there and said that NATO would not allow Russias demands to dictate the organizations decisions.

We are constantly assessing our posture, our presence. We have more exercises, we have more presence, also in the Nordic area, he said.

Finland's Parliament, meanwhile, said its website was hit with a so-called denial-of-service attack, which made the site hard to use, with many pages not loading and some functions not available.

A pro-Russian hacker group known as NoName057 (16) claimed responsibility, saying the attack was retaliation for Finland joining NATO. The claim could not be immediately verified.

The hacker group, which has reportedly acted on Moscows orders, has taken party in a slew of cyberattacks on the U.S. and its allies in the past. Finnish public broadcaster YLE said the same group hit the Parliament's site last year.

Finland's entry, marked with a flag-raising ceremony at NATO headquarters, falls on the organization's very own birthday, the 74th anniversary of the signing of its founding Washington Treaty on April 4, 1949. It also coincides with a meeting of the alliance's foreign ministers.
After a relatively low turnout of 40% in Bulgarias parliamentary elections that were held on Sunday, results show there was no outright winner, and the parties are headed to coalition talks.

Analysts say the results could influence Bulgarias position on Russias war in Ukraine.

The two-party coalition of GERB-SDS, led by former Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, won the early parliamentary elections with 26.51% of the votes, Bulgaria's Central Election Commission announced on its website, based on unofficial regional results.

The pro-Western reformist coalition We Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria, or PP-DB, is in second place with 25%. Revival, with 14% of the votes, is in third place, ahead of DPS, receiving nearly 14% of voter support. The Bulgarian Socialist Party, an heir to the Bulgarian Communist Party, finished with a historically low 9%.

"The biggest setback was the rise of the Russophile Party to third place, gaining 5 percentage points more than last year," said Margarita Assenova, an analyst at The Jamestown Foundation. This will boost Moscow's influence in Bulgaria and potentially increase calls for a peace settlement of Russia's war against Ukraine, favoring the Kremlin-desired partition of Ukraine."

At the same time, both likely winners share pro-European, pro-NATO positions and strong support for Ukraine. During former Prime Minister Kiril Petkov's government, a secret supply of Bulgarian-made ammunition made its way to Ukraine as early as April 2022, as VOA reported. PP and GERB voted to provide Ukraine with military aid last November.

After casting his ballot, Borissov said a stable government in Bulgaria was the only way out of the crisis.

"With this terrible war in Ukraine, with this redistribution of the world and the entire supply chain, we very clearly have to stand with the democratic world," The Associated Press reported Borissov as saying. Borissov was first elected as Bulgaria`s prime minister in 2009.

In an earlier interview with VOA, Petkov called on EU leaders to introduce the toughest sanctions against Russia in the early days of the full-force invasion and also emphasized his pro-European position at the polls.

"I voted for a normal European life, to have a normal European government, normal European roads, normal European health care, normal European education," he said, according to the AP. Petkov led the Bulgarian government formed by a coalition of four parties between December 2021 and August 2022.

Despite their similar political positions, forming a coalition between two political forces is not a given, experts say.

"Too much hostility has accumulated in the last year to the point that it has been the official political strategy to deny any possibility of future cooperation," Hristo Panchugov, assistant professor at New Bulgarian University, told VOA.

The PP and its ally, Democratic Bulgaria, vowed to never collaborate with GERB and its leader, accusing the party of presiding over rampant corruption during its lengthy rule, Borissov has denied the accusation.

"Even small collaborations on shared policy positions will be extremely difficult. With the local elections coming up in the autumn, the parties will be even more hesitant to enter a partnership that might lead them to lose support," Panchugov said.

But the strong showing of the Russophile parties in this election, Assenova, said, might force two likely winners to cooperate and form a stable two-party coalition.

"It will be a historic chance for GERB and PP to return the country to its hard-earned place and role within Europe and NATO and to wash its face from shameful pro-Russia rhetoric as Moscow's brutal genocidal war against independent Ukraine continues," she said.

Ognyan Minchev, professor of political science at the University of Sofia, Bulgaria, points to other forces that push both political forces to form a coalition. The first one comes from regular Bulgarians who are "fed up with the so-called caretaker government of the president, which practically in many important aspects did not govern," he said.

"Secondly, there is significant pressure from Bulgaria's partners in the European Union within NATO to create a parliamentary majority and normal functional government, because there are many issues that Bulgaria has to address separately and together with its allies in the context of present-day European and world developments," Minchev said.

Thirdly, Minchev said both political forces would benefit from joining the government coalition, which would allow GERB to restore its legitimacy after the massive protests in 2020 against corruption in Borissov's government. It would also help Petkov's political force maintain its electoral support, which has decreased during the last three election cycles.

If the two leading parties cannot form a coalition, Bulgarian President Rumen Radev will form another caretaker government and schedule another national election. For most of the last two years, except for Petkovs eight-monthslong government from December 2021 to August 2022, Bulgaria has been ruled by technocratic caretaker governments.

Radev is considered friendly to Russia. Both Panchugov and Assenova point to his opposition to sending military aid to Ukraine.

"He has been exploiting gaps in legislative decisions to limit or reduce support towards Ukraine," Panchugov said.

"He even disregarded the parliament's decision to do so. So, we will see another six months of the same, not only regarding the policy towards Ukraine in the war that is going on there, but also in foreign policy, defense policy, rearmament and modernizing of the Bulgarian army," Assenova said.

She pointed out that the president, whose constitutional role is primarily ceremonial, made most foreign policy and defense decisions during the last two years.

Some information for this report comes from The Associated Press, Reuters and RFE/RL.
As Christians in Iraq prepare to mark Easter Sunday this weekend, the country's Chaldean Catholic archbishop says religious minorities there deserve for their futures to be secure and their rights to be respected.

In the Christian enclave of Ankawa, in Iraq's northern Kurdish capital of Irbil, the faithful are gearing up for Easter celebrations, following a period of fasting and prayer known as Lent.

Over the weekend, many Iraqi Christians turned out for Palm Sunday observances by gathering in churches and on streets and waving olive branches, a symbol of the peace.

A Catholic government employee who provided only his first name, Sarmeen, described the occasion as a time for Christians to celebrate Jesus, and for children, especially, to recognize their heritage and have hope for the future.

Many Iraqis say this is especially important following the persecution of ethnic Yazidis and other religious minorities by the so-called Islamic State group.

In 2014, IS rampaged through the Yazidi heartland in northern Iraq. In many cases, they forced young women into sex slavery. Many in the Yazidi community, which numbers more than half a million, were displaced and an estimated 5,000 were killed.

Meanwhile, the Chaldean Catholic Archbishop of Irbil, Bashar Warda, told VOA that Iraq's rich mosaic of ethnic and religious minorities, such as the Christians, feels insecure due to a lack of political stability. He noted internal disputes between the central government in Baghdad and the Kurdish regional government in Irbil, as well as interference from Iran.

"Our concern as a Church is the lack of a secure future, which most of our families still feel because the whole Middle East is unstable yet," Warda said. "The political process after 20 years is still very fragile in Iraq. From time to time, we have all these political crises between Baghdad and Irbil that affects the economy, the social life and gives concern that all of those political parties have not yet really matured enough to lead this nation towards a prosper[ous] future."

Warda said the rights of all of Iraq's ethnic and religious minorities must be enshrined in the country's constitution. He said action, not just words, must be undertaken by the government to ensure that Iraqis of all backgrounds are recognized and respected.

"In a sectarian society like the one that we have, the voice of the minority will always be weak. So, you need a government program that comes from the voice of the majority ... [to]do something concrete. It's always a call for reconciliation, a call for national identity. But you need an act, not a call, an act for that," Warda said.

Before the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 that toppled dictator Saddam Hussein, Iraqi Christians numbered around 1.5 million. Two decades later, an estimated 250,000 remain in the country, analysts say.

Sectarian violence and attacks on Christian churches and families in the war's aftermath, as well as the attempted genocide by Islamic State of Iraq's religious minorities, led to large numbers of Christians fleeing Iraq.
An official pro-Taliban media outlet in Afghanistan has released an alleged audio clip of the leader of the local affiliate of Islamic State in which the man acknowledges his group's significant recent losses.

"Only a few of our comrades are left, and their number can be counted on the fingers," Shahab al-Muhajir, the so-called emir of IS-Khorasan, said in Pashto language in a message to his group.

The militant commander also spoke about the killings of key leaders in recent Taliban counterterrorism operations against IS-Khorasan hideouts in the capital of Kabul and elsewhere in Afghanistan.

The al-Mersaad state-affiliated channel, which released the audio, is working to counter IS-Khorasan terrorist propaganda, according to Taliban officials.

There has been no comment from IS-Khorasan on the alleged audio clip attributed to its leader.

VOA has not independently confirmed the speaker's identity.

Taliban security sources tell VOA the audio clip is that of al-Muhajir, whose real name is Sanaullah Ghafari, and said that he is a resident of Kabul.

Abdul Sayed, a Sweden-based independent researcher on jihadists, said that Islamic State official sources had never released any audio message from al-Muhajir until now.

But his voice resembles the Pashto dialect of his native area in Kabul. However, he uses words from the Pashto dialect of the northeastern Afghan province of Kunar or the adjacent tribal belt of neighboring Pakistan, Sayed said of the audio clip released by the Taliban.

Secondly, this audio reflects the ground realities. The Taliban GDI recently killed several senior IS-K commanders, and al-Muhajir expressed concerns over the leadership losses in Afghanistan, the researcher said in written comments to VOA. By GDI, he was referring to the General Directorate of Intelligence, the Taliban-led Afghan spy agency.

Sayed noted that al-Muhajir had named a slain IS-K commander, Mualawi Muhammad, also known as Mualawi Ziauddin, in the audio and declared his death "a heavy loss" for the group. The Taliban killed Ziauddin in an operation in the northern Afghan province of Balkh on March 26.

Meanwhile, the spy agency late Sunday also reported the arrest of a key IS-Khorasan operative, Ainuddin Muhammad.

The GDI released a purported video confession of the detainee, saying he played a central role in organizing high-profile attacks in northern Afghanistan last month. They included a suicide bombing that killed the Taliban governor of Balkh province. Muhammad reportedly confessed that he was recruited by IS-Khorasan in Iran.

The Taliban are the sworn enemies of IS-Khorasan and have reported significant successes against the militants in recent counterterrorism operations.

Many of those reported gains have not been independently verified.

Late last month, the GDI announced the killing of three central IS-Khorasan commanders, including Ziauddin, the second highest-ranked member of the group.

Taliban chief spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told VOAs Afghan service in an interview last week that since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August 2021, their security forces have arrested and imprisoned up to 1,700 IS-Khorasan militants and killed close to 1,100 others.

It was not possible to verify the Taliban's claims from independent sources.

In an interview aired Monday by Taliban-controlled state television, Mujahid rejected recent assertions by the United States that IS-Khorasan is gaining strength in Afghanistan and could soon launch attacks beyond its borders.

"Some countries that say Daesh has become more active and a threat to the world after six months, this is nothing but propaganda that we reject," said Mujahid. He did not name any country. Daesh is a local name for IS-Khorasan.

Last month, a top U.S. military commander told a congressional hearing that IS-Khorasan was eyeing the West and could launch an attack from Afghan bases before the year is out.

"They can do external operations against U.S. or Western interests abroad in under six months with little to no warning," said Army Gen. Michael Kurilla, the head of U.S. Central Command overseeing U.S. troops in the region.
New developments:

U.S. is providing $500 million in immediate assistance from Pentagon stocks using the presidential drawdown authority and $2.1 billion in future aid using Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) funds.

Ukraines military said Russia attacked with 17 Iranian-made drones overnight, with Ukrainian forces destroying 14 of them. Ukraine said 13 of the destroyed drones were over the Odesa region.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday visited the village of Yahidne in north Ukraine on the anniversary of its liberation and commemorated the brutal captivity of nearly 400 civilians by Russian invaders in a school basement for 27 days before they were freed.

The U.S. government is pushing hard for the release of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who is being detained in Russia on charges of espionage, the White House said Monday.

International Atomic Energy Agency Chief Rafael Grossi will meet with a Russian delegation Wednesday in Moscow to discuss the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station.

The U.S. is providing Ukraine with a $2.6 billion military aid package that includes munitions for Patriot air defense systems and three surveillance radars.

The package also includes hundreds of thousands of ammunition rounds along with 155 mm and 105 mm artillery rounds, which Ukrainian forces have continued to quickly burn through as they counter Russias illegal invasion.

A senior defense official, who spoke to reporters Tuesday on the condition of anonymity, said new equipment in the package such as nine 30 mm gun trucks could detect and intercept drones such as the Iranian-built Shahed[s] that Moscow is currently using in the fight.

About $500 million of the aid package announced Tuesday will provide ammunition and equipment from U.S. military stockpiles using the presidential drawdown authority. Another $2.1 billion will buy an array of munitions and weapons for Ukraine in the future.

The U.S. has now pledged more than $30 billion worth of security assistance to Ukraine since the invasion. When viewed as a percentage of donor country GDP, the U.S. ranks about 10th in its security donations to Kyiv.

Meanwhile, European Union foreign policy chief Joseph Borrell said Tuesday that European leaders are sending a message to China that it cannot be militarily supporting Russias aggression against Ukraine.

Speaking in Brussels where NATO foreign ministers are meeting, and ahead of his own visit next week to China, Borrell said the EU has been clear with China that its position on Russias atrocities and war crimes will determine the quality of our relations with Beijing.

He said other EU leaders visiting China, including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and French President Emmanuel Macron bring the same message.

Borrell addressed reporters alongside U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken who said there would be a focus on further reducing Europes dependance on Russian energy supplies and on increasing clean energy production.

Both diplomats were due to take part in a NATO foreign ministers meeting as the alliance formally welcomes Finland as a new member.

The raising of Finlands flag at NATOs headquarters comes less than a year after the country submitted its application in response to Russias invasion of Ukraine. The ceremony falls on NATOs own birthday, the 74th anniversary of the signing of its founding Washington Treaty on April 4, 1949.

Russia warned Monday that it would bolster forces near Finland if NATO sent any additional troops or equipment to what will be its 31st member country.

NATO has said that it has no immediate intention to step up its presence in Finland. Some members have deployed troops there for war games over the past year.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters Tuesday that over the course of many years, Russia has built up its military in the north and that President Vladimir Putin has shown he is willing to use military force against his neighbors. Stoltenberg said Finlands joining NATO is the result of Putin's "war of aggression against Ukraine."

Describing the defensive nature of the NATO alliance, Stoltenberg said, "The purpose of NATO's deterrence and defense is not to provoke the conflict, it's to prevent the conflict."

Sweden applied to join NATO alongside Finland but has seen its bid slowed by objections from Turkey, which says Sweden has been too lenient toward groups that Turkey considers terrorists.

"It is a great day to have Finland as a member, but we will ensure that also Sweden will become a full member," Stoltenberg said Tuesday.

Some material in this report came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
Mexico's president said on Tuesday he had written to his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, urging him to help control shipments of fentanyl as he fended off criticism in the U.S. that Mexico is not doing enough to stop trafficking of the synthetic opioid.

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador read out the letter to Xi dated March 22 in which he defended efforts to curb supply of the deadly drug, while pushing back on U.S. critics, some of whom want Washington to intervene militarily in Mexico.

"We come to you, President Xi Jinping, not to ask for your support in the face of these rude threats, but to request that for humanitarian reasons, you help us control shipments of fentanyl that can be sent from China to our country," he said.

Speaking at a news conference, Lopez Obrador said the letter took shape after a recent visit by U.S. lawmakers, in which they proposed he speak to China to address the fentanyl threat.

The Chinese embassy in Mexico did not have any immediate comment on the letter.

Fentanyl has been blamed for fueling a surge in overdose deaths in the U.S., and Republican lawmakers especially have accused Mexico of failing to stop drug cartels producing and moving the powerful painkiller north.

In his letter, Lopez Obrador asked Xi if he could provide Mexico with information on when and where fentanyl was being sent, as well as how much and by whom.

Lopez Obrador says fentanyl laboratories have sprung up in Mexico, and he told Xi that law enforcement had last year destroyed nearly 1,400 clandestine labs mixing the drug with other substances and seized 7 metric tons of it.

A Reuters report found that many of the labs were inactive.

But Lopez Obrador also says Mexico does not produce fentanyl and that cartels buy it directly from Asia. He said in the letter that only 30% of the drug consumed in the U.S. enters via Mexico.

U.S. officials contest the view that fentanyl is not produced in Mexico, arguing the opioid is mass-produced in the country using chemicals sourced largely from China.

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham has been at the forefront of U.S. pressure on Mexico, and on Monday he said he would put forward legislation on fentanyl that would include designating Mexican cartels as foreign terrorist organizations.

Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said countering the fentanyl threat was a top priority, and he pushed back against Graham's criticism, saying most of the people arrested in the U.S. for trafficking fentanyl are Americans.

"There's no other country in the world that's doing as much against fentanyl trafficking to the United States as Mexico," Ebrard told the news conference.
Iraq's central government and officials from the semi-autonomous Kurdish region reached a final deal Tuesday to resume oil exports from northern Iraq via a pipeline to Turkey.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and Masrour Barzani, prime minister of the semi-autonomous Kurdish region, announced the deal at a press conference in Baghdad.

Halting the export of the regions oil harms Iraqs revenues, Sudani said, adding that the governments would work toward passing a federal law detailing the sharing of funds from oil and gas exports.

Barzani said in a statement that while the deal is temporary, it is a crucial step towards ending the long-standing dispute between Irbil and Baghdad and creates a positive and safe atmosphere to finally approve the national oil and gas law.

Kurdish officials said the deal would allow exports to begin again as early as Tuesday.

Iraq stopped sending nearly half a million barrels of oil through the pipeline last month after an arbitration process by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) sided with Iraq in a long-standing dispute over the independent export of oil by the Kurdish regional government.

Baghdad and Irbil have been at loggerheads over oil revenues for years.

Iraq, OPECs second largest producer, filed for arbitration against Turkey in 2014 after the Kurdish region sidelined Iraqs state-owned oil marketing company, SOMO, and began exporting crude oil through the neighboring country. Iraq claimed that all oil exports have to go through SOMO, as per a 1973 agreement with Turkey.

Iraqs economy is one of the most oil-dependent in the world, according to the World Bank. While most of the countrys oil reserves are located in the south, the Kurdish region is heavily reliant on exports of the resource from northern fields.
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield spoke to VOA at U.N. headquarters Monday about her recent trip to Costa Rica for the 2023 Democracy Summit and the important role of youth in government, her concerns about Russias and China's influence in the region and calls for a non-U.N. international force to help Haiti.

The U.S. envoy, who is also a member of U.S. President Joe Biden's Cabinet, said during Russia's Security Council presidency in April that the U.S. would engage on a number of issues, but there are currently no plans for a separate meeting with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov when he comes to the U.N. later this month.

This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.

VOA: Youre just back from the democracy summit in Costa Rica, where you highlighted the plight of millions of Venezuelan refugees. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduros government has maintained power, theyve created a humanitarian and human rights crisis in the process. So whats next for the U.S. on Venezuela, here at the United Nations in particular?

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield: We are working with the countries in the region, particularly Ecuador and Costa Rica. Ecuador who has accepted tens of thousands of refugees. They have provided them with papers and documentation that will allow them to stay in the country. We want to support those efforts, but we are also working to support those who are left behind to ensure that they continue to get the assistance that they require.

VOA: As Russia continues its aggression in Ukraine, how concerning is it for peace and security that the Kremlin is forging close ties, not just with Venezuela, but also with the Ortega-Murillo regime in Nicaragua?

Thomas-Greenfield: It is very concerning. And as you see votes in the [General Assembly], these are the countries that continue to support Russia. But they're on the wrong side of history, and they need to understand that they're on the wrong side of history because the world is standing with Ukraine, the world is standing against Russia, and they should see the handwriting on the wall that standing with Russia is a losing proposition.

VOA: What about Chinas influence in Latin America? For example, Honduras cut relations with Taiwan in favor of Beijing.

Thomas-Greenfield: Look, we don't tell countries  sovereign countries  what decisions they should make about recognition. What we are doing in the region, and what we want to highlight, is we want to work with these countries to deliver on our promises  our promises to support their efforts to work on improving their democracy. And we know that China will make promises that they don't always deliver on. And Taiwan has always been a partner, a partner that can be depended upon, a partner that delivers on all of its promises. It's a strong democracy. It has a strong economy. And it is, it's a relationship that we have to work to continue to strengthen as we intend to do in our future relationships with Taiwan.

VOA: Its been six months since U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the prime minister of Haiti asked the Security Council for an urgent rapid reaction force for that nation. In that time, the security and humanitarian situation has deteriorated, half the island is in emergency levels of hunger. Whats going on in the Security Council, has there been any progress on getting this force?

Thomas-Greenfield: First and foremost, the situation in Haiti is dire and it is getting worse. We have engaged in the council to address the requests that the secretary-general made. We did extend the Haitian mandate [for the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH)] and we have been working with countries in the region, including some of our neighbors, African countries as well, on how we can put together a strong, multinational, non-U.N. force that will help address the security issues on the ground in Haiti.

VOA: So, what was your biggest takeaway from your trip to Costa Rica?

Thomas-Greenfield: I was impressed by the power of their youth and the strength of their democracy. I met with young people who were very engaged in the government. They were participating very actively in the summit of democracy. And I saw their president [Rodrigo Chaves Robles] talk directly to them, engage with them, and really impress upon them the importance of engaging with their government. One of the commitments we made to support the Youth Network, part of that commitment is to give young people the resources that they need to communicate with their government. They have those resources in the democracy that is on the ground in Costa Rica. They are a true example of how a strong democracy can work, and we intend to continue to support that country's efforts to strengthen their democracy, to fight against international crime, and to strengthen their ability to deliver to their people.

VOA: Russia assumed its Security Council presidency on Saturday for the month of April. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will come later this month to chair a council meeting. Whats the likelihood that Secretary of State Antony Blinken would seize that opportunity to come here and meet in person with Lavrov about the detained Americans Paul Whelan and The Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich?

Thomas-Greenfield: Russia shouldnt even be on the Security Council, but they are a permanent member of the council, and we can't change that. Over the course of their month, which is rotational, we intend to engage on the important issues of the Security Council. It's not just Ukraine. We expect Russia will look for opportunities to spread their disinformation and misinformation campaign, and particularly when their Foreign Minister Lavrov is here on the ground. There are no plans at this moment for there to be any engagement with him. But of course, we will do everything possible to work to get the release of American citizens who have been unfairly held. The secretary of state spoke to Foreign Minister Lavrov over the weekend and demanded that he release The Wall Street Journal journalist, as well as other Americans who are being unfairly held by the Russian government.
Michele Trina, CMCA, AMS, Branch President

Associa Chicagoland

CHICAGO, April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Associa Chicagoland (AC), a leading provider of community management services throughout the greater Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana region, including all surrounding cities, is pleased to announce the promotion of Michele Trina, CMCA, AMS, to branch president. In this role, she will oversee and measure the performance of employee experience, client experience, and the companys financial profitability. She will be responsible for developing and implementing organizational strategies, policies, and practices designed to maximize employee satisfaction, retention, and engagement, contributing to an improved client experience. Trinas passion for education drives her to be a results-driven leader.

Trina joined AC in 2020 as vice president of operations. She has 25 years experience in the property management industry and a strong background operating suburban properties and working directly with community associations. Her areas of expertise include business strategy, operational improvement, financial and budget planning, and conflict management. She previously spent over 10 years as director of suburban management operations with two large property management firms in the Chicagoland region. Trina began her career as an office and property manager for a real estate company and later served as a regional director with various companies.

Since joining Associa, Michele has demonstrated she is a hardworking industry expert who is well-qualified and passionate about helping the clients she serves as well as focusing on employee growth and development, said Stephanie Skelley, CMCA, AMS, Associa regional vice president. We look forward to benefitting from her wisdom and guidance for years to come.

About Associa

With more than 225 branch offices across North America, Associa is building the future of community for nearly five million residents worldwide. Our 11,000+ team members lead the industry with unrivaled education, expertise, and trailblazing innovation. For more than 43 years, Associa has brought positive impact and meaningful value to communities. To learn more, visit www.associaonline.com.

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CONTACT: Tom Womack Associa 214.272.4107 tom.womack@associaonline.com




Somalia and Cuba have agreed to resume diplomatic relations after 46 years, Somalias minister of foreign affairs has said.

Abshir Omar Jama confirmed the diplomatic rapprochement in a Twitter post on Monday.

Having established diplomatic relations between 1972-1977, we welcome the resumption of diplomatic relations with the Republic of Cuba governed by cooperation and mutual respect, he wrote.

Cubas ambassador to Somalia, Juan Manuel Rodriguez, was one of three ambassadors who submitted credentials to Somalias president, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, on Tuesday.



Somalias Jama met the Cuban ambassador on Monday ahead of Rodriguez's meeting with Mohamud.

Honored to receive the credentials of the newly appointed Ambassador of the Republic of Cuba to the Federal Republic of Somalia, Amb. Juan Manuel Rodriguez, Jama said.

Rodriguez is also Cubas ambassador to Kenya.

Somalia broke off diplomatic relations with Cuba in 1977 during the war between Somalia and Ethiopia. The Cuban government under Fidel Castro sent thousands of Cuban troops to assist the Soviet-backed Ethiopian government during the war.

Somalias former foreign minister, Ahmed Isse Awad, said Somalia and Cuba do not share cultural and geographical relations but adds the country cannot self-imprison to what happened in the past.

If they (Cuba) sent us an ambassador and want to improve relations with us its a gain, Awad said. I dont think its in our interest to relive past hostility.

Awad said Somalia currently enjoys good diplomatic relations with both Ethiopia and Russia.

Cuban hostages

The immediate concern for Cuba may be winning the release of two Cuban doctors abducted by the al-Shabab militant group in northern Kenya in April 2019.

Awad said when he was foreign minister in the previous Somali government, he was contacted by Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla about the two hostages.

I used to tell them that they are safe, they have not been killed and that they work as doctors for those who are holding them, he said.

He said he told Cuba that Somalia will, to the best of our ability, play a role in securing freedom for the two doctors.

Awad said al-Shabab has not officially made any demands for the doctors. The group has previously released foreigners it held hostage after alleged ransom payments.
A Swedish court Tuesday overturned a police move to ban two Quran burning protests, as five suspected Islamists were arrested for plotting a "terrorist act" over a similar demonstration.

The burning of Islam's holy book outside Turkey's embassy in Stockholm in January angered the Muslim world, sparking weeks of protests and calls for a boycott of Swedish goods, and holding up Sweden's NATO membership bid.

Sweden's Supreme Administrative Court overturned a police decision to ban two subsequent Quran burning protests in February, saying security risk concerns were not enough to limit the right to demonstrate.

The "police authority did not have sufficient support for its decisions," judge Eva-Lotta Hedin said in a statement.

Swedish police had refused to authorize the Quran burnings outside the Turkish and Iraqi embassies in Stockholm in February saying that the January protest had made Sweden "a higher priority target for attacks."

Turkey took particular offence that police had authorized the demonstration. Ankara has blocked Sweden's NATO bid because of what it perceives as Stockholm's failure to crack down on Kurdish groups it views as "terrorists."

Swedish politicians have criticized the Quran burnings but defended the right to freedom of expression.

Sweden's Security Service meanwhile said five suspects were arrested early Tuesday in coordinated raids in the central towns of Eskilstuna, Linkoping and Strangnas.

"The current case is one of several that the Swedish Security Service has been working on... in connection with the high-profile Quran burning," said Susanna Trehorning, deputy head of the security service's counterterrorism unit.

She said the suspects were linked to international "Islamic extremism."

The Security Service said however that it did not believe that an attack had been imminent.

"The Security Service often needs to act early in order to avert a threat. We can't wait until a crime has been committed before we act," it said in a statement.
Taliban officials in Afghanistan have informed the United Nations they are banning women from working for the organization in Afghanistan, the U.N. said Tuesday about the groups latest edict restricting the rights and movements of women in that country.

For the [U.N.] secretary-general [Antonio Guterres], any such ban would be unacceptable and frankly inconceivable, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters. This is the latest in a disturbing trend undermining the ability of aid organizations to reach those most in need.

The U.N. had expressed concern in recent months that this particular ban would come.

In January, Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed went to the Afghan cities of Kabul, Kandahar and Herat with a high-level delegation to speak with Taliban officials about a series of decrees that have eroded the rights of women and girls, particularly on going to school and university and working outside the home.

Some aid groups suspend work

On December 24, 2022, the Taliban banned Afghan women from working with domestic and international aid groups. Some international nongovernmental organizations suspended their work after the decree. The U.N. feared at the time that international organizations would be next, which now appears to be the case.

We are still looking into how this development would affect our operations in the country, and we are expecting to have more meetings with the de facto authorities tomorrow in Kabul to seek more clarity, Dujarric said.

An initial statement from the U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, known by its acronym UNAMA, expressed serious concern that female national U.N. staff members have been prevented from reporting to work in Nangarhar province.

Dujarric said the organization had not been notified in writing of the ban but was told through various conduits that the edict applies to Afghan women working for the U.N. across the country, not just in Nangarhar province. As of Tuesday, UNAMA told him that Afghan female staff members were still continuing to work in other parts of Afghanistan. It was not clear when the ban would go into effect across the country.

There was no immediate public comment from the Taliban on the move.

Female staff critical to UN, say officials

Both UNAMA and Dujarric were explicit in stating the critical value of female staff to the smooth continuation of U.N. operations on the ground.

Obviously, given the society and culture, you need women to deliver aid to women, Dujarric told reporters, adding that the U.N. is engaging the de facto authorities.

The World Food Program estimates that nearly 20 million Afghans are acutely food-insecure, including more than 6 million people on the brink of famine-like conditions.

The U.N. has nearly 4,000 staff members in Afghanistan, of which about 3,300 are Afghan nationals. Among them are about 400 Afghan women and 200 international female staffers.


French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen arrived Wednesday in China for a three-day state visit aimed at discussing trade, human rights and especially Ukraine with President Xi Jinping, amid ever closer ties between Beijing and Moscow.

Macron told a gathering of the French community in Beijing that Chinas relationship with Russia means it can play a major role in bringing peace to Ukraine.

The trip is Macrons first to China since 2019, and von der Leyens first as head of the European Unions executive arm. Analysts and officials have downplayed expectations for any major outcome, though the two leaders will likely prod China to limit its support for Russias invasion of Ukraine.

My understanding is it is very much about reengagement, said Tara Varma, a visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington, who specializes in Indo-Pacific issues.

Macron and von der Leyen are expected to hold talks with President Xi on Thursday. Macron is also scheduled to visit the southern city of Guangzhou.

The trip aims to present a common European front toward China, analysts say, amid growing friction on several fronts. The stakes for improving ties are high for both sides, including Chinas position as a top EU trading partner.

In a recent speech that Chinese officials criticized, von der Leyen warned Beijing against directly supporting Moscow in its war on Ukraine and described EU-China relations as more distant and more difficult.

Von der Leyen characterized China as becoming more repressive at home and more assertive abroad. And she dismissed hopes of resuscitating a stalled investment deal with China, saying it had to be reassessed within Europes larger China strategy.

Von der Leyen, however, also said the EU did not need to decouple from its relations with China.

That was the hardest hitting and most critical speech that weve had on China from a European leader in recent decades, said Andrew Small, senior fellow at the German Marshall Fund, and author of a recent book on China, titled, The Rupture: China and the Global Race for the Future.

Although there are elements of this visit that will be about diplomatic reengagement, I think she laid out pretty starkly where the balance of European thinking is really moving, he added.

Red line?

Macron, who had earlier hoped to visit China at least once a year as president, appears to have greater ambitions for success.

At a minimum, the French presidency reportedly wants China to draw a red line on providing arms to Russia while the war rages in Ukraine.

Macron also has this hope to secure some form of Chinese support for a peace process, for putting pressure on Russia, analyst Small said, even as he characterized broader European expectations for that happening as extremely low.

Last month, Beijing laid out a 12-point plan to end the war that included calls for a cease-fire, peace talks, and an end to sanctions against Russia. But it did not label Moscow as the aggressor in the war and offered no specifics on its stance toward Ukraines territorial integrity.

Last week, von der Leyen said any peace plan that consolidated Russian seizures of Ukrainian territory was not viable.

Still, Small said, there is value in delivering a strong message to the Chinese side that says, The relationship with Europe will be conditioned by how you handle the Ukraine question and your relationship with Russia.

Along with Ukraine, Macron and von der Leyen will focus on human rights and economics.

Trade rivalry

Macron is accompanied by a hefty business delegation, composed of CEOs from the energy, transport and aviation sectors. The Reuters news agency reports Macrons visit coincides with talks on a possible new Chinese order for Airbus planes.

The Europeans have been pressing for a more level playing field when it comes to trade and investment. For its part, China is particularly eager to resurrect an EU investment deal put on hold three years ago, Brookings analyst Varma said.

Im pretty sure the Chinese authorities will put the issue to both President von der Leyen and President Macron, she added. But there will need to be some guarantees provided by the Chinese authorities in terms of a level playing field, and reciprocity in terms of market access  which is not the case today.

Ahead of the trip, European Commissioner Thierry Breton warned of the EUs capacity to inflict economic damage on China as a major market for Chinese goods.

China is a trade partner, but China is also a systemic rival, Breton told French radio, If the [EU] internal market ever closes to China, which I hope will not be the case, thats four to five GDP points fewer for China.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump pleaded not guilty Tuesday in a New York state court to a 34-count indictment accusing him of falsifying business records in furtherance of an unspecified crime  described by prosecutors as a bid to hide a hush money payment to a porn actress to help him win the presidency in 2016.

In the first-ever criminal case against a current or former U.S. leader, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg alleged in a "statement of facts" accompanying the indictment that Trump "repeatedly and fraudulently falsified New York business records to conceal criminal conduct that hid damaging information from the voting public during the 2016 presidential election."

Watch related video by Veronica Balderas Iglesias:

As part of the plan, according to the accompanying statement, Trump allegedly orchestrated a $130,000 hush money payment to adult film actor Stormy Daniels just prior to the election to silence her about her claim of a one-night tryst with Trump a decade earlier. Trump has long denied the sexual liaison but not the payment.

In addition, the prosecution alleges that with Trump's encouragement, political allies at American Media Inc., the publisher of the supermarket tabloid National Enquirer, paid $150,000 to Karen McDougal, Playboy magazine's 1998 Playmate of the Year, to buy her written account claiming she had a months-long affair with Trump in 2006 and 2007 and then kill the article. Trump has also denied McDougal's claim she had a relationship with him.

Watch related video by Arash Arabasadi:

After Trump's arraignment on the charges, prosecutor Bragg said Trump participated in the "catch and kill" scheme at the tabloid to buy and suppress negative information about him ahead of the 2016 election to "help Mr. Trump's chance of winning."

The fact sheet accompanying the indictment also alleged that the tabloid paid $30,000 to a doorman at Trump Tower, the former president's New York residence and office, to suppress his claim that Trump had fathered an out-of-wedlock child, which the tabloid later realized was unfounded.

Trump, his lawyers and many Republicans have contended that Bragg, an elected Democratic prosecutor, is engaging in a "political witch hunt." One of Trump's attorneys, in brief comments after the hearing, said the charges signal that the rule of law was "dead" in the United States.

Hours after his court appearance in New York City, Trump told a crowd inside his Mar-a-Lago private resort in the state of Florida that "I never thought anything like this could happen in America."

The former president added: "The only crime that I have committed is to fearlessly defend our nation from those who seek to destroy it."

Bragg should be prosecuted for leaking grand jury documents or at the minimum resign, said Trump of the Manhattan district attorney who put forward the nearly three dozen felony charges against him, suggesting the case was brought to interfere with the 2024 presidential election.

Polls show Trump comfortably leading all other declared and anticipated contenders for next year's Republican Party nomination.

Trump, during his 25-minute speech, also verbally attacked the judge in his criminal case.

"I have a Trump-hating judge with a Trump-hating wife and family," said the former president of Acting New York Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchan.

Trump also spoke of other legal troubles he faces in New York and Georgia, as well as the matter of a special prosecutor looking into whether he violated the Presidential Records Act by taking classified documents to his Florida home after leaving the White House.

In all those other cases, Trump asserted, he did nothing wrong.

Bragg said that his office has a history of "vigorously enforcing white-collar crime" and that keeping accurate business records is especially important in New York, the financial center of the world.

Each of the 34 counts in the indictment relate to entries Trump allegedly made on his corporate books recording payments made to Michael Cohen, his onetime lawyer and political fixer, to reimburse him for using his own funds to make the payment to Daniels.

Cohen pleaded guilty to offenses related to the payment to Daniels and served more than a year in prison. While once loyal to Trump, he later turned against him, testifying before the grand jury investigating the case, and is expected to be a key witness at Trump's eventual trial.

But the trial could be as much as a year away, coming amid Trump's bid to win the 2024 Republican presidential nomination and reclaim the White House. Bragg's lawyers asked for a January 2024 trial, but a Trump lawyer suggested his defense team might need until next spring to prepare. The next scheduled court date in the case is December 4.

Trump entered his not-guilty plea at his arraignment before Merchan after the jurist unveiled the indictment.

There was no live television broadcast of the proceeding after Merchan had rejected requests from media outlets to air it. But the justice allowed a small group of photographers to take still pictures before the proceeding began.

The former president, wearing his customary blue suit and red tie, appeared somber, intent and contemplative in one photo taken moments after he took his seat amid his defense attorneys at the defendant's table.

His defense lawyers Todd Blanche, Susan Necheles and Joe Tacopina sat on either side of him as armed courtroom security guards stood behind him.

Trump has long denied the claim of Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, who said she had a one-night encounter with him after they met at a golf tournament in 2006. But Trump has not denied that Cohen made the payment to Daniels, and that reimbursement payments to Cohen were recorded on a Trump Organization business ledger as legal expenses. Trump disputes the payment was related to his presidential campaign seven years ago.

Trump's lawyers say he has no intention of negotiating a plea deal in the case. The outcome of a trial could hinge on the intent behind the payment to Daniels.

Tacopina on Sunday told CNN the payment to Daniels was a "personal expenditure, not a campaign expenditure" designed to help him defeat Democrat Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election. The Wall Street Journal first reported the hush money, but not until early 2018, more than a year after the election.

Trump, now 76, oversaw his real estate business empire and was a fixture in the city's glitzy social world for decades before becoming president. But on Tuesday, for the first time, he was appearing in his home city as a defendant, even as early national polls show him leading the race for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.

Shortly before the arraignment, Trump, like any criminal defendant, was booked and fingerprinted. But, authorities said, in deference to his standing as a former president, he was not handcuffed or paraded before photographers in a so-called "perp walk" and apparently was not required to have a mug shot taken.

Dozens of police assembled at the courthouse where large crowds gathered.

There appeared to be few street confrontations among those people supporting Trump and opposing Bragg's prosecution of the case and those calling for a conviction.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams had warned that "rabble rousers" coming to the city to protest had better behave.

"Our message is clear and simple: Control yourselves. New York City is our home, not a playground for your misplaced anger," he said.

Since his indictment Thursday, Trump's campaign said it has raised $8 million and logged more than 16,000 volunteer sign-ups, which campaign spokesman Steven Cheung said were "key indicators that Americans from all backgrounds are sick and tired of the weaponization of the justice system against President Trump and his supporters."

The former president is also facing other criminal investigations that could result in more charges against him or possibly exonerate him of wrongdoing. They include federal probes of his efforts to upend his 2020 reelection loss to Biden, including Trump's role in encouraging supporters to try to block Congress from certifying Biden's victory on January 6, 2021, and his retention of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago. He was required to turn over the material to the National Archives when he left office.

Meanwhile, in a narrower case, a prosecutor in the Southern state of Georgia is probing Trump's efforts there to reverse Biden's win when Trump asked state election officials to "find" him enough votes to claim victory.
The digital divide is one of the biggest challenges to education in sub-Saharan Africa, where the United Nations says nearly 90% of students lack access to household computers, and 82% to the internet. In Kenya, the aid group TechLit Africa aims to change that by building scores of computer labs. Juma Majanga reports from Mogotio, Kenya.
Donald Trumps arraignment, scheduled for Tuesday in New York City, is expected to last less than an hour. But it could take years for his case to reach a conclusion as the litigious former president mounts a defense, extending the case beyond the 2024 U.S. presidential election in which he is running as a candidate.



Trump became the first former president to face criminal charges when a grand jury in New York voted last week to indict him in connection with a hush money payment to porn actor Stormy Daniels in 2016.

The indictment, which remains under seal, is expected to be made public after Trumps court appearance.

Lance Fletcher, a New York City criminal defense attorney and former prosecutor in the Manhattan District Attorney's office, said a typical felony can take a year to get to trial in New York.

"If it's a high-profile case or [involves] very serious charges, this back and forth during the pretrial could easily take two years, Fletcher said in an interview with VOA. So, I wouldn't be surprised if this took more like two years."

At Trump's arraignment, or initial court appearance, the judge assigned to the case, Juan Merchan, will read the charges against him, and as is customary for defendants, Trump will enter a plea of not guilty.



The next legal steps include a series of pre-trial proceedings, lasting months or even years, followed by jury selection and trial.

Though more than 90% of felony cases in New York, as in the rest of the country, end with a plea bargain, Trumps lawyer has said there is zero chance the former president will entertain that option.

Under New Yorks speedy trial laws, a felony trial must begin within six months of an arraignment. But the deadline is almost always missed as both parties ask for additional time to prepare.

Trump has denied any wrongdoing in the case, and his recently expanded team of lawyers has vowed to fight the charges tooth and nail even before theyre presented to a jury.

In recent days, Trump lawyer Joe Tacopina has said hell try to have the charges dismissed based on the novel legal theory upon which the case is apparently built. The judge is unlikely to oblige, experts say.

Even if the judge does not dismiss the charges, Trump has other ways to fight and potentially prolong the case. One is filing pre-trial motions, which are requests to the court to resolve certain issues before the trial begins.



In criminal cases, there are several common pre-trial motions: motions to dismiss the charges for lack of sufficient evidence; motions to suppress evidence that was illegally or improperly obtained; and motions to change the venue of the trial due to excessive publicity.



In Trump's case, legal experts say, his defense team is expected to raise all of those issues and then some.

Among other motions, Trump's defense lawyers will likely challenge his indictment on the grounds of New York's statute of limitations, said Cheryl Bader, a clinical associate professor of law at Fordham University School of Law.



A statute of limitations is a time limit within which a crime can be prosecuted. In New York, the statute of limitations is two years for misdemeanors and five years for most felonies.



Given that the hush money payment was made nearly seven years ago, defense lawyers could argue that Trump can't be legally charged with a crime related to the alleged payoff.

But the law provides for exceptions and given that New York prosecutors have gone this far with it, I'd be shocked if any of this gets dismissed on a statute of limitations violation, Fletcher said.

Another pre-trial fight will likely break out over discovery, the all-important process by which the parties share information with each other.



Fletcher said the Trump teams request for information could amount to "an ocean of material," ranging from all the investigation notes and all business and financial records.



"We could be talking about thousands or tens of thousands of pages of materials," the former prosecutor said. "And, with every page that's turned over they'll be able to argue back and forth about whether that's the complete record of that document."

Jonathan Turley, a George Washington University law professor, said an "early fight" may brew over a possible gag order on Trump.

In high-profile cases, it has become common in recent years for judges to order defendants to refrain from making public comments on the case.

But Trump is a presidential candidate, and imposing a gag order on him could violate his First Amendment right to free speech, Turley, who appeared as a Republican-invited witness during Trump's first impeachment hearing, said.



"This is someone running for president, and one of the issues he's running on is the politicization of the criminal justice system," Turley said in an interview.

Ultimately, it is the judge who will determine whether to approve a pre-trial motion.

Asked what tactics Trump could use to delay the case, Bader said, "His attorneys can ask the court for adjournments but those are generally at the judges discretion and with all the eyes of the nation watching, and primaries right around the corner, this judge may want to keep this case moving without delay."

On the other hand, Bader noted, "there are several legal issues in the case  many of which are novel questions of law, so the judge will need to give Trumps lawyers a chance to argue their motions."

If Trump is acquitted, Trump can hail it as a victory. But if he is found guilty of any of the charges against him, he has multiple options to appeal.

Initially, he could challenge his conviction at the trial court level under New York's criminal procedure law, arguing that the jury got the case wrong, Fletcher said.

If that attempt fails, he could appeal the case through the state appellate courts and eventually to the United States Supreme Court.

Turley said an appeal could be filed even before a trial takes place.



"If the judge denies the motion to dismiss, Trump's counsel is likely to ask for a right to go to the Court of Appeals [New York's highest appellate court], even potentially the Supreme Court before any trial is held," Turley said.

Editor's note: This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Cheryl Bader's last name. VOA regrets the error.
One year since Ukrainian forces liberated the Kyiv suburb of Bucha from Russian forces (March 31), the town stands as a symbol of Russian atrocities and a turning point in the war. During the occupation, there was widespread destruction. 1,374 civilians were killed, including 38 children in the Kyiv region. VOAs Myroslava Gongadze accompanied the mayor of Bucha for a tour, one year on. Videographer: Eugene Shynkar Warning: This video contains graphic images. Viewer discretion is advised.
WASHINGTON - The Zimbabwean government says it will carry out investigations over a gold smuggling scam exposed by Al Jazeera in two editions of its four-part documentary series in which President Emmerson Mnangagwa is said to be the ring leader of the multimillion dollar scandal.

Information Minister Monica Mutsvangwa told journalists in Harare that the government will punish those involved in the scam, which has sucked in Ambassador At Large, Eubert Angel, British gold trader Kikkie Doolan, some central bank and aviation officials, big banks and suspected criminals and couriers.

Mutsvangwa said, "Government takes note of a documentary titled Gold Mafia which is currently being serialized by the international broadcasting channel, which purports to expose a network of alleged money laundering and gold smuggling in Zimbabwe. Government takes the allegations which are raised in this documentary seriously and had directed relevant organs to institute investigations into issues raised therein.

"Any person found to have engaged in any acts of corruption, fraud or any acts of crime will face the full wrath of the law. Government takes this opportunity to reaffirm its commitment to upholding local and international laws including laws related to financial transactions, the trade of gold and the other precious minerals of our country.

She further noted that boastful behavior and name dropping by some personalities featured in the documentary seeking personal gain and glory, should never be taken as an enunciation of government policy. Government remains seized with the matter and the nation will be kept apprised of any new developments."

This is the first time that the government has commented about the scam, two weeks after Al Jazeera broadcast the scandal.

Transparency International has urged Zimbabwean authorities to investigate the alleged gold smuggling scandal,

In a statement, Transparency International noted that the Al Jazeera documentary exposed illicit financial flows from Zimbabwe, including serious allegations of abuse of diplomatic immunity, illicit gold trading, corruption and money laundering in the mining sector.

Transparency International urged the Financial Intelligence Unit, Zimbabwe Republic Police and the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission to investigate further and introduce the necessary reforms to end such activities in the country.

The documentary comes after the release of the 2022 Corruption Perceptions Index, which revealed endemic corruption in Zimbabwe, with a score of just 23 out of 100. New scandals of grand corruption and abuses of public office continue to emerge, which damages the country in the perspective of investors and development partners. Along with the shocking findings of the documentary, these results make clear that its time for the government to take stronger action against corruption and money laundering.

Transparency International said, As the documentary highlights, more and more cartels work with individuals and institutions in Zimbabwe to move dirty money using anonymous trusts and shell companies in tax havens and other secretive jurisdictions. This insidious relationship facilitates organised crime and huge outflows of gold and other precious minerals.

In particular, the documentary exposes incidences of alleged under invoicing and under declarations by registered gold dealers to Fidelity Printers and the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority, alleging even higher losses than previously assumed. This reduces the countrys ability to build critical infrastructure and support the needs of the population or respond to urgent challenges. To combat this, the government of Zimbabwe should strengthen mutual legal assistance with other involved jurisdictions to facilitate the exchange of information. They must also ensure that such institutions have the capacity to manage mutual legal assistance requests.

Transparency International said it is also concerning that the documentary suggests that authorities do not complete sufficient due diligence into potential investors  including official gold traders.

The revelations are a possible source of information to bust criminal networks that are actively engaging in gold smuggling and laundering money from Zimbabwe and other selected African countries. Law enforcement, anti-corruption agencies and regulatory authorities should immediately revoke gold trade and export licenses given to the implicated individuals and corporations, pending an investigation into the allegations.

Episode 2 aired a few days ago in which Eubert Angel, who is Zimbabwes Ambassador at Large, linked Mnangagwa with a gold smuggling syndicate.

An offer of US$200,000 was made for the Al Jazeera investigative team to meet with Mnangagwa to find ways of smuggling gold out of the country.

Presidential spokesperson, George Charamba, recently threatened journalists who will write stories related to the issue saying they will be locked up. Mnangagwa has not personally said a word about the scandal.
Bloomberg

(Bloomberg) -- Millennials were more likely than any other generation to flee the stock market during last years rout. That meant they were also more likely to miss out on the subsequent rally.Most Read from BloombergTucker Carlson Leaves Fox News in Shakeup After SettlementFour Reasons Why Investors Expect US Dollar to Keep SlidingBud Light Takes the Cowardly Way OutMacrons Push to Get Chinas Help on Ukraine Is UnravelingCNN Anchor Don Lemon Says He Has Been Fired From the NetworkThose were
A student in Congo has developed a tool that allows people to control or move objects using their brain signals. Andre Ndambi visited the department of engineering at the University of Kinshasa and has this story narrated by Salem Solomon. Jean-Louis Mafema contributed.
This year marked our biggest group ever, with 14 students on program. All of the students in this years group are seniors. They are (not featured in order) Nichole Albright, Megan Dreger, Hunter Haggenmiller, Katie Koegel, Austin Koep, Jake Martin, Grace Ruckheim, Katelyn Schlosser, Kate Simonson, Maddie Schroeder, Jon Schwartz, Emma Skalsky, Cody Springer, and Dillon Vogt. Group leaders this year were David OBrien and Jim Duberowski.
President Vladimir Putin met with his Security Council via video conference on March 31, 2023. At the end of this meeting, he promulgated an update of the "Foreign Policy Concept of the Russian Federation".

In this document, Russia sets out its vision of its role in building a multipolar world.

First of all, Russia recalls its significant resources in all spheres of life, its status as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, its participation in major international organizations and associations, its nuclear power and its status as the successor in rights of the USSR. Above all, given its decisive contribution to the victory in World War II and its active participation in the liquidation of the world system of colonialism, it asserts itself as one of the sovereign centers of world development and considers as its historical mission the maintenance of the global balance of power and the construction of a multipolar international system.

Developments in the contemporary world

Russia observes that the inequitable model of global development, which for centuries ensured the accelerated economic growth of colonial powers by appropriating the resources of their colonies, is now a thing of the past.

Attempts are being made by the Anglo-Saxons to hold back "the natural course of history". A wide range of illegal instruments are employed, including the application of "unilateral coercive measures" (misleadingly referred to as "sanctions"), the incitement of coups, armed conflicts, threats, blackmail, etc.

The term "Anglo-Saxons" is not used in the document. It is a shortcut that I use in view of the statements of several ministers. Moscow considers that the enemy is primarily the United States, but that they have formed a coalition of hostile states in which the United Kingdom plays a central role.

Russia being the largest country in the world, its army cannot defend its borders. It is easy to invade. Throughout history, Russia has learned to defeat invaders by using its vast space and climate to its advantage. It has fought the armies of Napoleon I and Adolf Hitler, but has mostly burned its own territory to starve them out. In the absence of nearby rear bases, they had to retreat and were finished off by "General Winter". Unlike other countries, the security of Russia implies that no hostile army can be massed on its borders.

Seeing Russias strengthening as a threat to Western hegemony, the United States and its satellites used the measures taken by the Russian Federation to protect its vital interests in Ukraine as a pretext to exacerbate their long-standing anti-Russian policy and to start a new kind of hybrid war. By vital interests, we should understand the subordination of the Ukrainian military to the Pentagon after the 2014 coup.

Interests and Goals of Russia

Russias national interests are, quote:

1) the protection of the constitutional order, sovereignty, independence, territorial and state integrity of the Russian Federation against destructive foreign influence ;

2) maintenance of strategic stability, strengthening of international peace and security;

3) strengthening the legislative framework of international relations;

4) protection of the rights, freedoms and legitimate interests of Russian citizens and protection of Russian organizations from unlawful foreign interference

5) development of a safe information space, protection of Russian society from foreign informational and psychological influence when it is destructive;

6) preservation of the Russian people, development of human potential, increase in the quality of life and well-being of its citizens;

7) support of sustainable development of the Russian economy on a new technological basis;

8) strengthening of traditional Russian spiritual and moral values, preservation of cultural and historical heritage of the multinational people of the Russian Federation;

9) environmental protection, preservation of natural resources and environmental management, adaptation to climate change.

The goals of Russias foreign policy are, quote:

1) the establishment of an equitable and sustainable world order;

2) maintenance of international peace and security, strategic stability, ensuring peaceful coexistence and progressive development of states and peoples;

3) assisting in the development of effective complex responses of the international community to common challenges and threats, including regional conflicts and crises;

4) development of mutually beneficial and equal rights cooperation with all foreign states with a constructive attitude and their alliances, ensuring that Russian interests are taken into account in the framework of institutions and mechanisms of multilateral diplomacy;

5) opposition to anti-Russian activity of some foreign states and their alliances, creation of conditions for stopping such activity

6) establishment of good-neighborly relations with neighboring states, assistance in prevention and elimination of hotbeds of tension and conflicts on their territories;

7) assistance to Russias allies and partners in promoting common interests, ensuring their security and sustainable development regardless of their international recognition and membership in international organizations

8) releasing and strengthening the potential of multilateral regional associations and integration structures with the participation of Russia;

9) strengthening of Russias positions in the world economy, achievement of national development goals of the Russian Federation, ensuring economic security, realization of the states economic potential

10) promotion of Russias interests in the world ocean, outer space and air space;

11) formation of the objective image of Russia abroad, strengthening of its positions in the global information space;

12) strengthening the importance of Russia in the global humanitarian space, strengthening the position of the Russian language in the world, helping to preserve the historical truth and memory of Russias role in world history abroad;

13) comprehensive and effective defense of the rights, freedoms and legal interests of Russian citizens and organizations abroad (Russia has always considered itself the protector of minorities of Russian culture abroad)

14) development of relations with compatriots living abroad and comprehensive assistance to them in realizing their rights, protecting their interests and preserving the general Russian cultural identity.

Rule of Law

Contemporary international law was created at the Hague Conference (1899). It was convened by the last tsar, Nicholas II. 27 states participated. It was devoted to "seeking the most effective means of securing for all peoples the benefits of a real and lasting peace". It lasted 72 days.

Three topics were discussed, but only the last two were successful:

limitation of armaments, manpower and military budgets;

the establishment of conventions aimed at reducing, in time of war, the use of the most deadly weapons and unnecessary suffering (the Conference adopted the Martens clause, according to which everything that is not expressly forbidden by a treaty is not inasmuch authorized. It thus laid the foundations of International Humanitarian Law and justified the existence of the Nuremberg Tribunal);

the recognition, for cases that lend themselves to it, of the principle of arbitration (it created the Permanent Court of Arbitration of The Hague on a French proposal).

The French delegation distinguished itself. It included Leon Bourgeois, Paul dEstournelles de Constant and Louis Renault, three future Nobel Peace Prize winners.

This conference introduced two innovations:

the legal equality between States, whatever they may be;

the search for compromise and a unanimous vote as a source of legitimacy.

The method of this conference, which Russia has always respected, constitutes its way of thinking (and that of the Leon Bourgeois French radicals). Moscow considers that it finds its current expression in the United Nations Charter (1945) and in the Declaration on Principles of International Law concerning Friendly Relations and Cooperation among States in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations (1970).

In opposition to International Law, defined collectively within the UN, the West is trying to substitute a set of "rules", defined by them in the absence of all others. Only the combined good faith efforts of the entire international community, based on a balance of powers and interests, can effectively ensure the peaceful and progressive development of large and small states.

In the March 31 document, Russia recalls that its special military operation in Ukraine is authorized by Article 51 of the UN Charter. It refers to the planned attack by the Ukrainian government on the Donbass, and has since published one of the texts annotated by the Ukrainian chiefs of staff. It is therefore understandable that the recognition of the Donbass republics as independent states allied with Russia (on the eve of the special operation) was a necessary condition for the application of Article 51.

It is about establishing contractual relations between states, knowing that the strongest will always be able to violate its word and destroy the weakest. It must therefore be accompanied by guarantees designed to discourage those in a position of strength from abusing it. These guarantees can only be convincing if Russia, like the others, has free access to the worlds spaces, including space, and if mechanisms to prevent the arms race are put in place.

Description of the multipolar world

Moscow approaches the multipolar world through a cultural vision of the world. It intends to maintain relations with all cultures and to encourage each of them to create intergovernmental organizations.

It states that, while it asks nearby states not to host troops and military bases of hostile states in their countries, it is willing to help them stabilize. This includes helping them to suppress destabilization manoeuvres undertaken by hostile states at home. It is not a matter of watching helplessly as other countries follow the Ukrainian path and overthrow elected authorities with the help of neo-Nazi groups.

The document attaches great importance to strengthening cooperation with China and coordination with its international action. It is therefore a question of giving birth to a multipolar world, but delivered by two midwives, Moscow and Beijing. On the military level, Moscow mentions its strategic partnership with India.

A particular passage deals with the Islamic world, which is emerging from Western domination with the victory in Syria and the peace agreement between Iran and Saudi Arabia.

As for Western Europe, Moscow hopes that it will realize its mistakes and detach itself from the Anglo-Saxons. Until then, it is wary not only of NATO, but also of the European Union and the Council of Europe

Russia does not position itself as an enemy of the West, does not isolate itself from it, has no hostile intentions towards it, and hopes that in the future the states belonging to the Western community will realize the futility of their confrontational policy and will rally to the principles of sovereign equality and respect for mutual interests. It is in this context that the Russian Federation is ready for dialogue and cooperation.

Russias policy towards the United States has a dual character, taking into account, on the one hand, the role of this state as one of the influential sovereign centers of world development, among others, and on the other hand, as an inspirer, organizer and essential implementer of the aggressive anti-Russian policy of the West, which is a source of essential risks for the security of the Russian Federation, international peace, balanced, equitable and progressive development of mankind.
The world is changing, things are moving fast. The old world is already dead while a new world is only emerging.

87% of the worlds population does not share the Western view on the war in Ukraine. Their governments see that the United States is nothing more than a paper tiger. They now refuse to obey the dictates of the G7.

You may not know anything about it and its natural: Western news agencies dont relay this kind of news. They hide the debacle from you. So, we have gathered correspondents from five continents and we publish a weekly newsletter to give you access to the work of a news agency. In Voltaire, International Newsletter you will find contextualized news, unbiased facts placed in their historical background.

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Contents of N34:

EDITORIAL

 Attack on illegal US military bases in Syria

AMERICAS

 US goal in the war in Ukraine

 US hypersonic weapon test fails

 According to General Glen VanHerck, the U.S. will soon be under siege

 What is the biggest threat to the US according to Trump?

 Joe Biden bans some spying software

 Continuation of the parliamentary inquiry into the Bidens corruption

 Two conceptions of freedom of speech in the USA

 An audit of US aid to Ukraine in question

 Ukraines Importance to Americans

 Fox News pro-Trump again

 Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and TikTok

 Will Kevin McCarthy receive the President of Taiwan?

 Setbacks of the US Army recruiting campaign

 Implementation and project of the Salvadoran President

 Sino-Brazilian trade shifts to yuan and real

EUROPE

 Non-financial corporations debt

 Prince Harry vs. Daily Mail

 A new Scottish Prime Minister

 Holy See Expands Responsibility for Reporting Sex Offenders

 Council of Europe concerned about repression of demonstrations in France

 Police protest replaces pension reform protest in French media

 King Charles IIIs visit to France postponed

 France supports the EUs Global Gateway

 World Bank supports President Macrons pension reform

 Five French banks raided

 France recognizes the Holodomor

 TotalEnergies buys Emirati gas in yuan

 Measures in favor of consumers in Portugal

 Mega-strike in Germany

 Russia warns Sweden

 Hungary would not arrest Vladimir Putin

 Hungary hostile to Swedens accession to NATO

 Serbia does not forget NATOs illegal bombing

 Zelensky on verge of nervous breakdown

 Ukraine expels clerics loyal to Moscow Patriarchate

 Ukrainian secret unit to injure Russian soldiers

 Russia tests its arsenal

 Russian nuclear missiles in Belarus

AFRICA

 EU-Morocco fisheries negotiations

 Morocco and Indian and Chinese investors

 Reform of the Sudanese army

 Meeting of the armies of the two Libya

 Burkina Faso shocked by France 24 interview with terrorist leader

 The return of Jean-Pierre Bemba

 South Africa and the ICC

ASIA

 Israeli NGOs accuse their country of torture

 Knesset protects Benjamin Netanyahu

 Benjamin Netanyahu dismisses his defense minister

 Coming restoration of Saudi-Syrian diplomatic relations

 Barbara Leaf discusses the complete collapse of Lebanon

 Iran changes its economic strategy in Syria

 Iranian-Jordanian negotiations

 Kurdish regional government orders Turkiye to stop exporting oil stolen from Iraq

 SNB President resigns

 Saudi Arabia partners with SCO

 Turkiye shocked by reception of terrorists in French Senate

 Complaint to the ICC over the earthquake in Turkiye and Syria

 Myanmar dissolves Aung San Suu Kyis party

 South Korea shocked by Japanese textbooks

 North Koreas arsenal

 Philippines joins Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership

 State Department officials discreet trip to China

 The Chinese army stealth underwater?

 BYD ahead of Tesla

 European leaders in China

 Former Taiwan President Supports Unification of the Two Chinas

 Boao Forum for Asia 2023

 Convening of the first China-Central Asia Summit

 China helps poor countries

 Japanese reactions to their Prime Ministers policy

 U.S. warns Japan
Russia will deploy its tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus at Minsks request, President Putin announced.

In reality  he clarified  we are doing everything that the United States has been doing for decades.

Moscow points out that the United States has placed its tactical nuclear weapons in Europe, in six NATO countries: Italy, Germany, Holland, Belgium, Turkey, and Greece (they are not currently in Greece, but there is a depot ready to receive them).

The B61 nuclear bombs  in Italy they are located in the bases of Aviano and Ghedi  have now been replaced by the new B61-12, and the US Air Force is already transporting them to Europe.

Their characteristics make them much more lethal than the previous ones: each bomb has 4 power options depending on the target to be hit, is directed to the target by a satellite guidance system, and can penetrate the ground to destroy enemy command centre bunkers. The US will probably deploy the B61-12 also in Poland and other NATO countries even closer to Russia.

Three NATO nuclear powers  USA, Great Britain, France  and four US nuclear-armed NATO countries  Italy, Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands  participate in the Baltic Air Policing operation in the Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, and Poland airspace, with aircraft that can carry tactical nuclear weapons. In addition to these aircraft, U.S. B-52H strategic bombers Air Force carry on nuclear warfare training missions in the Baltic region, and other European areas bordering Russian territory.

The European Allies have made 19 airports available for such missions. The United States, having torn up the INF Treaty, is also preparing intermediate-range nuclear missiles to be deployed in Europe.

To this offensive deployment, the bases and ships of the Aegis missile defence system deployed by the US in Europe are added. Both ships and land-based Aegis installations are equipped with Lockheed Martin Mk 41 vertical launchers which  the manufacturer itself documented  can launch not only interceptor missiles but also cruise missiles armed with nuclear warheads.

After the US and NATO rejected all Russian proposals to stop this increasingly dangerous nuclear escalation, Russia responds by deploying nuclear bombs and intermediate-range missiles in Belarus close to US-NATO bases in Europe ready to be armed with nuclear warheads.
(Bloomberg) -- Like so much in our modern era, Australias high-stakes gamble on renewable energy starts with an Elon Musk Twitter brag.

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South Australias last coal-fired power plant had closed, leaving the province of 1.8 million heavily reliant on wind farms and power imports from a neighboring region. When an unprecedented blackout caused much of the country to question the states dependence on clean power, Tesla boasted  on Twitter, of course  that it had a solution: It could build the worlds biggest battery, and fast.

@Elonmusk, how serious are you about this, replied Australian software billionaire and climate activist Mike Cannon-Brookes. Can you guarantee 100MW in 100 days?

Musk responded: Tesla will get the system installed and working 100 days from contract signature or it is free. That serious enough for you?

To the astonishment of many, Tesla succeeded, and today, almost seven years later, that battery and more like it have become central to a shockingly rapid energy transition. By the middle of the next decade, major coal-fired power stations that generate about half of Australias electricity will shut down. Gas-fired plants are being retired, too, and nuclear power is banned. That leaves solar, wind and hydro as the major options in the countrys post-coal future.

Its really a remarkable story, said Audrey Zibelman, the former head of the Australian Energy Market Operator, or AEMO, the agency that runs the grid, and now an adviser to Alphabet Inc.s X. Because were not interconnected, weve had to learn to do it in a much more sophisticated way, where a lot of other countries will go once theyve shut down their fossils.

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It may be Australias biggest power buildout since electrification in the 1920s and 30s. And, if successful, could be replicated across the 80% of the worlds population that lives in the so-called sun belt  which includes Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, India, southern China and Southeast Asia, says Professor Andrew Blakers, an expert in renewable energy and solar technology at Australian National University. That, in turn, would go a long way to halting climate change.

Building battery storage is just one critical piece of the national project, and AEMO and others are worried coal plants will shut before theres enough additional electricity supply. Australia needs to increase its grid-scale wind and solar capacity ninefold by 2050. Connecting all that generation and storage into the grid will require more investment.

Overall, the cost could be a staggering A$320 billion ($215 billion), and the money is starting to flow: Brookfield Asset Management Ltd., Macquarie Group Ltd., and billionaires Andrew Forrest and Cannon-Brookes have all been involved in headline-grabbing energy deals in recent months. New government support for renewables has also improved investor sentiment, according to the Clean Energy Investor Group, which includes project developers and financiers.

Australias great coal switch-off is coming. New South Wales, the most populous state and home to Sydney, will lose one massive plant this month, followed by Eraring, the countrys largest, in 2025. Victoria, the second most populous state, saw a major site shuttered in 2017. Next up is Yallourn Power Station, which dates back more than a century and is scheduled to close in 2028.

Im never going to say keep a coal plant open, said Greg McIntyre, head of the Yallourn plant, a two-hour drive east of Melbourne. But youve got to be realistic about what youre switching off. Because with these plants, once youve switched them off, you cant switch them on again.

Until recently Australia was a climate laggard. A brief carbon tax was scrapped in 2014, it had no electric vehicle policy, and a 2030 emissions reduction target of just 26% to 28% below 2005 levels. Through the early 2020s, politicians routinely downplayed the risk of climate change  former prime minister Tony Abbott famously dismissed climate science as absolute crap. His treasurer and an eventual successor, Scott Morrison, once brought a lump of coal into parliament to taunt his pro-climate adversaries.

But while Canberra politicians ignored the energy transition, Australians were installing solar panels at record speed. China-made solar panels were cheap, and legacy government rebates sweetened the deal. From 2010 to 2020, the installed capacity of rooftop solar increased by 2,000%. Wind also grew rapidly. The market was awash in cheap electricity, and coal-fired suppliers soon found it harder to compete.

A coal plant in South Australia was the first early closure, in 2016. The next year, another retired in Victoria. The energy transition was underway, whether the government liked it or not. Of 15 key coal plants that power Australias main national grid, one-third are officially scheduled to shut by 2030. In less than 20 years, all of the countrys coal plants could be closed, the agency says.

With solar panels on the roofs of nearly one in three residential homes, Australia already has the highest penetration of rooftop solar per capita. By 2050, that proportion will grow to 65%, AEMO predicts, and account for more than a third of the countrys installed generation capacity.

Deployments of wind and large-scale solar farms will also surge. In total, renewables will supply 98% of electricity on Australias main grid from mid-century, up from around 35% today, according to AEMO.

The election last May of the center-left Labor Party has reassured the countrys financiers and investors about clean energy policy. Investment in renewables jumped 17% in 2022, mostly late in the year, after the new government announced emissions cuts and acted to enshrine them in law, according to the Clean Energy Council, an industry group.

We are the global pathfinder for demonstrating that the rapid transition is possible, Blakers said. And its turning out to be much easier than most people think.

Teslas grid-scale batteries are one part of the solution. They can absorb excess energy when its windy and sunny, then feed it back into the grid when it isnt.

The original Tesla battery, owned and operated by France-based renewables group Neoen SA, is now a cornerstone of South Australias grid. It also served as a prototype for a much bigger installation: The Victorian Big Battery, comprised of 212 white boxes in a field west of Melbourne, capable of dispatching as much power as a giant coal turbine on a split-seconds notice.

Batteries can also solve a more technical problem. Coal generators do something wind and solar cant: their giant spinning turbines provide inertia, which regulates the frequency of the entire grid. Without it, the network becomes highly unstable and the risk of blackouts soars.

When theres no more coal or gas running, you need to have someone who is setting the pace for the network, and batteries are able to do that, said Neoen Australia Managing Director Louis de Sambucy.

But batteries cant do everything. Specifically, they dont generate power, and one of the biggest challenges is solving the winter problem known as the dunkelflaute, a period when weak sunlight and low wind combine with high power demand to drain power stores faster than they can be replenished.

Batteries are very good at short term dispatch  fractions of a second, or minutes, or hours. The idea they can be good for days is not realistic, says Tony Wood, energy program director at the Australia-based Grattan Institute think tank. What is needed, he says, is deep storage which can last weeks. He says currently the only feasible answer is natural gas, a fossil fuel.

Zibelman is more sanguine. She says zero-carbon technologies like pumped hydro, compressed air storage, and potentially green hydrogen plants can provide that deep, lasting storage without contributing to climate change. Blakers is even more bullish, arguing pumped hydro combined with batteries can provide all the storage Australia, and most of the world, needs.

The Australian government has backed pumped hydro, building the Snowy 2.0 project near Canberra that will use electricity to pump water from a lower reservoir along 27 kilometers (16.8 miles) of underground tunnels to an upper reservoir when demand is low.

When demand is high, it will release that water back down a parallel tunnel, passing through a turbine and generating electricity. This closed-loop system will be capable of storing enough energy to power 3 million homes for a week, according to the state-owned firm building the facility. There are also plans to tap the island of Tasmania for hydropower and feed the mainland via new undersea transmission lines.

Thats insufficient to respond to a severe dunkelflaute, says Wood. Australia will need many more. Meanwhile, Snowy 2.0 is over budget and has suffered construction mishaps. All that highlights the complexity of building the infrastructure needed to fill the gap left when coal plants retire.

Zibelman says demand management will also be key, for example, switching off unnecessary loads when supply is low. This will increasingly be done by artificial intelligence, she says.

But Abbotts and Morrisons Liberal National coalition, now in opposition, isnt convinced renewables and storage are enough. After years of backing coal and gas, it has started campaigning to overturn the national ban on nuclear power, a proposal that the Labor government has rejected.

At the Yallourn plant outside of Melbourne, theres no sign of the tectonic change ahead. Conveyor belts carrying mud-like brown coal arrive daily, with fuel dug out of a vast open-cut mine across the river. For nearly 100 years this is how Melburnians have got their power. Its an anachronistic, carbon dioxide-spewing business, but it keeps the lights on in this city of 5 million people.

A few kilometers away, though, Yallourns owner, CLP Holdings Ltd.s EnergyAustralia is building its own big battery, around the same size as Neoens Victorian Big Battery. Its scheduled to come online in 2026.

After Yallourn, the states last two remaining coal plants a few kilometers away will also shut. In a few short years, Victoria will go from relying on coal for 70% of its electricity, to being entirely coal-free. Australia must get building, and fast.

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Damian Delano Young as Michael Jordans back in Air. Photo: MGM

Much has been made about the fact that the new movie Air, which purports to tell the story of how Michael Jordan signed with Nike, is not really about Jordan at all. (The film is told from the point of view of Nike executives, none of whom ever averaged 37.1 points in a season or defeated the Monstars in a game to determine the fate of the Looney Tunes.) When Air was announced last spring, The Hollywood Reporter revealed that Jordan would be a mythic figure hovering above the movie, a fact confirmed by the films trailer, which included only fleeting glimpses of actor Damian Delano Young, who plays the 21-year-old MJ. As director Ben Affleck revealed at a recent screening, the thinking was that Jordan remains too titanic a cultural icon to be impersonated by a mere actor. (Sorry, every Laker from Winning Time!) The one sure way to ruin the movie, Affleck said, would be to point the camera at anybody thats not Michael Jordan and say, Hey, thats Michael Jordan!

Nevertheless, viewers may still be surprised by the extent to which Michael Jordan does not appear in Air. As a character, hes off-screen for most of the film, as Nike employee Sonny Vaccaro (Matt Damon) attempts to negotiate with Jordans mother, Deloris (Viola Davis). Even when Air absolutely has to include Jordan, as in the pivotal marketing meetings that form the films climax, Delano Young is shot from behind, or put in the background where he can remain safely out of focus. At one point, I swear the camera actually pans away from him when hes about to turn toward the lens, only moving back once his head is hidden safely behind someone elses. You might wonder whether the films cinematographer harbors traumatic memories of young Michael Jordans face to the point of being totally unable to commit a simulacrum of it to celluloid. Maybe theyre a Cavs fan?

Still, given that the historical Michael Jordan occasionally did vibrate the vocal cords in his larynx to communicate with other humans, Air must occasionally bow to reality and have Jordan speak. Here is a list of everything he says in the movie:

 Bulls colors.

 Hello.

Thats it!

Thats not to say that Michael Jordan never gets his say in Air. During the closing credits, the film plays footage from Jordans speech at his Hall of Fame induction ceremony from 2009. Rather than the public airing of grievances that everyone remembers, its a fairly benign clip of him paying tribute to his mother. So ultimately, Air winds up being a movie about how a taciturn man who loved his mom wound up earning millions of dollars a year in passive income. Box-office-wise, that sounds like a slam dunk.
Mess! Photo: Netflix

Love Is Blind is making a new discovery with its upcoming reunion by asking, Can love be live? Hosted by none other than Nick and Vanessa Lachey, it will be Netflixs second live event after Chris Rocks Selective Outrage last month. While we have yet to find out which couples have made it to the end, the first eight episodes and off-screen drama have already left us counting the days until a reunion happens. We have many unanswered questions before the final episode hits Netflix next week. Are Irina and Micah still friends? Did Chelsea even invite Irina to her birthday party? Will Marshall finally boss up? One thing is for certain: If Brett and Tiffany make it all the way, theyll be cute as hell. Love Is Blind: The Live Reunion will stream live on Netflix on Sunday, April 16, at 8 p.m. ET.

However, if you cant wait until next weekend for your Love Is Blind fix, fear not! You can experience the pods in real life outside your group chat. Netflix is creating a Love Is Blind pods experience in select cities across the U.S. where fans can connect without seeing one another, just like in the show  and accidentally taking a nap while doing so. Or if youd rather boss up and connect with fans face to face, Netflix is hosting reunion-watch parties in Nashville and Los Angeles. Pack your bags!
Prolific tweeters Chrissy Teigen and LeBron James. Photo: Getty Images

Well, friends, the last time we were here talking about Twitter, Elon Musk had laid off a large number of people from the company, suspended Kathy Griffin for a brief while, and was trolling the internet daily, and people were literally sleeping in the Twitter HQ. Heres what has happened in the meantime: Musk went even more meta through his continuous dabbling in memes, took away the New York Times blue check, revealed Twitters code to the public, mimicked an AI image of the pope, attempted poetry, and announced a bunch of Twitter updates to come. The big alluded-to changes? Musk said that, starting April 15, only verified accounts will be eligible to be in For You recommendations in the Twitter feed. (One day later, he realized hed missed something: Forgot to mention that accounts you follow directly will also be in For You, since you have explicitly asked for them.) Confusing! The other big Twitter update that had people stressed (or relieved) was the removal of verified check marks for anyone  an individual, brand, organization, etc.  who doesnt pay $8 or more for Musks 11th baby, Twitter Blue. It pissed everyone off, especially celebrities, so below is a roundup of the ones who tweeted that they are refusing to pay for it. Protest can be powerful.

Ian McKellen to blue check: You shall not pass!

Please note that I am not paying for the blue checkmark, which I've displayed for many years.  Ian McKellen (@IanMcKellen) April 2, 2023

Chrissy Teigen made it romantic.

going to bed tonight with my checkmark husband, knowing it will all be over by morning pic.twitter.com/hYXKNrpsdt  chrissy teigen (@chrissyteigen) April 1, 2023

LeBron James isnt paying the 5.

Welp guess my blue  will be gone soon cause if you know me I aint paying the 5.   LeBron James (@KingJames) March 31, 2023

Ben Stillers blue check got the dodgeball ;).

My last blue check night, loving this #Knick game.  Ben Stiller (@BenStiller) April 1, 2023

Jason Alexander brought Earth into it.

Friends, there are bigger issues in the than the blue verified next to my name on this account. But without it, anyone can allege to be me. So, if I lose that  know I will leave this platform. Anyone appearing with it=an imposter. I tell you this while Im still official.  jason alexander (@IJasonAlexander) March 28, 2023

Ice-T: Fuck that.

I heard Twitter is gonna take away the Blue checkmarks if you don't pay... Fuck that checkmark... I guess it matters to some people..  ICE T (@FINALLEVEL) March 29, 2023

Jason Isbell = comedian.

If the blue checkmark goes away and someone claiming to be me asks you for money please send them all your money they are me  Jason Isbell (@JasonIsbell) April 1, 2023

Ice Spice never needed a blue check.

1M on here is heavy blue check wya :')  Ice Spice  (@icespicee_) March 1, 2023

Monica Lewinsky would like a word.

heres the irony had elon not fucked w/ the blue check system at all i bet many people would have paid a small annual fee for the checkmark. he should have made his subscription thing twitter+ or twitter vip and not fucked with something that worked.  Monica Lewinsky (she/her) (@MonicaLewinsky) April 1, 2023

Stephen King will be gone like Enron.

$20 a month to keep my blue check? Fuck that, they should pay me. If that gets instituted, Im gone like Enron.  Stephen King (@StephenKing) October 31, 2022

Dionne Warwick needs her lattes!

I am not paying for a blue check. That money could (and will) be going towards my extra hot lattes.   Dionne Warwick (@dionnewarwick) March 31, 2023

Jack Black is gonna call Musks bluff:

Mark Hamill didnt get pranked  yet?

Took this screenshot in anticipation of becoming blue check-less today.



Surprisingly, it didn't happen... yet.



Any chance this is his idea of an #AprilFoolsDay joke? pic.twitter.com/haZntxwUsS  Mark Hamill (@MarkHamill) April 2, 2023

The White House to blue checks: Gurl, bye.

White House will not pay for staff's official Twitter profiles to be verified: "It is our understanding that Twitter Blue does not provide person-level verification as a service... a blue check mark will now simply (verify)... the account is a paid user." https://t.co/5Ao238oiiQ  PEN America (@PENamerica) April 1, 2023

The New York Times and Musk have some personal beef, apparently.

Twitter removed @nytimes's blue check mark on Sunday, maybe because of Elon's personal beef.



He pushed for the NYT to lose their badge after learning that the company was refusing to pay the fee required for verification, per @washingtonpost. pic.twitter.com/xBMpNIexdw  Morning Brew  (@MorningBrew) April 3, 2023

Gabrielle Union knows a GIF speaks a thousand words.

When Twitter thinks Im really about to pay for this blue check pic.twitter.com/PbwBb3H6Qb  Gabrielle Union (@itsgabrielleu) April 13, 2023

Blockbuster simply cant afford this.

@elonmusk since we can't afford to pay for our blue checkmark going forward, we have come up with a few partnership ideas to barter with. DM for more details. pic.twitter.com/h5c6Y3QRxd  Blockbuster (@blockbuster) April 13, 2023

This is developing story.
The show is at once frustrating and fascinating in how it fails to disrupt the conventions of a potent pop culture archetype. Photo: Warrick Page/Prime Video

The story of Andrea Dre Greene  the deeply lonely whirlwind of a lead played by Dominique Fishback in Swarm  ends in the way of many onscreen madwomen before her: consumed by delusion. Shes Amy Dunne in Gone Girl, shaking her platinum-blonde bob from her line of vision after slitting the throat of a former paramour. Shes Isabelle Adjani in 1981s Possession, contorting and flinging groceries into a glorious mess that feels like divine ritual. Shes Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard, slinking down the grand staircase of her home, beckoning the camera before devolving into a fantasy of a future that wont arrive. Shes as unruly with desire as Isabelle Huppert in The Piano Teacher, a film name-checked by the creators of Swarm as a direct inspiration. The madwoman is an archetype that crosses time and national origins, conventions of class and flavors of womanhood. The madwoman is revelatory and reflective, untamed and yearning, and Dre is, too. But she is something else that madwomen have rarely been in cinema or the American imagination: Black.

Created by showrunner Janine Nabers with an assist from her Atlanta boss Donald Glover, Swarm presents a thinly veiled rendition of madness in the age of standom. We can be crazy; we can be serial killers, too, Nabers professed in interviews ahead of her shows release, the we referring to Black women who tend to be more often depicted as the therapist, or a funny best friend, or someone looking for love, or a teacher on screen. And so she co-created Dre as an obsessive fan of NiJah (an obvious avatar for Beyonce played by Nirine S. Brown), whose sanity is held together by bubblegum and a prayer before being entirely obliterated when her former foster sister/object of psychosexual obsession, Marissa (Chloe Bailey), commits suicide. Dre had purchased tickets for the two of them to see NiJahs Festival tour, an event that cuts closer to Marissas life than she imagined: Festival is the Lemonade of Swarms universe, and Marissa too was feeling the pain of being cheated on. (The plot is pulled from a real-life rumor, now debunked, that a woman named Marissa killed herself after the release of Lemonade.) But Dre arrives too late, the suicide of her best friend fracturing her mind and leading to a vengeful, violent road trip in the name of Marissa, or NiJah, or most likely both.

Swarm aims to be a psychological character study, a treatise on the nature of parasocial relationships that remixes horror and satire. Fishback consistently outplays the scripts from Nabers and her collaborators, as Dre murders not only Marissas unfaithful boyfriend but a collection of people whom Dre deems toxic toward NiJah online and off, some premeditated and others utterly random. Consumption drives her madness and renders her incapable of connecting to the actual world around her. Swarms camera undergirds this point, rendering Dres vicious outbursts with cool curiosity, asking us to gawk at her rather than empathize. Fishback, meanwhile, never condescends or looks down upon Dre. Through a wavering voice, hard-won tears, and jittering physical force, she lets us into her characters private self  the hurt girl hidden within the rampaging serial killer. She attempts to bend and break the rules governing the madwomen who came before her, but can never fully and consistently shake the stereotypes upon which her story is built.

In her monumental book Black Madness::Mad Blackness, Theri Alyce Pickens poses and answers a series of questions that tie together racial interrogations, disability theory, and literary criticism. What should a Black madwoman reveal? How should she speak to the intersecting concerns of race and mental illness, femininity and power? Reading and theorizing mad Blackness and Black madness demands an elliptical openness that refuses linearity and progression toward traditional conclusions, Pickens writes. To my mind, the mad Black/Black mad subject is not simply standing at an intersection but also actively changing it. Pickens realizes that Black madness and the mad Black are radically disruptive. Or at least can be, should be. The presence of Blackness isnt inherently revolutionary though. The problem with Swarm is that it slots a Black woman into well-tread cinematic space and ticks the narrative boxes, traipsing her across America to uncover nothing but its very id.

The presence of Blackness isnt inherently revolutionary. Swarm slots a black woman into well-tread cinematic space and ticks the narrative boxes.

Dre plunges into madness almost immediately, when in the inaugural episode, she smashes Marissas boyfriends body repeatedly with a himalayan salt lamp until blood streaks her visage. She immediately fumbles into a refrigerator, heaving to the point of hyperventilating. With her hand she spoons pie into her mouth, bits of food tumbling from her lips. Dre doesnt just eat, she gorges. Two episodes later, shes still voracious. Dre connives her way into a ritzy afterparty with NiJah in attendance, where a tray of ripe plums rolls in front of her. She devours them, her eyes never leaving NiJah. A brief sliver of reality cuts into the delusion  Dres mouth agape, teeth poised near NiJahs cheek, before the bite that becomes internet fodder. Intimacy becomes a spectacle.

Womanhood isnt a project afforded to Black women, which makes the exaltation of NiJah that much more complicated, that much more of a necessary balm for Dre. Is it any wonder she turns to the intimate, feminine excess of NiJah for connection in a culture as lonely and broken as this? By episode four, Dre has met cult leader Eva (Billie Eilish, bringing a barbed warmth to the role) and been welcomed into her private sanctum  used for blackmail masked as emotionally exhaustive therapy. There, Dre reveals a crucial memory from before all of this: her biological grandmother upset by her unruliness over a glass of spilled milk. As Dre mines the murky depths of this memory, she remembers it wasnt milk at all but blood. Whose did she spill? The scenes between Dre and Eva electrify, the two performances perfectly calibrated to tease out the contours of each character. By episode five, Dre has returned to Houston with a density to her delusions that leads her to the attic that was once her bedroom, a memorial for Marissa aglow with lights and mementos, her former foster father pounding on the door before blowing it apart with a shotgun. She becomes a familiar vision, played out by Rochesters wife in Charlotte Brontes Jane Eyre and powerfully explored as a trope in Sandra Gilbert and Susan Gubars iconic 1979 literary study, The Madwoman in the Attic.

It takes until Swarms penultimate episode, which exists in the form of a true-crime documentary, to find any semblance of disruption. Were introduced to the maternally warm but cunning Major Det. Loretta Greene (Heather Simms, acting with blistering charisma), who is piecing together Dres past and her violent actions in pursuit of an arrest. In a scene with Dres former caseworker, Roberta Kirby (a forthright Bonita Elery), the series finally drops a crucial key to the experiences of madness for Black women: that to be deemed mad or display madness as a Black woman immediately brings carceral forces down upon you. When Loretta throws out the fact that Robertas a mandated reporter and the white cameraman pushes back, asking what shes hiding, Roberta chooses to tell them about themselves. Oh, I see. You want me to tell you her sob story. That she was touched or something? That she saw her mother murdered and from then on a screw was loose?  The only reason you want Andreas sob story is so you can absolve yourselves. You need there to be a reason that shes messed up. That girl was lonely and she was looking for acceptance  Im not gonna help you judge her for something you couldnt begin to understand. This spotlights a dynamic that defines the experience of mental illness for Black women: wishing for an intervention that will never arrive.

And for Dre, it doesnt. The finale, Only God Makes Happy Endings, written by Nabers with direction by Adamma Ebo, takes place in June 2018. Dre is living in Atlanta. As a Syd song hums, we see that Dre has gone full stud, with a closely cropped afro, baggy clothes, and a new walk laced with confidence. She comes across Rashida (Kiersey Clemons), a privileged and beautiful student who is helping her exceedingly drunk white roommate, Becca (Meg Barlowe). Dre offers Rashida a ride she harshly rebuffs before realizing she doesnt have the option of a rideshare, given Beccas state. Rashida accepts the offer and a flirtation sparks. But when they arrive at her apartment, Rashida switches off a NiJah song and utters four words that stamp an expiration date on the romance beginning to bloom: I fucking hate NiJah.

What follows is a relationship pockmarked by Dres elisions  Rashida works two jobs to support them both, never questioning why Dre doesnt have money or why she has to habitually switch the car she drives. Dre gets to meet Rashidas exceedingly well-off, wonderful, caring parents, played by Cree Summer and Norm Lewis. When Dre reveals her parents are dead, her hands are held by Rashida on one side and Rashidas mother on the other. Fishbacks downcast eyes communicate a friction; shes never been in a family that genuinely cares for her. The series is at its best when granting Fishback extreme close-ups that allow us to chart the minute shifts across her face. The softness of her features adds a wonderful contradiction to the sharpness and harshness of everything else.

A crucial failure of the series is its inability to fully consider why Black women like Dre turn to paragons of femininity.

Soon after, Dre decides to spend beaucoup bucks on NiJah tickets to surprise Rashida for her birthday. Rashida doesnt hold back in her response, Are you dumb? Lets make this clear, I dont like NiJah and you know that  Youre a selfish asshole. Our lead snaps, and for a moment, the snap is fascinating. Her madness marks a loss of self and identity, a total disconnection from her present circumstances. Hands around Rashidas throat, Dre straddles her on the couch and strangles with fierce conviction. Dres murders up until this point have all been blunt force trauma or a bullet to the head. In this scene, theres an unspoken intimacy. Dre cant look at Rashida as she kills her. Her gaze drifts closer to the cameras eyeline, tears stream down her face. I love you. I love you. I wanted to share NiJah with you because I love you, Dre softly whispers. Cut to Dre burning Rashidas body in the wilderness and panicking when she realizes the NiJah tickets were in Rashidas pocket. Pure delusional fantasy takes over: Dre goes to the concert desperate to find tickets. (Wouldnt she have a digital copy?) Dre kills a scalper in his car for a ticket. We see Dre in the cool blue light of the stadium, front row, her mouth agape and eyes glittering as she witnesses the glory of her object of obsession.

Swarm never fully connects the dots between Dres sexuality and the forces that put her in NiJahs thrall. A crucial failure of the series is its inability to fully consider why Black women like Dre turn to paragons of femininity and find a sense of home therein. Because the writers lean so heavily on Beyonce iconography to fill in the gaps of their story, we dont get a full understanding of NiJah, either. Shes a question mark, not an answer. A backdrop to Dre bypassing security and stumbling onstage as if in a trance, disrupting the sequined gyrations of dancers and hair-flinging elegance of the icon herself. Security captures her before she can even touch her queen: Please, NiJah. Please! Let her go, NiJah responds. When NiJah steps into the light, Marissas face has been sloppily superimposed. Dre holds NiJah tight as they walk to the car afterward. Dre is lost in her delusion, with no recourse. Resting her head upon Marissa-as-NiJahs bosom, Dre welcomes a happy ending that will in fact never come.

It isnt that I want to witness Dre facing carceral repercussions. It isnt that I want to see the reality that Dre has broken from. What I want  and what the narrative needs  is a reformation of expectation: a way to clearly foreground Dres emotional life instead of making the stakes so opaque. The madwoman has the opportunity to be a disruptive force in how we understand femininity, disability, and power, but more often than not she is the opposite, a cautionary tale of what happens when women overstep the bounds of socially acceptable presentation. Dre is consumed by her very unruliness, unable to escape or reckon with the strictures on her life. Shes not a disruption of the status quo but its reaffirmation.
TOKYO, April 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Authlete, the leader in implementing the latest digital identity and API security standards, announced today that it has raised approximately US$4M (500 million Japanese yen) in Series A funding from SBI Digital Asset Holdings (SBI DAH), part of the Japanese conglomerate SBI Group. Authlete will use the funds to accelerate its global expansion, develop new products, and explore new industries in partnership with SBI DAH.

Authlete company logo

Authlete is a pioneer in providing services related to OAuth 2.0 and OpenID Connect (OIDC), two industry standards that enable secure API authorization and identity federation. This is a critical component as every service provider will become an API provider to engage their business partners. "Authlete is the OAuth/OIDC Component as a Service solution, that provides core functionality of OAuth and OIDC as API components," said Takahiko Kawasaki, co-founder and representative director of Authlete. "Our unique approach has been adopted by enterprise customers in financial services, e-commerce, healthcare, media, B2B SaaS etc., and we are the industry leader in implementing the latest OAuth/OIDC specifications, including being the first in the world to receive all Certified FAPI and FAPI-CIBA OpenID Providers certifications."

Open banking / open finance is one of the most notable industry trends, establishing a "financial API ecosystem" around the world. Authlete has many customers in the financial services sector, including the world's largest digital bank in Brazil and the first digital bank in Japan amongst others. Authlete has also contributed to the OpenID Foundation in the United States in developing its OpenID Certification test suite, which is the de-facto standard for open banking / open finance ecosystems to validate whether banks' API security standards are adequately implemented. In other words, Authlete is virtually the reference implementation for all banks in open banking / open finance ecosystems worldwide. "Some countries, including the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), are actively embracing the open banking movement. Authlete is one of the leading services that can provide these emerging ecosystems with the expertise in collaborating with the OpenID Foundation, as well as the Authlete solution that has been proven in the real world. We are in a perfect position to expand our business globally," said Ali Adnan, co-founder and director of Authlete.

Story continues

Some business domains are gaining momentum requiring the next-generation identity/API standards and frameworks. For example, gaming and metaverse industries have a critical need for "assured identity" because the cyberspace they provide is now another real space, and digital identities must be backed by real-world entities.

"We run digital asset-related businesses globally and envision several potential opportunities across several sectors, from Banking to the Metaverse, including digital wallets. We are familiar with Authlete as an existing commercial partner of SBI Digitrust. With this investment we aim to significantly expand our partnership to realise its full potential" said Fernando Luis Vazquez Cao, CEO of SBI DAH. "We look forward to working with Authlete to open new markets and add new standards with their cutting-edge technology."

About Authlete

Authlete, Inc. was established by Takahiko Kawasaki et al. in 2015. The Authlete solution provides essential security features for all APIs, as a software component. Service providers in all industries, from financial institutions such as banks and securities firms to media and e-commerce, can quickly and securely implement API access authorization (OAuth 2.0) and identity federation (OpenID Connect) capabilities by integrating Authlete into their services. Authlete is available as a SaaS offering, allowing its customers to always use the latest industry-standard API security specifications.

Please visit www.authlete.com for more information.

About SBI Digital Asset Holdings

SBI Digital Asset Holdings endeavors to bring innovation to the financial industry by building an ecosystem for issuance, custody, management, and liquidity for digital assets. SBI Digital Asset Holdings, via SBI group companies, has strong links with other group investments such as Ripple, R3, B2C2, Securitize, Elliptic and has inroads to banking and securities infrastructure across Asia with businesses in Thailand, South Korea, Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Cambodia. SBI DAH has investments in key portfolio companies including Sygnum, Boerse Stuttgart Digital Exchange, Lancium, and Tangem among others. Through SBI Digital Markets and Asia Digital Exchange, the group is growing its presence in the region to help shape the digital asset ecosystem and contribute towards making Singapore one of the world's leading digital asset hubs.

The SBI Group is a leading financial conglomerate based in Japan. The SBI Group's core businesses include Financial Services Business, Asset Management Business, Investment Business and Crypto-asset Business, and Non-financial Business. In addition, it is one of the largest Japanese private equity firms and leverages its extensive eco-system to further drive the value of its investments.

Please visit www.sbidah.com and www.sbigroup.co.jp for more information.

Authlete Media Contact:

pr@authlete.com

Tatsuo Kudo

Hiroko Soga

Cision

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/authlete-raises-4m-in-series-a-funding-from-sbi-digital-asset-holdings-301788446.html

SOURCE Authlete, Inc.
Australian Governor-General begins State visit to Vietnam

Australian Governor-General David Hurley and his spouse Linda Hurley arrived in Hanoi on April 3 afternoon, beginning their State visit to Vietnam at the invitation of President Vo Van Thuong.





President Vo Van Thuong hosts an official welcome ceremony for Australian Governor-General David Hurley at the Presidential Palace in Hanoi on the morning of April 4. Photo by VOV



This is the first foreign leader paying a State visit to Vietnam in 2023, and also the first national guest that President Vo Van Thuong has received in his new position. The visit is part of activities in celebration of the 50th founding anniversary of Vietnam-Australia diplomatic relations.



During his visit, Hurley and his entourage will lay wreaths at the Monument to Heroes and Martyrs, and President Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum in Hanoi; attend an official welcome ceremony; hold talks with President Vo Van Thuong; and have meetings with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue.





The Vietnamese President and the Governor-General will jointly visit Vietnam's peacekeeping force.





Hurley and his spouse will attend events to mark the 50th founding anniversary of Vietnam-Australia diplomatic ties, and educational and people-to-people exchange activities in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City; meet alumni who graduated from Australian universities; and visit educational institutions in HCM City.





The visit, which is a prominent milestone in the year celebrating the Vietnam-Australia diplomatic ties, is expected to contribute to further strengthening the bilateral relations and the strategic trust between the two countries./.
AP Finance

CNN fired longtime host Don Lemon on Monday following his short and disastrous run as a morning show host, a little over two months after he apologized for on-air comments about Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley being past her prime. While CNN chairman and CEO Chris Licht announced, after Lemon had co-hosted the show Monday, that they had parted ways, Lemon characterized it as a firing and said it was surprise to him. After 17 years at CNN I would have thought someone in management would have the decency to tell me directly, Lemon said.
Meloni visits Vinitaly wine fair in Verona.

Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni on Monday said the government is working on establishing a Made in Italy high school to underline "the deep bond that exists between our culture and our identity".

Addressing a group of Italian agricultural students at the 55th Vinitaly wine fair in Verona, Meloni described culture and identity as "the most precious thing we have".

Nicola Fratoianni, leader of the left-wing Sinistra Italiana, joked that Meloni could risk a "very hefty fine" for the Made in Italy school name under a draft bill launched in recent days by her right-wing party, Fratelli d'Italia, which would penalise the use of English terms in official communications.

Since taking office last October, Meloni's nationalist government has pushed the Made in Italy brand and recently launched a bid to have Italian cuisine inserted on the UNESCO list of intangible cultural heritage.

During her visit to Vinitaly, Meloni recalled that Italy is the world's biggest wine producer and hailed the Italian wine sector as "a fundamental part of our identity".

Visitors to this year's Vinitaly can admire two masterpieces on loan from the Uffizi - paintings of the wine god Bacchus by Caravaggio and Guido Reni - as part of a contentious deal organised by Italy's culture and agriculture ministries.

Photo credit: Salma Bashir Motiwala / Shutterstock.com
900 students and teachers evacuated safely from school after false bomb threat.

Italian bomb disposal experts rushed to Marymount International School in Rome on Tuesday morning following a bomb threat, however it turned out to be a false alarm.

Some 900 people including students, teachers and staff were evacuated from the private school in the northern Vigna Clara district just after 08.30, Italian media reports.

Police closed off roads surrounding the school on Via di Villa Lauchi as the bomb squad carried out an inspection of the property however no bomb was found, reports state broadcaster RAI.
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Its a familiar story: a once-dominant US industry is challenged by low-cost competitors overseas and gradually loses market share. This time, however, the pressured industry isnt a manufacturer. Its the American farm. Wp Get the full experience. Choose your plan ArrowRight Recent trade data and a new report from the US Department of Agriculture reveal that US leadership in exports of key agricultural products is eroding. The competition comes from Brazil and other low-cost countries that benefit from a range of government supports, including free trade agreements to which the US isnt a partner. Over time, the impacts could be significant: Agriculture accounted for nearly 9% of all US export value in 2022. By contrast, cars accounted for 3%.

Fortunately, theres a solution. In recent weeks, coalitions of US agriculture groups have demanded the Biden administration begin work on new free trade agreements to support farm exports. It wont be easy to overcome bipartisan hostility to free trade thats rooted in a belief that it leads to unfair outcomes for US workers. But if the US is serious about sustaining farmers and its agricultural workforce, it must ensure that they can compete.

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American farmers have been selling their crops to foreign buyers since at least the late 18th century. Agricultural exports grew rapidly over the next 200 years, accelerated by war, relief efforts, a growing global population and affluence. By the mid-1970s, grains and soybeans accounted for 15% of total American exports, and made the difference between a US trade surplus and deficit.

In 1981, the US shipped out a record $43.8 billion in agricultural goods. Then exports went into freefall, dropping to $26.3 billion in 1986. The causes were several, but the most addressable were trade barriers that the US and other countries imposed to protect their domestic farmers. For example, in 1983 the Netherlands imposed levies as high as 70% on US wheat. Combined with a strong dollar, such barriers eroded US competitiveness worldwide.

Demolishing trade barriers wasnt an easy lift in 1980s Washington, either. But the declining fortunes of US farmers were among the reasons that the government began to negotiate and enter free trade agreements that lowered tariffs on agricultural products and opened new markets. The results exceeded what anybody could have imagined when they started.

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For example, since 1994, the year the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was enacted, US agricultural exports to Canada and Mexico have nearly quadrupled. In the same period, overall US agricultural exports expanded to a record $196 billion from $46.1 billion. According to USDA data, that trade supports more than 1 million jobs, over half of which are non-farm-related (such as trucking).

Yet just as policymakers in the 1970s failed to recognize trade barriers as a threat to farm exports, many of todays policymakers are missing the consequences of turning away from free trade when the rest of the world is embracing it. For example, since 2010 Canada has enjoyed the benefits of 11 trade agreements coming into force, primarily with emerging market countries with growing middle-classes. Likewise, Chile has entered into 11 free trade agreements with emerging markets in Southeast Asia and South America. Meanwhile, a new USDA report points out that the US entered into no new agreements between 2012 and 2020.

What are the consequences? The US is losing its competitive edge in key commodities. For example, the EU surpassed the US as the top wheat exporter in 2014 with 21.4% of market share. The US had 40% of the export market as recently as 2000. Likewise, growing competition from Brazilian, Argentine and Ukrainian corn has driven down the US global market share in the commodity to 30% from 71% in 2006.

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The USDA, at least, senses a problem. The importance of trade agreements to US corn exports cannot be overstated, its researchers note in the recent report on US competitiveness.

Farm country knows theres a problem. In September 2020, 70% of surveyed US farmers believed exports would grow over the coming five years, according to the Purdue University/CME Group Ag Economy Barometer, a key farm sentiment poll. In February of this year, only 33% believed exports will grow. Theyre probably right: The USDA has predicted that farm exports will shrink to $183 billion in 2023.

Rebuilding US export competitiveness will take years. Among other factors, a weaker dollar  whenever it occurs  will help significantly. But just as the trade agreements of the 1980s gave rise to decades of farm country success from the 1990s onward, so can a new round of free trade spur a renaissance of export-driven success.

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Unfortunately, the Biden administration (and earlier, the Trump administration) has resisted pressure to negotiate new trade agreements.

Thats a proven mistake  one thats magnified by every free trade agreement negotiated by a US competitor. Rather than set the US up for another 1980s-style export drought, the Biden administration must seek to undertake new trade negotiations, especially with the fast-growing emerging markets that will become importers of American food in coming years.

To speed the process, Congress should provide the administration with the authority to fast-track the negotiations, just as it did in prior trade talks. The concept has broad support in farm country and among rural legislators. It also deserves the support of anyone worried that the US is losing its global competitive edge. If American farmers cant compete, nobody can.

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More From Bloomberg Opinion:

 Its No Pain, All Grain for Vladimir Putin: Javier Blas

 A Green-Subsidy Arms Race Wont Stop Climate Change: Editorial

 UK Tomato Shortage Is a Taste of Whats to Come: Lara Williams

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Adam Minter is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering Asia, technology and the environment. He is author, most recently, of Secondhand: Travels in the New Global Garage Sale.

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com/opinion

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Despite their orientation toward the US and western Europe, Finland and Sweden since the Cold War had bet that their national security was best protected by staying out of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. They aimed to avoid disturbing the military balance in the Baltic Sea region and provoking Russia. However, Russias invasion of Ukraine and its demands to stop NATO expansion pushed both countries to seek entry into the alliance.

1. Why didnt Finland and Sweden join NATO earlier?

Both countries conduct military exercises with NATO and share intelligence. They are part of the alliances Partnership for Peace program, which fosters cooperation, and, along with Ukraine, are among six so-called Enhanced Opportunity Partners that make particularly significant contributions to NATO operations. But they didnt join the alliance earlier for historical reasons:

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 Finland has spent the 105 years since its independence tiptoeing alongside Russia, with which it has roughly 1,300 kilometers (800 miles) of border. Two wars against the Soviet Union between 1939 and 1944 were followed by a policy of deference and self-censorship toward the Soviets that came to be known as Finlandization. After the Cold War ended, Finland began turning more toward the democracies of western Europe, joining the European Union and adopting the euro. But the Finns held on to the cornerstone of their foreign policy: maintaining good relations with Russia. The ghost of Finlandization lingered and and popular opinion was firmly against joining  until last year.

 Sweden stayed out of both world wars and, during the Cold War, neutrality was seen as the best way of ensuring its independence. Still, Swedens defense was designed to deter a Soviet invasion, and the country covertly cooperated with NATO. After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Swedens policy was rebranded as military non-alignment, and its defense was significantly scaled down. But since Russias 2014 annexation of Ukraines Crimea peninsula, Sweden has gradually ramped up military spending and sought closer cooperation with NATO.

2. Whats the benefit for NATO?

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Having Finland and Sweden in the alliance would arguably make it easier to stabilize the security of the area around the Baltic Sea and to defend NATO members Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The three small Baltic countries are often seen as a potential target for Russian aggression because they have substantial ethnic Russian minorities, and Russian President Vladimir Putin has used protecting such groups as a pretext for interventions abroad. Finland and Sweden have sophisticated, well-equipped militaries with gear thats already compatible with that used by the alliance. Finlands long border with Russia should enable the alliance to improve its surveillance of the giant neighbor to the east.

3. Whats required to join NATO?

The criteria include a functioning democracy based on a market economy, fair treatment of minority populations, a commitment to resolve conflicts peacefully, and a willingness and ability to make a military contribution to NATO operations. Sweden and Finland are among the worlds most developed nations with stable democracies and highly trusted political institutions. Its not a requirement that citizens bless a move to join, but favorable public opinion lends legitimacy to a countrys bid for membership. It also must be ratified by all existing members. Finland was approved relatively quickly and it joined on April 4, while Swedens bid was being held up by Turkey and Hungary for domestic political reasons.

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4. How has Russia responded to the idea?

Russia has warned of serious military and political consequences that would require Russia to respond. In April, it said it would deploy nuclear weapons in and around the Baltic Sea region if the two joined. Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda dismissed the threat as empty, accusing Russia of already placing tactical nuclear weapons in Kaliningrad, its exclave on the Baltic. Before the Baltic states joined NATO in 2004, Russia had warned them of serious consequences, but that hasnt materialized. On the other hand, Montenegro in 2016 said it had foiled a Russia-backed plan to assassinate then-premier Milo Djukanovic over the countrys plans to enter NATO, which happened a year later. A court in 2019 sentenced 14 people, including opposition leaders and Russian and Serbian nationals, to as many as 15 years in jail over the failed plot, though an appeals court annulled the verdicts. Finns expect to face more spying, cyberattacks, airspace breaches and influence operations by Russia.

5. How is this changing Finland and Sweden?

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They are increasing military cooperation bilaterally and with other nations, work that began to accelerate in the run-up to the war in Ukraine. US President Joe Biden has promised to deepen cooperation with both countries. NATOs pledge of collective defense only applies to members, but the US last year made security assurances to both applicants if threatened by Russia. Theyve also signed security cooperation agreements with the UK. They both intend to continue ramping up defense spending, with Swedens long-term plan increasing funding for the armed forces by almost 30% from 2021 to 2024.

--With assistance from Natalia Drozdiak.

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Its been so long since there was any cause for optimism in Yemen that you might want to cross your fingers before you read on: The likelihood of an environmental catastrophe in the Red Sea, one of the countrys many calamities, is abating. Wp Get the full experience. Choose your plan ArrowRight The United Nations Development Programme has purchased a ship to take 1.1 million barrels of crude oil that has been sitting in a decrepit supertanker, SFO Safer, off the port of Ras Isa in Yemens west coast. It has contracted SMIT Salvage BV, a Dutch firm specializing in marine salvage, to extract the oil and remove the Safer to safety.

The replacement vessel is currently in drydock in China, being fitted for its new purpose as a floating oil storage vessel. It is expected to arrive in the Red Sea next month. Depending on the weather and the condition of the Safer, the siphoning operation could take several weeks. Thereafter, a new mooring system will need to be installed for the replacement vessel. We must accept that this is a very challenging and complex operation, said Achim Steiner, administrator of the UNDP.

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The FSO Safer has for years been likened to a time bomb, liable to break apart or explode at any moment, devastating the marine ecology in a large section of the Red Sea. Fish stocks would take 25 years to recover. A spill would close the ports of Hudaydah and Saleef, through which humanitarian supplies are brought into the war-torn country. It would also close desalination plants that provide water to millions of Yemenis.

A spill would affect the seven other littoral countries  Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Israel, Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea and Djibouti  and international shipping on one of the worlds busiest trade routes.

The UN reckons a clean-up operation would cost $20 billion. The toll on the global economy could be magnitudes higher. Remember what happened the last time the Red Sea lanes were backed up when a single ship choked the Suez Canal.

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Built in 1976, the Safer is 360 meters long  a fifth again as long as the Exxon Valdez. Sold to the Yemeni government in 1988, its name (pronounced saffar) comes from the desert location of the countrys first oil discovery. Since the civil war broke out in 2014, no survey has been done of its seaworthiness. But given its age and long neglect, experts reckon its hull may be beyond repair.

The Houthis, the Iran-backed rebel group that started the war, has used the danger posed by the Safer to blackmail the international community for aid and favorable terms in ceasefire negotiations with Saudi Arabia, which leads an Arab coalition backing the legitimate Yemeni government. A year ago, they finally agreed to allow the oil to be offloaded.

But by then, the war in Ukraine had complicated the UNDPs rescue plan: The price of oil tankers spiked as soaring freight rates prompted many companies to buy rather than lease vessels. The UN says it has raised $95 million, most of which has gone into the acquisition of the replacement vessel. It needs another $34 million for the first phase of the operation, and has had to resort to online crowd-funding.

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Things could still go wrong. If the recent diplomatic thaw between Iran and Saudi Arabia doesnt yield the political and economic dividends the Houthis want, they may yet obstruct the UNDP operation. If the ships condition is worse than expected, the siphoning process could be even more complicated than anybody knows.

The UNs crowdfunding efforts are continuing. Keep your fingers crossed!

More From Bloomberg Opinion:



Yemen Truce Is Good News for the Wider World: Bobby Ghosh



OPEC+ Mulls When to Fire Its Last Oil Production Bullets: Javier Blas



Russias Sunken Warship Is a Warning to All Navies: James Stavridis

(Corrects location of replacement tanker in third paragraph of article published April 3.)

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Bobby Ghosh is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering foreign affairs. Previously, he was editor in chief at Hindustan Times, managing editor at Quartz and international editor at Time.

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com/opinion

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The 31 best things to do in D.C. this weekend and next week
ReportLinker

study Highlights Aviation Emissions Control - Impact and Opportunities, 2023. Aviation Emissions Control Overview. The global emissions from commercial aviation amounted to 865.72 MMT of CO2 in 2021, and it is expected to grow at a CAGR of 3.03% and reach 1,203.42 MMT of CO2 by 2032.

New York, April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Aviation Emissions Control - Impact and Opportunities, 2023 - A Global and Regional Analysis: Focus on Trends, Opportunities, Key Regulations, Markets, and Products - Analysis and Forecast, 2022-2042" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06443958/?utm_source=GNW

The medium-haul and short-haul flight segments are expected to be the highest contributors owing to their increasing demand and newer airport hubs being established for domestic and regional air travel. The ecosystem of aviation emissions control comprises aircraft manufacturers, subsystem manufacturers, and airline operators.



Market Lifecycle Stage



Trafditionally, fleet renewals to more fuel-efficient aircraft and transition to more efficient narrowbody aircraft have been key in the industrys strategy toward emissions control and emissions intensity reduction.However, as the effort of all industries to decarbonize and reduce emissions is becoming a priority, revolutionary solutions such as electric and hydrogen propulsion and low-emissions jet fuels and their development programs are being accelerated by both private participants and government organizations.



In the most likely scenario of emissions, the adoption of SAF and fleet renewals is key to the incremental reduction in aviation emissions. However, a high reduction in emissions can be achieved by bringing the technology readiness of green aviation to market for at least short-haul flight demands with eventual growth to include medium-haul flight segments.



Impact



 The increasing demand for medium-haul flights and short-haul flights is driving the emissions from these segments. The growth to 2019 levels of flight demands and above by around 2029 is expected to decelerate the emissions control measures and their adoption in order to respond to the scale of passenger flights.

 Furthermore, the slow pace of the maturation of technologies and the low availability of SAF feedstock for sustained commercial flight operations is expected to cause a bottleneck in the decarbonization efforts of the industry.



Market Segmentation:

Segmentation 1: Emissions Analysis by Fleet-Flight

 Narrowbody Long-Haul Flights

 Narrowbody Medium-Haul Flights

 Narrowbody Short-Haul Flights

 Widebody Long-Haul Flights

 Widebody Medium-Haul Flights

 Widebody Short-Haul Flights

 Turboprop Medium-Haul Flights

 Turboprop Short-Haul Flights

 Regional Jet Long-Haul Flights

 Regional Jet Medium-Haul Flights

 Regional Jet Short-Haul Flights



Based on Fleet-Flight, the global aviation emissions from commercial flights will be the highest from narrowbody medium-haul flight operations, followed closely by widebody long-haul emissions.Both segments are important for global connectivity and contribute significantly to the aviation industrys revenue from commercial flights.



Aircraft and engine manufacturers are investing in research and development of green propulsion technologies, such as hydrogen and electric propulsion, for entry into the market in the next decade to keep commercial flights sustainable in the future.



Segmentation 2: Emissions Analysis by Scenario

 Scenario 1: No Emissions Control

 Scenario 2: Optimistic Scenario

 Scenario 3: Ideal Scenario

 Scenario 4: Most Likely Scenario



Emissions from the no emissions control scenario (Scenario 1) are the highest and are based on the current emissions control technologies and measures projected on the flight forecasts.Scenario 2 is optimistic, with wide adoption of SAF frequent fleet renewals bringing down the emissions significantly by 2042.



Emissions from the ideal scenario (Scenario 3) are the lowest and are heavily focused on maturation as well as the adoption of electric and hydrogen propulsion for high-volume flight operations.The emissions reduction possible in this scenario is the highest, with the 2042 emissions reducing to below 2022 levels, even with monotonically increasing flight demands in all segments.



The most likely scenario (Scenario 4) factors in realistic levels of adoption of SAF and late emergence and maturation of technologies.The industry is expected to prioritize demand and high frequency heavily, given the contraction in volume during COVID and the slow recovery.



Emissions are above those for scenario 2 (optimistic scenario) and below that for no emissions control scenario.



Segmentation 3: Flight Demand Analysis by Fleet-Flight

 Narrowbody Long-Haul Flights

 Narrowbody Medium-Haul Flights

 Narrowbody Short-Haul Flights

 Widebody Long-Haul Flights

 Widebody Medium-Haul Flights

 Widebody Short-Haul Flights

 Turboprop Medium-Haul Flights

 Turboprop Short-Haul Flights

 Regional Jet Long-Haul Flights

 Regional Jet Medium-Haul Flights

 Regional Jet Short-Haul Flights



Based on Fleet-Flight, demand for medium and short-haul flights is expected to increase significantly.Newer routes, as well as higher frequencies on dense international and domestic routes, are expected as the global aviation industry recovers from the COVID-induced contraction in demand.



The short-haul international flight segments are seen to grow significantly, with neighboring countries strengthening their connectivity and increasing the number of airports domestically. Asia-Pacific short-haul routes to and from nations such as India, China, and Singapore are expected to contribute significantly to the growth in flight demands from this segment.



Segmentation 4: e-VTOL Aircraft Production by Range

 50 Km or less (<50 Km)

 51-200 Km

 201-500 Km

 More than 500Km(>500Km)



Based on Range, manufacturers of eVTOL of ranges greater than 500 Km will have the highest production annually.Since eVTOL is very low emissions, their adoption in critical segments of air transport, such as short-haul travel, will improve their uptake significantly while reducing the subsequent emissions from all other modes of transport.



The 201-500 Km range of eVTOL will witness high demand as well for low passenger capacity air travel long-distance intracity operations. The solution can eventually be scaled for at least low-capacity short-haul international flights with scheduled operations from the current airport infrastructure.



Segmentation 5: by Region

 North America - U.S., Canada

 Europe - France, Germany, Russia, U.K., and Rest-of-Europe

 Asia-Pacific - Australia, China, India, Japan, Singapore, and Rest-of-Asia-Pacific

 Rest-of-the-World



Based on region, North America is expected to continue as the highest contributor to aviation emissions in the most likely scenario (Scenario 4). The emissions from Asia-Pacific are expected to increase, while the Europe regions flight emissions will reduce with the regionwide adoption of decarbonization measures such as SAF adoption and intramodal travel.



Recent Developments in Aviation Emissions Control



 In February 2022, Embraer S.A., Widere Corporation, and Rolls-Royce plc. entered a partnership agreement with the objective of jointly developing green propulsion technology for commercial aviation. The agreement is expected to lead to the development of a potential regional aircraft based on hydrogen and/or electric propulsion. Currently, feasibility studies and conceptual design of the aircraft are underway.

 In July 2022, GE Aerospace completed the initial testing phase of its megawatt-class hybrid electric propulsion system designed to power commercial aircraft. The milestone test will take the development toward the integration and certification phases, with the company planning to make the engine available for airframers by 2030 at the earliest.

 In June 2022, Airbus and the Japanese government signed an MoU that will develop pathways for the adoption of hydrogen in the Japanese aviation sector. Under the agreement, infrastructure for the use of hydrogen in flights, as well as jet fuel-based ground operations, will be developed.



Demand - Drivers and Limitations



The following are the demand drivers for Aviation Emissions Control:

 Prioritization of Sustainable Aviation Operations and Manufacturing

 Innovation at the Industrial Level for Reduction of Fuel Burn and Improved Aircraft Performance

 Demand from New Regulatory Standards for Aviation Emissions



The following are the challenges for Aviation Emissions Control:

 Growing Demand for International and Domestic Travel

 Impact of Complex Regulatory Requirements from Environmental Agencies

 Impact of COVID on the Aviation Market

 Impact of Economic Slowdown on the Aviation Market



The following are the opportunities for Aviation Emissions Control:

 Emerging Technologies in Aircraft Propulsion - Hydrogen and Electric Propulsion, SAF Fuel Compatibility

 Evolving Opportunities in Sustainable Aircraft Design



How can this report add value to an organization?



Product/Innovation Strategy: The chapter on estimation and comparative analysis of greenhouse gas emissions from aviation builds on the global fleet and global flight projections to forecast the industrys emissions.Four scenarios of emissions capturing the response of the aviation industry and the corresponding emissions from their operations are presented: No emissions control scenario (scenario 1), Optimistic scenario (scenario 2), Ideal scenario (scenario 3), and the Most likely scenario (scenario 4).



Each of them has emissions values from the 12 possible fleet-flight segments comprised of four aircraft types (narrowbody, widebody, turboprop, and regional jet) and three flight segments (long, medium, and short-haul) based on emissions control measures in each scenario.This enables aircraft manufacturers and airline operators to understand the tangible impact of decarbonization strategy on various fleet-flight emissions.



As such, these participants can assess the impact of the adoption of current and future emissions control measures ranging from SAF adoption to the maturation of liquid hydrogen-based propulsion.



Growth/Marketing Strategy: There is an increased urgency to address the emissions from all industrial sectors and within aviation to reach a net-zero goal by 2050. In order to achieve this, there has been a significant increase in green aviation developments by key players operating in the market, such as business expansion activities, contracts, mergers, partnerships, collaborations, and joint ventures. The favored strategy for the companies has been MoUs and joint-research agreements to strengthen their position as part of the aviation emissions control methods. For instance, in November 2022, major aerospace companies Airbus, MTU AeroEngines, Pratt & Whitney, Collins Aerospace, and GKN formed a global consortium to accelerate the development of next-generation propulsion technology. The key objective is the development of a Sustainable Water-Injecting Turbofan Comprising Hybrid-Electrics (SWITCH), which will substantially reduce emissions in the full operational envelope of the aircraft. The final engine is also expected to be fully compatible with alternative fuels such as hydrogen and SAF.



Competitive Strategy: Key players in aviation emissions control analyzed and profiled in the study involve aircraft manufacturers, subsystem manufacturers as well as airline operators.Moreover, a detailed competitive benchmarking of the players has been done to help the reader understand how players stack against each other, presenting a clear market landscape.



Additionally, comprehensive competitive strategies such as contracts, partnerships, agreements, acquisitions, and collaborations will aid the reader in understanding the untapped revenue pockets in the market.



Key Market Players and Competition Synopsis



The companies that are profiled have been selected based on inputs gathered from primary experts and analysis of the companys coverage, product portfolio, and market penetration.



The top segment players leading the market are established players in the aviation emissions control, who constitute 100% of the presence in the market.



Key Companies Profiled



Company Type 1: Aircraft and Subsystem Manufacturers

 Airbus SE

 Embraer S.A.

 GE Aerospace

 Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation

 MTU Aero Engines

 Pratt & Whitney

 Rolls-Royce plc.

 Safran S.A.

 Textron Aviation Inc.

 The Boeing Company



Company Type 2: Airline Operators

 American Airlines

 Deutsche Lufthansa AG

 Singapore Airlines Group (SIA)

 The Emirates Group

 United Airlines, Inc.



Countries Covered

 North America

 U.S.

 Canada

 Europe

 Germany

 France

 Russia

 U.K.

 Rest-of-Europe

 Asia-Pacific

 Australia

 China

 India

 Japan

 Singapore

 Rest-of-Asia-Pacific

 Rest-of-the-World

Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06443958/?utm_source=GNW



About Reportlinker

ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place.



__________________________

Story continues

CONTACT: Clare: clare@reportlinker.com US: (339)-368-6001 Intl: +1 339-368-6001




Mid-year report shows continued decrease in complaints for Bell, as complaints increase for major competitors

MONTREAL, April 4, 2023 /CNW/ - Bell welcomed the release of the Commission for Complaints for Telecom-television Services (CCTS) 2022-2023 mid-year report earlier today. The report shows Bell as the only national service provider to experience a decrease in complaints during a period where complaints were up 12% year-over-year across the industry.

Mid-year report shows continued decrease in complaints for Bell, as complaints increase for major competitors (CNW Group/Bell Canada)

From August 2022 to January 2023, Bell experienced a 6% reduction in complaints, reducing its overall share to less than 15%. Bell's share of complaints have decreased by 16% year-over year, and an impressive 55% since the 2018-2019 mid-year report was published.

"Our continued improvements in CCTS results is evidence that Bell's strategy to champion the customer experience is working, even as complaints increase across the telecommunications industry overall. Our investments in our network, enhanced service and digital tools are clearly making a difference, as is our customer-first approach. I want to thank #TeamBell for their unwavering commitment to keep Canadians connected. I am extremely proud of our progress."

- Mirko Bibic, President and CEO of BCE Inc. and Bell Canada.

Bell continues to focus on serving customers on their terms, whether we're improving our award-winning self-serve functionalities, or improving internal tools and training that better support a whole-home service experience from our agents and digital applications. Over the past year, we've enhanced our outage notification tool and automated the provisioning of 50 GB hotspots for most customers with Bell wireless plans during prolonged internet outages. We have also introduced our self-serve Wi-Fi optimization tool and improved self-serve guides with step-by-step processes for same-day service activations, and expanded our "manage your appointment" application, offering more customers control over their service experience.

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Quick Facts

Bell experienced a 6% decrease in consumer complaints, while complaints across the industry were up 12% year-over-year

Bell's share of customer complaints decreased by 16% year-over-year and have dropped by an impressive 55% since the 2018-2019 CCTS mid-year report was published.

About Bell

Bell is Canada's largest communications company, providing advanced broadband wireless, TV, Internet, media and business communication services throughout the country. Founded in Montreal in 1880, Bell is wholly owned by BCE Inc. To learn more, please visit Bell.ca or BCE.ca.

Through Bell for Better, we are investing to create a better today and a better tomorrow by supporting the social and economic prosperity of our communities with a commitment to the highest environmental, social and governance (ESG) standards. This includes the Bell Let's Talk initiative, which promotes Canadian mental health with national awareness and anti-stigma campaigns like Bell Let's Talk Day and significant Bell funding of community care and access, research and workplace leadership initiatives throughout the country. To learn more, please visit Bell.ca/LetsTalk.

Media inquiries

Monte McAuliffe

monte.mcauliffe@bellaliant.ca

Investor inquiries

Richard Bengian

richard.bengian@bell.ca

SOURCE Bell Canada

Cision

View original content to download multimedia: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/April2023/04/c1906.html
Taipei: Taiwan defended President Tsai Ing-wens plan to meet US congressional representatives led by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Wednesday in California, as China vowed to take resolute measures in response.

Its the right of 23 million Taiwanese to have exchanges with democratic countries, the Presidential Office spokeswoman Lin Yu-chan said in a statement. There is no room for China to comment.

Taiwans President Tsai Ing-wen. Credit: AP

McCarthy, a California Republican, confirmed in a statement on Monday that the expected meeting with a bipartisan group of US congressional representatives would take place at the Reagan Presidential Library as Tsai passes through the state at the end of a trip that took her to New York, Guatemala and Belize.

China will take resolute measures to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity, Mao Ning, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, said in Beijing on Monday when asked if military drills would be an option to retaliate against the meeting.
Brussels: Jens Stoltenberg says NATO needs to be prepared to deal with a potential Taiwan crisis, saying any use of force by China would have profound consequences for global and European security, economy and trade.

In an exclusive interview with The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age the former Norwegian prime minister said the organisation he has helmed since 2014 has come a long way in planning a response to a potential Chinese threat.

He admitted the military alliance that French President Emmanuel Macron once declared as brain-dead was previously focused on fighting terrorism in Afghanistan, but the war in Ukraine had revitalised it.

Stoltenberg said that while NATO was, and would remain, a regional alliance, combining North America and Europe, the security challenges posed by China meant it needed to deepen its engagement with its like-minded partners in the Indo-Pacific, including Australia.
The World Customs Organization (WCO), in cooperation with the Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority of Saudi Arabia (ZATCA), successfully delivered a Regional Workshop on the Time Release Study (TRS) for Customs administrations in the WCO Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Region. The Workshop was held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia from 12 to 16 March 2023.

More than 20 Customs officials from Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Morocco, Qatar, Sudan, Tunisia, and Saudi Arabia attended the Workshop, together with other stakeholders representing the private sector in Saudi Arabia.

The topics covered during the Workshop included the WCO Trade Facilitation agenda, key aspects of the WCO TRS methodology, Members experiences in conducting a TRS, and the context that motivates countries to conduct a TRS at the national, regional or international level. Participants were briefed on the four phases of the TRS, i.e., planning, data collection, data analysis and reporting.

Workshop participants also had the opportunity to visit the Saudi Arabia Logistics (SAL) premises at King Khalid International Airport, in order to gain a better understanding of the different processes carried out by stakeholders involved in cargo clearance. Participants also received training on the use of the TRS software, including how to develop questionnaires, data entry, and data analysis. Additionally, they were given training on how to concatenate data from various sources into a master data sheet for subsequent uploading into the WCO TRS software.

The Workshop was a successful initiative for promoting trade facilitation in the region. It helped participants understand the TRS process and how it can be implemented to improve Customs procedures. Participants also appreciated the opportunity to share experiences and best practices with their peers from other countries in the region.

For more information on TRS, please contact the WCO Secretariat at TRS@wcoomd.org
Speculative trading boosted meme stocks and shares in many other risky companies during the COVID-19 lockdowns and helped retail investors profit tremendously before the market tanked.

Charlie Munger, Warren Buffetts lieutenant at Berkshire Hathaway and a veteran long-term investor, thinks this kind of speculative trading is akin to an addictionone that it should be done away with.

"They [people] love gambling, and the trouble is, it's like taking heroin, Munger said in an interview with Berkshire Hathaway investment officer Todd Combs taped in April 2022 and published earlier this year. A certain percentage of people when they start just overdo it. It's that addictive. It's absolutely crazy, it's gone berserk. Civilization would have been a lot better without it."

Munger said during the interview that the stock market attracts two types of traders: long-term investors and people wanting to to do casino gambling. The trouble comes when these two categories are allowed to trade together, according to the billionaire.

Now, what earthly good is it for our country to make the casino part of capitalism more and more efficient, and more and more attractive, and more and more seductive? It's an insane public policy, Munger said, adding that it causes harm to the country. On the other hand, I think the chances of changing it are practically zero.

Munger believes the effects of speculative trading caused the Great Depression, which started with the worst stock market crash in history in 1929. And while there are obvious perils of this form of gambling, he says nothing can be done about it.

At the time that Munger gave the interview, meme stocks like GameStop and AMC had surged almost 100-fold. Before the speculation-driven bump to its shares, AMC was at risk of bankruptcy, and GameStops was worth only a tiny fraction of what it had ballooned up to. And while market conditions have changed dramatically since then, meme stocks have seen good days even in 2023, especially when stocks seem to be climbing, adding to the frenzy.

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Munger differentiated between investments in stocks versus sectors like real estate because stocks can be bought and sold quicker. As a result of this liquidity, he said that speculation in stocks had lately gone berserk.

When I was in Harvard Law School, it was a rare day when they'd pay for a million shares a day, he said, referring to daily trading volume. Maybe it would happen once or twice a year. Now they trade billions of shares every day.

Buffetts business partner has spoken several times about how speculative investing can harm the stock market, and simply wont work as a strategy for investors over the long term.

"The world is full of foolish gamblers, and they will not do as well as the patient investor," Buffett wrote in Berkshire Hathaways shareholders letter in February.

To be sure, this isnt the only category of investing that Munger is critical of. He has strongly criticized cryptocurrencies, calling Bitcoin stupid and evil and said he wished crypto was never invented. Earlier this year, he said he was not proud of America for allowing crypto to be traded and wanted it banned. In an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal, he called crypto a gambling contract with a nearly 100% edge for the house.

Its worthless, its no good, its crazy, itll do nothing but harm, its antisocial to allow it, he told CNBC in February. I dont think there is a rational argument against my position.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com

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Peer-to-peer Bitcoin marketplace Paxful has announced that it will shut down, directing users to retrieve their funds from its platform.

This will probably come as a shock to many, Paxful co-founder and CEO Ray Youssef wrote in a blog post. All customer funds are accounted for. Please withdraw them and, if you can, self-custody.

Bitcoin peer-to-peer markets are getting getting a lot more pressure. @paxful just suspended its marketplace. pic.twitter.com/UKLkICZcfm  calle  (@callebtc) April 4, 2023

The blog post cited "key staff departures" and "regulatory challenges for the industry," but Youssef said during a Twitter space on Tuesday that the decision to close the platform was also influenced by a lawsuit brought by a Paxful co-founder who is suing Paxful and Youssef after being kicked out of the company more than a year ago.

My co-founder sued the company and sued me, Youssef said. I have a lawsuit over my head right now.

Though he did not name the plaintiff explicitly, Youssef is likely referring to co-founder Artur Schaback, who filed a lawsuit in Delaware Chancery Court against Youssef in January, according to a court docket hosted on CourtConnect.

Schaback could not be reached for comment by Decrypt.

Paxful is a nominal defendant in the litigation, so we cannot share much around the case, a Paxful spokesperson told Decrypt, also declining to identify the plaintiff. But I can confirm that Artur Schaback is a co-founder and current board member of Paxful.

Paxful Vows to Refund Celsius Earn Bankruptcy Victims

The announcement of Paxfuls closure comes just days after Youssef promised to make Paxful Earn customers whole. The service had allowed Paxful customers to earn a yield on Bitcoin through a partnership with Celsius, a prominent crypto lender that filed for bankruptcy last July.

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The Paxful spokesperson told Decrypt that, despite the companys impending closure, Paxfuls wallet is operational, and users can get their funds out safely.

Paxful database is a bit overloaded now as everyone is withdrawing funds. It is making transfers slow. I promise funds r safe and they will clear soon  Ray Youssef (@raypaxful) April 4, 2023

Youssef claimed that Paxfuls senior staff were largely driven away from the company because of actions taken by the unnamed co-founders legal team. Youssef added that the co-founder refused to pay some of Paxfuls employees.

His litigation team was really nasty, he said. They drove away all of our senior-level staff who just couldn't deal with this guy anymore.

By this past Friday, it had gotten to the point where there were no engineers, compliance team members, or security personnel left working at the company, Youssef said. Ultimately, he said he decided at that point to shut the company down due to security concerns.

Youssef claimed he subsequently hired an engineering team to assume control of Paxfuls digital walletpresumably still being used for safekeeping funds. He said it was the right thing to do, even though it conflicted with a court order that hes received.

I've managed over the weekend to get an engineering team to secure everything, he said. I had to make an ethical decision.

'Integrity Over Revenue' Says Paxful CEO After Booting Ethereum From Platform

Paxful was originally founded in 2015, and it is the latest firm to succumb in the midst of crypto winter. The company is headquartered in New York and has offices in Estonia, the Philippines, and Russia, according to a press release.

At one point, the company allowed customers to trade Bitcoin and Ethereumthe two largest cryptocurrencies by market capitalizationalong with the leading stablecoin Tether. But the company dropped support for Ethereum last December.

Youssef said that Paxful was ultimately successful in the sense that it fostered Bitcoin adoption in West Africa and other areas of the Global South. According to Coin Dance, trading volume on Paxful totaled around $35 million in the past week, with users based in countries like Argentina, Kenya, and India.
BitKeep

Harness the Power of B, and Participate in BitKeep and Bitget's 2023 Annual Airdrop Plan to Unlock Amazing Rewards and Surprises!

Singapore City, Singapore, April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Missed out on the $ARB Airdrop? Fret not, because here's your chance to qualify for our "KEY" NFT Airdrop!

Following BitKeep's brand upgrade on March 29, BitKeep and Bitget have jointly launched the "Power of B, 2023 Annual Airdrop Plan" campaign to celebrate this momentous occasion with all Web3 users. More details of the campaign tasks pertaining to this month-long event, which will begin on April 3, will be gradually revealed over time, so stay tuned!

Even though NFTs will be the main feature of the event, do not mistake them for merely as such! Even greater surprises and benefits await users on the horizon.

Today marks the launch of the "KEY" NFT airdrop event.

The "KEY" NFT will serve as an access pass for users to participate in a series of activities within the broader "Power of B" campaign.

It's important to keep in mind, however, that the "KEY" NFT is only just the beginning.

On March 25, we posted an extra-special tweet on our Twitter: " See You in April?"

A big thank you to everyone for your participation! We were certainly blown away by the amazing response. A few lucky users will be selected to qualify for the Airdrop, so do keep an eye out for that and congratulations if you have been selected!

Moving forward, here's how you can get your hands on the "KEY" NFT Airdrop:

1. For existing BitKeep users, we will be conducting airdrops based on your past activities and transaction volume.

2. For new users, you may receive the "KEY" NFT Airdrop whitelist upon completion of Galxe or QuestN tasks. Do bear in mind that whitelist spots are distributed on a first come, first served basis, as there are limited spots available!



3. This week, BitKeep's official Twitter account will be releasing a whitelist application form for the "KEY" NFT, which will only be available for a limited time. The whitelist will similarly be offered on a first-come, first-served basis.

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4. Additionally, we will also be offering whitelist spots to loyal partners who have continuously supported both BitKeep and Bitget.

Do note, however, that several restrictions and regulations will be implemented to avoid Sybil attacks and the monopolization of the "KEY" NFT by a small number of users. Successful whitelist applicants can expect to have the "KEY" NFT delivered to their indicated addresses by April 11, so be sure to participate in the event before then and don't miss out!

Additional Notes:

1. If you have applied for the "KEY" NFT whitelist through the Polygon address of your BitKeep wallet, we seek your patience and understanding to await our airdrops alongside the next event announcement.

2. If you are not using BitKeep yet, we recommend downloading BitKeep wallet before participating in the event. You may also add the Polygon mainnet to your BitKeep wallet by following this guide here.

3. Download the BitKeep wallet to import or create a new wallet after obtaining the "KEY" NFT, and transfer the "KEY" NFT to the BitKeep wallet to participate in activities for more airdrop rewards.

If you have made it to the end of this post, congratulations! Fill up this Google form to notify us of the Polygon address of your BitKeep wallet! Lucky users will be added to our growing whitelist, so good luck!

The "KEY" is only the beginning. Get your BitKeep wallet ready and revel in the Power of B, because surprise airdrops are on their way to you!

Until next week!

Official Websitehttps://web3.bitget.com/en



CONTACT: Contact Details: Contact Person: Chole Qian Email: business-at-bitkeep.com Contact Person: Emily Yun Email: media-at-bitget.com




Funding will come from Blackfoot Communications and the ConnectMT program

MISSOULA, Mont., April 04, 2023--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Blackfoot Communications today announced plans to invest more than $76 million in fiber-based broadband in rural Montana. The investment is being made possible by more than $60 million in ConnectMT grants awarded by the State of Montana with Blackfoot contributing more than $16 million to fully fund the project.

"Blackfoot Communications is proud to put these funds to work in rural Montana," said Jason Williams, CEO. "Access to high-speed internet is essential for businesses, education and families, and these grants help us reach underserved communities in Western Montana. As a Montana-based company with nearly 70 years of experience building and operating networks, we look forward to continuing to help strengthen rural communities across Western Montana and connecting more Montana businesses, schools and homes to fast, reliable broadband."

Blackfoot Communications was awarded seven grants to deliver broadband to the following counties: Granite, Missoula, Ravalli and Sanders. Individual communities include Darby, Drummond, Philipsburg, Plains and Potomac. Construction to deploy fiber in these areas begins in the Spring of 2023 with a projected completion date in 2026.

The investment from Blackfoot will allow customers access to fast, reliable broadband internet speeds of up to 1 Gbps or more. Since 2017, Blackfoot has invested nearly $50 million in fiber-based broadband infrastructure throughout Montana, including deploying full fiber-to-the-premise networks in Thompson Falls and St. Ignatius, and is currently building an all fiber-network west of Anaconda, including the Georgetown Lake area.

According to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Montana ranks low among states with broadband access, with nearly 1 in 3 Montanans lacking access to high-speed internet. Blackfoot is working hard to reverse this trend and is committed to building out fiber-based broadband to its entire Montana service territory which covers 5,000 square miles.

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Blackfoot Communications delivers voice, broadband and fiber-based internet connectivity to homes and businesses in Western Montana and Eastern Idaho.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230404005334/en/

Contacts

Chris Laslovich, 406-880-9528
EDMONTON - The Alberta government wants 100 more street-level police officers hired over the next year and a half as part of a plan to tackle increased violence on the public transit systems of Edmonton and Calgary.

Premier Danielle Smith says she has directed her emergency services minister to get the officers into high-crime areas in both cities.

The province says that between last July and January 2023, Edmontons light rail transit system experienced a 75 per cent increase in criminal activity, while Calgary saw an increase of 46 per cent between 2021 and 2022.

The government is also encouraging the cities of Calgary and Edmonton to transfer command and control of transit peace officers to their municipal police services.

As part of its plan, the province is to spend $8 million over three years to increase the number of police and crisis teams, known as PACT, which pairs officers with therapists to respond to emergency calls where there is a mental health concern.

It will provide each city with a new $5-million grant to ensure transit stations and transit vehicles are clear of drug paraphernalia and garbage.

Safety on public streets is never negotiable, Smith said in a news release Tuesday.

We can address root causes like mental health and addiction at the same time, but we will not compromise on security for all Calgarians and Edmontonians.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 4, 2023.

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CHICAGO (AP)  Brandon Johnson, a union organizer and former teacher, was elected as Chicagos next mayor Tuesday in a major victory for the Democratic Partys progressive wing as the heavily blue city grapples with high crime and financial challenges.

Johnson, a Cook County commissioner endorsed by the Chicago Teachers Union, won a close race over former Chicago schools CEO Paul Vallas, who was backed by the police union. Johnson, 47, will succeed Lori Lightfoot, the first Black woman and first openly gay person to be the citys mayor.

With about 91% of the vote counted, Johnson had 51.4% to 48.6% for Vallas. More votes will be counted as absentee ballots arrive in the mail.

Lightfoot became the first Chicago mayor in 40 years to lose her reelection bid when she finished third in a crowded February contest.

Johnsons victory in the nations third-largest city capped a remarkable trajectory for a candidate who was little known when he entered the race last year. He climbed to the top of the field with organizing and financial help from the politically influential Chicago Teachers Union and high-profile endorsements from progressive Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. Sanders appeared at a rally for Johnson in the final days of the race.

Taking the stage Tuesday night for his victory speech, a jubilant Johnson thanked his supporters for helping usher in a new chapter in the history of our city. He promised that under his administration, the city would look out for everyone, regardless of how much money they have, whom they love or where they come from.

Tonight is the beginning of a Chicago that truly invests in all of its people, Johnson said.

Johnson, who is Black, recalled growing up in a poor family, teaching at a school in Cabrini Green, a notorious former public housing complex, and shielding his own young kids from gunfire in their West Side neighborhood.

He referenced civil rights leaders Martin Luther King Jr. and the Rev. Jesse Jackson and called his victory a continuation of their legacies. He also noted that he was speaking on the anniversary of Kings assassination.

Today the dream is alive, Johnson said, and so today we celebrate the revival and the resurrection of the city of Chicago.

It was a momentous win for progressive organizations such as the teachers union, with Johnson winning the highest office of any active teachers union member in recent history, leaders say. For both progressives and the partys more moderate wing, the Chicago race was seen as a test of organizing power and messaging.

Johnsons win also comes as groups such as Our Revolution, a powerful progressive advocacy organization, push to win more offices in local and state office, including in upcoming mayoral elections in Philadelphia and elsewhere.

Vallas, speaking to his own supporters Tuesday night, said that he had called Johnson and that he expected him to be the next mayor. Some in the crowd seemed to jeer the news, but Vallas urged them to put aside differences and support the next mayor in the daunting work ahead.

This campaign that I ran to bring the city together would not be a campaign that fulfills my ambitions if this election is going to divide us, Vallas said.

In a statement, Lightfoot also congratulated Johnson and said her administration will collaborate with his team during the transition.

Johnson and Vallas were the top two vote-getters in the all-Democrat but officially nonpartisan February race, which moved to the runoff because no candidate received over 50%.

On Tuesday, Johnson took many of the predominantly Black southern and western areas where Lightfoot won in February, along with the northern neighborhoods where he was the top-vote getter back then, according to precinct-level results released by election officials. Vallas did well in the northwest and southwest areas that are home to large numbers of city employees, just as he did in February.

The contest surfaced longstanding tensions among Democrats, with Johnson and his supporters blasting Vallas  who was endorsed by Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, the chambers second-ranking Democrat  as too conservative and a Republican in disguise.

Both candidates have deep roots in the Democratic Party, though with vastly different backgrounds and views.

After teaching middle and high school, Johnson helped mobilize teachers, including during a historic 2012 strike through which the Chicago Teachers Union increased its organizing muscle and influence in city politics. That has included fighting for non-classroom issues, such as housing and mental health care.

Vallas, who finished first in the February contest, was the only white candidate in that nine-person field. A former Chicago budget director, he later led schools in Chicago, New Orleans, Philadelphia and Bridgeport, Connecticut.

Among the biggest disputes between Johnson and Vallas was how to address crime. Like many U.S. cities, Chicago saw violent crime increase during the COVID-19 pandemic, hitting a 25-year high of 797 homicides in 2021, though the number decreased last year and the city has a lower murder rate than others in the Midwest, such as St. Louis.

Vallas, 69, said he would hire hundreds more police officers, while Johnson said he didnt plan to cut the number of officers, but that the current system of policing isnt working. Johnson was forced to defend past statements expressing support for defunding police  something he insisted he would not do as mayor.

But Johnson argued that instead of investing more in policing and incarceration, the city should focus on mental health treatment, affordable housing for all and jobs for youth. He has proposed a plan he says will raise $800 million by taxing ultrarich individuals and businesses, including a per-employee head tax on employers and an additional tax on hotel room stays.

That plan is no sure thing, as some members of the City Council and the state Legislature  whose support would be needed  already have expressed opposition.

Resident Chema Fernandez, 25, voted for Johnson as an opportunity to move on from what he described as the politics of old. He said he saw Vallas as being in line with previous mayors such as Rahm Emanuel, Lightfoot and Richard M. Daley, who havent worked out great for places like his neighborhood on the southwest side, which has seen decades of disinvestment.

I think we need to give the opportunity for policies that may actually change some of our conditions, Fernandez said.

___

Associated Press journalist Teresa Crawford in Chicago and chief elections analyst Chad Day in Washington contributed.

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CHARLOTTETOWN - A look at Dennis King of Prince Edward Islands Progressive Conservatives, who led the party to a majority government Monday night.

Age: 51

Early years: King was born Nov. 1, 1971, in Georgetown, P.E.I., to Catherine (Cattie) Rachel Stevens and Lionel MacKenzie King; he has three brothers and four sisters.

Education: He graduated from Montague Regional High School in 1990, and after studying journalism in Ontario, he returned to P.E.I.

Career: King has worked for various media outlets, including as a reporter with P.E.I.s The Eastern Graphic and The Guardian. Before starting his own public relations company in 2013, he served in several communications roles, including as communications director to former premier Pat Binns and to the Mikmaq Confederacy of Prince Edward Island.

Family: King married Jana Hemphill in 1999. They have three children  Jacob, Camdyn and Callum. The couple operate Storybrook Stables, a horse farm in Brookfield, P.E.I.

Quote: We havent shied away from challenges over the last four years, and were certainly not going to shy away from them for the next four years, he told supporters Monday night .... Tonight we party, tonight we celebrate. But tomorrow we get back to work rebuilding this province and making it the best place to live. King on April 3 after his partys victory.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 3, 2023.

---

This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Meta and Canadian Press News Fellowship.

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Vantage Market Research, The North Star for the Working World

WASHINGTON, April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Global Blockchain in Healthcare Market is valued at USD 287.9 Million in 2021 and is projected to reach a value of USD 1,189.8 Million by 2028 at a CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) of 61.3% over the forecast period 2022-2028.



Market Overview

The Blockchain in Healthcare Market is segmented on the basis of network type, application, end-user, and region. Based on network type, the market is segmented into public, private, and consortium. The public segment is expected to dominate the market during the forecast period. This can be attributed to the fact that public blockchains are open to anyone to join and participate in the network. This makes them ideal for applications that require a high level of transparency and decentralization.

Get Access to Free Sample Research Report with Latest Industry Insights @ https://www.vantagemarketresearch.com/blockchain-in-healthcare-market-1223/request-sample

Market Dynamics

The growth of the Blockchain in Healthcare Market is being driven by a number of factors, including the increasing need for secure data storage and management, the rising incidence of data breaches in the healthcare sector, the need for improved efficiency and transparency in the healthcare system, and the growing demand for personalized medicine.

The increasing need for secure data storage and management is one of the key factors driving the growth of the Blockchain in Healthcare Market. Blockchain is a distributed ledger technology that can be used to store and manage data in a secure and transparent manner. This makes it ideal for applications that require the secure storage and management of sensitive data, such as healthcare data.

The rising incidence of data breaches in the healthcare sector is another key factor driving the growth of the Blockchain in Healthcare Market. In recent years, there have been a number of high-profile data breaches in the healthcare sector. These breaches have resulted in the loss of sensitive data, such as patient medical records. Blockchain can help to mitigate the risk of data breaches by providing a secure and tamper-proof way to store and manage data.

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The need for improved efficiency and transparency in the healthcare system is another key factor driving the growth of the Blockchain in Healthcare Market. Blockchain can help to improve the efficiency of the healthcare system by providing a secure and transparent way to share data between different stakeholders in the healthcare system. This can help to reduce the time and cost associated with providing healthcare services.

The growing demand for personalized medicine is another key factor driving the growth of the Blockchain in Healthcare Market. Personalized medicine is a type of healthcare that takes into account the individual patient's genetic makeup and other factors to provide the most effective treatment. Blockchain can help to facilitate personalized medicine by providing a secure and efficient way to store and manage patient data.

The Blockchain in Healthcare Market is also being driven by a number of government initiatives. For example, the US government has launched the "Healthcare Blockchain Challenge" to promote the development of blockchain-based solutions for the healthcare sector. The European Commission has also launched the "Blockchain for Health" initiative to promote the use of blockchain in the healthcare sector.

The Blockchain in Healthcare Market is expected to face a number of challenges, including the lack of standardization, the high cost of implementation, and the lack of skilled professionals. However, the market is expected to grow at a significant rate during the forecast period.

Top Players in the Global Blockchain in Healthcare Market

IBM Corporation

Microsoft Corporation

Gem

Patientory Inc.

Guardtime Federal

Hashed Health

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Top Report Findings

The Global Blockchain in Healthcare Market is expected to reach USD 1,189.8 Million by 2028, registering a CAGR of 61.3 % during the forecast period 2023-2028.

The increasing need for secure data storage and management is one of the key factors driving the growth of the Blockchain in Healthcare Market.

The rising incidence of data breaches in the healthcare sector is another key factor driving the growth of the Blockchain in Healthcare Market.

The need for improved efficiency and transparency in the healthcare system is another key factor driving the growth of the Blockchain in Healthcare Market.

The growing demand for personalized medicine is another key factor driving the growth of the Blockchain in Healthcare Market.

The Blockchain in Healthcare Market is also being driven by a number of government initiatives.

The Blockchain in Healthcare Market is expected to face a number of challenges, including the lack of standardization, the high cost of implementation, and the lack of skilled professionals.



Top Trends in Global Blockchain in Healthcare Market

Increased adoption of blockchain by healthcare providers: Healthcare providers are increasingly adopting blockchain technology to improve the efficiency and transparency of their operations. For example, in 2021, the Mayo Clinic announced that it would be using blockchain to store and manage patient data.

Growing demand for personalized medicine: Personalized medicine is a type of healthcare that takes into account the individual patient's genetic makeup and other factors to provide the most effective treatment. Blockchain can help to facilitate personalized medicine by providing a secure and efficient way to store and manage patient data.

Government initiatives: Governments around the world are supporting the development and use of blockchain in healthcare. For example, the US government has launched the "Healthcare Blockchain Challenge" to promote the development of blockchain-based solutions for the healthcare sector.

Rising incidence of data breaches: The healthcare sector is one of the most vulnerable to data breaches. Blockchain can help to mitigate the risk of data breaches by providing a secure and tamper-proof way to store and manage data.

Need for improved efficiency and transparency: The healthcare system is often inefficient and opaque. Blockchain can help to improve the efficiency and transparency of the healthcare system by providing a secure and transparent way to share data between different stakeholders in the healthcare system.



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Regional Analysis

The Global Blockchain in Healthcare Market is segmented on the basis of region into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Rest of the World.

North America is expected to dominate the market during the forecast period. This can be attributed to the early adoption of blockchain technology in the healthcare sector in the region. The US is the leading country in the North American market. The country is home to a number of leading healthcare providers and payers, who are actively investing in blockchain technology.

Europe is expected to be the second-largest market during the forecast period. The region is home to a number of leading healthcare providers and payers, who are actively investing in blockchain technology. The UK is the leading country in the European market. The country is home to a number of leading healthcare providers and payers, who are actively investing in blockchain technology.

Asia Pacific is expected to be the fastest-growing market during the forecast period. The growth of the market in the region can be attributed to the rising demand for healthcare services, the increasing adoption of digital technologies in the healthcare sector, and the growing government initiatives to promote the use of blockchain technology in the healthcare sector. China is the leading country in the Asia Pacific market. The country is home to a number of leading healthcare providers and payers, who are actively investing in blockchain technology.

The Rest of the World is expected to be a significant market during the forecast period. The growth of the market in the region can be attributed to the rising demand for healthcare services, the increasing adoption of digital technologies in the healthcare sector, and the growing government initiatives to promote the use of blockchain technology in the healthcare sector.

Browse market data Tables and Figures spread through 163 Pages and in-depth TOC on Blockchain in Healthcare Market Forecast Report (2022-2028).

Global Blockchain in Healthcare Market Segmentation

Application (Clinical Data Exchange, Billing Management and Claims, Supply Chain Management, Adjudication)

Region (North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa)

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Scope of the Report:

Report Attributes Details Market Size in 2021 USD 287.9 Million Revenue Forecast by 2028 USD 1,189.8 Million CAGR 61.3 % from 2021 to 2028 Base Year 2022 Forecast Year 2023 to 2028 Key Players IBM Corporation, Microsoft Corporation, Gem, Patientory Inc., Guardtime Federal, Hashed Health Customization Request If our report does not include the information you are searching for, you may contact us to have a report tailored to your specific business needs https://www.vantagemarketresearch.com/blockchain-in-healthcare-market-1223/request-sample

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The key questions answered in the Blockchain in Healthcare Market Report are:

What is blockchain technology?

How does blockchain technology work?

What are the benefits of using blockchain technology in healthcare?

What are the challenges of using blockchain technology in healthcare?

What are the key players in the Blockchain in Healthcare Market?

What are the key trends in the Blockchain in Healthcare Market?

What is the future of blockchain technology in healthcare?



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Allentown, PA (18103)

Today

Sunshine mixing with clouds and rather cool. There might be a stray afternoon shower primarily north and west..

Tonight

Turning out mainly clear or partly cloudy and chilly.
By state Rep. Peter Schweyer (D-Lehigh), chairman of the PA House Education Committee

Recently, I had a great experience touring a high-achieving public high school in my district.

The school of course had math and English, but also architecture classes. It had wide, clean hallways, high-tech classrooms and even an emotional support dog.

It is the kind of school where families hope to send their kids.

Compare that to a neighboring high school where I have also spent quite a bit of time.

This second building is old and hasnt been updated in decades. The students have far fewer educational options and are burdened with spotty, inconsistent technology.

Instead of a golden retriever, overworked teachers bear the brunt of serving as the emotional support for many of its students.

These school districts literally border one another. If you live west of Southwest 31st Street, your kids will attend the high-performing high school.

If you live east of Southwest 31st Street, your kids will attend the latter, tired high school. (For the record, my family lives east of Southwest 31st Street.)

As state representative, I see these stark differences and raise questions about education policy, distribution of resources and systemic racism.

As a parent, I am simply infuriated.

This anger is not and most certainly is not a desire to see neighboring kids have less. The children of more fortunate districts absolutely deserve to have quality school buildings and exceptional educational opportunities.

Parents like me simply believe that our kids deserve the same.

The courts agree  we've been doing it wrong.

In a historic ruling, Commonwealth Court President Judge Renee Cohn Jubelirer ruled the way we fund our schools is unconstitutional and students attending low-wealth districts are being deprived of equal protection under the law.

Some in the legislature are making veiled threats that if we follow the Constitution, programs in suburban schools will be gutted and those funds will be sent to rural and city schools.

Thats cynical and deliberate fearmongering, and not what were talking about. You dont lift some students up by tearing others down.

For now, the ruling leaves the way we ultimately fix this broken system in the hands of Governor Shapiro and the General Assembly.

As the new Majority Chair of the House Education Committee, it is my job to help craft policies that address these concerns.

There are huge, systemic changes that must be made, and very hard choices will need to be debated. It will not be easy and will not be accomplished quickly.

It is true that the educational landscape is dramatically different today than it was even just a decade ago:

Colleges are producing fewer teachers every year.

More children have mental health concerns, live in poverty or do not speak English as a primary language.

Funding for buildings has dried up, forcing kids to learn in schools with asbestos and lead paint.

Enrollment in charter schools (both traditional and cyber) has dramatically increased.

Safety concerns (including mass shootings) leave families and staff worried about safety.

These are big issues that will take courage and time to address.

While we are debating these big issues, new students will enter kindergarten.

These children cannot wait for us to complete an arduous deliberation while they learn in substandard conditions.

Simply stated, Harrisburg will learn to walk and chew gum at the same time.

While we work toward long-term fixes, we must infuse support into the most at-risk districts to close the gap. This is absolutely a priority for the House Democratic Caucus during this budget season.

Though the challenge is great, we have never had a better opportunity to deliver for the children of our state, regardless of which side of Southwest 31st Street they reside.
Alzheimer's disease strikes women harder than men  over two-thirds of those who descend into dementia's devastating twilight are female at birth. That's likely due to biological reasons that remain poorly understood, according to the Alzheimer's Association.

One key piece of the enigma: Women lose sexual hormones such as estrogen when they undergo menopause, either naturally through the body's decreased production or by removal of the ovaries via surgery. However, just how the loss of those hormones and the impact of hormone replacement therapy, or HRT, affects dementia risk is also unclear.

A new study may have uncovered a piece or two of the puzzle. Women who underwent early (age 40 to 45) or premature (before age 40) menopause or women who began hormone replacement therapy more than five years after menopause had higher levels of tau in their brains, according to the study published Monday in the journal JAMA Neurology.

Tau tangles, along with plaques made up of beta-amyloid proteins, are hallmark signs of Alzheimer's disease.

"This is the first study showing a delayed use of hormone therapy seems to be associated with increased levels of Alzheimer's disease markers in the brain," said lead author Gillian Coughlan, a research fellow in neurology at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

However, these changes only occurred in women who already had higher levels of beta-amyloid in their brain tissue, Coughlan told CNN.

"Most of the associations we saw between menopause and tau protein occurred in the context of high amyloid," Coughlan said. "Now a large portion of the older population do accumulate amyloid as they get older  it's not that uncommon."

Tau deposits, however, are more uncommon, she said, adding that it takes both tau tangles and beta-amyloid to develop Alzheimer's disease. "Usually if you've a combination of beta-amyloid and tau, then you would typically develop cognitive decline within a few years," Coughlan said.

"What we found is women who have early menopause or have a very late use of hormone therapy might be at higher risk, but only if they were already on the Alzheimer's disease continuum, with elevated levels of amyloid," she said. "Women with very low levels of amyloid and early menopause did not have such an association."

The study also found that women who began hormone therapy "at the right time, proximal to menopause age, didn't have higher or lower tau proteins in the brain," Coughlan said. "This is good as it means we may still be able to use hormone therapy to treat severe menopausal symptoms."

Dr. Richard Isaacson, an Alzheimer's preventive neurologist at the Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, considered the scientific paper important.

"While it's not the first time a study has shown that early treatment with hormone replacement therapy may be more protective for a women's brain, it did suggest for the first time that greater amounts of tau protein may be associated with later initiation of hormone treatment," said Isaacson, who was not involved in the study.

"This study doesn't show that hormone therapy causes Alzheimer's. The researchers didn't look at whether the participants went on to develop symptoms of dementia and we can't be sure of cause and effect in this kind of research," said Sara Imarisio, head of strategic initiatives at Alzheimer's Research UK, in a statement.

"Hormone therapy provides important benefits to many women, helping to combat the symptoms that menopause can bring," said Imarisio, who was not involved in the study. "Women who take, or are thinking of taking, hormone therapy should not be put off by these results, and anyone concerned about the effects of this treatment should speak to their doctor."

***

Hormone replacement therapy

The average age of menopause onset  defined as when a woman hasn't had a period for 12 months in a row  is 51, although women can naturally go into menopause between the ages of 40 and 58, according to the North American Menopause Society. Symptoms such as hot flashes and night sweats can occur years in advance, in what is called perimenopause.

Hormone replacement therapy has been a loaded topic for many women since early, misguided results were published in 2002 from a study called the Women's Health Initiative clinical trial. That preliminary analysis found an estrogen and progestin combo  the type of HRT prescribed at the time  increased the risk of heart disease as well as stroke, blood clots, dementia and breast cancer. The study was halted early due to the dangers.

Fallout was dramatic. By the end of the year, hormone therapy use dropped 30% when analyzed by insurance claims. By 2009, hormone therapy claims had dropped more than 70%.

Ten years later, the Women's Health Initiative findings were debunked. Because the original analysis looked at women age 65 and older, who were already at greater risk for heart attacks, blood clots and stroke, the initial 2002 results were flawed because they failed to consider a woman's age at the start of replacement therapy.

But the damage was done. Even today, many doctors are uncomfortable prescribing the use of hormone therapy, leaving many women to suffer through devastating symptoms without recourse.

Current medical guidelines suggest the benefits of hormone therapy for hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal pain and dryness, urinary issues, and bone loss outweigh the risks for women younger than 60 who are within 10 years of the onset of menopause  and who have no known or suspected history of breast cancer, blood clots, stroke or other contraindications.

It's a different story for women who are older than 60 or who start hormone therapy more than 10 years after the onset of menopause. "The benefit-risk ratio appears less favorable because of the greater absolute risks of coronary heart disease, stroke, venous thromboembolism, and dementia," according to the 2022 hormone therapy position statement of The North American Menopause Society.

***

What brain scans show

In the new JAMA Neurology study, a team of researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital analyzed brain scans of 193 women and 99 men with normal cognitive function for beta-amyloid and tau pathology.

That may sound like a small study, but it isn't, Coughlan said: "When using brain scans to actually look at disease in the brain, this is considered a large sample size."

The study found women had more tau buildup in several parts of the brain than men of a similar age, said Tara Spires-Jones, professor of neurodegeneration and deputy director of the Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. She wasn't involved in the study.

"Further, females had higher tau burden than males when they also have amyloid pathology in the brain," Spires-Jones said in a statement.

Women in the new study all used the type of hormone therapy  the estrogen and progestin mix  that was used by the women in the Women's Health Initiative clinical trial that caused so much controversy, Coughlan said.

"If (our study) is replicated, we may have found a potential biological basis for the results of the Women's Health Initiative clinical trial, which found women 65 and above were more likely to develop dementia later in life if they took that one type of hormone therapy," she said.

However, today women have many other options for hormone replacement, depending on their individual needs.

The study had some limitations  most participants were White and the study did not say who then went on to develop dementia, experts said. In addition, there were not enough people in the study with a genetic risk for Alzheimer's, said Dr. Liz Coulthard, an associate professor in dementia neurology at the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom, who was not involved in the study.

"Recently we found out that HRT might have different effects in people at high genetic risk (apoE4 gene positive), but this is not featured here," Coulthard said in a statement.

"The results here are scientifically interesting," she added. "But research into the relationship between HRT, menopause and Alzheimer's is beset by multiple small studies, all confounded by the different reasons people are prescribed HRT and accuracy of memory for menopause age and HRT use.

"As a result, women are receiving conflicting or poorly justified advice as to whether HRT use may be helpful or not for future brain health," Coulthard said. "A balanced, well-powered trial of HRT over many years is the only way we will really understand whether HRT is harmful to brain health."
READING, Pa.  The strategic planning committee of Reading City Council heard a recommendation Monday from the city administration to designate an entire strategic planning committee meeting in June to a citywide parking plan.

Councilwoman Melissa Ventura had asked for the topic to be placed on the agenda because she said council has never moved forward with any recommendations from a recently completed parking study which was authorized by council.

The city's managing director, William Heim, said he needs time to review the results of the study and asked that the discussion be delayed by two months.

Ventura had also asked for details on how Lancaster and Allentown deal with parking enforcement.

Council President Donna Reed said it would be a good idea for anyone on council to reach out to their counterparts in those cities to discuss the issue.

Some newer councilmembers said they did not have a copy of the parking study and asked the city clerk to forward them copies.

Reed also asked the administration to consider putting the complete study on the city website.

Cotton Street

Decision on Cotton Street could be made at next Reading council meeting Mayor Eddie Moran has been a proponent of making Cotton Street a one-way street, westbound between South 19th and South Ninth streets.

In other business, Councilwoman Marcia Goodman-Hinnershitz informed the committee that the second community meeting to discuss making Cotton Street a one-way street has been completed and that the pending legislation should be discussed at the next Committee of the Whole meeting.
READING, Pa. - A Reading man was found guilty of first-degree murder for his role in a 2021 fatal shooting.

A jury convicted Roland Pena last week in the death of Walner Torres-Santana. Pena and an unidentified male shot Torres-Santana to death in April of 2021 in the 300 block of Pear Street in Reading.

Authorities caught up with Pena several days later as he was trying to board a plane at JFK International Airport in New York. It is believed that Pena, a Reading resident, was trying to escape to the Dominican Republic.

Sentencing is scheduled for April 17.

In Pennsylvania, a first-degree murder conviction carries a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment.
PEN ARGYL, Pa. - A second man who was accused of setting off explosives in Pen Argyl, Northampton County has turned himself in.

32-year-old Justin Taylor was arraigned Tuesday, according to Slate Belt Regional Police Sgt. Shawn Moskella. He is currently in Northampton County Prison.

His bail is set at $75,000.

57-year-old Joseph Zanette was previously arrested in connection with the explosions.

Neighbors had been fed up with explosions that shook their homes and woke up their children and pets. So, it was no shock when Slate Belt Regional Police were dispatched to Pen Argyl's Laurel Avenue in March.

Officers didn't find anyone responsible, but "we got tips from the citizens of surveillance videos from Ring doorbell cameras, and we followed up with that, and were able to track down the two suspects," said Moskella.

Those suspects are Zanette and Taylor.

The Northampton County District Attorney's Office says video showed Taylor carrying a long black tube, which is commonly used in the propulsion of aerial and mortar shells.

Also caught on camera: the men on East Applegate Avenue and the sounds of three loud explosions there.

Law enforcement quickly executed search warrants for the Applegate home and Zanette's house on South Westbrook Avenue. They seized things from both locations, including a pipe with burnt explosive debris, mortar cakes with hundreds of rounds, and other explosives equipment.

ATF, the Bethlehem City Bomb Squad and several local police, EMS and fire departments helped.

While police were at Zanette's home, they say he showed up and admitted to igniting explosives with Taylor. The DA's office tells us Zanette said he had been drinking at the time, and later said the explosion was a mistake.

Zanette and Taylor are facing charges of arson endangering property, possessing explosive material, risking catastrophe, and reckless endangerment.

Zanette is behind bars at Northampton County Prison.
Donald Trump is expected to turn himself into authorities Tuesday for an expected arraignment. The former president and 2024 White House candidate is back in New York City as he faces more than 30 criminal charges.

His voluntary surrender follows last week's grand jury indictment regarding a hush money payment scheme.

Cameras caught him waving to onlookers outside Trump Tower Monday night and it was quite the spectacle before that. Major media outlets followed Trump to the airport in Florida and then overhead video caught his plane travel up the coast to New York. This is the first time in history that a former president is indicted.

"He'll be taken into custody with his Secret Service detail in tow," Former Deputy Commissioner of Intelligence and Counterterrorism of the NYPD, John Miller said. "He will be booked. He'll be fingerprinted. He'll get a number, which is the New York State tracker that shows you've been arrested and charged with a felony."

Tuesday's historic arraignment centers around supposed 2016 hush money payments while he campaigned for the White House. The investigation is inspecting six-figure payments made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. Trump is facing more than 30 criminal charges for allegedly falsifying business records.

Trump's defense team is planning to play offense.

"We will very loudly and proudly say 'not guilty'", Joe Tacopina, Trump's defense lawyer, said. "I very much anticipate a motion to dismiss coming because there's no law that fits this. Had he been John Smith, there's no scenario where he'd be indicted."

Trump added to his legal team and recently hired Todd Blanche, who previously represented his campaign manager Paul Manafort and Igor Fruman. His attorneys asked a Manhattan judge to ban cameras inside the court room, arguing it will cause a "circus-like atmosphere."

But New York City officials are proactively warning supporters against showing up to protest.

"While there may be some rabble rousers thinking about coming to our city tomorrow, our message is clear and simple: control yourselves," New York City Mayor Eric Adams said.

"Violence and destruction are not part of legitimate, lawful expression and it will never be tolerated in our city," New York City Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell said.

U.S. Representative and staunch Trump supporter Marjorie Taylor Greene has made her way to New York and tweeted in responses to city officials warning to show up to protest.

The timing of Trump's voluntary surrender is said to be fluid. Once he is in the courtroom the indictment will be unsealed as he formally faces his charges.
BETHLEHEM, Pa. - 597 workers from the Walmart warehouse in Bethlehem are losing their jobs by June 2. That number was released Monday, from the state's Department of Labor and Industry.

Federal law requires numbers be provided regarding business closings and mass layoffs.

69 News originally reported the layoffs at the Bethlehem warehouse back in late February.

Workers say it happened abruptly, at that time, when they were told to immediately leave the building and wait for a phone call.

They later learned they had been laid off. A representative from Walmart told 69 News it was done that way for security reasons.

While the layoffs are technically effective June 2, a worker tells 69 News he hasn't seen those displaced workers back inside the building since they were told to leave in February.

Walmart confirms those who were laid off will be paid for 90 days during the job search period and eligible for severance pay after that.

There are currently 1700 employees at that location.

A worker tells 69 News the layoffs are due to a slowdown in demand, after the huge rush of online ordering during the pandemic.

Meanwhile, the company is also finding it cheaper to deliver, using third-party services like Uber Eats.

"It is part of sort of an ongoing national trend for Walmart, making reductions in its fulfillment center staffing across the country," George Lewis, with Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation, said.

But it comes as the area is seeing warehouses pop up all over. According to Nancy Dischinat, Executive Director of Workforce Board Lehigh Valley, 714 transportation and warehousing employers are "standing in line to hire these dislocated workers."

Dischinat says the economic impact of these layoffs is actually quite minimal, since transportation and warehousing is the number-two top industry in the Valley, employing more than 36,000 workers.

Lewis agrees those affected by the layoffs will be heading into an active job market.

"A lot of companies have come to the Lehigh Valley," he said, "because of our location, because we're so close to the big East Coast consumer markets, and it's easy for them to get their products to market, within 24 hours or less from facilities here in the Lehigh Valley."

A Walmart spokesperson tells us demand with the corporation is actually growing, saying in part:

"Customer expectations are changing, and we are moving quickly to meet and exceed their needs. As demand grows, we are maximizing our network of stores and fulfillment centers, to deliver items for online customers, when and how they want them."

Walmart adds the decision was "not made lightly" and it's working with those affected to help them understand what career options may be available at other Walmart locations.

A worker tells 69 News that those who are laid off will have to reapply, and says Walmart is holding a job fair over the next two days for its displaced employees. Stores within a 50-mile radius of the Bethlehem location will be there. A local hotel confirms Walmart is holding a job fair there on Tuesday and Wednesday.

For more resources, head to the Pennsylvania CareerLink website.
L. MACUNGIE TWP., Pa. - Mercer Advisors has acquired Andesa Financial Management of Lehigh County for an undisclosed price.

The Denver-based buyer did not disclose the terms of the transaction. The move boosts Mercer Advisors' presence in Pennsylvania and the East, said Chief Executive Officer David Welling, in a statement.

Andesa's offices are at 4905 Hamilton Blvd. in Lower Macungie Township. The wealth management firm was founded in 2004 by a team including Paul C. Barbehenn, according to the statement. Michael C. Baittinger joined later.

Andesa serves 260 clients with assets under management of about $330 million. The transaction with Mercer Global will allow Andesa to focus on client service, Barbehenn said in the statement.

"When looking to combine with a new partner, it was essential that they too believe in the value of financial planning and the importance of the clinet-advisor relationship," Barbehenn said. "Further, we were looking for ways to add additional services to our clients while offloading onerous back-office responsibilities."

"For Mercer Advisors, the addition of Andesa's talented team to our service ranks is the most valuable asset of the transaction," said David Barton, Mercer Advisors vice chairman, in the statement.

Mercer Advisors was founded in 1985 and has 90 offices and more than 900 employees. Mercer Advisors is the parent company of Mercer Global Advisors and Regis Acquisitions, which are majority owned by Oak Hill Capital and Genstar Capital.

Barbehenn is a CFA charterholder and Certified Financial Planner, according to the statement, and Baittinger is a Certified Financial Planner and Chartered Financial Consultant.
PPL Corp. will hold its annual meeting of shareowners May 17, with the election of 10 directors and executive compensation on the agenda.



The meeting will be held virtually, according to a PPL filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.



"The virtual-only format offers an efficient and effective means to engage shareowners and affords shareowners the same rights as if the meeting were held in person," the statement said.



The Allentown-based utility has had a busy start to 2023. It continues to grapple with a billing problem that started in December 2022, affecting 800,000 customers. A new Kentucky law targets its plan to close coal-fired plants, and the Rhode Island utility regulator granted most but not all of the company's planned investments in that state.



Through it all, the company's 2023 earnings forecast of $1.50 to $1.65 per share has not changed. Chief Financial Officer Joseph Bergstein presented that forecast in January. The company also announced a 7% increase in its quarterly dividend to 24 cents per share.



Vincent Sorgi, PPL's chief executive officer and president, has said the company can reward investors, provide affordable energy to customers and pursue environmental goals, and still achieve 6% to 8% growth in annual earnings per share and dividends through at least 2026.



PPL's green goal is to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. Carbon dioxide emissions have been linked to global warming.



The vote on executive compensation includes Sorgi's pay. In 2022, his base pay was $1.17 million, but cash and stock incentives based on performance exceed the set salary.



Shares in the company are traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol PPL. The closing price Tuesday was $27.55.



In the past 52 weeks, PPL has traded as high as $31.74 and as low as $23.47.
Telia Lietuva

On 3 April 2023, the Board of Telia Lietuva, AB (hereinafter Telia Lietuva or the Company) decided:

- To approve the audited annual financial statements of the Company for the year 2022, prepared according to the International Financial Reporting Standards, and to submit them to the Companys Annual General Meeting of Shareholders.

The audited Telia Lietuva results for the year 2022 were the same as the results for the 12 months of 2022 that were announced on 26 January 2023: revenue amounted to EUR 444.6 million (EUR 420.8 million in 2021), EBITDA amounted to EUR 147.5 million (EUR 138.6 million), and profit for the period was EUR 56.4 million (EUR 56.8 million).

- To approve the Companys Annual and Sustainability Report for the year 2022, prepared by the Company and assessed by the auditors, and to present it to the Companys Annual General Meeting of Shareholders.

- To approve the draft of the Companys profit allocation for the year 2022 and to propose for the Annual General Meeting of Shareholders to allocate the profit according to the draft of profit allocation: from the Companys distributable profit of EUR 142,336 thousand to allocate EUR 34,957 thousand for the payment of dividends for the year 2022, i.e. EUR 0.06 dividend per share, and carry forward to the next financial year an amount of EUR 107,379 thousand as retained earnings (undistributed profit).

The comment by the Board: Following the year of a record high capital investments marked with the launch of 5G communication and taking into consideration current economic environment, the Board decided to take a prudent approach and proposed to the forthcoming Annual General Meeting of Shareholders to approve a pay-out of EUR 0.06 dividend per share (in total EUR 34.9 million) for the year 2022.

- To allocate EUR 25,000 for tantiems for the year 2022 to two independent members of the Board: Dovile Grigiene (resigned from the Board on 15 December 2022)  EUR 7,500 and Mindaugas Glodas  EUR 17,500.

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- To convoke the Annual General Meeting of Shareholders in a headquarters of Telia Lietuva, Saltoniskiu str. 7A, Vilnius, Lithuania, at 13.00 on 27 April 2023, and to propose to the Annual General Meeting of Shareholders the following draft agenda:



1. Presentation by the Companys auditor.

2. Approval of the Companys annual financial statements for the year 2022 and presentation of the Companys annual report for the year 2022.

3. Allocation of the Companys profit for the year 2022.

4. Approval of the Companys Remuneration Report for the year 2022.

5. Election of the Companys auditor.

6. Election of the Companys Board members.

7. Regarding the implementation of decisions.



ENCL.: Telia Lietuva, AB Annual and Sustainability Report, Financial Statements and Independent Auditors Report for the year ended 31 December 2022.



Darius Dziaugys,

Head of Investor Relations,

tel. +370 5 236 7878,

e-mail: darius.dziaugys@telia.lt





Attachment




BETHLEHEM, Pa. - By June 2, 2023, 597 positions at the Walmart Distribution Center on Commerce Center Boulevard in Bethlehem will be eliminated.

The Department of Labor and Industry released a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Act Notice (WARN) pertaining to the warehouse.

WARN notices provide advance notice of plant closings and layoffs and are required under U.S. labor law when companies have 100 or more employees.

According to a statement from the company, Walmart is working closely with affected associates to get them placed at other Walmart stores and fulfillment centers.

A spokesperson insists the warehouse is not closing.

Some neighbors believe the cuts are a sign of rocky waters.

"There's going to be a lot of hurting people," said Sonny Pistilli of Lower Saucon Township. "Cars not getting paid for. Rent not getting paid for. What do people expect? People work to live."

Pistilli is among the people feeling on edge about the cuts, especially after what he described as a hiring boom post pandemic.

"Right after COVID, they hired a whole bunch of people," said Pistilli. "I saw more signs than ever before that said, 'Hiring.'"

"Are they playing with us?" he questioned.

Laying off workers while other warehouses are being built across the Lehigh Valley, he says, doesn't add up.

"It's amazing how many are going up," added Pistilli.

The cuts are a part of wide-ranging layoffs by Walmart, according to the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation (LVEDC).

The retail giant announced 9,000 last month on top of 18,000 more cuts earlier this year.

"Really from coast to coast," said George Lewis, assistant to the CEO. "From California to New Jersey and several states in between."

A statement from Walmart reads, "Customer expectations are changing, and we are moving quickly to meet and exceed their needs. As demand grows, we are maximizing our network of stores and fulfillment centers, to deliver items for online customers, when and how they want them.

We recently adjusted staffing levels at our Fulfillment Centers in select markets to better prepare for the future needs of customers. This decision was not made lightly, and were working closely with affected associates to help them understand what career options may be available at other Walmart locations. The facility is not closing.

One neighbor told us this latest round of cuts makes him happy he didn't get a job he applied for at Walmart.

"It's a little concerning, to be honest. It's the reason I took my current job, anyway. It's hard to be laid off when you're considered an independent contractor," said David Janney of Hellertown.

Workers first received word of cuts back in February. 69 News has learned they were offered 90 days' pay, so they could search for other jobs. We're told they will be eligible for severance pay, too.
WEST EASTON, Pa. - A multi-alarm fire ravaged an industrial complex in West Easton, Northampton County on Tuesday.

It was first reported around 5 a.m., and crews quickly struck three alarms, later upgraded to four, to get dozens of crews to the scene.

The fire burned for hours, as flames and thick smoke could be seen for miles, until it was declared under control around 10:30 a.m., said William Bogari, West Easton fire chief.

The fire was fought completely from the outside, as it was too dangerous for crews to enter the building, the chief said. Crews initially had trouble establishing a water supply, so they pumped in water from the Lehigh River.

"There's nothing inside this building that's worth the life of a firefighter," Bogari said.

The next step is bringing in excavators to help open up the building and clear some of the collapsed roof so that firefighters can put out hot spots.

The building did not have any fire suppression systems, like a sprinkler system, the chief said.

The fire tore through the warehouse at 1550 Lehigh Drive, which housed multiple businesses. Some of the businesses have hazardous waste or hazardous materials inside, like a medical waste company, so hazmat teams are monitoring conditions in and around the building, said Bogari.

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection is monitoring the air quality, and as of midday Tuesday, there are no concerns.

As for water contamination, the chief said crews have put booms, or barriers, in place on parts of the property to prevent any potentially hazardous materials from going into the Lehigh River.

The chief said some nearby residents may have yellow or brown water or low pressure because of the fire hydrants being used.

Several residents reported hearing explosion sounds, which Bogari said were small propane tanks. There are no concerns about larger tanks on the property.

A shelter-in-place order was briefly in place around daybreak, but that has since been lifted, the chief said. There have been no evacuation orders.

Thousands were also without electricity for hours as Met-Ed crews were asked to cut power in the area to protect firefighters.

Power was restored to all, except for the complex, by noon, Met-Ed said.

There were no injuries.

"Nobody got hurt, that's the main concern, all of the folks that were here are going to get to go home," Bogari said.

Pennsylvania State Police are heading the investigation into what sparked the fire.
BRUSSELS (AP)  Finland joined the NATO military alliance Tuesday, dealing a major blow to Russian President Vladimir Putin with a historic realignment of Europe's post-Cold War security landscape triggered by Moscows invasion of Ukraine.

The Nordic country's membership doubles Russias border with the worlds biggest security alliance. Finland had adopted neutrality after its defeat by the Soviets in World War II, but its leaders signaled they wanted to join NATO after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine sent a shiver of fear through its neighbors.

The era of nonalignment in our history has come to an end - a new era begins, President Sauli Niinisto said before his countrys blue-and-white flag was raised outside NATO headquarters. A short distance away, outside the security fence, a few dozen people wrapped in flags of their own chanted, Ukraine needs NATO.

In praising Finland's membership, U.S. President Joe Biden noted it came on the 74th anniversary of the signing of NATO's founding treaty on April 4, 1949.

When Putin launched his brutal war of aggression against the people of Ukraine, he thought he could divide Europe and NATO. He was wrong, Biden said in a statement. Today, we are more united than ever. And together  strengthened by our newest ally, Finland  we will continue to preserve transatlantic security, defend every inch of NATO territory, and meet any and all challenges we face.

The move is a strategic and political setback for Putin, who has long complained about NATOs expansion toward Russia and partly used that as a justification for the invasion.

Im tempted to say this is maybe the one thing that we can thank Mr. Putin for because he once again here precipitated something he claims to want to prevent by Russias aggression, causing many countries to believe that they have to do more to look out for their own defense and to make sure that they can deter possible Russian aggression going forward, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said before accepting the documents that made Finlands membership official.

The U.S. State Department is the repository of NATO texts concerning membership.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sent his congratulations to Finland, writing on Telegram that amid Russian aggression, the Alliance became the only effective guarantee of security in the region.

Russia warned it would be forced to take retaliatory measures to address what it called security threats created by Finlands membership. It had also warned it would bolster forces near Finland if NATO sends any additional troops or equipment to what is its 31st member country.

The alliance says it poses no threat to Moscow.

Alarmed by Moscow's invasion of Ukraine last year, Finland, which shares a 1,340 kilometer (832 mile) border with Russia, applied to join in May, seeking protection under the organizations security umbrella.

Russia tried to create a sphere around them and, well, we are not a sphere. Im sure that Finns themselves feel more secure, that we are living in a more stable world, Niinisto said.

Neighboring Sweden, which has avoided military alliances for more than 200 years, has also applied. But objections from NATO members Turkey and Hungary have delayed the process.

Niinisto said Finlands membership "is not complete without that of Sweden. The persistent efforts for a rapid Swedish membership continue. Finland even gave its ratification of Sweden's application to Blinken as it joined.

In Stockholm, Swedish Defense Minister Pal Jonson congratulated Finland and said he believed it would improve Swedens security but added that its no secret that we would like to have concluded it hand-in-hand.

Earlier, Russia's Foreign Ministry said Moscow "will be forced to take military-technical and other retaliatory measures to counter the threats to our national security arising from Finlands accession to NATO.

It said Finland's move marks "a fundamental change in the situation in Northern Europe, which had previously been one of the most stable regions in the world.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Finlands membership reflects the alliances anti-Russian course and warned that Moscow will respond depending on what weapons NATO allies place there. But he also sought to play down the impact, noting that Russia has no territorial disputes with Finland.

It's not clear what additional military resources Russia could send to the Finnish border. Moscow has deployed the bulk of its most capable military units to Ukraine.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said no more troops would be sent to Finland unless it asked for help.

The country is now protected by what Stoltenberg called NATO's iron-clad security guarantee, under which all member countries vow to come to the defense of any ally that comes under attack.

But Stoltenberg refused to rule out the possibility of holding more military exercises there and said that NATO would not allow Russias demands to dictate the organizations decisions.

We are constantly assessing our posture, our presence. We have more exercises, we have more presence, also in the Nordic area, he said.

In 1939 and 1940, Finlands tiny, ill-equipped forces fought in what became known as the Winter War against the Soviet Union. Over an exceptionally cold winter, Finnish fighters, sometimes cloaked in white bedsheets for camouflage and typically moving unseen on foot, snowshoes and skis, lost some territory to Moscow but forced out the invaders.

Finland says it can muster a 280,000-strong fighting force, built on near-universal male conscription and a large, well-trained reserve, equipped with modern artillery, warplanes and tanks. The country of 5.5 million joined the European Union in 1995,

Finland's Parliament, meanwhile, said its website was hit with a so-called denial-of-service attack, which made the site hard to use, with many pages not loading and some functions not available.

A pro-Russian hacker group known as NoName057 (16) claimed responsibility, saying the attack was retaliation for Finland joining NATO. The claim could not be immediately verified.

The hacker group, which has reportedly acted on Moscows orders, has taken part in a slew of cyberattacks on the U.S. and its allies in the past. Finnish public broadcaster YLE said the same group hit the Parliament's site last year.

Associated Press writers David Keyton in Stockholm, Sweden, and Jari Tanner in Helsinki contributed.

Follow AP's coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
NEW YORK (AP)  Former President Donald Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, according to several news reports.

He entered the plea Tuesday during a brief arraignment in a lower Manhattan courtroom as prosecutors unsealed a grand jury indictment.

The charges stem from a hush money payment to a porn actor during Trump's 2016 campaign.

A stone-faced Trump entered the courtroom shortly before 2:30 p.m. without saying anything.

Live updates here:

***
JERUSALEM (AP)  Israeli police stormed into the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalems Old City early Wednesday, firing stun grenades at Palestinian youths who hurled firecrackers at them in a burst of violence during a sensitive holiday season. Gaza militants responded with rocket fire on southern Israel, prompting an Israeli airstrike.

The fighting, coming as Muslims mark the holiday month of Ramadan and Jews prepare to begin the Passover festival on Wednesday evening, drew Palestinian condemnations and raised fears of a wider conflagration. Similar clashes two years ago erupted into an 11-day war between Israel and Hamas. The Israeli military said one soldier was shot in a separate incident in the occupied West Bank.

The mosque sits on a sensitive hilltop compound holy to both Jews and Muslims. Al-Aqsa is the third-holiest site in Islam and is typically packed with worshippers during Ramadan. The spot, known to Jews as the Temple Mount, is also the holiest site in Judaism, who revere it as the location of the biblical Jewish temples. The conflicting claims fuel constant tensions that have spilled over to violence numerous times in the past.

The official Palestinian news agency Wafa said that dozens of worshippers who were spending the night praying were injured in the police raid.

Israeli police said they moved in after several law-breaking youths and masked agitators brought fireworks, sticks and stones and barricaded themselves into the mosque. Police said the youths chanted violent slogans and locked the front doors.

After many and prolonged attempts to get them out by talking to no avail, police forces were forced to enter the compound in order to get them out, police said.

Video released by police showed the repeated explosions of fireworks inside the mosque. One amateur video taken by Palestinians showed police scuffling with people and beating them with clubs and rifle butts as a womans voice could be heard shouting, Oh God. Oh God.

Outside the gate, police dispersed groups of youths with stun grenades and rubber bullets.

Police said one officer was injured in the leg, while dozens of people were arrested.

Talab Abu Eisha, 49, said more than 400 men, women and children were praying at Al-Aqsa when the police encircled the mosque.

The youths were afraid and started closing the doors, he said, adding that police forces stormed the eastern corner, beating and arresting men there.

It was an unprecedented scene of violence in terms of police brutality and intention to hurt the youths, he said, denying police claims that young men were hiding fireworks and rocks. He added that the police prevented all men under 50 years old from passing through the Old Citys gates leading to the compound for the dawn prayers Wednesday morning.

Palestinian militants responded by firing a barrage of rockets from Gaza into southern Israel, setting off air raid sirens in the region as residents were preparing for the beginning of the weeklong Passover holiday.

The Israeli military said a total of five rockets were fired, and all were intercepted. Hours later, Israel responded with an airstrike in Gaza. There were no immediate details on the target.

Tensions have been steadily rising since Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus new far-right government took office late last year. The government is dominated by religious and ultranationalist hard-liners, and the overlap of the Jewish and Muslim holidays  when tens of thousands of worshippers make their way to contested Jerusalem  has raised fears of violence.

The police force is overseen by Itamar Ben-Gvir, an ultranationalist with a history of violent rhetoric against the Palestinians.

In Gaza, Hamas called for large protests and people started gathering in the streets, with calls to head for the heavily guarded Gaza-Israel frontier for more violent demonstrations.

The Palestinian militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad also called for Palestinian residents of Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Israel to go and gather around Al-Aqsa Mosque and confront Israeli forces.

In the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian leadership condemned the attack on the worshippers. The spokesman of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Nabil Abu Rudeineh, warned Israel that such a move exceeds all red lines and will lead to a large explosion."

The government of Jordan, which serves as the custodian of the mosque, condemned the Israeli raid in the strongest terms. The Foreign Ministry warned of the consequences of this dangerous escalation and held Israel responsible for the safety of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque.

As violence was unfolding in Jerusalem, the Israeli military reported fighting in a Palestinian town in the occupied West Bank. It said residents of Beit Umar, near the volatile city of Hebron, burned tires, hurled rocks and explosives at soldiers. It said one soldier was shot by armed suspects, who managed to flee.

Earlier on Tuesday, a Palestinian suspect stabbed two Israelis near an army base south of Tel Aviv, police said, in the latest incident in a yearlong spate of violence that shows no sign of abating.

The Magen David Adom paramedic service said first responders treated two men for serious and light stab wounds in the incident on a highway near the Tzrifin military base. The men were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.

Israeli media identified the two victims as soldiers.

Police said that civilians at the scene apprehended the suspected attacker, who was taken into police custody for questioning.

Israeli-Palestinian violence has surged over the last year, as the Israeli military has carried out near-nightly raids on Palestinian cities, towns and villages and as Palestinians have staged numerous attacks against Israelis.

At least 88 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire this year, according to an Associated Press tally. Palestinian attacks against Israelis have killed 15 people in the same period.

Israel says most of the Palestinians killed were militants. But stone-throwing youths and bystanders uninvolved in violence were also among the dead. All but one of the Israeli dead were civilians.

Akram reported from Gaza City, Gaza Strip.
The five-star musical returns

Molly Osborne, Jamie Parker and the show artwork

( Centre: David Gordon, left and right: provided by the production)

After a successful limited run in 2019, F Scott Fitzgerald's The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is set to return as a new musical production at the Southwark Playhouse Elephant in London from 22 May to 31 July 2023.

The musical takes place in a sleepy fishing harbor on the north coast of Cornwall and tells the story of Benjamin Button, born as an old man in rather unusual circumstances.

The production is brought to the stage by a group of esteemed theatrical production companies, including ATG Productions, GBA, Gavin Kalin Productions, Eilene Davidson Productions, and Jethro Compton Productions.

The new production will feature WhatsOnStage and Olivier Award winner Jamie Parker and Molly Osborne (Indecent) in the leading roles of Benjamin Button and Elowen Keene.

They will be joined by a 12-strong actor-musician ensemble, including Matthew Burns, Jonathan Charles, Oonagh Cox, Anna Fordham, Philippa Hogg, Damien James, Ann Marcuson, Jack Quarton, Benedict Salter, and Tonny Shim.

The original limited run of the musical in 2019 received critical and audience acclaim. Compton said: Im thrilled to be bringing this story back to London. Southwark Playhouse has been a home to me for almost 15 years, and to have the chance to return with this new production of Button, in their new venue, feels like the perfect homecoming. Its a show about time, and home, and love  things that Im sure have new meaning for most of us after these years of uncertainty.

I have so much love for the 2019 production. It was a scrappy little show, produced on a shoestring, with an enormous amount of heart. The last four years have given us time to let the story and the music grow and develop. But for those who loved what we made in 2019, dont worry  the heart of that scrappy little show is very much alive.

Penned by Compton and Darren Clark, it is directed by Compton who also designs the stage, with choreography and movement by Chi-San Howard, co-music supervision by Mark Aspinall and Darren Clark, costumes and associate stage design by Anna Kelsey, sound by Luke Swaffield, and musical direction by Mark Aspinall.
God, that's brilliant!

The artwork for Operation Mincemeat

( Operation Mincemeat)

Sony Music has announced that the full original London cast recording of Operation Mincemeat  A New Musical will be released next month.

Operation Mincemeat is a fast-paced true story of a well-dressed corpse that wrong-footed Hitler in 1943. It started previewing at the West End's Fortune Theatre last Friday. The limited 8-week run will begin on 9 May, following the hugely successful 33-year run of The Woman In Black.

Produced by Grammy Award winning and Tony, Emmy, Olivier award nominated Steve Sidwell, the album features recordings from the 2023 Off-West End award-winning cast. The cast includes David Cumming, Claire-Marie Hall, Natasha Hodgson, Jak Malone and Zoe Roberts, alongside an in-house band.

The director is Robert Hastie, supported by Olivier Award nominated Jenny Arnold, who continues as choreographer. Also on the creative team are set and costume designer 2023 Olivier Award nominated Ben Stones, lighting designer Tony Award, six-time Olivier Award and Bafta Award winning Mark Henderson, sound designer Olivier Award winning Mike Walker, orchestrator and vocal arranger Grammy Award winning and award nominated Steve Sidwell and associate director Georgie Staight.

Operation Mincemeat is written and composed by Cumming, Felix Hagan, Hodgson and Roberts, who form SpitLip. The show is presented in the West End by Avalon (in association with SpitLip), who have supported the show since the Southwark Playhouse runs. The show was commissioned by New Diorama Theatre, co-commissioned by the Lowry, and supported by the Rhinebeck Writers Retreat with additional support from Avalon.

Released on Friday 12 May 2023, the album will be available on CD, vinyl, streaming, and digital platforms and is currently available for pre-order.

Alongside the album release, the new track "Sail On, Boys" has been launched today. Fans were given the opportunity to vote for their four favourite songs, which will be released ahead of the album. "Sail On, Boys" is the second song to be released, following the first track "God Thats Brilliant". Two additional fan favourites, "All the Ladies" and "Das Ubermensch", will be released soon.

The track listing is as follows:
By Joey Roulette

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Virgin Orbit Holdings Inc, founded by billionaire Richard Branson, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Tuesday after the satellite launching business struggled to secure long-term funding following a failed launch in January.

The filing comes less than two years after Virgin Orbit went public at a valuation of roughly $3 billion. But the January mishap left the company scrambling for new funding and forced it to halt operations.

"We believe that the Chapter 11 process represents the best path forward to identify and finalize an efficient and value-maximizing sale," Virgin Orbit Chief Executive Dan Hart said in a statement.

The company, which was spun off from space tourism firm Virgin Galactic in 2017, sends satellites into orbit using rockets launched from a modified Boeing 747 plane.

The Long Beach, California-based company lodged the filing seeking a sale of its assets in a Delaware court days after announcing the laying off of roughly 85% of its 750 employees.

Virgin Orbit listed assets of about $243 million and total debt at $153.5 million as of Sept. 30. The company went public in December 2021 through a blank-check merger, raising $255 million less than expected.

The company was valued at $65 million at the close of trading on Monday. On Tuesday, its shares shed 23% to close at a mere 15 cents each.

The company's sixth mission in January using its centerpiece LauncherOne rocket, the first rocket launch out of Britain, failed to reach orbit, sending its payload of commercial and defence-related research satellites plunging into the ocean.

The mishap involving the UK's Cornwall Spaceport forced the company to halt operations and furlough nearly all of its employees in March to conserve cash.

Tony Gingiss, who until Monday was Virgin Orbit's chief operating officer, apologized in an email to employees, saying company leadership should have had more time to keep the company running.

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"I'm sorry we didn't act sooner and avoid surprising you," he wrote. "I'm sorry that I was not able to convince our leader and board to take a different path to give us more time to figure things out."

BUSINESS MODELVirgin Orbit was set up to launch small rockets and offer short-notice launches from anywhere, including for tactical military purposes, addressing a need highlighted by the conflict in Ukraine.

But demand for larger launch rockets and more cost-effective shared payload launches into space on SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket over the past two years raised the competitive stakes.

Venture investments in space startups have dropped 50% year-over-year in 2022 to $21.9 billion, according to VC firm Space Capital, as the cost of capital has increased with global interest rate hikes.

"The changing capital markets and higher interest rate environment made obtaining new capital difficult," Hart said in a court declaration. The company also is experiencing "heavy pricing pressure from well-capitalized competitors in the commercial launch market," he said.

Two satellite makers that lost high-tech payloads in the failed January launch, Britain's Space Forge and Poland's SatRev, in which Virgin Orbit owns 4%, said they had backup plans for alternative launch vehicles as needed.

VIRGIN GROUP FUNDING

Branson's Virgin Group, which owns roughly 75% of the launch company, said it had invested over $1 billion in the unit, including $60 million in secured loans since November.

Abu Dhabi's sovereign wealth fund Mubadala is the second-biggest investor with a 17.9% stake.

Virgin Investments, a unit of Virgin Group, will provide $31.6 million to Virgin Orbit while it looks for a buyer, the companies said. The company is retaining about 100 employees to allow operations to resume if it finds a rescuer, according to a regulatory filing.

Despite the success of his travel and telecommunications businesses, Branson has been associated with a number of high-profile business failures in a career dating to the 1970s.

Reuters reported last month that Texas-based Matthew Brown had been in talks to invest $200 million in Virgin Orbit. Those talks collapsed, sources told Reuters last week.

Virgin Orbit's largest creditor is London-based Arqit Ltd, which was owed almost $10 million for services and as a customer deposit, the filing showed.

Arqit declined to comment.

The U.S. Space Force, part of the American military, was Virgin Orbit's second-largest creditor with a deposit of almost $6.8 million for future launches. It had no immediate comment.

(Reporting by Joey Roulette in Washington, Jahnavi Nidumolu in Bengaluru, Kevin Krolicki in Singapore, Krystal Hu in New York, Joanna Plucinska in London and Tim Hepher in ParisEditing by Jonathan Oatis and Matthew Lewis)
HANOVER, Pa., April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- BriteLife Recovery has proudly announced Dr. Jennifer Richards as their new Chief Clinical Officer. Dr. Richards has experience working in all levels of substance use disorder treatment from hospital-based detox to outpatient and has spent most of her career leading clinical teams and developing dynamic clinical programming for the organizations she has worked for.

Dr. Jennifer Richards, Chief Clinical Officer of BriteLife Recovery

"With the addition of Dr. Richards to our corporate team, I am confident that she will enhance our clinical programming, staff trainings, and overall ability to provide the best services through support, collaboration, and clinical expertise," says Matt Mantone, Chief Operating Officer at BriteLife Recovery.

After graduating from Loyola College with honors, Dr. Richards earned her doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology from George Washington University. She completed her internship and postdoctoral fellowship at the Institute for Living in Hartford, CT, focusing primarily on child and adolescent inpatient work and psychological assessment.

She served as Staff Psychologist and then Clinical Director at an SUD (Substance Use Disorder) treatment organization in Towson, MD. Under her leadership the clinical team and clinical services grew and flourished. During this time, she also taught Medical Aspects of Chemical Dependency and Substance Abuse Counseling at a local community college as an adjunct faculty member. Dr. Richards then moved into the Corporate Program Director role for a hospital-based addiction program helping to develop appropriate clinical programming for patients requiring hospital-level detox services. She is now thrilled to be joining the BriteLife team.

"I am incredibly excited to be joining the leadership team at BriteLife and look forward to cultivating an environment of clinical sophistication and excellence for those we serve," says Richards. "The synergy created when ownership and leadership are aligned provides the foundation for endless opportunities. It is clear to me that BriteLife's mission and core values are not just lip service, but truly guide decision making at all levels organization wide. I am grateful to be partnering with like-minded professionals and feel inspired to continue the work I have dedicated myself to for the past 15 years."

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About BriteLife

At BriteLife Recovery, it is our passion and our purpose to be a beacon of hope and healing that will light the way through the journey of recovery for individuals and families. We strive to be the premier choice for those suffering from substance use and co-occurring disorders by establishing an environment of care that is built on compassion and trust for our clients AND employees. We envision creating an integrated model of care, with a diverse multidisciplinary team that is committed to providing tailored treatment services with respect and dignity that ensures an exceptional client experience at every level of care.

BriteLife Recovery currently consists of two substance use disorder treatment facilities, in Hanover, PA and Hilton Head Island, SC., with plans to open several more over the next few years.

For more information, contact Ed Allen, Chief Marketing Officer at eallen@briteliferecovery.com

BriteLife Recovery (PRNewsfoto/BriteLife Recovery)

Cision

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SOURCE BriteLife Recovery
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Bukalapak, one of Indonesia's leading e-commerce companies, announced today that it has acquired a majority stake in iPrice, Southeast Asia's leading price comparison platform. Through this strategic investment, iPrice has the opportunity to accelerate its growth by leveraging the synergies between the two groups.

As e-commerce in Southeast Asia has been growing rapidly over the last decade individual verticals have become big enough to specialize in. Observing this trend, Bukalapak decided to shift its focus from competing head-to-head with other marketplaces, to building or acquiring niche marketplaces and accelerating their growth.

Over the last 8 years, iPrice has been building such a niche marketplace. Its relentless focus on the price-conscious consumers earned it a loyal place in Southeast Asia's shoppers' hearts. In 2022, it helped more than 100 million consumers across 7 countries in SouthEast Asia save money. Its proprietary technology surfaces the best deals and discounts from more than 8 billion offers in a market featuring a vast array of sale events and hard to navigate discount mechanisms.

"I've known David and the team for years and have always been excited about their work, then recently the opportunity emerged to work together more closely," said Willix Halim, CEO of Bukalapak. "With Bukalapak's extensive expertise in e-commerce and iPrice's loyal userbase and proprietary technology, we are confident that we can unlock the platform's full potential."

The team has always been the first priority for iPrice when finding a suitable partner to unlock future growth

iPrice investors, amongst them Itochu and Naver, welcome the deal. The rapidly cooling fundraising market of last year forced iPrice to scale back on several aspects of its business and downsize the team substantially. It transformed to explore new ways to grow the businesses cost-effectively. This transition will now be accelerated by Bukalapak group's footing in a diverse set of verticals opening up many new opportunities.

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Heinrich Wendel, Co-founder of iPrice, said, "We are excited to join forces with Bukalapak and benefit from the group's synergies. This partnership will allow us to expand our services to help even more users save money across new verticals, like Gaming, and geographies, like Australia."

iPrice will continue to operate as an independent entity, maintaining its neutral position towards users, and working with a broad set of merchants and sellers.

About iPrice Group

iPrice Group is Southeast Asia's leading online shopping companion, serving more than 125m unique users across eight countries/regions namely Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam, Hong Kong SAR,& Australia. With a mission to "Help People Save Money", iPrice aids shoppers by comparing prices, promotions & seller discounts across its vast catalogue of 8bn offers from thousands of sellers & merchants.

About Bukalapak

BUKA is a group of tech-based companies and a technology super-enabler for Indonesia's MSME transformation and various business verticals.

Building on our heritage serving more than 110 million users and over 22 million Indonesian MSMEs through our various solutions, and as the first publicly-listed Indonesian technology company, we are now focused squarely on using technology to enable today's digital lifestyles for both Indonesian MSMEs as well as Indonesians in general, across numerous verticals from marketplace, finance and fintech, offline to online, merchant solutions and procurement.

Utilizing our more than a decade long of technology innovation for Indonesian consumers and businesses, BUKA is a tech enabler and fuel of Indonesia's digital transformation engine.

For more information on BUKA, visit about.bukalapak.com

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A man has been arrested for his 7th OWI offense after someone reported seeing a truck drive into a ditch along US Highway 12.

Chad C. Catlin, 51, Fitchburg, is facing his seventh charge of operating while intoxicated in Sauk County. He is also charged with possession of narcotic drugs.

Online records show Catlin remains in custody at the Sauk County Jail. His cash bond was set at $10,000 at his initial appearance on March 17.

If found guilty Catlin could face up to 7 years in prison and 5 years of extended supervision for OWI. If he is found guilty on the narcotic drugs count he could face 1 years in prison followed by up to 2 years of extended supervision.

He is facing misdemeanor counts of resisting or obstructing an officer, operating while revoked and possession of drug paraphernalia.

According to the criminal complaint:

A Sauk County Sheriffs deputy was advised of a traffic complaint on US Highway 12 near County Highway C. A red pickup truck with a snowplow allegedly went into a ditch and then backed out.

While heading to the scene the deputy received updated information that the truck was on Ski Hi Road driving in the oncoming traffic lane. The deputy saw the truck on Highway 12 and allegedly observed the vehicle in the left lane but was crossing the fog line and then cross into the right lane.

The deputy initiated the traffic stop at 1:28 p.m. on March 16 on Highway 12 in the town of Baraboo. They explained to Catlin, who initially gave a false name, his poor driving behavior and crossing the fog line and center line of the road.

There was no odor of intoxicants coming from Catlin but the deputy reported Catlin had difficulty answering questions. Catlin said he was coming from Madison, was tired and recently was plowing snow.

Catlin told the deputy and another officer that arrived on scene that he had nothing to drink or taken any illegal drugs and he agreed to perform field sobriety tests. Catlin allegedly attempted to exit the vehicle with his seatbelt on at that point.

The deputy reported the test had to be stopped because they thought Catlin would fall over during the test. EMS personnel arrived on scene because Catlin said he was diabetic. Catlin was given a dose of nasal Narcan by a paramedic and Narcan was administered through an IV in the ambulance.

Narcan is a medicine used to reverse an opioid overdose. Paramedics reported Catlin was more talkative after being given the Narcan.

Catlin was transported to a hospital and a blood alcohol kit was used and two vials of blood were drawn from Catlin. He was then transported to the Sauk County Jail.

While in custody Catlins vehicle was searched. Officers allegedly found drug paraphernalia and an unknown substance which later tested positive for heroin.

The criminal complaint includes a list of prior OWI convictions according to state records which show Catlin was first convicted of OWI in 1990 and his sixth, most recent conviction was in 2019.

Catlin is scheduled to be back in Sauk County Court on April 28 for a pre-trial conference.
Wisconsins installment of a unique national art contest has been going on in Necedah since 1996, and a resident of a Madison suburb is its most recent winner.

The Federal Junior Duck Stamp Conservation and Design Contest in Wisconsin is hosted by the Necedah National Wildlife Refuge, and this years Best Of Show winner is Sarah Waterworth, a 16-year-old resident of Oregon, Wisconsin, and student at Oregon High School. Her winning painting depicts a redheaded duck perched near a body of water, titled Redhead on a Log.

According to the release announcing Waterworths honor, the contest received 473 entries that were judged by a group including three members of the Necedah National Wildlife Refuge. Additional judges were from the Oh! Arts Cooperative in Mauston and the Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge.

Waterworths entry, along with 35 others, will be showcased in two traveling displays across the state in May, according to the release. Her entry is also going to the national Federal Duck Stamp Contest at the National Conservation Training Center in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. More than 50 pieces of waterfowl artwork from across the country were entered into the contest.

Katie Goodwin, Necedah National Wildlife Refuges Visitor Services Manager, discussed the contest in further detail from a local perspective.

Necedah, other Wisconsin national wildlife refuges, state school districts, home schools, youth groups, and environmental educators use this programs curriculum as a way to connect students to nature through studying waterfowl and wetlands, said Goodwin in an email.

Wisconsin Duck Stamp Contest Info Anyone interested in getting involved with next year's Wisconsin Federal Junior Duck Stamp Conservation and Design Contest or the Necedah National Wildlife Refuge can contact Katie Goodwin at katie_goodwin@fws.gov or (608) 565-4403.

She further explained that students enrolled in the program learn about the needs of water-dwelling birds through hands-on activities, research, and outdoor field trips. Lessons learned from these activities then inspire artwork, which she described as a visual term paper.

Staff and volunteers at Necedah NWR love spring because it means spring migration brings more birds back to the refuge and Junior Duck Stamp artwork arrives, she said in her email. Necedah is just one of many dedicated sites with mentors that love sharing nature with the public.

Contributors to the contest in Wisconsin include the Necedah National Wildlife Refuge and its support group, the Friends of Necedah NWR, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Office of Migratory Birds, and schools, environmental educators, volunteers, and artist mentors across the state.

Goodwin explained that the national Federal Duck Stamp Program began in 1989 as an extension of the Migratory Bird Conservation and Hunting Stamp. The Junior Duck Stamp Conservation and Design Contest began four years later with eight states participating. By 2000, all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories were participants.

The U.S. Congress recognized the program in 1994 with the Junior Duck Stamp Conservation and Design Program Act, which authorizes the contest for schoolchildren and licenses and markets winning designs.

Any school-age student who is a U.S. citizen or resident alien can enter the contest. Students with entries are split into four groups by age. Waterworth is in Group 4, which is for students in grades 10-12 (15 to 18 years old). The other three groups are for kindergarten through third grade (Group 1), fourth through sixth grades (Group 2), and seventh through ninth grades (Group 3).
HP Inc. (NYSE:HPQ  Get Rating) CEO Enrique Lores sold 38,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Monday, April 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.51, for a total value of $1,121,380.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 766,268 shares in the company, valued at $22,612,568.68. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Enrique Lores also recently made the following trade(s):

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On Tuesday, January 3rd, Enrique Lores sold 34,000 shares of HP stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.13, for a total value of $922,420.00.

HP Trading Up 1.8 %

HPQ stock traded up $0.54 during trading on Monday, reaching $29.89. The stock had a trading volume of 6,125,250 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,301,169. HP Inc. has a 52 week low of $24.08 and a 52 week high of $41.47. The stocks 50 day moving average is $28.95 and its two-hundred day moving average is $28.00. The firm has a market cap of $29.45 billion, a PE ratio of 11.69, a PEG ratio of 3.28 and a beta of 1.01.

HP Announces Dividend

HP ( NYSE:HPQ Get Rating ) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 28th. The computer maker reported $0.75 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.74 by $0.01. HP had a negative return on equity of 141.20% and a net margin of 4.36%. The company had revenue of $13.83 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.17 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.10 earnings per share. HPs revenue was down 18.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that HP Inc. will post 3.27 EPS for the current year.

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 5th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 8th will be given a dividend of $0.2625 per share. This represents a $1.05 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.51%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 7th. HPs dividend payout ratio is currently 41.83%.

Institutional Trading of HP

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. New England Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in HP by 11,092.9% during the 2nd quarter. New England Asset Management Inc. now owns 16,484,459 shares of the computer makers stock valued at $540,361,000 after buying an additional 16,337,183 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley lifted its stake in shares of HP by 22.5% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 14,639,525 shares of the computer makers stock worth $393,364,000 after acquiring an additional 2,686,976 shares during the last quarter. LSV Asset Management lifted its stake in shares of HP by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 14,165,046 shares of the computer makers stock worth $352,993,000 after acquiring an additional 139,712 shares during the last quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of HP by 114,461.5% during the 4th quarter. Moneta Group Investment Advisors LLC now owns 11,538,630 shares of the computer makers stock worth $310,043,000 after acquiring an additional 11,528,558 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UBS Asset Management Americas Inc. lifted its stake in shares of HP by 13.6% during the 3rd quarter. UBS Asset Management Americas Inc. now owns 8,264,928 shares of the computer makers stock worth $205,962,000 after acquiring an additional 990,157 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 79.68% of the companys stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have commented on the company. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on HP from $24.00 to $28.00 and gave the stock an underweight rating in a report on Tuesday, February 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein dropped their target price on HP from $30.00 to $29.00 in a report on Monday, January 9th. Bank of America dropped their target price on HP from $27.00 to $26.00 in a report on Wednesday, March 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on HP in a report on Monday, March 20th. They issued a neutral rating and a $26.00 target price on the stock. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on HP from $27.00 to $30.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a report on Wednesday, March 1st. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and ten have issued a hold rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $29.19.

About HP

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HP Inc provides products, technologies, software, solutions, and services to individual consumers, small- and medium-sized businesses, and large enterprises, including customers in the government, health, and education sectors worldwide. It operates through Personal Systems and Printing segments. The Personal Systems segment offers commercial personal computers (PCs), consumer PCs, workstations, thin clients, commercial tablets and mobility devices, retail point-of-sale systems, displays and other related accessories, software, support, and services for the commercial and consumer markets.

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CNO Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:CNO  Get Rating) insider Scott L. Goldberg sold 3,648 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Monday, April 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $22.50, for a total transaction of $82,080.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 157,378 shares of the companys stock, valued at $3,541,005. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website.

CNO Financial Group Stock Up 1.4 %

Shares of CNO Financial Group stock traded up $0.31 during trading on Monday, reaching $22.50. The company had a trading volume of 1,111,650 shares, compared to its average volume of 971,616. The company has a market cap of $2.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.58 and a beta of 1.15. The firms fifty day moving average is $24.12 and its 200-day moving average is $22.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.98, a quick ratio of 0.19 and a current ratio of 0.19. CNO Financial Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $16.56 and a fifty-two week high of $26.35.

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CNO Financial Group (NYSE:CNO  Get Rating) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 7th. The financial services provider reported $0.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts consensus estimates of $0.56. The business had revenue of $973.60 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $910.10 million. CNO Financial Group had a net margin of 11.09% and a return on equity of 12.74%. The companys revenue for the quarter was down 9.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.87 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that CNO Financial Group, Inc. will post 2.69 EPS for the current year.

CNO Financial Group Announces Dividend

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 10th were paid a $0.14 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 9th. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.49%. CNO Financial Groups dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 16.62%.

CNO has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on shares of CNO Financial Group from $26.00 to $28.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Thursday, February 9th. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of CNO Financial Group in a research report on Thursday, March 16th. They issued a hold rating for the company. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of CNO Financial Group from $25.00 to $26.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research report on Friday, February 24th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price objective on shares of CNO Financial Group from $23.00 to $25.00 and gave the company a hold rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 21st. Finally, Piper Sandler reissued a neutral rating and issued a $23.00 price objective on shares of CNO Financial Group in a research report on Wednesday, February 8th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $25.50.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CNO Financial Group

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Wipfli Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in CNO Financial Group during the third quarter worth about $25,000. Householder Group Estate & Retirement Specialist LLC acquired a new stake in CNO Financial Group during the third quarter worth about $27,000. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd raised its stake in CNO Financial Group by 365.6% during the third quarter. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd now owns 1,676 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 1,316 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in CNO Financial Group during the third quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc raised its stake in CNO Financial Group by 250.3% during the third quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 1,310 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 936 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.15% of the companys stock.

About CNO Financial Group

(Get Rating)

CNO Financial Group, Inc is an insurance holding company, which engages in developing, marketing, and administering health insurance, annuity, individual life insurance and other insurance products. It operates through the following segments: Bankers Life, Washington National, and Colonial Penn. The Bankers Life segment markets and distributes medicare supplement insurance, interest-sensitive life insurance, traditional life insurance, fixed annuities and long-term care insurance products to the middle-income senior market through a dedicated field force of career agents and sales managers supported by a network of community-based sales offices.

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Right now, were at the cusp of a world-changing shift in the green energy economy, as both social and political will have come together to promote a switch from traditional fossil fuels to sustainable and environmentally friendly energy sources. For investors, this shift can open up new vistas of opportunity.

Morgan Stanleys Andrew Percoco believes that the opportunity in clean energy is substantial. The analyst maintains a constructive view of energy renewables, and picked out two stocks that show potential for 100% upside or better. Percoco is not alone in his bullish stance on these stocks according to the analyst consensus, both are also rated as Strong Buys.

For risk-tolerant investors seeking to double their money, these stocks may warrant further consideration.

Stem, Inc. (STEM)

The first Morgan Stanley pick well look at is Stem, an interesting clean energy play that combines renewable power and energy storage with artificial intelligence. Stem offers a product line of smart battery systems and an AI-powered platform to optimize the connections between on-site power generation, grid power, and stored power. The companys customers can leverage the system and potentially save between 10% and 30% on their energy utility bills.

Stems Athena platform is billed as the most utilized system in its class. The AI has been trained through tens of millions of runtime hours, making it the most effective software of its kind. Stems platform is available around the world, and the companys footprint extends across 75 jurisdictions globally, and Athena is in use with more than 200,000 solar sites, managing over 25 gigawatts of solar assets. Stem estimates that its addressable market can grow to $1.2 trillion by 2050.

Stem is already showing strong growth, and in 2022 the company recorded a total of $363 million in revenue, up 186% year-over-year and a company record. At the quarterly level, the companys $156 million top line was up 194% y/y. However, the market analysts had predicted $166 million in revenues for the quarter, and the 2023 full-year guidance, set at $550 million to $650 million, was below the consensus forecast of $647 million at the mid-point.

Story continues

Shares of Stem are down 51% over the last 12 months, but that hasnt discouraged Morgan Stanleys Andrew Percoco who writes: We continue to see STEMs software-focused strategy as a favorable way to play the energy storage market and as a long-term growth driver that is greatly underappreciated in the stocks current 20% discount to energy storage peers We view STEM as a key beneficiary of an improving battery supply chain and see an attractive cross-sell opportunity between its legacy storage business and solar monitoring business

These comments back up Percocos Overweight (i.e. Buy) rating on Stem shares, and his $12 price target implies a robust 103% one-year upside potential.

The Morgan Stanley view is hardly the only positive take on Stem. The company has 8 recent reviews from the Streets analysts, including 7 Buys and 1 Hold, for a Strong Buy consensus rating. Overall, the $5.91 current trading price and the $13.63 average price target indicate ~131% upside for the stock in the next 12 months. (See STEM stock forecast)

Sunnova Energy International (NOVA)

The second Morgan Stanley choice is Sunnova Energy, one of the leaders in the solar power field. Sunnovas operations include every aspect of the solar installation process, starting with the rooftop panel installations to the home power system connections to the power storage batteries. The company also provides full back-up services to its products, offering repairs, modifications, and parts replacement as needed. Sunnova even provides financing assistance and insurance for its customers.

Sunnovas footprint encompasses 40 US states, and the company has more than 279,400 active customers on the books. The company serves its customers through a wide network of dealers, sub-dealers, and builders, currently totaling more than 1,100 providers. In the final quarter of 2022, Sunnova added 33,000 new customers, capping a whole-year gain of 87,000. Sunnova expects to continue adding customers in 2023, and has projected between 115,000 and 125,000 adds for this year.

Getting to the 4Q22 and full-year financial results, Sunnova reported strong year-over-year quarterly growth. Revenues expanded from $65 million to $195.6 million, a gain of 200%  and even that may understate the revenue strength, as the top line beat expectations by more than $55 million. Quarterly EPS came in at a net loss, of 18 cents, but that net loss was 26 cents better than the forecast 44-cent EPS loss.

Morgan Stanley analyst Andrew Percoco likes the risk/reward that Sunnova shares currently offer, despite acknowledging their potential for volatility

We like NOVAs exposure to a vastly under-penetrated market (4% of US homes), with strong long-term growth prospects. Several near-term risks are present, including a potential prolonged slowdown in demand from policy changes in California, and its exposure to a potentially volatile financing environment, which may put pressure on the stock. That being said, we see this as an attractive buying opportunity for those willing to accept near-term volatility, as the stock is trading below the value of its existing assets, Percoco opined.

To this end, Percoco gives NOVA shares an Overweight (i.e. Buy) rating and a $35 price target to imply a 126% potential upside for the coming year.

Overall, clean energy has become a go-to investment sector and Sunnovas 12 recent analyst reviews, favoring Buys over Holds by 10 to 2, reflect that. The Strong Buy stock has an average price target of $33.08, suggesting ~114% potential gain from the current trading price of $15.48. (See Sunnova stock forecast)

To find good ideas for stocks trading at attractive valuations, visit TipRanks Best Stocks to Buy, a tool that unites all of TipRanks equity insights.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the featured analysts. The content is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It is very important to do your own analysis before making any investment.
Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT  Get Rating) had its target price raised by SVB Leerink from $90.00 to $102.00 in a research report report published on Friday morning, Stock Target Advisor reports. SVB Leerink currently has a market perform rating on the healthcare product makers stock.

ABT has been the topic of several other research reports. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $117.00 to $133.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Friday, January 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their price target on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $125.00 to $132.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a report on Thursday, January 26th. Raymond James raised their price objective on Abbott Laboratories from $109.00 to $123.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Thursday, January 26th. StockNews.com initiated coverage on Abbott Laboratories in a research report on Thursday, March 16th. They set a buy rating for the company. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on Abbott Laboratories from $122.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Friday, January 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $122.12.

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Abbott Laboratories Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of Abbott Laboratories stock opened at $101.59 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a current ratio of 1.63. Abbott Laboratories has a 52-week low of $93.25 and a 52-week high of $124.36. The stock has a market capitalization of $176.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.98, a P/E/G ratio of 4.54 and a beta of 0.68. The companys 50 day moving average price is $103.66 and its 200-day moving average price is $104.37.

Abbott Laboratories Dividend Announcement

Abbott Laboratories ( NYSE:ABT Get Rating ) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 25th. The healthcare product maker reported $1.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.90 by $0.13. Abbott Laboratories had a net margin of 15.88% and a return on equity of 26.09%. The firm had revenue of $10.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $9.69 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.32 earnings per share. The businesss revenue was down 12.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Abbott Laboratories will post 4.38 EPS for the current year.

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 14th will be given a $0.51 dividend. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.01%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 13th. Abbott Laboratoriess dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 52.17%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Abbott Laboratories news, SVP Randel William Woodgrift sold 1,032 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $100.70, for a total transaction of $103,922.40. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 52,203 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,256,842.10. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other Abbott Laboratories news, SVP Julie L. Tyler sold 260 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.24, for a total transaction of $26,842.40. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 40,896 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,222,103.04. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Randel William Woodgrift sold 1,032 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $100.70, for a total value of $103,922.40. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 52,203 shares of the companys stock, valued at $5,256,842.10. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 1,971 shares of company stock valued at $199,140. 0.52% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Keel Point LLC boosted its stake in Abbott Laboratories by 37.8% in the 1st quarter. Keel Point LLC now owns 6,335 shares of the healthcare product makers stock worth $642,000 after purchasing an additional 1,737 shares during the period. Luts & Greenleigh Group Inc. bought a new position in Abbott Laboratories in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,533,000. Prostatis Group LLC boosted its stake in Abbott Laboratories by 781.6% in the 4th quarter. Prostatis Group LLC now owns 76,176 shares of the healthcare product makers stock worth $147,000 after purchasing an additional 67,535 shares during the period. Claro Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Abbott Laboratories by 35.6% in the 4th quarter. Claro Advisors LLC now owns 5,372 shares of the healthcare product makers stock worth $590,000 after purchasing an additional 1,409 shares during the period. Finally, Mather Group LLC. boosted its stake in Abbott Laboratories by 14.4% in the 4th quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 30,464 shares of the healthcare product makers stock worth $3,345,000 after purchasing an additional 3,842 shares during the period. 72.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Abbott Laboratories

(Get Rating)

Abbott Laboratories engages in the discovery, development, manufacture, and sale of a broad and diversified line of health care products. It operates through the following business segments: Established Pharmaceutical Products, Diagnostic Products, Nutritional Products, and Medical Devices. The Established Pharmaceutical Products segment refers to the international sales of a line of branded generic pharmaceutical products.

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ARS Investment Partners LLC lowered its position in Tanger Factory Outlet Centers, Inc. (NYSE:SKT  Get Rating) by 1.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 372,545 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock after selling 5,210 shares during the period. ARS Investment Partners LLCs holdings in Tanger Factory Outlet Centers were worth $6,683,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Tanger Factory Outlet Centers in the second quarter worth about $50,000. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new stake in Tanger Factory Outlet Centers during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $74,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. grew its holdings in Tanger Factory Outlet Centers by 683.7% during the 3rd quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 7,923 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $108,000 after buying an additional 6,912 shares in the last quarter. M&T Bank Corp raised its position in shares of Tanger Factory Outlet Centers by 6.0% during the third quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 10,623 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $144,000 after buying an additional 602 shares during the last quarter. Finally, 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Tanger Factory Outlet Centers by 5.3% in the third quarter. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 10,783 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $148,000 after buying an additional 547 shares in the last quarter. 74.61% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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Tanger Factory Outlet Centers Price Performance

Tanger Factory Outlet Centers stock traded down $0.24 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $19.41. 220,098 shares of the companys stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 931,421. Tanger Factory Outlet Centers, Inc. has a 12-month low of $13.26 and a 12-month high of $20.27. The company has a quick ratio of 2.53, a current ratio of 2.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.78. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $18.70 and a two-hundred day moving average of $17.97. The company has a market cap of $2.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.52, a PEG ratio of 7.18 and a beta of 1.82.

Tanger Factory Outlet Centers Announces Dividend

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, January 31st were issued a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, January 30th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.53%. Tanger Factory Outlet Centerss dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 114.29%.

Several research firms recently weighed in on SKT. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of Tanger Factory Outlet Centers in a research note on Tuesday, March 21st. They set a buy rating and a $22.00 target price for the company. Citigroup raised their price objective on Tanger Factory Outlet Centers from $15.00 to $20.00 in a research report on Wednesday, December 14th. StockNews.com initiated coverage on Tanger Factory Outlet Centers in a research report on Thursday, March 16th. They issued a hold rating on the stock. Finally, Compass Point lowered Tanger Factory Outlet Centers from a buy rating to a neutral rating and set a $21.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Monday, January 30th.

Tanger Factory Outlet Centers Company Profile

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Tanger Factory Outlet Centers, Inc engages in the operation of upscale open-air outlet centers. The firm focuses on developing, acquiring, owning, operating, and managing outlet shopping centers. The company was founded by Stanley K. Tanger in 1981 and is headquartered in Greensboro, NC.

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Barry Investment Advisors LLC lowered its stake in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY  Get Rating) by 3.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 12,673 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock after selling 459 shares during the quarter. Barry Investment Advisors LLCs holdings in Bristol-Myers Squibb were worth $912,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in BMY. Boston Partners raised its position in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb by 103.1% during the 3rd quarter. Boston Partners now owns 10,166,384 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $725,297,000 after buying an additional 5,161,226 shares in the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. raised its position in Bristol-Myers Squibb by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 174,002,852 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $12,369,862,000 after purchasing an additional 3,357,590 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Bristol-Myers Squibb by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 199,886,585 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $14,209,937,000 after purchasing an additional 3,058,491 shares during the period. Cowa LLC raised its position in Bristol-Myers Squibb by 9,777.8% in the 1st quarter. Cowa LLC now owns 1,657,894 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $1,211,000 after purchasing an additional 1,641,110 shares during the period. Finally, Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec raised its position in Bristol-Myers Squibb by 29.1% in the 3rd quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec now owns 6,853,418 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock worth $487,209,000 after purchasing an additional 1,546,164 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.51% of the companys stock.

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Bristol-Myers Squibb Trading Down 1.4 %

Shares of BMY traded down $0.99 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $68.70. 3,175,816 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 8,089,249. The companys fifty day moving average price is $69.99 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $72.81. The company has a market capitalization of $144.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 0.45. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13. Bristol-Myers Squibb has a 12 month low of $65.28 and a 12 month high of $81.43.

Bristol-Myers Squibb Dividend Announcement

Bristol-Myers Squibb ( NYSE:BMY Get Rating ) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 2nd. The biopharmaceutical company reported $1.82 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.71 by $0.11. Bristol-Myers Squibb had a net margin of 13.71% and a return on equity of 51.60%. The firm had revenue of $11.41 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.20 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.83 EPS. The companys revenue for the quarter was down 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Bristol-Myers Squibb will post 8.06 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 1st. Investors of record on Monday, April 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.32%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 6th. Bristol-Myers Squibbs payout ratio is currently 77.29%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently commented on BMY shares. Atlantic Securities lifted their target price on shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb from $88.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Friday, February 3rd. Cantor Fitzgerald started coverage on shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb in a research report on Tuesday, January 17th. They issued an overweight rating and a $95.00 target price on the stock. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb from $60.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock an underweight rating in a research report on Friday, February 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb in a research report on Monday, March 6th. They issued a hold rating and a $62.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb in a research report on Thursday, March 16th. They issued a strong-buy rating on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Bristol-Myers Squibb presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $79.69.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Giovanni Caforio sold 240,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.65, for a total transaction of $17,916,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 236,104 shares of the companys stock, valued at $17,625,163.60. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other Bristol-Myers Squibb news, EVP Ann Powell sold 11,183 shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.69, for a total value of $835,258.27. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 23,043 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,721,081.67. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Giovanni Caforio sold 240,000 shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.65, for a total transaction of $17,916,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 236,104 shares of the companys stock, valued at $17,625,163.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.09% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Bristol-Myers Squibb Profile

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Bristol Myers Squibb Co engages in the discovery, development, licensing, manufacture, marketing, distribution, and sale of biopharmaceutical products. It offers chemically-synthesized drugs or small molecules and products produced from biological processes called biologics. The company was founded in August 1933 and is headquartered in New York, NY.

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Belvoir Group PLC (LON:BLV  Get Rating) announced a dividend on Monday, March 27th, Upcoming.Co.Uk reports. Investors of record on Thursday, April 6th will be given a dividend of GBX 5 ($0.06) per share on Monday, May 22nd. This represents a dividend yield of 2.99%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 6th. This is a positive change from Belvoir Groups previous dividend of $4.00. The official announcement can be accessed at this link.

Belvoir Group Stock Down 1.1 %

BLV stock opened at GBX 219 ($2.72) on Tuesday. The companys 50 day moving average price is GBX 179.95 and its 200 day moving average price is GBX 192.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 25.16, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 0.84. Belvoir Group has a fifty-two week low of GBX 162.23 ($2.01) and a fifty-two week high of GBX 280 ($3.48). The firm has a market capitalization of 81.69 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 1,165.79 and a beta of 1.06.

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About Belvoir Group

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Belvoir Group PLC operates as a property franchise company in the United Kingdom. It operates thorough two segments, Property Franchise and Financial Services. The company operates property franchises offering residential lettings and sales through 463 offices primarily under the Belvoir, Newton Fallowell, Lovelle, Nicholas Humphreys, Mr and Mrs Clarke, and Northwood brands.

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Shares of Taylor Wimpey plc (LON:TW  Get Rating) have earned a consensus recommendation of Hold from the eight ratings firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is GBX 129.20 ($1.60).

Several research firms have recently weighed in on TW. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded shares of Taylor Wimpey to a hold rating in a research report on Monday, February 13th. Liberum Capital reiterated a hold rating and issued a GBX 125 ($1.55) target price on shares of Taylor Wimpey in a research note on Monday, February 13th. Citigroup reiterated a buy rating on shares of Taylor Wimpey in a research note on Tuesday, January 17th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of Taylor Wimpey from GBX 142 ($1.76) to GBX 154 ($1.91) and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Taylor Wimpey to an equal weight rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 31st.

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Taylor Wimpey Stock Performance

Taylor Wimpey stock opened at GBX 117.90 ($1.46) on Tuesday. The firms 50 day simple moving average is GBX 118.55 and its 200-day simple moving average is GBX 106.82. The company has a market cap of 4.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 660.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of -0.99 and a beta of 1.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.57, a current ratio of 4.71 and a quick ratio of 0.71. Taylor Wimpey has a fifty-two week low of GBX 80.64 ($1.00) and a fifty-two week high of GBX 138.10 ($1.72).

Taylor Wimpey Increases Dividend

Insiders Place Their Bets

The firm also recently declared a dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 12th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 30th will be paid a dividend of GBX 4.78 ($0.06) per share. This is a boost from Taylor Wimpeys previous dividend of $4.62. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 30th. This represents a yield of 4.04%. Taylor Wimpeys dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 5,000.00%.

In other Taylor Wimpey news, insider Chris Carney sold 73,817 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of GBX 118 ($1.47), for a total transaction of 87,104.06 ($108,176.92). Corporate insiders own 0.97% of the companys stock.

About Taylor Wimpey

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Taylor Wimpey plc operates a residential developer in the United Kingdom and Spain. It builds and delivers various homes and communities, including apartments to six-bedroom houses. Taylor Wimpey plc was founded in 1880 and is based in High Wycombe, the United Kingdom.

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Zuora, Inc. (NYSE:ZUO  Get Rating) has been given a consensus recommendation of Moderate Buy by the eight research firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $13.25.

A number of brokerages recently commented on ZUO. Canaccord Genuity Group upped their price target on shares of Zuora from $15.00 to $16.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Friday, March 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on shares of Zuora to $10.00 in a research note on Wednesday, March 15th. Craig Hallum decreased their price target on shares of Zuora from $16.00 to $10.00 in a research note on Wednesday, December 7th. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Zuora from $20.00 to $15.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, December 9th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC restated a buy rating and set a $15.00 target price on shares of Zuora in a research report on Thursday, March 2nd.

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Zuora Price Performance

ZUO opened at $9.55 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.28 billion, a PE ratio of -10.27 and a beta of 1.82. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $8.89 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $7.69. Zuora has a 52 week low of $5.45 and a 52 week high of $15.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 2.24 and a current ratio of 2.24.

Insider Activity

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

In other news, CRO Robert J. Traube sold 30,736 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $7.04, for a total transaction of $216,381.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive now owns 32,927 shares of the companys stock, valued at $231,806.08. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink . In other news, CRO Robert J. Traube sold 30,736 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $7.04, for a total transaction of $216,381.44. Following the completion of the sale, the executive now directly owns 32,927 shares in the company, valued at $231,806.08. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link . Also, Director Amy Guggenheim Shenkan sold 4,133 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, January 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $6.69, for a total transaction of $27,649.77. Following the sale, the director now owns 40,087 shares of the companys stock, valued at $268,182.03. The disclosure for this sale can be found here . Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 42,369 shares of company stock valued at $292,556. Insiders own 9.08% of the companys stock.

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Belpointe Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Zuora in the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. bought a new position in shares of Zuora in the 3rd quarter worth $41,000. Emerald Advisers LLC increased its holdings in shares of Zuora by 56.9% in the 3rd quarter. Emerald Advisers LLC now owns 8,000 shares of the companys stock worth $59,000 after buying an additional 2,900 shares during the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its holdings in shares of Zuora by 164.0% in the 3rd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 8,629 shares of the companys stock worth $63,000 after buying an additional 5,360 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. bought a new position in shares of Zuora in the 4th quarter worth $65,000. 69.11% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Zuora Company Profile

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Zuora, Inc engages in the provision of cloud-based subscription management platform. Its products include Zuora Billing, Zuora Revenue, Zuora CPQ, Zuora Collect AI, and Zuora Analytics. It offers solutions to software, healthcare, education, B2C, and communications industries. The company was founded in 2007 by K.V.

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California Republic Bancorp (OTCMKTS:CRPB  Get Rating)s share price traded up 0% on Monday . The company traded as high as $37.17 and last traded at $37.17. 12,900 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 3% from the average session volume of 12,521 shares. The stock had previously closed at $37.16.

California Republic Bancorp Stock Up 0.0 %

California Republic Bancorp Company Profile

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California Republic Bancorp is the bank holding company of California Republic Bank (CRB or the Bank). CRB is a full-service private commercial bank providing loans, deposit and cash management services to high net-worth investors. The Bank has around four full-service branches serving Southern California located in Newport Beach, Beverly Hills, Irvine and Westlake Village.

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StockNews.com downgraded shares of CEMEX (NYSE:CX  Get Rating) from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research note released on Saturday.

Several other research firms have also issued reports on CX. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of CEMEX from $5.20 to $5.90 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Thursday, February 16th. Redburn Partners initiated coverage on shares of CEMEX in a research note on Thursday, December 8th. They set a neutral rating and a $4.90 price objective for the company. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $5.38.

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CEMEX Stock Down 2.2 %

CX opened at $5.41 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.52. The companys 50-day moving average is $5.19 and its 200 day moving average is $4.46. CEMEX has a fifty-two week low of $3.20 and a fifty-two week high of $5.71. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.17, a PEG ratio of 0.58 and a beta of 1.40.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CEMEX

CEMEX Company Profile

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. bought a new stake in CEMEX during the 3rd quarter valued at $664,000. Capstone Financial Advisors Inc. bought a new position in CEMEX in the 2nd quarter worth $39,000. UBS Asset Management Americas Inc. raised its holdings in CEMEX by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. UBS Asset Management Americas Inc. now owns 26,740,557 shares of the construction companys stock worth $91,720,000 after purchasing an additional 173,514 shares in the last quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. raised its holdings in CEMEX by 2.8% in the 3rd quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 130,162 shares of the construction companys stock worth $446,000 after purchasing an additional 3,584 shares in the last quarter. Finally, South Dakota Investment Council raised its holdings in CEMEX by 37.2% in the 3rd quarter. South Dakota Investment Council now owns 2,787,085 shares of the construction companys stock worth $9,560,000 after purchasing an additional 755,165 shares in the last quarter. 28.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

(Get Rating)

CEMEX SAB de CV operates as a global construction materials company. It offers cement, ready-mixconcrete, aggregates, and urbanization solutions. The firm operates through the following geographical segments: Mexico, United States, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia (EMEAA) and South, Central America and the Caribbean (SCA&C).

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Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG  Get Rating) CEO Brian R. Niccol sold 1,023 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $1,695.00, for a total transaction of $1,733,985.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 23,347 shares in the company, valued at $39,573,165. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link.

Chipotle Mexican Grill Trading Up 1.0 %

CMG stock traded up $17.11 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $1,734.84. The stock had a trading volume of 291,947 shares, compared to its average volume of 284,208. The firm has a market capitalization of $47.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 54.18, a P/E/G ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.32. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $1,601.91 and a 200 day simple moving average of $1,537.21. Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. has a 52 week low of $1,196.28 and a 52 week high of $1,754.56.

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Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG  Get Rating) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 7th. The restaurant operator reported $8.29 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $8.88 by ($0.59). Chipotle Mexican Grill had a net margin of 10.41% and a return on equity of 40.96%. The business had revenue of $2.18 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.23 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $5.58 earnings per share. Chipotle Mexican Grills revenue was up 11.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. will post 41.38 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Chipotle Mexican Grill

CMG has been the topic of several research analyst reports. KeyCorp lowered their price target on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $1,800.00 to $1,780.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 8th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $1,800.00 to $1,900.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 8th. Raymond James lifted their price target on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $1,750.00 to $1,900.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a report on Wednesday, February 8th. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $1,800.00 to $1,900.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Wednesday, February 8th. Finally, Truist Financial reduced their target price on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $1,825.00 to $1,800.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 8th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-two have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $1,847.50.

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. FourThought Financial LLC boosted its stake in Chipotle Mexican Grill by 350.0% in the 3rd quarter. FourThought Financial LLC now owns 18 shares of the restaurant operators stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 14 shares in the last quarter. Elequin Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Heritage Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 100.0% in the 4th quarter. Heritage Wealth Management LLC now owns 20 shares of the restaurant operators stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates acquired a new stake in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill during the 4th quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Worth Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Chipotle Mexican Grill during the 1st quarter valued at about $44,000. 93.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Chipotle Mexican Grill Company Profile

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Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc engages in the development and operation of classically-cooked, real food with wholesome ingredients without artificial colors, flavors or preservatives. It offers a focused menu of burritos, tacos, burrito bowls, and salads prepared using classic cooking methods. The company was founded by Steve Ells in 1993 and is headquartered in Newport Beach, CA.

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Shares of CTT  Correios De Portugal, S.A. (OTCMKTS:CTTPY  Get Rating) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $7.61 and last traded at $7.61, with a volume of 0 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $7.61.

CTT  Correios De Portugal Price Performance

The firms 50-day moving average is $6.61 and its 200 day moving average is $6.07.

CTT  Correios De Portugal Company Profile

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CTT  Correios De Portugal, SA, together with its subsidiaries, provides postal and financial services worldwide. It operates through Mail, Express & Parcels, Financial Services & Retail, and Bank segments. The company offers courier and urgent mail transport services; postal financial services; and banking services.

Further Reading

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Market.Us

According to Market.us, Asia Pacific dominated the Catalyst Market in 2022, accounting for the highest revenue share of 33.7%, driven by China's significant percentage of chemical and plastics production companies.

New York, April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global catalyst market size was valued at USD 24.4 Bn in 2022, and it is expected to grow to USD 36.4 Bn in the forecast period 2023-2032 with an anticipated CAGR of 4.2%. Catalysts are chemical substances used to speed up chemical reactions and by alteration of activation energy. Different catalysts are widely available in the market, including zeolites, metals, substances, enzymes, and organometallic materials.

Catalyst Market

To get additional highlights on major revenue-generating segments, Request a Catalyst Market sample report at https://market.us/report/catalyst-market/request-sample/

Key Takeaway:

By Raw Materials, the chemical compounds segment generated a revenue share of 38.3% in 2022.

By Product, the heterogeneous catalyst segment has dominated the market with the largest share of 72.1% , and it is growing at the highest CAGR over the forecast period 2023 to 2032.

By Application, the chemical synthesis segment was dominant in the market, with the largest market share of 26.3% in 2022.

In 2022, Asia Pacific dominated the market with the highest revenue share of 33.7% .

North America will grow at a significant CAGR from 2023-2032.

Industrial catalysts are generally made of metals because they can use the free electrons in the valence electrons of most metals to speed up reactions.

Factors affecting the growth of the catalyst market

Several factors can affect the growth of the catalyst market. Some of these factors include:



Increasing use in the refining industry : Catalysts have significant applications such as the conversion of heavy oils into distillable, and valuable products. A catalyst such as Nickel is used in the commercial hydrogenation of edible oils.

Growing applications in car exhaust : Catalytic converters in car exhausts help to reduce airborne pollutants that harm the environment and individuals health.

Increasing use in food production : Catalysts such as enzymes are traditionally used in food production. The use of enzymes in the food industry allows the production of high-quality food products, food safety, and security, due to this catalyst having high demand in food industries.

High demand in the pharmaceutical industry: Catalyst plays important role in pharma industries to convert functional groups of given molecules into new molecules to produce new starting material for further synthetic steps.



Story continues

To understand how our report can bring a difference to your business strategy, Inquire about a brochure at https://market.us/report/catalyst-market/#inquiry

Top Trends in Global Catalyst Market

The increasing expansion of petroleum industries has surged the demand for catalysts in refining processes for secure, fast, and effective refining to fulfill market demand. Increasing utilization of exhaust systems in cars and governmental laws to control outflow, catalysts are used in exhaust systems which drive the demand in the market.

Also, companies are expanding their research and development facilities to increase catalyst production at a low cost. There are some current trends in the global catalyst market. Manufacturers looking to improve their feedstock or refine it by producing value-added petrochemicals, such as polyolefin or methane, have increased the need for catalysts in petrochemicals, the chemical sectors, and in chemical applications.

Market Growth

Catalyst Market companies are focusing on heterogeneous metal catalysts, which can overcome the drawbacks of homogeneous counterparts and increase product yields while reducing side reactions. These are the main market growth factor for the catalyst market.

An important step towards less expensive catalysts for the production of energy has surged demand for hydrogen production from water by using graphene doped with nitrogen and cobalt. These elements increased the demand for the catalyst, which is the main factor for the expansion of the global catalyst market.

Regional Analysis

The catalyst market was dominated by Asia Pacific, which acquired the most significant revenue share of 33.7% in 2022, owing to Chinas dominance in the automotive, petrochemical, and polymer industries. China has an extensive percentage of chemical and plastics production companies. It has become a leading manufacturing destination for chemical products and petrochemicals due to rising domestic demand and low manufacturing costs compared to the US. and European Union countries. Increasing FDI investments in the Asia Pacific are anticipated to offer lucrative growth opportunities in the market.

North America is anticipated to grow at the fastest CAGR during the forecast period owing to evolving low-sulfur and automotive mandates that require environmental catalysts. The rising demand for catalysts to transform heavy crude oil into lighter fractions like gasoline, diesel, and kerosene is expected to increase the demand for catalysts in this market. The development of Mexicos oil, gas, and chemical industries also influences the market growth in North America.

There are lucrative opportunities for petroleum refining catalysts in Africa and the Middle East region due to their dominance in Oman and Kuwait, as well as Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Qatar.

Competitive Landscape

The rising investments by market players will open new opportunities in the global catalyst market. Some of the major players include CIECH SA, Ciner Group Resources Corporation, Genesis Energy L.P., GHCL Limited, Lianyungang Soda Ash Co. Ltd, NIRMA LIMITED, Sisecam Group, Solvay S.A, Shandong Haihua Group Co. Ltd, Tata Chemicals Limited, FMC Corporation, Novacap Group, DCW Limited, OCI COMPANY Ltd., Tronox limited, SEQENS Group, IMARC Group, and Other Key Players.

Recent Development of the Catalyst Market

In September 2020, Clariant announced the construction of a new catalyst production site in China.

In May 2021, BASF SE announced its plan to expand projects at Platinum Group Metals(PGM).

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Scope of the Report

Report Attribute Details Market Value (2022) USD 24.4 Billion Market Size (2032) USD 36.4 Billion CAGR (from 2023 to 2032) 4.2% Asia Pacific Revenue Share 33.7% Historic Period 2016 to 2022 Base Year 2022 Forecast Year 2023 to 2032

Market Drivers

The demand for catalysts is increasing due to applications in industrial processes such as chemical synthesis, and petroleum refinery drives the need for catalysts in the process of optimization and yield improvement. Ecological catalysts can help manufacturers to comply with all mandates regarding NOx and Sox, as well as carbon dioxide emissions which are driving the demand for catalysts in the global market. Shifting trends toward alternative renewable fuels such as biodiesel, shale gas, and diesel fuel boosts the demand for the catalysts market.

Market Restraints

High costs of production and processing costs are some of the major restraints on the growth of the global catalyst market. Technological advancements in fields like chemical synthesis also have a negative impact on market growth.

Market Opportunities

The rising use of catalysts in different areas like oil refining, polymers and petrochemicals, and biological applications for process streamlining, yield improvement, cost-cutting, and energy-saving is expected to create lucrative growth opportunities in the market.

Catalyst plays an important role in producing clean fuels, converting raw materials into essential energies, and controlling NOx production. The reduction of greenhouse gas is the most important benefit of catalysts to the environment, which is expected to offer significant growth opportunities in the market.

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Report Segmentation of the Catalyst Market

Raw Material Insight

Based on raw materials, the chemical compounds segment was dominant in the market, with the largest market revenue share of 38.3% in 2022, and is anticipated to remain dominant in the market during the forecast period. The applications of sulphuric acid, calcium carbonate, and hydrofluoric acid as catalyst raw material for chemical, petrochemical, and polymer industries is the main growth factor of this segment.

Product Insight

Based on product, the heterogeneous segment was dominant in this market with the largest market share of 72.1% in 2022 and is anticipated to remain dominant in the market during the forecast period. The growth of the segment is propelled by benefits such as ease to use and cost-effectiveness. Heterogeneous catalysts are made from homogeneous materials using solid supports. Sulfated zirconia is a common example of a heterogeneous catalyst.

Application Insight

Based on application, the chemical synthesis segment was dominant in the market with the largest market share of 26.3% in 2022, and is anticipated to remain dominant in the market during the forecast period. The chemical synthesis process covers raw materials and chemical industries. The growth of the segment is attributed to the superior properties of catalysts, such as exceptional functional groups and low costs.

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Market Segmentation

Based on Raw Material

Chemical Compounds

Metals

Zeolites

Others

Based On Product

Heterogeneous

Homogeneous

Based On Application

Petroleum Refining

Chemical Synthesis

Environmental

Polymers and Petrochemicals

By Geography

North America The US Canada Mexico

Western Europe Germany France The UK Spain Italy Portugal Ireland Austria Switzerland Benelux Nordic Rest of Western Europe

Eastern Europe Russia Poland The Czech Republic Greece Rest of Eastern Europe

APAC China Japan South Korea India Australia & New Zealand Indonesia Malaysia Philippines Singapore Thailand Vietnam Rest of APAC

Latin America Brazil Colombia Chile Argentina Costa Rica Rest of Latin America

Middle East & Africa Algeria Egypt Israel Kuwait Nigeria Saudi Arabia South Africa Turkey United Arab Emirates Rest of MEA



Key Market Players

Related Reports

Silver Catalyst Market size is expected to be worth around USD 6.59 Billion by 2032 from USD 3.32 Billion in 2022, growing at a CAGR of 7.1% during the forecast period from 2022 to 2032.

Photocatalyst market was worth USD 2.51 Billion. This market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 9% between 2023-2032.

Industrial Sulfuric Acid Market was valued at USD 13.2 billion in 2022 and is projected to reach USD 28.5 billion by 2027, growing at a cagr 11.7% from 2022 to 2027.

Metal Nanoparticles Market size was valued at USD 2.4 billion in 2021 and is projected to reach USD 4.2 billion by 2026, growing at a cagr 11.5% from 2021 to 2026.

Monobutyltin Oxide Market is valued USD 193 Mn and is expected to be reach USD 270 Mn in 2032, with a CAGR 3.8% from 2022 to 2032.

Nanocatalysis market is projected to reach a valuation of USD 4,362.46 Mn by 2032 at a CAGR of 6.90%, from USD 2,238.49 Mn in 2022.

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European Assets Trust PLC (LON:EAT  Get Rating) announced a dividend on Wednesday, March 29th, Upcoming.Co.Uk reports. Investors of record on Thursday, April 6th will be paid a dividend of GBX 1.45 ($0.02) per share on Friday, April 28th. This represents a dividend yield of 1.62%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 6th. The official announcement can be viewed at this link.

European Assets Trust Stock Performance

Shares of EAT opened at GBX 92.79 ($1.15) on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.96. The stock has a market cap of 334.09 million, a P/E ratio of -192.29 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a 50-day moving average of GBX 93.96 and a two-hundred day moving average of GBX 90.22. European Assets Trust has a 12-month low of GBX 74.60 ($0.93) and a 12-month high of GBX 117 ($1.45).

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European Assets Trust Company Profile

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European Assets Trust PLC is a closed-ended equity mutual fund launched and managed by F&C Investment Business Limited. The fund invests in the public equity markets of Europe, excluding the United Kingdom. It seeks to invest in stocks of companies operating across diversified sectors. The fund primarily invests in stocks of small and mid cap companies with a market capitalization below that of the largest company in the Euromoney Smaller European Companies (ex UK) Index or below Euro 2.5 billion.

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EVERTEC, Inc. (NYSE:EVTC  Get Rating) was the recipient of a significant drop in short interest in the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 908,100 shares, a drop of 8.0% from the February 28th total of 987,400 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 353,400 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.6 days. Currently, 1.4% of the shares of the company are sold short.

EVERTEC Price Performance

Shares of NYSE EVTC traded down $0.43 during trading on Monday, hitting $33.32. The company had a trading volume of 260,569 shares, compared to its average volume of 356,603. The company has a market cap of $2.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.52 and a beta of 0.98. EVERTEC has a 52 week low of $30.17 and a 52 week high of $42.37. The businesss 50-day moving average is $35.39 and its 200 day moving average is $33.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 1.87 and a current ratio of 1.87.

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EVERTEC (NYSE:EVTC  Get Rating) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 22nd. The business services provider reported $0.59 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.60 by ($0.01). EVERTEC had a return on equity of 31.29% and a net margin of 38.65%. The company had revenue of $161.79 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $154.51 million. Equities research analysts predict that EVERTEC will post 2.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

EVERTEC Dividend Announcement

Insider Buying and Selling

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 28th were issued a dividend of $0.05 per share. This represents a $0.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.60%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, February 27th. EVERTECs dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 5.71%.

In other EVERTEC news, EVP Paola Perez-Surillo sold 15,335 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Monday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.62, for a total transaction of $515,562.70. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 35,392 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,189,879.04. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other EVERTEC news, EVP Paola Perez-Surillo sold 15,335 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.62, for a total transaction of $515,562.70. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 35,392 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,189,879.04. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Morgan M. Schuessler sold 27,101 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.94, for a total value of $974,009.94. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 169,750 shares of the companys stock, valued at $6,100,815. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.44% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On EVERTEC

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bailard Inc. bought a new stake in shares of EVERTEC in the third quarter valued at about $248,000. Yousif Capital Management LLC raised its position in EVERTEC by 8.9% in the third quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 52,977 shares of the business services providers stock worth $1,661,000 after purchasing an additional 4,339 shares in the last quarter. Meritage Portfolio Management raised its position in EVERTEC by 8.8% in the third quarter. Meritage Portfolio Management now owns 8,405 shares of the business services providers stock worth $263,000 after purchasing an additional 681 shares in the last quarter. Martingale Asset Management L P increased its holdings in shares of EVERTEC by 37.8% during the third quarter. Martingale Asset Management L P now owns 27,732 shares of the business services providers stock worth $870,000 after buying an additional 7,607 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Maryland State Retirement & Pension System increased its holdings in shares of EVERTEC by 11.7% in the third quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System now owns 26,871 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $842,000 after purchasing an additional 2,808 shares in the last quarter. 97.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on EVTC shares. Raymond James raised their price objective on EVERTEC from $41.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Thursday, February 23rd. StockNews.com began coverage on EVERTEC in a report on Thursday, March 16th. They issued a hold rating on the stock. Finally, TheStreet upgraded EVERTEC from a c+ rating to a b rating in a report on Tuesday, January 31st.

About EVERTEC

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EVERTEC, Inc engages in the provision of transaction services. It operates through the following segments: Payment Services-Puerto Rico and Caribbean, Payment Services-Latin America, Merchant Acquiring, Business Solutions, and Corporate and Other. The Payment Services segment is involved in the authorization, processing, management and recording of automated teller machines (ATM) and point of sales transactions, and ATM management and monitoring.

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Franco-Nevada (TSE:FNV  Get Rating) (NYSE:FNV) had its price target hoisted by Canaccord Genuity Group from C$202.00 to C$214.00 in a report issued on Tuesday, BayStreet.CA reports. Canaccord Genuity Groups price target would suggest a potential upside of 3.22% from the stocks previous close.

Several other research firms also recently weighed in on FNV. CIBC raised their price objective on Franco-Nevada from C$230.00 to C$240.00 in a report on Friday, March 10th. National Bankshares lifted their price target on Franco-Nevada from C$190.00 to C$200.00 and gave the company a sector perform rating in a research note on Friday, January 13th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus downgraded Franco-Nevada from a buy rating to a hold rating and lowered their price objective for the company from C$206.00 to C$204.00 in a research note on Monday, January 23rd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of C$202.63.

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Franco-Nevada Price Performance

TSE:FNV traded up C$5.29 on Tuesday, hitting C$207.33. The company had a trading volume of 179,201 shares, compared to its average volume of 385,237. Franco-Nevada has a 52 week low of C$151.08 and a 52 week high of C$213.36. The company has a current ratio of 27.55, a quick ratio of 23.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.63. The stock has a market capitalization of C$39.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.73, a PEG ratio of 5.00 and a beta of 0.63. The firm has a 50 day moving average of C$187.36 and a two-hundred day moving average of C$182.09.

About Franco-Nevada

Franco-Nevada Corporation operates as a gold-focused royalty and streaming company in Latin America, the United States, Canada, and internationally. It operates in two segments, Mining and Energy. The company manages its portfolio with a focus on precious metals, such as gold, silver, and platinum group metals; and energy comprising oil, gas, and natural gas liquids.

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Golden Minerals (NYSEAMERICAN:AUMN  Get Rating) (TSE:AUM) received a $0.77 price target from investment analysts at Fundamental Research in a report released on Tuesday, BayStreet.CA reports. The brokerage presently has a buy rating on the basic materials companys stock. Fundamental Researchs price objective suggests a potential upside of 220.70% from the stocks previous close.

Several other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. HC Wainwright reaffirmed a buy rating and set a $0.60 price target on shares of Golden Minerals in a research note on Wednesday, March 15th. StockNews.com began coverage on Golden Minerals in a research note on Monday. They issued a hold rating on the stock.

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Golden Minerals Stock Performance

Shares of NYSEAMERICAN:AUMN traded up $0.03 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $0.24. 2,109,671 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 559,547. The firms 50 day simple moving average is $0.24 and its 200 day simple moving average is $0.26. The firm has a market cap of $40.21 million, a P/E ratio of -8.03 and a beta of 0.91. Golden Minerals has a 52-week low of $0.20 and a 52-week high of $0.55.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Golden Minerals

About Golden Minerals

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AUMN. Millennium Management LLC boosted its stake in Golden Minerals by 275.2% in the second quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 148,408 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $53,000 after acquiring an additional 108,858 shares during the period. Citadel Advisors LLC boosted its position in Golden Minerals by 126.3% during the 3rd quarter. Citadel Advisors LLC now owns 274,079 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $71,000 after purchasing an additional 152,974 shares during the period. Virtu Financial LLC grew its stake in Golden Minerals by 264.2% during the 1st quarter. Virtu Financial LLC now owns 153,867 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $77,000 after buying an additional 111,616 shares during the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC grew its stake in Golden Minerals by 49.5% during the 3rd quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 341,788 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $88,000 after buying an additional 113,100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp increased its position in Golden Minerals by 62.4% in the first quarter. State Street Corp now owns 255,615 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $128,000 after buying an additional 98,236 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 10.04% of the companys stock.

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Golden Minerals Co engages in the exploration of gold and silver resource properties. It focuses on a portfolio of precious metals projects which include Velardena Properties and the Rodeo gold project in Durango State, Mexico, the El Quevar silver project in Salta province of Argentina, the Yoquivo gold-silver district-scale project in Chihuahua, Mexico, the Sand Canyon gold-silver project in northwestern Nevada, and additional traditional silver-producing projects in Mexico.

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Games Workshop Group PLC (LON:GAW  Get Rating) declared a dividend on Friday, March 24th, Upcoming.Co.Uk reports. Investors of record on Thursday, April 6th will be given a dividend of GBX 120 ($1.49) per share on Friday, May 19th. This represents a yield of 1.33%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 6th. The official announcement can be accessed at this link.

Games Workshop Group Stock Performance

LON GAW opened at GBX 9,500 ($117.98) on Tuesday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of GBX 9,158.11 and a two-hundred day moving average price of GBX 7,996.83. Games Workshop Group has a 12-month low of GBX 5,565 ($69.11) and a 12-month high of GBX 9,700 ($120.47). The company has a market capitalization of 3.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 2,496.02, a P/E/G ratio of 0.41 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a quick ratio of 2.33, a current ratio of 3.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 19.77.

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Insider Activity at Games Workshop Group

In related news, insider Kevin Rountree acquired 168 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 24th. The shares were purchased at an average price of GBX 9,208 ($114.36) per share, for a total transaction of 15,469.44 ($19,211.92). 2.40% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Games Workshop Group Company Profile

Games Workshop Group PLC, together with its subsidiaries, designs, manufactures, distributes, and sells miniature figures and games in the United Kingdom, Continental Europe, North America, Australia, New Zealand, Asia, and internationally. It operates in two segments, Core and Licensing. The company offers games under the Warhammer: Age of Sigmar and Warhammer 40,000 names, as well as Horus Heresy, an off shoot of Warhammer 40,000.

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Gray Television, Inc. (NYSE:GTN.A  Get Rating) shares gapped down before the market opened on Tuesday . The stock had previously closed at $8.46, but opened at $8.05. Gray Television shares last traded at $8.05, with a volume of 415 shares traded.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, TheStreet cut shares of Gray Television from a b- rating to a c rating in a research note on Thursday, December 8th.

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Gray Television Stock Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $747.28 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 1.22. The firms 50 day simple moving average is $10.48 and its 200 day simple moving average is $11.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.04, a quick ratio of 2.10 and a current ratio of 2.10.

Gray Television Dividend Announcement

About Gray Television

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 31st. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 15th were paid a $0.08 dividend. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.98%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 14th. Gray Televisions dividend payout ratio is currently 7.37%.

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Gray Television, Inc, a television broadcast company, owns and operates television stations and digital assets in the United States. As of February 28, 2019, it owned and operated television stations in 91 television markets broadcasting approximately 400 program streams, including approximately 150 channels affiliated with the CBS Network, the NBC Network, the ABC Network, and the FOX Network.

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Grupo Simec, S.A.B. de C.V. (NYSEAMERICAN:SIM  Get Rating)s share price gapped up prior to trading on Tuesday . The stock had previously closed at $34.81, but opened at $35.96. Grupo Simec shares last traded at $31.91, with a volume of 6,905 shares traded.

Grupo Simec Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $5.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.80 and a beta of 0.38.

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Grupo Simec (NYSEAMERICAN:SIM  Get Rating) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 13th. The basic materials company reported $0.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Grupo Simec had a return on equity of 21.86% and a net margin of 17.56%. The business had revenue of $564.09 million during the quarter.

About Grupo Simec

Grupo SIMEC SAB de CV engages in the manufacture, processing and distribution of steel and structural steel products. It operates through the following geographical segments: Mexico, U.S., and Brazil. The Mexico segment represents the results of the operations in Mexico, including plants in Mexicali, Guadalajara, Tlaxcala, and San Luis Potosi.

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HSBC upgraded shares of H & M Hennes & Mauritz AB (publ) (OTCMKTS:HNNMY  Get Rating) from a reduce rating to a hold rating in a research report report published on Friday, The Fly reports.

A number of other research analysts also recently weighed in on HNNMY. Credit Suisse Group cut their price target on H & M Hennes & Mauritz AB (publ) from SEK 85 to SEK 80 in a research note on Wednesday, December 7th. Morgan Stanley restated an underweight rating on shares of H & M Hennes & Mauritz AB (publ) in a research report on Friday, December 2nd. Bank of America upgraded shares of H & M Hennes & Mauritz AB (publ) from an underperform rating to a buy rating in a research report on Monday, February 27th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of H & M Hennes & Mauritz AB (publ) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report on Monday, January 30th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of H & M Hennes & Mauritz AB (publ) from a sell rating to a neutral rating in a report on Thursday, December 1st. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $118.00.

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H & M Hennes & Mauritz AB (publ) Price Performance

Shares of HNNMY stock opened at $2.78 on Friday. H & M Hennes & Mauritz AB has a 1 year low of $1.72 and a 1 year high of $2.87. The firms 50 day moving average is $2.44 and its 200-day moving average is $2.23. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.33 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a current ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16.

H & M Hennes & Mauritz AB (publ) Company Profile

H & M Hennes & Mauritz AB (publ) ( OTCMKTS:HNNMY Get Rating ) last announced its earnings results on Friday, January 27th. The company reported ($0.01) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.03 by ($0.04). The company had revenue of $5.83 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.64 billion. H & M Hennes & Mauritz AB (publ) had a return on equity of 7.46% and a net margin of 1.81%. Sell-side analysts forecast that H & M Hennes & Mauritz AB will post 0.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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H&M Hennes & Mauritz AB engages in the sale of clothing, accessories, footwear, cosmetics, and home textiles. The company offers accessories, underwear, cosmetics, sportswear, and other apparels for men, women, and kids. Its geographical segments include Asia and Oceania, Europe and Africa, and North and South America.

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Herc Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HRI  Get Rating) dropped 8.6% on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $102.03 and last traded at $102.70. Approximately 204,887 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 38% from the average daily volume of 328,009 shares. The stock had previously closed at $112.38.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. KeyCorp raised their price target on shares of Herc from $170.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Thursday, February 16th. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Herc in a research report on Thursday, March 16th. They set a hold rating for the company. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Herc from $160.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Friday, January 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Herc has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $164.60.

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Herc Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.73, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.07. The businesss fifty day moving average price is $136.42 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $128.64. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.76, a P/E/G ratio of 0.55 and a beta of 2.48.

Herc Increases Dividend

Herc ( NYSE:HRI Get Rating ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 14th. The transportation company reported $3.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $3.50 by ($0.06). The company had revenue of $786.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $773.29 million. Herc had a return on equity of 31.88% and a net margin of 12.05%. The companys quarterly revenue was up 36.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.46 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Herc Holdings Inc. will post 14.34 earnings per share for the current year.

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 9th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 22nd were given a $0.632 dividend. This is a positive change from Hercs previous quarterly dividend of $0.58. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 21st. This represents a $2.53 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.47%. Hercs dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 23.15%.

Insider Activity

In other Herc news, major shareholder Carl C. Icahn sold 28,366 shares of Herc stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $144.23, for a total transaction of $4,091,228.18. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 3,668,079 shares of the companys stock, valued at $529,047,034.17. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, COO Aaron Birnbaum sold 6,141 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $141.69, for a total value of $870,118.29. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 44,809 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $6,348,987.21. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, major shareholder Carl C. Icahn sold 28,366 shares of Herc stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $144.23, for a total transaction of $4,091,228.18. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 3,668,079 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $529,047,034.17. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 448,079 shares of company stock worth $67,802,053 over the last 90 days. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. PFS Investments Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Herc by 7.4% in the third quarter. PFS Investments Inc. now owns 19,774 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $2,054,000 after purchasing an additional 1,357 shares in the last quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas grew its holdings in shares of Herc by 115.8% in the third quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 8,131 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $845,000 after purchasing an additional 4,363 shares in the last quarter. ExodusPoint Capital Management LP grew its holdings in shares of Herc by 59.8% in the third quarter. ExodusPoint Capital Management LP now owns 29,325 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $3,046,000 after purchasing an additional 10,969 shares in the last quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. grew its holdings in Herc by 44.5% during the 3rd quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 299,102 shares of the transportation companys stock worth $31,071,000 after acquiring an additional 92,040 shares in the last quarter. Finally, John G Ullman & Associates Inc. acquired a new position in Herc during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $2,511,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.85% of the companys stock.

Herc Company Profile

(Get Rating)

Herc Holdings Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates as an equipment rental supplier. It rents aerial, earthmoving, material handling, trucks and trailers, air compressors, compaction, and lighting equipment, as well as generators, and safety supplies and expendables; and provides ProSolutions, an industry specific solution based services, such as pumping solutions, power generation, climate control, remediation and restoration, and studio and production equipment.

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Independent Wealth Network Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF (BATS:USMV  Get Rating) by 16.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 4,309 shares of the companys stock after selling 846 shares during the period. Independent Wealth Network Inc.s holdings in iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF were worth $311,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of USMV. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF by 97.0% in the third quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 25,017,562 shares of the companys stock worth $1,653,661,000 after buying an additional 12,316,375 shares in the last quarter. CFS Investment Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF by 7,462.3% during the third quarter. CFS Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 7,403,200 shares of the companys stock valued at $112,000 after purchasing an additional 7,305,304 shares in the last quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. purchased a new position in iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF in the third quarter valued at about $325,088,000. Captrust Financial Advisors raised its holdings in iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF by 844.3% in the third quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 3,858,878 shares of the companys stock worth $255,072,000 after purchasing an additional 3,450,227 shares in the last quarter. Finally, BlackRock Inc. lifted its position in shares of iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF by 17.3% during the third quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 12,988,250 shares of the companys stock valued at $858,523,000 after buying an additional 1,917,457 shares during the last quarter.

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iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of BATS:USMV traded up $0.29 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $73.03. The stock had a trading volume of 2,667,102 shares. The firms 50-day simple moving average is $71.65 and its 200 day simple moving average is $71.34. iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF has a one year low of $47.44 and a one year high of $55.45. The company has a market capitalization of $30.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.17 and a beta of 0.76.

About iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF

The iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF (USMV) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the MSCI USA Minimum Volatility (USD) index. The fund tracks an index of US-listed firms selected and weighted to create a low-volatility portfolio subject to various constraints. USMV was launched on Oct 18, 2011 and is managed by BlackRock.

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VANCOUVER, BC, April 4, 2023 /CNW/ - CHFA NOW, Western Canada's largest natural, organic and wellness trade show, just released its Trend Report revealing the top trends from CHFA NOW Vancouver. The weekend conference saw over 7,600 industry leaders, investors and retailers, and nearly 1,000 brands spanning better-for-you snacks and beverages, natural health products, clean beauty and healthy home and pet.

CHFAs experts discovered emerging trends following the trade event in Vancouver with over 7,600 industry professionals & 1,000 brands. (CNW Group/Canadian Health Food Association (CHFA))

"The momentum in the Canadian market for better-for-you brands continues to grow. We had nearly 1,000 brands exhibit, shaping what investors and buyers will bring to shopping aisles in the near future," shares CHFA President and CEO, Aaron Skelton.

The top trends discovered at CHFA NOW:

Trend One: Sober-Curious Drinks Get Canned: a trend overtaking social, #sobercurious, encourages consumers to explore the benefits of sobriety on their physical, mental, and spiritual health. The non-alcoholic category is expanding with an explosion of brands launching canned zero-proof RTDs (ready-to-drink) for convenient options, matching the growth of canned RTDs in the alcoholic category.

Trend Two: Break The Taboo - Women's Health Goes Mainstream: Brands continue to commit to better representing women's health issues in product development, covering period care, perimenopausal and menopausal women. Brands across Canada are using this moment to provide natural options and raise awareness and education for an often overlooked category.

Trend Three: A Good Night's Sleep: The sleep-aid market is anticipated to cross 103 billion USD by 2028 as stress levels rise and busy lifestyles grow. Growing awareness of the role sleep plays in recovery is helping to drive this trend. Brands are offering a more holistic approach to getting a better night's sleep with natural aids, tinctures and pre-bedtime routines and rituals to better support the sleep cycle.

Trend Four: Throwback Snacks: In addition to fashion and advertising, there has been a rise in food brands incorporating nostalgic 90s trends into their flavours. From cool ranch to classic soda flavours, brands are tapping into consumers' nostalgia to create an emotional connection, stand out in a crowded marketplace, and often offer a healthier alternative.

Story continues

The Canadian Health Food Association (CHFA) is Canada's largest trade association dedicated to natural, organic and wellness products. As a national not-for-profit association, our members include manufacturers, retailers, wholesalers, distributors, and importers committed to getting more healthy living products into the hands of more Canadians.

CHFA, Canadas Largest Trade Association Dedicated to Natural, Organic and Wellness, Announces Top Trends from CHFA NOW Vancouver. (CNW Group/Canadian Health Food Association (CHFA))

SOURCE Canadian Health Food Association (CHFA)

Cision

View original content to download multimedia: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/April2023/04/c2219.html
Big Technologies PLC (LON:BIG  Get Rating) insider Daren John Morris sold 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of GBX 267 ($3.32), for a total value of 16,020 ($19,895.68).

Daren John Morris also recently made the following trade(s):

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On Friday, March 31st, Daren John Morris sold 4,000 shares of Big Technologies stock. The shares were sold at an average price of GBX 258 ($3.20), for a total value of 10,320 ($12,816.69).

Big Technologies Stock Down 3.2 %

Shares of LON BIG traded down GBX 8.50 ($0.11) during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching GBX 256 ($3.18). 71,950 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 152,535. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 7.23 and a current ratio of 7.88. The stock has a market cap of 743.42 million and a PE ratio of 5,120.00. The companys fifty day moving average is GBX 246.74 and its two-hundred day moving average is GBX 260.58. Big Technologies PLC has a fifty-two week low of GBX 216 ($2.68) and a fifty-two week high of GBX 305.50 ($3.79).

Big Technologies Company Profile

Big Technologies Plc provides products and services to the remote personal monitoring industry under the Buddi brand name in the United Kingdom and internationally. The company's criminal justice solution includes proprietary cloud-based monitoring software platform with modular hardware that allow real time tracking monitoring.

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Berenberg Bank cut shares of John Wood Group (OTCMKTS:WDGJF  Get Rating) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report issued on Friday, The Fly reports.

WDGJF has been the topic of a number of other reports. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of John Wood Group from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 8th. Citigroup downgraded shares of John Wood Group from a buy rating to a neutral rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of John Wood Group from GBX 237 ($2.94) to GBX 217 ($2.69) in a research report on Thursday, January 26th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of John Wood Group from GBX 218 ($2.71) to GBX 185 ($2.30) in a research report on Thursday, December 15th. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on shares of John Wood Group from GBX 180 ($2.24) to GBX 190 ($2.36) in a research report on Wednesday, January 18th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $189.25.

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John Wood Group Stock Performance

WDGJF opened at $2.50 on Friday. The companys 50 day moving average is $2.15 and its 200-day moving average is $1.81. John Wood Group has a 1-year low of $1.19 and a 1-year high of $3.15.

About John Wood Group

John Wood Group Plc is an energy service company. It engages in the provision of engineering, production support, maintenance management and industrial gas turbine overhaul, and repair services to the oil and gas and power generation industries. The firm operates its business through the following segments: Asset Solutions EAAA, Asset Solutions Americas, Technical Consulting Solutions, and Investment Services.

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Mount Logan Capital (OTCMKTS:PYCFF  Get Rating) and Anglo American (OTCMKTS:AAUKF  Get Rating) are both non-energy minerals companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their profitability, earnings, dividends, risk, valuation, institutional ownership and analyst recommendations.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

30.3% of Anglo American shares are held by institutional investors. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

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Earnings and Valuation

This table compares Mount Logan Capital and Anglo Americans revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Mount Logan Capital N/A N/A N/A $0.17 12.43 Anglo American N/A N/A N/A $0.08 421.08

Profitability

Mount Logan Capital is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Anglo American, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

This table compares Mount Logan Capital and Anglo Americans net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Mount Logan Capital N/A N/A N/A Anglo American N/A N/A N/A

Dividends

Mount Logan Capital pays an annual dividend of $0.23 per share and has a dividend yield of 10.9%. Anglo American pays an annual dividend of $0.85 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.6%. Mount Logan Capital pays out 134.9% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Anglo American pays out 1,090.6% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Mount Logan Capital is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of current ratings and price targets for Mount Logan Capital and Anglo American, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Mount Logan Capital 0 0 1 0 3.00 Anglo American 1 1 2 0 2.25

Mount Logan Capital presently has a consensus price target of $5.00, indicating a potential upside of 132.56%. Anglo American has a consensus price target of $39.77, indicating a potential upside of 21.17%. Given Mount Logan Capitals stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Mount Logan Capital is more favorable than Anglo American.

Summary

Mount Logan Capital beats Anglo American on 5 of the 8 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Mount Logan Capital

(Get Rating)

Mount Logan Capital Inc.is an investment firm primarily focused on investing in public and private debt securities. The Company holds and actively manages and monitors a seed portfolio of loans and other investments with credit-oriented characteristics. The company was formerly known as Marret Resource Corp. and changed its name to Mount Logan Capital Inc. in October 2018. Mount Logan Capital Inc. is based in Toronto, Canada with an additional office in New York City.

About Anglo American

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Anglo American Plc is a mining company, which engages in the exploration and mining of precious base metals and ferrous metals. The company operates through the following segments: De Beers, Copper, Platinum Group Metals, Iron Ore, Coal, Nickel and Manganese, and Corporate and Other. The company was founded by Ernest Oppenheimer in 1917 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom.

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Mycio Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in The Bank of New York Mellon Co. (NYSE:BK  Get Rating) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 4,609 shares of the banks stock, valued at approximately $210,000.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. St. James Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Bank of New York Mellon by 3.3% during the 3rd quarter. St. James Investment Advisors LLC now owns 7,510 shares of the banks stock worth $289,000 after acquiring an additional 240 shares in the last quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Bank of New York Mellon by 1.7% in the 1st quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 14,451 shares of the banks stock valued at $717,000 after buying an additional 245 shares during the last quarter. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Bank of New York Mellon by 25.0% in the 3rd quarter. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,346 shares of the banks stock valued at $57,000 after buying an additional 269 shares during the last quarter. Penserra Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Bank of New York Mellon by 8.4% in the 1st quarter. Penserra Capital Management LLC now owns 3,631 shares of the banks stock valued at $180,000 after buying an additional 282 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Neuberger Berman Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Bank of New York Mellon by 0.6% in the 1st quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC now owns 45,900 shares of the banks stock valued at $2,278,000 after buying an additional 288 shares during the last quarter. 82.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Bank of New York Mellon Stock Performance

Shares of BK traded down $0.37 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $44.78. 368,467 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,939,395. The company has a quick ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86. The Bank of New York Mellon Co. has a twelve month low of $36.22 and a twelve month high of $52.26. The company has a market cap of $35.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.57, a PEG ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.07. The stocks 50 day simple moving average is $48.52 and its 200 day simple moving average is $45.35.

Bank of New York Mellon Dividend Announcement

Bank of New York Mellon ( NYSE:BK Get Rating ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 13th. The bank reported $1.30 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.22 by $0.08. Bank of New York Mellon had a return on equity of 10.78% and a net margin of 12.87%. The company had revenue of $3.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $4.12 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.04 earnings per share. Bank of New York Mellons revenue was down 2.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that The Bank of New York Mellon Co. will post 4.83 earnings per share for the current year.

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 3rd. Investors of record on Monday, January 23rd were given a $0.37 dividend. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.31%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 20th. Bank of New York Mellons payout ratio is currently 51.03%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently commented on BK. Citigroup increased their price objective on Bank of New York Mellon from $50.00 to $55.00 in a report on Friday, December 9th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Bank of New York Mellon from $49.00 to $46.00 and set an underweight rating for the company in a report on Monday. Bank of America started coverage on Bank of New York Mellon in a report on Thursday, January 12th. They set a buy rating and a $56.00 price target for the company. StockNews.com started coverage on Bank of New York Mellon in a report on Thursday, March 16th. They set a hold rating for the company. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised Bank of New York Mellon from a neutral rating to a buy rating and set a $59.00 price target for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $52.04.

About Bank of New York Mellon

(Get Rating)

The Bank of New York Mellon Corp. is a bank holding company, which engages in the provision of financial services. It operates through the following segments: Securities Services, Market and Wealth Services, Investment and Wealth Management, and Other segment. The Securities Services segment includes Asset Servicing business, which provides global custody, fund accounting, integrated middle-office solutions, transfer agency and data and analytics solutions.

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New Found Gold Corp. (NYSE:NFGC  Get Rating) rose 6% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $5.48 and last traded at $5.45. Approximately 141,824 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 22% from the average daily volume of 181,931 shares. The stock had previously closed at $5.14.

New Found Gold Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $941.79 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -13.19 and a beta of 1.43. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $3.99 and a 200 day moving average price of $3.88.

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Institutional Investors Weigh In On New Found Gold

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in NFGC. Regal Partners Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of New Found Gold in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,483,000. Integrated Advisors Network LLC lifted its holdings in New Found Gold by 29.7% during the 4th quarter. Integrated Advisors Network LLC now owns 599,190 shares of the companys stock valued at $2,421,000 after purchasing an additional 137,100 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its holdings in New Found Gold by 3.8% during the 3rd quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 3,520,800 shares of the companys stock valued at $12,449,000 after purchasing an additional 129,709 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC lifted its holdings in New Found Gold by 110.6% during the 4th quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 212,968 shares of the companys stock valued at $859,000 after purchasing an additional 111,824 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP acquired a new stake in New Found Gold during the 4th quarter valued at $214,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 22.12% of the companys stock.

About New Found Gold

New Found Gold Corp., a mineral exploration company, engages in the identification, acquisition, and exploration of mineral properties in the Provinces of Newfoundland and Labrador, and Ontario. The company primarily explores for gold deposit. It holds 100% interests in the Queensway project that includes 86 mineral licenses and 6,041 claims covering an area of 151,030 hectares of land located near Gander, Newfoundland; and the Lucky Strike project comprising 11,684 hectares located in Kirkland Lake, Ontario.

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Shares of Panasonic Holdings Co. (OTCMKTS:PCRFY  Get Rating) were up 2.7% during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $9.14 and last traded at $9.14. Approximately 207,893 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 37% from the average daily volume of 151,317 shares. The stock had previously closed at $8.90.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Panasonic from an underperform rating to a hold rating in a research note on Monday, February 13th.

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Panasonic Price Performance

The company has a market cap of $22.43 billion, a PE ratio of 12.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 1.31. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $8.85 and a 200-day moving average of $8.43.

About Panasonic

Panasonic ( OTCMKTS:PCRFY Get Rating ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 2nd. The company reported $0.17 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.20 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $15.32 billion for the quarter. Panasonic had a net margin of 2.73% and a return on equity of 6.09%. Equities analysts predict that Panasonic Holdings Co. will post 0.6 earnings per share for the current year.

(Get Rating)

Panasonic Holdings Corp. engages in the development, manufacture, and sale of electrical products. It operates through the following segments: Appliances, Life Solutions, Connected Solutions, Automotive, Industrial Solutions, and Others. The Appliances segment provides consumer electronics such as flat panels televisions, refrigerators, washing machines, microwave ovens, video equipment, rice cookers, and vacuum cleaners.

Further Reading

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Starry Group (NYSE:STRY  Get Rating) and Telstra (OTCMKTS:TLSYY  Get Rating) are both computer and technology companies, but which is the superior business? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, risk, earnings, dividends, institutional ownership, valuation and profitability.

Analyst Ratings

This is a summary of recent recommendations for Starry Group and Telstra, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

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Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Starry Group 1 3 3 0 2.29 Telstra 0 0 0 0 N/A

Starry Group presently has a consensus target price of $6.29, suggesting a potential upside of 69,741.27%. Given Starry Groups higher possible upside, equities analysts clearly believe Starry Group is more favorable than Telstra.

Profitability

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Starry Group N/A -174.35% -1.57% Telstra N/A N/A N/A

Volatility and Risk

This table compares Starry Group and Telstras net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Starry Group has a beta of 0.59, indicating that its share price is 41% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Telstra has a beta of 0.8, indicating that its share price is 20% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Earnings & Valuation

This table compares Starry Group and Telstras top-line revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Starry Group $29.86 million 0.05 $25.55 million N/A N/A Telstra $15.21 billion 1.90 $1.22 billion N/A N/A

Telstra has higher revenue and earnings than Starry Group.

Insider and Institutional Ownership

43.6% of Starry Group shares are held by institutional investors. 44.2% of Starry Group shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Summary

Telstra beats Starry Group on 6 of the 10 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Starry Group

(Get Rating)

Starry Group Holdings, Inc. operates as a next generation licensed fixed wireless technology developer and internet service provider. The company is deploying gigabit capable broadband to the home using its hybrid fiber fixed wireless technology. It serves approximately 5.3 million households through deploying its gigabit network in six U.S. cities, including Boston, Massachusetts; New York, New York; Los Angeles, California; Washington D.C.; Denver, Colorado; and Columbus, Ohio. The company is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts.

About Telstra

(Get Rating)

Telstra Corporation Limited provides telecommunications and information services to businesses, governments, and individuals in Australia and internationally. It operates in four segments: Telstra Consumer and Small Business, Telstra Enterprise, Networks and IT, and Telstra InfraCo. The company offers telecommunication, media and technology products and services in Australia using mobile and fixed network technologies, as well as operates call centers, retail stores, a dealership network, digital channels, distribution systems and Telstra Plus customer loyalty program. It also provides network capacity and management, unified communications, cloud, security, industry solutions, integrated and monitoring services to government and large enterprise and business customers; wholesale services, including voice and data; and telecommunication products and services to other carriers, carriage service providers, and internet service providers, as well as builds and manages digital platforms. In addition, the company operates the fixed passive network infrastructure, including data centers, exchanges, poles, ducts, pits and pipes, and fiber network; provides wholesale customers with access to network infrastructure; provides long-term access to components of infrastructure under the infrastructure services agreement; designs and constructs fiber, exchanges, and other infrastructure; and operates the passive and physical mobile tower assets owned or operated by the Amplitel Pty Ltd. The company was formerly known as Australian and Overseas Telecommunications Corporation Limited and changed its name to Telstra Corporation Limited in April 1993. Telstra Corporation Limited was founded in 1901 and is based in Melbourne, Australia.

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American Well Co. (NYSE:AMWL  Get Rating) was the recipient of a large decline in short interest in March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 10,980,000 shares, a decline of 5.0% from the February 28th total of 11,560,000 shares. Approximately 5.3% of the companys stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 1,490,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 7.4 days.

American Well Trading Down 2.1 %

Shares of NYSE AMWL opened at $2.31 on Tuesday. American Well has a twelve month low of $2.15 and a twelve month high of $5.43. The company has a market capitalization of $641.24 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -2.36 and a beta of 0.80. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $3.10 and a 200-day simple moving average of $3.42.

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American Well (NYSE:AMWL  Get Rating) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 22nd. The company reported ($0.22) earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of ($0.25) by $0.03. American Well had a negative return on equity of 23.77% and a negative net margin of 97.73%. The business had revenue of $79.20 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $78.05 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned ($0.18) EPS. The businesss quarterly revenue was up 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that American Well will post -0.78 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Insider Buying and Selling

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Credit Suisse Group dropped their price objective on American Well from $5.00 to $4.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 23rd. Bank of America upgraded American Well from a neutral rating to a buy rating and set a $4.20 price objective on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 4th. Guggenheim restated a buy rating and set a $5.00 price objective on shares of American Well in a report on Wednesday, March 15th. Needham & Company LLC restated a hold rating on shares of American Well in a report on Thursday, February 23rd. Finally, Piper Sandler downgraded American Well from an overweight rating to a neutral rating and lowered their price target for the company from $5.00 to $3.50 in a report on Monday, February 27th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, American Well presently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $4.28.

In related news, CEO Ido Schoenberg sold 136,208 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $2.40, for a total transaction of $326,899.20. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,327,174 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $3,185,217.60. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other American Well news, CFO Robert Shepardson sold 20,000 shares of American Well stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $2.36, for a total transaction of $47,200.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 1,091,225 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,575,291. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Ido Schoenberg sold 136,208 shares of American Well stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $2.40, for a total value of $326,899.20. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,327,174 shares in the company, valued at $3,185,217.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 215,500 shares of company stock valued at $575,646. Corporate insiders own 13.91% of the companys stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Caxton Associates LP acquired a new position in American Well during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $56,000. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new position in American Well during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $196,000. Tudor Investment Corp Et Al boosted its position in American Well by 50.5% during the 3rd quarter. Tudor Investment Corp Et Al now owns 400,113 shares of the companys stock worth $1,436,000 after acquiring an additional 134,195 shares during the period. Caledonia Private Investments Pty Ltd boosted its position in American Well by 12.8% during the 2nd quarter. Caledonia Private Investments Pty Ltd now owns 18,070,245 shares of the companys stock worth $78,063,000 after acquiring an additional 2,053,997 shares during the period. Finally, Woodline Partners LP acquired a new position in American Well during the 2nd quarter worth $1,841,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 46.30% of the companys stock.

About American Well

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American Well Corporation operates digital care delivery enablement platform in the United States and internationally. Its platform connects and enables providers, insurers, patients, and innovators to deliver access to care. The company products offer urgent care; scheduled visits; acute behavioral health; telestroke; pediatrics; retail health, school health, and home settings.

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Skeena Resources Limited (NYSE:SKE  Get Rating) shares shot up 3.2% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $6.49 and last traded at $6.45. 17,025 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 57% from the average session volume of 39,325 shares. The stock had previously closed at $6.25.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Scotiabank upped their target price on Skeena Resources from C$15.00 to C$16.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 18th.

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Skeena Resources Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $504.86 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -6.38 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a fifty day moving average of $5.60 and a two-hundred day moving average of $5.36.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Skeena Resources Company Profile

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of SKE. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. raised its position in Skeena Resources by 106.0% during the 4th quarter. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. now owns 2,504,389 shares of the companys stock worth $13,105,000 after purchasing an additional 1,288,389 shares during the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its position in shares of Skeena Resources by 39.8% in the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 3,762,608 shares of the companys stock worth $20,015,000 after acquiring an additional 1,071,610 shares in the last quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp bought a new position in shares of Skeena Resources in the 1st quarter worth about $6,348,000. Royal Bank of Canada raised its position in shares of Skeena Resources by 35.1% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 1,762,512 shares of the companys stock worth $19,617,000 after acquiring an additional 458,073 shares in the last quarter. Finally, 1832 Asset Management L.P. raised its position in shares of Skeena Resources by 11.6% in the 4th quarter. 1832 Asset Management L.P. now owns 3,925,000 shares of the companys stock worth $20,881,000 after acquiring an additional 408,700 shares in the last quarter. 32.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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Skeena Resources Ltd. is a mineral exploration stage company. The firm focuses on developing the Eskay Creek Project, an advanced-stage exploration project. The company was founded on September 13, 1979 and is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.

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Stephens Inc. AR lessened its stake in iShares Russell 2000 ETF (NYSEARCA:IWM  Get Rating) by 2.5% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 51,089 shares of the exchange traded funds stock after selling 1,301 shares during the quarter. Stephens Inc. ARs holdings in iShares Russell 2000 ETF were worth $8,908,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Barclays PLC raised its position in iShares Russell 2000 ETF by 113.2% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 3,660,221 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $603,643,000 after buying an additional 31,422,045 shares during the last quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank raised its position in iShares Russell 2000 ETF by 12,616.2% in the 3rd quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 7,756,010 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $1,279,086,000 after buying an additional 7,695,017 shares during the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC raised its position in iShares Russell 2000 ETF by 119.0% in the 2nd quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 853,920 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $144,620,000 after buying an additional 5,358,090 shares during the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI raised its position in iShares Russell 2000 ETF by 32,819.0% in the 4th quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 2,119,653 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $369,583,000 after buying an additional 2,113,214 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund raised its position in iShares Russell 2000 ETF by 8.9% in the 3rd quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 14,581,100 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $2,404,715,000 after buying an additional 1,192,100 shares during the last quarter.

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iShares Russell 2000 ETF Price Performance

Shares of NYSEARCA:IWM opened at $178.48 on Tuesday. iShares Russell 2000 ETF has a fifty-two week low of $162.50 and a fifty-two week high of $209.43. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $184.95 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $180.24.

iShares Russell 2000 ETF Company Profile

iShares Russell 2000 ETF (the Fund) is an exchange-traded fund. The Fund seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of the Russell 2000 Index (the Index). The Index is a float-adjusted capitalization weighted index that measures the performance of the small-capitalization sector of the United States equity market and includes securities issued by the approximately 2,000 smallest issuers in the Russell 3000 Index.

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A variety of fresh raisins from South Africa is now reaching Chinese consumers, as doors open wider to African food products under President Xi Jinping's "green lanes" promise.

"High quality fruit from Africa is gaining more and more recognition in the Chinese market," Wu Peng, director general of the Chinese foreign ministry's African affairs department, tweeted recently.

This comes as China imports more farm produce from Africa, including avocados, cashews, sesame seeds and chilli peppers, as agriculture becomes the new focus of its engagement with the continent.

Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team.

Observers link the increase to Xi's 2021 pledge to open "green lanes" for African non-resource exports, including faster inspection and quarantine, and wider tariff waivers.

The strategy aims to grow African imports to US$300 billion by 2024, from US$105.9 billion in 2021, as part of efforts to narrow the trade deficit with China, the continent's largest trading partner. China imported agricultural products worth US$5.03 billion from Africa in 2021.

Beijing has since implemented zero-tariff imports for 98 per cent of taxable items from more than a dozen least-developed countries (LDCs), most of them in Africa.

A new study by Development Reimagined, a Beijing-based international development consultancy, said the green lanes were having some impact - with many African agricultural products making their first appearance in Chinese markets since Xi's address to the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in November 2021.

However, challenges remain, as highlighted by the March 23 study - called "FOCAC 8 at one: what has changed? A look at the Trade Facilitation Initiatives" - and Development Reimagined CEO Hannah Ryder.

The study cited Kenya, which was exporting fresh avocados to China under a phytosanitary agreement signed in January last year, with 15 Kenyan traders making the cut and tariffs slashed by more than a third.

Story continues

The shipments, which began in August, had reached 1,700 tonnes by November.

"Because avocados attract a higher price ... this relatively small number of avocados compared to Kenya's total annual capacity of around 80,000 tonnes nevertheless earned Kenya around US$55 million within three months, illustrating the significance of this kind of market access," the study said.

Tanzania also signed inspection and quarantine, veterinary sanitary and phytosanitary protocols with China - including for fresh avocado - when President Samia Suluhu Hassan visited Beijing in November.

Tanzanian sesame, citrus fruits from South Africa and dry chilli from Rwanda have also benefited from Beijing's strategy.

"As China opens up further in 2023 after a period of Covid-19 restrictions ... we can expect to see more similar agreements signed between African countries and China and more growth in agricultural exports from Africa to China," the researchers at Development Reimagined said.

However, structural challenges such as non-tariff barriers and high tariffs are preventing the green lanes from reaching their full potential.

A man sells fruits and vegetables in a street shop, in Shanghai, China. Photo: EPA-EFE alt=A man sells fruits and vegetables in a street shop, in Shanghai, China. Photo: EPA-EFE>

CEO Ryder noted that China's commitment to open up its market had led to an 18.23 per cent year-on-year increase in African exports since 2021. However, "we must not only focus on the 'low-hanging fruits'," she cautioned.

"While it is great that Africa's LDCs enjoy tariff-free access for most products into China, certain low and middle-income countries such as Ghana or Kenya do not," she told a China-Africa Business Council seminar in Beijing last month.

"Focusing on raw products, and not creating special incentives for African firms specifically can create limitations."

For instance, Ghana and the Ivory Coast were major cocoa sellers but benefit about 4 per cent from the US$100 billion global market in chocolate, according to Ryder.

"Part of this market is in China, and will increasingly be," she said, while also highlighting avocado-based products.

"Opening up China's market and investing in producing these products in African countries would enable African exports to China to increase in value."

The Development Reimagined study said non-tariff barriers included strict sanitary and phytosanitary standards for fresh produce, which sometimes required the use of specialised equipment, pesticides or medicine. It took more than two years for Kenya's avocado farmers to comply with Chinese standards.

Also, tariffs remain high as 30 per cent for cashew nuts and cocoa beans, for instance.

Africa is still one of China's smallest trading partners, accounting for only around 4 per cent of its global trade, the study noted.

Lauren Johnston, a China-Africa researcher at the South African Institute of International Affairs in Johannesburg, said Beijing's green lanes initiative aims to promote food security on both sides. "It [also] aims to foster growth in rural incomes and hence help to alleviate poverty faster."

Hunan in central China, the first province to implement Xi's green lanes plan, was home to sophisticated agritech and food production systems, including seed innovation companies and research entities that could support related food production growth in Africa, Johnston said.

The province also had a long history of agricultural demonstration projects in Africa, she added, noting that seed autonomy was a priority for both China and Africa.

Other challenges include meeting quality and quantity requirements. Tanzania, for instance, has the potential to become an important exporter of cassava and soybean to China, but it lacks industrial experience.

Johnston said China had been trying to help Tanzanian farmers to boost high-quality harvests, especially for cassava, which could improve agricultural productivity and export potential as well as food security.

Deborah Brautigam, professor of international political economy at Johns Hopkins University and founding director of its China Africa Research Initiative, said increased agricultural exports to China was "something Africans have been asking for" and it benefited both sides.

"China wants to import more agricultural products given it is land-scarce, so making imports easier achieves both goals."

On non-tariff barriers, Brautigam said: "Like other countries, China uses trade restrictions to protect its farmers and it also has strict phytosanitary requirements to protect against unwelcome pests."

This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright  2023 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

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Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd boosted its stake in Linde plc (NYSE:LIN  Get Rating) by 5.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 39,086 shares of the basic materials companys stock after buying an additional 1,854 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltds holdings in Linde were worth $12,749,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of LIN. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its position in Linde by 8.0% in the 4th quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 14,938 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $4,872,000 after purchasing an additional 1,104 shares during the last quarter. First Merchants Corp raised its position in Linde by 19.8% in the 4th quarter. First Merchants Corp now owns 17,200 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $5,610,000 after purchasing an additional 2,844 shares during the last quarter. Boenning & Scattergood Inc. raised its position in Linde by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Boenning & Scattergood Inc. now owns 2,701 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $863,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Cyndeo Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in Linde in the 4th quarter valued at $5,187,000. Finally, Wallington Asset Management LLC raised its position in Linde by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Wallington Asset Management LLC now owns 65,357 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $21,318,000 after purchasing an additional 193 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.15% of the companys stock.

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Linde Trading Down 0.1 %

Linde stock traded down $0.33 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $357.77. 1,050,353 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,603,544. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $338.30 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $320.65. Linde plc has a 52 week low of $262.47 and a 52 week high of $362.74. The stock has a market capitalization of $176.08 billion, a PE ratio of 43.41, a P/E/G ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a quick ratio of 0.67, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29.

Linde Increases Dividend

Linde ( NYSE:LIN Get Rating ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 7th. The basic materials company reported $3.16 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.91 by $0.25. Linde had a net margin of 12.43% and a return on equity of 14.95%. The business had revenue of $7.90 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.49 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.77 EPS. Lindes quarterly revenue was down 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Linde plc will post 13.37 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 14th were issued a dividend of $1.275 per share. This is an increase from Lindes previous quarterly dividend of $1.17. This represents a $5.10 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.43%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 13th. Lindes dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 61.82%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Linde news, VP Sean Durbin sold 4,060 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $360.17, for a total transaction of $1,462,290.20. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 8,432 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,036,953.44. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.25% of the companys stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on Linde from $355.00 to $385.00 in a research report on Wednesday, February 8th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Linde from $350.00 to $375.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 8th. Mizuho boosted their target price on Linde from $346.00 to $370.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 8th. UBS Group boosted their target price on Linde from $375.00 to $410.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 8th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their target price on Linde from $402.00 to $418.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $370.67.

Linde Company Profile

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Linde Plc is a global industrial gases and engineering company. It designs and builds equipment that produces industrial gases. The company also offers gas production and processing services such as olefin plants, natural gas plants, air separation plants, hydrogen and synthesis gas plants and other types of plants.

Further Reading

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UBS Group AG cut its stake in iShares Focused Value Factor ETF (NYSEARCA:FOVL  Get Rating) by 34.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,054 shares of the companys stock after selling 1,586 shares during the period. UBS Group AG owned about 0.76% of iShares Focused Value Factor ETF worth $155,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in iShares Focused Value Factor ETF in the first quarter worth $207,000. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. boosted its position in iShares Focused Value Factor ETF by 7.2% during the first quarter. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. now owns 7,260 shares of the companys stock valued at $425,000 after buying an additional 486 shares during the period. Royal Bank of Canada purchased a new stake in iShares Focused Value Factor ETF during the first quarter valued at about $1,112,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. purchased a new stake in iShares Focused Value Factor ETF during the first quarter valued at about $1,333,000. Finally, Citadel Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in iShares Focused Value Factor ETF during the second quarter valued at about $1,369,000.

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iShares Focused Value Factor ETF Price Performance

NYSEARCA FOVL traded down $1.06 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $49.61. 1,923 shares of the companys stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,849. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $53.50 and a two-hundred day moving average of $51.80. iShares Focused Value Factor ETF has a 12-month low of $45.01 and a 12-month high of $59.28. The firm has a market cap of $19.84 million, a P/E ratio of 6.89 and a beta of 1.14.

iShares Focused Value Factor ETF Company Profile

The iShares Focused Value Factor ETF (FOVL) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the Focused Value Select index. The fund tracks a tier-weighted index of US listed equities selected using a variety of value factors. FOVL was launched on Mar 19, 2019 and is managed by BlackRock.

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Riverview Trust Co raised its holdings in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT  Get Rating) by 20.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 2,420 shares of the retailers stock after acquiring an additional 409 shares during the period. Riverview Trust Cos holdings in Walmart were worth $343,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. My Personal CFO LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Bellwether Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Walmart by 112.0% during the 3rd quarter. Bellwether Advisors LLC now owns 212 shares of the retailers stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 112 shares during the last quarter. JDM Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 4th quarter worth $28,000. Lipe & Dalton acquired a new stake in shares of Walmart during the 3rd quarter worth $29,000. Finally, Legend Financial Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Walmart during the 3rd quarter worth $32,000. 31.27% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WMT has been the subject of a number of research reports. Oppenheimer decreased their price target on shares of Walmart from $165.00 to $160.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. set a $155.00 price target on shares of Walmart in a research report on Tuesday, February 21st. UBS Group set a $168.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research report on Wednesday, February 22nd. Royal Bank of Canada set a $163.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a research note on Wednesday, February 22nd. Finally, Barclays initiated coverage on shares of Walmart in a research note on Tuesday, February 7th. They set an overweight rating and a $159.00 price objective on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, twenty-three have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, Walmart currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $163.06.

Insider Activity at Walmart

Walmart Stock Performance

In related news, major shareholder Jim C. Walton sold 1,908,331 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $144.15, for a total value of $275,085,913.65. Following the sale, the insider now owns 247,215,555 shares of the companys stock, valued at $35,636,122,253.25. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink . In related news, major shareholder Jim C. Walton sold 1,908,331 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $144.15, for a total value of $275,085,913.65. Following the sale, the insider now owns 247,215,555 shares of the companys stock, valued at $35,636,122,253.25. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink . Also, major shareholder Jim C. Walton sold 852,215 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $144.26, for a total transaction of $122,940,535.90. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 266,841,420 shares in the company, valued at approximately $38,494,543,249.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here . Insiders have sold a total of 21,053,710 shares of company stock valued at $2,982,527,217 over the last quarter. 47.06% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Shares of NYSE:WMT traded down $1.53 on Tuesday, hitting $147.16. 2,293,907 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,476,822. The companys 50 day moving average price is $142.24 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $141.82. Walmart Inc. has a one year low of $117.27 and a one year high of $160.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a current ratio of 0.82. The firm has a market capitalization of $396.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.74, a PEG ratio of 4.41 and a beta of 0.48.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT  Get Rating) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 21st. The retailer reported $1.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.51 by $0.20. Walmart had a net margin of 1.91% and a return on equity of 20.45%. The company had revenue of $164.05 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $158.67 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.53 EPS. The businesss revenue was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 6.08 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, January 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 8th will be issued a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 7th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.55%. Walmarts payout ratio is 53.27%.

About Walmart

(Get Rating)

Walmart, Inc engages in retail and wholesale business. The company offers an assortment of merchandise and services at everyday low prices. It operates through the following business segments: Walmart U.S., Walmart International, and Sams Club. The Walmart U.S. segment operates as a merchandiser of consumer products, operating under the Walmart, Wal-Mart, and Walmart Neighborhood Market brands, as well as walmart.com and other eCommerce brands.

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Riverview Trust Co grew its stake in Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC) by 122.8% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 3,974 shares of the financial services providers stock after purchasing an additional 2,190 shares during the period. Riverview Trust Cos holdings in Wells Fargo & Company were worth $164,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Financial Management Professionals Inc. boosted its stake in Wells Fargo & Company by 66.6% during the 3rd quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. now owns 688 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 275 shares during the period. FNY Investment Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in Wells Fargo & Company during the 4th quarter worth $34,000. Orion Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Wells Fargo & Company by 125.0% during the 3rd quarter. Orion Capital Management LLC now owns 900 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares during the period. Lam Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Wells Fargo & Company during the 4th quarter worth $37,000. Finally, Worth Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Wells Fargo & Company during the 1st quarter worth $40,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.24% of the companys stock.

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Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Wells Fargo & Company news, EVP Kleber Santos sold 34,698 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $46.27, for a total transaction of $1,605,476.46. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 19,590 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $906,429.30. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.07% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Wells Fargo & Company Price Performance

A number of analysts recently weighed in on WFC shares. Jefferies Financial Group cut shares of Wells Fargo & Company from a buy rating to a hold rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $49.00 to $46.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 17th. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Wells Fargo & Company from $48.00 to $52.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 17th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Wells Fargo & Company from $58.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 3rd. Cfra upgraded shares of Wells Fargo & Company to a buy rating and set a $50.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Friday, January 13th. Finally, Odeon Capital Group downgraded shares of Wells Fargo & Company from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Monday, March 13th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $51.88.

NYSE:WFC traded down $1.25 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $36.47. 9,527,189 shares of the companys stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 23,024,006. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a current ratio of 0.84. The firms 50 day simple moving average is $43.68 and its 200 day simple moving average is $43.71. Wells Fargo & Company has a 1 year low of $35.25 and a 1 year high of $50.19. The company has a market cap of $137.75 billion, a PE ratio of 12.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 1.12.

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC  Get Rating) last posted its earnings results on Friday, January 13th. The financial services provider reported $0.67 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.63 by $0.04. Wells Fargo & Company had a net margin of 15.91% and a return on equity of 9.28%. The firm had revenue of $19.66 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $20.04 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.38 EPS. The firms revenue for the quarter was down 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Wells Fargo & Company will post 4.76 EPS for the current year.

Wells Fargo & Company Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 3rd were issued a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 2nd. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.29%. Wells Fargo & Companys dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 38.22%.

About Wells Fargo & Company

(Get Rating)

Wells Fargo & Co is a diversified, community-based financial services company. It is engaged in the provision of banking, insurance, investments, mortgage products and services, and consumer and commercial finance. It operates through the following segments: Consumer Banking and Lending, Commercial Banking, Corporate and Investment Banking, and Wealth & Investment Management.

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Want to see what other hedge funds are holding WFC? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC  Get Rating).

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Logo of SenseTime is seen at SenseTime office, in Shanghai

By Josh Ye

HONG KONG (Reuters) - China's SenseTime on Tuesday announced plans for a technology discussion day, boosting shares in the artificial intelligence (AI) firm.

It promised to showcase its latest products as well as "cutting-edge advancements in artificial intelligence technology" in an invitation sent to analysts and seen by Reuters.

Shares in the company, which has been sanctioned by the U.S., gained more than 10% in Hong Kong on Tuesday.

Global interest in AI technology has soared since the debut in late 2022 of ChatGPT, a popular chat bot developed by U.S. company OpenAI which uses generative AI technology that learns from past data to create new text, images or computer code.

Chinese search engine giant Baidu's unveiling of its self-developed rival Ernie Bot last month was closely watched by investors, with its shares plunging and then recovering over two days as users assessed it.

SenseTime, which is best known for its computer vision technology, did not elaborate on the type of AI products it would demonstrate.

The company did not respond when asked about the planned event which is to be held on Monday in Shanghai.

During its earnings call last week, the company said it was aiming to launch its own chatbot in mid-2023.

The model has been trained with more than 100 billion parameters to improve its performance in text generation and human-computer dialogue, the company said at the time.

"While SenseTime is known for its expertise in computer vision (CV), we believe many of its core capabilities, built and improved over the years, can be transferred to the current AI arms race," said Charlie Chai, an analyst with 86Research.

"Key assets include one of China's largest GPU farms, the proprietary cluster management and model training platform, and also commercialization experience that turns a technology into business-friendly products," he added.

In 2019, the U.S. put SenseTime on a trade blacklist after accusing it of developing facial recognition programs that facilitate Beijing's surveillance of ethnic Uyghurs in its Xinjiang region.

SenseTime said at the time that it strongly opposed the U.S. ban and would work with relevant authorities to resolve the situation.

(Reporting by Josh Ye; additional reporting by Brenda Goh; editing by Jason Neely)
BEIJING, April 3 (Xinhua)  At the invitation of the Chinese leadership, Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim attended the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2023 and paid an official visit to China from March 29 to April 1.

It has been Anwar's first visit to China since he took office in November 2022. It is also an important visit to push forward bilateral cooperation on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the China-Malaysia comprehensive strategic partnership.

China and Malaysia have a long-standing friendship, and next year will mark the 50th anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic ties.

For years, the two sides have worked closely to advance high-quality Belt and Road cooperation and made joint efforts to reach a consensus on building a China-Malaysia community with a shared future, so as to benefit the two peoples.

Belt & Road Cooperation

As one of the first countries to respond to the Belt and Road Initiative, Malaysia has since reaped a bumper harvest.

Chee Mun Yan, a 30-year-old Malaysian Chinese, has lately realized a dream. She took her mother to experience the MRT 2, the second Mass Rapid Transit line in Klang Valley, Malaysia.

Chee joined the China Railway Group Limited in Malaysia in 2016 upon graduation and is currently an environmental manager. For the past few years, she has worked with her colleagues on the construction of Bandar Malaysia North station, Bandar Malaysia South station, and related twin tunnels, key points along MRT 2, to manage any potential worksite pollution.

On March 16, MRT 2 started operation. On the first train launched, Chee walked through the crowd to the front compartment with her mother hand in hand, and explained to her mother the station projects she had participated in. Amid the praises for MRT 2 from passengers, Chee felt very proud.

Due to the Belt and Road Initiative, more and more Chinese enterprises are investing and doing business in Malaysia, which not only facilitates the upgrading of local infrastructure and directly benefits people's livelihood, but also brings advanced technology and management experience to the local people.

Brahim Bin Senik, head of a village in Dungun District, Terengganu State, has recently made frequent visits to a construction site near his village. The taller the bridge piers grow, the sooner his dream will come true.

"These bridge piers are built for the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL). After completion, the trains can travel directly across the Dungun River. We all look forward to this day coming soon," said the 59-year-old man, with joy in his eyes, showing a map that marks the ECRL line.

"Our village is only 2 km away from the station. I hope to travel to Kuala Lumpur with my villagers by this train," he said.

The ECRL, Malaysia's mega rail project with a total planning length of over 600 km, is being built by China Communications Construction Company. The rail link is expected to greatly enhance connectivity and bring more balanced growth to the country by linking its less-developed region on the east coast to the economic heartland on the west coast.

Malaysian Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook, who has made multiple visits to China, stressed repeatedly in an exclusive interview with Xinhua the significance of Belt and Road cooperation for Malaysia.

Loke said that Malaysia's transport industry, including important projects such as the ECRL and MRT 2, has renewed its vitality thanks to the participation of Chinese enterprises.

"The ECRL is a project of strategic significance. After completion, it will promote economic and industrial development along the eastern coast, and at the same time connect the east coast with Port Klang, Malaysia's main port," he said.

Deepening Friendship

China and Malaysia have a long history of friendly exchanges. The story that Chinese navigator Zheng He from the Ming Dynasty and his fleet visited Malacca five times in his seven voyages is well-known in Malaysia and has become an exemplar in the history of China-Malaysia exchanges. Since establishing diplomatic relations in 1974, the two countries have been sharing weal and woe and forging ahead hand in hand.

In 2014, a giant panda couple named "Xing Xing" and "Liang Liang" came to Malaysia on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Adored by the Malaysian public, the panda family has accustomed to eating bamboo produced in Malaysia and can understand a little local language. For Akmal and his colleagues, who spent nine years taking care of the pandas, they have already become one of their family members.

Besides China's national treasure the giant panda, Chinese culture, represented by the Chinese language and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), is also gaining popularity among non-Chinese ethnic groups in Malaysia.

Just a few days ago, the second China-Malaysia Intervarsity Chinese Debate Competition concluded, and students from 26 well-known universities and colleges in China and Malaysia exchanged ideas and enhanced mutual understanding over debate topics in education, science and technology, ecology, and other fields.

In Chinese schools in Malaysia, non-Chinese students accounted for over 20 percent of the total. In a TCM diagnosis and treatment center in Kuala Lumpur, a Malay woman physician Amiera said that more and more non-Chinese students are enrolled in TCM courses.

Since 2009, TCM education in Malaysia has gradually changed from privately-run education to government-approved higher education. There are now eight universities and colleges providing TCM courses taught in both Chinese and English.

New Momentum for Development

Located in the capital city Kuantan of Pahang state and launched in 2013, Malaysia-China Kuantan Industrial Park (MCKIP) is a key Belt and Road cooperation project and a demonstration base for cross-border industrial capacity cooperation. The MCKIP, together with the China-Malaysia Qinzhou Industrial Park situated in China, has set an innovative example of bilateral economic cooperation under the model of "Two Countries, Twin Parks."

For the past decade, President Xi Jinping has been following the construction and development of the twin industrial parks. When meeting with Anwar in Beijing on Friday, Xi called on the two sides to continue to raise the level of high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, advance key projects, foster growth areas in the digital economy, green development and new energy, and explore cooperation on people's livelihoods so that China-Malaysia relations will bring more benefits to the two peoples.

Lu Yong, executive deputy general manager of Beibu Gulf Holding (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, told Xinhua that with the care and promotion of the two countries' leaders, the MCKIP ushered in a historic development opportunity.

Now, the MCKIP has completed the development of about 10 out of its 12 square km of planned areas. It has signed 12 projects with contractual investments and actual investments totalling 46 billion yuan (6.7 billion U.S. dollars) and 12 billion yuan (1.7 billion dollars) respectively. Some 15,000 temporary and 5,000 long-term jobs were created.

Under the strategic guidance of the two countries' leaders, cooperation in trade, science and technology, culture, and other fields has achieved fruitful results.

In 2022, two-way trade reached a record high of 203.6 billion dollars, up by 15.3 percent year on year. China has been Malaysia's largest trading partner for 14 consecutive years.

Oh Ei Sun, principal advisor for Malaysia's Pacific Research Center, said that Anwar's visit to China is a further deepening and broadening of the very close relationship between the two sides, voicing hope that China will lead the regional economy to regain development vitality.

(Source: Xinhua)
DARTFORD, United Kingdom - (NewMediaWire) - April 3, 2023 - (King NewsWire) - Chiron Investigations, a top-notch provider of investigation services, has introduced a custom solution designed to assist companies in the fight against online crime. By partnering with enterprises that have experienced various forms of digital crime, Chiron Investigations offers an array of services such as personalized analysis of cases, comprehensive examinations of transactions, closer engagement with stakeholders to evaluate the techniques utilized by wrongdoers, tracing events to identify the root cause of the problem, and safeguarding against future incidents through the implementation of sturdy security systems.

The risks of cybercrime have increased alongside the expansion of online transactions and ecommerce platforms. For those seeking comprehension, a team of experts provides guidance and support on how to get their stolen crypto back. Online crimes can have severe consequences for an organization's finances, reputation, and operations. Chiron Investigations understands the significance of safeguarding companies from these outcomes and offers customized solutions to meet each client's specific requirements.

According to the IT head of Chiron Investigations, "Our objective is to assist businesses in recovering from the impacts of online crime and equipping them with the necessary tools to prevent its recurrence." The head further added, "We collaborate closely with our clients to comprehend their specific difficulties and offer solutions customized to their needs. Our team of specialists possesses extensive experience in investigating and thwarting online crime, and we are dedicated to providing our clients with the highest standard of service."

Chiron Investigations provides a variety of services aimed at assisting businesses in preventing and recovering from online threats. The company tailors its solutions to meet the specific requirements of each client, which encompasses custom analysis of cases, thorough investigations into transactions, closer collaboration with stakeholders to evaluate perpetrators' techniques, tracing of events to establish the root cause analysis, and safeguarding against future incidents via the implementation of robust security systems. Apart from collaborating closely with law enforcement agencies and financial institutions to ensure that perpetrators are held responsible for their actions, they are also dedicated to helping those impacted by crypto trading platform crimes. The team of specialists at Chiron Investigations employs state-of-the-art technology and methodologies to track and retrieve stolen funds and to prosecute perpetrators. They partner closely with law enforcement agencies and financial institutions to ensure that wrongdoers are held answerable for their crimes.

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According to a spokesperson for Chiron Investigations, their strategy is to offer a comprehensive solution that covers all aspects of online crime. They recognize the severe consequences that cybercrime can inflict on businesses, and they are dedicated to assisting their clients in safeguarding themselves against any future incidents. The spokesperson further added.

Chiron Investigations provides services that cater not only to businesses across various industries and sizes but also offers customizable plans inclusive of crypto recovery services to help get stolen bitcoin back. This ensures that their solutions are accessible to everyone, regardless of budget, and that victims of cryptocurrency theft have a reliable and trusted resource to turn to.

The CFO of Chiron Investigations expressed views "that their services can genuinely aid businesses coping with the consequences of online crime. Their team of professionals is focused on delivering tailored solutions that fulfill the specific requirements of each client." The CFO further added that "he firmly believes that every business deserves the reassurance that comes with being shielded from online crime, and they are dedicated to bringing that aspiration to fruition."

For more information about Chiron Investigations and their services, visit their website at https://chiron-investigations.com/

About Chiron Investigations:

Chiron Investigations is a leading provider of investigation services that help businesses recover from the effects of online crime. The company offers customized solutions to suit each client's unique needs, including custom analysis of cases, detailed investigations into transactions, closer interaction with stakeholders to assess the methods used by perpetrators, drawing a trail of events to establish root cause analysis, and protection from future occurrences through the deployment of robust security systems. Chiron Investigations' team of experts has years of experience in investigating and preventing online crime and works closely with law enforcement agencies and financial institutions to bring perpetrators to justice.

Media Contact

Contact Person: Julie Spencer

Company Name: Chiron Investigations Crypto Recovery Solutions

Website: https://chiron-investigations.com/

Email: Admin@chiron-investigations.com

City: Dartford

Country: United Kingdom
Two Russian news agencies say jailed reporter Evan Gershkovich has been formally charged with espionage in Russia and has entered an official denial. He's the first U.S. correspondent since the Cold War to be detained for alleged spying.
NEW YORK (AP)  An extraordinary moment in U.S. history is scheduled to unfold in a Manhattan courthouse on Tuesday: Former President Donald Trump, who faces multiple election-related investigations, will surrender to face criminal charges stemming from 2016 hush money payments.

The booking and arraignment are likely to be relatively brief  though hardly routine  as Trump is fingerprinted, learns the charges against him and pleads, as expected, not guilty.

Trump, who was impeached twice by the U.S. House but was never convicted in the U.S. Senate, will become the first former president to face criminal charges. The nation's 45th commander in chief will be escorted from Trump Tower to the courthouse by the Secret Service and may have his mug shot taken.

New York police are braced for protests by Trump supporters, who share the Republican former presidents belief that the New York grand jury indictment and three additional pending investigations are politically motivated and intended to weaken his bid to retake the White House in 2024.

Trump, a former reality TV star, has been hyping that narrative to his political advantage, raising millions of dollars since the indictment on claims of a witch hunt. He has assailed the Manhattan district attorney, egged on supporters to protest and claimed without evidence that the judge presiding over the case hates me  something his own lawyer has said is not true.

Trump is scheduled to return to his Palm Beach, Florida, home, Mar-a-Lago, on Tuesday evening to hold a rally, punctuating his new reality: submitting to the dour demands of the American criminal justice system while projecting an aura of defiance and victimhood at celebratory campaign events.

A conviction would not prevent Trump from running for or winning the presidency in 2024.

Inside the Manhattan courtroom, prosecutors led by New Yorks district attorney, Alvin Bragg, a Democrat, are expected to unseal the indictment issued last week by a grand jury. This is when Trump and his defense lawyers will get their first glimpse of the precise allegations against him.

The indictment contains multiple charges of falsifying business records, including at least one felony offense, two people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press last week.

After the arraignment, Trump is expected to be released by authorities because the charges against him dont require that bail be set.

The investigation is scrutinizing six-figure payments made to porn actor Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal. Both say they had sexual encounters with the married Trump years before he got into politics. Trump denies having sexual liaisons with either woman and has denied any wrongdoing involving payments.

The arraignment will unfold against the backdrop of heavy security in New York, coming more than two years after Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol in a failed bid to halt the congressional certification of Democrat Joe Bidens win.

Though police said they had no intelligence suggesting any violence was likely, they were on high alert for any potential disruptions.

While there may be some rabble rousers thinking of coming to our city tomorrow, our message is clear and simple: Control yourselves, Mayor Eric Adams said at a news conference Monday.

Trump pollster John McLaughlin said the former president would approach the day with dignity."

He will be a gentleman, McLaughlin said. He'll show strength and he'll show dignity and ... we'll get through this and win the election.

But Trump was also defiant. In a post late Monday night on his social media network he lashed out at Biden, suggesting the current president should be facing legal troubles of his own.

Despite that, the scene around Trump Tower and the courthouse where Trump will stand before a judge was quiet overnight. There were signs both supporting and decrying the former president stuck to posts, one urging passers-by to donate to help fund Trump's presidential library and another showing a shouting Trump behind bars.

Trump returns to New York to face charges in criminal probe It's an unprecedented chapter in American history, with Trump the first former president to face criminal charges. But he's betting it could actually boost his chances at winning the presidency again next year.

The public fascination with the case was evident Monday as national television carried live images of Trumps motorcade from his Mar-a-Lago club to a private, red, white and blue Boeing 757 stenciled with his name. From there, Trump was flown to New York, where cameras followed his motorcade into Manhattan and he spent the night at Trump Tower as he prepared to turn himself in.

The former president and his aides are embracing the media circus. After initially being caught off guard when news of the indictment broke Thursday evening, Trump and his team are hoping to use the case to his advantage. Still, they asked the judge in a Monday filing to ban photo and video coverage of the arraignment.

Though prosecutors routinely insist that no person is above the law, bringing criminal charges against a former president carries instant logistical complications.

New Yorks ability to carry out safe and drama-free courthouse proceedings in a case involving a polarizing ex-president could be an important test case as prosecutors in Atlanta and Washington conduct their own investigations of Trump that could also result in charges. Those investigations concern efforts to undo the 2020 election results as well as the possible mishandling of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago.

Top Republicans, including some of Trumps potential rivals in next years GOP presidential primary, have decried the case against him. Biden, who has yet to formally announce that hes seeking reelection next year, and other leading Democrats have largely had little to say about it.

Prosecutors say their case against Trump has nothing to do with politics.
Florida toddler whose body was found in alligator's mouth was put in lake by his father, police say
Investigators found a suicide note when they searched the home of the shooter who killed six people at a Nashville school last week, along with weapons and ammunition, according to an inventory items authorities seized while executing a search warrant at the residence.
ChopValue marks two key milestones  transforming its 100 millionth chopstick (10 million in Singapore alone) into new produces, and closing a USD $7.7 million funding round to expand its decentralised Microfactory network

The funding round was with the aim to further expand in Asia Pacific and Europe, and funds gained will be used to better serve its B2B operations

SINGAPORE, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- ChopValue, a company that creates sustainable products from recycled materials marks two key milestones today: transforming its 100 millionth chopstick into new products and closing a USD $7.7 million funding round to expand its decentralised Microfactory network.

In Singapore alone, ChopValue has approximately 10 million chopsticks recycled since the grand opening of the first local Microfactory in 2021.

ChopValue is the first circular economy franchise in Singapore and its presence in the market marks a turning point in the conversations on reducing carbon emissions taking place in Singapore.

These milestones align with ChopValue's rapid growth since its inception in 2016, as demonstrated by the creation of 150+ jobs across 6 countries through 63 in-development franchises, and the storing of 136,000+kg of carbon into new products from material collected by 1,700+ community restaurant partners.

Evelyn Hew, Founder and Managing Director of ChopValue Singapore, shares "The expansion of the Microfactory network demonstrates a steadily increasing awareness for sustainable issues and creating demand for sustainable goods and services, all in line with Singapore's Green Plan 2030."

The company also recently signed Strategic Growth Agreements for market entries in Japan, Singapore, Central Europe, and the US. The new scale achieved through its Microfactory network is allowing the company to serve strategic B2B clients for projects such as multi-restaurant build outs, while continuing to meet end-customer demand.

Felix Bock, CEO and Founder of ChopValue, credits the team's "commitment to demonstrating that the circular economy should become the norm when our natural resources are strained, and our landfills continue to grow." He hopes that the "decentralised Microfactory approach that uses local resources for local production to meet local demand will also give a reason to rethink globalised supply chains," as ChopValue enables small business owners to own local ChopValue franchises.

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The funding round was led by two high-profile technology entrepreneurs with expansion interest in Asia Pacific and Europe. Also joining the round were corporate venture capital funds and existing investors. The funds will be used to expand ChopValue's operations, particularly to better serve B2B partnerships. The focus will be on increasing production capacity and developing new product lines. The company also plans to invest in research and development with the goal of optimising its micromanufacturing principles and continuing to reduce its environmental footprint.

"ChopValue's innovative approach to circular manufacturing, which has the potential to significantly reduce the carbon footprint of the manufacturing industry, is a vision that's coming to life and has tremendous potential for positive impact," said Andy Burt, one of ChopValue's strategic growth partners.

By continuing to expand its network of Microfactories, ChopValue is paving the way for a more sustainable future. The unique approach to commercialising its "waste" to "resource" philosophy allows it to scale responsibly as each Microfactory is tailored to its end market size and needs. ChopValue is looking to announce the opening of 100+ new locations in the near term, and will be hiring a corporate team which will be working locally to boost the demand for ChopValue's products in the APAC region.

About ChopValue Singapore

The World Economic Forum forecasts the circular economy to be a $4.5 trillion industry by 2030. ChopValue is the world's first circular economy franchise, designing and manufacturing products using an innovative, high-performance material engineered entirely from recycled chopsticks. Since its founding in 2016, ChopValue's "urban harvesting" approach has saved over 100 million chopsticks from landfill, turning them into beautiful and sustainable products for the home and office. Their compelling vision to redefine the term "waste" to "resource" has garnered the attention of top-tier media outlets such as Business Insider, BBC, The Guardian, and Forbes.

To learn more about their resource-efficient impact for a carbon-neutral future, please visit www.chopvalue.com and www.chopvalue.com.sg .

Our Commitment to the Circular Economy

With ChopValue's global network of corporate and franchise Microfactories, the company sources, manufactures, distributes, and employs within local communities. They are expanding with like-minded and purpose-driven partners to redefine waste to resource, one chopstick at a time. ChopValue is actively seeking single and multi-unit franchise development partners who want to lead the change in their community within the US states of CA, FL, HI, NY and TX. The international expansion opportunities for their first-of-its-kind circular concept include Australia, EU, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and the SEA region.

Learn more about how you can make a positive environmental impact in your city by visiting www.chopvalue.com/pages/franchising .

Cision

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/chopvalue-announces-usd-7-7m-growth-funding-to-scale-its-circular-global-microfactory-network-100-million-chopsticks-recycled-301789178.html

SOURCE ChopValue
Three children and three adults were killed on March 27, 2921, at the Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee.
Editor's Note If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, please call the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 to connect with a trained counselor or visit 988lifeline.org.

(CNN)  Investigators found a suicide note when they executed a search warrant at the home of the shooter who killed six people at a Nashville school last week, along with more weapons and ammunition, according to an inventory of items seized.

The search warrant and the list of items found were released Tuesday, just over a week after the shooter, former student Audrey Hale, opened fire at The Covenant School, killing three 9-year-olds and three adults.

The warrant, executed the same day as the shooting, shows authorities also found several Covenant School yearbooks and a school photo, in addition to the shooter's journals. Some of the journals are described as being related to "school shootings; firearm courses," the list indicates.

The investigation so far shows Hale, 28, fired 152 rounds in the attack, which was planned "over a period of months," police said in a news release Monday. Hale "considered the actions of other mass murderers," that release said, and "acted totally alone."

Hale, who police said was under care for an emotional disorder, had legally purchased seven firearms and hidden them at home, Metropolitan Nashville Police Chief John Drake previously said.

Hale was armed with three firearms during the attack, which ended after Nashville officers arrived on the scene and confronted the shooter.

Two officers opened fire  a moment captured in bodycam footage later released by police  and killed Hale at 10:27 a.m., 14 minutes after the shooter entered the private Christian school, according to Nashville police spokesperson Don Aaron.

Police continue to work to determine a motive for the attack, but they said previously that writings left behind by Hale  which continue to be reviewed by police and the FBI  made clear it was "calculated and planned."

Local store's campaign to give stuffed animals to Covenant School shooting survivors a success The children's boutique in Paducah pledged to donate Warmies stuffed animals to victims  one for each one sold in-store and online. They say the campaign has been a huge success, and they've sold out multiple times.

Hale targeted the school and Covenant Presbyterian Church, to which the school is attached, police said, but it's believed the victims were fired upon at random.

Those victims were Evelyn Dieckhaus, William Kinney and Hallie Scruggs, all 9 years old, as well as school custodian Mike Hill, 61, substitute teacher Cynthia Peak, 61, and Katherine Koonce, 60, who was head of the school.

The school shooting  the deadliest since 21 people, including 19 children, were killed at a school in Uvalde, Texas, last May  renewed debate over the scourge of American gun violence, access to firearms and school safety, a fight that spilled over into the state legislature this week.

Tennessee House Republicans on Monday took steps toward expelling three Democratic state representatives who participated in protests at the state Capitol last Thursday calling for more gun control in the wake of the deadly mass shooting.

A vote on whether to expel the three members  Reps. Gloria Johnson of Knoxville, Justin Jones of Nashville and Justin Pearson of Memphis  is slated for Thursday, according to The Tennessean.

Separately, officials plan to recognize Nashville police for their quick reaction to the shooting during a regularly scheduled meeting of the Nashville Metropolitan Council on Tuesday evening, Jim Shulman, the council's vice mayor, told CNN.

The meeting will begin with a powerful song to honor the victims of the school shooting, per Shulman, and the city plans to express gratitude to officers for their response.
TORONTO, April 4, 2023 /CNW/ - CIBC (TSX: CM) (NYSE: CM) announced today that the nominees listed in its Management Proxy Circular dated February 16, 2023 were elected as Directors of CIBC.

CIBC Logo (CNW Group/CIBC)

Detailed results of the vote for the election of directors held earlier today at CIBC's Annual Meeting of Shareholders are below.

On a vote by ballot, each of the following 13 nominees proposed by management was elected as a Director of CIBC:

NOMINEES VOTES FOR VOTES WITHHELD Ammar Aljoundi 382,277,032 99.46 % 2,056,298 0.54 % Charles J.G. Brindamour 382,698,643 99.57 % 1,634,687 0.43 % Nanci E. Caldwell 379,025,026 98.62 % 5,308,304 1.38 % Michelle L. Collins 381,442,988 99.25 % 2,890,342 0.75 % Luc Desjardins 375,716,984 97.76 % 8,616,346 2.24 % Victor G. Dodig 382,879,598 99.62 % 1,453,732 0.38 % Kevin J. Kelly 377,485,315 98.22 % 6,848,015 1.78 % Christine E. Larsen 383,010,593 99.66 % 1,322,737 0.34 % Mary Lou Maher 379,604,302 98.77 % 4,729,028 1.23 % William F. Morneau 382,557,396 99.54 % 1,775,934 0.46 % Katharine B. Stevenson 381,529,803 99.27 % 2,803,527 0.73 % Martine Turcotte 378,639,417 98.52 % 5,693,913 1.48 % Barry L. Zubrow 380,056,686 98.89 % 4,276,644 1.11 %

Final voting results on all matters voted on at the Annual Meeting will be available shortly at https://www.cibc.com/en/about-cibc/investor-relations/annual-meeting.html and will be filed with Canadian and U.S. securities regulators.

About CIBC

CIBC is a leading North American financial institution with 13 million personal banking, business, public sector and institutional clients. Across Personal and Business Banking, Commercial Banking and Wealth Management, and Capital Markets businesses, CIBC offers a full range of advice, solutions and services through its leading digital banking network, and locations across Canada with offices in the United States and around the world. Ongoing news releases and more information about CIBC can be found at https://cibc.mediaroom.com/.

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Public voting begins online and in-person as metro Detroit small businesses compete to win $100,000 grand prize from Comerica Bank

DETROIT, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The results are in! The Comerica Hatch Detroit Contest powered by TechTown, the small business competition responsible for launching some of the city's most popular neighborhood storefronts, is excited to reveal its Top 10 semifinalists. These businesses are now in the running to win $100,000 in startup funds from Comerica Bank and make their dream of owning a brick-and-mortar Detroit, Hamtramck or Highland Park storefront a reality.

The 2023 Comerica Hatch Detroit Contest powered by TechTown Top 10 semifinalists.

Public voting to narrow down the semifinalists from 10 to four will begin Wednesday, April 5, at noon and run through Wednesday, April 12, at noon.

The four finalists of the 2023 Comerica Hatch Detroit Contest will then be announced on Thursday, April 13, with the final round of public voting beginning at noon on Monday, April 24 and running through the completion of the pitch competition at the Hatch Off on Wednesday, April 26.

Community members can vote for their favorite businesses once per day by visiting HatchDetroit.com.

In addition to voting online, in-person voting will take place at each of the following locations from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. on April 5 and April 6:

Black Coffee Cafe, located at 9405 John R St, Detroit, MI 48202.

Detroit Pepper Company, located at 17180 E Warren Ave, Detroit, MI 48225.

Detroit Rosa, located at 19180 Grand River Ave, Detroit, MI 48223.

"A key reason we believe our alumni have so much success in Detroit's small business landscape is the overwhelming amount of support from the community," said Christianne Malone, assistant vice president for economic development at Wayne State University and chief program officer of TechTown Detroit. "The Comerica Hatch Detroit Contest has become a proven launching pad for budding entrepreneurs, not just because of the startup funding from Comerica Bank and expert counsel from TechTown Detroit and its partners, but because the public has a voice in which businesses they'd like to see set up shop in their neighborhoods, and they are dedicated to supporting those businesses."

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Over the years, the Comerica Hatch Detroit Contest has helped launch some of Detroit's most successful and well-known businesses, including La Feria (2012), Sister Pie (2014), Meta Physica Massage (2016), Baobab Fare (2017) and 27th Letter Books (2019).

With this year's investment, Comerica Bank and the Comerica Charitable Foundation will have committed nearly $1 million to Hatch Detroit since Comerica's partnership began in 2012.

Below are the top 10 businesses competing to win the 2023 Comerica Hatch Detroit Contest:

Bouncing Around The Motor City: Detroit's premier one-stop shop for balloons, decor, event planning and party rentals.

Chi Fan Le: a Chinese food-making experience and fast casual eatery that shares the ingredients, process, and stories behind diverse and nutritious homestyle dishes.

CLEAN Sneaker Care: Detroit's premier footwear and accessory restoration service. They also offer a curated assortment of goods, including sneaker storage display cases, cleaning accessories and an in-house Detroit-inspired apparel collection.

Highland Park Community Kitchen: a space to support food entrepreneurs in every stage of their businesses, doubling as a gathering spot to evoke culinary curiosity and foster strength in the community.

Ice Cream Detroit: Detroit's only liquor-infused frozen dessert company. They infuse handcrafted ice cream and sorbet with your favorite liquor, beer or wine, and they also offer virgin flavors.

JP Makes & Bakes: is about sharing their love for sweets and Filipino heritage with those in Detroit and the metro Detroit area.

Konjo Me: a unique and vibrant Ethiopian food experience that shares appreciation for the rich and diverse global cuisine with the community it serves.

Next Chapter Books: a general interest new and used bookstore in Detroit working to reflect and create community, inspire learning and nurture the joy of reading among all ages.

Sepia Coffee Project LLC: a minority-owned roastery sourcing specialty coffee from farmers throughout Africa, the Americas and the Indian-Pacific regions.

Shell Shock'd Tacos: a Latin-inspired Detroit-style street food that is an escape from the ordinary.

"Comerica Bank is proud to contribute to an organization that rewards ingenuity and helps incubate promising small businesses with big plans," said Linda Nosegbe, Comerica Bank National Community Impact Manager. "The Comerica Hatch Detroit Contest is truly the epitome of what we envision when we think of 'The American Dream'  these top 10 candidates will have a chance at winning $100,000 in startup funding, which will ultimately help them make their dreams of opening their own storefront in Detroit a reality."

2023 Hatch Off

On April 26, the four finalists will have the opportunity to present their business pitch to a panel of judges and a live audience, "shark tank" style, for a shot to win the grand prize at the Hatch Off competition. The winner of the 2023 Comerica Hatch Detroit Contest will be chosen through a combination of the public's vote and judges' deliberations.

Tickets are now available to witness the top four business pitches and see the winner of the Hatch Off competition crowned. The Hatch Off takes place on Wednesday, April 26 at 6 p.m., located at the Wayne State University Industry Innovation Center at 461 Burroughs Street in Detroit. To purchase your ticket to the Hatch Off, visit HatchDetroit.com.

Comerica Bank, a subsidiary of Comerica Incorporated, has served Michigan longer than any other bank with a continuous presence dating back nearly 174 years to its Detroit founding in 1849. It is the largest bank employer in metro Detroit and has approximately 4,500 employees (FTE) statewide. With one of the largest banking center networks in Michigan, Comerica nurtures lifelong relationships with unwavering integrity and financial prudence. Comerica positively impacts the lives of Michigan residents by helping customers be successful, providing financial support that assists hundreds of charitable organizations, and actively participating in Detroit's downtown revitalization. Comerica Incorporated (NYSE: CMA) is a financial services company strategically aligned by three business segments: The Commercial Bank, The Retail Bank, and Wealth Management. Follow on Facebook: www.facebook.com/Comerica, Twitter: @ComericaBank and Instagram: @comerica_bank. Download new Comerica Bank corporate logo.

TechTown is a nonprofit business service organization that provides programs, education and resources for early- to growth-stage small businesses and tech entrepreneurs. By building bridges for entrepreneurs to succeed, TechTown is accelerating an inclusive economy for Detroit and Southeast Michigan. Since 2007, TechTown has supported 5,371 companies, which created 2,277 jobs and raised more than $385 million in startup and growth capital. For more information, visit techtowndetroit.org.

Hatch Detroit supports both existing and new retail initiatives in the cities of Detroit, Highland Park and Hamtramck. Hatch Detroit, now part of TechTown Detroit's small business services programming, was founded in 2011 to give residents and aspiring entrepreneurs an opportunity to have a voice in neighborhood retail development and joined TechTown in 2022. Hatch Detroit provides funding, exposure and mentoring in support of its alumni entrepreneurs. With support from Hatch Detroit, 50 alumni have opened businesses. They employ over 500 people and have invested over $13 million in economic development. To learn more, visit hatchdetroit.com.

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MEDIA CONTACT:

Comerica Bank:

Matt Barnhart

mpbarnhart@comerica.com

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Former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn has been barred from standing again as a Labour MP.

Last Wednesday the partys National Executive Committee (NEC) voted 22 votes to 12 to refuse to endorse him as a candidate, passing a motion claiming the partys electoral chances would be significantly diminished by his standing.

Jeremy Corbyn speaking at a rally in London, November 5, 2022 [Photo: WSWS]

Current party leader Sir Keir Starmer made clear afterwards, however, that the NEC had in effect endorsed the slander of Corbyn as an anti-Semite. He told Sky News, The first words I said as Labour leader is I would root out antisemitism in my party and I have been absolutely ruthless in that I said Id root it out and I am delivering on that pledge.

Wes Streeting, the shadow health secretary and Starmers de facto deputy, drove home the point, telling Times Radio: If he had accepted the Equality and Human Rights Commissions damning verdict into anti-Semitism in the Labour Party that put the Labour Party next to the British National Party, the BNP, as only the second political party in history to be found to be breaking the law when it came to tackling racism within its ranks things might have been different.

This is a tissue of lies. Bogus claims of an antisemitism crisis in the Labour Party under Corbyns leadership (2015-2019) spearheaded a campaign by the Blairite right-wing, the Tories, Zionists and the media to purge any trace of left-wing sentiment from the Labour Party.

Starmer was more honest when he told Sky News, Whether it is rooting out anti-Semitism, being absolutely clear we are pro-business, pro NATO, [or] facing the voters and being fit to serve the country, I make no apologies for that.

As the Timess Janice Turner wrote gleefully Wednesday of the trap Starmer had set for the former leader, forcing him to choose between remaining an MP or a Labour member, A wider net could ensnare Corbyns followers if they were to support him as an independent candidate against the Labour Party.

The trap is entirely of Corbyns making, set by his refusal to fight the right-wing when in power. This political cowardice continues today, both in Corbyns refusal even now to launch any real challenge to the Labour Party and in his nominal allies refusal to back him if he did so.

Corbyn responded to the NEC decision with a statement condemning the shameful attack on party democracy, party members and natural justice, which shows contempt for the millions of people who voted for our party in 2017 and 2019 and will demotivate those who still believe in the importance of a transformative Labour government.

Starmer had broken his pledge to build a united and democratic party that advances social, economic and climate justice.

Corbyns only response was to state that he would not be intimidated into silence. I have spent my life fighting for a fairer society on behalf of the people of Islington North, and I have no intention of stopping now.

This has been widely acknowledged as a statement of intent to stand as an independent candidate in Islington North, which would mean expulsion from the Labour Party. But Corbyn has given no indication of anything further. His loyalty to Labour is such that he can only bring himself to challenge it within the boundaries of Islington Northwhile still insisting on the importance of a transformative Labour government for the rest of the country.

What Corbyn seeks to conceal is that Starmers anti-democratic move to block his candidacy, coupled with his antisemitism slurs, expresses the utter hostility of the Labour Party to any remotely left-wing politics. Like Corbyns five years as party leader, it confirms the impossibility of reforming a party of war, big business, the super-rich and austerity into a transformative instrument for the working class.

Corbyn still presents his expulsion as a Labour MP, inevitable since Starmer took office, as a nasty shock, as do his key allies. Former shadow home secretary under Corbyn Diane Abbott complained, The day Starmer won leadership of the Labour Party, he described Jeremy Corbyn as a friend and a colleague. Now he wants to throw him out of the party.

Momentum, an internal Labour Party organisation originally set up to support Corbyns leadership of the Labour Party, writes, Three years ago to the day, Keir Starmer thanked Jeremy Corbyn for his service to the Labour Party and called him a friend.

Zarah Sultana, Richard Burgon, Nadia Whittome, Apsana Begum, Jon Trickett, Beth Winter, Andy McDonald, Ian Lavery, Ian Byrne, and Kate Osborne of the Socialist Campaign Group (SCG) also spoke against the Labour NECs decision, making this their biggest collective outing in over a year.

By contrast, the SCG has been uniformly silent over the NATO-Russia war in Ukraine and Starmers persecution of Corbyn and the Stop the War Coalition for opposing itexcept the half dozen members who actively support NATOs war effort.

The Corbynites are more vocal over his suspension because it strikes at the heart of the myth on which their political careers relythat there is space in the Labour Party to advance a left-wing programme. But for the same reason their opposition to Corbyns exclusion is framed in terms of appeals to Starmer and the NEC, and a call to uphold the best interests of the Labour Party.

Abbott writes in the Morning Star, Labour has shot itself in the foot over Corbyn, arguing, There is an alternative. It would begin with our main task, which is to unite our party in preparation for the next general election and to fight the Tories.

Corbyns shadow chancellor John McDonnell summed up their attitude by telling TalkTV in mystical language of his great belie[f] in the powers of conversion, that is, of Starmer and co, adding, I think we can reverse this decision.

The most craven intervention came from Jon Lansman, the founder and former chair of Momentum, who set out a plan for Corbyn to retire to the position of a Labour grandee in the model of Corbyns political mentor, Tony Benn.

Writing that I very much hope that he follows Tony Benns course of action rather than standing as an independent against the Labour Party when we all want a Labour government, he adds, I imagine that is what every Socialist Campaign Group MP would like him to do since, apart from any other consideration, they wish to remain Labour MPs.

Lansman is particularly worried about the optics if Corbyn were to stand, since he knows none of the SCG would back him if he did. He told Sky News himself that he certainly wouldn't campaign for Corbyn since I want to see Keir Starmer elected. What the Corbynites want above all is to avoid a fight with Starmer while keeping their left talking shop together inside the Labour Party.

The Telegraph writes, Labour sources warned left-wing MPs that supporting him in such circumstances [Corbyn if he were to run as an independent] would cross a line and could mean they face disciplinary action.

Insiders have similarly said the pro-Corbyn campaign group Momentum would be proscribed if it backed him over the partys candidate.

Streeting threatened openly, If his allies and friends are disappointed, they should share their disappointment with Jeremy Corbyn.

In answer, reports the Guardian, A large number of leftwingers believe there is little point in incriminating themselves on broadcast media if they want to stay in the Labour party. Were not scared, but who wants to follow Corbyn out the door? We have constituents to represent here in parliament, one leftwing MP said.

The Corbynites will, in short, continue collecting their 84,000 a year salaries and generous pensions while making ever more irrelevant comments from the backbenches in order to provide a political cover for Starmers right-wing party and to oppose any political break by the working class from it.

Jeremy Corbyn (left) and Sir Keir Starmer at an event during the 2019 General Election when Corbyn was party leader. [AP Photo/Matt Dunham, File]

The rout of the Corbynite left is clear to everyone. The question now is what conclusions should be drawn by workers and young people.

The pseudo-left Socialist Workers Party (SWP) and Socialist Party (SP) continue to sow illusions in Corbyn as the de facto leader of the working class and a political alternative to Labour. This is most naked in the case of the SP, which calls for trade unions to organise their own workers list for the general election, including Jeremy Corbyn and other debarred left Labour MPs. It does so while acknowledging that three unions represented on Labours NEC voted to bar Corbynthe GMB, Usdaw and the Musicians Unionand one, Unison, abstained.

Absurdly, the SP claims that this bloc of MPs could quite rapidly become a pole of opposition to an incoming Starmer led-government. They are referring to only three peopleCorbyn himself, Claudia Webbe who was expelled after being convicted of harassing her husbands lover; and Chris Williamson, who was expelled on trumped-up charges of anti-Semitism with Corbyns active collusion.

The SWPs Socialist Worker admits, If Corbyn stands against Labour at the next election, its doubtful that Labours left wing MPs will support him publicly. But it then pledges that Socialist Worker will.

Workers can only begin to build a socialist movement by rejecting everything Corbyn and his allies represent politically, endlessly willing to surrender to the right-wing and watch millions of workers pay the price for their betrayals.

In November 2020, the Socialist Equality Party held an online public meeting under the title The anti-Semitism witch-hunt and the failure of Corbynism.

In the discussion at that meeting, SEP National Secretary Chris Marsden identified Corbyn as the tattered modern-day representative of a school of thought, of a political tendency, Fabianism, based on the fine art of the possible, class collaboration, a worshipping of parliamentary procedure, a liberal variant of a religious turn the other cheek approach to politics soporifics to blunt the class struggle, to suppress any initiative by the working class, to encourage its subordination to the labour and trade union bureaucracy, to wed it to a parliamentary perspective at all costs.

Marsden concluded that the lessons of Corbynism should be ingrained in the working class. Workers have gone through enough bitter experiences to know that the ruling class will give you nothing, will not cede an inch outside of a political struggle. And that if you are fighting for socialism, which is the overthrow of the capitalist order, then this sort of stuff, this passivity, this complacency, defeatism and cowardice should be purged from the workers movement. It should be anathema to anyone who considers themselves a genuine socialist.

Workers and young people who agree should contact the Socialist Equality Party today.
As union officials go tomorrow to meet with Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne for a hollow mediation on Macrons pension cuts, anger continues to rise among workers and youth. Yesterday, WSWS journalists interviewed students at Paris universities. They stressed their opposition to Macron, who rules against the people, and their lack of confidence in union negotiations with him.

Like two-thirds of French people, these young people expressed their desire not to slow down, but to intensify political opposition and protests against the president of the rich.

Students protest against Macron and his pension reforms in front of the Pantheon, in the Latin Quarter of Paris. [Photo: WSWS]

The WSWS interviewed Juliette and Louis at Jussieu University. About Macrons imposition of his cuts without a vote in parliament, using the reactionary article 49.3 of the French constitution, Juliette said: Its absolutely undemocratic. I think its important to take into account how he was elected, voters only voted for him because his opponent was a far right politician [Marine Le Pen]. He knew he wasnt elected because there was support for his program.

Louis added, When a law is rejected by 90 percent of working people and 70 percent of the population, to pass it by force is already an admission of weakness and an assault on democracy.

He also criticized Macrons claim that there is not enough money to fund a decent level of pensions: We are being asked to work two more years when in fact, the money, it is all there. We just have to get it. We should tax the big companies. There is a case on several banks in France that would not have paid 100 billion in taxes in France.

Noting that since the beginning of the pandemic, Frances billionaires have increased their collective wealth by hundreds of billions of euros each year, Juliette said, Its absurd to extend the retirement time for workers by two years while the richest 1 percent have totally staggering amounts of money. We could fix this problem by putting a tax on the wealthiest, that would be much fairer.

She emphasized her opposition to union mediation with Macron, saying: We do not need to be going to negotiate with them at the presidential palace now, Macron did not care what the union officials said as the movement began. Its by doing massive strikes and massive demonstrations every day, I think, that the movement can have more impact.

Louis added, We understood right away that we would win would be in the streets and not in the institutions. Going on strike is the beginning. ... Its been two months, more than two months since the movement started. And in fact, were having a hard time establishing continuing strike action ... the students, precisely, need to go and block the picket lines as well to allow industrial action to be launched everywhere.

As a perspective for what could be accomplished, Louis also cited the example of the Paris Commune and the working class seizure of power, in 1871 in Paris. He said, The Paris Commune, its interesting politically because its the establishment of a much more direct system of democracy, where its primarily neighborhood committees that decide and then pass information around.

WSWS also interviewed Norah in front of Tolbiac University, who said she was very angry with Frances president: Macron is governing against the people, he does nothing for his people except to make trouble for us.

Norah [Photo: WSWS]

She added, People are right to protest against the pension cuts. Sixty-four years is a lot, we have seen the retirement age go from 60 to 64. For an older person, it cant be pleasant to work until that age, its very tiring. ... If we were to vote, I think everyone would vote to return retirement to 60, at least.

People are right to want to bring Macron down, concluded Norah, who said she didnt think trade union mediation would change Macrons plans. Hes stubborn, hes not going to give up on this. Yes, weve tried to talk once, twice, but we see its not going to do anything. It doesnt help.

WSWS also interviewed Zacarias, who had mobilized since the first protests against the pension cuts: We immediately wanted to go and demonstrate and show that we were against it, quite simply. But yes, we think its undemocratic, clearly.

Zacarias stressed the importance of the international mobilization of the working class that is continuing across Europe, with a wave of powerful strikes in Germany, the United Kingdom, Portugal and beyond. The decisive issue, he explained, is a coordinated international mobilization of workers and youth.

In France, he said, We are mobilizing for a very specific law, a very specific cut, but its just part of a broader relationship between the capitalists who are trying to push the plundering of the peoples labor even further. The issue is clearly international. All the antisocial laws they pass like this, they argue for them based on invoking competition, saying we have to stay in the race compared to other countries. So the only conceivable way forward is an international movement.

Zacarias refuted the idea that class struggle is a French exception: There is a culture of struggle in France, but it also can be done in Germany.

He added, For example, in England, there have been attempts to protest, but they have been very much restricted by law. And because people still comply with these restrictions, the demonstrations have not been able to reach the scale they should have reached. ... If we want a real popular mobilization, we cannot comply with all the restrictions and measures, because the state machine clearly plans to prevent protests and demonstrations.
On March 20, Democratic Party Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez sponsored a student services fair at a Bronx high school to recruit youth into the US military. The event, along with her tortured attempt to justify it, underscores the pro-war essence of the standard-bearer of the pseudo-left Democratic Socialists of America (DSA).

Check-in table outside the event at Renaissance High School [Photo: WSWS]

For Ocasio-Cortez, it also marks a rapid retreat from her previous posturing as a critic of military recruitment efforts targeting children. During the Trump administration, she introduced an amendment to a Pentagon spending bill to bar recruitment activities on live streaming platforms such as Twitch. She also advocated blocking federal funding for recruitment and data collection in middle and high schools. Whether through recruitment stations in their lunchrooms, or now through e-sports teams, children in low-income communities are persistently targeted for enlistment, she told the New York Times in a statement in 2020.

Less than three years later, as the Biden administration is expanding the war effort against Russia in Ukraine and preparing for military confrontation with China, Ocasio-Cortez has not only dropped her mild criticisms of economic conscription and egregious military recruitment practices but has initiated efforts of her own to feed students from low-income communities into the war machine.

This shift is consistent with her embrace of President Joe Bidens key priorities, including her vote for $40 billion in military and economic aid for the war effort against Russia, her vote to illegalize a strike by rail workers, and her denunciation of socialists who opposed Biden.

The event at Renaissance High School last month, scheduled on the 20th anniversary of the criminal invasion of Iraq, was headlined by the five service academies, which collectively are responsible for training a new corps of officers to carry out US imperialisms war aims around the globe.

Ocasio-Cortez addressed the attendees, which included an estimated 50 students, many of whom were drawn by her celebrity. Military recruiters were given tables to hawk their academies and training programs like the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC), which pays for college in exchange for military service upon graduation.

The majority of students at Renaissance High School, along with the six other high schools that are co-located in the same building complex, come from working class families where paying for college is an increasingly impossible task. More than 40 percent of households in Ocasio-Cortezs congressional district are severely burdened by rent, paying out more than 35 percent of their income to housing. Nearly one in five children in the district live in poverty.

In the days leading up to the event, Ocasio-Cortez faced sharp criticism on social media, where commentators expressed disgust over the supposed socialist supporting the recruitment of youth to fight in the wars of US imperialism.

Desperate to keep out any expression of anti-militarist sentiment, her staff, backed by a large contingent of security personnel, blocked entry to the event to parents without children present, some educators and others who had registered to attend, despite billing it as open to anyone interested.

Following the event, Ocasio-Cortez posted a video denouncing those who criticized her and claiming that her military recruitment event was not, in fact, a military recruitment event. Today, someone made up a rumor that I, me, was hosting a military recruitment fair for high schoolers, she said. Now, does that sound like something I would do?

Indeed Ocasio-Cortez's promotion of the military is entirely consistent with the pro-war policies of her party, including the faction associated with the DSA, which has converged around open support for US imperialism in the war against Russia. In addition to votes authorizing funding for the war machine, Ocasio-Cortez and the House Progressive Caucus bid a hasty retreat from any pretense of anti-war opposition last year when they retracted within 24 hours a mild letter proposing negotiations. The immediate reversal indicated their unwavering support for escalating hostilities in Ukraine, however catastrophic that may be.

The basis for her claim that the Bronx event was not a military recruitment event was that it promoted military academies that train officers rather than signing up rank-and-file soldiers. This absurd argument ignores that enlistees at military academies are on active duty and critical for the war effort. Ocasio-Cortez also claimed that a handful of other nonmilitary tables changed the events character. In fact, the other resources on offer were largely congressional internship opportunities, which underscores the inseparable connection between the legislative branch and the military.

Ocasio-Cortez then denounced opponents of militarism as threats. Then [social media attention] started to send strangers from outside our community, completely not from the Bronx, to drive to this high school, she said. It leads to real safety issues.

Aside from the fact that Ocasio-Cortez's district includes parts of Queens and her co-sponsor, Rep. Adriano Espaillat, represents parts of Manhattan, the claim that the threat to teens being recruited to fight in imperialist wars abroad comes from those who oppose war is patently absurd. It makes clear that on the crucial question of war, Ocasio-Cortez has more in common with far-right militarists than with genuine socialists.

Ocasio-Cortez's attempt to recruit youth into the military comes as the armed services face a full-blown recruitment crisis. Speaking at an Association of the US Army event last week, Army Undersecretary Gabe Camarillo bluntly stated, We face an unprecedented recruiting challenge in the Army. Last year the Army missed its recruiting goal by 15,000. Other branches similarly struggle to meet enlistment goals.

Last year an internal Defense Department survey reported on by NBC News found that among a dwindling share of youth eligible to serve in the military without a waiver, only 9 percent had any interest in doing so. The 2022 survey results were the lowest level of interest in 15 years, despite increased financial pressure. Decades of aggressive wars that have incinerated entire societies abroad and left veterans returning home forever scarred, mentally if not physically, add to the broadly felt antiwar sentiment and skepticism toward joining the military.

The recruitment shortfall exists despite the efforts initiated at the outset of the so-called War on Terror. In 2001, federal funding for public schools was made contingent upon allowing military recruiters virtually unfettered access. Recruiting practices, which have been accurately described as predatory grooming, abound, combined with grossly illegal practices like mandatory participation of high schoolers in junior ROTC programs.

Ocasio-Cortez's intervention last month to enlist youth into the military and her denunciation of anti-war critics demonstrates the utter bankruptcy of claims that the Democratic Party can be transformed by replacing centrist Democrats with progressive politicians. The entire Democratic Party is moving to the right, with figures like Ocasio-Cortez traveling most rapidly as the crisis of American capitalism intensifies. For mass opposition to war to find expression, a political break from the Democratic Party and all of its factions is needed.
The General Confederation of Labor (CGT) held its 53rd congress last week, as the working class mounted a direct political struggle against President Emmanuel Macron over his imposition of pension cuts without a vote, amid mass popular opposition. A surprise candidate, the general secretary of the General Union of Engineers, Managers and Technicians (Ugict) and in charge of gender issues, Sophie Binet, was elected to replace Philippe Martinez.

CGT demonstration during the Paris transit strike on November 10, 2022. [Photo: WSWS]

Binets election is directly linked to the counterrevolutionary policy pursued by the CGT bureaucracy in the struggles against Macron. Before the congress, Martinez made no clear statement as to whether he would participate in the mediation with Macron launched by Frances other union bureaucracies, which aims to stabilize the government and prevent workers from bringing down Macron. But in her inaugural speech, Binet announced that she would meet Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne.

Yesterday, Binet tried to cover up this reactionary decision, claiming that her meeting is likely to be very short if Borne does not announce the withdrawal of Macrons cuts. She added, there is no other way out of the crisis than to withdraw the cuts. However, Binet and the CGT bureaucracy are working to give Macron a way out, leaving him in power so that he can try to reimpose his cuts later, just as he postponed his cuts in 2020 and then proposed them again this year.

The CGT congress confirms the WSWS analysis. The bureaucracy seeks to betray the struggle against the pension cuts and against Macron, who rules for the banks against the people and with whom there is nothing to negotiate. To act on the will of a large majority of French people, the working class must bring down Macron by blocking the economy with a general strike. But this requires breaking the diktat of the union bureaucracies over the class struggle. The preparation of such a struggle requires the construction of a politically independent movement of the rank and file, organized in action committees.

At the CGT congress, divisions erupted inside the bureaucracy in the face of the growing anger of the rank and file. The congress delegates voted by 50.32 percent to reject the activity report of the outgoing leadership. Neither of the two candidates who had until then been considered as Martinezs potential successors, Marie Buisson and Celine Verzeletti, obtained the number of votes needed to replace him at the head of the CGT bureaucracy.

Verzeletti admitted, It is a disavowal of everything that has been done by the outgoing leadership. This vote is a vote by mandates, which means that the vote of each delegate has been well debated. She added that this is not a small signal to the outgoing leadership.

In the end, it was Binet who became the first woman to head the CGT. In the unions secretariat, she will be assisted by Laurent Brun of the railworkers federation, Sebastien Menesplier of the mining and energy federation, and Verzeletti, a former prison guard and leader of the state employees federation.

Binet is a specialist of gender politics and has excellent contacts in the financial press and academia. In her first speech as CGT leader, Binet said she wanted clear orientations on feminism, gender equality and the fight against sexist and sexual violence.

About Macrons pension cuts, she said: We will go, in the all-trade-union alliance, to demand the withdrawal of this reform in a firm, determined way. She claimed that the CGT congress sent a strong, determined message to the government, employers and Emmanuel Macron: we will not give up! This starts with our demand for withdrawal of this pension reform. There will be no truce, no suspension, no mediation, we win the withdrawal of the pension reform!

The CGT bureaucracy is reacting to the explosive political struggle that has erupted against Macron with a significant change in its public image, shifting to the right. Indeed, Binet is not only the first woman, but above all the first CGT secretary who does not have a background as an industrial worker, but in management and academia. Previous CGT secretaries included railway workers (Bernard Thibault) or automobile workers (Philippe Martinez), but Binet leads the federation of managers, which accounts for a little more than 10 percent of the CGT membership.

Binet is a former principal education adviser and vice president of the National Union of Students of France (UNEF) in the 2000s. She participated in UNEF protests against the First Job Contract (CPE) bill in 2006. She is a member of the big-business Socialist Party (PS) and became head of the UGICT in 2018.

Binet has strong ties in the milieu of gender politics and corporate management. In 2019, she co-authored the book Is the CGT Feminist? Women, their Work and Union Activism. She publishes her articles not only in the Stalinist newspaper LHumanite, but also in the right-wing financial daily, Les Echos.

The choice of Binet does not reflect a fundamental change in the class line of the CGT. Since World War II, it has been dominated by a violently anti-Trotskyist Stalinist bureaucracy. In each great revolutionary struggle in 20th century Francethe general strikes of 1936 and May 1968, or the revolutionary struggles that unfolded amid the liberation of Europe from Nazi ruleit did not lead but rather blocked a revolution. However, in order to maintain a political hold over the workers, especially those in industry, the apparatus cultivated a certain very definite image.

The CGT chose as its general secretaries industrial workers who superficially displayed a certain hostility to the bosses and the state, even while negotiating with them behind closed doors. This continued even after the Stalinist bureaucracy dissolved the Soviet Union in 1991.

But over the decades, with repeated betrayals of national strikes in the era of globalized capitalism, the CGT has lost much of its earlier, working class base. Stephane Sirot, a historian specializing in social movements, writes: The CGT is becoming a less industrial organization. When we look at the statistics, technicians and managers are more unionized than employees and workers. The CGT sees managers as a promising target for unionization drives.

Binet was able to rise to the top of the apparatus thanks to the right-wing evolution of the bureaucracy, and especially to the explosive conflict between the bureaucracy and the rank and file that underlies the current struggle against Macron. The bureaucracy faces a CGT rank and file that is outraged at the pension cuts and at Macron. Some CGT local leaders have led strikes and blockades of industrial sites since the conflict over pensions began. The CGT bureaucracy, on the other hand, seeks to save Macron and betray the strikes.

The Macron government and the bourgeoisie, who are no doubt escalating their social dialog with the CGT, are terrified of the eruption of the class struggle. Like the CGT leadership itself, they fear above all that the bureaucracy will lose control over the rank and file. Amid the insurrectionary strikes that erupted across France and Europe immediately after World War II, the CGT expelled from its ranks all the Trotskyists it could identify. Now, with the installation of Binet, forces within the CGT bureaucracy and the state machine are no doubt preparing a new offensive against the rank and file.

The workers will find no alternative but to build their own rank-and-file committees, independent of the union bureaucracy, to wage their struggle against Macron and the diktat of the banks.
The World Socialist Web Site invites workers and other readers to contribute to this regular feature

Latin America

Bolivian teachers continue strikes, protests against working conditions, repression

Teachers in Bolivia have continued with protests and strikes over unpaid wages, supply shortages, an inadequate education budget, police repression and other issues. On March 30, teachers in cities across the nation began a two-day strike that included street blockades and marches.

In La Paz, where over 20,000 teachers congregated and marched to the Ministry of Education, to be confronted by police, who attacked them with pepper spray. In Santa Cruz, protesting teachers forced the closure of the Departmental Education Service.

In cities such as Sucre, Potosi, Trinidad, Cochabamba and others, roadblocks snarled traffic and bus travel.

Education Minister Edgar Pary attempted to discredit the protesters by claiming that they were involved with forces that brought Jeanine Anez to power in the US-backed coup in 2019. He also claimed that some parents and teachers were being forced to march.

Colombian teachers hold two-day strike over budget, privatization, jobs

Teachers in Bogota, Colombia struck and mobilized protest actions on March 28 and 29. The educators oppose irregularities in spending of the city budget, programs that they see as covert moves to privatization and overexploitation of teachers. They are calling for more job opportunities, better working conditions and other demands.

A District Association of Education Workers (ADE) denounced the local government for promoting a labor persecution of union leaders, teachers, teaching directors who present their nonconformity due to decisions without consultation with the school government in the IED.

On March 28, the teachers marched to the Bogota Mayors Office with their demands. The next day, they marched to the office of the Secretary of Education.

Panamanian firefighters strike over pay and promotions cut short by signing of agreement

Firefighters in Panama began a strike March 30 over the governments noncompliance with an agreement signed last June. The agreement had involved salary adjustments and promotions, but authorities dragged their feet. The payment owed for the promotions is estimated at around US$2.9 million.

Government authorities and firefighters union reps held a lengthy high-level meeting on March 31, in which not only the pay and promotions were discussed, but the budget and acquisition of equipment as well. They signed an agreement late that night that will set up a joint participation technical table on April 13 with the objective of establishing the methodology, classifying the cases, in order to modify the position structure of the institution, according to a Destino Panama report.

In the document, the partiesincluding the Economy and Finance Ministries, the government and bureaucrats of two firefighters unionsagree to work in harmonious collaboration to comply with the agreement.

Jamaican Industrial Disputes Tribunal blocks strike by aluminum workers

Jamaicas Industrial Disputes Tribunal (IDT) issued a no-strike order March 31 to workers at UC Rusal Alumina Jamaica Limited, a Russia-based aluminum production company. The over 600 workers had resolved to walk off the job on April 3 due to a breakdown in talks between the Union of Clerical Administrative and Supervisory Employees (UCASE) and the company.

The main sticking points are wages and fringe benefits, over which UC Rusal has stonewalled. Meetings called by the Labour Ministry have been, in the words of UCASE head Vincent Morrison, an exercise in futility, with the companys attitude being take it or leave it.

Following the failure of the meetings, the Labour Ministry referred the dispute to the IDT, which issued a statement on the night of April 1 ordering the workers to maintain normal operations while it holds hearings over the dispute.

United States

Kansas aerospace workers vote overwhelmingly to authorize strike

Workers at Spirit AeroSystems in Wichita, Kansas voted by a 99.9 percent margin to authorize strike action in the upcoming negotiations between the company and the International Association of Machinists (IAM) Local Lodge 839. The 5,500 members of the IAM constitute the largest section of unionized workers among the 11,000 employees at the plant which manufactures components for the aerospace corporation Boeing.

Machinists have labored under the same contract for 13 years. In January 2020, amid the pandemic, the 10-year contract ran out and the IAM extended that agreement for 3 years. Bargaining will begin on May 1 and the old agreement expires in June of this year.

Back when the original proposal was being negotiated in 2010, a majority of workers voted the contract down. But the IAM accepted the agreement claiming that the contract rejection had not achieved a super-majority.

The IAM has declined to make public their current bargaining position. Corporate management responded to the strike authorization, saying, Spirit understands that the strike sanction vote is part of the IAMs internal process. This vote does not mean a strike will occur.

New York freelance orchestra musicians rally after one month on strike

Striking New York freelance orchestra musicians held an impromptu concert outside David Geffen Hall March 26, to call attention to their demands for job security, improved wages and health benefits. Members of the American Federation of Musicians Local 802 struck more than a month ago after mediated contract talks broke down over hiring practices by Distinguished Concerts International (DCINY).

That deadlock in bargaining had to do with DCINYs refusal to consider a hiring list, a standard among professional orchestras. Greg Williams, who plays viola, declared, It is not unreasonable for musicians to know how often they can expect to be hired to perform in a given year, according to an ordered hiring list, without a sizable portion of the orchestra being replaced by new players...

Strikers also want contract language providing breaks and a pension. Musicians first organized back in 2019 and have yet to obtain a contract with DCINY. They mainly perform at Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall.

Museum workers protest lack of contract at Art Institute of Chicago

Staff workers at the Art Institute of Chicago mounted a protest in front of the Museum March 30 over the lack of progress in contract talks. Over 600 workers first unionized towards the end of 2021 to demand what they call an equitable, sustainable and transparent workplace, but are still without a contract.

Problems came to a boil with the pandemic and the decision by the museum to lay off workers. Employees received no voice in the matter and decided to organize as the Art Institute of Chicago Workers United (AICWU).

Canada

Windsor, Ontario salt workers strike in seventh week

Two hundred and fifty workers at the Windsor Salt mine in Windsor, Ontario are in their seventh week of strike action.

The strikers, who include miners, processing and office workers, are opposing managements plans to slash jobs through the wholesale contracting out of work.

So determined is the company to shred the existing limited job security protections, it has tried to make workers acceptance of its sweeping concessions demands on this issue a precondition for talks on the rest of the contract.

In 2021, the hundred-year-old facility, was bought by Stone Canyon Industries, a US-based holding company that has been buying up salt mines and companies across North America with the aim of using its market power to drive up consumer prices and slash labour costs.

There is strong support for the Windsor Salt strikers among the thousands of Unifor members employed in Windsors auto and auto-parts plants, but the union is doing nothing to mobilize them. Instead, it is urging workers to appeal to the federal Liberal and Ontario Conservative governments to pressure the company to moderate its concession demands.

On Monday, management representatives and negotiators for Unifor Locals 240 and 1959 began what are supposed to be four days of contract talks this week.
Prominent Russian military blogger Vladlen Tatarsky was killed at age 41 in an explosion in a cafe in St. Petersburg on Sunday afternoon. The explosion, which took place during an event with Tatarsky hosted by the pro-Kremlin group Cyber Front Z, also wounded another 32 people, several of whom are in critical condition.

Russias Investigative Committee, the countrys main federal investigative authority, is treating the incident as a terrorist attack. A 25-year-old woman, Daria Trepova, was arrested and charged with murder hours after the blast. On Monday, Russian investigators released a video to the media in which Trepova confessed to the attack. They also claim that she was part of the Anti-Corruption Fund that was founded and run by the now imprisoned right-wing anti-Putin oppositionist Alexei Navalny, and had earlier participated in antiwar rallies organized by the pro-NATO liberal opposition.

Trepovas husband, Dmitry Rylov, who lives abroad, is reported to have been a member of the banned oppositionist Libertarian Party, which has supported Navalny in the past. The party has denied any connection to or knowledge of the attack and insists that Trepovas husband was not involved in it either. According to the Investigative Committee, the planning and organization of the attack occurred in Ukraine.

The spokeswoman of Russias foreign ministry, Maria Zakharova, directly blamed the Zelensky government for the attack, stating that Tatarskys activities have won him the hatred of the Kyiv regime and that he and other Russian military bloggers had faced Ukrainian threats.

The Kremlin will no doubt use the explosion to intensify the crackdown not only on its pro-NATO opponents in the ruling class and the upper-middle class, such as Navalny, but also on democratic rights more broadly.

Vladlen Tatarsky had a following of over half a million people on the popular Russian social media app Telegram, and was one of the best known proponents of and commentators on the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Born in East Ukraine, Tatarsky was originally a miner-turned-small business owner. He was imprisoned for bank robbery before joining Russian-backed separatists in East Ukraine to fight in a civil war against the Ukrainian army and fascist paramilitaries after the NATO-backed far-right coup in Kiev in 2014. Like many ultranationalist bloggers, Tatarsky frequently criticized Russias military leadership for mistakes in the conduct of the war, as Russia suffered major setbacks, especially in the spring and fall of 2022.

The coverage of the explosion in the Western press has been markedly muted, with only perfunctory reports appearing in leading outlets. Many uncritically quoted Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who visibly rejoiced about the killing on Twitter while denying Ukraines involvement. He wrote, Spiders are eating each other in a jar. Question of when domestic terrorism would become an instrument of internal political fight was a matter of time.

In Russia, many commentators have drawn parallels to the assassination of Daria Dugina last August with a car bomb that presumably also targeted her father, the well-known ultranationalist philosopher Alexander Dugin. Dugina and Tatarsky knew each other and Tatarsky at the time described her death as the killing of a saint.

While Western outlets also noted the parallel to Duginas killing, they failed to offer any broader context or background to either her killing or the explosion in St. Petersburg.

After Duginas killing in August, the New York Times was quick to claim that there was no evidence that the attack was connected to the war in Ukraine. Yet only two months later, in October, the Times reported, U.S. believes Ukrainians were behind an assassination in Russia. As the WSWS noted, the claim by the New York Times that the US took no part in the attack, either by providing intelligence or other assistance lacked any credibility.

The WSWS wrote: The Kiev regime is a creation of the US-instigated 2014 Maidan coup, and the dependence of its military on US armaments and intelligence services is an established fact. It is nothing less than preposterous to suggest that Ukraine could have carried out a high-level killing in Moscow without US knowledge and approval.

Earlier reports by the Times and other outlets have also pointed to the existence of a substantial network of Ukrainian insurgents operating in territories claimed by Russia in Eastern Ukraine and Crimea, where they carry out car bombings and targeted assassinations, including of workers accused of having collaborated with the Russians.

This insurgency is ongoing and an integral part of the NATO war waged against Russia through proxies in the Ukrainian military. On Sunday, Russian officials reported Ukrainian strikes with US-delivered HIMARS on the city of Melitopol in the Zaporizhzhia Oblast in southeastern Ukraine, one of the territories now occupied by Russia. At least six people were wounded and several buildings, as well as a railway, were damaged. According to RIA Novosti, there have been multiple terror attacks in the city over the past weeks.

While this goes virtually unreported in the Western media, there are also frequent Ukrainian air strikes on civilian, military and industrial facilities in Russias Kursk and Belgorod regions that directly border Eastern Ukraine, as well as Crimea, the peninsula in the Black Sea that has been claimed by Russia since March 2014. On Sunday, another seven people were reportedly wounded when a Ukrainian missile hit a Russian cemetery in the Kursk region near the border with Ukraine.

Sundays explosion also took place amidst a staggering crisis of the Ukrainian military and preparations by NATO for a counteroffensive by Ukraine this spring.

Last week, Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelensky ruled out any compromise with Russia and insisted that the town of Bakhmut must not fall to Russia, because otherwise the Ukrainian population will push me to have compromise with them.

The Ukrainian military is estimated to have suffered at least 100,000 dead and hundreds of thousands of wounded out of less than 30 million people who still live in territory controlled by the Zelensky government. Even the warmongering New York Times acknowledged in a recent report that morale, an area in which Ukrainian fighters held an edge for much of the war, is becoming more of a challenge. In a dozen or so recent interviews, soldiers at positions near Bakhmut or emerging from the crucible of street fighting for short breaks expressed dismay at the scale of violence and death.

The report heavily relied on statements by Ilya Samoilenko, commander of the neo-Nazi Azov forces, who recently toured the US, where he spoke at Columbia University in New York, and now plays a prominent role in training new Ukrainian soldiers for the war.

The response by NATO to the crisis of the Zelensky regime and the Ukrainian army has been to escalate its offensive against Russia. According to Hungarys Prime Minister Viktor Orban, the EU is close to discussing sending peacekeeping troops to Ukraine. NATO will soon double the length of its border with Russia by admitting Finland to the military alliance. Over the past three months, NATO has delivered hundreds of tanks as well as advanced weapons systems to Ukraine. Thousands of Ukrainian soldiers are currently trained directly by NATO for the war against Russia.
We want to hear from you: Fill out the form below to tell us what you think about the job cuts at Stellantis and the conditions at your plant.

Shift change at Sterling Heights Assembly in 2019 [Photo: WSWS]

Stellantis plans to cut hundreds of jobs at the Sterling Heights Assembly Plant (SHAP) by June, according to a video posted by United Auto Workers Local 1700 last Friday. Nearly 6,500 workers currently work at the suburban Detroit plant where they build the companys highly profitable Ram 1500 pickups.

In the video, UAW officials say nothing about mobilizing workers in a struggle to stop the layoffs. On the contrary, the local bureaucrats spend the bulk of their time arrogantly lecturing workers and blaming them for supposedly slacking off on the line, parroting managements lying justifications for the job cuts.

UAW Local 1700 President Charles Bell begins by saying the locals plant committee was called into an emergency meeting with management early last week and told that 408 jobs would be cut. This would lead to an undisclosed number of permanent layoffs at the plant, Bell said, adding, Layoffs are serious, especially when you got layoffs at Trenton Engine, Belvidere, and, from what we were told in the (UAW) council meeting, several other locations.

UAW Local 1700s leadership [Photo: UAW Local 1700]

The UAW shop chairman, Theron Jackson, said management was also unilaterally changing sickness and accident (S & A) policies to justify the firing of workers on medical leave. He then declared, Its up to us to draw a line in the sand and protect our jobs. They clearly are drawing a line against us and are willing to fire each and every one of us.

Despite the rhetoric, the Local 1700 officials did not propose a single action to defend workers. On the contrary, they were preoccupied with preventing workers from doing anything that would disrupt the companys production and profits.

Vice President Mike Spencer acknowledged that workers were ready to take matters in their own hands and pointed to the wildcat strikes that SHAP and other workers carried out in March 2020 as COVID-19 spread through the plants, forcing the shutdown of the auto industry. The actions started on the floor, he admitted, before falsely claiming that the leadership stood behind them.

Aware that workers were discussing such actions again, Spencer said, When you make those actions, if these actions are deemed to be necessary, make sure you are doing it within the bounds of what the contract says. In other words, management can ignore the terms of the contract all it wants, but workers have no right to collectively fight, according to Spencer, because it would be a violation of the contract.

Desiree Slater, the Local 1700 committeewoman in the Trim Department, then blamed the workers themselves for the job cuts. Stop helping them cut our jobs, she said, before ordering workers, Dont walk up and down the line, and no more phones and iPads.

Ricky Odum, the committeeman in the body shop, added, Those of you that are not doing whats rightwe challenge you to switch directions. Job cuts are coming so fast.

The local officials acknowledged that they were deeply hated by workers on the shop floor. Stop saying that the union is nothing, Slater complained, adding, Every day, we are fighting for you behind closed doors. Odum added, We are not the problem. A lot of things are done to make it look like your union is not fighting for you, but those things are designed to create divisions and get people questioning the integrity of the union. Im asking you to fight with us, not against us.

Local President Bell admitted that he was prepared to lecture workers about unplanned absenteeism during a town hall meeting last week. It is apparent, however, that he and other local officials thought it would be better to inform workers about the layoffs in the safety of a YouTube video rather than show up for a mass meeting of angry workers.

The brazenly pro-management character of Local 1700s response to the job cuts has provoked heated opposition by workers, which the local leadership have sought to crudely censor and suppress. In posts before and after the video on its UAW Local 1700 Worker 2 Worker Facebook page, unnamed officials declared their hostility to any critical comments by workers.

On Thursday, the page posted, FYI  Please refrain from commenting on the shared information because there is NOBODY to go back and forth with. This is SHARED information ONLY. Thank you!

On Friday, shortly after the video was posted, the local declared, FYI  OUR DELETE AND BLOCK BUTTON ARE ACTIVE! GOOD DAY!

Screenshots from the UAW Local 1700 Worker 2 Worker Facebook page

SHAP workers were quick to denounce the attack on jobs and the collusion of the UAW bureaucracy. Its contract time and they are trying to threaten us again, a SHAP worker with 20 years at the company told the WSWS. The corporations care more about their products than the people who build them. As for the union officials, you can never find them when you need them and your calls to the union office never go through.

Responding to the union officials complaint about workers using their phones in the plant, he continued, We have families too and if were on the phone were dealing with sick kids or some other family emergency. We know these jobs and can multi-task if we need to. Quality issues are not caused by people on their phones. Its management telling workers to push through vehicles no matter what the defects.

With the contract coming up a lot of workers feel an urgency to strike. We want to get back what we lost. The companies have been making billions. There is an uproar over the cost of living. Food, health insurance, gas is going up and up, and we are paying more and getting less. We need to get back COLA, and overtime after eight hours a day, instead of 40 hours a week. Ive lost $25,000 to $30,000 in overtime payments because of the changes.

The SEs [supplemental or temporary employees] work an eight-hour shift and then they are told at the last minute to work another shift. They have families too. They cant just turn off and back on like a robot. Now they are going after workers on medical leave, even though weve paid for it, and firing them.

Ive already got two stents in my heart from this place, another veteran worker said, and they dont want guys going to medical for chest pains. They complain about workers having phones and radios, but they dont even have sanitizer anymore or functioning water coolers for the workers building the trucks. As for absenteeism, theyre paying more at McDonalds for new workers. The company took away COLA and even for the most senior workers, our pay grade isnt keeping up with the economy.

Like GM, Ford and other global automakers, Stellantis is on a worldwide cost-cutting drive. On April 1, the company began cutting 360 jobs at the Trnava plant in the central European country of Slovakia. The layoffs came after negotiations with the 733 workers employed on weekend shifts, with nearly half of those employees rejecting an amended work schedule, local news media reported.

In Italy, the company is currently working with the unions to eliminate 2,000 workers through supposedly voluntary layoffs. Since 2021, when Stellantis was formed through the merger of Fiat Chrysler and Peugeot maker PSA, almost 7,000 jobs have been cut in Italy.

The UAW apparatus, now led by Shawn Fain and Unite All Workers for Democracy (UAWD), will do nothing to fight plant closures and layoffs. In fact, the bureaucracy will welcome these attacks as a means to pressure workers to give up what Fains transition team calls their unreasonable expectations and impose yet another concessionary agreement.

But rank-and-file workers have plans of their own. On March 26, workers from GM, Stellantis, Dana, Mack Trucks and other plants gathered in Detroit and, along with workers from Caterpillar and other workplaces joining online, mapped out a strategy to defend workers jobs and fight for substantial improvements in wages and working conditions. Because it is impossible to fight transnational corporations in a single country, they voted to join the International Workers Alliance of Rank-and-File Committees, which is coordinating the fightback by workers across national boundaries.

The corporate terrorism of Stellantis must be fought. But this requires building up the network of rank-and-file committees to transfer decision-making power from the pro-corporate UAW apparatus to the workers on the shop floor.

The fight against layoffs and further plant closures requires the coordinated action of the entire UAW membership. If the companies say that less labor is needed to build electric vehicles, then workers must fight to reduce the workweek from 40 to 30 hours with no loss in pay. This must be combined with a 50 percent pay increase to make up for decades of lost wages, the restoration of COLA and the eight-hour day, the abolition of tiers, pensions for all and the immediate rollover of all SEs and TPTs.

To discuss joining the network of autoworker rank-and-file committees or forming a committee at your plant, contact us today. You can also sign up for text updates from the autoworkers rank-and-file committee network by texting AUTO to (866) 8471086.
This is the first of a multi-part series on Long COVID. Part two can be read here, part three here, and part four here.

After three years of the COVID-19 pandemic, the long-term consequences of infection with SARS CoV-2called Long COVID or post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 (PASC)remain a dire threat to humanity. Long COVID researchers and advocates have correctly referred to the pandemic as a mass disabling event, which is ongoing and deepening despite all the lies and propaganda that the pandemic is over.

The massive societal impacts of the pandemic are analogous to an iceberg, in which the acute mortality and suffering present on the surface are accompanied by the often hidden but even more numerically immense long-term toll exacted by Long COVID.

The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) shows that 671 million people have officially been infected with SARS-CoV-2 worldwide, resulting in 6.73 million deaths. Both figures are known to be vast undercounts due to inadequate testing and data tracking systems in most countries. Studies indicate that the majority of humanity has now been infected with COVID-19 and there are over 20 million excess deaths attributable to the pandemic.

An important recent scientific review, Long COVID: major findings, mechanisms and recommendations provided a conservative estimate that beyond these acute deaths, a staggering 65 million people are now suffering from Long COVID worldwide. The widely read paper, published in Nature Reviews Microbiology in January, was co-authored by Eric Jeffrey Topol and Julia Moore Vogel of The Scripps Research Institute, as well as Long COVID patient-researchers Hannah E. Davis and Lisa McCorkell.

Eric Topol [Photo by Juhan Sonin / CC BY 4.0

The researchers present a series of devastating statistics that highlight the criminality of what is being unleashed on society by the ruling elites. They note:

At least 65 million individuals around the world have long COVID the number is likely much higher due to many undocumented cases. The incidence is estimated at 1030% of non-hospitalized cases, 5070% of hospitalized cases and 1012% of vaccinated cases. Long COVID is associated with all ages and acute phase disease severities.

The characteristics of Long COVID still remain elusive due in part to its being associated with over 200 symptoms ranging from inconvenient to debilitating. The most common symptoms include extreme fatigue, difficulty breathing and shortness of breath, pain when breathing, painful muscles, heavy arms or legs, ageusia (loss of sense of taste) or anosmia (loss of sense of smell), feeling hot and cold alternately, and tingling extremities.

The Topol et al. review cites studies demonstrating that COVID-19 can attack and cause lasting damage to every organ system of the body, in particular the cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, neurological, endocrine, respiratory, and genitourinary systems.

Some of the most prevalent symptoms of Long COVID [Photo: WSWS]

Significantly, COVID-19 can cause cardiovascular, thrombotic (clots) and cerebrovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) and dysautonomia (dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system that regulates the bodys internal environment), especially postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) associated with increased heart rate when standing.

The authors conclude that these symptoms can persist for a few weeks, to years, to potentially an entire lifetime, often making it impossible for sufferers to lead a normal life. The review states, With significant proportions of individuals with long COVID unable to return to work, the scale of newly disabled individuals is contributing to labour shortages. There are currently no validated effective treatments.

The immense social and medical impacts of Long COVID are the product of the homicidal let it rip mass infection policies that have now been implemented by every capitalist government throughout the world. The suppression and distortion of the science of Long COVIDwhich from the very first wave of coronavirus was known to be a devastating afflictionamount to one of the greatest crimes committed by capitalist politicians and the corporate media throughout the pandemic.

It is clear that Long COVID has accompanied each successive wave of the pandemic, and that it will continue to debilitate a significant portion of society for years to come. This review, as part of the World Socialist Web Sites Global Workers Inquest into the COVID-19 Pandemic, will document what is known about the science and impacts of Long COVID, the lessons that should have been drawn from previous post-viral illnesses, and the refusal of world capitalism to address this massive and ongoing social catastrophe.

Identification of Long COVID

Long COVID as a condition was first identified by patients themselves, who were unable to obtain any meaningful treatment. The people who reported Long COVID symptoms during the first wave in 2020 were routinely dismissed as having a psychosomatic condition and ignored. This was in spite of Long COVID being totally predictable, as it is well known that viral and bacterial infections have long-term consequences that can emerge even decades after the initial infection.

A comment published in Social Science & Medicine in October 2020, written by professor of Human Geography at the University of Glasgow, Felicity Callard, and Honorary Research Associate at University College London, Elisa Perego, stated, Thousands of patients collectively made visible heterogeneous and complexly unfolding symptoms: most were not commonly acknowledged within many healthcare and policy channels in early pandemic months.

The authors argue that social media played an important role in uniting the growing cohort of patients internationally, enabling them to gain recognition for their condition. There are strong reasons to argue that Long Covid is the first illness to be made through patients finding one another on Twitter and other social media, they stated.

Importantly, Callard and Perego challenged the myth that COVID-19 is a mild condition as even in the early stages of the pandemic patients were reporting persistent severe symptoms.

In an online post published in May 2020, Callard took up Britains Home Officer Deputy Science Advisor Rupert Shutes assessment of COVID-19 as mild. She wrote, I have found myself chafing as a patient against the descriptor mild. The adjective can end up both revealing and hiding various logics at a moment in which thousands continue to die every day, world-wide, of a new and brutal disease.

Perego recently spoke to the World Socialist Web Site. She is a principled scientist calling for the global elimination of COVID-19.

Long COVID advocate, immunologist and professor of immunobiology at Yale School of Medicine, Akiko Iwasaki, related in an online forum last August in Knowable Magazine Long COVID: A parallel pandemic that in the early phase of the pandemic she investigated acute COVID-19, but that she frequently encountered people with persistent symptoms. She said:

We didnt anticipate so many people becoming ill with long-term consequences. Hospitalized patients who are discharged may have 50 percent of those having long-term symptoms. Whereas a mild Covid or asymptomatic ones may lead to much less prevalence but still in the 10 percent, 20 percent, 30 percent range. So thats a lot of people.

How many people have Long COVID?

Most of the people who get Long COVID have been relatively healthy and aged between 30-50 years old, often experiencing mild or no symptoms at all when they became infected. Estimates of the number of people with the condition vary greatly, as there is not a universally accepted definition for Long COVID. Last year, Nature commented, So far, there is no agreement on how to define and diagnose long COVID.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) published a clinical case definition in October 2021, but it has not gained approval with patient advocates or researchers. Academic studies continue to use a range of criteria to define the condition.

An opinion piece published in August in The Conversation by Betty Raman, Associate Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine at the University of Oxford, noted that researchers calculated that somewhere from 5-50 percent of people infected with COVID-19 suffer from Long COVID.

In a study involving 76,422 participants, a research team led by Aranka V. Ballering, MSc, found that post-COVID-19 condition might occur in about one out of eight (12.5 %) people with COVID-19 in the general population.

A recent Brookings Institute report published in August estimated that in the US alone between 2 million to 4 million working-age adults have left the labor force due to Long COVID. The National Center for Health Statistics calculated that around 16 million working-age Americans (18 to 65) have Long COVID, or about 8 percent of this section of the population.

A study published last July by the Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, Long Haulers and Labour Market Outcomes, estimated that out of the people they surveyed with Long COVID, almost 26 percent had either reduced working hours (at least 10 hours a week on a 40-hour week basis) or quit altogether.

The British Trades Union Congress (TUC) reported that 20 percent of people with Long COVID were no longer working, while another 16 percent said they were working fewer hours. Research published in The Lancet in July 2021 on an international cohort found that 22 percent of Long COVID patients could no longer work due to poor health, and another 45 percent had to reduce their hours.

The impacts of Long COVID on the nervous system

One of the most common Long COVID symptoms is brain fog, which some Long COVID advocates have described as a euphemism for brain damage. Brain fog is experienced by 20-30 percent of patients three months after initial infection, and by 65-80 percent of people with more long-term symptoms. Even people who have no symptoms or mild symptoms during their initial infection can develop this form of cognitive impairment, which makes it difficult to think or concentrate.

The adverse effects of brain fog are profound. An article published last September in The Atlantic, One of Long COVIDs Worst Symptoms Is Also Its Most Misunderstood, quoted the experience of Long COVID patient Hannah Davis, a co-author of the paper led by Eric Topol. She related, Moments that affected me dont feel like theyre part of me anymore ... It feels like I am a void and Im living in a void.

Joanna Hellmuth, a neurologist at the Public University in San Francisco, told The Atlantic:

At its core [brain fog] is almost always a disorder of executive functionthe set of mental abilities that includes focusing attention, holding information in mind, and blocking out distractions. These skills are so foundational that when they crumble, much of a persons cognitive edifice collapses.

A research paper published in Nature in March 2022 by Gwenaelle Douaud, Associate Professor at the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neuroscience, compared magnetic resonance imagining (MRI) brain scans of people before and after contracting COVID. They found that even with mild infections the brain had shrunk due to a reduction in the volume of grey matter. This is a part of the brain rich in neurons that enable the control of movement, memory and emotions.

Douaud noted importantly:

[T]here is an overall stronger decrease in grey matter thickness across the entire cortex in the infected participants, but  this effect is particularly dominant in the olfactory system (associated with the sense of smell). A marked atrophy of fronto-parietal (involved in sustained attention, complex problem-solving and working memory) and temporal regions (associated with processing auditory information and with the encoding of memory) can also be seen when contrasting hospitalised and non-hospitalised cases, suggesting that there is increased damage in the less mild cases.

The mechanism for SARS-CoV-2 impacting the brain is not clear. Although the virus is known to infect the central nervous system, this is not considered to be efficient, persistent, or frequent.

Scientists have postulated that the virus does not directly infect the brain but that inflammatory cells can travel from the lungs to the brain, thereby disrupting cells called microglia. These cells are macrophages (a type of white blood cell) that are found in the central nervous system (CNS). They remove damaged neurons and fight infections.

A study published last July in the journal Cell, led by researcher Anthony Fernandez-Castaneda of the Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences at Stanford University, found that brain fog experienced by Long COVID sufferers is similar to chemo fog, a syndrome of cancer chemotherapy-related cognitive impairment.

Fernandez-Castaneda noted:

Examining the mouse hippocampus (brain structure involved in memory and learning) following mild respiratory COVID, we found robustly increased microglial/macrophage reactivity in hippocampal white matter (hippocampus associated with learning and memory) at seven days post-infection that persists until at least seven weeks post-infection. Consistent with previous observations that reactive microglia/macrophages can inhibit hippocampal neurogenesis, a stark decrease in new neuron generation was evident  at seven days post-infection and persisted until at least seven weeks post-infection.

One of the co-authors, neuro-oncologist Michelle Monje, drew the parallels between brain fog and Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) and multiple sclerosis. She told The Atlantic that neuro-inflammation is probably the most common way that COVID-19 results in brain fog.

The impacts of Long COVID on the cardiovascular system

At a significant webinar hosted by the World Health Network last September, titled, The Impact of Long COVID on Health, Society, and Economies, cardiologist Rae Duncan gave a devastating presentation focused on the long-term effects of COVID-19 on the cardiovascular system.

She related that COVID is predominantly, and certainly in the case of Long COVID, a vascular disease. It is a disease causing inflammation and clotting abnormalities in the blood and the blood vessels, which then has a knock-on effect on all other organs.

Duncan cited several research papers that demonstrate the cardiovascular impacts of SARS-CoV-2 infection, including a major paper published by leading Long COVID researcher Ziyad Al-Aly and his team in February 2022. The study examined a US Department of Veterans Affairs national health care database identifying a cohort of 153,760 individuals with COVID-19 who were re-examined after one year, finding that the cohort had increased risks of cardiovascular disease after 30 days of being infected.

The risks were evident regardless of age, race, sex and other cardiovascular risk factors, including obesity, hypertension, diabetes, chronic kidney disease and hyperlipidemia (high cholesterol). The heightened risks were evident in people with no history of cardiovascular conditions.

After one year, they reported that our results show that 1-year risks and burdens of cardiovascular diseases among those who survive the acute phase of COVID-19 are substantial and span several cardiovascular disorders.

The study found that there was an increased risk of heart attack, heart failure, stroke, acute coronary syndrome associated with reduced blood flow to the heart, myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle), pulmonary emboli (blockage of a pulmonary artery) and others. The increased risks were similar in young patients with no underlying health issues.

Duncan also discussed a research paper from the Journal of the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography & Interventions by Odayme Quesada and her team from the Christ Hospital in Cincinnati, which examined 585 patients with STEMI (heart attack caused by a blockage of a heart artery) and COVID-19 infection. The paper found that 30 percent of women and 18 percent of men with STEMI had MINOCAS (Myocardial infarction with nonobstructive coronary arteriesa heart attack with no artery obstruction), a marked increase from pre-COVID figures.

Research published in a July 2021 study in The Lancet by Ioannis Katsoularis and his team from the department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine in Umea, Sweden examined data from 86,742 people who had contracted COVID-19 in Sweden. The researchers pointed to some of the possible causes of SARS-CoV-2 infection on the cardiovascular system:

The exaggerated inflammatory response (cytokine storm) and the direct effect of the virus on endothelial cells (cells that line the blood vessels) are likely to precipitate cardiovascular events through ACE2 receptor (cell surface proteins used by the SARS-CoV-2 virus to infect the cell) downregulation, platelet activation, hypercoagulability (increased blood coagulation), and effects on endothelial cells (activation, injury, dysfunction, and apoptosis (cell death)). Long-term effects of COVID-19 on cardiovascular risk might also be a concern but need further analyses.

Further research cited by Duncan published last September in the journal Nature Medicine by scientists from the Institute for Experimental and Translational Imaging in Frankfurt, Germany by Valentina O. Putman and her team examined 346 people who had contracted the virus at the median time of 109 days after initial infection and were followed up about 329 days after infection. They examined non-hospitalized individuals with no previous comorbidities, enabling greater insight into the consequences post infection.

After the initial period, they found that structural heart disease or high levels of biomarkers of cardiac injury or dysfunction were rare in symptomatic individuals. After follow-up, they found that 57 percent of the subjects had persistent cardiac symptoms.

The study found that exertional dyspnea (rapid breathing after mild exertion) was the most frequently experienced cardiac symptom. They noted that this

manifested as a wide spectrum of exercise intolerance, from the inability to regain a previous level of fitness, climbing stairs or attempting inclines, to the limiting physical aspects of professional or everyday life. Shortness of breath was often linked to an exaggerated tachycardia (heart rate over 100 beats per minute) response and post-exertional fatigue. The more affected participants refrained from leaving their homes due to sudden onset of general physical weakness, dizziness or even blackouts.

Worsening or relapse of symptoms after physical or mental activity (post-exertional malaise, PEM). When does it start (a), how long does it last (b), and how severe is it? (c) [Photo by Hannah E. Davis,Gina S. Assaf,Lisa McCorkell,Hannah Wei,Ryan J. Low,Yochai Re'em,Signe Redfield,Jared P. Austin,Athena Akrami / CC BY 4.0

The researchers employed cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) to examine the participants hearts. They used complex mapping techniques known as T1 and T2 to monitor the impact of the virus. Inflammation of the heart muscle seemed to be common to all participants in the study. They found an increase in myocardial water content and swelling in the heart. Increased water content in heart tissue is an indicator of a situation that can progress to heart failure.

Duncan warned that even people who had not had an acute severe infection may still be having myocardial inflammation. She went on to warn that there is evidence that we may have a bigger problem and that we may have a risk of longer-term cardiovascular complications mediated through endothelial disfunction.

Duncan called for further urgent research to determine if post-COVID endothelial disfunction is healing or not. She concluded with an alarming warning, stating, 605 million people in the world have been infected with COVID. If the endothelial disfunction is not healing by itself, I am very concerned that we are going to have a tsunami of cardiovascular complications including heart attack and strokes and vascular dementia over the next few decades.

Importantly, Duncan ended her presentation with a searing denunciation of the removal of all COVID-19 mitigation measures by governments around the world.

Reinfections and the forever COVID strategy

Particular mention must be made of the critical scientific work of Washington University School of Medicine researcher Ziyad Al-Aly and his team. Their collective body of research underscores the ongoing dangers facing humanity due to the ruling elites criminal pandemic policies. By allowing COVID-19 to spread unchecked, the virus continues to evolve into new variants that cause recurring waves of mass infections and reinfections, what the WSWS has correctly termed the forever COVID strategy.

Last November, a major study by Al-Aly was published, focusing on the dangers of COVID-19 reinfections, which have become increasingly common since the emergence of the Omicron variant in November 2021.

The latest Al-Aly study involved 5,693,208 subjects, including 257,427 people with first infection, 38,926 people with reinfection, and 5,396,855 non-infected controls. The researchers found that the risk and burden of all-cause mortality and the prespecified health outcomes increased in a graded fashion according to the number of infections (that is, risks were lowest in people with 1 infection, increased in people with two infections, and were highest in people with 3 or more infections).

The study notes that these dangers affect both the unvaccinated and vaccinated, stating:

we show that compared to people with first infection, reinfection contributes additional risks of all-cause mortality, hospitalization, and adverse health outcomes in the pulmonary and several extrapulmonary organ systems (cardiovascular disorders, coagulation and hematologic disorders, diabetes, fatigue, gastrointestinal disorders, kidney disorders, mental health disorders, musculoskeletal disorders, and neurologic disorders); the risks were evident in those who were unvaccinated, had 1 shot, or 2 or more shots prior to the second infection; the risks were most pronounced in the acute phase, but persisted in the post-acute phase of reinfection, and most were still evident at 6 months after reinfection.

Figure 2: Risk of all-cause mortality, hospitalization, at least one sequela and sequelae by organ system are plotted. At the time of comparison, there were 51.3%, 12.6% and 36.2% with no, one and two or more vaccinations, respectively, among those who had reinfection. At the time of comparison, there were 41.1%, 11.7% and 47.2% with no, one and two or more vaccinations, respectively, among the no reinfection group. [Photo by Benjamin Bowe et al / CC BY 4.0

This study, the most comprehensive to date on the health impacts of repeated infections with COVID-19, makes clear that each recurring wave of mass infection with new variants of SARS-CoV-2 will cause the ranks of those suffering from Long COVID to swell. For the foreseeable future, health systems will remain overburdened with steadily increasing numbers of patients suffering from heart attacks, strokes, kidney disease, neurological disorders and more, associated with prior COVID-19 infections.

Commenting on the long-term impacts that COVID-19 will continue to have on global society, Al-Aly told the Financial Times, This is not something that will go away in a week, in a year, or two, or three. This will reverberate with us for generations.

To be continued
U.S. lawmakers are heading to Hollywood and Silicon Valley this week to warn Disney (DIS) CEO Bob Iger, Apple (AAPL) CEO Tim Cook and other West Coast executives about their ties to China.

The delegation is being led by Republican Representative Mike Gallagher, who chairs a new House Select Committee on economic and security competition with China. The committee was formed to examine the growing influence of the Chinese government.

On this trip lawmakers hope to send a warning shot to big American companies about their dependence on China and urge them to be more mindful of human rights issues. They also want to make it clear they want to work constructively with companies to drive change. Lawmakers, said a source close to the committee, "are not happy with the status quo."

The trip follows a contentious hearing last month in Washington where TikTok CEO Shou Chew was grilled by members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. The hearing largely focused on whether TikTok's Beijing-based parent company ByteDance can ship U.S. users' data to China's government, which could then use it to spy on Americans.

Disney's Bob Iger is expected to meet with lawmakers on Wednesday. REUTERS/Hannah McKay

The delegation headed to the West Coast this week has three days of meetings planned, starting with Iger on Wednesday afternoon. Gallagher is particularly concerned after Disneys remake of the film Mulan thanked Chinese government agencies accused of extreme human rights violations in the Xinjiang province.

The province is home to detention camps that have held Uighur Muslims, where detainees have allegedly been subjected to terrible human rights violations, such as torture.

There will also be meetings with former movie studio execs who want to share their experiences working with China as well as discussions with venture capital firms and leaders from Alphabet's Google (GOOG), Microsoft (MSFT) and Scale AI about supply chains and Chinas approach towards emerging technologies.

The visit will culminate Friday with a lunch meeting with Apple CEO Tim Cook. That discussion will center on concerns about the tech giants dependence on China, including exposure via its supply chain to genocide and forced labor. The source close to the committee said Apple needs to be more diversified.

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As Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, the World Health Organizations (WHO) Technical Lead on COVID-19, noted last week, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to transmit across the globe and kills between 5,000-10,000 people each week. These are largely among individuals who are of older age, they may not be vaccinated or received the full number of doses that are required for them at their age, she said.

She then noted that the threat remains because the virus has not settled into a predictable pattern, meaning that as it evolves despite population immunity, it may develop into more virulent forms.

In particular, she warned that the current variant of interest being tracked, given the designation XBB.1.16 and dubbed Arcturus by variant trackers, is the most transmissible variant yet. Having a similar profile as its predecessor XBB.1.5, its additional mutation has shown it to be more infectious and pathogenic in the laboratory setting, although preliminary data does not indicate it is causing a more severe disease among people infected. However, she noted, It is the one to watch.

This is because the concerning K478R mutation on the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein makes the new variant more capable of dodging antibodies from prior immunity, whether due to vaccination or infection. The mutation also enhances its infectiousness and virulence. Since XBB.1.6 has emerged, it has quickly outpaced XBB.1.5, spreading almost twice as fast.

As of last week, only 800 sequences of XBB.1.16 have been analyzed. Most have come from India, where it is now the dominant variant. However, the highly infectious variant has been found in at least 23 other countries.

People wearing face masks wait for COVID-19 tests at a coronavirus testing site in Beijing, Thursday, Nov. 17, 2022. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

The variant of interest is a newcomer to the WHOs list of variants, first added on March 22, 2023. However, due to a significant decline in COVID-19 surveillance and submission of sequences, it is unclear when the variant first actually surfaced.

In the US, XBB.1.5 remains the dominant version, accounting for 88 percent of all sequenced variants as of the first week of April, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). They have not listed XBB.1.16 in their updates, but given that they have previously withheld such data until a whistleblower forced their hand, similar shenanigans could be once more at play.

According to Raj Rajnarayanan, Assistant Dean of Research and Associate Professor at Arkansas State University, 18 states in the US have detected Arcturus. Additionally, 14 states have detected its descendant, the variant XBB.1.16.1. Presently, XBB.1.16 and XBB.1.16.1 are aggregated under the umbrella of XBB until they reach the 1 percent threshold of all variants across the country, when the CDC is required to list them separately.

Besides the US, the spread of XBB.1.16 covers nearly the entire surface of the globe, including Canada, Australia, Japan, South Korea, South Africa, Israel, the UK and most of the major countries across Europe, where excess deaths have remained stubbornly high.

Although not all deaths are from COVID-19, higher numbers of underlying pre-existing health conditions are being exacerbated, which may be directly attributable to the impact COVID-19 infections have caused across the population. These are further compounded by the chronic strain on health systems because of let it rip policies that have allowed repeated waves of infections to inundate hospitals.

In India, despite the low quantity of testing and tracking, the federal health ministry recorded more than 3,000 COVID-19 cases in a 24-hour period last Thursday, the highest figure in over six months. There has been a more than four-fold increase in new cases in a month. According to New Delhis Health Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj, the positivity rate has climbed above 10 percent. We have issued an advisory, he told reporters. Asking people to wear masks if they have flu-like symptoms and in hospitals.

Dr. Rahul Sharma, a pulmonologist and critical care physician at Fortis Hospital Noida, confirmed, The sudden surge of cases throughout India is being seen. The main reason is the new variant of concern of COVID-19. The symptoms are mild, but a lot of patients are coming up with superimposed pneumonia. Another common reason is the low coverage of precautionary (booster) vaccine among people, which is less than 30 percent.

Speaking with Fortune magazine, Biology Professor Ryan Gregory at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada, explained that despite Indias hefty population immunity, the pandemic was gaining momentum, which is concerning. It remains speculative how large the surge will be, but he said, large waves arent the main pattern of COVID cases anymore. Its the consistently high baseline that wont come down.

Indeed, the official COVID-19 deaths since December 2019 have reached nearly 6.9 million, while the central estimate of global excess deaths has risen to 21.3 million, or 3.1 times the official COVID-19 fatalities. And although official COVID-19 deaths per week are slowly declining, weekly excess deaths have risen 33 percent since the end of February.

In the US, according to the still operating New York Times COVID tracker, the average daily rate of COVID-19 deaths has never declined below 250 since May 2022. This translates to approximately 100,000 preventable deaths annually, a figure that is twice the deadliest flu season in the last two decades. Since January 1, 2023, in the span of three months, almost 34,000 people have died.

The wave of XBB.1.16(.1), which may become dominant in the US, will have potentially significant consequences for the working class when the entire federal COVID-19 pandemic apparatus is dismantled. Workers will have to choose between working while infected or being fired for taking appropriate precautions. Anecdotally, already many workers who are infected are reporting difficulties obtaining the anti-viral treatment manufactured by Pfizer, Paxlovid, from their providers. Pharmacies will not provide the treatments without a physicians prescription.

Because COVID-19 has been so downplayed by both the government and the media, there is a palpable lack of urgency on the part of pharmacies and health care systems to address the needs of those with coronavirus infections. Those anti-viral treatments which help reduce the chance of severe disease and Long COVID need to be administered within days of developing symptoms, or their benefits are diminished.

Additionally, the end of the federal public health emergency for COVID-19 next month means access to individual home tests will become more expensive and harder to get. Reliance on wastewater surveillance will be critical to track the leading edge of the next wave of infections. However, this requires funding and coordination at the national level to become truly effective for monitoring COVID-19 and other infectious pathogens.

There is complete disregard for any real public health initiative on the part of states and the federal government in the face of the current threat posed by COVID-19 and repeated outbreaks of highly infective and potentially deadly pathogens. This has immense implications for the working class who have, until now, been dependent and reliant on the government to look out for their well-being.

The abandonment of the basic functions of public health to protect the population speaks to the complete dysfunction of the state apparatus and the disregard for the lives of those who actually produce the wealth of the ruling elites. The COVID-19 pandemic as a trigger event in history has unmasked the bankruptcy of capitalist relations and has brought to the fore the central importance of the class struggle and the necessity for the socialist transformation of society.
In what represents a new stage in US-Indian collaboration in preparing for war with China, the Pentagon supplied India with real-time military intelligence, enabling it to repel Peoples Liberation Army forces in a December 2022 border clash, claims the US News & World Report.

Last Dec. 9, hundreds of Indian and Chinese troops clashed along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the largely undemarcated 3,400 km border that separates the worlds two most populous countries. While there were no fatalities, the confrontation reportedly lasted for several hours, with the two sides engaging in hand-to hand combat and attacking each other with batons and canes.

Soon after, New Delhi boasted it had repelled a Chinese incursion into the Twang sector of the northeast Indian state of Arunchal Pradesh. Beijing, meanwhile, accused Indian troops of blocking the PLA from reconnoitering territory on its side of the LAC.

Tanks on the banks of Pangong Tso lake region, in Ladakh along the India-China border on Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2021. [AP Photo/India Army via AP]

According to a March 20 US News report, Indian forces had been forewarned of the impending PLA incursion by actionable US satellite intelligence supplied in real-time, and were consequently ready to repel it. The intelligence was reportedly more detailedproviding information about Chinese positions, movements and force strengthand delivered faster than anything the US had previously shared with Indias military.

Indian troops were waiting, a US government source told US News. And thats because the US had given India everything to be fully prepared for this. It demonstrates a test case of the success of how the two militaries are now cooperating and sharing intelligence.

US News said multiple government sources familiar with a secret US intelligence review of the Dec. 9 Himalayan border clash had confirmed this account, and viewed it as marking a new stage in Indo-US military cooperation. This will definitely rattle the Chinese because they will have not experienced this before, a high-placed source told the US News. This time they did not hold the advantage like they did before.

The framework for real-time intelligence sharing between the US and Indian government and militaries was established under the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA), which New Delhi and Washington signed in the fall of 2020. Washington had long pressed India to do so, over the objections of sections of Indias military establishment who feared the agreement could compromise the security of Indias own intelligence and military operations.

The BECA enables the transfer of real-time geospatial intelligence, as well as the supply of high-end surveillance and communications technology and weapons that make use of them. Its adoption by India means New Delhi has signed all three of the agreements the Pentagon considers foundational in developing interoperability for joint operations with foreign militaries. The agreements cover access to Indian ports and military bases for resupply and repair, communications and other compatibility, and intelligence-sharing.

The White House refused to confirm the March 20 US News and World Report article, which asserted that the Dec. 9 events were the first confirmation that the real-time sharing of geospatial intelligence provided for under the BECA is now operational. However, John Kirby, the National Security Council coordinator for Strategic Communications, did not refute it. He simply said, I cant confirm that.

The leak was clearly aimed at demonstrating that the Indo-US military-strategic alliance is providing New Delhi with tangible benefits in the border dispute and Indias strategic conflict with China more broadly and was quickly promoted by Indias corporate media as such.

As part of its ever escalating all-sided economic, diplomatic, and military-strategic offensive against China, Washingtonfirst under the Republican would be-dictator Trump, and now the Democrat Joe Bidenis playing an ever more conspicuous and provocative role in the India-China border dispute.

When the dispute flared up in May 2020, the US encouraged New Delhi to take a hard line and make it a major international issue. A month later, a clash in the Galwan Valley, which transects Indian-held Ladakh and Chinese-held Aksai Chin, resulted in the deaths of at least 20 Indian troops and four PLA personnel and brought the two nuclear-armed states closer to all-out war than at any time since they fought a short border war in 1962.

Nearly three years on, each side has well over 50,000 troops forward deployed along the LAC, as well as artillery, tanks and fighter jets. Both sides have also embarked on massive military infrastructure building campaigns, erecting new fortifications, and airstrips and road and rail links to move troops and supplies swiftly.

Washington, in marked contrast with the attitude it took in 2017 when Indian and Chinese troops faced off for 10 weeks over the Doklam Plateau, a Himalayan ridge claimed by both China and Bhutan, has abandoned any pretense of neutrality. It has labelled Beijing the aggressor and in international forums and statements repeatedly sought to tie the Indo-China border dispute with the South China Sea, where Washington has incited various states to aggressively pursue their respective territorial claims against Beijing as examples of Chinese aggression.

The US Senate Foreign Relations Committee is currently considering a bipartisan motion that affirms Americas support for Indias claim that the McMahon Line, the border the British Empire imposed on Tibet without any consultation with China in 1914, constitutes the rightful border between India and China. In addition, it calls for closer cooperation between India and the US, including through enhanced defense interoperability and information-sharing, the United States-India Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology and the Quadthe quasi-strategic alliance between Washington, its closest Asia Pacific allies, Japan and Australia, and New Delhi.

The Dec. 9 clash took place just days after Indian and US troops had concluded a provocative two-week-long military exercise, Yudh Abhyas, in high altitude warfare in the Himalayas, just 100 km from the disputed Indo-China border.

The US New and World Reports claim the Dec. 2022 border encounter was the first time that US-supplied real-time geospatial military intelligence had a material impact on an India-China border clash may well be true. However, Indian reports at the time suggested US-supplied intelligence played a role in the success of an August 2020 Galwan Valley operation in which thousands of Indian troops seized a series of hilltops uncontested. Indian officials subsequently admitted that the operation was high-risk and could easily have led to armed clashes between Indian and Chinese forces, if not the eruption of a full-scale border war. That is, it was undertaken with the knowledge it could trigger a war which, whatever the initial intentions of the belligerents, risked spinning into a broader conflict, involving other regional powers, like Pakistan and the US and its allies.

By stoking tensions between New Delhi and Beijing, Washington is seeking to harness India still more tightly to its drive to destabilize, encircle, and prepare for war against China. It views India as a means to threaten China along its southern and western borders, but also as central to its plans to economically strangle China in the event of a crisis by denying it access to the Indian Ocean.

Washingtons war preparations are already far advanced, with Taiwan, which the US is now rapidly arming and seeking to transform into a giant weapons depot, only the most prominent in a long series of potential flashpoints. US military and political leaders openly speak about the inevitability of a military showdown, with some saying it could break out by 2025.

The Indian bourgeoisie, for its part, is doubling down on its anti-China strategic partnership with US imperialism, even as Washingtons instigation and escalation of the war with Russia over Ukraine demonstrates that it is ready to risk nuclear conflict to advance its predatory global ambitions.

With the support of the entire political establishment, Indias Narendra Modi-led far-right BJP government has used the flaring up of border tensions with China in 2020 to massively expand Indias bilateral, trilateral, and quadrilateral military-strategic ties with the US, Japan and Australia. This includes the signing of reciprocal logistical supply agreements with Tokyo and Canberra and the expansion of Indias annual Malabar naval exercise to include the navies of all four Quad partners. It has also intensified its collaboration with the US to counter Chinese influence across South Asia, from tiny Maldives to Nepal and Bangladesh.

With an economy one-fifth the size of Chinas, the Indian ruling class is also desperately hoping to profit from the plans of the US, Japan and other western imperialist powers to weaken China by pressing their domestically based transnational corporations to relocate production facilities and develop India as an alternative cheap-labour production chain hub.

US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, accompanied by a high-powered delegation of global CEOs, visited India from March 7 to 10 to discuss supply chain resiliency and diversification, and press India to remove remaining barriers to foreign investment and profit repatriation in key economic sectors.

Earlier, in January, Indian National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and his American counterpart, Jake Sullivan, held the first high-level dialogue on the Initiative for Critical and Emerging Technologies (ICET) that Biden and Modi announced when they met in Tokyo in May 2022 on the sidelines of the first-ever face-to-face summit of Quad government leaders. The ICET aims to promote Indo-US cooperation in the development of new technologies deemed crucial in securing US military and economic supremacy and global hegemony, including artificial intelligence, quantum computing, 6G, biotechnology, space and semiconductors.

Underscoring the breadth of Washingtons ambitions, the US Ambassador to NATO, Julianne Smith, told an April 1 news conference that Washington would welcome Indias entry to NATO. [T]he message that has already been sent back to India, said Smith, is that NATO alliance is certainly open to more engagement with India, should that country take interest in pursuing that.

Indias participation in NATO is not currently in the cards. New Delhi has resisted pressure from Washington that it line up full-square behind the NATO war on Russia, with which it has longstanding close ties dating back to the Cold War, for both political and strategic reasons, including continuing dependence on Moscow for arms supplies and support for its nuclear industry.

But the Indian ruling class, through the global strategic alliance it struck with Washington under George W. Bush and has since massively expanded on the full understanding that it was transforming India into a frontline state in Washingtons war preparations against China, has provided American imperialism with pivotal support, thereby emboldening it in its reckless aggression around the world, including against Russia. At the same time, New Delhi has used US strategic favours and support to pursue its own predatory great-power ambitions, including in its reactionary strategic conflicts with Pakistan and China, which could themselves spiral into nuclear conflict.

The mobilization of the Indian working class against the Indo-US alliance is a pivotal element in the building of a global working class anti-war movement to disarm the worlds rival bourgeoisieswho have plunged the world into an ever widening and explosive maelstrom of war and aggressionthrough socialist revolution.
The World Socialist Web Site calls for the immediate release of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, arrested March 29 in Russia and charged with espionage. Gershkovich was arrested last week in the city of Yekaterinburg (formerly Sverdlovsk) in the Ural Mountains, which is a center of the Russian arms industry. He has previously reported on the impact of the war in Ukraine on the families of Russian soldiers, and on the economic dislocation caused by the US-led campaign of sanctions.

The 31-year-old reporter was born in the United States to a Soviet Jewish family who emigrated in the 1970s and settled in New Jersey. He has worked in Moscow as a reporter for the past six years, first for the Moscow Times, then Agence France-Presse, and, since January 2022, for the Journal.

The Biden administration and NATO have responded with alacrity to the arrest of the reporter. President Biden, on his way to Mississippi to survey tornado damage, took the time to tell reporters outside the White House that his message to Moscow was Let him go. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Sunday about the detention. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the arrest would be on the agenda of a NATO foreign ministers meeting Tuesday.

On Sunday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Gershkovich was caught red-handed while trying to obtain secret information, collecting data constituting a state secret under the guise of a journalistic status.

The WSWS is not in a position to judge the allegations against Gershkovich. Given the nature of the American media, there is a murky line between journalism and the state. At the same time, the Putin government, which represents a faction of the Russian oligarchy, may be seeking to suppress the publication of information that it does not want released.

In any case, as a matter of principle, the arrest of Gershovich must be opposed. The arrest of journalists anywhere legitimizes the arrest of journalists everywhere.

That being said, it is necessary to call attention to the staggering hypocrisy of the Biden administration and the NATO powers. To call the protests of the White House a case of the pot calling the kettle black would be an understatement.

Beginning with the Obama-Biden administration, more whistleblowers have faced charges under the Espionage Act in the past decade than in all previous US history.

The most well-known case, which has drawn worldwide condemnation, is the prosecution of Julian Assange, the founding editor of WikiLeaks.

Assange has been held in Britains high-security Belmarsh prison for the past four years, since British police raided the Ecuadorian embassy in London on April 11, 2019. He had been claiming refuge thereeffectively imprisoned by a British police cordonsince 2012. Since his arrest, Assange has been fighting extradition to the United States, where he faces espionage charges that could result in 175 years in a supermax prison for terrorists and serial killers.

President Biden, whose administration now condemns the jailing of Evan Gershkovich, denounced Julian Assange as a high-tech terrorist because WikiLeaks made public military files documenting US atrocities in Afghanistan and Iraq, leaked to it by the courageous whistleblower Chelsea Manningwho herself spent seven years in prison, much of that in solitary confinement.

Indeed, one of the most significant exposures of Manning and Assange was the Collateral Murder video documenting the US massacre of a dozen civilians in Iraq, including two Reuters news staff.

Manning also supplied WikiLeaks with State Department files documenting US diplomatic conspiracies to subvert and overthrow governments, as well as records exposing the torture of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay.

Another WikiLeaks exposure was dubbed Vault 7, a massive trove of CIA hacking and espionage tools. This release led Mike Pompeo, then Trumps CIA director, to brand WikiLeaks a hostile, non-state intelligence service, effectively declaring open season on the web publication. Since then, the CIA has organized illegal surveillance of Assange and his attorneys and discussed targeting him for kidnapping or assassination.

Another noteworthy contrast between Gershkovich and Assange is the issue of consular access. The US State Department has moved aggressively to demand the Russian authorities allow officers of the US embassy in Moscow to speak directly with the jailed reporter, so as better to uphold his rights. Julian Assange is an Australian citizen, but a succession of Australian governments, including the current Labor government of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, have done as little as possible to gain access to Assange, and nothing at all to insist on his release and repatriation to Australia.

As for the corporate media, so pervasive is its hostility to Assange that it enforces a virtual blackout on the efforts to defend him. His father and brother, John Shipton and Gabriel Shipton, are currently visiting the United States, hosting public showings in US cities of the documentary film Ithaka, made with the cooperation of Assanges family and supporters. There has been near-zero coverage in the mainstream press, leaving the Shiptons to appear on the fascist Tucker Carlson show on Fox News, one of the few venues open to them.

The treatment of Assange is only the most egregious example that can be cited of the glaring hypocrisy of American imperialism with regard to press freedom. The Committee to Protect Journalists noted that in the United States at least 110 journalists were arrested or criminally charged in relation to their reporting, and around 300 journalists were assaulted in 2020, the majority by law enforcementprimarily in connection with the brutal suppression of the protests against police violence that year.

The American ruling class and media, moreover, is currently engaged in an escalating campaign targeting Chinese academics, with unfounded and blanket charges of espionage, as well as seeking to suppress the Chinese-made social media app TikTok.

The hypocrisy of the Biden administration in relation to the arrest of Gershkovich is part and parcel of the hypocrisy that has characterized the US-NATO war against Russia as a whole. The American ruling class, dripping with blood and repression, proclaims that it is defending freedom and democracy the world over, and thinks that no one will see through the lies.

The struggle against the persecution of Julian Assange and WikiLeaks, now in its 13th year, is the most important campaign to defend press freedom in the 21st century. This protracted experience has one great lesson: there is no constituency for the defense of democratic rights in any section of the capitalist ruling class or the corporate media which it controls. This fight must be carried out in, through and by the working class, on the basis of a socialist program in opposition to war and capitalist exploitation.
US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy announced Monday that he would meet with Taiwans President Tsai Ing-wen this week.

The event, which will take place in California on Wednesday, will be the highest-level meeting with a Taiwanese president ever to take place on US soil in recent decades, moving the United States closer to establishing formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan.

The meeting will be the latest move in the United States repudiation of the one-China policy, which has been in place since the summit between Richard Nixon and Mao Zedong in 1972.

A joint communique published by the two sides in 1972 declared that The United States acknowledges that all Chinese on either side of the Taiwan Strait maintain there is but one China and that Taiwan is a part of China. The United States Government does not challenge that position.

The Trump administration initiated a systematic effort to end the one-China policy and establish formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, all the while claiming that it was responding to Chinese aggression. This policy has been further intensified under the Biden administration.

On Friday, Mississippi Senator Roger Wicker reported that Representative Mike Gallagher also intends to meet with Tsai as part of a delegation of 10 members of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party.

Last month, Gallagher proclaimed in opening remarks to the committees first hearing that US strategic competition with China is an existential struggle over what life will look like in the 21st century.

Gallagher outlined a two-year blueprint for selective economic decoupling from China.

While it is in California, the House delegation will meet with military officers, including former US Defense Secretary James Mattis, and top executives at Disney, Apple, Alphabet, Palantir and Microsoft, according to Axios.

Axios cited a committee aide who said, This cant all be defensive We also need to be thinking about offensive and how do we out-compete.

The Taiwanese presidents visit to Los Angeles will take place on her way back to Taiwan following a three-day visit to Belize. During her first stopover in the US on the way to Latin America, she reportedly met with Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries in New York.

On Monday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry declared that China is opposed to any form of official interaction and contact between the US side and Taiwan authorities.

Last August, then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan, prompting a series of Chinese live-fire military exercises around the island as the US sent its warships into nearby waters.

At the end of 2022, China abandoned its Zero-COVID policy at the behest of major transnational corporations, which saw it as an impediment to profit-making. The move created a medical catastrophe, leading to the deaths of 1.3 million people, according to estimates from the health analytics company Airfinity.

On February 4, the US Air Force attacked and destroyed an unmanned and non-maneuverable Chinese balloon that had blown over the United States, marking the first time any aircraft has been acknowledged to have been shot down in US airspace.

On February 23, the Wall Street Journal reported that the United States plans to quadruple the number of US troops stationed on Taiwan, from 30 to between 100 and 200. The Journal noted, Beyond training on Taiwan, the Michigan National Guard is also training a contingent of the Taiwanese military, including during annual exercises with multiple countries at Camp Grayling in northern Michigan, according to people familiar with the training.

This was followed a week later by Gallaghers declaration of an existential struggle with China, against the backdrop of a systematic campaign by the media and intelligence agencies to promote the discredited Wuhan lab lie. On February 28, FBI Director Christopher Wray falsely declared the origins of the [COVID-19] pandemic are most likely a potential lab incident in Wuhan.

On March 11, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines confirmed that US President Joe Biden was stating the official position of the US government last year when he pledged to send US troops to war against China if it invaded Taiwaneffectively marking the end of the policy of strategic ambiguity.

On March 24, the US House of Representatives passed the Taiwan Assurance Implementation Act, which formally tasks the State Department to identify opportunities to lift any remaining self-imposed limitations on US-Taiwan engagement and articulate a plan to do so, setting into motion the formal ending of the one-China policy.

These moves to fundamentally alter the US-China relationship have been accompanied by unhinged and racist rants on the part of members of Congress. On March 24, Cathy McMorris, chair of the US House Energy and Commerce Committee, declared that the Chinese Communist Party is seeking to spy on you, manipulate what you see, and exploit your future generation through TikTok.

In an interview with Fox News Maria Bartiromo, Texas Lt. Governor Dan Patrick declared, I dont think good people escape the CCP in China These people are mostly educated young adults, that China is sending here to eventually go in our colleges, work at our business, steal secrets, send them back to China.

The systematic moves to alter decades of diplomatic precedent in US-China relations are not an accident. They are part of a campaign to provoke a military conflict with China in what the Biden administrations national security strategy calls the decisive decade for the US to win the competition for the 21st century.

In congressional testimony last week, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley declared that historians would look back at this century and ask, What was the relationship between the United States and China? Did it end up in a war or not?

Miley explained that unless the United States takes action against China, it will economically eclipse the United States. As he put it, What we see in China the greatest growth and wealth of any country... This is an enormous growth in wealth and an enormous shift in power globally It is incumbent upon us to make sure that we remain number one at all times.
Maymester, Summer I, Summer II

Semesters 2023





Welcome to the Maymester, Summer I, and Summer II Semester page! Here you will find instructions to apply and register for classes as well as links to course offerings and costs.

The Maymester, Summer I, and Summer II Semester will last four 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.

MAYMESTER



New Admissions Deadline: April 27, 2023

Registration for Classes Deadline: May 4, 2023

Classes Start: May 15, 2023

Classes End: June 5, 2023



SUMMER I



New Admissions Deadline: May 25, 2023

Registration for Classes Deadline: June 1, 2023

Classes Start: June 8, 2023

Classes End: July 10, 2023



SUMMER II



New Admissions Deadline: June 29, 2023

Registration for Classes Deadline: July 6, 2023

Classes Start: July 13, 2023

Classes End: August 14, 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 within the last two years, can register for classes through their MyWTC account. If it has been more than two years, the student will need to reapply to WTC.

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
Congruity HR

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. and TAMPA, Fla., April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CongruityHR (Congruity), a North Carolina-based, leading outsourced HR solutions provider, announced today its acquisition of JanusHR, a Tampa-based provider of comprehensive, personalized HR services for small to medium-sized businesses across Florida.



JanusHR (Janus) was founded and led by Daneen Gurney, who previously had a 20+ year career with Oasis Outsourcing, where she started as one of the first sales representatives and quickly rose to District Manager, Regional Vice President, and then VP of Strategic Partnerships. Gurney managed eight (8) markets, opened over ten (10) offices, and helped manage several acquisitions for Oasis. Under Gurneys leadership, JanusHR achieved significant market share in the Tampa Bay region.

We are thrilled to join forces with Congruity, and take advantage of their existing brand, channel, and presence in the Southeast, said Gurney.

We are excited to welcome Daneen and the Janus team to the Congruity family. They bring a high level of industry expertise to our organization, said Darrin Hunter, Congruity CEO. The addition of JanusHR brings great value to Congruitys portfolio and expands on our commitment to legacy brands, relationships and people.

Janus has seen tremendous organic growth over the years, and we are thrilled about adding them to our team, said Matt Lewis, President of Congruity.

G2 Capital Advisors served as exclusive buy-side advisor to Congruity in the successful transaction. Congruity has been a portfolio company of RFE Investment Partners since 2021.

About CongruityHR

CongruityHR is a Human Resource outsourcing company providing HR, compliance, payroll, tax administration, employee benefits, and workers compensation and safety services to small and medium-sized businesses predominately in the southeastern U.S. via a professional employer organization (PEO) and administrative services organization (ASO) model. Visit www.congruityhr.com.

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About JanusHR

A Tampa-based PEO, JanusHR provides comprehensive, personalized HR services for small to medium-sized businesses across Florida. For more information, visit www.wesolvehr.com.

About RFE Investment Partners

RFE Investment Partners is a private equity firm focused on making control investments in established small market companies located in the U.S. RFE is a long-standing firm founded in 1980 with over 40 years of experience investing in the lower middle market. RFE's investment strategy is to transform its portfolio companies from the lower end of the market to fully professionalized and market-leading middle-market companies. RFE is currently investing out of Fund IX. For more information, visit www.rfeip.com.

About G2 Capital Advisors

G2 Capital Advisors provides M&A, capital markets, and restructuring advisory services to the middle market. G2 offers integrated, multi-product, and sector-focused services by pairing highly experienced C-level executives with specialist investment bankers. G2 aspires to be the trusted advisor of choice to our clients including corporations and institutional investors. For more information, visit https://g2capitaladvisors.com.

Contact : John Mooney, (908) 720-6057, john@overthemoonpr.com




Company Logo

Dublin, April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Conversational AI in Healthcare" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.





The impact of the digital revolution continues to disrupt the healthcare industry. This includes evolving digital technological capabilities, new business models and marketing approaches, the healthcare consumerism trend, the changing regulatory environment, and competitive threats from new market entrants, such as digital-native companies - particularly start-ups and big tech. Conversational artificial intelligence (AI), which consists of voice and text applications that automate human information gathering and communications, represents a growing opportunity for healthcare organizations to improve clinician efficiency, operational and administrative efficiency, healthcare quality and outcomes, and patient and clinical worker satisfaction.

Conversational AI is part of the digital front door in healthcare, which is the virtual manifestation of a healthcare organization.

This study will explore both payer and provider healthcare organizations adopting conversational AI chatbots and voice applications. Focus areas of analysis include segmenting and sizing the conversational AI in the healthcare market, forecasting revenue by type of conversational AI and global region, and identifying the main companies that provide solutions to healthcare organizations. The study concludes with a discussion of three top growth opportunities. The study period is 2021 to 2027.

Key Topics Covered:

1. Strategic Imperatives

Why is it Increasingly Difficult to Grow?

The Strategic Imperative 8T

The Impact of the Top 3 Strategic Imperatives on the Conversational AI in the Healthcare Industry

Growth Opportunities Fuel the Growth Pipeline EngineT

2. Growth Opportunity Analysis

Scope of Analysis

Segmentation

Chatbot Technology Adoption Forecast

Voice AI Technology Adoption Forecast

Digital Front Door supporting Technology Infrastructure across the Care Continuum

Noteworthy Opportunities

Key Competitors

Established Companies and Start-ups in the Healthcare Conversational AI Landscape

Growth Metrics

Growth Drivers

Growth Drivers Analysis

Growth Restraints

Growth Restraint Analysis

Forecast Assumptions

Revenue Forecast

Revenue Forecast for Conversational AI in Healthcare

Revenue Forecast by Region

Revenue Forecast Analysis

Pricing Trends and Forecast Analysis

Competitive Environment

Revenue Share

Revenue Share Analysis

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3. Growth Opportunity Analysis-AI Chatbots in Healthcare

Growth Metrics

Revenue Forecast

Revenue Forecast by Region

Revenue Forecast Analysis

4. Growth Opportunity Analysis-Voice AI in Healthcare

Growth Metrics

Revenue Forecast

Revenue Forecast by Region

Voice AI Forecast Analysis

5. Growth Opportunity Universe

Growth Opportunity 1-Chatbots

Growth Opportunity 2-Ambient Voice with AI Transcription

Growth Opportunity 2-Ambient Voice with AI Transcription

Growth Opportunity 3-Voice with Human Transcription

6. Next Steps

Your Next Steps

List of Exhibits

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/82jrrl

About ResearchAndMarkets.com

ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.

CONTACT: CONTACT: ResearchAndMarkets.com Laura Wood,Senior Press Manager press@researchandmarkets.com For E.S.T Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470 For U.S./ CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900




New York, NY --News Direct-- Rolnick Kramer Sadighi LLP (RKS)

Rolnick Kramer Sadighi LLP (RKS) today secured a major victory in New Jersey Superior Court in its lawsuit challenging the corporate spin-off of Bausch + Lomb Corporation (Bausch + Lomb) from Bausch Health Companies Inc., formerly known as Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, Inc. (Bausch Health).

In March 2022, a group of investors including GMO Trust, Brahman Capital, SunAmerica Asset Management, MSD Partners, and Discovery Capital Management, filed suit to have the spin-off of Bausch + Lomb from Bausch Health declared a fraudulent conveyance.

The Honorable Margaret Goodzeit, P.J.Ch., largely denied Bausch Healths motion to dismiss the lawsuit and ruled that RKSs clients  aggrieved investors pursuing more than $3 billion in federal court against Bausch Health for securities fraud  had stated a valid legal claim that the spin-off constitutes a fraudulent transfer under New Jersey law. In addition to finding that the plaintiffs had adequately alleged that the May 2022 spin-off of Bausch + Lomb constituted an actual fraudulent conveyance reflecting several badges of fraud, the Court also upheld the plaintiffs right to enjoin Bausch Healths proposed dividend of the Bausch + Lomb shares. Page 34 of the Courts decision states: A final judgment enjoining the Dividend Distribution could be appropriate because it would preserve the status quo between the parties until the District Court provides a final determination on the merits as to the plaintiffs securities fraud actions.

This ruling demonstrates that Courts are willing to protect tort victims against corporate transactions in which assets are transferred to create one strong company and one weak company, said Lawrence M. Rolnick, Partner at RKS who represents the plaintiffs. I am pleased that the Court upheld our clients right to challenge the transfer of assets to Bausch + Lomb as a fraudulent conveyance and further recognized our right to enjoin the dividend distribution...

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The Court also granted plaintiffs the right to replead certain additional legal theories against the dividend that the Court dismissed as premature because the Court found that defendants currently are under no obligation to proceed with it.

Following Judge Goodzeits decision, RKS will pursue the investors suit and ensure that Bausch Health cannot improperly thwart its judgment creditors. The case is captioned, GMO Trust, et al. v. Bausch Health Companies Inc., No. SOM-C-12010-22, and will go forward in the Superior Court of New Jersey, Chancery Division, Somerset County.

A copy of the Courts decision can be provided upon request to the undersigned media contact.

About RKS:

Rolnick Kramer Sadighi, LLP (RKS) provides strategic litigation solutions for the investment management community. Launched in 2020, RKS is a premier securities litigation boutique dedicated to serving the investment management industry, including hedge funds, mutual funds, private equity, credit, real estate, and structured finance firms. For more information, visit RKS online: https://www.rksllp.com/.

Contact Details

Kivvit

Arielle Goren

+1 212-717-5863

agoren@kivvit.com

Company Website

https://www.rksllp.com/

View source version on newsdirect.com: https://newsdirect.com/news/court-upholds-fraudulent-conveyance-claims-against-bausch-health-including-right-to-enjoin-dividend-of-bausch-lomb-shares-753610217
Company expands continuously monitored risk pool to 35 million SMEs across the U.S. and the UK

PLEASANTON, Calif. and LONDON, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Cowbell , the leading provider of cyber insurance for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), has launched its UK operations and appointed cyber insurance expert, Simon Hughes, as General Manager for Cowbell UK. Hughes joins Cowbell with a unique blend of experience across the U.S. and the UK, most recently serving as the Cyber Team Lead at CFC Underwriting.

Simon Hughes

"The cyber insurance industry needs to evolve at the same pace as the cyber threat landscape," said Hughes. "I am delighted to join one of the most innovative companies in the market at a time when businesses in the UK and around the world are prioritizing cyber resilience."

Hughes is a seasoned underwriter with over 13 years of experience in the insurance industry. He is a proven leader with a deep understanding of cyber risk and insurance and has been instrumental in driving success in his previous roles. Hughes began his career at Lloyd's of London and has since gained valuable experience with the multi-national reinsurer SOVAG and CFC Underwriting, a UK-based specialty insurer. At CFC, Hughes was a senior member of the cyber team for six years, serving as a cyber underwriter and leader focusing on SMEs. Simon led the UK and EU cyber underwriting teams to achieve market-leading and profitable growth in a rapidly growing market.

Cowbell has grown its risk pool internationally to 35 million SMEs, which allows the company to pre-assess risk and deliver coverage at speed while maintaining the most accurate underwriting process. Cowbell's risk pool also contributes to maintaining proactive visibility into the macro-level cyber threat landscape in the SME market.

"We are relentless in our mission to close the insurability gap and make cyber insurance accessible to all businesses regardless of geographical boundaries," said Matthew Jones, Chief Strategy Officer at Cowbell. "Simon brings the expertise to roll out to the UK the adaptive cyber insurance products that we have successfully validated in the U.S., underpinned by our continuous risk assessment approach."

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To further extend the company's global focus on innovation for cyber insurance, Cowbell recently opened a new technology center in Pune, India. This follows a string of initiatives Cowbell has launched over the past year, including Cowbell 365 , which offers policyholders comprehensive support for risk improvement and incident response, and the introduction of Cowbell's Adaptive Cyber Insurance offering: policies that continuously evolve to remain aligned with the policyholder's cyber exposures, avoid coverage gaps and bring full transparency into renewal terms throughout the policy period. Cowbell continues to attract expert talent in cyber insurance to drive innovation and pave the way for modern cyber insurance that boosts adoption and matches the risk covered.

To learn more about Cowbell, please visit cowbellcyber.co.uk or contact us .

About Cowbell

Cowbell is a pioneer of Adaptive Cyber Insurance, a leader in providing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) coverage adaptable to today's and tomorrow's threats and the advanced warning of cyber risk exposures. In its unique AI-based approach to risk selection and pricing, Cowbell's continuous underwriting platform, powered by Cowbell Factors, compresses the insurance process from submission to issue in less than 5 minutes. Cowbell is backed by 20 prominent leading global (re)insurance partners and serves SMEs in 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. Founded in 2019, Cowbell is based in the San Francisco Bay Area with employees across the U.S., Canada, India, and the UK. For more information, please visit https://cowbell.insure/ .

Media Contact

John Kreuzer

Lumina Communications for Cowbell

Cowbell@LuminaPR.com

408-963-6418

Sarah Hills

Rein4ce

sarah.hills@rein4ce.co.uk

+44 (0)771 8882011

Cision

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cowbell-appoints-cyber-insurance-expert-simon-hughes-to-spearhead-uk-operations-301789102.html

SOURCE Cowbell Cyber
MAXIMIZE MARKET RESEARCH PRIVATE LIMITED

Craft Tea Market share to increase by the growing awareness of health benefits and less caffeine in craft tea. Craft Tea Market analysis was conducted by segmenting the market into Product Type, End-User and Distribution Channel.

Pune, April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A global Food and Beverages business-consulting firm, Maximize Market research, has published a business intelligence report on the  Craft Tea Market . The report uses a combination of qualitative and quantitative analysis to arrive to accurate inferences and provide a local as well as a global overview. Over the forecast period, Maximize Market research expects, the market to grow from USD 330.21 Mn in 2021 to USD 458.51 Mn in 2029 at a CAGR of 4.2 percent.



Craft Tea Market Report Scope and Research Methodology

Market Size in 2021 USD 330.21 Mn. Market Size in 2029 USD 458.51 Mn. CAGR 4.2 percent (2022-2029) Forecast Period 2022-2029 Base Year 2021 Number of Pages 278 No. of Tables 116 No. of Charts and Figures 114 Segment Covered Product Type, End-User and Distribution Channels Regional Scope North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa, South America Report Coverage Market Share, Size & Forecast by Revenue | 20222029, Market Dynamics, Growth Drivers, Restraints, Investment Opportunities, and Key Trends, Competitive Landscape, Key Players Benchmarking, Competitive Analysis, MMR Competition Matrix, Competitive Leadership Mapping, Global Key Players Market Ranking Analysis.

Request For Free Sample Report : https://www.maximizemarketresearch.com/request-sample/164907

The report mainly focuses on the factors including drivers, opportunities, restraints and challenges in the craft tea market. The analysis has been provided region-wise and segment-wise in the report, making it an investors guide. The list of global and regional players in the craft tea industry has been included in the report with their revenue and information on market share. It also provides strategic profiling of top craft tea companies in the market, a detailed analysis of their core competencies and their strategies such as new product launches, agreements, partnerships, joint ventures and acquisitions that apply to the craft tea businesses.

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To estimate the global and regional craft tea market size, the bottom-up approach was used. The key players in the craft tea industry were identified through secondary research. Secondary research included a review of annual and financial reports of leading craft tea manufacturers, while primary research included interviews with opinion leaders and industry experts such as skilled front-line personnel, entrepreneurs, and marketing professionals. SWOT analysis was conducted to provide the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the craft tea market. PORTER, PESTEL analysis was employed to understand the potential impact of micro-economic and macro-economic factors on the craft tea market.

Craft Tea Market Overview

Craft Tea is made up of different leaves with adding extra roasting steps using a rare cultivar or aging the leaves. Hand-blended unique leaf tea blends are also called Craft Tea. Craft Tea is considered to be natural and environment -friendly made up from renewable sources. The Craft Tea market is growing due to the rising awareness of health benefits associated with it.

Get a Sample Copy of the Report : https://www.maximizemarketresearch.com/request-sample/164907

Craft Tea Market Dynamics

Consumers awareness about health issues, an increase in the cases of chronic illnesses and changing lifestyles of people are factors contributing to the Craft Tea Market growth. Research and development activities related to health benefits associated with the consumption of Craft Tea are expected to boost the Craft Tea Market growth during the forecast period. Craft tea is rich in nutrients, and helps to produce hormones to relax and relieve stress. Craft tea contains anti-inflammatory and antioxidant compounds that help to enhance the immune system and the fifth against cold is influencing the Craft Tea Market growth.

Shortage of raw materials, import & export restrictions by the government and disruption of supply chains as most of the manufacturing facilities are closed are expected to hamper the Craft Tea Market growth. The higher production cost of craft tea is expected to be a restraining factor for the Craft Tea market growth over the forecast period.

Craft Tea Market Regional Insights

During the forecast period, the North American region is expected to dominate the global craft tea market. This growth of the North American Craft Tea Market is due to the increasing number of tea manufacturers and demand for craft tea in the region.

Get Customization on this Report for Specific Research Solutions: https://www.maximizemarketresearch.com/request-customization/164907

The craft tea market Asia Pacific region is expected to grow at a significant growth rate during the forecast period. This growth of the Asia-Pacific Craft Tea Market is due to the rising awareness of the risks of carbonated beverages.

Craft Tea Market Segmentation

By Product Type

Blooming craft Tea

Active Craft Tea

Floating Floss Craft Tea





Based on Product Type, the active craft tea segment is expected to grow at a rapid CAGR during the forecast period. The blooming craft tea segment held a significant craft tea market share in 2021 and is expected to retain its dominance till the end of the forecast period.

By End-User

Commercial

Individual

Based on End-User, the individual segment held the largest share of the craft tea market and is expected to maintain its dominance during the forecast period.

By Distribution Channels

Online

Offline

Based on Distributional Channel, the offline segment held the largest craft tea market share in 2021 due to the availability of variety of tea in the retail and departmental stores.

Craft Tea Market Key Competitors include:

LUPICIA CO., LTD

COFCO, Teasenz

California tea house

Panella Foods and Beverages Private Limited

Bettys & Taylors Group Ltd

FMS Consumer Products Pvt Ltd

Bharat Group

Stash Tea

NORD-T

AHCOF INTERNATIONAL

Blue Lake Group

Lupicia

Fu Ming Fang

Chayuanchuanshi Tea

China Tea

Fuan Gongfu Tea

Get the Sample PDF of Report: https://www.maximizemarketresearch.com/request-sample/164907

Key Offerings:

Past Market Size and Competitive Landscape (2018 to 2021)

Past Pricing and price curve by region (2018 to 2021)

Market Size, Share, Size & Forecast by different segment | 20222029

Market Dynamics  Growth Drivers, Restraints, Opportunities, and Key Trends by region

Market Segmentation  A detailed analysis by Product Type, End-User, Distribution Channels and Region

Competitive Landscape  Profiles of selected key players by region from a strategic perspective Competitive landscape  Market Leaders, Market Followers, Regional player Competitive benchmarking of key players by region

PESTLE Analysis

PORTERs analysis

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Key questions answered in the Craft Tea Market are:

What is Craft Tea?

What was the Craft Tea Market size in 2021?

What are the global trends in the Craft Tea Market?

What are the upcoming industry applications and trends for the Craft Tea Market?

What are the factors contributing to the final price of Craft Tea?

What are the recent industry trends that can be implemented to generate additional revenue streams for Craft Tea Market?

Who held the largest market share in Craft Tea Market?

What growth strategies are the players considering to increase their presence in Craft Tea?

Who are the leading companies and what are their portfolios in Craft Tea Market?

What are the major challenges that the Craft Tea Market could face in the future?

Maximize Market Research is leading Food & Beverages research firm, has also published the following reports:

Tea Polyphenols Market - The market size is expected to reach USD 488.63 million by 2029 at a CAGR of 7.9 percent during the forecast period. The market is expected to be driven by increasing health awareness among consumers and technological development in the food industry.

Fruit Tea Market - The market size is expected to reach USD 6 billion by 2029 at a CAGR of 9.6 percent during the forecast period. The market is expected to be driven by the increasing popularity of the beverage among the health-conscious portion of the population.

Bubble Tea Market - The market size is expected to reach USD 5.36 billion by 2029 at a CAGR of 8.9 percent during the forecast period. The market is expected to be driven by the increasing consumption of tea across the world and consumer preference for this kind of beverage instead of carbonated drinks.

Coffee Market - The market size is expected to reach USD 186.41 billion by 2029 at a CAGR of 6.2 percent during the forecast period. The market is expected to be driven by the growth of local and global franchise shops with the increasing demand for a variety of coffee as customers are willing to pay for high-quality coffee, which has become the medium for socializing.

Tea Market - The market size is expected to reach USD 104.91 billion by 2029 at a CAGR of 6.6 percent during the forecast period. The market is expected to be driven by the rising health consciousness and disposable income with the increasing popularity of organic tea.

About Maximize Market Research:

Maximize Market Research is a multifaceted market research and consulting company with professionals from several industries. Some of the industries we cover include medical devices, pharmaceutical manufacturers, science and engineering, electronic components, industrial equipment, technology and communication, cars and automobiles, chemical products and substances, general merchandise, beverages, personal care, and automated systems. To mention a few, we provide market-verified industry estimations, technical trend analysis, crucial market research, strategic advice, competition analysis, production and demand analysis, and client impact studies.

CONTACT: Contact Maximize Market Research: 3rd Floor, Navale IT Park, Phase 2 Pune Banglore Highway, Narhe, Pune, Maharashtra 411041, India sales@maximizemarketresearch.com +91 96071 95908, +91 9607365656




Crozier Named One of Canada's Top Small & Medium Employers for 2023 by Mediacorp

Photo Credit: Crozier

Collingwood, ON, April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- C.F. Crozier & Associates Inc. (Crozier), a leading consulting engineering firm in the land development and building industry, has been named one of Canadas Top Small & Medium Employers for 2023 by Mediacorp, recognizing the firms innovative employee programs and commitment championing both personal and professional development to recruit and retain top talent.

We are incredibly honoured to be recognized as one of Canadas Top Small & Medium Employers, and as an employee-owned company, we are thankful to our dedicated teams across all offices for making Crozier a great place to work, said Nick Mocan, President, Crozier. "By listening to our employees, weve built a thriving workplace culture from the ground up and have pioneered initiatives like the First-Time Home Buyers Assistance Program designed to support the evolving needs of our employees and help remove the barriers to home ownership. As we continue to strategically grow our headcount and footprint, nurturing our employee experience will be key to our ongoing success."

Canada's Top Small & Medium Employers is an editorial competition that recognizes small and medium enterprises that offer the nation's best workplaces and forward-thinking human resources policies. Canada's small and medium-sized enterprise sector continues to be a driver of innovation and is responsible for nearly 90% of the countrys private-sector employment, playing a vital role in the country's economy.

Crozier strives to foster a work environment where our people can thrive through the various stages of their careers, said Janet Hughes, Director, Human Resources, Crozier. We aim to develop customized employee programs that focus on employee wellness. Being recognized as one of Canadas Top Small & Medium Employers is such an honour and motivates us to continue our efforts in creating an inspiring workplace.

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This recognition comes on the heels of recent announcements by Crozier including plans to build a new mass timber head office in Collingwood featuring a sustainable design and collaborative work environment, and the opening of the firms fifth location in Guelph.

Crozier is pleased to provide standout benefits and growth opportunities for its employees including:

A First-Time Home Buyers Assistance Program which provides a contribution of up to $20,000 per employee to help fund the down payment on the purchase of their first home.

A Maternity and Parental Leave Top Up Program that offers an 80% salary top-up for the first 26 weeks for parents to help employees while growing their families.

An employee shareholder program which welcomed a record number of employee shareholders last year. Over 90% of all current employee shareholders hold positions outside the executive level, providing employees across the company with enhanced opportunities to participate in the firms growth and future.

A Lifelong Learning Assistance Program which provides financial support to employees pursuing training courses or continued education including advanced degree support of up to $5,000 per calendar year.

Flexible health and wellness benefit programs to support employees and their families.

For more information including career opportunities, visit cfcrozier.ca and follow on LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram: @CrozierEngineer.

About C.F. Crozier & Associates Inc.

Crozier is an employee-owned, leading consulting engineering firm in the land development and building industry. Founded in 2004, Croziers growing team of over 300 professionals deliver civil, water resources, transportation, structural, mechanical, and electrical engineering services, complemented by hydrogeology, environmental consulting, landscape architecture, and building science services. Headquartered in Collingwood, with offices in Milton, Toronto, Bradford, and Guelph, Crozier supports the private sector across Ontario by advancing residential, industrial, commercial, institutional, and First Nations projects. The company continues to diversify with complementary services and expand its office presence geographically. To learn more about the company, visit cfcrozier.ca.

About Mediacorp Canada Inc.

Founded in 1992, Mediacorp Canada Inc. is the nation's largest publisher of employment periodicals. Since 1999, the Toronto-based publisher has managed the Canada's Top 100 Employers project, which includes 18 regional and special-interest editorial competitions that reach millions of Canadians annually through a variety of magazine and newspaper partners. Mediacorp also operates Eluta.ca, one of Canada's largest job search engines, which reaches over two million job-seekers annually and features exclusive editorial reviews from the Canada's Top 100 Employers project.

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CONTACT: Christina Vanin The Edit PR christina@theeditcanada.com Menah Kerr C.F. Crozier & Associates Inc. mkerr@cfcrozier.ca




Trailblazing, Integrated Procedural Approach Provides Minimally Invasive Relief for Joint, Spine and Nerve Conditions and Injuries

ENGLEWOOD, Colo., April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- University of Colorado Medicine (CU Medicine), the region's largest and most comprehensive multispecialty physician group practice, announced the opening of the CU Medicine Regenerative Medicine, Hand and Spine Center, which is advancing the way healthcare is delivered through collaborative integration of multiple medical specialties and expertise at a single location. By providing an individualized medical approach designed to care for the whole person and understand each patient's overall health, the center's multidisciplinary team of board-certified providers brings their expertise across orthopedic and physical medicine and rehabilitation specialties to address joint and nerve pain and support joint preservation and restoration.

University of Colorado Medicine (PRNewsfoto/University of Colorado Medicine)

"We are bringing the latest innovations in medicine directly to patients at this state-of-the-art facility," said medical director Jason L. Dragoo, MD, a cartilage transplantation and regenerative medicine specialist. "Our highly experienced physicians are pioneering surgical approaches, such as performing arthroscopic surgery without general anesthesia using cameras the size of a blood draw needle. We offer the latest FDA-approved biologics designed to stimulate the body's natural ability to repair and heal itself, and our onsite lab enables us to create new, even more efficient biologics by analyzing gene products from our patients' healthy and diseased tissues. Our team's microsurgical and non-surgical approaches to care reduce recovery time and improve the patient's experience."

This unique center was created to provide patients with convenient, integrated access to the most current medical procedures that can relieve pain quickly and treat chronic and acute musculoskeletal conditions and injuries with minimal downtime. Located at the UCHealth Steadman Hawkins Clinic Denver, the CU Medicine Regenerative Medicine, Hand and Spine Center features two procedure areas, recovery spaces, and an onsite regenerative medicine laboratory. The expansive offerings at this center give patients the opportunity to be seen by a specialist for their ailment and, in many cases, receive a minimally invasive procedure the same day. Concierge medical services are available to help patients across the country and beyond with appointment scheduling, travel and hotel accommodations, and shuttle service to the center.

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About University of Colorado Medicine

University of Colorado Medicine (CU Medicine) is the region's largest and most comprehensive multispecialty physician group practice. The CU Medicine team delivers business operations, revenue cycle and administrative services to support the patients of over 3,500 University of Colorado School of Medicine physicians and advanced practice providers. These providers bring their unparalleled expertise at the forefront of medicine to deliver trusted, compassionate health care services at primary and specialty care clinics as well as facilities operated by affiliate hospitals of the University of Colorado. Visit https://www.cumedicine.us/ to learn more.

Cision

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cu-medicine-launches-innovative-clinic-and-procedure-center-in-denver-301780347.html

SOURCE University of Colorado Medicine
If youve been dreaming of owning a Spanish-style home without the hassle of actually uprooting to Spain, you might be in luck.

A massive Florida property that fits the bill is on the market for a cool $19 million, The Wall Street Journal reported recently, making it the most expensive house for sale in the area, according to the listing agent Kathryn Scheller. La Hacienda Del Cielo in Dade City, near Tampa, sits on a whopping 200 acres of land. As such, it comes equipped with a whole host of amenities that would give most resorts a run for their money.

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The great room

Thomas and Jane Johnson bought the property in 2002 and spent about three years making it into their dream home. Within the haciendas 10,000 square feet are five bedrooms, multiple game rooms, and a great room and dining room divided by a 22-foot, double-sided stone fireplace. On the third floor, a cupola features a seating area perfect for reading or having a drink, Thomas told the WSJ. And throughout, wood finishes and colorful Spanish tiling lend the home a warm, cozy feel.

Outside, a screened-in lanai offers almost as much space as the house itself: The 9,000 square feet encompass a lagoon-style pool with waterfalls, a hot tub, a pergola, tropical landscaping, a koi pond, and an outdoor shower. Nearby, enclosed terraces contain an outdoor kitchen and fireplace, while a one-acre pond can be used for swimming or fishing.

The pool area

Elsewhere on the property, youll find a two-story, cypress-sided barn that can be converted into a guesthouse or a home for horses. (Theres also a guest suite connected to the rest of the house by a covered walkway.) However, Thomas currently uses the barn to store his antique cars and memorabilia, so fellow auto lovers need not worry about garage space. Upstairs, theres office space with a bathroom and another game area.

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Dade City is mostly an agricultural area, meaning its nice and rural and quiet, Thomas told The Wall Street Journal. Certainly with this much land, you wont need to worry about any neighbors complaining about the noise.

Click here to see all the images of La Hacienda Del Cielo.

The front of the home

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Mar 1, 2023; Tampa, Florida, USA; New York Yankees center fielder Aaron Hicks (31) singles during the fourth inning against the Washington Nationals at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /  Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Aaron Boone's Yankees lineup for Monday's 7:05 p.m. start against the Philadelphia Phillies included a noticeable change as Aaron Hicks hit seventh and started in left field.

The move came after the 33-year-old veteran, who has been with the franchise since 2016 and is under contract through 2025 with a club option for 2026, got just one at-bat over New York's first three games.

Prior to the opener of a three-game series with the Phillies at Yankee Stadium, Boone admitted that Hicks was frustrated but has a new "reality."

"The role can evolve and change, and every opportunity and -- from my standpoint -- trying to put him in positions where I feel like he can impact us and be the most successful," Boone said. "So try and communicate ahead of time that he's in there or he's not, things like that, but I don't want to also tell him, 'You're in a reserve role here or you're the starter,' because that's not the reality.

"I mean, the reality is our roster continues to evolve and change a little bit and we'll eventually get Harrison (Bader) back and you lose a guy here and a role changes like that. So I try and communicate ahead of time as much as I can with what I'm thinking and that's the role right now is just be ready to go."

Hicks' lone plate appearance was a pinch-hit strikeout in Saturday's 7-5 loss to the San Francisco Giants.

"I mean, we've had our conversations," Boone said. "But, again ... the last few weeks of spring training, I feel like he was doing a lot of really good things on both sides of the ball. So bottom line is that -- continue to play like I know that he's capable of and you earn more and more opportunities. But there are competition for those things right now."

The Yankees' starting outfield for the first two games -- led by this past Thursday's 5-0 win -- was a left-center-right combination of Oswaldo Cabrera, Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton.

Sunday's 6-0 win saw former starting shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa get the nod in center field while Cabrera remained in left, Judge moved to right and Stanton was the designated hitter.

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Hicks slashed .293/.408/.390 with one home run and two RBI in 18 spring training games.

He did so after his tumultuous 2022 season, slashing .216/.330/.313 with eight home runs and 40 RBI in 130 regular season games.

Hicks entered Monday slashing .233/.340/.402 with 80 home runs and 273 RBI in 624 regular season games as a Yankee.
The second-annual FORMAT Festival will return to Bentonville, Arkansas on Sept. 22-24 with headliners Alanis Morissette, LCD Soundsystem and Leon Bridges. The event  whose name stands for music art and technology  will also feature sets from Modest Mouse, Jamie XX, Tash Sultana, Big Wild, Little Simz, Bob Moses, Poolside, Channel Tres, Paul Cauthen and more.

Situated on the private Sugar Creek Airstrip, the fest in the heart of the Ozarks will once again incorporate unique performances, installations and art experiences from artists including Guerrilla Girls, JRs Inside Out Project, Jeremy Deller, Ragnar Kjartansson, and Kameelah Janan Rasheed.

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Ticket presale will begin Thursday (April 6) at 11 a.m. ET; fans can sign up for a presale code to get first access to three-day and one-day tickets and find out more about the art installations here.

Among the other acts on this years lineup are: Digable Planets, Madeline Edwards, Kari Faux, Theon Cross, Green Velvet, The Pharcyde, Nikki Lane, Sudan Archives, Franc Moody, Serpentwithfeet, Digitalism, Clasixx, Pedrito Martinez and Francois K, among others.

FORMAT takes place on a 250-acre of green space just minutes from downtown Bentonville, with two conventional music stages, as well as a number of unusual settings for performances with names including The Cube, Drag Me to the Disco, Next Door/Nova Heat and Smokeys. There will also be underground discos and stages in the surrounding forest amid the art installations, as well as a Bizarre Bazaar with curated food, vendors, retail and experience booths, experimental light shows and therapeutic workshops according to a release.

Check out the full lineup below.

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Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University and the University of Arizona have limited access to TikTok on university-managed devices, school officials said.

The move follows a recent executive order from President Joe Biden that gave federal agencies and contractors 30 days to remove the app on government-issued devices. As federal contractors, ASU, NAU and UA are joining a host of schools across the country in banning the popular, video-focused social media app.

ASU's policy banning TikTok access took effect Monday, ASU spokesperson Veronica Sanchez said. ASU community members, including students, will still be able to access the app on personal devices, she said.

NAU is also removing the app from all university-owned devices, NAU spokesperson Kimberly Ott said.

The University of Arizona "is already in full compliance with the Biden Administration's guidance and is working to block TikTok from university-owned personal computing devices," said UA spokesperson Nick Prevenas.

ASU is also eliminating its official TikTok account, @arizonastateuniversity, which has roughly 5,500 followers, Sanchez said.

State and federal lawmakers have raised concerns in recent months that TikTok, which is owned by Chinese conglomerate ByteDance, could pose a security risk. They've argued that the company could be giving user data to the Chinese government and pushing pro-China narratives through the app, even as TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew sought to assure officials during a March 23 congressional hearing that the platform would not turn over user data if asked.

In a statement, TikTok spokesperson Jamal Brown said the app has acted to address national security concerns by "securing U.S. user data on U.S. soil" and implementing "third-party monitoring, vetting and verification."

Universities outside Arizona that have taken action against the app include Auburn University in Alabama, the University of Oklahoma, the University of Texas at Austin and Texas A&M University. All have banned the app from university-owned devices and Wi-Fi networks.

Sasha Hupka covers higher education for The Arizona Republic. Do you have a tip on Arizona's universities, community colleges or trade schools? Reach her at sasha.hupka@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on Twitter: @SashaHupka.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona public universities ban TikTok on school-managed devices
Barrington Public Library director Kris Chin poses in front of the newly rebranded library Saturday morning with a cardboard cutout of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.

In "breaking news" early Saturday morning, the Barrington Public Library was renamed for wrestling star-turned actor Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, the Coventry Police Department hired its first "compassion turkey" and a triceratops was born at the Providence zoo.

The Rock, or at least a cardboard cutout of the muscular movie mogul, greeted patrons and posed for photographs Saturday at the newly named Dwayne The Rock Johnson Memorial Library.

Meanwhile, the Coventry police warned that their new community liaison, "Butterball," isn't as friendly as the smiling star.

"She loves welcoming all to town and bringing smiles to peoples faces," the police said in a Facebook post. "Feel free to take her photo, but unlike compassion dogs she does not enjoy being pet."

(Remember the turkey that terrorized Johnston?)

A few miles away, the Roger Williams Park Zoo broke prehistoric news.

"Oh baby! After 68 million years, we're thrilled to announce the birth of a triceratops!" the zoo said on Facebook, with cute photos of the baby dinosaur. "Our vet care team has been working tirelessly to care for the young infant. She is being hand fed several times a day and will continue to stay warm in her incubator until she has grown strong enough to rejoin her family on the Wetlands Trail."

Of course, Saturday was April Fools' Day, and they were all joking, but the folks at the Barrington library went all out with a day full of real Rock-themed events.

Siobhan Egan, community engagement librarian and the main mind behind the madness, wanted to ensure that this year's prank offered a hands-on experience because of the way some people reacted to last year's joke.

Some patrons were miffed last year to learn they couldn't actually borrow kitties from the town's "Library of Cats" or at least let their children visit the library and play with the bookish felines.

That prank ("Do NOT leave cats in the book drop!") went viral on social media and set a high bar for this year's gag.

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For the "grand reopening," which included a new 9-foot sign, the library showed two Rock movies, "Tooth Fairy" on Saturday morning, then "Black Adam" on Saturday afternoon. They handed out commemorative rocks named Dwayne and also invited children to use "exclusive" Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson coloring sheets.

"I'm going all out this year," said Egan, who started planning this year's high jinks on April 2, 2022.

"I've always loved April Fools'," she said. "Now I have a larger platform."

This year's effort included a pun-filled press release about their "boulder-sized rebranding," Facebook and Instagram posts as well as a TikTok video.

The library chose Johnson because his "25-year career as a professional wrestler, Hollywood actor, and philanthropist has cemented him in the hearts of every American."

Besides, Egan said, The Rock seems like the kind of guy who would get a kick out of it.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: April Fools' 2023: Our favorite pranks from around Rhode Island
A Massachusetts man was indicted for murder and other charges on Thursday in relation to the disappearance of his wife, despite the fact that her body has yet to be found.

In addition to murder, a grand jury indicted Brian Walshe of Cohasset, 47, on charges for misleading a police investigation, obstructing justice and improper conveyance of a human body, according to the Norfolk County District Attorney's Office.

Walshe has maintained his innocence in the disappearance of 39-year-old Ana Walshe, who's been missing since New Year's Day, and entered a not guilty plea on Jan. 18. Now, the case will move to Norfolk Superior Court, Norfolk County District Attorney Michael Morissey said in a news release, where he'll be arraigned.

RELATED: Grisly Details In Ana Walshe Case Revealed As Husband Pleads Not Guilty To Her Murder

Walshe's defense attorney Tracey Miner told People that "an indictment contains only allegations" and that it is "not evidence."

"It will be up to the prosecution to prove those allegations beyond a reasonable doubt, which is significantly more difficult than obtaining an indictment in a grand jury proceeding where the defense does not have the right to participate or even be present," he said. "That is why defendants are presumed to be innocent under our constitution."

Brian Walshe faces a Quincy Court judge

Brian Walshe faces a Quincy Court judge charged with impeding the investigation into his wife Ana' disappearance from their home Monday, Jan. 9, 2023. Photo: AP

Prosecutors say Walshe carried out incriminating internet searches days before his wife failed to report to her job as a real estate executive in Washington D.C. on Jan. 4, People reported. Inquiries for "how long before a body starts to smell," "how to dispose of a 115-pound woman's body" and "how long before a body starts decomposing" were allegedly found on the search history of his son's iPad.

Previously, according to Boston ABC affiliate WCVB-TV, Walshe had allegedly Googled which state was best to file for divorce.

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Cohasset Police stated that Walshe reported his wife missing "simultaneously" with her employer, but later clarified that he never reported her disappearance, according to Masslive. He initially told police that his wife left their Cohasset home early on the morning of Jan. 1 for Boston's Logan Airport to go to D.C. for a work emergency. However, according to the outlet, police found no record of her getting on a flight, or evidence that she reached the airport at all.

Missing woman Ana Walshe

Missing woman Ana Walshe Photo: Cohasset Police Department

On Jan. 2, prosecutors allege, Walshe was captured on Home Depot security footage spending $450 on tarps, mops and other cleaning products. Before the video surfaced, he told detectives that he only left home once that day to get ice cream for one of his three children, Masslive reported.

A bloodied hatchet, hacksaw and rug were found in 10 trash bags discovered at a Peabody transfer station on Jan. 10. Believed to be connected to the woman's disappearance, the evidence was cited to jurors, according to local outlet WBZ News. A damaged, bloody knife was found in the Walshe home, Norfolk County District Attorney Michael Morrissey said in an agency press release.

Oxy App

Rather than divorce, it is believed that Brian Walshe dismembered Ana Walshe and discarded her body, said Norfolk County Assistant District Attorney Lynn Beland. The bags were later discarded in Swampscott and contained Anas property and the items used to clean up, as well as the DNA that was left behind.
John Wick: Chapter 4 director Chad Stahelski has left the door open for another entry in the franchise to come, noting that he and star Keanu Reeves are open to the idea of it.

Speaking during a recent appearance on The Hollywood Reporters Behind the Screen podcast series, Stahelski said that its flattering that both the studio and audiences want more entries in the film. While he needs time to digest things, he did tease that he and Keanu could always end up getting the itch to do another film.

Its very flattering for them to come back and say, We want more, and its not just a cash grab. Its legitimately the audience wants more, said Stahelski. I think we all need that little bit of time to go, Whew. Lets see whats next.  If Keanu and I, a few months from now sit down at a whiskey bar in Japan again and go, Yep, well never do another one of those, and then all of a sudden go, Yeah, but I got an idea. Were open to it.

Stahelskis are a bit more positive than the ones he made about a month ago, teasing that they were giving the franchise a rest for now. They also sound similar to comments made by Reeves himself, as the star recently said that he never say never about returning for a fifth film.

John Wick: Chapter 4 is now available in theaters.

The post Chad Stahelski Teases John Wick: Chapter 5: Were Open to It appeared first on ComingSoon.net - Movie Trailers, TV & Streaming News, and More.
An illustrated reconstruction of Troodon.

An illustrated reconstruction of Troodon.

Bird-like dinosaurs that lived up to 74 million years ago didn't hog nests; instead, these beaked dinosaurs shared communal nests where several female nestmates often laid more than 20 eggs together, which these feathery dinos then brooded to keep warm, new research suggests.

Most dinosaurs are thought to have laid eggs "en masse" and buried them in the ground for incubation, like crocodiles and other cold-blooded reptiles do today. But not Troodon, a small predatory dinosaur that was closely related to modern birds and which lived in the late Cretaceous, 74 million to 66 million years ago. Researchers were already aware of brooding behavior in some theropods  a group of bipedal, mostly meat-eating dinosaurs that includes Tyrannosaurus rex and Velociraptor  and recorded an ultra-rare dinosaur fossil brooding atop its eggs in 2021.

Now, fossilized eggshells have revealed that Troodons were endotherms, meaning they were warm blooded and could self-regulate their body temperature. This confirms that the dinosaurs could maintain their body temperature high enough to brood their eggs.

"Our study indicates that Troodon had a high body temperature, like birds, so it certainly would have been capable of providing heat for incubation while sitting on its eggs," Darla Zelenitsky , a paleontologist at the University of Calgary in Canada and co-author of the study in which the finding was published, told Live Science in an email.

What's more, these dinosaurs could probably switch between a warm-blooded state and a state of cold-blooded torpor  a strategy common in modern birds, called heterothermy. Troodon maintained its body temperature around 107.6 degrees Fahrenheit (42 degrees Celsius) but it could drop to 84.2 F (29 C) to cope with limited food or harsh weather, Zelenitsky said.

Related: 'Staggering number' of titanosaur nests discovered in India reveals controversial findings about dino moms

In the study, published Monday (April 3) in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences , researchers examined the patterns of eggshell mineralization in eggs belonging to the species Troodon formosus and compared it with those of modern birds and reptiles. They used a technique that analyzed the calcite content of eggshells and determined the speed and temperature at which they formed.

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"Birds and reptiles have two different mineralization patterns for what concerns the production of eggshells," lead study author Mattia Tagliavento , a postdoctoral researcher of paleontology at Goethe University in Frankfurt, Germany, told Live Science. "Since reptiles and birds are, respectively, the ancestors and descendants of dinosaurs, dinosaurs should have either one of the two, or be somewhere in the middle."

A bird-like dinosaur stands beside a nest full of eggs.

Birds have one functional ovary, having lost the other one early on in their evolution, likely to limit their weight and facilitate flight. To counterbalance this loss, they evolved the ability to precipitate calcite and form eggshells quickly, producing a few, relatively large eggs per clutch. Reptiles, on the other hand, have two functional ovaries that produce several small eggs at a time. The mineralization process is much slower than in birds, however, which limits the number of eggs they can lay.

The researchers were surprised to find that T. formosus retained slow, reptile-like eggshell mineralization despite having already evolved bird-like traits, such as heterothermy. "With our work, we show that Troodon was probably in between, producing just two eggs at a time and laying them  not a proper 'en masse' production, but with a pace that is still slower than modern birds," Tagliavento said.

A dinosaur guards a nest full of eggs.

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The team also used estimates of Troodon's weight and the amount of calcite per eggshell to calculate that a female could have laid four to six eggs per clutch, which did not match the number of eggs usually found in their nests. "A single individual could not have laid over 20 eggs in a reasonable amount of time to ensure egg and embryo survival," Zelenitsky said.

This suggests that females were nestmates, laying and tending to their eggs in the company of others.

The finding sheds light on the evolutionary transition from cold-bloodedness to endothermy in dinosaurs, Tagliavento said. "We may have a chance to explore the entire dinosaur ancestry and see exactly where the switch happened," he said.
Future Market Insights Global and Consulting Pvt. Ltd.

During the forecast period from 2023 to 2033, the United States is expected to offer significant market opportunities in the dairy products industry, with an estimated market size of US$ 61.5 billion in 2023 and a projected Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 2.8%. Indias dairy products market is expected to reach US$ 335.18 billion by 2033 at a 13.2% CAGR.

NEWARK, Del, April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According to FMI analysts, Dairy Products Market may reach a net worth of over US$ 845.50 billion in 2033, up from US$ 529.05 billion in 2023. This market is forecast to register a CAGR of 4.8% over the next ten years.



Growing consumer demand for healthy on-the-go snack options drives sales of dairy products worldwide. Dairy-based products contain calcium naturally, making them a healthy snack option.

Due to their health benefits, probiotic drinks have gained popularity, especially due to their ability to improve digestion and immunity. Health and wellness trends have led consumers to choose dairy snacks that are low-fat, lactose-free, and calcium-rich.

Find a comprehensive report summary that describes the market size and forecast along with the research methodology. The Sample report is available in PDF format @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-16627

Due to an increase in income and increased urbanization over the past several decades, individuals have become more interested in consuming proteins (such as dairy) than grains as a result of increased income and urbanization.

Dairy products are becoming increasingly popular around the world. To get enough protein daily, consumers are switching from regular meat to dairy products. Additionally, the bakery and confectionery market is expected to grow during the forecast period, since milk is the primary ingredient in most bakery products. This is expected to fuel the dairy product market during the forecast period.

The growing global population is a key opportunity for the dairy product market. This rapid population growth is expected to create new markets for dairy products. The market for infant formula in African countries, as well as in the Indian subcontinent, is expected to grow as a result of rising infant malnutrition. In turn, these factors are expected to increase the dairy product market during the same period.

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Key Takeaways from Market Study

The dairy products market is expected to record a CAGR of 4.8% over the forecast period.

According to estimates, the dairy products market in the Asia Pacific might remain strong throughout the length of the forecast period.

The butter segment was valued at US$ 23.25 billion in 2023 and is expected to register a CAGR of 3.5% during the forecast period.

The cheese segment was valued at US$ 96.86 billion in 2023 and is expected to record a CAGR of 3.8% from 2023 to 2033.

It is expected that the market in India is anticipated to demonstrate a high level of growth by the year 2033.

The milk segment is expected to record a CAGR of 3.1% between 2023 and 2023, reaching US$ 310.07 billion in 2023.

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Competitive Landscape:

Several local companies are operating in the moderately fragmented market. Market players use various strategies to gain market share, including investments, partnerships, acquisitions, and mergers. Furthermore, companies are striving to keep their products competitive and to improve their products.

Several prominent companies dominate this market, including Arla Foods Amba, Nestle, Danone, Fonterra, Lactalis, Frieslandcampina, DMK Group, GCMMF, Dairy Farmers of America, Inc., Meiji Holdings Co. Ltd., The Kraft Heinz Company and others.

Recent Developments:

There is a newly developed drinkable yogurt product in the works from Danone called Activia+. It is available in March 2022 in the United States and other parts of North America. The products come in strawberry, peach, and raspberry flavors.

In February 2022, Danone North America released its Light+Fit yogurt under the Light+Fit brand. Lemon and orange are the flavors available in the market.

The dairy company announced the launch of two all-new dairy products in February 2022, expanding its refrigerated shelf presence in New Berlin, New York. Ultra-filtered milk, lactose-free, protein-dense ultra-filtered milk, and half & half. They are made from locally sourced milk and come in paper-based packaging that is widely recyclable, like many of the company's other new products.

In March 2019, the Wallaby yogurt brand was introduced in the United States in three flavors to cater to health-conscious consumers. It is a no-sugar-added yogurt.

To reduce its carbon footprint, Arla Foods partnered with Walki in August 2019 to provide sustainable and recyclable packaging solutions.



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Dairy Products Market Segmentation by Category

By Product Type:

Milk

Cheese

Yogurt

Dessert

Butter

Milk Powder

Cream

Others

By Distribution Channel:

Hypermarket / Supermarket

Convenience Store

Speciality Store

Other

By Region:

North America

Latin America

Europe

The Middle East and Africa

East Asia



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Table of Content

1. Executive Summary | Dairy Products Market

1.1. Global Market Outlook

1.2. Demand-side Trends

1.3. Supply-side Trends

1.4. Technology Roadmap Analysis

1.5. Analysis and Recommendations

2. Market Overview

2.1. Market Coverage / Taxonomy

2.2. Market Definition / Scope / Limitations

3. Market Background

3.1. Market Dynamics

3.1.1. Drivers

3.1.2. Restraints

3.1.3. Opportunity

3.1.4. Trends

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Explore FMIs related ongoing Coverage on Food and Beverage Domain

Lactose Free Dairy Products Market Size: The global lactose free dairy products market is expected to reach market valuation of USD 13.5 Bn by the year 2022, accelerating with a CAGR of 5.5% by 2022-2032.

Functional Dairy Products Market Share: The global functional dairy products market size reached a valuation of US$ 42.2 Bn in 2022. The market is projected to exhibit growth at a CAGR of 4.3% during 2022-2032. It is likely to reach US$ 64.3 Bn by the end of 2032.

Fermented Dairy Products Market Demand: The global fermented dairy products market is expected to accumulate US$ 4,920.5 Million in value by 2022-end. During the forecast period ranging from 2022 to 2032, a CAGR worth 8.5% has been projected for the market, with an expected closing value worth US$ 11,125.2 Million.

Fortified Dairy Products Market Value: The Global Fortified Dairy Products Market size was estimated at USD 109,485 million in 2021 and expected to reach USD 223,441 million in 2032, at a CAGR of 6.7%.

Spicy Dairy Products Market Outlook: the market for Spicy Dairy products is anticipated to expand at a CAGR of 3.4% over the forecasted time period. According to projections, the industry would be worth US$ 966.4 Million by 2032, up from US$ 691.7 Million in 2022.

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A collection of search and rescue workers labor to remove an injured woman for the Organ Mountains on April 1, 2023.

LAS CRUCES  Rescue crews recovered an injured hiker over the weekend, the second person to require help descending an Organ Mountain trail in two weeks.

Vic Villalobos, a Mesilla Valley Search and Rescue member, said crews got the call to respond before noon on Saturday, April 1. Villalobos said a woman in her mid-20s injured her ankle on the Aguirre Springs Pine Tree Loop. Villalobos said crews located the hiker about two miles up the trial.

Villalobos said crews hiked into the area and were able to head out after about five hours. Villalobos said the hiker did not need to be taken to the hospital. Unlike a rescue effort the previous weekend, Villalobos said the Aguirre Springs Pine Tree Loop was a much simpler area to perform the rescue.

Last week, a hiker injured his ankle near the Grey Eminence peak in the Needles area. According to a Las Cruces Fire Department news release, that rescue lasted into the night and took around 11 hours.

Mesilla Valley Search and Rescue, Organ Mountain Technical Rescue, Dona Ana County Search and Rescue, New Mexico State Police, Las Cruces Fire Department, and White Sands Fire Department assisted in the rescue effort.

New old tips for adventuring in the Organs

Crews transported an injured woman along the Aguirre Springs Pine Tree Loop area on April 1, 2023.

On Friday, the Las Cruces Fire Department released updated tips and advice when hiking in the Las Cruces area. The updated guidance includes:

Know your capabilities and the terrain in which you will be in.

Plan your trek carefully and consider weather reports, the expected duration and other conditions you might face during your adventure.

Never hike, bike, backpack or adventure alone.

Keep groups together unless it is essential to separate for survival.

Follow all signage and refrain from straying from established trails.

Carry a fully charged cellular or satellite phone in case of an emergency. Avoid depleting a cell phones battery by overusing the camera function.

Pack a power bank and the proper cord to recharge a depleted cell phone battery.

Carry a flashlight and extra batteries even if your hike is during the daytime.

Avoid pushing daylight to take in a glorious sunset or full moon. Once the sun sets, following trails and finding your bearings on unknown terrain is difficult.

Take plenty of drinking water and food to sustain you during the trek. Remember, warm daytime temperatures and relatively high elevations expend energy quickly.

Wear or carry proper attire for the trek. Its best to dress in layers that can be easily removed  or added  depending on conditions.

Wear a hat or proper head covering.

Wear boots or hiking shoes that are comfortable and suitable for the terrain to be covered.

Be aware of changing weather conditions and the potential for flash floods from rain upstream from your location.

Be extremely cautious of setting or using fire.

Beware of more active snakes during warmer weather and as daytime temperatures rise. Snakebite victims should seek help immediately.

Beware of wild animals that frequent the Organ Mountains and other nearby areas: bobcats, mountain lions, coyotes, foxes, deer, and African oryx. Never approach or attempt to handle a wild animal.

If hiking with a dog, consider its needs and safety requirements for the trek.

Refrain from allowing your dog to run off-leash as it might give chase to wild animals and could quickly become lost or injured.

Stay within the limitations of your vehicle (or your driving skills).

Ensure your vehicle, tires, and spare tire are in good condition for the terrain.

Monitor your fuel gauge to ensure you do not run out of gasoline.

Stay on developed roads or dedicated tracks.

Respect signage and avoid driving onto private properties or dedicated wilderness areas.

Do not attempt dangerous water crossings.

Properly wear seatbelts or harnesses at all times when the vehicle is in motion.

If stranded, it is recommended first to try calling for help. Abandoning a vehicle and walking for help could be more dangerous than staying put and waiting for help to arrive.

Tell a friend or relative where you are going and when you expect to return. If you have yet to return by the designated time, they should know to contact authorities.

Dispose of waste properly and use the Pack it In  Pack it Out motto to help keep wild areas pristine.

Story continues

Justin Garcia covers public safety and local government in Las Cruces. He can be reached via email at JEGarcia@lcsun-news.com, via phone or text at 575-541-5449, or on Twitter @Just516Garc.

What else is happening in the Mesilla Valley?

This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: Crews rescue woman in Organ Mountains
Filipino tattoo artist Apo Whang-Od has become the oldest person to ever appear on the cover of Vogue at the age of 106.

Vogue Philippines announced last week that Whang-Od would be the magazines cover star for its April 2023 issue. Whang-Od, also known by Maria Oggay, is based in Buscalan, a mountain village in Cordillera Region, which is based in the island of Luzon in the Philippines, according to the publication.

The magazine also praised the artist on Instagram for how her works symbolises the strength and beauty of the Filipino spirit.

Heralded as the last mambabatok of her generation, she has imprinted the symbols of the Kalinga tribesignifying strength, bravery, and beautyon the skin of thousands of people who have made the pilgrimage to Buscalan, the magazine wrote in the post alongside a picture from Whang-Ods cover photoshoot.

Starting her career at age 16 with her father as her mentor, Whang-Od was the only female mambabatok, a traditional Kalinga tattoo artist, of her time. As of 15 years ago, she started working with thousands of customers from outside of the Cordillera Region.

Per Vogue, she has now travelled to neighbouring villages to imprint the sacred symbols of their ancestors on individuals who have crossed or about to cross a threshold in their lives.

When visitors come from far away, I will give them the tatak Buscalan, tatak Kalinga for as long as my eyes can see, Whang-Od told Vogue in the Butbut language.

Whang-Od is often referred to as the last mambabatok, since these tattoo artists can only pass on this craft within their bloodlines, perVogue. While she didnt have any children, her grand-nieces, Grace Palicas, 26, and Elyang Wigan, 23, will become a part of the next generation of mambabatoks.

I was the first child to learn how to tattoo. I just observed what she did, Grace said, as she was chosen to be Whang-Ods apprentice at age 10. When I left for college in 2015, Elyang was next to learn so that she could help Apo when so many tourists were coming.

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Back in 2017, Whang-Od first spoke to CNN Travel about her work and how shes been training her grandnieces.

The tradition will continue as long as people keep coming to get tattoos, she said. As long as I can see well, I will keep giving tattoos. Ill stop once my vision gets blurry.

She added: [My friends who gave tattoos] have all passed away. Im the only one left alive thats still giving tattoos. But Im not afraid that the tradition will end because [Im training] the next tattoos masters.

Regarding its April 2023 cover star, Vogue Philippines editor-in-chief, Bea Valdes said choosing Whang-Od was a unanimous decision among the magazines staff.

We felt she represented our ideals of what is beautiful about our Filipino culture, she told CNN. We believe that the concept of beauty needs to evolve, and include diverse and inclusive faces and forms. What we hope to speak about is the beauty of humanity.

Before Whang-Od, Oscar-winning actor Judi Dench was Vogues oldest ever cover star. She was featured in the British publications June 2020 issue at the age of 85.
The votes are in, and Greek's Pizzeria will face off against Bazbeaux for best pizza in the Indianapolis area.

The votes are in, and Greek's Pizzeria will face off against Bazbeaux in the final round of IndyStar's fan-decided contest to name the best pizza in the Indianapolis area.

Bazbeaux, a No. 1 seed in the Pizza Bracket Challenge and favorite from day one, comfortably defeated No. 6 Ale Emporium by about 12 percentage points in the semifinal round. The Mass Ave, Broad Ripple and Carmel favorite is a regular on local and national best-of lists, and over the years has served as an early training ground for ownership in two other top-seeded pizza joints: King Dough and Jockamo Upper Crust.

Vote now: IndyStar Pizza Bracket Challenge

King Dough was the latest top seed felled by the Hellenic sword of No. 7 Greek's, who beat the No. 1 seed by more than 30 percentage points. According to its website, Greek's first opened in Valparaiso, Indiana, and has ballooned into nearly 30 franchise locations throughout the state.

Greek's has been dominant throughout the tournament, while Bazbeaux survived a close call with Jockamo in the Elite Ate.

About 16,000 votes were counted in the Pie-nal Four semifinal round, bringing the grand total of fan votes to nearly 160,000.

Voting in the final round will run from Monday morning until Thursday evening. Who will claim Indy's top spot?

Looking for things to do? Our newsletter has the best concerts, art, shows and more  and the stories behind them

Rory Appleton is the pop culture reporter and columnist at IndyStar. Contact him at 317-552-9044 and rappleton@indystar.com, or follow him on Twitter at @RoryDoesPhonics.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: IndyStar Pizza Bracket Challenge recap: 160K votes set up championship
Flint residents will have to wait months longer to receive their shares of a $626.25-million settlement stemming from the lead poisoning of the city's drinking water in 2014 and 2015.

Checks are not likely to be issued to Flint residents from a $626.25-million legal settlement related to the drinking water crisis until the end of this year.

Though U.S. District Judge Judith Levy gave final approval to the settlement with the state of Michigan and other parties in 2011, glitches in the claims administration process have created delays.

More: For Flint residents poisoned by lead, long wait for lawsuit settlement money continues

More: Federal judge gives final approval to $626.25M settlement in Flint water crisis

Here is what Flint residents should know, based on a report filed Thursday by attorney Deborah Greenspan, who is assisting U.S. District Judge Judith Levy:

About 45,000 Flint claimants, who have filed more than 55,000 separate claims, should begin receiving notices related to those claims, either personally or through their attorneys, starting in late April or May and over the following several weeks. That's months later than what was projected last year.

The notices will say whether the claim has been approved in the specified category and whether there are any deficiencies in the documentation provided. There will then be time for administrative appeals or to potentially rectify problems with what was sent earlier.

Claimants could start receiving payments around the end of this year.

Although there have been delays in the claims review process, Levy has said checks could not have been issued in any case while appeals were pending. On March 17, the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals rejected objections mostly related to attorney fees. But on Friday, one group of appellants asked for that decision, made by a three-judge panel, to be reviewed by the full panel of all 6th Circuit judges.

There may be somewhere around $400 million to distribute to plaintiffs after attorney fees and claims administration costs are paid.

The Flint drinking water crisis began in April 2014, when a state-appointed emergency manager switched the city's drinking water source to the Flint River and the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality did not assure that needed corrosion control chemicals were added.

Contact Paul Egan: 517-372-8660 or pegan@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @paulegan4.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: When will Flint residents get their shares of record legal settlement?
Editor's note: Here is an edited excerpt from the Forgotten Coast portion of "Discovering Floridas Coast: From the Emerald Northwest to Miamis Biscayne Jewel and Beyond", a new book by Doug Alderson, published by Pineapple Press. There will be a book release party at 6 p.m. April 6 at Midtown Reader.

Doug Alderson Head Shot

The Forgotten Coast has a wealth of history and one seems to run into it at every turn, whether it is meeting one of the coasts old timers, climbing the reconstructed Cape St. George Light or the original Crooked River Lighthouse near Carrabelle, touching old-growth coastal slash pines on St. George Island that were once cat-faced to collect sap for turpentining, or witnessing the many eroding Indian middens on St. Vincent Island that are spilling out into Apalachicola Bay.

And along Highway 98 near Lanark Village, it is easy to envision U.S. soldiers training for amphibious assaults during World War II. Camp Gordon Johnson, located along the mainland side of Apalachicola Bay from 1942 to 1946, trained a quarter of a million men in amphibious operations. Due to bugs and heat, the camp had a nickname for their location that no chamber of commerce representative would dare whisperHell by the Sea.

Diving pelicans at St. Joseph Peninsula State Park.

It was a tough place to be, but in retrospect, it was good because it really conditioned us for the battles we fought in New Guinea, the Netherlands and the East Indies, recalled former camp resident Henry C. Allan in "Tallahassee Magazine." You can learn all about it at the Camp Gordon Johnson Museum in Carrabelle.

The trademarked name of this coast  Forgotten Coast  is relatively new, coined in the early 1990s by the Apalachicola Bay Chamber of Commerce to attract tourists seeking a quiet retreat. The name proved successful. Visitors are increasingly finding this stretch of shore to their liking. Unspoiled coastal peninsulas, wild barrier islands, dynamic bays and estuaries, and unmarred vistas of salt marsh, tree islands and winding tidal creeks stretch from Mexico Beach to St. Marks, and all invite exploration.

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The tall dunes of Cape San Blas in St. Joseph Peninsula State Park make for a fitting bookend on the western end of the Forgotten Coast. The cape is a long thin tail of land, curling around St. Joe Bay and tapering into the Gulf. It is perhaps the wildest peninsula left in Florida, extending over eight miles. The dunes on the Gulf side are up to three stories tall.

Windswept palms at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge on Oct. 11, 2020.

When standing on top of one of those high dunes, the peninsula appears to be a still sea of green, gray and white. The interior is made up of tough bonsai-like pines, twisted shrubs and fragrant wild rosemary. The plants stubbornly try to survive against torturing winds, salt and storms, and some dont make it, especially near the dunes. Over time, the dunes will move and roll like slow moving waves, robbing roots of essential soil, seeming to freeze their dying gasps in mid-air.

Hurricane Michael walloped this section of coast and nearby Mexico Beach in 2018 and the region is slowly recovering. Michael was only a tropical storm when it moved into the Gulf of Mexicos unseasonably high 84-degree waters on October 7, 2018. But then Michael began to gain strength  a Category 1, then a 2. By the morning of October 11, Michael was a Category 5 hurricane and bearing down with 160 mile-an-hour winds and a 20-foot storm surge. An announcer on the Weather Channel promised a swamp of destruction. The storms barometric pressure was approaching that of Hurricane Andrew in 1992.

Mexico Beach, Panama City and even inland communities such as Marianna experienced catastrophic devastation. Everything is just gone! exclaimed a woman in Mexico Beach.

Nick Hoopell, a Marianna man described the hurricane as a bomb going off. Three trees fell on his house in a ten minute span of time. We were breaking down, he said in a Tallahassee Democrat article. We were crying. I mean no one was prepared for this. We stood in the room. We prayed. Every time you wanted it to stop it would hit harder and harder and harder.

Hurricane Michael was the worst storm to hit the Florida Panhandle in recorded history, and it closely followed the highly destructive Florence that hit the North Carolina coast the previous month. It goes to reason that if the oceans are still warm by the second hottest September on record, a tropical storm could turn into a hurricane overnight, and ramp up to be a killer.

But the Forgotten Coast and all of Floridas coast for that matter has seen many hurricanes over time. People rebuild or move inland. Barrier islands shift and slowly regenerate dunes, trees, sea oats and other vegetation. Birds and animals rebound. Peaceful scenes return, the destruction nearly forgotten. The coast is dynamic.

Deer at Cape San Blas.

The largest island along the Forgotten Coast is the triangular shaped St. Vincent, completely undeveloped and protected as part of a 12,492-acre national wildlife refuge. Native American names for this large land mass are not known. The current name was given by Franciscan friars in 1633 while visiting Apalachee Indians in the area.

After the Apalachee Indians were dispersed, killed or captured by the English and their Creek allies in 1704, Creek and Seminoles Indians hunted and occasionally occupied the island throughout the latter half of the 1700s and early 1800s. They lost the island in 1811 as part of the Forbes Grant, a land for debt exchange in which the Indians forcibly gave up millions of acres of North Florida. Unlimited credit was alive even then until Indian hunters fell hopelessly behind despite traveling weeks at a time away from their families in search of deer skins, their primary trade commodity.

The Nature Conservancy purchased the island in 1968 for $2.2 million and later sold it to the United States Fish and Wildlife Service for establishment as a wildlife refuge. Primitive weapons hunts of native deer, hogs and the sambar deer occur in fall and winter. The endangered red wolf was reintroduced in 1990 whereupon wolf families freely roam the uninhabited island, the only wild wolf population in Florida.

To the east of St. Vincent, St. George and Dog islands mark the end of a chain of barrier islands that have been formed by sediments deposited by the Apalachicola and Ochlockonee rivers. The numerous wild islands east of Ochlockonee Bay are chunks of land that have been isolated by a millennia of rising sea levels, thus the reason why their shapes are not as elongated. St. George Island State Park and Bald Point State Park are natural highlights.

Dawn paddler along Piney Island near Panacea.

It is along the Forgotten Coast and Nature Coast where sea level rise is most apparent, partly because there are few sea walls or other man-made structures to mask it. Palms, cedars, slash pine and other trees are toppling over or they are standing skeletal and bleached, like erect corpses.

There is very little sign of young trees growing along the coastal fringes, so marsh will likely take over many coastal forests or, increasingly, mangroves will move in from the south, gaining footholds where they never before existed. Shockingly, the change is happening in just a generation or two and its not difficult to project how these shorelines might appear in fifty or a hundred years.

The barrier islands of the Forgotten Coast form a border around the massive Apalachicola Bay, the recipient of waters from the Apalachicola River, Floridas largest in terms of water volume. I once joined a group of high school students in putting out various seine and plankton nets into the bay and was amazed to discover that every ounce of water teemed with life. We found numerous species of fish and thousands of tiny shrimp and zooplankton. This place where fresh and salt water mixed together felt like a living organism, thus one reason it is a massive spawning area for shrimp and many types of fish that are enjoyed in seafood restaurants throughout Florida.

The seafood capital of the Forgotten Coast is the town of Apalachicola and it has also emerged as the cultural anchor. Once a bustling port city where steamships brought in cotton, lumber, turpentine and other products from upriver communities, the town is now a center for both seafood harvesting and distribution and businesses that cater primarily to tourists and seasonal residents.

Besides shopping and eating fresh seafood, one can stroll through downtown Apalachicola where many pre-Civil War homes and buildings still stand, including the red brick structure where the Apalachicola Sponge Exchange once thrived in the late 1800s and early 1900s. One visitor commented that several buildings could easily grace the cover of a Faulkner novel. And with the towns stately live oaks and grand vistas of water and marsh, Apalachicolas culture is also intertwined with natural beauty, much like the rest of the Forgotten Coast.

If you go

What: Book release party for "Discovering Florida's Coast," $24.95 paperback

When: 7 p.m. Thursday, April 6

Where: Midtown Reader, 1123 Thomasville Road; visit midtownreader.com

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Tallahassee author Doug Alderson explores Florida coast in new book
FC

French prog rock outfit Franck Carducci and the Fantastic Squad have announced that they will release a brand new live album, The Answer Live, on May 6.

The new album was recorded at a show at the De Boerderij venue in Zoetermeer, in September last year.

"When the world started to reopen in the summer of 2021, the Fantastic Squad and myself kicked off The Answer Tour," Carducci says. "Being a 100% independent band means we have to take care of gig bookings, tour management, driving, setting up our gear every night, packing up, van loading, promoting, designing visual materials... Oh and occasionally, we also play music and try to entertain y'all at gigs.



"When we arrived already tired in the Netherlands to play one of my favourite venues in the world and record this show for a potential release, we knew we weren't gonna be in our very best shape, but we also knew we were gonna give it 200%... because that's what we always do!



"This amazing tour can be summarised with a few figures: 8 countries, 62 gigs including 3 in our hometown - Lyon - and 4 in our heart-town - London - 11 festivals, 4 legendary venues, tens of thousands of kilometres driven, and dozens of sleepless nights. Add to that 7692 chocolate bars swallowed (not counting other sweets and treats), 444 focaccias, 315 tandoori chickens, 294 late night kebabs and countless plates of homemade pasta eaten, 83256 litres of tea (and a few other beverages) drunk and, last but not least, thousands of smiles in front of us at the gigs.

"We are forever grateful for all the love and support you showed us night after night.

YOU are what made it worth all these efforts!"

Franck and the band will perform a launch party for the new album at O Totem Live in Lyon in France on May 6. Tickets are available here.

Pre-order The Answer Live.
The 122-room hotel has on-site coffee shop, outdoor spaces, and brings the best of the island's culture to its guests.

Courtesy of PACIFIC 19 Kona

Headed to Hawaii Island (also known as the Big Island) to explore its dramatic lava fields, volcanoes, and stunning beaches? Pacific 19 Kona, the island's newest boutique hotel that opened on April 3, wants to help you get the most out of your adventures while treating you to a chic stay.

The urban property  its name references the island sitting 19 degrees from the equator  is located at the heart of Kailua-Kona and a block away from Kailua Bay. It debuted with 122 guest rooms, an on-site coffee shop, ample outdoor spaces, and an immersive arts and activities program bringing the best of the island's culture to its guests.

Upon entering the open-air lobby, which is clad in custom wood furnishings, guests are welcomed to the hotel with a towering monkeypod tree and lush greenery. Local artist Lauren Trangmar designed the palm tree- and papaya-patterned wallpaper for the airy lounge area.

Courtesy of PACIFIC 19 Kona

Drawing inspiration from Kailua-Kona's distinct landscapes and colors, Honolulu-based design studio The Vanguard Theory has dressed the guest rooms in an earthy palette of green, black, taupe, and white. Each room comes with its own "macro bar" stocked with snacks and adventure gear (think: sunblock and snorkels) for purchase. Black-and-white photographs depicting local scenery line the walls, while spacious private lanais invite guests outside.

The property's lap pool is the perfect spot to cool off during the day. At night, guests can gather around the two fire pits to share stories of their island adventures.

"The hotel is inspired by the Pacific  home to many places, cultures, and peoples," James Evans, co-founder and managing partner of Nine Brains, the hotel's developer, said in a press release sent to Travel + Leisure. "Pacific 19 Kona is a fresh concept for Hawaii Island. We want to be our guests' basecamp while helping them connect with Hawaii as if guiding a visiting friend or family member. "

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Courtesy of PACIFIC 19 Kona

Evans explained the hotel's team is also working on custom itineraries and activities in collaboration with local operators that will be bookable through the property's website.



And while Pacific 19 Kona doesn't have an on-site restaurant, it is home to the poolside Cafe P19, which serves local coffee blends, tea, and freshly baked pastries. The hotel has also planned a robust cultural program with weekend events, pop-ups, and wellness classes, including daily yoga sessions.

Nightly rates at Pacific 19 Kona start at $299. (If you book your stay through April 30 for a trip between now and Nov. 30, you will get 30 percent off and a waived amenity fee.) Learn more at pacific19.com.

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Read the original article on Travel & Leisure.
The Beatles in 1963

A previously unheard, hour-long recording of The Beatles playing live in 1963 has been unearthed. The recording, which is the earliest known audio of the band playing in The UK, was made on April 4, 1963, at a school in Buckinghamshire.

The recording was made by then 15-year-old schoolboy John Bloomfield at the private, all-boy Stowe boarding school, where The Beatles performed after another pupil, David Moores, wrote to manager Brian Epstein and requested that the band play at the school. Epstein asked for a 100 fee, and Moores raised the money by selling tickets to his schoolmates.

Bloomfield only revealed the existence of the recording as the 60th anniversary of the show approached, and part of the tape received its first airing on the BBC Radio 4 show Front Row last night.

"The opportunity that this tape presents, which is completely out of the blue, is fantastic because we hear them just on the cusp of the breakthrough into complete world fame," Beatles expert Mark Lewisohn tells the BBC. "And at that point, all audience recordings become blanketed in screams.

"So here is an opportunity to hear them in the UK, in an environment where they could be heard and where the tape actually does capture them properly, at a time when they can have banter with the audience as well.

"I think it's an incredibly important recording, and I hope something good and constructive and creative eventually happens to it. I didn't even know this tape existed until you told me about it, and I think I had to pick myself up off the floor."

"I would say I grew up at that very instant," says Bloomfield, who recorded the show on quarter-inch tape. "It sounds a bit of an exaggeration, but I realised this was something from a different planet."

An excerpt from the Front Row broadcast can be heard below, while the full episode of is online at the BBC website. A recording of The Beatles talking backstage after the Stowe show was auctioned in Japan in 1997.
Jacinda Ardern previously spoke on Prince William's behalf at the Earthshot Prize Innovation Summit this fall

Don Arnold/WireImage; Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty

Jacinda Ardern has a new role with Prince William's Earthshot Prize.

The Prince of Wales' prestigious environmental awards announced Tuesday that the former prime minister of New Zealand, 42, has joined its Board of Trustees.

"It is an honour to welcome @jacindaardern to the @EarthshotPrize team. Her life-long commitment to supporting sustainable and environmental solutions, along with her experience as Prime Minister of New Zealand, will bring a rich infusion of new thinking to our mission," Prince William said in a rare personal tweet, signing off "W."

The news comes three months after Ardern unexpectedly announced at the Labour Party's annual caucus that she was resigning as prime minister after five years in office.

It is an honour to welcome @jacindaardern to the @EarthshotPrize team. Her life-long commitment to supporting sustainable and environmental solutions, along with her experience as Prime Minister of New Zealand, will bring a rich infusion of new thinking to our mission. W https://t.co/FYlKVqEeRl  The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) April 4, 2023

Related:Kate Middleton and Prince William's Thank-You Christmas Card Revealed: See the Sweet Family Photo!

"I know what this job takes. And I know that I no longer have enough in the tank to do it justice. It's that simple," she said in January.

Ardern added that she would not seek reelection and would not be putting herself forward as a future leader of the Labour Party. The politician said she hoped to spend more time with her partner Clarke Gayford and their daughter Neve, whom they welcomed in 2018.

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Ardern was elected prime minister in 2017 at the age of 37, and became the youngest female head of government in the world. She notably led New Zealand through the Christchurch mosque attacks in 2019, the coronavirus pandemic and natural disasters. She resigned on January 25, and was replaced by Chris Hipkins. She remains a member of the New Zealand Parliament.

Related:From Oman to Kenya, Meet Prince William's Earthshot Prize Winners

FIONA GOODALL/AFP via Getty

The elected official got to know Prince William during her time leading the Commonwealth country, and spoke on his behalf at the inaugural Earthshot Prize Innovation Summit in New York City in September. The Prince of Wales, 41, was unable to attend the event following the death of his grandmother Queen Elizabeth days before.

"As I was preparing my remarks today, I couldn't help reflect on Her late Majesty the Queen. She is someone who was focused, committed and demonstrated what could be achieved when you show fortitude and longevity," Ardern said on stage.

Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty

Can't get enough of PEOPLE's Royals coverage? Sign up for our free Royals newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more!

"We need all of those same characteristics to take on the environmental challenges ahead of us. But we're also at a cross roads in this difficult journey, where it won't just take our global collective will to create the scale of change required to turn around our environmental trajectory, it will also take innovation. The speed we need to move, demands it," she added.

Now, the former prime minister can look forward to being part of the third Earthshot Prize cycle this year. Nominations have closed and finalists are set to be announced in the fall, with winners celebrated at a ceremony later in 2023.

Prince William created the contest in 2020 to promote impactful approaches to the world's most pressing environmental challenges, with plans to award Earthshot Prizes until 2030. Winners receive 1 million ($1.2 million) and support to scale their solutions, focused on reviving and repairing the land, air or sea, to size

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Read the original article on People.
Denarius Metals Corp.

Attachment 1

Map showing location of Palomarejo and Rubia Permits at the Lomero Project

Attachment 2

Potential extension of the Lomero-Poyatos deposit by interpretation of data from TDEM geophysical survey

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWS WIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES



18,432,500 Units issued in Private Placement for total gross proceeds of CA$7,373,000.

The Company currently has 60,244,764 common shares issued and outstanding.

The Company has received approval for a three-year extension of its Rubia Permit at the Lomero Project.

The Department of Mines in Huelva has also granted the Palomarejo Permit to the Company giving it access to a 151-hectare area adjacent to and on strike with its mineralized Rubia Permit at Lomero.

Denarius Metals expects to have its Phase 2 drilling results at Lomero available later in April and plans to continue its exploration work in Spain in 2023 with 10,000 m of drilling at its Lomero Project and 7,000 m of drilling at the Toral Project.



TORONTO, April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Denarius Metals Corp. (Denarius Metals or the Company) (TSXV: DSLV; OTCQB: DNRSF) announced today the completion of its private placement (the Private Placement) announced on March 6, 2023. The Company also provided an update on its polymetallic exploration projects in Spain.

Serafino Iacono, Executive Chairman and CEO of Denarius Metals, commented, With the closing of the Private Placement and our earlier Rights Offering and termination of our Guia Antigua Project, we have raised approximately CA$18.7 million to fund our exploration and development programs at our projects in Spain, to prepare our Zancudo Project in Colombia to commence operations later this year and for working capital and general corporate purposes. The granting of the neighboring Palomarejo Permit from the Department of Mines is a very important step which allows us to start testing the potential western extension of the existing mineralization at our Lomero Project that remains open along strike to the west and at depth. The Department of Mines has been very helpful in getting the Palomarejo and Rubia Permits at Lomero granted for the exploration stage and we will continue to work closely with them. We are finalizing the preparation of the validation drilling in the 2023 campaign at our Lomero Project which is expected to commence in approximately two weeks. We are also excited to proceed with the next phase of confirmatory and in-fill drilling at the Toral Project in Northern Spain as part of our commitment under the First Option that will allow us to acquire an initial 51% interest in the project."

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Private Placement

The Private Placement resulted in the issuance of 18,432,500 units of the Company (Units) for total gross proceeds of CA$7,373,000. Each Unit consists of one common share and one transferrable common share purchase warrant (Warrant). Each Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one common share at a price of CA$0.60 per share until April 4, 2026. Following completion of the Offering, the Company has 60,244,764 common shares issued and outstanding. The common shares and Warrants underlying the Units in respect of the Private Placement are subject to a four-month hold period and are therefore not freely tradeable until August 5, 2023.

Pursuant to the Offering, insiders of the Company, including Mr. Serafino Iacono (Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer), Mr. Michael Davies (Chief Financial Officer), Mr. Federico Restrepo-Solano (Director) and Mr. Hernan Juan Jose Martinez Torres (Director), acquired a total of 3,050,000 Units of the Company for total gross proceeds of CA$1,220,000.

In connection with the Offering, Mr. Iacono and companies to which he provides investment advice or in which he has a beneficial interest, acquired a total of 2,500,000 Units for CA$1,000,000. As a result of the Offering, Mr. Iacono beneficially owns and controls 8,991,913 common shares, which represents approximately 14.93% of the Companys issued and outstanding common shares, 150,000 stock options and 9,976,995 warrants. Prior to the completion of the Offering, Mr. Iacono beneficially owned and controlled 6,491,913 common shares, representing approximately 15.63% of the Companys issued and outstanding common shares. The Warrants issued to Mr. Iacono will bear a legend stating that until Denarius Metals disinterested shareholder approval is received, he will be prohibited from exercising any warrants if at the time of such exercise he owns 19.9% or greater of the shares of the Company on a non-diluted basis. Mr. Iacono acquired the securities under the Offering for investment purposes.

In conjunction with the Offering, the Company paid a total of CA$173,430 of fees in cash to certain arms length agents and brokers who acted as finders. The Company also issued 266,625 Units to an arms length agent in satisfaction of their finders fee.

A copy of Mr. Iaconos early warning report will be available under the Companys profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com or by contacting Ms. Amanda Fullerton, General Counsel and Secretary at investors@denariusmetals.com or (416) 360-4653.

The Company intends to use the net proceeds of the Offering (i) to continue its exploration drilling campaign, metallurgical testing and other technical work at its flagship Lomero Project in the Iberian Pyrite Belt in Southern Spain, (ii) to meet its obligations under the Definitive Option Agreement executed on November 22, 2022 related to the Toral Project in Northern Spain and (iii) for working capital and general corporate purposes.

Update on Exploration Projects in Spain

Lomero Project, Iberian Pyrite Belt, Southern Spain

Denarius Metals announced today that it has received approval from the Mining Department in Huelva for its proposed extension of the Investigation Permit Rubia N 14.977, covering the areas occupied by the former Lomero-Poyatos Concessions in the Iberian Pyrite Belt in Southern Spain, for a further three years. The extension of the Rubia Permit has been granted by the Department of Mines in Huelva in conjunction with its approval of the Companys planned drilling program of approximately 10,000 m for 2023 as described below.

The Company also announced today the granting of Investigation Permit Palomarejo N 14.978 to the west of the Rubia Permit. The Palomarejo Permit covers an area of 151 hectares in the Cortegana area (Huelva), increasing the Companys exploration area by about 30%, and is in a similar geological setting as the adjacent polymetallic Lomero-Poyatos deposit. The Palomarejo Permit has an initial three-year term and may be extended for another three years. Refer to Attachment 1 for a map showing the locations of the Palomarejo and Rubia Permits.

Previous exploration programs near or over the Palomarejo Permit, including surface geological mapping and high-resolution helicopter-borne time-domain electromagnetic (NRG Europes high-resolution XciteTEM/MAG) and ground-based gravimetric geophysical surveys, have identified significant new targets and demonstrate that conductors associated with the known Lomero-Poyatos deposit persist along strike to the west and at depth. A parallel shear-zone detected by field mapping below the Devonian hanging-wall unit and located approximately 1 km north of the Lomero-Poyatos deposit, named the Northern Shear Zone, has also been outlined. Refer to Attachment 2 for a map showing the potential extension of the Lomero-Poyatos deposit by interpretation of data from TDEM geophysical survey.

The Company completed its Phase 2 drilling program at the Lomero Project in mid-February. Results are expected to be announced later in April as a large number of assay results are still pending related to the check samples submitted to the umpire laboratory. Directional drilling completed at the end of Phase 2 drilling has already validated some of the expected higher grades. The Company expects to complete a Mineral Resource estimate (MRE) update incorporating the results of its Phase 2 drilling program.

For 2023, the Company has designed an exploration program at the Lomero Project with three main objectives: (i) to conduct a follow up phase of the ground-based gravimetric survey on the prospective areas not covered by the initial 2022 gravimetric survey; (ii) to complete up to 4,000 m of conventional drilling aimed at validating the higher grades near surface to be incorporated in the planned preliminary economic assessment (PEA) to be completed in 2023; and, (iii) to complete up to 6,000 m of exploration drilling aimed at increasing the tonnage of the MRE update based on Phase 1 and Phase 2 drilling, targeting the Las Merinas and Alianza areas located along two main shear zones discovered in 2022 by field mapping, located to the south and to the north of the shear zone that hosts the Lomero-Poyatos deposit and both of which are E-W trending.

The contract for the diamond drilling program at the Lomero Project has been awarded to Explomin Perforaciones Ue who have mobilized equipment and personnel to site to commence preparatory work immediately.

Toral Project, Leon Province, Northern Spain

The Company entered into a definitive option agreement with Europa Metals Ltd. (Europa) (AIM: EUZ) dated November 22, 2022 (the Definitive Agreement), pursuant to which the Company has been granted options to acquire, in two stages, up to an 80% ownership interest in Europa Metals Iberia S.L. (EMI), a wholly owned Spanish subsidiary of Europa which holds the Toral Zn-Pb-Ag Project, Leon Province, Northern Spain.

The Company and Europa have recently agreed on a budget of approximately US$1.95 million (EUR 1.8 million) for 2023 for the work programs that will comprise a comprehensive drilling program at the Toral Project and completion and submission of a mining license application to the Junta of Castilla y Leon.

Details on the 2023 work programs at the Toral Project are as follows:

Drilling of approximately 7,000 m, which has already commenced with an initial rig followed by a second rig to be added in April, the program represents a combination of confirmatory drilling followed by a series of in-fill drillholes designed to corroborate the existing Indicated MRE. The results will then be incorporated into the existing database to update a new MRE later in the year. A desktop review and necessary application route for additional permits close to the Toral Permit has commenced and will run over the next 3-6 months to identify and complete outstanding questions to enable an exploration application to be submitted to the Junta of Castilla y Leon. Work on the Mining License Application was resumed in January 2023 following the initial payment of US$100,000 by the Company and is progressing rapidly due to the work carried out by Europa Metals over the last 12-18 months regarding resources, hydrogeology, geotechnical measurements, environmental and social studies. This work will continue and is currently on track with our internal timeline for the submission of the application to the Junta of Castilla y Leon.



No U.S. Offering or Registration

This news release does not constitute an offer to sell, or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities in any jurisdiction, including the United States, other than the provinces and territories of Canada. The securities being offered pursuant to the Offering have not been, and will not be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the US Securities Act), or the securities laws of any state of the United States. Such securities may not be offered or sold in the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, any U.S. Person (as defined in Regulation S of the US Securities Act) or person in the United States except in a transaction exempt from or not subject to the registration requirements of the US Securities Act and applicable state securities laws.

About Denarius Metals

Denarius Metals is a Canadian junior company engaged in the acquisition, exploration, development and eventual operation of polymetallic mining projects in high-grade districts, with its principal focus on the Lomero Project in Spain. The Company signed a definitive option agreement with Europa Metals Ltd. in November 2022 pursuant to which Europa has granted Denarius Metals two options to acquire up to an 80% ownership interest in the Toral Zn-Pb-Ag Project, Leon Province, Northern Spain. The Companys 100%-owned Zancudo Project in Colombia provides an opportunity to develop near-term production and cash flow through local contract miners and long-term growth through exploration.

Additional information on Denarius can be found on its website at www.denariusmetals.com and by reviewing its profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com .

Cautionary Statement on Forward-Looking Information

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.

This news release contains "forward-looking information", which may include, but is not limited to, statements with respect to the Offering, TSX Venture Exchange conditional approval and the use of proceeds of the Offering. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words 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. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Denarius to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Readers cannot be assured that the Private Placement and the closing thereof will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements are described under the caption "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Information Form dated November 23, 2022 which is available for view on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Forward-looking statements contained herein are made as of the date of this press release and Denarius disclaims, other than as required by law, any obligation to update any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, results, future events, circumstances, or if management's estimates or opinions should change, or otherwise. 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, the reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

For Further Information, Contact:

Michael Davies

Chief Financial Officer

(416) 360-4653

investors@denariusmetals.com

Attachment 1  Map showing location of Palomarejo and Rubia Permits at the Lomero Project

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/3ad3a6e5-e57c-44fe-b277-08aef06a3139

Attachment 2 - Potential extension of the Lomero-Poyatos deposit by interpretation of data from TDEM geophysical survey

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/3ad3a6e5-e57c-44fe-b277-08aef06a3139




The actor makes his first television appearance since his Jan. 1 snowplow accident in Jeremy Renner: The Diane Sawyer Interview, airing Thursday night

Jesse Grant/Getty Jeremy Renner

Jeremy Renner is sharing the love.

Ahead of his first television appearance since surviving a devastating snowplow accident, the Hawkeye star posted a preview on Instagram Monday of his upcoming interview with Diane Sawyer.

"For those that want the 411 on the 911 situation that happened this past New Years morning, I spoke with the wonderful @dianesawyer to share details of the incident," Renner, 52, wrote about the interview, set to air on ABC Thursday night. "Tune in if you like ."

"Thank you for all the positive, loving prayers for me and my family!" the actor continued. "I am so truly grateful and honestly overwhelmed with such goodness. It has taken the immediate actions of so many people that has kept me here alive."

Renner jokingly concluded his post, "Thank you will never be enough to express my gratitude  so I can offer up some 'Free Snowcat Rides' up at the house if you're interested?  "

Never miss a story  sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Related: Jeremy Renner Details Pain of Snowplow Accident in First Interview Since Injuries: "I Chose to Survive"

On Jan. 1, the Oscar-nominated star broke more than 30 bones after his snowplow ran over him while he was helping a family member get a "stuck" vehicle out of the snow at his property outside of Reno, Nevada.

Since then, he has undergone multiple surgeries and has been candid about his rehabilitation. Late last month, Renner shared a video of himself walking on a treadmill with some assistance.

"I now have to find OTHER things to occupy my time so my body can recover from my will," he wrote on Twitter, along with the captions "#mindful," "#intended" and "#recovery."

In a sneak peek of the interview released last week, the actor teared up while revisiting a moment in the hospital room, when he apologized to his family for his accident.

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"I've lost a lot of flesh and bone in this experience, but I've been refueled and refilled with love and titanium," Renner told Sawyer, 77.

ABC News Diane Sawyer and Jeremy Renner

Related: Jeremy Renner's Nephew Recalls Actor Saving Him in Snowplow Accident: "I Didn't Think He Was Alive"

Through it all, Renner's family and friends  many of them famous  have been in his corner, cheering him on.

In the comments following his post on Monday, director Taika Waititi wrote, "Wow bro. Love you man," while DJ Steve Aoki wrote, "This is a true real superhero story. No one comes close."

Meanwhile, Ryan Reynolds could not help but make light of the situation, now that Renner is thankfully healing.

"I would take a snowcat ride. I'm not even kidding," wrote Reynolds, 46. "But it has to be in the middle of summer. And only you inside the snowcat while I watch from a safe distance from your well appointed living room."

Jeremy Renner: The Diane Sawyer Interview airs Thursday at 10 p.m. ET/9 p.m. CT on ABC.

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This story has been updated to include other times first ladies visited Vermont.

Jill Biden will visit Vermont on April 5, and while she may not be the first first lady to grace the Green Mountain State, she is one of the few.

Biden, who has her doctorate in educational leadership and wrote her 2007 dissertation on community college retention, will be accompanied by U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cordona. The two are expected to promote career-connected learning and workforce training that prepares high school and community college students for jobs created by the president's Investing in America agenda.

They will visit BETA Technologies, and along with Gov. Phil Scott, will discuss ways President Joe Biden's plan helps create high-paying jobs in emerging industries like clean energy and electric vehicles and decreases barriers to access those jobs through federal and state investments in career and technical education.

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden survey the damage after a deadly tornado and severe storm moved through the area in Rolling Fork, Miss., Friday, March 31, 2023.

First Lady Biden is at least one of a handful of presidential spouses to address Vermonters. Here are the others.

Michelle Obama talks to Vermont National Guard members in 2011

While first lady, Michelle Obama addressed Vermont National Guard members and their families in June of 2011, expressing her gratitude for their hard work. Wife of President Barack Obama, the first lady was promoting the Joining Forces campaign designed to recognize military families and to provide support throughout a servicemember's deployment.

Laura Bush takes in Vermont hike in 2008 after campaigning in 2006

First lady Laura Bush visited Vermont twice during her tenure as the wife of the sitting president, George W. Bush. In June of 2008 she took in a hike at the Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historic Park in Woodstock before announcing a $50,000 grant from the National Park Foundation that would help connect the park's trails to the town of Woodstock and the Appalachian Trail.

In 2006 she also campaigned on behalf of Republican candidate Martha Rainville, for Vermont's singular house seat, according to the Rutland Herald.

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Barbara Bush in 2006

Former First Lady Barbara Bush, wife to 41st U.S. President George H. W. Bush, came to Vermont to raise support for U.S. House candidate Martha Rainville in September of 2006.

The 81-year old gave a speech at the Sheraton Burlington Hotel and Conference Center in South Burlington. The event raised $50,000 for Rainville's campaign, who became the Republican nominee for the open seat Bernie Sanders left when he moved from the House to the Senate. Rainville ultimately lost the general election to Democrat Peter Welch.

More: Barbara Bush in Vermont: Remembering her 2006 visit

Betty Ford visits her alma mater in 1976

Before becoming first lady or marrying Gerald Ford, Betty Ford studied dance at Bennington College under renowned choreographer Martha Graham.

Forty years after leaving, she returned to the college as first lady in 1976 during the dedication of the school's new visual and performing arts center in May.

Grace Coolidge: one of the few in the room where it happened in 1923

Grace Goodhue Coolidge, a Burlington native, was hardly a visitor to Vermont. She and her husband Calvin  he from Plymouth Notch  grew up in the Green Mountain State.

When President Warren G. Harding unexpectedly suffered a heart attack and died while on a cross-country speaking tour in August of 1923, then-Vice President Coolidge was roused and took the oath of office in his Plymouth homestead at 2:47 a.m., being sworn in by his own father who was a notary. Grace Coolidge was one of five witnesses to the official event on Aug. 2, which was replicated 19 days later before a federal judge in Washington.

The 30th president's inauguration remains unique.

Grace's family home at 312 Maple St. in Burlington, also where she married Calvin Coolidge, bears a historical marker.

More: History Space: A Coolidge celebration

The Lincoln's 1864 Civil War vacation likely led to putting roots here

Years before constructing Hildene, the estate where Robert Lincoln, son to Abraham and Mary Todd, would ultimately reside, the family visited Manchester. It was during the Civil War in 1864 that Mary Todd Lincoln took her two boys at the time  Robert and Tad  for some tranquility in the mountains that summer, according to NewEngland.com, part of Yankee Magazine.

Among the president-adjacent visits to Vermont in recent history include Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, Vice President Kamala Harris' husband, who came in April 2021 to promote the Biden administration's pandemic relief bill. And, between his vice presidency and announcing a run for president, Joe Biden visited Burlington in December of 2018 to promote his book "Promise Me, Dad," the title which came from his son, Beau, who died from cancer.

Contact reporter April Barton at abarton@freepressmedia.com or 802-660-1854. Follow her on Twitter @aprildbarton.

This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Ahead of Jill Biden visit: other first ladies in Vermont
Together forever. Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker are giving fans an inside look into their Italian wedding weekend with a brand-new wedding special titled Til Death Do Us Part Kourtney & Travis.

The Kardashians star, 43, shared a first look at the upcoming special via Instagram on Tuesday, April 4, during which she and Barker, 47, joke about their three wedding ceremonies while chatting in bed. Its like choosing a child. I cant pick the best one. Vegas was, like, our wild, rock star wedding. Santa Barbara was, like, as traditional as, like, everybody elses wedding couldve been, the Blink-182 drummer recalls in the trailer, as Kardashian adds, And then, Italy was just really romantic and classic.

Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker Ciao Pix/Shutterstock

The special is set to debut on Hulu later this month. Per a description from the streaming service, the TV event will feature appearance by Kris Jenner, Kim Kardashian, Khloe Kardashian, Kendall Jenner and Kylie Jenner in private and personal footage from the intimate family event full of beautiful moments.

Kourtney and Braker got engaged in October 2021 and held an unofficial wedding ceremony in April 2022 following the 64th Annual Grammy Awards in Las Vegas. At the time, they were unable to obtain a marriage license. They exchanged vows one month later at a Santa Barbara, California, courthouse before celebrating with loved ones at their overseas nuptials.

Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker David Fisher/Shutterstock

Along with the good times teased in the first look  including how the California native and her husband worked with Dolce & Gabbana designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana to pull off the event  the special will also dive into the couples pre-wedding nerves and struggles. I felt like I had so much anxiety cause its such a vulnerable moment youre sharing, Kourtney  who shares kids Mason, 13, Penelope, 10, and Reign, 8, with ex Scott Disick  states in the preview.

Barker  who shares son Landon, 19, daughter Alabama, 17, and stepdaughter Atiana, 24, with ex-wife Shanna Moakler  dealt with his own jitters before the big day. I just felt like, Im about to marry, like, the love of my life, the musician tells Kourtney in the trailer. And then, it was like, Oh, my God, Im about to marry the love of my life, and then it all set in.

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Despite facing a few challenges, everything seemingly went off without a hitch. Our wedding felt like time didnt exist, and it just felt perfect, the Keeping Up With the Kardashians alum gushed in the clip.

The Poosh founder previously talked about her apprehension going into her wedding day during a season 2 episode of Hulus The Kardashians in November 2022. [I am] so nervous. I dont want to be, like, drugged or anything, she said on a trip to Milan with Barker and friends.

She continued: I think about it all the time. Will I survive or will I pass out? It just makes me nervous. It freaks me out. I am like, How did I get to this place?

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Til Death Do Us Part Kourtney & Travis premieres on Hulu Thursday, April 13.
liam-neeson-2022-RS-1800 - Credit: Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images

Coming back from admitting to having a deeply unsettling racist revenge fantasy is something Liam Neeson had to figure out in real-time in 2019. Two months after issuing an apology for sharing a story about carrying a weapon while seeking out some black bastard' after a female friend was raped, the actor resolved not to engage with the story again. It was why he initially turned down a cameo in Donald Glovers comedy-drama series Atlanta in 2022, but a few phone calls wore him down.

When I got in touch with him, Liam poured his heart out, Glover told GQ in a recent interview. He was like, I am embarrassed. I dont know about this. Im trying to get away from that. And I was like, Man, Im telling you, this will be funny! And youll actually get a lot of cream from it because itll show youre sorrySo, he asked me to let him think about it. Then he sent me an email saying, I dont think I can do it and best of luck with Atlanta, blah-blah-blah.

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Speaking to Rolling Stone earlier this year, Neeson described the incident  which he willingly recounted to The Independent during a press junket  as a painful memory for many reasons, stating that when he first got the call from Glover, he didnt want to reignite the fire he had just put out. He was working on [Mr. & Mrs. Smith] with the lovely Phoebe Waller-Bridge, and she had said, Look, this is cool. You should do this,' Neeson said. And I thought, Maybe I should? Fuck it. I trust Donald. He knows the Black community.'

But as Glover tells it, it took a little more convincing than that. Liam said [after the incident] he talked to Morgan Freeman, Jordan Peele, and Spike Lee, Glover recalled to GQ. So I was likeJordan Peele! I hit Jordan Peele up, and I was like, Look, man, I got this idea. He said that he trusted you. Tell him its a good idea!Jordan thought it was hilarious! So Jordan talked to him. Liam hit me back and said he talked to Jordan and his son and thought itd actually be a good thing. But what was so funny is, like, I forgot to hit Jordan back. I was so excited about Liam doing it. So Jordan hit a friend of mine, and was like, Am I on a prank show where Donald got me to forgive Liam Neeson? Was this a jokeon me?

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In the scene, which appeared during the eighth episode of Atlantas fourth season, Neeson appears as himself and acts opposite Brian Tyree Henry, who plays Alfred Paper Boi Miles. Sitting at a bar with napkins branded Cancel Club, the actor tells Paper Boi: You mightve heard or read about my transgression. You know, what I said about what I wanted to do to a Black guy, any Black guy, when I was a younger man in London. A friend of mine had been raped, and I acted out of anger. I look back now, and it honestly frightens me. I thought people knowing who I once was would make clear who I am, who Ive become. But with all that being said, I am sorry. I apologize if I hurt people.

Its a SparkNotes version of the longer apology he issued in 2019 in which he addressed the danger of expressing such thoughts at a time when language is so often weaponized and an entire community of innocent people are targeted in acts of rage. But on Atlanta, Glover was in charge of the language, having written the episode.

After Paper Boi tells Neeson that its good to know that you dont hate Black people now, and he still fucks with Taken, the actor responds: No, no I cant stand the lot of you. Well, now I feel that way because you tried to ruin my career. Didnt succeed, mind you. However, Im sure one day I will get over it, but until then, we are mortal enemies.

He added: I also learned that the best and worst part of being white is that we dont have to learn anything if we dont want to.

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Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker made a stop in Belvidere Sunday along with other state officials to survey the damage done by a tornado with his own eyes and to personally thank local residents, first responders and concertgoers for taking quick action to help others.

"I'm really tremendously grateful to the residents here in Belvidere and to the concertgoers and first responders who risked their lives on Friday night to pull people out of the rubble and the wreckage after the EF-1 tornado touched down here," Pritzker said. "Lives were saved because of the quick work of the people who live here and work here. ... Our gratitude is endless."

A total of 48 people were injured when the roof of Belvidere's historic Apollo Theatre collapsed during the storm, Pritzker said, five of whom remained in critical condition at area hospitals.

Pritzker then asked for a moment of silence for Fred Livingston Jr. of Belvidere who died. Livingston and about 250 others were attending a heavy metal rock show Friday at the Apollo when the roof caved in over the front of the stage where people were standing as they waited for the next band to come on.

Theater tragedy: Belvidere roof collapse victim was hardworking family man

Pritzker has authorized a state disaster proclamation for Boone County and others, According to the National Weather Service, at least 12 tornadoes touched down in Illinois Friday night. The proclamation will help those communities in their recovery from the storm damage.

According to ComEd's online outage map, 18 power outages remained as of late Sunday, affecting about 550 customers across northern Illinois. There were more than 1,000 power outages Friday night.

Belvidere Mayor Clint Morris gave his own thanks Sunday  to police, fire and first responders, as well as public works employees, Belvidere residents and concertgoers.

"Belvidere is a strong community," Morris said. "We started our recovery on Friday evening."

According to Alicia Tate-Nadeau, director of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency, tornados alarms did go off in Belvidere Friday night. Officials said they have come to learn that the venue was in the process of getting concertgoers to take shelter when the damage occurred.

This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Belvidere shows its strength in aftermath of tornado, roof collapse
L'Oreal will acquire the luxe lifestyle brand Aesop in a $2.5 billion USD deal.

According to a press release, this step will position the beauty conglomerate to expand its footprint in China. Aside from L'Oreal's 1.7 billion USD purchase of YSL Beauty in 2008, this will be the brand's largest acquisition to date. "Aesop taps into today's ascending currents and L'Oreal will contribute to unleash its massive growth potential, notably in China and travel retail," L'Oreal's Chief Executive Nicolas Hieronimus stated in a release.

Aesop is a chic and minimalist brand that ranges across the skincare, body care and fragrance categories. L'Oreal adding the cult-loved brand to its portfolio of prestige brands speaks to the ever-changing dynamic of the beauty space.

L'Oreal reports that it expects to close the deal officially in the second half of the year.
college university campus

Last Sunday (March 26), a heavily armed white man was arrested on an HBCU campus. Although the threat was swiftly taken care of before any injuries occurred, many are now outraged that they are just finding out about what could have been a catastrophic event.

Greensboro police responded to calls of an individual threatening and chasing an unarmed security guard on the North Carolina A&T State University campus. Brandon James Bentley was detained, but what followed was shocking. The 27-year-old was in possession of two handguns, two shotguns, one rifle, a crossbow, a machete, stun gun, hatchets, knives, choking devices, pepper spray, a blow dart gun, brass knuckles, and other weapons stashed away in his vehicle. Authorities also discovered more than 1,000 rounds of various ammunition belonging to Bentley.

I saw the news report on this. How is it false? How is it FALSE? How? He was released. He was on campus. How NCAT? How? Is my child safe on campus? Explain this tweet please.  SoujournerDaTruth (@Bukalove04) April 4, 2023

In an article published yesterday (April 3), Jannisha Stevens, a student at the university, told North Carolina news station Fox 8 that she and others were not made aware of the threat. I dont think that it was handled well. To hear about torture mechanism tools is really scary, and I dont know why he would have that. Who is it for? Is it for somebody on this campus? I should know whats going on campus. Especially something like this, for it to be kept from us what is it? Is it an agenda or anything like that? Because I want to be able to protect myself if I see somebody like that or someone suspicious, so I can report it instead of being completely clueless.

#NCAT please be advised, reports and rumors circulating of an armed individual or activity on campus are FALSE. @NCATUPD1 has addressed claims and found them to be unsubstantiated. If a safety issue were to arise, an alert would be sent. Have a peaceful evening, the North Carolina university tweeted on March 30. I saw the news report on this. How is it false? How is it FALSE? How? He was released. He was on campus. How NCAT? How? Is my child safe on campus? Explain this tweet, please, one person pleaded yesterday.

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See what others are saying below.

A heavily armed white man was quietly arrested on a HBCU campus last week. Brandon James Bentley had 5 guns, a crossbow, machete, stun gun, hatchets, knives, blow dart, brass knuckles & 1000+ rounds of ammo on North Carolina A&T State University grounds. https://t.co/xyM1kISzqj  Bruce Coleridge-Taylor Wright (@bctw) April 3, 2023

How have we not heard more about this???  Fannie Lou Hamers Freedom Farm Fan (@syshropshire) April 3, 2023

I dont understand how you can say this but the guy has made the news and been charged for everything you claim to be FALSE. Isnt this a violation of the Clery Act? @usedgov  The Apex  (@shamankaongo) April 3, 2023

Brandon James Bentley, a WHITE CISGENDER MAN, came to an HBCU armed to the teeth and was given bail so he can go home and plan his massacre better. Wonder how many "very serious people" in the press are even gonna cover this attempted terrorist attack in passing.  https://t.co/b0J8Zs1PIp  Kara-Murza (Black Prince) (@AugustusMHill) April 3, 2023

What's a chicken foot? Or do you mean an actual chicken's foot?  MamaPhoenix (@MamasanMm) April 3, 2023

Trending Stories
Martin D-Robert Goetzl 6 (Rabbit)

NAMM 2023: Martin's limited edition reveal never fails to surprise and delight us every year and its 2023 special limited edition acoustic guitars are no exception. Starting with the CEO 10; the first model designed by CEO Thomas Ripsam.

CEO 10 ($8,999)

Martin 2023

Only 100 of this 000-14 fret model with 1933 Ambertone finish will be made. The top and bracing are FSC Certified European spruce while the back and sides are Guatemalan rosewood.

There's gold open-gear tuners, European flamed maple binding throughout, compensated bone saddle, bone bridge pins with abalone dots on an ebony bridge, and an ebony fingerboard with Foden-style abalone inlay.

A custom headplate inlay is set in on Guatemalan rosewood and the CEO 10 features a Vintage Deluxe neck, slightly asymmetrical for comfort and playability, says Martin. Each model includes a label signed by Martin CEO Thomas Ripsam and numbered in sequence.

D-Robert Goetzl 6 (Rabbit) ($11,999)

Martin 2023

The art here was inspired by the Chinese zodiac Year of the Rabbit and features original artwork by artist Robert Goetzl hand-painted on the soundboard.

This Goetzl model features full-gloss finished East Indian rosewood back and sides with a Sitka spruce top and forward-shifted scalloped X-bracing. An ebony fingerboard and bridge and a stylized script logo on the headstock also features, with a paper label signed by Robert Goetzl.

Goetzl 0 Tenor Uke ($9,999)

Martin 2023

This is a one-of-a-kind tenor ukulele, again hand-painted by artist Robert Goetzl, featuring a Hawaiian floral theme on the top and back.

This uke is crafted with sinker mahogany that was reclaimed from a river bottom in Belize. Sinker mahogany is denser than regular mahogany and "offers more harmonic complexity," according to Martin.

OM Biosphere ($2,299)

Martin 2023 guitars

Featuring more Robert Goetzl artwork, Martin is calling this "not just a guitar  its a call to action on climate change" and shows the company's support for the preservation and replenishment of coral reefs.

This model is 100% FSC certified and only the second plastic-free guitar in production today, preceded by Martin's 00L Earth guitar. Even the gig bag is sustainable and made from hempa first for the company.

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D-28 Klaus Voormann ($18,999)

Martin 2023

Klaus Voormann is best known for his Grammy Award-winning artwork on the cover of The Beatles Revolver album, and he created the one-off artwork for this guitar with his son, Maxi. It symbolises Peace through music".

D-42 Bitcoin ($18,999)

Martin 2023

A nod to the latest global currency, this D-42 includes a one-ounce, solid-gold token coin embedded in the headstock with unique inlays on the fingerboard and the headstock.

It features Guatemalan rosewood back and sides and is paired with an Englemann spruce top.
Image via Getty

A new report has found Niagara Falls to be the biggest tourist trap in Canada and one of the biggest in the world.

For the report, vacation rental company Casago searched thousands of reviews on TripAdvisor for the phrase tourist trap to see which global tourist attractions featured it the most frequently. In an effort to specify the data, Casago then narrowed down the search to each U.S. state and each country.

Casago spotlighted a review of Niagara Falls, explaining that every attraction dumped you into a gift shop.

The report also ranked the top tourist trap per country by use of the tourist trap phrase. Leading the charge was Fishermans Wharf in San Francisco with 1050 mentions of the aforementioned phrase.

Down in seventh place is Niagara Falls where Casago discovered that reviewers had written tourist trap 475 times across thousands of reviews.

For context, Casago explained that some of the worlds biggest tourist traps happened to be among the the worlds most iconic landmarks, including the Eiffel Tower and the Taj Mahal. Despite the high usage of tourist trap Niagara Falls reviews, the popular destination spot failed to crack the top 10 tourist traps in the world.

The U.S. featured four of the top 10 tourist trap locations.

For context, the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin, Ireland featured 516 uses of the phrase tourist trap, meaning that Niagara Falls wouldnt have fallen too far behind it. Its exact place in the biggest tourist traps in the world wasnt disclosed in the report.
Although she hasn't been seen since last November, police in the North Carolina town of Cornelius have yet to give up on the search for missing 11-year-old Madalina Cojocari.

Last Tuesday, Cornelius Police Chief David Baucom asserted at a public event that Madalina's disappearance was "not a cold case," according to local outlet WSOC.

"We have detectives working this case every single day," he said. "We just can't talk about it. Just because we're not talking about it, doesn't mean we're not doing anything."

RELATED: Police Ask For More Help In Finding Madalina Cojocari, Months After Parents Failed To Report Disappearance

The girl was last seen publicly stepping off her school bus at 4:59 p.m. on Nov. 21 of 2022 in footage obtained by the department. Madalina's mother, Diana Cojocari, said she last saw her daughter when she went to bed on Nov. 23, according to police, but the mom did not report the girl missing until Dec. 15.

Several days earlier, on Dec. 12, a counselor and resource officer from Bailey Middle School got no answer when making a welfare check at the home of the girl, who hadn't attended school since Nov. 21.

A police handout of missing girl Madalina Cojocari

Madalina Cojocari Photo: Cornelius Police Department

The girl's mother and stepfather, Christopher Palmiter, were indicted by a grand jury in January for failing to report the girl's disappearance to law enforcement. Now, arrest warrants obtained by WCNC indicate that police are pursuing leads related to drug and human trafficking.

Search warrants carried out on the parents' home and vehicle in mid-February indicated that drug trafficking may be involved in the girl's disappearance, according to the outlet.

A drug-sniffing dog reportedly "alerted on the driver's side door" of Diana Cojocari's Toyota Prius on Feb. 13.

After her daughter was last seen and before reporting the girl's disappearance, police believe Diana may have taken a trip to Madison County, North Carolina in that Prius, and are still seeking out anyone who may have seen the woman or her vehicle between Nov. 22 and Dec. 15.

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Police handouts of Christopher Palmiter and Diana Cojocari

Christopher Palmiter and Diana Cojocari Photo: Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office

Diana Cojocari asked a distant relative to "smuggle" her and her daughter away from her husband, telling him she was in a "bad relationship" and wanted a divorce, according to a search warrant obtained by Law & Crime. Phone records reviewed by police showed "extensive communication" between that relative and Madalina's mother on Dec. 2 of last year.

Meanwhile, that relative's phone records showed "multiple calls to phone numbers belonging to unidentified targets involved in ongoing T3 drug/narcotic trafficking investigations," according to earlier reporting by WCNC.

Madalina's mother and Palmiter argued on Nov. 23, according to Law & Crime. The next morning, the man drove away to his family's house in Michigan. The girl's mother told police she noticed that her daughter was missing on Thanksgiving, which was Nov. 24, but did not contact her husband until Nov. 26.

A police handout of missing girl Madalina Cojocari

When police asked the mother why she didn't report the girl missing right away, she replied that she "was worried it might start a 'conflict' between her and [Palmiter]," according to court documents reviewed by the outlet.

Palmiter allegedly told police that he left on Nov. 23, but hadn't seen the girl for about a week before his trip. When he returned, he allegedly claimed that he'd asked Diana if she was hiding the girl, and she said no but asked if he was. He allegedly also said he wasn't.

In a December press release, Cornelieus Police Department Captain Jennifer Thompson characterized the vexing case as a serious case of a child whose parents clearly are not telling us everything they know."

Oxy App

Mecklenburg County Commissioner Pat Cathom said she was glad police are "working on [the case] constantly ... and don't consider it a cold case" after Tuesday's event.

I know everyone misses her  her family and her friends at her school, Cotham said. So, hopefully shell be returned soon.

Baucom said he was confident that the girl would ultimately be found.

Were going to find Madalina. It may not be today, it may not be tomorrow, but were not going to stop," he said.
Pfizer Inc (NYSE: PFE) and Merck & Co Inc (NYSE: MRK) have reportedly lowered the prices of their respective COVID-19 treatments in China.

Pfizer cut the price of Paxlovid by about 100 yuan ($14.54) to 1,790 yuan per box of 30 pills, while Merck marginally lowered the price of a 40-capsule bottle of its oral treatment molnupiravir by 74 yuan to 1,426 yuan, Reuters reported citing the financial news outlet, Yicai.

Earlier this year, the companies had not agreed to a request by the Chinese authorities for deeper price cuts for COVID-19 treatments.

The marginal decline in prices follows China adjusted medical insurance coverage policy for COVID-19 treatments following the abrupt lifting of its zero-COVID policy in early December.

Previously, under a temporary policy China enacted for COVID-19 treatments, insured patients only needed to pay 10% of the price for Paxlovid and Merck.

That policy expired on March 31, meaning they must now pay full price.

In January, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla rebuffed reports saying the company is in talks with Chinese authorities to license a generic version of its Covid-19 treatment Paxlovid.

Price Action: MRK stock is up 0.27% at $109.16, and PFE shares are up 0.24% at $41.45 during the premarket session on the last check Tuesday.

Photo via Company

Don't miss real-time alerts on your stocks - join Benzinga Pro for free! Try the tool that will help you invest smarter, faster, and better.

This article After Denying Earlier, Pfizer & Merck Marginally Cut Prices For COVID-19 Treatments In China originally appeared on Benzinga.com

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 2023 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Nute's Cafe, serving farm-to-table international cuisine, will be the newest vendor at Crossroads Collective as Ruta's,cafe leaves the east side food hall

Nute's Cafe, serving farm-to-table international cuisine, will be the newest vendor at Crossroads Collective as Ruta's Vibrant Indian Cafe leaves the east side food hall and moves to its own space in Walker's Point.

Nute's Cafe's owner and chef is Jonute Svien, who draws from his own international heritage and experience for dishes, according to a news release.

My mother was an inspirational cook, and as soon as I was old enough, youd find me in the kitchen cooking her favorite Mexican dishes alongside her, Svien said in a news release. As an adult I felt inspired to travel to my home country of Romania, and then anywhere else a plane could take me. Im proud to have built a menu showcasing my passion for international cuisine."

The cafe will feature bowls, salads, sandwiches, soups and smoothies.

Initial menu items include a chipotle pork sandwich, classic Italian sandwich, and yellow coconut curry bowl.

Svien went to culinary school in Chicago in 2012 and worked in a number of restaurants in Chicago and Milwaukee.

He put his culinary career on hold to join the U.S. Navy in 2016 and served for three years. An on-duty accident led to him being medically discharged and then getting back into the restaurant industry.

Nute's Cafe will open April 21, with a veterans-only soft opening from 1 to 6 p.m. April 20.

More: This east side street near Crossroads Collective shut down for the Summer Soulstice Music Fest. Should it become a permanent public plaza?

More: Atwood Hwy. BBQ restaurant to join Crossroads food hall on Milwaukee's east side after HotWax departs

Crossroads Collective was able to make space for Nute's as Ruta's cafe served its last dishes there on March 31.

Ruta's Cafe plans to upgrade to its own brick and mortar space at 207 W. Freshwater Way, next to Purple Door Ice Cream.

Ruta's is building out the new space, and will update on social media about plans for a reopening date.

More: Indian foods author aims to make everyday meals more digestible

Sign up for our Dish newsletter to get food and dining news delivered to your inbox.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: New Milwaukee east side restaurant Nute's Cafe coming to Crossroads
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt may know some Taylor Swift songs all too well, though he's not quite out of the woods.

The state governor was spotted attending the Taylor Swift concert in Arlington, Texas on April 2 with his family. When he walked in the room, the whole place didn't quite shimmer, but other attendees took notice.

@GovStitt spotted at the Taylor Swift concert in Arlington tonight.



Its hard to believe with how liberal Taylor is - that Stitt or Walters would be Swifties. But here we are. pic.twitter.com/qDdyd7PtkN  DiaryOfABlueDot (@DiaryOfABlueDot) April 2, 2023

Other Swifties took to Twitter to comment on the situation, which is typically treated as a high-fashion event for fans to dress as their favorite albums and songs from Swift's career.

Why did he wear his work clothes???  Brittney (@msbrittlibrrn) April 2, 2023

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Gov. Kevin Stitt attends Taylor Swift concert in Texas
Casey Plett has made a name for herself in the fiction world writing up-close and nuanced stories about trans women living complex lives, most recently with her 2018 novel Little Fish and her 2021 short story collection A Dream of a Woman. But a new reissue of A Safe Girl to Love, her first collection of short stories, is giving Plett the opportunity to revisit her career beginnings  and to reflect on the way younger writers are treated even as they bring fresh energy into the field.

I think that writers who are really young can often do a lot of shit that other people arent going to be able to do, Plett tells Them. I think we infantilize young writers a lot of the time and I wish that wasnt the case.

Published in 2014, A Safe Girl to Love won the 2014 Lambda Literary Award for Transgender Fiction and is now being reprinted by Arsenal Pulp Press with a new afterword from the author. The book has become a cult classic, with stories centering trans women with varying experiences and backgrounds as they navigate their relationships, jobs, and dreams. Originally from Winnipeg, Plett has lived in Oregon and New York City, but her writing often returns to the landscape of Canada.

Ahead of the new edition, Plett spoke with Them about revisiting the earlier work, the freedom of not over-explaining transness, and the long history of trans art and resistance.

A Safe Girl to Love by Casey Plett

$18.00, Bookshop

Can you talk about the journey youve been on with this book? What has it been like to revisit the stories almost 10 years after the books original publication?

I remember when Bill Watterson used to talk about reading old Calvin and Hobbes strips, he would say, I can see that Im reading the work of a much younger man. When I re-read this book last summer, I hadnt looked at it for a long time and it was like, Oh, Im reading the work of a much younger version of myself, which is cool in a way. I dont say that in a negative way and I dont say that in a way that I mean to diminish anything.

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Its fascinating to read stuff and think, Oh yeah, thats stuff that I was concerned with writing about. This felt really relevant. And because its fiction, its nothing direct, but I can be like, Oh, I remember the emotional place I was in when I wrote this. I havent thought about that in a long time. Its like reading a diary thats been shot through a prism or something.

For all the women in these stories, the fact that theyre trans is in some ways very important and in some ways very banal, which is true to life. Can you talk about rendering transness as simultaneously in the foreground and the background for your characters?

I just dont actually really think thats difficult. As with any skills that writers have where stuff becomes relevant as it needs to become relevant, once you get it, its kind of like riding a bike, it just kind of becomes a natural thing.

Im re-reading Calvin Gimpelevichs Invasions right now, and I think he is a master at this, not only with transness, but also with class and race and gender, where there are these things that matter so much in these characters lives, but also were only going to bring them up as writers when it makes sense. And were going to bring it up when they become part of the texture of life in these very real and gorgeous and intrinsic ways. It was big for me when I realized that I could do that. I certainly had to figure that out.

But an example I always use is, when I moved to New York for the first time, I realized that there are all these landmarks and part of the geography of New York that I had already sort of known or understood the references to, both in terms of getting around and also as social indicators. That was because, like most people who consume art in the English-speaking world, I had read books and seen movies and heard music that all were referencing New York. So I was like, Well, why cant I do that with all the other shit in my life?

That was part of how I felt very freed, for example, when I wrote my novel Little Fish. I was like, Im going to write about Winnipeg the way that New Yorkers feel the freedom to write about New York. Because also, in that way, you kind of escape these over-explanatory things. Thats boring. I dont want to read that even if I dont know what youre talking about. And I feel like if we applied the same things to transness, we can tell some really interesting stories.

Its like reading a diary thats been shot through a prism or something.

You yourself come from a Mennonite background. Can you talk about the role or place of religion in these stories or for these characters? How does religion show up in your fiction and in this book?

I would say that Not Bleak is the [story] where religion really rears its head. I think that Zeke has an attachment to the religion that she grew up with in ways that she probably does not quite understand. I would say actually in the three books of fictions that I published, in each book there is a Mennonite trans woman who thinks that she is done with religion and shes not really interested anymore, but yet there are things about both her people and about Christianity that she still has to contend with  that is, she is not as done as she thinks. And in this book, that is Zeke.

When I was growing up, I always thought of queerness and religion as two things that just dont go together, and certainly that that was the case for transness. And Im very intrigued by  and I would even say moved by  the enormous amount of stories Ive gathered over the years from queer people for whom religion still ends up being a part in their life, even if they dont expect it to or dont want it to. This goes far beyond Christianity, and I would say thats something Im very intrigued by, Im very interested in.

Pivoting a little, theres something this collection made me think of. Cats: are they just queer culture?

Yeah, probably.

What is the importance of humor for you as a writer? Because there is a lot of humor, sarcasm, and a conversational tone in the book. Whats the importance of that for you?

Why make art if youre not going to be funny? Ill modify that because there can be plenty of art thats not funny. Let me put it this way: Why do anything if you cant laugh about it? I think thats all Ive got to say about that.

The more that they can convince us that whats happening is new, the more that we are giving them power.

In the afterword, you write that an older trans writer who had contacted you hadnt really acknowledged that there was a history of trans resistance that predated 2011, and had kind of phrased it as a new movement. Whats your relationship to and education been around that longer movement?

I dont blame that older trans writer. She was wrong, but I dont blame her for not being aware of these things because so many of us arent. I mean, weve been around for a long, long time, and thereve been lots of people doing incredible work on this stuff, Jules Gill-Peterson, Morgan M. Page. There is an amazing amount of work being done in queer and trans history. Its out there, but I think its really sad that it is still the kind of thing that everyone individually finds their way to eventually, if at all. And thats due to forces that are larger and outside of any of our control.

I remember reading Transgender History by Susan Stryker and being like, Holy shit, I never knew any of this. And it was because I had happened to hear about it, and I sought it out and I looked in a bookstore and I found the book and I bought it and I read it. I wish we could figure out a way to change that. In an ideal world, every intro to humanities college class and every high school would [read] that. We all know why thats not going to happen.

The fact that [people] keep trying to talk about how all of this is new, about any type of queer or trans stuff, I think its a trick. Its a trick that they use to get us. The fearmongering over trans children, which is just enraging and is so infuriating I cant even put it into words, that isnt new. The Atlantic ran a story in 2008 about Has the permissiveness gone too far?; that was 14 years ago. And you can read the same kind of shit in The New York Times. That was what they were doing in the 70s with Anita Bryants Save Our Childrens stuff.

The more that they can convince us that whats happening is new, the more that we are giving them power. Its the same thing with trans art, trans lit. The reason I always will use the term renaissance is because renaissance means rebirth. Trans lit is not a new thing. Trans people have been writing and making art for a long, long time. Some of which had to be closeted, some of which was always underground, sure, but we have been around making art for a very, very long time. Theres a long tradition and a very rich history of this. Any sort of insinuation or idea that these are new things is something that we have to push back on at every opportunity.

There, thats my tinfoil hat part of this conversation.

This Powerful New Memoir Explores Trans Joy Amid Trauma

Cecilia Gentilis debut book is a series of letters to a hometown that condoned her abuse.

Where are you finding creative inspiration or creative joy right now?

Ixnay on the joy. Inspiration, however  theres always something and if there stops being something, Ill stop writing. I never ever want to write books just because I feel like I have to. Its important to me, when Im finishing a book, to feel like this is the last one. And thats okay, theres other things I can do with my life. As for where it comes from, I dont know if I can articulate that. Theres an alchemy in there. Theres a mystery to that that I dont think I want to attempt to put into words.

This interview has been edited and condensed.

A Safe Girl to Love is available now from Arsenal Pulp Press.

Get the best of whats queer. Sign up for Thems weekly newsletter here.

Originally Appeared on them.
A Small Light, Nat Geos upcoming dramatic limited series, tells the story of Miep Gies, best known to history as the Dutch woman who, along with her husband Jan, hid the family of Anne Frank during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands.

The series, which premieres May 1, tells Mieps story during the darkest days of the war as she and her husband become increasingly desperate under Nazi occupation. But when asked by her employer, Otto Frank, for help hiding his family from the death squads, she agrees unflinchingly. See for yourself in the trailer right now at the top of the page.

For two years, Miep and Jan hid the Franks as well as four members of the Pfeffer family  until they were betrayed and the Franks and Pfeffers, arrested by the Nazi police, were taken to various concentration camps. The Gies evaded arrest and execution by almost pure luck, while in the end only Otto Frank survived the camps. However, Miep had saved many of the Franks and Pfeffers possessions  including Annes diary.

Also Read:

Disney Production Workers March at Burbank Lot With Animation Guild to Demand Unionization

When we first heard the remarkable story of Miep Gies we were gripped and deeply moved. We were also convinced that this limited series about an everyday superhero  one that most people around the world have never heard of  needed an unprecedented rollout, said Carolyn Bernstein, executive vice president of scripted and documentary films at National Geographic. We are determined to bring A Small Light to the largest global audience possible and hope this ambitious rollout across multiple networks and streaming platforms allows audiences to fall in love with and be inspired by Miep just as we have.

Produced by ABC Signature and Keshet Studios, A Small Light will launch with simultaneous broadcast of the first two episodes on National Geographic, Nat Geo WILD and Lifetime. The first episode will have an encore airing May 6 at 8/7c on Freeform and after that, two episodes will premiere every Monday at 9/8c on National Geographic, streaming the next day on Disney+ and Hulu, and on the Nat Geo TV and ABC apps.

Starring Bel Powley as Miep and Liev Schreiber as Otto Frank, A Small Light also stars Amira Casar as Edith Frank, Billie Boullet as Anne Frank, Ashley Brooke as Margot Frank, Andy Nyman as Hermann van Pels, Caroline Catz as Auguste van Pels, Rudi Goodman as Peter van Pels and Noah Taylor as Dr. Fritz Pfeffer. The series also stars Eleanor Tomlinson as Tess, Mieps best friend, Sally Messham as Bep Voskuijl, Ian McElhinney as Johannes Kleiman and Nicholas Burns as Victor Kugler, Mieps coworkers, along with Liza Sadovy as Mrs. Stoppelman, Laurie Kynaston as Casmir and Sebastian Armesto as Max Stoppelman.

Also Read:

New Barbie Trailer Opens Up Greta Gerwigs Candy-Coated World (Video)
Barrels line both north and south lanes on the Wooster bypass as the second phase of reconstruction gets underway.

WOOSTER  A state Route 83 improvement project is estimated to finish in October, and construction crews remain at work.

Alongside the usual daily lane closures from just south of U.S. Route 30 to Milltown Road, the Ohio Department of Transportation has announced new closures.

Road work ahead: ODOT construction projects coming to Wayne, Ashland & Holmes in 2023

Here's what you need to know for your daily commute.

New short-term lane, exit closures

The U.S. Route 30 eastbound exit ramp that leads to state Routes 3 and 83 north to Medina and Lodi will close Friday, April 7, for repairs, according to an ODOT advisory.

The recommended detour takes motorists east on U.S. Route 30 to the Apple Creek Road exit before turning left on Apple Creek Road. Reenter U.S. Route 30 westbound and travel to the Medina and Lodi entrance ramp.

State Route 83 reconstruction has begun, don't expect it to fully reopen until late 2023

This is a one-day closure.

The northbound passing lane on State Route 83 will be closed Monday, April 10 with a concrete barrier.

Two days later on Wednesday, April 12, the southbound lane will be closed with a concrete barrier.

Long-term closures

The southbound state Route 585 entrance ramp onto the Wooster bypass will be closed starting in early April for 90 days for reconstruction.

The state Route 83 southbound exit ramp to Route 585 Akron Road and Bowman Street will close starting Friday, April 14 for 90 days of pavement repairs.

The recommended detour is to continue south on State Route 83 following the East 250 and South 83 New Philadelphia and Millersburg signs. Take the exit ramp to U.S. Route 250 east and re-enter state Route 83 north to take the state Route 585 exit ramp.

The entrance ramp from state Route 585 Akron Road to state Routes 3 and 83 will close Friday, April 14 for 90 days of pavement repairs.

The detour route takes motorists on the state Route 83 north ramp before getting off on the Cleveland Road and Medina exit. Turn left onto state Route 3 and reenter Route 83 south.

Both ramps are estimated to open Sunday, July 16.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: SR 83 construction in Wooster: New lane, ramp closures start April 7
The aftermath of a tornado swept through the Greenwood area this past weekend.

In the wake of the deadly tornado that tore through Sussex County near Greenwood and Bridgeville, Delawareans are beginning to get back on their feet.

Many residents in the storm zone were left with damaged, sometimes uninhabitable homes, broken or missing belongings and, in one case, the loss of a loved one.

Aid workers, state agencies and volunteers from across the region have come together to help those in need. And while some organizations are not accepting outside assistance, others are open to more volunteers. Here is a list of ways to help people impacted by the tornado.

MORE: Updated impact of Delaware tornado: 1 killed and over 60 buildings damaged or destroyed

If you or an organization you are involved with would like to be included on the list, please email details and contact telephone numbers to hedelman@delawareonline.com.

Volunteer with the Red Cross

The local chapter of the Red Cross is accepting volunteers, including for its disaster response team. Volunteers are providing 10 local families impacted by Saturday's storm with aid including food, water, medication and emotional support, according to the Red Cross.

They are also encouraging anyone able to donate blood to do so, as the storm has disrupted blood drives in some areas.

Learn more about volunteer opportunities at redcross.org/local/dc-va-md-de/volunteer.

RELATED: 'Everything's gone': Victims and witnesses recount Greenwood-area tornado

Donate to the family of the man killed by the tornado

The family of Daniel Bawel, who died on Saturday after his house collapsed, has organized a GoFundMe to cover funeral costs as well as help his wife Connie, who lost everything in the storm. They are still accepting donations. As of Monday morning, they've raised almost $20,000.

Volunteer with or donate to the Delaware Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster

Contact Delaware's branch of Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster to be connected with a community partner in need of assistance by filling out a form at devoad.org/contact-us. VOAD cautions against "self-deploying" to the disaster area; instead, people interested in volunteering should wait until they're given an official assignment and can take necessary safety precautions.

Send story tips or ideas to Hannah Edelman at hedelman@delawareonline.com. For more reporting, follow them on Twitter at @h_edelman.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Delaware residents were displaced by Saturday's tornado. How to help
UPDATE: Rep. Gloria Johnson survives Tennessee House expulsion vote after peaceful gun control demonstration

Tennessee State Rep. Gloria Johnson plans to fight back if Tennessee House Republicans vote April 6 to expel her. She has a bigger cause in mind: Stopping mass shootings.

Johnson and two freshmen Democratic colleagues are facing an expulsion vote after the trio led protest chants for gun reform on the floor of the chamber last week in the wake of the shooting at The Covenant School in Nashville that killed three kids and three staffers.

She told Knox News in an exclusive interview she's exploring all her legal options to continue the fight.

I firmly believe we are on the right side of history, she said.

Tennessee House Republicans, who hold a supermajority, introduced resolutions this week to expel Johnson, Justin Jones of Nashville and Justin Pearson of Memphis for "disorderly behavior for breaking decorum rules in the chamber. The House chamber and the streets outside the Capitol were filled with passionate gun safety demonstrators from around the state and the country who said they were tired of hearing about children dying.

The conversation with Johnson has been edited slightly for length and clarity.

Knox News: Justin Pearson is from Memphis. Justin Jones is from Nashville. Youre from Knoxville. How important is it that the whole state was represented in your demonstration?

Gloria Johnson: You know what's really interesting is, of course, nobody thought about it at that time, it was spur of the moment. But weve noted this. We came together and there was three of us from three different parts of the state. And we all felt it was the right thing to do.

Democratic state Reps. Gloria Johnson of Knoxville, Justin Jones of Nashville and Justin Pearson of Memphis hold their hands up as they leave the House chamber April 3 in the state Capitol Building in Nashville.

The people that were there that showed up that day and the reason they showed up were the children who died so that we can put an end to more children dying. Its a sentiment thats felt all across the state.

I've gotten so many calls from Republicans today and even over the weekend, that support what we did and support red flag laws and support safe storage laws, you know, common sense gun laws. They fully support it.

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It appeared that Democratic leadership, at first, opposed the three of you leading protests. Why? When did they get behind it?

They were never opposed.  A lot of people interpreted the conversation up front when (Minority Leader Karen Camper, D-Memphis) came up to talk to us, she was frustrated at the situation. She was angry because the Republicans that day were saying they were gonna move to expel us right now. So, she was frustrated and was getting us to move into a private office to have a conversation.

It was still recess at that point. But no, they were never opposed to us but they were very upset at the situation that was happening and they were frustrated, but it was not with our actions.

What do you say to those who have claimed the protests were not peaceful?

That they werent there, thats what I would say.

It was the most peaceful protest I have ever seen. I mean, it was toddlers and teenagers. It was a protest of toddlers and teenagers. And the toddlers parents were there.

There was one scuffle, one tiny scuffle, in front of a bathroom with a couple of 16-year-old boys.

There was absolutely nothing to fear and for the speaker of the House (Rep. Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville) to lie and say that it was worse than the insurrection is dangerous.

(Editors note: House Speaker Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville, falsely compared the events on March 30 to "at least equivalent, maybe worse" than the events at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, which left police officers and a protestor dead and millions of dollars of property damaged. There was no damage and no one was injured in the peaceful demonstrations at the state Capitol, according the Tennessee Highway Patrol. Clarifying his comments on April 3, Sexton said it was not his intent to conflate the protesters at the Capitol with the three lawmakers.)

If you are removed from your seat, do you plan to sue? If so, talk me through that decision.

Yes, we're looking at all legal options, and we have quite a few. There's no question about that.

We're going to explore every option because this is just unprecedented, expelled for breaking a house rule that literally, you know, for 20 seconds we were in the session, and they cut the microphone. And the megaphone did not come out until they cut the microphone and called for a recess.

They are doing this because we stood up for dying children, because we are trying to protect the community. The very first action this body takes after a shooting that killed three children and three school personnel, the very first action theyre gonna take is to expel the very people who were speaking out against it 

Anti-gun demonstrators protest at the Tennessee Capitol on April 3.

I firmly believe we are on the right side of history.

There was a scuffle on the House floor, according to videos posted during Monday nights session. What happened?

When they started reading our expulsion resolutions, the people in the gallery got very angry. So, people in the gallery were yelling fascists, fascists, fascists! The people in the gallery got vocal. And so, they were being taken out by the Highway Patrol. And a lot of people on the floor were filming them 

So, Justin Jones was standing kind of behind and over from (Rep.) Justin Lafferty (R-Knoxville) and saw that Justin was filming and he just got a screenshot of it. And Justin Lafferty, turned around, shoved (Jones) and took his phone and started waving it in the air. It was just outrageous that Justin Lafferty just went for him.

I really feel like they feel entitled. They feel like they can do (anything), especially to these young, Black men. They act like overseers. Its remarkable 

Not all of them act that way. Some of them are quiet about it, but some of them just dont care.

Editor's note: After this story published, Lafferty's office responded to questions from Knox News with a statement. It did not deny the allegations that he shoved Jones and took his phone.

Representative Jones came to my desk and as I turned he shoved his phone in my face in a threatening manner," Lafferty said. "I reacted as anyone would. Attempts to characterize this as anything else are misleading and false. The three members who are in danger of losing their jobs are desperate to deflect attention away from their actions.

Tyler Whetstone is an investigative reporter focused on accountability journalism. Email tyler.whetstone@knoxnews.com. Twitter @tyler_whetstone.

The Tennessean contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Gloria Johnson on the Tennessee House Republicans who could expel her
Three people were killed in a head-on crash early Monday on westbound I-94 in Marengo Township.

MARENGO TWP.  Three people were killed in a head-on crash early Monday on westbound I-94.

Michigan State Police troopers responded to the two-vehicle crash near mile marker 115, east of 22-1/2 Mile Road, about 12:30 a.m. Monday, according to a release.

Troopers said a 42-year-old Massachusetts man was traveling eastbound in the westbound lanes of I-94 in a Ford pickup when he collided with a minivan traveling westbound.

The driver of the Ford pickup and two occupants of the minivan, a 46-year-old man from Indiana and a 4-year-old girl, died at the scene, police said. Names of the victims were not disclosed by police Monday.

Four additional minivan passengers, an adult and three children, were transported to local hospitals for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.

Three people were killed in a head-on crash early Monday on westbound I-94 in Marengo Township.

Investigation and cleanup of the scene resulted in the freeway being shut down for about five hours. Westbound lanes reopened to traffic about 5:45 a.m. Monday.

Troopers said it is unknown whether the driver of the Ford pickup was wearing a seatbelt. The deceased driver of the minivan and the other adult passenger were wearing seatbelts, but three children in the minivan were not in child safety seats or wearing seatbelts, police said.

Troopers were assisted at the scene by the Albion Police Department, Marshall Police Department, Calhoun County Sheriff's Department, Calhoun County Central Dispatch, Marshall Fire Department and the Marengo FireDepartment.

The crash remains under investigation. Anyone who may have witnessed the crash is asked to call MSP at (269) 558-0500.

Contact reporter Greyson Steele at gsteele@battlecreekenquirer.com

This article originally appeared on Battle Creek Enquirer: MSP investigating triple-fatal crash on westbound I-94 in Marengo Twp.
President Trump Returns To White House From Weekend In Florida - Credit: Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Come tomorrow afternoon, former President Donald Trump is expected to be formally charged and processed in New York Citys Manhattan courthouse. On the eve of his arraignment, Trump has taken to social media to level a frantic attack against Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.

Trump responded to a Yahoo News report that his indictment would include 34 class Class E felony counts of falsification of business records with a furious rant on Truth Social. Wow! District Attorney Bragg just illegally LEAKED the various points, and complete information, on the pathetic Indictment against me, Trump wrote. This means that he MUST BE IMMEDIATELY INDICTED.

More from Rolling Stone

He added, If he wants to really clean up his reputation, he will do the honorable thing and, as District Attorney, INDICT HIMSELF.

On the eve of his arraignment Donald Trump says Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg should do the honorable thing and INDICT HIMSELF pic.twitter.com/wb6p8oJqnp  nikki mccann ramirez (@NikkiMcR) April 4, 2023

No Crime by Trump. What a MESS. Bragg should resign, NOW! the former president wrote in a separate post.

Trump, who traveled from Florida to New York on Monday in preparation for the arraignment, has spent weeks attempting to discredit Bragg and the investigation into his 2016 hush money payment to Stormy Daniels. When news of the indictment broke on Thursday, Trump issued a lengthy statement accusing Bragg of conducting a political witch hunt aimed at interfering with the election. As previously reported by Rolling Stone, alongside Trumps public attacks on Bragg, the former president has already begun plotting ways to exact his revenge against the Manhattan DA.

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But even while Trump rages at the approaching arraignment, he and his team have worked to twist the courthouse spectacle in their favor. Law enforcement officials coordinating the voluntary surrender previously revealed to Rolling Stone that Trump had been offered the option of a quiet, virtual arraignment via Zoom  instead, the former president has opted for a highly public in-person procedure. He wanted a perp walk; he wanted daylight hours, said one law enforcement official involved in the planning of the arraignment. He wants to get out of the vehicle and walk up the stairs.

The source described the decision as a kind of Jesus Christ thing, with Trump portraying himself as a martyr amongst his followers. Describing the message the ex-president hopes to send his supporters, the source said: If they can do this to me they can do this to you. The source indicated that while Trump will present himself in court for a potential mugshot and fingerprints, he will not be handcuffed.

Trump has also indicated that he intends to make public remarks following the arraignment and his return to Palm Beach, Florida.

In March, as news broke that the Manhattan grand jury impaneled by Bragg was preparing to indict Trump, the former president called for protests on his behalf and warned of death and destruction should he be charged. While turnout on behalf of the former president has so far been scant, New York City law enforcement is bracing for potential unrest on Tuesday. Mayor Eric Adams issued a warning Monday to incoming protestors, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, that anyone caught participating in any act of violence, they will be arrested and held accountable. No matter who you are.

Best of Rolling Stone

Click here to read the full article.
tyler-the-creator-hot-wind-blows

Tyler, The Creator blessed fans just last Friday (March 31) with CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST: The Estate Sale, the official deluxe edition of his sixth studio album. The upgraded release added on eight new cuts and new collaborations with Vince Staples, YG, and A$AP Rocky. Leading up to the full reveal, he prepped listeners with visuals for DOGTOOTH, SORRY NOT SORRY, and WHARF TALK.

The IGOR artist is continuing to spoil fans with a consistent stream of music videos, adding onto the momentum today (April 4) with HOT WIND BLOWS. The new Lazaro Rodriguez-directed clip follows Tyler throughout his Switzerland adventures as DJ Drama describes the setting during his introduction:

Ladies and gentlemen, we just landed in Geneva, yeah, thats in Switzerland/ We on a yacht and a young lady just fed me French vanilla ice cream/ We all got our toes out, too, call me when you get lost

Then, the Los Angeles-raised rapper swoops in with his braggadocious bars about living lavish while traveling the world:

Ima travel the globe, you keep the block hot, driver, open the door for me, my hand hurt/ Find us, we playin hide-and-seek with the passports, where the f**k we at? Oh, the pilot gotta remind us, yeah

The original edition of CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST was released back in June 2022 and consisted of 16 tracks and guest assists from 42 Dugg, Ty Dolla $ign, YoungBoy Never Broke Again, Fana Hues, Lil Wayne, Brent Faiyaz, and Pharrell Williams. The DJ Drama-hosted album became the Odd Future co-founders second No. 1 on the Billboard 200 thanks to 169,000 album-equivalent units sold during its first week of release.

Be sure to press play on Tyler, The Creators brand new music video for HOT WIND BLOWS down below.

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TALLAHASSEE  In what could be Floridas third execution in less than three months, Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday signed a death warrant for a man convicted of murdering a Bay County woman in 1986.

Darryl Barwick, now 56, is scheduled to be executed May 3 at Florida State Prison, according to documents posted late Monday on the Florida Supreme Court website.

Barwick was sentenced to death in the March 31, 1986, stabbing death of Rebecca Wendt, who was found wrapped in a comforter in her Panama City apartment, according to court documents. Wendt was stabbed 37 times.

Death penalty: State keeps Barwick, Geralds on death row

Three women are on Florida's death row: Here's the killers' backstories.

A 1995 Florida Supreme Court decision said Barwick had seen Wendt sunbathing at the apartment complex and, after getting a knife, followed her into the apartment. He was also found guilty of armed burglary, attempted sexual battery, and armed robbery.

DeSantis signed the death warrant as the state prepares for the scheduled April 12 execution of Louis Gaskin, who was convicted in the 1989 murders of a Flagler County couple. Gaskins attorneys have asked the Supreme Court to stay the execution and reconsider his death sentence, but justrices had not ruled as of Tuesday morning.

The death warrants for Gaskin and Barwick also came after the state on Feb. 23 put to death Donald David Dillbeck, who murdered a woman in 1990 during a carjacking in a Tallahassee mall parking lot. Dillbeck, 59, was the 100th inmate executed in Florida since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976.

State Attorney: Death penalty sought for suspect indicted in Okaloosa deputy's homicide

More: Legislation lowering Florida death sentence threshold nears DeSantis' desk

Before Dillbecks execution, the state had not carried out a death sentence since Gary Ray Bowles was put to death by lethal injection in August 2019 for a 1994 murder in Jacksonville.

DeSantis did not release a statement on his decision Monday to issue a death warrant in the Barwick case. But the death penalty has received renewed attention in recent months after Nikolas Cruz was sentenced to life in prison for the 2018 murders of 17 students and faculty members at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.

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The state Senate last week approved eliminating a requirement for unanimous jury recommendations before judges can impose death sentences. The issue is pending in the House. Cruz was sentenced to life because a Broward County jury did not unanimously recommend the death penalty.

Barwick was initially sentenced to death in 1987, but the Florida Supreme Court overturned the conviction and ordered a new trial. He was convicted again in 1992 and was sentenced to death after a unanimous jury recommendation, according to a document from Attorney General Ashley Moodys office that was filed Monday at the Supreme Court.

State and federal courts have rejected a series of appeals by Barwick.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: DeSantis signs death warrant in Bay County murder for Darryl Barwick
Missouri Supreme Court Judge Mary Russell, who attended Mizzou Law in the early 1980s.

More and more, women graduates of the University of Missouri School of Law have a presence in courtrooms across the state and nation.

First-year women students in the law school reached a majority in 2021 for the first time, at 51%. Last year, women students were 56% of the first-year class. As recently as 2018, women were 38% of first-year law students.

It's an important milestone, but just a start, said Paul Litton, interim dean of the law school.

"I see it as important progress," Litton said. "Women now outnumber men in the law school, but they're still outnumbered in the profession. We should celebrate the progress towards equal representation in the profession."

Women are just over 30% of Missouri judges, 138 of 422.

Attracting women students has been intentional, Litton said.

"When prospective students look at our law school, theyll see our student leaders are men and women," Litton said. "Women are leaders on our journals, in student organizations and on our competitive teams. We have distinguished and accomplished women attorneys on our faculty who are role models and mentors to our students."

Adding women attorneys and judges to the profession is important, he said.

Paul Litton, professor and interim dean at University of Missouri School of Law

"There are clients who want lawyers who understand them, who they think see the world as they see it," Litton said. "Our government leaders also come from the legal field. Women face implicit bias and unequal treatment in the legal profession, but with more women attorneys in leadership, mentoring junior attorneys, we would expect bias to decrease."

Mary Russell, a judge on the Missouri Supreme Court, graduated from the law school when one-third of the class was female, she said.

"We did realize we were in a non-traditional profession for women in a profession dominated by men," Russell said. "We had only one female professor, Rhonda Thomas, as a role model. She could talk about what it was like to be in the profession."

A variety of circumstances led her to pursue law, she said. She started out as a reporter for her hometown newspaper in Hannibal, covering courts.

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"A kind associate court judge explained the procedures and helped me learn the vocabulary," Russell said.

She also interned at the State Capitol and the U.S. Capitol, getting more exposure to the legal field.

"I was from a rural area," Russell said. "I had never seen a female lawyer, so I didn't know if I would be able to do it. I didn't have the confidence to speak in public."

The confidence came through the MU law school and in professional life, she said.

Seeking a first job at law firms had its hurdles, Russell said. She and other women applying for jobs would remove their engagement or wedding rings because they knew firms expected them to work endless hours with no consideration of a life outside of work.

She didn't apply at firms that already had a female lawyer, because the idea was the firm had filled its quota, she said.

She sees it as an obligation to mentor new women lawyers and law students.

"I love mentoring young people," Russell said. "I didn't get where I am without lot of help from both men and women."

Because there were so few women lawyers when she started, most of her mentors were men, she said.

"My biggest female mentor is Ann Covington, who was the first woman judge on the Missouri Supreme Court and was the first woman chief justice," Russell said.

Russell praised Covington, of Columbia, during a bicentennial talk on the Missouri judiciary in 2021 where Covington was in the audience.

"Many of us women on the court think of her as our godmother," Russell said at the time.

The increasing number of women students in the MU law school is something to be proud of, she said.

"I think it's fabulous," Russell said. "I know it's been a nationwide trend. When you consider our population, why shouldn't there be at least an equal number of women lawyers? I think having women lawyers and judges to help people just strengthens our profession."

In 2020, women outnumbered men in law schools nationwide for the fifth consecutive year, according to a report by Enjuris.

MU will continue making strides toward equality in the legal profession, Litton said.

"There are many benefits to equal opportunity," he said. "It's something we should celebrate."

Roger McKinney is the Tribune's education reporter. You can reach him at rmckinney@columbiatribune.com or 573-815-1719. He's on Twitter at @rmckinney9.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Number of women students increasing in the MU School of Law
Juicy Bits hazy IPA from WeldWerks Brewing Co.

One of Colorado's most popular craft breweries plans to enter Michigan's competitive beer market next month.

WeldWerks Brewing Co.  an inventive, award-winning brewery based in Greeley, north of Denver  said it will begin distributing several of its beers in Michigan at the beginning of May, including its flagship beer, Juicy Bits hazy IPA. Expect to see WeldWerks beers on taps and shelves at participating locations.

More: Bell's Brewery has big plans for 2023: 5 top takeaways

WeldWerks opened in Greeley in 2015 and quickly became a cult favorite in a state lush with craft beer. Juicy Bits (6.7% alcohol by volume), a thick, hazy IPA brewed with Mosaic, Citra and El Dorado hops, has an average 4.17 rating on beer review platform Untappd, while its imperial version, Extra Extra Juicy Bits (8.6%), has a 4.36. The former will be distributed to Michigan as a year-round beer.

WeldWerks is particularly close with HOMES Brewery in Ann Arbor and has collaborated with it on a number of special-release beers over the years. They also collaborated with Speciation Artisan Ales in Grand Rapids to release a sour wheat ale in 2020.

Seasonal releases available in Michigan this spring include the Key Lime Pie sour ale (5.1%) and It's A Unicorn Thing hazy double IPA (8.5%). The full list of beers expected to be available starting in May:

Hefeweizen

Juicy Bits IPA

Key Lime Pie sour

T-Town Fruit Punch sour

Strawberry Cookies & Cream Cupcake sour

Coconut Cream Cheesecake sour

Its A Unicorn Thing Double IPA

Colorado Ale

WeldWerks joins a number of American craft breweries that are now distributing in Michigan, competing on shelves and taps with a growing number of Michigan breweries. Three Floyds Brewing, a standout craft brewery out of Munster, Indiana, came to neighboring Michigan in 2021. Other top-rated breweries to recently begin distributing to Michigan include Toppling Goliath Brewing Co. in Iowa (No. 14 on RateBeer.com's list of top breweries), Surly Brewing Co. in Minnesota (No. 64) and Lord Hobo Brewing Co. in Massachusetts.

Brian Manzullo covers craft alcohol for the Free Press. Contact him: bmanzullo@freepress.com and on Untappd, bmanzullo and Twitter, @BrianManzullo and @SpiritsofDET.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: WeldWerks Brewing Co. to begin distribution in Michigan
Apo Whang-Od has become the oldest cover star to appear on Vogue.

Photographed by Artu Nepomuceno, the 106-year-old Indigenous tattoo artist is on the cover of Vogue Philippines' April Beauty Issue wearing beaded necklaces and and showing off her many intricate tattoos.

Whang-Od is one of the last mambabatok, or traditional Kalinga tattooists, of her generation and has been training and inspiring the next generation of artists who will follow in her footsteps, continuing a thousand-year-old practice.

PHOTO: Apo Whan-Od has become Vogue's oldest cover star at 106-years-old. She is featured on Vogue Philippines April cover. (Vogue Philippines, Artu Nepomuceno)

Batok is an ancient tattooing technique that uses a mix of water and charcoal that's tapped into the skin using a thorn end of a pomelo or calamansi tree and a wooden mallet.

Whang-Od has been hand-tapping tattoos since she was 16 and learned under her father's guidance. Among her proteges are her grand-nieces Grace Palicas and Elyang Wigan.

"When visitors come from far away, I will give them the tatak Buscalan, tatak Kalinga for as long as my eyes can see," Whang-Od said, speaking with Vogue Philippines in the Butbut language for the outlet's accompanying cover story.

Prior to Whang-Od, Judi Dench was Vogue's oldest cover star, having been featured on British Vogue's June 2020 cover at the age of 85.

PHOTO: Apo Whan-Od has become Vogue's oldest cover star at 106-years-old. She is featured on Vogue Philippines April cover. (Vogue Philippines, Artu Nepomuceno)

MORE: Beyonce stars on Vogue France cover donning 'Renaissance Couture'

Vogue Philippines Editor-in-Chief Bea Valdes elaborated on the direction of this month's issue saying, "In this issue we honor women, wise and wild, shaped and fashioned in their own image, by their own hand, writing their own history."

The issue also touches on topics such as beauty brands in the metaverse and what it means to create your own image, as well as tracing the roots of the Philippine national dress Barong and pina weaving.

106-year-old Indigenous tattoo artist Apo Whang-Od becomes Vogue's oldest cover star originally appeared on goodmorningamerica.com
Wildlife officials worked to protect about one-fifth of the world's entire population of North Atlantic right whales swimming off Massachusetts Cape Cod coast on Friday.

Two patrol vessels safeguarded between 60 to 70 right whales  an endangered species with fewer than 350 North Atlantic that remain  from boat traffic, according to the Massachusetts Environmental Police.

A mother and calf were also spotted with the group, which fed outside the east end of the Cape Cod Canal in the Cape Cod Bay before traveling to another location by Saturday, according to officials.

On March 18, the Center for Coastal Studies' right whale aerial survey team spotted the first North Atlantic right whale mother/calf pair in Cape Cod Bay of the year. The mother is known to scientists as Porcia (#3293 in the North Atlantic Right Whale catalog).

In March, NOAA Fisheries documented around 80 right whales in Cape Cod Bay.

Rescue attempts for 8-year-old right whale

North Atlantic right whale #4545 was first seen with an entanglement in February off of Nantucket. She was spotted again on March 29 in Cape Cod Bay.

Meanwhile, attempts are underway to help an 8-year-old female right whale that became entangled in fishing rope and swam into Cape Cod Bay, Cape Cod Times, part of the USA TODAY Network, reported.

Scott Landry from the nonprofit Center for Coastal Studies told Cape Cod Times that her entanglement is "serious"  so much so that "without help, the entanglement will kill her. And it won't be a quick death."

Fishing gear a known killer

Entanglement in fishing gear is one of the greatest threats to the animal, according to NOAA, killing at least nine right whales since 2017  though right whale casualties are not well documented. Advocates have fought to try to force the federal government to protect the dwindling numbers of whales from the dangers they face, including vessel collisions and entangling fishing gear, in the warming waters off Canada and the United States.

Last Wednesday, a team directed by Landry managed to remove 200 feet of rope from the whale, known only as #4545 in the North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium's right whale catalog, but she remains entangled.

He noted that the Provincetown-based team  which will continue monitoring sea and weather conditions for another attempt to untangle the whale  "worked very hard" to free the whale despite her attempts to evade crew members.

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The severely entangled right whale was initially spotted in February, but trained rescuers were unable to respond at the time because of distance and the lack of daylight.

More coverage from USA TODAY

Camille Fine is a trending visual producer on USA TODAY's NOW team.

What's everyone talking about? Sign up for our trending newsletter to get the latest news of the day

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Endangered North Atlantic right whales seen feeding by Cape Cod
Students and Virgil Abloh Post-Modern Scholars received over $1 million in scholarships.

Photo: Darian DiCianno/BFA.com/Courtesy of Fashion Scholarship Fund

On Monday night, the Fashion Scholarship Fund (FSF) held its annual gala, celebrating the 127 scholars who will receive a joint award of over $1 million in scholarships.

To kick off the evening, host Karlie Kloss and 2022 Chairman's Award winner Naecia Dixon welcomed Anna Wintour as an honoree of the event.

"Growing up in Jamaica, there were three things that I knew were true: the sun rises, the grass is green and Anna Wintour is Vogue," Dixon said. "She has supported the next generation wherever she could as a champion of talent and a nurturer of enterprise."

View the original article to see embedded media.

Earlier in the day, Wintour had hosted the FSF class of 2023 in the Vogue offices. Fatmata Camara, one of the scholars and Virgil Abloh Post-Modern Scholarship Fund recipient, told Fashionista it was electric.

"When she entered the room, we were dead silent, and I think that speaks to the amount of respect she's been able to command," she said. "There are multiple generations who have learned so much from this woman... It's good to see how invested and how grounded she still is at the level that she's at."

On stage at the gala, Wintour shared that the visit filled her with gratitude "for all the program makes possible."

Anna Wintour. Photo: Getty Images for Fashion Scholar

As Wintour delivered her acceptance speech, she paid tribute to the late Virgil Abloh, whose namesake scholarship awarded an additional 27 students through the FSF. She also advised the scholars in the audience: "Just be who you are. Don't worry about what so and so is doing... It has to come from you the way it did from Virgil. I learned so much from him in the time all too short that I knew him. Study his work, study his generosity, study how he reached out to everyone he ever met... Watch that example, learn from that example and remember his values. We should all try to do just a little bit of what he did to keep our future in good hands."

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Shortly thereafter, the FSF introduced the four finalists competing for the $25,000 Chairman's Award: Olivia Baba, Clay Lute, Sofia Enriquez and Julian Tong. Each scholar presented their individual case studies, in preparation for the winner to be announced at the end of the night.

Emma Grede. Photo: Getty Images for Fashion Scholar

Later, Emma Grede  co-founder and CEO of Good American, founding partner of Skims and chairwoman of The Fifteen Percent Pledge  accepted her award, and offered the room the two things she believes are needed to be successful in the fashion industry: "unwavering self-belief and an unmatched work ethic."

"I've believed in [myself] forever," she said. "For a long time, fashion has been seen through such a narrow lens, but not anymore. The people are changing, the business is changing; with that change comes a real opportunity for real inclusion and a broader viewpoint... There are plenty of seats at the table, and I really think that your time is now."

As the event neared its end, Kloss and FSF Board President Jennifer Vecchio announced the winner of the Chairman's Award to 2023 Virgil Abloh Post-Modern Scholar Clay Lute, an LIM College student whose case study focused on a physical and virtual adaptive clothing line, marketed toward autistic children.

"I'm so excited to work with all of you to build this new future," he said as he accepted the award.

Clay Lute. Photo: Darian DiCianno/BFA.com/Courtesy of Fashion Scholarship Fund

Shannon Abloh, president of the Virgil Abloh Foundation and the late designer's wife, told Fashionista: "I was one of the judges when [Lute] was pitching, and his idea was so dynamic, and he's so dynamic as a person. To be able to make something that's so comfortable for autistic children and for them to feel like there's a place for them in the gaming world and to feel accepted there is really amazing. He was a standout for all of us."

The evening was ultimately a celebration of what the future of fashion holds, and a testament to the work professionals and educators are willing to put into uplifting and empowering the next generation bound to change the landscape of the industry. As Parsons student Izzy Kostrzewa told Fashionista: "FSF wants to show us that we are the future, because they believe in us."

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CHARLTON  A Lowell man faces a dozen charges, including drunken driving and assault and battery on a police officer, after allegedly causing multiple crashes and sending one person to the hospital Sunday afternoon on the Massachusetts Turnpike.

State troopers arrested Carlos A. Rodriguez, 33, in a swamp, soon after a homeowner reported seeing a suspicious man in his yard, state police said.

Earlier, around 5:30 p.m. Sunday, state police received numerous calls about a driver operating erratically, causing crashes on the westbound side of the turnpike. The callers said the driver was continuing to drive on the highway despite the crashes, according to a news release from state police spokesman Dave Procopio.

A trooper pursued the suspect's vehicle, a gold Cadillac XTS sedan, on the turnpike in Charlton. The chase ended when the driver caused another crash, the news release said.

The driver finally came to a stop after crashing a couple of miles down the westbound side of the turnpike. Witnesses said he ran away from the crash.

A Charlton homeowner tipped police to his Sturbridge Road home after seeing a man running through his backyard.

State police said troopers chased the man about 500 yards through thick woods and into a swamp off Simpson Road.

Police finally caught up with Rodriguez in waist-deep water. He put up a struggle before he could be placed in handcuffs, state police said.

During the entire interaction troopers made observations of Rodriguez consistent with intoxication, the news release said, including an odor of alcohol, bloodshot and glassy eyes, and difficulty remaining steady on his feet."

State police said troopers recovered evidence of narcotics and alcohol usage from Rodriguez's vehicle.

He was booked at the Charlton barracks, then taken to Harrington Hospital after complaining of pain.

A 52-year-old woman was taken to Harrington Hospital in Charlton after an Audi Q5 driven by an 80-year-old man from West Simsbury, Connecticut, was involved in a crash allegedly caused by Rodriguez.

Rodriguez is expected to be arraigned Monday at the Dudley District Court.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Mass. state police: Drunk driver arrested in Charlton swamp
The banking crisis hammered crude oil prices so much that OPEC stepped in with a shock 1 million-barrel-a-day production cut. Ramzi Boudina/Reuters

OPEC+ nations announced oil output cuts totaling 1.2 million barrels a day on Sunday.

Crude oil futures rose as much as 8% on the news. They had tumbled in March due to the bank crisis.

The move is a "precautionary measure aimed at supporting the stability of the oil market," per Saudi Arabia.

The banking crisis in March hammered crude oil prices so much that the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, or OPEC, stepped in with massive production cuts to stem the bleeding.

Saudi Arabia  the de facto leader of the OPEC  said on Sunday it will cut crude production by 500,000 barrels a day from May till the end of 2023 as a "precautionary measure aimed at supporting the stability of the oil market," according to the state-owned Saudi Press Agency.

On the same day, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Algeria, and Oman, also announced their own production cuts totaling 649,000 barrels a day through their state media outlets, per the Associated Press. Alexander Novak, the deputy prime minister of Russia, said on Sunday the country will be extending its 500,000 barrel-a-day production cut until the end of 2023, per TASS state news agency.

Thanks to the shock production cuts totaling around 1.15 million barrels per day, crude oil prices rose sharply on Monday. The US West Texas Intermediate and Brent crude oil futures jumped as much as 8% and were both 5.6% and 5.4% higher at $79.89 and $84.23 a barrel respectively.

The two benchmark oil grades were last above $80 a barrel earlier in March before the banking crisis sent prices down sharply.

The cuts are seen as a move to boost the oil markets, as prices posted their worst first-quarter performance since 2020, per Bloomberg records. Oil prices have been under pressure since the second half of 2022 due to fears over a global downturn that would, in turn, cut energy demand.

The surprise production cuts could further strain US-Saudi ties.

The surprise oil production cut is expected to put further strain on US-Saudi ties after the Biden administration's lobbying failed to stop OPEC's last round of production cuts in October 2022.

Story continues

"Resultant intensification of geo-political risks may be disproportionately large given that Saudi not only inadvertently aligns with Russia but is also observed to be cozying up with China." Vishnu Varathan, the head of economics and strategy at Mizuho Bank, wrote in a Monday note seen by Insider.

"We don't think cuts are advisable at this moment given market uncertainty - and we've made that clear," a spokesperson for the US National Security Council told Reuters on Sunday.

The White House did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment sent outside regular business hours.

Read the original article on Business Insider
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WASHINGTON, April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Global Digital Pathology Market is valued at USD 732.1 Million in 2021 and is projected to reach a value of USD 1516.1 Million by 2028 at a CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) of 12.9% over the forecast period 2022-2028.



Market Overview

Digital pathology is the practice of converting glass slides containing tissue samples into digital images. These images can be analyzed and interpreted using computer algorithms and software, providing a more accurate and efficient way to diagnose diseases and conditions. The benefits of digital pathology include faster turnaround times, improved accuracy and reproducibility, and the ability to easily share and collaborate on patient cases.

The digital pathology market is a rapidly growing industry with significant potential for innovation and advancement in healthcare. As technology continues to evolve and improve, we can expect to see even more opportunities and challenges arise in this field. Whether you're a healthcare professional, investor, or simply curious about the future of healthcare, understanding the trends and developments in the digital pathology market is essential.

Get Access to Free Sample Research Report with Latest Industry Insights @ https://www.vantagemarketresearch.com/digital-pathology-market-1445/request-sample

Market Dynamics

The digital pathology market is experiencing rapid growth, driven by a combination of factors including the increasing adoption of digital solutions in healthcare, the need for more accurate and efficient diagnostic tools, and the rise of personalized medicine.

One of the key drivers of growth in the digital pathology market is the increasing adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) technologies. These technologies can help pathologists analyze and interpret digital images more quickly and accurately, leading to more efficient diagnoses and better patient outcomes. The use of digital pathology in clinical trials and research is also expanding, providing new opportunities for drug development and personalized medicine.

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In conclusion, the digital pathology market is a dynamic and rapidly evolving industry with significant potential for growth and innovation in healthcare. Understanding the key drivers, trends, and challenges of this market is essential for healthcare professionals, investors, and anyone interested in the future of healthcare. As technology continues to advance, we can expect to see even more exciting developments and opportunities in the digital pathology market.

Top Players in Global Digital Pathology Market

Leica Biosystems (US)

Koninklijke Philips N.V. (Netherlands)

3DHISTECH (Hungary)

Apollo Enterprise Imaging (US)

Hamamatsu Photonics (Japan)

F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd. (Switzerland)

XIFIN Inc. (US)

Huron Digital Pathology (Canada)

Aiforia Technologies Oy (Finland)

Akoya Biosciences (US)

Visiopharm A/S (Denmark)

Corista (US)

Indica Labs (US)



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Key Challenges Facing the Digital Pathology Market:

The high cost of digital pathology systems: Digital pathology systems can be expensive, which can limit their adoption by smaller hospitals and clinics.

The need for specialized training: Digital pathology requires specialized training, which can be a barrier to adoption.

The lack of standardization: There is currently no standardization of digital pathology systems and workflows, which can make it difficult to share images and data between different institutions.



Future of Digital Pathology

The future of digital pathology is bright. The market is expected to grow rapidly in the coming years due to the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases, the rising demand for quality diagnostics, and the growing adoption of digital technologies in healthcare. The challenges that need to be addressed before digital pathology can be widely adopted are being addressed by the key players in the market.

Benefits of Digital Pathology

Improved image quality: Digital pathology images are often of higher quality than traditional microscope images.

Increased efficiency: Digital pathology can improve the efficiency of diagnostic workflows by allowing pathologists to view, store, and share images electronically.

Enhanced collaboration: Digital pathology can facilitate collaboration between pathologists by allowing them to view and discuss images remotely.

Reduced costs: Digital pathology can reduce the costs of diagnostic imaging by eliminating the need for traditional microscopes and slides.

Top Report Findings

The digital pathology market is expected to grow at a 12.9% CAGR during the forecast period.

The growth of the market is being driven by a number of factors, including the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases, the rising demand for quality diagnostics, and the growing adoption of digital technologies in healthcare.

The digital pathology market is segmented on the basis of product, application, end user, and geography.

Based on product, the market is segmented into scanners, software, and services.

Based on application, the market is segmented into disease diagnosis, drug discovery, education and training, and others.

Based on end user, the market is segmented into hospitals, clinics, academic and research institutes, and others.

Based on geography, the market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Rest of the World.



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Top Trends in Digital Pathology Market

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) are transforming the digital pathology market. These technologies can help pathologists analyze and interpret digital images more quickly and accurately, leading to more efficient diagnoses and better patient outcomes. AI and ML algorithms can detect patterns in large data sets and make predictions based on these patterns, improving the accuracy and speed of diagnoses. AI-powered image analysis tools can also identify subtle changes in tissue samples that may be missed by human pathologists.

Another trend in the digital pathology market is the use of cloud-based solutions. Cloud-based digital pathology systems offer several benefits over traditional systems, including easier access to data and images, greater flexibility and scalability, and lower upfront costs. The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the adoption of cloud-based solutions, as healthcare providers seek more remote and virtual options for patient care.

Digital pathology is also playing an increasingly important role in clinical trials and research. By digitizing tissue samples and making them easily shareable, digital pathology can help researchers collaborate more effectively and accelerate the development of new treatments and drugs. Additionally, digital pathology can help identify biomarkers and subtypes of diseases, leading to more personalized and targeted therapies.

The rise of personalized medicine is another trend driving growth in the digital pathology market. By using digital pathology to analyze tissue samples at the molecular level, pathologists can identify specific genetic mutations or protein markers that are associated with certain diseases. This information can then be used to develop personalized treatment plans that are tailored to each individual patient.

Global Digital Pathology Market Segmentation

By Product

Storage Systems

Scanners

Software



By Type

Human Pathology

Veterinary Pathology

By Application

Drug Discovery

Disease Diagnosis

Training & Education



By End User

Pharmaceutical & Biotechnology Companies

Hospitals and Reference Laboratories

Academic & Research Institutes



By Region

North America United States Canada Mexico

Europe Germany UK France Italy Spain Rest of Europe

Asia Pacific China Japan India South Korea South-East Asia Rest of Asia Pacific

Latin America Brazil Argentina Rest of Latin America

Middle East & Africa GCC Countries South Africa Rest of MEA



Browse market data Tables and Figures spread through 145 Pages and in-depth TOC on Digital Pathology Market Forecast Report (2022-2028).

Scope of the Report:

Report Attributes Details Market Size in 2021 USD 732.1 Million Revenue Forecast by 2028 USD 1516.1 Million CAGR 12.9% from 2022 to 2028 Base Year 2021 Forecast Year 2022 to 2028 Key Players Leica Biosystems, Koninklijke Philips N.V., Hamamatsu Photonics, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., 3DHISTECH, Apollo Enterprise Imaging, XIFIN Inc., Huron Digital Pathology, Visiopharm A/S, Aiforia Technologies Oy Customization Options If our report does not include the information you are searching for, you may contact us to have a report tailored to your specific business needs https://www.vantagemarketresearch.com/digital-pathology-market-1445/request-sample



Read Full Report with TOC @ https://www.vantagemarketresearch.com/industry-report/digital-pathology-market-1445

Key Questions Answered in Digital Pathology Market Report

What is the current market size and projected growth rate of the digital pathology market?

What are the key trends driving the growth of the digital pathology market?

What are the different types of digital pathology solutions available in the market?

What are the different applications of digital pathology, and how are they being used in healthcare?

Who are the major players in the digital pathology market, and what are their market shares?

What are the key challenges facing the digital pathology market, and how are they being addressed?

What are the different regulatory frameworks governing the digital pathology market in different regions of the world?

What are the key opportunities for growth and innovation in the digital pathology market?

What are the different geographical regions driving the growth of the digital pathology market?

What is the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the digital pathology market, and how are healthcare providers and researchers adapting to the new reality?

Regional Analysis

North America is the largest market for digital pathology, with the United States being a major contributor to the region's growth. The region's growth is driven by factors such as an increasing number of pathology labs, rising adoption of digital pathology solutions, and the presence of major players in the market. The region's high healthcare expenditure and focus on research and development also contribute to the growth of the digital pathology market in North America.

Europe is another major market for digital pathology, with countries such as Germany, the UK, and France contributing significantly to the region's growth. The growth in this region is driven by factors such as an increasing focus on personalized medicine, a rise in the number of cancer cases, and the need for faster and more accurate diagnosis. The region also has a strong regulatory framework and high healthcare expenditure, which contribute to the growth of the digital pathology market.

The Asia-Pacific region is expected to witness significant growth in the digital pathology market, with countries such as China, Japan, and India being major contributors to the region's growth. The growth in this region is driven by factors such as a rise in the number of cancer cases, an increasing focus on digitization in healthcare, and the need for better diagnostic tools. The region's large population and increasing healthcare expenditure also contribute to the growth of the digital pathology market in Asia-Pacific.

Latin America and the Middle East and Africa are emerging markets for digital pathology, with increasing adoption of digital pathology solutions in these regions. Factors such as rising healthcare expenditure, improving healthcare infrastructure, and the need for accurate and efficient diagnosis are driving the growth of the digital pathology market in these regions.

Reasons to Buy this Digital Pathology Market Report

Comprehensive and up-to-date information: A digital pathology market report provides a comprehensive and up-to-date analysis of the digital pathology market, including the latest trends, developments, and opportunities. This information can help you stay informed and make informed decisions.

Analysis of key players: A digital pathology market report includes an analysis of the major players in the industry, their market share, and their strategies. This information can help you understand the competitive landscape and make informed investment decisions.

Insight into market drivers and challenges: A digital pathology market report provides insights into the key drivers and challenges facing the industry. This information can help you understand the market dynamics and make informed business decisions.

Regional analysis: A digital pathology market report provides insights into the regional trends and opportunities in the digital pathology market. This information can help you identify growth opportunities in different geographies and make informed investment decisions.

Future outlook: A digital pathology market report provides a future outlook for the industry, including projected growth rates, new technologies, and emerging trends. This information can help you plan for the future and make informed business decisions.



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President Biden on Sunday approved a disaster declaration for Arkansas after tornadoes ripped through the South and Midwest, killing at least five people in the state.

Jill and I are praying for everyone impacted by the devastating storms this weekend. While we are still assessing the full extent of the damage, we know families across America are mourning the loss of loved ones, desperately waiting for news of others fighting for their lives, and sorting through the rubble of their homes and businesses, Biden said in a statement.

Theres nothing we can do to heal the hole left in the hearts of far too many families who lost loved ones this weekend, but we will be there every step of the way as they rebuild and recover.

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R) had declared a state of emergency on Friday and activated the states National Guard after dozens of residents were injured by the tornadoes. Confirmed or suspected tornadoes ravaged parts of 11 states, killing at least nine people in Tennessee, five in Indiana and four in Illinois, according to the Associated Press.

The president said Sunday that hes spoken with Sanders and the mayors of Little Rock and Wynne to let them know that my administration will do everything we can to help, as long as it takes.

Bidens move also allows federal aid to supplement state and local recovery efforts and makes federal funding available to affected individuals in the states Cross, Lonoke, and Pulaski counties, as well as to eligible governments and nonprofits for emergency work.

Additional counties may be included after further damage assessments are completed, and additional assistance could be made available, the White House said.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
A bipartisan group of senators from Western states embarked Monday on a downstream tour of the Colorado River  in a show of support for the seven states tasked with negotiating consumption cutbacks.

The tour, which began near the rivers headwaters in Colorado, will include stops at critical infrastructure sites and meetings with local stakeholders in both the Upper and Lower basin.

Were in the middle of a 1,200-year drought, Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), who organized the tour, said at a Monday press conference. Were going to have to find a way for the Upper Basin and Lower Basin states to come together.

Deliberations among Colorado River basin states are currently at a standstill after dragging on for nearly a year  since Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Camille Touton called for an increase in water conservation measures last June.

Touton is accompanying Bennet on the tour, along with Upper Basin Sens. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.) and Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.). The Upper Basin includes Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming, while Arizona, Nevada and California make up the Lower Basin.

We will be joined as we proceed down the river by other members of the U.S. Senate in the Lower Basin states, Lummis said at the press conference.

Well be working with them to inform ourselves about these unique partnerships that will make up the future of the Colorado River for all of us, she added.

The lawmakers are all members of Hickenloopers Colorado River Caucus  a bipartisan cohort of senators from all seven states who intend to help local leaders agree on reductions.

Theres no Republican or Democratic water, Hickenlooper said on Monday. Were all in this together.

Following Toutons June call for cutbacks, the seven basin states missed an initial mid-August deadline to present a unified plan. They then agreed to a new target date of Jan. 31  aware that the Bureau could impose cuts itself if they again failed to do so.

Story continues

What ended up materializing were two rival proposals: a joint deal from six out of the seven states and a separate offer from California.

The six-state proposal focuses on spreading the burden for evaporation losses. As the Colorado Rivers biggest user, California would face the biggest cuts in this scenario.

The Golden States plan, which includes larger reductions for Arizona than for California, relies on voluntary efforts and adheres to the legal terms of a century-old water rights compact.

With regards to the ongoing standoff, Touton said on Monday that the best solution is one that includes all the states and the growers and the tribes, as well as sound science.

Hickenlooper, meanwhile, described an energy and optimism that the states will be able to come to an agreement.

Were going to get here, some way or another, he said. Well get a seven-state solution.

That solution, the senator continued, should involve a shared level of sacrifice from all parties.

Theres genuine consensus that the original compact was made on faulty science. And you know, its 100 years old, Hickenlooper said.

Bennet expressed similar hopefulness about such an agreement, noting that the states have a shared understanding about the 1,200-year drought.

While this years wet winter has provided some relief, Hickenlooper stressed that this is not a long-term solution.

Instead, he explained, the weather gives us a little more time to figure out what the solutions will be.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Editor's Note: Black River Head of School Shannon Brunink disputes the Bridge report, telling The Sentinel the school will not be offering the course in the fall. This story will be updated as more information is available.

HOLLAND  A local high school will be among a small group of schools in Michigan to pilot an Advanced Placement African American studies course next school year.

Black River High School in Holland is one of 20 Michigan high schools selected by the College Board, the organization that provides the AP course framework, according to Bridge Michigan.

Black River High School is among 20 Michigan schools selected to join a pilot of the AP African American studies course from the College Board next year.

The new AP African American studies course debuted in 60 high schools across the country this school year. It will be expanded to hundreds of additional high schools in 2023-24, including the 20 in Michigan, according to the College Board website.

Most of the Michigan schools selected are in the metro Detroit area. In addition to Black River, Grand Haven High School and East Kentwood High School were selected in West Michigan.

Beginning with the 2024-25 school year, all schools will be able to offer the course. The course has been in development for more than a decade, according to the College Board.

Bridge spoke to Black River teacher Gregory Dykhouse, who currently teaches an AP class at BR, about the course. He said it will be a good addition to the schools offerings.

Theres a real interest when (students) come across names of people that seem to be really important that they never heard of before, Dykhouse told the publication. In the past few years, students have become more aware of issues coming out of the African American community and I think they want to know more about it.

According to the course framework from the College Board, AP African American studies examines the diversity of African American experiences through direct encounters with authentic and varied sources. It will have emphasis on developing historical, literary, visual and data analysis skills.

Story continues

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Topics to be covered in the course include early African empires and kingdoms, the transatlantic slave trade, slavery, abolition, reconstruction, racial uplift, Black internationalism, the civil rights movement, Black power and Black pride, diversity within Black communities and identity, culture and connection.

The course has drawn criticism over inclusion of contemporary topics such as the Black Lives Matter movement, Bridge reports. Among critics is Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, whose administration blocked the course.

Likewise, Bridge wrote, the College Board has been criticized for scaling back several topics, making them optional, after receiving pushback from conservatives.

 Contact reporter Mitchell Boatman at mboatman@hollandsentinel.com. Follow him on Twitter @SentinelMitch.

This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Black River named as pilot school for AP African American course
Footage shows a group of Buddhist monks freeing a pregnant cow they found trapped in thick mud in Thailand.

The religious devotees were hiking on a hill near the temple in Chiang Mai province when they came across the cow.

They realised that the cow's limbs were submerged in the muck that was starting to dry in the afternoon sun.

Once the rescuers dug out enough mud for the cow to move, they carried it out by tying its upper body to a rope attached to a bamboo pole.

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A North Atlantic right whale mother and her calf, feeding with whales on Sunday east of the Cape Cod Canal, ended up taking a swim in the canal, resulting in an escort from maritime authorities.

After the pair were observed entering the canal in the late morning on Sunday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Cape Cod Canal operations team closed the 17.4-mile canal to maritime traffic, according to Army Corps spokesman Bryan Purtell. The canal remained closed from about 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Authorities were on heightened alert for right whale activity at least since Friday, as a number of the marine mammals were observed by an aerial team from the Center for Coastal Studies feeding nearby on a rich patch of zooplankton.

"Our canal operations team observed right whale activity near the vicinity of the east entrance of the canal on Friday, Saturday and Sunday," Purtell said.

The North Atlantic right whale named Smoke and her newborn calf were first sighted in December about seven nautical miles east of St. Catherines Island in Georgia. The pair, part of a group of right whales congregating in Cape Cod Bay, swam into the Cape Cod Canal Sunday, stopping maritime traffic for about five hours. North Atlantic right whales regularly visit Cape Cod Bay and are considered critically endangered.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and U.S. Coast Guard officials were notified, and Corps patrol vessels and park rangers were dispatched "to monitor whale activity, keep mariners informed and manage traffic around the presence of the endangered species," he explained.

Mother whale identified, explores with her fourth calf

New England Aquarium assistant research scientist Amy Warren said Monday that scientists identified the mother whale as 27-year-old Smoke, who is listed in the North Atlantic Right Whale Catalog as 2605. It appears the pair only recently entered Cape Cod Bay after migrating from coastal waters off Georgia, where Smoke's calf  her fourth known baby  was born. The two were last observed by Clearwater Marine Aquariums Georgia team on Dec. 26 and 27, according to the aquarium.

Many of the critically endangered right whales have been coming into the bay in the last few weeks, scientists at the aquarium and the Center for Coastal Studies, in Provincetown, have reported. The whales often spend time in the bay, resting and feeding, on their annual trek to summer feeding waters off Canada.

Story continues

"From my knowledge, the pair had not yet been seen in Cape Cod Bay by any of the survey teams," Warren said. "They were making their way up from the southeast calving grounds."

Smoke and her calf passed under the Sagamore Bridge during their exploration, but did turn back and re-enter Cape Cod Bay, according to authorities.

It is unusual for North Atlantic right whales to swim into the Cape Cod Canal.

While it doesn't happen frequently, it's not unheard of for the whales to enter the canal.

In early March, two juvenile whales caused closure of the canal, for a little more than 21 hours. One of them entered from the Buzzards Bay side and swam nearly the entire length of the canal before turning around. The other was observed feeding near the eastern entrance of the canal.

In March Whales that swam into Cape Cod Canal were young. Researchers may know their mothers.

It is standard to close the waterway to vessels when the whales do enter the canal, or are present very near the east and west openings, until the animals have cleared out.

Many right whales are now in Cape Cod Bay, according to researchers.

At this time of year, Warren said, there are a lot right whales the bay, constantly shifting around as they follow the food source.

The North Atlantic right whale named Smoke, seen in this photo in the Gulf of St. Lawrence in July of 2022, swam into the Cape Cod Canal on Sunday with her newborn calf, stopping maritime traffic for about five hours.

"There was a lot going on last Friday when there were about 30 whales near the Cape Cod Canal," she said.

Jesse Mechling, the marine education director at the Center for Coastal Studies, predicted in late March that the current abundance of zooplankton will result in an especially good year for shore-based whale watching. Mechling conducts shoreline walks in Provincetown for viewing whales.

Here there be whales Right whales come up for air in Provincetown. Here's how to get a look from dry land.

The center's right whale ecology program team, which undertakes regular aerial surveys of the bay and was out on Monday, has observed more than 100 individual right whales so far this season, which starts in December, including three calves and their mothers.

Warren said she last heard there were potentially at least 70 to 80 right whales presently in the bay  nearly a quarter of the world's total population of right whales. According to a report released in the fall by the North Atlantic Right Whale Consortium, there are only about 340 right whales  plus or minus seven  remaining.

Another mom and calf also bring excitement

While Smoke and her baby were the focal point for many over the weekend, another mother and calf pair also captured the attention of the scientific community last week.

On March 27, a 41-year-old female named Spindle  listed in the right whale catalog as 1204  was seen in the bay with her calf. It was a notable sighting because the calf was observed nursing as it swam under its mother, a moment that was captured on video from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, New England Aquarium, and Whale & Dolphin Conservation.

According to Woods Hole Oceanographic scientist Michael Moore, the intimate interaction between mother whale and calf is something he has rarely captured on video.

Mariners are reminded to slow down.

With so many right whales in the bay at this time, authorities are reminding mariners that speed limits for Cape Cod Bay are in effect, and they should remain vigilant. Besides entanglement, boat strikes are a leading cause of serious injury and death for North Atlantic right whales.

A current entanglement 'We will do the best we can.' Cape Cod rescuers hope to help severely entangled right whale in the bay

The Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries has a seasonal 10-knot speed restriction in the bay for vessels less than 65 feet in length until April 30, which can be extended if whales remain in the area. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration also has a 10-knot seasonal speed restriction in and around Cape Cod Bay for vessels 65 feet or greater.

Heather McCarron writes about climate change, environment, energy, science and the natural world, in addition to news and features in Barnstable, Brewster and Falmouth. Reach her at hmccarron@capecodonline.com, or follow her on Twitter @HMcCarron_CCT

Gain access to premium Cape Cod Times content by subscribing.

This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Cape Cod Canal closed for 5 hours Sunday when right whale, calf seen
A spectacular cherry blossom 'blizzard' blew in the wind in South Korea, marking the start of spring.

An unexpectedly early blooming of the flowers has prompted local officials to move their flower festivals to earlier dates in order to mark the occasion.

Cherry blossoms in Seoul began blooming on 25 March, two weeks earlier than average, according to the Korea Metrological Administration (KMA).

The city of Jinhae hosts South Korea's biggest cherry blossom festival, attracting two million visitors to a ten-day celebration which includes parades and fireworks.

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The La Vista Correctional Facility in Pueblo

The Colorado Department of Corrections is defending a controversial "honor house" at Pueblo's La Vista Correctional Facility, where inmates are allowed to order items from Walmart and Amazon, and come and go from their cells frequently.

A former Denver district attorney characterized the perks of the program as unwarranted for offenders expected to serve punishment for violent crimes  a sentiment shared by 10th Judicial District Attorney Jeff Chostner.

However, Annie Skinner, a spokesperson for the department of corrections, said the treatment is an effective tool in reducing inmate recidivism.

"These types of incentive units are not new in the department, and are being utilized in prisons and jails across the country," she said.

"The old-school way of operating prisons was to make them harsh and punishing environments, but what corrections professionals across the world have grown to understand is that the best way to reduce recidivism is to provide opportunities for incarcerated individuals to make positive changes while they are incarcerated, to work towards achieving additional privileges, provide pro-social engagement, and to support them in preparing to transition from prison back into a home environment."

Skinner said the honor house affords women who have exhibited positive behavior behind bars an opportunity to live in a unit that better prepares them to transition back into a community, including ordering and preparing food, living in a more communal environment, doing laundry, and maintaining healthy exercise habits.

"We do have some women who live in the unit who have long-term or life sentences. These women will be participating in the unit as part of a mentorship program, and will be able to give back by assisting other women in preparing for return to the community," Skinner said. "It is also important to provide purpose behind the walls for individuals who have long sentences because that keeps our facilities safer for staff and inmates."

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Women who are interested in living in the Honor Unit must submit an application and meet requirements regarding institutional behavior and programming compliance, and undergo a "detailed review" by staff, Skinner said. If cleared by staff, Honor Unit residents then interview the applicant before final placement in the unit.

The program has its detractors however. Former Denver District Attorney Mitch Morrissey told CBS News Colorado that participation by certain inmates, including those convicted of murder and sexual assault, was "outrageous."

"These are people the victims think belong behind bars for the rest of their lives. This doesn't sound like they're behind bars to me," Morrissey said to CBS News Colorado. "It sounds like a five-star hotel."

Chostner, Pueblo's DA, stated while he did not have much to add himself, he agreed with Morrissey's comments.

"This doesnt purport to be the jail experience that I think people expect when one is sent to confinement," Chostner said.

Skinner noted, however, that efforts such as the honor house have a demonstrable effect on recidivism.

"CDOCs efforts to implement a rehabilitation model for inmates has been helping to reduce the recidivism in our state. In fact, our most current three-year recidivism rate was 31.0%, which is the lowest it has been since 2004."

The idea that harsher prison conditions do not reduce recidivism is backed by scholarly studies.

In 2007, a study by MK Chen of the Yale School of Management and Jesse Shapiro of the University of Chicago found that "Inmates housed in higher security levels are no less likely to recidivate than those housed in minimum security; if anything, our estimates suggest that harsher prison conditions lead to more post-release crime."

A study by the Social Science Research Network found similar results.

Questions, comments, or story tips? Contact Justin at jreutterma@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @jayreutter1.

This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Colorado prison system defending 'honor house' at La Vista Correctional
In 2013, a small group of Eagle residents, made up of avid walkers and bikers, began urging the Idaho Transportation Department to make one of its highway bridges over the Boise River safer for pedestrians.

Ten years and $2 million later, the city of Eagle is preparing to open its Eagle Road pedestrian and bike bridge over the Boise River.

The bridge aims to provide walkers and cyclists easier access across the Boise River along Eagle Road. For years cyclists and walkers have had to traverse the bridge, shoulder to shoulder, with cars traveling 55 mph across the state highway.

Those experiences are what led Rick Tholen to start an advocacy group, Walk and Ride Eagle, for the bridge 10 years ago. Tholen has lived across the river from downtown Eagle for a decade and has spent that time making the treacherous journey on a bicycle across the bridge.

When people think about their youth, they remember how liberating it is to be able to get out on their bike and do stuff  to go get an ice cream without Mom or Dad having to drive them, Tholen told the Idaho Statesman in 2019. No parent is going to let their kid make that crossing alone.

Its been four years since the Statesmans initial story on Tholens effort to make a safer river crossing. With only weeks before the bridge opens for public use, Tholen recalled the projects origin story and its changes.

The bridge, which was completed earlier this month, runs adjacent to Eagle Road and is attached to the Eagle Greenbelt along the Boise River.

Tholen said he thought a simple and cheap fix could make Eagle Road safer. What started as a push for a barrier between cars and pedestrians on Eagle Road turned into a $3.2 million project for the city.

This started from humble beginnings, when all we wanted was a safe place on the highway bridge to walk, and came to a $3.2 million bridge, Tholen told the Statesman in an interview at the Alchemist Coffee Shop in downtown Eagle. How does it evolve to something like that?

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Rick Tholen, a 71-year-old bike activist and director of the nonprofit Walk and Ride Eagle, worked to get the city of Eagle to build a pedestrian/bike bridge across the Boise River on Eagle Road. The bridge is scheduled to be open to the public in mid-April.

ITD slow to help pedestrians

The Eagle Road bridge connects many of the large subdivisions south of the city to the hub of downtown Eagle.

Tholen thought the solution to the issue could be simple. He first asked the department if they could put barriers between the lanes of cars and the shoulder so pedestrians are barricaded from traffic.

The jersey barriers take up 3 or 4 feet, Tholen said. So then maybe wed have a 5-foot path to walk behind these, and that would be fine.

But in a phone call, Tholen said a department official told him that option would put the barriers too close to traffic.

In an email, Aubrie Latimore, spokesperson for ITD, told the Statesman that the department had concerns with adding pedestrian access to a busy highway road.

While we do not prohibit pedestrians or bicycles from using the existing 8- to 10-foot shoulder on the highway, we do have concerns with reducing the current paved travel way and promoting additional recreational use of the roadside that could impact the safety of other users, she said.

Then, Tholen said he suggested reducing the speed limit from 55 to 35 mph over the bridge. But the answer was also no, he said. ITD officials said they couldnt reduce the speed because it would impact traffic movement.

Tholens last suggestion was to build a new bridge for pedestrians and bikers that would attach to the existing Eagle Road bridge. The idea gained some traction from the city and the Community Planning Association of Southwest Idaho, which conducted a feasibility study on the project.

The city, Walk and Ride Eagle, the Two Rivers Community, a subdivision south of the river, and ITD proposed a bicycle pedestrian bridge adjacent to the west side of Eagle Road, the Statesman reported in 2019. The $1.3 million project would connect the bridge to the shoulder of the Idaho 55 bridge, spanning 240 feet.

But months later, the department pulled out of the plan. The Statesman reported that a department spokesperson said the Eagle Road bridge could not accommodate the additional load of an attached bridge.

Building a detached bridge added $1 million to the original estimate.

It wasnt necessarily what I wanted or what it could have been, Tholen said.

Tholen said he thinks if ITD had been more open to a speed limit decrease or concrete barriers, it would have been a cheaper fix for the safety issue. He worries that because of a multi-million-dollar bridge, the city will have less money for any future bike and pedestrian or park projects.

The Eagle Road pedestrian bridge will connect downtown Eagle to its residential subdivisions north of State Street.

Eagle bridge is a legacy project for city, staff

Despite the financial challenges and some setbacks, Nichoel Baird Spencer, long-range planner for the city of Eagle, is excited to finally open the bridge to the public

I spend a lot of time talking about the future, Baird Spencer said by phone. So its really rewarding to see a project be completed. Its very rare that you get a legacy project, something my grandson will be able to say that his grandma helped make that happen. Those are exciting things for me.

Baird Spencer agreed that roadway projects in Ada County can be difficult to navigate, since cities do not have authority over the roadways. They are either managed by the Ada County Highway District or ITD.

It was a different philosophy that ITD had, she said. ITD policy does not advocate for pathways and trails or sidewalks in their right-of-ways.

That is up to the city where the highway is located, she said.

We had to work through that, Baird Spencer said. We had a mid-course correction where we went all the way through initial study of an attached bridge, and then it wasnt an attached bridge. We then had to go into a whole new engineering study of how that bridge would function.

In its statement, ITD said officials spoke to the city and Tholens citizen group about pedestrian safety on Eagle Road and offered options.

Ultimately those options were not pursued over concerns with operations and maintenance, Latimore said in the email.

Funding was another hurdle the city had to jump. Baird Spencer said it took five years to plan the bridge and another five years to find funding sources.

Eventually the city got nearly the whole project funded through Federal Transportation Alternative Program and Surface Transportation Block grants. The city allocated $200,000 toward construction.

The bridge is an important connection for the city of Eagle, Baird Spencer said, but also the entire valley.

The city is planning a ribbon cutting for the bridge on Friday, April 21, Baird Spencer said.

Dozens of Eagle, Avimor residents testify at hearing. Heres what happened 6 hours later

He was thrown from wheelchair on Eagle Senior Center bus and died. Fallout has been swift
Florida paramedic group hires therapy dogs for first responders

(Picture Credit: Hugo Abad / Getty Images)

A Florida county paramedic group is teaming up to bring therapy dogs to first responders, reported WINK News.

Being on the front lines of a medical emergency is a high-stress, high-risk job. For paramedics and other first responders, dealing with work-related stress is a daily trial. But, dogs can help. Recently, different organizations have found that therapy dogs can make a huge impact on people with difficult jobs. Military personnel are among those who can benefit.

Therapy dogs are a lifeline for first responders, especially paramedics

When Collier County EMS wanted to help their paramedics deal with stress, they decided to reach out for help. Located along Floridas southwest coast, the company contacted Golden PAWS Assistance Dogs, Inc. The group trains assistance and service dogs to help veterans, first responders, and children with disabilities.

Significantly, this spur-of-the-moment availability made Golden PAWS the perfect fit for Collier Countys paramedic team. According to deputy chief Noemi Garcia, One of our paramedics started researching therapy dogs for himself and also saw a needto have therapy dogs for Collier County EMS.

In agreement, Collier EMS Chief Tabatha Butcher said, First responders see a lot of difficult situations, and their level of stress is very high. As a result, everyone was glad to hear that Golden PAWS would be sending two Golden Retrievers, Zelda, and Leo, to help ease some of that stress. Amazingly, Collier EMS is the first paramedic group in Florida to have such a partnership.

Any time we have an incident where a first responder just needs to have counseling, have some stress relief, then we will take the dogs out to visit them at the stations, Butcher said. On top of that, she also said, its really cute because now the ring around the agency is that, you know, I need some Zelda time, or, I need some Leo time, so theyve really embraced it.

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These dogs want nothing more than to help

Both Butcher and Garcia see how excited the dogs are to be there. As soon as Zelda or Leo put on their vests, they said, they know its time to work. Eventually, Butcher said theyd like to have a therapy dog that could accompany them full-time. However, that plan is still in the works. In the meantime, Garcia said that the dogs are happy to be there no matter what.

Whenever Zelda gets in my car to come to work, shes a little bit happy, Garcia said. But as soon as Im coming through the gateShe wants to put on her vest and come to the office and get petted and just provide that service to our office personnel to our paramedics, and even to the 911 dispatchers.

The post Florida paramedic group hires therapy dogs for first responders appeared first on DogTime.
Mexican officials confirmed Monday they discovered four dead bodies in a hotel area in the popular resort town of Cancun.

The deaths, ruled homicides, took place on Kukulcan boulevard near the popular Paradisus Cancun and Fiesta Americana resorts, according to the Quintana Roo Attorney Generals office, and come just weeks after the U.S. Embassy in Mexico issued a travel advisory for popular spring break tourist destinations in Mexico, including Cancun.

Mexican officials say they swept the area near the hotel and detained two suspects.

The victims are connected with drug dealing activities, ruling out that they might be hotel workers or tourists, said Quintana Roo security official Jose de la Pena Ruiz de Chavez.

Last week, an American tourist took a bullet to the leg in a late night shooting by assailants in Puerto Morelos, a small resort town just south of Cancun. The tourist survived, but the motive for the attack was unclear.

$40,000 reward: FBI offers reward after American woman kidnapped in Mexico while walking her dog

Should travelers worry?: Travel experts discuss safety in Mexico.

Quintana Roo officials on Monday offered the public a 1,000,000 Mexican peso, roughly $55,000, reward for information leading to the arrest of a third suspect identified in the Cancun killings as Hector Elias Flores Aceves, known as El 15, a suspected Sinaloa Cartel operative in the area who has in the past been linked by Mexican news reports to other attacks in Cancun.

Mondays killings unfolded as many in the country set off on spring break vacation, which typically lands on Holy Week or Semana Santa leading up to Easter Sunday.

Quintana Roo, a tropical state on Mexicos Caribbean coast, is on the State Departments Exercise Increased Caution list due to crime and kidnapping risk.

The State Department has warned Americans not to travel to a handful of other Mexican states, including Tamaulipas, where two Americans were abducted and two were killed last month in the border city of Matamoros.

Contributing: The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Four killed near Mexico's Cancun beach resorts; suspects arrested
ACCEPTANCE PERIOD ENDS ON 17 APRIL 2023 AT 17:40 CEST

THIS PRESS RELEASE IS NOT FOR GENERAL RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, IN OR INTO, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, THE UNITED STATES OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION WHERE SUCH RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION WOULD VIOLATE APPLICABLE LAWS OR REGULATIONS

This is a joint press release by Koninklijke DSM N.V. (DSM), Firmenich International SA (Firmenich) and Danube AG, to be renamed DSM-Firmenich AG (the Company or DSM-Firmenich) in connection with the voluntary public exchange offer by the Company for all the issued and outstanding ordinary shares in the share capital of DSM (each such share, a DSM Ordinary Share) (the Exchange Offer)), pursuant to Section 4, paragraph 3 of the Dutch Decree on Public Takeover Bids (Besluit openbare biedingen Wft). The Exchange Offer is not being made, and the DSM Ordinary Shares will not be accepted for purchase from or on behalf of any holder of DSM Ordinary Shares (a DSM Shareholder), in any jurisdiction in which the making of the Exchange Offer or acceptance thereof would not be in compliance with the securities or other laws or regulations of such jurisdiction or would require any registration, approval or filing with any regulatory authority not expressly contemplated by the terms of the offering circular in relation to the Exchange Offer dated 22 November 2022 (the Offering Circular).

KAISERAUGST, Switzerland, HEERLEN, Netherlands and GENEVA, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- DSM and Firmenich jointly announce that they have obtained competition clearance from the Competition Commission of India (CCI) on 3 April 2023.1 DSM and Firmenich now have competition clearance in all required jurisdictions, as a result of which the Transaction Condition relating to the competition clearances has now been satisfied.

1 Reference is made to the CCI's press release No. 78/2022-23, available here: https://www.cci.gov.in/media-gallery/press-release/details/289/0.

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Acceptance period

In accordance with the exemption (ontheffing) granted by the Netherlands Authority for the Financial Markets (AFM) on 30 March 2023 and as set out in our joint press release of 31 March 2023, the extended acceptance period will expire on 17 April 2023 at 17:40 CEST. Certain intermediaries may set an earlier deadline in order to be able to timely communicate the tender to the exchange agent. For more information, please see the paragraph 'Indicative timetable' below and section 14.9 of the Offering Circular.

The DSM Boards unanimously reiterate the recommendation to the DSM Shareholders to tender their DSM Ordinary Shares into the Exchange Offer.

Antitrust investigation

As indicated in our press release of 31 March 2023, Firmenich announced on 8 March 2023 that four antitrust authorities have started an industry wide investigation, and that unannounced inspections were carried out at Firmenich's offices in France, Switzerland and the UK. Firmenich and DSM will provide a further update to the market shortly by way of a supplement to the Offering Circular.

Indicative timetable

On the basis that all other Transaction Conditions will be satisfied as well on 17 April 2023, the indicative timetable below lists the expected key dates for the remainder of the Exchange Offer and the Transactions.

Event Date Acceptance Closing Date 17 April 2023 Unconditional Date The date on which the Company shall declare the Exchange Offer unconditional (gestand doen) 17 April 2023 First Trading Date The first trading date for the DSM-Firmenich Ordinary Shares on an as-if-and-when delivered basis 18 April 2023 Settlement Date The date on which (i) the DSM Ordinary Shares tendered under the Exchange Offer are transferred against payment of the Offer Consideration and (ii) the DSM-Firmenich Ordinary Shares are delivered in the systems of Euronext Amsterdam 20 April 2023 Firmenich Contribution Date The date on which the shares in the capital of Firmenich will be contributed to the Company Week commencing 8 May 2023



These dates and times are subject to change and references to time are to CEST.

Acceptance of the Exchange Offer by DSM Shareholders

Acceptance by DSM Shareholders through Admitted Institutions

DSM Shareholders who hold their DSM Ordinary Shares through an institution admitted to Euronext Amsterdam and/or Euroclear Nederland (aangesloten instelling) (an Admitted Institution) must make their acceptance known through their bank or stockbroker no later than 17:40 hours CEST on the Acceptance Closing Date. The custodian, bank or stockbroker may set an earlier deadline for communication by the DSM Shareholders in order to permit the custodian, bank or stockbroker to communicate its acceptances to the Settlement Agent in a timely manner. Accordingly, the DSM Shareholders holding DSM Ordinary Shares through a financial intermediary should comply with the dates communicated by such financial intermediary.

Acceptance by DSM Shareholders located in the United States

DSM Shareholders located in the United States who hold their DSM Ordinary Shares through a custodian, bank or stockbroker are requested to make their acceptance known through their bank or stockbroker as set out in section 16.1 (United States of America) of the Offering Circular.

If a beneficiary to DSM Ordinary Shares located in the United States is unable to make the QIB Confirmations on behalf of itself or the person on whose behalf such DSM Ordinary Shares are held, any DSM-Firmenich Ordinary Shares allotted to such person will instead be transferred to a nominee, and such DSM-Firmenich Ordinary Shares will be sold on his, her or its behalf with the proceeds being remitted to such person within five days of the Settlement Date, for DSM-Firmenich Ordinary Shares allotted in exchange for DSM Ordinary Shares tendered during the Acceptance Period, or within five days of the Post-Closing Acceptance Settlement Date, for DSM-Firmenich Ordinary Shares allotted in exchange for DSM Ordinary Shares tendered during any Post-Closing Acceptance Period.

Announcements

Announcements in relation to the exchange offer are issued by means of a press release. Any joint press release issued by the Company, DSM and Firmenich is made available on the website of the Company (www.creator-innovator.com).

Subject to any applicable requirements of the applicable laws and without limiting the manner in which the Company, DSM and Firmenich may choose to make any public announcement, the Company, DSM and Firmenich will have no obligation to communicate any public announcement other than as described in the Offering Circular.

Further information

Capitalised terms used but not defined herein are defined in the Offering Circular. This announcement contains selected, condensed information regarding the Exchange Offer and does not replace the Offering Circular. The information in this announcement is not complete and additional information is contained in the Offering Circular. A digital copy of the Offering Circular is available on the website of the Company (www.creator-innovator.com/en/offering-circular-and-egm/).

General restrictions

The Exchange Offer is being made in and from the Netherlands with due observance of such statements, conditions and restrictions as are included in the Offering Circular. The Company reserves the right to accept any tender under the Exchange Offer, which is made by or on behalf of a DSM Shareholder, even if it has not been made in the manner set out in the Offering Circular.

The distribution of the Offering Circular and/or the making of the Exchange Offer in jurisdictions other than the Netherlands may be restricted and/or prohibited by law. In particular, subject to certain exceptions, the Offering Circular is not for general circulation in the United States. The Exchange Offer is not being made, and the DSM Ordinary Shares will not be accepted for purchase from or on behalf of any DSM Shareholder, in any jurisdiction in which the making of the Exchange Offer or acceptance thereof would not be in compliance with the securities or other laws or regulations of such jurisdiction or would require any registration, approval or filing with any regulatory authority not expressly contemplated by the terms of the Offering Circular. Persons obtaining the Offering Circular are required to take due note and observe all such restrictions and obtain any necessary authorisations, approvals or consents (to the extent applicable). Outside of the Netherlands, no actions have been taken (nor will actions be taken) to make the Exchange Offer possible in any jurisdiction where such actions would be required. In addition, the Offering Circular has not been filed with nor recognised by the authorities of any jurisdiction other than the Netherlands. Neither the Company, nor DSM, nor Firmenich, nor any of their advisers accept any liability for any violation by any person of any such restriction. Any person (including, without limitation, custodians, nominees and trustees) who forwards or intends to forward the Offering Circular or any related document to any jurisdiction outside the Netherlands should carefully read section 16 (Restrictions) and section 17 (Important Information) of the Offering Circular before taking any action. The release, publication or distribution of the Offering Circular and any documentation regarding the Exchange Offer, the making of the Exchange Offer or the issuance and offering of the DSM-Firmenich Ordinary Shares in jurisdictions other than the Netherlands may be restricted by law and therefore persons into whose possession the Offering Circular comes should inform themselves about and observe such restrictions. Any failure to comply with any such restrictions may constitute a violation of the law of any such jurisdiction.

United States of America

Unless otherwise determined by the Company, the Exchange Offer is not being, and will not be, made, directly or indirectly, in or into, or by the use of the mails of, or by any means or instrumentality (including, without limitation, telephonically or electronically) of, interstate or foreign commerce of, or of any facilities of a national securities exchange of, the United States except to DSM Shareholders who (i) are "qualified institutional buyers" as such term is defined in Rule 144A under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the U.S. Securities Act, and each such person, a QIB) and (ii), to the Company's satisfaction (in its sole discretion), have duly completed and returned to the Company a letter confirming that it is a QIB and agreeing to certain transfer restrictions applicable to the DSM-Firmenich Ordinary Shares (a U.S. Investor Letter) available from the Company (each an Eligible U.S. Holder). Accordingly, to be eligible to receive DSM-Firmenich Ordinary Shares under the Exchange Offer, each DSM Shareholder that is a U.S. Person and that is a QIB must make their acceptance known through their custodian, bank or stockbroker by executing and delivering a U.S. Investor letter to such custodian or intermediary no later than 17:40 hours CEST on the Acceptance Closing Date. The custodian, bank or stockbroker may set an earlier deadline for communication by DSM Shareholders in order to permit the custodian, bank or stockbroker to communicate its acceptances to the Settlement Agent (ABN AMRO) in a timely manner. Accordingly, Eligible U.S. Holders holding DSM Ordinary Shares through a financial intermediary should comply with the dates communicated by such financial intermediary, as such dates may differ from the dates and times noted in the Offering Circular.

The form of a U.S. Investor Letter will be distributed to custodians, nominees and other financial intermediaries to distribute to those they hold for in due course and is also available to QIBs from the Company. Any U.S. Person who is not a QIB, or in respect of whom no U.S. Investor Letter is received before 17:40 hours CEST on the Acceptance Closing Date, will be a Restricted Shareholder and will be treated as set out under section 14.35 (Notice to DSM Shareholders in certain jurisdictions) of the Offering Circular.

The DSM-Firmenich Ordinary Shares have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act or any other applicable law of the United States and accordingly, the DSM-Firmenich Ordinary Shares may not be reoffered, resold or transferred, directly or indirectly, in or into the United States except pursuant to an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act.

Any DSM Shareholder located in the United States at the time of the Transactions will be required to make certain representations, warranties and undertakings in respect of their status as QIB (the QIB Confirmations), in order to receive the DSM-Firmenich Ordinary Shares on the Post-Closing Acceptance Settlement Date.

If a beneficiary to DSM Ordinary Shares located in the United States is unable to make the QIB Confirmations on behalf of itself or the person on whose behalf such DSM Ordinary Shares are held, any DSM-Firmenich Ordinary Shares allotted to such person will instead be transferred to a sales agent, and such DSM-Firmenich Ordinary Shares will be sold on his, her or its behalf with the proceeds being remitted to such person within five days of the Settlement Date, for DSM-Firmenich Ordinary Shares allotted in exchange for DSM Ordinary Shares tendered during the Acceptance Period, or within five days of the Post-Closing Acceptance Settlement Date, for DSM-Firmenich Ordinary Shares allotted in exchange for DSM Ordinary Shares tendered during any Post-Closing Acceptance Period.

Additional information is included in section 16.1 (United States of America) of the Offering Circular.

Forward looking statements

Certain statements in this press release other than statements of historical facts are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on the Company's current beliefs and projections and on information currently available to the Company. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company's control and all of which are based on its current beliefs and expectations about future events. Forward-looking statements are typically identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "believe", "expect", "may", "will", "seek", "would", "could", "should", "intend", "estimate", "plan", "assume", "predict", "anticipate", "annualised", "goal", "target", "potential", "continue", "hope", "objective", "position", "project", "risk" or "aim" or the highlights or negatives thereof or other variations thereof or comparable terminology, or by discussions of DSM-Firmenich's strategy, short-term and mid-term objectives and future plans that involve risks and uncertainties.

Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties and speak only as of the date they are made. Except as required by applicable law, the Company does not undertake and it expressly disclaims any duty to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statement in this press release, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Such forward-looking statements are based on current beliefs, assumptions, expectations, estimates and projections of the Directors in office at the time of this press release and the Company's management, public statements made by it, present and future business strategies and the environment in which DSM-Firmenich will operate in the future. By their nature, they are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which could cause DSM-Firmenich's actual results and future events to differ materially from those implied or expressed by forward-looking statements. The DSM Shareholders and other prospective investors are advised to read section 2 (Risk Factors) of the Offering Circular for a more complete discussion of the factors that could affect the DSM-Firmenich's future performance and the industry in which DSM-Firmenich operates. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialise, or should any of the assumptions underlying the above or other factors prove to be incorrect, DSM-Firmenich's actual results of operations or future financial condition could differ materially from those described herein as currently anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. In light of the risks, uncertainties and assumptions underlying the above factors, the forward-looking events described in the Offering Circular may not occur or be realised. Additional risks not known to the Company or that the Company does not currently consider material could also cause the forward-looking events discussed in the Offering Circular not to occur.

For more information, please contact:

DSM investor relations enquiries:

Dave Huizing

Email: investor.relations@dsm.com

Telephone: +31 45 578 2864

DSM media enquiries:

FTI Consulting LLP

Edward Bridges / Alex Le May

Email: scdsm@fticonsulting.com

Telephone: +44 20 3727 1017

Firmenich investor relations enquiries:

Ingvild van Lysebetten

Email: investor_relations@firmenich.com

Telephone: +41 79 833 7252

Firmenich media enquiries:

Brunswick Group

Joseph Chi Lo / Edward Brown

Email: firmenich@brunswickgroup.com

Telephone: +44 20 7404 5959

Settlement Agent and Listing and Paying Agent:

ABN AMRO Bank N.V.

Corporate Broking Issuer Services

Email: as.exchange.agency@nl.abnamro.com

Telephone: +31 20 628 6070

About Firmenich

Firmenich, the world's largest privately-owned fragrance and taste company, was founded in Geneva, Switzerland, in 1895, and has been family-owned for 127 years. Firmenich is a business-to-business company specialized in the research, creation, manufacture and sale of perfumes, flavors, and ingredients. Renowned for its excellent research, as well as its leadership in sustainability, Firmenich offers its customers innovation in formulation, a broad palette of ingredients, and proprietary technologies such as biotechnology. Firmenich delivered CHF 4.7bn of sales in the financial year ended 30 June 2022.

About DSM

DSM has transformed during its 150+ year history into today's health, nutrition & bioscience global leader. The Dutch-Swiss company specializes in nutritional ingredients for food and feed with proven world-leading bioscience capabilities and an international network of high-quality manufacturing sites that underpin a business model of global products, local solutions and personalization and precision. For Health, Nutrition & Bioscience (excluding Materials), DSM delivered 7.3bn of sales in the calendar year 2021, with adjusted EBITDA of 1.4bn and an adjusted EBITDA margin of 19%.

Transaction website

Please visit www.creator-innovator.com for additional materials on the Transactions.

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Cision

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Brad Valdes with Heritage Environmental Services helps carry away fluorescent tubes from a vehicle during a previous hazardous waste collection at the Illinois State Fairgrounds. This year's event is May 6 with registration opening Monday.

The City of Springfield is hosting a residential household hazardous waste collection event at the Illinois State Fairgrounds from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on May 6.

The voucher-only collection is being held in collaboration with the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA).

More:Less than two weeks before Election Day, Springfield council candidates tout experiences

Voucher registration opens Monday, March 27. To request a voucher, go to the city's Office of Public Works website or call 217-789-2255.

Acceptable items

Acids/Corrosives

Aerosol paints

Antifreeze/coolant

Cleaning products

Drain cleaners

Fertilizers

Fluorescent tubes/compact fluorescent bulbs (CFL)

Fuel additives/cleaners

Hobby chemicals

Insecticides/pesticides/herbicides

Lawn chemicals

Lead, acid or lithium batteries

Mercury thermostats and thermometers

Oil based paints

Old and outdated medications/pharmaceuticals

Old gasoline

Paint thinners/strippers

Pool chemicals

Solvents

Latex and acrylic paint is not a hazardous waste and will not be accepted at the collection.

Voucher/event facts

Registrants will be asked to pick a drop-off time. Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis and will end as soon as all time slots are filled.

Residents must have a voucher in hand or available on a mobile device to drop off items.

Lutheran High School's campus on West Washington Street has a date with the wrecking ball

Enter through Gate 6 and proceed to Lot 21 by following signs and traffic wardens. Exit is through Gate 7.

The program is open to all Illinois residents but is not open to organizations or businesses.

Other hazardous waste collections

Here is a list of other hazardous waste collection dates around the state. For a full list, visit the IEPA website.

April 15, Champaign, State Farm Arena, 1800 S. First St.

June 3, Macomb, Western Illinois University, 306 University Dr.

June 10, Taylorville, Christian County Fairgrounds, 1715 W. Spressor St.

June 24, Carbondale, Banterra Center south lot, 1400 Arena Dr.

Contact Steven Spearie: 217-622-1788, sspearie@sj-r.com, twitter.com/@StevenSpearie.

This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Hazardous waste collection event planned at Illinois State Fairgrounds
The robots are here to protect and monitor you.

Shoppers at Lowe's stores throughout the Philadelphia region will now be greeted by robocops that record 360-degree HD video, detect thermal anomalies, and scan license plates in the parking lot.

Customers share the store aisles with something like a plastic egg, standing 5'2" and weighing just under 400 pounds. Lowe's K5 robot patrol model, designed in Silicon Valley, automatically recharges, and even during "break," the cameras and sensors are still rolling.

Experts say it's just the start of a robot security force, which could become commonplace in the next few years. And the data collected by these machines could also be used to monitor consumer behavior like when you shop, the clothes you wear, and vehicle you drive. First, though, humans will have to become much more comfortable  and, in some cases, less hostile  to the machines.

In 2015, the HitchBOT, a Canadian hitchhiking robot that traversed Canada, Germany and the Netherlands, was attacked and "decapitated" on the streets of Philadelphia. So far, humans seem more interested in taking selfies with the Lowe's security bot and posting funny videos to YouTube and TikTok.

For subscribers: Buckingham's historic General Greene Inn for sale. What could replace it at York and Durham roads?

More: How an employee allegedly stole $2.4M from Bensalem gaming company

Robot security at stores, casinos, college campuses

Lowe's contracted with the California-based Knightscope for its robot guards and a pilot program in the Philadelphia region. This news outlet was unable to reach officials at Lowe's for comment on current and future robot locations after emails sent Friday and Monday.

Knightscope said its robots are now patrolling banks, casinos, college campuses, hospitals, data centers, and some community parks. Southeast of Los Angeles, the city of Huntington Park has machines labelled as "robocops" patrolling some public spaces.

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Robots could be soon be everywhere, said Stacy Stephens, chief client officer for Knightscope.

"Knightscopes technologies are already deployed from Hawaii to North Carolina, but were likely five years off from being ubiquitous," said Stephens. "Our autonomous security robots can be seen today protecting the places people live, work, study and visit, including hospitals, malls, casinos, hotels, airports, and schools."

The robots aren't designed to replace human security or police, Stephens said.

Yet, company brochures compare its robots to humans. Knightscope's machines are described as "workaholics," who perform 24 hours per day, seven days a week, and dont complain about it.

The shift to robotics is inevitable, said Cathal Walsh, chief security officer for Guidepost Solutions, a global security consultant.

After the pandemic and labor shortages, companies are looking to robots to perform routine tasks, said Walsh. "Robots do an exceptional job as an eyewitness with multiple cameras," Walsh said. "It captures so much information without relying on someones memory."

"Its not going to replace all humans, but theres definitely an equation here," Walsh added. "People will become more accepting of the technology. As culture adapts and the price point comes down, we will see many more of these robots. Well see them at the malls and large corporate campuses."

Yet robots will also provide companies with much more than security, said Gregory Hatcher, a cyber security consultant and former senior network engineer for the U.S. Army Special Forces. Robots will help collect consumer data on "pattern of life" for companies seeking to sell products, Hatcher said.

"We have to wonder where is all this data going," said Hatcher.

Robots are also very likely to replace some human labor, he added. "To say that (artificial intelligence) and robots aren't replacing jobs is just inaccurate. This is the new normal."

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Robot security guards at Lowe's, other stores could soon be everywhere
Its been some years, and a lot of mileage since the worlds most famous fictional archeologist took the Croisette by storm. But Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny will premiere at the Cannes Film Festival May 18, 15 years to the day that Kingdom of the Crystal Skull premiered there as well.

The final installment of the franchise will premiere in theaters everywhere June 30, but critics will get a first look at the film, directed by James Mangold, at the worlds most prestigious film festival.

More from IndieWire

Mangold said, In 1995, I was honored to come to Cannes with my first film as part of Directors Fortnite. Twenty-eight years later, I am proud to return with a slightly larger spectacle. My legendary collaborators and I are very excited to share a brand new and final Indiana Jones adventure with you!

Little is known about Dial of Destiny except that it will toggle between a late 60s setting and flashbacks to World War II  all the better so Indy can fight the Nazis in classic Raiders and Last Crusade fashion  powered by CGI youthening techniques first pioneered in TRON: Legacy and The Irishman.

Dial of Destiny also stars Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Antonio Banderas, John Rhys-Davies (Sallah from Raiders and Last Crusade!), Toby Jones, Boyd Holbrook, Ethann Isidore, and Mads Mikkelsen.

Legacy seems to be at the forefront of Dial of Destiny. Something Indy did during World War II is haunting him decades later, and some Nazis who were never brought to justice are after him. Could there also be a time-travel element? Well see!

Mangold stepped in for directing duties, the first time someone other than Steven Spielberg has helmed an Indy movie. Hes bringing along his writers from his last feature, Ford v Ferrari, Jez and John Henry Butterworth, to write the script with him, along with David Koepp. John Williams, 91 years old, has written the score, as he has for all the previous movies.

Story continues

The first Dial of Destiny trailer was a stunner, a distillation of the magic of the original three films especially Raiders and Last Crusade (though true fans know Temple of Doom is the best). Watch the trailer below:

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Sign up for Indiewire's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Click here to read the full article.
A local German bakery is asking for support after the owner suffered a stroke last week.

JB's German Restaurant and Bakery, at 4141 S. Staples St., opened in 2011. Owner Jurgen Kazenmayer, who also makes nearly all of the bakery's treats, is recovering from a stroke he suffered last Tuesday, according to a Facebook post from the business.

JB's German Restaurant and Bakery, owned by Jurgen and Brigitte Kazenmayer from Germany, opened in 2011. The restaurant is at 4141 S. Staples St., Suite 100, in Corpus Christi.

"However, he has, ever since, baked the bread, rolls, pies, sweet pastries and so much more all by himself with help of the pastry chef Melanie from Germany," the post said.

The post added that Brigitte Kazenmayer, his wife, arrives at the bakery at 1 a.m. every day to help the pastry chef with the baking, including bread, rolls, pies, cakes, strudel and other treats.

"They do their very best to make it all work and to replace (Jurgen) as good as they can," the post read. "Sometimes it comes out perfect, sometimes not so perfect."

The family asked the community to support the business by eating at the restaurant and taking baked goods to family, friends, neighbors or work.

"We need to pay some big bills now," the post said. "Thank you so much for all your support and prayers."

JB's German Restaurant and Bakery is open Tuesday through Sunday from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.

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This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: JB's German bakery asks for community support after owner suffers stroke
Sun Choi, right, teaches during a Korean language lesson at Yummys Korean BBQ restaurant in West Valley City on March 25. | Ryan Sun, Deseret News

Utah had very little Korean presence when Sun Choi moved to Utah in 2004 to attend BYU. But little by little, Sun hopes to change that.

Step one was opening up Utah's first all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ, Yummy's Korean BBQ, in Orem. Then came a second location in West Valley. Three years ago, Sun also began offering Korean classes out of the restaurants and he's currently organizing his first group trip to South Korea later this year.

"When I first came in 2004, there was nothing like that here. So that's kind of my goal is to bring that here," Sun said. "Especially with the craze with like Korean culture, K-pop and movies and all that stuff  it's just been fun sharing our culture."

Sun, whose parents are from Korea, grew up speaking Korean at home. He went on to minor in Korean at BYU and serve a two-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in South Korea. He got the idea to start offering Korean classes in Utah after realizing that there weren't places in the state for beginners to learn the language.

"More than just teaching, it's also helping our students experience that culture," Sun said.

His passion for sharing the culture is apparent during the classes, where he throws in tips about slang, currency exchange, food and more. In between learning about grammar, one student says the recipe Sun shared with her for seawood soup, known as miyeok guk, turned out great.

"It's just fun being able to share with them my background, even though I'm Korean American and I was born and raised here," Sun said. "It's just me being able to know the language, the culture and being able to share that with everybody else. I think it's the best thing."

Jodee Steffensen, left, and Susan Clark, write in their notebooks during a Korean language lesson at Yummy's Korean BBQ restaurant in West Valley City on March 25. | Ryan Sun, Deseret News

Sun has worked with dozens of students, including a handful of Korean adoptees. Sun said the program is a chance for them to regain the culture and language with the ultimate goal of returning to Korea and finding their biological parents. He currently has about 50 students between Orem and West Valley. The Korean classes are $150 per month, and tuition includes weekly lessons and a Korean lunch with Sun, a monthly one-on-one tutoring session with a teacher in Korea and access to recordings of all the classes.

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For Katie Lens, a Draper middle schooler who is half Korean, the program has been an opportunity to experience her culture in a new way.

"My mom is Korean and I just wanted to learn it so I could talk to her and the rest of my family as well," Lens said. "Plus I love the culture."

Katie Lens listens during a Korean language lesson at Yummy's Korean BBQ restaurant in West Valley City on March 25. | Ryan Sun, Deseret News

Lens's mother, Carol Lens, said it's been exciting to watch her daughter learn the language.

"To see her pick up interest in the language and a have such an incredible resource here with Sun and just his passion to share the Korean culture and language  it's amazing," she said. "If you really just want to throw yourself in and be committed to learning the Korean language, this is incredible. I just feel so lucky that we found Sun and to know that he does this makes me so happy."

Kim Spencer-Thomas, another one of Sun's students, said her interest in Korean language and culture snowballed after she fell in love with K-pop. She began classes in July in preparation for a trip to South Korea later this year.

"I've put a lot of work into it. It's not the easiest language. I've taken French, Spanish and sign language and Korean is by far a very difficult language," she said. "But I do feel like it's quite fun. Taking Korean is one of the funnest things I've ever done."

Jodee Steffensen, left, and Susan Clark participate in a Korean language lesson at Yummy's Korean BBQ restaurant in West Valley City on March 25. | Ryan Sun, Deseret News

Jodee Steffensen, 70, has been taking classes since August after trying to learn Korean on her own with online courses for a few months. She's planning her second trip to South Korea later this year and hopes to use the country as a base to visit other countries in the region as well.

"Asia in general is something that, as I was growing up, really wasn't in the spotlight. So it's like this whole new world that's new, different, beautiful and exciting," she said. "I would say don't think of age as a barrier if you want to go out and try something new. It's amazing how much enriched my life is because I found something new to experience."

More information about the Korean classes is available at connect2korea.subkit.com.
After roughly nine hours of jury selection in the Lori Vallow Daybell trial Monday, dozens of people  potential jurors and reporters alike  returned to the Ada County Courthouse.

Seventh District Judge Steven Boyce, Vallow Daybells defense team and the prosecution were expected to go through several more rounds of jury groups Tuesday. Roughly 15-person groups were asked questions by the attorneys and Boyce to eliminate any jurors who might have a conflict or bias.

The process will continue until 42 vetted potential jurors have made their way through jury selection, a prosecution spokesperson previously said. So far, 30 people have been selected.

When 42 possible jurors have been selected, they will go through another round of the jury selection process until the two sides decide on 12 jurors and six alternates.

The other potential jurors will be dismissed. About 1,800 people were asked to fill out a 20-page questionnaire before the jury selection process, also known as voir dire, began. A court spokesperson declined to provide the number of jurors who were called to the courthouse this week.

Most people were excused from jury duty Monday because of the length of the trial and personal obligations, such as work, vacation or taking care of a sick loved one.

Vallow Daybell and her husband, Chad Daybell  whose trial date has not been set  have been charged with first-degree murders in the deaths of her two children, 16-year-old Tylee Ryan and 7-year-old Joshua Jaxon JJ Vallow, and three counts of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder. Chad Daybell was accused of first-degree murder in the death of his former wife, Tammy Daybell.

Vallow Daybell was also charged with conspiring to kill her former husband, Charles Vallow, in Arizona.

READ MORE: Lori Vallow Daybells murder trial begins Monday in Boise. Heres what you should know.

5:30 P.M.  30 potential jurors selected

A few more jurors squeezed through the jury selection process.

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A total of 12 potential jurors went through the process in the sixth group. Six were immediately dismissed because of time constraints and media coverage.

We need to find jurors who dont know that much about the case, Boyce said.

After going through the individual jury process, only one other juror was excused because of previous media coverage.

My immediate assumption was that she did something, Juror No. 119 said about reading the initial media coverage. How do you  as a mom  not know where your kids are?

The juror was dismissed because of familiarity with the media coverage and concerns brought by the defense about her job. The female juror worked in the medical field and worried about patients access to appointments if she missed work for eight to 10 weeks.

The jury selection process will resume Wednesday morning as the prosecution and defense continue their search for 42 potential jurors  30 of whom have been selected. Madison County Prosecuting Attorney Rob Wood said hed like to only deal with two jury pools Wednesday instead of three.

I felt very rushed today, Wood said.

Boyce acknowledged Woods concerns but said he plans to call three panels Wednesday. The defense said they didnt feel rushed.

3 P.M.  3 jurors make it through fifth small group

A total of three jurors made it through the latest small group of 15 people. Three jurors were dismissed during the individual jury selection process because of their prior knowledge of the case or media coverage.

After nearly two full days of jury selection and five small groups of roughly 15 people, the prosecution and defense have selected 25 potential jurors. Boyce is expected to call in another small group, which will be the final group called Tuesday.

2 P.M.  Fifth jury pool group brought in; 9 jurors already dismissed

The next jury pool was brought in, and eight of the 15 jurors were quickly dismissed. The jurors were all dismissed because of media coverage and hardship concerns, which have often been because the length of the trial would interfere with their work or other personal issues.

Within a few minutes, another juror said he was concerned about his knowledge of the case. He said his wife told him about the case after she learned hed been called for jury duty.

He was dismissed. There are now six potential jurors left in this group.

12:30 P.M.  Im not really a true crime fan: 3 jurors excused because of media coverage

Juror No. 818 typically watches the nightly news. But once she was called for jury selection, her routine was put on pause.

The female juror said that while she wasnt overly familiar with the Vallow Daybell case, she knew a few details  like the name of Vallow Daybells brother, Alex Cox.

After over an hour of individual jury selection, three of the remaining eight jurors were dismissed because they knew information about the case through the media. Juror No. 818 was one of the jurors excused.

That part of the jury selection process was sealed Monday. Jurors were initially asked about their prior knowledge of the case in private, as part of the process that involved sensitive questions. But after reporters complained that questions about jurors prior knowledge of the case shouldnt be shielded, the court made the questioning about prior knowledge public.

A female juror, identified as No. 401, said she remembered hearing about the case initially but didnt think she heard about it since 2020. She was excused because of her prior knowledge of the case.

Its daunting, the juror said, when she realized which case shed been called for jury duty.

Juror No. 536, who made it through the first round of the jury selection process, said she only knew about the case because a friend had told her about it, but that she hadnt done her own research.

Im not really a true crime fan  I try to avoid all that if I can  but here we are, Juror No. 536 said. She wasnt excused.

The prosecution and defense were left with five jurors from the latest small group, with a total of 22 potential jurors who have been reviewed.

10:30 A.M.  Prosecution asks about religious beliefs and testimony; another juror excused

Attorney Rachel Smith, a Missouri-based attorney who is working with the prosecution, asked the remaining nine jurors if theyd have a problem listening to testimony from witnesses who have different religious beliefs.

Both Lori Vallow Daybell and Chad Daybell are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and held fringe beliefs that the end of the world was coming in July 2020, according to several news reports.

All of the jurors said they could remain impartial.

Smith also asked a juror, who is an author, whether she was familiar with Chad Daybells religious books. The juror said she wasnt aware of the books.

Another juror, who had a past traumatic experience, said he was concerned about his ability to remain neutral, especially since sensitive pieces of evidence  such as autopsy photos  are expected to be presented. He was excused.

Now, the group is down to eight jurors.

9:45 A.M.  A possibility of sequestration

Roughly 30 minutes into the jury selection process, six jurors out of 15 were excused for various reasons that included work concerns, financial hardship, and inability to get time off.

A male juror, identified as Juror No. 615, told Boyce that hed have a hard time serving on the jury as he was the primary caregiver to his daughter, who has a disability. Boyce and the attorneys allowed the juror to be excused, especially since there is still a possibility of sequestration.

Boyce in a January order denied the prosecutions request to immediately sequester the jury at the beginning of the jury trial. To sequester a jury, jurors are typically required to stay in a hotel without access to the news, phone calls or Internet.

I believe adequate steps can be put into place to not require sequestration during the course of the trial, and the court will take those steps very seriously, Boyce said during a January hearing, according to East Idaho News.

Check this story for live updates on Vallow Daybells trial.
The actress, who played Nurse Able on M*A*S*H, died on Sunday nine days after having a stroke

20th Century Fox Television

Judy Farrell, who was best known for her role of Nurse Able on M*A*S*H, has died. She was 84.

The actress died Sunday in a hospital nine days after having a stroke, Farell's son Michael confirmed to TMZ.

Following the stroke, Judy reportedly remained conscious and was able squeeze her loved ones' hands while hospitalized, though she was not able to speak.

Micheal did not immediately return PEOPLE's request for comment.

Related:Alan Alda Reflects on M*A*S*H's 50th Anniversary  and Its Legacy

Everett

Her M*A*S*H costar Loretta Swit, who played Major Margaret "Hot Lips" Houlihan, paid tribute to Farrell, calling her "family" following the news of her death.

"Judy was a most beautiful woman  inside and out. We grew up together," she told Fox News Digital. "She was family. This has been a painful loss, but we will always have the beauty of her memory. Rest in peace, Nurse Able."

FROM THE PEOPLE ARCHIVE: Mike Farrell of M*A*S*H and Wife Judy Insist Kids Aren't Apples: You Can't Spoil Them

Farrell appeared as Nurse Able in eight episodes of M*A*S*H, which ran for 11 seasons on CBS from 1972 to 1983. It followed a team of doctors and medical support staff working at the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital in Uijeongbu, South Korea, during the Korean War.

Paul Harris/Getty

The series starred Alan Alda as Captain Benjamin "Hawkeye" Pierce and Farrell's first husband Mike Farrell  whom she divorced in 1983  later joined the cast as Captain B.J. Hunnicutt. Alda reunited with Mike in September in honor of the show's 50th anniversary.

Related:Alan Alda Reunites with M*A*S*H Costar Mike Farrell for Show's 50th Anniversary: 'Changed Our Lives'

In 2018, Judy looked back at particularly memorable moment from filming M*A*S*H with Alda.

"I did an episode where Hawkeye goes to fix a gas stove in the nurse's tent and it blows up, making him temporarily blind. Alan decided to make it so he really couldn't see," she shared with The Hollywood Reporter at the time. "I ended up being the nurse who led him around, except I was always bumping him into stuff because I didn't know how to lead a blind person around."

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"At one point," she added, "Alan turned to me and said, 'Do your children trust you?'"

Courtesy Orange County Archives

She also had roles on television shows including Get Smart, Fame, The Partridge Family and Quincy, M.E. On the big screen, she appeared in films including J.W. Coop, Chapter Two and Long-Term Relationship.

She is also credited as a writer on the soap opera Port Charles from 1998 to 2003.

Never miss a story  sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

She is survived by her second husband Joe Bratcher  whom she married in 1985  and her two children with Mike, Michael and Erin.

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Read the original article on People.
If youre so lucky as to end up in St. Louis this month, theres a new sushi spot from the family behind another storied sushi restaurant thats been open for over 21 years. Here, you'll get your fill of dry-aged fish and Wagyu beef. And if youre in New Yorks Koreatown, make your way to Seoul Salon for soju-based cocktails and contemporary Korean food to pair.

There are a lot of new restaurants that opened in the past month, but these seven stand out. The places we cant stop thinking about included a Miami spot from a celebrated chef cooking her familial Peruvian recipes, along with an upstate New York home for the flavors of Jalisco, and a venue for hearty regional Greek food in Boston. Keep reading to find out if any of them are open near you.

This list, organized alphabetically by state, includes both restaurants weve tried and ones weve added to our bucket lists.

Portuguese snacks and sherry from buzzy LA restaurateurs

Barra Santos

1215 Cypress Ave, Los Angeles

Opened March 24

Should you find yourself in need of a piri-piri chicken fix in Los Angeles, Barra Santos is now open in Cypress Park. The new restaurant comes from the Last Word Hospitality team, responsible for the beloved seafood spot Found Oyster. With Barra Santos, co-owner and Portugal native Mike Santos wants to evoke the bars and restaurants of the coastal city of Lisbon. Theres a snack-focused menu with dishes like buttered sardine toast and head-on prawns from chef-partner Melissa Lopez (previously of LAs Bestia and New Yorks Barbuto), plus a beverage program from Last Words wine director Evelyn Goreshnik that spans sherry, port, and Madeira. The space centers around a bar with blue-and-white hand-painted tiles reminiscent of Lisbon. Next door, the team will soon open Shins Pizza, a neighborhood slice shop.

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Standout dishes: Head-on Prawns; Bacalao Fritters; Piri-Piri Chicken; Brothy Clams & Linguica; Almond Cake

A love letter to Peruvian food from a celebrated Miami chef

Matys

3255 NE 1st Ave, Miami

Opened March 13

At Matys, chef Valerie Chang is cooking the traditional Peruvian food of her childhood. Matys is deeply personal for Changits an homage to the recipes of her paternal grandmother Marta, nicknamed Maty. While the new casual midtown Miami spot is Changs first project as sole executive chef and owner, its still a team effort with her brother and father, Nando and Papa Chang. Together, they own beloved Nikkei spot Itamae and sushi bar B-Side. The menu at Matys features foods Chang grew up eating in the northern Peruvian city of Chiclayo, with dishes like a Wagyu oxtail saltado and black grouper ceviche. Just as the restaurant honors Changs grandmothers and their cooking, there is a women-led team in both the kitchen and the dining room.

Standout dishes: Black Grouper Ceviche; Camarones Asados; Arroz con Pato; Chita Asada (whole roasted dorade)

Regional Greek food comes to the Boston area

Bar Vlaha

1653 Beacon St, Brookline, MA

Opened March 23

If you're all about small plates, Bar Vlaha in Brookline, a town near Boston, might not be for you. But if you want to share with friends and family and dig into hearty plates of beef cheek, slow-roasted lamb, and more, this restaurant is most definitely up your alley. The new spot from Xenia Greek Hospitality, the team behind Boston Greek restaurants like Krasi and Greco, is the first restaurant in the US to celebrate the food of the Vlachs, an ethnic group of nomadic shepherds in northern and central Greece. The menu is filled with dishes meant to be shared, like wild boar shoulder, savory stuffed pitas, and hearty salads. And the menu is vastyou could order a few dishes from each section and barely skim the surface. Theres an entire page alone filled with assorted cheeses made with sheeps, cows, and goat milks.

Standout dishes: Alevropita (feta pie); Agriogourouno (wild boar shoulder); Moschari Me Damaskina (beef cheeks); Arni Stin Souvla (slow-roasted lamb leg); Galatopita (ruffled milk pie)

Sushi is a family affair at this new St. Louis spot

Sado

5201 Shaw Ave, St. Louis

Opened March 28

The Bognar family trio behind Sado are no strangers to the sushi scene in St. Louis. More than 21 years ago, Ann and Mike Bognar opened Nippon Tei, one of the first sushi restaurants in the city, in which their son, Nick Bognar, chef and co-owner of Sado, got his culinary start. After training at acclaimed Japanese spots like Austins Uchiko, Nick opened his own Southeast Asian restaurant iNDO, where he earned a James Beard semifinalist nomination. Now, the Bognars are opening Sado with a focus on dry-aged fish and Wagyu beef. The menu is divided between cool and hot dishes, with offerings like black-tea-cured kanpachi and binchotan-grilled dry-aged kinmedai (golden eye snapper) with green curry. In the fall, Nippon Teis doors will close to allow the family to focus their efforts on Sado.

Standout dishes: Black-Tea-Cured Kanpachi; Binchotan-Grilled Dry-Aged Kinmedai; Unagi Kabayaki

A taste of Jalisco in the Hudson Valley

Casa Susanna

810 Co Rd 23B, Leeds, NY

Opened March 16

As if New Yorkers needed another reason to flee the concrete jungle for the idyll of the Catskills, Casa Susanna, chef Efren Hernandezs celebration of Mexican cuisine, has arrived. The restaurant sits in the tavern-style lobby of Camptown, a new 50-room hotel at the foot of the Catskill Mountains. The project comes from the team behind Rivertown Lodge in nearby Hudson. At Casa Susanna, Hernandez, formerly of downtown New York hot spots MIMI and Babs, is pairing his family recipes from the western region of Jaliscocelebrated for its vibrant seafood and its heartier meat dishes like birriawith the bounty of the Hudson Valley. The menu features tortillas made in-house and bold dishes like a blood sausage tamal and grilled whole porgy al pastor with fennel curtido. If the lodge setting or the on-site greenhouse-grown cocktail garnishes havent convinced you to depart the city for dinner, perhaps the alfresco patio dining will.

Standout dishes: Blood Sausage Tamal; Wood-Fire Roasted Veal Sweetbreads; Grilled Whole Porgy al Pastor

Seouls drinking culture arrives in New York

Seoul Salon

28 W 33rd St, New York

Opened March 28

Seoul Salon brings the culture of the Korean sooljiba place to drink and unwindto a two-story space in New Yorks Koreatown that once housed a karaoke hot spot. The restaurant is a partnership between Hand Hospitality, the group behind beloved Korean spots Her name is Han and Jua, and NA:EUN Hospitality, the husband-wife team of Ellia and Junghyun JP Park, who brought us well-established restaurants Atomix, Atoboy, and Naro. Jiyoon Baek has crafted a drinks menu that centers around the traditional Korean spirit of soju. Chef Byeongsoo Yu, who joins from Atoboy, has created a menu to complement it. There is a section for raw seafood like striped jack and frisee salad, small plates like crispy anchovy pasta, jeon (or savory pancakes), twigim (fried dishes), large plates like braised beef heel shank, plus rice and soups.

Standout dishes: Striped Jack & Frisee Salad; Crispy Anchovy Pasta; Wagyu & Egg Pancake; Mala Pork Belly; Spicy Octopus Over Rice

Austin pizza veterans launch a new neighborhood hangoutwith soft-serve

Allday Pizza

3111 W 35th St, Austin, TX

Opened March 1

The experience at Austins new Allday Pizza is wonderfully simpleyou sit on the outdoor patio and order a slice of super thin, thoughtfully topped pies, followed up by a cup of soft-serve, and then pop over to the neighboring Flos Wine Bar & Bottle Shop. The pizzas, available by the slice or the whole 16-inch pie, span from sweet sausage with ricotta cream and Calabrian honey to pep & pepp with peperoncini and pepperoni. Non-pizza items include salads, meatballs, and soft-serve gelato, which you can get drizzled with olive oil and that same hot honey. Allday comes from Townsend Smith and Daniel Sorg, founders of pizza trailer Sammataro, and this Tarrytown outpost is one of two locations that the duo is working on. The second will debut next to their upcoming East Austin bar Day Dreamer, which theyll open alongside Austin restaurant owners including Arjav Ezekiel of Birdies, one of Bon Appetits Best New Restaurants of 2022.

Standout dishes: Assorted slices (House Cheese, Sweet Sausage); Sweet Cream Gelato with Toppings

Originally Appeared on Bon Appetit
JEFFERSON CITY  A Missouri bill that would ban federal funds and programs from being used in the state to enforce "red flag" gun measures was killed by a committee Wednesday.

Republican Sen. Bill Eigel of Weldon Spring filed the legislation, Senate Bill 10, in response to a recent plan from the U.S. Department of Justice to distribute dollars to states to administer "red flag" laws and other crisis intervention programs related to gun violence.

But the legislation failed to pass out of committee after a Republican joined Democrats in voting it down, citing a school shooting in Nashville this week that killed three students and three adults.

Sen. Lincoln Hough, a Springfield Republican, joined the two Democrats on the committee to vote against the legislation. Three other Republicans  Sens. Rick Brattin, Rusty Black and Mike Bernskoetter  voted in favor of the bill, but did not reach the majority of votes required. The fourth Republican on the committee, Sen. Mike Cierpiot, did not vote.

"I think it's a little disheartening, quite frankly, to even be having this sort of conversation given what happened two days in Nashville," Hough said prior to the vote. "But I'm more than happy to go ahead and have a vote right now."

Bernskoetter, the chairman of the committee, responded that "I told (Eigle) I would have a vote on it and I'm having a vote on it."

More: MO Republican's bill bans federal funds for 'red flag' gun control programs, databases

Eigel has said the legislation "builds on" a 2021 law that nullified federal gun statutes in Missouri, which is currently facing litigation and has been decried by members of law enforcement.

"The federal government, the Biden administration, is trying very hard to try to use federal dollars to be sent into the state of Missouri to incentivize the creation of these red flag databases," he said at a hearing in February.

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In a Twitter post Wednesday after the vote, Eigel alleged that Hough and Cierpiot had "coordinated and vote to derail" the bill, calling it a "dark day for supporters of (the Second Amendment)."

Wednesday's vote marks the second consecutive session Hough has joined with Democrats in committee to vote down legislation relating to guns. He and another Republican voted with Democrats last year to kill legislation that would have expanded legal immunity for those who shoot and kill someone in self-defense. That bill was dubbed the "Make Murder Legal Act" by an association of county prosecutors.

Galen Bacharier covers Missouri politics & government for the News-Leader. Contact him at gbacharier@news-leader.com or on Twitter @galenbacharier.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Missouri bill to ban federal "red flag" laws killed by GOP senator
InsightAce Analytic Pvt. LTd.

Companies Covered in this Report are DHL International GmbH, Aramex International, FedEx Corporation, S.F. Express, Gati Limited, Amazon, Kenco Group, Inc., Ceva Holdings LLC

Jersey City, NJ, April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- InsightAce Analytic Pvt. Ltd. announces the release of a market assessment report on the "Global E-Commerce Logistics Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Service Type (Transportation And Warehousing) And Operational Area (International And Domestic)- Market Outlook And Industry Analysis 2031"

The global e-commerce logistics market is estimated to reach over USD 2518.28 billion by 2031, exhibiting a CAGR of 25.09% during the forecast period.

E-commerce logistics refers to managing and delivering goods and services ordered online from the point of origin to the final destination. With the growth of e-commerce, the demand for efficient logistics solutions has also increased. The e-commerce logistics market is also shifting towards sustainable and eco-friendly solutions. Companies are exploring options such as electric vehicles, renewable energy, and carbon offsetting to reduce their environmental impact.







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The e-commerce logistics market is expected to grow in the coming years, driven by the increasing popularity of e-commerce and the need for more efficient and sustainable logistics solutions. In some countries, the logistics infrastructure may need to be well-developed or equipped to handle the growing demand for e-commerce logistics. Additionally, regulatory hurdles, such as customs clearance and taxes, may pose challenges for e-commerce logistics companies.

Recent Developments:

In June 2022, Delhivery, a logistics and supply chain startup based in India, offers guaranteed same-day delivery (SDD) in 15 cities and aims to assist businesses in winning over customers. In collaboration with brands, Delhivery has discovered SKUs that sell quickly and keeps them in the warehouses closest to the final consumers. The fast-moving SKUs available for same-day delivery will be displayed by Delhivery's technology when the consumer puts in for it.

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July 2022: Panattoni has invested U.S. $200 million in India to build four industrial and logistical parks throughout important cities, including Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, and Pune. The company is in talks with the landowners to establish four industrial and warehouse buildings on 250 acres of land for an integrated park.

List of Prominent Players in the E-commerce logistics market:

Agility Public Warehousing Company K.S.C.P.

Amazon

Aramex International

Ceva Holdings LLC

CEVA Logistics

Clipper Logistics Plc.

DHL International GmbH

FedEx Corporation

Gati Limited

Kenco Group, Inc.

S.F. Express

United Parcel Service, Inc.

XPO Logistics Plc





Get Customized Report @ https://www.insightaceanalytic.com/customisation/1595





E-Commerce Logistics Market Report Scope:

Report Attribute Specifications Market size value in 2022 USD 341.02 Bn Revenue forecast in 2031 USD 2518.28 Bn Growth rate CAGR CAGR of 25.09% from 2023 to 2031 Quantitative units Representation of revenue in US$ Million, and CAGR from 2023 to 2031 Historic Year 2019 to 2022 Forecast Year 2023-2031 Report coverage The forecast of revenue, the position of the company, the competitive market statistics, growth prospects, and trends Segments covered Service Type And Operational Area Regional scope North America; Europe; Asia Pacific; Latin America; Middle East & Africa Country scope U.S.; Canada; U.K.; Germany; China; India; Japan; Brazil; Mexico; The UK; France; Italy; Spain; China; Japan; India; South Korea; Southeast Asia; South Korea; Southeast Asia

Market Dynamics:

Drivers:

The e-commerce logistics market is being driven by a combination of technological advancements, changing customer expectations, and the growth of the e-commerce industry. The smartphone usage growth enables consumers to shop online more conveniently and frequently, further driving the demand for e-commerce logistics services. E-commerce customers have come to expect fast and reliable delivery times, with same-day or next-day delivery becoming more common. This drives e-commerce logistics providers to invest in technology and infrastructure to meet these expectations. As these drivers continue to evolve, the demand for efficient and reliable e-commerce logistics services will likely grow.

Challenges:

The rapid growth of the e-commerce industry is putting pressure on logistics providers to increase their capacity to handle the volume of deliveries. This can be challenging, particularly during peak seasons or periods of high demand. Last-mile delivery is often the most challenging and expensive part of the logistics process. Traffic congestion, remote locations, and difficult-to-access addresses can all contribute to delays and increased costs. Logistics costs can significantly challenge e-commerce companies, particularly smaller players. Investments in technology and infrastructure and the need for faster and more reliable delivery can all contribute to higher costs.

Regional Trends:

Asia-Pacific region is anticipated to dominate the e-commerce logistics market in the coming years. This is primarily due to the growing penetration of e-commerce in the region, which has increased demand for efficient logistics and supply chain solutions. The growth in this region includes the large and rapidly growing population, rising internet and smartphone penetration, and increasing disposable incomes. In addition, the region has a well-developed logistics infrastructure, with several major ports and airports, which makes it easier for e-commerce companies to transport goods efficiently.





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Segmentation of the E-commerce logistics market-

By Service Type

Transportation Air/Express Delivery Freight/Rail Trucking/Over Road Maritime

Warehousing Mega Centers Hubs/Delivery Centers Returns Processing Centers



By Operational Area-

International

Domestic

By Region-

North America-

The US

Canada

Mexico

Europe-

Germany

The UK

France

Italy

Spain

Rest of Europe

Asia-Pacific-

China

Japan

India

South Korea

Southeast Asia

Rest of Asia Pacific

Latin America-

Brazil

Argentina

Rest of Latin America

Middle East & Africa-

GCC Countries

South Africa

Rest of the Middle East and Africa





About Us:

InsighAce Analytic is a specializing in market research and consulting services that helps in building business strategies. Our mission is to provide high quality insights with using data analytics techniques and visualization tools that drives the disruption and innovation in market research industry. Our expertise is in providing syndicated and custom market intelligence reports with in-depth analysis and key market insights in a timely and cost-effective manner.

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SouKeyna Diouf believes that the fashion and beauty industries should actively engage with individuals of all demographics.

SouKeyna Diouf believes that the fashion and beauty industries should actively engage with individuals of all demographics.

Duringthetime SouKeyna Diouf was studying biochemistry at Howard University  and volunteering in hospitals in Senegal in the interim  she found that people were really engaging with her posts about beauty and fashion. A proponent of inclusion in the beauty world, she examined what it truly meant to see beauty outside of what the western world perpetuated. As her following grew, she began to think about how she could use her platform to direct resources to a cause she already considered her lifes work.

When we think of models, we think of body types that we aspire to have or certain physical features that we aspire to have, said Diouf, a Senegalese American model and public health advocate. People pay so much attention to those they look up to. What if everyone who had all this attention used it to channel attention to something much more important?

Diouf feels energized by the evolving role of models and influencers. Could we really go from just selling products and perpetuating westernized beauty standards to becoming agents of change where it truly matters, she wondered?

Early on in the pandemic, the U.N. Global Health advocate began to partner with brands more intentionally  in particular, ones that supported her in the fight to eradicate malaria, a life-threatening disease that is preventable and treatable but persists, especially in developing countries. Malaria advocacy has been her mission since contracting it as a teenager after failing to use a bed mosquito net at night. That net can literally be the difference between life and death for some people, Diouf said.

Diouf recently participated in Hourglass Cosmetics Unlocked Satin Creme Lipstick campaign, which featured a collective of inspiring women who use their platform to galvanize the masses and advocate for an important cause that affects their communities. Additionally as part of the campaigns Impact Day, the company donated a portion of their revenue to United to Beat Malaria, an initiative that provides bed nets and other life-saving supplies to communities that need them.

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Diouf vividly remembers the fear that consumed her when she had malaria. Her health declined so swiftly that she bid her final farewells to her family, she told me. Im relatively small already, but I lost so much more weight within the span of a week. I could see my ribs, she said. She only experienced a robust recovery thanks to her access to good health care. The turbulent experience made her reflect on those who dont have that access.

The disease, transmitted through bites from infected mosquitos, once existed everywhere but has been largely eradicated in the U.S. and other areas due to advances in sanitation and medicine. In 2021, the World Health Organization reported 247 million cases of the disease globally. Of those cases, 95% came from regions in Africa. There were 620,000 deaths reported from malaria during that year  and likely many more that went unreported. Many of those who survive the disease have severe cases that are both devastating and life-changing.

That infuriates me. Weve effectively been able to eradicate malaria in places like the United States. Why is it still endemic in places like where I come from? Diouf asked.

Of course, the simplest answer is privilege. The journey to dismantling white supremacist systems looks different for every activist. For Diouf, it involves not just addressing colorism in the beauty industry, but shedding light on global health disparities. And that can be as simple as slaying in a red lip with a powerful message behind the look.

And so Diouf wants to work within her lane to encourage fashion and beauty industries to actively engage with individuals of all demographics. She wants to see structurally marginalized communities in print ads, sure. But she also wants to be part of conversations around addressing social issues such as the disparity in health outcomes and access.

I have had malaria, and you can relate to me. I think eliminating all the ways that we are different ... naturally increases empathy, Diouf said. And if we increase empathy, all the changes that we wish to see in the world will definitely come.
Anika Molnar/Netflix

Each year on Passover, Jews around the world retell the story of Exodus during the seder, remembering when the Israelites fled Egypt in search of freedom. It only feels right, then, that Anna Winger's new Netflix show, Transatlantic, will premiere on the second day of Passover this year.

Transatlantic tells the tale of Varian Fry, an American journalist who traveled to Vichy France in 1940 with a mandate from the just-formed Emergency Rescue Committee (ERC), a private relief organization: Save as many anti-Nazi intellectuals and artists, and help them reach safety. At its core, Transatlantic is a story about assisting refugees in the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Though it is set on the eve of genocide, the show is fundamentally rooted in optimism and the power of individual and collective action to make a difference. In history, Fry did save over 2,000 peopleincluding Max Ernst, Andre Breton, Hannah Arendt, Marc Chagall, and morehelping them escape France.



"I always said I wasn't gonna do a World War II project. You know, never say never," creator Anna Winger, who previously made the critically acclaimed limited series Unorthodox for Netflix, tells Town & Country. "This is a really important story to remember in part because it shows you that individuals can really make a difference and that individual bravery can inspire others. A drop in the bucket makes ripple effects that affect many, many, many many people."

Winger adds, "To me, this is a story that's greatly inspiring about the future as well as about the past. I felt like it was really a story worth remembering."

Anika Molnar/Netflix

Production on Transatlantic, a seven episode miniseries, took place over five months beginning February 2022 in Marseilles, France, where Varian Fry and the ERC worked from 1940 through 1941. A few days into the shoot, Russia invaded Ukraine. "We're telling a story about getting refugees out of France, many of whom came from Poland or other countries and territories that had been invaded, and everyone's moving west and then trapped suddenly in Vichy France," Cory Michael Smith, who plays Fry, tells Town & Country. "We're there [in Marseilles] as all these Ukrainians are crossing into Poland. This is such insane event that is mirroring the beginnings of World War II."

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When the war in Ukraine began, Winger says, "It was this feeling of just doubling back on everything. Here we are trying to tell a story about one refugee crisis during one European war, at the beginning of another. It was, for all us, very, very moving and motivating and gave us a strong sense of purpose going forward." The German annexation of Austria in 1938 led to the start a tremendous refugee crisis, with as many as 65 million people displaced over the course of World War II; since war broke out in Ukraine, over 8 million refugees have left the country, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

"It was a very crazy moment to shoot the series while the war broke out," actor Lucas Englander, who plays the real-life German Jewish refugee turned economist Albert Hirschman in the show. In fact, the Austrian actor was inspired by the script to help Ukrainians. He recalls, "in one of the drafts or in research material, somebody said, 'If you can't get him a visa, then let's just have important people write him letters of recommendation.' And there was something about that in this which made me understand, 'Oh shit, I can do that. We can do that.'"

Englander started asking fellow cast and crew members on Transatlantic to help him, like Gregory Montel, the Call My Agent! star who plays Philippe Frot, a fictional Vichy French police captain in Marseilles. "[Montel] wrote a letter of recommendation, other people wrote letters of recommendation for friends in Ukraine to get them out. That was still in the time when nobody really knew what to do."

Anika Molnar/Netflix

For other actors, the war in Ukraine, coupled with working on Transatlantic, made them reflect on their own family's history. Ralph Amoussou, who plays West African revolutionary Paul Kandjo, who is working as a concierge at the Hotel Splendide, thought about his Jewish grandmother's flight from Ethiopia as a refugee. "I felt like history repeats itself again," Amoussou tells T&C. "You're just struck by reality and how someone can write something you can relate to it."

While Transatlantic is predominately focused on Jewish refugees, and the production was thinking about Ukrainian refugees, Amoussou notes their plight is not singular. "We owe all the refugees in the world to tell the truth, their stories," he says. "We owe this to refugees from Mali, Afghanistan, Iran, all of the people who are in search of a better life, oppressed, on the move constantly. We owe them to tell the story right, to do this right."

Anika Molnar/Netflix

These struggles of oppression and collective liberation linger with the viewer long after finishing Transatlantic. On Passover, Jews remember Exodus 23:9: "You shall not oppress a stranger, for you know the feelings of the stranger, having yourselves been strangers in the land of Egypt." Transatlantic captures this essential solidarity between strangers, without feeling didactic. It's a piece of art that moves viewers, and those involved in it.

"I felt really moved by it, watching it, and I felt lucky to have been chosen to be a part of it," actress Gillian Jacobs, who plays heiress Mary Jayne Gold, tells Town & Country. "I was genuinely moved by watching it. I hope that people have a similar sort of response that I had to it, because I think it's a special and singular project. I can't think of anything else quite like it."

For Winger, creating a period drama like this made her reflect, constantly, on the present. "When you're working with the past, it's always really interesting to approach it as a prism through which to understand the present," she says. "Transnational migration, refugee experience, statelessness is something I think about a lot in terms of current events." By centering Varian in the story, "he was a familiar sort of American, he might have been someone I knew. There was something about the whole thing that felt very accessible."

The International Rescue Committee, which Fry's ERC was a precursor to, is hoping Transatlantic could serve as perhaps a call to action to those helping people affected by humanitarian crises in 2023. IRC President and CEO David Miliband tells T&C, "Fry and his colleagues saved thousands of lives through action and ingenuityby embracing inventive thinking, taking calculated risks, and building and scaling through success. For 90 years, this spirit has persisted at the International Rescue Committee, as we continue to help and support people during times of conflict to survive and rebuild their lives."



Anika Molnar/Netflix

It's hard to believe Fry and his peers really did what they did in Marseille; the experience of watching Transatlantic is just one astonished Google search after another. Did Chicago heiress Mary Jayne Gold really help fund the Emergency Rescue Committee? Yes. Did Peggy Guggenheim really show up in Marseilles? Yes. Did Marc Chagall really refuse to leave France until it was almost too late? Yes. Was American diplomat Hiram Bigham IV really forging visas? Yes. And on and on and on... "There is nothing about this story that really makes sense," Winger says. "You can't believe it, the more you know about it. These are people who would never have met at any other time and place and yet they enriched each other's lives and changed the courses of each other's lives permanently. In that sense, it's a really positive story. Maybe that could help us going forward."

Fry's story, Smith says, "reminds those of us that have empathy and compassion for those that are suffering to reawaken or reignite our care for the security safety and well being of others." He adds, "The rising tide of goodness can still overwhelm the opposition." An important reminder, no matter what year it is.

Transatlantic premieres on April 7, 2023. Watch on Netflix.

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A lawsuit brought by Indian textile exporter Globe Cotyarn, Pvt. Ltd., against technology and patent licensing company AAVN, Inc., over the manufacture of high-thread-count textiles was dismissed this week in the Middle District of North Carolina Court.

The federal complaint sought to invalidate 10 of AAVNs patents related to manufacturing high-thread-count textiles, specifically cotton bedsheets. The Dallas-based companys patented Alpha Cotton chief value cotton (CVC)-rich sheeting is licensed to a number of manufacturers. And the validity of those patents has been previously called into question, with judicial proceedings in the Southern District of New York dismissed or settled with acknowledgement of the validity of AAVNs patents.

In 2017, AAVN, whose partners include Trident Group and Birla Century, successfully appealed to the United States International Trade Commission to prohibit the import of textiles with falsely labeled thread counts.

AAVN has a winning track record in court.

AAVN is going to defend its patent to maintain the integrity of its products and protect consumers, said Cory Johnson of Winstead PC, who represented AAVN. Since AAVN patents, the high thread count cotton rich sheets have become one of the largest segments in sheets, defining aspirational luxury and annual retail sales of more than $1 billion.
Olympic rings are pictured in front of the Olympic House, headquarters of the International Olympic Committee, at the opening of the executive board meeting of the International Olympic Committee in Lausanne, Switzerland, Tuesday, March 28, 2023. | Laurent Gillieron, Keystone via Associated Press

Switzerland is officially in the running to host a Winter Games.

In a statement posted in French and German, the Swiss Olympic committee confirmed moving from an informal to an ongoing dialogue with the International Olympic Committee about bidding for an unspecified Winter Games.

Salt Lake City; Sapporo, Japan; Vancouver, Canada; and possibly Stockholm, Sweden; are already in the race for the 2030 Winter Games, although Salt Lake City has stated a preference for hosting in 2034.

But IOC officials, who previously confirmed there were six places vying for a Winter Games, said last week there are now even more under the new, less formal bid process that allows discussions to remain confidential until the later stages.

Whats not been divulged is the identity of all contenders for 2030 or beyond, or the size of the field. With Switzerlands announcement late last week, just five current Winter Games bids have been made public.

Related

Switzerland had been part of a so-called European super bid being put together with sites in Italy and France that appeared to fall apart after the mayor of the French city involved, Chamonix, said he wasnt interested.

Swiss Olympic officials said in the statement they have had an Olympic Winter Games Switzerland coordination office in place since May 2022 and will serve as the sole point of contact for a bid, to bring together the various projects and forces involved.

The discussions with the IOC are not tied to any particular organizing year, a translation of the statement said, spelling out that there will be a thorough examination before any new Swiss candidacy.

A bid concept will only have a chance if it is sustainable and the organization of the Olympic and Paralympic Games leaves a legacy beyond sport  for society, the economy and Switzerland as a place of innovation, the statement said.

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Switzerland has hosted the Winter Games twice, in 1928 and 1948, in St. Moritz, but lost four subsequent bids even though the country is home to the IOC. One of those attempts, by Sion, was to host the 2002 Winter Games that went to Salt Lake City.

Swiss voters have rejected several Winter Games bids before they got to an IOC vote due to the expense involved, including Sions effort to host the 2026 Winter Games being held in Milan and Cortina, Italy.

Sion was the Swiss city in talks about the multination European Winter Games bid with Chamonix, France, and Aosta, Italy, which bid along with Salt Lake City for the 1998 Winter Games that went to Nagano, Japan.

A decision on a 2030 host by the IOC was postponed last December, opening the door to new candidates. Swedish Olympic officials are expected to make a decision soon about bidding, while other cities may yet emerge as contenders.

Related

Sapporo had been seen as a frontrunner for 2030, but the Japanese bid has been paused due to fallout from an expanding Olympic bribery and bid-rigging scandal stemming from the 2020 Summer Games held in Tokyo a year late due to COVID-19.

And Vancouvers hopes of hosting the first Indigenous-led Olympics faltered after British Columbia officials refused to pledge more than $1 billion in taxpayer funding. IOC officials, however, have said talks are still underway with the Canadian city.

Salt Lake Citys bid leaders have repeatedly said Utah is ready to host in 2030 if needed, but would rather wait four more years to avoid any financial conflict with 2028 Summer Games in another American city, Los Angeles.

The IOC is likely to choose both the 2030 and 2034 Winter Games hosts some time next year.
Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Urbana, opens a rally for then-President Donald Trump in 2018.

U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Urbana, joined with another House Republican chairman on Tuesday to oppose an anticipated gag order on former President Donald Trump pending his New York trial.

More: Trump indictment live updates: Arraignment to come after surrender in historic NYC case

Trump is scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday on charges that remain sealed from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and then give a speech at 8:15 p.m. at his Florida estate, Mar-a-Lago.

Jordan, head of the Judiciary Committee, and James Comer, head of the Oversight and Accountability Committee, called any potential order from Acting New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan against Trump speaking about the charges unconstitutional.

We are deeply concerned by reports the New York District Attorney may seek an unconstitutional gag order, the chairmen said in a joint statement. To put any restrictions on the ability of President Trump to discuss his mistreatment at the hands of this politically motivated prosecutor would only further demonstrate the weaponization of the New York justice system.

Jordan is one of Trump's strongest supporters in the Ohio congressional delegation.

The letter went on to say that "to even contemplate stifling the speech of the former commander in chief and current candidate for President is at odds with everything America stands for."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jim Jordan says gag order on Donald Trump case is 'unconstitutional'
Dr. Catherine Romanos, with the Women's Med Center in Kettering, near Dayton, Ohio, performs a sonogram on a woman from Kentucky, Thursday, June 30, 2022. When Roe vs. Wade was overturned a week ago by the Supreme Court, Kentucky shut down all abortions because of trigger laws. Romanos identified the amniotic sac and said the pregnancy wasn't viable. At a little over six weeks, there was no heart beat.

In our diverse ministries as Catholic sisters across Ohio, we are inspired by the Gospels and Catholic teaching to honor the sacred image of God in all people. By caring for the sick, welcoming immigrants, protecting the environment  and also lobbying those in power to change systems that perpetuate injustice  we seek to build a culture that serves the common good and that creates safe and healthy communities where families can thrive. We see up close every day how people are forced into agonizing choices in a society where the lack of quality health care, sexual violence, poverty wages for workers and the high cost of child care all impact how women make difficult decisions about their reproductive lives.

We are deeply concerned that recent legal and legislative efforts to criminalize abortion and block access to reproductive care threaten the lives and dignity of women. Abortion bans in Ohio and other states have made high-risk pregnancies even more dangerous. Black and Hispanic women, who often struggle to access quality medical care and suffer from higher maternal mortality rates, are disproportionately impacted by these punitive laws. Sadly, many politicians and religious leaders often promote these policies as "pro-life."

If Ohio lawmakers and elected officials across the country truly care about being pro-life, they should consider how these punitive laws hurt women and fail to address the complexity involved in how women use discernment to make reproductive decisions. We encourage legislators across the country to join us in building a culture of human flourishing and pass legislation that provides the care and resources people need to thrive. This includes ensuring that women have access to quality pre- and postnatal health care, establishing paid parental leave laws and affordable child care programs, implementing child tax credits that have proven to reduce child poverty and requiring living wages for workers.

Its time to finally move past the divisive culture wars over abortion and come together to do the hard work of supporting women and families.

This column is co-authored by Sister Carren Herring, Sister of Mercy Cincinnati; Sister Jean Miller, Sister of Charity of Cincinnati; Sister Margie Efkeman, Ursuline Sister of Cincinnati; Sister Caroljean Willie, Sister of Charity of Cincinnati; Sister Gemma Doll, Dominican Sister of Peace Columbus; Sister Fran Repka, Sister of Mercy Cincinnati; Sister Kathleen Hebbler, Dominican Sister of Hope Cincinnati; Sister Patricia Gardner, Franciscan Sister Sylvania; Sister Roberta Miller, Dominican Sister of Peace Columbus; and Sister Nancy Bramlage, Sister of Charity of Cincinnati.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Opinion: Time to move past culture wars and support women and families
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - MAY 25: Community members gather for a candlelight vigil at George Floyd Square.

The murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin sparked a racial reckoning across the United States in 2020. Now, the city of Minneapolis, Minn., has reached an agreement with the state to transform its police department and address racially-biased policing practices.

The new agreement, which the court system will enforce, is a direct reaction to the Minnesota Department of Healths investigation into Minneapolis policing practices after Floyds death. The report found that the city and police department engaged in a pattern or practice of race discrimination in violation of the Minnesota Human Rights Act.

Read more

The investigation was damning. Despite Black residents making up 19% of the population, 63% of use of force incidents were against Black people. This new plan promises to address the major concerns outlined in the investigation. But the question remains whether this new agreement can fix the deep-rooted issues that led to Floyds death.

First, its worth understanding what this plan actually does. The agreement would require police to:

Require officers to de-escalate

Prohibit officers from using force to punish or retaliate

Prohibit the use of certain pretext stops

Ban searches based on alleged smells of cannabis

Prohibit so-called consent searches during pedestrian or vehicle stops

Limit when officers can use force

Limit when and how officers can use chemical irritants and tasers

Ban excited delirium training

Many of these changes are aimed at preventing the kind of deadly force that caused Floyds death. For those who dont remember, Floyd was pulled over by police after a store clerk accused him of using a counterfeit $20 bill. Police said he appeared to be under the influence and ordered him to leave the car. After handcuffing him, Chauvin pinned Floyd to the ground with his knee on his neck for nine minutes, killing him.

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Some community-based criminal justice groups are concerned that the new agreement doesnt go far enough to hold police accountable.

This settlement agreement states the city and Minneapolis Police Department did not and do not admit or agree with the Minnesota Department of Human Rights findings, said Rev. Ian Bethel, a Unity Community Mediation member. Thats neither transparency, its not accountability, nor the consequences that this community demands.

His concerns are that although the department has to agree to certain changes to their behavior, they dont have to admit previous wrongdoing outlined in the states investigation into their practices.

However, advocates for the agreement, like Minnesota Department of Human Rights Commissioner Rebecca Lucero, have argued that because the deal is court-enforced, it will have the teeth to accomplish its outlined goals.

Minneapolis community members deserve to be treated with humanity. This court-enforceable agreement provides the framework for lawful, non-discriminatory policing, reduces unnecessary dangers for officers, and results in better public safety for Minneapolis, said Lucero.

While many of these reforms have the capacity to bring about change, after decades of mistreatment, it will likely take a lot more than a new plan to foster anything resembling trust between Black residents and the Minneapolis Police Department.

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This is just so beautiful.

On March 27, people were so excited to see a North Atlantic right whale and her calf swimming in the Cape Cod Bay in Massachusetts. There are an estimated less than 440 North Atlantic Right Whales left on earth. These critically endangered animals can grow between 45 and 55 feet and weigh up to 70 tons.

The reason why this sighting is so important is because North Atlantic right whales have a low reproductive rate, with females giving birth to a single calf every 3-5 years. Watch the following clip to see these beautiful animals in action.

The Cape Cod Canal was closed for more than 5 hours while the mama and her baby were escorted as they swam through it. Police kept the canal closed for about an hour after the whales left in case they decided to return.

On Friday, the Massachusetts Environmental Police said that approximately 60 to 70 North Atlantic right whales  about 20% of all the North Atlantic right whales left on Earth  are gathered in lower Cape Cod Bay.

Some people took to Twitter to share their sightings of the endangered family.

@Muffy commented, "Thanks for sharing the video! How exciting!" @Daunsanders added, "What a treat to see them!"

Here are more photos and video of the pair, and you can also see their escort.

View the original article to see embedded media.

How lucky to be able to see these animals in person. According to WCVB, so far this year, 12 right whale calves have been identified in the waters off the southeast United States, where they are born. Here's hoping that bodes well for the conservation of these beautiful creatures.

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I Voted Today stickers are seen on Thursday, March 30, 2023, at the Rockford Board of Elections office in Rockford.

It's almost time to vote in Tuesday's Consolidated Election featuring dozens of local government races across the Rockford area.

School board seats are up for grabs in Rockford, Harlem, Belvidere and Freeport school districts and many others.

Depending on where you live, you may be voting for city council or village board representation as well as park district and community college boards.

There are a handful of referendums on the ballot, too.

Here are some things to know before you head out to your polling place.

More: Voting early in Rockford-area April elections? Here's what you need to know

Am I registered?

You have to be registered to vote in Illinois. You can look up your voter registration record and verify that your information is correct using Illinois' voter registration lookup tool.

Can I still register to vote?

While the grace period to register to vote by mail or online has passed, there is a grace period to still register in person at your local elections office now through Election Day. Grace-period registration must be done at an election office, permanent polling place or other site approved by the Illinois State Board of Elections.

Who can register to vote?

To register to vote in Illinois, you must:

Be a citizen of the United States.

Be a resident of Illinois and of your election precinct at least 30 days before the next election.

Be at least 18 years old on or before the next election.

Not be serving a sentence of confinement for a criminal conviction (but you can vote if you have been charged but not convicted, have completed your sentence, or have been released on parole).

Not claim the right to vote anywhere else.

Can I still vote by mail?

Yes. The deadline has passed for ballots to be mailed to you, but if you requested a ballot be sent to you in the mail for mail-in voting, you have until April 4 to put the ballot in the mail and return it to your local election office. Ballots must be postmarked by April 4 to be counted.

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Where is my polling place?

If you do not know the location of your polling place, as long as you know your zip code and address, you can find it by visiting the Illinois State Board of Elections website or your local election office.

Do I need an ID to vote?

Illinois does not require residents to produce identification as most registered voters have already submitted their drivers license number, state ID number and the last four digits of their social security number. First-time voters who registered by mail and did not submit their drivers license and social security numbers are required to produce identification when voting.

First-time voters who do not have a state ID or drivers license are permitted to produce an alternative form of identification such as a utility bill, government check, bank statement, residential lease, student ID, or government document.

What time do the polls open and close Tuesday?

All polls in Illinois open at 6 a.m. and close at 7 p.m.

What if I can't make it to my polling place on Tuesday?

In the City of Rockford, voters can cast ballots before Election Day from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday at the Rockford Board of Elections, 301 S. Sixth St.

If they cannot make it to their polling place or choose not to vote there, city voters also can vote at the Rockford Board of Elections office on Election Day.

In Winnebago County, voters can vote before Election Day from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday at the County Administration Building, 404 Elm St., Suite 104, Rockford.

In Boone County, early voting continues from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday at the Boone County Administration Building, 1212 Logan Ave.

In Stephenson County, early voting continues from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday at the Stephenson County Clerk and Recorder Office, 50 W. Douglas St. in Freeport.

How do I know if my vote was counted?

When you slide your ballot into the vote tabulating machine, and it is not returned to you, your vote has been counted.

If you voted by mail, you have the ability to verify that your ballot was received and counted by contacting your local election authority. To find your local election authority, visit the Illinois State Board of Elections website.

Still have questions?

In the city of Rockford, visit voterockfordil.gov or call 815-987-5750.

If you live in Winnebago County, visit: clerk.wincoil.gov/election-information or call 815-319-4252.

Boone County residents can visit: boonecountyil.gov/government/departments/clerk___recorder/voter_and_election_information.php or call 815-547-4770.

If you live in Stephenson County, visit: stephensoncountyil.gov/government/county_clerk_and_recorder/elections.php or call 815-235-8289.

This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Ready to vote? What you need to know this Election Day
A Virginia first-grade school teacher who was shot in her classroom by a 6-year-old student filed a $40 million lawsuit against her school district, alleging administrators were told the boy brought a gun to school prior to the shooting and "had a history of random violence, yet did nothing to stop him from harming her.

The teacher, Abigail Zwerner, 25, filed the civil lawsuit Monday morning in Newport News, Virginia, Circuit Court, accusing her former schools superintendent, principal and assistant principal of multiple counts of negligence, gross negligence and reckless breach of assumed duty of care.

Zwerner's lawyers claimed in court papers that she suffered permanent bodily injuries as a result of being shot by the child on Jan. 6 inside her classroom at Richneck Elementary School.

Named as defendants in the lawsuit are the Newport News School Board, former Newport News School District superintendent George Parker, the former school principal Briana Foster-Newton and former assistant principal Ebony Parker.

PHOTO: FILE - Messages of support for teacher Abby Zwerner, who was shot by a 6-year-old student, grace the front door of Richneck Elementary School Newport News, Va. Jan. 9, 2023. (John C. Clark/AP, FILE)

The child, who was not named in the lawsuit or by law enforcement officials, was not charged in the shooting. "We don't believe the law supports charging a 6-year-old with a criminal offense as serious as this one," Newport News Commonwealth's Attorney Howard Gwynn told ABC Hampton, Virginia, affiliate WVEC in a phone call last month.

Gwynn said that once his office has reviewed all of the facts of the case, they will determine if anyone else should be criminally charged in connection with the shooting.

MORE: Virginia school shooting: 6-year-old brought gun in backpack, fired during instruction

The legally purchased handgun used in the shooting was owned by the boy's parents, who released a statement in January saying, the "firearm our son accessed was secured."

"Our family has always been committed to responsible gun ownership and keeping firearms out of the reach of children," the parents said.

The parents said their son "suffers from an acute disability and was under a care plan at the school that included his mother or father attending school with him and accompanying him to class every day."

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"The week of the shooting was the first week when we were not in class with him. We will regret our absence on this day for the rest of our lives," the parents said, adding that Zwerner has "worked diligently and compassionately to support our family as we sought the best education and learning environment for our son."

The lawsuit, which refers to the boy as John Doe, alleges that just two days before she was shot, Zwerner had a classroom altercation with the boy when he took her cell phone and slammed it on the ground, shattering it. Zwerner, according to the suit, took the boy to the lead teacher and called school security, who did not respond. She claims that when a guidance counselor came to her classroom, the boy called them a derogatory name and was suspended for a day.

On the day of the shooting, the boy showed up to class with his mother, who left the campus despite being required by the school district to accompany him at all times during the school day because of his behavioral issues, according to the lawsuit.

Zwerner claims in the lawsuit that in the hours before the shooting, she told Ebony Parker that the boy was in a "violent mood," had threatened to beat up a kindergartner during lunchtime and "angrily stared down a security officer in the lunchroom." The suit alleges the assistant principal took no action and even refused to look at Zwerner when she expressed concern.

Roughly two hours before the shooting, two students informed the school's reading specialist that the boy had a gun in his backpack, the suit alleges. But when the reading specialist asked him about it, the child denied he had a gun and refused to allow his backpack to be searched.

The instructor went ahead and searched the backpack while the boy was at recess, but didn't find a gun, according to the lawsuit.

When Ebony Parker was told the boy allegedly brought a gun to school, the administrator's response was that the child's "pockets were too small to hold a handgun and did nothing," the suit alleges.

After other students reported the boy showed them a gun and Zwerner observed him removing something from his backpack before recess, at least two teachers asked Ebony Parker for permission to search the child, according to the lawsuit. Ebony Parker did not report the complaints to the police, forbade the teachers from searching the child and told them the boy's mother was returning to the school to pick him up, the lawsuit states.

Less than an hour later, Zwerner was shot inside her classroom while she was seated at a reading table, according to the lawsuit.

PHOTO: FILE - Children arrive at Richneck Elementary School for the first day of classes back at the school in Newport News, Va., Jan. 30, 2023. (The Washington Post via Getty Images, FILE)

Zwerner was shot once in the incident. A bullet went through a hand she put up as the student fired and hit her in the chest, officials said.

Since the shooting, Zwerner has experienced physical pain, anxiety, depression and nightmares, according to the lawsuit.

The Newport News School District said in a statement to ABC News on Monday that it has not yet received the legal documents.

"When the School Board is served, we will work with legal counsel accordingly," the statement reads. "Our thoughts and prayers remain with Abby Zwerner and her ongoing recovery. As we have shared, as a school community, we continue to recover and support one another. We have been working in partnership with our community to address safety and security, student behavior and family engagement."

The school district's statement adds, "The safety and wellbeing of our staff and students is our most important priority. The School Board and the school divisions leadership team will continue to do whatever it takes to ensure a safe and secure teaching and learning environment across all our schools.

George Parker, who was fired on Jan. 26, told The Virginian Pilot that he hasnt seen the lawsuit, but continues to wish Ms. Zwerner well and the best of health.

"I served diligently for five years, to the best of my ability," George Parker told the newspaper. "I wish both Newport News Public Schools and Ms. Zwerner well as we resolve this matter -- and I wish the student well, as well. But I hope that everyone can continue to move forward and make sure accountability is put in the right place."

Foster-Newton's lawyer, Pamela J. Branch, told ABC News she has received information that prior to the shooting, Zwerner was warned by a student in her class that the 6-year-old boy had a gun and alleged Zwerner told the student to sit down and be quiet.

"If this is true, Ms. Zwerner may have been able to avoid the injury she suffered and this will certainly impact her claimed damages. This information was never reported to Mrs. Newton," said Branch, adding that Foster-Newton is exploring the possibility of a countersuit against Zwerner.

"Mrs. Briana Foster-Newton will vigorously defend any charges brought against her as a part of the lawsuit filed by Ms. Zwerner and respond accordingly," Branch said.

James Ellison, the attorney representing the 6-year-old, said in a statement that "the allegations in the complaint in reference to the child and his family should be taken with a large grain of salt."

"We of course continue to pray for Ms. Zwerner's complete recovery. In that there is still the potential for criminal charges, there is no further comment," Ellison added.

Efforts by ABC News to reach Ebony Parker were unsuccessful.

MORE: Prosecutor won't charge 6-year-old accused of shooting teacher

Besides firing its superintendent following the shooting, the school board reassigned Ebony Parker to another job within the school district and Briana Foster-Newton resigned as principal of the Richneck Elementary School. The school board also voted to install metal detectors at all schools in the district.

The lawsuit alleged the student who shot Zwerner had a "history of random violence."

The lawsuit alleges, Teachers' concerns with John Doe's behavior (were) regularly brought to the attention of Richneck Elementary School administration, and the concerns were always dismissed." The court papers allege that often after the child was sent to administrators to be disciplined, he would be "sent back to class shortly thereafter with some type of reward, such as a piece of candy."

In an interview last month with NBC's "Today" show, Zwerner said the shooting has altered her life forever.

"I will just never forget the look on his face that he gave me while he pointed the gun directly at me, Zwerner said. It's changed me. Its changed my life."

ABC News' Mark Guarino and Ivan Pereira contributed to this report.

School officials were told 1st grader had gun before he shot teacher: Lawsuit originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
Vantage Market Research, The North Star for the Working World

WASHINGTON, April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Global E Prescription Market is valued at USD 1,582.21 Million in 2021 and is projected to reach a value of USD 5,346.62 Million by 2028 at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 22.5% over the forecast period.

The e-prescription market is a rapidly growing industry that involves the use of electronic prescriptions to order medications. E-prescription systems allow healthcare providers to generate, transmit, and fill prescriptions electronically, which improves patient safety, reduces medication errors, and increases efficiency.

The market for e-prescription solutions is expected to grow significantly in the coming years, driven by factors such as the increasing adoption of electronic health records (EHRs) and the need to improve patient outcomes while reducing healthcare costs. Other key factors driving market growth include the growing geriatric population, the rising prevalence of chronic diseases, and the need to improve medication adherence.

Get Access to Free Sample Research Report with Latest Industry Insights @ https://www.vantagemarketresearch.com/e-prescription-market-1428/request-sample

Market Dynamics

The key drivers of the e-prescribing market are the increasing adoption of e-prescribing solutions by healthcare providers, patients, and pharmacies. E-prescribing solutions offer a number of benefits, such as improved efficiency, reduced costs, and improved patient safety.

The increasing government initiatives to promote the adoption of e-prescribing solutions is another key driver of the market. Governments around the world are promoting the adoption of e-prescribing solutions in order to improve patient care and reduce costs.

The rising prevalence of chronic diseases is another key driver of the market. Chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancer are a major cause of death and disability worldwide. E-prescribing solutions can help to improve the management of chronic diseases by providing patients with access to their medication information and by helping them to adhere to their treatment plans.

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The growing focus on improving patient care is another key driver of the market. Healthcare providers are increasingly looking for ways to improve the quality of care they provide to their patients. E-prescribing solutions can help to improve patient care by providing patients with access to their medication information and by helping them to adhere to their treatment plans.

The key challenges of the e-prescribing market are the security and privacy concerns associated with the use of e-prescribing solutions. E-prescribing solutions store sensitive patient data, and there is a risk that this data could be compromised. In addition, there are concerns about the privacy of patient data.

The lack of interoperability between different e-prescribing systems is another key challenge of the market. Different e-prescribing systems use different standards, and this can make it difficult to share patient data between different systems.

The high cost of e-prescribing solutions is another key challenge of the market. E-prescribing solutions can be expensive to implement and maintain.

Despite the challenges, the e-prescribing market is expected to grow at a significant rate during the forecast period. The growth of the market is attributed to the increasing adoption of e-prescribing solutions by healthcare providers, patients, and pharmacies.

Top Players in the Global E prescription Market

Epic Systems Corporation

Cerner Corporation

Allscripts

NextGen Healthcare

athenahealth Inc.

RelayHealth

LLC

Henry Schein Inc.

GE Healthcare

Computer Programs and Systems Inc.

DrFirst Inc.

Surescripts-RxHub

LLC

Medical Information Technology Inc.

Budget Limitation? Contact us for Special Discount and Pricing

Top Report Findings

The global e-prescribing market is expected to reach USD 5,346.62 Million by 2028, growing at a CAGR of 22.5 % from 2022 to 2028.

The increasing adoption of e-prescribing solutions by healthcare providers, patients, and pharmacies is the key driver of the market.

The increasing government initiatives to promote the adoption of e-prescribing solutions is another key driver of the market.

The rising prevalence of chronic diseases is another key driver of the market.

The growing focus on improving patient care is another key driver of the market.

The key challenges of the e-prescribing market are the security and privacy concerns associated with the use of e-prescribing solutions.

The lack of interoperability between different e-prescribing systems is another key challenge of the market.

The high cost of e-prescribing solutions is another key challenge of the market.

Despite the challenges, the e-prescribing market is expected to grow at a significant rate during the forecast period. The growth of the market is attributed to the increasing adoption of e-prescribing solutions by healthcare providers, patients, and pharmacies.

Top Trends in Global E prescription Market

Integration with Electronic Health Records (EHR): E-prescription systems are increasingly being integrated with electronic health records (EHR) to improve the accuracy and efficiency of medication management. This integration enables healthcare providers to access patient medical records and medication history, leading to better-informed prescription decisions.

Increasing Adoption of Cloud-Based Solutions: The adoption of cloud-based e-prescription solutions is on the rise, as they offer several benefits, including scalability, cost-effectiveness, and ease of use. Cloud-based systems also enable real-time access to patient data, making it easier to prescribe medications and monitor patient progress.

Growing Focus on Patient Safety: E-prescription systems are being developed with a greater focus on patient safety, with features such as drug interaction checking and medication allergy alerts. These features help prevent medication errors and improve patient outcomes.

Rising Demand for Mobile E-prescription Solutions: With the increasing use of smartphones and tablets, there is a growing demand for mobile e-prescription solutions. These solutions enable healthcare providers to prescribe medications and manage prescriptions from anywhere, at any time, improving the convenience and accessibility of healthcare services.

Government Initiatives to Promote E-prescription: Governments around the world are implementing initiatives to promote the adoption of e-prescription systems, driven by the need to reduce medication errors and improve patient safety. For example, in the United States, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has implemented regulations requiring the use of e-prescriptions for controlled substances.

Emergence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML): AI and ML are being increasingly integrated into e-prescription systems, enabling healthcare providers to make more informed prescription decisions. AI-powered e-prescription systems can analyze patient data and recommend the most appropriate medications based on the patient's medical history and symptoms. This technology can also help detect and prevent medication errors.

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Regional Analysis

North America: North America dominates the global e-prescription market, with the United States being the largest market in the region. The presence of a large number of healthcare IT companies and government initiatives promoting the adoption of e-prescription systems are driving the growth of the market in North America.

Europe: Europe is the second-largest market for e-prescription systems, with countries like Germany, France, and the United Kingdom leading the market. The implementation of e-health initiatives and the growing adoption of electronic health records (EHR) are driving the growth of the market in Europe.

Asia Pacific: The Asia Pacific region is expected to witness significant growth in the e-prescription market due to the increasing adoption of healthcare IT solutions, rising healthcare expenditure, and growing awareness about patient safety. Countries like China, Japan, and India are expected to drive the growth of the market in the region.

Latin America: The e-prescription market in Latin America is expected to grow at a steady pace, driven by the growing demand for electronic health records and the need to improve patient safety. Brazil and Mexico are the major markets in the region.

Middle East and Africa: The e-prescription market in the Middle East and Africa is expected to witness significant growth, driven by government initiatives to promote healthcare IT solutions and the increasing adoption of electronic health records. Countries like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are expected to drive the growth of the market in the region.





Global E prescription Market Segmentation

Type (Solutions, Services)

Deployment (Web and Cloud Based Solutions, On Premise Solutions)

End User (Hospitals, Office Based Physicians, Pharmacies)

Region (North America, Asia Pacific, Europe, Latin America, Middle East & Africa)

Read Full Report with TOC @ https://www.vantagemarketresearch.com/industry-report/e-prescription-market-1428

Scope of the Report:

Report Attributes Details Market Size in 2021 USD 1,582.21 Million Revenue Forecast by 2028 USD 5,346.62 Million CAGR 22.5 % from 2022 to 2028 Base Year 2021 Forecast Year 2022 to 2028 Key Players Epic Systems Corporation (US), Cerner Corporation (US), Allscripts (US), NextGen Healthcare (US), athenahealth Inc. (US), RelayHealth, LLC (US), Henry Schein Inc. (US), GE Healthcare (US), Computer Programs and Systems Inc. (US), DrFirst Inc. (US), Surescripts-RxHub, LLC (US), and Medical Information Technology Inc. Customization Options If our report does not include the information you are searching for, you may contact us to have a report tailored to your specific business needs https://www.vantagemarketresearch.com/e-prescription-market-1428/request-sample

The key questions answered in the E prescription Market Report are:

What is the current size of the e-prescription market and what is the expected growth rate over the forecast period?

What are the key factors driving the growth of the e-prescription market, and what are the challenges faced by the market?

What are the various types of e-prescription systems available in the market, and what are their key features?

What are the key applications of e-prescription systems, and which application is expected to dominate the market over the forecast period?

Which region is expected to witness the highest growth in the e-prescription market, and what are the factors driving this growth?

What are the key strategies adopted by the major players in the e-prescription market, and what is their market share?

Who are the key players in the e-prescription market, and what are their key strengths and weaknesses?

What are the emerging trends in the e-prescription market, and how are they expected to impact the market over the forecast period?

What are the regulatory landscape and standards for e-prescription systems, and how are they expected to evolve over the forecast period?

What are the opportunities and challenges for new entrants in the e-prescription market, and how can they compete with the established players?

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A mediation report filed Monday is a sign that a wrongful death lawsuit against the city of Charlotte  filed after a man died in police custody three years ago  could reach a settlement soon, according to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina.

Harold Easter, 41, died Jan. 26, 2020  three days after his arrest and detainment in a police station. Police documents revealed officers knew Easter swallowed cocaine during a traffic stop and left him in an interview room for at least 20 minutes. They didnt call paramedics.

He had a seizure and heart trouble and collapsed on the floor, where he stayed for 10 minutes until officers found him and called an ambulance.

He died at the hospital.

Months later, Easters sister, Andrell Mackey, organized a march through uptown Charlotte. Friends, family and acquaintances of Easters, along with strangers  about 50, in all  walked beside her holding a banner with his picture. In the photo, he was drinking water: the thing police refused her brother, Mackey said.

In a January lawsuit she said police denied him water, and left him alone to die. She sued five former Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department officers and the city.

READ MORE: The world needs to see what happened, sister of Harold Easter says about police video

Police Chief Johnny Jennings cited all five  four officers and one sergeant  for termination for not following long-standing policy and calling MEDIC. All five resigned in September 2020, two days before CMPD released video of Easter shackled and seizing in an interview room.

Mecklenburg County District Attorney Spencer Merriweather in 2020 called Easters death an abject failure of police procedures but determined the officers would not face criminal charges.

His office could not prove involuntary manslaughter, the most applicable charge, he said.

Prosecutors would have to show the officers failure to follow procedures and call MEDIC caused Easters death. The DAs office lacked evidence officers should have known he swallowed drugs, and it could not prove the officers failure amounted to criminal negligence.

Easters sister also sued the city, because it is responsible for training officers, she said in the lawsuit. She sought more than $25,000 in damages, the minimum amount required for civil lawsuits to be filed and considered in court.

While the courts cannot recognize settlements until a stipulation of dismissal is filed, Mondays mediation report could signal a pending agreement, said Courtroom Deputy Candace Cochran.
Dotdash Meredith and Yahoo Inc. may earn commission or revenue on some items through the links below.

The hand-painted luggage is equipped with thoughtful features for a smooth travel experience, and only available for a limited time.

Travel + Leisure / Reese Herrington

For this travel writer, March proved to be quite the on-the-go month; it started with trip from my home in Los Angeles up to Northern California, and ended with jetting off to Japan. Luckily for me, the opportunity to test Roam's latest luggage launch came about just as I was about to embark on these trips  which couldn't have been better well-timed, if you ask me.

The luxury luggage brand kicked off spring travel season with a stunning collection done in collaboration with New York City-based artist Amanda Wachob, giving jet-setters like myself captivating new versions of the brand's popular Large Carry-On Suitcase with the Cerulean (a blue and purple combo with teal-green highlights) and Nocturne (a black and purple composition with gold and green accents) colorways.

Roam

To buy: roamluggage.com, $975

In a travel world where luggage is getting increasingly Instagrammable, Roam is the first color-customizable luggage brand. And, its still relatively new to the carry-on scene: Tumi founder Charlie Clifford and fellow alum Larry Lein launched Roam in 2019. The idea behind the brand is pretty simple: Travelers can pick their color scheme from an eye-catching palette for a suitcase that they will most certainly recognize in an overhead bin.

But for those who want to leave the creativity to someone else, Roam's latest release showcases a truly one-of-a-kind design by Wachob, a multidisciplinary artist who works on exhibitions for New Yorks Whitney Museum and tattoos fans with intricate designs. The suitcase is nothing short of sensational. Honestly, Ive always liked the luggage in my rotation, but they haven't turned heads before. When wheeling this Wachob creation off a bullet train in Kyoto, I caught two passengers making eyes at it. When a concierge loaded it into the car at The Tokyo Toranomon Edition, he said, Hey, nice color, complimenting the dazzling ombre-ish blue-green composition of my Cerulean Large Carry-On Suitcase.

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What's more, Wachob designed these by covering each one with seven coats of paint, all by hand. And, to further customize it, you can choose between five trim options, each drawing inspiration from popular travel destinations such as Kyoto, Venice, and Ibiza. But, like with any piece of fine art, the Roam x Amanda Wachob Collection is actually something of a rarity, and only available in limited quantities; there are only 100 pieces in the collection and each one comes with a certificate of authenticity. So, not only are you traveling with a visually remarkable piece of luggage, you'll always have peace of mind knowing that the chances of running into someone with the same suitcase are very slim.

Roam

To buy: roamluggage.com, $975

Beyond its beauty, the carry-on suitcase itself really holds up to long-haul travel. Weighing in just shy of 8 pounds and boasting a sleek, hardshell 22-inch by 16.3-inch by 9-inch frame, its a very functional carry-on (note: it's not a hearty one, though  its really asking for you to pack your capsule travel wardrobe). The exterior is 100 percent U.S. virgin polycarbonate, and its exceptionally light. Trust me, I am not strong, and I found this suitcase so, so easy to pick up and place in an overhead rack on a bullet train from Tokyo to Kyoto.

The telescoping aluminum handle and ball-bearing wheels really take the usability of this suitcase to the next level. I am truly someone who hates carting more than she can carry, and this Roam carry-on made me feel like I could easily handle my luggage without help while traveling solo. I'm already counting down the days until I can hit the road with it again.

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Trump NYC protests: Small group of former president's supporters, foes face off over criminal case

Supporters and foes of former President Donald Trump faced off in a park in lower Manhattan near the courthouse where Trump was arraigned Tuesday afternoon on criminal charges.

A small but boisterous group from both ends of the Trump spectrum filed into Collect Pond Park hours before the 76-year-old Trump showed up at New York Criminal Court to surrender to authorities and remained vocal outside the courthouse through his nearly hourlong court appearance.

Backers of the nation's 45th president held signs reading "Trump or Death," while adversaries countered with signs saying "Lock him up" and "IndicAted" -- a reference to how Trump misspelled indicted in a post on his social media platform Truth Social.

PHOTO: A supporter of former President Donald Trump scuffles with anti-Trump protesters outside the courthouse where Trump will arrive later in the day for his arraignment on April 4, 2023 in New York City. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

ABC News reporters witnessed several small verbal skirmishes between the two factions, but nothing requiring police intervention.

The former president emerged from Trump Tower in midtown Manhattan just after 1 p.m. and his motorcade began the four-mile trip to the lower Manhattan courthouse. Trump pumped his fist at a crowd of supporters gathered across the street from Trump Tower before getting into a black vehicle.

By the time Trump arrived at the courthouse, hundreds of his supporters, some wearing MAGA hats, and Trump protesters, blowing whistles and banging tamborines, had filled the barricaded park. Uniformed officers formed a line in front of the courthouse and dozens more gathered at a nearby intersection as Trump entered the building through side door.

PHOTO: Former President Donald Trump departs from Trump Tower in New York City, Apr. 4, 2023. (Carlos Barria/Reuters)

Trump surrendered to Manhattan District Attorney investigators and was fingerprinted prior to going up to the 15th-floor courtroom, where he was arraigned on 34 felony counts related to 2016 hush money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels, who claimed she had an affair with Trump. The former president has repeatedly denied having an affair with Daniels.

Trump pleaded not guilty to the charges in the indictment.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg alleged Trump's motive was to "conceal damaging information and unlawful activity from American voters before and after the 2016 election."

Story continues

PHOTO: former US president Donald Trump arrives ahead of his arraignment at the Manhattan Federal Court in New York City, April 4, 2023. (Andrew Caballero-reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)

MORE: Trump indictment: What happens next

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, the firebrand Georgia Republican and staunch Trump supporter, was among those at the park for a pro-Trump rally. Rep. George Santos, the controversial freshman Republican from Long Island, was also spotted by ABC News crews at Collect Pond Park.

PHOTO: Police stand between supporters of former President Donald Trump and counter-protesters who are being kept apart outside of the Manhattan Criminal Court before his arraignment, April 4, 2023, in New York City. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

The park was split in half by police, with Trump supporters on the south side and counter-protesters on the north. The two camps spent hours yelling at each other across the barricades.

PHOTO: Supporters of former President Donald Trump argue with opponents outside the Manhattan District Attorney's office in New York City on April 4, 2023, ahead of Trump's expected appearance before a New York judge to answer criminal charges. (Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images)

In advance of the historic arraignment, New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat, issued a warning to Greene and any "rabble-rousers" looking to cause trouble, saying, New York City is our home, not a playground for your misplaced anger."

PHOTO: Protesters hold signs outside Manhattan Criminal Courthouse on the day of former President Donald Trump's planned court appearance after his indictment by a Manhattan grand jury, in New York City, April 4, 2023. (Amanda Perobelli/Reuters)

Adams specifically called out Greene, saying, "be on your best behavior."

MORE: Trump's lawyer on Tuesday arraignment: 'I just don't know what to expect to see'

During Tuesday's pro-Trump rally in lower Manhattan, hosted by the New York Young Republican Club, Greene fired back at Adams, saying, "While you allow crime in your streets, and you sent your henchmen down here  Democrats are the party of violence."

PHOTO: Rep. George Santos walks through the crowd gathered outside the courthouse where former President Donald Trump will arrive later in the day for his arraignment on April 4, 2023, in New York City. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Speaking through a megaphone, Greene told Trump supporters, I am here to protest and use my voice and take a stand."

"Every American should take a stand.," Greene said. "This is what happens to communists countries, not the United States of America. We have to take a stand against the injustice, the corruption and the communist Democrats."

MORE: Historic Trump photo released from inside courtroom arraignment hearing

At one point, members of the New York Young Republicans Club began chanting "USA! USA!"

MORE: Secret Service agents subpoenaed in special counsel's probe of Mar-a-Lago documents

There were no reports of arrests stemming from the demonstrations.

PHOTO: Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene speaks outside Manhattan Criminal Courthouse on the day of former President Donald Trump's planned court appearance after his indictment by a Manhattan grand jury, in New York City, April 4, 2023. (Caitlin Ochs/Reuters)

The indictment was announced last Thursday after a monthslong examination by a Manhattan grand jury.

PHOTO: People gather outside the courthouse where former President Donald Trump will arrive later in the day for his arraignment on April 4, 2023 in New York City. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Trump, who is currently the leading Republican candidate for president in the 2024 race, has described the indictment as a "political persecution and election interference at the highest level in history."

Following the arraignment, Trump immediately headed to LaGuardia Airport, where he boarded his private jet and flew back to his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida. He is scheduled to hold a news conference there Tuesday night.

MORE: Secret Service agents subpoenaed in special counsel's probe of Mar-a-Lago documents

PHOTO: A supporter of former President Donald Trump waves a flag outside Manhattan Criminal Courthouse, on the day of Trump's planned court appearance after his indictment by a Manhattan grand jury in New York City, April 4, 2023. (Eduardo Munoz/Reuters)

One of Trump's attorneys, Joe Tacopina, told ABC's "This Week" on Sunday that the case against the former president is "a joke."

"And it won't survive a challenge of law in a courtroom," Tacopina told "This Week" anchor George Stephanopoulos.

ABC News' Lucien Bruggeman, Ricardo Montero and Lauren Peller contributed to this report.

Trump NYC protests: Small group of former president's supporters, foes face off over criminal case originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
In a move aimed at creating a powerful retail training and marketing communications tool, Vsblty Groupe Technologies Corp. has inked a strategic integration agreement with Multimedia Plus. Vsblty is an AI-powered retail analytics and security technology provider, while Multimedia Plus provides retail, restaurant and hospitality companies with training and communication tools. The companys client roster includes Giorgio Armani, Ardene, Windsor Fashions, Steve Madden and David Yurman, among others.

Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

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The deal combines Vsbltys computer vision retail analytics with the Multimedia Plus Incite platform. David Harouche, chief executive officer of Multimedia Plus, said Vsblty provides the added benefit of advanced analytics using computer vision for retail training and measuring customer engagement. Together with Vsblty metrics, Incite now will immediately benefit participating retailers by improving their performance and their customers experience, as well as making in-store training more effective. We believe that this partnership will be a game changer for the retail industry.

Jay Hutton, cofounder and CEO of Vsblty, said partnering with Multimedia Plus will provide a powerful solution for brands and retail companies that combines training and consumer analytics.

By using the Incite platform together with Vsbltys anonymous computer vision analytics, both brands and retailers can optimize their in-store marketing and training programs, gaining valuable insights into employee and customer behavior, Hutton said. This will help improve operations and communications, ensuring the best customer experience.

Hutton said the integrated platforms will be first deployed by H-Ventures, Vsbltys partner headquartered in Milan. H-Ventures provides marketing, management, distribution and a variety of other services to pharmacies throughout Italy and will be the exclusive commercial partner for Italy and Continental Europe for the new platform.

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Alfredo Sassi, CEO of H-Ventures, said the company has been working side by side with Vsblty for more than five years and are looking forward to using this new integrated technology platform to enhance the cooperation between health care brands and our local pharmacies that will be a great benefit to all parties.

Vsblty said in a statement that its technology provides enhanced customer engagement and audience measurement using machine learning and computer vision. Its VisionCaptor and DataCaptor software combines motion graphics and interactive brand messaging with cutting-edge computer vision measurement and insights, the company said, adding that AI-driven software Vector provides enhanced facial recognition that is crucial to strengthening todays security requirements when recognizing weapons or suspicious persons in a crowd.

Harouche said Incite enables retail associates to receive product marketing communications directly on in-store, shelf-mounted mobile devices to share with their customers. These brand-sponsored activation modules enable associates to stay informed and engaged, and  while on the sales floor  share dynamic video and interactive content about health issues as well as product uses directly with their customers.

Regarding the integration, Harouche said retailers and brand companies can arm their associates with targeted, effective brand-supplied content that is customized based on data insights from customer interactions and engagement. He noted that this will help to ensure that associates are equipped with the content and the skills they need to provide improved customer service and increased sales.

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During Watches and Wonders, the horological industrys biggest tradeshow, the hallways of Genevas Palexpo convention center turn into major thoroughfares for the watch worlds assembled denizens. Walking through them, they run into friends, discover new references, and occasionally get to show off a model from their own collections. So at this years fair, we set up a camera in an area of the center weve affectionately come to call Rolex Square and asked a few attendees and exhibitors the most important question we could think of: Whats on your wrist? Their answers, and more of their insights on this years show, below.

Matt Hranek, Editor of WM Brown Magazine

Watches & Wonders 2023. Switzerland, Geneva, 28.03.2023  Fred Merz | Lundi13

Tell us about your outfit.

The suit is by the New York tailor J.Mueser. And the shoes are my standard Alden cognac suede loafers, unlined. They are the New Balance of the loafer world. I could do 1,000 miles on these things. And you do 1,000 miles here at Watches and Wonders.



Whats the coolest watch youve seen so far?

I was pleasantly just completely in love with Piaget. Like, theyre going back to the 60s, 70s, 80s. Not so much in the mens space, but in the kind of jewelry and womens space. I have such a memory of that era of Piaget, which I thought was very, very cool. Big surprise.

More from Robb Report

Watches & Wonders 2023. Switzerland, Geneva, 28.03.2023  Fred Merz | Lundi13

What watch are you wearing today?

So today Im wearing a Rolex Ref. 5513. It is the first vintage Rolex I ever bought in the early 90s. It has gone tropical, meaning the dial has gone brown, since Ive owned it. I bought it on eBay for $1,500 bucks in 1997. And my wife almost didnt want me to spend that much money. And Im glad I did.

Tessy Wiseman, Watches and Jewelry Product Coordinator at Cartier

Watches & Wonders 2023. Switzerland, Geneva, 30.03.2023  Fred Merz | Lundi13

Where are you from?

Im Swiss-Canadian, so from here [Geneva] and Vancouver.



Tell us about your outfit.

My shirt is Auteur. The brooch is Loewe. The bomber jacket is from Zara, actually. The trousers are House of Dagmar, the boots are Toral, and the purse is Maison LOeuvre.

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Whats the best watch youve seen so far?

My favorite novelty is the new Cartier mini Baignoire with a bangle bracelet, for its endless combinations. And its easily stackable and wearable.

Watches & Wonders 2023. Switzerland, Geneva, 30.03.2023  Fred Merz | Lundi13

Tell us about the watch youre wearing.

[Its the] Cartier Ballon Bleu 33mm. Its a subtle yet feminine addition to my rather minimal outfit.

Wilhelm Straeng, Sales Director of Stockinger Safes

Watches & Wonders 2023. Switzerland, Geneva, 30.03.2023  Fred Merz | Lundi13

Where are you from?

Im based in Munich, Germany.



Tell us about your outfit. This is a great jacket.

Thank you. This is a bespoke jacket by Gabriele Corvino. We designed it together [using] Fox Brothers fabric. Super happy with it. Wearing bespoke flannels by Missura and Badouin and Lange strides, which are absolutely phenomenal.



Whats the best watch youve seen so far?

Thats a really tough one. My absolute favorite, Im not allowed to talk about. But my second absolute favorite is the Ingenieur from IWC. I was wearing it a couple of minutes ago. I have to say, it being one of the first models Gerald Genta made, its pretty dope how theyve reiterated it. I think its gonna be a hit.

Watches & Wonders 2023. Switzerland, Geneva, 30.03.2023  Fred Merz | Lundi13

What watch are you wearing today?

Its the Panerai Luminor Marina, 42mm. Ive had it for a few months now. What attracted me is the simplicity. Its a divers watch, it has a lot of history, and I think that is why I would go for it again.

Davide Cerrato, Retired Watch Executive

Watches & Wonders 2023. Switzerland, Geneva, 28.03.2023  Fred Merz | Lundi13

Tell us about your outfit. Who made your suit?

Its an Italian tailor. The poor guy passed away with Covid, unfortunately. A guy from Sicily. He was an incredibly good guy and an incredible tailor.



Whats your favorite watch so far?

I dont have a favorite but I saw some incredibly nice watches. I must say the most complete and stunning lineup and very consistent over the last six, seven years is Cartier. Really beautiful. The new Santos Dumont, I found it so Cartier, and perfectly proportioned.

Watches & Wonders 2023. Switzerland, Geneva, 28.03.2023  Fred Merz | Lundi13

What watch are you wearing today? How long have you had it?

Rolex 1929. Vintage. Its the same model Mercedes Gleitze wore to swim the English Channel. Ive had it for about 10 years now.

Mike Nouveau, Vintage Watch Specialist

Watches & Wonders 2023. Switzerland, Geneva, 30.03.2023  Fred Merz | Lundi13

Tell us about your outfit.

So my jacket is from fine Creek leathers, which is a Japanese company. Its all horse leather. And Ive been wearing this since [October 2020] and all this patina is my own. The jeans are the mud-dyed Visvim jeans. I got them in Japan. And literally, you can still see like on the backlike theyre technically raw, but theres like dirt all over them because theyre mud-died. And the boots are the Stussy x Timberland collaboration with the ostrich leather uppers.



Whats the best watch youve seen so far?

Definitely easy question. Its the Cartier Tank Normale in platinum on the brick bracelet.



Watches & Wonders 2023. Switzerland, Geneva, 30.03.2023  Fred Merz | Lundi13

What watch are you wearing?

I have my vintage Rolex GMT Ref. 1675, Mark I dial with the fuchsia insert. Ive probably had it for about seven years. This is like my first Rolex ever. I knew I wanted a GMT. And I thought, the older the better. The fuchsia bezel is just like, so stunning, so I just had to have this variation of it.

Paul Croughton, Editor-in-Chief, Robb Report

Watches & Wonders 2023. Switzerland, Geneva, 30.03.2023  Fred Merz | Lundi13

Tell us about your outfit.

The suit is Taillour. I have some Tods loafers on, and a Drakes knit tie and a Drakes button-down Oxford shirt.



Whats been your favorite booth at the fair so far?

I think Van Cleef & Arpels probably was the winner for me in terms of a holistic expression of what their collection is this year. And the quality of make, with all the glassware from Murano and hand painting on the walls. Everything was just as you would imagine the Van Cleef world to be.

Watches & Wonders 2023. Switzerland, Geneva, 30.03.2023  Fred Merz | Lundi13

What watch are you wearing today?

This is a 1950s jumbo Vacheron Constantin, 37.5 mm with a honeycomb dial. Funnily enough, I saw another vintage watch with a very similar dial from a different brand and liked that, but wasnt enamored. But I collect Vacheron, so when I discovered this one I immediately had to have it. Its a perfect size. It works well with pretty much anything and goes pretty well with what Im wearing today. I think its very slim, unobtrusive, and hopefully elegant and different.

Ines Gharbi, Events and Special Products Coordinator, Chanel

Watches & Wonders 2023. Switzerland, Geneva, 30.03.2023  Fred Merz | Lundi13

Where are you from?

Im from Paris, but I live in New York.



Tell us about your outfit.

This is the first Chanel jacket that I ever bought, so Im really proud of it. I have some French boots from a brand called Cosmoparis. And then Im wearing a thrifted skirt and a Chanel belt.

Watches & Wonders 2023. Switzerland, Geneva, 30.03.2023  Fred Merz | Lundi13

And if youre here for Chanel, you must be wearing a Chanel watch.

Absolutely, yes. Im wearing the J12 Wanted. Its a limited edition from last year. And Im of course wearing my jewelry: my Coco Crush ring with my little diamonds.

Ben Dunn, Dealer, Watch Brothers London

Watches & Wonders 2023. Switzerland, Geneva, 30.03.2023  Fred Merz | Lundi13

Tell us about your outfit.

I am actually not much of a fashion guy. So I spend a lot of my time copying others. This is actually an outfit that Ive copied from a French chap that I found on Instagram. I couldnt tell you his username. I literally just go through his feed, and I think That looks cool. Im just going to buy into that.



Whats the best watch youve seen so far?

Oh, many gemset pieces, to be honest. I like the Cartier Bagnoire. For me, thats just killer. I would rock that all day, just under a jumper, with a t-shirt or whatever.

Watches & Wonders 2023. Switzerland, Geneva, 30.03.2023  Fred Merz | Lundi13

Speaking of diamonds under a jumper, tell us about your watch.

So this is a find from a small shop in the U.S. It was an old eBay listing that was actually defunct. And we went back and forth on the watch a bit. Im in London, the watch was in Germany, but theyre in the U.S.it was a bit complicated. So I left it. A few months later, I couldnt get it out of my mind. So I was like, lets make it happen. I got it shipped over and its been my baby ever since. Its a Vacheron Constantin perpetual calendar Ref. 43532 with the diamond bezel, which is very rarely seen.

Falak Noraee, Entrepreneur and Watch Collector

Watches & Wonders 2023. Switzerland, Geneva, 28.03.2023  Fred Merz | Lundi13

Where are you from?

Im from Iran, but I live in Dubai. Ive lived in Dubai for almost 27 years.



If you could buy one of the watches youve seen, which one would it be?

Ah, thats a tough question. Actually, I love some of the Pateks. I like some of the new Rolexes, but its very tough to choose.

Watches & Wonders 2023. Switzerland, Geneva, 28.03.2023  Fred Merz | Lundi13

What watch are you wearing today?

Im wearing a Rolex Eisenkiesel. This is one of my favorites, and I just love the dial. Its beautiful. Its beautiful. With baguettes on the dial and a diamond bezel.

Gregoire Baillod, Commercial Trainer, Rolex

Watches & Wonders 2023. Switzerland, Geneva, 28.03.2023  Fred Merz | Lundi13

What do you do at Rolex?

Were training the sales staff in retailers boutiques. Rolex does not own any boutiques. So we train the sales staff. I go all over: Portugal, Northern Europe. I go to Africa, the Middle East, Egypt for instance, Nigeria, India. I also deal with some of our affiliates in South America because I speak Spanish.

Watches & Wonders 2023. Switzerland, Geneva, 28.03.2023  Fred Merz | Lundi13

What watch are you wearing today?

Im wearing a Rolex Datejust 41, its a combination of Oystersteel and Everrose gold. Its kind of a subdued watch. But, you know, the more you look at it, the more it stands out. And for me this is really the bread and butter of Rolex: Its got performance, reliability, elegance, you name it.

Pierre Salanitro, Owner, Salanitro

Watches & Wonders 2023. Switzerland, Geneva, 28.03.2023  Fred Merz | Lundi13

Where are you from?

Im from Geneva. I have my factory here.

Do you have a favorite watch from the show?

Im very classic for the watches, you know, and I like the kinds of watches I can wear today and in 10 years and 20 years. And for that, Patek Philippe really is the top, as well as Vacheron Constantin.

Watches & Wonders 2023. Switzerland, Geneva, 28.03.2023  Fred Merz | Lundi13

Speaking of Patek Philippe, I see youre wearing one of their models.

Yes, its the perpetual calendar en ligne, Ref. 5236P-001

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Australia has joined a long list of western countries banning TikTok on official devices today. Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus announced the move and said the prohibition will be implemented as soon as practicable.

Dreyfus said that the decision was taken "after receiving advice from intelligence and security agencies."

breaking: attorney-general Mark Dreyfus confirms a ban on TikTok on Commonwealth government devices "The direction will come into effect as soon as practicable. Exemptions will only be granted on a case-by-case basis and with appropriate security mitigations in place" pic.twitter.com/WaVzqZ7rhk  Josh Butler (@JoshButler) April 4, 2023

Additionally, Australia also made changes to its Protective Security Policy Framework (PSPF), noting that TikTok poses a security threat because of its data collection practices.

"The TikTok application poses significant security and privacy risks to non-corporate Commonwealth entities arising from an extensive collection of user data and exposure to extrajudicial directions from a foreign government that conflicts with Australian law," the directive said.

The authorities said that it will allow the use of the short video app for "a legitimate business reason" and on a separate "standalone device."

Australia's move is in line with neighbor New Zeland and other Five Eyes collective members the US, the UK, and Canada  all of which have banned TikTok's usage on official devices. Separately, the EU and Belgium have also prohibited the ByteDance-owned app on the devices of authorities.

In response to the Australian government's decision, TikTok said that it is disappointed by the move.

"We are extremely disappointed by this decision, which, in our view, is driven by politics, not by fact. We are also disappointed that TikTok, and the millions of Australians who use it, were left to learn of this decision through the media, despite our repeated offers to engage with government constructively about this policy."

Story continues

"Again, we stress that there is no evidence to suggest that TikTok is in any way a security risk to Australians and should not be treated differently to other social media platforms. Our millions of Australian users deserve a government which makes decisions based upon facts and who treats all businesses fairly, regardless of country of origin, Lee Hunter, general manager, TikTok Australia and New Zealand, said in a statement.

Last month, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew testified before the U.S Congress in a grueling five-hour session. In the hearing, Chew tried to assure lawmakers that Chinese authorities don't have access to U.S. users' data.

Let me state this unequivocally: ByteDance is not an agent of China or any other country, he said.

ByteDance is under pressure from the Biden administration to sell off TikTok US or face an embargo. Meanwhile, TikTok is on a $1.5 billion charm offensive, dubbed "Project Texas," to appease U.S. authorities and squash their doubts about data transparency.

The story has been updated with TikTok's response.
PROVIDENCE  Despite lawmakers' hotly debated and highly controversial moves to reduce the number of guns on the street, Rhode Island is still "inundated with guns ... and we are seeing them in every corner of the state, both rural and urban."

So begins Attorney General Peter Neronha's once-a-year rundown on gun crimes across the state, a data-heavy report that sets the stage for what promises to be an hours-long State House hearing April 17 on more than two-dozen gun bills put in by lawmakers on both sides of the divide, including this year's latest effort to ban "assault weapons."

In the report released Monday, Neronha acknowledges lawmakers' giving state prosecutors more tools to remove firearms from criminals, including drug traffickers with large stashes of guns, cocaine and fentanyl; banning ghost guns assembled from components purchased online; and placing a 10-round limit on high-capacity firearms magazines.

The headlines appear periodically  an arrest here, an arrest there, including the August indictment of two men in the drive-by shooting death of a 24-year-old woman as she stood on a Providence street talking to a friend.

More: A new assault weapon ban will be introduced this session. Will it finally pass?

File photo from 2013 of semi-automatic rifles on display for a purchase in a Rhode Island shop.

What does the report tell us about gun crime in Rhode Island?

Neronha's report spells out the volume in 2022:

66 cases involving the manufacture and/or possession of ghost guns with no serial numbers  including 3D-printed firearms "sought out more and more by those who are otherwise prohibited from lawfully possessing guns in Rhode Island," the report says.

More than 100 criminal cases where police seized magazines capable of firing anywhere from 16 to 30-plus rounds of bullets, including one that in June resulted in a 23-year prison sentence for a Providence man who committed "an armed assault on a Providence police officer and a robbery with a ghost gun and a 27-round large capacity magazine."

11 cases against "straw purchasers" who obtained one or more firearms for someone prohibited from buying or possessing a firearm.

Story continues

Ghost-gun components that federal agents and prosecutors say were recovered from the car of a Providence man accused of trafficking ghost guns to the Dominican Republic.

More: What are ghost guns? Police say they pose a growing threat in Rhode Island.

Among the stark pictures Neronha painted of life behind the curtains in some corners of Rhode Island:

In October 2022, a West Warwick couple were charged after an investigation into alleged firearms and ghost-gun manufacturing. Seized were 37 firearms including 3 machine guns, 5 ghost guns, 23 ghost gun kits, 1 pistol with an obliterated serial number, 16 silencers and suppressors, tools to manufacture firearms, about 223 assorted magazines, 3 body armor vests, assorted holsters and tactical gear and hundreds of rounds of various calibers of ammunition, according to the report.

Report meant to prove 'aggressive enforcement' of RI's gun laws

Lawmakers directed the attorney general's office to produce the annual reports to address the argument each year by gun-rights advocates that Rhode Island does not need more gun laws but rather needs to enforce the laws already on its books.

The report is meant to demonstrate that the attorney general's office is engaged in "aggressive enforcement" of Rhode Island's existing gun laws, citing case after case:

"A Providence man sentenced to 45 years with 37 years to serve for possessing an illegal handgun and leading police on a vehicle chase through Pawtucket and Providence;

"A double life sentence for the perpetrator of the 2020 New Years day murder of a 54-year-old Pawtucket woman;

"A 45-year sentence with 25 years to serve for a Providence man for shooting and seriously injuring a 26-year-old with an illegal gun."

In 2022, the report notes: four defendants were each sentenced to serve at least 10 years in prison for a May 2021 Providence shootout that wounded nine people. Investigators seized an arsenal, including over 500 rounds of ammunition and four magazines with capacities above 30 rounds.

When asked for his takeaways from Neronha's latest report, House Minority Leader  and vocal gun-rights advocate  Rep. Michael Chippendale told The Journal: "This is an extremely complex report ... that will require study and research.

"Each of those case numbers reported has to be researched so that the criminal past of the individual offender can be determined in order to delineate the repeat offenders from the one-time offenders. There needs to also be a thoughtful interpretation of all of the various data to determine ... any consistencies or trends."

More stats from the report:

During 2022, 547 gun-related cases were filed, the vast majority (486) of them in Providence County.

Of the 416 cases that were wrapped up last year by trial, plea or dismissal, 192 resulted in prison sentences.

Of those who were sentenced to prison, 11 were sentenced to terms over 10 years, 43 were sentenced to terms between 5 and 10 years, others received lighter sentences and 96 received suspended sentences.

There were 383 gun-related cases still pending as of Dec. 31, 2022, including cases that dated to previous years.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Rhode Island gun crime report: Number of guns seized, arrests, trials
If you've got a barn full of junk, or an odd heirloom in your basement, or a forgotten relic in your garage, the popular History Channel TV show "American Pickers" would like to know about it.

The show is coming back this June to Wisconsin. Producers are looking for "historically significant or rare items" with an interesting story behind them, the showrunners said in an email.

The pickers are seeking and willing to buy items in private collections. They don't visit any stores open to the public like flea markets, malls or stores.

Mike Wolfe, a host of "American Pickers." The show is coming to Wisconsin June 2023.

Since 2010, the History Channel show has followed experienced "pickers," or antique hunters, as they search for rare and interesting items across the country.

The pickers in the show are always looking to discover something theyve never seen before, the showrunners said.

In the past, "American Pickers" has filmed in central Wisconsin and Milwaukee, among other places in the Dairy State. They also plan to search for leads in Minnesota.

If you or someone you know has a unique item and is ready to sell, send your name, phone number, location, and description of the collection with photos to americanpickers@cineflix.com, call 646-493-2184, or reach out on Facebook Messenger @GotAPick.

Rebecca Loroff is a breaking and trending news reporter for USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin. Contact her at rloroff@gannett.com.

SUPPORT LOCAL JOURNALISM: Our subscribers make this coverage possible. Subscribe to a USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin site today with one of our special offers and support local journalism.

This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: History Channel's 'American Pickers' is returning to Wisconsin soon
ARUNDEL, Maine  As town officials prepare to appoint someone to fill resident Ryan McQueens term on the RSU 21 School Board, some are asking how the community can do a better job at vetting candidates who are seeking local office.

McQueen quit the School Board on March 22, following public complaints about some of his posts on social media that had been brought to the districts attention. In a letter to the community, Superintendent of Schools Terri Cooper described the posts as hateful toward transgender people, people of color, and women.

Town officials in Arundel are preparing to appoint someone to finish Ryan McQueens term on the RSU 21 School Board.

One of McQueens alleged posts on Twitter involved a meme that read, People are similar to sharks because all the great ones are white.

The Arundel Select Board discussed the School Board vacancy during its meeting on March 27. According to the town charter, the board has 30 days from McQueens resignation to appoint someone to his seat.

To date, three candidates have filed the necessary paperwork at the town hall to be considered for the vacancy. According to Town Manager Keith Trefethen, they are Ariel Taschereau, Britney McIntyre Gerth and Rodney Sparkowich.

Previous story: Ryan McQueen quits RSU 21 School Board after 'hateful' social media posts spark complaints

Gerth told the Select Board at the meeting that she saw the vacancy as an interesting opportunity ... to step in and volunteer to advocate for our community. Gerth added that she had professional experience in matters of diversity, equity and inclusion.

I am a parent, and that drives much of my passion for being involved in the school system, Gerth said.

Select Board Chair Dan Dubois had emphasized the need for diversity, equity and inclusion after he read a recent statement by Cooper and the School Board that asserted those principles after McQueens social media posts had surfaced.

Ryan McQueen, of Arundel, Maine, has resigned from the RSU 21 School Board, following controversy over his posts on social media. (Photo: Provided/Livestream/RSU 21)

Selectman Jason Nedeau asked if there was a better way, moving forward, for the community to vet candidates before they get elected to office. He said he did not use social media and wondered if doing background checks on a candidates posts is allowable.

Story continues

Its a gray area, Nedeau acknowledged.

Trefethen said he did not think such background checks were allowed, but he added that he personally advises town staff against making social media posts that could expose them to ridicule, whether its right, wrong, or indifferent. He said some officials post on social media, expressing whatever it is they think is their right to do.

Often, that can be inappropriate as an official, Trefethen said. Its unproductive for us all.

RSU 21 School Board member Ryan McQueen submitted this resignation letter to the Arundel Town Hall on Wednesday, March 22, 2023.

Nedeau asked if something could have been done to red-flag the situation before McQueen had volunteered for the School Board, in order to avoid this nonsense.

This is ridiculous, Nedeau said. It makes the whole town look bad.

Trefethen noted that McQueen had run unopposed in his successful bid to represent Arundel on the School Board.

This is when the public needs to get engaged in the process, Trefethen said. He was the only one who ran for the position. His name was the only one on the ballot. When you run unopposed, and no one knows you ...

'It's really exciting': Front Porch in Ogunquit gets OK for new rooftop bar with ocean views

Trefethen said people need to get involved in their community and get elected the old-fashioned way  shaking hands and getting to know people.

Nedeau suggested the Select Board could compile a list of questions for candidates, in order to get a feel for them before they are appointed. Residents, past board members and even current ones could submit the questions, he added.

McQueen could not be reached for comment. In his resignation letter, however, McQueen wrote, I did not volunteer for this position to be attacked and slandered.

Landmark for sale: Cape Neddick Lobster Pound on the market for $2.5M

McQueen's resignation avoided potential recall election

In quitting, McQueen avoided a potential recall effort that a resident of Arundel had started against him.

Trefethen said he was happy that McQueen resigned without the town having to go through a recall process.

I can assure you that there were people within the community that were well prepared to move forward with a recall, Trefethen said.

The town of Kennebunk went through a recall last year, when a group of residents led an attempt to remove RSU 21 School Board member Tim Stentiford from office. The effort failed, but the entire process created legal challenges, anguish and division in the community.

McQueen was elected in 2022 to finish a term vacated by School Board member Todd Shea in the fall of 2021. McQueens successor will hold the seat until June 30 and must decide whether to run for the rest of his unfinished term during the annual town election that month.

Anyone interested in being appointed to fill the McQueen vacancy can contact Town Clerk Rachel Bull at (207) 985-4201, ext. 102, or at townclerk@arundelmaine.org.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Arundel to vet new RSU 21 School Board member after Mcqueen controversy
An overhead look at the John F. Wolfe Columbus Commons park, set on the former City Center Mall site in Columbus. Franklin County and central Ohio again led the state in growth, according to the Census Bureau.

Franklin County is growing again in population after a brief dip in 2021 - the only major metropolitan county in Ohio to see growth, according to the latest county census estimates released on Thursday.

And most of the counties surrounding Franklin, home to Columbus and the state capital, are growing even faster.

Franklin County's estimated 2022 population was 1,321,820. That's up from 2021, when it was estimated at 1,317,560, according to the census estimates.

In 2020, the census count showed Franklin County with 1,323,807, the largest in the state.

A map of downtown Columbus is superimposed over a map of census tracts.

Five of the six counties surrounding Franklin County all continued to grow, census estimates show, with Delaware County's population the highest at 226,296. Delaware County saw the largest total growth of any county in Ohio with only Union County having a higher growth percentage over the past year.

The 2022 estimates for the other four that grew:

 Licking: 181,359; 0.78% growth

 Fairfield: 162,898; 1.06% growth

 Pickaway: 60,023; 2.13% growth

 Union: 66,898; 2.75% growth

Madison County's estimated population dipped a little, from 44,404 to 43,540.

The growth in central Ohio census numbers comes as local officials continue to work on regional transportation plans to prepare for hundreds of thousands of new residents and workers here.

The 2022 census estimates show that the population of Cuyahoga County, home to Cleveland and the second-largest county, continues to decline with 1,236,041 residents. The 2021 estimate was 1,247,808.

Hamilton County, home to Cincinnati, had an estimated population of 825,037 last year, down from 2021's estimate of 827,501.

Summit County, home to Akron, had an estimated 535,882 residents, down from an estimated 537,247 in 2021. Stark County, home to Canton and Massillon, has an estimated 372,657 residents, down from an estimated 373,659 in 2021.

According to census estimates, five of the 10 fastest-growing counties in the nation are in Texas.

Maricopa County in Arizona, home to Phoenix, grew the most by population, adding 56,831 residents in 2022 to 4,551,524.

Story continues

Los Angeles County in California and Cook County, Illinois (Chicago) remain the two largest counties in the nation. But both lost population from 2021 to 2022, with Los Angeles County dropping from 9,811,842 to 9,721,138, and Cook County dropped from 5,177,606 to 5,109,292.

Overall, patterns of county growth and decline reflected pre-pandemic trends.

mferench@dispatch.com

@MarkFerenchik

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Census: Franklin County, central Ohio again leading state in growth
Transparency Market Research

Rise in adoption of noise reduction rating (NRR) or noise cancellation devices, to isolate background noise propelling sales of earplugs

Wilmington, Delaware, United States, April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Transparency Market Research Inc. - According to TMR estimates, the global earplugs industry would be worth US$ 1.1 Billion in 2022. The same market is predicted to reach US$ 1.6 billion by 2031, rising at a rapidly increasing CAGR of 4.6% from 2023 to 2031.



The market for ear plugs is influenced by the usage of these plugs for noise cancellation as well as hearing protection for people exposed to noise levels of 85 decibels or higher, as well as the rise in prominence of uniform attenuation that offers more natural sound perception via acoustic filters with linear attenuation from 100 to 8000 Hz.

Download a Sample for Highlights on Market Drivers and Challenges Affecting the Earplugs - https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=44084

Additionally, the market for earplugs and bands is benefited from population development, rising discretionary income, industrialization, urbanization, and changes in customer lifestyle.

The earplugs and bands market players will also benefit from lucrative chances through growth, development of new products, joint ventures, cooperation, mergers and acquisitions, and alliances, among other strategies, during the forecast period of 2023 to 2031.

The market for earbuds is expanding significantly and is predicted to continue expanding over the coming years. The human ear is sensitive to high-pitched sounds, which can lead to tinnitus and other illnesses like temporary or chronic hearing loss. Therefore, earbuds are necessary to protect hearing.

By obstructing the ear canal, earplugs stop high-frequency sounds from penetrating the cochlea. Such benefits of these products are propelling the global earplugs market for the last few years and the same is expected during the forecast period, 2023 to 2031.

Story continues

Key Findings of the Market Report

The global earplugs market is expected to garner a 4.6% CAGR from 2023 to 2031.





In 2022, Asia Pacific was the most lucrative market in terms of market revenues.





Music industry is among the primary end users of earplugs, with an increasing number of artists using them to optimize sound quality



Global Earplugs Market Trends

Hearing loss can be avoided with the use of foam earbuds. They can be wrapped around the cranium or put into the ears. The earplugs come in a variety of sizes and forms, so before buying them, make sure they will sit comfortably.





The expanding building sector, where there is a significant need for worker safety, is the primary driver for the global market for foam earplugs. As a result, the usage of foam earplugs has significantly grown in recent years.





To avoid the harm caused by loud noise, earplugs are frequently used in a variety of industries in addition to individual usages. Technology development has led to ongoing product design innovation, which has resulted in a widening range of product kinds and uses. Foam earplugs are one of the most popular items right now and come in a broad range of sizes and shapes.



Expand operations in the future  To get requisite details, ask for a custom report - https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=CR&rep_id=44084

Global Earplugs Market: Regional Outlook

The market for earplugs and bands is dominated by Asia Pacific because of the region's high disposable income, rising awareness of the dangers of noise pollution, as well as rapid technological advancements.





Europe is likely to emerge as the fastest-growing market for earplugs. Key expansion factors include an increase in noise pollution levels, as well as an expanding mining and construction industry



Key Points from TOC:

Preface

1.1. Market Definitions and Scope

1.2. Market Segmentation

1.3. Key Research Objectives

1.4. Research Highlights

2. Assumptions

3. Research Methodology

4. Executive Summary

5. Market Overview

5.1. Introduction

5.2. Market Dynamics

5.2.1. Drivers

5.2.2. Restraints

5.2.3. Opportunities

5.3. Key Trends Analysis

5.3.1. Supply Side

5.3.2. Demand Side

5.4. Key Market Indicators

5.4.1. Overall Hearing Protection ProductMarket Overview

5.5. Porters Five Forces Analysis

5.6. Value Chain Analysis

5.7. Industry SWOT Analysis

5.8. Raw Material Analysis

5.9. Covid-19 Impact Analysis

5.10. Global Earplugs Market Analysis and Forecast, 2017 - 2031

5.10.1. Market Value Projections (US$ Mn)

5.10.2. Market Volume Projections (Thousand Units)

6. Global Earplugs Market Analysis and Forecast, by Type

6.1. Earplugs Market (US$ Mn and Thousand Units), by Type, 2017 - 2031

6.1.1.1. Electronic

6.1.1.2. Non-electronic

6.1.1.2.1. Disposable

6.1.1.2.2. Reusable

6.2. Incremental Opportunity, by Type

7. Global Earplugs Market Analysis and Forecast, by Material

7.1. Earplugs Market (US$ Mn and Thousand Units), by Material, 2017 - 2031

7.1.1. Silicon

7.1.2. Foam

7.1.3. PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride)

7.1.4. PU (Polyurethane)

7.1.5. Others

7.2. Incremental Opportunity, by Material

TOC Continued

Grow your profit margin with Transparency Market Research  Buy the report at - https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/checkout.php?rep_id=44084<ype=S

Global Earplugs Market: Key Players

Some of the key players in the global earplugs market are:

3M

Dynamic Ear Company

Flents

Hearos

Lysian

Mckeon Products Inc.

MPOW

Noise Busters Direct

Quality Plugs

Radians, Inc.

Some developments by the key players are:

Dynamic Ear Company (DEC) and Hearables 3D (H3D) declared their partnership in 2022 with plans to integrate DEC's acoustic filter and bespoke ear mold canal design guidelines into H3D Auto Design AI for the modeling of hearing protection solutions that are specifically suited to each individual.





The automated modeling of the mould and channel lessens a lab's dependence on the availability of skilled CAD modelers, cutting CAD lead times and guaranteeing the design uniformity necessary for certified protection of hearing.





The PIP Global Business Hearos LLC specializes in the design and production of cutting-edge foam earplugs. The earplugs made by Hearos are renowned for their superior fit, comfort, and security. Having been advertised on national TV, print, radio, and online media, HEAROS and its hugely famous Sleep Pretty in Pink and Dazzlers earplug companies are two of the most effectively promoted earplug brands in the marketplace for retail outlets.



Global earplugs Market Segmentation

By Type:

Electronic

Non-electronic Disposable Reusable



By NRR (Noise Reduction Rating):

Under 20 dbA

20 dbA to 30 dbA

Above 30 dbA



By Material:

Silicon

Foam

PVC

PU

Others



By Size:

Small

Medium

Large



By Price:

Under $25

$25 to $50

$51 to $100

Above $100

By End-User:

Individual

Commercial/ Individual Construction Mining Healthcare Manufacturing Others





By Distribution Channel

Online Company-owned websites E-commerce websites

Offline Direct Indirect



By Region:

North America

Latin America

Europe

Asia-Pacific

Middle East and Africa



About Transparency Market Research

Transparency Market Research registered at Wilmington, Delaware, United States, is a global market research firm that offers market analysis reports and business consulting. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insights for thousands of decision makers. Our experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools & techniques to gather and analyze information.

Our data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts, so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With a broad research and analysis capability, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques in developing distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.

Contact Us:

Nikhil Sawlani

Transparency Market Research Inc.

CORPORATE HEADQUARTER DOWNTOWN,

1000 N. West Street,

Suite 1200, Wilmington, Delaware 19801 USA

Tel: 1-518-618-1030

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Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.com




Embattled former US President Donald Trump sits in the courtroom with his attorneys Joe Tacopina and Boris Epshteyn (R) during his arraignment at the Manhattan Criminal Court April 4, 2023 in New York City. Andrew Kelly-Pool/Getty Images

Former President Donald Trump was charged with 34 felony counts Tuesday in Manhattan.

Congressional Republicans outraged by the court appearance likened it to "what banana republics do."

"We are all going to regret it for a very long time," Sen. Marco Rubio said of today's proceedings.

Congressional Republicans floored by Donald Trump facing 34 felony charges in a Manhattan courtroom declared that America is doomed if the embattled former president is forced to stand trial.

The collective doom-and-gloom kicked up by Trump pleading not guilty to falsifying business records relating to his alleged affair with porn star Stormy Daniels overtook both chambers.

Sen. Marco Rubio on Monday shared some thoughts about the merits of the case brought against the twice-impeached former president that included talk of misdemeanors and expired statutes of limitations.

After sleeping on it, the Florida Republican and former 2016 presidential candidate got back on Twitter with a more dire assessment.

"Today is a bad day for all of us & we are all going to regret it for a very long time," Rubio captioned a 98-second video in which he warned that federal prosecutors now have carte blanche to go after political opponents.

Rep. Harriet Hageman, the Wyoming Republican who unseated Trump impeachment supporter Liz Cheney with the GOP's blessing, wrote that Democrats were attacking the former president the same way political opponents are dealt with in "Russia, China, Cuba, or other dictatorships."

"They hate him so much they don't care how much they harm our country & our justice system," Hageman wrote online.

Rep. August Pfluger told Fox News that prosecuting polarizing political leaders is typical in "banana republics" and "failed states." But not in America.

"We cannot let our justice system be politicized," he warned.

Story continues

Rep. Eli Crane skipped any legal analysis and went straight for the GOP base's jugular.

"They're coming for President Trump because he stands in the way of what they want to do to you," the Arizona Republican wrote online. "Don't forget that."

Read the original article on Business Insider
Former University of Missouri Fiji pledge Daniel Santulli is back in the care of his parents, but his condition hasn't improved, the family's attorney said.

The attorney for University of Missouri hazing defendant Ryan Delanty on Monday asked Judge Kevin Crane to repeat his statement during Delanty's hearing.

"It's going to be set for trial," Crane told attorney Mark Lee.

Delanty is charged with felony hazing of Phi Gamma Delta fraternity pledge Danny Santulli on Oct. 19, 2021. During the hazing event known as "pledge dad reveal night" Santulli was expected to drink a bottle of vodka, taped to his hands. During the night, Santulli collapsed and was unresponsive. Driven in a car by fraternity members to MU Hospital, personnel there resuscitated Santulli.

Delanty, of Ballwin, was Santulli's designated pledge dad. In a police statement in another defendant's case, a text message from Delanty to a friend reads "My son is dead."

The friend asked Delanty what he did in a text message.

"I left him," was Delanty's text response.

Santulli's brain was damaged by the incident and he's unable to speak, see or walk. He's receiving constant care by his parents at their home in Minnesota.

Before Crane moved the case to the trial request docket, Lee requested additional time.

"We did have the investigator who was looking to interview witnesses," Lee said.

A toxicologist also had been hired to review documents, Lee said.

"I think the problem is there's a large number of co-defendants," said assistant prosecutor Melissa Knerr.

Because of that, there's a large amount of discovery, she said.

Delanty is one of 10 defendants charged with felony hazing. One other is charged with misdemeanor hazing.

The defendants are divided among the judges in the different divisions, Knerr said.

"And none of these cases have gone to trial?" Crane asked.

"No, your honor," Knerr said.

No trial date has been scheduled and there may be other complications to prevent or delay a trial.

The fraternity has been removed from campus. Settlements have been reached in civil suits in the cases.

Delanty and Lee appeared by video in the court hearing.

Story continues

Documents obtained by the Tribune through an open records request to MU show a history of hazing among fraternities and a concern at Phi Gamma Delta specifically of a "high tolerance for hazing" and a "bystander effect" in which fraternity members didn't take action when they saw hazing occur.

Roger McKinney is the Tribune's education reporter. You can reach him at rmckinney@columbiatribune.com or 573-815-1719. He's on Twitter at @rmckinney9.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Judge places hazing case on trial docket, confusing defense attorney
Former President Donald Trump faces criminal charges in Manhattan, and a Delaware limited liability company is likely at the center of those charges.

He is the first former president in U.S. history to be charged with criminal offenses.

Trump was arraigned on multiple felony charges in Manhattan on Tuesday following his Thursday indictment by a grand jury that had been investigating hush money payments to two women who claimed to have had affairs with him, multiple news outlets have reported.

News about the potential charges has been trickling out long before the indictment was handed down. Specifically, the former president is under investigation for hush money payments to two women who claimed to have had sex with him. That includes a $130,000 payment made ahead of the 2016 election reportedly made to silence an adult film star about their affair.

LIVE UPDATES: Donald Trump lands in New York to face criminal charges

The Delaware connection

The seedy business believed to be at the center of Trump's indictment was routed through limited liability companies set up in Delaware. Two companies created in 2016 by Trump's former personal attorney, Michael Cohen, were used to pay off Daniels, as well as a national tabloid, to not publish details about another alleged affair.

Two weeks before the 2016 general election, Cohen created Essential Consultants LLC to funnel $130,000 in what he would later call "hush money" to former adult film star Stephanie Clifford, professionally known as Stormy Daniels. He told investigators the payments were made at Trump's behest and that he was reimbursed by Trump in a way that hid the true purpose of the payments.

In this file photo taken on October 11, 2018 Stormy Daniels, the porn star who claims to have slept with US President Donald Trump over a decade ago.

The previous month he had created Resolution Consultants LLC with the intention, according to federal prosecutors, of reimbursing the National Enquirer's parent company for its $120,000 purchase of a story from former Playboy Playmate Karen McDougal about her intimate involvement with Trump.

Story continues

Those payments were made public in a 2018 article published by the Wall Street Journal after Trump was elected.

Later that year, Cohen was charged by federal prosecutors with evading taxes and making unlawful campaign contributions, among other counts tied to the payment to Daniels. Cohen would later plead guilty to the campaign contribution charge and serve time in prison.

Why form a company in Delaware?

To create the Delaware LLCs, Cohen employed the help of a local company that registers and maintains entities on behalf of their beneficial owners. Known as a corporate capital, Delaware is the legal home to over 1 million business entities.

For some, the relative anonymity of beneficial owners and quickness is a selling point for forming a limited liability company in Delaware. Some of those companies have been used in the highest-profile global money laundering schemes in recent decades.

FILE - In this Sept. 19, 2017, file photo, Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump's personal attorney, steps out of a cab during his arrival on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File)

However, it's not really clear why Cohen used Delaware LLCs to route money to Daniels. Cohen signed his name on Essential Consultants incorporation certificate, though state law would have allowed him to list a registered agent for the company.

SHELL GAMES: Delaware dissolves shell companies created to pay off women by Trump-fixer Michael Cohen

In a largely symbolic move, the Delaware Attorney General's Office filed a complaint in 2019 in the state's Court of Chancery seeking to cancel the registration of Cohen's two Delaware LLCs "because a corporate officer of each of the Defendants has pleaded guilty, and thus confessed, in federal courts."

The Delaware attorneys asserted that the companies had been used to purchase Clifford's and McDougal's "silence and prevent her story from influencing the election." A state judge ordered the dissolution of Essential Consultants LLC and Resolution Consultants LLC in 2020.

What is Trump charged with?

Donald Trump pleaded not guilty Tuesday to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in connection with thousands of dollars in hush money payments to multiple people, according to reporting by USA Today.

The case brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg went beyond the $130,000 hush money payment to Daniels, to include a $30,000 payment to a former Trump Tower doorman, who claimed to have a story about a child Trump had out of wedlock, prosecutors asserted.

Prosecutors referenced another $150,000 payment, which appeared to track a separate allocation to McDougal to silence her about an alleged long-running affair before the 2016 election.

Trump, prosecutors said, falsified New York business records to conceal crimes that hid damaging information from the voting public during the 2016 presidential election.

Former President Donald Trump arrives at Trump Tower in New York City on April 3, 2023.

Trump has denied wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty to the charges in a Tuesday arraignment hearing.

Other ongoing investigations

The indictment of Trump comes as he campaigns for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination and as he is being investigated for other potential crimes.

In Georgia, state authorities are conducting a criminal investigation into election fraud. The evidence includes a recorded call to state Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger asking him to find the votes to overturn the results for President Joe Biden.

FROM USA TODAY: Who is Jack Smith, the special counsel appointed to lead Trump investigations?

Federal officials are also probing Trump's involvement in the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, his alleged efforts to overturn the election result in his favor as well as the former president's handling of classified documents.

Contact Xerxes Wilson at (302) 324-2787 or xwilson@delawareonline.com. Follow @Ber_Xerxes on Twitter. Related for Subscribers.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Donald Trump indicted: How Delaware is connected to charges
Within the ornate majesty of the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C., is a Statuary Hall that features two representative figures from each state of the union. Since 1931, one of the two statues representing California has been a bronze of Father Junipero Serra.

For those of you unfamiliar with Father Serra, he was a Spanish Franciscan friar who founded nine of the 21 Catholic missions across California. History, however, has fought it out over Father Serras legacy in recent years.

In 2015, he was canonized by Pope Francis, in part, for saving the souls of indigenous peoples in 18th-century California. But scholars, academics and advocates for indigenous people have branded Serra a ruthless colonizer.

Opinion

Serra did not just bring us Christianity. He imposed it, giving us no choice in the matter. He did incalculable damage to a whole culture, Deborah A. Miranda, a Native American and a professor told the New York Times in 2015.

Consequently, Father Serra is seriously out of favor in California. Yet he enjoys the limelight of a perch in the U.S. Capitol, the site of an insurrection where mobs of unpleasant people have since been convicted of crimes committed on Jan. 6, 2021.

Californias other statue in the capitol is a very chipper-looking President Ronald Reagan, who just keeps defying historians attempts to characterize him, hence his statues bubbly demeanor since his installation in 2009.

I prefer to think of Reagan as more representative of Californias vast B-movie contributions rather than of the presidency. (He was from Illinois anyway.)

Since Serras statue at Californias Capitol Park was unceremoniously pried off its pedestal in 2020, and a 5-ton statue of Christopher Columbus and Queen Isabella was removed from inside the Capitol the same year, other historically problematic statues have also gone to um wherever used, out-of-favor statues go.

If these statutes could talk, one could imagine them bemoaning their lost status with other disgraced statuary of Confederate generals, slave-owning Founding Fathers and assorted monuments of racist civic leaders that were sent packing by the whims of history.

Story continues

The afterlife is storage for a defunct statue.

The search for Serras replacement has generated a bit of comment, but how would our state agree on one when California has, shall we say, vastly disparate interests?

Not that the U.S. Capitol Statuary Hall is all that picky about who stands in there. A 2022 Washington Post investigation found that artwork at the U.S. Capitol including statues, paintings and other works honored 114 enslavers and 13 Confederates.

I am sure they were greeted warmly by their fellow insurrectionists on Jan. 6.

I propose a California Statuary Hall. We could fill it with elections, like primaries. We spent $250 million on the 2021 gubernatorial recall, so why not just keep the fun rolling?

Of course, this would provide a lot of work for lobbyists who would promote Dead Historic Yet Acceptable Figures. We could be vastly entertained by the spectacle while characters like Elon Musk and Peter Thiel funded insane candidates.

Were not going to be able to have a convention to decide this. Its gotta be an open ballot, with the top two finishers going head-to-head in the general.

I called a buddy who worked for a nationally historic figure from California who is no longer with us. I asked him if anyone was engaged in any lobbying on behalf of suitable statuary figures with California ties.

Thats not our mission, he gamely observed.

No, we have to throw this out to the people. Let Jackie Robinson slug it out with Sally Ride in the biggest March Madness bracket ever. Maya Angelou can easily take out Vin Scully, right? Joan Didion vs. David Crosby?

See? This is hard, and I havent even mentioned politicians yet. The Bee has a readers survey where you can participate in a poll on who should represent California in the U.S. Capitol, and we welcome your suggestions.

Richard Nixon vs. Pat Brown? Oh, duh. Brown won in 1962. Game over. Hmm. Earl Warren vs. Kevin McCarthy? Kevin McCarthy is physically alive, but his soul is dead.

Anyway, the legislature should make this happen. Im sure they can agree, right?
Out with the old, in with the new? Amid news that King Charles III evicted Prince Harry and Meghan Markle from Frogmore Cottage, their UK home, the Sussex couple is reportedly considering a new destination for their travels: a private island all their own.

A source recently told Heat magazine that Harry is pushing hard to go down the private island route as the couple plots their next investment, and that he loved the idea of living in a natural and eco-friendly environment, according to The Mirror. Given the couples years of requesting privacy around their internal affairs in the face of invasive tabloid reporting and paparazzi stalking their every move, a private island could make a lot of sense as a place to truly get away.

More from Robb Report

Harry and Meghan got a taste of the island life when they visited Kaibu Island island during a royal tour in 2018, an 800-acre private island off the coast of Fiji. They stayed on the islands Vatuvara resort, a solar-powered conscientious luxury resort that serves food fresh off its farms and is accessible only by private plane.

A stunning shot of the Vatuvara Private Islands, where Harry and Meghan visited in 2018.

Heats source further suggested that Harry and Meghan arent just looking to build a vacation getaway but to relocate entirely.

The situation is rapidly becoming uncomfortable to the point of untenable, the source claimed of Harry and Meghans life in the public eye. There are talks of keeping base in LA and heading somewhere new like Canada, South Africa or one of the other countries where they have more popularity and public sympathy.

This report comes as the royal family served Harry and Meghan with an eviction notice in January requiring them to vacate the home gifted to them by the late Queen Elizabeth II. The couple have confirmed the eviction notice via a spokesperson and are reportedly in the process of shipping the remainder of their personal items back to their home in California.

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King Charles IIIs coronation is still around the corner, and Harry and Meghan have also confirmed that theyve been invited via email. But amid the eviction and Harrys overall strained relationship with the royals after his memoir Spare revealed further family secrets, its hard to imagine a royal reunion is coming anytime soon.

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An illustration of DART approaching its target asteroid system.

The DART mission, NASA's first attempt to prove whether it is possible to shift an asteroid away from a collision course with Earth, has been described as a "great success" by scientists involved in the project.

The target asteroid system of DART , or the Double Asteroid Redirection Test, was the 2,560-foot (780 meters) wide space rock Didymos and its smaller orbiting "moonlet" Dimorphos, just 530 feet (160 m) in diameter. The DART mission impacted Dimorphos on Sept. 26, 2022, with the impact and its aftermath observed by numerous ground-based observatories, as well as space-based instruments like the Hubble Space Telescope and the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) . DART's impact was also followed by the LICIACube spacecraft , which traveled to Dimorphos and Didymos aboard DART.

"DART was a smashing success," Andy Rivkin, a researcher at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL), said as he and other DART researchers presented the results of the mission at the 8th Planetary Defense Conference in Vienna, Austria, on Monday (April 3). During the first session of the conference, which was also presented online, the team detailed the effect of the impact on the asteroid system's orbit and its velocity and described the plume of ejected material blasted away from the moonlet by the strike.

Related: Asteroid apocalypse: How big must a space rock be to end human civilization?

The success of the mission was emphasized by DART mission systems engineer Elena Adams, also of APL. She revealed that the spacecraft managed to strike Dimorphos within just 82 feet (25 m) of its target, the geometric center of the moonlet. Adams elaborated on how challenging this was given the speed the craft was traveling at, and the fact that its trajectory was shifted during the final moments of its rapid approach to the asteroid system.

"We actually steered DART towards Didymos for 10 months, and then only at 50 minutes from impact did we start going towards Dimorphos. So, just to give you a feel for it: We were moving at 14,000 miles an hour [22,530 kph]," Adams said. "You're going really fast and you have very little time to actually make any changes. But, the asteroid remained contained in our field of view the whole time. We were dead center on the whole time, and that was a wonderful feeling."

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Measuring the impact of DART

One of the most important effects on the asteroid system that the DART impact had was to the change of the orbital period of Dimorphos around Didymos. Before the impact, Dimorphos completed one lap around Didymos in around 11 hours and 55 minutes. The DART collision reduced the length of this period by around 33 minutes.

The shape of the moonlet's orbit around its parent body was also altered by the strike. Prior to being hit by DART, observations of the Dimorphos/Didymos system made between 2003 and 2022 showed that the smaller body followed an orbit around its larger companion that was almost perfectly circular, according to Shantanu Naidu of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. He added that, after the impact of DART, the orbit of Dimorphos now has the shape of a flattened circle, or ellipse. The overall change was around 2%.

The change in orbit was a result of the alteration of the velocity of Dimorphos caused by the impact, with the rock now traveling at around 2.7 millimeters per second more slowly than it did before the collision, according to University of Maryland astrophysicist and planetary scientist Harrison Agrusa. These are only small changes, but in a real Earth-threatening scenario, such shifts could help divert an asteroid on a collision course as long as scientists get enough advance warning of its approach.

One of the most spectacular and visible consequences of the impact of DART upon Dimorphos were the jets of material or "ejecta" that the collision blasted away. The ejecta have been tracked by both telescopes on Earth and Hubble and Webb from their vantage points in space.

The Hubble Space Telescope captured the plume from the aftermath of DART smashing into the surface of an asteroid in September 2022.

"You can see these rays of material coming off out of the system, streaming out and acting like the rays on the moon, except, instead of falling back on the moon, they escape into space," Rivkin said. "We think the amount of material in the tail is something like 10 million kilograms [22 million pounds] at this point, which would be something like 60 rail cars. It's just amazing to me that we get that much material that looks so striking coming out of an object that's really only the size of a big building."

The tail of the material shaken loose by the impact persisted for months after the encounter between DART and Dimorphos, and Rivkin pointed out it is still visible in the latest data collected from the system. This ejecta is also helping to shift the trajectory of the asteroid system and will be monitored for months to come.

"We are going to continue to monitor it with the Hubble Space Telescope and ground-based telescopes as long as we can and see if we can watch the evolution of the tail from start to finish," he added.

DART learned more about its asteroid target

In addition to violently altering the path of Dimorphos around Didymos, the DART mission was able to collect important details about the asteroid system, which means it could have a considerable impact on our scientific understanding as well.

"We knew very little about Dimorphos itself, and that was part of the challenge of this mission," Adams said. "We wanted to know what Dimorphos looks like."

The appearance of the surface of Dimorphos was recorded by DART's only scientific instrument, the Didymos Reconnaissance and Asteroid Camera for Optical navigation (DRACO). DRACO imaged the surface of the moonlet as DART hurtled toward it, capturing its final image just seconds prior to impact. It is clear from these images that the appearance of Dimorphos isn't quite what the team expected.

"[Dimorphos] does not look like, you know, kind of your typical movie depiction of a rugged, craggy sort of thing. So we were all very surprised in some ways at its appearance," Rivkin said. "This is now going to set the paradigm for what we think 150-meter sized objects look like, at least until the next visit to a 150-meter asteroid."

The images were so detailed that researchers have been able to identify several specific rocks and craters across the moonlet's surface, which were all named after percussion instruments because, as Rivkin puts it, DART smacked Dimorphos like a drum. Which of these features remained after the DART impact is uncertain. From the ejecta now following the asteroid system, scientists have also been able to determine that the moonlet Dimorphos is very close in composition to its parent body Didymos.

Prior to the DART impact, the moonlet Dimorphos was tidally locked to its parent body, behaving just like Earth's moon , which constantly faces its planet with the same side. The DART team doesn't yet know whether the impact changed that tidal locking.

Related stories:

 NASA's DART asteroid impact won't make Dimorphos hit Earth  but here's what would happen if it did

 Dramatic sampling shows asteroid Bennu is nothing like scientists expected

 NASA's DART asteroid crash is a rare opportunity for space-rock scientists

"There are basically three possible scenarios: One, Dimorphos remains tidally locked, but vibrates back and forth with an amplitude of tens of degrees, just like the moon vibrates with an amplitude of about one degree," Agrusa explained. "The other two options are that Dimorphos has broken from a synchronous rotation entirely and rotates at a period of something like 13 hours or 11.5. And then the third option is that it has entered some kind of an altitude instability where it's in a chaotic tumbling state, tidally locking for a period of time and then breaking from tidal locking."

Asteroid Impact and Deflection Assessment team leader, Patrick Michel, highlighted some of the other questions that researchers will now seek to answer about Dimorphos, such as what is the mass, density and cohesiveness of the body. Only when these things are known will the full impact of DART be understood.

These remaining questions will potentially be answered when the European Space Agency's spacecraft Hera reaches the asteroid and its moonlet at the end of 2026. Hera's primary mission will be to measure the final effect of the DART impact and to collect data that will help convert this mission from a "proof of concept" to a viable planetary defense system.
Louisiana state Rep. Kyle Green said he felt compelled to bring a bill to abolish the state's death penalty despite admittedly long odds.

"It's important enough to continue to bring this debate every year until we can convince our colleagues that this is not the best version of who we are," said Green, a Democrat from Marrero whose measure is House Bill 262.

"This state time and time again has affirmed the sanctity of life," said Green, referring to Louisiana as one of the most restrictive abortion rights states in the nation. "For me as a Christian, I can't sit back and not try to repeal this abhorrent institution."

Louisiana is one of 27 states where the death penalty still exists, though it's been 13 years since a prisoner was executed.

The state last carried out an execution on January 7, 2010, putting Gerald Bordelon to death by lethal injection after he waved his appeals. His execution was the 28th in Louisiana in the modern era of the death penalty.

Since then corrections officials have said they've been unable to secure the drugs necessary to carry them out.

Despite the lack of executions, the state spent more than $7 million last year defending those on death row, according to recent reporting by Louisiana Illuminator.

Sister Helen Prejean, whose decades-long crusade to abolish the death penalty was most famously illustrated in her best-selling book "Dead Man Walking," has been among those crusading against the death penalty.

Prejean and other mostly Catholic faith leaders and students gathered at the Louisiana Capitol last year to support failed efforts by Democratic Monroe Sen. Katrina Jackson and Green to abolish the state's death penalty.

Prejean, 83, has witnessed four executions as the spiritual adviser of those who were put to death.

"In our Catholic faith we are pro-life not just for innocents but for the guilty," she said. "We need to be a real pro-life state. No matter how grave the crime we can't entrust the government with the ability to take lives."

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Sister Helen Prejean, a decades-long advocate to abolish the death penalty in Louisiana, is surrounded by students from St. Joseph's Academy in the Louisiana Capitol in 2022 during a press conference to support bills that would eliminate executions in the state.

Roman Catholic Diocese of Baton Rouge Bishop Michael Duca called the death penalty "an assault against the dignity of life" that denies those convicted of the most heinous crimes the opportunity to repent. "All it does is demean us," he said.

But there are others of the Christian faith who argue scripture supports the death penalty. That was the case in 2019 when the Rev. Will Hall, a Baptist minister, said: "There are times when this punishment is appropriate."

More: Louisiana lawmaker seeks to shield children from TikTok, social media

Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards for the first time in his eight-year tenure said he supports abolishing the death penalty, but Green's bill has a long way to go before it could reach Edwards' desk.

Only once, in 2019, has a bill to abolish the death penalty even made it out of a House or Senate committee for full debate in either chamber. Even then, former Democratic state Rep. Terry Landry shelved the bill when it became clear he didn't have the votes in the House.

Greg Hilburn covers state politics for the USA TODAY Network of Louisiana. Follow him on Twitter @GregHilburn1.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: Lawmaker seeks to abolish death penalty in Louisiana, end executions
State Rep. Neil Friske (R-Charlevoix) has introduced a measure to repeal a Michigan Department of Natural Resources order requiring deer hunters to report their harvests within 72 hours.

GAYLORD  State Rep. Neil Friske (R-Charlevoix) has introduced a measure to repeal a Michigan Department of Natural Resources order requiring deer hunters to report their harvests within 72 hours.

More: Warmer winters, fewer hunters have Michigan deer numbers soaring  and it's becoming a problem

The current order requires hunters to report their deer harvest within 72 hours of recovering the deer and prior to transferring possession of the animal to others like a deer processor. The potential penalty for failure to comply is a 90-day misdemeanor. The fines and costs for such a violation can range from $50 to $500.

Friske said the current order is broad and excessive government overreach.

"The DNR is using its regulatory power to mandate hunters e-report their harvests or face big fines and potential jail time," he said.

Chad Stewart, a DNR deer management specialist, said the agency is open to adjusting the penalties for not meeting the 72-hour requirement.

"Its not under the DNRs control. The penalty is coded in statute and needs a legislative change," Stewart said. "Since the rule was first developed, we have been supportive of reducing the penalty to a civil infraction.

"Last year, we supported HB6354 as it was originally introduced to reduce the penalty for failing to report a harvest. However, this bill was substituted ... and the original intent was changed. We are hopeful that a similarly written bill can pass this year prior to our deer season beginning."

This screenshot shows the Michigan Department of Natural Resources' deer harvest report web page.

There's also been criticism that hunters with limited technical knowledge face an extra challenge reporting online.

"We allow other hunters, family members, and even DNR staff to assist with reporting the harvest from a hunter who has limited access to the internet. We also have a phone-call option that is available to these hunters," Stewart said.

Friske said the remote nature of many deer camps contributes to the internet access issue.

"In terms of internet usage, the main problem were facing isnt that hunters are unfamiliar with using the internet, rather that many hunters go out to remote areas for the tradition of deer camp," Friske said.

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"The current DNR order mandates that a pin must be dropped within 72 hours. If a hunter is at deer camp for seven days with his or her friends and family, with no cell service or internet access due to the remoteness of the area, what are they supposed to do now? ... Its impractical. Obviously the size of the deer population across the state is important and of public interest, but this order is excessive."

Stewart said 208,408 individual hunters reported 303,087 deer through the online harvest reporting program last year.

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"We have been very pleased with the performance of the system and the data coming out of the online reporting program, which has allowed us faster access to the data and given us the opportunity to create analyses we havent been able to do before," he said.

 Contact Paul Welitzkin at pwelitzkin@gaylordheraldtimes.com.

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Michigan lawmaker hopes to repeal order requiring e-reports for deer hunters
As a public service, The Tennessean has made this content free.

Recap: Three children and three adult staff members were killed on March 27 at Covenant School in one of Tennessee's deadliest school shootings. Audrey Hale, 28, entered the school at about 10:11 a.m. armed with a rifle. Officers who responded to the scene killed Hale about 14 minutes later. Video footage shows a timeline from when Hale first got to the school until police fired the fatal shots.

911 calls from inside the school released Thursday by Metro police give more details as to the timeline of the shooting, as do a pair of officer radio clips released by police.

Rep. Justin Jones files police report after House floor confrontation

Rep. Justin Jones, D-Nashville, filed a police report after he said Rep. Justin Lafferty, R-Knoxville, pushed him on the Tennessee House floor on Monday night.

Metro Nashville Police Department spokesperson Kris Mumford confirmed Jones filed the report Monday night, but the department declined to release the report due to the ongoing investigation. A detective has yet to be assigned but will be, Mumford said.

"Rep. Jones' allegation in the report is that he was assaulted on the floor of the House of Representatives," Mumford said.

Jones and two other Democrats face expulsion from the House later this week for holding a gun-reform protest in the chamber last Thursday. As thousands of protestors have descended on the Capitol in the past week following the Covenant mass shooting, tensions in the General Assembly remain high.

On Monday night, House leadership cleared the public galleries of audience members who were loudly decrying the expulsion resolutions.

On the chamber floor, Jones and Lafferty got into a physical confrontation as both filmed the gallery being cleared. Jones accused Lafferty of shoving him and snatching his phone away, and shared video depicting some sort of confrontation between the two. In the immediate aftermath, other lawmakers formed a heated scrum around the two before the situation was diffused.

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In a Tuesday statement, Lafferty said the lawmakers facing expulsion are attempted to "deflect attention," but he didn't deny pushing Jones or taking his phone.

Representative Jones came to my desk and as I turned he shoved his phone in my face in a threatening manner. I reacted as anyone would," Lafferty said. "Attempts to characterize this as anything else are misleading and false. The three members who are in danger of losing their jobs are desperate to deflect attention away from their actions.

Homeland Security weighs in on school-security bill

Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security Director Gregory Mays called the states planned $205 million investment in enhanced security at schools incredibly important.

Gov. Bill Lee released the bill on Monday, in light of the attack at The Covenant School on March 27. Mays addressed the House Finance, Ways and Means Committee on Tuesday during a discussion about the budget amendment to fund new school-resource officers in every school in the state, among other budget increases.

We will be looking at eliminating threats against schools before it gets to the school, Mays said. Every school shooter has demonstrated pre-attack behaviors leading up to the shooting. We go out and do some interviews and try to get that person off that pathway to violence.

The budget increases will boost the states Homeland Security presence from 18 to 30 officers. The largest increase will be $140 million to add a school-resource officer in 1,860 schools.

The bill, HB0322/SB0274, will next be heard in the Education Committee on Wednesday.

Homeland Security will work closely with SROs and behavioral health workers to focus on preventative threat assessments, Mays said.

Weve already started working with school-based behavioral health workers. Its essential we be there in the schools to develop that sense of trust, Mays said. Every school district should have a multidisciplinary threat assessment team made up of mental health, guidance counselors, educators, SROs and someone to bring it all together to look at the threats facing the schools.

Committee Chair Rep. Patsy Hazlewood, R-Signal Mountain, expressed support for the plan and said there's more to come.

We dont want any child to go to school and feel unsafe there, Hazlewood said. We cannot know whats in the mind of every child, much less every citizen walking the streets. We certainly can start with making our schools safer.

'They wanted to save kids': Nashville police chief, officers who responded to Covenant shooting speak

Det. Sergeant Jeff Mathes, Det. Michael Collazo, Officer Rex Engelbert and others spoke Tuesday afternoon at a news conference held at the Metro Nashville Police Department headquarters. It marked the first time they spoke publicly since the shooting. Collazo and Englebert were the ones who fired the fatal shots at the Covenant School shooter, per MNPD.

Police Chief John Drake spoke first.

Last Monday was a day that we all hope wed never see anywhere, and especially here in Nashville," Drake began.

Officer Rex Engelbert talks about responding to the Covenant School shooting during a news conference in Nashville, Tenn., on Tuesday, April 4, 2023. Sitting next to him are two other officers who were part of the response are sitting with him, Detective Sergeant Jeff Mathes, center, and Detective Michael Collazo.

He thanked all those involved in the massive response to the shooting. He praised the officers who were there, and spoke about first responders running into the school, taking the pulses with hopes to find signs of life. He pointed to the efforts of teachers to shelter children in place or get them out of the building. He spoke about a Vanderbilt doctor who shared his experience with Drake.

"He just wanted the opportunity to save lives," Drake said. "He didnt get that opportunity."

Detective Sgt. Jeff Mathes, who first entered the school with Engelbert, retold the series of events from his point of view. They began to sweep the first floor, following training protocols. When they heard gunfire, they quickly went to the second floor.

The smell of gunpowder was in the air," Mathes said.

They began to move through a second floor hallway as they heard more shots.

All of us stepped over a victim," Mathes said. I, to this day, do not know how I did that morally. But training is what kicked in.

Engelbert spoke next, detailing the moment he got the call  a "code 9000"  that indicated an active deadly aggressor. He'd heard calls like that before, which were false alarms. Something told him this was different.

I couldnt get to it fast enough," Engelbert said.

He quickly teamed up with Mathes and others when he arrived on the scene and heard gunshots.

"I looked for the nearest staircase I could find because I could tell it was above my head," Engelbert said.

He was one of the officers who fired a fatal shot at the shooter. Later in the day, when he was relieved from duty, he was told to sit in his car.

"That was pretty difficult to do, because I could tell there was more work to be done," Engelbert said.

Collazo spoke next, describing how he saw custodian Mike Hill, who was killed in the shooting, lying on the floor as he first entered the school through shot-out glass doors. He relayed the information about Hill over the radio, but knew he had to keep moving.

Collazo worked with other officers to clear rooms on the first floor when they started hearing gunshots.

Thats when everything kinda kicked into overdrive for us," Collazo said.

After rerouting around a locked door, Collazo and those with him were able to make it to the second floor. They pushed past another victim as they ran toward the gunfire, he said. Engelbert went ahead of them "without hesitation" as they approached the shooter, Collazo said.

After the shooter was down, their efforts shifted.

It clicked for every officer that was on scene that it was time to start trying to render aid to the victims and trying to evacuate the school," Collazo said.

Drake spoke again after Collazo finished, saying some officers responded so quickly that they didn't bother to put on ballistic gear to keep themselves safe.

"Those officers immediately went in," Drake said. "They just wanted to save kids."

Drake and the officers took questions from the news media gathered, emphasizing that their training facilitated a rapid, coordinated response from officers from multiple precincts  some of whom had not met until that day. The officers said their training prepared them for each scenario they faced, including the extreme stress of moving past victims to find and contain the shooter.

Our training academy has put us through this countless times," Collazo said.

The news briefing ended after just under an hour.

The Covenant School staff training 'saved lives'

Nashville police officers on the front lines of the March 27 shooting at Covenant School praised school staff for adhering to training and courage.

The teachers had gone through active aggressor, active shooter training recently, Nashville Chief of Police John Drake said. Their efforts also saved lives. They knew how to have kids on the wall away from the windows, out of the hallways, where we could have had a lot more casualties, they were able to protect these kids as well.

Officer Rex Engelbert noted the bravery of two school staff members who remained on the scene, even sharing concise information, directions and a key.

Detective Michael Collazo also spoke about arriving to the school and a female employee of Covenant School who pointed to the left, which told the officer to pull the vehicle to the left. Another employee saw Collazo and took off running to show the officer the door where shooter made entry.

Collazo also spoke about encountering a locked door while inside the school that showed staff were following training procedures.

Midtown Hills Precinct Commander Dayton Wheeler also encountered an administrator who relayed helpful information upon arrival.

The preparation that the school did (for) that day, Wheeler said. The training they went through, that mirrored with the response of the police department saved countless lives.

Detective talks explaining to his own child

Mathes said someday he would have the difficult conversation with his 11-month-old child about what happened at Covenant School.

The biggest thing I will instill in him is how proud I am of the actions of not only other officers but what I did, not knowingly doing, Mathes said. "Our training kicked in. It's what should have happened. It's what happened."

Mathes noted he took an oath in 2012.

"Our family sometimes come second," said Mathes about police officers. "I don't get to stop and say 'time out' and talk to my wife and talk to my kids."

Gun bills delayed until 2024

Despite days of protests that drew thousands to march on the Tennessee Capitol to call for change, Senate Republicans on Tuesday voted to delay a number of gun bills to 2024.

Some would have expanded access to firearms, while one sponsored by Nashville Democrats would have implemented stricter storage requirements for firearms kept in cars and boats.

The Senate Judiciary Committee has pushed off the bills for days since the Covenant School shooting, with Chairman Todd Gardenhire, R-Chattanooga, saying it was out of respect for the victims.

Sen. Jeff Yarbro, D-Nashville, called the delay of bills "pathetic" in a social media statement.

"Were not going to give up," Yarbro said. "Well do what we can to bring SB 1029 or some other bill to the floor to move this legislation forward."

White House comments on expulsion process for 3 Tennessee Democrats

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre commented on the move by Tennessee Republican legislators to expel three Democratic colleagues who protested for gun reform on the House floor.

"Seven thousand students peacefully marched to the capitol to confront their lawmakers for their failure to keep them safe at school," Jean-Pierre said in a Tuesday afternoon briefing. "By doing what they're doing with these three Democratic legislators, they're shrugging in the face of yet another tragic school shooting while our kids continue to pay the price."

One arrest made during Monday night protests

Tennessee Highway Patrol made one arrest during the House session Monday night, the only one to come from several protests at the Capitol in the wake of the shooting.

A woman was charged with two counts of assault on a first responder, disorderly conduct, and disrupting a meeting or procession after she was asked and allegedly refused to leave the gallery. All charges are a misdemeanor.

Metro Police officers Rex Engelbert, Michael Collazo to speak at media availability

The two officers who fired the killing shots at Covenant School shooter Audrey Hale will speak publicly for the first time in a media availability at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Metro police Detective Sgt. Jeff Mathes, who was also present at the shooting, will also attend the conference, MNPD said.

Wilson County looks to further school security after 6-minute moment of silence

The Wilson County School Board started its regular monthly meeting Monday with a six-minute moment of silence, one minute for each victim of the shooting that killed three students and three adults at The Covenant School in Nashville.

Wilson County Sheriff Robert Bryan also addressed the board about school safety, including the potential to add School Resource Officers in the district through Gov. Bill Lees proposed legislation to enhance school safety.

The governors bill proposes $140 million to put SROs in all public schools in Tennessee, which all Wilson County and Lebanon Special School District public schools already have.

Wilson Countys five traditional public high schools already have two SROs. Bryan told the board adding SROs in high schools will be evaluated along with determining where other security enhancements can be placed throughout the district. Lees legislation also includes $20 million for public school security upgrades and $7 million for private school security upgrades.

Were very fortunate the county (already) made the decision to put an SRO in every school, Bryan said. Were ahead of the game in my opinion. And the funding (potentially) coming from the state is going to assist us too.

Memorials remain more than a week after deadly shooting

Outside the school Tuesday morning, the makeshift memorials remained with a few mourners there to pay respects under overcast skies.

Flags remained at half staff in the business park across the street, but the swarm of media tents that stretched for more than a block a week before were all gone.

Along Hillsboro Pike, signs of solidarity with Covenant and red and black ribbons  the school's colors  dotted railings and signs at Hillsboro High School and churches.

A giant banner stretched out on a corner near Hillsboro High that read "Hillsboro stands with Covenant."

Community Foundation fund for Covenant continues to climb

The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee continues to collect donations for Covenant School "to support the healing of those affected by this tragedy," the foundation said on March 27.

As of Tuesday morning, the foundation has raised nearly $700,000 from just over 4,000 donors.

All donations made to the fund, minus credit card fees will go to the school. Donations can be made at www.cfmt.org/covenant.

Tennessee GOP begins expulsion process for 3 Democrats

During a chaotic session in the House Monday night, Republicans formally introduced three expulsion resolutions against Reps. Gloria Johnson of Knoxville, Justin Jones of Nashville and Justin Pearson of Memphis.

The resolutions claim the three "did knowingly and intentionally bring disorder and dishonor to the House of Representatives through their individual and collective actions." The three on Thursday approached the podium between bills without being recognized to speak and began chanting for gun reform.

When the resolutions were introduced Monday, protesters in the gallery screamed and chanted and State Troopers were called in to clear the galleries.

Amid the chaos, House Speaker Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville, called for the vote, and the resolution passed with overwhelming support from the Republican supermajority. All three resolutions passed in a party-line vote of 72 to 23. Democrats will have little power to block expulsions on Thursday during the final votes.

Johnson and Jones were also stripped of their committee assignments. Pearson does not serve on any committees.

More: Tennessee Capitol protest explainer: Here's what did and did not happen

Gov. Bill Lee proposed $140M for armed guards at schools

Gov. Bill Lee on Monday announced plans to funnel millions into a plan to beef up school security at Tennessee schools. In the same announcement, he did not commit to supporting gun access reform.

The new budget proposal, that could pass within weeks, aims to increased armed security at public schools and provide for school security upgrades at public and private schools.

Lee stopped short Monday of publicly supporting "red flag" laws but said he was open to considering solutions from lawmakers.

Lee on Friday told The Tennessean "individuals who are a threat to themselves or to others shouldnt have access to weapons."

The budget proposal includes:

$30 million to expand a Homeland Security network to monitor schools threats

$140 million to establish a School Resource Officer (SRO) grant fund to place a trained, armed security guard at every public school

$20 million for public school security upgrades

$7 million for private school security upgrades

$8 million for additional school-based behavioral health liaisons across the state

House Speaker Cameron Sexton backtracks on Jan. 6 comparison

After protests last week, House Speaker Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville, made tweets comparing the events at the state house to the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection in Washington D.C.

You had people outside the chamber who rushed the state troopers to try and get inside the chamber, Sexton said last week in a radio interview.

There is no evidence anyone rushed state troopers. THP reported no arrests or damage on Friday.

By Monday, Sexton backtracked, writing on Twitter his Thursday comparison to Jan. 6 was directed at three Democrat lawmakers, not the peaceful crowd of protesters.

Students play big part in protests

Young people began flocking to the Capitol last week in protest of current gun laws and continued that Monday.

Before a planned March for Our Lives protest, high schoolers from area schools walked-out, or walked-in, during the school day Monday. Several schools held demonstrations inside while students from others marched to the Capitol.

Hundreds of people, of all ages, gathered in Legislative Plaza to chant and demand action. Students then staged a sit-in in the Cordell Hull building outside the office of House Speaker Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville.

Police release details on Hale's deadly attack

Metro Nashville police said Monday afternoon Audrey Hale fired 152 total rounds, 126 from a rifle and 26 nine millimeter rounds from a pistol they carried in the mass shooting. Police also said Hale acted alone.

Police officer Rex Engelbert fired four rounds from his rifle and fellow officer Michael Collazo fired four rounds from his department-issued nine millimeter pistol, according to MNPD.

Police say Hale considered the actions of other mass murderers. Evidence collected from Hale's vehicle and bedroom show journal entries planning the attack on Covenant School months in advance.

The MNPDs Homicide Unit is leading the investigation into the murders of the six victims. The Cold Case Unit is working with the TBI in the investigation of the fatal police shooting.

Who were the victims of The Covenant School shooting?

Police identified the victims of the shooting on March 27 as:

Joey Garrison, White House correspondent for USA Today, contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville shooting updates: Officers Rex Engelbert, Michael Collazo speak
Woods and Ivbijaro

Liverpool, UK, April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Woods and Ivbijaro, previously known as Best Fruits Co, is excited to announce the opening of its new warehouse in Barking, Essex. The warehouse is located in Valor Park, East Circular, Gascoigne Road, and covers an area of over 40,000 square feet. It will be one of the largest automated fruit sorting lines in the UK.



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Woods and Ivbijaro is a family-based company that has been in the fresh produce industry for over 20 years. The company has come a long way from its early days when Efe Ivbijaro, a geography teacher from Liverpool, used to import and bunch fresh fruits from his garage in Finchley and make deliveries in his VW Camper Van to top London restaurants.

Over the years, the company has evolved and now supplies every possible fruit and vegetable, as well as a comprehensive range of dairy and deli products. Efe Ivbijaro ensures Woods and Ivbijaro supplies all sectors of food service, including Michelin star restaurants, contract caterers, schools, cafe chains, and restaurant groups. The company's fleet of refrigerated Lorries delivers six days a week, twice a day to London and the South East.

The company is delighted to open its new warehouse in Barking. This new facility put in place by Efe Ivbijaro will enable the team to continue to grow and expand the business, and provide even better service to its customers.

"For me, theres nothing more special and unique than providing food service and fresh produce for families across the nation, and thats what we do and aspire to do more out here." - Efe Ivbijaro

The new warehouse will enable Woods and Ivbijaro to increase its capacity to supply fresh produce to its customers across the UK. The company plans to expand further and is looking to expand to Asia and other parts of Europe by the end of 2023.

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Woods and Ivbijaro is known for its excellent customer service, and the company's telesales team is available 18 hours a day under the immense supervision and motivation of Efe Ivbijaro to ensure that customers receive perfect service every day. The company also provides office fruit baskets, which are a great low-cost component of an employee well-being program and a lovely way to show employ

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Furthermore, the company is committed to providing the satisfactory service to its customers, and its new warehouse in Barking is just one example of that commitment. The officials at the company looks forward to continuing to grow and expand its business and to provide its customers with the convenient possible service

"From the farm workers that work directly on farm land, to seed dealers, to products marketers, and everyone in between, thank you. It is because of dedicated people like you and I that we have the capacity and variety of food choices in the grocery store, giving families and consumers a relatable peace of mind that food and agricultural produce will always be on the shelves." - Efe Ivbijaro

About the Company  Woods and Ivbijaro

Woods and Ivbijaro is a family-owned business that has been supplying high-quality fruit and vegetables since 1995. With a strong reputation for excellence in the industry, the company has become one of the most trusted suppliers of fresh produce in Liverpool, East Anglia, and the Home Counties.

At Woods and Ivbijaro, they are passionate about sourcing the best local and international produce for their customers. They work closely with local farmers and suppliers to ensure that their customers receive only the freshest and highest-quality fruit and vegetables. Their team of experts carefully pack each order, ensuring that it arrives in perfect condition.

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For more information, please visit the Woods and Ivbijaro website at https://woodsandivbijaro.com

CONTACT: James Williams Woods and Ivbijaro info(at)woodsandivbijaro.com




Passover begins Wednesday, April 5. It has always been one of Rabbi Judy Caplan Ginsburghs favorite holidays because it is filled with rich tradition, customs, and lots of family memories. The holiday is always celebrated in the home with family.

I love Passover and it's important to me and my husband to keep it. A lot of people don't and I think that's important that I do, said Ginsburgh who is the part-time rabbi of Temple B'Nai Israel in Monroe but lives in Alexandria. I think less and less people do, and certainly if you cant for health reasons, that's always acceptable. Your health comes before Jewish law.

But she finds it discouraging that younger generations arent doing as much for all of the holidays.

I think it's not just Judaism. It's the churches, too. I fear that a lot of customs and traditions are disappearing. It's kind of sad to me, she said.

Celebrating the exodus from Egypt

Passover celebrates the Jewish peoples exodus from Egypt where they were enslaved, she said.

And we go through the 10 plagues that basically help to free them. The last plague was the death of the firstborn Egyptian sons, explained Ginsburgh. Jews were told to sacrifice a lamb and eat all of it but to take the blood and put it on their doorposts so that on the night of the 10th plague, the Angel of Death would pass over their households and not kill their children but only the firstborn sons of the Egyptians.

That's where the name Passover comes from, said Ginsburgh. After the 10th plague, that also took the life of the Pharoahs firstborn son, he relented and let the Jews go.

"But then of course we know Pharaoh changed his mind and chased after the Jewish people. The story says he was swallowed up in the Red Sea. There are other stories that dispute that, she said.

Moses led the Jewish people into the desert and, much later on, to the Promised Land. It is while in the desert that they get the 10 Commandants. Eventually, the next generation ends up in Israel.

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Theres also a story that before the exodus, the bread didnt have enough time to rise so thats why unleavened bread, or matzah, is eaten on Passover.

A Seder meal is served during Passover. The word Seder means order and there is an order to the Seder, said Rabbi Judy Caplan Ginsburgh. There are 15 steps to the Seder including eating the meal.

When is Passover?

Passover begins Wednesday, April 5 and is celebrated for 7 or 8 days.

Some people will celebrate it an eighth night just depending on which denomination of Judaism you have. Reform Jews celebrate it for 7 and more traditional Jews would celebrate an 8th night, explained Ginsburgh.

The first night of Passover is the most important

We have what's called a Seder. The word Seder means order and there is an order to the Seder. We talk about it right up front. There are 15 steps to the Seder, she said. All the steps are mentioned in a song that is sung at the very beginning so it is known what all the steps are going to be.

Most of the steps are before we eat dinner and one of the steps is to actually eat the Seder meal, said Ginsburgh.

A few things are done after the meal, one of which is to find the Afikomen which is a Greek word that means dessert.

What we do toward the beginning of the Seder is we take a matzah and we break it in half, she explained. And we hide half of it. And that half that we hide is called the Afikomen.

Children are very involved in the Seder because it is very important to pass on the traditions to the next generation. After the meal, the children are usually the ones who have to go find it, said Ginsburgh.

The seder can't end if they don't find it. So it's very important unless you want to be there all night long, you know, to do that, she said. And once you find it, everybody tastes a little bitty piece of it and that ends the Seder.

Passover is a holiday that is celebrated in the home with family, said Ginsburgh but some synagogues will host community Seders. The Jewish Temple in Alexandria, Congregation Gemiluth Chassodim, will host one on Thursday, April 6. Reservations are required.

What is eaten at the Seder?

Ginsburgh said they eat special food that they dont typically eat a lot at other times of the year but they arent supposed to eat anything with leavening in it. No breads or sweets are eaten for about a week. But meat, vegetables, fruit and anything else that is unleavened can be eaten during Passover.

Traditionally we would eat matzah ball soup. We would have a fish, its called gefilte fish and it's kind of a mixture of different ground up fishes that we don't eat it any other time except Passover, said Ginsburgh. And a nice meal, usually like brisket or chicken, something like that.

Why celebrate Passover?

We are commanded from the Torah to celebrate the holiday of Passover and to share it with the generations yet to come. So its actually a commandment, said Ginsburgh. And originally, in the days of the old temple in Jerusalem, Passover was one of three pilgrimage festivals where Jews would make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem to the temple.

Since there is no longer a temple in Jerusalem, they dont do that anymore, she said. But they still celebrate the holiday.

And at the end of the seder, we always say, Next year in Jerusalem., said Ginsburgh. The reason is because very traditional Jews have hope that the temple will eventually be rebuilt in Jerusalem.

"So every Passover, they always say, May we be in Jerusalem next year, because when the temple is rebuilt, there will be an age of peace, said Ginsburgh. So it's kind of like saying, May there be peace in the world by saying, Next year in Jerusalem.

This article originally appeared on Alexandria Town Talk: Passover a Jewish holiday rich with tradition, customs and family
Passover, known to the Jewish faithful as Pesach, begins at sundown on April 5 and continues until sundown April 13.

The National Jewish Outreach Program provides resources for Passover Across America, a program that unites Jewish faithful with communities hosting holiday seder dinners. To find a seder near you, head to the NJOP website, and click "Passover Across America". You'll see options to join a seder, host a seder, or apply for a grant.

"Passover Across America brings together families, couples and singles to relive the exodus of the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt to the Promised Land." The website says. "No matter if you attend one or two Passover seders each year, have not attended a seder in a while, or have never experienced a traditional Passover seder, everyone is welcome."

NJOP also helps unite those looking to learn more about Passover, Haggadah and other topics with nearby classes.

To learn more, head to njop.org/passover.

Read on to find local Passover services and April events in the Poconos.

From 2020:Holocaust survivor shares message of hope, humor, forgiveness, 75 years after liberation

Monroe County

Congregation B'nai Harim: Located at 5349 Pocono Crest Rd, Pocono Pines

Bnai Harim ("Children of the Mountains") is led by Rabbi Peg Kershenbaum and the congregation is affiliated with the Union for Reform Judaism. The congregation is known for hosting a variety of cultural classes and events online and in person.

From top left: Alicia Gonzalez Morris and Carol Yates particpate in B'Nai Harim's Purim Shpiel, directed by Honi Gruenberg. Bottom image: Norma Krasne Levine at B'nai Harim's Purim Party in March.

Recent events held in March included a Purim party and an interfaith Ramadan Iftar with the local Turkish Muslim community, where information was shared about the importance of Ramadan as well as Pesach.

The congregation will hold a Festival Service and Yizkor at 10:15 a.m. April 12.

Other events slated for April include an online seminar on Jewish Pluralism with Dr. Ora Horn Prouser at 10 a.m. April 16. Prouser, who is Executive Vice President and Academic Dean of the Academy for Jewish Religion, is author of Esaus Blessing: How the Bible Embraces Those with Special Needs. Rabbi Kershenbaum will moderate the program. Register online via the congregation's website.

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Info: Go to bnaiharimpoconos.org/ or call 570-646-0100 to learn more.

Temple Israel of the Poconos: Located at 711 Wallace St., Stroudsburg

Temple Israel of the Poconos is led by Rabbi Johanan Bickhardt. The conservative-affiliated congregation was founded in 1919.

Rabbi Bickhardt leads services in person Friday evenings at 6 p.m., and Saturdays at 9:45 a.m.

The temple is supporting the 40th annual Law Day Race Judicata in memory of Edwin Krawitz. Participants can sign up to participate in a 5-mile race or 5-kilometer walk throughout Stroudsburg on April 30. Learn more by heading to the congregation's website or the Monroe County Bar Association website (monroebar.org). Proceeds benefit Special Recreation Services, Inc.

Info: Go to templepoconos.org for up-to-date events calendars or call 570-421-8781 to learn more.

From 2022:Monroe County Bar Association recognized for charitable efforts

Jewish Resource Center of Poconos: Located at 1210 N 5th St., Stroudsburg.

The Jewish Resource Center of the Poconos was founded and has been led by Rabbi Yehuda Salkow since 2006. The center offers numerous educational, social and cultural resources for the local Jewish community.

The Resource Center is hosting a 4-day Passover Retreat from April 5-9. The registration deadline for the retreat was March 24.

Info: To see more events and learn more about the Jewish Resource Center go to poconojrc.org or call 570-517-0815.

Lackawanna County

Temple Hesed: Located at 1 Knox Rd, Scranton.

Temple Hesed, led by Rabbi Daniel Swartz, is a Union for Reform Judaism member synagogue and Scrantons first and oldest Jewish congregation. Also known as the Temple of Loving Kindness, is a community of individuals and families from Lackawanna County and surrounding NEPA areas.

The congregation hosts Friday Shabbat services in person, online via Zoom, or streamed live via YouTube. See their online schedule on the congregation's "Event Calendar" webpage for more information.

Info: Learn more by going to templehesed.org or calling 570-344-7201.

Wayne County

Temple Beth Israel, Honesdale, Pa., c. 1900

Congregation Beth Israel: Located at 615 Court St., Honesdale.

Congregation Beth Israel of Honesdale is led by Rabbi Elliott Kleinman and is part of the Union of Reform Judaism. Since 1849, they boast their willingness to embrace change.

Beth Israel is hosting a 2nd Night Community Passover Seder at 6 p.m. on April 6 at the Hotel Wayne (1202 Main St., Honesdale).

Make your required reservation by Saturday to secure a spot. Tables for 4, 6 or 8 people are available; for those not reserving tables, open seating will be available.

To make a reservation, call Nina Lassley at 570-253-7820 and leave your name and number, or email moneybug@verizon.net. Send advance payments to 910 Maple Ave., Honesdale Pa. 18431.

Members and family members can enjoy Seder dinner for $40 per person, or $45 for non-member adults. Children up to age 12 are just $20. Hebrew school and pre-Bar/Bat Mitzvah students are free of charge.

Info: For more information go to congregationbethisraelhonesdale.org or call 570-253-2222.

Of interest:Ukraine part of 'origin story' for many faithful in Honesdale

Pike County

The Jewish Fellowship of Hemlock Farms: Located at 540 Forest Drive, Lords Valley.

According to the Jewish Fellowship of Hemlock Farms website, the fellowship has been the center of Jewish life in Pike County for over 40 years. As an unaffiliated non-profit religious organization, the congregation is made up of families and individuals "who foster and pursue the rituals, customs, and joys of Judaism, regardless of current or prior practice and/or affiliation."

Members consist of practitioners of Reform, Reconstructionist, Conservative, Orthodox, and secular traditions, including full-time residents, weekenders, and snowbirds.

The JFHF will host an 8th Day of Passover Yizkor Service at 10 a.m. April 13, led by Rav Shoshana Mitrani Knapp.

Info: Learn more by checking out the website at jfhf.org, emailing jfhf1516@gmail.com, or calling 570-775-7497.

To add your event to this list, email afontones@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Pocono Record: How to find Passover seders and events in the Poconos this April
Russian President Vladimir Putin (AP)

A protection officer for Vladimir Putin has defected and labelled the Russian president a paranoid war criminal.

Gleb Karakulov, 35, had served as an engineer in the Federal Guard Service (FSO) presidential communications unit and said he has fled Russia over the war in Ukraine.

Mr Karakulov escaped to safety via Istanbul while on a business trip to Kazakhstan in October 2022 after accompanying president Putin on more than 180 trips over the past 13 years. It is unclear where the 35-year-old is now.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (AP)

Mr Karakulovs wife and daughter also escaped separately via Kazakhstan and Istanbul.

The former FSO officer claims president Putin opts to stay in his bunker rather than make trips because he is so paranoid about an assassination attempt. The Russian president also allegedly travels with a 2.5 meter high box to prevent his secret talks from leaking and Western bugging.

He also claimed that the Russian president is isolating for a fourth year in a row, out of fear of becoming infected with Covid-19, and staff can only work in the same room as Putin once they have been in isolation for two weeks.

President Putin does not use a mobile phone or the internet, meaning his knowledge of events is filtered via the secret services - and what he watches on state-controlled Russian TV, according to Mr Karakulov.

Speaking about the war in Ukraine, Mr Karakulov issued an appeal to officers to come forward with evidence about Putin as a war criminal, saying the war is beyond the pale and defies reason.

Gleb Karakulov, 35 (Khodorkovsky live/east2west news)

How many nameless victims of this war are there, how many of them are children? How many more such victims are required before you stop putting up with it? he said.

What is happening now in Ukraine, all this destruction, this war of aggression, terrorism, and genocide of the Ukrainian people - there is no other word for it - all this is a criminal offence.

Our president has become a war criminal.

The former FSO officer said he is unaware of Mr Putins alleged relationship with gymnast Alina Kabaeva, 39, and their young children, but confirmed the Russian president has a 1billion cliff-top palace at Gelendzhik on the Black Sea, and a private yacht Scheherazade, that president Putin is alleged to have funnelled millions in illicit funds into, as earlier revealed by Russias independent media.

Responding to rumours of the Russian president being terminally ill, Mr Karakulov said he is unaware of any credible information that Mr Putin has or has had cancer in the past, claiming it is not something discussed amongst his colleagues.

If he has any health issues, they must be due to his age. Well, he probably does have them. But it is nothing too serious, I guess, Mr Karakulov said.
Ohio is putting up new signs enforcing the states new distracted driving law.

Texting while driving is already illegal in Ohio but a new law took effect Tuesday that will make it easier for officers to pull motorists over for distracted driving.

The new, upgraded law makes distracted driving  texting, checking social media, streaming videos  a primary offense. That means police no longer need to see another traffic infraction before making the stop.

On Monday, Gov. Mike DeWine said a statewide effort will launch soon to educate Ohio drivers about the new law. DeWine said a new website is up to inform drivers at phonesdown.ohio.gov

Lock Your Screen Before You Rock The Road from Ohio DOT on Vimeo.

Ohio roads: 100 mph-plus speeding continues even as traffic volume back to normal

The law has several exceptions, which include:

making an emergency call to police, the fire department or the hospital.

using a phone while stopped on the side of the road, at a red light or because of an emergency or road closure.

holding a phone near your ear for a call.

using a speakerphone.

using navigation services as long as you're not typing in a destination or holding the phone.

using a single touch or swipe to end a call, for example.

"We have been working for years to change the culture around this deadly behavior," DeWine said Monday.

Safety proponents oppose the provisions that allow holding the phone to your ear or fiddling with at a stoplight. DeWine noted that compromise is part of how a bill becomes law.

Ohio's new distracted driving law goes into effect this week. Police will be allowed to pull over drivers for texting and other distracted driving activities without witnessing other traffic infractions.

"This law will clearly save lives, there is absolutely no doubt about it. It'll spare many families the grief and sorrow that unfortunately many of our families have suffered in the last few years because of distracted driving," DeWine said.

State lawmakers are debating whether to tweak the new law but any changes won't be decided until later this year, if at all, according to Senate Transportation Committee Chairwoman Stephanie Kunze, R-Hilliard.

In 2022, distracted driving contributed to at least 31 fatal crashes and 258 crashes with serious injuries, according to the Ohio Highway Patrol. Since 2017, distracted driving has contributed to 73,945 crashes.

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Law enforcement may start writing tickets for distracted driving beginning Oct. 4 when the six-month grace period ends.

For the next six months, officers will only be allowed to issue warnings. After that, the penalties are:

A fine of up to $150 and two points on your license for the first offense.

A fine of up to $250 and three points on your license for a second offense within two years.

A fine of up to $500, four points on your license and a 90-day driver's license suspension for a third offense within two years.

Individuals can avoid the fine and points for a first offense by taking an approved distracted driving course instead.

Fines are doubled for those who use cellphones while driving in a construction zone.

Under the new law, the Ohio State Highway Patrol also must compile an annual report on how many people are cited for distracted driving, including demographic information such as race.

Ohio banned texting while driving in 2012 but made it a primary offense for drivers under 18 and a secondary offense for adults.

In June 2018, an SUV-driver shopping on her phone hit and killed John Fullenkamp, a Shelby County farmer who was driving between his fields. Leah Fullenkamp, now a widow and a single mother of four, urged Ohioans to set 'do not disturb' on their phones to avoid distractions, speak up when another driver is texting with you in the car, and make a pact to put away your phones while driving.

"I can't think of anything that I've ever done at any point on my phone that is worth hurting or killing myself or someone else. Can you?" Fullenkamp said.

She applauded the new law. "This is a huge accomplishment and through these efforts, my hope is that my family's story does not become your family's story."

Laura Bischoff is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Akron Beacon Journal, Cincinnati Enquirer, Columbus Dispatch and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.

Get more political analysis by listening to the Ohio Politics Explained podcast

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Ohio's new distracted law takes effect April 4. What you need to know
Then-US President Donald Trump walks with Secret Service agents in Yuma, Arizona, in August 2017. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts

Secret Service agents would follow Trump if he goes to jail, a retired US judge said.

"No matter where he goes, he will have secret service protection," the former judge told Sky News.

Trump's arraignment is expected on Tuesday, but experts say a jail term is unlikely.

Secret Service agents would accompany former President Donald Trump if he goes to jail, a retired US judge told Sky News.

Joseph Cosgrove, formerly of the Court of Common Pleas of the 11th Judicial District in Pennsylvania and the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court, told Sky News on Tuesday that the agents would follow him to jail for his protection.

"No matter where he goes, he will have secret service protection, which creates just this bizarre image," Cosgrove said.

"Let's assume the worst for Mr Trump: if he were sentenced to some sort of confinement, he would be confined with his secret service agents," he added.

Judge Cosgrove told Sky News that Trump's agents were legally bound to "protect him at all cost," with former presidents entitled to Secret Service protection for life under federal law.

But navigating how a former president gets protected in jail would be a first in US history.

Trump was indicted by a grand jury in Manhattan on Thursday, after an investigation into a $130,000 hush-money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels.

He has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.

Former Secret Service officials told Insider's Robin Bravender and Dave Levinthal last November that, if Trump went to prison for any reason, Secret Service agents would very likely follow him.

One former Secret Service official said that an agent wouldn't end up in a cell with him, but that there would likely be at least one agent on the property for protection  even if the agent isn't "walking on his shoulder out in the yard."

A retired FBI special agent also told Insider that Trump would "certainly not be part of the general population."

Experts say that Trump is unlikely to face any jail time, and it is more likely that he will be subjected to a fine, community service, or probation if he is convicted.

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Trump is expected to surrender in New York on Tuesday. The charges have not been unsealed, with that move expected during the arraignment on Tuesday.

A source familiar with the case told Insider that it is a felony indictment, while two sources told CNN that Trump faces more than 30 counts related to business fraud.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Sun., May 8, 2022, Columbus, Ohio, USA; Doctoral graduates wait to receive their hoods during Ohio State Spring Commencement at Ohio Stadium.

James Grossman is executive director of the American Historical Association.

Anne Hyde is professor of History at the University Oklahoma and vice-president of the American Historical Association.

The people of Ohio can take pride in a public university system that offers a high-quality education at campuses spread widely across the state.

Some members of the state legislature, however, seem prepared to sacrifice this asset to ideological special interests undermining both educational content and the institutions themselves.

Ohio Senate Bill 83, perhaps best summarized as an unwieldy omnibus of contradictory mandates, would not only enable, but even require classroom-level intervention by state officials.

Senator: Ignore 'hysteria.' Freedoms attack on Ohio campuses. My bill will protect them

To ensure that faculty "not seek to inculcate any social political or religious point of view," Senate Bill 83 requires all course syllabi to be reviewed for keyword searches and content management.

Surveillance closely resembling the Soviet Union.

We agree that classrooms must be spaces where students can experiment with ideas without worry about ideological boundaries, places where teachers stimulate students to explore freely without "inculcating" anything other than the value of intellectual curiosity and disciplinary rigor and ethics. But oversight of this kind, scrutinizing content at the microscopic level of keywords smacks less of guaranteeing the ideological diversity cited in the legislation than government surveillance more closely resembling the Soviet Union or Communist China than a public university system in the United States.

One wonders what the overseers will be looking for. Any respectable course in U.S. history will be chock full of references to racism, white supremacy, nativism, second-class citizenship, class conflict, forced migrations, and other terms likely to raise eyebrows of guardians of a version of history devoid of conflict and division.

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Freedom, innovation, liberty, democracy, dissent, markets, and other concepts that characterize admirable aspects of our national past would also be part of that course.

Professor: 'We cant take this lying down.' Draconian bill aimed at OSU, other colleges

History ignored, minimized.

Senate Bill 83 focuses especially on required U.S. history courses, claiming legislative intent merely to prohibit requiring or encouraging students to endorse a particular ideology. However, the law requires teaching only six particular political documents in all U.S. History courses.

Anne Hyde is professor of History at the University Oklahoma and vice-president of the American Historical Association.

Such narrowness, without comparing those documents to a wider range of what Americans have read, discussed, and debated, is the very definition of teaching ideology.

American history is steeped in divisions and conflicts shaped by ideas about race and by cultures and institutional structures that perpetuate those divisions.

This is fact, not theory or ideology.

To ignore, or even minimize, those divisions render it impossible to create the bridges and shared understanding necessary to maintain national unity. To heal wounds requires acknowledging, locating, and understanding them.

Healing, however, is not the purpose of this legislation.

Couched in barely concealed euphemisms, the bill enforces an education that whitewashes the history of our nation and its people. Keeping to the margins such central issues as slavery; forced removals of Native Americans; and inequalities based on race, ethnicity, gender, and other characteristics excludes material likely to inspire the vigorous discussion that characterizes a good history class. If a college instructor cannot assign material that will make students feel discomfort, guilt, anguish, or any other form of psychological distress on account of his or her race or sex, as Senate Bill 83 dictates, how are students to understand what it meant for some people to own, buy, and sell human property and others to experience enslavement, commodification, and everyday violations of their humanity?

Professor: Lawmaker's vague crusade forcing me from department, but truth won't be silenced

The past is filled with decisions, relationships, and events that can easily make us feel uncomfortable about our predecessors. A good history instructor makes it clear that nobody in the class should feel responsible for what their ancestors did. But only by understanding what happened in the past can the students work to shape a better future.

Though this legislation might appear to respond to public concerns about history education, it does not.

An attack on critical thinking

Professional, nonpartisan survey data indicates overwhelming and bipartisan public support for what the vast majority of history educators actually teach on this subject: that slavery and racism have played a key role in shaping American history, and that their influence reverberates into the present.

According to a recent national survey conducted by the American Historical Association and Fairleigh Dickinson University, three-quarters of both Republicans and Democrats support teaching history about harm that some groups did to others even if it causes students some discomfort.

James Grossman is executive director of the American Historical Association.

Surveys by the American Association of Colleges and universities (and others) indicate that employers look for critical thinkers who know how to ask questions rather than memorize answers.

Senate Bill 83 is not only a danger to the quality of history education. It poses a threat to public higher education itself.

It would inappropriately inject university boards of trustees into decisions about faculty hiring and work responsibilities  an intrusion across the boundary of governance and management in any nonprofit entity.

Similarly, the bill would replace evidence-based locally designed teaching and research evaluations with procedures and rubrics created by state officials, raising additional concerns about political intrusions on academic freedom.

Everything has a history. What is really at stake with Senate Bill 83 is the quality of preparation of Ohio university graduates. If passed, this bill would undermine education in Ohio by preventing qualified instructors from teaching honest and accurate history.

James Grossman is executive director of the American Historical Association.

Anne Hyde is professor of History at the University Oklahoma and vice-president of the American Historical Association.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: End of higher ed as Ohio knows it? The danger of Senate Bill 83, Ohio Higher Education Enhancement Act
Salt Lake Police investigate a scene in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022. Deyvis Alejandro Velasquez-Galeas, 25, of Salt Lake City, was charged with murder Monday in 3rd District Court. | Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News

A man who police say brought his infant son with him while he conducted a drug deal, and then ended up shooting and killing a 17-year-old boy when he thought he was being robbed is facing serious charges.

Deyvis Alejandro Velasquez-Galeas, 25, of Salt Lake City, was charged Monday in 3rd District Court with murder and illegal discharge of a firearm, both first-degree felonies; and drug possession with intent to distribute and child endangerment, third-degree felonies.

On April 1, about 12:30 a.m., Velasquez-Galeas went to a bar near 100 N. Broadway in Tooele with his girlfriend and their 4-month-old son where he had arranged to sell THC cartridges in the parking lot, according to charging documents.

Velasquez-Galeas told police that a car arrived with a group that was allegedly going to buy the cartridges. A boy got into Velasquez-Galeas' car "while another approached the vehicle with what appeared to be a black rifle. Mr. Velasquez said he believed he was being attacked, so he pulled out a pistol, inserted a loaded magazine, and chambered a round," the charges state.

A third person, a 17-year-old boy, allegedly approached the driver's side door, opened it and "lunged" at Velasquez-Galeas, prompting him to fire three rounds, striking the teen twice in the face, according to the charges. The boy was later pronounced dead at a local hospital. His name has not been released.

"It was explained to both Mr. Velasquez and his girlfriend that they were not justified in defending themselves while they were committing a felony, and by bringing their baby along they placed it in danger, knowing they were committing a crime with great risk," police noted in their booking affidavit.

The girlfriend, Maricela Raburn, 23, of Tooele, was charged Monday with drug possession with intent to distribute, a third-degree felony; and child abuse, a class A misdemeanor.

The other two boys allegedly involved, ages 17 and 15, were booked into juvenile detention for investigation of aggravated robbery.
John Fotusky is a lifelong outdoorsman who love hunting and fishing. On Opening Day of trout season, he reeled in a total of 16 rainbows and browns. Last year, however, he hauled in this monster golden. The trophy fish has been professionally mounted and now hangs in a place of honor in Fotusky's home.

HONESDALE  Folks all across Wayne County came out of hibernation this past weekend to participate in one of the areas traditional rites of spring.

On Saturday morning, anglers of all ages and abilities bundled up and headed out to celebrate Opening Day of Pennsylvanias 2023 trout season.

And, even though the weather was less than ideal, TJ Jackson enjoyed the experience immensely. The 23-year-old, who graduated from Honesdale in 2017, was just a little boy when he started fishing with his grandpa.

On Saturday, TJ scouted out a spot on the Dyberry Creek not far from his parents house in Honesdale. There, he and his girlfriend set up shop and almost immediately began reeling em in  everything from salmon eggs and spinners, to spoons and rubber worms were irresistible.

Once the rain slowed up, the trout were just hammering our bait, he said. "Whatever we threw in the water they were biting on.

It wasnt long before theyd caught their limit and headed home to begin regaling family and friends with exciting tales of Opening Day.

Season opener

Addison Sislo, a 10-year-old angler who attends Lakeside Elementary, shows off the 17-inch brown trout she caught while fishing with her uncle in the Dyberrry Creek.

Trout season in the Commonwealth officially opened at 8 a.m. on April 1.

This years campaign will run through Labor Day, which is Sept. 4. Anglers can keep up to five trout every day, measuring a minimum of seven inches.

The Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission stocked approximately 3.2 million adult trout in nearly 700 streams and more than 120 lakes. These fish are raised at 13 state hatcheries along with cooperative sportsmens nurseries and clubs. The vast majority of the trout check in at about average of 11 inches in length and weigh half a pound on average.

All told, the agency releases an estimated 2.3 million rainbow trout, 707,000 brown trout and 168,000 brook trout into PA waterways. Officials also stock about 70,000 trophy-sized fish measuring 14-20 inches. In the neighborhood of 14,000 golden rainbow trout, weighing an average of 1.5 pounds, will also be stocked this year.

Story continues

As per state law, anyone 16 or older must purchase a license in order to fish. However, there are several popular events set aside each year designed specifically to get everyone involved.

This years Fish-for-Free days are Sunday, May 28 and Tuesday, July 4. According to the Fish & Boat Commission website, residents and non-residents alike can fish on those days without a license.

In addition, the state sponsors a Mentored Youth Trout Day every spring. This years event was held on March 25 and attracted thousands of rookie anglers.

Fishing licenses in the Commonwealth are always available locally and also through the Commissions website. Prices remain locked in until December, when they are scheduled for a modest increase, which is expected to generate nearly $3 million in much-needed funds.

Fishing licenses for residents will increase from $23.50 to $26, while licenses for non-residents are set to go from $55 to $59. A senior resident license is slated to go from $11.25 to $12.50, while a senior resident lifetime license is set to go from $75 to $85.

A trout permit will increase from $10.50 to $13 and a trout/Lake Erie permit will go up from $16.50 to $19. A one-day resident license will jump to $12.50 from 11.25, and a one-day tourist licences will go from $27.50 to $30. A three-day tourist license will also go from $27.50 to $30 and a seven-day tourist license will go from $35 to $37.50.

Success stories

Former Western Wayne multi-sport standout Jason Kromko snagged this beautiful golden while fishing on Opening Day of trout season. He decided to release this one, but had continued success while patrolling the banks of the Lackawaxen River with nephew Kash.

Anglers from all over the region embraced Opening Day despite rain and unseasonably cool temperatures.

Honesdales own John Fotusky stayed relatively close to home, patrolling the banks of the Lackawaxen River from Church Street up to the old Stourbridge School.

Fotusky reeled in a total of about 16 rainbows and brown trout combined. While he didnt catch any big ones worth keeping, he did witness several other anglers haul in nice-sized goldens.

Last season, Fotusky hit paydirt with a phenomenal golden that measured 24 inches and weighed in at seven pounds. He sent the beast off to the taxidermist and it now has a place of honor on his wall.

The veteran outdoorsman believes that patience and consistency are the two real keys to angling success.

Keep fishing! John exclaimed. The more you fish, the more you learn and the better your chances are of catching that big one. Just like hunting a prized buck. Some people will fish a lifetime and never get a trophy. It took me 45 years to catch that big golden.

Former Western Wayne athlete Jason Kromko agrees. A multi-sport standout who graduated in 2001, Jason has been fishing since childhood.

TJ Jackson was on fire during Opening Day action of PA's 2023 trout season. The veteran angler tells TCI Sports that once the rain let up, fish were "just hammering" any bait he put on a hook.

Like Fotusky, Kromko and his nephew, Kash, were also working the banks of the Lackawaxen Saturday morning. And it wasnt long before they reeled in a beautiful golden measuring just over 18 inches.

I think as parents and mentors we should all try to make time in our busy schedules to get the kids out and enjoy a day of fishing, Jason said. The Fish Commission provides opportunities to get the youngsters out earlier before the crowds and makes lasting memories.

Another success story comes to us by way of Korwyn Bodie, a seasoned outdoorsman whos been hunting and fishing his entire life.

Saturday morning found him camped out along the Dyberry Creek with his niece, Addison. There, not far from the Wayne County Fairgrounds, Addison hooked into a big brown trout.

The 10-year-old angler who attends Lakeside Elementary School finally wrestled the beast to shore. And, she couldnt stop smiling when her uncle told her it measured a whopping 17 inches.

Its not about the trophy fish you catch or didnt, its about getting out and making memories and having fun outdoors, Bodie said. Especially if youre older and take a kid out, then every fish caught is a trophy thats grows into a cherished memory.

Local fishermen met with solid success this past weekend for Opening Day of Pennsylvania's 2023 trout season.

This article originally appeared on Tri-County Independent: Outdoors Trout Season Opening Day PA Stocking Licenses
ISTANBUL / ACCESSWIRE / April 4, 2023 / FedEx Corporation

By Brea Burkholz

Direct Relief and FedEx today announced the safe arrival of a humanitarian relief flight into Turkey carrying 80 tons of supplies in response to devastating earthquakes earlier this year. Aid aboard the FedEx MD-11 cargo aircraft included specifically requested antibiotics, respiratory medications, anti-seizure therapies, vitamins for children and adults, personal protective equipment, hygiene items, and more.

The Ministry of Health of Turkey will distribute the supplies to medical facilities located in the most heavily impacted provinces of Hatay, Adiyaman, Kahramanmaras, Malatya, and Gaziantep.

"Our hearts are with those who have been affected by the destructive earthquakes in Turkey, and Direct Relief is committed to answering urgent requests for medical support," said Thomas Tighe, Direct Relief President and CEO. "Direct Relief is privileged to provide critically needed medical support to millions of people who have lost so much in the face of the earthquake and continue to endure tremendous hardship and uncertainty."

Tuesday's flight reflects the concern and personal support from people in over 107 countries and all 50 U.S. States and the same from multiple companies that have generously issued their support. Supplies on the flight were donated by companies including Baxter, Edenbridge Pharmaceuticals, Haleon, Henry Schein, Hikma Pharmaceuticals, TEVA, and Viatris.

Direct Relief and FedEx have been collaborating to deliver critical aid for more than two decades. Together, the organizations are able to assist communities in need around the world by leveraging logistical expertise to transport critical aid where and when it is needed most.

"Our thoughts continue to be with the millions of people who are still struggling in the aftermath of these tragic earthquakes," said Richard W. Smith, FedEx Express President and CEO. "FedEx has a history of using its global network to provide relief, and we're incredibly proud to work with organizations like Direct Relief who are committed to quickly responding to disasters when help and hope are needed most."

Story continues

With this latest infusion of support to the recovering region, Direct Relief has provided more than 215 tons of medical aid to Turkey in response to the earthquakes, from emergency medic packs - which contain items to address trauma, including tourniquets and wound dressings - to diabetes and cancer medications.

In addition to in-kind medical shipments, Direct Relief has also disbursed more than $800,000 in immediate emergency grant funding to enable and sustain the emergency response operations of six local healthcare and search and rescue groups working across Turkey.

-The Society of Critical Care Medicine received $500,000 to support specialized procurement of trauma care needs and supplies. The organization has active members working in hospitals in Turkey and Syria and is also mobilizing ICU specialists from multiple countries to provide emergency medicine and critical care services in support of the Turkish health system.

-The Turkish Midwifery Association received $100,000 to obtain UN delivery kits. The association has 3,910 members who provide pre- and post-natal home care as well as childbirth services at Turkish hospitals throughout the country. Pregnant women and newborns are particularly vulnerable to health risks in disaster settings, and the funding will pay for supplies to facilitate safe births, as well as personal care supplies for pregnant women and those recovering from birth.

-AKUT, the leading search and rescue team in Turkey with over 400 staff and volunteers, received $100,000 for urban search and rescue efforts. The group also received 100 Direct Relief field medic backpacks for triage care.

-Turkish Society of Nephrology - Renal Disaster Task Force received $20,000 for converted shipping containers to shelters for specialized teams cycling into Adiyaman, Hatay, and Kahramanmaras to provide medical care for crush wounds and resulting kidney issues that occur after acute traumas.

-The Turkish Society of Intensive Care and the Turkish Medical Association have each been awarded $50,000 for the procurement of 10 containerized housing units used for front-line medical doctors and staff.

FedEx Corporation, Tuesday, April 4, 2023, Press release picture

Eighty tons of medical aid departs Los Angeles for earthquake relief efforts via FedEx. The flight arrived in Turkey on April 4, 2023.



View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from FedEx Corporation on 3blmedia.com.



Contact Info:

Spokesperson: FedEx Corporation

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/fedex-corporation

Email: info@3blmedia.com



SOURCE: FedEx Corporation





View source version on accesswire.com:

https://www.accesswire.com/747620/Eighty-Tons-of-Medical-Support-Arrives-in-Turkey-via-FedEx-Charter-Flight




RFA/Latino Community and Lower Valley Reporter

Heyo, Im Jasper. Nice to meet you. I cover a wide variety of news, but I try to focus on the Latino community and the Lower Yakima Valley. I want to sharestories and perspectives from the Yakima Valley. Im interested in economics, labor, geography and the environment, but the most important issues will always be the ones the community cares about. If you have something worth saying, Ill listen and try to write it down. Im a gosei from Northeast Los Angeles and I got my start as a student journalist and editor covering sports in the Bay Area. Im a massive soccer fan and I still love to play. I also love water in all its forms, the word copacetic and trying new things. I want to read more, and I like to cook, but Im not great at either. Have fun out there!
Business Reporter

Joel Donofrio is the business reporter for the Yakima Herald. He was born and raised in the Chicago area, but he and his wife, Cathy, fell in love with the beauty (and low humidity) of the West and moved here in 2009, eventually relocating to Yakima in September 2021. They have two young adult children, Anthony and Joanna, and a dog, Molly. When he is not taking photos of construction sites, tracking down new and relocating businesses or catching up on agricultural trends, Joel enjoys playing guitar, singing, listening to music and playing and watching sports.
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Writers are limited to one published letter per calendar month.
MIAMI, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- El Car Wash ("ECW"), the largest and fastest growing car wash operator in Florida, completed the acquisition of Smart Car Wash and its North Miami Beach and West Palm Beach locations. Following the re-opening of these two sites, El Car Wash will operate 30 locations with an additional 30+ sites in development across Florida and plans to significantly expand its footprint through both greenfield openings and acquisitions of existing car washes. These openings will follow Palm Beach Gardens, Miramar and West Gables which all opened over the last 90 days.

El Car Wash

El Car Wash is known for its prime locations, great customer service, high quality operations, distinctive aesthetic and industry leading membership program. The Company is also the Official Car Wash of the Miami HEAT and a partner of Baptist Health and Zoo Miami.

El Car Wash invested substantial capital to upgrade the Smart Car Wash stores and convert them to the El Car Wash brand. Like its other facilities, these two sites have an environmentally friendly water reclamation system that recycles 80% of water to minimize impact on the local environment. Customers and members can also enjoy the signature experience of the colorful LED light show as they enter the wash tunnel and take advantage of additional complimentary services, including high-powered vacuums to clean the interior of their vehicles, compressed air, micro-fiber towels, mat cleaners and glass cleaner.

"As with our previous acquisitions, we saw an opportunity to upgrade two car washes with A+ real estate that just needed a little bit of love. We are thrilled to offer our customers two more convenient locations to wash their cars in a fun, low-cost and environmentally friendly way," said David Yassky, Chief of Staff of El Car Wash.

As a grand opening promotion, El Car Wash is offering FREE Graphene X Car Washes ($30 value), which can be redeemed by texting 'NMB' or 'WPB' to 22322, and $1 first month memberships, exclusively at the North Miami Beach and West Palm Beach locations during opening week.

Story continues

About El Car Wash

Founded in 2011 and based in Miami, El Car Wash is the premier express car wash operator in Florida with over 30 operating sites and a development pipeline of 30+ sites. The company is the Official Car Wash of the Miami HEAT, a partner of Baptist Health and a partner of Zoo Miami. ECW's unlimited wash program, high-quality products, leading customer service and environmentally friendly focus have established the company as the #1 car wash company in Florida. The company completed a recapitalization with Warburg Pincus in 2022 and is actively seeking additional growth opportunities. For more information on locations, hours and partnerships, please visit www.elcarwash.com or follow us on Instagram @elcarwash.

El Car Wash North Miami Beach Storefront

Cision

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/el-car-wash-announces-the-acquisition-and-re-opening-of-smart-car-wash-north-miami-beach-and-west-palm-beach-301787173.html

SOURCE El Car Wash
Emerita Resources Corp.

Figure 1

Plan map showing La Romanera drill hole locations

Figure 2

Vertical Longitudinal Section showing Upper Zone intercepts, La Romanera Deposit

Figure 3

Vertical Longitudinal Section showing Lower Zone intercepts, La Romanera Deposit

Figure 4

Plan map showing drill hole trace surface projections, La Infanta Deposit

TORONTO, April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Emerita Resources Corp. (TSX  V: EMO; OTCQB: EMOTF; FSE: LLJA) (the Company or Emerita) is pleased to announce additional assay results from the ongoing 2022 - 2023 delineation drilling program at La Romanera Deposit, part of Emeritas wholly owned Iberian Belt West Project (IBW or the Project). Assays from 15 additional drill holes from La Romanera deposit and 7 holes from La Infanta deposit have been received. IBW hosts three previously identified massive sulphide deposits: La Infanta, La Romanera and El Cura. All deposits are open for expansion along strike and at depth.



According to Joaquin Merino, P.Geo., President of Emerita, We are closing in on the final drill hole assays required for the initial NI 43-101 mineral resource estimate for the Iberian Belt West Project. The work is ongoing and is expected to be completed around the end of April. Drilling continues to expand the deposit, however we are reducing the number of rigs as we complete the delineation drilling phase and focus the ongoing drill program on the resource expansion.

La Romanera assay results include holes LR029, LR067, LR069, LR076, LR078, LR081, LR083, LR089, LR093, LR097, LR100, LR101, LR102, LR104 and LR115 and are reported below.

These holes are distributed broadly across the deposit between +50 and -400 m elevation (Figures 1, 2 and 3; detailed drill data is presented in Table 1). Drill hole intercepts on the shallow-central part of the deposit (LR115, LR081 and LR067) returned high polymetallic grades and thicknesses. Drill hole intercepts on the west-central part of the deposit and outside of the historical drilling footprint (LR029, LR104 and LR097) returned moderate grades, although copper is higher in this area. Additional follow-up is planned to better understand the distribution of copper in this portion of the deposit.

Drill hole intercepts on the western edge of the deposit, along the 6,300 east coordinate, reported no significant results except for hole LR101, located 450 m below surface, which intersected high grade polymetallic values over a narrow intercept. Downhole TEM geophysics is planned in this area to test possible extensions of the mineralization below these elevations. Drill hole intercepts on the eastern part of the deposit (LR093, LR069, LR076, LR100, LR089 and LR102) returned moderate thickness and grades of polymetallic mineralization.

Story continues

Drill Hole LR029:

The Upper Lens was intersected at 338.0 m down the hole and comprises 4.8 m of pyritic mineralization grading 0.3 % Cu; 0.3 % Pb; 0.7 % Zn; 0.44 g/t Au and 35.0 g/t Ag. The Lower Lens was intersected at 37.1 m below the upper lens and comprises 4.9 m of pyritic mineralization grading 0.8 % Cu; 0.2 % Pb; 0.5 % Zn; 0.22 g/t Au and 13.3 g/t Ag.

Drill Hole LR067:

Both lenses were intersected at Drill Hole LR067. The Upper Lens was intersected at 195.4 m and encountered 2.2 m grading 0.3 % Cu; 3.3 % Pb; 3.6 % Zn; 3.98 g/t Au and 178.4 g/t Ag. The Lower Lens was intersected at 24.7 m apart and comprises 13.0 m of polymetallic mineralization grading 0.3 % Cu; 1.0 % Pb; 2.2 % Zn; 1.39 g/t Au and 80.5 g/t Ag, including 4.0 m grading 0.3 % Cu; 1.4 % Pb; 3.7 % Zn; 2.16 g/t Au and 81.0 g/t Ag.

Drill Hole LR069:

The Upper Lens was intersected at 216.5 m down the hole and comprises 22.9 m of polymetallic mineralization grading 0.2 % Cu; 1.3 % Pb; 3.2 % Zn; 0.54 g/t Au and 55.7 g/t Ag, including 3.9 m grading 0.2 % Cu; 3.3 % Pb; 8.6 % Zn; 0.50 g/t Au and 88.5 g/t Ag. The Lower Lens was intersected at 294.8 m down the hole and comprises 7.3 m of polymetallic mineralization grading 0.1 % Cu; 1.0 % Pb; 1.5 % Zn; 1.60 g/t Au and 39.7 g/t Ag.

Drill Hole LR076:

The Lower Lens was intersected at 157.3 m down the hole and comprises 6.3 m of polymetallic mineralization grading 0.2 % Cu; 1.8 % Pb; 4.9 % Zn; 1.44 g/t Au and 83.0 g/t Ag.

Drill Hole LR078:

No significant assays in this drill hole.

Drill Hole LR081:

The Upper Lens was intersected at 260.2 m down the hole and comprises 7.5 m of pyritic sulfides grading 0.3 % Cu; 0.5 % Pb; 1.1 % Zn; 0.7 g/t Au and 26.3 g/t Ag. The Lower Lens was intersected at 297.7 m down the hole and comprises 28.0 m of polymetallic mineralization grading 0.5 % Cu; 1.1 % Pb; 3.0 % Zn; 1.82 g/t Au and 43.3 g/t Ag.

Drill Hole LR083:

No significant assays in this hole.

Drill Hole LR089:

The Lower Lens was intersected at 479.2 m down the hole and comprises 4.4 m of pyritic mineralization grading 0.1 % Cu; 0.4 % Pb; 1.0 % Zn; 0.50 g/t Au and 15.9 g/t Ag.

Drill Hole LR093:

Both lenses were intersected at Drill Hole LR093. The Upper Lens was intersected at 180.0 m down the hole and comprises 4.5 m of polymetallic mineralization grading 0.2 % Cu; 2.1 % Pb; 6.5 % Zn; 2.83 g/t Au and 117.5 g/t Ag. The Lower Lens was intersected at 279.8 m down the hole and comprises 3.7 m of polymetallic mineralization grading 0.3 % Cu; 0.8 % Pb; 2.4 % Zn; 0.99 g/t Au and 46.8 g/t Ag.

Drill Hole LR097:

The Lower Lens was intersected at 518.6 m down the hole and comprises 22.8 m of pyritic mineralization grading 0.4 % Cu; 0.3 % Pb; 0.2 % Zn; 0.78 g/t Au and 40.3 g/t Ag.

Drill Hole LR100:

The Lower Lens was intersected at 461.7 m down the hole and comprises 3.4 m of pyritic mineralization grading 0.7 % Cu; 0.2 % Pb; 0.8 % Zn; 0.23 g/t Au and 3.5 g/t Ag.

Drill Hole LR101:

The Lower Lens was intersected at 523.9 m down the hole and comprises 1.8 m of polymetallic mineralization grading 0.6 % Cu; 2.2 % Pb; 7.8 % Zn; 1.26 g/t Au and 57.6 g/t Ag.

Drill Hole LR102:

The Lower Lens was intersected at 501.7 m down the hole and comprises 3.2 m of pyritic mineralization grading 0.1 % Cu; 0.4 % Pb; 1.2 % Zn; 0.49 g/t Au and 13.1 g/t Ag.

Drill Hole LR104:

The Upper Lens was intersected at 458.3 m down the hole and comprises 14.8 m of polymetallic mineralization grading 0.6 % Cu; 1.4 % Pb; 2.3 % Zn; 0.90 g/t Au and 45.6 g/t Ag (Including 5.0 m grading 0.3 % Cu; 3.5 % Pb; 6.0 % Zn; 1.07 g/t Au and 71.0 g/t Ag). The Lower Lens was intersected at 486.9 m down the hole and comprises 3.9 m of polymetallic mineralization grading 0.5 % Cu; 0.3 % Pb; 0.5 % Zn; 0.44 g/t Au and 32.3 g/t Ag.

Drill Hole LR115:

The Lower Lens was intersected at 138.9 m down the hole and comprises 32.6 m of polymetallic mineralization grading 0.2 % Cu; 1.9 % Pb; 4.1 % Zn; 4.01 g/t Au and 84.1 g/t Ag, including 3.5 m grading 0.1 % Cu; 2.3 % Pb; 3.4 % Zn; 7.07 g/t Au and 99.9 g/t Ag, from 155.0 m down the hole.





EMO_230404_Fig 1

Figure 1: Plan map showing La Romanera drill hole locations

View Figure 1 here: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c93b48ce-b0ea-4b4b-950a-af371c4f015a

EMO_230404_Fig 2

Figure 2: Vertical Longitudinal Section showing Upper Zone intercepts, La Romanera Deposit

View Figure 2 here: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a831b68e-5459-4f23-9afd-58802fe7a6b5

EMO_230404_Fig 3

Figure 3: Vertical Longitudinal Section showing Lower Zone intercepts, La Romanera Deposit

View Figure 3 here: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/6912b90d-3710-4beb-94e1-f86199f22dae

Table 1: Diamond drill hole data for La Romanera Deposit drilling

DDH Easting Northing Elevation azimuth dip depth (m) FROM TO Width (m) Cu_% Pb_% Zn_% Au_g/t Ag_g/t LENS LR029 646593 4172590 148 191 -66 403.7 338.0 342.7 4.8 0.3 0.3 0.7 0.44 35.0 UL LR029 379.8 384.7 4.9 0.8 0.2 0.5 0.22 13.3 LL LR067 646748 4172458 152 204 -62 288.0 195.4 197.5 2.2 0.3 3.3 3.6 3.98 178.4 UL LR067 222.2 235.2 13.0 0.3 1.0 2.2 1.39 80.5 LL incl. 230.2 234.2 4.0 0.3 1.4 3.7 2.16 81.0 LL LR069 646967 4172385 170 237 -69 383.0 216.5 239.4 22.9 0.2 1.3 3.2 0.54 55.7 UL incl. 235.0 238.9 3.9 0.2 3.3 8.6 0.50 88.5 UL LR069 294.8 302.1 7.3 0.1 1.0 1.5 1.60 39.7 LL LR076 646967 4172385 170 228 -54 209.8 157.3 163.6 6.3 0.2 1.8 4.9 1.44 83.0 LL LR078 646335 4172525 138 238 -72 231.6 NO SIGNIFICANT INTERSECTS LL LR081 646660 4172585 152 194 -46 351.0 260.2 267.7 7.5 0.3 0.5 1.1 0.70 26.3 UL LR081 297.7 325.7 28.0 0.5 1.1 3.0 1.82 43.3 LL LR083 646226 4172839 144 168 -54 518.3 NO SIGNIFICANT INTERSECTS LL LR089 646951 4172631 168 185 -60 524.0 479.2 483.6 4.4 0.1 0.4 1.0 0.50 15.9 LL LR093 646817 4172418 150 163 -70 340.6 180.0 184.5 4.5 0.2 2.1 6.5 2.83 117.5 UL LR093 279.8 283.5 3.7 0.3 0.8 2.4 0.99 46.8 LL LR097 646597 4172725 144 203 -69 563.9 518.6 541.4 22.8 0.4 0.3 0.2 0.78 40.3 LL LR100 646811 4172660 152 163 -56 511.6 461.7 465.1 3.4 0.7 0.2 0.8 0.23 3.5 LL LR101 646226 4172839 144 165 -62 567.8 523.9 525.7 1.8 0.6 2.2 7.8 1.26 57.6 LL LR102 646951 4172631 168 185 -67 570.8 501.7 504.9 3.2 0.1 0.4 1.2 0.49 13.1 LL LR104 646597 4172725 144 210 -68 518.6 458.3 473.0 14.8 0.6 1.4 2.3 0.90 45.6 UL incl. 462.2 467.2 5.0 0.3 3.5 6.0 1.07 71.0 UL LR104 486.9 490.8 3.9 0.5 0.3 0.5 0.44 32.3 LL LR115 646618 4172447 146 164 -48 221.2 138.9 171.5 32.6 0.2 1.9 4.1 4.01 84.1 LL incl. 155.0 158.5 3.5 0.1 2.3 3.4 7.07 99.9 LL

La Infanta

Assay results are included for holes IN060B, IN062B, IN063, IN064, IN065, IN066 and IN067 reported below (Figure 4 and Table 2).

A NI 43-101 mineral resource estimate for La Infanta is being completed concurrent with La Romanera deposit. La Infanta deposit is located about 7.0 km east of La Romanera. The El Cura deposit, which is located approximately midway between La Romanera and La Infanta will be drill tested later in 2023.

La Infanta deposit has 2 mineralized blocks, separated by a thrust fault (North and South Blocks), characterized by zinc, lead, silver and copper bearing massive sulphide mineralization. The mineralization has been tested by drilling from the surface to 350 m depth and for 1,400 m along strike. Mineralization remains open to the east and west. The best grades were found on the central part of the deposit which is 700 m long. Thicknesses vary from 3 to 6 m in both the North and South blocks. The average specific gravity is 3.1.

The 7 drill holes are part of the ongoing delineation program and were designed to intercept the South and/or North blocks. Drill hole IN067 intercepted mineralization as was projected, encountering very high grade polymetallic massive sulphide mineralization in both blocks. This drill hole has filled the gap between IN014 and IN021 (released on November 22, 2022 and January 28, 2023) and demonstrates this area remains open for additional drill testing at depth.

Drill Hole IN060B:

The North Block was intersected at 95.4 m down the hole and comprises 4.6 m of polymetallic mineralization grading 0.9 % Cu; 2.6 % Pb; 6.0 % Zn; 0.28 g/t Au and 43.0 g/t Ag, including 1.6 m grading 2.5 % Cu; 7.3 % Pb; 16.9 % Zn; 0.41 g/t Au and 111.0 g/t Ag).

Drill Hole IN062B:

No significant assays in this hole.

Drill Hole IN063:

No significant assays in this hole.

Drill Hole IN064:

The North Block was intersected at 166.7 m down the hole and comprises 8.4 m grading 0.2 % Cu; 1.5 % Pb; 1.3 % Zn; 0.25 g/t Au and 27.3 g/t Ag.

Drill Hole IN065:

The North block was intersected at 148.0 m down the hole and comprises 3.7 m grading 0.5 % Cu; 2.2 % Pb; 1.4 % Zn; 0.11 g/t Au and 40.2 g/t Ag.

Drill Hole IN066:

The North Block was intersected at 244.5 m down the hole and comprises 2.7 m of polymetallic mineralization grading 0.9 % Cu; 3.1 % Pb; 5.8 % Zn; 0.20 g/t Au and 64.4 g/t Ag.

Drill Hole IN067:

The North Block was intersected at 49.7 m down the hole and comprises 3.1 m of polymetallic mineralization grading 0.7 % Cu; 2.5 % Pb; 4.7 % Zn; 0.18 g/t Au and 137.9 g/t Ag. The South block was intersected at 108.2 m down the hole and comprises 6.5 m of massive sulphides grading 2.1 % Cu; 6.5 % Pb; 12.3 % Zn; 0.63 g/t Au and 214.5 g/t Ag. A second South Block zone was intersected at 149.2 m down the hole and comprises 5.3 m of massive sulphides grading 2.6 % Cu; 13.6 % Pb; 24.3 % Zn; 0.48 g/t Au and 131.4 g/t Ag.

EMO_230404_Fig 4

Figure 4: Plan map showing drill hole trace surface projections, La Infanta Deposit

View Figure 4 here: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/d5e4c810-9ede-486f-a999-51e0570c9b69

Table 2: Diamond drill hole data, La Infanta Deposit

DDH Easting Northing Elevation azimuth dip depth

(m) FROM TO Width

(m) Cu_% Pb_% Zn_% Au_g/t Ag_g/t LENS IN060B 653707 4171616 204 172 -50 277.0 95.4 100.0 4.6 0.9 2.6 6.0 0.28 43.0 NB incl. 96.9 98.5 1.6 2.5 7.3 16.9 0.41 111.0 NB IN062B 654572 4171828 190 172 -50 257.0 NO SIGNIFICANT INTERSECTS IN063 654226 4171709 204 172 -50 251.0 NO SIGNIFICANT INTERSECTS IN064 654142 4171696 209 172 -50 271.0 166.7 175.1 8.4 0.2 1.5 1.3 0.25 27.3 NB IN065 654255 4171705 201 172 -50 258.8 148.0 151.7 3.7 0.5 2.2 1.4 0.11 40.2 NB IN066 654134 4171755 203 172 -50 325.0 244.5 247.3 2.7 0.9 3.1 5.8 0.20 64.4 NB IN067 653986 4171586 207 172 -50 171.5 49.7 52.8 3.1 0.7 2.5 4.7 0.18 137.9 NB IN067 108.2 114.7 6.5 2.1 6.5 12.3 0.63 214.5 SB IN067 149.2 154.4 5.3 2.6 13.6 24.3 0.48 131.4 SB

Quality Assurance/Quality Control

Drilling at La Romanera and La Infanta is HQ size and core is placed into core trays at the drill site and transported directly from the site to Emeritas coreshack (15Km) from La Romanera and (8Km) from La Infanta. Once the cores are received at Emerita's coreshack they are photographed and geotechnical logging is performed. Geological, mineralogical and structural logging follows and mineralized zones are identified. The samples are marked every 1m or less, and respecting lithological contacts, with most of the samples 1.0m long. The zone immediately above and below the mineralized zones are also sampled. Core samples are sawed in half and half of the core is returned to the core tray for future reference. Once the core samples are cut, bagged and tagged, they are shipped to the ALS laboratory in Seville by Emerita personnel where sample preparation is done. In Seville, ALS performs the mechanical preparation of the samples and then the pulps

are sent to ALS Ireland (ICP) and ALS Romania (fire assay). The analysis at ALS Lab corresponds to the ME-ICPore (19 elements) package, together with the Au-AA23 fire assay (Gold).

10% of the analyzed samples correspond to control samples (fine blanks, coarse blanks, high, medium and low grade standards). In addition, 10% of pulps are reanalyzed at a second independent certified laboratory (AGQ Lab Sevilla). When the analysis is completed, the certificates are received from the laboratory and the QA/QC protocol identifies any deviation or anomaly in the results and the entire batch is reassayed in such case. Once the data is approved by the QA/QC protocol assays are entered digitally directly into the database.

Qualified Person

The scientific and technical information in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Mr. Joaquin Merino, P.Geo., President of the Company and a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101 of the Canadian Securities Administrators.

About Emerita Resources Corp.

Emerita is a natural resource company engaged in the acquisition, exploration and development of mineral properties in Europe, with a primary focus on exploring in Spain. The Companys corporate office and technical team are based in Sevilla, Spain with an administrative office in Toronto, Canada.

For further information, contact:

Vincent Chen

+1 778 990 9433 (Toronto)

info@emeritaresources.com

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Information

This press release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information includes, without limitation, the mineralization of the IBW Project; the timing of assay results; the prospectivity of the Project; the timing and ability of the Company to produce an NI 43-101 compliant mineral resource estimate and the Companys future plans. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as plans, expects or does not expect, is expected, budget, scheduled, estimates, forecasts, intends, anticipates or does not anticipate, or believes, or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results may, could, would, might or will be taken, occur or be achieved. Forward- looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of Emerita, as the case may be, to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information, including but not limited to: general business, economic, competitive, geopolitical and social uncertainties; the actual results of current exploration activities; risks associated with operation in foreign jurisdictions; ability to successfully integrate the purchased properties; foreign operations risks; and other risks inherent in the mining industry. Although Emerita has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such 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. Emerita does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

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.




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In the TEDx spirit of spreading ideas worth sharing, Arizona Western Colleges first TEDxAWC event featured 10 speakers from the community discussing ways to Shift the Drift and discover new ways of evolving everyday practices. The event, which took place on Friday, March 17, was considered a success by the college and will return in Fall 2024.

The chance to show off innovative ideas from our corner of Arizona to the world is what is staying with me, TEDxAWC Operations Manager and Host Lori Stofft reflected. Im so proud of all of our presenters and the positive audience reception that our first TEDxAWC received.

The nights topics covered psychology, healthcare, fitness science, rhetoric and composition and beyond from speakers Anne-Heather Welch, Lily McNair, Trudie Milner, Troy Love, Trisha Campbell, Valeria Bogorevich, Shadi Vahdat, Ruchi Lamba, Kevin Kato and Shawn Clavell.

What a great honor to lead a team that helped bring the world to Yuma County and introduce Yuma County to the world, said TEDxAWC Director and Licensee Dr. Sara Amani, who proposed the event and was awarded $16,500 to implement the project. Thanks to an amazing response from the community to our hugely successful sold-out event, TEDxAWC will be back with more inspiring talks in the Fall of 2024.

Per AWC, the completed TEDx Talks will be shared worldwide on official TED platforms at later dates.

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Mihai Margineanu: Se castiga foarte mult din muzica. Am stiut sa ma vand foarte bine

Intrebat cat de bine stie sa se vanda Mihai Margineanu, artistul a raspuns: Eu cred ca am stiut sa ma vand foarte bine. In primul rand, ca sa vrei sa vinzi un produs, trebuie sa il cunosti foarte bine. [citeste mai departe]
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas, April 4, 2023 /CNW/ - enCore Energy Corp. ("enCore" or the "Company") (NYSE: EU) (TSXV: EU)) today announced that enCore's Chief Operating Officer, Peter Luthiger, testifies today before the Texas State House Committee on Natural Resources regarding two bills of importance to the uranium industry. Both bills are sponsored by Texas State Representative Ryan Guillen. Mr. Luthiger, who is also Chairman of the Texas Mining and Reclamation Association (TMRA), testifies both on behalf of enCore and TMRA's Uranium Mining Committee.

enCore Energy Logo (CNW Group/enCore Energy Corp.)

Bill HB 4119 would enhance the administrative procedure for permitting in-situ recovery (ISR) of uranium by clarifying the public's ability to participate in one fulsome and transparent hearing. Bill HB 4120 would allow the Texas Council on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) staff to inspect a proposed well site using aerial or satellite imagery, or other appropriate sources, rather than conducting an on-site visit. The bills would make the administrative process more efficient, reduce staff time and conserve groundwater that would otherwise be consumed in reclamation activities during the permitting process.

enCore Energy's Chief Executive Officer, Paul Goranson, stated "Working together with our Texas State Representatives and the Texas Mining and Reclamation Association is extremely important to enhance and improve our regulatory environment. While Texas is one of the most favorable states for in-situ recovery of uranium, we always seek ways to work together to ensure we maintain Texas as a leading jurisdiction. At all times enCore seeks to work to ensure our company leads the way to provide the people of Texas and the United States with a reliable and environmentally-responsible source of material for nuclear energy, fueling the future."

For more information about Texas State bills HB4119 and HB4120 please visit:

HB 4119 https://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/88R/billtext/html/HB04119I.htm

HB 4120 https://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/88R/billtext/html/HB04120I.htm

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About the Texas Mining and Reclamation Association (TMRA)

The Texas Mining and Reclamation Association (TMRA) is a single voice for the Texas mining industry that exhibits integrity, clarity and vision in its efforts to create balance between mineral production, environmental protection, economic strength and public welfare; and to inform the public, regulators and legislators of the value of mining to the Texas economy and lifestyle.

About enCore Energy Corp.

enCore Energy Corp. is committed to providing clean, reliable, and affordable domestic nuclear energy by becoming the next United States uranium producer in 2023. enCore solely utilizes In-Situ Recovery (ISR) for uranium extraction, a well-known and proven technology co-developed by the leaders at enCore Energy. In-Situ Recovery extracts uranium in a non-invasive process through the use of natural groundwater and oxygen, coupled with a proven ion exchange process, to recover the uranium. Uranium production is planned at enCore's licensed and past-producing South Texas Rosita Processing Plant in 2023, and at its licensed and past-producing South Texas Alta Mesa Processing Plant in 2024. Future projects in enCore's production pipeline include the Dewey-Burdock project in South Dakota and the Gas Hills project in Wyoming, along with significant uranium resource endowments in New Mexico providing long-term opportunities. The enCore team is led by industry experts with extensive knowledge and experience in all aspects of ISR uranium operations and the nuclear fuel cycle. enCore diligently works to realize value from other owned assets, including our proprietary uranium database that includes technical information from many past producing companies, from our various non-core assets, and by leveraging our ISR expertise in researching opportunities that support the use of this technology as applied to other metals. enCore is also committed to working with local communities and indigenous governments to create positive impact from corporate developments.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: Certain information contained in this news release, including: any information relating to the Company being a leading uranium company; and any other statements regarding future expectations, beliefs, goals or prospects; may constitute "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable Canadian and United States securities legislation (collectively, "forward-looking statements"). All statements in this news release that are not statements of historical fact (including statements containing the words "expects", "is expected", "does not expect", "plans", "anticipates", "does not anticipate", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "projects", "potential", "scheduled", "forecast", "budget" and similar expressions or variations (including negative variations) of such words and phrases, or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken) should be considered forward-looking statements. All such forward-looking statements are subject to important risk factors and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the companies' ability to control or predict. Forward-looking statements necessarily involve known and unknown risks, including, without limitation, risks associated with general economic conditions; adverse industry events; future legislative and regulatory developments; that results of past mining operations at the Alta Mesa and Rosita sites are indicative of the results of proposed mining activities at those sites; that a production decision will result in actual production commencing and that such production will be economically viable over time; the ability of enCore to implement its business strategies; and other risks. A number of important factors could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those indicated or implied by such forward-looking statements, including without limitation exploration and development risks, changes in commodity prices, access to skilled mining personnel, the results of exploration and development activities; production risks; uninsured risks; regulatory risks; defects in title; the availability of materials and equipment, timeliness of government approvals and unanticipated environmental impacts on operations; risks posed by the economic and political environments in which the Company operates and intends to operate; increased competition; assumptions regarding market trends and the expected demand and desires for the Company's products and proposed products; reliance on industry equipment manufacturers, suppliers and others; the failure to adequately protect intellectual property; the failure to adequately manage future growth; adverse market conditions, the failure to satisfy ongoing regulatory requirements and factors relating to forward looking statements listed above which include risks as disclosed in the companies' annual information form filings. Should one or more of these risks materialize, or should assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as intended, planned, anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. The Company assumes no obligation to update the information in this communication, except as required by law. Additional information identifying risks and uncertainties is contained in filings by the Company with the various securities commissions which are available online at www.sec.gov and www.sedar.com. Forward-looking statements are provided for the purpose of providing information about the current expectations, beliefs and plans of management. Such statements may not be appropriate for other purposes and readers should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, that speak only as of the date hereof, as there can be no assurance that the plans, intentions or expectations upon which they are placed will occur. Such information, although considered reasonable by management at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.

Cision

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SOURCE enCore Energy Corp.

Cision

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CMI

Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) Market: Emerging Technologies and Services Driving Growth in Advanced Threat Detection and Response for Endpoints.

Burlingame, April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According to Coherent Market Insights, the Global Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) Market is estimated to be valued at US$ 2,720.00 million in 2022 and is expected to exhibit a CAGR of 26.12% during the forecast period (2023-2030).



Analysts Views on Global Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) Market:

During the course of the projection period, the growth of the global endpoint detection and response (EDR) market is anticipated to accelerate. Increasing enterprise mobility will help the market expand. Employees can operate remotely from any location using a variety of tools and programssss thanks to enterprise mobility. Several configurations of these devices can be incorporated into the enterprise's security architecture. With bring your own device rules, businesses are managing end-user devices with a minimal management footprint in exchange for a lower level of enterprise integration and a lower level of risk in order to have a less obtrusive presence. EDA devices are produced by companies like RSA Security (DELL EMC), Carbon Black Inc., McAfee Corporation, Cisco Systems Inc., and OpenText Corporation, among others.

Key Trends and Analysis of the Global Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) Market :

The endpoint detection and response (EDR) market is anticipated to develop more quickly than average over the course of the forecast period due to the growing expansion of enterprise mobility, an increase in the use of bring your own device (BYOD), and an increase in remote working. As an example, February 2020 Microsoft Corp. said that all users would soon be able to purchase the standalone version of Microsoft Defender for Business, which will help to increase the security of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMBs). Defender for Business offers SMBs enterprise-level endpoint security, including the capacity to recognize and address ransom ware and other complex online threats emanating from endpoints. It is simple to use even for businesses without specialized security teams because it supports all recommended security rules and has a wizard-driven client configuration.

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Driver -:

Global Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) Market Drivers:

For office work, EDR protects a wide range of endpoints, including desktops, laptops, and mobile devices.

Due to the level of cyber-attack threat, many organizations are turning to endpoint detection and response software. Endpoint security is a must and is becoming increasingly important to any organization's cyber security strategy as remote work becomes more common. Therefore, in order to safeguard the business as well as the remote worker from cyber threats, it is essential to implement an efficient EDR security solution. Cyber-attacks can be quickly identified and stopped using EDR tools. In order to identify suspicious or threating behavior in real time when a threat has been detected, the tools operate by continuously monitoring activity on endpoints. EDR can protect endpoint devices from risk by isolating and deflecting attacks from both internal and external sources.

Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) Market Report Coverage

Report Coverage Details Base Year: 2022 Market Size in 2022: US$ 2,720.00 Mn Historical Data for: 2017 to 2021 Forecast Period: 2023 to 2030 Forecast Period 2023 to 2030 CAGR: 26.12% 2030 Value Projection: US$ 17,410.14 Mn Geographies covered: North America: U.S. and Canada

Latin America: Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, and Rest of Latin America

Europe: Germany, U.K., Spain, France, Italy, Russia, and Rest of Europe

Asia Pacific: China, India, Japan, Australia, South Korea, ASEAN, and Rest of Asia Pacific

Middle East: GCC Countries, Israel, and Rest of Middle East

Africa: South Africa, North Africa, and Central Africa Segments covered: By Component: Solutions and Services

By Deployment Type: Cloud - based and On - premise

By Solution Type: Work Stations, Mobile Devices, Servers, and Point of Sale Terminals

By Organization Size: Small and Medium Enterprises and Large Enterprises

By End User Industry: BFSI, IT and Telecom, Manufacturing, Healthcare, Retail, and Other End-user Industries Companies covered: RSA Security (DELL EMC), Carbon Black Inc., McAfee Corporation, Cisco Systems Inc., OpenText Corporation, FireEye Inc., CrowdStrike Inc., Digital Guardian, Broadcom Inc., Deep Instinct, and Cybereason Inc. Growth Drivers: Growing expansion of enterprise mobility

Rise in adoption of Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) and growing remote working Restraints & Challenges: High cost of innovations

Lack of protection for mobile devices

Global Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) Market - Restraint

Market expansion is impeded by high innovation costs

For endpoint detection and response, consumers need a multi-layered strategy that includes technologies that combine excellent performance with centralized, affordable management. Additionally, it assists in providing threat prevention across all endpoints, ensuring the security of customer data regardless of whether it is processed in a virtual, physical, or hybrid environment. Unfortunately, because EDR technologies are more expensive, they are not being used in developing and rising nations. During the course of the forecast period, this is anticipated to impede the growth of the global endpoint detection and response (EDR) market. Nonetheless, industry participants are interested in the creation of affordable solutions, which is anticipated to boost market expansion.

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Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) Reactive approach

The EDR reactive approach would be the greatest restraint. Traditional EDR tools primarily rely on behavioral analysis, indicating that the threat has executed on the endpoint and must be stopped before it causes damage. The EDR will block the malicious intent when it is detected, and the security team will enter the area to perform cleanup and remediation. SOC efficacy is crucial for the organization's protection in times of resource scarcity. The SOC team is unable to carry out important proactive tasks like patching and hardening systems because of the high volume of alerts and false positives generated by an EDR.

Market Trends -:

Automation to increase end point security is a growing trend.

Security will undoubtedly receive more attention from storage professionals. Looking for automated tools is one way to incorporate these functions without taking up too much time. In order to simplify and strengthen security management procedures across the board, automation needs to be a top priority investment. Automating endpoint protection, vulnerability management, and detection controls are three areas in which businesses are increasingly turning to automation for threat detection and prevention. Automation improves endpoint security, enables full visibility, and speeds up response time.

A growing trend of EDR is networking

Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) tools automatically identify security incidents, contain them, and offer instructions on how to fix them. It goes about as an augmentation of your security group to close holes in your protections and caution you to dangers. The quantity of endpoints in a typical enterprise keeps on developing. EDR gives you that extra protection by extending visibility and making sure you know what's going on with all endpoints. It also catches threats that might have gone unnoticed and lets your security team focus on more important strategic issues. No business wants to end up in the news tomorrow about the latest security breach and suffer the negative effects on its reputation. Any business would hate to fall foul of regulations that call for constant surveillance and threat protection. EDR assists in closing those gaps and preventing endpoint threats from developing into breaches and other catastrophes.

Market Cross Sectional Analysis:

The market is divided into Solutions and Services according to Component. Solutions is expected to dominate the global market over the forecast period. This is because the rate of cyber-attacks is increasing and the types of malware keep changing, which makes endpoint detection and response solutions even more important. This, in turn, is supporting the segment's expansion.

Global Segmentation:

The global endpoint detection and response (EDR) market report is segmented into Component, Deployment Type, Solution Type, Organization Size, and End-User Industry.

Based on Component, the market is segmented into Solutions and Services. Out of which, Solutions is expected to dominate the global market over the forecast period and this is attributed to the growing rate of cyber-attacks and constant modification in the types of malware further creating need for endpoint detection and response solutions. This in turn is supporting growth of the segment.

Services segment is also expected to witness significant growth in the near future and this is owing to the growing adoption of EDR services. The increase in adoption is fueled by mandates to follow data protection and regulatory laws, digitization initiatives, sophisticated attacks, as well as high cost of maintaining the security systems, resulting into outsourcing.

Based on Deployment Type, the market is segmented into Cloud - based and on - premise. Out of which, Cloud is expected to dominate the global market over the forecast period and this is attributed to the rise in adoption cloud and cloud-based operations with poor cloud security leading to increased demand for EDR solutions and services in several organizations.

On-premise segment is also expected to witness significant growth in the near future and this is owing to the strong demand for on premise deployment in various regions. As not many of the companies have adopted cloud-based operations, the on premise deployment of EDR solutions has become necessary. Thus, the segment will witness strong growth.

Based on Solution Type, the market is segmented into Work Stations, Mobile Devices, Servers, and Point of Sale Terminals. Out of which, Workstations is expected to dominate the global market over the forecast period and this is attributed to the emergence of Bring Your Own Device and increasing use of teleworking cyber security among enterprises. This is in turn creating strong demand for the segment, which will support growth of the market in the near future.

Servers segment is also expected to witness significant growth in the near future and this is owing to the increasing focus of market players on development of cutting-edge solutions. For instance, in October 2020, BlackBerry Limited announced development of BlackBerry Cyber Suite, and AI-powered unified endpoint security solution.

Based on Organization Size, the market is segmented into Small and Medium Enterprises and Large Enterprises. Out of which, Small and Medium Enterprises is expected to dominate the global market over the forecast period and this is attributed to the increasing cyber-attacks in SMEs creating need for solutions stronger than conventional endpoint protection mechanisms.

Large Enterprises segment is also expected to witness significant growth in the near future and this is owing to the increasing number of large enterprises focusing to be proactive with their cyber security solutions, as the number of attack vectors is increasing. This is in turn leading to high demand for endpoint detection and response solutions among large enterprises.

Based on End-User Industry, the market is segmented into BFSI, IT and Telecom, Manufacturing, Healthcare, Retail, and Other End-user Industries. Out of which, BFSI is expected to dominate the global market over the forecast period and this is attributed to the increasing number of solution providers leveraging different opportunities to offer support to companies in their security challenges. For instance, in May 2019, InsuraShield introduced a cyber-security solution, and related managed security services for insurance agents.

IT and Telecom segment is also expected to witness significant growth in the near future and this is owing to the growing adoption of mobile and connected devices among several enterprises. For instance, Lumen Technologies announced the expansion of its Managed Endpoint Detection and Response (MEDR) service in Asia Pacific. Thus, such factors are expected to drive growth of the segment in the coming future.

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Recent Developments:

In August 2022, Today, Konica Minolta Business Solutions Ltd. (Konica Minolta) announced the launch of its brand-new Managed Endpoint Detection and Response (MEDR) service. This service is intended to safeguard supported endpoints from exploitation and contemporary attacks. The cloud-based assistance assists with getting endpoints on associations' IT networks by recognizing uncommon or possibly vindictive movement and answering kill any potential dangers before they can cause split the difference.

In June 2021, nine leading endpoint detection and response product (EDR) integrations are enhancing Critical Insight's monitoring and alerting capabilities, a Managed Detection and Response (MDR) service provider that protects organizations' data, systems, and digital assets as well as critical infrastructure. These EDR products are Carbon Black Defense, Carbon Black (VMware Carbon Black Cloud), Crowdstrike Falcon, Fire Eye HX, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, Palo Alto Cortex XDR, Sentinel One, Sophos, Symantec ATP.

In June 2022, Advanced APT-like attack protection features are provided by the Kaspersky Endpoint Detection and Response Expert, which has recently been rebranded. YARA rules-based scanning, API integration for the response on hosts, and automatic merging of alerts into incidents enhance its investigation and response capabilities. Along with the previously available on-premise version, the new upgrade also includes a cloud-based management console hosted in Azure. As a result, customers who have cloud-native infrastructure or are beginning their cloud journey can take advantage of the dependable and effective EDR tool hosted on a cloud platform they can rely on.

in May 2021, Crowdstrike Holdings Inc. announced that the addition of new partner applications to the CrowdStrike Store and the availability of the CrowdStrike Store in the European Union Cloud for customers to purchase IT and security applications.

Key Market Takeaways:

During the forecast period, the Global Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) Market is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 26.12%. In the Global Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) Market, a rise in inorganic activities like collaboration is expected to offer promising growth opportunities to market participants. For instance, SentinelOne (SentinelOne, Inc. is an American cybersecurity company) and Deepwatch, a leading provider of advanced managed detection and response (MDR) security, collaborated in September 2021. As part of its award-winning MDR portfolio, Deepwatch will provide SentinelOne endpoint detection and response through this collaboration.

Among regions, North America is projected to show strong growth in the market over the forecast period. The U.S. is major contributor to this growth. The country is known to be a major hub for different organizations in the world. Thus, demand for smart devices is rapidly growing in the region due to rise in adoption of Internet of Things ((IoT) infrastructure. This in turn is putting the personal data of companies and consumers at risk of security breach. Thus, demand for endpoint detection and response solutions is high in the country. Along with this, increasing technological developments and emergence of 5G wireless telecommunications in Canada is also supporting growth of the market in this region.

Competitive Landscape:

Carbon Black Inc., RSA Security (DELL EMC), CrowdStrike Inc., McAfee Corporation, Cisco Systems Inc., OpenText Corporation, FireEye Inc., Digital Guardian, Broadcom Inc., Deep Instinct, and Cybereason Inc. are among the significant businesses that are the subject of this investigation.

Market Segmentation:

Global Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) Market, By Component Solutions Services

Global Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) Market, By Deployment Type Cloud - based On - premise

Global Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) Market, By Solution Type Work Stations Mobile Devices Servers Point of Sale Terminals

Global Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) Market, By Organization Size Small and Medium Enterprises Large Enterprises

Global Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) Market, By End - User Industry BFSI IT and Telecom Manufacturing Healthcare Retail Other End-user Industries

Global Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) Market, By Geography North America By Country: U.S. Canada Asia Pacific By Country: China India Japan Australia South Korea ASEAN Rest of Asia Pacific Europe By Country: Germany Italy U.K. France Russia Rest of Europe Latin America By Country: Brazil Mexico Argentina Rest of Latin America Middle East and Africa By Country/Region: GCC Countries South Africa Rest of Middle East and Africa



Related Market Intelligence Reports:

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Villanova, Pa. (April 1, 2023)On Tuesday, April 18, Villanova University will host the second annual Anti-Poverty Symposium to explore the systemic issues of poverty and inequality. This years theme, Unitas in Action: Fighting Poverty and Living Sustainably, will focus on the intersections of poverty, the destruction of the environment by humans and the path toward ecological justice for all.

Every human is a child of God, worthy of respect and dignity, said the Rev. Arthur Purcaro, OSA, Assistant Vice President, Mission and Ministry. Rejecting materialism and consumerism, and sharing who we are and what we have with those who are less fortunate is our responsibility. We must do all we can to help those in need and build a more sustainable planet for future generations.

Presented by the Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law, in collaboration with the Villanova Sustainability Leadership Council and the Office for Mission and Ministry, the symposium will bring together thought leaders, advocates and renowned experts in poverty alleviation and sustainability who will lead powerful discussions and presentations. Sessions will feature lively conversations among guests who bring different theoretical, methodological and disciplinary approaches to analyzing and mitigating climate crisis and poverty.

Speakers will include Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson of Ghana, chancellor of the Pontifical Academies of Sciences and past president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace; Cardinal Robert McElroy, Bishop of San Diego; Sean Callahan, president and CEO of Catholic Relief Services; Naomi Klein, senior contributing writer for The Intercept and New York Times bestselling author of How to Change Everything: The Young Humans Guide to Protecting the Earth and Each Other; Bill McKibben, author of The Flag, the Cross, and the Station Wagon and co-founder of 350.org; and Raj Patel, co-director of The Ants & the Grasshopper and co-author of Inflamed: Deep Medicine and The Anatomy of Injustice.

We hope this years symposium will ignite change within the community, said Mark C. Alexander, the Arthur J. Kania Dean of the Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law. The local and global leaders joining us for this years symposium demonstrate how we can work together to help build a sustainable planet  free from poverty  and change our world for the better.

The symposium's events will kick off on Monday, April 17, with an evening concert performed by the Pastoral Musicians in the St. Thomas of Villanova Church. The symposium will be held on Tuesday, April 18, from 8:45 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Villanova Room in the Connelly Center. An Exhibit Walk with displays from internal and external organizations will be located in the Connelly Center throughout the day.

This interdisciplinary event is part of a University-wide initiative on poverty and inequality made possible by a gift from Paul Tufano Esq., '83 VSB, '86 CWSL and Christine Tufano '84 CLAS, '86 MA.

Learn more about the event and register here.

About Villanova University: Since 1842, Villanova Universitys Augustinian Catholic intellectual tradition has been the cornerstone of an academic community in which students learn to think critically, act compassionately and succeed while serving others. There are more than 10,000 undergraduate, graduate and law students in the University's six collegesthe College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the Villanova School of Business, the College of Engineering, the M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing, the College of Professional Studies and the Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law. Ranked among the nations top universities, Villanova supports its students intellectual growth and prepares them to become ethical leaders who create positive change everywhere life takes them. For more, visit www.villanova.edu.
Critics lambast the government for its stance on Ukraine and increasingly conflictual attitude towards NATO and EU allies, while pro-government commentators take the cabinets side in its conflicts with international partners.

In Magyar Narancs, Peter Heil believes that the government is ready to sacrifice the approximately 4 billion Euros Hungary is in theory entitled to from the European Union over the current seven-year period  a sum that is being withheld because of rule of law complaints.



He thinks the government is only ready to make superficial concessions, which may not be enough to satisfy the European Commission. Heil sees Hungarys stance on the war in Ukraine as even more detrimental to its ties with its western partners, and fears that such disagreements will ultimately lead the country out of the Transatlantic alliance.



In a similar vein, Magyar Hangs Janos Reichert excoriates the government side for keeping Sweden waiting for its NATO membership bid to be approved, even after Finlands bid has been ratified. He rejects the official explanation, according to which many Fidesz MPs are reluctant to vote for Swedens accession because Swedish politicians have been openly critical of Hungary.



No one has ever named a single one of those MPs who allegedly have such doubts, he writes, adding that the same argument was brought up in Finlands case, which has nevertheless been resolved.



In Jelen, Zoltan Lakner interprets the reasons brought up by the government side as proof that the Hungarian side wants to take revenge for rule of law criticism voiced within the European Union against Hungary.



On top of it all, he remarks, Sweden holds the rotating presidency of the European Council, and the conflict therefore suggests to him that the government may have given up all hope of unlocking the European funds. In that case, the confrontational tone of the government is purely meant for domestic consumption  rather than making efforts to get EU funds released.



In Mandiner, Daniel Kacsoh takes up the defence of Hungarys position on the war in Ukraine, which is one of the most controversial elements in its relations with its allies. He finds it extremely unjust to brand anyone who urges a ceasefire as playing into Vladimir Putins hands.



He dismisses the argument used by opposition politicians, who refer to Hungarys first king, Saint Stephen who opted for the West instead of the East by adopting Roman Catholicism.



Meanwhile, he argues, Saint Stephen also defeated the army of the German Empire which attempted to colonise Hungary. So did many of his successors  they confronted expansion from the East, including Russia, as well as threats coming from the West, although they were not always successful.



In Magyar Demokrata, Andras Bencsik believes that the Western community tends to condemn Russia for missteps that were committed by the United States in the past without triggering such official condemnation.



As an example, he refers to the arrest warrant issued for Putin by the International Criminal Court, on the grounds that under his authority Russia has deported thousands of children from Ukraine. He draws a parallel between that programme and the so-called baby-lift operation during which 3300 Vietnamese children were shipped to the United States in 1975.



He also writes that hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians have fled their country and many have settled in Germany. According to official studies, he continues, Germany would need half a million immigrants per year to keep its economy moving at full gear. Therefore, Bencsik suspects, Germany for one is not overly interested in bringing the Ukraine war to an early end.



This opinion does not necessarily represent the views of XpatLoop.com or the publisher.



Your opinions are welcome too - for editorial review before possible publication online.



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The ruling alliance of Fidesz and the Christian Democrats would win a 3/4 majority in parliament if elections were held this Sunday, according to a fresh poll by the Nezopont Institute.

Among decided voters, Fidesz-KDNPs list would capture 51% of the vote in a general election, Nezopont said in statement, noting that the polls margin of error meant this could be considered identical to the 52% won by the ruling parties in 2022.



A united opposition would receive 26% of the vote, 10% less than in 2022, Nezopont said. The radical opposition Mi Hazank would garner 12% of the vote, doubling its share from 2022.



The satirical Two-Tailed Dog Party would receive 8%, clearing the 5% threshold to enter parliament. Fidesz-KDNPs votes would translate into 148 seats in Hungarys 199-seat parliament, up from the current 135. The left-wing opposition would have 30 seats, 27 less than their current 57.



Meanwhile, Mi Hazank would double its number of MPs with 12 seats, making it the largest opposition group. The Two-Tailed Dog Party would have 8 seats.



Nezoponts phone poll was carried out between March 27 and 29 with a sample of 1,000 adults.



Photo: Nezopont Institute
October 7, 1949 - April 1, 2023

Jeffrey A. Went, age 73 passed away April 1, 2023 at York. He was preceded in death by his father, Don Went and brother-in-law, John Krumland.

Jeff was born October 7, 1949 in Columbus. He attended St. Bonaventure grade school and Columbus High School. Following his education, he worked various jobs in the Columbus area before moving to Jacksonville, Fla. in 1972. He returned to Nebraska in 1997.

Jeff could be described as a free spirit. He was adventuresome, lighthearted, unique, carefree and authentic.

He was enthusiastic about classic cars and enjoyed cruising in his 1971 Chevy Caprice on sunny days. He enjoyed working on vehicles, fishing, history, and painting. In the warmer months Jeff traveled the neighborhood on his red riding lawn mower stopping to visit with whomever would give him the time. Jeff never knew a stranger and cheered on the underdog.

Jeff will be forever remembered for his storytelling ability and vivid imagination.

Jeff is survived by his mother, Bernardine (Bernie) Scripture; brother, Dana Went (Liz) of York; sister, Tamara Krumland of Bradshaw; niece, Heather Went; great-niece, Vanessa and great-nephews, Jordan and Zachary of Phoenix, Ariz. and his beloved cat, Freeway.

The family would like to extend their appreciation to York General Hospital staff and to Dr. Trevor Hanson for their unending patience and compassion Jeff received under their care.

Jeffs wishes were to be cremated. No viewing, visitation, or services. Metz mortuary in York is handling arrangements. Online condolences may be sent to his family at www.metzmortuary.com.
One of the engine blades of an Air India plane was found to be damaged after it landed in Kolkata on Monday morning, said officials who suspect that it was caused by a bird hit. A blade on the right engine of the plane, Airbus A320, which arrived here from Mumbai, was found to be bent during checks after boarding was complete for its return journey, they said.

Air India flight AI675 landed in Kolkata around 8.20 am, after taking off from Mumbai at 6.16 am, they said. For its return journey to Mumbai, a total of 119 passengers boarded the plane (AI676) from Kolkata.

There were also six cabin crew on the plane, which was preparing to take off when the damage was detected, they added. The passengers were made to deboard the plane, which then underwent repairs.

The passengers went to Mumbai on the same flight around 1 pm, officials said.


Mahavir Jayanti 2023: Mahavir Jayanti is an important festival in Jainism that is celebrated to commemorate the birth anniversary of Lord Mahavir, the last and the most prominent Tirthankara (spiritual teacher) of Jainism. The festival falls on the 13th day of the Chaitra month of the Hindu calendar, which usually falls in March or April. Lord Mahavir was born in 599 BCE in Bihar, India, and his teachings are based on the principles of non-violence, truth, and compassion. He emphasized the importance of self-control, austerity, and detachment from material possessions to attain inner peace and enlightenment.

Mahavir Jayanti 2023: Significance

Mahavir Jayanti holds great significance for Jains around the world, as it is a day to remember the life and teachings of Lord Mahavir. Jains celebrate the day by visiting temples, offering prayers, and participating in religious processions. They also engage in acts of charity and donate food, clothes, and money to the needy.

The day is also an occasion for Jains to reflect on their spiritual journey and strive to follow the teachings of Lord Mahavir in their daily lives. Mahavir Jayanti serves as a reminder of the importance of living a life of non-violence, truth, and compassion, and upholding the values of Jainism.

Also read: Mahavir Jayanti 2023: Date, Shubh Muhurat, Rituals And Puja Vidhi- Everything From Significance To Celebration

Happy Mahavir Jayanti 2023: Wishes, and Greetings To Share With Your Loved Ones

1) May the teachings of Lord Mahavir inspire you to lead a life of compassion, non-violence, and harmony. Happy Mahavir Jayanti!

2) On this auspicious day of Mahavir Jayanti, let's take a pledge to follow the path of truth, righteousness, and peace.

3) May the blessings of Lord Mahavir fill your life with happiness, success, and prosperity. Happy Mahavir Jayanti!

4) Let's celebrate the birth of Lord Mahavir and strive to imbibe his teachings of self-discipline, compassion, and tolerance in our lives. Happy Mahavir Jayanti!

5) On the occasion of Mahavir Jayanti, may you be blessed with the strength to overcome your weaknesses and walk on the path of righteousness.

6) Let's pay homage to Lord Mahavir and seek his blessings for a life full of love, kindness, and harmony. Happy Mahavir Jayanti!

7) May the teachings of Lord Mahavir guide you toward a life of purity, humility, and selflessness. Happy Mahavir Jayanti!

8) On this auspicious day, let's remember the great soul who preached non-violence and universal brotherhood. Happy Mahavir Jayanti!

9) May the teachings of Lord Mahavir help us become better human beings and contribute towards creating a peaceful and harmonious society. Happy Mahavir Jayanti!

10) Let's take inspiration from the life of Lord Mahavir and strive to attain enlightenment and liberation from the cycle of birth and death. Happy Mahavir Jayanti!

11) May the blessings of Lord Mahavir fill your life with happiness, prosperity, and good health. Happy Mahavir Jayanti!

12) Let's celebrate the life of Lord Mahavir and follow his teachings of forgiveness, humility, and detachment. Happy Mahavir Jayanti!

13) On this holy day, let's remember the virtues of Lord Mahavir and strive to live a life of purity, simplicity, and non-violence. Happy Mahavir Jayanti!

14) May the teachings of Lord Mahavir guide us toward a better understanding of ourselves and the world around us. Happy Mahavir Jayanti!

15) Let's spread the message of love, compassion, and harmony on this auspicious day of Mahavir Jayanti. Happy Mahavir Jayanti to you and your loved ones!
Kolhapur: GISFI Meeting and International Conference on 6G and Wireless Network Technology organized by College Of Engineering (Autonomous), Kolhapur Institute Of Technology at Hotel Sayaji with Professor Anil Sahastrabuddhe (NAAC Chairman) and Chief Guest Professor Ramji Prasad The grand opening ceremony was concluded in the presence of

Professor Ramji Prasad (Chairman Jisfi, Arhas University Denmark) while expressing his opinion addressed the audience to work on the ambitious project of the Prime Minister, Atmanirbhar Bharat. All the innovators and students present during the event were inspired to research on 6G technology and wireless communication.

Professor Anil Sahastrabuddhe expressed his opinion on the new educational policy and how quality education can be reached to maximum number of students.

The students were made aware about the ongoing educational program Swayam, which is a joint effort of AICTE, the Government of India and renowned educational institutions of the country. Also, they expressed their opinion on how 6G and new technology can be used in education to the maximum extent. Balmuralidhar Prasad (Chief scientist robotics TCS BANGALORE) and Arpan Pal (Chief scientist embedded devices TCS BANGALORE) were present for this conference.

On April 3 and 4, there will be a discussion about the 6G technology and the ongoing research in the country and abroad under the Jisfi meeting.

Research papers of 42 innovators will be presented under the international conference and selected papers will be published under the international conference. Also on 5th April, under 'Startup Ecosystem India and Globe', startups will be guided by 6 different guests.

New researchers, faculty and students from all over the world were present at this time. 42 selected papers from 100 research papers were presented in the conference. At this time, many researchers participated in remote communication.

New researchers, faculty and students from all over the world were present at this time. 42 selected papers from 100 research papers were presented in the conference. At this time, many researchers participated in remote communication.

KIT Chairman Sunil Kulkarni, Vice Chairman Sajid Hudli, Secretary Deepak Chowgule, Trustees Bharat Patil and Pratap Singh Ravrane, Executive Director Dr. Got guidance from Vilas Karjini, Director Mohan Vanrotti. Chief organizer of the conference Dr. Mahesh Chavan and Dr. Nitin Sambare worked as coordinators.
Lucknow: Amid fears of a rapid resurgence of Covid-19 cases in the country, active coronavirus cases in Uttar Pradesh have crossed the 500 mark with 91 more persons testing positive for the virus, according to the latest health department data. Of the new cases, Lucknow has reported 13, Gautam Buddha Nagar 10, Ghaziabad 15 and Lalitpur 20, even as the daily recoveries stood at 20.

In the state capital, while Chinhat, NK Road and Sarojini Nagar recorded two cases each, Alambagh, Aliganj, Qaiserbagh, Indira Nagar, Mohanlalganj, Chowk and Tudiyaganj saw one case each. Yogesh Raghuvanshi, district health education officer, said that as four more patients were declared recovered in Lucknow, the number of active cases in the city stood at 59.

"A majority of Covid patients are in home isolation. A few admitted to hospitals for treatment of other illnesses have tested positive during their stay," said Vikasendu Agrawal, the state surveillance officer.

Mask Mandatory For Govt Employees In Satara

In view of the rise in Covid-19 and influenza cases in Maharashtra, the Satara district administration has made wearing of masks compulsory for employees and officials working in government and semi-government offices, colleges, and banks.

The order was issued by Satara Collector Ruchesh Jaivanshi on Monday, effective immediately. The collector also appealed to residents in the district to use masks and maintain social distancing, and hand hygiene in crowded places such as weekly markets, bus stands, congregations, and weddings.

In the wake of a spurt in cases of COVID-19 and influenza, the public health department of Maharashtra has been directed to take precautionary measures, and as per the directions, Jaivanshi has issued the order making the mask mandatory for employees, including officials working with government and semi-government offices, colleges, and banks, as per a note issued by the district administration.

"The citizens have also been appealed to use masks, maintain social distancing and hygiene at crowded places like weekly markets, bus stands, fairs, congregations, and weddings," the administration said.

Maharashtra on Monday reported 248 fresh coronavirus cases and a single casualty which raised the tally of infections to 81,45,590 and the death toll to 1,48,445, as per the state health department. A day before, the state had reported 562 COVID-19 cases. Maharashtra's tally of active cases stands at 3,532 active cases, a health official said on Monday.

India Covid-19 Case Update

India on Monday recorded a single-day jump of 3,641 fresh Coronavirus cases and the active caseload rose to 20,219. According to Union Health Ministry data updated at 8 AM, the death toll has risen to 5,30,892 with 11 fatalities - three from Maharashtra and one each in Delhi, Kerala, Karnataka and Rajasthan - recorded in a 24-hour span. The toll also includes four deaths reconciled by Kerala, the data stated.

The daily positivity rate was recorded at 6.12 while the weekly positivity was pegged at 2.45 per cent. The total tally of Covid cases was at 4.47 crore (4,47,26,246). The active cases now comprise 0.05 per cent of the total infections while the national COVID-19 recovery rate has been recorded at 98.76 per cent, according to the ministry website.

The number of people who have recuperated from the disease is at 4.41 crore (4,41,75,135) while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.19.
Union Minister Anurag Thakur on Tuesday launched a fresh attack on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her Bihar counterpart Nitish Kumar over incidents of violence on Ram Navami, accusing them of indulging in "appeasement politics" for minority votes.

Such kind of vote bank politics creates many problems and poses many challenges before the country, the Information and Broadcasting minister said while addressing an event organised here to observe the World Peace and Harmony Day on the 2622nd birth anniversary of Jain Tirthankara Mahavir.

Parts of West Bengal and Bihar witnessed incidents of violence on Ram Navami last week.

"This is a very relevant topic in the present times. One part of the world has been witnessing a war for a long time. When I see the situation in India, there is an atmosphere of peace but Ram Navami processions are not allowed to be taken out peacefully," Thakur said.

Referring to the violence during Ram Navami processions in West Bengal, Thakur asked whether the chief minister of the state is resorting to dividing the society as she said Hindus should not pass through certain areas.

"This itself is a matter of concern," he said.

"A war between two countries is one thing but creating such a situation in our own country, in Bihar and Bengal, where you are not allowed to take out a procession peacefully on Ram Navami and forced to commit arson, stone pelting and murder, raises many questions," the minister charged.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi tells countries around the world that this is not the era of war and the time to discuss, deliberate, be part of democracy and decide, Thakur said.

"And the world accepts this point but the chief ministers of two states of our country talking like that and resorting to partiality raises a big question as to whether a particular community was involved in the violence or politics of appeasement fans their passion," he said.

The creation of unrest in society in such a manner for vote bank politics poses "many challenges and problems" to the country, the minister said.
SAN FRANCISCO, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The global enterprise search market size is expected to reach USD 8.85 billion by 2030, registering an estimated CAGR of 8.9% from 2023 to 2030, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. The growth can be attributed to the increasing need for efficient supervision of large volumes of data among organizations to strengthen their operational capabilities. The growing demand for solutions that facilitate time-saving data search as well as enhanced security is driving the adoption of enterprise search solutions. The rising significance of value-added services, along with search capabilities, is further driving their adoption across organizations.

Grand View Research Logo

Key Industry Insights & Findings from the report:

Based on type, the hosted search segment is anticipated to grow at the highest CAGR of over 9% during the forecast period. This can be attributed to the growing trend of enterprise data being hosted on cloud platforms for remote work capabilities.

Based on end-use, the retail segment recorded the highest market share of over 41% in 2022, owing to digitization of retail stores and the large product database.

Based on enterprise size, the large enterprises segment recorded the highest market share in 2022 owing to the need to search precise data from the vast database obtained from various sources.

Based on geography, North America accounted for the largest market share in 2022 owing to the ongoing technological developments coupled with the strong presence of major market players in the region.

Read 163-page market research report, "Enterprise Search Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Type (Local Search, Hosted Search), By End-use (Government & Commercial Offices, Banking & Financial), By Enterprise Size, By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2023 - 2030", published by Grand View Research.

Enterprise Search Market Growth & Trends

Technological advancements coupled with the introduction of Software as a Service (SaaS) and cloud computing are driving the adoption of hosted enterprise search tools in small and medium enterprises. These tools require minimal technical support, and low maintenance and installation cost. Additionally, software as a service providers offer round the clock customer support and data protection which is a major driver.

Story continues

The growth of enterprise search market is being further proliferated by the introduction of new and innovative product offerings by the leading market players. For instance, in January 2023, Microsoft Azure expanded its service with integration of OpenAI, an advanced artificial intelligence model, to the general customer base. The artificial intelligence integration enables efficient search and feature deployment for enterprises.

Enterprise Search Market Segmentation

Grand View Research has segmented the global enterprise search market based on type, end-use, enterprise size, and region

Enterprise Search Market - Type Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2018 - 2030)

Local Search

Hosted Search

Search Appliance

Enterprise Search Market - End-use Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2018 - 2030)

Government & Commercial Offices

Banking & Financial

Healthcare

Retail

Media

Manufacturing

Others

Enterprise Search Market - Enterprise Size Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2018 - 2030)

Small

Medium

Large

Enterprise Search Market - Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2018 - 2030)

North America

Europe

Asia Pacific

South America

MEA

List of Key Players in the Enterprise Search Market

Attivio

Coveo Solutions Inc.

Dassault Systemes Inc.

Dieselpoint Inc.

EMC Corporation

Expert System Inc.

Google Inc.

HP Autonomy

IBM Corporation

Lucidworks Inc.

MarkLogic Corporation

Oracle

Perceptive Software Inc.

PolySpot

Recommind Inc.

SAP AG

Sinequa Inc.

Thunderstone Software

X1 Technologies

ZyLabs

Check out more market research studies published by Grand View Research:

Business Software And Services Market - The global business software and services market size is expected to reach USD 1,153.75 billion by 2030, according to a new study conducted by Grand View Research, Inc. The market is expected to expand at a CAGR of 11.9% from 2023 to 2030. The market is expected to flourish due to the rapid proliferation of massive enterprise data and the rising use of automation to enhance business operations. The rapidly expanding need for increased operational effectiveness and transparency across various organizations and businesses propels the market growth.

Fire Department Software Market - The global fire department software market size is anticipated to reach USD 2,059.2 million by 2030, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. The market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 11.5% from 2022 to 2030. Increasing adoption of cloud-based technologies across various government sectors, the rapid growth of mobile and web-based software, and the rising need for modernization across fire departments are major drivers of market growth. In addition, growing awareness about fire safety services is also expected to fuel the market growth.

Enterprise Architecture Tools Market - The global enterprise architecture tools market size is estimated to reach USD 1.41 billion by 2028, expanding at a CAGR of 4.9% from 2021 to 2028, according to a new study by Grand View Research, Inc. Increasing importance of affiliate enterprise IT solutions and business-driven architecture methods are expected to boost the market growth. The business is being supported by the enterprise architecture tools, which add large data capabilities and save time meanwhile reducing the process time. These factors are anticipated to increase the use of enterprise architecture tools by businesses, subsequently driving the market growth globally.

Browse through Grand View Research's IT Services & Applications Industry Research Reports.

About Grand View Research

Grand View Research, U.S.-based market research and consulting company, provides syndicated as well as customized research reports and consulting services. Registered in California and headquartered in San Francisco, the company comprises over 425 analysts and consultants, adding more than 1200 market research reports to its vast database each year. These reports offer in-depth analysis on 46 industries across 25 major countries worldwide. With the help of an interactive market intelligence platform, Grand View Research Helps Fortune 500 companies and renowned academic institutes understand the global and regional business environment and gauge the opportunities that lie ahead.

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New Delhi: Days after communal violences were reported from Bihar and West Bengal, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Tuesday termed the violence as the failure of the state governments. "It's the failure of the state governments, whether it is the West Bengal govt or the Bihar govt, or whether it is the mob lynching of Idrees Pasha in Karnataka. What was the govt doing?, he said. In a veiled attack on Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Owaisi said that Nitish has no remorse after the violence erupted in Nalanda District. He also slammed Kumar for attending an Iftar on Monday. He alleged that CM Nitish & Tejashwi want to instil fear in Muslims in the state:

#WATCH | AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi condemns incidents of violence in Bihar & West Bengal pic.twitter.com/H5FnDd6QAS  ANI (@ANI) April 4, 2023

"Whenever there is violence in a State the responsibility for it falls on the State govt. Madrasa Azizia in Biharsharif was set ablaze, and shops of Muslim targeted - there's planning behind it. Bihar CM Nitish Kumar knew Nalanda is a sensitive district yet there was disturbance there," the AIMIM MP said.

Whenever there is violence in a State the responsibility for it falls on the State govt. Madrasa Azizia in Biharsharif was set ablaze, and shops of Muslim targeted - there's planning behind it. Bihar CM Nitish Kumar knew Nalanda is a sensitive district yet there was disturbance pic.twitter.com/6NwMPsOe47  ANI (@ANI) April 4, 2023

Condemning the incident of alleged burning down of Madrasa Azizia in Biharsharif and targeting of Muslim shops, the AIMIM leader said "a man who has been chief minister for years, Nitish Kumar, has not been able to stop this. I condemn the behaviour of Nitish Kumar & RJD govt that they have completely failed in stopping the burning of this madrasa & attack on the masjid."

Communal Violence During Ram Navami In Bihar Sharif

Tension continues to prevail in Sasaram and Bihar Sharif after widespread violence was witnessed on Friday during the Ram Navami Shobha yatra. Fresh violence erupted in Sasaram and Bihar Sharif on Saturday evening. Firing took place reportedly in Paharpur and Kashi Takiya, injuring 3 people who were rushed to hospital for treatment. Several police personnel were also injured in stone pelting.

After Friday`s violence, the local administration imposed section 144 in Bihar Sharif.
Dwarka: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has once again mocked Congress over its ongoing protests against the disqualification of party leader Rahul Gandhi from Lok Sabha and said that no one has time for the Congress MP. "Everyone is busy doing their work, no one has time for Rahul Gandhi," Assam CM said while speaking to the media. "He (Rahul Gandhi) would not have received any punishment if he had apologised, but he refused to do so. This is happening because of his arrogance," said Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi also slammed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his in-person appeal in Surat court against his conviction in the 2019 defamation case and said that his appearance in court shows his arrogance.

"Had you gone there to display your arrogance or pressurise the judiciary or threaten the investigation agencies?" BJP leader said while speaking to the media. "The way Rahul Gandhi turned the entire episode into a show is condemnable. He should have apologised to the OBC community first, but not doing so shows Congress` arrogance. He could have gone there as a common leader in a simple manner, but he had all the other corrupt Congress leaders with him," Trivedi said.

On Monday, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi along with several senior leaders including chief ministers of Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Himachal Pradesh Surat accompanied Rahul Gandhi to the Gujarat court. Rahul Gandhi`s sister and party leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra accompanied him to the court.

Surat Court Pauses Rahul Gandhis Sentence

A Surat Sessions Court on Monday granted bail to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who had filed an appeal following his conviction in a criminal defamation case over his "Modi surname" remark during a political campaign in April 2019.

The court in Gujarat`s Surat granted bail till the disposal of the appeal to Rahul Gandhi in the defamation case. The court of Additional Sessions Judge R P Mogera said it will hear his plea for suspension of Rahul Gandhi`s conviction on April 13 and issued notice to Purnesh Modi, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA, the complainant in the case.

The application was filed under section 389 (1) of the Criminal Procedure Code for suspension of the execution of sentence and for releasing of appellant or accused on bail during the pendency of the appeal. The court allowed the application, saying, "Pendency of appeal, the sentence imposed upon applicant accused on March 23 by Chief Judicial Magistrate Surat here by suspended and appellant shall remain on bail."

The Surat District and Sessions Court granted bail to Gandhi against a surety of Rs 15,000. The court will hear Rahul`s application seeking suspension of conviction on April 13. Rahul Gandhi earlier appeared in the court and filed an appeal against his March 23 conviction.

Surat Court Order Erroneous And Patently Perverse

The former Congress chief, who was present in the court, in his appeal against his conviction and sentence by a Magistrate's court on March 23 contended that the order was "erroneous and patently perverse", alleging he was sentenced in a manner so as to attract disqualification as a Member of Parliament.

Gandhi submitted he was treated harshly by the trial court which was "overwhelmingly influenced" by his status as an MP, and maintained there is no such thing as a "definite Modi samaj or community on record". "It appears reasonable to argue that the applicant was really sentenced in a manner so as to attract the order of disqualification (as an MP)."

He further said that by the very nature of his task, a politician in Opposition cannot always weigh his words in "golden scales." "Hence, it is incumbent upon courts to focus on the essence and spirit of the speech (related to Modi surname) made rather than on the tone and tenor," Gandhi said, adding "a strong and uncompromising opposition" is the essential requirement of a "true and healthy democracy."

"Parliamentarian, in Opposition, is expected or rather required to be 'vigilant and critical', and the view of the trial court that a Member of Parliament deserves to be awarded the highest punishment because of his status "is wholly unwarranted and manifestly unjust," said the four-time MP.

Gandhi's lawyer Kirit Panwala said the bail was given by Additional Sessions Judge RP Mogera till the disposal of his appeal against the Chief Judicial Magistrate H H Varma's order of conviction and sentence on March 23.

Rahul Gandhis Conviction In Modi Surname Case

The former MP from Wayanad was convicted and sentenced to two years in hail by the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate H H Varma on March 23 in the criminal defamation case over his 'Modi surname` remark made during a political campaign in Kolar in Karnataka in April 2019. The court sentenced him to two years imprisonment but suspended the jail term for 30 days. After the Surat court`s verdict, Rahul Gandhi was disqualified as MP from Lok Sabha.

A day later, Rahul Gandhi was disqualified as a member of the Lok Sabha triggering a political slugfest between Congress and the BJP. He stands disqualified from contesting Lok Sabha and Assembly elections for eight years unless a higher court stays his conviction.
New Delhi: Four CRPF personnel were injured on Monday after the vehicle they were travelling in fell from a bridge in Bihar's Jamui district. The personnel -- Siti Yamalo, Anish Singh, Santosh Yadav and Subu Raj -- are part of the 215 Cobra Battalion deployed at the Jamui police line in the Hamlaypur area.

While two of them have been referred to Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) after their conditions were said to be critical, the other two are admitted to the Sadar hospital in Jamui.

The accident occurred late Monday night while they were going to to Chakai block to drop a fellow CRPF personnel.

As per the statements of the personnel, the driver lost control of the vehicle due to the light of another vehicle coming from the opposite direction.

Further details are awaited
New Delhi: A day after releasing Episode 2, the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday released Episode 3 of its 'Congress Files' series and highlighted the 2012 Coal Block Allotment Scam. In the video, the saffron party claimed that India suffered a loss of Rs 1,86,000 crore as a result of the coal scandal.

"When Manmohan Singh became Prime Minister for the second time, he made various promises, but Congress's scams garnered headlines at the time," the video message said.

Earlier in Episode 2 of 'Congress Files', the BJP had highlighted former Yes Bank CEO Rana Kapoor's statement to the Enforcement Directorate (ED), referring to a FATF report, in which he had claimed that he was pushed to buy an MF Husain painting from Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra for Rs 2 crore.

The video showed that Kapoor was promised Padma Bhushan -- one of the country's top civilian awards -- in exchange.

Congress Files     ,



            ... pic.twitter.com/ASBDuCSRIu  BJP (@BJP4India) April 3, 2023

According to the video, Rana Kapoor was forced to write to Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to purchase the painting. He stated that the money received in exchange for the painting was utilised to treat Sonia Gandhi.

According to the video, the money was supposed to be used to treat former Congress President Sonia Gandhi. Significantly, Congress dismissed these charges as a "political vendetta" and called Rana Kapoor and the ED's credibility into question.

The first episode, which was released on Sunday, showed the grand old party's alleged track history of corruption and scams in the country. "After 70 years of rule, the Congress has stolen the people for Rs 48,20,69,00,00,000," it said.

At least 24 INS Vikrant, 300 Rafale jets, and 1000 Mangal Missions could have been made or purchased using the amount looted by Congress. But the country had to bear the cost of Congress corruption, and it lagged behind in the race of progress," the message in the video read.
Beijing: China has released a third set of names in Chinese, Tibetan and pinyin characters for Arunachal Pradesh, as part of its efforts to reemphasise its claim over the Indian state. China's Ministry of Civil Affairs on Sunday released the standardised names of 11 places for Arunachal Pradesh, which it calls "Zangnan, the southern part of Tibet" in accordance with regulations on geographical names issued by the State Council, China's cabinet.

The official names of the 11 places were released on Sunday by the ministry, which also gave precise coordinates, including two land areas, two residential areas, five mountain peaks and two rivers and listed the category of places' names and their subordinate administrative districts, state-run Global Times reported on Monday.

This is the third batch of standardised geographical names for Arunachal Pradesh issued by China's civil affairs ministry. The first batch of the standardised names of six places in Arunachal was released in 2017, and the second batch of 15 places was issued in 2021.

India-China Border Dispute

India has previously dismissed the Chinese move of renaming some places in Arunachal Pradesh, asserting that the state has "always been" and will "always be" an integral part of India and that assigning "invented" names does not alter this fact. "This is not the first time China has attempted such a renaming of places in the state of Arunachal Pradesh," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said in December 2021.

"Arunachal Pradesh has always been, and will always be an integral part of India. Assigning invented names to places in Arunachal Pradesh does not alter this fact," he had said.

Renaming A Legitimate Move, Says China's Global Times

The Global Times, which is part of the ruling Communist Party's mouthpiece People's Daily group of publications, quoted Chinese experts as saying that the announcement of names is a legitimate move and China's sovereign right to standardise the geographical names.

The first set of names was announced by China in 2017 days after the Dalai Lama's visit to Arunachal Pradesh. China was sharply critical of the Tibetan spiritual leader's visit. The Dalai Lama fled from Tibet through Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh and sought refuge in India in 1959 after China took military control of the Himalayan region in 1950.
AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi on Tuesday blamed the JD(U)-RJD government in Bihar and the TMC government in West Bengal for allegedly failing to check the recent incidents of violence during Ram Navami.

He also attacked the Bihar Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister and said they failed to stop the violence despite receiving intelligence reports about the possibility of such incidents taking place.

"Wherever there is violence, the responsibility lies on the state governments concerned. It is their failure they were unable to stop the violence. Also, those who take up processions it is also the responsibility of the organisers," the Hyderabad MP told reporters here.

"It is the failure of the respective state governments that failed in discharging their duty of stopping the violence. It is pre-planned conspiracy of (those) people who indulge in violence. It is the failure of the state governments, whether it is the West Bengal government, whether it is the Bihar government, and whether it is the mob lynching of Idrees Pasha in Karnataka...What was the government doing?" Owaisi asked.

On the recent communal clashes that erupted in Bihar Sharif in Nalanda district and Sasaram in Rohtas district of Bihar during Ram Navami, Owaisi termed it a complete failure of the 'Nitish-Tejashwi-RJD government' in Bihar.

Attacking Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav, the AIMIM chief said despite having IB reports that violence can take place they had completely "failed" in stopping the violence.

"Because of their failure a 100-year old madrasa was completely burnt. More than 4,000 books were burnt and rare manuscripts were burnt. And the most unfortunate part is that there is no remorse on the faces of the Bihar Chief Minister and the RJD leaders. The Chief Minister was having an 'iftaar' party yesterday. He (Nitish Kumar) and his coalition partner (Tejashwi) should have visited those places. They should have seen that one 'minar' of a mosque was damaged."

They should have announced compensation. They did not condemn. He (Tejashwi Yadav) only tweeted. It is complete failure we condemn it", Owaisi said.

Owaisi alleged the way the riots happened in Bihar, it helps Nitish Kumar and the RJD because they create a sense of insecurity among Muslims and on the other hand it consolidates the BJP support in the majority community.

In this whole "game" which is being played between Nitish Kumar, Tejashwi and the BJP (Union Home Minister) Amit Shah, it is the Muslims and people of Bihar who are suffering, Owaisi said.

Nitish Kumar has been the Chief Minister for years and he has not been able to stop this (violence), Owaisi further alleged and said, "I condemn the behaviour of Nitish Kumar and the RJD government that you have completely failed in stopping the burning of the madrasa and attack on the mosque and targeted burning of properties of Muslims has taken place in Bihar."

According to Owaisi, shops of Muslims were targeted and it is clear that there's planning behind it.

The Nitish Kumar and Tejashwi government knew Nalanda is a sensitive district and they had intelligence reports that violence was going to happen there, Owaisi said and alleged "It is failure of the government to stop incidents of violence in that state."

Reacting to a query on China renaming some places in Arunachal Pradesh, Owaisi claimed the Modi government is ?erasing? Mughal history from NCERT books, while China is erasing "our present" names.

"Why it is happening because China knows that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will not name China. The Modi government does not reveal facts and their response has been weak. And because of it China is doing such acts. But, you don't care," he alleged.

Reacting to another query, Owaisi said the AIMIM has already announced its candidates for three seats for the upcoming Assembly elections in Karnataka and is likely to name more candidates soon and also announce about any alliance.
Dharamshala: Dalai Lama, the 14th spiritual leader of Tibet, has identified a boy as the latest reincarnation of the Khalkha Jetsun Dhampa Rinpoche, the faith`s leader in Mongolia, and this decision irritates China, Brooke Schedneck writes in Asia Times. In the attendance of more than 5,600 people at the March 2023 ceremony in Dharamsala, India, Dalai Lama identified a young boy to be the reincarnation of the Khalkha Jetsun Dhampa Rinpoche. The writer of this article, Brooke Schedneck is an Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at Rhodes College.

Tense Relations Between Dalai Lama and Chinese Govt

Due to the tense relations between the Dalai Lama and the Chinese government, however, recognizing someone as the reincarnation of a Buddhist figure is not only religiously significant but politically fraught. Today, the process to select the next Dalai Lama has remained uncertain. After China forcefully took over Tibet, in 1959 Dalai Lama flew to India and set up a government in exile. The Dalai Lama is revered by Tibetan people, who have maintained their devotion over the past 70 years of Chinese rule.

China, who wanted to take complete control over Tibet, not just geographically but also culturally, detained Dalai Lama`s choice for the successor of the 10th Panchen Lama, named Gendun Choeki Nyima when he was 6 years old in 1959, Brooke Schedneck said. Since then China has refused to give details of his whereabouts. Panchen lama is the second most important tulku lineage in Tibetan Buddhism. After the 11th Panchen Lama was detained, Tibetans protested against the Chinese government. Responding to such protest, China appointed its own Panchen Lama, the son of a Chinese security officer.

Threats from China

The panchen lamas and Dalai Lamas have historically played major roles in recognizing each other`s next incarnations. China also wants to appoint its own Dalai Lama. But it is important to Tibetan Buddhists that they are in charge of the selection process. Looking at the threats from China, the 14th Dalai Lama has made several statements that would make it difficult for a Chinese-appointed 15th Dalai Lama to be seen as legitimate. For example, he has stated that the institution of the Dalai Lama might not be needed anymore. However, he has also said it is up to the people if they want to preserve this aspect of Tibetan Buddhism and continue the Dalai Lama lineage.

The Dalai Lama has indicated that he will decide, on turning 90 in four years, whether he will be reborn, according to Asia Times. Another option the Dalai Lama has proposed is announcing his next reincarnation before he dies. In this scenario, the Dalai Lama would transfer his spiritual realization to the successor. A third alternative, Tibetan spiritual leader, Tenzin Gyatso, has articulated is that if he dies outside of Tibet, and the Panchen Lama remains missing, his reincarnation would be located abroad, most likely in India.

Experts believe the Chinese government`s search, however, would take place in Tibet, led by the Chinese-appointed panchen lama. Finally, he mentioned the possibility of being reborn as a beautiful woman but after this comment, he received widespread criticism in 2019, his office released a statement of apology and regret for the hurt he had caused. The Dalai Lama is confident that no one would trust the Chinese government`s choice.

The Tibetan people, as he has said, would never accept a Chinese-appointed Dalai Lama. The US government has expressed support for the Dalai Lama. In December 2020, the US Senate passed the Tibetan Policy and Support Act, which recognizes the autonomy of the Tibetan people.

The Biden administration reiterated in March 2021 that the Chinese government should have no role in the Dalai Lama`s succession. According to the author, the announcement or identification of 15th Dalai Lama will take place outside of Tibet and under the watch of international media and a global Tibetan diaspora - with much at stake.
A number of pro-Khalistani elements have started protesting against Indian government in various countries, including the United States, Britain, Canada and Australia. These elements are openly involved in demeaning Indian government and demanding a separate nation for Sikhs.

However, there are also a few leaders that are doing the same in India - blatantly, without any fear of law.

In today's DNA, Zee News' Rohit Ranjan makes an analysis of threat posed by internal elements on India's unity and integrity.

One such lawmaker who openly supports creation of Khalistan is Member of Parliament is Simranjeet Singh Mann. The pro-Khalistani leader, who represents Punjab Singrur constituency in Lok Sabha, openly accepts helping pro-Khalistani leaders.

However, Indian agencies have found foreign hand - including the involvement of Pakistani intel agencies - behind the entire Amritpal Singh episode.

Simranjit Singh, in conversation with Zee Media, accepted helping pro-Khalistani elements inside and outside India.

Watch DNA, to understand in detail the anti-India conspiracy of those who are trying play with national security.
Raipur: Calling the Enforcement Directorate (ED) a political competitor of opposition parties in the country and dubbing it as `BJP ED Morcha` and `BJP IT Morcha`, Congress leaders in Chhattisgarh, who faced ED action, on Monday alleged that the central agency is on `Mission Lotus`.

"The way ED is working here it seems like the agency is on Mission Lotus," alleged Congress leaders. The conference was jointly addressed by the Chairman of Chhattisgarh Mineral Development Corporation Girish Dewangan, Raipur Mayor Aijaz Dhebar, chairman of Chhattisgarh State Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board Sushil Sunny Agrawal, and businessman Achal Bhatia on Monday. "ED has conducted several raids across Chhattisgarh but the central agency did not reveal the properties they unearthed.

Moreover, the agency did not make any revelation about the recovered cash. I want to tell ED to spot `Operation Lotus` which they are undertaking at the behest of their political masters," alleged Dewangan.

They are taking action against those who are close to the Congress party and the government, he alleged. "Although I am the chairman of Chhattisgarh Mineral Development Corporation (CMDM), neither anyone in the family is linked to the business of coal nor CMDM has any work related to coal.

It is beyond my understanding why the raid was conducted at my address," said Dewangan. During Congress`s plenary session important responsibilities were given to me and to destabilize the event, they conducted the raid at my address, alleged the CMDC chairman, adding that the raids were politically motivated. The central agency should make public the information related to recoveries made for my address, he said.

BJP is worried and scared with the fact that Congress will again form the government in Chhattisgarh, therefore they are trying to intimidate us, alleged Dewangan. The sleuths of ED have ransacked the house of mine, as well as my brother, on the pretext of search, alleged Raipur Mayor Aijaz Dhebar, adding that the party will launch an extensive protest if the agency will continue such action. Meanwhile, Sunny Agrawal alleged that the central agency asked him to join BJP to evade such raids.

Similarly, businessman Achal Bhatia alleged that when ED found nothing at his residence, the sleuths of the central agency started enquiring about the Chief Minister`s son. It may be recalled that ED had recently conducted multiple raids in Chhattisgarh reportedly covering addresses linked to Raipur Mayor Aijaz Dhebar, Congress leader Ramgopal Agrawal, industrialist Kamal Sarda, IAS Anil Tuteja, businessman Baldev Singh Bhatia alias Pappu Bhatia and others.

Reacting to the allegations of Congress leaders, former minister, and BJP MLA Brijmohan Agrawal said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had already made it clear that he will neither eat nor let anyone eat. This is the reason why the central agencies are running a campaign against corruption with complete transparency.ED`s raids covering the addresses of people belonging to the ruling party in Chhattisgarh are part of the same commitment.

Earlier on March 28, ED reportedly carried out search operations at separate locations in Raipur at the office belonging to a Congress leader Ram Gopal Agarwal at Gore Parisar under Civil Lines police station and residence of industrialist Kamal Sarda at Shankar Nagar in mining and alleged coal levy scam. CRPF personnel remained present at both locations as the ED officials conducted raids.
Bengaluru: Considering it an extraordinary circumstance, the Karnataka High Court has directed prison authorities to release a convict on parole for 15 days so that he could get married to his girlfriend. The mother and lover of the convict, who is serving a 10-year term for murder, approached the court fearing the latter was being married off to someone else. The Additional Government Advocate, however, submitted to the court "that there is no provision for grant of parole to get married". He submitted that if it were to be anybody else's marriage that the detenue wanted to attend, it would have been a different circumstance. However, Justice M Nagaprasanna considered this an extraordinary situation that warranted parole for the convict, Anand.

"According to the Additional Government Advocate, the objectives of parole as obtaining under Clause 636 of the Prison Manual would not ensure to the benefit of the detenue for his release. Sub-clause 12 of Clause 636 of the Prison Manual gives the discretion to the Head of the Institution to grant parole on any other extraordinary circumstances. It is therefore, in the considered view of this Court that this would be an extraordinary circumstance for grant of parole," the court observed.

Anand's mother Rathnamma and lover Neetha G, had approached the High Court with the petition.

In the petition, 30-year-old Neetha claimed that she would be married off to someone else and, therefore, Anand should be granted parole to marry her.

She claimed to be in love with Anand for the last nine years.

He was sentenced to life imprisonment for murder which was later reduced to 10 years imprisonment. He has already served six years of the sentence.

The court recorded the submission of the advocate for the mother and his girlfriend.

"Would contend that the release of the detenue is imperative, otherwise, he will lose the love of his life. Being in prison, he cannot bear the agony of his love getting married to someone else and therefore, seeks emergency parole on any condition that would be imposed upon the petitioner," the court recorded in its judgment.

The court directed the Deputy Inspector General of Prisons, Central Prison, Parappana Agrahara and Chief Superintendent of Police to "consider the representation of the petitioners and release the detenue/Anand on parole from the forenoon of 05.04.2023, till the evening of 20.04.2023."

They were also directed to "stipulate strict conditions as are usually stipulated, to ensure return of the detenue and he shall not commit any other offence during the period of parole."
ZUG, Switzerland, April 4, 2023 /CNW/ - Essence Investment AG ("Essence" or the "Company"), a leading Swiss holding Company investing in the growth of the European cannabis industry, announces the appointment of Rico Uesluek as Chief Executive Officer of its portfolio company, Marry Jane AG ("MJ"). Mr. Uesluek will assume the role on 1 April and will be joined by Christoph Tepr as MJ's new Vice President of Sales.

Essence Investment AG Logo (CNW Group/Essence Investment AG)

The appointments of two noted consumer product veterans to MJ's leadership team come as the liberalization of Europe's cannabis markets gains momentum. Already operating at cashflow positive, MJ's sophisticated cultivation and manufacturing facility in Breitenbach, Switzerland, is an exceptionally competitive platform which builds high-quality branded offerings featuring a range of rich terpene and cannabis profiles.

Afrim Saliu, the entrepreneurial and engineering leader who pioneered MJ's development, welcomed his new colleagues, "Rico's track record speaks to his exceptional competence at executing and driving sustainable growth while building high-performing teams. Both Rico and Chris inspire deep trust in partners and bring us a passionate commitment to customers that will be the hallmark of the Marry Jane brand."

Mr. Uesluek joins MJ from Munich's Whacky Food Company, a superfood start-up he founded following a combined thirteen years of experience in senior leadership positions with Logitech and Coca-Cola. Prior to his move to MJ, Mr. Tepr was Juul's Senior Sales Director for EMEA, a position that capitalized on a career that featured multiple roles with Philip Morris.

"We are thrilled to bring together this kind of leadership," said Henricus J. Stander III, a Member of the Board of Directors of Essence. "The developmental and operational successes of the MJ team mark Afrim Saliu and his brother Kujtim Saliu as stand-out talents in the global cannabis industry. Adding the demonstrated skills in brand-building, distribution and marketing that Rico and Chris bring, MJ could not be better-positioned for the consumer-led growth we see in European markets."

Story continues

About Essence Investment AG

Essence Investment AG is a Swiss holding Company dedicated to providing the highest quality cannabis products to European patients and consumers. Its principal investments are Marry Jane AG, based in Breitenbach and the largest indoor producer of premium CBD flowers in Europe (circa 15 tonnes in 2022); Swiss Extract AG, a greenhouse cultivator and BioSuisse-certified producer of premium cannabis extracts for its own brand and white-label supplier to a number of European CBD companies and; AMP Alternative Medical Products GmbH, a licensed importer and distributor of European Union  Good Manufacturing Practice (EU-GMP) medical cannabis to Germany's leading cannabis-dispensing pharmacies.

For more information, visit: www.essence-investment.ch

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This media advisory includes forward-looking statements about future events or performances, which may be identified by words like "plans," "expects," "proposed," "believes" or variations of such words and phrases, or by the use of words or phrases which state that certain actions, events or results may, could, would, or might occur or be achieved. These statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ from what's expressed or implied. The company makes no commitment to update or revise these statements, and investors should be cautious about relying on them.

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SOURCE Essence Investment AG

Cision

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Beijing: India on Tuesday dismissed Chinas recent move to rename several places in Arunachal Pradesh as part of its efforts to reemphasise its claim over the north-eastern Indian state. Dismissing the move, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said, This is not the first time China has made such an attempt. We reject this outright. Arunachal Pradesh an integral, inalienable part of India. Attempts to assign invented names will not alter this reality.

This is not first time China has made such an attempt. We reject this outright. Arunachal Pradesh an integral, inalienable part of India. Attempts to assign invented names will not alter this reality: MEA on renaming of places in Arunachal Pradesh by China pic.twitter.com/HjsfGDkYLG  ANI (@ANI) April 4, 2023

The response from the MEA came hours after China released a third set of names in Chinese, Tibetan and pinyin characters for Arunachal Pradesh to assert its territorial claim over the Indian state.

China's Ministry of Civil Affairs on Sunday released the standardised names of 11 places for Arunachal Pradesh, which it calls "Zangnan, the southern part of Tibet" in accordance with regulations on geographical names issued by the State Council, China's cabinet.

The official names of the 11 places were released on Sunday by the ministry, which also gave precise coordinates, including two land areas, two residential areas, five mountain peaks and two rivers and listed the category of places' names and their subordinate administrative districts, state-run Global Times reported on Monday.

This is the third batch of standardised geographical names for Arunachal Pradesh issued by China's civil affairs ministry. The first batch of the standardised names of six places in Arunachal was released in 2017, and the second batch of 15 places was issued in 2021.

India-China Dispute In Arunachal Pradesh

India has in past dismissed the Chinese move of renaming some places in Arunachal Pradesh, asserting that the state has "always been" and will "always be" an integral part of India and that assigning "invented" names does not alter this fact. "This is not the first time China has attempted such a renaming of places in the state of Arunachal Pradesh," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said in December 2021.

"Arunachal Pradesh has always been and will always be an integral part of India. Assigning invented names to places in Arunachal Pradesh does not alter this fact," he had said.

Renaming A Legitimate Move By China, Says Global Times

The Global Times, which is part of the ruling Communist Party's mouthpiece People's Daily group of publications, quoted Chinese experts as saying that the announcement of names is a legitimate move and China's sovereign right to standardise the geographical names. The first set of names was announced by China in 2017 days after the Dalai Lama's visit to Arunachal Pradesh. China was sharply critical of the Tibetan spiritual leader's visit.

The Dalai Lama fled from Tibet through Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh and sought refuge in India in 1959 after China took military control of the Himalayan region in 1950.

The militaries of the two-nuclear powered states - India and China - clashed along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Tawang sector of Arunachal Pradesh in December last year, in a face-off that came amid a months-long border standoff in eastern Ladakh. After the Tawang skirmish, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had accused China of trying to "unilaterally" change the status quo along the LAC.
Congress leaders Siddaramaiah and D K Shivakumar are "dreaming" about the Chief Minister's post, ahead of the May 10 Karnataka Assembly polls, but it will not come true, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said on Tuesday.

He alleged that the Congress leaders' main focus is power and the chief minister's post, and not the welfare of the people of the state.

"The Congress will not come to power, Both of them (Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar) are fighting for a seat (CM seat), which they will not get. Power and Chief Minister post are the main aim of Congress and its leaders in this election and not the welfare of the people of Karnataka," Bommai said in response to a question.

Speaking to reporters here, he said on one hand Shivakumar is going around seeking blessings to become the chief minister, while on the other Siddaramaiah is claiming that he is the next chief minister. "People who have to decide, don't have both of them in mind."

"It is their internal party matter. Both of them are dreaming about the chief minister's seat, but it will not come true," the Bommai added.

Bommai was reacting to certain purported statements made by Siddaramaiah, Leader of Opposition in the Assembly and former Chief Minister, regarding Congress' probable chief ministerial face.

Both Siddaramaiah and Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee President Shivakumar are nursing Chief Ministerial ambitions in the event of the party coming to power, and were often seen indulging a game of political one-upmanship to assert their position in the run-up to the polls, which according to party sources has led to factionalism within the state Congress.
New Delhi: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday launched a scathing attack on the BJP over the communal violence during a Ram Navami procession in Howrah. The Trinamool Congress Chief said that she has to remain alert all the time as the BJP incites violence in the state. Banerjee said that the BJP doesn't understand that the people of Bengal don't like violence. Accusing the BJP of hiring 'goondas' from outside, Mamata said, "Rioting is not Bengal's culture. We don't riot, general public doesn't incite riots. When BJP can't on its own, it hires people to fan riots. The youth in whose hands weapons were seen during Ram Navami, CPI(M) used to do the same. Did you forget the atrocities of CPI(M)?."

#WATCH | West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee says, "I have to be alert all the time lest BJP incites riots. They don't understand that the people of Bengal don't like violence. Rioting is not Bengal's culture. We don't riot, general public doesn't incite riots. When BJP can't on its pic.twitter.com/cKIuPjli1y  ANI (@ANI) April 4, 2023

Mamata said that she will not allow rioters to go scot-free and promised stern action against them. The West Bengal CM also targeted the CPI(M) along with the BJP and said that 'Baam' (Left) and 'Ram' (BJP) have joined hands against us. "Dangabaaz dur hato (Rioters go away), we will face them with whatever we have," she added.

Mamata Hits Back At Amit Shah His Over Remarks On Bihar Violence

Hitting back at Union Home Minister Amit Shah over his remarks on the communal violence in Bihar's Nalanda and Sasaram districts, Mamata said "BJP said if it comes to power in Bihar, it would hang rioters upside down; why are they not doing that to their goondas."

'BJP Malligning Lord Ram's Name': Banerjee

Mamata said that they (BJP) are defaming Hindu religion by pitting one community against another. "BJP is maligning the name of Lord Ram by organising violence during Ram Navami," WB CM Mamata Banerjee said.

Earlier on Thursday, several vehicles were set on fire after two groups clashed in Howrah amid Ram Navami celebrations. During the procession, the rioters vandalized public and private properties and set vehicles on fire.

Following the violence in Howrah during Ram Navami celebrations, the West Bengal government on Friday handed over the probe to Criminal Investigation Department (CID). A special team led by Inspector General of Police, CID Sunil Choudhury has initiated the investigation.
New Delhi: Residents of Gautam Buddh Nagar in Uttar Pradesh consumed liquor worth Rs 1,652 crore in fiscal year 2022-23, the highest revenue in a fiscal year since the outbreak of Covid-19 in 2020, excise department officials said here. During the year, the excise department in Gautam Buddh Nagar, which includes Noida and Greater Noida, also launched a crackdown on illegal liquor, seizing over 50,000 litres of illicit alcohol and arresting 360 people. According to excise figures, the target for 2022-23 was Rs 1,828 crore, with a revenue of Rs 1,652 crore (90.37%) earned between April 1, 2022 and March 31, 2023. In 2021-22, revenue was Rs 1,346 crore, and in 2020-21, it was Rs 1,019 crore.

"During 2022-23, a total of 966 cases related to violations of the excise law, such as liquor trafficking, overrating by vendors etc., were lodged and 360 offenders arrested. Additionally, 51,434 litres of illicit liquor was seized by the department and 106 vehicles, including two-wheelers, impounded," District Excise Officer Rakesh Bahadur Singh told PTI.

Gautam Buddh Nagar, which shares its borders with Delhi and Haryana, has 535 licensed liquor shops across Noida and Greater Noida, Singh said.

The officer said the liquor sales were impacted due to the Covid outbreak in the first quarter of 2020, but picked up pace eventually, leading to a record revenue in the last fiscal.

"We have been able to achieve more than 90 per cent of our target of Rs 1,828 crore in revenue. We could have achieved the target but due to some policy issues in neighbouring Delhi, we fell slightly short of it," Singh added.

Earlier in March, liquor worth around Rs 14 crore was sold across Noida and Greater Noida in the two days ahead of Holi, after subdued sales since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the run-up to Holi last year, the revenue earned from liquor sales stood around Rs 11.5 crore, while liquor worth approximately Rs 9 crore was sold on December 30 and 31, they said.
New Delhi: Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot On Tuesday tested positive for Covid-19. Congress leader took on Twitter to inform about his health and wrote that he has tested positive for coronavirus infection and has mild symptoms of the disease.

Gehlot further said that he will continue his work from his residence only and urged the public to be vigilant and follow the Covid-19 protocol.

                                                 Ashok Gehlot (@ashokgehlot51) April 4, 2023

Meanwhile, India on Tuesday recorded 3038 fresh cases of covid in the last 24 hours with the active caseload standing at 21,179.The COVID cases in India have seen an upward trend in the past few days with the daily fresh infections ranging between 2,994 on April 1 to 3,824 on April 2 and 3,641 on April 3 now dropped to 3038 in the last 24 hours.

With 2,069 recoveries in the last 24 hours, total recoveries have increased to 4,41,77,204. India`s recovery rate is currently at 98.76 per cent. The daily and weekly positivity rates are 1.84 per cent and 2.49 per cent respectively. A total of 1,894 doses were administered in the last 24 hours.

Of the 92.20 crore total tests conducted so far, 1,64,740 tests were conducted in the last 24 hours.Under the Nationwide Vaccination Drive, India has so far administered 220.65 crore Covid-19 Vaccine doses (95.20 crores Second Dose and 22.86 crores Precaution Dose), of which 9,497 doses were administered in the last 24 hours.

In the wake of rising COVID cases in India, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Monday said that Omicron`s sub-variant which is circulating in the country has not led to an increase in hospitalisations and there is no need to worry.The Minister said that there is a need to remain vigilant

."We need to remain alert but there is no need to worry. Currently, the sub-variant of Omicron which is circulating in the country hasn`t increased hospitalisations," Mandaviya said.

Revised Guidelines For Covid-19

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has issued revised guidelines for Covid-19 in the wake of the surge of cases in the past week across the country.

"Antibiotics should not be used unless there is clinical suspicion of bacterial infection. The possibility of coinfection of COVID-19 with other endemic infections must be considered. Systemic corticosteroids are not indicated in mild disease," revised guidelines said.

"Antibiotics should not be used unless there is clinical suspicion of bacterial infection. The possibility of coinfection of COVID-19 with other endemic infections must be considered. Systemic corticosteroids are not indicated in mild disease," revised guidelines said.

"Seek immediate medical attention if difficulty breathing, High-grade fever/ severe cough, particularly if lasting for more than 5 days. A low threshold is to be kept for those with any of the high-risk features," guidelines discussed and prepared in January said.

Additionally, in moderate or severe diseases at high risk of progression, the guidelines recommend, "Consider Remdesivir for up to 5 days (200 mg IV on day 1 followed by 100 mg IV OD for the next 4 days)".
New Delhi: The Ashok Gehlot-led government and the private doctors in Rajasthan on Tuesday reached a consensus on the Right To Health Bill, which the latter had claimed would create hurdles in their smooth functioning and that the involvement of local authorities will increase. Chief Minister Gehlot broke the news on Twitter and said that he is happy that an agreement was reached between his government and the doctors on the Right To Health Bill, which was passed last month.

A delegation of doctors, including those from the Indian Medical Association (IMA), the private hospitals, the Nursing Homes Association, and the United Private Clinics and Hospitals Association (UPCHAR), held talks with the government and signed a memorandum on eight points. The protesting doctors said their major demand that private hospitals that have not taken any benefit from the government in the form of land or buildings at subsidised rates should be kept outside the ambit of the RTH Bill has been accepted.

"An agreement with the government has been arrived at. The private sector has completely been freed from the RTH Bill. The government will implement it from its resources and institutions. We have converted our rally into a 'Vijay Rally' and will hold a general body meeting to call off the agitation formally," the news agency PTI quoted the secretary of the Private Hospitals and Nursing Homes Society Dr Vijay Kapoor as saying.

Ashok Gehlot said that Rajasthan has now become the first state in the country to implement the 'Right to Health'.

"I am happy that finally an agreement has been reached between the government and the doctors on Right to Health and Rajasthan has become the first state in the country to implement Right to Health. I hope that the doctor-patient relationship will remain the same in the future as well," he said in a tweet in Hindi.

Earlier last week, Gehlot had met a delegation of the protesting doctors and had appealed to them to end their strike.

Doctors, however, had said that their one-point demand is the withdrawal of the bill and any discussion on the points of the bill will be held only after the government fulfills the demand.

What is Rajasthan's Right To Health Bill?
In a shocker, a seven-month pregnant woman activist of the Shiv Sena (UBT) was brutally assaulted by some persons in Thane, the hometown of Shiv Sena Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, officials said here

The incident happened late on Monday.

Former CM and Sena (UBT) President Uddhav Thackeray, his wife and son Aditya Thackeray rushed to Thane to enquire after the health of their party worker, Roshani Shinde-Pawar, was admitted to the ICU of a nearby hospital.

The Kasarvadavali Police Station has filed a case and is probing the matter, while Shinde conducted a meeting of officials on the issue that has snowballed into another political fracas between the two breakaway Sena factions.

According to officials, the trigger for the attack on Shinde-Pawar was a social media post made by her on Monday that enraged the rival side activists.

Late Monday night, a group of workers, allegedly belonging to the Shiv Sena, brutally assaulted Shinde-Pawar and scooted from the area.

The grievously injured Shinde-Pawar in an advanced stage of pregnancy was rushed to a local hospital and later shifted to the ICU this morning.

Sena (UBT) senior leader Sushma Andhare condemned the attack, saying that this has been repeatedly happening all over the state and cited the instance of another party worker Girish Kolhe, who also hammered in the CM`s home town, and another woman activist beaten up in Kalyan town.

"When we (the Opposition) go to lodge police complaints, we are not entertained, but culprits supporting the ruling alliance are given priority in lodging complaints against us and immediate action is taken," Andhare said.

Local politicians claim that Shinde-Patil`s post allegedly taking a potshot at the CM did not go down well with his supporters, resulting in the attack.
New Delhi: Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Tuesday termed the recent violence in Bihar and West Bengal a conspiracy by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and said the riots are taking place where the saffron party is 'weak'. Speaking to media, the Rajya Sabha MP also hit out at Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who at a rally in Bihar on Sunday had vowed to 'hang upside down' the rioters if the BJP came to power in the state.

Sanjay Raut's statements came after violence broke out in Bihar's Sasaram and Bihar Sharif, and West Bengal's Hooghly and Howrah districts during Ram Navami processions.

ALSO READ | Sanjay Raut Targets PM Narendra Modi Again, Says 'Display PM's Degree Outside New Parliament'

"This is a BJP-manufactured conspiracy. These riots are happening at places where BJP is weak and where it can lose in 2024," Raut said.

"Union Home Minister had asserted that all the rioters will be hung upside down ('ulta latka denge') when his government comes to power in Bihar. Who are you waiting for when there is currently your government at the Centre," he added.

VIDEO | "This is a BJP-manufactured conspiracy. These riots are happening at places where BJP is weak and where it can lose in 2024," says Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on incidents of violence in Bihar and West Bengal. pic.twitter.com/GkSGYbiFB2  Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) April 4, 2023

Mamata Banerjee fears violence on Hanuman Jayanti

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday claimed that there are plans afoot for another round of violence in the state on Thursday when the nation celebrates Hanuman Jayanti.

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo also said that political workers carrying arms and bombs are deliberately taking out Ram Navami processions in minority areas even five days after the festival is over to incite violence.

Banerjee's comments came a day after clashes broke out between two groups of people during Ram Navami processions in Rishra and Serampore in the Hooghly district. These incidents followed another skirmish at Kazipara in Howrah on March 30, the day of the festival.

"I will entrust a responsibility to my Hindu brothers to see that minorities are not tortured on April 6 (Hanuman Jayanti)," she said while addressing a programme in Purba Medinipur district.

"Why will the processions continue for five days after Ram Navami? Do it on the day of the festival. We have never had objections. But they cannot do rallies with guns and bombs, or without necessary permissions from the police," Banerjee said.

The Bengal CM has been alleging that the BJP is behind the arson and clashes during Ramnavami proceedings.

"They are deliberately entering minority areas to incite violence and create tension," Banerjee claimed.

BJP slams CM Nitish Kumar for violence in Bihar

The BJP on Monday slammed Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for communal violence in the state and said that he seems to have lost his will to govern and should 'stop dreaming about becoming prime minister and instead take care of the state'.

Former Bihar deputy CM and BJP MP Sushil Kumar Modi hit out at the state's ruling alliance leaders for blaming the BJP and right-wing organisations for violence wondering why the government has then not then exposed such a conspiracy.

"If it is a BJP conspiracy, then why did you not expose it? Lakhs of people who participated in Ram Navami processions across the state are not BJP members but belong to the Hindu society. They can be from any party. For the first time in his over 17 years tenure as CM, Nitish Kumar has been unable to control such a situation even after so many days," he said.

He said the violence was reported from places that are "known sensitive areas" but still preventing measures were not taken.

(With agency inputs)
Thiruvananthapuram: The second G20 EMPOWER meeting under India's yearlong presidency to take forward the country's women-led development agenda is scheduled to be held from April 4-6 in Kerala' state capital Thiruvananthapuram.

The first G20 EMPOWER meeting was held on February 11-12 at Agra in Uttar Pradesh. "The G20 Alliance for the Empowerment and Progression of Women's Economic Representation (EMPOWER) is an alliance of G20 business leaders and governments that aims to accelerate women's leadership and empowerment in the private sector," a government release said on Monday.

The theme of the second G20 EMPOWER Meeting is 'Women's Empowerment: A Win-Win for Equity and Economy', it said. Dr Munjpara Mahendrabhai, Union Minister of State for Women and Child Development, will grace the occasion and Dr Sangita Reddy, Chair of G20 EMPOWER 2023 will also be present for the meeting.

The opening plenary session of the meeting will be on the topic of 'Achieving Economic Prosperity by Empowering Women: Towards 25x25 Brisbane Goals' followed by panel discussions.

"The highlights during these dialogues would include advancing women's entrepreneurship through mentoring and capacity building, market access and financing, role of STEM education and innovation for scaling up businesses, enabling Leadership across all levels including at grassroots, strengthening women's participation in scientific and non-traditional sectors of work, etc," the release said.

Besides that, there will be side events on important issues in the form of panel discussions on enabling School-to-Work transitions and career development opportunities, investing in an enabling infrastructure to support the care economy and navigating corporate culture for women empowerment, it said.

"There will also be an exhibition designed and curated by the National Institute of Fashion Technology to showcase women's engagement in the cultivation and production of tea, coffee, spices and coir, work of women-led FPOs and indigenous toys, handloom & handicrafts crafted by women as well as ayurvedic and wellness products," the release said.

The exhibition will have digital features that will provide an immersive experience to the audience, it said. In addition to the sessions, a visit to Kerala Arts and Crafts village (KACV) has also been planned for delegates who will be provided an opportunity to interact with the crafts persons.

"Cultural programs will be organized in the evenings which will present an engaging glimpse into the rich cultural heritage of India. Local cuisine and millet-based food will also be served during the events for participants to experience the traditional practices and fine cuisine of India," the release said. The closing plenary session will focus on identifying key outcomes and establishing actions across G20 EMPOWER priorities on points of consensus.
The idea behind this scheme is to address the issues faced by farmers such as the lack of access to modern farming techniques, technology, and credit facilities.

But wait, just like every other scheme, PM-KISAN has had to face a few challenges and opportunities along the way. In this blog post, we'll dive deeper into what these challenges and opportunities are and what they mean for the future of the scheme. So, let's get started, shall we?

Challenges:

Database errors:

Managing a database of millions of farmers is not an easy task, and this has been proven by the PM-KISAN scheme. Several reports suggest that the scheme's database contains a large number of errors and omissions, leading to many eligible farmers being unable to avail of its benefits.

Lack of awareness:

There is a lack of awareness about the PM Kisan status among farmers, especially among those residing in remote areas. Many farmers are not even aware that they are eligible for the benefits of the scheme, leading to them missing out on the financial assistance offered by the Government.

Administrative issues:

The implementation of the PM-KISAN scheme is also facing administrative issues, such as delays in identifying beneficiaries and delays in the release of funds. This has resulted in the scheme being unable to reach its full potential.

Verification of beneficiaries:

The process of verifying beneficiaries is a critical step in ensuring that only eligible farmers receive the benefits of the PM-KISAN scheme. However, this process has been riddled with issues such as faulty documentation, duplicate entries and errors in record keeping. This has led to many ineligible beneficiaries receiving the benefits of the scheme and conversely, some eligible farmers being left out.

Limited scope:

The PM-KISAN scheme offers a financial benefit of Rs 6000 per year, which may not be sufficient for some farmers. Additionally, the scheme only covers small and marginal farmers, which limits its overall scope and impact.

Opportunities:

Digitization:

Digitization can help solve various issues related to the PM-KISAN scheme. It can make the scheme more efficient, transparent and easier to implement. This can be done by creating a single database of all eligible beneficiaries, with the help of modern technology such as machine learning and artificial intelligence.

Awareness campaigns:

Awareness campaigns can help increase the scheme's reach and create awareness among farmers, especially those residing in remote areas. This can be done by using various mediums such as television, radio, and social media.

Policy changes:

Policy changes can also help to address the challenges faced by the PM-KISAN scheme. This can include reducing the bureaucratic processes involved in identifying beneficiaries and disbursing funds. Additionally, simplification of the application process and providing more incentives to farmers who adopt modern farming techniques can also help.

Extension services:

Providing extension services to farmers can help improve their agricultural practices, productivity and income. The PM-KISAN scheme can leverage this opportunity by partnering with agricultural universities and research institutes to provide farmers with access to best practices and cutting-edge technology.

Aadhaar integration:

Aadhaar integration can help solve issues related to beneficiary verification and database errors. By linking the PM-KISAN scheme to Aadhaar, the Government can ensure that eligible farmers receive the benefits of the scheme and reduce the chances of errors and duplicates in the database.

Crop insurance:

Crop insurance can be a game-changer for farmers who face significant financial losses due to factors such as extreme weather events, pests and diseases. By partnering with insurance providers and making crop insurance more accessible and affordable, the PM-KISAN scheme can help mitigate the risks that farmers face and provide them with much-needed financial security.

Conclusion:

The PM-KISAN scheme is a crucial initiative by the Indian Government to provide financial assistance to farmers. However, it has faced several challenges and opportunities that need to be addressed to ensure its success. Digitization, awareness campaigns and policy changes can play a vital role in addressing these challenges and ensuring that farmers across the country benefit from this scheme.

It's time that the Government takes the necessary steps to overcome the challenges facing the PM-KISAN scheme and to create adequate opportunities for the betterment of farmers in India.

(Above mentioned article is a sponsored feature, This article is a paid publication and does not have journalistic/editorial involvement of IDPL, and IDPL claims no responsibility whatsoever.)
Experienced Transformation Leader Will Oversee Key Initiatives To Drive Enterprise Integration and Innovation

FRISCO, Texas, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Ever.Ag, a leading provider of supply chain software and financial services for the agriculture industry, said today that Mike Sargent has joined the company as President, a new position.

Mike Sargent has led large-scale transformations, converting software portfolios into powerful platforms that drive customer value and improve financial performance.

In his role, Mr. Sargent will be responsible for bringing strategic focus and operational excellence to drive further innovation in the Ever.Ag Software business. He will report to Scott Sexton, Ever.Ag's chief executive officer.

"The addition of Mike to our senior leadership team reflects Ever.Ag's commitment to investing in high-impact talent and technology as we shape a bold, new future for Ever.Ag and our customers," Mr. Sexton said. "Mike brings to Ever.Ag the senior-level experience we need as the Ag sector matures away from point solutions to solve end-to-end processes by leveraging technology, financial services and operations support."

Over the last 12 years Mr. Sargent has led large-scale transformations, converting software portfolios into powerful platforms that drive customer value and improve financial performance. He has held senior positions at Computer Associates, Riverbed Technology, Aternity, and Single Digits.

"I am very excited to join the Ever.Ag team at this pivotal point in the company's evolution," Mr. Sargent said. "The Ag sector faces a unique set of challenges, and Ever.Ag has led the industry in assembling a truly unparalleled set of technology and financial service capabilities. There's enormous opportunity in leveraging those capabilities to deliver innovative solutions that unlock huge value for our customers. I look forward to working with the team to take Ever.Ag to the next level."

Prior to his software leadership roles, Mr. Sargent was a senior partner for 18 years at Oliver Wyman, the New York-based international management consulting firm, where he led the Communications, Media and Technology practice.

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About Ever.Ag

Ever.Ag offers innovative AgTech solutions and services that empower agriculture, food, and beverage supply chains to feed a growing world. The breadth of its solutions is uniquely capable of supporting the complex needs of companies involved in dairy, livestock, crops, and agribusiness. With decades of experience and industry-leading innovations, our technology, risk management, and market intelligence provide our customers with the tools and insights they need to operate more efficiently, sustainably, and strategically across every stage of the supply chain.

Media Contact:

Sarah Wallach

Sarah.Wallach@Ever.Ag

(720) 988-6579

Ever.Ag offers innovative AgTech solutions and services that empower agriculture, food, and beverage supply chains to feed a growing world. To learn more, visit news.Ever.Ag. (PRNewsfoto/Ever.Ag)

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SOURCE Ever.Ag
New Delhi: The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has flagged concern over the use of an Indian eye drop that is causing death and blindness among its citizens. However, the Tamil Nadu Drugs Control said there is no contamination, according to media reports.





The CDC has, in recent months, traced three deaths, eight cases of blindness, and dozens of infections caused by a highly drug-resistant bacteria linked to Chennai-based EzriCare artificial tears, made by Global Pharma Healthcare, The New York Times reported.Drug-resistant bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa has been a cause of concern among people with weak immune systems, residents of nursing homes and patients using catheters and breathing tubes.In February, Global Pharma Healthcare recalled and stopped the production of both EzriCare Artificial Tears and Delsam Pharma`s Artificial Tears. And the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) instructed doctors and consumers not to purchase the product from the market and warned those who have already purchased it not to use it.The warning issued by the FDA read, "using contaminated artificial tears increases the risk of eye infections that could result in blindness and death".However, the CDC said it was concerned that the bacteria could gain a foothold in the US, as the bacteria showed signs of spreading among asymptomatic patients, in a Connecticut care center, who had the bacteria colonized in their bodies.A such spread tends to occur when patients touch common items or when healthcare workers transmit the germs. According to experts, pseudomonas is very hard to get rid of."Pseudomonas is especially difficult to eradicate, both from health care facilities, where it clings tenaciously to sink drains, water faucets and other moist environments, and from patients who develop bloodstream infections", David van Duin, an infectious disease specialist at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, was quoted as saying.After the FDA had issued the warning in February, a group of drug inspectors from the Central and Tamil Nadu governments inspected the company premises which is 40 km south of Chennai.While refusing to comment on the FDA`s remarks on the eyedrops, the Tamil Nadu drug regulator now said it found "no contamination" in samples of eye drops manufactured by Global Pharma, media reports said.This is the third such incident where an Indian pharmaceutical product has come under scrutiny. Last year, dozens of deaths were reported among children in Gambia and Uzbekistan allegedly due to Indian cough syrups.Cough and cold syrups manufactured by New Delhi-based Maiden Pharmaceuticals were linked to deaths of at least 70 children in Gambia, while Delhi-based Marion Biotech`s cough syrups were linked to the deaths of 18 children in Uzbekistan.
BENGALURU: Karnataka Congress chief D K Shivakumar has been booked by the Mandya rural police after a video showing him throwing Rs 500 currency notes at the artists during a poll campaign rally in the Mandya district went viral on social media. Sharing more details, Mandya police said, On the direction of a local court in Mandya, the rural police booked KPCC president D K Shivakumar who was seen throwing Rs 500 currency notes on the artists near Bevinahalli in Mandya district during the Praja Dhwani Yatra held on March 28.

Karnataka Congress chief DK Shivakumar booked by Mandya rural police after he was seen throwing Rs 500 currency notes at the artists during a yatra in Mandya district on March 28, say police



(File Pic) pic.twitter.com/OTXnfNHu4O  ANI (@ANI) April 4, 2023

WATCH: KPCC Chief DK Shivakumar Throwing Rs 500 Currency Notes On Crowd

#WATCH | Karnataka Congress Chief DK Shivakumar was seen throwing Rs 500 currency notes on the artists near Bevinahalli in Mandya district during the Praja Dhwani Yatra organized by Congress in Srirangapatna. (28.03) pic.twitter.com/aF2Lf0pksi  ANI (@ANI) March 29, 2023

In a viral video, Shivakumar was seen standing atop a bus and throwing currency notes at people taking part in the election rally near Bevinahalli. Shivakumar was leading the Congress "Praja Dhwani Yatra" in the run-up to the Karnataka election. The Mandya Police registered the case against the Karnataka Congress chief for allegedly distributing cash during a poll campaign on the basis of the viral video.

The police action against Shivakumar came days after a non-cognizable offence was registered against him following a complaint alleging that he showered currency notes at the crowd, from his campaign bus at Bevinahalli village in Mandya Taluk on March 28. The matter was presented before a local court, which directed the police to register an FIR against the Karnataka Congress president.

Just Offered Money To An Idol Of God, Says KPCC Chief

DK Shivakumar has, however, defended himself, saying that he was not throwing currency notes at people. "I was offering money to an idol of a god that people participating in the rally were carrying on their heads," he said. After the complaint was lodged, Congress workers in Mandya said Shivakumar was paying money to the artistes who had performed a cultural event during the party campaign.

D K Shivakumar, a chief minister aspirant for the upcoming Karnataka polls, will contest the elections from Kanakapura assembly constituency. The BJP-ruled state will go to polls on May 10.
New Delhi: At the recently held grand launch of Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC) red carpet event in Mumbai, the who's who of Bollywood and Hollywood were seen in attendance. From Priyanka Chopra-Nick Jonas, Gigi Hadid, Zendaya, Tom Holland to Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan with Aryan Khan, Gauri Khan, Suhana Khan, Shahid Kapoor and wife Mira Rajput, Deepika Padukone-Ranveer Singh - everyone walked the red carpet looking their best. Kajol turned up at the gala affair with daughter Nysa Devgn.

KAJOL AND NYSA DEVGN AT NMACC GALA

At the red carpet, Kajol and Nysa looked stunning in Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla attires in whites and shimmer silver. While Kajol kept it classic in floor-length Anarkali with a train, Nysa amped up the glam factor with a modern chic gown with a plunging neckline. However, what caught everyone's attention was the fact when the paps wanted to take solo pics of Nysa and she refused. Even mom Kajol tried to convince her to pose for a solo photo-op but the darling daughter said 'thank you' and moved ahead leaving the classic actress alone to pose for the shutterbugs.

Check out a few stunning photos from the party where Nysa Devgn is looking ravishing in her stylish designer evening gown.

NYSA DEVGN'S RISING SOCIAL MEDIA POPULARITY

Nysa has several pages dedicated to her on social media. She has not yet made her entry into the showbiz world and yet netizens wanna know more about her. Recently, her close friend Orry aka Orhan Awatramani shared a bunch of his cool pictures last month and we spotted the BFF gang chilling and partying together. The pictures had Orry at an event in Mumbai along with Nysa and other pals. Nysa glammed up in an off-shoulder golden dress, looking stunning.

Nysa is Ajay Devgn and Kajol's elder child. They also have a son named Yug Devgan.

Kajol and Ajay Devgn's daughter did her schooling at Mumbai's Dhirubhai Ambani International School and later enrolled in the United College of Southeast Asia in Singapore. She is currently studying International Hospitality at Switzerland's Glion Institute of Higher Education.

AJAY DEVGN ON NYSA GETTING TROLLED

Earlier, Ajay Devgn told Filmfare, You have to constantly explain to them that they shouldnt be bothered by what they read online. The trolls form a miniscule per cent of your audienceI dont know how such negativity happens. Ive learnt to ignore it and have asked my children to do the same. I dont even understand what they write sometimes, so I havent let it bother me.
Mumbai: A sessions court here on Monday dismissed a petition filed against a magistrate's order discharging Shilpa Shetty in the 2007 obscenity case over Hollywood star Richard Gere kissing her at a public event. The revision application against the magistrate court's order was dismissed by additional sessions judge S C Jadhav. The detailed order, however, was not available as yet.

The kissing incident had taken place during an AIDS awareness programme held in Rajasthan and had hit national headlines, with some segments calling it obscene and an affront to the country's culture. A case was registered in Rajasthan against Gere and Shetty under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Information Technology Act. This case was transferred to Mumbai on the orders of the Supreme Court in 2017.

In January 2022, the magistrate's court discharged Shetty after observing that she seemed to be the victim of Gere's act. On the allegation that she did not protest when she was kissed, the magistrate's court had said "this by no stretch of the imagination makes her a conspirator or perpetrator of any crime".

However, the prosecution filed a revision application before the sessions court claiming the magistrate "erred in discharging the accused" and that the order was "illegal, bad in law and against the principle of natural justice" and deserves to be set aside.

As per the prosecution, prima-facie a case was made out to frame charges against the accused and that the magistrate ought to have taken into consideration that act of the accused/respondent to kiss or allow to be kissed in public definitely came within the purview of Obscene Act. Shetty's response, filed through advocate Prashant Patil, had said the magistrate court's order was "well-reasoned and based upon the guidelines of the Supreme Court" and, hence, the revision application needs to be dismissed with heavy costs.
New Delhi: State Bank of India's (SBI) digital services which had taken a major hit on Monday, have now been restored. SBI in a statement apologised to the customers for the inconvenience and said that the services are now working fine.

"We regret to inform you that due to a `technical glitch`, some of our digital services were impacted for a few hours on April 03, 2023. However, the issue stands resolved, and the digital services are live and restored," SBI said in a statement.

The Bank further added, "We apologize for the inconvenience to our valued customers. The bank is always working toward implementing measures to prevent such occurrences. We thank you for your patience and continued trust in SBI."

SBI digital services were majorly impacted for a few hours due to a 'technical glitch' on Monday with several users taking to twitter to lodge their complaint.

Several customers of the State Bank of India (SBI) had taken to social media to register their complaint.

@TheOfficialSBI what is wrong with SBI server. Website not opening, yono not working what is this. pic.twitter.com/EdaCQLytcm  Er. Chaitanya Prasad Murmu (@CHAITANYA_56) April 3, 2023

Why are the servers of @TheOfficialSBI down? I have been trying to login since morning but can't login. @sbigeneral @sbi_yfi pic.twitter.com/j7xQOGI5c7  Sandesh Nisargan (@sandeshnisargan) April 3, 2023

SBI Yono is under maintenance from last 3 days. While logging in to YONO it's asking to download YONO lite.



Why SBI is not doing maintanace work in night hours ???



YONO lite is also showing an error- Please Try after sometime.@TheOfficialSBI @SBI_FOUNDATION @ChairmanIba pic.twitter.com/XCXLBedEfW  Ajit Pawar (@AjitPaw43134594) April 3, 2023

According to website-monitoring service Downdetector, User reports indicate State Bank of India (SBI) is having problems since 9:19 AM IST.

User reports indicate State Bank of India (SBI) is having problems since 9:19 AM IST. https://t.co/jchuWT1qKY RT if you're also having problems #StateBankofIndia(SBI)down  Down Detector India (@DownDetectorIN) April 3, 2023

While several users shared that services are out of reach since Monday morning, several others said that they have not been able to access SBI services since the last couple of days

@TheOfficialSBI What is wrong with Sbi from the past two days yono app not working, i download it again but seems like sbi forget that they have an app name Yono and Yono lite which is not functioning properly pic.twitter.com/ikTpiUlTvO  Shubhanshu Khatana (@shubhanshu_g_) April 3, 2023

@TheOfficialSBI yono is showing like this for the last 2-3days. But I don't know the technical team is busy with which deed!! It should be resolved asap. SBI is not going to compansate for the irrelevant server problem. pic.twitter.com/cirDuZvTNA  Tridip Veekey Pal (@PalVeekey) April 3, 2023

I truly don't understand the point of having UPI as an option for SBI accounts because the server is ALWAYS BUSY. There's literally no point having gpay linked to your SBI accs. I'm changing my bank ig??  Shloka (@shlokapandey) April 1, 2023

The PSU had on April 1 that the services of INB/YONO/YONO LITE/YONO Business/ UPI will not be available from 13.30 hrs on 01.04.2023 due to annual closing activities.

Notably, Banks remain closed on April 1 every year for their annual closing of accounts. This day is also notified by the Reserve Bank of India in the central bank's annual holiday list as Banks Closing of Accounts.


Delhi-Meeurt RRTS Update: The (NCRTC) National Capital Region Transport Corporation, a joint venture company of the Government of India and the states of Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Delhi working on the India's first Rapid Rail Transit System is likely to make announcement to run the inaugural RRTS train soon. As per various media reports, the body election of Uttar Pradesh is approaching, and it is likely that the 17 km long first phase of rapid rail called the Priority Stretch between Sahibabad and Duhai can be opened for public prior to the election dates being declared.

The people in Delhi-NCR are eagerly waiting for the services of the India's first rapid rail to begin soon. The RRTS will connect Meerut and Delhi, situated 87 km apart using India's fastest and modern metro trains made by Alstom. The trainset, designed to run at 180 kmph will connect Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut corridor soon.

The train is expected to run at a speed of 150 KM per hour and the authorities are conducting trial runs to ensure the complete safety of the rapid rail. The distance between Delhi and Meerut will be covered in under an hour once the RRTS is operational.

Recently, D.S. Mishra, Chief Secretary, Government of UP along with Vinay Kumar Singh, MD, NCRTC visited the 17-km long Priority Section of Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS corridor and took stock of the implementation progress. They were also accompanied by other senior officers of UP Government and NCRTC.

Delhi-Meerut RRTS: Fare

Asked about the fare, an NCRTC official said it is yet to be decided. However, reports suggest the RRTS will charge Rs 2 per km, which means a Delhi-Meerut ticket will cost Rs 170 to passengers.

Delhi-Meerut RRTS: Design

The modern RRTS trains will get 2x2 transverse cushioned seating, wide standing space, luggage racks, CCTV cameras, laptop/mobile charging facility, dynamic route maps, auto control ambient lighting system, WiFi facility, heating ventilation and air conditioning system (HVAC), among other amenities.

Delhi-Meerut RRTS: Stations

One official told PTI that lakhs of passengers are expected to commute daily from RRTS stations. To facilitate their travel and ensure easy access to the station, the NCRTC is going to create a dedicated pick-up and drop-off zone at the stations away from the main carriageway.

In addition, there will be pedestrian-friendly paths, lifts, escalators, seating areas and other commuter-centric amenities that will facilitate universal access at the stations. The NCRTC is constructing the entry and exit points of the elevated stations on the RRTS corridor on both sides of busy roads such as the Link Road and the Delhi-Meerut Road.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami paid a courtesy visit to Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav in New Delhi on Tuesday. During his meeting, CM Dhami requested the rail minister to start various rail projects in the hill state bordering Uttar Pradesh. He urged the Union Railway Minister to start Haridwar to Varanasi Vande Bharat Express rail service. The Chief Minister said that this would provide great convenience to the devotees and tourists. Currently, Uttrakhand has no connectivity of Vande Bharat Express trains.

On the other hand, Varanasi is connected to New Delhi with one of the initial Vande Bharat trains. The Chief Minister also urged the Railway Minister to start a Janshatabdi train service between Tanakpur-Dehradun and Shatabdi Express train service between Delhi-Ramnagar, reported ANI. He also requested for operating a direct rail service between Ramnagar-Haridwar and Dehradun.

He said that Jim Corbett National Park, located under the Ramnagar area of Nainital, is a popular tourist destination with a lot of movement from Delhi. Therefore, it is very necessary to operate the Delhi-Ramnagar Shatabdi Express train service.

CM also requested the Railway Minister to approve the construction of the tunnel-based rail line project and the Rishikesh-Uttarkashi rail line project to connect Dehradun to Saharanpur with the railway via Mohand. Dhami highlighted the difficulties of travelling between New Delhi to Dehradun and said that at present one has to go through Haridwar to reach Dehradun from New Delhi by rail.

However, the railway line between Haridwar and Dehradun is a single lane as it passes through the Rajaji National Park, and hence, the speed of the train is highly controlled concerning wildlife safety. This results in added time to the journey, which can reduced if there's a rail line from Dehradun to Saharanpur via Mohand.

He further stated that an adequate number of train services should be started from New Delhi, Mathura and Lucknow to Tanakpur for the remaining period of Purnagiri fair.

While discussing with the Railway Minister on rail services in Uttarakhand, the CM said, "at present Dehradun-Kathgodam Janshatabdi is the only rail service to connect Kumaon and Garhwal. Due to the presence of a large part of the Kumaon region as well as the Nepal border, the traffic of the people there also happens from Tanakpur only. That`s why it is necessary to operate a Janshatabdi train service between Tanakpur-Dehradun."
New Delhi: Elon Musk's tweet about changing Twitter's logo makes a surprise step on Tuesday. Musk changed the recognisable blue bird of Twitter's logo to a parody of the cryptocurrency. On the Web version, the top-left portion of the Twitter feed home screen has a Doge meme. This is the most recent modification since Mr. Musk purchased the microblogging service for $44 billion in November of last year.

He had previously posted that starting in April, Twitter would exclusively recommend paid accounts' material in the For You stream, which users see right away after opening the app. (Also Read: OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite To Launch Today: Check When, Where, How To Watch Live Stream, Expected Price, And Other Details)

There have been a lot of comments on Twitter over the "Dog" meme used as a logo. (Also Read: Apple iPhone 14 Available At Lowest Ever Price! Here's How To Get In Just Rs 34,999 On Flipkart)

Doge is the new Twitter logo thanks to Elon Musk. Is Twitter enjoyable on Tuesday?" a user questioned. On Twitter, there is always some attention-seeking bullshit going on. Who cares if it's a bird or a doge?" a different person remarked.

Mr. Musk backs Dogecoin, a mock cryptocurrency launched in 2013. He emphasised that SpaceX will soon follow Tesla in accepting Dogecoin as payment for goods. According to Bloomberg, Dogecoin surged by about 30% after its image unexpectedly surfaced in the website interface.

As more users began to wonder why the logo had changed, Mr. Musk issued two tweets offering a lighthearted interpretation of his decision.

One of his tweets depicts the "Doge" meme's face driving a car as a police officer purportedly examines a licence bearing the "old" blue bird emblem.

"That's an old photo," Doge informs the officer. Then, in a subsequent tweet, Mr. Musk published a screenshot of an exchange with a user in which the user requested that he "purchase" Twitter and replace the bird-shaped emblem with a dogecoin. " It was finished "as promised," he claimed in the tweet.

Reuters reported that Mr. Musk is facing a $258 billion lawsuit alleging that she conducted a pyramid scheme to fund dogecoin suit a few days before the meme appeared on Twitter. Vox, in the meantime, highlighted this pertinent piece of news that users are pointing to.
New York: Former US President Donald Trump has arrived in New York to face arraignment in a Manhattan court on charges related to paying hush money to a porn star during his 2016 presidential campaign. Trump, 76, flew to New York City in his Boeing 757 aircraft from his Mar-a-Lago home on Monday and arrived at the La Guardia airport around 3 pm EST (12.30 am IST). His motorcade then made its way to the Trump Tower on 5th Avenue in Manhattan where he will stay for the night.

Security Tightened In New York

Streets around the high-end Trump Tower have been cordoned off, with heavy police presence in and around the area. The former President waved at scores of his supporters as he came out from the SUV and was escorted immediately inside the building.

The First Former US President To Face Criminal Charge

Trump, the first former US president to face a criminal charge, will appear before Judge Juan Merchan at 2.15 pm EST (11.45 pm IST) on Tuesday. American media has quoted Trump's attorneys as saying that the former president will plead not guilty. After his court appearance, Trump will immediately fly back to Florida where he will deliver remarks at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach in the evening.

The arraignment proceeding is expected to be brief. The charges in the indictment will be read to him at the hearing, which is set to last about 10-15 minutes. Trump has denied all wrongdoings in connection with the payments made to Stormy Daniels, 44, ahead of the 2016 presidential election.

The indictment comes as Trump faces legal hurdles in other potential criminal cases. Trump is currently the front-runner among all declared and potential contenders for the 2024 Republican White House nomination. But there is nothing in the US law that prevents a candidate, who is found guilty of a crime, from campaigning for and serving as President -- even from prison.

Trump was twice impeached by the House of Representatives. He was acquitted by the Senate both times. Trump and his aides are using the indictment to rile up his supporters and bolster his 2024 re-election campaign.

It's hard to believe that I will be ARRESTED tomorrow as a result of the most disgraceful witch hunt in our nation's history, a Trump Campaign mail titled Tomorrow, I will be arrested, said, as it urged voters to make a contribution to his campaign given that the fate of our Republic is on the line.

Trump's team claimed that he has raised over USD 4 million in the 24 hours following Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's "unprecedented political persecution of the President, and blatant interference in the 2024 election against the leading Republican presidential candidate.

Another Trump Campaign email said that November 5, 2024 will no longer just be an Election Day. It will be our Vindication Day. When we win, it will be a vindication for our movement but also a vindication for America.

Joe Biden Refuses To Comment

President Joe Biden, who was travelling to Minnesota, refrained from commenting on the legal battle that his predecessor is facing. Talking to reporters in Minneapolis, he exuded confidence that law and order would be maintained in New York City.

I have faith in the New York Police Department, he said. The president is focused on delivering for the American people. That's what he wakes up and thinks about each day. We're on our way to Minnesota where we'll talk about the Invest in America tour, Olivia Dalton, White House Deputy Press Secretary, told reporters during an Air Force One gaggle.
New Delhi: The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) on Monday announced the four astronauts who will venture around the Moon on Artemis II, the first crewed mission on the American space agency's path to establishing a long-term presence at the Moon for science and exploration through Artemis. The agencies revealed the crew members -- three from NASA and one from CSA -- during an event at Ellington Field near NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.

NASA named the first woman and the first African American ever assigned as astronauts to a lunar mission, introducing them as part of the four-member team chosen to fly on what would be the first crewed voyage around the moon in more than 50 years.

"The Artemis II crew represents thousands of people working tirelessly to bring us to the stars. This is their crew, this is our crew, this is humanity's crew," said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson at the event.

"NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Hammock Koch, and CSA astronaut Jeremy Hansen, each has their own story, but, together, they represent our creed: E pluribus unum  out of many, one," he added.

"Together, we are ushering in a new era of exploration for a new generation of star sailors and dreamers  the Artemis Generation," the NASA Administrator said.

Christina Koch

Christina Koch, an electrical engineer, who has been part of NASA's first three all-female spacewalks, was named as a mission specialist for the Artemis II lunar flyby expected as early as next year.

She has served as a flight engineer aboard the space station for Expedition 59, 60, and 61.

Meet the first member of our #Artemis II Moon crew: mission specialist @Astro_Christina!



Christina Koch visited the @Space_Station in 2019, where she took part in the first all-woman spacewalk. She began her career as an electrical engineer at @NASAGoddard. pic.twitter.com/mi82SayXUm  NASA (@NASA) April 3, 2023

Koch has also set a record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman with a total of 328 days in space.

Victor Glover

Victor Glover, a US Navy aviator, and veteran of four spacewalks, has been designated as pilot of Artemis II. He will be the first Black astronaut ever to be sent on a lunar mission. The mission will be his second spaceflight, serving previously as a pilot on NASA's SpaceX Crew-1, which landed on May 2, 2021, after 168 days in space.

As a flight engineer aboard the space station for Expedition 64, Glover contributed to scientific investigations, technology demonstrations, and participated in four spacewalks.

Our #Artemis II pilot is @AstroVicGlover!



Victor Glover is part of our 2013 class of @NASA_Astronauts and was the pilot for NASAs @SpaceX Crew-1 mission. Hes logged 3,000 flight hours in more than 40 different aircraft, and will pilot @NASA_Orion around the Moon. pic.twitter.com/P0zJ8pwaeL  NASA (@NASA) April 3, 2023

According to NASA, he has logged 3,000 flight hours in more than 40 different aircraft.

Reid Wiseman

Reid Wiseman, another former US Navy fighter pilot, has been named as mission commander. This will be his second trip into space, serving previously as a flight engineer aboard the International Station for Expedition 41 from May through November 2014.

Wiseman has logged more than 165 days in space, including almost 13 hours as lead spacewalker during two trips outside the orbital complex.

...and rounding out our #Artemis II Moon crew: mission commander @Astro_Reid!



Reid Wiseman lived & worked aboard the @Space_Station as a flight engineer in 2014. He also commanded the undersea research mission NEEMO21, and most recently served as Chief of the @NASA_Astronauts. pic.twitter.com/AincR66wpf  NASA (@NASA) April 3, 2023

Prior to his assignment, he served as chief of the Astronaut Office from December 2020 until November 2022.

Jeremy Hansen

The Artemis II Mission crew also includes Jeremy Hansen, the first Canadian ever chosen for a flight to the moon, as a mission specialist.

A colonel in the Canadian Armed Forces and former fighter pilot, he holds a Bachelor of Science in space science from the Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston, Ontario, and a Master of Science in physics from the same institution in 2000, with a research focus on Wide Field of View Satellite Tracking.

Representing the @csa_asc on #Artemis II to the Moon is @Astro_Jeremy, from London, Ontario.



Jeremy Hansen was a fighter pilot before joining CSA, and currently works with NASA on astronaut training and mission operations. This will be Hansens first mission in space. pic.twitter.com/zIVetAQeFE  NASA (@NASA) April 3, 2023

He was one of two recruits selected by CSA in May 2009 through the third Canadian Astronaut Recruitment Campaign and has served as Capcom in NASA's Mission Control Center at Johnson and, in 2017, became the first Canadian to be entrusted with leading a NASA astronaut class, leading the training of astronaut candidates from the United States and Canada.

US President Joe Biden privately called the four on Sunday to congratulate them, the White House said.

The @NASA Artemis II crewed mission around the Moon will inspire the next generation of explorers, and show every child  in America, in Canada, and across the world  that if they can dream it, they can be it. pic.twitter.com/X8q3GLTBiQ  President Biden (@POTUS) April 3, 2023

The NASA Artemis II crewed mission around the Moon will inspire the next generation of explorers, and show every child  in America, in Canada, and across the world  that if they can dream it, they can be it, Biden said.

All about NASA's Artemis II Mission to moon

Artemis II will mark the debut crewed flight - but not the first lunar landing - of an Apollo successor program aimed at returning astronauts to the moon's surface later this decade and ultimately establishing a sustainable outpost there as a stepping stone to future human exploration of Mars.

The kickoff Artemis I mission was successfully completed in December 2022, capping the inaugural launch of NASA's powerful next-generation mega-rocket and its newly built Orion spacecraft on an uncrewed test flight that lasted 25 days.

The objective of the 10-day Artemis II journey around the moon and back, is to demonstrate that all of Orion's life-support apparatus and other systems will operate as designed with astronauts aboard in deep space.

Artemis II will venture some 6,400 miles (10,300 km) beyond the far side of the moon before returning, marking the closest pass humans have made to Earth's natural satellite since Apollo 17, which carried Gene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt to the lunar surface in December 1972.

They were the last of 12 NASA astronauts - all of them white men - who walked on the moon during six Apollo missions starting in 1969 with Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin.

At its farthest distance from Earth, Artemis II is expected to reach a point more than 230,000 miles (370,000 km) away. The typical low-Earth orbit altitude of the International Space Station is about 250 miles above the planet.

Carried to Earth orbit atop NASA's two-stage Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, the Artemis II crew will practice manual maneuvers with the Orion spacecraft before handing back to ground control for further tests and the lunar flyby portion of the mission.

After looping around the moon, Orion will use the gravity of the Earth and moon to send it on a propulsion-free return flight lasting about four more days, ending in a splashdown at sea.

If Artemis II succeeds, NASA plans to follow a few years later with an unprecedented landing on the moon's south pole with astronauts, one of them a woman, on Artemis III. Further crewed missions would follow about once a year.

Compared with Apollo, born of the Cold War-era US-Soviet space race, Artemis is a broader-based program, enlisting commercial partners such as Elon Musk's SpaceX and the space agencies of Canada, Europe, and Japan.

It marks a major redirection of NASA's human spaceflight ambitions beyond low-Earth orbit after decades focused on flights to and from the space station.
EVER Real Estate Developments

Retail and professional centre on Gateway to Edmonton welcomes multiple national tenants

EDMONTON, Alberta, April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, EVER Real Estate Developments announces multiple businesses opening new locations at EVER Square, the seven-building development on Calgary Trail and Gateway Blvd, just north of Whitemud Drive. The site is the future home of national franchises, local wellness providers, and professional firms in the real estate industry, including:



Fillmore Construction

Great Canadian Oil Change (Valvoline)

EVER Square Medical & Pharmasave

Stacked Pancake House

Oodle Noodle

Osmows Shawarma

RE/MAX Excellence Commercial Division

EVER Real Estate Developments

The site welcomes familiar brands expanding their market in Edmonton with a signature, high profile location, as well as franchises entering the Edmonton market.



Our objective is to build a destination for Edmontonians. Whether youre visiting the site as an employee, wellness patient, or restaurant patron, youre first taking advantage of the convenience, and then the additional amenities on site. The business mix is therefore very important, and our team is working to bring unique, first-rate companies to EVER Square, said Sam Narayan, Partner and President.

Industry partners collaborated in structuring these deals, with Cushman and Wakefield bringing Great Canadian Oil Change, a division of Valvoline, to EVER Square.

EVER Square

4607 Calgary Trail NW, Edmonton

EVER Square is paving the way for enlivened architecture and Class A businesses to change the landscape along the Calgary Trail & Gateway Blvd corridor.

The development consists of a six-story professional office tower with underground parking, four national drive-thrus, a lube service station, and single-story retail building. Construction is currently underway for the approximately 110,000 sq. ft. site and is anticipated to reach substantial completion in Q3 2024.

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Limited vacancy remains within the professional office tower. Visit Eversquare.ca for more information.

Business Profiles



Fillmore Construction

Fillmore Construction has been a leading commercial general contractor in the Alberta and Western Canada market for over 32 years. With offices strategically located in Edmonton and Kelowna, Fillmore executes over $150 million in revenue annually for some of Canada's most prominent brands across the Prairie and Pacific regions.

We are delighted to announce the relocation of our head office to EVER Square - a unique and well-designed building that promises to enhance the experience of our employees, clients, and partners. We eagerly anticipate the vast array of amenities and services that will be available right at our doorstep and in the neighboring area, said Chris Fillmore, President

Great Canadian Oil Change

Great Canadian Oil Change (GCOC), a division of Valvoline, is 118 stores strong with 23 company owned and 95 franchisee owned locations. Its quick lube model is all about trusted service and keeping your vehicle safe and operating at its peak. The brand was founded in Saskatoon in 1978 and acquired by Valvoline in 2018. Since acquiring the Great Canadian Oil Change brand, Valvoline also acquired 5 Minit Lube stores and 31 Oil Changers stores. GCOC is the third largest quick lube chain in Canada and our store footprint covers all Western Canada provinces and Ontario. The drive-thru oil change experience, modeled after Valvoline's Instant Oil Change business, lets you stay in your car during your service so that you dont have to go to a waiting room. They offer oil changes in about 15 minutes, plus a full menu of expert preventive maintenance services. No appointments are necessary, and their services are warranty approved.

Stacked Pancake House

Stacked Pancake House is making its debut in the Edmonton market, with plans to open multiple locations in 2023/2024 including EVER Square. Currently Stacked has two restaurants in Calgary with a third under construction. This is in addition to the 40 restaurants operating in Ontario.

Stacked Pancake & Breakfast House is a family breakfast and lunch hotspot that focuses on combining quality food with quality service. Their menu consists of home cooked breakfast and lunch dishes combined with specialty pancakes, waffles, and French toast.

Oodle Noodle

Oodle Noodle is a quick serve Asian fusion franchise with 16 stores in the Edmonton and area, with new expansion into Southern Alberta (2 stores and counting). The franchise is excited to open a new store in EVER Square, a new development along Gateway Boulevard, which will allow is us to Deliver the Heat to the surrounding areas.

According to President Jay Downton, "We are very excited to be a part of EVER Square, its a great location that allows us to better serve the communities around it.

The franchise's founder, Son Pham, had a vision of owning a Noodle Factory and building a store network to serve his delicious noodles in a fun and playful environment. Oodle Noodle is committed to quality, locally sourced ingredients, and community engagement which has made it a beloved staple in the Edmonton area, and they are excited to continue growing and expanding.

Osmows

Osmows Shawarma has more than 140 outlets across North America, and is opening their fifth location in Edmonton at EVER Square in 2024. Since opening the doors to its first location in 2001, today Osmows is one of North Americas fastest growing quick-service restaurant chains. Serving the best Shawarmas in North America, Osmows pita wraps offer a choice of Chicken, Beef, Lamb, Beyond Meat, Falafel, or Veggie. The extensive menu also includes delicious Signature Creations such as on the ROCKS & on the STIX & Canadian classics such as Shawarma Poutine. Osmows is Proudly Canadian and family run since 2001.

EVER Square Medical & Pharmasave

EVER Square Medical is an all-encompassing healthcare collective that offers limitless care and support, including a comprehensive list of services for patients. They are leaders in the Medical and Pharmacy industry and support health care professionals in the highest level of professionalism.

EVER Real Estate Developments & RE/MAX Excellence Commercial Division

EVER Real Estate Developments & RE/MAX Excellence Commercial Division will occupy the top floor of the professional tower at EVER Square. Sister companies are co-owned under the same partnership group and look forward to continued growth opportunities and synergies with future shared office space.

EVER Real Estate Developments develops quality retail, professional, and multifamily assets in Edmonton, AB.

RE/MAX Excellence Commercial Division has been globally recognized 5 times in the past 6 years as the leading RE/MAX Commercial Team, worldwide.




This recognition demonstrates Evolv AI's excellent leadership skills and dedication to the development and growth of its employees.

SAN FRANCISCO, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Evolv AI, the maker of the world's leading intelligent digital experience optimization and personalization platform, has been named one of Forbes and Statista's "America's Best Startup Employers 2023." Only 500 U.S.-based companies with at least 50 employees were included in the final list, as determined by Statista. This award recognizes Evolv's exceptional leadership skills and ongoing commitment to providing a positive and fulfilling work environment for its employees.

Evolv AI Announces the Launch of Evolv Accelerator, a Free One-Year Managed Services Offer for Brands Ready to Adopt AI

The evaluation was based on three criteria: employer reputation, employee satisfaction, and growth. Winning this award demonstrates Evolv AI's continued dedication to the development and growth of its employees, as well as its outstanding leadership in the industry.

"Employee satisfaction has been a cornerstone of Evolv AI's success," said Michael Scharff, CEO and co-founder at Evolv AI. "We are proud to offer our employees a range of benefits, including a flexible work environment, professional development opportunities, and a supportive work culture that fosters collaboration and innovation, as well as a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. This award is a testament to our dedication to providing a positive and fulfilling work environment for our team, including creating an environment that supports authenticity, building trust through various programs, transparent communication, continuous evolution across teams, and listening to feedback from those with diverse experiences."

In addition to recognizing the company's commitment to employee satisfaction, the award serves as a symbol to potential employees that Evolv AI is one of the industry's top performers. As a leader in digital optimization and AI-powered solutions, the company offers employees opportunities for professional growth, collaboration, and innovation.

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Evolv AI is unique in its testing capabilities: Contrary to traditional A/B testing platforms, Evolv AI runs continuous data-driven experiments and hypotheses with real-time traffic, enabling digital teams to create better-performing experiences. AI-led optimization is drastically increasing due to the growing popularity of AI tools with digital marketers  Evolv AI customers see six- to nine-figure revenue growth annually. Brands like Verizon, Curiosity Stream, and National Debt Relief have partnered with Evolv AI to support their AI initiatives.

Scharff adds: "We're thrilled to receive this award. Evolv AI is dedicated to bringing innovation and creativity to not only the clients we serve but also our team."

About Evolv AI

Evolv Al powers intelligent experiences that enable organizations to learn from every session to improve conversions continuously. Digital leaders rely on Evolv AI to define their experimentation strategy, generate a constant source of new ideas to be explored, and leverage its proprietary AI to progressively improve digital optimization and find the best customer journey.

Utilizing a proprietary machine learning engine and clients' visitor data, Evolv AI delivers on digital growth goals for companies such as Safelight, A&E, Curiosity Stream, DirectTV, and Verizon. Learn more at evolv.ai.

If you would like more information about this topic, email Chelsea McKee at chelsea@influenceandco.com.

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SOURCE Evolv AI
FILE PHOTO: TotalEnergies logos are seen at a fuel station in Nice

By Ahmed Rasheed and Maha El Dahan

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq said on Tuesday it has agreed to a smaller 30% stake in TotalEnergies long-delayed $27 billion project, reviving a deal that Baghdad hopes could lure back foreign investment into the battered country which craves stability.

The deal was signed in 2021 for TotalEnergies to build four oil, gas and renewables projects with an initial investment of $10 billion in southern Iraq over 25 years.

But it has experienced several setbacks amid disputes between Iraqi politicians over terms.

Iraq's cabinet said in a late Tuesday statement that it had approved the amended 30% share "due to the importance of resolving the issue and proceeding with the signing of related agreements."

Earlier on Tuesday, three sources told Reuters that Iraq has agreed to lower its share to 30% from 40% in the project, which was a key sticking point as TotalEnergies wants a majority stake.

Iraq's state-owned Basrah Oil (BOC) will partner in the project, instead of the now-abolished Iraq's National Oil company (INOC), the cabinet statement added.

The potential for INOC's involvement had been another stumbling block for the deal.

Iraq, OPEC's second largest producer, has been for years plagued by war, corruption and sectarian tensions that have held back its potential.

The agreement to lower the share to 30% was struck after meetings in Baghdad over the past few days, an industry source said.

TotalEnergies did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

"The deal should be activated within days," a senior Iraqi oil ministry official said.

The project includes the construction of a natural gas gathering network to supply local power stations through the expansion of the Ratawi field, building a large-scale seawater treatment facility to boost output from other fields using water injection and a large solar power plant in the Basra region.

TotalEnergies would be responsible for the first phase of the seawater project costing $3 billion, the statement said.

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QatarEnergy will also take part in the consortium and will have a share in the project, sources with direct knowledge of the matter said.

Sources had told Reuters in January that QatarEnergy was looking at a stake in the project.

QatarEnergy did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

A major investment by a Gulf state in the project would also mark an important win for Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani, who took office last October following more than a year of political turmoil, and would be considered a step towards countering Iranian influence.

A revival of the project is key to Baghdad's efforts to reverse the exit of oil majors from the country.

Exxon Mobil , Shell and BP have all scaled back their operations in Iraq in recent years, contributing to a stagnation in its oil production.

Iraq's oil production capacity has remained at around 5 million barrels per day in recent years. Yet at one time there had been hopes of rivalling top producer Saudi Arabia with its output of 12 million bpd, more than a tenth of global demand.

(Reporting by Ahmed Rasheed, Maha El Dahan America Hernandez, Andrew Mills, Rowena Edwards and Amina Ismail; Editing by Kirsten Donovan, Chizu Nomiyama and Marguerita Choy)
FILE PHOTO: The Johnson & Johnson logo is displayed on a screen on the floor of the NYSE in New York

By Mike Spector

(Reuters) - Johnson & Johnson is exploring the idea of placing a subsidiary shouldering tens of thousands of talc lawsuits into bankruptcy proceedings for a second time, despite a January federal appeals court decision invalidating the so-called Texas two-step legal maneuver, according to a court filing and four people familiar with the matter.

A J&J lawyer tasked with settling about 40,000 lawsuits alleging the companys iconic Baby Powder and other cosmetic talc products cause cancer has approached plaintiffs lawyers in recent weeks. The lawyer has proposed the two sides craft an agreement to resolve the litigation, which would then be consummated after the J&J subsidiary refiles the bankruptcy, the people said. Some plaintiffs lawyers have signed confidentiality agreements to discuss the idea, one of the people said.

In a court filing Tuesday, lawyers representing a creditors committee of talc plaintiffs said they recently became aware of discussions about a second J&J subsidiary bankruptcy. As the [committee] is responsible for representing the interests of all talc claimants, it must now advise this Court and the public that Johnson & Johnson and/or its affiliates  has threatened a second bankruptcy filing.

Johnson & Johnson did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

J&J executed a Texas two-step bankruptcy in October 2021. The novel tactic involves using a Texas state law to divide a company being sued into two, then shifting liability to one of the newly created subsidiaries. The J&J subsidiary that was to absorb liability for the talc cases, LTL Management, declared bankruptcy almost immediately after it was created.

LTL initially proposed to pay $2 billion to settle the litigation and possibly more. J&J agreed to fund any settlement a bankruptcy court eventually approved.

Many plaintiffs lawyers have decried J&Js two-step, portraying it as an abuse of the bankruptcy system by a multinational conglomerate with a market capitalization exceeding $400 billion that is little danger of running out of money to pay plaintiffs.

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Andy Birchfield, a plaintiffs' lawyer at law firm Beasley Allen, said on Tuesday that claims could easily be resolved if Johnson & Johnson would stop playing games and abusing the bankruptcy court process."

J&J and its subsidiary have argued the bankruptcy served a greater good for all parties, including plaintiffs: The restructuring could deliver settlement payouts more fairly, efficiently and equitably than a lottery offered by trial courts, where some litigants get large awards and others get nothing.

Reuters last year detailed the secretive planning of Texas two-steps by J&J and three other major companies in a series of reports exploring corporate attempts to evade lawsuits through bankruptcies.

The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Philadelphia rejected J&Js gambit in January, ruling that the cash-flush subsidiary had no legitimate claim to bankruptcy protection because it wasnt in financial distress. The appeals court pointed to a funding agreement between J&J and its subsidiary that provided the new unit with the financial wherewithal to settle lawsuits.

The appeals court at the end of March denied the J&J subsidiarys bid to delay the ruling from taking effect while it seeks a review from the U.S. Supreme Court. The appeals court also previously denied the J&J subsidiarys request to reconsider its decision.

The judge overseeing the case on Tuesday said he planned to dismiss the J&J unit's bankruptcy as soon as today. That would allow lawsuits and trials to resume in courts across the United States.

SECOND CHANCE?

Now, discussions are underway for the J&J subsidiary to file bankruptcy a second time and again seek to halt the lawsuits and force a settlement in bankruptcy court, the people familiar with the matter said.

How the J&J subsidiary might square such a move with the appeals court ruling remained unclear.

One strategy the J&J subsidiary could attempt is to reach an agreement with a supermajority of plaintiffs ahead of any bankruptcy filing, the people familiar with the matter said. The crux of this strategy is to persuade lawyers representing 75% of plaintiffs to settle ahead of time.

That threshold is required for a bankruptcy judge to approve settlements in cases involving asbestos, a higher bar than other kinds of Chapter 11 court restructurings. A December 2018 Reuters investigation revealed that J&J knew for decades about tests showing its talc sometimes contained carcinogenic asbestos but kept that information from regulators and the public. J&J has denied its talc contains asbestos.

Securing widespread agreement among plaintiffs for a settlement could ease the path of J&Js subsidiary if it files a second bankruptcy. In the first case, litigants resisted settling, balking at the companys initial $2 billion offer. Court-ordered mediation sessions failed to produce an agreement.

Even with a prearranged settlement, however, a minority of talc plaintiffs could ask the bankruptcy judge to dismiss the Chapter 11 filing yet again, triggering the same hearings and rulings that led the appeals court to invalidate the tactic in the first place.

A JUDGES WARNING

The essential challenge facing J&J is how to get around the problem identified by the 3rd Circuit  the fact that its well-capitalized subsidiary had no legal claim to bankruptcy protection. The ruling cited the funding agreement between J&J and its subsidiary, calling for J&J to supply billions of dollars to pay settlements.

Dropping the funding agreement, however, could create other legal problems for J&J. Judge Thomas Ambro, the appeals court judge who wrote the decision overturning J&Js two-step, warned that, without the funding agreement, the company could run afoul of fraudulent-transfer prohibitions.

Such rules typically apply to firms seeking to transfer assets out of a company just before filing for bankruptcy, to put them out of the reach of creditors. In the case of J&J, however, transferring all the lawsuits to another company  one without money to compensate plaintiffs  could run afoul of the same rules.

J&J has long been aware of that legal pitfall. Greg Gordon, the Jones Day lawyer who led J&Js Texas two-step planning and execution, has previously said the funding agreement was designed to insulate J&J from accusations of such fraudulent maneuvers.

We dont even want to have an argument about fraudulent transfers, Gordon said at an April 2021 conference in Washington, explaining why J&J agreed to unlimited funding of the subsidiary under bankruptcy protection.

Jones Day did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Ambro, in the appeals-court ruling, said of such assurances: We take J&J and LTL at their word and agree that the subsidiary had plenty of money, explaining why LTL didnt qualify for bankruptcy.

The judge noted that J&Js promise of unlimited funding was essentially an ATM for the subsidiary, insulating it from any threat to its financial viability.

(Reporting by Mike Spector; additional reporting by Dan Levine; editing by Brian Thevenot)
Funding will accelerate business development, market expansion, and further establish U.S. presence

TEL AVIV, ISRAEL / ACCESSWIRE / April 4, 2023 / Fetcherr , a demand prediction and AI-native algorithmic pricing optimization solution, today announces $12.5M in Pre-Series B funding led by Left Lane Capital and M-Fund . Following a $7M Series A raise in 2022, this round brings Fetcherr's total funding to $31M across equity and debt.

Fetcherr redefines the way airlines price flights by using artificial intelligence to maximize profits while lowering costs. The new funding will allow Fetcherr to onboard additional airline partners, open a North American headquarters, and further expand into other global markets.

"The airline industry is broken and needs an overhaul of its current platforms. Fetcherr's technology provides the best AI-based solutions for optimal revenue performance," said Roy Cohen, Co-Founder and CEO at Fetcherr. "We're committed to making real-time high-frequency pricing a reality and this financing will ensure we reach these goals."

Fetcherr's airline partners have reported higher operating revenues since deploying their pricing technology. This gives investors confidence that Fetcherr can deliver measurable impact across all aspects of operations, despite challenges facing the broader industry. Given uncertainty in the VC market, the raise also solidifies the company's growth trajectory.

"Many of the largest global travel companies still rely on rudimentary infrastructure and manual or static processes for demand prediction, fare pricing, and subsequent revenue management decisions, all of which directly impact topline. We believe that Fetcherr's novel, cloud-based system will play a critical role in disrupting traditional fares by simulating demand and optimizing prices through AI," said Harley Miller, CEO and Managing Partner at Left Lane Capital. "We are honored to be part of Fetcherr's journey to transform airline pricing, distribution, revenue management and beyond."

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"We doubled down on Fetcherr as we witnessed impressive results that have further bolstered our confidence in Fetcherr's technology, growth trajectory, and ability to be a solution that is long overdue and much needed in the airline industry," said Lior Elkan, Managing Partner at M-Fund, who also led Series A. "We are thrilled to continue to play a role in Fetcherr's evolution, and we trust that their innovative AI pricing system will be a catalyst for change not only for their partners but also for the entire industry."

About Fetcherr

Fetcherr is an Israeli Algo Trading-based startup that developed a proprietary AI-powered pricing system, using proven reinforcement AI models to increase airline revenue by enabling High-Frequency Pricing. Founded in 2019 by experts in deep learning, Algo-trading, e-commerce and digitization of legacy architecture, Fetcherr aims to disrupt traditional, rule-based (legacy) revenue systems through deep learning methodologies, beginning with the airline industry. For more information, please visit www.fetcherr.io .

About Left Lane

Founded in 2019, Left Lane Capital is a New York-based global venture capital and growth equity firm investing in internet and technology companies with a consumer orientation. Left Lane's mission is to partner with extraordinary entrepreneurs who create category-defining companies across growth sectors of the economy, including software, healthcare, e-commerce, consumer, fintech, edtech, and other industries. Today, Left Lane has invested in more than 60 companies worldwide. Select investments include GoStudent, M1 Finance, Wayflyer, Bilt, Masterworks, Blank Street, Talkiatry, Tovala, and more. For more information, please visit https://www.leftlanecap.com/ .

About M-Fund

M-Fund is an Israeli-based early-stage solo-GP venture capital that started in 2019 as an elite investment club of private investors. M-Fund was founded by Lior Elkan, an angel investor and experienced venture capitalist, ex-Glilot Capital, and Hyundai CRADLE. The fund adopted an opportunistic strategy to maximize returns by backing domain-expertise entrepreneurs from seed to growth, mainly in enterprise software and deep-tech, such as software infrastructure and AI applications. Today, M-Fund has invested in 13 companies in Israel and the USA, starting with Zesty, Growthspace, and qbiq. For more information, please visit https://mfundvc.com/ .

Media Contact:

Chad Belisario

fetcherr@5wpr.com

SOURCE: Fetcherr





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New 85/15 Pool now available, along with enhanced fee rebate tiers

TORONTO, April 4, 2023 /CNW/ - Fidelity Investments Canada ULC ("Fidelity") launched Fidelity Global Growth Private Pool ("the Pool"), adding to Fidelity's Private Investment Program product lineup.

Fidelity Investments Canada ULC Logo (CNW Group/Fidelity Investments Canada ULC)

Through the Fidelity Private Investment Program, high net worth investors can gain access to pools that utilize Fidelity's proprietary research methods and investment strategies with an institutional-style investment management approach, focused on risk management. This program is designed around carefully selected and constructed pools, which aim to achieve specific objectives, while leveraging Fidelity's strong global capabilities to create solutions that can help investors achieve their financial goals. Fidelity Private Investment Pools also offer tax-efficient options.

The Pool aims to achieve high total investment return and is geared towards capital growth. It invests primarily in underlying funds, which generally invest, either directly or indirectly through other underlying funds, in global equity securities and/or fixed income securities. The Pool follows a neutral mix guideline of approximately 85% equity, and 15% fixed income and money market instruments.

Fidelity is also enhancing the fee rebate pricing tiers associated with the Fidelity Private Investment Program. Investors can obtain pricing benefits that grow progressively, meaning higher tiers have larger fee rebates. More information about the rebates can be found in the Pools' simplified prospectuses and amendment documents.

"At Fidelity, we're focused on creating a dynamic product lineup that offers targeted solutions to investors at every stage of their financial journey," said Kelly Creelman, Senior Vice President, Products and Marketing, Fidelity. "Investors looking for growth options beyond the traditional 60/40 may want to consider adding Fidelity Global Growth Private Pool to their portfolio."

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The Pool is managed by Fidelity Investments' Global Asset Allocation (GAA) team portfolio managers David Wolf and David Tulk . The GAA team oversees asset allocation for a variety of Fidelity funds, including the Fidelity Managed Portfolios, Fidelity Monthly Income Funds and the balanced Private Pools, among others.

Key investor benefits:

Diversified exposure to equities and fixed income, with access to a wide range of underlying funds managed by Fidelity Investments' portfolio managers focusing on different geographies and investment styles.





Tactical asset allocation employed across multiple dimensions of the portfolio to take advantage of market opportunities and manage risk.





Combined strength of Fidelity Investments' Global Asset Allocation team and worldwide resources in a single solution, like Fidelity's other multi-asset class strategies.

For more information, visit fidelity.ca

About Fidelity Investments Canada ULC

At Fidelity, our mission is to build a better future for Canadian investors and help them stay ahead. We offer investors and institutions a range of innovative and trusted investment portfolios to help them reach their financial and life goals.

As a privately-owned company, our people and world class resources are committed to doing what is right for investors and their long-term success. Our clients have entrusted us with $196 billion in assets under management (as at March 28, 2023) and they include individuals, financial advisors, pension plans, endowments, foundations and more.

We are proud to provide investors a full range of domestic, international and global equity and income-oriented mutual funds, ETFs, asset allocation strategies, managed portfolios, sustainable investing products, alternative mutual funds and a high net worth program. Fidelity Funds are available through a number of advice-based distribution channels including financial planners, investment dealers, banks and insurance companies.

Commissions, trailing commissions, management fees, brokerage fees and expenses may be associated with investments in mutual funds and ETFs. Please read the mutual fund or ETF's prospectus, which contains detailed investment information, before investing. Mutual funds and ETFs are not guaranteed. Their values change frequently, and investors may experience a gain or a loss. Past performance may not be repeated.

As at April 4, 2023, investors in Fidelity Private Investment Program may qualify for reduced pricing through combined management and administration fee rebates (class) or distributions (trust) before sales tax ("fee rebates"). For the Pools, the amount of the fee reduction is based on the amount invested in each Pool and begins on the first dollar over $250,000 invested. Fee reductions apply only on that portion of assets that fall within the specified tier. For example, if an investor holds $1 million in Series B securities of an equity Pool, then the reductions apply as follows: zero for the first $250,000 in assets; 5 basis points on that portion of assets above $250,000 and below $500,000; 10 basis points on that portion of assets greater than $500,000 up to $1 million. Please reference the Pools' Prospectus for Private Investment Program financial grouping rules.

"Fidelity Investments" and/or "Fidelity" refers collectively to: i) FMR LLC, a U.S. company, and certain subsidiaries, including Fidelity Management & Research Company LLC ("FMR") and Fidelity Management & Research (Canada) ULC ("FMR-Canada")  which carries on business in British Columbia as FMR Investments Canada ULC; and ii) Fidelity Investments Canada ULC ("FIC") and its affiliates. FMR-Canada commenced business in Ontario on February 1, 2018. FMR-Canada is registered as a portfolio manager with the Ontario Securities Commission and as a portfolio manager with the other Canadian securities commissions. The scope of FMR-Canada's business is currently limited to offering the GAA strategies through a discrete portfolio management team at FMR-Canada. The GAA strategies are offered by FMR-Canada on a sub-advised basis to accounts advised by FIC, with FMR-Canada acting as either direct sub-adviser to FIC or as sub-sub-adviser through non-Canadian Fidelity advisers, including (and principally) U.S. SEC-registered investment advisers, such as FMR. FMR-Canada does not offer these strategies directly to investors in Canada. FMR-Canada has also registered "Fidelity Investments" as a trade name in Canada.

Find us on social media @FidelityCanada

Related Links

http://www.fidelity.ca

SOURCE Fidelity Investments Canada ULC

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Traders work on the floor of the NYSE in New York

(Reuters) - Fitch Ratings on Tuesday said that it doesn't expect Alibaba Group Holding Limited's new structure to bring about an immediate change in its credit profile.

The credit rating agency said that it expected the group's new governance structure to enhance its ability to respond rapidly to changes in the market and competition, improve management accountability and increase transparency to regulatory authorities.

Alibaba previously said it was planning to split into six units and explore fundraisings or listings for most of them, in a major revamp as China vows to ease a sweeping regulatory crackdown and support its private enterprises.

Fitch also said that the structural subordination of Alibaba's current debt will not pose a significant credit risk, and that the company could unlock value through spin-offs or IPOs.

(Reporting by Kanjyik Ghosh in Bengaluru; Editing by Kirsten Donovan)
ForFarmers N.V.

Lochem, 4 April 2023

ForFarmers sells Belgian compound feed activities to Arvesta

ForFarmers has decided to sell ForFarmers Belgium to the leading agricultural and horticultural expert Arvesta. The current context, in which the agricultural sector is being put under pressure to produce even more sustainably, is leading to more consolidation and cooperation in the chain. Accordingly, ForFarmers and Arvesta entered into discussions about ForFarmers Belgium and closer cooperation in the chain.

By means of the acquisition of ForFarmers Belgium, Arvesta takes over both the approximately 80 employees who produce and sell approximately 420k tons of feed and the production site in Izegem in West Flanders. In addition, the mill and site in Ingelmunster are also included in the transaction. Arvesta already has production sites for professional feed in Aalter, Merksem, Kortrijk, Andenne and Hombourg. Due to the increased production coverage, customers can be supplied even better.

The two companies will work more closely together especially in the broiler sector in Belgium, with ForFarmers continuing to produce feed in the Netherlands, so as to continue smooth deliveries to broiler farmers among other things. In addition, Arvesta will transfer its feed activities in the broiler sector in the Netherlands to ForFarmers and the parties will also focus on further improving the chain concepts in this collaboration.

The sale of co-products, the activities in Belgium of the organic feed producer Reudink and the horse feed producer Pavo are not included in this transaction.

In line with strategic objectives, with perspective for stakeholders

This transaction is in line with ForFarmers' strategic focus, emphasising ecological and economic returns.

With the expansion of activities in its home market, Arvesta can assist customers even better, both in the continuity of their businesses as well as the transition of the sector. This acquisition is entirely in line with Arvestas continued strategy and strengthens its position in the Belgian market in favour of the customer in order to further build the agriculture of tomorrow.

ForFarmers shall receive a net amount of 25 million from Arvesta for the transaction, to be paid in cash at closing of the transaction. This is expected to take place in the second half of 2023.

The transaction is subject to approval of the Belgian competition authority.



This press release contains information that qualifies as inside information within the meaning of Article 7 paragraph 1 of the EU Market Abuse Regulation.





This press release can be downloaded as a pdf at the foot of this post.

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Note to the editor / For further information:

Caroline Vogelzang, Director of Investor Relations

M +31 (0)6 10 94 91 61  E: caroline.vogelzang@forfarmers.eu

About ForFarmers

ForFarmers N.V. is an international organisation that provides complete innovative feed solutions to the livestock farming industry. With its For the Future of Farming mission ForFarmers underpins its commitment both to the continuity of farming and to further increasing the sustainability of the agricultural sector. ForFarmers is a leading feed producer in Europe with annual sales of around 9 million tonnes of animal feed and is active in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Poland and the United Kingdom. ForFarmers has around 2,500 employees and in 2022 generated revenue of approximately 3.3 billion. ForFarmers N.V. is listed on Euronext Amsterdam.

ForFarmers N.V.

P.O. Box 91, 7240 AB Lochem, The Netherlands

T: +31 (0)573 28 88 00

info@forfarmers.eu , www.forfarmersgroup.eu

About Arvesta

Arvesta is building the agriculture of tomorrow in a sustainable manner thanks to its unique expertise and innovative smart farming solutions. We are active in animal nutrition, agriculture, horticulture and retail with our 200 Aveve stores. In this way we help farmers grow and increase their yield. With more than 2000 experts and 40 strong brands, Arvesta is a knowledge center for both farmers and consumers. As a full service provider for farmers and horticulturists, Arvesta is a leading player in Belgium and also internationally active with branches in the Netherlands, France and Germany. In this way, we achieve an annual turnover of 1.9 billion euros.

www.arvesta.eu

Stephanie Deleul, Communications Manager

M: +32 (0) 476 94 35 65  E: Stephanie.Deleul@arvesta.eu

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This press release contains forward-looking statements, for example relating to ForFarmers legal obligations in terms of capital and liquidity positions in certain specified scenarios. In addition forward-looking statements may, without limitation, contain phrases such as intends to, "expects, takes into account, "is aimed at, ''plans to, "estimates" and/or words of a similar meaning. These statements pertain to or may affect matters in the future, such as ForFarmers future financial results, business plans and current strategies. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties which may lead to material differences between the actual results and performance and the expected future results or performance as implicitly or explicitly contained in the forward-looking statements. Factors that may result in, or contribute to, deviations from current expectations include, but are not limited to developments in legislation, technology, taxation, jurisprudence and regulations, share price fluctuations, legal proceedings, investigations by regulatory bodies, the competitive landscape and general economic conditions. These and other factors, risks and uncertainties that may affect any forward-looking statements or the actual results of ForFarmers are discussed in the most recently published annual report. The forward-looking statements in this press release relate solely to statements as of the date of this document and ForFarmers accepts no obligation or responsibility whatsoever to update the forward-looking statements contained in this release, regardless of whether these pertain to new information, future events or otherwise, unless ForFarmers is legally obliged to do so.

Attachment




C&C Manufacturing

Industry leader David Bradford brings manufacturing and management expertise to C&C Manufacturing

OTTUMWA, Iowa, April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- C&C Manufacturing, a leading manufacturer of landfill compactors, car crushers, metal bailing and airport snow removal equipment with service and support worldwide, announced today the appointment of David Bradford as President and Chief Operating Officer. A seasoned executive, Bradford has more than 25 years experience in manufacturing and management at John Deere and most recently served as Operations Manager for Amazons fulfillment center in Bondurant, Iowa.



C&C Manufacturing has grown over 125% last year with significant expansion in its core manufacturing business, its parts and service business, and it also opened a new certified refurbishing facility, said Salvatore C. Calvino, Chairman of C&C Manufacturing and CEO of Equivu Capital, a private investment firm that acquired C&C Manufacturing in 2021. Davids depth of manufacturing expertise, leadership experience and strong track record of success makes him the ideal executive to lead C&C Manufacturing in this next phase of growth. We are extremely happy to have him join us in building the future of C&C.

Most recently, Bradford served as Operations Manager for Amazons Bondurant, Iowa fulfillment center, and helped open this first center for Amazon in Iowa. Before that, he worked at John Deere for more than 22 years in a range of roles, including as Director of Global Tractor and Loader Fulfillment (Moline, Ill.).

Prior to that, he was General Manager for John Deere Ottumwa Works, leading manufacturing for six product families of baling and mowing. During that time, Bradford served on the boards of the United Way, the Ottumwa Legacy Foundation and the local economic group, driving the partners in progress initiative.

In his long career at John Deere, he was also Factory Manager, John Deere Seeding Works (Valley City, ND), where he worked with the North Dakota Economic Develop Group on a $21 million factory expansion. He served in various other roles at John Deere, including Business Unit Manager Crawler Operations (Dubuque, IA) and Engineer in the Technical Center in Moline, Ill.

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I am thrilled to join C&C Manufacturing as president and lead it at this high-growth time, leveraging the backing of Sal Calvino, Gaylon Cowan and Jeff Cowan, said David Bradford, president and COO of C&C Manufacturing. My many years in the local Ottumwa community make it especially gratifying to join this amazing company and spearhead its manufacturing operations.

About C&C Manufacturing

C&C Manufacturing, based in Ottumwa, Iowa, is a leading manufacturer of the Aljon brands of landfill compactors, car crushers and metal bailing equipment as well as Vammas airport snow removal equipment, with service and support worldwide for all product lines. C&C Manufacturing also serves as the sole U.S. distributor of Bonfiglioli "Squalo" portable guillotine shears, for cutting sheet metal, Drake metal shredders.

About Equivu Capital

Founded in 2020, Equivu brings a source of equity and bank financing to businesses to help them grow, or helps owners get the liquidity out of their companies. In addition to investing in businesses, Equivu brings a proven management solution to help it prepare for the challenges that come with growth and takes pride in working on the business with company managers.

For more media information, contact:

Lisa Hendrickson

LCH Communications for C&C Manufacturing

516-643-1642

lisa@lchcommunications.com




Formosa Prosonic Industries Berhad's (KLSE:FPI) dividend will be increasing from last year's payment of the same period to MYR0.21 on 28th of April. This makes the dividend yield 6.9%, which is above the industry average.

Check out our latest analysis for Formosa Prosonic Industries Berhad

Formosa Prosonic Industries Berhad's Payment Has Solid Earnings Coverage

Impressive dividend yields are good, but this doesn't matter much if the payments can't be sustained. Based on the last payment, Formosa Prosonic Industries Berhad was quite comfortably earning enough to cover the dividend. This indicates that quite a large proportion of earnings is being invested back into the business.

Over the next year, EPS could expand by 20.3% if recent trends continue. If the dividend continues along recent trends, we estimate the payout ratio will be 51%, which is in the range that makes us comfortable with the sustainability of the dividend.

Dividend Volatility

The company's dividend history has been marked by instability, with at least one cut in the last 10 years. The annual payment during the last 10 years was MYR0.04 in 2013, and the most recent fiscal year payment was MYR0.21. This means that it has been growing its distributions at 18% per annum over that time. Dividends have grown rapidly over this time, but with cuts in the past we are not certain that this stock will be a reliable source of income in the future.

The Dividend Looks Likely To Grow

With a relatively unstable dividend, it's even more important to see if earnings per share is growing. It's encouraging to see that Formosa Prosonic Industries Berhad has been growing its earnings per share at 20% a year over the past five years. Formosa Prosonic Industries Berhad is clearly able to grow rapidly while still returning cash to shareholders, positioning it to become a strong dividend payer in the future.

We Really Like Formosa Prosonic Industries Berhad's Dividend

In summary, it is always positive to see the dividend being increased, and we are particularly pleased with its overall sustainability. The company is easily earning enough to cover its dividend payments and it is great to see that these earnings are being translated into cash flow. Taking this all into consideration, this looks like it could be a good dividend opportunity.

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Investors generally tend to favour companies with a consistent, stable dividend policy as opposed to those operating an irregular one. However, there are other things to consider for investors when analysing stock performance. For example, we've picked out 1 warning sign for Formosa Prosonic Industries Berhad that investors should know about before committing capital to this stock. Is Formosa Prosonic Industries Berhad not quite the opportunity you were looking for? Why not check out our selection of top dividend stocks.

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.

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Intetics Inc.

Top 46 Global Leaders in the Technology category: page 1

Top 46 Global Leaders in the Technology category: page 1

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Top 46 Global Leaders in the Technology category: page 2

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Top 46 Global Leaders in the Technology category: page 3

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Fortune Ranks Intetics Among Americas Most Innovative Companies 2023. Powered by Statista

Fortune Ranks Intetics Among Americas Most Innovative Companies 2023 for Delivering Exceptional Client Success

NAPLES, Fla., April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Intetics, a leading global technology company, has been recognized by Fortune as one of the Americas Most Innovative Companies 2023.



Americas Most Innovative Companies 2023 took a holistic view of a businesses innovative activities and honored the 300 companies transforming industries from the inside out. According to Fortune, innovation can spark in many ways: R&D teams who invent new products, efficient processes that pad a companys bottom line, and inspiring leaders who foster brainstorming and collaboration that lead to original creations. And innovation isnt just a nice-to-have  nearly every company on this list posted revenue growth in the last three years.

Fortune partnered with market research and data company Statista to compile the ranking. The list is built on three pillars: product innovation, process innovation, and innovation culture.

Each category compiles a third of the overall score. Fortune & Statista conducted a survey between August 16, 2022 and December 23, 2022, and reached thousands of employees and experts, including management consultants, patent attorneys, recruiters, and HR experts.

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Intetics entered the Top 46 global leaders in the Technology category.

110th position of the overall ranking

213th position in the Product rank

31st position in the Process rank

35th position in the Culture rank

Our commitment to innovation is more than a business goal, its a passion that drives us to constantly push the limits of technology to create greater impact for our clients. The Fortunes recognition motivates us to continue this journey of innovation and excellence.

Boris Kontsevoi, Intetics CEO and President

Top 46 Global Leaders in the Technology category: page 1: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/2dc7c1aa-a83d-4883-8a4b-2e9288260609

Top 46 Global Leaders in the Technology category: page 2: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c56dffa3-ee64-48f7-98dd-9cd0d2a7dd56

Top 46 Global Leaders in the Technology category: page 3: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/b97c02bf-32b3-4f94-8447-84fa628c1217

Top 46 Global Leaders in the Technology category: page 4: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/6850a6d1-acf5-402a-afd4-fa1d769fbf6a

Top 46 Global Leaders in the Technology category: page 5: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/4f94902d-aec7-4dc6-b1f2-6c87ac83ca6f

With a laser focus on clients unique needs, Intetics strives to deliver cutting-edge and cost-effective IT solutions powered by AI, ML, AR/VR, Blockchain, geospatial tech, and other tech competencies. Whether its a complex enterprise software system or a streamlined mobile application, the team works closely with clients to develop customized solutions that meet their engineering & business goals.

More about how businesses can thrive by leveraging innovative tech and efficient dedicated development teams is available at https://intetics.com.

About Fortune

Fortune is a global media organization dedicated to helping its readers, viewers, and attendees succeed big in business through unrivaled access and best-in-class storytelling.

About Statista

Statista is an online platform specialized in market and consumer data, which offers statistics and reports, market insights, consumer insights and company insights in German, English, Spanish and French.

About Intetics

Intetics is a leading global technology company focused on the creation and operation of effective distributed technology teams aimed at turnkey software product development, digital transformation, quality assurance, and data processing.

Based on a proprietary business model of Remote In-Sourcing, proprietary Predictive Software Engineering framework, advanced Quality Management Platform, measurable SLAs, and unparalleled methodology for talent recruitment and retention, Intetics enables IT rich, innovative organizations to capitalize on available global talent and Intetics in-depth engineering expertise.

At Intetics, our outcomes do not just meet clients expectations, they have been exceeding them for our 28+ years in business. Intetics is ISO 9001 (quality) and ISO 27001 (security) certified. The companys innovation and growth achievements are reflected in winning prestigious Inc 5000, Software 500, CRN 100, Deloitte Technology Fast 50, GSA, Stevie Peoples Choice, Clutch, ACQ5 and European IT Excellence awards, and inclusion into IAOP Best Global Outsourcing 100 list.

An infographic accompanying this announcement is available at: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/f3e4c7de-e5e2-48fd-ab18-0184c99f78ac

CONTACT: Irina Dubovik, Digital Marketing Director Intetics, i.dubovik@intetics.com +1 (239) 217-4907




Fraser Institute

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Unlike Canada, other universal health-care systems around the world have managed to reduce their surgical backlogs by using the private sector to their advantage and incentivizing greater efficiency through alternative funding models, according to a new study released today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank.

Canadians were already dealing with a record-long medical wait-times before the COVID-19 pandemic, which exacerbated an already bad situation, said Yanick Labrie, Fraser Institute senior fellow and author of Tackling the surgery backlog in the Canadian provinces: Some lessons from the international experience.

Recent estimates suggest that over half a million Canadians were waiting for treatment at the beginning of 2023, Labrie said.

The study shows that as COVID-19 cases began to rise in early 2020, medically necessary treatments ranging from cataract removal to coronary bypass surgery, and even cancer surgeries, were postponed in Canada due to the pandemicresulting in even longer waiting lists and a growing backlog of non-emergency (referred to as elective) surgeries.

In fact, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) ranked Canada last out of 11 comparable, high-income health-care systems based on timeliness of access to care in 2020.

For example, only six-in-ten Canadian patients (62 per cent) reported waiting less than four months for elective surgeries, whereas 71 per cent of Swedish patients, 72 per cent of British patients and 87 per cent of Dutch patientsor nearly nine-in-ten patientsreceived their surgeries within four months.

Crucially, those other countrieswhich also have universal health-carehave adopted a number of policy reforms in order to significantly improve access to care for their populations, including:

Allowing private care providers a more active role in delivering care within the public system, thereby increasing available capacity to help clear surgical backlogs.

Publishing information on wait times and quality, and allowing patients to compare and choose care providers accordinglyincluding private hospitalsfor their publicly-funded treatments.

Shifting away from fixed health budgets for hospitals (widely practiced in Canada) towards activity-based funding, which ensures money follows the patient. By making patients no longer a source of expenses in a fixed budget but rather a source of additional revenue, patient-based funding schemes encourage providers to deliver quality services in order to attract more patients.



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In order to reduce wait times for Canadian patientswhich are longer because of the pandemicpolicymakers should look to other universal health-care systems that incentivize greater efficiency and have added capacity to the universal health system through the use of private-care providers, Labrie said.

As these international examples show, it is possible to have universal health-care that provides timely access to care for patients, which is not the case in Canada today.

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MEDIA CONTACT:

Yanick Labrie, Senior Fellow

Fraser Institute

To arrange media interviews or for more information, please contact:

Drue MacPherson

Media Relations Coordinator, Fraser Institute

Office: (604) 688-0221 ext. 721

drue.macpherson@fraserinstitute.org

Follow the Fraser Institute on Twitter and Facebook

The Fraser Institute is an independent Canadian public policy research and educational organization with offices in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, and Montreal and ties to a global network of think-tanks in 87 countries. Its mission is to improve the quality of life for Canadians, their families and future generations by studying, measuring and broadly communicating the effects of government policies, entrepreneurship and choice on their well-being. To protect the Institutes independence, it does not accept grants from governments or contracts for research. Visit www.fraserinstitute.org




GCC, S.A.B. de C.V.

CHIHUAHUA, Mexico, April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- GCC, S.A.B. de C.V. (BMV: GCC*), a leading producer of cement and concrete in the United States and Mexico, will host a conference call to review its first quarter 2023 earnings results on Wednesday, April 26 at 11:00 a.m. (ET). Earnings results for the quarter ended March 31, 2023, will be released on Tuesday, April 25, after market close.



The call will be hosted by Enrique Escalante, CEO, and Mike Strecker, CFO, and can be accessed by dialing +1 (877) 407 0789 or +1 (201) 689 8562 for international calls. The conference ID is 13735119.

The presentation and listen-only webcast will be available via the following link.

A replay of the webcast will be available the same day at 2:00 p.m. (ET) until May 3 at 11:59 p.m. (ET). The replay can be accessed through this link or by dialing +1 (844) 512 2921 or +1 (412) 317 6671 for international calls. The replay PIN is 13735119. Additionally, an online replay of the live broadcast will be available on the Companys website two days later.

For more information visit www.gcc.com or contact:

GCC Investor Relations

Sahory Ogushi

MX +52 (614) 442 3176

US + 1 (303) 739 5943

soguship@gcc.com

About GCC

GCC is a leading supplier and producer of cement, concrete, aggregates, and constructionrelated services in the United States and Mexico, with an annual cement production capacity of 5.8 million metric tons. Founded in 1941, the Companys shares are listed on the Mexican Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol GCC*.




Allied Market Research

The growing demand for augmented and virtual reality applications serves as a potential opportunity for the expansion of the global gesture recognition market. The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic had a positive impact on the growth of the global gesture recognition market, owing to an increase in the need for contactless interfaces, which remains even after the pandemic situation.

Portland, OR , April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According to the report published by Allied Market Research, the global gesture recognition market garnered $13.9 billion in 2021, and is estimated to generate $88.2 billion by 2031, manifesting a CAGR of 20.6% from 2022 to 2031. The report provides an extensive analysis of changing market dynamics, major segments, value chain, competitive scenario, and regional landscape. This research offers valuable guidance to leading players, investors, shareholders, and startups in devising strategies for the sustainable growth and gaining competitive edge in the market.

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Report coverage & details:

Report Coverage Details Forecast Period 20222031 Base Year 2021 Market Size in 2021 $13.9 billion Market Size in 2031 $88.2 billion CAGR 20.6% No. of Pages in Report 255 Segments covered technology, industry vertical, and region Drivers Increase in demand for contactless interfaces



Rise in popularity of gaming applications



Increasing usage of smart devices in various industries Opportunities The growing demand for augmented and virtual reality applications Restraints High development and implementation costs and high battery power consumption by gesture recognition components

Covid-19 Scenario:

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic had a positive impact on the growth of the global gesture recognition market, owing to an increase in the need for contactless interfaces, which remains even after the pandemic situation.

Furthermore, contactless interfaces have always been a common choice for public places and high-traffic locations as they reduce the likelihood of transferring infectious diseases

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The research provides detailed segmentation of the global gesture recognition market based on technology, industry vertical, and region. The report discusses segments and their sub-segments in detail with the help of tables and figures. Market players and investors can strategize according to the highest revenue-generating and fastest-growing segments mentioned in the report.

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Based on technology, the Touch-based Gesture Recognition segment held the highest share in 2021, accounting for more than half of the global gesture recognition market. However, the Touchless Gesture Recognition segment is expected to register the highest CAGR of 21.5% from 2022 to 2031, and is expected to continue its leadership status during the forecast period.

Based on industry vertical, the consumer electronics segment accounted for the highest share in 2021, contributing to nearly one-third of the global gesture recognition market, and is expected to maintain its lead in terms of revenue during the forecast period. However, the aerospace and defense segment is expected to manifest the highest CAGR of 24.8% from 2022 to 2031.

Based on region, North America held the largest share in 2021, contributing to nearly two-fifths of the global gesture recognition market share, and is projected to maintain its dominant share in terms of revenue in 2031. In addition, the Asia-Pacific region is expected to manifest the fastest CAGR of 23.1% during the forecast period.

Leading market players of the global gesture recognition market analyzed in the research include Apple Inc., Google LLC (Alphabet), Hitachi Ltd., IBM Corporation, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. , Orbbec, Intel Corporation, GestureTek Technologies, Microchip Technology Incorporated, Infineon Technologies AG, Microsoft Corporation, LTU technologies, Amazon.com, Inc., Cipia Vision Ltd. (Formerly known as Eye Sight Technologies Ltd.)

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The report provides a detailed analysis of these key players of the global gesture recognition market. These players have adopted different strategies such as new product launches, collaborations, expansion, joint ventures, agreements, and others to increase their market share and maintain dominant shares in different regions. The report is valuable in highlighting business performance, operating segments, product portfolio, and strategic moves of market players to showcase the competitive scenario.

About Us

Allied Market Research (AMR) is a full-service market research and business-consulting wing of Allied Analytics LLP based in Portland, Oregon. Allied Market Research provides global enterprises as well as medium and small businesses with unmatched quality of " Market Research Reports " and "Business Intelligence Solutions." AMR has a targeted view to provide business insights and consulting to assist its clients to make strategic business decisions and achieve sustainable growth in their respective market domain.

We are in professional corporate relations with various companies and this helps us in digging out market data that helps us generate accurate research data tables and confirms utmost accuracy in our market forecasting. Allied Market Research CEO Pawan Kumar is instrumental in inspiring and encouraging everyone associated with the company to maintain high quality of data and help clients in every way possible to achieve success. Each and every data presented in the reports published by us is extracted through primary interviews with top officials from leading companies of domain concerned. Our secondary data procurement methodology includes deep online and offline research and discussion with knowledgeable professionals and analysts in the industry.

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SPHERICAL INSIGHTS LLP

The Global Angina Pectoris Drugs Market Size was valued at USD 11.2 Billion in 2021 and the worldwide angina pectoris drugs market size is expected to reach USD 16.4 Billion by 2030, according to a research report published by Spherical Insights & Consulting. Companies Covered: Abbott Laboratories, AERIE PHARMACEUTICALS, INC., Abbvie, Inc.,Bausch Health Companies, Inc., Merck & Co. Inc., Pfizer Inc., Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., Amorphex Therapeutics Holdings, Inc., Alcon, Astellas Pharma Inc.,Bayer AG,Novartis AG, AstraZeneca, Amgen Inc., Carl Zeiss Meditec AG, Gilead Sciences, Inc., Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd. , Zydus Healthcare and among others.

New York, United States , April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Global Angina Pectoris Drugs Market Size is To Grow from USD 11.2 Billion in 2021 to USD 16.4 Billion by 2030, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 4.5% during the forecast period. The rise in cardiovascular disease incidence and increased patient and healthcare provider consciousness of heart disorders are both factors that have contributed to the angina pectoris drug market growth.

Global Economy: Recession Risk Rising Analysis and Russia-Ukraine Conflict War Impact we have added in the final premium report.

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The medical word for chest pain or discomfort caused due to coronary heart disease is angina pectoris. The angina pectoris is mainly occurring when the heart muscle is unable to receive sufficient blood. This disorder typically develops when one or more heart arteries are compressed or blocked, which is also called myocardial ischemia. The prevalence of angina pectoris is substantially affected by age in both genders, accordingly, with men's prevalence ranging from 2.05.0% to 10.020.0% and women's prevalence ranging from 0.11.0% to 10.015.0% in the 4554 and 6574 age group population. Rest and nitroglycerin help to reduce the angina pectoris-related pain or discomfort.

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The growth of the market is being driven by increased FDA approvals and clinical research into angina pectoris. Numerous gene therapy products are currently undergoing Phase II/III trials as an innovative approach to address the demand for non-surgical cardiovascular treatments. Furthermore, the increasing elderly population is also contributed significantly to the growth of angina pectoris medicines and drugs all over the world. Moreover, the treatment expenses, as well as government rules and policies regarding drug patents, may restrain the market expansion during the forecast period.

COVID 19 Impact

With the increasing consequences of heart disease among COVID-19 patients, the demand for medications for angina pectoris is projected to rise. The number of cardiovascular patients entering emergency rooms has reduced in the case of COVID-19. Because of the risk of getting infected with the virus, angina pectoris patients started to avoid going to emergency rooms. All of these reasons used to have a negative impact on market growth, although the market is progressively projected to increase as a result of the decline of COVID-19 patients.

Browse key industry insights spread across 200 pages with 100 market data tables and figures & charts from the report on the " Global Angina Pectoris Drugs Market Size , Share, and COVID-19 Impact Analysis, Drug Class (Beta Blockers, Calcium Channel Blockers, Nitrates, Angiotensin-converting Enzyme Inhibitors (ACE Inhibitors), Anti-Platelets, Others), By End Users (Hospital, Speciality Clinics, Others), and By Region (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, Middle East, and Africa), Analysis and Forecast 2021  2030". Get Detailed Report Description Here:

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The beta blockers segment is dominating the market with the largest market share over the forecast period.

Based on the pharmacological class, the angina pectoris drug market can be categorized into Beta Blockers, Calcium Channel Blockers, Nitrates, Angiotensin-converting Enzyme Inhibitors (ACE Inhibitors), Anti-Platelets, and Others. Among these the beta blockers segment is predicted to grow the market owing to the target market growth, and more market competitors are implementing strategic plans into action to enhance the commercial accessibility of beta-blocker drugs, which are mostly to account for the segment's growth of the market. Moreover, decrease the heart rate and reduce the force that the heart muscles contract by inhibiting the effects of adrenaline on the heart.

calcium channel blockers hold the second-largest market share due to by inhibiting calcium from entering cells of your heart and arteries, calcium channel blockers reduce arterial pressure.

The Hospital segment is dominating the market over the forecast period.

Based on the end user, the angina pectoris drugs market is segmented into hospitals pharmacies, pharmaceutical stores, and others. Among these segments, the hospital pharmacies held the largest share in the angina pectoris drugs market owing to the rising number of hospitals along with adequate policies is also contributing to the growth in this segment's market share.

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North America is dominating the market with the largest market share 0f 42.9% during the forecast period

North America projected the largest market share of 42.9% during the forecast period due to the increasing demand for minimally invasive procedures and also, unhealthy lifestyles, favorable regulatory actions, and a rise in cardiac diseases, the market is also being driven by the market share.

Asia Pacific region is anticipated that the second largest market expansion over the forecast period owing to lifestyle changes and the developing economies of important nations like China and India. Also, with the removal of pricing limits on all drug categories, the continuing Healthy China 2020 healthcare reform, and favorable 12th Five-Year Plan policies that promote biotechnology as a key development industry, China presents considerable opportunities for market growth.

Competitive Analysis:

The report offers the appropriate analysis of the key organizations/companies involved within the global market along with a comparative evaluation primarily based on their product offering, business overviews, geographic presence, enterprise strategies, segment market share, and SWOT analysis. The report also provides an elaborative analysis focusing on the current news and developments of the companies, which includes product development, innovations, joint ventures, partnerships, mergers & acquisitions, strategic alliances, and others. This allows for the evaluation of the overall competition within the market. Major key palyers in the Global Angina Pectoris Drug Injury Market include Abbott Laboratories, AERIE PHARMACEUTICALS, INC., Abbvie, Inc, Bausch Health Companies, Inc, Merck & Co. Inc., Pfizer Inc., Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., Amorphex Therapeutics Holdings, Inc, Alcon, Astellas Pharma Inc., Bayer AG, Novartis AG, AstraZeneca, Amgen Inc., Carl Zeiss Meditec AG, Gilead Sciences, Inc., Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Zydus Healthcare and Others.

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Recent Development

In October 2021, BioCardia, Inc. informed patients with refractory angina in their CardiAMP Cell Therapy Chronic Myocardial Ischemia Study about the patient's medication.

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About the Spherical Insights & Consulting

Spherical Insights & Consulting is a market research and consulting firm which provides actionable market research study, quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight especially designed for decision makers and aids ROI.

Which is catering to different industry such as financial sectors, industrial sectors, government organizations, universities, non-profits and corporations. The company's mission is to work with businesses to achieve business objectives and maintain strategic improvements.

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ReportLinker

INTRODUCTION. Since their introduction in 1982, biologics have gained popularity owing to their therapeutic efficacy, favorable safety profiles and ability to treat a wide variety of disease indications, which are otherwise hard to treat.

New York, April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Global Bioreactors and Fermenters Market: Distribution by Type of Product, Fabrication Material, Type of Bioprocess, Type of Biologics, and Key Geographical Regions: Industry Trends and Global Forecasts, 2023-2035" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06443478/?utm_source=GNW

In fact, in the past two decades, over 170 biopharmaceuticals have already been granted approval by the FDA and over 7,500 biological interventions are under evaluation in clinical trials. It is a well-known fact that the commercial and clinical-scale manufacturing of such complex biomolecules require highly specialized bioprocessing equipment to facilitate the maintenance of ideal conditions, such as optimal temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, fluid delivery, and other critical process parameters that are essential for steady cell growth. Bioreactors are capable of providing such optimal conditions and are critical to the upstream biomanufacturing process. These systems are designed to increase the concentration of viable cells, thereby enabling the production of large amounts of recombinant proteins, such as vaccines, fusion proteins, antibodies and enzymes. Apart from producing conventional therapeutic proteins, bioreactors can also be used to produce advanced medicinal products (ATMPs), namely cell-based and oligonucleotide-based therapies, retroviral vectors for gene therapy and cellular components of three-dimensional tissue / artificial organs. In contrast to bioreactors, fermenters are used for the anaerobic cultivation of microbial (fungal or bacterial) cell populations to produce biologics that do not require significant post translational modifications. It is worth highlighting that the use of fermenters for the manufacturing of bioproducts provides faster development, higher yields and quality, reduced variation between batches, better scalability, and lower production costs, in comparison to the biomanufacturing carried out in bioreactors.



KEY MARKET INSIGHTS

The Global Bioreactors and Fermenters Market: Distribution by Type of Product (Bioreactors and Fermenters), Fabrication Material (Glass, Stainless Steel and Single-use), Type of Bioprocess (Batch, Fed-batch and Continuous), Type of Biologic (Antibodies, Vaccines, Cell Therapies and Other Biologics), and Key Geographical Regions (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East and North Africa, and Latin America): Industry Trends and Global Forecasts, 2023-2035 report features an extensive study of the current market landscape and the likely future potential of the global bioreactors and fermenters market, over the next 12 years. It highlights the efforts of various stakeholders engaged in this rapidly emerging segment of the bioprocess equipment industry. Key inclusions of the report are briefly discussed below.



Growing Demand for Bioreactors and Fermenters

Over the past 25 years, there has been a steady increase in the sales of biologics, growing at a rate of 1214% annually. In order cater to this growing demand, over 1,500 commercial scale biomanufacturing and contract manufacturing organization (CMO) facilities, equipped with bioreactors and / or fermenters have been established, globally. Further, during the COVID-19 pandemic, several companies enhanced their vaccine production capabilities (through capacity expansion / technology upgradation), resulting in a surge in the sales of bioreactors. Moreover, the transition in the industry from high-volume biologics towards innovative specialized biologics, particularly those focused on treating rare conditions, has created a requirement for flexible manufacturing systems. Consequently, there is an increasing demand for a diverse range of bioreactor systems (in term of design and mechanism of action), which includes disposable (single-use), stirred-tank, mini / micro, air lift, rocker, perfusion, wave bed, bubble column, fixed-bed, fluidized bed, membrane, packed bed, fibrous bed and photobioreactors. All these developments represent an additional avenue for revenue generation in this growing market.



Role of Bioprocess Equipment Manufacturers

The design aspect of both bioreactors and fermenters, operational across different types of bioprocesses (batch, fed batch and continuous), is a complex engineering task, requiring extensive understanding of cell growth, metabolism, genetic manipulation, and product expression. As a result, industry and non-industry players producing biomolecules / cellular therapies, are relying on original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) that produce different components of bioreactors, and / or engineering, procurement, and construction (EPCs) companies that integrate all the equipment designed by OEM engineers into a complete performing system. Manufacturers that are able to offer their clients modern equipment and infrastructure upgrades, effective life cycle management for their products, responsive customer service, expert troubleshooting of equipment issues, and annual maintenance contract to ensure efficient functioning of installed bioreactors without disruption, are the preferred partners.



Current Market Landscape of Bioreactors and Fermenters

The global bioreactors and fermenters market landscape features more than 255 companies, which claim to possess the necessary technical expertise for manufacturing high-quality bioreactors and fermenters, in order to serve the biotechnology and biopharmaceutical industry. The market is currently dominated by small companies (1-50 employees), which represent 56% of the total number of players. Based on the requirement, bioreactors are produced using different fabrication materials, such as stainless steel, glass, and plastic, and are available in varying dimensions and volumes, ranging from micro-mini (less than 1 mL and 1 to 10 mL) to large-scale (more than 10,000 L). It is interesting to highlight that companies manufacturing miniature and small-scale bioreactors represent nearly 30% of the total players in this market. These bioreactor models are essential for conducting high-throughput experimental studies related to media development, strain improvement or process optimization. Further, recent developments in this domain indicate that majority of the bioreactor manufacturers have switched to advanced bioprocessing technology by integrating the automatic mode of operation.



Key Challenges in the Bioreactors and Fermenters Market

Although disposable (single-use) bioreactors and fermenters have gained popularity due to their advantages, such as lower water and energy consumption (by approximately 45%), reduced initial investment costs (by 40%), and faster processing times for biologics (by 33%), they pose a risk of leachables and extractables (L&E). These bioreactors are constructed using plastic materials that can release organic or inorganic chemicals into liquid pharmaceutical products, potentially jeopardizing the safety of the drug and the well-being of the patient. The need for frequent purchases, variable costs per run, recurrent plastic disposal, and restricted capacity are some other potential bottlenecks restricting the widespread use of disposable (single-use) bioreactors. While bioreactor manufacturers are striving to tackle these challenges through innovation in design and manufacturing methods, the increasing costs of procuring raw materials and ensuring that they align with the customers budget, still remain a pressing concern.



Market Size of the Global Bioreactors and Fermenters Market

Driven by the rising demand for novel biopharmaceuticals, high adoption rates of precision medicine and regenerative medicine, along with advancement in bioprocessing technologies, the bioreactors and fermenters market is anticipated to witness a noteworthy growth in the foreseen future. Specifically, in terms of types of biologics, the market is anticipated to be driven by the high demand for manufacturing different antibody formats, including monoclonal and bispecific antibodies. Currently, majority of the revenues are generated from the sales of bioreactors that operate in batch and fed-batch modes; however, in the near future, market for bioreactors that operate in continuous mode is anticipated to grow at a relatively higher rate.



Key Emerging Trends in Bioreactors and Fermenters Market

The bioreactors and fermenters market is witnessing the adoption of bioprocessing 4.0 solutions that leverage machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) for real-time process monitoring. For instance, a US based company, Culture Biosciences, has designed an integrated bioreactor platform to design, monitor and analyze experiments, remotely via the cloud. The industry is also embracing advanced modular bioreactors that can be configured sequentially or in parallel. Further, the integration of controllers and automated systems is another technological advancement, that not only ensures that the processes continue to run within precise limits but also make the necessary adjustments, while minimizing the risk of human errors.



Key Players Engaged in Manufacturing Bioreactors and Fermenters

The key players engaged in this domain (which have also been captured in this report) include Applikon Biotechnology, Bionet, Cytiva, Eppendorf, Merck, Ollital Technology, Parr Instrument Company, Sartorius, Shanghai Bailun Biological Technology, Solaris Biotech, Solida Biotech and Zhengzhou Laboao Instrument Equipment (LABAO).



SCOPE OF THE REPORT

The report presents an in-depth analysis, highlighting the capabilities of various stakeholders engaged in this domain, across different regions. Amongst other elements, the report includes:

An executive summary of the insights captured during our research, offering a high-level view on the current state of the global bioreactors and fermenters market and its likely evolution in the mid-long term.

A general introduction to bioreactors and fermenters, along with details related to the components of a bioreactor. Additionally, the chapter presents information on different types of bioreactors based on type of bioprocess and mode of action. Further, it concludes with a discussion on applications of bioreactors and future perspectives in this domain.

A detailed assessment of the overall market landscape of companies manufacturing bioreactors and fermenters, based on several relevant parameters, such as year of establishment, company size (in terms of number of employees), region of headquarters, geographical reach (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Rest of the World), type of product (bioreactors and fermenters), capacity (micro-mini, small-scale, bench-scale, lab-scale, pilot-scale and large-scale), scale of operation (preclinical, clinical and commercial), scalability, type of bioprocess (batch, fed-batch and continuous), type of cell culture (2D cell culture, 3D cell culture and 4D cell culture), mode of operation (manual, semi-automatic and automatic) and type of end user (academic institutes and research laboratories, biopharmaceutical and pharmaceutical industries, contract manufacturing organizations, and contract research organizations).

A detailed competitiveness analysis of bioreactor and fermenter manufacturers based on manufacturer strength (in terms of years of experience and company size), portfolio strength (considering geographical reach, type of product, number of products in portfolio, type of bioreactor or fermenter, capacity, scale of operation, scalability, type of bioprocess, type of cell culture, mode of operation and end users).

Elaborate profiles of key players manufacturing bioreactors and fermenters (shortlisted on the basis of cumulative strength of manufacturers and product portfolio); each profile includes a brief overview of the company, along with information on its financial information (if available), product portfolio, recent developments and an informed future outlook.

An estimate of the global installed bioreactors and fermenters capacity of biologics, based on information provided by various industry stakeholders in the public domain. It also features distribution of the available capacity on the basis of fabrication material (glass, stainless steel and single-use), source of cell culture (mammalian, microbial and others), reactor volume (less than 2,000 L, 2,000 to 5,000 L, 5,001 to 10,000 L and more than 10,000 L), type of manufacturer (in-house, hybrid and CMOs) and key geographical regions (North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific and Rest of the World).

A case study on the market landscape of bioprocess controllers and automation systems, providing information on scale of operation (laboratory, clinical, and commercial), key features (scalability / ease to use, visual data display, remote accessibility, built-in system control sensors, expansive I/O compatibility and provisions for alarms / alerts), compatibility with bioreactor system (stirred tank (glass), single-use bioreactor, stirred tank (steel), fermenter, rocking motion), type of bioprocess (batch, fed-batch and perfusion), and type of process controlled (cell cultivation and microbial fermentation). In addition, the chapter presents details of companies involved in the development of bioprocess control software, upstream and downstream controllers, including information on their year of establishment, company size, and location of headquarters.



One of the key objectives of the report was to estimate the current opportunity and the future growth potential of the global bioreactors and fermenters market over the coming years. We have provided an informed estimate on the likely evolution of the market for the period, 2023-2035. Our year-wise projections of the current and forecasted opportunity have been further segmented based on relevant parameters, such as type of product (bioreactors and fermenters), fabrication material (glass, stainless steel and single-use), type of bioprocess (batch, fed-batch and continuous), type of biologic (antibodies, vaccines, cell therapies and other biologics), and key geographical regions (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East and North Africa, and Latin America). In order to account for future uncertainties associated with some of the key parameters and to add robustness to our model, we have provided three market forecast scenarios, portraying the conservative, base and optimistic scenarios of the industrys evolution.



The opinions and insights presented in this study were influenced by discussions conducted with multiple stakeholders in this domain. The report features detailed transcripts of interviews held with the following individuals:

Sachin Kishor Chauhan (Director and Business Unit Head, Power and Energy, Oil and Gas, and Renewable Energy, Ensofa Projects)

N. V. Chaudhari (Founder and Director, Sunrise Process Equipments)

Per Stobbe (Chief Executive Officer, Marketing, Technical Support, CerCell)

Torsten Due Bryld (Chief Commercial Officer, CelVivo)



All actual figures have been sourced and analyzed from publicly available information forums and primary research discussions. Financial figures mentioned in this report are in USD, unless otherwise specified.



RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

The data presented in this report was gathered via primary and secondary research. For all our projects, we conduct interviews / surveys with reputed domain experts (academia, industry, medical practice and other associations) to solicit their opinions on emerging trends in the market. This is primarily useful for us to draw out our own opinion on how the market will evolve across different regions and technology segments. Wherever possible, the available data has been checked for accuracy from multiple sources of information.



The secondary sources of information include:

Annual reports

Investor presentations

SEC filings

Industry databases

News releases from company websites

Government policy documents

Industry analysts views



While the focus has been on forecasting the market till 2035, the report also provides our independent view on various technological and non-commercial trends emerging in the industry. This opinion is solely based on our knowledge, research and understanding of the relevant market gathered from various secondary and primary sources of information.



FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Question 1: What is the global market size of bioreactors and fermenters?

Answer: The current global bioreactors and fermenters market size is anticipated to be over USD 25 billion.



Question 2: Which are the top players in the global bioreactors and fermenters market?

Answer: Presently, more than 255 companies are engaged in manufacturing bioreactors and fermenters, worldwide. The top players engaged in this domain (which have also been captured in this report) include Applikon Biotechnology, Bionet, Cytiva, Eppendorf, Merck, Ollital Technology, Parr Instrument Company, Sartorius, Shanghai Bailun Biological Technology, Solaris Biotech, Solida Biotech and Zhengzhou Laboao Instrument Equipment (LABAO).



Question 3: What are the factors driving the global bioreactors and fermenters market?

Answer: The factors driving the global bioreactors and fermenters market include advancement in bioprocessing technologies, and the surge in demand for novel biopharmaceuticals, such as precision and regenerative medicine.



Question 4: Which region has the highest market share in global bioreactors and fermenters market?

Answer: North America and Europe capture around 60% share in the current global bioreactors and fermenters market, followed by Asia-Pacific. It is worth mentioning that, within Asia-Pacific, majority of the market share is contributed by China and India.



Question 5: What are the leading market segments in global bioreactors and fermenters market?

Answer: Currently, in terms of fabrication material, stainless steel bioreactors / fermenters capture the largest share of this market. However, single-use bioreactors / fermenters are likely to witness higher annual growth rates in the upcoming years, owing to their smaller footprint, cost efficiency and increased productivity. Further, in terms of type of biologic, cell culture systems used for the production of antibodies are anticipated to capture a prominent share of the current and future market.



Question 6: Which segment, in terms of bioreactor / fermenter capacity, accounts for the largest share in the global bioreactors and fermenters market?

Answer: The capacity of the bioreactors varies, ranging from a few milliliters to several liters, contingent upon the specific design and operational mode employed across diverse bioprocesses. At present, the global bioreactors and fermenters market is dominated by laboratory-scale bioreactors / fermenters. This category considers bioreactors / fermenters in the volume range of 1 L to 299 L. This is followed by pilot-scale bioreactors (300 L to 10,000 L) and bench-scale bioreactors (101 mL to 999 mL).



Question 7: What is the growth rate (CAGR) in the global bioreactors and fermenters market?

Answer: The global bioreactors and fermenters market size is projected to grow at a CAGR of ~12% in the coming years.



Question 8: What are the upcoming trends in the global bioreactors and fermenters market?

Answer: The industry is presently witnessing the rising adoption of bioprocessing 4.0 solutions leveraging AI and ML for real-time process monitoring. Further, in order to ensure that the bioprocess runs within the precise limits, several players have integrated automated bioprocess controllers that offer various additional benefits, such as lowering of production and labor cost (by 20-30%), optimizing the energy consumption (by 5-30%) and increasing the overall productivity (by 10-20%).



CHAPTER OUTLINES

Chapter 1 is a preface providing an introduction to the full report, Global Bioreactors and Fermenters Market, 2023-2035.



Chapter 2 is an executive summary of the insights captured during our research, offering a high-level view on the current state of the global bioreactors and fermenters market and its likely evolution in the mid-long term.



Chapter 3 provides a general introduction to bioreactors and fermenters, along with details related to the components of a bioreactor. Additionally, the chapter presents information on different types of bioreactors based on type of bioprocess and mode of action. Further, it concludes with a discussion on applications of bioreactors and future perspectives in this domain.



Chapter 4 detailed assessment of the overall market landscape of companies manufacturing bioreactors and fermenters, based on several relevant parameters, such as year of establishment, company size (in terms of number of employees), region of headquarters, geographical reach (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Rest of the World), type of product (bioreactors and fermenters), capacity (micro-mini, small-scale, bench-scale, lab-scale, pilot-scale and large-scale), scale of operation (preclinical, clinical and commercial), scalability, type of bioprocess (batch, fed-batch and continuous), type of cell culture (2D cell culture, 3D cell culture and 4D cell culture), mode of operation (manual, semi-automatic and automatic) and type of end user (academic institutes and research laboratories, biopharmaceutical and pharmaceutical industries, contract manufacturing organizations, and contract research organizations).



Chapter 5 presents a detailed competitiveness analysis of bioreactor and fermenter manufacturers based on manufacturer strength (in terms of years of experience and company size), portfolio strength (considering geographical reach, type of product, number of products in portfolio, type of bioreactor or fermenter, capacity, scale of operation, scalability, type of bioprocess, type of cell culture, mode of operation and end users).



Chapter 6 includes elaborate profiles of key players manufacturing bioreactors and fermenters (shortlisted on the basis of cumulative strength of manufacturers and product portfolio); each profile includes a brief overview of the company, along with information on its financial information (if available), product portfolio, recent developments and an informed future outlook.



Chapter 7 provides an estimate of the global installed bioreactors and fermenters capacity of biologics, based on information provided by various industry stakeholders in the public domain. It also features distribution of the available capacity on the basis of fabrication material (glass, stainless steel and single-use), source of cell culture (mammalian, microbial and others), reactor volume (less than 2,000 L, 2,000 to 5,000 L, 5,001 to 10,000 L and more than 10,000 L), type of manufacturer (in-house, hybrid and CMOs) and key geographical regions (North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific and Rest of the World).



Chapter 8 provides a case study on the market landscape of bioprocess controllers and automation systems, providing information on scale of operation (laboratory, clinical, and commercial), key features (scalability / ease to use, visual data display, remote accessibility, built-in system control sensors, expansive I/O compatibility and provisions for alarms / alerts), compatibility with bioreactor system (stirred tank (glass), single-use bioreactor, stirred tank (steel), fermenter, rocking motion), type of bioprocess (batch, fed-batch and perfusion), and type of process controlled (cell cultivation and microbial fermentation). In addition, the chapter presents details of companies involved in the development of bioprocess control software, upstream and downstream controllers, including information on their year of establishment, company size, and location of headquarters.



Chapter 9 Chapter 9 presents a comprehensive market forecast analysis, highlighting the future potential of the market till 2035. Our year-wise projections of the current and forecasted opportunity have been further segmented based on relevant parameters, such as type of product (bioreactors and fermenters), fabrication material (glass, stainless steel and single-use), type of bioprocess (batch, fed-batch and continuous), type of biologic (antibodies, vaccines, cell therapies and other biologics), and key geographical regions (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East and North Africa, and Latin America).



Chapter 10 is a collection of transcripts of interviews conducted with various stakeholders in the industry.



Chapter 11 summarizes the overall report. It presents a list of key takeaways from the report and offers our independent opinion on the current market scenario. Further, it summarizes the various evolutionary trends that are likely to influence the future of this market.



Chapter 12 is an appendix, which contains tabulated data and numbers for all the figures included in this report.



Chapter 13 is an appendix, which contains a list of companies and organizations mentioned in this report.

Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06443478/?utm_source=GNW



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DelveInsight Business Research LLP

The connected drug delivery devices market is expected to grow positively owing to the growing geriatric population and the rising prevalence of chronic diseases as a result of lifestyle disorders. Furthermore, the superior outcomes of connected drug delivery devices, such as setting alarms and alerts for dose administration, continuous examination of the dose regimen and disease condition, and others to improve patient treatment outcomes, will increase device demand.

New York, USA, April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Global Connected Drug Delivery Devices Market is Predicted to Exhibit Remarkable Growth at a Tremendous CAGR of ~24% by 2028 | DelveInsight

The connected drug delivery devices market is expected to grow positively owing to the growing geriatric population and the rising prevalence of chronic diseases as a result of lifestyle disorders. Furthermore, the superior outcomes of connected drug delivery devices, such as setting alarms and alerts for dose administration, continuous examination of the dose regimen and disease condition, and others to improve patient treatment outcomes, will increase device demand.

DelveInsights Connected Drug Delivery Devices Market Insights report provides the current and forecast market analysis, individual leading connected drug delivery devices companies market shares, challenges, connected drug delivery devices market drivers, barriers, and trends, and key connected drug delivery devices companies in the market.

Key Takeaways from the Connected Drug Delivery Devices Market Report

As per DelveInsight estimates, North America is anticipated to dominate the global connected drug delivery devices market during the forecast period.

Notable connected drug delivery devices companies such as Findair Sp. z o. o., Adherium, Propeller Health., West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc., BIOCORP, Phillips-Medisize, Merck KGaA, Novo Nordisk A/S, Medtronic, Tandem Diabetes Care, Inc., Ypsomed, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., Elcam Medical, Cohero Health, Inc., BD., and several others are currently operating in the connected drug delivery devices market.

In October 2022, BIOCORP, a French company specializing in the design, development, and manufacturing of innovative medical devices, and Merck KGaA agreed to collaborate on the development and supply of a specific version of the Mallya device as an accessory for one of Merck KGaAs drug delivery devices in Darmstadt, Germany.

In July 2022, Adherium Limited , a leader in respiratory eHealth, remote monitoring, and data management solutions, announced that it had received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 510(k) clearance to market application connecting GlaxoSmithKlines (GSK) Ellipta inhaler users with Adheriums new, next-generation Hailie sensor with physiological parameters for monitoring Asthma and COPD medication use.

In May 2022, Jabil Healthcare, a division of Jabil Inc., announced the launch of the QfinityTM autoinjector platform, a simple, reusable, and modular solution for subcutaneous (SC) drug self-administration at a lower cost than market alternatives  supporting the pharmaceutical industry's emerging priority of sustainable drug delivery.

In February 2022, Aptar Pharma launched HeroTracker Sense, a breakthrough digital respiratory healthcare system that transforms a typically metered dosage inhaler into a smart linked healthcare system.

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To read more about the latest highlights related to the connected drug delivery devices market, get a snapshot of the key highlights entailed in the Global Connected Drug Delivery Devices Market Report

Connected Drug Delivery Devices Overview

Smart wireless electronic systems known as connected drug delivery devices are used to support patient monitoring and counseling in residential settings. They include sensors, adherence trackers, dose reminders, and monitoring systems that provide real-time feedback and educational resources for individualized patient care. They are more convenient and less expensive than clinic-based treatment. As a result, connected drug delivery devices are frequently used in the remote monitoring of patients with conditions such as asthma, diabetes, hepatitis C, hypertension, tuberculosis, multiple sclerosis, clinically isolated syndrome, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), and recipients of liver and kidney transplants.





Connected Drug Delivery Devices Market Insights

North America is expected to have the largest share of the connected drug delivery devices market in 2023 out of all regions. The significance of key growth factors such as the rising prevalence of chronic diseases such as respiratory diseases, hypertension, and diabetes, among others, the aging population prone to chronic diseases, and rising government initiatives regarding disease awareness of self-administration of drugs using connected drug delivery devices is driving the North America connected drug delivery devices market and expected to witness positive growth. Furthermore, high disposable income, sophisticated healthcare infrastructure, regulatory approval for new products, and high awareness aided market growth in this region.

To know more about why North America is leading the market growth in the connected drug delivery devices market, get a snapshot of the Connected Drug Delivery Devices Market Outlook

Connected Drug Delivery Devices Market Dynamics

Diabetes is becoming more common, which will increase demand for insulin patches, pens, infusion pumps, and other connected drug delivery devices, ultimately driving the connected drug delivery devices market growth. Rising patient engagement and connectivity due to the Internet of Things (IoT) penetration in the medical devices sector are expected to boost connected drug delivery devices market growth during the forecast period.

Another major factor driving connected drug delivery devices market expansion is the growing need to improve patient medication adherence. Patients who use connected drug delivery devices will be able to manage their treatment more efficiently by reducing the number of clinic and hospital visits. Connected devices help with proper dosage and administration, resulting in a successful treatment that does not require costly secondary interventions. Reminders and adherence trackers are also included in these systems, making it easier for patients to stick to their medication regimen. Furthermore, various strategic activities such as collaboration, acquisitions, and partnerships, among others, are driving the connected drug delivery devices market growth.

However, security and data breach concerns, environmental concerns about disposing of electronic waste, and other factors may limit the growth of the connected drug delivery devices market.

Additionally, the connected drug delivery devices market for connected drug delivery devices suffered a temporary setback as lockdown restrictions were imposed as a necessary step to combat the spread of COVID-19. A scarcity of resources, raw materials, and labor hampered the demand for connected drug delivery devices. However, the availability of connected drug delivery devices via e-commerce platforms increased demand significantly. This resulted in a greater emphasis on developing connected drug delivery devices.

Furthermore, the connected drug delivery devices provide treatment to patients in a homecare setting, avoiding the need for frequent visits to healthcare professionals for dose administration. Physicians could track a patient's dose regimen regularly through connected drug delivery devices. As a result, the factors as mentioned above propelled the demand for connected drug delivery devices during the pandemic and are expected to do so again during the forecast period.

Get a sneak peek at the connected drug delivery devices market dynamics @ Connected Drug Delivery Devices Market Dynamics Analysis

Report Metrics Details Coverage Global Study Period 20202028 Base Year 2022 Connected Drug Delivery Devices Market CAGR ~24% Key Connected Drug Delivery Devices Companies Findair Sp. z o. o., Adherium, Propeller Health., West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc., BIOCORP, Phillips-Medisize, Merck KGaA, Novo Nordisk A/S, Medtronic, Tandem Diabetes Care, Inc., Ypsomed, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., Elcam Medical, Cohero Health, Inc., BD., among others

Connected Drug Delivery Devices Market Assessment

Connected Drug Delivery Devices Market Segmentation Market Segmentation By Product: Connected Sensors (Connected Inhaler Sensors and Connectable Injection Sensors) and Integrated Connected Devices (Connected Inhaler Devices and Connected Injection Devices) Market Segmentation By Technology: Bluetooth, Near-Field Communication (NFC), and Others Market Segmentation By End User: Healthcare Providers and Homecare Market Segmentation By Geography : North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of World

Porters Five Forces Analysis, Product Profiles, Case Studies, KOLs Views, Analysts View

Which MedTech key players in the connected drug delivery devices market are set to emerge as the trendsetter explore @ Connected Drug Delivery Devices Companies

Table of Contents

1 Report Introduction 2 Executive summary 3 Regulatory and Patent Analysis 4 Key Factors Analysis 5 Porters Five Forces Analysis 6 COVID-19 Impact Analysis on Connected Drug Delivery Devices Market 7 Connected Drug Delivery Devices Market Layout 8 Global Company Share Analysis  Key 3-5 Companies 9 Connected Drug Delivery Devices Market Company and Product Profiles 10 Project Approach 11 About DelveInsight

Interested in knowing the connected drug delivery devices market by 2028? Click to get a snapshot of the Connected Drug Delivery Devices Market Trends

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Future Market Insights Global and Consulting Pvt. Ltd.

Asia Pacific Contract Furniture Market to Grow at 5.5% CAGR, expected to Hold 10-12% Share of Global Furniture Market by 2033. Europe is expected to account for 4.8% CAGR in the contract furniture market by 2033. North America is expected to account for 5% CAGR in the contract furniture market by 2033. Europe is expected to account for 4.8% CAGR in the contract furniture market by 2033

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, April 03, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The contract furniture market is predicted to be worth US$ 148.72 billion in 2023, and rise to US$ 268.86 billion by 2033. Initially, the global market was expanding at a CAGR of 6% during 2018 to 2022.



Technology development has boosted the demand for contract furniture and furnishings. Big tech companies are progressively encouraging the growth of the world economy. The expansion of large IT companies' office space has increased demand for corporate office furniture, which is fueling industry growth.

The demand for smart furniture, which makes it possible to do things like browse the internet, charge mobile devices, listen to the radio, and more, is rising swiftly. The contract furniture industry is likely to follow this trend for high profits margins.

The demand for ergonomic office furniture is growing, which is a significant trend supporting the key corporations' exorbitant profit margins. It is believed that workplace design has a substantial impact on employees' productivity. One of the most important aspects of ergonomics is carefully placing furniture to make the best use of commercial space.

Find a comprehensive report summary that describes the market size and forecast along with the research methodology. The Sample report is available in PDF format @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-16891

Key Takeaways

In 2022, the United States was expanding at a market value of US$ 13.89 billion in the contract furniture market, and continues to expand at an expected CAGR of 5% by 2033.

The contract furniture market was significantly expanding, with a size of US$ 140.17 billion in 2022.

The market in the United States is anticipated to expand at a valuation of US$ 23.76 billion by 2033, as a result of ongoing innovation by existing players.

Due to the market's enormous potential and expanding e-commerce sector, analysts expect it is likely to rise 1.06 times between 2022 and 2023.

The United Kingdom market is expected to develop at a prodigious CAGR of 4.8% by 2033.

The Asia Pacific contract furniture market is likely to hold a 10 to 12% share in the global furniture industry.

Based on product type, chairs & stools dominated the market with a share of 34.15% in 2022 and continued to lead the market during the forecast period.

Based on end user, corporate offices dominated the market with a share of 42.4% in 2022, and continues to lead the market during the forecast period.

Based on distribution channels, the offline segment dominated the market with a share of 77.15% in 2022 and continues to lead the market during the forecast period.





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Critical Approaches Increasing Top Players' Wealth

The primary focus of businesses is on offering a variety of furniture solutions for commercial settings like offices, hotels, and restaurants. The introduction of various new entrepreneurs, who are using cutting-edge technologies and novel business models to disrupt the market, further defines the competitive landscape of the contract furniture market.

These businesses are primarily concerned with offering customers ergonomic and environmentally friendly furniture options, which are in high demand.

Ask an Analyst@ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/ask-question/rep-gb-16891

Recent Developments

The home and workplace underwent transformation, with the merging of Herman Miller and Knoll in 2021, which produced the dominating leader in contemporary design.

In July 2022, Kokuyo paid US$ 75 million to purchase the Lamex Office Furniture division of HNI Company in China and Hong Kong.

On April 22, 2022, Fursys Inc. and Sidiz Inc. reached an agreement to sell FURSYS VN Ltd. to Fursys Inc. for KRW 50 billion. A transaction board decision was reached on April 22, 2022. The agreement was finalized on May 6, 2022.





Key Segments

Contract Furniture by Product Type:

Contract Furniture as Chairs & Stools

Contract Furniture as Tables & Desks

Contract Furniture as Storage Furniture

Contract Furniture as Sofa & Couch

Others



Contract Furniture by End Users:

Contract Furniture for Government

Contract Furniture for Corporate Offices

Contract Furniture for Institutional,

Contract Furniture for Healthcare/Medical Facilities,

Contract Furniture for Hospitality

Others

Contract Furniture by Distribution Channels:

Contract Furniture on Online Platform

Contract Furniture on Offline Platform

Contract Furniture by Region:

Contract Furniture in North America Market

Contract Furniture in Latin America Market

Contract Furniture in Europe Market

Contract Furniture in East Asia Market

Contract Furniture in South Asia & Pacific Market

Contract Furniture in Middle East and Africa (MEA) Market

Ask For Customization@ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/customization-available/rep-gb-16891

Table of Content

1. Executive Summary | Contract Furniture Market

1.1. Global Market Outlook

1.2. Demand-side Trends

1.3. Supply-side Trends

1.4. Technology Roadmap Analysis

1.5. Analysis and Recommendations

2. Market Overview

2.1. Market Coverage / Taxonomy

2.2. Market Definition / Scope / Limitations

3. Market Background

3.1. Market Dynamics

3.1.1. Drivers

3.1.2. Restraints

3.1.3. Opportunity

3.1.4. Trends

Complete TOC with Report Preview: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/contract-furniture-market

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INTRODUCTION. Biologics represents one of the fastest growing segments of the healthcare sector. In last five years, over 50 biologics been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and close to 10,000 biologics are being evaluated across different stages of development.

New York, April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Global Filtration Market (Focus on Biologics Manufacturing) - Distribution by Type of Filtration System, Type of Filter (based on use), Type of Assembly, Company Size and Key Geographical Regions: Industry Trends and Global Forecasts, 2023-2035" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06443477/?utm_source=GNW

The growing demand for biologics has consequently led to the need for development of advanced technologies for the purification of these drug substances. This need is primarily driven by the fact that biologics are sensitive to heat and other chemically driven purification treatments, which may result in degradation of the final product.



Biopharmaceutical filtration refers to the process of purification and sterilization of biological drug products without the application of heat and chemicals. A key advancement in this industry has been the introduction of novel filtration systems, such as depth filtration systems, tangential flow filtration systems, virus filtration systems and chromatography filtration systems. These systems can be applied to a wide variety of application areas due to their flexible nature. In fact, several large pharma companies have already made investments to improve their conventional filtration technologies. The primary goal behind introducing these filters is to achieve the highest possible purity and yield of the desired biological product, along with maintaining its safety and efficacy for use in human or animal health. Given the ongoing advancements in this domain, several companies have developed and launched their proprietary biopharmaceutical filtration systems for more efficient purification of biologics. ,



KEY MARKET INSIGHTS

The Filtration Market (Focus on Biologics Manufacturing) - Distribution by Type of Filtration System (Depth Filters, Tangential Flow Filters, Virus Filters and Other Membrane Filters), Type of Filter (based on use) (Disposable / Single-use Filters and Reusable / Multi-use Filters), Type of Assembly (Capsules, Cartridges and Others), Company Size (Small, Mid-sized and Large) and Key Geographical Regions (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Rest of the World): Industry Trends and Global Forecasts, 2023-2035 report features an extensive study of the current market landscape and future opportunity for the players offering filters for biopharmaceutical use. The report answers many key questions related to this domain.



Benefits and Growing Demand for Biopharmaceutical Filtration Systems

Biopharmaceutical filtration systems are used to separate and purify biological products, such as proteins, antibodies and vaccines. These filtration systems offer several benefits over conventional systems, such as higher efficiency, enhanced product purity and higher throughput. Driven by these benefits, the demand for efficient biopharmaceutical filtration systems is anticipated to increase, resulting in lucrative opportunities for developers.



Current Market Landscape of Biopharmaceutical Filter Developers

The market landscape of biopharmaceutical filter developers features a mix of over 80 large, mid-sized and small companies, which have the required expertise to offer various biopharmaceutical filtration systems, across different scales of operation. It is worth mentioning that more than 80% of the companies have the ability to develop membrane filters. Further, the ongoing activity in this domain indicates that biopharmaceutical filtration system developers are continuously upgrading their capabilities and infrastructure to accommodate the current and anticipated future demand.



Key Drivers behind the Biopharmaceutical Filtration Market

The biopharmaceutical industry has rapidly expanded over the years, primarily driven by increasing prevalence of chronic diseases and rising demand for regenerative therapies and personalized medicines. This has, in turn, led to a subsequent escalation in demand for filtration systems for biologics. Further, the stringent government regulations and guidelines, such as Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and United States Pharmacopeia (USP) standards, established to ensure product safety and quality, has created a need for advanced filtration technologies. It is also worth highlighting that, adoption of single-use technologies, and development of new and advanced filtration systems, such as tangential flow filtration, chromatography filtration and virus filtration, are likely to create new opportunities in the market.



Market Size of the Biopharmaceutical Filtration Market

Driven by the rapid growth of the biopharmaceutical industry and increasing research and development activities, the future opportunities and growth associated with the filtration market for biologics is anticipated to witness a noteworthy growth in the foreseen future. Specifically, in terms of type of filter, the market is anticipated to be driven by membrane filters. Further, more than 60% of the market is anticipated to be represented by players based in North America and Europe, in the foreseen future.



Key Players in the Biopharmaceutical Filtration Market

Examples of key players engaged in this domain (which have also been captured in this report) include Asahi Kasei, Cobetter Filtration, Corning, Merck, Pall, Parker Hannifin, Sartorius and Thermo Fisher Scientific.



SCOPE OF THE REPORT

The study presents an in-depth analysis of the various firms / organizations that are engaged in this domain, across different segments. The study presents an in-depth analysis, highlighting the capabilities of various stakeholders engaged in this domain, across different geographies. Amongst other elements, the report includes:

An executive summary of the insights captured during our research. It offers a high-level view on the current state of biopharmaceutical filtration market and its likely evolution in the mid-long term.

A general overview of filtration systems, highlighting details on different types of filtration systems and steps involved in sterile filtration for bioprocessing. It also presents information on the factors affecting sterile filtration, advantages of biopharmaceutical filtration systems, challenges associated with biopharmaceutical filtration systems and applications of biopharmaceutical filtration. Additionally, it presents an overview of the ongoing trends and future perspectives of the biopharmaceutical filtration industry.

A detailed assessment of the overall market landscape of companies offering biopharmaceutical filtration systems, based on several relevant parameters, such as year of establishment, company size (in terms of number of employees), location of headquarters, type of filter system / element (depth filters, tangential flow filters, virus filters and other membrane filters) and application area(s) (viral clearance, cell culture clarification, cell separation / product purification, sterilization and others). In addition, it includes information on type of filter (based on use) (disposable or single-use and reusable or multi-use), type of filter module (encapsulated), type of media material (natural components, synthetic, polypropylene or glass microfiber), type of assembly (pod, capsule, cassette, hollow fibre, and others), novel filtration systems offered (chromatography filtration and tangential flow depth filtration) and type of technique(s) used (ultrafiltration, microfiltration and nanofiltration).

A detailed competitiveness analysis of biopharmaceutical filtration system developers based in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific, based on supplier strength (in terms of years of experience, company size and number of filter system / element offered), product strength (considering features of depth filters, tangential flow filters, virus filters, other membrane filters, novel filtration systems, type of technique(s) used) and application areas (viral clearance, cell culture clarification, cell separation / product purification, sterilization and others).

Tabulated profiles of key players based in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific that are engaged in manufacturing biopharmaceutical filtration systems (shortlisted based on company size and availability of financial information). Each profile includes a brief overview of the company, details related to its financial information (if available), product portfolio, recent developments and an informed future outlook.

An in-depth analysis of recent developments / trends in the biopharmaceutical filtration domain, offering insights on patents that have been filed / granted for biopharmaceutical filters, since 2019, based on relevant parameters, such patent publication year, patent jurisdiction, CPC symbols, emerging focus areas, leading players (in terms of number of patents granted), patent benchmarking (in terms of CPC codes and leading players), patent characteristics and patent age. It also includes an insightful patent valuation analysis and list of leading patents based on number of citations. In addition, it provides information on recent mergers and acquisitions reported in this domain, including details on year, deal amount, regional distribution and key players (in terms of number of deals).

A detailed analysis of global events that took place in this domain, since 2018 based on several relevant parameters, such as year of event, event platform, type of event, geography, type of filter (based on use) (single-use and reusable filters), type of filter system involved (depth filters, sterilizing grade filters, tangential flow filters, virus filters, virus filters, membrane filters and others), type of process(es) involved (upstream bioprocessing and downstream bioprocessing), most active organizers (in terms of number of events) and application area(s) (type of biologic involved), as well as prominent players.



One of the key objectives of the report was to estimate the current opportunity and the future growth potential of the biopharmaceutical filtration market over the coming years. We have provided informed estimates on the likely evolution of the market for the period, 2023-2035. Our year-wise projections of the current and forecasted opportunity have been further segmented based on relevant parameters, such as type of filter system / element (depth filters, tangential flow filters, virus filters and other membrane filters), type of filter (based on use) (disposable / single-use filters and reusable / multi-use filters), type of assembly (capsules, cartridges and others), company size (small, mid-sized and large) and key geographical regions (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Rest of the World). In order to account for future uncertainties associated with some of the key parameters and to add robustness to our model, we have provided three market forecast scenarios, portraying the conservative, base and optimistic tracks of the industrys evolution.



All actual figures have been sourced and analyzed from publicly available information forums and primary research discussions. Financial figures mentioned in this report are in USD, unless otherwise specified.



RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

The data presented in this report has been gathered via secondary and primary research. For all our projects, we conduct interviews / surveys with experts in the area (academia, industry, medical practice and other associations) to solicit their opinions on emerging trends in the market. This is primarily useful for us to draw out our own opinion on how the market will evolve across different regions and technology segments. Wherever possible, the available data has been checked for accuracy from multiple sources of information.



The secondary sources of information include:

Annual reports

Investor presentations

SEC filings

Industry databases

News releases from company websites

Government policy documents

Industry analysts views



While the focus has been on forecasting the market till 2035, the report also provides our independent view on various emerging trends in the industry. This opinion is solely based on our knowledge, research and understanding of the relevant market gathered from various secondary and primary sources of information.



FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Question 1: What is biopharmaceutical filtration?

Answer: Filtration is a critical step in the production of biopharmaceuticals, as it involves the separation of biological materials from the culture media, cell debris and other impurities.



Question 2: What are the different types of filtration systems used in biomanufacturing?

Answer: The various types of filtration systems used in biomanufacturing processes include depth filtration systems, tangential flow filtration systems, virus filtration systems, other membrane filtration systems and chromatography filtration systems.



Question 3: What are the limitations of conventional filter systems?

Answer: The key concerns related to conventional filter systems include limited filtration capacity, need for frequent maintenance, risk of clogging, and limited lifespan. In addition, conventional filters were not very effective in removing certain types of contaminants, such as dissolved minerals, bacteria, viruses or chemicals.



Question 4: How many companies offer filtration systems for biopharmaceutical purposes?

Answer: Presently, more than 80 companies are involved in the development of depth filters, tangential flow filters, virus filters and other membrane filters.



Question 5: How many patents, related to biopharmaceutical filtration, have been filed / granted in the last few years?

Answer: Close to 130 patents have been filed / granted related to biopharmaceutical filtration, in the last few years. It is worth mentioning that most of the patents have been filed by industry players and are focused on virus removal and protein recovery.



Question 6: What are the key trends in the biopharmaceutical filtration market?

Answer: Companies involved in this domain have made significant investments to expand their existing capabilities through the incorporation of advanced methods, technologies and platforms, in order to accommodate the current and anticipated demand for filtration systems. Further, these companies have actively participated in various conferences, meetings, seminars, exhibitions and webinars in order to present their ideas and innovative products / technologies to a wider audience.



Question 7: Which segment, in terms of type of product, is likely to have the largest share in the biopharmaceutical filtration market?

Answer: Presently, membrane filters dominate the biopharmaceutical filtration market. This can be attributed to the fact that these are widely used in biopharmaceutical manufacturing for sterile filtration and virus filtration due to their high efficiency, durability and versatility.



Question 8: How is the biopharmaceutical filtration market likely to evolve in the coming years?

Answer: The biopharmaceutical filtration market is projected to grow at a CAGR of ~10% in the coming years.



CHAPTER OUTLINES

Chapter 1 is a preface providing an introduction to the full report, Filtration Market (Focus on Biologics Manufacturing), 2023-2035.



Chapter 2 is an executive summary of the insights captured during our research. It offers a high-level view on the current state of biopharmaceutical filtration market and its likely evolution in the mid-long term.



Chapter 3 provides a general overview of filtration systems, highlighting details on different types of filtration systems and steps involved in sterile filtration for bioprocessing. It also presents information on the factors affecting sterile filtration, advantages of biopharmaceutical filtration systems, challenges associated with biopharmaceutical filtration systems and applications of biopharmaceutical filtration. Additionally, it presents an overview of the ongoing trends and future perspectives of the biopharmaceutical filtration industry.



Chapter 4 includes a detailed assessment of the overall market landscape of companies offering biopharmaceutical filtration systems, based on several relevant parameters, such as year of establishment, company size (in terms of number of employees), location of headquarters, type of filter system / element (depth filters, tangential flow filters, virus filters and other membrane filters) and application area(s) (viral clearance, cell culture clarification, cell separation / product purification, sterilization and others). In addition, it includes information on type of filter (based on use) (disposable or single-use and reusable or multi-use), type of filter module (encapsulated), type of media material (natural components, synthetic, polypropylene or glass microfiber), type of assembly (pod, capsule, cassette, hollow fibre, and others), novel filtration systems offered (chromatography filtration and tangential flow depth filtration) and type of technique(s) used (ultrafiltration, microfiltration and nanofiltration).



Chapter 5 presents a detailed competitiveness analysis of biopharmaceutical filtration system developers based in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific, based on supplier strength (in terms of years of experience, company size and number of filter system / element offered), product strength (considering features of depth filters, tangential flow filters, virus filters, other membrane filters, novel filtration systems, type of technique(s) used) and application areas (viral clearance, cell culture clarification, cell separation / product purification, sterilization and others).



Chapter 6 features tabulated profiles of key players based in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific that are engaged in manufacturing biopharmaceutical filtration systems (shortlisted based on company size and availability of financial information). Each profile includes a brief overview of the company, details related to its financial information (if available), product portfolio, recent developments and an informed future outlook.



Chapter 7 features tabulated profiles of key players based in Europe systems (shortlisted based on company size and availability of financial information) and Asia-Pacific (shortlisted based on company size) that are engaged in manufacturing biopharmaceutical filtration. Each profile includes a brief overview of the company, financial information (if available), product portfolio, recent developments and an informed future outlook.



Chapter 8 provides an in-depth analysis of recent developments / trends in the biopharmaceutical filtration domain, offering insights on patents that have been filed / granted for biopharmaceutical filters, since 2019, based on relevant parameters, such patent publication year, patent jurisdiction, CPC symbols, emerging focus areas, leading players (in terms of number of patents granted / filed), patent benchmarking (in terms of CPC codes and leading players), patent characteristics and patent age. It also includes an insightful patent valuation analysis and list of leading patents based on number of citations. In addition, it provides information on recent mergers and acquisitions reported in this domain, including details on year, deal amount, regional distribution and key players (in terms of number of deals).



Chapter 9 presents a detailed analysis of global events that took place in this domain, since 2018 based on several relevant parameters, such as year of event, event platform, type of event, geography, type of filter (based on use) (single-use and reusable filters), type of filter system involved (depth filters, sterilizing grade filters, tangential flow filters, virus filters, virus filters, membrane filters and others), type of process(es) involved (upstream bioprocessing and downstream bioprocessing), most active organizers (in terms of number of events) and application area(s) (type of biologic involved), as well as prominent players.



Chapter 10 features a comprehensive market forecast analysis, highlighting the future potential of the market till 2035. We have segregated the current and upcoming opportunity based on type of filter system / element (depth filters, tangential flow filters, virus filters and other membrane filters), type of filter (based on use) (disposable / single-use filters and reusable / multi-use filters), type of assembly (capsules, cartridges and others), company size (small, mid-sized and large), and key geographical regions (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Rest of the World).



Chapter 11 summarizes the entire report. It presents a list of key takeaways and offers our independent opinion on the current market scenario. Further, it summarizes the various evolutionary trends that are likely to influence the future of this market.



Chapter 12 provides the transcripts of interviews conducted with key stakeholders in the industry.



Chapter 13 is an appendix, which contains tabulated data and numbers for all the figures included in this report.



Chapter 14 is an appendix, which contains a list of companies and organizations mentioned in this report.

Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06443477/?utm_source=GNW



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Zion Market Research

[298 + Pages Research Study] According to a market research study published by Zion Market Research, the demand analysis of Global Nasal Spray Bottle Market size & share revenue was valued at around USD 14.83 Billion in 2021 and is estimated to grow about USD 20.33 Billion by 2028, at a CAGR of approximately 5.40% between 2022 and 2028. The key market players are listed in the report with their sales, revenues and strategies are Burkle GmbH, Canyon Plastics Inc., Delta Industries, Demareis GmbH, Dynalab Corp. (Dynalon Labware), Klager Plastik GmbH, Pack Logix, PB Packaging, The Packaging Company, AptarGroup Inc., Berry Global Group Inc., Gerresheimer AG, Nolato AB, Rexam PLC, Coster Group, Aptar Pharma India Pvt. Ltd., Klockner Pentaplast Group, Catalent Pharma Solutions, Owen Mumford Ltd., Medspray, Heinz Glas GmbH & Co. KGaA, Sanner GmbH, Unilife Corporation, Inpress Plastics Ltd., and

New York, NY, April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Zion Market Research has published a new research report titled Nasal Spray Bottle Market By Product Type (Saline Nasal Spray, Decongestion Nasal Spray, Steroid Nasal Spray, Antihistamine Nasal Spray) By End User (Pharmacy, Clinics, Hospitals, Home Caring), By Container Design (Pump Bottles, Pressurized Canisters), Dosage Form (Single-Dose, Bi-Dose, Multi-Dose), By Prescription (Prescribed, Over-The-Counter), And By Region - Global And Regional Industry Overview, Market Intelligence, Comprehensive Analysis, Historical Data, And Forecasts 2021  2028 in its research database.

According to the latest research study, the demand of global Nasal Spray Bottle Market size & share in terms of revenue was valued at USD 14,825.7 million in 2021 and it is expected to surpass around USD 20,326.32 million mark by 2028, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 5.40% during the forecast period 2022 to 2028

What is Nasal Spray Bottle? How big is the Nasal Spray Bottle Industry?

Report Overview:

The global nasal spray bottle market size was worth USD 14.83 Billion in 2021 and is estimated to grow to USD 20.33 Billion by 2028, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 5.40% over the forecast period. The report analyzes the nasal spray bottle drivers, restraints/challenges, and their effect on the demands during the projection period. In addition, the report explores emerging opportunities in the nasal spray bottle market.

Story continues

A nasal spray bottle is a small plastic container that spritzes a fine liquid mist up the nose. Although it comes in various sizes, the majority retain liquid of about 2 ounces (60 milliliters) in volume. Nasal spray bottles directly inject saline solution or medication into the nasal cavities. Drying out the mucous and removing congestion can aid in treating other cold or allergy symptoms. Using nasal sprays, drugs can be administered locally or systemically in the nasal canals. They come in various forms, including nasal decongestant sprays, nasal cromolyn sprays, nasal steroid sprays, nasal antihistamine sprays, and nasal anticholinergic sprays. Nasal sprays frequently treat cold and allergy symptoms like runny nose, congestion, and sneezing. However, it can also be utilized for other conditions, such as migraines. In response to an increase in allergic reaction occurrences over the past few years, nasal spray demand has increased.

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Updated Regional Analysis with Graphical Representation of Size, Share, and Trends for the Year 2022

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(Please note that the sample of this report has been modified to include the COVID-19 impact study prior to delivery.)

Global Nasal Spray Bottle Market: Growth Factors

The development of medical science and changes in lifestyle throughout the world brought about a rise in the demand for self-administration goods, which led to the growth of the global nasal spray bottle market. Another significant issue faced by pharmaceutical companies is drug delivery. Opportunities for nasal spray will increase as market participants work to diversify their product lines. Enhancing functionalities in terms of efficiency and ease is a top priority. Additionally, the market will benefit from the regulatory support for these improvements. In addition to introducing nasal spray, businesses are raising awareness of palliative care services. Leading nasal spray providers have the opportunity to develop commercial and potential formulations with high potency and efficacy versions.

Directly Purchase a copy of the report with TOC @ https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/buynow/su/nasal-spray-bottle-market

Some important key factors on the Nasal Spray Bottle Market up to that point:

Growing demand for nasal spray bottles: The rise in the prevalence of respiratory disorders, allergies, and sinus-related issues has contributed to the consistent expansion of the market for nasal spray bottles. This has resulted in an increased level of consumer demand for nasal sprays.

Technological advancements: The market is experiencing technical breakthroughs in the form of sophisticated delivery systems, which are projected to improve patient outcomes and increase the efficacy of nasal sprays.

Increasing use in the pharmaceutical industry: It is projected that the pharmaceutical industry will continue to be a prominent driver of the nasal spray bottle market. This trend is expected to continue as more companies strive to create nasal spray therapies for a number of conditions.

Rising awareness about health and hygiene: Since consumers place a greater emphasis on health and cleanliness, a larger number of people are using nose sprays as a preventative strategy against respiratory infections. As a result, there has been an increase in demand for nasal spray bottles.

Government regulations: It is anticipated that the increasingly stringent restrictions connected to the manufacturing and usage of nasal spray bottles would have an influence on the market, particularly on smaller manufacturers that may struggle to comply with these regulations.

Increasing competition: Nasal sprays are becoming increasingly popular, which has led to an increase in the number of companies entering the market. This has resulted in increased competition and pressure on prices.

Environmental concerns: There is a rising concern about the impact that plastics designed for one-time use have on the environment, which may lead to a shift in the market for nasal spray bottles towards packaging alternatives that are more environmentally friendly.

Report Scope

Report Attribute Details Market Size in 2021 USD 14,825.7 million Projected Market Size in 2028 USD 20,326.32 million CAGR Growth Rate 5.40% CAGR Base Year 2021 Forecast Years 2022-2028 Key Market Players Burkle GmbH, Canyon Plastics Inc., Delta Industries, Demareis GmbH, Dynalab Corp. (Dynalon Labware), Klager Plastik GmbH, Pack Logix, PB Packaging, The Packaging Company, AptarGroup Inc., Berry Global Group Inc., Gerresheimer AG, Nolato AB, Rexam PLC, Coster Group, Aptar Pharma India Pvt. Ltd., Klockner Pentaplast Group, Catalent Pharma Solutions, Owen Mumford Ltd., Medspray, Heinz Glas GmbH & Co. KGaA, Sanner GmbH, Unilife Corporation, Inpress Plastics Ltd. Key Segment By Product Type, By end use, By Container Design, By Dosage Form, By Prescription, and By Region Major Regions Covered North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East &, Africa Purchase Options Request customized purchase options to meet your research needs. Explore purchase options

Nasal Spray Bottle Market: Segmentation Analysis

The global nasal spray bottle market is segregated based on product type, end-use, container design, dosage form, prescription, and region. Based on product type, the market is divided into saline nasal spray, decongestion nasal spray, steroid nasal spray, and antihistamine nasal spray. Among these, the steroid nasal spray segment led the market in 2021 and is expected to maintain its dominance throughout the forecast period. Based on end use, the market is classified into pharmacies, clinics, hospitals, and home care. In 2021, the hospital category dominated the global market. The market is classified into pump bottles and pressurized canisters based on container design. The pump bottles segment dominated the market in 2021. Based on dosage form, the market is classified into single-dose, bi-dose, and multi-dose. The multi-dose dominated the market in 2021. Based on prescription, the market is divided into prescribed and over-the-counter. Among these, the prescribed segment led the market in 2021 and is expected to maintain its dominance throughout the forecast period.

The global Nasal Spray Bottle market is segmented as follows:

By Product Type

Saline nasal spray

Decongestion nasal spray

Steroid nasal spray

Antihistamine nasal spray

By end use

Pharmacy

Clinics

Hospitals

Home caring

By Container Design

Pump Bottles

Pressurized Canisters

By Dosage Form

Single-dose

Bi-dose

Multi-dose

By Prescription

Prescribed

Over-the-counter



Browse the full Nasal Spray Bottle Market By Product Type (Saline Nasal Spray, Decongestion Nasal Spray, Steroid Nasal Spray, Antihistamine Nasal Spray) By End User (Pharmacy, Clinics, Hospitals, Home caring), By Container Design (Pump Bottles, Pressurized Canisters), Dosage Form (Single-dose, Bi-dose, Multi-dose), By Prescription (Prescribed, Over-the-counter), and By Region - Global and Regional Industry Overview, Market Intelligence, Comprehensive Analysis, Historical Data, and Forecasts 2022  2028 Report at https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/report/nasal-spray-bottle-market

Competitive Landscape

Some of the main competitors dominating the global Nasal Spray Bottle market include -

AptarGroup Inc.

Berry Global Group, Inc.

Gerresheimer AG

Nolato AB

Rexam PLC

Coster Group

Aptar Pharma India Pvt. Ltd.

Klockner Pentaplast Group

Catalent Pharma Solutions

Owen Mumford Ltd.

Medspray

Heinz Glas GmbH & Co. KGaA

Sanner GmbH

Unilife Corporation

Inpress Plastics Ltd.

Burkle GmbH

Canyon Plastics Inc.

Delta Industries

Demareis GmbH

Dynalab Corp. (Dynalon Labware)

Klager Plastik GmbH

Pack Logix

PB Packaging

The Packaging Company

Key Insights from Primary Research:

According to the analysis shared by our research forecaster, the Nasal Spray Bottle market is likely to expand at a CAGR of around 5.40% during the forecast period (2022-2028).

In terms of revenue, the Nasal Spray Bottle market size was valued at around US$ 14,825.7 million in 2021 and is projected to reach US$ 20,326.32 million by 2028.

The development of the global nasal spray bottle market would likely be fueled by shifting lifestyles around the globe, greater patient compliance, a growing senior population, rising pollution levels, and a painless method of medication administration.

The steroid nasal sprays will cover a major share of the market by product type in 2021.

By end use, the hospital segment dominated the market in 2021.

North America dominated the global nasal spray bottle market in 2021.

Have Any Query? Ask Our Experts: https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/inquiry/nasal-spray-bottle-market

Key questions answered in this report:

What is the market size and growth rate forecast for Nasal Spray Bottle industry?

What are the main driving factors propelling the Nasal Spray Bottle Market forward?

What are the leading companies in the Nasal Spray Bottle Industry?

What segments does the Nasal Spray Bottle Market cover?

How can I receive a free copy of the Nasal Spray Bottle Market sample report and company profiles?

Key Offerings:

Market Size & Forecast by Revenue | 20222028

Market Dynamics  Leading Trends, Growth Drivers, Restraints, and Investment Opportunities

Market Segmentation  A detailed analysis By Product Type, By end use, By Container Design, By Dosage Form, By Prescription, and By Region

Competitive Landscape  Top Key Vendors and Other Prominent Vendors

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Regional Analysis:

The global nasal spray bottle market is divided into geographic regions: North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Africa. Due to the rising prevalence of allergies and depressive disorders in North America, nasal spray demand is rising. The North American makers of branded nasal treatments are interested in introducing novel goods to comply with revised regulatory standards. Moreover, the U.S. has been able to dominate the market because of state financing for continuous clinical research. The country has a fantastic opportunity for expansion thanks to the presence of several major firms, including Johnson & Johnson Services Inc., Procter & Gamble, Viatris Inc., AdvaCare Pharma, and others. These businesses frequently rely on product launches to gain an advantage over rivals.

By Region

North America U.S. Canada Rest of North America

Europe France UK Spain Germany Italy Rest of Europe

Asia Pacific China Japan India South Korea Rest of Asia Pacific

The Middle East & Africa Saudi Arabia South Africa Rest of the Middle East & Africa

Latin America Brazil Argentina Rest of Latin America



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Recent Developments

April 2019: Cipla Ltd. purchased a 30% stake in the South African company Branded for business expansion. The acquisition was made to complement Cipla Medpro's portfolio by combining the company's advantages with Brandmed's cutting-edge, patient-centered approach to healthcare.

May 2022: Under the Brillo brand, Sun Pharma will introduce a new oral lipid-lowering medication to lower low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. The corporation will make the medicine available under the Brillo brand name.

To know an additional revised 2022 list of market players, request a brochure of the report: https://www.zionmarketresearch.com/requestbrochure/nasal-spray-bottle-market

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Global Network Performance Monitoring Market

Global Network Performance Monitoring Market

Dublin, April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Global Network Performance Monitoring Market Size, Share & Industry Trends Analysis Report By End User, By Enterprise Size, By Component, By Regional Outlook and Forecast, 2022-2028" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



The Global Network Performance Monitoring Market size is expected to reach $3.2 billion by 2028, rising at a market growth of 6.9% CAGR during the forecast period.

Key Market Players

List of Companies Profiled in the Report:

Broadcom, Inc

Microsoft Corporation

Cisco Systems, Inc

Juniper Networks, Inc

Keysight Technologies, Inc

SolarWinds Worldwide, LLC

LogicMonitor, Inc

Paessler AG

Profitap HQ B.V

Nagios Enterprises, LLC

The process of visualizing, monitoring, optimizing, debugging, and reporting on the availability and health of the network as experienced by the users is known as network performance monitoring. Network performance monitoring (NPM) systems can use different types of telemetry, including network flow data, packed data, and device metrics, like SNMP, WMI, API, synthetic tests, CLI, and logs.



Additionally, packets are necessary for anything done on the network because they transport data between nodes. With the advancement in technology, the complexity of network management has increased. This is due to the prevalence of hybrid configurations among businesses today, which combine on-premise servers with cloud-based services.



Consequently, most companies want to establish a reliable network performance monitoring system. The company's success will depend on how well the network operates. In particular, if the network is down even for a few moments, the company could experience serious implications. In the event of data loss or theft, network monitoring is a modern technology that is used to trace and monitor computer networks.



It alerts or warns the network administrator in case of data loss and theft. Due to faulty devices' influence on network performance, ongoing network monitoring is essential. These systems continuously collect enormous amounts of data, which enables data to be filtered to find any anomalies using network monitoring tools. As a result, enterprises, cloud services, and telecommunications leverage these technologies. In addition, innovations in the electronics device and system sectors improve and modernize network monitoring systems.



Market Growth Factors

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Growing need for robust network monitoring tools to address issues with outages.



Downtime, lost productivity, and even security issues can occur when network equipment fails. While hardware issues and malfunctions might bring the entire network to a complete halt, high processing or network utilization can painfully slow down operations.

These problems can be quickly identified and corrected with the help of network performance monitoring tools. Network monitoring saves costs for the company by minimizing downtime.

Many network monitoring technologies also add value by automatically integrating new devices, specifying network layouts, and revealing malicious activities or potential security breaches. In the upcoming years, the industry will have profitable growth prospects as a result of these factors.



Rising internet of things (IOT) expansion and the bring-your-own-device (BYOD) trend.



Employees are increasingly being provided personal mobile applications and devices to use for both personal and business purposes under the term 'bring your own device' or BYOD. Mobile device adoption has significantly increased as a result of organizations' greater support for BYOD.

The availability of a plethora of services, applications, and capabilities has increased the accessibility of storage, transmission, and receiving of large volumes of data on mobile devices. Passwords, credit card numbers, and usernames are among the sensitive data stored on mobile devices. Therefore, during the forecast period, these factors drive the growth of the network performance monitoring market.



Market Restraining Factor

Exorbitant costs related to network monitoring.



As more corporate functions go online, businesses must update their networks to provide capacity and new features. In addition to managing standard IT applications, networks increasingly need to serve a variety of business services like video conferencing and telephony, which require additional network bandwidth.

Additionally, multicasting protocols, autoconfiguration protocols, protocols for new endpoint devices, and IP virtualization capabilities are required to deploy new services on shared network infrastructure. As a result, the high implementation costs for NPM solutions are severely impeding the market's expansion for network performance monitoring.



Scope of the Study

Market Segments Covered in the Report:

By End User

IT & Telecom Service Providers

Cloud Service Providers

Governments & Public Sector Units

Others

By Enterprise Size

Large Enterprises

Small & Medium Sized Enterprises

By Component

Hardware

Network Performance Monitoring Platforms

Network Terminal Access Points (TAPs)

Network Access Control (NAC) Appliances

Network Packet Brokers (NPBs) Appliances

Service

By Geography

North America

US

Canada

Mexico

Rest of North America

Europe

Germany

UK

France

Russia

Spain

Italy

Rest of Europe

Asia Pacific

China

Japan

India

South Korea

Singapore

Malaysia

Rest of Asia Pacific

LAMEA

Brazil

Argentina

UAE

Saudi Arabia

South Africa

Nigeria

Rest of LAMEA

Key Attributes:

Report Attribute Details No. of Pages 288 Forecast Period 2021 - 2028 Estimated Market Value (USD) in 2021 $2029.8 Million Forecasted Market Value (USD) by 2028 $3201.6 Million Compound Annual Growth Rate 6.9% Regions Covered Global

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/ixcpo5

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.

Attachment

CONTACT: CONTACT: ResearchAndMarkets.com Laura Wood,Senior Press Manager press@researchandmarkets.com For E.S.T Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470 For U.S./ CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900




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Dublin, April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Global Neuromodulation Device Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis 2023-2029 MedCore Includes: Spinal Cord Stimulation, Deep Brain Stimulation, and 3 more" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



The global neuromodulation device market was valued at $4.9 billion in 2022, and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 7.4% during the forecast period to reach $8.2 billion.

The market encompasses various segments, such as spinal cord stimulation, deep brain stimulation, sacral nerve stimulation, vagus nerve stimulation, and gastric electric stimulation.



MARKET REPORT DATA TYPES INCLUDED

Unit Sales, Average Selling Prices, Market Size & Growth Trends

COVID-19 Impact Analysis

Market Drivers & Limiters

Market Forecasts Until 2029, and Historical Data to 2019

Recent Mergers & Acquisitions

Company Profiles and Product Portfolios

Leading Competitors

GLOBAL NEUROMODULATION DEVICE MARKET INSIGHTS



One of the primary drivers of the global neuromodulation device market is the continuous technological advancements in neuromodulation devices. An attractive feature for patients is the prolonged battery life in implantable, rechargeable spinal cord stimulation devices. Many manufacturers claim battery lifetimes ranging from five to nine years, and they are currently seeking support from the FDA for longer battery life claims.



GLOBAL NEUROMODULATION DEVICE MARKET SHARE INSIGHTS



Within the global market for neuromodulation devices, there are three key market players - Medtronic, Boston Scientific, Abbott. In 2022, Medtronic was the leading competitor in the global neuromodulation market, offering its InterStimT therapy system product line. Boston Scientific ranked second in the neuromodulation device market, while Abbott held the third-leading position.



MARKET SEGMENTATION SUMMARY

Global Spinal Cord Stimulation Market

Global Deep Brain Stimulation Market

Global Sacral Nerve Stimulation Market

Global Vagus Nerve Stimulation Market

Global Gastric Electric Stimulation Market

Story continues

RESEARCH SCOPE SUMMARY

Regions: North America (Canada, United States), Latin America (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, Venezuela), Western Europe (Austria, Benelux, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Scandinavia, Spain, Switzerland, U.K.), Central & Eastern Europe (Baltic States, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Poland, Romania, Russia, Turkey, Ukraine), Middle East (Bahrain, Iran, Israel, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates), Asia Pacific (Australia, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Myanmar, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam), Africa (Algeria, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Libya, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa, Sudan, Uganda)

Base Year: 2022

Forecast: 2023-2029

Historical Data: 2019-2022

Quantitative Coverage: Market Size, Market Shares, Market Forecasts, Market Growth Rates, Units Sold, and Average Selling Prices.

Qualitative Coverage: COVID19 Impact, Market Growth Trends, Market Limiters, Competitive Analysis & SWOT for Top Competitors, Mergers & Acquisitions, Company Profiles, Product Portfolios, FDA Recalls, Disruptive Technologies, Disease Overviews.

Data Sources: Primary Interviews with Industry Leaders, Government Physician Data, Regulatory Data, Hospital Private Data, Import & Export Data, Internal Database.

Key Topics Covered:

Neuromodulation Device Market

Executive Summary

Global Neuromodulation Device Market Overview

Competitive Analysis

Markets Included

Regions Included

Introduction

Spinal Cord Stimulation

Deep Brain Stimulation

Sacral Nerve Stimulation

Vagus Nerve Stimulation

Gastric Electric Stimulation

Procedure Numbers

Total Neuromodulation Procedures

Spinal Cord Stimulation Procedures

Deep Brain Stimulation Procedures

Sacral Nerve Stimulation Procedures

Vagus Nerve Stimulation Procedures

Gastric Electric Stimulation Procedures

Market Overview

By Segment

By Region

Market Analysis and Forecast

Total Neuromodulation Device Market

Spinal Cord Stimulation Market

Deep Brain Stimulation Market

Sacral Nerve Stimulation Market

Vagus Nerve Stimulation Market

Gastric Electric Stimulation Market

Drivers and Limiters

Market Drivers

Market Limiters

Competitive Market Share Analysis

A selection of companies mentioned in this report includes

Medtronic

Boston Scientific

Abbott

LivaNova

Nevro

Axonics

Cirtec

Cyberonics

EnteroMedics

Imthera

Inspire Medical

IntraPace

NeuroPace

Nevro Corp.

Nuvectra

Reshape Lifesciences

SceneRay

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/9a3ibr

About ResearchAndMarkets.com

ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.

CONTACT: CONTACT: ResearchAndMarkets.com Laura Wood,Senior Press Manager press@researchandmarkets.com For E.S.T Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470 For U.S./ CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900




DUBLIN, April 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Phosphoric Acid (Pharmaceutical Grade) Market Analysis: Plant Capacity, Production, Process, Operating Efficiency, Demand & Supply, End-User Industries, Sales Channel, Regional Demand, Foreign Trade, Company Share, 2015-2030" database has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

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The global Phosphoric Acid (Pharmaceutical Grade) market has expanded to reach approximately 2,000,000 tonnes in 2021 and is expected to grow at an impressive CAGR of 5.16% during the forecast period until 2030. The global Phosphoric Acid (Pharmaceutical Grade) market will most likely reach 3,000,000 tonnes by 2030.



Along with the expanding global market for processed foods and drinks, the widespread use of phosphoric acid as an ingredient to enhance flavor in these goods is another important aspect that substantially impacts the phosphoric acid market. The pharmaceutical grade of this acid is employed mainly in the dentistry and medicinal sector.



The primary market driving factor of Phosphoric Acid (Pharmaceutical Grade) is the Oral Care industry. Phosphoric Acid (Pharmaceutical Grade) is used to etch enamel and dentin surfaces during dental bonding procedures. To facilitate bonding to enamel, the acid-etch method is widely employed in dentistry.

To create a porous retentive surface, phosphoric acid is used to etch the enamel's topmost layer. Phosphoric acid is a chemical utilized in total parenteral nutrition (TPN) therapy, the replenishment of electrolytes, and the treatment of nausea-related digestive problems.

In the forecast period, the demand for Phosphoric Acid by the dentistry and medicinal industry is anticipated to play a significant role in the growth of Phosphoric Acid (Pharmaceutical Grade).



Based on demand by region, the Asia Pacific region dominates the Phosphoric Acid (Pharmaceutical Grade) market. In 2021, this region accounted for consumption of approximately 45% of the market share. APAC is anticipated to retain this position owing to the demand from the healthcare sector with a rapidly increasing population. Moreover, APAC is also the leading producer of this chemical, with China and Taiwan as the key producers.



Based on the end-user industry, the global Phosphoric Acid (Pharmaceutical Grade) market is segmented into Oral Care, OTC Medication, Personal Care Products, and Other end-use industries. Phosphoric Acid (Pharmaceutical Grade) is primarily consumed by the Oral Care industry. This industry accounted for approximately 40% of global consumption in 2021. OTC Medication is also a significant segment of phosphoric acid.



Major players in the production of Global Phosphoric Acid (Pharmaceutical Grade) are

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Prayon Group S.A

Stauffer Chemical Company

Duc Giang - Lao Cai Chemical Limited Company

Solvay

Hubei Xingfa Chemicals Group

Euro Maroc Phosphore (EMAPHOS)

Hydrite Chemical Company

Yunnan Malong Industry Group

FMC Corporation

Mobil Chemical Company

Monsanto Company

Indo-Jordan Chemicals Company limited

Core Chemical Inc.

Sino-Linchem International, Inc

Report Scope:



In this report, Global Phosphoric Acid (Pharmaceutical Grade) market has been segmented into following categories, in addition to the industry trends which have also been detailed below:

Market, by End-use: Oral Care, OTC Medication, Personal Care Products, and Other

Market, by Sales Channel: Direct Sale and Indirect Sale

Market, by Region: North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa, and South America.

Years considered for this report:

Historical Period: 2015 - 2021

Base Year: 2021

Estimated Year: 2022

Forecast Period: 2023-2030

Key Topics Covered:



1. Capacity By Company

On our online platform, you can stay up to date with essential manufacturers and their current and future operation capacity on a practically real-time basis for Phosphoric Acid (Pharmaceutical Grade).

2. Capacity By Location

To better understand the regional supply of Phosphoric Acid (Pharmaceutical Grade) by analyzing its manufacturers' location-based capacity.

3. Capacity By Process

To evaluate the demand of various methods and their capacities while looking for the future growth of each process.

4. Production By Company

Study the historical annual production of Phosphoric Acid (Pharmaceutical Grade) by the leading players and forecast how it will grow in the coming years.

5. Demand by End- Use

Discover which end-user industry (Oral Care, OTC Medication, Personal Care Products, and Other) are creating a market and the forecast for the growth of the Phosphoric Acid (Pharmaceutical Grade) market.

6. Demand by Region

Analyzing the change in demand of Phosphoric Acid (Pharmaceutical Grade) in different regions, i.e., North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa, and South America, that can direct you in mapping the regional demand.

7. Demand by Sales Channel (Direct and Indirect)

Multiple channels are used to sell Phosphoric Acid (Pharmaceutical Grade). Our sales channel will help in analyzing whether distributors and dealers or direct sales make up most of the industry's sales.

8. Demand-Supply Gap

Determine the supply-demand gap to gain information about the trade surplus or deficiency of Phosphoric Acid (Pharmaceutical Grade).

9. Company Share

Figure out what proportion of the market share of Phosphoric Acid (Pharmaceutical Grade) is currently held by leading players across the globe.

10. Country-wise Export

Get details about quantity of Phosphoric Acid (Pharmaceutical Grade) exported by major countries.

11. Country-wise Import

Get details about quantity of Phosphoric Acid (Pharmaceutical Grade) imported by major countries.

For more information about this database visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/q6jjbc

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



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Sage

Atlanta-based partnership, which includes an $80,000 investment and development of new coursework, signifies a commitment to support the changing landscape of a rapidly evolving tech industry

ATLANTA, April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sage, the leader in accounting, financial, HR, and payroll technology for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), has announced a new partnership with Morehouse College, the nations only historically Black liberal arts institution dedicated to educating and developing men. The partnership will expand Morehouses software engineering program, providing students of color with more opportunities to use and study emerging technologies and learn first-hand how advancements in the tech ecosystem are impacting businesses and producing new career paths. Sage experts will help to design and teach a series of new software engineering courses at Morehouse, as well as mentor and employ students as interns. The partnership was launched during an event at Morehouse College featuring top leaders from both organizations.



The aim of the partnership between Sage and Morehouse is to develop a more diverse technology industry talent pool that provides underrepresented communities with increased access to training and lucrative careers. Sage will also work in partnership with the Morehouse-based Center for Broadening Participation in Computing, an academic and industry collaborative dedicated to making the tech ecosystem a more just, innovative, and equitable space.

Students at Morehouse College and the Atlanta University Center, which includes Clark Atlanta University and Spellman University as members, will be able to enroll in the new Sage-sponsored software engineering classes starting August 2023.

"We are excited about the opportunity to work with Sage as partners in the EngageComputing program and appreciate the companys $80,000 investment in tech education at Morehouse, said Kinnis Gosha, Ph.D., the Hortenius I. Chenault Endowed Professor of Computer Science and the executive director and chief research officer of the national Center for Broadening Participation in Computing. There is a delta between what is normally taught at a traditional undergraduate and graduate program and where the industry is going. The importance of a partnership like the one Morehouse now has with Sage is it allows us to shrink that delta so that computer science students are more connected to what is needed from them. If they never see it, the learning curve gets steeper. This partnership will help us to bring emerging technologies, emerging challenges, and emerging opportunities to a diverse group of students and support them in their education and ability to compete for jobs.

Story continues

Breaking down barriers to diversity in the technology sector

According to a recent study by Kapor Center, a leading organization focused on addressing racial inequity in the technology sector, from 2014 to 2021, the tech industry produced only a 1% increase in Black representation within technical roles in large tech companies. In addition, despite comprising 13% of the labor force, Black talent now represents just 4.4% of board roles, 3.7% of those in technical roles, and just 4.0% of those in executive leadership in the tech sector. The report also noted Black students continue to be affected by unequal educational structures, policies, and practices in both traditional higher education institutions and non-traditional pathways such as tech bootcamps and apprenticeships.

Sage leaders believe it is imperative to address these challenges within various higher education institutions, including four-year colleges, HBCUs, and two-year colleges, to foster a more diverse talent pool in the technology industry. As part of the partnership with Morehouse, Sage will support faculty development, introduce students to career opportunities within the company, and co-teach two courses in the Fall 2023 Semester and two in the Spring 2024 Semester. The classes will be offered in-person, online, and through a hybrid model.

"At Sage, we take pride in our position as a technology leader in the Atlanta area, said Aziz Benmalek, President of Sage North America. However, we acknowledge the diversity challenges within our industry and are committed to breaking down barriers that currently exist. It is crucial for our tech workforce to reflect the diverse stakeholders we serve, as this leads to more innovative solutions for our customers and partners. We are honored to partner with such a prestigious institution as Morehouse College and were eager to support the next generation of tech leaders."

Morehouse College President David A. Thomas, Ph.D., said the alliance with Sage aligns with the Colleges focus on improving diversity, inclusion, and equity across disciplines and its work to seek partnerships of purpose with industry leaders. What we have decided very intentionally here at Morehouse is while lots of companies are knocking on our door, we are going to choose wisely and engage with those companies that are not just here to seek an employee but are also here to invest in Morehouse to build our capabilities and enrich our students experience. This partnership with Sage will help Morehouse to continue its legacy of leadership, innovation, and social justice in the technology industry.

About Sage

Sage exists to knock down barriers so everyone can thrive, starting with the millions of small- and mid-sized businesses served by us, our partners, and accountants. Customers trust our finance, HR, and payroll software to help business flow. By digitizing business processes and relationships with customers, suppliers, employees, banks and governments, our digital network connects SMBs, removing friction and delivering insights. Knocking down barriers also means we use our time, technology, and experience to tackle digital inequality, economic inequality, and the climate crisis. Learn more at www.sage.com/en-us/.

About Morehouse College

Morehouse College is the largest mens college in the United States and the only college with a mission to educate Black men. A private, liberal arts institution founded in 1867, Morehouse is the nation's top producer of Black men who go on to receive doctorates, the top producer of Rhodes Scholars among HBCUs, and was named to the list of U.S. institutions that produced the most Fulbright Scholars in 2019-2020. Morehouse has the top-rated core curriculum of any HBCU nationwide, according to the American Council of Trustees and Alumni, and Academic Influence named Morehouse one of the two most influential HBCUs of the 21stcentury. Morehouse is one of the top five HBCUs nationally, according to U.S. News and World Report, which also ranked the College among the top 20 liberal arts colleges nationally in terms of social mobility and the top 50 nationally in terms of innovation. Morehouse is the #1 producer of Black male graduates in Georgia in biology, business, engineering, English, foreign languages, history, mathematics, performing arts, philosophy, physical sciences, religion, and visual arts, according to Diverse Issues in Higher Education. As the epicenter for thought leadership on civil rights, Morehouse is committed to helping the nation address the inequities caused by institutional racism, which has created social and economic disparities for people of African descent. Prominent Morehouse alumni include: Martin Luther King Jr., Nobel Peace Prize Laureate; Dr. David Satcher, former U.S. Surgeon General; Shelton "Spike" Lee, Academy Award-winning American filmmaker; Maynard H. Jackson, the first African American mayor of Atlanta; Jeh Johnson, former U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security; Louis W. Sullivan, former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services; Bakari Sellers, attorney and CNN political analyst; Randall Woodfin, elected as the youngest mayor of Birmingham in 120 years; and U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock, Georgias first Black U.S. senator from Georgia. For more information, please visit: https://morehouse.edu.

Media Contacts

Mara Maddox

US Public Relations Manager

mara.maddox@sage.com

Axicom

Sageusteam@axicom.com






SPHERICAL INSIGHTS LLP

The Global Surgical Robots Market Size was valued at USD 4.6 Billion in 2021 and the worldwide surgical robots market size is expected to reach USD 18.4 Billion by 2030, according to a research report published by Spherical Insights & Consulting. Companies Covered: Stryker Corporation, Medrobotics, Smith & Nephew, Trans Enterix Surgical, Inc, Renishaw plc, Intuitive Surgical, Inc, Medtronic, THINK Surgical, Inc, Zimmer Biomet and among others.

New York, United States , April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Global Surgical Robots Market Size is to grow from USD 4.6 billion in 2021 to USD 18.4 billion by 2030, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 20.1% during the forecast period. Increasing number of tissue damaged cases around the world is anticipated to drive the growth of the global surgical robots market.

Global Economy: Recession Risk Rising Analysis and Russia-Ukraine Conflict War Impact we have added in the final premium report.

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Surgical robots are mainly used for minimally invasive procedures conducted through small incisions. Moreover, many traditional open surgical procedures can be performed using surgical robots. Surgeries conducted with surgical robots in anatomical areas are exceedingly challenging for human surgeons to operate on to achieve accuracy in procedures. Surgical robots are designed to address the difficulties of invasive surgeries and are employed to improve the results of open surgical procedures. For different areas such as cardiovascular, orthopedics, neurosurgery, general surgery, gynecology, and obstetrics, even in anatomical areas that are difficult to reach by human surgeons Robotic surgery is employed. A surgeon can operate surgical robots from the comfort of their workplace using artificial arms that are equipped with surgical equipment and a camera arm that captures a magnified, high-definition 3-D image of the operative site. In the surgical robot, the key drivers include are increasing need for automation in the healthcare industry and the shifting trend towards advanced robotic surgeries which may boost the market growth.

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COVID 19 Impact

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted multiple layers of society, such as frontline workers & particularly those in direct connection with patients exposed to major risks. Medical Services have been primarily restricted, including the cancellation of elective surgeries, to fight pathogens spread and protect healthcare workers and patients. This factor poses a considerable burden for patients and immense economic loss for several hospitals. Utilizing the robot as a shielding layer separates the healthcare workers and the patient in an important till to fight the pathogen's fear and surgical volume maintenance. Compared to 2019 due to the covid 19 pandemic, there was a remarkable reduction in robot adoption has been noticed in 2020. This can be allocated to the decrease in surgical procedures and the shortage of manpower in manufacturing facilities. Moreover, the supply chain has been negatively impacted by the lockdown and shut down the major markets around the globe which would restrict the production of surgical robots in 2020.

Browse key industry insights spread across 200 pages with 105 market data tables and figures & charts from the report on the  Global Surgical Robots Market Size , Share, and COVID-19 Impact Analysis, By Application (General Surgery, Gynaecological Surgery, Orthopaedic Surgery, Neurosurgery), By Product & Service Type (Instrument & Accessories, Robotic Systems, Services), By End Users (Hospital, Clinics, Ambulatory Surgery Centres, Others), and By Region (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, Middle East, and Africa), Analysis and Forecast 2021  2030. Get Detailed Report Description Here:

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The neurosurgery segment is dominating the market with the largest market share over the forecast period.

Based on system application, the surgical robots market is bifurcated into General Surgery, Gynaecological Surgery, Orthopaedic Surgery, and Neurosurgery. Among these, neurosurgery is expected to expand the growth of the market due to the utilization of robots in neurosurgery procedures increases and the benefits provided by surgical robots over conventional surgical techniques are projected to accelerate the growth of the segments. Also, The rising incidence of neurological diseases such as strokes, neurodegenerative disease, epilepsy, chronic migraine &others, and also the increasing adoption rate of innovative technologies by surgeons or physicians. Moreover, the improvement in this region has been providing the market-required boost. For example, in February 2021, the FDA 510 (k) clearance for Aesculap, Inc.s announced DIR800 3D digital infrared fluorescence, this innovation is used in neurosurgery to view intraoperative blood flow in the cerebral vascular area including, but not limited to, assessing cerebral aneurysm and vessel branch occlusion, as well as patency.

The hospital segment is dominating the market over the forecast period.

Based on the end users, the surgical robots market is segmented into hospitals, clinics, ambulatory surgery centers, and others. due to the rising healthcare investment in various economies and the hospitals are equipped with advanced surgical robots to improve the quality of care and patient outcomes the hospital segment is expected to hold the majority market share in 2021.

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North America is dominating the market with the largest market share 0f 42.31% during the forecast period

The North America Market is influenced by the market growth of the surgical robots market owing to an increase in the use of automated surgical equipment, through which the United States is developing more next-generation healthcare facilities. Furthermore, the market is expected to be driven by the shortage of healthcare professionals & surgeons as per the patient population in the U.S. Also, the factors which can drive the regional market include, the rising prevalence of chronic diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases in the U.S. Among the major key factors to dominating the market growth of the North America Region is to increase in installed capacity of surgical robots, led by a large end-user base of hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers.

Asia Pacific is anticipated to grow market rapidly during the forecast period due to the rising elderly population market for orthopedic, neurological, and urological disorders which may increase the implementation of robotic surgical procedures.

Competitive Analysis:

The report offers the appropriate analysis of the key organizations/companies involved within the global market along with a comparative evaluation primarily based on their product offering, business overviews, geographic presence, enterprise strategies, segment market share, and SWOT analysis. The report also provides an elaborative analysis focusing on the current news and developments of the companies, which includes product development, innovations, joint ventures, partnerships, mergers & acquisitions, strategic alliances, and others. This allows for the evaluation of the overall competition within the market. Major vendors in the Global Surgical Robots Market include Stryker Corporation, Medrobotics, Smith & Nephew, TransEnterix Surgical, Inc., Renishaw plc., Intuitive Surgical, Inc., Medtronic, THINK Surgical, Inc., Zimmer Biomet, and others.

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Recent Development

On May 2022, in Columbia City, Sterigenics expanded its electron beam facility in Indiana. This facility offers essential E-beam sterilization services to help ensure the safety of medical devices and drug products.

In January 2021, TransEnterix declared the receiving CE mark approval for its Intelligent Surgical Unit that enables machine vision capabilities on the enhance Surgical System. This approval is looking forward to providing enhance laparoscopic programs in Europe, including access to this new technology, thus propelling them to the forefront of surgical innovation through augmented intelligence.

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Polaris Market Research & Consulting LLP

Polaris Market Research has conducted a comprehensive 2023 research study spanning over [+115] pages, revealing that the global terminal tractor market was valued at USD 801.75 Million in 2022. The study predicts that the market will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.5% and is expected to reach USD 1,245.08 Million By 2032. Automated segment is anticipated to grow at rapid pace owing to its numerous advantages including low-environment impact, productivity, and ability to take decision on its own. Some of the top market players are Terberg Special Vehicles, Capacity Trucks, TICO Tractors, AB Volvo, Kalmar, Terminal Investment Corporation, Autocar LLC, Hyster-Yale Group and others.

New York, NY, April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Polaris Market Research has published a new research report titled Terminal Tractor Market Share, Size, Trends, Industry Analysis Report, By Propulsion Type (Diesel, Electric, Hybrid, and CNG); By Type; By Application; By Region; Segment Forecast, 2023 - 2032 in its research database.

According to the latest research analysis, the global terminal tractor market size/share is anticipated to be valued at approximately USD 801.75 Million in 2022 and is projected to hit a revenue of around USD 1,245.08 Million By 2032, at a CAGR of around 4.5% between 2023 and 2032.

What is Terminal Tractor? How Big is Terminal Tractor Market Share?

Overview

A terminal tractor is a semi-tractor designed for the purpose of moving semi-trailers within cargo yards, warehouse facilities, or intermodal facilities. This is similar to how a switcher locomotive is used to position railcars. The terminal tractor market sales are being driven by a combination of factors, including an increased shipment of materials and infrastructure modernization, leading to the adoption of more advanced material handling practices across various industries.

Furthermore, stringent government emissions reduction regulations create opportunities for terminal tractor suppliers to upgrade existing diesel engines to comply with pollution grades and regulations. The rise of e-commerce also provides potential opportunities for terminal tractor manufacturers as businesses seek cost-effective solutions to handle large orders and shorten delivery times. These factors are potentially driving the terminal tractor market size.

Story continues

Request Sample Copy of Terminal Tractor Market Research Report @ https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/terminal-tractor-market/request-for-sample

(The sample of this report is readily available on request. The report sample contains a brief introduction to the research report, a Table of Contents, a Graphical introduction of regional analysis, Top players in the market with their revenue analysis, and our research methodology.)

Our Sample Report Covers:

2032 Updated Report Introduction, Overview, and In-depth industry analysis.

115+ Pages Research Report (Inclusion of Updated Research).

Provide Chapter-wise guidance on Requests.

2023 Updated Regional Analysis with Graphical Representation of Size, Share & Trends

Includes Updated List of tables & figures.

Updated Report Includes Top Market Players with their Business Strategy, Sales Volume, and Revenue Analysis.

Terminal Tractor Market Report Highlights

Diesel segment accounted for the largest market share in 2022 due to a rise in engine upgradation and improvement activities undertaken by major companies.

Automated segment is anticipated to grow at a rapid pace owing to its numerous advantages including low-environment impact, productivity, and ability to take decisions on its own.

The material handling segment held the highest market share in 2022, which is mainly accelerated by an increase in the need and demand for a flexible, transparent supply chain, and modernization in the production process.

North America region dominated the global market in 2022 owing to the presence of robust industrial infrastructure and the high prevalence of online shopping platforms among people.

Some of the Top Manufacturers Are:

Terberg Special Vehicles

Capacity Trucks

TICO Tractors

AB Volvo

Kalmar

Terminal Investment Corporation

Autocar LLC

Hyster-Yale Group

MAFI Transport

REV Group

Konecranes

CVS Ferrari

SANY Group

Kalmar

Hoist Liftruck

To Know More Information on Key Players, Request to Download a PDF Report Brochure: https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/terminal-tractor-market/request-for-sample

Market Dynamics: Prominent Drivers of the Market

Increased productivity, energy saving, and low maintenance drive the demand worldwide

Due to the favorable business conditions and high investments in manufacturing, particularly in emerging economies, there will be an expected terminal tractor market growth during the forecast period. The rise of vehicle manufacturing in Asian countries is also a contributing factor. Additionally, there is a growing awareness among industry users of the benefits of terminal tractors, such as increased productivity, energy savings, and low maintenance, which is driving demand worldwide.

One of the major factors prompting users to switch to electric terminal tractors is the need for continuous fluid and filter changes in terminal diesel tractors. This maintenance requirement is much less frequent in electric terminal tractors, which is leading to increased demand for them and creating growth opportunities for the market.

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Recent Trends Influencing the Market

The rise of e-commerce and the development of new technologies

Orange EV launched its third-generation electric terminal tractor in June 2022; designed to integrate with autonomous controls seamlessly and has enhanced sensing features, an optional IntelliBoom package, and remote diagnostic capabilities. This electric tractor has a top speed of up to 40 Km/h and a 100 kWh battery capacity.

The rise of e-commerce also provides potential opportunities for terminal tractor manufacturers as businesses seek cost-effective solutions to handle large orders and shorten delivery times.

Segmentation Assessment Outlook

In 2022, the diesel segment held the most substantial market share

The diesel segment has the highest terminal tractor market share and is expected to grow due to its power efficiency and affordability. Key companies are enhancing the disadvantages of earlier models, further fueling the growth. The hybrid segment is also expected to grow, thanks to its fuel efficiency, reduced emissions, and high demand for electric equipment in developed countries.

Significant market growth is anticipated for the automated segment

Based on type, the terminal tractor market segmentation is seeing growth in automated and manual segments. The automated segment is driven by the increasing focus on electrification and automation using innovative technology, resulting in higher productivity, lower environmental impact, and cost-efficient operations. On the other hand, the manual segment is popular due to its versatility in various operations and ability to work even if machines are not in perfect condition.

The material handling segment dominated the market in 2022

The material handling segment led the market in 2022, holding a significant share due to its high efficiency in picking and transporting various goods and the demand for modernizing production processes and flexible supply chain and warehouse operations. Meanwhile, the RoRo terminals segment is expected to see significant growth, with its ability to work on slippery surfaces and effectively deliver loads into ferries or other modes of transport. The widespread adoption of RoRo tractors in large port facilities globally due to their comfort, productivity, and ease of handling contributes to this segment's growth.

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(Inquire about a report quote OR available discount offers to the sales team before purchase.)

Terminal Tractor Market: Report Scope

Report Attribute Details Revenue forecast in 2032 USD 1,245.08 Million Market size value in 2023 USD 835.67 Million Expected CAGR Growth 4.5% from 2023  2032 Base Year 2022 Forecast Year 2023  2032 Top Market Players Terberg Special Vehicles, Capacity Trucks, MAFI Transport-Systeme GmbH, TICO Tractors, AB Volvo, Kalmar, Terminal Investment Corporation, Autocar LLC, Hyster-Yale Group Inc., REV Group Inc., Konecranes Oyj, CVS Ferrari S.p.A., SANY Group, Kalmar, and Hoist Liftruck. Segments Covered By Propulsion Type, By Type, By Application, By Region Customization Options Customized purchase options are available to meet any research needs. Explore customized purchase options

Geographic Overview

North America dominated the market in 2022

Terminal tractor market demand in the North America region dominated the terminal tractors market in 2022, holding a significant market share. The growing traffic volume at several terminals in the United States and Canada has contributed to this dominance. Moreover, industry users in the region recognize the long-term benefits of terminal tractors, such as substantial energy savings and low maintenance requirements, which are expected to increase the demand across the region.

On the other hand, Asia Pacific (APAC) registered the highest growth in the global market over the study period. This growth is mainly driven by the high adoption rate of innovative automation technologies and equipment, resulting in increased productivity levels. In APAC, growing trade activities and access to recreation opportunities, coupled with the rapid shift towards e-commerce platforms, are also propelling the growth and demand for terminal tractors in the region.

Browse the Detail Report Terminal Tractor Market Share, Size, Trends, Industry Analysis Report, By Propulsion Type (Diesel, Electric, Hybrid, and CNG); By Type; By Application; By Region; Segment Forecast, 2023 - 2032 with in-depth TOC: https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/terminal-tractor-market

For Additional Information OR Media Enquiry, Please Mail At: sales@polarismarketresearch.com

Recent Development

Cummins revealed its latest EV powertrain, the PowerDrive 8000 system, in December 2021, tailored specifically for terminal tractors to fulfill their duty cycle and power needs. The powertrain can accommodate various vehicle configurations and efficiently handle weights ranging from 80,000 lbs. to 195,000 lbs.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much is the market worth?

Who are the key players that manufacture & distribute tractors in the market?

Which region is expected to have the highest growth over the coming years?

What are the various trends in the market?

What are the prominent growth drivers of the market?

What recent developments are contributing to industry growth?

Polaris Market Research has segmented the terminal tractor market report based on propulsion type, type, application, and region:

By Propulsion Type Outlook

Diesel

Electric

Hybrid

CNG

By Type Outlook

Manual

Automated

By Application Outlook

Material Handling

Logistics & Distribution

RoRo Terminals

Container Terminals

Retail

Others

By Region Outlook

North America (U.S., Canada)

Europe (France, Germany, UK, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Russia)

Asia Pacific (Japan, China, India, Malaysia, Indonesia, South Korea)

Latin America (Brazil, Mexico, Argentina)

Middle East & Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Israel, South Africa)

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About Polaris Market Research

Polaris Market Research is a global market research and consulting company. The company specializes in providing exceptional market intelligence and in-depth business research services for PMRs clientele spread across different enterprises. We at Polaris are obliged to serve PMRs diverse customer base present across the industries of healthcare, technology, semiconductors, and chemicals among various other industries present around the world. We strive to provide PMRs customers with updated information on innovative technologies, high-growth markets, emerging business environments, and the latest business-centric applications, thereby helping them always to make informed decisions and leverage new opportunities. Adept with a highly competent, experienced, and extremely qualified team of experts comprising SMEs, analysts, and consultants, we at Polaris endeavor to deliver value-added business solutions to PMRs customers.



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Dublin, April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMR) Market Outlook In Warehouse Industry" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMR) are expected to account 20% market share in coming 5 years in the total warehouse automation market.

This research study about the global autonomous mobile robots provides pertinent insight and information about the penetration of technology in warehousing industry. The industry is expected to triple its size by the year 2030 and these positive projections point to an industry with tremendous growth potential. The study also highlights an upward market trajectory trend that is being sustained by improvements in technology, demand, and competitiveness among industry players.

Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) have gained popularity among warehouses and logistical companies to improve operational efficiency, speed, precision, and safety. AMRs can understand and navigate their environment independently using sophisticated sensors, artificial intelligence, machine learning and compute for path planning. Equipped with cameras and sensors, AMRs can detect and avoid unexpected obstacles, such as fallen boxes or crowds of people, by adjusting their path and continuing with their task.

The evolution of large companies such as Amazon, Alibaba and other e-commerce giants has largely been driven by the effectiveness and efficiency of their warehousing operations. Warehousing is as old as humanity itself. However, the concept of warehousing gained new meaning as a result of the industrial revolution.

An increase in manufacturing meant that there was an increase in the demand for raw materials and an increase in the production of different goods. Today, Warehousing is a specialized activity. The function of the warehouse has moved from being a simple storage facility to fulfilling other functions such as receiving goods and managing inventory, as a display for commercial buyers, packaging orders, order confirmation and labeling and dispatching them.

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Warehousing for large and small corporations can have a negative impact on operations if best practices are not employed to handle the different functions that define the activity. Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMR) provide the best and cost-effective solutions for companies seeking to eliminate market inefficiencies.

Built with the latest technologies in terms of software and sustainable materials for the hardware, these robots can perform most if not all of the warehousing tasks such as picking and packing, transportation, and inventory management. The inbuilt software allows the robots to use sensors, cameras, and other technology to navigate and perform tasks within a warehouse.

The key industries that are driving the demand for AMRs are e-commerce, manufacturing, logistics and warehousing. It is a move towards increasing customer satisfaction and experience. The faster the customer receives their shipment in the condition ordered, the higher their level of satisfaction.

This move has also led to an increase in the number of technology companies seeking a share of this lucrative market. With an emphasis on aesthetics and functionality, these companies have developed and produced AMRs for every aspect of warehousing and the application of AI is now the leading feature of differentiation.

Competition

The AMR industry is dominated by players both big and small who not only seek to maximize profits but also to produce better products that serve individual customer needs.

A company's competitiveness is thus determined by its organization, size, investments in research and development, its marketing and branding activities, its ability to meet customer needs and its relationship with customers. Competition is an aggressive nature of business with companies seeking to increase their market share and have a positive return on their investment.

Fortunately, this has increased the level of creativity and innovation in the industry, which has led to the development of better robots that can handle multiple warehousing functions.

Some of the leading players in the market include KUKA AG, Amazon Robotics, Fetch Robotics, GreyOrange, and Locus Robotics. These companies are well-established players in the market and have a strong global presence. They are known for their advanced technology, and they are continuously investing in research and development to improve their products and stay ahead of the competition.

The collective investment in warehouse robotics was close to $250 million in 2018 which doubled to reach half a million in 2020, despite of the impact of Covid-19 pandemic. In 2022, the capital invested in warehouse robotics again increased by 2x to reach around $1billion. The mammoth funding in this segment which is doubling every two years signifies that the warehouse robotics holds high growth potential for emerging players.

Other notable players in the market include companies such as ABB, Mobile Industrial Robots, Clearpath Robotics, and Omron Adept Technologies. These companies also have a strong presence across regions, and they are continuously investing in research and development to improve their products and stay competitive in the market. They are also entering into strategic partnerships and collaborations with other companies to expand their presence in the market.

In addition to the established players, the market also has several new and emerging players. These companies are focusing on developing new and advanced AMR technologies to meet the changing demands of the market. They are also entering into strategic partnerships and collaborations with established players to gain a foothold in the market.

Overall, the AMR market in warehousing is highly competitive, with a large number of players operating in the market.

Report Highlights

The AMR market in warehousing is a rapidly growing industry, driven by the increasing demand for automation in warehouse operations and the need for cost-effective and efficient solutions.

North America continues to dominate the market and show strong growth, driven by the increasing adoption of AMR technology in the retail and e-commerce industries

ASEAN is expected to be a key growth market, owing to the boom in the manufacturing and logistics industries and the thrive to adopt of robotics automation to match the GDP growth of around 5%

Germany is early adopter of AMR technology and hence is leading in European market capturing significant market share, few of the attractive markets in Europe are UK, Sweden, and France.

The AMR market in warehousing is highly fragmented, with several stakeholders operating in the market including OEMs, technology players, software and AI companies, mapping and localization providers, system integrators, and service providers

The major factors driving the AMR market in warehousing include the increasing adoption of automation in warehouse operations, the need for cost-effective and efficient solutions, and the growing demand for e-commerce and online retail

The increasing adoption of Industry 4.0, the trend towards the smart factory and the growing trend of connected logistics are also propelling the growth of the market

The high cost of AMR solutions and the lack of standardization in the market are some of the major challenges for growth of AMRs in warehousing

Some of the critical analysis covered in the report are as follows:

Analysis of 60+ OEM brands both leading and emerging players across warehousing robotics ecosystem.

Analyzing the penetration of AMRs in restrictive environment like warehouses and growth potential.

Analysis of various business models including direct OEM sales, System Integration, and Robot-as-a Service (Raas)

Analyzing the current status of automation in warehouse industry, and identifying potential future demand for AMRs till 2030

Analyzing the market penetration of each type robots used in warehouses such as inventory transportation robots, picking robots, sorting robots, collaborative robots, and drones

Identifying OEM strategies and regional market potential for ARMs

Analyzing investment/funding analysis of start-ups and technology providers

Companies Mentioned

6 River Systems - 6RS (Acquired by Shopify)

BALYO

Bionic HIVE

Beum, Inc.

Bluebotics

Brain Corporation

CAJA Robotics

CPM - Durr Group

EiraTech Robotics

EK Automation (Ek Robotics)

Eurotec (Lowpad)

Fetch Robotics (acquired by Zebra Technologies)

Fixposition AG

ForwardX Robotics

FREEDOM ROBOTICS

Geek+

GIDEON Brothers

GreyOrange

Guidance Automation (Matthews International)

Zhejiang Guozi Robotics Co., Ltd.

HAI Robotics

HikRobot (HikVision)

IAM Robotics

IDEALworks GmbH

inVia Robotics

Jaten Robot & Automation Co.,Ltd.

John Bean Technologies (JBT Corporation)

Locus Robotics

Magazino GmbH

MALU Innovation

Matthews Automation Solutions (Matthews International)

Mobile Industrial Robots - MiR (Acquired by Teradyne)

MOV AI

MOVEL AI

Mushiny Intelligent Technology

NeoBotix

NextShift Robotics (acquired by Jasci Software)

OCEANEERING

Omron (Adept Technology)

Oppent

OTTO Motors (Clearpath Robotics)

PAL Robotics

Quicktron (Flashhold)

ROBOMINDS

ROMB Technologies

Scallog

SEEGRID

Shanghai Seer Intelligent Technology Corporation (SEER)

SLAMcore

Syrius Robotics

Tompkins Robotics

Vecna Robotics

Waypoint Robotics (Acquired by Locus Robotics)

Wellwit Robotics

Continental Mobile Robots

Sherpa Mobile Robotics

AgiloX GmbH

Megvii

Myrmex, Inc

Kuka

Milvus Robotics

Robotnik

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/jlr4cz

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Novotech

SINGAPORE, April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Novotech, the leading Asia Pacific centred biotech CRO has commissioned GlobalData to report on the evolving FDA approval processes for biotechs in Asia Pacific, Europe, and US, including typical impediments to success.



The GlobalData report outlines the global approval landscape, pathways to approval, some frequent missteps to avoid, the importance of formulating a robust clinical development program, and what to expect from your CRO to optimize the process for success.

The new report Navigating the FDA Requirements: Capitalize on Regulatory Expertise To Simplify the Complex can be downloaded here.

The report covers:

Global Approval Landscape

Outlining the Process of US FDA Approval

Variation in the Traditional Clinical Pathway

Expedited Approval Designations

Drug Approvals in the United States

Typical Impediments to Regulatory Success

Benefits of Partnership with CROs



The report also notes that the FDA has always placed a high priority on rigorous trial design, however the FDA's definition of what constitutes "rigorous trial design" has evolved over time as new scientific and technological advances have emerged, as well as changes in regulatory requirements and the public health landscape at large.

Increased emphasis on patient-centered outcomes: The FDA places greater emphasis on incorporating patient-centered outcomes into clinical trials, which involves assessing the impact of a treatment on patient-reported symptoms, quality of life, and other aspects that are important to patients. This shift has led to the development of new trial design approaches that focus on patient-reported outcomes, such as patient preference studies and patient-focused drug development.

Use of novel trial designs: The FDA has encouraged the use of novel trial designs that can increase the efficiency and effectiveness of clinical trials. Examples of these include adaptive designs, which allow for modifications of patients allocation in different arms of the trial, depending on interim results (adaptative randomization). This trial design, especially relevant when the primary endpoint can be measured quickly, became especially popular during the Covid pandemic. Platform trials allow for the simultaneous testing of multiple treatments for a given disease. These innovative trial designs present numerous statistical challenges, requiring solid expertise in order to be navigated.

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Advances in data collection and analysis: Advances in technology have led to new methods for data collection and analysis, such as the use of wearable devices and electronic health records. These new data sources have the potential to improve trial design and reduce the burden on study participants associated with traditional trial paradigms. This is seen as a very promising path to speed-up clinical development.

Changes in regulatory requirements: Formal changes in regulatory requirements have also influenced the FDA's definition of rigorous trial design. For example, the FDA has issued guidance on the use of biomarkers in clinical trials, as well as on the collection of safety data in early-phase clinical trials.



Novotech has decades of biotech drug development experience, established site and investigator relationships, access to vast patient populations, and a project management approach focused on problem-solving, ownership, and flexibility.

Consistent investment in advanced training and technology combines to deliver an exceptional full-service biotech CRO solution.

Novotech has recently been recognised with significant CRO awards including the Asia-Pacific Biotech CRO of the Year by Frost & Sullivan, benchmarked as a top 10 CRO among the worlds leading CROs, a finalist in the prestigious Scrip awards, and has just been awarded the Gene & Cell Therapy Excellence Award.

In Asia Pacific Novotech has more than 50 Leading Site Partnership agreements with major medical research institutions that deliver exclusive benefits for sponsors.

Novotech, which has global CRO and regulatory consulting operations, announced at JPMorgan this year that it had acquired EastHORN, a European CRO with clinical, medical, and regulatory expertise in multiple strategically important locations across the continent.

The acquisition is part of Novotechs global expansion program. EastHORN was established in 2004 and has over 250 employees.

The acquisition of EastHORN, means biotech clients can access Novotechs unique and unparalleled suite of early to late-phase CRO services across Europe and the US, with a specialist focus on Asia Pacific where the company has built a reputation for delivering high-quality expedited clinical trials.

About Novotech Novotech-CRO.com

Novotech is the leading Asia Pacific centred biotech CRO with global execution capabilities. Novotech is a clinical CRO with labs, phase I facilities, drug development consulting services and FDA regulatory expertise and has experience in over 5,000 clinical projects, including Phase I to Phase IV clinical trials and bioequivalence studies. Novotech is positioned to serve biotech clients conducting clinical trials in Asia Pacific, the US and Europe. Novotech has over 3,000 staff globally and 33 office locations across the US, Europe and Asia Pacific.

For more information visit https://novotech-cro.com/contact

CONTACT: Media Contact David James communications@novotech-cro.com AU: +61 2 8218 2144 USA: +1 415 951 3228 Asia: +65 3159 3427




VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / April 4, 2023 / Gold Terra Resource Corp. (TSXV:YGT)(Frankfurt:TX0)(OTCQX:YGTFF) ("Gold Terra" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has signed a binding letter of agreement pursuant to which it has granted until April 30, 2023 the exclusivity rights to Midas Minerals Limited (ASX: MM1) ("Midas Minerals") to enter into a definitive option agreement with Gold Terra (the "Definitive Agreement"). The Definitive Agreement, among other things, will provide that Midas Minerals can earn up to an 80% participating interest in two stages for only the "Critical Minerals" (pegmatite hosted lithium, tantalum and tin (LI, TA, SN), Lithium-cesium-tantalum (LCT), and rare earths or other rare earth deposits) contained within the Quyta-Bell and Eastbelt blocks totaling 544.7 square kilometres on the Company's 100% owned Yellowknife property holdings excluding the potential gold belt area.

Chairman and CEO, Gerald Panneton, commented, "We are pleased to partner with Midas Minerals, a company with great expertise on lithium and critical minerals exploration. Our large Yellowknife land holdings have tremendous exploration potential for critical minerals in addition to the prolific abundance of gold that the Yellowknife gold district is known for. The deal allows us to continue with our focus on gold exploration in the gold belt area along the Campbell shear while keeping our exposure to the potential for critical minerals discovery at no cost to Gold Terra until a positive bankable feasibility study is completed. The Lithium prospective area is to the East and completely outside our main gold target, the Campbell Shear Gold corridor. In essence, this is a partnering that is expected to bring value to both companies and their shareholders."

Highlights

Gold Terra is to receive up to C$ 1.2 million over 3 years, 2.20 million shares of Midas, and retain a 1% Gross Revenue Royalty (GRR) after the 51% earn in.

Midas Minerals has exclusivity to earn 51% interest in the first 3 years, and up to another 29% interest over the next following 2 years for up to 80% interest in the Critical Minerals rights over a 544.7 square kilometre portion of the Company's Yellowknife property (YP)

The Yellowknife Lithium Project (YLP) is located East and North in close proximity to Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada.

More than 100 LCT pegmatites are known in the region, including historic references to lithium and tantalum occurrences within the YLP tenure.

Midas Minerals plans to commence exploration at YLP in June 2023 and expects to have initial drill targets identified by August 2023.

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Definitive Option Agreement

To earn a 51% participating interest, over a period that ends on September 30, 2026, Midas Minerals must pay to the Company the sum of $1.2 million in cash, must deliver to the Company approximately $300,000 worth of common shares of Midas Minerals, must incur exploration expenditures of $5.0 million and must grant Gold Terra a 1% gross revenue royalty on the basis of 100% production of Critical Minerals. Midas Minerals may purchase one-half of the 1% gross revenue royalty (in whole but not in part) for the sum of $5.0 million. Out of the foregoing earn-in requirements, Midas Minerals is committed to pay $100,000 in cash (already paid), issue the Midas Minerals common shares for total value of $300,000, and must incur exploration expenditures of $250,000, on or before September 30, 2023, with the remainder of the earn-in requirements being optional.

If Midas Minerals exercises the option to earn a 51% participating interest, then Midas Minerals can elect to earn an additional 29% participating interest by incurring by no later than September 30, 2028, an additional $5.0 million in exploration expenditures. If Midas Minerals does not elect to earn the additional 29% participating interest (after having earned the 51% participating interest), then Midas Minerals must transfer a 2% participating interest to Gold Terra (so that the participating interests between Gold Terra and Midas Minerals will be 51%/49%).

Gold Terra and Midas Minerals will form a Critical Minerals joint venture upon the exercise by Midas Minerals of the first option (to acquire the 51% participating interest).

If Midas Minerals earns the 80% participating interest, the interest of Gold Terra in the Critical Minerals joint venture will be fully carried until the Critical Minerals joint venture has approved a bankable feasibility study for the development of a Critical Minerals project on any part of the Quyta-Bell and Eastbelt Block of Gold Terra's holdings in Yellowknife, NWT.

The execution and delivery of the Definitive Agreement is subject to standard conditions precedent, including without limitation, the receipt by Gold Terra and Midas Minerals of all requisite regulatory and stock exchange approvals and third party consents, approvals and waivers. Additionally, the Definitive Agreement, the joint venture agreement and the gross revenue royalty agreement must be negotiated by the parties and must be mutually acceptable to Gold Terra and Midas Minerals.

Project Area

The Yellowknife Lithium Project (YLP) comprises the two adjoining Quyta-Bell and Eastbelt blocks for a total of 544.7 square kilometres:

Eastbelt - Located 4 kilometres east to 30 kilometres northeast of Yellowknife and totalling approximately 173 square kilometres. The Eastbelt block lies adjacent to the Bluefish hydroelectric power station, and road access is reasonable. The Eastbelt block is also subject to an underlying royalty agreement with Osisko Royalties which has an option to purchase up to a 3% NSR.

Quyta-Bell - Located 30 kilometres to 60 kilometres north of Yellowknife and totalling approximately 371 square kilometres. The Quyta-Bell tenements cover a larger underexplored area with favourable geology for both gold and lithium.

The YLP area is shown in Figure 1 below. Both areas have been covered by detailed airborne magnetics and radiometrics, LiDAR and high-resolution aerial imagery providing a foundation defining initial lithium exploration targets.

Gold Terra Resource Corp, Tuesday, April 4, 2023, Press release picture

Figure 1 - Location Map

Geological Setting and Lithium Mineralization

The Yellowknife LCT pegmatite field is situated in the southern part of the Slave Craton and hosted in metamorphosed turbiditic sediments of the Archean age Burwash Formation (ca. 2650-2661 Ma). A number of granitoid bodies intrude the Burwash including the predominately S-type granites of the 2592-2596 Ma Prosperous Lake plutonic suite. There are at least 15 separate intrusions of the fertile Prosperous Lake suite, six of which occur on or adjacent to the YLP.

A large number of LCT pegmatites have been recorded in the Yellowknife LCT pegmatite field particularly in the south, in areas with better access during the 1940s and 1950s, when demand for tantalum was high. Spodumene is a common constituent of many of the LCT pegmatites.

Spodumene and tantalum pegmatites have been recorded on the Eastbelt section of the YLP at the western extent of the western end of the Cassidy - Big North pegmatite swarm however records are very limited. Odin B (Tom Li) is a spodumene, tantalum pegmatite, Odin A is reported as a tantalum pegmatite. The Prosperous tantalum and Cassidy lithium pegmatite localities have been recorded by the NWT Geoscience showing database, but no records on the mineralogy have been located. The southern extent of Nite pegmatite located on the neighbouring property is within 500m of the YLP boundary. The Nite pegmatite extends for at least 880m and is on average 9m wide in trenching, the pegmatite appears to contain spodumene.

Large pegmatite swarms have been noted in the Quyta-Bell section of the YLP related to Prosperous Lake intrusions however there are no records on the mineralogy of the swarms.

Qualified Person

Joe Campbell, P. Geo., Senior Technical Advisor for Gold Terra, is a Qualified Person within the meaning of NI 43-101 and has reviewed and approved the technical information contained in this news release.

About Gold Terra

The Yellowknife Project (YP) encompasses 800 square kilometers of contiguous land immediately north, south and east of the City of Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories. Through a series of acquisitions, Gold Terra controls one of the six major high-grade gold camps in Canada. Being within 10 kilometers of the City of Yellowknife, the YP project is close to vital infrastructure, including all-season roads, air transportation, service providers, hydro-electric power, and skilled tradespeople. Gold Terra is focusing its exploration activities on the prolific Campbell shear, where 14 million ounces of gold has been produced, and most recently on the CMO property claims immediately south of the past producing Con Mine (1938-2003).

The YP project lies on the prolific Yellowknife greenstone belt, covering nearly 70 kilometers of strike length along the main mineralized shear system that host the former-producing high-grade Con and Giant gold mines. The Company's exploration programs have successfully identified significant zones of gold mineralization and multiple targets that remain to be tested which reinforces the Company's objective of re-establishing Yellowknife as one of the premier gold mining districts in Canada.

About Midas Minerals

Midas Minerals is a junior mineral exploration company with a primary focus on lithium and gold. Midas Minerals' Board and management has a strong track record of delivering value for shareholders through mineral discoveries and mine development and growing microcap explorers into successful ASX100-ASX300 companies. The Company has three projects located in Western Australia, as well as the Greenbush Project in Ontario, Canada. Newington Lithium-Gold Project: located at the north end of the Southern Cross and Westonia greenstone belts, prospective for lithium and gold. Exploration in 2022 has outlined anomalous lithium and LCT indicator elements over at least 20km strike. Weebo Gold Project: Located within the Yandal greenstone belt between the Thunderbox and Bronzewing gold mines, prospective for gold and nickel. Drilling in 2022 intercepted significant gold mineralization on several prospects. Challa Gold, Nickel-Copper-PGE Project: A number of significant PGE and gold-copper exploration targets have been defined and drilling is expected to commence in 2023. Greenbush Lithium Project: located proximal to infrastructure, with little outcrop and no historic drilling. A 15 metre by 30 metre spodumene bearing pegmatite outcrop was discovered in 1955 on the northeast shore of a lake and sampled by the Ontario Geological Survey (OGS) in 1965.

Visit our website at www.goldterracorp.com.

For more information, please contact:

Gerald Panneton, Chairman & CEO

gpanneton@goldterracorp.com

Mara Strazdins, Manager of Investor Relations

Phone: 1-778-897-1590 | 604-689-1749 ext 102

strazdins@goldterracorp.com

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information

Certain statements made and information contained in this news release constitute "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities legislation ("forward-looking information"). Generally, this forward-looking information can, but not always, be identified by use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events, conditions or results "will", "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved" or the negative connotations thereof.

All statements other than statements of historical fact may be forward-looking information. Forward-looking information is necessarily based on estimates and assumptions that are inherently subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. In particular, this news release contains forward-looking information regarding the Company's large Yellowknife land holdings having tremendous potential for critical minerals exploration in addition to the prolific abundance of gold that the Yellowknife gold district is known for, the deal allowing the Company to continue with its focus on gold exploration in the gold belt area along the Campbell shear while keeping the Company's exposure to the potential for critical minerals discovery at not cost to the Company until a positive bankable feasibility study is completed, the deal expected to bring value to both companies and their shareholders; the potential for Midas Minerals to earn a participating interest in the Critical Minerals contained within the Eastern and Northern Parts of the Company's YCG Project; the entering into of the Definitive Agreement being subject to standard conditions precedent; the Definitive Agreement, the joint venture agreement and the gross revenue royalty agreement being subject to negotiation by the parties; and the Company's objective of re-establishing Yellowknife as one of the premier gold mining districts in Canada.

There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as the Company's actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in this forward-looking information as a result of the factors discussed in the "Risk Factors" section in the Company's most recent MD&A and annual information form available under the Company's profile at www.sedar.com.

Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that would cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. The forward-looking information contained in this news release is based on information available to the Company as of the date of this news release. 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. All of the forward-looking information contained in this news release is qualified by these cautionary statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information due to the inherent uncertainty thereof. Except as required under applicable securities legislation and regulations applicable to the Company, the Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update this forward-looking information.

SOURCE: Gold Terra Resource Corp





View source version on accesswire.com:

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Google has already done away with individual desks and free lunches and gym classes for remote workers, but even more cutbacks are on the way to the lavish in-office lifestyle many employees had become accustomed to in recent years, as the company kicks off its big, multiyear efforts to reduce costs.

Ruth Porat, who serves as CFO at Google as well as its parent company, Alphabet, told workers in an email Friday to expect more cuts to employee services and in-office perks, amid the companys larger push to efficiency and optimizing operations. The memos contents were first reported by the Wall Street Journal, and a transcript was reported in full by Insider on Friday.

The biggest measure to save on expenses at Google will be through its workforce reduction plans announced in January affecting 12,000 employees, which are still ongoing in some countries, according to the memo. Most other changes wont be visible to most Googlers, as they largely involve tapping machines for some data processing work and improving the efficiency of servers and data centers. At the same time, the company will continue to invest in research areas it considers important to its future, including artificial intelligence.

But in changes that will be visible to employees, Google is continuing its aggressive rollback of services and in-office perks that until very recently were central to the tech giants appeal to prospective employees. The company will also cut back on some office equipment including staplers and desktop monitors, CNBC reported Monday citing internal company documents separate from Porats email. Google will also eliminate some of its vaunted snack bars and food offerings, and some cafeterias will be closed entirely on days with relatively few people in the office. Timetables and frequency for other employee perks, such as company shuttle services and in-office fitness classes, will be adjusted based on hybrid schedules. Decisions on which facilities to close on what days will be made on a case-by-case basis depending on office attendance.

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A Google spokesperson told Fortune that the company refutes CNBC's report that Google is cutting back on staplers company-wide.

"Staplers and tape continue to be provided to print stations. Any internal messages that claim otherwise are misinformed," the spokesperson said.

In addition to cutting extensive food, transportation, and in-office fitness offerings, Google is also ending its free massage services for employees, according to CNBC, reportedly because these perks were designed before the company began going remote and workers came in five days a week. As part of its layoffs announced in January, 27 in-house massage therapists across multiple California offices were let go, CNBC reported at the time.

It isnt the first step Google has taken to cut costs through its hybrid work arrangement, which the company has been trying to turn into the norm since last year even for employees accustomed to remote work. In February, Google asked staff at some of its Cloud offices to stick to a fixed hybrid schedule so that coworkers could share each others desks on intermittent days.

Google is also cutting back on equipment costs for employees, such as work laptops. While assuring that workers will have what they need to perform their role, the memo said that current devices have longer life spans and can perform better, meaning they do not have to be replaced as often. The memo referred to equipment as a significant expense for a company of our size.

The abrupt shift from lavish in-office perks to virtual terminations that some criticized as insensitive was documented by one former Google employee who was laid off in January and recorded the companys office benefits on her personal TikTok account. The employee, who had previously posted videos detailing Googles creatively designed meeting rooms and themed bars for company happy hours, reported how the day she was laid off began with an ominous text message, followed by her being locked out of her work accounts before her manager finally confirmed her termination virtually.

While the company has not indicated it is planning on more layoffs beyond those announced in January, it has come under fire for perceived cost-cutting in withholding benefits for laid-off employees. Over 100 former employees who were laid off while on maternity or medical leave publicly criticized the company last month for allegedly failing to pay them for the remainder of their contracted time off.

Fridays memo said Google will tap its data analytics arm to understand where efficiency at the company can be improved, comparing the approach to similar measures taken in 2008 during the financial crisis: Just as we did in 2008, well be looking at data to identify other areas of spending that arent as effective as they should be, or that dont scale at our size.

Despite the cutbacks in services, Ryan Lamont, a Google spokesperson, told Fortune that the company intends to remain an industry leader in employee perks.

As weve publicly stated, we have a company goal to make durable savings through improved velocity and efficiency. As part of this, were making some practical changes to help us remain responsible stewards of our resources while continuing to offer industry-leading perks, benefits, and amenities, he said.

Update: This story was updated with a comment from a Google spokesperson refuting claims the company is cutting back on staplers.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com

More from Fortune:
Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacifico, S.A.B. de C.V.

GUADALAJARA, Mexico, April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacifico, S.A.B. de C.V., (NYSE: PAC; BMV: GAP) (the Company or GAP) announces preliminary terminal passenger traffic figures for the month of March 2023, compared with the same period of 2022.



For March 2023, the total number of terminal passengers at GAPs 12 Mexican airports increased by 14.2%, compared to the same period in 2022. Guadalajara, Los Cabos, Puerto Vallarta, and Tijuana presented an increase in passenger traffic of 19.1%, 15.4%, 14.6%, and 8.0% respectively, compared to March 2022. On the other hand, Montego Bay increased by 27.4% and Kingston by 38.1%, compared to 2022.





Domestic Terminal Passengers (in thousands): Airport Mar-22 Mar-23 % Change Jan - Mar 22 Jan - Mar 23 % Change Guadalajara 887.6 1,054.0 18.7% 2,360.4 2,958.8 25.4% Tijuana* 665.6 716.7 7.7% 1,820.9 2,066.4 13.5% Los Cabos 185.3 236.5 27.6% 512.8 670.6 30.8% Puerto Vallarta 191.9 230.0 19.9% 498.8 639.7 28.2% Montego Bay 0.0 0.0 N/A 0.0 0.0 N/A Guanajuato 139.1 175.6 26.2% 382.3 507.3 32.7% Hermosillo 150.5 174.5 16.0% 383.2 474.0 23.7% Kingston 0.1 0.1 46.6% 0.2 0.2 11.2% Mexicali 101.9 120.7 18.4% 290.2 346.6 19.4% Morelia 49.6 63.7 28.5% 147.6 186.8 26.6% La Paz 91.2 79.9 (12.3%) 238.2 226.6 (4.9%) Aguascalientes 61.4 51.4 (16.3%) 158.0 150.6 (4.6%) Los Mochis 35.5 32.2 (9.3%) 96.1 94.3 (1.8%) Manzanillo 8.4 9.4 12.0% 24.0 27.1 12.9% Total 2,568.1 2,944.7 14.7% 6,912.7 8,348.9 20.8% International Terminal Passengers (in thousands): Airport Mar-22 Mar-23 % Change Jan - Mar 22 Jan - Mar 23 % Change Guadalajara 331.8 397.9 19.9% 969.9 1,216.1 25.4% Tijuana* 320.2 348.5 8.8% 923.2 1,047.6 13.5% Los Cabos 463.9 512.4 10.5% 1,124.8 1,381.2 22.8% Puerto Vallarta 433.0 486.1 12.3% 1,061.0 1,378.1 29.9% Montego Bay 385.8 491.3 27.4% 928.1 1,351.0 45.6% Guanajuato 58.2 69.8 20.0% 175.5 207.4 18.2% Hermosillo 6.4 6.8 6.4% 18.6 19.1 2.5% Kingston 98.5 136.0 38.1% 268.3 394.1 46.9% Mexicali 0.5 0.6 23.7% 1.2 1.5 29.2% Morelia 37.3 49.4 32.4% 116.3 151.5 30.3% La Paz 2.8 1.4 (48.5%) 7.5 3.7 (50.7%) Aguascalientes 14.7 20.2 37.6% 47.1 60.2 27.7% Los Mochis 0.6 0.6 (2.6%) 1.7 1.8 1.2% Manzanillo 8.7 11.0 26.4% 25.6 30.8 20.0% Total 2,162.3 2,532.1 17.1% 5,668.9 7,244.1 27.8% Total Terminal Passengers (in thousands): Airport Mar-22 Mar-23 % Change Jan - Mar 22 Jan - Mar 23 % Change Guadalajara 1,219.4 1,451.9 19.1% 3,330.3 4,174.9 25.4% Tijuana* 985.9 1,065.2 8.0% 2,744.1 3,114.0 13.5% Los Cabos 649.2 748.9 15.4% 1,637.6 2,051.8 25.3% Puerto Vallarta 624.8 716.1 14.6% 1,559.8 2,017.8 29.4% Montego Bay 385.8 491.3 27.4% 928.1 1,351.0 45.6% Guanajuato 197.3 245.4 24.4% 557.9 714.7 28.1% Hermosillo 156.9 181.3 15.6% 401.8 493.1 22.7% Kingston 98.5 136.0 38.1% 268.4 394.3 46.9% Mexicali 102.5 121.3 18.4% 291.4 348.1 19.5% Morelia 86.9 113.1 30.2% 263.9 338.3 28.2% La Paz 94.0 81.4 (13.4%) 245.6 230.3 (6.3%) Aguascalientes 76.1 71.6 (5.9%) 205.1 210.8 2.8% Los Mochis 36.2 32.9 (9.2%) 97.8 96.1 (1.8%) Manzanillo 17.1 20.4 19.3% 49.6 57.9 16.6% Total 4,730.4 5,476.9 15.8% 12,581.5 15,593.0 23.9% *Passengers in Tijuana who use CBX in both directions are classified as international. CBX users (in thousands): Airport Mar-22 Mar-23 % Change Jan - Mar 22 Jan - Mar 23 % Change Tijuana 317.7 345.3 8.7% 917.4 1,039.4 13.3%

Highlights for the month:



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Seats and load factors: The number of seats available during March 2023 increased by 17.3%, compared to March 2022; load factors for the month went from 80.6% in March 2022 to 79.7% in March 2023.

COMPANY DESCRIPTION

Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacifico, S.A.B. de C.V. (GAP) operates 12 airports throughout Mexico s Pacific region, including the major cities of Guadalajara and Tijuana, the four tourist destinations of Puerto Vallarta, Los Cabos, La Paz and Manzanillo, and six other mid-sized cities: Hermosillo, Guanajuato, Morelia, Aguascalientes, Mexicali and Los Mochis. In February 2006, GAPs shares were listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol PAC and on the Mexican Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol GAP. In April 2015, GAP acquired 100% of Desarrollo de Concessioner Aeroportuarias, S.L., which owns a majority stake in MBJ Airports Limited, a company operating Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay, Jamaica. In October 2018, GAP entered into a concession agreement for the Norman Manley International Airport operation in Kingston, Jamaica, and took control of the operation in October 2019.



This press release may contain forward-looking statements. These statements are statements that are not historical facts and are based on managements current view and estimates of future economic circumstances, industry conditions, company performance and financial results. The words anticipates, believes, estimates, expects, plans and similar expressions, as they relate to the company, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Statements regarding the declaration or payment of dividends, the implementation of principal operating and financing strategies and capital expenditure plans, the direction of future operations and the factors or trends affecting financial condition, liquidity or results of operations are examples of forward-looking statements. Such statements reflect the current views of management and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties. There is no guarantee that the expected events, trends or results will actually occur. The statements are based on many assumptions and factors, including general economic and market conditions, industry conditions, and operating factors. Any changes in such assumptions or factors could cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations.

In accordance with Section 806 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and Article 42 of the Ley del Mercado de Valores, GAP has implemented a whistleblower program, which allows complainants to anonymously and confidentially report suspected activities that June involve criminal conduct or violations. The telephone number in Mexico, facilitated by a third party responsible for collecting these complaints, is 01 800 563 00 47. The website is www.lineadedenuncia.com/gap. GAPs Audit Committee will be notified of all complaints for immediate investigation.

Alejandra Soto, Investor Relations and Social Responsibility Officer asoto@aeropuertosgap.com.mx Gisela Murillo, Investor Relations gmurillo@aeropuertosgap.com.mx/+52 33 3880 1100 ext. 20294








Hapi Homes

Set to be Delivered in April, 2023, The Foldable Modular Homes Will House Local City Workers and Their Families Displaced by War

Hapi Homes - The Heuston - Interior

A rendering of The Heuston, one of ten 420-square-foot 2-bedroom prefabricated "tiny homes" donated by Hapi Homes, scheduled to be delivered this April to Odesa, Ukraine. The homes will house local city workers and their families displaced by the war.

Hapi Homes - The Heuston - Exterior

Each energy-efficient, prefabricated home includes a kitchenette, living room, dining area, two bedrooms, and a private bathroom. Each unit will be delivered fully furnished and is outfitted with heating and air conditioning, aluminum alloy double doors, double-layered tempered glass windows, and wood fiberboard flooring throughout.

E2.2





NEW YORK, April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Hapi Homes LLC, a provider of prefabricated tiny homes, is pleased to announce it has donated 10 two-bedroom homes to the Ukrainian Red Cross and the City of Odesa, Ukraine. The fully furnished homeswhich will house local city workers and their families displaced by the warare expected to be delivered this April, offering comfort and relief to workers and their families while allowing them to continue with the essential services they offer daily.

This generous donation confirms the solidarity and support of Hapi Homes with the Ukrainian people, and allows us to provide comfort, relief and dignity to our citys newcomers, as well as those who need helpdoctors, nurses, teachers, engineers and builderswho have worked tirelessly to serve the Ukrainian people and the citizens of Odesa during this difficult time. We look forward to continuing this relationship with Hapi Homes as we work towards rebuilding our city, and the lives of our citizens, said Gennadiy Trukhanov, Mayor of Odesa.

Each energy-efficient, prefabricated two-bedroom home features 420 square feet (39 m2) of living space, including a kitchenette, living room, dining area, two bedrooms, and a private bathroom. Each unit will be delivered fully furnished and is outfitted with heating and air conditioning, aluminum alloy double doors, double-layered tempered glass windows, and wood fiberboard flooring throughout. The 10 homes donated represent a value of more than $700,000.

With some 8+ million Ukrainians displaced by the war, the ability to provide safe and adequate housing to those in need has been a major challenge. The main goal of the activities of the Odesa Regional Branch of the Ukrainian Red Cross Society is to prevent and alleviate human suffering during armed conflicts, disasters, and accidents, to provide assistance to health care authorities, and to assist local authorities in their activities in the humanitarian sphere. Support from the Hapi Homes team makes an immense difference to the lives of families who will be offered this accommodation, said Yevhen Zharikov, Head of the Odesa Regional Branch of the Red Cross Society of Ukraine.

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The prefabricated homes are prebuilt and folded by Hapi Homes and assembled on-site. Each home is plug-and-play, and will be assembled in less than 8 hours. The homes will be located on a 2.4-acre site that the city hopes will ultimately house more than 70 homes. Hapi Homes is working to donate additional units in the near future and remains committed to helping Ukraine rebuild temporary and permanent housing solutions for years to come. The Company has the capacity and the experience in building thousands of these homes on a monthly basis and continues to work closely with the City Council of Odesa to maximize the support offered.

These homes will allow the City of Odessa to continue to provide the critical services needed to sustain day-to-day operations and healthcare and educational services to residents, said Jonathan Ho, Co-founder and Head of Innovation at Hapi Homes. We are thrilled to see our patented foldable homes, which are delivered and assembled on-site, be deployed in such a meaningful and impactful way. We look forward to this initiative being the first of many in Ukraine, and we are grateful for the support provided by Mayor Trukhanov and the Odesa Regional Branch of the Red Cross Society of Ukraine.

Hapi Homes have developed advanced, patented folding technology. Every home is pre-assembled in the factory, folded, and loaded into a shipping container for transportation. Hapi Homes foldable house features innovative folding technology that compresses a house to a quarter of its expanded volume, allowing for easy and cost-effective transportation and storage, as well as rapid deployment by land or sea.

F2.2





IMAGES: To view and download images of the donated units, please click here (credit: Hapi Homes): https://www.dropbox.com/sh/v8epcqv5yhh8o92/AABEy4znhGmbCzFE6G9H0IJoa?dl=0

About Hapi Homes

Founded in 2020, Hapi Homes produces modern tiny homes and modular housing solutions, offering high-quality, creative, affordable and sustainable housing options worldwide. From custom-built tiny homes built and delivered in just 4-6 weeksto sophisticated modular housing solutions for commercial and residential projectsHapi Homes offers a wide range of options to suit any style and budget. At Hapi Homes, our team of experienced professionals is dedicated to providing exceptional customer service and support throughout the entire process, from design to delivery and installation. Each home is built using the latest technology and materials, ensuring energy efficiency and long-term durability. For more information about our innovative products and services, please visit hapihomes.com.

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/fc64e448-eb15-4f8e-9d79-fc08d6bc0f84

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/947e0069-8c84-40af-a7b1-cd45139198e9

CONTACT: Contact: Greg McGunagle gmcgunagle@transmitterpr.com




LANSING, Mich., April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Jay Rosen, founder, president, and co-chairman of Health Management Associates (HMA), today announced the firm's acquisition of Crestline Advisors, an Arizona based healthcare consulting firm.

(PRNewsfoto/Health Management Associates)

Founded in 2013, Crestline Advisors supports health plans, provider organizations, and state agencies with an array of services designed to help them navigate the changing healthcare landscape. The company's team of independent consultants has an extensive track record of developing successful RFP responses, provider networks, and business development strategies to fuel client success.

"Crestline Advisors brings an impressive mix of expertise and relentless client focus  that delivers results  to HMA," Rosen said. "Their ability to consistently develop winning proposal responses for Medicaid managed care organizations (MCO) complements our extensive MCO supports as we continue to expand the ways in which we serve our clients."

In addition to Crestline's proposal response development and MCO network management and operations support services, the company also assists clients with regulatory and contract compliance, accreditation, and strategic planning for business development.

"Crestline has demonstrated a commitment to supporting health plans, providers, and states to improve healthcare for Medicaid beneficiaries," said Crestline CEO Susan Dess. "We firmly believe that as part of the HMA family of companies we will bring even more success to our clients and drive continued growth and development in Medicaid healthcare delivery."

Dess and Tim Mechlinski will continue to lead Crestline Advisors, an HMA Company, as managing directors. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

About HMA

Founded in 1985, HMA is an independent, national research and consulting firm specializing in publicly funded healthcare and human services policy, programs, financing, and evaluation. Clients include government, public and private providers, health systems, health plans, community-based organizations, institutional investors, foundations, and associations. With offices in more than 20 locations across the country and over 500 multidisciplinary consultants coast to coast, HMA's expertise, services, and team are always within client reach. Learn more about HMA at healthmanagement.com, or on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Story continues

About Crestline Advisors

Established in 2013, Crestline Advisors, LLC is a consulting company designed to support the needs of health plans, provider organizations, and state agencies. Crestline specializes in helping large and small organizations operate successfully and grow despite the constant operational, financial, and political challenges they face. Crestline uses its current understanding of industry drivers to strategize with our clients so they can respond timely and effectively to small, large, or enormous market-place changes. Learn more about Crestline Advisors at crestlineadvisors.com.

Cision

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SOURCE Health Management Associates
Vantage Market Research, The North Star for the Working World

WASHINGTON, April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Global Healthcare Cybersecurity Market is valued at USD 11.17 Billion in 2021 and is projected to reach a value of USD 15.25 Billion by 2028 at a CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) of 18.1% over the forecast period 2022-2028.

Market Overview

The healthcare cybersecurity market refers to the use of technology and services to protect sensitive patient information, electronic health records (EHRs), and other healthcare data from unauthorized access, theft, and breaches. As healthcare providers increasingly rely on technology to store and manage patient information, the need for robust cybersecurity solutions has become critical.

The healthcare cybersecurity market is growing at a rapid pace due to the increasing number of cyber-attacks on healthcare organizations. These attacks can have a devastating impact on healthcare organizations, as they can lead to the loss of sensitive patient data, the disruption of healthcare services, and financial losses.

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Market Dynamics

The healthcare cybersecurity market is a complex and ever-changing landscape. The market is driven by a number of factors, including the increasing use of electronic health records (EHRs), the increasing use of connected medical devices, and the increasing sophistication of cyber-attacks.

The healthcare sector is a prime target for cyber-attacks due to the sensitive nature of the data that it stores. EHRs contain a wealth of personal information about patients, including their names, addresses, Social Security numbers, and medical conditions. This information is valuable to cyber-criminals, who can use it to commit identity theft, fraud, and other crimes.

Connected medical devices are also a target for cyber-attacks. These devices are often connected to the internet, which makes them vulnerable to attack. Cyber-criminals can use these devices to steal patient data, to disrupt healthcare services, or even to harm patients.

Story continues

The healthcare cybersecurity market is also being driven by the increasing sophistication of cyber-attacks. Cyber-attacks are becoming more sophisticated and more difficult to defend against. Cyber-attackers are using a variety of techniques to attack healthcare organizations, including phishing attacks, malware attacks, and denial-of-service attacks.

Top Players in the Global Healthcare Cybersecurity Market

Cisco Systems Inc. (US)

Kaspersky Labs Inc (Russia)

Broadcom Inc. (US)

IBM Corporation (US)

McAfee Inc. (US).





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Key Challenges Facing the Healthcare Cybersecurity Market:

The increasing sophistication of cyber-attacks.

The lack of skilled cybersecurity professionals in the healthcare sector.

The complex and ever-changing nature of the healthcare industry.

The high cost of cybersecurity solutions.

Key Opportunities in the Healthcare Cybersecurity Market:

The growing demand for healthcare cybersecurity solutions.

The increasing investment in cybersecurity by healthcare organizations.

The growing awareness of the importance of cybersecurity in the healthcare sector.

The development of new and innovative cybersecurity solutions.

Top Report Findings

The global healthcare cybersecurity market size was valued at USD 11.17 Billion in 2021 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 18.1 % from 2022 to 2028.

The healthcare cybersecurity market is growing rapidly, driven by the increasing use of electronic health records (EHRs) and connected medical devices.

The healthcare sector is a prime target for cyber-attacks, as it stores a wealth of sensitive patient data.

Cyber-attacks on healthcare organizations can have a devastating impact, leading to the loss of patient data, the disruption of healthcare services, and financial losses.

Healthcare organizations need to take steps to protect themselves from cyber-attacks, such as implementing strong security measures, training employees on cybersecurity best practices, and conducting regular security audits.





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Top Trends in Healthcare Cybersecurity Market

Increased focus on risk management: Healthcare organizations are increasingly adopting a risk-based approach to cybersecurity, focusing on identifying and mitigating potential threats and vulnerabilities.

Adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML): AI and ML are being used to enhance cybersecurity in healthcare by detecting and preventing cyber threats in real-time, as well as automating routine security tasks.

Rise of blockchain technology: Blockchain technology is being explored as a potential solution for secure data sharing in healthcare, with the potential to prevent data breaches and protect patient privacy.

Cybersecurity as a service: Many healthcare organizations are opting for cybersecurity as a service (CSaaS) solutions, which provide outsourced cybersecurity services and support, reducing the burden on in-house IT staff.

Employee cybersecurity training: Healthcare organizations are increasingly recognizing the importance of employee training in preventing cybersecurity incidents, including training on phishing awareness and other social engineering tactics.

Increased collaboration between healthcare and cybersecurity professionals: Collaboration between healthcare and cybersecurity professionals is increasing, with cybersecurity experts working alongside healthcare providers to develop effective cybersecurity strategies and solutions.

Growth of cyber insurance: The demand for cyber insurance is increasing in healthcare, with more healthcare organizations opting for cyber insurance policies to protect against financial losses associated with cybersecurity incidents.

Global Healthcare Cybersecurity Market Segmentation

By Solution

Identity and Access Management

Risk and Compliance Management

Antivirus and Antimalwar

DDoS Mitigation

Security Information and Event Management

Intrusion Detection System/ Intrusion Prevention System

Others





By Threat

Malware

DDoS

Advanced Persistent Threat

Spyware

Lost or Stolen Devices

Others

By End User

Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology

Health Insurance

Hospitals,

Other

By Region

North America

Europe

Asia Pacific

Latin America

Middle East & Africa





Browse market data Tables and Figures spread through 156 Pages and in-depth TOC on Healthcare Cybersecurity Market Forecast Report (2022-2028).

Scope of the Report:

Report Attributes Details Market Size in 2021 USD 11.17 Billion Revenue Forecast by 2028 USD 15.25 Billion CAGR 18.1% from 2022 to 2028 Base Year 2021 Forecast Year 2022 to 2028 Key Players Cisco Systems Inc., IBM Corporation, Kaspersky Labs Inc, Broadcom Inc., McAfee Inc. Customization Options If our report does not include the information you are searching for, you may contact us to have a report tailored to your specific business needs https://www.vantagemarketresearch.com/healthcare-cybersecurity-market-1291/request-sample

Read Full Report with TOC @ https://www.vantagemarketresearch.com/industry-report/healthcare-cybersecurity-market-1291

Key Questions Answered in the Healthcare Cybersecurity Market Report:

What is the current size and expected growth rate of the healthcare cybersecurity market?

What are the key factors driving the growth of the healthcare cybersecurity market?

What are the major challenges facing the healthcare cybersecurity market?

What are the key cybersecurity solutions and services offered in the healthcare cybersecurity market?

What are the major end-users of healthcare cybersecurity solutions?

Which regions are expected to experience the highest growth in the healthcare cybersecurity market?

Who are the major players in the healthcare cybersecurity market, and what are their market shares?

What are the key trends shaping the healthcare cybersecurity market, and how are they likely to evolve in the future?

What are the major regulatory frameworks governing healthcare cybersecurity, and how are they likely to impact the market?

What are the major opportunities for growth and innovation in the healthcare cybersecurity market?

Regional Analysis

North America: North America is expected to be the largest market for healthcare cybersecurity due to the high adoption of digital healthcare solutions in the region. The United States is a major contributor to the market, with healthcare providers and payers investing heavily in cybersecurity solutions to protect patient data. The region is also home to several major players in the healthcare cybersecurity market.

Europe: Europe is expected to be the second-largest market for healthcare cybersecurity due to the increasing adoption of digital healthcare solutions in the region. The region is also subject to several regulations and guidelines related to data privacy and cybersecurity, which are driving the adoption of cybersecurity solutions in healthcare.

Asia-Pacific: The Asia-Pacific region is expected to be the fastest-growing market for healthcare cybersecurity due to the increasing adoption of digital healthcare solutions in countries such as China, India, and Japan. The region is also home to several emerging players in the healthcare cybersecurity market, which are expected to drive innovation and growth in the market.

Latin America: Latin America is expected to experience significant growth in the healthcare cybersecurity market due to increasing investments in healthcare IT infrastructure and the adoption of digital healthcare solutions in the region.

Middle East and Africa: The Middle East and Africa region is also expected to experience significant growth in the healthcare cybersecurity market due to increasing investments in healthcare IT infrastructure and the adoption of digital healthcare solutions. The region is also subject to several regulations related to data privacy and cybersecurity, which are driving the adoption of cybersecurity solutions in healthcare.

Reason to Buy Our Healthcare Cybersecurity Market Report

Our report is comprehensive and up-to-date, providing you with the latest information on the market.

We offer a deep understanding of the market, its drivers, and its challenges.

We provide you with insights into the competitive landscape, helping you identify opportunities and threats.

Our report is based on extensive research, providing you with reliable and accurate information.

We offer a customized report, tailored to your specific needs.





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Medline offers tips to implement gamification into healthcare training

MISSISSAUGA, ON, April 4, 2023 /CNW/ - Medline Canada is using the principles of fun and games to train clinicians on product usage. And it's not just Medline; healthcare facilities, hospitals and medical schools are taking advantage of this by updating their training to include gamification elements  adding game-like components or even some competition  to their modules.

Players don't have to be just traditional students  residents, families, and volunteers are potential players in any gamification learning. (CNW Group/Medline Canada, Corporation)

How Medline Uses Games to Foster Learning

Ruby Hartsell, Senior Director of Clinical & Training Services at Medline Canada, Corporation, says Medline uses gamification when training clinicians on product use. She pointed to a session where participants were taught to wrap a surgical item or tray properly. They then held races between participants to see who could prepare the surgical items the fastest. Then they tried it blindfolded.

"At first, there's a bit of a trepidation and a bit of giggling," said Hartsell, describing the initial feelings around the bit of competition. "What's neat is that they surprise themselves, how well they know their work. It's that brain-hand connection. They do a great job  it's impressive to watch."

The fun competition certainly instills confidence in their work, but Hartsell also points out that those observing the one's racing benefit from critiquing and correcting their peers.

Is It Just for Fun?

While everyone participating in the relay race undoubtedly enjoyed themselves: Are there benefits to gamifying how we learn, beyond engagement? Research says the answer may be yes.

Games have a clear set of rules and, generally, a straightforward way in which a player can gain points or move ahead. By establishing a framework for success and giving students a clear sense of how they can "win," gamifying education can make goal setting easier for students. [1]

Some schools are also on the cutting edge, experimenting with more technology in their classrooms, with grade-school kids now learning to create video games and film videos. [2]

Story continues

As learning is changing in classrooms worldwide, is technology embraced in healthcare? For Hartsell, nothing will beat in-person, practical experience in education, but she says there are benefits to doing things virtually.

"This is a new wave, and we'd better embrace it more," she said. "It's to our advantage to embrace it. There's a lot we can do with and around virtual training."

The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the need to go virtual, which also helped lead to more innovative ideas. A partnership with the University of British Columbia's faculty of medicine and Vancouver's Centre for Digital Media has seen games and apps developed that help medical students train. One of these games sees instructors control virtual patients as medical students use buttons to indicate how they would ask questions of their fictitious patient.

Students pointed out the benefits of this new technology, particularly during the height of the pandemic. However, one plus to the program may be surprising. Students coming from other countries noted that the virtual setting allowed them to learn and navigate the cultural differences in Canada between patients and doctors  something that may have been less comfortable face-to-face. [3]

Moving Forward to a Gamified Future

If you're thinking of implementing gamification into your system, here are some skills that you should keep in mind:

Teamwork to implement gamification on a broad level and to maintain standards.

Technological savvy to leverage the most recent innovations and stay current on how techniques evolve.

Customer-relation skills to help patients or staff understand and troubleshoot their applications.

Leadership to set a vision and provide a clear direction for using gamification.

Sales and marketing skills to help healthcare providers seek buy-in for gamification efforts.

Organizational decision-making and goal-setting to build a professional culture that values gamification and seeks innovation.

Players also don't have to be just traditional students  residents, families, and volunteers are potential players in any gamification learning. It may also be worthwhile to think of your current training modules; there may be something you're already doing that is gamified, providing the opportunity to expand or build on that aspect.

As you continue to think about how to innovate healthcare training, Medline continues to do the same, while having a little fun along the way.

Medline Canada, Corporation

Medline is a leading global manufacturer and provider of high-quality medical products and services to the healthcare industry. Our expertise in healthcare solutions throughout the continuum of care, coupled with the scale and agility of our supply chain, allows us to partner with our customers to enhance patient care, improve clinical outcomes, drive effective cost management and provide fast access to quality products.

By applying our CARES values every day in all that we do, Medline Canada is deeply committed to the health and wellbeing of our customers, employees, partners and communities. With more than 550 employees, including 125 dedicated sales and clinical professionals, and eight distribution centres across Canada, we are a trusted partner in delivering the healthcare needs of Canadians from coast-to-coast  Together Improving Care. For more information, visit: www.medline.ca

[1] Lee, J. J. & Hammer, J. "Gamification in Education: What, How, Why Bother?" 2011 Academic Exchange Quarterly, 15(2). 2

[2] Corbett, S. :Learning by playing: Video games in the classroom," September 2010, New York Times. Retrieved from: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/19/magazine/19video-t.html

[3] Hui, V & and Fung, K. "B.C. students use games to level up virtual training for doctors," March 2021, The Thunderbird. Retrieved from: https://thethunderbird.ca/2021/03/11/b-c-students-use-games-to-level-up-virtual-training-for-doctors/

Medline Canada Logo (CNW Group/Medline Canada, Corporation)

SOURCE Medline Canada, Corporation

Cision

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Vantage Market Research, The North Star for the Working World

WASHINGTON, April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Global Healthcare Virtual Assistance Market is valued at USD 415.1 Million in 2021 and is projected to reach a value of USD 3,125.1 Million by 2028 at a CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) of 35.6% over the forecast period 2022-2028.



Market Overview

The growth of the market is attributed to the increasing adoption of virtual assistants in the healthcare industry. Virtual assistants are used for a variety of purposes in the healthcare industry, such as scheduling appointments, providing patient education, and managing chronic conditions.

The market is segmented on the basis of product, technology, end user, and region. Based on product, the market is segmented into chatbots and smart speakers. Chatbots are the most widely used type of virtual assistant in the healthcare industry. Smart speakers are gaining popularity in the healthcare industry due to their convenience and ease of use.

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Market Dynamics

Increasing adoption of virtual assistants in the healthcare industry

Rising demand for personalized healthcare services

Growing need for remote patient monitoring

Increasing prevalence of chronic diseases

Rising demand for cost-effective healthcare solutions



Growth of the market is being challenged

Lack of awareness about virtual assistants

Security and privacy concerns

Lack of integration with existing healthcare systems

High cost of implementation and maintenance

The key recommendations for the players operating in the market:

Focus on developing innovative and user-friendly virtual assistants

Partner with healthcare providers to offer virtual assistant services

Invest in research and development to improve the accuracy and efficiency of virtual assistants

Address the security and privacy concerns of patients and healthcare providers

Integrate virtual assistants with existing healthcare systems

Offer affordable virtual assistant services

Story continues

Top Players in the Global Healthcare Virtual Assistance Market

Nuance Communications Inc.

CodeBaby Corporation

eGain Corporation

Kognito

Microsoft Corporation

MedRespond

CSS Corporation

Next IT Corporation

True Image Interactive Inc.

and Welltok Inc.

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Top Report Findings

Based on technology , the market is segmented into automatic speech recognition, text-to-speech, and text-based. Automatic speech recognition is the most widely used technology in the healthcare virtual assistant market. Text-to-speech is gaining popularity in the healthcare industry due to its convenience and ease of use. Text-based virtual assistants are used for providing information and answering questions.

Based on end user , the market is segmented into healthcare providers, patients, and healthcare payers. Healthcare providers are the largest end user of virtual assistants in the healthcare industry. Patients are the second largest end user of virtual assistants in the healthcare industry. Healthcare payers are the smallest end user of virtual assistants in the healthcare industry.

Based on region, the market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the Rest of the World. North America is the largest market for healthcare virtual assistants. Europe is the second largest market for healthcare virtual assistants. Asia-Pacific is the fastest growing market for healthcare virtual assistants.



Top Trends in Global Healthcare Virtual Assistance Market

Increasing adoption of virtual assistants in the healthcare industry - The healthcare industry is one of the fastest-growing industries in the world. The increasing demand for healthcare services is driving the adoption of virtual assistants in the healthcare industry. Virtual assistants can help healthcare providers to improve the efficiency of their operations and provide better care to patients.

Rising demand for personalized healthcare services - Patients are increasingly demanding personalized healthcare services. Virtual assistants can help healthcare providers to provide personalized healthcare services to patients. Virtual assistants can collect data from patients and use this data to create personalized care plans for patients.

Growing need for remote patient monitoring - Remote patient monitoring is a growing trend in the healthcare industry. Virtual assistants can help healthcare providers to monitor patients remotely. Virtual assistants can collect data from patients and send this data to healthcare providers. This helps healthcare providers to provide better care to patients.

Increasing prevalence of chronic diseases - Chronic diseases are a major health problem in the world. The increasing prevalence of chronic diseases is driving the adoption of virtual assistants in the healthcare industry. Virtual assistants can help patients to manage chronic diseases. Virtual assistants can remind patients to take their medications and provide them with information about their condition.

Rising demand for cost-effective healthcare solutions - The healthcare industry is a costly industry. The rising demand for cost-effective healthcare solutions is driving the adoption of virtual assistants in the healthcare industry. Virtual assistants can help healthcare providers to reduce costs. Virtual assistants can automate tasks and reduce the need for human intervention.

Advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) - Advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) are driving the adoption of virtual assistants in the healthcare industry. AI is used to develop virtual assistants that can understand human language and provide intelligent responses. AI is also used to develop virtual assistants that can learn and adapt to new situations.

Increased focus on patient engagement - Patient engagement is a key focus area for healthcare providers. Virtual assistants can help healthcare providers to engage with patients. Virtual assistants can provide information to patients, answer questions, and resolve issues.

Regulatory support - Governments are supportive of the adoption of virtual assistants in the healthcare industry. Governments are providing regulatory support to the development and use of virtual assistants in the healthcare industry. This is driving the adoption of virtual assistants in the healthcare industry.

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Regional Analysis

North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Rest of the World. North America is the largest market for healthcare virtual assistants, followed by Europe and Asia Pacific. The Rest of the World is expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period.

The growth of the healthcare virtual assistant market in North America is attributed to the increasing adoption of virtual assistants in the healthcare industry. The United States is the largest market for healthcare virtual assistants in North America. The growth of the market in the United States is attributed to the increasing demand for personalized healthcare services, the rising prevalence of chronic diseases, and the growing need for remote patient monitoring.

The growth of the healthcare virtual assistant market in Europe is attributed to the increasing adoption of virtual assistants in the healthcare industry. Germany is the largest market for healthcare virtual assistants in Europe. The growth of the market in Germany is attributed to the increasing demand for personalized healthcare services, the rising prevalence of chronic diseases, and the growing need for remote patient monitoring.

The growth of the healthcare virtual assistant market in Asia Pacific is attributed to the increasing adoption of virtual assistants in the healthcare industry. China is the largest market for healthcare virtual assistants in Asia Pacific. The growth of the market in China is attributed to the increasing demand for personalized healthcare services, the rising prevalence of chronic diseases, and the growing need for remote patient monitoring.

The Rest of the World is expected to grow at the highest CAGR during the forecast period. The growth of the market in the Rest of the World is attributed to the increasing adoption of virtual assistants in the healthcare industry. India is the largest market for healthcare virtual assistants in the Rest of the World.

Browse market data Tables and Figures spread through 183 Pages and in-depth TOC on Healthcare Virtual Assistance Market Forecast Report (2023-2028).

Global Healthcare Virtual Assistance Market Segmentation

Product

Chatbots

Smart Speakers

Technology

Automatic Speech Recognition

Text to Speech

Text-based



End User

Payers

Providers

Others



By Region

North America United States Canada Mexico

Europe Germany UK France Italy Spain Rest of Europe

Asia Pacific China Japan India South Korea South-East Asia Rest of Asia Pacific

Latin America Brazil Argentina Rest of Latin America

Middle East & Africa GCC Countries South Africa Rest of MEA



Read Full Report with TOC @ https://www.vantagemarketresearch.com/industry-report/healthcare-virtual-assistance-market-1256

Scope of the Report:

Report Attributes Details Market Size in 2021 USD 415.1 Million Revenue Forecast by 2028 USD 3,125.1 Million CAGR 35.6% from 2023 to 2028 Base Year 2022 Forecast Year 2023 to 2030 Key Players Nuance Communications, Inc.; CodeBaby Corporation; eGain Corporation; Kognito; Microsoft Corporation; MedRespond; CSS Corporation; Next IT Corporation; True Image Interactive, Inc.; and Welltok, Inc. Customization Request If our report does not include the information you are searching for, you may contact us to have a report tailored to your specific business needs https://www.vantagemarketresearch.com/healthcare-virtual-assistance-market-1256/request-sample

Key Questions Answered in the Healthcare Virtual Assistance Market Report are:

What is the size of the global healthcare virtual assistant market?

What are the key drivers and restraints of the market?

What are the key trends in the market?

What are the key opportunities in the market?

What are the key challenges in the market?

Who are the key players in the market?

What are the key strategies adopted by the players in the market?

What are the key developments in the market?

What are the key regulations in the market?

What are the key opportunities and threats faced by the players in the market?

What are the key recommendations for the players in the market?



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About Vantage Market Research:

We, at Vantage Market Research, provide quantified B2B high quality research on more than 20,000 emerging markets, in turn, helping our clients map out constellation of opportunities for their businesses. We, as a competitive intelligence market research and consulting firm provide end to end solutions to our client enterprises to meet their crucial business objectives. Our clientele base spans across 70% of Global Fortune 500 companies.

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Contact us

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Washington DC 20011-5125

United States Tel: +1 202 380 9727

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(Bloomberg) -- Sanjay Shah, a hedge-fund trader accused of masterminding a $1.9 billion tax fraud, is set to be extradited from Dubai to Denmark to face criminal charges after losing a long battle to stay in the emirate.

Most Read from Bloomberg

A Dubai court rejected an appeal by Shah in a judgment on Monday, which now needs to be submitted to the United Arab Emirates justice minister for a final approval, according to Danish authorities.

We are now a step closer to having the suspect in the dividend tax case come to Denmark and stand before a Danish court, Peter Hummelgaard, the nations justice minister, said in a statement. It shouldnt pay for suspects to try and hide in other countries.

Danish prosecutors have alleged that Shah oversaw the Cum-Ex trading scam involving a global network of bankers, lawyers and agents who earned vast sums of money from Denmarks tax authority by using a loophole on dividend payouts to reap duplicate tax refunds. Shah, who was arrested last June, has consistently maintained his innocence.

The ruling is a further blow to the trader whos been knocked back in a series of legal defeats recently. Shah says he took advantage of tax laws that seemed to allow investors to claim refunds of a tax on dividends that were paid only once. The strategies saw billions of euros siphoned off government revenue. Germany moved to abolish the practice in 2012.

Jack Irvine, Shahs spokesperson, said in a statement that the need for the decision to be confirmed by the UAE justice minister suggests he will not be on the first plane out of Dubai.

Mr. Shah continues to deny that the trades were illegal, he said. I am confident that the truth concerning SKATs dysfunctionality will eventually emerge.

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Denmark and the United Arab Emirates signed an extradition deal in March last year, with Shahs handover being one of the main purposes.

Shah asked his lawyers to apply for an independent panel of Dubai judges to review the ruling, Chris Waters, a lawyer at Meaby & Co, said in an emailed statement on Tuesday. Waters said an application will be made to court and to Dubais justice ministry to stop the extradition until the review decision has been made.

--With assistance from Zainab Fattah.

(Updates with details of Shahs application for a review of the ruling in the final paragraph)

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Automakers are accelerating their electric vehicle (EV) ambitions, but reality is beginning to sink in when it comes to obtaining the raw materials for the millions of EV batteries required to meet those lofty goals. Lithium is a critical part of the batteries that power EVs, however, rising popularity could cause a shortage of lithium in the coming years.

At the Freedom of Mobility Forum, Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares said that there might not be enough lithium to convert the 1.3 billion internal-combustion vehicles into electric vehicles. Despite this claim, the multinational carmaker still expects to meet its 2030 goals, which are in line with the European Unions 2035 ban on fossil fuel-powered cars.

Meanwhile, the Canadian government is predicting that lithium demand will increase by 500% by 2050 due to rising domestic manufacturing and forward-looking transportation policies. However, the region still faces challenges when you consider that lithium production in North America accounted for less than 2% of current global supply while Australia, Chile, and Argentina produced 79% of the world's lithium.

In this situation, if they dont have enough supply, these critical minerals could slow down the energy transition instead of helping it. As a result, the US and Canada are working hard to set up a supply chain for lithium and other important minerals.

Analysts say that after trading at record highs in 2022, the price of lithium will fluctuate throughout 2023 but will stay at levels that support new projects, in the short term at least.

The Government of Canada recently approved the James Bay Lithium Project in Quebec, which contains an estimated 40.3 million tonnes (Mt) of lithium oxide (Li2O) and 37.2Mt of ore reserves, Canada is looking to become credible in the lithium supply battle. Sayona Mining is also planning to reactivate the North American Lithium (NAL) project in Quebec., which hosts a 101.9 million tonne measured and indicated lithium oxide resource.

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Canadian junior exploration company Usha Resources Ltd. (TSXV:USHA) (OTCQB:USHAF) is exploring and advancing early stage high-grade precious and base metal projects across North America. Usha's portfolio of strategic properties already included a nickel-copper-cobalt project in Ontario, a lithium project in Nevada, and a gold-copper project in Arizona. The company also just entered the hard-rock lithium space with the acquisitions of a pair of lithium-tantalum projects in Ontario.

Usha Resources Acquires Two Hard-Rock Lithium Projects in Ontario

Usha Resources is moving quickly into the hard-rock lithium space in Canada following two exciting acquisitions.

Last week Usha Resources announced the acquisition of the White Willow Lithium-Tantalum Property in Ontario's Thunder Bay Mining Division. The project, which is near other lithium projects such as the Seymour Lake Lithium Project, the Georgia Lake pegmatite field, and the Separation Rapids Lithium deposit, represents a "unique and timely opportunity to capitalize on Canada's rapidly growing lithium metal and green energy markets."

The White Willow Lithium-Tantalum Property contains a fertile lithium-cesium-tantalum (LCT) system with two well advanced LCT-pegmatite dikes. The dikes have been the focus of the limited exploratory activity done so far, with samples containing as much as 0.5% Li2O and 14.64% tantalum oxide (Ta2O5) in and near them.

Minimal surface sampling elsewhere on the property has also revealed very abnormal lithium values, with numerous samples assaying over 0.40% Li2O, as well as very anomalous tantalum and cesium values of 3.41% and 3.78% Ta2O5. High-grade tantalite shows the LCT-system of the property's surrounding zones have higher-grade lithium.

Then on April 4, Usha Resources acquired the Nym Property, its second hard-rock lithium property located in the Thunder Bay Mining Division near Atikokan, Ontario.

The Nym Property is contiguous with Ushas White Willow Lithium-Tantalum Project, expanding the existing 712 claim block to a total of 720 claims and adding 170 hectares to the 15,510 hectares already optioned. The Nym Property reportedly hosts 119 prospective pegmatites and is on-trend with the high-grade system at White Willow, giving the Company over 200 prospective lithium-bearing pegmatites between the two properties.

Usha Resources newly acquired Nym Property is underexplored like White Willow, but previous drilling has identified pegmatite intersections up to 40 meters thick and prospecting has confirmed anomalous lithium is present at the surface, suggesting highly fractioned LCT-pegmatites that bear spodumene and other LCT-minerals may be present at Nym.

Usha believes these two acquisitions will be a continuation of the companys strategy to build an accretive portfolio of highly complementary hard-rock assets to its 100%-owned flagship Jackpot Lake Lithium Brine Project in Nevada, where it has just increased its land position threefold and is progressing with its maiden drill program to establish a 43-101 resource..

Nevada Looks to Secure Americas Green Energy Future

At the same time, Nevada is swiftly establishing itself as a key participant in the manufacture of EV battery materials and reaching global climate targets in the US lithium area.

Usha Resources flagship Jackpot Lake Lithium Brine Property is located in Clark County, Nevada, about 35 kilometers northeast of Las Vegas. The 8,714 acres of the drill ready brine project are covered by 442 mineral claims (approximately 35.3 square kilometers). The company has authorized 2,700 meters spread across six holes.

The geology of Jackpot Lake is comparable to that of Albemarle's Silver Peak Nevada Lithium Mine, which has been in operation since 1966 and is the only producing lithium mine in North America. In both cases, sediments from the lithium-rich source rocks around the deposit build up and fill it, with the potential for subsequent evaporation and concentration events to concentrate the lithium brine.

Usha Resources provided an update on its work at the Jackpot Lake Lithium Brine Project, noting that the exploration team has found a high-porosity zone of sand followed by conglomerate beginning at 1,533 feet in the second hole (JP22-2) of its drill program.

Moreover, Usha Resources recently closed a non-brokered private placement for gross proceeds of C$3 million.

Usha Resources is planning a spin-out on April 12 with Formation Metals (FMI). Following the completion of the spin-off and share exchange, each Usha shareholder will receive one common share of FMI for every five USHA shares held on the upcoming share distribution record date.

For more information on Usha Resources Ltd. (TSXV:USHA) (OTCQB:USHAF), please visit this link or the companys website.

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1) The author of the Article, or members of the authors immediate household or family, do not own any securities of the companies set forth in this Article. The author determined which companies would be included in this article based on research and understanding of the sector.

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6) This document contains forward-looking information and forward-looking statements, within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation, (collectively, forward-looking statements), which reflect management's expectations regarding Usha Resources Ltd.s future growth, future business plans and opportunities, expected activities, and other statements about future events, results or performance. Wherever possible, words such as predicts, projects, targets, plans, expects, does not expect, budget, scheduled, estimates, forecasts, anticipate or does not anticipate, believe, intend and similar expressions or statements that certain actions, events or results may, could, would, might or will be taken, occur or be achieved, or the negative or grammatical variation thereof or other variations thereof, or comparable terminology have been used to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements include, among other things, statements relating to: (a) revenue generating potential with respect to Usha Resources Ltd.s industry; (b) market opportunity; (c) Usha Resources Ltd.s business plans and strategies; (d) services that Usha Resources Ltd. intends to offer; (e) Usha Resources Ltd.s milestone projections and targets; (f) Usha Resources Ltd.s expectations regarding receipt of approval for regulatory applications; (g) Usha Resources Ltd.s intentions to expand into other jurisdictions including the timeline expectations relating to those expansion plans; and (h) Usha Resources Ltd.s expectations with regarding its ability to deliver shareholder value. Forward-looking statements are not a guarantee of future performance and are based upon a number of estimates and assumptions of management in light of managements experience and perception of trends, current conditions and expected developments, as well as other factors that management believes to be relevant and reasonable in the circumstances, as of the date of this document including, without limitation, assumptions about: (a) the ability to raise any necessary additional capital on reasonable terms to execute Usha Resources Ltd.s business plan; (b) that general business and economic conditions will not change in a material adverse manner; (c) Usha Resources Ltd.s ability to procure equipment and operating supplies in sufficient quantities and on a timely basis; (d) Usha Resources Ltd.s ability to enter into contractual arrangements with additional Pharmacies; (e) the accuracy of budgeted costs and expenditures; (f) Usha Resources Ltd.s ability to attract and retain skilled personnel; (g) political and regulatory stability; (h) the receipt of governmental, regulatory and third-party approvals, licenses and permits on favorable terms; (i) changes in applicable legislation; (j) stability in financial and capital markets; and (k) expectations regarding the level of disruption to as a result of CV-19. Such forward-looking information involves a variety of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual plans, intentions, activities, results, performance or achievements of Usha Resources Ltd. to be materially different from any future plans, intentions, activities, results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such risks include, without limitation: (a) Usha Resources Ltd.s operations could be adversely affected by possible future government legislation, policies and controls or by changes in applicable laws and regulations; (b) public health crises such as CV-19 may adversely impact Usha Resources Ltd.s business; (c) the volatility of global capital markets; (d) political instability and changes to the regulations governing Usha Resources Ltd.s business operations (e) Usha Resources Ltd. may be unable to implement its growth strategy; and (f) increased competition.

Except as required by law, Usha Resources Ltd. undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future event or otherwise, after the date on which the statements are made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. Neither does Usha Resources Ltd. nor any of its representatives make any representation or warranty, express or implied, as to the accuracy, sufficiency or completeness of the information in this document. Neither Usha Resources Ltd. nor any of its representatives shall have any liability whatsoever, under contract, tort, trust or otherwise, to you or any person resulting from the use of the information in this document by you or any of your representatives or for omissions from the information in this document.

7) Any graphs, tables or other information demonstrating the historical performance or current or historical attributes of Usha Resources Ltd. or any other entity contained in this document are intended only to illustrate historical performance or current or historical attributes of Usha Resources Ltd. or such entities and are not necessarily indicative of future performance of Usha Resources Ltd. or such entities.

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NEW YORK, NY - (NewMediaWire) - April 4, 2023 - The growing demand for STEM education has left many university students seeking additional support, particularly when it comes to challenging subjects like programming. Homework Help Online has become one of the best homework help websites, offering personalized assistance for students in need. This online educational service, which has been operating for 10 years, specializes in helping students with Programming, Statistics, Math, Engineering, Physics, and Economics.

In a recent interview, co-founder Povilas Jakelaitis unveiled the origins of homeworkhelponline.net and its commitment to empowering students. Jakelaitis, who faced challenges in his studies due to both medical issues and subpar educational quality, recognized the absence of personalized support for students in similar situations. He started by assisting his classmates and quickly saw the opportunity for a full-scale business. Joined by a dedicated team of experts, Jakelaitis established Homework Help Online , which has become one of the top programming homework help websites available today.

During this time, HomeworkHelpOnline.net has experienced considerable internal growth, with experts tackling thousands of assignments and amassing a wealth of invaluable knowledge. The company has also dramatically increased its market share, securing its position as a leading resource for students worldwide. Additionally, HomeworkHelpOnline.net has received outstanding reviews on various review platforms, further highlighting its dedication to providing top-quality educational support.

When asked about the role of artificial intelligence in education, Jakelaitis explained that while automation will continue to advance, there will always be students who need assistance. Currently, the experts at HomeworkHelpOnline.net possess the knowledge required to understand students' expectations and are well-equipped to provide the necessary support.

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Homework help service is staffed by a team of experts, including experienced statisticians and professional programmers, who are available 24/7 to provide assistance with STEM-related subjects. The platform is designed to be fast, reliable, and high-quality, with a focus on delivering the best possible results for students. One of the key benefits of homework help service is its speed of delivery. Services are designed to be as fast and efficient as possible, therefore whenever an order is placed, a team of professionals is assigned to complete tasks on priority basis.

HomeworkHelpOnline.net is now available to students worldwide. For more information, visit www.homeworkhelponline.net and discover why it ranks among the best homework help websites for STEM university students.

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Company Receives Honor for Second Straight Year

AUSTIN, Minn., April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Hormel Foods Corporation (NYSE: HRL), a Fortune 500 global branded food company, has been named one of America's Most Trustworthy Companies by Newsweek for a second straight year.

Hormel Foods Corporation (NYSE: HRL), a Fortune 500 global branded food company, has been named one of Americas Most Trustworthy Companies by Newsweek for a second straight year.

"We are honored to be recognized as one of the most trusted companies in America. Building a culture of trust is not a one-time achievement, but a continuous effort," said Jim Snee, chairman of the board, president and chief executive officer of Hormel Foods. "At Hormel Foods, we strive to earn and maintain the trust of our customers and stakeholders every day through our actions and our commitment to transparency, accountability and integrity. Our recognition as one of the most trusted companies in America is a testament to the dedication and hard work of our team members who are the foundation of our success."

Hormel Foods has long been a leader in transparency, sustainability and corporate responsibility, including being named one of America's Most Responsible Companies for a fourth consecutive year by Newsweek, being recognized as one of the World's Top Female-Friendly Companies by Forbes and being recently named one of Barron's 100 Most Sustainable Companies.

Additionally, Hormel Foods has an ambitious set of corporate responsibility goals that it will strive to achieve by 2030 (the 20 By 30 Challenge), an initiative that has already led to significant reductions in packaging, nonrenewable energy use, greenhouse-gas emissions, water use and solid waste sent to landfills. The goals of the 20 By 30 Challenge were based on a robust key-topics-assessment process that identified and prioritized the issues most relevant to the company and its stakeholders.

Newsweek partnered with Statista to compile its annual ranking of America's Most Trustworthy Companies, which analyzed 3,100 publicly traded U.S. corporations with annual revenue over $500 million, across 23 different industries. An independent survey of more than 25,000 U.S. residents was conducted to determine the list of companies that Americans trust the most, ranked by industry.

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To view the full list of America's Most Trusted Companies 2023, visit www.newsweek.com/rankings/most-trustworthy-companies-america-2023.

About Hormel Foods  Inspired People. Inspired Food.

Hormel Foods Corporation, based in Austin, Minn., is a global branded food company with over $12 billion in annual revenue across more than 80 countries worldwide. Its brands include Planters, SKIPPY, SPAM, Hormel Natural Choice, Applegate, Justin's, WHOLLY, Hormel Black Label, Columbus, Jennie-O and more than 30 other beloved brands. The company is a member of the S&P 500 Index and the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats, was named on the "Global 2000 World's Best Employers" list by Forbes magazine for three years, is one of Fortune magazine's most admired companies, has appeared on the "100 Best Corporate Citizens" list by 3BL Media 13 times, and has received numerous other awards and accolades for its corporate responsibility and community service efforts. The company lives by its purpose statement  Inspired People. Inspired Food.  to bring some of the world's most trusted and iconic brands to tables across the globe. For more information, visit www.hormelfoods.com and http://csr.hormelfoods.com/.

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According to CNBC, Huawei Technologies reported its biggest profit decline ever last Friday. The Chinese giant blamed rising commodity prices, Chinas strict pandemic controls, U.S. sanctions. However, it is important to note that comparison to 2021 is somewhat inadequate due to one-off gain related to the sale of its mid-range smartphone business.

2022 Figures

During the earnings call, Eric Xu, rotating chairman, described last year as being shaped with a challenging external environment that continued to take a toll on Huaweis operations.

The Chinese telecommunications giant made a net profit of $5.18 billion in 2022 35.6 billion yuan which translates to a YoY decline of 69% as 2021 profit was helped by the sale of Honor. However, it is still a steep decline even when compared to 2020 which adds up to 44%.

Revenue rose 0.9% to 642.3 billion yuan as the company somewhat stabilized its business following a more than 28% drop in sales in 2021 as U.S. export controls attacked and smashed its once mighty smartphone business. However, this mild growth is still a far cry from 2019s record of 891.3 billion yuan when Huawei was the top Android smartphone vendor globally.

R&D spending rose 13.2% to 161.5 billion yuan ($23.50 billion), which equates to a quarter of total revenue, as Huawei was replacing components in its products that were hit by U.S. trade sanctions. Back in February, founder Ren Zhengfei told a university the company had replaced more than 13,000 parts.

The asset-to-liability ratio was 58.9% and a net cash balance amounted to 176.3 billion yuan.

A Crippled Smartphone Business

Through 2019 and 2020, the U.S. sanctions have cut off the Chinese technology giant from essential technology and components, such as Googles Android operating system and semiconductors. As a result, consumer electronics business tumbled 11.9% to 214.5 billion yuan in 2022, but it is still significantly less sharp compared to 2021s decline.

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In response to sanctions, Huawei launched its own operating system and HarmonyOS is reported to have been installed on 330 million devices at the end of 2022 which translates to a 113% YoY increase of 113%. Unfortunately, adoption outside China didnt happen.

Telecommunications Business

Equipment sold to carries generated a revenue of 284 billion yuan which is a 0.9% YoY increase after dropping compared to 2021. Over the past years, the U.S. has been urging countries over to ban Huawei from their next-generation 5G networks with the U.K. following suit and reportedly Germany considering banning some of its equipment.

Cloud Computing

Huaweis enterprise business that includes some of its cloud computing revenue expanded 30% YoY as it generated revenue of 133.2 billion yuan. This was the first time that Huawei reported figures for the cloud computing business alone that generated an annual revenue of 45.3 billion yuan.

Automotive

Huawei responded to threats by diversifying its business. One move was to embark on the EV train as it joined forces with automaker Seres. Huawei invested $3 billion in theIntelligent Automotive Solutions unit since establishing it in 2019 and it now generated 2.1 billion yuan in annual revenue.

2022 Is The Year Out Of Crisis Mode.

Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou, daughter of the company's founder who was detained for three years in Canada over alleged breach of U.S. sanctions, claimed that Huawei is now back to business as usual. Besides a small increase in revenue, Meng added the company has made significant progress in replacing sanction-affected components.

A Rebirth Of Chinas Chip Industry

Also on Friday, the Chinese telecommunications giant claimed a breakthrough in semiconductor design technology. Eric Xu, rotating chairman, revealed that as a result of a partnership with other domestic firms, Huawei brought to life electronic chip design tools required to make semiconductors sized at 14 nanometers and above.

Chinas domestic chip industry relies heavily on foreign technology so it has made self-reliance a big priority amid the tech battle with the U.S., but it is still lacking companies of the required caliber. for military purposes. Xu is also seeing green development as opportunities as Huawei plans to start rolling out 5.5G products by 2025.

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This article Huawei Claims Breakthrough Despite Profit Decline originally appeared on Benzinga.com

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 2023 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Jiajia Wu Appointed Interim Chief Financial Officer and Pat Griffin to Serve as President of North America

ROCHESTER, N.Y., April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Hyzon Motors Inc. (NASDAQ: HYZN), a global supplier of zero-emission heavy-duty fuel cell electric vehicles, today announced the promotion of two key strategic members on Hyzon's senior leadership team to help the company execute its strategy of developing and manufacturing hydrogen-powered fuel cell systems, and the deployment of fuel cell electric vehicles.

Hyzon Motors Interim CFO Jiajia Wu

Jiajia Wu has been named interim Chief Financial Officer (CFO). As interim CFO, Wu is responsible for overseeing all financial operations, including financial planning and analysis, accounting, and reporting. With nearly 20 years of experience, Wu is a seasoned financial executive with a proven track record leading rapidly growing teams to drive the execution of new, company-wide strategies.

Before joining Hyzon in 2021 as Chief Accounting Officer, Wu served as the Global Director of Cost & Technical Accounting and Reporting at UL Solutions, a global safety science company providing testing, inspection and certification, training, advisory and risk management services, decision-making tools and intelligence in more than 100 countries. Prior to that role, Wu held various positions at EY, a global firm providing assurance, consulting, strategy and transactions, and tax services.

Pat Griffin, formerly President of Vehicle Operations, has been named President of North America and will oversee and manage Hyzon's North America business regions, including full commercial, operational, and financial responsibilities. He will continue leading Hyzon's global engineering, procurement, and operation efforts, and overseeing fuel cell production, U.S.-based vehicle development and production, and U.S. operations.

Griffin has extensive experience working to develop heavy-duty and electric commercial vehicles, as well as driving overall company growth. He has also previously held leadership roles at multiple transport companies, including as CEO at Crane Carrier Company, a leading original equipment manufacturer of vocational trucks and specialty vehicles, and as President of Light Duty Truck & EV Solutions at Fontaine Modification, a key partner for Hyzon as the company moves towards commercialization.

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"I have full confidence in Jiajia and Pat as they step into these roles," said Hyzon Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Parker Meeks. "Jiajia has been instrumental in driving the critical assessment of our financial operations and development of accounting standards and procedures. Pat brings deep engineering expertise, market knowledge, and strong operational leadership, all of which will help accelerate the commercialization of fuel cell electric vehicles in the North America market."

Hyzon has launched a search for permanent CFO with a leading executive recruitment firm, as previously disclosed.

About Hyzon

Hyzon is a global supplier of fuel cell electric mobility, with US operations in the Rochester, Chicago and Detroit areas, and international operations in the Netherlands, Australia, and China. Hyzon is an energy transition accelerator and technology innovator, providing end-to-end solutions in the transport sector with a focus on commercial vehicles and hydrogen supply infrastructure. Utilizing its proven and proprietary hydrogen fuel cell technology, Hyzon's mission is to supply zero-emission heavy duty trucks to customers in North America, Europe and around the world to mitigate emissions from diesel transportation - one of the single largest sources of carbon emissions globally. The Company is contributing to the adoption of fuel cell electric vehicles through its demonstrated technology advantage, fuel cell performance and history of rapid innovation. Visit www.hyzonmotors.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements, other than statements of present or historical fact included in this press release, are forward-looking statements. When used in this press release, the words "aims", "could," "should," "will," "may," "believe," "anticipate," "intend," "estimate," "expect," "project," the negative of such terms and other similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain such identifying words. These forward-looking statements are based on management's current expectations and assumptions about future events and are based on currently available information as to the outcome and timing of future events. Except as otherwise required by applicable law, Hyzon disclaims any duty to update any forward -looking statements, all of which are expressly qualified by the statements in this section, to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this press release. Hyzon cautions you that these forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, most of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond the control of Hyzon, including risks and uncertainties described in the "Risk Factors" section of Hyzon's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021 filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") on March 30, 2022, our Amended Registration Statement on Form S-1 filed with the SEC on April 6, 2021, and other documents filed by Hyzon from time to time with the SEC. These filings identify and address other important risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events and results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Hyzon gives no assurances that Hyzon will achieve its expectations.

Hyzon Motors President of North America Pat Griffin

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INSEAD dean

Francisco Veloso will become dean of INSEAD on Sept. 1

After what it called an extensive and rigorous dean search, INSEAD today named the dean of Imperial College Business School as its new leader. Francisco Veloso will succeed Ilian Mihov, the longest serving dean at INSEAD, on Sept. 1. Mihov is stepping down after completing the maximum two five-year terms, overseeing the leading European business school for the past ten years.

In hiring Veloso, INSEAD will be getting an academic who has already led two business schools. In addition to Imperial, where he has been dean since 2017, Veloso also served as dean of Catolica Lisbon School of Business & Economics in Portugal for five years. With each new appointment, Veloso has climbed the deanship ladder, going to higher-ranked and more resource rich schools. INSEAD, with its multiple campuses in Fontainebleau, Singapore, Abu Dhabi, and San Francisco, boasts more than 166 faculty members from 41 countries and over 1,500 degree participants annually. The Financial Times most recently ranked INSEADs 10-month MBA program the second best in the world behind only Columbia Business School. Imperials MBA was ranked 37th, while the Catolica Lisbon School of Business & Economics was ranked 85th.

I am honoured to have been chosen to take on the important role of Dean at INSEAD and express my gratitude to the faculty and INSEAD Board for placing their trust in me to lead the school into the future, said Veloso in a statement. I am excited to build upon the institutions remarkable success and look forward to taking INSEAD to new heights.

NEW INSEAD DEAN CALLED A LEADING AUTHORITY IN ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND INNOVATION

A leading authority in entrepreneurship and innovation, Veloso is originally from Portugal. He holds a PhD in technology, management and policy from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, as well as an MSc in Technology Management and an undergraduate degree in physics engineering, both from the University of Lisbon. He developed most of his academic career at Carnegie Mellon University, where he retains an adjunct professor appointment.

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During his tenure as dean at Imperial College Business School, Veloso has led the development of a 10-year strategy to bolster the schools position as a prominent leading research business school, recognized for digital innovation as well as teaching and research that address critical challenges facing todays tech-driven businesses and society. Beyond steering Imperial successfully through Covid with a much-celebrated hybrid learning model, with an Online MBA that ranked #2 in the FT last year, he also oversaw the launch of the Online version of the highly popular MS in Business Analytics, and the schools first undergraduate business degree. Imperial is appointing its Vice-Dean of Research and Faculty Franklin Allen as interim dean. Velosos leadership helped steer the Catolica Lisbon School to become an institution with international reach, multiplying international students numbers several fold and doubling the schools research presence in top international journals.

In a recent CentreCourt fireside chat, Veloso discussed the need to cultivate empathy, judgment and responsibility, not merely technical skills for MBA students. We have to shape business and society but also to prepare our students to drive that change for good, he said.

True to our founding global culture, a reflection of our inclusiveness and entrepreneurial spirit, the INSEAD faculty and Board have come together to appoint an inspiring future leader with a strong academic background, says INSEAD Board Chair Andreas Jacobs in a statement. I extend a warm welcome to Francisco Veloso. His inclusive leadership approach, encompassing INSEADs values, combined with his remarkable academic achievements, make him an ideal choice to guide our school into the next era. I look forward to working closely with him as we steer the school towards a bright future.

WILL SUCCEED ONE OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL DEANS IN INSEADS HISTORY

INSEAD Dean Ilian Mihov:

Veloso will be taking over from one of INSEADs most successful deans. Over his ten years as the schools leader starting in October of 2013, Mihov has led the campus expansion in Singapore to meet the increasing demand of management education globally, helped to upgrade the MBA curriculum to better prepare students to build new businesses, and initiated an integrated digital strategy. The school has also seen a major increase in MBA applications and the highest-ever proportion of female students at a record 38% for the latest entering class. He also has led INSEADs engagement in increased outreach and fundraising efforts.

When he opened a new San Francisco outpost for INSEAD three years ago, he announced a massive 100 million ($114 million) renovation of the Fontainebleau campus, the most expensive upgrade in its history. The school launched a new Masters in Management program. He is in the middle of a capital campaign that as of November of last year raised a record 309 million, well above the 250 million goal by 2023.

Mihov also brought in the largest single gift in INSEADs history, 40 million from Class of 1990 alumnus Andre Hoffmann and his wife Rosalie to fund a Global Institute for Business and Society, expanded INSEADs faculty from less than 140 when he became dean in 2013 to the current 166, and built the schools endowment to more than 369 million from 160 million. That sum exceeds expectations of a 320 million target by the end of the capital campaign. INSEAD had also become the second-largest provider of executive education programming in the world, behind only Harvard Business School.

DONT MISS: Exclusive: INSEADs DEAN TALKS NEW ONLINE DEGREE, NEW MBA CURRICULUM & WHAT COMES AFTER COVID or OUR FIRESIDE CHAT WITH IMPERIAL COLLEGE BUSINESS SCHOOL DEAN FRANCISCO VELOSO

LISTEN: OUR WEEKLY BUSINESS CASUAL PODCAST ON THE NEW DEAN OF INSEAD

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Persistence Market Research

Rising Need for Process Automation to Fuel Demand for Integrated Drive Systems (IDS) Market in Various Industrial Sectors

New York, April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- From 2022 to 2032, the market for integrated drive systems is anticipated to surpass a CAGR of 4.2%. By 2032, Integrated Drive System Market is anticipated to expand by appreciating to around US$ 57.5 billion in value. In 2022, it exceeded a value of US$ 38.3 billion.



Sales of integrated drive systems are anticipated to increase over the next ten years as the importance of process performance to preserve competitive advantage grows. Another important aspect that might promote growth is the expanding usage of integrated drive systems for industrial automation.

Use of integrated drive systems can lower maintenance costs. Combination of internet-driven technologies and energy-saving software applications enables certain drive applications, resulting in significant cost savings. A few estimates state that using integrated drive systems can reduce costs by up to 15%.

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Owing to the horizontal integration of a drive train, a motor, gearbox, connector, phase converter, and controller can all be purchased from the same supplier. Clients are then held accountable to a single vendor, simplifying the purchasing process and bringing down warranty costs that are typically disregarded.

Innovation and ongoing progress are two of the defining hallmarks of the fiercely competitive automobile industry. Such systems must be continually implemented in order to maintain a competitive edge.

Due to escalating costs of automobile production programs, manufacturers nowadays rely on computer simulation to encourage continuous development, increase efficiency, and save costs at the same time. With the process simulation software offered by SIMUL8, automotive companies might create a digital model of any manufacturing system.

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For instance, Ford Motor Corporation has used motion analysis tools to examine the ergonomics of its assembly line. It took place in an effort to identify and address any ergonomic issues that might have caused the injury. Following the implementation of the system, injuries brought on by repetitive stress, including rotator cuff tears, straining, and lumbar compression, significantly decreased.

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Key Takeaways from Integrated Drive System Market Study:

The global integrated drive systems market exhibited decent growth at a CAGR of 5.0% from 2017 to 2021.

Asia Pacific integrated drive systems market size was US$ 17.6 billion in 2021.

The USA integrated drive systems market is expected to be worth US$ 8.6 billion by 2032.

The United Kingdom integrated drive systems market is expected to flourish at a CAGR of 2.6% from 2022 to 2032.

The automotive and transportation industry exhibited steady growth at a CAGR of 4.7% from 2017 to 2021.

Integrated drive systems can aid businesses in their efforts to lessen their environmental impact by consuming less energy and increasing overall productivity. In different businesses, automation and digitalization are on the rise. Due to their simplicity of integration into such systems, demand for integrated drive systems is rising.  Says a lead analyst.

Competitive Landscape: Integrated Drive System Market

In order to set themselves apart from their rivals, producers of integrated drive systems are constantly coming up with fresh, cutting-edge ideas. To access new markets and customers around the world, they are also strengthening their operations and distribution networks.

A few firms are concentrating on creating more environmentally friendly integrated drive systems that utilize less energy and less harmful materials. To boost effectiveness and efficiency of their systems, a handful of local players are rapidly incorporating digital technologies, including sensors, analytics, and machine learning algorithms.

For instance,

In August 2019, Schneider Electric announced the launch of its new offering- the Altivar process 6000 integrated drive systems. The Altivar can help businesses to achieve up to 20% more productivity and reduce downtime productivity loss.

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Get More Exclusive Insights into Integrated Drive System Market Study

Persistence Market Research (PMR), in its new offering, presents an unbiased analysis of the integrated drive system market, presenting historical market data (2017 to 2021) and forecast statistics for the period of 2023 to 2032.

The study reveals extensive growth in the integrated drive system in terms of offering (hardware, software, services), communication protocol (fieldbus, industrial Ethernet, wireless), industry (automotive & transportation, food & beverage, chemical, oil & gas, pulp & paper, pharmaceutical, machine building, water & wastewater management), and regions.

About the Semiconductor and Electronics Division at Persistence Market Research (PMR)

Persistence Market Research's highly experienced semiconductor and electronics team aids companies from all over the world with their specific business intelligence needs through professional research, actionable insights, and strategic recommendations. With a library of over a thousand research and 1 million+ data points, the team has spent over a decade analyzing the technology business across 50+ countries. From start to end, the company provides unrivaled research and consulting services. Please get in touch with us to see how we can help.

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Persistence Market Research is always way ahead of its time. In other words, it tables market solutions by stepping into the companies/clients shoes much before they themselves have a sneak pick into the market. The pro-active approach followed by experts at Persistence Market Research helps companies/clients lay their hands on techno-commercial insights beforehand, so that the subsequent course of action could be simplified on their part.

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NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / April 4, 2023 / International Paper Company



International Paper Company, Tuesday, April 4, 2023, Press release picture

International Paper mobilizes our people, products and resources to address critical needs in the communities where our employees live and work.

Our four signature causes - education, hunger, health and wellness, and disaster relief - address basic needs to build stronger, more resilient communities. Often, the underserved and vulnerable populations that most need this support include people who are Latinx, African American, Native American, refugees, LGBTQ+, and children and women. By addressing the most basic needs of these populations, we can help eliminate or reduce barriers that impede self-sufficiency, resilience and opportunity.

Through our community giving strategy, we aim to improve the lives of 100 million people by 2030.

Empowering Employees to Support Communities and Causes

Despite the ongoing pandemic, we found ways to engage and connect our employees to support our communities and signature causes. Our initiatives included:

Day of Caring volunteer kits delivered for six separate initiatives to interested employees

100,000+ trees planted in 10 International Paper communities through our partnership with Arbor Day Foundation, including an environmental equity event to improve the urban tree canopy in Chicago and tree planting in Cedar River to restore the area following a devastating derecho

14 facilities participating in packing Period Poverty contributions for local community distribution

While our overall volunteer hours were down due to pandemic restrictions, we are proud of the contributions our International Paper volunteers made, and especially pleased to welcome the increased participation by our hourly employees, made more accessible with our shift to virtual volunteerism.

In 2021, International Paper contributed more than $23.3 million worldwide to support charitable organizations aligned with our signature causes, positively impacting more than 13.6 million people

84,626 people of that total were reached in Sylvamo communities

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Giving Locally, Nationally and Internationally

Our strategy is implemented through a combination of locally driven support, grant funding and national and global collaborations.

Despite the ongoing challenges, International Paper employees generously supported our communities through approx. 13,500 socially distanced volunteer hours across 32 U.S. states and eight countries.

At the local level, for example, our facility in Chile supported Casa Betal, a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center in Graneros, with supplies, volunteerism and a cash donation. Our Chalon, France facility supplies corrugated offcuts to Id'ees Services, a social agency that supports people with disabilities, which uses the waste material to make cat litter.

In North Carolina, our Maysville and Henderson Mills awarded the Henderson Boys & Girls Club $75,000 over three years. The grant will contribute to the renovation of the local armory into their new facility.

Nationally, we continued our support to Wreaths Across America and its mission to remember fallen U.S. veterans. Each year, we provide in-kind donations of customized shipping boxes, as well as funding and transportation for more than two million wreaths to Arlington Nation Cemetery.

Read more about our community contributions here.

Our Signature Causes: How We are Making a Difference

Education: We focus on literacy from birth through third grade because reading skills form the foundation of all childhood learning.

Hunger: We partner with food banks and other agencies to address hunger and food security for children, families and seniors.

Health and Wellness: We engage our employees and work with agencies to promote healthy living habits and achieve measurable improvements in health and wellness.

Disaster Relief: We partner with agencies to help communities prepare for and recover from natural disasters, and we use our Employee Relief Fund to support our affected colleagues.

Our employee giving campaigns and company matching gift programs generated $3.4 million to help people in need throughout our communities.

Tracking our Progress to 100 Million Lives

Working collaboratively with our non-profit partners, we can quantify our impact on people in our communities. Standardized metrics and reporting enable us to track each organization's impact and quantify the number of lives improved through our volunteers and contributions.

$23.3M in IP Global Giving in 2021

13.6M people reached

160,000 corrugated products, boxes, bags, paper and absorbent pulp products donated

$3.4M employee giving and company match combined

approx 13,500 volunteer hours across 32 states and 8 countries

2,800+ IP employee volunteers

Read more

About International Paper

International Paper (NYSE:IP) is a leading global supplier of renewable fiber-based products. We produce corrugated packaging products that protect and promote goods, and enable worldwide commerce, and pulp for diapers, tissue and other personal care products that promote health and wellness. Headquartered in Memphis, Tenn., we employ approximately 38,000 colleagues globally. We serve customers worldwide, with manufacturing operations in North America, Latin America, North Africa and Europe. Net sales for 2021 were $19.4 billion. Additional information can be found by visiting InternationalPaper.com.

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from International Paper Company on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: International Paper Company

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/international-paper-company

Email: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: International Paper Company





View source version on accesswire.com:

https://www.accesswire.com/747572/How-International-Paper-Strengthens-Community-Resilience




Key Insights

APA Group's estimated fair value is AU$17.15 based on 2 Stage Free Cash Flow to Equity

APA Group is estimated to be 40% undervalued based on current share price of AU$10.28

The AU$10.65 analyst price target for APA is 38% less than our estimate of fair value

How far off is APA Group (ASX:APA) from its intrinsic value? Using the most recent financial data, we'll take a look at whether the stock is fairly priced by taking the expected future cash flows and discounting them to today's value. Our analysis will employ 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 would caution that there are many ways of valuing a company and, like the DCF, each technique has advantages and disadvantages in certain scenarios. If you still have some burning questions about this type of valuation, take a look at the Simply Wall St analysis model.

Check out our latest analysis for APA Group

The Calculation

We are going to use a two-stage DCF model, which, as the name states, takes into account two stages of growth. The first stage is generally a higher growth period which levels off heading towards the terminal value, captured in the second 'steady growth' period. 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.

Generally we assume that a dollar today is more valuable than a dollar in the future, so we need to discount the sum of these future cash flows to arrive at a present value estimate:

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10-year free cash flow (FCF) forecast

2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 Levered FCF (A$, Millions) AU$229.3m AU$868.0m AU$927.0m AU$1.22b AU$1.20b AU$1.20b AU$1.20b AU$1.21b AU$1.22b AU$1.24b Growth Rate Estimate Source Analyst x4 Analyst x3 Analyst x3 Analyst x1 Analyst x1 Est @ -0.43% Est @ 0.28% Est @ 0.77% Est @ 1.12% Est @ 1.36% Present Value (A$, Millions) Discounted @ 6.9% AU$214 AU$760 AU$759 AU$936 AU$862 AU$803 AU$753 AU$710 AU$672 AU$637

("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St)

Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = AU$7.1b

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. The Gordon Growth formula is used to calculate Terminal Value at a future annual growth rate equal to the 5-year average of the 10-year government bond yield of 1.9%. We discount the terminal cash flows to today's value at a cost of equity of 6.9%.

Terminal Value (TV)= FCF 2032  (1 + g)  (r  g) = AU$1.2b (1 + 1.9%)  (6.9% 1.9%) = AU$26b

Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= AU$26b ( 1 + 6.9%)10= AU$13b

The total value, or equity value, is then the sum of the present value of the future cash flows, which in this case is AU$20b. To get the intrinsic value per share, we divide this by the total number of shares outstanding. Compared to the current share price of AU$10.3, the company appears quite good value at a 40% 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

We would point out that the most important inputs to a discounted cash flow are the discount rate and of course the actual cash flows. You don't have to agree with these inputs, I recommend redoing the calculations yourself and playing with them. 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 APA Group 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 6.9%, which is based on a levered beta of 0.833. 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 APA Group

Strength

Earnings growth over the past year exceeded the industry.

Weakness

Interest payments on debt are not well covered.

Dividend is low compared to the top 25% of dividend payers in the Gas Utilities market.

Opportunity

Annual earnings are forecast to grow faster than the Australian market.

Trading below our estimate of fair value by more than 20%.

Threat

Debt is not well covered by operating cash flow.

Dividends are not covered by earnings and cashflows.

Revenue is forecast to grow slower than 20% per year.

Looking Ahead:

Whilst important, the DCF calculation is only one of many factors that you need to assess for a company. DCF models are not the be-all and end-all of investment valuation. 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. Can we work out why the company is trading at a discount to intrinsic value? For APA Group, we've compiled three fundamental factors you should explore:

Risks: Every company has them, and we've spotted 2 warning signs for APA Group you should know about. Management:Have insiders been ramping up their shares to take advantage of the market's sentiment for APA's future outlook? Check out our management and board analysis with insights on CEO compensation and governance factors. 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 ASX 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.

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Allied Market Research

The IOT in agriculture market is being driven by several factors, including the growing demand for real-time data analytics, the rising use of cloud-based services, the surge in demand for automation and control systems in a variety of sectors, including manufacturing, healthcare, and transportation, the rise in global population, and the increase in demand for food across the globe.

Portland, OR, April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According to the report published by Allied Market Research, the global IOT in agriculture market was estimated at $27.1 billion in 2021 and is estimated to reach $84.5 billion by 2031, registering a CAGR of 12.6% from 2022 to 2031. The report offers a detailed analysis of changing market trends, top segments, key investment pockets, value chains, regional landscapes, and competitive scenarios. The report is a helpful source of information for leading market players, new entrants, investors, and stakeholders in devising strategies for the future and taking steps to strengthen their position in the market.

Download Free Report Sample: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/5094

Report coverage & details:













Report Coverage







Details







Forecast Period



20222031







Base Year



2021







Market Size in 2021



$27.1 Billion







Market Size in 2031



$84.5 Billion







CAGR



12.6%







No. of Pages in Report



250







Segments covered



System, Farm Type, Application, and Region







Drivers



The increase in the demand for automation and control systems in a variety of sectors



The rising use of cloud-based services



The rise in global population and the increase in the demand for food across the globe







Opportunities



The introduction of smartphones and high internet penetration





Increase in publicprivate partnerships







Restraints



Fragmented agricultural market



High capital investment requirement

Covid-19 Scenario:

The outbreak of COVID-19 has had a negative impact on the growth of IOT in agriculture market. Since China is the main center where components for Internet of Things (IoT) devices are produced, the COVID-19 outbreak disrupted the global supply chain and affected the export of IOT devices, owing to their reduced production.

Furthermore, agricultural equipment production was put on hold to prevent the virus from spreading, and this had a negative impact on the growth of IOT in agriculture industry. Additionally, the economic slowdown impacted the development of new projects worldwide, as government funding was prioritized towards healthcare systems.

Despite these challenges, the market has recovered post-pandemic.

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The report offers a detailed segmentation of the global IOT in agriculture market based on system, farm type, application and region. The report provides an analysis of each segment and sub-segment with the help of tables and figures. This analysis helps market players, investors, and new entrants in determining the sub-segments to be tapped on to achieve growth in the coming years.

Procure Complete Report (250 Pages PDF with Insights, Charts, Tables, and Figures) @ https://bit.ly/3KbM7uz

Based on the system, the software segment accounted for the highest share in 2021, for more than one-third of the global IOT in agriculture market revenue and is expected to continue its lead during the forecast period. The same segment, however, would manifest the fastest CAGR of 14.0% during the forecast period. The report also discusses automation and control systems, sensing and monitoring devices, livestock monitoring hardware, fish farming hardware, and smart greenhouse hardware segments.

Based on the farm type, the large segment contributed to more than half of the global IOT in agriculture market revenue and is projected to rule the roost by 2031. On the other hand, the mid size segment would portray the fastest CAGR of 14.0% throughout the forecast period. The small farms segment is also studied in the report.

Based on application, the precision farming segment accounted for the highest share in 2021, generating more than two-fifths of the global IOT in agriculture market revenue and is projected to maintain its dominant share in terms of revenue during the forecast period. However, the smart greenhouse segment would showcase the fastest CAGR of 16.0% throughout the forecast period. The livestock monitoring and fish farm monitoring segments are also analyzed throughout the report.

Based on region, Asia-Pacific held the major share in 2021, garnering nearly two-fifths of the global IOT in agriculture market revenue and is projected to rule the roost in terms of revenue during the forecast period. The same region would cite the fastest CAGR of 13.7% throughout the forecast period. The other provinces studied through the report include North America, Europe, and LAMEA.

Enquire Before Buying: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/purchase-enquiry/5094

The prominent market players analyzed in the global IOT in agriculture market report include Decisive Farming Corp., Hitachi, Ltd, Farmers Edge Inc., SlantRange, Inc., Climate LLC, Trimble Inc., Telit Corporate Group, Cisco Systems, Inc., SWIIM System, Ltd., and International Business Machines Corporation. These market players have embraced several strategies including partnership, expansion, collaboration, joint ventures, and others to highlight their prowess in the industry. The report is helpful in formulating the business performance and developments by the top players.

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We are in professional corporate relations with various companies and this helps us in digging out market data that helps us generate accurate research data tables and confirms utmost accuracy in our market forecasting. Allied Market Research CEO Pawan Kumar is instrumental in inspiring and encouraging everyone associated with the company to maintain high quality of data and help clients in every way possible to achieve success. Each and every data presented in the reports published by us is extracted through primary interviews with top officials from leading companies of domain concerned. Our secondary data procurement methodology includes deep online and offline research and discussion with knowledgeable professionals and analysts in the industry.

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Natalia Bratslavsky / Getty Images/iStockphoto

In recent months, the weather across the United States has been harrowing for residents in a number of states due to wildfires, hurricanes and other disasters. In addition to FEMA support, the IRS is now stepping up to help, extending the tax deadline for Americans in the hardest hit areas just two weeks before the traditional deadline of April 18.

Hurricane Aftermath: How To Avoid Buying a Car That Was Damaged In a Flood

Know: How Much Cash You Need Stashed in Case of a Natural Disaster

Among those getting extensions are residents of:

Alabama.

Arkansas.

California.

Georgia.

Mississippi.

New York.

Arkansas and Mississippi residents that live in federally declared disaster areas now have until July 31 to file individual and business tax returns as well as make payments, per CBS News.

As previously declared by the IRS, New York residents have an extension until May 15 due to winter storms that occurred earlier in 2023. And Georgia, California and Alabama residents have even longer, until Oct. 16, to file and pay taxes due to ongoing flooding and landslides/mudslides in those regions.

This extension also means eligible taxpayers can have until the new dates to make any additional contribution to health savings accounts and IRAs. As well, the revised deadlines are also the cutoffs for those affected to pay their final estimated quarterly payment for 2022 (which would have normally been due on Jan. 17, 2023). This means that taxpayers can skip making this payment and instead include it with the 2022 return they file, said the IRS.

The agency also noted this is an automatic extension for those who qualify and those individuals do not need to file any paperwork for the extension, nor do they need to call the agency in order to declare it.

Though, if there is a mistake and a late penalty is applied, the IRS does note to check in to get it amended: If an affected taxpayer receives a late filing or late payment penalty notice from the IRS that has an original or extended filing, payment or deposit due date falling within the postponement period, the taxpayer should call the number on the notice to have the penalty abated.

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More: IRS Will Now Give You More Time To Make Tax Refund Claims

Prepare: Could Your State Stimulus Check Be a Red Flag for an IRS Tax Audit?

The official IRS website has a specific landing page for more information on who qualifies for this disaster situation extension. The agency also noted they will work with taxpayers who live outside the qualifying areas to see if they should receive an extension, too, including workers who helped in relief activities. Anyone who believes they are entitled to the support should call the IRS at (866) 562-5227.

More From GOBankingRates

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: The IRS Is Extending Tax Deadlines in 6 States Due to Storms
Italy's Golden Goose to spread its wings beyond sneakers FILE PHOTO: Sneakers of Italian high fashion sneaker brand Golden Goose are displayed at its store in Beijing

By Elisa Anzolin

MILAN (Reuters) - Italian luxury sneaker brand Golden Goose reported a 30% rise in revenues last year and sees scope for further growth by expanding beyond its core product range, Chief Executive Silvio Campara told Reuters.

"We will keep on innovating our business, which is sneakers, but there will be something out of sneakers that is ready to be launched on the market," CEO Silvio Campara told Reuters.

Campara would not be drawn on the new product range. Golden Goose's sneakers, with a five-point star on the side, are priced at over 400 euros ($437) a pair.

Golden Goose has already diversified in recent years to sell clothing and accessories, with a focus on leather goods.

The group reported on Tuesday revenues of 501 million euros for 2022, boosted by strong growth in the Americas, the retail and online channels.

The Americas was the group's fastest growing market last year, with a 55% sales jump, followed by the EMEA region where sales rose by a third. Momentum has been maintained.

"This year started very well through all the geographies," Campara said.

He added he was confident that the group could increase its market share, as Golden Goose only slightly raised its prices, with a total average increase of 5% to 6% in three years, much less than its competitors.

"This helped Golden Goose to build a big trust with the customers," he said.

The sneaker maker is planning to open another 20 new stores this year, a similar pace to the year before, Campara said.

Golden Goose was acquired by private equity firm Permira from rival Carlyle in 2020 and the group was valued at 1.3 billion euros, sources said at the time.

Last year the group bought its top supplier Italian Fashion Team, bringing in-house roughly 40% of its production, and could keep on strengthening its supply chain.

"What we did last year is not going to be the last one... for sure we have other acquisitions in the pipeline," Campara said, referring to the supply chain.

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He said that this allowed the company to be flexible, to adapt to good and bad times and to secure skilled people "which are very hard to find these days", Campara said.

($1 = 0.9154 euros)

(Reporting by Elisa Anzolin; Editing by Keith Weir)
(Bloomberg) -- Johnson & Johnson said it agreed to pay $8.9 billion to resolve all cancer lawsuits tied to its talc-based powders and will make a fresh attempt to contain the liability within a bankruptcy filing by one of its units.

Most Read from Bloomberg

The worlds largest maker of health-care products hopes to settle complaints from about 60,000 claimants and fund a trust set up in US bankruptcy court in Trenton, New Jersey, to cover future claims, the company said Tuesday in a securities filing. J&J has already withdrawn its talc-based baby powder and others, including Shower to Shower, from the market.

J&Js LTL Management unit filed a new Chapter 11 case to provide a basis for the trust, which outlines terms for settling the decade-long litigation. An earlier filing, which didnt include a settlement, was rejected in January after an appeals court found J&J erred in using bankruptcy to block juries from hearing lawsuits and handing out damage awards. J&J wants a reorganization plan for LTL that caps all the talc liability.

Resolving this matter through the proposed reorganization plan is both more equitable and more efficient, allows claimants to be compensated in a timely manner, Erik Haas, J&Js world-wide head of litigation, said in a release. Monies in the settlement will be paid out over 25 years.

Shares of J&J were up 3% in pre-market trading in New York.

If enough victims agree to join the accord, J&J will be freed from defending against cancer claims tied to baby powder and others products tainted by asbestos. Juries ruled against the company in nearly a dozen such suits over the years  including one appealed all the way to the US Supreme Court  before J&J was forced to pay $2.5 billion to a group of 20 women whose case went to trial in 2018.

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Traces of Asbestos

Women and men blamed J&Js 129-year-old baby powder for causing ovarian cancer and mesothelioma, a cancer specifically tied to asbestos exposure. Victims allege internal J&J documents dating back to the early 1970s show workers warning managers about traces of asbestos found in talc bottled for baby powder. The victims contend J&J executives should have warned consumers about the powders health risks.

This is the largest products liability settlement ever realized after a bankruptcy filing, said Mikal Watts, one of the plaintiff lawyers who negotiated the deal with J&J. Our job is to get our clients restitution for their injuries, and this settlement is the culmination of over a decade of fighting for justice.

J&J argues the talc cases pose a financial threat to the company despite its more than $478 billion market capitalization. Thats because juries could repeatedly hit J&J with multi-billion verdicts that threaten its financial health, its lawyers contend. The company also has suffered reputational harm tied to the talc findings.

J&J has been criticized for using the bankruptcy courts to foster a settlement. Such filings allow firms to put suits on hold while a judge evaluates their value. Getting court approval for such trusts requires 75% of victims to vote in favor of having their claims through that process.

Under the terms of the deal, J&J agreed to pay $6.5 billion to resolve current and future ovarian cases, provide $2 billion for current and future mesothelioma cases and hand over $400 million to states whove sued J&J for failing to warn consumers about the health risks tied to its talc-based powders or threatened to sue, according to people familiar with the deal who asked not to be identified because the details arent public.

Opposing Deal

J&J negotiated its new deal with lawyers outside the leadership group overseeing talc cases consolidated as a multi-district litigation (MDL) before a federal judge in New Jersey. Attorneys in the MDL said J&J isnt putting up enough money and ridiculed its repeated attempts to use the bankruptcy process to deny victims trials.

This second bad-faith bankruptcy is an attempt by J&J to bully cancer victims into accepting a low-ball deal that would leave most of them with staggering unpaid medical bills and lost wages, Jason Itkin, a lawyer for claimants who oppose the deal, said in an email. We believe this second bankruptcy will be dismissed just like the first one.

In its January ruling, the appeals court said J&J wrongly put its newly created unit, LTL Management, under court protection to deal with the talc litigation. The three-judge panel found since J&J agreed to set up a more than $61 billion backstop plan for its unit, the company wasnt in financial distress and didnt qualify for protection.

Hours before the new case was filed, an official committee of talc claimants filed court papers arguing that a second Chapter 11 petition would be wrong. The group, which represented cancer victims in the first bankruptcy case, said the company should not be permitted to return to bankruptcy.

The new filing should satisfy demands by the appeals court that rejected the first case, lawyers who crafted both Chapter 11 filings for J&J argued in court papers. In the latest case, the firm replaced the backstop agreement with the $8.9 billion settlement, J&Js lawyers said. The settlement funds will be LTLs only financial resource, they said.

I applaud Johnson & Johnson on finding a fair and equitable solution which closes a painful chapter for a lot of American women, said Mark Lanier, a Texas-based lawyer who won a $4.7 billion verdict against the company in 2018 on behalf of 20 women who blamed their ovarian cancer on baby powder use.

The new bankruptcy filing is LTL Management LLC, 23-12825, U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Jersey (Trenton).

(Updates with shares in pre-market trade in fifth paragraph)

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JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon said in his annual letter to shareholders on Tuesday that the deposit crisis rattling the banking industry is "not yet over" and could affect the financial services sector "for years to come."

Although Dimon said the bank runs that led to the sudden collapse of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) and Signature Bank were far less dire than the 2008 financial crisis, he called for stronger financial regulations aimed at preventing "undue panic" when lenders fail.

"Resolution and recovery regulations did not work particularly well during the recent crisis  we should bring clarity and reassurance to both the unwinding process and measures to reduce the risk of additional bank runs," he wrote.

Dimon, who heads the nation's largest bank, is a veteran of the housing crash and ensuing global financial crisis that shook Wall Street 15 years ago, and his annual letter is closely read by other banking executives and policy makers.

"Unknown risk"

Regulators shuttered SVB, which catered to Silicon Valley tech companies and venture capital firms, on March 10 after depositors withdrew $42 billion from the institution in a single day. The startling failure triggered a run at smaller banks, leading to the collapse of New York's Signature Bank two days later, while skittish depositors at other regional banks also raced to withdraw money.

"The unknown risk was that SVB's over 35,000 corporate clients  and activity within them  were controlled by a small number of venture capital companies and moved their deposits in lockstep," Dimon said.

In hopes of stemming the crisis, JPMorgan Chase and 10 other Wall Street firms deposited $30 billion into San Francisco's First Republic Bank to help it stay afloat. Meanwhile, Swiss regulators brokered UBS' purchase of Credit Suisse, which had suffered years of financial losses before the crisis.

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Although the broader banking industry panic has receded, the fallout will continue, Dimon said in his missive to JPMorgan shareholders. "As I write this letter, the current crisis is not yet over, and even when it is behind us, there will be repercussions from it for years to come."

"Any crisis that damages Americans' trust in their banks damages all banks," he added.

By contrast, Dimon cautioned against a heavy-handed regulatory response to the bank failures. Alluding to the 2008 banking crash that leveled Lehman Brothers and almost took down other major Wall Street firms, Dimon said:

"Major investment banks, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, nearly all savings and loan institutions, off-balance sheet vehicles, AIG and banks around the world  all of them failed. This current banking crisis involves far fewer financial players and fewer issues that need to be resolved."

Dimon also detailed how JPMorgan is investing in advanced artificial intelligence tools such as ChatGPT. The banking giant uses the technology in processing global payments and is studying how to use it for risk analysis, marketing and fraud analysis, among other uses.

To that end, JPMorgan has assembled a group of more than 900 data scientists specializing in AI and 600 engineers with expertise in machine learning.

"We're imagining new ways to augment and empower employees with AI through human-centered collaborative tools and workflow, leveraging tools like large language models, including ChatGPT," Dimon said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Following Guangzhou, KCG will bring the exhibition to Wuhan, Hong Kong, Paris and other global cities to share this celebration of Chinese Savoir-Faire.

GUANGZHOU, China, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- K11 Craft & Guild Foundation (KCG), the renowned Hong Kong based charity for arts and culture, is delighted to announce the start of its Voyage de Savoir-Faire exhibition at K11 Art Mall in Guangzhou. The exhibition is the second stop on its world tour. The Voyage de Savoir-Faire exhibition is a celebration of craftsmanship and the beauty of traditional techniques in creating gilt-decorated lacquer. The exhibition explores the cultural and artistic zenith of "The Time When East Meets West" alongside a diverse range of exquisite crafts from old and contemporary China showcased in a new and unique digital light, running from 30 March to 25 June.

Voyage de Savoir-Faire: K11's first immersive digital exhibition on Chinese craftsmanship. (PRNewsfoto/K11 Group)

Curated to examine a period in history where Chinoiserie fascinated a European audience, Voyage de Savoir-Faire presents breathtaking traditional and contemporary craft seen as never before, using innovative technology to invoke an artistic magic from the past that lives on to this day. Visitors to the exhibition can expect to see a collection of 14 unique antiquities, each one intricately crafted by skilled artisans using time-honored skills. Visitors will embark on a cultural journey to witness the far-reaching global influence of Chinese craft and culture. With 14 sets of intricately detailed gilt-decorated lacquer antiquities collected by the Foundation thoughtfully positioned among vivid contemporary digital displays, the exhibition recreates a whimsical, imaginative world of gold-gilt black lacquer craftsmanship for viewers, transcending time and space.

KCG was founded in 2018, in the hope of conserving and rejuvenating the intangible cultural heritage and creating it as a shared value in society. By showcasing historical treasures and the masterpieces of contemporary artists, KCG encourage young people to explore their own historical and cultural roots, enhance their creativity and expand their horizons to help the development of creative industries and showcase the new power of Chinese culture on the world stage.

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Dating back to the early Warring States period and earlier, the craftsmanship of gilt-decorated lacquer has been passed down from generation to generation. By gaining a deeper understanding of this unique Chinese craft, viewers are able to enjoy a deeper level of appreciation when studying these works, as well as other associated crafts and traditions. In addition to the antiquities themselves, the exhibition also provides an opportunity to learn about the cultural significance and history behind each piece.

The Reve recreates the whimsical experience of "imaginary touring" through an immersive, multi-sensory experience (PRNewsfoto/K11 Group)

To create Voyage de Savoir-Faire, contemporary artists and artisans joined hands to present a modern perspective on a thousand-year tradition. The exhibition also serves as a way to conserve and rejuvenate this unique and fast-disappearing Chinese craftsmanship. Winning the admiration of European royalty, including wealthy collectors like Queen Marie Antoinette of France, Chinese lacquerware rose to great popularity beginning in the late 17th century. So great was the demand for these beautiful works that the Palace of Versailles employed craftsmen specifically to produce lacquerware in the Chinese style.

Across five exhibition areas, Voyage de Savoir-Faire takes viewers taken back in time. In Derive, the birth story of Chinese traditional gilt-decorated lacquer is told and the journey of exploration into "The Time When East Meets West" begins. In Voyage, we see the start of trans-continental shipping and the ancient worlds of China's Kangxi, the "Light of Asia" and Louis XIV, the "Sun King" intersect. The Reve recreates the whimsical experience of "imaginary touring" through an immersive, multi-sensory experience, perfectly presenting exquisite lacquer craftsmanship in the oriental aesthetic. Here, the essence of enjoying the fruits of the craft is reimagined through the experience of simply sitting or lying within this enchanting space.

Gilt-decorated black lacquer artworks by contemporary artist Vincent Cazeneuve (PRNewsfoto/K11 Group)

Returning to the present day, the Savoir-faire spotlights efforts to conserve and rejuvenate the craft, with interactive devices detailing the lacquerware creation process intended to educate all visitors. To complete this incredible journey, two sets of gilt-decorated black lacquer artworks by contemporary artists Weng Jijun and Vincent Cazeneuve are displayed together with a set of digital art by 'Obvious Art' in the Au-dela du Reve finale, demonstrating a modern revival and new application for gilt-decoration.

Traditional Chinese craftsmanship requires active conservation and rejuvenation, but by uniting contemporary artists, art aficionados and new fans alike, K11 Craft & Guild Foundation hopes this exhibition will take visitors on a journey through the history of traditional crafts, highlighting the beauty and value of handmade objects. 'Vovage de Savoir-Faire' is a must see for anyone interested in the beauty of traditional crafts and the irreplaceable art of handmade objects.

Please download high-resolution photos with the following link:

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About K11 Craft & Guild Foundation

Founded by Adrian Cheng in 2018, K11 Craft & Guild Foundation (KCG) is a registered charity for arts and culture in Hong Kong.

We are cultural crafters who conserve and rejuvenate fast-disappearing Chinese artisanship to create a craft ecosystem with a sustainable, positive social impact. By incorporating Creating Shared Value (CSV) to bring crafts, business and society together, we make crafts more accessible to the community, educate the public with research initiatives and curate collaborations with artisans, aiming to bridge the gap between culture and economy.

Cultural entrepreneur and the founder of K11 Art Foundation and Culture for Tomorrow, Adrian Cheng established the charity with aims to conserve and rejuvenate fast-disappearing Chinese artisanship, in addition to Creating Shared Value (CSV) for society. Adrian believes that the power of business lies not only in generating profits, but also in supporting and empowering other community stakeholders, as well as promoting a new vision of CSV to bring a sustainable, positive impact to the local community.

Cision

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SOURCE K11 Group
(Bloomberg) -- KCB Group Plc, Kenyas second-biggest bank by assets, is in talks to acquire stakes in lenders in Ethiopia as it revives plans to expand into Africas second-most populous nation.

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Its not going to be a green field entry, KCBs Chief Executive Officer Paul Russo said in an interview in the capital, Nairobi. Were talking to three potential targets, amid regulatory changes that he hopes may be concluded this year, he said.

KCB is relooking at Ethiopia after a three-year pause due to internal conflict that disrupted Prime Minister Abiy Ahmeds plan to spur private business. The Ethiopian government may allow foreign investors to own as much as 30% of its existing commercial banks as part of efforts to boost its foreign currency reserves.

KCB already operates a representative office in Ethiopia where over 100 million people are served by 25 commercial banks.

Kenya Bank With Worst Bad Loan Level Falls on Dividend Cut

The Nairobi-based bank has presence in six markets, including the Democratic Republic of Congo where it acquired TMB Bank. KCB sees its subsidiaries contributing 25% of the groups revenue from about 17% currently by the end of this year, according to Russo.

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Nice attacker plotted for months; suspected accomplices in custody

The 31-year-old man who drove a delivery truck down 2 kilometres of Nice's seaside promenade, killing 84 people celebrating Bastille Day, had envisaged such a terrorist attack for months before getting behind the wheel, a French prosecutor said Thursday.

GALLERY

People gather at the new area for floral tributes on the "Promenade des Anglais in the French riviera city of Nice, France, 19 July 2016, after deadly attack on Bastille day 14 July 2016.

Minutes of silence in the French National Assembly in Paris, France, 20 July 2016 for the victims of the Bastille Day attack in Nice late 14 July. At least 84 people died and many were wounded after a truck drove into the crowd on the famous Promenade des Anglais.

Police secure the area in Nice, France, July 15, 2016 where a truck drove into a crowd during Bastille Day celebrations in Nice, France, July 15, 2016. More than 80 people died and many were wounded in a terror attack.

Paris (dpa) - Tunisia-born Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel also had accomplices, prosecutor Francois Molins added, saying that he sought charges against five people in custody, some of whom exchanged messages in the days, weeks and months before the attack. The latest information on the investigation into the attack counters previous suspicions that Lahouaiej Bouhlel was very rapidly radicalized, as messages and photographs found on his phone and computer showed an interest in jihadism as far back as early 2015.Molins said he was seeking charges against four men and one woman, three of whom were of Tunisian or joint French-Tunisian nationality and two holding Albanian nationality. The charges sought included association with terrorist networks and complicity in a criminal attack related to terrorism. None of the five were known to French intelligence services prior to the attack, Molins said. Lahouaiej Bouhlel was also not known to intelligence services.Among the data uncovered by the investigation, Molins said that Lahouaiej Bouhlel had exchanged more than 1,200 calls with one of the men held - named as Mohamed Oualid G. - since July 2015. Mohamed Oualid G. had sent Lahouaiej Bouhlel a message after the attack on Charlie Hebdo in January 2015 celebrating the shootings and saying the "soldiers of allah finished their work."Images taken from Mohamed Oualid G.s phone also show him filming the Nice promenade after the attack, as well as filming himself, Molins said. Photographs taken by Lahouaiej Bouhlel on July 11 and 13 also show Mohamed Oualid G. in the truck that was used to mow down the crowd on July 14, Molins said. Another of the fives prints were found on the interior of the truck, Molins said. Lahouaiej Bouhlel sent three text message in the moments preceding the attack, including a message to another one of the people held congratulating him for procuring a weapon.After ploughing down the promenade, Lahouaiej Bouhlel shot multiple times at three police officers, who followed the truck as it continued for another 300 metres. After he was shot dead by police, two automatic pistols, a magazine, cartridges, two fake Kalashnikovs, and a non-functional grenade were found in the cab.While the investigation is still piecing together the disparate pieces of the picture, no clear link has yet been established between Lahouaiej Bouhlel and the Islamic State group, which claimed responsibility for the attack two days after it occurred. Molins said that 15 people remain in critical condition, of the 330 people hospitalized after the attack. Many of those gathered on the seaside promenade to watch the fireworks show and who were killed by the onslaught came from abroad, including visitors from the US and Italy.The attack in Nice - the third major terrorist act on French soil in less than two years - has created schisms in the countrys political class, with conservative and far-right politicians accusing the Socialist government of not having done enough to secure the nation against the threat posed by terrorism. After the newspaper Liberation raised questions about the extent of security, how many police and what level of police were present on the promenade, the French Interior Ministry opened Thursday a "technical inquiry" to try to head off speculation.The inquiry - to be headed by the police oversight body - was announced Thursday by Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve after mounting criticism of the measures taken to ensure the celebrations were secure. Liberation claimed that only two municipal police officers and one police car were present on the entrance to the seaside walk where crowds were gathered for the fireworks show, saying that their findings were contrary to previous statements made by Cazeneuve.Two days after the attack, Cazeneuve said that the "national police were present, and very present, on the Promenade des Anglais" and added that police vehicles blocked access to the promenade. Speaking from Ireland, French President Francois Hollande said the inquiry was to seek answers about whether security plans were sufficient, but called for calm. "There is no place for polemics, there is only place for truth and transparency," he said.Prime Minister Manuel Valls said the government "has nothing to hide" and added that, "in this moment we are in need of unity." Frances parliament extended the countrys state of emergency for the fourth time on Thursday, expanding police powers to conduct searches and detain suspects for another six months.The measures, enacted after terrorist attacks around Paris last November that targeted in part a national stadium and concert hall and left 130 people dead, have been criticized by human rights groups.
Latin Americas biggest investment bank, Brazil-based BTG Pactual, today announced the launch of its own stablecoin.

Rio de Janeiro-based BTG Pactual said in a Tuesday statement that its BTG Dol token, available for clients now, is priced in U.S. dollars.

BTG Pactual confirmed to Decrypt that the asset will run on the Polygonthe blockchain behind the 10th largest cryptocurrency by market cap MATIC. Polygon is a sidechain network that is compatible with Ethereum and is popular among big brands, such as Starbucks and Disney.

Stablecoins are cryptocurrencies pegged to a stable asset, in this case the U.S. dollar. They are an important part of the crypto ecosystem and two major stablecoins, Tether and Circles USDC, sit among the top 10 biggest digital assets by market cap.

Theyre useful for crypto traders who want to quickly enter and exit trades without using a traditional bank or fiat currency. Stablecoins can simply sit in their crypto wallets and traders can then cash them out later. They are particularly important in markets where dollars are restricted or inaccessible, and are integral to non-custodial lending and trading products in the DeFi space.

Coinbase Stock Surges 12% on Brazil Expansion News

Regulators around the world, however, are keeping a close eye on stablecoins. This is because some regulators see them as a threat to the current financial system: stablecoins in the past have collapsed, wreaking havoc in the digital asset market. Regulators are worried that future failures could affect the stability of the traditional markets and U.S. lawmakers have called for stablecoin issuers to be regulated just like banks.

BTG Pactual said in their statement that this stablecoin would allow investors a simple, efficient, and secure way to put their equity into dollars.

When buying BTG Dol, investors have access to an easier, safer and smarter way to invest in dollars, BTG Pactuals Head of Digital Assets Andre Portilho said.

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Brazil is Latin Americas largest economy and the third largest in the Americas after the U.S. and Canada.

It also has Latin Americas buzziest crypto market: many of Brazils major banks already offer investors digital asset exposure and the country has more Bitcoin ETFs than any other nation in the region.

BTG Dol is available on Mynt, the banks crypto-asset platform, and through BTG Pactuals own investment system, according to Tuesdays announcement.

Tuesdays announcement added that clients will be able to invest as little as 100 reais ($20).
Legit Security

TEL AVIV, Israel, April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Legit Security, a cyber security company with an enterprise platform that protects software delivery from code to cloud, including the software supply chain, today announced that it has uncovered a remote code execution vulnerability in Microsofts Azure Pipelines. The vulnerability allows attackers to exploit Microsofts Azure DevOps Servers to initiate software supply chain attacks and execute malicious code that can compromise the security and integrity of an organizations software products. Given the widespread use of Azure Pipelines in software development, this vulnerability poses a significant risk to businesses that rely on the service to deliver their software. Legit Security worked closely with Microsoft to disclose and remediate the vulnerability and information on how to mitigate the risks can be found on Legit Securitys technical disclosure blog.



The remote code execution vulnerability discovered by Legit Security has received designation CVE-2023-21553 and affects Azure Pipelines, a very popular continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) service from Microsoft. Software build systems such as Azure Pipelines are the foundation of the software development process and are responsible for creating and compiling code into software products and automating their release. Vulnerabilities within the build system are very dangerous since attackers can inject malicious code and infect the resulting software products delivered downstream to customers.

The discovered vulnerability originates in the logging commands mechanism of Azure Pipelines and enables attackers to execute code that could directly compromise the security and integrity of downstream software. Attackers could also leverage this vulnerability to access sensitive secrets contained within the software pipeline, such as passwords to sensitive resources and access keys to cloud services, to initiate lateral attacks and further compromise an organization. As a result, this vulnerability could have devastating consequences if left unaddressed for businesses that rely on Azure Pipelines to build and deploy their software.

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Software build pipelines are a critical part of the software supply chain, and vulnerabilities within them can enable malicious code injection and code tampering similar to the notorious SolarWinds attack, said Liav Caspi, CTO and co-founder of Legit Security. Software producers need to be vigilant in protecting their software supply chains, which includes securing build pipelines and addressing vulnerabilities such as the one we discovered in Microsofts Azure Pipelines.

Legit Security worked closely with Microsoft to address the vulnerability, and a patch has been released to mitigate the risk. Users with an out-of-date version of Azure DevOps Server could remain vulnerable, and users of the on-prem version (ADO Server version 2020.1.2 or lower) should apply the patch as soon as possible. It should be noted that not every pipeline in Azure Pipelines is vulnerable, depending upon the logging command features and patterns used. Organizations using Azure Pipelines are strongly encouraged to review Legit Securitys technical disclosure blog to determine if they are affected and to mitigate the risks.

Legit Security

Legit Security protects an organization's software supply chain from attack and ensures secure application delivery, governance and risk management from code to cloud. The platforms unified application security control plane and automated SDLC discovery and analysis capabilities provide visibility and security control over rapidly changing environments, and allow security issues to be prioritized based on context and business criticality to improve security team efficiency and effectiveness.

CONTACT: Media Contact Tony Keller tkeller@outvox.com




Key Insights

The projected fair value for Helix Energy Solutions Group is US$9.93 based on 2 Stage Free Cash Flow to Equity

Helix Energy Solutions Group's US$8.06 share price indicates it is trading at similar levels as its fair value estimate

The US$10.61 analyst price target for HLX is 6.9% more than our estimate of fair value

In this article we are going to estimate the intrinsic value of Helix Energy Solutions Group, Inc. (NYSE:HLX) by taking the forecast future cash flows of the company and discounting them back to today's value. Our analysis will employ the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model. Believe it or not, it's not too difficult to follow, as you'll see from our example!

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. If you want to learn more about discounted cash flow, the rationale behind this calculation can be read in detail in the Simply Wall St analysis model.

Check out our latest analysis for Helix Energy Solutions Group

Step By Step Through The Calculation

We are going to use a two-stage DCF model, which, as the name states, takes into account two stages of growth. The first stage is generally a higher growth period which levels off heading towards the terminal value, captured in the second 'steady growth' period. In the first stage we need to estimate the cash flows to the business over the next ten years. 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 need to discount the sum of these future cash flows to arrive at a present value estimate:

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10-year free cash flow (FCF) estimate

2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 Levered FCF ($, Millions) US$140.7m US$177.0m US$160.0m US$158.0m US$171.0m US$170.6m US$171.4m US$173.0m US$175.3m US$177.9m Growth Rate Estimate Source Analyst x3 Analyst x2 Analyst x1 Analyst x1 Analyst x1 Est @ -0.22% Est @ 0.47% Est @ 0.95% Est @ 1.28% Est @ 1.52% Present Value ($, Millions) Discounted @ 12% US$126 US$141 US$114 US$100 US$96.7 US$86.1 US$77.2 US$69.5 US$62.8 US$56.9

("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St)

Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = US$930m

The second stage is also known as Terminal Value, this is the business's cash flow after the first stage. The Gordon Growth formula is used to calculate Terminal Value at a future annual growth rate equal to the 5-year average of the 10-year government bond yield of 2.1%. We discount the terminal cash flows to today's value at a cost of equity of 12%.

Terminal Value (TV)= FCF 2032  (1 + g)  (r  g) = US$178m (1 + 2.1%)  (12% 2.1%) = US$1.8b

Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= US$1.8b ( 1 + 12%)10= US$581m

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 US$1.5b. To get the intrinsic value per share, we divide this by the total number of shares outstanding. Relative to the current share price of US$8.1, the company appears about fair value at a 19% 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

The calculation above is very dependent on two assumptions. The first is the discount rate and the other is the cash flows. Part of investing is coming up with your own evaluation of a company's future performance, so try the calculation yourself and check your own 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 Helix Energy Solutions Group 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 12%, which is based on a levered beta of 1.684. 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 Helix Energy Solutions Group

Strength

Net debt to equity ratio below 40%.

Weakness

No major weaknesses identified for HLX.

Opportunity

Expected to breakeven next year.

Has sufficient cash runway for more than 3 years based on current free cash flows.

Current share price is below our estimate of fair value.

Threat

Debt is not well covered by operating cash flow.

Moving On:

Although the valuation of a company is important, it ideally won't be the sole piece of analysis you scrutinize for a company. DCF models are not the be-all and end-all of investment valuation. Preferably you'd apply different cases and assumptions and see how they would impact the company's valuation. For instance, if the terminal value growth rate is adjusted slightly, it can dramatically alter the overall result. For Helix Energy Solutions Group, we've compiled three further aspects you should assess:

Risks: To that end, you should be aware of the 1 warning sign we've spotted with Helix Energy Solutions Group . Future Earnings: How does HLX'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 NYSE 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.

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Marking the brand's first epicurean collaboration, the chef and artist has created a barware collection with complementing cocktail recipes inspired by her travels from Los Angeles to Paris to Kyoto.

NEW YORK, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Luxury Collection, part of Marriott Bonvoy's portfolio of 30 extraordinary hotel brands, announces chef and artist Laila Gohar as the brand's newest Global Explorer. In her role as a brand ambassador, Gohar has collaborated with The Luxury Collection to create a globally inspired barware collection with complementing cocktail recipes drawing from her travels with the brand. Gohar marks The Luxury Collection's first epicurean Global Explorer, underscoring the power of cultural discovery through food and drink.

Laila Gohar

Known for her Surrealist-inspired tableware line, Gohar World, Gohar has created a family of barware for The Luxury Collection that highlights global craft traditions that are disappearing  mouth-blown glass, porcelain, needle work, and silversmithing. While each piece of Gohar's collection is different and designed with a variety of inspirations, together they represent a harmonious line of barware which features timeless craft and traditions discovered during her travels and made by family-owned ateliers around the world.

The Luxury Collection's Global Explorer program celebrates the vibrancy of the world's most enchanting destinations through the eyes of leading cultural voices. Representing a broad selection of creative endeavors, these personalities are united by a deep understanding of world cultures, while identifying travel experiences in their own personal way. Born in Egypt, Laila Gohar has traveled the globe as an internationally recognized artist working with food as her creative medium.

"My favorite way to discover a destination is through the senses, and enjoying a meal or drink while traveling is an incredible way to learn about the local culture," said Laila Gohar. "Often the way a table or bar is set, and the objects used, are just as important as the food and beverage offerings themselves. I am thrilled to be working with The Luxury Collection to highlight the beauty of epicurean discovery and celebrate the local craftspeople that bring these experiences to life around the world."

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Inspired by Prince de Galles, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Paris, for the collection, Gohar created a hand-stitched cocktail napkin, which she has paired with a Champagne Coupe mouth blown by traditional glassmakers Lobmeyr. The pieces are a nod to the glamour of Paris and cocktail culture during the 1920s as well as the Art Deco features of the hotel and the Arc de Triomphe  the hotel was built with the same stones of the famed Parisian landmark. Gohar's recipes for a Parisian Side Car and 1920s Sazerac featuring only French ingredients draw on classic cocktails from the hotel's Bar 19.20.

The barware collection also includes a Sake Cup and Bamboo Oshibori Tray inspired by Suiran, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Kyoto. Gohar worked with local artisans to create these pieces that pay homage to the centuries-old Japanese traditional crafts. Completing the collection is a Martini Glass and Olive Pick which draw on her time at SLS Hotel, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Beverly Hills and the iconic architects that have contributed to landmark projects in Los Angeles  from Frank Lloyd Wright to Rudolph Shindler to Pierre Koenig. The lines of the Martini Glass mirror the California modernist design while the Olive Pick is reminiscent of the wrought iron gate at the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Ennis House. Whether you are enjoying Gohar's "Cali-tini" or "Ghia Spritz", a non-alcoholic aperitif, this is the perfect vessel.

"We are delighted to welcome Laila Gohar as our newest Global Explorer. Her fresh perspective and passion for culinary and craft perfectly aligns with The Luxury Collection brand as we aim to offer our guests transformational cultural experiences through travel," said Philipp Weghmann, Vice President & Global Brand Leader, The Luxury Collection. "We are excited to collaborate with her on an inspiring barware collection to celebrate our portfolio in some of the world's most captivating global cities."

Laila Gohar will join the celebrated group of Luxury Collection Global Ambassadors who bring the portfolio to life for international travelers. The brand recently celebrated its first collaboration with Global Explorer Caroline de Maigret as well as continued partnerships with Global Explorers Margherita Maccapani Missoni and Mercedes Salazar. The Luxury Collection is dedicated to helping travelers from all over the world embark on extraordinary journeys and one-of-a-kind experiences.

Laila Gohar x The Luxury Collection barware collection is available for purchase on www.luxurycollectionstore.com, ranging in price from $40 to $230 USD. Additionally, a selection of products will be available to experience or for purchase on-property at Prince de Galles, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Paris; Suiran, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Kyoto; and SLS Hotel, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Beverly Hills in celebration of the collaboration. The Los Angeles, Kyoto and Paris city guides will be available on www.theluxurycollection.com. Laila Gohar will also be hosting an immersive experience at Prince de Galles, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Paris in October that will be bookable on the Marriott Bonvoy Moments platform.

About The Luxury Collection Hotels & Resorts

The Luxury Collection, part of Marriott International, Inc., is comprised of world-renowned hotels and resorts offering unique, authentic experiences that evoke lasting, treasured memories. For the global explorer, The Luxury Collection offers a gateway to the world's most exciting and desirable destinations. Each hotel and resort is a unique and cherished expression of its location; a portal to the destination's indigenous charms and treasures. Originated in 1906 under the CIGA brand as a collection of Europe's most celebrated and iconic properties, today The Luxury Collection brand is a glittering ensemble of nearly 120 of the world's finest hotels and resorts in more than 35 countries and territories. All of these hotels, many of them centuries old, are internationally recognized as being among the world's finest. For more information and new openings, visit theluxurycollection.com or follow Instagram and Facebook. The Luxury Collection is proud to participate in Marriott Bonvoy, the global travel program from Marriott International. The program offers members an extraordinary portfolio of global brands, exclusive experiences on Marriott Bonvoy Moments and unparalleled benefits including free nights and Elite status recognition. To enroll for free or for more information about the program, visit marriottbonvoy.com.

About Marriott Bonvoy 

Marriott Bonvoy's extraordinary portfolio offers renowned hospitality in the most memorable destinations in the world, with 30 brands that are tailored to every type of journey. From The Ritz-Carlton and St. Regis to W Hotels and more, Marriott Bonvoy has more luxury offerings than any other travel program. Members can earn points for stays at hotels and resorts, including all-inclusive resorts and premium home rentals, and through everyday purchases with co-branded credit cards. Members can redeem their points for experiences including future stays, Marriott Bonvoy Moments, or through partners for luxurious products from Marriott Bonvoy Boutiques. To enroll for free or for more information about Marriott Bonvoy, visit marriottbonvoy.com .

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Fortune Business Insights

Companies covered in luxury furniture market are SCAVOLINI S.P.A. (Italy), Cassina S.p.A (Italy), Kimball International, Inc. (U.S.), Brown Jordan International (U.S.), Herman Miller, Inc. (Knoll Inc) (U.S.), Vivono (India), Boca do Lobo (U.K.), DURESTA (U.K.), Haworth, Inc. (Italy), MUEBLES PICO SA (Spain), and more players profiled.

Pune, India, April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global luxury furniture market size was valued at USD 21.67 billion in 2022 and is projected to grow from USD 22.78 billion in 2023 to USD 33.31 billion by 2030, recording a CAGR of 5.57% during the forecast timeframe of 2023-2030.

The industry outlook is being positively influenced by growing consumer spending and various other factors such as household debt levels, per-capita income, and consumer expectations. Other aspects, such as ever-increasing disposable income, improvement in living standards, growing demand for furniture, and robust popularity of home renovation and decoration projects, will also fuel the market growth.

Fortune Business Insights presents this information in a report titled, "Global Luxury Furniture Market, 2023-2030

Get a Free Sample Research PDF Brochure:

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Luxury Furniture Market Report Scope & Segmentation:

Report Coverage Details Forecast Period 2023-2030 Forecast CAGR 5.57% 2030 Value Projection USD 33.31 billion Base Year 2022 Luxury Furniture Market Size in 2022 USD 21.67 Billion Historical Data 2019-2021 No. of Pages 227 Segments Covered By Raw Materials, By End-user, By Distribution Channel, By Region Luxury Furniture Market Growth Drivers Rapid Growth of the Real Estate Sector to Contribute to the Luxury Furniture Market Growth Rise in Online Retailing in the Furniture Industry to Drive Market Development

Fortune Business Insights lists out all the luxury furniture market companies that are presently striving to reduce the impact of Covid-19 pandemic on the market:

SCAVOLINI S.P.A. (Italy)

Cassina S.p.A (Italy)

Kimball International, Inc. (U.S.)

Brown Jordan International (U.S.)

Herman Miller, Inc. (Knoll Inc) (U.S.)

Vivono (India)

Boca do Lobo (U.K.)

DURESTA (U.K.)

Haworth, Inc. (Italy)

MUEBLES PICO SA (Spain)

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Report Coverage:

The research report analyzes the industry in detail and highlights several crucial aspects such as prominent companies, competitive landscape, raw materials, end users, and distribution channels. Apart from this, the report also offers insights into the industry trends and underlines many important developments in the market.

Drivers and Restraints:

Rapid Growth of Real Estate Sector to Contribute to the Luxury Furniture Industry Growth

The real estate sector has recently shown substantial expansion due to increased demand for office and residential spaces. The growing construction of residential and commercial buildings will drive the market progress.

The wide availability of counterfeit products might hinder the market development. Counterfeiting also involves placing the logo or trademark of a famous brand on a product, but the product is not manufactured or authorized by that brand.

Browse Detailed Summary of Research Report with TOC:

https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/luxury-furniture-market-107326

Segments

Aesthetic Design and High Durability Offered by Wooden Furniture to Support Market Expansion

Based on raw material, the market is divided into wood, metal, plastic, and others. The wood segment is expected to hold a dominant market share, owing to its adaptability and high-quality finishing. Wood is the most popular material due to its high aesthetic value and durability. These features will boost the sales of luxurious wooden furniture.

Rise in Home Decor Projects to Fuel Market Growth

Based on end-user, the market is divided into residential and commercial. The residential segment is predicted to hold a significant market share owing to the large-scale manufacturing of home decor and furnishing products.

Growing Demand for Personalized Shopping Experience to Boost Sales of Offline Distribution Channels

In terms of distribution channel, the market is divided into online and offline. The offline segment is predicted to capture a sizeable industry share as it offers customers a personalized experience and allows them to check a products quality through physical inspection.

Regional Insights:

In terms of region, the market is studied across North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, South America, and the Middle East & Africa (MEA). The Europe region is anticipated to capture a sizeable luxury furniture market share during the forecast period as many companies across the region are involved in in-depth research & development. They are also constantly upgrading technologies used in the production of luxury furniture, thereby spurring the product sales across the region.

The North America region is also predicted to hold a major market share as there is a notable presence of reputed luxury furniture manufacturers. Also, the construction of residential and commercial buildings will spur the adoption of luxurious furnishing products.

Competitive Landscape:

Acquisitions and Partnerships by Leading Companies to Boost Market Growth

Reputed organizations, such as Scavolini S.P.A., Cassina S.p.A., Kimball International, Inc., Brown Jordan International, and many others, are developing a wide range of growth strategies to fortify their presence in the global market. For example, in October 2022, Linly Designs acquired Marge Carson, a luxury furniture brand, which manufactures high-end residential furniture. The deal is expected to enhance operational efficiencies and product offerings.

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https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/get-a-quote/luxury-furniture-market-107326

Detailed Table of Content:

Introduction Research Scope Market Segmentation Research Methodology Definitions and Assumptions

Executive Summary

Market Dynamics Market Drivers Market Restraints Market Opportunities Market Trends

Key Insights Overview of the Furniture Market Industry SWOT Analysis Supply Chain Analysis Impact of COVID on the Luxury Furniture Market Impact of COVID-19 Potential Opportunities due to COVID-19 Recent Industry Developments - Policies, Partnerships, New Product Launches, and Mergers & Acquisitions

Global Luxury Furniture Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast, 20192030 Key Findings / Summary Market Size Estimates and Forecast By Raw Material (Value) Wood Metal Plastic Others By End User (Value) Residential Commercial By Distribution Channel (Value) Online Offline By Region (Value) North America Europe Asia Pacific South America Middle East & Africa



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Key Industry Development:

May 2022: Natuzzi S.p.A. signed a partnership deal with a reputed listed furniture supplier to speed up the brand's retail expansion in the APAC region. This move will help generate more revenue and increase customer base.

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Check out more Related Insights by Fortune Business Insights:

Furniture Market to Hit USD 720.2 Billion by 2028 | Furniture Industry to Generate 5.5% CAGR during (2021-2028)

Office Furniture Market Size to Hit $80.62 Billion by 2029 | At 7.48% CAGR

Outdoor Furniture Market to Worth USD 66.55 Billion by (2021-2028) | Outdoor Furniture Industry CAGR of 5.3%

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Oris x Bracenet mood

The Oris X Bracenet uses abandoned fishing nets in the dial. Credit - Courtesy of Oris

As watchmakers from around the world gather in late March in Geneva for one of the industrys biggest eventsthe Watches and Wonders fairSwitzerland-based Oris will announce a luxury divers watch with a swirly blue and green dial. Theres nothing remarkable in that, except that the dial of the Oris X Bracenet (2,350 Swiss francs, or $2,508) is made of upcycled ghost fishing nets recovered from the ocean. Luxury watches have always been about communicating more than the time, and what this one gets across is its makers sustainability program.

Oris became climate neutral in 2021 and frequently collaborates with conservation organizations. It stands out against others in the Swiss watch industry, which have been slow to respond to consumer appetite for products with a strong environmental profile.

The scale of the ambivalence was exposed five years ago when the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) published a report examining Swiss watchmakings social and environmental impact, concluding that it does not meet good environmental standards. Well-known names like Rolex, Omega, and Patek Philippe were classified as latecomers and nontransparent, while only IWC received praise. (Oris wasnt included in the report.)

This could prove a thorn in the industrys side. Deloittes 2022 annual report on the Swiss watch industry found sustainability and environmental impact is now the third most powerful driver behind a watch purchase (after brand and price) for buyers in China, the worlds second largest importer of Swiss watches. With climate-conscious millennial and Gen Z consumers now purchasing luxury in greater numbers, the trend will likely gather momentum.

More from TIME

But the luxury-watch industry appears to be waking up. Strategies vary: last year, IWC hired supermodel Gisele Bundchen as an environmental and community-projects adviser, Chopards watches contain only so-called ethical gold from traceable sources, while Panerai and Breitling have replaced wooden boxes with lower-impact packaging.

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Damien Oettli, head of the markets team at WWF Switzerland, says that the industry has started to take the first steps to address sustainability issues but that too many brands are still only paying lip service to the problem.

The watch sector has recovered well from the pandemic, with record exports last year. But its growth has hampered its sustainability efforts. Richemont, parent company of Cartier and Montblanc, said in its 2022 sustainability report that its emissions had increased from the prior year.

For consumers, luxury watches with clear sustainability efforts remain scarce. Some brands, like Oris, have used recycled materials. Two years ago, Panerai said it had set a record for the watch with the most recycled components, claiming the Submersible eLAB-ID was 98.6% recycled by weight. Ulysse Nardin used recycled fishing nets for the Ocean Race Divers case. Both were limited in production.

Watchmaker Panerai said its Submersible eLAB-ID was 98.6% recycled by weight Courtesy of Panerai

A more common approach for companies is to partner with an environmental project. Omega, for example, has helped fund conservation projects with the GoodPlanet Foundation, among other initiatives.

In the fall, Breitling used its Super Chronomat Origins to spearhead its switch to what it calls artisanal gold and lab-grown diamonds by the end of 2025. These will be responsibly sourced from accredited suppliers and backed by end-to-end traceability, says CEO Georges Kern. As a watchmaker, this is where we can use our influence.

Other brands are teaming up. Last April, Cartier and luxury group Kering established the Watch & Jewellery Initiative 2030. The concept is similar to the Fashion Pact of 2019, which saw more than 250 companies commit to science-based targets and meeting the goals of the 2015 Paris Agreement. Chanel, Gucci, IWC, and Jaeger-LeCoultre are among its 25 member brands. All have signed up to the U.N.s 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

One thing brands engaged in sustainability agree on is their hold over consumers. We have to reduce our footprints, says Panerai CEO Jean-Marc Pontroue, but also to educate and convince the wider public so that they become part of the change.
In order to justify the effort of selecting individual stocks, it's worth striving to beat the returns from a market index fund. But every investor is virtually certain to have both over-performing and under-performing stocks. At this point some shareholders may be questioning their investment in Malton Berhad (KLSE:MALTON), since the last five years saw the share price fall 50%. In contrast, the stock price has popped 9.1% in the last thirty days.

With that in mind, it's worth seeing if the company's underlying fundamentals have been the driver of long term performance, or if there are some discrepancies.

See our latest analysis for Malton Berhad

While markets are a powerful pricing mechanism, share prices reflect investor sentiment, not just underlying business performance. By comparing earnings per share (EPS) and share price changes over time, we can get a feel for how investor attitudes to a company have morphed over time.

Looking back five years, both Malton Berhad's share price and EPS declined; the latter at a rate of 14% per year. Notably, the share price has fallen at 13% per year, fairly close to the change in the EPS. That suggests that the market sentiment around the company hasn't changed much over that time. So it's fair to say the share price has been responding to changes in EPS.

You can see how EPS has changed over time in the image below (click on the chart to see the exact values).

Before buying or selling a stock, we always recommend a close examination of historic growth trends, available here.

What About The Total Shareholder Return (TSR)?

Investors should note that there's a difference between Malton Berhad's total shareholder return (TSR) and its share price change, which we've covered above. The TSR attempts to capture the value of dividends (as if they were reinvested) as well as any spin-offs or discounted capital raisings offered to shareholders. Dividends have been really beneficial for Malton Berhad shareholders, and that cash payout explains why its total shareholder loss of 46%, over the last 5 years, isn't as bad as the share price return.

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A Different Perspective

We regret to report that Malton Berhad shareholders are down 5.6% for the year. Unfortunately, that's worse than the broader market decline of 3.8%. Having said that, it's inevitable that some stocks will be oversold in a falling market. The key is to keep your eyes on the fundamental developments. Unfortunately, longer term shareholders are suffering worse, given the loss of 8% doled out over the last five years. We'd need to see some sustained improvements in the key metrics before we could muster much enthusiasm. It's always interesting to track share price performance over the longer term. But to understand Malton Berhad better, we need to consider many other factors. For instance, we've identified 2 warning signs for Malton Berhad (1 makes us a bit uncomfortable) that you should be aware of.

If you like to buy stocks alongside management, then you might just love this free list of companies. (Hint: insiders have been buying them).

Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on Malaysian exchanges.

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.

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FILE PHOTO: Logo of McKinsey and Company is seen at VivaTech fair in Paris

(Reuters) -McKinsey & Co on Tuesday denied a media report that said the consulting firm was shutting down its corporate restructuring practice.

Earlier in the day, the Wall Street Journal reported that McKinsey was shuttering its restructuring unit, and some partners in the division were laid off while yet others were being absorbed into other practices.

"McKinsey RTS is not being shut down. Reports to the contrary are inaccurate," the spokesperson for McKinsey told Reuters.

The unit has been involved with several lawsuits and a regulatory probe over recent years.

In October, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear McKinsey's bid to escape a lawsuit by retired turnaround specialist Jay Alix. Alix had accused the firm of concealing potential conflicts when seeking permission from bankruptcy courts to perform lucrative work on corporate restructurings.

In November 2021, an affiliate of the consulting firm had agreed to pay $18 million to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for compliance failures in handling non-public information.

(Reporting by Manya Saini and Jaiveer Singh Shekhawat in Bengaluru; Editing by Devika Syamnath)
VANCOUVER, BC, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - Megawatt Lithium and Battery Metals Corp. (CSE: MEGA) (FSE: WR20) (OTCQB: WALRF) (the "Company" or "Megawatt") is pleased to announce the results of the soil sampling program at the Mistumis project in the James Bay Region, Quebec. During late 2022 the company collected 1,918 soil geochemistry samples. The samples were analyzed for lithium and for correlations with lithium Pathfinder elements, Li-Cs-Rb & Mg-Fe-Co association. The expansive Mistumis project consists of 229 mineral exploration claims prospective for lithium covering an area of 12,116 hectares or 121 square kms in the prolific James Bay Region. The purpose of the 2022-2023 program was to explore the potential for lithium mineralization under cover and near surface by building a soil geochemical data base in conjunction with an airborne geophysical program within the project boundaries.

Figure 1` (CNW Group/MegaWatt Lithium and Battery Metals Corp.)

Numerous general and broad areas of anomalism for lithium were identified within the boundaries of the project. Strong lithium pathfinder correlation was also identified, particularly at Anomaly A, with Caesium and Rubidium.

Figure 2 (CNW Group/MegaWatt Lithium and Battery Metals Corp.)

Anomaly A has strong correlation with Cs and Rb

The Company notes encouraging till / soil sampling results in relation to the similar exploration strategy undertaken at Lift Power's (CSE: LIFT) Pontax and Moyenne projects in the region. The Mistumis Property is located in the southern region of the Middle and Lower Eastmain Greenstone Belt (MLEGB), approximately 10 km to the northwest of the Rose Lithium-Tantalum Project (Critical Elements Lithium Corporation; 34.2 Mt @ 0.9% Li2O). Similar to the Rose Lithium-Tantalum Project, the Mistumis Property is mainly comprised of felsic intrusive lithologies (i.e., monzogranite, granodiorite, tonalite) with crosscutting diabase intrusions. Irregular pegmatite showings in contact with the felsic intrusives on the Mistumis Property were previously identified through regional-scale government mapping.

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The below image with soil sampling information has been overlain with the magnetic survey data results from Megawatt's airborne survey conducted late 2022. This combined data provides an excellent basis for the follow up program for the upcoming season. The Company is recommending the following exploration program to be carried out for the upcoming season:

Additional prospecting and mapping of potential mafic units in the northern area of the property.

A phase 2 soil survey to expand grid and provide infill sampling data.

A rock sampling program in areas of lichen cover where outcrop may be exposed including a selective trenching program for geological mapping and rock sampling.

A Phase 1 Drill Program where coincident geological data, structural data and geochemical data outlines significant anomalous targets.

Figure 3 (CNW Group/MegaWatt Lithium and Battery Metals Corp.)

Qualified Person

Mr. Patricio Varas (P. Geo.), Consultant for the Company, is a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101  Standards of Disclosure or Mineral Projects and has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical information in this press release.

About MegaWatt Lithium and Battery Metals Corp.

MegaWatt is a British Columbia based company involved in the acquisition and exploration of mineral properties in Canada. The Company holds a 100% undivided interest, subject to a 1.5% NSR on all base, rare earth elements and precious metals, in the Cobalt Hill Property, consisting of eight mineral claims covering an area of approximately 1,727.43 hectares located in the Trail Creek Mining Division in the Province of British Columbia, Canada.

Additionally, the Company has acquired an 80% interest in a company that indirectly holds a 100% interest (subject to a 2% NSR) in two prospective silver-zinc projects in Australia, being the Tyr Silver Project and the Century South Silver-Zinc Project (see press release dated August 13, 2020), an indirect 100% interest (subject to a 1% NSR) in and to certain mining tenements in Northern Territory and New South Wales, Australia prospective for nickel-cobalt-scandium and rare earth elements.

The Company holds a 100% interest (subject to a 2% NSR) in and to the Route 381 Lithium Property, comprised of 40 mineral claims located in James Bay Territory, north of Matagami in the Province of Quebec, covering 2,126 hectares (see press release dated February 3, 2021) and a 100% interest in 229 additional mineral exploration claims prospective for lithium, also in the James Bay area of Quebec covering an area of 12,116 hectares or 121 square kms.

Investors can learn more about the Company and team at https://megawattmetals.com.

The CSE does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This press release includes "forward-looking information" that is subject to a number of assumptions, risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the control of the Company. Forward-looking statements may include but are not limited to, statements relating to the trading of the Company's common shares on the Exchange and the Company's use of proceeds and are subject to all of the risks and uncertainties normally incident to such events. Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future events and that actual events or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward- looking statements. Such forward-looking statements represent management's best judgment based on information currently available. No securities regulatory authority has either approved or disapproved of the contents of this news release.

Related Links

https://megawattmetals.com

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Data Bridge Market Research

Data Bridge Market Research analyses that the micro-hospitals market, which was USD 245.82 billion in 2022, would rise to USD 455 billion by 2030 and is expected to undergo a CAGR of 8% during the forecast period 2023 to 2030

CALGARY, April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Data Bridge Market Research completed a qualitative study titled " Micro-Hospitals Market " with 100+ market data tables, pie charts, graphs, and figures spread across Pages and an easy-to-grasp full analysis. The most up-to-date technology was used in conjunction with expert industry knowledge and practical, effective, and innovative solutions to develop this Micro-Hospitals report. Market penetration-increasing tactics such as new product releases, geographical expansion, agreements, joint ventures, partnerships, and acquisitions are discussed. This study of the Micro-Hospitals market focuses on numerous submarkets that are anticipated to grow rapidly in terms of revenue throughout the study's approximate forecast time frame. The report's research, analysis, and insights give you a clear picture of the market from which to make informed business decisions.

The growth in the market can be due to the growing demand for quality healthcare services and the increasing trend of medical tourism. Additionally, some big-scale hospitals may not be able to offer high-quality facilities because of the enormous influx of patients, which will expand the market. It should also be noted that micro-hospitals are subject to the same licensing requirements and must follow the same laws and regulations, making them suitable for medical reimbursement.

Data Bridge Market Research analyses that the micro-hospitals market, which was USD 245.82 billion in 2022, would rise to USD 455 billion by 2030 and is expected to undergo a CAGR of 8% during the forecast period 2023 to 2030. In addition to the insights on market scenarios such as market value, growth rate, segmentation, geographical coverage, and major players, the market reports curated by the Data Bridge Market Research also include depth expert analysis, patient epidemiology, pipeline analysis, pricing analysis, and regulatory framework.

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Get Access to Sample PDF Report (Including Graphs, Charts & Figures) @ https://www.databridgemarketresearch.com/request-a-sample/?dbmr=global-micro-hospitals-market

Micro-hospitals are a kind of hospital that has less than 100 beds. Micro-hospitals are in-patient facilities that offer several emergency medical services on a tiny scale. They mainly assist low-acuity patients and provide ambulatory and emergency treatments. These hospitals can help undeveloped communities to maintain the gap between healthcare delivery and quality. Micro-hospitals benefit rural areas due to their cost-effectiveness and rapid delivery strategy. It can be important for people living in rural areas with health problems requiring them to be under consistent medical care.

Global Micro-Hospitals Market DynaThe growth in the market can be due to the growing demand for quality healthcare services and the increasing trend of medical tourism. Additionally, some big-scale hospitals may not be able to offer high-quality facilities because of the enormous influx of patients, which will expand the market. It should also be noted that micro-hospitals are subject to the same licensing requirements and must follow the same laws and regulations, making them suitable for medical reimbursement.

Opportunities

Increasing Reimbursement Policies and Expenditure

The increasing per capita expenditure on healthcare is boosting market growth. Reimbursement benefits at micro-hospitals due to plans such as the affordable care act is also helping in boosting the market growth. As per CDC, around 90% of people in the U.S. have insurance coverage plans. Approximately 19 states in the U.S. have micro-hospitals. Thus, this factor boosts market growth.

Growing Strategic Developments and Agreements between Market Players

An increasing rate of micro-hospitals is boosting the market's growth. Mercy Health, Franciscan Health, Christus Health, and Dignity Health planned to launch new micro-hospitals in the U.S. Furthermore, Emerus and Memorial Hermann Health System 2017 agreed to launch micro-hospitals in 2017 U.S. Thus, these factors are increasing the market growth.

Some of the major players operating in the Micro-Hospitals market are

Emerus Hospital Partners, LLC (U.S)

SCL Health (U.S)

Saint Luke's Health System (U.S)

Baylor Scott & White Health (U.S)

CHRISTUS Health (U.S)

Dignity Health (U.S)

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Micro-Hospitals Market Drivers

Huge Development of Micro-Hospitals

Micro-hospitals are gaining importance as they focus on administration gaps in wandering centers and unsupported crisis rooms. Additionally, it has a great advantage over large-scale hospitals in a few ways, such as nominal financial risk and less time spent on developing micro-hospitals than large-scale hospitals. Micro-hospitals offer comfort, patient-centered care, and easy access to offices as the number of patients is limited. Thus, this factor boosts market growth.

Cost-effective Nature of Micro-Hospitals

As compared to full-service hospitals, micro-hospitals are much cheaper and faster to build and take up less space. The cost varies based on the community the hospital is in and the type of hospital, But depending on the additional services offered, the Advisory Board estimates building a micro-hospital can cost anywhere from $7 million to $30 million. Thus, te cost-effective nature of micro-hospitals is a great factor for the market growth.

Restraints/Challenges

Limited Availability of Medical Services

Micro-hospitals are meant to deal with a huge range of healthcare problems. Though, because of their small scale, they cannot handle all medical issues. Few cases might need to be shifted to larger facilities with better equipment and advanced technologies with experienced doctors to handle their situation for continued care and treatment. Thus, this factor is restricting the market growth.

What benefits does the DBMR study is going to provide?

Latest industry influencing trends and development scenario

Open up New Markets

To Seize powerful market opportunities

Key decision in planning and to further expand market share

Identify Key Business Segments, Market proposition & Gap Analysis

Assisting in allocating marketing investments

The investment made in the study would provide you access to information such as:

Micro-Hospitals Market [Global  Broken-down into regions]

Regional level split [North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, South America, Middle East & Africa]

Country wise Market Size Split [of important countries with major market share]

Market Share and Revenue/Sales by leading players

Market Trends  Emerging Technologies/products/start-ups, PESTEL Analysis, SWOT Analysis, Porters Five Forces, etc.

Micro-Hospitals Market Size

Market Size by application/industry verticals

Market Projections/Forecast

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Industry Segmentation:

Location

Tier-1 Cities

Tier-2 Cities

Tier-3 Cities

End User

International Tourists

Corporates

Individuals

Facilities

Physical Therapy

Primary Care

Rotating Specialists

Surgery Centres

On Site X-Ray

Market Regional Analysis/Insights

The micro-hospitals market is analysed and market size insights and trends are provided by location, end user and facilities as referenced above.

The countries covered in the micro-hospitals market report are U.S., Canada, and Mexico in North America, Germany, France, U.K., Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium, Russia, Italy, Spain, Turkey, Rest of Europe in Europe, China, Japan, India, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Rest of Asia-Pacific (APAC) in the Asia-Pacific (APAC), Saudi Arabia, U.A.E, South Africa, Egypt, Israel, Rest of Middle East and Africa (MEA) as a part of Middle East and Africa (MEA), Brazil, Argentina and Rest of South America as part of South America.

North America dominates the micro-hospital market due to the increasing number of adoptions of micro-hospitals by large hospitals and increasing collaborations between major companies to open micro-hospitals. Additionally, increasing per capita expenditure on healthcare is anticipated to boost market growth.

Asia-Pacific is expected to grow significantly due to growing healthcare expenditure, increasing awareness about quality medical services among individuals, and supportive government initiatives. In addition, increasing investments by international market players to develop their businesses are expected to drive growth across this region.

Table of Contents:

Introduction Market Segmentation Executive Summary Premium Insights Global Micro -Hospitals Market : Regulations Market Overview Global Micro -Hospitals Market, By Location Global Micro -Hospitals Market, By Facilities Global Micro -Hospitals Market, By End User Global Micro -Hospitals Market, By Region Global Micro -Hospitals Market: Company Landscape SWOT Analyses Company Profile Questionnaires Related Reports

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Moreau joins Inc.s Female Founders list highlighting entrepreneurs with world-changing companies

WASHINGTON, DC --News Direct-- The Midtown Group

Inc. today announced its sixth annual Female Founders list, honoring a bold group of 200 women whose innovations and ideas are shaping the world into a better place.

The founders cross all industries and bring with them unique stories of success from each stage of the entrepreneurial journey  from startup to going public, being acquired by big buyers, or spending decades at the helm of an organization. They are reinventing everything from shoes to food and are challenging issues like financial literacy and reproductive health.

I am honored and humbled to be recognized by Inc. Magazine as a female founder making an impact among so many incredible and inspiring women on this list, said Helen Stefan Moreau, President and CEO of The Midtown Group. This recognition is not just about me, but about the power of female entrepreneurship, and it is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our team at The Midtown Group. I am grateful for their support and commitment to our vision. As we continue to grow and expand our services, we remain committed to empowering our consultants and clients to achieve their goals and succeed in their careers."

Over the past year, Midtown has continued to find ways to innovate and make an impact on communities across the country. Midtown recently expanded their education service line, dedicated to alleviating the teacher shortage in Washington, D.C. by providing nearly 45 qualified substitute teachers across 50 different public schools in the district, directly benefiting predominantly low-income students. Additionally, Midtown continues to expand federal government partnerships to provide large-scale staffing for natural disaster responses throughout the country.

Each year, Inc. editors review thousands of applications highlighting female founders who are challenging the status quo and tackling some of the worlds biggest problems. The list features women who have overcome challenges and lifted those around them, while leading impactful organizations across the country. They join the ranks of previous honorees including Jessica Alba, Tracee Ellis Ross, Rihanna, and Shonda Rhimes.

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These 200 female founders have identified solutions to difficult problems and created valuable, industry-changing companies out of them. We congratulate this years list on their achievements and look forward to their continued success, says Inc. editor-in-chief Scott Omelianuk.

To see the complete list, go to: https://www.inc.com/female-founders

After launching in 2018, the Female Founders list is one of Inc.s most esteemed franchises. Inc. magazines Female Founders issue (April 2023) will be available online on April 4 at https://www.inc.com/magazine and on newsstands on April 11.

Join the Female Founders conversation using #FemaleFounders.

About The Midtown Group

The Midtown Group (Midtown) is a certified small, woman-owned business that provides temporary staffing and professional services across 34 states. Over the past 33 years, Midtown has evolved from a staffing firm to an organization capable of providing full service solutions. We make a tireless effort to meet and exceed the requirements of our clients and candidates in an ever-changing market. Currently, we manage more than 1,500 candidates and more than 140 clients across the nation. Were recognized as one of the best staffing firms in DC, as a perennial winner of the Best Place to Work award by Washingtonian, The Washington Business Journal, and Inc Magazine.More about Inc. and the Inc. 5000 Regionals Methodology The 2023 Inc. 5000 Regionals are ranked according to percentage revenue growth when comparing 2019 and 2021. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2019. They had to be U.S.-based, privately held, for-profit, and independentnot subsidiaries or divisions of other companiesas of December 31, 2021. (Since then, a number of companies on the list have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2019 is $100,000; the minimum for 2021 is $1 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons. About Inc. Media The worlds most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. The associated Inc. 5000 Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit www.inc.com.

Contact Details

Colleen Gallagher, OnWrd & UpWrd

+1 315-447-2331

cgallagher@onwrdupwrd.com

Company Website

https://themidtowngroup.com/

View source version on newsdirect.com: https://newsdirect.com/news/the-midtown-groups-president-and-ceo-helen-stefan-moreau-makes-inc-s-2023-female-founders-list-308596609
Modern States Education Alliance

Continued Growth of Freshman Year for Free Program Highlights Need for Alternative Pathways to College for Students of All Ages and Backgrounds

Over 125,000 credit-bearing exams taken by students, and paid for by Modern States; an estimated $300 million savings on college costs for students and families

Key alliances in place with Purdue, HBCUs, New York City high schools and others

Freshman Year for Free program creates an onramp into more than 2,900 traditional colleges and universities



NEW YORK, April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Modern States Education Alliance (Modern States), the nations leading philanthropy dedicated to making a college degree more affordable and accessible for everyone, today announced that it has over 400,000 registered students on its online learning platform.

ModernStates.org offers a collection of completely free freshman-level courses online that lead to real credit at thousands of colleges and universities. To date, students have completed 128,000 courses and received full reimbursement by Modern States for exam fees. Assuming 10 college courses per year, this is the equivalent of up to 12,800 free years of college; a potential savings of approximately $300 million, at an average cost of college of $30,000 per year, all in.

The philanthropic goal of Modern States is to give away great, free, credit-bearing college courses to everyone who wants them. The free Modern States courses, plus our willingness to pay the fees of the credit-bearing College Board exams, create a cost-free onramp into thousands of traditional colleges and universities, said Steve Klinsky, Modern States founder and chief executive officer.

Modern States produced and created an online library of over 30 top quality online college courses, all available to everyone at ModernStates.org, and all taught by professors from leading universities such as Columbia, Johns Hopkins, Tufts and Purdue. The courses include lectures, readings and practice questions (all entirely free of charge) that prepare students to pass any of the College Boards credit-bearing College Level Examination Program (CLEP) exams. These CLEP exams have been widely accepted for college credit for more than 50 years and Modern States pays the CLEP exam costs for students who successfully pass its courses.

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I saved a ton of money and time, and I'm not sure what my life would look like now if I didn't use it, said Logan Lathrop, a Modern States learner who thought he would never pursue college. He discovered CLEP during his time in the Air National Guard and took advantage of the program to further his education while deployed in Kuwait. I'm now a 1L at Harvard Law School and without using Modern States to clear out a full semester and a half of courses, it's very possible that the entry into higher education would have been too daunting for me to consider starting.

Any learner  high school students, college students, active-duty military and adults  can sign up at ModernStates.org in minutes and began taking these self-paced courses in subjects such as English, Math, Science, American Government, American History, Psychology, Spanish and many others. There are no entrance, financial, or other requirements to use Modern States.

Like a digital public library, the Modern States free online courses are available 24/7 and are self-paced, allowing students full flexibility and convenience. All it takes is an internet connection and a desire to learn. Some students take courses on their cell phone.

Modern States exists to help all people, of any age and background, including high schoolers and adult learners, save about a full years worth of money and time on their education, said Klinsky.

Launched in 2017, Modern States was created to help students and their families deal with the high cost of college that has resulted in more than $1.7 trillion of student debt, more than all the credit card debt in the U.S. By enabling students to save on the cost of college, Modern States reduces student debt and offers a pathway to college. Students can take one course or as many courses as they choose. By passing 8-10 CLEP exams, students can save up to a full year of college cost.

As the program continues bringing its promise of free college credit to more students across the country, Modern States has forged dozens of partnerships with like-minded organizations, including the Carnegie Corp., the Hearst Foundation, The Heckscher Foundation, The Starr Foundation, the I Have a Dream Foundation and many others, including The Archdiocese of New York.

It also has forged partnerships with Purdue University; with historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) led by Morgan State University; with hundreds of high schools and colleges; and with numerous cities and states.

Purdue and Morgan State started Fast Start programs with Modern States, which specially admit Modern States/CLEP students into Purdue and Morgan State at major cost and time savings.

The NYC x Freshman Year for Free program has more than 3,500 registered students from 100 New York City public high schools in Brooklyn, the Bronx, Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island. The NYC students who receive stipends for passing courses and exams use Modern States courses to earn free college credit during high school.

The overall pass rate for CLEP students has been 74 percent to date, which is about 10 percentage points higher than the national average pass rate for all CLEP test takers. Research has shown that students who pass CLEPs are more likely to graduate, and more likely to do well on the follow-up course.

Now, with courses taught by college professors online to prepare students to pass these exams, students can get college credit for what they learn, said David Vise, executive director of Modern States.

Registering for Modern States courses is free and easy. The philanthropy aspires to help over one million learners and to save students and taxpayers over $1 billion in total. The program also symbolizes a model of a national or global free digital library of college and vocational training, that a government or NGO could institute on a broader scale.

For more information about Modern States and its courses, please visit https://modernstates.org/.

About Modern States

Modern States is a NYC-based philanthropy dedicated to making a college degree more affordable and accessible for everyone. Its first initiative is Freshman Year for Free: more than 30 online college courses available tuition-free for credit, from top university professors available to anyone with an Internet connection. Students can use these courses to earn college credits by preparing for and taking credit-bearing CLEP exams, as offered by the College Board, and accepted by more than 2,900 colleges, including most HBCUs. Learn more at ModernStates.org.

CONTACT: Media Contact: Jennifer Leckstrom RoseComm for Modern States Jleckstrom@rosecomm.com 215-681-0770




KANSAS CITY, Mo., April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- NCM Associates today announced a strategic partnership with Foundation Direct to provide NCM 20 Group clients with a real-time Digital Performance Composite compiling a dealerships' website & digital marketing efforts in one, easytounderstand report card.

Clients will access these new digital insights through both an always-available, real-time digital composite and easy-to-digest weekly snapshots. Consistent Digital Peerset comparisons and trends will enable NCM Members to have more productive 20 Group discussions with peers about the effectiveness of their website & digital advertising  two areas that have quickly become the new battleground to win automotive shoppers. Compiling these analytics and insights into one composite allows car dealerships to better manage marketing goals and tasks across the entire organization, and to improve ROI.

"Our industry's robust digital data is woefully underutilized by dealers, often held hostage by inaccessible systems, non-transparent vendors, and lacking standardization across both OEMs and vendors. The NCM Digital Performance Composite, partnered with Foundation Direct's unmatched digital expertise, is one more way NCM is helping our dealers future proof their investments and performance," said NCM President & CEO Paul Faletti Jr. "As our industry continues to face unprecedented challenges, arming our dealers with real-time data to drive more informed decision making online and in-store is absolutely essential," he said.

"We are thrilled to partner with an organization as well respected as NCM, and look forward to helping NCM Members unlock the power and potential of their own digital data," said Andrew Diffenderfer, Co-Founder of Foundation Direct. "This first-of-its-kind offering will give dealers clear, transparent insights to fuel more data-driven decisions that undoubtedly lead to increased ROI, decreased waste, and a competitive advantage in their marketplace."

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The NCM Digital Performance Composite unlocks contextual insights on aggregated and peerset website performance metrics, transparency into Google Ads spend and performance, and deep dives into traffic coming from 3rd Parties. It also reveals performance across a diverse set of common dealer website tools including Chat, Text, and Digital Retailing, along with visualizations comparing digital trends against available inventory and much more. This offering will also equip dealers to effectively handle Google's mandatory migration from Google's Universal Analytics to the new privacy-forward GA4. The team at Foundation Direct is ensuring that enrolled NCM members are future-proofed and ready to embrace this massive shift in digital measurement.

About Foundation Direct

Foundation Direct is the leading digital advertising & intelligence solution for automotive advertisers, helping customers reduce waste and improve results while future proofing for the digital revolution through data ownership, intelligence, and competitive insights. Led by a powerhouse team of former Google Executives with unprecedented expertise spanning 50+ collective years in Google's Automotive practice, Foundation simplifies the aggregation, analysis, contextualization, and integration of online and offline data sets into simple, intuitive insights & recommended actions. Foundation partners with some of the most successful automotive manufacturers and retailers, in addition to this exciting strategic partnership with NCM.

About NCM Associates

NCM Associates' business is knowledge. From peer-to-peer collaboration 20 Groups, management training, and consulting, to business intelligence, and Benchmark reporting, NCM delivers the intelligence businesses need to take their operations to the next level. With expertise spanning both retail automotive and OEM support, NCM's grounded and proven best practices and seamless reporting provide businesses with a strong partner to be successful in the industry.

Cision

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SOURCE Foundation Direct
VANCOUVER, BC, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - Nevada King Gold Corp. (TSXV: NKG) (OTCQX: NKGFF) ("Nevada King" or the "Company") is pleased to announce drill results from its 2022 Phase II drilling program at its 74.9 km2 Iron Point Project, located 35 km east of Winnemucca, Nevada, on the prolific Battle Mountain Trend (Figure 1).

Highlights:

Phase II drilling at Iron Point successfully intercepted Lower Plate stratigraphy in three deep holes including multiple gold zones in hole IP22-005. Key intervals include:

Drill Hole From (m) To (m) Interval (m) Au (g/t) IP22-5 342.6 349.9 7.3 0.33 And 389.4 394.2 4.8 5.35 And 675.4 684.6 9.2 1.04

Nevada King's Phase I and Phase II drilling confirm a Carlin-type gold hosted in Lower Plate carbonate rocks in the hanging wall and footwall of the Edna Mountain Structural Zone (" EMSZ ") (Figure 1). Gold mineralization is associated with elevated As, Sb and Hg and is open in all directions for additional drill tests. This key takeaway represents a new, high-value exploration opportunity.





The geologic setting of Iron Point is strikingly similar to the style of known Carlin-type gold deposits occurring along the Carlin and Battle Mountain-Eureka Trends. Similarities include multiple compressional tectonic events, gold in Upper and Lower Plate rocks, a stock with a hornfels aureole in the footwall of a complex normal fault zone, multiple dike swarms of various ages and orientations, and multiple metal systems of varying ages.





Nevada King's Phase II drill program commenced in January 2022 and was designed to follow up on initial drilling completed by the Company in 2019 during which a thick sequence of Lower Plate carbonate rocks was encountered in core hole VM-008C, which bottomed in strongly anomalous gold mineralization and associated pathfinder elements, intercepting 5.8m grading 0.17 g/t Au starting at 704m.





Nevada King is in the process of filing a National Instrument 43-101 ("NI 43-101") compliant technical report in the coming days authored by renowned Nevada Explorationist Mac Jackson, outlining a comprehensive review of the Iron Point district including work done by the Company in its Phase I and Phase II drilling programs.

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Cal Herron, Exploration Manager of Nevada King, commented: "Every explorer looking for gold in northeastern Nevada over the past 50 years has been striving for the same goal  i.e. to find Carlin-type gold in receptive, Lower Plate stratigraphy. There are numerous deposits and mines across this region that host gold in upper plate and Tertiary-age lithotypes, but the real prize has always been to hit gold in Lower Plate sequences where the elephants are most likely to be found. As enumerated above, previous explorers at Iron Point identified most of the geological components that go into making a Carlin-type deposit, but the most important charactistic of all  the existence of Lower Plate rocks hosting gold mineralization  remained elusive. In this respect, Nevada King's discovery hole VM-008C in 2019 represented a giant leap forward toward finding a Carlin-type deposit at Iron Point. The Company's subsequent drilling program in 2022 corroborated this Lower Plate mineralization with hits in IP22-004 and 005 and also expanded the footprint of Carlin-type mineralization to the north, south, and east of VM-008C, covering an area measuring 1000m N-S by 500m wide and open in all directions. The gold intercepts in these three widely-spaced holes now place the Company in the enviable position of exploring for a potential elephant within an identified geological environment conducive for producing elephants, as opposed to questioning whether or not we are in the right environment to start with, which is the more common position most explorers in NE Nevada find themselves.

"With our advanced knowledge gained from the work completed to date, next possible steps at Iron Point could involve:

Re-interpretation of geophysical data and probable in-fill geophysical surveys to provide higher resolution and better definition of potential targets.

Detailed geochemical modeling and subsurface structural mapping based on historical drilling and Nevada King's large number of RC and core holes drilled for vanadium.

Expanding the surface geologic map coverage.

"The Company is currently examining several development strategies to best move the Iron Point Project forward."

Phase II 2022 Drilling Program Summary:

3,196m of drilling was completed in five wide-spaced rotary precollar / diamond core tail holes (IP22-001 through IP22-005). Drilling focused on the eastern rangefront, primarily in the hanging wall of the EMSZ (see table below and Figure 1). The holes were a follow up to Lower Plate gold mineralization intersected in drill hole VM-008C (5.8m of 0.16 g Au/t from 704.2 to 710.0m) in the footwall of the EMSZ.





Nevada King's VM-008C, today's highlight hole IP22-005, and IP22-004 all confirm Carlin-type gold mineralization hosted in Lower Plate carbonate rocks along a 1,000m long segment of the EMSZ.





Property-wide gravity data clearly define the EMSZ  a complex, anastomosing, northeast to northwest-striking normal fault on the east side of the project. Two unique targets are recognized in this area:

Both areas host drill holes with gold mineralization and as such constitute high value exploration targets.

Modeling of airborne property-wide magnetic data has assisted in resolving the geometry of the Iron Point intrusion as a Cretaceous age igneous stock with a distinct hornfels metamorphic aureole and outboard metal zoning (Figure 2). These patterns are identical to patterns documented around the Goldstrike stock on the Carlin Trend, and the Mill Canyon and Gold Acres stocks at Cortez.

The exploration potential of the Iron Point Project includes the recognition of multiple exploration target types including: Carlin-type gold, upper plate hosted vanadium, Cu-Mo porphyry, and base and precious metal skarn.

Figure 1. The Iron Point Gold Project located at the intersection of the prolific Getchell and Battle Mountain gold trends. (CNW Group/Nevada King Gold Corp.)

Figure 2. Drill hole locations (CNW Group/Nevada King Gold Corp.)

Figure 3. Iron Point Project  pre-2021 drilling: Leapfrog arsenic model of NW-SE drill holes and preliminary geology long section. View is to the northeast. (CNW Group/Nevada King Gold Corp.)

Drill Hole Method Incl. TD (m) Intercept (m) Interval (m) Au (g/t) Notes IP22-1 RC / Core -90 913.0 No assays > 0.14 g Au/t





IP22-2 RC -90 67.1 No assays > 0.14 g Au/t

Precollar lost IP22-3 MR -90 365.9 No assays > 0.14 g Au/t

Precollar cased IP22-4 MR / Core -90 917.1 505.1-511.5 6.4 0.16

IP22-5 MR / Core -90 932.9 342.6-349.9 7.3 0.33

And





389.4-394.2 4.8 5.35

And





675.4-684.6 9.2 1.04



Table 1. Gold intercepts reported today, calculated using a 0.14 g Au/t cutoff. Weighted averaging has been used to calculate all reported intervals. True widths are estimated at 70-90% of drilled thicknesses. Drill methods include reverse circulation (RC), mud rotary (MR) and HQ diamond core.

Sampling Methodology, Chain of Custody, Quality Control and Quality Assurance

All sampling was conducted under the supervision of the Company's project geologist and the chain of custody from the project to the sample preparation facility was continuously monitored. A blank or certified reference material was inserted approximately every twentieth sample.

The reverse circulation, mud rotary and core samples were delivered to either ALS Minerals or American Assay Laboratories certified laboratories in Sparks, NV, where they were crushed and pulverized. Resulting sample pulps were digested and analyzed for gold using fire assay with an atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) finish (ALS Minerals Au-AA23), or fire assay fusion with an ICP-OES finish (American Assay FA-PB30-ICP) on a 30 gram split. All other elements were determined by ICP analysis (ALS Minerals ME-ICP61 or American Assay ICP-2AO24) in either Sparks, NV, or Vancouver, BC. Data verification of the analytical results included a statistical analysis of the standards and blanks that must pass certain parameters for acceptance to insure accurate and verifiable results.

Qualified Person

The scientific and technical information in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Calvin R. Herron, P.Geo., who is a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101.

About Nevada King Gold Corp.

Nevada King is the third largest mineral claim holder in the State of Nevada, behind Nevada Gold Mines (Barrick/Newmont) and Kinross Gold. Starting in 2016 the Company has staked large project areas hosting significant historical exploration work along the Battle Mountain trend located close to current or former producing gold mines. These project areas were initially targeted based on their potential for hosting multi-million-ounce gold deposits and were subsequently staked following a detailed geological evaluation. District-scale projects in Nevada King's portfolio include (1) the 100% owned Atlanta Mine, located 100km southeast of Ely, (2) the Lewis and Horse Mountain-Mill Creek projects, both located between Nevada Gold Mines' large Phoenix and Pipeline mines, and (3) the Iron Point project, located 35km east of Winnemucca, Nevada.

The Company is well funded with cash of approximately $7.25 million as of April 2023.

The Atlanta Mine is a historical gold-silver producer with a NI 43-101 compliant pit-constrained resource of 460,000 oz Au in the measured and indicated category (11.0M tonnes at 1.3 g/t) plus an inferred resource of 142,000 oz Au (5.3M tonnes at 0.83 g/t). See the NI 43-101 Technical Report on Resources titled "Atlanta Property, Lincoln County, NV" with an effective date of October 6, 2020, and a report date of December 22, 2020, as prepared by Gustavson Associates and filed under the Company's profile on SEDAR (www.sedar.com).

NI 43-101 Mineral Resources at the Atlanta Mine

Resource Category Tonnes (000's) Au Grade (ppm) Contained Au

Oz Ag Grade (ppm) Contained Ag

Oz Measured 4,130 1.51 200,000 14.0 1,860,000 Indicated 6,910 1.17 260,000 10.6 2,360,000 Measured + Indicated 11,000 1.30 460,000 11.9 4,220,000 Inferred 5,310 0.83 142,000 7.3 1,240,000

Please see the Company's website at www.nevadaking.ca.

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 Statements Regarding Forward Looking Information

This news release contains certain "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein, without limitation, statements relating the future operations and activities of Nevada King, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are frequently, but not always, identified by words such as "expects", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "potential", "possible", and similar expressions, or statements that events, conditions, or results "will", "may", "could", or "should" occur or be achieved. Forward-looking statements in this news release relate to, among other things, the Company's exploration plans and the Company's ability to potentially expand mineral resources and the impact thereon. 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. Forward-looking statements reflect the beliefs, opinions and projections on the date the statements are made and are based upon a number of assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by Nevada King, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties and contingencies. Many factors, both known and unknown, could cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from the results, performance or achievements that are or may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements and the parties have made assumptions and estimates based on or related to many of these factors. Such factors include, without limitation, the ability to complete proposed exploration work given the global COVID-19 pandemic, the results of exploration, continued availability of capital, and changes in general economic, market and business conditions. Readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release concerning these items. Nevada King does not assume any obligation to update the forward-looking statements of beliefs, opinions, projections, or other factors, should they change, except as required by applicable securities laws.

Nevada King Gold Corp. Logo (CNW Group/Nevada King Gold Corp.)

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SOURCE Nevada King Gold Corp.
FILE PHOTO: The Nintendo logo is displayed at the Nintendo Tokyo store

By Foo Yun Chee

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Japanese gaming company Nintendo has agreed to repair for free beyond the legal guarantee period unresponsive console controllers following complaints from European consumer groups, the European Commission said on Tuesday.

Nintendo found itself in the EU spotlight after the European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) and nine national consumer groups in 2021 complained to the EU executive about its Nintendo Switch console, saying they deteriorate too quickly.

This technical problem known as the 'Joy-Con drift' affected both Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch Lite consoles.

The Commission said the Japanese company has now agreed to address the problem.

"Nintendo agreed to offer and indicate clearly that defective Joy-Con controllers will be repaired without charge by Nintendo's repair centers, irrespective of whether this has been caused by a defect or by wear and tear, and even if the manufacturer's guarantee given by Nintendo has expired," it said in a statement.

BEUC welcomed the announcement but criticised it as a short-term solution.

"This is only a short-term fix that will allow consumers to have their defective products repaired for free. Yet Nintendo can still sell the console with the potential bug," BEUC Deputy Director General Ursula Pachl said in a statement.

(Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; Editing by Kirsten Donovan)
Fortune Business Insights

Companies covered in non-stick cookware market are Groupe SEB (France), TTK Prestige Ltd. (India), Moneta Cookware (Italy), Newell Brands (U.S.), Bradshaw International, Inc. (U.S.), Meyer International Holdings, Ltd. (U.S.), StoveKraft (India), Conair Corporation (U.S.), The Cookware Company (U.S.), Bundy Baking Solutions (U.S.), and more players profiled.

Pune, India, April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global non-stick cookware market size was valued at USD 7.33 billion in 2022 and is projected to grow from USD 7.62 billion in 2023 to USD 11.73 billion by 2030, exhibiting a CAGR of 6.4% during the forecast period.

The global non-stick cookware industry is showcasing robust growth on account of the rising preference for these cooking utensils over conventional ones across households. One of the main benefits of cooking food with non-stick cookery products is that they help consumers reduce their oil consumption. These appliances also offer a stylish visual appeal to kitchens as they come in a wide range of attractive colors and designs.

Fortune Business Insights presents this information in a report titled, "Global Non-stick Cookware Market, 2023-2030."

COVID-19 Impact:

Trade Restrictions Amid COVID-19 Pandemic Dented Growth Prospects

The COVID-19-related lockdown restrictions caused a major slowdown in the production and supply of kitchenware products, thereby impeding the global non-stick cookware market growth. Moreover, acute shortage of raw materials and labor force during the pandemic period posed challenges to large-scale companies in managing their manufacturing & supply chain operations effectively. These factors negatively impacted the market growth for a temporary period.

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Non-stick Cookware Market Report Scope & Segmentation:

Report Coverage Details Forecast Period 2023-2030 Forecast CAGR 6.4% 2030 Value Projection USD 11.73 billion Base Year 2022 Non-stick Cookware Market Size in 2022 USD 7.33 Billion Historical Data 2019-2021 No. of Pages 203 Segments Covered By Material Type, By End-user, By Distribution Channel, By Region Non-stick Cookware Market Growth Drivers Growing Awareness Regarding Benefits of Using Non-stick Utensils to Fuel Market Growth Manufacturers Introduction of Innovatively Designed Non-stick Pans to Accelerate Industry Expansion

Fortune Business Insights lists out all the non-stick cookware market companies that are presently striving to reduce the impact of Covid-19 pandemic on the market:

Groupe SEB (France)

TTK Prestige Ltd. (India)

Moneta Cookware (Italy)

Newell Brands (U.S.)

Bradshaw International, Inc. (U.S.)

Meyer International Holdings, Ltd. (U.S.)

StoveKraft (India)

Conair Corporation (U.S.)

The Cookware Company (U.S.)

Bundy Baking Solutions (U.S.)

Story continues

Report Coverage:

The report analyzes the market in detail and highlights crucial aspects such as prominent companies, material types, distribution channels, and end-uses of the product. The report also offers actionable insights into the major trends and competitive landscape of the industry, highlighting important market developments and the global market outlook. Additionally, the report covers many factors enhancing the industry growth in the coming years.

Drivers and Restraints:

Growing Awareness Regarding Benefits of Using Non-stick Utensils to Boost Market Trends

As compared to conventional cookery products, non-stick cookware items are much easier to wash and maintain. Customers are becoming more aware of the benefits of using these utensils. The kitchen decor & renovation trends are also constantly changing every year. These aspects are projected to drive the market expansion. Moreover, growing consumption of confectionaries and baked items among the younger population is expected to fuel product sales. For example, Groupe SEB, a French non-stick cookware products and appliances manufacturer, reported 12.50% jump in its cookware sales and reached USD 2,498.29 million in 2021.

However, using damaged or Teflon-coated non-stick utensil has been linked with several health problems. These may range from fever and headache to more complicated ailments such as kidney cancer. These factors could limit product adoption to some extent.

Browse Detailed Summary of Research Report with TOC:

https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/non-stick-cookware-market-105006

Segments

Extreme Corrosion Resistance Properties to Help Teflon Coated Segment Dominate the Market

Based on material type, the market is segmented into Teflon coated, anodized aluminum coated, ceramic coated, enameled iron coated, and others. The Teflon/PTFE material segment is anticipated to hold a major share due to its beneficial properties such as robustness, durability, and satisfactory usability.

Significant Non-stick Kitchenware Demand from Households May Foster Residential Segment Growth

In terms of end-use, the market is divided into residential and commercial. The residential segment is predicted to dominate the market due to rising construction of residential infrastructural facilities and evolving kitchen decoration trends.

Wide Availability of Kitchenware Items May Fuel Supermarkets & Hypermarkets Segment Expansion

Based on distribution channel, the market is segmented into specialty stores, supermarkets & hypermarkets, online stores, and others. The supermarkets & hypermarkets segment might capture a sizeable industry share as these stores offer better accessibility to a variety of kitchenware items at one place.

Geographically, the market is classified into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, South America, and the Middle East & Africa.

Regional Insights:

Rising Production of Hard Anodized Aluminum Coated Cookware to Boost Asia Pacific Market Progress

The Asia Pacific global non-stick cookware market share reached USD 2.36 billion in valuation in 2022. Countries, such as India, China, and South East Asia, are extensively using cookware & bakeware products. Establishment of expansive manufacturing plants to produce hard anodized aluminum coated cookery items in India, China, and Japan is anticipated to support the product demand across the region. For example, in 2022, the average monthly manufacturing capacity of SHANGHAI GUANHUA STAINLESS STEEL PRODUCTS CO., LTD., a Chinese producer of stainless steel cookery products, reached 700,000 to 800,000.

Competitive Landscape:

Innovation and Production Capacity Expansion Strategies Adopted by Key Players to Fuel Market Growth

Top companies, such as Groupe SEB, TTK Prestige Ltd., and others, offer non-stick cookware products powered by innovative technologies to increase their brand presence. Furthermore, these global and premium brands are acquiring newer manufacturing facilities to build their production base and strengthen their position in the global market.

For instance, in November 2021, Wonderchef Home Appliances Pvt. Ltd., an Indian kitchen appliances supplier, partnered with Sixth Sense Ventures to invest USD 20.15 million to fortify the formers online presence, distribution network, and manufacturing base for its 600 non-stick cookery items and appliances in India.

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Detailed Table of Content:

Introduction Research Scope Market Segmentation Research Methodology Definitions and Assumptions

Executive Summary

Market Dynamics Market Drivers Market Restraints Market Opportunities Emerging Trends

Key Insights Overview of the Parent/Related Markets Industry SWOT Analysis Pricing and Regulatory Analysis Recent Industry Developments - Policies, Partnerships, New Product Launches, and Mergers & Acquisitions Qualitative Analysis (in relation to COVID-19) Impact of COVID-19 Supply Chain Challenges due to COVID-19 Potential Opportunities due to COVID-19

Global Non-Stick Cookware Market Analysis, Insights, and Forecast, 2019-2030 Key Findings / Summary Market Size Estimates and Forecast By Material Type (Value) Teflon Coated Anodised Alunimum Coated Ceramic Coated Enameled Iron Coated Others By Distribution Channel (Value) Supermarkets & Hypermarkets Specialty Stores E-commerce Stores Others By End-Use (Value) Residential Commercial By Region (Value) North America Europe Asia Pacific South America Middle East & Africa



TOC Continued!

Key Industry Development:

February 2022 - Spectrum Brands Holdings, Inc., a global consumer goods manufacturer, acquired Tristar Products Inc.s cookware business to expand its presence in the global cookware market.

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Check out more Related Insights by Fortune Business Insights:

Home Appliances Market to Hit USD 987.35 Billion by 2029 | with a CAGR of 5.57%

Toaster Market Size to Reach USD 4.72 Billion by 2027; Rising Consumer Demand for Kitchen Appliances to Contribute Growth, states Fortune Business Insights

Kitchen Appliances Market to Reach USD 210.80 Billion by 2027 | Kitchen Appliances Industry Striking CAGR of 3.7%

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New region will help meet increasing demand for OCI services in South East Asia while addressing growing business continuity and compliance requirements

Industries across South East Asia including financial services and telecommunications will benefit from Oracle Cloud Infrastructure's high performance and security, powerful data and analytics, and distributed cloud capabilities

Second cloud region in Singapore will join Oracle's 41 existing and nine other planned public cloud regions

SINGAPORE and AUSTIN, Texas, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Oracle CloudWorld Tour -- To meet the rapidly growing demand for its cloud services in South East Asia, Oracle today announced plans to open a second cloud region in Singapore. Continuing one of the fastest expansions of any major cloud provider, the new region is one of 10 planned public regions to join the 41 regions that Oracle currently operates.

The region will offer Oracle's public and private sector customers and partners a new option to locate their infrastructure, applications, and data for optimal performance and latency. Customers will have access to a wide range of cloud services to modernize their applications; innovate with data, analytics, and AI; and migrate mission-critical workloads from their data centers to Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) . In addition, customers will be able to achieve greater business continuity by using both Oracle Cloud Singapore Regions together while retaining data residency within Singapore.

"Our upcoming second cloud region in Singapore will help meet the tremendous upsurge in demand for cloud services in South East Asia," said Garrett Ilg, president, Japan & Asia Pacific, Oracle. "With the new region, Oracle offers customers true business continuity and disaster protection while meeting in-country data residency requirements. As a result, we're extending our commitment to helping organizations in South East Asia embrace technologies like AI, machine learning, and IoT to address their most complex challenges and achieve more with less."

Story continues

The new Oracle Cloud Singapore Region will offer over 100 OCI services and applications, including Oracle Autonomous Database , MySQL HeatWave Database Service , Oracle Container Engine for Kubernetes , and Oracle Cloud VMware Solution . These applications and services will help startups and medium-sized and large organizations across financial services, telecommunications, manufacturing, healthcare, and retail in South East Asia harness data to help uncover new business value and optimize applications, typically without requiring costly re-architecture. The first Oracle Cloud Singapore Region has supported the innovation needs of more than 1,000 customers in South East Asia, including Pacific International Lines and Siam Makro.

High Availability and Low Latency Provides Customers with a Resilient Cloud Foundation

OCI's next-generation architecture maximizes performance and security. Each Oracle Cloud Region contains at least three fault domains, which are groupings of hardware that form logical data centers for high availability and resilience to hardware and network failures. The second region in Singapore will help customers increase business continuity while addressing regulatory needs.

Both Singapore regions will provide low-latency networking and high-speed data transfer to allow customers and partners to derive better value from their data. In addition, OCI's distributed cloud solutions, including Dedicated Region and Exadata Cloud@Customer, can assist with applications where data proximity and low latency in specific locations are critical.

Spurring South East Asia's Digital Economic Growth

In its Top ICT Predictions for 2022 and Beyond at IDC FutureScape 2022, IDC said that by 2023 digital will rule in South East Asia, as one in three companies will generate more than 15 percent of their revenue from digital products and services, compared to one in six in 2020. The strong focus on increasing revenue from digital products and services will contribute towards cloud technology playing an even more integral role in business continuity and resiliency for South East Asian organizations in today's digital-first world.

"Oracle's second cloud region in Singapore is a welcomed addition as the country continues to establish itself as one of the top markets for data centres globally, with sustainability at its core. Despite economic uncertainties, cloud spending by South East Asia organizations remains strong as cloud adoption continues to be seen as a business differentiator to meet the challenges of the post-pandemic future. IDC forecasts the Asia/Pacific (excluding Japan) overall public cloud services market will increase at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 23.5% from US$53.4 billion in 2021 to reach US$153.6 billion in 2026," said Estelle Quek, senior research manager, Cloud Buyer Trends and Intentions Research, IDC.

A Focus on Driving Sustainable Operations Across the Globe

Underscoring its ongoing focus on sustainability , Oracle has committed to matching all worldwide Oracle Cloud Regions with 100 percent renewable energy by 2025, including the new Oracle Cloud Region in Singapore. Several Oracle Cloud Regions are already powered by 100 percent renewable energy, which enables customers to run their computing services more sustainably and with a lower carbon footprint. To further advance its commitment to sustainable operations, Oracle and its Asset Recovery partners recycled 99.9 percent of retired hardware they collected in FY'22.

Customers and Partners Welcome Oracle's Second Cloud Region in Singapore

"We're excited to hear Oracle's plans to launch another cloud region in Singapore. Singapore Pools had a good experience with the first cloud region. With the launch of the second region, this strengthens our confidence for maximum high availability for our cloud services," said Yeo Teck Guan, chief business technology officer, Singapore Pools.

"The upcoming second Oracle cloud region in Singapore is timely for Siam Makro as we are expanding across the South East Asia region. We'll soon be able to scale up on our cloud-based technology as well as consolidate our cloud needs holistically, allowing us to operate more efficiently," said Paul Stephen Howe, group chief information technology officer, Siam Makro.

"We're thrilled to embark on this journey with Oracle as its second cloud region will offer endless possibilities for system integrators and independent software vendors like us to scale our operations and achieve greater performance. With Oracle's advanced technologies and our expertise in delivering mission-critical IT services, we are poised to help our customers and advisors navigate the complexities of the digital landscape and optimize their digital journey," said Richard James, managing director, enterprise application services, APMEA, DXC Technology.

Oracle Cloud's Rapidly Growing Global Footprint

Oracle provides a broad and consistent set of cloud services, with the same low prices, across more than 41 cloud regions in 22 countries. OCI currently operates 34 commercial regions and seven government regions, in addition to multiple dedicated and national security regions.

Currently available Oracle Cloud Regions include:

Asia Pacific: Tokyo (Japan), Osaka (Japan), Seoul (South Korea), Chuncheon (South Korea), Mumbai (India), Hyderabad (India), Sydney (Australia), Melbourne (Australia), Singapore (Singapore)

Americas: San Jose (United States), Phoenix (United States), Ashburn (United States), Chicago (United States), Toronto (Canada), Montreal (Canada), Sao Paolo (Brazil), Vinhedo (Brazil), Santiago (Chile), Queretaro (Mexico)

Europe: Frankfurt (Germany), London (United Kingdom), Newport, Wales (United Kingdom), Zurich (Switzerland), Amsterdam (The Netherlands), Marseille (France), Stockholm (Sweden), Milan (Italy), La Courneuve, and Paris (France), Madrid (Spain)

Middle East: Jeddah (Saudi Arabia), Abu Dhabi and Dubai (U.A.E), Jerusalem (Israel)

Africa: Johannesburg (South Africa)

Government: Two general U.S. Government regions, three U.S. Department of Defense specific Government regions, several U.S. National Security regions, and two United Kingdom Government regions (London and Newport, Wales)

Additional Resources

Learn more about the Oracle Cloud Regions

Learn more about Oracle Cloud Infrastructure

About Oracle

Oracle offers integrated suites of applications plus secure, autonomous infrastructure in the Oracle Cloud. For more information about Oracle (NYSE: ORCL), please visit us at www.oracle.com.

About Oracle CloudWorld Tour

Oracle CloudWorld Tour is Oracle's global celebration of customers and partners. Join us to discover the insights you need to tackle your biggest business challenges, build your skills, knowledge, and connections, and learn more about our cloud infrastructure, database, and applications from the people that build and use them. For live keynotes, session details, news and more visit oracle.com/cloudworld-tour or oracle.com/news .

Trademarks

Oracle, Java, MySQL and NetSuite are registered trademarks of Oracle Corporation. NetSuite was the first cloud companyushering in the new era of cloud computing.

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SOURCE Oracle
SNS Insider pvt ltd

The development of novel therapies with improved efficacy and safety profiles is expected to further boost the growth of the overactive bladder treatment market in the coming years.

Pune, April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As per the report from SNS Insider, the Overactive Bladder Treatment Market was assessed at USD 3.63 billion in 2022 and is projected to expand to USD 4.89 billion by 2030, registering a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.8% during the forecast period of 2023-2030.

Market Overview

Overactive Bladder (OAB) is a common medical condition characterized by a sudden and uncontrollable urge to urinate, which may lead to involuntary leakage of urine, also known as urinary incontinence. Overactive bladder can be caused by several factors such as nerve damage, bladder infections, or hormonal changes, but it is most commonly associated with aging. The treatment of overactive bladder involves a combination of lifestyle modifications, medications, and, in some cases, surgical procedures.

Market Analysis

The drivers for the Overactive bladder treatment market include factors such as the increasing prevalence of overactive bladder (OAB) among aging populations, rising awareness about OAB and its treatment options, the growing availability of effective OAB treatments, and the emergence of novel therapies with improved efficacy and safety profiles. Additionally, the expanding healthcare infrastructure in developing regions, increasing healthcare expenditure, and the growing adoption of minimally invasive surgical procedures are also expected to drive the growth of the market in the coming years.

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Key Company Profile Listed in this Report Are:

Astellas Pharma, Inc.

Mylan N.V.

Endo International PLC

Hisamitsu Pharmaceutical Co., Inc.

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Limited

Allergan, Plc

Sanofi

Aurobindo Pharma Limited,

Pfizer, Inc.

Medtronic plc.

Story continues

Impact of Recession on Overactive Bladder Treatment Market

The impact of a recession on the overactive bladder treatment market is complex and can be influenced by several factors. While economic downturns can lead to reduced healthcare spending and limited access to healthcare services, the growing prevalence of OAB among aging populations may counterbalance this impact by driving demand for effective treatment options.

Key Regional Developments

As per the market analysis, North America holds the largest share of the global overactive bladder treatment market, owing to factors such as high awareness levels, well-established healthcare infrastructure, and a significant number of patients suffering from overactive bladder in the region. Moreover, the North American market is characterized by the presence of major market players, a higher proportion of the elderly population, and an increase in lifestyle diseases such as diabetes, which can lead to overactive bladder. Europe, on the other hand, is the second-largest market for overactive bladder treatment, primarily driven by increasing healthcare expenditure, rising geriatric population, and a growing number of patients suffering from overactive bladder.

Overactive Bladder Treatment Market Report Scope:

Report Attributes Details Market Size in 2022 US$ 3.63 Billion Market Size by 2030 US$ 4.89 Billion CAGR CAGR of 3.8% From 2023 to 2030 Base Year 2022 Forecast Period 2023-2030 Historical Data 2020-2021 Overactive Bladder Treatment Market: Key Segmentation  By Disease Type (Idopathic OAB and Neurogenic OAB)

 By Drug type (Anticholinergic (Solifenacin, Oxybutynin, Tolterodine, Darifenacin), Mirabegron)

 By Pharmacotherapy (Fesoterodine, Tolterodine, Trospium, Anticholinergics, Solifenacin, Oxybutynin, Darifenacin) Key Regional Coverage North America (USA, Canada, Mexico), Europe (Germany, UK, France, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Rest of Europe), Asia-Pacific (Japan, South Korea, China, India, Australia, Rest of Asia-Pacific), The Middle East & Africa (Israel, UAE, South Africa, Rest of Middle East & Africa), Latin America (Brazil, Argentina, Rest of Latin America)

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Key Takeaway from Overactive Bladder Treatment Market Study

The mirabegron segment is expected to continue to experience substantial growth over the next few years due to its high efficacy and safety profile, as well as its increased adoption by healthcare professionals.

The fesoterodine segment is projected to hold a significant share in the market. This can be attributed to the medication's high efficacy in treating OAB symptoms and its increased adoption by healthcare professionals.

Recent Developments Related to the Overactive Bladder Treatment Market

Alembic Pharmaceuticals, a leading Indian pharmaceutical company, has received the approval of the United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) for its overactive bladder treatment drug. The drug, which is expected to hit the US market soon, is designed to provide relief to people suffering from symptoms such as frequent urination, urgency to urinate, and incontinence.

Indian pharmaceutical company MSN Group has announced the launch of its new drug Fesobig, which is designed to treat urinary incontinence and overactive bladder. The drug, which has received approval from the Drugs Controller General of India, is expected to offer an effective and convenient treatment option for patients suffering from these conditions.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction

2. Research Methodology

3. Market Dynamics

4. Impact Analysis

5. Value Chain Analysis

6. Porters 5 Forces Model

7. PEST Analysis

8. Overactive Bladder Treatment Market, By Type

9. Overactive Bladder Treatment Market, By Disease Type

10. Overactive Bladder Treatment Market, By Pharmacotherapy

11. Regional Analysis

12. Company Profiles

13. Competitive Landscape

14. Conclusion

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About Us:

SNS Insider is one of the leading market research and consulting agencies that dominate the market research industry globally. Our company's aim is to give clients the knowledge they require in order to function in changing circumstances. In order to give you current, accurate market data, consumer insights, and opinions so that you can make decisions with confidence, we employ a variety of techniques, including surveys, video talks, and focus groups around the world.

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30 Non-Profits Receive Grants to Continue and Expand Programming to Invest in Underserved Youth

ST. LOUIS, April 04, 2023--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, the Panera Bread Foundation* announces 30 non-profit organizations will receive a collective $2 million from the Panera Bread Foundation Grant Program. The Panera Bread Foundation launched the grant program in 2021 to support non-profit organizations that provide access to education, opportunity, and mentorship to at-risk, underserved, or historically underrepresented children and youth.

"The 2023 grant award recipients are doing incredible work to help create a world in which young people can unlock their full potential, and we are proud to be a small part in helping them achieve their missions," said Debbie Roberts, Panera Bread Chief Operating Officer, and President of the Panera Bread Foundation Board of Directors. "Were also grateful for the generosity of our guests who rounded up their checks through our Give Change for Children programbecause of them, we were able to more than triple the total grant amount this year."

The Panera Bread Foundation envisions a world in which young people can unlock their full potential and dare to dream  a world in which opportunity and economic mobility are accessible and equitable for all. The Give Change for Children round-up program began last March and raised more than $1 million in 2022 to support the Panera Bread Foundations mission. At participating bakery-cafes, Panera Bread guests have the option to round-up their order total to the nearest dollar to help invest in underserved and at-risk children and youth. Give Change for Children is available in-cafe at the register, at the drive-thru and kiosk, and through web and mobile app ordering**.

Programs funded by the 2023 grant awards include: college readiness training including campus visits, application assistance, and financial aid planning; STEAM programs to inspire youth to become leaders in science, technology, engineering, art and math; career readiness including internship programs and community job placement; afterschool and summer programs focused on robotics and computer programming; one-to-one mentoring for students and their families on a post-high school plan, and more. The full list of the Panera Bread Foundations 2023 Grant Award recipients includes:

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Achieve Miami Inc.

An Achievable Dream

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Long Island

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Palm Beach and Martin Counties, Inc.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southwest Louisiana

Bottom Line

Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago

Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Houston

Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota and DeSoto Counties

Boys & Girls Clubs of Coastal Plain

Boys & Girls Clubs of Chattanooga

Boys Hope Girls Hope of St. Louis

Breakthrough Cincinnati Inc.

College AIM, Inc.

College Possible

College Visions

Foundation for a College Education

Geeking Out Kids of Color

GirlForward

Girls Inc. of Alameda County

Girls Inc. of the Pacific Northwest

Institute for Community Leadership

Life Pieces to Masterpieces

Minds Matter Colorado

Oasis  A Haven for Women and Children

Quad County Urban League, Inc.

Road to Hire

STEER for Student Athletes

Take Stock in Children Palm Beach County

Tulsa Girls Art School

Serving its communities has always been an important part of the Panera Bread culture. As the Panera Bread Foundation focuses on helping children and youth unlock their leadership potential, the brand is also working internally to enable and empower BIPOC Panera associates and associates experiencing financial hardship to unlock their talents and potential through the Panera Dream Project. Through greater access to education, enhanced training experiences and new paths to leadership and ownership, Panera Bread aims to accelerate associate growth and reduce barriers to success. The Panera Dream Project functions separately from the Panera Bread Foundation but is part of Panera Breads larger mission of serving its associates and greater communities.

To learn more about the Panera Bread Foundation, 2023 grant award recipients or Give Change for Children, visit www.PaneraBread.com/Foundation.

*The Panera Bread Foundation, Inc. is a public charity and exempt from federal income tax under section 501(a) of the Internal Revenue Code as an organization described in section 501(c)(3). Our Employer Identification Number is 43-1950869.

**The Give Change for Children program is available at participating U.S. Panera Bread bakery-cafes to offer guests the option to round up their order total (including any applicable taxes, fees and charges) to the nearest dollar to donate the difference to the Panera Bread Foundation to support its mission of investing in underserved and at-risk children. The Give Change for Children program may be available in-cafe at the register, at the drive-thru and kiosk, and through web and mobile app ordering. The program is not available on catering orders or orders placed on third party delivery sites. All donations collected from the Give Change for Children program are donated to the Panera Bread Foundation, Inc. The Panera Bread Foundation, Inc. (EIN: 43-1950869) is an IRS 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. For more information visit: PaneraBread.com/Foundation.

About Panera Bread

Panera Bread opened in 1987 as a community bakery, founded with a secret sourdough starter and a belief that sharing great bread is an expression of warmth and generosity. That vision holds true today with a robust menu of delicious, chef-curated recipes created with a simple principle: The Familiar, Made Fantastic. At Panera, we serve food that we are proud to serve our own families, made with responsibly raised proteins and freshly prepared with Clean ingredients--food that does not contain the artificial preservatives, sweeteners, flavors, and colors from artificial sources set forth on our No-No list served in U.S. bakery-cafes. From crave-worthy soups, salads and sandwiches to flatbread pizza and sweets, we offer our guests more than great food. Our ethos of generosity drives us to meet our guests where they are through technology and through our shared values. We are stewards of our communities and the planet  with programs like Day-End Dough-Nation that donates unsold baked goods in the evening to local non-profits, or labeling climate-friendly low carbon Cool Food Meals.

As of January 24, 2023 there were 2,112 bakery-cafes, company and franchise, in 48 states and in Ontario, Canada, operating under the Panera Bread or Saint Louis Bread Co. names. Panera Bread is part of Panera Brands, one of the largest fast casual restaurant companies in the U.S., comprised of Panera Bread, Caribou Coffee and Einstein Bros. Bagels. For more information, visit panerabread.com or find us on Twitter (@panerabread), Facebook (facebook.com/panerabread) Instagram (@panerabread) or TikTok (@panerabread).

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Expanding Landscape of Pediatric Vaccines Market: Opportunities and Challenges for Future Growth

Burlingame, April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According to Coherent Market Insights, Global pediatric vaccines market is estimated to be valued at US$ 46,424.3 million in 2023 and is expected to exhibit a CAGR of 5.9% during the forecast period (2023-2030).



Analysts Views on Global Pediatric Vaccines Market:

Government authorities in the India are focusing on conducting campaigns in order to provide vaccines to children, and this is expected to drive the growth of the market over the forecast period. For instance, on December 17, 2022, The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), India, held a special measles vaccination campaign in which 470 children in pune were immunized. Thus, increasing vaccination campaigns through government authorities can boost the market growth in near future.

Key Trends and Analysis of the Global Pediatric Vaccines Market:

Increasing vaccines approval for pediatric age group by regulatory authorities is expected to drive the market growth over the forecast period. For instance, on October 19, 2022, European Medicines Agency (EMA) recommended approval of Comirnaty and Spikevax COVID-19 vaccines for children of 6 months of age. EMAs human medicines committee (CHMP) has recommended extending the usage of Comirnaty and Spikevax that targets original strain of SARS-CoV-2. The Committee recommended usage of Comirnaty in children aged 6 months to 4 years and usage of Spikevax in children aged 6 months to 5 years. Comirnaty and Spikevax are already approved by EMA for being used in both adults and children aged from 5 and 6 years, respectively.

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Global Pediatric Vaccines Market- Drivers

Increasing vaccine approvals by regulatory authorities

Increasing vaccine approvals by regulatory authorities is expected to drive the Global Pediatric Vaccines Market over the forecast period. For instance, on October 15, 2021, Seqirus, a global leader in influenza prevention, and a business of CSL Limited, a biotechnology company announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved FLUCELVAX QUADRIVALENT (Influenza Vaccine), Seqiruss cell-based quadrivalent influenza vaccine for an expanded age indication for children of age six months old. FLUCELVAX QUADRIVALENT, the first and only cell-based influenza vaccine, in the U.S., is now indicated for everyone that is eligible to receive an influenza vaccine in the U.S.

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Market players are focused on product evaluation for pipeline product

Market players are engaged in evaluating and demonstrating safety, tolerability, and immunogenicity of vaccines, and this is expected to boost overall growth of the market. For instance, in May 2020, Sanofi, a pharmaceutical and healthcare company has initiated a Phase 2 clinical trial study of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine. Objective of this study is to evaluate immunogenicity and safety of a pneumococcal conjugate vaccine when it is administered concomitantly with routine pediatric vaccines in healthy infants and toddlers.

Pediatric Vaccines Market Report Coverage

Report Coverage Details Base Year: 2022 Market Size in 2023: US$ 46,424.3 Mn Historical Data for: 2017 to 2021 Forecast Period: 2023 to 2030 Forecast Period 2023 to 2030 CAGR: 5.9% 2030 Value Projection: US$ 69,482.2 Mn Geographies covered: North America: U.S. and Canada

Latin America: Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, and Rest of Latin America

Europe: Germany, U.K., Spain, France, Italy, Russia, and Rest of Europe

Asia Pacific: China, India, Japan, Australia, South Korea, ASEAN, and Rest of Asia Pacific

Middle East: GCC Countries, Israel, and Rest of Middle East

Africa: South Africa, North Africa, and Central Africa Segments covered: By Vaccine Type: Pneumococcal Vaccine, DTP Vaccine, Rotavirus Vaccine, MMR Vaccine, Polio Vaccine, Influenza Vaccine, Hepatitis B Vaccine, Meningococcal Vaccine, Hib Vaccine, Varicella Vaccine

By Technology: Live or Attenuated Vaccine, Inactivated or Killed Vaccine, Toxoid Vaccine, Conjugate Vaccine, Subunit Vaccine, Recombinant Vaccine

By Type: Monovalent Vaccine, Multivalent Vaccine

By Distribution Channel: Government, rivate Companies covered: GlaxoSmithKline Plc., Merck & Co., Inc., Pfizer Inc., Sanofi S.A., Panacea Biotec, Zydus Cadila, Emergent BioSolutions Inc., Serum Institute of India Pvt. Ltd., Bharat Biotech, and Indian Immunologicals Ltd. Growth Drivers: Increasing regulatory approval of vaccine candidates by key players

Increasing inorganic activities among government authorities Restraints & Challenges: Adverse events after vaccination

Global Pediatric Vaccines Market- Restraint

Reoccurrence of adverse events after immunization

Although millions of children and adults are vaccinated in order to prevent the occurrence of infectious diseases, such as the Flu, measles, strep throat, COVID-19, and salmonella, several research studies have evaluated reoccurrence of some adverse events after influenza vaccination. Such adverse events are associated with the most common adverse reactions to live or attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV) are runny nose or nasal congestion in all ages, fever >100F in children 2-6 years of age, and sore throat in adults. Reoccurrence of adverse events after immunization results in declining interest of people for booster dose of influenza vaccines. Therefore, such incidences can pose major challenges such as decreasing community acceptance for vaccines, and this is expected to negatively affect the pediatric vaccines market growth.

Global Pediatric Vaccines Market- Opportunity

Increasing government campaigns for immunization program in various region

The government authorities are focusing on the immunization programme in lower-income countries in order to provide healthcare services, and to control the prevalence rate of infectious diseases, and thus, this requires increased production of pediatric vaccines that is expected to create opportunities for market players in the development and production of pediatric vaccine. For instance, on October 28, 2022, the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) announced that GAVI is working with governments, communities, in a concerted effort to rollout measles vaccines to vulnerable children across low income countries such as Angola, Liberia, and others. From 2022 through the first half of 2023, Gavi plans to support 22 lower-income countries to undertake measles follow-up campaigns, aiming to reach more than 85 million vaccinated children.

Global Pediatric Vaccines Market Cross Sectional Analysis:

In Vaccine Type, MMR Vaccine segment is dominant during forecast period in North America region due to increasing product approvals by regulatory authorities in the market, and this is expected to drive segment growth over the forecast period. For instance, on June 6, 2022, GSK PLC, a pharmaceutical company, announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Priorix (Measles, Mumps and Rubella Vaccine, Live) for active immunization for the prevention of measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) in children of 12 months of age and older. Priorix will be available in the U.S. market.

Global Pediatric Vaccines Market Segmentation:

The Global Pediatric Vaccines Market report is segmented into Vaccine Type, Technology, Type, Distribution Channel and Region

Based on Vaccine Type, the market is segmented into Pneumococcal Vaccine, DTP Vaccine, Rotavirus Vaccine, MMR Vaccine, Polio Vaccine, Influenza Vaccine, Hepatitis B Vaccine, Meningococcal Vaccine, Hib Vaccine, and Varicella Vaccine. Out of which, pneumococcal vaccine segment is expected to dominate in global pediatric vaccines market during the forecast period, due to increasing inorganic growth strategies such as collaboration by key players in the market.

Based on Technology, the market is segmented into Live or Attenuated Vaccine, Inactivated or Killed Vaccine, Toxoid Vaccine, Conjugate Vaccine, Subunit Vaccine, Recombinant Vaccine. Out of which, Subunit Vaccine segment is expected to dominate in the market over the forecast period, due to increasing launches of Subunit Vaccine is expected to increase the growth of the segment over the forecast period. For instance, in 2020, Abbott, a healthcare company launched a new inactivated quadrivalent vaccine which is subunit vaccine for influenza in India.

Based on Type, the global pediatric vaccines market is segmented into Monovalent Vaccine and Multivalent Vaccine where Multivalent Vaccine segment is expected to dominate in the market over the forecast period due to prevalence of infectious disease.

Based on Distribution Channel, the global pediatric vaccines market is segmented into Government and Private. Of which, Government segment is expected to dominant in the market over the forecast period, due to increasing vaccination campaigns by government authorities.

Among all segmentation, Vaccine Type segment is expected to dominate in the market due to increasing adoption of inorganic growth strategies such as partnership by key market players in order to expand their product portfolio. For instance, in 2021, SEQIRUS., a global influenza vaccine company, announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted supplemental approval of a multi-dose vial (MDV) formulation of AUDENZ (Influenza A (H5N1) Monovalent Vaccine, Adjuvant), this influenza vaccine is helps in protecting individuals of six months of age and older against influenza A (H5N1) in the event of a pandemic.

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Global Pediatric Vaccines Market: Key Developments

In June 2022, GSK plc., a U.K.-based multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company, announced that the U.S. FDA has approved Priorix (Measles, Mumps, and Rubella Vaccine, Live) for active immunization for the prevention of measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) in individuals of 12 months of age and older.

On June 18, 2022, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has approved COVID-19 vaccination for young children of age 6 months old that means 20 million children, in the U.S., who are under 5 years are newly eligible for vaccination .

Key Market Takeaways:

Global Pediatric Vaccines Market is expected to exhibit a CAGR of 5.9% during the forecast period due to increasing effectiveness of vaccines developed by market players. For instance, in July 2021, Sanofi, a France-based multinational pharmaceutical and healthcare company, reported that its single-dose vaccine named MenQuadfi met all primary and secondary endpoints in Phase III MEQ00065 study in healthy toddlers for preventing invasive meningococcal disease (IMD), a fatal illness. The study compared the immune response against meningococcal serogroup C, and analyzed the safety of MenQuadfi in healthy toddlers aged 12 to 23 months against quadrivalent ACWY (four common types of meningococcal bacteria) vaccine, Nimenrix, and monovalent C vaccine, NeisVac-C.

Among Vaccine Type, pneumococcal vaccine segment is dominant due to increasing number of clinical trials for drug development, and this is expected to drive the segment growth over the forecast period. For instance, in April 2022, Merck & Co, Inc. initiated two Phase III studies of PCV-15 (V114), an investigational polyvalent conjugate vaccine for the prevention of pneumococcal disease.

On the basis of Distribution Channel, government segment is expected to hold a dominant position over the forecast period, owing to increasing immunization campaigns in hospital by government authorities. For instance, on June 18, 2022, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that all children of age 6 months to 5 years of age should receive a COVID-19 vaccine. This expands eligibility for vaccination to nearly 20 million additional children, and all Americans ages 6 months and older are now eligible for vaccination. Distribution of pediatric vaccinations for these younger children has started across the U.S. country, and will be available at thousands of pediatric practices, pharmacies, Federally Qualified Health Centers, local health departments, clinics.

Competitive Landscape:

Key players operating in the Global Pediatric Vaccines Market include GlaxoSmithKline Plc., Merck & Co., Inc., Pfizer Inc., Sanofi S.A., Panacea Biotec, Zydus Cadila, Emergent BioSolutions Inc., Serum Institute of India Pvt. Ltd., Bharat Biotech, and Indian Immunologicals Ltd.

Market Segmentation:

Global Pediatric Vaccines Market, By Vaccine Type: Pneumococcal Vaccine DTP Vaccine Rotavirus Vaccine MMR Vaccine Polio Vaccine Influenza Vaccine Hepatitis B Vaccine Meningococcal Vaccine Hib Vaccine Varicella Vaccine

Global Pediatric Vaccines Market, By Technology : Live or Attenuated Vaccine Inactivated or Killed Vaccine Toxoid Vaccine Conjugate Vaccine Subunit Vaccine Recombinant Vaccine

Global Pediatric Vaccines Market By Type: Monovalent Vaccine Multivalent Vaccine

Global Pediatric Vaccines Market By Distribution Channel: Government Private

Global Pediatric Vaccines Market, By Region: North America By Country: U.S. Canada Latin America By Country: Brazil Mexico Argentina Rest of Latin America Europe By Country: Germany U.K. France Italy Spain Russia Rest of Europe Asia Pacific By Type: By Country China India Japan Australia South Korea ASEAN Rest of Asia Pacific Middle East By Country: GCC Israel Rest of Middle East Africa By Country/Region: South Africa Central Africa North Africa



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Market Research Future

Perfume and Fragrances Market Research Report Trends and Insights Information by Product Type (Eau De Parfum, Eau De Toilette, Eau De Cologne, Eau Fraiche and others), Ingredient (Natural and Synthetic), Category (Men, Women and Unisex), Distribution Channel (Store-Based, Non-Store-Based) and Region - Competitive Market Growth, Size, Share and Forecast to 2030

New York, US, April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Perfume and Fragrance Market Overview:

According to a Comprehensive Research Report by Market Research Future (MRFR), Perfume and Fragrances Market Information by Product Type, Ingredient Type, Category, Distribution Channel, and Region - Forecast till 2030, Perfume and Fragrances Market could thrive at a rate of 4.50% between 2023 and 2030. The market size will reach around USD 99.5 Billion by the end of the year 2030

Market Synopsis

Perfumes are aromatic liquids made from essential oils, which are themselves derived from aromatic compounds or plants. With an increasing focus on hygiene, the effects of urbanization, and shifts in consumer preferences, combining of industrial and e-commerce firms are the drive market growth. Perfumes and fragrances serve various purposes, including aromatherapy, self-esteem enhancement, and general cleanliness. Perfumes and other fragrances used for personal grooming have evolved into ubiquitous items due to their widespread impact on people's enhanced hygiene. Perfumes are useful for persons in the fashion industry, the workplace, and daily life since they increase self-assurance, mask bad body odor and express one's unique personality.

Businesses need help to break into new markets because of consumers' erratic hygiene product spending. Overusing these products also stifles the market because it causes health problems for consumers, such as headaches and skin irritation.

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Report Scope:

Report Attribute Details Market Size in 2030 USD 99.5 Billion CAGR 4.50% Base Year 2022 Forecast Period 2023-2030 Historical Data 2021 Forecast Units Value (USD billion) Report Coverage Revenue Forecast, Competitive Landscape, Growth Factors, and Trends Segments Covered by Product Type, Ingredient Type, Category, Distribution Channel, and Region Geographies Covered North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of the World (RoW) Key Market Drivers increased consumer spending on personal care and beauty product increased awareness of the therapeutic benefits of fragrance

Market Competitive Landscape:

The affluent companies in the Perfume and Fragrances industry include

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Revlon Inc. (the US)

Shiseido Company Limited (Japan)

LOreal S.A. (France)

International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (US)

The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. (US)

Chanel S.A. (France)

Avon Products Inc. (UK)

PDC Brands (US)

Oriflame Holding AG (Switzerland)

LInter Parfums Holdings S.A. (France)

Vivenza (Kuwait)

Abdul Samad Al Qurashi (Saudi Arabia)

Royal Beauty Group Co. (Kuwait)

Rasasi Perfumes Industry LLC (United Arab Emirates)

AlQuraishi Fragrances (Kuwait)

March 2021

MINISO CO. LTD, a Chinese manufacturer of fragrances and other beauty items, announced the opening of its fourth new store in India.

Browse In-depth Market Research Report (195 Pages) on Perfume and Fragrances:

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Market USP Covered:

Market Drivers:

Businesses are launching cutting-edge, touchless scent devices and AI-based solutions. These solutions include giving each user a unique smell profile and recommending a perfume based on their culinary preferences. This will encourage customers to purchase these goods, boosting the growth of the perfume sector. For instance, in April 2021, the Hong Kong-based beauty merchants of SEPHORA, a multinational retailer owned by LVHM, debuted "MAISON 21G," a cutting-edge, touchless perfume bar and an AI-powered application. This will encourage customers to purchase fragrant goods in Hong Kong.

Market Restraints:

Industries spend much on research and development to supply the premium perfume market worldwide with new and exciting fragrances. This adds expenses to the operations of the leading companies, slowing the expansion of the industry as a whole.

In addition, companies need help introducing novel products in emerging markets due to consumers' unpredictability in their purchases of hygiene products. In addition, people's health problems, like headaches and skin irritation, are stifling the market because people use these products too much.

COVID 19 Analysis

COVID-19's impact has given way to numerous repercussions for people worldwide. The aftermath is linked with the significant social and economic burden on people worldwide. Global product sales have been damaged by the COVID-19 pandemic's shutdown of food stores and beauty salons. Also, during such crises, businesses encounter difficulties running their production, sales, and R&D operations due to a lack of workers and raw materials, affecting the key players' businesses. For instance, the creator of beauty products, Lalique Group SA, reported a 25% drop in the sales of its range of fragrant essential oils in 2020.

Consumers are, however, moving towards sanitary & safer personal care products to avoid coronavirus infection. Also, customers like flavors and package styles that promote their emotional well-being. During crises, these elements help to sustain product revenues.

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Market Segmentation

By Product Type

The wine types in the market include Eau De Perfume, Eau De Toilette& Eau De Cologne, Eau Fraiche, and others.

By Ingredient Type

Natural and Synthetic as the top packaging type outlook in the worldwide market.

By Category

Men, Women, and unisex have been listed as the top category in the study.

By Distribution Channel

Store-Based and Non-Store-Based are the major distribution channels available in the worldwide market.

Regional Insights

In 2022, the market in North America was worth USD 73.1 billion. North America held a considerable market share because of its expanding economy and rising demand for high-end goods. Additionally, it is anticipated that the improved standard of living in the United States, Canada, and Mexico will increase market revenue in this area.

Asia Pacific market's rapid expansion over the forecast period of 20212028 due to the rising young population, high disposable income levels, growing consumer knowledge of the product's benefits, and expanding working-class population. India to satisfy the client's needs for fragrance in these nations. For instance, in November 2020, the manufacturer of perfumed items MATIERE PREMIERE grew its clientele by launching pop-up shops and online stores in Shanghai.

The European market is anticipated to grow at a significant rate. Europe is one of the most dynamic places in the cosmetics industry. The market for high-end fragrances and perfumes has been booming. As a result, several foreign firms have set up shops in the market. It is a significant market trend expected to speed up the markets growth in the upcoming years.

Discover more research Reports on Consumer and Retail Industry , by Market Research Future:

Cruelty-Free Cosmetics Market Research Report: Information by Product Type (Skincare Products, Haircare Products, Makeup & Colour Cosmetics, Perfume & Fragrance, and Others), Form (Cream, Gel, Liquid, Powder, and Others), Distribution Channel [Store-Based (Hypermarkets and Supermarkets, Specialty Stores, Convenience Store, and Others) and Non-Store-Based], and Region (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the Rest of the World)- Forecast till 2030

Natural Fragrances Market Research Report: Information by Source (Flower Based, Fruit Based, Spices, Wood, and Others), Application (Fine Fragrances, Cosmetics, Food & Beverages, Toiletries & Detergents, and Others), and Region (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of the world) Forecast till 2030

Fragrance Market Research Report: Information By Type (Natural and Synthetic), By Consumer Group (Women, Men, and Unisex), By Application (Perfumes, Fine Fragrances, Cosmetics & toiletries (Without Hair Care), Essential Oils & Aromatherapy, Hair Care, Soap, Household & Air Care, Tobacco, and Detergent) And By Region (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, And Rest Of The World) Market Forecast Till 2030

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Hosting Call on Tuesday, April 11th at 5 pm ET

TORONTO and DALLAS, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - Perimeter Medical Imaging AI, Inc. (TSXV: PINK) (OTC: PYNKF) (FSE: 4PC) ("Perimeter" or the "Company")  a medical technology company driven to transform cancer surgery with ultra-high-resolution, real-time, advanced imaging tools to address high unmet medical needs  announced it will report its financial and operating results for the year ended December 31, 2022 after the close of U.S. financial markets on Tuesday, April 11, 2023.

Perimeter Medical Imaging AI, Inc. Logo (CNW Group/Perimeter Medical Imaging AI, Inc.)

Conference Call/Webcast Information:

Date: Tuesday, April 11, 2023

Time: 5:00 pm Eastern Time

Dial-In Number: 1-877-704-4453

International Dial-In: 1-201-389-0920

Conference ID: 13737416

Audio Webcast: Register here (listen-only)

Presenter: Jeremy Sobotta, Chief Executive Officer

The conference call will also be broadcast live online through a listen-only webcast , which will be posted on the Investors section of the Company's website . The webcast will be archived on the Company's investor relations webpage for at least 90 days. A telephonic playback of the conference call will be available for 14 days after the conference call by calling 1-844-512-2921 or 1-412-317-6671 from abroad and referencing conference ID 13737416. The above listed dates and times are subject to change.

About Perimeter Medical Imaging AI, Inc.

Based in Toronto, Canada and Dallas, Texas, Perimeter Medical Imaging AI (TSX-V: PINK) (OTC: PYNKF) (FSE: 4PC) is a medical technology company driven to transform cancer surgery with ultra-high-resolution, real-time, advanced imaging tools to address areas of high unmet medical need. Available across the U.S., our FDA-cleared Perimeter S-Series OCT system provides real-time, cross-sectional visualization of excised tissues at the cellular level. The breakthrough-device-designated investigational Perimeter B-Series OCT with ImgAssist AI represents our next-generation artificial intelligence technology that is currently being evaluated in a pivotal clinical trial, with support from a grant of up to US$7.4 million awarded by the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas. The company's ticker symbol "PINK" is a reference to the pink ribbons used during Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

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Neither the 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 statements that constitute "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. In this news release, words such as "may," "would," "could," "will," "likely," "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "estimate," and similar words and the negative form thereof are used to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking information may relate to management's future outlook and anticipated events or results and may include statements or information regarding the future financial position, business strategy and strategic goals, competitive conditions, research and development activities, projected costs and capital expenditures, research and clinical testing outcomes, taxes and plans and objectives of, or involving, Perimeter. Without limitation, information regarding the potential benefits of Perimeter S-Series OCT, Perimeter B-Series OCT, and Perimeter ImgAssist are forward-looking information. Forward-looking statements should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results, and will not necessarily be accurate indications of whether, or the times at or by which, any particular result will be achieved. No assurance can be given that any events anticipated by the forward-looking information will transpire or occur. Forward-looking information is based on information available at the time and/or management's good-faith belief with respect to future events and are subject to known or unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions, and other unpredictable factors, many of which are beyond Perimeter's control. Such forward-looking statements reflect Perimeter's current view with respect to future events, but are inherently subject to significant medical, scientific, business, economic, competitive, political, and social uncertainties and contingencies. In making forward-looking statements, Perimeter may make various material assumptions, including but not limited to (i) the accuracy of Perimeter's financial projections; (ii) obtaining positive results from trials; (iii) obtaining necessary regulatory approvals; and (iv) general business, market, and economic conditions. Further risks, uncertainties and assumptions include, but are not limited to, those applicable to Perimeter and described in Perimeter's Management Discussion and Analysis for the year ended December 31, 2021, which is available on Perimeter's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com, and could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in any forward-looking statements. Perimeter does not intend, nor does Perimeter undertake any obligation, to update or revise any forward-looking information contained in this news release to reflect subsequent information, events, or circumstances or otherwise, except if required by applicable laws.

Cision

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SOURCE Perimeter Medical Imaging AI, Inc.
Royal Philips

Philips InvelliVue MX750 patient monitor in use in the Intensive Care Unit

April 4, 2023

New York States largest health system adopts Philips patient monitoring platform to drive integration and innovation for a better patient and staff experience and improved outcomes

Amsterdam, the Netherlands and New Hyde Park, N.Y., USA  Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA) a global leader in health technology, and Northwell Health, the largest healthcare provider in the state of New York, USA, announced today they have entered into a seven-year agreement to help the health system standardize patient monitoring, enhance patient care and improve patient outcomes while driving interoperability and data innovation. This will not only allow Northwell Health to lay the foundation for a future-proof, enterprise-wide platform, but the system will also allow them to support innovative technologies as they evolve and give them the flexibility to scale their patient monitoring systems quickly and efficiently.

As the largest healthcare provider in the state, Northwell Health has 83,000 employees, 21 hospitals, including their flagship facilities North Shore University Hospital and Long Island Jewish Medical Center, 850 outpatient facilities and one of the largest residency programs in the U.S. with over 1,900 residents and fellows. All of this to help them address a service area of twelve million people, treating over two million patients a year, delivering over 30,000 babies, and treating more New Yorkers for cancer than any other care provider. Northwell Health is also pioneering research at the Feinstein Institutes, including national clinical trial sites for treating lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and paralysis.

With the new system, we wanted something that could leverage our existing IT infrastructure and allow Northwell to offer cybersecurity, while also building in redundancy with local availability, said Phyllis McCready, vice president and chief procurement officer for Northwell Health. The new Philips system gives us an enterprise-wide platform that centralizes our patient monitoring and allows us to see what is happening at each bedside. The innovative approach is extensible and allows us to give the communities we serve the very latest technology, while helping us to deliver a better patient and staff experience and better outcomes.

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In the wake of the pandemic, health systems like Northwell Health that already treat millions of patients a year required new levels of scalability. In many cases, they were having to convert unconventional spaces like convention centers and parking lots into ICUs to help treat patients. With the Philips patient monitoring platform, they have a vendor-agnostic system that will leverage the health systems existing network infrastructure, along with Philips Software Evolution Services, to standardize care and ensure that Northwell Health is at the forefront of monitoring innovation.

As forward-thinking health systems like Northwell Health take an enterprise-wide approach to healthcare IT, we can help take the guesswork out of the technology and help them to standardize their systems, with an open, interoperable architecture that can break down barriers to integration and simplify workflow for care providers, said Jeff DiLullo, chief market leader of Philips North America. Their new patient monitoring system can help minimize manual tasks, give staff a centralized view of patients, and harness the power of massive amounts of data by using AI to provide actionable clinical insights  all of which are helping them to deliver a better patient and staff experience, lower costs and contribute toward the goal of improving outcomes.

For further media information, please contact:

Mark Groves

Philips Global Press Office

Tel: +31 631 639 916

Email: mark.groves@philips.com

Silvie Casanova

Philips North America

Tel: + 1 781 879 0692

Email: silvie.casanova@philips.com

About Royal Philips

Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA) is a leading health technology company focused on improving people's health and well-being through meaningful innovation. Philips patient- and people-centric innovation leverages advanced technology and deep clinical and consumer insights to deliver personal health solutions for consumers and professional health solutions for healthcare providers and their patients in the hospital and the home. Headquartered in the Netherlands, the company is a leader in diagnostic imaging, ultrasound, image-guided therapy, monitoring and enterprise informatics, as well as in personal health. Philips generated 2022 sales of EUR 17.8 billion and employs approximately 77,000 employees with sales and services in more than 100 countries. News about Philips can be found at www.philips.com/newscenter .

About Northwell Health

Northwell Health is New York States largest health care provider and private employer, with 21 hospitals, about 900 outpatient facilities and more than 12,000 affiliated physicians. We care for over two million people annually in the New York metro area and beyond, thanks to philanthropic support from our communities. Our 83,000 employees  18,900 nurses and 4,900 employed doctors, including members of Northwell Health Physician Partners  are working to change health care for the better. Were making breakthroughs in medicine at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research. We're training the next generation of medical professionals at the visionary Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell and the Hofstra Northwell School of Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies. For information on our more than 100 medical specialties, visit Northwell.edu and follow us @NorthwellHealth on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

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Fortune Business Insights

According to Fortune Business Insights, the global power inverter market size is projected to grow from USD 35.22 Billion in 2021 to USD 117.26 Billion in 2029 at CAGR of 16.4% during forecast period.

Pune, India, April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global power inverter market size was valued at USD 35.22 billion in 2021. The market is expected to grow from USD 40.52 billion in 2022 to USD 117.26 billion by 2029 at a CAGR of 16.4% during the forecast period. Rising technological developments and disposable incomes are likely to facilitate market growth. Fortune Business Insights provides this information in its report titled Power Inverter Market, 2022-2029.

Key Industry Development:

March 2022: Growatt announced its novel inverters series for residential purposes. It was announced in China and is now sold across Europe with MOD3-10KTL3-XH.

Get a Free Sample Research Report: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/sample/power-inverter-market-107085

Report Scope:

Report Coverage Details Forecast Period 2022-2029 Forecast Period 2022 to 2029 CAGR 16.4% 2029 Value Projection USD 117.26 Billion Base Year 2021 Market Size in 2021 USD 35.22 Billion Historical Data for 2018-2020 No. of Pages 227 Segments covered Power Inverter Market Size, Share & COVID-19 Impact Analysis, By Product (String Inverter, Micro Inverter, Central Inverter, Others), By Output Voltage (Low, Medium, High), By End-user (Residential, Commercial, Utility, Automotive, Others), and Regional And Regional Growth Drivers Rapid Development of Solar Panel Technology to Propel Market Progress Halt on Production Hampered Industry Growth During the Pandemic

Market Drivers and Restraints:

Rapid Development of Solar Panel Technology to Propel Market Progress

Power inverters are devices capable of changing currents from Direct Current (DC) to Alternating Current (AC). The rapid development of solar panel technologies is expected to escalate the adoption of power inverters. Furthermore, increasing power demand from numerous sectors is likely to elevate the product demand. The increasing adoption of the product from the commercial and residential sectors is likely to elevate this industrys growth. Furthermore, increasing investments in the development of renewable technologies are likely to elevate the power inverter market growth.

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However, high maintenance and installation costs will likely hamper the market growth.

COVID-19 Impact:

Halt on Production Hampered Industry Growth During the Pandemic

This market was negatively affected during the COVID-19 pandemic due to halt on production activities. The rising spike in COVID-19 infections provoked governments of all nations to impose strict lockdown norms, thereby leading to the closure of several industries. Furthermore, transport and travel restrictions created hurdles in acquiring raw materials. However, the post-COVID-19 phase has provided remunerative opportunities for major players and empowered them to enhance their annual revenues. This factor may elevate the industry in the post-COVID-19 phase.

Click here to get the short-term and long-term impact of COVID-19 on this market. Please visit: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/power-inverter-market-107085

Report Coverage:

The report provides a detailed analysis of the top segments and the latest trends in the market. It comprehensively discusses the driving and restraining factors and the impact of COVID-19 on the market. Additionally, it examines the regional developments and the strategies undertaken by the market's key players.

Segmentation:

String Inverter Segment to Lead Backed by its Robust Adoption from Residential and Commercial Sectors

By product, the market is segmented into string inverter, micro inverter, and central inverter, and others. The string inverter segment is expected to lead due to its strong adoption from the commercial and residential sectors.

High Segment to Dominate Owing to Increasing Demand from the Utility Sector

As per output voltage, the market is segregated into low, medium, and high. The high segment is expected to lead due to its robust demand from the utility sector.

Utility Segment is One of the Fastest-Growing Segments During the Forecast Period

Based on end-user, the market is classified into residential, commercial, utility, and others. The utility segment is expected to dominate as the global demand for renewable energy is gradually increasing, especially in developing countries.

Regionally, the market is clubbed into Asia Pacific, North America, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East & Africa.

Regional Insights:

Rising Electric Vehicle Consumption to Propel Market Progress in Asia Pacific

Asia Pacific is expected to dominate the power inverter market share due to increasing electric vehicle consumption. The market in Asia Pacific stood at USD 11.81 billion in 2021 and is expected to gain a huge portion of the global market share in the coming years. Furthermore, increasing demand for solar energy may boost the adoption of power inverters.

In North America, the presence of several major players may boost the markets growth. Further, the presence of an established research and development infrastructure is expected to enhance the power inverter industrys progress.

Quick Buy - Power Inverter Market Research Report: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/checkout-page/107085

Competitive Landscape:

Major Players Announce Novel Range of Inverters to Reinforce their Product Portfolio

The prominent companies operating in the market announce a novel range of inverters to elevate their brand image. For example, SMA Solar Technology AG announced its novel inverter product lineup with rated voltages in April 2022 to reinforce its product portfolio. Furthermore, several players deploy mergers, acquisitions, partnerships, research and development, and industrial automation to boost their market progress globally.

A List of Key Manufacturers Operating in the Global Market:

SMA Solar Technology AG (Germany)

SUNGROW (China)

Enphase Energy (California)

Fimer Group (Italy)

GOODWE (China)

Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd (China)

General Electric (U.S.)

Growatt New Energy (China)

Luminous India (India)

KACO New Energy (Germany)

Power Inverter Market Segmentation:

By Product:

String Inverter

Micro Inverter

Central Inverter

Others

By Output Voltage:

Low

Medium

High

By End-user:

Residential

Commercial

Utility

Automotive

Others

Have Any Query? Ask Our Experts: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/speak-to-analyst/power-inverter-market-107085

Table of Content:

1. Introduction

1.1. Research Scope

1.2. Market Segmentation

1.3. Research Methodology

1.4. Definitions and Assumptions

2. Executive Summary

3. Market Dynamics

3.1. Market Drivers

3.2. Market Restraints

3.3. Market Opportunities

4. Key Insights

4.1. Key Emerging Trends

4.2. Latest Technological Advancement

4.3. Insight on Regulatory Landscape

4.4. Porters Five Forces Analysis

4.5. Impact of COVID-19 on the Power Inverter Market

5. Global Power Inverter Market Analysis (USD Billion), Insights and Forecast, 2018-2029

5.1. Key Findings / Summary

5.2. Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast  By Product

5.2.1.String Inverter

5.2.2.Micro Inverter

5.2.3.Central Inverter

5.2.4.Others

5.3. Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast  By Output Voltage

5.3.1.Low

5.3.2.Medium

5.3.3.High

5.4. Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast  By End-User

5.4.1.Residential

5.4.2.Commercial

5.4.3.Utility

5.4.4.Automotive

5.4.5.Other

5.5. Market Analysis, Insights and Forecast  By Region

5.5.1.North America

5.5.2.Europe

5.5.3.Asia Pacific

5.5.4.Latin America

5.5.5.Middle East & Africa

Continued.

Get your Customized Research Report: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/ask-for-customization/power-inverter-market-107085

About Us:

Fortune Business Insights offers expert corporate analysis and accurate data, helping organizations of all sizes make timely decisions. We tailor innovative solutions for our clients, assisting them address challenges distinct to their businesses. Our goal is to empower our clients with holistic market intelligence, giving a granular overview of the market they are operating in.

Contact Us:

Fortune Business Insights Pvt. Ltd.

US: +1424 253 0390

UK: +44 2071 939123

APAC: +91 744 740 1245

Email: sales@fortunebusinessinsights.com




VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / April 4, 2023 / The Power Play by The Market Herald has announced the release of new interviews with Bocana Resources and Nextech3D.ai discussing their latest news.

The Power Play by The Market Herald provides investors with a quick snapshot of what they need to know about the company's latest press release through exclusive insights and interviews with company executives.

Bocana Resources (TSXV:BOCA) signs contract to drill in Bolivia

The Market Herald, Tuesday, April 4, 2023, Press release picture

Bocana (BOCA) has signed a diamond drilling contract for its Escala Project in Bolivia. The contract, signed with Leduc Drilling S.R.L., is slated to begin on April 17, 2023. The exploration team has identified multiple areas of elevated chargeability and resistivity, as well as historical precious and base metal veins. The 2,000-m phase-1 program will last 4-5 weeks. CEO Timothy Turner spoke with Simon Druker about the news.

For the full interview with Timothy Turner and to learn about Bocana, click here.

Nextech3D.ai's (OTCQX:NEXCF)(CSE:NTAR) Toggle3D enhances appeal for large enterprise customers

The Market Herald, Tuesday, April 4, 2023, Press release picture

Nextech3D.ai's (NTAR) Toggle3D has increased the converting power of its CAD to POLY importer by over 10X. The AI-powered CAD design studio can also now convert manufacturing files over 1,000 MB. Nextech intends to offer these features through an enterprise subscription package with deals expected to exceed $100,000. Product manager, Dasha Vdovina, spoke with Simon Druker about the news.

For the full interview with Dasha Vdovina and to learn about Nextech3D.ai, click here.

Interviews for The Power Play by The Market Herald are released daily. To learn more about the companies featured in The Power Play or to explore our other interviews visit The Power Play by The Market Herald.

About The Market Herald

The Market Herald Canada is the leading source of authoritative breaking stock market news for self-directed investors. Our team of Canadian markets reporters, editors and technologists covers the entire listed company universe in Canada. We cover over 3,985 businesses, their people, their investors, and their customers. We write the stories that move the Canadian capital markets.

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DISCLAIMER: Report Card Canada Media Ltd. ("Report Card") is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Market Herald Limited, an Australian company ("Market Herald"). Report Card is not an advisory service, and does not offer, buy, sell, or provide any other rating, analysis or opinion on the securities we discuss. We are retained and compensated by the companies that we provide information on to assist them with making information available to the public. All information available on themarketherald.ca and/or this press release should be considered as commercial advertisement and not an endorsement, offer or recommendation to buy or sell securities. Report Card is not registered with any financial or securities regulatory authority in any province or territory of Canada, will not be performing any registerable activity as defined by the applicable regulatory bodies and do not provide nor claim to provide investment advice or recommendations to any visitor of this site or readers of any content on or originating from themarketherald.ca. Market Herald and/or its affiliates and/or their respective officers, directors or employees may from time to time acquire, hold or sell securities and/or commodities and/or commodity futures contracts in certain underlying companies mentioned in this site and which may also be clients of Market Herald's affiliates. In such instances, Market Herald and/or its affiliates and/or their respective officers, directors or employees will use all reasonable efforts to avoid engaging in activities that would lead to conflicts of interest and Market Herald and/or its affiliates will use all reasonable efforts to comply with conflicts of interest disclosures and regulations to minimize any conflict. All the information on this document and/or the website - themarketherald.ca - is published in good faith and for general information purpose only. Report Card does not make any warranties about the completeness, reliability, and accuracy of this information. Any action you take upon the information you find on this document and/or website (themarketherald.ca) is strictly at your own risk. Report Card will not be liable for any losses and/or damages in connection with the use of our website. From our website, you can visit other websites by following hyperlinks to such external sites. While we strive to provide only quality links to useful and ethical websites, we have no control over the content and nature of these sites. These links to other websites do not imply a recommendation for all the content found on these sites. Site owners and content may change without notice and may occur before we have the opportunity to remove a link which may have gone 'bad'. Please be also aware that when you leave our website, other sites may have different privacy policies and terms which are beyond our control. Please be sure to check the Privacy Policies of these sites as well as their "Terms of Service" before engaging in any business or uploading any information.

CONTACT:

The Market Herald

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themarketherald.ca

SOURCE: The Market Herald





View source version on accesswire.com:

https://www.accesswire.com/747609/The-Power-Play-by-The-Market-Herald-Releases-New-Interviews-with-Bocana-Resources-and-Nextech3Dai-Discussing-Their-Latest-News




MAXIMIZE MARKET RESEARCH PRIVATE LIMITED

Premium Spirits Market is segmented into Product Type, Source, Distribution Channels, End-Users and region. For the estimation of the Premium Spirits Market size, the bottom-up approach was used.

Pune, April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Maximize Market Research, an international business & consultancy firm has recently published a research report on the  Premium Spirits Market . The total global market for the Premium Spirits Market was valued at USD 157.94 Bn in 2022 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 10.4 percent over the forecast period to reach USD 315.70 Bn by 2029.



Market Size in 2022 USD 157.94 Bn Market Size in 2029 USD 315.70 Bn CAGR 10.4 percent (2023-2029) Forecast Period 2023-2029 Base Year 2022 Number of Pages 265 No. of Tables 129 No. of Charts and Figures 121 Segment Covered By Product Type, Source, Distribution Channel and End-Users Regional Scope North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa, South America Report Coverage Market Share, Size & Forecast by Revenue | 20232029, Market Dynamics, Growth Drivers, Restraints, Investment Opportunities, and Key Trends, Competitive Landscape, Key Players Benchmarking, Competitive Analysis, MMR Competition Matrix, Competitive Leadership Mapping, Global Key Players Market Ranking Analysis.

Request For Free Sample Report : https://www.maximizemarketresearch.com/request-sample/183198

Premium Spirits Market Report Scope and Research Methodology

The report on Premium Spirits Market provides the major opportunities, CAGR and annual growth rate and estimates the Premium Spirits Market in terms of USD value from 2021 to 2029. The competitive landscape of the industry including market penetration, company overview, financials, current developments, and long-term investments related to the Premium Spirits Market are provided in the report. A market analysis provides for the international and domestic markets, including landscape analysis, trade, and key regions of development. Porter's five forces analysis was used in the Premium Spirits Market to provide information on the market power of both buyers and suppliers. The market is segmented into major regions such as North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, The Middle East and Africa, and South America. The report also covers a strategic development and analyses Premium Spirits Market with respect to individual growth trends and prospects as well as evaluating and profiling the key Premium Spirits Market players.

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Premium Spirits Market Overview

Premium is a broadly used marketing term in the spirits industry. It comes with consumer high expectations from ingredients to processes and branding to packaging. The premium spirit is liquor, crafted with luxury quality ingredients and sold by big brands.

Increasing consumer trends for high-quality spirits to boost the market growth during the forecast period

Growing consumer preference for premium spirits due to peoples drinking habits have been changing continuously and they are able to spend more on drinking . The growth of ultra-premium brands is expected to drive the market demand over the period. Busy work schedules and work pressure are the main factors affecting the market demand . The variety of flavored options and new attractive packaging is attracting the millennial mind and is expected to influence Premium Spirit Market growth.

Get a Sample Copy of the Report : https://www.maximizemarketresearch.com/request-sample/183198

Spirits premiumization trend to accelerate the market growth. However, the government taxing more spirit producers is expected to hamper the sale of the market. Some policies are made restrictions on the supply chain of the market growth.

North American region is expected to fuel the Premium Spirits Market growth

In 2022, North America held the largest global Premium Spirits Market share accounting for 40 percent of the market share. During the forecast period, the market is expected to grow at a significant percentage of CAGR. This region is the worlds largest economically developed. Standard culture and consumers are more spending on drinks are primary factors for market growth in the countries such as U.S., Canada and Mexico.

The growth of new innovative spirits with various flavors and brands and the increasing demand for premium products are expected to drive the market over the forecast period. For example, Diageo announced it had reached an agreement to acquire Don Papa Rum, a super-premium dark rum from the Philippines. This acquisition strategy is to acquire high-growth brands with attractive margins that support premiumization.

Premium Spirits Market Segmentation

Based on the Product Type, the whiskey for premium spirit segment to dominate the Premium Spirits Market over the forecast period.

This segment is influenced by the increasing older population and the growth of their purchasing ability. Authentic and flavored whiskey is mostly preferred by young populations. The tequila and vodka segments are expected to maintain their dominance in the market at a significant CAGR during the forecast period.

Based on Source, the flavored segment dominated the Premium Spirits Market share in 2022

The flavored Premium Spirits export top items in developed and developing countries. Rising concerns regarding health and changing consumers test are responsible factors for segment growth in the Premium Spirits Market.

Get Customization on this Report for Specific Research Solutions: https://www.maximizemarketresearch.com/request-customization/183198

Based on Distribution Channels, the offline segment dominate the Premium Spirits Market over the forecast period

An increasing number of supermarket chains, along with their in-store marketing in developing countries, are expected to boost the growth of the distribution channel. Consumers are giving more preference for premium spirits to drink in restaurants, bars clubs, cafe and hotels. Hence online market segment is expected to grow at a significant CAGR during the forecast period.

Based on End- Users, the Individual segment held the largest global Premium Spirits Market over the forecast period

The individual segment maintains its dominance in the global market over the forecast period. The premium spirit is of better quality as compared to cheaper liquor. The manufacturers are developing high-quality ingredients with low impurities and clean flavor, which are expected to fuel market growth.

By Product Type:

Whisky

Tequila

Gin

Vodka

Brandy

Rum

Others



By Source:

Natural

Flavored

By Distribution Channels:

Online E-commerce Websites Company-owned Websites

Offline Supermarkets/ Hypermarkets Retailers Specialty stores Others



By End-Users:

Individual

Commercial

Restaurants

Others

Premium Spirits Markets Key Players include:

Diageo

Pernod Ricard

Titos Handmade Vodka

Hitejinro Co., Ltd

Brown Forman Corporation

Bacardi Limited

Tanduay Distillers, Inc.

Allied Blenders and Distillers Pvt. Ltd. (ABD)

Guizhou Moutai Wine Co., Ltd.

Alliance Global Group, Inc. (Emperador)

Roust



Get the Sample PDF of The Report: https://www.maximizemarketresearch.com/request-sample/183198

Key questions answered in the Premium Spirits Market are:

What are Premium Spirits?

What was the Premium Spirits Market size in 2022?

What is the expected Premium Spirits Market size by 2029?

What is the growth rate of the Premium Spirits Market?

What are the key benefits of the Premium Spirits Market?

What are the new trends in the Premium Spirits industries?

What are the driving, opportunity and restraining factors in the global Premium Spirits Market?

What is the contribution of AI and Machine learning technologies in the Premium Spirits Market?

Which is the most popular premium spirit category?

Which are the factors expected to drive the Premium Spirits Market growth?

Which factors are expected to restrain the Premium Spirits Market growth?

Which segment dominated the Premium Spirits Market growth?

What is the demand pattern for the Premium Spirits Market?

Which region held the largest share in the Premium Spirits Market?

Who are the key players in the Premium Spirits Market?



Key Offerings:

Past Market Size and Competitive Landscape (2018 to 2021)

Past Pricing and price curve by region (2018 to 2021)

Market Size, Share, Size & Forecast by different segment | 20222029

Market Dynamics  Growth Drivers, Restraints, Opportunities, and Key Trends by region

Market Segmentation  A detailed analysis by Product Type, Source, Distribution Channels, End-Users and Region

Competitive Landscape  Profiles of selected key players by region from a strategic perspective Competitive landscape  Market Leaders, Market Followers, Regional player Competitive benchmarking of key players by region

PESTLE Analysis

PORTERs analysis

Value chain and supply chain analysis

Legal Aspects of business by region

Lucrative business opportunities with SWOT analysis

Recommendations

Maximize Market Research is a leading Food and Beverages research firm that has also published the following reports:

Vodka Market : The total market size was valued at USD 44.88 Bn in 2021 and the total revenue is expected to grow at a CAGR of 8.94 percent from 2022 to 2029, reaching USD 89.03 Bn. The increasing demand for data mobility, cost savings in IT infrastructure for businesses, and access to various devices are expected to drive market growth.

Whiskey Market : The total market size was valued at USD 58.24 Bn in 2021 and the total revenue is expected to grow at a CAGR of 5.9 percent from 2022 to 2029, reaching USD 92.14 Bn. The availability of various brands in the market across the globe is expected to drive market growth.

Gin Market : The total market size was valued at USD 15.04 Bn in 2021 and the total revenue is expected to grow at a CAGR of 5.2 percent from 2022 to 2029, reaching USD 22.56 Bn. The increasing demand for alcoholic beverages in developed and developing economies is expected to drive market growth.

Ready to Drink Cocktails Market : : The total market size was valued at USD 792 Mn in 2021 and the total revenue is expected to grow at a CAGR of 10 percent from 2022 to 2029, reaching USD 1697.72 Mn. The increasing demand for new and interesting flavors of ready-to-drink cocktails among consumers are expected to drive market growth.

Craft Spirits Market : The total market size was valued at USD 16.34 Bn in 2021 and the total revenue is expected to grow at a CAGR of 27.04 percent from 2022 to 2029, reaching USD 110.87 Bn. The increasing consumer tastes and preferences towards unconventional and experimental alcoholic beverages are expected to drive market growth.

About Maximize Market Research:

Maximize Market Research is a multifaceted market research and consulting company with professionals from several industries. Some of the industries we cover include medical devices, pharmaceutical manufacturers, science and engineering, electronic Industries, industrial equipment, technology, and communication, cars, and automobiles, chemical products and substances, general merchandise, beverages, personal care, and automated systems. To mention a few, we provide market-verified Type estimations, technical trend analysis, crucial market research, strategic advice, competition analysis, production and demand analysis, and client impact studies.

CONTACT: Contact Maximize Market Research: 3rd Floor, Navale IT Park, Phase 2 Pune Banglore Highway, Narhe, Pune, Maharashtra 411041, India sales@maximizemarketresearch.com +91 96071 95908, +91 9607365656




WASHINGTON, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The following is a statement from Eileen O'Reilly, President of the National Press Club and Gil Klein, President of the National Press Club Journalism Institute on the news today that Evan Gershkovich, a reporter for the Wall Street Journal, was able to meet with his attorney.

NATIONAL PRESS CLUB LOGO. (PRNewsFoto/NATIONAL PRESS CLUB) (PRNewsfoto/National Press Club) (PRNewsfoto/National Press Club)

"We were heartened to hear the news that Evan Gershkovich was able to meet today with his attorney in prison. It has been almost a week since Evan was unjustly detained. During all that time the only legal representation provided to him was from a Russian government attorney. That is a situation unworthy of a nation that this week is also the Chair of the United Nation's Security Council. We are glad to hear that Evan was in good health. Now the important legal work can begin to get Evan home."

Founded in 1908, the National Press Club is the World's leading professional organization for journalists. With 3,000 members representing nearly every major news organization, the Club is a leading voice for press freedom worldwide.

The National Press Club Journalism Institute promotes an engaged, global citizenry through an independent and free press and equips journalists with the skills and standards to inform the publicv in ways that inspire a more representative democracy, The NPCJI is the nonprofit affiliate of the National Press Club.

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Cision

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Key Insights

The considerable ownership by private companies in Sunsuria Berhad indicates that they collectively have a greater say in management and business strategy

The top 2 shareholders own 60% of the company

41% of Sunsuria Berhad is held by insiders

A look at the shareholders of Sunsuria Berhad (KLSE:SUNSURIA) can tell us which group is most powerful. And the group that holds the biggest piece of the pie are private companies with 48% ownership. In other words, the group stands to gain the most (or lose the most) from their investment into the company.

While private companies were the group that benefitted the most from last weeks RM143m market cap gain, insiders too had a 41% share in those profits.

Let's take a closer look to see what the different types of shareholders can tell us about Sunsuria Berhad.

Check out our latest analysis for Sunsuria Berhad

What Does The Lack Of Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Sunsuria Berhad?

We don't tend to see institutional investors holding stock of companies that are very risky, thinly traded, or very small. Though we do sometimes see large companies without institutions on the register, it's not particularly common.

There are many reasons why a company might not have any institutions on the share registry. It may be hard for institutions to buy large amounts of shares, if liquidity (the amount of shares traded each day) is low. If the company has not needed to raise capital, institutions might lack the opportunity to build a position. Alternatively, there might be something about the company that has kept institutional investors away. Sunsuria Berhad's earnings and revenue track record (below) may not be compelling to institutional investors -- or they simply might not have looked at the business closely.

Hedge funds don't have many shares in Sunsuria Berhad. Looking at our data, we can see that the largest shareholder is TER Equity Sdn Bhd with 41% of shares outstanding. For context, the second largest shareholder holds about 19% of the shares outstanding, followed by an ownership of 5.1% by the third-largest shareholder. Leong Ter, who is the second-largest shareholder, also happens to hold the title of Top Key Executive.

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To make our study more interesting, we found that the top 2 shareholders have a majority ownership in the company, meaning that they are powerful enough to influence the decisions of the company.

Researching institutional ownership is a good way to gauge and filter a stock's expected performance. The same can be achieved by studying analyst sentiments. While there is some analyst coverage, the company is probably not widely covered. So it could gain more attention, down the track.

Insider Ownership Of Sunsuria Berhad

The definition of an insider can differ slightly between different countries, but members of the board of directors always count. Management ultimately answers to the board. However, it is not uncommon for managers to be executive board members, especially if they are a founder or the CEO.

Most consider insider ownership a positive because it can indicate the board is well aligned with other shareholders. However, on some occasions too much power is concentrated within this group.

Our most recent data indicates that insiders own a reasonable proportion of Sunsuria Berhad. Insiders have a RM184m stake in this RM452m business. This may suggest that the founders still own a lot of shares. You can click here to see if they have been buying or selling.

General Public Ownership

The general public-- including retail investors -- own 11% stake in the company, and hence can't easily be ignored. While this size of ownership may not be enough to sway a policy decision in their favour, they can still make a collective impact on company policies.

Private Company Ownership

Our data indicates that Private Companies hold 48%, of the company's shares. It's hard to draw any conclusions from this fact alone, so its worth looking into who owns those private companies. Sometimes insiders or other related parties have an interest in shares in a public company through a separate private company.

Next Steps:

I find it very interesting to look at who exactly owns a company. But to truly gain insight, we need to consider other information, too. Consider for instance, the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 3 warning signs with Sunsuria Berhad (at least 2 which don't sit too well with us) , and understanding them should be part of your investment process.

If you would prefer discover what analysts are predicting in terms of future growth, do not miss this free report on analyst forecasts.

NB: Figures in this article are calculated using data from the last twelve months, which refer to the 12-month period ending on the last date of the month the financial statement is dated. This may not be consistent with full year annual report figures.

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.

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A super PAC seeking to lure Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis into the 2024 Republican presidential race has raised $30 million since its launch early last month, according to a person familiar with the groups efforts.

The total is a sign of early fundraising momentum for the group, Never Back Down, which was formed last month by Ken Cuccinelli, a former senior official in the Trump administration.

Since its inception, the super PAC has hired several veteran political operatives, including longtime strategist Jeff Roe, who managed Sen. Ted Cruzs (R-Texas) 2016 presidential campaign and served as a top adviser to Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkins successful 2021 gubernatorial bid.

The group has also recruited talent from former President Trumps 2020 reelection campaign. Last week, the group announced that it had hired Matt Wolking, who previously headed up the Trump campaigns rapid response operation.

DeSantis hasnt announced a bid for the White House yet, though hes widely expected to in the coming months. Never Back Down is likely to serve as the main outside group backing the Florida governor in a 2024 Republican presidential primary.

DeSantis is a fundraising powerhouse in his own right. His state political committee is currently sitting on more than $82 million. That money is currently tied up in state accounts and could eventually be transferred to another entity, though not to any future federal campaign committee.

DeSantis has become a darling of GOP donors and has met with many of them in recent weeks ahead of an expected White House run. He hosted a retreat for donors and GOP officials in Palm Beach, Fla., in late February and has ramped up his travel schedule to include stops in key early voting states like Iowa, Nevada and New Hampshire.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
A U.S. citizen with several addresses listed in South Florida in the early 2000s will spend 20 years behind bars for supporting ISIS and dragging his family along to Syria.

Emraan Ali, 55, was sentenced last week in Miami federal court after pleading guilty to conspiring to provide material support to the infamous terrorist group. After serving his time, Ali will be monitored through 20 years of supervised release.

In 2020, Ali and his son Jihad Ali, 21, were the last U.S. nationals facing charges stemming from fighting for or supporting ISIS. They, along with dozens of others, were captured by the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces.

READ MORE: Father and son are U.S. citizens. Feds say they went to Syria and fought for ISIS.

Under the guise of a vacation, he took his wife, stepchild and five children in 2015 from their Trinidad and Tobago home to Brazil, Turkey and, ultimately, Syria. Ali and his family moved from the U.S. to his homeland of Trinidad and Tobago a few years before.

Ali, however, planned his journey to join the terrorist faction by setting up a financial system in the Caribbean country so that he could collect his money in Syria, according to court records. He also packed $15,000 in cash and melted down gold.

When he arrived in Turkey, Ali arranged a van ride to the Turkey-Syria border. The family had to run across the border to enter the war-ravaged country. Once in ISIS territory, the terrorist group registered Ali and his family, according to court records. The registration records kept by ISIS helped U.S. officials prove Alis involvement with the insurgents.

Nicknamed Abu-Jihad al-Trinidad al-Amriki and Abu Jihad TNT, Ali was also enrolled in ISIS religious and military training with other English speakers, through which he learned how to use assault rifles and machine guns, according to court records. His son Jihad, then 15, also went through the same training.

Alis stint as an ISIS fighter quickly ended after he was medically discharged; though that didnt stop him from aiding the radical group.

Story continues

From 2015 to 2019, Ali contributed to ISIS economy as a construction worker helping create homes for members and later as a merchant selling livestock, cars, weapons and phones, according to court records. He even offered money remitting services to other Trinidadian ISIS fighters in Syria.

Ali, as Syrian rebel forces conquered ISIS strongholds, was finally cornered in March 2019 and had to surrender to Syrian Democratic Forces, according to court records. Until the last minute, Ali tried to fight his fate, urging other Trinidadian ISIS members to refuse to surrender in the hopes that they would allow them to relocate  and avoid jail time.

The FBI Miami Field Office investigated the international case. In February, Alis son Jihad appealed his conviction but a judge upheld his five-year sentence and subsequent three years of supervised release.
Vantage Market Research, The North Star for the Working World

WASHINGTON, April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Global Proppant Market is valued at USD 7.9 Billion in 2022 and is projected to reach a value of USD 14.25 Billion by 2030 at a CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) of 8.8% over the forecast period 2023-2030.

Market Overview

The increasing adoption of Proppants across the oil and gas industry due to hydraulic fracturing is one of the main reasons promoting the market's growth. The oil and gas sector employs hydraulic fracturing to improve the flow of oil or gas from the well. Additionally, increasing research and development to create lightweight Proppant variations will aid the market's expansion during the forecast period.

We forecast that the resin-coated category in Proppant market sales will account for more than 44% of total sales by 2028. In groundwater contamination, resin-coated Proppants are employed to boost fracturing permeability, restrict formation particles from migrating toward the wellbore, stop particle flow back, reduce fracture permeability loss through crushing or embedment, and long-term relationships breach susceptibility.

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Market Dynamics

Frac Sand Proppants are the Most Widely Used Category to Support Market Expansion

Frac sand is the most popular type of hydraulic fracturing Proppant on the market. Square cocktail quartz sand that is incredibly robust and pure is used to make frac sand Proppants. Sandstone is primarily used to construct them. Frac sand makes up around 83% of all Proppants used because it is effective, affordable, and readily available. Elevated silica sand, a perfectly circular shape that helps to carry it further in hydraulic fracking fluid with very little turbulence, and durability to resist crushing forces of closing fractures are superior qualities of high-quality frac sand that improve its use as Proppants and thereby increase market demand.

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Overall Growth of Hydraulic Fracturing Services to Drive the Market Growth

The fact that the United States and Canada are consistently witnessing increases in the revenues generated from this market will help to understand further the potential prospects in the hydraulic fracturing & services market. The service providers require Proppants to maintain an open hydraulic fracture throughout the procedure. Additionally, exploration and production operations are progressing, and as a result, there is a noticeable increase in demand for hydraulic fracturing, bolstering the Proppants industry.

Top Players in the Global Proppant Market

Carbo (Houston)

Saint-Gobain (Courbevoie)

JSC Norovich Refractories Plant (Russia)

Superior Silica Sands (United States)

Fairmount Santrell (Chesterland)

Badger Mining Corporation (Berlin)

RBN Energy (Houston)

Changing Proppant Corporation

Silica Company (Katy)

Covian (Independence)

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Key Challenges Facing the Proppant Market:

They can be expensive.

They can be difficult to transport and store.

They can have a negative impact on the environment.



What is the future of the proppant market?

The proppant market is expected to grow significantly in the coming years, driven by the increasing demand for oil and gas. The market is also expected to benefit from the development of new technologies, such as horizontal drilling and multilateral wells.

Key Opportunities Facing the Proppant Market:

The increasing demand for oil and gas: The global demand for oil and gas is expected to grow significantly in the coming years, driven by the growth of the global economy and the increasing population. This growth in demand is expected to drive the demand for proppants, which are used in the production of oil and gas.

The development of new technologies: The development of new technologies, such as horizontal drilling and multilateral wells, is expected to increase the productivity of wells and the demand for proppants. Horizontal drilling allows oil and gas companies to access oil and gas reserves that were previously inaccessible. Multilateral wells allow oil and gas companies to extract oil and gas from multiple formations from a single well. Both of these technologies are expected to increase the demand for proppants.

The growth of unconventional oil and gas resources: The growth of unconventional oil and gas resources, such as shale gas and tight oil, is expected to drive the demand for proppants. Unconventional oil and gas resources are more difficult to extract than conventional oil and gas resources, and they require the use of proppants to keep fractures open and allow for the flow of oil and gas.

The increasing use of recycled proppants: The increasing use of recycled proppants is expected to drive the demand for proppants. Recycled proppants are made from used proppants that have been cleaned and reconditioned. They are a more environmentally friendly option than virgin proppants, and they are also less expensive.

The development of new proppant materials: The development of new proppant materials, such as ceramic proppants and resin-coated sand proppants, is expected to drive the demand for proppants. Ceramic proppants are more durable than sand proppants and are often used in wells that are expected to produce high volumes of oil and gas. Resin-coated sand proppants are made from sand that is coated with a resin. The resin helps to keep the sand particles from sticking together and helps to prevent the proppants from being washed out of the fractures.

Top Report Findings

Based on Type, the resin-coated Proppants category controls most of the Proppant market's revenue. It has been discovered that the resin-coated Proppants increase the productivity of oil wells. The use of resin-coated Proppants will increase due to the increased need for an activity economy. The suppliers in the Proppants market will see more resin-coated Proppants being used.

Based on the Applications, most of the Proppant market's revenue is controlled by the shale gas category. The area that globally produces the greatest coalbed methane. China, India, Australia, Japan, and Indonesia are just a few countries with significant coalbed methane reserves. Insufficient conventional natural gas reserves in the area and high natural gas prices on the international market encourage the growth of coalbed methane. Hence fostering the expansion of the Proppant market throughout the anticipated period.

Based on Ceramic Proppants, most of the Proppant market's revenue is controlled by the lightweight ceramic Proppants category. Products made of lightweight ceramic Proppants function exceptionally well during drilling operations procedures in oil and gas wells and are crucial in enhancing productivity at current locations.



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Top Trends in Global Proppant Market

One trend that Vantage Market Research (VMR) predicts in the Proppant industry is the rising usage of ceramic Proppants. Sintered bauxite, kaolin, magnesium silicate, or mixtures of bauxite and kaolin are used in an energy-intensive manufacturing process to create ceramic Proppants. Ceramic Proppants are employed during or after a fracture treatment to keep the produced hydraulic fractures open. Market share has increased as a result of an increase in oil and gas extraction operations. Because ceramics are stronger than sand, there is a greater demand for ceramic Proppants than sand-based alternatives, increasing the market share.

Another trend that VMR expects will continue in the Proppant industry is incorporating eco-friendly processes in oil wells. Going green has become crucial in all businesses, and the oil and gas industrial sector is no exception. Since ceramic Proppants are comparatively more environmentally favorable, their application will increase.

Resin Coated Proppants Category in Proppant Market to Generate Over half the Revenue from among the Type Segment

For better understanding, based on the Type, the Proppant market is divided into Frac Sand, Resin Coated Proppant and Ceramic Proppants.

During the forecast period, the Proppant market is projected to experience the highest CAGR for the VR devices category. Forged sand, fusible sand, and pottery man-made sand are three types of sand designed to meet stringent requirements for resin-coated fracking Proppants. Global demand for unconventional resources like shale gas and shale oil is a major factor in expanding the resin-coated Proppant market. The desire for groundwater contamination to boost output from tight oil and gas reservoirs is also boosting the expansion of the world market for resin-coated Proppants.

On the other hand, the ceramics Proppants category is anticipated to grow significantly. One of the product type segments with the quickest growth is ceramics. This is primarily attributable to its use as a frac sand substitute. Ceramic Proppants, which have a higher compressive strength than sand, can only be used in wells with low shutdown stresses, making ceramic one of the fastest-growing market categories.

Global Proppant Market Segmentation

By Type

Frac Sand

Resin-coated Proppants

Ceramic Proppants





By Application

Shale Gas

Tight Gas

Coalbed Methane,

Others

By Ceramic Proppants

High Strength Ceramic Proppants

Intermediate Strength Ceramic Proppants

Light Weight Ceramic Proppants

Others

By Region

North America United States Canada Mexico

Europe Germany UK France Italy Spain Rest of Europe

Asia Pacific China Japan India South Korea South-East Asia Rest of Asia Pacific

Latin America Brazil Argentina Rest of Latin America

Middle East & Africa GCC Countries South Africa Rest of MEA



Browse market data Tables and Figures spread through 146 Pages and in-depth TOC on Proppant Market Forecast Report (2022-2028).

Scope of the Report:

Report Attributes Details Market Size in 2022 USD 7.9 Billion Revenue Forecast by 2030 USD 14.25 Billion CAGR 8.8% from 2023 to 2030 Base Year 2022 Forecast Year 2023 to 2030 Key Players Carbo, Saint-Gobain, JSC Norovich Refractories Plant, Superior Silica Sands, Fairmount Santrell, Badger Mining Corporation Customization Options If our report does not include the information you are searching for, you may contact us to have a report tailored to your specific business needs https://www.vantagemarketresearch.com/proppants-market-2059/request-sample



Read Full Report with TOC @ https://www.vantagemarketresearch.com/industry-report/proppants-market-2059

Recent Developments in the Global Proppant Market

March 2020- The expansion of Covian Holdings LLC's Canotiers factory in Mexico was finished. To meet the increasing demand from customers in the area, Covian will increase its ability to produce silica by 350 tons annually with the construction of this facility in Mexico.

March 2020 - Covian Holdings LLC upgraded its North American facilities for about USD 45 million price tag. Through this growth, Covian will be able to serve the polymers and coatings end industries and build a very effective, up-to-date facility.

Key Questions Answered in Proppant Market Report

What is the current market size of proppants, and what is the expected growth rate over the forecast period?

What are the key drivers, restraints, and trends influencing the proppant market, and how are they likely to shape the market's future?

What are the different types of proppants available, and what are their respective market shares and growth prospects?

What are the main application areas of proppants, such as hydraulic fracturing, and what are the market shares and growth prospects of these applications?

Who are the major players in the proppant market, what are their market shares, and what strategies are they employing to gain a competitive advantage?

What are the major challenges and opportunities facing the proppant market, and how can companies capitalize on these to enhance their market position?

What is the regulatory environment governing the proppant market, and how is it likely to evolve in the future?



Regional Analysis

North America Region in Proppant Market to Generate a Significant Revenue

North America region dominates the market throughout the projection period. The United States is one of the popular nations in discovering unconventional crude oil deposits and using hydraulic fracturing to access them. The market for Proppants has benefited from the country's expanding use of fracking, particularly for shale gas and tight oil uses.

The Asia Pacific region is projected to grow faster in the market. Shale gas production in the region will increase domestic demand for natural gas in major APAC economies. By lowering reliance on outside sources, shale gas mining is anticipated to increase the region's energy security. The area that globally produces the greatest coalbed methane. China, India, Australia, Japan, and Indonesia are just a few countries with significant coalbed methane reserves. Insufficient conventional natural gas reserves in the area and high natural gas prices on the international market encourage the growth of coalbed methane. Hence fostering the expansion of the Proppant market throughout the anticipated period.

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Join the most important conversation in crypto and web3! Secure your seat today

Blockchain-based tokenization of real-world assets (RWA) is gaining traction among major financial service firms and other big brands. That makes a number of industry watchers upbeat about the trend in 2023.

They say tokenization of RWA  a way of putting ownership of tangible assets such as stocks and bonds on the blockchain  offers the convenience of buying and selling these assets around the clock because the transactions do not involve traditional brokers.

This concept isnt new, but over the past few months a number of large banks and other companies have begun using the process. In November, for instance, U.S. banking giant JPMorgan executed the first live trade using tokenized versions of the yen and the Singapore dollar on the Polygon blockchain. A month later, asset manager WisdomTree unveiled nine digital funds, adding to the one it had started successfully earlier in the year. The funds allow the transfer agent to keep a secondary record of shares on either the Stellar or Ethereum blockchains.

More recently, Hong Kong's central bank offered an inaugural $100 million tokenized green, or sustainable investment, bond, and just this week French investment bank Credit Agricole CIB and Swedish bank SEB agreed to develop a blockchain-based platform for digital bonds.

A recent S&P Global Ratings report shows that issuers distributed around $1.5 billion in digital bonds on the blockchain in 2022, up from just a few bonds the previous year.

These businesses aim to create efficiencies that traditional markets cant achieve, according to Daniela Barbosa, executive director of Hyperledger Foundation.

If you think about traditional corporate bond issuance, for example, there's a lot of paperwork and tracking, Barbosa told CoinDesk in an interview. Youd have to have a bond certificate. When you tokenize these assets you can increase the usability of the assets because you can support automation with smart contracts platforms and put important information on these assets ... where in the past maybe you had to go with a third party or a middleman.

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Barbosa, who has worked in the crypto space since 2017, said more companies are more receptive to blockchain-enabled business models, despite the series of debacles that have stung the industry over the past year. Those failures weve seen in the marketplace have nothing to do with the (blockchain) technology, she said.

For example, German-based Siemens $63 million digital bond on Polygon in February was a way for the engineering giant to reduce paperwork and open new markets to new customers of those bonds, she said. Public companies have traditionally used conventional methods  often Wall Street underwriters  to issue bonds to finance capital investment.

If you're creating technology and platforms that allow more people to participate in the economy, it's going to have a positive impact on the economy, she added.

Benefits and use cases

Bob Ras, co-founder of the exchange and digital asset ecosystem Sologenic, said tokenized real-world assets also account for fractional ownerships more efficiently and generate faster settlement times.

He noted that users can trade a fraction of a specific tokenized stock like Tesla (TSLA) that has been divided into smaller shares or units at lower cost, with the settlement completed in seconds. Orders in traditional markets usually take 48 to 72 hours for the actual stock to transfer from the liquidity provider to the bank or the platform, Ras told CoinDesk.

The speed and efficiency give buying power to smaller investors" and provide better accessibility "for those who don't have a significant amount of investment funds, he added.

Eliezer Ndinga, director of research at crypto investment product firm 21.co, said U.S. dollar-pegged stablecoin tether (USDT) offered a potentially strong argument for RWA, especially in countries suffering currency debasement or a collapse of the financial system, creating higher demand for the U.S. dollar.

Tether is like the fiat-pegged currency of the worlds reserve currency, Ndinga told CoinDesk in an interview. From a remittances perspective, people can access it on a global scale as long as they have the internet connection, like the same way they would send emails to another party.

Meanwhile, industry observers are also watching the increasing use of RWA in decentralized finance (DeFI), including MakerDAOs investment in U.S. Treasurys and corporate bonds and Maple Finance's yield-generating strategies adopted from traditional finance.

In February, Berlin-based crypto exchange Swarm launched tradable, tokenized U.S. stocks and bonds via its DeFi platform. To date, traditional market participants have not had a comprehensive and regulatory-compliant solution for issuing and trading real world assets on-chain, Swarm co-founder Timo Lehes said in a statement.

Going forward

21.cos Ndinga described the infrastructure of RWA as the equivalent of dial-up in the early internet  slow and less-than-ideal user experiences that will be resolved as the technology improves.

Market observers are also closely tracking how U.S. regulators will view tokenization. If their view is favorable, the regulatory clarity could spur more development by companies.

We are now at the cusp of the convergence between traditional and decentralized finance, to some extent, Ndinga said.
La-Z-Boy Incorporated

KEITH WILSON, PRESIDENT INTERNATIONAL AND JOYBIRD, ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT



LA-Z-BOY INCORPORATED ANNOUNCES RELATED LEADERSHIP TEAM REALIGNMENT

MONROE, Mich., April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- La-Z-Boy Incorporated (NYSE: LZB), a global leader in residential furniture, today announced the realignment of its Executive Leadership Team, in conjunction with several key announcements.

In connection with the companys new fiscal year at end of April:

Rebecca Reeder will join the company as President, Retail La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries. In her role as President, Retail La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries, Reeder will have executive oversight and P&L responsibility for the companys Retail segment, which includes 168 of the 346 La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries  stores. In addition, she will assume responsibility for sales to the remaining independently-owned La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries  stores, driving alignment of the consumer experience throughout the entire network.





Keith Wilson, President International and Joybird, has announced his intention to retire, and will move to special projects to support transitions through the summer. In concert with his retirement: Tj Linz will assume responsibility for Joybird, in addition to his previously announced move to assume the role of President, Portfolio Brands, succeeding Otis Sawyer upon his retirement. Robert Sundy, Senior Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer, will expand his role to become President, La-Z-Boy Brand and Chief Commercial Officer, adding the companys international La-Z-Boy branded operations to his leadership.





Melinda D. Whittington, President and Chief Executive Officer of La-Z-Boy Incorporated, said, We are thrilled to have an executive of Rebeccas caliber join La-Z-Boy Incorporated. She brings with her years of executive experience leading strong retail brands that ignite customer advocacy and sustain loyalty. Additionally, with expertise in building high-performing teams and driving operational execution, we look forward to her leadership as we champion the growth of the La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries network as a key part of our Century Vision growth strategy.

Story continues

Whittington also noted, At the same time, it is with mixed emotion that we announce the retirement of Keith Wilson, President International and Joybird. Throughout Keiths seven-year tenure, he played a key role in building the La-Z-Boy brand internationally and led the acquisition of Furnico, our U.K.-based manufacturing operation. More recently, Keith has also been responsible for leading Joybird, our direct-to-consumer upholstery company acquired in 2018. We thank Keith for his many contributions to La-Z-Boy Incorporated and wish him all the best in his well-deserved retirement.

Whittington continued, With the addition of Rebecca and related realignment of responsibilities across the team, the Executive Team is well positioned to lead the next chapter of our iconic, 96-year-old company as we execute our Century Vision strategy for long-term profitable growth. Im proud of our team and the accomplishments to date, and even more excited for whats ahead.

Reeder said, I am excited to join La-Z-Boy Incorporated at such a pivotal time in the companys history. As it executes Century Vision with a focus on expanding the La-Z-Boy brand reach, retail stores will play a central role in the process. Im thrilled to lead the store expansion initiative while capitalizing on the brands amazing attributes of comfort, quality and durability as we further enhance the end-to-end consumer experience. I look forward to working with a talented team across the organization.

Reeder joins La-Z-Boy from Chicos FAS, where she serves as SVP, Retail for Soma, White House Black Market and Chicos, in addition to having responsibility for Customer Care Center sales and visual merchandising. Before joining Chicos, she held various Retail, Marketing and Merchandising leadership roles at Pacific Sunwear, Bebe, Express and American Eagle Outfitters. Reeder holds a Bachelors degree in Business and Communication from Miami University. She will officially join the company on April 17, 2023.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historical or current facts. Generally, forward-looking statements include information concerning expectations, projections or trends relating to our results of operations, financial results, financial condition, strategic initiatives and plans, expenses, dividends, share repurchases, liquidity, use of cash and cash requirements, borrowing capacity, investments, future economic performance, business and industry and the effect of the coronavirus (COVID) pandemic on our business operations and financial results.

The forward-looking statements in this press release are based on certain assumptions and currently available information and are subject to various risks and uncertainties, many of which are unforeseeable and beyond our control. Additional risks and uncertainties that we do not presently know about or that we currently consider to be immaterial may also affect our business operations and financial results. Our actual future results and trends may differ materially depending on a variety of factors, including, but not limited to, the risks and uncertainties discussed in our fiscal 2022 Annual Report on Form 10-K and other factors identified in our reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), available on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. Given these risks and uncertainties, you should not rely on forward-looking statements as a prediction of actual results. We are including this cautionary note to make applicable and take advantage of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 for forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or for any other reason.

Additional Information

This news release is just one part of La-Z-Boys financial disclosures and should be read in conjunction with other information filed with the SEC, which is available at: https://lazboy.gcs-web.com/financial-information/sec-filings . Investors and others wishing to be notified of future La-Z-Boy news releases, SEC filings and quarterly investor conference calls may sign up at: https://lazboy.gcs-web.com/ .

Background Information

La-Z-Boy Incorporated is one of the worlds leading residential furniture producers, marketing furniture for every room of the home. The Wholesale segment includes England, La-Z-Boy, American Drew, Hammary, Kincaid and the company's international wholesale and manufacturing businesses. The company-owned Retail segment includes 168 of the 346 La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries stores. Joybird is an e-commerce retailer and manufacturer of upholstered furniture.

The corporations branded distribution network is dedicated to selling La-Z-Boy Incorporated products and brands, and includes 346 stand-alone La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries stores and 519 independent Comfort Studio locations, in addition to in-store gallery programs for the companys Kincaid and England operating units. Additional information is available at https://www.la-z-boy.com/ .

Contact: Kathy Liebmann (734) 241-2438 kathy.liebmann@la-z-boy.com




London, UK --News Direct-- Red Rock Resources PLC

Red Rock Resources PLC (AIM:RRR) chairman and CEO Andrew bell updates Proactive with the latest on the company's Tin Hill lithium project in Zimbabwe and on the ongoing legal situation in the Congo, a solution to which he suggests is now "imminent."

Bell says that the experience in Congo has not affected Red Rock's risk appetite for choosing jurisdictions in the future, believing that the company can operate successfully by playing with a "straight bat" and being persistent and well prepared.

Contact Details

Proactive UK Ltd

+44 20 7989 0813

uk@proactiveinvestors.com

View source version on newsdirect.com: https://newsdirect.com/news/red-rock-resources-believes-resolution-to-congo-legal-case-imminent-378777273
IndexBox, Inc.

NEW YORK, April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Research firm IndexBox has just released a comprehensive new report on the global baking powder market, providing a detailed analysis, forecast, market size, trends, and insights. The report, titled "World Prepared Baking Powders Market Analysis, Forecast, Size, Trends, and Insights," is available for purchase on the IndexBox website at https://www.indexbox.io/store/world-prepared-baking-powders-market-analysis-forecast-size-trends-and-insights/



IndexBox is offering trial access to market data for interested users, providing a valuable opportunity to explore the comprehensive information on the IndexBox platform. The market forecast extends until 2030, highlighting the key growth drivers and challenges, factors affecting demand, as well as major consuming industries.

The report identifies the key growth drivers as an increasing global population, rising disposable incomes, changing consumer preferences, and the growing demand for convenience food products. Challenges faced by the industry include fluctuating raw material prices, stringent regulations, and increasing competition from alternative leavening agents.

Demand for baking powder is influenced by the performance of major consuming industries such as the bakery, confectionery, and foodservice sectors.

The bakery industry is the largest end-user segment for baking powder, with a significant share of the market. The demand in this sector is driven by the production of bread, cakes, pastries, cookies, and other baked goods, which require baking powder as a key leavening agent.

The confectionery industry is another important end-user segment, as baking powder is used in the production of various sweets, chocolates, and candies. The foodservice industry, which includes restaurants, cafes, and catering services, also utilizes baking powder in a variety of dishes, contributing to the market growth.

In the food processing industry, baking powder is used to manufacture snacks , cereals , and other processed foods. The retail and household segment comprises the direct consumption of baking powder by consumers, who use it for home baking and cooking purposes.

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Regional Overview:

The Asia-Pacific region dominates the global baking powder market, driven by rapid urbanization, growing disposable incomes, and expanding middle-class populations in countries like China and India . These factors lead to increased demand for bakery and convenience food products, positively impacting the baking powder market.

North America is the second-largest market for baking powder, with the United States being a key contributor. The well-established bakery and foodservice industries in the region, along with a strong preference for ready-to-eat and on-the-go food options, drive the demand for baking powder.

Europe also holds a significant share of the global baking powder market, with countries like Germany , the United Kingdom , and France contributing to its growth. The region's strong bakery culture and the increasing demand for healthier food alternatives, such as aluminum-free and phosphate-free baking powder, are key growth factors.

In Latin America and the Middle East and Africa, emerging economies such as Brazil, Mexico, and South Africa are witnessing growth in the baking powder market. Factors such as rising disposable incomes, urbanization, and an expanding middle class contribute to the increasing demand for bakery and convenience food products in these regions.

Key statistics from the report include the global market size, share, and growth rate, as well as region-specific data and insights into the competitive landscape. The largest manufacturers in the baking powder industry are identified, offering a comprehensive overview of market leaders and their strategies.

For further information, please visit https://www.indexbox.io/store/world-prepared-baking-powders-market-analysis-forecast-size-trends-and-insights/

CONTACT: contact: Mekhrona Dzhuraeva, Editor Email: media@indexbox.io




ONE swiss bank SA

4 April 2023

Results of the 2023 Annual General Meeting of ONE swiss bank SA

The shareholders of ONE swiss bank SA approved all of the Board of Directors proposals at today's Annual General Meeting (AGM) and elected Frederic Binder as Chair and Helene Weidmann as new member of the Board of Directors.

The AGM was held in Geneva in person and by video conference. 68.38% of shares with voting rights (10,346,246 votes) were represented.

The following decisions were taken:



1. The annual report and financial statements as of 31 December 2022 were approved.

2. The coverage of the balance sheet loss with the statutory retained earnings reserve was approved.

3. The payment of a dividend of CHF 0.15 per share was approved. The payment will be made on 12 April 2023.

4. Full discharge has been granted to the directors of ONE swiss bank SA for their management during the 2022 financial year.

5.1. Frederic Binder, Alessandro Bizzozero, Jean-Claude Favre and Roland Muller-Ineichen were individually re-elected as directors for a term until the end of the next AGM. Helene Weidmann was elected as new director for a one-year term of office.

5.2. Frederic Binder was elected as Chair of the Board of Directors for a one-year term of office.

5.3. Frederic Binder and Helene Weidmann were elected as members of the Compensation Committee for a one-year term of office.

6. BFGB SA was re-elected as independent proxy for a one-year term of office.

7. PricewaterhouseCoopers was re-elected as auditors for a one-year term of office.

8.1. In a consultative vote, the 2022 compensation report was approved.

8.2. The remuneration of the Board of Directors for the period until the end of the next AGM was approved.

8.3. The new remuneration and the variable remuneration for the members of the Executive Committee for the period until the end of the next AGM were approved.

9. The amendments to the Articles of Association were approved.

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Agenda YES in % NO in % Abstention in % 1. Approval of the annual results as at 31 December 2022 and the annual report 2022 9,282,602 89.72% 0 0.00% 1,063,644 10.28% 2. Proposal to allocate the result to the balance sheet as at 31 December 2022 9,282,602 89.72% 0 0.00% 1,063,644 10.28% 3. Payment of a dividend 9,276,997 89.67% 5,605 0.05% 1,063,644 10.28% 4. Discharge of the members of the Board of Directors 9,282,602 89.72% 0 0.00% 1,063,644 10.28% 5. Elections to the Board of Directors and the Compensation Committee 5.1. Members of the Board of Directors 5.1.1. Alessandro Bizzozero (re-election) 9,282,602 89.72% 0 0.00% 1,063,644 10.28% 5.1.2. Frederic Binder (re-election) 9,253,907 89.44% 28,695 0.28% 1,063,644 10.28% 5.1.3. Jean-Claude Favre (re-election) 9,282,602 89.72% 0 0.00% 1,063,644 10.28% 5.1.4. Roland Muller-Ineichen (re-election) 9,282,602 89.72% 0 0.00% 1,063,644 10.28% 5.1.5. Helene Weidmann (election as new director) 9,282,602 89.72% 0 0.00% 1,063,644 10.28% 5.2. Chair of the Board of Directors (election of Frederic Binder) 9,253,907 89.44% 28,695 0.28% 1,063,644 10.28% 5.3. Elections to the Compensation Committee 5.3.1. Frederic Binder 9,253,907 89.44% 28,695 0.28% 1,063,644 10.28% 5.3.2. Helene Weidmann 9,282,602 89.72% 0 0.00% 1,063,644 10.28% 6. Election of the independent representative 9,282,602 89.72% 0 0.00% 1,063,644 10.28% 7. Election of the auditors 9,282,602 89.72% 0 0.00% 1,063,644 10.28% 8. Remuneration of the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee 8.1. Consultative vote on the 2022 Compensation Report 9,253,907 89.44% 28,695 0.28% 1,063,644 10.28% 8.2. Board of Directors 9,253,907 89.44% 28,695 0.28% 1,063,644 10.28% 8.3. Executive Committee 8.3.1. Fixed remuneration 9,253,907 89.44% 28,695 0.28% 1,063,644 10.28% 8.3.2. Variable incentive compensation 9,253,907 89.44% 28,695 0.28% 1,063,644 10.28% 9. Amendment to the Articles of Association 9,248,079 89.39% 34,523 0.33% 1,063,644 10.28%

For further information, please contact:

Julien Delecraz

Investor Relations

investorrelations@oneswiss.com

+41 58 300 78 13

ONE swiss bank SA (SIX Swiss Exchange: ONE)

ONE swiss bank is a Swiss private bank listed on SIX Swiss Exchange with offices in Geneva, Lugano, Zurich and a subsidiary in Dubai. It offers wealth and asset management services to private and institutional clients as well as financial intermediaries.

oneswissbank.com

Attachment




OKLAHOMA CITY, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Riley Exploration Permian, Inc. (NYSE American: REPX) ("Riley Permian") today announced that it completed its previously announced acquisition of New Mexico oil and natural gas assets from Pecos Oil & Gas, LLC, an affiliate of Cibolo Energy Partners LLC (the "New Mexico Acquisition").

Riley Exploration Permian (PRNewsfoto/Riley Exploration Permian, Inc.)

Consideration for the New Mexico Acquisition was $330 million before customary purchase price adjustments. In conjunction with the closing, the Company issued $200 million in new, senior unsecured notes (the "Senior Notes") and funded the balance of consideration with borrowings from the Company's existing revolving credit facility. The Senior Notes will bear interest at an annual rate of 10.5% and will mature in April 2028.

At the time of the acquisition, the Company also completed an amendment to its revolving credit facility to increase the borrowing base by $100 million to $325 million.

About Riley Exploration Permian, Inc.

Riley Permian is a growth-oriented, independent oil and natural gas company focused on the acquisition, exploration, development and production of oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids. For more information please visit www.rileypermian.com.

Investor Contact:

Rick D'Angelo

405-438-0126

IR@rileypermian.com

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SOURCE Riley Exploration Permian, Inc.
Energy stocks are seeing interest from investors following a surprise production cut from OPEC on Sunday. After retreating in 2023 and particularly so throughout March, oil prices surged on the news.

Saudi Arabia, OPECs top producer, announced the most significant cut, eliminating 500k barrels/day. Iraq wasnt too far behind, slashing 211k barrels a day.

The United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Algeria, Oman, and Gabon also announced cuts, bringing the total to roughly 1.6 million barrels/day (including Russia's already in place 500k barrels/day reduction).

Interestingly enough, the Committee noted that decreasing production serves as a precautionary measure to maintain balance in the oil market.

With oil prices seeing an increase, several companies  ExxonMobil XOM, Chevron CVX, and BP p.l.c BP  stand to benefit. Lets take a closer look at each one.

ExxonMobil

ExxonMobil is one of the worlds largest publicly traded international oil and gas companies with an established track record of CapEx discipline. Unsurprisingly, the companys cash-generating abilities have been amplified amid increased energy prices, with XOM generating more than $17 billion in free cash flow throughout its latest quarter.

Zacks Investment Research



Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

The favorable operating environment has also allowed XOM to increase its quarterly dividend, increasing the payout by roughly 3.4% just over the last year. Currently, ExxonMobils dividend yields 3.1% annually, above the broader market.

Zacks Investment Research



Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

The market reacted sluggishly to the companys latest quarterly release; XOM posted mixed top and bottom line results, exceeding the Zacks Consensus EPS Estimate but falling short of sales expectations by roughly 5.5%.

Shares are up nearly 5% in 2023, underperforming relative to the general market.

Zacks Investment Research



Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Chevron

Chevron is fully integrated, participating in every aspect related to energy  from oil production to refining and marketing. Like XOM, Chevrons cash-generating abilities have been impressive over the last year; CVX recently reported quarterly free cash flow of $8.7 billion, reflecting an improvement of 25% year-over-year.

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Zacks Investment Research



Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

As we can see in the chart below, Chevron has also shown a commitment to rewarding its shareholders throughout the lucrative period, carrying a 6% one-year annualized dividend growth rate. Currently, CVXs dividend yields 3.6% annually.

Zacks Investment Research



Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Chevron shares have faced adverse price action in 2023, with shares breaking off post-earnings and underperforming relative to the general market.

Zacks Investment Research



Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

BP p.l.c

Headquartered in London, BP is one of the world's biggest multinational oil and gas companies. BP shares have been quietly strong so far in 2023, up more than 13% and outperforming the S&P 500 handily.

Zacks Investment Research



Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

The company posted mixed results in its latest release, falling short of bottom line expectations. However, quarterly revenue totaled $70.4 billion, nearly 20% ahead of expectations and improving 34% year-over-year. Below is a chart illustrating the companys revenue on a quarterly basis.

Zacks Investment Research



Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

There were also several highlights within the latest earnings release, including a 10% increase to its dividend and a $2.75 million share buyback announcement. Currently, BPs annual dividend yields 3.9%, nicely above the general market.

Zacks Investment Research



Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Bottom Line

Following a surprise production cut from OPEC, oil prices climbed, and energy stocks jumped into focus.

As mentioned earlier, the Committee noted that decreasing production serves as a precautionary measure to maintain balance in the oil market.

Several companies  ExxonMobil XOM, Chevron CVX, and BP p.l.c BP  all benefit from increased energy prices. In addition, all three pay a healthy dividend and carry improved balance sheets. For those interested in energy, all three deserve a watchlist spot.

Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report

BP p.l.c. (BP) : Free Stock Analysis Report

Chevron Corporation (CVX) : Free Stock Analysis Report

Exxon Mobil Corporation (XOM) : Free Stock Analysis Report

To read this article on Zacks.com click here.

Zacks Investment Research
By Ziyi Tang and Ryan Woo

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's largest banks will see near-term revenue and margin pressures on a persisting property sector downturn, higher costs and a worsening global macro outlook, analysts said, clouding growth prospects for the world's second-largest economy.

Some of the challenges the lenders face were evident last week when five of the country's largest state-owned banks reported annual results.

And while the banks' capital cushions are at comfortable levels currently, those could be impacted if asset quality worsens in the property sector or the economic recovery stutters. Their recent stock price growth could also be stunted.

The top-five lenders reported an above 3.5% annual net profit growth last week.

GRAPHIC: 2021 vs 2022 net profit of big China banks (in billions of yuan), https://www.reuters.com/graphics/CHINA-BANKS/SHARES/akpeqedjypr/chart.png

The two biggest banks, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China and China Construction Bank Corp, however, reported a decline in revenue, and, excluding the impact of provisions and impairment losses' contributions, profit growth would have been slower. The other three posted a small revenue growth of about 2% or below.

China's economy showed signs of a recovery after the end of three years of strict COVID-19 policies that had disrupted commerce and muzzled domestic demand. But the foundation of the recovery is not yet solid, analysts warned.

Revenue of China's banking sector is estimated to slow further in the first quarter this year. And net interest margins (NIMs), a key gauge of bank profitability, are expected to continue to shrink in 2023, though at a milder pace, with the biggest contraction in the first quarter, analysts and bank executives forecast.

That is because Chinese banks face unfavourable pricing dynamics, where regulators' window guidance for banks to frontload lending led to abundant credit supply, Citigroup analysts, including Judy Zhang, wrote in a note.

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But credit demand is muted, and overly fierce price competition among banks weighed on lenders' new-loan yield, the analysts wrote.

China reported stronger than expected new bank lending in the first two months of this year. The performance, however, was mainly underpinned by loans to the policy-driven infrastructure sector, with some big banks offering rates as low as below 2% to state-owned companies, said several bankers, who declined to be named as they were not authorised to speak to media.

The lending rates are even lower than deposit rates, pressuring lenders' NIMs, they said.

"Smaller banks would suffer more," said Iris Pang, chief economist for Greater China at ING. "This is the result of competition."

PROPERTY SECTOR RISKS

Nicholas Zhu, a banking analyst at Moody's, warned banks also face persistent risks from the property market, after all the big five banks posted a surge in non-performing loan ratio in real estate loans last year.

"Transitional volatility from the correction in the property market will pose risks to banks' asset quality this year," he said.

"Measures to stabilise the property market will reduce risk of contagion to the banking system, if these measures ultimately restore homebuyers' confidence and prop up property sales," said Zhu. "That said, banks will bear additional credit risks in the short term as they increase financing for the property sector."

In addition, as lending in China is widely collateralised by real estate, a big issue would be if there's a large decline in property values, said Christopher Beddor, deputy China research director at Gavekal Dragonomics.

Beddor also said Chinese banks will face asset quality risks, as they will need to digest troubled pandemic-era loans.

"The banks massively scaled up their lending to small firms during the pandemic, and regulators have essentially allowed them to avoid recognising losses yet," he said. "Many banks will be in for pain when they eventually acknowledge the losses."

GRAPHIC: China banks shares, https://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/mkt/akpeqednlpr/image-1680588377897.png

(Reporting by Ziyi Tang and Ryan Woo; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)
Company Logo

Dublin, April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Rozanolixizumab Emerging Drug Insight and Market Forecast - 2032" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



"Rozanolixizumab Emerging Drug Insight and Market Forecasts 2032" report provides comprehensive insights about rozanolixizumab for Generalized Myasthenia Gravis (gMG) in the seven major markets.

A detailed picture of the rozanolixizumab for generalized myasthenia gravis in the 7MM, i.e., the United States, EU4 (Germany, France, Italy, and Spain) and the United Kingdom, and Japan for the study period 2019 -2032 is provided in this report along with a detailed description of the rozanolixizumab for generalized myasthenia gravis.

The report provides insights about mechanism of action, dosage and administration, as well as research and development including regulatory milestones, along with other developmental activities.

Further, it also consists of future market assessments inclusive of the rozanolixizumab market forecast analysis for generalized myasthenia gravis in the 7MM, SWOT, analysts' views, comprehensive overview of market competitors, and brief about other emerging therapies in generalized myasthenia gravis.



Drug Summary



Rozanolixizumab is an SC-administered, humanized monoclonal antibody that specifically binds, with high affinity, to the human neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn). It has been designed to block the interaction of FcRn and Immunoglobulin G (IgG), accelerating antibodies' catabolism and reducing pathogenic IgG autoantibodies' concentration.



Rozanolixizumab is under clinical development to improve the lives of people with pathogenic IgG-autoantibody-driven autoimmune diseases, including gMG, primary immune thrombocytopenia (ITP), myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody-associated disease (MOG-AD) and autoimmune encephalitis (AIE) by driving removal of pathogenic IgG autoantibodies.



Rozanolixizumab Analytical Perspective

In-depth rozanolixizumab Market Assessment



This report provides a detailed market assessment of rozanolixizumab for generalized myasthenia gravis in the seven major markets, i.e., the United States, EU4 (Germany, France, Italy, and Spain) and the United Kingdom, and Japan. This segment of the report provides forecasted sales data from 2024 to 2032.



Rozanolixizumab Clinical Assessment



The report provides the clinical trials information of rozanolixizumab for generalized myasthenia gravis covering trial interventions, trial conditions, trial status, start and completion dates.



Report Highlights

In the coming years, the market scenario for generalized myasthenia gravis is set to change due to the extensive research and incremental healthcare spending across the world; which would expand the size of the market to enable the drug manufacturers to penetrate more into the market.

The companies are developing therapies that focus on novel approaches to treat/improve the disease condition, assess challenges, and seek opportunities that could influence rozanolixizumab dominance.

Other emerging products for generalized myasthenia gravis are expected to give tough market competition to rozanolixizumab and launch of late-stage emerging therapies in the near future will significantly impact the market.

A detailed description of regulatory milestones, and developmental activities, provide the current development scenario of rozanolixizumab in generalized myasthenia gravis.

This in-depth analysis of the forecasted sales data of rozanolixizumab from 2024 to 2032 will support the clients in the decision-making process regarding their therapeutic portfolio by identifying the overall scenario of the rozanolixizumab in generalized myasthenia gravis.

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Key Topics Covered:



1. Report Introduction



2. Rozanolixizumab Overview in Generalized Myasthenia Gravis

2.1. Product Detail

2.2. Clinical Development

2.2.1. Clinical studies

2.2.2. Clinical trials information

2.2.3. Safety and efficacy

2.3. Other Developmental Activities

2.4. Product Profile



3. Competitive Landscape (Marketed Therapies)



4. Competitive Landscape (Late-stage Emerging Therapies)



5. Rozanolixizumab Market Assessment

5.1. Market Outlook of Rozanolixizumab in Generalized Myasthenia Gravis

5.2. 7MM Analysis

5.2.1. Market size of rozanolixizumab in the 7MM for generalized myasthenia gravis

5.3. Country-wise Market Analysis

5.3.1. Market size of rozanolixizumab in the United States for generalized myasthenia gravis

5.3.2. Market size of rozanolixizumab in Germany for generalized myasthenia gravis

5.3.3. Market size of rozanolixizumab in France for generalized myasthenia gravis

5.3.4. Market size of rozanolixizumab in Italy for generalized myasthenia gravis

5.3.5. Market size of rozanolixizumab in Spain for generalized myasthenia gravis

5.3.6. Market size of rozanolixizumab in the United Kingdom for generalized myasthenia gravis

5.3.7. Market size of rozanolixizumab in Japan for generalized myasthenia gravis



6. SWOT Analysis



7. Analysts' Views



8. Appendix



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/vkwwuh

About ResearchAndMarkets.com

ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.

CONTACT: CONTACT: ResearchAndMarkets.com Laura Wood,Senior Press Manager press@researchandmarkets.com For E.S.T Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470 For U.S./ CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900




Samsara Luggage reported revenues up 239% year-over-year, and Gross Profit for 2022 up 571% following implementation of strategic initiatives designed to strengthen the company's positioning in the market and in conjunction with a surge in demand for travel products.

NEW YORK, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Samsara Luggage ("Samsara Luggage" or the "Company") (OTC: SAML), maker of innovative travel products, today released its 2022 Annual report, highlighting the Company's robust growth and financial results for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022.

Samsara Luggage (PRNewsfoto/Samsara Luggage Inc.)

Revenues totaled $1,171,000, up 239% for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022, compared to the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021. Gross Profit for the fiscal year ended 2022 increased 571% compared to the same period in 2021.

The increase in revenue was achieved despite unpredictable market conditions in a post-pandemic landscape. The Company's growth is mainly attributed to an increase in demand for the Company's new travel products and strategic partnerships that increased sales and brand visibility.

Samsara Luggage focused its efforts on launching its new Tag Smart product line in Spring 2022. The new carry-on suitcase combined with the Apple AirTag provided travelers with reliable tracking with the iPhone's Find My app. The execution of a new marketing campaign along with the Tag Smart receiving glowing reviews from notable press outlets yielded an increase in sales on the heels of a strong peak travel season.

"Our success this past year represents our agility in monitoring developments in the market and understanding the world of travel," said Atara Dzikowski, Co-founder & CEO, Samsara Luggage. "Through our implementation of key strategic initiatives and strong partnerships we were well prepared to handle the challenges in the post-pandemic marketplace. We are thrilled with our annual report results and will continue to service our current customers and execute new strategies to expand our community."

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Samsara Luggage increased its business activity by entering into several strategic partnerships. Tommy Bahama (NYSE: OXM) became the first retailer to feature select products from Samsara Luggage's newly launched Tag Smart collection. The Company also launched the Un-carrier On suitcase, a co-branded magenta suitcase equipped with Apple AirTag tracking device, along with USB-C and wireless charging capabilities.

About Samsara Luggage:

Samsara Luggage, Inc. (OTCQB: SAML) is a smart luggage and travel lifestyle brand with a deep belief in creating a world where travel isn't a hassle, but rather an effortless, smart experience. By combining smart features, including Internet of Things (IoT) technology, innovative design and high-quality materials, Samsara is transforming the travel industry with its products. The company launched its first smart carry-on in 2017 and has since expanded its product offering with travel accessories and the Tag Smart collection, equipped with unmatched tracking capabilities. Samsara was named "Best of" by notable press outlets including Buy Side from WSJ, Forbes, Tom's Guide and Tech Republic. In the fall of 2022, the Tag Smart collection made its retail debut in select Tommy Bahama brick and mortar stores.

In February 2023, Samsara Luggage launched its STREET SMART accessory collection. The new category allows its community to shop for all their travel essentials to stay stylish from airport to landing.

To discover Samsara Luggage please visit www.samsaraluggage.com.

Connect with Samsara Luggage on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

Forward-Looking Statements:



All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this press release are "forward-looking statements," which may often, but not always, be identified by the use of such words as "expects," "anticipates," "intends," "estimates," "plans," "potential," "possible," "probable," "believes," "seeks," "may," "will," "should," "could" or the negative of such terms or other similar expressions. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause actual results, performance, or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements. These factors include uncertainties as to the Company's international manufacturing and supply chain, market acceptance of the Company's smart luggage, successfully implementing the Company's growth strategy, dependence on key Company personnel, changes in economic conditions, competition and other risks including, but not limited to, those described from in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 11, 2022 (the "SEC"), and other filings and submissions with the SEC. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof and the Company disclaims any obligations to update these statements except as may be required by law. The Company intends that all forward-looking statements be subject to the safe-harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2047359/Samsara_Luggage.jpg

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SOURCE Samsara Luggage Inc.
NEW YORK, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Harbor Group International, LLC ("HGI"), a privately owned international real estate investment and management firm, today announced that Scott Adams has joined the firm as Senior Vice President  Investor Relations. In this role, Mr. Adams initially will focus on capital raising efforts in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States as HGI continues to build and maintain the firm's worldwide network of institutional, corporate, family office and high-net-worth investors. He is based in HGI's Norfolk, VA office.

Harbor Group International (PRNewsfoto/Harbor Group International, LLC)

Mr. Adams brings over 30 years of real estate experience as a corporate leader, investment sales broker, project manager and consultant. Most recently, he was Executive Managing Director at Colliers International, primarily focusing on growth initiatives, including new business development, recruiting, new markets and acquisitions, and client engagement, including advisory services, goal execution and problem-solving. Mr. Adams also served as Regional President for CBRE.

During his career, Mr. Adams has led the negotiation and investment sale closings of over $1.8 Billion of commercial properties. He has previously assisted HGI with major transactions, including the sale of the World Trade Center in Norfolk, Virginia in 2021.

"Scott's diverse experience and deep knowledge in commercial real estate investments will be an asset to driving the growth of HGI's investor relations capabilities," said Saul Lubetski, Vice Chairman, HGI. "We look forward to working with Scott to strengthen the firm's existing investor relationships and further diversify our investor base." Mr. Adams reports to Mr. Lubetski.

"I am thrilled to be joining the team as Senior Vice President in Investor Relations," said Mr. Adams. "HGI has always maintained a strong reputation as a leading national real estate owner and investor and I look forward to working with the team to build new strategic relationships with capital sources."

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About Harbor Group International

Harbor Group International, LLC, and its affiliates control an investment portfolio of approximately $20 billion, including 58,000 apartment units in the United States and 5.0 million square feet of commercial space throughout the United States and the United Kingdom. In addition to its corporate headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia, HGI maintains offices in New York, Baltimore, Los Angeles, and Tel Aviv.

Media Contacts:

Kailyn Myshrall

kmyshrall@prosek.com

Cision

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SOURCE Harbor Group International, LLC
Alchemy Pay, a payment platform that links businesses to cryptocurrency payments, is eyeing expansion in South Korea following its US$10 million funding from a new partnership with blockchain investment firm DWF Labs.

See related article: South Korea issues guideline on cryptocurrencies as securities tokens ahead of planned legalization

Fast facts

South Koreas high level of cryptocurrency acceptance provided a robust market base that prompted Alchemy to expand to the region, the company said in the press release.

The Singapore-based payment firm has worked with various international and local service providers such as Visa, Mastercard, Google Pay and Apple Pay. Its valuation was estimated at US$400 million during the funding phase, according to the release.

South Korea has over 6.2 million crypto users as of 2022, in a population of 51 million, according to the Financial Services Commission.

Last year, South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol said that his administration will support a safer and more stable trading environment for crypto and other digital assets, including securities tokens and non-fungible tokens.

The country is working to develop an all-encompassing regulatory framework for digital assets, aiming to announce some progress in legislation by the first half of this year and to enact the regulations in 2024.

In February, South Korea published a guideline for crypto service providers in determining a digital asset as financial securities, in a move to bring more clarity to the existing regulations on cryptocurrencies.

See related article: South Korea pours US$51 million into metaverse projects
Skylight Health Group Inc.

TORONTO, April 03, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Skylight Health Group Inc. (TSXV:SLHG; OTCQX:SLHGF) (Skylight Health or the Company) today announces that Patrick McNamee has resigned from the Companys Board of Directors, effective March 31, 2023 to pursue other opportunities. Mr. McNamee had served as the Companys Chairman of the Board since his appointment in March 2021.



The Board of Directors and the Companys management team would like to thank Mr. McNamee for his contribution over the last two-years and wishes him all the best in his future endeavours.

About Skylight Health Group

Skylight Health Group (TSXV:SLHG: OTCQX:SLHGF) is a healthcare services and technology company, working to positively impact patient health outcomes. The Company operates a US multi-state primary care health network comprised of physical practices providing a range of services from primary care, sub-specialty, allied health, and laboratory/diagnostic testing. The Company is focused on helping small and independent practices shift from a traditional fee-for-service (FFS) model to value-based care (VBC) through tools including proprietary technology, data analytics and infrastructure. In an FFS model, payors (commercial and government insurers) reimburse on an encounter-based approach. This puts a focus on volume of patients per day. In a VBC model, the providers offer care that is aimed at keeping patients healthy and minimize unnecessary health expenditures that are not proven to maintain the patients well-being. This places an emphasis on quality over volume. VBC will lead to improved patient outcomes, reduced cost of delivery and drive stronger financial performance from existing practices.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release may include predictions, estimates or other information that might be considered forward-looking within the meaning of applicable securities laws. While these forward-looking statements represent our current judgments, they are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which reflect our opinions only as of the date of this release. Please keep in mind that we are not obligating ourselves to revise or publicly release the results of any revision to these forward-looking statements in light of new information or future events. When used herein, words such as "look forward," "believe," "continue," "building," or variations of such words and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated in any forward-looking statements made by us herein are often discussed in filings we make with the Canadian and United States securities regulators, including the Securities and Exchange Commission, available at: www.sec.gov, and Canadian Securities Administrators, available at www.sedar.com, and on our website, at skylighthealthgroup.com.

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For more information, please visit our website or email us at investors@skylighthealthgroup.com.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.




Market.Us

Increasing disposable incomes and growing travel and tourism activities around the world are fueling the growth of the Smart Airports Market. North America dominates with 35.9% of the Market Share

New York, April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According to Market.us, The smart airports market was valued at USD 15.9 billion in 2022 and is projected to reach USD 36.2 billion by 2032. It is anticipated to have the highest compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.8% during the forecast period between 2023 and 2032. Smart airports use smart and intelligent systems such as sensors and devices for specific purposes in different areas to manage, plan, and control the administration.

Smart Airports Market By Technology Type

To get additional highlights on major revenue-generating segments, Request a Global Smart Airports Market sample report at https://market.us/report/smart-airports-market/request-sample/

Key Takeaway:

By Technology , in 2022, the body passenger-cargo baggage control segment has generated a revenue share of 34.6% .

By Location , the air side segment has dominated the market, and it is growing at a CAGR of 44.3% over the forecast period 2023 to 2032.

By Application , the non-aeronautical segment was dominant in the market, with the largest market share in 2022.

In 2022, North America dominated the market with the highest revenue share of 35.9% .

Asia-Pacific will grow at a significant CAGR from 2023-2032.

The airline sector is becoming more economical in emerging economies as airline options increase, causing an enormous increase in airline traffic. As this sector is becoming highly competitive, airports are becoming receptive and responsive to the requirements and demands of passengers. It is giving rise to the need for innovative research focusing on cost reduction accompanied by increased choices and value.

Factors affecting the growth of the smart airports market

Several factors can affect the growth of the smart airport's industry. Some of these factors include:

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Increasing technological advancements: Advancements like introducing the Internet of Things (IoT) in aircraft components and manufacturing processes are the main key factors in the smart airports market.

Growing implementation of cloud-based platforms : Smart airports market companies have started worldwide adoption of cloud-based platforms to develop smart airports and designs.

Increasing traveling habits: Individuals are nowadays more inclined towards traveling habits due to high disposable incomes.

Changing consumer habits: Consumers are more inclined towards a luxury lifestyle due to urbanization and high income.

Introduction to cloud computing: Cloud computing serves passengers with their new requirements, ensures passengers' safety, and provides a personalized experience.

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Top Trends in Global Smart Airports Market

There is the development of high-performance and affordable cloud computing infrastructure also significantly impacts the growth potential of the global smart airport market. The smart airport market is becoming increasingly globalized, with a greater focus on cross-border collaboration and the sharing of the best luxury services to consumers. The market is driven by the growth of travel & tourism around the world, as well as the increasing disposable income. The smart airports market also highlights the need for improved skilled professionals to handle smart airports and related technologies.

Market Growth

Technological advancements like introducing the Internet of Things (IoT) in aircraft components and manufacturing processes are key factors in the growth of the smart airports market. Companies worldwide are beginning to implement cloud-based platforms to develop new smart airport systems or component designs.

Regional Analysis

The smart airports market was dominated by North America, which acquired the most significant revenue share of 35.9% in 2022. The growth of smart airports in North America is supported by many factors, such as the introduction of tracking systems, the growing demand for real-time information, and immigration systems. Asia Pacific is predicted to grab the largest market share during the forecast period due to the higher acceptance rate of smart airports in emerging economies such as India and China. The Middle East & Africa (MEA) region is expected to experience substantial growth during the forecast period, mainly due to increased passenger traffic and the expansion of airport modernization programs. Smart airports in the UAE have started to adopt voice-based artificial intelligence tools and digital assistants to provide real-time information to passengers.

Competitive Landscape

Some of the major players include Amadeus IT Group SA, CISCO System Inc., Collins Aerospace, Daifuku Co. Ltd., Ascent Technologies, Honeywell International Inc., Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd., IBM Corporation, Indra Sistemas S.A., ITA, L3Harris Technologies Inc., Raytheon Company, RESA, Rockwell Collins Inc., Lufthansa Systems GmbH & Co. KG., Sabre Corporation, Siemens AG, SITA, Thales Group, T-Systems, Vision-Box, Wipro Limited, Zensors, Ascent Technology Inc., Adelte, Amadeus IT Group.

Recent Development of the Smart Airports Market

In June 2022, Italys Fiumicino Airport announced the manufacturing of a superior baggage handling system, which includes a baggage sorting system and a baggage storage system.

In May 2019, Hamad International Airport(HIA) launched the second phase of its smart airport program. This program is generally focused on digital transformation, facial recognition, and biometrics.

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Scope of the Report

Report Attribute Details Market Value (2022) USD 15.9 Bn Market Size (2032) USD 36.2 Bn CAGR (from 2023 to 2032) 8.8% North America Revenue Share 35.9% Historic Period 2016 to 2022 Base Year 2022 Forecast Year 2023 to 2032

Market Drivers

Companies in the smart airports market around the world are focusing on green initiatives to protect the environment. Some airlines are trying to become more sustainable. The growing green initiatives of the smart airports market are contributing to industry growth.

Market Restraints

Huge investments are necessary to construct smart airports, and it is not always possible to bring in such investments. Sometimes, it is also difficult to understand and practically follow client preferences. Apart from this, the lack of skilled workers is also a factor that is restraining the global smart airport market growth.

Market Opportunities

The introduction of devices with advanced options, such as client identification via a unique heartbeat pattern or with the help of biometric signatures, is creating growth opportunities in this market. In addition, the tourism sector has witnessed massive growth aided by increased air travel by tourists for a faster and more convenient option. Conventional airports must be upgraded to smart airports to cope with the increased traffic. This is a significant driver for the smart airports market as it is anticipated to create lucrative opportunities in the smart airports market.

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Report Segmentation of the Smart Airports Market

Technology Type Insight

Based on technology, the passenger-cargo baggage control segment dominated the smart airports market. Automatic baggage handling systems that correctly track and process baggage flows are necessary for well-organized handling. Baggage and cargo handling systems provide the easy handling and transport of passenger baggage and cargo shipments at airports.

Location Insight

On basis of location, the air side segment was dominant in the smart airports market with the largest market revenue and will remain dominant during the forecast period. Air side provides better management of traffic. As a result, the need for an airside segment will grow during the forecast period.

Application Insight

Based on application, the non-aeronautical segment was dominant in the global smart airports market, with the largest market share in 2022. As airports are spending on mostly non-aeronautical activities like parking facilities, lounges, gathering rooms, and lodging facilities.

For more insights on the historical and Forecast market data from 2016 to 2032 - download a sample report at https://market.us/report/smart-airports-market/request-sample/

Market Segmentation

Based on Technology Type

Security Systems

Communication Systems

Passenger Cargo Baggage Control

Air/Ground Traffic control

Others

Based on Solution

Air Side

Terminal side

Land Side

Based Application

Aeronautical

Non-aeronautical

By Geography

North America The US Canada Mexico

Western Europe Germany France The UK Spain Italy Portugal Ireland Austria Switzerland Benelux Nordic Rest of Western Europe

Eastern Europe Russia Poland The Czech Republic Greece Rest of Eastern Europe

APAC China Japan South Korea India Australia & New Zealand Indonesia Malaysia Philippines Singapore Thailand Vietnam Rest of APAC

Latin America Brazil Colombia Chile Argentina Costa Rica Rest of Latin America

Middle East & Africa Algeria Egypt Israel Kuwait Nigeria Saudi Arabia South Africa Turkey United Arab Emirates Rest of MEA



Key Market Players

Amadeus IT Group SA

CISCO System Inc

Collins Aerospace

Daifuku Co. Ltd.

Hitachi Ltd.



Ascent Technologies

Honeywell International Inc.

Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd

IBM Corporation

Indra Sistemas S.A.

ITA

L3Harris Technologies Inc.

Raytheon Company

RESA, Rockwell Collins Inc.

Lufthansa Systems GmbH & Co. KG.

Sabre Corporation

Siemens AG

SITA

Thales Group

T-Systems

Vision-Box

Wipro Limited

Ascent Technology Inc.

Amadeus IT Group

Huawei Investment & Holding Co. Ltd.

Ascent technology, inc.

Other Key Players

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VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / April 4, 2023 / SouthGobi Resources Ltd. (TSX:SGQ, HK:1878) ("SouthGobi" or the "Company") The announcement is made by the Company pursuant to Rules 13.09 and 13.51(1) of the Listing Rules on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, paragraphs 3.21 and 3.43 of the Guidance Letter and the inside information provisions under Part XIVA of the SFO.

Reference is made to the announcements of the Company dated April 21, 2022, July 29, 2022 ("July 29 Announcement"), September 15, 2022, November 23, 2022, December 30, 2022, January 31, 2023, February 28, 2023, March 6, 2023 and April 2, 2023 (Hong Kong time) (collectively, "Announcements"). Unless otherwise specified, capitalized terms used in the Announcements shall have the same meanings when used herein.

OVERSEAS DELISTING, MIGRATION ON HKEX AND LISTING ON TSX-V

1.1 Introduction

The Company announced on April 2, 2023 (Hong Kong time), the Company's common shares will be delisted from the TSX on April 14, 2023 (Canadian time at the close of trading), and the Company's common shares will commence trading on the TSX-V on April 17, 2023 (Canadian time as of the opening of trade). The change of the Company's secondary listing status to primary listing on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange will occur on April 17, 2023 (Hong Kong time) (the "Effective Date"), upon which the stock marker "S" will be removed from its stock short name on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. The Company's common shares will be listed for trading on the TSX-V under its existing ticker symbol "SGQ". For the avoidance of doubt, the Migration Grace Period will end on the Effective Date.

1.2 Obligations of the Company to Comply with All Applicable Listing Rules

Upon the Effective Date, the Company has to comply with all the relevant Listing Rules applicable to a primary listed issuer, including those provisions subject to the Existing Waivers, unless otherwise being exempted or waived by the Hong Kong Stock Exchange pursuant to the Waivers as further elaborated below. The Existing Waivers will be withdrawn or will be no longer applicable upon the Effective Date. The Existing Waivers include the following specific waivers and exemptions granted by the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and the exemption and ruling granted by the SFC, on an individual basis:

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Rules Subject matter Rule 13.09(2) of the Listing Rules General obligation of disclosure Rules 13.11 to 13.22 of the Listing Rules Advances to entities and financing arrangements etc. Rule 13.28(7) of the Listing Rules Disclosure of identities of placees Rule 13.38 of the Listing Rules Notice of a meeting of holders of listed securities and proxy forms Rule 13.39(4) to (5) of the Listing Rules Voting by poll and poll results announcement Rule 13.44 of the Listing Rules Voting by directors with material interests on board resolutions Rules 13.46(2) and 13.48 of the Listing Rules Distribution of annual and interim reports Chapter 14 and Chapter 14A of the Listing Rules Notifiable and connected transactions Chapter 17 of the Listing Rules Share option schemes Appendix 3 to the Listing Rules (the requirements under Appendix 3 to the Listing Rules were replaced by Core Shareholder Protection Standards effective on January 1, 2022) Articles requirements Part XV of the SFO Disclosure of interests under Part XV of the SFO

Details of the aforementioned Existing Waivers are set out in the prospectus of the Company dated January 15, 2010.

The Company has made the necessary arrangements to comply with the relevant provisions of the Listing Rules and the SFO applicable to a primary listed issuer upon the Effective Date. In the event that the Company failed to comply with the Listing Rules applicable to a primary listed issuer in time (where no waiver has been granted by the Hong Kong Stock Exchange) upon the Effective Date, the Company would be in potential breach of the Listing Rules, and would potentially be subject to, depending on the nature and seriousness of the possible breach and the circumstances and the manner in which the conduct is giving rise to such possible breach, disciplinary action by the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. The Company may also be directed to carry out possible remedial and enhancement actions such as internal control review and directors' training on regulatory and legal topics including compliance with the Listing Rules.

1.3 Application for Waivers from Strict Compliance with the Listing Rules in connection with the Delisting

In connection with the Delisting, the Company has sought, and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange has granted, the following Waivers from strict compliance with the following provisions of the Listing Rules:

Rules Subject matter Rule 13.38 of the Listing Rules "Two-way" voting Rules 14A.36 and 14A.53 of the Listing Rules Certain continuing connected transaction requirements under Chapter 14A of the Listing Rules

In the event of withdrawal of any of the aforementioned Waivers, the Company would have to fully comply with such Listing Rules.

1.3.1 Waiver from Listing Rules on "Two-way" Voting

Requirements under the Listing Rules

Rule 13.38 of the Listing Rules requires that the Company sends, with the notice convening a meeting of holders of listed securities to all persons entitled to vote at the meeting, proxy forms with provision for "two-way" voting, i.e., the Shareholders are provided with options to vote "for" or "against" the resolutions, on all resolutions intended to be proposed at a meeting.

Reasons for applying the waiver

Pursuant to applicable British Columbia corporate laws, the election of Directors or the appointment of the Auditors are conducted through "plurality voting" method, i.e., Shareholders are only able either to vote for the resolution or to withhold from voting. Shareholders are not provided the opportunity to vote against the resolution, and the "withheld" votes are not counted in the tally of votes, meaning that, for example, a resolution can be passed if only one vote is cast "for" such resolution, even where the majority of Shareholders have withheld from voting. As such, the proxy forms will state that the Shareholder is only able either to vote for the resolution or withhold from voting. The Company is prohibited under the applicable law to amend the Articles and override the relevant statutory provisions, and this precludes the use of "two-way" voting for the election of Directors and the appointment of Auditors. Therefore, the Company would conflict with applicable British Columbia corporate laws to strictly comply with Rule 13.38 of the Listing Rules.

Given the preclusion of the use of "two-way" voting for the election of directors under the British Columbia corporate laws and as a requirement for TSX-listed company, the Company has adopted the Majority Voting Policy in respect of uncontested meetings (i.e., the number of nominees for election is equal to the number of Directors to be elected as set out in the Company's management information circular for the particular meeting) for the election of the Directors. Pursuant to the Majority Voting Policy, each Director must be elected individually (rather than as a slate) by a majority (50% plus one vote) of the votes cast (i.e., more votes for'' than votes withheld'') with respect to his or her election. They are required to deliver a pre-executed resignation to the Company, which would be used immediately if a Director nominee is not elected by at least a majority of the votes cast with respect to his or her election, effectively tendering his or her resignation to the Board. The Majority Voting Policy is intended to provide shareholders of TSX-listed companies with an ability to vote "against" a Director nominee.

On the other hand, the Majority Voting Policy adopted by the Company for election of the Directors does not apply to appointment of Auditors. The reason is that if the Majority Voting Policy applies to the appointment of Auditors, a newly elected auditor whose appointment is not approved by a majority vote (i.e., the for'' votes are less than the withheld'' votes) will be forced to resign and a vacancy will thus be created. Furthermore, under the applicable British Columbia corporate laws, the Majority Voting Policy cannot bind outside parties like the Auditors and the Auditors are under no obligations to abide to the Majority Voting Policy implemented by the Company.

Waiver application

The Company has applied for, and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange has granted, a waiver from strict compliance with Rule 13.38 of the Listing Rules, subject to the Delisting becoming effective and to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange's approval on the following bases:

(i) the Company has already established the Audit Committee (all members of which are independent non-executive Directors) and the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee (all members of which are independent non-executive Directors) which will determine and make recommendations on, with delegated responsibilities and in compliance with the requirements of the Listing Rules and on an annual basis, the appointment of Auditors and the nomination of Directors. Each of the independent non-executive Directors is also subject to re-election by the Shareholders in each annual meeting of the Shareholders;

(ii) under the British Columbia corporate laws, it is not possible to amend the Articles to achieve the same effect of the Majority Voting Policy. The Company undertakes that, upon the Delisting, it will continue to voluntarily adopt the Majority Voting Policy in uncontested elections of Directors, which is consistent with the standard practice for TSX-listed companies in Canada. The Company will also extend the applicability of the Majority Voting Policy to contested elections of Directors, which is permitted under Canadian corporate law;

(iii) where the number of the withheld'' votes exceeds that of the for'' votes of the elected Auditors which gives rise to concerns of the Directors regarding the appropriateness of such Auditors' appointment, the Directors will, upon consulting the Audit Committee, call a special meeting of the Shareholders and propose ordinary resolutions to the Shareholders to consider removing the elected Auditors and appointing replacement Auditors in its stead for the remainder of its term. The Company considers that this arrangement will allow the Shareholders to express their objection to the appointment of the Auditors, and at the same time ensure that the Company will not be bereft of Auditors; and

(iv)Shareholders who hold in aggregate not less than 1/20 (5%) of the issued voting shares of the Company may requisition a general meeting of Shareholders. Upon receiving a valid requisition, the Board must call a general meeting within four months after the date of requisition to transact the business stated in the requisition. Directors and Auditors can be removed by ordinary resolutions at a meeting of Shareholders in favour of such removal, where Shareholders will have the option to vote ''for'' or ''against'' such a resolution to remove a director or an auditor at such meeting. If the Directors do not, within 21 days after the date on which the requisition is received by the Company, send notice of a general meeting, the requisitioning Shareholders, or any one or more of them holding, in the aggregate, more than 1/40 of the issued Shares that carry the right to vote at general meetings, may send notice of a general meeting to be held to transact the business stated in the requisition.

1.3.2 Waiver from certain continuing connected transaction requirements under Chapter 14A of the Listing Rules

Background of the continuing connected transactions

The Convertible Debenture and the Cooperation Agreement

Prior to the secondary listing of the Company on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, the Company, upon the approval by the Shareholders, issued the Convertible Debenture to Land Breeze, a wholly-owned subsidiary of CIC (the then single largest Shareholder immediately before Completion, holding approximately 23.62% of the total share capital of the Company immediately before Completion), on November 19, 2009 to provide necessary financing to support the Company's expansion plans in Mongolia, repayment of debt due, and other general corporate purposes. As negotiated and entered into in conjunction with, and as a condition to the CIC's subscription of the Convertible Debenture, the Company and CIC (through Fullbloom, its wholly-owned subsidiary) also executed the Cooperation Agreement on the same date, pursuant to which both parties agreed to use their best endeavours to improve cross-border commerce in order to facilitate improved access to the China market for Mongolian commerce, and vice versa.

The key terms of the Convertible Debenture and the relevant accounting treatment and policies were set out in the prospectus of the Company dated January 15, 2010.

Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement

On April 23, 2019, the Company and CIC (through Land Breeze) entered into the 2019 Deferral Agreement pursuant to which Land Breeze agreed to the Deferral. On the same day, the Company amended and restated the Cooperation Agreement (i.e., the Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement) with CIC (through Fullbloom) to clarify the original intent of the parties for calculating service fee payable by the Company under the Cooperation Agreement, pursuant to which a service fee would be calculated based on Net Revenues (rather than the net revenues realised by the Company and its Mongolian subsidiaries). Such amendment to the Cooperation Agreement was minimal and did not trigger Shareholders' approval requirement at the time.

The 2019 Deferral Agreement and the Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement were disclosed in the Disclosure Documents, and the 2019 Deferral Agreement and the Deferral were approved at the general meeting of Shareholders on May 30, 2019.

Sale Transaction

On May 27, 2022, the Company announced that CIC has entered into the Sale Transaction to sell the Sale Shares to the Fund. In connection with the Sale Transaction, the Fund would be assigned with all of CIC's rights in and obligations under, among the others: (i) the Convertible Debenture; (ii) the Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement; and (iii) the deferral agreements (including the 2019 Deferral Agreement) between CIC, the Company and certain of its subsidiaries in connection with the deferral of interest payments and other outstanding fees under the Convertible Debenture and the Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement. Assignment of rights and obligations under the Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement by CIC to the Fund required consent from the Company (which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld), and the Company provided such consent.

The Completion took place on August 30, 2022.

Listing Rules implications

Prior to Completion and at the date of the July 29 Announcement, CIC held the Sale Shares, representing approximately 23.62% of the total share capital of the Company. Accordingly, the Fund (and its associates) became connected persons of the Company following Completion and upon Delisting. As such, pursuant to Chapter 14A of the Listing Rules, the continuing transactions under the Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement shall constitute continuing connected transactions of the Company upon Delisting.

Pursuant to paragraph 1.2 under Appendix to the Guidance Letter HKEX-GL-112-22, since the Company had already entered into continuing transactions under the Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement which remained subsisting as at the date of the Notification, and such transactions are expected to continue after the Delisting becomes effective, the Company is required to fully comply with the applicable Listing Rules on such transactions.

The highest applicable percentage ratios (other than the profits ratio) under the Listing Rules in respect of the service fee payable under the Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement may exceed 5% during the remainder of the Term. As such, the Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement, unless otherwise exempted, will be subject to the reporting, annual review, announcement, circular, independent financial advice, and Shareholders' approval requirements under Chapter 14A of the Listing Rules.

Waiver application

The Company has applied for, and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange has granted, a waiver from strict compliance with (i) the independent Shareholders' approval requirement under Rule 14A.36 of the Listing Rules in respect of the transactions under the Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement; and (ii) the requirement under Rule 14A.53 of the Listing Rules to set an annual cap expressed in monetary terms for the fees payable by the Company under the Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement. The Directors consider that it would be unduly burdensome and impracticable if the continuing connected transactions under the Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement are subject these requirements for the following reasons:

A. The Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement is an agreement for a fixed period with fixed terms

The key terms of the Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement are as follows:

(i) CIC would provide, among others, the Services;

(ii) CIC would receive a customary commercial payment for such Services in an amount equal to 2.5% of all Net Revenues, which would be calculated and paid by the Company in quarterly instalments; and

(iii) coterminous with the Convertible Debenture, the Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement has the Term of 30 years from November 19, 2009 subject to earlier termination with both of the following conditions fulfilled:

a. the Convertible Debenture is fully converted into Shares or otherwise fully repaid; and

b. following such conversion or repayment, CIC holds less than 15% of the total issued and outstanding Shares.

Effective upon Completion, the Fund has agreed to the Fee Waiver, effectively reducing the service fee payable from 2.5% to 1.5% of all Net Revenues. Having discussed with the Fund, save for the Fee Waiver, both the Company and the Fund have a mutual understanding that they have no plan or intention to vary the terms of the Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement in the foreseeable future.

The Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement, combined with the Fee Waiver, remain an agreement for a fixed period with fixed terms. Despite the Sale Transaction which triggered the assignment of the Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement, there has been no change to the scope of the Services and the Term of the Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement. The Company will continue to benefit from the provision of Services by the counterparty (i.e., CIC, and following Completion, the Fund) throughout the Term of the agreement at a fixed service fee rate of Net Revenues. No separate agreement is required to be entered into between the Company and the Fund for the Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement to take effect.

B. Continuation of the Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement is fundamental to the Company's business operations

(i) Relationship between the Cooperation Agreement and the Convertible Debenture

The Convertible Debenture and the Cooperation Agreement are coterminous with each other. The Cooperation Agreement stipulates that it was entered into "in connection with" the issuance of the Convertible Debenture. In addition, both agreements were approved by the Board as well as the Shareholders at the same time prior to their respective execution.

In furtherance of the above, any breach of the Company's payment obligation under the Cooperation Agreement may constitute an event of default under the Convertible Debenture, accelerating repayment obligation of the Convertible Debenture. Also, the Company has no definitive right to terminate the Cooperation Agreement (and hence the Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement) before the expiration of the Term unless the Convertible Debenture is repaid. It would be impracticable for the Company, and not in the best interest of the Company and its Shareholders as a whole, to repay the above outstanding amount before the expiry of the Term and to terminate the Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement.

(ii) Support and services provided to the Company under the Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement

The Company is a prominent coal producer in Mongolia, focusing on mining and exploration of coking coal and thermal coal. The Company's flagship mine is located approximately 40 kilometres from the China-Mongolia border. Due to the strategic location of its mine, the Company sells almost all its coal products to customers in China as part of its business model. The success of the Company's business model was and continues to be dependable on the growth of its target customers, which are all within China.

CIC is a wholly state-owned company and mainly engaged in foreign exchange investment management businesses. As set out in the Cooperation Agreement (as amended and restated by the Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement), the service provided by CIC during the term of the Cooperation Agreement includes, among others, (i) marketing of products, including identification of, and introduction to, potential new customers for the products of the Company; (ii) procurement of transportation and logistics services within the PRC; and (iii) procurement of goods and services within the PRC for the mining projects of the Company, including identification of, and introduction to, potential new suppliers and service providers. Other benefits brought to the Company by the Cooperation Agreement and the Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement include:

(i) CIC has been advising the Company on its operations since 2009, including the setting up of the mine site, wash plant and purchasing of mining equipment; and

(ii) The Company's sales channel was initially limited to local areas. Over the years, CIC assisted with reconfiguring the Company's sales, marketing and procurement strategies and the establishment of certain subsidiaries under the Company in China, which enabled the Company to sell its coal products directly to local customers in China at higher prices thereby improving the Company's gross profit margin as a whole.

On the other hand, the Fund is an exempted limited partnership formed under the laws of the Cayman Islands. The Fund's general partner and limited partner are JD Dingxing Limited and Inner Mongolia Tianyu Trading Limited, respectively. To the Company's best knowledge and belief, the ultimate beneficial owner of the limited partner is Mr. An Yong () and that of the general partner is Ms. Zhu Chonglin (). Mr. An Yong is the founder and Chairman of Tianyu Group, and he has been conducting business in Inner Mongolia since 1998. Ms. Zhu Chonglin is responsible for managing the Fund, and was also the CFO of Tianyu Group. Tianyu Group was established in 2010 and it is based in Wuhai City, which is known to be one of the major sales hubs for the coal market in Inner Mongolia. To the best of the Directors' knowledge, Tianyu Group is a leading enterprise group with integrated coal mining, coal washing and coking, kaolinite mining, research and development, real estate, warehousing, logistics, investment, and other industries, with high-efficiency production and operation capabilities.

The Fund has been providing the Services under the Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement following Completion. The Company believes that the Fund is resourceful in the PRC and has strong synergetic value to provide the Company with the Services under the Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement. The Company expects to benefit from the Fund's well-established connections, sales and supply chain network as well as sector experience, that they will help improve the profit margin of the Company by referring new customers in China to the Company and enhancing the efficiency of the Company's logistics network to further its customer reach.

Based on the above, the Directors are of the view that the continuation of the Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement is fundamental to the Company's business operations. Given such essentiality to the Company, it was and remains to be in the interest of the Company to secure such long-term business collaboration relationship. Upon Delisting, the Company will continue to utilize the Services provided by the Fund under the Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement, which are essential to the Company's ordinary and usual course of conducting its mining business.

C. Relevant transactions were approval by independent Shareholders and disclosed in public documents

The Cooperation Agreements were entered into and was approved by the Shareholders in 2009 which is prior to the initial listing of the Company's shares on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. The adoption of the Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement and the key terms thereof were disclosed in the Disclosure Documents. The 2019 Deferral Agreement was also approved by the Shareholders at the general meeting of the Shareholders dated May 30, 2019. Accordingly, the Directors believe that the investors should be well aware of such terms, and it would be unduly burdensome and impracticable if the continuing connected transactions under the Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement are subject to strict compliance with the requirements set out under Chapter 14A of the Listing Rules, including, among others, the requirement to obtain approval from the independent Shareholders and the requirement to set an annual cap expressed in monetary terms pursuant to Chapter 14A the Listing Rules.

D.The Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement is on normal commercial terms or better

The Company engaged DL Securities (HK) Limited to act as the Independent Financial Adviser to advise the Board in connection with the Cooperation Agreement and the Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement. In order to provide its opinion and recommendation, the Independent Financial Adviser has, amongst other things, conducted the following:

(i) reviewed the Cooperation Agreement, the Amended Restated Cooperation Agreement and other related documents which the Independent Financial Adviser deemed necessary;

(ii) reviewed the Convertible Debenture issued by the Company dated November 19, 2009;

(iii) reviewed relevant extract of the transaction documents in relation to the Sale Transaction;

(iv) the financial statements of the Company for the year ended 31 December 2021;

(v) reviewed the prospectus of the Company dated January 15, 2010; and

(vi) reviewed certain continuing connected transactions announced by companies listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange which are comparable to the transactions contemplated under the Cooperation Agreement (as amended and restated by the Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement) and identified similar agency arrangement, long term sales arrangement and cooperation arrangement entered into between companies listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange with their connected persons.

Having thoroughly considered the opinion and recommendation made by the Independent Financial Adviser to the Board, the Board (including the independent non-executive Directors) are of the view that the Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement is on normal commercial terms or better, which are fair and reasonable and are in the interests of the Company and its Shareholders as a whole, based on the following:

(i) the nature of the Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement is closely related with the Convertible Debenture. Consideration was given to the large-scale fundraising of the Convertible Debenture vis-a-vis the financial performance and operational scale of the Company, both at the time of the initial subscription of the Convertible Debenture and at present; as well as the fact that the continuation of the Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement is fundamental to the Company's business operations as explained above;

(ii) the Directors also believe the scope of "Net Revenues" was carefully crafted to exclude extraordinary items, such as certain permissible deductions which include royalties that had been paid or accrued during the period. the service fee payable under the Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement, calculated and paid by the Company in quarterly instalments (where Company is required to make payment within 45 days after the end of each quarter), is a realistic financial commitment for the Company in its ordinary course of business. Further, the Directors are of the view that, among others, (a) the previous 2.5% service fee rate (prior to Completion) does not significantly deviate from the comparable transactions of relevant listed companies, (b) the lowering of the service fee rate from 2.5% to 1.5% (effective upon Completion) represents a more favourable commercial term for the Company, (c) the service fee only accounts for a relatively small portion as compared to the increment in gross profit margin on the sales revenue, and (d) it is expected that the Fund will utilize the comprehensive sales network of Tianyu Group in Inner Mongolia which would assist the expansion of the Company's customers base.

(iii) the Cooperation Agreement shares similarities with offtake arrangements which are common for mining companies. Under offtake arrangements, mining companies receive financial support from the off-takers through financing or investment in the mining operation as well as operational support from the off-takers, such as in the form of joint venture and/or jointly operate the mining projects. These offtake arrangements usually cover the life of the corresponding joint venture and/or the useful life of the mine. Hence, it is normal business practice for agreements in the nature of cooperation agreements to have a long duration with a fixed term to provide stability to the Company's business in achieving its long-term goals. Due to the size and caliber of the counterparty to the Cooperation Agreement, the Directors consider significant synergetic value from a long-term strategic cooperation with CIC and following Completion of the Sales Transaction, the Fund. With such long Term of 30 years from the date of entering into the Cooperation Agreement, it would be impracticable for the Company to estimate the annual caps expressed in monetary terms for the remainder of the Term;

(iv) the maximum aggregate annual value of the agreement, which was set at a pre-determined percentage of Net Revenues (instead of setting an annual cap expressed in monetary terms), is consistent with normal industry practice; and

(v) going forward, the Company shall comply with all applicable annual reporting requirements under Chapter 14A of the Listing Rules in relation to the Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement. In addition, the Company shall comply with all applicable reporting and shareholders' approval requirements under Chapter 14A of the Listing Rules in the event of any renewal or amendment of material terms of the Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement.

2. AMENDMENTS TO THE ARTICLES

Certain amendments had been made to the Articles in anticipation of the Delisting. Please refer to the Management Proxy Circular for a summary of the key Articles Amendments, which mainly serve the purpose of complying with Appendix 3 to the Listing Rules, and a full set of the new Articles reflecting all the Articles Amendments.

At the Shareholders Meeting, Shareholders passed a special resolution to approve the Articles Amendments. Please refer to the Poll Results Announcement for further details. The new Articles become effective upon the Effective Date, which was published on the websites of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (www.hkexnews.hk) and the Company (www.southgobi.com) on 22 July 2022.

3. AMENDMENTS TO THE EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN

The Company adopted the Equity Incentive Plan in 2003, which was last amended, restated, and approved by the Shareholders in June 2021. The Equity Incentive Plan has three components: (i) the Share Option Plan, which provides for the grant to eligible participants of Options exercisable to purchase Shares; (ii) the Share Bonus Plan, which provides for awards of fully paid Shares to eligible participants as and when determined by the Board to be warranted on the basis of past performance; and (iii) the Share Purchase Plan, under which eligible participants have the opportunity to purchase Shares through payroll deductions which are supplemented by additional contributions by the Company.

The EIP Amendments include: (i) amending the terms of the existing Share Option Plan to comply with the then applicable Listing Rules; (ii) removing the Share Bonus Plan component from the Equity Incentive Plan; and (iii) amending the terms of the Equity Incentive Plan generally to comply with applicable rules and policies of the TSX-V. The EIP Amendments have subsequently been approved by the Shareholders at the Shareholders Meeting, details of which are available in the Poll Results Announcement. The EIP Amendments shall become effective upon the Effective Date. The EIP Amendments were made in order to comply with then Chapter 17 of the Listing Rules effective on the date of adoption and approval of the EIP Amendments (which is prior to January 1, 2023, the effective date of the Amended Rules), the rules and policies of TSX-V, requirements regarding the Delisting and customary market practices.

The Company will operate the Equity Incentive Plan (incorporating the EIP Amendments) to the extent permitted by the Consultation Conclusions and continue to make relevant share grants utilizing the existing scheme mandate. The Company may further amend the Equity Incentive Plan to the extent necessary upon the expiry and refreshment of the existing scheme mandate for continuing operation of the Equity Incentive Plan, so as to comply with the requirements under the Amended Rules.

4. DEFINITIONS

"2019 Deferral Agreement" the deferral agreement entered into between the Company and CIC on April 23, 2019 "Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement" the amended and restated cooperation agreement entered into between the Company and CIC (through Fullbloom) on April 23, 2019 "Amended Rules" the amendments to the Listing Rules relating to share schemes of listed issuers, which took effect on January 1, 2023 pursuant to the consultation conclusions on the proposed amendments to Listing Rules relating to share schemes of listed issuers and housekeeping rule amendment published by the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in July 2022 "Arrangements" all necessary arrangements of the Company to comply with all the relevant Listing Rules applicable to the Company following the Effective Date by making "Articles" Articles of Continuation of the Company "Articles Amendments" amendments to the Articles to satisfy the Core Shareholder Protection Standards, which were approved by the Shareholders at the Shareholders Meeting and shall be effective upon the Delisting "Audit Committee" Audit Committee of the Board "Auditors" auditors of the Company "Board" Board of Directors "CIC" China Investment Corporation "Codes" The Codes on Takeovers and Mergers and Share Buy-backs "Company" SouthGobi Resources Ltd., a company continued under the laws of British Columbia with limited liability, whose Shares are listed for trading on the TSX under the symbol SGQ and on the Main Board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange under the stock code symbol 1878 "Compensation and Benefits Committee" Compensation and Benefits Committee of the Board "Completion" completion of the Sale Transaction "Consultation Conclusions" the consultation conclusions on the proposed amendments to Listing Rules relating to share schemes of listed issuers and housekeeping rule amendment published by the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in July 2022 "Convertible Debenture" the convertible debenture issued by the Company to Land Breeze on November 19, 2009 "Cooperation Agreement" the cooperation agreement entered into by the Company and CIC on November 19, 2009, pursuant to which both parties agreed to use their best endeavours to improve cross-border commerce in order to facilitate improved access to the China market for Mongolian commerce, and vice versa "Cooperation Agreements" collectively, the Cooperation Agreement and the Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement "Core Shareholder Protection Standards" the core shareholder protection standards set out in Appendix 3 to the Listing Rules "Deferral" a deferral and revised repayment schedule pursuant to the 2019 Deferral Agreement in respect of the outstanding cash interest and payment in kind interest shares payable under the Convertible Debenture "Delisting" or "Overseas Delisting" the Company's delisting of its common shares from the TSX, a Recognised Stock Exchange for the purpose of Rule 19C.13A of the Listing Rules "Directors" directors of the Company "Disclosure Documents" the announcement of the Company and the management proxy circular of the Company dated April 23, 2019 "EIP Amendments" amendments to the Equity Incentive Plan, which were approved by the Shareholders at the Shareholders Meeting and shall be effective upon the Delisting "Equity Incentive Plan" the employees and directors' equity incentive plan adopted by the Company in 2013, which comprises the Share Option Plan, the Share Bonus Plan and the Share Purchase Plan, as further particularised in the July 29 Announcement and this announcement "Exchange Acknowledgement" an acknowledgment from the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on July 28, 2022 in respect of the Delisting issued pursuant to paragraph 3.34 of the Guidance Letter "Existing Waivers" exceptions, waivers and exemptions which had been granted to the Company as a secondary listed issuer on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, as further particularised in the July 29 Announcement and this announcement "Expiry Date" the date of expiry of the Migration Grace Period, i.e., January 20, 2024 (Hong Kong time) "Fee Waiver" the waiver granted by the Fund to waive certain service fee payable by the Company under the Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement "Fullbloom" Fullbloom Investment Corporation "Fund" JD Zhixing Fund L.P. "Guidance Letter" Guidance Letter HKEX-GL-112-22 published by the Hong Kong Stock Exchange "Hong Kong Stock Exchange" or "HKEX" The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited "Independent Financial Adviser" DL Securities (HK) Limited "Land Breeze" Land Breeze II S.a.r.l "Listing Rules" the Rules Governing the Listing of Securities on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange "Majority Voting Policy" a majority voting policy adopted by the Company to uncontested meetings (i.e., the number of nominees for election is equal to the number of Directors to be elected as set out in the Company's management information circular for the particular meeting) for the election of the Directors, as further particularised in the July 29 Announcement and this announcement "Management Proxy Circular" the management proxy circular of the Company dated June 22, 2022 "Migration" the majority of trading in the Company's common shares has migrated to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange's markets on a permanent basis as more than 55% of the Company's total worldwide trading volume took place on such markets over the most recent financial year of the Company under Note 1 to Listing Rule 19C.13 "Migration Exchange Notice Date" the date on which the Company received a written notice from the Hong Kong Stock Exchange of its decision of the Migration, i.e., January 20, 2023 (Hong Kong time) "Migration Grace Period" a grace period of 12 months from the Migration Exchange Notice Date to Expiry Date granted to the Company to comply with the applicable Listing Rules pursuant to Note 2 to the Listing Rule 19C.13 "Net Revenues" net revenues derived by the Company and all of its subsidiaries which derive sales into China "Notification" the Company's written notification to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in relation to the proposed Delisting "Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee" Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee of the Board "Options" incentive stock options granted under the Share Option Plan "Poll Results Announcement" the poll results announcement of the Company dated July 22, 2022 "Sale Shares" 64,766,591 common shares of the Company under the Sale Transaction "Sale Transaction" the transaction entered into between CIC and the Fund on May 27, 2022 "Services" the services provided by CIC to the Company under the Amended and Restated Cooperation Agreement on matters that include coal products sales, procurement of transportation and logistics services, marketing of coal products, procurement of goods and services, and creation of economies of scale "SFC" Securities and Futures Commission of Hong Kong "SFO" Securities and Futures Ordinance (Chapter 571 of the laws of Hong Kong) "Shareholders" holders of the Company's common shares "Shareholders Meeting" the Company's annual general and special meeting held on July 21, 2022 "Term" a term of 30 years from November 19, 2009 "TSX" Toronto Stock Exchange "TSX-V" TSX Venture Exchange "Waivers" the waiver applications made by the Company from strict compliance with the Listing Rules in connection with the Delisting, as further particularised in the July 29 Announcement and this announcement

This announcement is for information purposes only and does not constitute, or form part of, any invitation or offer to acquire, purchase or subscribe for any of our securities. Shareholders and potential investors should exercise caution when dealing in our securities.

If there is any inconsistency or discrepancy between the English version and the Chinese version, the English version shall prevail.

About SouthGobi

SouthGobi, listed on the Toronto and Hong Kong stock exchanges, owns and operates its flagship Ovoot Tolgoi coal mine in Mongolia. It also holds the mining licences of its other metallurgical and thermal coal deposits in South Gobi region of Mongolia. SouthGobi produces and sells coal to customers in China.

Contact:

Investor Relations

Office: +852 2156 1438 (Hong Kong)

+1 604 762 6783 (Canada)

Email: info@southgobi.com

Website: www.southgobi.com

SOURCE: SouthGobi Resources





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Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA)

CHICAGO, April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA) today announced that, following rigorous review, State has once again achieved the Peer Reviewed by HFMA designation for its Healthcare Bad Debt Recovery service.



State assists healthcare providers improve their financial position through its Bad Debt Recovery service while ensuring a positive patient experience. In addition to its Peer Reviewed Bad Debt Recovery service, State also partners with healthcare organizations to manage the complete revenue cycle including Pre-Service Financial Clearance, Early Out Self-Pay Resolution, and Insurance Follow-Up.

When partnering with healthcare providers, our goal is to increase patient satisfaction while improving net recoveries, said Tim Haag, States president. We appreciate the positive feedback we receive through the Peer Review process to help us forge even stronger partnerships for a lifetime with healthcare providers.

HFMA's Peer Review process provides healthcare financial managers with an objective, third-party evaluation of business solutions used in the healthcare workplace. The rigorous, 11-step process includes a Peer Review panel review composed of current customers, prospects who have not made a purchase, and industry experts. The Peer Review status of the healthcare business solution and its performance claims are based on effectiveness, quality and usability, price, value, and customer and technical support.

Were pleased to have State renew their HFMA Peer Reviewed designation, says HFMA President and CEO Joseph J. Fifer, FHFMA, CPA. The HFMA Peer Review process assures our members, through a rigorous evaluation, that the reviewed healthcare business solution meets an objective, third-party assessment of overall effectiveness, quality, and value."

About HFMA

The Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA) equips its more than 96,000 members nationwide to navigate a complex healthcare landscape. Finance professionals in the full range of work settings, including hospitals, health systems, physician practices and health plans, trust HFMA to provide the guidance and tools to help them lead their organizations, and the industry, forward. HFMA is a not-for-profit, nonpartisan organization that advances healthcare by collaborating with other key stakeholders to address industry challenges and providing guidance, education, practical tools and solutions, and thought leadership. We lead the financial management of healthcare.

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About State

State improves the financial picture for healthcare providers by delivering increased financial results while ensuring a positive patient experience. Rooted in a tradition of ethics, integrity and innovation since 1949, State uses data analytics to drive performance and speech analytics with ongoing training to ensure patient satisfaction. A family-owned company now in its third generation of leadership, State assists healthcare organizations with services spanning the complete revenue cycle including Pre-Service Financial Clearance, Early Out Self-Pay Resolution, Insurance Follow-Up and Bad Debt Collection. To learn more visit: www.statecollectionservice.com.

Press inquiries should be directed to:

Brad Dennison

Healthcare Financial Management Association

(708) 492-3385

bdennison@hfma.org

Heather Taylor

State

(765) 730-6632

heathert@stcol.com




SkyQuest Technology Consulting Pvt. Ltd.

The Dental Suture market report from SkyQuest is an excellent analysis for people interested in learning more about the important statistics, trends and opportunities that is expanding quickly. The reports are written in clear and concise manner and making it accessible to various audiences, from market readers to industry specialists. Finally, one can develop a thorough grasp of the primary and secondary market forces, giving them a full picture of the present market environment and potential future developments.

Westford USA, April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- SkyQuest projects that the Dental Suture market will attain a value of USD 6.87 billion by 2030, with a CAGR of 5.9% over the forecast (2022-2030). A rising number of inorganic activities, such as partnerships between market players, are anticipated to fuel the dental suture market during the forecast period. For instance, In December 2021, Healthium Medtech Limited, a supplier of various surgical support products, announced a collaboration with DKSH Business Unit Healthcare, Asia's leading partner for healthcare companies. DKSH will manage distribution, market Healthium's surgical products, and provide full-service representation in Thailand, Cambodia and Laos as part of the DKSH and Healthium partnership's expansion into those three countries.

According to the SkyQuest's, According to the PhRMA report Disorders of the Blood 2022, Over 3.2 million Americans live with a hemorrhage each year, which was released in May 2022. As a result, the market for Dental Suture is likely to grow as a result of an increase in patients with blood disorders and the increasing need to treat different bleeding conditions. Additionally, The U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research (USAISR) found that if blood loss persists and the patient enters Stage II shock the survivability rate decreases to just 14%.

Browse in-depth TOC on "Dental Suture Market"

Pages - 242

Tables - 114

Figures - 78

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Dental suture is a fibrous substance which can be used during mouth surgery to stitch up wounds. Dental stitches assist in supporting the tissues at the wound site and surrounding it while the wound heals. Both natural and artificial materials can be used to make dental stitches. While natural tooth sutures can be made from plain gut, silk, cotton, linen and chromic gut, synthetic dental sutures can be made from polyglycolic acid, polyester and nylon. Dental sutures can either be absorbed into the epidermis or they can be non-absorbable and need to be removed after the wound has healed.

Prominent Players in Dental Suture Market

B. Braun SE

Medtronic

Teleflex Incorporated

Smith+Nephew

Acelity L.P. Inc.

Boston Scientific Corporation

Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc

ConMed Corporation

Integra LifeSciences Corporation

Hygitech

DemeTech

Hu-Friedy

Surgical Specialties

Osteogenics Biomedical

Advanced Medical Solutions

Luxsutures

Titan Instruments

Implacore

Katsan Surgical Sutures

Sutumed

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https://www.skyquestt.com/sample-request/dental-suture-market

Hospitals Are Accounted the Largest Market Share Due to Availability of Advanced Infrastructure

Hospitals are expected to retain the largest market share in 2021 because they are in high demand in all countries around the world and offer more amenities than other services like dentist offices, among others. The number of hospitals is growing daily and governments worldwide place a high priority on the development of health infrastructure. As a result, hospitals are developing and this market is also expanding because hospitals have made significant investments and are equipped to handle the most expensive and cutting-edge dental sutures currently available.

SkyQuest's research analysis forecasts that North America dominates the dental suture industry. This is explained by elements like rising discretionary income and expanding dental tourism. Furthermore, it is anticipated that the market will grow during the forecast period due to dental disorders carried by bad oral health and changing eating patterns. North America currently holds the majority of the market share due to the increasing incidence of oral issues. For instance, the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CCDP) estimates that in 2021, approximately 63.1 million people will receive a cavity diagnosis, and that number will rise in 2022. In addition to this, the major players are consistently developing cutting-edge technological gadgets. This has a significant impact on the market's development as well as the adoption of devices in healthcare settings.

Browse summary of the report and Complete Table of Contents (ToC):

https://www.skyquestt.com/report/dental-suture-market

The Non-Absorbable Suture Segment Is Dominating the Market Due to Better Wound Support

The non-Absorbable suture segment is dominating the market because many surgeons consider that this material is preferable because it is easier to tie, unlikely to break prematurely and it elicits a minimal flammontary response. It is made up of manmade materials, which are not metabolized by the body. The most commonly used non-resorbable suture in dentistry is natural fiber silk. It is currently used for arthroscopic treatment and capillarity. It is mostly used because the customers need to relax and less painful process for healing their tooth and this material has the features which help them feel less pain during the treatment. Absorbable Suture is also captured the market segment it is popular in periodontal and implant surgeries, has more patient comfort, and has advantages, but the drawbacks are it is likely to break and have a flammontary response by the patients.

In Asia Pacific the dental suture market is anticipated to grow steadily during the forecast period. This is due to the factors such as population growth and greater financial support for the medical industry in this region. The market for dental sutures in this region is also growing as a result of the presence of several market players like Guangzhou Danter Co., Ltd, Hangzhou Haizhu MIM Products Co., Ltd and Dolphin Sutures. An ageing population with increasing dental care requirements has been the primary contributing factor in developed nations. By 2050, there will be three times as many individuals over 65 in the US, Europe, and Japan.

A comprehensive analysis of the major players in the Dental Suture market has been recently conducted in a report. The report encompasses various aspects, including collaborations, mergers, innovative business policies, and strategies, providing valuable insights into key trends and breakthroughs in the market. Furthermore, the report scrutinizes the market share of the top segments and presents a detailed geographic analysis. Lastly, the report highlights the major players in the industry and their endeavors to develop innovative solutions to cater to the growing demand.

Speak to Analyst for your custom requirements:

https://www.skyquestt.com/speak-with-analyst/dental-suture-market

Key Developments in Dental Suture Market

In May 2022, Medical Microinstruments (MMI) SpA, a robotics company committed to enhancing clinical outcomes for patients enduring microsurgery, announced the introduction of its Symani Surgical System Simulator created by VirtaMed.

In June 2022, Striate+, a resorbable collagen membrane used for dental-guided bone and tissue regeneration procedures, has been supplied by Orthocell Ltd since signing a worldwide exclusive licencing and manufacturing arrangement with Bio Horizons Implant Systems Inc.

In April 2021, Dolphin Suture introduced its non-absorbable Polytetrafluoroethylene suture in India, expanding its line of dentistry products for the first time. In the new TEFLENE product range, dense PTFE (Polytetrafluoroethylene) is available.

Key Questions Answered in Dental Suture Market Report

What specific growth drivers are projected to impact the market during the forecast period?

Can you list the top companies in the market and explain how they have achieved their positions of influence?

In what ways do regional trends and patterns differ within the global market, and how might these differences shape the market's future growth?

Related Reports in SkyQuests Library:

Global Healthcare Smart Beds Market

Global Healthcare Kiosk Market

Global IoT In Healthcare Market

Global 5G Infrastructure in Healthcare Market

Global Advanced Wound Care Market

About Us:

SkyQuest Technology is leading growth consulting firm providing market intelligence, commercialization and technology services. It has 450+ happy clients globally.

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Wellness Franchise Set to Continue Rapid Growth with 800 Signed Franchise Agreements

IRVINE, Calif., April 04, 2023--(BUSINESS WIRE)--StretchLab, the largest assisted stretching franchise, surpassed another major milestone after recently opening its 300th studio in Canton, Connecticut. As the first assisted stretching brand to reach this number of studios, StretchLab shows no signs of slowing down as it also eclipsed 800 signed franchise agreements and opened 154 studios globally in 2022 alone.

Along with being the global leader in assisted stretching with studios in North America, Australia and Japan, and Master Franchise Agreements in place for Australia, Kuwait, Mexico, New Zealand, and Japan, StretchLab proudly leads the industry in education as the Institute for Credentialing Excellence (ICE) recently accredited its proprietary Flexologist Training Program (FTP).

"Witnessing StretchLabs exponential growth has been remarkable, and we could not be more proud of the brands success," said StretchLab President Verdine Baker. "StretchLab would not have been able to become the largest assisted stretching franchise in the world without the hard work and dedication of our franchise partners to bring best-in-class assisted stretching services to all members of their community."

"We are absolutely thrilled and honored to open StretchLabs 300th location. Canton is the sixth location in Connecticut, and we plan on opening three additional StretchLab locations in the near future. Bringing the best assisted stretching services to this community and others is our passion. Helping our hundreds of members move better and live better with less pain is truly a rewarding experience," said Andrew Breton and Scott Regina, owners of StretchLabs 300th location in Canton, Connecticut.

Backed by Xponential Fitness, the largest global franchisor of boutique fitness brands, StretchLab has a widespread and devoted following. At StretchLab, clients work one-on-one with highly trained Flexologists in an open, modern and friendly environment to increase mobility and flexibility and achieve a deeper, more advanced stretch than one can get on their own. Studios utilize Physmodo MAPS technology, which tracks mobility, muscle activation, posture, and body symmetry, to create individually tailored and more holistic stretching programs for clients to achieve their wellness goals.

Story continues

For more information about StretchLab, visit www.stretchlab.com.

ABOUT STRETCHLAB

Founded in 2015, StretchLab is the largest assisted stretching brand globally that was created to help people through customized flexibility services. It offers one-on-one and group-assisted stretching sessions to customers across a broad range of ages and fitness levels. StretchLabs advanced "Flexologist" instructors receive extensive training, including both classroom and on-the-job training programs. Ranked on Entrepreneur Magazines Franchise 500 and Fastest-Growing Franchises three years running, Top New Franchises in 2021 and 2022, as well as Inc. Magazines Inc. 5000 in 2020 and 2021, StretchLab is headquartered in Irvine, CA and backed by Xponential Fitness, the largest franchisor of boutique fitness brands. To learn more about StretchLab, visit www.stretchlab.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230404005426/en/

Contacts

David Robertson, Fishman Public Relations, drobertson@fishmanpr.com or 847-945-1300
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You may think that your student loans have little to do with your income taxes, but youd be wrong. An important thing to note right off the bat is that the money you borrow when you take out a student loan isnt considered taxable income.

See: 5 Presidents Who Raised Taxes the Most, and 5 Who Lowered Them

Find: Surprising Data Reveals The Top 25 Tax-Friendly States To Retire

However, many other facets of the tax law may apply to your student loans, from the deductibility of your interest to taxes potentially owed on forgiven loans. Here are the most important things you should know about how your student loans may impact your tax return.

Student Loan Interest Deduction

Student loan holders receive an important tax break in the form of the student loan interest deduction. Per the IRS, when you pay interest on a qualified student loan, either through voluntary or required prepaid interest payments, you can deduct the lesser of $2,500 or the amount you actually paid in interest during the year.

One trap that student loan holders should avoid when filing their taxes in 2023, however, is that most of them didnt pay any student loan interest during 2022. As most student loan payments were suspended during the year, most borrowers didnt pay any interest, and therefore dont qualify for the deduction. Remember, even if interest accrues on your account, you dont qualify for the deduction until you actually pay the interest.

Since payments werent paused on private loans or Federal Family Education Loans, you may still qualify for the interest deduction. Also, you should note that there are income limits for the student loan interest deduction as well. Singles with incomes above $85,000 or joint filers with incomes above $170,000, for example, do not qualify.

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Taxes on Forgiven Loans

In the most general sense, the IRS considers forgiven debt to be taxable income. If you negotiate a settlement with your credit card company to forgive some of your debt, for example, the amount that you no longer have to pay is considered taxable income. It might seem like this rule would apply to student loans that are forgiven as well. After all, you borrowed the money and no longer have to pay it back, so it seems like it is just like credit card debt in that sense.

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The great news for student loan borrowers is that forgiven loans are not considered federally taxable income. In this sense, forgiven student loans are more like the Paycheck Protection Loans that the federal government forgave during the pandemic, which were not treated as taxable income.

An important thing to note, though, is that while your forgiven student loans are not considered federally taxable, they may be taxable at the state level. Youll have to check with your state taxing authority to determine the status of your forgiven student loans.

American Opportunity Tax Credit or the Lifetime Learning Credit

Depending on your financial situation, you may qualify for an educational credit of up to $2,500. Both the American Opportunity Tax Credit and the Lifetime Learning Credit are available to qualifying individuals, but you can only take one, not both. Income limits apply to these tax credits as well.

Specifically, the American Opportunity Tax Credit refunds up to $2,500 for qualifying educational expenses during the first four years of higher education. Up to 40% of the credit, or up to $1,000, is fully refundable, meaning you can receive that payment even if your tax liability is zero.

The Lifetime Learning Credit of up to $2,000 per year can be claimed an unlimited amount of times to offset qualified tuition and related expenses. The credit applies to expenses incurred for undergraduate, graduate, and professional degree courses.

Both the AOC and the LLC completely phase out if you have a MAGI of at least $90,000 for singles or $180,000 for joint filers.

Employer Student Loan Repayment

Some employers have tuition repayment plans in place to help their employees with their student loan payments. If your employer participates, it can kick in up to $5,250 per year toward your student loan costs.

Although this may feel like a type of employee compensation, which would normally be taxable, the IRS has ruled that employer-provided educational assistance benefits include payments made after March 27, 2020, and before January 1, 2026 are excluded from income. This is true whether the payment is made to the employee or directly to the lender. Bear in mind that this provision is currently slated to expire at the end of 2025.

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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Student Loans 2023: What Borrowers Need To Know About Filing Taxes
Debuting just after the tax-filing deadline, new offerings also include courses on exit planning and lessons learned from recent accounting malpractice actions

RADNOR, Pa., April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Surgent Accounting & Financial Education, a division of KnowFully Learning Group, today announced the introduction of four new continuing professional education (CPE) courses, broadening its content library and enabling the accounting community to navigate critical new concerns, such as the proliferation of artificial intelligence (AI) and how to prepare for a potential banking crisis.

Surgent Accounting & Financial Education today announced the introduction of four new continuing professional education (CPE) courses, broadening its content library and enabling the accounting community to navigate critical new concerns, such as the proliferation of artificial intelligence (AI).

"Though the education landscape is always evolving, the recent introduction of AI through tools such as ChatGPT and the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and others are particularly noteworthy events that deeply impact the accounting and finance professions," said Liz Kolar, Surgent's executive vice president. "Our new CPE courses, which will debut just after the April 18 tax-filing deadline, include offerings that address these significant developments and demonstrate Surgent's commitment to meeting customers where they are with the absolute timeliest of content."

Each two-hour-long course will debut with a live webinar and then be available for on-demand learning. They are as follows (including first air date):

April 19: A Complete Tax Guide to Exit Planning (EXP2)

April 27: Lessons Learned from Recent Accounting Malpractice Actions (AMA2)

May 2: The Risks and Benefits of ChatGPT and Artificial Intelligence (CHT2)

May 11: Preparing for and Navigating a Potential Banking Crisis (PBC2)

A Complete Tax Guide to Exit Planning

Worth two CPE, IRS or CTEC credits, this course takes learners through the various issues needed to achieve an effective management and/or ownership change, including tax implications. Designed for CPAs in industry and public accounting who want to gain an understanding of exit planning considerations for their clients, the course will compare exit planning between entity types (C-corporations, S-corporations, partnerships, etc.).

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Lessons Learned from Recent Accounting Malpractice Actions

This course provides a current overview of accounting malpractice litigation throughout the U.S., allowing accounting or financial services professionals to understand the types of claims asserted against CPA firms and strategies to employ to avoid such claims. It is worth two CPE credits.

The Risks and Benefits of ChatGPT and Artificial Intelligence

It is difficult to overstate how much will change with the rise of AI technologies, such as ChatGPT and its future incarnations, or how important it is that companies embrace the opportunity to leverage them correctly. Having conversations regarding the proper adoption of these technologies and tools is a crucial first step, including drafting policies to assist companies with their beneficial and thoughtful implementation and use.

Worth two CPE credits, this course will define the state of AI tools, what benefits and risks exist, and which steps to take to begin adopting these technologies with appropriate guardrails, policies and training.

Preparing for and Navigating a Potential Banking Crisis

The collapse of FTX followed by Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank renewed concerns among accounting and financial executives and their boards regarding how to navigate a potential banking crisis and survive.

Worth two CPE credits, this course explores the challenges of the current monetary trends, the Federal Reserve, the FDIC, and insurance reserves. Learners will analyze their collective and individual impact on accounting and financial executives in areas of credit markets and banking, risk management, cash flow planning strategies, debt and equity mix impacts in uncertain markets, and globalization of the financial markets in times of uncertainty. Specific recommendations and insights will be offered to deal with the challenges, including a discussion on the nuances of FDIC.

"Deciphering the FDIC rules, which are often misunderstood, is top of mind for CFOs, controllers, accountants, and any other accounting and finance professionals who are focused on surviving and learning from our current banking crisis," said Kolar. "This of-the-moment content  and all the information shared in these four new courses  will help prepare accounting and finance professionals to better serve their clients."

About Surgent Accounting & Financial Education

Surgent Accounting & Financial Education, a division of KnowFully Learning Group, is a provider of the high-impact education experiences that accounting, tax and financial professionals need throughout their careers. For most of the company's 35-year history, Surgent has been a trusted provider of the continuing professional education (CPE), continuing education (CE) and skill-based training that professionals need to maintain their credentials and stay current on industry changes. More recently, Surgent became one of the fastest-growing certification exam review providers, offering adaptive learning-based courses that help learners pass accounting and finance credentialing exams faster. Learn more at Surgent.com.

About KnowFully Learning Group

The KnowFully Learning Group provides continuing professional education, exam preparation courses and education resources to the accounting, finance and healthcare sectors. KnowFully's suite of learning solutions helps learners become credentialed, satisfy required credit hours to maintain credentials, and stay informed on the latest trends and critical changes in their industries over the course of their careers. The company provides exam preparation and continuing education for accounting, finance, and tax professionals under the Surgent Accounting & Financial Education brand. KnowFully's healthcare education brands include CME Outfitters, CE Concepts, PharmCon, The Rx Consultant, ChiroCredit, IA MED, Psychotherapy.net and American Fitness Professionals & Associates. For more information, please visit KnowFully.com.

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SOURCE Surgent Accounting & Financial Education
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Owning an Airbnb or other rental property can be a good investment, especially if the property is located in a prime location.

According to one report, the average Airbnb host earned more than $13,800 ($1,150 a month) in 2021. For many people, the extra income earned from renting out their property is key to offsetting the rising cost of living  and reducing money-related stress.

Find Out: Surprising Data Reveals The Top 25 Tax-Friendly States To Retire

Good Points: 3 Signs Youre Serious About Raising Your Credit Score

While rental properties can be profitable, any income earned from them also might be taxable. This means that, in most cases, you wont be pocketing all of that cash. How long you rent out the property and where its located can both affect the types of taxes you pay.

If you own a rental property or plan to be an Airbnb host, heres what you need to know about paying taxes.

Also see signs you need to file an extension.

IRS Rules on Rental Property

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) requires that all rental property owners pay taxes on their income from the property, said Shaun Martin, owner and CEO at The Home Buying Company. This includes short-term and long-term rentals, such as Airbnbs and other vacation properties.

Depending on your circumstances or business model, it might be necessary to file a separate tax return for your rental property. You also might need to file quarterly estimated payments if your taxes do exceed a certain amount, Martin added.

The tax rules do change, however, so its a good idea to review them every so often. This is especially important if youve never rented out a property before or if youre adding another property to your rental portfolio.

Since keeping up with the tax laws can be both challenging and time-consuming, you may want to consider hiring a certified accountant. A professional can work with you on filing your taxes, find possible tax breaks and help you avoid tax-related penalties or other complications.

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14-Day Rule on Rental Properties and Airbnbs

If you rent out your property for no more than 14 days during the year, you may not have to worry about including that income on your taxes.

The 14-day rule applies to any short-term rental that you own and use as your personal property while renting it out.

Under this rule, you dont report any income you earn from the short-term rental as long as you use the property yourself for 14 days or more each year and you rent the property for no more than 14 days during the year, said Alex Capozzolo, co-founder at Brotherly Love Real Estate.

This rule also applies if you rent out only one room on your property for a maximum of 14 days. Its important to note that the 14 days do not have to be consecutive. Also, you wont be able to deduct any rental expenses from that room when you file taxes.

Types of Taxes on Rental Properties

Its important to understand your tax filing requirements when renting out property. While not all of these will necessarily apply to you, here are the main types of taxes you could be responsible for:

Transient occupancy tax, hotel tax or lodging tax: Transient occupancy tax is only for properties located in California, but you could still be subject to lodging tax even if you live somewhere else in the U.S. This tax is primarily meant for short-term rentals of under 30 days.

Property taxes: If you own a property, even if you primarily use it as a rental, youll need to pay property taxes on it. The exact amount can vary by location and property value.

State or local taxes: Some states also charge state or local property taxes, meaning the local government sets the tax rate. Some counties and cities also have their own taxes.

Self-employment tax: If youre operating your rental property as a business, then you may also need to pay self-employment taxes in addition to regular income taxes, Martin said. You also might need to pay Medicare and Social Security taxes on your earnings.

Reporting Income From an Airbnb or Other Rental Property

If youve earned money on your rental property, youll need to report it on your federal  and possibly state  tax return. There are several ways to do this:

File Form 1040. Whether youre renting out an entire building or a room, youll need to file a Form 1040 or 1040-SR. Youll typically use a Schedule E to report any rental income, expenses or depreciation for each rental. If you rent out property as part of your business, you may be required to file a Schedule C.

File Form 1040 for non-US rental properties. If you have a rental property located outside the United States and are either a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, you still might need to file Form 1040. You also might be responsible for paying taxes in the country where your property is located.

File Form W-8 ECI . In most cases, non-US individuals are subject to a 30% withholding tax on rental property income. Airbnb also requires non-US hosts to report their earnings using Form W-8 ECI. If you dont, Airbnb may withhold 30% from your total earnings. Airbnb also will file Form 1042-S to report rental income from its hosts.

Fill out a W-9 Form for Airbnb. Airbnb has an entire page dedicated to U.S. income tax reporting. When you sign up as an Airbnb host, youll typically need to complete a W-9 form. At the end of the year, Airbnb will send you a 1099-K, or Payment Card and Third Party Network Transactions, that shows what youve earned. If you dont receive this form, you should be able to find this information in your Earnings Summary.

As an Airbnb host, you are required to disclose the appropriate tax-payer information. If you do not, Airbnb could prevent you from taking on new reservations and stop your payouts.

Its wise to keep any records of your rentals profits and losses throughout the year  whether you receive tax forms or not. That way, youll have the right documents if the IRS ever audits you. Collect any invoices or receipts for home improvements, too.

You will have an easier time with your taxes if you maintain efficient records, Capozzolo said. Treat it as a business and keep track of your rental days. If you rent for longer than 14 days, detail out the dates properly so you can divide the personal and business expenses.

Deductions on Airbnbs and Rental Properties

Before you file taxes, you may be able to deduct certain expenses from your rental income. According to Cam Dowski, of WeBuyHousesChicago.Co, these expenses could include:

Insurance

Repair costs

Property tax

Mortgage interests

You also could deduct certain business expenses, provided theyre related to your Airbnb or rental property.

This can include maintenance and repairs, cleaning costs, insurance and advertising fees, said Jon Sanborn, co-founder of SD House Guys and a licensed Realtor.

It also can include a portion of your utilities and service fees (for Airbnb rentals).

You can also claim depreciation on your rental property, Dowski added. This allows you to deduct a certain portion of the cost of the property over time. This helps reduce the overall amount you will need to pay in tax.

Keep in mind that there are certain depreciation rules.

Your rental property or Airbnb may depreciate over time due to wear and tear or obsolescence, Sanborn said. The IRS allows you to claim depreciation as an expense on your taxes. However, there are specific rules and guidelines that you must follow in order to do this.

When in doubt, speak to a tax professional or accountant about your situation.

More From GOBankingRates

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Taxes 2023: What To Know If You Own an Airbnb or Other Rental Property
(Bloomberg) -- Teck Resources Ltd. is willing to entertain offers from potential suitors after it finishes the spinoff of its steelmaking coal business, according to people familiar with the matter.

Most Read from Bloomberg

The Canadian miner said Monday it rejected an unsolicited $23 billion proposal from Glencore Plc and will forge ahead with an April 26 shareholder vote on separating its metals and coal divisions. If investors approve, the split is expected to happen by the end of May, with the base metals producer being renamed Teck Metals Corp.

At that point, the Teck board is likely to be open to hearing offers from prospective partners or buyers including Glencore, the people said, asking not to be identified as the matter is private.

The Swiss commodities firms offer for Teck, at a 20% premium, is another sign that big mining companies are on the hunt for acquisitions. BHP Group Ltd. and Rio Tinto Plc are also said to be actively looking to increase their copper exposure.

The board and special committee are confident that the proposed separation into Teck Metals and Elk Valley Resources is in the best interests of Teck and all its stakeholders, Chris Stannell, a spokesperson for Teck, said in an emailed statement. Tecks proposed separation positions Teck Metals and EVR for success and does not foreclose future opportunities for other value-enhancing transactions at the appropriate point and time.

In rejecting Glencores all-share offer, Teck Chief Executive Officer Jonathan Price said Monday that the spinoff structure proposed by the Swiss firm would expose Teck shareholders to its large thermal coal and oil trading businesses. Norman Keevil, Tecks chairman emeritus, said that now is not the time to explore a transaction of this nature.

Story continues

Teck has also proposed ending the dual-class share structure that gives control to Class A shareholders  the Keevil family and its partners. But that change wouldnt take effect for six years. In the meantime, a hostile takeover of Teck is impossible.

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

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Vantage Market Research, The North Star for the Working World

WASHINGTON, April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Global Teleradiology Market is valued at USD 7.13 Billion in 2021 and is projected to reach a value of USD 15.22 Billion by 2028 at a CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) of 15.1% over the forecast period 2022-2028.

Market Overview

Teleradiology is a rapidly growing field that is transforming the way healthcare providers deliver diagnostic imaging services. In this article, we will explore the dynamics of the teleradiology market, including the latest trends, drivers, and challenges. We will also discuss the key players and technologies shaping this dynamic field.

The teleradiology market is expected to grow at a significant CAGR during the forecast period. The growth of the market is attributed to the increasing demand for teleradiology services from hospitals, clinics, and other healthcare providers. Teleradiology is a service that allows radiologists to read and interpret medical images remotely. This service is beneficial for healthcare providers in rural and underserved areas, as it allows them to access the expertise of radiologists without having to travel long distances. Teleradiology is also beneficial for patients, as it allows them to receive faster and more convenient access to diagnostic imaging services.

Get Access to Free Sample Research Report with Latest Industry Insights @ https://www.vantagemarketresearch.com/teleradiology-market-1304/request-sample

Market Dynamics

There are several factors driving the growth of the teleradiology market. One of the primary drivers is the increasing demand for medical imaging services. As the population ages and chronic diseases become more prevalent, the need for diagnostic imaging services such as X-rays, CT scans, and MRIs continues to grow.

Another factor driving the growth of the teleradiology market is the increasing adoption of digital medical imaging technologies. Digital imaging allows medical images to be easily shared between healthcare providers, enabling faster diagnosis and treatment. Teleradiology services allow healthcare providers to access these images remotely, improving patient outcomes and reducing costs.

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Overall, the teleradiology market is expected to continue to grow, driven by increasing demand for medical imaging services, the adoption of digital imaging technologies, and the need for remote healthcare services.

Top Players in Global Teleradiology Market

4ways Healthcare Ltd. (UK)

HealthWatch TeleDiagnostics Pvt. Ltd. (India)

Virtual Radiologic (US)

RamSoft Inc. (Canada)

Everlight Radiology (UK)

Agfa-Gevaert N.V. (Belgium)

Global Diagnostics (Australia)

ONRAD (US)

Teleradiology Solutions (India)





Budget Limitation? Contact us for Special Discount and Pricing

Key Challenges Facing the Teleradiology Market:

Security and privacy concerns: Teleradiology involves the transmission of sensitive medical data over the internet. This data must be protected from unauthorized access and disclosure.

Reimbursement issues: Teleradiology services are not always reimbursed by insurance companies. This can make it difficult for healthcare providers to justify the cost of these services.

Lack of standardization: There is no single standard for teleradiology. This can make it difficult for different healthcare providers to communicate and collaborate.

Technology challenges: The technology used for teleradiology must be reliable and secure. It must also be able to handle the high volume of data that is generated by imaging procedures.

Key Opportunities Facing the Teleradiology Market:

The increasing demand for remote diagnosis and consultation: Teleradiology allows radiologists to provide their services to patients in rural and underserved areas without having to travel long distances. This is beneficial for both patients and healthcare providers. Patients can receive the care they need without having to travel long distances, and healthcare providers can save money on travel costs.

The growing adoption of telehealth services: Telehealth is the use of telecommunications technology to provide healthcare services remotely. Telehealth services are becoming increasingly popular, as they allow patients to receive care without having to travel to a hospital or clinic. Teleradiology is a type of telehealth service that is being used by a growing number of hospitals and clinics.

The rising prevalence of chronic diseases: Chronic diseases, such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes, are the leading causes of death in the world. These diseases often require regular imaging tests, such as X-rays, CT scans, and MRIs. Teleradiology can help to improve the management of chronic diseases by allowing radiologists to provide timely and accurate diagnosis and treatment.

The increasing number of imaging procedures: The number of imaging procedures performed each year is increasing. This is due to a number of factors, including the aging population, the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases, and the development of new imaging technologies. Teleradiology can help to improve the efficiency of imaging services by allowing radiologists to read images from multiple locations.

Top Report Findings

The teleradiology market is expected to grow at a 15.1% CAGR during the forecast period 2022-2028.

The growth of the market is attributed to the increasing demand for teleradiology services from hospitals, clinics, and other healthcare providers.

Teleradiology is a service that allows radiologists to read and interpret medical images remotely.

This service is beneficial for healthcare providers in rural and underserved areas, as it allows them to access the expertise of radiologists without having to travel long distances.

Teleradiology is also beneficial for patients, as it allows them to receive faster and more convenient access to diagnostic imaging services.





Buy this Teleradiology Industry Premium Research Report with Discount | Immediate Delivery @ https://www.vantagemarketresearch.com/buy-now/teleradiology-market-1304/0

Top Trends in Teleradiology Market

Increasing adoption of cloud-based teleradiology solutions: Cloud-based teleradiology solutions offer several advantages, including greater scalability, improved data security, and easier access to images and reports. As a result, more healthcare providers are adopting cloud-based teleradiology platforms.

Growing demand for telemedicine services: The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the adoption of telemedicine services, including teleradiology. Patients and healthcare providers are increasingly using telemedicine platforms to communicate and share information, including medical images and reports.

Advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning: AI and machine learning technologies are being used to analyze medical images and provide more accurate and timely diagnoses. Teleradiology companies are investing in AI and machine learning to improve their services and offer more value to customers.

Increasing demand for subspecialty teleradiology services: There is a growing demand for subspecialty teleradiology services, such as neuroradiology, musculoskeletal radiology, and breast imaging. Teleradiology companies are expanding their service offerings to meet this demand and provide more specialized services to healthcare providers.

Growing partnerships and collaborations between teleradiology companies and healthcare providers: Teleradiology companies are partnering with healthcare providers to provide more integrated and comprehensive services. These partnerships allow healthcare providers to access teleradiology services more easily and improve patient outcomes.

Global Teleradiology Market Segmentation

By Imaging Technique

X-rays

Nuclear Imaging

Computed Tomography (CT)

Ultrasound

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)

Other

By End User

Hospitals

Diagnostic Centers

Other





By Component

Hardware

Software

By Region

North America United States Canada Mexico

Europe Germany UK France Italy Spain Rest of Europe

Asia Pacific China Japan India South Korea South-East Asia Rest of Asia Pacific

Latin America Brazil Argentina Rest of Latin America

Middle East & Africa GCC Countries South Africa Rest of MEA



Browse market data Tables and Figures spread through 163 Pages and in-depth TOC on Teleradiology Market Forecast Report (2022-2028).

Scope of the Report:

Report Attributes Details Market Size in 2021 USD 7.13 Billion Revenue Forecast by 2028 USD 15.22 Billion CAGR 15.1% from 2022 to 2028 Base Year 2021 Forecast Year 2022 to 2028 Key Players 4ways Healthcare Ltd., HealthWatch TeleDiagnostics Pvt. Ltd., RamSoft Inc., Everlight Radiology, Virtual Radiologic, Agfa-Gevaert N.V., ONRAD Customization Options If our report does not include the information you are searching for, you may contact us to have a report tailored to your specific business needs https://www.vantagemarketresearch.com/teleradiology-market-1304/request-sample



Read Full Report with TOC @ https://www.vantagemarketresearch.com/industry-report/teleradiology-market-1304

Key Questions Answered in Teleradiology Market Report

What is the current size of the teleradiology market and what is the projected market size for the coming years?

What are the major drivers, restraints, and challenges in the teleradiology market?

What are the different types of teleradiology services available and what are their applications in different medical fields?

Who are the major players in the teleradiology market and what are their market shares, product offerings, and business strategies?

What are the major trends and developments in the teleradiology market, including technological advancements, regulatory landscape, and competitive landscape?

What are the different types of teleradiology technologies available and what are their benefits and limitations?

What are the different end users of teleradiology services and how do they impact the market demand?

What are the different geographic regions that are expected to witness significant growth in the teleradiology market and why?

What are the major challenges faced by teleradiology service providers and how are they addressing these challenges?

What are the future growth prospects of the teleradiology market and what are the key success factors for companies operating in this market?

Regional Analysis

North America is the largest market for teleradiology services, owing to the presence of a well-established healthcare infrastructure, favorable reimbursement policies, and high adoption of advanced technologies. The United States dominates the market in this region, followed by Canada. The teleradiology market in North America is expected to witness significant growth in the coming years due to the increasing demand for remote healthcare services and the rising prevalence of chronic diseases.

Europe is the second-largest market for teleradiology services, with Germany, France, and the UK being the major contributors to the market. The region has a well-developed healthcare system and high awareness of the benefits of teleradiology services. The teleradiology market in Europe is expected to grow at a moderate pace, driven by the increasing demand for remote healthcare services and the rising prevalence of chronic diseases.

Asia Pacific is expected to witness significant growth in the teleradiology market, owing to the large population base, increasing healthcare expenditure, and rising adoption of advanced technologies. Countries such as India and China are expected to be the major contributors to the growth of the teleradiology market in this region. The market is expected to witness significant growth due to the increasing demand for remote healthcare services and the rising prevalence of chronic diseases.

The teleradiology market in the Rest of the World is expected to witness steady growth, owing to the increasing adoption of advanced technologies and the rising demand for remote healthcare services. Countries in the Middle East and Africa are expected to be the major contributors to the growth of the teleradiology market in this region.

Reason to Buy this Teleradiology Market Report

The report provides a comprehensive overview of the teleradiology market. It includes an analysis of the market's current state, as well as its future prospects. This information can be used to make informed decisions about the market.

The report provides a detailed analysis of the market's key players. This information can be used to identify potential partners and collaborators. It can also be used to assess the competitive landscape.

The report provides a detailed analysis of the market's trends. This information can be used to identify opportunities and threats. It can also be used to develop strategies to capitalize on the market's growth.

The report provides a detailed analysis of the market's regulations. This information can be used to comply with regulatory requirements. It can also be used to identify potential risks.

The report provides a detailed analysis of the market's economics. This information can be used to understand the market's drivers and restraints. It can also be used to develop strategies to mitigate the risks.





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Reprocessed Medical Devices Market - Global Industry Assessment & Forecast: https://www.vantagemarketresearch.com/industry-report/reprocessed-medical-devices-market-1287

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LONDON, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- TerraPay, a leading global payments infrastructure company, has successfully closed its Series B equity financing round, raising in excess of $100 million in equity and debt financing. The funding round was led by IFC and supported by Prime Ventures, Partech Africa, U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) and a consortium of other investors.

TerraPay Logo

The funding will help further TerraPay's global expansion plans, especially across the LATAM and MENA regions, strengthen its existing pay-out network to 150 countries by 2024, support and accelerate its growth, and invest in the marketing and adoption of alternate payment methods for mobile wallets, like Request-to-Pay  an interoperable mobile wallet solution, at a larger scale.

Furthermore, TerraPay also aims to expand its regulatory and compliance infrastructure including key license applications across the world. Currently, TerraPay's agile payments infrastructure and solutions platform offers business/merchant pay-outs, acquiring and issuing services, among others. The company has built a far-reaching network of partners and customers, present in more than 108 receiving countries and 205 sending countries with 62 settlement currencies.

Ambar Sur, Founder and CEO of TerraPay, said, "We are thrilled to announce the successful completion of our Series B financing round. This latest funding is a testament to our exceptional achievements and the unwavering dedication of our team in delivering innovative payment solutions to customers globally. The continuous support from our investors and lending partners has enabled us to expand our infrastructure, enhance our network coverage, and accelerate investment in our operations, product development, and technology. We look forward to continuing our valuable strategic partnership with our investors and delivering continuous value to all our stakeholders, including customers, partners, investors, and employees."

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The cost of migrant remittances to developing markets remains expensive and well above the UN Sustainable Development Goals target of 3%. As a leading payments infrastructure company, TerraPay is committed to driving financial inclusion and specializes in enabling the delivery of cross-border remittances and instant money transfers, securely, and at a low cost. With the new funding, the company is well-positioned to capitalize on the growing demand for its remittance and payments solutions and continue its mission of making cross-border payments more accessible, secure, and affordable for all.

IFC has been one of TerraPay's key investors since 2019. Talking about the Series B funding, William Sonneborn, IFC's Global Director of Disruptive Technologies and Funds said, "Low-cost cross-border payments are critical to financial inclusion and global trade. We are delighted to announce our continued support for TerraPay, as they deliver efficient payments instantly and securely, between individuals, businesses, and financial institutions, while also strengthening regulatory and compliance infrastructure. They are building a unique global highway for inclusive payments."

"Since we originally invested, TerraPay has gone from strength to strength and we are extremely excited to continue to support Ambar and his team in this journey," says Pieter Welten, Partner at Prime Ventures. "TerraPay's global payment infrastructure is addressing real-world problems in emerging markets and its innovative payments solutions have the scalability, flexibility and usability its partners need. Cross-border payments represent a huge, global market opportunity and therefore we strongly believe the company will continue its profitable, fast growth trajectory in the coming years."

Cyril Collon, General Partner, Partech said, "TerraPay has built what is today the leading global payments infrastructure allowing individuals and businesses across 200+ countries to settle any payment instantly in a secure & reliable manner. With this new funding round, Partech is proud to keep supporting this exceptional visionary team led by Ambar and help TerraPay to further accelerate its highly profitable growth ambition. Powering real-time transactions, small or large value, across the globe, requires innovative & inclusive pay-in and pay-out solutions with the highest compliance and security standards, and this is exactly what TerraPay has delivered every single day since we invested."

"DFC is excited to support TerraPay's mission to expand access to financial services and inclusion around the world. Through its digital capabilities, the company enables users to seamlessly transmit cross-border payments connecting communities' oceans apart," said James Polan, Vice President of DFC's Office of Development Credit.

TerraPay's success in raising over $100 million in the Series B funding underscores its position as a leading player in the global payments infrastructure space. The company has been profitable and is now poised to take its payments platform to the next level, expanding its capabilities and providing more seamless cross-border payment solutions to people all over the world.

About TerraPay

Headquartered in The United Kingdom, TerraPay believes that the smallest payment deserves a borderless journey as safe as the largest. The group has been building an ever-expanding payments highway that empowers businesses to create transparent customer experiences with an uninterrupted, secure, and real-time global passage for every payment, however small or large. Registered and regulated across 27 global markets, TerraPay is a leading global partner to banks, mobile wallets, money transfer operators, merchants, and financial institutions, creating a more expansive and inclusive international financial ecosystem. With access to payments infrastructure that spans the globe, their partners become beacons of the promise of global financial inclusion.

For more information, please visit terrapay.com

Media Contact:

Anwesha Mukherjee

anwesha@terrapay.com

IFC

Partech

Prime Ventures

DFC

SOURCE TerraPay
Tesla's Fremont factory

Electric carmaker Tesla has been ordered to pay almost $3.2m (2.6m) to a black former worker after he won a racial harassment lawsuit.

Owen Diaz, a lift operator from 2015 to 2016 at its Fremont factory, was subjected to a racially hostile work environment, a federal jury found.

However, the payment has been slashed by 98% from the $137m that he was originally awarded in 2021.

A judge ruled last year that the initial amount was excessive.

On Monday, Mr Diaz was awarded $3m in punitive damages and $175,000 in damages for emotional distress.

"If we had been allowed to introduce new evidence, the verdict would've been zero imo," Tesla chief executive Elon Musk said on Twitter.

"Jury did the best they could with the information they had. I respect the decision," he added.

Mr Musk did not provide details of what new evidence Tesla would have presented.

Tesla's lawyer Alex Spiro declined to comment. The company did not immediately respond to a BBC request for comment.

In the original lawsuit, Mr Diaz alleged that African-American workers "encountered a scene straight from the Jim Crow era" at the firm's plant in Fremont, California.

He claimed that black workers regularly faced racist slurs on the factory floor and racist graffiti in bathrooms.

The lawsuit also said that employees would refer to areas where black or African-American staff worked with racist historical names, such as "the plantation".

It alleged that one worker heard racial slurs "as often as 50-100 times a day".

In 2021, a federal court in San Francisco found that Tesla did not take reasonable steps to tackle the abuse, despite complaints to supervisors.

The jury awarded Mr Diaz $137m in damages. At the time Tesla disputed the verdict but said it recognised it was "not perfect".

In April 2022, a US federal judge cut Mr Diaz's award to $15m and said the compensation decided by jurors was "extremely high".

Bernard Alexander, a lawyer for Mr Diaz, said last week that: "Mr Diaz's outlook on the world has been permanently changed. That is what happens when you take away a person's safety."

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Mr Alexander had called on jurors to award his client nearly $160m in damages.

However, Tesla's lawyer, Mr Spiro, argued that Mr Diaz's lawyers had failed to show that any serious, long-lasting damage had been caused by Tesla.

"They're just throwing numbers up on the screen like this is some kind of game show," Mr Spiro said.
TFI International Inc.

MONTREAL, April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TFI International Inc. (NYSE and TSX: TFII), a North American leader in the transportation and logistics industry, today announced that it will hold an Annual Meeting of shareholders on Wednesday, April 26, 2023 at 1:30 p.m. (Eastern Time). The meeting will be available by way of telephone conference call. The dial-in number for the meeting is 1-877-704-4453 or 1-201-389-0920. Shareholders are asked to participate in the meeting by telephone and to vote their shares prior to the meeting by returning their proxy form or voting instruction form, voting online or using the toll-free telephone number set out on the proxy or voting instruction form. During the telephone meeting, shareholders will be able to ask questions but will not be able to vote. Attendance for the meeting at the Companys head office will be strictly limited to the Companys registered shareholders and duly-appointed proxyholders.



On Tuesday, April 25, the Company will issue its financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2023 via news release after the market close. The Company will then hold a conference call for analysts and investors with Alain Bedard, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, on Wednesday, April 26 at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time, to discuss the quarterly results. Business media are also invited to listen to the call. Please dial in 10 minutes prior to the start of the call.

Details of quarterly results conference call:



Date: Wednesday, April 26, 2023

Time: 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time

Call-in number: 1-877-704-4453 or 1-201-389-0920



A recording of the call will be available until midnight, May 10, 2023, by dialing 1-844-512-2921 or 1-412-317-6671 and entering passcode 13737329.

Finally, TFI International Inc.s 2022 Annual Report is now available on the Companys website at: www.tfiintl.com/en/presentations-and-reports/.

ABOUT TFI INTERNATIONAL

TFI International Inc. is a North American leader in the transportation and logistics industry, operating across the United States and Canada through its subsidiaries. TFI International creates value for shareholders by identifying strategic acquisitions and managing a growing network of wholly-owned operating subsidiaries. Under the TFI International umbrella, companies benefit from financial and operational resources to build their businesses and increase their efficiency. TFI International companies service the following segments:

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Package and Courier;

Less-Than-Truckload;

Truckload;

Logistics.

TFI International Inc. is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange and the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol TFII. For more information, visit www.tfiintl.com/.

For further information:

Alain Bedard

Chairman, President and CEO

TFI International Inc.

647-729-4079

abedard@tfiintl.com




Mark Zuckerberg has spent billions on making his metaverse obsession a (virtual) reality - FACEBOOK/VIA REUTERS

Meta, the company once known as Facebook, has already started slimming down its virtual operations. Disney is cutting its division. Microsoft is shutting its unit.

The metaverse, the imaginary universe we were all meant to migrate to just a couple of years ago, is turning into a great corporate collapse, at least in the immediate term, with billions of dollars of investment at risk, and reputations taking a hammering.

Over the last three years, the internet giants have built a vast new world, only to discover that many people don't want to go there.

Perhaps we are a lot more attached to reality than the tech leaders appreciated, even if they were banned from such interactions during the Covid lockdowns. As we can see in the statistics on everything from online retailing to air travel, we are moving back into the real world at an accelerating pace.

Mark Zuckerberg's Meta lost $13.7 billion in 2022, the result of soaring metaverse costs, increased competition from TikTok, Apple's privacy update and broader economic headwinds.

The founder who changed the world from a Harvard dorm is turning into a Howard Hughes-like figure, isolated and out of touch with reality. He may have pointed out that the metaverse was a long-term investment, and it has certainly been a rollercoaster, but it's increasingly looking like one of the most important examples of corporate hubris in recent business history.

Mark Zuckerberg

As mentioned, news of major companies closing down parts of their expensive virtual real estate is coming thick and fast.

Disney is reportedly axing its metaverse division, created in 2021 presumably in the hope that we would all decide to take the family to a place that was even more synthetic than its theme parks. Around 7,000 jobs will be lost as part of a wider corporate retrenchment.

Microsoft, meanwhile, has disbanded its Industrial Metaverse unit, which was tasked with making software for manufacturing operations that were purely virtual.

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The company has apparently decided to let others develop the technology, with a view to then elbowing in on the strength of its Windows operating system.

Apple seems to have just about given up on its virtual reality headset, which was supposed to be the medium through which we would all start exploring different worlds. Perhaps it is concentrating on the more mundane task of designing some new features to entice more iPhone users to upgrade.

Even Tinder is scaling back, with the company announcing last year that it was putting its plans for dating in the metaverse on hold, presumably because no one really wants to date an avatar.

It's starting to feel like the last person to leave the metaverse will need to turn off the lights  except there aren't many on. It is deader than Blackpool on a rainy Tuesday afternoon in the middle of January.

Companies will have to learn the lessons of the failure of the metaverse, and not just the obvious one that as soon as Sir Nick Clegg  Zuckerbergs sidekick as Meta's President of Global Affairs and an ambassador for virtual reality  jumps on a bandwagon it is almost certainly time for everyone to hop off.

For a start, we are all a lot more attached to reality than some tech billionaires in California may realise. No business can survive without a customer base, and for the metaverse, it has failed to show up in the numbers many expected.

Part of the metaverse's troubles lie in the fact that nobody really understands what it is, though it should be viewed as distinct from VR gaming  which is expected to expand significantly in coming years.

But when it comes to Meta's self-described "virtual spaces where you can create and explore with other people who aren't in the same physical space as you", the story is rather different. We may like to dip into the virtual world to play Half-Life Alyx, but for most people this is a hobby.

In December, online sales fell to 26pc of the amount of money we spend on stuff in the shops, compared to a peak of 38pc in January 2021. The online food delivery companies are starting to retreat  Deliveroos share price is down 23pc over the last year  as some of us work out that we might as well pop out to a restaurant to eat rather than pay to get the same meals, though lukewarm, delivered to our home.

Likewise, air travel is booming again, as we realise that we would rather visit some real places instead of slipping on an Apple headset and travelling online.

The point is not that the real world is back and the online in the past, but rather that the two will run in parallel. It is not that the online universe is going to disappear, but rather that it may have reached its limit  for now.

Next, investing in the virtual sphere was always a big risk. When you buy property or assets in the real world, it has a value because there is a finite amount of it. There is only so much land, or space for factories, shops or restaurants, and it takes time and money to create them.

In the metaverse, space is infinite, meaning it is harder to drive value. Which brings us to arguably the biggest challenge: the threat to internal privacy. Many members of the public are understandably troubled that Big Tech could monitor them at an almost forensic level, gaining access to emotional, biometric and physiological data. It has not been effectively communicated how metaverse firms would mitigate these risks.

Lastly, too much money has chased some very flimsy ideas. When we are all stuck at home during lockdown, and central banks were still printing money like there was no tomorrow, it was a lot easier to imagine that virtual worlds would be the next big thing. With money tighter, and the global economy on shaky grounds, it is a lot harder.

Zuckerberg and Clegg have spent billions trying to build a virtual world, and will be relying on its valuable assets in WhatsApp and Instagram to pull through. Tech innovators sometimes think in terms of the hype cycle: the rollercoaster journey from concept to widespread adoption.

For now, it looks like huge sums of investor money have been spent on a technology whose potential has yet to be realised  and may never be.
OVERLAND PARK, KS / ACCESSWIRE / April 3, 2023 / Tortoise today announced the following unaudited balance sheet information and asset coverage ratio updates for TYG, NTG, TTP, NDP and TPZ.

Tortoise Energy Infrastructure Corp. (NYSE:TYG) today announced that as of March 31, 2023, the company's unaudited total assets were approximately $560.4 million and its unaudited net asset value was $415.8 million, or $36.70 per share.

As of March 31, 2023, the company's asset coverage ratio under the 1940 Act with respect to senior securities representing indebtedness was 532%, and its coverage ratio for preferred shares was 397%. For more information on the company's coverage ratios, please refer to the leverage summary web page at https://cef.tortoiseecofin.com.

Set forth below is a summary of the company's unaudited balance sheet at March 31, 2023.

Unaudited balance sheet



(in Millions) Per Share Investments $558.5 $49.29 Cash and Cash Equivalents 0.4 0.04 Other Assets 1.5 0.13 Total Assets 560.4 49.46

Short-Term Borrowings 32.6 2.87 Senior Notes 71.9 6.35 Preferred Stock 35.7 3.15 Total Leverage 140.2 12.37

Other Liabilities 3.0 0.27 Current Tax Liability 1.4 0.12 Net Assets $415.8 $36.70

11.33 million common shares currently outstanding.

Tortoise Midstream Energy Fund, Inc. (NYSE:NTG) today announced that as of March 31, 2023, the company's unaudited total assets were approximately $284.5 million and its unaudited net asset value was $218.5 million, or $40.76 per share.

As of March 31, 2023, the company's asset coverage ratio under the 1940 Act with respect to senior securities representing indebtedness was 592%, and its coverage ratio for preferred shares was 444%. For more information on the company's coverage ratios, please refer to the leverage summary web page at https://cef.tortoiseecofin.com.

Set forth below is a summary of the company's unaudited balance sheet at March 31, 2023.

Unaudited balance sheet



(in Millions) Per Share Investments $282.9 $52.77 Cash and Cash Equivalents 0.5 0.09 Other Assets 1.1 0.21 Total Assets 284.5 53.07

Short-Term Borrowings 15.5 2.89 Senior Notes 32.1 6.00 Preferred Stock 15.9 2.96 Total Leverage 63.5 11.85

Other Liability 1.7 0.32 Current Tax Liability 0.8 0.14 Net Assets $ 218.5 $ 40.76

5.36 million common shares currently outstanding.

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Tortoise Pipeline & Energy Fund, Inc. (NYSE:TTP) today announced that as of March 31, 2023, the company's unaudited total assets were approximately $87.4 million and its unaudited net asset value was $66.5 million, or $31.43 per share.

As of March 31, 2023, the company's asset coverage ratio under the 1940 Act with respect to senior securities representing indebtedness was 617%, and its coverage ratio for preferred shares was 430%. For more information on the company's coverage ratios, please refer to the leverage summary web page at https://cef.tortoiseecofin.com.

Set forth below is a summary of the company's unaudited balance sheet at March 31, 2023.

Unaudited balance sheet



(in Millions) Per Share Investments $86.6 $40.90 Cash and Cash Equivalents 0.3 0.15 Other Assets 0.5 0.26 Total Assets 87.4 41.31

Short-Term Borrowings 10.1 4.78 Senior Notes 3.9 1.86 Preferred Stock 6.1 2.88 Total Leverage 20.1 9.52

Other Liabilities 0.8 0.36 Net Assets $66.5 $31.43

2.12 million common shares currently outstanding.

Tortoise Energy Independence Fund, Inc. (NYSE:NDP) today announced that as of March 31, 2023, the company's unaudited total assets were approximately $67.2 million and its unaudited net asset value was $58.7 million, or $33.47 per share.

As of March 31, 2023, the company's asset coverage ratio under the 1940 Act with respect to senior securities representing indebtedness was 825%. For more information on the company's coverage ratios, please refer to the leverage summary web page at https://cef.tortoiseecofin.com.

Set forth below is a summary of the company's unaudited balance sheet at March 31, 2023.

Unaudited balance sheet



(in Millions) Per Share Investments $66.5 $37.89 Cash and Cash Equivalents 0.6 0.32 Other Assets 0.2 0.12 Total Assets 67.2 38.33

Credit Facility Borrowings 8.1 4.62

Other Liabilities 0.4 0.24 Net Assets $58.7 $33.47

1.75 million common shares currently outstanding.

Tortoise Power and Energy Infrastructure Fund, Inc. (NYSE:TPZ) today announced that as of March 31, 2023, the company's unaudited total assets were approximately $120.0 million and its unaudited net asset value was $94.6 million, or $15.26 per share.

As of March 31, 2023, the company's asset coverage ratio under the 1940 Act with respect to senior securities representing indebtedness was 485%. For more information on the company's coverage ratios, please refer to the leverage summary web page at https://cef.tortoiseecofin.com.

Set forth below is a summary of the company's unaudited balance sheet at March 31, 2023.

Unaudited balance sheet



(in Millions) Per Share Investments $118.8 $19.16 Cash and Cash Equivalents 0.3 0.06 Other Assets 0.9 0.13 Total Assets 120.0 19.35

Credit Facility Borrowings 24.6 3.97

Other Liabilities 0.8 0.12 Net Assets $94.6 $15.26

6.20 million common shares currently outstanding.

The top 10 holdings for TYG, NTG, TTP, NDP and TPZ as of the most recent month-end can be found on each fund's portfolio web page at https://cef.tortoiseecofin.com.

About Tortoise

Tortoise focuses on energy & power infrastructure and the transition to cleaner energy. Tortoise's solid track record of energy value chain investment experience and research dates back more than 20 years. As an early investor in midstream energy, Tortoise believes it is well-positioned to be at the forefront of the global energy evolution that is underway. With a steady wins approach and a long-term perspective, Tortoise strives to make a positive impact on clients and communities. To learn more, please visit www.TortoiseEcofin.com.

Tortoise Capital Advisors, L.L.C. is the adviser to Tortoise Energy Infrastructure Corp., Tortoise Midstream Energy Fund, Inc., Tortoise Pipeline & Energy Fund, Inc., Tortoise Energy Independence Fund, Inc. and Tortoise Power and Energy Infrastructure Fund, Inc.

For additional information on these funds, please visit cef.tortoiseecofin.com.

Safe harbor statement

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation to buy, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer or solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the laws of such state or jurisdiction.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains certain statements that may include "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein are "forward-looking statements." Although the funds and Tortoise Capital Advisors believe that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, they do involve assumptions, risks and uncertainties, and these expectations may prove to be incorrect. Actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of a variety of factors, including those discussed in the fund's reports that are filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. Other than as required by law, the funds and Tortoise Capital Advisors do not assume a duty to update this forward-looking statement.

Contact information

For more information contact Eva Lipner at (913) 981-1020 or info@tortoiseecofin.com.

SOURCE: Tortoise





View source version on accesswire.com:

https://www.accesswire.com/747430/Tortoise-Provides-Unaudited-Balance-Sheet-Information-and-Asset-Coverage-Ratio-Updates-as-of-March-31-2023-for-TYG-NTG-TTP-NDP-and-TPZ




Ann Arbor, Michigan --News Direct-- TransGlobal Assets, Inc.

McapMediaWire -- TransGlobal Assets Inc. (OTC:TMSH) is pleased to announce that, pursuant to an Acquisition and Merger Agreement, it has acquired Better Health Sciences, Inc.

Better Health Sciences Inc., is a pioneer in transforming the health and wellness industries through cutting-edge products and services.

Our products and services are focused on being at the forefront of the health and wellness sectors, developing technologies and solutions that are driving industry growth and transforming lives.

Led by a team of seasoned experts with deep experience in the healthcare and technology sectors, we are dedicated to creating innovative products and services that meet the evolving needs of consumers and healthcare providers alike. Attracting the attention of other industry leaders that recognize the next evolutionary steps in health and wellness has led to the acquisition, unification and strategic partnerships under the Better Health Sciences Inc., banner.

Our portfolio includes a range of products and services, from telemedicine platforms to wellness retreats and natural health remedies. Our solutions are designed to be user-friendly, affordable, and accessible to all, and are built on the latest advances in science and technology.

At Better Health Sciences, Inc., we are committed to staying ahead of the curve, anticipating trends, and driving innovation in the health and wellness industries. We are constantly exploring new ideas, building strategic partnerships, and collaborating with experts to push the boundaries of what's possible. Currently Better Health Sciences, Inc., has a customer base in excess of 5000 patients, assets in excess of 2.5 million and revenues exceeding $200,000. Our vision is to rapidly grow the company to over 5 million in assets with strategic acquisitions.

Pursuant to the agreement, Better Health Sciences, Inc., will be the sole operating subsidiary of TMSH and all current assets on TMSH will be divested. Updates to the corporate website and OTC Markets will be forthcoming over the next several weeks. Furthermore, Ilya Strashun is appointed as the Sole Director and officer of the corporation with the contemporaneous resignation of Curtis Philpot. Mr. Strashun is an accomplished entrepreneur with a deep expertise in technology, marketing, and cannabis sectors. He began his career in advertising, leveraging his degree in Technology and Marketing to design and run award-winning multi-million dollar campaigns in both the NGO and for-profit sectors.

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After a decade in advertising, Ilya decided to pursue the entrepreneurial path, founding start-ups in the tech and services sectors. His passion for innovation and cutting-edge technologies led him to enter the legal cannabis sector in 2015, where he quickly made a name for himself as a co-founder of Cannascribe, one of Canada's first and longest operating cannabis prescription clinics.

In addition to Cannascribe, Ilya has been involved with a cannabis formulations company that has created numerous leading tincture and topical formulations. Ilya has combined his expertise in growing, extracting techniques, and new technologies to help elevate the quality of products and knowledge that the company brings to the sector. Most recently Ilya has brought his knowledge and experience of the human cannabis sector and combined it with his passion for pets which focuses on product development in the pet health and wellness sector.

Throughout his career, Ilya has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to innovation and excellence, pushing the boundaries of what's possible in the advertising, technology, and cannabis sectors. His leadership, creativity, and expertise have helped drive the growth and success of numerous ventures, making him a sought after team player and captain.

Ilya Strashun, CEO of TransGlobal Assets Inc., states, I look forward to building shareholder value through established strategic relationships. With a rapidly growing customer base and a track record of success, we are poised for even greater growth and expansion in the years ahead. We are a dominant force in the cannabis industry and we invite investors to join us on this exciting journey together towards a healthier, happier future as we expand into all facets of health and wellness.

Please visit our website https://www.transglobalassets.com/ for more information about TMSH.

Legal Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements:

This press release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and is subject to the safe harbor created by those sections. This material contains statements about expected future events and/or financial results that are forward-looking in nature and subject to risks and jut uncertainties. That includes the possibility that the business outlined in this press release cannot be concluded for some reason. That could be as a result of technical, installation, permitting or other problems that were not anticipated. Such forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of TransGlobal Assets, Inc. to be materially different from the statements made herein. Except for any obligation under the U.S. federal securities laws, TransGlobal Assets, Inc. undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Contact:

TransGlobal Assets Inc. (OTC: TMSH)

Phone: (734) 383-4770

Email: info@TransGlobalAssets.net

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TMSH_OTC

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TMSHotc/

Contact Details

TransGlobal Assets Inc.

info@TransGlobalAssets.net

View source version on newsdirect.com: https://newsdirect.com/news/transglobal-assets-inc-otc-tmsh-acquires-industry-heavyweight-better-health-sciences-inc-563508235
LONDON, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Twelve years after his initial investment, Lord Alan Sugar, 76, and Susie Ma, 34, have agreed to terms that return Tropic Skincare to a 100% founder-owned company.

Tropic Skincare Founder and CEO, Susie Ma, Regains Full Ownership of the Business

Founded in 2004 by acclaimed businesswoman, Susie Ma, Tropic has today announced the buyout of 50% shareholder, Lord Sugar. One of the UK's fastest-growing businesses*, Tropic has received external funding only once in its nineteen-year history with Lord Sugar's investment of 200k in 2011.

"Twelve years after investing in Tropic Skincare, I have agreed with Susie Ma's decision to purchase back my shares and return sole ownership to her," says Lord Sugar. "Susie is a shining example of what it is to be a business owner today. When I first met Susie in 2010, I saw a unique grit and determination and it's a drive she has maintained over the years. The business she has built and led since my investment has been nothing short of remarkable. Following the company's fantastic trajectory over the last few years, it's now the right time to part ways and allow Susie the space to take the company to new heights."

As always, the business will continue operating under Susie Ma's strategic direction as CEO. Ma remains steadfast in continuing to be a force for good, championing the company's Infinite Purpose to help create a healthier, greener, more empowered world and generating company growth, both through its brand Ambassadors and direct- to-consumer.

"I will always be so grateful for the investment Lord Sugar made, and the potential he saw in Tropic Skincare with me at the helm. After founding the company at just fifteen, and spending every day since building it into the success you see today, reclaiming full ownership has always been my ambition. I am beyond excited for the infinite possibilities the future holds, and to continue making a positive impact on the planet with our natural, freshly made formulations and inspiring Ambassadors," says Susie.

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The 34-year-old is looking forward to raising brand awareness, with the launch of a new website, refreshed branding and expansion of Tropic's product offering. It will continue putting its Ambassadors' and customers' experience at the forefront, to establish Tropic Skincare as a natural, clinically effective and planet-positive leader within the global beauty industry.

Ma adds: "I am immensely proud of Tropic. From market stall beginnings to a model that empowers 20,000 Ambassadors to run their own beauty businesses, it has been an extraordinary journey so far. I can't wait to continue driving the business forward alongside my outstanding HQ team, working together to reshape the industry with multi-award-winning products that are both ethical and effective."

[BRAND BIO] Tropic began in 2004, when founder and CEO, Susie Ma  inspired by her medicinal chemist and toxicologist grandma's tropical body scrub recipe  sold jam jars of the scrub at Greenwich Market to help her mum pay the bills. Now, the company is a multi-award-winning business with millions of customers, and has been recognised six-years in a row as one of The Sunday Times Hundred fastest-growing private companies. It sells over 400 products, employs over 300 people directly and empowers over 20,000 as brand Ambassadors who run their own businesses selling the products on commission. Despite this growth, Tropic's principles have never changed: it still uses the finest tropical ingredients for real results; freshly makes 98% of its products in-house at its Surrey HQ; and aims to be a force for good beyond beauty, with 10% of profits donated to charities and good causes across the globe.

*The Sunday Times Hundred 2022  Britain's Fastest-Growing Private Companies

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FILE PHOTO: A telecom antenna of Spains telecom infrastructure company Cellnex is seen in Madrid

MADRID (Reuters) -Europe's largest mobile phone tower operator Cellnex said on Tuesday two of its board members have resigned following pressure on the company's management from its largest shareholder, activist fund TCI.

Former board chairman Bertrand Boudewijn Kan and Leonard Peter Shore, both independent directors, quit with immediate effect, citing "irreconcilable differences with the board in relation to the management, governance and succession process of the company", the Spanish company said.

The removal of both Kan and Shore - board members since 2015 - had been requested on March 23 by Christopher Hohn who runs TCI and argued the search for a new Cellnex chief executive under way had "been mishandled by the board and resulted in insufficient progress".

Cellnex announced last week that Kan was stepping down as non-executive chairman but remained a board member. He was replaced by board member Anne Bouverot as non-executive chair.

TCI has become Cellnex's largest shareholder with a 9% stake, including 5.9% in derivatives, surpassing Italian group Edizione.

In his letter to the company last month, Hohn requested that TCI's representative Jonathan Amouyal be included on the board.

In its statement on Tuesday, Cellnex did not say who would replace the outgoing board members.

The Barcelona-based group announced in January that its chief executive Tobias Martinez would step down in June after it embarked on a strategy shift away from acquisitions to focus on reducing its debt.

Reuters reported last week that Cellnex was close to hiring an adviser to help tackle demands made by TCI, sources with knowledge of the discussions said.

BNP Paribas SA, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and JPMorgan Chase & Co., which have advised the company in the past, are contenders for the role, the people said, requesting anonymity given the sensitivity of the matter.

(Reporting by Inti Landauro, Joan Faus and Andres Gonzalez, Editing by Louise Heavens and Susan Fenton)
U.S. airline loyalty programs can provide buffer from possible recession FILE PHOTO: An American Airlines aircraft lands at Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Virginia

By Rajesh Kumar Singh

CHICAGO (Reuters) - U.S. airlines relied on loyalty programs for revenue during the pandemic, and industry executives and experts said income from them should hold up if the economy slips into a recession.

Launched more than four decades ago to build airline brand loyalty, the programs have become a cash-generator for carriers through sale of miles to third-party partners, mostly credit card-issuing banks that award the miles to their own customers. The more customers spend, the more miles they earn and the more partners pay to airlines.

Non-flying activities now account for more than half of all miles earned in major loyalty programs, noted Evert de Boer, managing partner at consulting firm On Point Loyalty, making airlines more resilient to economic swings.

The share of revenue generated by loyalty programs shot up to 16% in 2021 from about 12% in 2019 at the big five U.S. carriers - Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, United Airlines, Southwest Airlines and Alaska Airlines, according to data from consultancy IdeaWorksCompany.

People curtailed flying during the pandemic, but still spent on airline loyalty credit cards, said JetBlue vice president Chris Buckner.

He and other executives expect that trend to continue if a slowing economy cuts travel demand.

"Credit card spending isn't going away," Southwest Airlines vice president Jonathan Clarkson said.

Delta generated $5.7 billion in cash sales last year from American Express and other partners - equal to 14% of 2022 passenger revenue, according to Reuters calculations.

Similarly, American Airline received $4.5 billion in cash payments from its partners including Citi and Barclays - equivalent to 10% of passenger revenue.

Carriers are trying to generate even more cash from these programs by signing up new partnerships.

United has partnered with companies like anti-virus software provider Norton and home security firm SimpliSafe. Alaska is awarding 50,000 miles to customers for securing housing loans from a mortgage company. JetBlue has teamed up with luggage companies.

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Delta has partnerships with Starbucks and grocery delivery company Instacart among others.

Airline loyalty programs are also highly profitable.

A study by Frankie O'Connell, a professor of air transport management at the University of Surrey in England, has found the return on invested capital from these programs for American, United and Delta is more than 60%, far higher than a 5% return on their overall business.

"It's a goldmine of reoccurring revenues for little or no effort," O'Connell said.

(Reporting by Rajesh Kumar Singh; editing by Ben Klayman and David Gregorio)
FILE PHOTO: Buildings of Swiss banks UBS and Credit Suisse are seen on the Paradeplatz in Zurich

By Foo Yun Chee

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - UBS has secured a temporary green light from EU antitrust regulators to complete its acquisition of Credit Suisse but will still have to request clearance under EU merger rules, the European Commission said on Tuesday.

UBS came to Credit Suisse's rescue last month with a merger engineered and bankrolled by the Swiss authorities.

According to European Union merger rules, companies can only complete deals after securing EU antitrust approval or face fines as much as 10% of their aggregate turnover.

The EU antitrust enforcer said the Swiss banks had asked for an exemption from this standstill obligation.

"Upon request of UBS and Credit Suisse, the Commission has granted a derogation from the standstill obligation on the basis of Article 7(3) of the EU Merger Regulation," the Commission said in an email to Reuters.

"The Commission found that the requirements for a derogation were met and therefore it approved on 4 April 2023 the derogation request subject to conditions."

The banks have yet to formally put in a request for EU approval of their deal. Such an application would kick off a 25-working day preliminary review of the transaction.

(Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; Editing by Mark Potter)
(Reuters) - Lockheed Martin Corp and BAE Systems Plc won a F-35 jet maintenance support contract worth 161 million pounds ($200 million), creating 140 jobs in Britain, the country's Ministry of Defence said on Tuesday.

The contract was signed by the U.S. Joint Program Office and Lockheed Martin as F-35 prime contractor, with BAE Systems to carry out the work as a sub-contractor, the government said in a statement.

Of the 140 jobs, 130 jobs will be based at the Norfolk base and around 10 jobs more would be created through the supply chain, the statement added.

($1 = 0.8053 pounds)

(Reporting by Anirudh Saligrama in Bengaluru; Editing by Himani Sarkar)
SkyQuest Technology Consulting Pvt. Ltd.

SkyQuest's Medical Digital Imaging System market report is excellent information for individuals interested in gaining insight into the valuable data, trends, and opportunities in a rapidly growing industry. Additionally, the report is written clearly and concisely, making it accessible to various audiences, from industry experts to market readers. Finally, one can gain an in-depth understanding of the primary and secondary market drivers, providing them with a comprehensive outlook of the current market situation and future projections.

Westford USA, April 03, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Medical Digital Imaging System market is projected to reach USD 30.44 billion by 2030, with a CAGR of 8.1% over the forecast period (2022-2030). The market's growth is fueled by factors such as increasing technological advancements, growing chronic diseases, an aging population, government initiatives, and rising healthcare expenditures. According to a report by SkyQuest, AI has the potential to improve the accuracy of medical imaging diagnoses by up to 30% and reduce the time it takes to read scans by up to 50%, thereby revolutionizing the industry by improving accuracy, reducing scan times, and increasing diagnostic confidence.

SkyQuest's latest global research findings reveal that radiologists believe that AI will significantly impact their field. About 55% of respondents said AI would improve patient care, and 85% said AI would change their workflow. AI-powered tools have enabled radiologists to detect and diagnose health conditions more accurately and quickly, leading to better patient outcomes. Additionally, government initiatives are also helping in the growth of the market. For instance, in India, the government has launched the National Digital Health Mission (NDHM) to provide affordable healthcare to citizens. The mission aims to establish a digital infrastructure for healthcare services, including medical imaging centers, to enable the secure sharing of health information between healthcare providers.

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Browse in-depth TOC on "Medical Digital Imaging System Market"

Pages - 242

Tables - 65

Figures - 67

Medical digital imaging centers are vital in modern healthcare as they offer non-invasive and precise diagnostic tools that aid medical professionals in disease detection and treatment. By enabling accurate diagnoses and reducing invasive procedures, these centers aid doctors develop effective treatment plans.

Prominent Players in Medical Digital Imaging System Market

Siemens Healthineers

GE Healthcare

Canon Medical Systems Corporation

Koninklijke Philips N.V.

Fujifilm Holdings Corporation

Hologic Inc.

Shimadzu Corporation

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

Hitachi Medical Corporation

Agfa-Gevaert Group

Carestream Health

Esaote SpA

Mindray Medical International Limited

Analogic Corporation

Stryker Corporation

Varian Medical Systems, Inc.

Ziehm Imaging GmbH

Planmed Oy

Allengers Medical Systems Limited

Neusoft Medical Systems Co., Ltd.

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Diagnostic Centres, and Hospitals Segment to Drive Higher Sales as there is Rising Demand for Advanced Imaging Techniques

According to a recent analysis, the Main Landing Gear segment emerged as a significant contributor to the rapid development of the Medical Digital Imaging System market in 2021. This trend is expected to continue from 2022 to 2030 due to the increasing number of chronic diseases, the need for early and accurate diagnosis, and the rising demand for advanced imaging techniques. Additionally, a report by SkyQuest, found that the adoption of digital imaging technologies in hospitals and diagnostic centers is expected to grow by over 10% annually.

SkyQuest's research analysis predicts that North America will emerge as a dominant player in the Medical Digital Imaging System market from 2022 to 2030, with a projected CAGR of 5.82%. Various factors fuel the region's growth, such as the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases, technological advancements, and government initiatives. For instance, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in the United States have implemented reimbursement policies to promote the use of diagnostic imaging in medical practices, contributing to market growth in the region.

Browse summary of the report and Complete Table of Contents (ToC):

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X-ray imaging systems Segment to Exhibit Strong Growth due to the Increasing Prevalence of Diseases

From 2022 to 2030, the X-ray imaging systems segment is projected to maintain its lead in the Medical Digital Imaging System market, as per the recent analysis. The segment emerged as the dominant method in 2021, with the increasing prevalence of cardiovascular, respiratory, and gastrointestinal disorders driving the demand for X-ray imaging systems. Furthermore, the rising demand for minimally invasive procedures supports the market's growth. Technological advancements, such as portable and wireless X-ray devices, are expected to expand the segment further.

SkyQuest's research suggests that the Asia Pacific region is also a major player in the Medical Digital Imaging System market. It is expected to maintain its position as a market leader through 2030. The region is projected to grow at a CAGR of 7.97% during the forecast period, primarily driven by the increasing demand for better healthcare infrastructure, government support for developing medical imaging systems, and the growing geriatric population. Initiatives by the Indian government, such as the National Health Stack and the National Medical College Network, aim to improve access to medical imaging services by establishing a digital infrastructure for healthcare services and connecting medical colleges and hospitals nationwide.

A comprehensive analysis of the major players in the Medical Digital Imaging System market has been recently conducted in a report. The report encompasses various aspects, including collaborations, mergers, innovative business policies, and strategies, providing valuable insights into key trends and breakthroughs in the market. Furthermore, the report scrutinizes the market share of the top segments and presents a detailed geographic analysis. Lastly, the report highlights the major players in the industry and their endeavors to develop innovative solutions to cater to the growing demand.

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Key Developments in Medical Digital Imaging System Market

Bayer recently acquired Blackford Analysis Ltd, a global provider of strategic imaging AI platforms and solutions, to promote innovation in radiology. Bayer aims to incorporate AI into clinical workflow to improve patient care and enhance their position in digital medical imaging.

Recently, Israeli imaging firm Nanox declared the successful completion of its merger with Zebra Medical Vision, now renamed as Nanox.AI, for a sum of approximately $110 million in stocks. Additionally, the firm has acquired teleradiology service provider USARAD Holdings and its connected company MDWEB for around $20 million in stocks and cash, with the potential to earn up to $10 million more based on performance. The acquisition of these companies is expected to expand Nanox's capabilities in radiology, while the company's focus remains on improving patient outcomes through innovative imaging technology.

Key Questions Answered in Medical Digital Imaging System Market Report

What specific growth drivers are projected to impact the market during the forecast period?

Can you list the top companies in the market and explain how they have achieved their positions of influence?

In what ways do regional trends and patterns differ within the global market, and how might these differences shape the market's future growth?

Related Reports in SkyQuests Library:

Global Healthcare Data Interchange (EDI) Market

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NEW YORK, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The global urticaria drugs market size is estimated to grow by USD 1.31 billion from 2021 to 2026, according to Technavio. The market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 10.35% during the forecast period. Factors such as the growth in the incidence of urticaria, guidelines for the management of urticaria patients, and growing approval of the drugs for urticaria will drive market growth. However, challenges such as the social stigma associated with urticaria may impede market growth. For more insights on the forecast market size (2021 to 2026) - Request a sample report

Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Urticaria Drugs Market 2022-2026

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Urticaria Drugs Market  Market Dynamics

Key factor driving market growth

The increase in the incidence of urticaria is one of the drivers supporting the urticaria drug market growth.

Urticaria is a widely prevalent disorder, which results in high medical consultations globally. It negatively impacts the quality of life of people, and most patients are undertreated due to challenges in the affordability of drugs and low access to healthcare due to social stigma.

Furthermore, the increasing incidence of allergic disorders and infections is also a major risk factor for the incidence of urticaria globally.

The patients are highly immunocompromised, resulting in the release of mast cells and histamines, which causes hives.

Hence, the associated risks will fuel the urticaria drugs market growth during the forecast period.

Leading trends influencing the market

The introduction of biologics for the treatment of urticaria is one of the urticaria drug market trends that is contributing to the market growth.

An unmet need for disease-modifying biologics for the treatment of urticaria has been observed, resulting in extensive research centered on the evaluation of safety and efficacy, mechanism of action, and dosing of biologics like XOLAIR (omalizumab), rituximab, and intravenous immunoglobulin for urticaria.

Furthermore, various controlled studies demonstrated that XOLAIR could be employed successfully in approximately 75% of patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria, leading to a significant decrement in symptoms with very few side effects.

Hence, such initiatives are expected to drive the urticaria drugs market growth during the forecast period.

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Major challenges hindering the market growth

The social stigma associated with urticaria is a factor hindering the urticaria drug market growth during the forecast period.

Urticaria condition is a chronic dermatological condition often associated with social stigma, and the level of stigmatization may also change based on geography.

Some countries have low awareness of dermatological conditions.

Moreover, sometimes dealing with social stigma may lead to mood disorders such as anxiety, depression, and stress, which may negatively impact the quality of life of the patient.

Hence, life-threatening social stigmas will hamper the urticaria drugs market growth during the forecast period.

Insights on market drivers, trends, & challenges and forecast period (2021 to 2026) - Request a sample report!

Urticaria Drugs Market - Vendor Analysis

Vendor landscape - The global urticaria drugs market is characterized by the presence of vendors of varying sizes offering several products. This has a two-pronged impact on the market. Allakos Inc., Amneal Pharmaceuticals Inc., Aurobindo Pharma Ltd., Bayer AG, F. Hoffmann La Roche Ltd., Genentech Inc., GlaxoSmithKline Plc, Johnson and Johnson, Meiji Holdings Co. Ltd., Novartis AG, Otsuka Holdings Co. Ltd., Sanofi, TerSera Therapeutics LLC, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., United BioPharma Inc., and Viatris Inc. are some of the major vendors in the market.

Vendor Offerings

Allakos Inc. - The company offers Urticaria drugs that minimize the release of mediators throughout the allergic inflammatory cascade.

Genentech Inc. - The company offers Urticaria drugs designed to target and block immunoglobulin E used for treating chronic urticaria and asthma patients.

F. Hoffmann La Roche Ltd. - The company offers Urticaria drugs that are indicated for the treatment of acute urticaria in adults and children 6 months of age and older.

Urticaria Drugs Market - Segmentation Assessment

Segment Overview

Technavio has segmented the market based on application (acute urticaria and chronic urticaria) and geography (North America, Europe, Asia, and the Rest of the World (ROW)).

The market share growth by the acute urticaria segment will be significant during the forecast period. Acute urticaria is more common than chronic urticaria, as it mostly occurs due to associated allergies, post-viral illnesses, etc. They last less than six weeks and may be managed by antihistamines. Hence, the acute urticaria segment of the global urticaria drugs market is expected to witness accelerating growth in the forecast period. The incidence of acute urticaria is rising owing to the increased prevalence of allergic diseases worldwide.

Geography Overview

The report provides actionable insights and estimates the contribution of all regions to the growth of the global urticaria drugs market.

North America is estimated to account for 41% of the market growth during the forecast period. Market growth in this region will be faster than the growth of the market in other regions. The US and Canada are the key markets for the urticaria drugs market in the region. Around 1.5 million individuals in the US develop chronic idiopathic urticaria at some point in their life. Thus, the rising incidence of urticaria and the unmet demand for safe and effective urticaria drugs will facilitate the urticaria drug market growth in the region.

Insights on the market contribution of various segments including country and region wise, and forecast market size (2021 to 2026) - Download a Sample Report

What are the key data covered in this Urticaria Drugs Market report?

CAGR of the market during the forecast period

Detailed information on factors that will drive the growth of the urticaria drugs market between 2022 and 2026

Precise estimation of the size of the urticaria drugs market and its contribution the parent market

Accurate predictions about upcoming trends and changes in consumer behavior

Growth of the urticaria drugs market across North America, Europe, Asia, and Rest of World (ROW)

A thorough analysis of the market's competitive landscape and detailed information about vendors

Comprehensive analysis of factors that will challenge the growth of urticaria drugs market vendors

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The bronchiectasis drugs market size is expected to increase by USD 276.16 million from 2021 to 2026, and the market's growth momentum will accelerate at a CAGR of 9.31%. This report extensively covers the bronchiectasis drugs market segmentation by product (antibiotics, expectorants, and others) and geography (North America, Europe, Asia, and the Rest of the World (ROW)). The growing prevalence of associated risk factors is a key factor driving the global bronchiectasis drugs market growth.

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Urticaria Drugs Market Scope Report Coverage Details Base year 2021 Forecast period 2022-2026 Growth momentum & CAGR Accelerate at a CAGR of 10.35% Market growth 2022-2026 USD 1.31 billion Market structure Fragmented YoY growth 2021-2022 (%) 9.75 Regional analysis North America, Europe, Asia, and Rest of World (ROW) Performing market contribution North America at 41% Key countries US, Canada, Germany, UK, and China Competitive landscape Leading Vendors, Market Positioning of Vendors, Competitive Strategies, and Industry Risks Key companies profiled Allakos Inc., Amneal Pharmaceuticals Inc., Aurobindo Pharma Ltd., Bayer AG, F. Hoffmann La Roche Ltd., Genentech Inc., GlaxoSmithKline Plc, Johnson and Johnson, Meiji Holdings Co. Ltd., Novartis AG, Otsuka Holdings Co. Ltd., Sanofi, TerSera Therapeutics LLC, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., United BioPharma Inc., and Viatris 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 the forecast period Customization purview If our report has not included the data that you are looking for, you can reach out to our analysts and get segments customized.

Browse for Technavio's Health Care Market Reports

Table of Contents

1 Executive Summary

1.1 Market overview

2 Market Landscape

2.1 Market ecosystem

3 Market Sizing

3.1 Market definition

3.2 Market segment analysis

3.3 Market size 2021

3.4 Market outlook: Forecast for 2021-2026

4 Five Forces Analysis

4.1 Five forces summary

4.2 Bargaining power of buyers

4.3 Bargaining power of suppliers

4.4 Threat of new entrants

4.5 Threat of substitutes

4.6 Threat of rivalry

4.7 Market condition

5 Market Segmentation by Application

5.1 Market segments

5.2 Comparison by Application

5.3 Acute urticaria - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

5.4 Chronic urticaria - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

5.5 Market opportunity by Application

6 Customer Landscape

6.1 Customer landscape overview

7 Geographic Landscape

7.1 Geographic segmentation

7.2 Geographic comparison

7.3 North America - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

7.4 Europe - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

7.5 Asia - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

7.6 Rest of World (ROW) - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

7.7 US - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

7.8 Germany - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

7.9 UK - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

7.10 China - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

7.11 Canada - Market size and forecast 2021-2026

7.12 Market opportunity by geography

8 Drivers, Challenges, and Trends

8.1 Market drivers

8.2 Market challenges

8.3 Impact of drivers and challenges

8.4 Market trends

9 Vendor Landscape

9.1 Overview

9.2 Vendor landscape

9.3 Landscape disruption

9.4 Industry risks

10 Vendor Analysis

10.1 Vendors covered

10.2 Market positioning of vendors

10.3 Allakos Inc.

10.4 F. Hoffmann La Roche Ltd.

10.5 Genentech Inc.

10.6 GlaxoSmithKline Plc

10.7 Meiji Holdings Co. Ltd.

10.8 Novartis AG

10.9 Otsuka Holdings Co. Ltd.

10.10 Sanofi

10.11 TerSera Therapeutics LLC

10.12 United BioPharma Inc.

11 Appendix

11.1 Scope of the report

11.2 Inclusions and exclusions checklist

11.3 Currency conversion rates for US$

11.4 Research methodology

11.5 List of abbreviations

About Us

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Global Urticaria Drugs Market 2022-2026

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SOURCE Technavio
Februarys 4.4% year-over-year home price growth was the lowest since before the pandemic

Seven states and one district posted home price declines year over year, most located in the Western U.S.

IRVINE, Calif., April 04, 2023--(BUSINESS WIRE)--CoreLogic, a leading global property information, analytics and data-enabled solutions provider, today released the CoreLogic Home Price Index (HPI) and HPI Forecast for February 2023.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230404005417/en/

Figure 1: HPI & HPI Forecast % Change YOY (Graphic: Business Wire)

While annual U.S home price growth rose for the 133rd straight month in February, the 4.4% increase was the lowest recorded since 2019. Eight states and districts recorded annual home price losses, with much of the depreciation seen in the relatively expensive Western U.S., including California, Idaho, Oregon, Washington and Utah.

Tech company layoffs have likely affected housing demand on the West Coast, However, as noted in the latest CoreLogic S&P Case-Shiller Index, home prices gains are holding steady in some large East Coast metros, as workers return to offices and buyer demand renews in areas that saw relatively less appreciation during the pandemic. Areas in the Southern U.S. are also holding up well given current market conditions.

"The divergence in home price changes across the U.S. reflects a tale of two housing markets," said Selma Hepp, chief economist at CoreLogic. "Declines in the West are due to the tech industry slowdown and a severe lack of affordability after decades of undersupply. The consistent gains in the Southeast and South reflect strong job markets, in-migration patterns and relative affordability due to new home construction."

"But while housing market challenges remain, particularly in light of mortgage rate volatility and the ongoing banking turmoil," Hepp continued, "pent-up homebuyer demand is responding favorably to lower rates in many markets. This trend holds true even in the West, leading to a solid monthly gain in home prices in February. U.S. home prices rose by 0.8% in February, double the month-over-month increase historically seen and indicating that prices in most markets have already bottomed out."

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Top Takeaways:

U.S. home prices (including distressed sales) increased by 4.4% year over year in February 2023 compared to February 2022. On a month-over-month basis, home prices increased by 0.8% compared with January 2023.

In February, the annual appreciation of attached properties (5.4%) was 1.4 percentage points higher than that of detached properties (4%).

CoreLogic forecasts show annual U.S. home price gains slowing to 3.7% by February 2024.

Miami posted the highest year-over-year home price increase of the country's 20 tracked metro areas in February, at 15.6%, while Tampa, Florida continued to rank second at 9.3%.

Florida and Maine recorded the highest annual home price gains, 11.3% and 10.3%, respectively. South Carolina posted the third-highest growth, with a 9.2% year-over-year increase. Eight states and districts recorded annual losses: Washington (-4.9%), Montana (-3.1%), Nevada (-1.7%), Idaho (-1.6%), Utah (-1.6%), California (-1.5%), Washington, D.C. (-1.2%) and Oregon (-0.7%),

The next CoreLogic HPI press release, featuring March 2023 data, will be issued on May 2, 2023, at 8 a.m. EDT.

Methodology

The CoreLogic HPI is built on industry-leading public record, servicing and securities real-estate databases and incorporates more than 45 years of repeat-sales transactions for analyzing home price trends. Generally released on the first Tuesday of each month with an average five-week lag, the CoreLogic HPI is designed to provide an early indication of home price trends by market segment and for the Single-Family Combined tier, representing the most comprehensive set of properties, including all sales for single-family attached and single-family detached properties. The indices are fully revised with each release and employ techniques to signal turning points sooner. The CoreLogic HPI provides measures for multiple market segments, referred to as tiers, based on property type, price, time between sales, loan type (conforming vs. non-conforming) and distressed sales. Broad national coverage is available from the national level down to ZIP Code, including non-disclosure states.

CoreLogic HPI Forecasts are based on a two-stage, error-correction econometric model that combines the equilibrium home priceas a function of real disposable income per capitawith short-run fluctuations caused by market momentum, mean-reversion, and exogenous economic shocks like changes in the unemployment rate. With a 30-year forecast horizon, CoreLogic HPI Forecasts project CoreLogic HPI levels for two tiers  Single-Family Combined (both attached and detached) and Single-Family Combined Excluding Distressed Sales. As a companion to the CoreLogic HPI Forecasts, Stress-Testing Scenarios align with Comprehensive Capital Analysis and Review (CCAR) national scenarios to project five years of home prices under baseline, adverse and severely adverse scenarios at state, metropolitan areas and ZIP Code levels. The forecast accuracy represents a 95% statistical confidence interval with a +/- 2% margin of error for the index.

About Market Risk Indicators

Market Risk Indicators are a subscription-based analytics solution that provide monthly updates on the overall health of housing markets across the country. CoreLogic data scientists combine world-class analytics with detailed economic and housing data to help determine the likelihood of a housing bubble burst in 392 major metros and all 50 states. Market Risk Indicators is a multi-phase regression model that provides a probability score (from 1 to 100) on the likelihood of two scenarios per metro: a >10% price reduction and a  10% price reduction. The higher the score, the higher the risk of a price reduction.

About the Market Condition Indicators

As part of the CoreLogic HPI and HPI Forecasts offerings, Market Condition Indicators are available for all metropolitan areas and identify individual markets as overvalued, at value or undervalued. These indicators are derived from the long-term fundamental values, which are a function of real disposable income per capita. Markets are labeled as overvalued if the current home price indexes exceed their long-term values by greater than 10% and undervalued where the long-term values exceed the index levels by greater than 10%.

Source: CoreLogic

The data provided are for use only by the primary recipient or the primary recipient's publication or broadcast. This data may not be resold, republished or licensed to any other source, including publications and sources owned by the primary recipient's parent company without prior written permission from CoreLogic. Any CoreLogic data used for publication or broadcast, in whole or in part, must be sourced as coming from CoreLogic, a data and analytics company. For use with broadcast or web content, the citation must directly accompany first reference of the data. If the data are illustrated with maps, charts, graphs or other visual elements, the CoreLogic logo must be included on screen or website. For questions, analysis or interpretation of the data, contact Robin Wachner at newsmedia@corelogic.com. For sales inquiries, visit https://www.corelogic.com/support/sales-contact/. Data provided may not be modified without the prior written permission of CoreLogic. Do not use the data in any unlawful manner. The data are compiled from public records, contributory databases and proprietary analytics, and its accuracy is dependent upon these sources.

About CoreLogic

CoreLogic is a leading global property information, analytics and data-enabled solutions provider. The company's combined data from public, contributory and proprietary sources includes over 4.5 billion records spanning more than 50 years, providing detailed coverage of property, mortgages and other encumbrances, consumer credit, tenancy, location, hazard risk and related performance information. The markets CoreLogic serves include real estate and mortgage finance, insurance, capital markets, and the public sector. CoreLogic delivers value to clients through unique data, analytics, workflow technology, advisory and managed services. Clients rely on CoreLogic to help identify and manage growth opportunities, improve performance and mitigate risk. Headquartered in Irvine, Calif., CoreLogic operates in North America, Western Europe and Asia Pacific. For more information, please visit www.corelogic.com.

CORELOGIC, the CoreLogic logo, CoreLogic HPI and CoreLogic HPI Forecast are trademarks of CoreLogic, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230404005417/en/

Contacts

Media Contact:

Robin Wachner

newsmedia@corelogic.com

Sales Contact:

https://www.corelogic.com/support/sales-contact/
US Representative Kevin McCarthy, the House speaker, will host a bipartisan meeting with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen on Wednesday, his office announced on Monday.

They will be joined by other members of Congress at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California, near Los Angeles, the office said.

Tsai's trip to Los Angeles is part of her way back to Taiwan after a three-day visit to Belize that began on Sunday.

Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team.

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen delivering a speech to the National Assembly Chamber in Belmopan, Belize, on Monday. Photo: Belize Government / AFP alt=Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen delivering a speech to the National Assembly Chamber in Belmopan, Belize, on Monday. Photo: Belize Government / AFP>

The Taiwanese leader started her tour in New York on Wednesday, en route to Guatemala, the only other Central American country apart from Belize that maintains diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Honduras severed diplomatic ties and established them with Beijing on March 26.

Beijing regards Taiwan, a self-ruled island, as a rogue province to be united with the mainland eventually, by force if necessary. Few countries, including the US, recognise Taiwan as an independent state.

Under official US policy, Washington does not recognise Beijing's claim of sovereignty over Taiwan but "acknowledges" that it exists.

Ahead of Tsai's trip, Beijing said it would "resolutely hit back" if a planned meeting between Tsai and McCarthy proceeded.

On Monday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning reiterated that China strongly opposed "any form of official interaction and contact between the US side and Taiwan authorities".

US officials have maintained that Tsai's transits in the US are consistent with long-standing US practice.

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Tsai has made stopovers in the US six times since becoming the Taiwanese leader in 2016, and has met with members of Congress on previous trips.

McCarthy's predecessor as House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, visited Taipei in August. In response, Beijing ran live-fire military drills around the island and suspended numerous dialogue and cooperation mechanisms with the US.

While Tsai's plan to meet McCarthy in California is seen as a way reduce the chances of a similar response by Beijing, the House speaker has said that a meeting with her on US soil would not preclude a visit to Taiwan in the future.

While in New York last week, Tsai accepted a global leadership award from the Hudson Institute at an event in New York.

The same day, she had meetings with Representative Hakeem Jeffries, the House Democratic leader; Laura Rosenberger, the chair of the American Institute in Taiwan, the island's de facto US embassy; and UN representatives of countries that retain diplomatic relations with Taipei.

On Friday, Senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi, the senior Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said that Representative Mike Gallagher intends to be among those meeting Tsai in California.

Gallagher, the Wisconsin Republican who leads the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, will reportedly head a bipartisan delegation of about 10 committee members to California this week.

The trip, coming as the committee is trying to elevate China to the forefront of public debate, is broadly aimed at understanding how the Chinese Communist Party attempts to influence different segments of American society.

The lawmakers' three days in California will also feature meetings with military experts including former US Defence Secretary James Mattis and top executives at Disney, Apple, Alphabet, Palantir and Microsoft, Axios reported. Apple CEO Tim Cook, who just returned from a trip to China, will participate, it said.

This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright  2023 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

Copyright (c) 2023. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
W&T Offshore, Inc.

HOUSTON, April 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- W&T Offshore, Inc. (NYSE: WTI) (W&T or the Company) today announced that the Company was the apparent high bidder on two blocks in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) Lease Sale 259 held by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) on March 29, 2023.



Lease Sale 259

W&T was the apparent high bidder in the most recent GOM lease sale on two shallow water blocks, Eugene Island South Addition block 371 and Eugene Island South Addition block 387. These two blocks cover a total of approximately 10,000 gross acres. If awarded, the Company will pay approximately $340,000 in total for the awarded leases combined, which reflects a 100% working interest in the acreage. The blocks have a lease term of five years and an 18.75% royalty. Despite submitting the apparent high bid on these leases, the BOEM reserves the right not to award the blocks based on their minimum bidding criteria. W&T expects to receive the final award results over the next 90 days.

Tracy W. Krohn, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, stated, We appreciate the opportunity to once again bid on blocks in the GOM and will continue to invest in this outstanding basin where our extensive experience and track record of success differentiates W&T. We look forward to utilizing our properties and infrastructure to maximize opportunities in the GOM for many years to come.

About W&T Offshore

W&T Offshore, Inc. is an independent oil and natural gas producer, active in the exploration, development and acquisition of oil and natural gas properties in the Gulf of Mexico. As of December 31, 2022, the Company holds working interests in 47 offshore fields in federal and state waters (45 fields producing and two fields capable of producing, which include 39 fields in federal waters and eight in state waters). The Company currently has under lease approximately 625,000 gross acres (457,000 net acres) spanning across the outer continental shelf off the coasts of Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi and Alabama, with approximately 8,000 gross acres in Alabama State waters, 458,000 gross acres on the conventional shelf and approximately 159,000 gross acres in the deepwater. A majority of the Companys daily production is derived from wells it operates. For more information on W&T, please visit the Companys website at www.wtoffshore.com.

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CONTACT: Al Petrie

Investor Relations Coordinator

investorrelations@wtoffshore.com

713-297-8024 Janet Yang

Executive Vice President and CFO

jyang@wtoffshore.com

713-626-8525




Trusted Name in Drain and Sewer Services Set to Support Local Property Managers, Contractors, Plumbers & Homeowners with 24/7, 365 Drainage Solutions

BOISE, Idaho, April 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Zoom Drain  a leading operator of drain and sewer services  is set to open its newest franchise in Boise on April 3. Located at 601 E 44th St. Unit 4, Garden City, Zoom Drain of Boise will proudly serve the surrounding areas. This is the first Zoom Drain franchise location in Idaho, with 42 total locations nationwide.

Zoom Drain (PRNewsfoto/Zoom Drain)

The owner of the new location is Todd Hager, who has lived in the Boise community with his family for five years. Hager spent the bulk of his career in sales and has experience with companies of all sizes. While Hager enjoyed his time in the sales world, he never felt like he had anything of his own and was interested in becoming his own boss. After graduating from Warner Pacific College, where he received a Bachelor's in Business Administration, Hager researched different business ownership opportunities and found Zoom Drain, an appealing dirty job, and knew it was the right choice.

"My family and I have fallen in love with Boise and we are so grateful to be able to bring this essential service to our community," said Todd Hager, owner of Zoom Drain of Boise. "What I really enjoy about Zoom Drain is aiding people at perhaps the worst moment of their day or week. We have an opportunity to come into a bad situation and leave that homeowner or business owner better off, knowing that their problem has been taken care of properly  that's special!"

Zoom Drain provides around the clock residential and commercial service centering on drain and sewer cleaning, sewer pipe video inspections, grease trap maintenance and much more. From clogged sinks and bathtubs to main sewer line blockages, Zoom Drain utilizes five different drain cleaning machines and a custom hydro-jetter to tackle any sewage issue that arises. Customers include commercial property managers, contractors, plumbers and homeowners in need of immediate solutions to drain and sewage issues.

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Zoom Drain prides itself on always providing swift, dependable service by expertly-trained specialists for both emergency and planned maintenance service needs  everything that has to do with wastewater management. Zoom Drain is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year and there's never any additional cost for "off hours" service such as nights, weekends, or even holidays.

"We are thrilled to have Todd Hager join the Zoom Drain team and bring their expert services to Boise," said Jim Criniti, CEO of Zoom Drain. "Drain and sewer emergencies are a nightmare for anyone, so offering skilled and reliable services to the Boise community is a priority for us and we're looking forward to growing our brand in the area and beyond."

To learn more about Zoom Drain, visit https://www.zoomdrain.com/

About ZOOM DRAIN:

Zoom Drain is an operator and franchisor of drain and sewer services, focusing on repair, maintenance and installation  everything "below the drain." If it deals with wastewater, Zoom Drain deals with it, providing expertly-trained specialists to respond to both emergency service and planned maintenance, cleaning more drains in a year than most plumbers clean in their career. Headquartered in Philadelphia, Zoom Drain currently has 42 locations across the U.S and continues to grow! For more information about, please visit https://www.zoomdrain.com/.

Media Contact:

Jessica Watson,

Fishman Public Relations,

jwatson@fishmanpr.com or 847-945-1300

Cision

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/zoom-drain-opens-first-franchise-location-in-idaho-301789066.html

SOURCE Zoom Drain
Washington will focus its attention on the Manhattan District Court this week, but that's not all that's happening.

Here are three stories to watch this week in business and politics:

Trump arraignment

Former President Trump will be arraigned on Tuesday in Manhattan for alleged crimes committed connected to hush money payments for adult film actress Stormy Daniels.

Trump, who is the early frontrunner for the Republican 2024 presidential nomination, is the first sitting or former president to be indicted. His 2024 political campaign has argued that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is acting politically.

Former U.S. President Donald Trump arrives at Trump Tower, after his indictment by a Manhattan grand jury following a probe into hush money paid to porn star Stormy Daniels, in New York City, U.S April 3, 2023. REUTERS/David Dee Delgado

The indictment hasn't appeared to hurt Trump's lead over GOP primary challengers. A Yahoo News/YouGov poll conducted after the indictment shows that Trump is the clear frontrunner for the Republican nomination, with 52% of the vote, followed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, with 21%.

Trump has been contacting his allies in Congress, including House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), as his support from conservatives remains strong.

U.S. journalist detained by Russia

Secretary of State Antony Blinken is calling on Russian President Vladimir Putin to release Wall Street Journal journalist Evan Gershkovich, whom the Kremlin arrested on espionage charges, an allegation the Wall Street Journal has vehemently denied.

The State Department said in a statement that Blinken "spoke [Sunday] with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Secretary Blinken conveyed the United States grave concern over Russias unacceptable detention of a U.S. citizen journalist. The Secretary called for his immediate release."

A picture taken on July 24, 2021, shows journalist Evan Gershkovich, a US reporter for The Wall Street Journal newspaper who has been detained in Russia for espionage. (Photo by DIMITAR DILKOFF/AFP via Getty Images)

Evan is a very talented, experienced reporter, Wall Street Journal editor-in-chief Emma Tucker said. Hes accredited to report from Russia and he was on an assignment doing what he always does  he was gathering information, he was reporting from the ground to provide our readers with eye-witness accounts of what its like to be in Russia at the moment. Its a complete outrage that he was arrested like this and what the Russian authorities are saying is utter nonsense.

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OPEC oil production cuts

OPEC's decision to cut oil production means Americans might face higher gas prices  and that could lead to political tumult for the Biden administration.

OPEC+ announced that they will slash oil starting in May by 1.6 million barrels per day. CNN reported that the national average gas price was $3.51 per gallon on Monday but that it could soon increase to $3.90 per gallon.

Republicans will likely continue to press Biden to tap into the strategic reserve. And Biden hasn't yet said whether he backs bipartisan legislation that would allow the U.S. to sue OPEC+ nations for cutting oil.

But the reality is that the Biden administration will likely continue to criticize domestic oil companies for collecting record-breaking profits instead of using the profits to keep oil prices low, though that rhetoric will likely have little impact on the administration's policies.



Kevin Cirilli is a Yahoo Finance contributor and a visiting media fellow at the Atlantic Council's Global China Hub.

Click here for politics news related to business and money

Read the latest financial and business news from Yahoo Finance
A Texas man accused of firing shots during a road-rage dispute in Caroline County was charged with two offenses.

Sheriff Scott Moser said police received a 911 call Thursday regarding an altercation involving two tractor-trailers on Ruther Glen Road. The caller reported that one truck was firing a shotgun out of his window. No one was hurt.

Responding deputies found one trucker stopped on Signboard Road near Concord Road. That driver was not armed, Moser said.

The second driver was found near the intersection of Concord Road and Richmond Turnpike. A loaded shotgun was found with the second driver, Moser said.

Daniel Skobic, 27, of San Angelo, Texas, was charged with reckless handling of a firearm and brandishing a firearm. He was placed in the Pamunkey Regional Jail.

Moser said the investigation showed that both drivers engaged in an altercation on Interstate 95 before getting off the highway in Caroline.
The lamb might not lie down next to the lion, but there is some hope for donkeys and elephants.

For years, Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine has led the charge to take war powers back from the Oval Office. Congress ceded those powers to the president in 1991 and 2002, enabling our military actions in Iraq.

Like many things done in haste, those moves were regrettable. Leaving such arbitrary power in the hands of one person could, Kaine realized, be disastrous. Some presidents are sane, level-headed leaders. Recent history, though, has convinced many that it is not guaranteed.

This time, the claw-back is closer to reality, thanks to rare bipartisanship between Democrats and Republicans. Kaine and Republican Sen. Todd Young of Indiana co-sponsored the bill, and on March 29, the Senate voted 6630 to repeal the presidential war powers legislation.

Granted, the repeal still has to get through the House, never an easy task. If it does survive, President Joe Bidens administration has indicated he would support it.

Kaine and Young have lobbied other senators relentlessly to get this far. Kaine has been pushing for this for his last decade on the Hill. He has been quoted as calling himself a Johnny one-note on the issue. Hes been bothered by the implications of presidential war powers for more than 20 years, back to his time as Virginias lieutenant governor in 2002, when 9/11 made an angry country eager to strike out somewhere to avenge the outrage and ensure it never happened again.

Kaine and Young have worked together on the repeal bill since 2019. Eighteen Republicans joined Democrats in voting to repeal, a wide coalition that ranged from centrist Susan Collins to Libertarian Rand Paul.

Concerns that Congressional foot-dragging could impede quick military action dont seem realistic. On Dec. 8, 1941, the day after Pearl Harbor, President Franklin Roosevelt asked Congress to declare war on Japan, which Congress immediately did. When real, existential dangers face our country, our lawmakers can be very bipartisan.

What about the specter of a nuclear attack from another country, demanding immediate response? In that case (God forbid), the president, consulting with the secretary of defense and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, might still have to act instantly.

However, nuclear war is far too easy to stumble into when only one person is calling the shots. President Richard Nixon once said, I can go into my office and pick up the telephone, and in 25 minutes, 70 million people will be dead. What if Nixon, in his anguished last days in office, had picked up that phone?

In the 2003 Iraq invasion, where weapons of mass destruction were never found and the entire U.S. effort seemed based on intentional or unintentional misinformation, something as large and diverse as Congress might have saved us from acting in haste and repenting at leisure.

Sen. Kaine is to be lauded for fighting a long uphill battle that he is, so far, winning.

Kaine is more than a Johnny one-note, but if he took out his harmonica and serenaded his Senate counterparts, this was the right note to hit.
TUESDAY, April 4, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- A good nights sleep is important for everyone, and it may be especially sage advice for adults with a genetic susceptibility to asthma, a new study says.

Someone with poor sleep quality and a genetic link to asthma may double their chances of being diagnosed with the respiratory condition, researchers said. But they found a healthy sleep pattern was linked to lower risk, according to a report based on U.K. participants in the journal BMJ Open Respiratory Research.

Previous studies have demonstrated that sleep disorders, such as unfavorable sleep duration and insomnia, are associated with chronic inflammation, said the authors, including Fuzhong Xue, of the National Institute of Health Data Science of China at Shandong University in Jinan.

In theory, the immune response to inflammation could generate pro-inflammatory cytokines that result in cellular infiltration and airway inflammation, further increasing the risk of asthma, they said in a journal news release.

Spotting and treating sleep disorders early on might lessen the risks, regardless of genetic predisposition, the study noted.

People with asthma often report broken or short sleep and insomnia.

For the study, the researchers used U.K. Biobank data on more than 455,000 adults enrolled between 2006 and 2010.

Participants were asked about their sleep patterns, based on whether they were a morning lark or night owl, sleep duration, insomnia, snoring and excessive daytime sleepiness.

A healthy sleep pattern was defined as being a morning lark, getting seven to nine hours of sleep every night, rarely or never having insomnia, not snoring and having no frequent daytime sleepiness.

More than 73,000 people met the criteria for a healthy sleep pattern. More than 284,000 had an intermediate sleep pattern and greater than 97,000 had a poor sleep pattern.

A genetic asthma risk score for each of the people in this study was drawn according to the number of genetic variants associated with asthma in their genome.

About 1 in 3 was classified as having a high genetic risk, with another one-third having an intermediate risk.

The investigators tracked participants respiratory health up to the date of an asthma diagnosis, death or until the end of March 2017, whichever came first.

In just under nine years, more than 17,000 people developed asthma. They were more likely to have potentially influential risk factors -- including a greater likelihood of unhealthy sleep traits -- than those without the condition.

About 7,100 people at high genetic risk of asthma and more than 5,700 at intermediate genetic risk were diagnosed with asthma during the monitoring period.

Compared with those at low genetic risk, those with the highest risk were 47% more likely to be diagnosed with asthma, the study found. Those with a poor sleep pattern were 55% more likely.

Those who had genetic risk plus poor sleep patterns were 122% more likely to be diagnosed with asthma than those with both a healthy sleep pattern and a low genetic risk.

All five sleep traits were independently associated with lower risks for asthma. Never/rare insomnia and sleep duration of seven to nine hours a night were most influential in lowering risk, the authors said.

The authors did a further analysis on a smaller group of people, finding that a healthy sleep pattern might reduce the risk of asthma in those at high genetic risk by 37%. A healthy sleep pattern might help offset asthma risk, regardless of genetic susceptibility, the researchers said.

Considering that poor sleep combined with high genetic susceptibility yielded a greater than twofold asthma risk, sleep patterns could be recommended as an effective lifestyle intervention to prevent future asthma, especially for individuals with high-risk genetics, the authors said.

The study was observational and cant prove cause and effect. Another limitation is the age range didnt include children and younger adults. The data was also not racially diverse.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on asthma.

SOURCE: BMJ Open Respiratory Research, news release, April 3, 2023
GRAND ISLAND  Northwest Public Schools and its superintendent, Jeff Edwards, are facing a lawsuit stemming from an LGTBQ-driven decision to end the high schools student newspaper, the Saga.

Former Northwest student Marcus Pennell and the Nebraska High School Press Association are plaintiffs in the suit, which the American Civil Liberties Union of Nebraska filed in federal district court Friday morning.

According to a statement by ACLU of Nebraska, The lawsuit argues that school officials decision to shutter the newspaper violated plaintiffs First Amendment free speech rights on three counts: their right to be free of viewpoint discrimination, their right to be free of retaliation and their right to receive information.

The lawsuit seeks a judges declaration the district violated the law and award damages as the court sees fit.

Pennell is a former Saga staff member, who has since graduated. In April 2022, Pennell used his preferred name in the publication. The newspaper staff was subsequently reprimanded by school administrators and directed to use legal names.

Students on staff decided to produce an LGBTQ Pride-themed June issue, which contained three LGBTQ-related, student-written articles along with stories about a Northwest High School students national art honor and a movie review of Worst Roommate Ever.

The June 2022 Saga, often referred to now as the Pride issue, was published May 16, 2022. It turned out to be the school newspaper's final issue.

After news of the Saga's fate was made public last summer, ACLU of Nebraska submitted a public records request, which resulted in hundreds of documents, including emails and text messages.

In a May 17 email to Edwards, Northwest High School Principal P.J. Smith and Activities Director Matthew Fritsche, Northwest school board president Dan Leiser said: Ive read the publications in the Viking Saga. Im sure this is a revenge tactic from the pronoun thing a month or so ago  .

Later in the email, Leiser said, Im hot on this one, because its not OK. The national media does the same crap and Ive had enough of it. No more school paper, in my opinion. You give someone an inch, they take it a mile.

Northwest school board member Paul Mader sent an email that same day to fellow board members. In it, he included a photo of Pennells story about the dont say gay bill.

Has anyone read our school paper this month? Mader asked in the group email.

Staff and students were notified of the Sagas elimination on May 19.

The Grand Island Independent broke the Saga story Aug. 24, after a monthslong investigation.

In those public records obtained by ACLU of Nebraska, on Aug. 24 one school official said in a text to another, the article was very poorly written.

Edwards said in an email to a former Nebraska City student (where he was superintendent before coming to Northwest) the resulting controversy was due to an inaccurate article written by an over zealous [sic] reporter who misconstrued multiple facts.

At the time, the school's official response concerning the Saga's cancellation was "an administrative decision" and declined to further elaborate.

On Aug. 29, ACLU of Nebraska took action, issuing a demand letter to Northwest Public Schools. They alleged violations of the First Amendment and Title IX, which relates to gender equality.

According to ACLU officials, the district did not respond.

Attorneys on the case decided not to pursue the latter of the charges, said ACLU of Nebraska Legal and Policy Counsel Jane Seu, and opted to focus on the former.

To us the strongest  and most compelling issues are the First Amendment claims, Seu said. The First Amendment claims obviously embrace the underlying LGBTQ discrimination on the content of that speech.

(The First Amendment) is what we're focused on, but also knowing that this is an important opportunity to stand up for LGBTQ students.

Seu said of the charge surrounding the right to receive information, Weve also included (that) because we think thats an important part of this story. Your right to speak also includes your right to receive information and receive that speech.

Michelle Carr Hassler, associate professor of practice for the College of Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, is the NHSPA executive director.

Hassler said of the lawsuit, Its education, first and foremost. This is disrupting the education of aspiring journalists.

It also affects the education of student journalists not necessarily looking at journalism as a career, she added.

Theyre getting such a great experience with critical thinking and language and research and newspaper literacy.

Censorship  has such a demoralizing effect on everyone.

NHSPA is a statewide journalism organization welcoming high school journalism instructors and/or advisers of student publications in Nebraska.

Deposed Northwest Saga adviser Kirsten Gilliland was elected to the NHSPA board last year.

This case was particularly troubling to us, Hassler said of the Sagas cancellation. We felt like it had larger ramifications for scholastic journalism in Nebraska.

Seu was asked whether the case was about setting a precedent or achieving accountability.

With case law, this kind of shows  especially with what we got through open records  the blatant violations (of the right to receive information). It helps promote this constitutional right and the constitutional value of the First Amendment.

We hope this case has a good, long-lasting impact.

Top Journal Star photos for March 2023
TECUMSEH  Among the files at the Johnson County District Court Clerk's office are two newly filed, thickly bound books detailing the deaths of seven men, all inmates at the Tecumseh State Correctional Institution.

Five of the seven had killed, convicted of murder or motor vehicle homicide.

Two of them  Arthur Gales Jr. and Patrick Schroeder  had been on Nebraska's death row.

The grand jury, which met Jan. 13 to review in-custody deaths in the county since 2021, found no criminal wrongdoing, though in some cases asked questions. If the outcome may have been different if one inmate had been brought to the hospital sooner? If another who killed himself had been on suicide watch? Whether there were cameras in the hall outside another's cell?

In Nebraska, whenever a person dies in custody, a grand jury is called to look at the circumstances and determine whether any criminal wrongdoing occurred.

Historically, the proceedings were secret.

But in 2016, in response to renewed focus on deaths in police custody, the Legislature changed the law and required grand jury reports and transcripts of the proceedings to be filed with the court.

On Jan. 13, Johnson County Attorney Ben Beethe presented the evidence to the grand jury in District Judge Rick Schreiner's courtroom.

The Journal Star read the trial transcripts filed March 20 and reviewed the exhibits put before the 16 jurors to get a glimpse of what happened behind the razor wire fences at the prison just outside of Tecumseh in the deaths of Arthur Gales Jr., John Zalme, Frank Hardy, Michael C. Becker, Robert Mahler, Kevin Miller and Patrick Schroeder.

Here's a recap of the evidence in each.

Arthur Gales Jr., 55

On April 3, 2021, an inmate porter in Gales' room at the Skilled Nursing Facility heard a gurgling sound from Gales, then noticed he wasn't breathing, according to Nebraska State Patrol Investigator Jason Jones. He said the previous year, Gales had his arm amputated in an effort to stop bone cancer from spreading. But it had spread to his lungs and into his brain. He had signed a do-not-resuscitate order.

Gales was sentenced to death for the murder of two children, 13-year-old Latara Chandler and 7-year-old Tramar Chandler, plus 50 years for the attempted murder of their mother in Omaha in 2001.

Patrick Schroeder, 45

Early Aug. 29, 2022, a corporal doing hourly checks of inmates on death row found Schroeder suspended from a bedsheet tied to his bunk bed and called the emergency response team, according to State Patrol Investigator Pedram Nabegh. An hour earlier, Schroeder had been sitting up, awake. Nabegh said they took him to the prison's medical facility, where he was declared deceased. On a table near the bed they found a sheet of paper propped up with a suicide note, saying he was "Tired." "I'm going to die in prison so since there's no way around that I'm going out on my terms and my time," he wrote.

Pedram confirmed what inmates had told the Journal Star in September, that Schroeder had used a razor blade to cut his wrist on Aug. 12, then buzzed in on the intercom to alert staff. The next day he denied trying to kill himself, saying he'd used K2 and when he came to saw he was bleeding. Two days later, he was taken off overnight checks every 15 minutes.

Schroeder was 11 years into a life sentence for the killing of 75-year-old Pawnee City farmer Kenny Albers when on April 15, 2017, he strangled his cellmate, Terry Berry, because Berry wouldn't stop talking. Schroeder pleaded guilty to the crime and didn't fight the death sentence.

John Zalme, 74

Early July 7, 2021, a prison corporal doing normal cell checks looked through the window for signs of life and didn't see Zalme's chest rising, State Patrol Investigator Amanda DeFreece said. The corporal woke up Zalme's cellmate and asked him to check on him, and he said Zalme was cold to the touch. The guard called for an emergency response, and he was moved to Skilled Nursing, but the automated external defibrillator indicated not to shock. DeFreece said the cellmate had no defensive wounds, and an autopsy later determined he died of a heart attack.

Zalme was serving time for stabbing a fellow inmate in 1975 and stabbing three penitentiary guards in 1981. In 1997, he killed an inmate by beating him and then starting him on fire. At the time, Zalme was serving his time in Oregon. Most recently, he was charged with assault in the May 2015 riot in Tecumseh.

Kevin Miller, 41

On Aug. 25, 2022, Miller died at the Johnson County Hospital while waiting transfer to a higher level of care for a blood clot in his lungs. A day earlier, he complained to nursing staff at the prison that he'd been short of breath for several days, and they sent him to the ER. Dr. Benjamin Biehl said Miller was diagnosed with the blood clot and put on oxygen and blood thinners. At the hospital, he collapsed onto the bed. "He rose up and took a gasp of air and then collapsed again," Investigator Nabegh said. Miller had colon cancer and was determined to have died of natural causes.

Miller was sentenced to life in prison in 2015 for the murder of his wife, Kelsey, and hiding her body in a storage facility in Lincoln.

Frank Hardy, 68

On Dec. 1, 2021, an inmate porter in Skilled Nursing, where Hardy was housed, noticed that Hardy did not appear to be breathing, according to Nebraska State Patrol Investigator Henry Dimitroff. He said the 68-year-old had been suffering from leukemia and had signed a DNR order. The grand jury found no signs of foul play and determined he died of natural causes.

Hardy was serving time on charges of sexual assault of a child.

Michael C. Becker, 25

Early Dec. 7, 2021, a corporal discovered Becker hanging, a bedsheet tied to the upper bunk of his cell, and called for emergency responders, State Patrol Investigator Justin Podany said. Becker was taken to the prison's ER, where he was pronounced dead. He had been housed alone in the Special Management Unit cell, where a search turned up an unsent suicide note to his dad.

He was serving time for armed robbery but a week from sentencing in federal court on a child porn charge. Podany said Becker didn't want to be a sex offender in prison and likely had seen firsthand how they were treated.

Robert Mahler, 65

On July 6, 2022, Mahler collapsed while mopping the gallery of Housing Unit 1A, according to Podany. He said no one was around Mahler at the time, but the incident was spotted on prison surveillance video. He was taken to the Johnson County Hospital, but life-saving measures failed. Dr. Jeremy Berg determined Mahler died of a heart attack.

Mahler was serving time for motor vehicle homicide for a September 2011 crash that killed two Wayne State College students  Alexis "Lexi" Calfee, 19, of Bennet and Christopher Oberg, 20, of Mapleton, Iowa,  near Emerson.

Nebraska's 11 death row inmates Jose Sandoval Nikko Jenkins Carey Dean Moore John Lotter Raymond Mata Arthur Gales Jorge Galindo Erick Vela Jeffrey Hessler Roy Ellis Marco Torres Patrick Schroeder Anthony Garcia Aubrey Trail
A 63-year-old Missouri man died in a vehicle crash in Southeast Nebraska on Thursday afternoon.

At about 3:45 p.m., Nemaha County emergency communications received a call about a two-vehicle crash a mile and half east of Auburn on U.S. 136.

LeRoy Forbes, a 53-year-old from Falls City, was driving east and pulling a trailer with a Ford F350 pickup when his trailer was reportedly rear-ended by a 2020 Nissan van driven by David Paris, a 63-year-old from Green Ridge, Missouri. A news release from the Nemaha County Sheriffs Office said Forbes had slowed for traffic before being struck.

Both men were taken to Nemaha County Hospital. Paris died as a result of injuries suffered in the crash, the sheriff's office reported.

Auburn Fire and Rescue and Peru Fire and Rescue also assisted at the crash scene.
State Sen. Megan Hunt and a group headed by former state Sen. Adam Morfeld have demanded a retraction from an organization that tweeted about the Omaha senator and her 12-year-old son, who is transgender.

The conservative political action committee Nebraska Freedom Coalition referred to Hunt as a "groomer" in a tweet Thursday and posted pictures of the senators son prior to his transition.

@NebraskaMegan Senator Hunt did. All morning long she referred to this child as her son  #groomer, the Freedom Coalition said in the tweet, which has since been removed.

The Lincoln-based legal group Nebraska Legal Action Fund called the tweet defamatory and issued a cease-and-desist letter on Friday demanding a retraction.

On Friday, the coalition's executive director, Patrick Peterson, told the Nebraska Examiner he hadn't seen the letter and he didn't recall if he'd made the tweet.

But on Saturday, the Freedom Coalition issued a response on Twitter, seemingly mocking the letter and repeating its allegations against Hunt.

Well see you in court. Thanks for acknowledging receipt of our letter, Morfeld said in a tweet.

Reached Sunday, the Freedom Coalition declined to comment on the cease-and-desist letter, or the specifics of the allegedly defamatory statements made on its Twitter page.

In a tweet Friday, Hunt said she had asked the Nebraska Legal Action Fund to help her stand against extremists.

(They) cannot harass and defame Nebraskans with impunity," she said.

Morfeld, who heads the Nebraska Legal Action Fund, said attacks against Hunt and others by the Freedom Coalition have been ongoing for some time, and that the group was happy to provide her with assistance.

This time they decided to defame a mother, accuse a mother of grooming their child for sexual assault and sexual penetration, Morfeld said. It has no basis in fact. That is not protected speech, and it is not permissible under Nebraska law.

According to the states legal definition of "grooming," which Morfeld tweeted on Saturday following the coalitions response to the cease-and-desist, the act entails building trust with a student and individuals close to the student  with the ultimate goal of engaging in sexual contact or sexual penetration with the student, regardless of when in the students life (the acts) would take place.

The letter from Morfelds team demands the Freedom Coalition issue a public statement retracting its claims against Hunt. According to state law, the Freedom Coalition has 20 days to issue such a statement upon acknowledgement of the request.

Morfeld said the Legal Action Fund was formed to combat what he sees as a recent pattern of defamatory statements and other political actors in Nebraska who have persisted with no legal consequence.

Morfeld founded the Legal Action Fund after his unsuccessful run for Lancaster County Attorney in 2022. In that race, an anonymous woman made a last-minute, unsubstantiated claim that Morfeld sexually assaulted her, a claim that arose days after GOP operatives raised the issue on social media.

He said he fears these types of political attacks could cause major disruptions to the states democratic institutions.

It discourages regular Nebraskans from being a part of the political process and exercising their First Amendment rights, Morfeld said.

The alleged attack against Hunt comes as she and fellow Omaha Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh have forestalled the passage of LB574, a bill introduced by Omaha Sen. Kathleen Kauth that would forbid minors from receiving gender-altering health care. Their weekslong filibuster has garnered national attention and prevented the passage of any bills 55 days into the 90-day legislative session.

Meet the Nebraska state senators making laws in 2023
Editor's Note: This story has been updated to reflect that the developer La Plata Communities says it has put its lawsuit against the city of Fountain on hold as the two parties negotiate water issues.

In the last weeks ahead of Tuesday's election in Colorado Springs, candidates and independent committees have poured hundreds of thousands of dollars into a get-out-the-vote push that may be stifled by poor voter turnout.

Colorado Springs data shows as of Monday, about 23% of the city's 311,902 active, registered voters had returned their ballots.

In the last mayor's race, about 38% of voters participated.

In the city's last election in 2021, which did not include a mayoral race, voter turnout at the same point was about 20%, data show. In 2019, about 28% of voters had returned ballots by the day before the election.

Mayoral candidates Sallie Clark, Wayne Williams and Yemi Mobolade  the top three fundraisers in the crowded 12-person race  raised the most money in the final days and poured thousands of dollars between March 11-26 into mailers, TV ads, social media and other outreach, campaign finance reports available from the city clerk show.

Mobolade spent about $114,000, the most of any mayoral candidate who filed campaign finance reports during this period. Clark spent about $93,000 and Williams about $72,000.

A slate of City Council candidates including at-large candidates David Leinweber, Brian Risley and Lynette Crow-Iverson, as well as District 3 City Council candidate Michelle Talarico, also spent big money on advertising and raised the most money of the 13 City Council candidates, city records show.

Crow-Iverson spent just under $43,000, Leinweber about $28,000, Talarico a little under $23,000 and Risley about $20,600, documents show.

Records show independent candidate committees with unknown donors also spent heavily in March.

A committee known as Citizens for Protecting Our Water that has backed Williams spent about $49,000 in recent weeks, including on television and other ads, city filings show.

Citizens for Responsible Leadership, which has backed Risley, Crow-Iverson and Leinweber, spent about $155,000, including on television, mail and other types of advertising, according to city records. The committee received $190,000 between March 22 and March 24 from Defend Colorado, a nonprofit with a right-leaning history.

A third committee that has blasted Williams, Colorado Springs for Ethical Government, spent about $127,500 on mailers, a mobile phone ad campaign and other types of advertisements, documents show. Sixy35 Media previously reported on the ads.

While candidates and independent committees are spending hefty amounts of money on outreach, few voters turning in ballots Monday said they had relied on formal ads to make a decision.

Westside resident Nancy Francis said it was tough to navigate the long list of candidates, even with help from her sister who has lived here 40 years.

"It's a hard call," she said.

She used personal connections and an online survey published by Colorado Public Radio to help identify candidates who are not too ideologically rigid and also willing to work with other groups to solve problems, such as homelessness.

But even so, she found it tough to identify the core values of the candidates.

A 28-year resident of Colorado Springs, Michael Hester, 32, said he is somewhat insulated from elections ads because he doesn't watch TV, but he thinks it's important to vote in municipal elections because each vote matters so much more than in larger elections.

While researching candidates online, he was looking for candidates who would address crime, homelessness and keep parks healthy in the city.

"We can be doing a lot better than we are," he said, explaining the city is not keeping up with growth and how fast things have changed.

Voter Lewis Lambert said he talked with friends to make his decision and keyed in on those candidates who promised to address what he sees as the core of the problem behind social issues, such as homelessness.

"It's all based on mental health," he said. He wants to see services provided to people in need, rather than funding more police or firefighters.

A detailed analysis of campaign finance records from the beginning through March 26 show developers, construction companies and investment firms are giving the most to the top fundraisers. Clark, Williams and other recipients of large donations have said in previous interviews they would not allow campaign contributions to color future decisions.

Notable donors include The O'Neil Group, a developer with ties to the Norris Ranch project at Curtis and Bradley roads seeking annexation into Colorado Springs, and Ron Johnson, CEO of Central Bancorp with ties to Kane Ranch in Fountain. Developers of the property previously expressed interest in annexing into Colorado Springs after filing a lawsuit to leave the city of Fountain because it did not have water to develop. The lawsuit is now on hold while developers work with Fountain on providing water, La Plata Communities CEO and President Doug Quimby said.

Other big donors in the city elections include Colorado Springs Forward, a group affiliated with the civic nonprofit, and The Realtor Political Action Committee.

New donors this cycle include Weidner Property Management, which is affiliated with Weidner Field in downtown Colorado Springs; Pat Broe, owner of investment group The Broe Group; Braeburn Investments; and contractors Rice & Rice, Inc. and Frazee Construction.

Campaign finance records show Clark raised about $177,000 in the most recent cycle. Her two largest donations include $25,000 from The O'Neil Group and $100,000 from Central Bancorp CEO Johnson. To date, The O'Neil Group has donated a total of $125,000 and Johnson has given a total $210,000 to Clark.

Broe also donated $10,000 to Clark on March 23.

Williams raised about $80,000 from March 11 through 26. He received hefty donations of $10,000 each from Colorado Springs Forward and Weidner Property Management; $6,000 from the Realtor PAC Committee; and $5,000 each from Rice & Rice Inc. and Frazee Construction, campaign finance documents show.

Colorado Springs Forward has donated about $265,000 to date to Williams' campaign, records show.

Of the approximately $51,000 Mobolade raised between March 11 through 26, he received $10,000 from The O'Neil Group.

Other large donations Mobolade received came from businesses, such as $3,000 from John Edwards, the vice president of defense contractor LinQuest.

Colorado Springs Forward donated $25,000 each to Leinweber and Crow-Iverson. The committee also gave $15,000 to Talarico, campaign finance filings show.

Weidner Property Management donated $2,500 each to Leinweber, Talarico, Crow-Iverson and Risley, documents show.

George Lenz, who is affiliated with Classic Homes, gave $2,500 each to Leinweber and Crow-Iverson, and $1,500 to Talarico.

Records also show Braeburn Investments gave Glenn Carlson $5,000 on March 21, bringing its total donation to Carlsons campaign to $10,000.

Scott Hiller, who is running against Talarico to represent the city's District 3, also received $5,000 from Central Bancorp CEO Johnson.

Ballots must be received by the Colorado Springs City Clerk's Office or returned to one of the city's 26 designated drop-off locations, which have 24/7 ballot boxes, by 7 p.m. Tuesday. Postmarks will not count.

It is too late for voters to mail their ballots.

A full list of drop-off locations and their addresses is available online at coloradosprings.gov/voterinfo.

This story has been updated to clarify that developers of Kane Ranch previously expressed interest in annexing into the city of Colorado Springs, but are now working on a different solution to provide water to the development.
Sane or insane? That is the driving question in the trial of Letecia Stauch, who is accused of killing her 11-year-old stepson Gannon Stauch in January 2020.

During opening statements on Monday afternoon in a near-capacity El Paso County courtroom, prosecutors and defense attorneys said they believe they have the answer to the question of sanity, and that they plan to present expert testimony to prove it.

District Attorney Michael Allen told the 18-person jury composed of 11 men and seven women that a report from the state hospital in Pueblo found Letecia Stauch, 39, to be sane at the time she allegedly killed her stepson.

Defense attorney Will Cook claims that a defense-hired expert, Dr. Dorothy Lewis, found Letecia Stauch had a "psychotic crack" at the time she allegedly killed Gannon Stauch, and thus, found her insane.

Allen began his opening statement by displaying a picture of Gannon Stauch and telling the jury that the case will come down to insanity, and that by the end of the trial the prosecution will prove Letecia Stauch was sane at the time of Gannon Stauch's killing.

When Allen showed the picture of Gannon to the court, several family members in attendance could be heard crying, including one woman who ran out of the courtroom in tears.

Gannon's father, Al Stauch, was one of several members of Gannon's family who were in attendance on Monday afternoon.

"The evidence will show she could distinguish between right and wrong," Allen told the jury.

Allen walked the jury through the evidence that the prosecution plans to show, including how Letecia Stauch allegedly stabbed her stepson 18 times as he fought back before shooting him three times, and how she allegedly drove his body to Florida in the trunk of her car in a suitcase before throwing it over a bridge into a river below.

Allen alleges that all of this evidence, as well as testimony from psychiatrists at the state hospital in Pueblo, will prove that Letecia Stauch was sane at the time of Gannon Stauch's killing.

During his opening statement Allen showed several pictures that prosecutors will enter into evidence, including alleged blood stains found in Gannon Stauch's bedroom and a picture of the suitcase that Letecia Stauch allegedly used to hide Gannon Stauch's body.

"The defendant took deliberate actions to hide those crimes from the world," Allen said.

Allen ended his opening statement by playing audio of Stauch's call to 911 to report her stepson as missing. When the dispatcher asks Stauch about the last person to have seen the boy alive, she responds: "I guess me?"

In his opening statement, Cook said most people already think his client is "guilty" or "evil." Cook then pretended to walk out of the courtroom acting defeated before returning to say he "can't just check out now" because it "wouldn't be fair to (Letecia Stauch)."

"We have lost in the court of public opinion and in the media; she is guilty," Cook told the jurors. "Do your job. Listen to the evidence. ... That is all I'm asking of you. Give us a fair shake."

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Cook also displayed a selfie of Letecia Stauch and Gannon Stauch that Cook alleges was taken the day before Gannon Stauch's death. When the selfie was shown in court Letecia Stauch could be heard quietly crying at the defense table.

During the majority of opening statements Letecia Stauch had her head in her hands, not turning around once to look at the people sitting in the courtroom behind her.

"Behind those photos and smiles Ms. Stauch ... was dealing with trauma and abuse that had been going (on) since she was a toddler," Cook said, referring to the alleged assault and molestation that Letecia Stauch endured as a child.

This trauma, Cook said, led to her developing dissociative identity order and that Dr. Lewis found Letecia Stauch to be insane at the time of Gannon Stauch's killing.

"You must, to be fair and impartial, you must believe it (insanity) is a valid defense," Cook said.

During jury selection, which began two weeks ago, a number of potential jurors were dismissed from the jury pool after questioning the validity of a not guilty by reason of insanity plea.

The defense's expert, Dr. Lewis, is a former clinical professor of psychiatry at Yale University, the author of several books on the insanity plea and the subject of the documentary Crazy, Not Insane.

The documentary outlines Lewis work with notorious killers such as Ted Bundy, Arthur Shawcross, John Allen Muhammad and many others.

To finish his opening statements, Cook claimed that the prosecution's lack of a motive will prove that Letecia Stauch was insane, and that she should be found not guilty by reason of insanity.

"You're going to have countless witnesses, evidence, exhibits, photos and videos," Cook told the jury. "You know what you're not going to hear? A motive.

"The reason is there is no motive; there is no reason. It doesn't make sense. It's insane."

The prosecution will call its first witness on Tuesday morning, and the trial is expected to last at least six weeks.

Letecia Stauch faces 12 charges including first-degree murder, child abuse and tampering with evidence. If found guilty of the first-degree murder charge, she would be given a mandatory sentence of life in prison, per Colorado law.

Letecia Stauch originally faced 13 charges, but Allen told Judge Gregory Werner that prosecutors were dismissing the charge of child abuse resulting in death.

In addition to the murder trial, Letecia Stauch faces a second case in which she is accused of attempting to escape from the El Paso County jail in May 2020. The second case is on hold until the completion of the first-degree murder trial.
A nationally publicized feud between Black and white neighbors in eastern El Paso County may be moving toward a legal conclusion.

In a Monday hearing at the El Paso County courthouse, Teresa Clark, who has been involved in a series of legal disputes with ranchers Courtney and Nicole Mallery, agreed to attempt to resolve the dispute through mediation.

Clark appeared before county Judge Meredith Patrick Cord for a pre-trial readiness conference in connection with her September arrest for allegedly violating a restraining order that required her to stay at least 100 yards from the Mallerys property. She had been scheduled to stand trial on Tuesday.

Last Thursday, Nicole and Courtney Mallery expressed willingness to mediate when they appeared in court to address felony charges of stalking, for which they were arrested in November and February, respectively. Clark is named as the stalking victim in the arrest documents.

The proposed mediation could be the first step toward a peaceful resolution to a clash that reportedly began as a disagreement over an easement between neighboring properties before snowballing into dueling restraining orders, accusations of racism, several arrests, and accusations of biased policing against the El Paso County Sheriffs Office.

In a story published in January by Ark Republic, an online media outlet based in New Jersey, the Mallerys alleged that Clark and other Yoder residents were waging a racist intimidation campaign against them, including online threats, the poisoning of their animals and the disabling of their security system. Nicole Mallery also accused an El Paso County sheriffs deputy of playing favorites, referring to the officer as Clarks personal policeman.

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The story quickly went viral, gaining global attention and sparking outrage that a Black ranching family in a predominantly white community wasnt being allowed to work their land in peace.

Clark has countered with allegations that the Mallerys have continually stalked and threatened her, and has said that angered responses to the Ark Republic story have made her afraid for her life.

The Mallerys were in court on Monday as Clark agreed to mediation, which could take place by the end of April.

Despite the provisional agreement, Clark seemed displeased with this latest turn of events when she told The Gazette, I got screwed. Again. On advice from her attorney, she declined to elaborate.

If Clark and the Mallerys fail to arrive at a resolution, their respective criminal trials will proceed later this year.
More than three years since 11-year-old Gannon Stauch's body was found in northern Florida, his alleged killer and stepmom Letecia Stauch's opening statements began on Monday.

Follow Gazette reporter @ZachNDupont on Twitter for updates from court.

Opening statements

Following the selection of the 19-person jury selection, 4th Judicial District Attorney Michael Allen began opening statements for the prosecution by telling the jury that the case will come down to insanity, and that by the end of the trial the prosecution will have proved Stauch was sane at the time of Gannon's killing.

"The evidence will show she could distinguish between right and wrong," Allen told the jury to begin his opening statement.

Allen walked the jury through the evidence that the prosecution plans to show, including how Stauch allegedly stabbed her stepson 18 times as he fought back before shooting him three times, and how she allegedly drove his body to Florida in the trunk of her car in a suitcase before throwing it over a bridge into a river below.

Allen alleges that all of this evidence, as well as testimony from experts at the state hospital in Pueblo, will prove that Stauch was sane at the time of Gannon's killing. Allen made the claims while acknowledging that the defense will have an expert witness testify that they found Stauch to be insane at the time of Gannon's death.

The defense's expert, Dr. Dorothy Lewis, is a former clinical professor of psychiatry at Yale University, the author of several books on the topic of the insanity plea and the subject of the documentary Crazy, Not Insane.

The documentary outlines Lewis work with notorious killers such as Ted Bundy, Arthur Shawcross, John Allen Muhammed and many others.

During his opening statement Allen showed several pictures of evidence that will be presented, including alleged blood stains found in Gannon's bedroom and a picture of the suitcase that Letecia Stauch used to hide Gannon's body .

"The defendant took deliberate actions to hide those crimes from the world," Allen said.

Allen ended his opening statements by playing audio of Stauch's call to 911 to report her stepson as missing. When the dispatcher asks Stauch about the last person to have seen the boy alive, she responds: "I guess me?"

Defense attorney Will Cook opened with some theatrics, pointing to how most people already find his client "guilty" or "evil." Cook then pretended to walk out of the courtroom, acting defeated before returning to say he "can't just check out now" because it "wouldn't be fair to (Stauch)."

"We have lost in the court of public opinion and in the media, she is guilty," Cook told the jurors. "Do your job, listen to the evidence... That is all I'm asking of you, give us a fair shake."

Cook went on to display a selfie of Letecia Stauch and Gannon Stauch that Cook alleges was from the day before Gannon's death. Letecia Stauch could be heard quietly crying at the defense table when the selfie was shown.

"Behind those photos and smiles Ms. Stauch ... was dealing with trauma and abuse that had been going no since she was a toddler," Cook said, referencing that Stauch was allegedly assaulted and molested for years as a child.

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Stauch's abuse as a child, according to Cook, led to her developing dissociative identity order and that their expert found Stauch to be insane at the time of the incident.

"You must, to be fair and impartial, you must believe it (insanity) is a valid defense," Cook said.

To finish his opening statements, Cook claimed that the lack of a motive presented by the prosecution will prove that Stauch was insane, and that she should be found not guilty by reason of insanity.

"You're going to have countless witnesses, evidence, exhibits, photos and videos," Cook said to the jury. "You know what you're not going to hear ... a motive.

"The reason is there is no motive, there is no reason. It doesn't make sense. It's insane."

Stauch's trial in 4th Judicial District Court began March 20 with jury selection, where attorneys worked to select a pool of potential jurors to call back on Monday.

The juror pool

Attorneys in the Stauch case spent the past two weeks working toward selecting the final 120-person potential juror pool  a process that was completed early last week, said Robert McCallum, the public information officer for the Colorado Judicial Department.

To start off jury selection Monday morning, more than 15 people told Judge Gregory Werner that their circumstances had changed since their first appearance in court, and now they may no longer be able to serve on the jury.

The change in those potential jurors' circumstances included their employers informing them they wouldn't be paid while serving on the jury and medical hardships such as upcoming surgeries for themselves or family members.

After over an hour, attorneys came to a resolution on the 18-person jury for the trial. The jury includes 11 men and seven women.

Expected length of trial

Stauch's trial is expected to last six to eight weeks, with the prosecution's endorsed witness list obtained by The Gazette at more than 150 people.

The trial will continue Tuesday morning with the prosecution's first witness.

Stauch faces 13 charges including first-degree murder, child abuse and tampering with evidence. If found guilty of the first-degree murder charge, Stauch will be given a mandatory sentence of life of prison, per Colorado law.

In addition to the murder trial, Stauch faces a second case in which she is accused of attempting to escape from the El Paso County jail in May 2020. The second case against Stauch is on hold until the completion of the first-degree murder trial.
Letecia Stauch, accused of stabbing and fatally shooting her 11-year-old stepson Gannon in El Paso County and then disposing of his body in northern Florida, changed her story several times in the weeks following the boy's disappearance, Al Stauch, Gannon's father, testified Tuesday.

When Gannon was reported missing on Jan. 27, 2020, Letecia Stauch called Al Stauch while he was in Oklahoma and said Gannon hadnt come home from a friends house.

Al Stauch said he became suspicious of his then-wife when he called the parents of Gannons friends and none of them said they had seen him. Al Stauch also said it was weird that when Letecia Stauch picked him up from the Colorado Springs Airport, she needed to acquire a rental car.

Totally made no sense, Al Stauch told jurors.

He said that when he went to look for Letecia Stauchs car, which she claimed she had left at French Elementary School, he could not find it.

That was when I first thought she was lying, Al Stauch testified.

Two days after Al Stauch returned from Oklahoma, Letecia Stauch changed her story entirely, claiming that someone had broken into their Lorson Ranch home, assaulted her and kidnapped Gannon.

The prosecution on Tuesday played a two-hour phone conversation recorded by the FBI on Feb. 13, 2020, between Al and Letecia Stauch. District Attorney Michael Allen told jurors that Al Stauch was being coached by FBI agents who were with him during the call.

Letecia Stauch told her husband during the phone call that a Mexican man had entered their home, that she hit her head on a table and blacked out, that she was raped, and that the alleged intruder took Gannon and left.

My mind was completely (expletive) gone, Letecia Stauch told Al Stauch. I tried. I didnt know what was going on. All of it was a blur.  It was like I was in some Lifetime movie.

As Al Stauch continued to question Letecia Stauch about the incident, she began to cry and could be heard yelling: Youre treating me like a criminal.  Do you think I did this?

As the phone call progresses Al Stauch accused his then-wife of changing her story. And Letecia Stauch can be heard trying to explain away the numerous differences in her stories, such as why neighbors' doorbell cameras didnt record the intruder that she claimed had entered their home.

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Eventually, more than an hour and a half into the phone call, Al Stauch asked Letecia Stauch outright: Did you kill Gannon?

"Did I kill Gannon? The answer is no," Letecia Stauch screamed in response. "I can't believe you'd ask me this. ... If you think Gannon's dead that's horrible.  What is wrong with you?

Over more than 20 minutes Letecia Stauch repeatedly denied to Al Stauch that she had anything to do with Gannons disappearance.

A word commonly used by prosecutors throughout Tuesdays testimony was manipulative.

Al Stauch described several instances over the course of his marriage with Letecia Stauch that he felt he was being manipulated, such as two false burglary allegations made by Letecia Stauch in 2019, Letecia Stauch claiming she was pregnant with twins  when she was not  and a sexual harassment allegation made by Letecia Stauch against a captain in Al Stauchs Army unit while living in Alaska, allegedly because she did not enjoy living there and wanted to move.

Josh Tolini, one of Letecia Stauchs defense attorneys, objected to testimony related to manipulation, claiming the witness was speculating. But those objections were overruled by Judge Gregory Werner.

Al Stauchs testimony  which lasted the entire day  started off emotionally. He talked about how Gannon was born four months early at just over 1 pound, how Gannon enjoyed playing video games  his favorites were the Mario games, Al Stauch said  and how Gannon aspired to be a YouTube star.

Thats my boy, Al Stauch said through tears when District Attorney Michael Allen asked the witness to identify a picture of Gannon.

Al Stauch, the trial's first witness, will return to the stand on Wednesday morning, when the prosecution is expected to play more phone conversations between him and Letecia Stauch. Allen said the prosecution also plans on calling two witnesses from Pensacola, Fla., where Gannons body was found.

During opening statements on Monday, Allen argued that Stauch was sane at the time of Gannons death, and the evidence over the course of the trial would prove that.

Defense attorney Will Cook argued that Stauch was found to be insane at the time of Gannons killing, and that the prosecution wont be able to provide the evidence to prove that she was sane.
The Fountain Police Department said it is searching for a man suspected of crashing a stolen vehicle and then fleeing the scene Monday.

Around 10:45 a.m., police asked residents near the 500 block of Windsor Lane to stay inside and lock doors and windows. Officers have since cleared the area, though the suspect has not been found, police said.

"We are not aware of any threat to the public regarding this incident," police said in a Facebook post.

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A stolen vehicle was spotted at the Love's Travel Stop, located at 5505 Travel Plaza Boulevard, and fled the area when officers tried to make contact, the post said. The vehicle traveled southbound on Bandley Drive until it crashed a short time later, and one of the occupants fled the crash, police said.

That person is believed to be a male in his 20s who was last seen wearing blue jeans and an "unknown color shirt" in the area, and may be injured from the crash, according to the post.
Manitou Springs School District 14 announced four finalists Monday in its search for superintendent. Community members are invited to meet the candidates April 20 and provide feedback before they interview the board of education, according to a news release.

The four finalists include Andy Burns, Sean Dorsey, Jim Fraley and Jim Smith, all coming from outside Manitou.

The school district launched its search in January after former Superintendent Elizabeth Domangue stepped down mid-year in mutual agreement with the board.

Finalist Andy Burns, the current executive director of student support services in Pueblo School District 60, has served several leadership across district lines. Since beginning his career as a middle school and high school teacher, he has served two terms on the Durango School Districts board of education and worked as a college administrator at Fort Lewis College, Johns Hopkins University and the University of Denver. Burns has also worked as the Deputy Superintendent and Chief Operations Officer in the Durango School District, among other roles.

Sean Dorsey is the current assistant superintendent for the Sand Creek Zone in School District 49. His previous roles include principal at Colorado Springs School District 11s Wasson High School, assistant principal in Fountain-Fort Carson School District 8 and Widefield School District 3 and as a special education teacher in Greeley.

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Jim Fraley is the current assistant superintendent of instruction for Laramie County School District in Wyoming. He previously worked as principal at two elementary schools and has taught sixth and third grades.

Jim Smith is the current assistant superintendent for strategic planning and community engagement in Academy School District 20, which concluded its own superintendent search last month. Smith began his career teaching English to Native American students at a New Mexico boarding school and at an alternative night school for at-risk students. He has also worked in D-20 as assistant superintendent for administrative services, executive director for learning services, principal of Eagleview Middle School and dean of students at Aspen Valley High School.

The community meet and greet will be held 6 p.m. April 20 at Manitou Springs High Schools small gym. Candidates will interview with the board and stakeholder committees the following day.
Update: The 403 fire has burned 1,388 acres as of Sunday morning.

The Teller County Sheriffs Office announced Sunday residents who were evacuated will be allowed to return home. People who were under mandatory evacuation will change to a pre-evacuation status. They will be allowed to return to their homes after 12 p.m., Sunday. Homes that were under pre-evacuation status before will remain at that status.

Wildfire in El Paso County

A fire burning in El Paso County has prompted mandatory evacuations, according to a tweet from the sheriff's office.

A blaze burning in Cimarron Hills cause a mandatory evacuation of the area of Preble Drive and Boreal Drive, west to Newt Drive.

Click here for further updates on the fire.

Efforts to suppress the 403 fire continued for a third day in Teller and Park counties as red flag warnings persisted Saturday in southern Colorado.

As of Saturday late Saturday afternoon, the fire had burned an estimated 1,215 acres, with 25% of the fire contained, according to the official 403 Fire Facebook page.

Officials said their main priority lies in the safety of firefighters and the public. Over 123 personnel are actively on the scene, with the majority of resources going toward constructing a handline around the fire.

Although no structures have been lost, they remain threatened. Evacuation measures in immediate areas are still in effect.

Friday's update, 403 fire

The fire grew to 1,205 acres Friday afternoon, according to the U.S. Forest Service, which took over management of the fire at midnight.

Florissant Fire Chief Erik Holt said 123 fire fighters in total across multiple departments worked to contain the 403 fire on Friday. Strong, sustained winds challenged air support efforts, but crews managed one air drop of 3,000 gallons of water.

A red flag warning remains active across the Pikes Peak region until 7 p.m. Friday. A fire watch also will be in effect Saturday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

High winds rolling through the region may pose problems to firefighters, as winds are expected to range from 20 to 35 mph throughout the day. Gusts may reach as high as 50 mph, according to the National Weather Service.

A media briefing took place at 9 a.m. Friday. The Teller County Sheriff's Office said a deputy will be available Friday to escort people to their residences to pick up necessary medication and animals.

According to officials, as of 8:15 a.m., smoke was not visible from the Florissant Fire Protection District on U.S. 24.

Officials are asking the public for donations of things such as eyedrops, water, and cough drops for both Park and Teller counties. Donations for Park County can be dropped off at the Lake George fire station, and donations for Teller County can be dropped off at the Sheriff's Office in Divide.

Thursday recap and lookahead, 403 fire

Lieutenant Jennifer Plutt with the Park County Sheriffs Office on Friday said flames were first confirmed by an off-duty sheriffs deputy at 10:58 a.m. Thursday morning following a 911 call from a resident reporting the fire from the Pikes Forest Estate subdivision. By 11:15 a.m. the Lake George Fire Department was on the scene, with assistance from the Guffey and Florissant fire departments.

At 11:31 a.m., mandatory evacuations came into effect for residents within a one-mile radius. By 3:23 p.m., a secondary call for evacuation went out to the residence in a 5-mile radius.

Right now, in terms of cause and origin, we are working hand and hand with the U.S. Forest Service, Special Agent, and fire investigation team, Plutt said.

Mandatory evacuations are still in place for the Pike Forest, Saddle Mountain Ranch and Blue Mountain Ranch subdivisions, as well as for residents along County Road 403.

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Country Road 403 along with County Road 38, which is east of County Road 61, remain closed.

Depending on what the fire does today will determine when those closures will be lifted, Plutt said.

According to Plutt, residents from evacuated subdivisions can stop by any of the roadblocks in place to be escorted back to their residences for a short period of time to retrieve any necessary materials left in their homes.

According to the U.S. Forest Service, approximately 1,100 acres have burned since the fire began Thursday morning. The area is expecting more resources Friday to help suppress the fire, including aviation support. However, the high winds present could limit the abilities of aircraft.

As of 10 a.m. Friday, Teller County moved into stage 2 of an active burn ban, posting the resolution from the county commissioners to its Twitter account.

According to the Pike & San Isabel National Forest, and the Cimarron & Comanche National Grasslands Fire Information Blog, the fire has burned a total of 1,205 acres as of 1:30 p.m. Friday. The Forest Service is leading current operations on the ground, utilizing resources from Teller and Park counties. The Department of Fire Prevention and Control's aviation resources were unable to fly Friday due to high winds present in the area.

The blog states the main goal is to continue to limit fire growth.

Fire in Park and Teller counties: 403 fire

As the 403 fire crosses over county lines, Teller County authorities Thursday evening ordered mandatory evacuations for the area stretching from County Road 46 to Wilson Drive and for residents of the Wilson Lakes and Forest Glenn subdivisions. Officials say 1,047 acres have been burned as of 8:45 p.m.

A pre-evacuation warning was issued for Valley Hi and Florissant Heights subdivisions, according to Teller County Sheriff Office. Residents in the area are asked to evacuate immediately if in danger. Officials announced the closest major intersection is County Road 403 and County Road 98 in Park County.

Click here for an interactive map of the current evacuation and pre-evacuation zones for the 403 fire.

Emergency shelters for evacuees are set up at the Woodland Park Community Center at 800 Valley View Drive.

Officials announced the power and gas will be cut off south of Highway 24 and west Teller 1 to the County line at 8:20 p.m., mainly impacting the subdivisions of Wilson Lakes and Forest Glenn.

Park County residents within one mile of County Road 403 and Alpine Meadow Lane were previously ordered to evacuate at 11:39 a.m. The alert said structures in the area are threatened by the grassfire.

An emergency evacuation shelter is open at the Lake George Community Center located at 39141 U.S. 24. Those with large animals or livestock are asked to locate to the Lake George Fairgrounds at 37371 Highway 24. For immediate updates, residents can call the evacuation line at 719-836-4200.

A media staging will take place at Florissant Grange located at 2009 Teller County Road 31, according to a tweet from the Teller County Sheriff's Office.

According to the Teller County Sheriffs Office, smoke was visible in the west part of the county because of the fire burning behind the Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument. Officials are asking the public to call 911 only if they see active flames, or a plume of smoke.

The Department of Public Health and Environment issued an air quality advisory for southeastern Park County and western Teller County. Park County officials advise citizens to remain indoors if smoke becomes too thick in their neighborhood, especially the young, the elder, and those with heart disease, or respiratory illness.

Fire near Simla: 125 fire

Officials lifted an evacuation of Simla at 6:10 p.m. Thursday after the 125 fire threatened approximately 500-700 acres, according to the Elbert County Office of Emergency Management and Elizabeth Fire. Elbert County Road and Bridge cleared 25 feet of vegetation to prevent the fire from spreading into the town.

As of about 8 p.m., the fire was 96% contained. Crews expected to remain on scene to tend to hotspots until Friday morning.

The Colorado Springs Fire Department first reported sending two brush trucks, one engine and a battalion chief to assist with a wildland fire off of U.S. 24 south of Simla at 4:12 p.m.

Fire in Colorado Springs

Fire crews earlier Thursday contained a wildland fire in southeast Colorado Springs in the area of Delta and Hancock. The fire stretched approximately half an acre and was contained by 2:39 p.m., just under two hours from when CSFD says crews arrived.

No structures were threatened or lost, and no civilians were injured, according to the Colorado Springs Fire Department. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
First lady Jill Biden's airplane was diverted back to Denver on Monday afternoon after it experienced an issue while headed to Michigan, her press secretary said on Twitter.

Biden visited Denver on Monday morning to highlight President Joe Biden's economic policies. Her office she joined Gov. Jared Polis at the state Capitol "to highlight how state officials are prioritizing investments in community colleges and workforce training programs."

Biden arrived in Colorado on Sunday evening. Her trip also included planned visits to Michigan, Maine and Vermont.

Her trip to Michigan was postponed to a later date after the aircraft issues forced her return to Denver, according to press secretary Vanessa Valdivia.

Everyone was safe after landing in Denver, Valdivia said.

Valdivia didn't share any details on the aircraft issue or how long the first lady would remain in Colorado.

For more on this story about Jill Biden's plane being diverted back to Denver, including a video report, visit our news partners at 9NEWS.com.
Gov. Jared Polis greeted first lady Jill Biden on the steps of the capitol Monday on her first stop to tout the Biden-Harris Administrations work to create training programs that will better prepare high school and college students for good-paying jobs in the workforce.

Before introducing Biden, Polis gave a rundown of some of the states efforts to address Colorados workforce needs.

Through effective state investments combined with landmark federal support, we are saving people money on training and education and expanding access to opportunities for Coloradans at every level of learning, Polis said.

Polis and state lawmakers thanked the Biden administration for the American Rescue Plan Act money, which was used to fund these efforts.

Lawmakers also applauded the Polis administration's work creating free training toward associate degrees and industry certificates for in-demand careers in childhood education, law enforcement and construction workers, among others.

State Sen. Jeff Bridges, D- Greenwood Village, thanked the first lady for the opportunity to brag about how Colorado used the federal money as an investment in job training.

In turn, Biden praised Colorado lawmakers.

Right here in Colorado, we see that both sides of the aisle are working together to get things done, Biden said.

Biden  who is an English professor at Northern Virginia Community College and a former high school teacher  called education her lifes work.

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But she noted that a four-year degree isnt the path for everyone. And many good-paying jobs do not require a college education.

We need to work together to help our students get the education and the training that they need for the careers that they want, Biden said.

The 45-minute program ended with some impromptu testimonies from students who had benefited from the states Care Forward Colorado program, which was funded with federal money.

One of those students is Karlie Asman, an EMT and firefighter with Franktown Fire Protection District. The 23-year-old said she received her training through Arapahoe Community College with the help of Care Forward grant money.

It allows me to not worry about getting food on the table and paying my car bill to get to class, Asman said.

Biden and other senior White House officials are touring the country to trumpet legislation that includes manufacturing jobs, high-speed internet, airport safety and clean water.

The first ladys leg of the tour also includes stops in Michigan, Maine and Vermont.

President Joe Bidens Investing in America agenda includes building a clean-energy economy and rebuilding infrastructure to create good-paying jobs.